A Donald Trump quote, printed up on a large banner. A Christmas tree with empty gift boxes piled high underneath. Lumps of coal wrapped in ribbon. Greeting cards with messages informing Trump, CEOs and small business owners of the myriad ways the tax bill would affect them, in alarmingly cheerful tones given some of the dire results.

Sound like a happy holiday?

Not to Erin Erickson, or any of the other six panelists at Missoula Rises tax talk Monday afternoon, held to educate people about the bill and try and prevent it from being passed before Christmas, as some politicians have promised.

Its just the wrong way to go about setting economic policy and its dangerous, private practice psychotherapist Alison Cobb said.

The panel, which included local business owners, economics professors and tax attorneys, covered the bills effects on Montanans rising taxes, access to a high-quality college education, affordable health care, ability to run small businesses and nonprofits, and national security.

Starting on the state level, the tax bill would worsen Montanas budget crisis, which would likely mean state property tax increases to make up about $123 million in projected losses, said attorney and former legislator Andrew Person.

Some provisions of the bills would change the price index, pushing lower- and middle-income people into a higher tax bracket, according to a note from economics professor Amanda Dawsey, read by Erickson.

There are some small initial benefits to lower earners, Erickson said, but starting in 2020, those go away.

If your family earns under $200,000, you will receive a tax increase, she said.

In context, the median salary in Montana is $45,000, Erickson added, meaning a huge part of the Montana population falls in the sub-$200,000 range.

Heather Adams, the owner of the Downtown Dance Collective where Monday's talk was held, outlined how the tax bill will affect small businesses, a backbone of the Missoula economy, making up almost all of downtown.

Taxes on small businesses would rise, threatening locals who already operate with razor-thin margins, while lowering for major corporations.

If middle-class wage growth is the plan, then give the middle class the bulk of the cuts and let the benefits trickle up, Adams said.

Graduate student and teaching assistant Johnny Barber said the bill would make tuition waivers (a common way the university makes programs affordable) taxable income.

That would mean fewer graduate students at UM, which would mean fewer TAs in 100-level lecture courses. In those courses, TAs are the human faces who lead discussion classes with small student groups and grade all their work throughout the semester.

Barber said it would be a threat to a large part of the Missoula economy, which is the university.

Meredith Printz, the executive director of the Missoula Community Foundation, said the tax bill threatens to hobble nonprofits, also a large source of Montanas economic growth.

More than 10 percent of the states workforce is employed by nonprofits, Printz said, and the incentive reductions in the tax bill could mean hundreds of thousands of jobs and more than $1 trillion lost from the national nonprofit sector.

The bill will also lead to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security cuts, eliminate deductible medical expenses and raise the cost of insurance, Cobb said.

Without that deduction, its basically a health tax on the sick, Cobb said, adding that Medicaid pays for around 50 percent of Montanans in long-term health care.

Erickson said Missoula Rises is taking a multi-faceted approach to opposing the tax bill, starting with its courthouse protest last week. Missoula Rises is a progressive social action group.

There are resources on its website, missoularises.com, and group members hold weekly work parties on Wednesday nights at Imagine Nation Brewery, where people learn how to contact their representatives through letters, email, social media and by phone.

Erickson encouraged every Montanan to contact their representatives, especially Rep. Greg Gianforte, who hasnt voted on the bill yet. Sen. Jon Tester and Sen. Steve Daines already voted against and for the tax bill respectively.

We are to help educate (Gianforte), Erickson said. It should be Montana over party, every single time.

She also encouraged people to have conversations about the bill with their friends and family. Its a nonpartisan issue, Erickson said, so dont be afraid of bringing it up over the holidays.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has uncovered an extremist "cell" that was directed by the militant group Islamic State (IS) and was planning terror attacks in Moscow during the New Year's holidays and the upcoming presidential campaign.

In a December 12 statement, the FSB said that three suspected members of the cell were arrested in the Odintsovo district outside the capital.

The arrestees were from Central Asia and were suspected of financing terrorist activities, recruiting for IS, and plotting terrorist attacks, the statement said. It said the cell was directed from abroad by "IS leaders."

FSB officers confiscated two handmade explosive devices, two AK-47 assault rifles, and ammunition, and found and destroyed a bomb-making lab, the statement said.

FSB Director Aleksandr Bortnikov told a meeting of Russia's National Antiterrorism Committee earlier in the day that the arrests took place on December 11, but he did not say how many people were detained.

The FSB frequently announces that it has foiled terrorist plots ahead of holidays and important events. It was impossible to independently verify the agency's statement.

President Vladimir Putin, a former FSB chief, announced last week that he will seek a new six-year term in the March 18 election. The official campaign is scheduled to start later in several days.

Bortnikov said that FSB analysis "indicates that the leaders of international terrorist organizations are pushing ahead with attempts to create hotbeds of terrorism in various regions of Russia."

He pointed to a bombing that killed 16 people in the St. Petersburg subway in April and a knife attack that injured seven people in the Siberian city of Surgut in August as "confirmation" of this.

Bortnikov said that Russian authorities had prevented 18 terrorist attacks from being carried out this year.

With reporting by RIA Novosti, TASS, and Interfax
WASHINGTON -- A top U.S. State Department official said the administration was committed to meeting a February deadline to specify new measures against Russia officials and influential businessmen for Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 election.

The December 12 remarks by Wess Mitchell, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, come amid doubts that President Donald Trump will fulfill the sanctions that were backed by Congress in legislation passed earlier this year.

After an October deadline was missed, Republican and Democratic senators pressed the Treasury Department and the White House to move forward on the measure.

The next deadline is February 2, when the Treasury Department is supposed to release a list of Russian officials and Kremlin-connected business leaders to be targeted for restrictions. That could include limitations on financial transactions with banks, real estate brokerages, and other institutions.

Speaking to a panel of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mitchell said the Trump administration was committed to meeting that deadline.

The new legislation, called Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, also includes measures that could impact energy companies doing deals in Europe, or, for example, with commercial ties to the Russian undersea pipeline project known as Nordstream 2.

Mitchell told senators that the administration believed the pipeline was unwise for European energy security, saying that it would concentrate 75 percent of Russian gas exports to Europe in one pipeline.

"This is a political, not a commercial project," he said.

He said Germanys continuing support for the pipeline was critical to the project's future, and it was unclear whether Chancellor Angela Merkels still-unformed government would pull its support.

"On energy security, Germany gets it wrong. And it gets it wrong in a way that hurts other EU, and NATO members states, both financially and geopolitically," he said.

Mitchell also had praise for Ukraine, and the administration of President Petro Poroshenko, on reforming the countrys regulatory oversight of energy markets, in particular tariffs for natural gas supplies and pipeline transit.

But he also warned that further reforms were needed, particularly with respect to state energy company Naftogaz.
Presidential hopeful Ksenia Sobchak has criticized Russian authorities over what she called a "cavalier assault" on the Tatar language in Tatarstan, voicing support for local languages spoken in so-called "ethnic regions" of the country.

In an e-mail exchange with RFE/RL on December 11, Sobchak wrote that prosecutors must not interfere in education policy or determine what subjects should be taught at schools.

Tension over language classes in regions where indigenous, non-Russian ethnic groups are well represented increased after President Vladimir Putin said in July that children in these regions must not be forced to learn languages that are not their mother tongues, and ordered prosecutors to determine whether that was taking place.

The move caused an outcry in Tatarstan and other regions where local languages have official status alongside Russian.

In the e-mail exchange, Sobchak wrote that the federal prosecutor-general's office and the agency monitoring educational institutions, Rosobrnadzor, should stop what she called "a cavalier assault on the Tatar language in Tatarstan's schools."

"Instead of securing implementation of the law, you -- out of nowhere -- create a conflict and social tension," Sobchak wrote, addressing the prosecutor-general and Rosobrnadzor. "You destroy the stable work of the schools in Tatarstan, forcing them to change their school curricula...and fire teachers in the middle of the academic year."

She added that federal authorities should take into account the unique characteristics of Russia's regions instead of trying to apply a "one-size-fits-all pattern."

Tatarstan Prosecutor-General Ildus Nafikov announced on November 29 that Tatar language classes were no longer mandatory in the region's schools, saying that pupils will study Tatar for two hours a week on an optional basis and with written parental consent.

Sobchak -- a journalist and TV personality whose father, the late former St. Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak, was President Vladimir Putin's boss for a time -- announced in October that she plans to run for president in Russia's March 18 election.


Russia's envoy for Syria peacemaking efforts says that President Bashar al-Assad should be allowed to run for reelection, a stance that runs counter to Western governments that say he should have no place in politics after a postwar political transition.

Aleksandr Lavrentyev, President Vladimir Putin's special representative at international talks on the war in Syria, made the remarks to Bloomberg News for an article published on December 12 -- a day after Putin traveled to Syria, declared victory, and ordered the start of a partial withdrawal of Russian forces two years after Moscow launched a campaign of air strikes in support of Assad's government and stepped up its military involvement on the ground.

The statement comes as Western countries seek to condition aid for the future reconstruction of Syria on the departure of Assad, who they blame for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his citizens. It suggests that Russia may hope it can steer a potential political transition in a way that enables Moscow to maintain as much clout as possible in the Middle Eastern country.

I dont see why he shouldnt or wouldnt run for another presidential term, Lavrentyev told Bloomberg in an interview in Ankara, where Putin stopped on December 11 after visits to Syria and Egypt the same day. This is entirely up to him.

Lavrentyev told Bloomberg that Western countries should not "say that theyll give money only when they see that the opposition comes to power or their interests are fully accommodated.

Its not all about the U.S., France, or Great Britain. There are Russia, Iran, China, India, and many other countries, he said, adding that Syrian businesses could also contribute to reconstruction.

Russia plans to host the Syrian government and opposition groups in the Black Sea resort of Sochi early in 2018 to discuss the blueprint for a political settlement, including a new constitution that would then be endorsed at UN-sponsored talks in Geneva.

Bloomberg cited unidentified U.S. officials as saying the Russian initiative appeared to be aimed at leaving Assad in power and getting others to pay for reconstruction. The report cited the U.S. officials as saying that the United States and its European allies are in agreement that there should be no international funding to rebuild areas under government control.

Under a plan endorsed by the UN Security Council in 2015, Syria would hold a presidential election under international supervision within 12 months of the formation of an interim government. The United States, the European Union, and the Gulf Cooperation Council refused to recognize a 2014 election in which official results said that Assad won another seven years in power with 89 percent of the vote.

In addition to its military support, which helped turned the tide of the war in Assad's favor at a time when his defeat seemed near, Russia has given his government crucial diplomatic backing. Using its veto power and clout as a permanent UN Security Council member, Russia has repeatedly shielded Assad from censure and punishment over a war that has killed some 400,000 people and driven millions from their homes.
A judge in Kyiv has rejected a request by Ukrainian prosecutors to place opposition figure Mikheil Saakashvili under house arrest. He was marched home by cheering supporters following the December 11 decision. Saakashvili was arrested on allegations that he colluded with Ukrainian businessmen tied to Russia to topple President Petro Poroshenko, something he denies. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
23 People shout while holding signs that read "All For Justice" outside the government headquarters in Bucharest. More than 10,000 people on December 10 participated in another round of protests against Romanian legislation that critics say would make it harder to punish high-level corruption. (AP/Vadim Ghirda)
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
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.
The daughter of a jailed Turkmen animal rights activist has brought her mother warm clothing, making the first visit permitted by the authorities since police stormed Galina Kucherenko's apartment and arrested her.

Human rights advocate Natalya Shabunts told RFE/RL that she and Kucherenko's daughter Valeria were allowed to visit the activist at a police detention center on the outskirts of Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat, on December 12.

Shabunts added that Valeria was allowed to hand warm clothes over to her mother, who was sentenced to 15 days in jail for what police said were "unsanitary conditions" caused by "an excessive number of pets" in her apartment.

Kucherenko had been held incommunicado since her arrest on December 7.

Shabunts and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said earlier that Kucherenko, 52, was detained along with Valeria after police raided their apartment in Ashgabat. Valeria was later released.

Rights activists say Kucherenko has received numerous threats from law enforcement officials in Ashgabat for her efforts to prevent what she says are mass killings of stray dogs and cats by the authorities in the Central Asian country.

On December 8, HRW said Turkmenistan's "international partners should urgently and publicly call on the Turkmen government to disclose Kucherenko's whereabouts and release her immediately."

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron hand, tolerating little dissent since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006.
KYIV -- Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian leader who is now an ardent opponent of Ukraine's president, said corruption had inflicted far greater damage on Ukraine than Russia had.

Speaking one day after a judge rejected prosecutors' request to put him under house arrest, Saakashvili said on December 12 that he had no ambitions himself to become Ukraine's president, saying the position should always be held by an ethnic Ukrainian.

The authorities "really think that its enough to shout 'Russia' and 'agents of the enemy,' and everyone will just buy that. People are not stupid. They didnt buy it earlier, theyre not buying it now, he said in an interview with Current Time TV, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.

"They know that apart from the main enemy we have an inner one, and that is corruption. This inner enemy does even more damage to Ukraine. The image of Saakashvili in prison was the best gift Vladimir Putin could ever get," he said, referring to the Russian president.

"And he got it. It was not my decision, but that of Poroshenko. The image of me in handcuffs was the biggest hit on Russian TV in years," he said.

Saakashvilis comments come after a turbulent week that highlighted both his continuing draw as an outspoken, fiery opposition figure, and also differing opinions within the government about how to handle the fervent support he has garnered.

Saakashvili became governor of the Black Sea Odesa region in 2015 but quit a year later, accusing the authorities of sabotaging reform efforts. He is now a vocal opponent of Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko, an acquaintance from the time when both attended university in Kyiv in the Soviet era.

Authorities have accused Saakashvili of abetting an alleged "criminal group" led by former President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia after his ouster in February 2014. They have also suggested that Saakashvilis protests are part of a Russian plot against Ukraine.

Police on December 5 tried to detain Saakashvili but supporters crowded around a police vehicle where he was held and then freed him.

Three days later, he was detained on December 8, and prosecutors had sought to place put him under house arrest. But a judge on December 11 turned down the request.

Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said he would appeal the judge's ruling.

While he was in custody, thousands of people demonstrated in central Kyiv to demand his release and to call for Petro Poroshenkos resignation.

After Yanukovych was ousted in 2014, Russia moved to annex the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, and fomented an insurgency in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 10,300 people and displaced more than 1 million.

Saakashvili also faces criminal charges in his home country of Georgia.

Saakashvili was president of Georgia during the brief, disastrous war with Russia in 2008, which resulted in Russian forces invading and effectively carving off two important regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- both of which are dependent on Russia for economic support.

Saakashvili's political fight in Ukraine has drawn the support of another charismatic politician, Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister who is now an opposition leader.

Speaking December 11, at the courthouse where Saakashvilis case was heard, she likened Poroshenko to Yanukovych.

"You are jailing your opponents -- the way Yanukovych did it. Keep in mind how it all ended," the politician said.

Based on reporting by Current Time TV


The United Nations says daily cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine have led to more civilian deaths and "further aggravated a dire human rights and humanitarian situation" as temperatures drop.

In a report published on December 12, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that increased fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists resulted in at least 15 deaths and 72 injuries among civilians from August 16 to November 15.

In total, at least 2,818 civilians have been killed, and up to 9,000 others injured since the start of the conflict in April 2014. The death toll includes the 298 passengers and crew aboard the jet making Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 by a missile system that a Dutch-led investigation found had been brought into separatist-held territory from Russia and returned to Russia afterwards.

The OCHCR recorded 10,303 conflict-related deaths between April 14, 2014 and November 15, 2017, the report said. In June, that figure was 10,090, including 2,777 civilians.

The hostilities have never really stopped, affecting, in one way or another, the daily lives of millions in the conflict zone and in the country as whole, Fiona Frazer, the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said in a statement accompanying the report.

Based on interviews with witnesses and victims of human rights violations, the report details 20 cases of killings, deprivation of liberty, enforced disappearances, torture, and conflict-related sexual violence committed on both sides of the contact line.

"This caseload and the lack of justice illustrate the prevailing atmosphere of impunity for grave violations in the conflict zone," the statement said.

The report cautioned about the situation of people who are detained incommunicado in the separatist-held areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

'Arbitrary Detentions'

It said that the monitoring mission continued to be denied access to detainees, raising serious concerns about detention conditions and possible further human rights abuses.

Investigations into torture allegations "are rarely opened and when so, have been ineffective," said the report, which also condemned "interference" with the judiciary in conflict-related cases.

In territory controlled by armed groups, the report said, "arbitrary detentions and 'prosecutions' were compounded by the lack of recourse to effective remedy."

It expressed serious concern about a "death penalty" pronouncement in November that it said was the second such statement by the separatists who control part of the Donetsk region.

After massive protests pushed Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from power in February 2014 following his decision to scrap a landmark deal with the European Union, Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region and fomented separatism across eastern and southern Ukraine.

The Russia-backed separatists seized parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, igniting the war, which continues despite a Western-brokered agreement on a cease-fire and steps to end it.
The U.S. judge overseeing the criminal case against President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman has scolded him for working to write opinion articles for publication in foreign newspapers.

Federal prosecutors last week filed papers in the case against Paul Manafort, saying that despite his being under house arrest, he had worked with a Ukraninan colleague to write an article in the English-language Kyiv Post.

That article, which appeared under the name of a former Ukrainian government official, praised Manafort's political work in Ukraine.

Judge Amy Jackson chided Manafort in a December 11 court hearing, and warned that similar efforts in the future would affect the ongoing case against him.

Manafort and business associate Rick Gates face charges including conspiracy to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent, for Manafort's years of working for pro-Russian Ukrainian political parties.

He resigned from the Trump election campaign in August 2016 as an FBI investigation into suspicious interactions between Trump associates and Russian officials gathered steam.

Four Trump associates have now either been charged or pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
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Caretakers of the Golden Gate Bridge are rolling out plans for a five-year, $660 million earthquake retrofit that includes installing more than three dozen custom-made shock absorbers and replacing 8.5 million pounds of steel bracing.

Its not that the bridge is in danger of falling down, but without the retrofit it could be significantly damaged in a significant earthquake and not be usable for a long, long time, said Denis Mulligan, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

The goal is for work to start in 2019 and be completed in 2024  if the district can find the cash.

One problem: The district has only about one-third of the money lined up. Mulligan wouldnt rule out increasing tolls to help with the bill.

Officials say the retrofit isnt optional. As a state-designated lifeline bridge, the span has to be able to survive the Big One with only minor to moderate damage and be open within a few days at the most, if only to emergency vehicles.

The good news is that the bridge is anchored into rock, said district engineer Ewa Bauer. The bad news is that its also between the San Andreas and Hayward faults.

The bridge came through its last big test unscathed, when it rode out the Loma Prieta quake of 1989. But Bauer noted that the epicenter then was 75 miles to the south. A quake on the San Andreas could strike as close as 7 miles west of the span.

The district still has to find at least $430 million for the job. Were talking with our state and federal partners, Mulligan said.

Even then, as with all big projects, the final cost is uncertain. The retrofit price tag has already risen by $100 million since the district last priced it two years ago.

Its a lot of money, but its obviously a special job. This bridge is an icon  every piece, every joint, every brace has to fit its historic design, Bauer said.

Matier & Ross/Courtesy Golden Gate Bridge District

For example, the 38 shock-absorbing energy-dispersal devices  each 17 feet long  have to be specifically designed and built for the bridge. Cost: about $1.5 million each.

Theyll be installed under the bridge roadway, and officials promise they wont change the look of San Franciscos most famous tourist attraction. The steel bracing and other items to strengthen the suspension span will blend into the framework as well.

Just getting the pieces to the bridge will be a challenge, because both sides of the span are surrounded by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. We have to cross land that tourists and visitors use, so that adds to the cost as well, Bauer said.

Keeping park visitors happy and keeping the bridge open to traffic also means that most of the work will be done at night.

As long as theyre at it, bridge officials figured they might as well replace and repaint the Art Deco facade of the bridges south tower for $50 million. The north tower was repainted more recently.

Considering the $400 million that the district has already spent on retrofits to the north and south approaches to the span, this will be the most expensive Bay Area bridge retrofit ever  topping out at more than $1 billion.

Proving once again that the Golden Gate Bridge really is golden.

Breakup: With the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agencys parking and traffic management becoming a bigger political issue, plans are being revved up for a City Charter amendment that would hand those jobs to a new Department of Livable Streets.

At least thats the working name among backers of the proposed Charter amendment, which would leave the MTA staff with oversight of Muni  but not much else.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The MTA board would still hear all parking and traffic matters, but the Board of Supervisors would have the final say over parking rules, stop signs and the like.

The buck stops with the Board of Supervisors, said Supervisor Ahsha Safai, one of the initiatives sponsors. I dont want to be held accountable for something I have absolutely no control over.

Safai cited his frustration over the MTAs decision to reject a two-year effort by his Excelsior constituents to get a four-way stop sign at the corner of Avalon Avenue and Edinburgh Street  where a pedestrian was later struck and injured.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who is co-sponsoring the ballot move, said the final straw for him was hearing that Mayor Ed Lee, with support from the MTA, was negotiating with ride-hailing giants to turn parking spaces into designated pickup stops for Uber and Lyft.

The mayors office says the pickup stops are to make streets safer. But Peskin sees it as a giveaway to the mayors friends, especially tech investor Ron Conway  who Peskin has heard is tied financially to Lyft. But a source close to Conway told us he has no investments in that or any other ride-hailing company.

The Chamber of Commerce, business think tank SPUR and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition are lining up in opposition to the proposed Charter amendment.

We all agree there are improvements that can made ... but a Charter amendment coming out of the blue isnt a solution, said chamber Vice President Jim Lazarus.

Safai and Peskin need four more supervisors to sign onto the Charter amendment to get it on the June 5 ballot. Theyre confident theyll get there.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX-TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Antioch police announced Monday that they have arrested a suspect in the 1980 kidnapping and killing of a teenager whose story briefly jolted the nation and roiled a quiet East Bay suburb.

Mitchell Lynn Bacom, 63, of Antioch was arrested just before 5 p.m. Monday for allegedly kidnapping 14-year-old Suzanne Bombardier while she was babysitting her nieces on a summer night 37 years ago and killing her.

Police detained Bacom outside of his home on the 300 block of West Madill Street in Antioch. Bacom was an acquaintance of the Bombardier family at the time the crime was committed, police said, without disclosing further details.

Investigators reopened the case in 2015 after a friend of Suzanne and the slain teens niece met with two retired detectives who were assigned to find the girls killer in 1980. The police used an FBI indexing system not available at the time of the crime to analyze DNA evidence extracted from the crime scene and trace it to Bacom.

Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said she will charge Bacom with kidnapping, rape, murder, oral copulation and murder with use of a deadly weapon.

Suzannes slaying was the oldest open homicide cold case on record in Antioch.

Numerous suspects had emerged over the years as police tried to determine what happened to the 14-year-old honor roll student at Antioch Junior High. With her bright eyes, blond hair and captivating smile, Suzanne came to haunt the community and its Police Department.

Friends remembered the slain teen for her bubbly spirit and ability to see humor in everything. She was commemorated in a junior high yearbook for having the best smile in her class. She swooned over Rod Stewart ballads and wanted to be a cheerleader.

But Suzannes life ended suddenly on June 22, 1980, when she disappeared from her sisters townhouse at 3421 Hudson Court. Days later, a fisherman discovered her body in the San Joaquin River.

Suzanne had been sexually assaulted and stabbed in the heart. The case drew national attention but went unsolved for 37 years.

Now Playing: Antioch police's cold case from 36 years ago Video: KTVU

It became a lingering obsession for detectives Gregory Glod and Ron Rackley, who had long departed from the Antioch Police Department by the time they were reunited with one of Suzannes close friends and one of her nieces in 2014.

The meeting was arranged by a Lafayette author, Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons, who stumbled upon Suzannes gravestone in the Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Lafayette and became curious.

The two retired police officers joined Suzannes family and persuaded Antioch investigators to reopen the investigation a year later.

In 2015, the Police Department sent biological samples from Suzannes body to the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office Forensic Laboratory to create a DNA profile. Lab technicians used the FBIs Combined DNA Index System to tentatively link the profile to Bacom earlier this year. The link was confirmed after additional testing, police said.

When the biological evidence was collected in this case, DNA testing did not exist as a method of determining guilt in our justice system, Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks said during a news conference at the police station, hours after Bacom was apprehended.

In a statement released that night, police said they had never given up on solving the case, and that they had tracked technological developments that would help identify the killer.

It was through patience, persistence, networking, modern investigative techniques and scientific advances that this case was solved, the statement read.

More for you A search for justice, 35 years after Antioch teens slaying

Bacom had a criminal history that began long before Suzannes death. In 1973, he was arrested in Mountain View and convicted the following year of second-degree burglary, sodomy and assault with intent to murder. He was sentenced to five years to life.

In 1981, he was arrested in Isleton (Sacramento County) and later convicted of first-degree burglary, robbery, rape and sodomy. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

He was convicted in 2002 of failing to properly register as a sex offender in Contra Costa County and sentenced to four years in prison.

Suzannes family was notified of Bacoms arrest on Monday. Several of her relatives still live in the Bay Area, but not in Antioch.

We hope this development brings some comfort to them, Brooks said.

The Antioch Police Department is working with other law enforcement agencies to determine if Bacom was involved in further crimes. They are also looking to hear from any past victims, including those who may have never reported the crimes.

Anyone with information should call Detective Leonard Orman at (925) 779-6918.

Rachel Swan and Annie Ma are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com, ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan, @anniema15
A federal appeals court in San Francisco gave a chilly response Monday to the Trump administrations argument to scuttle a far-reaching lawsuit by 21 young people who say their rights are at risk from the governments inaction on climate change.

The youths, aged 10 to 21, sued President Barack Obamas administration in 2015. Their lawyers contended that the governments long-established obligation to protect public resources such as rivers and seashores applies to the atmosphere, and that the youths constitutional right to life and liberty, and to due process of law, is being violated by federal policies on fossil fuels and related issues.

Ruling that the youths had made at least a preliminary showing that the governments policies were likely to harm them, a federal judge in Oregon refused to dismiss the suit in November 2016. At a hearing Monday attended by 18 of the young plaintiffs, a Trump administration lawyer called the ruling unprecedented and asked the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to overturn it.

The court should decline to fashion a due-process right out of thin air, Justice Department attorney Eric Grant told the three-judge panel. He said the suit was clearly meritless and, if allowed to proceed, would threaten to create a constitutional confrontation between the branches of government, referring to the executive branch and the courts.

But Chief Judge Sidney Thomas said the process the administration wants the court to halt  the plaintiffs efforts to question federal officials and gather evidence  is a routine procedure that courts seldom interrupt.

Judge Marsha Berzon said the governments objections appeared to be premature. And the third panel member, Judge Alex Kozinski, said even a case that is ultimately found to be meritless should not be dismissed at this stage.

More for you Young peoples climate-change lawsuit takes on Trump

There always has to be a first case, Kozinski said. Ten years ago there was no right to same-sex marriage.

But Kozinski also expressed doubt that the case would be allowed to go to trial.

Questioning a lawyer for the youths, he cited the appeals courts 2013 ruling dismissing a suit by environmental groups against Washington state officials for failing to regulate greenhouse gas emissions by the states five oil refineries. The court said the groups could not show that their members were harmed by the refineries emission, and therefore lacked legal standing to sue.

I dont see how this case is different, Kozinski said.

The lawyer, Julia Olson, replied that the refineries emitted about 6 percent of Washingtons greenhouse gases, while the United States spews out 16 percent or more of the worlds climate-changing gases.

Kozinski also questioned the youths legal standing on another ground  that the harm they said they were suffering was the same as everybody else in the country  but Olson disagreed.

Children are disproportionately suffering harm to their health, she said, and they will live far longer than you, to a devastating era of rising seas.

She said the plaintiffs were not asking the courts to take over the fossil fuel industry, but only to order federal agencies to bring their emissions under control.

Who runs the country at that point? Kozinski asked. Is it a district judge in Oregon or is it the president?

They cant ignore their constitutional obligations, Olson replied.

The panel will rule at a future date on whether the suit can proceed.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@egelko
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A 41-year-old San Francisco plumber who was on a losing streak at local casinos and faced eviction for not paying his rent was found guilty Monday of slaughtering a family of five inside their Ingleside neighborhood home after targeting them for robbery.

On its seventh day of deliberations, the San Francisco Superior Court jury found Binh Thai Luc, an undocumented Vietnamese immigrant with a violent criminal past, guilty of five counts of murder in the massacre of the Lei family on March 23, 2012.

The victims bludgeoned bodies were found covered in blood and household cleaning products in various rooms of the row house on Howth Street, which had been flooded with water. The damage was so severe and the scene so chaotic that investigators didnt initially know if they were dealing with a quintuple murder or a murder-suicide.

Prosecutors said Luc used a hammer to commit one of the worst mass homicides in modern San Francisco history, though the weapon was never found. The defendant was also found guilty of five counts of attempted robbery and two counts of burglary.

Because Luc was convicted of murder with special circumstances  in this case, lying in wait and committing multiple killings  he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The charges made him eligible for the death penalty, but the district attorneys office did not pursue that punishment. Judge Carol Yaggy will set a sentencing date Tuesday.

This was a very gruesome, brutal murder, and were pleased were getting some accountability for the family and for the community, District Attorney George Gascon said.

Luc said nothing after the verdict was read. Wearing a light-blue collared shirt and black vest, he leaned in occasionally to whisper to his defense attorney, Mark Goldrosen.

He was quite disappointed, Goldrosen said outside the courtroom. He understands that this is the beginning of the process and there are appellate procedures.

More for you Trial in gruesome quintuple slayings winds down amid clashing...

None of Lucs family members, who occasionally attended the trial, came Monday, nor did relatives of the victims.

Police arrested Luc shortly after the killings at a hotel in San Mateo, where investigators found him reading an article in The Chronicle about the crime on his computer, prosecutors said.

He was found guilty of killing Hua Shun Lei, 65; his wife, Wan Yi Wu, 62; their daughter, Ying Xue Lei, 37; their son, Vincent Lei, 32; and his wife, Chia Huei Chu, 30.

Vincent Leis 12-year-old niece discovered the carnage at 7:45 a.m. and ran out of the home screaming, Mommy, bodies! Bodies! A witness later heard the girls mother, Nicole Lei, on the phone, yelling hysterically, They took the money! The money is gone! prosecutors said.

While authorities didnt have an eyewitness place Luc at the scene of the crime, Assistant District Attorney Eric Fleming used numerous pieces of physical evidence to link Luc to the killings.

Investigators said Vincent Leis blood was spattered on Lucs jeans, which were discovered at his home. Inside the Lei home, crime scene technicians reported finding Lucs blood on a pack of cigarettes, a receipt and a cabinet drawer. Luc had a cut on his hand when he was arrested shortly after the crime.

Police also found a fingerprint on a bottle of window cleaner inside the home that matched Lucs right index finger, prosecutors said. The bodies were covered with bleach and other products, and the killer flooded the home by turning on faucets and detaching pipes under sinks.

Goldrosen didnt dispute that Luc was at the scene around the time of the killings. Instead, he argued that someone else attacked the family, suggesting the real killer could have been one of two notorious Chinatown gangsters  or possibly a former boyfriend of one of the victims.

Goldrosen argued that the prosecution didnt establish a motive for the crimes, which he characterized as gang-style, loan-shark-style slayings.

Fleming told the jury that Luc killed the family members while robbing them. He frequented Artichoke Joes Casino in San Bruno and had dumped thousands of dollars gambling in the weeks before the crime. The prosecution even said Luc lost money at a casino on the night of the massacre.

The jury was told Luc had been served an eviction notice for not paying his rent, a debt he settled immediately after the killings. When he was arrested, he had $6,518 in cash. Prosecutors said the Lei family kept thousands of dollars in the home, and that Luc knew Vincent Lei from local mah-jongg games.

Before the killings, Luc was convicted in 1998 of committing an armed robbery at a Chinese restaurant in San Jose. After he served eight years in San Quentin State Prison, officials handed him over to federal immigration authorities for deportation back to his home country of Vietnam.

Vietnamese authorities, however, refused to provide Luc with travel documents, and he was released from custody as required by federal law.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday made a surprise visit to Russias Hemeimeem air base in Syria, announcing an imminent drawdown of Russian forces in the wake of his declaration of victory in its intervention in the Syria war.

In his first visit to the air base since Russian warplanes secretly flew to Syria in late 2015, Putin ordered his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, to begin the withdrawal of Russian troop contingents to their permanent bases.

But Putin left open the door to a continued Russian presence in Syria, saying that both Russias air base at Hemeimeem and naval base at Tartus would keep operating. He promised further strikes in the future if terrorists raise their head again  an apparent reference to forces in Syrias long civil war that sought to topple the regime of President Bashar Assad.

We will deliver such strikes on them that they have not seen yet, he said in remarks to military personnel at the air base.

Russias military intervention in Syria bolstered Assads government and gave Syrian forces a critical edge against rebel factions backed by the West and its Middle East allies. Iran, another key supporter of Assad, provided military advisers and other aid.

Putin, who declared last week that he would run for a fourth term as president, has largely staked his legacy on Russias revival as the dominant military power in its region. The speech to the troops also had the whiff of a re-election rally.

You are victorious and you are going home to your families, parents, wives, children, and friends, Putin told pilots at the air base, in remarks carried by Russian news services. The fatherland is waiting for you, my friends. Have a safe trip home. I am grateful for your service.

The deployment of troops to Syria marked Moscows first major overseas military campaign since the invasion of Afghanistan under the Soviet Union. In July, Russia extended its lease of the Hemeimeem air base for 49 years, giving Moscow a military foothold in the region for several generations.

At the air base, Putin met with Syrian leader Assad, whose regime appeared close to defeat in the summer of 2015 before the Russian intervention. At the time, it appeared Assad would be forced to step down.

I have come, as I promised, Putin told him, according to remarks carried by the Interfax news agency. While hailing the fall of the extremist Islamic State group, Putin also noted the rebuke to Western plans in the region. Syria has been preserved as a sovereign independent state, he said.

Putin has been eager to declare the intervention a victory, and has already announced several times that he would order Russian troops to withdrawal. The first drawdown was announced by Putin in March 2016, as Syrian troops backed by Russian air power and special forces, made a final push to recapture the ancient Roman city of Palmyra.

Andrew Roth is a Washington Post writer.
Back home at Southold, first Black director aims to broaden reach

Sarah Taylor performed in "The Nutcracker" as a girl and now as a "party parent." She's trying to get more kids exposed to ballet.
The planet Mars was formed, along with the rest of the solar system, about 4.6 billion years ago. But exactly how the planets formed remains a subject of debate. Currently, two theories are duking it out for the role of champion.

The first and most widely accepted theory, core accretion, works well with the formation of the terrestrial planets like Mars but has problems with giant planets. The second, the disk instability method, may account for the creation of these giant planets.

Artist's conception of our solar system's solar nebula, the cloud of gas and dust from which the planets formed. (Image credit: Painting copyright William K. Hartmann, Planetary Science Institute, Tucson)

Scientists are continuing to study planets in and out of the solar system in an effort to better understand which of these methods is most accurate.

The core accretion model

The leading theory, known as core accretion, is that the solar system began as a large, lumpy cloud of cold gas and dust, called the solar nebula. The nebula collapsed because of its own gravity and flattened into a spinning disk. Matter was drawn to the center of the disk, forming the sun.

Other particles of matter stuck together to form clumps called planetesimals. Some of these combined to form asteroids, comets, moons and planets. The solar wind  charged particles streaming out from the sun  swept away the lighter elements, such as hydrogen and helium, leaving behind mostly small, rocky worlds. In the outer regions, however, gas giants made up of mostly hydrogen and helium formed because the solar wind was weaker.

Exoplanet observations seem to confirm core accretion as the dominant formation process. Stars with more "metals"  a term astronomers use for elements other than hydrogen and helium  in their cores have more giant planets than their metal-poor cousins. According to NASA, core accretion suggests that small, rocky worlds should be more common than the more massive gas giants.

The 2005 discovery of a giant planet with a massive core orbiting the sun-like star HD 149026 is an example of an exoplanet that helped strengthen the case for core accretion.

"This is a confirmation of the core accretion theory for planet formation and evidence that planets of this kind should exist in abundance," said Greg Henry in a press release. Henry, an astronomer at Tennessee State University, Nashville, detected the dimming of the star.

In 2018, the European Space Agency plans to launch the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS), which will study exoplanets ranging in sizes from super-Earths to Neptune. Studying these distant worlds may help determine how planets in the solar system formed.

"In the core accretion scenario, the core of a planet must reach a critical mass before it is able to accrete gas in a runaway fashion," said the CHEOPS team.

"This critical mass depends upon many physical variables, among the most important of which is the rate of planetesimals accretion."

By studying how growing planets accrete material, CHEOPS will provide insight into how worlds grow.

Core accretion was first postulated in the late 18th century by Immanuel Kant and Pierre Laplace. Nebula theory helps explain how the planets in our solar system were formed. But with the discovery of "Super-Earth" planets orbiting other stars, a new theory, known as disk instability was proposed.

The disk instability model

Although the core accretion model works fine for terrestrial planets, gas giants would have needed to evolve rapidly to grab hold of the significant mass of lighter gases they contain. But simulations have not been able to account for this rapid formation. According to models, the process takes several million years, longer than the light gases were available in the early solar system. At the same time, the core accretion model faces a migration issue, as the baby planets are likely to spiral into the sun in a short amount of time.

According to a relatively new theory, disk instability, clumps of dust and gas are bound together early in the life of the solar system. Over time, these clumps slowly compact into a giant planet. These planets can form faster than their core accretion rivals, sometimes in as little as a thousand years, allowing them to trap the rapidly-vanishing lighter gases. They also quickly reach an orbit-stabilizing mass that keeps them from death-marching into the sun.

According to exoplanetary astronomer Paul Wilson, if disk instability dominates the formation of planets, it should produce a wide number of worlds at large orders. The four giant planets orbiting at significant distances around the star HD 9799 provides observational evidence for disk instability. Fomalhaut b, an exoplanet with a 2,000-year orbit around its star, could also be an example of a world formed through disk instability, though the planet could also have been ejected due to interactions with its neighbors.

Pebble accretion

The biggest challenge to core accretion is time  building massive gas giants fast enough to grab the lighter components of their atmosphere. Recent research on how smaller, pebble-sized objects fused together to build giant planets up to 1000 times faster than earlier studies.

"This is the first model that we know about that you start out with a pretty simple structure for the solar nebula from which planets form, and end up with the giant-planet system that we see," study lead author Harold Levison, an astronomer at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Colorado, told Space.com in 2015.

In 2012, researchers Michiel Lambrechts and Anders Johansen from Lund University in Sweden proposed that tiny pebbles, once written off, held the key to rapidly building giant planets.

"They showed that the leftover pebbles from this formation process, which previously were thought to be unimportant, could actually be a huge solution to the planet-forming problem," Levison said.

Levison and his team built on that research to model more precisely how the tiny pebbles could form planets seen in the galaxy today. While previous simulations, both large and medium-sized objects consumed their pebble-sized cousins at a relatively constant rate, Levison's simulations suggest that the larger objects acted more like bullies, snatching away pebbles from the mid-sized masses to grow at a far faster rate.

"The larger objects now tend to scatter the smaller ones more than the smaller ones scatter them back, so the smaller ones end up getting scattered out of the pebble disk," study co-author Katherine Kretke, also from SwRI, told Space.com. "The bigger guy basically bullies the smaller one so they can eat all the pebbles themselves, and they can continue to grow up to form the cores of the giant planets."

In 2018, NASA will launch the InSight mission to Mars that will study the planet's interior.

"But InSight is more than a Mars mission  it is a terrestrial planet explorer that will address one of the most fundamental issues of planetary and solar system science  understanding the processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system (including Earth) more than four billion years ago," according to NASA.

"InSight seeks to answer one of science's most fundamental questions: How did the terrestrial planets form?"

Shrinking down

Whether Mars got its start through disk instability or core or pebble accretion, it continued to pack on the weight as it grew. Models suggest that the Red Planet should be about as large as Venus and Earth if gas and dust were smoothly spread through the solar system. Instead, Mars is only 10 percent as massive, suggesting that it formed in a region low on planetary building blocks.

Enter the Grand Tack model, the leading theory to explain the so-called "small Mars problem." According to the model, Jupiter and Saturn migrated toward the sun shortly after their birth before tacking like a sailboat and returning to the outer solar system. Along the way, they would have swept up much of the debris that should have fed Mars' formation.

The western scarp of Olympus Mons has both steep and gentle slopes with clear channels, some likely created by flowing liquid, perhaps water, and some apparently carved by glaciers. (Image credit: Nature/ESA/G. Neukum)

"Provided that Jupiter changed direction close to 1.5 AU, the growth of Mars would be successfully stunted while leaving enough material closer to the sun to form Earth and Venus," John Chambers of the Carnegie Institution for Science wrote in a 2014 "Perspectives" piece published in the journal Nature.

Another possibility is that regions of low density formed naturally in the protoplanetary disk.

"If this partial gap survived long enough, it could have been preserved in the distribution of planetesimals and planetary embryos that formed subsequently," Chambers writes. "The simulations performed by Izidoro show that reducing the number of planetary building blocks near Mars' current orbit by 50 to 75 percent favors the formation of a puny Red Planet."

Another option is that Mars actually got its start in the asteroid belt, then migrated toward the sun because of its interaction with planetesimals.

"Since Mars is more massive than the planetesimals, it tends to lose energy when it scatters these planetesimals because it passes them to Jupiter, which then ejects them from the solar system," Ramon Brasser, lead author and associate professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology's Earth-Life Science Institute, told Space.com.

Heating and cooling

Like all planets, Mars became hot as it formed because of the energy from these collisions. The planet's interior melted and denser elements such as iron sank to the center, forming the core. Lighter silicates formed the mantle, and the least-dense silicates formed the crust. Mars probably had a magnetic field for a few hundred million years, but as the planet cooled, the field died.

The young Mars had active volcanoes, which spewed lava across its surface, and water and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But there is no tectonic activity on Mars, so the volcanoes remained stationary and grew with each new eruption.

The volcanic activity also probably gave Mars a thicker atmosphere. Mars' magnetic field protected the planet from radiation and solar wind. With a higher atmospheric pressure, water probably flowed on Mars' surface, studies indicate. But about 3.5 billion years ago, Mars began to cool. Volcanoes erupted less and less and the magnetic field disappeared. The unprotected atmosphere was blown away by solar wind and the surface was bombarded by radiation.

Under these conditions, liquid water cannot exist on the surface. Studies suggest water is be trapped underground in both liquid and frozen forms and in the ice sheets of the polar ice caps.

All life as we know it requires liquid water, so there is much interest in finding evidence of it on Mars.

 Additional reporting by Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor
Retired space shuttle Endeavour went on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Oct. 30, 2012, and remains a popular exhibit. Photo taken May 14, 2014.

Endeavour, the fifth and final space shuttle to be built, was created after the space shuttle program's greatest tragedy. Congress authorized NASA to replace Challenger, which was lost shortly after liftoff in 1986. NASA used spare parts from its shuttle fleet to create the new orbiter.

Endeavour flew into space 25 times. Among other career highlights, its crew members performed the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Endeavour also reached the Mir space station once and the International Space Station multiple times.

Construction and competition for a name

Perhaps sensing an opportunity to get some positive press, NASA ran a competition for U.S. schools to name the next shuttle. About 6,000 schools participated in the contest, which set out several requirements for the name. Among other stipulations, the shuttle had to be named after an "exploratory or research sea vessel" and the name also needed to be easily understood in space.

Almost one-third of the participating schools chose the same name: Endeavour. It was a British ship that was best known for its first voyage (1769-71) with James Cook as captain. On that voyage, Cook brought Endeavour to Tahiti to watch the transit of Venus across the sun.

Other finalist names were Horizon and North Star; according to NASA, it was President George H.W. Bush that selected the winning name on advice from the NASA administrator. Two schools (Senatobia Middle School in Mississippi and Tallulah Falls School in Georgia) were chosen as the winners based on their essays.

Construction on Endeavour commenced in 1987, using spare parts from Discovery and Atlantis. Final assembly finished in July 1990, and the shuttle was shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in May 1991 from its assembly location in Palmdale, Calif.

Endeavour at a glance

First flight: STS-49 (May 7-16, 1992)

Last flight: STS-133 (Feb. 24 - March 9, 2011)

Number of missions: 25

Time in space: 296 days, 3 hours, 34 minutes, 2 seconds

Current location: California Science Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

Notable: Built after the Challenger tragedy of 1986. Flew into space 25 times, with notable missions including the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and the first three-person spacewalk of the space shuttle program.

Daring satellite repairs

Endeavour's first flight was a challenging one. The crew members of STS-49, when they rocketed to space on May 7, 1992, were supposed to capture a satellite that was stuck in the wrong orbit, rescue it and loft it again into space.

Crew members reached the Intelsat VI satellite successfully, but ran into a snag when they needed to attach a "capture bar" onto the satellite to bring it into the shuttle. Dangling on the end of the Canadarm, Pierre Thuot tried to attach the bar to the satellite. But as he touched it, Intelsat drifted away. More attempts the next day were also unsuccessful.

NASA then came up with a new, riskier procedure to bring the satellite into the payload bay. For the first time, three astronauts did a spacewalk at the same time. Thuot rode the Canadarm again as Richard Hieb and Thomas Akers attached themselves to the payload bay. Then, the crew members inside the shuttle maneuvered Atlantis to just below where Intelsat spun.

Carefully, with Thuot giving hand gestures as instructions to the astronauts inside the shuttle, the Canadarm was maneuvered to a spot where Thuot, Hieb and Akers could all grasp the satellite and successfully install the capture bar. It was a remarkable maneuver considering how little room there was for error in moving the Canadarm and Thuot near the shuttle's payload bay.

The astronauts equipped Intelsat VI with a new "kick motor" and sent it on its way. The communications satellite successfully entered geosynchronous orbit and started service in time for the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Endeavour was also the shuttle that ferried the first Hubble Space Telescope repair crew. Astronauts on STS-61 fitted Hubble with adaptive optics to correct a faulty mirror, installed new solar arrays and swapped out other telescope components.

The December 1993 mission had five spacewalks in five days, with more than 35 hours outside. NASA says it was one of the most challenging spacewalks in the history of the space program.

The space shuttle Endeavour glides back to Earth on Jan. 20, 1996, after nine days in space on the STS-72 mission. The orbiter is about to touch down on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Image credit: NASA)

Shuttle science

The shuttle program is best remembered for launching satellites, visiting Mir and building the International Space Station. However, there were thousands upon thousands of hours of science performed during the program. Endeavour's crews took part in a lot of that.

In 1994, Endeavour flew a pair of Space Radar Laboratory missions. NASA wanted to take high-quality radar images of the Earth to learn how the environment was changing, particularly focusing on those areas affected by climate change.

The images also produced some unique applications. For example, researchers used pictures of Cambodia to track down ancient settlements near Angkor, whose temples date back to the ninth century. The space radar was able to peer past trees and other obstacles to see what lay underneath.

In March 1995, Endeavour flew the Astro Observatory on STS-67 to look at more than 100 objects in ultraviolet light. Six months later, STS-69 crew members on Endeavour released Spartan, a payload that watched over the sun's outer atmosphere for two days in space before being retrieved.

Endeavour also visited the Mir space station for a few days in 1998. STS-89's crew members were the first to reach Mir in a shuttle other than Atlantis.

International Space Station assembly

Endeavour had the honor of being the first shuttle to assemble the International Space Station. In December 1998, STS-88 rocketed to orbit in search of the Russian Zarya control module. On Dec. 6, just two days after launch, the astronauts mated Zarya with Unity, a connecting module built in the United States.

Astronauts Jerry Ross and James Newman did three spacewalks to hook the two modules together, at which point the modules were turned on.

Except for a shuttle radar topography mission done on STS-99, the rest of Endeavour's flights focused on building the station. Prior to the Columbia breakup that halted the program for two years, Endeavour's astronauts took on missions such as installing the Canadarm2 and adding more solar arrays to the station.

Endeavour stayed on the sidelines for several years after the shuttle program returned to flight. Upgrades, which began in December 2003, included putting in a "glass cockpit" with more advanced electronics, and installing a new global positioning system.

Endeavour next flew into space in August 2007, for STS-118. NASA was hitting the homestretch of space station construction at that point, but there was plenty of work available for all the shuttles. Notably, Endeavour's ISS missions included ferrying the Dextre robotics system, Japanese Kibo Logistics Module and Tranquility node into space, as well as equipment, connectors and parts.

Space shuttle Endeavour is seen behind Randy's Donuts, an L.A. landmark on Manchester Blvd., Oct. 12, 2012. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com /Robert Z. Pearlman)

Last mission and retirement

Endeavour's last space mission reached orbit May 16, 2011. STS-134 was commanded by Mark Kelly. His wife  Congress member Gabrielle Giffords  had been shot and seriously wounded in January during a reported assassination attempt. Giffords, who was still in the early stages of recovery, attended the launch.

Crew members delivered some spare parts for Dextre and two S-band communication antennas, as well as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Endeavour's mission was the second-last of the shuttle program.

Following a call for proposals to house Endeavour permanently, the California Science Center was selected as the shuttle's permanent home. Sending the shuttle to the museum was a logistics challenge, as Endeavour would need to make a 12-mile (19-kilometer) journey along Los Angeles streets to get there. [Photos: Shuttle Endeavour Arrives at Its L.A. Museum Home]

Workers cut down hundreds of trees ahead of Endeavour's journey in October 2012. Still, the shuttle was a day late in arriving at the museum Oct. 14 as it took far longer than expected to maneuver the shuttle past poles, trees and other obstacles lining the streets.

Endeavour will remain on display in the museum, only an hour's drive from Palmdale, where its journey to space began.

Related:
The orbiter Discovery is suspended vertically above the floor of the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for NASA's STS-116 mission.

Discovery was the third shuttle to head into space, but it ended up flying the most missions: 39. Discovery also was the shuttle that did both "return to flight" missions after the Challenger and Columbia disasters.

In 39 voyages to space, Discovery crews launched the Hubble Space Telescope, sent the Ulysses spacecraft to study the sun and helped build the International Space Station.

Discovery was named after two sailing ships, according to NASA. One of those ships, commanded by Henry Hudson, was most famous for a voyage in 1610-11 to search for a waterway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. James Cook commanded another ship called Discovery when his crew was the first European group to set foot in the Hawaiian islands in 1778.

Discovery at a glance

First flight: STS-41-D (Aug. 30 - Sept. 5, 1984

Last flight: STS-133 (Feb. 24 - March 9, 2011)

Number of missions: 39

Time in space: 365 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes, 33 seconds

Current location: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (National Air and Space Museum) in Fairfax, Va.

Notable: Flew the most missions of any space shuttle. Was the first space shuttle to return to flight after the Challenger and Columbia disasters. Payloads included the Hubble Space Telescope and the Ulysses spacecraft.

Construction history

Rockwell got the contract to start building Discovery in 1979. Discovery departed its manufacturing birthplace in Palmdale, Calif., in October 1983, and arrived at the Kennedy Space Center for flight preparation Nov. 9, 1983.

Discovery weighed in at 6,870 pounds less than Columbia, a product of Rockwell's experience in building two shuttles and a prototype so far (Columbia, Challenger and Enterprise).

In its career, Discovery also underwent two major upgrades in 1995 and 2002 for technological and safety modifications.

A pad abort

On June 26, 1984, Discovery was in the final moments of launching to space on STS-41D when the engines shut down seconds before launch. It was the shuttle's computers that initiated the abort, which happened when a fuel valve on Engine 3 didn't open as planned.

Minutes later, a hydrogen fire broke out and the pad's fire suppression system kicked in. According to crew member Mike Mullane in his memoirs Riding Rockets, the crew was a little befuddled as they watched water splashing across the windows. They weren't sure if it was best to leave, or to escape the shuttle. After some discussions, NASA and the crew decided to stay put.

"It was a decision that might have saved our lives," Mullane wrote. "The gas flame may have been as high as the cockpit, but since hydrogen burns clean we would not have seen it. We could have thrown open the hatch and run into a fire."

When it was safe to do so, the crew exited and got soaked by water from the fire suppression system. But the important thing was that they were okay. NASA took several weeks to fix the engine, and Discovery's STS-41D mission finally lifted off Aug. 30 with three satellites on board.

This was the first abort of the shuttle program; all told, five shuttle missions were called off just moments before launch, then sent into space at a later date. Another mission, STS-51F, had an early cutoff in Challenger's center engine about five minutes, 45 seconds into the launch. It went into orbit successfully.

Early flights and return to flight

NASA had an aggressive flight schedule for the shuttle in the early days of its program. The young Discovery flew two times in 1984 and four times in 1985, sending several satellites into space. Some of those satellites include Anik C-1 (Canada), ARABSAT-A and Australia's AUSSAT-1. Additionally, Discovery flew the first of a series of shuttle missions for the Department of Defense.

All of this began to change after the Challenger explosion of 1986. Satellite launches gradually shifted to one-use unmanned rockets for safety and cost considerations. The shuttle's mandate changed to being focused on science and station-building activities.

However, there still was a backlog of satellites to carry up through the shuttle. NASA's return to flight mission after Challenger was STS-26  a Discovery mission.

The shuttle lofted a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite into space to provide enhanced communication between the ground and the shuttle. During that mission, a malfunction in the cabin raised temperatures to the mid-80s  a bit extreme for the shirtsleeve environment of the shuttle, but not unduly bad.

Then came a slew of satellite launches: another TDRS, Hubble, the Ulysses spacecraft and the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite that infamously plunged to Earth in 2011. Discovery also flew a few more Department of Defense missions.

The space shuttle Discovery launched on its STS-31 mission on April 24, 1990 at 8:33 a.m. EDT. The mission featured the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope, the first of NASA's Great Observatories to reach orbit. (Image credit: NASA)

Science and stations

Science began to come more to the forefront in the early to mid-1990s. Discovery flew the International Microgravity Laboratory on STS-42 to study the effects of low gravity on humans and a bunch of other, tiny passengers: shrimp eggs, fruit fly eggs and lentil seedings.

STS-56, another science mission, was halted 11 seconds before one launch attempt due to an instrumentation problem. Once it launched on April 8, 1993, crew members focused on the interaction between the sun's energy and the Earth's atmosphere with an experiment called Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-2). The crew also used the Canadarm to temporarily deploy a small instrument platform that studied the solar wind and sun's corona.

Other notable missions in the 1990s included:

STS-51, which was plagued by mechanical and other difficulties that led to multiple launch scrubs. The most spectacular took place three seconds before launch on Aug. 12, 1993, due to a faulty fuel flow sensor. The mission successfully launched Sept. 12, 1993.

STS-60, which saw the first Russian cosmonaut launch on a U.S. spacecraft (note that the Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1975 saw U.S. and Russian crews dock their spacecraft in orbit). STS-60 was an important precursor to the Mir-space shuttle missions later in the 1990s.

STS-82, the second servicing flight to the Hubble Space Telescope.

STS-91, the final Mir docking of the space shuttle program.

STS-95, which saw Mercury astronaut John Glenn make a triumphant return to space at age 77.

An overhead close-up view of the exterior of shuttle Discovery's crew cabin, part of its payload bay and docking system was provided by Expedition 18 crewmembers on the International Space Station on March 17, 2009 during the STS-119 mission.

Return to flight redux

Discovery's primary mission in its latter years was building the International Space Station, but that was interrupted by the Columbia breakup of 2003. Foam falling from Columbia's external tank breached tiles on the wing. The shuttle broke up during re-entry, killing Columbia's seven crew members on Feb. 1.

Discovery carried the responsibility of being the first shuttle to fly again on July 26, 2005, almost two and a half years after Columbia's fatal flight.

NASA implemented new safety procedures ahead of the launch, starting with STS-114. Crew members now would spend hours of time examining the shuttle's belly tiles using a modified Canadarm and imaging system. Crew members did a spacewalk to test tile repair procedures in space. Also, NASA installed new ground-based and shuttle cameras to monitor launch debris.

NASA delayed flying further shuttle flights because of more foam debris during STS-114. The next mission, STS-121, flying with external tank modifications, went into space on July 4, 2006. Crew members again focused on new safety procedures. This heightened emphasis remained for the last six years of the shuttle program, even as construction of the station continued.

STS-133, Discovery's last mission, delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module Leonardo and Robonaut 2 to the almost-completed space station. The shuttle safely touched down March 9, 2011.

Discovery's permanent home on Earth is the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy airport annex of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

The shuttle landed in Washington on April 17, 2012, to replace shuttle prototype Enterprise, which retired to New York City. Shuttle and shuttle prototype met nose-to-nose in a special ceremony before Discovery went inside Udvar-Hazy for display, and Enterprise departed Washington for New York's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

The other shuttles:
Star Trek's faster-than-light warp drive is an idea that even serious scientists don't want to let go of.

Spaceships traveling at speeds faster than light is a staple of science fiction writers, who call the concept by many names, including hyperspace, hyperdrive, warp speed and subspace. One famous example is "Star Trek," where the starship Enterprise jumps from star system to star system to visit other planets.

"If Captain Kirk were constrained to move at the speed of our fastest rockets, it would take him a hundred thousand years just to get to the next star system," said Seth Shostak, an astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, Calif., in a 2010 interview with Space.com's sister site LiveScience. "So science fiction has long postulated a way to beat the speed of light barrier so the story can move a little more quickly."

However, the lack of research and scholarly discussion on the transportation method make it more often a convenient literary device than scientific possibility, Shostak said. In reality, the concept of hyperspace is "a lot of hype," Shostak said.

The Millennium Falcon spaceship makes the "jump to light speed" in the movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. (Image credit: 20TH CENTURY FOX)

Other dimensions

Physics suggests that shortcuts through space do exist, Shostak said. The curved nature of space was first proposed by Einstein, and quickly led to the idea of a wormhole: a portion of space that curves in on itself, connecting two otherwise distant parts of space. A spacecraft could theoretically skip ahead to a distant region of space if it enters such a wormhole between the two locations.

As in our familiar universe, objects in a wormhole would have to travel slower than the speed of light, which, in a vacuum is 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second). But, a spaceship could appear to have exceeded this limit by traveling through a wormhole and reaching a star system thousand of lights years away in a matter of hours, for example.

However, our access to these inter-space freeways would be limited by the size of the portal.

"Wormholes, we think, are made all the time on a microscopic level," Shostak said. "But the question is, can we actually use them for transportation?"

Finding or creating a wormhole that's going to the right place and scooting through it before it closes up and smashes your spaceship to pieces are two unsolved problems that the laws of physics don't clearly bar or allow.

Technically, it would be possible to warp space to create wormhole if one could place a very dense piece of mass in front of their ship, Shostak said. Perhaps similar to the "hyperspace engine" seen in the "Star Wars" movies, the object would distort the shape of space around it, essentially bringing the chosen destination closer to the ship. But the object would need to have the density of the center of a black hole in order to work.

"The problem is, where do you get the black hole and how do you get it in front of your spacecraft?" Shostak said. "It's sort of like, how do you create something that will warp space and then put it in front of your spacecraft?"

What about teleportation?

A related science fiction idea is teleportation  the possibility of instantly conveying a person or ship into another part of the universe. The phenomenon is seen in "Star Trek," where the so-called transporter deconstructs one's body and reconstructs it at another, distant location.

There is some scientific basis for this idea  scientists have shown that subatomic particles can be moved from one point to another faster than the speed of light, said physicist Ian Durham at Saint Anselm College in a 2010 interview.

But the ability to break apart and reassemble an entire human appears impossible, Durham said. Because of the randomized aspects behind the arrangement of subatomic particles, perfectly reversing them becomes increasingly difficult as they accumulate in greater numbers.

Scientifically looking at hyperspace

While hyperspace is not a current form of space travel, there is ongoing research to determine how viable it is  and what the experience would be like.

In 2013, a group of physics students corrected the view of what happens when spaceships fly at the speed of light. The familiar special effect of streaks of light (seen in "Star Trek," "Star Wars" and other series) would not actually be the case. Instead, the view would appear more like a centralized bright glow.

The fast travel would cause light to shift into longer wavelengths due to the Doppler effect, which also explains phenomena such as why the sound of a car horn changes before it passes an observer and afterward. In space, humans would not be able to see starlight because its wavelengths would be stretched into the X-ray spectrum. Also, the glow of the universe  which glows in microwaves  would become visible because its light would be stretched into the visible spectrum.

For the past few years, news reports have been circulating about a real-life engine called the EmDrive. The concept was first designed by British researcher Roger Shawyer more than a decade ago, but hit wide public attention in 2015 after there were rumors saying that NASA was creating a warp drive. (NASA quickly said the effort "has not shown any tangible results" and emphasized it is not a warp drive.)

What makes the EmDrive interesting is the engine doesn't use any propellant, instead functioning through reflecting microwaves inside of a chamber. A peer-reviewed paper in 2016 (led by Harold "Sonny" White of NASA's Johnson Space Center) said that despite this different design, a variant of the EmDrive does produce thrust. Two other successful tests were reported in 2012 (by a Chinese team) and in 2013 (by the same NASA team). Meanwhile, some researchers have said this engine violates Newton's third law of physics, which (simply speaking) says that every action produces an equal but opposite reaction.

Warp drives in science fiction

These are few of the many examples of warp drives used in science fiction, with an emphasis on television series and movies.

An early mention of warp drive (many sources say it was the first mention) was in the 1931 novel "Islands of Space," by John W. Campbell. The plot in part concerned testing of faster-than-light ship.

"Doctor Who": In this long-running British series, a machine called the TARDIS (which stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space) can transport the occupants through space or time, plopping them down in exact locations in the universe. The lore of the TARDIS is as sprawling as the "Doctor Who" series itself, which began in 1963 and continues to this day. Famously, a TARDIS looks bigger on the inside than it does on the outside. Some versions of a TARDIS look like an old British police box.

"Dune": In this series of novels by Frank Herbert, the Holtzman Drive takes colonists to far-flung locations. This drive takes ships around the universe by warping space.

"Star Trek": This is the most famous example of warp drives, which were first brought up in the 1967 episode "Metamorphosis." Essentially, the device works through matter-antimatter reactions and can easily propel interstellar ships between star systems. The newest spinoff, "Star Trek: Discovery" (which premiered in 2017) uses another propulsion system called the "spore drive," which can travel almost instantaneously between different locations.

"Star Wars": This universe has certain ships that use a hyperdrive. The use of "hypermatter particles" allows a ship to go at the speed of light and then move in between stars in an alternate dimension called hyperspace. The hyperdrive (and the famous view of star streaks seen by the people operating it) was first seen in the 1977 movie "A New Hope" and has been a staple of the series ever since.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy": The Infinite Probability drive worked on sort of a quantum model, where it would transport people to one of the least improbable locations you'd expect. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, the story rapidly expanded into books, television and a movie.

"Farscape": The universe of "Farscape," a Syfy network series that ran from 1999 to 2003, includes living ships called Leviathans. Some Leviathans have a starburst ability that lets them travel faster than light in case of emergency.

"Battlestar Galactica": This ship, from a 1978 TV series of the same name and its reboot from 2004 to 2009, had a faster-than-light (or FTL) drive that it used to try to stay one step ahead of the menacing Cylons, mechanical beings who rose up to take revenge on their human creators. The cool thing about FTL drives was that it was hard to track a ship's location between "jumps," making it easier for the ship to evade the Cylons.

Additional reporting by contributor Zoe Macintosh.

Additional resources
A stunning new view of the Andromeda galaxy reveals an unexpected pair of supermassive black holes that researchers say are in close orbit around each other.

When they caught the black holes on camera, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes were photographing the nearby Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31). This spiral galaxy is about 2.5 million light-years from Earth, making it our Milky Way's closest neighbor.

The new images revealed an unusual source of radiation known as J004527.30+413254.3 (or J0045+41), which researchers thought was located within Andromeda but is instead a whopping 2.6 billion light-years away and contains a pair of monster black holes that act "as a cosmic bomb," researchers said in a statement. [Andromeda Galaxy Photos: Amazing Pictures of M31]

Researchers spotted a pair of black holes shining from behind the Andromeda galaxy. (Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Washington/T.Dorn-Wallenstein et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/J. Dalcanton, et al. & R. Gendler)

The estimated total mass for the two giant black holes is about 2 hundred million times that of the sun, according to the statement. The black holes are believed to be in close orbit around each other and may even be "the most tightly coupled pair of supermassive black holes ever seen," the researchers said.

"We were looking for a special type of star in M31 and thought we had found one," lead author Trevor Dorn-Wallenstein, a researcher from the University of Washington in Seattle, said in the statement. "We were surprised and excited to find something far stranger!"

Previously, scientists thought J0045+41 was a different kind of object within M31. Earlier observations showed periodic variations in the optical light from J0045+41, which researchers initially classified as a pair of stars that orbited around each other approximately once every 80 days.

The new data, however, shows that the repeating variations in the light from J0045+41 are actually the result of a pair of orbiting supermassive black holes, located much farther from Earth than previously thought.

In addition to the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the recent observations used data from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii and the California Institute of Technology's Palomar Observatory. Astronomers used the ground-based telescopes' observations to estimate the location and velocities of the supermassive black holes.

The optical data from the Palomar Transient Factory also revealed several periodic variations in the light from J0045+41, including ones at about 80 and 320 days, according to the statement.

"This is the first time such strong evidence has been found for a pair of orbiting giant black holes," co-author Emily Levesque, a researcher from the University of Washington, said in the statement.

The black holes are believed to orbit each other with a separation of only a few hundred times the distance between the Earth and the sun. At this distance, which is less than one hundredth of a light-year, the two black holes are in orbits that bring them exceptionally close together, the researchers said.

This type of system likely formed following a galaxy merger that occurred billions of years ago. In this scenario, the two galaxies that merged would have each contained a supermassive black hole of its own, according to the study.

Currently, the two giant black holes emit gravitational waves as they draw closer together. Eventually, the black holes are expected to collide, the researchers said.

"We're unable to pinpoint exactly how much mass each of these black holes contains," co-author John Ruan, a researcher from the University of Washington, said in the statement. "Depending on that, we think this pair will collide and merge into one black hole in as little as 350 years or as much as 360,000 years."

Their findings were published Nov. 20 in The Astrophysical Journal.

Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The arc of the Milky Way lights up the sky over Zabriskie Point in California's Death Valley National Park in a panoramic photograph captured by veteran astrophotographer Miguel Claro.

Miguel Claro is a Lisbon, Portugal-based professional photographer, author and science communicator who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory photo ambassador, a member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical "skyscapes" that connect Earth and the night sky. Join him here as he takes us through his photograph "Milky Way from Zabriskie Point in Death Valley."

The shimmering arc of the Milky Way stretches high in the sky in this view of Zabriskie Point in California's Death Valley National Park.

Forming a perfect half circle, the galaxy's structure extends so high that it seems to touch the zenith, or the point in the sky directly overhead, which made it very difficult to fit in a single frame. [Gallery: Stunning Photos of Our Milky Way Galaxy]

In the top center of this panoramic shot is the bright blue star Vega, which shines with an apparent magnitude of 0.0 and serves as the midpoint on the stellar brightness scale. Vega is part of the Lyra constellation and is one of three stars that form a star pattern, or asterism, known as the Summer Triangle. The other two stars in the asterism are Deneb (in the constellation Cygnus) and Altair (in the constellation Aquila).

The bright, elliptical and diffuse dot at the left side of the photo is the Andromeda galaxy. In the opposite direction, near the right edge of the picture, is the orange-red supergiant star Antares, located in the constellation Scorpius. Antares is setting below the hot horizon of Death Valley's landscape. On the night that this shot was captured, in August, the air temperature near midnight was 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).

In the center right, and below the arc, is a faint white light known as gegenschein, or "counterglow." This is a faint brightening in the region of the sky opposite the sun. Like the zodiacal light, a faint glow created by sunlight scattering on particles in the atmosphere, the gegenschein is caused by sunlight scattering off of interplanetary dust.

To see more of Claro's amazing astrophotography, visit his website: miguelclaro.com. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
SpaceX will launch a used Dragon cargo ship on a pre-flown Falcon 9 rocket booster from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, to deliver NASA cargo to the International Space Station.

After several delays, SpaceX will launch a cargo mission to the International Space Station today (Dec. 15) in what will be another leap forward in the private company's push toward full rocket reusability. With a pre-flown Dragon cargo spacecraft launching on a used Falcon 9 booster, this mission will reuse the most spacecraft parts of any SpaceX mission to date, and you can watch the launch live online.

The Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:36 a.m. EST (1536 GMT). You can watch the launch live here, courtesy of NASA, beginning at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT). A post-launch press conference by NASA and SpaceX will follow after the launch.

The Dragon cargo delivery mission has been on hold since last week, when SpaceX delayed it from a Sept. 8 launch target to allow more time for systems checks. The need for systems checks delayed the flight from a Dec. 12 liftoff, with SpaceX calling off a Dec. 13 attempt in order to clean and test ground systems after finding particles in the Falcon 9 second stage fuel system.

This mission will mark the first time SpaceX has launched from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 40 since an explosion during a routine pre-flight test damaged the launchpad on Sept. 1, 2016. Since then, SpaceX has been launching from NASA's historic Pad 39A at nearby Kennedy Space Center. [In Photos: SpaceX Launches, Lands 1st Reused Falcon 9 Rocket]

NASA has contracted SpaceX to fly cargo to the ISS on its Dragon cargo vessels, and this will be the 13th of 20 flights planned under the cargo resupply services contract. Known as CRS-13, this mission will deliver 4,800 lbs. (2,180 kilograms) of crew supplies and scientific payloads. Among the experiments is a machine designed to make optical fiber in space.

Today's launch will be the second for both this particular Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon cargo capsule flew to the ISS in April 2015 for the CRS-6 mission and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean five weeks later. This Falcon 9 rocket launched with another pre-flown Dragon for the CRS-11 mission in June 2017, with the rocket's first stage returning to Earth for an upright landing a few minutes later.

Following the launch, the Falcon 9 will return for its second landing attempt at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 1. The Dragon will begin a two-day orbital chase of the ISS, where it is scheduled to arrive on Sunday (Dec. 17). Astronauts will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to grapple the incoming spacecraft at about 6 a.m. EST (1100 GMT). Space.com will also provide live coverage of the Dragon's arrival, capture and installation beginning at 4:30 a.m. EST (0930 GMT), courtesy of NASA TV.

Visit Space.com for complete coverage of the SpaceX cargo launch.

Editor's note: This story, originally posted Dec. 11, has been updated to reflect SpaceX's launch delays.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Far from the blaring cacophony of cities, towns and suburbs, there are far quieter soundtracks to be found  the murmurs of wind rustling grasses, rushing waves tumbling onto beaches, the creaking of tree branches and trunks.

But underneath all that is yet another soundscape, a permanent, low-frequency drone produced by Earth itself, from the vibrations of ongoing, subtle seismic movements that are not earthquakes and are too small to be detected without special equipment.

Earth is "humming." You can't hear it, but it's ongoing. And now scientists have measured that persistent hum from the ocean floor, for the first time. [What's That Noise? 11 Strange and Mysterious Sounds on Earth & Beyond

Most of the movements in the ground under our feet aren't dramatic enough for people to feel them. Earthquakes, of course, are the big exception, but Earth undergoes far more earthquakes globally than you might suspect  an estimated 500,000 per year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Of those, 100,000 are strong enough to be felt, and about 100 of those are powerful enough to cause damage.

But even in the quiet periods between earthquakes, there's a whole lot of shaking going on.

Since the 1990s, researchers have known that Earth is constantly vibrating with microseismic activity, known as "free oscillation," scientists reported in a new study describing new recordings of the phenomenon. Free oscillation creates a hum that can be detected anywhere on land by seismometers  equipment used to detect and record vibrations.

For years, the source of this perpetual humming stymied researchers, with some suggesting that the rhythmic ebb and flow of ocean waves that reached all the way down to the seafloor were responsible, while others attributed the vibration to collisions between ocean waves. Then, in 2015, scientists determined that both types of ocean movement played a part in keeping Earth vibrating, Live Science previously reported.

While seismologists have recorded and measured Earth's hum on land, they had yet to capture evidence of the planet's sonic stylings from the ocean depths  until now.

Recently, scientists traveled to the seafloor in the Indian Ocean to capture the humming sound, using special spherical ocean seismometers. Between September 2012 and November 2013, the researchers deployed 57 free-fall seismometers around La Reunion Island to the east of Madagascar, over an area measuring about 772 square miles (2,000 square kilometers), they wrote in the study.

Using filters, noise reduction and calculations, they isolated the hum from normal ocean noise levels generated by ocean wave motion and seafloor currents, and found "very clear peaks" that appeared consistently over the 11-month study period, and which appeared in the same amplitude range as measurements of the humming taken on land in Algeria, the scientists reported. They noted that the peaks occurred at several frequencies between 2.9 and 4.5 millihertz  about 10,000 times lower than the human hearing threshold, which is 20 hertz.

Capturing ocean recordings of Earth's hum will provide scientists with far more data than is currently available from readings taken on land, contributing to efforts to map the planet's interior, the researchers wrote in the study.

The findings were published online Nov. 27 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Original article on Live Science.
President Donald Trumped signed a new space policy directive Monday (Dec. 11) ordering NASA to work toward sending humans to the moon and, eventually, Mars.

As he signed the new directive at the White House, surrounded by several astronauts and other dignitaries, the president said that the order would "restore American leadership in space."

In Photos: President Trump Aims for the Moon with Space Policy Directive 1

Experts across the space industry showed overwhelming support for the new directive, formally known as Space Policy Directive 1 (SPD-1). Here's how they reacted. [From Ike to Trump: Presidential Visions for Space Exploration]

President Donald Trump speaks before signing the Presidential Space Directive - 1, directing NASA to return to the moon, in the Roosevelt room of the White House on Dec. 11, 2017. (Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot

"NASA looks forward to supporting the president's directive strategically aligning our work to return humans to the moon, travel to Mars and opening the deeper solar system beyond," acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot said in a statement. "This work represents a national effort on many fronts, with America leading the way. We will engage the best and brightest across government and private industry and our partners across the world to reach new milestones in human achievement. Our workforce is committed to this effort, and even now, we are developing a flexible deep-space infrastructure to support a steady cadence of increasingly complex missions that strengthens American leadership in the boundless frontier of space. The next generation will dream even bigger and reach higher as we launch challenging new missions, and make new discoveries and technological breakthroughs on this dynamic path."

Lockheed Martin

"We support the president and vice president's vision and commitment to return America to the moon," Lockheed Martin officials said in a statement. The aerospace engineering company is a contractor for NASA and is currently working on the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle that will carry astronauts beyond Earth orbit. "A lunar mission with today's technology would further our understanding of the moon's history and resources. And it will build a strong foundation that will not only accelerate the U.S. to Mars and beyond. It will foster a thriving new space economy that will create jobs and drive innovation here on Earth. With the Orion deep-space vehicle and our prototype orbital lunar habitat making outstanding progress, we are ready to help the nation achieve this bold new vision." [In Photos: President Donald Trump and NASA]

Eric Stallmer, President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) "applauds President Trump for signing Space Policy Directive 1, which directs NASA to partner with the U.S. commercial space industry to return Americans to the moon," Eric Stallmer, president of CSF, said in a statement. "The U.S. commercial space industry has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in private capital to develop innovative capabilities for lunar transport, operations and resource utilization. CSF recommends that the administration challenge NASA to leverage these commercial capabilities to generate greater efficiency, and to partner with industry through flexible, innovative contracting approaches to achieve the goals set out in Space Policy Directive 1 as quickly as possible."

Coalition for Deep Space Exploration

"The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration (Coalition) welcomes Space Policy Directive-1 (SPD-1) signed today by President Trump, formalizing the commitment made by the administration during the first meeting of the National Space Council to reinvigorate America's deep-space exploration program," officials with the coalition said in a statement.

"After 45 years, it is time to return humans to the region of the moon even as we look toward Mars," CEO Mary Lynne Dittmar said in the statement. "The Coalition is proud to support NASA and to help bring about this exciting future. We congratulate the Trump administration on its bold vision and commitment to American leadership in space.  NASA's flagship programs for human space exploration  the Orion crew vehicle and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket  supported by ongoing research on human health and performance conducted on the International Space Station  will take a major step to fulfilling this vision beginning with Exploration Mission 1 targeted for late 2019."

Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas)

House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman

"By signing this directive, President Trump has again shown that, under his administration, America will be a leader in space exploration," U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith said in a statement. "Going back to the moon as the precursor to further exploration will enable NASA to test new systems and equipment critical for future missions, like the human exploration of Mars. Going back to the moon achieves more than just the practical benefits; it will teach our children and grandchildren to dream big and strive to achieve what others think impossible. The innovations, inventions and ideas that they come up with, inspired by exploring the moon and Mars, will fuel future aspirations to explore worlds beyond Mars. This administration's dedication to space is a refreshing change from the past eight years."

Brian Babin, (R-Texas)

House Space Subcommittee Chairman

"By signing this space policy directive and refocusing America's space program on human spaceflight exploration, the president has ensured America's leadership in space and prioritized our return to the moon and future manned missions to Mars," House Space Subcommittee Chairman Brian Babin said in a statement. "Under the president's leadership, we are now on the verge of a new generation of American greatness and leadership in space  leading us to once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil."

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques interacts with students during an event to launch the Little Inventors: Inventions for Space initiative, at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa.

OTTAWA, Ontario  Sixth-grade students Allegra and Jayne watched countless videos of astronauts living and working in space, and tried to figure out what cool invention spacefarers might need next on the International Space Station (ISS).

Then, the students saw a video of NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg washing and drying her hair in space. That sparked an idea: a hair dryer that can recycle water inside the space station. The girls, who are students at St. Patrick Elementary School in Barrhaven (a suburb of Ottawa), drew up a design on paper.

"This would suck all the water out," said Jayne in an interview with Space.com. (For privacy reasons, the girls' last names were not disclosed.)

"We wanted to filter the water, because you need drinking water," added Allegra during the interview. "Astronauts need a lot of water, I guess."

Then, the inventors got to show the design to a real-life astronaut. Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques  who will join Expedition 58/59 on the ISS in November 2018  met with about 30 students from the school on Nov. 30 to kickoff an initiative called Little Inventors: Inventions for Space, led by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The program is open to all students in Canada in grades 1 through 9.

"Space needs good brains," said Saint-Jacques in a speech to the students here at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottowa . "We need smart people like you to think it's fun to invent, who think it's fun to explore, and [who] want to scratch their heads to come up with great new inventions."

Another invention proposed by one of the students was a robot that could bring medication or bandages to an injured astronaut, with the help of voice recognition. In between medical runs, the robot would rest at a charging station.

"I wrote down all the problems you can have in space, and I think it will help," said sixth grader Corbyn, who designed the invention.

Saint-Jacques said that the process of learning how to work with space technology today, could inspire students to continue studying science as they progress through their academic careers.

"Your little ideas can grow into reality," he added in English, "so it's a good chance to express your ingenuity and creativity and help us tackle some of the challenges we face in space exploration."

Allegra (left) and Jayne, two sixth-grade students in Ottawa, show off their invention for space: a hair dryer. (Image credit: Elizabeth Howell)

Worldwide effort

The Little Inventors program originated in the United Kingdom in 2015, but in just two years, it has gained participation from several other countries. A round of student science-experiment submissions (not necessarily related to space exploration) took place in Canada a few months ago, garnering 500 entries from across the country. Of those, 18 were selected to be displayed in the museum.

Organizer Dominic Wilcox said the project is expanding into China, Poland and the Middle East, as well as Canada. The Canadian version is mainly supported by NSERC.

The St. Patrick Elementary School event at the museum was a trial launch for the Little Inventors space-themed program, and Wilcox said he expects many other schools will participate before and during Saint-Jacques' mission.

"Any teacher in Canada can get involved," Wilcox said. "They can go to the website and download the lesson plan."

Cosmic inspiration

For an example of how much a single space experiment can impact a student's career, look no further than Linda Dao. While working on her undergraduate degree at McMaster University in Ontario, she made a last-minute submission to a contest that sent student experiments to the space station, where they would be carried out by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield in 2013. Dao actually sent in two experiments; she said she felt her first one wasn't strong enough to win and decided to send another.

Dao's second experiment, called "Minimizing Surface Tension in Microgravity," won the individual portion of the Hadfield contest. The astronaut performed her experiment in space and then phoned Dao. She said this experience launched her interest in space science.

"The experience of speaking to the first Canadian commander of the ISS had an astronomical impact on my future endeavors," Dao said in an email to Space.com. She noted that she subsequently completed graduate studies at the International Space University and is now giving back to the community through activities with Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) Canada.

This week, Dao was at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec. There, she watched the next Canadian astronaut set to go to space, Saint-Jacques, talk about his planned science experiments for November 2018.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
NEW ORLEANS  President Donald Trump signed an order Dec. 11 formally directing NASA to send humans back to the moon, but provided no information on schedules or budgets for such an initiative.

In a brief White House ceremony, Trump signed what the administration is calling Space Policy Directive 1, which enacts a recommendation made at the National Space Council meeting in October to make a return to the moon a step towards eventual human missions to Mars.

"The directive I'm signing today will refocus America's space program on human exploration and discovery," Trump said at the event, attended by several members of Congress, other government and industry officials, and current and former astronauts. "It marks an important step in returning American astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and use." [From Ike to Trump: Presidential Visions for Space Exploration]

"This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint, we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars," Trump added.

President Trump signs Space Policy Directive 1, instructing NASA to return humans to the moon, during a White House ceremony Dec. 11. (Image credit: Aubrey Gemignani/NASA)

Vice President Mike Pence, who also spoke at the ceremony, hailed the policy as an early success for the National Space Council, which unanimously approved that recommendation at its first meeting Oct. 5.

"Today's action by President Trump makes that recommendation official national policy," he said. "As everyone here knows, establishing a renewed American presence on the moon is vital to achieve our strategic objectives and the objectives outlined by our National Space Council."

Neither Trump nor Pence, however, offered additional details beyond that policy statement. That included no information on a timeline for a human return to the moon, or estimated costs or other budget information for the initiative.

NASA, in a statement issued after the ceremony, said that the policy directs the agency to "lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities." Work on the initiative, it stated, would be reflected in the agency's fiscal year 2019 budget proposal, to be released in February.

"NASA looks forward to supporting the president's directive strategically aligning our work to return humans to the moon, travel to Mars and opening the deeper solar system beyond," NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot said in the statement.

Other government and industry officials expressed general support for the new policy despite  or perhaps because of  the lack of details about how it will be carried out.

"After 45 years, it is time to return humans to the region of the Moon even as we look toward Mars," said Mary Lynne Dittmar, president and chief executive of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, an industry group. Dittmar was among the guests at the White House ceremony.

Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and another attendee of the event, said he supported both the overall policy as well as the administration's willingness to consider commercial roles for the effort.

"They would like our input" on how to achieve that policy, Stallmer said in an interview after the event. "The White House and the National Space Council want to work with industry on this."

Individual companies also weighed in. "We support the president and vice president's vision and commitment to return America to the moon," Lockheed Martin said in a statement. "A lunar mission with today's technology would further our understanding of the moon's history and resources. And it will build a strong foundation that will not only accelerate the U.S. to Mars and beyond, it will foster a thriving new space economy that will create jobs and drive innovation here on Earth."

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, noted that the statement aligned with provisions of a NASA authorization bill enacted in March setting Mars as a long-term goal for human exploration. "I applaud the president for his engagement on sending a manned mission to the moon and, as underscored in the bipartisan reauthorization of NASA signed into law earlier this year, eventually to Mars," he said.

Among those in attendance at the event was Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, the Apollo 17 astronaut who landed on the moon exactly 45 years ago on the last human lunar landing to date. "Today, we pledge that he will not be the last," Trump said in his remarks, adding that humans will be landing elsewhere as well.

"What do you think, Jack? We'll find some other places out there? There are a couple of other places, right?" Trump asked.

"Yes, we should," Schmitt responded. "Learn from the moon."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
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
While companies like Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources are interested in extracting resources from asteroids, the NASA solicitation is focused on accessing lunar and Martian resources.

HOUSTON  NASA is seeking proposals for studies and technology development efforts related to the use of space resources, particularly as they apply to future human missions to the moon and Mars.

NASA issued Dec. 4 an appendix to its Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships 2 (NextSTEP-2) program, calling for proposals on studies and technology development efforts related to what's known as in situ resource utilization, or ISRU.

The program will cover both trade studies as well as development of key components and subsystems needed to extract water, carbon dioxide and other volatiles from the Martian atmosphere and the soils of Mars, the moon, and asteroids. Such resources can then be used for life support and as propellants, reducing the reliance future expeditions have on resources transported, at significant expense, from Earth. [6 Private Deep Space Habitat Concepts]

NASA plans to make the bulk of the awards in one of three tracks, devoted to the development and testing of components for ISRU systems. In its solicitation, the agency said it expects to make between one and three such awards, valued at $250,000 to $500,000 per year for up to three years.

NASA also plans to make a similar number of awards for trade studies that will examine architectures for ISRU systems and technology gaps, with each valued at about $50,000. NASA expects to make one award for both component and subsystem development worth $250,000 to $750,000 a year for up to three and a half years. As with other NextSTEP projects, NASA expects companies to share in the costs of the projects.

The announcement comes as there is growing commercial interest in extracting resources from asteroids, in particular water from subsurface ice or hydrated minerals that could be used for propellant or life support. Companies such as Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources are planning robotic missions in the next several years to visit near Earth asteroids to determine the presence and accessibility of water.

"We are very much a mining company that is operating in space, rather than a space or a space technology company," said James Orsulak, director of sales and business development at Planetary Resources, during a panel discussion Dec. 5 at the SpaceCom Expo here.

Planetary Resources is launching a six-unit cubesat in January, one of a number of secondary payloads on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle mission, to test sensor technologies. Orsulak said the company is focused on a 2020 mission that will fly six spacecraft to six asteroids, mapping their surfaces for water resources and firing penetrator probes to perform analysis.

"That mission is really designed to help inform what is the first mine, what is the first asteroid that we will pick for the first mine," he said.

The new NASA solicitation may not be of much help to asteroid mining companies, as it is focused primarily on using lunar and Martian resources. The interest in asteroids, as well as the Martian moons of Phobos and Deimos, is limited to "trade studies that address technical feasibility and identify critical architecture and technology gaps," the solicitation states.

NASA, though, is interested in commercial applications of the technology, requiring bidders to discuss how the proposed studies and technologies "meets NASA's strategy to stimulate the commercial space industry while leveraging commercial space and terrestrial capabilities."

The emergence of space resources companies also encouraged NASA to pursue this project. Diane Linne, a senior research engineer at NASA's Glenn Research Center who is project manager for an ISRU technology project supported by the agency's human exploration and operations mission directorate, said on the panel that those companies' efforts helped persuade NASA to invest in ISRU technology research. "Now we have a budget, and it's our turn to help you."

Space resources, whether developed for NASA missions or produced commercially, remains a long-term endeavor. "If you're looking for a profit in three years or four years or something like that, you're not going to find it in this kind of a company in a big way," said Rick Tumlinson, founder of Deep Space Industries. "However, the payoff in the long term can be incredibly huge."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
A European Ariane 5 rocket shot skyward from the small South American country of French Guiana this afternoon (Dec. 12), carrying four new navigation satellites into orbit for the European Space Agency.

The rocket, built by European launch provider Arianespace, lifted off from the Guiana Space Center in Korou at 1:36:07 p.m. EST (1836:07 GMT and 3:36:07 p.m. in Kourou) with the new Galileo navigation system satellites, which will join 18 already in orbit.

The European Union is adding members to its own satellite-navigation system, the Galileo constellation, which will function much like the United States' Navstar GPS system. The launch occurred just three days before the one-year anniversary of the Galileo constellation turning on.

Four more navigation satellites join Europe's GPS network after an Ariane 5 rocket launch Dec. 12 from the Guiana Space Center in Korou. (Image credit: Arianespace)

Unlike GPS, or Russia's GLONASS, Galileo is dedicated to civilian use. The Galileo constellation will eventually comprise 24 satellites and six in-orbit spares, according to ESA. Arianespace has launched 22 of the system's satellites atop Soyuz and Ariane 5 rockets, according to a statement the French company released before the launch.

"And there they go, blazing a trail across the sky here over the spaceport," Arianespace's launch commentator said just as the rocket reached the 10 km mark (6.2 miles).

All processes and checks were automatic from seven minutes before launch until liftoff. About 15 seconds after launch the rocket disappeared into the low clouds above the city of Kourou. After 2 minutes 20 seconds the two solid rocket boosters were jettisoned, followed shortly by the payload fairing, or nose cone, at 3 minutes and 44 seconds. And the main stage was dropped nine minutes into the flight. About 20 minutes after launch the last engine switched off and the satellites sailed toward their final altitude.

The satellites are set to separate 3 hours, 55 minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff, and they will eventually settle into middle-Earth orbit, 14,430 miles (23,222 km) above the planet, with an orbital inclination of 56 degrees to the equator. The European Union selected this orbit to provide better coverage of high latitudes, which aren't served as well by GPS or GLONASS.

"Galileo navigation signals will provide good coverage even at latitudes up to 75 degrees north, which corresponds to Norway's North Cape  the most northerly tip of Europe  and beyond," ESA officials said in a description of the program.

In July 2017, ESA transferred responsibility for in-orbit operations to the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency, which oversaw the launch on Thursday. The system went online Dec. 15, 2016, though its services have yet to reach full capacity. It should be completed between 2020 and 2021, ESA officials said.

Email Harrison Tasoff at htasoff@space.com or follow him @harrisontasoff. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
A growing number of City voices are calling on the government to issue clear warnings about Bitcoin and to alert people that there will be no bank-style bailout if the bubble bursts.

Amid reports in American that some are re-mortgaging homes to speculate on the relentless rise of the crypto-currency, some in the Square Mile say ministers need to intervene.

Yesterday bitcoin futures started trading in Chicago, a move that seemed to give the digital currency some legitimacy. It surged more than 20%.

Today it was up again, a more muted $600, to just over $17,000.

John Chatfield Roberts, a veteran fund manager with Jupiter, said: "Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies are a bubble on a par with tulips and the South Sea Bubble. The regulators must make it abundantly clear to the public that if they choose to speculate in these things they will almost certainly lose money eventually and they will NOT be bailed out."

Alan Miller at SCM Direct said: Whilst Caveat Emptor, let the buyer beware, applies to bitcoin, it should not stop the UK Government reminding regulators of their responsibilities to protect the public by discouraging speculation. This might take the form of extra paperwork requiring individuals to acknowledge the high speculative risks in such investments and restrictions on any leveraged investment in bitcoin.

The Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority say they do not regulate bitcoin, but point out they have made firm statements on the issue.

Jon Cunliffe, deputy governor at the Bank has said: People need to be clear this is not an official currency. No central bank stands behind it, no government stands behind it."

The Financial Conduct Authority has told bitcoin punters that they are extremely unlikely to have access to UK regulatory protections like the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Neil Wilson at ETX Capital said: The regulator needs to make clear that unlike bank deposits, funds invested in Bitcoin wallets are not protected by the FSCS. There will be no Bitcoin bailout if it all goes up in smoke.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank on Tuesday issued a note listing 30 risks to the stock market in 2018. A bitcoin crash came in at number 13.

Some fans of bitcoin claim it could replace gold as a store of value.

Goldman Sachs analysts said in a report today that there has "been no discernible outflow" from gold.

The report says: "With Bitcoin on an explosive upward trajectory and with this week's launch of the CBOE Bitcoin futures contract, many commodity investors have been asking: Is Bitcoin taking demand from gold? We believe the answer is no."


B udget retailer Poundland on Tuesday said it is firing on all cylinders despite a crisis with its South African owner.

Steinhoff, which snapped the business up for 597 million last year, has had a nightmare week. It admitted accounting irregularities dating back to December 2015, which caused shares to plunge and chief executive Markus Jooste to go.

The move had stoked fears over Steinhoffs retail empire, which, as well as Poundland, includes cut-price fashion chain Pep & Co.

A spokesman for Poundland said today that it is a profitable, cash-generating business with positive sales, firing on all cylinders. That was true last Wednesday and true today. Steinhoffs struggles could fuel speculation Poundland is a takeover target.

The conglomerate, which also owns the Bensons and Harveys furniture brands, saw its share price recover some losses after hiring Moelis and Alix Partners to reassure investors.
P ower-tool renter Ashtead will hand back up to 1 billion to shareholders after a string of US hurricanes paved the way for higher sales.

In a surprise move, the firm will buy back a minimum 500 million of Ashtead shares between now and mid-2019 after strong half-year sales  up 20% to 1.8 billion  left it awash with cash.

Another 500 million could follow depending on how much Ashtead decides to spend on extra fleet and small takeovers.

Chief executive Geoff Drabble said: Its our Goldilocks approach to capital allocation  not too hot, not too cold. Striking a sensible balance is important.

US hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria triggered a $43 million (32 million) sales boost after a spike in demand for its Sunbelt rental equipment in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Ashtead is also looking for a new chairman after Chris Cole today said he will step down next September.


T he cost of living has gone up by 3.1 per cent in the year to November  above most observers expectations and the highest rate in six years. But there is another figure we need to take on board to understand the impact of the increase: wages went up by 2.2 per cent during the same period. What that means is a squeeze on incomes and spending power  the cost of food has gone up by nearly twice the rate of inflation. That will fall hard on families and the elderly especially. Yet only two years ago the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, was writing his fourth letter to the Chancellor to explain why inflation figures were below the target.

In the past year, households have suffered since sterlings Brexit-induced devaluation. For its the fall in the value of the currency that is behind much of the increase in the price of food and fuel. The cost of air travel is one component of the inflation figure; so is the cost of computer games. But when you add to this the increase in the price of essentials  in this weather, we have to keep warm  its looking like a pretty bleak Christmas. Inflation isnt just affecting people trying to fly out of the country and play computer games at home; the rises are also bread and butter issues  the price of bread has risen by more than five per cent; butter by more than a fifth.

The Governor will now have to write to the Chancellor to explain why inflation is now above three per cent, but they both know the effect of the fall in the value of sterling since Brexit. That isnt going away: it may well be the case that the rate of increase in prices will taper off next year but analysts at accountants PwC suggest that wage growth is unlikely to keep pace with inflation for months to come. So, we can anticipate a continuing squeeze on incomes, with a knock-on effect on economic growth.

Any President welcome

The US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, says he hopes President Trump will indeed come to London early next year, though he acknowledged that feathers had been ruffled in the Presidents spat with the PM over his retweeting messages from a British far-Right group. The visit will probably coincide with the opening of the new US Embassy building in February and is unlikely to be a state affair, with all the pomp that entails.

Still, the mere prospect of Mr Trump visiting London has caused several politicians to call for protests and boycotts. The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said his visit would not be welcome. But we should be more mature than this. If President Trump can visit Paris and Brussels and be received in an amicable fashion, it would be very odd if he couldnt come to London. Whatever we may think of the Presidents stance on various issues, we should make any US President welcome. The US is our close ally and friend and we should receive its head of state, no matter who he is, with the civility that reflects that.

A win-win auction

Our Christmas appeal in aid of The Felix Projects scheme to help hungry children has plainly struck a chord with readers. Today we launch a second auction of money-cant-buy items as part of the fundraising effort, which means you have the chance to pick up the ideal Christmas present while helping a good cause. Among the terrific lots available are artworks by Grayson Perry and the Standards brilliant cartoonist Christian Adams, and the chance to spend a day with top chef Ollie Dabbous. The online auction will be open for a week  please make a bid to help our appeal.
I f you're looking for a festive singalong, or want to track down where to find a midnight mass service, look no further than our handy guide...

Carol services

St Martin-in-the-Fields, WC2

Tonight, tomorrow, Friday, Sunday, Dec 18, 19, 20, 21 & 24

St Martins celebrations include the TfL carol service tomorrow (public welcome), a lunchtime carol concert on Friday, a gala concert on December 18 and two candlelit carol services on Christmas Eve. stmartin-in-the-fields.org

Royal Albert Hall, SW7

Tomorrow until Dec 24

This years concerts include a gala with carols performed by the Royal Choral Society tomorrow, singalongs on Saturday and December 21, 22 and 23, candlelit concerts on Saturday and Sunday and December 22, 23 and 24, Christmas with Katherine Jenkins on December 18 and carols led by Alan Titchmarsh on December 20. royalalberthall.com

St Pauls Cathedral, EC4

Tonight, Thursday, Saturday, Dec 19, 23, 24

Carols at St Pauls include a concert in aid of Breast Cancer Care tonight, a concert for Unicef on December 19 and free afternoon carol services on December 23 and 24. stpauls.co.uk

Barbican Hall, EC2

Dec 23

Tenor Russell Watson joins the London Concert Orchestra and Birmingham Voices Choir for an evening of carols and seasonal songs, including Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing and White Christmas. barbican.org.uk

Westminster Abbey, SW1

Thursday

The Abbey choir presents its annual Christmas concert featuring a selection of choral works, seasonal readings and traditional carols for all. Tickets 15-37, 7pm start. westminster-abbey.org

Southwark Cathedral, SE1

Tonight, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Dec 18, 21, 24

Southwarks lively programme of carols includes ticketed charity events tonight (Feed the Minds), Thursday (Alzeimers Society) and Saturday (Crisis), a free Mayors service led by Sadiq Khan on December 18, and free singalongs on December 21 and 24. cathedral.southwark.anglican.org

Midnight masses on Christmas Eve

St Pauls Cathedral, EC4

Free and unticketed, 11.30pm

The First Eucharist of Christmas, with congregational carols and music by the cathedral choir. stpauls.co.uk

St Martin-in-the-Fields, WC2

Free and unticketed, 11pm

Join the choir and clergy of St Martins for mass and lighting the Christmas candle. stmartin-in-the-fields.org

Westminster Abbey, SW1

Tickets required, 11.30pm

Mass with the abbey choir. westminster-abbey.org

Westminster Cathedral, SW1

Free and unticketed, 11.15pm

Vigil and midnight mass with the Archbishop of Westminster and cathedral choir. westminstercathedral.org.uk

Southwark Cathedral, SE1

Free and unticketed, 10.30pm

Christmas begins with the midnight celebration of Eucharist. cathedral.southwark.anglican.org
M ike Skinner has announced that hes reuniting with The Streets for a series of shows in 2018.

The rapper will lead the group on a string of six 'greatest hits' gigs next April, which is being dubbed The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light tour.

Ive missed tour buses very much, Mike Skinner said, which is the least of the reasons why I have decided to tour The Streets again.

The group will perform in Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds, before finishing up with two shows at Londons O2 Brixton Academy on April 25 and 26.

Tickets for the shows go on sale at 9am on Friday, October 13 and can be bought here.

The group changed the face of urban British music with the release of Original Pirate Material in 2002 and have since released four more studio albums, including 2004s hugely successful A Grand Dont Come For Free. Mike Skinner previously announced that he was disbanding The Streets in 2011.

The full list of dates are:

April

19  Birmingham O2 Academy

20  Glasgow O2 Academy

21  Manchester O2 Apollo

23  Leeds O2 Academy

25  London O2 Brixton Academy

26 - London O2 Brixton Academy
Review at a glance









F or a master of the Force (and apparently lone surviving repository of timeless Jedi wisdom), Luke Skywalker cant half talk some cobblers.

Let the past die. Kill it if you have to, he advises unwilling protege Rey in The Last Jedi. Thats the only way to become what youre meant to be.

Isolation does weird things to the mind, even a mighty Jedi mind. Luke (Mark Hamill; intensely soulful) has lived in hermetic seclusion for yonks on a remote island with only some penguiny creatures, alien nuns and his own gloomy thoughts for company. So youll excuse the lurch into banal wishful thinking.

If Star Wars teaches anything, it is that the past cannot die, while becoming what you are meant to be is a matter not of will but of destiny. You can run to the furthest outreach of the universe, but you cannot hide from fate.

Luke couldnt even hide from Rey (Daisy Ridley; more assured and commanding than in the previous film). She ended The Force Awakens by achieving what those on both dark and light sides  the First Order, successor to the Empire; and the Resistance led by General Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher)  were desperate to do.

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She found Luke, and to this reluctant warrior, and more reluctant legend, she handed his light sabre. Whether he will choose to return to the battle or sulk in his cave like an intergalactic Achilles is one of three internalised conflicts at the films heart. Rey, the abandoned child of scavengers with the mystical gifts, struggles to face her destiny. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), son of Leia and Han Solo, and Lukes nephew, is tormented by his journey to the Dark Side.

This trio and their interactions are the only elements that develop the story. All else is padding, though after a languid start, and despite the saggy middle, it is generally entertaining padding.

Director Rian Johnson pitches us into the midst of aerial battle scenes to lend vibrant intimacy to the wearily familiar. A scene in a casino in which rolling droid BB-8 is mistaken for a slot machine is one of several excellent gags, visual and verbal, that leaven the introspection. But Johnson wastes Finn (the former Storm Trooper played by John Boyega who was a revelation in The Force Awakens) by relegating him to an inflated cameo, and denies Fisher a glorious swansong by leaving Leia out of action for too long. The versatile Domhnall Gleeson finds nuggets of comedy in General Hux, Rens rival, and Andy Serkis nails the performance capture once again as Snoke, the First Orders supreme leader who means to turn Ren into the new Vader.

Why a creature of such immense power hasnt done something about his teeth, which make Albert Steptoe look like a Colgate model, is a minor mystery. The major ones concern the trinity of the tormented, beautifully played by Ridley, Hamill and particularly Driver, who finds the light and dark within what might have been a dull caricature of wickedness.

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Who were Reys parents, and how can she and Kylo Ren maintain crackling sexual tension by telepathy alone? If Luke honestly hates the idea of being the new Obi Wan, why doesnt he ditch the trademark Kenobi cloak? Is he truly the last Jedi? And what exactly, once again, is the Force?

Good luck with finding any answers in two and a half hours of unevenly paced, sporadically exhilarating, rather Wagnerian space opera with a pair of thrilling twists and a powerful finish. If the injection of nuanced confliction was designed to reinvent the franchise, too many old bones are thrown to slavering fans (name one on spoiler grounds I may not) for that.

Besides, you cannot kill the past. What you can do is build on it to enable an intriguing future. At the very least, The Last Jedi does that.
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 homeownership 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 the Pondera Medical Center in Conrad to purchase a CT machine and make necessary renovations to its radiology department; for Northeast Montana Health Services in Wolf Point to construct an emergency room and obstetrics area to better meet the needs of growing families; and for Deer Lodge Medical Center to purchase the only 3D mammography machine available within a 45-mile radius of the area. 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 that are often the growth engine for Montanas small towns. Preserving private activity bonds will let rural health care providers, including hospitals and nursing homes, continue to invest in the health of our communities through the purchase of 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 multimillion-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 U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines, and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte know exactly whats at stake for Montanas charming and vibrant communities. We all want to work together to build stronger communities. Dont take away our ability to make smart investments for Montanas future.
A benefits cheat who funded a lavish lifestyle of holidays and designer handbags with a 244,000 fraud on 19 councils has been jailed for four years.

Tania Amisi, 27, spun a web of lies for six years to dupe local authorities into paying her housing and council benefits for homes she did not live in.

The single mother of three was exposed in BBC programme Britain On The Fiddle in March, which looked at her luxury lifestyle and revealed she had 25,000 of designer handbags at two homes in Chelsea Harbour.

She admitted three charges of fraud in January 2015 but fled and was convicted in her absence of 17 further offences. Southwark crown court heard that Amisi, pictured right, was arrested in Paris in July and sent back to the UK.

Jailing her yesterday, Judge Michael Grieve QC said: This was not a case of a person in dire financial straits submitting to temptation and making fraudulent claims to get by.

"You committed these offences to fund your very affluent lifestyle on holidays, restaurants and designer handbags theres very little evidence you have shown any remorse before you went to ground in Paris.

The court heard Amisi had used the scam to receive 244,000 between 2008 and 2014, but a further 65,000 in benefits claims were rejected.

Amisi admitted three counts of fraud by false representation and an offence of skipping bail. She was also found guilty of a further 17 charges of fraud.
T he mother of a young man who was stabbed 36 times and left to die by his ex-girlfriend says she is haunted by the fear and loneliness of his murder.

Pietro Sanna, 23, was knifed by Hasna Begum, 25, after she discovered that he had started dating another woman. The 4ft 11in shop assistant then left him for dead in his bedroom in Canning Town.

As Begum was jailed yesterday for life, Mr Sannas mother Valentina Coiana said: Despite the fact that we go on with our jobs, studies, and daily lives, there is a void in our family that will never be filled. It is an underlying pain.

Mrs Coiana said her son, who moved to London two years ago, dreamed of being a DJ and had been due to return home to Italy for a family wedding this summer. She learned of his death in a call from her eldest son, Giomaria, who found his brothers body.

Hasna Begum was found guilty of Pietro Sanna's murder

She said: He told me, Mum, Pietro is dead, hes been stabbed. Every time I remember that, it seems like a nightmare... I can feel the cold, the fear, the loneliness he experienced in dying that way, and I feel the cold, the fear, the loneliness myself, for not being able to talk to him again, for not being able to hug him again, for not being able to see the realisation of all his life projects.

Begum, who worked at Clintons in Canary Wharf, had been in an on-off relationship with Mr Sanna, a part-time DJ, last year. After they split up she monitored his online activity and, when she spotted that he was dating another woman, sent her abusive messages. When that did not work she went to Mr Sannas home to confront him, just after 6am on June 23. Wearing a blonde wig to disguise her appearance, she inflicted 36 separate knife wounds on Mr Sanna  including several to his back.

Begum, of the Isle of Dogs, denied murder, claiming she had been defending herself, but was found guilty at Inner London crown court. Judge Jeremy Donne QC sentenced her to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years, telling her: What you did was a terrible, wicked thing.
T he headmistress of a leading boarding school has supported an upcoming ban on the use of mobile phones in French schools, claiming "phones are a distraction".

Headmistress Samantha Price banned mobiles for three days at Benenden School, in Kent, and blocked social media in a bid to counter pupils' smartphone addication.

She said students were "positive" following the ban - known as a "phone fast" - at the independent girl's school earlier this year.

Ms Price told the Standard she is "interested to see" if France will be able to maintain the ban.

Jean-Michel Blanquer, French education minister, announced a nationwide ban will come into effect from the start of the next school year in September 2018.

Pupils from the age of six up to around 15 in the country's primary, junior and middle schools will not be allowed to use their phones during school hours, including breaks. They will, however, be allowed to bring their phones into schools, the Guardian reported.

Headteacher Samantha Price. / Benenden School

Mr Blanquer told RTL radio: Sometimes you need a mobile for teaching reasons... for urgent situations, but their use has to be somehow controlled."

The minister added that the ban is a public health message to families, adding: Its good that children are not too often, or even at all, in front of a screen before the age of seven.

Benenden School worked with its sixth form students to introduce the three-day mobile phone ban in response to what they believed was an over-reliance on digital technology among young people.

Now the "phone fast" could become a regular occurrence, as pupils were said to have "enjoyed the freedom" of being smartphone-free.

Girls celebrating the end of the 'phone fast'. / Benenden School

After the success of the initiative, Ms Price said the school is looking at ways to encourage teenagers to "self-regulate" their phone usage. Prefects will decide how to implement findings from the trial.

Ms Price said: "Phones are a distraction".

"Even in sixth form and year 11 we talk about our need to work smartly."

Benenden School already operated a strict phone policy even before they undertook the three-day ban. Until year 11, phones are left in boarding houses during the day and girls are only allowed to use them at lunchtime and during the evenings. The phones are then handed in again at night.

Meanwhile year 11 and sixth form students have the privilege of being allowed their phones at all times - but they cannot have them out in lessons.

But Ms Price added she was intrigued to see whether the French ban has an impact.

"It's unrealistic to take phones away from teenagers," she said.

"Teens react badly to a blanket ban, so it would be interesting to see how they manage that."

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the former head of Ofsted, called for a ban on mobile phones on schools in 2015, the Sun reported.

He said: Any headteacher worth his or her salt can stand up at assembly and say, Im not going to have children chewing gum. Im not going to have children bringing mobile phones in.

Im not having children swear. Im not having children answer back in class.

A snap poll by education publication TES on Tuesday found that 69 per cent of UK teachers believe that school should follow in France's example and ban mobile phones.

The Department for Education said the decision to ban phones is left to individual schools.


P regnant women have been left so distressed by pro-life protesters that they have refused to leave abortion clinics even during a fire alarm, MPs were told.

Women who attend clinics have been filmed or photographed, called mum and physically blocked by vocal anti-abortion campaigners in a bid to stop them from terminating a pregnancy.

A committee of politicians heard evidence from managers of abortion clinics on Tuesday as the Government considers creating buffer zones to ban protesters from loitering near clinic gates.

It comes after Southwark council became the third local authority in the UK moved to set up a no-go area to force protest groups to stand further away from clinic entrances.

In the cross-party meeting of the Home Affairs Committee, clinical operations manager of Ealings Marie Stopes abortion clinic, John Hansen-Brevetti, said there are often groups of up to 40 protesters outside his west London clinic.

Women are often so distressed by the protesters  which have stood outside the building for up to 40 hours a week for 20 years  that they have asked to be escorted out.

Police were called several times on some days but appeared unable to act because harassment laws apply to individuals who repeatedly approach the victim, Mr Hansen-Brevetti said. The patients involved, meanwhile, probably attend centres on only one or two occasions.

"There is a culture that abortion clinics can be targeted and it is allowed for this type of attack to take place," he told the committee. "There's been an impunity that has been allowed to snowball."

Protest: Pro-life campaigners outside the clinic in Ealing. / Sister Supporter

He said buffer zones would dramatically better the lives or patients who come to the clinic.

Clare Murphy, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, told the committee that women's experience of being confronted by protesters had "profoundly awful consequences".

In some cases the vigils have led to women having late terminations, purchasing abortion pills from the internet or opting for the "clinically sub-optimal" process of taking all their medication in one appointment in order to avoid a second visit.

Pro-life campaigners outside the Marie Stopes clinic in Northern Ireland, the first private clinic to offer abortions to women in Belfast. (Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images) / PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty Images

MPs, chaired by Labours Yvette Cooper, also heard from representatives of the anti-abortion movement who denied they were intimidating pregnant women.

The director of the Good Counsel Network, Clare McCullough, said their group's members do no more than pray and hand leaflets to women going into the Ealing clinic.

She dismissed Marie Stopes' record of incidents as "sketchy and vague", adding: "There is no evidence of it because it is not happening. If these things were happening, we would be in prison."

Ms McCullough also said buffer zones would result in women having abortions they do not really want, suggesting protesters help women.

John Hansen-Brevetti from Marie Stopes in Ealing; Clare Murphy from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service; Clare McCullough from the Good Counsel Network; and Antonia Tully from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. / Parliament TV

Antonia Tully of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child called the protesters pavement counsellors.

MP Ms Cooper said it appeared only help from the authorities would protect women from distressing harassment after offering the campaigners a voluntary arrangement to hold vigils further away from clinics.

Pro-life protester responded: "Looking at the hundreds of women each year who have our help, I am not seeing any way that I am going to move away from the nearest opportunity to give the woman a leaflet as she is going in the door."

Ms Tully added: "We wouldn't voluntarily take any action that would inhibit us from saving the lives of unborn children."

Ms Cooper responded: "We have heard a very clear explanation that if there is no further action taken by councils or the police or the Government, then the kinds of activities that some women clearly do find distressing and harassing will continue and there is going to be no attempt voluntarily to prevent that kind of behaviour."

Conservative MP Will Quince, who said he and his wife had to consider abortion of their son, who was later stillborn, told the protesters he had no doubt their actions were "hugely intimidatory and harassing and distressing".
A mber Rudd today revealed how her late fathers trauma after being conned by criminals posing as bank staff is driving her determination to crack down on fraud.

The Home Secretary said her father Tony, a former stockbroker who died two days before she stood in for the Prime Minister in the general election TV debate, had been called by someone claiming to be from his bank.

Mr Rudd was told that there had been some suspicious activity on his card and, after calling a person he thought was his bank manager, agreed to go with some supposed officers to buy a watch to flush out the fraudsters.

He subsequently realised that he had been cheated and was left feeling humiliated and embarrassed and mortified by the crime.

Ms Rudd, who has this week announced the creation of a new National Economic Crime Centre, said this experience of seeing her father suffer had reinforced her determination to ensure that others did not go through the same.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd (Photo by Alberto Pezzali/NurPhoto via Getty Images) / NurPhoto via Getty Images

She also wanted to do more to ensure that fraudsters responsible for such crimes were brought to justice and prevented from profiting from their scams.

Being the victim of fraud can feel traumatic and embarrassing. I know this only too well as my late father was a victim of fraud, the Home Secretary said.

One day he was called by someone he thought was from his bank saying they had noticed some odd behaviour on his card. Had he bought an Apple computer today? No, he said. Right  we will do more investigations.

Concerned, and no fool, he called the bank himself and asked to speak to the bank manager, who he knew by name and had met before. Yes hello Mr Rudd, said the manager ... yes its a genuine call that youve received. Could you help us catch the fraudsters? We will send some officers who can advise you how you can help.

A few hours later they arrived, persuaded him to take his credit card, get in a car with them (with his carer as he was blind), go to a shop and purchase an expensive watch to flush out the fraudsters.

He was asked to hand over the watch to the police officers who then disappeared.

It was a con. He hadnt been speaking to bank staff, hed been speaking to fraudsters all along. It took a while for the penny to drop and he was naturally mortified. He laid low feeling humiliated and embarrassed.

Ms Rudd said such crimes were not right and that it was similarly not fair that there is money going into the pockets of criminals .. at the expense of the vulnerable. She added: I want as few families as possible to experience what my father went through.

Official figures show fraud costs the UK 6.8 billion a year. That is equivalent to around 255 per household or more than 100 per person. There are an estimated 3.3 million such crimes each year across England and Wales. Elderly people are often targeted, but the crime affects those of all ages.

Mr Rudd was a successful and well-connected stockbroker, who also appeared as an extra in the wedding scenes in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. He died last year aged 93.
I ran must urgently release the findings of their medical assessment on jailed London mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, her MP Tulip Siddiq said today.

Ms Siddiq believes the report on her physical and mental health could be vital in securing her release on humanitarian grounds from jail in Tehran.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 38, a British-Iranian dual national, is facing her second Christmas behind bars after being arrested on spying charges as she tried to leave Iran at the end of a family holiday with her young daughter last year.

Ms Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, said: Im worried about whether she is being tortured. If they have got nothing to hide then its not a problem to release the health reports.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe, who has begged the Government to intervene and help free his charity worker wife after she was taken captive in Iran and separated from her infant daughter. / PA

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told the Commons that when he visited Iran at the weekend he pushed for the release of dual nationals on humanitarian grounds, where there is cause.

However, Ms Siddiq said the report undertaken by doctors 10 days ago must be published. She said: That is the only way she will be released  on humanitarian grounds.

She wants Mr Johnson to call for the documents to be released. The Foreign Secretary has told the Commons it would be wrong to give a running commentary about what the Iranian side said about each consular case that he raised during his trip.

Today Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes husband Richard Ratcliffe, who lives in Hampstead, told the BBC: Nazanin has a number of health problems, particularly mental health problems.

A court hearing at which the mother could have been sentenced for a further charge of spreading propaganda against Iran has been postponed. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe denies all charges against her.
A merica's ambassador in London today signalled that Donald Trump is due to visit Britain early next year - sparking fresh calls for mass demonstrations against the US president.

Mr Trump is expected to arrive in London in February for the opening of the new US embassy in Nine Elms.

Neither the White House nor Downing Street have confirmed the visit.

However, ambassador Woody Johnson told the BBC: Absolutely, I think he will come.

It hasnt been officially announced but I hope he does.

Theresa May: Trump 'wrong' to retweet Britain First videos

Mr Trumps visit is not expected to be a full pomp and circumstance state visit during which he would be hosted by the Queen.

However, there is strong opposition to even a government-to-government trip during which the US president would meet Theresa May at No10.

Mr Trump angered many people in Britain by lashing out at Theresa May after she reprimanded him for retweeting Britain First messages, for criticising London Mayor Sadiq Khan over his response to the London Bridge terror attack, and for other policies and actions.

Trump made a direct challenge to Mrs May saying she should "focus on the destructive radical Islamic terrorism taking place within the United Kingdom" / EPA

Mr Khan said this morning: London is a beacon of diversity. It is one of our strengths. Many of us love America and Americans, but President Trump has on a number of occasions shown his views are inconsistent with the values Londoners hold dear.

It is clear that any official visit here would not be welcomed.

Mr Johnson admitted that feathers were ruffled with the bust-up between Mr Trump and Mrs May.

But he insisted that some of the row was down to misinterpretation and was on a background of the presidents determination to protect Americans.

He added: He is not going to go down the path of a lot of politicians and maybe be namby pamby about it.

He is going to come out, he is going to probably take some chances...to accomplish that security goal.

But you have to have confidence to look down the road and good things are going to happen.

He stressed that shared security and prosperity were upmost in his mind.

He also emphasised that the American people had elected Mr Trump because they wanted a different type of politician and rejected accusations that he was narcissistic, thin-skinned and someone who does not grasp the complexities of the world.

Diplomatic experts are predicting mass demonstrations against Mr Trump when he visits Britain on a scale of the protests against George W Bush in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq War when between 100,000 to 200,000 took to the streets of London.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: Donald Trumps reckless actions are making the world less safe and setting back global action on climate change. When he comes to Britain, people will make their views known on these issues and show him we are a diverse and inclusive society.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokeswoman Jo Swinson said: Britain should stand tall and declare he is not welcome, period.

Labour MP Wes Streeting added: I hope people will take to the streets to peacefully protest.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Philip Hammond and other EU finance ministers have warned Washington that US tax reforms could breach international rules and damage world trade.

In a sharply worded letter, ministers from the five largest EU economies, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain, said US domestic tax policy must be consistent with its international treaty obligations.

The move comes amid concerns in Europe that measures going through Congress could damage European companies.
C hildren are more likely to email their present requests to Father Christmas rather than write a traditional letter, the head of a literacy charity has warned.

Matthew Hickey, chief executive of the Childrens Literacy Charity, told the Telegraph that he feared that technology is taking over as parents find it easier to let their child send a quick email instead of sitting down to pen a letter to Santa.

Mr Hickey said that he considered the age old tradition of writing to Father Christmas to be paramount to a childs development.

He said: For me, being able to write a letter to Santa has a certain nostalgic feel to retaining what this time of the year is all about - which is making sure that children are able to be children, he said.

A little girl's letter to Santa (The Royal Mail ) / The Royal Mail

"It is about developing children who are multifaceted, who can do everything to prepare them for the future.

"Not just being able to be prepared for the digital age, but actually being prepared to put pen to paper and use those multiple skills."

The tradition of sending a letter to Santa dates back to the 1200s when a little girl wrote to the real Saint Nicholas, a bishop who lived in Myra, now Turkey.

Since that time boys and girls across the globe have taken on the tradition of writing to Father Christmas, detailing whether or not they have been good or bad and politely requesting gifts.

In 1963 the Royal Mail encouraged the tradition by providing a Letters to Santa Service which still sees hundreds of thousands of children writing to Father Christmas each year.

However, Mr Hickey said that the art of being able to write a letter should not be lost amongst modern day technology.

He said: if you can't handwrite, how can you answer an exam question properly, or fill out an application form?

"We know there is a lot of stuff happening online but having that skill of handwriting will always be needed."

Jonathan Douglas, director National Literacy trust a charity which provides disadvantaged children with literacy skills, agreed with Mr Hickey.

He said: Research has found that writing letters can help to improve childrens writing attainment.

However he also pointed out that not all technology is bad and cited blogging websites as being beneficial in improving a childs literacy but he said that emails do not provide the same benefits.

Contrary to Mr Hickeys fears, the Royal Mail said that it had seen a rise in the number of Children writing to Santa this year.

The Royal Mail said that it has received more letters this year compared to last year / The Royal Mail

The spokesperson said: Even in the 21st Century, children continue to write personal handwritten letters to Santa. In fact, we have lot more letters this year than we did the previous year and Santa and his helpers are working very hard to respond to all the letters he has received.
D avid Davis today faced a humiliating rebuke in the European Parliament as six of its leaders united behind a resolution accusing him of undermining good faith in Brexit talks.

The chiefs of five rival political groups set aside their differences and, with the head of an influential committee, called for a legally binding treaty to prevent Britain wriggling out of commitments made last Friday on Northern Ireland.

MEPs called for trade talks next year to be stopped if Britain did not fully respect its promises to the Irish government on avoiding a hard border.

In a TV interview on Sunday, Mr Davis had appeared to suggest that Fridays deal was a statement of intent and not legally binding. He later clarified that he regarded the agreement as more than just legally enforceable.

Todays move by MEPs coincided with reports in Brussels that leaders of the 27 EU nations were so incensed by his remarks they were delaying preparations for trade talks.

The European Parliament will vote on two amendments when MEPs pass a special resolution agreeing that sufficient progress has been made on the divorce deal for UK-EU trade talks to begin next year.

One amendment says Mr Daviss remarks have reduced trust, while the other warns trade talks can only progress if the UK also fully respects the commitments it made.

Guy Verhofstadt, the parliaments Brexit co-ordinator, tweeted: After @DavidDavisMPs unacceptable re-marks, its time the UK government restores trust. These amendments will further toughen up our resolution.

He leads the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the parliament. Other chiefs behind the amendment include Manfred Weber, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He leads the biggest group of MEPs, the centre-Right European Peoples Party.

Lead EU negotiator, Michel Barnier said: The EU will fully support Ireland throughout Brexit talks. The European Commission insisted that Fridays agreement was a gentlemens agreement that could not be broken.

There was speculation that Mr Davis had deliberately hinted the deal was not binding to placate pro-Brexit MPs upset about the expected divorce payment of 39 billion, and that the UK would remain fully aligned with the EU.

Mrs Mays official spokesman said Mr Davis set out yesterday  and the Commission agreed with him  that the agreement reached last week is a political agreement but that will move forward into a Withdrawal Agreement which will be legally binding.

The commitment is clear from the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union that we dont want a hard border. I think everybody understands that.

Mr Daviss department said: On Friday the Commission made the recommendation that sufficient progress be declared on the phase one issues: exit bill, citizens rights and the Irish border ... Both we and the EU have been clear from the outset that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, but we are clear that we want to honour the agreements set out in the joint report.

Theresa May was warned today she could face a double defeat over Brexit as around 25 Tory MPs signalled they are ready to mutiny in critical debates in the next week.

The first showdown is over an amendment to the Withdrawal Bill demanding Parliament be given key votes on the outcome of Brexit talks.

An bigger revolt is expected on Mrs Mays decision to write the Brexit date of March 29, 2019 into law.
N ew mothers could be offered 200 in shopping vouchers to encourage them to breastfeed their children, after a major study part-funded by Public Health England.

More than 10,000 new mothers involved in the trial were offered shopping vouchers worth up to 120 if babies received breast milk at two days, 10 days and six weeks old, and a further 80 if they continued up to six months.

While breastfeeding rates only increased by six per cent in areas where the scheme was offered, and less than half of mothers signed up to the scheme, the University of Sheffield declared the results "significant".

But critics condemned the study's use of financial incentives and said low-income mothers could be "tempted" to report they were breastfeeding in order to receive the rewards.

It is estimated the NHS would save at least 17 million every year in hospital admissions and GP visits if more women were supported to breastfeed for longer / PA Archive/PA Images

Researchers behind the study said the scheme was aimed at increasing levels of breastfeeding in the UK, which are among the lowest in the world. In some areas just 12 per cent of six to eight-week-old babies are breastfed.

Before the scheme launched, it was reported that if pilots appeared to increase breastfeeding rates, and schemes were judged "socially acceptable", a national trial would be launched.

Dr Clare Relton, from the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), led the study, which was open to mothers across South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and north Nottinghamshire.

She said: "Our scheme offered vouchers to mothers as a way of acknowledging the value of breastfeeding to babies and mothers and the work involved in breastfeeding.

Offering new mothers financial incentives produced a "significant" increase in breastfeeding rates, researchers said / PA Wire/PA Images

"As the scheme was tested in areas with low breastfeeding rates (just 28 per cent of babies were receiving any breast milk at six to eight weeks), we were delighted that 46 per cent of all eligible mothers signed up to the scheme and over 40 per cent claimed at least one voucher.

"The trial found a significant increase in breastfeeding rates in areas where the scheme was offered."

The research, also conducted by the University of Dundee, found 46 per cent of eligible mothers signed up to the scheme and more than 40 per cent claimed at least one voucher for breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding has a wide range of benefits for mothers and babies. It helps to prevent short and long-term illnesses in children and mothers and reduces health costs to the NHS.

It is estimated the NHS would save at least 17 million every year in hospital admissions and GP visits if more women were supported to breastfeed for longer.

However, experts warned of serious problems with the study.

When the research was launched in 2013, Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayer's Alliance told the Telegraph the Government was "bribing" parents.

Speaking on Monday, Andrew Whitelaw, Emeritus Professor of Neonatal Medicine at the University of Bristol, told the Telegraph: The trial design could not avoid the possibility that an economically deprived mother would be tempted to report she was breastfeeding (when she was not) in order to receive a 200 pound reward.

This trial is worth publishing because it highlights the difficulties in researching this problem but is not a justification for a general policy of economically rewarding mothers who reporting breastfeeding in areas with low breastfeeding rates."
Hecla Mining CEO Phillips Baker Jr. is congratulating the Trump Environmental Protection Agency for scrapping federal rules that would have required mining companies to set aside enough money to pay for cleanups ("Miners need assurance they can produce minerals for the nation," Dec. 6). Baker claims the proposed rules were pointless because existing laws ensure that no mine becomes a taxpayer liability.

That claim is ironic, considering the current state investigation into Bakers role as vice president and chief financial officer of Pegasus Gold, which failed to clean up multiple cyanide heap-leach gold mines that it operated across Montana in the 1990s. Pegasus Golds operations at the Zortman-Landusky, Beal Mountain and Basin Creek mines contaminated the surrounding land and water with mine pollution that will last for generations. Then Pegasus declared bankruptcy, leaving the public to deal with more than $80 million in expected cleanup costs. On top of those costs, Montanans will be paying millions of dollars each year  forever  to treat polluted water from Pegasus Golds Zortman-Landusky mine.

While Montana continues emptying its pockets to clean up Pegasus Golds messes, Baker has moved on. Now he wants to mine in Montana again. Baker is the top corporate official at Hecla, which is proposing two massive mines beneath one of our most sensitive and pristine landscapes  the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in northwest Montana.

But the bad actor provisions of Montanas mining law say Baker and his new company cant mine in Montana unless they first pay back the public for the money spent to clean up after Pegasus and deal with the remaining pollution at the mines Pegasus abandoned.

The bad actor laws are common sense. It would be reckless and unjust to let the top executives of mining companies that fail to clean up after themselves take a new corporate name and return to profit from new mines in our state while Montanans continue to suffer from, and pay for, the toxic legacy they left behind.

That is why we alerted Gov. Steve Bullock and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to Bakers history and asked them to enforce the bad actor laws by halting Heclas Rock Creek and Montanore mine projects. With federal protections in the Trump EPAs wastebasket, its more important than ever that Governor Bullock and DEQ enforce Montanas bad actor laws. Baker himself has repeatedly claimed that state laws are all we need to protect taxpayers and the environment from mining pollution. It would be a bitter irony for Montanans if Baker escapes the consequences of the very state laws he touted to justify thwarting federal protections.

The Montana Legislature enacted our bad actor laws to ensure that irresponsible mining companies dont get to pocket the states riches while the public is left with the costs. Its time for Bullock and DEQ to stand up for Montanans by enforcing these laws and revoking Heclas permits for the Rock Creek and Montanore Mines. If the governor and DEQ wont protect Montana, no one will.
R ichard Branson has been named the most influential person of the year online by LinkedIn.

The online networking site ranked the Virgin Group founder as number one on their 2017 Top Voices list, compiled every year to rate the individuals who have contributed the most to the web platform.

Mr Branson was followed by former Dragons Den investor James Caan CBE and Paul Polman, the CEO of Unilever.

Three of this years top 10 to make the cut were women including Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of Oxfam International, and Meabh Quoirin, the CEO of Foresight Factory, who both feature in the annual list for a second year.

Emily Spaven, LinkedIns UK News Editor said: Almost 1,000 posts are being shared every minute on LinkedIn  that's hundreds of thousands of insights, ideas and anecdotes sparking new conversations every day.

Our combination of data and editorial insight has helped us highlight the voices that are really making an impact, and those that are spreading their knowledge to their network and beyond.

LinkedIn Top Voices 2017 1. Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group 2. James Caan CBE, CEO of Recruitment Guide 3. Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever 4. Bernard Marr, Founder and CEO of Bernard Marr & Co 5. Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International 6. Azeem Azhar, Advisory Board Member of Harvard Business Review 7. Meabh Quoirin, Co-owner and CEO of Foresight Factory 8. Chris Parr, Digital and Communities Editor of TES Global Limited 9. Alistair Cox, Chief Executive of Hays PLC 10. Sarah Wood, CEO of Unruly

The Top Voices list ranks the best contributors on the site, rating people on their posts onto the site and how the content is received.
T he family of the man accused of setting off a pipe bomb in a crowded New York subway have said they are "heartbroken".

In a statement, Akayed Ullah's family also said they were outraged by the way officials had treated them, which included pulling a teenage relative from class and questioning him without a parent, guardian or attorney present.

The family said they expected more from the justice system in a statement released by Albert Fox Cahn, legal director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in New York.

They said: "We are heartbroken by this attack on our city today and by the allegations being made against a member of our family. Our family like all families is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all New Yorkers."

They added: "But we are also outraged by the behavior of law enforcement officials during this investigation."

Ullah, an immigrant from Bangladesh, was the only person seriously injured in the blast during the Monday morning rush hour that sent commuters scurrying in panic.

CCTV footage has emerged of the moment a pipe bomb exploded at Port Authority in New York

Law enforcement officials earlier said the pipe bomb was ignited with Christmas lights, matches and a nine-volt battery.

The officials said the short pipe was packed with explosive powder, but did not work as intended and the blast was not powerful enough to turn the pipe into deadly shrapnel.

Law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation said Ullah had looked at Islamic State group propaganda online.

Three other people, including a police officer, suffered minor injuries in the blast.

President Donald Trump said the attack in Manhattan highlighted the need for an immigration overhaul.

Mr Trump said that the US "must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people" into the country.

He pointed to his controversial travel ban as an example of the kind of policy that needs to be put in place, before calling on Congress to end "chain migration," in which family members are permitted to join relatives who have immigrated.

He also said people convicted of terror acts "deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases".

The only person seriously wounded Monday was the suspected bomber.
T he wife of a Republican candidate in a crunch US Senate election attempted to defend her husband from allegations of bigotry by boasting that one of our attorneys is a Jew.

Voters go to the polls in Alabama today to decide whether to elect Roy Moore.

The Right-wing, evangelical Christian former judge, backed by Donald Trump, also faces accusations that he molested teenage girls.

Nine women have levelled allegations of sexual impropriety against Mr Moore, who insists he is innocent.

At a rally in Midland City last night, his wife Kayla took aim at the media for reporting the claims, and for accusations that he is anti-Semitic and racist.

Fake news would tell you we dont care for Jews, she said. I tell you all this because Ive seen it also; I just want to set the record straight ... One of our attorneys is a Jew. We have very close friends who are Jewish and rabbis.

Republican candidate Roy Moore speaks during a campaign rally in Midland City, Alabama / REUTERS

It followed an attack by Mr Moore last week on George Soros, in which he implied the Jewish billionaire would go to hell because of his faith.

He said Mr Soros is going to the same place that people who dont recognise God and morality and accept his salvation are going. And thats not a good place.

Mrs Moore denied her husband was racist after he said he thought America was great during the slavery era. He also referred to Native Americans and Asians as reds and yellows, the LA Times reported.

Fake news would also have you think that my husband doesnt support the black community, she told the rally. Yet my husband appointed the very first black marshal to the Alabama supreme court. When he first took office as chief justice ... he brought with him three people from Etowah County. Two were black, and one of them is here tonight.

Mr Moore is a former Alabama chief justice, but was twice removed from that job for violating judicial ethics. He told voters: If you dont believe in my character, dont vote for me.

The storm surrounding his candidacy has boosted the chances of Democratic candidate Doug Jones in a heavily Republican state.

Mr Jones is known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klan members who murdered four black children in a 1963 church bombing in Alabama.

Mr Trump has refused to distance himself from Mr Moore and last night issued a recorded message saying: Roy is a conservative who will help me steer this country back on track.
A former US sergeant who defected to North Korea and became a prisoner in Pyongyang for almost 40 years has died.

Charles Jenkins, 77, lived in Japan where he had settled with his wife after his release in 2004.

Mr Jenkins was among four US soldiers who defected in the 1960s before becoming film stars in North Korea. He was the only one to be released.

The others are believed to have died in the rogue state, including James Dresnok who reportedly died of a stroke last year.

Jenkins collapsed outside his home, according to Japanese media reports / EPA

Mr Jenkins died on Sado island on Monday, where he was living with his wife Hitomi Soga. She was also a former prisoner of North Korea.

According to Japanese media, Mr Jenkins collapsed outside his home and later died of heart problems in hospital.

His wife said in a statement that she was "very surprised" by his death, AFP news agency reported.

While stationed with the US Army in South Korea by the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) in 1965, Mr Jenkins decided to abandon his unit and defect to the North. He feared he would be killed in patrols or sent to fight in the Vietnam War.
A huge mystery object passing by Earth at 196,000 mph "would have been wandering in interstellar space for aeons," a Science Museum expert has said.

The bizarre cigar-shaped entity discovered by astronomers in Hawaii is thought to be an interstellar asteroid which has come from another part of the galaxy.

But its huge size and speed has also led experts to suggest it could actually be an example of intelligent life or alien spacecraft.

Doug Millard, Space Curator at London's Science Museum said that the space object dubbed "Oumuamua" is most likely to have come from another star system in the Milky Way.

An artist's impression of the huge cigar-shaped object / PA

He said: If indeed it is an interstellar object then it would presumably have come from one of the nearer star systems which we are only now starting to discover beyond our own.

But the nearest of those is still several light years distant so the object would have been wandering in interstellar space for aeons.

Researchers involved in the SETI  Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence  project are preparing to point a powerful telescope at the bizarre object to find where it came from.

From 8pm UK time on Wednesday, December 13, the giant dish - the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world - will "listen" to the object across four radio frequency bands spanning one to 12 gigahertz.

Using The Green Bank telescope in West Virginia, scientists will listen for radio signals being broadcast from the huge object for a period of four hours.

The Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia, US, which is going to track the object. / PA

Mr Millard said in order for scientists to ascertain if the object is a piece of alien technology, they will need to hear any sort of pattern, whether it is within any signals received or by way of the signal type."

He said that if the object, which is named after the Hawaiian term for "scout" or "messenger" is not a piece of interstellar technology then it is most likely to be a giant piece of metal or rock.

But it is the obscure shape of the object that has scientists questioning where it came from. Measuring hundreds of metres in length but with a width of only one tenth of that, it is unlike typical rocks found in space.

A statement from the $100 million (75 million) SETI project Breakthrough Listen, launched by Russian digital tech mogul Yuri Milner in 2015, said: "Researchers working on long-distance space transportation have previously suggested that a cigar or needle shape is the most likely architecture for an interstellar spacecraft, since this would minimise friction and damage from interstellar gas and dust.

"While a natural origin is more likely, there is currently no consensus on what that origin might have been, and Breakthrough Listen is well positioned to explore the possibility that Oumuamua could be an artifact."

The object is currently about two astronomical units (AU) from Earth, or twice the distance between the Earth and sun.

Breakthrough Listen aims to survey a million nearby stars and 100 nearby galaxies looking for alien signals.

Since the 1960s there have been more than 98 Seti projects around the world, none of which have turned up any convincing evidence of extra-terrestrial civilisations.
T he mother of a Tennessee boy who highlighted the plight of millions of bullied children has denied trying to make money out of her son.

A clip of Keaton Jones detailing how he had suffered bullying was viewed millions of times after his mother Kimberly posted it on social media over the weekend.

It prompted a wave of support from celebrities including Justin Bieber, Mark Hamill, Katy Perry and Avengers star Mark Ruffalo who offered Keaton and his mother Kimberley Jones guest spots at a film premiere.

Keaton's mother has denied accusations that she was exploiting her son's torment for money. A GoFundMe account set up by a member of the public that amassed nearly 45,000 ($60,000) has been shut down.

The GoFundMe page, which was intended to help raise money for Keaton's future, was originally set up by Joseph Lam who said the video "really touched my heart."

MMA fighter Joe Schilling claimed Keaton's mother had asked him to share a GoFundMe page when he offered to take Keaton to see a fight.

He wrote on Instagram: "I feel pretty stupid right now. I was pretty moved by Keaton Jones' video so I reached out to his mum and was going to bring him out to LA for a Bellator event that's coming up, big show, and and introduce him to fighters, be his friend, and she just wants money. She just wants me to share her GoFundMe account."

His post has since been deleted but the fighter encouraged his followers to donate to Speak Out Against Bulling in a post on Monday.

Ms Jones disputed the claims, telling Fox News: "I did not tell him that I would rather have donations instead of the help from celebrities."

She later posted on Instagram: "I love my kids: Ya'll people do not know me or my family. Did y'all know that my son Keaton was spit on in school, picked on by teachers, that supposed to be there for him???"

Keaton is understood to attend Horace Maynard Middle School in Maynardville, in Union County, Tennessee.

In the video, his mother Ms Jones said she had just picked up her son from school because he was too afraid to go to lunch.

Unable to hold back the tears, Keaton said other students call him ugly, make fun of his nose and tell him he has no friends.

He said: Just out of curiosity, why do they bully? Whats the point of it? Why do they find joy in taking innocent people and find a way to be mean to them? Its not OK.

People that are different dont need to be criticised about it. Its not their fault. If you are made fun of, just dont let it bother you.

His mother said in her post: We all know how it feels to want to belong, but only a select few know how it really feels not to belong anywhere.

After the video went viral, celebrities were quick to offer their support.

Chris Evans wrote: Stay strong, Keaton. Dont let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better.

Star Wars actor Hamill told him: Dont waste time wondering why a bully would be so mean. Theyre sad people who think hurting others will make them feel better because they really dont like themselves.

Bieber posted: You got a friend in me Lil bro! Hit me on dm and we can chat!!! Love you buddy!!

This broke my [heart] today. Please be kind to one another, Katy Perry wrote, while Eva Longoria said: I love this boy and Ive never met him. You are brave and beautiful just as you are, dont ever let others define who you are.
D onald Trump has said the homemade bomb attack in New York highlights the urgent need for the US to reform its immigration policy.

The president recently gained the backing of the Supreme Court for his controversial travel ban  which plans to restrict entry to people from eight majority-Muslim countries.

And he reiterated his demand for Congress to act further following Mondays attempted terror attack in a busy underground passageway at around 7am.

Three people, including a police officer, suffered minor injuries after the bomb reportedly exploded prematurely, without fully igniting. The suspect, who has been named as Bangladeshi man Akayed Ullah, 27, was taken to hospital with minor burns.

Akayed Ullah allegedly attempted to detonate a homemade bomb strapped to his body at a New York commuter hub / REUTERS

Mr Trump said: America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country.

Todays terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security.

He added: Congress must end chain migration. Congress must also act on my Administrations other proposals to enhance domestic security, including increasing the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, enhancing the arrest and detention authorities for immigration officers, and ending fraud and abuse in our immigration system.

Mr Trump also called on those convicted of terror attacks to be given the death penalty.

Explosion on New York City subway injures four

He previously called for the death penalty for the Uzbekistan immigrant accused of mowing down cyclists in New York, killing eight, in October.
F our New York police officers were hailed as heroes today for pinning an alleged terrorist to the ground after his homemade bomb detonated at a busy transit hub.

The officers jumped on top of Akayed Ullah in a subway underpass when his explosive device blew up, sending smoke everywhere and causing mass panic.

The police even grabbed a mobile phone from Ullahs hand which they feared he could use to trigger another blast - and tore the crude pipe bomb-style device off his body.

It was claimed the Bangladeshi immigrant chose the underpass between Times Square and Port Authority Bus Terminal because it had Christmas posters on its walls.

The four Port Authority police officers who detained a bombing suspect in New York / @MarcSantia4NY/Twitter

The New York Times reported that the posters reminded him of the attacks in Europe, especially the one nearly a year ago to the day in Berlin at a Christmas market that left 12 dead.

Akayed Ullah allegedly attempted to detonate a homemade bomb strapped to his body at a New York commuter hub / REUTERS

Ullah, 27, is being treated as a lone wolf by anti-terrorism police who believe he carried out the failed attack during yesterdays morning rush hour after becoming self-radicalised online by Islamist propaganda.

Manhattan Bus Terminal 'Explosion' - In pictures 1 /13 Manhattan Bus Terminal 'Explosion' - In pictures Police respond to a report of an explosion near Times Square on Monday Charles Zoeller/AP A fire truck arrives after a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Termina AFP/Getty Images Port Authority Police watch as people evacuate after a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Termina AFP/Getty Images People walk past Port Authority Bus Terminal as police respond to a report of an explosion near Times Square AP An armoured police truck occupies the street outside of the New York Port Authority REUTERS FBI and police respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Port Authority Police watch as people evacuate after a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Police respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Police and other first responders respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Police block off a sidewalk while responding to a report of an explosion near Times Square AP

He allegedly fashioned his device out of a 12 inch length of pipe stuffed with match heads, sugar, a battery and Christmas lights as the detonator.

The former cab driver set the device off around 7.20am, causing a stampede as people tried to flee.

Port Authority police officer Anthony Manfredini, 28, a former Marine, ran towards the smoke and found Ullah on the ground with visible wires coming from his jacket into his (trousers), according to police union spokesman Robert Egbert.

CCTV footage has emerged of the moment a pipe bomb exploded at Port Authority in New York

Mr Egbert said that three officers followed: Jack Collins, 45, Sean Gallagher, 26, another former Marine, and Drew Preston, 36, a US Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They arrived just as Ullah was reaching for a cellphone. The officers dived and wrestled it from him, fearing he could be about to trigger the device again.

Mr Egbert said: These officers went into this situation blind, only becoming aware of the danger involved once they confronted the suspect.

Port Authority Chairman Kevin OToole added: Thanks to the quick response of these brave Port Authority Police officers, the suspect was apprehended, there were no serious injuries and the PABT was secured without further incident.

Our officers responded immediately and put themselves in harms way to protect the public.

The men were also praised by the White House.

These brave first responders and others who rushed to the scene are heroes, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Ullah was being treated in hospital for severe wounds to his torso, which was left blackened. Four members of the public suffered minor injuries.

Initial reports said that the device blew up prematurely, but a law enforcement official said they had video footage showing him connect the wires.

Emergency services respond to an explosive device that has been set off on a New York subway platform

The official said: I think he was prepared to die.

At Ullahs home in Flatbush, Brooklyn, neighbours said they heard him rowing with his family in recent days and described him as just nasty.

Police reportedly arrested his mother who was seen being led away and driven off in a police car.

His brother has also been detained for questioning and in a statement the family expressed their anger at their treatment.

New York Police at the scene of the explosion / AP

In a statement read by Albert Fox Cahn, the Legal Director for the New York Chapter Council for Islamic Relations, the family said: We are heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today and by the allegations being made against a member of our family.

But were also outraged by the behaviour of the law enforcement officials who held children as small as four years old out in the cold and who pulled a teenager out of high school classes to interrogate him without lawyer, without his parents.

In a statement President Donald Trump said that the attack was further evidence of the flawed system of immigration which he said he was working to improve.
C hancellor Philip Hammond and other EU finance ministers have warned Donald Trump that US tax reforms could breach international rules and damage world trade.

In a sharply worded letter, ministers from the five largest EU economies said US domestic tax policy must be consistent with its international treaty obligations.

The move comes amid concerns in Europe that measures going through Congress could damage EU companies in particular.

"While the establishment of a modern, competitive and robust tax system is one of the essential pillars of a state's sovereignty, it is important that the US government's rights over domestic tax policy be exercised in a way that adheres with international obligations to which it has signed up," the ministers said.

"The inclusion of certain less conventional international tax provisions could contravene the US's double taxation treaties and may risk having a major distortive impact on international trade."

Among the measures highlighted in the letter is a planned 20 per cent "excise tax" on purchases by US companies from foreign subsidiaries which would not apply to similar domestic transactions.

"Given that this measure would impact on genuine commercial arrangements, and would do so only where payments are being made for foreign goods and services, it could discriminate in a manner that would be at odds with international rules embodied in the WTO (World Trade Organisation)," the letter said.

"Bearing in mind that almost half of transatlantic trade is intra-company trade, this risks seriously hampering genuine trade and investment flows between our two economies, which remain a central artery of the world economy."

The letter, addressed to US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, is signed by Germany's Peter Altmaier, France's Bruno Le Maire, Italy's Pier Carlo Padoan and Cristobal Montoro of Spain as well as Mr Hammond.

The latest transatlantic spat comes after Theresa May rebuked the US president for retweeting a series of inflammatory anti-Muslim videos originally posted online by the deputy leader of the far right Britain First group.
M ore than a thousand turtles die every year after becoming entangled in rubbish in the oceans and on beaches, new research has claimed.

The rise in plastic refuse is reportedly killing turtles of all species, with hatchlings and young turtles especially at risk.

A world-wide survey by the University of Exeter discovered that 91 per cent of turtles found entangled had died.

Turtles also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Others that survived were forced to drag discarded rubbish or debris with them.

A leatherback turtle entangled in fishing ropes in Grenada / PA

The survey found turtles are being tangled up in lost fishing nets, plastic twine and nylon fishing line, as well as six pack rings from canned drinks, plastic packaging straps, plastic balloon string, kite string, plastic packaging and discarded anchor line and seismic cable.

Turtles were also discovered entangled in discarded plastic chairs, wooden crates, weather balloons and boat mooring line.

The research sheds light on the true threat of plastic pollution to marine turtles, which other research has shown also eat plastic rubbish and marine creatures caught up in it.

Professor Brendan Godley, the lead author, warned that as plastic pollution increases more turtles are likely to become entangled.

A green turtle that drowned after getting entangled in ghost nets in Uruguay / PA

"Plastic rubbish in the oceans, including lost or discarded fishing gear which is not biodegradable, is a major threat to marine turtles," he said.

"We found, based on beach strandings, that more than 1,000 turtles are dying a year after becoming tangled up, but this is almost certainly a gross underestimate.

"Young turtles and hatchings are particularly vulnerable to entanglement. Experts we surveyed found that entanglement in plastic and other pollution could pose a long-term impact on the survival of some turtle populations and is a greater threat to them than oil spills.

"We need to cut the level of plastic waste and purse biodegradable alternatives if we are to tackle this grave threat to turtles' welfare."

Turtle mortality from entanglement has increased substantially over the past century, as with marine mammals and birds.

The study found that 84 per cent of the 106 experts surveyed on the Atlantic, Pacific Caribbean, Mediterranean and Indian ocean coasts who responded said they had found turtles tangled in rubbish, including plastic debris and lost or discarded fishing gear.

All species of turtle were found entangled, but olive ridley turtles are the most likely species to get tangled up. The species nests in the hundreds of thousands.

It forages in areas where marine debris can aggregate, and they may also be attracted to feeding on marine rubbish, including discarded fishing tackle.

Most entanglements recorded were in lost or discarded fishing gear known as 'ghost fishing' rope, nets and lines.

Since the 1950s the fishing industry has replaced natural fibres such as cotton, jute and hemp with synthetic plastic materials such as nylon, polyethylene and polypropylene which doesn't biodegrade in water.

Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK's head of oceans, said: "The throwaway plastic we use for just minutes can turn into a floating trap for marine creatures like whales and turtles that lurks in our oceans for centuries.

"If UK ministers are truly feeling inspired after watching Blue Planet 2, then a good place to start would be stopping plastics getting into the ocean by pushing ahead with plans for a deposit return scheme.

"And if chief executives of major companies like Coca-Cola want to avoid being part of the problem then they need to start reducing their plastic footprint without delay."

Paul de Zylva, senior nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth, added: "It's a tragedy that so many turtles die entangled in our plastic.

"If you see carelessly discarded plastic bags, bottles and packaging in the street it is likely that it will get washed or blown into rivers where it then reaches the seas to pose a lasting threat.

"It's time to get drastic with plastic. We can all help by re-using bags, carrying a reusable water bottle and cutting down on plastic packaging."
He is part of the current administration's efforts to sell public lands to the states, allowing the places where we like to hunt and camp to eventually be privatized. He is willing to sacrifice wildlife habitat for energy development. He has rolled back national monuments to allow for more coal, oil and gas. He doesn't understand what every hunter and angler knows: protecting wildlife habitat is the most critical challenge we face. "Drill baby Drill" is not a good way to protect wildlife.
P olls are open across Alabama as voters decide on a hard-fought US Senate race that saw Donald Trump endorse fellow Republican Roy Moore who is accused of sexual misconduct.

Mr Moore, 70, a former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, is battling Democrat candidate Doug Jones, 63, a former US lawyer who is hoping for victory in the deeply conservative southern state.

Alabama has been a Republican safehouse since the 1970s but a number of pollsters have refused to report their predictions due to the highly unusual nature of the race.

The allegations against Mr Moore, which he strongly denies, have left the outcome of the race in doubt.

Here is everything you need to know about the turbulent Senate race and why it has gathered international attention:

Who is Roy Moore?

US Senate candidate Roy Moore prepares to ride a horse to go and vote / AP

Mr Moore is a self-proclaimed devout Christian and former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama.

He was fired from this position in 2003 for refusing to remove a marble monument of the Ten Commandments he had installed.

After two failed attempts at becoming the Republican candidate for Alabama in 2006 and 2010, Mr Moore was re-elected to the position of chief justice.

He lost his position yet again, in 2013, when he forced local judges to uphold a ban on same-sex marriages which had already been rescinded.

Why is the election being held?

Jeff Sessions was considered one of the most conservative members of the Senate / AP

The former Alabama senator, Jeff Sessions, was nominated to the post of Attorney General by Donald Trump in February.

Considered to be among the most conservative members of the Senate, Mr Sessions departure triggered a special election.

The successful candidate will conclude Mr Sessions remaining time in office, standing for re-election in 2021.

What are the allegations against him?

Moore told Sean Hannity he did "not generally" date teenage girls / Getty

The Washington Post has published the accounts of a number of women who claim Mr Moore had inappropriate sexual relations with them.

One woman, Leigh Corfman, told a court she went on two dates with Roy Moore in 1979, when she was 14 and he was 32.

She has alleged that Mr Moore took off her clothes and removed his own before touching her sexually and guiding her hand to touch him over his underwear.

Seven other women have come forward with allegations, encompassing a broad range of questionable sexual encounters.

When asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity if he had ever dated teenage girls when he was in his 30s, Mr Moore responded: Not generally, no.

He has denounced all allegations against him as completely false and misleading.

What does the election mean for the US?

Donald Trump has personally endorsed Mr Moore / Bloomberg via Getty Images

With many in the Republican Party backing Mr Moores candidacy, including the President himself, former White House advisor Steve Bannon has said the race is a test as to whether the Trump miracle will continue.

The Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the Senate (52-48), leaving many usually moralistic politicians backing him in the interests of maintaining a grip on power.

Critics say the widespread refusal to renounce Mr Moore  or even indulge those who question his conduct  lays bare hypocrisy at the heart of right-wing American Christian politics.

Who is Doug Jones?

Mr Jones has attacked the local Republican leadership / Getty

Doug Jones, Mr Moore's Democrat rival for the Senate position, is a laywer and politician.

Mr Jones is most well known for prosecuting two members of the Klu Klux Klan for their part in a 1963 bombing which killed four African American girls.

He has openly opposed the President's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, his attempts to repeal Obamacare health coverage, and is an avid supporter of wildlife conservation.

Mr Jones has accused his opponent of taking political positions "completely out of step with Alabama", and accused his party of "[destroying] the public's confidence in its leadership".

Can he win?

Democratic senatorial candidate Doug Jones speaks to reporters after voting at Brookwood Baptist Church / Getty

Doug Jones has said he wants to be on the right side of history in this election.

He's urging Alabama voters to see the race as an opportunity to avoid repeating past mistakes that harm the state's image.

No Democrat has won an Alabama Senate seat since Richard Selby in 1992 - now a Republican who says he didn't vote for Moore.

For Mr Jones to win, he must build an unusual electoral coalition, maximising turnout among African-American voters and white liberals who often don't combine for more than 40 percent of the electorate.

When will the result be announced?

Polls close at 7pm local time (1am UK time) with an exit poll expected shortly after.

The Standard will be bringing you the latest news and analysis as we receive it throughout the night.
R yanair pilots in Ireland have revealed plans to go on strike just days before Christmas.

The Irish Air Line Pilots' Association announced on Tuesday that 79 pilots will strike for one day on Wednesday December 20.

The union's members voted to strike in a secret ballot at the weekend. Despite the discount airline's largest base being located at Stansted Airport, its main headquarters and 360 of its pilots are based in Dublin.

The airline operates flights from Ireland to London Gatwick, Luton, London Stansted and other airports in the UK each day. It not yet clear which flights will be directly impacted.

The Irish group joins contingents in both Italy and Germany in voting for large-scale industrial action.

Italian pilots are planning a four-hour strike to take place on Friday - the second in as many months.

Meanwhile the German pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) said a Ryanair strike "can be expected at any time".

A spokesman for Ryanair told the Standard: "Ryanair will deal with any disruptions if, or when, they arise, and we apologise sincerely to customers for any upset or worry this threatened action by less than 28 per cent of our Dublin pilots may cause them over the coming days.

"While some disruption may occur, Ryanair believes this will largely be confined to a small group of pilots who are working their notice and will shortly leave Ryanair, so they dont care how much upset they cause colleagues or customers."

The airline expects the Italian strike to be cancelled, according to local media.
T hree women who accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct have now demanded an investigation by Congress.

The trio appeared together at a press conference in New York to accuse the president of making unwanted sexual advances such as forcibly kissing, groping, fondling or humiliating them.

Jessica Leeds, Rachel Crooks, and Samantha Holvey said that the accusations warranted new consideration given the broader discussion of sexual harassment in Hollywood, the media and politics.

The White House refuted the claims, labelling them false".

The three women spoke at a press conference in New York / Getty Images

Over the past two years, more than a dozen women have accused Mr Trump of making unwanted sexual advances against them years before he entered politics.

The press conference was organised by Brave New Films, a non-profit filmmaker which produced a video featuring 16 of Mr Trump's accusers. In the film, women accused Mr Trump of kissing them without permission, grabbing their private parts, putting his hand up their skirts, or making other unwanted advances.

Ms Leeds, Ms Holvey and Ms Crooks initially went public with their claims separately a month before last years presidential election.

But they have been given new life after a slew of harassment scandals which have engulfed high-profile figures in showbiz, media and politics following Harvey Weinsteins downfall in October.

Donald Trump denied the claims when they first emerged / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Ms Holvey claimed Mr Trump had ogled her and other competitors at the Miss USA beauty pageant, which he owned, in 2006 when she was 20 years old.

The former Miss North Carolina said "he lined all of us up" and was "just looking me over like I was just a piece of meat".

"It left me feeling very gross," she told NBC.

She later added: "They've investigated other Congress members, so I think it only stands fair that he [Mr Trump] is investigated as well

"This isn't a partisan issue, this is, how women are treated every day."

Ms Leeds claimed that she was sexually assaulted by Mr Trump after he sat next to her in the first-class cabin of a flight to New York when she was aged 38.

Now in her 70s, she said: He jumped all over me."

"I wanted people to know what kind of person Trump really is."

Ms Crooks alleged that she was kissed on the lips by Mr Trump outside a lift in Trump Tower when she was a 22-year-old receptionist at a real estate company based there.

She said she was shocked and devastated.

The women said they do not think Mr Trump will resign over the allegations but that he should be held accountable.

A White House spokesperson said: "These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last years campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations and one of the most high-profile women in the Trump administration, said on Sunday that any woman who has felt mistreated by a man has the right to speak up, even if she is accusing the president.
T he wait is nearly over. After two years, the stars of one of the biggest film franchises of all time have returned to London from a galaxy far, far away for the eagerly anticipated release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The space travellers hit the capital for the European premiere tonight where they were joined by a host of A-listers and royals to celebrate the follow up to The Force Awakens.

BB-8 was the first to pose for the cameras after rolling onto the red carpet surrounded by an army of Stormtroopers, one of which had a dance with C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels.

They were followed closely behind by Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, and John Boyega, who plays Finn. The Peckham-born star was all smiles as he introduced fans to his parents.

Other stars lining the red carpet included Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Benecio del Torro and Gwendoline Christie who all paid tribute to the late Carrie Fisher who played Princess Leia.

Mark Hamill hailed her "one of a kind" as he thanked fans for helping him to deal with his grief. "She was one of a kind obviously," he said. "It's comforting because even though it hit me hard and I don't know if I've come to terms with it we all felt it and people wherever I go are helping me to deal with it.

"As tough as she acted she had a vulnerability. I criticised her all the time but if someone else did I'd get my back up. She was great, and you're going to love her in the film."

Directed by Rian Johnson, The Last Jedi will follow the Resistance as it prepares to do battle with the First Order.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is slated for UK cinema release tomorrow
T he Force was strong in London as Star Wars royalty came face-to-face with real royalty at the star-studded premiere of The Last Jedi.

Princes William and Harry were greeted by BB-8 on the red carpet before heading inside the Royal Albert Hall for a screening of the follow-up to The Force Awakens.

The royal siblings, who have cameos as Stormtroopers in the Rian Johnson directed epic, were flying solo without the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Markle.

John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, who play Finn and Rey respectively, couldnt stop smiling as they returned to their hometown for the big event, with Boyega bringing along his whole family.

Nice to meet you: BB-8 meets the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry (PA) / Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA

The Peckham-born star posed alongside his parents Samson and Abigail Boyega before pulling five more relatives onto the red carpet for a photo opportunity.

John, who rose to fame in Episode 7, said he still struggles to deal with the recognition. He said: Im not a perfect human being, but when I go out, there is such a positive reaction and its nice to make people happy and I dont know what to do with that. Ive never lived this kind of life.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - teaser trailer

Luke Skywalker star Mark Hamill arrived to huge cheers as he reunited with Ridley to take selfies with, and sign autographs for fans.

Hamill also took the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Carrie Fisher who he hailed as one of a kind.

Family affair: John Boyega brought his whole family along / Dave Benett

Speaking about the Princess Leia actress, he said: She was one of a kind obviously. Its comforting because even though it hit me hard and I dont know if Ive come to terms with it, we all felt it and people wherever I go are helping me to deal with it.

As tough as she acted she had a vulnerability. I criticised her all the time but if someone else did Id get my back up. She was great, and youre going to love her in the film.

Reunited: Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill / Dave Benett

Domhnall Gleeson, who plays the villainous General Hux, also paid tribute, saying the times he shared with Fisher on set are the ones he holds dearest.

The moments I had with Carrie are what Ill hold, he said. Shell be missed and [The Last Jedi] is a really amazing tribute to her talent.

'Progressive': Gwendoline Christie with two Stormtroopers / Dave Benett

The red carpet was packed with stars from the film including Adam Driver, Oscar Isaacs, Kelly Marie Tran, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern, Anthony Daniels, Jimmy Vee, Joonas Suotamo and Gwendoline Christie who praised Johnson for creating a truly progressive film.

She said: Its truly progressive. The female scripts are as strong as the male scripts and thats long overdue and what it does is create an even better film.

The spectacular event also attracted a host of famous faces from Bruno Tonioli, Simon Pegg, Danny DeVito, Myleene Klass and Strictly Come Dancing finalist Alexandra Burke who attempted to take a Stormtrooper for a twirl.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is slated for cinema release on December 14.
J enna Coleman and Tom Hughes are set to return for a third series of Victoria which expected to air in the new year.

The success of the first two lavish seasons, which followed Queen Victoria from her accession to the throne through to her marriage of Prince Albert, has led ITV to commission to a third run of the royal drama.

Creator Daisy Goodwin revealed that new episodes will focus on a dramatic time for the royal family.

Series three will start in 1848 which was a hugely dramatic and eventful time for both the royal family and Europe, with revolutions on the continent and uncertainty around the monarchy, she said in a statement.

Viewers can expect more drama than ever before in the third series.

Best known for her role in Doctor Who, the new series will see critically-acclaimed actress Coleman reprise her role as the young Queen alongside Paula actor, Hughes, as Prince Albert.

Managing Director of Mammoth Screen, Damien Timmer, said: Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes shine as Victoria and Albert and its an honour to have them back for a third series.

It covers a tumultuous period in our countrys history, filled to the brim with royal scandals, political skirmishes and constitutional crises, as new historical figures enter the saga to challenge Victoria and Albert as never before.

Victoria Christmas special - in pictures 1 /5 Victoria Christmas special - in pictures Tom Hughes as Albert and Jenna Coleman as Victoria Jenna Coleman as Victoria and Tom Hughes as Albert Jenna Coleman as Victoria and Zaris-Angel Hator as Sarah Tom Hughes as Albert and Jenna Coleman as Victoria

The second season was praised for its opulent production values and sensitive handling of postnatal depression and the Irish potato famine.

It attracted an average of 6.4 million viewers, proving to be ITVs best returning Sunday 9pm drama of the year.

ITVs Head of Drama, Polly Hill, said: Were delighted that the nation has taken Victoria to its hearts. Filled with romance, political crises and family drama, Daisy Goodwins scripts bring this fascinating part of history to life so vividly and we look forward to regaling audiences with the next part of the illustrious Queens reign.

Victoria returns to ITV in 2018.
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A fire sent huge billows of smoke and ash into the sky Tuesday morning at Ray's Heating and Sheet Metal, 514 Front Street, near California Street, resulting in a total loss of the structure, according to one fire official at the scene.

The smoke from the fire became visible shortly before 11 a.m. and by 11:45 a.m. the blaze was still burning fiercely.

No one was inside the building at the time of the fire and no one was hurt, Butte-Silver Bow fire marshal Brian Doherty told The Montana Standard.

The cause of the fire remained unknown as of Tuesday afternoon.

The investigation part of it hasnt even begun, said Doherty around 12:30 p.m. Were still dealing with the fire itself. Were in defensive mode trying to keep the general public back, trying to keep our firefighters safe here on scene.

Some 911 callers said they heard an explosion, but Doherty said that an explosion was not the cause of the fire. If callers heard explosions, he said, the sound was most likely from vehicle tires or other vehicle parts that burst during the fire.

Doherty said he arrived at the Front Street business shortly after 11 a.m., at which time there was visible smoke and flames. Firefighters attempted entry into the building several times, the fire marshal said, but ceased those efforts due to safety concerns.

By 12:30 p.m. firefighters were in defensive mode, cooling the building with water hoses as the smoke and flames began to diminish.

To the bystanders who had gathered to watch on Front Street, very few flames were visible at that time  a stark contrast to about 10 minutes earlier, when towers of flames emerged from the roof of the building, sending ash and smoke into the sky.

Colette Towne, office manager at Open Door Management Company Inc., said she noticed the fire shortly before 11 a.m. when she smelled something smoky.

After smelling the smoke, Towne said, she emerged from 501 E. Front Street, a commercial building that Open Door shares with several businesses, and saw smoke billowing out of Ray's Heating and Sheet Metal across the street. She immediately called 911.

I was scared, said Towne of the moment when flames began appearing from the top of the building. She added that she could feel heat from the blaze through the front door of her building.

Towne described Ray Booth, who is an owner of the business, as an honest, well-known man in the community.

Hes a good guy, she said.

Josh Allen, a maintenance supervisor with Silver Bow Property Management, 78 E. Park St., agreed.

Rays a good guy, said Allen, noting that the property management company has often enlisted Booths services. This is just terrible."

Doherty could not list all the contents of the building, but did say that the building had some vehicles inside along with propane tanks, one of which fire personnel vented and monitored at the scene.

Massive, said Doherty when asked to describe the size of the fire.

He noted that the building had partially collapsed both in the front and the rear of the building, in addition to the roof collapse.

The Butte-Silver Bow Health Department has issued an Air Quality Alert as a result of the fire.

High pressure continues over Montana, causing inversions in mountain valleys, including the Butte valley, the health department said in a news release. Smoke from this fire is trapped in the inversion, which has caused unhealthy air quality conditions.

Wood burning is not permitted under the alert, accept for those with wood stoves certified by the Environmental Protection Agency or have sole-source wood stoves.

The alert will remain until air quality conditions improve.
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In November 2017 China revealed a new version of the BZK-005 UAV. The original entered service in 2006 with the Chinese Navy as a 1.2 ton UAV with a 150 kg (330 pound) payload, a cruising speed of 170 kilometers an hour, a satellite link (in addition to a line-of-sight radio link) , and an endurance of up to 20 hours. In late 2013 the Japanese Air Force fighters confronted one 800 kilometers from the Chinese mainland headed for Okinawa. The BZK-005 could do this because it used a satellite link for control and was capable of getting to Okinawa, patrolling near the island for about 8 hours and returning. Japan warned China that if any of their UAVs violated Japanese air space they would be shot down. China responded that it would do the same. BZK-oo5s have also been seen operating from new Chinese bases (often artificial islands) in the South China Sea.

In addition to the improved BZK-006 China also revealed was a new UAV, the TYW-1. This one is similar in layout as the BZK-005 but larger and capable of carrying weapons. TYW-1 is a 1.5 ton aircraft that can carry 370 kg (814 pounds) of sensors and weapons. It has a wingspan of 18 meters (56 feet) and four hard points under the wings for missiles. Top speed is 200 kilometers an hour, max altitude of 7,500 meters (24,000 feet) and up to 40 hour endurance.

The TYW-1 is similar to the U.S. Army MQ-1C which weighs 1.5 tons, carries 135.4 kg (300 pounds) of sensors internally, and up to 227.3 kg (500 pounds) of sensors or weapons externally. It has an endurance of 30 hours and a top speed of 270 kilometers an hour. MQ-1C has a wingspan of 18 meters (56 feet) and can carry four Hellfire missiles (compared to two on the earlier Predator) or a dozen smaller 70mm guided missiles. China likes to follow the same development path of foreign systems it is copying, but do it faster and with a few embellishments. A new, Block 2 version of MQ-1C entered service in 2016 with a better engine, fifty percent more fuel capacity, over 75 percent more endurance (from 30 to 53 hours), and its payload increased by 50 percent from 372 kg (798 pounds) to 558 kg (1,227 pounds). The fuselage has been modified to handle the increased fuel load and has greater reliability and stability in the air. The additional internal space makes it easier to install a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) that makes it possible to fly in airspace used by civilian manned aircraft. MQ-1Cs have always had flight control software that handles takeoffs and landings automatically and this software has been very reliable, as have the MQ-1Cs themselves with readiness levels comparable to manned aircraft. The MQ-1C is used by the U.S. Army although similar seized Israeli UAVs regularly perform naval reconnaissance.

China also revealed new electronics, including an optical sensor similar to those found in Western targeting pods and UAVs. The Chinese device was described as capable of reading a license plate from 50 kilometers away while the UAV was at 5,000 meters altitude (beyond the range of most anti-aircraft weapons).

The BZK-005 and TYW-1 are typical of several UAV models built in China that are similar to the American MQ-1A Predator. The MQ-1A entered service in 1995 as a 1.1 ton UAV with two hard points and max payload of about 200 kg. Wingspan was 15 meters, max altitude of 7,500 meters and endurance of 24 hours. It had a satellite link and was the first armed UAV, able to carry two Hellfire missiles or up to six smaller laser guided missiles. A slightly larger MQ-1B entered service in 2005 and production of Predator continues, with about 400 built or on order so far. The air force stopped buying Predator in 2012 and switched to the 4.3 ton MQ-9 Reaper. The U.S. Army began using a Predator variant, the MQ-1C, in 2009 and plans on buying over 300.

China is selling some of its Predator size UAVs in large numbers (several hundred) and is willing to cooperate with customer preferences. That means no restrictions on who they will sell armed UAVs to or the use of TCAS systems for UAVs meant to operate in airspace containing a lot of manned aircraft. China will do whatever it takes to make a sale, including setting up UAV assembly plants in customer countries and transferring technology.
The additional American ground forces sent to Afghanistan this year are concentrating on Taliban logistics and that means attacks on the drug gang infrastructure. There are thirteen drug gangs in Afghanistan and most rely on Helmand for something. Most of these gangs have a major part of their heroin production in Helmand and all depend on the Helmand access to Pakistan where the military has sufficient authority to make sure chemicals and lab equipment (required to turn the bulky opium into the more compact and much more valuable heroin) get across the border and into Helmand. Half of the opium and heroin leaves the country via Pakistan. Helmand is the key to drug gang operations and the bulk of Taliban income.

Since 2014 (when most foreign troops left) Afghan political and security officials insisted they could defeat the drug gangs and Taliban if they again had the responsive U.S. air support that was available before 2015. That was true of most of the country but not Helmand province and the Afghan Taliban sanctuary across the border in Quetta (capital of Baluchistan province) Pakistan.

The problem was that many American politicians have long refused to believe what was really going on in Afghanistan. The reality is tribal politics amped up by radical Islam and lots of drug money drives the corruption and violence. That was a lot more obvious after 2014 because the Taliban and drug gangs concentrated their violence in a few areas most important to drug production and movement (to foreign markets). Thus fighting has long been heaviest in the south where Taliban control of Helmand province is essential for the continued existence of Taliban power. In mid-2016 over a third of Helmand was under Taliban control and the government pleaded for more American air power (bombers and surveillance) to enable the reinforced Afghan forces to push the Taliban out. Those reinforcement were in place a year later and the Taliban was in trouble again.

Its the drug gangs that finance all the mayhem in Helmand, as well they might because Helmand is where most of the opium poppies are grown and where the portable labs use chemicals smuggled in from bordering Pakistan to convert the sap of the poppies into heroin. The drug gangs would prefer to bribe the army and police to stay away but that has not worked because the heroin (and much cheaper opium) is hated in most of the country. Over five percent of Afghans have become addicted to the stuff. So the troops and police from other parts of the country face disgrace back home if they do not attack the drug operations when they have a chance (or come back with a large enough bribe to leave). The Taliban respond to this by offering police and army commanders an attractive deal; a bribe large enough to get the commander and some of his family to the West (usually western Europe). The Taliban can also supply a reliable people smuggler to handle the illegal passage to a better life. This pitch often works and it is one reason why so many Afghan illegal migrants show up far from Afghanistan.

The U.S. understood this, at least CIA and Army (especially Special Forces) personnel who spoke local languages and had studied the local cultures. Follow the money and go after leaders and other key personnel and even Islamic terrorist organizations will be crippled or destroyed. There is nothing novel about this approach as it has been applied successfully for thousands of years. As the saying goes; amateurs study tactics while professionals study logistics. Ideology makes for better headlines but it is more mundane matters that settle the issue. The money angle also brings in the Pakistani presence, especially the Pakistani military, Afghanistan has always been seen as a major potential threat by Pakistan and considers their interference in Afghan affairs as a form of self-defense. The Afghans dont agree and that hostility between Pushtuns and non-Pushtuns from what is now Pakistan and India has existed for thousands of years. Afghans, Pakistanis and most of their neighbors understand this. But Westerners, especially Americans, tend to miss the point.

The current fighting in Helmand and other parts of Afghanistan where the Taliban is most active males the most of the American airpower and GPS guided artillery (155mm shells and 227mm rockets). The 48 kg (106 pounds) GPS guided 155mm shells have a range of up to 40 kilometers. The 309 kg (680 pound) GMLRS (guided multiple launch rocket system) is a GPS guided 227mm rocket reaches out to 70 kilometers. Both GPS guided projectiles land within meters of its intended aiming point (GPS coordinates) at any range. The Americans have aerial surveillance that can spot most heroin labs quickly and pass the location onto aircraft or artillery that can put a GPS guided bomb, shell or rocket on the target within minutes. The drug gangs and Taliban know how this works and it hurt them badly before 2014. Dealing with this is expensive. Not just replacing the labs and product (opium and heroin) destroyed but the higher expense of finding safer locations and keeping them hidden. The Americans and Afghans are better at finding these new hiding places. Even expensive gadgets like Russian or Chinese GPS jammers are not a solution but the Americans appreciate the effort. It provides an opportunity to experiment with different ways to deal with the jammers. Then there will be the temptation to use human shields to protect the drug labs. This has had limited success in the past and depended on the foreign media believing the Taliban press releases. That doesnt work as well as it used to even though the drug gangs spend a lot of money on bribing local media (and threatening those who wont take the money). .

The Americans have changed their approach since 2014. The aerial reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft are often UAVs and are using more powerful sensors and the UAVs are often much smaller. Moreover air support data only includes the traditional air force and navy warplanes and larger UAVs. The American ground forces are using a lot more GPS guided shells and rockets that do not show up in the air support data but are known to have made a huge difference in defeating ISIL in Iraq and Syria earlier in 2017. For ground forces the GPS guided artillery fire is often available sooner and more frequently than air support. The American soldiers and marines have smaller UAVs to look for targets and these smaller UAVs are being used more frequently. Even the Afghan forces are getting some of these mid-size UAVs and they are often entrusted to Special Forces operations.

Exploiting Tribal Identity

Most Afghans dont care if some tribes produce and export illegal drugs, they do care if the drugs are sold inside Afghanistan to Afghans. The Taliban understand this and have been living off the drug gangs since the late 1990s and justify this by promising to return to the system they imposed during the 1990s where the drug gangs were forced to export nearly all their production and were severely punished if any of the opium or heroin got out to the locals. That restriction disappeared along with Taliban control of most of Afghanistan in late 2001. It only worked back then because the Taliban offered security for the drug gangs in return for a large share of the profits and keeping the drugs away from Afghans. For the drug gangs the alternative was no business at all. Some in the current Afghan government see that as a possible option now that most Western troops are gone. The Western donors have made it clear that the aid will disappear (and the bombs will continue) if Afghanistan turns into a narco state (the national government is on the drug gang payroll). A majority of Afghan, including nearly all non-Pushtun Afghans refuse to allow the Taliban and drug gangs (which are mainly Pushtun operations) to run the country. It has always been that way.

The drug angle has made most of the tribes hostile to the Taliban and the drug producers. Westerners often lose sight of the fact that most of the violence in Afghanistan is all about the drugs and the disruption they causes to Afghan society and culture. Most of the 3-4,000 Afghan civilians killed each year since 2014 were caught up in this war against the drug lords and their hired guns (mainly the Taliban).

The Afghan countryside has always been a dangerous place but it has become more dangerous because all that drug money has equipped many tribesmen with automatic weapons, fast vehicles and more attitude. The violence against civilians continues as more and more tribes mobilize their militias to halt Taliban expansion efforts, which are mainly to secure drug smuggling routes. Thus there are now about half a million armed Afghans fighting the Taliban and drug gangs. About a third of this force are the tribal militias resisting the drugs and Islamic fanaticism many Taliban use to justify the violence. The drug gangs have found that cash is a much more effective weapon than Taliban violence.

While Taliban threats and violence can terrorize civilians into compliance it also creates more blood feuds and multi-generational vendettas to avenge a death in the family or the loss of land to another Afghan. When the Taliban gained control over most of Afghanistan in the late 1990s they found that there were many advantages to using foreign (non-Pakistani) mercenaries provided by al Qaeda. These men were, by far, the most determined fighters available to the Taliban. By 2001 there were some 5-7,000 of these al Qaeda gunmen working for Osama bin Laden and loaned to the Taliban government as needed. These foreign fighters became the shock troops of the Taliban army and were used to insure that the Taliban would never surrender bin Laden to the Americans. Most of the bodyguards for the Taliban leaders were al Qaeda.

Most of the al Qaeda recruits who had gone through the terrorist training camps went on to serve in the al Qaeda infantry brigades to finish their training and prove their dedication to the cause. The leaders in these brigades are often experienced Islamic terrorists wanted for criminal acts in their home countries. They were in Afghanistan because it was safer than risking jail or execution back home. The al Qaeda brigades would not, like the Afghan units, be open to negotiation and surrender. The al Qaeda troops would more likely fight to the last man. Having no place to run, they have no other option.

The al Qaeda brigades (one or two thousand men each) did most of the heavy fighting for the Taliban in the late 1990s and into 2001. Even the Afghans respected "the Arabs" (as the al Qaeda troops were called) and were not eager to fight with them over minor matters. Thus one reason Taliban control of Afghanistan collapsed so quickly in late 2001 was because the Americans knew that one or two Arab brigades were used to enforce Taliban control over many tribes (Pushtun and non-Pushtun) who did not respect Taliban control (mainly because the Taliban were seen as working for the Pakistanis, which was true).

The Americans had aerial electronic monitoring aircraft as well as smart bombs. One could track the al Qaeda units by listening for Arabic chatter down below. Once located the al Qaeda units were hit with smart bombs. This process was aided by a few hundred CIA and Special Forces personnel on the ground. The CIA spoke the language and were authorized to make deals with tribal leaders. The CIA men brought cash (lots of hundred dollar bills) and assurances that more would follow in return for cooperation. The Special Forces men also spoke the language and could call in smart bomb attacks. This impressed the Afghans on another level (killing your enemies quickly and with little risk to yourself). Al Qaeda had not yet adopted the widespread use of local civilians as human shields against smart bomb attack, at least not in Afghanistan.

The Taliban were largely Pushtuns and many came from Kandahar and Helmand. Tribal identification was important and a Pushtun killing someone from another Pushtun tribe is a bad move because of the culture of revenge. But if you use foreigners to do this, especially Arabs, the resentment is directed at largely unreachable foreigners. Arabs never got along with Afghans, even when they were technically allies. Thats because the founder of Islam was an Arab and the Islamic scriptures (mainly the Koran) were written in Arabic and as a result Arabs always considered themselves more Islamic than non-Arab Moslems. The al Qaeda Arabs did not hide their disdain for the locals (who were considered a bunch of ignorant hillbillies). And then there was the Northern Alliance (the non-Pushtun resistance to the Taliban that was still holding out in the north by 2001). This spotlighted the ethnic animosities that have always existed in Afghanistan. The Taliban managed to make this worse by allowing their fighters to massacre conquered non-Pushtun tribes, and then move Pushtuns into the depopulated areas. This only made the non-Pushtun tribes resist even more strenuously. Worse for the Taliban, Afghans have long memories. But their usefulness as non-Afghan enforcers is one reason al Qaeda and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) can still find work and sanctuary in Afghanistan. And they still gravitate towards Pushtun groups. The Pushtuns believe they are the majority of Afghans and the one group that should be running Afghanistan. The reality is different and that has been the main cause of internal strife for centuries. But the Pushtns are resourceful and willing to work with non-Pushtuns when it is in their favor.

December 7, 2017: India has agreed to train Afghan female officers at Indian officer training schools. India has already trained over 4,000 male Afghan officers and NCOs. Afghanistan wants about ten percent of the security forces to be women but needs help in providing advanced training. Currently under two percent of the Afghan security forces are female.

December 6, 2017: Afghan officials said the new Iranian port of Chabahar in southeastern Iran on the Indian Ocean and its road link to Afghanistan was officially open. This project also includes new railroad and highway connections from Chabahar to Afghanistan and Central Asian railroads. Projects like this help keep the peace because they provide Afghanistan with an alternative to the existing Pakistani road links to Pakistan ports. This usually meant Karachi but now also includes the Chinese Obor (One Belt, One Road) project which has a similar (to Chabahar) link to the Pakistani port of Gwadar (not far from Chabahar) that links up with Chinese roads and railroads. Iran saw Obor as an attempt to establish a cartel and then control trade and prices mainly to favor China. The Iranians deal with the Chinese as equals but many other Obor countries are deemed more exploitable by the Chinese and often, but not always, are. Chabahar will free India and Afghanistan from dependence on Pakistan for a trade route and will also open up Central Asian markets for everyone since the new rail and road network goes from the northern border of Afghanistan to an enlarged Chabahar port on the Indian Ocean. Everyone involved, except Pakistan, is enthusiastic about Chabahar and Afghan/Central Asian links. Iran may be at war with the United States but the Americans tolerate Chabahar because it provides benefits for India and Afghanistan while also reducing Chinese economic power in the region. The Chabahar route was originally set to be operational by 2020 but began limited operations (from Chabahar to Afghanistan) in 2017 and that portion is now officially declared operational. There are still problems with visa and cargo transit paperwork for Afghan businesses. Some of this is due to the corruption in both countries but also because Iran wants to limit Afghan drug smuggling activity via the Chabahar route (about a quarter of the Afghan heroin and opium is smuggled out via Iran). At the same time Iran has expressed interest in linking with the new Chinese Obor link from China to the Pakistani coast. China likes this because their expensive Pakistani link to the Indian Ocean is more at risk from Islamic terrorist violence than the one in Iran. As with the ancient Silk Road, Iran and China are willing to do business.

December 5, 2017: In the south (Zabul Province) and east (Ghazni and Paktia Provinces) Afghan and American Special Forces killed at least 80 Taliban including Omar Khetab, the deputy leader of AQIS (Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent). Technically Afghanistan is not part of AQIS territory but it has become a more reliable base area (for training camps) than Pakistan or anywhere else in South Asia. AQIS was created in 2014 and initially tried to establish its headquarters in Karachi, long a haven for all sorts of criminal activity and forged alliances with the major Islamic terrorist organizations there. Yet AQIS has been responsible for very few terror attack in Pakistan or anywhere else. AQIS was created to manage and support operations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Burma. Islamic terrorism experts believe this was largely a publicity stunt by al Qaeda to counter the growing popularity of the more radical ISIL. Indian Moslems have produced some recruits for Islamic terrorism, but not enough to produce the level of mayhem Islamic terrorists wanted. Lacking a lot of radical clergy and religious schools India has simply not produced a lot of radicalized young men willing to kill and be killed. Similar recruiting problems were encountered elsewhere but other Al Qaeda groups have continued to provide enough cash and other assistance to keep AQIS going and barely visible. The Afghan training camps were a major AQIS asset and the recent losses there will hamper AQIS everywhere it has a presence.

December 1, 2017: In the south (Helmand province) an American UAV used a missile to kill the head of the Taliban Red Unit and the video of the missile hitting the UAV was released to the media. Another senior Red Unit commander and three other Taliban were killed in the airstrike.

November 30, 2017: In the east (Nangarhar and Laghman provinces) a week of heavy fighting between ISIL and the Taliban has left over a hundred Islamic terrorists dead or wounded. The cause this time was ISIL attempting to move into Laghman province (for the first time) to take advantage of Taliban losses to the security forces there. Or it may be about Taliban factions deciding to join ISIL. It takes time to sort these things out. Apparently at least two Taliban commanders have been killed and one or both may have been killed by their own men because of disputes over joining ISIL. The increased fighting between Taliban and ISIL groups since 2016 has also about drugs although it is unclear if all these battles are over ISIL hostility to the drug trade or wanting a piece of it. This sort of thing became evident shortly after the first Afghan ISIL groups appeared in 2015. Without cash even the most fanatic Islamic terrorists cannot survive, especially since the thousand or so ISIL men left in Afghanistan are at least half non-Afghan and have a reputation for treating locals brutally. That has largely turned the tribes against ISIL. Despite that ISIL survives and continues to attract Afghan recruits, mainly because ISIL is seen as uncorrupted, at least compared to the Taliban. Most Afghans are more concerned with the cash. ISIL had nearly 3,000 personnel in 2016 but battles with the Taliban, local tribes plus increased attacks from the Americans and Afghan forces have reduced that by more than half. In some weeks over a hundred ISIL men were killed and many of those dead were reached by Afghan or American troops who gathered information for more such attacks. The fighting continues and the Afghan and American commandos in eastern Afghanistan have the dead ISIL men and captured documents to prove it. Despite setting up bases in an area with populations that contain many fans of Islamic terrorism, ISIL has many more enemies in Nangarhar. This is largely because ISIL seems unconcerned about local civilians getting killed by their operations. Planting landmines, especially anti-vehicle mines in roads, is particularly frowned upon. Thus many locals who might support the Taliban are willing to pass information to the security forces about what ISIL is up to.

Elsewhere in the area (Logar province) Afghan police arrested eleven Russian Islamic terrorists. Actually the prisoners included some women and children and all were Chechens travelling in a truck and a motorcycle. Weapons and ammo were seized. The Chechens were travelling from nearby Nangarhar province.

November 27, 2017: In the east (Paktika province) a gun battle between Afghan policemen outside the provincial capital left three dead and over twenty wounded. This was due to a feud between two police commanders that led to a confrontation between the two commanders that escalated. Islamic terrorists have been trying to operate from bases across the border in Afghanistan, especially Paktika province and that has made the area one of most violent in eastern Afghanistan.

November 25, 2017: In central Afghanistan (Wardak Province) Afghan Special Forces carried out several raids against Haqqani Network and Taliban locations leaving about fifty Islamic terrorists dead including several wanted Haqqani and Taliban leaders. The Afghan Special Forces have been a major success for the government. The Special Forces are carefully selected and get much more training. As a result they are much more effective and very resistant to bribes or corruption. Afghanistan is doubling the size of the Special Forces but the main problem remains the rampant corruption in the national police and growing incidence of corruption in the army.

November 24, 2017: Pakistan has accepted an American offer to cooperate and quickly deal with any cross border activity in eastern Afghanistan that results in Islamic terror attacks in Pakistan. Earlier in the week the U.S. military commander in the region offered a solution and told Pakistan that American forces would be made available to deal with any Islamic terrorist groups Pakistan feels are hiding in eastern Afghanistan and have, increasingly, been attacked with Pakistani artillery fire (rockets, mortars and howitzers firing across the border). Afghans feel the Pakistanis will invent an excuse to reject or sabotage the American offer because over the years Afghans in borders areas regularly hit by the Pakistani rockets and shells have told Afghan and American Special Forces troops that the Pakistanis often fire when there is no one out there or after anti-Pakistan Islamic terrorists have passed through the area days or weeks earlier. Sparely populated regions like Kunar province have plenty of hills and forests to hide in, and few roads to quickly bring in a lot of Afghan soldiers or police. The American offer is backed by the fact that the U.S. has helicopters, UAVs and other aircraft available to quickly act on Pakistani complaints. This could get interesting. Pakistan knows a lot of their complaints are fiction. Pakistan has been firing into Kunar since 2010 in an effort to hit real or suspected Pakistani Taliban bases in Afghanistan. This sort of thing disrupted economic activity, especially farming. Pakistan often denies the attacks, even though the Afghans have plenty of evidence (in the form of fragments of Pakistani made rockets and shells). Some Afghans believed the Pakistanis were often firing their artillery to provide cover for Pakistan based terrorists to get into Afghanistan without being detected by Afghan security forces. The firing might also have been to provide cover for smugglers, especially drug smugglers. The fact is this has always been a strange place and the local tribes see the border (still disputed by both Afghanistan and Pakistan) as part of the problem. Most of the shells land in uninhabited areas and do not harm crops or herds. But farms and domesticated animals are hit often enough to keep the locals angry at the Pakistani government. This latest round of firing destroyed one farm building, wounded one farmer and killed some cattle along with tearing up some farmland. This deal comes after the United States sent senior diplomatic officials to Pakistan in October to review the situation and make the usual promises and demands. The U.S. said it would not allow any group, including Indian agents, to make attacks on Pakistan from bases in Afghanistan. Pakistan assured the United States that if provided with accurate information Pakistani forces would deal with any hostile (to the United States, Afghanistan or India) organization inside Pakistan. In the past this has meant that Pakistan would act on targets identified by the Americans (or Indians or Afghans) only if the results would not be embarrassing for Pakistan. That enabled Pakistan to continue blaming the U.S., India and Afghanistan for Islamic terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. This vicious circle resists being broken, despite the 2011 American raid on the bin Laden hideout in Pakistan and numerous instances of India providing very precise evidence about Islamic terrorists based in Pakistan and the mayhem these groups have carried out in India. There is no end to this sort of thing. Except this time the U.S. has promised direct action if it detects another bin Laden is not in Pakistan deception.

November 16, 2017: The senior regional American military commander (the head of CENTCOM) held two days of discussions in Pakistan with local military and political leaders. The American openly repeated that the United States will no longer tolerate Pakistan supporting Islamic terrorist groups operating from Pakistan and attacking other countries, specifically Afghanistan and India. These accusations are mainly directed against the Pakistani military and its intelligence agency (ISI) which have been doing what they are accused of, and denying to outsiders, since the 1980s. Many Pakistanis agree with the accusations, although if they say that openly inside Pakistan they can be punished, often with death or disappearance.

November 14, 2017: In the south (Kandahar province) and west (Farah province) a highly publicized group of Taliban called the Red Unit carried out attacks on about fifteen army and police checkpoints leaving 70 policemen and 15 soldiers dead over 36 hours. The Red Unit travelled at night in captured army and police pickup trucks and hummers and were shown wearing Russian night vision goggles and captured M4 (short barrel M16) assault rifles equipped with Iranian and Pakistani night sights and laser pointers in addition to American gear captured from Afghan security forces or bought on the black market. The Red Unit was well trained and fled quickly after each attack to avoid retaliation by airstrikes or artillery. The Taliban made a big deal about the Red Unit on the Internet and challenged the Afghan Special Forces and the Americans to respond.

November 13, 2017: Afghanistan complained that Pakistani security forces have resumed firing mortar shells (at least 183 of them this time) into eastern Afghanistan (Kunar province). These rocket, mortar and artillery attacks from Pakistan have been particularly heavy since 2013 but in 2017 Pakistan has been more likely to admit that it was doing it on purpose.
Police have released the name of the 38-year-old woman killed in a crash with a tanker.

Mele Heilalafuitahi Hiva of Opotiki died when the car she was in crashed with the tanker on SH2 at Kutarere, near Opotiki around 9pm on Sunday.

Police say no one else was injured in the crash.

Police express their condolences to her family, says a statement from police.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

A number of people stopped at the scene to assist and Police are grateful for this.

To assist with investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash Police would like to speak with two people described as being of Indian descent who assisted at the scene.

Anyone with information about the crash and specifically the two people mentioned above are asked to contact Whakatane Police on 07 308 5255.
The Linux Foundation on Monday introduced the Community Data License Agreement, a new framework for sharing large sets of data required for research, collaborative learning and other purposes.

CDLAs will allow both individuals and groups to share data sets in the same way they share open source software code, the foundation said.

As systems require data to learn and evolve, no one organization can build, maintain and source all data required, noted Mike Dolan, VP of strategic programs at The Linux Foundation.

Data communities are forming around artificial intelligence and machine learning use cases, autonomous systems, and connected civil infrastructure, he told LinuxInsider. The CDLA license agreements enable sharing data openly, embodying best practices learned over decades of sharing source code.

The agreement could help foster an increase in data sharing across a variety of industries, supporting collaboration in climate modeling, automotive safety, energy consumption, building permit processes, water use management and other functions.

Uniform Guidelines

The agreement calls for two main sets of licenses, which are designed to help data contributors and consumers work with a uniform set of guidelines that clarify the rules of the road and mitigate risks.

The Sharing license encourages contributions of data to the community. The Permissive license does not require any additional sharing of data.

Among the commercial and creative implications of the licenses:

Data producers can be more specific regarding what recipients can do with data. Data producers can choose between the Sharing and Permissive licenses, depending on which model better aligns with their needs. Either type of license gives them greater clarity of agreement terms, and provides greater protection from liability and warranties.

Licenses allow communities to share data on equal terms that balance out the needs of data users and producers. Data communities can add their own rules and requirements for curating data, particularly involving personally identifiable information.

A data user looking for information that will be used for training on an artificial intelligence system or for another use will have access to data shared under a known license model that has terms that are clearly spelled out.

The agreements are agnostic with regard to data privacy, and it will be up to publishers and curators of data to create their own governance structure, taking into account applicable laws.

Higher Learning

The agreement comes at a time when technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence are capable of analyzing data sets in ways that previously were not possible. The licensing agreements provide a framework to make data repositories uniform enough to allow accurate and replicable analysis.

The critical issues for deep learning are verification and transparency  and is the training replicable? said Paul Teich, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

Organizations often share data in order to allow other groups to try to replicate their results, he told LinuxInsider. In addition, organizations might publish data sets speculatively for other groups to process  and potentially pick a vendor for advanced analytics, depending on how well different algorithms worked on a particular data set.

The new Community Data License from The Linux Foundation reflects the growing importance of information as a resource for big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

In essence, data provides the fuel required for processes, including teaching systems to accurately perform complex functions and analyze ongoing occurrences, he told LinuxInsider.

Rising Demand

There has been a surge in the level of interest in data sets in recent years, noted Mark Radcliffe, global chair of the FOSS Global Practice Group at DLA Piper.

For example, connected cars can provide a wealth of data, including GPS, miles per hour and music playlist information, he told LinuxInsider. Internet of Things devices could provide information like boiler temperatures, or wind speeds from wind farms.

CDLAs will encourage a more uniform process for sharing such data.

These license agreements [could be] very, very helpful, Radcliffe said, because in many cases people are doing this on an ad hoc basis.

The legal protection available for data is very fragmented and very uncertain, he pointed out. Its not an area that has had [much] case law involved. In many cases you have a very uncertain background in which to work.

The Open Transport Partnership, which is backed by the World Bank, has been working since 2016 to collect GPS streams in order to research traffic congestion, particularly during peak commute times.

The partnership launched an effort last year with a number of organizations, including the World Resources Institute, the National Association of City Transportation Officials, ride-sharing firms like Grab and Easy Taxi, open mapping firm Mapzen, data platforms like MDrive, and other firms.

The World Bank collaborated with Grab, with backing from the Korea Green Growth Trust Fund, to use anonymized GPS data from 500,000 Grab drivers to map out peak congestion times in Manila. The program was scheduled to expand to other countries like Brazil, Malaysia and Columbia.
It seems that the more advanced smartphones become, the easier they are to break. Accidentally destroying a handset's screen is a common problem these days, but research carried out by the Australian National University (ANU) could lead to the development of completely shatter-proof displays.

Lead researcher Charles Le Losq said that while a type of glass called alumino-silicate, a mixture of aluminum and silicon oxide, is commonly used in smartphone screens, we still don't know a lot about it. By adding elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, the researchers were able to alter the structure of the glass; a first step toward building a new product that is both more resilient and flexible.

"We've seen that if you add some sodium or potassium, those atoms, contrary to what was the belief, do not tend to randomly distribute in the glass structure, but they form more clusters, or even what we call percolation channels of sodium and potassium atoms in the glass," Le Losq told ZDNet.

The work could lead to a new types of shatterproof smartphone glass that sees the end of, or at least greatly reduces, accidental screen breakages, which can be very frustrating. But it seems there's still work to do when it comes to adding scratch-resistant properties. Indeed, phones like the Motorola Moto Z2 already offer a "shatterproof" display, however it's had a hard time selling in volume (for a number of reasons), and despite the screen's resistance to accidental drops, it tends to scratch easily.

Also read: My Month Without a Smartphone

"There is some balance between having something very hard [to resist scratches] and being very brittle [weak to cracking]," Le Losq said. "That's something that would have to be addressed by future research. We're not at that stage yet."

"On a very fundamental level we're playing with two or three atoms, but now we need to extend this vision [...] to really understand what happens when you add a particular type of atom in the structure of the glass and how that structure of atoms will change the glass' resistance."

Seven researchers from six universities in Australia, France, the United Kingdom and China worked together on the study, which Le Losq started in 2010 when he was working at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. He added that the research also helped reveal the role lava played "in the "original formation of Earth and its surface."
Last month, scientists confirmed that an asteroid spotted in October was the first interstellar object ever detected that's larger than a mote of dust. Now, astronomers are set to use one of the largest telescopes in the world to check the cigar-shaped 'Oumuamua for signs of alien life.

The Pan-STARRS project at the University of Hawaii first discovered 'Oumuamua, which reached peak speeds of 196,000mph as it entered our solar system at an angle close to the Sun and passed Earth at 85 times the distance to the moon.

'Oumuamua's unusual characteristics, such as the fact it's at least ten times longer than it is wide (it's about 400 meters in length), has led scientists on the Breakthrough Listen project to focus its observation efforts on the asteroid. The $100m initiative, which is funded by internet billionaire Yuri Milner, aims to answer the question of whether we are alone in the universe by searching for evidence of alien civilizations.

"The more I study this object, the more unusual it appears, making me wonder whether it might be an artificially made probe which was sent by an alien civilization," said Avi Loeb, professor of astronomy at Harvard University and an adviser to the Breakthrough Listen project.

"Most likely it is of natural origin, but because it is so peculiar, we would like to check if it has any sign of artificial origin, such as radio emissions. If we do detect a signal that appears artificial in origin, we'll know immediately."

'Oumuamua is now around two astronomical units away from earth, which is twice the distance between the earth and the sun. The Breakthrough Listen team will use the Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia---the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world--- to scan the object across four radio frequency bands ranging from one to 12 gigahertz. It would take the telescope less than a minute detect something as faint as the radio waves from a cell phone.

Even if the asteroid doesn't provide evidence of extraterrestrial life, the study could still reveal if 'Oumuamua is carrying water or ice, and whether it's surrounded by any clouds of gas.
From cars to computers to connectivity, speed is an attractive quality to many people. I mean, who can't appreciate devices or services that help you get things done more quickly?

While raw semiconductor chip performance has typically been---and still is---a critical enabler of fast tech devices, in many instances, it's actually the speed of connectivity that determines their overall performance. This is especially true with the ongoing transition to cloud-based services.

The problem is, measuring connectivity speed isn't a straightforward process. Sure, you can look for connectivity-related specs for your devices, or run online speed tests (like Speedtest.net), but very few really understand the former and, as anyone who has tried the latter knows, the results can vary widely, even throughout the course of a single day.

The simple truth is, for a lot of people, connectivity is black magic. Sure, most people have heard about different generations of cellular technology, such as 4G or the forthcoming 5G, and many even have some inkling of different WiFi standards (802.11n, 11ac,11ad, etc.). Understanding how or why your device feels fast doing a particular online task one day and on other days it doesn't, however, well, that's still a mystery.

Ironically, despite its complexity, connectivity is also something that we've started to take for granted...

Part of the reason for this confusion is that the underlying technology (and the terminology associated with it) is very complex. Wireless connectivity is a fundamentally difficult task that involves not only complex digital efforts from very sophisticated silicon components, but a layer of analog circuitry that's tied to antennas and physical waveforms, as well as interactions with objects in the real world. Frankly, it's amazing that it all works as well as it does.

Ironically, despite its complexity, connectivity is also something that we've started to take for granted, particularly in more advanced environments like the US and Western Europe. Instead of being grateful for having the kinds of speedy connections that are available to us, we're annoyed when fast, reliable connectivity isn't there.

As the result of all these factors, connectivity has been relegated to second-class status by many, overshadowed by talk of CPUs, GPUs, and other types of new semiconductor chip architectures. Modems, however, were arguably one of the first specialty accelerator chips, and play a more significant role than many realize. Similarly, WiFi controller chips offer significant connectivity benefits, but are typically seen as basic table stakes---not something upon which critical product distinctions or buying decisions are made.

People are starting to finally figure out how important connectivity is when it comes to their devices, however, and that's starting to drive a different perspective around communications-focused components. One of the key driving factors for this is the evolution of wireless connectivity to speeds above 1 gigabit per second (1 Gbps). Just as the transition to 1 GHz processors was a key milestone in the evolution of CPUs, so too has the appearance of 1 Gbps wireless connectivity options enabled a new perspective on communications components such as modems and WiFi controllers.

Chipmaker Qualcomm was one of the first to talk about both Gigabit LTE for cellular broadband modems, as well as greater than 1 Gbps speeds for 802.11ac (in the 5 GHz band) and 802.11ad (in the distance-constrained 60 GHz band). Earlier this year, Qualcomm demonstrated Gigabit LTE in Australia with local Aussie carrier Telstra, and just last month, they showed offer similar technology here in the US with T-Mobile. In both cases, they were using a combination of Snapdragon 835-equipped phones---such as Samsung's S8---which feature a Category 16 (Cat16) modem, and upgraded cellular telecom equipment from telecom equipment providers, such as Ericsson. The company also just unveiled their new Snapdragon 845 chip, expected to ship in smartphones in later 2018, that offers an even faster Cat18 modem, with maximum download speed of 1.2 Gbps.

In the case of both faster LTE and faster WiFi, communications component vendors like Qualcomm have to deploy a variety of sophisticated technologies, such as MU-MIMO (multi-user, multiple input, multiple output) transmission and antenna technologies, and 256 QAM data modulation (e.g., compression) schemes, among others.

The net result is extremely fast connection speeds that can (and likely will) have a dramatic impact on the types of cloud-based services that can be made available, as well as our quality of experience with them. There's no denying that the technology behind these speedy connections is complicated, but with the dawn of the gigabit connectivity era, it's time to at least acknowledge the impressive benefits these speedy connections provide.

Bob O'Donnell is the founder and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a technology consulting and market research firm. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech. This article was originally published on Tech.pinions.

Photo credit: Federico Beccari on Unsplash
This past summer, I attended the annual Montana Public Health Association conference in Missoula, at which I heard a presentation by Cascade County Commissioner Jane Weber and Cascade County Budget Officer Mary Embleton about how we in public health need to be better at convincing policy-makers and governing officials of our value.

Constituencies particularly requiring such communication, said Weber and Embleton, are city council people or county commissioners who ultimately control the purse strings in every Montana city or county. Be reasonable about your needs when communicating to commissioners, said Webers and Embletons PowerPoint presentation. Keep communication flowing. And this recommendation: Prepare an annual report.

Weber distributed the fiscal year 2016 annual report completed by Cascade County Health officer Tanya Houston, who did in her report what Weber and Embleton were recommending  she highlighted her Board of Health, showed that her Board of Health is comprised of influential members, highlighted all of her programs, and portrayed how the services her health department provides help the constituents of her county commissioners.

I came away from this conference presentation asking myself whether I communicate enough  and often enough  with the 12-member Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners. I nudged myself: our county commissioners might like to hear from me outside of forums where I might be asking for something, like an additional employee or additional funds, for example.

And so I set to work on an annual report of my own. The Fiscal Year 2017 Butte-Silver Bow Health Department Annual Report will be presented to the Council of Commissioners tomorrow evening.

The report details the 21,642 activities undertaken by the Health Department in FY17  the services provided to clients, the establishments inspected, the communicable diseases reported. Im really proud of the report and very, very prideful of the Health Department staff who carried out the work.

The report ties in nicely with the performance budget the Health Department turns in to the countys Finance/Budget Department annually. In that budget, we predict the number of activities that we will carry out in any given fiscal year. Performance budgets were prompted a few years back by Finance/Budget Director Danette Gleason, who said taxpayers not only like to see whats happening in terms of expenditures, they also like to hear about the actual work being done.

And so the countys Public Works Department might predict how many potholes staff might fill in any given year. Or the Fire Department might predict how many trainings firefighters might attend.

I, too, predict activity, but its nice to see the ultimate product of work  21,641 activities in FY17! Tallying the Health Departments work activity is made possible by the various systems we use, and by leveraging our performance management system  systematically tracking the work that taxes (be they local, state, or federal) pay for.

My report highlights our Board of Health, comprised of influential members  Danette Melvin, a clinical nurse leader at St. James Healthcare; Ivy Fredrickson, an attorney for a non-profit organization; Cindi Shaw, a county commissioner and our councils liaison to the Board of Health; Julie Hart, a professor in Montana Techs Safety, Health & Industrial Hygiene Program and that programs department chair; Pat Dudley, president of the National Center for Health Care Informatics in Butte and an adjunct professor at Montana Tech; Lyn Ankelman, a regional clinical director for Western Montana Mental Health Center; and Mike Welker, a chiropractor in Butte.

Since public health jurisdictions cannot operate in a vacuum, the many organizations with which the Health Department collaborates are listed in the report  from Action Inc. and Butte School District No. 1 to the Mental Health Local Advisory Council and St. James Healthcare.

And the report highlights work activity  1,042 clients were served in our Family Planning Clinic in FY17 (3,576 prescriptions were filled and 1,190 tests for sexually transmitted infections were completed); 1,361 flu shots were administered; 8,215 WIC clients were served; 466 visits were made to the homes of people enrolled in programs that focus on families at high risk for child abuse and neglect; 343 food service establishments were inspected; 549 communicable diseases were reported. I could go on. (And the report does  its 33 pages! But when you have a story to tell, you have to tell it. I am very proud of my staff.)

Tomorrow night, hard copies of the report will be presented to the Council of Commissioners. No tax funds were used to produce the report. Its production was made possible through funds from the Montana Healthcare Foundation, earned by the Health Department for improving various public health functions. The funds were administered by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services before being awarded to us.

The report will be published soon on the Health Departments website, co.silverbow.mt.us/135/Health.

Thanks are extended to Cascade County, where a county commissioner and budget officer highlighted to me the importance of producing an annual report. Thanks as well to the Cascade County health officer, whose fiscal year 2016 report provided an awesome template for my departments report.
Toyota Takes a Road Trip Through History

Lets Go Places Black History Tour Culminates with Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

JACKSON, Miss. (Dec. 9, 2017)  From Atlanta to Selma to Meridian and Jackson, Toyota hosted another Lets Go Places Black History Tour to historical African American sites, culminating with the grand opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

Toyota sponsored the Mississippi Department of Archives and Historys 2 Mississippi Museums project, helping to advance programming at the Museum of Mississippi History and creating the Toyota Gallery at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. The Toyota Gallery contains seven thematic galleries encircling a central gallery.

We are proud to partner with the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, and welcome the opportunities it brings to foster a spirit of diversity and inclusion, said Adrienne Trimble, general manager, Diversity & Inclusion, Toyota Motor North America.

Along with the Museums, Toyota and the department also partnered on a traveling exhibition to educate youth in the region.Toyota has a manufacturing plant in Blue Springs where Corollas are built.

We are helping to preserve and celebrate history throughout the country, supporting a range of activities that educate and inspire, aligning with our philosophy of respect for people and our longstanding commitment to our communities, added Trimble.

Toyota is a founding sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., a supporter of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and, for more than a decade, has sponsored The HistoryMakers--the nations largest collection of African American video and oral history.

Prior to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum opening, Toyota hosted several journalists on a road trip to visit the regions historical African American sites. Stops included:

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta, Ga., serves as a cultural attraction that helps visitors explore how the American Civil Rights Movement links to the Global Human Rights Movement.

National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, Ala., a one-of-a-kind museum in the world that pays homage to people who courageously battled for the right to vote.

The Civil Rights Trail in Meridian, Miss., provides a path for people to walk and learn about the tumultuous events that helped shape the civil rights movement in that city.

These historical sites help showcase the many contributions African Americans have made to the rich tapestry of America. Its important that we maintain them so that we can visit and discover our history, concluded Trimble.
HIT-AND-RUN ARREST

Witnesses told police around 8:50 p.m. Saturday that a blue passenger vehicle had struck a parked car near Galena and Main and then proceeded north on Main Street.

Police located the car a short time later and suspected the driver might be intoxicated. The driver, a 17-year-old male, blew over the legal limit on a Breathalyzer test and was subsequently charged with three misdemeanors: DUI, driving without a valid license and hit-and-run to an unattended vehicle.

CAR THEFTS INVESTIGATED

Police are investigating two separate reports of vehicle theft.

Around 1 a.m. Friday, Butte police responded to the report of a stolen car in the 1300 block of East Second Street. The owner said her 2011 Kia had been stolen and provided police the name of a potential suspect.

Around 10:10 p.m. Friday, the owner alerted police that she had received a call that her car was in the vicinity of Jims Bar on Elm Street in Butte. She found the car there with the keys in it, police said. There was no damage and nothing appeared to be missing. The theft is under investigation.

Separately, police had received a report Friday afternoon from Hertz on East Broadway in Butte that a car rented Oct. 19, a 2017 Chrysler 300, had not been returned. The rental car company told police that the woman who rented the car had extended the rental period a few times but that her credit card was no longer valid and her phone had been disconnected.

The woman is believed to be a resident of Minnesota, police said. The car has been listed as stolen and the alleged theft is under investigation.

BURGLAR NABS WALLET

Around 12:40 p.m. Saturday police received a report that a residence had been broken into in the 2000 block of Massachusetts. The report came from an acquaintance of the resident, who was out of town, police said. Entry had been gained by breaking a window in the back door. Nothing appeared to be missing but the residents wallet was later found in a Dumpster at the Met Tavern by a tavern employee, police said. It was not immediately clear what might have been taken from the wallet, according to a police report. Police are investigating.

MIRRORS MISSING

Police received a report Sunday afternoon that a residence in the 200 block of West Woolman Street had apparently been burglarized. Police heard from a relative of the resident that the house, which has not been occupied for a time, was missing mirrors from the walls. There was no sign of forced entry, police said. An investigation is underway.

SHOPLIFTING CHARGES

Butte resident Joshua J. Henry, 32, faces charges of misdemeanor theft after police received a report around 2:30 a.m. Monday that he had shoplifted items from the Town Pump at Rocker. Police arrested Henry, and said he allegedly had attempted to steal candy bars, lighters and Tylenol and Advil.

Steven A. Medina, 42, of Butte, faces charges of misdemeanor theft after he allegedly attempted to steal from the Walmart on Harrison Avenue items that included a bag of dog food, light bulbs and a headlamp around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Separately, around 3:30 p.m. Friday, police received a report of shoplifting at the Stokes Market grocery store on Harrison Avenue. When police arrived the suspect had left the area. But a man fitting his description was spotted later in on Continental Drive, police said. They subsequently arrested Kristopher G. Lehto, 26, and he faces charges of misdemeanor theft. In addition, he faces a felony for being out of his probation and parole jurisdiction in Lewis and Clark County and also was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after police allegedly found a marijuana pipe in his possession.
Nudist dating fraud story has everything. Photo: nito100/Getty Images/iStockphoto

If youre looking for a story that includes crime, nudists, cows, and most importantly, the search for everlasting love, then youve come to the right place  because this tale from the U.K. truly has everything.

Ian Chatting-Tonks, a widower from Norfolk, U.K., was looking for love on a nudist dating website in 2013 when he met 45-year-old Moira Etchells, the BBC reports. She told him that she was starting a business to artificially inseminate cows (???). Chatting-Tonks then paid to fly her to Spain (where he was living), and she persuaded him to invest in her business and told him shed visit him once a month.

Chatting-Tonks ended up sending her 50,000 (approximately $66,000)  but became suspicious when Etchells started taking longer than usual to respond to his emails. And when he tried to visit her in Wales, she told him that she had moved to Ireland (classic line).

It turns out Etchells wasnt actually starting a cow insemination business, and instead used the money to buy a new Land Rover. Etchells, whose attorneys argued her underlying bipolar effective disorder led her to make fanciful claims, admitted to the fraud and got an 18-month suspended sentence from Swansea Crown Court. I have found this case truly bizarre, Judge Geraint Walters said.

Ah, nudist love.
Todd Kohlhepp. Photo: JOHN BYRUM/AP

In November 2016, 30-year-old Kala Brown was found after being missing for two months, chained up in a storage container like a dog. Her employer, Todd Kohlhepp, was arrested in connection with her kidnapping  but his crimes were just beginning to come to light. By May 2017, Kohlhepp pleaded guilty to seven murders total. And now, he says there are more.

In a letter Kohlhepp, 46, recently wrote to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal he claims there is more than seven.

I tried to tell investigators and I did tell FBI, but it was blown off. Its not an addition problem, its an multiplication problem. Leaves the state and leaves the country. Thank you private pilots license, he wrote. At this point, I really dont see reason to give numbers or locations.

Following his arrest for Browns kidnapping, he also confessed to murdering four people in a bike shop massacre back in 2003. Additional searches of his property uncovered three more bodies, including that of Browns boyfriend, Charlie Carver; two were murdered in late 2015, while Carver was killed in 2016.

These murders werent Kohlhepps first brush with the law. In 1987, the Greenville News reported, he was convicted of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl (he was 15 at the time). He initially faced sexual-assault charges as well, but they were dropped when he pleaded guilty to kidnapping. Kohlhepp was imprisoned until 2001 for that crime.

During a Dr. Phil appearance in February, Brown said that Kohlhepp bragged to her that his victims were nearing the triple digits.

Kohlhepp is currently serving seven life sentences plus 60 years in prison.
Nikki Haley. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

When U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley appeared on Face the Nation this weekend, she made the risky decision to express her support for all people who choose to come forward with stories about sexual misconduct  even those who have accused Trump. According to two people who are familiar with the presidents views, Haleys statement made Trump furious, AP News reports.

While Haley has found ways to defend some of Trumps most alarming decisions (the Muslim Ban, recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, calling Kim Jong-un Rocket Man), on Sunday she broke with the White House line about Trumps alleged sexual misconduct.

Women who accuse anyone [of sexual misconduct] should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with, she told host John Dickerson. And I think we heard from them prior to the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.

Trumps advisers were reportedly stunned Sunday when one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration broke with the White House line and said the accusers voices should be heard. Trump, himself, was reportedly furious.

Poor guy. The #MeToo movement has been really exhausting for him.
No, it wasn't aliens, meteor showers or Rudolph leading Santa's sleigh.

The theories abounded Saturday night as dozens of residents in the Billings area took to social media to speculate on an unusual procession of blinking red lights seen to the east around 8 p.m., then traveling silently across the sky before veering off to the southeast.

The bizarre nighttime display was actually a high-altitude gaggle of C-17 military planes from Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, en route to a joint military exercise, according to an Air Force spokesman.

The transcontinental "Coyote Freedom 401" mission was also the largest such training exercise that has taken place to date, Capt. Ryan DeCamp, a spokesman for the 18th Air Force Wing at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, said Monday.

The exercise is a capstone training event for students at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, he said, and on Saturday night and Sunday morning included 37 C-17s along with 21 C-130 military transport planes.

"We do these, but not at this size, in terms of the total amount of aircraft, so that's really what made this unique," DeCamp said.

Elsewhere, the training event also included fighter jets, tankers, drones and other resources "to better prepare our students for contested degraded environments," Nellis spokeswoman Susan Garcia added in an email Monday.

In active combat situations, these types of missions are used to clear the air space before heavier transport aircraft arrive to drop paratroopers into the area, DeCamp explained.

"Really, the whole mission is a combination of fighter aircraft, paratrooper aircraft and the Army, simulating something you might see us do in Iraq or Afghanistan," he said.

The string of aircraft visible from Billings on Saturday eventually met up with other planes from a total of 13 bases across the country, flying to destinations in North and South Carolina before the return flight.

On Facebook, the Laurel Ambulance Service appeared to be one of the first to officially deflate the UFO theories Saturday night.
19-Year-Old Dutch Model Found Dead After Falling From Condo

A 19-year-old Dutch model was found dead after she reportedly fell from a balcony from the 20th floor of a condominium in Malaysia.

Ivana Esther Robert Smit was found on the balcony of a sixth-floor condo in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, Dec. 7, the New Straits Times reported.

Havana? #sundayvibes #chill A post shared by Ivana Smit (@ivana_smit) on Dec 2, 2017 at 11:06pm PST

She was reportedly drinking with a man and his wife before she walked to the balcony and fell.

Ivana, who was in the nude, was believed to have walked to the balcony and fell over. She crashed through an awning of a sixth floor unit, a source told the New Straits Times.

Her death was ruled as sudden, and officials think there was no criminal activity related to the case.

Sunshine mixed with a little hurricane. Throwback to last weeks event wearing @only_official. #launch #model #cangkat @rmzairi A post shared by Ivana Smit (@ivana_smit) on Nov 28, 2017 at 1:23am PST

Smit, who had Dutch-Belgian citizenship, appeared in Malaysias Supermodel Search 2014.

The father of Smit, however, told The Star that he believed his daughter was pushed out of the apartment. She was staying with an American man and his wife from Kazakhstan.

He claimed there were bruises found on his daughters neck.

Very strange that the American couple did nothing from 10am to 3pm. Ivanas belongings were still in their apartment. The police tell me that the statements of the Americans are the same, Marcel, the father, told the paper.

My daughter can no longer contradict them, Marcel said.

He said that neighbors heard arguments coming from the room where she fell.

The Dutch Embassy has asked Interpol to investigate the case, according to The Sun Daily.

Ivana Esther Robert Smit  Death Investigation https://t.co/aM1yl2DA6Y pic.twitter.com/NFTCeH4D4w  Empire Boo Boo Kitty (@EmpireBBK) December 12, 2017

Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Shaharuddin Abdullah said, Our investigations and the post-mortem report shows no elements of foul play.

And while youre here 

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A new micro-organism (not pictured) discovered in Antarctica can survive on trace chemicals in the air, and opens new vistas in the search for alien life. (Composite by Tom Ozimek / CC0)

Antarctica Discovery Changes Everything We Think We Know About Aliens

A breakthrough scientific discovery in the Antarctic shows that life can survive on little more than thin air, challenging our most basic assumptions around extraterrestrial life.

A new study in Nature International Journal of Science provides evidence that certain chemicals found in air, what scientists call atmospheric trace gases, provide enough energy and nutrients for several newfound lifeforms to exist in Antarctica.

Scientists say these newly discovered microscopic organisms need only three gases to survivehydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide.

We propose that atmospheric H2, CO2 and CO provide dependable sources of energy and carbon to support these communities, the study states.

It would appear, then, that life does not need earth or sun to thrive.

Atmospheric energy sources can provide an alternative basis for ecosystem function to solar or geological energy sources, the study says.

According to the study, not only can the newfound bacteria remain alive in the most extreme conditions found on Earth, they could potentially survive on other planets, in conditions that were previously thought inhospitable to life.

Our results provide new understanding of the minimal nutritional requirements for life and open the possibility that atmospheric gases support life on other planets, the study says.

Therefore planets that were previously ruled out for holding life could be looked at again for liveable regions.

This new understanding about how life can still exist in physically extreme and nutrient-starved environments like Antarctica opens up the possibility of atmospheric gases supporting life on other planets, lead researcher Dr. Belinda Ferrari told New York Post.

More research is needed, authors of the study say, to find out just how widespread the newly discovered phenomenon is on Earth, but the current findings are considered groundbreaking.

Whereas most ecosystems are driven by solar or geologically derived energy, primary production in these Antarctic desert surface soils appears to be supported by atmospheric trace gases.

The discovery was the result of DNA sequencing and analysis of soil samples collected from Antarctica, considered one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Scientists once believed that the harsh Antarctic conditionssub-zero temperatures, limited carbon, nitrogen, and water availabilitymade life there virtually impossible.

The discovery, it would appear, is a game-changer. It also comes ahead of an expected major NASA announcement to be made at a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 14, regarding its latest investigation into what lies beyond our solar system.

The space agency will be announcing the latest discovery by the Kepler space telescope, which has been searching for planets and extraterrestrial life since 2009.

For those who wish to review the data used in the Atmospheric trace gases support primary production in Antarctic desert surface soil study, the raw shotgun sequencing datasets generated during the study can be found in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Sequence Read Archive (accession numbers SRR5223441, SRR5223442, and SRR5223443).

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Australian Labor Party's Senator Sam Dastyari fronts the media in Sydney on Sept. 6, 2016, to make a public apology after asking a company with links to the Chinese Government to pay a bill incurred by his office. It was one of a number of mistakes that have piled up in relation to Dastyaris links with Beijing that saw him resign on Dec. 12, 2017. (William West/AFP/Getty Images)

Australian Senator Resigns Amidst Ongoing China Controversy

An Australian senator has resigned due to pressure brought about by media reports on his links with a wealthy Chinese political donor and acts deemed favorable to the policies of Chinas ruling Communist Party.

After mounting pressure, Australian Labor Party (ALP) senator Sam Dastyari announced his resignation from federal parliament on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

I know Australia needs a Labor government and I refuse to let my personal situation put that prospect at risk. I have always put the pursuit of the Labor cause first, Dastyari said reported Fairfax Media.

Reflecting on the events which led to my decision, I leave knowing that Ive always honored my parliamentary oath, he said.

Dastyaris steady fall from grace began last year after he resigned from a frontbench position when it became known that he had a large legal bill paid by Yuhu Group property developers and admitted he asked a Chinese government-linked group to pay a personal travel debt of A$1,670 (US$1,280), reported the BBC.

The legal billed paid was for A$40,000 (US$30,000), reported the ABC.

More recently, pressured ramped up on the 34-year-old senator when he allegedly advised the owner of the Yuhu Group, billionaire Huang Xiangmo, that his phone was likely being tapped by intelligence services, including those of the U.S. government.

Dastyari denied the claims first made in Fairfax.

Multiple reports followed over further links with Huang, a Chinese Communist Party-linked political donor, and reports of actions that were more in line with Beijing policy than that of Dastyaris own Australian Labor Party.

Dastyari also recently received negative press over a 2016 speech in which he publicly backed Beijings aggressive moves in the South China Sea. His comments, made while standing next to Huang, were the complete opposite of his partys and the countrys stance on the issue.

More recently, Dastyari reportedly pressured his own partys foreign affairs spokeswoman, Tanya Plibersek, not to see a democracy activist in Hong Kong, reported Fairfax on Monday. Dastyari denied these claims as well.

.@AlanJones: 'Chinese businessmen are making financial donations to political parties and put it however you like, this is about buying influence.' MORE: https://t.co/9Ze367eGk4 #JonesandCo pic.twitter.com/o31n6mmZjI  Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) December 5, 2017

Huang Xiangmo

But Huangs involvement in Australias political behavior didnt end with Dastyari.

An earlier report by Fairfax Media said that the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) in October 2015 warned the countrys three main political parties about Beijings interference in Australian politics using considerable financial donations.

At the briefings, the head of ASIO Duncan Lewis reportedly told party officials that the countrys security service was alarmed about Huangs murky ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Fairfax stated that since the 2015 ASIO briefing, the ALP has taken AU$141,000 (US$107,000) in donations from companies and associates linked to Huang. The coalition parties  the Liberal Party and the Nationals who currently run government  had also reportedly taken money. The Liberal Party took AU$122,960 (US$93,500) and the Nationals AU$15,000 (US$11,400) from those suspect sources.

Huang is a person of interest to Australian intelligence services because of his connections to the CCP, including how he was, until very recently, the head of a Sydney organization Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China which has ties to the United Front Work Department  a CCP political lobbying and propaganda agency.

Huang is also on record telling a Communist Party newspaper that political demands and political donations should be linked.

On Tuesday, the ABC reported that Huang paid $55,000 to have lunch with ALP leader Bill Shorten on October 5, 2015. The donation was made on October 20 and the next day Shorten dropped his opposition to the China-Australia trade deal, reported the ABC.

In a later report, the ABC further revealed the extent of money paid on 13 separate occasions by four companies owned by Huang to Australias two main political parties, the ALP and the ruling conservative Liberal Party. The donations ranged from $10,000 to $55,000.

The Liberal Party-linked 500 Club in Western Australia has invited Chinese government officials to be the star turn at a private fundraiser. They are from the Communist party-run government whose influence Mr Turnbull is now so worried about.https://t.co/m5aj0bHCPg pic.twitter.com/jr7Y6s4kyk  JohnPaul (@jpcenzato) December 12, 2017

Political Donations

Former ALP leader Kim Beazley said Dastyari was on a spectrum of politicians apparently influenced by foreign powers, reported Fairfax.

This guy is just the most comprehensive example of what is an across-the-board pattern and that includes a lot of donations to both sides of politics, said Beazley.

According to an analysis by the Melbourne Law School Dollars and Democracy Database provided to The New Daily, political donations with links to mainland China represented 79.3 percent of all foreign donations.

The analysis reported that between 2000-2016, Chinese nationals and entities donated over A$12.6 million (US$9.5 million) to the Australian political process. Researchers also found during this period, the ALPs political bodies were more popular with Chinese donors, receiving A$7.3 million (US$5.5 million) since 2000-01, while the Coalition received about A$5.4 million (US$4.0 million).

The ongoing concerns about Beijings inferring in domestic politics have resulted in the federal government introducing tougher foreign interference laws.

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From NTD
A Google logo and Android statue are seen at the Googleplex in Menlo Park, California on Nov. 4, 2016. (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Body of Google Engineer Found Floating in Water Next to San Francisco Bike Path

The body of a 23-year-old Google engineer was found floating in the water next to the San Francisco Bay Trail on the morning of Friday, Dec. 8.

Police are investigating how Chuchu Ma, a software engineer at Google, ended up face down and naked in the water next to the Bay Trail, according to Department of Public Safety Capt. Shawn Ahearn.

A cyclist riding the trail spotted the body near Moffett Field, near the border between Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, shortly after 10 a.m. and called the police.

Someone biking along the trail thought they saw a body in the water, Ahearn told Mercury News.

Body of an unknown female has been recovered recovered by the @SCCoSheriff Dive Team. Circumstances are unknown. The investigation is on going by the Medical Examiner & DPS Investigation Unit. Press release to follow. No press conference.  Sunnyvale DPS (@SunnyvaleDPS) December 7, 2017

The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office dive team helped recover the body.

A missing person matching Mas description was reported missing a few hours after the body was recovered, according to Mountain View Police spokeswoman Katie Nelson.

The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety has declined to release details of the situation as the investigation is ongoing. The body is still at the coroners office; no official cause of death has been stated.

The police will not yet specify if Ma was the victim of a crime.

The @SCCgov Medical Examiner has confirmed the identification of the body found along the Bay Trail as that of 23-year-old Chu Chu Ma. Ma was reported as missing from Mountain View. Our investigation is ongoing awaiting the results of the autopsy report. Media:408-598-9186. pic.twitter.com/mPTXtZ43J3  Sunnyvale DPS (@SunnyvaleDPS) December 10, 2017

Ma lived in Mountain View, California, a few miles from where her body was found.

She had worked for Google as a software engineer for eighteen months and was doing well, according to Google spokesperson Gina Scigliano.

Chuchu was an excellent software engineer in our developer product team, Scigliano told Mercury News. We are devastated to learn of her passing, and our deepest condolences are with her family and friends.

Ma had a Bachelors in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. While in school, she worked as an Software Development intern with Telogis, and a Platforms and Services Developer intern for Yahoo, Inc.

She worked as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the University of Texas at Austin for five months before starting at Google.

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From NTD.tv
Keaton Jones and mom Kimberly, in an interview about bullying and the response from Keaton's viral video. (Screenshot via ABC Good Morning America)

Bullied Boy: Keaton Joness Mother Responds to Wave of Criticism

The mother of bullied Tennessee boy Keaton Jones responds to the wave of criticism that came as quickly as the initial outpouring of celebrity support for her son.

Mind-boggling information surfaced that caused celebrities to question if they acted too soon in offering money and trips for Keaton. The initial video plea to stop bullying that touched so many who saw it on social media has now become a more complex issue.

Meet Keaton Jones a very smart little boy who is being bullied at school. This video is heartbreaking!! I want to bring Keaton to Vegas and hang out at UFC Headquarters. If anyone knows how i can reach the family please let me know. Thank u everyone pic.twitter.com/BR8c4ldDFc  Dana White (@danawhite) December 10, 2017

Celebrities and internet users question the motives of mother Kimberly Jones, who some now think is using the situation to collect donations. Paypal and Gofundme pages that are supposedly linked to her family have collected tens of thousands of dollars. They also wonder if she is racist after photos emerged showing her and Keaton posing with Confederate flags.

Kimberley and Keaton Jones were interviewed on Good Morning America, where they talked about the support Keaton has received and the criticism for his mother.

Were not racist. People that know us know that, said Kimberly.

She confirmed that the Confederate flag photos are real but the intention was misconstrued.

It was meant to be ironic, and funny, and extreme, she said. I am genuinely, truly sorry. If I could take it back, I would.

ABC reporter T.J. Holmes said that Kimberly also told him that in Tennessee there are Confederate flags everywhere and that she set up the photo for a friend. Kimberly hopes people dont give up on the plight of bullied children because of her.

If they want to hate me thats fine, but still talk to your kids. Talk to your kids. Because this is an epidemic, she said.

Fox News also messaged Kimberly Jones via Instagram about the comments made by UFC fighter Joe Schilling. He told social media followers that when he offered to bring Keaton to a professional fight and hang out with him. He said Kimberly instead suggested she donate money to her instead. Kimberly told Fox that wasnt how the conversation went. Schilling did not respond to Fox for comment and he has since removed the video making the allegations.

A Twitter account purportedly belonging to Lakyn Jones, Keatons sister, has also been responding to the criticism.

The Instagram KimberlyJones_38 is NOT my mom. She has a private Instagram and hasnt talked to anyone. We havent received any money and dont plan on it. The gofundmes arent by any of us.

The posts suggest that someone is pretending to be her family and communicating with celebrities, and even setting up fake donation pages.

Those who know me and my family know we arent racist. My brother doesnt say the N word. Please leave it alone  Lakyn ? (@Lakyn_Jones) December 11, 2017

According to TMZ one Gofundme page has been shut down, and another was paused after collecting nearly $60,000. The page that still exists was not set up by Kimberly Jones. The creator of the page, Joseph Lam, wrote on the page opened it after seeing Keatons viral video. He wrote that he has already submitted some of the donated funds to the family.

As many of you know I paused the donations as well as the comments. As I sit back and read these comments and watched the video again I feel I have to make this update. THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE MOM!! However passing judgement on her before you know her is a form of bullying. Condemnation before evaluation is the ultimate form of ignorance, wrote Lam in a page update.

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From NTD.tv
Leader of the Australian opposition Bill Shorten during question time at Parliament House on Oct. 25, 2017 in Canberra, Australia. (Stefan Postles/Getty Images)

Chinese Billionaire Paid $55,000 for Lunch With Australian Opposition Leader

A Chinese billionaire with ties to Chinas ruling Communist Party paid tens of thousands of dollars to have lunch with the leader of the Australian opposition party in October 2015.

Property developer Huang Xiangmo paid A$55,000 (US$43,360) to have lunch with Bill Shorten, the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), on Oct. 5, 2015, reported the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) on Tuesday.

Payment of the donation was made on October 20, 2015.

The national broadcaster reported that Huang appeared at a function with Shorten that was set up by an ALP fundraising team. The lunch was held while Shortens party was in the middle of opposing a large trade deal between China and Australia.

The ALP leader at the time faced union opposition to the China-Australia trade deal and public opposition from some members of parliament within his party concerned about Australian jobs.

The ABC reported that they understood that the trade deal was discussed during the lunch.

A day after the October 20 donation was made, Shorten announced a change of mind over the trade deal, stated the ABC. He said he would support its speedy passage after obtaining satisfactory legal protections that were not previously disclosed.

The ABC reported the donation was divulged to the Australian Electoral Commission but its details were unknown until a local Sydney council required Huangs company, Yuhu Group, to name the donations benefactor as part of the application process for a multi-million property development application.

In a later report, the ABC further revealed the extent of money paid on 13 separate occasions by four companies owned by Huang to Australias two main political parties, the ALP and the ruling conservative Liberal Party. The donations ranged from A$10,000 (US$ 7,500) to A$55,000 (US$ 41,400).

An earlier report by Fairfax Media said that the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) in October, 2015, had warned the countrys three main political parties about Beijings interference in Australian politics using considerable financial donations.

At the briefings, the head of ASIO Duncan Lewis reportedly told party officials  including the then ALP national secretary George Wright  that the countrys security service was alarmed about Huangs murky ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

It is not clear if Wright told Shorten of these details but ASIO personally briefed Shorten on their concerns over CCP interference in Australian politics in late 2016, months after he also visited Huangs luxurious Sydney home in March that year to seek donations for an advertising campaign.

Huang is a person of interest to Australian intelligence services because of his connections to the CCP, including how he was, until very recently, the head of a Sydney organization Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China which has links to the United Front Work Department  a CCP political lobbying and propaganda agency.

Huang is also on record telling a Communist Party newspaper that political demands and political donations should be linked.

According to an analysis by the Melbourne Law School Dollars and Democracy Database provided to The New Daily, political donations with links to mainland China represented 79.3 percent of all foreign donations.

The analysis reported that between 2000 to 2016, Chinese nationals and entities have donated over A$12.6 million (US$9.5 million) to the Australian political process. Also, researchers found that in this period of time, Labors political bodies were more popular with Chinese donors, receiving A$7.3 million (US$5.5 million) since 2000-01, and the Coalition receiving about A$5.4 million (US$4.0 million).

Daily #dataviz: New data from the Melbourne Law School Dollars and Democracy Database show China dominates foreign donations to Aussie electoral campaigns, making the issue of "foreign interference" a specific issue of Australian-Chinese relations https://t.co/MpKwjqA945 pic.twitter.com/63yx8YwjJf  Stephanie Kovalchik (@StatsOnTheT) December 11, 2017

From companies and associates linked to Huang, Fairfax stated that since the 2015 ASIO briefing, the ALP has taken A$141,000 (US$107,000) in donations.

The coalition parties  the Liberal Party and the Nationals who currently run government  had also reportedly taken money. The Liberal Party took A$122,960 (US$93,500) and the Nationals A$15,000 (US$11,400) from those suspect sources.

More Murky Ties

The revelations made by the national broadcaster come amidst extensive media coverage of Beijing inference in Australian political affairs that resulted in the resignation of ALP senator Sam Dastyari on Tuesday.

Dastyaris own murky ties with Huang have been exposed by the media through the year. Among the media reports, Dastyari allegedly visited Huang at his home last year and warned the Chinese billionaire that his phone was likely being tapped by intelligence services, including those of the U.S. government.

Dastyari  who is seen as a factional ally and confidante of Shortens  has denied the allegations. The senator also received negative press over a 2016 speech where he publicly backed Beijings aggressive moves in the South China Sea. His comments, made while standing next to Huang, were the complete opposite of his partys policy on the issue.

Sam Dastyari's 115 questions representing China's interests to senior diplomats. Plus Bill Shorten and Tony Burke's row over banning Chinese donations to ALP. pic.twitter.com/TcIbODWg27  Sharri Markson (@SharriMarkson) December 6, 2017

Fairfax reported that Dastyaris comments occurred a day after ALP defense spokesman Stephen Conroy openly criticized Beijings territorial claims in the South China Sea. Conroys criticism resulted in Huang informing the ALP that he was withdrawing a promised A$400,000 (US$303,900) donation for their 2016 election campaign.

Dastyari also had a private bill paid by Huangs company and acted on Huangs behalf in attaining Australian citizenship, a process that ASIO put on hold due to security concerns.

Among other reports was how Dastyari allegedly pressured his own partys foreign affairs spokeswoman, Tanya Plibersek, not to see a democracy activist in Hong Kong, reported Fairfax Media on Monday.

The ongoing media reports have also resulted in the federal government introducing tougher foreign interference laws.

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From NTD
Couple Pleads Guilty for Assault Over Cold Chicken

Nathaniel Eric Smith and Latasha M. Smith, a couple accused of assaulting a woman and her teenage daughter in Georgia, were found guilty of the crime after entering a plea, Fox8 reported.

A video of the attack, which shows the bulky Nathaniel Smith punching the teen in the face after he got out of his car, went viral earlier this year. Latasha Smith first attacked the owner, Jeanette Norris.

They apparently assaulted the two because their chicken was cold and they didnt get enough fries, according to reports.

She went berserk. They both lost it, him and her both; started cussing and beating on the window, Norris told NBC of the attack.

According to Fox8, Norris refunded the money but they then attacked the two.

Nathaniel Eric Smith and Latasha Smith are wanted for attacking the owner of a restaurant and her daughter in Baxley, GA over cold chicken. pic.twitter.com/eUxnXVukXG  Catch The Wanted (@CatchTheWanted) July 1, 2017

The teenage girl walked around in shock for a few seconds and broke down in tears when onlookers came to comfort her.

One of my employees yelled, Hes got her, and thats when I realized he had hit her, Norris said. Who does that? Who punches a child like shes a grown man standing there?

Nathaniel Eric Smith and LaTasha Smith in court in Baxley for a bond hearing in connection to a June assault at Quik Chik restaurant pic.twitter.com/mPeaFBxNyg  Amanda LaBrot (@AmandaLaBrot) August 8, 2017

Police who viewed footage of the incident said theyve never seen such conduct in their entire careers.

Ive been here, what, 41 years  30 of them as chief. I have never seen anything like this. Ive never heard of anything like this, Chief James Godfrey of Baxley Police Department told NBC at the time.

Info on Latasha Smith and Nathaniel Eric Smith. Call 912-367-8111 if they're located. https://t.co/rYf12Y0rSS and https://t.co/WmVXJ9MdFp pic.twitter.com/mzXyNcN0Rv  Catch The Wanted (@CatchTheWanted) July 1, 2017

The Smiths face charges of aggravated battery and cruelty to children.

Superior Court Judge Robert Guy accepted their guilty pleas and will sentence them later.

In the assault, Norris suffered a broken nose and her daughter had a concussion, according to Jacksonville.com.

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Decades-Old Kidnapping Murder Case Solved

Antioch Police Department announced on the evening of Monday, Dec. 11, that an arrest has been made for the June 1980 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 14-year-old Suzanne Bombardier. It had been a cold-case for 37 years.

Mitchell Lynn Bacom from Antioch, California, was arrested at around 5 p.m on Monday in relation to Bombardiers death, according to police in a press conference on Dec. 11.

In the 1980 case, Bombardier was taken in the middle of the night from her sisters home in Antioch while she was babysitting her two nieces. She remained missing for approximately five days and was eventually found dead in the San Joaquin River near the Antioch Bridge with a stab wound to the chest which penetrated her heart. Police said evidence at the time indicated she had been sexually assaulted.

Although we are ecstatic an arrest has been made in this case it will not bring Suzanne back into her familys lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with Suzanne Bombardiers family and we hope this mystery being solved offers some level of comfort for them, authorities said during a press conference on Dec. 11.

#Antioch Police say they never gave up on solving the murder of 14 yr old Suzanne Bombardier. #DNA technology helped them make an arrest 37 years later. 63 yr old Mitchell Bacom now in custody. pic.twitter.com/73qiESBjgY  Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) December 12, 2017

Police said Bacom was identified as the killer after DNA collected in the original case was tested at the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office Forensic Laboratory. The lab is equipped with the most advanced available DNA testing, according to police. Through the testing, they were able to tentatively identify Bacom as the perpetrator early in 2017 and eventually confirm his identity through additional testing.

Although in recent years there was some question relative to our commitment regarding this investigation, we never gave up on bringing this case to a resolution, authorities said.

Bacom was being held on the charges of murder, kidnapping, and rape for a number of other similar crimes he committed before and after Bombardiers death.

In 1973, the Bacom was arrested in Mountain View, California, for rape, robbery, assault with intent to commit murder, and oral copulation and was convicted in 1974 for burglary, assault with intent to murder, and sodomy. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

63 yr old Mitchell Bacom has criminal history of burglary, robbery, rape. Now hes under arrest for the 1980 murder of 14 yr old old Suzanne Bombardier. #DNA #ColdCase #Antioch pic.twitter.com/VJjXwH6sm4  Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) December 12, 2017

He was again arrested for robbery and rape in 1981 at Isleton, Californa and sentenced to 24 years in prison for burglary, robbery, rape, and sodomy.

In 2002, Bacom was convicted in Contra Costa County of failing to properly register as a sex offender and was sentenced to 4 years in prison.

The girls father, Ted Bombardier, told the Contra Costa Times in 1996 that the 14-year-old must have known her killer, reported East Bay Times.

Obviously, there was no forced entry. She must have known who it was, Ted Bombardier said.

According to the newspaper citing police, Bacom was known to the Bombardiers family.

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Driver, Student Killed in Iowa School Bus Fire

An apparent accident while backing out of a driveway caused a Riverside Community School District bus to catch fire, killing the driver and one student, on the morning of Dec. 12.

Bus driver Donnie Hendricks, 74, of Carson, Iowa, was backing out of 16-year-old Megan Klindts driveway when the bus apparently slipped off the road and into a ditch. The bus burst into flames. Neither Hendrick nor Klindt could escape.

Someone from the Klindt residence called 911 shortly after 7 a.m. according to Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Lt. Rob Ambrose. Oakland, Carson, and Macedonia firefighters responded to the conflagration at 17840 480th St. but were not able to rescue the trapped occupants.

The bodies were not recovered until after the fire was almost fully extinguished, said Pottawattamie County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Reynolds.

Timothy Mitchell, the superintendent of the Riverside district, canceled all after-school activities for the day.

He posted a statement on Facebook, which read in part, Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones. The investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, and we are cooperating with law enforcement as they do their work. The safety of students and staff is the top priority for the District.

Classes were not canceled but grief counselors from the Green Hills Area Education Agency visited the school to meet with students, according to Agency Administrator Lane Plugge.

Donnie Hendricks had been driving school buses in Riverside school district, which serves Oakland, Carson and Macedonia, Iowa, for many years. Residents remembered him from their school days.

2 people are killed in a school bus fire southeast of Oakland, Iowa: https://t.co/rCvf6Tdtir pic.twitter.com/RatyWUqARz  OWH Cops Reporters (@OWHCrime) December 12, 2017

Garret Loring, 23, of Oakland, who works at the Buck Snort restaurant in town, told the Omaha World-Herald he knew Hendricks.

Hes been a driver for a long, long time, Loring said.

Brittnee Chase, 19, of Oakland, who works at the Barn & Grill in Carson, said Hendricks was her bus driver when she was in school.

He was a good guy, she told the World-Herald. He was amazing.

Hendricks sometimes dropped in at the Dairy Queen where Chase also worked. It was always nice to see him come by, she said.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the Iowa state fire marshal are all investigating, but so far, there has been no official determination of why the accident or the fire happened.

From NTD.tv

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Florida Man Gets Life Sentence for Child Pornography

A 32-year-old Florida man was sentenced to life in prison for sending a 9-year-old girl explicit text messages. She lived 700 miles from him.

Scott Trader, of Port St. Lucie, got the lengthy sentence after pleading guilty to multiple child pornography and sexual abuse charges in September, reported the Miami Herald.

A father in Thomasville, North Carolina, looked at his daughters phone and found the explicit text messages from Trader on the SayHi app. He made the discovery in May.

The father called the police on May 30, who then notified Homeland Security before they found the messages from Trader. In the exchange, he repeatedly asked for photos of the girl.

Trader also sent the child a crude video of himself and a number of other photos via the app.

The SayHi profile included Traders Kik username. Homeland Security contacted the app to make an emergency disclosure request, and they ended up finding Traders personal information.

Trader was found by Homeland Security on June 1. When they raided his home, where he lived with his wife, officials found an external hard drive and a laptop with child pornography. They found disturbing images involving Trader, the Herald reported.

In one video, he was seen sexually abusing two young girls entrusted to his care, The Associated Press reported. The abuse lasted from November 2014 through May 2017 during which he recorded multiple videos.

Trader also pleaded guilty to distributing large quantities of these images to others on the Internet.

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As Christmas comes around the corner, we are reminded that Montana really is just a small town with very long streets. Our Montana way of life, neighbors helping neighbors, was on full display this year as we dealt with one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent memory. On a personal note, Id like to say thank you again to all the firefighters and volunteers, including those who contained the fire on my familys ranch near Glendive while I was away serving as your State Auditor in Helena.

Whether its fighting fires in the summer, or pulling cars out of snow banks this time of year, Montanans always come together to help each other out. Thats why, as we reflect over the holidays and prepare for a new year, its important for us to discuss how we can work together to protect the vulnerable people in our community.

Too often, our seniors, people with cognitive impairments, and others are exploited for financial gain. This year alone, 130 victims were ordered to receive more than $5 million in restitution from the cases my office investigated and prosecuted. Five of those cases were criminal actions which resulted in over 50 years in state and federal prison for the perpetrators.

As Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, its my job to make sure we are prosecuting cases like Richard Brandt in Miles City, Ken Hatzenbeller in Great Falls, and Catherine Finberg in Columbia Falls. But the best way to help people is to keep them from being victimized in the first place, and that takes all of us working together.

I was happy to present Claudette Manson with our Investor Protection Award earlier this year. In her work with Adult Protective Services, she alerted my office to what would become the Brandt case and the longest criminal sentence in this agencys history. I was also pleased that we were able to work with the legislature and governor to pass a new law allowing investment advisers to delay potentially fraudulent transactions from vulnerable people before they get scammed. My staff and I have met with law enforcement officers, county attorneys, and nonprofits to coordinate our efforts across Montana.

Even with these successes, we must all remain vigilant to protect our vulnerable neighbors, friends, and family members. Fraud and financial exploitation often come from people who are close to the victim, and the most vulnerable people are often those in their twilight years whove had a lifetime to accumulate assets. Our securities department just recently got a call from an 84-year-old man who was on the verge of being scammed out of $3,000. These situations are more common than many realize.

We all must work together to safeguard those closest to us. If an investment or an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and if you suspect someone is being exploited, please report it to my office or your local authorities. The best solution is to prevent problems before they happen.

Theres no better time than the holidays to reflect on how we can care for our family, friends, and neighbors. Have a Merry Christmas!
GoFundMe for Bullied Tennessee Boy Is Temporarily Halted

The GoFundMe page for Tennessee boy Keaton Joneswho, in a viral video, said he was bullied by his classmateswas shut down temporarily.

More than $50,000 was raised for the family of Jones. Joe Lam, the administrator of the GoFundMe page, told TheWrap that he halted the fundraiser after Kimberly Jones, boys mother, was accused of racism.

Lam, a 37-year-old New Jersey man, said he didnt know the Jones family, but he wanted to help them.

He received feedback from a lot of people with concerns about the alleged racism. Im more concerned with the kid, he told the website.

I would like to do a college fund for the kid, its not the kids fault, he told TheWrap.

In a GoFundMe update, Lam said that I dont know the family personally and never claimed to have known them. He added that hes in touch with GoFundMe on how to proceed at this point.

We have to be the voice for the voiceless. In the video I saw a kid crying not just for himself but for others. To me thats a kid with a heart of gold and deserves praise, he added.

TMZ also reported that GoFundMe said that it needs to contact person who started the page. GoFundMe says it needs to contact Keatons mom, Kimberly Jones, to ensure shes the beneficiary  since the guy who started the page doesnt know her. So far, the companys been unable to reach her, the website stated.

There was a second GoFundMe page, purportedly started by Kimberly herself which solicited money for Keatons Christmas gifts. Sources close to the situation tell us that was immediately shut down by GoFundMe due to fraud concerns  namely, whether it was really started by Kimberly, according to TMZ.

The video of the boys crying drew the attention of many celebrities on social media.

Hey Keaton Jones, Id like to invite you to be my guest at any show of mine of your choice. Ill cover ur flights and accommodation.

Big up for speaking up, buddy!!! ?  Zedd (@Zedd) December 11, 2017

Jarrett Guarantano and Keaton Jones  a friendship that proves good always prevails. Be kind, folks. pic.twitter.com/w1Gikmrbbk  SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 11, 2017

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Hand Delivered: Lazy Amazon Delivery Man Chucks Packages on Home Doorstep

An Amazon delivery man in Colorado was caught on camera throwing a package onto someones doorstep, and hours later, a similar-looking man throws another one onto the porch of the same home.

The homeowner said he was home that day, and after he saw the first package, which wasnt even meant for him, tossed carelessly onto his porch he filed a complaint with Amazon.

The next package, which was for him, was thrown onto his porch was from several feet awayprompting another complaint to Amazon. Thats when he learned the delivery man had marked the package hand delivered.

Yesterday actually I had three, I had UPS, FedEx , and Amazon all delivering something, and Amazon was the only one that threw the package, the Littleton homeowner told Denver-based station KDVR.

Amazon gave the homeowner a $5 gift certificate for the poor service, the station reported.

In a statement to KDVR, Amazon said it holds its delivery drivers to the highest standards.

And this doesnt seem to be the first time someone has complained about lazy Amazon delivery people this year. In May, two homeowners in southwest Miami-Dade County complained that their packages were thrown onto their doorstep, and one of them reported that the contents of their Amazon order arrived broken.

Home surveillance video shows the woman, who is driving an unmarked car, ringing the doorbell outside the security gate, then immediately throwing the package over the security fence and leaving. In another video, she can be seen simply throwing the packages from her window onto the driveway.

Neighbors to that home didnt have a security camera installed, but said they got a package of CDs from Amazon that appeared to have also been thrown. Some of the CD cases inside were broken. The package was labeled lift with care, according to ABC affiliate WPLG.

Amazon said that delivery woman has since been fired, and gave the homeowner with the surveillance camera a $50 gift certificate.

In July, an Amazon delivery man in Fort Worth, Texas, was caught on camera chucking packages up a driveway like he was skipping stones. Resident Bonnie Morgan posted the video on Facebook, saying this has become a regular occurrence in her neighborhood.

Delivery people for Amazon have also been caught this year urinating, defecating, and stealing packages on homeowners doorsteps. The video can be seen here.

In Everett, Washington, an Amazon delivery man was arrested late November after a home surveillance camera caught him taking a package that a UPS driver had dropped off earlier that day. He even took of photo of the Amazon Prime package he dropped off to prove it had been delivered.

According to Fox affiliate Q13 News, police arrested him on misdemeanor theft.

His prize? A $3-childrens toy.

I would pay anything to see the look on his face and opened up and found out that it was a baby teether, Matt Buxton told Q13 News.

In another case in Colorado this November, an Amazon delivery man was caught urinating on a homeowners doorstep.

When I realized it was an Amazon delivery person, I thought, why would you do this on your job? Aurora homeowner William Washington, who had just moved into the house, told KDVR.

Amazon said it fired the driver.

And possibly the worst package that was left at a housea woman was caught on camera taking a dump in front of a house in Sacramento County, California, after delivering an Amazon package to it.

An Amazon spokesperson told ABC affiliate KXTV that the driver worked with a delivery service company that it contracts with and that they work with a number of delivery services throughout the year.

The spokesperson also said that a manager with the company had come to clean it up, and that the homeowner had been given a gift card as compensation. The homeowner told Fox40 that Amazon assured him that the driver had been dealt with.

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Fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi, backing the Iraqi forces, pose for a photograph with a flag of the ISIS terrorist group in Tal Afar's Qalea central district during an operation to retake the city from the jihadists on Aug 27, 2017. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)

Houston Man Arrested for Trying to Aid ISIS: U.S. Government

WASHINGTONAn 18-year-old Houston man was charged on Monday, Dec. 11, with trying to support the radical group ISIS and distributing information about how to make bombs, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, who is a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Friday in Houston after the filing of a criminal complaint by federal prosecutors, the Justice Department said in an emailed statement.

Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen from Houston, charged today with unlawfully distributing explosive making information and attempting to provide material support to ISIS. https://t.co/pV8XqTRJAf pic.twitter.com/hEMNZuOqu6  Nick Short ?? (@PoliticalShort) December 11, 2017

This followed an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that found he had allegedly said he planned to travel overseas to fight for ISIS or failing that, commit an attack in the United States, the statement said.

The charges also indicate Damlarkaya asked if he could provide a farewell video to be published should he follow through with an attack resulting in his death in order to inspire others, the statement said.

Damlarkaya also told undercover FBI agents and other sources through online communications how to build AK-47 or AR-15 assault rifles with easily available parts and how to make a pressure cooker bomb, the statement said.

UPDATE: FBI agents leaving #Houston home of Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, 18-year-old arrested on terrorism charges #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/zdQ0qT8Ib4  Grace White (@GraceWhiteKHOU) December 12, 2017

The criminal complaint alleges that Damlarkaya claims to have attempted to get to Syria on two occasions, but failed.

It was not immediately clear if Damlarkaya had a lawyer.

He is being held pending a detention hearing set for Dec. 14.

By Eric Walsh

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Long-haul trucker Walter Gabriel, of Marietta, Ga., has been found guilty of aggravated assault for running over his disabled wife with his tractor-trailer. (mugshot from Cobb County Sheriffs Office / background CC0 / compositing by Tom Ozimek)

Husband Ran Over Disabled Wife With Tractor Trailer, Say Police

A long-haul trucker has been convicted on multiple charges stemming from a disturbing incident in which the man mowed down his disabled wife with a tractor-trailer outside a motel in Marietta, Georgia, on Sept. 25, 2015, reports the Marietta Patch.

The accused locked eyes with his wife before he put the truck in gear and accelerated toward her, said Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds in a statement.

A jury in Cobb County convicted 56-year-old Walter Leon Gabriel on Thursday, Dec. 7, of all charges, including aggravated assault and serious injury by vehicle.

The trial began Dec. 4 with jury selection, prior to which Gabriel was free on bond.

Reynolds also stated that evidence uncovered in the Cobb County Police Department investigation showed that about 2 a.m. on Sept. 25, 2015, Gabriel and his wife of 26 years were arguing about his infidelity at an extended-stay motel on Powers Ferry Road in Marietta, Georgia.

Gabriel is reportedly a long-haul trucker, whose multiple-sclerosis-afflicted wife sometimes accompanied him on trips.

Prosecutors said Gabriel then indicated his intention to leave the argument and made his way to his truck. His wife followed begging for her medication that was stored in the truck.

The woman testified that she and her husband made eye contact, after which he put the truck in gear and accelerated toward her, and that she could not move out of the way quickly due to her disability.

After hitting the woman with the truck, Gabriel drove away, prosecutors stated.

As Gabriel drove away in his truck, horrified onlookers who had seen the assault helped the woman, Reynolds stated.

The victim, who is now 54, sustained multiple broken bones in the attack and has endured repeated surgeries.

The womans thigh bone, calf bone, and left foot were all broken in the attack, the FresnoBee reported, as were two of her ribs.

Assistant District Attorney Jared Parrish argued before the jury that the crash was not a mistake.

The defense would have you believe this was an accident, Parrish told jurors. But what do you do after you cause an accident? You say youre sorry. You say you didnt mean for this to happen. Mr. Gabriel has never apologized for hitting his wife with his vehicle. He never visited her in the hospital. His actions were malicious. He knew what hed done.

Jurors found Gabriel guilty of aggravated assaultfamily violence, four counts of aggravated batteryfamily violence, four counts of serious injury by vehicle, and two counts of hit and run.

The accused could face up to 170 years in prison for his crimes.

Sentencing has not been scheduled yet.

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Binh Thai Lucs March 25, 2012 booking photo after his arrest for the murder of the family of five. (San Francisco Police Department)

Illegal Immigrant Due for Deportation in 2006, Murders Five People in 2012

An illegal Vietnamese immigrant who was supposed to be deported in 2006 faces life in prison for brutally murdering a family in San Francisco in 2012.

Binh Thai Luc, 41, was convicted of killing a Chinese familyfriends of hisand robbing their home to pay off his gambling debts and back rent to stave off eviction.

He lethally bludgeoned the husband, wife, and three adult children with a hammer, then poured bleach, paint, and shampoo all over the scene to try to destroy DNA evidence. He also attempted to flood the home by turning on faucets and detaching pipes under sinks.

People who knew Luc were stunned to learn that the hardworking local handyman and father of two would commit such a violent, brutal act.

He seemed like a fine person, not a criminal, said a clerk from a local business Everybody on the street was shocked when he was arrested, the clerk told SFGate.com.

The California justice system knew that Luc had a dangerous sideand so did immigration authorities.

Luc had been convicted in 1998 of the armed robbery of a Chinese restaurant in San Jose, California, and was sentenced to an 11-year, 4-month term in San Quentin State Prison.

He was released in 2006 and was scheduled to be deportedbut Vietnam refused to take him back.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2001, in Zadvydas vs. Davis, that undocumented immigrants must be released after six months if their country of origin wont allow them to return, Immigration and Customs Enforcement press secretary Gillian Christensen told SFGate.

Because Vietnamese authorities declined to provide appropriate travel documents, Luc ultimately had to be released, she explained.

Unfortunately, there are some countries that are very difficult to remove people to, and Vietnam is one of those countries, Christensen said.

Friends With the Killer

The victims were also immigrants, a Chinese family who had been in the United States for two decades.

Hua Shun Lei, 65, had worked for 18 years at an upscale Chinese restaurant. He had been a highly regarded math teacher, according to his employer, Kinson Wong.

He wasnt an employee, Wong told SFGate. He was like my brother. Kinson said the pair made sure to take time for a midnight drink once a week.

Leis wife, Wan Yi Wu, 62, worked at a local Target store. She knew Luc because he would visit with his wife and two children to buy cigarettes and milk.

Leis 32-year-old son Vincent Lei considered Binh Thai Luc a friend. The pair played mahjong together.

Vincent Leis wife, Chia Huei Chu, 30, and his sister, Ying Xue Lei, 37, were the other two victims. Ying Xue Lei, called Jess owned the home. She worked as a software engineer for Qualitative Medical Systems in Emeryville, California.

She was a smart, quiet person, and this whole thing has shocked us, said Roxanne Albertoli, an administration executive at Qualitative Medical Systems Inc.

Called for Cash?

Apparently, Binh Thai Luc called Vincent Lei before the murder. Two of Leis friends told police that they heard him talking on the phone with his wife the night before the multiple murders. It seemed Luc was at Leis home, looking for him.

Leis friends heard Lei say to his wife, Let me talk to him, the prosecutor said.

Lei then asked, What is it? Is it serious?

The bodies were discovered at about 7:45 a.m. on March 23, 2012, by Vincent Leis 12-year-old niece. Assistant District Attorney Eric Fleming said the child ran out of the house screaming, Mommy, bodies! Bodies!

The girls mother, Vincent Leis other sister, Nicole Lei, reportedly called someone immediately after the bodies were discovered and reported, They took the money! The money is gone!

Nicole Lei denies making the call, though phone records show she did call someone at that time.

Binh Thai Luc knew the Leis well enough to know that Hua Shun Lei kept a large amount of cash in the residence. When he was arrested he had just over $6500 on his person.

Despite his efforts to contaminate the crime scene, Binh Thai Luc left and collected significant amounts of DNA, which the police were able to use against him. He also left a fingerprint on a bottle of Windex.

Luc was found guilty of five counts of murder, plus five counts of attempted robbery, and two counts of burglary.

Luc faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The district attorney opted not to seek the death penalty, though the specifics of the crime justified that option legally.

From NTD.tv

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Memphis Man Kills Pregnant Girlfriend to Get out of the Relationship

A Memphis man allegedly murdered his pregnant girlfriend in Whitehaven, Tennessee, and gave police a shocking reason why.

Brandon Freeman shot Koesha Miller multiple times outside her apartment on Saturday, Dec. 9, just before 7 p.m. at the Faronia Square Apartments in Whitehaven, Tn., in the 4300 block of East Wind, court documents state.

Freeman admitted to police he did it because he was unsure if it was his baby and it was the easiest way he could think of to get out of the relationship.

He has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Miller, who was around 3 months pregnant at the time.

When I walked out my living room, I heard a second shot, a neighbor, Sheena Townsend, told Fox13. I came to my front door, and I hear people saying, Oh my god. I hope she is not dead.'

Witnesses told police they saw Freeman flee the residence at a high rate of speed just after shots were fired. When they asked him whether he was okay, he told them some random guys tried to shoot the both of them and only hit his girlfriend.

Investigators say Freeman ran off after the shooting, but came back to the crime scene minutes later and moved evidence before police arrived.

My family told me, they said they heard some arguing down that way and they heard one gunshot and another went off, neighbor Tevin Guy told WREG.

And she was pregnant, too? I dont even know, its crazy, Guy said.

It is not clear if Freeman will face additional charges in connection with the death of the unborn baby. Tennessee law treats a human embryo at any stage of gestation in utero as a victim in a range of offenses, such as murder, voluntary manslaughter, and vehicular homicide.

Freeman did not have a criminal record prior to Saturday nights incident, Fox13 reports.

Memphis man kills pregnant girlfriend, tells police horrifying reason why he did it https://t.co/mqRT3jojb9 pic.twitter.com/3hc78PAPOv  FOX13 Memphis (@FOX13Memphis) December 11, 2017

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Mom of 3 Paralyzed After Tree Branch Falls on Her During Snow Storm

A mother of three from Kennesaw, Georgia, nearly diedafter a tree branch fell on her during a storm last week.

Jennifer Lane was outside enjoying the snow with her family in Legacy Park, Kennesaw, on Friday, Dec. 8 when suddenly a tree branch snapped.

The branch, heavier than normal with snow atop itparalyzed her from the waist down, according to CBS46.

Lane suffered a severe spinal cord injury from the branchs impact that caused the paralysis, according to a GoFundMe page created for the family.

She remains in hospital with two punctured lungs and severe nerve damage.

At the time of the incident, worried neighbors ran outside to help the mother. But due to the dangerous travel conditions, it took nearly 50 minutes for ambulances to arrive.

One neighbor, Esteban Alarcon, who witnessed the events, placed Lane on a cornhole board as they tried to keep her conscious.

When I saw her laying there, I thought maybe she just hit her head, Alarcon told CBS46. As I started processing it, I realized, this is bad. The EMT checked her vitals and said that she was squeezing his hands but it got worse by the minute.

Officer Scott Luther from the Kennesaw Police Department said the family was taking a picture of the snow when the branch fell. He said the branch first hit a bridge rail before falling on the mother.

If the rail wasnt there, it may have hurt her even worse or killed her, Luther told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Alarcon said the mother was slipping into shock, as she kept repeating the same questions.

She kept saying Is anybody coming? What happened to me? Im having trouble breathing and I cant feel my legs, Alarcon told CBS46.

The GoFundMe page, created to help with the familys medical bills have raised $22,633 out of the $50,000 goal, as of writing on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

The Kennesaw Police department issued a warning days ago for residents to use extreme caution as the winter weather worsens.

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A Spirit Airlines plane lands at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 9, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Mother Claims She Was Unfairly Kicked Off Flight After Breastfeeding Incident

Spirit Airlines says woman was removed for failure to comply with staff requests and that 'no one was kicked off for breastfeeding'

A Texas mother is complaining that she was unfairly kicked off a flight after she tried to breastfeed her son to settle him down for the flight.

Thirty-three-year-old concert pianist and cancer researcher Mei Rui was traveling with her 2-year-old son and her elderly parents from Houston to Manhattan on Dec. 8.

The family never made it to New York, however. She was told she was no longer allowed to travel on the flight for noncompliance to the instructions of the staff.

According to Rui, she was trying to settle her son down by breastfeeding him, knowing he would otherwise cry and disturb everyone on the plane. They had already been delayed on the tarmac for over three hours.

When staff told her to stop and buckle her son in as the plane was about to leave, she asked for a couple more minutes and the incident escalated.

Her family was offered a full refund.

Spirit Airlines removed Rui by first telling all of the passengers on the plane to get off, and then refusing to let her back on.

It was the second time passengers had had to get off the already delayed plane.

According to Rui, originally from Shanghai, her elderly father collapsed afterward from the stress, she wrote in a Facebook post.

The airline, Spirit Airlines, and Rui provide different accounts of the incident.

The incident occurred after a three-and-a-half-hour delay to her flight from Texas to Manhattan due to ice on the plane. The passengers first had to wait patiently inside the plane as it was de-iced.

It is not clear how long the passengers had to wait on the tarmac in their seats, but one account suggests two or three hours. Rui said her son was already tired having woken up at 3 a.m. to catch the 6:30 a.m. scheduled flight on Friday morning.

With the flight finally ready to leave, the passengers had just re-embarked the plane, according to Rui, and she started to breastfeed her son, hoping it would settle him into a sleep and ensure a peaceful journey for herself and other passengers.

A flight attendant then told her she had told to stop breastfeeding because the plane was about to take off.

However, Rui claims that the doors to the plane were still open.

I asked for just a couple more minutes to finish because if he woke up at that point he would have made a lot of noise, Rui said, according to the Washington Post. I said, I promise Ill finish before you close the planes door.

In the meantime, she claims, the flight attendant went back to the front of the plane and conferred with a colleague.

Rui said she didnt want to cause any trouble, so she pulled her son off and forced-buckled him into the seat.

He began crying as she had anticipated.

Its not like I was resistant, I put him in the seat, she said. If they had shown a little compassion, it wouldnt have happened, they didnt have to let it escalate.

The flight attendants then returned, and she was then told she needed to leave the plane.

According to Rui, she then began to question the reason for this request.

The airline disputes Ruis account, and is adamant that no one was removed for breast feeding

In a statement, Stephen Schuler director of communications at Spirit said, The passenger failed to comply with crew instructions by not being safely buckled and secured for takeoff after being asked repeatedly to do so.

As for the door, the reports from the crew indicate the door was closed at the time of the incident.

Schuler noted that FAA regulations and airline policies require all passengers stay seated and buckled during takeoff and landing.

As a courtesy, weve issued a full refund to the customer in question, said Schuler.

Rui was met with by police on exiting the airplane and photographed by a fellow passenger.

One passenger, Holly Barton, wrote on Facebook: Flight attendants were so rude to her and tried to kick her off, even though the plane wasnt moving or even about to move. After the woman refused to get off, they made everyone get off the plane for a SECOND time only to not allow this woman to get back on.

Does Spirit not understand that 2 year olds cannot sit still in a seat belt for 3+ hours? He was well behaved for the first two hours, but does that not count? Was calling the police necessary?

According to flight records, the flight left 4 hours and 20 minutes late.

Rui filmed some of the conversations with airline staff on her phone and uploaded them to Facebook, together with descriptions of events (the posts were publicly available until the afternoon of Dec. 11).

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North Dakota Womb Raider Pleads Guilty to Killing 8-month Pregnant Woman for Her Baby

A North Dakota woman dubbed womb raider admitted to conspiring to kill a pregnant neighbor so that she and her boyfriend could steal the dead womans baby, MPR News reports.

Brooke Crews, 38, faces life in prison for the shocking crime Fargo police chief Dave Todd has described as a cruel, vicious act of depravity.

She has admitted to conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and providing false information to the police.

Crews attorney Steven Mottinger said that with the plea his client wanted to take responsibility for her actions, CBS reports.

Yet the accused failed to disclose details on how the victim was killed, and, according to the INFORUM newspaper, the guilty plea increases her chances of a reduced sentence.

[It] goes a long way in terms of us being able to argue for something less than life without parole, Mottinger told MPR News.

Authorities in Fargo say the victim died of homicidal violence, Fox reports, but are tight-lipped on the specifics.

Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, 22-years-old at the time of her murder, was eight months pregnant when she was last seen at her apartment Aug. 19.

The police launched a search for Greywind after discovering a newborn baby and arresting Crews and her boyfriend William Henry Hoehn, the victims neighbors, MPR reports.

The pair admitted the baby belonged to Greywind, it is reported, but would not tell authorities where she was or what had happened to her.

The murder victims body, wrapped in plastic and duct tape, was found by kayakers in a river.

Following the discovery, North Dakota prosecutors filed murder conspiracy and kidnapping conspiracy charges against the pair, to which both previously pled not guilty.

Sentencing for Crews is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018.

The maximum penalty for the conspiracy to commit murder charge is life in prison without parole.

The maximum penalty for the kidnapping charge is 20 years in prison and a fine of $20,000.

Hoehn has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and providing false information to police. His trial is scheduled for Mar. 20, 2018, in Cass County District Court.

Greywinds boyfriend, Ashton Matheny, proved to be the babys biological father and is caring for the baby.

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Oklahoma Man Charged With Child-Abuse Murder of 22-Month-Old Boy

A man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, faces child-abuse murder charges after a 22-month-old boy died on Monday, Dec. 11, from severe injuries, according to police.

Zachary Tyler Collins, 24, was initially arrested on Saturday, Dec. 9, on child abuse and neglect complaints. Police added on the complaint of murder after the toddler, who reportedly is Collins son, died in hospital, reported Tulsa World.

Tulsa Police Officer Jeanne Mackenzie told Fox News, Collins admitted to authorities that he had slammed the boy into the wall so hard that it left a hole in the wall. He also confessed to officers he slammed the child into furniture and beat him after he wouldnt go to sleep, reported Fox News citing court documents.

At that point, he punched the child in the stomach and threw him against the wall so hard that there was a hole, Mackenzie said.

Collins also allegedly admitted to drinking a six-pack of beer and a half-pint of tequila, reported Tulsa World.

Police described the boys injuries as a massive blunt force head trauma and internal bleeding, as well as abdominal trauma.

The boys mother left her three childrena 3-year-old, 22-month-old, and 8-month-oldwith Collins to babysit on Friday, Dec. 8, while she was at work. When she returned home at a residence near 61st Street and Peoria Avenue the next day she found Collins and the toddler on the couch. She reportedly noticed that her second child did not look well.

She observed bruising on his forehead and lips, police said in court documents, reported Tulsa World.

Collins initially blamed it on one of the older children, claiming the 3-year-old had pushed the child off his bed.

The mother subsequently called a grandmother to check on the child who contacted emergency responders, reported the newspaper. The boy was taken to the hospital and was given a less than 50 percent chance of survival before dying Monday morning, according to Fox News.

The 24-year-old is on a suspended sentence involving three cases of drug-related convictions as well as an ongoing domestic assault case, according to the news station citing state records.

Children look for adults and parents to take care of them, and in this situation that didnt happen, and its a tragedy, Mackenzie said.

They look up to their parents and their caretakers for protection and safety, and if you cant take care of them and you get frustrated, then you need to take a step back, the police officer added.

21-month-old infant dies Monday after sustaining 'serious injuries that were inflicted' https://t.co/qfRoIA5C1D pic.twitter.com/nnHqkTqpZv  Tulsa World (@tulsaworld) December 11, 2017

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Here is what President Trump has done right

After reading the articles in paper 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
South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius (C-R) arrives at the Pretoria High Court for sentencing procedures in his murder trial on July 6, 2016. (John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images)

Oscar Pistorius Is Injured in Prison Fight After Arguing While in Line to Use the Phone

Convicted murderer and Paralympian athlete Oscar Pistorius has allegedly been injured in a prison fight while waiting to use the communal phone.

Pistorius was in line to use the phone at Atteridgeville Correctional Centre, near Pretoria, when the fight broke out with an inmate he knows well, according to MailOnline.

He reportedly sustained a bruise, but if Pistorius is found to be the one who started the fight, he could have his low risk status re-classified.

Spokesman for the prison, Singabakho Nxumalo told MailOnline that Pistoriuss unit is where inmates with special needs and different sexual orientation are held for their own protection.

He was involved in an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care unit, where both offenders are detained. The men know each other well, Nxumalo said.

As standard operating procedure regarding cases of alleged assaults, the Department of Correctional Services has launched an internal investigation into the matter to establish the facts and to ensure that appropriate action is taken as incidents of assault are not allowed. We want to know that proper security protocols were followed by prison staff.

Atteridgeville Correctional Centre is regarded as relaxed, with facilities including ensuite bathrooms for prisoners with special needs.

If Oscar Pistorius is found to be at fault, he could lose his privileges and be re-classified if he is no longer considered low risk, said Nxumalo.

If re-classified, Pistorius could face a return to the maximum security prison Kgosi Mampuru II where he served his first year.

Last month, Pistorius had his sentence increased to 13 years in a successful appeal by prosecutors. He was originally cleared of murder but had that judgment overruled in two subsequent appeals.

The original sentence of six years from Judge Thokozile Masipa was also criticized by the appeal court. It was shockingly lenient to the point where it has the effect of trivializing this serious offence, said Judge Seriti in the appeal.

In 2013 Pistorius murdered his 29-year-old girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

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A youngster drags her sledge to the top of a snowy slope on Dec. 10, 2017 in Welsh Frankton, England. (Hugh Pinney/Getty Images)

Hundreds of Schools Closed After Coldest Night of the Year

As Britains icy snap continues, hundreds of schools in England and Wales are staying closed for a second day.

Overnight temperatures plummeted to -13C (10.4F) in some parts of the country, making it the coldest night of the year so far.

Temperatures in Shawbury, Shropshire plunged to -13C, while Llysdinam in Powys, Wales was -10C. Many parts of the country were below freezing.

It's officially the coldest night of the year so far with a freezing minus 13 C at Shawbury in Shropshire #brrrr pic.twitter.com/wMiM1rGv2E  Met Office (@metoffice) December 12, 2017

Many pupils had a second day off school today with hundreds of schools shutting their gates in reaction to the sub-zero temperatures. Schools across the Midlands, Wales, and the South West have been affected.

Over 200 schools were listed to stay shut in Worcestershire, citing severe weather. Some schools said the approaches to the schools are still very icy and dangerous, and pathways leading up to the schools are covered with snow that had been cleared from the road. Meanwhile, Powys in Wales has shut around 85 schools.

Some parents, however, have criticised councils for closing schools in areas where the snowfall is minimal. One parent tweeted it was a joke that Caldicot School in Wales was shut, according to the BBC.

Monmouthshire Councils cabinet member for children, Richard John, told the BBC: A heavy fall of snow on Sunday was followed by a forecast of sub-zero temperatures and were aware that pupils, teachers, and other staff travel to school early in the morning when the roads are very busy, and today are likely to be dangerous.

A yellow severe weather warning for ice is still in place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It covers parts of Scotland and Wales, as well as several areas in England, including the Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, London, the South East, East, South West, the North East, and North West.

The cold weather has left thousands without power and caused a third day of transport chaos.

There were 25,000 calls from motorists who had broken down on Monday, making it the busiest day of the year for the AA, the Telegraph reported.

Meanwhile, passengers at Heathrow face another day of disruptions. Dozens of flights were cancelled on Monday, and 16 have been shelved for Tuesday, according to the Standard.

It seems every year that we get freezing conditions, travel disruptions and conversations about why Britain can't cope with freezing conditions. https://t.co/Ts5JfXHlvp  James Caan CBE (@jamescaan) December 11, 2017

On Monday, the Trades Union Congress called on employers not to force staff to make hazardous journeys into work.

TUC General Secretary Frances OGrady said: For many employees the bad weather will have made their commute virtually impossible, but thankfully many bosses now have bad weather policies so staff know what is expected of them.

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Pit Bull Mauls Elderly Woman to Death Near Chicago: Reports

An elderly woman was mauled to death by a pit bull, forcing police to kill the animal, WGN-TV reported.

The incident took place on Komensky Ave and 116th St. in the Chicago suburb of Alsip, Illinois.

The victim is a 77-year-old woman. The dog who attacked her was her pet, police said.

77-Year old woman mauled and killed by her pet dog. No prior incidents with dog reported to police. #Alsip @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/eXDF7p9HF7  Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) December 12, 2017

CBS Chicago reported that police were called to the home at around 3:30 p.m. after someone reported that a person was being attacked by a dog in the backyard.

The dog was aggressive when police arrived and had to be killed, Alsip police said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the attack.

There were no previous complaints involving the dog.

The Cook County Medical Examiners Office has yet to release the identity of the woman. An autopsy is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 12.

According to the American Pit Bull Foundation, there are many myths surrounding the American Pit Bull Terrier and hopefully after reading this article youll become an advocate for spreading the truth. It says: It is reported on temperament tests conducted by the American Temperament Test Society that Pit Bulls had a passing rate of 82% or better  compared to only 77% of the general dog population.

According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC), some 4.5 million dog bites occur in the United States every year, and 900,000 of those bites become infected, says The Canine Journal. It adds that the dogs the bite the most are Chihuahuas, Bulldogs, Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, Australian Shepherds, Jack Russell Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, Bull Terriers, Pekingese dogs, and Papillion dogs.

But, it noted, of the 41 fatal dog attacks in the United States, pit bulls killed the most, contributing 22 of these deaths.

From 2005 to 2016, pit bulls and Rottweilers accounted for 76 percent of fatal attacks, the website said.

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Report: Charles Mansons Official Cause of Death Is Revealed

The official cause of death for convicted killer Charles Manson was released, according to his death certificate.

While prison officials stated that Manson died of natural causes at the age of 83, a document from Kern County, California, shows that cardiac arrest was named as the immediate cause of death. Other conditions were underlying causes.

TMZ obtained the death certificate.

Manson died Nov. 19 after he was rushed to a hospital from Californias Corcoran State Prison, where he was serving out a life sentence.

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys issued a statement right after Mansons death, quoting Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, who put him behind bars.

Manson was an evil, sophisticated con man with twisted and warped moral values, Bugliosi said. The association noted, Today, Mansons victims are the ones who should be remembered and mourned on the occasion of his death, Patch.com reported.

The New York Post, meanwhile, reported that Mansons remains are unburied as three people battle over his last will and testament. His pen pal Michael Channels filed documents in a California court in an attempt to be the executor. His self-proclaimed son, Matthew Roberts, 49, and an alleged grandson, Jason Freeman, 41, have disputed those claims. TMZ reported that they have 120 days to settle the matter.

He had been serving a life sentence at the nearby Corcoran State Prison for ordering the murders of nine people, including actress Sharon Tate, according to Reuters.

Long after Manson had largely faded from headlines, he loomed large as a symbol of the terror he unleashed in the summer of 1969.

The very name Manson has become a metaphor for evil, Bugliosi told the Los Angeles Times in 1994.

Manson became one of the 20th centurys most notorious criminals when he directed his mostly young, female followers to murder seven people in what prosecutors said was part of a plan to incite a race war.

Later, when he requested to represent himself during his nine-and-a-half-month trial, Manson showed up in court with an X carved into his forehead, and would later alter it into a swastika.

Co-defendants Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, and Patricia Krenwinkel cut Xs on their foreheads, shaved their scalps, sang Manson-written songs, and giggled through chilling testimony.

At one point, Manson tried to leap over the defense table at the judge, snarling, In the name of Christian justice, someone should cut your head off. The judge began carrying a gun afterward.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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A video-blogging 'rooftopper' unwittingly filmed his own death in the Chinese city of Changsha, as he plunged from the roof of a 62-storey skyscraper on Nov. 8. (Screenshot from YouTube)

Rooftop Daredevil Films His Own Accidental Death, Plunges from 62-Storey Building

A daredevil rooftopper unwittingly filmed his own death in the Chinese city of Changsha, as he lost his grip while doing pull-ups for a video stunt and fell from the top of a 62-story skyscraper, South China Morning Post reports.

The dramatic fall of former film stuntman, Wu Yongning, 26, was caught on a camera he had set up himself to capture the exploit on video, the Daily Mail reports.

The chilling footage shows Wu climb over the edge and attempt to do pull-ups with no safety equipment, fingertips clutching the rooftop flange.

The video-blogging stuntman then loses his grip and drops out of view. A window cleaner, Daily Mail reports, later found his body on a terrace 45 feet below.

Wus girlfriend, who family members told the Post he was soon to marry, called the police a day later, on Nov. 9, to report the man missing.

Fans of the stuntman-turned-rooftopper became concerned by Wus prolonged absence from social media and began speculating about his fate.

The death was officially confirmed on Dec. 8 by family members, Channel NewsAsia reports, who say Wu expected to get paid around $15,000 for performing the feat.

He planned to propose to his girlfriend, Wus uncle told NewsAsia, He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother.

Regional police told reporters that theyre treating his death as an accident.

The mans girlfriend says that to reach the filming location, Wu likely had to free-climb nearly 20 floors from the uppermost floor he could reach by elevator.

Wu is reported to have worked as a stuntman and actor in Chinese films before taking to video blogging at the beginning of the year.

He boasted around 1 million followers on the live-streaming video site Volcano, reports Daily Mail, and held 217 video transmissions, for which he was paid around $8,000.

His exploits include scaling skyscrapers, bridges, and other tall structures across China and performing stunts on them.

One of his most famous feats entailed doing pull-ups off the edge of a 1000-meter-high walkway in Zhangjiajie, China.

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Savanna Greywind Case: Woman Pleads Guilty to Killing Woman to Keep Baby

One of two suspects charged in the killing of expectant North Dakota mother Savanna Greywind earlier this year has pleaded guilty.

Brooke Crews, 38, of Fargo, made a Monday, Dec. 11, court appearance with attorney Steven Mottinger to confess three crimes: conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and giving false information to the police.

Investigators haven't said how Greywind was killed, but Fargo's police chief has called it a "cruel and vicious act of depravity." https://t.co/AiUKIYNDGu  Andrea Larson (@AndreaLarsonVNL) December 11, 2017

Crews faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to CBS News.

Greywind was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in August. Later, kayakers found her body wrapped in plastic in a river. Her baby was found alive in an apartment where Crews shared with William Hoehn, her 32-year-old boyfriend.

Hoehn is slated to go on trial in March.

Ms. Crews early on indicated that she wanted to take responsibility for her actions, Mottinger, the lawyer, said. From where I stand, she took responsibility today by entering a guilty plea to the three charges.

He told People magazine that Crews decided to plead guilty because she wanted to make the decision to take responsibility.

Cass County prosecutor Birch Burdick said further details wont likely be released until after Hoehns case is finished.

As youre well aware, this is one important step in two cases that are intertwined, Burdick said. At least our office will be rather circumspect until weve got both cases resolved. Then we can elaborate more fully.

Greywind went missing after visiting Crews third-floor apartment, located in the same building where she had lived. Crews had asked her to model a dress that she was making.

Savanna Greywind case: Woman pleads guilty in killing of pregnant neighbor to keep baby https://t.co/EVJ8pdEF8d pic.twitter.com/WkzzhBsCfb  CBS News (@CBSNews) December 12, 2017

Crews was later arrested in her apartment after neighbors reported a crying a baby in the building.

Prosecutors alleged on Monday that Crews was planning to register Greywinds daughter and raise the child as her own, People magazine reported.

Hoehn also faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and providing false information to police. He has pleaded not guilty.

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This artists impression shows the first interstellar asteroid Oumuamua. This unique object was discovered on Oct. 19, 2017 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii. (European Southern Observatory/M. Kornmesser)

Scientists to Probe Mysterious Space Object for Alien Tech

The mysterious interstellar object unveiled by scientists last month is now going to be probed for signs of alien technology.

The 400m long cigar-shaped object is the first asteroid from outside of the solar system ever observed, first spotted zipping through the solar system on Oct. 19.

The objects unique shape mystified scientists, with some proposing it could be a shard of a planet, broken off hundreds of millions of years ago.

Now some scientists believe it is worth considering another possibilitycould the object be from an alien civilization?

A project set up by Stephen Hawking to probe the depths of the cosmos for signs of alien life will turn its detectors on the interstellar object on Wednesday, looking for the tell-tale radio waves that they believe set aside all tech from background radiation and waves in the cosmos.

The breakthrough Listen project uses radio telescopes to look for signs of alien life, aiming to survey one million nearby stars, the entire galactic plane and 100 nearby galaxies at a wide range of radio and optical bands.

With this interstellar visitor traveling a stones throw away in astronomical terms, the temptation is too great to miss.

At this distance, it would take under a minute for the Green Bank instrument to detect an omnidirectional transmitter with the power of a cellphone, said a statement by Breakthrough Initiatives.

Most likely it is of natural origin, but because it is so peculiar, we would like to check if it has any sign of artificial origin, such as radio emissions, Avi Loeb, professor of astronomy at Harvard University and an adviser to the Breakthrough Listen project told the Guardian.

Even if we find an artefact that was left over and there are no signs of life on it, that would be the greatest thrill I can imagine having in my lifetime. Its really one of the fundamental questions in science, perhaps the most fundamental: are we alone? Loeb said.

Even if no alien tech is revealed, the radio scan could provide important information about the possibility of water or ice, or the chemistry of a coma (gaseous envelope) on the object.

The radio scans will be carried out by Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia on starting on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 3:00 pm ET, for 10 hours.

The quarter-mile long, cigar-shaped object is unlike anything astronomers have seen before, and it is believed it has been traveling across interstellar space for hundreds of millions of years.

The mysterious reddish object, which is speeding through the solar system reaching 196,000 mph at its peak , has been named Oumuamua.

Oumuamua was first observed by a telescope in Hawaii as it was traveling under Earths orbit on Oct. 19. It wasnt behaving like most other objects in space, prompting speculation and then later, confirmation, that it was the first object ever witnessed to come from outside the solar system.

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Son of Sam David Berkowitz Hospitalized for Possible Heart Surgery

David Berkowitz, 64, the Son of Sam serial killer who terrorized New York City in the late 1970s, was rushed to a hospital on Monday, Dec. 11, according to reports.

Berkowitz was convicted in the slayings of six people, while also wounding seven, starting in the summer of 1976, going through 1977.

The New York Post reported that he was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery from Shawagunk maximum-security prison where he is serving a life sentence. According to the Times-Union, hes being treated at the Albany Medical Center Hospital, which is the only one in the area that can treat prisoners.

Inmate Berkowitz has been transferred to an outside hospital and remains in the custody of the Shawangunk Correctional Facility, the New York State Department of Corrections said in a statement, DOCCS cannot comment on an inmates specific medical condition.

During the killing spree 40 years ago, Berkowitz primarily targeted young women with long brown hair or couples in cars.

He referred to himself as the Son of Sam in letters left behind at the scene of the crime of two shootings. In the letter, Berkowitz claimed that the dog of his neighbor, Sam, was ordering him to kill.

JUST IN: "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz hospitalized for possible heart surgery https://t.co/kR4gkE3B8x pic.twitter.com/keIF5LoVSt  New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) December 12, 2017

Ill be Back. Ill be Back, Berkowitz wrote in a letter after a shooting. Yours in Murder Mr. Monster.

Dont think because you havent heard from (me) for a while that I went to sleep, he wrote in one note. I will see you at the next job, the killer added. Or, should I say you will see my handiwork at the next job.

On Aug. 10, 1977, Berkowitz was finally arrested and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for each of the six murders. He was arrested outside of his Yonkers home after police used a parking ticket near the scene of one of the murders to track him, the Daily News reported.

After going to prison, he converted to Christianity and calls himself the Son of Hope.

Berkowitz told CBS in August that hes very sorry for what happened, adding that the shootings were a break from reality, thought I was doing something to appease the devil. Im sorry for it.

Son Of Sam Serial Killer David Berkowitz Hospitalized https://t.co/NKbMhNcL1N  ILee WINS (@IleeWins) December 12, 2017

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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives back at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on Oct. 26, 2017. (Reutersno/Alex Brandon/Pool)

Tillerson Says US Willing to Talk When North Korea is Ready

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday that the United States is willing to talk to North Korea whenever the regime is ready.

However, Pyongyang must come to the negotiating table willing to make choices to change course on its nuclear and missile programs, Tillerson said in a speech to a Washington think tank.

Tillerson also said that the North Korean threat was strong and U.S. armed forces have been ordered to have a full range of contingencies available.

The United States has set a requirement on North Korea of 60-days without missile launches before talks could start. The 60 days would start after North Korea had declared a moratorium.

The best signal that North Korea could give us that theyre prepared to talk would be to stop these missile launches, Tillerson told reporters in August.

A giant television screen on a public square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 23, 2017. (ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

While prior to its latest launch North Korea did not fire a missile for 74 days, it had not officially declared a moratorium. North Korea broke its pause in missile launches on Nov. 29 with the highly provocative launch of an ICBM that reached into space before landing in waters within Japans exclusive economic zone.

President Donald Trump has taken a hard line with North Korea since coming to office in January, demanding the complete denuclearization of the regime. Meanwhile he has ordered Tillerson to find a diplomatic solution, while simultaneously preparing military options to force North Korea to the negotiating table.

So far North Korean communist dictator Kim Jong Un has refused to engage in talks. Instead, North Korea has issued multiple threats to strike the U.S. mainland, as well as U.S. allies Japan and South Korea, with nuclear weapons.

This photo taken on Nov. 29, 2017, and released on Nov. 30, 2017, by North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the launching of the Hwasong-15 missile, which is purportedly capable of reaching all parts of the United States. (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/Getty Images))

The situation has been further complicated by Russias reluctance to further step up sanctions against North Korea. During Trumps Asia trip in November, he said that Russia might be making up for the trade losses the North Korean regime has suffered due to Chinas implementation of sanctions.

Russia and China did agree, under pressure from Trump following a North Korean nuclear test, to approve and implement new United Nations Security Council sanctions in early September.

Those sanctions, however, have not proven enough to force North Korea to the negotiating table.

Trump had reportedly wanted a complete cut in oil supplies to North Korea, while China and Russia, insisted on a reduced quantity. The amount was ultimately set at 500,000 barrels per day. Natural gas supplies, however, were completely cut.

Trump himself expressed doubt on Friday that the sanctions would be able to have the desired effect.

As part of a campaign of maximum pressure on the vile dictatorship of North Korea, we have imposed the toughest ever sanctions passed by the United Nations Security Council, said Trump.

We have a lot of other sanctions. But I dont know if sanctions are going to work with him. We have to give it a shot.

Trump announced that he was pursuing additional sanctions against Kims communist regime following its Nov. 29 intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

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President Donald Trump arrives at the White House in Washington on Dec. 2, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Trump Doubts Sanctions Will Deter North Koreas Kim

President Donald Trump told a Florida rally he has doubts that sanctions would work to stop North Korea from its current direction, even as a senior United Nations official returns from the communist country warning that time is running out.

Trump told supporters at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, that it is necessary to attempt using sanctions in the course of dealing with North Korea, despite doubts as to their effect.

As part of a campaign of maximum pressure on the vile dictatorship of North Korea, we have imposed the toughest ever sanctions passed by the United Nations Security Council, said Trump.

We have a lot of other sanctions. But I dont know if sanctions are going to work with him. We have to give it a shot.

Trump announced that he was pursuing additional sanctions against Kim Jong Uns communist regime following its Nov. 29 intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said those sanctions are taking time to get put in place.

Were working through a legal process, she told reporters on Dec. 11 during a press briefing.

She said the process was complicated, and that she hoped to give details on the reason for the delay soon.

Meanwhile, the U.N. is warning that time is short for a negotiated solution to the current stand-off on the Korean Peninsula.

That warning comes after a senior U.N. official returned from a four-day trip to North Korea that included meetings with North Korean officials and U.N. staff.

Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N.s under secretary general for political affairs, visited the communist country from Dec. 5 to Dec. 8. The day after his return, the U.N. issued a statement warning that time is of the essence.

Feltman had a series of meetings with North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong Ho and Vice Minister 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, read a U.N. statement on the meetings.

Feltman pushed North Korea to implement Security Council resolutions. Those resolutions bar North Korea from pursuing its current track of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development and call on the regime to rejoin the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

North Korea acceded to the treaty in 1985 but withdrew in 2003, after revelations that the country was pursuing an illegal uranium enrichment program.

According to the U.N., Feltman emphasized that the international community was alarmed by escalating tensions stemming from the current crisis and remained committed to finding a peaceful solution.

Feltman said it was urgent that the regime had open communication channels, presumably with the United States, to avoid miscalculations.

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, said the statement.
President Donald Trump, surrounded by military officials and members of Congress, including Vice President Mike Pence (R) and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (L), signs H.R. 2810, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, Dec. 12, 2017. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Signs National Defense Authorization Act

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill.

The bill includes an overall increase in spending on the military and the acquisition of new defense equipment. Among the budgeted expenses are F-35 Joint Strike fighters, ground combat vehicles, and Virginia-class submarines.

The bill will increase the size of the American Armed Forces for the first time in seven years. It also provides military service members with their largest pay increase in eight years, according to The White House.

Since coming to office in January, Trump has implemented a peace through strength doctrine, in which military readiness and power are used to discourage armed conflicts.

Two Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighter jets fly to the Avalon Airshow in Victoria, Australia, March 3, 2017. (Australian Defence Force/Handout via REUTERS)

History teaches us that when you weaken your defenses, you invite aggression. The best way to prevent conflict is to be prepared, and really be prepared. Only when the good are strong will peace prevail, Trump said at a ceremony signing the bill.

The bill marks the beginning of an undoing of a series of budget cuts to the military in recent years.

Trump said those cuts had severely impacted our readiness, shrunk our capabilities, and placed substantial burdens on our warfighters.

Defense Secretary James Mattis told Congress in June that No enemy in the field has done more to harm the combat readiness of our military than sequestration. Sequestration refers to automatic, across-the-board budget cuts to discretionary spending, which includes spending on the military.

Trump urged Congress to fully fund the measure and lift the budget caps.

U.S. Soldiers fire a howitzer to support Iraqi forces in northern Iraq on Aug. 15, 2017, while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. (Army photo by Cpl. Rachel Diehm)

The National Defense Authorization Act sets policy for the U.S. military but does not provide funding, which is approved with other legislation.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress are currently negotiating a spending bill. Trump signed a two-week funding bill on Dec. 8, preventing a government shutdown hours before the deadline.

The stopgap legislation will maintain current funding for federal operations and keep the government open through Dec. 22, while lawmakers continue to negotiate on a long-term budget deal.

Democrats have demanded parity on defense and non-defense discretionary spending increases above the statutory caps.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence meet with Congressional leadership including House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), along with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 7, 2017. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

In addition, they are pushing for a legislative solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program before the end of the yeara significant hurdle in the budget talks.

The White House, however, wants to keep DACA and immigration talks out of the budget deal.

At this time of grave global threats, I urge Democrats in Congress to drop their shutdown threats and descend clean funding and a clean funding bill to my desk that fully funds our great military, Trump said.

Protecting our country should always be a bipartisan issue, just like todays legislation.

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Figure 2. 38 North said the high level of activity is consistently observed in satellite images of the West Portal. Image taken Nov. 21, 2017. (Airbus Defense & Space / 38 North, Pleiades  CNES 2017, Distribution Airbus DS)

Experts say Future Tests Likely at North Korean Nuclear Test Site

New satellite images indicate the North Korea regime is working on its nuclear test site despite ongoing tremors suggesting the region has been destabilized by previous underground tests.

According to recent commercial satellite photos and an analysis shared by 38 Northwhich specializes in information about North Koreathe Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site is receiving significant tunnel work, with fresh spoil revealing the excavation taking place.

Work has apparently been concentrated at the West Portal. Earlier images had indicated the regime had shifted its focus to the West Portal after its most recent nuclear test on Sept 3.

Prior to that testthe communist regimes sixth and by far its largestthe West Portal was a yet unused tunnel complex where little or no activity had been seen for the past several months, wrote 38 North.

That changed after North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb that has set off ongoing aftershocks in the region and reportedly caused a massive tunnel collapse that reportedly killed up to 200 people.

Related Coverage North Korean Missile Test Accidentally Burns Worker to Death

A seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed to The Epoch Times that two tremors were detected in the region last weekend.

This has been ongoing, said the seismologist Paul Earle, adding that the U.S. Air Force Technical Applications Center was responsible for monitoring events stemming from the nuclear test.

The aftershocks measured 2.9 and 2.4 magnitude, according to Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.

Zerbo tweeted that the events were tectonic in origin, meaning they were not from a new nuclear test.

#CTBT #IMS #Alert: Two Events Vicinity of #DPRK test site this morning (MI 2.9 /6:13 UTC & MI 2.4 / 6:40 UTC). Analysts confirm tectonic origin.

 Red dot/ 3 Sept 2017 #DPRK #nucleartest

 Green dots/ subsequent aftershocks

 Yellow dots/ today events

Unprecedented for region pic.twitter.com/8NUHCW01xL  Lassina Zerbo (@SinaZerbo) December 9, 2017

A larger earthquake on Sept. 23 had a magnitude of 3.2. Around the time of that event, TV Asahi cited unnamed North Korean sources claiming a tunnel collapse had killed 100 North Koreans at the test site. During rescue operations, another collapse claimed another 100 workers, the outlet reported.

Ongoing tremors in the region have spurred speculation that the tectonic plates under the test site had been destabilized, rendering further tests in the region dangerous. Seismologists have also said the tremors could be the plates settling after the nuclear upheaval.

According to 38 Norths images, it appears North Korea has not abandoned the site and may be planning future tests.

In November, the images of the site revealed material, mining carts, and netting were being moved into the area of the West Portal.

These efforts continue to be concentrated at the West Portal, leaving the North Portalwhere the last five tests were conductedmostly dormant and likely abandoned, at least for the time being, read the earlier analysis from 38 North.

After Septembers test, temporary structures near the North portals entrance were removed, and no mining equipment or materials have been observed in this area, the images suggest. The West Portal, however, has since had a consistently high level of activity.

Vehicles and personnel are photographed around the portal, and mining carts appear to be bringing spoil from inside the underground facility to growing spoil piles outside, according to 38 Norths new analysis, released Dec. 11.

These activities suggest that tunnel excavation is underway at the West Portal, as the North Koreans expand the sites potential for future nuclear testing, reads the analysis.

38 North credited Frank V. Pabian, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., and Jack Liu for the analysis of the images.

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A prisoner prays in front of Kerobokan prison in Denpasar, on the Indonesian island of Bali, Indonesia March 1, 2015. (Reuters/Beawiharta/File Photo)

U.S. Citizen on the Run After Busting out of Bali Prison

DENPASAR, IndonesiaIndonesian police are hunting for a U.S. citizen who escaped on Monday from an overcrowded prison on the holiday island of Bali by cutting through steel bars in a ceiling, the jails second breakout of foreign inmates this year.

The Kerobokan prison, about 10 km (six miles) from the main tourist beaches in the Kuta area, often holds foreigners facing drug-related charges.

Cristian Beasley, who was a suspect in crimes related to narcotics but had not been sentenced, escaped at 4.10 a.m., said Badung Police chief Yudith Satria Hananta.

It is thought that the prisoner escaped  by cutting through the steel bars above the ceiling, he said in a statement, without giving details of how Beasley escaped without being detected.

Beasley, 32, from California, is believed to have then used a rope to climb down a wall before getting over a perimeter wall in an area being refurbished.

Police had questioned witnesses and guards and were hunting for Beasley, Hananta said.

Another American, Paul Anthony Hoffman, 57, was captured while also trying to escape, Hananta said.

Representatives of Beasley and Hoffman could not immediately be reached for comment.

In June, an Australian, a Bulgarian, an Indian, and a Malaysian tunneled to freedom about 12 meters (13 yards) under the prisons walls.

The Indian and the Bulgarian were caught soon after in neighboring East Timor, but Australian Shaun Edward Davidson and Malaysian Tee Kok King remain at large.

Davidson has taunted authorities by saying he was enjoying life in various parts of the world, in purported posts on Facebook.

Kerobokan has housed a number of well-known foreign drug convicts, including Australian Schappelle Corby, whose 12-1/2-year sentence for marijuana smuggling got huge media attention.

Indonesia has executed several foreign drug convicts in recent years.

Indonesian prisons are often overcrowded, partly because a war on drugs led by the government of President Joko Widodo has led to a surge in the number of people locked up.

As of June, Kerobokan housed 1,378 inmates, more than four times its planned capacity of 323, government data show.

Prison escapes are fairly common in Indonesia, which launched an investigation this year after about 350 inmates broke out of a prison on the island of Sumatra.
Woman Complained of Itchy Eyes, Then Doctors Make Unusual Find in Her Eyelashes

A Chinese woman had more than 100 parasites living in her eyes, and she only got treatment after complaining about itchy eyes, according to a report.

The woman, known only as Ms. Xu, told doctors in Wuhan, Hubei Province, that she had itchy, red eyes for about two years but got used to them and didnt know the reason why, according to MailOnline.

Doctors asked her a few questions, and they revealed that she had used the same pillowcase since 2012.

She had been treating the symptoms with over-the-counter eye drop medication.

However, the problem only got worse. She was left with a crusty residue on her eyelashes, and her eyelids got stuck together.

Woman's 'itchy eyes' problem turns out to be caused by a hundred parasites living in her EYELASHES https://t.co/p8JwLjd9cU  Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) December 12, 2017

Doctors were then shocked to find that there were more than 100 eyelash mites were found on her lids, according to MailOnline, noting that one eyelash follicle had more than 10 mites on it.

Ms. Xu was diagnosed with blepharitis and conjunctivitis.

Doctors said she made a recovery after the treatment.

According to Norman Herskovich, an optometrist at Elite Family Eye Care, in Fort Lauderdale, the mites are most active while people sleep.

They try to avoid light, so what ends up happening, as awkward as this sounds, when we go to bed at night they come out and they mate, and they will actually reproduce. They have a two- to three-week cycle and will eventually die, but their offspring will continue the process, said Herskovich, CBS News reported.

There are around 65 species of mites that live on animals hair follicles, known as Demodex.

One can conclude that wherever mankind is found, hair follicle mites will be found and that the transfer mechanism is 100% effective! (One of my students noted it was undoubtedly the first invertebrate metazoan to visit the moon!) according to mite specialist William Nutting in 1976.

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Woman Rescued From Kidnapper After Mouthing Help Me

An Oregon man was arrested for kidnapping a woman and a child, and authorities say that they were rescued after the woman mouthed help me to people in a store.

Christopher Hahn-Collins, 25, of Salem, is slated to appear at the Marion County Circuit Court, and it isnt clear if he has an attorney, CBS News reported.

Hahn-Collins broke into the womans home on Friday when she and her child returned home. He then held them at knifepoint overnight.

She then convinced him to take them to Dicks Sporting Goods on Saturday afternoon. There, she was rescued by deputies who were called to the store by people who saw her mouth, help me to them.

Hahn-Collins and the victims didnt know each other before the kidnapping.

He was arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping, menancing, first-degree burglary, unlawful possession and unlawful use of a weapon, giving false information to police, and a parole violation on a sex abuse charge.

We have to commend her because how brave is that? She did a great job of keeping this man calm and getting herself in a position where she could get help, said Marion County Sheriffs Office Lt. Chris Baldridge, according to NBC affiliate KGW-TV.

Employees inside the Dicks Sporting Goods store declined to comment, but they said theyre happy the woman and her child are fine.

Other details about the case are not clear. The child and the mother were not named in police reports.
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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.
A Muscatine man was sentenced in Muscatine County District Court on Friday after being accused of trying to burn down a residence on July 4.

Around 1 p.m. July 4, Shawn Paul Hedger, 30, allegedly poured gasoline on the inside of a residence in the 400 block Grandview Avenue. The Muscatine Police Department also claim Hedger used gasoline in an attempt to set clothes and the building on fire, according to the criminal complaint.

When police arrived at the scene, Hedger allegedly brandished a knife at the officers and refused commands to surrender, according to officers. After being taken into custody, Hedger was charged with threat of arson, a class D felony, and interference with official acts, a class D felony.

Hedger was charged as a habitual offender because twice he was previously convicted of felony charges.

Friday, Hedger pleaded guilty to interference with official acts while armed with a dangerous weapon, according to Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren. He waived his right to a delay in sentencing, according to Ostergren, and was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

Hedger must serve three years in prison before being eligible for parole, according to court documents.

Sarah Ritter
MUSCATINE  A Muscatine teen will be sentenced next month after pleading guilty to robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Around 3:20 p.m. on Oct. 26, Thomas Roger Brase, 16, was accused of stealing property from a parked vehicle. When he was confronted by the vehicle owner, Brase allegedly took out a handgun and began striking the victim over the head, according to the criminal complaint.

The Muscatine Police Department said officers found the magazine of the firearm at the scene of the incident, and Brase later admitted to the assault, according to the criminal complaint.

Brase was charged with robbery in the first degree and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He previously had felony burglary charges, according to court documents.

Friday, Brase pleaded guilty to both offenses. He will remain in Muscatine County Jail pending a sentencing hearing on Jan. 19.

Sarah Ritter
MUSCATINE  More than 2,000 Muscatine residents should be on the lookout for a court-approved notice coming in the mail this week, which will explain options in continuing to sue Grain Processing Corporation over emissions.

The notice, which was approved Tuesday by Muscatine County District Court Judge Thomas Reidel, will tell qualifying residents they have until Dec. 27 to decide whether to agree to the terms of a settlement agreement against GPC or rejoin a class action lawsuit against the corporation.

Lawyers negotiating the settlement claim the agreement is the quickest way to win compensation over GPCs Oregon Street plant emissions. Class action lawyers, on the other hand, argue the class is the best way to vindicate claims for the entire community and make lasting changes to Muscatines air quality.

Although GPC has agreed to the terms of the settlement agreement, Attorney Kelsey Knowles said the corporation is admitting no wrongdoing. She said, at a previous court hearing, the settlement agreement is the easiest way for GPC to resolve hundreds of lawsuits.

Class Action Lawsuit

In May, the Iowa Supreme Court certified a class action lawsuit against GPC over emissions at its Oregon Street plant. Residents who have lived within 1.5 miles of the GPC plant since 2007 are automatically included in the class, which seeks compensation for the loss of enjoyment of properties because of the emissions and accompanying odor.

Around 14,000 individuals are included in the class action lawsuit, according to court documents. Class counsel are currently preparing for a trial in Muscatine County District Court, which is set for next July.

Settlement agreement

Along with the class action, hundreds of Southend residents began suing GPC this summer, seeking compensation for property damage and other claims. In September, lawyers  being referred to as the Parry Group  announced they reached a settlement with GPC, in an effort to resolve the lawsuits.

In the announcement, lawyers said residents, who have lived within 1.5 miles of the plant between 2007 and 2015, could be awarded up to $33,000, depending on proximity to the plant, home ownership status and other factors. The lawyers will collect one-third of the total compensation as their legal fee.

By signing the settlement, residents will give up their right to sue GPC in the future unless there is a catastrophic release of contaminants; agree to place a permanent easement on their properties, allowing GPC to continue operating its plant regardless of the environmental impact; and agree to assist GPC with future litigation, including in the class action.

Around 280 residents, who agreed to the settlement before Aug. 31, are already receiving compensation checks, according to Attorney Ron Parry.

More than 2,000 residents have opted out of the class action lawsuit and signed the settlement agreement, according to court documents.

What now?

The roughly 2,000 residents, who have signed the settlement agreement after Aug. 31, will be mailed a corrective notice this week explaining their options moving forward.

The judge decided issuing a corrective notice is necessary because the initial settlement announcement did not provide the complete terms of the agreement. Reidel said the announcement painted a rosy picture, highlighting the top dollar amount residents could win, but not what they give up by agreeing to the settlement.

The corrective notice explains the complete terms of the conditions, contact information for lawyers involved in suing GPC, plus information for rejoining the class action lawsuit, if residents choose to do so.

Residents who have signed the settlement agreement will have until Dec. 27 to decide whether to dissolve the agreement and rejoin the class action lawsuit. The mailed corrective notice includes an opt-in form, which must be sent to the clerk of court before the deadline.

For those who read the terms of the agreement and wish to continue with the settlement, no action is necessary. The judge said the initial opt out of the class action will remain valid.
Surin Beach seawall will go ahead, vows MaAnn

PHUKET: Chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) MaAan Samran has assured that construction of the seawall at Surin Beach will go ahead despite experts stating that building the seawall will seriously damage coastal resources instead of preventing beach erosion.

tourismenvironmentnatural-resourcesconstructioneconomics

By Premkamon Ketsara

Tuesday 12 December 2017, 04:28PM

Construction of the seawall at Phukets Surin Beach will go ahead, vows Chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) MaAan Samran. Photo: Premkamon Ketsara

Mr MaAan broke the news in an exclusive interview with The Phuket Newss sister Thai-language publication Khao Phuket following a public meeting at the Thalang District Office on Dec 1.

The meeting was held after more than 100 disgruntled local residents and beach operators massed at Surin Beach on Nov 27 to present a list of demands to be answered in the hopes raising the standard of the beach so that it becomes more attractive to tourists. (See story here.)

The building of the Surin Beach seawall will go ahead, but the project is just going slowly, Mr MaAan told Khao Phuket.

However, Mr MaAnn would not elaborate any further on the issue.

The Dec 1 meeting was also held with the aim of clearing up misunderstandings about alleged duplicity in allowing beach operators to serve tourists on the sands at Surin Beach.

The final conclusion from the meeting was that no vendors, temporary of permanent, would be allowed to operate on the beach. (See story here.)

Speaking about the beach vendor issues, Mr MaAnn said, Starting with sunbeds and umbrellas. We have already talked about this issue. Every government office still has problem with this issue, including police, because they do not agree for operators to sell in public areas.

Surin Beach is an honour beach as King Rama 9 visited here in 1959. This means we should conserve the nature that is here, he explained.

We do understand residents problems, but every occupation has its problems. Everyone must find solutions together, he said.

With regards to vendors claims that double standards were being applied between beach bed and umbrella vendors, Mr MaAnn said, There are no double standards. The only standard we have is that beds and umbrellas are not allowed. If they (operators and tourists) came to the beach, why do they have to put umbrellas. They should absorb the real temperature of the nature where they are visiting.

Turning his attention to residents demands that lifeguards and equipment be provided for tourists, Mr MaAnn refused to hire lifeguards and rescue equipment.

This is the responsibility of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor),he said.

He added that his decision was to prevent any duplicate hiring problem.

Moreover, Mr MaAan also explained that the issue of public toilets being installed at the beach was now in the hands of the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning.

These toilets were designed as part of the plans for the Surin Public Park.

However, the OrBorTor will solve the problem by renting mobile toilets for six months from December until April. The rental fee might not be more than B150,000.

The Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning is going to design [the permanent] toilets [that will be built] within Surin Public Park, he added.

Former Phuket Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan on Jan 19 confirmed to The Phuket News that plans to build a B800 million Rajabhakti Park at Surin Beach had been scrapped and that a lesser costing public park would replace it.

At that time, Gov Chockchai said, We have now cancelled all plans to build the Rajabhakti Park at Surin Beach. We have now decided to build a park which will be named Surin Public Park. (See story here.)
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.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Kelly Marie Tran, Domhnall Gleeson, Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro, Lupita Nyongo and Anthony Daniels. Opens Friday (with Thursday night previews) at GTA theatres. 152 minutes. PG

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a movie that really wants us to love it, even more so than its crowd-pleasing predecessor, The Force Awakens.

Rian Johnsons muscular contribution to the enduring space-fantasy franchise is filled with plot-quickening images of outstretched arms and hands that beckon and entreat.

There are more jokes than before, sometimes at risk to the drama  imagine kidding about the solemn exhortation, May the Force be with you.

Mark Hamill in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.





Returning figures both vintage and recent will gladden the hearts of even the fussiest of Star Wars fanatics. These include Mark Hamills Jedi stalwart Luke Skywalker, who finally rejoins the main stage 34 years after Return of the Jedi, and the late Carrie Fishers Princess Leia (now Resistance-leading General Leia Organa), whose presence seemed in doubt following her untimely death last Christmas. (Shed already filmed most of her now-poignant scenes; the judicious use of CGI helps close any gaps.)

Daisy Ridleys Rey, John Boyegas Finn and Oscar Isaacs Poe Dameron are back as Resistance fighters, along with their mechanical and animal sidekicks, more heroic than ever in their continuing battle against the intergalactic menace called the First Order.

New characters, sure to be fast fan favourites, are played by Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro and Kelly Marie Tran, the latter essaying the first major role for an Asian-American woman in a Star Wars film.

All this affection deserves to be returned in kind, even if a new Star Wars film, now an annual event (last year brought the series spinoff Rogue One), is no longer the novelty it was when The Force Awakens premiered in 2015.

The Last Jedi boasts many very good performances, ones that enrich the characters and which salute writer/director Johnsons ability to find the humanity within technology, something he proved early on with his artful time-travel thriller Looper.

With his trusty Looper cinematographer Steve Yedlin behind the lens for the films epic scenes, Johnson makes the multiple trials and temptations of the story worth caring about and gaping at.

He also makes the villains truly villainous, unlike most recent blockbusters, with Andy Serkis and Adam Driver upping their evil games as the First Orders Supreme Leader Snoke and lead warrior Kylo Ren.

The many women in the cast are part and parcel of the saga, not to be trifled with. Woe to any guy, good or bad, who attempts to mansplain a situation in this movie.

It must be said that there are also a lot of box-checking elements to this new Star Wars film, a.k.a. Episode VIII, that, as with all franchises, are deemed necessary to satisfy aficionados while also appealing to a global and diverse audience. These include the addition of puffin-like birds called porgs, which should by rights be called adorbs and which are little more than a craven attempt to sell toys (which will probably succeed).

The films paunchy middle section includes a trip to a casino that might better have ended up on the cutting-room floor. The unnecessary padding accounts for the 152-minute running time, a franchise record, which will test the patience (and bladders) of even the most devoted followers.

At the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' premiere in Los Angeles, Mark Hamill was thankful for his 'Jedi pension plan' and Daisy Ridley prepared with wine and guacamole. (The Associated Press)

J.J. Abrams The Force Awakens borrowed heavily from the original Star Wars movie A New Hope, to the delight of most (and dismay of some) after the prequel trilogy of nearly 20 years ago controversially chose to forgo a lot of what people loved about the original trilogy.

The Last Jedi is cannier and also more catholic about its provenance. This latest chapter in the 40-year-old Star Wars saga judiciously and often cleverly lifts from the other two films in the original canon, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

It begins with John Williams stirring score and the familiar scene-setting scroll, which warns of how the Empire-inspired First Order is gaining the upper hand on the plucky but outnumbered Resistance, led in remote planetary exile by Fishers grimly determined Gen. Organa.

An air battle against an attacking First Order Dreadnought warship, featuring Isaacs X-Wing fighter pilot Poe and his roly-poly droid sidekick BB-8, thrillingly demonstrates just how much resolve remains in the Resistance.

Cut to Jedi island enclave Ahch-To (actually heritage site Skellig Michael, off the southern coast of Ireland), the scene where The Force Awakens ended. Ridleys Force-awakened Rey momentously proffers a legendary lightsaber to Hamills Skywalker, who is puzzled by her presence.

At this point, remaining plot description should be limited to a now-famous exclamation by Skywalker, heard in the trailer: This is not going to go the way you think!

He intends this as a warning to a character. The rest of us, however, should take it as reassurance that while The Last Jedi is every bit the franchise blockbuster that studio Disney requires it to be, its also very much the embraceable and sustainable story we hoped it would be.

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OTTAWALegalized pot will cost Canadians about $10 a gram and Ottawa has agreed to give the provinces 75 per cent of the tax revenues to help cover costs of setting up the new regime.

The agreement on the 75-25 tax revenue split came Monday during a meeting between federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his provincial counterparts.

The ministers pegged the cost at about $10 a gram. Each gram of marijuana would have a tax of $1 on sales up to $10 and a 10-per-cent tax on sales worth more than $10.

Read more: Provinces to get 75 per cent share of pot tax revenues, Bill Morneau says

Our expectation is that, by keeping prices low, we will be able to get rid of the black market. However that will happen over time, Morneau said.

Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said the price could be even less than $10 a gram as governments try to squeeze out the illegal market. Its important for us to be responsive to the marketplace, he said.

The federal government in October had proposed a 50-50 split, a formula that prompted much grumbling among the provinces.

But even with the richer cost-sharing agreement, provincial ministers were quick to warn that no level of government will be getting rich from Ottawas move to legalize cannabis, due to take effect July 1.

In fact, they all warned that the costs of setting up the system to sell legalized recreational pot will far outweigh the tax revenues, estimated to be about $400 million a year in the early years. The federal government pegged its costs so far at $700 million and municipalities estimate their costs at between $210 million and $335 million a year.

Our priority is not revenue. Its not profit. Our priority is to get off the ground and get out of the gate in a smooth transition to a new market where weve not been before, said Cathy Rogers, New Brunswicks finance minister.

Sousa said Ottawa and the provinces are attempting to learn the lessons of other jurisdictions where cannabis has already been legalized and ensure that investments in policing and public health are made upfront.

We are investing quite a bit of money in those issues, Sousa said. But going forward, we know there is demand for cannabis. Quite a bit. He predicted that tax revenues will grow quite substantively.

Under the revenue-sharing agreement, which will be in force for two years, the federal share will be capped at $100 million, meaning any additional tax revenues will go to the provinces and territories.

Morneau said it would be up to the provinces in turn to decide how much to give municipalities, which last week demanded a one-third share.

Sousa told the Star after the meeting that he is aware of the needs of Ontarios towns and cities.

I need the municipalities not to be out of pocket on this stuff, so Im concerned to make sure that they also have recovery. Im working with them to ensure that those costs ... are recovered, Sousa said.

At their meeting, finance ministers also talked about the need to make changes to crack down on tax evasion measures, as exposed during recent Panama Papers and Paradise Papers exposes.

We know there are some individuals who are moving money overseas to a country avoiding taxation or worse, to launder money or partake in terrorist financing, Morneau said.

He said the finance ministers agreed that action was needed to better know the actual owners of companies.

We need to be able to see into companies to know who actually owns those companies, he said.

We agreed to take concrete steps to ensure that we have knowledge of who owns companies across our country so that we can do a better job at ensuring that we dont have tax evasion. We dont have money laundering, he said.

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OTTAWALiberal Jean Yip declared victory to keep the Scarborough-Agincourt riding in the family Monday night, with a win in a seven-person field.

The Liberals were on track to retain a second safe seat and the Conservatives on course to hang onto a safe seat of their own in three of four federal byelections held Monday.

The Scarborough-Agincourt riding was left vacant by the death of Yips husband, Arnold Chan, of cancer in September. Her nearest competitor was banker Dasong Zou, running for the Conservatives. But the outcome was widely expected: the Liberals have held Scarborough-Agincourt for three decades.

Im happy and I know Arnold would be happy with the kind of campaign we ran, Yip said.

Im never going to stop meeting the residents of Scarborough-Agincourt. Ill continue to knock on their door, hear their concerns, and work very hard for them in the constituency, as well as in Ottawa.

Chan had held the seat for only six months when his cancer diagnosis was made in 2014. He underwent radiation and chemotherapy, but in March 2016, the cancer was back. He lived another 18 months.

Yip said her first priority would be to seek federal funds for the Bridletowne Community Hub and funding for senior spaces and youth programs.

This byelection would not be a one-off, she promised. I plan to run again. You dont put in this hard work and say thanks very much. I am totally committed to representing the residents of Scarborough-Agincourt. I dont do things half way.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Liberals easily retained Bonavista-Burin-Trinity, the safest Liberal seat in the country.

With all polls reporting, Liberal Churence Rogers captured 69.2 per cent of the vote  46 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor, Conservative Mike Windsor, who nevertheless managed to double his share of the vote from the 2015 general election.

Read more:

Jean Yip to vie for late husband Arnold Chans seat

Trudeau pays tribute at funeral for Liberal MP Arnold Chan

Judy Foote resigns cabinet to help family face cancer

As impressive as Rogers margin of victory was, he did not meet the standard set by his popular Liberal predecessor, Judy Foote, who retired from cabinet and federal politics citing family health concerns. She won the strongest majority in the country during the 2015 election, taking a whopping 81.8 per cent of the vote.

With 90 of 138 polls reporting in the safe Tory riding of Battlefords-Lloydminster in Saskatchewan, Conservative Rosemarie Falk enjoyed a commanding lead with 68.8 per cent of the vote, more than 50 points ahead of any of her competitors.

Battlefords-Lloydminster was left vacant following the retirement of veteran Conservative MP Gerry Ritz, who had held the riding for 20 years.

The B.C. contest was the only one where the seat could change hands.

Results were just starting to trickle in the one riding  British Columbias South SurreyWhite Rock  where the Liberals were hoping to score an upset over the Conservatives.

With 75 of 199 polls reporting, that contest was still too close to call.

Liberal contender Gordie Hogg had an early lead with 47 per cent of the vote, just five percentage points ahead of Conservative Kerry-Lynne Findlay, a former Harper-era cabinet minister who represented a neighbouring riding for one term before being defeated in 2015.

South SurreyWhite Rock was left vacant after Conservative MP Diane Watts resigned to run for the leadership of the B.C. Liberals. Watts, a high-profile former mayor of Surrey, narrowly won the seat in 2015 with 44 per cent of the vote, less than 1,500 votes ahead of the Liberal contender.

This time, the Liberals are running Hogg, a former White Rock mayor and B.C. MLA, against Conservative Kerry-Lynne Findlay, a former Harper-era cabinet minister who represented a neighbouring riding for one term before being defeated in the 2015 election.

Should Hogg prevail, it would be the second byelection loss in as many months for newly minted Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

The four byelections mark the second electoral test for the newly minted leaders of the Conservative and New Democratic parties, Scheer and Jagmeet Singh.

Neither fared particularly well in their first test.

In October, the Liberals scored a stunning upset in a byelection in Quebecs nationalist heartland, stealing the riding of Lac-Saint-Jean away from the Tories. The NDP, which had come a close second in the riding in 2015, wound up a distant fourth.

At the same time, Scheer found some consolation in another byelection in an Edmonton Tory stronghold, easily hanging onto Sturgeon RiverParkland with an increased share of the vote, while both the Liberals and NDP saw their vote share decline slightly.

With files from the Canadian Press

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SHERBROOKE, QUE.Lawyers representing the three men charged with criminal negligence in the Lac-Megantic rail disaster that killed 47 people announced in court Tuesday they wont call any witnesses.

As a consequence, the 14 jurors were released and are scheduled to return to court Jan. 3 for closing statements from the Crown followed by the final arguments from lawyers for the accused.

Tom Harding and former colleagues Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre are each facing one count of criminal negligence causing the death of 47 people.

Read more:

Irving Oil ordered to pay $4 million after pleading guilty in Lac-Megantic probe

Lac-Megantic train derailment trial opens in Sherbrooke

Jury selected for Lac-Megantic train derailment trial

They have all pleaded not guilty.

Thomas Walsh, a lawyer for train conductor Harding, said in an interview the defence teams decided to not call witnesses because they dont believe the Crown met the burden of proof.

(The Crown) had to establish beyond a reasonable doubt all the essential ingredients of the case, Walsh said in a telephone interview from Sherbrooke, where the trial is being held.

And the essential ingredients of this case involve a departure from a proven norm of conduct which is so great that it constitutes criminal negligence.

On July 6, 2013, a runaway train carrying crude oil from the United States derailed in Lac-Megantic and exploded, killing 47 people and destroying part of the downtown core.

The Crown argued the locomotive weighing more than 10,000 tonnes was not properly secured, leaving it resting precariously on a slope, 10 kilometres away from downtown Lac-Megantic.

Crown prosecutor Veronique Beauchamp told the court at the beginning of the trial the three men were each criminally negligent in their own way for failing to ensure the train was safe.

Beauchamp did not want to comment on Tuesdays developments.

Given that the final arguments and directives (to the jury) have not taken place and that the jury is not yet sequestered, we cannot respond to your request out of respect for the court and the role of the jury in this case, she said.

Walsh said the jurors were sent home before the holidays in order to preserve the serenity of the deliberations.

We didnt want to pick a timetable that would put them in a position where in order to get free by Christmas they were going to have to come up with a relatively hasty verdict, he said.

The defence teams should complete their closing statements by Jan. 5, which would allow the jurors to begin deliberating after receiving instructions from the trial judge the following Monday, he added.

The disaster led to hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup and reconstruction costs as well as the bankruptcy of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, the company that owned and operated the tracks.

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OTTAWAMarc Garneaus hope the Senate would approve an air passenger rights bill by Christmas failed to take off Tuesday during a hearing marked by strong rebukes and a fiery exchange between the transport minister and a former Liberal party operative.

The Liberals had been pushing the upper chamber to pass a transportation bill that would set the stage for a new air passenger bill of rights, make changes to rail safety rules and affect grain shipments.

Transport committee members, however, killed any hope Garneau had of convincing them to fast-track the legislation, putting off until next year any changes that would affect air travellers caught up in delays or bounced from flights, as well as grain farmers hoping to more easily move their crop to market by rail.

Read more:

Liberals not picking on airlines with passenger bill of rights: Garneau

Passenger bill of rights would prevent air-travel nightmares, government says

Editorial: Air passenger bill of rights long overdue

Garneau blamed the media for the perception that the legislation, once passed, would itself enact a passenger bill of rights, rather than simply clear the way for one. He then took aim at Sen. Terry Mercer, an independent Liberal, for suggesting Garneau has said otherwise.

In any event, travellers would have to wait until 2018 for a passenger rights bill because the Canadian Transportation Agency would be in charge of crafting the rules.

Ive explained it a million times, but the perception is out there, Garneau said. Senator, youre on this committee. I expect that you know whats in the bill and that youre telling me that Ive created this perception is frankly a little bit surprising.

Garneau said the Liberals never intended to enshrine the bill of rights in legislation, because that would have made it more difficult to make any future changes. He said people should wait to see what the arms-length agency crafts.

Mercer replied, Perhaps it should be in the bill, minister, then we wouldnt have the controversy.

The legislation would set rules and fines for airlines in situations where a passenger has been bumped from an overbooked flight, suffered lost or damaged luggage or endured an overly long wait on the tarmac  but only when the carrier is responsible.

The bill would also requiring voice and video recorders in locomotives.

Senators chided Garneau for crafting an omnibus piece of legislation that the government refuses to split.

Committee chairman Sen. David Tkachuk called the government audacious for accusing the Senate of stalling the bill, saying the Liberals instead be placing the blame at their own feet.

The problem with this government is that it wants an independent Senate when necessary, but not necessarily an independent Senate when that doesnt suit its purposes.

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OTTAWASupreme Court of Canada Justice Richard Wagner once joked that, as a middle child, I learned to achieve consensus early.

That sense of humour and pursuit of co-operation plus a clear, persistent campaign by Quebecs legal and political community that stressed it was the provinces turn may have secured Wagner the plum job of chief justice of Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday he would elevate the Montreal-born Wagner, 60, a former commercial and civil litigator and judge from Quebecs trial and appeal courts, to replace Beverley McLachlin, who retires Friday after 28 years on the top court, 18 as chief justice.

I have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the highest court of Canada, an institution with a long and respected history of judicial independence and excellence, Trudeau said in announcing Wagners promotion. The judiciary, the legal profession and all Canadians will be well served by his dedication to upholding the laws and Constitution upon which this country is founded.

In naming Wagner, Trudeau bypassed one tradition  of appointing the most senior judge on the court, Rosalie Abella  in favour of another: alternating between a common law judge from English-speaking Canada and a Quebec judge trained in civil law. Its a practice that hasnt always been followed, including by Trudeaus own father when he was prime minister.

But Quebecs legal and political community had launched a full-court press to ensure a Quebec judge would replace McLachlin. The Bar of Montreal had written Trudeau and the provincial legislature passed a unanimous resolution supporting a Quebec chief justice, urging him to follow the practice.

Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould admitted to reporters that it certainly was something that the prime minister considered in making this appointment, but she stressed Wagners personal qualifications too.

He has the integrity, the wisdom and the collegial spirit and co-operation that a chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada needs, she said.

By promoting Wagner, Trudeau set aside his goal to promote women to senior posts whenever possible. Abella, who has 13 years experience on the top court, has been internationally recognized for her intellectual heft, passion for human rights and commitment to equality law. At 71, she is due to retire in 2021, by which time choosing the next chief might no longer be up to Trudeau. So opting for Wagner now represents a safe, longer term appointment.

The job comes with a $30,000 raise  Wagner will earn $405,400 in his new post  and an opportunity to shape the court and influence the direction of the Canadian judiciary for the next 15 years and beyond.

He will head the Canadian Judicial Council, the governing body for federal judges, and the board of the National Judicial Institute, which leads judicial education. He will also chair the advisory council on Order of Canada appointments and could occasionally step in as deputy governor-general.

Osgoode Hall law dean Lorne Sossin doesnt expect Wagners appointment to be a radical departure kind of moment for the court.

If anything I think it will be a chance to see what can gel among people on the court who really dont seem as if they have an obvious amount of chemistry in common. So the real test is almost more as a builder of esprit de corps.

Still, its unclear just what kind of mark Wagner will leave.

He is a judicial centrist who often sides with majority opinions.

An analysis of the high courts rulings last year published on a legal blog, thecourt.ca, shows Wagner participated in 52 of 55 judgments handed down in 2016, and sided with a majority or a unanimous ruling in 48 of those, or 92 per cent.

He describes himself as a champion of an impartial and non-politicized judiciary, and said in 2012 he viewed the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as a living, evolving document, a view that underpins small-l liberal sentiment in this country.

He joined unanimous court rulings that struck down much of Stephen Harpers legislative and policy agenda, including Senate reform, and a bid to put an Ottawa-based federal judge into a Quebec seat on the court  even though it was Harper who appointed him to the Supreme Court.

Yet Wagner has shown deference to the role of legislators in other instances, issuing a stinging dissent with his former colleague Marshall Rothstein when the majority upheld the right of Saskatchewans public service workers to strike. He also dissented when a majority struck down the Harper governments mandatory minimum sentences for illegal firearms possession and repeat drug trafficking charges.

Sossin is watching to see how Wagner rules in a pair of appeals that deal with discrimination claims based on sexual orientation. Trinity Western University wants the court to order Ontario and B.C. law societies to license its graduates despite the professional bodies objections to the Christian universitys requirement that students not engage in sexual activity outside of straight marriage.

Wagner decided to exclude all LGBTQ groups from participating in the hearings, a move that was reversed by order of McLachlin.

Sossin said it will be a real test of where some of the new justices find themselves and a test of Wagner as well. Equality cases are hardest for centrists because of the polarizing nature of such cases, he said.

Wagner will be sworn in at Rideau Hall on Monday to take on a job that McLachlin often joked is one that gave her the reins of power, only to discover that are no horses attached.

Thats because the chief justice is first among equals in a court full of strong-willed and opinionated jurists who take pride in their independence  not just from government, but from bosses of any kind.

Within minutes of the announcement, emails of delight about his promotion flew around Quebec law firms and offices.

It was exactly 10:03, said Denis Ferland, a former partner of Wagners in private practice when they were at Lavery de Billy. I got an email and I am very, very happy.

Richard is very mindful of the people he works with, so I think he will be very good for the court, for the lawyers and  those citizens who actually have to live with the rulings thereafter, Ferland said. He praised the prime minister for sticking to tradition, and Ferland dismissed the notion that any political desire to keep peace in Quebec as the hurly-burly of an election year approaches played a part.

I dont think it was done for political reasons. But were going through, as a country, all kinds of changes and the judicial system is one of the foundations which is left in our society and you dont want to change everything all at once, he said. I think it is a good tradition. But over and above the tradition, I think Richard is a very good candidate.

Wagner first became a trial judge of Quebecs Superior Court in 2004 under the Liberal government of Paul Martin, and appointed to the top court by Harpers Conservative government five years ago.

At that time, some speculated that Wagners political leanings were Conservative. But Wagner has not displayed particular political leanings or ideology on the court.

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The chair of the Toronto police board is recommending that an independent review of the controversial school resource officer program be cancelled, in the wake of the Toronto District School Board decision to pull police from its halls.

In a November 22 letter to his colleagues on the Toronto police board, chair Andy Pringle recommends that an $80,000 evaluation of the school officer program by Ryerson University  commissioned in August  be discontinued.

Instead, he suggests Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders, in consultation with the board, discuss with the TDSB and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) as to the best manner in which a safe, welcoming and inclusive culture can be achieved and the appropriate role, if any, for the Toronto Police Service in achieving that objective, Pringle wrote in correspondence thats part of the agenda for the upcoming board meeting.

The move comes less than a month after the TDSB opted to cancel the decade-old program, which saw 45 police officers assigned to schools throughout the city.

Trustees had voted to remove police from schools following the school boards own six-week review of the program, which included feedback from 15,000 students, as well as staff, parents and community members.

The TDSB review concluded that while most of the people who filled out a survey about the school resource officer (SRO) program had a positive impression, thousands of students said officers in schools made them feel targeted and intimidated. Board staff wrote in a report summarizing the reviews findings that they have a duty to mitigate against the differentiated and discriminatory impact of the SRO program as described to us by our students and communities.

In his letter, Pringle said it should be noted that a majority of respondents overall had a generally positive impression of the program.

However, of significant concern are the findings that indicate negative impact and potential harm experienced by students, Pringle wrote.

Noting that the TDSB report recommended that staff continue to work in partnership with (TPS) to maintain positive working relationships, Pringle now suggests that instead of the Ryerson review, discussions be held between the police service and the two Toronto school boards about the future role, if any, of police and schools.

Recommendations coming out of those conversations should then be reported by Saunders to the board at its March 2018 meeting, Pringle suggests.

The school resource officers program  which launched after the 2007 shooting death of Toronto student Jordan Manners  is still operating in approximately two-thirds of the TCDSBs secondary schools.

Asked for a reaction to Pringles recommendation Monday, TCDSB spokesperson Emmy Szekeres Milne said in an email that the board is supportive of the work of the (police board) and has no comment as we do not want to unduly influence the outcome of their discussions around this issue.

Pringles recommendation will be discussed at the board meeting Thursday.

With files from Andrea Gordon Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca

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There will be no retrial for a man whose conviction of sexually assaulting a fellow PhD student was overturned, according to the complainant in the case.

In July 2016, Mustafa Ururyar was convicted of sexually assaulting Mandi Gray in his apartment on Jan. 31, 2015. The controversial 179-page decision that quoted from academic studies and literature about sexual assault was overturned on appeal this past summer.

Disheartened with and tired of the justice system, Gray said she is relieved to put the difficult time behind her and not have to undergo another arduous and draining trial.

I have wanted this since I found out about the appeal of the conviction because the legal system has demonstrated itself to be so grossly incompetent and has no regard for my life, Gray told the Star on Tuesday. It has been brutalizing experience.

The charges will be withdrawn Wednesday in a downtown Toronto courtroom, said Gray. Ururyar is expected to sign a peace bond that does not include an admission of guilt, but bars him from contacting Gray for a year.

A peace bond is a protection order made by a court. A defendant may face criminal charges if they do not obey the conditions of the peace bond.

I have gotten everything I needed, I wanted to return to campus and pursue my education, said Gray. It shouldnt take three years of your life to be able to return to your workplace without fear of seeing the perpetrator and that was at the core of what I was seeking.

Ururyars lawyer, Daniel Brown, declined to comment on the case Tuesday.

Both graduate students at York University, Ururyar and Gray had been in a casual relationship before the alleged assault in 2015. After a night of drinking, the two went to Ururyar's apartment, where Gray alleges she was raped. Ururyar testified the sex was consensual and that Gray had been sexually aggressive throughout the night.

From July: Mandi Gray stands outside court to address the media after a Superior Court judge has overturned a controversial decision convicting York University student Mustafa Ururyar of sexually assaulting Gray and ordered a new trial.

The now-retired trial judge, Marvin Zuker, sentenced Ururyar to 18 months in jail and took the unprecedented step of ordering him to pay $8,000 in legal costs.

This past summer, Superior Court Justice Michael Dambrot overturned the verdict on appeal, calling it incomprehensible and illogical and lacking proper reasons for the conviction.

The case was sent back to Ontario court and left up to the Crown to decide whether to prosecute the case a second time. Mandi Gray said prosecutors told her Monday that Ururyar would sign a peace bond.

Gray said she was surprised by the news since Crown attorneys had told her days earlier that Ururyar had refused the peace bond and the matter would be going to trial.

I exasperated so much energy and resources and emotions into this and the mere thought of having to go into another trial is brutalizing, she said. For me it was never about punishment, even if he was convicted again, I dont think he will ever recognize or acknowledge the harm that has been done to me.

After the conviction in 2016, which was later overturned, Gray said she still felt haunted by the past.

I thought to myself, okay this judge believes me but I still feel really awful that I have been sexually assaulted, and not only that, but that I had to take the stand and be cross examined, she said.

Gray had to take time off work for a year to participate in the initial trial. She said she was only given 20 free counseling sessions and was asked very personal and irreverent questions while being cross examined for days. The entire experience, she said, was painful and did very little to consider her needs and concerns.

After all I had been through it was really hard to celebrate or be happy after the conviction, she said. Just going through that process again to see him potentially be convicted, its just not worth it for me, I think my life will be so much better accepting all of this and just moving forward

My takeaway, for other women, is to be prepared to be your own advocate because there is no one else in the system that will be looking out for you.

With files from Betsy Powell

Read more:

Judge overturns incomprehensible conviction of Mustafa Uruyar for alleged sex assault of Mandi Gray

Overturned verdict in Mandi Gray sex assault trial affects all parties, lawyer says

Judges unusual approach in Mandi Gray sex assault trial questioned

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Homicide detectives are investigating after the body of a man, 46, was located near a construction site in King Township in York Region on Friday.

At around 4:40 p.m., York police say they responded to a call in the Jane St. and Mount Mellick Dr. area., where they found the body.

Investigators identified the victim as Richard Layton, of no fixed address. Detectives say he was known to frequent the Sherbourne St. and Dundas St. area in Toronto.

Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen him in Toronto before Dec. 8 to contact the homicide unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7865.

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Fighting back tears, Olympia Lynn Trypis stood in the rotunda of city hall and begged for better services for drug users, to save her life and the lives of her friends.

In the last two years Ive lost three of my really close friends and I am tired of having to go to funerals and not celebrating more birthdays. These people were beautiful souls, said Trypis, 22, speaking to a crowd who had marched to City Hall, in memory of people lost to drug overdoses, or contaminated drugs.

The friends, all in their early 20s included advocate Brooklyn Rae McNeil, who died of an overdose last year.

Unfortunately, I cant bring back my friends, but I can try and save the ones that are still here, Trypis said Monday.

Trypis had co-organized the rally, including a die-in where more than 70 people fell to the ground in the rotunda and called out the names of the dead.

The group had walked silently from Moss Park, where the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society and the Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance have been operating an unsanctioned injection site since August.

They called on Mayor John Tory to publicly support additional low-barrier injection sites, like the one in the park, instruct police to stop attending overdose calls to reduce the fear of arrest, support the decriminalization of drugs and open the armouries as emergency shelter.

Trypis is a peer-support worker within the youth shelter system and has addressed committees at city hall. During the protest, she spoke of using intravenous drugs, in part to manage painful back issues and mounting grief.

I am so scared that I will end up like them. That is why we need more services. We need access to trauma therapy. I cant be sober anymore, without some support. I cant find anything to help me.

Don Peat, the mayors spokesperson, said Tory is deeply concerned about the overdose crisis facing the city and is committed to preventing further deaths. As the mayor has said before, every overdose death in our city is a tragedy and is preventable, said Peat, in an emailed statement.

The citys response plan to date has included training for more than 2,000 frontline city staff in overdose prevention, including the administration of Naloxone, a medication that blocks the effects of opioids.

That includes public library staff and shelter staff and training has begun with Toronto Transit Commission staff. The city has opened safe-injection sites including at the location of The Works needle exchange program, at Victoria and Dundas Sts. and the South Riverdale Community Health Centre, near Carlaw Ave. A third site, at the Queen West Central Toronto Community Health Centre on Bathurst St. is expected to open soon.

Councillor Joe Cressy, in the rotunda, said while it is fair to describe Toronto as a leader in harm reduction, whatever actions are being taken still arent enough.

We are still losing a person a day. So just because we are doing a lot isnt cause to pat ourselves on the back, it is reason to keep pushing hard.

Cressy said the city is planning to open three to five new safe-injection sites next year.

In Moss Park, as of Nov. 30, the team had supervised almost 2,940 injections and stopped or reversed 115 overdoses  including 46 using Naloxone  either at the site or in the park, according to organizers.

The site started as a collection of tents. In November, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario donated a trailer and the provinces Emergency Medical Assistance Team also set up an insulated tent.

Tory continues to work with all levels of government and members of the harm reduction community to mitigate the crisis in the city, said Peat.

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See you in court.

Thats the message from Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown to Premier Kathleen Wynne after she sued him for libel.

In his first public comment since Wynne filed her statement of claim for $100,000 in damages, Brown said Tuesday that he will not back down for saying the premier was on trial in the Sudbury byelection case.

It was another Liberal stunt. The fact they gave the statement to you, the media, I think, speaks to the theatrics that Wynne has engaged in, he said.

Browns office learned from the Star that the 15-page statement of claim had been filed in the Ontario Superior Court on Monday afternoon.

We all know these are diversion techniques. It was a baseless legal threat, the PC chief said.

The only person who should be apologizing is Kathleen Wynne for these stunts, these theatrics from her own governments record.

But the premier said the onus is on Brown to say sorry.

I have said a number of times, this whole situation could be resolved with a simple apology, said Wynne.

If Patrick Brown just apologized for what everyone has acknowledged was an untrue statement. Im always happy to debate the truth and so it could be brought to a very expeditious end, she said.

I still remain hopeful that he will apologize and that will be the end of it. Its as simple as that. The most expeditious timeline would be for him to simply step up to a mic and say he was sorry.

Brown is on the hot seat for comments he made during a Sept. 12 media scrum at Queens Park.

On the eve of Wynne testifying as a Crown witness in a Sudbury courtroom, Brown told reporters that Ontario had a sitting premier sitting in trial and that the premier stands trial in the case.

That referred to her testimony in the trial of Patricia Sorbara, her former deputy chief of staff, and Sudbury Liberal activist Gerry Lougheed.

Sorbara and Lougheed were acquitted in October after Judge Howard Borenstein dismissed the Election Act charges against them for lack of evidence.

Borenstein delivered a rare directed verdict before any defence witnesses were even called.

On Tuesday, Brown, who is a lawyer, repeatedly evaded questions on whether Wynne had been on trial in Sudbury.

I made it very clear and abundantly clear that it was her closest advisor who was on trial in Sudbury, the Tory leader said.

Wynnes lawyers argue Browns comments on Sept. 12 were false and defamatory because the premier was not on trial for bribery and has not been investigated by the police.

There were three Star journalists at the scrum that day along with reporters from CBC, Radio-Canada, The Canadian Press, the Globe and Mail, QP Briefing, Global, CP24, CTV, TFO, Queens Park Today, Fairchild, CHCH, and Newstalk 1010.

Before the 2014 election, Wynne launched a similar $2 million libel suit against then PC leader Tim Hudak and MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton) over comments they made about her alleged role in former premier Dalton McGuintys cancellation of gas-fired power plants in Oakville and Mississauga. That matter was settled out of court in 2015.

Legal bills for both Wynne and Brown are being covered by their respective political parties.

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Following legalization, the rate of adolescent marijuana use in Colorado has fallen to its lowest level in nearly a decade, according to new federal survey data.

State-level numbers from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that a little more than 9 per cent of Colorado teens age 12 to 17 used marijuana monthly in 2015 and 2016, a statistically significant drop from the prior period. Thats the lowest rate of monthly marijuana use in the state since 2007 and 2008.

And its not just marijuana: Rates of teen alcohol, tobacco and heroin use are down sharply in the state, as well.

Read more:

Los Angeles in line to become largest U.S. city with recreational cannabis

Legalized pot to cost $10 a gram, finance ministers say

Colorado, which was the first in the nation to open recreational marijuana markets in 2014, is viewed as a bellwether by both opponents and supporters of legalization.

For state-level data, the survey uses pooled two-year periods to increase sample sizes and statistical accuracy. Last year the survey showed that Colorado was ranked No. 1 in the nation on adolescent marijuana use, a fact seized by marijuana opponents to argue that legalization was failing to protect children from drug use.

With the sharp drop in this years data, Colorado has fallen to No. 7 in the national ranking of teen marijuana use, behind Alaska, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont. A separate survey administered by officials in Colorado has found that teens in the state are in the middle of the pack on marijuana use.

Teen use appears to be dropping now that state and local authorities are overseeing the production and sale of marijuana, said Brian Vicente of Vicente Sederberg LLC, one of the drafters of Colorados marijuana ballot measure, in a statement. There are serious penalties for selling to minors, and regulated cannabis businesses are being vigilant in checking IDs.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is an outspoken critic of marijuana legalization, but thus far he has hewed to the prior administrations policy of non-interference with state-level legalization efforts. While marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, voters in eight states plus the District have legalized the recreational use of the drug. Lawmakers in Vermont have signalled they will legalize the recreational use of marijuana early next year.

The new federal data shows that adolescent marijuana use fell nationwide in 2016. In no states did the share of teens using pot increase by a significant amount, and in a number, including California, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey and Texas, rates of teen marijuana use fell considerably.

Use is up, however, among young adults age 18 to 25 and adults age 26 and up. Alcohol use, meanwhile, is falling across the board, according to the federal survey data.

In Colorado, for instance, the number of 18-to-25-year-olds using alcohol on a monthly basis fell by four percentage points between 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. Thats the group with the highest propensity to use marijuana, suggesting that a number of young adults are opting to smoke weed instead of get drunk now that the option is available to them.

If thats the case, it could be a big public-health win, considering what public-health experts know about the harmfulness of marijuana vis-a-vis booze.

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NEW YORK  On the surface, Akayed Ullah seemed to be an ordinary member of a Bangladeshi enclave in Brooklyn. He often prayed at a mosque in an unassuming brownstone in the Kensington section of the borough, where a few thousand of his countrymen reside. Like many immigrants in New York, he made his living  at least for a while  driving for a car service.

But on Monday morning, Ullah, 27, strapped a pipe bomb to his body and set out to detonate it in a Times Square subway station, police said, not only causing chaos among crowds of commuters, but also leaving behind a trail of mystery that baffled those who knew him.

He was a good guy, said Mohammad Yousuf, a cabdriver who prayed with Ullah at the mosque. I cant believe he would do anything like this.

According to several law enforcement officials, Ullah said he set off the bomb in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes in Syria and elsewhere, targeting members of Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL. He told investigators that he had been radicalized online and had made a number of trips overseas in the past five years, visiting Bangladesh in recent months, one of the officials said.

Ullah admitted that he had looked up online how to build the bomb and had assembled it in his residence in Brooklyn, purchasing all of the materials except the pipe, which he said he found at a job site where he was working as an electrician in Manhattan, two of the officials said.

Immigration officials said that Ullah arrived in the United States from Bangladesh in 2011 on a family immigrant visa and has lived in Brooklyn ever since as a legal permanent resident. According to the terms of his visa, Ullah was the nephew of a U.S. citizen and benefited from what the officials called extended family chain migration.

Real estate records show that Ullah lived in a small, two-story, brick-faced house. He and his family had been there for about seven years, said Alan Butrico, a businessman who owns the house next door. In the last few years, Butrico said, he had some unpleasant encounters with Ullah. They largely revolved around parking.

He used to block the driveway, Butrico complained. His family used to block the driveway all the time.

Read more:

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On Sunday night, Butrico added, one of his tenants heard the sounds of big fighting coming from Ullahs house, though it remained uncertain what the trouble might have been. On Monday morning, police officials, including some from the bomb squad, descended on the house, surrounding it in yellow crime-scene tape. Officers and federal agents also appeared at another Brooklyn address associated with Ullah.

According to census statistics compiled by Queens College, Kensington is home to more than 3,000 Bangladeshi-born New Yorkers, making it the largest Bangladeshi enclave in Brooklyn. Mian Quadry, a representative of the Bangladesh Muslim Center in Kensington, said he did not know Ullah, adding, This is not what and who we are.

The Kensington community we have, Quadry said, its people who work very hard just to provide for our family.

Outside the Ocean Parkway building Monday evening, Albert Fox Cahn, legal director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the group was heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today and by the allegations being made against a member of our family.

The Masjid Nur Al Islam mosque in Kensington, which Ullah was said to have attended, was closed Monday. One man, who has worshipped at the mosque for 15 years and gave his name only as Mohammad, said Ullah prayed there regularly, especially during Ramadan. Ullah, Mohammad said, was close to the mosques imam and was often seen with him at afternoon prayers. But Yousuf, the cabdriver, said he had not seen Ullah at the mosque in the past five or six months.

From 2012-2015, Ullah held a license issued by the city to drive for-hire vehicles, city officials said. The officials were unable to say if Ullah had driven a yellow cab or for a private service like Lyft or Uber. It was also unclear, they said, if he had his own car or drove for an employer.

Police officials in Bangladesh said Monday that they had never heard of Ullah, and the countrys embassy in Washington issued a statement declaring a zero tolerance policy toward terrorism. A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, the statement said, and must be brought to justice.

Condemnations of the bombing did little to lessen the confusion in Ullahs neighborhood.

Nothing surprises me anymore today, Butrico said. You dont know who your neighbors are. Cant trust nobody anymore.

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The idea of a national public registry naming the real people behind Canadian companies  a vital tool in the fight against tax evasion, money laundering and corruption  appears to be stalled.

While federal and provincial finance ministers agreed on the weekend to make corporate ownership information  often referred to as beneficial ownership  available to law enforcement and tax authorities, theres no plan to give the public access to the records.

Just requiring corporations to have the information on hand is not good enough, says James Cohen, director of policy and programs for Transparency International Canada. Wed strongly urge the government to consider the benefits of a public registry of beneficial owners . . . because (law enforcement agencies) are already stretched thin.

A public registry would provide an extra set of eyes, such as civil society and investigative journalists, to review the information, he said.

Buried in an announcement Monday, federal and provincial finance ministers acknowledged blind spots in Canadas corporate registry system and said the new measures are intended to prevent webs of Canadian or international companies from concealing ownership information in order to facilitate tax evasion, money laundering and other criminal activities.

The announcement says federal and provincial finance ministers are committed to further strengthening corporate transparency . . . The information revealed through the recent leaks of the Panama and Paradise Papers reinforces the need for action.

But it makes no reference to corporate transparency being shared with the public.

In Canada, secrecy around corporate ownership makes it possible to register a corporation, open a bank account, and send and receive money overseas all without disclosing ones name  the same kind of secrecy offered by traditional tax havens.

An ongoing Star/CBC investigation into corporate ownership secrecy has detailed how Canada has emerged as a popular destination for international companies and individuals seeking to avoid or evade taxes by using this countrys shadowy corporate registration system.

While the new measures announced Monday offer a modest step forward, they fall well short of a British-style beneficial ownership registry that makes public the names of real company owners in the U.K.

In response to questions from the Star over the past year, Finance Minister Bill Morneau has acknowledged the importance of beneficial ownership information in the fight against tax evasion. Yet he has been noncommittal about whether he supports an open and transparent registry available to the public, citing privacy concerns around naming corporate directors and owners.

I dont think in any way, shape or form we are ruling (a public registry) out, Morneaus spokesperson, Chloe Luciani-Girouard, told the Star on Tuesday. We have broad consensus and broad agreement to move forward on this.

This week, the ministers agreed to pursue legislative amendments that would compel corporations to hold accurate and up-to-date information on beneficial owners that will be available to law enforcement and tax and other authorities.

That is a far cry from the U.K.s Companies House registry, which provides public access to a searchable database listing every registered company and details on each beneficial owner including their date of birth, nationality, country of residence, occupation, date they were appointed as a company director and links to all other companies with which they have an affiliation.

Its a leading global model that would benefit Canada, according to Canadians For Tax Fairness, Publish What You Pay Canada and Transparency International Canada, three leading organizations pushing for a public corporate ownership registry.

I dont think its closed yet, says Transparency International Canadas Cohen. We hope to see a continued effort to encourage any of the governments who werent prepared to have public registries come around and come on board with this and we hope to see much more robust announcements down the line.

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MIDLAND CITY, ALA.It was the final night of campaigning for Alabamas U.S. Senate seat and all eyes were on Republican candidate Roy Moore. But Twitter, at least, focused more on his wife Kayla and her remarks before he spoke.

She didnt say precisely why she felt a need to get into the subject of Jews. But its a good guess that it had something to do with Roy Moores attack on billionaire liberal George Soros, who is Jewish and a regular target of far-right conservatives. Moore has accused Soros, based on no evidence, of financing the registration of former felons to vote in Alabama.

Read more:

Alabamas turbulent Senate race between Roy Moore and Doug Jones now in hands of voters

Most Alabama Republicans say they will vote for Roy Moore despite misconduct allegations

A fifth woman accuses Roy Moore of sexual misconduct, saying he assaulted her at 16

Earlier in the campaign Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, had attacked Soros for pushing an agenda that Moore described as sexual in nature.

Moore did not explain what he meant by sexual. But he went on to say of Soros, that No matter how much money hes got, hes still going to the same place that people who dont recognize God and morality and accept his salvation are going. And thats not a good place.

Moores remark was not well received by some, who saw it as anti-Semitic.

Monday night Kayla Moore apparently decided to clear things up, while also pounding the fake news reporters crowded in the audience at the rally in Midland City.

Fake news, she declared, would tell you that we dont care for Jews. I tell you all this because Ive seen it all and I just want to set the record straight while theyre all here.

Then, after a brief pause, for effect, she said, One of our attorneys is a Jew. We have very close friends that are Jewish and rabbis and we also fellowship with them.

The comment fueled scores of stories with headlines like Moores wife denies claims of anti-Semitism and Roy Moore battles bigotry claims on eve of Alabama vote, all of which included the words One of our attorneys is a Jew. By early morning Tuesday, Googles algorithms were on the case: A Google search using only the words our attorney automatically produced the phrase is Jewish.

Twitter erupted. In fact, Twitter did not list Roy Moore as trending overnight at all. But Kayla Moore dominated in not one but two categories, Kayla Moore and One of Our Attorneys Is A Jew.

Happy Hanukkah, Counselor. You could be in for a lot of work, cracked Democratic strategist and commentator David Axelrod.

People should vote for Roy based on this video of Kayla Moore alone, tweeted a bemused observer. Shes got spunk. The one of our attorneys is a Jew line is said like maybe she knows it will be mocked, and doesnt care.

Actually, she covered a lot of ground disabusing people of any suggestions of bigotry in the heart of her husband. As for women, he supported her, Kayla, to head the Foundation for Moral Law, she said.

Blacks? He appointed the very first black marshall to the Alabama Supreme Court, she said. We have many friends who are black. . ..

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Our solar system has a visitor. Its cylindrical, dark and reddish, up to 400 metres long. The object wont be staying. This fall, astronomers announced that the thing came blazing into our neck of the galaxy at speeds of up to 315,000 km/h. It is now headed away as quickly as it came.

The objects trajectory is so strange and its speeds are so blistering that it probably did not originate from within our solar system. Its discoverers concluded that the object is a rare interstellar traveller from beyond our solar system, the first object of its kind observed by humans.

Astronomers at the University of Hawaii, who discovered the object with the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope, said the visitor was an asteroid. In October, they named the asteroid Oumuamua  Hawaiian for messenger. Oumuamua, which appears rocky or metallic, lacks the characteristics of a comet.

Some scientists, though they are swift to say Oumuamua is probably natural, have not yet ruled out more extraordinary origins. The possibility that this object is, in fact, an artificial object  that it is a spaceship, essentially  is a remote possibility, Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Research Center, said on Monday.

Siemion is a member of the Breakthrough Listen initiative: a $100 million (U.S.) project, backed by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, to hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence. This week, researchers with the Breakthrough Listen initiative announced that a radio telescope will probe Oumuamua for signs of technology. The telescope, nestled within the hills of the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia, begins its search on Wednesday.

Oumuamua behaves oddly. Planets and asteroids circle the sun on the same plane, like water swirling around a basin. Oumuamua dipped into the solar system from outside the plane, as if leaked from a cosmic faucet.

It is shaped strangely, too. Most asteroids of this size are spherical. This object has the proportions of a giant cucumber  imagine a pickle the size of the Empire State Building. In fact, Harvard University astronomer Avi Loeb recently told Milner that Oumuamua has the optimal design of a vessel meant to travel through space, the Atlantic reported.

Yet all of its features are entirely consistent with being a natural object, said Karen Meech, the University of Hawaii astronomer who led the research team to measure Oumuamuas physical properties. That being said, we cannot disprove the unlikely hypothesis that it is not.

Astronomers across the planet have turned their sensors at the object. The European Southern Observatory followed up on the initial Hawaiian detection from Chile, peering at Oumuamua through the Very Large Telescope in Chile.

Though the most likely explanation for Oumuamua is that its lifeless rock, scientists arent about to let it breeze by without scrutiny. Thats why they are using Green Bank. Over the past 18 months, SETI astronomers have installed detectors at the telescope to look for signs of electromagnetic activity in space. If an electronic device no more powerful than a Wi-Fi router or telephone handset is transmitting on Oumuamua, the telescope will be able to sense it.

Green Bank is the most capable radio telescope in the world for conducting these types of observations, Siemion said.

This is the sort of opportunity that one would hate to miss, even if the chances are extremely low for success, Meech said. SETI researchers typically measure the distance to curious objects in light-years. Oumuamua is still within light-minutes of Earth.

If you dont try the experiment, she added, you will never know.

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President Donald Trump, pushing back against women accusing him of sexual misconduct, insisted Tuesday hes the target of false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met.

Trump lashed out on Twitter a day after three women who previously accused him of sexual harassment shared their stories on NBCs Megyn Kelly Today.

Trump says Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia and now are moving on to these allegations. He adds: FAKE NEWS!

Read more:

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Analysis: Could a sex scandal topple Trump?

The 13 times Donald Trump has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct: A complete list

He also attacked Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who on Monday said Trump should resign over the allegations.

Trump said Gillibrand is a total flunky for Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader. He said Gillibrand, who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump.

The New York Democrat responded on Twitter, saying: You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office.

On Monday, the women  Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey and Rachel Crooks  urged Congress to investigate Trumps behaviour. A fourth woman also spoke at a news conference with them via phone.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president. She did not provide the list by late Monday.

The allegations surfaced during last years presidential campaign, but the women raised the issue anew on the Kelly show Monday and at a news conference.

It was heartbreaking last year, Holvey said. Were private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, Eh, we dont care, it hurt.

The former beauty queen claimed that Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006. Crooks is a former receptionist at Trump Tower and Leeds says she met Trump on a flight.

Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, many after the release of the Access Hollywood tape last October in which Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women. One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Trumps reality show, The Apprentice, sued, contending that Trumps denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.

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WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump attacked Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., in a sexually suggestive tweet Tuesday morning that implied Gillibrand would do just about anything for money, prompting an immediate backlash.

Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Charles E. Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump, the president wrote. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!

The tweet came as Trump is already facing negative publicity from renewed allegations from three women who had previously accused him of sexual harassment, which are coming amid the #MeToo movement that is roiling the nation and forcing powerful men accused of sexual misbehaviour from their posts.

The president ignored a reporters question about the tweet after he signed a defense authorization bill shortly after noon.

The backlash and criticism was near instantaneous, with Gillibrand replying directly to Trump on Twitter. You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office, she wrote.

At a news conference later on an unrelated issue, Gillibrand called Trumps tweet a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice.

I will not be silent on this issue, neither will women who stood up to the president yesterday and neither will the millions of women who have been marching since the Womens March to stand up against policies they do not agree with, she added.

Gillibrand once again called on GOP congressional leaders to launch investigations into the allegations made by women against Trump, saying, Its the right thing to do and these allegations should be investigated, they should be investigated thoroughly. That is the right thing to do and Im urging them to do that  as should their constituents.

Asked about her interactions with the president, Gillibrand told reporters that Trump was just a supporter  a supporter of my first campaign.

Several female senators also rallied around Gillibrand, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who pointedly asked Trump on Twitter if he were trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame Gillibrand.

Do you know who youre picking a fight with? Warren said. Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen also weighed in on Twitter, writing that there is nobody tougher than @SenGillibrand & she wont be intimidated. Women will continue to speak up.

Gillibrand was attending a bipartisan Bible study Tuesday morning when Trumps tweet landed, and her phone was immediately filled with supportive and befuddled messages, wondering just what the president was thinking, a Gillibrand aide said.

Sen. James Lankford, who was in the Bible study group with Gillibrand, later issued a statement, saying: Respectful dialogue and disagreement sets a better example for our children and the world. Our leaders should focus on the issues, not personal attacks.

Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News personality whose lawsuit against Roger Ailes for sexual harassment led to the resignation of the late network chairman, also weighed in with a duo of tweets defending Gillibrand.

What do u mean @SenGillibrand would do anything for campaign contributions? By the way she isnt a lightweight, she wrote. In a second tweet, Carlson continued: Sexual harassment is apolitical. Women will not be silenced no matter what party they are in. Period.

Katty Kay, an anchor for BBC World News America, also took to social media to respond to the presidents missive against Gillibrand, casting it in tweets as clearly sexual and demeaning to women.

What is so maddening about the Gillibrand tweet is that women can be smart, work hard, become Senator and STILL get sexual c**p thrown at us, she wrote. Enough.

Trump offered no evidence to support his claim that Gillibrand had gone to him begging for campaign donations and would do anything for them. According to Open Secrets, a non-profit website that tracks campaign contributions, since 1996, Trump has donated $8,900 to Sen. Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and $5,850 to Gillibrand.

Gillibrand met with Trump once in 2010, the Gillibrand aide said, and Trumps oldest daughter, Ivanka, attended the meeting,

On Monday, Gillibrand, a leading voice in Congress for combating sexual assault in the military, became the fifth Democratic senator to call on Trump to step down because of the allegations of sexual misconduct against him  accusations the president has denied and the White House dismissed again on Monday.

President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign, Gillibrand said on CNN. These allegations are credible; they are numerous. Ive heard these womens testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.

She joined Sens. Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden and Bernie Sanders in calling for Trumps resignation.

Read more:

Women who accused Trump of sexual assault say his election was heartbreaking

Analysis: Could a sex scandal topple Trump?

The 13 times Donald Trump has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct: A complete list

Trump has not commented on the male senators demand that he resign.

On Tuesday, a sixth senatorDemocrat Mazie Hirono of Hawaiicalled on Trump to resign, citing his morning tweet targeting Gillibrand.

@realDonaldTrump is a misogynist, compulsive liar, and admitted sexual predator, she said. Attacks on Kirsten are the latest example that no one is safe from this bully. He must resign.

Trumps attack on Twitter also coincided with a previously scheduled event led by at least 59 female House Democrats, who formally called on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to launch an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by the president. The oversight panel has the broadest subpoena power and investigatory mandate of any congressional committee. The female lawmakers had requested the investigation in a letter to the committee on Monday.

What Trump tweeted on Tuesday is grotesque, it took my breath away and it represents the conduct of a person who is ill-equipped to be the president of the United States, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said at the news conference.

Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., said Democrats are seeking a fair process to review the allegations and allow the president to respond.

By Tuesday afternoon, more than 100 House Democrats had joined in on the calls to formally investigate Trump, after the letter was opened up to male colleagues.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., declined to say whether Congress should investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump, saying, Were focused on the Senate, and that his chambers ethics committee can only investigate allegations against senators.

What were in charge of here is the Senate, McConnell told reporters.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. defended his Empire State colleague Gillibrand, calling Trumps attack nasty and unbecoming of the presidency.

But he declined to join other Democrats calling for a formal investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct of Trump, saying he would let the comments of other Democrats speak for themselves.

Gillibrand, New Yorks junior senator and a rising political star, is widely considered a likely 2020 presidential candidate against Trump, and the presidents Twitter assault Tuesday offered an early glimpse of just how vicious the next race for the White House could become.

Brian Fallon, a spokesman for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign, called Trumps tweet disgusting but also noted, It will make the Gillibrand folks ecstatic, implying that the sparring with Trump would raise her profile.

Gillibrand, however, does have her critics. After she said in November that former president Bill Clinton should have resigned the presidency following his inappropriate affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, longtime Hillary Clinton adviser and confidant Philippe Reines excoriated her on Twitter for being ungrateful and two-faced.

Senate voted to keep POTUS WJC. But not enough for you @SenGillibrand? Over 20 yrs you took the Clintons endorsements, money, and seat. Hypocrite. Interesting strategy for 2020 primaries. Best of luck, Reines wrote.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about why the president sent the tweet, or what exactly he was insinuating.

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Charles Robert Jenkins, an Army sergeant who became a Cold War enigma after he defected to North Korea in 1965 and was held for nearly 40 years before being released in 2004, died on Monday in Japan. He was 77.

His death was reported by the Kyodo News agency. The cause is not yet known, Kyodo said.

Jenkins, from Rich Square, N.C., was patrolling the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea when, drunk after 10 beers, he walked into the North in 1965 to avoid facing combat duty in Vietnam.

He quickly realized he had made a terrible mistake. He was to spend most of the next 40 years as a prisoner, forced to read the works of North Korean leaders for hours on end, and suffering from hunger and beatings.

Read more about North Korea

Little was known about Jenkins experiences until he emerged from North Korea in 2004. He was allowed to leave to rejoin his wife, Hitomi Soga, a Japanese woman who had been kidnapped by the North. She was allowed to return home to Japan with four other Japanese abductees in 2002 after a visit to Pyongyang by the Japanese prime minister at the time, Junichiro Koizumi.

During his 2004 military trial for desertion, held in Japan, Jenkins testified that he was taken to a hospital in North Korea where, without anesthesia, a doctor sliced off skin with the tattooed words U.S. Army from his forearm.

He said he was warned that any criticism of North Koreas ruling Kim family would have led to his death. He testified at his trial that his captors threatened, Go dig your own hole, because you are gone, adding, I have seen that done.

He wrote later that he believed his life was somewhat better than those of most North Koreans. He appeared in propaganda leaflets and films, and said that his role as a war trophy for the North saved him from the worst abuses.

But still, I suffered from enough cold, hunger, beatings and mental torture to frequently make me wish I was dead, he wrote with journalist Jim Frederick in the 2008 book The Reluctant Communist: My Desertion, Court-Martial, and Forty-Year Imprisonment in North Korea.

Jenkins life improved somewhat after he met Soga, who had been kidnapped by North Korean agents in 1978 as part of an effort to teach Japanese language and culture to spies. The two soon married after meeting in 1980.

They lived together in a Pyongyang home that went unheated through most of the winter, growing their own vegetables and raising chickens to compensate for a collapsing food rationing system. They had two North Korean-born daughters who were able to leave with Jenkins in 2004.

In Japan, public sentiment was largely behind Jenkins because of the suffering of his wife and other Japanese abductees.

After arriving there, Jenkins faced a court-martial, where he pleaded guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy. He was demoted to private, stripped of back pay and benefits and given a 30-day jail sentence along with a dishonourable discharge.

I was released five days early, for good behaviour, he wrote.

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If nothing else, the Crystal made it clear the Royal Ontario Museum has become as much a space as it is an artifact. But for many Torontonians, the undifferentiated expanses of Daniel Libeskinds 2007 addition stand in stark contrast to the exquisitely decorated halls of the ROMs older parts.

So when the museum reopens its Queens Park entrance Tuesday, dont be surprised if most visitors decide to trek the extra distance just to enjoy the ROMs most unabashedly extravagant room, the Rotunda. With its gold mosaic surfaces, vaulted ceiling and soaring limestone arches, this is the museum at its most impressive and jewel-like.

If anything, the changes are even more evident on the street. A new stairway gives the entrance greater presence on Queens Park Cres. while living up to the expectations of the elaborately carved Art Deco facade. Its easy to imagine these new steps will become a popular seating area in warmer weather. They dont have the heft of the famous staircase at Manhattans Metropolitan Museum, but they will do. Certainly they seem destined to become a meeting place.

For Josh Basseches, an American import who has been the ROMs CEO since March, 2016, that meshes perfectly with his big idea  accessibility. My wish is to throw the doors of the museum open, he declares. I want people to see the museum as their civic living room.

Libeskind made similar claims for his addition. He added windows across the Bloor St. front to show off the displays inside. Passersby have nice views of the dinosaur gallery, especially at night. Still, the Bloor entrance, which will remain open as well, has always been underwhelming. It is inexplicably small, hard to find and the doors themselves appear to come right out of a manufacturers catalogue.

Interestingly, the original Queens Park doors have been replaced by more contemporary examples made of bronze and glass. Making the doors transparent means you can see into the museum, Basseches explains. Thats symbolic of the things I care about.

Though Libeskind moved the entrance to Bloor because its the more important of the two streets the ROM faces, it has never quite fulfilled its promise. Before his addition, the museum was set back and sections were actually fenced off from Bloor. That made no sense, but even now the buildings north face feels disconnected from its surroundings. Basseches says this will be addressed in the next round of changes some time early next year. Theres room here for something urban and engaging, perhaps not a full-fledged cafe but certainly more than the four or five black benches, however elegant, now arranged on the Bloor sidewalk.

On Queens Park, where the sidewalk is not as wide Bloor, the opportunities are limited in scale but not scope. The stairwell will go a long way to conveying a message of openness and welcome, as will an improved entry ramp for disabled visitors. Inside, the clutter of years has been removed to reveal the Rotunda in its full glory. New and better lighting will make it harder than ever not to stop and gawk at the extraordinary effort and level of detail that went into its creation in the early 1930s. Compared to the endless drywall in the new entry hall, the effect is all the more dramatic. That there was ever a time when designers considered every part of a building  ceiling, floor, walls  equally worthy of attention seems all the more remarkable in an age when architecture is as disposable as possible while remaining structurally sound.

As Besseches likes to say, Everything comes from the object. The ROM has six million in its collection, only a handful on display. But the museum is also an artifact, one whose meaning and power have defined existing communities as they create new ones. It is as important to the city as the city is to it. The one embodies the other. The current Dior show is a good example; its contents  clothing worn and given by local donors  reveal as much about Toronto as they do postwar haute couture.

Im a big fan of the Crystal, Besseches continues. It brought the museum into the contemporary era. I want to continue our engagement with Bloor; its one of the most important avenues in Toronto. But we also have this glorious heritage entrance. Besides, with attendance reaching new heights  1.35 million last year  the ROM could use two entrances.

Christopher Humes column appears weekly. He can be reached at jcwhume4@gmail.com

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Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a controversial repatriation agreement for the return of the displaced Rohingyas to Rakhine State, Myanmar, at a time refugees are still arriving in camps in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh on a daily basis, indicating that the Rohingya population continues to face significant threat and violence in Myanmar.

Neither Bangladeshi nor Myanmar authorities have released a copy of the repatriation agreement, but some details have been revealed to the press.

A recent CNN report suggests Myanmar agreed there would be no restrictions on the number of Rohingya allowed to return, and that there would be no legal consequences for refugees who voluntarily decided to return, unless they had been involved with terrorism. All refugees would only return if they wished it, both countries agreed.

Though these terms may sound promising, there are serious underlying legal and political problems to this agreement that must be considered carefully.

On a recent statement from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, indicated it was not a party to the agreement, though it was referenced in the document text.

While the UN encouraged both Bangladesh and Myanmars effort to work on a comprehensive and durable solution, the UN expressed its concerns about many Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh before and after Aug. 25 who have suffered severe violence and trauma.

The UN stated that Rohingya people have lost family members, relatives, and friends. Many of their homes and villages have been torched and destroyed. Deep divisions between communities remain unaddressed and humanitarian access is inadequate. It is critical that the returns are not rushed or premature.

The UN took the position that refugees will need accurate information about the conditions in the areas of origin. Ultimately, their decision about their future must be their own well-informed choice.

A recent International Rescue Committee survey in Coxs Bazar found that just 11 per cent of refugees wished to return to Myanmar, with the remaining 89 per cent wanting to either stay where they were or move to other sites in Bangladesh.

While it might surprise some people to know that the overwhelming majority of Rohingya people do not wish to return to their homeland for which they have been struggling for decades, it is not surprising at all when their traumatic experience is taken into consideration.

What is shocking, however, is the fact the international community is maintaining a silence while witnessing two countries entering into a repatriation agreement to return a group of vulnerable people, considered the most persecuted minority in the world, to the place they face ethnic cleansing and possibly genocide and there is no reasonable arrangement for their safety, security, and basic human rights protection.

This is a clear violation of the principle of non-refoulement, which prevents one country receiving asylum seekers from returning them to another country in which they would likely face persecution on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.

This repatriation agreement, which supposedly allows Rohingya people to return to Myanmar at will, in its core a quagmire.

It puts Rohingya people on a Catch-22 situation, where if they return to Myanmar, they will have no assurance of safety and will likely face persecution.

On the other hand, if they refuse to return, it will only legitimize the disturbing narrative that Myanmar has been trying to establish that Muslim minorities in Myanmar are safe, did not join the exodus and those that left are Bengalis who do not want to live in Myanmar.

The repatriation arrangement refers to the establishment of a joint working group within three weeks of the signing, which is Thursday. However, in order to have any legitimacy and acceptance of this group, the UN and internationally reputable human rights group, such as Human Rights Watch as well as Rohingya representatives, must be made a part of this working group.

The group must work with both governments toward arrangements that would adequately address the concerns of the displaced Rohingya and enable them to exercise their right to return to their home  freely, safely and with dignity.

More importantly, adequate arrangements for the delivery of humanitarian aid must be ensured and Rohingya people must not be forced to return to the refugee camps in Myanmar, also described as concentration camps by the Time and Al-Jazeera.

Washim Ahmed is managing partner of OWS Law and serves as a spokesperson for the Canadian Rohingya Development Initiative. He holds an LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School.

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A task force at Canadas largest school board has changed an equity report that prompted backlash from parents and students over the future of special education and arts-based schools, with no immediate plans to eliminate programs.

The report from the Toronto District School Board, aimed at ensuring all students have equal access to special programs regardless of where they live or their socioeconomic or racial backgrounds, generated controversy after a draft released in October sparked fear it could spell the end of options ranging from specialty schools to gifted classrooms.

But the revised report from the enhancing equity task force, which will be voted on by trustees at their Wednesday night board meeting, says those programs wont be taken away.

Currently the system works well for some students and not others, states the report, which was amended following public input that included more than 5,000 online submissions.

Equity takes nothing away from the students who are already thriving in the education system; rather, it creates supports for those the system is currently failing.

It calls for a review of special education, which includes gifted programs, with a focus on integrating more students into regular classrooms and retaining congregated sites while exploring options to include special education at a home school.

However, some parents still fear the TDSBs plan to include more special ed students in regular classrooms could jeopardize the success of many who are gifted or learn differently.

Not all special education students will benefit from full inclusion, stressed Shellie Suter, chair of the learning disabilities parent group at Northern Secondary School, after reading the revised equity report.

Choice should be preserved for parents to choose whats best for their child, said Suter, who has a son in Grade 11 in a program that provides smaller classes and extra help for students with learning disabilities.

While those programs will continue, she said its still uncertain whether families will always have access and be informed that they have the option of choosing congregated classes like those offered at Northern Secondary, where 400 students are in the gifted program and another 400 have learning disabilities.

However trustee Shelley Laskin said the report is clear that a range of choices will continue, from inclusive classrooms that accommodate children with special ed needs to classrooms and schools specifically for those who are gifted or have other special ed needs in a smaller and more supported environment.

I see no plan to dismantle congregated gifted programs, she said Monday.

Her remarks echoed a promise made in an interview last month by TDSB director John Malloy, who pledged that families will always be able to choose the best option for their children.

But parents like Suter say they worry special ed students will be collateral damage amid the push towards inclusion and the recommendation to destream Grades 9 and 10 courses, which will remove the option for kids to enrol in smaller applied-level classes.

The report calls for phasing out applied courses in those grades over the next three years to allow a majority of students to take academic-level classes, which are required for university.

If the report is approved, plans will be made in the new year about which recommendations can be implemented and how. Malloy is to present his proposals for the next steps at a Jan. 31 board committee meeting, where members of the public will be able to put forth their ideas or objections.

Concerns over special education voiced by parents and some teachers reflect a larger debate as the TDSB and other boards move towards a more inclusive model of education that includes learners of all kinds in regular classrooms. They worry too many children are being integrated without the resources and staff they need to help them learn, which puts them and their peers at risk.

The shift to inclusion cannot be seen as a cost-cutting measure because it actually requires more investment in additional classroom staff who are essential to help kids learn, says Nigel Barriffe, a TDSB special education teacher who is currently working for the Toronto local of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.

On the ground, on the frontlines, that is not happening, says Barriffe, who is also president of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations and agrees with the reports broader focus on making all programs more accessible to students across the city.

But he warns that failure to provide proper classroom resources has led to too many children floundering, waiting months for assessments and frustrated students with behaviour problems acting out violently in classrooms  an issue that has been the subject of a campaign by the teachers union.

The TDSBs Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) has introduced a number of motions in the last 18 months aimed at pushing the board to adopt more inclusive programs for students with special needs, arguing the TDSB has significantly more congregated classes than its other Ontario counterparts.

But last week, local parent Melissa Rosen moved a motion, passed by the committee, which stressed the need for families to have a range of choices to meet the diverse special education needs of children.

Other changes in the revised equity report included removing a controversial recommendation that had called for phasing out specialty schools such as the boards six arts-based schools and instead creating those options within clusters of schools throughout the city so kids can access them closer to home.

That raised hackles among families who feared it would also mean the end of other programs like the TOPS science program or international baccalaureate, though the TDSB vowed it will not close those.

But the revised report does call for a review of specialty programs to identify barriers, making sure all kids have access and to ensure that optional attendance  which allows students to apply for schools outside their neighbourhoods  is applied fairly.

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Here are three things you must know at midday on Tuesday, Dec. 12:

1. -- Westfield Corp., the owner of the shopping center at One World Trade Center in New York, is being bought by French property investor Unibail-Rodamco for $15.7 billion.

TheStreet's Brian Sozzi wrote that the move is an interesting one as retailers find the going tough against online retailing giant Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) - Get Free Report .

But Sozzi reckoned there are ways for malls to compete in the digital age. Read here for more.

2. -- Tesla Inc.'s (TSLA) - Get Free Report electric semi truck has received pre-orders from more than a dozen companies even though the vehicle won't begin production until 2019.

It currently costs $5,000 per truck for a reservation. The truck will cost between $150,000 and $180,000.

PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) - Get Free Report is the latest company to reserve the trucks, signing on for 100 of them. Tesla shares rose 2% on Tuesday.

Read here for four other companies that are looking to reduce fuel costs and go green.

3. -- Can't get enough of cryptocurrencies, right? Good, because here's more: Litecoin, the digital currency that has long stood in the shadow of more preeminent crypto assets such as bitcoin and ether, reached a fresh record price Tuesday, two days after bitcoin futures opened on Cboe.

After surging to a record high of $333.34 early Tuesday, litecoin traded at $328.40 by late morning. That's a 121% price rally from litecoin's closing price of $148.66 on Sunday, Dec. 10. The cryptocurrency has gained nearly 80% in the last 24 hours.

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Tesla's (TSLA) - Get Free Report electric semi truck had been shrouded in mystery before its debut last month. Since then it has received preorders from more than a dozen companies even though the vehicle won't begin production until 2019.

It currently costs $5,000 per truck for a reservation. The truck will have a price range between $150,000 and $180,000.

Here are six high profile companies who have made public announcements about purchasing the sleek vehicles.

UPS Orders 125 Semis

United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) - Get Free Report , which operates one of the largest commercial trucking fleets in the world, today announced it has placed a reservation for 125 of Tesla Inc.'s (TSLA) - Get Free Report new fully-electric Semi tractors.

The new tractors will join UPS's extensive alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicle fleet, comprised of trucks and tractors propelled by electricity, natural gas, propane and other non-traditional fuels.

Pepsi: 100

Pepsi announced its order Tuesday, the largest such order to be made public so far. The Tesla trucks will complement the company's already 10,000 strong trucking fleet. The plan is for Pepsi to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its supply chain 20% by 2030.

Sysco: 50

Food wholesaler Sysco (SYY) - Get Free Report placed an order for 50 Tesla semis over the weekend. Currently, Sysco employs about 7,500 trucks to make deliveries to 425,000 customers. "We are excited to begin the process of incorporating alternative-fuel trucks into our fleet," Sysco COO Tom Bene said. "In addition to the positive environmental impacts, we will also benefit from reduced fuel and maintenance costs and drive associate enthusiasm with the introduction of new and unique technology."

Anheuser Busch: 40

Budweiser parent company Anheuser Busch (BUD) - Get Free Report announced a reservation for 40 trucks last week. The beer maker hopes to lower fuel costs and vehicle emissions by 2025. The company said the fleet will help it reduce its operational carbon footprint by 30%.

J.B. Hunt: 40

Transporter J.B. Hunt (JBHT) - Get Free Report announced multiple bookings of the Tesla truck shortly after its debut in November, saying that it intends to utilize the vehicles' Dedicated Contact Service and Intermodal segments for its West Coast operations. "Reserving Tesla trucks marks an important step in our efforts to implement industry-changing technology. We believe electric trucks will be most beneficial on local and dray routes, and we look forward to utilizing this new, sustainable technology."

Walmart: 15

Shortly after the debut of the truck, Walmart (WMT) - Get Free Report announced an order for 15 trucks as part of a pilot test program in North America. "We can learn how this technology performs within our supply chain, as well as how it could help us meet some of our long-term sustainability goals, such as lowering emissions." the company said.

Elon Musk has a habit of spitting gold on social media:

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Cenovus Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in Canada, the United States, and the Asia Pacific region. The company operates through Oil Sands, Conventional, Offshore, Canadian Manufacturing, U.S. Manufacturing, and Retail segments. The Oil Sands segment develops and produces bitumen and heavy oil in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. This segments Foster Creek, Christina Lake, Sunrise, and Tucker oil sands projects, as well as Lloydminster thermal and conventional heavy oil assets The Conventional segment holds assets primarily located in Elmworth-Wapiti, Kaybob-Edson, Clearwater, and Rainbow Lake operating in Alberta and British Columbia, as well as interests in various natural gas processing facilities. The offshore segment engages in the exploration and development activities. The Canadian Manufacturing segment includes the owned and operated Lloydminster upgrading and asphalt refining complex, which upgrades heavy oil and bitumen into synthetic crude oil, diesel fuel, asphalt, and other ancillary products, as well as owns and operates the Bruderheim crude-by-rail terminal and two ethanol plants. The U.S. Manufacturing segment comprises the refining of crude oil to produce diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, asphalt, and other products. The Retail segment consists of marketing of its own and third-party refined petroleum products through retail, commercial, and bulk petroleum outlets, as well as wholesale channels. Cenovus Energy Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of AON: 6824625 Canada Ltd., 7193599 Canada Inc., A.B. Insurances Limited, ADIS A/S, AIB Services Limited, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency Inc., AIS Insurance Agency Inc., AMXH LLC, ARM International Corp., ARM International Insurance Agency Corp., ARMRISK CORP., AS Holdings Inc., ASPN Insurance Agency LLC, Access Plans USA Inc., Acumen Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Adm Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Administradora Aon C.A., Admiseg SA, Admix, Admix - Administracao Consultoria Participacoes e Corretora de Seguros de Vida Ltda., Aeropeople Limited, Affinity Group Insurance Services Limited, Affinity Insurance Services Inc., Affinity Risk Partners (Brokers) Pty Ltd, Agenion N.V./SA, Agility Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Alexander & Alexander Holding B.V., Alexander Clay, Alexander Insurance Managers (Netherlands Antilles) N.V., Alexander Reinsurance Intermediaries Inc., Allen Insurance Associates Inc., Alliance HealthCard Inc., Alliance HealthCard of Florida Inc., American Insurance Services Corp., American Special Risk Insurance Company, Anviti Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Aon (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon (CR) Insurance Agencies Company Limited, Aon (DIFC) Gulf Limited, Aon (Fiji) Ltd., Aon (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon (Thailand) Limited, Aon 180412 Limited (in liquidation), Aon ANZ Holdings Limited, Aon APAC Holdings B.V., Aon Acore Sarl, Aon Adjudication Services Limited, Aon Affinity Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Aon Affinity Argentina S.A., Aon Affinity Chile Ltda., Aon Affinity Colombia Ltda. Agencia de Seguros, Aon Affinity Mexico Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Servicos e Participacoes Ltda., Aon Affinity do Brasil Servicos e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Aon Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Americas Holdings BV, Aon Angola Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Antillen N.V., Aon Aruba N.V., Aon Assurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Australia Group Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 1 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 2 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 3 Pty Ltd, Aon Austria GmbH, Aon Bahrain W.L.L., Aon Belgium B.V.B.A., Aon Benefit Solutions Inc., Aon Benfield (Chile) Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Argentina S.A., Aon Benfield Australia Limited, Aon Benfield Brasil Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Canada ULC, Aon Benfield China Limited, Aon Benfield Colombia Limitada Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Benfield Fac Inc., Aon Benfield Global Inc., Aon Benfield Group Limited, Aon Benfield Inc., Aon Benfield Israel Limited, Aon Benfield Italia S.p.A., Aon Benfield Japan Ltd, Aon Benfield Latin America SA, Aon Benfield Limited, Aon Benfield Malaysia Limited, Aon Benfield Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro SA de CV, Aon Benfield Middle East Limited, Aon Benfield New Zealand Limited, Aon Benfield Panama S.A., Aon Benfield Peru Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Aon Benfield Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Bermuda Holding Company Limited, Aon Bermuda QI Holdings Ltd., Aon Beteiligungsmanagement Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Aon Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Aon Botswana (Pty) Ltd., Aon Brazil Holdings LLC, Aon Broking Services SA, Aon Broking Technology Limited, Aon CANZ Holdings B.V., Aon CANZ Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Inc., Aon Canada Intermediaries GP, Aon Captive Services Antilles N.V., Aon Captive Services Aruba N.V., Aon Cash Management B.V., Aon Central and Eastern Europe a.s., Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics Ltd, Aon Charitable Foundation Pty Ltd, Aon Chile Holdings LLC, Aon Commercial Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Commercial Services Ireland Limited, Aon Commercial Services and Operations Ireland Limited, Aon Consolidation Group Pty Ltd, Aon Consulting & Insurance Services, Aon Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Aon Consulting (Thailand) Limited, Aon Consulting Bolivia S.R.L., Aon Consulting Ecuador S.A., Aon Consulting Financial Services Limited, Aon Consulting Inc., Aon Consulting Kazakhstan LLP, Aon Consulting Limited, Aon Consulting Private Limited, Aon Consulting Romania SRL, Aon Corporate Services (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Corporate Services Limited, Aon Corporation, Aon Corporation Australia Limited, Aon Corporation EMEA B.V., Aon Credit International Insurance Broker GmbH, Aon Cyprus Insurance Broker Company Limited, Aon DC Trustee Limited, Aon Danismanlik Hizmetleri AS, Aon Delta Bermuda Ltd., Aon Delta UK Limited, Aon Denmark A/S, Aon Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH, Aon Direct Group Inc., Aon Edge Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Energy Caribbean Limited, Aon Enterprise Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Finance Bermuda 1 Ltd., Aon Finance Bermuda 2 Ltd., Aon Finance Canada 1 Corp., Aon Finance Canada 2 Corp., Aon Finance International N.S. ULC, Aon Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Finance N.S. 1 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 5 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 8 ULC, Aon Finance US 1 LLC, Aon Finance US 2 LLC, Aon Financial & Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Finland Oy, Aon France, Aon Global Holdings 1 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 2 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 3 Limited [In strike-off], Aon Global Holdings Limited, Aon Global Operations plc, Aon Global Risk Consulting B.V., Aon Global Risk Consulting Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Global Risk Research Limited, Aon Grana Peru Corredores de Seguros SA, Aon Greece S.A., Aon Groep Nederland B.V., Aon Group (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Group (Thailand) Limited, Aon Group Holdings International 1 B.V., Aon Group Holdings International 2 B.V., Aon Group Inc., Aon Group International N.V., Aon Group Pty Ltd, Aon Group Venezuela Corretaje de Reaseguros C.A., Aon Hewitt (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Ireland) Limited, Aon Hewitt (PNG) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Thailand) Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting Korea Inc., Aon Hewitt Financial Advice Limited, Aon Hewitt GmbH, Aon Hewitt Health Market Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Hewitt Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hewitt Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Management Inc., Aon Hewitt Japan Ltd., Aon Hewitt Limited, Aon Hewitt Ltd., Aon Hewitt Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Aon Hewitt Management Company Limited, Aon Hewitt Middle East Limited, Aon Hewitt Risk & Consulting S.r.l., Aon Hewitt Risk & Financial Management B.V., Aon Hewitt Trust Solutions GmbH, Aon Hewitt US Holdings Limited, Aon Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aon Holdings (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Holdings Antillen N.V., Aon Holdings Australia Pty Limited, Aon Holdings Austria GmbH, Aon Holdings B.V., Aon Holdings Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Aon Holdings Corretores de Seguros Ltda., Aon Holdings France SNC, Aon Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Aon Holdings International B.V., Aon Holdings Israel Ltd., Aon Holdings Japan Ltd, Aon Holdings Limited, Aon Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Holdings Mid Europe B.V., Aon Holdings New Zealand, Aon Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hungary Insurance Brokers Risk and Human Consulting LLC, Aon Insurance Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Agencies (Macau) Limited, Aon Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Aon Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd., Aon Insurance Management Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Antilles) N.V., Aon Insurance Managers (Barbados) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Dublin) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Holdings) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Isle of Man) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Liechtenstein) AG, Aon Insurance Managers (Luxembourg) S.A., Aon Insurance Managers (Malta) PCC Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (Shannon) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (USA) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (USVI) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers Gibraltar Ltd., Aon Insurance Micronesia (Guam) Inc, Aon Insurance Underwriting Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines Inc., Aon International Cooperatief U.A., Aon International Energy Inc., Aon International Holdings Inc., Aon Investment Holdings Ireland Limited, Aon Israel Insurance Brokerage Ltd., Aon Italia S.r.l., Aon Japan Ltd, Aon Jauch & Hubener Gesellschaft m.b.H., Aon Korea Inc., Aon Latam Holdings N.V., Aon Lead QI B.V., Aon Life Agency of Texas Inc., Aon Life Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Aon Life Insurance Company, Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Ltd, Aon Majan LLC, Aon Management Consulting Taiwan Ltd., Aon Mauritius Holdings, Aon Meeus Assurantien B.V., Aon Mexico Business Support SA de CV, Aon Mexico Holdings LLC, Aon Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Aon Middle East Co LLC, Aon Nederland C.V., Aon Netherlands Operations B.V., Aon Neudorf Finance S.a.r.l., Aon New Zealand, Aon New Zealand Group ULC, Aon Norway AS, Aon Overseas Holdings Limited, Aon PHI Acquisition Corporation of California, Aon PMI International Limited, Aon Parizeau Inc., Aon Pension Trustees Limited, Aon Pensions Insurance Brokers GmbH, Aon Polska Services Sp. z o.o., Aon Polska Sp. z o.o., Aon Portugal - Consultores Unipessoal Lda., Aon Portugal - Corretores de Seguros S.A., Aon Premium Finance LLC, Aon Private Risk Management Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Private Risk Management of California Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Product Design & Development Australia Pty Limited, Aon Product Design and Development New Zealand Limited, Aon Product Risk Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Property Risk Consulting Inc., Aon Qatar LLC, Aon Re (Thailand) Limited, Aon Re Bertoldi - Corretagem de Resseguros S.A., Aon Re Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Re Canada Holdings SARL, Aon Real Estate B.V., Aon Realty Services Inc., Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Aon Retirement Plan Advisors LLC, Aon Retirement Solutions Limited, Aon Risiko & Unternehmensberatungs GmbH, Aon Risk & Asset Management Pty Ltd, Aon Risk Consultants Inc., Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc., Aon Risk Management (Pty) Ltd, Aon Risk Services (Chile) Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of Latin America Inc., Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of the Americas Inc., Aon Risk Services (NI) Limited, Aon Risk Services (PNG) Ltd., Aon Risk Services (Thailand) Limited, Aon Risk Services Argentina S.A., Aon Risk Services Australia Limited, Aon Risk Services Canada Inc., Aon Risk Services Central Inc., Aon Risk Services Colombia SA Corredores de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Companies Inc., Aon Risk Services EMEA B.V., Aon Risk Services Ecuador S.A. Agencia Asesora Productora de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Holdings (Chile ) Ltda., Aon Risk Services Inc. of Florida, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Hawaii, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Maryland, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Washington D.C., Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., Aon Risk Services South Inc., Aon Risk Services Southwest Inc., Aon Risk Services Venezuela Corretaje de Seguros C.A., Aon Risk Solutions (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Risk Solutions Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas SA de CV, Aon Risk Solutions of Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Riskminder A/S, Aon Romania Broker de Asigurare - Reasigurare SRL, Aon Rus Insurance Brokers LLC, Aon Rus LLC, Aon S.p.A. Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Aon Saver Limited, Aon Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Aon Securities Investment Management Inc., Aon Securities LLC, Aon Securities Limited, Aon Service Corporation, Aon Services (Guernsey) Ltd, Aon Services (Malta) Ltd, Aon Services Group Inc., Aon Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Services Pty Ltd., Aon Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi ve A.S., Aon Soluciones S.A., Aon Soluciones S.A.C., Aon Southern Europe UK Limited, Aon Sp. z o.o., Aon Special Risk Resources Inc., Aon Superannuation (PNG) Limited, Aon Superannuation Pty Limited, Aon TC Holdings Inc., Aon Taiwan Ltd., Aon Treasury Ireland Limited, Aon Trust Company LLC, Aon Trust Corporation Limited, Aon Trust Services B.V., Aon UK Group Limited, Aon UK Holdings Intermediaries Limited, Aon UK Limited, Aon UK Trustees Limited, Aon US & International Holdings Limited, Aon US Holdings 2 Inc., Aon US Holdings Inc., Aon Ukraine LLC, Aon Underwriting Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Underwriting Managers (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Underwriting Managers Inc., Aon Versicherungsberatungs GmbH, Aon Versicherungsmakler Deutschland GmbH, Aon Vietnam Limited, Aon Ward Financial Corporation, Aon-COFCO Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc., Asevasa Argentina S.A., Asevasa Caricam S.A., Asevasa Chile Peritaciones e Ingenieria de Riesgos S.A., Asevasa Mexico S.A. de C.V., Asevasa Panama S.A., Asian Reinsurance Underwriters Limited, Asscom Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Association of Rural and Small Town Americans, Associacao Instituto Aon, Assurance Licensing Services Inc., B E P International Corp., B.V. Assurantiekantoor Langeveldt-Schroder, BMS Insurance Agency L.L.C., Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships (Ireland) Limited, Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships Limited, Bain Hogg Group Limited (in liquidation), Baltolink UADBB, Bankassure Insurance Services Limited, Bayfair Insurance Centre Limited, Beaubien Finance Ireland Limited, Beaubien Finance Limited, Beaubien UK Finance Limited, Becketts (Trustees) Limited, Becketts Limited, Beech Hill Pension Trustees Ltd, Bekouw Mendes C.V., Benefit Marketing Solutions L.L.C., Benfield Advisory Inc., Benfield Corredores de Reaseguro Ltda., Benfield Finance (London) LLC, Benfield Group, Benfield Investment Holdings Limited, Benfield Juniperus Holdings Limited, Benfield do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. (dormant), Benton Finance Ireland Limited, Benton Finance Limited, Blanch Americas Inc., Bowes & Company Inc. of New York, CEREP III Secondary Manager LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners I LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners II LLC, CIF-H GP LLC, Cammack Health LLC, Cananwill Corporation, Cananwill Inc., Cardea Health Solutions Limited, Casablanca Intermediation Company Sarl, Celinvest Amsterdam B.V., Chapka Assurances SAS, Citadel Insurance Managers Inc., CoCubes, CoSec 2000 Limited, Coalition for Benefits Equality and Choice, Cocubes Technologies Private Limited, Coles Hewitt Partnership, Contingency Insurance Brokers Limited, Contractsure Limited, CoverWallet, Coverall S.r.l. Insurance and Reinsurance Underwriting Agency, Credit Insurance Brokers (Reynolds) Limited, Crion N.V., Custom Benefit Programs Inc., Cut-e, Cut-e (UK) Limited, Cut-e Assessment (Hong Kong) Limited, Cut-e Assessment Solutions Europe Limited, Cut-e Australia Pty Limited, Cut-e Consult DMCC, Cut-e Danmark A/S, Cut-e Finland Oy, Cut-e GmbH, Cut-e Ireland Limited, Cut-e Nordic AS, Cut-e Norge AS, Cytelligence, Delany Bacon & Woodrow Partnership, Dempsey Partners, Denney O'Hara (Life & Pensions) Limited, Doveland Services Limited, E. W. Blanch Holdings Limited, E. W. Blanch Investments Limited, E.W. Blanch Capital Risk Solutions Inc., E.W. Blanch International Inc., EW Blanch Limited, Elysium Digital IP Products LLC, Elysium Digital L.L.C., Ennis Knupp Secondary Market Services LLC, Essar Insurance Services Limited, Exploitatiemaatschappij Beukenlaan 68-72 B.V., Farmaseg - Solucoes Assistencia e Servicos Empresariais Ltda., Farmsure Limited [In strike-off], Finaccord Limited, Financial & Professional Risk Solutions Inc., Futurity Group Inc., GTCR/AAM Blocker Corp., Ge.f.it. S.r.l., Gefass S.r.l., Glenrand M I B (Mocambique) Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Global Safe Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Globe Events Management, Gotham Digital Science LLC, Gotham Digital Science Ltd., Grant Liddell Financial Advisor Services Pty Ltd, Grant Park Capital LLC, Groupe-Conseil Aon Inc., Grupo Innovac Sociedad de Correduria de Seguros SA, HIA Insurance Services Pty Ltd., Hall Rhodes Holdings Limited, Hall Rhodes Limited, Hamburger Gesellschaft zur Forderung des Versicherungswesens mbH, Harbourview West Lake Co-Invest (GP) LP, Health Index Advisors LLC, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Henderson Corporate Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Partnership Limited [In strike-off], Henderson Risk Management Limited, Hewitt Amalco 3 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 4 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 5 ULC, Hewitt Associates (a partnership), Hewitt Associates Administradora e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Hewitt Associates Corp., Hewitt Associates Outsourcing Limited, Hewitt Associates Pty Ltd, Hewitt Associates S.C., Hewitt Associates SAS, Hewitt Associates Servicos de Recursos Humanos Ltda., Hewitt Beneficios Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Hewitt Holdings Canada Company, Hewitt Insurance Brokerage LLC, Hewitt Insurance Inc., Hewitt International Holdings LLC, Hewitt Management Ltd., Hewitt Risk Management Services Limited, Hewitt Western Management Amalco Inc., Hogg Group Limited, Hogg Robinson North America Inc., Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency Inc., I. Beck Insurance Agency (1994) Ltd., IAO Actuarial Consulting Services Canada Inc., INPOINT INC., IRM/GRC Holding Inc., Impact Forecasting L.L.C., Inspiring Benefits, Inspiring Benefits Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Insuractive Limited [In strike-off], Insurance Broker Aon Kazakhstan LLP, International Risk Management (Americas) Inc., International Risk Management Group Ltd, International Space Brokers Europe Limited, International Space Brokers France, International Space Brokers Inc., International Space Brokers Limited, Inversiones Benfield Chile Ltda., J H Minet Puerto Rico Inc., J. Allan Brown Consultants Inc., JDPT Manager LLC, Jenner Fenton Slade Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Credit Insurance) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Insurances) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Life & Pensions) Limited, Johnson Rooney Welch Inc., K & K Insurance Brokers Inc. Canada, K & K Insurance Group Inc., K & K Insurance Group of Florida Inc., K2 Technologies Inc., KVT GP LLC, Kloud S.a.r.l., Krumlin Hall Limited, Lake Erie Real Estate General Partner Limited, Lake Tahoe GP LLC, Lake Tahoe II GP LLC, Lake Tahoe III GP LLC, Lake Tahoe IV GP LLC, Lenzi Paolo Broker di Assicurazioni S.r.l., Lincolnshire Insurance Company PCC Limited, Linx Underwriting Solutions Inc., Lombard Trustee Company Limited, M.A. Shakeel Management Ltd. Amalco, MacDonagh Boland Crotty MacRedmond Ltd, Marinaro Dundas S.A., Marinaro Dundas SA, Mark Kelly Insurance and Financial Services PTY LTD, McLagan (Aon) Limited, McLagan Partners Asia Inc., McLagan Partners Inc., Membership Leasing Trust, Minet Consultancy Services Ltd, Minet Group, Minet Holdings Inc., Minet Inc., Minet Re North America Inc., Modern Survey Inc., Muirfield Underwriters Ltd., NBS Nominees Limited, National Insurance Office Ltd., Nauman Insurance Brokers Limited, Nexus Insurance Brokers Limited, One Underwriting Agency GmbH, One Underwriting B.V., One Underwriting Health B.V., One Underwriting Pty Ltd, Optica Agency A/S, Optimum Risk Solutions Limited, Ovatio Courtage SAS, P.G. Bradley & Co Limited, PGOF Manager 1 LLC, PRORUCK Ruckversicherungs Aktiengesellschaft, PT Aon Benfield Indonesia, PT Aon Hewitt Indonesia, PT Aon Indonesia, PWZ AG, Paragon Strategic Solutions Inc., PathWise Solutions LLC, Penn Square Manager 1 LLC, Penn Square Manager II LLC, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting (Leamington) Limited, Portus Online LLP, Praesidium S.p.A. - Soluzioni Assicurative per il Management, Premier Auto Finance Inc., Private Client Trustees Ltd., Private Equity Partnership Structures I LLC, Probabilitas N.V./SA, Protective Marketing Enterprises Inc., Randolph Finance Unlimited Company, Rasini Vigano Limited, Redwoods Dental Underwriters Inc., Richard Kiddle (Insurance Brokers) Limited, Risk Laboratories LLC, Riskikonsultatsioonide OU, Ronnie Elementary Insurance Agency Ltd, SA Special Situations General Partner LLC, SG IFFOXX Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, SLE Worldwide Limited, SN Re S.A., Salud Riesgos y Recursos Humanos Consultores Ltda. (former Aon Corporte Advisors Ltda.), SchneiderGolling IFFOXX Assekuranzmakler AG, SchneiderGolling Industrie Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, Scritch Inc., Shanghai Kayi Information Technology Co. Ltd, Sheppard Netherlands B.V., Specialty Benefits Inc., Sports Insure Limited [In strike-off], Strategic Manager-III LLC, Stroz Friedberg (Asia) Limited, Stroz Friedberg Inc., Stroz Friedberg LLC, Stroz Friedberg Limited, Stroz Friedberg Risk Management Limited, Superannuation Management Nominees Limited, Suresport Limited [In strike-off], Swire Blanch MSTC II SA, Swire Blanch MSTC SA, TTG BRPTP GP LLC, TTG Cayuga Bavaria Intermediate 2 S.a.r.l, TTG Core Plus Investments LLC, TTG German Investments I LLC, TTG Investments II LLC, TTG Irish Investments I LLC, TTG Manager LLC, Tecsefin S.A. en liquidacion, The Aon Ireland Mastertrustee Limited, The Aon MasterTrustee Limited, The John Reynolds Company Limited, The Key West Saxon Group LLC, The Townsend Group Inc, The Townsend Group LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager I LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager II LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager III LLC, Townsend Group Asia Limited, Townsend Group Europe Ltd., Townsend HWL GP Ltd., Townsend Holdings LLC, Townsend Lake Constance GP Limited, Townsend REF GP LLC, Townsend Re Global GP Limited, Townsend SO Manager I LLC, Tyche, UAB One Underwriting, UADBB Aon Baltic, UK Credit Insurance Specialists Limited, UNIT Versicherungsmakler GmbH, US Underwriting Solutions S.r.l., USLP Underwriting Solutions LP, Underwriters Marine Services Inc., Unidelta AG, Unirobe Meeus Groep, UnitedPensions Deutschland AG, Univers Workplace Solutions, VERO Management AG, Ventiv Technology, WT Government Services LLC, WT Technologies LLC, Wannet Speciale Verzekeringen B.V., Wannet Sports Insurance GmbH, Ward Financial Group Inc., Welfare S.r.l, West Lake General Partner LLC, West Lake II GP LLC, Wexford Underwriting Managers Inc., White Rock Insurance (Americas) Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Europe) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Gibraltar) PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Guernsey) ICC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Netherlands) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (SAC) Ltd., White Rock Insurance Company PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance PCC (Isle of Man) Limited, White Rock Services (Bermuda) Ltd., White Rock USA Ltd., Willis Towers Watson, Worldwide Integrated Services Company, Wrapid Specialty Inc., Zalba-Caldu Correduria de Seguros SA, and cut-e USA Inc..

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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., 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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.

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Emergent BioSolutions Inc., a life sciences company, focuses on the provision of preparedness and response solutions that address accidental, deliberate, and naturally occurring public health threats (PHTs) in the United States. The company's products address PHTs, which include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives; emerging infectious diseases; travel health; and emerging health crises and acute/emergency care. It offers BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine; ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine; Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent to treat botulinum disease; vaccinia immune globulin intravenous that addresses complications from smallpox vaccine; raxibacumab for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax; Anthrasil to for inhalational anthrax; reactive skin decontamination lotion kits; and Trobigard, a combination drug-device auto injector product candidate; and Trobigard, a combination drug-device auto injector product candidate. The company also provides NARCAN, a nasal spray for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose; Vivotif, an oral vaccine for typhoid fever; and Vaxchora, a single-dose oral vaccine to treat cholera. In addition, it is developing AP003, a Naloxone multidose nasal spray; AP007, a sustained release Nalmefene injection for treatment of opioid use disorder; AV7909, an anthrax vaccine; CGRD-001, a pralidoxime chloride/atropine auto-injector; CHIKV VLP, a chikungunya virus VLP vaccine; COVID-HIG for the treatment of SARS-CoV2; EGRD-001, a diazepam auto-injector; SIAN, an antidote for the initial treatment of acute poisoning of cyanide; and UniFlu, a universal influenza vaccine. Further, the company provides contract development and manufacturing services comprising drug substance and product manufacturing, and packaging, as well as technology transfer, process, and analytical development services. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
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.
Amwaj Gateway, a 33,391-sq-m mixed-use development project located near the entrance of Bahrain's Amwaj Islands, is being auctioned on December 13 at a new reserve price of BD25.5 million ($67.4 million).

Bahrains Judicial Committee for the Settlement of Stalled Real Estate Projects, has announced that the auction will be held at 11am at the Ministry of Justice office.

The announcement comes following the previous auction where the reserve price was not met.

Global real estate company Cluttons has welcomed the new auction date for Amwaj Gateway which will boast a total built-up area of around 190,000 sq m on completion.

The project consists of 20-storey twin-towers which accommodate 384 apartments and a two-storey building comprising of 93 townhouses. The development also includes a 143-room hotel tower.

Welcoming the decision, Harry Goodson-Wickes, the head of Cluttons Bahrain, said: "We are optimistic for the outcome of the auction being held next Wednesday. This is a public auction where any bidder can participate."

"The feedback we have received from interested bidders at the new reserve price has been positive," he stated.

"We believe the decision by the Bahrains Judicial Committee for the Settlement of Stalled Real Estate Projects to reduce the reserve price to BD 25.5 million for the next auction is sensible and will generate further interest in what we believe to be a great project and opportunity," he added.

Clutttons said the project will be open to local and international buyers while aiming to encourage investment in Bahrain. The property firm is now requesting pre-registration documents from interested bidders.-TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a leading aluminium smelter in the world, has signed up as strategic sponsor for the Aluminium Sector, at the Gulf Industry Fair 2018, the Northern Gulfs only event dedicated to promoting industrialisation, thus reaffirming its strategic support for the expo.



The Gulf Industry Fair 2018 will take place from February 6 to 8 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, said the event organisers Hilal Conferences & Exhibitions (HCE).



Alba will promote the Aluminium Industry at Gulf Industry Fair 2018, which reflects both, the upstream and downstream growth of the aluminium sector in the GCC.



Albas CEO Tim Murray said: "Aluminium has become one of the pillars upon which Bahrain has built its economic diversification. As the GCCs leading aluminium smelter, we believe that the Gulf Industry Fair is an important platform to promote Bahrain and the regions Aluminium Industry."



The Gulf aluminium industry is set to boom with Albas brownfield project, Line 6 Expansion Project, which will further underline the GCC region as an emerging hub for aluminium production, stated Murray.



"Line 6 Expansion Project, is going to add 540,000 metric tonnes, bringing Albas total production to 1.5 million metric tonnes," he added.



Welcoming the Alba tieup, Jubran Abdulrahman, the managing director of HCE, said Albas presence has encouraged downstream participation from leading downstream aluminium companies based in Bahrain such as Midal Cables and Gulf Markets International who manufacture and market products from Aluminium supplied by Alba.



"The Aluminium Zone at Gulf Industry Fair promotes products and services from the growing aluminium sector in the GCC. Bahrain is an established global exporter of downstream aluminium products and services which are Made in Bahrain," he noted.



"This strong position is due, in no small part, to the role of Alba as a local and global aluminium producer," he added.



Gulf Industry Fair 2018 also carries the strategic sponsorship of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) in association with the National Oil and Gas Authority.



The leading industry event is supported by Bahrain Industrial Association, PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Bahrain.-TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the world's leading aluminium smelters, has signed a MoU with Bechtel, a leading construction and civil engineering firm, to explore further opportunities of growth with Line 6 Expansion Project, which will result in Alba becoming the worlds largest single-site aluminium smelter.



Bechtel is currently the engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contractor for Albas landmark Line 6 Expansion Project.



The agreement was signed in the presence of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister at a reception organised by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with American Chamber of Commerce and the US-Bahrain Business Council recently in Washington DC.



Other cross-sector trade agreements were also signed between Bahrain and US companies during the reception.



Alba is one of the industrial cornerstones of Bahrain and we are deeply committed to the kingdoms Economic Vision 2030 and proudly partake in the development of the society in which we operate," remarked CEO Tim Murray after signing the deal with Brendan P. Bechtel, the chairman and chief executive of Bechtel Group.



"Alba and Bechtel have a long-standing business partnership," he stated.



"We are excited at exploring further opportunities with Bechtel, which will consolidate Albas status as one of the most modern and largest single-site smelters in the world," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Featured tweets:

@AUC_MoussaFaki: #SDGsAfricaRoundtable: Leadership in Africa must speak, act local to galvanise intra-African trade, stronger political commitment to address the real needs of all Africans.The #AUReforms is part of acknowledgement that we must own, pay for our collective ambitions. Now. Not later.

@AlibabaGroup: Jack Ma: In the future, trade will not go through containers, it will go through packages. E-commerce will not be one of the solutions, it will be THE solution. Rules and laws should be simple and modernized  designed for e-commerce.

MC11 updates:

(i) WTO, WEF, eWTP launch the Enabling E-commerce Initiative. The initiative aims to bring together leading voices from governments, businesses and other stakeholders for public-private dialogue on e-commerce policies and practices that can benefit small businesses. It will start its work early in 2018, with a high-level meeting at Davos in January to be followed by other conversations, including a major event in Geneva later in 2018. [WEF: 5 ways to make global e-commerce easier for everyone]

(ii) More than 40 ministers issue joint statement affirming support for the WTO. Ministers from 44 WTO members issued a joint statement on 11 December underlining their support for the WTO and reaffirming the centrality of the rules-based multilateral trading system. We, the Ministers from 44 developing and developed Members that are strongly supportive of the multilateral trading system, are concerned that the World Trade Organization is facing challenges, they declared. We reaffirm the principles and objectives set out in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO and the centrality of the rules-based multilateral trading system.

(iii) The unseen impact of non-tariff measures: insights from a new database. A new report by UNCTAD and the World Bank Group launched at the WTOs 11th Ministerial Conference reveals that non-tariff measures make trade costlier for developing countries than tariffs. The report is based on the updated database TRAINS 2.0, which collects comprehensive and comparable NTM data for 109 countries, covering 90% of global trade. On usage of NTMs, the report found that (pdf): (i) NTMs affect 77% global trade; (ii) In general, developed countries regulate more products and a higher share of imports than least-developed and developing countries; (iii) Agricultural products are more often regulated than manufactured goods and natural resources; (iv) Technical barriers to tradeand Sanitary and phytosanitary measures are the most frequently used form of NTMs; (v) Developed countries drive the high global usage of TBTs and export measures, while the use of SPS measures is more uniformly distributed. The report also measures the impact of NTMs on trade by estimating their equivalents according to value, or ad valorem equivalents (AVEs), which makes them comparable to tariffs. Four findings stand out:

(iv) TRAINS 2.0: New report reveals that trade regulations are costlier for developing countries than tariffs. A new release of UNCTADs global non-tariff measures database, TRAINS 2.0, was presented yesterday. The update means that the database now offers systematic and comprehensive information on 109 countries and covers 90% of world trade. UNCTAD TRAINS 2.0 contains 14,561 different regulations that comprise 50,511 distinct regulatory measures. Each entry provides information on the substance of measures, and the products and trading partners subject to the measure.

(v) WTO, ITC launch Cotton Portal to enhance transparency and support development. The Cotton Portal is designed for exporters, importers, investors and trade support institutions to search business opportunities and market requirements for cotton products. It provides a single entry point for all cotton-specific information available in WTO and ITC databases on market access, trade statistics, country-specific business contacts and development assistance-related information as well as links to relevant documents, web pages and to other organizations active in the cotton sector. Four African cotton-producing countries  Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali  proposed a Sectoral Initiative on Cotton in 2003. Since then, cotton has been discussed as a specific topic in the WTO.

(vi) Commodities and Development Report 2017. To support its policy recommendations, the report reviews policies pursued by several countries and their respective socio-economic impacts. The case studies cover such commodities in producing countries as soybeans in Argentina and Brazil, rice in Bangladesh, diamonds in Botswana and Sierra Leone, cotton in Burkina Faso, coffee and bananas in Costa Rica, cocoa in Ghana, nickel in Indonesia, sorghum in Mali, oil in Nigeria, and copper in Zambia. According to the report, policies that can promote inclusive growth over the next 15 years include economic diversification, expanding the linkages between the commodity sector and the national economy, adopting countercyclical expenditure policies which build commodity revenue buffers during price upswings to use them during downswings, adding value to raw commodities, and investing in social protection, health and education. [Various downloads available]

(vii) MIKTA Ministerial Communique; Statements by Members and Observers at the plenary session; USTR Lighthizers opening plenary statement; UNCTAD Secretary-General at MC11: Its time to re-energize the global trading system; @MalmstromEU: Despite all the hard work yesterday we still have no agreed outcomes says MC 11 chair @SusanaMalcorra. Now the real tough negotiations start.

Nigerias trade surplus hits N1.2trn on recovering oil price (Sundiata Post)

Nigerias trade surplus hit the N1.2 trillion mark in the third quarter of 2017 for the first time since 2014, buoyed by oil price recoveries since the beginning of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday. Nigerias oil exports rose by 99.13% year-on-year jump, as the economy gradually recovers from its worst economic slump in almost three decades, recorded a trade surplus of N1.2 trillion in the period under review, as the value of exports rose 54% from last year toN3.5 trillion while imports declined 4.5% to N2.3 trillion. On a quarterly basis, exports rose 15% while imports fell 9%. The trade surplus in Q3 is the third straight surplus this year, having been followed by N719 billion and N506 billion trade surpluses in the first and second quarters respectively, according to data compiled by BusinessDay.

Sudan and the IMF

After 20 years, long-standing US sanctions on trade and financial flows were revoked in October 2017, considering Sudans progress in cessation of hostilities in internal conflicts, improved cooperation on regional stability and counterterrorism, and improved humanitarian access. However, Sudan remains on the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, blocking progress towards badly needed debt relief. Arrears to the Fund are large (SDR 966.3 million). Selected Issues report: Banking relationships between Sudanese banks and foreign correspondents are likely to be gradually re-established. CBOS officials and commercial banks interviewed by the mission reported that negotiations with correspondent banks started since early 2017; however, they did not report material change to CBRs yet. CBOS officials also indicated that foreign banks have expressed interest for dealing with Sudan again. European and Middle-East banks are reportedly waiting for U.S. banks to begin operating in Sudan before taking action, and expect delays in resuming transactions between 6 to 12 months, despite the lifting of US sanctions, due to the need for compliance reports from the requesting bank. 2017 Article IV Consultation: Extract  Supply side reforms (pdf). The authorities have intensified efforts to modernize the business environment, notably in the context of their application for WTO membership. A high-level committee and eight sub-committees have been formed to coordinate this effort, and they have already identified 151 laws to be amended or completely modernized; staff encouraged them to press on with this effort. The authorities also continue to develop measures to fight corruption, including the Auditor General Act of 2017 which permits the Auditor General to audit any entity with at least 1 percent government ownership, the establishment of a Special Prosecutor General to investigate cases of abuse of public funds, and the establishment of an Anti-Corruption Commission.

Niger: Systematic country diagnostic (World Bank)

The economy is undiversified with few indications of structural transformation. Agriculture is the dominant sector in the economy (40% of GDP) and sectors such as manufacturing (6% of GDP), construction and public works (3% of GDP), and production of electricity gas and water (1% of GDP) are relatively small and underdeveloped. More than 60% of GDP is generated in the informal sector. The share of the secondary sector in GDP did increase over the past 15 years, however, not because of growth in industrial production but due to the expansion of the extractives industry. The tertiary sector generates around 40% of GDP. The relatively high contribution of the tertiary sector is not so much the result of the development of a more modern section of the economy as the reflection of the importance of import and export trade and the cost of transportation. Commerce and transport and the public sector represent the most important activities in the tertiary sector with shares of 12% of GDP respectively. Box 4.1: Nigers economic symbiosis with Nigeria and consequences of the naira devaluation (pdf):

Re-exports are another aspect of trade between Niger and Nigeria. Niger functions as a warehouse state for products that are heavily taxed or subject to import restrictions in Nigeria, including used cars, textiles, rice, and cigarettes. In 2014 and 2015, the value of re-exports to Nigeria represented 15% and 12% of the GDP, respectively. While these figures are not part of Nigers trade balance, they however contributed the equivalent of approximately 1% of GDP to the national budget each year in terms of customs duties. The cumulated effect of lower demand from Nigeria because of the recession in Nigeria for livestock and other products exported by Niger and the lower transit trade is significant. The impact of transit trade alone could be about 0.150.2% of GDP reduction in growth. The negative impact is mitigated to some extent by lower prices of imports from Nigeria. Cereal imports from Nigeria, which account for 2% of GDP, play a major role in food security. Well-organized distribution channels supply Nigers markets from regions of Nigeria where there is surplus production. The substantial naira devaluation affected prices of food products favorably, even without full pass-through of this devaluation.

The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018 report (UN)

A 3% upturn in the global economy has paved the way to readjust policy towards longer-term issues, such as addressing climate change, tackling existing inequalities and removing institutional obstacles to development, according to a new UN report on global economic prospects. According to the report, 2017 global economic growth had reached 3%  its highest since 2011  as crisis-related fragilities and the adverse effects of other recent shocks have subsided. The improvement is widespread. Roughly two-thirds of the worlds countries have experienced stronger growth in 2017 than in the previous year, and movement is expected to remain steady at three per cent in 2018 and 2019. Noting that the recent pickup in global growth stems predominantly from firmer growth in several developed economies, the report states that East and South Asia remain the world most dynamic regions. Extract (pdf): In 20172019, further setbacks or negligible growth in per capita GDP is anticipated in Central, Southern and West Africa, Western Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. These regions combined are home to 275 million people living in extreme poverty. This underscores the importance of addressing some of the longer-term structural issues that hold back more rapid progress towards sustainable development and to ensure that the targets of eradicating poverty and creating decent jobs for all are not pushed further from reach. Failure to address these issues may leave a quarter of the population of Africa in extreme poverty by 2030. Very few of the LDCs are expected to reach the Sustainable Development Goal target for GDP growth of at least 7% in the near term. Approaching this target will require higher levels of investment in many LDCs

PIDA Week updates:

Remarks by Dr Cheikh Bedda (AUC Director for Infrastructure and Energy): With regards to project development, as of December 2017, from the 433 PIDA PAP projects, we are pleased to announce the following status following our data collection efforts 46 are at Concept, 40 are at Pre-Feasibility, 30 are at Feasibility, 30 are at Detailing Structuring, 18 are at Financing, 19 are at Tendering, 83 are at Construction and 50 are in operation. The AfDB acknowledged that even though the cost of PIDA projects is very high, the cost of not implementing PIDA projects bears higher impacts to the sustainable development of the continent. It is imperative to analyse the cost of inaction, its impacts in the future economic growth of Africa. PIDA projects have so far created jobs and will continue to create employment in the region.

At the African Union Commission, we are already in the process of carrying out a mid-term review of the PIDA in order to assess the current projects on the ground and also to select projects for the next cycle of PIDA implementation, which is from 2020  2030. It is our strong expectation that the new phase of the programme will leverage partner support towards a comprehensive package of PIDA implementation strategy. In that regard, the AUC is proposing a strategy with renewed focus to infrastructure development in rural and remote areas through an integrated approach that will prioritise programmes that deliver roads, energy and ICT to help these regions leapfrog in their development trajectory. [Remarks by Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (NEPAD Agency CEO); Improving project bankability key to bridging Africas infrastructure gap; Adeyemi unpacks PIDA Model Law for transboundary infrastructure projects in Africa]
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 []
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When explorers brought potatoes back from the Andes, Europe was able to reverse its population decline and establish greater food security.

The potato is generally thought of as a humble tuber. It costs little in the grocery store, has a very subtle flavour, a smooth, almost boring consistency, and lacks the vibrancy of other root vegetables, like beets and carrots. But the fact is, the humble potato is a heavy hitter. According to historical researchers, the potato has played a significant role in shaping the world as we know it today.

A fascinating article in Quartzly, written by Gwynn Guilford and titled "The global dominance of white people is thanks to the potato," explains the cascade effect of its introduction to Europe. First discovered by Spanish explorers to the Incan empire in the mid-1500s, the potato was brought to Europe and quickly adopted for a number of reasons.

It yielded two to four times more calories per acre than staple grain crops and offered more vitamins and micronutrients. Guilford writes, "[Potatoes are] rich enough in vitamin C that they helped end rampant scurvy throughout the continent." Potatoes are frost-resistant and can be stored underground. They come out of the field ready to be eaten, not requiring the processing that grain needs. Extras could be fed to livestock, making meat more accessible to peasants.

The further the potato spread, the more its effects were felt. It fuelled soldiers at war, and helped peasants to survive periods of conflict. It made land more productive overall, making people less inclined to fight over it. And as the food supply became more reliable, abundant, and nutritious, the population swelled, providing "the wealth and manpower needed to fuel the Industrial Revolution."

Eventually, as the population growth became too much for Europe to support, this turned into a mass Caucasian migration from Europe to the New World. (The flip side of this is the increased reliance on the potato alone, which hurt the Irish population when blight hit its primary crop in the 1840s, killing a million people and forcing others to emigrate.)

Guilford sums it up:

"In an inversion of the potato miracle that helped make their migration possible, European immigrants thrived through growing Old World grains in their new terrain. The resulting plenty boosted birth rates to among the highest in recorded history. Through trade and imperialism, those surpluses fed and fueled Europes Industrial Revolution and, eventually, the industrial revolution in the US that led America to seize the mantle of Western global dominance."

I doubt I'll ever look at a potato in the same way again.
I would agree that our trip to Sandy Haven was probably a wash in terms of what we would have spent on staying at an AI. We stopped at Mega Mart in MoBay on the way. Picked up beer, wine, water and snacks. We ate at hole in the walls, had a nice dinner at Ivan's and La Vendome - ate patties for lunch some days. Had some of the drinks from the bar at Sandy haven - I liked the NON AI vibe...just seemed more relaxed. I didn't have to dress up or make reservations all week and it was so nice. Very relaxed, ate when and where we wanted. If I had stayed at an AI - I would have been reluctant to spend money to eat at Ivan's since we paid so much already. Just my two cents...but had I brought the kids, the AI would've been way cheaper for us since they are picky and like the drink virgin blended drinks. :)
We are planning to rent one of the new waterfront cabins at Woollamia next year -

http://www.jervisbayholidaypark.com.au/

We keep kayaking past them and they look amazing. I took a look at the website and most of them sleep 5,6 or 8. They are on the river at a very calm spot and it is just a short drive to Huskisson. Nearby at the boat ramp there are often huge rays hanging out hoping for a feed and you would probably see kangaroos at night around here. They do offer stand up paddle hire as well as kayak hire there and that is the kind of activity which might be must do - though in mid winter it might be a bit cold if someone falls in.

That is one of the things most people don't think about with RV hire - when you arrive at a place and set up for the night, but then you want to head out for dinner, you have to stow everything away again. Whereas with a cabin or motel, you can come and go as you please.

I think you have made a good decision - and if you do want to do an RV campervan trip, I would suggest spring or early summer might be better for everyone. :)
Well, the law has been changed. in my research, you will need the Criminal record to apply for the Vietnam work permit:

- Issued in a foreign country: need to be consular legalized, translated into Vietnamese and notarized.

- For foreigner resides in Vietnam: criminal record issued in Vietnam.

So if your mistake shows on a criminal record, it is really hard for you to get the work permit. Sorry :(((
Somewhere Beachside, HOIAN HOIAN beachside or no beachside Hoian is not to be missed, has the choice of two beach areas

both about 4-5kms from town, if you dont stay at the beach I can recommend The Green Heaven Resort and Spa, for your stay intown,

situated close to everything and Im sure they will do you a deal with the kids.

By staying in town you have more options, by staying at the beach you have the beach and little else,

Come and Enjoy  I also will be there then.

Edited: 4 years ago
We are making our first trip to Japan in September 2018 and we will be there for about 15-16 days. We are definitely going to Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima but would like to have 3 days at the end of the trip to relax on the coast, away from the main tourist trail

It has been suggested that I look at Shirahama on the Nii Peninsula or Shimoda on the Izu Peninsula but would really appreciate some guidance/thoughts on those two places or somewhere else.

Thanks for your help

B
Hi!

I will be traveling in japan this next april, i've been working hard trying to make sure everything make sens and is ''doable'' in my itinerary. I mostly have some doubts concerning some area where I'm not sure If I should do day trip back and forth or should I sleep at those places.

I was wondering if maybe someone could take a look at my schedule and let me know if anything look ''off'' or impossible to do etc.

Any advice is welcomed and appreciated :)

Day 1 Arrival in Narita airport in the early afternoon, Short visit of Naritan-san then departure for Tokyo, night in Tokyo

Day 2 full day in tokyo

Day 3 full day in tokyo

Day 4 full day in Tokyo

Day 5 Day trip to Nikko

Day 6 Trip to hakone, spend the day there (sleep there or not to be determined? Or going back to sleep in Tokyo)

Day 7 depart for Nagoya, spending the day exploring, night in Nagoya

Day 8 Early departure for Magome to do the Magome-tsumago Hike then stay for the night there ( *verify if accomodations are available) otherwise return to Nagoya

Day 9 Depart for Takayama in the morning (2.5h from Nagoya) Explore, night in takayama

Day 10 Spend the morning and early afternoon in takayama, hida folk village, leave in the afternoon for Kanazawa (2.5h ), Spend night in kanazawa

Day 11 Spend day in kanazawa

Day 12 visit Shirakawa-go and ?gokayama? (1h bus) Sleep there (?) or return to kanazawa for the night

Day 13 departure for Kyoto in the Morning, spend day in Kyoto

Day 14 Spend day in Kyoto

Day 15 Spend day in Kyoto

Day 16 Spend day in Kyoto

Day 17 Day trip to Nara (sleep there or not?)

Day 18 Depart for Mont Koya, Sleep in bouddhist temple in Koya-san

Day 19 Morning in Koyasan, leave around noon for Osaka (2h) Spend day

Day 20 Spend day in Osaka

Day 21 Depart to Miyajima, spend the day and night there

Day 22 Visit Hiroshima then depart in afternoon for Tokyo, Arrival in Tokyo in the evening

Day 23 Take the plane back home around dinner time.
Hi Guys,

I wondering if anyone has suggestions as to the best routes/ most cost effective way to travel to Japan in May from the UK. Preferably London. I'm planning to spend a few days in Kyushu, then move on to Kyoto and finally Tokyo using JR and then fly back.

I want to find suitable place to get my return flight for the long haul part and then two individual flights, one outbound from the long haul destination to Fukuoka, and then returning to the long haul start point from Tokyo.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks Iain
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President Petro Poroshenko has congratulated Ukrainian servicemen on the Land Forces Day.

In a post on his Facebook page, Poroshenko wrote: "Honor and glory to the soldiers of the Land Forces, who every day prove that there is no such force that can tame the spirit and will of the Ukrainian soldier. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Land Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces!

The Land Forces Day is marked in Ukraine on December 12.

iy
Cyprus will not let foreigners enter the country who intend to go to the occupied territory.

The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus informed this, according to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine.

"The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus informs that in the future all applications for entry visas for Ukrainian citizens who intend to rest or participate in official events in the occupied territory will not be considered. Tourists with biometric passports will be refused entry to the territory of the Republic of Cyprus if they go to Cyprus for the purpose of staying, living or participating in official events in the occupied territory," the report reads.

ish
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has condemned new searches in Crimea, stressing that Russia is converting the occupied peninsula into a territory of terror and lawlessness.

Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Mariana Betsa wrote this on her Twitter page.

"The occupant turns the Autonomous Republic of Crimea into a territory of terror and lawlessness. We again condemn illegal actions by the Russian Federation and express our protest," Betsa wrote.

As reported, on Tuesday, in the Crimean village of Urozhaine, the Russian law enforcement agencies conducted search in the house of Crimean Tatar Ibraim Osmanov and took his son Rustem Osmanov to Simferopol.

ish
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has authorized Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv to sign an agreement on economic cooperation with the Portuguese Republic.

The corresponding order has been published on the website of the Head of State.

"To authorize First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv to sign an agreement on economic cooperation between Ukraine and the Portuguese Republic," the document reads.

ish
12/05/2017

Lowell Sun

By Dacey Zouzas

LOWELL  The UMass Lowell Saab Center for Portuguese Studies, in partnership with the Portuguese/American Culture Exchange, hosted on Nov. 3 The Sounds of Portugal. It was an evening of fado with Joana Amendoeira and Duarte at Durgin Hall, UMass Lowell.

Fado (fate) is a musical genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably had much earlier origins. Today, fado is simply a form of song that must follow certain traditional structures, characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholy, according to Wikipedia.

More than 350 fado enthusiasts were mesmerized while listing to the concert, preceded by a private VIP reception for 140 guests who were able to meet and greet the artists before the show while enjoying an abundance of traditional scrumptious Portuguese desserts and delicacies. The specialty, especially for seafood lovers, was the paella and cod fritters, prepared in front of the guests and served by UMass Lowell's Aramark chefs.

The Saab Center for Portuguese Studies at UMass Lowell is named after well-known and extremely generous philanthropists Mark and Elisia Saab and family of Lowell, who have given to numerous organizations and charities throughout the area.

The Saab Center is an academic and cultural unit within the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences that bridges the gap between the campus and the surrounding area by promoting initiatives that enhance the presence and visibility of Portuguese culture and community. The center promotes the multidisciplinary study of the language, literature and culture of Portugal, while acknowledging the vast and varied Portuguese-speaking world of more than 250 million people on four continents and its diaspora in the United States in general, and the Merrimack Valley in particular.

This single event raised $40,470.


 UNICEF/Wessels

A baby gets his weight measured in a UNICEF supported child clinic in Nganza, Kananga.

KINSHASA/DAKAR/NEW YORK, 12 December 2017  At least 400,000 children under five in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and could die in 2018 if they are not urgently reached with lifesaving health and nutrition interventions, UNICEF warned today. The dire situation has largely been caused by violence, mass displacement and reduced agricultural production over the past 18 months.

While the security situation has stabilized in parts of the region and some displaced populations have begun to return to their homes and communities, humanitarian conditions remain critical. More than 750,000 children across the region are acutely malnourished, while 25 health zones in the Kasai region are now in a situation of nutritional crisis with emergency thresholds on nutrition exceeded.

This nutrition crisis and food insecurity in the Kasai region follows the displacement of thousands of families who have been living for months in very harsh conditions, said Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Acting Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The true scale of the problem is becoming clear as people are returning home in some areas where the security situation has improved and health services have started functioning again.

The violence and displacement of 1.4 million people in the Kasai region has led to food shortages, with two-thirds of households unable to work their land to grow crops. Severe food insecurity is now affecting large parts the region, and conditions are not expected to improve before June 2018, because the planting seasons in 2017 were lost. Families have little to harvest from their own land and nothing to sell at the markets.

Health facilities have also been devastated, making it more difficult to provide treatment and care for severely malnourished children. Approximately 220 health centers were destroyed, looted or damaged, leading to a weakening of the health delivery system, reduced access to healthcare and an increased risk in the spread of communicable diseases like measles.

Guaranteeing access to basic health and nutrition services to returning populations is essential to help malnourished children survive and thrive, said Dr. Oyewale.



Since January 2017, UNICEF and its partners have provided therapeutic nutritional care to 50,700 children with severe acute malnutrition, aged between 6 and 59 months, in the Kasai region. However, the childrens agency has received just 15 per cent of the funding required to respond to the nutritional needs of children in 2017.

###

Notes for editors:

Together with its partners in the Kasai-region, UNICEF provides a multi-sectoral assistance in health, water, nutrition, education and protection to displaced populations and returnees through its Rapid Response to Population Movement programme, targeting 160,000 people. To help children with their education, UNICEF is setting up temporary schools in communities where schools were destroyed and training to teachers in peace education and psychosocial support. Since the beginning of the crisis, UNICEF has assisted 800 children formerly associated with militia groups. Building a bridge between its humanitarian response and its development work, UNICEF is implementing large scale health campaigns, including the vaccination of 1.4 million children against measles and distribution of long-lasting insecticide impregnated mosquito nets against malaria targeting 4.8 million people in the Kasai region.

Photo and video assets available for download here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AMZIFLSD4EA



For more information, please contact:



Yves Willemot, UNICEF DRC, +243 81 88 46 746 , ywillemot@unicef.org;

Thierry Delvigne-Jean, UNICEF Dakar, +221 778192300 , tdelvignejean@unicef.org;

Christopher Tidey, UNICEF New York, + 1 917 340 3017, ctidey@unicef.org;

Patsy Nakell, UNICEF Johannesburg, + 27 76 8722147, pnakell@unicef.org;

Christophe Boulierac, UNICEF Geneva, +41 79 963 92 44 , cboulierac@unicef.org.


 UNICEF/Brown

A young woman and a baby waiting to be immunized watch as a health worker fills a syringe with vaccine, in the Unchiprang makeshift Rohingya refugee camp in Coxs Bazar

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, 12 December 2017 - The Government of Bangladesh, with the support of UNICEF, the World Health Organization and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, today launched a vaccination campaign against diphtheria and other preventable diseases for all Rohingya children aged 6 weeks to 6 years living in 12 camps and temporary settlements near the Myanmar border.

Accelerated immunization will cover nearly 255 000 children in Ukhiya and Teknaf sub-districts in Coxs Bazar, while the Government and health partners continue to increase support for diphtheria treatment and prevention.



Diphtheria usually appears among vulnerable populations that have not received routine vaccinations, such as the Rohingyas. The outbreak shows a steep rise in cases, an indicator of the extreme vulnerability of children in the Rohingya camps and settlements. This calls for immediate action to protect them from this killer disease. Vaccination provides effective prevention, said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.

Recent data from the WHO Early Warning Alert and Response System (EWARS) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) shows 721 probable diphtheria cases, including 9 deaths, in the camps and makeshift settlements hosting the refugees, between 12 November and 11 December.

The Government of Bangladesh will do everything necessary to contain this outbreak. We thank WHO, UNICEF and other health partners for their swift response to the request of the Government to combat this diphtheria outbreak, and for continuously supporting our efforts to provide essential health services for these vulnerable people, said Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh.

The children are being administered pentavalent vaccines (which protects against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Haemophilus Influenzae, and hepatitis B), pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) and bivalent oral polio vaccine. The Serum Institute of India has donated 300 000 doses of pentavalent vaccines for use in the response.

Next week, three rounds of tetanus diphtheria (Td) vaccines will be provided to Rohingya children aged 7 to 15 years, and 10 000 health and development workers in Rohingya settlements. A total of 900 000 doses of Td are arriving today in the country, for this purpose.

We are moving quickly to control this diphtheria outbreak before it spins out of control. The vaccines will help protect every Rohingya child in these temporary settlements from falling prey to the deadly disease. Beyond vaccinations, we are helping health workers to clinically manage suspected cases, trace their contacts, and ensure sufficient supplies of medicines," said Dr Navaratnasamy Paranietharan, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.

WHO is procuring 2 000 doses of diphtheria anti-toxins to treat diphtheria patients. Nearly 345 doses were hand carried by WHO from Delhi to Coxs Bazar.

WHO and UNICEF are working with communities to ensure that they are aware of the signs and symptoms of diphtheria, and that they can access treatment as quickly as possible.

Diphtheria is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a potent toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It spreads through air droplets by coughing or sneezing. Risk factors include crowding, poor hygiene and lack of immunization.

###

Download multimedia materials here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AMZIFIO0F79

For more information about UNICEF's work with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh visit http://uni.cf/Rohingya
More than 1,000 Cambodian-Americans from across the United States converged on Washington on Sunday to call for the release of Cambodias jailed opposition leader and the restoration of his party.

The protest was led by several former lawmakers from the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was dissolved by court order in November.

The party and its leadership were accused of colluding with the United States to stage a revolution to overthrow the rule of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Eng Chhai Eang, the CNRPs vice president, said he was very excited to see a strong showing at the protest, despite the cold weather.

They are determined to demand Hun Sens administration releases our president, Kem Sokha, nullify the decision to dissolve the Cambodia National Rescue Party, and organize free and fair elections with the oppositions participation, he said.

Nuon Veasna, a recently elected city councilor in Lowell, MA, said he hoped the Trump administration could persuade the Cambodian government to change course.

Protesters carried placards and banners condemning the decision and urging a return to the terms of the Paris Peace Agreement of 1991, which officially ended Cambodias long-running civil war and paved the way for the countrys first modern democratic elections in 1993.

Nalen Smith, a protest organizer from Virginia, said: Each country must respect human rights and uphold democracy. Therefore, Im appealing to the international community to seriously look at the situation in Cambodia because the human rights violations are deepening.

The majority of the CNRPs former lawmakers have fled the country since Sokhas arrest in early September.

Washington has made several appeals to Cambodia to release Sokha and provide space for civil society and the media to operate freely.

The U.S. government has also ended its support to the countrys election body and imposed visa restrictions on Cambodian officials.

Demonstrators on Sunday unanimously welcomed such moves, however, Hong Net, a councilor for Lynn City, MA, said the sanctions did not go far enough.

I want to see more sanctions especially the economic ones and their assets frozen. I really want to see these, he said.

Sia Phearum, executive director of the Housing Rights Task Force, an NGO, who attended the protest as an observer, said organizing protests in Cambodia was not possible in the current political climate.

He said: If the [Cambodian] government is still stubborn and does not listen to the international community, its the government alone who will have to bear all the blame because they will make more than 15 million people suffer. This is because Khmers cannot work together and wait till the international community jumps in. This is a shame.

Cambodias ambassador in Washington, Chum Bunrong, did not respond to requests for comment.

Sok Eysan, ruling Cambodian Peoples Party spokesman, said the protest would have no bearing on political developments in Cambodia.

For people overseas, no matter how they scream or hold a rally, big or small, it does not have any impact on Cambodias independence and sovereignty, he said. They have demanded we release democracy, but our democracy is working smoothly every day. There is no problem. On the contrary, the legal action was taken against Kem Sokha and the opposition party was no ones fault. He created the offense himself.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has declared his government victorious in its war on color revolution.

Ahead of planned parliamentary elections next year, Hun Sens government led a crackdown on political opponents, disbanding the opposition and jailing its leader, and targeting independent media outlets and civil society groups.

Speaking to military officers on Tuesday at the opening of a military intelligence school, Hun Sen equated the oppositions alleged efforts to unseat him with terrorism.

We have already broken its backbone, cut off its head, and eliminated the body of the color revolution organization, he said. But their backers are not stopping as their attempts on us remain in place.

This is perhaps the first time in the history of color revolutions that they have failed, he added.

He pointed to the war-torn states of Syria and Libya as examples where popular uprisings had led to disastrous consequences for the population, calling on the military to be vigilant as the backers [of revolution] do not stop here.

Mu Sochua, the vice president of the now defunct CNRP, said Hun Sens narrative of a shadowy color revolution was imagined with one purpose: to eliminate rights and freedom of speech, association, and freedom of choice to select the leader the people want.

The United States, European Union and United Nations have all condemned the governments actions.

Both Washington and Brussels have since withdrawn financial support for next years general election, while the United States has gone a step further by imposing visa restrictions on some officials it charged with undermining democracy.

A ruling Cambodian Peoples Party official told reporters this week that Washington had placed 51 officials on its visa restrictions list.

The United States has denied all allegations that it was involved in a plot to overthrow Hun Sen.
Burundi plans to raise money for an election in 2020 by deducting part of civil servants' salaries and taking contributions directly from citizens, a government minister said on Monday, as it seeks to replace dwindling external funding.

Until 2015, Burundi used external aid to pay for elections, but donors have suspended their assistance since a political crisis erupted when President Pierre Nkurunziza sought and won a third term.

Pascal Barandagiye, the minister for interior, said the government will also seek contributions from every household, which will pay up to 2,000 francs ($1.14) a year. Gross national income per capita stood at $280 in 2016, and close to 65 percent of the population live below the poverty line, according to World Bank data.

"The total amount of the election cost is not yet known. ... But as soon as the needed fund is got the fundraising campaign will be halted," Barandagiye told a news conference. "That contribution should be given voluntarily, it shouldn't be seen as a head tax."

Students of voting age will contribute 1,000 francs annually.

Civil servants will contribute at least a tenth of their monthly salaries, Barandagiye said. Foreign help would also be accepted, he said.

Burundi has been gripped by a political crisis since April 2015, when Nkurunziza announced he would stand for a third term, which the opposition said violated the constitution as well as a 2005 peace deal that ended a 12-year civil war.

He won a vote largely boycotted by the opposition, but protests sparked a government crackdown. More than 700 people have been killed and 400,000 displaced to neighboring countries. The economy has stagnated.

The aid-dependent nation now has to rely on domestic tax collection and modest revenue from coffee and tea exports. Key donors, such as the European Union, cut direct financial support to the government over accusations of human rights violations and the crackdown on opponents, which Burundi rejects.

At the end of October, Burundi's cabinet adopted draft legislation seeking to change the current constitution to allow Nkurunziza to run for a fourth term in the 2020 election.

The proposed amendments, which are likely to go to a referendum by next year, seek to abolish the two-term limit and lengthen the presidential terms to seven years.

($1 = 1,750.4900 Burundi francs)
Medical marijuana has been used to treat epilepsy in patients for years, and this month, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said it should be studied and treated like other pain relief drugs. A growing body of scientific evidence is leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to do that. Meanwhile, researchers at Colorado State University are examining the benefits of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive byproduct of marijuana, for treating dogs with epilepsy and arthritis. Faith Lapidus reports.
Authorities continue to seek information on terror suspect Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi immigrant and New York resident who prematurely detonated an explosive Monday morning, inside one of midtown Manhattans busiest transit centers. Following the attack, the White House renewed its calls for an end to chain migration. Ramon Taylor reports from New York.
American military officials say the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan has destroyed 25 illegal drug-processing laboratories in Helmand province, eliminating $80 million in narcotics money during the first three weeks of an air campaign aimed at countering Taliban revenue.

Speaking via teleconference from Kabul, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Lance Bunch told reporters $16 million of the $80 million in destroyed funds was set for "direct revenue" to the drug lords' Taliban partners.

The air campaign marks the first time in 16 years that counter-Taliban forces have used air power to target revenue streams.

"This is a new war," Bunch said. "The gloves are off."

He praised the new authorities granted under the Trump administration, which allow the U.S.-led coalition to strike Afghan Taliban support structures, ranging from weapons caches to revenue generators.

Prior to the policy change, the U.S. military was only permitted to conduct American airstrikes in defense of Afghan National Security Forces who were in close proximity to Taliban fighters.

"It has definitely been a game changer, and the Taliban is definitely feeling it," Bench told reporters Tuesday at the Pentagon.

According to the U.S. military, the Taliban generates a total budget of between $300 million to $500 million a year. Sixty percent of that, or nearly $200 million, comes from the narcotics trade in Afghanistan, the vast majority of which originates in Helmand province.

Bunch said the United States, Afghanistan and international allies are looking for opportunities to disrupt the Taliban's ability to fund their operations, recruit fighters and buy weapons, which he said will prevent the insurgent group's ability to reset in the upcoming months.

"It's only just begun, and it's going to be a long winter for the Taliban," he said.
Impatient, Laquana Cooke checked her e-mails every day. She scanned her computer screen in hopes of finally seeing the results of her DNA test. She knew that her family comes from somewhere in Africa, but she wanted to know which country, which culture, which language.

I am a mother and I want to be able to tell my child where we come from, said Cooke, an English professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. You know who you are, but the test gives another dimension to your identity.

Six weeks after she sent saliva to a private company, she got her results.

I come mainly from Cameroon and Congo! she exclaimed while rereading the document. I met a Cameroonian at university, and I immediately thought of him, she recalled. I want to say 'Hi, my brother, how are you!'

Laquana Cooke took the test as part of a project led by a professor at West Chester, Anita Foeman, founder of the schools DNA Discussion Project.

For more than 11 years, Foeman, who is African-American, has been working with volunteers to test their DNA and analyze participants' expectations and reactions when they learn the results.

Foeman remembers one case in particular. Kimberly, a 20-year-old woman, identified herself as Asian and Scandinavian before the DNA test. But the color of her skin and her hair led people to suspect she had African ancestry.

Are you asked if you are black? Foeman asked her. Kimberly replied, All the time, but I'm not!

The teacher asked her to receive the results in front of a camera. And indeed, she had 25 percent African DNA, Foeman recalled.

Kimberly started talking about it and crying, explaining that her features had always caused controversy in her life. Sometimes people did not want to be her friend because she was black, she said, or people did not want to go out with her, so she tried to ignore this part of her identity.

Power through knowledge

Pamela Hilliard Owens and Myesha Craddock are cousins. For years, they have been searching for their genealogy through documents. But the DNA test has opened a new door.

I found out that we were from the Horn of Africa, which is not common [among African-Americans], said Craddock, a lawyer in the Baltimore area. Now that she knows her origins, she would like to learn more about her ancestors.

The test has confirmed some things, and I would like to go there, meet the Africans, she said. I would like to know how Africans living in the Horn of Africa live, to know their culture.

With the answers come other questions, I would like to know how my ancestors came to America, the circumstances that made them slaves, she said.

For her cousin Pamela, a publisher in Detroit, knowledge offers power. These tests mean that our story did not begin with slavery, she said. Owens points out that African-Americans call Africa the motherland, because they are our brothers, our cousins ... We are bound by history.

A growing trend

Alondra Nelson, a professor of sociology at Columbia University, says DNA testing is popular for a simple reason, Businesses are offering the African-American community to finally know their origins denied by society.

For the majority of this community, links to African culture and language were lost upon the arrival of their ancestors on American soil. Slaves were prohibited from maintaining their cultural and religious practices and forced to learn English.

During the Civil War, many archives that documented the arrival of slaves by boat were destroyed, making genealogical research more difficult.

Faced with this loss, DNA testing offers the possibility to rediscover some of what has been lost.

It's a victory because you can feel deprived of this knowledge. But in this access to this knowledge, African-Americans face difficult truths like traces of sexual violence during slavery, Nelson said. Because most black Americans often are a percentage of European.

Once the results are known, African-Americans often try to connect with the African population living in their city, for example by going to a restaurant, to interact with them.

Alondra Nelson explains that she observed two types of reactions by African-Americans when results are posted online.

Either Africans say Welcome home, or they begin to remember that to be part of this or that tribe, there are rites of passage, a language and a culture to know, she said.

The test also raises problems of historical interpretation. DNA testing often tells African-Americans they have roots in Cameroon, a country that did not exist during the slave trade. For Nelson, the real problem is the reduction of a culture and a nationality to genetic markers by private companies that collect data.

Despite the criticisms, some African-Americans embrace their newfound cultural roots, sometimes by being renamed or traveling to meet their brothers and sisters.

Ceremony of names

Bernice Bennett was excited when DNA companies told her she is 89 percent African. I jumped everywhere in my living room, she recalled.

On her screen, she discovered that she has 38 percent DNA from Cameroon and Congo, 28 percent from Ivory Coast and Ghana, nine percent from Senegal, and five percent from Benin and Togo.

Shortly thereafter, she contacted the Ivorian association La Main Tendue, which organizes nomination ceremonies, in order to give an African name to these new members of the community.

I am N'Gantcha, which means the twin, said Bernice, proudly showing the paper certificate she also received that day.

Growing up, she wondered where her ancestors came from before they were forcibly brought to the United States. When she received her results, she felt free to say I am African, and was even able to pinpoint exactly which region.

Bernice went to Africa for the first time in 1994, visiting the South African city of Cape Town. She remembers how she felt when she arrived on the continent.

Just touching the continent, I felt so proud to be among Africans, she recalls. Someone even told me welcome home my sister, you can not imagine what I felt at that time ... I was at home!
Voting is underway in the southern U.S. state of Alabama in a tightly contested Senate election between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore, a campaign roiled by charges from women who accused Moore of sexual misconduct four decades ago when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s.

Tuesday's special election was being watched nationally, both as an indicator of how midterm congressional elections might play out next November and also as a barometer of President Donald Trump's political clout.

Trump endorsed Moore, who has denied the women's allegations, and called for the defeat of Jones, whom he said would be a political "puppet" of liberal Democratic lawmakers in Washington.

The election winner will serve the last three years of the seat left vacant by Jeff Sessions when he joined Trump's Cabinet as attorney general, the country's top law enforcement position. If Moore wins, Republicans will retain their 52-48 majority in the Senate, but a Jones victory would pare the margin to 51-49, possibly further complicating Trump's efforts to pass his legislative agenda.

WATCH: Stakes High for Trump in Senate Race in Alabama

Pre-election polls at various times have shown both Moore, 70, and Jones, 63, in the lead, but the history of elections in deeply conservative Alabama runs against Jones.

No Democrat has won a Senate election in the state since Richard Shelby did in 1992, and two years later he switched parties to become a Republican. Still a senator, Shelby said Sunday that he voted absentee for "a distinguished Republican" as a write-in choice, but could not bring himself to vote for Moore after one woman, now in her 50s, said Moore abused her when she was 14.

Moore, twice deposed as a state Supreme Court justice for failing to follow federal court rulings, has accused journalists, Democrats and establishment Republicans in Washington of trying to undermine his campaign. Some Republican lawmakers, a number of whom said Moore should drop out of the contest after the women's allegations surfaced, said they would try to expel him from the Senate if he won.

Quinnipiac University said its latest national poll showed that Americans, by 60 percent to 31 percent, said the Senate should vote to expel Moore if he won the election. By a wide margin, 63-21, voters disapproved of Trump's endorsement of Moore, the poll said.

As he voted, Jones said, "We feel very good about where we are in this racewhat we've done and what we've accomplished.

"The things that have been said to us in this campaign are extraordinary," Jones said. "The number of 'thank yous.' The number of 'God bless yous.' The number of 'We are praying for yous.' This is an important time in Alabama's history and we feel very confident in where we are and how this is going turn out. But more important, we feel so good about what we've done and what we've said to the people of Alabama and the people of the United States. So, thank you."

Moore, at his final rally Monday night, again denied the women's allegations, calling them "disgusting," and vowed to help Trump disrupt politics as usual in Washington.

On Tuesday morning, Moore, wearing a black cowboy hat, arrived on horseback to vote in Gallant, a small town in northeastern Alabama.
A major U.S. electronic retailer says it wants to help immigrant and underprivileged teens gain the technology skills they'll need for the job market.

Best Buy, in partnership with a local nongovernmental organization known as the Brian Coyle Center, has opened a tech center in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside area. The center provides after-school computer classes for teens in the area, many of whom come from East African immigrant families.

The company plans to open 60 such centers nationwide by 2020. Trish Walker, the president of service for Best Buy, said the aim is to train a million teens each year to help them be prepared for tech-related jobs.

"Here, teens can learn so many skills, from coding to web programming, music production, 3-D design, editing, fashion design, getting leadership skills, entrepreneurship, mentoring from others," Walker said at the opening ceremony for the center. "Great stuff to be able to prepare the teens for workforce for the future. Eighty percent of the future [jobs] are tech-related."

Hamza Nur is a Somali youth who spent four years learning at the first Minneapolis-area Best Buy tech center, where he learned how to digitally edit and draw.

"I learned so much, and am grateful," Nur said at the ceremony. "I think this is a great idea that we can all learn from. I think the idea of tech center is pretty great one, because it lets all the youth of Cedar have a great experience with technology."

Abdirahman Mukhtar, the youth program director at the Brian Coyle Center, says the center gives young people a positive outlet through which to channel their energy, and it helps to keep them away from drugs and gangs, which have been recurring problems in the area.

"The time of the program is after-school time, and it's [then] that a youth has free time and can commit negative habits," he told VOA's Somali service.

Minneapolis is home to the United States' largest communities of Somali and East African immigrants, most of whom came to the U.S. because of armed conflicts in their home countries.
A British banker sentenced to life in prison for the gruesome murders of two Indonesian women went before a Hong Kong court Tuesday to appeal his conviction.

Rurik Jutting was convicted last year of the 2014 murders of Sumarti Ningsih and Seneng Mujiasih in his luxury apartment. Jurors were shown graphic video Jutting took on his cellphone of him torturing Sumarti and snorting cocaine. The body of one of the murdered women was discovered stuffed in a suitcase.

The court rejected the 32-year-old Jutting's attempt to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility from alcohol and drug abuse, and sexual disorders.

The Cambridge University graduate watched from the defendant's box during Tuesday's hearings as his lawyers argued the judge incorrectly instructed the jurors in the original case on assessing their client's psychiatric maladies.

The hearing will resume Wednesday.
China made an impressive display of its clout in the digital economy during a three-day internet conference in Beijing last week by pulling together the participation of U.N. agencies, the World Telecom Union and CEOs of major US based IT companies like Google, Apple and Cisco System.

The conference started with a message from Chinese president Xi Jinping who said, China would never close its doors. They will only be open wider and wider going forward.

But at the same time, Xi and Wang Huning, one of the ruling Communist Partys seven most powerful men, emphasized the need for cyber sovereignty, which allows individual countries to establish cyber boundaries to protect their respective sovereign interests.

Xi said that besides benefits, the internet has also brought many new challenges to the sovereignty, security and development interests of nations across the world.

The Cyber Administration of China, which organized the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen city, was trying to obtain public confirmation about its Internet policies. This was also the first time the annual conference, which started in 2014, had attracted a high-profile attendance from heads of major international companies and agencies.

Analysts are skeptical the conference helped to boost Chinas quest to influence rulemaking in the digital world. Many have noted that none of the foreign speakers specifically referred to Internet controls in China, which include bans on U.S. based services like Google, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

I certainly dont see (this) as Chinas role as a rule setting has expanded. The regulatory bodies and standards actually usually doesnt apply to China, Jacob Cooke, CEO of consulting firm, Web Presence in China told VOA. There is actually a noticeable lack of Chinese presence And, likewise here there is no international presence in terms of regulatory body or rules and regulations.

Apples challenge

Apple recently removed hundreds of apps from its app store in China to adhere to the Chinese great firewall of censorship. Apple CEO Tim Cook did not mention that at the conference but said Apple shared the same vision with China on open Internet.

The theme of this conferencedeveloping a digital economy for openness and shared benefitsis a vision we at Apple share, Cook said adding, We are proud to have worked alongside many of our partners in China to help build a community that will join a common future in cyberspace.

But in the wake of Apple's decisions to remove APPS and similar moves, questions have surfaced about whether American CEOs are indirectly endorsing Chinas censorship methods in their eagerness to obtain a larger slice of the country's lucrative market.

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy specifically targeted the Apple chief for failing to promote freedom of expression. "Apple is clearly a force for good in China, but I also believe it and other tech companies must continue to push back on Chinese suppression of free expression," Leahy said.

Cook responded with a statement saying, Each country in the world decides their laws and their regulations, and so your choice is do you participate or stand on the sideline and yell at how things should be.... And my own view, very strongly, is that you show up and you participate, you go in the arena. Because nothing changes from sideline.

Cooke of Web Presence in China agrees, adding that such questions are not Apples responsibility.

If you want do to business in a country you got to obey rules and laws of that country. Thats with any business. I mean it is not up to you to criticize or change the laws that serve the politicians, Cooke said.

Robert Elliot Kahn, regarded by many as father of the Internet for co-inventing Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) views the controversy over Chinas internet restrictions in a somewhat different light.

Governments are going to impose their own rules and regulations; thats the way the world works, he told VOA on the sidelines of the conference. But if we can make it easier for people to build better products and services, to get more services to the public and is supported by people and governments around the world, I think thats progress for humanity.

Seeking business

It was apparent from the meeting that western businessmen, including Cook and Google CEO Sudar Pichai, were doing what they can to expand in the Chinese market. Although Googles browser and Gmail is banned in China and the company left China more than seven years ago, Bloomberg recently reported that the company was making a comeback investing artificial intelligence.

A lot of work Google does is to help Chinese companies. Many small and medium-sized businesses in China take advantage of Google to get their products to many other countries outside of China, Pichai said.

Cook pointed out that Apples app store has helped give Chinas 1.8 million developers total earnings worth $16.9 billion, which is the highest earned by developers in any country.

In a quote widely used in state media Cook said, "many people see China as a big market, but for us the main attraction is the quality of the people."

But in the end, analysts note that Chinas influence remains limited to the extent of the market it can offer to foreign companies and this is limited by the fact that several giant Chinese companies are jostling to fill every inch of the space.
A U.S. soldier who deserted to North Korea more than half a century ago, but who was eventually allowed to leave the secretive state, has died in Japan aged 77.

One of the Cold War's strangest dramas began in 1965 when Charles Robert Jenkins, then a 24-year-old army sergeant nicknamed "Scooter" from tiny Rich Square in North Carolina, disappeared one January night while on patrol near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.

At an emotional court martial in Japan in 2004, Jenkins - who had never gone to high school - said he deserted to avoid hazardous duty in South Korea and escape combat in Vietnam.

"It was Christmas time, it was also cold and dark. I started to drink alcohol. I never had drunk so much alcohol," he said in a thick Southern accent, choking back sobs.

He drank 10 beers, took his men on patrol and told them to wait while he checked the road below. He then walked towards North Korea, holding a rifle with a white t-shirt tied around it. He said he had planned to go to Russia and turn himself in, and had not expected North Korea to keep him.

While in North Korea, where he taught English to soldiers and portrayed an evil U.S. spy in a propaganda film, Jenkins met and married Hitomi Soga, a Japanese woman 20 years his junior who had been kidnapped by North Korea to help train spies.

Fear for his safety and the family he built with Soga made it impossible to refuse any demands made on him, Jenkins said.

"You don't say no to North Korea. You say one thing bad about Kim Il-sung and then you dig your own hole, because you're gone," Jenkins told his court martial, referring to the founder of the secretive state.

Soga was allowed to return to Japan in 2002 and Jenkins followed with their two North Korean-born daughters in 2004.

After serving a token 30-day sentence for desertion, Jenkins moved with his family to Sado, Soga's rural hometown, late in 2004. He subsequently worked in a gift shop and wrote a book about his experiences in North Korea.

A Sado town official confirmed his death, but could give no further details.
More than 50 female members of Congress want House leaders to investigate alleged sexual misconduct by President Donald Trump before he was in the White House.

The representatives sent a letter Monday to Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy and Democrat Elijah Cummings of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

"At least 17 women have publicly accused the president of sexual misconduct," the letter from the Democratic Women's Working Group says.

"The American people deserve a full inquiry into the truth of these allegations. The president's own remarks appear to back up the allegations...he feels at liberty to perpetrate such conduct against women. We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr. Trump."

The letter invites the president to bring forth present evidence in his own defense.

WATCH: Trump accusers speak out

Earlier Monday, four U.S. senators called on Trump to resign over the allegations.

These allegations are credible; they are numerous. Ive heard these womens testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking," New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand told CNN.

She added that if Trump does not immediately resign, Congress should have appropriate investigations of his behavior and hold him accountable.

The remarks follow similar calls by Senator Bernie Sanders -- an independent -- and Democrats Jeff Merkley, and Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey. All of them urged the president to step down following the announced resignations of Senator Al Franken and Congressman John Conyers over sexual harassment allegations.

Three women, who last year accused Donald Trump of making unwanted sexual advances, renewed their allegations Monday, saying it was time Congress investigate claims against the president in the wake of dozens of other powerful American men being held accountable for their treatment of women.

Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of forcibly kissing her 12 years ago when she worked as a receptionist at his Trump Tower business headquarters in New York, said lawmakers should "put aside their party affiliations and investigate Mr. Trump's history of sexual misconduct."

She appeared alongside the two other Trump accusers at a New York news conference: Samantha Holvey, who alleged that Trump walked uninvited into a backstage dressing area where she and others were in various states of undress at a 2012 beauty pageant Trump owned, and Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of groping her when she sat next to him on a commercial airline flight in the late 1970s.

During last year's presidential campaign, more than a dozen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct extending over several decades, but he denied all the accusations, and said that an explicit 2005 taped comment of him boasting of groping women was merely "locker room talk."

The White House again rejected the allegations.

"These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last years campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory," the White House said. "The timing and absurdity of these false claims speaks volumes and the publicity tour that has begun only further confirms the political motives behind them."

Later, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "We feel these allegations have been answered" by the results of the 2016 election. "The American people knew this and voted for the president."

The women's renewed claims against Trump come as powerful men from film making, politics, the media and business have been fired or forced to resign in the last two months after women came forward with graphic details of unwanted sexual advances.

Crooks said of the alleged Trump Tower encounter with the future president, he "repeatedly kissed my cheeks and ultimately my lips in an encounter that has since impacted my life well beyond the initial occurrence and feelings of self-doubt and insignificance I had. Unfortunately, given Mr. Trumps notoriety, and the fact that he was a partner of my employers, not to mention the owner of the building, I felt there was nothing I could do. Given this hostile work environment, my only solution at the time was to simply avoid additional encounters with him.

Holvey said, As a little girl, I would watch the Miss USA pageant every year and dream of being one of those beautiful, successful, incredibly confident women. These dreams never included a man lining us all up to look us over like we were pieces of meat.

"These dreams never included a man coming into the backstage hair and makeup area while I sat naked under a robe, as he walked around looking at us like we were his property before he moved into the dressing room," she said. "And these dreams certainly never included this same man becoming president of the United States. I have a new dream now, that this man will be held accountable for his actions and that future generations of women can fulfill their dreams without worry of anyone treating them like they are less than because theyre a woman.

While Trump has said the women's allegations are false, one of his key government appointees, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Sunday, "Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with."

Asked whether Trump's election meant that voters had decided the issue in his case, Haley said, "That's for the people to decide. I know that he was elected, but women should always feel comfortable coming forward, and we should all be willing to listen to them."
The fifth largest wildfire in California history expanded, ripping through dry brush atop a coastal ridge while crews struggled to keep flames from roaring down into neighborhoods amid fears of renewed winds.

Firefighters protected foothill homes northwest of Los Angeles, making progress in residential areas while much of the fire's growth occurred to the north in unoccupied forest land, Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason said Tuesday.

"There were a couple of flare-ups in the hills that put on a light show last night, but they were expected. For now the teams are fighting the fire on their own terms," he said, adding that shifting winds are always a danger.

Red Flag warnings for fire danger due to Santa Ana winds and a critical lack of moisture were extended into the week instead of expiring Monday afternoon as was initially forecast.

"It doesn't get much drier than this folks," the National Weather Service tweeted, adding that more than 80 observation sites in the region reported Monday relative humidity levels between just 1 and 9 percent.

Tens of thousands of people remain evacuated, including many from the seaside enclaves of Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria and the inland agricultural town of Fillmore.

Residents near a Carpinteria avocado orchard said the trees could end up saving their homes.

"You have a thick layer of leaves underneath the bottom and they are watered regularly, so it's like a sponge," Jeff Dreyer, who lives nearby, told KEYT-TV. "So the fire gets to the sponge full of water and it slows it down. It takes a long time for it to burn."

Poor air quality kept dozens of schools closed. As ash rained down and smoke blew through streets, regulators urged people to remain inside if possible and avoid strenuous activity.

Officials handed out masks to those who stayed behind in Montecito, an exclusive community about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Los Angeles that's home to stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges and Drew Barrymore. Actor Rob Lowe was among residents who evacuated over the weekend.

The blaze  known as the Thomas Fire  has destroyed more than 680 homes, officials said. It was just partially contained after burning more than 360 square miles (930 square kilometers) of dry brush and timber. The fire has been burning for more than a week.

To the north, San Francisco Bay Area firefighters quickly contained blazes Tuesday that destroyed at least two homes in hills east of Oakland  the site of a 1991 firestorm that killed 25 people.

Santa Ana winds have long contributed to some of the region's most disastrous wildfires. They blow from the inland toward the Pacific Ocean, speeding up as they squeeze through mountain passes and canyons.

The weather service said that if the long-term forecast holds, there will have been 13 consecutive days of dry offshore flow before it ends Friday afternoon. There have only been 17 longer streaks since 1948, including the record of 24 days set between December 1953 and January 1954.



High fire risk is expected to last into January.
Cuba has told senior U.S. officials during talks on migration in Havana that the U.S. decision to suspend visa processing at its embassy on the island was "seriously hampering" family relations and other people exchanges.

Relations between the former Cold War foes became strained after Donald Trump became the U.S. president, partly reversing the thaw seen during Barack Obama's presidency.

In September, after allegations of incidents affecting the health of its diplomats in Havana, the U.S. administration reduced its embassy to a skeleton staff, resulting in the suspension of almost all visa processing.

"The Cuban delegation expressed deep concern over the negative impact that the unilateral, unfounded and politically motivated decisions adopted by the U.S. government ... have on migration relations between both countries," the Cuban Foreign Ministry said Monday in a statement.

The statement was issued after delegations led by Josefina Vidal, Cuba's Foreign Ministry chief for U.S. affairs, and John Creamer, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, met to discuss migration issues.

Many Cubans said they were heartbroken because they could not visit or be with their loved ones. While Cuba has a population of 11.2 million people, there are an estimated 2 million Cuban-Americans in the United States.

The Trump administration also issued a warning on travel to Cuba and in October expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry said this had "seriously affected the functioning of the diplomatic mission, particularly the consulate and the services it offers to Cubans residing in the United States."

The U.S. decision to cancel the visits of official delegations to Cuba was also having a "counterproductive effect" on cooperation in fields like migration, the ministry said.

Illegal migration decreases

On the positive side, both the U.S. and Cuban delegations commented on the drop in illegal Cuban migration to the United States during the talks as a result of past moves toward normalizing relations.

Obama, who announced the detente with Cuba nearly three years ago, eliminated a policy granting automatic residency to virtually all Cubans who arrived on U.S. turf in January, just before leaving office.

Cuba had asked for the change for years, saying that policy encouraged dangerous journeys and people trafficking.

"Apprehensions of Cuban migrants at U.S. ports of entry decreased by 64 percent from fiscal year 2016 to 2017, and maritime interdictions of Cuban migrants decreased by 71 percent," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

Trump said in June he was canceling Obama's "terrible and misguided deal" with Havana, returning to Cold War rhetoric, and his administration has tightened trade and travel restrictions.

He has however in practice left in place many of Obama's changes, including restored diplomatic relations and resumed direct U.S.-Cuba commercial flights and cruise-ship travel.
The International Organization for Migration reports an alarming deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, as fighting continues to spread throughout the country, forcing thousands to flee.

The International Organization for Migration reports a humanitarian catastrophe is looming in Democratic Republic of Congo. It notes spreading violence in parts of the country has forced more than 4 million people to flee their homes, making DRC the African country with the highest displacement population.

The most combustible regions include the eastern and south-central provinces of North and South Kivu, Tanganyika, and Kasai. Jean-Pierre Chauzy is IOM Chief of Mission in DRC. Speaking by telephone from Kinshasa, he says conditions are deteriorating at an alarming rate.

For example, he noted there have been six displacements in North Kivu during the past few weeks due to clashes between armed groups and Congolese forces. He said civilians are being attacked and many are caught in the crossfire. He said aid agencies are so strapped for cash that some 20,000 people have received no assistance to date.

Many IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), and I saw them, having no choice but to pitch ... bits of tarpaulin in unsafe areas. With IDPs that are being drawn into labor in the host communities to try and earn some money. And, also pushing vulnerable IDPs into what we call negative coping mechanisms  multiple exploitations and that would also [include] transactional sex. And, of course, this is where gender-based violence is also widely spread, said Chauzy.

IOM is appealing for $75 million to urgently meet the growing needs of displaced Congolese and the communities in the violent eastern and central provinces hosting them.

Chauzy said more than 13 million people will be in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and protection throughout the next year. He said they will need shelter, food, clean water, sanitation, and health care.
The European Union has suspended funding for Cambodia's 2018 general election because the vote cannot be credible after the dissolution of the main opposition party, according to a letter sent to the national election committee on Tuesday.

The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was dissolved by the country's highest court last month at the request of the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen after the arrest of opposition leader Kem Sokha for alleged treason.

"An electoral process from which the main opposition party has been arbitrarily excluded cannot be seen as legitimate," read the Dec. 12 letter reviewed by Reuters. "Under these circumstances, the European Union does not believe there is a possibility of a credible electoral process."

The EU and Japan are the biggest donors to Cambodia's election commission. Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the government, said it was able to hold the election with its own money.

"This is their will ... we have our own money," Phay Siphan told Reuters on Tuesday.

The United States last month said it would suspend funding for the election. It later said it would impose visa sanctions for people involved in the governments' actions to undermine democracy.

A crackdown by the ruling party has seen senior members of the opposition targeted in recent months. Kem Sokha, leader of the CNRP, was arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government with U.S. help.

He has rejected the accusation as a political ploy.

The dissolution of the CNRP has been condemned by some Western countries as the most serious blow to democracy since an international peace deal and U.N.-run elections in the early 1990s ended decades of war and a Khmer Rouge genocide that killed at least 1.8 million Cambodians in the 1970s.

The EU in October warned Cambodia that it could face EU action over duty-free access it enjoys under a deal for some of the world's poorest countries if the human rights situation in the country deteriorates further.
Syrian migrant Bashar Wakaa and his heavily pregnant wife are days away from the birth of their third child, stranded on the Greek island of Lesbos in a muddy, garbage-strewn olive grove with no running water or toilets.

Nearby, three Syrian men share a flimsy tent designed for two. Like the expectant couple, they arrived by rubber dinghy from Turkey only to find the island's migrant camp in a disused military base was severely overcrowded.

"This is not a life for humans," said 23-year-old Anas Bakour, one of the men who shares the rain-sodden tent. "The animals have a better life."

The hundreds sleeping in the woods are among more than 8,500 asylum-seekers stuck on Lesbos, where facilities for migrants were only designed to accommodate about 3,000. Thousands more are on four other Greek islands close to Turkey.

A deal between the European Union and Turkey struck in 2016 stemmed the uncontrolled exodus of nearly a million people across the Aegean Sea the year before.

Under the agreement, anyone crossing to Greece from Turkey who does not qualify for asylum must be deported.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras discussed cooperation on migration with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived in Athens on Thursday for the first visit to the country by a Turkish head of state since 1952.

Though arrivals collapsed in 2016 following the deal, they have recently ticked up. In the four months to November, 15,800 asylum-seekers arrived on Greek islands, up 27 percent from last year, according to data from the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR).

The data does not give monthly arrivals by country of origin but a UNHCR spokesman in Greece said most were Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, as has been the case throughout the crisis.

Aid groups and experts on Europe's migration crisis say the main problem is a lack of political will to improve conditions on the Greek islands, in the hope of dissuading more migrants from risking the sea crossing.

"No one will admit it but it's a discouraging factor, a discouraging message for anyone who may want to come," said Konstantinos Filis, research director at Greece's Institute for International Relations.

Medical care shortage

Aid workers say there is now an acute shortage of medical care, the conditions are horrendous and more and more depressed asylum-seekers are cutting themselves or attempting suicide.

Camp residents say gangs, some armed with knives, roam at night, drugs and alcohol circulate freely and women cower in their shelters for fear of attack.

"Any girl in this camp expects at any moment that she will be attacked," said Shahed Naji, 22, an Iraqi woman.

The EU-Turkey deal does not explicitly forbid asylum-seekers from leaving the islands until claims are assessed but the process takes months and stranded asylum-seekers grow desperate and frustrated, said charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

"People need to get off the island as soon as possible," said Aria Danika, MSF's field coordinator in Lesbos.

Turkish officials said the increase in crossings to the Greek islands in recent months did not reflect any slippage on their part in implementing its agreement with the EU.

Some camp residents on Lesbos said they were not aware of the deal blocking their journey onwards to northern Europe.

Others said they left Turkey because they could not find work and found life unbearable.

"No one puts his life in danger to come by small boat if Turkey is good and he can live there," said Amal Adwan, a Palestinian born in Syria now on Lesbos.

Adwan, who made seven attempted sea crossings before reaching Lesbos, said she might have had second thoughts if she had known what the conditions were like.

"If I knew before, maybe I wouldn't have come," she said.

'Open prison'

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grande told Reuters there was "a certain general resistance to moving people from the islands, not to create a pull factor."

Greece's migration ministry, which manages the Lesbos camp, has said it is trying to ease overcrowding but could not remove people in large numbers because of the EU-Turkey pact.

It declined to give an immediate comment on conditions on Lesbos and other islands.

Ahead of Erdogan's visit, Prime Minister Tsipras told a Turkish news agency on Wednesday that the EU-Turkey deal was "difficult but necessary."

The European Commission, which has offered Greece millions in emergency aid, said on Thursday it was working on a daily basis with the Greek authorities to try to improve the conditions on the islands but more needed to be done.

"I have earlier, also in Athens, expressed my frustration over the fact that although we have put so much money at the disposal of all the authorities, that still the situation on some of the islands is unacceptable," the Commission's First Vice President Frans Timmermans told reporters.

On Lesbos, the once-welcoming community is fed up. On Saturday, residents used cars to try to block a ferry from unloading containers intended to house more refugees.

The island's mayor, Spyros Galinos, said EU policies had turned the island into "an open prison" and called for protests and strikes against the deal.

Sitting in his office overlooking the port, he compared Lesbos to a weightlifter being asked to lift heavier and heavier barbells: "Today, we're buckling. When we get crushed the situation will be completely unmanageable and explosive."

Back in the olive grove, Wakaa and his pregnant wife are despondent. "If they can't accommodate these people then why are they accepting them in the first place?" Wakaa asked. "Let them drown in the sea. At least they will die and rest."
Some stinging mistakes in stories involving President Donald Trump have given him fresh ammunition in his battle against the media while raising questions about whether news organizations need to peel back the curtain on how they operate.

The president tweeted six attacks on what he calls fake news'' over the weekend, saying the "out of control'' media puts out purposely false and defamatory stories. That led to a contentious exchange at Monday's White House press briefing between press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and CNN's Jim Acosta.

"Journalists make honest mistakes,'' Acosta said. That doesn't make them fake news.''

When Sanders responded that reporters should own up to their mistakes, one said, "we do.''

"Sometimes, but a lot of times you don't,'' she said. "There's a very big difference between honest mistakes and purposely misleading the American people.''

Trump has his own issues: the Washington Post's fact-checking blog counted 1,628 false or misleading claims made by the president in his first 298 days in office.

Still, it was an undeniably bad week for news organizations reporting on investigations into the Trump campaigns dealings with Russia. ABC News suspended Brian Ross for incorrectly reporting the timing of a Trump directive to Michael Flynn. Several news outlets wrongly reported that Trump and his family's bank records were the subject of the special prosecutor's subpoena. And CNN corrected a story on the timing of a tip to the Trump campaign about damaging information on Democrats.

With the hyper-speed of the modern news environment, the stories spread swiftly beyond their original source.

News organizations corrected themselves but fell short in their explanations, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a communications professor and the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

When a mistake is made, the public really needs to understand why it was made and what corrections have been put in place to make sure it doesn't happen again,'' she said.

In announcing Ross' four-week suspension, ABC News issued a two-paragraph statement saying the story "had not been fully vetted through our editorial standards process.'' Executives were not made available to explain to the public what exactly that meant.

Ironically, the only time ABC News President James Goldston's reaction to the error was heard came from a leaked tape of him talking to staff members obtained by CNN's media reporting team.

Sanders specifically cited Ross' story when asked for an example of one that was purposely misleading.

When CNN made its mistake a week later, its own executives did not talk publicly about it - even when the topic was discussed on the network's weekend show about the media, "Reliable Sources.''

Network representatives, speaking without allowing a name to be attached, blamed the error on sources that provided information to reporters Manu Raju and Jeremy Herb. That still left questions: New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen wondered, for example, how it was possible that different sources made the same error about a date.

CNN earlier this year fired journalists involved in a discredited story about former Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci. CNN said - again, without allowing a name to be attached- Raju and Herb followed the network's procedures for sensitive stories. In the Scaramucci case, the reporters didn't. Again, it was up to consumers to decipher precisely what that meant.

CNN's communications staff, responding Monday to Trump's tweet that he once called anchor Don Lemon "the dumbest man on television,'' said "in a world where bullies torment kids on social media to devastating effect on a regular basis with insults and name calling, it is sad to see our president engaging in the very same behavior himself. Leaders should lead by example.''

With politicians targeting journalists, it is more important than ever to be clear, Jamieson said. People need to know that there are consequences when reporters make mistakes, and what those consequences are, she said.

She pointed to The Washington Post, which last Friday began what it said will be an occasional series of videos about its operations. The first, titled "How to Be a Reporter,'' featured interviews with two journalists who worked on the newspaper's story about Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore dating young girls. The reporters explained how they were tipped to the story and went about reporting it.

"As corny as it sounds, the agenda is to find out what the reality is, what the truth is of the story,'' said reporter Stephanie McCrummen." That's it.''

Over the weekend, Trump demanded an apology from the Post for a photo that he said was deceptive about the number of people who attended his Florida rally, since it had been taken while people were waiting outside. Post reporter Dave Weigel apologized; Trump later said he should be fired.

On Monday, Trump said a Times story exaggerated the amount of time he watched television each day, and that he seldom watched CNN or MSNBC. The Times said its story was based on interviews with 60 people, "including many who interact with President Trump every day."
Transgender recruits will be able to join the U.S. military as of Jan. 1, a federal judge ruled on Monday, denying a request by President Donald Trump's administration to enforce his ban on transgender troops while the government appeals an order blocking it.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington refused to lift part of her Oct. 30 order stopping the ban from taking effect until the case is resolved, because it likely violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law.

The administration had argued that the Jan. 1 deadline was problematic because tens of thousands of personnel would have to be trained on the medical standards needed to process

transgender applicants, and the military was not ready for that.

Kollar-Kotelly rejected the concerns, saying that preparations for accepting transgender troops were underway during the administration of Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.

"The directive from the Secretary of Defense requiring the military to prepare to begin allowing accession of transgender individuals was issued on June 30, 2016 - nearly one-and-a-half years ago," the judge said.

Several transgender service members filed a lawsuit after Trump announced in July he would ban transgender people from the military, citing concern over military focus and medical costs.

In an August memorandum, Trump gave the military until March 2018 to revert to a policy prohibiting openly transgender individuals from joining the military and authorizing their discharge. The memo also halted the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgery for active-duty personnel.

Defense Secretary James Mattis had previously delayed a deadline that had been set during the Obama administration to begin enlisting transgender recruits to Jan. 1, which Trump's ban then put off indefinitely.

The Pentagon said on Monday that it was preparing to allow transgender people to enter the U.S. military on Jan. 1, following court orders.

The service members who sued Trump, Mattis and military leaders in August had been serving openly as transgender people in the U.S. Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. They said Trump's ban discriminated against them based on their sex and transgender status, and that they had relied on the Obama-era policy to reveal they are transgender.

In her October ruling, Kollar-Kotelly said the Trump administration's reasons for the ban "do not appear to be supported by any facts" and cited a military-commissioned study that debunked concerns about military cohesion or healthcare costs.

The U.S. Department of Justice appealed the injunction and also asked the judge to suspend the Jan. 1 enlistment date, warning it could cause harm and confusion in the ranks.

A second federal judge in Maryland also halted the ban in Nov. 21 ruling.
Propelled by the power of hearing their stories in their own language, some Cambodian American audience members fled in tears from a screening of First They Killed My Father, the Angelina Jolie film adaptation of an English-language memoir of a 5-year-old girl who witnessed the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia in 1975.

The movie uses the Khmer word "pa" for "father" a word the Khmer Rouge banned as foreign-sounding and elitist and replaced with "puk," which the regime preferred as a purer Khmer word for "father."

Other words recalled other horrors -srek khlean ohh sangkhoeum and kosang are Khmer words which mean hungry hopeless and build or rebuild in Khmer, the language of Cambodia. During the Khmer Rouge era, the first two carried the weight of a brutal social transformation that killed an estimated 2 million. Kosang in the black-is-white world of dictator Pol Pot meant near-certain execution.

When Cambodians hear these phrases they will just cry because it is our story, said Panha Nith, a 45-year-old Battambang native who now works as a cosmetologist in Leesburg, Virginia, some 70 kilometers from a screening of the film based on the memoir by Cambodian-American Loung Ung. They forced us to change from pa and mak to puk and mae. It took a while to get used to that.

Jolie attended the first screening, which was in Cambodia in February, and Netflix began streaming its production in September. Panha Nith decided to wait for a traditional theater screening, where other people would also attend.

She saw the film in October at Montgomery College, just outside Washington, D.C., at a community screening and panel discussion designed to bring first- and second-generation Cambodians together to revisit the Khmer Rouge era, the first chapter in the refugee stories of many Cambodian-Americans.

Many who attended the screening came as a family. The most recent screening was on Dec. 9 in Lowell, Massachusetts, home to the second largest Cambodian community in the United States outside California.

If the movie, the first major Khmer-language Hollywood-standard movie with English subtitles, had been in English, Cambodians would still understand the story, but some meaning and nuances will get lost and it may not feel as tragic, said Panha Nith, whose own story of childhood survival and a father who disappeared mirrors that of Loung Ungs.

Other movies, The Killing Fields (1984), andThe Missing Picture (2013) have focused on the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge era, but not completely in Khmer.

Panha Nith left crying about 30 minutes into the screening of the film.

At the scene where the children were given porridge, and it was so little  it reminded me of our situation where there was barely any rice in the porridge, she said. I cant even describe it  I had to add leaves and gave it to my younger siblings, willing to starve myself.

Panha Nith's 10-year-old daughter Beaunita Nith attended the screening with her mother even though she has watched the film three times on Netflix. She said her mother, whom she calls mak at home, had prepared her for a possibly traumatic experience.

She always kept on telling me" that her father was a teacher, and that they didnt find him and that my grandma almost died, too, like a lot of people almost died, said Beaunita Nith, a fifth-grader who can speak some Khmer.

She liked hearing the language as she followed Loung Ung's experience because the story felt closer to her mothers experience.

This is a story of a Cambodian but if it is (told) in a voice of an American, that wont make any sense, said Beaunita Nith.

Cambodian-American Sarah Kith, 46, is a convener at the Library of Congress who lives in northern Virginia. She had not read or streamed First They Killed My Father because the story too closely parallels her own, rekindling difficult memories.

Sarah Kith attended the screening with three generations of her family, including her grandmother who barely speaks English. Hearing Khmer words such as srek khlean (hungry) and ohh sangkhoeum (hopeless) triggered vivid memories of Sarah Kitchs five-year-old self.

While (the book) was written in English, the way it is played out in the movie is  very culturally appropriate, said Sarah Kith. It was written from the perspective of a young girl so there are many lenses that are superimposed or rather filtered through. But it quite accurately captured (events), so we get to re-experience it in a way that helps us heal.

For Heng Kim, 81, of Arlington, Virginia, the Khmer words in the film such as kosang (rebuild/reeducation) brought back memories of his near execution in the Ba Phnom district of his native Prey Veng province. If he hadnt escaped to Vietnam, his daughters story would have echoed that of Loung Ung.

Many of the Khmer words would be difficult to express in English because of what was happening at the time; kosang carried the connotation of execution.

As Cambodians, these words hit us hard, said Kim Heng. I understood parts of The Killing Fields, and had to rely on translation for some parts. But for this movie, the Khmer-language is so real I couldn't bear it. It gave me headaches.

The Killing Fields, the first Khmer Rouge-themed movie to attract international acclaim including Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the late Cambodian Haing S. Ngor, and best cinematography and best film editing  was shot mainly in English on locations outside Cambodia, which was still engulfed in civil war. First They Killed My Father featured an all-Cambodian crew of over 3,500 actors and was also filmed completely in Cambodia's Siem Reap and Battambang provinces.

Visal Sam, 45, was born in Battambang city, one of the First They Killed My Father locations. Like Loung Ung, in the movie, she too lost her father who was a former military official during the Lon Nol regime.

Visal watched the movie with her husband and her four children.

Her daughter, Vichethyda Sam, 19, and the oldest of her children said that although she understood the film without reading the English subtitles, the movie made her want to learn more Khmer and connect with Cambodian-Americans her age.

Im glad that the movie was in Khmer, she said.

Building a sense of family and community were the main goals of Kunthary de Gaiffier, 61, one of the event organizers.

She was pleased that more than 200 people came to the Friday night screening, and that many were second-generation Cambodian-Americans with their parents.

Kunthary de Gaiffier said that she believed the film may open intergenerational dialogue among Cambodian-American families, conversations that may help with trauma healing.

After the screening of this movie, they start to open up, at least those who dare not discuss in the past now at least dare to ask, she said."

Kunthary de Gaiffier, who was in France during the Khmer Rouge era and has two adult Cambodian-American children, says the film may prompt second-generation Cambodian-Americans to learn more about Cambodian history, language and culture. They can relate to family experience and can become more curious to learn more and ask more questions that they dared not ask for many years.
The U.S. journalism community is rallying behind a Mexican journalist who faces deportation to his country, where, he says, he is certain to be killed.

Emilio Gutierrez, 54, and his son Oscar, 24, fled to the United States in 2008 after the elder Gutierrez reported on abuses committed by the Mexican military authorities that placed him on a hit list.

Father and son filed for asylum but were denied. The two men were taken into custody last Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while they were trying to file an emergency appeal.

Media representatives and press freedom advocates gathered at Washingtons National Press Club Monday to dramatize the case and call for the elder Gutierrez and his son to be granted asylum.

"I'm afraid to take one step into Mexico," Gutierrez told them by phone from the detention center in Sierra Blanca, Texas.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. The media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says 11 journalists were killed in Mexico so far this year, making it second only to Syria for threats to journalist safety.

"Emilio should be granted asylum. The return to Mexico, which is structurally violent and where journalists are regularly targeted, is out of the question for him," said Emmanuel Colombie, director of RSFs Latin American region.

Gutierrez received the Press Club's Press Freedom Award earlier this year for his work with El Diario del Noroeste newspaper in the state of Chihuahua.

Both he and his son were on the verge of being deported when their lawyer obtained a stay while their case is considered by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

The Press Club has launched an online petition asking that Gutierrez be granted asylum. "Mr. Gutierrez has no criminal record," it says. "He and his son, Oscar, have supported themselves in the food service industry while living in Las Cruces, New Mexico. They willingly surrendered in El Paso last week."

Press Club Executive Director Bill McCarren tweeted Tuesday that Gutierrez had been moved to a facility in El Paso. "Better access to lawyer there. Progress?" McCarren asked in his tweet.



Also Tuesday, The Washington Post, in an editorial, called for asylum for Gutierrez. Noting that the judge who denied Gutierrez asylum had cited an absence of documentary evidence to back up his claim, the Post said the judges application of the law was cut-and-dried.

"Its not surprising that Mr. Gutierrez cannot recover copies of his articles, written more than a decade ago for a regional newspaper. Nor is it unusual that witnesses are reluctant to come forward, given the fear with which many Mexicans regard the security forces.

Gutierrez and his son will remain in detention until the appeals board rules.
Militants ambushed a Pakistan army convoy Tuesday in the remote North Waziristan region, killing at least two soldiers.

A brief military statement said an officer of the rank of second lieutenant was among the dead. The fatalities occurred, it explained, when terrorists fired on [an] army vehicle from surrounding mountains in this volatile region bordering Afghanistan.

The outlawed Pakistani Taliban took credit for the deadly ambush, claiming it also left six soldiers injured.

This was the second attack in the Waziristan region this month, targeting security forces. A powerful bomb planted in a parked motorbike went off last week in the town of Mir Ali, killing six people and wounding eight others. At least three would-be army recruits were among the dead.

North Waziristan has long been notorious for serving as a haven for Pakistani Taliban and foreign militants blamed for launching terrorist attacks on both sides of the porous Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The Pakistani Taliban is responsible for the majority of terrorist attacks in the country over the past decade, killing tens of thousands of people.

Army officials, however, say a ground and air counterterrorism offensive launched in mid 2014 has cleared most of the Waziristan territory of militants, bringing down terrorist attacks elsewhere in Pakistan from several thousand five years ago to around 600 in 2016.

Authorities also credit stepped up security measures, including fencing of border areas prone to militant infiltration.

The first major attack in North Waziristan took place in early October when militants ambushed a military vehicle in the Razmak area, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others.

Pakistani officials allege senior militant commanders have setup bases in ungoverned border areas of Afghanistan after fleeing the army onslaught on their hideouts in and around North Waziristan and orchestrate the latest round of violence from those sanctuaries.
U.S. federal prosecutors announced terrorism charges against Akayed Ullah on Tuesday, a day after the 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant allegedly detonated a pipe bomb in a New York City subway tunnel in what authorities said was an attack inspired by the Islamic State group.

The charges included bombing a public place and using a weapon of mass destruction, each of which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Ullah was also accused of providing material support to IS, destruction of property by means of an explosive and using a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to a criminal complaint disclosed Tuesday. These charges carry sentences of five to 30 years each.

Joon Kim, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the charges at a news conference in New York.

"Yesterday morning, as thousands came into New York City through Port Authority, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, one man came with a hate-filled heart and an evil purpose," Kim said. "In the middle of rush hour, as everyday New Yorkers hurried to their jobs, to their schools, ready to start the workweek and get going with their busy lives, one man came to kill, to maim and to destroy," he said.

The attack took place in a tunnel that connects the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the Times Square subway stations. Surveillance footage shows the attacker walking among the rush-hour crowd, and then smoke filling the area as the device goes off. The man is then seen lying on the ground as people rush away from the scene.

Kim said Ullah picked his target and timed his attack in order to "maximize human casualties."

The bomb, however, did not fully explode. Ullah was injured, and three others were slightly hurt.

Ullah remained hospitalized Tuesday, and Kim said the charges would be formally presented to him at his hospital bedside.

Admission reported

In an interview with investigators at the hospital, Ullah admitted to building the bomb and carrying out the attack in the name of the IS terrorist organization.

"I did it for the Islamic State," Ullah told interrogators, according to the complaint.

Ullah also reportedly told authorities he detonated the bomb "in part because of the United States government's policies in, among other places, the Middle East."

Ullah immigrated to the United States in 2011 and is a legal permanent resident. From 2012 to 2015, he worked as a taxi driver.

Mohammad Toha, Ullah's uncle, told VOA's Bangla service that a relative had sponsored Ullah's family to immigrate to the United States.

With no known ties to a foreign terrorist organization, the suspect appears to have acted on his own. William Sweeney, the assistant FBI director for the New York field office, told reporters that Ullah had not registered on the bureau's radar for suspicious activity.

The complaint details Ullah's self-radicalization in recent years. It says Ullah became radicalized as he began watching IS propaganda videos online as far back as 2014. One video exhorted IS sympathizers to carry out terror attacks in their homelands if they couldn't join the caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

About a year ago, according to the complaint, Ullah began researching how to build homemade bombs.

Two to three weeks ago, Ullah started collecting bomb-making materials  wires, metal screws, plastic zip ties and a Christmas tree light bulb, the complaint said. He built the crude device at his apartment in New York's Brooklyn borough a week before the attack, it said.

On Monday morning, prior to arriving at Port Authority station, Ullah posted on his Facebook page, "Trump, you failed to protect your nation."

Attack on pedestrians

The bungled attack came less than two months after Sayfullo Saipov, an immigrant from Uzbekistan, drove a truck into pedestrians in lower Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring 12 others. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in New York since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Saipov was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in aid of racketeering, 12 counts of attempted murder and one count of providing material support for terrorism.

Albert Fox Cahn, legal director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in New York, issued a statement on behalf of Ullah's family. In it, family members said they were "heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today, and by the allegations being made against a member of our family."

Meanwhile, authorities in Bangladesh said they had located Ullah's wife and baby in Dhaka and were questioning the wife.

Ullah came to the United States under a visa program for people with relatives who are citizens or permanent residents.

President Donald Trump said Monday's attack showed the need for Congress to pass immigration reforms "to protect the American people."

"Congress must end chain migration," the president said. "The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America's security and economy has long been clear. I'm determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first."

Chain migration refers to the immigration of foreign nationals under laws that permit them to reunite with relatives already in the country.

Bangladesh's embassy in Washington issued a statement condemning Monday's attack.

Ramon Taylor, Asli Pelit and Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
Law enforcement officials say the man who set off a crude pipe bomb in the New York City subway system Monday had watched Islamic State propaganda on the internet and told investigators he acted in retaliation for U.S. military aggression.

Authorities have identified the suspect as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi immigrant and former taxi driver. They say he used Velcro and zip ties to strap the explosive device to his body, but that it did not fully detonate.

Monday's attack took place in a tunnel that connects the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Times Square subway stations. Security video shows the attacker walking among the rush-hour crowd and then smoke filling the area as the device goes off. The man is then seen laying on the ground as people rush away from the scene.

The attacker was taken to a hospital in serious condition with burns on his hands and torso. Three other people suffered headaches and ringing in their ears.

"This was an attempted terrorist attack," said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals."

WATCH: NYC Mayor de Blasio

Albert Fox Cahn, legal director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in New York, issued a statement on behalf of Ullah's family. It says they are "heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today, and by the allegations being made against a member of our family."

The family also questioned the actions of investigators, saying law enforcement officials held a teenager out of classes to interrogate him without a lawyer or his parents and kept young children out in the cold.

"These are not the sorts of actions that we expect from our justice system, and we have every confidence that our justice system will find the truth behind this attack and that we will, in the end, be able to learn what occurred today," the family said.

Ullah came to the United States under a visa program for people with relatives who are citizens or permanent residents.

Trump on chain migration



President Donald Trump said Monday's attack shows the need for Congress to pass immigration reforms "to protect the American people."

"Congress must end chain migration," the president said in a statement. "The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America's security and economy has long been clear. I'm determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first."

WATCH: New York Attack Could Tighten Immigration Rules



Bangladesh's embassy in Washington issued a statement condemning Monday's attack.

"The government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of "zero tolerance" against terrorism and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world," the statement said.

A massive emergency response above and below the ground shut down the area around the attack in midtown Manhattan, but by afternoon the scene returned to normal.

"The fear is always present with us, those of us that live in New York," Laura Gonzalez, a New York resident who was in Port Authority Monday, told VOA. Gonzalez said that in New York, people learn "to go to work, to go shopping, to live the life we need to live."

"Crazy people are everywhere, every time, and New York is a big place, and a public place so it is normal I think," Ruben Schwartz, a tourist from Germany, told VOA.

This was the second apparent terror attack in New York in the past two months.

An IS sympathizer drove a rented truck along a bicycle path in Manhattan in late October, killing eight.

Ramon Taylor, Asli Pelit, Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.


Thirty-three Pakistani senators unwound their best rhetoric for nearly five hours before unanimously passing a resolution criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump for his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Only one thing left them briefly silent and red-faced: Sen. Muhammad Ali Saif told his colleagues that if they were really serious about their sentiment, they should give up the two-year U.S. visas issued to all senators.

Saif looked pointedly around the chamber. No one responded to his challenge.

The Express Tribune newspaper reported the exchange on Monday, after the Senate suspended its regular agenda for the first day of their new session to tackle the Jerusalem issue. Pakistan does not recognize Israel's statehood.

The senators called Trumps action a flagrant violation of international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions. They said that any attempt to sabotage the Mideast peace process would be the darkest decision in history. They condemned killings of innocent citizens by Israeli forces which prove that the U.S. decision is an aggression and a declaration of war on Palestinians.

While some told their colleagues to avoid being too emotional, others proposed boycotting U.S. products.

It seemed that only tearing up their U.S. visas would be going too far.
As young people apply to colleges and universities, many point to their parents as the main influence on their decision, says an admissions officer who works with international students.

"Even when the students are appearing like they don't want to listen to their parents, they clearly are," says Ffiona Rees, a senior associate director of international admissions at the University of California-Los Angeles.

"And so, it's important for the parents to be supportive of the students."

Students look to their parents for all kinds of advice, she says, including where to apply and what to study. But while helping, Rees notes that parents should heed a few guidelines.

First, although parents may have attended a university in the United States, they should understand that schools and admissions policies have changed in the past 20 years. Working with the future college student can strengthen the student-parent relationship in researching the requirements.

Parents should be fully invested: Rees says she observed a parent repeatedly leave an admissions informational meeting to take phone calls. The parent may have missed important information, she said, and more importantly, have given the impression of not caring about the student's interest in that school.

"It's really important that the parents take the time to tell their child how proud they are of them," Rees says. "And to tell them that you love them no matter what.

"Because the students need to hear that. We forget that, while they're young adults, they're still only usually 17, 18 years old and they need to hear that from their parents."

Parents also need to be honest, she says. While encouraging their children to strive for the best schools, they need to know that limits exist in the college search.

For example, will finances restrict their choices? Rees says parents must tell their children exactly how much money will be provided for their undergraduate education.

What about distance? Rees says she once received a phone call from parents who were unhappy that a school a long distance away had accepted their child. They had never discussed location with the student, thinking the application would not be successful. Rees says it is important for parents to voice their concerns  without being demanding  before the student files an application.

Making these decisions is an important part of becoming an adult, Rees says.

Having the independence to present themselves accurately and honestly is also important. While parents may feel the urge to help their children write an essay or fill out a form, they should resist, Rees advises. She says meeting deadlines and taking responsibility for admissions are invaluable lessons. Schools demand an applicant author his or her essays.

Finally, Rees says, most students will likely be rejected by at least one college or university. Parents, she says, can greatly help their children move beyond rejection in a healthy way.

"It's much like when you have a toddler and they fall down," she says. "If you rush to them and say, 'Oh, you must be hurt. Are you OK?' the child is going to react accordingly. If  you say, 'You're fine! Get up, off we go,' then your child is also going to react accordingly. ... They will get some letters of denial. They are not personal rejections, and it is important that you help to remind your child that they are still a good person."
French President Emmanuel Macron has told more than 200 global investors and 50 world leaders in Paris the global community is losing the battle against climate change.

Its time to act and move faster and win this battle, Macron said Tuesday at a summit to secure more funding to fight climate change.

Macrons office announced a dozen initiatives designed to inject hundreds of millions of dollars in efforts to stem global warming, including the World Bank's decision to stop financing oil and gas exploration and extraction after 2019.

Bid to cut emissions

A coalition of 237 companies, including banking giant HSBC and French insurer AXA, announced a five-year initiative called Climate Action 100+ that aims to pressure 100 of the largest greenhouse gas producers to cut emissions.

An estimated 20 companies joined a global alliance of 26 nations that have committed to phase out coal. The plan by the Powering Past Coal Alliance calls for traditional coal power to be phased out by 2030 in wealthy countries and by 2050 in other parts of the world.

The summit comes two years after nearly 200 nations agreed to the Paris climate accord, which calls for nations to limit greenhouse gas emissions and for rich nations to help developing countries deal with the impacts of climate change.

U.S. President Donald Trump was not among those invited to take part in the conference. Last year, Trump announced he was pulling out of the accord, saying it disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries. The U.S. is now the only country in the world to have rejected the global climate agreement.

Kerry attends summit

While the U.S. federal government stepped back from the global effort, many of the country's states and some cities have pledged to move forward with steps consistent with the agreement.

We have 38 states that have renewable portfolio standard laws, said former Secretary of State John Kerry, who is attending the summit. We have 90 cities, the major cities in America, their mayors all committed to meeting Paris. So 80 percent of the population of America is in those 38 states that are committed, and we are going to stay on track.

Scientists offered French grants

The European Union announced a new investment plan aimed at supporting renewable energy production, climate-friendly transportation, sustainable water and sanitation systems, as well as growth in sustainable agriculture.

The EU commissioner for climate action and energy, Miguel Arias Canete, also urged contributors to fulfill their commitments to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 to developing nations to help them utilize renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels that boost carbon levels in the atmosphere.

Ahead of Tuesdays summit, Macron awarded 18 scientists, including 13 from the United States, grants to relocate to France and carry out climate change research. He announced the initiative after Trump said the United States was withdrawing from the global accord, and the French leader played on Trumps campaign slogan by naming his own program Make Our Planet Great Again.

I refuse this double fatality, the one that says that there is this global warming that we can do nothing against and the one that says that this world is forced onto us and we cannot make profound changes, Macron said. But what you are showing here tonight, through your commitment, these projects that have been selected through your commitment on a daily basis is the exact opposite. We dont want climate change and we want to produce and create jobs and do things differently if we decide so. There is no fatality.
For those looking for a small table that would fit nicely into an apartment in San Francisco, or restoring a home in Napa and looking for an item to accent some kitchen decor, Woolly Mowers is the kind of quirky little antiques store that might have just the thing.

We try to carry a variety of things to appeal to different kinds of customers, said co-owner Pete DuBois.

Woolly Mowers opened for business in the Antiques on Second complex in downtown Napa, according to DuBois. He and his partner, Joven Chacon, have a little bit of everything.

Were trying to focus on farmhouse vintage furniture, vintage goods and mix in design creations that are very Napa-esque, DuBois explained.

Some of it is definitely on the quirky side, like old gold mining tools that are more of a curiosity. But we also carry very functional things that people can use day to day.

DuBois and Chacon are both transplants from the East Coast, but have been in the Bay Area for the past few decades.

I was in the corporate world for 25-plus years doing management consulting and developing strategies for businesses, DuBois said.

My partner, Joven Chacon, is a creative guy whose background includes design, illustration and marketing. We decided we wanted to have an outlet for more creative products, which we could make, and we combined that with my interest in antiques and vintage goods to start Woolly Mowers, DuBois stated.

Looking down the road, DuBois said: Were going to have T-shirts reflecting some local Napa attractions and wed like to do some block prints reflecting some of the things we find here that are reminiscent of Napas past. In the future, we hope to partner with other Napa craftsmen who dont have an outlet here at the moment.

Surprisingly, we get a lot of tourists who come in and Ive tried to cater to them in the merchandise we carry, said DuBois.

Its one of the reasons we introduced the T-shirts and some other Napa specific products they can take on the plane home. Well have more products like that in the future.

Some customers know exactly what they are looking for, and others are just looking for something that strikes their fancy.

We do have quite a few people who come in who are looking for a particular thing, especially if they are re-doing things in their homes, DuBois said.

A lot of winery people come in looking for certain pieces for an event, and they can usually find something here. We also get a lot of people who come in who are just browsing, he said, and they often find something that piques their interest and can take it home.

If we dont have something customers are looking for, he added, we will keep an eye out for those type of things. I have a customer profile list that I keep so when we are visiting an old ranch in Yolo County, or flea markets, estate sales or yard sales, I have that list in my back pocket and I try and find those things.

DuBois said some things they acquire need some work, but many dont.

For pieces that have character and patina, we dont touch them, but if I feel its going to add something, we will work on restoring them.

Antiques are not necessarily as expensive as you might think at Woolly Mowers.

The price of our items depends a lot on what we have to pay for it, and how much time and effort goes into finding them, DuBois said.

And some pieces, I work on a lot to restore them. When I take all that into consideration, and our overhead expenses, thats all built into the price. Nonetheless, sometimes I get some really good deals that I will pass along. Right now in the shop, you can find anything from $5 to several hundred dollars, he said.

But its always a better value than what you would spend in a typical store for imported items.

DuBois said they are not really in the bartering business, but he wouldnt rule it out entirely.

Were also not in the consignment business for lots of reasons, and were not looking for people to come in and sell us their antiques.

People are always asking about where the name Woolly Mowers came from.

We find something serene and bucolic seeing the grazing sheep (Woolly Mowers) making their way through the local vineyards and hillsides every spring, eating the mustard grass, DuBois explained.

To us, it represents a simpler, more tranquil, rustic, but authentic lifestyle found here in Napa, which we hope can be retained. Were trying to build our business, and the unique goods we offer, to reflect that same character, and evoke those same sentiments with our customers. When you visit our space, we want you to feel as though youve stepped back in time to an old Napa country homestead, and hopefully find a treasure that will bring that feeling home with you.

Woolly Mowers has a Facebook page and is working on developing a website. The store is located at 1370 Second St. in Napa in the Antiques on Second complex. Its open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The phone number is 492-3621.
The Syrian army and Iranian-backed forces including Afghan fighters backed by Russian air power launched a new offensive against Syrian regime opposition's strongholds in Idlib province.

Idlib province in northwestern Syria is considered to be the last major stronghold controlled by opposition groups after they lost Aleppo to the Syrian regime last December. With intense Russian airstrikes and Iranian support on the ground, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces recaptured most of rebel-held peripheral sections of Aleppo.

The deal to end the battle of Aleppo reportedly involved relocating the majority of opposition fighters and their families to neighboring Idlib.

Idlib province was under the full control of opposition since 2015 when the rebels seized the capital city of the province, also called Idlib.

The army said the villages of Um Turayka, Bilil, and Rujum al Ahmar were seized in northeast Hama province, forcing the rebels to flee to areas close to the administrative boundaries of Idlib province.

Opposition groups blame heavy airstrikes as the major reason for their retreat. The Facebook page close to anti-Assad Free Syrian Army said several sorties of air missiles and bombardments by Russian jets in the last 48 hours have crippled the entire region, killed and injured innocent residents, and hit opposition-held villages and towns in the northeastern Hama countryside and the southern part of Idlib province.

Ali Aljaber, a Syrian activist and journalist currently living in Aleppo's northern countryside, told VOA that Russian jets continue to attack opposition targets in Idlib, but the ground campaign by the Syrian regime and allied militias slowed down today.

"There were clashes in Abu Dali area between Iranian-backed Syrian regime and opposition factions. ISIS is also trying to advance in Idlib," Ali said, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based information source on Syria, said on its website that in addition to Syrian regime and allied militias trying to advance toward Idlib, IS  which controls a pocket in the northeastern part of rural Hama  is also trying to expand.

The armed opposition group of Hayat Tahrir al Sham  which is spearheaded by the former al-Qaida branch in Syria  and some Free Syrian Army rebel factions jointly control these areas, and are said to be sending reinforcements to take back a string of villages in the northeastern Hama countryside. Field reports, however, show no signs of recovery.

"The regime movements seek to besiege Idlib province with the help of Shia militias fighting with them," said opposition commander Mustafa Bakour with the military opposition faction of Jaish al Izza.

Sources close to the Syrian regime have reported that some militia fighting with the army have staged operations from the southeastern areas of the province.

Mashregh website, an Iranian Conservative media outlet, released a map showing that the resistance axis  a term pro-regime outlets use to address Assad supporters  have freed villages of Um Turayka, Bilil, and Rujum al Ahmar, stating that the liberation of these strategic villages forced the rebels to flee to areas close to the administrative boundaries of Idlib province.

The Syrian regime's first goal in launching the offensive is to retake strategic Abu Alzhour military airport.

Abu Alzhour airport is one of the most advanced military airports in the north with the longest tarmac, capable of providing landing and takeoff for heavy military aircraft and bombers. Opposition groups posted photos of the airport on their Telegram pages, showing that it was heavily bombed Sunday.
Vladimir Putin confirmed last week he would seek a fifth term as Russias president next March  and this week, he kicked off his re-election campaign, not in his home country, but overseas in the Middle East.

With stops in Egypt, Turkey and Syria, where he declared Monday that Russias military had accomplished its goal of saving President Bashar al-Assad from ouster, an upbeat Putin appeared eager to stoke national pride and showcase how he has restored Russias Soviet-era role as a serious power.

Putins re-election is assured  polls show an easy win for the man who has dominated Russian politics for nearly two decades  but he and his aides reportedly fear voter apathy and seem determined to secure a large turnout in March and a big legitimacy-boosting vote.

Cutting a figure on the world stage as a power broker, and showing off a new set of friends from the shores of Tripoli to the Persian Gulf, play well at home, say analysts.

Russian state media lavished round-the-clock coverage of his whirlwind trip from his plane as it flew escorted by Russian jet fighters into Syria, and from the ground as he was thanked by Assad at a Russian military base - as well as in Cairo, where he signed a deal for the construction of a nuclear reactor on Egypt's Mediterranean coast. It also was the case from Ankara, where during a news conference to mark their eighth meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan kept referring to Putin as my dear friend.

In Syria, Putin said mission accomplished regarding the Russian rescue of Assad, providing him with the opportunity to announce a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria.

Praising Russian troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, Putin talked of their triumph, declaring in remarks broadcast in Russia: You have shown the best qualities of a Russian soldier  courage, valor, team spirit, decisiveness and excellent skills. The Motherland is proud of you.

He made no mention, though, of the civilian casualties from indiscriminate Russian airstrikes  or that his intervention has helped to prop up a blood-soaked dictatorial regime by critically weakening the armed non-jihadi opposition to Assad.

Since September 2015 when Putin launched his military intervention in Syria, Russias profile in the Middle East has risen, defying early Western predictions that involvement in the tangled Syrian conflict would result in disaster for Moscow.

Then-President Barack Obamas defense secretary, Ash Carter, predicted Putins mission was doomed to failure, arguing Russia would be caught in a Vietnam-style quagmire.

That didnt happen  or not so far.

Putins plunge into Syria was prompted initially by his suspicion that Arab spring-era uprisings were Western-fomented - insurrections aimed at unseating strongmen and dictators that could spread to Russia, according to Dmitri Trenin, author of the new book What is Russia up to in the Middle East?

To Putin, all this looked like an Arab rerun of the color revolutions that swept across the old Soviet buffer, from Georgia to Ukraine. Sparks from Arab revolutions could ignite Russias geopolitical underbelly, writes Trenin.

And tactical success has turned the Syria intervention into a cornerstone in Putins broader ambition for Russian influence, according to analysts, allowing him to expand Moscows sway in a region where the U.S. is perceived now as eager to shrink its role and avoid messy entanglements.

Seizing on U.S. setbacks and missteps, the Kremlin has clawed back some of the Soviet Unions former clout in the Middle East, allowing him, much as his Soviet predecessors, to project global influence and military might and to amass bargaining chips for negotiations with the West in other disputes.

Moscow has emerged from its military engagement in Syria with the most connections in the region, Trenin argues, while nimbly avoiding falling into the cracks of Middle Eastern divides: Shia versus Sunni; Saudi versus Iran; Iran versus Israel; Turkey versus Kurds.

Putin has been courting traditional U.S. allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia and even Israel. He received more leaders from the Middle East in Moscow than Barack Obama did in the last two years of his presidency and his meetings with the regions leaders have continued apace during Donald Trumps first months in the White House.

How long Russia can continue to avoid the treacherous cracks remains to be seen.

Retired U.S. general Colin Powell famously remarked once, you break it, you own it. Putin will own Syria but the hostility involving embittered sectarian foes may be impossible to manage. Russias balancing act between the Kurds and the Turks will be difficult to maintain, and Irans agenda for Syria, Lebanon and Iraq may over time clash with Russias, as well as the Kremlins eagerness to cosy up to the Saudis.

The war in Syria is not over. The fragmented territory today, foreign military occupations, and conflicting political agendas might lead to new confrontations, says Ziad Majed, a French academic and author of the book Syria: The Orphaned Revolution.

In Libya, Russia has been seeking a greater role with a possible ambition to add a naval facility there to the one it will maintain in Syria, say analysts. Russian diplomats and generals have been courting Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who has made little secret of his desire to rule the strife-torn North African state.

And Russia has been inserting itself into the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Last year, Putin offered to host peace negotiations in Moscow between the Israelis and Palestinians. This week, the Russian leader was quick to pounce on U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem, the third holiest city in Islam, as Israels capital, upending decades of American diplomacy and breaking ranks with the international community.

The U.S. move "doesn't help the Mideast settlement and, just the other way around, destabilizes the already difficult situation in the region, Putin said during a news conference in Ankara with Erdogan, who has been one of the most outspoken critics of the U.S. plan to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

As U.S. diplomats have learned over the years, attempting to resolve the standoff between Israel and the Palestinians is a challenging task.
In their third meeting in a month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Ankara. The talks primarily focused on Syria, but Putin's visit coincides with U.S.-Turkish relations, reeling from a crisis sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"Regarding Jerusalem, I have observed that we share common opinions with Mr. Putin, and we've come to an agreement that we will sustain our decisiveness in this matter," Erdogan said in a joint press statement with Putin, referring to the Russian president as his "dear friend."

"The resolution by the U.S. to move the American embassy to Jerusalem is far from helping the settlement of the situation in the Middle East," Putin said. "It is destabilizing the already complicated situation in the region, which is difficult as it is today."

In a move that will add to Washington's unease over Ankara's warming relationship with Moscow, the Turkish president announced that a controversial purchase of a Russian missile system should be finalized this week. NATO strongly opposes the sale, claiming it is incompatible with its systems.

Putin's visit is just the latest move in what some analysts call a careful and well-played strategy by Russia of building influence and sowing discord amongst its rivals. Before meeting Erdogan, Putin met with another U.S. ally, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in Cairo. Prior to the meeting with Putin, Erdogan ratcheted up his rhetoric over Trump's Jerusalem move.

"With their decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the United States has become a partner in the bloodshed," Erdogan said.

Throughout the year, Turkish-Russian relations have blossomed as U.S.-Turkish ties have plummeted. The latest meeting between Putin and Erdogan is the eighth this year. The two leaders are increasingly cooperating over Syria. Monday's talks focused on the planned Syrian National Congress on National Dialogue, an event Moscow hopes will bring together the Syrian government and the opposition. Putin said the Congress would address the adoption of a constitution, the parameters of a future Syrian statehood, and the organization of elections under the control of the United Nations.

Even though Moscow and Ankara back opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, analysts say that with the war approaching an endgame, both sides have something to gain in cooperation.

Putin has successfully exploited Ankara's anger and mistrust over Washington's backing of the YPG Syrian Kurdish militia in its war against the Islamic State. Ankara calls the YPG terrorists, claiming they are linked to a Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

But Moscow, too, has been backing the YPG and its political wing, the PYD. Putin is pressing for the YPG to be included in meetings to end the cvil war, which Ankara bitterly opposes. Last week, images appeared of Russian and YPG forces openly collaborating in a military operation against the Islamic State.

"We've seen Ankara critical of the photo of Russian military representatives and the YPG," said analyst Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe in Brussels. "But this cannot be compared to the policy of the U.S., which is providing heavy weapons to the YPG."

Turkish-Russian relations could be further boosted by Putin's announcement of the partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria.

"Ankara would look at this as an opportunity to expand its influence across the border," said Ulgen.

Turkish forces remain massed on the border of the YPG-controlled Syrian Afrin enclave.

"As things stand, Afrin remains under Russian protection. But if indeed Russia were to pull back its troops, this would certainly give more room to Turkey to contemplate military action against Afrin," Ulgen predicted.

Putin may be wary of abandoning the Syrian Kurdish militia, which Moscow has been developing ties with over several years. Analysts point out that the powerful militia could be useful in helping protect Moscow's interests in the region from other potential regional rivals, including Turkey and Iran, especially as it winds down much of its military presence in Syria. But such a move would likely test Moscow's currently successful balancing act managing its conflicting policies in Syria.
Europe has been complicit in human rights abuses committed by Libyan authorities against refugees and migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

According to a report entitled "Libya's Dark Web of Collusion," the international watchdog said that European governments are "actively supporting" a "sophisticated system" of abuse against migrants in coordination with the Libyan coast guard.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants trapped in Libya are at the mercy of Libyan authorities, militias, armed groups and smugglers often working seamlessly together for financial gain. Tens of thousands are kept indefinitely in overcrowded detention centers where they are subjected to systematic abuse, said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty Internationals Europe Director.

The report suggested that up to 20,000 people are currently being held in Libyan detention centers for migrants, where they face torture, forced labor, extortion, and even unlawful killings.

Italy has spearheaded efforts to keep African migrants out of Europe, training and equipping the Libyan coast guard and helping finance U.N. agencies working on relief efforts in Libya.

But Amnesty International says that the money and efforts are supporting human rights abuses.

European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these abuses.

Last week, the International Organization for Migration began the voluntary repatriation of thousands of West African migrants being held in detention centers in Libya under abusive conditions.

IOM plans to repatriate a total of 15,000 African migrants by the end of the year. Most come from Nigeria, Guinea, Mali, and Senegal.

But African Union officials say there are as many as 42 camps across Libya, housing up to 700,000 people.
Many Rohingya families who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar are marrying off their daughters early to ease the financial burden of looking after them. Girls as young as 12 years old from the refugee families are being married off so that their parents have fewer children to feed at home.

Since the military launched the first round of clearance operations in Rakhine last year, over 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar. More than 625,000 of them fled to Bangladesh after the latest outbreak of violence in Rakhine in August, which, according to United Nations (UN) Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, could contain elements of genocide against the Rohingya Muslims.

Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar since last year are now living in makeshift bamboo-and-plastic shacks in the refugee camps spread across southeastern Bangladesh. Largely dependent on charity hand-outs and rations from refugee agencies, most of these refugees are living hand to mouth.

Food shortage

Many of these families with large number of children complain that the ration they get from the United Nations World Food Program is not enough and they are going through a food shortage.

Noor Ankis, a Rohingya refugee living in Balukhali area of Coxs Bazar, said hardship has forced her to plan to marry off her underage daughters.

My husband is partly paralyzed and cannot do any job. With the small amount of food ration which I get I cannot take good care of my family with five children. For Jannatara, 14, and Johora, 12, I am looking for grooms, Ankis told VOA.

I know that a girl should be married after she is 18 or 19. But, with my husband not earning, I cannot feed my five children. So, I want to marry off the two daughters now.

Habibur Rahman, program head of the Bangladeshi international charity BRAC, said the fact that a food crisis is leading to the early marriage of Rohingya girls is a matter of serious concern and the government and non-governmental agencies should do more to address the crisis.

A refugee household with more than eight members gets two ration cards but the household which has seven members is entitled to one card. As a result, there is a risk of a Rohingya girl child getting married early and that would mean more food per ration. By marrying off daughters early, parents aim to transfer their responsibility of feeding daughters to their husbands or in-laws, Rahman told VOA.

Rahman said in Bangladesh, the Rohingya parents are also marrying off their sons early.

Rohingya parents are marrying off their sons with young girls as separate individual families to ensure more ration cards for food. Those families can stock extra food and sell it later for cash money in local markets.

Sexual violence

Aid workers helping the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh say that along with the food crisis, concerns about sexual violence is also contributing to the rise in number of the child brides. They say many young Rohingya women and children allege they were targets of sexual abuse in Myanmar, a charge strongly denied by the Myanmar government.

They raped many Rohingya young and old women around us in Rakhine. After my husband was shot dead by the military we somehow managed to flee to Bangladesh safely. Inside a small tarpaulin shack we all are huddling in (in Bangladesh). The food ration which we get is not enough and I cannot feed my children as much as they want, said Rohingya refugee Samsun Nahar, who along with her nine children fled to Bangladesh in September.

Nahar said that like many other refugees, she worries about her family being forced to return to Myanmar and she desperately wants her 14 and 13-year old daughters to be married off as soon as possible.

I am fearful of my daughters being targeted in rape and torture in Myanmar in future, she said. My neighbors are searching for two good boys for my daughters now.

Many Rohingya who have crossed over to Bangladesh since last year said the increasing incidences of sexual violence scared them into fleeing Myanmar along with their families largely to protect their young daughters from the threat of rape.

Aid workers say the practice of marrying off daughters earlier than usual started among the Rohingya in Myanmar soon after several Rohingya women were reportedly raped by security forces during a communal riot in Rakhine in 2012.

Sitting in her ramshackle bamboo-and-plastic sheet shack, 14-year old Sitara Begum comforted her baby to sleep. She said she was married at 13; the first year in her teens was also her first year of married life.

Begum is two months pregnant and will give birth to her second baby next year, the Rohingya refugee girl said.

My father died long ago. My elder sister was mentally disabled and mother was sick. We were very poor. My mother could not manage our family and feed us properly, said Begum, who fled to Bangladesh along with her husband and 4-month-old baby in September.
A group representing all Democratic women in the U.S. House of Representatives is reiterating a call for a formal congressional investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump before he was in the White House.

"Simply said, Americans deserve the truth," Lois Frankel, chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group, told reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

The demand comes one day after the 56 representatives of the group sent a letter demanding a probe to Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy and Democrat Elijah Cummings of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

WATCH: Trump backlash over Tweet

"At least 17 women have publicly accused the president of sexual misconduct," said the group's letter, which invites the president to bring forth present evidence in his own defense. "The president's own remarks appear to back up the allegations ... he feels at liberty to perpetrate such conduct against women."

The president on Twitter Tuesday accused Democrats of playing partisan politics and denied knowing any of the women who have leveled accusations against him.

Trump also denounced New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who said Monday on CNN the "allegations are credible," and suggested Gillibrand would go beyond the bounds of generally acceptable behavior in exchange for campaign contributions.

Gillibrand responded with a tweet of her own, saying Trump is unable to deny women the right to voice their opinions about him.

Gillibrand and five other U.S. senators have called for Trump to resign over the allegations.

Gillibrand said if Trump does not immediately resign, Congress should have appropriate investigations of his behavior and hold him accountable.

The remarks are similar to calls by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, and Democratic Senators Mazie Hirono, Jeff Merkley, Cory Booker and Ron Wyden. All of them urged the president to step down following the announced resignations of three lawmakers: Democratic Senator Al Franken, Democratic Congressman John Conyers and Republican Congressman Trent Franks over sexual misconduct allegations.

Renewed accusations

Three women, who last year accused Donald Trump of making unwanted sexual advances, renewed their allegations Monday, saying it was time Congress investigate claims against the president in the wake of dozens of other powerful American men being held accountable for their treatment of women.

Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of forcibly kissing her 12 years ago when she worked as a receptionist at his Trump Tower business headquarters in New York, said lawmakers should "put aside their party affiliations and investigate Mr. Trump's history of sexual misconduct."

She appeared alongside the two other Trump accusers at a New York news conference: Samantha Holvey, who alleged that Trump walked uninvited into a backstage dressing area where she and others were in various states of undress at a 2012 beauty pageant Trump owned, and Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of groping her when she sat next to him on a commercial airline flight in the late 1970s.

During last year's presidential campaign, more than a dozen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct extending over several decades, but he denied all the accusations, and said that an explicit 2005 taped comment of him boasting of groping women was merely "locker room talk."

The White House again rejected the allegations.

"These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last years campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory," the White House said. "The timing and absurdity of these false claims speaks volumes and the publicity tour that has begun only further confirms the political motives behind them."

Later, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "We feel these allegations have been answered" by the results of the 2016 election. "The American people knew this and voted for the president."
A Ukrainian court has released from detention opposition figure Mikheil Saakashvili, who is accused by prosecutors of assisting a criminal organization.

Ukrainian prosecutors had sought to place Saakashvili under house arrest, but a judge on December 11 turned down the request.

Saakashvili told journalists after the hearing that he planned to continue his political activities with the aim of "constitutional, calm, but very necessary transfer of power in the country," accusing the Ukrainian authorities of corruption and "usurping power."

But he said he "has no presidential ambitions" himself.

Judge Larysa Tsokol told Kyiv's Pechera district court that the prosecutors' request to put Saakashvili under house arrest pending trial was "dismissed," prompting applause by Saakashvili's supporters in the courtroom.

Saakashvili praised the judge's ruling as "courageous," and said, "It means not everything is lost in Ukraine."

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko later said on ICTV that he will appeal the judge's ruling.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Ukraine's Justice Ministry is also still weighing an extradition request from Georgia for the former Georgian president to face criminal charges related to his years in power there.

Saakashvili has dismissed the charges against him in both countries as trumped up.

"I don't consider myself a detainee, I consider myself a prisoner of war," he told journalists before the December 11 hearing.

The court was packed with journalists and lawmakers as the custody hearing for Saakashvili, who is also an ex-governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, which dragged on late into the evening of December 11.

A crowd of about 200 Saakashvili supporters earlier scuffled with police outside.

Saakashvili was detained late on December 8, after an initial attempt to place him in custody failed on December 5 when supporters crowded around a police vehicle where he was being held after a raid on his apartment and freed him. On December 9, prosecutors said they would ask a court to place him under house arrest with electronic monitoring pending trial.

On December 10, thousands of people demonstrated in central Kyiv to demand Saakashvilis release and to call for the impeachment or resignation of President Petro Poroshenko.

Ukrainian authorities say Saakashvili is suspected of abetting an alleged "criminal group" led by former President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia after his ouster in February 2014. They also have suggested that Saakashvilis protests are part of a Russian plot against Ukraine.

Calling himself Russian President Vladimir Putin's "biggest enemy in the post-Soviet space," Saakashvili said that his accusers "must be nuts."

He said he was "the person who took Russia's first strike" -- a reference to the five-day war in which Russian forces drove deep into Georgia in 2008, during his 2004-13 presidency in the South Caucasus country.

"I consider myself a prisoner of Ukrainian oligarchs," Saakashvili said in an apparent reference to Poroshenko, a chocolate-and-candy tycoon who critics say has not sufficiently divested himself of his business interests.

Saakashvili called for calm when police scuffled with supporters in the street outside and a smoke bomb was apparently thrown, saying that "we don't want confrontation."

Saakashvili's lawyer asked the judge to cancel the hearing, saying that his client had not been served papers about his case in person and in the presence of an attorney and contending that was illegal.

Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who is also an opposition leader, was in the courthouse and likened Poroshenko to Yanukovych.

"You are jailing your opponents -- the way Yanukovych did. Keep in mind how it all ended," she said.

Saakashvili became governor of Ukraine's Odesa region in 2015 but quit a year later, accusing the authorities of sabotaging reform efforts in the region and nationwide. He is now a vocal opponent of Poroshenko, an acquaintance from the time when both attended university in Kyiv in the Soviet era.

Saakashvilis lawyer and supporters said on December 9 that the opposition leader had declared a hunger strike to protest his arrest.
U.N. and private aid agencies are appealing for $4.4 billion to support more than five million destitute Syrian refugees and the impoverished communities hosting them in five neighboring countries.

The U.N. refugee agency reports that, after more than six years of war in Syria, more than half a million people have been killed, seven million are displaced within Syria, and more than five million are living as refugees in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

Amin Awad, UNHCR director for the Middle East and North Africa bureau and regional refugee coordinator for Syria and Iraq, says the agency has been consistently underfunded throughout the years. The financial shortfall means cuts have been made in education, health, food, shelter and protection, among other areas.

"We are not able to provide stoves," Awad said. "We are not able to deliver kerosene. We are not able to deliver enough thermal blankets. We are not able to winterize tents. We are not able to drain water and snow from camps. We are not able to do engineering work to insulate some of the buildings. People are sitting in cold, open buildings."

The situation for 1.7 million Syrian refugee children is particularly worrying, as more than 40 percent are out of school and are destined to become part of a lost generation, Awad said.

In addition, he says, the situation for host countries is becoming more burdensome. It is as vital for international donors to support these beleaguered communities as it is to assist the refugees who live among them, according to the agency.
The attack that killed 14 Tanzanian and five Congolese soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo last week highlighted the risks faced by U.N. peacekeeping missions, and the need to provide enough funding to ensure soldiers who operate in some of the world's most volatile countries remain safe.

Reform of U.N. peacekeeping missions has been a foreign policy goal for U.S. President Donald Trumps administration, which believes the United States, the largest funder of the missions, should pay less, and the U.N. should cut costs.

There are currently 15 U.N. peacekeeping missions around the world, including eight in Africa. The United States contributes 28 percent of the U.N. peacekeeping budget. The second-biggest contributor, China, pays about 10 percent.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, cheered the announcement earlier this year that the United Nations would trim its budget by $600 million, saying, Were just getting started.

Vice President Mike Pence has also been critical, telling the U.N. Security Council in September that peacekeeping missions should be more efficient, credible and accountable.

Unintended consequences

Paul Williams, an associate professor at George Washington Universitys Elliott School of International Affairs, said while its always a good idea to find ways to reduce costs, blanket cuts can make it more difficult to keep soldiers safe.

It is going to put pressure on peacekeepers in a number of ways. It means youre probably going to have to reconfigure your forces in some way, and that might be useful or might lead to unintended consequences, Williams told VOA. I think, ultimately, it becomes a little bit unfair and unrealistic to continually expect peacekeepers to do more with less money.

The United States has a legal obligation to pay 28 percent of the peacekeeping budget, according to Williams. So, to decrease its contribution, it has pushed to reduce the overall budget, which now stands at about $7.3 billion.

To adjust to budget cuts, the United Nations must either close missions or scale back operations. Running missions with tighter budgets would mean cutting personnel or trimming logistic support. Both options concern Williams, who said U.N. peacekeepers already operate with minimal resources in remote locations that often lack sufficient infrastructure.

Shutting a mission down altogether could also reduce the budget. Since 1960, the United Nations has completed more than 20 missions across Africa. Last year, it began withdrawing troops from Liberia, a mission it plans to conclude next year.

Active missions in Africa account for about $5 billion of the total U.N. peacekeeping budget and involve nearly 91,000 personnel. The missions range in size from the $52 million, 500-person U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara to the mission in the DRC. About $1.1 billion and some 21,000 personnel support that effort.

Strategy comes later

Aditi Gorur is director of the Protecting Civilians in Conflict Program at The Stimson Center, a nonpartisan policy research group in Washington. Like Williams, she worries that budget scale backs will adversely affect U.N. missions around the continent.

U.N. peacekeepers play a really vital role in protecting civilians from violence, whether thats violence perpetrated by armed groups or perpetrated by communal groups or sometimes even violence by the government itself against its own population, Gorur said.

Some missions have already faced sizable reductions.

A big part of the motivation for those cuts was pressure from the U.S. government, Gorur said. Whats especially worrying, according to Gorur, is when the cuts come first and then the strategy comes later.

Mounting pressure

Last weeks attack in the DRC was the deadliest on U.N. peacekeeping forces in almost 25 years. More than 100 peacekeepers have died this year, according to the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Since 1948, more than 3,700 troops have been killed.

The mission in the DRC has faced additional challenges with the countrys president, Joseph Kabila, refusing to step down, despite reaching the end of his two-term limit. Gorur said peacekeepers now have a much larger area that they need to respond to, but with fewer resources.

There is more unrest, more violence breaking out in parts of the country that previously were relatively peaceful, she said. Political oppression coming from the top has manifested in growing violence, including growing local intercommunal violence, around the country.

These conditions will likely persist amid the ongoing calls for less funding and more efficiency. Theres some things they can do a bit better with the same budget, Williams said. But, if you cut budgets, it does put pressure on them in other ways.
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting an international summit Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, hoping to inject the pact with new energy after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from it.

The accord reached two years ago set goals for slowing the rate of climate change by reducing the emissions that contribute to melting Arctic ice, increasing sea levels and changing weather patterns across the globe.

While some critics have questioned whether the summit will accomplish more than drawing attention to France's media-savvy president, celebrities, corporations, environmental groups and others are preparing to make a string of announcements there.

The issues expected to come up at the event range from research to corporate pledges.

Green cash

Poor countries are waiting to hear how the United Nations' goal of raising $100 billion for climate-related measures will be achieved by 2020.

The target was set in 2009, but commitments so far from rich nations only will cover about two-thirds of the fund.

The money is intended to help developing countries invest in green energy projects and avoid the path taken by wealthy countries decades earlier that saw massive growth in the use of fossil fuels.

Scientists say ending fossil fuel use, also known as 'decarbonization,' needs to happen worldwide by 2050, but poor countries only would be able to reach the goal with financial help.

Climate campaigner Mohamed Adow of the group Christian Aid says one important step would be for the World Bank, which is co-hosting Tuesday's meeting, to switch its investments from fossil fuels to renewable energy in developing countries.

Corporate Commitment

Dozens of companies have signed a joint call for governments to maintain momentum on implementing the Paris accord and set long-term strategies for cutting carbon emissions.

The companies  including insurer Allianz, tire maker Michelin and consumer goods giant Unilever  said Monday they are committed to a greener economy that includes imposing levies on carbon emissions.

Allianz CEO Oliver Baete said in the statement that "business requires stable regulatory frameworks and an adequate price on carbon.''

Financial institutions such as Allianz also want greater transparency on climate-related data to help them make sound investment decisions, Baete said.

New research

The Paris summit takes place while the American Geophysical Union is holding its fall meeting in New Orleans.

Scientists are expected to present new research on climate changes and ways to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F.)

Separately, Microsoft says it will let researchers use its artificial intelligence technology to monitor and model the planet's climate.

The technology giant says its commitment  worth about $10 million a year  could also help companies use vast amounts of data to reduce carbon emissions, by reducing waste, making power grids more efficient and improving weather predictions.

Star scientists

Macron has invited U.S.-based climate scientists to apply for generous grants and relocate to France, a direct response to Trump's rejection of the Paris accord.

The French president was announcing the first grant winners on Monday. Overall, the French government and research institutions plan to fund about 50 projects with 60 million euros ($70 million)
Its a rare feat to upstage the Thanksgiving turkey, but thats what happened this year when on the eve of the great national feast, a gift arrived at our house: ribs, a rack of them, seasoned and smoked, requiring only a warm up. They came with a bottle of barbecue sauce, and a box of cornbread mix.

It is fortunate that this coincided with the arrival of my son from Los Angeles. Hes five months into his first year of a medical residency at UCLA. So as far as I can tell, when hes not in a hospital, his favorite activities are sleeping and eating.

Will you taste these? I asked him.

They were gone, as fast if wed turned on a super speed vacuum cleaner. My daughters resourceful rescue dog didnt even have time to mooch a bite. I ate one; and my daughter ate another; but the rest we donated to the worthy cause of feeding the hungry, new doctor.

These are great, Sam said. They were  superbly seasoned, succulent, and falling-off-the-bone tender.

They were, in fact, better, than my brined and carefully roasted turkey. It was good, but the ribs were beyond good. Its always nice to add a new traditional to an old one. Next year, I believe, it will be turkey and ribs on the menu.

The ribs were from a new company called BBQ Hero Ribs. I knew that, although the chef behind the project was from Los Angeles, his ribs had caught the attention of The Westin Hotel in Napa and Meadowood Resort in St. Helena, and were being sold at Sunshine Market in St. Helena and Corti Brothers Market in Sacramento.

But who was this barbecue hero?

It turns out to be Steve Sheanin, who at 75, has launched a new career, with the help of his wife, Jackie Applebaum.

For 30 or 40 years, Sheanin, a magazine executive, been making these ribs for friends and family, but to get a taste of them, you had to be on the list of the 100 select invitees to an annual barbecue party he and his wife hosted each year at their Beverly Hills home. We would cook an entire pig, Applebaum said.

Among the guests were a few famous Los Angeles chefs, and one persuaded Steve to let him try serving them one night at his restaurant. The result is best summed up by a visitor to the restaurant that evening. He told us, Im from Texas, and these are the best damned ribs Ive ever eaten, Applebaum said.

The ribs went to being a permanent fixture on the menu of this restaurant, and with Applebaum as CEO, they launched BBQ Hero Ribs in January 2017. At the end of their first year in the rib business, they were shipping the ribs across the country. BBQ Hero Ribs were turning up on the menu of Los Angeles restaurants like Il Piccolino where Vanity Fair hosts its pre-Oscar pary, as well as on the tables of Angelenos like Kathleen Brown, the former California state treasurer, and Joe Morgenstern, movie critic for Wall Street Journal. And theyd found their way to Napa Valley too.

Applebaum and Sheanin are fans of Napa Valley  We spend every July up there, Applebaum said; so they were delighted when their ribs became a hit here.

And they are expanding their repertoire. We try out different things; we have a group of 10 restaurant people, Applebaum said. We cant eat all of that food ourselves.

The next product they plan to launch is brisket, exactly the same brisket Ive made for 40 years, Applebaum said.

BBQ Hero Ribs are distributed by Newport/Sysco, Del Monte/Chefs Warehouse and Crown Meat, or they can be purchased directly from the website, www.bbqheroribs.com or from Amazon.com.

Just be sure to order plenty of them  if you want to eat more than one yourself.
A U.S. airstrike has hit and destroyed a car bomb-in-waiting near the capital of Somalia, according to a Somali official and the U.S. military.



The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the airstrike occurred early Tuesday morning and targeted a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device about 65 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu.



A statement said the vehicle belonged to militant group al-Shabab and was an "imminent threat to the people of Mogadishu." The U.S. said no civilians were killed.



Ali Enure, the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region, told VOA Somali the attack happened in the village of Mubarak.



"The vehicle was loaded with explosives intended to harm civilians," he said."Our intelligence sources in the area and local residents who saw the vehicle reported to us that the vehicle was destroyed, as a missile from a drone hit the hood."



Pro-al-Shabab websites said the targeted vehicle was a minibus transporting fruits and vegetables from a nearby farm.



Neither government officials and nor the U.S. military said how many al-Shabab fighters may have been killed.



Mubarak is a riverside militant-held village in Lower Shabelle region, where U.S. military drones have carried out more than 10 strikes for the past three years.



Since the massive October 14 truck bombing in Mogadishu that killed 512 people, the Somali National Army has increased its surprise attacks on al-Shabab hideouts while the U.S. has stepped up its drone attacks on militant targets.



Meanwhile, the Somali government said it has successfully met all necessary conditions to qualify for an international debt relief program under a World Bank and IMF initiative known as Heavily Indebted Poor Countries.



"There has recently been a general willingness from creditors and donor countries to write off Somalia's debt and now it looks the time has come as we have proven our part," said Somali Finance Minister Abdirahman Duale Beyle in a statement Tuesday.



"It's a good prospect," he said. "The IMF and the World bank will soon announce the good news."
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal by a Georgia security guard who said she was harassed and forced from her job because she is a lesbian, avoiding an opportunity to decide whether a federal law that bans gender-based bias also outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The justices left in place a lower court ruling against Jameka Evans, who had argued that workplace sexual orientation discrimination violates Title VII of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Workplace protections are a major source of concern for advocates of rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Gregory Nevins, an attorney at Lambda Legal, an LGBT legal advocacy group representing Evans, said it was unfortunate the court turned away the case. Lambda Legal had cited language in the Supreme Court's landmark 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide to support their argument.

"The vast majority of Americans believe that LGBT people should be treated equally in the workplace," Nevins said.

The case hinged on an argument currently being litigated in different parts of the United States: whether Title VII, which bans employment discrimination based on sex, also outlaws bias based on sexual orientation. Title VII also bars employment discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin.

Lower courts are divided over the issue, making it likely the Supreme Court eventually will hear a similar case. In April, a Chicago-based federal appeals court found that Title VII does forbid job discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an independent federal agency that enforces Title VII, had argued since 2012, during Democratic former President Barack Obama's administration, that bias against gay workers violates that law.

In July, Republican President Donald Trump's administration argued the opposite in a separate case before a New York federal appeals court.

Evans in 2015 sued Georgia Regional Hospital at Savannah, a psychiatric facility, and several of its officials.

She alleged that while she worked there from 2012 to 2013, her supervisor tried to force her to quit because she wore a male uniform and did not conform to female gender stereotypes.

She said the supervisor asked questions about her relationships, promoted a junior employee above her, and slammed a door into her body.

In March, the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the hospital, saying only the Supreme Court can declare that Title VII's protections cover gay workers.

On Monday, a spokeswoman for Georgia's attorney general, whose office represented the defendants, had no immediate comment.
It has not received a lot of attention outside of Vietnam, but almost every day for weeks, the topic on the front pages of newspapers has been truckers and other drivers who refused to pay a traffic toll in Vietnam and who, in doing so, became a nationwide symbol of much broader frustration with authorities.

Vietnamese citizens have been drawn to the revolt at Cai Lay, a provincial district some 96 kilometers southwest of Ho Chi Minh City where drivers feel they have been charged an unfair toll. What began as truck drivers' frustration over a road fee escalated to the level of a national crisis, with the prime minister finally stepping in to suspend the fee for further consideration from the government.

Now the Ministry of Transportation has set a deadline of Dec. 22 to review proposals to resolve the impasse.

Observers took vicarious satisfaction in the truckers victory, especially as other, more political forms of protest have not met with as much success, such as public displays of displeasure at Beijings territorial claims in the combustible South China Sea.

Now, when Vietnamese say BOT, it is shorthand for this particular act of roadside resistance. It refers to BOT Cai Lay, the build, operate, transfer bypass built by the National Highway No. 1 Tien Giang Investment Company, with eventual plans to transfer it to the Vietnamese government. The bypass runs parallel to a popular road linking the Mekong Delta and the southern business center of Ho Chi Minh City. The investor also spent money upgrading the original road, so it erected a toll station there.

But opponents viewed this as a cash grab, feeling they had to pay a new fare on the old road, even though they didnt use the new bypass.

Drivers responded creatively.

While some parked and insisted outright that they would not be paying the new fee, others bogged down toll collectors by demanding exact change in 100-Vietnam dong notes, an amount that very few people carry, or by paying their fees with small notes. The civil disobedience dragged on for days and was notable in the level of solidarity among the drivers who frequent this route.

It created so many delays that toll collectors were forced to waive the fee multiple times throughout any given day and wave drivers through for free, for hours, to relieve the bottle-neck.

The prime minister [Nguyen Xuan Phuc] emphasized that there are issues that are consistent with the law and regulatory procedure, but not properly implemented or suitable to the public, so we still have to seriously listen and seek corrective measures, the government said on its website. While promising to resolve the Cai Lay dispute, the government added: Economic issues absolutely cannot be allowed to turn into social unrest.

Most Vietnamese do not feel a direct impact from the scandal, but have followed the story with obsessive interest as a rare moment when ordinary people stood up to the system and won.

Mass demonstrations often do not spread very far, but this time Hanoi mostly did not get in the way of drivers, instead seeming to leave a pressure valve open and allow citizens to let off some steam.

Still the government said it took note of 14 vehicles that appeared to drive back and forth through the toll booth in order to cause confusion.

Blogger Le Nguyen Huong Tra responded in what looked like a defense of the drivers.

Roads can be crossed and groups and individuals have the right to cross them if the roads are not blocked, she said in a Facebook post. If it is not proven that that action is controlled by a regulatory law, then it can not be seen as a violation.
The skies were threatening, but that didnt dampen the speeches and celebrations at this gritty, Brittany port.

Floatgen, I wish you good wind and fair seas, French sailor Catherine Chabaud announced to a crowd of dignitaries, before sending a champagne bottle smashing against a wind turbine towering over the dock.

The launch of the $29.5-million pilot a few weeks ago not only represents Frances first floating turbine  capable, its builders say, of powering up to 5,000 homes  but the countrys first, up-and-running foray into offshore wind power.

The next step is going commercial, said Bruno Geschier, chief sales and marketing manager for Ideol, the company coordinating the Floatgen project that is supported by a European consortium of businesses and research groups. Commercial scale means having 50 of those babies, with much larger wind turbines powering hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people.

That may happen in less than a decade, Geischer predicted  even as the French government plans to cut nuclear powers massive share of Frances energy mix.

Indeed, Brussels-based industry group WindEurope predicts France is set to become Europes second biggest wind energy producer by 2030, after Germany  with wind generating roughly one-quarter of the countrys electricity, compared to just over four percent today.

Were no longer talking about doing renewables because its good for the planet. Theres also a very strong economic drive for doing renewables now, because costs have come down extremely fast, said WindEuropes Chief Policy Officer Pierre Tardieu. This is true for France of course, but its also true for Europe as a whole.

Leadership ambitions

Frances wind potential fits into President Emmanuel Macrons broader ambition to help lead the battle against climate change. That will be on display Tuesday, when Paris holds an international summit on climate financing  two years after nations cinched a historic emissions-cutting pact in the French capital.

More broadly, most European Union countries are on track to meet 2020 EU targets of 20 percent of energy coming from renewables, the bloc says, even as they consider ratcheting up existing 2030 goals.

But lofty ambitions dont always match reality. France, for example, counts among several EU members expected to fall short of the 2020 targets.

In November, too, French environment minister Nicolas Hulot scrapped a 2023 deadline for slashing nuclear share of the energy mix from 75 percent to 50 percent, acknowledging the date was unrealistic.

Even powerhouse Germany, which derives one-third of its energy from wind and solar, currently relies on coal for 40 percent of its energy  one ramification of its abandonment of nuclear power.

Still, the Floatgen launch reflects French efforts to transition from regional laggard to future wind power leader as it embarks on a massive energy overhaul.

I think that the French government understands that its not possible in the world today to continue just with nuclear power, said Greens Party Senator Ronan Dantec. Its important for the industry in France, for the future of the electricity market because nuclear is very expensive to have this strategy to develop renewable energy.

Powering the oceans

Today, Floatgen puts France on a shortlist of countries piloting floating wind turbines. The cutting-edge technology depends on cables fixed to the ocean floor and can be deployed in deeper waters than its fixed-bottom counterparts  taking advantage of often stronger and more stable ocean winds.

Other countries are ahead. In October, Britain launched the worlds first floating wind farm off the Scottish coast, capable of powering up to 20,000 homes.

Were late, lets be honest, acknowledged Frances Junior Environment Minister Sebastien Lecornu during the Saint-Nazaire inauguration, as he ticked off a raft of reasons, from groups opposing new turbines to a tangle of red tape.

Yet France may soon be catching up. Even in this centralized nation, the shift to renewables is beginning to happen locally, as towns and regions capitalize on dropping prices and the promise of green energy. That includes the western Pays de la Loire region, where the port city of Saint-Nazaire is located.

We have everything it takes to make this region big in terms of building wind turbines, both on land and offshore, said Regional Council Vice-President Paul Jenneteau, who notes the Floatgen turbine alone created 70 jobs.

Imagine offshore wind farms here, he added. Obviously those jobs are going to multiply.

WindEuropes Tardieu agrees, predicting Europes wind industry will generate more than half-a-million jobs by 2030, more than double todays numbers.

Were talking about blades being produced in Portugal, offshore wind substructures in Poland, gear boxes in Belgium, he said.

Reality check

Yet Saint-Nazaire also offers a reality check. A few meters from the Floatgen celebrations, a line of riot police faced off against workers protesting economic reforms. The pungent smell of teargas and burning tires hung in the air.

We face an uncertain future, said Mathieu Pinault, a member of the CGT trade union as he mingled with fellow protesters. His longtime employer, a fuel-and-coal-based heating plant, is slowly shutting down.

The new energies dont offer reliable jobs, Pinault added. They offer precarious, part-time employment.

Renewable energy advocates disagree.

Wind energy today already represents thousands of jobs, said Ideol marketing manager Geischer. It could represent much more than that, local jobs, but also brainpower.
Three women, who last year accused Donald Trump of making unwanted sexual advances, renewed their allegations Monday, saying it was time Congress investigate claims against the president in the wake of dozens of other powerful American men being held accountable for their treatment of women.



Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of forcibly kissing her 12 years ago when she worked as a receptionist at his Trump Tower business headquarters in New York, said lawmakers should "put aside their party affiliations and investigate Mr. Trump's history of sexual misconduct."



She appeared alongside the two other Trump accusers at a New York news conference: Samantha Holvey, who alleged that Trump walked uninvited into a backstage dressing area where she and others were in various states of undress at a 2012 beauty pageant Trump owned, and Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of groping her when she sat next to him on a commercial airline flight in the late 1970s.



During last year's presidential campaign, more than a dozen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct extending over several decades, but he denied all the accusations, and said that an explicit 2005 taped comment of him boasting of groping women was merely "locker room talk."



On Monday, as the three women appeared on NBC's Today show before their news conference, the White House again rejected the allegations.



"These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year's campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory," the White House said. "The timing and absurdity of these false claims speaks volumes and the publicity tour that has begun only further confirms the political motives behind them."



Later, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "We feel these allegations have been answered" by the results of the 2016 election. "The American people knew this and voted for the president."



The women's renewed claims against Trump come as powerful men from film making, politics, the media and business have been fired or forced to resign in the last two months after women came forward with graphic details of unwanted sexual advances.

Crooks said of the alleged Trump Tower encounter with the future president, he "repeatedly kissed my cheeks and ultimately my lips in an encounter that has since impacted my life well beyond the initial occurrence and feelings of self-doubt and insignificance I had. Unfortunately, given Mr. Trump's notoriety and the fact that he was a partner of my employer's, not to mention the owner of the building, I felt there was nothing I could do. Given this hostile work environment, my only solution at the time was to simply avoid additional encounters with him."



Holvey said, "As a little girl, I would watch the Miss USA pageant every year and dream of being one of those beautiful, successful, incredibly confident women. These dreams never included a man lining us all up to look us over like we were pieces of meat.



"These dreams never included a man coming into the backstage hair and makeup area while I sat naked under a robe, as he walked around looking at us like we were his property before he moved into the dressing room," she said.

"And these dreams certainly never included this same man becoming president of the United States," she added. "I have a new dream now: that this man will be held accountable for his actions and that future generations of women can fulfill their dreams without worry of anyone treating them like they are less than because they're a woman."

While Trump has said the women's allegations are false, one of his key government appointees, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Sunday, "Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with."



Asked whether Trump's election meant that voters had decided the issue in his case, Haley said, "That's for the people to decide. I know that he was elected, but women should always feel comfortable coming forward, and we should all be willing to listen to them."
Members of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance are expected to appear before a United States Congressional Committee on Foreign Relations in USA to appraise Americans on the situation in Zimbabwe.

MDC-T vice president Nelson Chamisa, Jacob Ngarivhume of Transform Zimbabwe and Tendai Biti (Peoples Democratic Party) will share the stage with Stephanie Sullivan, Principal Deputy Assistant Director (Bureau of African Affairs  U.S Department of State). Author and journalist Peter Godwin will also be part of the panel focusing on the future of Zimbabwe.

Ngarivhume told VOA Studio 7 that we will be talking about the current situation in Zimbabwe and forthcoming elections which we expect to be free and fair.

We will also be meeting with various organizations and representatives of President Donald Trumps government.

But this has upset some members of the ruling Zanu PF party, who suggest that they should have been included in the panel.

Zanu PF activist, Frenk Guni, said, We know that they are here to urge the government to maintain targeted sanctions imposed by the West on members of our party.

Its very unfair for these people to come here to present one side of what is happening in Zimbabwe. The ruling party should have been invited to attend the meeting.

The USA imposed targeted sanctions on former President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle for alleged human rights violations and electoral fraud.
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Future remains uncertain for Piazza Navona Befana market.

Rome's Befana Christmas market, which was scheduled to return to Piazza Navona after three years on 2 December, has so far failed to open due to an argument between the city and stallholders over who pays for security.

The city argues that, according to their contracts, stallholders should foot the anti-terrorism security bill  whose final figure could reach 450,000 according to reports in Italian media. The stallholders, however, do not agree, leading to a still-empty Piazza Navona ten days after the market was due to have opened.

While many welcomed the return of the market, announced by the city in late November, the recipients of around half of the 48 operating licences attracted immediate controversy. It emerged that each category of market stall containing the same surname  Tredicine  the powerful family which owns the majority of the mobile sandwich bars around the city and has political connections. Numerous Tredicine family members were awarded licenses, valid for nine years, to sell everything from Christmas trees and cribs to toys and sweets at the Befana.

The announcement also led to internal friction within the city administration of Rome mayor Virginia Raggi, of the anti-establishment Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S). Rome's councillor for economic development, tourism and labour Adriano Meloni accused the chairman of the city's commerce committee Andrea Coia of coming to an agreement with the Tredicine family.

Meloni subsequently retracted his comments, following a meeting with Raggi, stating: "There is no link between the M5S and the Tredicine family, least of all in the organisation of the Befana [market]."

In December 2014 the number of stalls at the historic market, which used to be one of Rome's main Christmas attractions, was reduced from 115 to 72 by Rome's former mayor Ignazio Marino, who subsequently launched a crack-down on the city's mobile sandwich bars, mostly owned by the Tredicine family.

In 2015 the number of Befana stalls was reduced to 48 by Marino, ten days before his resignation as mayor. The 2015 market was then cancelled at the last minute by Marino's successor, Rome commissioner Francesco Paolo Tronca, over administrative irregularities after it emerged that roughly half of the licences were granted directly or indirectly to the Tredicine family.

Last year the city hosted some cultural and children's events in Piazza Navona, including a carousel, but there were no stalls.

The city and the stallholders continue to negotiate over the 2017-18 Befana but in the meantime Rome faces a fourth Christmas with a market-free Piazza Navona.


Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," in theaters on Dec. 15. (Credit: John Wilson/Lucasfilm via AP) )

Chief film critic

Star Wars: The Last Jedi unspools like a one-movie binge watch, a lively if overlong and busily plotted second chapter to the latest Star Wars trilogy that advances the story and deepens its characters with a combination of irreverent humor and worshipful love for the original text.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson ("Looper"), this installment picks up literally where 2015's "The Force Awakens" left off. Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is still bringing the heat. His comrade  and reformed stormtrooper  Finn (John Boyega) is recuperating from a punishing last battle with the proto-fascist First Order. And a courageous orphan named Rey (Daisy Ridley) has finally tracked down Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) after vanquishing the maybe-evil, maybe-just-mixed-up Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in a lightsaber duel.

Fans were treated to a behind the scenes teaser for Decembers "The Last Jedi" at Disney's D23 expo.

The moment in The Force Awakens when Luke, standing on an isolated island cliff, turns to see Rey for the first time was electrifying. Johnson punctuates it with a surprisingly cheeky gesture that sets the tone for a movie whose easygoing jocularity fits right in with the original movies jaunty pastiche of Eastern mysticism, cheesy B-movie adventure, messianic theology and rusty, dusty retro-futurism. After getting things started with a well-choreographed battle scene (featuring a deliciously supercilious Domhnall Gleeson as the fatuous First Order leader General Hux), Johnson adroitly maneuvers his characters through a story that, admittedly, often feels more convoluted than canonically necessary, with extravagantly reckless tactical gambits, nail-biting tick-tocks and ludicrously protracted standoffs providing excuses for action and incident more than narrative drive. Still, The Last Jedi honors the franchises chief values of idealism, loyalty and self-sacrifice that made the original Star Wars so beloved, with a similarly appealing ragtag team of hotheads and cockeyed optimists to root for as they try to save their galaxy from totalitarian domination.



The late Carrie Fisher reprises her role as General Leia Organa in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." (Credit: Lucasfilm via AP) )

For the most part, the ensemble still works: Isaac and his droid BB-8 still enjoy bro-ing out and, to quote Poe, jumping in an X-wing and blowing something up; Boyega, now separated from Rey, finds common cause with a plucky engineer named Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) and, eventually, a sleepy-eyed mercenary named DJ (played with a stutter and strong dash of cynicism by Benicio Del Toro). The late, great Carrie Fisher delivers a magnificent and wryly funny final turn as General Leia Organa, who shares one of The Last Jedis finest scenes with Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, portrayed in lavender-haired splendor by Laura Dern.

That moment is guaranteed to bring a lump to Star Wars skeptics and superfans alike, as will frequent callbacks to the original films  including a particular whopper  that feel like Johnson offering a reassuring "I got you" to a core audience that's been burned too often in the past. Some of his creations feel rote or shamelessly manipulative: a sequence set at a casino feels like a pale retread from the Mos Eisley cantina scene in "A New Hope." And the wide-eyed, owl-like porgs that populate Luke's island seem reverse-engineered to elicit immediate puppy love in the audience. Yet Johnson clearly understands a franchise that depends as much on improbable schemes and subplots as Oedipal rage and symbolic sibling rivalry for its energy and psychological pull.

[Want an autograph by Star Wars Mark Hamill? Bring the right marker and $295 in cash.]



Daisy Ridley stars in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. (Credit:Photo by Jonathan Olley/ Lucasfilm Ltd.) )

The Last Jedi looks great, its visual and sound design assembled with care and judicious taste. Ultimately, though, its ballast lies in the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren, whose mysterious mind-meld is fleshed out and deepened, its mysterious origins cleared up only slightly. Whereas Driver has the kind of face and physical presence that lends itself to his characters ambiguity, Ridley isnt nearly as compelling this time out, perhaps because she spends most of the time being tutored by Luke.

Luckily for Rey, theres a third movie in her future. And its lucky for viewers, too. Theres no way for the latest trilogy of Star Wars films to capture the novelty and sheer exhilaration of the originals, but Johnson and producer J.J. Abrams understand the spirit and emotion of the thing. When the feelings come in The Last Jedi, and they do come, theyre deep and theyre real. Go ahead and try to watch the penultimate scene without crying, or pretending not to. And may the Force be with you.

PG-13. At area theaters. Contains sequences of sci-fi action and violence. 151 minutes.


Nam khao: crispy coconut rice and pork. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post)

Staff writer

If I were to have eaten nam khao the right way, I would have plucked a single rib of romaine from the plate and stuffed it with a spoonful or two of crispy coconut rice and pork, adding perhaps a few sprigs of cilantro and a sliver of chile pepper to the leafy wrap. But I didnt do any of that with my nam khao at Sabydee Thai and Lao Cuisine in Mount Pleasant. I was way too hungry to bother with construction projects. I just grabbed a fork and dug right in.

The problem was, once I started shoveling, I couldnt stop. I was a preteen who had just discovered Minecraft.

[The 10 best D.C.-area places to eat on the cheap, because nobody needs a $28 sandwich]

Nam khao is a gift from Laos, and while it's tempting to say the salad is all about texture  the crunch, crackle and craaaack of fried coconut-and-rice balls with their garnish of roasted peanuts  that would be misleading. Nam khao's value extends well beyond the enigmatic pleasures of tooth-rattling resistance. Once those textures disappear, the waves of flavor rush in: the acid, the sweetness, the heat, the decaying beauty of shrimp paste. This is a last-wish-of-the-dying dish.

Sabydee took over the space formerly occupied by Zabver, the tiny takeout owned by a Thai couple who embraced a whole wide world of Asian flavors, even the ones jury-rigged in 20th-century Chinese-American shops. (God, I still daydream about the General Tso's chicken at Zabver.) Sabydee's debut in May has helped ease the loss of a neighborhood joint that died before its time.

[Zabver is a delicious exception to a chowhounds rule]



Chef-owner Daovone Southammavong. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post)

Daovone Southammavong is the chef and owner behind Sabydee. A native of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, Southammavong toiled for 13 years in the kitchen at Sawatdee, the stylish Thai outpost in Arlington. The Thai dishes on her expansive menu are not just concessions to Washingtonians unfamiliar with Lao cooking. They are part of her culinary DNA. She has earned the right to claim them.

But the Thai dishes are not the reason  or not the main reason  to subject yourself to Sabydee's first-floor dining room, a space so small that no conversation is private. Nor are the Thai dishes the reason Southammavong made the jump into the restaurant ownership, a move with more liabilities than Al Franken. Southammavong, like Thip Khao chef Seng Luangrath before her, just wanted to give locals a taste of Lao cuisine, which remains a rare find in Washington, even in these days of gastronomic thrill seekers.

If Thip Khao is the pinnacle of Lao dining in Washington  a bustling space with craft cocktails and a devoted following of off-hour chefs who pine for the supernova burn of Luangraths food  then Sabydee is the opposite. Its a tiny storefront fighting for respect and willing to accommodate even the most sensitive palates because, as first-time restaurateurs inevitably learn, many diners dont give a flip about your authentic cuisine, especially if it causes discomfort.

So does Sabydee pull its punches with some dishes? Let me put it this way: Nearly five years ago, I attended Luangrath's guest dinner at Toki Underground, where she prepared a tasting menu of Lao dishes, including her own take on nam khao. Some of those preparations have been permanently seared into memory, and I mean seared like a branding iron on a mindless steer. Several times during the meal, I thought I might spontaneously self-combust into a pile of ashes.



Ka nom jeep: steamed dumplings with chicken and shrimp. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post)

Nothing that I had over the course of five visits to Sabydee could touch the spice level of the dishes that night at Toki, which is not to say that Southammavongs cooking cant compare to Luangraths. Im not even saying that Southammavong cant bring the heat, should you request it. She can. She definitely can. All Im saying is that Lao spicy assumes a different personality, a more malleable one, when youre operating a restaurant in America, with a bottom line to watch. Even Thip Khaos dishes can be tame compared to that night at Toki, where there was nothing to lose.

[Esaan serves a delicious lesson in Northeastern Thai cuisine]

With that said, some dishes at Sabydee, like the nam khao, inspire total devotion. The ka nom jeep is an appetizer of steamed chicken-shrimp-and-water-chestnut dumplings, with wonton wrappers so delicate they almost melt in your mouth. The larb gai salad runs sour, fishy and just hot enough that you won't feel the need to sprint to the nearest 7-Eleven for a jug of milk. The green curry chicken is a slow burn, all fragrance and silk, until you realize that the tickle in the back of your throat is not an imminent cold.

And those are just the Thai plates. The greatest pleasures on the 55-item menu  yes, 55, virtually everything prepped, cooked and plated by Southammavong herself  are almost all Lao dishes. The Lao sausage are oblong slices of ground pork mixed with lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves, the perfume intoxicating. Siin haeng are strips of sun-dried beef spiked with ginger and lemon grass, like Lao jerky but the kind you can slam like potato chips. The khaopoon, a rice vermicelli soup with red curry paste and coconut milk, coats a variety of vegetables in a broth thats more complex than the initial slurp suggests.



Khaopoon: rice vermicelli soup. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post)

Aside from the laminated menu, Southammavong also has a photo album, with pink flamingos and palm trees on the cover, which contains page after page of Lao and Thai specials, each with an accompanying glamour shot. You and your friends may flip through the volume, like a yearbook to a high school you never attended, longing for dishes you never knew existed, such as the excellent tilapia with rice, green onions and cilantro. You wont care that the spice level may be dialed down or that you forget to order a side of sticky rice. Youll just think theres more to Lao cuisine than you first realized, and thats a great place to start.

Read more:

The 10 best D.C.-area places to eat on the cheap, because nobody needs a $28 sandwich

Zabver is a delicious exception to a chowhounds rule

Esaan serves a delicious lesson in Northeastern Thai cuisine
Who will it be today?

Every morning we brace ourselves before looking at our newsfeeds. Which beloved or respected public figure will be accused of harassing or assaulting women?

On Twitter and Facebook, the outraged, depressed and weary are pleading: "Please, please don't let it be _____", inserting the name of a favorite movie star, admired politician, holy man or even the boss we adore. Because it's starting to feel like it could be just about anybody, right?

This week's Advent Calendar of Horrors opened to show chef Mario Batali, who is admired for his cooking but adored for his jolly demeanor and ridiculous footwear. He apologized for behavior that included grabbing women's breasts and buttocks.

"Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted," Batali wrote in a statement to The Washington Post. He's taken a leave of absence from his restaurants and removed from his role on ABC's "The Chew."

And last week it was the respected 9th Circuit Appeals Court Judge Alex Kozinski, who has now been accused by six former clerks or junior staffers of inappropriate sexual conduct, including showing two of them porn in his chambers.

Before that, it was The Today Show star and every-dad Matt Lauer, who was promptly fired, and high-minded television host Charlie Rose, also shamed and exiled.

Three men have resigned from Congress amid allegations of sexual misconduct: Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., who actually asked two former female staffers to bear his child as a surrogate.

Meanwhile, an accused groper who once bragged on an "Access Hollywood" tape about grabbing women by their crotches occupies the Oval Office. In between calling all his accusers liars, Trump has been urging the voters of Alabama to elect a man to the Senate who allegedly preyed on teenage girls when he was a prosecutor in his 30s.

Who's next?

Let's call this the #NotYouToo part of the movement.

There's a whole list of men we're hoping and praying aren't creeps, right? And a deeply disturbing question about what percentage of men in this country are harassers and predators? Is it 10 percent? 20 percent? Higher?

While the national reckoning on sexual harassment and assault is shocking to some, it's hardly a surprise to the huge population of women who have been betrayed by a mentor, a caregiver, a family member or a friend.

The numbers, after all, show that most women - 6 out of 10 - who report being sexually assaulted knew their attacker, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. And sexual assault is hugely under-reported in the United States. According to the 2015 Crime Victimization Survey done by the Department of Justice, the number of violent, sexual assaults that weren't reported that year were more than double the ones that were reported.

When we talk about sexual harassment in the workplace, we confront the same phenomenon of under-reporting. As the #MeToo outpouring demonstrates, it's way bigger than anyone thinks.

"Common workplace-based responses by those who experience sex-based harassment are to avoid the harasser, deny or downplay the gravity of the situation, or attempt to ignore, forget, or endure the behavior," an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's task force on workplace harassment reported last year.

The folks who handled nearly 7,000 sexual harassment complaints last year estimate that 3 out of 4 harassment victims never report it.

Does this all mean everyone's a harasser? At times, it sure feels like it.

Some men are responding to the onslaught of allegations by avoiding interacting with women in the workplace.

Vice President Mike Pence, for instance, doesn't dine alone with a woman who isn't his wife or attend any event where alcohol is served without her. He's been ridiculed for it - The Onion reported that Pence asked for the removal of Mrs. Butterworth from his breakfast table - and justifiably so.

Because this rule immediately limits women's access to powerbrokering, networking or any other interactions men are allowed to have with one another, and it turns women into little more than tempting sex objects.

But let's be real about this. Take a good look around you - your workplace, your house of worship, your neighborhood, your home. For every crotch-grabber, flasher and creep to make headlines, there are good men who don't harass. And who don't need Pence's rule to stay respectful of the women around them.

They've been following - perhaps unbenownst to them - the Dwayne "The Rock" rule.

It's not complex, tricky or confusing, this issue of sexual harassment.

Simply treat every woman you come across the way you would treat Dwayne Johnson.

Would you put your hand on The Rock's knee, massage his shoulders while talking about a work issue, ask him up to your hotel room, fondle his behind, lock the door from your desk or drop your pants and show him your junk? No?

Congratulations, it's #NotYouToo.
A Christmas tree stands in the front yard of an evacuated home in Carpinteria, California, on Monday. A wildfire in the area exploded in size, becoming the fifth largest in state history. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)

The fifth-largest wildfire in California history expanded this week, ripping through dry brush while crews struggled to keep flames from roaring into neighborhoods.

Firefighters protected foothill homes northwest of Los Angeles, making progress in residential areas while the fire spread through forest land to the north, Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason said Tuesday.

Red-flag warnings for fire danger caused by Santa Ana winds and a critical lack of moisture have been extended through at least Wednesday.

[Fighting wildfires is a greater endurance test as warm weather lingers]

It doesnt get much drier than this folks, the National Weather Service tweeted.



Flames from a wildfire consume the mountainside Sunday near the Cate School campus in Carpinteria, California. (Kenneth Song/Santa Barbara News-Press via AP)

Tens of thousands of people remain evacuated from the seaside areas of Summerland, Carpinteria and Montecito, a community thats home to stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Drew Barrymore.

Poor air quality kept dozens of schools closed. As ash rained down and smoke blew through streets, people were urged to stay inside.

The blaze  known as the Thomas Fire  has destroyed more than 680 homes, officials said.

Santa Ana winds have long contributed to some of the region's most disastrous wildfires. They blow from the inland toward the Pacific Ocean, speeding up as they squeeze through mountain passes and canyons.

The Weather Service said that if the long-term forecast holds, there will have been 13 days in a row of dry offshore flow before it ends Friday afternoon. There have been only 17 longer streaks since 1948.

High fire risk is expected to last into January.

 Associated Press

Read more from KidsPost:

National Park Service protects national treasures for a century

Whats it like to be a National Park Service ranger

Whats it like to be a firefighter?


The company party rarely gets as crazy as the one depicted in Office Christmas Party, with comedian T.J. Miller. Or does it? (Glen Wilson/Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection) )

This year, you could arrive at your company holiday party to find a woman from human resources distributing drink tickets, two per head, as if its communist Russia and were rationing trash red wine now.

Of course, you shouldnt be surprised. Not in the era of Harvey Weinstein.

Weinstein and the tidal wave of other bad men accused of sexual harassment and assault have cast a long, dark shadow over the American workplace. As party season descends, companies are nervously wondering whether any of us can truly come together and drink spiked egg nog without someone who means to pat a colleague on the back accidentally putting his hands inside her blouse instead. (Which happened to Garrison Keillor. Even though it's impossible. Right, ladies?)

Weinstein and all the others  so, so many others  are why corporate clients of all sizes have been calling Tracy Billows, a Chicago-based labor and employment lawyer specializing in sexual harassment. Their questions: "Should I have a holiday party? Alcohol or no alcohol? Spouses or no spouses?"

Dont cancel outright, shes telling them, but set a respectful tone. And, yeah, bring the partner. Nothing like the evil eye from the S.O. to keep a harasser in check.

Still, many companies have already decided that the whiskey-filled well of the open bar, that mainstay of the corporate shindig, has finally dried up.

Thats what human resources staffers said in an informal poll conducted this fall by placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas  in the midst of allegations about Weinstein and Kevin Spacey and Al Franken and Louis C.K. et al.

Only 49 percent of companies said they planned to serve alcohol at their soirees. Thats compared with nearly 62 percent last year.

That's if they were having a party at all.

This year, 11 percent said pass to a holiday event. Last year, only 4 percent skipped it.

After conducting the poll for 10 years, vice president Andrew Challenger was caught off guard by this years responses. When unemployment is low, when the economy is moving at a good pace as it is today, he says, companies are more likely to have holiday parties, spend more on them and offer more alcohol.

What else could the booze-free approach reflect, Challenger wonders, but the Weinstein Effect?

As American traditions go, the office holiday party is decidedly odd: It's a collegial, company-sponsored get-together with free-flowing vodka.

Let loose a little! an off-site setting can imply. But the invitations also suggest, Decline at your own career peril.

Can any good come of this?

The holiday function is supposed to be the unifying event of the year, for jobs well done. Its also supposed to be a morale boost for the employees, says Ross J. Peters, who specializes in sexual harassment at his Illinois-based employment law firm.

And yet. All the booze and informality add up to scenarios where employees and management can misplace their moral compasses.

Sometimes, men feel its an opportunity to make themselves more familiar in a party atmosphere. Harassers use it for intimate conversation, says Peters, frustration creeping into his voice. You should not be asking about peoples boyfriends or girlfriends!

[The office holiday party: More awkward than meeting the parents]

People tend to feel more comfortable away from the workplace, Billows adds. The lines are blurred, and management and employees begin to convince themselves,  Im at a social gathering. The rules dont apply anymore. 

Which is why the office holiday party-related cases have stacked up for Peters, who represents harassment victims. Over the years, he has had a case of servers working a company event who found themselves groped by partygoers.

Ive had cases, he says, where men said, That outfit makes your [well allow you, dear reader, to fill in this blank] look great. 

The worst case of all? An alleged rape.

Attention, employers: This did not begin in 2017.

Peters says the cases he has worked in his decades practicing in the field have proved how rampant harassment is. For him, the scandals of the past year show only that sexual harassment has finally taken its place in social discourse.

Not that everyone has learned the lessons of the past months.

Bloomberg reports that in Silicon Valley, where Uber endured an ugly avalanche of sexual-harassment firings this year, some unnamed tech companies are hiring models to attend their holiday parties and bring cheer to the mostly male staffs. (One agency said that a client asked for those models to wear "Pink Panther-themed latex bodysuits.")

Bad behavior at office holiday parties is so pervasive that Hollywood  home of Harvey Weinstein  has long had a field day depicting the debauchery.

[How to attend your office holiday party without ending up like Harvey Weinstein]

A Christmas episode of Mad Men featured the slick New York ad execs and their nubile young secretaries mingling on a smoky, boozy night involving Santa hats, a conga line and cringe-worthy boss-secretary sexual high jinks. One particularly cruel attendee forced underlings to sit on Santas lap and then kept the photographic evidence.



Vincent Kartheiser and his on-screen wife, played by Alison Brie, attend the boozy Christmas party on the show Mad Men. (Mike Yarish/AMC/Everett Collection) )

Then theres the 2016 Jennifer Aniston movie, Office Christmas Party, in which a nondenominational mixer at a Chicago firm becomes a frat-house rager, complete with this mid-party announcement: Babies are not getting made tonight. Not here on company property. If you are going to have intercourse, please go beyond the floodlamps at the perimeter of the plaza and into the Rite-Aid parking lot!

Perhaps a lawyer can offer a better way to phrase that.

A company statement, pithy but firm, just before the festivities is a very smart idea, Peters says. He suggests: There is zero tolerance for sexual harassment. Zero. Zero. Zero. (Got it?)

And if it happens? They have to fire that person, he says. Thats the only thing a harasser will understand. Its got to cost him his job.

Some companies are already making substantial changes.

Media company Vox, which recently fired its editorial director over sexual harassment accusations, informed employees that they would receive just two drink tickets a person at the company party this week. Any further imbibing would be of the nonalcoholic variety.

"We recognize that even though alcohol isn't always the reason for unprofessional behavior," a leaked internal memo cheerily noted, "creating an environment that encourages overconsumption certainly contributes to it."

Okay, weve gotten that ugly stuff out of the way. Now, whos ready to party?
Charlottesville officials Monday denied a request to hold a rally in August marking the first anniversary of a protest by white supremacists that turned violent, saying it would endanger public safety.

In a three-paragraph decision signed by City Manager Maurice Jones, the city said the request for a permit cannot be accommodated with the area applied for, or within a reasonable allocation of city funds and/or police resources.

Jason Kessler filed the request for a permit last month to hold a rally against government civil rights abuse and failure to follow security plans for political dissidents, and to memorialize the sacrifices made by political dissidents in Lee Park August 12, 2017. Kessler was the primary organizer of the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally that drew neo-Nazis and white nationalists to Charlottesville, leading to bloody clashes in the streets with counterprotesters.

[Charlottesville rally organizer is seeking permit for an anniversary gathering]

On Monday, the city said Kesslers application for a rally next year likely underestimates the number of participants and declared that the city does not have the police resources to identify opposing groups and keep them separated.

The applicant requests that police keep opposing sides separate and that police leave a clear path into event without threat of violence, but city does not have the ability to determine or sort individuals according to what side they are on, and no reasonable allocation of city funds or resources can guarantee that event participants will be free of any threat of violence,  the city stated.

Charlottesville officials also said Kessler had included no information on how he would be responsible for the behavior of participants or how he could be held accountable for their adherence to city regulations.

Kessler blasted the citys ruling, threatened legal action and vowed he would not be deterred.

The decision is bogus and should be reversed in court, he wrote in an email. Were going to be suing Charlottesville for this and many other civil rights violations starting early next year. And the rally is still happening.

Citing similar public safety constraints and insufficient police and financial resources, the city denied four other permit requests from opponents and supporters of Kessler to hold events in public parks on the anniversary weekend.

The violence that marked the rally worsened when James Alex Fields Jr., a 20-year-old Nazi sympathizer from Ohio, allegedly drove his Dodge Challenger into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer, 32, and injuring 19 others. Two Virginia state troopers who had been monitoring the events from the air died later that day when their helicopter crashed.

[Charlottesville response to white supremacist rally is sharply criticized in report]

In a post on his blog last month announcing the permit request, Kessler blamed police for not breaking up fights between rallygoers and counterprotesters, and for not providing adequate protection to allow the rally to proceed.

Charlottesvilles handling of the Unite the Right rally, particularly its police response, was uniformly criticized in a 207-page independent review released Dec. 1.
Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous has picked up endorsements from Progressive Maryland and Communications Workers of America. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)

Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous has picked up two more endorsements from progressive organizations.

Progressive Maryland, a grass-roots group with more than 100,000 members and supporters across the state, and Communications Workers of America, a labor union representing 4,500 workers in Maryland and the District, voted to support the former NAACP presidents bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

We will be backing him heavily, said Larry Stafford Jr., executive director of Progressive Maryland. Well hit doors and hit the pavement across the state to make sure we have a progressive to put forward in the primary.

Stafford said his board chose Jealous from the crowded field of candidates because of the candidate's progressive stances, including his plan for Medicare For All.

Other candidates competing in the June 26 primary include: Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, state Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr., tech entrepreneur Alec Ross, policy consultant Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, attorney Jim Shea and Krishanti Vignarajah, a former policy director for Michelle Obama.

Baker has won endorsements from top Democratic elected officials in the state, including Attorney General Brian Frosh and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Jealous, who has received support from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Our Revolution and the Service Employees International Union, played down Baker's establishment support.

As a civil rights leader, I know real change doesnt come from politicians, it comes from working people coming together and demanding that change happens, he said.

But Maryland Democrats have generally backed establishment candidates, voting for Hillary Clinton over Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary by a margin of nearly 2 to 1. In the 2014 primary, then-Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown beat progressive candidate Heather Mizeur, then a state delegate, by 30 percentage points.
Marylands legislature is set to start tracking sexual harassment complaints against lawmakers and their staff members, as statehouses across the country confront mounting allegations of sexual misconduct and examine their policies for dealing with them.

The General Assembly plans to update its sexual harassment policy to require the legislatures human resources director to keep track of the number and type of complaints and how they were resolved. Lawmakers would be briefed on this information every year  but would not be given the identities of the alleged harassers.

The changes are expected to win approval from a legislative policy committee meeting Tuesday, said Alexandra Hughes, chief of staff to Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel). The committee sets rules for the General Assembly.

The speaker and the Senate president have tried to be ahead of the curve and have tried to make sure we have as professional of a workplace as we can, Hughes said. They felt this is an important step forward.

Currently, Human Resources Director Lori Mathis investigates complaints of inappropriate behavior but does not track the number of complaints or their outcomes or report that data to lawmakers.

"Because of the wide array of reporting and resolving mechanisms for alleged incidents of harassment, no agency of the MGA maintains summary statistics of workplace harassment reports or complaints; nor are such summary statistics kept of sexual harassment reports," Mathis told The Washington Post in response to a public-records request.

All individual cases of harassment, including sexual harassment investigations conducted by the MGA, are personnel matters. No aspect of any personnel file is available under the Public Information Act.

People who say they have been sexually harassed by Maryland lawmakers or employees of the legislature can lodge complaints with the staffs of the presiding officers, Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), or with the human resources department.

Mathis notifies Busch and Miller when her office receives allegations against lawmakers. Busch and Miller  who play a role in deciding how to discipline lawmakers found to have behaved inappropriately  also handle any appeals of Mathis's findings.

Some cases involving lawmakers may be referred to the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, whose investigative records are kept confidential under state law. Allegations of sexual assault or other suspected criminal conduct would be referred to prosecutors, Mathis said.

Mathis said the General Assembly has not used taxpayer money to settle any claims of workplace harassment.

Such settlements have come under scrutiny in Congress in recent weeks, after reporters unearthed taxpayer-funded payments to accusers of Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), who resigned last week, and Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Tex.).

Harassment allegations have also made waves in state capitals, with accused lawmakers in California, Mississippi, Minnesota and Kentucky giving up their seats.

The Maryland General Assembly's sexual harassment policy was created in the early 1990s, after a former lawmaker's judicial nomination was derailed by women who came forward to allege inappropriate behavior.

Legislative leaders updated the policy last year to clarify that it applied to harassment of transgender individuals and that witnesses to sexual harassment  not just victims  may report it. Officials also designated a male staffer to receive reports of harassment, in addition to a female staffer.

Hughes said the legislature made those changes following the harassment allegations against then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In Virginia, the clerk of the state Senate told The Post last month that she has not received a sexual harassment report since starting her job in 1990. The Virginia House of Delegates investigated a harassment complaint against a staff member in 2012, its human resources director said.
Though the legislation may be largely symbolic, members of the Montgomery County Council are expected to take a stand Tuesday in favor of county residents who under the Trump administration could lose the deportation protections they have enjoyed for years.

The administration has indicated that it will end temporary protected status (TPS) for some immigrants who fled war or natural disaster to find a haven in the United States. The administration also plans to end the Obama-era program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, that allows undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children to legally remain in the United States. Both groups could face deportation if their status is revoked.

The all-Democratic council is expected to unanimously pass a resolution to urge the federal government to allow the immigrants  thousands of whom live in Montgomery County  to remain in the country.

Although the resolution carries no legal authority, lawmakers and activists say it is an important symbolic step for the state's most populous jurisdiction and one of its most diverse.

"Without question, there is strong support for immigrant reform that provides a path to citizenship, that lifts the threat of deportation from these families in our community," said council President Hans Riemer (D-At Large), who was arrested last week alongside 200 others demanding that Congress enact legislation to grant DACA recipients permanent citizenship. "It's important in times like these for the community to take a stand, and that's what we're trying to do with this resolution."

There are more than 325,000 immigrants with temporary protected status across the country and Maryland is home to the second-largest share, according to the resolution. Those include about 19,800 Salvadorans with 17,100 U.S.-born children, as well as 1,900 Hondurans with more than 1,300 U.S.-born children. The program protects them from deportation and allows them to work legally in the United States. Those protections have to be renewed by the federal government every two years.

DACA has allowed about 690,000 immigrants  including more than 9,700 in Maryland  brought to the United States as children to be shielded from deportation and receive two-year renewal work permits.

Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA de Maryland, said that even though the council doesn't have the power to change federal policy, the resolution is a way of supporting residents who "are very scared about what's going to happen."

Torres said several DACA and TPS holders have established businesses in the county and have set down roots, and are anxiously awaiting a solution from Congress before their protections expire.

The message from the county is saying: You are welcome. You are making a contribution, and we are with you, Torres said.

Montgomery is a liberal stronghold where legislators and activists have long been supportive of undocumented immigrants.

Yet there is an undercurrent of anti-immigrant sentiment. One of the starkest examples is Help Save Maryland, a Rockville-based organization that describes itself as "dedicated to preserving Maryland's counties, cities and towns from the negative effects of illegal aliens."

Some critics also say the council is wasting energy on issues beyond its control. Mark Uncapher, chair of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, said the council could better serve the county by focusing attention on local issues such as finding a solution to the county's budget shortfall.

Im not sure how helpful or useful the councils resolution is since thats really a compromise that is going to need to be worked out at the congressional level, Uncapher said.

Work permits for DACA recipients will expire starting March 5. Members of both the House and Senate are still divided over the details behind a solution, including whether to include stricter border protection. Last week, 35 members of the House GOP caucus urged a consensus by the end of the year.

There are thousands of people who live in Montgomery County who are able to work without fear, to live without fear of deportation, thanks to DACA and TPS, Riemer said. Unfortunately, this administration has put a cloud over their future.
Fairfax County police said Tuesday they were seeking an Alexandria man with tattoos on both sides of his neck as a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a man found in the woods earlier this month.

Endless Taylor, 24, is wanted on charges of murder and robbery in the killing of Luis Bonilla, 24, police said in a statement.

Officers on routine patrol Dec. 1 found Bonillas remains at around 11:15 p.m. in the 7100 block of Fairchild Drive in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, police said.

Detectives identified Taylor as a suspect after reviewing Bonillas phone, police said.

Taylor and Bonilla knew each other and were in a disagreement in the weeks before Bonillas body was found, police said.

Authorities ask anyone with information about Taylor to call 703-246-7904 or submit a tip anonymously through www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org.
In the years Nicholas Young went to work patrolling Washingtons Metro system, a federal prosecutor said, an FBI agent was lying awake at night worrying about what he might do.

As the first police officer to face terrorism charges in the United States goes to trial in federal court this week, FBI special agents and undercover operatives explained to jurors how they began investigating Young in 2010  and why he was not arrested until August 2016. It was then that Young bought Google Play gift cards that prosecutors say he thought would be used by Islamic State recruits to download encrypted messaging applications.

During the years-long investigation of the Alexandria, Va., native, several law enforcement officials testified, Young repeatedly made violent remarks that were concerning but did not prompt immediate action. Prosecutors said a sting operation involving the gift cards was necessary to get a dangerous radical not just off the streets, but also out of law enforcement.

[Police officer accused of being an ISIS-supporting neo-Nazi says he just has a dark sense of humor]

An FBI agent will testify that he didnt sleep at nights because [Young] had talked about torturing and killing an FBI agent, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg told the judge Tuesday.



An image of Young seized during a search of his home last year and filed in Alexandria federal court. (U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia)

But Youngs attorneys countered, saying his arrest was an overreach born of frustration that a six-year investigation had yielded nothing of value.

In private exchanges, defense attorney Linda Moreno said in her opening statement, agents wrote they hit the case with a defibrillator, saying lets hope he goes one step further and breaks the law.

The FBI induced Nicholas Young, a police officer who had served with distinction, to commit a crime where none existed, she said.

Young, 37, who worked for the Metro Transit Police, hopes to be the first person since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to win a terrorism trial by arguing that he was entrapped by law enforcement.

In his opening statement, Kromberg pushed back against that defense, telling jurors the government would show that Young had long-standing inclinations toward terrorism and believed in an alliance between white supremacists and Muslim extremists against Jewish people.

Youngs hatred of Jews was quite extraordinary, Kromberg said.

Young participated in reenactments as an SS officer  one of the most vicious terrorist groups that ever existed, Kromberg said. He said jurors would see a picture of the SS tattoo on Youngs arm, showing that the police officer didnt just dress up as a Nazi  he saw himself as that. Kromberg also said Young had a framed photograph of Hitler at his house and used an Israeli flag as a doormat.

Moreno told jurors that Young is no neo-Nazi but a libertarian with an interest in politics who was committed to his job in law enforcement and his country. A six-year investment . . . and what they have to show for it are gift cards, Moreno said. Thats why theyre talking about Hitler.

An undercover officer first met Young in 2010 while tracking suspected extremists in Northern Virginia, under the guise of being a recent convert to Islam and a U.S. Marine from Boston.

They hit it off right away, said the officer, who testified behind a screen and used the pseudonym Khalil Sullivan.

We had good conversations about work, politics and dating, Sullivan said.

Young was also part of conversations about terrorism, Sullivan testified, and spoke of his animosity toward the FBI. He believed he was being watched, and he talked about how he could take on agents at his home or how someone could attack federal buildings.

There were times we were joking, times we were not joking, Sullivan said. He said Youngs descriptions of potential clashes with federal agents were hypothetical.

While the level of detail Young gave in describing a potential attack on a federal building was a little alarming, Sullivan said, I didnt take it as a plan.

Sullivan ultimately cut ties with Young at his bosses direction; he was told to focus on another investigation.

There was no apparent FBI intervention when Young in 2011 twice went to fight against Moammar Gaddafi in Libya, but when he came back he was questioned by agents at Dulles International Airport.

In the summer of 2014, an undercover informant targeted Young more directly after meeting him at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center in Chantilly, Va.

Identified in court only as Mohammed, or Mo, the informant posed as a military reservist of Palestinian descent. He told Young that, like him, he had gone to George Mason University, had religious conflicts at work and had clashed with his father.

The FBI paid him $34,000 to befriend Young, Mo testified.

Over Sprites and Afghan food, Mo said, he and Young discussed religion and politics.

Mo acknowledged Young asked him why he wanted to join the Islamic State, saying: Its kind of nice here in the U.S., isnt it? . . . No one restricts us from practicing our religion here. Young once said the militants sound like a bunch of criminals who are hungry for power and money, Mo said.

But then Young gave Mo extensive advice for joining the Islamic State undetected, and he sent Mo a text message suggesting he thought his friend was on vacation, according to the recorded conversations introduced in court.

Mo actually traveled to Turkey because the FBI was worried that Young, as a police officer, had access to government records and would be able to check if the informant had not actually left the country, FBI Special Agent John Minchello testified.

Young was by his own admission paranoid, as he repeatedly told Mo in conversations played in court.

The people that do this, he said of informants, are going to be nice guys; theyre going to be great guys.
In the pre-dawn Wednesday, hundreds of federal agents and police officers waited on alert outside 20 homes in the Washington area for the clock to hit 6 a.m.

Once the hour arrived, law enforcement officers simultaneously shattered the morning quiet as they knocked down doors and tactical teams tossed flash-bang grenades in several homes to arrest targets of a months-long investigation into the activity of a gang and another armed group and gun and drug trafficking.

"All 20 houses got hit at the same time," said Special Agent in Charge Thomas L. Chittum III of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Washington field office. "Those are some pretty tense moments while you are waiting for them all to check in."

Hundreds of pages of court filings detail how agents tracked drug packages between Virginia and California and did surveillance on men and women who are alleged to have moved drugs through the homes and businesses of a loose network of dealers. The stakes were so high for one suspected dealer that he chewed off his own fingerprint to keep investigators from using it to unlock his phone, court filings state.

More than a dozen targets of the takedown appeared in federal court in Alexandria on Monday and were held without bond.

The cases against dozens of defendants sprouted from information provided by a cooperating gang member named Platinum, who told law enforcement that a Bloods-affiliated group was responsible for drug and firearm trafficking, killings, robberies and home invasions across Northern Virginia.

That top gang source and other confidential informants infiltrated the crew and used cash provided by law enforcement to buy large quantities of crack cocaine, cocaine, marijuana and firearms and, at times, wore recording devices to capture transactions from the spring until the fall.

The complex effort, dubbed Operation Tin Panda, targeted 50 people in response to a tide of bloodshed in Prince William County and to stop the gang's activity in other parts of the area. Authorities allege the activities have been linked to six killings and more than 20 shooting incidents, multiple home invasions and at least two carjackings.

Agents and officers seized more than 70 guns before Wednesdays raids and over 20 more Wednesday, in addition to thousands of dollars in cash and illicit drugs.

These 100 guns off the streets, these particular targets off the streets, these trigger pullers off the streets, mean safer communities, Chittum said.

The killings connected to the investigation include an August double homicide in Lorton, Va., stemming from a dispute over the marijuana business; a shooting at a hotel in Alexandria in May; a 2015 slaying in the District; and a gang dispute in Fredericksburg this year, according to court documents and law enforcement.

Forty people were charged in federal court as part of the operation, along with another seven in Virginia state courts. While many of the accused have long felony records, some  including Tarvell Vandiver, identified as a high-ranking regional leader in the Imperial Gangsta Bloods gang  have none.

Platinum was not named in court documents, but he held a rank in the gang as "4-Star General" in charge of finances.

It was Platinum who named Vandiver as the local disciplinary officer and meeting organizer for the gang, according to court records, and he pointed to Vandivers stepfather, Rashourn Niles, as a supplier of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and MDMA. Court records show Nasiru Carew was described as a main supplier of marijuana and THC gummies produced in California and shipped to a network of homes and other locations around Northern Virginia.

Investigators tracked parcels mailed by the U.S. Postal Service from the San Diego area, where officials say Carew had connections, and were flagged by postal inspectors when drugs were detected.

Platinum began cooperating after an arrest in Maryland on drug and gun charges, and he recorded dozens of drug buys and the distribution of illegal firearms, court filings show. He recorded gang meetings where Imperial Gangsta Bloods talked about smuggling guns to New York, the filings state.

In May, investigators followed a shipment to an auto repair shop in Fredericksburg, which led the Stafford County Sheriffs Office to arrest Robert Evans for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, court document say. Authorities believe he had received packages of THC gummies and was selling them out of the shop.

While investigating the Imperial Gangsta Bloods, agents came across an unrelated armed group in Prince William County dealing large amounts of crystal meth, disproportionately to the D.C. gay community, and that group became part of the takedown, according to law enforcement officials.

Court files say that defendants used encrypted chat and video apps for conversations. The documents said that after Evans was arrested, he chewed off his own fingerprint in an attempt to keep law enforcement from using it to unlock his cellphone.

The filings show the alleged gang members were also flaunting guns and drugs on social media, which investigators used to track their activities and movements. Vandiver chatted online about selling crack, according to the court documents, while Carew directed the sale of THC gummies over Instagram. One felon was charged with illegal possession of a firearm after he posted a video of himself at a shooting range on Facebook.

And agents used addresses sent over social media to help them track packages sent from California.

Carew, Evans, Niles and Vandiver were those held without bond Monday.

Chittum said investigators faced two major challenges during the extended operation: taking targets off the streets as the case unfolded and coordinating the logistics of using more than 300 law enforcement officers and support staff to safely strike 20 homes at once.

"The operation on Wednesday went as well as any operation I have seen at that scale," Chittum said.

ATF officials said several of the 70-plus guns seized before Wednesday were linked to previous violent crimes. The guns confiscated Wednesday will be analyzed and checked against a national database to determine if they were used in other crimes and to try to trace their source, officials said.

"The investigation will continue. We already had a lot of guns in our custody, we know some of them are related to violent crimes," Chittum said. "I suspect we will get more hits. I don't think this is over yet."
Duckhorn donates $300,000 for Habit for Humanity

Duckhorn Wine Company has donated more than $300,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County, exceeding its original goal of raising $250,000 to support families displaced by the October fires in wine country.

The company began fundraising to support Habitat for Humanitys home-building efforts in Sonoma County, Napa Valley and Mendocino County immediately after the fires. To achieve its goal, Duckhorn donated 100 percent of the wine tasting fees from its three Northern California visitor centers  Duckhorn Vineyards and Paraduxx in Napa Valley, and Goldeneye in Anderson Valley  for all of October and November.

These fundraising efforts were further augmented by contributions from employees and customers, as well as from the founders of its parent company, TSG Consumer Partners. Through its partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Duckhorn Wine Company has earmarked all of the funds to go directly to rebuilding efforts for low- to moderate-income families who lost their homes.

Even before the fires, housing was the single most critical need in our community, said Alex Ryan, Duckhorn Wine Company President and CEO. Now with more than 6,000 homes lost throughout wine country, this need is more urgent than ever before. We wanted to make a real difference in the lives of those most affected by the fires, so we set a lofty fundraising goal.
A man was shot and wounded Monday night at the Minnesota Avenue metro station in Northeast Washington.

The victim was conscious and alert when taken to a hospital, the Metro Transit Police said, and a spokeswoman said his condition was not believed to be life threatening.

A knowledgeable person who was not authorized to speak publicly said it appeared that the man was hit once or twice in the lower back, and may have been on the platform when hit.

The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately known, but the transit police said they were trying to identify two persons of interest. Metro issued an alert saying that trains were bypassing the Minnesota Avenue station while police investigated.
That French phrase, deja vu, is often applied in this country to something we have seen before. The robbery that occurred in the heart of downtown Washington on Monday could then qualify as deja vu all over again.

It was the third daytime robbery of a smartphone store in the District in 11 days. And the techniques in each case seemed to have much in common.

On Monday, a smartphone store was robbed in the 1300 block of F Street NW, according to D.C. police, by two men who motioned toward employees as if they had a gun, and made off with a substantial haul of phones.

And like the phone store robberies Dec. 1 in the 1500 block of Benning Road NE, and on Dec 3 in the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE, two robbers lugged their loot out of the store with something they found in the store.

A trash receptacle.

In each case, the receptacle was different. In one case it had wheels, making it easier to maneuver. But always a trash receptacle.

In the Monday robbery a detailed inventory of the items taken was given. The robbers took 51 phones, with a retail value that appeared to be at least $40,000.

Police did not indicate Monday that they have determined the same robbers to be involved in each incident.
Christian Paasch, with his wife, Kristen, is a leader of a Virginia group that promotes shared parenting. He fought a long court battle for shared custody of his son from a previous relationship. If the laws had given fathers more explicit rights, he says, the process would have been less contentious. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

The every-other-weekend dad, born from two generations of soaring divorce rates, was once a conventional part of American culture. In recent years, more couples have been agreeing to parent after divorce as they did in marriage: collaboratively.

Now lawmakers are accelerating this trend toward co-parenting, with legislatures in more than 20 states this year considering bills that would encourage shared parenting or make it a legal presumption  even when parents disagree.

Kentucky this year passed a law to make joint physical custody and equal parenting time standard for temporary orders while a divorce is being finalized. Florida's legislature overwhelmingly approved a bill last year to presume equal time for child custody plans, but it was vetoed by the governor. And in Michigan, lawmakers are considering a bill that would make equal parenting time the starting point for custody decisions.

The legal push for custody arrangements follows years of lobbying by fathers rights advocates who say men feel alienated from their children and overburdened by child-support obligations. This movement is gaining new traction with support from across the political spectrum, as more lawmakers respond to this appeal for gender equality and, among some conservatives, the frustration of a newly emboldened constituency of men who say they are being shortchanged.

[144 years of marriage and divorce in the United States, in one chart]



Christian Paasch, 37, and his wife, Kristen, 38, in Old Town Alexandria, Va. The way the system is set up now, two parents enter the courtroom. When they leave, one is a parent and the other is a visitor, said Christian Paasch. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

Many of the legislative gains recently have been propelled by the National Parents Organization, a group with roots in the fathers rights movement but now a broadened focus on childrens rights and parental equality. The organization includes some women members.

Critics of the bills, including womens rights groups and some legal associations, say that stricter laws will roll back important protections against abusive or controlling former spouses and take discretion away from judges who are tasked with deciding what is in the best interest of children. They also say that the bills, which would directly apply to only the 10 percent or so of divorcing parents who cannot come to an agreement, are unnecessary because more divorcing parents are already choosing shared custody.

Laws that require joint physical custody could also lead to the elimination of child support in some states, womens advocates say, disrupting a system that was designed to help women, who have historically been paid less in the workforce while performing more unpaid labor at home.

That disparity in assets and earning power doesnt simply disappear at separation, said Molly Dragiewicz, an associate professor at Queensland University of Technology in Australia who wrote a book about domestic abuse and divorce.

Proponents emphasize that the bills overwhelmingly address parents who are otherwise fit and not abusive. They say that family courts are out of step with modern families and that the current system benefits highly paid lawyers while depriving millions of children of the chance to build meaningful relationships with their fathers.

The way the system is set up now, two parents enter the courtroom. When they leave, one is a parent, and the other is a visitor, said Christian Paasch, 37, chair of the National Parents Organization of Virginia.

A presumption of shared parenting would replace the winner takes all approach currently embedded in the law, he said, and replace it with a new message: You will both still be parents, and you both matter to your children.





Moms as natural caregivers

For more than a century, court decisions were guided by the tender years doctrine, a vestige, legal scholars say, of the cult of domesticity that put women on a pedestal as instinctive caregivers.

That began to change in the 1960s and 1970s, as more women joined the workforce and as no-fault divorce laws ushered in a wave of divorces.

The guiding principle in custody rulings changed to a more flexible and gender-neutral best interest of the child standard, and states overturned previous rules that disallowed joint custody.

But despite changing laws, judges continued to use their discretion to award primary physical custody overwhelmingly to mothers in many places, reflecting a lingering bias, many say.

Fathers rights groups and other advocates have worked to make the laws stronger.

Statutes in the District of Columbia include a presumption that joint custody is in the best interest of a child, except in cases of abuse or neglect.

In Maryland, advocates have promoted bills that would create a presumption of joint legal decision-making and equal parenting time, but they have not made it out of committee.

In Virginia, Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-Arlington) is introducing a bill that would require judges to communicate in writing the rationale for their custody decisions.

This baby step might open the door to more joint custody decisions, she said, because a written ruling could give parents something to use for appeals and provide a chance to evaluate whether bias is influencing decisions. Favola said she sees both sides of the issue: She wants to make a statement that children benefit from having two involved parents, she said, but she also believes that the existing best interest legal standard makes sense, since joint custody is considered best practice unless there are mitigating circumstances.

Paasch, who has been advocating for a stronger shared-parenting law in Virginia, said he believes that judicial bias played a role in his custody case. When the Air Force veteran and federal employee was separated a decade ago, he was afraid he would lose a connection to his son, then a year old.

He and his sons mother could not agree on a custody arrangement, so they went to court, where Paasch asked for primary custody. A court-appointed investigator tasked with representing the interests of his child recommended equally shared custody.

A judge in southern Virginia instead gave primary custody to the mother and granted Paasch visitation, he said.

He appealed and in a settlement worked out an agreement to have physical custody for almost half the time.

Today, he talks with his son almost every day and has physical custody about 30 percent of the time, when his son has breaks from school. The son now lives out of state with his mother the rest of the time.

Maintaining close contact and being involved in important decisions has required frequent court intervention. If the laws had given fathers more explicit rights, he believes, the process would have been less contentious.

It took us eight years and eight or nine times in court and about 15 attorneys to get to this point, said Paasch, who has since married and whose wife, Kristen, has become involved in advocacy for shared parenting.

[Ken Cuccinellis family law stance won him support of fathers rights movement]

The benefits of co-parenting

Extensive social-science research shows that children benefit from having an involved father. Children with active fathers tend to have higher self-esteem and better academic records.

A meta-analysis of research on the effects of shared parenting on children in 15 countries also showed benefits across a range of emotional, behavioral and physical health measures.

The custody laws in our country were based on the sexist belief that mothers are better than fathers at raising children, said Linda Nielsen, a professor of adolescent and educational psychology at Wake Forest University.  . . . Well, the research does not support that.

Advocates for shared parenting frequently cite a broader set of statistics showing worse outcomes, such as a greater risk of incarceration or dropping out of high school, for children raised in any single-parent households, including those in which parents never married, a category that represents 40 percent of all U.S. births today.

This can be misleading, some academics say, because never-married parents are far more likely to be very poor, which by itself can lead to negative outcomes for children.

Some researchers question what conclusions can be drawn from studies that show benefits from shared parenting, since children being raised in joint custody arrangements probably have parents who get along better  a situation that would not necessarily extend to those compelled to adopt shared custody.

"It's not the amount of parenting time but the quality of parenting and the quality of co-parenting that matter," said Robert Emery, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of "Two Homes, One Childhood."

Kids dont count the minutes and the percents, but they sure respond if they have a good relationship with their mom and dad or if they are caught in the middle of a war zone.

Rather than giving courts the power to make these changes, Emery and others recommend alternative resolution strategies.

Many states are promoting mediation and the creation of parenting plans in lieu of custody litigation. Such plans spell out in minute detail how each parent will take responsibility for the care of each child. Studies show that this process usually leads to a more equitable division of parenting time.

Many states, including Virginia, have also changed the vocabulary of child custody to promote a less adversarial outcome, with decision-making and parenting time replacing legal custody and physical custody.

Unhappy fathers

But for many fathers, a gradual approach to change is unsatisfying if they are separated from their children now.

Many become politically involved through local divorce-support groups, where they go to receive legal counsel, vent frustrations and get support from other men, although some of these fathers groups have drawn heavy criticism for promoting the notion that false claims of domestic abuse are widespread.

A growing number of stay-at-home dads and younger dads are also pushing for family court changes because they are committed to caregiving and want to redefine gender roles.

Shared parenting can be a boon to women, they say, giving them a chance to return to school or invest in work or new relationships, just as it can help men break out of their previous roles.

If we are going to create a new generation of men who view caregiving and work at home as meaningful work, we have to be willing to let them into spaces we traditionally dont let them into and create protections for them in the event that their marriages dont last, said Mark Greene, a divorced father and writer who has shared custody of his son.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified the mother of activist Christian Paaschs son as his ex-wife. It also suggested that the National Parents Organization is solely a fathers rights group. This version has been corrected.
Iona Harding, 66, of Princeton, N.J.  show with her husband  revived her sex life after a vaginal laser treatment last year. (Courtesy of Iona Harding) (N/A)

When the Food and Drug Administration approved Viagra in 1998 to treat erectile dysfunction, it changed the sexual landscape for older men, adding decades to their vitality. Meanwhile, older women with sexual problems brought on by aging were left out in the cold with few places to turn besides hormone therapy, which isnt suitable for many or always recommended as a long-term treatment.

Now, propelled by a growing market of women demanding solutions, new treatments are helping those who suffer from one of the most pervasive age-related sexual problems.

Genitourinary syndrome of menopause, brought on by a decrease in sex hormones and a change in vaginal pH, is characterized by vaginal dryness, shrinking of tissues, itching and burning, which can make intercourse painful. GSM affects up to half of post-menopausal women, and can contribute to bladder and urinary tract infections and incontinence. Yet only 7 percent of post-menopausal women use a prescription treatment for it, according to a recent study.

The new remedies range from pills to inserts to a five-minute laser treatment that some doctors and patients are hailing as a miracle cure.

The lag in addressing GSM has been partly the result of a long-standing reluctance among doctors to view post-menopausal women as sexual beings, said Leah Millheiser, director of the Female Sexual Medicine Program at Stanford University.

"Unfortunately, many clinicians have their own biases and they assume these women are not sexually active, and that couldn't be farther from the truth, because research shows that women continue to be sexually active throughout their lifetime," she said.

With todays increased life expectancy, that can be a long stretch  an additional 30 or 40 years for a typical woman who begins menopause in her early 50s.

Its time for clinicians to understand that they have to bring up sexual function with their patients whether theyre in their 50s or theyre in their 80s or 90s, Millheiser said.

[This medical epidemic plagued women, but for years no one talked about it]

By contrast, doctors routinely ask middle-aged men about their sexual function and are quick to offer prescriptions for Viagra, said Lauren Streicher, medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause.

If every guy, on his 50th birthday, his penis shriveled up and he was told he could never have sex again, he would not be told, Thats just part of aging,  Streicher said.

Iona Harding of Princeton, N.J., had come to regard GSM, also known as vulvovaginal atrophy, as just that.



Ardella House, 67, a homemaker who lives outside Denver, underwent treatment with the MonaLisa Touch laser therapy. The procedure so improved her problems with bladder infections and sexual function that she has been telling friends to go get it done. (Marcella House) )

For much of her marriage, she and her husband had a normal, active sex life. But after menopause, sex became so painful that they eventually stopped trying.

I talked openly about this with my gynecologist every year, said Harding, 66, a human resources consultant. There was never any discussion of any solution other than using estrogen cream, which wasnt enough. So we had resigned ourselves to this is how its going to be.

A push for sexual equality

It is perhaps no coincidence that the same generation of women who first benefited widely from the birth control pill in the 1960s are now demanding fresh solutions to keep enjoying sex.

The Pill was the first acknowledgment that you can have sex for pleasure and not just for reproduction, so it really is an extension of what we saw with the Pill, Streicher said. These are the women who have the entitlement, who are saying, Wait a minute, sex is supposed to be for pleasure and dont tell me that I dont get to have pleasure. 

The push for a pink Viagra to increase desire highlighted womens growing demand for sexual equality. But the drug flibanserin, approved by the FDA in 2015, proved minimally effective.

For years, the array of medical remedies has been limited. Over-the-counter lubricants ease friction but dont replenish vaginal tissue. Long-acting moisturizers help plump up tissue and increase lubrication, but sometimes not enough. Women are advised to use it or lose it  regular intercourse can keep the tissues more elastic  but not if it is too painful.

Systemic hormone therapy that increases the estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in the body can be effective, but if used over many years it carries health risks, and it is not always safe for cancer survivors.

Localized estrogen creams, suppositories or rings are safer, because the hormone stays in the vaginal area. But they can be messy, and despite recent studies showing that such therapy is not associated with cancer, some women are uncomfortable with its long-term use.

In recent years, two prescription drugs have expanded the options. Ospemifene, a daily oral tablet approved by the FDA in 2013, activates specific estrogen receptors in the vagina. Side effects include mild hot flashes in a small percentage of women.

Prasterone DHEA, a naturally occurring steroid that the FDA approved last year, is a daily vaginal insert that prompts a woman's body to produce its own estrogen and testosterone. However, it is not clear how safe it is to use long term.

With each treatment, it got better

And then there is fractional carbon dioxide laser therapy, developed in Italy and approved by the FDA in 2014 for use in the United States. Similar to treatments long performed on the face, it uses lasers to make micro-abrasions in the vaginal wall, which stimulate growth of new blood vessels and collagen.

The treatment is nearly painless and takes about five minutes; it is repeated two more times at six-week intervals. For many patients, the vaginal tissue becomes thicker, more elastic and more lubricated almost immediately.

Harding began using it in 2016, and after three treatments with MonaLisa Touch, the fractional CO2 laser device that has been most extensively studied, she and her husband were able to have intercourse for the first time in years.

Cheryl Edwards, 61, a teacher and writer in Pennington, N.J., started using estrogen in her early 50s, but sex with her husband was painful and she was plagued by urinary tract infections requiring antibiotics, along with severe dryness.

After her first treatment with the MonaLisa Touch a year and a half ago, the difference was stark.

I couldnt believe it . . . and with each treatment, it got better, she said. It was like I was in my 20s or 30s.

Although studies on MonaLisa Touch have been small, doctors who use it range from cautiously optimistic to heartily enthusiastic.

"I've been kind of blown away by it," said Streicher, who, along with Millheiser, is participating in a larger study comparing it to topical estrogen. Using MonaLisa Touch alone or in combination with other therapies, she said, "I have not had anyone who's come in and I've not had them [be] able to have sex."

Cheryl Iglesia, director of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the District, was more guarded. Although she has treated hundreds of women with the MonaLisa Touch and is participating in the larger study, she noted that studies have looked only at short-term effects, and less is known about using it for years or decades.

What we dont know is: Is there a point at which the tissue is so thin that the treatment could be damaging it? she said. Is there priming needed?

Millheiser echoed those concerns, saying she supports trying local vaginal estrogen first.

So far, the main drawback seems to be the price. An initial round of treatments can cost $1,500 to $2,700, plus an additional $500 a year for the recommended annual touch-up. Unlike hormone therapy or Viagra, the treatment is not covered by insurance.

Some women continue to use local estrogen or lubricants to complement the laser. But unlike hormones, which are less effective if begun many years after menopause, the laser seems to do the trick at any age. Streicher described a patient in her 80s who had been widowed since her 60s and had recently begun dating a man.

It had been 20 years since she had been intimate, Streicher said. She came in and said, I want to have sex.  After combining the MonaLisa Touch with dilators to gradually reenlarge her vagina, the woman reported successful intercourse. Not everything is reversible after a long time, Streicher said. This is.

But Iglesia said she has seen a range of responses, from patients who report vast improvement to others who see little effect.

Im confident that in the next few years we will have better guidelines, [but] at this point, Im afraid there is more marketing than there is science for us to guide patients, she said. Nobody wants sandpaper sex; it hurts. But at the same time, is this going to help?

The laser therapy also can help younger women who have undergone early menopause because of cancer treatment, including the 250,000 a year who receive breast cancer diagnoses. Many cannot safely use hormones, and often they feel uncomfortable bringing up sexual concerns with doctors who are trying to save their lives.

If youre a 40-year-old and you get cancer, your vagina might look like its 70 and feel like its 70, said Maria Sophocles, founding medical director of Womens Healthcare of Princeton, who treated Edwards and Harding.

After performing the procedure on cancer survivors, she said, tears are rolling down from their eyes because they havent had sex in eight years and youre restoring their femininity to them.

The procedure also alleviates menopause-related symptoms in other parts of the pelvic floor, including the bladder, urinary tract and urethra, reducing infections and incontinence.

Ardella House, a 67-year-old homemaker outside Denver, experienced incontinence and recurring bladder infections as well as painful sex. After having the MonaLisa Touch treatment last year, she became a proselytizer.

It was so successful that I started telling all my friends, and sure enough, it was something that was a problem for all of them but they didnt talk about it either, she said.

I always used to think, you reach a certain age and youre not as into sex as you were in your younger years. But thats not the case, because if its enjoyable, you like to do it just as much as when you were younger.
Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie pauses in his concession speech during an election night watch party at the Richmond Hilton on November 7, 2017 in Richmond, Va. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Ed Gillespie, who has been at the forefront of GOP politics for decades, said he wouldnt encourage others to run for office in his first interview since losing the heated Virginia governors race last month.

During an 80-minute appearance on "The Axe Files" podcast with Democratic strategist David Axelrod, Gillespie lamented polarization in politics, the challenges of running with Donald Trump in the White House and how journalists cover campaigns. He lost to Democrat Ralph Northam by nine percentage points in a wave election that also saw significant Democratic gains in the state legislature.

Gillespie said running for governor this year was much more challenging than when he challenged U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) in 2014  and nearly won.

Its a much more poisonous atmosphere. I dont know if theres causality or correlation, I leave that for others to determine, Gillespie said. But I could not honestly say to someone that I like and think is a halfway decent human being, Yeah, you ought to run for office.

Still, Gillespie said the campaign made him a better person after traveling across the commonwealth meeting Virginians.

[Campaign managers in Virginia governors race reflect on contest]

Gillespie, 56, told Axelrod that he wont seek elective office again, but was eyeing opportunities in the not-for-profit sector and would help other GOP candidates in Virginia. Before he was a candidate, Gillespie cycled through Republican operative positions  including as chair of the Republican National Committee under George W. Bush, as a lobbyist and as a corporate consultant.

The interview followed Gillespie's first public appearance since the election at a Virginia GOP retreat, where he praised Republicans for helping drive up turnout.

The interview with Axelrod is streaming online at this link, and available to download as a podcast.

Here are other take-aways from Gillespies interview:

WHERE WAS TRUMP?

Trump was the first president since Richard Nixon who didnt campaign for his partys gubernatorial nominee in Virginia.

The Gillespie campaign didnt ask, and the White House didnt offer, Gillespie said. The Republican candidate says he concluded that a rally with Trump would nationalize a race he wanted focused on Virginia issues.

In retrospect, hes not sure if its possible to run independently from the president.

Its a tough tight rope to walk, said Gillespie. And it may not be walkable, to be honest with you.

[Will Trump campaign for Gillespie in Virginia?]

Ultimately, Vice President Pence rallied with Gillespie in deep-red southwest Virginia, while Trump limited his involvement to tweets and robo-calls.

Gillespie conceded Trump was a factor in the surge of Democratic turnout in November. Trump took the opposite lesson, blasting Gillespie on election night before all the votes were even counted and blaming him for failing to fully embrace Trump.

TROUBLE WITH TWEETS

Gillespie largely avoided criticizing the president during his podcast appearance  but objected to Trumps rhetoric on Confederate statues.

Virginias memorials to Confederate leaders became a gubernatorial campaign issue after August, when a violent protest by white nationalists in around Charlottesvilles Robert E. Lee statue left one dead. Northam said he would advocate for the removal of Confederate monuments. Although Northam later backtracked, Gillespie seized on those comments for campaign ads.

But he blanched at President Trump's apparent response to his ads: tweeting that Gillespie "might even save our great statues/heritage!"

I never talked about defending heritage because thats not how I see the issue or view it, said Gillespie. But when the president tweeted about it himself, he tweeted about heritage and that injected it into the discussion in a way I would not and never did...But that tweet contributed to the, again, it polarized it even more.

[Talking about race in Virginia during a Confederate statues debate]

While Gillespies public comments on Confederate statues explored the nuances of the debate and encouraged adding historical context, his campaign ads were typically more blunt.

Im for keeping them up, and hes for taking them down, he said in one ad that aired 211 times in the Roanoke market two weeks before election.

It wasn't only the president who injected heritage into the debate: The Republican Party of Virginia accused Northam of turning his back on his heritage by supporting the removal of Confederate statues in social media posts that were later deleted.

CONTROVERSIAL CAMPAIGN ADS

Gillespie faced a firestorm of criticism during the campaign for ads that critics called racially incendiary and misleading.

Several sought to link MS-13 gang violence to Northam's vote against a ban on sanctuary cities, even though Virginia doesn't have sanctuary cities that choose not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. And a final ad push highlighted the case of a sex offender whose his rights were temporarily restored under a sweeping voter rights restoration order that Northam supports. Northam, a pediatrician, responded with an ad that said Gillespie's suggestion that he would tolerate anyone hurting a child "despicable."

Gillespie told Axelrod he ran those ads because message testing suggested it would help him win. But he said they were not the issues he wanted to focus on.

[Gillespie, advocate for GOP minority outreach, embraces culture wars]

"Are those the issues I would have chosen to run on as opposed to the tax cuts and frankly even the criminal justice reform innovative proposals I put forward?" said Gillespie. "That's where I rather the race have been about, but those weren't what was indicating was going to move numbers and help me win."

Gillespie said his campaign message about Virginias economy lagging behind didnt resonate as well in the prosperous D.C. suburbs  which is why he had to focus on public safety to sway votes.

The issue that looked like it was going to move voters in the suburbs of Northern Virginia was public safety, he said. Clearly, (the MS-13 ads) didnt work. Did it create a backlash? I dont think so. But I dont know.

THE PARTY OF MOORE?

Gillespies interview came a day before Alabama voters cast ballots in a U.S. Senate race that has turned into something of a referendum on the partys future.

GOP candidate Roy Moore is one of the partys most controversial figures after several women said he pursued them while they were teenagers. Moore is opposed by some Republicans in Congress and supported by President Trump.

Gillespie wouldnt say that Moore should be expelled from the Senate if elected, but said the National Republican Senate Committee had the right approach in severing fundraising ties with him. The Republican National Committee resumed its support after Trump endorsed Moore.

[Trump jumps into Senate race in Alabama  but its all about Moore]

From a political perspective, I dont think the long-term pain would be worth the short-term gain of the seat politically, said Gillespie.

Later in the podcast, Gillespie suggested that the results in Alabama would test the strength of Trumps ability to tap into voter frustrations.

Theres a lot of people who feel like they are not just being disagreed with but they are being disdained, Gillespie said. People feel like they are being marginalized and demonized for having concerns by an elite that doesn't understand their concerns.
A crowd packs a State Water Control Board meeting Monday in Richmond. On Tuesday, the board approved permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline but delayed implementation until several environmental reports are completed. Protesters celebrated the delay as a victory. (Timothy C. Wright/For The Washington Post)

Opponents of a natural gas pipeline planned across some of Virginia's wildest terrain declared a partial victory Tuesday when a state panel delayed enacting water permits for the controversial project.

The State Water Control Board approved permits for the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which is backed by Dominion Energy, but took the unusual step of delaying the effective date until several environmental impact reports are completed.

The action came unexpectedly after a day and a half of tension-filled hearings, leaving supporters and opponents alike scrambling to determine exactly what had happened. The bottom line seemed to be that the project is at least temporarily on hold.

They cannot start construction until the final erosion and sediment control plans are approved, state Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Bill Hayden said.

Dominion has said it that hopes to begin work on the 600-mile pipeline by the end of the year. But Hayden said that some of the required reports are not expected to be completed until March or April.

Dominion praised the boards action and said the permit approval was a very significant milestone for the project and another major step toward final approval.

Asserting that the pipeline had received the most thorough environmental review of any infrastructure project in Virginia history, Dominion spokesman Aaron Ruby said the company recognizes the new conditions and will work with the state to complete all remaining approvals in a timely manner and ensure we meet all conditions of the certification.

[Pipeline project raises dilemma of development versus peace and quiet]

The Water Control Board had approved a similar project just last week  the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is planned for the far southwest corner of Virginia. Environmentalists and land rights activists had protested that pipeline during two days of hearings, and they came to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline hearings in greater numbers and with greater fury.

Warned at the outset against loud displays, scores of opponents snapped their fingers to show support for speakers or stood and turned their backs on those they disliked. Some speakers made angry personal attacks on board members  I see through your well-groomed hair and know who you are, one young man rumbled angrily  and on Monday night, an opposition group claimed credit for draping an anti-pipeline banner from one board members house.

The raw emotion of the crowd drew a heavy police presence. More than two dozen state police cruisers lined the parking lot of the suburban community center where the hearings were held, joined by Henrico County police, emergency vehicles and a mobile command center, not to mention plainclothes private security personnel deployed by Dominion.

But it was the sometimes-technical testimony of environmental experts and landowners that seemed to give the board members second thoughts.

The DEQ had recommended approving the permits and then reviewing plans along the way for several specific factors that impact water quality, including storm-water management, erosion control and efforts to monitor a complex limestone geography called karst. That geography features caverns and sinkholes, and is extremely sensitive to groundwater disruption.

Speaker after speaker warned the board against approving the permits without a better understanding of those factors. Tuesday afternoon, just as the board was preparing to take a vote that all the opponents thought was a mere formality, board member Timothy G. Hayes moved that the certification be amended so that it would not go into effect until all those reports are completed.

He said the move was intended so the board could at least have the opportunity to have one more swing at it if we have to.

Department officials scrambled to figure out the impact of such a move. The projects fundamental approval came in October from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If the state does not follow up on water permits within a certain period of time, federal officials can step in and greenlight the project themselves, Hayden said.

But he added that it is not clear what that time frame is, nor what control the state will really have if it does not like the environmental reports.

Even so, pipeline opponents took the outcome as a measure of vindication.

The board today acknowledged what weve been saying all along, that this process is flawed, said David Sligh, who is retired from the DEQ and works as conservation director of Wild Virginia, a nonprofit organization. This is an advance over what we thought we might get today.

A coalition of environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the board's decision on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, but members said Tuesday that they needed time to digest the action on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline before deciding what to do next.

As the board shut down the meeting and lines of state troopers began herding the audience out, Sharon Ponton of Nelson County sang out: People gonna rise like the water, she began, and others joined in: Shut this pipeline down.

The opponents  from large groups such as the Sierra Club and the Southern Environmental Law Center, as well as activists from rural counties, artists and college students  said that they were ready to take the fight against both pipelines into the field. In the fall, some groups staged a training camp to practice resistance efforts carried out nationally against projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes reservation in the Dakotas.

Many people in Virginia are ready to take the next step. We will not allow this pipeline to be built, said Mara Robbins, a member of the Preserve Floyd group from Floyd County. The next step is direct action. At this point, if they exhaust us of legitimate means, then we take it into our own hands.
VIRGINIA

One dead in house fire

in Loudoun County

One person died in a house fire in Loudoun County on Sunday night, authorities said.

A person living in the home in the 12000 block of Taylorstown Road in Lovettsville called 911 about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Part of the house collapsed, and when fire crews entered, the victim was found inside. Officials said Monday that the victim had not been identified. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Another fire, in the Broad Run section of Ashburn, was caused by a malfunctioning fireplace, fire officials said. According to officials, 17 people were displaced.

 Dana Hedgpeth

THE DISTRICT

Man shot at Metro station in Northeast

A man was shot and wounded Monday night at the Minnesota Avenue Metro station in Northeast Washington.

A Metro spokeswoman said his condition was not believed to be life threatening.

A knowledgeable person, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said it appeared that the man was hit once or twice in the lower back and may have been on the platform when shot.

The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately known, but the Metro Transit Police said they were trying to identify two persons of interest.

 Martin Weil

Woman sexually

assaulted by driver

A woman was sexually assaulted early Sunday in Southeast Washington by a man she thought worked for a car-sharing service, D.C. police said.

The incident occurred about 4 a.m. in the 400 block of East Capitol Street, four blocks from the U.S. Capitol grounds and the Supreme Court.

Police said the woman was being driven by the man when he pulled over. A police report said the driver touched the woman inappropriately and tried to unbuckle her pants belt. The report said the driver then put his hands around the womans neck in an apparent attempt to choke her as she screamed and punched back.

The woman escaped and was treated at a hospital, police said.

Police put out a description of the vehicle and the driver, indicating that they did not have the mans identity. The driver was described as Hispanic, about 32 to 36 years old, with slicked-back hair, thick eyebrows, and moles or freckles on his face.

 Peter Hermann

MARYLAND

Police identify man

killed in Seat Pleasant

Police have identified a 30-year-old man who was fatally shot in Seat Pleasant on Friday.

Jerry Merritt of Seat Pleasant was killed about 12:45 p.m. in the 400 block of 69th Place, according to Prince Georges County police.

 Dana Hedgpeth
Demetra Ashley, acting assistant administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act should be revised. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration office that regulates pharmaceutical opioids told senators Tuesday that a 2016 law has made enforcement more difficult in urgent circumstances and should be revised.

Demetra Ashley, who leads the agencys Diversion Control Division, said Congress should choose between repealing and amending the law. But she said the DEA agrees with the Justice Department that it should be altered to help curb the ongoing opioid epidemic.

Since passage of the law, Ashley said, DEA investigators have faced a greater challenge showing that a companys conduct poses an immediate danger of death or harm to shut down shipments of painkillers from a distributor to a pharmacy. That burden has moved the agency away from its traditional posture of preventing harm, she said.

The DEA, along with the Department of Justice, believes that has to change, she said.

During an oversight hearing, Ashley told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that the agency continues to do its job, relying on tools other than the immediate suspension orders reserved for the most egregious cases.

Those tools include forcing doctors, pharmacists and others to surrender their DEA licenses, bringing them to hearings and seeking civil penalties.

Senators broke down largely  but not completely  along party lines about whether changes are needed. In my view, this bill has done harm, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the committees ranking Democrat. It seems to me that we should look very closely at repeal.

But Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), who led negotiations over the law in the Senate, was openly skeptical of what he called a rush to rewrite history in the wake of reports by The Washington Post and 60 Minutes that highlighted the legislations effect.

This wasnt some effort to help drug companies kill people. Give me a break, Hatch said. This was an effort to ensure that DEAs efforts . . . didnt end up hurting legitimate patients.

The Post and 60 Minutes reported in October that a small group of lawmakers allied with drug companies pushed the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act through Congress. The measure curbed the DEAs powers to use its most potent weapons against drug companies that do not report suspicious orders of prescription painkillers from pharmacies.

The reports revealed that an early version of the legislation was written by a drug company lawyer and shepherded through Congress by Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) in the House and Hatch in the Senate.

By amending the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the new law made it almost impossible for the DEA to use immediate suspension orders against drug distributors, according to a law review article written by the DEAs chief administrative law judge.

The orders had allowed the DEA to instantly stop shipments of controlled substances to drugstores suspected of diverting prescription narcotics to the black market. Another provision of the new law allows companies to submit corrective action plans that the DEA must consider before bringing sanctions.

Ashley called that provision redundant and unnecessary because the DEA holds lengthy discussions with drug distributors before it decides to penalize them.

Hatch and others, however, have said the law does not weaken the DEA, noting that it was passed by unanimous consent in both houses of Congress and signed by President Barack Obama.

Some lawmakers and officials in the Obama White House said they were not made aware of the legislations import before they approved it. Overdoses of prescription drugs killed nearly 200,000 people between 2000 and 2016.

Two days after the reports, Marino withdrew his nomination to become the nations drug czar. Since then, Democratic lawmakers, 44 state attorneys general and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions have called for repealing or amending the law to restore some of the DEAs authority.

On Tuesday, one of those attorneys general, Brian E. Frosh of Maryland, told the panel that the new law handcuffs the DEA. Challenged by Hatch to offer data to support that assertion, Frosh acknowledged that it is too early to prove the laws impact numerically.

But he said that Republican and Democratic attorneys general had analyzed the new standard for immediate suspension orders and found that the DEA must now meet an extraordinarily high threshold to use that tool.

Any lawyer can tell you it makes a big difference, Frosh said.

Hatch, committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and others pointed to a sharp drop in immediate suspension orders between fiscal 2011 and 2015 as proof that the 2016 law could not be responsible for loss of that authority.

However, The Post and 60 Minutes reported that the decline stemmed from a separate, voluntary slowdown in the use of immediate suspension orders by DEA attorneys, who imposed a strict new standard of proof on investigators during that period, even as the opioid crisis mushroomed.

Read more:

The drug industrys triumph over the DEA

The governments struggle to hold a drug manufacturer accountable

How drugs intended for patients ended up in the wrong hands
Sigmund Freud insisted in 1904 that old people are no longer educable and that those near or over the age of fifty lack . . . the plasticity of the psychic processes upon which the therapy depends. (Eddie Worth/Associated Press)

The idea of older people as a stand-alone population, complete with its own distinct set of stereotypes in terms of behavior, appearance and mind-set, seems like something that has been around forever. But in reality, our current narrative of aging  the story we tell ourselves about the normal progression of life, including its second half  is a relatively recent invention.

Growing old was once something experienced on an individual basis: not at a set age for everyone and not according to a single set of rules. However, in the second half of the 19th century, a more monolithic idea of the aged began to take form, shaped in great part by a medical theory that has long since been debunked.

During this period, doctors believed that old age occurred when the body ran out of vital energy  which was no mere metaphor. The stuff was thought to be tangible, literally present in the body and its fluids. Everyone had a finite reservoir of vital energy that gradually became depleted over a lifetime. When you began to run low on vitality, you were old; death followed when the tank was empty.

For the eras doctors, the concept conveniently solved the mystery of why illness seemed far more curable in the young than the old. Physicians supposed that the loss of vitality created a predisposing debility, as one historian has put it, making the older body vulnerable to a host of secondary maladies. The theory also fit with American religious thought as influenced by the Second Great Awakening, which peaked in the 1830s. The amount of vitality you were endowed with at birth was simply your lot. Whether you used it well or squandered it, however, was your personal responsibility.

Trump thinks that exercising too much uses up the bodys finite energy

And which activities spent vitality most profligately, leading to premature disability and death? All the fun ones, of course. The specifics varied depending on which expert you consulted. "Some endorsed the use of wines; others demanded abstinence; still others debated the merits of vegetables or red meat," writes historian Carole Haber. Regardless of whom you asked, moderation was always the key: "If death resulted from an exhausted supply of energy, then the goal was to retain it at all cost . . . by eating the correct foods, wearing the proper clothes, and performing (or refraining from) certain activities."

Sex  specifically, sex of non-procreative or self-pleasing varieties  was to be avoided at all costs. For men in particular, it was evident when ones vitality was on the wane: Things stopped working as they once had in the marital bed. Doctors inevitably told these poor fellows that it was all their fault. Personal indiscretions  whether of recent vintage or way back in semi-forgotten youth  had added up.

In continental Europe in the 1850s and 1860s, vitality theory began to wane as French and German pathologists realized that the lesions, fibrous tissue and calcium deposits they discovered in older peoples cadavers could provide an explanation for some of the complaints of old age. But in the United States and Britain, many of those aware of these continental findings simply doubled down on their existing beliefs: Any wasting observed in cadavers was simply due to the loss of vital energy.

Perhaps the best evidence for that point of view was the moment in a patient's life when vitality began to appreciably decline, which English-speaking physicians named the "climacteric period," or "climacteric disease." In women, the climacteric period was believed to begin between ages 45 and 55 and was associated with menopause; in men, it took place between 50 and 75 and was indicated by such signs as wrinkles, white hair and complaints of feebleness.

In some cases, this "extraordinary decline of corporeal powers," as one physician termed it, according to the book "Beyond Sixty-Five: The Dilemma of Old Age in America's Past," seemed to progress rapidly, even violently  surely the result of vitality levels reaching dangerous lows. If you were in the right age bracket and betrayed any signs of the climacteric, the implication was clear: You needed to immediately drop whatever you were doing to conserve what was left of your energy  avoiding "excesses and undue exertions," as one doctor wrote in 1853. And unfortunately, if you were a living, breathing human, you probably exhibited several of the warning signs. "Headache, vertigo, faintness, 'heat flushes,' emotional waves, phases of moral perversity, irritability, querulous impatience, even intellectual disturbance (especially of memory and of attention) prevail," a doctor catalogued in 1899.

Insanity was the most troubling possible climacteric diagnosis, in part because it was loosely defined. Earlier, at the start of the 19th century, physicians had attempted to differentiate abnormal dementia from the more standard, benign cognitive effects of aging, but by centurys end, most agreed (incorrectly) that almost all older adults experienced the same sort of insanity, differing only in degree.

As oldness became synonymous with the loss of mental flexibility, joie de vivre and self-control, the centuries-old vision of the aged as fonts of wisdom went out the window. One writer blamed the Credit Mobilier scandal  a massive case of railroad graft that rattled American politics in 1872  on the advanced age of the participants.



HANDOUT: "The Longevity Economy" by Joseph F. Coughlin. (Courtesy of the publisher)

Even Sigmund Freud, who was otherwise busily upending all conventional wisdom about the human mind, insisted in 1904 that "old people are no longer educable" and that those "near or over the age of fifty lack . . . the plasticity of the psychic processes upon which the therapy depends." Tellingly, he was 48 years old at the time.

By the dawn of the 20th century, once youd become visibly old, no matter your apparent health, no matter how sharp your mind seemed, all you could hope to do was withdraw and rest, saving your vitality for that final sprint. Crucially, you could no longer work; old age now changed you from an economic producer to a consumer, from healthy-as-a-default to a patient-despite-health.

Eventually, insights from the medical field of pathology discredited vital-energy theory, but only after it molded the development of a long-lasting set of social, cultural and economic institutions. The first dedicated old-age homes, the rise of public and private pensions, the normalization of retirement both as something bad your boss could do to you and also a new stage of life  these all marinated in vital-energy theory for decades before emerging fully baked into the 20th century, complete with implications for what it meant to be an older person.

Of the resulting notion of oldness we still hold onto, perhaps the most inaccurate aspect is its specificity. The old make up a population so diverse that it almost defies characterization. Depending when you decide old age begins, the group can be said to account for people found anywhere along a 50-plus-year span of life, with every imaginable level of physiological health, cognitive ability and wealth represented, along with every type of personality; ideologies of every stripe; and every race, nationality, creed, gender and sexual identity to be found on this blue Earth. The notion that there exists one single state of older being defies all logic.

Today, populations around the world are aging rapidly, and the need to jettison misconceptions from history is becoming urgent. Its long past time to build a better old age: one that is less arbitrary and more intentional than our past.

health-science@washpost.com

This is an excerpt from Coughlin's book "The Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World's Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market" published by PublicAffairs Books. The excerpt was adapted for The Washington Post by Yoquinto.

Read more

Getting rid of the negative stereotypes  and biases  about aging

How to stay healthy in your 50s and 60s

Trump apparently thinks that exercising too much uses up the bodys finite energy
A memorial ceremony for animal victims of the deadly fires that ravaged Napa and Sonoma counties in October is to take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at the Silverado Resort & Spa, 600 Atlas Peak Road.

The event is organized by two local animal welfare groups, Napa Valley-based Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch and San Rafael-based In Defense of Animals.

Board of Supervisors Chair Belia Ramos will officiate along with Captain Jake White (CalFire), Dr. Claudia Saunders (Napa CART  Napa Community Animal Response Team, instrumental in leading animal search and rescue during the fires), Suscol County Executive Board Director Charlie Toledo (Towa) and author and speaker Dr. Will Tuttle.

We were all deeply affected by the Napa and Sonoma fires and many animals lost their lives during this tragedy. As an animal rescue organization we wanted to recognize those companion animals and the wildlife that died and remember them as an integral part of our community and family, said JARR Co-Founder Monica Stevens. So many of those animals that died are never mentioned and we felt it important to honor their lives.

During the ceremony, participants will be invited to share stories and process their grief for the wild and domestic animals who lost their lives in the blaze. Participants are encouraged to bring photos and mementos of animals who passed for a communal blessing officiated by local clergy.
A family searches for a Christmas tree at the Chanticleer Christmas Tree Farm in Pittsfield, Mass. (Ben Garver/Berkshire Eagle/AP)

LOUISIANA

Man admits trying to access Trump tax data

A Louisiana private investigator pleaded guilty on Monday to misusing Donald Trumps Social Security number in repeated attempts to access the presidents federal tax information before his election last year.

Jordan Hamlett, 32, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine after his guilty plea in federal court.

Authorities have said Hamlett failed in his attempts to get Trumps tax information through a U.S. Department of Education financial aid website.

Trump has refused to release his tax returns, bucking an American tradition honored by every president since Jimmy Carter.

According to court documents accompanying Hamletts plea agreement, he used Trumps Social Security number and other personal information to open an online application for federal student aid on Sept. 13, 2016. After obtaining a user name and password, he tried to use an Internal Revenue Service data retrieval tool to obtain Trumps tax information.

Hamlett, a Lafayette resident, was indicted in November 2016. Federal agents confronted Hamlett two weeks before last Novembers election and questioned him in a Baton Rouge hotel lobby.

 Associated Press

WEATHER

Snow dims the lights across the Deep South

Thousands remain without electricity across the Deep South days after a winter snow storm snapped power lines across the region.

At least 18,500 homes and businesses in Georgia were still in the dark Monday, according to Georgia Power and Georgia Electric Membership Corp. Metro Atlanta got several inches of snow Friday and Saturday, while some areas farther north saw up to a foot of snowfall.

Utilities in Louisiana reported at least 1,000 customers were still waiting for power to be restored. Mississippi had about 700 outages and Alabama roughly 500.

Several school systems closed Monday in Georgia because of a lingering threat of icy road conditions.

The unusually heavy December snow storm brought flurries to New Orleans and dumped several inches in Mississippi and Alabama.

 Associated Press
City staff will conduct additional filtration to address complaints about the taste and odor of city water originating from Bell Canyon Reservoir, according to a press release issued by Public Works Director Erica Ahmann Smithies.

The Public Works Department has continued to receive complaints from water customers about a musty or earthy taste and odor in their tap water, Smithies said. The unpleasant taste and odor are naturally occurring, caused by algae, organic material and seasonal lake turnover in reservoirs.

City staff began adjusting the water supply sources in early November to minimize the volume of the unpleasant water, but the problem has persisted.

In addition to adjusting the water sources, staff will implement new filtration within the next two weeks. Smithies said customers should notice an improvement in taste and odor within two to four weeks.

The water is tested daily and meets all state requirements for drinking. If there had been a health hazard, customers would have been notified immediately via Nixle and other communication methods.

For more information, call the Public Works Department at 968-2658.
IRAN

Britons case to be raised with judiciary

Irans Foreign Ministry said Monday that it will raise the case of a detained British Iranian woman with the judiciary out of humanitarian concerns after a visit by Britains foreign secretary.

Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said the final decision on whether to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, rests with the judiciary.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe is considered an Iranian national and should serve her prison conviction according to the judicial system of Iran, he added.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson raised the case during a two-day visit to Iran that concluded Sunday. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker, was detained in April 2016. Her family has denied the allegations against her.

Irans judiciary and security forces are dominated by anti-Western hard-liners. It is unclear whether Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a relative moderate, can secure her release.

 Associated Press

UKRAINE

Saakashvili freed, calls for government change

Mikheil Saakashvili, a former Georgian president turned opposition leader in Ukraine, walked free Monday after a court in the Ukrainian capital refused to sanction his arrest. He vowed to push for a peaceful government change.

Saakashvili was arrested Friday on allegations that he colluded with Ukrainian business executives tied to Russia to topple Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, accusations Saakashvili rejected.

I consider myself a prisoner of Ukrainian oligarchs, he said in an apparent reference to the business background of Poroshenko, who ran a chocolate business before he was elected president.

Prosecutors had asked to keep Saakashvili under house arrest, but the judge ruled otherwise.

The courts verdict marked a defeat for Poroshenko, who has faced mounting criticism over his inability to uproot corruption.

Saakashvili said he will coordinate with other political forces in Ukraine to push for a peaceful change of government.

 Associated Press

IRAQ

Shiite cleric Sadr urges militias to disarm

An influential Iraqi Shiite cleric on Monday urged his fighters to hand state-issued weapons back to the government, after Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State militant group.

In a speech broadcast on Iraqi television, Moqtada al-Sadr also called on his forces to hand over some territory to other branches of Iraqs security forces but said his men would continue to guard a Shiite shrine in Samarra, north of Baghdad.

Sadr commands one of several mostly Shiite militias that mobilized after the Islamic State swept across northern and central Iraq in summer 2014. The paramilitaries are sanctioned by the state.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State in a national address on Saturday, after Iraqi forces drove the militants from their last strongholds in the western desert.

Sadr commanded a powerful militia that battled U.S. troops in the years after the 2003 invasion. His fighters are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, the official name of the mostly Shiite militias allied with the government.

In his address Monday, Sadr warned members of the paramilitary forces against taking part in elections set for May.

 Associated Press

Romanian lawmakers back changes that may hurt graft fight: Romanian lawmakers have approved changes that critics say will weaken the European Union member's efforts to root out high-level corruption. Parliament's lower house voted to change a law that obliges public officials to declare their assets and regulates conflicts of interest. Lawmakers banned from office because of rules violations could now see the ban lifted. Lawmakers also approved a measure obliging judges and prosecutors to pay damages for judicial errors made "in bad faith or grave negligence." The upper house must still vote on the changes, which the European Commission opposes.

American escapes from prison on Bali: An American inmate has escaped from an overcrowded and understaffed prison on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Chrishan Beasley, 32, is believed to have sawed through a ceiling and then climbed over a 20-foot wall behind the prison. He was arrested in August in the Kuta area with a package containing 5.7 grams of hashish. Jailbreaks are common in Indonesia.

 From news services
EXCLUDING COUNTRIES at war, few places are as dangerous for journalists as Mexico, where 73 members of the profession have been killed since 2010, including at least 11 this year. Drug cartels and organized crime, as well as corrupt government security forces, have played a role in the carnage, which has forced some journalists into hiding and others to flee the country. Impunity is the rule; few of the murders are solved.

Among those who fear for their lives is Emilio Gutierrez, who, with his then-teenage son, crossed into the United States in 2008 after writing critical stories about abuses committed against civilians by the Mexican army in prosecuting its war on drugs in Chihuahua, then Mexico's most violent state. Mr. Gutierrez's hurried departure was prompted by the news, conveyed to him by a friend with contacts in the security forces, that a military officer had ordered him killed.

Mr. Gutierrez's account is credible. By leaving Mexico, he sacrificed his home, livelihood, friends and family, and eked out a meager living in the United States operating a food truck in El Paso. Nonetheless, after years of pleadings and postponements, this past summer a federal immigration judge denied his asylum claim; an appeal was rejected in November. Last week, he seemed on the verge of deportation when an 11th-hour stay was issued by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

As he awaits his fate in a remote Texas jail, Mr. Gutierrez, 54, remains convinced of the peril he faces if deported to his native country. "My life depends on this [appeal]," he said by telephone in a news conference organized Monday by the National Press Club. "I'm terrified to set foot in Mexico."

The judge who denied asylum in the case, Robert S. Hough, pointed to an absence of documentary and testimonial corroboration of Mr. Gutierrez's claim. The woman who relayed word of the alleged death threat did not come forward; neither did Mr. Gutierrez's former boss at the newspaper for which he worked in Chihuahua. Much of Mr. Gutierrez's case comes down to his word.

Nonetheless, the judges cut-and-dried application of the law fails to take into account conditions in Mexico generally and the peril faced there by journalists in particular. Its not surprising that Mr. Gutierrez cannot recover copies of his articles, written more than a decade ago for a regional newspaper. Nor is it unusual that witnesses are reluctant to come forward, given the fear with which many Mexicans regard the security forces.

As a U.N. report published this month concluded, citing the deaths, disappearances and attacks on dozens of journalists tallied by Mexico's Human Rights Commission, "The data . . . presents a picture for the situation of journalists in Mexico that cannot be described as other than catastrophic." Against that background, it seems cavalier to dismiss the threat Mr. Gutierrez faces should he be deported to Mexico. He should be granted asylum.
Columnist

The great Simeon Booker, one of the bravest journalists of our time, faced dangers far worse than a petulant presidents social media feed. Booker refused to be cowed  and ultimately helped change the nation. His lifes work should be a lesson to us all about the power of truth to vanquish evil.

Booker died Sunday at 99. At the height of his career, few could have imagined he would live so long.

As Washington bureau chief for Chicago-based Johnson Publications, publisher of the newsweekly Jet and the monthly magazine Ebony, Booker went to the Deep South to cover the most tumultuous events of the civil rights movement  life-threatening work for an African American journalist.

In 1961, he accompanied the Freedom Riders on a bus journey from Washington to New Orleans, testing whether Southern states would comply with a federal mandate against segregated interstate travel. In Alabama, the protesters were firebombed once and beaten twice by white mobs before federal officials, acting on orders from attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, flew them to safety.

Booker covered the seminal 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. He was there when Alabama state troopers savagely attacked demonstrators with billy clubs and police dogs  images that shocked the nation and helped shift public opinion outside of the South from indifference to outrage.

As The Post reported in its obituary, Booker returned many times to the South to report on the struggle: "For his safety, he sometimes posed as a minister, carrying a Bible under his arm. Other times, he discarded his usual suit and bow tie for overalls to look the part of a sharecropper. Once, in an incident retold when Mr. Booker was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists' Hall of Fame in 2013, he escaped a mob by riding in the back of a hearse."

Booker was The Post's first full-time black reporter, hired by publisher Philip Graham, who gave him an admonition similar to the one Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey had given to Jackie Robinson: "If you can take it, I'm willing to gamble." Washington was a segregated city in 1952  Booker recalled that when he went out to cover a robbery, "they thought I was one of the damn holdup men"  and ultimately, he found the work unsatisfying. In 1954, Johnson Publications offered him the bureau chief job, and he took it. He kept it for five decades.

Booker is best known for the story he wrote for Jet about Emmett Till, the Chicago teenager brutally slain in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. In Chicago at the time, Booker tracked down Till's mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, and was with her when Till's mutilated body arrived.

Booker wrote: Her face wet with tears, she leaned over the body, just removed from a rubber bag in a Chicago funeral home, and cried out, Darling, you have not died in vain. Your life has been sacrificed for something. 

Jet photographer David Jackson took photographs of Tills brutalized body that remain among the most searing and indelible images of the century.

Bookers death comes at a moment when journalism and the civic necessity it seeks to provide  truth  are under assault. President Trump and his amen chorus are cynically trying to delegitimize news organizations whose work they find inconvenient. They seek to deny the existence of objective, ascertainable fact. Trump goes so far as to use his Twitter feed, with its millions of followers, to attack individual reporters and demand they be fired.

Journalisms response must be to tell the president  politely, with all due respect to the office  to stuff it.

There are facts. There is truth. We try our best to get everything right, but of course we sometimes make errors. When we do, we must correct them promptly and fully  and move on. The only fake news is the self-serving rubbish Trump tries to peddle through insistent repetition. No matter how often he lies, it is our job to call him on his lying. Every single time.

One of the medias most important roles in our democracy is to hold public officials accountable, and if they dont like it, too bad. When they lash out at us viciously and unfairly, as Trump so often does, we should remember all the brave journalists who have faced much worse.

More than once, Simeon Booker had to escape from Southern towns where white vigilante mobs were on the prowl to "get that man from Jet." We should be able to withstand a few nasty tweets.

Read more from Eugene Robinson's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
George F. Will didn't say "trickle down" in his Dec. 7 op-ed, "A tax plan worth a try," though he is more of a Reaganite than he admits. Thus "how changed tax incentives will affect corporations' and individuals' decisions" is the key to the Republicans' tax "wager" that he described, and that is tantamount to trickle down.

Wasnt this a smoothly stated argument implying that without the GOPs tax bill, Social Security and Medicare will be invaded, curtailed or decimated? How does the GOP defend taxing graduate students financial aid as ordinary income? Who paid for the education of those members of Congress who now would tax the constituents of our educational future? Draconian are such GOP reprisals, directed against President Barack Obamas intelligent humanism.

In our government the highwayman has defrocked Robin Hood in the hierarchy of America's favorite English folk tales. The History.com feature "The Real Robin Hood" reports: "In 14th-century England, where agrarian discontent had begun to chip away at the feudal system, [Robin Hood] appears as an anti-establishment rebel." Today, this would be met with a high alert, perhaps leading to building border walls, expanding safety plans or raising ethnic bans. Who will write the stanzas describing the 2017 demise of "taking from the rich to give to the poor," as symbolized by Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men in Sherwood Forest? No less talent than that of Mr. Will, for perpetuating and palatizing such mythical feasts as voodoo economics and Reaganomics, will be required.

Gerald Cooper, Norfolk
Columnist

President Trump's unpopularity masks a harsh reality: Across the country, the Democratic Party is in its worst shape since the 1920s. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won just 487 of more than 3,100 counties nationwide. Can Democrats come back from the deep hole they are in? The growing reaction to Trump's grotesqueries and the Republican-led Congress' extremism is promising, but the Democratic Party won't revive itself unless it changes. The good news is that  against entrenched resistance  reformers are beginning to force the party to open up. Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) 2016 campaign  and the reaction to Trump's victory  unleashed new energy and roused new activists. Remarkably, instead of turning their backs on the party or giving up on electoral politics in disgust, many have decided that it's time to reform the Democratic Party from the bottom up and top down.

Last weekend, members of the party's Unity Reform Commission voted on final recommendations for reforming the national party. The commission is the creation of an agreement made by Sanders and Clinton at the 2016 national convention to help heal the deep wounds the primary had left with Sanders supporters.

Not surprisingly, the Sanders delegates drove the reform agenda, pushing to open the party up to new voters and new energy. The resulting recommendations make important changes in three major areas. First, they slash the number of superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention  delegates who can vote for whomever they want  by 60 percent, limiting them to sitting legislators, governors and former presidents, vice presidents and DNC chairs. In addition, in each of the 57 separate state parties (parties include territories and Democrats abroad), activists will push to demand that the remaining superdelegates be pledged to vote for their state's choice. In 2016, superdelegates gave Clinton 30 percent of the votes needed for nomination before the first caucus or primary. Going forward, insurgent candidates such as Sanders will have a more level playing field.

Second, the commission suggested changing the rules for caucuses to open them up and make them more transparent. Sanders won nearly all the caucuses, but his nominees pushed to open them up even further. State parties holding caucuses will be required to allow same-day voter and party registration and to offer absentee ballots, reducing the disadvantage for workers with inflexible schedules.

The commission was not able to codify similar reforms for primaries, as the state parties control those. However, the commission sent a message with its strong objection to closed primaries like that of New York, where independent voters must register as Democrats months before the primary to be eligible to vote. (For the 2018 primaries, it is already too late: The deadline fell on Oct. 13.) This system is intentionally designed to disadvantage a candidate such as Sanders capable of bringing new voters to the party. The commission urged primary states to adhere to the same rules as those imposed on caucuses, and called for penalties against state parties that do not do so.

Third, the commission would curb the license of DNC insiders to spend money on cronies and consultants without accountability. Jim Zogby, who has been a voting member of the DNC for more than a decade, notes that he had never seen a DNC budget. The commission recommends an Ombudsmen Council to investigate conflicts of interest, and empowered the Budget and Oversight Committee, with elected DNC members, to review any expenditure exceeding $100,000 to outside contractors or consultants. It required that budget documents be made public to the committee and that meetings be open to all DNC members. It also expressed clear disapproval of consultants serving both the DNC and a Democratic candidate, as exemplified by the law firm of Perkins Coie that somehow found no conflict of interest in representing both Clintons campaign and the DNC during the Democratic nominating process.

The commission, of course, doesnt have the final say. Its recommendations will eventually have to be approved by two-thirds of the entire DNC. The DNC is where reforms go to die, particularly those calling for curbing the privileges of DNC members. This time may be different, however. A broad range of grass-roots groups pushing to transform the Democratic Party has vowed to continue driving the reforms. The first step is pressure on the existing DNC to approve the commissions report.

Many bemoan the growing intra-party fights over direction, procedure and candidates, but this new energy may well be the party's salvation. Our Revolution  which grew out of the Sanders campaign  has more than 500 chapters in 47 states, with a growing capacity to drive issue campaigns while also pushing to take over Democratic Party committees and recruiting and supporting candidates. Its president, the charismatic Nina Turner, has pushed them to build infrastructure in red states as well as blue. As John Nichols reports in the Nation, it has made Texas its first formal affiliate. There, old populists such as Jim Hightower are combining with young activists to mobilize voters, drive a platform and run candidates, even in areas Democrats have neglected for years.

Our Revolution isnt alone. The Working Families Party, Peoples Action, MoveOn, Democrats for America and a spate of new organizations such as Indivisible are recruiting and supporting candidates. Most are rallying around the bolder agenda articulated by Sanders, including a $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, a green New Deal, balanced trade, getting money out of politics and more.

As Trump continues to trample all bounds of decency and betray those voters who supported his economic populism, and congressional Republicans escalate their class war on working people, progressives have every reason for despair. But as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. taught, it is always darkest before the dawn. And if the Unity Reform Commissions ideas are codified, Democrats may begin to see the light.

Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvel's archive or follow her on Twitter.
A GENERATION ago, Poland led the struggle to replace totalitarianism in central Europe with liberal democracy. Now, unfortunately, it has joined the vanguard of a counterrevolution that would dismantle the core institutions of a free society. In the past few days, its right-wing nationalist government has struck major blows against judicial independence and independent media. It appears to believe that neither the European Union nor the United States has the means or will to hold it accountable  and it may be right.

The first step by the ruling Law and Justice party was the passage through the lower house of Parliament on Friday of laws that would radically change the composition of the Supreme Court. The retirement age for judges would be lowered from 70 to 65, compelling perhaps 40 percent of the more than 80 sitting members to step down  unless the president, a Law and Justice partisan, gave them an exemption. Meanwhile, the body that nominates new judges would be changed so that a majority of its members would be chosen by Parliament, rather than by other judges.

A report by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe rightly concluded that the law, expected to be quickly approved by Parliament's upper house, would "enable the legislative and executive powers to interfere in a severe and extensive manner" in the courts. Among other things, Law and Justice would be able to appoint a majority in a new Supreme Court chamber judging electoral matters.

The second strike came Monday, when a government-controlled media authority leveled a $420,000 fine on the country's most important independent news broadcaster. Its offense was covering a protest demonstration earlier this year. That follows a dubious $30 million tax bill the television channel, TVN24, was handed in July. The station, owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, is one of the largest U.S. investments in Poland. But Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, following a playbook pioneered by Vladimir Putin, appears intent on forcing TVN24 to adopt a pro-government line, or else be sold or shut down.

Polands actions clearly violate the democratic norms of the European Union, and its ruling commission has begun a disciplinary process that could, in theory, lead to fines or the loss of voting rights. But both E.U. and Polish leaders know those actions are likely to be stymied; they must be taken by a consensus of the blocs 28 members, and Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban, who is guilty of the same offenses, will object. Some European officials have talked about trimming E.U. budget funds for Poland. That might get the attention of Mr. Kaczynski, who has long been hostile toward the union but wants to keep its cash coming.

Mr. Kaczynski is not an accountable ruler. He declines to take a government job, instead shuffling subordinates in and out of the prime minister's office. He does value Poland's traditionally strong alliance with the United States and has courted President Trump, who visited Warsaw in July. Mr. Trump had nothing to say then about the rule of law or media freedom. If he remains silent now, Poland's counterrevolution will be further encouraged.
I loved Bloomington, Ind., Mayor John Hamilton's (D) statement in his Dec. 8 op-ed, "No city would pass this tax bill," that the proposed federal tax bill, if done at a smaller scale, "would never survive a local city council discussion."

But it just might if the mayor and council were dependent on local businesses and wealthy local families for their positions and possible future employment. And if those entities didnt really need or care about the welfare of the undereducated, the poor or anyone else, what is going on in Washington would be going on in Mr. Hamiltons city as well.

Craig Hoogstra, Washington
Tuesday, Dec. 5

1052 -- Medical aid on Adams Street.

1052 -- A person asked how to obtain a police report for his citizenship process, since he lost his green card. He lives outside the city limits, so police referred him to the sheriffs office.

1315 -- Report of a car parked in a red zone behind a fire hydrant on Railroad Avenue.

1339 -- Police checked on a suspicious person at Lyman Park.

1358 -- Report of a large tan dog running loose near Main/Charter Oak.

1551 -- A black lab mix was brought to the police department after being found in the street.

1629 -- A Pope Street resident reported being verbally abused on Saturday night by a neighbor who had also blocked his vehicle to cause an inconvenience. Police said to call them as soon as an incident is occurring.

Wednesday, Dec. 6

0948 -- A woman brought in $7 she found on Vintage Avenue during her walk.

1017 -- Police cited a black SUV that was parked in a red zone on Church Street.

1056 -- A vehicle was vandalized.

1254 -- About $2,500 worth of wine was stolen from a car parked on Adams Street.

1954 -- Police arrested a 19-year-old St. Helena man for an outstanding Napa County warrant.

Thursday, Dec. 7

0824 -- A car was reported stolen from College Avenue. Later in the day the Clearlake Police Department found it at a homeless encampment. St. Helena police notified the owner that it had been found.

0903 -- A Napa resident said her 72-year-old father hadnt come home last night after a dinner party. She said it was unusual for him not to come home or call. It turned out hed been arrested.

1126 -- Report of a suspicious van in the Spring Mountain Court area.

1639 -- Report of a strong caustic smell in the Wallis Court neighborhood. An officer who checked the area could smelt he faint odor of aerosol paint.

1739 -- A mother and teen daughter reported an ongoing social media (Instagram) problem with a few other teens. An officer talked to them and will follow up with the other teens.

1926 -- Medical aid on Main Street.

Friday, Dec. 8

0755 -- Someone drove onto a grassy area of Meily Park and spun donuts, causing damage and a big mess.

0756 -- Report of construction starting on Pratt Avenue before 8 a.m.

0837 -- Report of a disabled vehicle blocking the northbound lane of Main Street at Pope Street. It was gone when police arrived.

0915 -- Report of a large compressor leaking oil into the street near Hillview/Stockton. The oil was reportedly approaching a neighbors property.

1252 -- A female Yorkie terrier was found near Spring/Chardonnay. She had a microchip with her owners information.

1556 -- A newly adopted dog was reported missing from Allyn Avenue. Its a medium-sized black Catahoula wearing a royal blue collar.

1559 -- Medical aid for a fall victim on Hunt Avenue.

1614 -- Report of a problem with a traffic light at the northwest corner of Madrona/Main. An officer confirmed it was facing the wrong way and notified Caltrans.

1835 -- Medical aid on Pope Street.

Saturday, Dec. 9

0019 -- Report of a blue Hyundai sedan weaving, braking excessively, and traveling at varying speeds on Highway 29 in Yountville.

0147 -- Police arrested a 25-year-old St. Helena man on suspicion of public intoxication on College Avenue.

0514 -- Report of a person hunched over and needing help on Adams Street.

0740 -- Report of a suspicious man standing outside a vacant home on Sylvaner Avenue.

0815 -- A reckless driver reportedly almost hit two cars near Main/Adams. A caller said the driver looked like he was on drugs.

0935 -- Medical aid for a person with a head injury on Voorhees Circle.

1233 -- A woman said she wanted to drop off a dog shed found, since she couldnt get hold of its owner.

1232 -- Report of a suspicious man walking up and down Scott Street carrying a small purse.

1425 -- Report of kids blocking traffic in the middle of a driveway on Mitchell Drive. One kid was trying to film another kid on a skateboard.

1442 -- Medical aid for a man with a bleeding problem on Howell Mountain Road.

1445 -- A white rental truck reportedly almost caused an accident at Main/Adams.

1754 -- Someone reported that a female golden retriever named Bailey was barking nonstop on Allyn Avenue.

Sunday, Dec. 10

0614 -- Report of cars speeding on Spring Mountain Road at Dean York Lane.

0934 -- A caller reported being flipped off by a reckless driver on Main Street.

1055 -- Medical aid on Hunt Avenue.

1117 -- Report of a brown dog running loose on Park Street.

1140 -- Report of a bike parked in a disabled parking space near Main/Hunt.

1510 -- Following a traffic stop at Money Way and Adams Street, police arrested a 27-year-old Wakefield, Rhode Island man on suspicion of DUI.

1736 -- Report of a possible drunk driver weaving all over the road near Ehlers Lane.

1941 -- Women with car trouble asked for a tow truck.

Monday, Dec. 11

0812 -- Medical aid for a sick woman on Pope Street.

0902 -- Report of a little boy, about 4 or 5 years old, sitting in a booster seat in a parked car on Hunt Avenue for about 30-35 minutes.

0936 -- Medical aid/lift assist for a fall victim on Hunt Avenue.

1205 -- A black dog named Milo was found on Main Street.

1259 -- A Sylvaner Avenue resident said her neighbor had intentionally parked a car where she puts her trash bins and was refusing to move it.

1334 -- Report of a suspicious man at Carpy Field.

1509 -- Report of a possible drunk driver weaving all over Main Street before turning off near the elm tunnel.

1529 -- A man said his ex-wife was following him in a car and violating a restraining order.

1643 -- A bike was reported stolen.

1735 -- Report of a possible drunk driver on Main Street.
Columnist

The Winston Churchill biopic "Darkest Hour" is a movie that should be seen, but not entirely believed. Gary Oldman's alternately fierce and vulnerable Churchill is a triumph of both acting and the cosmetician's art. Just hearing him deliver snippets of Churchill's speeches is worth the ticket price. (Am I the only one who tears up at the words "We shall fight on the beaches"? My wife: "Probably.")

But the central conceit of the film  that a deflated, defeated Churchill required bucking up by average Brits  is fiction. Very nearly the opposite was true. The policy of appeasement was broadly popular in Britain during the early to mid-1930s. In 1938, a majority supported Neville Chamberlain's deal at Munich (which ceded much of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany in return for . . . nothing). It is more accurate to say that Churchill summoned British courage and defiance by his intense idealization of British character. He saw heroic traits in his countrymen that even they, for a time, could not see.

This is not to say that May and June of 1940 weren't dark times, even for Churchill. As resistance in France collapsed and Italy seemed destined to enter the war on Germany's side, Churchill asked his chiefs of staff if it was possible to continue the war at all. (They gave a conditional "yes.") The despair implied in that question still startles.

But on June 3, even as British troops were being evacuated at Dunkirk, Churchill's private secretary Jock Colville wrote in his diary: "Winston is tired of our always being on the defensive and is contemplating raids on the enemy. 'How wonderful it would be,' he writes to [Gen. Hastings] Ismay, 'if the Germans could be made to wonder where they were going to be struck next instead of forcing us to try to wall in the Island and roof it over.' " In the midst of catastrophe, Churchill was dreaming of Normandy (and North Africa and Italy). Not the thoughts of a defeated man.

Where "Darkest Hour" shines is in presenting the alarming, inspiring contingency of great events. In the spring of 1940, Europe was being shaken by massive, impersonal, world-historic forces  the apparent failure of liberal democracy and free markets, the rise of communism and fascism, the unleashing of anti-Semitism. Millions marched, line by line, to the "Horst Wessel" song or the "Internationale."

And yet, in saving the remnants of the British Army at Dunkirk, it fell to 665 private British boats (along with 222 British warships) to rescue their country from (likely) capitulation or invasion. All the powerful, impersonal forces funneled down and down to 665 volunteer captains in pleasure craft and fishing trawlers. The future of freedom was determined by the choices and courage of a few hundred free people.

And, of course, the choices and courage of one man. A New York Times review of "Darkest Hour" sneered at the movie's "great man fetish." But is there really any doubt that history would be darker if Churchill had truly lost his nerve, or had died when hit by a car in New York in December of 1931? (He escaped with two cracked ribs and a severe scalp wound.) History can hinge on a single life.

From Churchill, we learn to resist pessimistic extrapolation. May 1940 was terrible, but not permanent. We learn the power of unreasonable optimism  the value of planning for revival in the midst of defeat. We see the possibility of leadership that can not only ride the tide but summon it.

Many of us view this example not only with appreciation, but with longing. The problem of our time is not only arrogance without accomplishment or swagger without success. These are common enough in politics. Rather, it is the arrival of leadership that survives by feeding resentment, hatred and disorienting flux. Leadership urging us  at angry rallies, in ethnic stereotyping, through religious bigotry  to forget who we really are as a people. Leadership that has ceased to believe in the miracle at our countrys heart  the inclusive, unifying power of American ideals.

But the moment is not permanent. Many are looking for a place to invest their hope. And some leader, we trust, will rise who calls his or her countrymen to choose decency and civic friendship above the destructive pleasures of hatred and blame. Who can see and summon the best in American character, even if, for the moment, it is hidden.

In the meantime, we shall fight on the beaches.

Read more from Michael Gerson's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook .
Rep. Adam B. Schiff, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, speaks to media after a House Intelligence Committee meeting where President Donald Trumps oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was interviewed behind closed doors on Dec. 6, 2017. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Donald Trump Jr. and his lawyer formally requested an investigation Tuesday into leaks from the House Intelligence Committee that followed Trump's participation in a closed-door interview with committee members and staffers last week.

The public release of confidential non-public information by Committee members continued unabated for 24 hours after Trumps supposedly confidential interview last week, Trumps lawyer, Alan Futerfas, wrote in a letter delivered Tuesday afternoon.

The four-page letter, addressed to Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-Tex.), the panel chairman overseeing the Russia investigation, complains about public comments made by three members of the panel, all Democrats, including the highest-ranking minority member of the panel, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.). The letter says that members and staffers began selectively leaking information even before the closed-door meeting ended.

Schiffs spokesman said in response that the congressman and his staff do not leak classified or confidential information. The spokesman, Patrick Boland, noted, however, that we do not permit witnesses to represent publicly that they are fully cooperating with our committee and privately refuse to answer questions pertinent to our investigation on the basis of meritless claims of privilege.

Just after the hearing, Schiff told reporters that Trump Jr. had declined to discuss details of a July telephone conversation with his father about a 2016 meeting at which Trump campaign officials had expected to receive damaging information from the Russian government about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Schiffs spokesman said Tuesday: While we do not discuss the substance of a witnesss testimony, we do reserve the right to inform the public of their noncooperation and do not allow them to conceal that behind closed doors.

The letter from Futerfas describes repeated assurances provided to Trump Jr. in advance of the Intelligence Committee interview that the proceedings would be treated as confidential unless the full committee voted to release a transcript. Yet public comments by Schiff and Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) breached the confidentiality agreement, the letter says.

Speier said in response Tuesday that I had every right to characterize his testimony as nonresponsive while not revealing the substance of his testimony. And I will continue to do that for any witness who appears unwilling to answer questions. A spokesman for Swalwell said the congressman backed the views expressed by Schiffs office.

Futerfas wrote that the public comments last week by the three Democrats about the closed-door meeting was sufficiently brazen that he was notified the next day by the majority staff of the committee that Trump Jr. was no longer bound by the confidentiality rule imposed in advance of his appearance.

The letter specifically complains that committee members or staffers began disseminating wildly inaccurate information to reporters about an email that suggested that Trump Jr. may have received an invitation to access WikiLeaks documents damaging to Clinton before those documents had been made publicly available.

Broadcast accounts of that email first reported the wrong date of the email conversation. In fact, it was sent after the publication of the WikiLeaks information, making the email less significant and leading networks to correct their initial reports.

These disturbing circumstances warrant examination, Futerfas wrote. This committee should determine whether any member or staff member violated the Rules by leaking information to the media concerning the interview or by purposely providing inaccurate information which led to significant misreporting.

Trump Jr. is expected to return to Capitol Hill in coming days to speak behind closed doors with the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Alice Crites contributed to this report.
An official with a company that former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn advised on a proposal to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East denied that Flynn communicated with the firms managing director about the project on Inauguration Day.

Thomas B. Cochran, senior scientist at ACU Strategic Partners, described the charges by a congressional witness as patently false and unfounded in a letter sent Friday to Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs.

Last week, Cummings released the account of the witness, who said that Alex Copson, ACU's managing director, claimed he received a text message from Flynn during President Trump's inaugural address telling him that the nuclear plan was "good to go."

Flynn had also assured Copson that U.S. sanctions against Russia would immediately be ripped up by the Trump administration, a move that would help facilitate the deal, Copson claimed, according to the witness.

[Flynn told former business associate that Russia sanctions would be ripped up, according to congressional witness]

Cochran wrote in his letter to Cummings that the firm had examined Copsons mobile phone bill and found no text messages from Flynn, an absence he said contradicted the core allegation of the witness.

In an interview Monday, Cochran added that Copson did not have an encrypted texting app or any other means of receiving texts. Asked whether Copson would agree to an interview by committee officials, Cochran said that we would be receptive to briefing the full committee if requested.

Flynn, who briefly served as Trump's national security adviser before being fired, has said he was an adviser to ACU and traveled with company officials in 2015 to Egypt and Israel to promote their plan to build nuclear power plants.

Cummings said in a Monday letter that he wanted Copson to agree to a transcribed interview to explore the matter, noting it was possible that Copson was not being truthful during his exchange with the witness on Inauguration Day.

While Cummings has sought support from Republicans on the committee for such a briefing, GOP Chairman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina has denied the request, and has instead forwarded the information to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

Flynns lawyer, Robert Kelner, declined to comment. Flynn pleaded guilty this month to lying to FBI agents about his interactions with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
The #MeToo sexual harassment movement roiling the nation reached the doors of the White House on Monday, when three women who last year accused President Trump of sexual misconduct began a renewed public push to gain attention for their allegations.

The three accusers were among more than a dozen who had initially come forward during the 2016 presidential campaign. The three reinvigorated their stories this week with an appearance on Megyn Kelly's NBC show  their first joint interview  and a subsequent news conference in Manhattan, in which they also called on Congress to investigate their claims.

Their appeal occurs on the eve of a closely fought special U.S. Senate election in Alabama, where Roy Moore, the Republican nominee whom Trump has endorsed, is facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, and as four Senate Democrats have called on Trump to resign amid the allegations of harassment against him.

The White House dismissed the allegations in a morning statement and an afternoon news conference, saying the president has previously denied any improprieties and arguing that the questions were already litigated as part of his ascension to the presidency. Several White House officials also said the West Wing was not particularly panicked, in part because none of the accusations were new.

But some Trump aides, advisers and outside confidants are privately grappling with how to navigate the charged national environment over sexual misconduct, which may not pass anytime soon, and an increasingly aggressive Democratic Party.



In this 2005 frame from video, Donald Trump prepares for an appearance on Days of Our Lives with actress Arianne Zucker. He is accompanied to the set by Access Hollywood host Billy Bush. (Obtained by The Washington Post)

[Trump accusers renew sexual misconduct charges against him, say it was heartbreaking to see him elected]

Some outside Republicans close to the president said they are increasingly uneasy about his ability to withstand a revived spotlight on his behavior toward women amid the dramatic attitude shift happening nationwide in response to accusations of sexual misconduct against men from Hollywood to Capitol Hill. A number of Trump associates are also wary of the potential political costs if the president goes on a sustained attack against his accusers.

These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last years campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory, the White House said in a statement Monday. The timing and absurdity of these false claims speaks volumes, and the publicity tour that has begun only further confirms the political motives behind them.

In a contentious media briefing  in which White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked if she had ever been sexually harassed and if she could empathize with victims of harassment  Sanders said, The president has addressed these accusations directly and denied all of these accusations.

On Tuesday, Trump again dismissed the accusations and blamed them on a Democrat-driven fake news campaign.

Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia  so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS! Trump wrote on Twitter.

The allegations against Trump were made public after The Washington Post published an "Access Hollywood" recording last year capturing Trump boasting about grabbing women by the genitals. Trump acknowledged the veracity of the recording at the time and apologized, but since his election he has occasionally privately cast doubt on the tape, at times suggesting it was doctored or inauthentic. Billy Bush, who appeared on the recording, said last week that Trump was "indulging in some revisionist history" and also said there were eight witnesses to the encounter.

One official said the White House largely views the newfound attention to Trumps accusers as a media and public relations issue. Once the West Wing realized the three women were giving an interview and news conference Monday, an aide who worked on the campaign and was familiar with the allegations circulated counterpoints from last year and later pointed out small inconsistencies between some of the womens previous statements and what they said on Monday.

[President Trump and accusations of sexual misconduct: The complete list]

In phone calls and meetings in recent days, people in Trumps orbit have deliberated over how best to defend against more than a dozen women who have leveled specific claims against him  while also taking seriously claims of sexual assault and harassment and not seeming to dismiss women, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly about the private discussions. There have also been conversations about how the issue could linger through next years midterm campaign season and how to handle that possibility, one outside adviser said.

As the president said himself, he thinks its a good thing that women are coming forward, Sanders said in her Monday news conference. But he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldnt determine the course.

On Sunday, Nikki Haley, the ambassador to the United Nations and one of the most high-profile women serving in the administration, said that women who have accused Trump "should be heard," offering what appeared to be a sharp break from the official White House position.

They should be heard, and they should be dealt with, Haley said when asked on CBSs Face the Nation about the allegations other women have made against Trump. 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.

Democrats have been quick to jettison several members of their party accused of harassment, including pushing both Sen. Al Franken (Minn.) and Rep. John Conyers Jr. (Mich.) to resign. Democratic lawmakers and strategists believe they can seize the moral high ground and use the issue to bludgeon Trump and his fellow Republicans.

On Monday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), widely viewed as a potential 2020 presidential candidate, became the fourth Democratic senator to call for Trump to resign over the allegations.

But some in Trumps orbit believe the latest bout of negative publicity over the presidents alleged misbehavior will probably pass. One Republican strategist in frequent touch with the White House said the West Wing was generally dismissive of the latest flare-up.

[After Weinsteins fall, Trump accusers wonder: Why not him?]

They think hes invincible on this issue, because he survived the Access Hollywood tape, said the strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to recount private conversations. He was literally caught on tape saying he does this  it was a big deal  and he still won.

The Republican added that if Moore prevails in Tuesdays election, the White House will only feel more emboldened. Moore is facing allegations from multiple women that he made sexual advances toward them when they were teens and he was in his 30s. One of the accusers said she was 14 at the time. Moore has denied the allegations.

The three women who retold their stories Monday were Samantha Holvey, a former Miss USA contestant who in October 2016 said Trump inappropriately inspected pageant participants; Jessica Leeds, a New York woman who said Trump groped her on a plane; and Rachel Crooks, who said he kissed her on the lips at Trump Tower.

The news conference was organized by Brave New Films, a nonprofit group launched by producer Robert Greenwald with the goal of promoting activism around liberal causes through short low-budget documentaries. The group has a budget of about $2.6 million, according to Jim Miller, its executive director.

I didnt want to go through it all again, Holvey said in an interview after the news conference, recalling the backlash a year ago and the feeling that she hadnt been heard. But the idea of getting together with other women who had similar experiences interested her.

As a group, there might be more of an impact, she said. And she was also noticing a change in her Facebook feed, with people asking: What about Trump?

Holvey suggested it made sense for Trumps accusers to speak to the public again given the way the countrys atmosphere  and response to alleged sexual misconduct  has shifted over the past year.

Lets try round two, she said. The environments different, lets try again.

Sellers reported from New York. Robert Costa and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
Roy Moores stunning collapse in Alabama represents as a self-inflicted wound by Senate Republicans, however unintentional.

Facing what they believed were few good options, the GOPs top strategists tried to execute a complicated play in a three-way race for the partys nomination to succeed Jeff Sessions, who left the seat to become attorney general.

The path to victory for the establishment favorite, appointed senator Luther Strange, was to ignore Moore on the initial ballot, assuring him a spot in the Republican runoff in late September in the belief that Strange would defeat him and cruise to victory in Tuesdays general election.

As we all now know, that didnt happen. Moore, a controversial former judge, ran away with the Republican nomination, only to fall apart in the general election amid allegations of sexual misconduct with teenagers when he was a local prosecutor in his 30s.

Now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his top lieutenants are left with few options other than to contain the damage of this brutal defeat. They will soon hold a perilously thin majority, 51 to 49, in the Senate  and more perilous prospects of losing it altogether in the November 2018 midterm elections.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) needs a net pickup of two seats next year, and although that would still seem like a high hurdle  Democrats are defending almost three times as many seats as Republicans are, and 10 of them are in states that Trump won last year  Jones has opened that path.

The Jones victory might encourage other Democrats to make long-shot bids in Republican states such as Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. GOP incumbents are considered overwhelming favorites in those places, but if a Democrat can win in Alabama, it will provide encouragement to others.

Republicans placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of Moore. Some compared the race to the Louisiana governors campaign in 2015, when then-Sen. David Vitter (R) lost in a deeply conservative state because the race turned into a referendum on his activities, in the words of Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.). Those included allegations that Vitter was connected to two prostitution rings years ago.

In Alabama, the race turned entirely into a referendum on Moore.

My sense is that Mr. Moore is the issue. It just happens in a lot of races that one candidate can become the de facto incumbent, and thats what Mr. Moore is here, Kennedy said.

This is exactly what McConnell has been trying to prevent since the 2012 Senate campaign in Missouri. Then, Republican Todd Akin lost after claiming, in an effort to explain his opposition to abortion even in cases of assault, that pregnancy rarely results from a legitimate rape. Ever since, Senate Republicans have forcefully tried to defeat candidates they consider on the fringes of public opinion to protect themselves from being damaged by out-of-step views.

GOP establishment goes after Alabama congressman running for Senate for criticizing Trump

Until the Alabama campaign, McConnells team had a more than four-year run in successfully thwarting those types of insurgent Republicans in primary races. The strategy helped Republicans end the 2014 and 2016 elections with the majority.

But the run ended this year in Alabama, in the unpredictable era of President Trump. And now, Republicans are unsure about how to proceed.

I guess you can do a postmortem on anything and dissect it, I dont know, Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), who opposes Moores candidacy, said Monday evening. He then added, perhaps philosophically: Were where we are today, I wish we werent where we were, but we are.

This is now the sixth Senate seat that Republicans have lost since 2010 with deeply flawed candidates winning contested primaries, but it is easily the biggest upset given how conservative Alabama is.

In 2014, seven statewide races appeared on the Alabama ballot. Strange, easily winning reelection to his previous post as attorney general, was the only Republican to receive less than 60 percent. He received 59 percent.

There are no well-known, proven public polls in Alabama. RealClearPolitics has no public surveys available for the 2016 presidential campaign or for Shelbys reelection last year.

Bitter Senate race tests Alabamas image in the country  and at home

The only benefit of Tuesdays outcome, for Republicans, is that they will not have to face an endless flow of questions about the ethics investigation into Moore or any other statements that he made as a senator.

Were all fielding these questions about, whether its Judge Moore or the latest tweet of the day, it is more than a distraction from the very significant work that goes on around here, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Tuesday, before the polls had closed.

She did not endorse Jones, but she was open in hoping Moore lost.

Back in the summer  what seems like several lifetimes ago  Republicans cooked up the early strategy to try to knock out two GOP candidates who were not in step with establishment views. Interim Gov. Kay Ivey (R) called for the contest this year, because of a backlash against Strange getting appointed by the outgoing governor, Robert J. Bentley, whom Strange had been investigating for corruption as state attorney general.

The oddly timed race allowed anyone to jump in without giving up their current seat, including Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.).

The McConnell-affiliated super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, mounted a multimillion-dollar campaign to tear down Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) to ensure that Strange would face Moore in the runoff. One TV ad showed Brooks slamming Trump, early in the 2016 campaign, when he was backing another candidate.

Brooks is a member of the rabble-rousing House Freedom Caucus, giving him credentials with deeply conservative voters, but he also enjoyed inroads more traditional business-friendly interests. The thinking of Senate leaders was that if Stranges allies took out Moore in the initial vote, Brooks would win the runoff in a rout because Moores past controversies would doom him.

So they buried Brookss campaign in that initial three-way race. But Moore, 70, defeated Strange by a wide margin, and last month The Washington Post broke the first story about Moores alleged pursuit of teenage girls nearly 40 years ago.

McConnell tried to force Moore to step aside, but he refused and the race turned into a nail-biter against Jones.

On Monday, Strange, in office just a few months, acknowledged that he was unaware of the custom for outgoing senators to escort their successors into the well of the Senate to be sworn in by the vice president.

Strange presumed that he will not fulfill that role.

Thats a good question, I assume thats up to Shelby, thats kind of what Im guessing, he said Monday. That will be his responsibility.

And McConnells responsibility will be protecting a narrower majority.

Read more from Paul Kane's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
The Senate Judiciary Committees top Republican said Tuesday that President Trump should reconsider and not proceed with two nominations for open seats on the federal bench, complicating the administrations efforts to push the picks through the confirmation process.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said he has advised the Trump administration that "they ought to reconsider" Jeff Mateer's nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Mateer has come under fire for comments he made in 2015 defending discrimination, for saying that same-sex marriage would lead to polygamy and that transgender children were part of "Satan's plan," as first reported by CNN.

Grassley added that he "would advise the White House not to proceed" with the nomination of Brett Talley to the federal district court in Alabama, after reports emerged that in 2011 he had defended "the first KKK" on an online message board and had failed to disclose to the Judiciary Committee that his wife is the chief of staff to White House counsel Don McGahn.

When we had the hearing, the controversy that now surrounds him wasnt brought up, Grassley said of Talley, who testified before the Judiciary Committee in October. The Senate panel approved his nomination last month over the objections of Democrats, who complained that Talley had never tried a case and had been ranked by the American Bar Association as not qualified for the federal bench.

Talley is awaiting Senate confirmation. Grassley stressed that it was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells decision whether to put the nomination on the floor for a vote.

But Grassley's critical comments stand in sharp contrast to efforts Senate Republicans have made in recent months to approve Trump's judicial picks, at times even dispensing with the "blue slip" tradition of giving senators from affected states a chance to stymie the confirmation of controversial nominees to the appeals courts.

Grassley's warning about Talley came on the same day as the Senate confirmed another of Trump's judicial nominees who the ABA has determined is "not qualified" on a party-line, 50 to 48 vote. The ABA gave Leonard Steven Grasz, Trump's pick for an open seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, its lowest ranking, citing concerns about whether he would be able "to separate his role as an advocate from that of a judge." Republicans have accused the ABA of driving a political agenda .

Read more at PowerPost
The last time Afghanistan held national elections, in 2014, the result was a disaster. So widespread were charges of fraud and so tainted was the outcome that the country reached the brink of civil war. Then-Secretary of State John F. Kerry finally intervened, forcing the two main contenders to form a temporary government that has been wracked by internal divisions ever since.

In the wake of that debacle, elaborate efforts were made to avoid repeating it. Electoral reforms were proposed, debated and passed. Biometric voter-identification cards and electronic balloting methods were studied and tested. Discredited electoral officials were replaced. Finally a date was set: July 2018 for parliamentary elections, followed by a presidential contest.

But with the vote still eight months away, preparations have become poisoned by charges of political manipulation, ethnic bias, technical incompetence and endless delay. If the election falls apart, many Afghans fear that both the viability of their new democracy and the confidence of their international supporters will be in jeopardy.

We still have not been able to build an effective democratic system. Every time we have an election, we have to reinvent it, said Mohammad Naeem Ayubzada, director of the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan, an independent watchdog group. The process has lost all credibility, but this election is the last card we can play. If we fail, we will lose everything we have worked for in the past 16 years.

President Ashraf Ghani and his aides insist that the parliamentary vote will take place as planned, although some concede the date may slip. They are desperate to preserve the aid that pays for much of the national budget and defense, and foreign donors view credible elections as a litmus test for future support.



Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, attends a ceremony after receiving two Black Hawk helicopters from the U.S. government in October. (Massoud Hossaini/AP)

But the longer elections are postponed, the longer both the executive and legislative branches will remain in legal limbo and political disarray. The national unity governments mandate expired last year, and the current parliaments term has been extended twice since elections were supposed to take place two years ago.

[Afghan president is under siege as violence, joblessness persist]

The absence of institutional legitimacy has opened the door to a frenzy of pre-election backbiting, strong-arming and finger-pointing by self-interested leaders. They include familiar names from past ethnic and political battles, disgruntled defectors from the Ghani government and founders of new political parties  some barely more than a leader and his best friends.

This phenomenon has become so destructive that in October, a surprisingly broad array of political groups, including former communists and conservative Islamists, formed a coalition and demanded that the government take solid steps to hold fair and transparent elections. They warned that unless a credible power transition takes place, the country could collapse.

Nobody wants to go back to chaos. There is a great fear of a crisis like 2014 or worse, and this time no one would trust a Kerry kind of deal, said Rahmatullah Nabil, a former national intelligence chief who spearheaded the coalition and heads a new political party. The government is weak, there is no balance of political forces, and the regional situation has totally changed. If we have another election like 2014, no one will be able to control it.

Echoes of 2014

Concerns intensified in the past several months, when the election machinery became snarled in technical, political and bureaucratic problems. Leaked memos and abrupt firings embarrassed the government and revealed how ill-prepared it was to stage elections, despite significant foreign investment in attempts to make the process fraudproof.

One drama was a dispute over the performance of the national election commission and a second panel to oversee election complaints. Members were appointed a year ago, but reports persisted that they were making little progress and consumed by internal bickering. There were also allegations of pressure on members by Ghanis aides  a worrisome echo of 2014, when charges of biased commissioners tainted the process even before the vote.

The conflict came to a head in October when the election commission chairman, Najibullah Ahmadzai, was forced out for incompetence at strong international urging. In turn, Ahmadzai publicly accused aides to Ghani of trying to convince the other commissioners to get rid of him. He also declared that no election could be held in July because the public had lost faith in the process.

What happened was illegal and unjustified, Ahmadzai said in an interview. He said several panel members told him they had been pressured to vote for his resignation. We were a good team, and our aim was to hold transparent elections and restore the trust that was lost in 2014.

I am a technocrat with no political ties, and I have done nothing wrong, he said. We are working to build a democracy, but this is not democratic. Public trust is only going down and down.

[ICC seeks investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan since 2003]

A second long-simmering issue was whether and how to use technology to insulate the next election from fraud and error. Although there was a well-intentioned effort that fit with Ghanis technocratic reform agenda, it eventually succumbed to political disputes, unrealistic expectations and lack of technical capacity.

The first plan was to produce biometric national ID cards, but that died last year amid battles in parliament over whether to include ethnicity on each persons card, which might challenge various groups claims of larger population share and importance.

A later proposal was to introduce electronic voter registration, polling and possibly vote-counting, after the 2014 tally was so marred by accusations of ballot-stuffing that all 7 million votes had to be recounted. But that idea proved too ambitious and costly, and in October the company that won the bid for biometric voter cards declared that it could not do the job after all.

It has to happen

Critics of the Ghani government said the entire electoral reform effort had been an utter failure. Some blamed the president for overreaching or even trying to sabotage the election to stay in power. Others said he had failed to push harder as the government grappled with other problems, letting deadlines slip and institutional credibility fade.

A lot of money has been spent on electoral reforms. A lot of studies have been done and proposals made, and still we are worse off than 10 years ago, said Davood Moradian, president of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies. Every pillar of the state is based on politics, not the constitution. The Taliban cant topple the government, nor can corruption, but there has to be a political transition. It is not the date that matters, it is the process, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

There is, however, a backup plan  albeit one that the Ghani government and its foreign backers strongly oppose. Some Afghans, notably former president Hamid Karzai, have called for a loya jirga, or traditional gathering of elders, to select a new leader or political path by consensus. But many others see that as a regressive step and an unacceptable substitute for the modern electoral process, no matter how flawed.

This time the election will be very difficult, but it has to happen, said Sediq Siddiqi, a senior spokesman for the Ghani government, dismissing any possibility of a loya jirga. The conditions are not ideal, and there may be fraud and other problems, but this is the peoples will in our new Afghanistan.

Read more

Afghanistans American Idol is the voice of a new generation  and Muslim clerics arent happy about it

Opium use booms in Afghanistan, creating a silent tsunami of addicted women

It was a brutal killing that shocked Afghanistan. Now, the outrage has faded.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Ten-year old Napa Valley red blends were just one of the surprises that unfolded at the most recent gathering of the St. Helena Star and Napa Valley Vintner Tasting Panel this past week. The other involves Congress, and a long-ago conceived idea to bring the community inside the hearts and minds of its local winemakers.

First, lets back up to 2007, and set the scene of the vintage. Winegrowers needed to keep nimble that year. If you wrote the story of the 2007 harvest early on, you would have a script filled with more red lines and edits than original ink come autumn.

The year began dry and cold  as in single digit cold  although warmth into spring caused early bud break. This led to predictions of an early and big harvest; two of many things to get corrected later on. While there was lots of fruit, the dry conditions caused lower cluster weights and smaller berries, ultimately bringing the crop down 5 to 15 percent from an average year.

A heat spike in August pushed the harvesting of white grapes forward, and vintners anticipated a compact harvest  where all the fruit (red or white) comes in at the same time. But Mother Nature had other plans. Cooler conditions followed, slowing the pace and giving winemakers a break between the next round of harvesting, causing jokes of time off for bocce playing, naps and short vacations.

Why are vintners so obsessed with the weather? While wine, our star local product, is prestigious, it is still agricultural, and the weather directly influences not only the amount of fruit we harvest but also the flavors and other characteristics of the wines each year.

In 2007, the smaller berries caused a lower ratio of juice to skin in each berry. Since the skins hold the tannins and color that are transferred from the grapes to the wines, the 2007 vintage showed deeper color and generous tannins. The latter forebodes good aging of the wines. Did this turn out to be true of the 2007 vintage? The Tasting Panel prepared to find out.

Congressional proclamation

It was these older wines that were chosen for the Dec. 7 tasting, an occasion that also marked the tasting panels tenth anniversary. In addition to tasting these special library wines, the session included a special visitor.

Maria Ayelo-Calderon from Rep. Mike Thompsons office bestowed a Congressional proclamation onto the panel to celebrate its collaborative, community-building spirit. The panel was conceived, from its earliest inception, as a way to share the wines and thoughts of the people making those wines with everyone in the community. Dave Stoneberg, editor of the St. Helena Star, accepted the gift on behalf of the newspaper. He is also one of the key founders of the tasting panel and the force behind its continued success. Also noted on the proclamation were the Napa Valley Vintners trade association and the original wine manager, Stefan Blicker.

10-year-old wines

So how did the panel find these 10-year old wines?

Tom Dinkel of Dos Lagos Vineyards, said, It was hard picking the best  they were wonderful. David Stevens of St. Helenas 750 Wines agreed, noting, I was surprised how fresh many of them were. Alan Viader of Viader Vineyards & Winery concurred, stating, The noses on many of the wines were tight, young  they still have time, a testament to continued ageability of the 2007 wines.

Winemaker Chris Phelps found a few raisiny and Port-like, a statement mirrored by Christie Dufault of the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, but Dufault also found stellar, tremendous, elegant wines that were very balanced among the group.

Winemaker Tom Rinaldi called the wines well-developed, saying I personally liked the way the oak was integrated into the wine, and there was not a hint of brett, referring to a controversial set of aromas (some love it, some hate it) that was more prevalent in Napa Valley in years past.

John Skupny of Lang & Reed winery, ever the philosopher, discussed ageability of wines, when asked his opinion. All red wines will age, he commented, but the question is, will they do something dynamic (in the bottle as they age)? Other panelists answered, finding fresh dark earth, menthol, leather and savory nuances in the wines.

Personally, I felt the first flight of wines, including 2007s from Miner Family Winery, Merryvale, V. Sattui, and Viader  along with the Tournesol and Chimney Rock  all deserved first place. This was a killer flight: each wine had vibrant black fruits with layers of complexity and plenty of years ahead to evolve. Bottles of some of these wines can still be found in limited library selections at wineries, or a rare bottle or two can be found for sale online, but in any event, lets continue to celebrate the good things in life, like deliciously mature wines and a tight-knit, collaborative community.

2007 favorites

Following a tasting of three flights of red blends from the 2007 vintage, the panelists favorites were:

Blackbird Vineyards  2007 Illustration Napa Valley ($90) has generous oak spice flavors leading to dense, rich blackberry fruit with tobacco-smoke-black pepper complexity.

Chimney Rock Winery  2007 Elevage Stags Leap District ($76) opens with intense aromas of dark fruits and dollops of sweet oak spice woven intricately with a hint of smoky bacon deliciousness.

Monticello Vineyards  2007 CORLEY Proprietary Red Blend Napa Valley ($55) layers sweet vanilla, black fruits and oak spice with undertones of charred wood and sweet tobacco.

Schweiger Vineyards  2007 Dedication Spring Mountain District ($85) provides dark, dusty black fruits with dried herbs and smoky complexity.

Tournesol  2007 Proprietors Blend Napa Valley ($90) provides a wave of intense blackberry and vanilla flavors, layered with sensual, savory complexity; all made vibrant by the wines bright acidity.

Volker Eisele Family Estate  2007 Terzetto Chiles Valley District ($75) is still vibrantly young showing dark, ripe fruit and sweet vanilla spice with a hint of savory hedonism.
Satellite imagery shows the Sinuiju concentration camp (Kyo-hwa-so No. 3) in North Korea, one of the reeducation camps for people accused of political and economic crimes. They are just as brutal as the four main penal labor colonies, but prisoners in these camps generally serve fixed terms instead of life sentences. (DigitalGlobe/ScapeWare3d)

North Korea's political prisons are just as bad as  and perhaps even worse than  the Nazi concentration camps of the Holocaust, a renowned judge and Auschwitz survivor has concluded after hearing from former North Korean prisoners and guards.

Thomas Buergenthal, who served on the International Court of Justice, is one of three jurists who have concluded that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should be tried for crimes against humanity for the way his regime uses brutal political prisons to control the population.

I believe that the conditions in the [North] Korean prison camps are as terrible, or even worse, than those I saw and experienced in my youth in these Nazi camps and in my long professional career in the human rights field, said Buergenthal, who was in Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen as a child, as well as the ghetto of Kielce, Poland.

He was part of a panel that also included Navi Pillay, a South African judge who presided over the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and then became the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, and Mark Harmon, an American judge who worked on the Yugoslavia and Cambodia war crimes cases.



North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (AFP/Getty Images)

The three heard evidence from former prisoners, prison guards and experts as part of an inquiry initiated by the International Bar Association.

The resulting report, which will be published Tuesday, found that there was ample evidence to charge the Kim regime with 10 of the 11 internationally recognized war crimes  including murder, enslavement, torture and sexual violence  because of its use of political prison camps.

There is not a comparable situation anywhere in the world, past or present, Pillay said. This is really an atrocity at the maximum level, where the whole population is subject to intimidation.

[ New images show North Koreas extensive network of reeducation camps ]

Three generations of Kims have ruled North Korea as a totalitarian state defined by an all-encompassing personality cult that treats the leaders as demi-gods. Anyone who questions the leaders or the system is liable to be thrown in a penal labor colony  often for life, and often together with three generations of their families to eliminate the seed of enemies of the state.

Experts estimate there are as many as 130,000 North Koreans held in four huge camps, where they are forced to do hard labor, often in mines, and receive very little in the way of food, clothing or heating. The regime also operates reeducation camps for lesser offenses. They are just as brutal, but prisoners there generally serve fixed terms.

North Korea's extensive human rights abuses were documented in a landmark U.N. Commission of Inquiry report in 2014. Following on from that, the International Bar Association decided to conduct an inquiry specifically into the political prison camps.

The three judges heard testimony and read affidavits from former prisoners and prison guards in North Korea, covering a period from 1970 to 2006.

The panel heard about starving prisoners who were executed after being caught scavenging for food and about the deaths of countless prisoners from malnutrition and overwork, sometimes a result of 20-hour days in the mines.

The judges also heard about rapes and the forced abortions of resulting pregnancies, sometimes leading to the womens deaths.

One prison camp survivor, a doctor who had been caught trying to escape to China, said he was stripped and hung upside down, beaten, tortured with fire or water, and had water mixed with spicy pepper poured into his nose and mouth.

[ Where are the bodies buried in North Korea? Investigators try to prepare for future trials. ]

Although the most recent first-hand testimony the judges heard was from 2006, the panel received an affidavit from Thae Yong-ho, a senior North Korean diplomat who escaped from his nation's embassy in London last year. Thae said he personally knew several senior officials who were sent to political prison camps in 2013 during the purges that followed Kim Jong Un's execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek.

The bar associations war crimes committee  which includes veterans of the Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic trials  together with the Washington office of the law firm Hogan Lovells, put together the case for charging the North Korean regime.

Of the 11 crimes against humanity listed in the International Criminal Court's statute, there was evidence that the North Korean regime had committed all of them except apartheid, they found.

There is ample reason to believe that the political prison camps are still in operation, they said, with the four main camps clearly visible in satellite images of North Korea.

As the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim is ultimately responsible for allowing these crimes against humanity to be perpetuated in the prison camps, the report concluded. But it also said officials in the ruling Workers Party and in the State Security Department were liable.

Given North Koreas tightly controlled leadership structure, Kim Jong Un and his inner circle warrant prosecution under the principle of command responsibility, the report found.

[Kim Jong Uns North Korea: Life inside the totalitarian state]

North Korea has resolutely denied running any forced-labor camps for political criminals, with a senior diplomat in North Korea's mission to the United Nations saying in 2014, after the U.N. Commission of Inquiry report, that they were normal prisons.

Pyongyang would take countermeasures against any effort to refer Kim to the International Criminal Court, as the commission recommended, a North Korean ambassador to the United Nations, Jang Il Hun, said at the time.

His successor, Pak Song Il, sharply criticized the findings.

I totally reject and deny this report as it is fabricated and baseless, he said. By writing about the report, The Washington Post showed that it had become the blind followers of the hostile policy of the U.S. administration against the DPRK, he said, using the official abbreviation for North Korea.

Such reports do not help resolve the current tense situation, Pak said.

Previous efforts to hold North Koreas leaders to account have not gone anywhere, in no small part because referral to the ICC requires the approval of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. China and Russia have made clear they would veto any such move.

Pillay said that should not stop the international community from trying to hold the North Korean regime accountable. This is especially horrendous. Its been sustained for so long, with no help to the people of North Korea from the world, she said.

Read more

North Korea is a nuclear state. But can the U.S. accept that?

North Korea has shown us its new missile, and its scarier than we thought

Life under Kim Jong Un

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Charles Jenkins, the U.S. Army sergeant who defected to North Korea in 1965 and was compelled to remain there for almost four decades, has died in Japan at the age of 77.

Mr. Jenkins had been living on Sado Island, off Japans west coast, with his wife, Hitomi Soga, since he was freed in 2004. A Japanese citizen, Soga had been abducted by North Korea in 1978.

Japans Kyodo News agency and broadcaster NHK reported his death Tuesday, but the cause was unknown.

Since gaining his freedom, Mr. Jenkins had lived a quiet life on Sado Island, not far from where his wife was taken by the North Koreans, working in the gift shop at the local museum and becoming something of a celebrity. Their 34-year-old daughter, Mika, lives at home and teaches at a nearby kindergarten, while 32-year-old Brinda lives on the closest mainland city, Niigata.

"I'd like to go back to the U.S., but my wife don't want to go, and I have no means to support her there," Mr. Jenkins told the Los Angeles Times in an interview this summer, retaining his thick North Carolina accent. "So I figure, might as well stay where I'm at."

One night in 1965, when he was 24 and serving in the U.S. Army in South Korea, Mr. Jenkins drank 10 beers and stumbled across the worlds most heavily militarized border and into North Korea.

"I was so ignorant," he told The Washington Post in an interview in 2008. He had deserted the Army for what became a sentence in a "giant, demented prison."

[ A U.S. soldier who defected to North Korea in 1962 has died, his Pyongyang-born sons say ]

He was taken into the North Korean system, playing a ruthless American in propaganda movies and teaching English. He memorized the teachings of President Kim Il Sung and killed rats that crawled out of his toilet.

Then in 1980, his North Korean minders brought him a woman who had been kidnapped from Sado Island when she was 18 years old, stuffed in a black body bag and taken by boat to North Korea.

They got married in North Korea and had two daughters who, Mr. Jenkins said in 2008, were in training to become multilingual spies for North Korea.

Then, in 2002, under a deal between the Japanese and North Korean governments, Soga was released, along with four other Japanese abductees. In 2004, Mr. Jenkins hobbled off the plane with a walking stick, looking much older than his years, with their daughters.

Later that year, Mr. Jenkins was found guilty of desertion during a court-martial on a U.S. Army base in Japan. He was sentenced to 30 days in prison but was released early.

He told his story in an autobiography, "The Reluctant Communist," released in 2008.

Another American soldier who defected to North Korea died late last year but in Pyongyang.

James Joseph Dresnok, who was 21 when he ran through the demilitarized zone and into North Korea in 1962, died of a stroke at the end of 2016, his two sons said in an interview broadcast in August by the state-run Uriminzokkiri website.

Read more:

North Koreas prisons are as bad as Nazi camps, says judge who survived Auschwitz

North Korea is a nuclear state. But can the U.S. accept that?

North Korea has shown us its new missile, and its scarier than we thought

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
When President Trump announced that the United States would drop out of the Paris climate agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron launched a campaign called Make Our Planet Great Again, a riff on Trumps campaign slogan. (Philippe Wojazer/AP)

The United States may have withdrawn from the Paris climate change accord, but on Tuesday dozens of world leaders and philanthropists met to find solutions to the swiftly warming planet  and send a message of resolve to the White House.

More symbolic than policy-driven, Tuesdays summit comes two years after the landmark COP21 conference in Paris, where 196 participating countries  including the United States  vowed to keep this centurys global temperature increase below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In one of the most controversial moments of his young presidency, President Trump announced in June that the United States would leave the Paris accord.

The United States is now the only nation on Earth to have rejected the global pact.

Although the rest of the world  and much of the United States  has continued working to meet the Paris commitments, French President Emmanuel Macron called Trumps decision very bad news and cautioned against complacency. In opening remarks Tuesday, he minced no words. Were losing the battle, he said. Were not moving quickly enough. We all need to act.

The One Planet summit focused on practical ways to continue meeting climate goals without the participation of the U.S. government. The main emphasis was private financing for climate initiatives in the United States and elsewhere. A major goal of the summit was to encourage private investors to fill the annual gap of $210 billion needed to meet the requirements of the Paris agreement.

Toward that end, the summit did secure some major commitments. The Gates Foundation, for instance, announced Tuesday that it would pledge $300 million over the next three years to support farmers in Africa and Asia struggling with the effects of climate change: diminished soil fertility, extreme weather and crop pests, among others. Earlier this year, the foundation had pledged a separate $300 million to benefit public health and poverty reduction programs in Tanzania.

AXA, the world's third-largest insurance company, announced further reductions of coal investments by an additional 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion). And the World Bank  to meet its Paris commitments faster  said it would stop financing projects involving upstream oil and gas beginning in 2019. Other U.S. philanthropic organizations also supported the cause. On Monday, the Hewlett Foundation pledged $600 million over five years to nonprofits working on climate change issues.

[Macron lures 13 climate scientists to France]

On the U.S. front, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire and leading climate change advocate, vowed to persuade more companies to change their practices. Bloomberg emphasized the business incentives behind addressing climate change. "Clean energy is now cheaper than coal, energy efficiency saves money and improves your bottom line, and talented people want to work for companies that care about the planet," he said.

The biggest challenge to persuading more companies to go green, Bloomberg added, is that reliable data doesnt exist. To solve that problem, he has chaired the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), an organization that seeks to communicate financial risk related to climate change.

Together we are going to meet the goal that this country set in Paris by reducing emissions by at least 26 percent. There isnt anything Washington can do to stop us, he said.

Since his election, climate change has been among Macrons signature issues. When Trump announced that the United States would drop out of the Paris accord, Macron immediately launched a campaign called Make Our Planet Great Again, a riff on Trumps campaign slogan. As part of that campaign, Macron offered research grants for 18 foreign scientists studying climate change to pursue their work in France. On Monday, he announced the winners, including 13 Americans.

[Syria embraces Paris climate deal, leaving U.S. against the world]

For political analysts, Tuesdays summit provided further evidence of Macrons desire to assert France as a principal mediator in virtually every important global deliberation, especially on climate change.

There is an element of prestige here, because France and President Macron want to play a leading role in the global climate governance, and I think there are just two leaders who are credible there: Macron and [Chinese President] Xi Jinping, said Marc Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, director of the Center for Energy at the French Institute for International Relations, a Paris-based think tank.

Xi  who was not in attendance at Macrons second Paris summit, although Chinese representatives were  also has been a supporter of the Paris agreement, even if China remains the largest emitter of greenhouse gases on Earth. He, too, has been critical of Trump on the issue of climate change.

Some countries have become more inward-looking and less willing to take part in international cooperation, and the spillovers of their policy adjustments are deepening, Xi said in September, stopping short of mentioning the United States by name.

But some see Chinese emissions as the potential thorn in Macrons plans.

The exit of the U.S. from climate credibility leaves a gap. The U.S. has traditionally played the role of bad cop with China, forcing them to reduce their emissions. Now that role may fall to Macron, said Paul Bledsoe, a former Clinton White House climate adviser, now with the Progressive Policy Institute.

I think Macron recognizes the urgency of climate action in a way that maybe older generations dont, but hes got to realize that global emissions cant peak until Chinese emissions do. And Chinese emissions are still growing.

Read more

Trump announces U.S. to exit Paris climate deal, sparking criticism

McMaster says no redo on Paris climate deal decision

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Federal prosecutors filed terrorism charges Tuesday against the suspected New York City subway bomber, Akayed Ullah, saying he posted a taunt online aimed at President Trump before the attack in a tunnel beneath Times Square and then proclaimed I did it for the Islamic State.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan charges Ullah with providing material support to a terrorist group, using a weapon of mass destruction, bombing a public place, destruction of property by means of fire or explosive, and use of a destructive device during a crime of violence.

The 27-year-old is an immigrant from Bangladesh who came to the United States in 2011, fueling the Trump administrations argument that Mondays attack is proof the country is too lax in how it allows immigrants to enter. According to the criminal complaint, Ullahs radicalization began in at least 2014, as he viewed Islamic State propaganda, including a video urging followers to carry out attacks close to home if they were unable to go overseas.

Police say Ullah detonated a pipe bomb affixed to his clothes while walking down a crowded commuter tunnel in Times Square during the Monday morning rush hour. "The location and timing of his planned attack was no accident, and his motivation was no mystery," Joon H. Kim, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a news conference about the charges Tuesday.

The 10-page criminal complaint also reveals some of what Ullah told investigators after the attack. While in Bellevue Hospital receiving treatment for his injuries, Ullah declared he acted on behalf of the Islamic State, and investigators found a passport in his name with handwritten notations, including: O AMERICA, DIE IN YOUR RAGE, according to the complaint.



A police officer patrols Tuesday as commuters make their way through the passageway connecting the Times Square subway station to the Port Authority subway station and bus terminal, near the site of Monday mornings attempted terrorist attack. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Those statements are just a fraction of the incriminating comments Ullah has made to investigators, according to law enforcement officials.

Ullah, who remains hospitalized, told police he was angry about decades of U.S. policies toward Muslim countries, officials said. Investigators believe he built the bomb at his home and used Christmas lights and a battery to detonate the device, according to the complaint.

On Monday morning, Ullah was on his way to carry out the attack when he opened Facebook and posted a message for the president, federal authorities alleged. Trump you failed to protect your nation, Ullah wrote, according to the complaint. Kim declined to elaborate on whether there was anything specific the president had said or done that Ullah found objectionable.

Ullah also posted a statement on Facebook aimed at telling other Islamic State supporters that he was carrying out the attack in the groups name, the complaint continued.

Shortly before the federal charges were announced, New York City police officials said they had filed state terrorism charges against him, though those are expected to be dropped once the federal prosecution gets underway, according to officials.

Police officials in Bangladesh said Ullah is married to a woman who lives in Dhaka with their child. Saiful Islam, a counterterrorism official in Bangladesh, said Ullahs wife and in-laws were questioned and later released Tuesday.

Police officials and neighbors said Ullah had returned to Bangladesh twice in the past few years. The first visit, in 2015, was for his wedding, according to people who live in the same building as his in-laws in Dhaka. He returned again in September 2016, leaving in October, according to Soheli Ferdousi, police spokeswoman. She did not elaborate on the reason for his second visit.

Abul Hossain, a lawyer and neighbor of Ullahs in-laws, recalled the wedding two years ago as a simple ceremony.

I saw him in the mosque several times, Hossain said. He looked gentle to me.

When his homemade bomb exploded Monday, it inflicted far more self-harm than to anyone else, according to officials. Three commuters suffered minor injuries, police said. Security video from the subway tunnel shows a man walking down the passageway who is suddenly knocked to the ground by a blast emanating from his lower torso. The video shows other commuters running from the scene.

[Family of alleged N.Y. bomber outraged at treatment by law enforcement]

Ullah's family issued a statement saying they are "heartbroken by this attack on our city today," but also criticizing law enforcement's treatment of the family.

Today we have seen our children, as young as 4 years old, held out in the cold, detained as their parents were questioned, the family said in its statement, which was released through the Council on American-Islamic Relations of New York. One teenage relative was pulled out of high school classes and interrogated without a lawyer, without his parents. These are not the actions that we expect from our judicial system.

Officials said Ullah came to the United States on a type of visa for relatives of people already living legally in the country, prompting Trump to repeat his call for legislative reforms.

"There have now been two terrorist attacks in New York City in recent weeks carried out by foreign nationals, here on green cards," he said Tuesday, referring to a deadly truck attack in Manhattan on Oct. 31. "The first attacker came through the visa lottery and the second through chain migration. We're going to end both of them. The lottery system and chain migration  we're going to end them fast."

"Congress must get involved immediately, and they are involved immediately, and I can tell you we have tremendous support. They will be ended," he added.

[Trump, GOP senators introduce bill to slash legal immigration levels]

L. Francis Cissna, the head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, told reporters at the White House that visa lotteries are vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists and susceptible to fraud, and for that reason, regardless of when the person became radicalized, I just want that door shut.

Trump has endorsed legislation, introduced over the summer by Republican Sens. Tom Cotton (Ark.) and David Perdue (Ga.), that seeks to reduce  from 1 million to 500,000  the annual distribution of green cards. As part of that, they want to create a point system, based on factors such as job skills, education and English proficiency, for ranking those who apply for green cards. It also would end the visa diversity lottery that awards about 50,000 green cards each year.

Speaking Tuesday in Baltimore, Attorney General Jeff Sessions also blamed Monday's incident on "failed immigration policies."

"An individual won the lottery in Bangladesh," he said. "He came here. He then, through the chain migration process, brought his sister. And she brought her son, 20 years old, and he's the one that attempted to blow up the subway. This is the system that's operating today."

Sessions said the United States admitted 9.3 million people between 2005 and 2016 under what he characterized as "chain migration," urging Congress to end it.

"Each of those people may be able to sponsor further relatives as well," he said.

Sessions also told reporters that of the 500 people the Department of Justice has prosecuted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11, "more than 75 percent were foreign-born."

The attorney general said current U.S. immigration policies had allowed one million or more people to enter the United States from what he called terrorism-based countries, where terrorism exists.

This overwhelms the ability of the FBI to monitor them, Sessions said. Its a myth out there that we have the power and unlimited resources to surveil hundreds of thousands of people, even know who to surveil.

John Miller, who leads the New York Police Department's counterterrorism work, said terrorism threats are "a fact of life, whether you're in New York or London or Paris. The question is can it happen here, and the answer is it can happen anywhere."

Miller said investigators have collected remnants of the bomb to better understand its construction. He said Ullah used Velcro and zip ties to attach the device to his clothing. The NYPD and the FBI appealed for any witnesses to the explosion to come forward and said commuters should expect to see additional security around the city's transportation network.

Officials said that the attack could have had a much greater impact if the bomb had went off with the intended force.

"What we saw yesterday was something that could've been far, far worse," Miller said Tuesday on "CBS This Morning."

Azad Majumder in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Nick Miroff and Anne Gearan contributed to this report.
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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/12/2017 (1802 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City hall wants its fair share of tax revenue from the legalization of marijuana.

Mayor Brian Bowman told reporters Monday that he supports the claim that Canadian municipalities should get at least one-third of the pot tax revenue to offset the additional costs that will be placed on police and other civic departments.

Our communities is where cannabis will be sold and consumed and my priority is keeping Winnipeggers safe and well-served, Bowman said.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman says he supports the claim that Canadian municipalities should get at least one-third of the pot tax revenue.

Bowman said research prepared by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities shows 17 different civic departments will be impacted by marijuana legalization, including police and various other civic services, like land-use, bylaws, zoning, business licensing, municipal enforcement, legal costs, and public engagement.

Bowman said using the FCM research, he estimated the annual additional costs to city hall for the legalization of marijuana will exceed $5 million.

I believe this (one-third split) is fair and reasonable. It will go a long way to making local costs sustainable, Bowman said. It makes sense to use the cannabis excise tax revenues to ensure these costs dont become a barrier to keeping Winnipeggers safe.

But Provincial Finance Minister Cameron Friesen said Bowmans $5-million figure isnt backed up with any hard data because it doesnt exist yet.

Listen, the mayor can stand a number, up to date  I can tell you in this room today, there wasnt a single provincial or territorial finance minister who was able to say with any certainty what the costs will be, when legalization of cannabis hits us, Friesen told reporters during an afternoon phone conference.

Friesen said he pushed to have Mondays joint statement acknowledge the role of municipalities, but would not say whether hell fulfill Bowmans request for a third of all sin taxes.

In principle, we have a commitment to working with all municipalities, Friesen said.

Bowman said there is a need for leaders from all three levels of government to sit down and discuss a cost-sharing formula, but added he would prefer if Ottawa provided the municipalities their share directly rather than have to negotiate with the Pallister government.

Given municipalities central role in the administration and enforcement, municipalities should be meaningful participants in these revenue sharing conversations, Bowman said. Its certainly something that weve been arguing publicly that the anticipated additional costs for the city of Winnipeg do need to be addressed going forward and I do think the right approach will be for federal, provincial and municipal orders of government to work in partnership, recognizing that there are costs for the other levels of government as well.

With files from Dylan Robertson

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/12/2017 (1802 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mayor Brian Bowman offered additional amendments to the proposed bylaw to regulate taxis and ride-hailing services, but whether its enough to placate the angry industry is yet to be seen.

Bowman held a news conference Monday afternoon to detail the package of amendments that will go to council for the regular Wednesday meeting. The amendments include:

 Taxis will be allowed to use bus-only diamond lanes on a one-year trial basis. The administration had previously rejected this request from the industry.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman speaks to media during a press conference at City Hall, Monday.

 Both taxi and ride-hailing drivers will have to provide the same background checks: criminal, driving records, vulnerable persons and child-abuse registry.

 Ride-hailing drivers will have to pay a three-cent-per-ride levy, with the funds earmarked for a driver safety campaign.

 Issue 60 new taxi licences effective March 1, with another 60 licences issued at the end of 2018. The original proposal called for all 120 additional taxi licences to be issued effective March 1. The new licences will be issued on a lottery basis.

Over the last two weeks, I have been listening intently to the feedback received from many different industry and public stakeholders on the draft Vehicle For Hire bylaw, Bowman told reporters. The changes Im proposing are a further refinement and improvement to what I believe was an already balanced starting point.

The package of amendments had been hammered out earlier in the day by Bowman and members of his executive policy committee.

The three-cent-per-ride charge for ride-hailing drivers was seen as a compromise by those EPC members who wanted safety shields in ride-hailing vehicles.

There was a lot of give and take, said Coun. Brian Mayes, chairman of councils environment committee and a member of EPC, who had stated publicly last week that he would insist on shields for ride-hailing vehicles but backed down following the closed-door Monday meeting.

Mayes said he didnt believe there was enough support on council for the requirement for shields to be mandatory in ride-hailing vehicles.

The compromise was to bring in the (three-cent-per-ride) safety levy, which I think is unique in Canada and which I think we can use to encourage some of these ride-share services to bring in shields, Mayes said. It wouldnt be mandatory, but it could be something that would encourage the use of shields.

Scott McFadyen, spokesman for the lobby group Winnipeg Community Taxi Coalition, which represents Unicity and Duffys taxi services, said the amendments are an admission the bylaw is flawed.

McFadyen declined to comment on the merits of the amendments, adding that the taxi partners are meeting Monday night to discuss the implications and would comment later.

City hall unveiled new rules Nov. 29 that will allow ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft to operate beginning March 1 and loosen the rules on traditional taxi operators.

The bylaw was prompted by the provincial governments decision in March to bring more competition to the industry by disbanding the Manitoba Taxicab Board and turning over regulation, at least within Winnipeg, to city hall. Other municipalities already regulate taxi industries in their own communities.

The legislature passed the enabling legislation Nov. 9 and set a deadline of March 1 for Winnipeg to take over regulation of the industry.

Edmonton was the first city in Canada to authorize ride hailing in March 2016, and that has been followed by Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, London, Hamilton, Waterloo and dozens of other communities.

EPC had made two amendments to the proposed bylaw last week: the requirement for a review in 24 months was deleted and replaced with annual reviews for the first five years. There was also a wording change to terms that offended the citys disabled community in how those individuals who use wheelchairs are described.

Representatives from Uber and Lyft had endorsed the provisions of the original bylaw.

The latest amendments fall far short of what the taxi industry had been calling for: higher fees for ride-hailing services and making taxi safety requirements  including safety shields, panic buttons, interior security cameras and roof-top strobe lights  mandatory for ride-hailing vehicles.

Bowman said he didnt know how the taxi industry would react to the latest amendments, adding that he hadnt talked to them about it.

There is little likelihood of enough votes on council to support any further amendments, including the installation of safety shields on ride-hailing vehicles, he said.

The three-cent-per-ride levy is expected to generate about $45,000 annually to promote safety measures for ride-hailing services, Bowman said.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 11/12/2017 (1802 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitoba is once again the lone holdout in a federal deal, this time over a proposal to have the provinces take in more than three-quarters of tax revenue from legalized marijuana.

On Monday, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau declared that all provinces and territories, except Manitoba, have opted for a $1-per-gram excise tax on cannabis products, with 25 per cent of that going to Ottawa until it hits an annual $100-million cap, and the rest going to the province where the product is sold.

For months, Manitoba was the last holdout in Ottawas health accord (a term the province still refuses to use), which slowed the growth of payments to provinces. In October, Manitoba proposed a carbon tax that falls short of Ottawas 2022 target.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau holds a news conference after meeting with his provincial counterparts in Ottawa on Monday.

On the cannabis file, Manitoba officials have outstanding questions and will meet with the feds in the coming weeks to sort them out, according to provincial Finance Minister Cameron Friesen.

We have more work to do. We simply need more time now to go back to our jurisdiction, to understand what this means, he said, adding Manitoba will weigh the benefits of either joining Mondays deal or crafting a provincial, standalone framework.

He said Manitoba is concerned the commitment for public awareness and advertising campaigns appears inadequate, as does details on border security, cross-border trade and addictions spending.

There wasnt a lock-dead date today (to commit to the pot deal); I made sure to test that with the federal finance minister.

Friesen claimed not one province or territory has a clear sense of how much legalized marijuana will cost for public education and enforcement, nor whether they stand to make a profit.

Today we stand at a point where we know some costs, and there are other costs that we simply do not know, he said, but would not detail what those known costs actually are. Listen, I cant go line by line, because we simply dont have detail.

Morneau said provinces will have different societal costs based on what sales and distribution systems they choose.

The deal announced Monday would take effect for two years starting in July, with an interim meeting in December 2018 to assess how its working. Within that two-year time period, Morneau expects legalized pot to generate roughly $400 million in excise tax revenues.

That doesnt include GST, which in Manitoba is charged alongside PST at a rate of 13 per cent. Under Mondays deal, an $8 gram of cannabis would cost $10.17 after all taxes are factored in, because the excise tax would be applied at the point of manufacture, and that amount would then face GST and PST at point of sale. All three taxes will apply to all forms of cannabis, including medicinal pot, despite outcry from patient groups.

Last month, Ottawa had proposed a 50-50 profit split with the provinces. On Sunday evening, Friesen said he was pushing for the provinces to get 100 per cent of the cannabis-tax revenue.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities asked that cities get a third of the excise tax, for policing and other costs; Ottawa says those decisions will be up to the provinces and territories, to Friesens approval.

The province is best situated to broker those conversations and relationships with municipal leaders back home, Friesen said. I felt it was not the place to have those discussions, in the context of a provincial-territorial federal meeting.

Friesen said Manitoba is reluctantly sticking with Ottawas July 1, 2018 deadline to legalize recreational cannabis. It means what we need to do, we must do in more of a hurry, and we will pay a premium for that risk, he warned.

Were fully engaged; this is not about dragging our feet.

This July, after Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister spent months pushing for a later deadline, he convinced his fellow premiers to say theyd only respect the timeline if the federal Liberals clarified five issues, including road safety and the black market. It appears the provinces are now satisfied.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 11/12/2017 (1802 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Residents in Norwood Flats wont have to pave paradise and put in a parking lot to discourage St. Boniface Hospital workers from parking on streets there  the citys just going to restrict street parking to two hours.

And with city councillors poised at a special council meeting on Tuesday to raise metered parking rates by $1.50 per hour, the residents are pleased the restrictions should be in place in the near future since even more people will be avoiding parking at meters, they believe.

Bob Gooding, who has lived on Pinedale Avenue for 33 years, said he has seen the parking problem in his neighbourhood get worse over the years.

The city allows residents on a street to ask for time-restricted parking if 70 per cent of property owners agree and sign a petition. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

The bulk of it is from St. Boniface Hospital, Gooding said on Monday.

In the summer there are people who park here who work downtown because it is a perfect length to walk, but year round it is St. Boniface Hospital staff.

Gooding said he doesnt believe much will immediately change with the numbers of motorists looking for parking spots in his area when parking rates go up because it is winter.

It will next summer, but by next summer well have our (parking) prohibition in place, and other streets are working towards it too, he said.

The city allows residents on a street to ask for time-restricted parking if 70 per cent of property owners agree and sign a petition. The city then allows residents to purchase up to three annual parking passes for $25 each, but each pass has to be registered to a homeowners own vehicles to prevent the passes from being rented out.

Gooding said he knows most of the vehicles that are parked in front of his house, or on nearby Lyndale Drive and Walmer Street, are hospital staff because they park shortly before the hospitals nursing shift change at 8 a.m., and then leave just past 4:30 p.m., when many shifts end.

The residents have complained about the parking problem to local city Coun. Matt Allard.

Following a community meeting in the summer, Allard (St. Boniface) was able to get the city to agree to time-restricted parking on both Lyndale and Walmer. The signs will be up on those streets before the end of the year.

Allard said he warned the residents that because the vehicles would likely migrate to other nearby residential streets once restrictions were in place, residents on each street should start a petition asking for time-restricted parking there as well.

Bob Gooding, who has lived on Pinedale Avenue for 33 years, said he has seen the parking problem in his neighbourhood get worse over the years. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

There are no residences on Walmer, but the area residents would like to park there because their own streets are full because of people day-parking there. The residents say vehicles are driving through their neighbourhood all the time looking for parking, he said.

Gooding said hell be glad when the parking situation changes on his street and in his neighbourhood because now it is difficult to get help from home care or packages delivered to area residences.

I had cancer 10 years ago and I needed a nurse to change the dressings all the time, he said. If a nurse hadnt lived just down the street, I would have been out of luck. And while Canada Post will park on the street and put on their flashers, other delivery vehicles will see there is no parking and theyll just leave.

It has been a problem for years.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 12/12/2017 (1801 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON  An Anglican priest who used the church credit card to make more than $190,000 in unauthorized private purchases pleaded guilty to theft in Brandon Court of Queens Bench on Monday.

Noah James Bernard Njegovan was charged with theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 for stealing from the The Diocese of Brandon  where he was an executive archdeacon at the time  between Jan. 26, 2010 and Aug. 27, 2012.

The fraud charges have since been stayed by the Crown.

Njegovan used the church credit card 1,003 times during the 31-month period, racking up a total amount of $192,000 in bills, Crown attorney Marnie Evans told the court.

Civil court documents filed in 2014 alleged Njegovan used the church credit cards for things such as cash advances, meals, bar and hotel tabs and three trips to Las Vegas.

The charges initially went undetected because frequent payments were made from a diocese savings account using Internet banking  a procedure not normally used and not authorized, Evans said.

(Njegovan) hid the credit card spending from scrutiny by the executive committee, he did not show his expenditures in his office budget and spent far beyond his budget without telling the executive committee, Evans said. He hid the credit card statements and failed to provide receipts to show that spending was for business purpose He also lied to church auditors in 2010 about the purpose of bank withdrawals hed made to pay off the credit card, claiming they were for something else.

Njegovan has since paid The Diocese of Brandon back in full, Evans said.

Were very pleased that this is coming to a close, Rt. Rev. William Cliff said outside the court room. Were hopeful that kind of redemption can spill over for everybody and that we can move on  both the diocese and the Njegovan family  and enjoy new relationships with everybody.

The Diocese of Brandon also issued a statement yesterday, stating that effective, Dec. 8, Njegovan had relinquished the exercise of ordained ministry pursuant to the Canon XIX of the Anglican Church of Canada. The statement means he will no longer function or be listed as a priest.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled in January.

 Brandon Sun
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Riding Mountain National Park is closing one of its lakes due to the threat of zebra mussels.

The Manitoba park announced Tuesday genetic traces of zebra mussels  but not the actual mussels themselves  have been found in Whirlpool Lake, about 15 kilometres northeast of Wasagaming townsite.

Both the lake and its campground will be closed as a precautionary measure for all of 2018, after which their status will be re-evaluated, officials said. Motorized boats were previously not allowed in the lake, but now canoes and kayaks will be banned as well.

Megan Dudeck Photo Whirlpool Lake is closed after genetic traces of zebra mussels were found.

Whirlpool Lake is located along Highway 19 and east of Highway 10, which runs north-south through the park, located some 250 km northwest of Winnipeg.

It is one of about 15 lakes its size or larger in Riding Mountain. Whirlpool is about one-10th the size of Clear Lake.

Park researchers stressed they have not found live zebra mussels; what they have found is environmental DNA (eDNA) the organism leaves behind as it moves through water.

Were hoping that it doesnt mean anything alive. It could be a piece of shell, or from a bird that ate a zebra mussel and excreted it, or maybe someone had a little shell on a canoe or kayak, said Paul Tarleton, acting field unit superintendent at the park.

Its a new technique (used to find the eDNA), and were kind of lucky because you can catch a potential presence a lot more quickly.

Multiple tests have been conducted and show no presence of zebra mussel veligers (larvae), officials said.

Were disappointed to find it in Whirlpool because there arent any motorized boats allowed, and we always think of motorboats and trailers as the biggest vector of transmission, Tarleton said.

While Whirlpool does not run into Clear Lake and therefore could not contaminate it, it does flow into the Little Saskatchewan River system  and that is worrisome, he said.

Zebra mussels have yet to be found in any of the parks other lakes. Zebra mussels were first confirmed in Manitoba in Lake Winnipeg in 2013, and there is a high threat they will spread to other lakes in the province. They have been found in a lake in Duck Mountain Provincial Park to the north, as well as Cedar Lake and the Red River.

The closure of Whirlpool Lake follows international standards to prevent the spread of invasive species.

Parks Canada takes this matter seriously and we are vigilant in our efforts to prevent the introduction of zebra mussels to waters in Riding Mountain National Park, park officials said in a prepared statement. Staff will continue to monitor the situation closely and take action if a positive result is found.

Riding Mountain operates an aquatic invasive species prevention program that includes proactive monitoring, inspection and decontamination of watercraft. Lakes in Riding Mountain National Park are tested routinely for zebra mussel eDNA and veligers.

All motorized and non-motorized watercraft, including canoes and kayaks, entering any waters in the park must undergo a mandatory inspection for aquatic invasive species. Watercraft that pass the inspection receive a permit from Parks Canada.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 12/12/2017 (1801 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba faces two serious problems.

First, two water-power electric generation projects are under construction, and unfortunately, Manitoba has no direct need for the electricity, nor has the U.S. The resulting long-term debt, with little capacity to reduce it, leads to the question of what Manitoba Hydro was thinking, or if it is even capable of rational corporate thought.

And, concurrently, Manitoba also needs to find effective ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Putting the two together could solve both problems.

Farm tractors and combines are major polluters. These machines cant be shut down because Manitoba needs the efficiencies they provide to compete and to generate farm revenue. This revenue, in turn, generates spending that furthers economic activity in the province, adding considerably to the state of the economy.

There is a potential to use the surplus electricity while significantly reducing carbon pollution. The excess electricity can be used to separate hydrogen from water, thus creating fuel for the tractors (adapted to burn hydrogen). These tractors would produce only water vapour as exhaust, thus eliminating the CO2 emission problem.

The production of hydrogen using excess electricity could be done close to the hydroelectric generating station (i.e. Conawapa and Keeyask); there is no need to have expensive transmission lines, as its much cheaper to ship the hydrogen by rail once it has used water from the nearby river for the production process.

The hydrogen produced would be adequate to fuel all the farm tractors operating on farms in Manitoba. Long power lines would not be needed, reducing large numbers of birds injured by hitting the wires. The hydrogen could be produced close to the new dams and transported to southern Manitoba by rail, assuming that the northern rail line will actually be operational by then.

There are other alternatives. The hydrogen could also be used to fuel ships crossing through the Arctic, considerably reducing the risk of serious oil spills in the currently clean Arctic waters.

The use of hydrogen for farm tractor fuel would considerably reduce CO2 emissions in the agricultural sector. Currently, agriculture is one of Manitobas significant polluters and deserves priority. There are no other readily available alternatives that could accomplish the job.

Given that global demand for hydrogen is growing at a rate of 3.5 per cent annually and can be expected to grow considerably in the coming years, there are almost unlimited markets for hydrogen. Exporting it, however, instead of burning it in tractors, effectively reduces Canadas capacity to lower its own pollution that contributes to global warming.

Unfortunately, making this happen is not an easy task. If everyone was starting from scratch, this solution could be easily put in place.

However, Manitoba Hydro has been selling electricity since its inception, and has a vested interest in the status quo. It is now imperative that people and corporations think in terms of objectives, not tradition. The objective in this case is production of energy in Manitoba that does not pollute the air.

Farmers learned years back that change is inevitable. Those who have survived the changes of the past will be prepared to innovate to keep up with technology and demand. This implies accepting new innovative practices that improve productivity and make them competitive and viable.

Were this not the case, they would still be tilling the land with horses.

If Manitoba Hydro cannot keep up with technology and market trends, someone else will pick up the role opened by technological advance, and Hydro will appear to either treat hydrogen energy as a fake option or attempt to simply fight against progress. Its not the energy industry that holds the reins, but the customers. Farmers, for example, are always seeking new ways to be more efficient.

If Hydro wont move, someone will, and Hydro could find its market dwindling.

One way or the other, Hydros market for electrical power is static, if not dwindling. The question is whether Hydro will adapt to current societal priorities (including CO2 emission reductions), or whether it will assume a leadership role in technological advancement and socially and environmentally responsible energy production.

Jim Collinson is an economist and consultant who focuses on connections amongst environment and the economy. He has held senior positions in Canadian governments, chaired the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and headed Canadas team to OECD High Level Committee on Environment and Economy.
W&M professors exhibition celebrates the complexity of Goan identity

An artist in action: Vamona Navelcars story embodies the multiplicity of experiences and cultures that constitute the Goan identity. Courtesy photo Photo - of - Hide Caption

As students begin departing for their winter holiday break, R. Benedito Ferrao will spend his new year in Goa, employing the power of art and remembrance to actualize a modified understanding of the regions cultural identity.

I think art is so important because it literally illustrates the kinds of things that get forgotten, said Ferrao, enthusiastically explaining the significance of one octogenarian artist  Vamona Navelcar  who represents the complexity of a hidden culture and serves as the subject of Ferraos research initiative.

Ferrao, an assistant professor of English and Asian & Pacific Islander American studies at William & Mary, will be presenting an exhibition in Goa from Dec. 12, 2017, to Jan. 12, 2018. Titled Goa/Portugal/Mozambique: The Many Lives of Vamona Navelcar, the event will feature and celebrate Navelcars artistic work, complex story and cultural legacy.

Ferrao emphasized that Vamona Navelcars story embodies the multiplicity of experiences and cultures that constitute the Goan identity. Having become indirectly embroiled in the historical and cultural consequences of decolonization, Navelcar speaks to a forgotten time and place in the world.

Before fully addressing the value of Navelcars story, Ferrao articulated the importance of understanding the world Navelcar inhabited as a Goan artist during the period of decolonization.

Navelcar grew up in Goa, what Ferrao termed a very tiny part of the world that was colonized by the Portuguese in 1510. In 1961, India invaded Goa, seizing control from the Portuguese. Shortly before this claim to power, Ferrao explained that the young artist, Navelcar, became unexpectedly enmeshed in the regions political affairs. He received a scholarship from the then-Portuguese-dictator to travel to Portugal and practice his art.

I think the dictator was doing a little bit of PR here, said Ferrao with a laugh. These are the waning days of colonialism. British India has already disbanded. The Portuguese are holding on as steadfastly as they can to these few dominions they have left around the world.

Following Navelcars travel to Portugal and the 1961 Indian takeover of Goa, Navelcar found himself in a precarious situation: He is a Portuguese citizen of Goan origin, but now Goa is no longer Portuguese, Ferrao said. Instead of returning home, Navelcar traveled to Mozambique, where the newly decolonized government places him, among other artists, into a hard labor camp. When he is freed, Ferrao said, Hes so heartbroken from what happened to him that he decides to leave and return to Portugal. He gets to [Portugal], but his suitcase doesnt. In one fell swoop, he loses everything. His suitcase is never found.

In a few years, when the artist returns to Goa, then under Indian control, he finds the aesthetic, the way of thinking about art, does not include him. The artistic mores of India, having communicated themselves to Goa, had developed into the dominant strain of culture and heritage, Ferrao explained.

Theres a push towards the fixity of Goan identity as it must only mirror Indian identity  I call it a push because thats not what Goan identity is, it is these multiple things, he said.

At the time, Ferrao said, Navelcars art doesnt fit into the larger imaginary of the way in which India thinks of itself and the world thinks of India, which had become intertwined with the global understanding of Goa. As a result, Navelcars art, which embodies a distinct cultural complexity of his own life, and the Goan experience, becomes largely unappreciated.

When Ferrao first learned of Navelcars story while residing in Goa, he was captivated. He recognized an overlap with his own personal history, his mother having been born and raised in East Africa, and his father having lived in Portuguese Goa.

These stories were not foreign to my own existence, but they seemed to be rapidly forgotten in the contemporary moment, he said. Here is a man from that past who is still living, but yet seemed to be forgotten. To this day, he continues to produce art that speaks to these multiple strands of Goan history, and also world history at the same time.

Today, Ferrao is encouraging more people to stand up and pay attention. As a member of the Al-Zulaij Collective, working in conjunction with the Fundacao Oriente to host the event in Goa, Ferrao is offering the exhibition to resurface not only [Vamona Navelcar,] but a kind of heritage thats still living.

Asked to articulate the implications of the exhibition for the Goan, and global, community, Ferrao explained, Theres a Portuguese word, saudade, which means loss, yearning and nostalgia. Even in saying that, theres no direct equivalent in English. The condition of saudade could be taken to mean loss, but the word is both loss and nostalgia. Theres that small space in this strange word that tells us just because something is not seen, it doesnt mean it goes away.

Navelcars very presence, his art and life story are a reminder that even though the politics of place or the dominant heritage of a place might represent one thing, there are several things on the margin that dont go away. By not paying attention to them, were doing them a huge disservice.

Ferraos month-long exhibition will tell a story about Goa that corrects this disservice by connecting the region to multiple paths of the world, addressing the intricacies of Goan identity, and bringing back to life that which has been forgotten, but will never go away.
At a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) member states in Brussels yesterday, the EU rejected the demand spearheaded by US President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This call openly tramples international law, which has long maintained that the status of Jerusalem can be settled only in peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Brussels meeting, coming after Netanyahu met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for tense talks over the weekend, pointed to explosive divisions between Washington and its European allies over the growing conflicts in the Middle East. At the same time, European officials issued reactionary denunciations of protests that are spreading internationally against Trumps demand.

Though EU officials repeatedly opposed Trumps proposal on Jerusalem before the summitafter meeting Netanyahu on Sunday, Macron called it contrary to international law and dangerous for world peaceNetanyahu said he expected European opposition would ultimately be overcome.

I believe that all, or most, of the European countries will move their embassies to Jerusalem, recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and engage robustly with us for security, prosperity and peace, he said. He also claimed that Israel helps Europe fight terrorism and shields Europe from refugee flows out of the war-torn Middle East.

Netanyahu aggressively promoted Trumps provocative proposal, which has exposed the fraud of the so-called peace process in Palestine, triggered mass protests and raised the specter of a new escalation of war in the Middle East. Demonstrations have erupted from Indonesia in Southeast Asia, across the Middle East including in Lebanon yesterday, to Tunisia and Europe. While Netanyahu was in Paris this weekend, Palestinian groups held a protest on Republic Square.

Netanyahu claimed, however, that in demanding Jerusalem be made Israels capital, what President Trump has done is put facts squarely on the table. Peace is based on reality.  Jerusalem is Israels capital, no one can deny it. It doesnt obviate peace, it makes peace possible.

After Netanyahus summit meeting with EU foreign ministers, however, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini said the EU would not support the proposal or move its embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The prime minister mentioned a few times he expected other countries to follow president Trumps decision... He can keep his expectations for others, but from the European Union member states side, this move will not come, Mogherini said.

Mogherini reiterated the EUs support for the common existence of Israeli and Palestinian national states, based on the borders prior to the 1967 war. She called this the international consensus and added that the EU would continue to support it until the status of Jerusalem was resolved by international negotiations.

Mogherini said the EU was acting in an attempt to prevent Trumps actions from triggering more opposition to US policy in the region. We do not wish to see a discredited US administration when it comes to the negotiations in the Middle East, she said.

Two governments with far-right ties, the Czech Republic and Hungary, had signaled support last week for Netanyahus positions. Hungary vetoed a draft EU statement condemning the call to move the Israeli capital to Jerusalem, while the Czech government had issued a statement declaring that it recognises Jerusalem to be in practice the capital of Israel. Subsequently, it issued a statement declaring that this previous statement had applied only to Israeli-held West Jerusalem. Yesterday, however, neither government publicly supported Netanyahus positions.

The EUs refusal to back Trumps demand for what is effectively an Israeli annexation of Jerusalem comes amid a downward spiral of war and bloodshed across the region. The United States and its European allies have suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Russia and Iran in the proxy war for regime change in Syria launched by NATO in 2011. Over six years of war that left hundreds of thousands dead in Syria and Iraq and forced tens of millions to flee, it became clear that the NATO powers Islamist proxies in the region had no real popular support whatsoever.

This defeat has not lessened, but rather increased, the danger that the ongoing wars created by decades of imperialist intervention in the Middle East could coalesce into an all-out regional war, or even a US-European-Russian conflict. The imperialist powers have no intention of ceding ground to Russia, Iran, or other powers such as China that are rapidly developing their influence in the Middle East. However, Washington and the main European powers are increasingly at odds over how to pursue this escalation and divide the spoils.

While the EU sought to bolster its regional military deployments by deepening its commercial influence in Iran after the adoption of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, Washington is pushing for all-out military escalation. These divisions have widened since Trumps election and his trip to the Middle East in May, in which he handed a blank check to Saudi Arabia for action against Iran. The EU opposed Trumps threat to de-certify the Iranian nuclear treaty, and France sought to defuse the situation last month when Saudi Arabia detained Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Trumps call to make Jerusalem Israels capital comes after repeated Israeli air strikes, launched with tacit US backing, against government forces inside Syria aligned with Russia and Iran. The Israeli daily Haaretz wrote that this signified that Israel is willing to risk a new front with Iran, and advocated eyeing the US to form a decided strategy. Last week, Israeli officials denounced Iran after the leader of an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, Qais al-Khazali, visited and delivered speeches near the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Increasingly, the regional powers are preparing for a new, even bloodier war. A major target of the US-Israeli escalation, as of Saudi Arabias detention of Hariri, is the Iranian-aligned Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. In 2006, Hezbollah fought an Israeli invasion force attacking Lebanon to a draw, and concerns are growing in Israeli media that Hezbollah has been strengthened militarily by its participation in the war against the US-backed intervention in Syria.

In this explosive crisis, the EU powers play a reactionary role. They are trying firstly to dissociate themselves from Washington and Tel Aviv in order to pursue their own imperialist interests, but above all to suppress anti-war protests against the reactionary policies of Trump and Netanyahu.

In a France Inter radio interview, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned of the danger of mass protests against Israel in the Palestinian territory: It is a risk, I do not wish it, I think everyone has to calm down now. He added, In fact, the United States are isolated on this matter.

Social-democratic Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also issued a reactionary attack on the protests against Israels threat to annex Jerusalem in her city. Even as Netanyahu orients to far-right forces in Eastern Europe closely tied to anti-Semitic movements, Hidalgo branded opponents of Netanyahus policy as anti-Semites, saying: Anti-semitism, which hides behind anti-Zionism, should never be allowed to win.
On Monday December 4, the state of Virginia introduced toll lanes on a major interstate highway connecting the northern Virginia suburbs to Washington, D.C. Before launch, tolls for a one-way trip on a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 66 were projected as high as $40, up to $4.00 a mile.

Motorists travelling in the High-Occupancy Toll lanes by themselves, without a passenger, pay the tolls going eastbound (into Washington) from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m. westbound, Monday through Friday. There is no toll for cars with two or more occupants.

The tolls fluctuate in price based on traffic on the highway, based on a requirement of maintaining a minimum average speed of 45 mph. As traffic increases, the toll rises to limit the vehicles entering the roadway, with the tolls adjusting every six minutes.

There is no upper limit on the tolls. During the first week, the top rate was $14.50, although it was estimated to go as high as $40 as traffic volume increases. In effect, those for whom such a price is not an obstaclethe upper-middle-class and the wealthywill zoom along at high speed, while those who cannot afford such a toll will be confined to lanes where there is no guaranteed minimum speed and traffic will be a bumper-to-bumper crawl at rush hour.

As one commuter aptly remarked on Twitter: The tolls on I-66 are being increased so only the 1% can afford to use it. Time to get that private jet.

Virginia government officials tried to sell the price-gouge as a way to help the state better manage traffic, encourage carpooling and public transit use, and give commuters more options. They also claim that toll revenue will be used for transit improvements in northern Virginia, including new commuter bus routes and park-and-ride facilities.

Rather than increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy to expand affordable and convenient transit options, however, the new tolls serve merely to ration access to high-speed road travel for the vast majority of working people who must drive to work. Commuting times in the Washington, D.C. region consistently rank among the highest in the country.

Prior to introduction of the tolls, Interstate 66 from the Washington beltway to the D.C. border was restricted to cars with two or more occupants (High-Occupancy Vehicle or H.O.V.) during rush hour. While vehicles with two or more occupants can continue to use the highway for free, with the introduction of the toll lanes, the rush hour periods were extended 90 minutes. Thus, many solo drivers who previously could use the interstate by leaving before 6 a.m. or after 9 a.m., are now forced to pay the exorbitant tolls.

For those living further away from D.C., and who cannot afford the new tolls, alternative transit options will only increase their already-long commutes, and are also not cheap. For those driving from the outer suburbs and parking at the furthest west Metro train stations, parking and a round-trip fare into Washington runs at least $16 a day.

Metro, the Washington areas bus and subway system, is constantly under-funded. This summer, Metro cut bus routes, reduced funding for door-to-door transportation for the disabled, increased fares on both rail and buses, and reduced the number of trains on five of the six rail lines.

The I-66 toll lanes add to an already large network of such roads in northern Virginia. In the past five years, about 45 miles of tolled express lanes have opened on I-95 and on the Capital Beltway (I-495). By 2022, Virginia projects to have 90 miles of toll roads in northern Virginia, including a planned expansion of the I-66 toll road on a 22.5-mile stretch running outside the Beltway.

Maryland is also planning to introduce tolled express lanes on about 100 miles of highway, including on the entire 40-mile portion of the Beltway running through the state, as well as on a 30-mile stretch of Interstate 270, and on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

The proposal for the new express lanes on I-270 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway calls for them to be financed, designed, built, operated and maintained by private companies. According to Marylands governor, if completed, the projects would represent the largest privatized highways in North America.

According to the Washington Post, toll roads in the U.S. currently generate $13.8 billion in annual revenue. In essence, this is a regressive tax that falls disproportionately on the working class, as workers pay a far higher portion of their income in commuting costs.

And the toll roads being introduced and expanded in the Washington region are just the beginning. Rob Puentes, president of the Eno Center for Transportation, and proponent of the increased use of toll roads, told the Post that the Washington, D.C. region is emerging as a pioneer and innovator when it comes to using congestion pricing  Its going to have implications far beyond just this region.

Libertarians are also gushing at Marylands scheme for increased tolled highways. Robert Poole, director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think-tank, told the Baltimore Sun that Marylands toll road plan is a very big deal. The tolling community, the [public-private partnership] community, the express-lane community, will be going gaga.

While the ruling class enthuses over the opportunity to extend the sway of the capitalist market over commuter travel and squeeze money out of the working class, the traveling public will be increasingly forced into a series of bad alternatives. With public transportation funding dwindling, and no expansion of high quality options, workers face the choice of longer and more expensive drives, or inadequate mass transit options that are consistently starved of funding.

Northern Virginia is also home to numerous military contractors including Lockheed Martin, Northup Grumman, General Dynamics, and Raytheon, which receive tens of billions in federal money to produce the weapons used in US wars. While no expense is spared to arm the Pentagon, working class commuters in the region face increasingly expensive costs of living and travel.
Fires continued to rage for an eighth straight day across Southern California on Monday. Though some of the relatively smaller fires in Northeast Los Angeles, Santa Clarita and West Los Angeles are now considered completely or nearly completed contained, larger fires in Ventura, San Diego and Riverside continue to burn.

Since they began last Monday, the fires have collectively destroyed more than 790 structures; 18,000 structures remain under threat according to official estimates.

One person is confirmed dead as a result of the fires while more than 45 horses and an uncounted number of livestock and other animal life have also perished.

The largest blaze, known as the Thomas fire, has burned over 230,000 acres across Santa Barbara and Ventura County. The total size of the fire now exceeds the combined area of the five boroughs of New York City and is nearly a third the size of the state of Rhode Island.

The Thomas fire spread 50,000 acres on Sunday alone, leading officials to order the evacuation of 5,000 residents in Santa Barbara County, while putting another 30,000 on alert. Containment of the fire has dropped from 15 to 10 percent. It is now the fifth largest wildfire in modern California history according to CalFire data.

The southern edge of the Thomas fire was contained by Sunday, but fire continues to fan out in other directions, including northwest along the Pacific coast where it threatens 13,000 residents of the nearby town of Carpinteria.

The town is surrounded by ocean to the south and the steep hillsides of the Los Padres National Forest to the north. Because the hillsides are largely inaccessible to ground crews, Cal Fire personnel are preparing a defensive wall to prevent the fire from encroaching too far into the town. Vegetation and brush surrounding the city have not burned since 1932 heightening the threat of fire, according to Steve Swindle, spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department.

A total of 88,000 residents have been evacuated as a result of the Thomas fire, and Southern California Edison estimates that 85,000 of its customers in the Santa Barbara area are without electrical power. As of Sunday, official estimates place the cost of the Thomas fire alone to be $25 million. This amount, while large, is equal to a mere 0.025 percent of the net worth of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos whom Forbes Magazine estimated to be worth $100.6 billion as of November 2017.

Low-income families, who have few housing options to begin with, have been particularly hard hit by the Thomas fire, which has already destroyed 537 structures itself and damaged 118.

There are a number of low-income people who have been burned out, Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett said at a town hall on Saturday as reported by the Washington Post.

Many of us are going to have to open up our homes, he said.

Fortunately, slower wind speeds have been predicted over the coming week. Fire conditions in the Santa Barbara/Ventura area may be exacerbated by unseasonably warm temperatures. A high of 81 degrees Fahrenheit is predicted for Tuesday and a high of 80 degrees is predicted for Wednesday.

The Lilac fire in San Diego County, while 80 percent contained, could cause new fires if strong Santa Ana winds end up spreading embers. The fire has reportedly destroyed 151 structures and damaged 56 others.

The Lilac fire began at approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday and burned through 500 acres in less than 20 minutes before spreading to 4,100 acres that evening.

CalFire, the state agency responsible for fire protection in nearly all the states wildlands and rural areas, has reported over 92,000 pounds of retardant and 230,000 gallons of water have been used since the Lilac fire started. Despite the sheer size and scope of the fire near one of the largest urban areas on the West Coast, CalFire has had to work with 140 fire engines, 17 bulldozers and only 11 helicopters.

Three individuals have suffered burn injuries while another was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation from the Lilac Fire. Three firefighters have also suffered injuries while more than 20,000 San Diego Gas & Electric Customers lost power after the fire began.

Overall, more than 8,500 firefighters have been fighting the fires throughout Southern California since they began last week.

Evacuees face great difficulties, especially those who have lost their homes. For those residents whose homes are still standing, it is unclear when they will be allowed to return.

As long as the areas are a continued threat, we are going to leave those evacuation orders in place, for safety of life, Charles Esseling, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or CalFire, said on Sunday.

The hundreds of thousands of families affected by the fires, like their counterparts in Northern California several weeks earlier, are first and foremost, political victims. It is this dawning consciousness which compelled Californias Democratic Governor Jerry Brown to undertake a highly-publicized damage control operation in Southern California over the weekend.

On Saturday, Brown visited the Thomas fire in Ventura. He referred to the extreme weather conditions caused by climate change, which led to the blazes, as the new normal, according to KTLA.

We have to have the resources to combat the fires and we have to also invest in managing vegetation and forests, and all the ways we dwell in this very wonderful place, but a place thats getting hotter, Brown said.

Far from attributing damage and loss of life to continuous emergency services and infrastructure cuts, many of which his own administration is responsible for, he instead urged Californians to get used to fires as the new normal.

This is something that happens every year or every few years, he said. Were about to have a firefighting Christmas.

The governors appearances were followed by an interview with the 60 Minutes news program on Sunday in which he tried to divert blame for the wildfires entirely on the Trump administration.

Brown, a former Jesuit Seminarian, was asked about Trumps claim that manmade climate change was a hoax. The governor responded, 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.

In fact, while the Trump administration is directly responsible for a tax reform program which removes deductions for uninsured or underinsured victims of wildfires and blithely ignores the climate change which has resulted in rising temperatures and fire seasons lasting 40 to 50 days longer than the previous century, it was the administration of Brown in California that cut overall disaster assistance from $52.7 million to $8.5 million. Only $2 million had been set aside to help local agencies remove dead or dying trees, many of which have now contributed to the overall devastation of the years wildfires.

Once again, despite any rhetorical claims to the contrary, the common unity of class interest between the Democrats and the Republicans and Trump is definitively expressed in their callous response to yet another preventable humanitarian disaster.

The inability to effectively combat and prevent wildfires and other natural disasters does not arise out of the individual political failings of Trump, Brown or any other capitalist politician. It arises out of an economic system which subordinates basic infrastructure maintenance and wildlands management to the drive for profit. The rational utilization of mans productive forces to fully prevent and combat the devastation caused by fires, hurricanes and other natural disasters requires the socialist reorganization of society by the international working class.
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For many college students, the growing global migrant crisis may seem a tragic but distant reality.

But for 20 Emory students, the challenges faced by the worlds displaced peoples took on real-life dimensions this semester through an anthropology special topics seminar that found them working together with migrants and refugees across four continents.

The class, Anthropology 385: The Migrant and Refugee Crisis, nurtured an intimate, first-person understanding of issues migrants face by requiring students to talk with these people, understand their lives and needs, and propose sustainable solutions to address some of their barriers to success.

The course is taught by Isabella Alexander 16PhD, a cultural anthropologist and assistant visiting professor in the Department of Anthropology whose research focuses on the socio-political realities of transitional migration in some of the worlds most critical border regions.

In the classroom, the search for understanding meant skyping and talking with displaced migrants and refugees originally from countries such as Syria, Guinea and Afghanistan to capture unfiltered views on issues including access to health care, education and legal assistance, labor and human rights abuses, and employment discrimination.

Its not just about identifying and understanding the problems in our world, its creating solutions to them, Alexander explains.

Thats how Emory students found themselves in a campus conference room last week presenting enthusiastic pitches to educators and community organizers about the apps, online platforms and resources, and community programs they created in hopes of garnering both interest and support.

Instead of churning out final papers, their culminating project involves writing targeted grant proposals that could help bring it all to life.

To the students, it was a heady experience, steeped in the thrill of identifying a problem and actually doing something about it. For their professor, it was an affirming case study in the power of engaged learning.

Making global connections

Though shes taught the seminar before, its the first time Alexander has structured it to include interactions with global community partners  migrants and refugees originally from Colombia, Mexico, Syria, Afghanistan, Guinea and Sierra Leone now living in Morocco, France, Italy, Brazil, Canada, Lebanon and the U.S.

After my first class, I knew from my own experience working in migrant and refugee communities that there was still a piece missing, Alexander recalls.

Students were able to explore these issues, but never had the chance to talk to people living with displacement, she says. I wanted that connection, to help them realize we werent just talking about a number  some 65 million individuals. These were real people, just like them.

Supported by an engaged learning grant from Emorys Center for Faculty Development and Excellence, the course provided many students with their first deep dive into the topic.

For Mikaila Schmitt, a senior majoring in anthropology, the class offered her first real exposure to immigration issues. Teamed with senior Konya Badsa and junior Sophia Dillon, the group connected with Khatera Barati, a 17-year-old North Druid Hills High School student and refugee who was resettled from Afghanistan to the U.S. with her family at the age of 14.

Bright and funny, Barati shared frank stories of how difficult it had been to navigate adolescence and a new culture, while searching for connection and support.

When I heard her story, her experiences and struggles coming here as a refugee, I knew that if I was in her shoes, I would want a mentor, a friend, someone to guide me, says Badsa, a senior majoring in quantitative sciences with a concentration in biological anthropology.

As someone who had benefited from mentors growing up, I knew the impact that could have, she says. Dr. Alexanders class gave us both the partners and the outlet to do that.

Out of those conversations grew Friendship Beyond Borders, a peer mentorship program that seeks to connect refugee girls at The Global Village Project in Decatur with non-refugee girls at Atlantas The New School to support one another and promote cultural understanding.

Even as the Emory students were presenting their pitch, the project had momentum. Girls at both schools have enrolled to participate; some have already received training in cultural sensitivity. Mentors and mentees will be paired this month.

Our final is to apply for a grant to support the project, something Ive never done before, Badsa says. But its exciting. Sometimes people think about doing these things, but to actually have the support and encouragement to do it is altogether another thing.

Im someone who has always had really big dreams, but I didnt always believe that I could make a difference, reflects Schmitt. Now, I know I can. I think this class empowered a lot of us to make a difference.

Voices for change

As the daughter of African immigrants who came to the U.S. from Sierra Leone, Adama Kamara, a sophomore majoring in anthropology and international studies, was especially interested in the class.

Her eyes were opened when she learned about a slave trade of African migrants reportedly taking place in Libya. For some people in the class, this started as a theoretical exercise, Kamara says. Growing up, Id heard about other abuses, but this really touched me.

Her response? Kamara and fellow student Mialovena Exume, a senior majoring in anthropology and human biology and Spanish, worked with Mamadou, a Guinean asylum-seeker now living in France, to create More Than a Migrant, an online platform for African migrants to share their stories and report abuses.

The goal: Raise public awareness about the worlds largest migrant population while providing human rights advocates with critical first-hand information on the types, locations and frequencies of abuses on a global scale.

And just as students grew through the experience, so did their global community partners. Many participated in classroom reading assignments along with their Emory peers, Alexander says.

It was really special for us to forget that we're migrants or refugees for a few hours every week and just get to be college students and normal teenagers again, says Mamadou. We didn't know that college students in America knew about us or cared about our lives. This class has made us feel like the world is smaller and our future is a little more hopeful."

For Kamara, the experience has prepared her for next semester, when shell study migration issues in Geneva, Switzerland. This class made me see that despite the fact that Im a black woman coming from a Muslim community, I have this huge privilege of having the resources and a voice that others dont always have, she says.

And despite the things Im going through here, there are people around the world going through things that are much worse, she says. Thats why I really need to use my voice.

Other final student proposals included:

DACA Deconstructed  Anna Tellefsen and Kavelle Gosine

A platform for DACA recipients to share their stories, raise public awareness about current U.S. immigration policies and the contributions of undocumented migrants.

Med Buddy  Alison Swanbeck and Neehal Shukla

An online database providing refugees with health literacy and information on low-cost and no-cost clinics and healthcare resources.

Lawyers Without Borders  Gordon Hong, Kevin Delijani, and Shoba Patel

A legal aid program connecting undocumented migrants in the U.S. with law students seeking to learn more about immigration law and local firms seeking to donate pro-bono hours.

Generations of Divide  Abbe McCarter, Sarah Elmongy

An educational program and interactive classroom experience aimed at ending racism against refugee through videos on Syria and Lebanons unique history; led by college students in high schools around Lebanon.

Undoculinked  Lilla Sai-Halasz, Trishanne Gillings

An app providing undocumented high school students in the U.S. with information on colleges and universities open to them and connecting them to low- and no-cost application resources in their communities.

Migrating Art  Alina Li, Peter Habib

Online marketplace for migrant and refugee artists to sell their work across borders and connect with other artists.

The Migrant Action Movement  Jazmin Campos, Natalia Quezada

Anonymous platform for migrants to report abuses, providing organizations and those fighting for migrants rights with critical information on types, locations and frequency of abuses in the U.S.

The Resettlement Pathway  Yasmeen Shahout

A step-by-step program providing refugees with financial literacy education and resources necessary to ease their transition over the first year in a new country.
Politically, Chris Evans and Sean Hannity probably dont agree on anything, but Captain America and the Fox News host are both reaching out to show their support for Keaton Jones, a boy whose tearful speech against bullying went viral this weekend.

In the video, which was posted by Jones mother, Kimberly, the boy tearfully asks why kids pick on him by making fun of his nose and telling him he has no friends.

Whats the point of it? he wondered aloud. Why do you find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them? Its not okay.

This is Keaton Jones, he lives in Knoxville and he has a little something to say about bullying.pic.twitter.com/coyQxFp33V  Everything TN (@Everything_TN) December 9, 2017

The Tennessee boy then turns his attention to other bullied kids, offering them some words of hope.

If you are made fun of, just dont let it bother you, he said. Just stay strong, I guess. Its hard. Butitll probably get better one day.

The video has since been viewed over 17 million times, and various celebrities have reached out to show their support, including Evans and Hannity. Evans tweeted that he wants to invite Jones to the premiere of Avengers: Infinity War next spring, while Hannity wants to help start a scholarship fund to help with Jones education.

Update; Good news, apparently some Titans and Vol players are helping Keaton. The school needs this Fixed immediately or people should be fired. If Someone sets up scholarship account for Keaton, lets raise $. Ill start with $10,000. $5,10,25 pp would be amazing. https://t.co/IzLGx2e9V6 - Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) December 10, 2017

Stay strong, Keaton. Dont let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year? https://t.co/s1QwCQ3toi - Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 10, 2017

Evans and Hannity are just two of many prominent celebs that want to show their support to Jones and his family. Delanie Walker of the Tennessee Titans invited Jones and his family to an upcoming game, while other celebrities like Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown gave their own warm words. See more of the support for Jones below.

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@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

Meet Keaton Jones a very smart little boy who is being bullied at school. This video is heartbreaking!! I want to bring Keaton to Vegas and hang out at UFC Headquarters. If anyone knows how i can reach the family please let me know. Thank u everyone pic.twitter.com/BR8c4ldDFc - Dana White (@danawhite) December 10, 2017

@Lakyn_Jones Keaton, this is so accurate. Why do people do this? I think your sooo cool Keaton! I wanna be your friend ( but srsly) ur freakin awesome  Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebbrown) December 9, 2017

.@lakyn_jones Hey Keaton, bullies are the ones with the problems NOT you. Many are bullied at home and pass it on. Cowards always need an audience. Be strong! Ill come walk the hall and eat lunch with you anytime. #IstandwithKeaton #Keatonstrong #KeatonJones  Dr. Phil (@DrPhil) December 10, 2017

Keaton- hang in there. Keep studying and never lose sight of your dreams. I was bullied and called fat. It gets better. Your bullies have been hurt somehow and that is why they need to hurt. They will fade away. Adventure is out there. #Keatonjones https://t.co/r5pENrI9f3  Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) December 10, 2017

Keaton, Im sorry those kids are being so mean. Unless people like that change they will end up having unhappy lives. I think youre cool!  Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) December 9, 2017

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'Wonder' Film Review: Anti-Bullying Tale Is a Tasteful Tear-Jerker

George W Bush Shades Trump, Decries 'Bullying and Prejudice in Our Public Life' (Video)

Millie Bobby Brown Opens Up in Her Fight Against Bullying
Corey Feldman is not holding back.

During an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show Monday, Feldman  who was one of the first celebrities to publicly condemn Matt Lauer after he was fired for inappropriate sexual behavior  reiterated his criticism of the longtime anchor, referencing the Today show interview that Lauer conducted with him in October to discuss the sexual abuse Feldman says he experienced as a child actor in Hollywood and calling out Lauer, 59, for his skeptical line of questioning.

When I sat down with Matt, it was like I was being grilled, said Feldman, 46. So much so that at one point he said to me, Weve been down this road, Corey,  I was really blown away. I was taken aback. Where do you get the audacity to come at me?

So when this came out that he himself was a predator, it made perfect sense to me, he continued. He is the problem. Not him, but he epitomizes the problem. The way he behaved is a perfect example of the hierarchy and the mental abuse, the shaming, the power play of Im bigger than you  thats what this is about. And thats exactly how these predators get over on these victims.

Matt Lauer (left), Corey Feldman

Feldmans latest Dr. Oz appearance also addressed the newly uncovered audio files of his interview with Santa Barbara police detectives in 1993, in which he named one of his alleged abusers.

The way all of this continues to unfold is way beyond me. This is not something I could orchestrate, he said. So lets go back to these tapes. Lets talk about how this all came about. Six months ago, I moved into a new home. I was cleaning out my garage and I happened to be rummaging through some boxes and I found the tape. Then I forgot where I put it. Somehow it ended up in the back of my car. A week ago, I was cleaning out the back of my car and I found that tape again, so I emailed [Dr. Oz].

The very next day, I wake up in the morning to Google Alerts that say Santa Barbara police found the tape, he continued. I thought that [Dr. Oz] called the Santa Barbara police and told them, Hey, weve got the tapes. I could not believe for a second that the exact same day, within 24 hours of me finding my copy, they found their copy and they went to the press. (The Santa Barbara County Sheriffs office confirmed to PEOPLE on Dec. 6 that a copy of Feldmans 1993 interview had been located.)

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Throughout Feldmans appearance on the show, they played several portions of his interview with the two detectives, who came to Feldmans home at the time to question him about allegations of child sexual abuse being brought against Michael Jackson, whom Feldman was extremely close to. In the interview, Feldman repeatedly defended Jackson, but told detectives that a man by the name of Jon Grissom had sexually abused him when he was 15. (Feldman publicly came forward with his allegations against Grissom, a former actor, last month. Grissom hasnt commented.)

Despite Feldmans clearly stated allegation against Grissom, the detectives continued to bring the conversation back to Jackson. At one point, they asked Feldman if he knew where Grissom was, to which Feldman responded that he believed Grissom was back in California.

If we run across him, well let you know, said the detective with a laugh.

Reflecting on the tape with Dr. Oz, Feldman said he thought the cops were actually investigating Grissom, because they were the ones to bring up his name in the first place.

I actually thought they were investigating Jon, he said. I thought, because they brought that up, Oh wow, this is bigger than just Michael, they know what Jon did, and thats where this line of questioning is happening.  [But] they werent interested in Jon Grissom. They could have prevented multiple things. Im sure there are many kids he took advantage of during that time period. It could have all been prevented.

This guys a predator. Lets just say it: He was probably in love with me, in his sick and twisted mind, said Feldman. He was going around telling people that I was his boyfriend  so why isnt any justice being done? Why are you trying to put my friend [Michael Jackson] in jail, whos never harmed a fly, and yet you have this information and you arent doing anything about it? And Im still asking that question.

I feel like Ive spent my entire life fighting this battle and nobodys ever listened, he continued. Nothings happening, as far as I know.  Youve got to look at the fact that LAPD is still not investigating.

Asked if he feels vindicated at all over the uncovered tapes, Feldman said not yet.

Vindication will come when my best friend [Corey Haim]s perpetrators is behind bars, when the people that molested me are behind bars, and when my good friend Michael Jackson is fully exonerated in the public opinion because he was never a predator, he said. Michael Jackson needs to be cleared, for once and for all, which I could believe this could actually lead to.
Bullied child Keaton Jones may be very popular with celebrities at the moment, but many on social media are accusing his mother of racism.

Jones became internet famous when his mother, Kimberly Jones, posted a heartbreaking video of him describing bullying and harassment by his classmates. But soon after, people on social media began circulating photos they said were posted to her Facebook page of people holding Confederate flags.

We cant tell you if the pictures are real, because her Facebook page has been wiped of everything but one post, and she has not responded to messages seeking comment. Both Keaton and Go Fund Me were trending Monday because of a GoFundMe account created in the boys name had raised nearly $60,000.

Also Read: Chris Evans, Sean Hannity Reach Out to Bullied Kid Keaton Jones

A post attributed to Kimberly Jones, dated soon after the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, declares: Dear butt hurt Americans. If you arent bleeding, no bones are sticking out & you breathe, STOP crying! For the love, some folks clearly never picked a switch. And before yall start talking to me about metaphorical, emotional, financial or historical blood & brokenness, Dont. Join a group. #yallneedssomeporchtherapy #coffeewithJesus #somethin #FINE.

Many celebrities have pledged their support for Keaton, and many pointed out that some of the first stars to come forward, including Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker and Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton, are African Americans.

In addition, Captain America actor Chris Evans invited the boy to the next Avengers premiere, and Last Jedi star Mark Hamill, Fox News host Sean Hannity, and other celebrities also sent well-wishes.

Representatives for Evans, Walker and Hannity did not immediately respond to TheWraps request for comment.

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Also Read:'Wonder' Film Review: Anti-Bullying Tale Is a Tasteful Tear-Jerker

But that was before the backlash. On Monday, the website The Grapevine pondered whether Kimberly Jones was a racist money grabber.

A Vibe headline stated, Family Of Keaton Jones Faces Backlash After Mothers Views Of Black Protestors Comes To Light.

Also Read:'Morning Joe' Mocks Melania Trump Bullying Initiative: She Sleeps With 'Worst Bully in America'

Mixed martial artist Joe Schilling posted on Instagram what he said was an exchange with someone representing him or herself as Kimberly Jones. What happened to us whites sticking together and helping one of [sic] another against the predator? the person wrote.

But it was unclear whether the account really belonged to Kimberly Jones, because it appeared to have been created Sunday, after Keaton Jones post went viral. It also sought donations to a PayPal account.

A message from TheWrap to the owner of that account went unanswered Monday.

Also Read:George W Bush Shades Trump, Decries 'Bullying and Prejudice in Our Public Life' (Video)

Joseph Lam, who started the GoFundMe page for Kimberly Jones, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear how, or if, he knew the Jones family. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ESPN host Jemele Hill said that if Kimberly Jones did write racist posts in the past, there is an opportunity for a great, teachable moment here.

TMZ

TMZ

TMZ

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Wonder' Film Review: Anti-Bullying Tale Is a Tasteful Tear-Jerker

'Morning Joe' Mocks Melania Trump Bullying Initiative: She Sleeps With 'Worst Bully in America'

George W Bush Shades Trump, Decries 'Bullying and Prejudice in Our Public Life' (Video)
Keaton Jones' Mom Explains 'Ironic' Confederate Flag Photos Amid Claims She's Racist The mother of bullied Tennessee student Keaton Jones, Kimberly Jones, is responding to the backlash she's received after Facebook posts showed the family posing with a Confederate flag.

Keaton Jones never expected Captain America to help him stand up to bullies.

The Tennessee middle school student sat down with CBS' Knoxville, Tennessee, affiliate WVLT Local 8 News on Monday, where he opened up about the support he has received from celebs and the public at large after a video he shared about what it feels like to be bullied went viral.

"Chris Evans," Keaton answered when asked whose response has meant the most. "Most definitely, I love Captain America, and to know I have Captain America on my side, that is amazing."

Evans, who plays the comic book hero, invited Keaton and his mom to the premiere of next year's Avengers movie, tweeting, "Stay strong, Keaton. Dont let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year?"

"I wanted to spread the word of bullying and how it makes people feel that are impacted by it," Keaton said of why he decided to let his mom post the video. Asked if he predicted how big it would become, he answered, "No, I did not."

Keaton also opened up more candidly about the kind of bullying he says he's been subjected to since elementary school.

"I've been bullied most of my life. It really hit drastically in third grade and it's been awful ever since then," he said. "They call me mean, horrendous names, like all kinds of awful things. They say nobody likes me, they make fun of my nose, my scars, they've poured milk on me and poured ham down my clothes, thrown bread at me."

"It makes you feel like you're right under anyone else that bullies you and makes you feel sick and not appreciated by anyone," he added. "I don't like going back and thinking about it 'cause it was just awful. It made me feel awful about myself. Made me feel like I was nobody, I was a nobody."

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Keaton said that while he was scared to come forward about the bullying for fear of making it worse, he found some support in school from one of his teachers, as well as from his family.

"My first-period teacher has been amazing, shes let me know that if anyone picks on me, they have to go through her. Shes amazing," he shared. "I know that I love my family and that's all that matters ... They have been very supportive and been there whenever I needed them."

"Why do you take someone who is innocent that has never done anything to you, and make them feel like they don't belong?" Keaton said of what he'd ask bullies. "Because we're all human, were all the same."

Union County Director of Schools Jimmy Carter issued a statement regarding his bullying video.

"To fulfill our mission of educating all children in Union County Public Schools, we must provide an academic environment that is safe, civil and supportive. We do not tolerate bullying and have a policy in place that addresses conduct taking place on school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity, on school-provided transportation or at any official school bus stop," the statement read. "With any incident of bullying that is reported to our administrators, we follow the process of our policy and immediately investigate the alleged incidents. The privacy of all parties and witnesses to complaints will be respected in accordance with federal and state law."

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Chef Mario Batali is the latest public figure to be accused of sexual misconduct.

In an article posted on Eater on Monday morning, four women came forward with personal stories accusing Batali of inappropriate touching in a pattern of behavior that spans at least two decades. Batali has since removed himself from the day-to-day operations of his restaurant empire, and ABC has asked him to step away from The Chew while we review the allegations that have just recently come to our attention, said a spokesperson from the network.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Batali said: I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt. Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted. That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family.

In the wake of the news, high-profile chefs and culinary insiders have taken to Twitter to comment on the allegations and life inside the restaurant world.

Anthony Bourdain began tweeting cryptic hints about the Batali allegations on Sunday night, the night before the news broke. No. Trust me. Monday is really gonna suck, he wrote. He then followed with: Its where you stand when the people you care about and admire do awful things that matters. Keeping head down and hoping it goes away? No.

No. Trust me. Monday is really gonna suck .  Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017

Its where you stand when the people you care about and admire do awful things that matters. Keeping head down and hoping it goes away? No.  Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017

As the news broke on Monday morning, Bourdain confirmed the subject of his Tweets: Its Batali. And its bad, he wrote.

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Its Batali. And its bad .  Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 11, 2017

Bourdain has been outspoken on Twitter regarding the recent wave of sexual misconduct allegations, weighing in on the harassment claims against New Orleans chef John Besh and Harvey Weinstein. Bourdains girlfriend, Asia Argento, is one of the many women who have come forward with allegations against the film producer.

Chef Tom Colicchio entered the Twitter conversation by responding to Bourdain with a pointed statement: And no one should be surprised.

And no one should be surprised https://t.co/DCLvDzNYwO  Tom Colicchio (@tomcolicchio) December 11, 2017

Colicchio also responded to another Twitter user who questioned his lack of action. The initial tweet said, Statements like no one should be surprised sound an awful lot like a lot of people knew and chose not to intervene no one should stand by silent. The chef responded stating that accusations against Batali were well documented in Bill Bufords book Heat. In the book, which was published in 2007, Buford wrote about Batalis crass and boorish behavior toward female employees at his New York City restaurant Lupa.

Statements like "no one should be surprised" sound an awful lot like a lot of people knew and chose not to intervene.... no one should stand by silent  Logan Wilber (@FaceForRadioNYC) December 11, 2017

It was well documented in Bill Bufords book Heat https://t.co/r7El2X2M2m  Tom Colicchio (@tomcolicchio) December 11, 2017

So @bill_bufords Heat had Batali treating women this way on sets and at Lupa. pic.twitter.com/gOXEKxByvu  Pete Wells (@pete_wells) December 11, 2017

The Top Chef judge has been vocal in the wake of the several sexual misconduct scandals this year. In a first-person piece published in November called An Open Letter to Male Chefs, Colicchio addressed the rampant harassment in the restaurant industry culture. He wrote in the piece: This isnt just a matter of a few bad eggs and ?we all know it. For every John Besh splashed across Page Six, we can assume hundreds, if not thousands, more with kitchens just like the ones his female employees described.

I cannot believe we are in a true watershed moment when NOT ONE MAN has gotten ahead of allegations. They all know what they did and are just hoping their number doesnt come up. That is the opposite of integrity. #metoo #mariobatali  tiffani faison (@tiffanifaison) December 11, 2017

Other culinary professionals have weighed in on the Batali revelations, including Top Chef alum Tiffani Faison, who tweeted: I cannot believe we are in a true watershed moment when NOT ONE MAN has gotten ahead of allegations. They all know what they did and are just hoping their number doesnt come up. That is the opposite of integrity. #metoo #mariobatali

A few words pic.twitter.com/3iK3tozQdU  Eric Ripert (@ericripert) December 11, 2017

French chef Eric Ripert later followed with a general statement on the abusive behavior in the industry.
President Donald Trump has denied all allegations of sexual harassment and assault, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders insisted Monday, when asked about three Trump accusers who spoke on Megyn Kellys Monday Today hour, and at a subsequent presser.

This all took place before the election, Sanders said at a very acrimonious White House press briefing, adding, We feel like these allegations have been answered. and that the country delivered a verdict when he was elected to the White House.

Before the presser, CNN had aired an interview with NY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, in which she told CNN President Trump should resign, and that the womens numerous claims are credible. Gilibrand, who led last weeks successful Dem stampede to compel Sen. Al Franken to resign, said she wasnt holding her breath on Trump resigning under his own steam, suggesting Congress investigate.

The people of this country had a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel that these allegations have been answered through that process, Sanders said.

Sanders also insisted there were eyewitnesses who had refuted the allegations of the more than a dozen women who came forward claiming Trump harassed or assaulted them, after WaPo released the Access Hollywood tape in which he boasted about being so famous he could grab women by the p**sy.

The press-briefing reporter, whose question triggered that claim, was not given the chance to ask who were those eyewitnesses. Sanders stuck with the one-question-per-reporter policy she uses when she knows shes going to have a rough presser, and no reporter who followed thought to ask.

The press rep for Trump  who launched his political career leading the birther movement claiming President Obama is not a U.S. citizen  also blasted reporters she said purposefully mislead the American people about her boss. Sanders did get asked for specifics on that one, citing ABC News Brian Ross report claiming then-campaign adviser Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn had contacted Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign. Flynn reached out to Kislyak during the transition, after Trump was elected. ABC News suspended Ross over the botched report.

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One of the two suspects charged in the slaying of an expectant mother in North Dakota earlier this year has pleaded guilty, PEOPLE confirms.

Brooke Crews, 38, of Fargo, North Dakota, appeared in court Monday morning with her attorney, Steve Mottinger, to confess to her crimes in the death of 22-year-old Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind.

Crews, shackled and soft-spoken, pleaded guilty to three charges: conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and giving false information to the police.

She faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 16.

Crews attorney tells PEOPLE she decided to plead guilty after reviewing the evidence against her during discovery. She made the decision to take responsibility, he says.

LaFontaine-Greywind was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Aug. 19 from her familys Fargo apartment. Her plastic-wrapped body was found in the local Red River more than a week later, on Aug. 27.

Authorities said that she died of homicidal violence. Prosecutors provided a brief summary of the case at Mondays hearing but gave no further details about how or where LaFontaine-Greywind died or under what circumstances her child was born.

Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind

Prosecutors said Crews was responsible for the murder and stealing the unborn baby of LaFontaine-Greywind, who they alleged was killed by violence inflicted by her and her co-defendant.

LaFontaine-Greywind disappeared after visiting Crews third-floor apartment, located in the same building where she lived with her parents and younger brother, according to police. Crews had asked her to model a dress she was sewing.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

While authorities searched for LaFontaine-Greywind in the days after she went missing, Crews was arrested in her apartment after neighbors reported a baby crying in the building.

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Police said they found Crews with a newborn girl. DNA tests showed that the baby was, in fact, LaFontaine-Greywinds daughter.

The child was returned to her fathers custody earlier this year.

From left: William Hoehn and Brooke Crews

Prosecutors said Monday that Crews had planned to register LaFontaine-Greywinds daughter and raise the child as her own.

Crews live-in boyfriend, 32-year-old William Hoehn, was arrested soon after she was on Aug. 24. As with Crews, he faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping as well as providing false information to police.

He has pleaded not guilty and is still awaiting trial. His attorney has requested it begin in March.

Hoehns attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
Why shes a badass: This 25-year-old spends six months a year traveling with the Forest Service to handle various wildfires and prescribed burns in the American West. For about 80 to 160 hours per week often for two weeks at a time, McDade risks her life to protect the forest and make it a healthier and safer environment for the animals and people living in surrounding areas. Typically, shell start the summer season were shes based in Arizona and will then be sent across the Northwest as needed. I want people to understand that this is a real career path, and its a really rewarding career path, McDade says adding that her passion for wildlife and the outdoors were major influences in pursuing a firefighting field.

How she got into firefighting: McDade had planned on becoming a veterinarian after studying wildlife science and animal science at Virginia Tech. Then, a trip to Central America to work with jaguars in Belize shifted her focus from animal medicine to wildlife research and conservation. She then began working for state parks and started to realize that she enjoyed doing prescribed (or controlled) burns to balance out the local ecosystems in her state. I remember thinking how fun it was and how you could impact such a large area of land doing something that seems relatively simple. Then I wanted to move on to bigger, wide open spaces and I thought the Forest Service was my in for that.

Family support: Before [this career], I moved to Belize to work with jaguars, so my family wasn't that surprised when I told them I was moving out west to become a firefighter. McDade made the move to Arizona even before she secured her position on the U.S. Forest Service's firefighting team. It's a really cool job. I feel fortunate to have stepped into it and to have had it take off so quickly.

RELATED: This Badass Researcher Is Using Brain-Mapping to Improve Anxiety and Depression Treatment for Teens

The gear: McDade says her fire-resistant gear consists of a long-sleeve button-up shirt and pair of cargo pants that are made of a plastic blend that feels like cloth. McDade and her gear were recently featured by Plastics Make it Possible for their Protecting Our Heroes: A Tribute to Safety and Innovation program consisting of an online gallery, video, and multi-city pop-up exhibit celebrating her work. She also carries a hard hat, safety glasses, leather boots, leather gloves, and a big backpack containing drinking water, food, fire shelters, and extra tools. All-together, our gear weighs about 45 pounds minimum, and then everybody is assigned either chainsaws or some kind of hand tool. Sometimes well also carry these vinyl backpacks that hold five gallons of water [used to fight fires], so thats an extra 45 pounds.

Story continues

But McDade remains undeterred. She says her physically demanding job has taught her a lot about herself and has helped her to appreciate the incredible places shes been able to visit. Even on my worst day at work, I still want to be sitting on a log in the woods somewhere than anywhere else. Like earlier this year in Montana, I got horribly sick on a fire and I was just miserable. But I looked up and I realized, Wow, this is a really pretty mountain. The view up there was just incredible, and I would have never seen anything like that if I wasn't there for fire."

Overcoming mental obstacles: McDade says it took some time to get over initial jitters about working so closely to flames. One day I was holding a torch (a can of gasoline and diesel mixed so you can drip it as it lights on fire) lighting a controlled fire and it was getting kind of hot on my face so I stepped backwards. I watched some pretty tall flames in front of me and started getting all freaked out. Then my boss came on the radio and said, Hey Bailey, youre in the fire, girl. I looked behind me and I was standing waist-deep in flames. McDade says that even though the service provides its firefighters with just a single layer of flame-resistant clothing to wear, she felt comfortable. It was a turning point for overcoming her fear. I felt completely fine and I thought, Alright. This is a cool job.

But McDade says the real tough part about wild land firefighting, aside from how physically demanding the job can be, is the stamina it takes to stay mentally engaged for long periods of time in the field. Sometimes theres that hurry up and wait issue, where you go really quickly to everything some days and then other you might be digging a live all day long miles away from the reaction of the fire. Its tough to stay with it and understand that even the mundane tasks youre doing are important to the whole operation.

Woman in the field: McDade is the only woman on her crew and in her district. When you're the only girl, you do sometimes think about proving yourself. But you have to realize that any one of those guys is willing to save your life on any given day, and you have to feel the same way about them.

That said, McDade does wants to see more women in the field. [Firefighting] definitely takes a really strong work ethic. You have to play nice with others because you're spending 24/7 with your crew (which also means you have to have a good sense of humor). I want to inspire more young women to become firefighters and to take on those non-traditional roles and jobs in general because it's rewarding and I think [many millennial women] would be interested in it.

RELATED: Why Actress Danielle Brooks Doesn't Make New Year's Resolutions

How she spends the off-season: The ultra-adventurous firefighter simply cant stay indoors. I do a lot of traveling in the winter months, McDade says. Most fire people I know around my age go on adventures, take a chill pill, and go see our family and friends. The Virginia native says she likes going hiking, snowboarding, and taking backpacking trips when shes not fighting fires. My friends and my boss always think Im crazy. They say, What are you doing camping and hiking? You do that for a living. I genuinely enjoy it.

What's next: The young firefighter plans to keep at it rejoining her wild land firefighting crew in the summer season. "Maybe down the road, I could totally see myself being a vegetable farmer or dabbling a little bit more in my animal research, but for now, I'm definitely enjoying [firefighting] because I feel like I'm able to make an impact."
The internet is locked into a fierce debate over a cancer researcher who was kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight for breastfeeding her toddler.

On Friday, Mei Rui, a cancer researcher and concert pianist, was aboard a Spirit Airlines flight from her hometown of Houston to Newark, N.J. The trip was in relation to a clinical cancer study in New York, according to the Washington Post, and Ruis elderly parents were along for the ride.

When the plane was delayed due to icy conditions, Rui began breastfeeding her son, in an attempt to calm him. Every parent with a young child can [imagine], you dont want to be that parent on the plane, Rui told the Post. It would be very embarrassing. I was just trying to avoid that.

A Houston pianist and clinical researcher kicked off @SpiritAirlines flight Friday morning.. she was on her way to conduct cancer research in NYC. Wants answers from airline. Live @iah at 10 #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/mDPQmC5AOC  Marcelino Benito (@MarcelinoKHOU) December 10, 2017

Initially, Rui was able to nurse in peace; however, a flight attendant soon informed the mom that her son would have to be buckled into his own seat.

I asked for just a couple more minutes to finish because if he woke up at that point he would have made a lot of noise, Rui told the paper. I said, I promise Ill finish before you close the planes door.

According to Rui, the attendant headed to the front of the plane and Rui stopped breastfeeding, securing her son in his own seat. But when he started crying, Rui says she was asked to leave the plane.

Its not like I was resistant  I put him in the seat, she said. If they had shown a little compassion, it wouldnt have happened. They didnt have to let it escalate.

Story continues

Rui started recording the interaction on her cellphone as she and her family began packing up to leave. When they deplaned, a group of police officers was waiting for them.

Youre not getting on the aircraft, says the officer in the video obtained by Houston news station KHOU.

So the reason we got kicked off is because [my son] was crying for 20 minutes strapped in his seat? asks Rui, while her son cries in the background. I just want to know why we were kicked off the plane?

Because you were not compliant, he answered.

Could you tell me which part of the instruction we were not compliant with? says Rui. I think we deserve to know that.

According to the Post, Rui then said, If this happened to your family to which the officer replied, It wouldnt happen to my family, I can assure you.

Rui also said her family had to wait one hour to retrieve their luggage and once home, her father collapsed, due to possible heart problems.

Social media was locked in an impasse over whether the mother was in the right.

Spirit Airlines, you were wrong. This is shameful treatment of peaceful passengers.  Breast-feeding Houston mom says she was kicked off Spirit Airlines flight https://t.co/jIKguAPEeU  Julie Goodale (@JulieGoodale) December 11, 2017

So I'm all for mothers breastfeeding when & where needed, but just wonder why she wouldn't have a bottle of pumped breast milk with her in anticipation of this happening? https://t.co/CdYp8j9LOa  Nancy Staack (@nancystaack) December 11, 2017

I don't understand why people make such a big deal about breastfeeding. It's a natural thing. Grow up  Evania Salgado (@ninja2blossom) December 11, 2017

{An airline is not going to hold up an airplane full of people so you can finish breastfeeding your child, concert pianist/cancer researcher or not. Do it later.}

"Mother and 2-year-old kicked off Spirit Airlines flight "https://t.co/e9sA3XCGZ0  Robert Jones (@robertjones3575) December 11, 2017

Your abusive treatment of the breastfeeding mom is disgraceful! Shame on you!!! I'll never fly with @SpiritAirlines because of this.  Taina (@LaBoricua31o) December 11, 2017

There is no war on breastfeeding here. Every passenger should do their part to help the plane take off on time. This was an already delayed flight.  Kerri (@oh_keppi) December 11, 2017

It was humiliating to be chased off a plane in front of hundreds of people, Rui told KHOU. We had never been through anything close to this.

A representative from Spirit Airlines sent the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle:

To be clear, no one was removed for breastfeeding. The passenger failed to comply with crew instructions by not being safely buckled and secured for takeoff after being asked repeatedly to do so. As for the door, the reports from the crew indicate the door was closed at the time of the incident.

The statement continues: We were forced to remove a passenger from flight 712 after they refused to comply with crew instructions several times while the doors were closed during taxi and safety briefing. To ensure the safety of our guests and crew, FAA regulations and airline policies require all passengers stay seated and buckled during takeoff and landing. We reviewed multiple accounts from the crew and other guests sitting nearby and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by this issue. As a courtesy, weve issued a full refund to the customer in question.

Theres been a ton of backlash against airlines for reportedly not allowing mothers to breastfeed. In 2014, Delta apologized to a mother from California for telling her to nurse with a cover, insisting the mom was given misinformation about her rights. In 2015, a Canadian mom says a United Airlines crew member tossed a blanket at her husband, telling him to help her out. And this year, two Frontier Airlines flight attendants claimed their employer wouldnt let them use a breast pump while working, resulting in them filing a sex discrimination complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

However, flying is not always such a nightmare for breastfeeding moms. In February 2016, a mother who had to pump milk for her triplets wrote an open letter to Delta, thanking the company for seating her in first class for more space and privacy, plus snacks. I am incredibly grateful for the lengths these individuals took to make my role as momma much easier and impressed by the advocacy this company has provided for breastfeeding and pumping, she wrote on the post with 60,000 likes.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Chris Evans invited bullied boy Keaton Jones to the Avengers: Infinity War premiere, is real-life Captain America

Many celebrities and social media users are coming together in support of Keaton Jones. Keaton, a middle school student from Tennessee, is a victim of extreme bullying at school. Onscreen and real-life Captain America, Chris Evans, showed Keaton his support via Twitter and invited him to the Avengers: Infinity War premiere next year.

On Friday, December 8th, Kimberly Jones posted her now-viral video of son Keaton tearfully explaining his bullying situation and telling others in the same boat to stay strong. The video has been viewed over 20 million times and counting, and is now trending on many social media platforms.

Evans was joined by fellow celebrities Terry Crews, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Ryan Seacrest (to name just a few) in sharing Keatons message. In true heroic fashion, Evans tweeted,

Stay strong, Keaton. Dont let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year?

Stay strong, Keaton. Dont let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year? https://t.co/s1QwCQ3toi  Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 10, 2017

Evans Avengers costar, Mark Ruffalo, followed Evans lead. He also invited Keaton to be his guest at the premiere, telling Keaton to forget those ignorant kids.

Keaton, will youve my guest at the Premiere of #InfinityWar too? I think you are about one of the coolest kids I have ever seen! Cant wait to meet you in person, pal. Forget those ignorant kids. One day, very soon, they are going to feel pretty stupid for this. https://t.co/BqJLxu25GN  Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) December 11, 2017

Keatons older sister Lakyn followed up with Evans, and it looks like plans are in motion.

Story continues

Im on it  Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 10, 2017

The threads of support for Keaton are taking over the internet in the best way. Whether youre Captain America, Hulk, or just someone with a Twitter account, we can all promote Keatons anti-bullying message.

No one deserves to be bullied, and if you want to help stop it from happening, you can visit StopBullying.gov to learn more about bullying prevention.
Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, and so many other celebs are sending support to bullied boy Keaton Jones

On Friday, December 8th, Kimberly Jones posted a video of her son Keaton in tears. Keaton, a victim of bullying, asks why people find joy in bullying others. His tearful video has gone viral, and celebrities, including Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, are sharing their support for Keaton on social media.

According to The Guardian, the Tennessee student had asked his mother to pick him up during the school day because he was too afraid to go to lunch. Keaton describes how his classmates had thrown food and poured milk on him. The video is heartbreaking to watch.

Just out of curiosity, why do they bully? Keaton asks in the video. Whats the point of it? Why do they find joy in taking innocent people and find a way to be mean to them? Its not OKPeople that are different dont need to be criticized about it. Its not their fault. If you are made fun of, just dont let it bother you.

Keaton tells whoever is in the same boat to stay strong. Its hard, he notes, but he hopes it will get better one day.

His mothers Facebook video has reportedly been watched over 20 million times and Keatons message has been spread over multiple platforms. Celebrities and others alike have started the hashtag #StandWithKeaton to share their support and love.

You got a friend in me Lil bro! Hit me on dm and we can chat!!! Love you buddy!! A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Dec 10, 2017 at 7:47pm PST

Hi @Lakyn_Jones, could you pass this message along to Keaton? pic.twitter.com/3l8P4fKAqW  Hailee Steinfeld (@HaileeSteinfeld) December 10, 2017

Say lil Man U gotta friend in me for life hit me on dm so we can chop it up love is the only way to beat hate A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on Dec 10, 2017 at 7:50am PST

What I want for Christmas ? To hang out with the Champ #KeatonJones #StandWithKeaton  MANNY RAMIREZ (@therealmanny99) December 11, 2017

Hey Keaton Jones, Id like to invite you to be my guest at any show of mine of your choice. Ill cover ur flights and accommodation.

Big up for speaking up, buddy!!!  Zedd (@Zedd) December 11, 2017

This broke my today. Please be kind to one another. #standwithkeaton A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on Dec 10, 2017 at 2:56pm PST

You are the MAN #KeatonJones. That video is powerful and correct. Bullying is not okay.  terrycrews (@terrycrews) December 11, 2017

Keaton Jones- I was bullied for most of my life and I would ask the same questions to my mom. But if you stay close with your family like I  Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) December 11, 2017

Stay strong, Keaton. Dont let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year? https://t.co/s1QwCQ3toi  Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 10, 2017

Like Keaton himself mentions in the video, his bullying story is sadly one of many. The good news is there are absolutely ways we can all help make the world a kinder place each and every day. Visit StopBullying.gov to learn more about how you can contribute to bullying prevention. We stand with you, Keaton.
Photo credit: Getty

From Good Housekeeping

"The rage has always been my worst symptom, I've had it for as long as I can remember," says Emily-Jane Yates. "It is massively explosive. One minute I would be fine then the next I'd just be screaming at everybody.

"I'd feel violent and my hands would curl into fists. I've never crossed the line into hurting anybody but I had to control myself, which would be so frustrating. I would re-direct the aggression towards myself by hitting myself and pulling my hair out, even in the middle of the street. There was a voice in my head telling me I looked crazy and to stop but I couldn't. I had no control over what I was actually doing."

Yates, 25, has experienced these bouts of overwhelming rage since the age of 13, when she started her period. It kicks in on the day she ovulates, about two weeks before she's due on, and lasts until she gets her period.

"The day I ovulate, you can pretty much guarantee I'll get bad moods. I get a feeling in my chest of anger that doesn't go away for the next two weeks. Then as soon as I bleed everything is fine, it washes away and I'm fine for two weeks."

Yates has PMDD, pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, a form of severe PMS, which includes symptoms like depression, extreme anger, anxiety, panic attacks, decreased interest in usual activities or relationships, low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts. Then there are the physical symptoms which range from bloating, breast tenderness, extreme fatigue, joint pain, and headaches or migraines.

Many women experience PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) to some degree. It can vary from weeping to a film you normally wouldn't cry at, to snapping at your partner more than usual. It can also take an extreme life-affecting form like PMDD.

Dr. Nick Panay, a consultant gynecologist and the chairman of the national association for premenstrual syndrome (NAPS), told ELLE UK that PMDD is one form of severe PMS, and one that is categorized in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).

Story continues

A groundbreaking study, published at the beginning of the year, by the National Institute of Health found evidence to suggest the condition is genetic.

"The recent finding of a PMDD gene confirms the hypothesis that we have put forward for many years that PMS/PMDD occurs not because of hormonal abnormalities per se, but because some women suffer depression (and other symptoms) due to genetic vulnerability to the changes in hormone levels which occur in every woman," Dr.Panay says.

"There is now concrete proof that severe PMS / PMDD is a genuine disease with an organic basis which will hopefully convince those who viewed it a just a convenient excuse."

To the outside eye, this seems baffling. How can a natural process, that half the people on the planet usually experience at some time in their lives, cause so much psychological and physical pain?

For Yates, it has obstructed her life for 12 years, even resulting in her losing her "dream job" and only being able to work part-time due to the acute migraines and intense fatigue she gets which make driving to work incredibly dangerous. On one occasion, during a bout of PMDD, she actually fell asleep at some traffic lights.

Along with the rage, she experienced paranoia. "It was never about anything specific, I just had a feeling that people were going to attack me. I'd be scared of people on the street."

She made plans to take her life twice, because of the suicidal thoughts that plagued her mind during those two weeks.

"For that week leading up to my period, it just doesn't seem like it's worth living my life any more, knowing that I will see an end to it, but next month it will be the same. I've only been actively suicidal once or twice, where I actually had a plan, but it's more a case of walking around saying to myself that 'I want to die.' I thought that would solve all my problems."

Photo credit: Getty

Contrastingly, in the time frame between the first day of Yates' period until she begins ovulating, she is a "completely different person."

"I'm quite outgoing and chatty, more affectionate and loving with my boyfriend, proactive with taking the dogs out. My whole body lifts and I feel lighter. I feel more spiritual and I look after myself. I eat, drink and care for myself better and treat people better. Everything is so much more positive.

"I rarely have a bad mood within those two weeks. The world could throw anything at me and I could tackle it, I'm superwoman in those two weeks. Then ovulation day comes and my whole body just goes heavy."

Yates' PMDD story has a common trajectory found among those with the condition (this number is estimated to range from 2-8% of women). As a teenager, her mother took her to the doctor because of her "moods," and she was recommended primrose oil to help with the PMS, which helped "a little bit."

Then, at 17, she returned to the doctor and was diagnosed with depression. She was prescribed anti-depressants, which helped to subdue the symptoms, but the fact that it was a physical condition with cyclical recurrences of symptoms wasn't picked up by medical professionals.

It was Yates' boyfriend who first noticed the link between the way her body and mind changes and her menstrual cycle, after living with her and noticing a pattern.

Photo credit: Emily-Jane Yeates

"After one meltdown, I said to him, 'I don't know why this keeps happening,' and he just said: 'Well, it seems to happen every month babe.'"

Along with her partner, she began to keep a symptom diary and she looked into PMDD. Armed with research, she headed to her doctor, who had never heard of the condition but, luckily, was more than willing to listen to her. She was prescribed anti-depressants to ease the psychological symptoms and began a course of cognitive behavioural therapy which has helped control the suicidal thoughts, rage, anxiety and depression.

The fact that both Yates' doctor and therapist had never heard of PMDD shows how little known and understood the condition is. Yet as her story demonstrates, not batting it away as "women's problems" and listening to the patient is key to helping sufferers.

Laura Murphy, also a PMDD patient and co-founder of Vicious Cycle, says 66% of PMDD patients self-diagnosed themselves through Google. The onus should not be on the patient to receive help for such a debilitating illness that affects their life in such a large capacity. Dr Panay says the reason for this is partly due to the lack in funding and education for both professionals and the public when it comes to this area.

This lack of education is why so many women with the condition get misdiagnosed, often with bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety or depression, or just not diagnosed at all. The role of the menstrual cycle is imperative to a diagnosis as there are a range of targeted treatment methods for PMDD including hormone therapy, contraceptive methods like the pill, patch or coil, and GnRH treatment, synthetic hormones which bring on a temporary menopause by reducing estrogen production. All of these methods, which are different depending on the woman and her experience, have the aim of suppressing the hormone fluctuations which trigger symptoms and create a "constant hormonal environment," according to Dr. Panay.

It is the lack of awareness around the issue which spurred Murphy, who eight weeks ago had a total hysterectomy to treat her PMDD, to start Vicious Cycle, a PMDD support group for women affected. She did this after running the UK PMDD support group on Facebook, a private group for UK sufferers, which currently has 1,700 members.

Photo credit: Getty

"I was adding all the new women to the group and chatting to them and it soon became really apparent that the same story was coming through: that women had been to the doctor and been dismissed,' she says. 'Or, like me, women were going for years and years through hell and then finally stumbled across PMDD by chance and had a 'lightbulb moment.' Women are left depressed, with their lives in tatters, just holding on to partners and jobs, yet are brushed off time and time again."

Both Murphy and Yates believe the perpetual misunderstanding and misdiagnosis of PMDD has something to do with the pervading taboos around periods, mental health, and women's health.

"PMDD sits firmly in the middle of periods, mental health and women's health," Murphy explains. "Only this week it was in the press that PMS 'doesn't exist', adding fuel to the fire that women are just 'being hysterical' when it comes to the health. We are not trusted to know our own minds and bodies."

Both women also think that the complications which can arise from menstruation and women's health, such as PMDD, PMS, polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis, should be taught in schools so teenagers can pick up on any symptoms which are feeling out of the ordinary for them.

Since being diagnosed, life has drastically improved for Yates. "I have had to be more in tune with my menstrual cycle. Treatment led me down a path of spirituality I wasn't expecting. I've always been an advocate for breaking the taboos of menstruation and I feel a lot more positive about my own menstrual cycle now.

"I know periods are an inconvenience for a lot of women, but I look forward to my period now. It's always a good thing for me."

For more information visit NAPS, The Gia Allemand Foundation or Vicious Cycle.

If you or someone you know may be at risk for suicide, immediately seek help. You are not alone. Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8225), call 911 or call a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.

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23:27

The Congress today petitioned the Election Commission for action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for addressing an event organised by an industry body on the eve of the final phase of the Gujarat polls where he

attacked the main opposition party.

The Congress's complaint came soon after the EC issued a show cause notice to Rahul Gandhi for prima facie violating the model code by giving interviews to Gujarati TV channels, and asked him to reply by December 18, failing which it will decide the matter without any reference to him.

A delegation of Congress leaders comprising Ashok Gehlot, Anand Sharma and Randeep Surjewala handed over a memorandum to the poll body, demanding strong action against Modi and other BJP leaders for addressing press conferences and events on the eve of last phase of polling in Gujarat.

"We are going to the Election Commission with a memorandum demanding action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal and others for violating the model code," Anand Sharma told reporters before meeting the poll panel.

He said the EC should remain non-partisan.

Earlier in the day, Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress, saying that banks were pressured under its rule to give loans worth thousands of crore to select industrialists and termed it as the UPA government's biggest scam.

A day before his home state Gujarat goes to the final phase of polling, Modi attacked "economists" in the UPA for handing him a "liability" of non-performing assets or bad loans, while hard-selling his central government's pro-poor schemes.

Surjewala said the EC today acted against news channels for airing the interview of Rahul Gandhi which was against the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Congress memorandum said: "The Election Commission is duty bound to be fair and impartial. We have to regrettably state the apparent discrimination and an apparent advantage being given to the ruling party miltates against this notion."





It also requested the poll body to immediately withdraw its order directing registration of an FIR against news channels for telecasting the interview of Gandhi. -- PTI
Who is the Port Authority bombing suspect, Akayed Ullah?

On December 11th, a pipe bomb detonated in an underground passageway near the Port Authority bus terminal in New York City. And a suspect in the bombing has been identified.

The suspect is 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, an immigrant from Bangladesh who has lived in the Brooklyn for the past seven years and has an address in New York City. Ullah detonated a bomb that Police Commissioner James ONeill described in a news conference as an improvised, low-tech explosive device, which he attached to himself using zip ties and velcro. Ullah told police that he made the bomb at work, though the nature of his job is unknown.

Four people, including Ullah, were injured in the attack. No deaths were reported, and the victims injuries are not life-threatening.

Ullah sustained cuts and burns to his arms and upper body. He has been taken into custody and is being treated at Bellevue Hospital in New York.

Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that Ullah detonated the bomb in the name of ISIS but that he was not in direct contact with the terrorist organization. ONeill said that Ullah made a statement to police about his connection to ISIS, but he did not disclose what Ullah said.

I'm with @NYPDONeill and @NYGovCuomo with an update on this morning's incident in Midtown. https://t.co/ehiI9LKEOu  Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) December 11, 2017

#FDNY Commissioner Nigro is on scene at 42 St and 8th Ave, Port Authority. A total of 4 non-life-threatening injuries reported pic.twitter.com/L6YW07xqiT  FDNY (@FDNY) December 11, 2017

Ullah was licensed as a taxi driver in NYC from 2012 to 2015, NBC reported. Police officers found three addresses in Brooklyn that were connected to his name or to his relatives. One of Ullahs former neighbors in the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn told NBC News that Ullah lived with his parents and two brothers.

The explosion at Port Authority is an unsettling act of terror. We are relieved that the suspect has been detained and that no one died in this attack, and well be keeping an eye on the story as it continues to unfold.
Foreign policy experts on both sides of the aisle predicted that President Trumps decision to take the U.S. out of the worlds most significant agreement to fight climate change would leave the U.S. isolated on the issue.

Now they have one of their first tests of that argument.

Less than a year since Trump announced withdrawal from the Paris climate deal, a group of 50 world leaders  ranging from Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to British Prime Minister Theresa May  will gather in Paris this week for an invitation-only climate change summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump was not invited.

Macron told TIME in November that Trump could receive an invite if he made an announcement showing he was willing to join the club and address climate change. But the Trump administration has done nothing of the sort and since that interview has gone as far as pitching coal at this years annual United Nations climate change conference.

You cannot renegotiate with more than 180 or 190 countries, Macron told TIME in November of Trumps withdrawal from the climate deal. You disagree with that, but whats your plan B? I dont know your plan B.

Macrons two-day climate change conference, officially billed as the One Planet Summit, will focus on how to finance both the global transition away from fossil fuels and measures needed to adapt to changes already underway caused by global warming. While world leaders from across the globe have reiterated their commitment to the Paris Agreement since Trumps withdrawal announcement in June, ensuring adequate finance for climate related projects has remained difficult.

The Paris Agreement includes a provision calling for developed countries to provide $100 billion annually in financing for climate initiatives beginning in 2020  a number that remains far off, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Trump administration withdrew the U.S. governments $2 billion pledge to the Green Climate Fund, an organization led by developed countries to finance renewable energy and climate change adaptation projects, with Trump saying the commitment cost the U.S. a vast fortune.

Story continues

Under the Paris Accord, billions of dollars that ought to be invested right here in America will be sent to the very countries that have taken our factories and our jobs away from us, Trump said in June. So think of that.

But climate policy experts say countries that embrace the fight against climate change actually stand to gain economically: the solar panels and wind turbines financed by the developed world need to be built somewhere. Macron, for instance, hopes to capitalize on as he advocates other countries address the issue. In Burkina Faso last month, Macron said he hoped French companies would make his country Africas special partner in the field of climate change adaptation. China has also invested in portraying itself as a leader on climate change while building up its clean energy industry.

Beyond finance, conference planners say the summit will feature a range of different announcements to help sustain momentum to continue fighting climate change. On Monday, Macron announced funding billed as Make Our Planet Great Again grants to U.S. scientists to live and work on research related climate change in France. A coalition is also expected to announce a new push to cut emissions from the shipping industry.

The Paris Agreement  reached at the end of 2015  aims to keep temperatures from rising more than 2C (3.6F) by 2100, the level that scientists say will help prevent some of the worst effects of climate change. But research from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) shows that current commitments from countries around the world will only keep temperature rise to 3.2C (5.8F).

This weeks conference occurs outside the formal U.N. negotiating process, which holds one primary gathering annually that has in recent years drawn top government officials from nearly 200 countries. But climate policy experts say the discussions in Paris will help build momentum ahead of the next major meeting in Poland next year.
Tripoli (AFP) - Amnesty International on Tuesday accused European governments of "complicity" in the detention under horrific conditions of migrants in Libya, especially through their assistance to the Libyan coastguard implicated in people trafficking.

"European governments are knowingly complicit in the torture and abuse of tens of thousands of refugees and migrants detained by Libyan immigration authorities in appalling conditions in Libya," the rights group said in a report.

It accused European governments of "actively supporting a sophisticated system of abuse and exploitation of refugees and migrants by the Libyan coastguard, detention authorities and smugglers in order to prevent people from crossing the Mediterranean".

"Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants trapped in Libya are at the mercy of Libyan authorities, militias, armed groups and smugglers often working seamlessly together for financial gain," said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty's Europe director.

"European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these abuses."

Dalhuisen urged European governments to "rethink their cooperation with Libya on migration and enable people to get to Europe through legal pathways, including by resettling tens of thousands of refugees".

"They must insist that the Libyan authorities end the policy and practice of arbitrary arrests and detention of refugees and migrants, immediately release all foreign nationals held in the detention centres," he said.

He charged that "by supporting Libyan authorities in trapping people in Libya... European governments have shown where their true priorities lie: namely the closure of the central Mediterranean route, with scant regard to the suffering caused".

Officials in the Libyan coastguard, trained and equipped by European governments, notably Italy, to curb the flow of migrants "are known to operate in collusion with smuggling networks and have used threats and violence against refugees and migrants", according to Amnesty which cited testimony from dozens of migrants.

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Those interviewed had "described the soul-destroying cycle of exploitation to which collusion between guards, smugglers and the Libyan coastguard consigns them", it said.

Migrants whose boats have been intercepted are sent to detention centres "where they endure horrific treatment. Up to 20,000 people currently remain contained in these overcrowded, unsanitary detention centres," it said.

The Amnesty report also accused the Libyan coastguard of endangering migrants' lives and of intimidating NGOs operating in the Mediterranean on rescue missions.

It singled out a November 6 incident involving the coastguard and a German relief group, Sea-Watch, in which at least five migrants died.

The UN-backed government in Tripoli said on Saturday that Italy and Libya are to set up a joint commission in an attempt to fight back against people traffickers and tackle illegal migration.

Human-trafficking networks have flourished in the chaos that followed a NATO-backed uprising which toppled long-time Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European governments are complicit in grave human rights violations in Libya through their support for authorities there who often work with people smugglers and torture refugees and migrants, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. Amnesty said up to 20,000 people are now held in Libyan detention centers for migrants and are subject to "torture, forced labor, extortion, and unlawful killings". Other human rights organizations have said similar things in recent months. The European support for Libyan authorities is part of a plan to cut African immigration across the Mediterranean. It aims to lower the number of people who drown during the crossing and curb the scale of a political problem high arrivals cause to EU governments. Italy has spearheaded the plan, in particular by training and equipping the coastguard and by spending millions to back U.N. agencies working on relief efforts in Libya. "European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these crimes," said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's head for Europe. On Tuesday, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni defended the EU's policy in a speech to parliament ahead of this week's meeting of the bloc's leaders in Brussels and said sea arrivals had dropped by two-thirds since last July. "It's thanks to us that a light is being shone on human rights in Libya," he said, referring to million of euros Italy and the EU spent on improving conditions for people stuck there. A spokesperson for the bloc's executive European Commission said: "We are aware of the inhumane and terrible conditions some face. We share the same objective as Amnesty: saving lives." It said the bloc's funding helped the U.N. agency for migration, the IOM, send more than 15,000 people in Libya to their home countries in Africa. At the same time, it said the bloc has also been slowly taking in "genuine refugees". 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 pressure from Italy, the main landing point. More than 600,000 have made the journey over the past four years. The EU backs Libya's coastguards in its efforts to intercept people heading to Europe but they work closely with people smugglers who torture people for money, Amnesty said. "By supporting Libyan authorities in trapping people in Libya ... European governments have shown where their true priorities lie: namely the closure of the central Mediterranean route, with scant regard to the suffering caused," said Dalhuisen. Some EU officials and diplomats chafe at the bloc's reliance on militias that have emerged since the fall of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. But EU leaders will recommit at their meeting in Brussels on Dec. 14-15 to a strategy they say is bearing fruit in the form of fewer sea crossings. The presidency of Libya's U.N.-backed government said last month it was a victim of illegal migration, not a source of it, and appealed to foreign powers to help stop flows from migrants' countries of origin. (Additional reporting by Francesca Piscioneri and Steve Scherer in Rome; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
Former Alabama judge says sexual misconduct allegations will be addressed when we get to the Senate while sister says she believes he will win

Dont frighten the horses was the plea to a rolling scrum of cameramen and reporters on Tuesday as the controversial Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore cast his vote in remote, rural Alabama.

Moore and his wife, Kayla, rode through woods on their horses Sassy and Sundance to a polling station in tiny Gallant on a chilly, grey December day. When they departed a few minutes later, an aide shouted anxiously: Get away with the cameras, everybody. Youre going to frighten the horses!

The candidate himself, wearing a cowboy hat, warned: You all better back up, in case the animals made a sudden charge.

It was a typically peculiar episode at the end of Moores profoundly strange battle with the Democrat Doug Jones for the vacant Senate seat in Alabama, usually a Republican heartland that Donald Trump, who has endorsed Moore, won in a landslide last year. But the former judge is facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, including that he touched a 14-year-old girl inappropriately. He denies all the claims.



His appearance at the polling place, hosted by a fire station in Gallant, attracted TV crews from Australia, Britain and other parts of Europe as well as the US. As Moore rode past, one reporter asked how he was feeling. Pretty good, he replied.

Roy Moore walks his horses after voting. Photograph: Jonathan Bachman/Reuters

There was a headlong dash to watch Moore dismount. Then he was mobbed and chaos ensued. The horse looked unsettled and some journalists stepped back warily.

As the candidate walked forward, reporters with microphones clustered around him, ducking between cars and over puddles, amid a cacophony of shouted questions. One photographer nearly fell backwards into muddy water; another toppled and was helped up by Moore.

After voting, the candidate brushed off questions about the accusations hanging over him. Im talking about this race, he said. The people will answer these allegations this evening at the vote. Were done with that. Lets get back to the issues in this state.

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Asked for his message to the people of Alabama, Moore replied: I think: got to go out and vote their conscience and we have a tremendous turnout in the state. The nation is watching this. In fact, we have how many international people from overseas, from different nations here today? Its a very important race for our country, for our state and for the future.

Moore said he was not concerned by the threat of expulsion from the Senate or an investigation by its ethics committee. Well take those problems up when we get to the Senate, when we win.

With that, he and Kayla returned to their horses, pursued again by the throng and a chorus of questions. The animals looked frisky and unpredictable. Moore and an aide urged journalists to stand well back. Kayla departed first, followed by Moore, who said Sassy was a fitting name for his horse.

His family were also there to support him. Moores sister, Nancy Barksdale, 64, said: I think he will win. If God wants him to win, hell win. It would be awesome.

She said of the constant drumbeat of allegations: I think its terrible. I think it was all lies. Ive never in my 64 years on earth seen such a dirty-run campaign by the opponent. Not only did it hurt us as a family but it made me angry. Every single woman is lying. The newspapers dont print anything we say; they only print the bad stuff.

Asked if she remembered her brother dating younger women or girls, Barksdale, who voted for Trump for president, replied: He just didnt do that. They made that up four months before the election. They had to do something to bring him down.

Moores nephew, Tyson Martin, 31, a firefighter, said Moore would bring morality to the Senate if he wins. Hes my uncle and Ive known him all my life. Ive never seen anything other than a good Christian man. I dont think my uncle did any of those things. Im not going to call the women liars because I dont know them. I know my uncle and I believe him.

Martin added: The media have their own agenda. A lot of the media have power. They dont want it taken away and they think Roy Moore might be a threat.

Later, Ted Crockett, a spokesman for Moore, reinforced the Alabama Republicans past statements that homosexual conduct should be illegal and that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in Congress.

When Crockett was asked if Moore still believed homosexuality should still be illegal, he said probably. The spokesman also wrongly insisted that it was necessary to swear on a Christian Bible to serve in an elected office and that Moores stance was simply that a Muslim cannot do that ethically. When it was pointed out that there was no legal obligation to take an oath of office on a Christian Bible, Crockett said: I know Donald Trump did it.

The remarks in the final hours of the race struck another discordant note in a confounding election.
Tegucigalpa (AFP) - Soldiers and police on Monday moved to clear roads across Honduras of demonstrators protesting alleged fraud in a presidential election held two weeks ago, which they said was won by leftist opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla.

The action was taken as the country is stuck in a political impasse and amid unrest after President Juan Orlando Hernandez claimed victory in the November 26 poll.

Electoral authorities have not yet declared a winner from the election, despite full results and a partial recount showing a slight lead for Hernandez, 49.

International observers have expressed reservations with "irregularities" in the election, while Amnesty International has slammed "dangerous and illegal" tactics to silence anti-Hernandez dissent.

Initial results pointed to a victory for Nasralla, a 64-year-old former TV presenter with little political experience. But a much-interrupted and extraordinarily slow count by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal then reversed the trend to suggest an advantage for Hernandez.

Nasralla told a news conference on Monday that the opposition had proof of ballot fraud, saying that votes from around a third of polling stations were meddled with.

He reiterated that all ballots from the vote needed to be recounted, under the supervision of foreign observers.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal has counted ballots from around a quarter of the country's polling stations and said the results were "consistent" with the initial tally putting Hernandez slightly ahead.

- Burning tires -

Security forces extinguished burning tires that had been set up across roads in the capital by protesters backing Nasralla's Alliance Against the Dictatorship coalition.

In other parts of the country, protesters blocked some zones despite police and army action.

"The people are defending the popular will," one opposition lawmaker, Jari Dixon, told AFP on the eastern outskirts of the capital Tegucigalpa.

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"Nasralla won the elections but they want to declare illegal candidate Juan Orlando Hernandez the winner," he said.

The opposition stresses that the constitution bars re-election for Honduras's presidents. Hernandez's rightwing National Party says a 2015 ruling by the country's supreme court voided that rule.

Road blocks were reported in Tegucigalpa, and in the north, west and south of the small Central American nation of 10 million people.

In the southern province of Choluteca, there was a report of soldiers firing at a television crew's vehicle, but no one was wounded.

Amnesty International has said at least 14 people have died in post-election violence. Officials have spoken of only three deaths: that of a 19-year-old woman, whose killing allegedly by police was being investigated; and of two police officers on patrol.

The chief coordinator and strategist of the Alliance Against the Dictatorship coalition, former president Manuel Zelaya, accused the United States of wanting to impose Hernandez as leader.
By Ruma Paul and Serajul Quadir

DHAKA (Reuters) - Police in Bangladesh are questioning the wife of Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi man U.S. authorities say set off a pipe bomb in a crowded New York City commuter hub, two senior police officials in Bangladesh said on Tuesday.

The two officials, who declined to be identified as they are not permitted to discuss the matter publicly, did not give any detail on the questioning but said the couple have a six-month old baby boy.

"We have found his wife and in-laws in Dhaka. We are interviewing them," one of the police officials told Reuters.

Ullah set off an explosion in an underground pedestrian corridor between New York's Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal at rush hour on Monday, injuring himself and three others in what New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called an attempted terrorist attack.

Authorities in Bangladesh began trying to track down Ullah's family soon after news of the attack broke and they first found a cousin, said a third official, Mahiuddin Mahmud.

"We learned from his cousin that he had a wife and a baby in Bangladesh," Mahmud said.

The cousin, Emdad Ullah, told Reuters that Ullah and his family originally lived the Chittagong region in southern Bangladesh but moved to the capital, Dhaka, years ago.

Ullah had married a Bangladeshi woman about two years ago, and she lived in Dhaka, the cousin said, adding that Ullah had a normal education in Bangladesh before moving to the United States.

Bangladesh's police chief had told Reuters on Monday that 27-year-old Ullah had no criminal record in his home country, which he last visited in September.

Ullah lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn and was a green card holder, said Shameem Ahsan, consul general of Bangladesh in New York.

A U.S. enforcement official familiar with the investigation into Monday's attack said officers had found evidence that Ullah had watched Islamic State propaganda on the internet.

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IMMIGRATION REFORM

Bangladesh strongly condemned the attack.

"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice," the government said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said the attack emphasized the need for U.S. immigration reforms.

"America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country," he said in a statement.

The president also criticized the visa program that allowed Ullah to enter the United States in 2011 because he had family members already in the country, saying such family visas are "incompatible with national security."

H.T. Imam, a political adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said he believed the attack would have no "negative impact" on relations with the United States.

"The U.S. government is well informed about the Bangladesh government's attitude regarding terror activities," Imam said.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week handed a victory to Trump by allowing his latest travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries to go into full effect even as legal challenges continue in lower courts.

The ban covers people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen seeking to enter the United States. Trump has said the travel ban is needed to protect the United States from terrorism by Islamist militants.

Bangladesh is not among the countries impacted by the ban.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul and Serajul Quadir; Writing by Euan Rocha; Editing by Robert Birsel)
SIU helps create the worlds first centralized system for evaluating degrees, licenses and other professional credentials

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  From certificates to degrees and beyond, the world offers untold varieties of credentials but there has been no easy way for students, employers, educators and others to evaluate what it all means  until now.

This month, Credential Engine, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., launched a new system to address this issue and Southern Illinois University Carbondale played a significant role in making it happen.

SIU integral to credential registrys development

Jeanne Kitchens, director of SIUs Center for Workforce Development, facilitated the development teams that created the Credential Registry infrastructure. Credential Registry is a cloud-based repository and services for credentialing information. Credentials include degrees, certificates, licenses, badges, apprenticeships, industry certifications, micro-credentials and similar earned recognitions.

Kitchens and her team also assisted in establishing the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), a first-of-its-kind common language to describe the key features of credentials, credentialing organizations, quality assurance groups and other aspects.

Credential Engine also provides a platform for digital application development facilitating searches for specific credentialing information from the registry and an application programming interface tool that enables participating organizations to continuously upload current information.

Registry of credentials benefits students, employers, educators and more

The beneficiaries of this new voluntary registry are many, according to Kitchens and Carrie Samson, communications manager for Credential Engine. For example, students and their parents can see what which credentials are needed for various career pathways and compare the credentialing options easily based on key data points such as competencies and cost.

Prospective employers can use the registry to glean critical competency information from job applicants to determine who would best fulfill their workforce needs.

Educational and training institutions can better understand transfer value, track credentialing trends and monitor best practices to adjust their programming accordingly. As the registry and CTDL grow, so will their usefulness, developers say.

User interface makes reporting and finding credentials easy

The registry is set up much like hotel or flight comparison websites, so users can access and compare the information quickly and easily. Its search application, Credential Finder, is free and open to use by anyone looking for information about credentials.

As jobs with specializations continue to grow, more employers, workers and students will benefit from having better and comparable credential and competency that matches up to job requirements, Kitchens said. Industries, such as healthcare, which is expected to grow 18 percent by 2026 and add 2.3 million jobs in the process, will have better and current information to positively impact talent development.

More than 1,500 credentials have already been registered

Credential Engine was four years in the making, beginning as a research initiative and formally launching in 2016 with support provided by Lumina Foundation, Microsoft and JPMorgan Chase and Co. SIUs Center for Workforce Development was brought on as a consultant for the development project and Kitchens as the project manager.

Although participation is voluntary, the participants are already pouring in, Samson said. More than 170 organizations have already submitted in excess of 1,500 credentials for inclusion in the registry.

Universities, community colleges, business and industry associations, licensing boards, training organizations, certification bodies and more are involved. In addition, partnerships have been formed or are being established with states, including Indiana and New Jersey.

The Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers from leading American companies, formally announced that a number of their CEO members have already committed to using Credential Engines Registry data to meet their employment needs.

Registry plans to include 100,000 credentials by 2020

The goal is to have 50,000 credentials included by the end of 2018 and 100,000 by December 2019. Samson said that preliminary estimates indicate there are at least 300,000 credentials available in the United States today.

By capturing this information and presenting the data in a common and comparable format, Credential Engine aims to bring transparency and credential literacy to the marketplace for the first time, Kitchens said.
Mr Obama warned of rising nativism: Reuters

As part of a last-ditch effort by Democrats to win Alabamas US Senate seat, former President Barack Obama is imploring Alabama voters to reject Roy Moore, the Republican candidate dogged by sexual misconduct allegations.

Along with Mr Obama, several other Democrats are also putting their weight behind Democratic candidate Doug Jones, while President Donald Trump encourages Alabamians to vote for Mr Moore.

With polls due to open on Tuesday morning, the Moore campaign has also rolled out a last-minute robo-call with Mr Trumps voice telling voters that if they do not support the Republican candidate, progress on the Presidents legislative agenda will be stopped cold.

The high-profile nature of the late appeals  with former Vice President Joe Biden also recording a message for Mr Jones  highlight the unpredictable nature of the race. A number of polls released on Monday all showed wildly different results. An automated poll from Emerson College showed Mr Moore with a nine-point advantage, while a poll from Fox News showed Mr Jones with a 10-point advantage. A Monmouth University Poll showed the race about even.

The sexual misconduct allegations against Mr Moore have given Democrats a rare opportunity in a deeply conservative state, which has sent Republicans to the Senate for the last 20 years. The race has also exposed rifts within the Republican party, with claims by several women that Mr Moore sexually assaulted or had inappropriate contact with them. One allegation claims he molested a 14-year-old when he was a prosecutor in his 30s. Mr Moore has vehemently denied all the allegations.

Mr Obama recorded a phone message in which he urges Alabamians to head to the polls on Tuesday. This ones serious. You cant sit it out, he says, according to CNN.

Doug Jones is a fighter for equality, for progress, Mr Obama says in the call. Doug will be our champion for justice. So get out and vote, Alabama.

Mr Moore has not made a public appearance in almost a week. Meanwhile, Mr Jones has covered thousands of miles across the state on the campaign trail, appearing with multiple prominent black politicians, including New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. Part of the Democrats strategy is to win over African American voters  a tougher challenge without Mr Obamas name on the ballot.

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As for Mr Jones, in a morning stop at a diner in Birmingham, he accused Mr Moore of disappearing during the campaigns closing days and claimed the Republican wasnt even in Alabama over the weekend.

Were making sure our message is getting across while Roy Moore hides behind whoever hes hiding behind, Mr Jones said.

Meanwhile, Mr Moore told a conservative talk radio show in Montgomery that he lamented the tone of the campaign and that he had been the recipient of vicious and unfounded attacks.

Also on Monday, an official quit the Republican National Committee (RNC) over its support for Mr Moore. Joyce Simmons, the GOP national committeewoman from Nebraska, emailed the 168-member governing body to inform them that she had tendered her resignation.

I strongly disagree with the recent RNC financial support directed to the Alabama Republican Party for use in the Roy Moore race, she wrote.

Ms Simmons adds that she wishes she could have continued her service to the national Republican Party that I used to know well.

The RNC had pulled support from Mr Moore after the allegations surfaced against him last month. But the organisation reversed that position once Mr Trump endorsed Mr Moore, citing the need for a Republican in the seat.

On Friday, Mr Trump told a cheering crowd in Pensacola, Florida  about 25 miles from the Alabama border  to get out and vote for Roy Moore.

We cannot afford  this country, the future of this country  cannot afford to lose a seat in the very very close United States Senate, he said.

But not all Republicans have been pushing for Alabamians to vote for the controversial candidate.

The state of Alabama deserves better, said Alabama Senator Richard Shelby in an interview with CNN. Mr Shelby was the last Democrat elected to the Senate in Alabama, before he switched to the Republican party in 1994. He has has been a prominent face in the states politics for 40 years.

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, Mr Shelby said.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said that a victory for Mr Moore would be a gift that keeps on giving for Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections.

It will define the 2018 election, at least 2018, Mr Graham told CNN. And to think you can elect Roy Moore without getting the baggage of Roy Moore is pretty naive. I wish he wouldve stepped aside.
Cairo (AFP) - Egypt and Russia signed a contract on Monday for the building of Egypt's first nuclear power plant, during a visit to Cairo by President Vladimir Putin.

The contract to build the plant in Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast was signed during a live ceremony shown on state television and attended by the Russian leader and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

"By realising this project, Egypt will obtain not just the nuclear plant but also access to the most modern and safe technologies," Putin said after the signing.

The contract was signed by the head of Russian state nuclear company Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, and Egypt's electricity and renewable energy minister, Mohamed Shaker.

A statement by Rosatom said it would build four 1,200-Megawatt reactors "as well as supplying nuclear fuel throughout the plant's entire operational lifetime".

"This will help ensure competitive electricity pricing in Egypt over a period of 60 years," it said.

Rosatom also said it will train the plant's personnel and help Egypt run and maintain the plant for its first 10 years of operation.

Russia's state news agency TASS reported the cost of the plant at around $30 billion (around 25 billion euros).

The first unit at the Dabaa plant will be commissioned by 2026, Rosatom said.

"Relations between the two countries have a long history and are strong and continuous," Sisi said after the signing ceremony.

He said future projects between Russia and Egypt were also being studied.

The two countries signed two agreements in November 2015 for Russia to finance and build the Dabaa plant.

Sisi announced the project in February that year during a visit by Putin, when a memorandum of understanding was signed.

Initial work on the project took place in the early 1980s during the regime of president Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in January 2011, but it later halted over disputes with local residents after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

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In Monday's talks, "we discussed another promising project, the creation in Egypt of a Russian industrial zone", Putin said.

"It will be the largest centre producing and exporting Russian goods to markets in the Middle East and Africa... We expect the volume of total investment in the project to reach $7 billion."

As Egypt eagerly awaits commercial Russian flights to Egypt to restart, Putin said that procedures for a resumption were still under way.

Moscow suspended flights to Egypt in 2015 after the Islamic State group said it had bombed a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from a Red Sea resort popular with Russian tourists, killing all 224 people on board.

The plane crash and subsequent suspension badly hit Egypt's tourism sector, which was already reeling from the political and security turmoil that followed the uprising that toppled Mubarak.

"Russian security services have reported that in general we are ready to open direct flights between Moscow and Cairo. We would need to sign the relevant inter-governmental protocol," Putin said.

"We will try to sign it in the nearest future."
Kim Jong-un visiting Mount Paektu in Ryanggang Province - AFP

China is planning to build refugee camps on its border with North Korea in what is being seen as an indication that Beijing is preparing for a potential conflict.

Five locations in Chinas north-eastern Jilin province have been identified as potential sites for refugees.

The sites were listed in a document that was apparently leaked from Chinas biggest telecommunications company, China Mobile, and then posted on social media.

The document, which was first reported in English by the Financial Times, has since been deleted from the Chinese Internet, but an unverified copy has been re-published by news websites outside mainland China.

It said a local government in Jilin was planning to set up five refugee camps because the situation on the China-North Korea border has intensified.

China Mobile was apparently tasked by the government to ensure that Internet would be available at the locations.

Chinese soldiers take aim during training on the snow covered Changbai Mountain, Jilin province, Credit: Reuters

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, said that China would almost certainly set up "quarantine areas" on its north-eastern frontier that would be used in the event of war.

China fears the influx of refugees as Beijings Communist Party rulers are obsessed with maintaining social stability.

A newspaper in Jilin last week published a page of common sense tips on how people can protect themselves from a nuclear weapons attack or explosion.

The report did not mention the threat of attack from North Korea or any other country, but explained how people should react to protect themselves from a nuclear incident.

Tensions have been escalating sharply on the Korean peninsula, with Pyongyang firing its most advanced intercontinental missile almost two weeks ago.

China and Russia began joint air defence drills on Monday, military officials announced, as the United States and its Asian allies launched their own war games.

Chinese Senior General Wu Qian said the joint manoeuvres in Beijing were conducted to help secure a strategic balance of forces.

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The drills began on the same day that the US, Japan and South Korea began conducting joint missile tracking manoeuvres.

The Friendship Bridge between China and North Korea Credit: The Asahi Shimbun

General Wu said the China-Russia drills, which were announced last month, were being carried out to jointly train for anti-missile combat planning and preparation, launch command and firing coordination.

China's influential Global Times newspaper described the staging of the two sets of drills as a coincidence that has raised fears of possible clashes amid the strained situation on the Korean Peninsula.

China and Russia have both voiced concern over the deployment of the US Thaad missiles in South Korea.

The missile system has supposedly been deployed to help defend the South from a strike from Pyongyang.

However military chiefs in Moscow and Beijing believe its powerful radar can monitor their own nuclear capabilities, and can therefore alter the strategic balance in the region.

Additional reporting by Christine Wei
A Chinese county bordering North Korea is preparing for an influx of refugees, according to what appears to be a leaked document cited by the New York Times, revealing a rare acknowledgement that crisis or conflict could be on the horizon.

The Times reports that the internal document, apparently leaked from the state-owned telecoms firm China Mobile and circulated on social media, said a company manager had inspected five sites being built to accommodate refugees in early December.

The document says that China Mobile was asked to supply Internet services in the camp areas, located in three villages of northeast Changbai County and two other cities in Jilin province. Speaking anonymously, a local businessman told the Times that housing construction was already under way at several of the sites.

A spokesperson for Chinas Foreign Ministry told reporters he was unaware of the plan, according to the Times, but did not deny that such sites were being built. A company executive declined to discuss the issue, the Times reports.

An expert cited by the Times said making such contingency plans was absolutely reasonable, given Pyongyangs intensifying efforts to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. North Koreas increasingly frequent tests have provoked Washington and set the region on edge.

It is highly possible that there is a conflict between North Korea and the United States now, Zhang Liangui, a professor of international strategic research at the Communist Partys Central Party School, told the Times.

Read more: North Korea Is the Biggest Threat to All Humankind. The U.S. Ambassador to China Talks to TIME

Beijings chief policy objective has long been to maintain stability on the peninsula, in order to avoid the very crisis it appears to now anticipate. For years this has meant exerting restrained economic pressure, such as enforcing some sanctions but declining to cut off commodities such as oil so as not to cause collapse.

Jilin province is already home to a large number of defectors and refugees from North Korea, and experts estimate that further instability or conflict could send as many as millions more across the Tumen River separating the two countries.
Photo credit: Letizia Le Fur / Getty

From Country Living UK

Dementia can have a devastating effect on sufferers and their families, but scientists are still trying to understand exactly why and how it develops, and as yet there is no cure.

One of the latest discoveries is that hearing loss could be an early sign of the disease, with researchers at Trinity College Dublin finding an association between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and the development of dementia.

The study

In a review of over 20,000 participants, ARHL was linked to decline in a number of areas of cognitive functioning, including episodic memory and a slower processing speed. Previous studies have shown that hearing loss precedes the onset of dementia by five to 10 years.

As a result of the study, experts say that a hearing aid could help prevent dementia by improving verbal communication and keeping the brain healthy. David Loughrey, a PhD candidate who worked on the research, told the Daily Mail:

"Hearing loss is easily diagnosed and can be treated. Although associations were small, treatment may cumulatively benefit cognition."

Photo credit: redheadpictures / Getty

Dr Carol Routledge, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK said there may be a link between hearing loss and dementia, but the lack of mental stimulation experienced by those who are hard of hearing may also play a role. She said:

"This small but statistically robust association between hearing loss and a decline in memory skills adds to mounting evidence of a link, but the study does not conclusively show that hearing loss is driving memory problems... Hearing loss is associated with dementia risk factors like heart disease, which could also be an underlying reason for the link observed in this study."

She added;

"Some research suggests that being socially engaged and mentally active could help to boost cognitive reserve  a kind of mental resilience that may delay the effects of a disease like Alzheimer's... As things that we hear can provide mental stimulation and a means of social interaction, a loss of hearing could influence cognitive reserve, leaving people more vulnerable to memory and thinking decline."

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The study was published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology  Head & Neck Surgery.

From Good Housekeeping UK

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Donald Trump says attempts to have Congress investigate allegations of sexual assault against him are based on "false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met".

In the same tweet, Mr Trump accused Democrats of "thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent" over the Mueller investigation that has been "unable to show any collusion with Russia".

The President has been accused by 16 women of sexual misconduct.

Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

At a press conference on Monday four of them shared their first-hand experiences of Mr Trump.

Samantha Holvey, a former beauty queen who claimed the 71-year-old ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006, said his election was "heartbreaking".

"We're private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, 'Eh, we don't care,' it hurt, she said.

Let's try round two. The environment's different. Let's try again.

Another described how Mr Trump allegedly tried to kiss and put his hand up her skirt during a flight in the 1970s.

Rachel Crooks, a former Trump Tower receptionist who said the billionaire kissed her on the mouth without consent in 2006, called for Congress to put aside party affiliations and investigate Trump's history of sexual misconduct.

Several Democratic senators have seized the moment and called for Trump to step down.

Story continues

President Trump should resign, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told CNN on Monday. These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.

Mr Trump responded on Twitter, accusing Ms Gillibrand of "begging" for campaign contributions from him "not so long ago".

He wrote: "Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!"

Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley have also called on Mr Trump to resign.

The spotlight is turning back onto the President's past conduct amid the international #MeToo movement and the removal of many men from positions of power following accusations of sexual assault and harassment.

On Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed accusations against the Republican president and suggested the issue had already been litigated in Mr Trump's favour on Election Day.

A Capitol Hill investigation into Mr Trump's conduct appears unlikely. The Senate and House Ethics Committees investigate members of Congress, not presidents, and Republican-led committees would be loath to investigate Trump on sexual misconduct unless there is some sort of connection to the ongoing Russia probe.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Congress should not investigate the allegations against Mr Trump.

I don't think there's any forum for us to do that, he said. Just think about how that could be abused.

Additional reporting by AP
Donald Trump has tweeted his election-day support of Senate candidate Roy Moore, urging Alabama residents to vote for the accused child sex abuser and claiming his opponent is "pro-abortion".

"The people of Alabama will do the right thing," Mr Trump tweeted. "Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL."

He added: "Roy Moore will always vote with us. VOTE ROY MOORE!"

Alabama voters go to the polls on Tuesday to select a US Senator from their state in a special election. The race has been a contentious one, in which child sex abuse allegations have put Mr Moore, a Republican, at a disadvantage in the traditionally red state. Mr Moore denies the allegations.

Mr Moore's campaign has regularly emphasised his Democratic opponent's support for abortion rights  something a majority of Alabamians oppose.

Mr Jones' campaign page clearly states that he will "defend a womans right to choose and stand with Planned Parenthood". He has also defended allowing abortions after 20 weeks in the case of medical emergencies.

Mr Moore  who has proposed outlawing abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood  told Breitbart News that his opponent "goes to the extreme" on abortion rights.

"He is ultra-liberal on abortion. He is ultra-liberal on immigration. He is ultra-liberal on many things," Mr Moore said. "And weve got to either bring back conservativism or we will lose it all together.

Still, some anti-abortion advocates say they cannot support Mr Moore because of the sex abuse allegations against him. Bama Students for Life, the antiabortion group at the University of Alabama, told the Washington Post that the group would not be backing the candidate.

"His actions are not pro-life and they are not acceptable," the group's Vice President told the Post. "We do not support him in any way."

Story continues

Multiple women have accused Mr Moore of perusing them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One woman claims he initiated sexual contact with her when she was only 14  under the age of consent in Alabama.

Mr Moore has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated and "disgusting".

Citing these denials, Mr Trump threw his support behind the Senate candidate last month. The President told reporters that Mr Moore "totally denies" the allegations, adding: "He says it didn't happen. You have to listen to him also."

Shortly thereafter, Mr Trump tweeted his official endorsement of the candidate. He has since lobbied for Mr Moore at a rally in Florida, and recorded robocalls for the Moore campaign in Alabama.

"LAST thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already," Mr Trump tweeted last week. "...Hes bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military. VOTE ROY MOORE!"
Alabama heads to the polls Tuesday, and the Senate race between Democrat Doug Jones and beleaguered Republican candidate Roy Moore is exceptionally tight with just hours to go.

No Democrat has won an election for Senate (or even governor) in Alabama in nearly two decades, but the litany of allegations of sexual misconduct against Roy Moore have helped push Jones to a ten point lead, if Fox News' latest poll is to be believed. Other pundits believe the race is too close to call.

There's a lot at stake and the country is watching  and numerous public figures came out in a last ditch attempt to thwart Moore on Monday night.

SEE ALSO: So about that 'firebrand' Roy Moore ...

Elle DeGeneres was perhaps one of the most well-known; she reiterated that Tuesday is a "big day" and urged all voters to head out and reject Roy.

Alabamians, tomorrow is a big day. If you believe all people are equal, whether theyre gay, straight, black, white, male or female, I hope youll get out tomorrow and vote for Doug Jones. #AlabamaSenateRace  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 12, 2017

Her voice was joined by actresses Uzo Aduba  who reportedly told crowds in Birmingham that "there is only one choice in this election"  and Uma Thurman.

"Women of the state of Alabama just say 'no Moore'," Thurman begged in an Instagram post late Monday.

I'm posting twice to show my white knuckles in prayer to stop an accused paedophile from being elected. This is neither a democrat nor republican issue: this vote decides who we want to endorse as Americans. Some moral boundaries must be uncrossable. A post shared by Uma Thurman (@ithurman) on Dec 11, 2017 at 6:04pm PST

The latest crop of high profile voices join the likes of Mark Ruffalo, Patton Oswalt, Alyssa Milano, and Connie Britton, who have all tweeted or recorded messages in support of Jones in recent days.

Story continues

Come on #Alabama you got good in you. Do the right thing. https://t.co/24ccgZoQ9p  Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) December 3, 2017

Moore denies pursuing women who were in their teens, despite at least six women sharing their stories. A win for Jones would reduce the Republican majority in the Senate to one.
Paris (AFP) - The finance ministers of the European Union's five biggest economies wrote to their American counterpart Monday to voice concerns over a US tax overhaul, saying Washington should adhere to "international obligations to which it has signed up".

The letter, signed by the British, French, German, Italian and Spanish finance ministers, warned that "certain less conventional international tax provisions could contravene" tax treaties and could have "a major distortive impact on international trade".

US Republicans in the House and Senate are working to come up with a final unified version of the reform that President Donald Trump can sign before the end of the year.

Both versions call for slashing taxes for corporations and business partnerships while eliminating many deductions for individuals.

"While the establishment of a modern, competitive and robust tax system is one of the essential pillars of a state's sovereignty, it is important that the US government's rights over domestic tax policy be exercised in a way that adheres with international obligations to which it has signed up," the letter said.

Germany's Finance Minister Peter Altmaier, Britain's Philip Hammond, France's Bruno Le Maire, Italy's Pier Carlo Padoan and Spain's Cristobal Montoro told US Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin they remain "confident that you will find a wise and well-balanced compromise in your mission to create a modern and robust new US tax code".

The United States is Europe's biggest trade and investment partner.

A US Treasury spokesperson responded by saying: "We appreciate the views of the finance ministers. We are closely working with Congress as they finalize the legislation through the conference process."

Last Tuesday the 28 EU finance ministers, meeting in Brussels, has a preliminary discussion on the subject at France's request.

The Republicans' text calls for company tax to be dropped to 20 percent from 35 percent and would encourage US multinationals to repatriate their profits rather than enjoy preferential tax rates overseas.
Baumgarten an der March (Austria) (AFP) - A large explosion rocked one of Europe's main gas pipeline hubs on Tuesday, leaving one person dead and stoking concerns about the continent's winter supplies.

Photos and videos on social media showed a huge tower of orange flames visible for miles around roaring out of the Baumgarten facility in eastern Austria.

Police said that the blast at around 8:45 am (0745 GMT) killed one person and left 21 hurt, one of them with serious but not life-threatening injuries who was airlifted to hospital in Vienna.

"I heard a huge explosion and thought at first it was a plane crash," photographer Tomas Hulik, a resident of a village over the border in Slovakia, told AFP. "Then I saw an immense ball of flame."

Austrian police said the incident at the site, which is responsible for about a tenth of Europe's gas supply, was caused by a "technical" fault and that local authorities had begun an investigation.

Some 200 firefighters took several hours to extinguish the blaze. The heat was so extreme that cars parked at the site partially melted.

Baumgarten, 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Vienna, is Austria's largest reception point for gas, the end-point for a number of pipelines from Russia, Norway and elsewhere.

It receives some 40 billion cubic metres of gas annually and redistributes it onwards to other countries in Europe including to Germany and northern Italy.

Armin Teichert, a spokesman for the site's operator Gas Connect Austria, said that the facility had been evacuated and put into "security mode".

The material damage is "major," Teichert told AFP.

- Italian emergency -

He added that there could be interruptions in supply to Italy and Croatia, but nowhere else.

Italy's government declared a state of emergency for its gas sector and said it would tap its underground reserves to ensure that customers were not affected.

Russian gas giant Gazprom said it was "working on redistribution of gas flows and (doing) its best to secure uninterrupted gas supplies to the clients".

Story continues

A spokesman for Austrian gas firm OMV, which part-owns Gas Connect Austria, told Bloomberg that getting Baumgarten back to normal "isn't a question of hours, but days".

The incident further spooked European energy markets a day after one of Britain's most important North Sea oil pipelines was closed because of a crack.

Natural gas and power prices jumped in Europe, and Brent crude oil futures rose above $65 a barrel for the first time since June 2015.

A cold snap in Britain and across Europe has also pushed up demand for gas and heating oil in recent days.

burs-stu/dl




A father and daughter who were booted off a reality show for being too weird, are now opening a pole dancing studio together.

Dave Roberts, 52, and his eldest daughter Hazel, 27, have been pole dancing together for years, after bonding over their shared love of the activity.

Their love of the activity surprises a lot of people but Hazel and Dave focus their classes on the gymnastic skills required rather than sexy dance moves.

Dave and Hazel love pole dancing together so much, theyre opening a studio. (Photo: SWNS)

The pair have been dancing together for years. (Photo: SWNS)

Its a matter of trust, Hazel said of performing with her father. If you cant trust your own dad not to drop you, who can you trust? Ive had other people suggest that I work with them, but I think to myself not a chance. I wouldnt feel so comfortable or safe because they would not know my balance points like my dad does.

Hazel began pole dancing six years ago, at the same time Dave was encouraged to attend a class by his ex-girlfriend.

The pair started off pole dancing separately, but were soon drawn together. (Photo: SWNS)

Completely coincidentally I did a six-week course in the last year of University in Ireland and sent him a picture of me doing a Crucifix [move] saying look what I can do, Hazel said. He sent one back in the same pose saying so can I.

The dad-of-five initially kept his hobby under wraps for fear of being ridiculed by friends and family, but when Hazel returned from school they began going to classes together.

Dave and Hazel were even scouted for reality TV show Britains Got Talent.. (Photo: SWNS)

They were eventually persuaded to appear on TV talent show Britains Got Talent  which resulted in their act being branded too weird by judges in 2015.

[Thats] the weirdest thing I have ever seen, judge David Walliams said at the time.

Despite the criticism, they are now preparing to open a studio with 14 ft. poles, in Gloucestershire in the U.K.

The father daughter duo have now turned their mutual love into a business. (Photo: SWNS)

Hazel said the most rewarding part of teaching is encouraging people to build up the confidence to discard their leggings and grip the pole with their bare legs.

Dave and Hazel focus more on the gymnastics of pole dancing than the raunchy aspect to it. (Photo: SWNS)

[Clients] come in saying they cant wear shorts because they have thunder thighs, but I just tell them that means they will be able to grip the pole better, she said. We start off with moves that secretly build up their core muscles so by the time they come to lift their feet off the floor, they are already stronger than when they came.

Story continues

Students admit they were initially confused by Dave and Hazels partnership. (Photo: SWNS)

Students admit they were initially taken aback by the partnership, but have gotten used to it.

I was a bit confused when I first heard her call Dave dad, but they clearly know what they are doing and make me feel very safe, said Kate Brown. Dave is very strong so he can help with the power stuff and between them they have a lot of different strengths. They work really well together.

I was a bit surprised when I found out they were father and daughter but they work really well together so what does it matter? added student Tracey Fisher.

 Additional reporting by SWNS.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Jerusalem (AFP) - The Middle East saw a fifth day of protests on Monday over US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, while further global condemnation followed the deeply controversial move.

While tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met EU foreign ministers in Brussels, declaring that the move he has lauded as historic "makes peace possible".

He also said he expected "all or most" European countries would follow the United States -- but the 28-nation bloc's foreign policy head Federica Mogherini gave him a stern rebuff, telling him to "keep his expectations for others".

In Cairo, Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced Trump's decision as "destabilising" while calling for a resumption of long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks.

And after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara later Monday, Putin said the Trump declaration could "derail" peace efforts.

At a joint press conference, Erdogan said he and Putin had taken a similar approach on the issue, while accusing Israel of continuing to "add fuel to the flames".

Erdogan has been perhaps the most outspoken of global leaders in warning about the consequences of Trump's move.

Earlier Monday he said in a speech in Ankara that Washington was a "partner to bloodshed".

Hezbollah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006, organised a demonstration in Beirut in which tens of thousands of people chanted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!"

In Tehran, hundreds of diehard Iranian conservatives rallied against Israel and said Trump had hastened its demise by his decision.

In Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

"We came here against Trump's decision and we want to send a message that Jerusalem is and will stay our capital, and we will stay to defend it," one protester in a black ski mask told AFP.

Story continues

There were also low-level clashes in Hebron and the Gaza Strip.

About 27 Palestinians were wounded by live fire or rubber bullets throughout the day, the Red Crescent said.

Palestinian demonstrations have declined in number and intensity since reaching a peak on Friday, but there are concerns they will again increase later this week.

Late Monday, at least two rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, with one intercepted by Israel's missile defence system.

In response, Israel's army said it hit Hamas military positions in the strip with tank and aircraft fire.

There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side.

Four Palestinians have been killed so far in clashes or Israeli air strikes in response to rocket fire from Gaza, and hundreds have been wounded.

- 'Walking away' -

Tens of thousands of people have protested in Middle Eastern and Muslim nations.

Palestinian leaders are outraged by Trump's move, but they also face difficult choices in how to respond since they rely on US aid and would like to salvage the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict.

President Mahmud Abbas will refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region later this month, Palestinian officials say, a move that led Washington to accuse Abbas of "walking away" from a chance to discuss peace.

Abbas on Monday met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a key US ally in the region, ahead of a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday.

Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said Sisi reaffirmed Cairo's "firm" position on the need to maintain the legal and historical status of Jerusalem and support for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Netanyahu, who has been dogged by corruption investigations against him at home, has lauded Trump's declaration.

On Monday, he was in Brussels as part of a two-day trip to Europe after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris the previous day, on visits planned before Trump's move.

Macron urged Netanyahu to "show courage" and take measures to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, including freezing settlement construction in the West Bank.

But Netanyahu, who heads what is seen as the most rightwing government in Israeli history, showed no sign of obliging, instead blaming the Palestinians for stalled peace efforts.

Monday's parley with EU foreign ministers was the first such meeting with an Israeli premier in 22 years, and came after the bloc's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini warned that Trump's move could take the situation "backwards to even darker times".

Netanyahu later said he told the ministers to "stop spoiling the Palestinians -- tell them clearly".

"I think that the Palestinians need to be brought back to earth, to reality," he said.

Mogherini said the "worst thing that can happen now is an escalation of tensions, of violence", and restated the EU's position that a two-state solution with Jerusalem as capital for both Israelis and Palestinians was the only sustainable way to resolve the conflict.

- Global condemnation -

Trump's Jerusalem declaration upended decades of precedent and broke with international consensus, drawing global condemnation.

Jerusalem's status is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel sees the entire city as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

Trump noted in his decision that Jerusalem's final status would have to be decided in negotiations between the two sides, but the Palestinians are not convinced.

Many analysts have questioned how a fair peace process could be possible after such a major concession was made without seeming to demand anything in return.

Jerusalem is home to sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and the Arab and Muslim world has seen the US move as an affront.

burs-mjs/js
Californias Thomas Fire continued to grow overnight, hitting 234,200 acres burned on Tuesday, December 12. The fire stood at 20 percent contained.

Nearly 900 buildings have been destroyed and thousands more in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties were threatened, a news report said. Thousands have been evacuated since the fire started burning a week ago.

The town of Carpinteria, where this video was taken, declared a local state of emergency on Monday because of the growing wildfire, a news report said. Evacuation orders were issued for the town over the weekend.

The wildfire became the fifth largest in state history on Sunday. Credit: Santa Barbara County Fire Department via Storyful
It seems Doug Jones may not be out of the running just yet. While many polls show the Democratic candidate just slightly behind Republican Roy Moore in Tuesdays special election for Alabamas vacant Senate seat, new data from Google suggests a sudden uptick in search terms relating to Jones.

The special election has been controversial due to recent allegations against Moore, a state judge with far-right support and a history of homophobic and anti-Muslim political views. Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct or impropriety by eight women, one of whom says she was 14 years old at the time of the incident. Moore has described the allegations as completely false and misleading.

Despite numerous Senators calling for Moore to step down, until now the polls have shown a tight competition with Moore just edging it. RealClear Politics polling data averaged from November 27 to December 10 shows Moore leading by 2.2 percentage points. However, a Fox News poll on Monday showed Jones with a 10-point lead, an outlier in the grander scheme of things, but one that suggests the race is not a done deal.

Google Trends also seems to suggest a close call, with voting trends for the two candidates over the last week showing a tight race:

The two terms, compared.

These trends could hide some underlying data points, though. A breakdown of search terms over time shows how Alabama internet users have been searching more, and theyve been searching Jones:

The graph as it stands ahead of the election.

Users are also inputting search terms to find out more about Jones candidacy, while Moores terms focus on the allegations:

Search terms.

Google Trends is a useful tool for discovering general interest in a subject, as well as gauging overall movements. Although there are many reasons why a term might trend that goes beyond actual support, the tool detected the surge of interest in Pokemon Go last summer, as well as its subsequent decline soon afterwards. Its also recently highlighted how HQ Trivia users are cheating the app, one of the first major signs of a change in the trivia games use.

Story continues

The trend data for the Alabama election could be the big signs of a late surge for Jones. Results are expected soon after 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Photos via Google Trends, Getty Images / Drew Angerer

Photos via Google Trends, Getty Images / Drew Angerer

Written by Mike Brown

More articles by Mike  Follow Mike on Twitter

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Athens (AFP) - Greece will speed up the relocation of thousands of migrants from its overcrowded islands to the mainland before the onset of winter after reaching a deal with Turkey, a key ally in helping to tackle Europe's migration crisis, government sources said Monday.

Athens persuaded Ankara last week to accept migrant returns from the mainland and not just from the Aegean islands as previously agreed under a 2016 EU-Turkey pact, one source told AFP.

The new agreement -- reached during a strained two-day visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- aims to reduce the more than 15,000 people packed into refugee camps on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros, another source said.

The camps are filled to triple their capacity, forcing many migrants to sleep in tents and creating tensions with locals.

Over a million people, mainly fleeing the civil war in Syria, crossed to Greece from Turkey in 2015 with the onset of the bloc's worst migration crisis since World War II.

Last March, Ankara had pledged to take back illegal migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for sweeteners including financial aid and eased EU visa rules for Turkish citizens.

The deal, criticised by rights groups, sharply reduced the number of migrants trying to cross the Aegean Sea.

However, 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.

Until now, Greece has only been relocating populations deemed "vulnerable" -- non-accompanied minors, single parents and victims of torture -- to the mainland, exempt under the EU-Turkey pact.

The other illegal migrants are being kept on the islands until their deportation to Turkey, for fears that too many will try to travel north to wealthier EU nations.

Athens hopes that its deal with Ankara will help speed up the transfer of these people to Turkey via the mainland.

Meanwhile, Greece has already intensified its relocation of vulnerable persons to the mainland, transferring more than 1,000 in recent days.

Story continues

In total over 3,500 people were moved between October and November, the migration ministry said.

According to Oxfam, 5,000 people are to be transferred from the islands in December, before temperatures drop.

Aid groups have repeatedly warned that transferring refugees to heated accommodation before winter 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.

"This is a very positive step that will save lives," said Nicola Bay, the head of Oxfam in Greece. "Winter is just around the corner and thousands of refugees and migrants are still sharing unheated tents exposed to the bitter cold."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An 18-year-old Houston man was charged on Monday with trying to support the radical group Islamic State and distributing information about how to make bombs, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, who is a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Friday in Houston after the filing of a criminal complaint by federal prosecutors, the Justice Department said in an emailed statement.

This followed an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that found he had allegedly said he planned to travel overseas to fight for Islamic State or failing that, commit an attack in the United States, the statement said.

"The charges also indicate Damlarkaya asked if he could provide a farewell video to be published should he follow through with an attack resulting in his death in order to inspire others," the statement said.

Damlarkaya also told undercover FBI agents and other sources through online communications how to build AK-47 or AR-15 assault rifles with easily available parts and how to make a pressure cooker bomb, the statement said.

The criminal complaint alleges that Damlarkaya claims to have attempted to get to Syria on two occasions, but failed.

It was not immediately clear if Damlarkaya had a lawyer.

He is being held pending a detention hearing set for Dec. 14.

(Reporting by Eric Walsh; editing by Diane Craft)
New Delhi (AFP) - An Indian court Tuesday found a man guilty of raping and murdering a law student in a frenzied knife attack in southern Kerala state that sparked nationwide outrage.

The murdered student was found dead in a pool of blood in her home in Perumbavoor town on April 28, 2016, with nearly 30 stab wounds and bite marks on her severely disfigured corpse.

Muhammed Ameerul Islam was convicted by a district court in Kerala over the brutal attack, which drew comparisons with the high-profile gang-rape and murder of a Delhi student in 2012.

"The court found him guilty of rape, murder and trespass," B. A. Aloor, Islam's lawyer told AFP.

He said Islam would be sentenced Wednesday, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.

The court was told Islam's crime was the "rarest of the rare" -- an expression reserved in Indian courts for crimes that result in capital punishment.

The woman, a member of India's lowest Dalit caste who was studying to become a lawyer, lived with her mother who was not at home when the murder took place.

Police took nearly two months to identify a suspect, generating widespread criticism by women's rights activists who accused investigators of bungling the case.

The prosecution described the crime as unprovoked but some media reports say the attack was motivated by revenge over a disagreement.

The level of brutality in the attack sent shockwaves through India and was quickly compared to the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student on a moving bus in New Delhi in 2012.

That crime shone a spotlight on the rising levels of violence against women in India, sparked mass protests and led to an overhaul of rape laws that increased penalties for offenders and accelerated trials through courts.

India has a grim record of sexual crimes against women, with nearly 39,000 rape cases reported in 2016, according to government data.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 22:06:40|Editor: ZD

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Attendees participate in a forum in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Dec. 11, 2017. The Maritime Silk Road Forum on Arts Development was held here during the 3rd Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival on Monday. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Senator Wicker:

Senator Schatz:

Representative Blackburn:

Representative Doyle:

We are the pioneers and technologists who created and now operate the Internet, and some of the innovators and business people who, like many others, depend on it for our livelihood. We are writing to respectfully urge you to call on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to cancel the December 14 vote on the FCCs proposed Restoring Internet Freedom Order (WC Docket No. 17-108 ).

This proposed Order would repeal key network neutrality protections that prevent Internet access providers from blocking content, websites and applications, slowing or speeding up services or classes of service, and charging online services for access or fast lanes to Internet access providers customers. The proposed Order would also repeal oversight over other unreasonable discrimination and unreasonable practices, and over interconnection with last-mile Internet access providers. The proposed Order removes long-standing FCC oversight over Internet access providers without an adequate replacement to protect consumers, free markets and online innovation.

It is important to understand that the FCCs proposed Order is based on a flawed and factually inaccurate understanding of Internet technology. These flaws and inaccuracies were documented in detail in a 43-page-long joint comment signed by over 200 of the most prominent Internet pioneers and engineers and submitted to the FCC on July 17, 2017.

Despite this comment, the FCC did not correct its misunderstandings, but instead premised the proposed Order on the very technical flaws the comment explained. The technically-incorrect proposed Order dismantles 15 years of targeted oversight from both Republican and Democratic FCC chairs, who understood the threats that Internet access providers could pose to open markets on the Internet.

The experts comment was not the only one the FCC ignored. Over 23 million comments have been submitted by a public that is clearly passionate about protecting the Internet. The FCC could not possibly have considered these adequately.

Indeed, breaking with established practice, the FCC has not held a single open public meeting to hear from citizens and experts about the proposed Order.

Furthermore, the FCCs online comment system has been plagued by major problems that the FCC has not had time to investigate. These include bot-generated comments that impersonated Americans, including dead people, and an unexplained outage of the FCCs on-line comment system that occurred at the very moment TV host John Oliver was encouraging Americans to submit comments to the system.

Compounding our concern, the FCC has failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests about these incidents and failed to provide information to a New York State Attorney Generals investigation of them.

We therefore call on you to urge FCC Chairman Pai to cancel the FCCs vote. The FCCs rushed and technically incorrect proposed Order to abolish net neutrality protections without any replacement is an imminent threat to the Internet we worked so hard to create. It should be stopped.

Signed,

Frederick J. Baker, IETF Chair 1996-2001, ISOC Board Chair 2002-2006

Mitchell Baker, Executive Chairwoman, Mozilla Foundation

Steven M. Bellovin, Internet pioneer, FTC Chief Technologist, 2012-2013

Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web & professor, MIT

John Borthwick, CEO, Betaworks

Scott O. Bradner, Internet pioneer

Vinton G. Cerf, Internet pioneer

Stephen D. Crocker, Internet pioneer

Whitfield Diffie, inventor of public-key cryptography

David J. Farber, Internet pioneer, FCC Chief Technologist 1999-2000

Dewayne Hendricks, CEO Tetherless Access

Martin E. Hellman, Internet security pioneer

Brewster Kahle, Internet pioneer, founder, Internet Archive

Susan Landau, cybersecurity expert & professor, Tufts University

Theodor Holm Nelson, hypertext pioneer

David P. Reed, Internet pioneer

Jennifer Rexford, Chair of Computer Science, Princeton University

Ronald L. Rivest, co-inventor of RSA public-key encryption algorithm

Paul Vixie, Internet pioneer

Stephen Wolff, Internet pioneer

Steve Wozniak, co-founder, Apple Computer
Jake Tapper responded to President Donald Trumps latest attacks on the press spreading fake news with a bulleted list of the former businessmans most egregious lies.

The CNN host called out the president and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for accusing the media of intentionally trying to mislead the republic, suggesting that such a stance was hypocritical. Sanders lashed out at journalists on Monday and attacked reporters for not taking responsibility for mistakes in their reporting.

But, Tapper said, news organizations and journalists have taken responsibility and corrected their reporting for a number of journalistic mistakes in recent weeks  actions Trump himself has not taken despite telling multiple lies for years.

The White House, run by the president who came to political prominence by promoting the lie that the first African-American president was born in Africa, is finding time to take issue with those who mislead people, the CNN host said Monday.

The White House, run by the president who has said, with no evidence, that crowds of American Muslims were seen on TV celebrating in New Jersey after 9/11. The man who repeated that ludicrous National Inquirer claim that Ted Cruzs father had something to do with the Kennedy assassination. And the man who has said, with no evidence, that there were 3 to 5 million fraudulent votes for Hillary Clinton. That same president is taking issue with people being misled.

Take a full look at Tappers response in the video above.

Also on HuffPost

A man holds up a sign during a protest against racism gathered in front of the White House, on August 14, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower.

Hundreds of protesters gather outside of Trump Tower.

A woman raises her fist at the front of a march down Washington Avenue to protest racism and the violence over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

Supporters of anti-Trump protestors hold up signs inside Trump Tower ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

Pedestrians walk past a 15-foot tall inflatable rat in the likeness of U.S. President Donald Trump at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street up the road from Trump Tower, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

A President Donald Trump supporter (left) argues with anti-Trump protesters as they gather outside of Trump Tower.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower.

Hundreds of protesters gather outside of Trump Tower.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue.

A man holds up a sign during a protest against racism in front of the White House.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on 11 December 2017: Reuters

Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been rebuffed in meetings in Brussels after urging European foreign ministers to follow the USs lead in recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

During his first ever visit to the European Councils headquarters on Monday, the Israeli leader told officials US President Donald Trumps move made peace in the Middle East possible because recognising reality is the substance of peace, the foundation of peace.

Palestinians should also move to recognise the Jewish state and also recognise the fact that it has a capital. Its called Jerusalem.

Europe must stop pampering the Palestinians, the Israeli Prime Minister said.

I think the Palestinians need a reality check. You have to stop cutting them slack. Thats the only way to move forward towards peace.

Mr Netanyahus overtures appear to have been comprehensively rejected by European officials, however.

Immediately after a closed-door breakfast meeting, Swedens Foreign Minister, Margot Wallstrom, told reporters: I have a hard time seeing that any other country would [recognise Jerusalem as Israeli] and I dont think any other EU country will do it.

Her comments echo those made by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini last week, both of whom have called for the EU to take the lead on the now urgent need to restart the peace process.

The US President shocked even his closest allies with last Wednesdays declaration that the country would break with decades of established foreign policy and international law by recognising the holy city as the Israeli capital, moving its embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day war, a move regarded as illegal by the international community.

Both Israelis and Palestinians claim the holy city as their undivided capital. Under the 1993 Oslo peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is to be decided at an advanced level of peace talks.

Story continues

While welcomed by Mr Netanyahu, many other world leaders, including US allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have expressed concern that the controversial move could spark renewed violence in the region and wider Muslim world.

Protests have been held across the globe and four Palestinians have been killed in violent clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and Gaza. An Israeli soldier was seriously wounded in a stabbing attack carried out by a Palestinian on Sunday.

On Monday, Hezbollah  the Lebanese militant group which has sworn Israels destruction  held a rally in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh attended by tens of thousands of people.

Protesters chanted slogans such as Death to America and Israel and waved Hezbollah and Palestinian flags.

More than 6,000 people also gathered in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta for a fifth day of solidarity protests against the USs decision.

In the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem itself, however, demonstrations appear to be winding down.

The US has been seeking to resurrect talks between Israel and the Palestinians since Mr Trump took office; the President has previously described brokering an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict the ultimate deal.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, however, says the USs symbolic move on Jerusalem is as good as a withdrawal from the peace process.

Hamas, the militant organisation that rules the Gaza Strip, has called for a third intifada as a result of the USs decision.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last week it would still be up to the Israelis and Palestinians to hammer out all other issues surrounding the city in future talks and that a reality check was needed to revitalise peace talks.

European officials, however, have been sceptical.

On Monday, many reiterated to reporters throughout the day that their official position still holds that East Jerusalem, Golan Heights and the occupied West Bank are not Israeli territory.

The right wing governments of Hungary and the Czech Republic have shown more support for the Trump administrations move, but both countries said on Monday that their long-term goal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was still a two-state solution.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan (Photo: United States Courts)

WASHINGTON  A federal judge on Monday aggressively questioned a Justice Department attorney about the Trump administrations contention that it can continue holding an unnamed U.S. citizen  who has asked for an attorney  out of the reach of lawyers who wish to represent him.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said she was not sure it was conscionable that she could allow the U.S. government to continue holding the American, who was taken into custody in Iraq three months ago, without giving him the ability to challenge his prolonged detention as unlawful, through whats known as a habeas corpus petition.

What the government is suggesting is an end run around the right to habeas, Chutkan said. He wants counsel, which is an assertion and request that I dont think I can ignore.

The American Civil Liberties Union had filed a habeas corpus petition on behalf of the unnamed American, an alleged fighter for the Islamic State militant group. Chutkan, an Obama appointee, indicated on Monday that shed made her ruling in the case as quickly as possible.

Justice Department attorney Kathryn Wyer, representing the Trump administration, argued that the government was trying to resolve the situation quickly. Wyer said the American didnt give any indication of urgency to the FBI when they met with him and when he requested a lawyer.

Wyer suggested the unlikely possibility that the American might know the details of a legal battle involving the habeas rights of prior Guantanamo detainees, or that he knows the difference between habeas corpus and his Miranda rights  a distinction most people are unfamiliar with. She suggested it was possible that the American only wanted a lawyer for questioning, not to assert his habeas corpus rights.

Chutkan didnt seem to buy that.

He says he wants counsel  isnt that enough? she asked. How on earth, the judge said, would this person be able to exercise their habeas corpus rights if theyre effectively being held incommunicado?

Story continues

Under those circumstances, the right to habeas is meaningless, Chutkan said.

Wyer argued that standing was still an issue, and that the ACLU was a third-party stranger to the case. But Chutkan said the ACLU isnt just some person off the street  its a group with extensive experience with these types of cases.

Jonathan Hafetz, the ACLU lawyer, said he was flabbergasted by the governments arguments, and said the government was asking for a blank check to hold U.S. citizens overseas for indefinite periods of time, even when theyd requested a lawyer.

Chutkan shook her head in agreement several times during Hafetzs presentation, and had no questions for him. She didnt explicitly say how shed rule, but left little doubt that shed come down against the government.

Related...

Trump Administration Is Illegally Denying Unnamed U.S. ISIS Suspect Access To Lawyers: ACLU

Federal Judge Slams Trump Administration's 'Circular Reasoning' For Imprisoning U.S. Citizen Without Access To Lawyer

American ISIS Suspect Requested A Lawyer, Justice Department Admits In New Filing

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - A fresh round of Syrian peace talks is scheduled for next week in Astana, Kazakhstan said Monday, as part of a Moscow-led push to end the six-year conflict.

The two-day talks in Astana will begin on December 21 and will focus on freeing prisoners, the delivery of humanitarian aid, the functioning of de-escalation zones and other issues, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The announcement came as Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian forces in Syria during a surprise visit to the war-torn country earlier Monday.

Nearly all of the seven rounds of Syria negotiations in Astana have involved representatives of the Syrian regime and the armed opposition, as well as the three power-brokers: Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Moscow has spearheaded the talks in Astana since the start of the year as it tries to turn its game-changing military intervention into a negotiated settlement.

Both Russia and Iran have thrown their support behind the regime of Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey has provided backing to the rebels.

The negotiations, which run in parallel to broader UN-backed talks in Geneva, involved armed rebels and government officials and have focused mainly on military issues.

The Kremlin also hopes to convene a political congress in the Black Sea resort of Sochi which would bring together regime officials and the opposition to reinvigorate a hobbled peace process.

More than 340,000 people have been killed since the conflict broke out in March 2011 when protests against Assad's rule sparked a brutal crackdown.
The fundraising page for the bullied child whose tearful video about being taunted by fellow pupils went viral has been frozen after his mother was accused of racism.

Keaton Jones, from Knoxville, Tennessee, garnered widespread sympathy after his mother Kimberly filmed him tearfully asking why he is the target of school bullies.

In the emotionally charged video which has racked up millions of views, the young boy describes how bullies pick on him because of his nose, branding him ugly, and telling him he has no friends.

"Why do they find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them? It's not OK. People that are different don't need to be criticised about it. It's not their fault. It's hard. It'll probably get better one day," he says.

He adds: They make fun of my nose. They call me ugly. They say I have no friends.

Keaton, who has gained the support of Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and other prominent individuals, also says in one bullying incident he had milk poured on him and ham put down his shirt.

But the GoFundMe page - which has amassed $57,000 in donations - has now been put on hold.

Joseph Lam, who set up the page, was insistent his reasoning for doing so was wholly unrelated to the accusations of racism Keatons mother Ms Jones has received.

As many of you know I paused the donations as well as the comments. As I sit back and read these comments and watched the video again I feel I have to make this update. THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE MUM!! he wrote on the account.

However passing judgement on her before you know her is a form of bullying. Condemnation before evaluation is the ultimate form of ignorance. I can't even say for sure that any of whats being said is true. I don't know the family personally and never claimed to have known them.

Mr Lam said the driving force behind the fundraising campaign was to help a child who had been the victim of bullying and raise awareness about the prevalence of the problem. He said he hoped to use the donations for a private school or college fund.

Story continues

This is about a kid who's been bullied and not just one kid, Keaton, there are many unspoken cases about kids being bullied. We have to be the voice for the voiceless. In the video, I saw a kid crying not just for himself but for others. To me, that's a kid with a heart of gold and deserves praise.

His mother Ms Jones has come under fire after a number of people claimed to have found evidence of offensive and possibly racist behaviour on Ms Jones Facebook account.

That viral video of Keaton Jones talking about being bullied is heartbreaking, and I feel sympathetic towards that child, said media personality Tariq Nasheed. But his mum, Kimberly on the other hand, is a suspected racist who makes very problematic posts bullying Black protesters.

That viral video of #KeatonJones talking about being bullied is heartbreaking, and I feel sympathetic towards that child.

But his mom, Kimberly on the other hand, is a suspected racist who makes very problematic posts bullying Black protesters #TheIronypic.twitter.com/NUhidunP8z  Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) December 11, 2017

Mr Nasheeds tweet was accompanied by several photos appearing to show members of the Jones family standing next to a Confederate flag. The Confederacy strove to preserve slavery in the US during the Civil War.

The tweet also included a screenshot of a Facebook post, allegedly written by Ms Jones, telling butt hurt Americans to stop complaining about metaphorical, emotional, financial, or historical blood & brokenness.

If you arent bleeding, no bones are sticking out & you can breathe, STOP crying. For the love, some folks clearly never picked a switch, the post reads.

Ms Jones has set her Facebook profile to private which means her posts can no longer be seen by the general public. However, her daughter, Lakyn Jones, previously posted one of the previously mentioned photos to her public Twitter account.

The photo, which is captioned Merica, shows Keaton holding an American flag next to another child holding a Confederate flag and Lakyn posing with a gun.

The screenshots sparked outrage on social media and some accused Ms Jones of hypocrisy.

Ms Jones has not addressed the photos publicly and did not respond to The Independents request for comment.

This tweet from Keaton Jones's sister shows members of the Jones family posing with a Confederate flag (Twitter/Lakyn Jones)

But Lakyn appeared to address the situation on Twitter shortly after the photos started to circulate.

She wrote: My family will continue to support each other. You all can hate and tweet all you want but our faith can't be shaken.

"Those who know me and my family know we arent racist. My brother doesnt say the 'N' word. Please leave it alone, a second tweet reads.

The Instagram KimberlyJones_38 is NOT my mom. She has a private Instagram and hasnt talked to anyone. We havent received any money and dont plan on it. The gofundmes arent by any of us, adds another.
The mother of a boy who went viral for a tearful video about his middle-school bullies has been accused of racist behaviour.

Keaton Jones reached viral status this month for a moving video in which he tears up and declares: "People that are different dont need to be criticised about it. Keaton says he is being bullied by kids at school, who pour milk on his head and stuff ham in his clothes.

They make fun of my nose, he said in the video, which his mother, Kimberly, posted to Facebook. They call me ugly. They say I have no friends.

As the video racked up millions of views, celebrities from Justin Bieber to Katy Perry offered their sympathies. Actor Chris Evans invited Keaton and his mother to come to the Avengers premiere in Los Angeles next year. A GoFundMe account for the family raised nearly $60,000.

But the situation grew murky when several people claimed to have found evidence of offensive, possibly racist behaviour on Ms Joness Facebook account.

That viral video of #KeatonJones talking about being bullied is heartbreaking, and I feel sympathetic towards that child.

But his mom, Kimberly on the other hand, is a suspected racist who makes very problematic posts bullying Black protesters #TheIrony pic.twitter.com/NUhidunP8z  Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) December 11, 2017

That viral video of #KeatonJones talking about being bullied is heartbreaking, and I feel sympathetic towards that child, tweeted media personality Tariq Nasheed. But his mom, Kimberly on the other hand, is a suspected racist who makes very problematic posts bullying Black protesters.

Mr Nasheeds tweet was accompanied by several photos appearing to show members of the Jones family standing next to a Confederate flag. The Confederacy fought to preserve slavery in America during the Civil War.

Story continues

The tweet also featured a screenshot of a Facebook post, allegedly written by Ms Jones, telling butt hurt Americans to stop complaining about metaphorical, emotional, financial, or historical blood & brokenness.

If you arent bleeding, no bones are sticking out & you can breathe, STOP crying, the post reads. For the love, some folks clearly never picked a switch.

Ms Jones has set her Facebook profile to private, meaning her posts and photos are not visible to the general public. But her daughter, Lakyn Jones, previously posted one of the aforementioned photos to her public Twitter account.

The photo, which is captioned Merica, shows Keaton holding an American flag next to another child holding a Confederate flag. Lakyn is posing with a gun.

This tweet from Keaton Jones's sister shows members of the Jones family posing with a Confederate flag (Twitter/Lakyn Jones)

The screenshots sparked a backlash on social media, leading some to accuse Ms Jones of hypocrisy.

My heart goes out to anyone dealing with bullying, but wassup with the racist images on Keaton Jones' mom's facebook page? Wouldn't that kinda make her a bully too? tweeted actor Slink Johnson.

This doesnt mean that the bullied kid should be bullied, but we should be aware of who we are centering. Again, tweeted Danger & Eggs show runner Shadi Petosky.

Ms Jones has not discussed the photos publicly, and did not respond to The Independents request for comment. Shortly after the photos began circulating, however, Lakyn appeared to address the situation on Twitter.

My family will continue to support each other, she wrote. You all can hate and tweet all you want but our faith cant be shaken.
Seasons greeting from Spains royal family! King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and their daughters Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia star in this years holiday card, which was released by Zarzuela Palace on Monday, December 11. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2018, the holiday message read in English and Spanish along with the four royals handwritten signatures signed below.

The family looked picture perfect for the photo. The portrait was taken in October during Spains National Day (October 12) celebrations in Madrid. At the time, the royal family showed a united front despite political turmoil in the country. The festivities also included a special memory for the victims of the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks.

CLICK FOR FULL GALLERY

VIEW GALLERY The royals took their 2017 Christmas card photo in October Photo:  Casa de S.M. el Rey

In the holiday card photo, the monarchs posed on a balcony behind their beaming daughters. Letizia looked characteristically stylish wearing a skirt suit by Felipe Varela and styling her brunette tresses into an elegant updo for the picture. Meanwhile Her Majestys daughters donned festive, holiday-colored ensembles. Leonor, 12, who is the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne, stood out wearing a red Carolina Herrera dress that complemented her fathers tie, while her younger sister, ten, looked chic in a tweed A-line dress by Pili Carrera.

GALLERY: QUEEN LETIZIA'S DAUGHTERS SWEET BOND AND STYLE

The royal family's 2017 card is more formal than last year's. In 2016, Letizia, Felipe and their daughters cozied up next to each other for an outdoors picture session that saw the King, Queen and their children wearing fall attire, including sweaters and turtlenecks.

VIEW GALLERY King Felipe, Queen Letizia and their daughters signed the 2017 card Photo:  Casa de S.M. el Rey

Along with the family-of-fours 2017 card, the royal palace also released King Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in 2014, and his wife Queen Sofia's Christmas card. The greeting featured a Nativity picture and a message that read Felices Pascuas y Ano Nuevo 2018" with their signatures signed beneath. Christmas greeting of Their Majesties the Kings Don Juan Carlos and Dona Sofia the palace noted of the card.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 23:19:37|Editor: Yurou

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PYONGYANG, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Monday said efforts by the United States to isolate it through economic sanctions and military pressure were doomed to fail.

A commentary by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) accused Washington of "spitting out" military threats against the DPRK and pressuring other countries to sever their diplomatic, economic and trade ties with Pyongyang.

The KCNA said with the world favoring a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, it was high time for the United States to listen to the voice of the international community appealing for peace in the region.

The commentary came as South Korea, the United States and Japan kicked off a two-day maritime exercise to track ballistic missiles, possibly from the DPRK, in waters near the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korean media reported Monday.

The joint drill followed the DPRK's test-launch on Nov. 29 of Hwasong-15, which Pyongyang claimed was an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

Ahead of the trilateral missile-tracking drill, the sixth of its kind, the combined air forces of South Korea and the United States had staged their biggest-ever joint air force exercise on the Korean Peninsula. The drill on Dec. 4 mobilized about 230 fighter jets, bombers and other combat planes.

Washington and Seoul annually conduct large-scale military drills to counter the alleged threat of the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs.

As the DPRK's next-door neighbor, China has made it clear it wants a nuclear-free, peaceful Korean Peninsula, and has been making strenuous efforts toward it, including proposing a political solution based on a suspension-for-suspension proposal and a dual-track approach.

The suspension-for-suspension initiative calls for the DPRK to suspend its nuclear and missile activities and for the United States and South Korea to suspend their large-scale war games. The dual-track approach involves parallel efforts to move forward both denuclearization and the establishment of a peaceful mechanism on the Korea Peninsula.
Germanys domestic security agency has warned that Chinese intelligence has been creating fake social networking profiles, particularly on LinkedIn, to gather information about German politicians and officials.

In an unusual move, the Bundesamt fur Verfassungsschutz (BfV) on Sunday released details of some of the fake social networking profiles that it said had made contact with at least 10,000 Germans, in order to recruit possible information sources.

Read: Why All CEOs Should Visit China

Example of these fake profiles include headhunters called Rachel Li and Allen Liu, a thinktank manager called Laeticia Chen, and a character called Jason Wang who wants to improve communication and cooperation between France, the EU and China.

Hans-Georg Maaen, the BfV head, described the tactic as a new means of attack in the digital space.

The modus operandi is almost always the same, the agency said in a report. Supposed scientists, employment agents and headhunters contact people with a significant personal profile. They are lured in with enticing offers and eventually invited to China, where the intelligence-gathering commences.

Read: China Targets Transparency as Regulators Prepare for a Record Number of IPOs

However, the Chinese foreign ministry strongly denied the agencys accusations.

We hope the relevant German organizations, particularly government departments, can speak and act more responsibly and not do things that are not beneficial to the development of bilateral relations, ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, according to Reuters.
A man wanted for his suspected role in the 1995 kidnapping of a little girl has been arrested after more than 20 years on the lam, officials said.

Kevin Lin, 68, was taken into custody in Southern California by the U.S. State Department Friday after applying for a passport with his real name, authorities said.

Lin's photo was matched to one that appeared on a wanted poster issued by the Hillsborough Police Department in 1995 after the kidnapping of 9-year-old Kristine Chiu, KABC-TV reported.

The little girl was reportedly held for $800,000 ransom for nine hours. It was the hope of the kidnappers that Chiu's parents, who were believed to be wealthy, would pay a large sum for their daughter's return.

But the child's mother and father were in Taiwan when she was abducted.

She was found unharmed inside a hotel at San Francisco International Airport.

Lin was taken to San Mateo County Jail and is being held on $5 million bail.

Another suspect in the case was caught and found guilty in 1997.

A third suspect has not yet been captured, according to reports.

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White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster; Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photos: Alex Brandon/AP, Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool via AP)

WASHINGTON  President Trumps national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, accused Russia on Tuesday of waging campaigns of subversion against the United States and its allies. McMaster also announced that Trump would unveil his first formal National Security Strategy on Dec. 18.

McMasters comments about Moscow amounted to unusually sharp criticism from an aide to Trump, who since taking office has repeatedly said he wants better relations with President Vladimir Putin.

Were facing a threat from Russia that involves also so-called new generation warfare, McMaster said. And these are very sophisticated campaigns of subversion  and disinformation, and propaganda, using cybertools operating across multiple domains  that attempt to divide our communities within our nations and pit them against each other and try to create crises of confidence.

The general made no explicit reference to the U.S. intelligence communitys finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

The remarks came at a forum focused on U.S. relations with Britain run by the Policy Exchange think tank.

McMaster also had tough words for China, which he accused of economic aggression that is challenging the rules-based economic order that helped lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty since World War II.

The general said Trump would reveal his first National Security Strategy  essentially an administrations statement of principles about foreign policy  on Monday. While a presidents NSS is often a glorified press release, the document has at times commanded headlines, such as when then-President George W. Bush embraced preventive war in 2002, ahead of the invasion of Iraq.

McMaster identified three broad types of threats to U.S. national security: revisionist powers like China and Russia that undermine the international order; rogue regimes like Iran and North Korea; and transnational terrorist groups.

When it comes to North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programs, he said, Now its time for all nations to do more, beyond U.N. Security Council resolutions, to make the most out of what might be our last best chance to avoid military conflict.

Story continues

Asked about prospects for ousting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un from power, McMaster replied: Thats not our policy.

Read more from Yahoo News:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.  Pity the New York Mets, again, they being run from the consciousness of a town that has little time or patience for subtleness. And gray area? Paint that thing black or white, and be right about it, and when youre wrong about it say youre wrong about it, but mostly be right about it.

So, Matt Harvey. Free-agent class of 2018-19. Pitcher. Occasionally convincing debater. Man of mystery.

The last part is the problem, as the Mets are a team of mystery, and in the best scenario, the very best scenario, where doves coo in the morning sun and unicorns frolic in the gloaming, Harvey and Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler coo and frolic and the Mets are relevant. You know this scenario because the Mets have been selling it for a few years. Step right up and coo, frolic, win.

And now Harvey is a two-time major surgery survivor, those being Tommy John and thoracic outlet, and suddenly hes coming up on 29 years old, and in two seasons his ERA has gone from 2.71 to 4.86 to 6.70. Happy hour PTA meetings are less volatile.

What the Mets cant decide is who or what Matt Harvey will be between now and free agency, in the one season he presumably has remaining in New York.

Theres a lot more evaluating and talking to and seeing him throw, new Mets manager Mickey Callaway said Tuesday at MLBs Winter Meetings.

So, when teams, desperate for pitching and willing to throw themselves on the mercy of whats next, inquire on Harvey, the Mets must ask themselves if Harvey is on his way out or on his way back. Are they trading Dark Knight? Or good night?

Matt Harvey looks on during a game against the Marlins on Sept. 18, 2017, in Miami, Florida. (Getty Images)

Those close to Harvey believe  or say they believe  he will pitch in Queens this summer, ride it out, reclaim some of that big ol fastball, re-establish himself as something like reliable, take back his career and, maybe, the life he once envisioned for himself. Those not so close to him are listening to what are being termed as inquiries into Harveys availability, not exactly shopping Harvey but not wed to him either. See, the Mets dont know what hes going to be either, and there seems no sense in hanging on to a pitcher whose best days are well behind him, but part of them believes in doves and unicorns too, that they could pitch themselves back into competence. That would involve more than Harvey, but maybe doesnt happen without him either.

Story continues

Speculation at the moment seems to center on the Baltimore Orioles, whove hardly seen a reclamation-project starter they didnt like, and the Texas Rangers. You can bet theyre not alone in what almost certainly are half-hearted pursuits, because if the Mets really believed theyd seen the end of Harvey theyd have non-tendered him, and therefore the ask on Harvey is probably not insignificant. Harvey, after all, has been injured. And maybe now he is healthy. And he would not be the first ballplayer to dedicate himself to his walk year. The Mets would not want to miss out on that little bonanza. On the other hand, well, so much would have to go right just for it to be OK.

Its all so gray. Its all so tempting. Unicorns, man.

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By Marcin Goclowski and Lidia Kelly WARSAW (Reuters) - Mateusz Morawiecki was sworn in as Poland's new prime minister on Monday and European Council President Donald Tusk called on the new leader to pursue European unity. Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) is at odds with the EU over immigration, logging in an ancient forest and government attempts to control the courts and the media. Critics say the eurosceptic party's policies have subverted democracy and the rule of law. At the same time, acrimony between Tusk and the PiS dates back years. Poland, acting on orders from the PiS boss and long-time Tusk adversary Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was the sole member of the 28 EU members to vote in March against Tusk's re-election. Morawiecki, 49, replaced Beata Szydlo, who became a deputy prime minister. PiS sacked the popular Szydlo last week in a bid to improve Poland's image abroad and prepare the conservatives for a series of elections. Morawiecki will remain finance minister and economy minister. All other ministers have kept their jobs for now, although some ministerial changes are expected in weeks to come. Morawiecki said his government will continue the work of Szydlo. He is expected to outline his policies on Tuesday. Tusk, a former Polish prime minister before PiS came to power in 2015, said he counts on good cooperation. "Acting for Poland's strong position in the European Union and for the unity of all member states is the need of the moment," Tusk wrote. Former Polish President Lech Walesa, who is a critic of the PiS said on Twitter: "The circus has stayed the same, only the clowns have changed their roles." Walesa led protests and strikes that shook communist rule in the 1980s. Szydlo's government was one of the most popular in Poland since the 1989 collapse of communism. It registered around 40 percent approval due to low unemployment, increases in public spending and a focus on traditional Catholic values in public life. (Reporting by Marcin Goclowski and Justyna Pawlak, writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
The mother of Keaton Jones is addressing backlash on social media after controversial photos emerged of her and her son posing with Confederate flags.

Keaton, a middle schooler from Tennessee, gained national headlines over the weekend after his mother posted a heart-wrenching video of him describing the relentless bullying he experiences in school. The video instantly went viral.

Now, the moving video that made the 11-year-old famous is focusing scrutiny on his mother, Kimberly Jones, after controversial Facebook photos sparked allegations that Jones was racist.

That viral video of #KeatonJones talking about being bullied is heartbreaking, and I feel sympathetic towards that child.

But his mom, Kimberly on the other hand, is a suspected racist who makes very problematic posts bullying Black protesters #TheIronypic.twitter.com/NUhidunP8z  Tariq Nasheed  (@tariqnasheed) December 11, 2017

"I feel like anybody who wants to take the time to ask anybody who I am or even troll through some other pictures, I mean, I feel like were not racist," Jones said of the photos to ABC News. "I mean, people that know us, know that."

Twitter

"It was meant to be ironic and funny and extreme. I am genuinely, truly sorry. If I could take it back, I would," Jones continued.

RELATED: Jones' mom faces backlash over Confederate flag photos



"If they want to hate me and whatever thats fine, but still talk to your kids, Jones added. "Because [bullying] is an epidemic."

She also said that the two photos seen circulating on social media were "the only two photos on my entire planet that I am anywhere near a Confederate flag" in an interview with CBS News.

When asked if the photos had anything to do with racist intent, Jones replied: "No. No. Absolutely not. I've said I spent most of my life being bullied and judged because I wasn't racist."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 00:40:54|Editor: Yang Yi

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NEW DELHI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China, India should make correct choice in development of relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Monday.

The visiting Chinese official, during his meeting with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Kumar Doval, said the Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial moment when both sides need to make right choice on the future of the bilateral relations.

China and India are two nations with international influence, thus the two countries should treat the bilateral relations from long-term perspective and global vision, Wang said.

In particular, said the Chinese foreign minister, the two countries should boost strategic communication and trust, and should properly handle problems left over by history and some specific issues in bilateral relations, without politicizing and complicating them to hamper the development of the Sino-Indian relations.

Wang also said the Belt and Road Initiative is an economic cooperation initiative and an international cooperation platform as well.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building trade and infrastructure networks connecting countries and regions along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

The initiative, with the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, is aimed at benefitting all nations and peoples along the belt and road, said Wang.

He said China is willing to boost the mutually beneficial cooperation with India in the sector of connectivity.

The Indian side shared the Chinese side's view of making right choice on the issues with overall importance to the development of bilateral relations, said Doval.

India and China have far more common interests than differences and some specific problems should not affect the overall situation and long-term goals of the development of bilateral relations, said Doval.

India is ready to working with China to continue enhancing strategic mutual trust, properly managing differences and promoting the exchanges and cooperation in all fields including connectivity, while strengthening communication and coordination on global affairs to safeguard the common interests of emerging market countries and developing countries, he said.
By Richard Lough PARIS (Reuters) - Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Tuesday said she had no immediate plans to toughen a rule that means a firm generating about a third or more of its income from coal is excluded from the country's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund. Norway's parliament in 2015 ordered the fund, built on revenues from the country's vast offshore oil and gas industry, divest from companies which derived more than 30 percent of their turnover or activity from coal. Asked if that threshold might be toughened, Solberg told Reuters: "I think it is at the right level. We have to acknowledge that a lot of these fossil (fuel) companies ... are diversifying. A lot of the funding for renewable energy comes from (fossil fuel) sources." "So for the current time I think 30 percent is OK, and maybe it will be lower in the future," she said in Paris, where she is attending a climate change financing summit. Solberg said Norway would support an initiative launched at the meeting by French President Emmanuel Macron for sovereign wealth funds to demand more rigorous environment-related corporate governance from the firms they invest in. The group, called the "One Planet Sovereign Wealth Fund Working Group", includes funds from New Zealand, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Norway and Abu Dhabi, according to a draft document. Norway's fund already demands that larger companies provide details on how they measure their carbon dioxide footprint and how they plan to reduce those emissions. Institutional investors needed to put a price on climate risk to safeguard returns on their investments, she said. "The risk is that economies will change if we have too high emissions," Solberg said. "There is also a responsibility for investors to promote new technology and see what kinds of companies will have the best returns in the future." "And remember there will probably be higher costs to emissions in the future ... so if you look at long term and not quarterly returns then you will have to estimate climate risk better." Norway's fund has proposed dropping oil and gas companies from its benchmark index to diversify away from hydrocarbons given the economy is built on oil and gas. That would mean cutting its investments companies such as Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Chevron and Exxon Mobil. The government is holding a review and Solberg reiterated her government's intention to make a recommendation to parliament -- which must vote on such a move -- next year. Solberg's conservative-led government rules in a minority, and is dependent on two smaller environment-friendly parties to win backing for its policies. (Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Edmund Blair)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A company promoting a plan for the United States and Russia to jointly build nuclear reactors in the Middle East denied in a letter made public on Monday that its director received an Inauguration Day text message from incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn saying the project was "good to go." Citing a confidential informant, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives' Oversight and Government Reform Committee last week said Flynn and Alex Copson, managing director of ACU Strategic Partners, communicated during President Donald Trump's inaugural address about the project, which would have required lifting U.S. sanctions on Moscow. Thomas Cochran, a business partner of Copson, wrote in a letter to the lawmaker, Representative Elijah Cummings, that the informant's allegations are "patently false and unfounded." Reuters was unable to identify the confidential informant or independently confirm the informant's information that was provided by Cummings. Copson has not responded to numerous requests for comment in recent months. Cochran attached to the letter records for Copson's cell phone which, he said, show that he exchanged three text messages on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, none of them with Flynn. "Since Mr. Copson did not receive a text message from General Flynn during the Inauguration, other allegations of the 'whistleblower' are equally false and unfounded," wrote Cochran, who is ACU Strategic Partners' senior scientist. Flynn is a retired Army general. Reuters and other news organizations have reported that Flynn continued to promote a version of the nuclear project after he began work at the White House. As part of his investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, special counsel Robert Mueller is looking at whether Flynn or other Trump aides tried to influence U.S. policy to improve relations with Russia. Proponents of the reactors project argued it would provide nuclear energy in the Middle East without the threat of weapons proliferation, improve U.S.-Russia relations and revive the U.S. nuclear industry. Flynn served just 24 days as Trump's national security adviser before being fired for misleading Vice President Michael Pence about whether he discussed U.S. sanctions with Russia's ambassador to Washington. He pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 to lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts. Reuters reported that day that documents it had reviewed showed that ACU Strategic Partners bragged after Trump's Nov. 8, 2016, election that it had Flynn's backing. Cummings wrote back to Copson on Monday, requesting that he participate in a transcribed interview "so that our staff attorneys could ask you questions about your relationship and communications with General Flynn." "It remains unclear why your colleague sent this letter rather than you," he wrote. Cummings' office released Cochran's letter but not the attached phone records. (Reporting by Warren Strobel and Nathan Layne. Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
A post shared by Dr Georges Kazan (@drgeorgeskazan)on Dec 5, 2017 at 4:56pm PST

Researchers at Oxford University have used modern scientific technology to test a religious relic believed to belong to St. Nicholas, the fourth-century Christian bishop whose generosity inspired the legend of Santa Claus.

Tom Higham and Georges Kazan, directors of theOxford Relics Cluster, used radiocarbon dating to investigate a pelvic bone fragment thought to belong to the saint. The tests showed that the bone fragment dates to the fourth century  the period when some historians believe St. Nicholas died.

Higham, a professor who works with Kazan and others at Oxford toapply scientific techniques to the study of relics, told HuffPost that its rare for relics to date back to the time period matching when a saint is believed to have died. He estimated that only one of every 20 relics hes encountered stands up to this kind of scientific scrutiny. Its much more likely for the relics to come from a somewhat later historical period.

But this bone fragment appears to have defied the teams expectations, suggesting apossibility the bones may have belonged to St. Nicholas himself.

We are always surprised when, despite all of the possible opportunities for material to be lost or replaced by something else, that the age we measure for relics such as these come out to be the same age as historically attested, Higham told HuffPost in an email. It doesnt always happen. In this case the date we measured in the laboratory overlapped perfectly with the age expected for St. Nicholas.

A 12th century fresco of St. Nicholas of Myra, located in the Church of Ayios Nikolaos tis Steyis, in the Troodos mountains, Cyprus.

Christian religious relics are physical objects that have an association with a saint or with Jesus Christ. They can be fragments of a human body, pieces of something the saint owned  a shirt or a book  or something the saint touched.In the Catholic tradition, relics are believed to be vehicles through which God brings healing and works miracles. As a result, relics are often kept in churches and venerated by the faithful, who come to touch, kiss, or pray next to these sacred objects.

Story continues

St. Nicholasis believed to have lived in the fourth century in Myra, Asia Minor, an area now part of modern-day Turkey. Legends about the bishop paint him as a generous soul who gave freely to the poor.

He was buried in Myra, but in 1087, his remains were apparently stolen and transported to Bari, Italy. His relics are still buried in a crypt at the Basilica San Nicola in Bari.

After the Protestant Reformation, devotion to the saint remained strong in Holland, where he was known in Dutch as Sinterklaas. His myth was eventually tangled with Nordic folk tales of a magician who punished bad children and rewarded good children with gifts.

The legend crossed the Atlantic with Dutch colonists in the 17th century. Sinterklaas was eventually adopted by Americas English speakers as Santa Claus and became known as the jolly, generous fellow who presented children with gifts at Christmastime.

While most of St. Nicholas relics remain in Bari, pieces associated with the saint have dispersed to other regions of the world. Other parts are at the Chiesa di San Nicolo al Lido in Venice, Italy.

Many of St. Nicholas' remains are still buried in a crypt at the Basilica San Nicola in Bari.

The bone that the Oxford researchers analyzed came from Lyon in France, and is now owned by the Rev. Dennis ONeill, a Catholic priest in the Chicago area who collects Christian relics.

The Oxford researchers interest in ONeills collection was piqued when they heard that the pelvic bone fragment owned by the Chicago priest is from the left pubis (the lower part of the bone), while the remains in Bari only have the left ilium (from the upper part of the bone). This suggested both fragments could potentially belong to the same person.

Higham said his team is now seeking to study the relics held in Bari, to see if the Chicago bone can be linked to that skeletal material and DNA. In the future, theyre hoping to use palaeogenomics and stable isotope analysis to figure out the deceaseds gender, age at time of death, and the geographic area in which the person lived.

With science we cant definitively prove it is [St. Nicholas], only that it is not, but we are aiming to continue with our work on other bones from the saint to see whether we can link this bone and others genetically, Higham said.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have missed a major deadline in their reconciliation bid by failing to transfer power in the Gaza Strip, with the rivals on Monday trading accusations of blame.

US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has further complicated an already difficult attempt to transfer power in Gaza from Islamist movement Hamas back to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, have seen protests and clashes each day since Trump's declaration on Wednesday.

Sunday had been the deadline for the handover, a decade after Hamas seized power in the Palestinian enclave in a near civil war with president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah, based in the occupied West Bank.

An Egyptian-brokered agreement in early October originally set a December 1 deadline for full transfer of power back to the PA, which is dominated by Fagah, though that was later pushed back to December 10.

In Gaza, the situation was essentially unchanged despite the deadline, with Hamas police still patrolling the streets, while crippling electricity shortages endured.

Hamas claimed on Saturday it had handed over control of all government ministries, but Fatah's top negotiator later said "obstacles" remained.

PA government spokesman Yousef Mahmud said Monday it had not received full control in key ministries.

In a statement on official Palestinian news agency WAFA, he accused Hamas of seeking to stop the handover.

Fawzy Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, told AFP that Mahmud's statement was an attempt to "cover up the government's failure to carry out its duties to the people of Gaza".

Palestinians and international players had hoped that a reconciliation deal could lead to the easing of Israeli and Egyptian blockades on Gaza, reducing the suffering of the two million people largely trapped in the enclave.

Story continues

Both sides still publicly said they remain committed to the reconciliation, but fears that it could collapse are growing.

- 'A dead end' -

They appear no closer to an agreement about the future of Hamass vast military wing, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, while they must still resolve the issue of two separate civil administrations.

Abbas has also not yet lifted sanctions against Hamas, including cutting payments for electricity, further worsening an already severe power shortage in Gaza.

There was already little optimism about achieving a full handover by December 10, but Trump's controversial announcement has added further complications.

The Palestinian government has called for wide-scale peaceful protests against it, but Hamas has called for violence -- hailing attacks against Israelis as the start of a new violent intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

Four Palestinians in Gaza, including two Hamas fighters, were killed either in clashes with Israeli forces or by Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rocket fire on Friday and Saturday.

Naji Sharab, political science professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, said Trump's move made the reconciliation bid harder.

"Some want uprising and others don't. Some want a military escalation and some don't," he told AFP. "With the Jerusalem issue, they cannot continue."

Jamal al-Fadi, a politics professor, said he feared the process could now collapse.

"I believe that in the short term it will hold, but the issue of reconciliation will come back to the top of the agenda considering the needs of the people for solutions."

"It seems that the process has reached a dead end."
Patagonia dismissed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinkes efforts to knock the company as Patagonia made in China on Monday, saying the Trump administration is trying to deflect from its unpopular decision to open up huge chunks of protected land to potential industrial development, including uranium mining.

A fierce opponent of the Trump administrations monthslong review of monuments designated under the Antiquities Act of 1906, Patagonia is now part of a coalition thats suing to block a White House proposal to reduce the boundaries of a 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in Utah by 85 percent.

On Friday, The Washington Post published documents detailing a uranium companys lobbying campaign to scale back Bears Ears. The company  Energy Fuels Resources (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of a Canadian firm  said eliminating large portions of the monument would give it easier access to the areas radioactive ore and help it expand a nearby uranium processing mill.

For almost this entire year, the administration has claimed that this was not about opening up these lands for the extractive industries, Hans Cole, Patagonias director of environmental campaigns and advocacy, wrote in an email to HuffPost on Monday. But from the Washington Post reporting, it seems clear that the uranium industry lobbied hard to reduce the size of the monument, underlying our long-held concern that if protections for these lands are taken away, they will be drilled, mined and fracked.

The Interior Department did not respond to a request for comment on Monday about the Washington Post report.

The twin rock formations that make up Bears Ears National Monument in Utah on May 16, 2017. (Photo: Bob Strong/Reuters)

Patagonia, a privately held, Ventura, California-based firm, poured money into Bears Ears since then-President Barack Obama designated the monument last December. In April, the company took the unusual step of threatening to sue the Trump administration if it altered Bears Ears.

The firm  which does not report sales figures but said in March that its approaching $1 billion  donated more than $89 million to environmental groups, and has invested substantial company resources to amplify their message, using its own marketing platforms and employee time to advocate for their shared conservation goals, according to the lawsuit filed last week.

Story continues

After Trump signed a pair of proclamations to dismantle Bears Ears and another protected site, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, last week, Patagonia redesigned its homepage to read The President Stole Your Land on a black background.

The House Committee on Natural Resources responded by posting a similar image on Twitter last Friday that read, 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.

Walter Shaub, the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, said the attack on Patagonia sure looks a lot like a violation of House committee rules on social media communication.

In its Friday email newsletter, the House committee included the subject line The Source (Patagonia: dont buy it), which some saw as a call to boycott the company. Ben Goldey, the committees digital director, denied the accusation, insisting nobody is calling for a boycott.

Either way, Patagonia said it wont file an ethics complaint, and instead plans to stay focused on blocking the presidents decision on Bears Ears.

It was obviously inappropriate, but we are staying focused on protecting our national monuments, Corley Kenna, a Patagonia spokeswoman, told HuffPost.

That may require digging in for a prolonged, public feud with Zinke. The 56-year-old interior secretary is one of the most prolific and ostentatious social media users in Trumps Cabinet, and a vocal defender of the president.

Asked about Patagonia during a press call on Tuesday, Zinke said, You mean Patagonia made in China? This is an example of a special interest.

Zinke then railed against the company in two separate appearances on Fox News last week. In a Tuesday interview with Fox & Friends, the former Montana congressman said, Well, its interesting, you know, these companies that make their products other places, on foreign shores, and special interest groups.

And on Friday, Zinke told Fox Business that Patagonia was pushing out shameless lies about what the monument rollback does.

Theres not one square inch, not one square inch, of land that is removed from federal protection, he said, adding that Patagonia should focus on how to bring manufacturing back into the country instead of lying to the public about losing federal land.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

.@SecretaryZinke: "@patagonia... They should focus on how to bring manufacturing back into this country rather than lying to the public about losing federal land." pic.twitter.com/WCoe7wdATV  FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) December 8, 2017

Founded in 1973, Patagonia has more than 30 locations across the country, including a major distribution center in Reno, Nevada, and employs more than 1,000 people in the U.S. It donates a percentage of its profits to environmental causes and says it is actively working to reduce its footprint.

It is also transparent about where its products are manufactured. We cannot make a claim to be a Made in America company; we have always sourced at least half our products outside the U.S., the company writes on its website.

Patagonia encourages anyone who is interested in how our clothing is sourced to visit our website, where we thoroughly demonstrate our ethical standards, company spokeswoman Kenna told HuffPost.

Its too bad we dont get the same transparency and commitment to people and the planet out of this administration, Kenna added.

While Trump and his Cabinet continue to push his buy American, hire American rhetoric, much of the merchandise the Trump family sells  from ties to chandeliers  is made overseas, including in China, Mexico and Bangladesh, as HuffPost has previously reported.

Last year, The Washington Post reported that Trumps products were manufactured in at least 12 foreign countries (Bangladesh, China, Germany, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Slovenia, South Korea, Turkey and Vietnam).

That hasnt kept Zinke, or his wife Lola, from ripping Patagonia.

Patagonia made in China? Lola wrote in a Twitter post. Huh, why dont they bring their factories home and pay good wages???

Patagonia made in China? Huh, why dont they bring their factories home and pay good wages??? https://t.co/PPRnxTYKP2  Lola Zinke (@LolaZinke) December 5, 2017

When one Twitter user asked if she recognized how ignorant the question was, given who is in the White House, Lola responded: the business first, America first president!? No, the question is valid.

the business first, America first President!? No, the question is valid  Lola Zinke (@LolaZinke) December 6, 2017

Patagonia has stayed on the offensive, however. Last week, the company criticized Zinke for his use of private jets.

Its odd that @SecretaryZinke has no problem with special interests when theyre paying for his private jets, the company posted to Twitter. We have been fighting for these lands for decades, so that hunters, fisherman, hikers and everyone else can use them and help us protect them.

It's odd that @SecretaryZinke has no problem with special interests when they're paying for his private jets. We have been fighting for these lands for decades, so that hunters, fisherman, hikers and everyone else can use them and help us protect them.  Patagonia (@patagonia) December 6, 2017

Zinke is among several people in Trumps Cabinet who have faced backlash in recent months over their use of private planes.

In September, it was revealed that Zinke and several staffers had chartered an oil company plane for a flight from Nevada to Montana in June, costing taxpayers $12,375. He has since acknowledged using a private plane on three separate occasions, including the trip to Montana. But during an energy speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation, he shrugged off the controversy as a little BS.

Politico reported Thursday that Zinke spent more than $14,000 in taxpayer money to use government helicopters to travel to and from Washington, D.C., this summer. That figure includes a $6,250 round-trip flight to go horseback riding in New York with Vice President Mike Pence.

Related Content

Patagonia's CEO Is Ready To Lead The Corporate Resistance To Donald Trump

Trump Guts 2 Protected National Monuments In Utah

Your Tax Dollars Are Being Used To Attack Patagonia

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.
President Donald Trump said Mondays attack on New York Citys Port Authority Bus Terminal was the result of a lax immigration system that allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country.

The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on Americas security and economy has long been clear, Trump said in a White House statement. I am determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first.

Trump said that his travel ban for residents of six Muslim-majority countries, which the Supreme Court recently allowed enforcement of in full, was one step forward in securing our immigration system. He additionally called on Congress to end chain migration and increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, who detain undocumented immigrants.

[T]hose convicted of engaging in acts of terror deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases, the President added. America should always stand firm against terrorism and extremism, ensuring that our great institutions can address all evil acts of terror.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the incidents primary suspect  27-year-old Akayed Ullah  is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. who came from Bangladesh on a family immigrant visa in 2011. Bangladesh is not one of the countries included in Trumps travel ban.

Ullah is said to have acted alone, according to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Law enforcement officials said that Ullah was inspired by ISIS but did not have any direct contact with the group, the Associated Press reported.
It took a team of forgery specialists at South Korea's KEB Hana Bank to confirm that a single $100 bill found at a branch in Seoul in November was a fake. Pictured: real $100 bills - Getty Images AsiaPac

Suspicions are growing that North Korea has resumed forging $100 dollar bills that are so realistic that they are virtually indistinguishable from genuine currency.

It took a team of forgery specialists at South Korea's KEB Hana Bank to confirm that a single $100 bill found at a branch in Seoul in November was a fake. The discovery has triggered alarm because authorities have no idea how many similar "supernotes" - named because they are so similar to real banknotes - are now in circulation.

While previous "supernotes" were dated either 2001 or 2003, the new forgeries are dated 2006 and are even more sophisticated in the ink, the printing processes and the material that they use.

The forgeries also change colour when they are viewed from a different angle, just as genuine notes should, while the slightly rough texture of the note has also been accurately copied, a spokesman for Hana Bank told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

The quality of the forgeries has immediately led to suspicion falling on North Korea, which has a track record of forging foreign banknotes in order to earn hard currency for the regime.

Pyongyang is also in increasingly dire need of funds as international sanctions imposed due to the regime's ongoing development of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles begin to bite.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un visiting Mount Paektu in Ryanggang Province Credit: AFP

"It seems that whoever printed these supernotes has the facilities and high level of technology matching that of a government", Lee Ho-jung, a bank spokesman said. "They are made with special ink that changes colour depending on the angle, patterned paper and Intaglio printing that gives texture to the surface of a note".

Another bank source told The Hankyoreh newspaper, "To print supernote-level forgeries, you need a minting corporation-level production line in place, which costs hundreds of billions of won.

"This makes if difficult for ordinary criminal organisations to produce them".

Story continues

Earlier versions of supernotes have been around for at least 15 years, with US government officials estimating in 2006 that as much as $250 million worth of fake $100 bills could be in circulation worldwide.

Case study | Counterfeit cash in the UK

In recent years, Pyongyang appears to have scaled back its forging operation, which is reportedly overseen by the shadowy Division 39, although that may have changed given the pressure that the regime is now under.

In the past, North Korea was believed to distribute the bills overseas through criminal groups and by transporting them abroad through the diplomatic pouch to embassies from where they could be slipped into circulation.

In December 2011, the Irish High Court dismissed an application from the US to extradite Sean Garland, the alleged chief of staff of the Official Irish Republican Army, in connection with passing fake supernotes.

Mr Garland had been observed travelling to Moscow and visiting the North Korean embassy in the company of a number of former KGB officials.

Fake notes were later allegedly smuggled into Ireland and the UK and exchanged for pounds or other currencies.
After another brutal rape and murder of a young Indian girl, demonstrators have gathered in the northern state of Haryana to protest the failure of police to identify a culprit days after the crime, BBC reports.

The grotesque details of the crime and the extent of the girls injuries have shocked the community and renewed outrage that shook the nation in the wake of the 2012 New Delhi gang rape of a 23-year-old student who later died of her wounds. This weekend will mark the five-year anniversary of that incident.

In Haryana, the body of a six-year-old girl was found on Dec. 8 after her family alleged she had been abducted from her home overnight, according to BBC.

As the chorus of protesters grows, the government has formed a special investigative unit to find the perpetrator. Police have detained three relatives of the childs father for questioning, but have reportedly not yet made an arrest.

The victims father, a scavenger, reportedly said he was working away from home on the night his daughter went missing. The girls mother said she awoke to find one of her four children gone.

Read more: Surviving Sexual Assault in India

With the culprit still at-large, the girls family told BBC they want the federal police to get involved. Theyve set a Wednesday 11am deadline for an arrest, or else have pledged to escalate their protest.

The family initially refused to cremate the girls body until the killer was found, but relented after police promised to make an arrest soon.

In a separate incident just two days later, police arrested a middle-aged man for raping a family friends six-year-old daughter who was in his care while her parents fetched medicine, according to the Hindustan Times.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 01:46:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MADRID, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena asked the Civil Guard on Monday to compile a report about those responsible for organizing the strategy used to attempt to achieve Catalan independence in the northeastern region of Spain.

The judge is looking for evidence of collaboration between the pro-separatist parties Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya (CDC) and Ezquerra Republicana (ERC). He is also investigating the same sort of activity by pro-independence cultural groups, ANC and Omnium (whose leaders Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart are currently in prison facing investigation over charges of sedition) and the Association of Municipalities for Independence. The suspected collaboration would have taken place in the lead up to the independence referendum held in the region on Oct. 1, despite having been declared illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court.

If evidence of collusion is uncovered, it could lead to more people facing criminal charges, such as rebellion, sedition and the misuse of public funds that former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is facing. Puigdemont is currently in exile in Belgium and his deputy Oriol Junqueras, who is in prison and has been denied bail.

Meanwhile, the latest opinion poll published in the La Vanguardia newspaper 11 days before the Dec. 21 regional elections called for Catalonia by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy predict that pro-separatist parties will fall just short of a majority, winning 66 or 67 seats in the 135-seat regional assembly.
Mugabe left Harare with Grace and aides on Monday evening - AFP

Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe has left the country for medical checks in Singapore, his first foreign travel since the army forced him from office last month, a state security official said on Tuesday.

The 93-year-old, who ruled the southern African nation for 37 years, resigned after the army and his ruling ZANU-PF party turned against him when it became clear that his 52-year-old wife, Grace, was being groomed as his successor.

Until recently the world's oldest head of state, Mugabe had a reputation for extensive and expensive international travel, including regular medical trips to Singapore - a source of public anger among his impoverished citizens.

He left Harare with Grace and aides on Monday evening, the official said. He is expected to make a stop-over in Malaysia, where his daughter, Bona, is expecting a second child.

"He has gone for a routine medical trip to Singapore," said the official, who has organised Mugabe's security protection but who is not authorised to speak to the media. "He was due for a check-up but events of the last few weeks made it impossible for him to travel."

The trip means Mugabe will not be in Zimbabwe when ZANU-PF endorses President Emmerson Mnangagwa as its leader and presidential candidate for next year's elections during a one-day special congress on Friday.

The security official would not say how Mugabe was travelling although the privately owned NewsDay newspaper said he was on a state-owned Air Zimbabwe plane.

Mugabe was granted immunity from prosecution and assured of his safety under his resignation deal, a source of frustration to many Zimbabweans who accused him of looting state coffers and destroying the economy during his time in power.

Another government official told Reuters last month Mugabe had been due to travel to Singapore on Nov. 16 but was unable to leave because the military had confined him to his private home the previous day.

Story continues

George Charamba, a senior information ministry official, declined to comment.

Under Zimbabwe's Presidential Pension and Retirement Benefits Act, a former head of state is entitled to perks including limited foreign travel and medical insurance.

"These are very standard features of a retired president," another government official said, trying to head off any controversy. "You are making a storm out of nothing."
Is Roy Moore going to win the Alabama Senate race?

After months of campaigning, Alabamas special election to fill Attorney General Jeff Sessions seat in the Senate will happen today, December 12th. And everyone is wondering: After being accused of sexual misconduct, can Roy Moore still win the Alabama Senate race?

Alabama is a consistently red state. But recent allegations against Moore could change that this time around. In November, after four women accused Moore of making advances toward them when they were teenagers, Moores Senate campaign seemed to suffer. Democratic opponent Doug Jones overtook Moore in the polls for a few weeks following the allegations. But Moore resumed his lead on November 28th. More women have alleged that Moore behaved inappropriately toward them since the original accusations as well.

Despite the allegations against Moore, President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee officially endorsed him for Senate on December 4th. The RNC reinstated its funding of Moores campaign with a little more than a week left until the election.

Trump also urged voters to choose Moore in a tweet early on December 12th. And Trump has always been more popular in Alabama than the country as a whole, so its possible that his endorsement will encourage his base to turn out in Moores favor.

The people of Alabama will do the right thing. Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet. Roy Moore will always vote with us. VOTE ROY MOORE!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

But Jones has also gained the vocal support of his party. Democratic Senator Cory Booker traveled to Alabama on December 10th to help campaign for Jones, and former Vice President Joe Biden also endorsed Jones earlier in the fall. Its possible that the efforts of politicians like Booker and Biden will help increase turnout for Jones in the election.

Story continues

Proud to have Joe Bidens support. I will fight for all Alabamians. https://t.co/qe9pmOCfzQ  Doug Jones (@GDouglasJones) October 24, 2017

The most recent polls are confusing and dont offer much of a conclusion about whether Moore or Jones is in the lead. Automated polls favor Moore to win, but polls that contact live voters give Jones the edge. Overall, Moore is ahead by 2.2 percent when considering the polling average. But that doesnt say much; shortly before the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton was favored to win by about 3 percent.

At this point, the election is too close to call. And since the Alabama Senate race is so competitive, its crucial that you vote if you are a registered Alabama voter.
The New York Times

The closest House race in the nation has unspooled in unexpected territory: western Colorado. Nine days after the election, the contest, in the states 3rd Congressional District, between Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican, and her Democratic challenger, Adam Frisch, remains undecided. As of Thursday afternoon, according to The Associated Press, Boebert leads by 0.34 percentage points  or, about 1,100 votes of the more than 320,000 counted to date  with a resolution possible before the weekend.
Moscow (AFP) - Russia will "do everything necessary" to facilitate an agreement between rival camps in Libya to end the country's political crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"We will assist in resolving all questions in negotiations between Tripoli and Tobruk, with whom we are regularly in contact," Lavrov said at a press conference following a meeting with his Libyan counterpart Mohamad Taha Siala in Moscow.

"Russia will do everything necessary to fully normalise the situation in Libya and in regard to the international aspect of re-establishing the rights of the Libyan state," Lavrov said.

Libya has plunged into political chaos and instability since the ouster and killing of its long-time leader Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed 2011 revolution.

Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli has struggled to impose its authority across the conflict-ridden North African country.

A rival administration based in Libya's east has refused to recognise the GNA.
The recent rash of bank system hacks goes deeper than you might have thought -- it also includes stealing cash directly from ATMs. Researchers at Group-iB have published details of MoneyTaker, a group of Russian hackers that has stolen close to $10 million from American and Russian ATMs over the past 18 months. The attacks, which targeted 18 banks (15 of which were American), compromised interbank transfer systems to hijack payment orders -- "money mules" would then withdraw the funds at machines.

The first known attack was in the spring of 2016, when MoneyTaker hit First Data's STAR network (the largest transfer messaging system for ATMs in the US). They also compromised Russia's AW CRB network, and swiped documents for OceanSystems' Fed Link system used by roughly 200 banks across the Americas. And in some cases, the group stuck around after the initial heist -- at least one US bank's documents were stolen twice, while the perpetrators kept spying on Russian bank networks.

While it's not clear who's behind MoneyTaker, you're only hearing about them now because they're particularly clever. They've repeatedly switched their tools and methods to bypass software, and have taken care to erase their tracks. For instance, they've 'borrowed' security certificates from the US federal government, Bank of America, Microsoft and Yahoo. One Russian bank did manage to spot an attack and return some of the ill-gotten gains.

This particular hack didn't directly affect users, since it was more about intercepting bank-to-bank transfers than emptying personal accounts. However, it illustrates both the sophistication of modern bank hacks and the vulnerability of the banks themselves. While it would be difficult to completely prevent hacks, it's clear that attackers are having a relatively easy time making off with funds and sensitive data.
(FILE PHOTO)A handout picture taken on November 1, 2015 and released on November 3, 2015 by Russia's Emergency Ministry shows Russian Emergency Minister Vladimir Puchkov (4th L) visiting the crash site of a A321 Russian airliner in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. (AFP PHOTO)

CAIRO, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that his country is ready to resume direct flights between Cairo and Moscow after a two-year halt.

"After the airplane crash over Sinai, direct flights between the two countries stopped. During this period, Egypt exerted great efforts to guarantee high level of security at its airports," Putin said during a press conference in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

In Oct. 2015, a Russian airplane crashed over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula shortly after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh airport. All 224 passengers and crew on board were killed.

Moscow said that the airliner crashed due to a terrorist bomb attack, announcing a halt of direct flights between the two countries.

Putin said he discussed with Sisi the sequence of steps to resume direct flights, adding the Russian side is ready to resume flights.

"The resumption of direct flights requires the singing of a government protocol, we seek this to happen soon," Putin added.

Putin and Sisi also discussed a number of mutual, regional and international issues.

They also witnessed the signing of an agreement to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant.
In an era when too many people remain suspicious of vaccines, one of the worlds largest manufacturers may have made matters worse while trying to eradicate dengue fever.

For the past two weeks, Sanofi has been engulfed by scandal in the Philippines after disclosing that its Dengvaxia vaccine could worsen  rather than prevent  future cases of the mosquito-borne virus in people who had not previously been infected. About 830,000 children in the Philippines were vaccinated; now the government is demanding a $59 million refund and probing whether the vaccine was approved improperly.

Unfortunately, there are indications that the company, which could use a blockbuster product, should have taken its corporate foot off the gas pedal.

And to restore confidence in vaccines, a reckoning is required.

At a time when convincing people to be vaccinated has encountered increasing resistance, its really unfortunate to have this story emerge, said Glenn Cohen, a Harvard Law School professor who is an expert in health law and bioethics. The company owes a full accounting of what it knew and when.

Read more: Scientists solve a dengue mystery: Why second infection is worse than first

To be fair, vaccine development is riddled with unforeseen complications. And Sanofi deserves credit for investing $1.5 billion over 20 years in a product designed to combat a virus that can be deadly. Just two years ago, dengue struck more than 3.2 million people in Asia and the Americas.

With that said, Sanofi could have done certain things differently.

For starters, although the company ran two trials involving more than 31,000 people, it only looked at a small subset of about 10 percent of these participants to gauge how the vaccine affected those who never had dengue fever.

A Sanofi spokesman explained that the company didnt anticipate differing reactions depending on patient infection histories and considered it unethical to sample blood from everyone. And it was only more recently that Sanofi was able to develop an assay to sort out the impact of previous infection, the spokesman explained.

Story continues

But not everyone agrees the initial approach taken by Sanofi was correct.

In retrospect, it would have been perfectly reasonable to test everybody at the time of the study, said Joachim Hombach, a World Health Organization senior health advisor for immunization policy. There were some things in the clinical development program that could have been done differently to generate data to have a better understanding of exactly how the vaccine performs in different population groups.

Sanofis interpretation of the clinical trial data has also caused second guessing.

The studies found a high hospitalization rate in younger children who were vaccinated. Sanofi responded by creating a cut-off: The company decided not to pursue vaccination for anyone younger than nine. The thinking was that older children were more likely to have been exposed to dengue and so would be less likely to develop a reaction to the vaccine. A Sanofi spokesman noted that this decision was explained in the companys analysis of the trial data, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015.

But rather than be accepted as innocuous fact, the adverse reactions among young patients should have been a warning signal, according to Dr. Scott Halstead, a former U.S. Army scientist who first flagged problems with the vaccine.

As somebody who has been studying this for years and years, [Sanofis] hypothesis did not have any integrity, he argued. Nobody can say a two- or five-year-old has an immature immune system. We vaccinate children from birth all the time and depend on their immune systems to be competent.

For its part, the WHO stated last year that vaccination may be ineffective or may, theoretically, even increase the future risk of hospitalized or severe dengue illness in anyone who was never previously infected at the time of first vaccination, regardless of age. And a pair of scientific papers published over the past two years also suggested such a problem with the vaccine.

Yet Sanofi proceeded to work with governments that vaccinated many people who had never been exposed to dengue  as long as they were older than nine.

Read more: Cheap, fast test for Zika and dengue could cost just $1

Of course, hindsight is, as they say, a wonderful thing.

But this episode does raise the question of whether the company moved too quickly because it needed a big seller.

The companys key diabetes franchise, which accounted for 25 percent of its pharmaceutical sales last year, has been struggling. Dengvaxia, which has not yet been approved in the U.S., was forecast to generate $840 million in annual sales by 2020. Thats not enough to compensate for its larger strategic problems, but any notable contribution to the bottom line would have helped.

Instead, Sanofi is taking a $120 million charge against earnings this quarter.

Meanwhile, the company is about to become ensnared in an ugly probe in the Philippines, where lawmakers want to know why the government paid for the vaccine despite the safety questions. Local officials have also fined the company for advertising its vaccine, because marketing prescription medicines to consumers is prohibited in the Philippines.

Where the investigation will lead is unclear, but Sanofi needs to come to grips with this episode. Otherwise, we run the risk that too many people will end up being inoculated with baseless mistrust of vaccines.
If youve been wondering why politicians from both parties are resigning over accusations of sexually harassing women, yet President Donald Trump is apparently getting a free pass, youre not alone.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) also thinks its a head-scratcher. And on Monday, she told CNNs Christiane Amanpour she thinks Trump should resign.

Sixteen women have accused the president of sexual misconduct. Their allegations include encounters with him involving forcible kissing, groping and rape. The White House says all of the women are lying.

Exclusive: @SenGillibrand says that President Trump should resign over sexual assault allegations, calling them credible and numerous. https://t.co/quJhZ09vJi  Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) December 11, 2017

President Trump should resign, Gillibrand told Amanpour. These allegations are credible; they are numerous. Ive heard these womens testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.

This is a very powerful moment in Americas history, she continued, alluding to whats become a national reckoning thats toppled prominent men in Hollywood, the media and Washington.

Not only should women be heard, they should be believed. When you have these allegations coming forward, they should be investigated, just like youd investigate any other allegation of fraud or any other crime committed.

I think President Trump should be held accountable.

Gillibrand isnt alone in her call for Trumps resignation. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) made a similar appeal after Al Franken (D) resigned his Senate seat over sexual misconduct allegations:

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

Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have also called for the presidents resignation in the past week.

Story continues

This post has been updated to note other senators calling for Trumps resignation.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
A convicted serial killer sent a letter to a South Carolina newspaper claiming police hadnt found all of his victims  and hes not planning to help them.

Todd Kohlhepp, who earlier this year pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder, wrote an eight-page letter to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal in South Carolina claiming there were more victims outside of the state.

Yes there is more than seven, Kohlhepp wrote. I tried to tell investigators and I did tell FBI, but it was blown off. Its not an addition problem, its an multiplication problem. Leaves the state and leaves the country. Thank you private pilots license.

He added: At this point, I really dont see any reason to give numbers or locations.

Todd Kohlhepp is currently serving seven consecutive life sentences plus 60 years, with no possibility of parole for seven murders. (Photo: Handout . / Reuters)

Don Wood, chief division counsel with the FBIs Columbia office, told The Associated Press there was a pending investigation. He did not elaborate.

Kohlhepp, who worked as a realtor, killed seven people in South Carolina between 2003 and 2016, including four people at a motorcycle shop in 2003. He was arrested last year when a missing woman named Kala Brown was rescued from the storage container where Kohlhepp had kept her in chains for two months.

Brown told police Kohlhepp had shot and killed her boyfriend, whose body was also found on the property. She said Kohlhepp bragged that his body count was in the high two-digits.

When confronted about that boast, the killer was vague.

I dont think thats going to help my case right now, Kohlhepp told investigators, according to Fox Carolina. Ill give it to you. I just dont want to give it to you today.

Kohlhepps guilty plea spared him the death penalty. The 46-year-old is currently serving seven consecutive life sentences plus 60 years, with no possibility of parole.

Also on HuffPost

"Young L.A. Girl Slain; Body Slashed in Two"  L.A.'s Daily News

On Jan. 15, 1947, the remains of Elizabeth Short were found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. What made this discovery the stuff of tabloid sensation, however, was the Glasgow smile left on the aspiring actress' face  made with 3-inch slashes on each side. This, coupled with Short's dark hair, fair complexion and reputation for sporting a dahlia in her hair, led her to be dubbed "The Black Dahlia" in headlines. What followed was a media circus filled with rumors and speculation about the 22-year-old's checkered past. What haunts theorists to this day, apart from the victim's uniquely nightmarish visage, is that the case remains unsolved after some 200 suspects were interviewed and ultimately released, making it one of Hollywood's most lurid legends.

"I Am Not Guilty - Thus Lizzie Borden Pleads Before Judge Hammond at New Bedford."  Boston Journal

"Lizzie Borden took an axe And gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one." So goes the lurid nursery rhyme to one of the most mystifying crimes ever. The nature of the deaths of Andrew J. Borden and his wife, Abby, are trumped only by the identity of the alleged perpetrator: their daughter Lizzie. Inexplicably found "not guilty" in contrast to the era's more usual swift justice, Lizzie's legacy was to be immortalized as one of the most perplexing cases of parricide in history.

"Texas Mother Charged with Killing Her 5 Children"  CNN

In a case of mother-gone-mad that startled a nation, Andrea Yates appeared to her few friends and family to be a recluse suffering from postpartum depression leading up to the birth of her fifth child. That all changed on June 20, 2001, when she drowned five of her children in their home's bathtub. She was convicted in 2002 of capital murder, carrying a sentence of life in prison with possible parole. In a 2006 retrial, however, a Texas jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to a mental health facility.

"Buttafuoco Admits to Sex with Amy Fisher"  New York Times

Known as the "Long Island Lolita," Amy Fisher became involved with Joey Buttafuoco in May 1991. Shortly after the two began a sexual relationship (she was 16, while he was 35 and married with two children), his presence and influence in her life became all she cared for. Although he's since denied this, Buttafuoco would go on to help Fisher plan the murder of his wife, culminating in Fisher putting a bullet in Mary Jo Buttafuoco's head, but failing to kill her. In the highly publicized trial that ensued, Fisher accepted a plea deal for 15 years in prison in exchange for a testimony against Joey, who served out charges of statutory rape.

"Murder of a Little Beauty"  People Magazine

With her face gracing the covers of nearly every news and gossip rag during the winter of 1996, it's hard to suggest that the death of child beauty pageant queen JonBenet Ramsey had little effect outside the city of Boulder, Colorado. She was found dead from a blow to the head and strangulation in the family's basement. There was a ransom note left on the staircase asking for $118,000 (conveniently or coincidentally, nearly the same amount Mr. Ramsey received as a bonus that year) and no obvious signs of forced entry into the house. The evidence appeared to be stacked against parents John and Patsy, who maintained their innocence throughout the investigation. The case reopened in 2010, but critics cite poor handling of the crime scene as why the mystery of the events of that Christmas day continues.

"F.B.I. Joins Probe in Slaughter of 8 Nurses"  Nashua Telegraph

Tattooed with "Born to Raise Hell" on his arm, Richard Speck made good on his mantra through a history of violence, theft, alcoholism and spousal abuse. He achieved infamy when, on July 13, 1966, he walked into a dormitory armed with a knife and left eight student nurses dead in his wake. Only one, Cora Amurao, was spared, hiding under a bed until 6 a.m. Speck was found guilty of murder and died of a heart attack in prison. As one of the most press-worthy crimes of the decade, the grim events were used as the backdrop for an episode of "Mad Men."

"Sharon Tate, Four Others Murdered"  Los Angeles Times

Perhaps the most terrifying figure in American crime to have never actually killed anyone himself, Charles Manson founded a "family" of wayward individuals who hailed him as a prophet. So strong was his manipulation that on the night of Aug. 8, 1969, he ordered four of his followers to kill everyone at the residence of 10050 Cielo Drive  including movie director Roman Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate, and her unborn child. Tate was stabbed 16 times, and her blood was used to write "pig" on the house's front door. The next night, Manson accompanied six of his family to the residence of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, helping to bind them before ordering their deaths. In 1971, Manson and three of his fellow defendants were found guilty of murder in the first-degree and several other crimes. At the time, it was the longest murder trial in American history, spanning nine and a half months, as well as the most expensive, estimating $1 million. Manson was died in prison in 2017 at age 83.

"Lindbergh Baby Kidnapped from Home of Parents on Farm Near Princeton; Taken from His Crib; Wide Search on"  The New York Times

Used as the basis for an Agatha Christie novel (Murder on the Orient Express) and dubbed "the biggest story since the Resurrection" by famed journalist H.L. Mencken, the kidnapping and murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh's infant son continues to fascinate theorists today. Charles Jr. was discovered missing from his second-floor bedroom on March 1, 1932, along with a note demanding a then-unimaginable $50,000, igniting a media frenzy like no other. The tabloid pandemonium prompted many tips and leads, but none as concrete as a package containing the boy's pajamas and another message demanding the ransom. After some misdirection from the presumed kidnapper, Lindbergh's child was discovered in the woods along a road near the family residence. Notwithstanding the evidence stockpiled against the easily vilified illegal German immigrant Bruno Hauptmann (who was sentenced to death), speculation prevails as to the true identity of the individual responsible for this tragic tale.

"Not Guilty as Sin"  New York Post

Still fresh in the minds of many and not to be easily forgotten, the trial of Casey Anthony turned Orlando, Florida, into anything but the "happiest place on earth." Following a series of lies, misdirection and manipulation by then-22-year-old Casey, her daughter Caylee's skeletal remains were found five months into the investigation, setting the stage for what could only be described as the most incessantly publicized and shocking trial in recent memory. The media had a field day that went on for months, highlighting the young, pretty party-girl image used against Casey Anthony in court as the prosecution tore apart an aimless defense  or so it seemed. After throwing her own family under the bus, incriminating people entirely made-up ("Zanny the Nanny"), and fabricating elaborate stories for the police, Anthony was found not guilty of murder due to evidence deemed mostly circumstantial and not meeting the burden of "beyond reasonable doubt," inciting much debate regarding whether true justice was served.

"An American Tragedy"  Time

It was heralded as the "trial of the century." Former football star and actor O.J. Simpson found himself in the middle of the nation's biggest, most-televised trial following the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, but not before fleeing an all-points bulletin in his Ford Bronco with 20 units in tow, interrupting game 5 of the NBA Finals. With a dream legal team including Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, and Robert Kardashian, the defense claimed Simpson was merely a victim of police fraud with regard to contaminated DNA evidence. Cochran famously quipped, "If it [the glove] doesn't fit, you must acquit." On Oct. 3, 1995, an estimated 100 million people from around the world tuned in to watch the jury hand down a verdict of not guilty, costing an estimated $480 million in lost productivity. The case incited a discussion of race in the judicial system that continues to this day.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Campaign signs on display in Montgomery, Ala. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

CHOCCOLOCCO, ALA.  One at a time, or sometimes in pairs, worshipers walked to the front of the large sanctuary, knelt, and placed their head or hand on the stage.

Are you hurting and broken within? the congregation sang. Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling.

Most who came to the front were young men. As one of them knelt, visibly distraught, an older black man standing near the stage approached and put his hand on the young white mans shoulder, a gesture of support and prayer.

O come to the altar, the church sang in 6/8 time, as a full rock band repeated the chorus several times. The Fathers arms are open wide.

When the young man rose a few minutes later, tears in his eyes, he embraced the older man. Pastor Michael Cox stood a few feet away, giving thanks to God.

But religion only goes so far to unify, especially in the South, as I saw firsthand traveling through the state recently to understand how one of the most religious states in the Union could be on the verge of sending an accused molester of teenaged girls to the United States Senate.

Worshipers kneel in front of the stage at Cornerstone Church in Choccolocco, Ala., as the congregation sings, O come to the altar, the Fathers arms are open wide. (Photo: Jon Ward/Yahoo News)

In the pastors office, Cox and I talked about Roy Moore, the controversial Republican, who has denied charges of sexual impropriety that date back some 40 years. Moore, who was born and raised 35 miles north of Coxs church, in the town of Gadsden, recently said he thought Americas greatest days were before the Civil War.

Cox, a 62-year-old former nightclub musician who rides a Harley-Davidson and has two stuffed black bears on display in his office (he shot them while hunting in Canada), didnt say who hell vote for. But his description of the race could be seen as a way of  to borrow a common term here these days  giving himself permission to vote for Moore.

We are still a nation that youre innocent until proven guilty. If its what he did, its deplorable. Its deplorable, Cox said. If he didnt  I would hate to go back 40 years and try to remember everything that I did. I think Id remember some things.

Story continues

Cox added that if Moore is elected, There needs to be a vetting process to investigate, and if hes not found worthy to be in that office, remove him.

The most venerated conservative political figures in the state, including U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, have said they believe Moores accusers. But Cox said that Moore has 40 or more years of pretty stellar service. Hes a West Point graduate, honorable in Vietnam.

I was around when all of the Ten Commandments fight was going on, said Cox, referring to the removal of Moore from his post as chief justice of the state over his refusal to remove a religious monument from the grounds of his courthouse. This nation was founded on the word of God. A painting of George Washington kneeling in prayer hangs over Coxs desk.

Cox was more ambivalent about Democrat Doug Jones. I have learned that he was a tough prosecutor, that he stood for the laws of the land. I have heard that he was pro late-term abortion. He has come out with an ad that says that is not true. So I do not know about that, Cox said. He says hes a hunter and pro Second Amendment. Again, I have no idea.

Pastor Michael Cox of Cornerstone Church in Choccolocco, Ala. (Photo: Jon Ward/Yahoo News)

When I asked Cox how hed explain evangelicals voting for Moore to people outside the state, he paused, and then said, Evangelicals are not dumb. Many are troubled by the allegations against Moore, Cox said, just as they were troubled by a lot of the allegations with Trump. But they are also committed, he said, to conservative values.

Some voters in his part of the state might be so turned off by the allegations against Moore that they dont vote at all, Cox said. But, he said definitively, In the South they still believe in the rule of law.  Some things can never be proven.

*****

Michael Bullington also believes in conservative and biblical values. But that has led the 23-year-old Republican to a very different place than Cox.

Bullington was one of the leaders of the Birmingham chapter of the Alabama Young Republicans, which a month ago passed a near-unanimous resolution censuring Moore and openly denouncing his candidacy.

An Auburn graduate who works in logistics for an industrial supply company, Bullington is bright and politically connected. But he and others in the state have distanced themselves from some in the Alabama GOP by decisively standing against President Trump and now Moore. When Sessions endorsed Trump during the 2016 election, Bullington called the then-senators chief of staff, Rick Dearborn, on his cellphone and asked for an explanation. (Dearborn is now deputy White House chief of staff, which has not kept his wife, Gina, from openly campaigning for the Democrat Jones against Moore on social media.)

Roy Moore, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Alabama, speaks during a campaign rally in Fairhope, Ala., in December 2017. (Photo: Nicole Craine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Bullington says Dearborn encouraged him to jump on in with Trump. When I met Bullington at a coffee shop in the Highlands neighborhood of Birmingham, he said, I didnt jump in and Im glad I didnt.

He said he has sought to personally confront state Auditor Jim Ziegler over his infamous comparison of Moores liaisons with teenagers to the marriage of Jesuss own parents Joseph and Mary. Bullington says he would tell Ziegler that he is unqualified to serve, drawing on the model for resolving interpersonal conflict many Christians look to in the 18th chapter of the book of Matthew.

Biblically if you have a problem with someone you should try to address that with them privately, Bullington said. And if it cant be handled that way you can go more public with it  Its just good ethics because sometimes theres stuff you dont know.

He sipped a coffee while Arcade Fire played over the coffee shops speakers. I would call myself theologically evangelical, but politically I dont really even understand what that means anymore.

Bullington was disturbed by the message of support for Moore from Republicans and from Christians. Theres an opportunity for the church to stand up for victims and say theres a better way and we can be better people. But many havent done that because theres this idea that theres a cultural battle and we have to focus on the bigger battles, and thats a shame, he said.

Bullington is the kind of urban young voter whom Jones, the Democrat, badly needs in his corner. But for all of Bullingtons conviction that Moore should not be elected, he told me he was still not going to vote for Jones. He planned to write in Del Marsh, the third-ranking state Senate Republican.

If Im not going to vote for Roy Moore because he doesnt fulfill my list of needs from a candidate, I wont vote for any candidate that fails in that way, Bullington said. Jones and I dont agree on a few issues, most notably abortion.

*****

The abortion issue has helped keep conservative voters aligned with Moore, or at least away from Jones. And that dynamic extends into the African-American community in Alabama, where there are a number of Democrats that are pro-life, according to House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels.

Jones has said he favors keeping in place Alabamas ban on abortions after 22 weeks and opposes a proposal in the Alabama legislature to roll it back to 20 weeks.

Daniels is the first person of color to hold the House minority leadership position in Alabama history. The 35-year-old rising Democratic star said his party has not figured out how to message on abortion. But he predicted higher than normal turnout for Jones among African-American voters, a constituency that the Democrat badly needs to turn out.

Democratic Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones and Sen. Cory Booker attend a campaign rally in Birmingham, Ala., in December 2017. (Photo: Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

But Rev. Oscar Montgomery, pastor of Union Hill Primitive Baptist Church in Huntsville, expressed concern that longstanding disillusionment among black voters in Alabama will keep many from voting.

There are some who refuse to believe that our vote can make a difference, Montgomery said. Theres this prevailing belief among many that the majority are totally spiritually and morally bankrupt. Those whites, if they had an ounce of morality, would be forced to vote for Jones.

No matter how right we are, if 100 percent of us go out and vote, we only make up 27 percent of the population. Thats the disillusionment, the pastor said in a phone interview, his voice rising.

Montgomery lamented what he considers the black communitys complacency following President Obamas election and reelection. Many of them felt we had arrived. But  evil never dies. It only metamorphosizes itself and reanimates itself in another form. The racism in this country is recalcitrant in this country, and nowhere is it more prevalent than in Alabama.

You only have two choices, Jones or Moore. And Moore is certainly not a choice. His desire along with Trump is to take African-Americans back to slavery, Montgomery said, referencing a comment Moore made in September: I think [America] was great at the time when families were united  even though we had slavery  they cared for one another.  Our families were strong, our country had a direction.

Montgomery said he agonizes over apathy in the African-American community but is hoping that whites will heed their consciences when they vote: I am praying that there is a flicker of morality in the majority that will make a difference at the polls, that they will do the right thing when they get into the booth and they realize that the only person there is them and God.

*****

Back in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon, Hatton Smith was grieving over the failure to stop Moore earlier this year in the Republican primary. Smith, a wealthy businessman, was the finance chair and a senior adviser to Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to fill Sessionss seat earlier this year but lost to Moore in the primary.

Smith, 67, welcomed me to his home in the posh Highlands neighborhood. He wore a starched white dress shirt and a red Waffle House neck tie. We sat in his sunroom drinking freshly brewed Royal Cup coffee. Smith is the CEO emeritus of the coffee company.

He reflected on how until recently, Moore seemed to have diminished in power. Moore was removed from the Alabama Supreme Court in 2016, for the second time in his career. But Sessionss appointment as attorney general opened up his seat, giving Moore an opening.

The thinking was he would never win, Smith said. But national Republicans in Washington didnt take advice on the need to reach out to religious conservatives in Alabama, and the small turnout in the special election primary gave an outsized influence to Moores small but intense base.

Smith, one of the few establishment Republicans in Alabama willing to go on the record about Moore, said he is disgusted with the Republican nominee. He said he would be not just disappointed but ashamed if Moore is elected.

Patricia Riley Jones attends a Women for Moore rally in support of Roy Moores candidacy in front of the Alabama State Capitol in November 2017 in Montgomery, Ala. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

But he has friends in the business community who are scared of Democrats taking control of the Senate and reinstating government regulations that the Trump administration has begun to roll back. Smith had his own story of what he felt was overbearing federal regulation during the Obama administration, when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requested information about Royal Cups hiring practices and opportunities for minorities.

What people are missing is the extreme anti-Washington feeling, Smith said. That defeated us and it may end up carrying Moore to victory.

For the African-American community, of course, talk of states rights and anti-Washington sentiment has a very different ring. The state of Alabama has never done anything progressive for blacks without federal intervention. Thats the real reason they dont want federal intervention, Montgomery said.

And for white conservative evangelicals like Cox, there is a feeling that soon this sordid affair will be past and they can move on. The biggest thing I kept hearing was, Ill be glad when this is over, Cox said. Because Alabamians really do not like all of the negativity, the mudslinging, the name calling. Most people are just glad when its done.

During his sermon on Sunday, Cox told a story about resting after a hike through the woods. Id been setting on the edge of a rock and Id was looking back into the forest, and to me I think all of Gods things are beautiful, but if there were ever a tree that got the ugly stick, this tree got it. It was like, bent, warped, gnarly, he said.

And then I turned around and here was all of this beauty, he said, as a keyboard played softly to set the mood. I just kinda glanced back over my shoulder at that ugly tree.  The Lord spoke to my heart and said, You have that choice every day of your life. You can choose what youre going to look at. You can choose what youre going to focus on.

Cox said he took a dead branch from the gnarled tree and put it in his office to remind himself of the lesson. I choose to remember to look at whats good, he said. I make a choice. The problems still there  but I choose to focus on God.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
By Nick Zieminski and Daniel Trotta

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Bangladeshi man set off a homemade pipe bomb strapped to his body in a crowded New York City commuter hub during the morning rush hour on Monday, officials said, immediately calling it an attempted terrorist attack.

The suspect, Akayed Ullah, 27, was taken to a hospital after suffering burns from the explosive device, which was attached to his body with Velcro and zip ties and did not fully ignite, officials said. Investigators told Reuters they believe the attack in midtown Manhattan was intended to be a suicide bombing.

The blast, which occurred around 7 a.m. (1200 GMT) in a busy underground passageway between the subway station underneath the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the Times Square subway station, sent commuters fleeing for the exits and police officers rushing to the scene, as officials scrambled to reroute trains and shut down streets.

Three people, including a police officer, suffered minor injuries.

The attack came just six weeks after police say an Uzbek man, Sayfullo Saipov, plowed a truck through a crowd of pedestrians along a bike path in lower Manhattan, killing eight in an act for which Islamic State later claimed responsibility. In September 2016, a man injured 31 people when he set off a homemade bomb in New York's Chelsea neighborhood.

In recent years, numerous people claiming to be inspired by Islamic State have carried out attacks across Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

A law enforcement official familiar with the Ullah investigation said investigators have found evidence that he watched Islamic State propaganda on the internet.

'AMATEUR-LEVEL'

The weapon used in Monday's attack was "amateur-level," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference near the explosion site. He told CNN the homemade bomb may not have fully ignited, possibly limiting the damage.

Officials said the attempted bombing underscored New York City's status as a target for such attacks, citing the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which killed more than 2,750 people in New York and nearly 3,000 people in all, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six people.

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"Let's be clear, as New Yorkers, our lives revolve around the subways," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference. "And let's also be clear, this was an attempted terrorist attack."

In a statement, President Donald Trump said the attack emphasized the need for U.S. immigration reforms.

"America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country," he said.

The president also criticized the visa program that allowed Ullah to enter the United States in 2011 because he had family members already in the country, saying such family visas are "incompatible with national security."

Ullah lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn and was a green card holder, said Shameem Ahsan, consul general of Bangladesh in New York.

Authorities did not immediately comment on Ullah's motives. When asked whether Ullah had claimed any connection to Islamic State, New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said, "He did make statements but we're not going to talk about that right now."

Several U.S. officials familiar with the investigation told Reuters there was no immediate information indicating Ullah was previously known to any American spy or law enforcement agency for any connection to militants or terrorism, though a connection could still be found.

Ullah is from the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong and is a U.S. resident, said the country's police chief. He had no criminal record there and last visited Bangladesh on Sept. 8, the chief said.

Ullah had a black cab/limousine driver's license from 2012 to 2015, the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission said.

Monday's incident was captured on security video, police said. Video posted on NYPost.com showed smoke and a man lying in a long tunnel that connects sections of the sprawling Times Square subway station. A photograph showed a man lying facedown, with tattered clothes and burns on his torso.

'EVERYBODY WAS SCARED'

The explosion turned a normal start to the work week into a chaotic scene.

"There was a stampede up the stairs to get out," said one commuter, Diego Fernandez. "Everybody was scared and running and shouting."

The bus terminal was temporarily closed, and a large swath of midtown Manhattan was closed to traffic. Subway travel was disrupted but later returned to normal.

In December, New York experiences a surge of visitors who come to see elaborate store window displays, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and Broadway shows.

More than 200,000 people use the Times Square station, the city's busiest, each weekday, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Ten train lines stop at the station.

The bus terminal is the busiest in the United States, according to the Port Authority. On a typical weekday, about 220,000 passengers arrive or depart on more than 7,000 buses.

The bus terminal is adjacent to and above the subway station's western section. A long, narrow underground tunnel connects that part of the station to its eastern section, and is used by thousands of commuters during rush hour.

The incident rippled through American financial markets, briefly weakening stock markets as they were starting trading for the week and giving a modest lift to safe-haven assets such as U.S. Treasuries.

Technology and energy stocks closed higher Monday, helping Wall Street shake off uncertainties following the explosion.

(Reporting by Nick Zieminski and Dan Trotta; Additional reporting by Simon Webb, Gina Cherelus, Joseph Ax and Fred Katayama in New York; Serajul Quadi in Dhaka; Roberta Rampton, Lisa Lambert, Mark Hosenball and Makini Brice in Washington; and Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman)
Ukrainian opposition figure Mikheil Saakashvili was set free by a district court on Monday, December 12, following his arrest a week earlier for allegedly trying to topple the countrys president.

The former Georgian president was released after a judge turned down the prosecutors request to place him under house arrest, according to Reuters. He left the court greeted by a crowd of supporters and journalists gathered outside, giving a speech before marching with them to his house two blocks away.

Authorities arrested Saakashvili on Friday on claims of alleged criminal conspiracy, Kyiv Post reported. Over the weekend and on Monday, supporters rallied across Kiev to demand his release and for the impeachment of president Petro Poroshenko, whom Saakashvili has accused of widespread corruption.

The video shows supporters gathered outside the court house and marching with Saakashvili, stopping midway as he gave a speech. Credit: Yuriy Derevyanko via Storyful
Akayed Ullah is the suspect in the New York subway attack (AP)

The suspect in Mondays pipe bomb attack in the heart of Manhattan has been charged with terror offences, New York Police have said.

Akayed Ullah has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, support an act of terrorism and making a terroristic threat.

US federal prosecutors also revealed that Ullah wrote on Facebook: Trump, you failed to protect your nation.

Three people were injured in the failed suicide bombing underneath Times Square in Manhattan on Monday morning, while Ullah is reported to have suffered burns and is in a serious condition in hospital.

UPDATE: Akayed Ullah, the suspect arrested in yesterdays terror attack in NYC, has been charged with the following:

 Criminal Possession of a Weapon

 Support Act of Terrorism

 Making Terroristic Threat#NYPDprotecting  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 12, 2017

Ullah told officials that he picked the location at one of the busiest transport hubs in the world because of the festive-based posters, according to the New York Times.

CNN also reported that Ullah blamed Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital for the attack.

The suspects family spoke out after he was taken into custody, saying they were heartbroken and deeply saddened by the suffering the attack has caused.

Police stand guard inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal following the Times Square explosion (AP)

Suspect Ullah reportedly targeted the subway because of Christmas posters (AP)

The bomb went off at one of the busiest periods of the day (FDNY/PA)

In a statement, Ullahs family also said they were outraged by the way it had been handled by law enforcement, which included pulling a teenage relative from class and questioning him without a parent, guardian or attorney present.

The family said they expected more from the justice system in a statement released by Albert Fox Cahn, legal director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in New York.

Ullah was the only person seriously injured in the blast during the Monday morning rush hour that sent commuters scurrying in panic.

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US law enforcement officials earlier said the pipe bomb was ignited with a Christmas light, matches and a nine-volt battery.

The officials said the short pipe was packed with explosive powder, but did not work as intended and the blast was not powerful enough to turn the pipe into deadly shrapnel.

Law enforcement officials said Ullah had looked at Islamic State group propaganda online and told investigators he was retaliating against US military aggression.

Ullah was the only person seriously injured in the blast underneath Times Square (AP)

Officials say Ullah was inspired by Isis propaganda that he viewed online (AP)

The government of Bangladesh also condemned the attack, saying: Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including Monday mornings incident in New York City.

Police in Bangladesh said on Tuesday that they were not in a position to comment on the suspect.

President Trump said the blast highlighted the need for an immigration overhaul, adding that the US must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people into the country.
Sydney (AFP) - The Tasmanian tiger was doomed long before humans began hunting the enigmatic marsupial, scientists said Tuesday, with DNA sequencing showing it was in poor genetic health for thousands of years before its extinction.

Scientists genetically mapped the animal -- also known as a thylacine -- using the genome of a pup preserved more than a century ago in a jar.

The research revealed the creature began to undergo a decline in genetic diversity more than 70,000 years ago, leaving it less resilient to environmental change even before Aborigines are believed to have first inhabited the continent 65,000 years ago.

"Our hope is that there is a lot the thylacine can tell us about the genetic basis of extinction to help other species," said University of Melbourne biologist Andrew Pask, co-author of a study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Pask added the research may eventually enable scientists to clone the Tasmanian tiger and bring it back from the dead.

"As this genome is one of the most complete for an extinct species, it is technically the first step to 'bringing the thylacine back', but we are still a long way off that possibility."

The animal was once widespread across Australia, but was wiped out on the mainland around 3,000 years ago, having likely succumbed to drought.

They survived in the southern island state of Tasmania until 1936 when the last known one died in captivity at Hobart Zoo after the species was hunted to extinction in the wild.

Scientists found the genetics of the animal to be more closely related to fellow Australian marsupial the Tasmanian devil than the dog-like dingo with whom it shared many physical features.

The physical likeness of the two animals is among the best examples of what scientists call "convergent evolution", whereby animals distantly related evolve to look similar as they adapt to the same environment.

In the case of the tiger and dingo, their head and body developed similarly due to their meat-eating hunting techniques, even though the marsupials' ancestry diverged genetically from the dog-like animals known as canids about 160 million years ago.

"And when we looked at the basis for this convergent evolution, we found that it wasn't actually the genes themselves that produced the same skull and body shape, but the control regions around them that turn genes 'on and off' at different stages of growth," Pask added.

"This reveals a whole new understanding of the process of evolution. We can now explore these regions of the genome to help understand how two species converge on the same appearance, and how the process of evolution works."
(FILE PHOTO)A general view taken on December 9, 2017, shows a general view of the Arab League headquarters during an emergency foreign ministers meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo, following the US president's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AFP PHOTO)

CAIRO, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Arab Parliament called on Monday for an urgent Arab summit to discuss ways to defy the recent U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The parliament decided to assign delegations representing the Arab Parliament to visit the African and European parliaments to hold meetings and demand for international rejection to the U.S. decision.

It further stressed the Arab and Islamic solidarity with the Palestinians via coordinating efforts between the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab Parliament to enhance recognition of the Palestinian state and its full membership in the United Nations.

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.

Trump's declaration received widespread criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries.

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, a move never 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.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in remarks later on Tuesday, plans to say that he is optimistic about North Korea denuclearization talks and that there is no role for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's future, a U.S. official said. "The secretary is very optimistic that we can achieve denuclearization through negotiation. We are in the middle of that path and that continues," the official told reporters ahead of two planned speeches by Tillerson. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
If you want to be all in on that Venom movie with Tom Hardy coming next year, there are two specific books you should track down. At this years Comic-Con Experience in Sao Paulo, Brazil over the weekend, Venom director Ruben Fleischer revealed the source material for his upcoming anti-superhero film that isnt related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

During Sonys presentation at CCXP, Brazilian fans were greeted by Fleischer and Tom Hardy, both of whom appeared via satellite. Fleischer announced that next years Venom is based on the 1993 six-issue miniseries Venom: Lethal Protector, as well as an Amazing Spider-Man arc titled Planet of the Symbiotes released in in 1995. However, while both books feature Spider-Man in some capacity, theres no indication that Tom Hollands Spider-Man will be in Venom.

In Venom: Lethal Protector, the very first Venom series and written by David Michelinie, Venom and Spider-Man agree to leave each other alone so long as Venom doesnt cause any more trouble. To that end, Eddie Brock  then the host of the symbiote  heads off to San Francisco, where he takes on the role of a vigilante on a path to redemption. However, a bunch of new Venoms appear, forcing the real Venom to take them down one by one (with, eventually, the help of Spider-Man).

Cover of 'Venom: Lethal Protector' #2, from 1993.

In Planet of the Symbiotes, which ran in The Amazing Spider-Man and was also penned by Michelinie, Venom teams up with both Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider to fend off an invading army of symbiotes.

At CCXP, Fleischer said these two books are the biggest influences for 2018s Venom. However, the extent to which that influence runs remains to be seen. For starters, its seeming very, very likely that Spider-Man  any movie Spider-Man  will not appear in Venom, let alone the side-character Scarlet Spider. But Venom is confirmed to take place in San Francisco, and its entirely plausible the Bay Area serves as ground zero for a symbiote invasion, because why not.

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If youre looking to do your homework, Venom: Lethal Protector was collected in trade paperback in 2011 and is available to buy on Amazon. Meanwhile, youll have to pick up all five issues of Planet of the Symbiotes on eBay or in the back issues section of your local comic book store. Or, if youre tech savvy enough, you can just get them digitally on Comixology.

In addition to Hardy, Venom will star Riz Ahmed (Rogue One), Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World), Jenny Slate, Reid Scott (Veep), and Scott Haze (Midnight Special).

Venom will be released on October 5, 2018.

Photos via Marvel Comics

Photos via Marvel Comics

Written by Eric Francisco

More articles by Eric  Follow Eric on Twitter

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Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing nearly 70 years of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy. This move places the United States on the opposite side of the issue from almost all of the international community, much of which has criticized his decision. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Trumps decision as historic, key Arab allies have expressed fear as to what it might mean for regional stability. With widespread protests underway across the Middle East and Islamic world, U.S. embassies and consulates have warned U.S. travelers away and announced their intent to limit or close operations. Palestinian leaders, meanwhile, have cast serious doubts on their ability to continue supporting either the U.S.-led peace process or a two-state solution, putting at risk two of the very policies that Trump argued would be advanced by his decision.

Even more striking than this response, however, is the utter ambiguity of the statement that preceded it. While Trump spoke of breaking from the failed strategies of the past and delivering where prior presidents lacked courage, his speech and the official proclamation that he signed are littered with caveats and omissions that obfuscate the policy change he is implementing. No doubt, this ambiguity is intended to serve as a hedge, one that provides a point of continuity with prior U.S. policy  which had refused to recognize any state as having sovereignty over Jerusalem, let alone Jerusalem as its capital  and allows the administration to avoid taking an affirmative position on some of the more controversial implications of the presidents decision. Yet in the heated context surrounding Jerusalem, such equivocation comes with its own risks.

The greatest ambiguity in the presidents decision relates to the status of Jerusalem itself. Trump explicitly recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital, an act that in any other context would also imply recognition of Jerusalem as part of Israels sovereign territory. But the president belied this inference, stating in his proclamation:

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Todays actions  recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital and announcing the relocation of our embassy  do not reflect a departure from the strong commitment of the United States to facilitating a lasting peace agreement. The United States continues to take no position on any final status issues. The specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties. The United States is not taking a position on boundaries or borders.

How these two statements should be reconciled is not immediately apparent. Certainly the president has been clear that the question of who has ultimate sovereignty over Jerusalem should still be the subject of final status negotiations. In the interim, however, he (and thus the United States) appears to have recognized Israeli sovereignty over some part of Jerusalem  enough for Jerusalem to serve as Israels capital, at least  but declines to specify which part.

Such specifics of geography mean a great deal when it comes to Jerusalem. Israeli law identifies Jerusalem as Israels complete and united capital, implying Israeli sovereignty over the city in its entirety. This assertion of sovereignty is less controversial as applied to West Jerusalem, which Israel has controlled since 1948. But both the United Nations Security Council and broader international community generally view East Jerusalem  which Israeli forces seized during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War  as Palestinian territory under Israeli military occupation, and thus have objected to Israeli assertions of sovereignty there. For his part, Trump made no distinction between East and West Jerusalem, leaving it an open question as to how extensively the United States is endorsing Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem. In theory, his refusal to recognize specific boundaries leaves open the possibility that it is limited to West Jerusalem. Yet his ambiguous stance also leaves space for both supporters and opponents of his decision to infer U.S. acceptance of Israels more ambitious claims of sovereignty over the entire city.

Deliberately or not, the case for the latter inference is strengthened by Trumps total failure to address Palestinian claims in Jerusalem. The Palestinian leadership has long maintained that all of Jerusalem should be subject to status negotiations, and that East Jerusalem should be the capital of any future Palestinian state. Trumps proclamation and statement, however, cast substantial doubt on the former and do not acknowledge the latter. Indeed, while Trump emphasized his intent to facilitate a great deal for the Palestinians and expressed his openness to a two-state solution (something previously in doubt), he never once addressed Palestinian claims in relation to Jerusalem specifically. The closest he got was calling for status quo at Jerusalems holy sites, which presumably means that Christian and Muslim Palestinians are expected to retain access to the Old City in East Jerusalem, where most of those sites are located, for the purposes of worship.

Nor are the parties claims the only matters left in limbo by this lack of clarity. The United States view of Israels international legal obligations, for example, will vary depending on whether East Jerusalem is considered occupied territory or within Israels sovereignty. These in turn are likely to inform U.S. policy positions. Will the United States now call for East Jerusalem residents to receive citizenship and the right to vote consistent with human rights treaties? Or will it still criticize the construction of settlements in East Jerusalem as contrary to the international law governing military occupations? Ambiguity on such questions  or the applicable international legal framework  is by no means new to this issue. But Trumps half step toward recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the city complicates the matter and is likely to resurrect old questions that have long lain dormant.

The question of U.S. views on present Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem would be less consequential if final status negotiations were in fact on the horizon. Palestinians and others opposed to broad claims of Israeli sovereignty could then find solace in the fact that the United States has committed itself to a process that will resolve the scope of Israeli sovereignty soon, with their input. (Though, no doubt, Trumps recognition of Israeli sovereignty would still be seen as a thumb on the scale in Israels favor.) But that is not the reality in which Trump made his announcement. The peace process currently stands somewhere between stalled and nonexistent, and the odds that it will be revived have only been further injured by the presidents decision. So long as these conditions persist, the present scope of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem is likely to be the operative one. And so long as the United States leaves its view of this scope undefined, the parties have every incentive to probe and make inferences in order to discern  and in some cases influence  its true limits.

The most proximate result of this state of affairs is likely to be increased scrutiny of U.S. actions relating to Jerusalem. Each will be seen as another tea leaf giving insight into the Trump administrations views on the true limits of present Israeli sovereignty. For this reason, each is also likely to become that much more controversial, as parties apply pressure in support of U.S. actions that feed their preferred narrative on Jerusalems status. Nowhere is this more true than in regards to the decision of where the United States will place its new Jerusalem-based embassy. Indeed, this may explain the Trump administrations otherwise inexplicable decision to issue a new waiver under the Jerusalem Embassy Act just two days after allowing the last one to expire, signaling a further delay in the move despite the presidents assurances that it is forthcoming.

Over time, however, our ambiguous position on Jerusalem may have more destructive consequences. For all its ambiguities, the presidents decision has already been read in its broadest terms by many, contributing to the strong negative reactions around the world. To counteract this narrative, the United States will have to take steps demonstrating that it recognizes limits on Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem. But supporters of the presidents decision  many of whom also view it as an acceptance of the broadest Israeli sovereignty claims  are likely to treat these efforts as reversals, sparking their opposition. In other words, the ambiguity of its position could trap the United States between the worst assumptions and highest expectations of either side, unable to satisfy either and undermining relations with both as it tries to stumble its way to some sort of mutual accommodation. Indeed, signs of these dynamics may be emerging around the State Departments decision to maintain its policy of not identifying Jerusalem as part of Israel on official documentation, a gesture toward impartiality that is arguably consistent with the presidents refusal to take a position on the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty but that has already generated criticism among supporters of his decision. This is an untenable position for any state to be in. But for one whose longstanding policy  as Trump recently reaffirmed  is to facilitate negotiations and an eventual agreement between the two sides, it is a recipe for failure.

Avoiding these consequences will require Trump to abandon ambiguity and clarify the meaning of his decision. The presidents equivocation appears to reflect an understanding somewhere in the White House that recognizing Israels broadest claims of sovereignty at this stage would be an unmitigated disaster for U.S. policy goals in the region. Instead, the president should at a minimum make clear that the United States views Israels present sovereignty as extending no further than West Jerusalem, and that the overall status of Jerusalem  including Israeli and Palestinian claims in East Jerusalem  will have to be resolved through final status negotiations. Further, the Trump administration should make good on its commitment to push hard to restart those negotiations, making clear that its intention has never been for the status quo to persist indefinitely. Indeed, the peace plan that the White House has reportedly been developing could be an opportune vehicle through which it could offer these clarifications. Some supporters of the presidents decision who hoped and perhaps believed that it signaled full U.S. acceptance of Israeli claims of sovereignty over Jerusalem will no doubt be disappointed by these steps. Yet it would once again give the United States a clear posture from which it can engage the parties while keeping their fears and expectations in check.

The prospects for such a course correction, however, seem slim. Nothing about the manner in which this policy was implemented indicates that it was developed with U.S. foreign-policy interests in mind. Through October, President Trump had been indicating that he did not intend to change course on Jerusalem for fear that doing so would undermine the peace plan his administration has been developing. Indeed, senior policymakers in the White House reportedly understood this to be the intended policy as recently as Thanksgiving. The scramble that followed  as the White House prepared to reverse decades of U.S. policy with just a few days preparation  resulted in botched messaging, missed deadlines, offended allies, and an ultimately incoherent position that seems to have been designed to satisfy the presidents campaign promises while salvaging whatever was left of existing U.S. policy. Whatever motivated this last-minute reversal, it almost certainly came from the realm of domestic politics, not foreign policy. And there are few signs that these incentives have changed.
President Donald Trumps legal team says its fed up with the Justice Department and FBI witch hunt into whether his campaign colluded with the Russian government.

One of Trumps lawyers said the presidents legal team wants a second special counsel  one to investigate the investigators  after a Fox News report unearthed what the lawyer called a conflict of interest in the Department of Justice.

Fox News reported late Monday that Nellie H. Ohr, the wife of a senior Justice Department official who was demoted last week for not being forthcoming about meetings with Fusion GPS, the firm behind the anti-Trump dossier, worked for Fusion for a part of last year. The dossier reportedly contains salacious but unverified allegations against Trump. Its unclear whether Ohr is implicated in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation.

The Department of Justice and FBI cannot ignore the multiple problems that have been created by these obvious conflicts of interests, Jay Sekulow, one of Trumps lawyers, told Axios on Monday night after the Fox report. These new revelations require the appointment of a special counsel to investigate.

Trump has repeatedly complained Muellers probe into Russia and Trumps campaign is a witch hunt and reportedly has considered firing the special counsel.

Nevertheless, the presidents legal team said they trust Mueller and want to get to the finish line with him. They said they plan to fully cooperate with Muellers investigation, confident that Trump will be cleared of wrongdoing.

The New York Times reported on another potential conflict of interest earlier this month. Mueller reassigned a top FBI agent, Peter Strzok, over the summer after it was discovered that Strzok had sent anti-Trump text messages to FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who worked for Muellers team.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions apparently contemplated the idea of appointing a second special counsel in November, according to The Washington Post.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
President Trump lashed out Tuesday at Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who is calling for his resignation over the multiple allegations of sexual assault against him. And Trump did so in a suggestive tweet that critics say demeans women.

Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump, the president wrote on Twitter. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!

Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

The insinuation in this tweet is clearly sexual and its demeaning to women, BBC News anchor Katty Kay remarked.

Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted. Do you know who youre picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump.

Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Do you know who you're picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump. Nevertheless, #shepersisted. https://t.co/mYJtBZfxiu  Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 12, 2017

Gillibrand responded in a tweet of her own.

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You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office, she tweeted.

You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office. https://t.co/UbQZqubXZv  Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) December 12, 2017

Gillibrand also addressed Trumps tweet at a press briefing on Capitol Hill.

It was a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice, and I will not be silenced on this issue, she told reporters. Neither will the women who stood up to the president yesterday. And neither will the millions of women who have been marching since the Womens March to stand up against policies they do not agree with.

Gillibrand is one of at least 56 female lawmakers  all Democrats  calling for a congressional investigation into the allegations against Trump. On Monday, Gillibrand took it a step further, saying Trump should resign.

President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign, Gillibrand told CNNs Christiane Amanpour. These allegations are credible; they are numerous. Ive heard these womens testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.

Three of Gillibrands male colleagues  Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.  joined her in calling for Trumps resignation.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, more than a dozen women came forward, accusing the real estate mogul and former reality television star of sexual misconduct. Trump fiercely denied their claims, many of which emerged after the 2005 Access Hollywood tape was made public in October 2016. In the infamous tape, Trump boasted that his celebrity status allowed him to forcibly kiss and grope women.

Trump again denied the accusations on Tuesday.

Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia  so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met, Trump tweeted. FAKE NEWS!

Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia  so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

Earlier Monday, three of the women who accused Trump during the campaign repeated their claims on Megyn Kellys morning NBC show and later at a news conference.

Samantha Holvey, a former Miss USA contestant who says Trump personally inspected her and other women prior backstage to the 2006 pageant, said the so-called #MeToo movement spurred them to come forward again.

It was heartbreaking last year. We are private citizens, Holvey told Kelly. And for us to put ourselves out there, to try to show America who this man is, and especially how he views women, for them to say, meh, we dont care, it hurt. And so, now its just, like, all right, lets try round two; the environment is different, lets try again.

Trump accusers Rachel Crooks, Jessica Leeds and Samantha Holvey appear at a press conference in New York on Monday. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Another Trump accuser, Melinda McGillivray, appeared on Kellys show Tuesday.

At the White House Monday, press secretary Sarah Sanders dismissed the renewed allegations.

Look, the president has addressed these accusations directly and denied all of these allegations, Sanders told reporters. And this took place long before he was elected to be president. And the people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process.

Not everyone in the Trump administration holds that view. On Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on CBS Face The Nation that the women who have accused Trump have every right to speak up.

They should be heard, and they should be dealt with, Haley said.

According to the Associated Press, Haleys comments infuriated the president.

Read more from Yahoo News:
By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Parisa Hafezi ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey criticized what it said was a feeble Arab reaction to the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying on the eve of Wednesday's Muslim summit in Istanbul that some Arab countries were scared of angering Washington. President Tayyip Erdogan, who has accused the United States of ignoring Palestinian claims to Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem and "trampling on international law", has invited leaders from more than 50 Muslim countries to agree a response. Jerusalem, revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, is home to Islam's third holiest site and has been at the heart of Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades. U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement last week recognizing the city as Israel's capital angered many Muslim countries, but few governments have matched Turkey's warning that it would plunge the world "into a fire with no end". Several countries had still not said who they would send to Istanbul, a Turkish minister said. "Some Arab countries have shown very weak responses (on Jerusalem)," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "It seems some countries are very timid of the United States." He said Egypt and the United Arab Emirates would send foreign ministers while Saudi Arabia had yet to say how it would participate. All three countries have delicate ties with Turkey, seeing links between the policies of Erdogan's Islamist-rooted ruling AK Party and regional Islamist movements they oppose. Other countries had also not said who they would send, Cavusoglu said, adding that the meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries must stand up to what he called Washington's "I am a super power, I can do anything" mentality. "We will make a call for countries that have so far not recognized Palestine to do so now," he said. "...We want the United States to turn back from its mistake." PROTESTS AND CLASHES Trump's announcement triggered days of protests across the Muslim world and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, an action not recognized internationally. On Monday, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Beirut to protest at a march backed by Hezbollah, the heavily armed Iran-backed Shi'ite group whose leader called last week for a new Palestinian uprising against Israel. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is expected to attend the Istanbul summit, said his country supported a new uprising against Israel to "safeguard the Palestinian people's rights". Rouhani said Muslim countries would "undoubtedly voice their protest to the world" at Wednesday's meeting. Iran supports several anti-Israel militant groups. The mainly Shi'ite country is also competing for power and influence in the Middle East with predominantly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally. Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami said Trump's decision would strengthen Israel, and accused some Muslim states of cooperating covertly with the Israeli government. "We strongly believe that this decision is the result of interaction between Israel and some Muslim countries," he told his Turkish counterpart in a telephone call on Tuesday, Irans semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Qassem Soleimani, head of the branch of the Revolutionary Guards that oversees operations outside Iran, pledged "complete support for Palestinian Islamic resistance movements" on Monday. The Trump administration says it remains committed to reaching peace between Israel and the Palestinians and its decision does not affect Jerusalem's future borders or status. It says any credible future peace deal will place the Israeli capital in Jerusalem, and ditching old policies is needed to revive a peace process frozen since 2014. (Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 04:29:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAPE TOWN, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A corporate scandal, believed to be the largest in South Africa's history, is expected to wipe off billions of rand from South African's pension funds, South African Parliament said on Monday.

Members of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) could lose about 12.5 billion rand (about 919 million U.S. dollars) in investments due to the scandal involving Steinhoff International Holdings N.V., a South Africa-based furniture and clothing retailer, according to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration (PCPSA).

Steinhoff's shares collapsed last week following the exposure of accounting irregularities.

The fallout that started on Wednesday has wiped off over 160 billion rand of Steinhoff's market capitalization.

Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste has resigned over the scandal.

Steinhoff is included in the Top 40 share listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and is one of the 15 biggest companies on the exchange.

Steinhoff's meltdown has sparked fears of huge impact on pension funds and unit trusts that have invested heavily in the company, seen as a star performer. The scandal is the largest ever experienced by the JSE.

Lenders and other creditors have billions of dollars exposed to the company, which has expanded aggressively around the world.

"This is a sad state of affairs when it involves years of pension savings of public servants," the PCPSA said.

This can lead to instability within the public service, and would impact negatively on service delivery on important government programs and projects, PCPSA Chairperson Cassel Mathale warned.

The PCASA calls upon all regulatory authorities and the criminal justice system to investigate this matter and come up with truth, Mathale said.

"This would allay fears among public servants and all concerned, as well as prove that the public service is an entity of integrity," he said.

An investigation by international consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PcW) is underway to uncover details behind the scandal that has led to an 84-percent share-price plunge in three days.

The JSE has also launched an investigation into whether Steinhoff had breached its listing rules, including "previous financial disclosures made to the public" before the announcement of accounting regularities.

Also on Monday, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) said corporate corruption is set to come under scrutiny during the party's national conference this weekend.
An investigator looks at the charred remains of a small plane that crashed into a house in San Diego: AP

A small aircraft has crashed into a house in San Diego leaving two people dead.

Local media report the plane crashed into the home in the Clairemont neighbourhood at around 4.40pm local time on Saturday.

The single-engine, six-seat Beech BE36 Bonanza had taken off from Montgomery Field airport around half a mile from the crash site.

The pilot and a passenger were taken to hospital with burns and two passengers died at the scene, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The names of the victims have not been released and the owner of the plane has not yet been identified.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Monday condemned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's threat to ban opposition parties from participating in next year's presidential elections.

"The Venezuelan people deserve the right to express their views and consent to governance through a free and fair democratic process that is open to all candidates," the department said in a statement.

After three opposition parties boycotted mayoral elections on Sunday, Maduro said on Monday they should be banned from participating in future elections.

(Reporting by Eric WalshEditing by Sandra Maler)
By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 50 female Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives called on Monday for a congressional investigation into allegations by various women of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump, who has denied the accusations.

"We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr. Trump," the lawmakers wrote in their letter, though a formal inquiry was unlikely to result because Republicans control the agenda in Congress.

The letter, spearheaded by the Democratic women's working group, which is composed of all the party's female members in the House, was signed by 56 lawmakers. It followed a call earlier on Monday by three women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct for a congressional investigation into his behavior.

The lawmakers' request for a probe was sent to leaders of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the main investigative committee in the House.

Over the past two years, more than a dozen women have accused Trump of making unwanted sexual advances against them in the years before he entered politics. Monday's letter from the Democrats said there were at least 17 accusers and listed names.

"The president's own remarks appear to back up the allegations," the letter said, saying Trump had boasted "that he feels at liberty to perpetrate such conduct against women."

"The president should be allowed to present evidence in his own defense," said the lawmakers.

The letter was addressed to oversight panel Chairman Trey Gowdy, a Republican, and top Democrat Elijah Cummings.

Trump last year apologized for talking about groping women in a 2005 tape recording that surfaced weeks before the presidential election, and said he had not done the things he talked about.

More recently, Trump has told allies that the voice on the recording was not his, The New York Times reported recently.

Story continues

Trump and White House officials have denied the sexual misconduct allegations against him, some of which date back to the 1980s.

"These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last years campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory," a White House spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Leslie Adler)
(Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors in New York on Tuesday brought federal criminal charges against a Bangladeshi man accused of setting off a bomb in a crowded Manhattan commuter hub a day earlier.

Akayed Ullah, 27, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, using a weapon of mass destruction, bombing a public place, destruction of property by means of explosive and use of a destructive device.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New YorkEditing by Chizu Nomiyama)
By Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier who deserted to North Korea more than half a century ago, but who was eventually allowed to leave the secretive state, has died in Japan aged 77.

One of the Cold War's strangest dramas began in 1965 when Charles Robert Jenkins, then a 24-year-old army sergeant nicknamed "Scooter" from tiny Rich Square in North Carolina, disappeared one January night while on patrol near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.

At an emotional court martial in Japan in 2004, Jenkins - who had never gone to high school - said he deserted to avoid hazardous duty in South Korea and escape combat in Vietnam.

"It was Christmas time, it was also cold and dark. I started to drink alcohol. I never had drunk so much alcohol," he said in a thick Southern accent, choking back sobs.

He drank 10 beers, took his men on patrol and told them to wait while he checked the road below. He then walked towards North Korea, holding a rifle with a white t-shirt tied around it. He said he had planned to go to Russia and turn himself in, and had not expected North Korea to keep him.

While in North Korea, where he taught English to soldiers and portrayed an evil U.S. spy in a propaganda film, Jenkins met and married Hitomi Soga, a Japanese woman 20 years his junior who had been kidnapped by North Korea to help train spies.

Fear for his safety and the family he built with Soga made it impossible to refuse any demands made on him, Jenkins said.

"You don't say no to North Korea. You say one thing bad about Kim Il-sung and then you dig your own hole, because you're gone," Jenkins told his court martial, referring to the founder of the secretive state.

Soga was allowed to return to Japan in 2002 and Jenkins followed with their two North Korean-born daughters in 2004.

After serving a token 30-day sentence for desertion, Jenkins moved with his family to Sado, Soga's rural hometown, late in 2004. He subsequently worked in a gift shop and wrote a book about his experiences in North Korea.

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A Sado town official confirmed his death, but could give no further details.

(This version of the story fixes typo in first paragraph)

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Michael Perry)
Russian troops will soon begin exiting Syria under new orders from President Vladimir Putin, who made an unannounced visit to the war-torn country Monday.

I order the defense minister and the chief of the general staff to start withdrawing the Russian group of troops to their permanent bases, Russias RIA Novosti news agency quoted Putin as saying, according to the BBC.

I have taken a decision: a significant part of the Russian troop contingent located in Syria is returning home to Russia, he added.

Russian military action in Syria began in 2015 after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appealed to Putin for help. Although airstrikes nominally targeted ISIS, Russian bombs frequently hit more mainstream groups opposing pro-Assad forces and proved crucial in swinging the countrys civil war in the governments favor.

Read more: Russia Has Denied Carrying Out Air Strikes That Killed Dozens of Civilians in Syria

Russias Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu heralded the partial military withdrawal on the day of Putins visit. The speed at which it would occur would depend on the situation in Syria, he said.

Putin reportedly issued a similar directive last year, although the Kremlins operations in Syria continued.

Last month, the Russian President hosted Assad in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. There, ahead of a summit between Russia, Turkey, and Iran, Putin announced his intention to end Russias military operations in Syria.
Raj Shah on the left served in the Obama administration. Raj Shah on the right handles communications in the Trump White House. (Photo: USAID/Twitter/rajshah45)

The White House laid into CNN after the news outlet mixed up the photos of two men named Shah on Friday.

While displaying a quote from Raj Shah, who serves as President Donald Trumps principal deputy press secretary, CNN showed an image of Dr. Rajiv Shah, who was an official in the Obama administration.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders attacked the news outlet Friday evening as fake news.

The quote from the principal deputy press secretary addressed Trumps endorsement of Roy Moore, the Republican Alabama Senate candidate faces multiple accusations of preying on teenage girls decades ago.

The President tweeted earlier today, and hes been saying for a while now that his endorsement of Roy Moore has to do with the issues and the fact that he doesnt want Alabama to elect somebody whod essentially be a Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer puppet and vote against this Presidents agenda on a whole host of issues, Shah said.

The Raj Shah whom CNN erroneously featured on screen is currently president of the Rockefeller Foundation and served as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2010 to 2015.

The Raj Shah who now works for Trump ran opposition research for the Republican National Committee in 2016.

Pointing out the very different backgrounds of the two men, Twitter users joined in clapping back at CNN for the flub.

The @RajShah pictured, my former boss, is a humanitarian and should NEVER be confused for the other one. Get your sh*t together @CNN. https://t.co/fjPuL3QNF6  Nicole Schiegg (@NicSchiegg) December 9, 2017

As one of the many friends and fans of the Raj Shah who is pictured here, we can join in a rare moment of bipartisan unity that he does not in fact -- and would NEVER in fact -- work for the current White House. https://t.co/MfJkmK1WgA  Gene Sperling (@genebsperling) December 9, 2017

In case people need a reminder: Not all Asians look the same.

Story continues

When will they ever learn ...

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Photo: Evan Vucci/AP

The White House left out the number of U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria from a semi-annual accounting it provided to Congress on Monday. In a previous report, sent to Congress in June, the administration had said how many Americans are in those war zones.

The omissions reflect President Trumps eagerness to keep secret the size of U.S. deployments in some global hot spots under the theory that the numbers, no matter how vague, might give extremists and other enemies a strategic advantage, a senior administration official told Yahoo News. Military, congressional and even some other administration officials privately dispute that notion and say some transparency is necessary for informed debate about Americas use of force. It is unclear whether the administration detailed the figures to Congress in a classified addendum to the letter.

Oddly, the White House decision to omit the figures for Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria comes after the Pentagon, at the urging of Defense Secretary James Mattis, disclosed force levels for all three. In a late August briefing, officials said that roughly 11,000 troops were serving in Afghanistan, to be reinforced by another 3,000-4,000 under Trumps new strategy for waging Americas longest war. And in early December, the Pentagon told reporters that 5,200 Americans were serving in Iraq and another 2,000 were in Syria. The latter marked a notable increase from the previously disclosed figure of 500.

The report goes to Congress every six months under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which lawmakers passed in an effort to make presidents more accountable for the deployment of U.S. troops in the wake of the Vietnam War. The June report, like others before it, disclosed the presence of some 645 U.S. military personnel in Niger, where months later an ambush left four Americans dead and set off a controversy in Washington, where some politicians claimed not to know about the American presence.

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U.S. Army General John Nicholson, commander U.S. forces in Afghanistan, after an exercise in Logar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 30, 2017. (Photo: Rahmat Gul/AP)

Six months ago, the White Houses letter disclosed 8,448 Americans serving in Afghanistan, 5,262 in Iraq, and 503 in Syria. The new version does not provide those figures or a reason for their omission.

Among the other changes from the previous letter, the administration now says that a small number of United States military personnel operate in Yemen against al-Qaida and ISIS. The prior report made no mention of U.S. forces on the ground there.

The June 2017 letter said some 2,850 American military personnel were deployed in Jordan; the number is now 2,300.

Lebanon was not mentioned six months ago. The new letter says that approximately 100 U.S. troops are there at the governments request to shore up its counterterrorism capabilities.

The letter sent Monday says about 800 U.S. military personal are deployed in Niger, up from 645 six months ago. But where the previous letter noted that approximately 300 were in Cameroon, the new report notes a U.S. presence but omits a number. The June 2017 letter said some 410 American military personnel were in the Central African nations of Uganda, the Republic of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. The new report omits those deployments.

The earlier report made no mention of the Philippines. The new one says an unspecified number of U.S. forces are providing support to the counterterrorism operations of the armed forces there.

In Egypt, the number of U.S. military personnel has dipped from 700 six months ago to about 400, according to the new letter.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 04:30:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LONDON, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed for the first time on Monday the likely size of the "divorce bill" Britain will pay to leave the European Union (EU).

Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, May told main opposition leader, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, that the amount agreed with EU negotiators last week was between 35 billion pounds and 39 billion pounds (47 billion U.S. dollars to 52.2 million U.S. dollars).

May added that if there is no deal between Britain and the EU on a future working arrangement, there will be no offer on the table.

It was the prime minister's first statement to the Parliament since a deal was struck with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday to pave the way for the next round of future-relationship negotiations.

The 27 EU member states will decide Thursday whether to accept Juncker's recommendation to commence early negotiations on the next phase.

May rejected a call by Corbyn to rethink Britain's set-in-stone departure date, saying Britain will leave the EU on March, 29, 2019, and will also leave the European single market and the customs union.

She added that Britain will continue to pay its net contributions under the current EU budget plan.

But this is conditional upon a number of principles negotiated, with May adding: "It is subject to the general reservation that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. This means we want to see the whole deal now coming together, including the terms of our future deep and special partnership."

May concluded by saying what had even agreed was not about a hard or a soft Brexit.

"The process ahead will not be easy. The progress so far has required give-and-take for the UK and the EU to move forwards together. And that is what we have done. Of course, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," said May.

She said she believed there was now a new sense of optimism in the talks and she fully hoped and expected the arrangement set out today will be confirmed by the EU later this week.
There were no fatalities after the bomb detonated inside the New York subway: Twitter

Police are searching for the motive behind an attempted terrorist attack on the New York subway, after a man with a home-made bomb strapped to his body set off an explosion during the morning commute.

The explosion injured five people including the suspect, named as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah by authorities. Ullah is said to be a Bangladesh national who lived in Brooklyn having arrived in the US in 2011 and become a permanent resident.

Officials are looking at all facets of Ullahs life and the time leading up to the attack. Multiple reports said that Ullah had allegedly watched Isis propaganda, and suggested that he told investigators he pledged allegiance to the extremists. However it is believed there is no evidence yet that Ullah may have had direct contact with Isis, while no group has yet taken responsibility for the attack.

When asked at a news conference about the potential for a link to Isis, New York Police Commissioner Jim ONeill merely said that the suspect had made statements that were the focus of the investigation.

There was said to be no information indicating Ullah was previously known to any US spy or law enforcement agency for any connection to militant groups.

He was was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment having suffered burns and lacerations on his hands and stomach. Three others, including a police officer, sustained minor injuries.

In a statement, President Donald Trump called it an attempted mass murder attack and called for those convicted of engaging in acts of terror to face the strongest possible penalty, including the death penalty.

Authorities were quick to point out that things could have been much worse, with the explosion coming in a crowded subway passage near Times Square at about 7.20am (12.20 GMT) during rush hour.

This was an attempted terrorist attack, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.

CCTV cameras captured a man walking down the crowded passage, before the explosion which caused a plume of white smoke and scattered commuters who rushed to evacuate.

Story continues

There was a stampede up the stairs to get out, said one commuter, Diego Fernandez. Everybody was scared and running and shouting.

It is not clear if the bomb was set off intentionally, near 42nd Street and 8th Avenue close to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, or if it went off prematurely.

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo, speaking at a news conference near the explosion site, described the device as amateur-level. It had been attached to Ullah by Velcro and zip ties, having collected the materials for the bomb himself.

Mr Cuomo told CNN the explosive in the pipe ignited, but the pipe itself did not explode. So he wound up hurting himself. He added the attacker obtained information on how to make a bomb from the internet.

This is one of my nightmares, right: a terrorist attack in the subway system, Mr Cuomo, a Democrat, later told TV channel NY1.

The good news is: We were on top of it, he said, and the reality was not as bad as the fear.

The incident occurred less than two months after an Uzbek immigrant allegedly killed eight people by driving down a New York cycle path in a rental truck. Isis did claim responsibility for that attack.

While subway service was restored and the area returned to a level of normalcy in the wake of the latest attack, it left its mark. Its worrying - something is always happening these days, said Ashley Rodriguez, who was waiting outside the bus terminal with her younger brother.

Susana Concepcion said that she was waiting for a Greyhound bus to Philadelphia at the time of the attack, and saw three police officers rush past. She said she didnt hear the blast, but was immediately told to leave alongside a number of others. We didnt know what was going on, she said.

Investigators have searched a number of properties in Brooklyn said to be connected to Ullah, or his family as they look to piece together what might have led to the attack.

One, in the Flatlands neighbourhood, saw police block off the area and about a dozen officers milling about near the residence. Local residents said the street was quiet, with people mostly keeping themselves to themselves. One man, who did not want to be named said that Ullah had lived across the street and that he had seen him pacing around outside his home, talking on the phone and smoking cigarettes.

Another neighbour, JC Fouch, said that he had had no interaction with the suspect but that it was kind of freaky that he was living nearby.

Ullah was said to have came from the southeastern Bangladeshi district of Chittagong and last visited the country on September Inspector General of Police A K M Shahidul Hoque told Reuters on Monday.

He had no criminal record in Bangladesh, Mr Hoque said.

Having arrived in the US on an F-4 family immigrant visa in February 2011, from March 2012 through March 2015, he held a license to drive a limousine or black cab as an independent contractor, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission said in a statement. He is also believed to have done some work as an electrician.

As investigators piece together his life, Trump officials were quick to jump on the case to suggest it means that the US immigration system must be fixed. Getting tough on immigration has been one Mr Trumps major promises since he was on the campaign trail for the White House.

In his statement, Mr Trump called for Congress to act to fix Americas lax immigration system by ending chain migration - where family members are permitted to join relatives who have immigrated. He linked chain migration to how Ullah entered the country.

Both Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Attorney General Jeff Sessions called for a merit-based immigration system. Mr Sessions said relatives of US citizens shouldn't get priority ahead of someone who is high-skilled, well educated, has learned English, and is likely to assimilate and flourish here.
By Desire Thompson

An explosion set off by a suspected suicide bomber went off Monday morning (Dec. 11), inuring four people.

Reports from a number of outlets like The New York Times and The New York Daily Post note the incident happened at 7:19 am ET. between the 7th and 8th Ave. passenger tunnel at the Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station. The tunnel connects passengers to the Times Square and Port Authority stations.

The suspect, who survived the explosion, is a 27-year-old who was born in Bangladesh and lived in Brooklyn for seven years. He is currently in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital.

Authorities believe the suspects low tech devices, similar to a pipe bomb, went off prematurely, leaving suspicions that he did not act alone. Police also claim the suspect made statements about ISIS while in custody.

Before Mayor Bill de Blasio labeled the incident an attempted terrorist attack, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called out the actions of the suspect. With the internet now, anyone can download garbage on how to put together an amateur level explosion device and thats the reality we live in, he said to reporters. The counted reality is that this in New York and we are a savvy people and we look out for each other. Were all working together exceptionally well on this.

Surveillance video from the explosion shows the man walking in the tunnel with the device strapped to his person with wires and zip ties.

1, 2, 3, A, C, E, N, Q, R, W and 7 trains were skipping 42nd Street, but are expected to be running again.

The mayor also added that there were no other known terroristic threats to the city.

This is a developing story.

This post New York Mayor Calls Port Authority Explosion An Attempted Terrorist Attack first appeared on Vibe.
A landmark case involving a group of 21 young Americans who are suing the federal government for its failure to protect them from the adverse consequences of climate change is inching closer to a trial date.

The case, known as Juliana v. United States, was scheduled to go to trial in Oregon beginning on Feb. 5. That court date has been postponed due to a rare request from the federal government to have an Appeals Court step in and halt the proceedings.

On Monday, a panel of judges from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments regarding the Trump administration's move to squash the case using a little-used legal tactic known as a writ of mandamus. If granted, the writ would have the Appeals Court review a 2016 U.S. District Court decision not to dismiss the case. If the Appeals Court grants the writ, it could halt the case in its tracks, preventing a trial by declaring that the District Court made one or more errors in its consideration of the case.

SEE ALSO: To obtain funding, scientists may be avoiding use of the term 'climate change' in research proposals

However, questions from the three-judge Appeals Court panel to the Justice Department indicated they are skeptical of the need to review the District Court's decision. The Justice Department argued that this case, which seeks a remedy involving government action to address global warming, is "unprecedented" for its claims and broad scope, among other factors.

The case already broke new legal ground when a District Court judge declared the plaintiffs have a constitutional right to a stable climate.

Among the issues to be determined at trial is whether the government's actions  including its use of federal lands for energy extraction over the past several decades (the years when scientists' understanding of global warming solidified)  violated the plaintiff's constitutional rights.

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Global average temperature anomalies from 2012-2016, compared to the 20th-century average.

The case asks the judicial branch to help determine the remedy to ensure the plaintiff's rights are no longer being violated. This could mean that the courts tell the government what its climate policy should be, which traditionally is the purview of the legislative and executive branches of government, not the courts. (That breach is one of the arguments put forward by the Justice Department to halt the case.)

"This court is on a collision course with the Executive Branch," said Eric Grant, a deputy assistant attorney general.

However, Julia Olson, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs who works for Our Children's Trust, an advocacy group, rejected that argument. She was accompanied in the courtroom by her co-counsel, as well as 18 of the 21 plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs seek a judicial safeguard against the continued degradation of their rights," she said  but this safeguard could come from the appropriate branch of government, meaning that the plaintiffs are not asking the courts to set climate policy. Rather, a possible remedy would be for the court to demand that the government enact policies to cut global warming pollutants, leaving the specific details up to Congress and federal agencies.

What the complaint alleges is that the federal defendants collectively and through the fossil fuel energy system are affirmatively depriving these young people of their rights to life, liberty, and property, Olson said.

In response to judges' questions about whether the plaintiffs have legal standing to sue on the basis of being deprived of a stable climate, Olson said yes, because they will experience a rapidly deteriorating climate system for the rest of their lives unless action is taken soon.

Children are disproportionately experiencing the impacts of climate change, Olson said. She noted that children will bear the brunt of the impacts of global warming, giving them standing in their case.

Your honor, these children will live far longer than you, they will live till the end of the century, when the seas are projected by these federal defendants to be 10 feet higher, she said.

18 of the 21 youth-plaintiffs were before the 9th Circuit in San Francisco challenging the U.S. Government for not protecting them from #climate change. pic.twitter.com/zE0ltHO6BF  Lyanne Melendez (@LyanneMelendez) December 11, 2017

The significance of the harm, the monumental threat that these injuries pose to these plaintiffs is very distinguishable from the rest of the country.

Once the Ninth Circuit rules on the writ of mandamus, the case will either proceed to trial in District Court in Oregon, or head down another unprecedented path.

Many experts have consistently underestimated the likelihood that this suit would reach this far, considering how other judicial approaches to address climate change have failed.

If the 21 young people succeed in getting a judge to order the Trump administration to alter its pro-drilling, climate denial policies, they will have succeeded where no environmental activists or international allies have, simply by alleging a constitutional violation of their rights.

While this is an unlikely outcome, it gets more and more plausible with each passing legal proceeding.
The exposure of an attack tunnel from the Gaza Strip, for the second time in about a month, proves the IDF and the defense establishment have finally successfully completed the underground thwarting circle.

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This means the IDF has several new and likely groundbreaking technologies, not just for the discovery and detection of tunnel diggings, but also for taking hold of them and being able to neutralize them in different waysnot necessarily by blowing them up and killing the people working inside them.

Neutralization of the Hamas cross-border tunnel, Saturday night (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The combination of different methods and the ability to use several of these technologies in each instance according to their feasibility in the specific case were made possible using a system that manages the entire underground thwarting operation in the Gaza Division and Central Command.

This system is basically a lab, which is the brain of the entire process and includes people or experts from different disciplines. Their combined activity and their analytic abilitiesin conjunction with the technologies they useinvariably lead to results. Its no longer about luck; its a method that deals with the underground threat from its very beginning to its full neutralization.

As far as I know, there are no technologies, processes or human apparatuses in the world that know how to do what is being done now against the underground threat in the Gaza Strip, and perhaps in other places as well.

The tunnel uncovered Sunday likely isnt the last successful case to be reported by the lab sooner or later. Hamas also understands that Israel has developed a method that may soon deny the organization its ability to use cross-border tunnels to target IDF forces and Israeli communities and citizens east of the Gaza border fencein other words, within Israels sovereign territory. If this method is indeed up and running, Hamas will be deprived of an important offensive ability which it has been planning to keep using in the next round or war with Israel.

The tunnel shaft (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

These facts will, without a doubt, frustrate Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, the leaders of Hamass military wing. The two are avid supporters of the use of tunnels as an offensive measure against Israel, as well as of fighting the IDF inside the strip in case of an invasion.

Frustration as a result of the Israeli underground thwarting system could be reflected on two opposite levels. The first level is outright abandoning the underground system, following estimates that the barrier being built along the border fence and the Israeli detection and thwarting systems have turned the tunnels into an inefficient offensive measure that Hamas would anyway soon be lose. The conclusion, therefore, would be to let go of this measure and look for something else.

The second direction a Hamas response might take is rushing to make use of the attack tunnels already in placein other words, quickly completing and using them before they are cut off by the barrier being built by Israel or before they are detected and neutralized by the IDF.

Hamas has no interest in escalation

There is no way of knowing how Hamass military wing will respond at this stage. Hamas has no interest in escalation at this time, as it hopes the internal Palestinian reconciliation and its reconciliation with Egypt will finally materialize, ease the Gazans distress and eventually lead to the opening of the Rafah Crossing. Hamas is also hoping to receive aid from Iran.

At the moment, Hamas is interested in maintaining calm, fragile as it may be, to prevent the strips residents from turning against the organization when their distress grows upon the arrival of winter rains, and to allow the military wing to move on with its preparations and arming efforts for the next conflict.

The tunnel exposure area (Photo: Barel Efraim)

Hamass frustration, however, seems to be growing, and frustration could be followed by a temptation to escalate the situation in the strip before Israel uncovers all the tunnels and turns the underground threat into an inefficient tool.

The way the tunnel was neutralized this time deserves our attention too: Without bombing it, without using explosives and without Palestinian casualties. This is partly the result of the lessons learned from the tensions that followed the detonation of the previous uncovered tunnel , which had been dug by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. That detonation could have led to escalation were it not for Egypt and Hamass efforts to convince the Islamic Jihad to avoid any major activity to avenge the tunnels exposure and the killing of its people inside of it.

(Photo: Barel Efraim)

This time, the tunnel was neutralized using quiet measures, likely also in light of the growing tensions following President Donald Trumps Jerusalem announcement . Israel wanted to uncover the tunnel and neutralize it without almost forcibly pushing Hamas to escalate its response. A combination of the growing incitement on Jerusalem and feelings of humiliation, insult and revenge following a loud and lethal exposure of the tunnel could have sent the Gaza Strip and the Gaza vicinity into an escalation neither side was interested in.

Its encouraging to see the IDF has a very diverse and efficient toolbox, allowing it to adjust its physical tools against the underground threat to the political conditions and the state of mind in the region.

A Hamas cross-border tunnel is a serious violation of Israeli sovereignty and can be considered an offensive activity for all intents and purposes, requiring a strong and firm response from Israel. The IDF, however, seems to believe that its powerful response to Fridays rocket fire from the stripwhich left two Hamas men killedwas sufficiently painful and destructive, which is why the tunnel exposure does not require another powerful response.
The diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey heated up again this week following US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, with a serious exchange of verbal attacks between the countries leadersas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his most scathing attack on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who described Israel as a terrorist state that kills children.

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Erdogan, who had threatened even before Trumps announcement that his countrys response to any change in Jerusalems status could go as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Israel, said in a fiery speech Sunday that 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 country that kills children, the Turkish leader added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Turkish President Redcep Tayyip Erdogan. Head-to-head (Photos: EPA, AFP)

In stark contrast to his harsh words, Erdogan also chose to mention the historical ties between Turkey and the Jewish people. For us, it doesnt matter who is the oppressor and who is the oppressed, and we would not avoid standing up against those who oppress otherseven if they are our brothers. Our history includes many examples of that, he said, noting that the Ottoman Empire had taken in Jews who were expelled from Spain, as well as Jews who fled Russia in the 19th century, and that Turkey had also welcomed Jews during World War II.

Erdogans vitriolic comments did not go unnoticed by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who took off his gloves during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron and hit back at the Turkish leader in an unprecedented attack: We wont take any lectures from Erdogan. Im 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 terroristsincluding in Gazakill innocent people.

Netanyahu with French President Macron in Paris. We wont take any lectures from Erdogan (Photo: MCT)

State officials feared that Erdogan would respond to Netanyahu's attack with a drastic move. The response finally arrived from the Turkish presidents close advisor, Ibrahim Kalin: We condemn in the strongest possible terms Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahus remarks targeting the Republic of Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the spokesperson said, adding that Israel, which disregards international law, has occupied the Palestinian peoples hundreds-of-years-old homeland and systematically violates United Nations resolutions, must first account for its own actions.

The Turkish presidents advisor added that just like Turkey is all over the world, it will keep being in Palestine to support those who are right, the law and the oppressed.

No diplomatic breakthrough in Erdogan era

But despite the heated exchange of words, state officials in Jerusalem believe Erdogan wont sever diplomatic ties with Israel, as he would lose the option of helping the Palestinians in Gaza and would have no access to the Temple Mount.

Senior Israeli officials admit, however, that Erdogans reactions are not necessarily rational and that emotional responses should also be taken into account. Experts on Turkey, who are finding it hard to believe that Erdogan will restrain himself following Netanyahu's comments, are not ruling out the possibility that he will take protest measures like recalling the Turkish ambassador for consultations in Ankara.

Erdogans reactions are not necessarily rational (Photo: AFP)

There is a diplomatic dialogue going on between Israel and Turkey, and the communication channels are constantly maintained. There is a general understanding, however, that as long as Erdogan remains in power we will see no diplomatic breakthrough and the relations will be kept low-profile, possibly developing on the economic, tourist, cultural and other levels.

Erdogan is presenting himself as the Palestinians' defender and as Hamas patron, which is why it is in his best interest to maintain a dialogue with Israel. He only stands to lose from cutting Turkeys relations with Israel. In Israel, Erdogan is respected but suspected. Israeli officials understand that he can do no good.

On the other hand, there are those in Israel who believe that tightening the economic ties with Turkey, focusing on the gas deal , would strengthen the relations and add a strategic dimension to them. Nevertheless, that doesnt stop Israel from pursuing the European gas channel vis-a-vis Cyprus, Greece and the European Union.

Russian gas instead of Israeli gas

Last Tuesday in Nicosia, the energy ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding for a planned gas pipe from Israel to Italy, declaring it a strategic infrastructure project representing an interest shared by the countries and the EU involving natural gas. The planned pipe will be 2,100 kilometers long and its estimated cost is NIS 25 billion (roughly $7 billion). Its construction is expected to be completed in 2025.

The gas pipe would guarantee a long-term export route of Israeli gas to Greece, Italy and other European markets and boost competition in the gas field. As the ministers announced in their joint press conference, the project would strengthen the EUs energetic security and diversify Europe's sources of natural gas supply.

Anti-Israel protest in Istanbul, Sunday (Photo: AP)

The EU representative estimated that Europe would need to import an additional 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year compared to what it currently imports due to the drop in gas production in the Northern Sea. Europe sees Israel and Cyprus as a secure source for future gas supplies.

The energy ministers expressed their desire to cooperate in research related to the construction and operation of the project. A team comprised of the director-generals of the countries energy ministries, which was formed by the energy ministers last April in Tel Aviv, will keep meeting to discuss the principles of the governmental agreement between the four parties, which is expected to be signed in 2018.

Erdogan wanted to sign a gas deal with Israel in the past to diversify Turkeys energy sources, primarily as an alternative to Russia. In the past year, however, his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin warmed up, especially on the backdrop of the ceasefire agreements in Syria.

Todays, it seems Erdogan needs Russian gas more than he needs Israeli gas. President Putin was expected to arrive in Ankara on Monday for an official visit, which would include his sixth meeting with Erdogan this year. During the meeting, they were expected to discuss the situation in Syria, the crisis around the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, as well as the gas issue and the plan that Russia would build a nuclear reactor for energy purposes in Turkey.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 07:33:07|Editor: Yurou

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Photo released by NASA on Dec. 11, 2017 shows U.S. President Donald Trump (C) speaking before signing the Space Policy Directive 1 at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States. Donald Trump on Monday signed his administration's first space policy directive, formally directing the U.S. space agency NASA to send astronauts back to the moon and eventually Mars. (Xinhua/NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed his administration's first space policy directive, formally directing the U.S. space agency NASA to send astronauts back to the moon and eventually Mars.

"The directive I'm signing today will refocus American space program on human exploration and discovery," Trump said at a White House ceremony.

"It marks an important step in returning American astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and use," he said. "This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars and perhaps some day to many worlds beyond."

The Space Policy Directive 1, as it's called, was based on recommendations of the National Space Council, which Trump directed to reestablish in June.

The council was first created in 1989 during the administration of President George H.W. Bush but later disbanded in 1993 under President Bill Clinton.

It marked a return to the vision of President George W. Bush, whose Constellation program aimed to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 and then go on to Mars.

However, Constellation was cancelled in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama, on the grounds that Americans "have been there before" and that "there's a lot more of space to explore."

Instead, Obama said the U.S. should start by sending astronauts to an asteroid, a controversial plan known as Asteroid Redirect Mission, which was scrapped earlier this year by the Trump administration.

"Since the beginning of his administration, President Trump has taken steps to refocus NASA on its core mission of space exploration," Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement earlier Monday.

"He will change our nation's human spaceflight policy to help America become the driving force for the space industry, gain new knowledge from the cosmos, and spur incredible technology," Gidley said.

Both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who chairs the National Space Council, have repeatedly expressed interest in human lunar missions during the past year.

Pence, during the first meeting of the National Space Council in October, said the moon will be "a stepping-stone, a training ground, a venue to strengthen our commercial and international partnerships."
Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, widely regarded as Gadol Hador (Leader of the Generation), passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 104.

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Shteinman was known for his rabbinic scholarship, relatively pragmatic rulings and extremely modest lifestyle. Hundreds of thousands of people attended his funeral in Bnei Brak.

Over the past year, Rabbi Shteinman, the leader of the non-Hasidic Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox world, has been in and out of the Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak.

Rabbi Yehuda Leib Shteinman

Three weeks ago, he was hospitalized again in serious condition. Despite his age, the rabbi was able to recover and was even moved from the ICU to a regular ward.

Last week, however, he ran a high fever and was sent back to the ICU. His condition remained stable until Tuesday morning, when his condition worsened, and he suffered cardiac arrest. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

President Reuven Rivlin called him a leader who "carried on his shoulders the existential weight of the Jewish people."

"Despite his decisive positions, he knew how to convey a message in a pleasant and tender manner and out of a great love for every Jew," Rivlin added. "Rabbi Shteinman charted the path to countless of Jews, and his passing leaves one with a deep sense of loss."

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Rabbi Shteinman, born in 1913, is known among the general public in Israel mostly as the leader of Degel HaTorah, the Lithuanian faction in the United Torah Judaism party, and the president of its Council of Torah Sages. Among the 13 Haredi Knesset members, only three answer directly to himMoshe Gafni, Uri Maklev and Ya'akov Asherbut he held significant, and usually decisive, influence over both ultra-Orthodox parties (UTJ and Shas).

But politics took up only a minor part of his time. He dedicated his life to teaching, instructing yeshivot and giving counsel and blessings to those who appealed to him on matters both personal and public.

(Photo: Yariv Katz)

Five years ago, after the passing of the "Posek Hador" Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Rabbi Shteinman faced loud opposition undermining his leadership, an unprecedented thing for previous "leaders of the generation."

Because of his pragmatic positions on different public matterswhether internal Haredi issues or the relations between the Haredim and the state, the general public, and modernismShteinman's detractors from the Jerusalem Faction claimed he was a compromiser and too moderate compared to previous Lithuanian leaders. They crowned Shteinman's rival, the zealot and strict Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, as their leader.
The high school teachers' strike has ended after the Teachers' Associated reached a new employment agreement with the Finance Ministry on Monday, setting teachers' starting salary at NIS 8,000 ($2,265).

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There turning point in negotiations came after the Teachers' Association decided to cancel all tests, including tests preparing students for the matriculation exams' winter dates, putting pressure on the government to reach an agreement.

Empty classrooms during the strike (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The main points of the agreement:

The starting salary for a new teacher will be NIS 8,000 starting September 1, 2018.

All educators under the collective agreement will receive an additional NIS 480, paid in increments over 4 years.

The maximum stipend for continuing education programs for teachers who are part of the "Oz Latmora" reform will be increased from 18 percent to 19 percent.

Teachers will receive additional pay for any additional roles they take on at the school.

Teachers who serve as educational advisor will see an increase of 3 percent to their additional pay, which will be done in two stages: 2 percent starting January 2020 and 1 percent starting January 2021.

All educators will receive a one-time bonus of NIS 1,000.

The Teachers' Association has committed not to strike over issues covered in the agreement until February 28, 2022.



After reaching the agreement, the head of the Teachers' Association, Ran Erez, thanked the teachers, saying their "strength and determination" helped bring to the achievements in the agreement.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon welcomed the agreement, saying it would "lead to the improvement of the quality of teaching, narrow the gaps in the education system and increase motivation to work in the field of education."

"The teachers are precious assets who protect our children, and our job is to protect them and give them the tools they need to do their job," he added.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett also welcomed to agreement. "Today, we are putting the teachers of Israel at the top of the national list of priorities," he said. "The starting salary for teachers will increase by 20 percent. This is a real hike to salaries, which would greatly help teachers who are only starting out. We will continue to do whatever it takes to bring talented and ideals-driven people into the education system."

Education Ministry Director-General Shmuel Abuav noted the increase to a teacher's starting salary, saying it "would allow us to recruit young, quality teachers to the education system."
Experts on the way climate change affects global security have launched a six-point action plan aimed at addressing threats created by problems such as water and food shortages.

The Hague Declaration on Planetary Security was unveiled Tuesday at a conference in the Dutch city, on the same day that dozens of world leaders met in Paris to reinvigorate the fight against global warming.

Participants at the Paris meeting are expected to announce billions of dollars' worth of projects to help poor countries and industries reduce emissions.

The Hague declaration calls for the United Nations to create a special "climate security" envoy, urges better coordination on international migration issues, and calls for cities to take climate risks into account when planning urban expansion.

It also urges action on three specific problems: Food shortages in Africa's Lake Chad Basin, security in Mali and water management in Iraq.
About a year after it came into effect and amid objections from rabbis, politicians, women's organizations and senior reserve officers, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot approved Tuesday several updates to the Joint Service Ordinance.

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In contrast to the demands of religious elements, the clause requiring enlisted soldiers to serve in mixed gender combat units was not annulled, but was eased.

The new clause states that if a religious officer or non-commissioned officer (NCO) is assigned to serve in a mixed gender combat unit, such as the Caracal Battalion, he may submit a request for re-examination of his placement before it takes effect, and the head of the Manpower Directorate will examine his application.

File photo: IDF mixed combat unit (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Additionally, a sentence was redacted from the original order that stated that army service should be "not by way of separation between male and female soldiers," a controversial decree that was resented by religious groups.

The order will not affect ultra-Orthodox soldiers who are excluded from it and will continue to enjoy the special conditions and separations intended for them throughout their service.

In addition, during war or emergency, large parts of the order will not apply, and the only consideration, such as male and female soldiers sleeping together in the same room or compound, will be made solely based on "Pikuach Nefesh" (preservation of human life overring virtually any other religious consideration).

Regarding the clause that obliges career soldiers to serve in mixed gender combat units, whether they are religious or not, the IDF explained that it has different expectations from career soldiers than from conscripts, and that there are already religious officers serving in mixed gender battalions, such as Lt. Col. Nir Dupat, who commands one.

The IDF also noted that the Chief Military Rabbi, Brig. Gen. Eyal Karim, agreed to the order.

Chief Military Rabbi Brig. Gen. Eyal Krim

"The IDF is the people's army, it is a state institution, and it must allow all those who serve in it to serve regardless of their religion, faith or gender," said IDF Spokesman Ronen Manelis, who added that while "the previous situation was convenient for the chief of staff, as no one attacked him," it was ultimately "bad for the units."

"The principles have not changed and the clarifications we have made are derived from needs we have discovered," Manelis asserted, going on to criticize the government's outspokenness on the matter: "Outside voices, such as ministers and MKs, various organizations, rabbis and reserve officers, thought they should intervene in this matter. Some of them wanted to 'save the IDF' from itself, while some acted in good faith."

The representatives of religious Zionist rabbis welcomed the changes.

"The main changes made at our request are the cancellation of the decree at the beginning of the order ruling that the army should never separate men and women, as well as the change of the officer clause (allowing them to submit a request for transfer) and the removal of the option to place an officer against his will in mixed gender units," they said in a statement.

"The chief of staff's decision to update the wording of the Joint Service Ordinance is an important step that allows all IDF soldiers to serve in the army while preserving their faith and way of life. We express our appreciation for this," they concluded, thanking the Chief Military Rabbi "for his significant part in this important dialogue."

Yeshiva leaders and senior rabbis met last month with Eisenkot and demanded that he change the Joint Service Ordinance. They argued at the time that the new order allowed mixing of the sexes in army bases, contrary to halachah, and thus infringed on the rights of religious male and female soldiers. At the end of the meeting, the rabbis reported that the chief of staff had promised them to examine the matter.
The Knesset approved a bill proposal to close the Holot detention facility, which houses African illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, in a second and third reading late Monday.

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The legislation extends the temporary order keeping the Holot facility open by only three months in an effort to encourage "voluntary departure" with intentions being to close down the facility completely within four months.

The illegal immigrants and asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan will face two options: either be imprisoned in the Saharonim Prison or deported to Rwanda under an agreement the African country signed with the State of Israel.

Asylum seekers at Holot detention center (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The proposal by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan includes a plan to gradually close the facility within a few months, provided that the agreement signed with Rwanda goes ahead as planned.

The agreement had been amended to allow Israel to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda even without their consent following an August ruling by the High Court of Justice, which determined the State of Israel cannot detain illegal immigrants and asylum seekers who refuse "voluntary departure" for more than 60 days if the agreement with the third party does not allow forced deportation.

Israel will now encourage illegal migrants to leave for Rwanda or other countries en masse. If it is not possible to deport the illegal migrants directly to a third country, the closure of the Holot facility will be reexamined in three months.

According to the bill proposal, over a period of more than a decade, more than 60,000 people have been caught after having entered Israel illegally. At present, there are some 40,000 Eritrean and Sudanese nationals staying illegally in Israel who are currently protected by the temporary non-refoulement principle.

"Such a population staying (in Israel) illegally leads to many negative consequencessocial, economic and others," the bill proposal notes.

The legislation approved by the Knesset also amends the definition of "infiltrator" to allow for increased enforcement against employers who hire illegal migrants.

Some members of Zionist Union raised objections to the fact the party leadership decided to vote in favor of the legislation. Eventually, party leader Avi Gabbay relented to requests to allow each MK to vote as he or she sees fit.

"The government speaks on behalf of the residents of south Tel Aviv, but in reality it abandons them," MK Dov Khenin (Joint List) said during the Knesset discussion on the bill.

According to Khenin, the legislation "symbolizes one of the greatest failures of the Netanyahu government. There, in the desert, this government buried NIS 1.5 billion in building the Holot facility, which is unnecessary, problematic, irrelevant, and harmful, and anyway it is now being closed. Instead of solving the problems in south Tel Aviv, instead of creating real solutions in the form of rehabilitating neighborhoods and providing aid, assistance and investments, instead of investing in a solution to the distress of the asylum seekers from Africathis government does only one thing: inciting one against the other."
Jewish extremist Yinon Reuveni was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday after having been convicted of arson for setting fire to the Church of Loaves and Fishes , which is located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel.

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Reuveni was also given two years of probation and ordered to pay NIS 50,000 in damages.

His lawyer, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he intends to appeal both the punishment and the conviction.

Yinon Reuveni in court

The Church of Loaves and Fishes, which is run by the Order of Saint Benedict, is considered one of the most important churches in Israel. Christians believe the church is built on the site where Jesus performed the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. It is a traditional site of pilgrimage in the Holy Land.

In June 2015, Reuveni and several others torched the church, causing extensive damage to two rooms and the structure's exterior. Firefighters called to the scene managed to extinguish the flames just in time to avert what could have been far more damaging as they burned just meters away from the main hall of the church itself and its wooden ceiling.

Scene of the arson (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

In addition to the fire, Reuveni also defaced the limestone wall with red paint denouncing the worship of idols.

Two people, a young female pilgrim and a 70-year-old man, were wounded in the blaze from smoke inhalation.

The arson led to widespread condemnation in Israel and abroad, with religious leaders of all faiths and denominations coming to Tabgha to show their support to the monks and to protest the arson.

A security video showed a Subaru vehicle near the church at the time of the arson. The same vehicle was also spotted in a gas station's security cameras in the Latrun area, with Reuveni seen filling a bottle with gasoline. The bottle was later found at the scene. Police investigators also found gloves some five kilometers away from the church with Reuveni's DNA on them.

Yinon Reuveni with his attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir

Another defendant, Yehuda Asraf, 21, the owner of the car, was acquitted in June of charges of conspiring to commit a crime and aiding and abetting.

The Shin Bet said Reuveni and his friends belong to an ideological group seeking to "change the government and bring closer the redemption," among others things by targeting Christian sites across Israel.
Police investigators working on the Rishon LeZion corruption probe suspect that businessman Moshe Yosef bribed Coalition Chairman MK David Bitan (Likud) by paying roughly a quarter of a million shekels to fund his daughter's wedding.

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Last August MK Bitan married off his daughter Galit at the Lago Events Hall in Western Rishon LeZion. The grand wedding was attended by hundreds of guests, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ministers and MKs, and was extensively covered by the media.

As part of the investigation into the affair, the sale of the tract of land on which the prestigious banquet hall is located is also being examined by police.





L to R: PM Netanyahu, MK Bitan and his daughter Galit, at the wedding (Photo: Motti Kimchi)



Investigators suspect that Bitan's associate, Yosef, who owns the Masada furniture store in Rishon LeZion and was identified as a central suspect alongside Bitan in the affair, financed the wedding as a bribe to the MK, who ostensibly helped his associates win the tender for development and infrastructure projects in the city's "Thousand Compound."

MK Bitan denied the allegations and said during his interrogation that "like every young couple, the funding for the wedding came from the gifts they received. We paid the entire amount in cash to the hall's owner from checks that the couple received from the guests."

Channel 10 News reported Monday investigators were in possession of a recorded conversation between Bitan and Yosef, which police claimed implicated the coalition chairman.

In the conversation, Yosef says, "I brought you the $1,500 you asked for."

Bitan replies, "Thank you, how much is it in shekels?"

"5,600 or 5,700, something like that," said Yosef, and Bitan responded: "Round it up to 6,000 and bring it to me."

Bitan at the wedding (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

During his interrogation last Thursday, Yosef collapsed in the offices of the Civil Administration and was evacuated to a hospital where he was hospitalized at the end of the week and then returned to detention.

"His hand is everywhere," Judge Amit Michaels said about Yosef in his decision to remand him by eight more days.

Yosef's lawyers defended him, saying that, "This is a person who collapsed because of the pressure exerted on him by interrogators. They repeatedly try to turn him into a state witness and try to break his spirit."

Even before the affair became public, detectives from the police's Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit fingered Yosef as a central figure that possibly connects all their suspects.

Investigators began to strongly suspect during the course of their inquiry that Yosef had committed various tax offenses and requested a court order to wiretap him. They were allowed to do so, and so they didfor more than a year.

Moshe Yosef in court (Photo: Yariv Katz)

A few months ago, police went so far as to install hidden cameras inside his furniture store. For months, investigators collected evidence of alleged tax crimes to the tune of millions of shekels, involving, among other things, forging fictitious invoices and money laundering.

Moreover, listening to recordings of Yosef revealed the close connection he had with Bitan, who used to come to the furniture store every day and talk to him about the "Thousand Compound" project.

"We suspect he acted as David Bitan's bank," said a source close to the investigation.

"He received a lot of money. He laundered, loaned and transferred money to (Bitan). He did not just sell furniture," the police asserted.

This information was presented to the judge, who decided to extend Yosef's detention by 12 more days, during which the police tried to persuade him to incriminate his associates, pressing him for hours with evidence concerning alleged money laundering, fictitious invoices and tax evasion.

Fictitious contract to facilitate a bribe for municipal access

The corruption affair Bitan was embroiled in did not stop at the Rishon LeZion city limits however, with police finding alleged links between the beleaguered MK and corruption involving the purchase of land for development in a Tel Aviv project.

Police arrested a Tel Aviv woman Monday accused of bribing Bitan in conjunction with the project. The woman allegedly lobbied real estate developer Dror Glazer in order to obtain building permits for lucrative land she owns in south Tel Aviv. Police suspect Glazer paid Bitan NIS 150,000 for assistance in advancing the matter.

Bitan's attorney Damari (Photo: Barel Efraim)

Glazer was set to receive one million shekels if the building permit was eventually issued and it is alleged Bitan assisted Glazer by talking to senior municipal officials and in getting a crucial appointment at the Tel Aviv municipality.

Police have obtained a contract drawn between the parties that states Glazer received NIS 150,000 and will receive the balance of a million upon obtaining a building permit from the municipality.

Police suspect the contract was fictitious, and was merely a means of transferring bribe money to Glazer, some of which he had later passed on to Bitan.

Bitan's attorney Efraim Damari defended his client saying: "MK David Bitan answered all the investigator's questions and has nothing to hide. Any further response to the article can interfere with the investigation."
European Union countries are complicit in the abuse of migrants held in Libya, Amnesty International said in a report released Tuesday that accused the EU of turning a blind eye to allegedly brutal tactics of the Libyan coast guard and dangerous detention facilities.

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The report was published not long after footage that caused a stir the world over was released showing African migrants being sold as slaves in a Libyan auction.

The human rights group also alleged that the Libyan coast guard accepted kickbacks from smugglers to let migrant boats leave for Europe. Amnesty said it had video and other documentary evidence that a boat donated by Italy was involved in an interception operation in which up to 50 people drowned.

Boat carrying African migrants, most of them from Sudan and Senegal, nearing the beaches of Libya (Photo: Amnesty International)

"Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants trapped in Libya are at the mercy of Libyan authorities, militias, armed groups and smugglers often working seamlessly together for financial gain. Tens of thousands are kept indefinitely in overcrowded detention centers where they are subjected to systematic abuse," said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's Europe Director.

"European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses," Dalhuisen added. "By actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these crimes."

(Photo: Amnesty International)

Amnesty: thousands of migrants are trapped in Libya

Overwhelmed by the arrival of more than 1 million migrants in 2015, the EU has worked with Libya and its neighbors to cut off the main migration route from Africa to Europe. Its strategy has included training and equipping Libya's coast guard to stop boats trying to make the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossing.

The moves have trapped an estimated 20,000 migrants in Libya, where detention facilities are overcrowded and unsanitary, Amnesty International said.

EU officials have rejected criticism of Europe's approach to curbing immigration and say the bloc's money has been channeled into Libya through United Nations agencies. Only about 150 of Libya's 3,000 coast guard members have received training sponsored by the bloc, the EU said.

(Photo: Amnesty International)

The EU's border agency, Frontex, reported Monday that the number of migrants making it to Europe through the central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy dropped by one-third during the first 11 months of the year, to around 116,400, compared to the same period in 2016. Most were Nigerians, Frontex said.

The group said it also reviewed video, photographs and documents showing that in at least one incident, the crew of a boat Italy donated to Libya's coast guard failed to deploy lifeboats for migrants it encountered.

While trying to climb up the high sides of the vessel, the Ras Jadir, many passengers fell into the water and about 50 drowned, Amnesty said. Recordings also showed rescued migrants being whipped on the coast guard ship, the rights group alleged.

The report said the Libyan coast guard accepted kickbacks from smugglers to let migrant boats leave for Europe (Photo: Amnesty International)

It said some migrants onboard jumped into the water to try to reach rafts deployed by a non-governmental organization's rescue boat.

"European governments have shown where their true priorities lie: namely, the closure of the central Mediterranean route, with scant regard to the suffering caused," Dalhuisen said.

(Photo: Amnesty International)

Spokesman for Amnesty International's Israeli chapter Gil Naveh commented on the report, saying, "According to copious amounts of ever-mounting evidence, many of the migrants who arrived to Israel but caved in to enormous pressures and were 'willingly deported' back to Africa were forced to flee for their lives again, with many of them setting their sights on Europe, which they had hoped to reach through Libya."

"The atrocities described in the report are familiar to human rights organizations accustomed to assisting asylum seekers and migrants. The State of Israel must not be also complicit in these crimes by deporting asylum seekers and leaving them to face a precipitous future, which may now be reasonably assumed to include going through the sheer hell of Libya," Naveh exhorted.
The IDF announced Tuesday afternoon it will conduct an inquiry into the shooting of a Palestinian who was later found to be unarmed near the Palestinian city of Salfit, not far from Ariel.

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Initially, the army reported an attempted stabbing in the Efraim Territorial Brigade that was foiled without any soldiers being harmed. The Palestinian who was shot was said to be in serious condition.

Additional information put out by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that "Several Palestinians suspected of an attempt to damage the border fence near Ariel drew close to an IDF force. One of them placed his hand in his pocket and appeared to be drawing a knife. The force shot at him in retaliation."

File photo: Red Crescent ambulances (Photo: Atta Awisat)

It was also conveyed the suspect received treatment on-site by the IDF force and was taken to a hospital for further treatment.

An initial inquiry turned up the forcebelonging to the Kfir Brigadeascertained the Palestinian was damaging the border fence. The Palestinian then approached one of the force's soldiers, it was claimed, and put his hand into his pocket suspiciously. The force rapidly responded by opening fire at the suspect, seriously wounding him. A search on his person then found he was not armed.

The army's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) conducted an inquiry two months ago into an incident where Givati soldiers fired on a car found to be driven suspiciously, killing its driver Mohammad Moussa near Halamish in Binyamin.

Moussa's sister Latifa, present in the car with him at the time, was wounded and taken to a Ramallah hospital for treatment. An inspection of the car found no weapons and the incident was therefore not deemed an attempted terrorist attack. The soldiers involved were asked to provide their account simultaneous to the command inquiry.

The car involved in the October shooting, later ruled to not be terrorism (Photo: AFP)

The soldiers claimed they had felt threatened and were forewarned of a suspicious vehicle present in the sector, which they claimed constituted the reason for the shooting.

Hours after the incident, however, the IDF announced that "An initial inquiry into the incident near the village of Nabi Salih turned up the force stationed in the square received a report of a vehicle driving erratically and was asked to flag it down. Obtaining a visual on the car, the force stepped onto the road and ordered it to stop.

"When the driver failed to comply, the force retaliated by opening fire. As a result, the driver was killed and another occupant was wounded. Investigation is ongoing."
During Operation Protective Edge in June, 2014launched in response to the kidnapping of Naftali Frenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach in the West Bankwe spoke to a source privy to latest intelligence information.

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Although the conversation centered on IDF actions in the West Bank taken against Hamas infrastructures, the source advised us to "focus on Gaza. Thats where the real story is." We responded, "You must be confused," but he was insistent that "Gaza is where it's at."

Rocket interception (Photo: Dana Koppel)

At the time, his words seemed unreasonable. After all, all the focus was on the seething West Bank. However, one month later, Gaza became the focal point in a military campaign that lasted a difficult 50 days.

Three unprecedented quiet years on the Gaza front have come and gone, during which Hamas did its level best to keep the peace and prevent rocket attacks by other orgnaizaitons in the strip.

Any occasional rockets that nevertheless came through were usually the result of internal feuds, wherein Hamas would arrest Salafist militants and make their lives difficult andas an act of revengethey would launch rockets into Israel.

The IDF would then strike Hamas targetsthe organization being "the sovereign authority in Gaza," as per the IDF Spokesperson's Unitand the Salafists would achieve their objective.

IAF strike in Gaza (Photo: AFP)

Hamas isnt really trying to prevent rockets

Now things look different. The rocket fired at Ashkelon Monday night was fired by insurgent Salafist forces who were trying, according to the IDF, to drag Hamas into a conflict with Israel.

Rocket fire has become more frequent, a few times a week, and was not aimed at empty fields but rather at population centers such as Ashkelon and Sderot. Even if Hamas was not directly responsible for the launches, it was not doing much to stop them.

Ten rockets have been launched at Israel from Gaza in the past week alone. Most are related to the tense aftermath of President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Two were intercepted, and two fell in open land causing no injuries.

Monday night's incident is unique in that the city of Ashkelon was targeted and sirens were heard in communities even further north.

Hamas rockets (: )

Hamas is characteristically trying to have its cake and eat it too: Inflaming the West Bank while keeping Gaza calm; allowing rockets to be fired, but not firing them themselves; keeping the fire steady, but ensuring the situation doesnt deteriorate too much; convincing Egyptian intelligence that it is preventing rocket launches while giving the green light to insurgents and not doing much to apprehend them; allowing demonstrations near the border with Israel but ensuring they do not get out of control.

IDF sources say that Hamas is, in fact, working to keep things calm and prevent rocket fire at Israel, but the launch from the northern portion of the Gaza Strip and the irregular sequences of relatively short-range fire raise concerns of a deterioration that will spill outside of Gaza, as do the attacks and attempted attacks emanating from the West Bank in the last few days and violent protests, which may resume this weekend.

Gaza's pound of flesh to the struggle

The increase in rocket fire is good for Hamas, as it enables the organization to exhibit to its supporters' base the price exacted for Trump's declaration, and that Gaza has given its pound of flesh to the struggle.

But 2014 has proven that events can rapidly spin out of control and escalate into another violent clash. This is especially true after the IDF has scored twice in one month by finding and destroying Hamas's greatest strategic weaponits offensive tunnels.

IDF sources confirm that destroying the tunnels in which the terror organization has invested huge efforts and vast sums of money have also done their part to increase tensions.

The IDF is also attempting a balancing act by ensuring relative calm while destroying the Hamas tunnel project. But they are keeping in mind that by continuing with the primary objective on the southern frontdestroying the tunnelsmay cause Hamas to initiate escalation that may end up resulting in war.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 07:05:36|Editor: Yurou

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ROME, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Italian prosecutors said Monday that a man would be charged with attempting mass murder after he drove a car into a Christmas market in northern Italian town of Sondrio.

According to the national daily La Repubblica, Michele Bordoni, 27, injured three people when he crashed a Toyota Yaris in a pedestrian zone in central Sondrio on Saturday afternoon."I should have killed more of them,"the man reportedly said as he was arrested.

Prosecutors will charge Bordoni with attempting to "indiscriminately kill a number of people", as well as assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, the daily said.

Local media said Bordoni was initially hospitalized before being taken to prison on Sunday and he was believed to have been influenced by alcohol or drugs at the time of the attack, when he crashed the car into a pillar near Sondrino's central square and tried to escape on foot.

During the attack, a woman was thrown onto an ice rink set up as part of the town's Christmas market. She was taken to hospital in a serious condition but was out of danger later. Two men were treated for minor injuries.

The attack is still under investigation but terrorist attack had been ruled out in the early stage.
Iran's Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence against an Iranian academic with Swedish residency convicted of espionage, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

Ahmadreza Djalali, a doctor and lecturer at the Karolinska Institute, a Stockholm medical university, was accused of providing information to Israel to help it assassinate several senior nuclear scientists.

Djalali was arrested in Iran in April 2016 and later convicted of espionage. He denied the charges, Amnesty said.

At least four scientists were killed between 2010 and 2012 in what Tehran said was a program of assassinations aimed at sabotaging its efforts to develop nuclear energy. Iran hanged a man in 2012 over the killings, saying he had links to Israel.
US President Donald Trump is set to unveil his first National Security Strategy next Monday.

National security adviser H.R. McMaster says the strategy will incorporate four core national interests: the protection of American people; advancing American prosperity; "preserving peace through strength"; and advancing American influence.

He says "geopolitics are back and they are back with a vengeance."

McMaster said Tuesday the strategy will identify global threats to the US and its interests, including "new generation warfare" from Russia, and North Korean and Iranian weapons development.

He adds the document will reflect Trump's desire to bolster engagement with other countries under the framework of "cooperation with reciprocity."
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit sent a letter to Education Minister Naftali Bennett, in which he chastised the minister for canceling an event his ministry had organized in conjunction with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and warned Bennett to consult with him or one of his subordinates before deciding to not cooperate with ACRI in the future.

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Bennett decided to cancel the conference when he received appeals from bereaved families and the right-wing "Im Tirtzu" organization asking him to do so. Chairman of the ministry's pedagogic secretariat claimed at the time complaints had been made alleging ACRI had been active in preventing the revoking of the civil status of Palestinians convicted of committing terrorist acts.

The secretariat added the education minister had instructed his ministry's director-general to hold an extensive examination of cooperating with ACRI and to determine whether its activities were congruent with the education system's fundamental values.

AG Mandelblit (L) criticized Education Minister Bennett for his decision to abort conference with ACRI (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Yoav Dudkevitch)

Mandelblit, however, was explicit in his defense of the civil rights organization, saying, "The Association for Civil Rights is a long-standing and accomplished civil society group, active for dozens of years in defending the human rights of all people.

"The organization is active in multifarious issues, and its actions have significantly contributed to defending human rights in Israel. To wit, the conference at the heart of the matter dealt with workers' rights, a topic whose importance cannot be overstated."

Mandelblit also based his comments to Bennett on, and even quoted, ACRI's Executive Director Attorney Sharon Abraham-Weiss. "The Association for Civil Rights has been defending the entire gamut of human rights for more than 40 years. In this endeavor, the Association also defends the right to citizenship, including said right of those who have committed serious offenses; the rights of all prisoners, and the right of family members of those who have committed crimes to not lose their home.

The conference proceeded as planned without the Education Ministry's participation (Photo: Rami Ben Ari)

We defend the human rights of all people, whether it be the right of Yigal Amir (who assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabined) to be married , or the right of Karim Younis (who was an accessory to the 1981 murder of solider Avraham Bromberg) to study at university. That has been the manner of the Association since its inception, and we are proud of that fact," Mandelblit quoted Abraham-Weiss.

The attorney general then went on to remind Bennett and the ministry's employees of his past instruction: "I place immense importance on conducting a topical, contributive discourse between civil society groups and the state's authorities, which includes senior civil servants participating in conferences and other events. Such activity is helpful in promoting the public's interest."

"I find tenuous the decision to bar your ministry from participating in the aforementioned conference, planned with the participation of the Association of Civil Rights," Mandelblit wrote, before asking Bennett to also reconsider his intention of severing ties with ACRI.

"Insofar as you decide to examine continued future cooperation, I ask such examinations be carried out in tandem with consultation and legislation officials, who will bring the matter to me if necessary," Mandelblit finished his exhortation.
US President Donald Trump sent a holiday greetings in honor of Hanukkah. "On this holiday we are proud to stand with the Jewish people who light up the world. We also stand with the people of Israel, the Jewish state which is itself a historical miracle."
-The decision by former President Kufuor to bury Ghana's first ever First Lady, Fathia Nkrumah in the same grave as her husband has been severely criticised by former President Rawlings.

-Mr Rawlings is of the opinion that the move was a desecration of Dr Nkrumah's grave which is demeaning to his legacy.

Click here for more politics on YEN.com.gh

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has criticised his successor, J.A. Kufuor for demeaning the legacy Ghanas first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah legacy.

Explaining what he meant my former President Kufuor demeaning Dr Nkrumah's, he pointed to the burial of his wife, Fathia at the same site saying it was a desecration of Dr Nkrumah's graveyard.

READ ALSO: There's no cause for alarm It was just malaria and anaemia - St Martins SHS calms nerves after 20 students collapsed in 24 hours

According to him, his successor only pretended to be mourning and honouring Ghana's first ever First Lady but in reality, he was turning the mausoleum into a family graveyard rather than a monument to honour Dr Nkrumah.

Former President Kufuor

Many years later when Dr. Kwame Nkrumahs wife, Fathia Nkrumah also died former President Kufuor laid her coffin in the same dug out where Nkrumah had been buried and he feigned to have been mourning her and we all fell for it and joined in the mourning with our handkerchiefs wiping our tears. From that moment, that National Monument to honour that man became a family graveyard. Do you see how his grave was desecrated? ", he retorted.

READ ALSO: Forget everybody! Ebony is the best Dancehall act in Ghana now - Afia Schwarzenegger

He also criticised the successive presidents after, the late Professor J.E.A. Mills and John Mahama, 'who claim they are Nkrumahists" for not doing anything about their situation in their time.

For him, since the mausoleum was big enough, they could have dug a different grave or even build a new monument of the compound for Mrs Nkrumah.

Former President Mahama

"Ex Presidents Mills and Mahama claim theyre Nkrumahists, you have chopped into the mans name. All these were done before your eyes while in power and they didnt see? The compound is big, you could have dug a hundred and one holes and put Madam Fathia also there. Build a three story building there, you did not have to do that under the same monument under which Dr Kwame Nkrumah was, he fumed.

READ ALSO: Aliu Mahama's wife 'killed' us with beautiful smile as she joined Bawumia to rename Tamale Stadium in memory of her husband

The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum is a memorial park located at the Old Polo Ground in Accra, the exact location Dr Nkrumah stood to declare Ghana's independence.

Opened on July 1, 1992, under Mr Rawlings' PNDC government, it only housed the body of Dr Nkrumah and also served as a tourist attraction.

Dr Nkrumah and Fathia with their kids

After the passing of Madam Fathia in 2007, the then Kufuor government agreed to have her buried beside her husband but his predecessor thinks it was wrong.

READ ALSO: Fire service rescues thief who got trapped in a well

Your stories and photos are always welcome.

Send us a message via our official Facebook page to get it published on YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 07:05:38|Editor: Yurou

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SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- El Cobre, a quiet and picturesque town nestled in the foothills of eastern Cuba's Sierra Maestra Mountains, was the setting for one of the most dramatic episodes in Cuban history: the island's first slave rebellion in 1731.

It would take another 150 years for the Spanish colonialists to abolish slavery, in 1886, but the uprising highlighted the inhumane conditions imposed on slaves, especially in the local copper-mining industry that gave the town its name.

Located 25 km northwest of the provincial capital Santiago de Cuba, El Cobre (Copper) features a hilltop monument to the runaway slaves who risked everything to gain their emancipation, and whose act of bravery forced the Spanish crown to make the unusual decision of granting them their freedom in 1831.

The moving bronze sculpture of an outstretched hand rising from the earth and reaching for the skies was created by renowned Cuban sculptor Alberto Lescay.

The sculpture is one of many sites of interest that make up the Slave Route, a project by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that aims to raise awareness about the slave trade and its influence on cultures in the Americas.

"This town is important to national culture," says Narciso Barreras, who traces his ancestry to the slave rebels, almost all of them members of Africa's Bantu ethnic group.

The top of Cardenillo Hill, where the Monument to the Cimarron stands, offers visitors a panoramic views of the small town of 16,000 residents, including the old copper mine and so-called Blue Lagoon.

The lagoon, about one kilometer long and 60 meters deep, emerged naturally after the mine was abandoned in 2000, and contrasts beautifully with the surrounding green mountains.

Lescay and several local artists want to use the site to commemorate and conserve the cultural contributions of the African slaves, whose traits and customs mixed with those of Europeans and Asians to form modern Cuban society.

Nearby, the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, Cuba's patron saint, is a bustling tourism and pilgrimage site.

"To date, business has been doing well. Many visitors come and buy images (of the virgin) for themselves or to give as presents," vendor Erlin Garrido said.

He opened his small gift stand, one of dozens that line both sides of the street leading to the sanctuary, seven years ago amid the economic reforms promoted by the government.

Devotees have over the years left hundreds of offerings as tokens of appreciation to the patron saint, most notably the Nobel Prize certificate and gold medal presented to American novelist Ernest Hemingway. The author, who lived in Cuba for several years, donated both to the sanctuary.

Given its cultural, historical and religious significance, the government declared El Cobre a National Monument in 2016, and hopes UNESCO will in the not too distant future designate the town, where Cuba's slaves were first free, a World Heritage Site.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 07:05:40|Editor: Yurou

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HELSINKI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Small "nano" satellites will be a growing Finnish contribution to space services in the near future, as Helsinki-based Reaktor Spacelab plans to send up tens of small satellites during the next five years.

The company's CEO Tuomas Tikka told national broadcaster Yle on Monday the first satellite is to be launched from India early in 2018. The development process of the satellite took a year and a half.

The new Finnish satellites are light and weigh only some kilograms. "These satellites can provide hyperspectral pictures about the terrain. They can be utilized in agriculture, for example, for improving the productivity of arable land", Tikka said.

The company has worked in cooperation with long established Finnish space technology companies, including Vaisala and Space Systems Finland.

Space technology is a focal area of Finnish industrial development. A key part of the efforts is a space technology business incubation center for start-ups in the Aalto University. The European Space Agency (ESA), Espoo-based Aalto University and the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment signed an agreement in November about the center.

ESA Director General Jan Worner said earlier the center would support 50 space technology startups during the next five years.

Jan Brax, an associate professor of Aalto University, told Yle that the ESA incubator would make the Otaniemi campus attractive not only to space technology startups, but also to enterprises that process big data.

The objective of the Finnish Space Strategy is to raise the country's space activities to the international top level by 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 05:33:49|Editor: Yurou

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Ankara, Turkey, on Dec. 11, 2017. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday warned that the U.S. move on Jerusalem destabilizes the Middle East and will not help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Xinhua/Turkish Presidential Palace)

ANKARA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday warned that the U.S. move on Jerusalem destabilizes the Middle East and will not help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking at a joint news conference after his meeting with Putin, Erdogan criticized Israel for taking advantage of the U.S. move on Jerusalem as "an opportunity to ramp up oppression and violence against the Palestinians."

"It is impossible for anyone who has a conscience, morality, or value to ignore the killings," the Turkish leader said.

He was apparently referring to the deaths of two Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces in clashes over the weekend in the Palestinian territories during Palestinian protests against Israeli occupation and U.S. President Donald Trump's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Erdogan added that Turkey and Russia share the same position on the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and will keep close cooperation on the issue.

"We have seen the same approach on the U.S. Jerusalem move. Both have agreed to continue our contacts in this regard," he said.

For his part, Putin said the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital did nothing to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and was destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

"The status of Jerusalem should be resolved by direct contacts between Israel and Palestine," Putin said.

Erdogan said that, as the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Turkey had invited the Islamic leaders to hold a summit in Istanbul this week.

"I believe we will deliver a very strong message from there," he noted.

Both leaders also discussed the bilateral relations as well as regional developments, particularly Syria, while pledging to continue cooperation on the Astana political process to resolve the Syrian crisis.

They planned to hold a meeting next week in the Russian resort of Sochi, according to Erdogan.

At a time when Turkey's ties with the U.S. and NATO are strained by a number of disputes, Ankara has cultivated closer ties with Russia.

The two leaders have been meeting regularly in the past months. They last met in Sochi on Nov. 22 to discuss the issue of Syria with Iran.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 08:37:18|Editor: Yurou

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MEXICO CITY, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Mexican economy will face uncertainty in 2018, from more than just its presidential elections, said Minister of Finance Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya on Monday.

"There is uncertainty on various fronts...this has been said for a long time," said the minister in an interview with Televisa.

Beyond the 2018 presidential polls, Gonzalez Anaya pointed to the tricky renegotiation of NAFTA that Mexico is carrying out with the U.S. and Canada. Another factor is the fiscal reform in the U.S., which is still being discussed north of the border.

Negotiators from all three countries are meeting in Washington this week for special talks, outside the official negotiation rounds, to try and move forward on pending matters where profound differences still exist.

"The other great point of uncertainty is the exit process of Great Britain from the European Union," said the minister, who took the job on Nov. 27, after his predecessor Jose Antonio Meade stepped down to run for president.

Gonzalez Anaya also added that insecurity continued to be a major factor for uncertainty.

He said that, in his role, the best option was to continue the fiscal discipline Mexico has shown. "These conservative policies, fiscally speaking, have been working well."

On Sunday, the Ministry of Finance said that Mexico could reach a new budget surplus in 2018. For 2017, the government predicts it will end the year with a budget surplus of 0.3 percent of GDP, the first surplus in nine years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 09:02:33|Editor: Yurou

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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will participate in the extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at Istanbul on Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Trump's decision sparked worldwide criticism, especially in the Islamic countries.

The summit will be preceded by the Council of Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the Paksitani foreign ministry said on Monday.

The summit has been called by Turkey in the capacity as the chair of the OIC summit. Most OIC members are expected to attend, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The OIC leaders are expected to explore ways to deal with the situation, the statement further said, adding that Abbasi will convey the sentiments of the people and government of Pakistan of the unequivocal support to the people of Palestine.

He will stress upon the OIC for a united stance on the issue of Jerusalem and call upon the U.S. administration to review its decision, the foreign ministry said.
U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he speaks to reporters about former U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's lying to the FBI before boarding Marine One en route to Utah, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed a New York Times report that he watches four to even eight hours of television each day.

"Another false story, this time in the Failing @nytimes, that I watch 4-8 hours of television a day - Wrong!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

"Also, I seldom, if ever, watch CNN or MSNBC, both of which I consider Fake News. I never watch Don Lemon, who I once called the 'dumbest man on television!' Bad Reporting," Trump added.

The president's social media remarks came less than one hour after CNN aired a segment on the report focused on his TV habits.

The NYT report, released on Saturday and quoting people close to Trump, said the president "spends at least four hours a day, and sometimes as much as twice" in front of a television.

The U.S. president begins each day around 5:30 a.m. by turning on CNN for news, then switches to "Fox and Friends," a pro-Trump program on Fox News, for comfort and messaging ideas, according to the report.

The report said Trump occasionally watches MSNBC's "Morning Joe" because friends suspect it fires him up for the day, noting that at night he "sometimes 'hate-watches' CNN to get worked up, especially Don Lemon."

Responding to Trump's Monday morning tweets, Clifford Levy, a deputy managing editor at New York Times, tweeted that the newspaper stands by its story, which was based on 60 interviews.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 09:17:51|Editor: Yurou

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak would attend an Extraordinary Islamic Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) following the recent announcement by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Malaysia's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The Extraordinary Summit, to be held in Istanbul on Wednesday, is convened at the request of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that the Summit will review developments and discuss the implications following the announcement by the U.S. government.

"Malaysia's participation at the Summit is an affirmation of its commitment and unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their pursuit to attain their legitimate and inalienable rights for an independent State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," said the statement.

Najib said last week that the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital is unacceptable and that "we strongly reject the suggestion forever to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 09:52:56|Editor: Yurou

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday evening urged his country to fix its lax immigration system, in response to an explosion striking downtown New York, injuring several and causing chaos during the morning rush hour.

The United States "must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people" into the country, said Trump, urging the Congress to terminate "chain migration" in which family members are permitted to join relatives who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also used the pipe bomb blast to criticize the nation's "failed immigration policies," calling for introducing a merit-based immigration system.

Those who are highly-skilled, well-educated and have learned English should get priority ahead of relatives of American citizens, said Sessions.

At the White House daily press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also called for immigration reforms based on merit-based rules, saying the attack on New York is evidence that the United States needs to boost border security.

"This attack underscores the need for Congress to work with the president on immigration reforms that enhance the national security and public safety," she said.

"We know that the president's policy calls for an end to chain migration, which is what this individual came to the United States through, and if his policy had been in place, then that attacker would not have been allowed to come in the country," Sanders said.

A 27-year-old man, identified as Akayed Ullah from Bangladesh, allegedly detonated a homemade pipe bomb in a subway corridor near Times Square Monday morning, injuring himself and three others and causing chaos during the rush hour, the New York authorities said, calling it "an attempted terror attack."

Bangladesh is not on the list of countries impacted by the president's travel ban, but the White House said the suspect was allowed into the country on a family immigrant visa that the administration has sought to curb.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 10:43:10|Editor: Yamei

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Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili (C) talks with supporters after his release from the court in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 11, 2017. Kiev Pechersk District Court on Monday rejected the Ukrainian state prosecutor's request to place former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, now a leader of a Ukrainian political party, under house arrest and released him from custody. (Xinhua)

KIEV, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Kiev Pechersk District Court on Monday rejected the Ukrainian state prosecutor's request to place former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, now a leader of a Ukrainian political party, under house arrest and released him from custody.

Saakashvili, now a leader of the Ukrainian political party "Movement of New Forces," left the court surrounded by his supporters. Judge Larysa Tsokol said the court's decision could be appealed by prosecutors within five days.

Saakashvili was detained on Dec. 8 on charges of "aiding members of criminal groups and covering up their criminal activity." He was held at a detention facility of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Earlier on Monday, the state prosecutor asked the court to place Saakashvili under house arrest until he goes on trial.

In July this year, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko revoked Saakashvili's citizenship following allegations that he submitted false information while applying for his Ukrainian passport.

Poroshenko said the charges were not related to Saakashvili's political activities.

On Sept. 10, Saakashvili defiantly crossed into Ukraine from Poland without showing necessary documents to the border guards. His supporters broke through the cordon of security forces and escorted him into Ukraine.

The 49-year-old politician served two terms as Georgia's president from 2004 to 2013. He acquired Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015 and was appointed governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 11:53:24|Editor: Yamei

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HANOI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's regional minimum salary will be raised by 6.5 percent in 2018, or each employee will receive additional 180,000-230,000 Vietnamese dong (8-10.1 U.S. dollars) a month, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said on Tuesday.

The minimum monthly salary will rise to 3.98 Vietnamese dong (176.1 U.S. dollars), 3.53 million Vietnamese dong (156.2 U.S. dollars), 3.09 million Vietnamese dong (136.7 U.S. dollars) and 2.76 million Vietnamese dong (122.1 U.S. dollars) according to geographic zones in which enterprises are located.

Firms in Vietnam are not allowed to pay manual workers monthly salaries which are lower than the minimum salary. Salaries paid to employees who have undergone vocational training should be at least 7 percent higher than the minimum salary.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 12:13:28|Editor: Yamei

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KABUL, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- One U.S. service member of NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) died Monday as a result of injuries sustained during a vehicle incident in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, the coalition forces confirmed Tuesday.

"The incident was not the result of enemy action. Two other U.S. service members were also injured and are receiving medical treatment," it said in a statement.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own," Gen. John Nicholson, commander of RS and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan was quoted by the statement as saying. "Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with the families and friends of our fallen and injured comrades."

The NATO and U.S. forces completed their combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, after 13 years of military presence in the country.

Around 13,000 foreign troops remained in Afghanistan to train and assist local security forces in their fight against the Taliban.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 12:27:09|Editor: Yamei

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AMMAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday discussed with several counterparts U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

In a joint press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Amman, Safadi said the U.S. decision lacked legitimacy as it opposes the international law and UN Security Council resolutions, and contradicts with all references related to the Palestinian issue.

Safadi said it was time to work hand in hand as Arabs and Muslims and coordinate with the international community to achieve the two-state solution which is the optimal solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Marsudi stressed her country's rejection and condemnation of the U.S. decision, underlining the need for a well-studied response to the decision as the Jerusalem issue is very sensitive and complicated.

Also on Monday, Safadi discussed the issue with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, European Union's top diplomat Federica Mogherini, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono over the phone.

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.

Trump's declaration received widespread criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 12:52:14|Editor: Yamei

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NEW DELHI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said his county is willing to further promote mutual understanding and trust and broaden cooperation with China so as to advance the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

The Indian president made the remarks on Monday while met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was here for the 15th trilateral meeting of foreign ministers from China, Russia and India.

During the meeting, Kovind said as neighboring countries, India and China have enjoyed long history of friendship and the cooperation between the two sides are not only in the interest of the two countries but also conducive to peace, stability and development of the region and the world at large.

For his part, Wang said China and India, ancient civilizations and emerging economies, are both at a critical time for development and national rejuvenation, and both have upheld the multilateralism and devoted to the democratization of international relations.

China and India share a wide range of common interests and positions and have great potential for cooperation, thus the two sides should stick to communication to eliminate strategic suspicions and enhance mutual understanding and support to avoid mutual suspicion, Wang said.

China is willing to further deepen cooperation with India in all sectors to push forward common development and prosperity of the two countries, the Chinese foreign minister added.

Also on Monday, Wang met with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Wang said thanks to efforts from both sides, the development of China-India relations in 2017 has kept the momentum but it is not satisfactory.

The bilateral ties went through a serious test after Indian border troops illegally trespassed into the Chinese territory in June, said Wang, adding although the standoff was ended eventually through diplomatic means more than two months later, lessons must be learned and efforts must be made to avoid such an incident in the future.

Leaders from both countries have shared the view that China and India should regard each other's development as opportunities rather than challenges, and China and India are partners rather than rivals, thus the two sides should sincerely implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, Wang noted.

While enhancing strategic communication at all levels, restoring dialogue mechanisms that have been established and deepening pragmatic cooperation in all fields, both sides should also properly manage differences so as to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, the Chinese foreign minister stressed.

For her part, Swaraj said her country has always attached great importance to developing ties with China and regards ties with China as an important part of its foreign policies.

As two big developing countries, the India-China relations have great influence on the region and the world, she said.

Her country holds the view that India and China share more common grounds than differences, thus the two sides should enhance strategic communication, promote strategic mutual trust so as to prevent differences from evolving into disputes and avoid disputes deteriorating into conflicts, she noted.

While India is willing to restore all bilateral mechanisms and arrangements and push forward cooperation between the two countries in all fields, it is also committed to properly managing differences and working together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, Swaraj added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 13:22:26|Editor: Liu

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SANTIAGO, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Latin America's cereals production grew 20 percent in 2017, compared with a year ago, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday.

According to a report issued by the agency's office in Santiago, the region produced 259 million tons of cereals this year.

Record corn production in Argentina and Brazil is credited with boosting the year's output, the report said.

South America is poised to produce a record 162.5 million tons of corn thanks to Argentina (49.5 million tons) and Brazil (99.4 million tons), said the FAO.

However, the report warns that Caribbean hurricanes could have reduced that area's general agricultural yields, leading to a negative impact on food security in regional countries, especially Haiti, where "food insecurity is severe."

In Central America and the Caribbean, total cereals production will remain above average, the FAO predicts.

Wheat output, meanwhile, will see a dip compared with last year, said the FAO, reaching 26.5 million tons, or 9.2 percent less than 2016, mainly due to lower production in Argentina and Brazil.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 13:22:26|Editor: Liu

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by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Monday's rush hour explosion in New York City underscores how vulnerable the United States is to terror attacks, U.S. experts have said.

"The New York explosion shows that the United States remains vulnerable to attacks," at a time when the Islamic State (IS) and other terror networks remain highly influential and inspire attacks by individuals worldwide, Darrell West, a Brookings Institution senior fellow, told Xinhua.

A man attempted a suicide bombing on Monday morning by strapping a pipe bomb to his body during rush hour in a subway tunnel near Times Square in New York, one of the busiest and most densely packed areas in the United States.

The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, an immigrant from Bangladesh, according to U.S. media reports.

The would-be attacker, who survived the attempted blast, told investigators that he was inspired by the IS, which had carried out bombings in Christmas markets in Europe.

The attack also highlighted the challenge the United States is facing. In an open society where people have the freedom to walk around without being interrogated by police without a probable cause, attacks can and will happen, experts said.

"It is very difficult to stop individuals bent on harming other people. You can't police every part of large cities and guarantee public safety," said West.

There are literally millions of "soft targets" for car attacks across the United States -- malls, shopping areas, churches, mosques, downtown areas and highway rest stops for bombers or shooters, as well as sidewalks filled with people, Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East intelligence office, told Xinhua.

"As we have just seen, even in New York, which is on higher alert, there continue to be vulnerabilities," he said.

While the IS wreaked havoc in the Middle East for several years and overtook vast swaths of territory, it is currently on the run. But at the same time, the group remains capable of inspiring sympathizers through the use of social media to carry out attacks around the globe.

"With ISIS's caliphate all but destroyed, the group's terrorist capabilities ironically could increase elsewhere," said White.

"Many hundreds of surviving combatants could be escaping across borders to fan out, bent on terrorism, with IS acolytes continuing online propaganda from various venues," he explained.

While the massive Sept. 11 attack on the world trade center in New York in 2001 killed nearly 3,000 people, terrorists have focused more on European cities such as London and Paris in recent years.

That could change, however, as U.S. President Donald Trump's Jerusalem decision "could incite more extremists to strike here or make others not here more determined to get here," White said.

White was referring to Trump's recent decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a city that both Jews and Muslims claim as their own holy site.

The move has stirred up riots in the Middle East, and experts said terrorists could exploit the situation by sewing it into their narrative that the West is at war with Islam.

The IS doesn't need territory to inspire people to violence as it is expanding into a global terrorist organization from a regional one based in the Middle East, Amanda Kadlec, policy analyst and Middle East expert at the RAND Corporation, an American nonprofit policy think tank, told Xinhua.

Even if no direct links exist between an attacker and other members around the world, its message is alive and well, said Kadlec.

Some think the IS will lose its recruiting luster now that the dream of the caliphate -- a vast Islamist kingdom -- is gone and its supporters switch from fighting in the field to sporadic violence, but it is unknown whether the situation will remain in the long term.

Some have argued that without a sense of cohesion and a safe haven as in Syria, Iraq or even Libya, the IS may have trouble maintaining its appeal as an organization or inspiring people to mass violence in the long run.

The challenge for the United States is continuing the strong integration of Muslims into the American society rather than the isolation that these communities experience in Europe -- an environment in which terrorism thrives, Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 13:47:34|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China will hold an annual memorial for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre in the eastern city of Nanjing Wednesday.

Leaders of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the central government will attend the ceremony at a square in front of the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

Japan invaded northeast China in September 1931, and started a full-scale invasion of China on July 7, 1937.

Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, on Dec. 13, 1937 and started a 40-odd-day slaughter. About 300,000 civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers were brutally murdered. Over 20,000 women were raped.

As a flagrant violation of international laws, the atrocity was tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal, which rendered a verdict based on irrefutable evidence.

In February 2014, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, designated December 13 as the "National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims."

According to a decision passed by the legislature, the country will hold national memorial activities on the day every year to mourn Nanjing Massacre victims and all those killed by Japanese invaders, and to reveal war crimes committed by the Japanese.

The move was also aimed at remembering the deep calamities the war caused for the Chinese people and people around the world, conveying the Chinese people's firm stance of resisting aggression and safeguarding human dignity and world peace.

The decision said that the massacre was one of the most inhuman fascist atrocities in the history of human civilization.

The first state commemoration for the national memorial day was held on Dec. 13, 2014.

While addressing the first state commemoration, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Nanjing Massacre was one of three major massacres during WWII and it was an atrocious anti-human crime and a dark page in the history of humanity.

"The purpose of the memorial ceremony for Nanjing Massacre victims is to recall that every good-hearted person yearns for and holds a firm stance of peace, but does not try to prolong hatred," Xi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 13:57:37|Editor: Yamei

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SYDNEY, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A team of Australian scientists published new findings on Tuesday that demonstrate a more precise way to forecast the population rates of slow-growing, long-living species like dolphins and bears.

Under the new model developed by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) study, less emphasis is given to the survival rate of wildlife and more focus is afforded to the rate of reproduction.

"The way people have analyzed these things in the past has made it look, sometimes incorrectly, that survival rates are the only thing that matters," UNSW professor and co-author Bill Sherwin told Xinhua.

But an analysis of two dolphin populations in Western Australia has challenged the validity of the current forecasting methods.

Researchers found one of the populations was predicted to decline, while the other was stable.

According to the findings, the decline had little to do with the survival rate.

"The only important difference is that the one that is declining has a much lower reproduction rate," Sherwin said.

"We can swap the mortality rates between the two populations, we can swap the total population size that can fit in the area, we can swap anything we like between them but the only thing that causes this difference in the projection for the population is reproduction rates."

The team also tested their ideas on bear population studies in North America and found strikingly similar results.

"It will change the way people study wild animal populations," Sherwin said.

"Hopefully it will also change the way they use the data to make forecasts, so we can get much better forecasts for the populations we are trying to manage."

"Whether it's for threatened populations or for population that are being harvested."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 14:02:38|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese air force formation conducted a regular patrol exercise that passed the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait on Monday, an air force spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

The formation consisted of H-6K bombers, Su-30 and J-11 fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, early warning aircraft and tanker aircraft, said Shen Jinke, spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, at a meeting of senior air force officers.

The drill aimed to improve long-distance combat mobility and readiness as well as the ability to "safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Shen said.

"The PLA Air Force is progressing into a modern strategic armed force with the ability to fight in all domains," he said.

The air force conducted high-sea training exercises in line with international law and practice, he said.

Describing the exercises as "legal and reasonable," Shen announced that the air force will conduct longer distance high-sea drills in the future.

Lieutenant General Huang Guoxian, air force commander of the Eastern Theater Command, stressed the importance of developing the ability to win wars and pledged to enhance awareness and combat readiness through regular high-sea drills and practice in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone.

Lieutenant General Xu Anxiang, air force commander of the Southern Theater Command, noted that high-sea training is vital for building the combat ability of the air force and has been common practice among air forces of major countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 14:27:45|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the China Association of Agricultural Science Societies (CAASS) on Tuesday to unite the country's agricultural scientists and technicians to achieve more for national revival.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the statement in a congratulatory letter to the CAASS on its 100th anniversary.

As a time-honored academic mass organization in agriculture, the CAASS has witnessed and promoted China's contemporary sci-tech development in agriculture, Xi said.

Xi hailed the association as an important force in promoting the country's agricultural development after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, especially since the reform and opening up drive initiated about 40 years ago.

China is seeking further development through the rural revitalization strategy, supply-side structural reform, pursuing green agriculture, and implementing targeted poverty reduction measures, all of which present new demands for China's agricultural science, technology and talent, according to Xi.

The president called on the CAASS to carry on its fine traditions, keep up with the times, and play a greater role in China's agricultural development.

Premier Li Keqiang also expressed congratulations in a written instruction.

Li encouraged the association to carry out more extensive exchanges and cooperation with its foreign counterparts, popularize agricultural knowledge and technology, step up development of agricultural think tanks, and train more talent.

Addressing a gathering to mark the CAASS's centenary Tuesday, Vice Premier Wang Yang called on the association to facilitate innovation-driven development, help the CPC and country make scientific decisions, and make efforts to improve public scientific literacy.
Israel's army has deployed anti-rocket Iron Dome batteries in central Israel. (Xinhua/Gideon Markowicz-JINI)

JERUSALEM, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel's anti-rocket system Iron Dome intercepted on Monday night a rocket fired at the Jewish state by militants in Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.

The rocket triggered Code Red sirens in the Hof Ashkelon regional council in southern Israel.

"The Iron Dome Aerial Defense System intercepted a rocket launched towards Israel," a military spokesperson said in a statement, adding that no injuries or damage were reported.

Earlier on Monday, Israel's tank and aircraft struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, in response to a rocket attack.

Usually the rockets fired into Israel were launched by the militant Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

This was the 10th rocket that was fired from Gaza Strip since U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The controversial announcement, which was denounced worldwide, triggered violent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the past days.

At least four Palestinians have been killed so far in Gaza by Israeli fire, according to Palestinian media.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 15:12:57|Editor: Yurou

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TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least three insurgents and a police officer were killed after Taliban militants attacked security checkpoints in Takhar province, north of Afghanistan overnight, a local official said Tuesday.

"A group of Taliban militants attacked security checkpoints in Dasht-e-Qala and neighboring Khoja Ghar districts Monday night. The Afghan National Police (ANP) members repelled the attack. But one police officers and three militants were killed after the clashes," Abdul Khalil Asir, the provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua.

Two policemen were missing after the fighting but the security forces have launched a search operation in the surrounding areas, he added.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility, saying three security checkpoints were captured by Taliban militants, and two policemen were arrested by Taliban forces.

Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where Taliban have been recruiting from among the youth.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 15:12:57|Editor: Yurou

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JAKARTA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- No Indonesian national was affected by the recent attack at a Manhattan bus terminal in New York City, the United States, Indonesian Consul General in New York City Abdul Kadir Jailani was quoted by a local media as saying on Tuesday.

He said his office has issued advises for Indonesian nationals in New York City to remain vigilant particularly in public spaces.

They should also bring their ID documents anywhere they go in the city, Jailani said.

There are about 9,000 Indonesian nationals residing in New York City at present.

The Indonesian consulate general has established coordination with local authorities to keep up with the latest progress of investigation into the attack, he added.

NYC police have arrested the man identified as Akayed Ullah, a Bangladesh-origin resident, who was suspected of carrying out the suicidal bombing attack that took place during rush hour in Port Authority Bus Terminal on Monday morning.

His attack wounded three others and himself.

Police said the attacker had stated his allegiance to Islamic State (IS) terror organization, declaring his attack was a response to Israel's recent attack in Gaza related to tensions in the area following the United States unilateral recognition on Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, December 11, 2017. (Xinhua Photo)

ANKARA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday warned that the U.S. move on Jerusalem destabilizes the Middle East and will not help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking at a joint news conference after his meeting with Putin, Erdogan criticized Israel for taking advantage of the U.S. move on Jerusalem as "an opportunity to ramp up oppression and violence against the Palestinians."

"It is impossible for anyone who has a conscience, morality, or value to ignore the killings," the Turkish leader said.

He was apparently referring to the deaths of two Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces in clashes over the weekend in the Palestinian territories during Palestinian protests against Israeli occupation and U.S. President Donald Trump's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Erdogan added that Turkey and Russia share the same position on the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and will keep close cooperation on the issue.

"We have seen the same approach on the U.S. Jerusalem move. Both have agreed to continue our contacts in this regard," he said.

For his part, Putin said the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital did nothing to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and was destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

"The status of Jerusalem should be resolved by direct contacts between Israel and Palestine," Putin said.

Erdogan said that, as the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Turkey had invited the Islamic leaders to hold a summit in Istanbul this week.

"I believe we will deliver a very strong message from there," he noted.

Both leaders also discussed the bilateral relations as well as regional developments, particularly Syria, while pledging to continue cooperation on the Astana political process to resolve the Syrian crisis.

They planned to hold a meeting next week in the Russian resort of Sochi, according to Erdogan.

At a time when Turkey's ties with the U.S. and NATO are strained by a number of disputes, Ankara has cultivated closer ties with Russia.

The two leaders have been meeting regularly in the past months. They last met in Sochi on Nov. 22 to discuss the issue of Syria with Iran.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 15:43:05|Editor: Xiang Bo

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GUANGZHOU, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A local district government in south China's Guangdong Province plans to build more than 30,000 apartments to be sold or rented at low prices in the next five years to retain talent.

According to the government of Shunde district in Foshan City, soaring housing prices have driven many graduates and out-of-town employees away, prompting the favorable housing policy.

Shunde is home to many well-known manufacturing brands such as Midea, which acquired German industrial robot maker Kuka last year. Facing fierce global competition, the local government is actively promoting intelligent manufacturing, medicine, environmental protection and energy conservation.

"High-end talent is key to our industrial upgrading," said Huang Hai with the district government.

In September, the first real estate project was launched to offer 1,320 affordable apartments to qualified talent. The price was set at 9,800 yuan (1,500 U.S. dollars) per square meter, while the average market price in the neighborhood was 20,000 yuan per square meter.

Huang said applicants should meet requirements in terms of educational background, occupational area and professional rank. The half-price apartments are not allowed to be resold within eight years of purchase.

Other cities in China such as Wuhan, Chengdu and Shenyang have also introduced preferable housing policies, including offering housing subsidies and bringing down rental prices, to keep talent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 16:18:12|Editor: Yurou

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PHNOM PENH, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will attend the 3rd Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held from Dec. 14 to Dec. 16 in Dali, southwestern China's Yunnan province, a Cambodian foreign ministry statement said Tuesday.

The meeting will gather foreign ministers from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, said the statement.

"The meeting will provide a good opportunity to further promote and strengthen the mechanism and cooperation in the framework of the Lancang-Mekong and to discuss the preparation for the 2nd LMC Leaders' Meeting to be held in Cambodia in January 2018," it said.

According to the statement, the meeting is expected to adopt the joint press communique of the 3rd LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting, a list of the projects supported by LMC Special Fund in 2017, and a hotline platform of LMC National Secretariats and Coordination Units.

The six countries along the Mekong, known as Lancang in the Chinese stretch, launched the LMC mechanism in Nov. 2015 and convened the first Leaders' Meeting in March 2016.

Five priority areas under the LMC include connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 16:18:13|Editor: Xiang Bo

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SHENZHEN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two Boeing 747 freighters successfully auctioned on Taobao's judicial sales platform last month were handed over to its buyer Tuesday.

A hand-over ceremony was conducted at the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court Tuesday.

Altogether three Boeing 747 planes went up for auction on Nov. 21. SF Airlines purchased two of the aircraft, registered with the identification numbers B2422 and B2423, for more than 320 million yuan (around 48 million U.S. dollars). The third plane failed to find a buyer.

According to Yue Yanni with the Shenzhen court, this is the first time aircraft have been offered in a Taobao judicial auction in China.

The freight planes were previously owned by Jade Cargo International, the first Chinese cargo carrier with foreign investment. The company folded in 2013.

The three aircraft had been put up for auction offline six times since October 2015, but they failed to find buyers.

Online judicial sales have gained popularity in China. More than 103 Chinese courts have put up items for auction on Taobao this year, with over 600 deals totaling 6 billion yuan, said Chen Huiming, vice general manager of Alibaba's auction business.

Chen said the third Boeing 747 plane would be put up for auction again in late December.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 16:53:23|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Leader of Japan's struggling Democratic Party Kohei Otsuka on Tuesday proposed to disband the party and form a new one after the party split up prior to the Oct. 22 lower house election.

With more party members mulling an exodus to join other opposition parties ahead of the 2019 Upper House election, Otsuka made the proposal at the party meeting.

Lawmakers close to the matter said that other ideas that were floated included merging with other parties and changing the party's name.

The ideas will be discussed in more depth at a party executive meeting on Wednesday.

The Democratic Party has been struggling to regain public trust for mishandling the earthquake-triggered nuclear disaster in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture in March 2011 as a ruling party.

Former leader Seiji Maehara dissolved the party to allow its Lower House members to join Governor Yuriko Koike's Party of Hope in the October general election.

However, many of the party's Lower House representatives failed to secure their seats, forcing Maehara to resign.

For those Demoratic Party members who did not join the Party of Hope, many of them formed the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and became the leading opposition party in the Lower House.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 17:18:30|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A subsidiary of Japan's Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. was fined 10 million yen (88,100 U.S. dollars) by a Japanese court on Tuesday for illegally falsifying data related to its earthquake shock absorbers.

The Osaka Prefecture-based Hirakata Summary Court found that the entire operation of Toyo Chemical Industrial Products Co. was involved in rigging data and that its management did not stop the impropriety once it came to light.

Earthquake shock absorbers that were delivered to 154 facilities, including government buildings and condominiums, were found to be substandard, leading judge Tsukasa Hara to state, "The Toyo Tire unit not only impeded fair competition with other chemical makers but fueled distrust among the general public in seismic isolated buildings."

The judge demanded that efforts should be made by the company and its subsidiary "never to repeat such misconduct." And that contributions to society be made by making good products.

Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., the parent company, on hearing the court's ruling said it would fully comply with the law henceforth.

"We take the ruling seriously and will fully comply with the law," the company was quoted as saying.

The court's ruling stated that executives at Toyo Tire's subsidiary deliberately changed documents so that its products would clear standards set by the infrastructure ministry.

Once the standards had been cleared, albeit falsely on paper, substandard shock absorber units were shipped in September 2014, in one of the cases, for use in the construction of a fire department in Hirakata, in Osaka, where the court handing down Tuesday's ruling is based.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 17:33:39|Editor: Zhou Xin

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CAIRO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Egypt on Tuesday condemned a terrorist blast which hit midtown Manhattan near New York Port Authority terminal.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry stressed solidarity of the Egyptian government and people with the U.S. government and people in the wake of the attack, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

"Such terrorist acts and extremist ideologies they reflect, and the degradation of human dignity are a blatant violation of laws and human principles," the statement said.

It highlighted the need for the international community to develop a comprehensive international strategy to eliminate terrorism and extremism in all its forms and combat extremist ideology in order to enhance the international peace and security.

On Monday, a man set off an improvised explosive device at New York City's commuter hub during the rush hour, leading to four injuries.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the blast "an attempted terrorist attack."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 17:43:42|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Photo taken on Dec. 12 shows the gems during the mid year Myanmar Gems Emporium at Maniyadana jade hall in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. (Xinhua/U Aung)

NAY PYI TAW, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 6,875 gem and jade lots including 6,685 jade lots are being put on sale at Myanmar mid-year gems emporium which kicked off here on Tuesday.

Nearly 4,000 merchants including 2,780 foreign buyers from China, China's Macao, Thailand and Canada are attending the emporium.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, the 10-day emporium will last until Dec. 21.

In accordance with the Gems Emporium Central Committee, gem and jade lots will be sold in euro currency under open tender system starting from Dec. 15.

Myanmar held its 54th annual gems emporium in August this year, selling 518,824 million euros (690 million U.S. dollars) worth of 5,197 gem and jade lots under open tender system and was attended by 5,311 local and foreign gem traders.

Myanmar's gems emporiums have been held annually since 1964.

Meanwhile, the country earned 23 million U.S. dollars from jade export in the first quarter of the present fiscal year 2017-2018, according to the official statistics.

China remains as Myanmar's biggest jade buyer, followed by India.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 17:53:44|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's security forces have captured a Taliban key commander Mullah Abdul Haq in northern Kunduz province, an army spokesman said on Tuesday.

The security forces also killed two militants and injured three others, said Abdul Khalil, the army spokesman of the province.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 17:53:44|Editor: Zhou Xin

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NEW DELHI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and seven others critically injured after a tourist bus plunged into a river in the southern Indian state of Kerala Tuesday, police said.

The accident occurred near Thalassery, some 450 km from state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

"The tourist bus, carrying 15 people, including a driver and a conductor, fell into Peringathur river after its driver lost control of the speeding vehicle and rammed the railing of the bridge," a senior police officer said.

While three bodies have been fished out of water, and seven others were rescued by locals, some passengers managed to swim to safety.

"The injured have been rushed to a nearby government hospital, where their conditions are said to be critical," the officer said.

Eye-witnesses told the police that the bus was travelling at high speed even on the bridge over the river, leading to the accident.

"The driver sustained injuries but the conductor is among those dead, apart from two tourists. A probe has been ordered into the incident and we will arrest the driver for rash driving once he's out of hospital," the officer said.

India has the highest number of road fatalities in the world. Road accidents occur mostly due to poor driving or badly maintained roads or vehicles.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 18:03:46|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's army commander said Tuesday that Iran has been ready to provide any necessary support to the Palestinian Islamic resistance forces in fight against Israel.

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Forces on Tuesday announced Iran's readiness to provide the Palestinian Islamic resistance forces with whatever support is necessary in defending al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem which the U.S. president recently announced as the capital of Israel.

Major General Qasem Soleimani made the remarks in a phone conversation with the commanders of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas Movement, and commander of the Islamic Jihad Brigades in Gaza Strip, Tasnim new agency reported.

"Other resistance forces in the region are also ready to defend the al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds," Soleimani was quoted as saying.

The announcement came against the backdrop of protests in the Palestinian territories following the U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move its embassy to that city.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 18:23:49|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's security forces have captured a Taliban key commander Mullah Abdul Haq in northern Kunduz province, an army spokesman said on Tuesday.

The security forces also killed two militants and injured three others, said Abdul Khalil, the army spokesman of the province.

"Acting upon intelligence report, the security forces organized an ambush on Taliban militants who were using motorbikes to cross a road in Kunduz province early today morning, killing two rebels on the spot and injuring three others," Khalil told Xinhua.

Taliban militants haven't commented on the report yet.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 18:28:50|Editor: Yurou

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HAVANA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Monday expressed "deep concern" over the negative impact the decisions adopted by Washington earlier this year could have on immigration relations between the two countries, calling them "unilateral, unfounded and politically motivated."

A press release issued by the Cuban Foreign Ministry after a new round of migration talks held by the two countries in Washington on Monday expressed concern over the diplomatic spat that led to the reduction of personnel at the U.S. embassy in Havana

The Cuban delegation warned about the negative effect of the suspension of visas by the U.S. mission in Havana.

The measures came after Washington reported last summer that a group of its diplomats in Cuba had suffered "acoustic attacks" causing symptoms as diverse as deafness, nausea and speech problems. Washington also decided to expel a number of Cuban diplomats working in the Cuban embassy in the U.S. capital ostensibly over the attacks.

Havana rejected the accusation, initiated an investigation, and urged the United States to present evidence of the alleged attacks.

The U.S. administration also decided to stop all consular services, including issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas in Havana, a measure that has been highly unpopular among Cubans.

"The decision to discontinue processing visas applied for by Cubans wanting to visit or migrate to that country is seriously hampering family relations and all kinds of exchanges between both peoples," the statement said.

Cuba urged the U.S. authorities to comply with their immigration agreement obligations, which stipulate that Washington should issue 20,000 visas every year to Cubans wanting to immigrate.

The Cuban side also decried the "counterproductive effect" of Washington's decision to cancel official U.S. government delegations' visits to the island to discuss issues of bilateral interest.

"Should the current situation persist, exchanges in this and other areas will be even more affected," the statement said.

Both delegations, however, recognized the positive impact of reducing irregular immigration after the "wet foot/dry foot" policy was eliminated in January. The policy allowed Cuban nationals to automatically obtain residence once they reached U.S. soil.

Bilateral relations have faced several setbacks since U.S. President Donald Trump came to power and rolled back many of the steps of a historic approach initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2014.

Trump announced his new policy in June during a speech in Miami in front of hundreds of Cuban exiles, advocating a tougher stance on the island.

New trade and travel regulations were issued last month prohibiting U.S. companies from engaging in business with 179 Cuban firms, holdings and ministries, particularly those related to the military and Interior Ministry.

Americans wanting to travel to Cuba are once again required to travel as part of organized tour groups run by U.S. companies, rather than travel individually.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 18:28:50|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday condemned the rush-hour explosion in the heart of New York City subway system and sent a message of sympathy to the injured.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the remarks at a daily press briefing.

According to reports, the blast occurred early Monday morning in an underground passageway near Times Square, Manhattan, injuring four people. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the incident was an attempted terrorist attack and "thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals."

"We are aware that the Mayor of New York City has called the incident an attempted terrorist attack," Lu said, adding, "Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity. China opposes terrorism in all manifestations and urges the international community to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 18:33:51|Editor: Yurou

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DHAKA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has officially launched the 999 emergency helplines after a year of experiment.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister's Adviser on ICT Affairs Sajeeb Wazed inaugurated the new emergency helpline service on Tuesday in Dhaka.

Sajeeb Wazed, the only son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, inspected the call center after unveiling the National Emergency Services 999 Centre at the Metropolitan Police Crime Command and Control Centre in capital Dhaka

Police, fire service and ambulance services will be reportedly available from any phone (mobile or fixed line) dialling the number.

The entire service will be supervised by Bangladesh Police and the 999 number will be completely free from toll.

Bangladesh's ICT Division in October last year launched the experimental phase of the National Emergency Service when it handled some 3.3 million calls.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 18:48:55|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The sound development of relations between China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) conforms to the historical trend and the common aspirations of both peoples, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

China's state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), Monday broadcast an interview with ROK President Moon Jae-in, who will pay a state visit to China from Dec. 13 to 16.

During the interview, Moon said that the China-ROK relations have developed rapidly since the two countries established diplomatic ties 25 years ago.

However, the mutual trust between the two sides was damaged in recent years, Moon said, adding that his trip to China is aimed at restoring that trust.

In reference to this, spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily news briefing that China and the ROK are neighbors and important cooperation partners, with friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation being the main theme of bilateral ties during the past 25 years.

He said China and the ROK have a common interest in promoting each other's economic and social development, as well as achieving regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

However, the mutual trust and the cooperation basis have been affected by some well-known factors, Lu said.

President Moon has attached great importance to relations with China since taking office, Lu said, adding that China and ROK have reached some consensus on handling the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system issue.

"We hope the THAAD missile defense system issue continues to be settled properly, and both sides can push bilateral ties back onto the normal track of healthy and stable development on the basis of respecting each other's core interests and major concerns," Lu said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:19:07|Editor: Xiang Bo

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NANJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- They were mostly children when Japanese invaders captured Nanjing, then China's capital, on Dec. 13, 1937 and started six weeks of mass killings, rape and pillage that resulted in the deaths of about 300,000 Chinese.

Eighty years later, survivors of the Nanjing Massacre are in their twilight years and number less than 100. Chinese historians are racing against time to document their recollections, before the stories fade into oblivion with their passing.

"A sense of urgency keeps stinging me," said Zhang Jianjun, curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

In September last year, he launched an oral history project in collaboration with local historians to document the accounts of the last group of survivors.

"We were saddened by the news as one survivor after another passed away," said Gao Xudong, a junior at Nanjing University who participated in the project. "They are part of the city's history and we have the obligation to keep their memories alive."

This month, two books were published: one collecting testimonies of 49 survivors to the atrocities and the other detailing their lives thereafter. They were based on transcripts of the survivors' accounts, totally 1.2 million words, documented by more than 50 participants who spent nearly six months conducting more than 150 interviews.

In addition to blow-by-blow accounts of the massacre, the books also detail how the survivors painstakingly tried to heal their wounds, and how they managed to lead a normal life over the past 80 years, offering a wider and more personal perspective to one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

Zhang Sheng, a history professor with Nanjing University and a collaborator in the project, said the books marked new efforts by Chinese historians on the research of the infamous massacre. In the past, they had placed more emphasis on countering the denials of the massacre made by some Japanese right-wing politicians.

"History is more than some cold statistics in books," said Zhang Sheng. "It is also about lives of individuals in times of turmoil and disaster."

"Every time we heard a survivor recount his or her story, we experienced again the trauma and fear the war has inflicted on the individual," he said.

The participants, who are mostly university students, said revisiting the massacre 80 years ago gave them new perspectives on issues such as life and death, war and peace.

"Interviewing the survivors prompted us to ask questions we had never asked before," said Zhang Yisi, one of the participants. "Now we have a deeper understanding of how our country has come a long way from such a low point in history to prosperity."

A similar project is underway. Zhu Chengshan, a former curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, has started to research how the massacre has affected the extended families of the survivors in the long term.

On Wednesday, when China marks the fourth National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims, a new section of the memorial hall featuring accounts of witnesses and survivors will also be open to the public.

"This research focuses on how historical events impact the lives of individuals and their families, which allows people to empathize more with the trauma of the victims," said Zhang Jianjun, the curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:24:08|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for more reform and opening-up to transform government functions and energize the market.

He made the remarks during an inspection tour, which ran from Monday to Tuesday in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:24:08|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change affairs, addresses the panel "Climate Action: Creating Opportunities and Public Engagement", during the "One Planet Summit" in Paris, France, on Dec. 12, 2017. Political leaders and representatives of key international organizations gathered at the "One Planet Summit" in Paris Tuesday to address the planet's "ecological emergency" and accelerate international climate actions. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

PARIS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Political leaders and representatives of key international organizations gathered at the "One Planet Summit" in Paris Tuesday to address the planet's "ecological emergency" and accelerate international climate actions.

Organized jointly by France, the United Nations and the World Bank, in partnership with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the one-day summit's focus is to explore how public and private finance can innovate to support and accelerate common efforts to fight climate change.

During the G20 Summit in Hamburg in July, French President Emmanuel Macron had announced that France would host an international summit on climate mobilization on Dec. 12, 2017, two years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement.

More than 50 speakers, including representatives of nongovernmental organizations, entrepreneurs, investors, government officials, local stakeholders and scientists will take part in four round tables in the morning to identify and implement tangible solutions and mobilize public and private funding to enable large-scale their deployment, especially in the most vulnerable countries.

In the afternoon, the summit's three key themes -- "Adaptation" "Mitigation" and "Mobilization" -- will be discussed. Each section will be moderated by one of the three co-organizers: Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, and Macron.

On Dec. 12, 2015, a total of 196 parties to the UNFCCC reached the historic Paris Agreement on climate change to cut greenhouse gas emissions and set a global target of keeping the average temperature rise in their countries no higher than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The agreement also saw developed countries commit to contribute 100 billion U.S. dollars a year from 2020 to mitigate climate change impacts in developing countries.

After the United States, one of the world's largest main greenhouse producers, withdrew from the Paris Agreement this year, Macron pledged to continue the fight against climate deterioration that has triggered a wave of drought, seas rising and torrential rainfall.

Via a web platform "Make Our Planet Great Again" launched in June, Macron invited scientists, teachers, entrepreneurs, associations and NGOs and students from across the globe to join the fight against global warming.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:29:09|Editor: Zhou Xin

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VIENNA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and at least 17 others were injured Tuesday in an explosion at a gas station in Baumgarten an der March, some 60 km east of Vienna, local media said.

Fire brigades and rescue teams are at the site, which has been largely closed to the public.

The blast occurred in the morning at a gas station of international energy company OMV, not far from the border with Slovakia. It set off a fire which could be seen from the Vienna side.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:34:11|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Two firefighters work at a fire spot in Carpinteria, California, the United States, Dec. 11, 2017. The week-long battle against wildfires in California focused on canyons above Carpinteria of Santa Barbara county Monday night, local officials said. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

CARPINTERIA, the United States, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The week-long battle against wildfires in California focused on canyons above Carpinteria of Santa Barbara county Monday night, local officials said.

Firefighters from Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Ventura, Fulton and other counties gathered at the foothill of Toro Canyon, about 1 kilometer east of Carpinteria, a small oceanside city located between the Coastal Mountains and the Pacific seashore with about 10,000 residents.

At least three heavy helicopters and two Boeing aircraft capable of dropping water joined the mission before sunset to stop the spread of fire in the open flanks above canyon ridges.

Tony Pighetti, a captain in the Santa Barbara fire department, told Xinhua that since the fire was burning on some very steep mountains firefighters could not reach, the efforts were concentrated on preventing it from approaching the nearby communities.

"The wind is northward now but...it could turn west. So we issued an evacuation order last night," he said.

Most of residents have left Carpinteria since Sunday when the fire dubbed Thomas Fire scorched northward from Ventura County. However, a few young men refused to flee, telling Xinhua they have to defend their homes in the evacuation zone.

About 20 kilometers north of Carpinteria, the University of California, Santa Barbara campus was almost empty Monday after all classes were canceled Saturday following numerous power outages from last Wednesday.

The campus and surrounding areas were sprinkled with ash. Heavy smoke hovered over the area.

"A message was mistakenly sent by Santa Barbara Emergency Management system to evacuate the Santa Barbara area at 3 am last Saturday," a student who refused to revealed her name told Xinhua. "Students were left distressed the entire night with emergency evacuation notifications waking them (up) throughout the night."

According to Cal Fire, California's department of forestry and fire protection, till Monday, five of the six wildfires burning in Southern California last week had been contained more than 90 percent; only Thomas Fire, which started Dec. 4 in Santa Paula of Ventura County, 110 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles downtown, was contained 20 percent.

The blaze spreading over 231,700 acres (937.7 square km) has already destroyed more than 790 structures and the cost of fighting the blaze has topped 34 million U.S. dollars.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:34:12|Editor: Zhou Xin

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JAKARTA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian police will start an anti-terror operation in the country to ensure the safety of the coming Christmas and New Year holidays, Indonesian Police Chief Tito Karnavian said here on Tuesday.

The implementation of the police's upcoming "Candle Operation" was intended to prevent possible terror attacks during the festivity and holiday season, Tito said.

"We don't want to miss it again. That is why we need to take anticipating steps in advance," Tito said in his office here, referring to church bombings in several cities across the country on the night of Dec. 24, 2000 that claimed 16 lives, injured 96 others.

Tito said so far police have yet to receive signals of any possible attack in the upcoming Christianity festivity.

The exact number of personnel to be deployed in the Candle Operation would be announced after the operation planning process concluded this weekend, he added.

On the same occasion, Indonesian Police Headquarters Spokesperson Setyo Wasisto said that police's anti-terror squad of Densus 88 had arrest 19 terrorist suspects in various cities within three days from Dec. 9 to 11.

The suspects were arrested in East Java, Riau and South Sumatra provinces, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:49:14|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday responded to a U.S. plan to send astronauts back to the moon, saying it is willing to enhance cooperation with the international community in the peaceful use of outer space.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed his administration's first space policy directive, formally directing the U.S. space agency NASA to send astronauts to the moon again and eventually Mars.

"China is glad to see countries making progress in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a routine press briefing.

Regarding Trump's remarks that "space has so much to do with so many other applications," including the military, Lu said China's stance opposing the weaponization of outer space is clear and consistent.

China hopes members of the international community will reach an agreement on preventing the weaponization of outer space, Lu said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:54:15|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iranian and South Korean private companies signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to transfer technologies to Iran, Financial Tribune daily reported on Tuesday.

The agreements were signed at Tehran's Milad Tower for the South Korean sides to transfer technology to Iran in the fields of thermal insulation, solar panels, alternative energy, lithium batteries and electric engines.

Iran and South Korea also signed dozens of MoUs this year on transfer of technology in a wide range of fields, including manufacturing, fishery, beekeeping, fertilizers, casting, oil and gas.

The South Korean ambassador to Tehran Kim Seung-ho said in November that South Korea had shifted its focus from trade to investments in Iran.

Iran signed its biggest credit line deal in recent years with South Korea's Eximbank in August 2017.

The deal envisages as much as 8 billion euros (9.54 billion U.S. dollars) in loans provided by South Korean companies to finance various projects in Iran.

South Korea is among Iran's major trade partners. Iran exported 2.87 billion U.S. dollars worth of goods and imported 3.46 billion U.S. dollars worth of goods from South Korea in the last Iranian year (March 2016-17), according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:54:15|Editor: Zhou Xin

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DUBAI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Tuesday that there might be an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah in 2018.

He made the remarks at the one-day annual Arab Strategy Forum held in Dubai in its 10th edition.

As Hezbollah had helped the Syrian regime defeat the Islamic State (IS) group, "this might encourage the militia to step up attacks on Israel," said Gates, who served under the two U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Israel in return might feel that "Hezbollah becomes a problem to deal with," he added.

Hezbollah has been supporting the Syrian regime under President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against IS and other militia groups in Syria through sending fighters and weapons.

In the summer of 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war and have since exchanged sporadic fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Gates said he expects the tension to rise between Shiite Iran and Saudi-led Sunni Arab states "as Iran continues in trying to increase its influence and meddling across the Middle East."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 19:59:16|Editor: Xiang Bo

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Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (2nd R) meets with a delegation from the American Foreign Policy Council in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with a delegation from the American Foreign Policy Council Tuesday.

Yang said long-term, steady and healthy China-U.S. ties conform to the fundamental interests of both countries, as well as the expectation of the international community.

Yang called for "mutual respect, more cooperation and proper handling of differences" to promote bilateral ties.

The delegates said the United States and China have common interests in many fields, and the United States is willing to work with China to boost bilateral ties.

The delegation was invited by the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speaks via a screen during a protest in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon December 11, 2017. (Reuters Photo)

DUBAI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Tuesday that there might be an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah in 2018.

He made the remarks at the one-day annual Arab Strategy Forum held in Dubai in its 10th edition.

As Hezbollah had helped the Syrian regime defeat the Islamic State (IS) group, "this might encourage the militia to step up attacks on Israel," said Gates, who served under the two U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Israel in return might feel that "Hezbollah becomes a problem to deal with," he added.

Hezbollah has been supporting the Syrian regime under President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against IS and other militia groups in Syria through sending fighters and weapons.

In the summer of 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war and have since exchanged sporadic fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 20:29:24|Editor: Zhou Xin

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HOUSTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Houston officials are proposing to tear down four elementary schools ravaged by Hurricane Harvey and rebuild them, according to a plan unveiled Monday.

Students at the four schools from the Houston Independent School District (ISD) would return to elevated campuses on the same sites as the current facilities, according to the plan.

District officials aim to open the new campuses in January 2020. In the meantime, students at the shuttered schools will continue to attend classes at temporary locations.

The district's board of trustees is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to approve funding for the 126-million-U.S.-dollar proposal.

If passed, the Houston ISD would become the first district in the region to approve the demolition of a school following Hurricane Harvey. All other local districts with heavily damaged schools have opted to repair existing buildings.

The four Houston schools sustained catastrophic flood damage after Harvey pummeled the Houston area in August, dropping record amounts of rain.

District officials decided to start from scratch due to the extent of the damage, the age of the buildings and the need to elevate the campuses to avoid future flooding. The campuses were built between 1956 and 1966.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 20:29:25|Editor: Zhou Xin

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PYONGYANG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday lashed out at Japan for strengthening military cooperation with the United States, calling it an anti-DPRK move.

The official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had vowed that Japan would "keep itself on a high alert based on the firm Japan-U.S. alliance" after the DPRK test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile late last month.

Accusing Tokyo of "building public opinion, reversing black and white," the commentary said Japan "is motivated by the cunning calculation to catch fish in troubled waters by zealously joining its American master in its anti-DPRK moves."

"The ulterior intention of Japan is to become a military giant and attain the re-invasion ambition, persisting in the pro-U.S. policy," it said.

The commentary was released after a joint two-day military drill by South Korea, the United States and Japan to track ballistic missiles in waters near the Korean Peninsula and Japan kicked off Monday.

A South Korean Aegis destroyer, two U.S. Aegis-equipped ships and a Japanese Aegis destroyer were deployed in the drill.

The battleships conducted a computer simulation drill to detect and track ballistic missiles via their radars, and exchanged intelligence.

The joint drill followed the DPRK test-launching its Hwasong-15 on Nov. 29. Pyongyang has claimed its intercontinental ballistic missile is capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

The trilateral missile-tracking drill was the sixth of its kind, after three rounds earlier this year and two last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 20:34:26|Editor: Xiang Bo

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NANJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 447 overseas Chinese groups plan to hold memorial ceremonies for Nanjing Massacre victims Wednesday.

More than 10,000 overseas Chinese people in countries, including the Unites States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Argentina, are expected to attend the ceremonies.

China will hold an annual memorial in the eastern city of Nanjing Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the massacre.

"The memorials are held worldwide to remind us of history, and the value of world peace," said Zhang Jianjun, curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

On Dec. 13, 1937, Nanjing fell to Japanese invaders who went on a more than one-month-long slaughter of civilians and soldiers who had put down their arms. About 300,000 Chinese were killed, and 20,000 women raped.

In February 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec. 13 as a national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 20:34:26|Editor: Zhou Xin

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JUBA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The number of people killed in clashes between rival Dinka tribe clans in central South Sudan has risen to 172, a local official said on Tuesday.

"The death toll is 172 and the wounded people are 213. Some of the injured victims are dying," said Dharuai Mabor Teny, Member of Parliament in Rumbek East of Western Lakes State.

Earlier reports put the toll of the clashes, which started on Dec. 6, between the Rup and Pakam clans, at 60.

The fighting was ignited by the Rup clan, which attacked the Pakam tribesmen who they blame for displacing them from their land located in Malek County.

This came after another recent bout of deadly clashes in northern Jonglei State between the pastoral Dinka and Murle tribe that left 69 people dead and scores injured.

Teny added that despite President Salva Kiir declaring State of emergency in the restive region, the situation remains tense, hence warranting deployment of the South Sudan army (SPLA).

"The situation is not clear, since the president declared State of emergency, unless he pressures the (SPLA) Chief of Staff to deploy troops here then the situation will calm down," Teny revealed.

The head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) David Shearer said the number of people being killed in such revenge killings involving rival communities could easily exceed those killed in the political conflict.

"A lot of these problems are longstanding, they have been going on for years, but when you mix automatic weapons into this violence and a cycle of revenge killing, then you got a recipe for ongoing violence for a long time and the number of people being killed in these sorts of attacks is now exceeding the political conflict certainly over the last few weeks," Shearer said in Juba.

He added that UNMISS responded as quickly as possible, and they have so far managed to remove road blocks on the main road between Rumbek and Wau.

"We have been able to manage to clear those (road blocks) so that the transport is able to continue," he disclosed, adding that they were still engaging the rival clans to cease hostilities.
A boy sits on a grave at Konyo Konyo burial ground in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Nov. 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

JUBA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The number of people killed in clashes between rival Dinka tribe clans in central South Sudan has risen to 172, a local official said on Tuesday.

"The death toll is 172 and the wounded people are 213. Some of the injured victims are dying," said Dharuai Mabor Teny, Member of Parliament in Rumbek East of Western Lakes State.

Earlier reports put the toll of the clashes, which started on Dec. 6, between the Rup and Pakam clans, at 60.

The fighting was ignited by the Rup clan, which attacked the Pakam tribesmen who they blame for displacing them from their land located in Malek County.

This came after another recent bout of deadly clashes in northern Jonglei State between the pastoral Dinka and Murle tribe that left 69 people dead and scores injured.

Teny added that despite President Salva Kiir declaring State of emergency in the restive region, the situation remains tense, hence warranting deployment of the South Sudan army (SPLA).

"The situation is not clear, since the president declared State of emergency, unless he pressures the (SPLA) Chief of Staff to deploy troops here then the situation will calm down," Teny revealed.

The head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) David Shearer said the number of people being killed in such revenge killings involving rival communities could easily exceed those killed in the political conflict.

"A lot of these problems are longstanding, they have been going on for years, but when you mix automatic weapons into this violence and a cycle of revenge killing, then you got a recipe for ongoing violence for a long time and the number of people being killed in these sorts of attacks is now exceeding the political conflict certainly over the last few weeks," Shearer said in Juba.

He added that UNMISS responded as quickly as possible, and they have so far managed to remove road blocks on the main road between Rumbek and Wau.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 20:54:34|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's State Grid, the country's top power distributor, will seek market expansion in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, the company chairman said Tuesday.

Speaking at the annual B20 China Business Council meeting, Shu Yinbiao, State Grid chairman, said power investment demand would reach 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars in Belt and Road countries in the next five years.

He cited strong demand from the 1 billion people without access to electricity in Africa and South Asia, an upgrade of power facilities in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as energy system transitions in Western Asia.

Shu said the company would push forward power projects in Belt and Road countries, with the aim of strengthening power network connections between the countries.

The State Grid has worked on a number of national power grid projects in Belt and Road countries, with a contract value of nearly 40 billion dollars, helping export Chinese power equipment to more than 80 countries and regions.

The company has built 10 cross-border power transmission lines to improve power grid connectivity, and invested in power grids in countries such as the Philippines, Brazil and Italy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 20:54:35|Editor: Xiang Bo

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by Xinhua writer Ma Jianguo

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- President of the 72nd Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak said here Monday he welcomed the fact that China is now playing a leading role in the multilateral system and global affairs.

Lajcak said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua that China has already occupied a significant position as one of the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council and has emerged as one of the main contributors to the UN budget and financing for development.

China's commitment to establish a ten-year-long, 1-billion-U.S.-dollar China-UN peace and development fund is particularly helpful, Lajcak said.

"I am also heartened by China's pledge to join the new UN Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS) and take the lead in setting up a permanent peacekeeping police squad and building a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops," he said.

The UN PCRS aims to liaise between UN headquarters and its member states to ensure "readiness and timely deployment of quality peacekeeping capabilities," said the system's overview.

Lajcak, who released a "Roadmap for Sustaining Peace" last month, said the purpose of the roadmap is to focus efforts and build momentum ahead of the high-level meeting on peace-building and sustaining peace.

The concept of sustaining peace is groundbreaking as it redefines the UN's approach to peace by adopting a long-term perspective and focuses on conflict prevention, he said.

He also said that the notion of sustaining peace stems from a growing understanding that the UN efforts should go beyond addressing the immediate needs of conflict-affected countries, he said, adding that to make peace last, each country like China should have its role to play.

China's involvement in the adoption of the universal and transformational 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was key, he said, praising China's job in establishing an assistance fund for South-South cooperation in support of developing countries' efforts to implement the agenda.

China was among the first countries to ratify the Paris Agreement and pledged 3.1 billion dollars to the South-South Cooperation Fund on Climate Change, which was an important move for developing countries.

Lajcak said that although multilateralism is being challenged, it remains the best approach to confront shared challenges and achieve joint success. In this modern era, countries cannot face challenges alone, he said.

"The United Nations should serve as a forum to address our common challenges. And it must also be a space to generate solutions for mutual benefit. This is the very essence of what the United Nations is about. We must position the multilateral system to better serve our people and deliver on their aspirations," Lajcak said.

People are not involved in the negotiation of resolutions, nor do they take the floor at high-level events, so it is one of the tasks of the General Assembly to make sure that their voices can still be heard, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 20:59:37|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KAMPALA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan government on Tuesday thanked the United Nations for the allocation of 17 million U.S. dollars in funding for thousands of refugees in the east African country.

Musa Ecweru, Uganda's state minister for relief, refugees and disaster preparedness, told Xinhua in an interview that the funding, from the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), will go a long way to meet the needs of the refugees in the country.

"We thank the UN for the support. We are grateful for the continued support from development partners and the UN towards refugees," Ecweru said.

"We call for more support from our partners and international community to help us to respond to the refugee situation," he said.

The 17 million dollars is part of the 100 million dollars announced by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to meet critical needs in under-funded emergencies in nine countries.

The other eight countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mali, the Philippines, Eritrea, Haiti and Pakistan.

Uganda currently hosts about 1.5 million refugees, with over 1 million from the neighboring South Sudan, according to UN statistics.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 21:04:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) visits an administrative service center at the Hubei province's free trade zone (FTZ) in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 11, 2017. Li made an inspection tour, which ran from Monday to Tuesday in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for more reforms and opening-up to transform government functions and energize the market.

He made the remarks during an inspection tour, which ran from Monday to Tuesday in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province.

Government staff should step up reforms to make administrative procedures easier and create a better business environment by using the Internet, Li said when visiting an administrative service center at the province's free trade zone (FTZ).

Addressing a firm providing multi-language translation services by pooling global talent online, Li said the Internet and big data should be utilized to integrate resources and talent, and develop new business models.

During the tour, the premier also chaired a symposium on the work of the country's FTZs.

Reforms at the FTZs have brought rapid development of new growth momentum in the past few years, he said. The FTZs should try bold moves and take the initiative to make greater breakthroughs in reforms, including the negative list approach.

Talking with store managers and vendors on a shopping street, Li encouraged them to combine online and offline sales to better adapt to market competition and meet the needs of consumers.

During a visit to a hospital, he said greater policy support was needed to remove restraints on medical research funding and medicine approvals.

More work should be done to ensure the long-term, stable supply of much-needed medicines and expand the coverage of insurance to cover serious illnesses, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 21:04:42|Editor: Xiang Bo

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XINING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- An injured female snow leopard received surgery on her fractured left hind-leg Monday, according to the provincial rescue and breeding center in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

The wild snow leopard, a species which is on China's top protection list, was rescued by four herders in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Nov. 24. The feline was diagnosed with a fracture to the left hind-leg and other minor injuries which had healed prior to the surgery.

About 400 milliliters of liquid was removed from the injured limb, and 11 pins and a steel plate were implanted in the leg during the surgery, which took nearly four hours.

"We are relieved the leopard will have the possibility of standing again after the successful surgery," said Qi Xinzhang, deputy director of the provincial rescue and breeding center. "More importantly, we hope to raise public awareness of the rescue and protection of wild animals."

China is home to between 2,000 and 2,500 snow leopards, which roam across the provincial level regions of Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan and Inner Mongolia. Both the population of snow leopards and their habitat area in China account for more than half of the global total.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 21:14:44|Editor: Zhou Xin

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LJUBLJANA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Slovenian Reporter magazine on Tuesday announced that the District Court in Ljubljana had issued a gag order prohibiting the publication of an already-printed magazine's special issue, which explored the family background of the wealthiest Slovenian couple -- Iza and Samo Login.

According to the Reporter, the court ruled that the story exceeds the privacy limit.

The couple is well known for their successful sale of the mobile app company Outfit 7, which is Talking Tom developer, for as much as 1 billion euros (1.18 billion U.S. dollars) to Asian investors, according to earlier reports by Slovenian media.

In the aftermath of the deal, the couple has frequently appeared in local and foreign media and shared stories on their private lives, local reports said.

That is why the Reporter magazine's editor-in-chief, Silvester Surla, is very surprised about the couple's decision to seek a gag order restricting the story, which, according to him was actually very positive, from being made public.

The ruling by the District Court Ljubljana has banned the publication of any information on the couple's private family life, personal family history and reasons for changing their previous names.

Furthermore, publication of their childhood photos has also been banned, even though such photos already appear on various social networks.

In case of the gag order's violation, Reporter shall be subject to sanction of 100,000 euros, or up to one million euros in the event of a repeated violation.

The Association of Reporters and Columnists expressed indignation at the court's "grave interference" on media, perceiving the gag order as "abolishing the freedom of expression", which is protected under the Constitution's Article 39.

They call on the court "to stop with outrageous crackdown on the media and restore the constitutional norm of the freedom of expression".
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 21:49:53|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KAMPALA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military on Tuesday warned of hot pursuit if the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group currently causing havoc in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) attacked the country.

Brig. Richard Karemire, Uganda's military spokesperson, told Xinhua in an interview that the army is ready to retaliate and exercise right of hot pursuit in case of any attack by the ADF in the east African country's territory.

The comments follow last week's attack by the rebel group on UN peacekeepers in eastern DRC's North Kivu province that killed 15 Tanzanian blue helmets, 5 DRC soldiers and wounded 53 others.

"ADF remains a threat to regional peace and security. If these terrorists attacked Uganda, we would not hesitate to exercise the right to hot pursuit," said Karemire.

Karemire called for the operationalization of a regional military center in the western district of Kasese to intensify the fight against the ADF.

The outfit is accused of increased killings and massacres of troops and civilians, rape and abductions over the past three months in eastern DRC.

"It is high time that parties to the joint following-up mechanism under International Conference on Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) honored their commitments to make the Kasese Center operational," said Karemire.

The center, Joint Regional Military Center of the ICGLR, was established in 2016 to monitor and gather intelligence on rebel activities and share it with member states.

ICGLR, a regional intergovernmental body, comprises 12 countries -- Uganda, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, DRC, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 21:59:56|Editor: Zhou Xin

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian warplanes heavily struck rebel positions in the northwestern province of Idlib, the key stronghold of various rebel groups in the war-torn country, a monitor group reported on Tuesday.

The airstrikes have intensified over the past 24 hours against the positions of several rebel groups, including the Levant Liberation Committee, previously known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

The heavy shelling included the use of surface-to-surface missiles, mortar shells, and artilleries, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The shelling has killed 21 rebels over the past 24 hours, while 13 Syrian soldiers had been killed during the same period, the Observatory added.

The clashes in the southeastern countryside of Idlib come at a time when the Syrian government forces advanced into the administrative borders of Idlib.

The UK-based watchdog group said the Syrian government forces have captured over seven towns in the southeastern countryside of Idlib over the past 24 hours.

In a separate report, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper said the Syrian forces entered the administrative borders in the southeastern countryside of Idlib on Saturday.

It added that the move was initiated from the northeastern countryside of the central province of Hama.

The paper said the primary aim of the offensive is to reach the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the eastern countryside of Idlib.

It added that the army is moving toward the target from three directions.

Idlib has emerged as the main destination of the rebel groups, which have evacuated several positions across Syria after surrendering to the Syrian army.

The area has become a home to several rebel groups from different affiliations, some of which are supported by Turkey, while others such as the Nusra Front are designated as terrorist groups.

Still, the area was recently included in the de-escalation zones' deal, sponsored by Russian and Turkey, with Ankara being tasked with guaranteeing the situation there.

It's not clear yet whether the Syrian government forces will launch a wide-scale offensive to recapture the entire province, or just to take some positions in the countryside.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 21:59:57|Editor: Zhou Xin

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced Tuesday that it had approved a 335 million-U.S. dollar loan for an electric metro project in Bangalore, India.

The investment in the Bangalore Metro Rail Project-Reach 6 (R6) is the AIIB's first metro project and its first joint financing partnership with the European Investment Bank, which is the project's lead financier with 500 million euros (about 589 million U.S. dollars) in funding," the AIIB said.

"We're investing in this metro project because of its potential to greatly improve the mobility of commuters and further economic growth through better connectivity," said AIIB Vice President and Chief Investment Officer D.J. Pandian.

The metro project is 100 percent electric.

"The project's impact on the reduction of fuel consumption and traffic congestion will also help reduce local air pollution and noise and make Bangalore a more livable city," Pandian was cited as saying in an AIIB press release.

By expanding the city's metro system, the project will provide high-capacity north-south connectivity through the center of Bangalore, India's third most populated city, with a population of 9.6 million, the bank said.

"Travel times for some journeys impacted by the lack of a metro system are expected to drop from two hours today to 15 minutes when the R6 line is completed," the AIIB said .

The announcement came a day after the AIIB said it had approved a 250-million-U.S. dollar loan for a natural gas project in China, the bank's first loan to a Chinese project.

Headquartered in Beijing, the China-proposed AIIB is a multilateral development bank focused on infrastructure investment, with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia and beyond.

The bank, which started operation in January 2016, currently has 80 approved members from around the world.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:04:58|Editor: Xiang Bo

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KUNMING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's demand for natural gas will continue to soar toward 2040, outstripping domestic output by around 43 percent, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report published Tuesday.

"China's annual gas production will more than double to 340 billion cubic meters in 2040, with shale gas a major contributor, but consumption is foreseen to grow even faster, reaching 600 billion cubic meters," said the China Special Report of the World Energy Outlook 2017.

The report, launched in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, Yunnan Province, said that by 2040 China would be involved in about one-quarter of the global long-distance natural gas trade.

The rise of natural gas use is the result of the government promoting natural gas as a cleaner alternative to coal. Overall energy demand is growing much slower than that during the early 2000s, the report noted

In the first eight months of this year, China used 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 37.9 percent of which was imported, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

From January to August, gas output rose by 10.8 percent year on year, though consumption grew 17.8 percent, fueled by the coal-to-gas switch campaign that encourages residents to use clean energy for household heating, the commission said.

The IEA report forecast that the share of natural gas in the energy mix would double to 12 percent by 2040. That of coal will drop to 45 percent.

The share of coal in power generation will also decline from about two-thirds in 2016 to less than 40 percent by 2040, according to the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:20:02|Editor: Zhou Xin

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Further condemnation and opposition -- not only from Arab and Muslim countries but globally -- comes following U.S. President Donald Trump's acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and his decision to move the U.S. embassy there.

Speaking at a joint news conference on Monday with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Israel for taking advantage of the U.S. shift on Jerusalem as "an opportunity to ramp up oppression and violence against the Palestinians."

For his part, Putin said the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital does nothing to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and is destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

Erdogan stressed that Turkey and Russia share the same position on the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

As the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Turkey had invited the Islamic leaders to attend an extraordinary summit on Wednesday in Istanbul, in a bid to draw up a roadmap for Muslim nations to follow as they oppose the U.S. decision.

In Cairo during a meeting on Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed Egypt's support for establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Meanwhile, President Abbas said the U.S. decision was surprising at a time when the Palestinian Authority showed flexibility and readiness to reach a settlement based on the two-state solution and recognition of East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital.

The Arab Parliament also called on Monday for an urgent Arab summit to discuss ways to defy the recent U.S. stance on the Jerusalem issue.

The parliament decided to assign delegations representing the Arab Parliament to visit the African and European parliaments to hold meetings and demand an international rejection of the U.S. decision.

It further stressed the Arab and Islamic solidarity with the Palestinians to enhance recognition of the Palestinian state and its full membership in the United Nations.

Moreover, a growing rift seems to emerge between Israel and the United States on the one side, and Europe and the Palestinians on the other.

"We disagree with the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to begin preparation to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," read a joint declaration by the ambassadors of Britain, France, Italy, Sweden and Germany to the United Nations last Friday.

The five ambassadors said the U.S. decision "is not in line with Security Council resolutions and is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region."

At a meeting in Paris with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed "disapproval" of Trump's decision, calling it "dangerous for peace."

The European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday reiterated that the bloc backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Jerusalem as the capital of both parties along 1967 lines.

Speaking to the press before a meeting with the visiting Israeli prime minister, Mogherini said it is in Israel's interest to find a sustainable and comprehensive solution to the long-standing conflict.

The EU's top diplomat also condemned "in the strongest way" attacks on Jews "everywhere in the world" in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial decision.

The move has enraged the Palestinians and the Islamic world, as Jerusalem is revered as the third holiest site in Islam. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future independent Palestinian state.

Violent clashes have erupted in the past days between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters in the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:25:03|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Kuwaiti new cabinet members took the oath of office before Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Tuesday.

The emir hailed the tremendous efforts by Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in forming his 15-member cabinet amid critical internal and external challenges.

He also called on the new ministers to work as a team featuring cooperation, confidence and mutual respect between legislative and executive branches.

For his part, Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber thanked the emir for his confidence in himself and the government members.

The prime minister also made a commitment to positive work with the National Assembly to achieve the country's development goals.

On Monday, Kuwait formed a new cabinet led by Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, after the previous cabinet resigned a few weeks ago.

Sheikh Jaber submitted the resignation of his cabinet in October after the parliament's no-confidence motion.

Kuwait has experienced frequent cabinet reshuffles. The new cabinet is the 35th in the kingdom's history.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:30:07|Editor: Lifang

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by Xinhua writer Shi Xiaomeng

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- As discussions on international trade rules are taking place in Argentina's capital city of Buenos Aires, countries need to seize the opportunity to send out a strong message of safeguarding the spirit of multilateralism against the recent rise of anti-globalization.

Buenos Aires is currently hosting the 11th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference. At the meeting, many WTO member nations have reiterated their support for a multilateral trade system.

However, the organization that regulates international trade has come under fire from the United States, which has accused the WTO of losing its focus on trade negotiation and becoming a litigation-centered organization.

Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that the United States would pull out of the WTO because the organization is hampering the United States' ability to compete.

Also, the administration pressed Canada and Mexico to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The United States' recent threats of breaking international consensus on trade will increase the risk of trade frictions or even trade wars among nations.

Moreover, the unilateral actions of the United States have added more uncertainties to the prospect of globalization.

Yet it's worth noting that the United States is not the only country that is embracing isolationism. Britain has decided to exit the European Union.

Whether it is "America First" or Brexit, "playing solo" is hurting the sound trend of globalization and regional integration, not to mention the spirit of multilateralism that would benefit all nations.

The core of global governance lies in common decisions made by all relevant parties in seeking solutions to global issues instead of the hegemony of a few countries.

A case in point: The G20 is a good example of the success of multilateralism. In recent years, this international economic forum has become an important international cooperation platform and has provided innovative and inclusive solutions to the world's economic problems.

The key to the G20's success is its inclusiveness and its spirit of sharing, and it can be regarded as a model of multilateralism.

Therefore, to achieve greater prosperity and build a community of shared future for mankind, the world needs to stay on the course of globalization and regional integration. In short, the spirit of multilateralism needs more champions to counter the rise of isolationism and protectionism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:35:08|Editor: Yang Yi

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by Xinhua writers Zhu Dongyang, Guo Yina

BOSTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- With 2017 marking the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, the haunting memories of Japan's war of aggression against China during World War II (WWII) have never left Zheng Hong.

Zheng, who now leads a quiet life as a professor of applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, has recently published his novel "Nanjing Never Cries" after a decade of hard work.

HAUNTING MEMORIES

Roughly two months after Zheng was born in 1937, the Japanese Imperial Forces shot at Chinese troops at the Lugou Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing, shelling their way into China's territory. No one could have imagined the hell that the next eight years would bring.

The reason why Zheng became a novelist is largely to process his childhood memories of the aftermath of the Japanese aggression.

Of course, preserving his memories for posterity was another motivation for him.

Zheng had spent his childhood mostly running for shelter amid the frequent air raids by Japanese bombers, which, he recalled, had always sparked dust, smoke and squeals.

"When everything turned quiet outside, I would climb out of wherever I was hiding, just to see my parents and other grown-ups moving away the new corpses in the street and everywhere," he said.

"The cloths covering the unfortunate were visibly shattered like the bodies themselves. Their blood kept dripping, making an arc in the air that reminds me of the shells dropping out of the Japanese bombers before they hit the ground," Zheng recalled.

EYE WITNESS TO HISTORY

Against the backdrop of the city of Nanjing during the time of the Japanese aggression (1931-1945), "Nanjing Never Cries" tells the story of four young people caught up in the tumult of those years.

When the Japanese invade, there is no safe place in the city. The Japanese murder, torture and rape indiscriminately. Each one of the characters tries to survive against all odds.

Gripping and disturbing, the book offers a compelling story of the horrors of war and the power of love and forgiveness, and was well received after being published in both English and Chinese in 2016.P Zheng has witnessed the difficulties of Japan's atrocious war against China "first hand," according to a press release by Killian Press, the publisher of the 39-chapter novel.

The book "excels in dramatic and panoramic moments, like the chaotic evacuation of Nanjing after the attack," according to Kirkus Reviews. "The whole book effectively puts a human face on one of WWII's noteworthy tragedies. A well-researched and capably written depiction of the Rape of Nanjing and its effects on victims and survivors."

As an advocate for the voices of whom he feels have been ignored by history books, Zheng was irritated and frustrated by a symposium on Hiroshima at MIT on April 13, 1995.

Four panelists, three Americans and one Japanese, discussed U.S. guilt over the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, yet with zero mention of Japan's violence in China and other Asian nations.

Zheng was prompted to ask whether the Japanese might feel any remorse about their actions, but was given a less than satisfactory answer from a U.S. scholar.

The Japanese speaker later approached Zheng and asked him to sign a petition urging the Japanese government to apologize to China. "But he did not say any bit of that on the podium," he said.

It was during moments like these that Zheng considered writing the novel. He traveled to China and talked with two survivors of the Nanjing Massacre committed by the Japanese Imperial Forces. His research and interviews were incorporated into the story.

"WE OWE HISTORY TO PRESERVE MEMORY"

In the eyes of Alan L. Chase, a reader that gave the book a five-star review on Amazon, Zheng "shines a light on the dark matter of the Sino-Japanese War."

"This is a slice of history about which I knew little. This story served to make me aware of the depth of the animus that still simmers beneath the surface of Chinese and Japanese relationships," he wrote. "I am thankful that Professor Zheng has drilled deeply into his memory of that painful period to tell a story that needs to be read and understood as a cautionary tale."

Peter Kempthorne, also an MIT professor, called the book penned by his colleague "very important."

"I was very surprised to learn details of the relationship between Japan and China during WWII. When I talked with friends in China they often have very strong feelings about Japan. And I did not understand the source of these feelings until I read the book," he said.

"Yet the book does offer hope for the future and the ability of different peoples to get along and forge new relationships. It is perhaps one of the most powerful stories I have ever heard," he added.

Speaking of Tokyo's rampant attempt to glorify its war atrocities, Kempthorne said he does not believe such war crimes could be "whitewashed." "They definitely should not be whitewashed and they should be investigated. I don't have personal evidence but I know there are people who do have. I do think it's very relevant and important for the Chinese people to share their stories of what happened and to inform others," said Kempthorne.

"I think one has a much better future if you are able to provide the historical record of exactly what happened, accept the historical past and respect those facts and move forward from them," he said.

For Zheng himself, the violence Japan imposed on China is no less than "ethnic cleansing."

"I want to preserve this piece of history for the younger generation. My generation is dying," he said. "We owe it to history to preserve this memory."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:35:09|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- UN agencies and NGO partners on Tuesday released a 4.4-billion-U.S.dollar plan designed to support more than 5 million refugees from Syria and the vulnerable communities hosting them in neighboring countries.

The plan is known as the 2018 Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), said Adrian Edwards, UN refugee agency spokesperson at a regular briefing in Geneva.

"Seven years on, the conflict in Syria continues -- devastating lives and forcing millions to flee from their homes.

"Despite the generosity showed by neighboring countries, most Syrian refugee families -- and many in their host communities -- fall below the poverty line and struggle to meet basic needs," said Edwards.

The 3RP aims to help 5.3 million refugees and 3.9 million members of host communities in 2018 in various sectors, including protection for refugee populations, education, health, food security, livelihoods, and water and sanitation services.

The plan brings together some 270 humanitarian and development partners, in support of national efforts, to ensure refugees and host communities receive the support they desperately need.

"The conflict in Syria continues to drive the largest refugee crisis in the world," said Amin Awad, UNHCR director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria and Iraq.

"While we hope that a political solution is soon on the horizon, it is vital that we continue our support to Syrian refugee families whose needs and challenges increase with every passing year in displacement," he noted.

The situation for the 1.7 million Syrian refugee school-age children remains particularly worrying. "While partners have worked to enroll almost one million children already, over 40 percent of school age Syrian refugee children remain out of school," said Awad.

"These children are truly becoming part of a lost generation. We must collectively do better in 2018," he said.

Four years ago since it started, the 3RP continues to lead international efforts to help neighboring countries deal with the impact of the Syria crisis, which has taken an increasingly significant social and economic toll as the conflict has continued unabated.

"We must recognize the tremendous efforts made by countries and communities hosting refugees from Syria, providing vital and generous support even while facing their own challenges," said Mourad Wahba, director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States in a statement.

"The international community must strengthen its support for host countries in this vital effort," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:40:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOGADISHU, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- United States forces early Tuesday conducted an airstrike in Somalia on Al-Shabaab militants, the U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said.

No civilian was killed in the drone strike, which was carried out in coordination with the Somali government and targeted an al-Shabaab vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, about 65km southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, Africom said.

"This strike supports our partner forces by removing an imminent threat to the people of Mogadishu," Africom said in a statement. "We assess no civilians were killed in the strike."

U.S. forces have carried out a series of drone strikes in the past months in Somalia, targeting Islamist State and al-Shabaab fighters as the Africa Union peacekeeping mission prepares to exit the country.

Local forces and those of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have also intensified military operations against the insurgents, flushing them in their Lower and Middle Shabelle region bases, amid an expected pullout of 1,000 African Union troops by the end of December.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:45:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KAMPALA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Judicial officers in Uganda have suspended their strike against low pay after the government announced plans to increase salaries of all public servants.

Solomon Muyita, the spokesperson of the judiciary told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday that the judges and judicial officers under their umbrella organization, Uganda Judicial Officers Association on Monday voted to halt their strike until February 12, 2018.

"The members agreed to suspend the strike to wait and scrutinize the proposed new salary structures," said Muyita.

The government on Monday announced a Cabinet decision for salary enhancement for all categories of public servants in the country to ensure equity and fairness.

Minister of public service Muruli Mukasa said all the health workers, scientists, judicial officers, lower level soldier cadres, police officers, prison officers, primary and secondary school teachers will benefit from the first batch of the salary enhancement starting next financial year, 2018/2019.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:45:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ROME, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Italy's Industry Ministry declared a state of emergency Tuesday after a deadly explosion at a gas plant in Austria interrupted the flow of gas from Russia to Italy.

At least one person was reported killed and dozens more were injured in the explosion and subsequent fire in a natural gas facility in Baumgarten an der March, near Austria's border with Slovakia, local and international media reported.

"This morning the flow of gas from Russia was interrupted in Austria due to a fire that broke out at the section of network managed by Gas Connect operator," the Italian Industry Ministry said in a statement.

"Consequently the operations of the gas pipeline that connects the Baumgarten junction to the entry at Tarvisio into the Italian national network have been suspended," the statement said.

"Based on European regulations and the National Emergency Plan, the ministry has declared a state of emergency."

The Trans Austria Gas (TAG) pipeline ending in the town of Tarvisio, in Italy's northern Friuli region, supplies about 30 percent of the Mediterranean country's gas, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

The Italian ministry added that the nation's needs will be covered by stockpiles for the duration of the emergency, so consumers will not be affected.

It is not clear what caused the explosion, but a technical malfunction is a possibility, sources at Gas Connect Austria told ANSA.

Italy imports most of its natural gas, with the TAG pipeline bringing in 107 million cubic meters a day. The rest of its supplies are brought in via the TRANSITGAS pipeline from northern Europe, the Trans Tunisian Pipeline Company, and the Greenstream pipeline from Libya. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) connecting Greece to Italy via Albania is under construction, according to the Industry Ministry.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:55:17|Editor: Yamei

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TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese character meaning "north" was selected as kanji, or Chinese character of the year that best summarizes the year's national mood in Japan, the country's Kanji Aptitude Testing Association announced in Kyoto on Tuesday, local media reported.

According to the Kyoto-based organization, the selection was based on votes cast by the general public. "North" won 7,104 of the 153,594 votes received in total this year.

The reasons for choosing "north" included concerns over the missile tests conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) within the year, and the deadly rain in northern part of the Kyushu main island this summer, according to the organization.

The kanji-of-the-year selection event has been held annually since 1995. Last year, the Chinese character "kin" meaning gold or money was selected as kanji of the year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:55:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Niuean counterpart Toke Talagi on Tuesday exchanged congratulatory messages on the 10th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In his message to Talagi, Premier Li said over the past 10 years since the establishment of China-Niue diplomatic relations, political trust between the two countries have been deepened continuously and bilateral pragmatic cooperation in such fields as economy, technology, cultural and people-to-people exchanges have been expanded constantly.

Li noted that China attaches great importance to developing its relations with Niue and is willing to work with the country to strengthen bilateral dialogues in all fields, exchanges and cooperations to push forward their strategic partnership based on mutual-respect and joint development.

In his congratulatory message to Li, Talagi said Niue and China ushered in the festive moment of the 10th anniversary of bilateral relations. China has made important contributions to the economic development of Niue.

Niue will continue to stick to the one-China policy and hope to forge stronger ties of cooperation with China, Talagi added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 22:55:18|Editor: Mengjie

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Zhang Yong, CEO of Alibaba, introduces its artificial intelligence (AI) ET Brain during the release ceremony for world leading Internet scientific and technological achievements in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 3, 2017. The Fourth World Internet Conference opened in Wuzhen on Sunday. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's transition from a country that follows the world's technological trends to one that sets them, is no longer a blueprint -- it's a reality.

After years focusing on innovation, China caught up fast. From artificial intelligence and genetic engineering, to mobile payments and bike-sharing, Chinese firms are pulling ahead of their rivals.

Jeremy Rifkin, an economic observer and author of the New York Times bestseller "The Third Industrial Revolution," said China was becoming a global leader in the new revolutionary tide.

RISING INNOVATION

Silicon Valley has long been considered the most viable option for starting a business in the tech sector. Now, this is beginning to change. Known as "sea turtles," a growing number of overseas-educated Chinese are returning to their home country, turning down opportunities in Silicon Valley to make a splash in China's emerging tech sector.

As the number of Chinese students at overseas universities surged to 544,500 in 2016, the number of sea turtles also surged, with 432,500 returning to China last year, nearly 60 percent more than 2012, according to the Ministry of Education.

The reverse brain drain has benefited China's tech companies, such as Royole, a company founded in 2012 by "sea turtle" Liu Zihong, a Stanford graduate.

After working at IBM in New York for three years, Liu moved to Shenzhen and decided to start his own business. The 34-year-old CEO said the early days were hard, but "thanks to the government's preferential policies, we could focus on research and development in the early stage and grow fast."

Two years after its founding, Royole rolled-out one of its core products -- the world's thinnest bendable screens that if used on an iPad, would allow it to be folded into the size of an iPhone.

The company has filed more than 1,500 patents, and its products have been sold to more than 20 countries and regions.

Valued at over three billion U.S. dollars, Royole has become one of the world's fastest-growing tech "unicorns," new tech companies valued at over one billion dollars.

Besides fueling emerging industries, innovation is also transforming traditional sectors, which are under double pressure from developed nations' re-industrialization strategies and the mushrooming of lower-cost manufacturers in emerging economies.

"To remain competitive, we have to stick to innovation," said Zou Lei, chairman of Dongfang Electric Corporation, a state-owned company that manufactures power generators.

Data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) showed last week that China dominated top economies in patent applications in 2016, with the number surpassing the combined applications of the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Europe.

"China is increasingly amongst the leaders in global innovation and branding," WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said.

VIBRANT ECO-SYSTEM FOR INNOVATION

Driven by both global ambition and domestic needs for new sources of growth, China has been trying to make itself a country of innovators and emerge at the world's high-tech forefront.

At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which charts the course for the country's future development, innovation has been labeled as the primary driving force behind development.

China has worked to create an eco-system for innovation, including talent, investment, policy support and market environment, that fuels a cycle of innovative activity.

"As the world's most populous nation, China has the demographic dividend for technological innovation," said Zhu Yanmei, chief human officer of the Shenzhen-based BGI, China's top gene-sequencing provider. "We can easily arrange an R&D team of more than 1,000 members in China, but it is not an easy task in other countries."

To raise the quality and quantity of its college graduates, China lifted the college enrollment ratio from less than 10 percent in the 1990s to 42.7 percent last year. This, together with measures to attract "sea turtles" and overseas talent, ensures innovative and entrepreneurial talent for the country's high-tech sectors.

Increasing R&D expenditure -- the total is second only to the United States, and government support, including financial services, subsidies and easier market access, are also advantages for China's innovators.

Riding a wave of government support, tech start-ups like Royole have mushroomed in China. The boom has attracted an influx of global venture capital, making China the world's second-largest private equity investment market.

Analysts say that China's improving infrastructure, including the world's largest high-speed rail network and a massive broadband network, has enhanced logistics and fostered innovation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:05:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JERUSALEM, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli court sentenced an Israeli extremist to four years in prison for the 2015 arson attack on the Church of Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish.

The Nazareth District Court sentenced Yinon Reuveni, a 22-year-old settler, also a 50,000-shekel (about 14,000 U.S. dollars) fine and additional two years on probation.

His lawyer, Itamar Ben Gvir, a prominent lawyer of ultra-nationalist activists, said he will appeal against the verdict.

On July 3, Reuveni was found guilty of burning and causing damage to the iconic Catholic church near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. He was convicted of arson under aggravated circumstances, vandalism driven by hostility towards a public, and conspiracy to commit a crime.

He was arrested about a month after the June 2015 arson. Another Israeli right-wing activist was arrested together with him but the court later acquitted the latter of all charges.

According to the Shin Bet, Reuveni is part of the so-called "hilltop youth," groups of extremists, nationalist youths from controversial Jewish outposts in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The Shin Bet said that Reuveni was arrested and investigated in the past over suspicion of committing attacks against Arabs and setting fire to Palestinians' property. He was banned from the West Bank for six months by an administrative restraining order, but no charges were pressed against him.

The Church of Multiplication marks the site where Christians believe that Jesus performed the miracle of feeding throngs with five loaves of bread and two fish.

Two people sustained light injuries due to the fire, which caused extensive damage to the building.

A Hebrew graffiti was spray-painted on a wall of the church. The graffiti was taken from a passage in the Jewish prayer book, calling to destroy worshippers of idols.

The arson of the church came amidst an escalating number of attacks on Christian sites in Israel. It triggered widespread condemnations as well as concerns for the safety of Christians worldwide.

According to Israeli rights watchdog Rabbis for Human Rights, there have been hundreds of hate crime attacks against holy sites since 2009, including cemeteries, mosques, churches, and monasteries, in Israel, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:10:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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XI'AN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong has called for Confucius institutes to tailor their teaching to local conditions and contribute to "building a community with a shared future for mankind."

Liu made the remarks at a conference on Confucius institutes Tuesday in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Nearly 2,500 delegates, including university presidents and representatives of Confucius institutes from more than 140 countries and regions, attended the annual event.

Liu said that Confucius institutes, under both Chinese and foreign efforts, have boosted friendship and cultural exchanges between China and other countries in the past 13 years, especially the last five years.

There are currently 525 Confucius institutes and 1,113 related courses in 146 countries and regions around the world. A total of 9.16 million students have attended Confucius institutes so far.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:25:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAPE TOWN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- An investigation has been launched by the government into the largest corporate scandal in South Africa's history, it was announced on Tuesday.

The investigation will be led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and its affiliated organization the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), DTI spokesperson Sidwell Medupe said.

The DTI and CIPC have noted with great concern allegations of governance failures and financial irregularities at South African retailer Steinhoff, which led to the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer Markus Jooste, Medupe said.

The DTI and CIPC will investigate allegations related to non-compliance with the Companies Act and Regulations, said Medupe.

He said the DTI will suggest that the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) also consider the circumstance with regard to the role of auditors in this instance.

Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. made headlines last week when its shares collapsed following the exposure of accounting irregularities.

The fallout, which started on Wednesday, has wiped off over 160 billion rand (about 11.7 billion U.S. dollars) of Steinhoff's market capitalization. Lenders and other creditors have billions of dollars exposed to the company, which has expanded aggressively around the world.

Steinhoff's meltdown has sparked fears of huge impact on pension funds and unit trusts which have invested heavily in the company.

The Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) could lose about 12.5 billion rand (about 919 million dollars) in investments due to the scandal, Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration disclosed.

Also on Tuesday, the GEPF said it has taken note of the current concerns regarding possible lapses in governance at Steinhoff.

The GEPF assured its members, pensioners and beneficiaries that their pensions are safe.

As at March 31, 2017, the GEPF, through the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), owned about 28 billion rand (205 million dollars) in Steinhoff, which is about 10 percent of the shares of the company but 1 percent of the total assets of the Fund, the agency said in a statement.

"The impact of significant movement in the share price on the GEPF is significant but manageable," said the statement.

The GEPF is monitoring the situation while awaiting further information from investigations by domestic and international regulators, and law enforcement agencies to decide on an appropriate course of action, the statement said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:30:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GABORONE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Botswana government on Tuesday issued a warning on the outbreak of Listeriosis, a food-borne disease, in neighbouring South Africa.

According to a media release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, there is an outbreak of the disease in their southern neighbour where 557 laboratory cases have been confirmed as well as 36 deaths reported since the beginning of the year.

The release said most cases and deaths were reported from Gauteng and the Western Cape. A ministry official confirmed that no case has been recorded in Botswana yet.

Listeriosis is a bacterial infection that primarily affects the elderly, the immune-compromised, pregnant women and new borns.

It is contracted by consumption of contaminated foods such as meat, dairy and milk products, fruits and vegetables.

The ministry said it will continue monitoring the situation and give regular update to the public.

Botswana shares a long border with South Africa and many locals travel to South Africa daily for shopping, leisure and visiting relatives.

The number of Botswanians travelling to South Africa usually increases significantly in December for festivities associated with the upcoming Christmas holidays.

Many Botswanians also work and live in South Africa.

Botswana also imports food products including fresh fruits and vegetables from South Africa.

Meanwhile South African media reported on Monday that the country's health department was still investigating the source of the outbreak.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:35:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LUSAKA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Workers at the Tanzania-Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) have resumed work after the Zambian government released money for their salary arrears, a union official said on Tuesday.

TAZARA workers went on strike last week to press for their two months' salary arrears, a move that paralyzed operations on the Zambian side while operations remain normal on the Tanzanian side.

Joachim Mulenga, Crews and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CRAWUZ) chairman for Kapiri Mposhi district in central Zambia, confirmed the workers' resumption of work, according to state-run news agency the Zambia National Information Service (ZANIS).

The workers' move to resume work follows the government's decision to disburse funds meant to settle outstanding salary arrears, he added.

According to him, the workers have since started getting their salaries.

Last Friday, Minister of Labor and Social Security Joyce Simukoko urged the workers to go back to work as their grievances had been attended to.

The TAZARA railway is jointly owned by the governments of Tanzania and Zambia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:40:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (2nd L, Front) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (2nd R) view a military parade in the Russian-run Hmeimim Air Base in the coastal city of Latakia, Syria, on Dec. 11, 2017. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Syria on Monday, the presidential media office reported. During Putin's visit, he ordered his defense minister to prepare for withdrawing the Russian forces, according to the report. (Xinhua/Syrian Presidency)

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's tour to the Middle East on Monday underscores the growing influence of Moscow in the volatile region amid the diminishing American capacity, said local analysts.

In less than 24 hours, the Russian leader visited war-torn Syria, and then had rapid discussions with his counterparts in Egypt and Turkey, two regional actors.

His excursion came as Muslim nations are lashing at the U.S. President Donald Trump's unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the latest in a series of decisions which have increasingly isolated the U.S. in the world's probably most vulnerable region.

During a short visit to a Russian air base in Syria, where he was greeted by President Bashar al-Assad, Putin said Russia's military had achieved its mission and would head home shortly.

In Egypt, Putin discussed several issues with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and confirmed that Russia has agreed to resume direct tourist flights to Egypt, which have been suspended since the bombing of a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula in 2015, a move that could bring back billions of U.S. dollars in revenue to Cairo.

On the economic cooperation, they confirmed the signing of a contract for Russia to build a 30-billion-dollar nuclear plant, the first of its kind in Egypt.

The two countries are also researching possibilities for the Russian air force to use Egyptian military bases, which would consolidate the growing influence of Moscow in a country as an historic U.S. ally.

EIGHTH PUTIN-ERDOGAN MEETING

The third and final stop of Putin's excursion was NATO member Turkey, where the focus was Syria, energy issues and the sale of the advanced Russian S-400 air missile defense system to Ankara.

At a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the deal, which is a major snub to the U.S. and NATO, will be soon finalized.

The two countries will "come together to conclude necessary work for S-400," said Erdogan, who was meeting Putin for the eighth time this year.

Experts believe Russia is filling the vacuum left by the U.S. "unwillingness" to address the complex Middle East issues for the past years, through forging pragmatic alliances in the region with players as Turkey and Egypt.

"The Syrian war and the reluctance of the U.S. to engage in the crisis have created a perfect opportunity for Russia, which has a historical ambition to reach the Mediterranean basin," Oytun Orhan, a Syrian analyst at the Ankara-based think thank Orsam, told Xinhua.

"The U.S. unwillingness to play a bigger role in this part of the world was used by the Russians to up their game by creating alliances with countries generally frustrated by this American strategy," Orhan said, referring to Turkey, Egypt and Iran.

"Russia managed to take advantage of a crisis to showcase her growing global influence on the political and military table," he said.

According to the Syrian analyst, since the Islamic State (IS) is defeated on the ground in Syria, Moscow is ready to play a diplomatic role in the political reshaping and reconstruction of Syria after nearly seven years of a deadly civil war.

In Syria, Putin reassured that Russian forces had defeated the threat from IS militants.

"In two years, the Russian armed forces, together with the Syrian army, have defeated the most combat-capable group of international terrorists," Putin said in a speech at the Hmeimim air base in Syria, where his country has and will have a permanent presence.

"A significant part of the Russian military contingent in the Syrian Arab Republic is returning home, to Russia," he added, without giving a precise figure and timetable.

RUSSIA AT FOREFRONT IN SYRIAN DIPLOMACY

The consolidation of Russian presence in the region "is the result of the strategy pursued by the U.S., and Russia took advantage of this situation," Togrul Ismayil from the Economics and Technology University (TOBB) of Ankara told Xinhua.

"The Jerusalem decisions is also a major opportunity for Russia to side by disgruntled Muslim states with which it is forming pragmatic alliances highlighting its influence in countries such as Egypt and Turkey, which were once staunch U.S. allies," the expert said.

Analysts, however, point out that Russia does not want to live again the "Afghanistan trauma" this time in Syria and will push belligerent parties for a viable peace once hostilities end on the ground.

"The credibility of Russia will be at stake on the diplomatic front so it needs to have the support of regional powers like Turkey to make future peace work," noted Oytun Orhan.

Negotiations are continuing in Geneva and Astana and the position of Russia will surely be a game changer for a brokered peace, according to experts.

Turkey has a 900 km border with Syria and has accepted some 3.3 million Syrian refugees fleeing the war. The Turkish president, who had pressed for the ousting of Assad, now no longer insists on his removal as a precondition of peace talks.

Turkey has sent groups in the Syria's Idlib to monitor de-escalation zones there. Erdogan said during his meeting with Putin that a second meeting should be held in Sochi with Iran and Russia this week, after a first meeting was organized in the Black Sea resort three weeks ago.

SYRIAN KURDS, SOURCE OF CONTENTION

But Russia and Turkey could eventually come at loggerheads on the future presence of the Syrian Kurds at the negociating table.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters who have battled IS in Syria control a significant stretch of land and their participation on the future of Syria is out of the question for Ankara who consider this militia as a "terrorist organization" because of its close links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"This is our red line, we cannot be at the same table at the same time with a terrorist organization," a source close to the Turkish government told Xinhua.

"We consider People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) as the Syrian branch of the PKK, which is a listed terrorist group by the United States and the European Union as well, so it is simply out of the questions that we make a concession on this," added this source on the condition of anonymity.

"In the short or medium term, the YPG issue can become a problem between Turkey and Russia," underlined Oytun Orhan, while Ankara is increasingly concerned that weapons delivered to the Syrian fighters by the U.S. could be transferred to rebels in Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told NTV news channel on Tuesday that his government has provided the Russian side a list of Syrian Kurdish opposition groups that Ankara would not object in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress initiative led by the Kremlin.

But he also repeated threats that Turkey would send combat troops into northern Syria if it felt its national security were at stake.

"YPG represents only a fraction of Kurds in Syria. There are other Kurdish groups there and also in Europe and we are in contact with all of them," said the minister.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:40:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Africans marched in the South African capital, Tshwane on Tuesday in protest over slave trade reported in Libya.

The march was organized by the African Diaspora Forum (ADF) which is an organization based in South Africa comprising of members from 35 African countries. It was attended by the civil society organizations, churches, trade unions and traditional leaders. Speaking to Xinhua on the side-lines of the march, Marc Gbaffou, African Diaspora Forum chairperson expressed shock over the slave trade.

"We were shocked to hear that in some parts of the continent some of the Africans are sold to other people. It's shocking that human beings have a price and they auctioned to big business. We did not know that some still practice in the 21 century. This brings bad memory of the old horrible slave trade. We want this not to happen again even to the next generations," said Gbaffou.

A memorandum was handed over to the South African presidency, Libyan embassy to South Africa, African Union, Pan-African Parliament, United Nations and European Union. Gbaffou said they want South Africa who is influential in the continent to help end slave trade in Libya and anywhere else.

He said, "We want the Libyan embassy to communicate with his country to immediately stop slave trade. We also want the AU to quickly conduct an investigation and ensure the perpetrators are arrested and jailed. We want AU to also discourage other countries from doing slave trade."

Gbaffou said Africans should immediately hold a meeting with Libya to solve the slave trade. Gbaffou said they want the EU to stop encouraging corrupt African leaders to sell other human beings. They called on the EU to enforce democracy and good governance.

He lamented that many people are dying in the Mediterranean Sea seeking greener pastures in Europe. Gbaffou said Africans are risking their lives to Europe with a hope for a better life.

Ngqabutho Mabhena, chairperson of Zimbabwe Community in South African echoed Gbaffou's word that they want slave trade to be stopped immediately.

He said, "We are marching to raise awareness to communities about the evil happening in Libya where people are sold into slavery. We are also seeking the international bodies like the AU and UN to intervene and end slavery."

We want African economies to be developed so that Africans will not go to Europe seeking greener pastures. Mabhena said Africa is endowed with natural resources to take care of its own people if managed well.

A South African traditional leader, Chief Bungani also criticized the slave trade. Addressing the gathering in Pretoria he called on traditional leadership to put pressure on governments to stop slave trade. He said, "This slave trade must come to an end. Africans have to unite and fight slavery."

Those marching "down with slavery down" and "we are not for sale". Some carried placards with different messages like "no to slavery."

South African Federation of Trade Unions general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi also called on African countries to unite to fight the slave trade. He said African leaders should address push factors which force Africans to risk their lives crossing into Europe and end up being enslaved.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:45:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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VIENNA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and 21 were injured, including one seriously, on Tuesday in an explosion at a gas station in Baumgarten an der March, some 50 km east of Vienna, the capital of Austria, official sources said.

Fire brigades and rescue teams are at the site, which has been largely closed to the public, a Xinhua correspondent said.

The blast occurred in the morning at a gas station of the international energy company OMV, not far from the border with Slovakia. It set off a fire which could be seen from the Vienna side. The victims are mostly employees working in the station.

Baumgarten an der March, a small subdivision of the municipality of Weiden an der March in Lower Austria, Austria, has only around 200 inhabitants.

The fire is almost is extinguished, and the explosion destroyed only part of the station and did not trigger a larger explosion in the whole gas station.

The state criminal investigation said a technical defect could be the cause of the tragedy. Terrorism could be ruled out from the accident.

According to the local media, the gas station is the largest import and takeover station for natural gas in Austria. Natural gas from Russia, Norway and other countries is taken over there, measured, tested and compressed for onward transport. Operator Gas Connect Austria assures that the national natural gas supply can be recovered for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Italy's Industry Ministry declared a state of emergency Tuesday after the deadly explosion at a gas plant in Austria interrupted the flow of gas from Russia to Italy.

The ministry added that the nation's needs will be covered by stockpiles for the duration of the emergency, so consumers will not be affected.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd-L) and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) meet with Russian air force pilots during their visit to the Russian air base in Hmeimim in the northwestern Syrian province of Latakia on December 11, 2017. (AFP PHOTO)

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's tour to the Middle East on Monday underscores the growing influence of Moscow in the volatile region amid the diminishing American capacity, said local analysts.

In less than 24 hours, the Russian leader visited war-torn Syria, and then had rapid discussions with his counterparts in Egypt and Turkey, two regional actors.

His excursion came as Muslim nations are lashing at the U.S. President Donald Trump's unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the latest in a series of decisions which have increasingly isolated the U.S. in the world's probably most vulnerable region.

During a short visit to a Russian air base in Syria, where he was greeted by President Bashar al-Assad, Putin said Russia's military had achieved its mission and would head home shortly.

In Egypt, Putin discussed several issues with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and confirmed that Russia has agreed to resume direct tourist flights to Egypt, which have been suspended since the bombing of a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula in 2015, a move that could bring back billions of U.S. dollars in revenue to Cairo.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (L) prepare to give a press conference following their talks at the presidential palace in the capital Cairo on December 11, 2017. (AFP PHOTO)

On the economic cooperation, they confirmed the signing of a contract for Russia to build a 30-billion-dollar nuclear plant, the first of its kind in Egypt.

The two countries are also researching possibilities for the Russian air force to use Egyptian military bases, which would consolidate the growing influence of Moscow in a country as an historic U.S. ally.

EIGHTH PUTIN-ERDOGAN MEETING

The third and final stop of Putin's excursion was NATO member Turkey, where the focus was Syria, energy issues and the sale of the advanced Russian S-400 air missile defense system to Ankara.

At a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the deal, which is a major snub to the U.S. and NATO, will be soon finalized.

The two countries will "come together to conclude necessary work for S-400," said Erdogan, who was meeting Putin for the eighth time this year.

Experts believe Russia is filling the vacuum left by the U.S. "unwillingness" to address the complex Middle East issues for the past years, through forging pragmatic alliances in the region with players as Turkey and Egypt.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shake hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin after their joint press conference at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on December 11, 2017. (AFP PHOTO)

"The Syrian war and the reluctance of the U.S. to engage in the crisis have created a perfect opportunity for Russia, which has a historical ambition to reach the Mediterranean basin," Oytun Orhan, a Syrian analyst at the Ankara-based think thank Orsam, told Xinhua.

"The U.S. unwillingness to play a bigger role in this part of the world was used by the Russians to up their game by creating alliances with countries generally frustrated by this American strategy," Orhan said, referring to Turkey, Egypt and Iran.

"Russia managed to take advantage of a crisis to showcase her growing global influence on the political and military table," he said.

According to the Syrian analyst, since the Islamic State (IS) is defeated on the ground in Syria, Moscow is ready to play a diplomatic role in the political reshaping and reconstruction of Syria after nearly seven years of a deadly civil war.

In Syria, Putin reassured that Russian forces had defeated the threat from IS militants.

"In two years, the Russian armed forces, together with the Syrian army, have defeated the most combat-capable group of international terrorists," Putin said in a speech at the Hmeimim air base in Syria, where his country has and will have a permanent presence.

"A significant part of the Russian military contingent in the Syrian Arab Republic is returning home, to Russia," he added, without giving a precise figure and timetable.

RUSSIA AT FOREFRONT IN SYRIAN DIPLOMACY

The consolidation of Russian presence in the region "is the result of the strategy pursued by the U.S., and Russia took advantage of this situation," Togrul Ismayil from the Economics and Technology University (TOBB) of Ankara told Xinhua.

"The Jerusalem decisions is also a major opportunity for Russia to side by disgruntled Muslim states with which it is forming pragmatic alliances highlighting its influence in countries such as Egypt and Turkey, which were once staunch U.S. allies," the expert said.

Analysts, however, point out that Russia does not want to live again the "Afghanistan trauma" this time in Syria and will push belligerent parties for a viable peace once hostilities end on the ground.

"The credibility of Russia will be at stake on the diplomatic front so it needs to have the support of regional powers like Turkey to make future peace work," noted Oytun Orhan.

Negotiations are continuing in Geneva and Astana and the position of Russia will surely be a game changer for a brokered peace, according to experts.

Turkey has a 900 km border with Syria and has accepted some 3.3 million Syrian refugees fleeing the war. The Turkish president, who had pressed for the ousting of Assad, now no longer insists on his removal as a precondition of peace talks.

Turkey has sent groups in the Syria's Idlib to monitor de-escalation zones there. Erdogan said during his meeting with Putin that a second meeting should be held in Sochi with Iran and Russia this week, after a first meeting was organized in the Black Sea resort three weeks ago.

SYRIAN KURDS, SOURCE OF CONTENTION

But Russia and Turkey could eventually come at loggerheads on the future presence of the Syrian Kurds at the negociating table.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters who have battled IS in Syria control a significant stretch of land and their participation on the future of Syria is out of the question for Ankara who consider this militia as a "terrorist organization" because of its close links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"This is our red line, we cannot be at the same table at the same time with a terrorist organization," a source close to the Turkish government told Xinhua.

"We consider People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) as the Syrian branch of the PKK, which is a listed terrorist group by the United States and the European Union as well, so it is simply out of the questions that we make a concession on this," added this source on the condition of anonymity.

"In the short or medium term, the YPG issue can become a problem between Turkey and Russia," underlined Oytun Orhan, while Ankara is increasingly concerned that weapons delivered to the Syrian fighters by the U.S. could be transferred to rebels in Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told NTV news channel on Tuesday that his government has provided the Russian side a list of Syrian Kurdish opposition groups that Ankara would not object in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress initiative led by the Kremlin.

But he also repeated threats that Turkey would send combat troops into northern Syria if it felt its national security were at stake.

"YPG represents only a fraction of Kurds in Syria. There are other Kurdish groups there and also in Europe and we are in contact with all of them," said the minister.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:50:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BRATISLAVA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Slovak gas transmission company on Tuesday adjusted its network regime to ensure a blast at the Baumgarten gas terminal in Austria, near the country's border with Slovakia, has no impact on the country.

Company spokesperson Pavol Kubik said: "We've postponed gas transportation in the direction towards Baumgarten for safety reasons."

According to Ondrej Sebesta of the Slovakian gas supplier Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel, this step has no impact on supply to Slovak customers.

"Gas supplies for industry and households continue smoothly, without any limitation," Sebesta said.

A massive blast at the Baumgarten gas terminal on Tuesday morning left one person dead, 21 others injured. Cars in a nearby car park were "melting and burning down" because of the immense heat, local media reported.

The explosion was also audible and visible on the Slovak side of the border. Dusan Dvoran, mayor of the village of Vysoka pri Morave in the Western Slovakia, said: "The explosion happened about 500 meters from us. The flames were as high as 100 meters," Dvoran said.

Austria's state criminal investigation said a technical defect could be the cause of the tragedy. Terrorism could be ruled out from the accident.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:55:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ROME, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Some 48 people were arrested on Tuesday in an anti-mafia operation against the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate based in the Calabria region, Italian authorities said.

Assets worth about 25 million euros (29.44 million U.S. dollars) were seized during the raid, which targeted a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta. Some 44 people were jailed, and another four put under house arrests, police said in a statement.

Suspects were charged with mafia association, extortion, fraudulent transfer of assets, and illegal possession of weapons.

The former mayor and a former councilor in Taurianova, a town near Reggio Calabria, were among those arrested.

The town had seen its municipality dissolved three times by the government on suspicion of mafia infiltration in 1991, 2009 and 2013 respectively.

According to prosecutors, former mayor Domenico Romeo played a role in favoring illegal activities of local clans.

The probe was launched in 2012, and helped reveal "how the local government in the town (under the former mayor) shaped its political and administrative activity in order to meet the interests and the requests of the 'Ndrangheta," investigators wrote in the statement.

The former mayor was charged with external mafia association, and the councilor of being an active member of the mafia group.

Assets sized included 22 companies operating in the financial, food, agriculture, and transport sectors, at least 65 plots of land, and 15 vehicles.

Material assets were worth about 11.8 million euros, while the overall value of the seizure reached 25 million euros, according to judicial authorities. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:55:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Three years after China opened channels to transfer water from the south to the parched north, they have given more than 100 million people clean water, authorities said Tuesday.

The first phase of the middle and east routes of the South-to-North Water Diversion project has transferred nearly 13 billion cubic meters of water, according to the South-to-North Water Diversion Office.

"The project has met its goal of meeting residents' water demands, rehabilitated and improved the ecological environment, and tackled drought and floods, the office said, as the project marked its third anniversary.

Geng Liucheng, a senior official with the office, told a press conference that the east and central routes of the project, which cover Beijing and Tianjin and 33 cities in north China, provide adequate and reliable water sources for the region.

"Thanks to the project, the ecological environment along the routes has got significantly better," he said.

The water diversion project, the world's largest and with an estimated cost of 500 billion yuan (about 75.6 billion U.S. dollars), was designed to take water from China's longest river, the Yangtze, through eastern, middle and western routes to feed dry areas in the north.

The middle route is most attention-grabbing of the three due to its role of bringing water to the Chinese capital, and it started supplying water on Dec. 12, 2014. It begins at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province and runs across Henan and Hebei provinces before reaching Beijing and Tianjin.

The first phase of the eastern route started operation in November 2013, transporting water to Shandong Province. The west route has not yet opened.

Geng said the project now supplies 70 percent of water consumed in Beijing, a city plagued by perennial water shortages. The project has seen the city's per capita water resources increase from 100 cubic meters to 150 cubic meters.

Water hardness, a main gauge of water quality, has declined from 380 milligrams to less than 130 milligrams per liter, according to the Beijing Water Group.

Previously the city's water supply came mainly from groundwater. The project has reduced the exploitation of groundwater by over 800 million cubic meters, Geng said.

Supplying the affected regions with abundant water, the project could increase industrial and agricultural output by nearly 100 billion yuan.

There have been fears about the unfavorable impact of the project on the environment in water source areas of the middle route, which are important grain production and industrial bases.

The loss of water could reduce the environmental capacity of the lower and middle reaches, weaken self-cleaning ability and increase difficulties in water pollution control.

To tackle the impact of the middle diversion route, Hubei Province has constructed a canal to transfer water from the Yangtze to the lower section of the Hanjiang and Xinglong dam to ensure irrigation, shipping and water supplies to cities.

From 2014 to 2020, the municipal government of Beijing will earmark 250 million yuan annually for Hubei and Henan to help the ecological economy, upgrade industry and improve waste treatment.

The project was conceived by late Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1952. The State Council approved the project in December 2002 after nearly half a century of debate.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 23:55:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BRUSSELS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- NATO said Tuesday it was extending the mandate of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for two more years, until Sept. 30, 2020, a statement from the organization read.

Stoltenberg, the former prime minister of Norway, was appointed as NATO chief in 2014.

The extension of Stoltenberg's term was agreed by all allies, according to the North Atlantic Council, the principal political decision-making body of NATO.

The statement said, "Allies congratulate the Secretary General and have full confidence in his ability to continue his dedicated work to advance NATO's adaptation to the security challenges of the 21st century."
| 2017-12-13 00:06:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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HELSINKI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Russian owners of Helsinki Archtech Shipyard are trying to sell over half of its ownership to western buyers, media reported on Tuesday.

Finnish business daily Kauppalehti quoted Eveany Zagorodniy, director of Russian United Shipbuilding (USC), as saying that the production of cruise liners required western financing and a Russian-owned shipyard was currently excluded from this due to ongoing sanctions.

Helsinki Shipyard is a subsidiary of USC. In recent years, it has been producing specialized ships and ships with icebreaking capability.

But Zagorodniy told Kauppalehti that one of the main goals was for the Helsinki yard to win orders for cruise liners. He added that guarantees from the Finnish governmental special credit institution Finnvera would have a great importance.

Kauppalehti noted that USC had not produced cruise liners at its other yards, and thus a success in Helsinki would bring merit to the company. In Europe there is currently a shortage in cruise liner construction and Helsinki Shipyard wants to enter the market.

Zagorodniy said USC hopes Finnish industrial partners would join in. "But for the time being it has not worked out. We have carried talks with the Finnish government and also otherwise at a high level," he said.

Kauppalehti also quoted several sources saying there was interest from China in the Helsinki Shipyard. Zagorodniy did not comment on the possible sale to the Chinese, however.

Finland is well known as a builder of major cruise liners, but in recent decades they have all been built in Turku, now owned by German company Meyer Werft.

Helsinki Shipyard has been fully Russian-owned since 2014, when the South Korean-owned STX Finland pulled out. STX had purchased it from the Norwegian company Aker in 2008.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 00:10:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Marian Draganov

SOFIA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Initiative inspired Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), a leading Chinese publishing house, to participate in Sofia International Book Fair.

Zou Xiaobai, FLTRP's deputy director Multi-language Publishing and deputy general manager Language Service Center, told Xinhua that they were the first Chinese publishing house to participate in the fair.

"We came here to get Bulgarian readers to know us, and we want to know more about Bulgarian readers, publishers, bookshops, markets. The more, the better," said Zou, whose employer is the largest foreign languages publisher and university press in China, ranking third in sales turnover among all the publishing houses in China.

FLTRP is not an absolute newcomer on the Bulgarian book market. In 2016, FLTRP started cooperation with Bulgarian publishing house Iztok-Zapad (East-West). This March, the Chinese publisher established its editorial department in Sofia, FLTRP`s first overseas branch among all Belt and Road countries.

"We will introduce Bulgarian literature works into China, and hopefully we can see more of Chinese literature works on the Bulgarian market," Zou said.

"We started our cooperation with Iztok-Zapad under the Belt and Road Initiative," Zou said. "Without this initiative, we could not have imagined to make this trip to Bulgaria," she added.

The two publishing houses have jointly published several Chinese books in Bulgarian such as "Insights into Chinese Culture" and "Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture".

"Bulgarian readers are hungry for Chinese books," Luben Kozarev, Iztok-Zapad's founder and president, told Xinhua.

In its 15 years, Iztok-Zapad has published some 50 books related to China, of which more than 30 have been written by Chinese authors, such as the Bulgarian version of Chinese President Xi Jinping's book "The Chinese Dream of the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation".

The 45th edition of the six-day exhibition, which kicked off in the National Palace of Culture on Tuesday, gathered more than 150 publishers from Bulgaria, China, Italy, Iran, Romania and Turkey.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 00:15:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LONDON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The effects of overfishing and climate change are pushing many seabirds closer to extinction, according to the latest data released on Tuesday by BirdLife International.

The data by the global partnership of conservation organizations was updated for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Seabirds such as the Black-legged Kittiwake and Cape Gannet are in danger of extinction if the situation continues to worsen, the data show.

However, there is also hope, with Dalmatian Pelicans in Europe recovering thanks to artificial nesting rafts and disturbance prevention. In New Zealand, where two species of kiwi are now less threatened due to dedicated control of predators, egg rearing, and community work.

Meanwhile, many birds nesting on land are also struggling.

It is getting harder and harder for the Snowy Owl to find food in the North American Arctic. Yellow-breasted Bunting could soon go extinct if illegal trapping is not halted, according to BirdLife.

The Kea is also threatened by predation from introduced mammals. Tourists in New Zealand are feeding junk food to the inquisitive parrots, which is a factor preventing successful conservation.

"Birds are well studied and great indicators of the health of the wider environment," said Ian Burfield, global science coordinator of BirdLife International. "A species at higher risk of extinction is a worrying alarm call that action needs to be taken now."

Thankfully, success in kiwi and pelican conservation shows that, when well resourced and supported, "conservation efforts really do pay off," Burfield added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 00:30:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KIGALI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa on Tuesday called on African economies to create opportunities for their ever-growing youth population in order to address the issue of young people leaving the continent for Europe and other continents for jobs.

He was speaking at an international conference organized by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the country's ruling party, as part of the activities marking its 30th anniversary.

The conference, held at the party headquarters in Rwandan capital city Kigali, is under the theme: "Liberation and transformation: Realizing a dignified and prosperous Africa."

It brought together about 1,000 delegates from Rwanda and beyond, including global scholars, leaders and economic experts.

"The reason as to why young people are leaving Africa for Europe and other continents, and some have been sold into slavery, is because lack of economic opportunities in their respective countries in Africa," said Mkapa.

"Africa stands to benefit from its critical human resources, the youth, who must be nurtured to enable their meaningful participation in national development efforts," he said.

Mkapa said one of the greatest challenges on the continent is the lack of employment opportunities and inadequate government support for the youth.

According to the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa, 18 million jobs will need to be created each year until 2035 on the continent to absorb the growing labor force.

African youth need to be bolstered by robust national policies and innovative solutions to the challenges they face, said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer.

"African governments should have strategies that aim at increasing the level of social, economic, cultural and political participation of youth," Frazer said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 00:35:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JUBA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan national police service (SSNPS) has intensified security operations across the conflict-torn country ahead of the festive season.

James Dak Carol, deputy spokesperson of police, told Xinhua on Tuesday that the security forces have been deployed to various strategic areas in the country.

"Security has been beefed up in the capital, major towns and other locations across the country as precautionary plans to boost safety of all the residents in the country," Dak said.

"For the capital Juba to be safe, we have done adequate preparations by dividing Juba into five zones with huge deployment of forces for us to make sure citizens celebrate Christmas and New Year peacefully," Dak said.

The deputy police spokesman said the operation will be a joint security venture and the general public need to remain vigilant during the coming days as crimes are usually high during festive season.
Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2016 shows the scene of state memorial ceremony for China's National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims at the memorial hall for the massacre victims in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

by Xinhua writers Zhu Dongyang, Guo Yina

BOSTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- With 2017 marking the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, the haunting memories of Japan's war of aggression against China during World War II (WWII) have never left Zheng Hong.

Zheng, who now leads a quiet life as a professor of applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, has recently published his novel "Nanjing Never Cries" after a decade of hard work.

HAUNTING MEMORIES

Roughly two months after Zheng was born in 1937, the Japanese Imperial Forces shot at Chinese troops at the Lugou Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing, shelling their way into China's territory. No one could have imagined the hell that the next eight years would bring.

The reason why Zheng became a novelist is largely to process his childhood memories of the aftermath of the Japanese aggression.

Of course, preserving his memories for posterity was another motivation for him.

Zheng had spent his childhood mostly running for shelter amid the frequent air raids by Japanese bombers, which, he recalled, had always sparked dust, smoke and squeals.

"When everything turned quiet outside, I would climb out of wherever I was hiding, just to see my parents and other grown-ups moving away the new corpses in the street and everywhere," he said.

"The cloths covering the unfortunate were visibly shattered like the bodies themselves. Their blood kept dripping, making an arc in the air that reminds me of the shells dropping out of the Japanese bombers before they hit the ground," Zheng recalled.

EYE WITNESS TO HISTORY

Against the backdrop of the city of Nanjing during the time of the Japanese aggression (1931-1945), "Nanjing Never Cries" tells the story of four young people caught up in the tumult of those years.

When the Japanese invade, there is no safe place in the city. The Japanese murder, torture and rape indiscriminately. Each one of the characters tries to survive against all odds.

The combo photo shows life of Gu Xiulan, a survivor of Nanjing Massacre. (Xinhua/Han Yuqing, Li Xiang and Ji Chunpeng)

Gripping and disturbing, the book offers a compelling story of the horrors of war and the power of love and forgiveness, and was well received after being published in both English and Chinese in 2016.P Zheng has witnessed the difficulties of Japan's atrocious war against China "first hand," according to a press release by Killian Press, the publisher of the 39-chapter novel.

The book "excels in dramatic and panoramic moments, like the chaotic evacuation of Nanjing after the attack," according to Kirkus Reviews. "The whole book effectively puts a human face on one of WWII's noteworthy tragedies. A well-researched and capably written depiction of the Rape of Nanjing and its effects on victims and survivors."

As an advocate for the voices of whom he feels have been ignored by history books, Zheng was irritated and frustrated by a symposium on Hiroshima at MIT on April 13, 1995.

Four panelists, three Americans and one Japanese, discussed U.S. guilt over the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, yet with zero mention of Japan's violence in China and other Asian nations.

Zheng was prompted to ask whether the Japanese might feel any remorse about their actions, but was given a less than satisfactory answer from a U.S. scholar.

The Japanese speaker later approached Zheng and asked him to sign a petition urging the Japanese government to apologize to China. "But he did not say any bit of that on the podium," he said.

It was during moments like these that Zheng considered writing the novel. He traveled to China and talked with two survivors of the Nanjing Massacre committed by the Japanese Imperial Forces. His research and interviews were incorporated into the story.

"WE OWE HISTORY TO PRESERVE MEMORY"

In the eyes of Alan L. Chase, a reader that gave the book a five-star review on Amazon, Zheng "shines a light on the dark matter of the Sino-Japanese War."

"This is a slice of history about which I knew little. This story served to make me aware of the depth of the animus that still simmers beneath the surface of Chinese and Japanese relationships," he wrote. "I am thankful that Professor Zheng has drilled deeply into his memory of that painful period to tell a story that needs to be read and understood as a cautionary tale."

The combo photo shows daily life of Xue Yujuan, a survivor of Nanjing Massacre. (Xinhua/Han Yuqing, Li Xiang and Ji Chunpeng)

Peter Kempthorne, also an MIT professor, called the book penned by his colleague "very important."

"I was very surprised to learn details of the relationship between Japan and China during WWII. When I talked with friends in China they often have very strong feelings about Japan. And I did not understand the source of these feelings until I read the book," he said.

"Yet the book does offer hope for the future and the ability of different peoples to get along and forge new relationships. It is perhaps one of the most powerful stories I have ever heard," he added.

Speaking of Tokyo's rampant attempt to glorify its war atrocities, Kempthorne said he does not believe such war crimes could be "whitewashed."@ "They definitely should not be whitewashed and they should be investigated. I don't have personal evidence but I know there are people who do have. I do think it's very relevant and important for the Chinese people to share their stories of what happened and to inform others," said Kempthorne.

"I think one has a much better future if you are able to provide the historical record of exactly what happened, accept the historical past and respect those facts and move forward from them," he said.

For Zheng himself, the violence Japan imposed on China is no less than "ethnic cleansing."

"I want to preserve this piece of history for the younger generation. My generation is dying," he said. "We owe it to history to preserve this memory."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 00:45:53|Editor: Lifang

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Japanese people attend a testimony meeting in Shizuoka city, central Japan, on Dec. 12, 2017. Some 200 Japanese people attended a testimony meeting on Tuesday in Shizuoka city in commemoration of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. (Xinhua/Ma Ping)

SHIZUOKA, Japan, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Some 200 Japanese people attended a testimony meeting on Tuesday in Shizuoka city, central Japan, in commemoration of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre.

Lu Ling, daughter of a Nanjing Massacre survivor who passed away in 2004, shared her mother's story with Japanese residents at the meeting.

Lu's mother Li Xiuying, born in 1919, was stabbed 37 times by Japanese soldiers and lost her baby in the massacre.

"The massacre imposed tremendous sufferings to my family, the people in Nanjing and the Chinese people," said Lu.

"The truth about the Nanjing Massacre and the crimes committed by the invading Japanese troops are undeniable," she said.

She added that her mother used to call upon people to cherish peace and never forget the history, and she would like to pass on those messages on behalf of her mother.

"The atrocities committed by the Japanese troops at that time were so cruel and unforgivable," said Sakurai, a local resident, after watching a documentary about the massacre and hearing Lu's testimony.

She said she felt sorry that the Japanese government has been trying to cover up that part of history and deliver wrong messages to the people.

Masataka Mori, a former professor of irenology at Shizuoka University, said that Japan's ultra-rightist forces had been trying to erase the Nanjing Massacre history.

"Nowadays, more and more young people know nothing about that part of history, which is rather alarming," he said.

"On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Nanjing Massacre, it is hoped that more people could know about and pass on the truth about Nanjing Massacre," he added.

The invading Japanese military brutally killed over 300,000 Chinese citizens and unarmed soldiers following the capture of Nanjing in 1937.

Japan, however, has been trying to downplay its atrocities by claiming that the number of killed was not as many as 300,000.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 01:00:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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VIENNA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and 21 others were injured, including one seriously, on Tuesday in an explosion at a gas station, some 50 km east of Vienna, the capital of Austria.

The blast also prompted Italy to announce a state of emergency as the flow of gas from Russia to Italy was interrupted.

Fire brigades and rescue teams are at the scene, which has been largely closed to the public.

The blast occurred in the morning at a gas station of the international energy company OMV, not far from the border with Slovakia. It set off a fire which could be seen from the Vienna side. The victims are mostly employees working in the station.

Baumgarten an der March, where the gas station situated, is a small subdivision of the municipality of Weiden an der March in Lower Austria, Austria. It has only around 200 inhabitants.

The fire is almost extinguished, and the explosion destroyed only part of the station and did not trigger a larger explosion in the whole gas station.

The state criminal investigation said a technical defect could be the cause of the tragedy. Terrorism could be ruled out from the accident. But the cause of the accident is still under investigation, while the damage assessment is to be carried out soon.

According to the local media, the gas station is the largest import and takeover station for natural gas in Austria. Natural gas from Russia, Norway and other countries is taken over there, measured, tested and compressed for onward transport. Operator Gas Connect Austria assures that the national natural gas supply can be recovered for the foreseeable future.

Gas Connect Austria, the operator of the site, said the hub had been shut down, but the supply would recover as soon as possible.

The company said its deliveries to Austria's southeastern borders were affected by the explosion. Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia and Italy are recipients of the pipeline gas.

The halt of the supply after the blast made Italy, which is highly dependent on gas supply to announce a state of emergency on Tuesday.

Gas Connect Austria said the supplies would resume as soon as possible.
<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Africans marched in the South African capital, Tshwane on Tuesday in protest over slave trade reported in Libya.</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> The march was organized by the African Diaspora Forum (ADF) which is an organization based in South Africa comprising of members from 35 African countries. It was attended by the civil society organizations, churches, trade unions and traditional leaders. Speaking to Xinhua on the side-lines of the march, Marc Gbaffou, African Diaspora Forum chairperson expressed shock over the slave trade.</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> "We were shocked to hear that in some parts of the continent some of the Africans are sold to other people. It's shocking that human beings have a price and they auctioned to big business. We did not know that some still practice in the 21 century. This brings bad memory of the old horrible slave trade. We want this not to happen again even to the next generations," said Gbaffou.</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> A memorandum was handed over to the South African presidency, Libyan embassy to South Africa, African Union, Pan-African Parliament, United Nations and European Union. Gbaffou said they want South Africa who is influential in the continent to help end slave trade in Libya and anywhere else.</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> He said, "We want the Libyan embassy to communicate with his country to immediately stop slave trade. We also want the AU to quickly conduct an investigation and ensure the perpetrators are arrested and jailed. We want AU to also discourage other countries from doing slave trade."</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> Gbaffou said Africans should immediately hold a meeting with Libya to solve the slave trade. Gbaffou said they want the EU to stop encouraging corrupt African leaders to sell other human beings. They called on the EU to enforce democracy and good governance. </p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> He lamented that many people are dying in the Mediterranean Sea seeking greener pastures in Europe. Gbaffou said Africans are risking their lives to Europe with a hope for a better life.</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> Ngqabutho Mabhena, chairperson of Zimbabwe Community in South African echoed Gbaffou's word that they want slave trade to be stopped immediately. </p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> He said, "We are marching to raise awareness to communities about the evil happening in Libya where people are sold into slavery. We are also seeking the international bodies like the AU and UN to intervene and end slavery."</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> We want African economies to be developed so that Africans will not go to Europe seeking greener pastures. Mabhena said Africa is endowed with natural resources to take care of its own people if managed well.</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> A South African traditional leader, Chief Bungani also criticized the slave trade. Addressing the gathering in Pretoria he called on traditional leadership to put pressure on governments to stop slave trade. He said, "This slave trade must come to an end. Africans have to unite and fight slavery." </p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> Those marching "down with slavery down" and "we are not for sale". Some carried placards with different messages like "no to slavery."</p>

<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 20px;"> South African Federation of Trade Unions general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi also called on African countries to unite to fight the slave trade. He said African leaders should address push factors which force Africans to risk their lives crossing into Europe and end up being enslaved. Enditem</p>
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 01:26:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LISBON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government has officially nominated Antonio Vitorino as the next director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Portugal's foreign affairs ministry announced on Tuesday.

The ministry launched his candidacy by citing Portugal's commitment to the field and hailing Vitorino's "deep knowledge of the problems of migration."

The IOM, a related organization of the United Nations (UN), serves and advises governments on migration issues, including displaced persons and refugees.

The current director general of the IOM is U.S. diplomat William Lacy Swing. He is entering the final six months of his second 5-year term.

Vitorino is a former European Commissioner for justice and home affairs.

He is also a former deputy prime minister of Portugal, having served under Antonio Guterres, now the secretary general of the UN.

Vitorino currently sits on the advisory boards of the International Migration Initiative and the Transatlantic Council on Migration.

IOM elections will be held in June 2018.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 01:41:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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PARIS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's practice in recent years shows that establishing long-term, effective and ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can attract more capital and technology from all sectors to engage in developing a green economy, Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change, said here on Tuesday.

Xie made the remarks while addressing a forum on leveraging public funds to combat climate change, part of activities at the One Planet Summit co-organized by France, the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank.

He reminded the attendees that China unveiled such ambitious goals to cut emissions in 2009 and 2015, respectively, in its intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), an action plan submitted to the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In the 2015 plan, China aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 60 percent to 65 percent from the 2005 level by 2030.

To reach the INDCs, it will require a total investment of 41 trillion yuan (6.2 trillion U.S. dollars) based on 2010 prices, and create 69 million jobs, which signals a clear direction for the flows of capital and technology from all sectors, according to Xie.

The envoy underlined that to realize the goals, governments must launch corresponding public policies in pricing, taxation and finance to facilitate the low-carbon development.

He gave the example of the Chinese government's investment of 1 billion U.S. dollars in improving energy efficiency in 2016, which was able to convince both the public and the private sectors to invest a large sum of money into the field.

Speaking of China's efforts to promote south-south cooperation with government funds, Xie noted that China had provided training for more than 1,600 professionals from over 120 developing countries, to help them enhance the capability of adapting to climate change and raising funds for relevant projects.

In addition, China is now working to implement the project to establish ten low-carbon demonstration zones and 100 climate adaptation and relief projects in developing countries, he added.

The theme of Tuesday's summit is "public and private finance in support of climate action," which brought together high-ranking officials from some 50 countries and nearly 4,000 representatives from non-government actors including international organizations, enterprises and research institutions.

Macron announced the plan to host the summit on Aug. 28, about three months after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a landmark climate deal reached at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 01:46:08|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 400,000 children under the age of five in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and could die in 2018 if no one intervenes, UNICEF warned on Tuesday.

The dire situation has largely been caused by violence in the Kasai region in the country's southern and central regions over the past 18 months, resulting in mass displacement and reduced agricultural production.

Though the security situation has stabilized in parts of the region, humanitarian conditions remain critical as more than 750,000 children there are acutely malnourished, and 25 health zones in the Kasai region are now in a situation of nutritional crisis with emergency thresholds on nutrition exceeded, according to UNICEF.

"This nutrition crisis and food insecurity in the Kasai region follows the displacement of thousands of families who have been living for months in very harsh conditions," said UNICEF acting representative in the DRC Tajudeen Oyewale. "The true scale of the problem is becoming clear as people are returning home in some areas where the security situation has improved and health services have started functioning again."

The fighting began in the Kasai region in August 2016 between the Kamuina Nsapu militia and the government forces. The situation deteriorated significantly during 2016 following a conflict over chieftaincy between the central government of Kinshasa and supporters of the traditional leadership system. The UN Human Rights Office suggested that some of the violations and abuses committed in the area may have amounted to crimes under international law.

The violence and displacement of 1.4 million people in the Kasai region has so far led to food shortages, with two-thirds of households unable to work their land to grow crops. Severe food insecurity is now affecting large parts of the region, and conditions are not expected to improve before June 2018, UNICEF said.

Health facilities have also been devastated, making it more difficult to provide treatment and care for severely malnourished children.

"Guaranteeing access to basic health and nutrition services to returning populations is essential to help malnourished children survive and thrive," said Oyewale.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 01:51:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NICOSIA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Cypriot 2018 state budget hangs in the balance as parliamentary parties focus on the upcoming presidential elections in January, parliamentary sources said on Tuesday.

At least two opposition parties, left wing AKEL with 16 seats, and extreme right ELAM party with two seats in the 56-seat parliament gave notice during the debate on the budget that they would vote it down.

Right-wing governing DISY party commands 18 votes, enough to counter the vote of the two parties which will vote against.

Deputies will vote on Wednesday night at the end of the three-day debate, with the balance held by the nine votes of center opposition DIKO party, and 11 votes divided among four other parties.

DIKO voted with the government in previous budget votes, but this time its leader, Nicolas Papadopoulos, is widely expected to be the main opponent of outgoing President Nicos Anastasiades who seeks a second five-year term.

Papadopoulos, the son of former president Tassos Papadopoulos, is currently engaged in an aggressive electoral campaign against Anastasiades.

DISY leader Averof Neophytou appealed to DIKO on Tuesday to show consistency and responsibility by supporting the budget.

But analysts said that as things stand now the scales could be tipped either way.

Throwing out the budget will not affect the stability of the government in its last three months in office, as it does not need parliamentary approval under Cyprus' presidential system.

However, the eastern Mediterranean island's economy will receive a shock as it counts on stability to continue its recovery from a crisis that led it close to a melt-down.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 02:31:22|Editor: Yang Yi

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People lay a wreath to mourn the victims of Nanjing Massacre during a memorial in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Dec. 12, 2017. Some 200 Chinese people and students living in the Netherlands attended a memorial of Nanjing Massacre, held one day ahead of China's "National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims." (Xinhua/Rick Nederstigt)

THE HAGUE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing Massacre, a 40-odd-day slaughter in 1937 during which the Japanese army brutally murdered about 300,000 civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers, was mourned Tuesday at Niewspoort in The Hague.

Some 200 Chinese people and students living in the Netherlands attended the memorial, held one day ahead of China's "National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims".

"We hold a memorial ceremony in The Netherlands not only to mourn the victims, but also to tell the truth of the history. No attempt to deny history will ever be accepted," said Zhong Linchang, head of the association of Cantonese Business in The Netherlands.

Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, on Dec. 13, 1937 and started the massacre. In February 2014, China designated December 13 as a National Memorial Day to mourn Nanjing Massacre victims and all those killed by Japanese invaders, and to reveal war crimes committed by the Japanese.

The move was also aimed at remembering the deep calamities the war caused for the Chinese people and people around the world, conveying the Chinese people's firm stance of resisting aggression and safeguarding human dignity and world peace.

Henk Kool, president of Friendship Society Netherlands-China (VNC in Dutch), urged Japanese who denies the truth to look into the facts. In his speech, he listed numerous proofs of the calamities of Nanjing Massacre.

"If you want to be forgiven, you must first recognize and remember," he told Xinhua.

Jaap Post, former president of VNC, compared Germany's attitude towards its World War II history to that of Japan.

"Germany has recognized the history in a good way. What Japan has done in China is also important to the world history," he told Xinhua. "It is always hard to recognize the crimes, but to build peace for the future, you must look into the history and face the truth."

China will hold an annual memorial for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre on Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 02:36:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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VILNIUS, Dec.12 (Xinhua) -- The Lithuanian parliament passed on Tuesday the law of state budget for 2018 which increases defense spending to 2 percent of GDP for the first time in the Baltic state's history.

Lithuania's government currently working as a minority one managed to gather more than half of the parliament's support in a final vote for the state budget. A total of 84 MPs voted in favor of the budget, 29 against, 15 abstained.

Next year, Lithuania's state budget will amount to almost 9.6 billion euros and will remain with deficit of around 0.5 billion euros.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said the budget reflects the cabinet's main policy priorities, naming "reduction of wealth inequality, attention to social security, promotion of investment and entrepreneurship and increase in defense spending".

Next year, Lithuania's defense spending will amount to 873 million euros, 20.6 percent more compared to this year's defense budget.

"It is the first time in history Lithuania would meet its commitments to NATO allocating 2 percent of GDP to national defense," the Lithuanian Finance Ministry noted in a statement.

The state budget sparked tensions between the prime minister and the country's president Dalia Grybauskaite.

Before the final vote, Grybauskaite criticized that during the first year in office the government led by Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS) lacked strategic direction while promised reforms were replaced with "minor changes".

"The first year of LVZS's rule were marked with uncertainty, fading people's expectations and scattered support," Grybauskaite said in an interview to daily newspaper Lietuvos zinios.

Skvernelis reacted that reforms are to be implemented in three years and should be evaluated only afterwards. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 02:46:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SKOPJE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The climate for resolving the name issue between Macedonia and Greece has definitely improved, a sign that the name row can be resolved next year, the Macedonian Information Agency (MIA) cited United Nations (UN) mediator Matthew Nimetz as saying Tuesday in Brussels.

However, Nimetz stated that he did not put forward a new proposal at Tuesday's talks which was held following a three-year break.

"The solution will be found with political will and good diplomacy," Nimetz said at a press conference after the talks he had with Macedonian and Greek negotiators, Vasko Naumovski and Adamantios Vassilakis.

Macedonia is the name of a northern province in Greece and Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.

According to Nimetz, only good cooperation and political will can lead to a solution, adding that after so many years, no new magical name could appear from nowhere and solve the issue.

Nimetz further said the talks between two countries' representatives would be intensified in January, February and March.

He admitted there were difficult issues for both sides, but voiced confidence they would be resolved in the next months, considering Tuesday's meeting was held in a positive atmosphere.

MIA also cited Nimetz as saying that the countries' respective governments should put resolving the name issue high on their agendas and continue to work on improving mutual relations.

Meanwhile, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told reporters here Tuesday that he hoped the mutual wish of both sides to reach a solution would be confirmed under Nimetz's mediation.

Asked by local media whether there was a new name on the table, Zaev said they had not yet reached that stage.
File Photo: Miroslav Lajcak, president of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly, delivers closing remarks on the last day of the General Debate of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

by Xinhua writer Ma Jianguo

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- President of the 72nd Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak said here Monday he welcomed the fact that China is now playing a leading role in the multilateral system and global affairs.

Lajcak said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua that China has already occupied a significant position as one of the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council and has emerged as one of the main contributors to the UN budget and financing for development.

China's commitment to establish a ten-year-long, 1-billion-U.S.-dollar China-UN peace and development fund is particularly helpful, Lajcak said.

"I am also heartened by China's pledge to join the new UN Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS) and take the lead in setting up a permanent peacekeeping police squad and building a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops," he said.

The UN PCRS aims to liaise between UN headquarters and its member states to ensure "readiness and timely deployment of quality peacekeeping capabilities," said the system's overview.

Lajcak, who released a "Roadmap for Sustaining Peace" last month, said the purpose of the roadmap is to focus efforts and build momentum ahead of the high-level meeting on peace-building and sustaining peace.

The concept of sustaining peace is groundbreaking as it redefines the UN's approach to peace by adopting a long-term perspective and focuses on conflict prevention, he said.

He also said that the notion of sustaining peace stems from a growing understanding that the UN efforts should go beyond addressing the immediate needs of conflict-affected countries, he said, adding that to make peace last, each country like China should have its role to play.

China's involvement in the adoption of the universal and transformational 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was key, he said, praising China's job in establishing an assistance fund for South-South cooperation in support of developing countries' efforts to implement the agenda.

China was among the first countries to ratify the Paris Agreement and pledged 3.1 billion dollars to the South-South Cooperation Fund on Climate Change, which was an important move for developing countries.

Lajcak said that although multilateralism is being challenged, it remains the best approach to confront shared challenges and achieve joint success. In this modern era, countries cannot face challenges alone, he said.

"The United Nations should serve as a forum to address our common challenges. And it must also be a space to generate solutions for mutual benefit. This is the very essence of what the United Nations is about. We must position the multilateral system to better serve our people and deliver on their aspirations," Lajcak said.

People are not involved in the negotiation of resolutions, nor do they take the floor at high-level events, so it is one of the tasks of the General Assembly to make sure that their voices can still be heard, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 02:56:28|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BUDAPEST, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian parliament adopted a resolution on Tuesday as a counter-act of a proposal by the European parliament over the compulsory relocation scheme of migrants.

The resolution passed with 142 against 3 votes. The Hungarian parliament, according to its statement, considered it outrageous and therefore rejected the proposal of the European parliament.

The proposal was interpreted by the Hungarian government as the implementation of the so-called "Soros plan" -- relocating migrants compulsorily at the expense of the European states.

"The mandatory relocation of migrants would irrevocably alter Europe's culture and future," according to the resolution adopted.

The resolution also rejects to give authority to the Soros organizations in the transportation and relocation scheme of the European Union.

"The EU should respect Hungary's sovereignty and the will of the Hungarians expressed in the referendum," the resolution said, pointing at the 2016 referendum on relocation scheme that was invalid due to low turnout, but where 98 percent of the participants voted in line with the Hungarian government's position.

The Hungarian parliament also called on the government not to allow pressure on behalf of the European Parliament and the EU bureaucracy, to defend the rights of the country, to reject the so-called "Soros plan" and to keep the citizens informed of the state of implementation of the "Soros plan".

The resolution submitted on Sunday was discussed in an extraordinary procedure. The decision will come into effect the day after its publication.

In the beginning of October, the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban launched a national consultation on an alleged "Soros plan" for mass immigration to the EU.

Hungarian-born American billionaire George Soros, who funds human rights NGOs around the world, has become one of Orban's main enemies. Orban has attacked NGOs, accusing them of intervening in Hungarian domestic politics in favor of Soros. The Orban government refers to these NGOs as "Soros organizations".

At the end of November, George Soros refuted point-by-point the allegations made against him by Orban, accusing him of spreading "false" information with an "anti-Semitic" tone.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 03:26:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TIRANA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Albanian government approved an agricultural financing scheme worth 20 million euros (23.5 million U.S. dollars) for next year to turn agriculture into the country's main engine of growth, Albanian Agriculture Minister Niko Peleshi told reporters Tuesday.

The national funding scheme will mainly focus on developing agricultural, livestock and food exports,correcting imports and attaining food safety standards,the minister said.

Peleshi said the scheme was the largest ever fund for Albanian agriculture.

According to him, such financial support would pave the way to boost production and exports of fruits, vegetables and nuts, as well as food and agro-processing industry products in 2018.

Peleshi announced the fund at a conference on agriculture and "Made in Albania" products.

The minister noted that the government approved such fund with the aim of increasing competition, food safety, and encouraging farmers to diversify farming activities to develop new sources of income.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 03:51:41|Editor: Mengjie

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(Xinhua file photo)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a nearly 700-billion-dollar annual defense policy bill in the White House, which authorizes the U.S. military to add troops, ships, planes and other equipment.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was passed by the Congress last month, authorizes 626.4 billion U.S. dollars for the base defense budget and 65.7 billion dollars for a war fund known as Overseas Contingency Operations.

The money would go toward adding 7,500 active-duty soldiers to the Army, 4,000 active-duty sailors to the Navy, 1,000 active-duty Marines and 4,100 active-duty airmen to the Air Force.

It would also allow for a 2.4 percent pay raise for troops, higher than the 2.1 percent requested by the administration.

Under the bill, the Pentagon will be allowed to buy 90 F-35s, 20 more than requested; 24 F/A-18s, 10 more than requested; and three littoral combat ships, two more than requested, among other equipment purchases.

Moreover, the bill folds in the administration's November request for four billion dollars more for missile defense and 1.2 billion dollars to support sending another 3,500 troops to Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force would also see increases in the reserves and National Guard, according to a report by the Washington-based political news website The Hill.

However, the total money exceeds budget caps by more than 80 billion dollars and the Congress has yet to pass a defense spending bill to make the buildup a reality.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 03:51:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KIEV, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday signed a bill to extend the deal with the Netherlands on the MH17 crash investigation until Aug. 1, 2018, the Ukrainian presidential press service said.

The agreement, which was signed between Ukraine and the Netherlands on July 28, 2014, was due to expire on Jan. 1 next year.

The deal provides legal grounds for the Netherlands, which leads the international probe into the MH17 crash, to send an international mission to Ukraine for carrying out the investigation.

The mission could consist of military and non-military personnel from the Netherlands and other states whose citizens were killed in the crash.

The Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crashed in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people on board died, including 196 Dutch citizens.

In August 2014, authorities from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Ukraine, and Malaysia have set up a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to conduct a criminal investigation into the crash.

A report published by the JIT in September 2016 concluded that the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down by a Buk missile which was brought from Russia to Ukraine.

Moscow and the rebel leadership in east Ukraine have denied the allegations, saying that the plane was shot by a missile from the territory controlled by Ukrainian government troops.

In December 2016, JIT said that it has identified about 100 people, who are linked to the crash.

On Monday, Ukrainian and Dutch law enforcement chiefs, particularly Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko and his Dutch counterpart Fred Westerbeke, met in Kiev to exchange their views on the interim results of the MH17 crash investigation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 03:56:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BERLIN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The German pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has threatened Irish budget-airline Ryanair on Tuesday with strikes during the commercially significant holiday season.

The union told Ryanair that its pilots could join industrial action "anytime with immediate effect" in the latest escalation of a long-standing brawl between the firm and its employees over working conditions.

"We are giving Ryanair a last chance to avert strikes in Germany by agreeing to hold negotiations over labor- and remuneration conditions without further delay," VC president Ilja Schulz told press.

Nevertheless, Schulz noted that no strikes would occur during the days around Christmas between the 23rd and 26th of December.

Dublin-based Ryanair appeared unimpressed at the threats, commenting that it had received no corresponding notification from its German pilots.

The budget airline went on to describe VC as a "Lufthansa pilots' trade union", hinting at the involvement of its major commercial rival in the German aviation market in the dispute.

Ryanair would consequently not recognize the union, regardless of whether a strike actually occurred.

Offering cheap no-frills flights, Ryanair has grown into Europe's largest airline since it was first established in 1985, overtaking even German market leader Lufthansa for total passengers transported in 2016.

However, critics have repeatedly attacked the budget airline for its allegedly poor treatment of employees. Michael Mueller, the ruling Mayor of Berlin, has gone as far as to describe Ryanair as an "employee-unfriendly" company.

In response, Ryanair Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael O'Leary ridiculed Mayor's comments by publicly referring to Mueller as "Mad Mike".

Ryanair has recently cancelled 20,000 flights in a move which the company said was aimed at enhancing punctuality. Industry experts cited by German media have argued that the decision was at least in part also due to a shortage of pilots.

According to VC, "nearly all other airlines" in Europe offered better working conditions than Ryanair, making it increasingly difficult for the firm to recruit staff in a competitive labor market.

"At the moment, Ryanair pilots are fleeing in hordes," a statement by VC read.

Together with their German counterpart, Irish, Italian and Portuguese pilots unions have all joined in calls for strikes against Ryanair, raising the possibility of Europe-wide industrial action for the first time in the company's history.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 04:16:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Doctors in Italy went on a 24-hour-long strike on Tuesday, asking more financial resources to be allocated to the national healthcare system (SSN) and better working conditions.

The proportion of physicians joining the strike reached 80 percent in some regions, Anaao-Assomed association said in a joint statement with other unions. Veterinaries also joined the strike.

Emergency care was guaranteed during the strike, but about 40,000 surgeries had to be cancelled across the country, as well as thousands of diagnosis checks, Ansa news agency reported.

As part of the protest, about 100 doctors and other medical staff gathered before the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Tuesday morning to denounce deteriorating working conditions.

"The public healthcare system closes for one day, in order not to close for ever," Anaao-Assomed wrote in a statement.

Among the reported problems, the association denounced "lack of breaks and rest periods at work, millions of hours of work unpaid or non-recoverable, unused vacations... and a rise in daily and nightly workload."

Salaries for professionals in the sector have been stuck for years, the group also lamented.

The national collective agreement setting income and conditions of employment for doctors in the SSN was last revised in 2010.

Unions also complained a lack of permanent contracts for young physicians, who were often hired on temporary basis in public hospitals.

"There is a shortage of some 4,000 anaesthesiologists in Italy, with obvious consequences," chairman of the anaesthesiologists' union Aaroi-Emac, Alessandro Vergallo, said in a statement on the eve of the protest.

"Young trainees are being exploited in place of specialists, and the specialists themselves are forced to work under exhausting conditions," Vergallo added.

Italy is going to general elections by next spring, and doctors' unions warned the public health-related issue should be one of the key topics in the public debate during the campaign.

Furthermore, the Italian parliament was currently assessing the 2018 budget, before the final approval due by end of December.

The financial plan would not contain enough public resources to keep the SSN afloat, especially considering the fast aging Italian population, according to the unions.

At an overall glance, however, the Italian SSN appears to have so far performed among the most efficient worldwide, in terms of comprehensive offer of public healthcare and results in public life.

A comprehensive study by medical journal The Lancet in 2015 put the Italian SSN in the 11th place in a ranking of healthcare quality.

Healthcare expenditure in Italy was equal to 8.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016, about 75 percent of which was financed by the public sector, according to the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).

Yet, the budget for 2018 would provide healthcare spending worth about 6.5 percent of GDP only, according to estimates by Italian media in the health sector.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 04:21:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (3rd R) arrives for a meeting with the delegation of the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 12, 2017. (Xinhua/POOL/Xu Jinquan)

GENEVA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Syrian peace talks continued here Tuesday, with United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura meeting and holding separate bilateral talks with both the Syrian government and opposition delegations.

It is the 8th round of Syrian peace talks led by the UN.

The government delegation, headed by its UN representative Bashar al-Jaafari, made no statement after the meeting with the UN envoy. While the opposition claimed, "there is an opportunity here in Geneva this week that we must take for the sake of our people."

"The opportunity is to sit down, face to face, under the chairmanship of the UN Special Envoy, and begin negotiations on political transition on the basis of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254," the opposition delegation said in a statement issued after their meeting with de Mistura.

"Our goal is a transition to make Syria safe for our people to come home," the statement said.

The opposition has remained firm in their stance that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must be deposed as a prelude to any political process, which is seen by the government as unacceptable, since the Syrian government forces have retaken key and large areas from the rebels.

The new round of the UN-led Syrian peace talks started on Nov. 28 and is scheduled to continue until Dec. 15. The major obstacle for any expected breakthrough was described by the UN as a lack of trust.

In parallel with the UN-backed Geneva process, a new round of the Russia-led international negotiations on the settlement of the Syrian conflict has been scheduled for Dec. 21 to 22 in the Kazakh capital of Astana.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 04:26:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A UN official on Tuesday said that a combination of early action by the government and the United Nations, a speedy response from international donors and a massive scaling-up of assistance have avoided a bad famine in Somalia.

George Conway, UN Development Program Country Director for Somalia, speaking by phone from Mogadishu to a press briefing here in Geneva that the drought occurred in 2017 was worse than that of 2011, when famine had killed 250,000 people, but "this time famine had been avoided through".

At the beginning of 2017, the UN had issued a famine alert for Somalia and the president of the country had declared a national disaster. Since then, the Somalian government and its partners had been providing emergency assistance to 3 million people every month, he said.

The government had also been taking concrete steps to find ways to break the cycle of recurrent humanitarian emergencies and to take concerted action to prevent future drought situations turning into famines, the official added.

"Progress in the State- and institution-building agenda over the past five years, including more effective governance institutions and investment in stabilizing key regional capitals, had enabled a more robust response than had been possible in 2011," he noted.

Nevertheless, the UN official said, the situation remained very serious for millions of Somalis following the failure of the rainy season for the fifth consecutive year.

An estimated 6.2 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, and the number of people considered to be living in pre-famine emergency conditions had increased this year from 80,000 people in January to 800,000 in December.

"During 2017, an additional 1 million people had been displaced due to drought and conflict, thereby doubling the number of internally displaced people in Somalia," he said.

In response to questions from journalists, the UN official said that the humanitarian response requirement for Somalia for 2018 amounted to 1.5 billion US dollars, which was comparable to the amount that had been estimated for 2017.
Henk Kool, president of Friendship Society Netherlands-China (VNC in Dutch) and Zhong Linchang, head of the association of Cantonese Business in The Netherlands, laid the wraith to mourn the victim of Nanjing Massacre on Dec. 12, 2017. (Xinhua/Rick Nederstigt)

THE HAGUE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing Massacre, a 40-odd-day slaughter in 1937 during which the Japanese army brutally murdered about 300,000 civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers, was mourned Tuesday at Niewspoort in The Hague.

Some 200 Chinese people and students living in the Netherlands attended the memorial, held one day ahead of China's "National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims".

"We hold a memorial ceremony in The Netherlands not only to mourn the victims, but also to tell the truth of the history. No attempt to deny history will ever be accepted," said Zhong Linchang, head of the association of Cantonese Business in The Netherlands.

Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, on Dec. 13, 1937 and started the massacre. In February 2014, China designated December 13 as a National Memorial Day to mourn Nanjing Massacre victims and all those killed by Japanese invaders, and to reveal war crimes committed by the Japanese.

The move was also aimed at remembering the deep calamities the war caused for the Chinese people and people around the world, conveying the Chinese people's firm stance of resisting aggression and safeguarding human dignity and world peace.

Henk Kool, president of Friendship Society Netherlands-China (VNC in Dutch), urged Japanese who denies the truth to look into the facts. In his speech, he listed numerous proofs of the calamities of Nanjing Massacre.

"If you want to be forgiven, you must first recognize and remember," he told Xinhua.

Jaap Post, former president of VNC, compared Germany's attitude towards its World War II history to that of Japan.

"Germany has recognized the history in a good way. What Japan has done in China is also important to the world history," he told Xinhua. "It is always hard to recognize the crimes, but to build peace for the future, you must look into the history and face the truth."

China will hold an annual memorial for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre on Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 04:57:08|Editor: Mengjie

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(Xinhua file photo)

BERLIN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The German government urged British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday to remain honest in her public communication about the recent breakthrough in Brexit negotiations.

Germany's Europe Minister Michael Roth told press it was imperative that May truthfully adhered to the text of last week's agreement in Brussels on the first stage of Britain's departure from the bloc.

"One must appear and speak (in Brussels), just as one does in London," Roth said.

The Europe Minister said he was "confused" about the difference in narratives presented by British policymakers during the negotiations in the European Union's de-facto capital on the one hand, and to domestic audiences on the other.

Roth's comments were referring to a speech given by May in the British Houses of Parliament on Monday, in which she seemed to suggest that Britain's payment of a "divorce bill" was still contingent on achieving a free trade agreement to govern future relations.

This assertion directly contradicts key passages of the agreement between the EU and Britain which state that the payment of a financial settlement will be enshrined in a legally-binding exit treaty regardless of the outcome of trade talks.

Based on the outlines of the methodology to calculate outstanding liabilities which have surfaced so far in European media, the bill presented to Britain as a consequence of its departure is estimated to amount to around 45 billion euros (53 billion U.S dollars).

Roth's concern that Britain was backtracking on its commitments was shared by members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Wednesday.

Delegates in the assembly were particularly irked by a comment made by British Brexit secretary David Davis which likened the Brussels agreement to a "statement of intent" rather than a "legally-enforceable thing".

In response, German MEP Manfred Weber called for the EU to send a clear signal to May to clarify her stance, while the European Parliament's chief negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, warned that progress on the second stage of negotiations was only possible in an environment of trust.

The EU also reacted by hardening its stance on Brexit, with senior national officials effecting a change of draft guidelines on the next stage of talks which are scheduled to be agreed this week.

According to the new text cited by the Financial Times newspaper, discussion of the future relationship between the EU and Britain cannot begin before March.

The document further emphasizes that London will be fully bound by EU rules and regulations throughout a potential transition phase after 2019 without retaining any influence over their formulation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 05:57:24|Editor: Lifang

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ALGIERS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres said Algeria is a key partner in the fight against terrorism, APS news agency reported on Tuesday.

"Algeria is an important partner for the United Nations in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism," wrote Guterres in a message to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that targeted the UN premises in Algiers.

"Ten years ago, terrorists targeted Algiers, leaving dozens of casualties in their wake, including 17 United Nations employees," Guterres said.

He expressed solidarity with the people and the government of Algeria in their efforts to fight terrorism, saying "the United Nations will always be at your side."

The UN chief noted that the UN and its entire staff are increasingly targeted around the world where they support "the most vulnerable populations."

UN offices in Algiers were targeted by a suicide bomb car on Dec. 11, 2007, leaving 40 deaths, including 17 UN staff members.

The al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the attack.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 06:12:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The UN Development Program (UNDP) on Tuesday warned that the food security situation in Somali "remains precarious for millions of Somalis, following the fifth consecutive year of drought."

According to the agency, an estimated 6.2 million people need humanitarian assistance, and the number of people living in pre-famine emergency conditions has increased from 80,000 people in January to 800,000 in December this year.

In addition, one million people have been displaced so far this year due to drought and conflict, thereby doubling the number of internally displaced people.

The economic loss caused by the drought is estimated at more than three billion U.S. dollars, and UNDP estimates that 1.7 billion U.S. dollars are required over the next three to five years to boost infrastructure, management of water resources, efforts to increase agricultural production and the expansion of urban services.

Following three consecutive seasons of poor rainfall, drought conditions persist across most of Somalia. An estimated 3.3 million people are currently facing acute food insecurity, according to the Somalia Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 06:17:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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THE HAGUE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A book about a Dutch boy meeting Dutch diplomat and sinologist Robert van Gulik (1910-1967) who introduced Judge Dee of the Tang Dynasty to the West, and a documentary on this versatile all-rounder, were presented on Tuesday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing away of the legendary scholar.

A limited edition of "The Hall Where Clarity is Revered" -- first published in Dutch in the 1990s, now translated into Chinese and printed on silkscreen and assembled by hand -- was presented at the commemoration event held at the Chinese Cultural Centre in The Hague.

In the story, Arthur Japin, now 61 years old, describes his childhood encounters with Van Gulik, a family friend. Before meeting him for the first time at the age of 5, Japin's attention had already been drawn by the exotic stamps on the mail his parents received from Kuala Lumpur, where Van Gulik was the Dutch ambassador from 1959 to 1962.

"He made a big, lasting impression on me. Meeting him set parts of my imagination on fire. He opened my mind, I realized that this is what people do, and that I could go and live somewhere far away too," said Japin.

Van Gulik is best known for translating into English the 18th-century Chinese detective novel "Dee Goong An", or "Stories of Detective Dee", patterned after Tang dynasty (618-907) magistrate Di Renjie, and using it as a source of inspiration for his own novels about Judge Dee.

Written in the 1950s and 1960s, his novels were translated into 29 languages, published in 38 countries, and popularized into comics, television series and movies.

Throughout his life characterized by wide-ranging interests, Van Gulik also extensively shared his knowledge about aspects of Chinese culture. He wrote numerous non-fiction works about Chinese pictorial arts, the Chinese lute, jurisprudence and animal culture.

"Van Gulik is not just a historical figure, he actually combined traditions and innovations. As 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Dutch diplomatic relations, it is a good moment to use this opportunity to commemorate him and look back at our history and forward to our future," said Yang Xiaolong, head of cultural affairs of the Chinese Embassy in The Netherlands.

"He was a world-citizen. He was multi-talented. He had working and living experiences in many countries, including China... He promoted the understanding of various cultures and peoples. It was not just about making Western people understand Chinese culture. Through him, we also in a way understood Western culture," added Yang.

The documentary, "On the track of Robert van Gulik" by Dutch filmmaker Rob Rombout, portrays the sinologist's legacy through the stories of contemporaries and devotees who were inspired by Van Gulik and his Judge Dee stories.

Rombout travelled through the Netherlands, Indonesia, Japan, the United States and China for years, to meet people whose lives have also changed after entering the Dutchman's universe.

"I am fascinated by the unpredictable life of Van Gulik, moving from one place to another. He was a global man in a period of time when everybody stuck to his own place. My documentary shows that he has left something behind everywhere, in many different places around the world," said Rombout.

Peter Potman, Director of Department for Asia and Oceania at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reminded the audience that apart from being a scholar and an author, Van Gulik was also a career diplomat.

"His fascination with culture, and China in particular, competed with his official duties, but this did not stop him from steadily moving up the ranks," noted Potman.

"Chongqing was Van Gulik's only posting in China, but he took China with him when he left. His broad collection of Chinese artifacts and experiences would fuel a lifelong fascination with the country, and he still continues to enrich our understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture. As such, his contribution to Sino-Dutch relations has far outlasted his brief posting in Chongqing from 1943 to 1946," he added.

The book and the movie presented on Tuesday show that Van Gulik continues to inspire people around the world to explore and practice Chinese culture.

This would have suited Van Gulik well, as "he believed that culture is not something that is dead, but something that should be practiced", Marie-Anne Souloumiac, granddaughter of Robert van Gulik, told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 06:27:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KHARTOUM, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- After a decade of displacement, nearly 1,500 Sudanese refugees began to return voluntarily to their home village in Dafaq, South Darfur State, announced United Nations High Commissions for Refugees (UNHCR) Tuesday.

"Today (Tuesday), the first 45 Sudanese refugees touched down in Nyala airport," said the UNHCR in a statement.

The returnees will be hosted in a transit center for up to three days in the capital of South Darfur State before heading to their village, some 350 km from Nyala, according to the statement.

"The UNHCR welcomes the voluntary return of these refugees," Noriko Yoshida, UNHCR's representative in Sudan, said in the statement.

She further reiterated that the UNHCR and the Government's Commission of Refugees (COR) would be monitoring the situation of the returnees closely.

"This repatriation exercise is guided by a formal Exchange of Letters between the government of Sudan and UNHCR, which incorporates international standards governing refugee returns, including the benefit of amnesties, as well as UNHCR's role in monitoring the returns," she said.

She went on saying that "to help the returnees re-establish their homes and livelihoods, they will have access to land, and UNHCR and COR will provide them with return packages."

The UNHCR would also work with government authorities and other partners to enhance service provision in the return area, she added.

The UN official further reiterated that "returning to South Darfur is expected to be a lasting solution, as we continue to see security and development improvements across the region."

In 2007, nearly 3,500 refugees fled from South Darfur during conflict between the Government of Sudan and armed groups.

"We decided to voluntarily return to Dafaq, one of our final destinations, because we are well informed that security has returned with the effective implementation of the disarmament of armed groups," Ahmad, one of the leaders in Pladama Ouaka refugee camp, was quoted as saying the UNHCR's statement.

"I am extremely happy to return home with my family after 10 years in exile," he added.

In late November, the refugees expressed their willingness to return to Sudan when a UNHCR and government of Sudan delegation visited Pladama Ouaka camp, following an assessment of their desired return area, which was deemed to be safe.

According to the UNCHR, more than 650,000 Sudanese refugees are still displaced in other neighboring countries, including Chad and South Sudan.

On May 31, 2017, Sudan, Chad and the UNHCR signed a tripartite agreement opening the door for the voluntary return of more than 500,000 Sudanese refugees from Chad to Sudan and return of over 8,000 Chadian refugees from Sudan to Chad.

Around 592,000 Sudanese refugees are currently in Chad, 392,000 live in 13 refugee camps in eastern Chad, while the remaining 200,000 are in the border area and Chadian cities.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 06:32:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CARACAS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab on Tuesday announced that the officials have opened an investigation into former minister of Energy and Petroleum and ex-head of state oil company PDVSA Rafael Ramirez for suspected corruption.

The move comes after officials pored over documents seized from a property belonging to a cousin of his, Diego Salazar, who was arrested on Dec. 1 for suspected money laundering.

Based on "the latest documents ... we have decided to open a criminal investigation ... into Rafael Ramirez," Saab told reporters at a press conference.

In the documents, Salazar "directly incriminates" Ramirez as his partner in buy-sell oil contracts, said Saab.

Last week, Ramirez resigned from his most recent job as Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations in New York, and returned to Caracas amid the allegations of wrongdoing.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 06:37:33|Editor: Mengjie

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Police officers work near the scene of an explosion in New York City, the United States, on Dec. 11, 2017. Four people were injured in an explosion in a passageway near Times Square, Manhattan in New York City early Monday morning. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Attorney's Office in southern New York filed federal terrorism charges on Tuesday against a bombing suspect who was accused of detonating a pipe bomb at New York City's commuter hub during rush hour Monday morning.

The suspect, 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, faces five charges ranging from using weapon of mass destruction to providing support to a terrorist organization, according to a court complaint filed on Tuesday.

Ullah, a U.S. lawful permanent resident from Bangladesh, admitted to investigators that he had built the pipe bomb and carried out the attack, the complaint said.

It also stated that Ullah had been inspired and radicalized by the ISIS extremist group as far back as 2014.

"I did it for the Islamic State," he said, according to the complaint.

Moreover, prosecutors said in the charging document that before the attack, Ullah posted an update to his Facebook account on Monday that stated, "Trump you failed to protect your nation."

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said in a news conference on Tuesday that "in plotting his attack, Ullah had hoped to die in his own misguided rage, taking as many innocent people as he could with him."

"But through incredibly good fortune, his bomb did not seriously injure anyone," he added.

The attack, using a low-tech bomb strapped to Ullah's body, took place at around 7:20 a.m. local time in an underground passageway near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, wounding Ullah himself and injuring three others near him.

Ullah admitted that he began researching about how to build bombs about a year ago, and had been planning this particular attack for several weeks.

Kim added that Ullah allegedly selected the location and timing to "maximize human casualties."

"Like many others before him, we believe Ullah was inspired by a group that exploits technology in an effort to spread a violent ideology, effectively convincing sympathizers to commit terrorist acts worldwide," said Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 06:47:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday that at least 400,000 children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are severely malnourished and at risk of dying in 2018.

The dire situation in the Kasai region of the country has largely been caused by violence, mass displacement and reduced agricultural production over the past 18 months, UNICEF said in a press release.

While the security situation has stabilized in parts of the region and some displaced populations have begun to return to their homes and communities, humanitarian conditions remain critical, it said.

The violence and displacement of 1.4 million people in the Kasai region has led to food shortages, with two-thirds of households unable to work their land to grow crops. Severe food insecurity is now affecting large parts of the region, and conditions are not expected to improve before June 2018, because the planting seasons in 2017 were lost.

Health facilities have also been devastated, making it more difficult to provide medical treatment and care for severely malnourished children. Approximately 220 health centers were destroyed, looted or damaged, leading to a weakening of the health delivery system, reduced access to health care and an increased risk in the spread of communicable diseases like measles, said UNICEF.

More than 750,000 children across the Kasai region are acutely malnourished, while 25 health zones in the region are now in a situation of nutritional crisis, said UNICEF.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 06:47:36|Editor: Lifang

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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during the Atlantic Council-Korea Foundation Forum at Atlantic Council Headquarters in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 12, 2017. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said here on Tuesday that Washington is willing to begin talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) without preconditions. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said here on Tuesday that Washington is willing to begin talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) without preconditions.

"We're ready to have the first meeting without preconditions," Tillerson told a policy forum at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. He noted that the dialogue is possible whenever Pyongyang is ready.

His remarks came amid escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-13 07:16:28|Editor: Yamei

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A fighter plane of Chinese air force takes part in a regular patrol exercise on Dec. 11, 2017. A Chinese air force formation conducted a regular patrol exercise that passed the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait on Monday, an air force spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. The formation consisted of H-6K bombers, Su-30 and J-11 fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, early warning aircraft and tanker aircraft, said Shen Jinke, spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, at a meeting of senior air force officers. (Xinhua/Shao Jing)
Given its treatment of Catalonia, it is clear that Spain is (still) a fascist, authoritarian state. However, its a fascist, authoritarian state which is more transparent than New Zealand, in that it is now legally required to release Cabinet agendas and minutes. The original article is in Spanish, but there was an English translation on the FOIANet mailign list:



Access Info has today published on its website the minutes of Spains weekly Cabinet meetings for the years 1996 to 2017, making them available to the public for the first time in Spanish democratic history.



The minutes, which contain the desicions reached in each weekly meeting, were obtained using information requests by Access Info as part of collaborative research with journalist Jesus Escudero, and have been published to mark the third anniversary of the entry into force of Spains Transparency Law on 10 December 2014.



[...]



Access Info's work to open up the Spanish Cabinet started in 2016 with an initial request for the agendas of the weekly Cabinet meetings, documents which were then used by various journalists as the basis for further investigations.



Access Info is calling for information on decision-making processes to be made public: This is just the tip of the iceberg, concluded Gutierrez, The government should now ensure proactive publication of the minutes not only of Cabinet meetings but also those of other decision-making processes.



Cabinet agendas have been requested under the OIA in the past, but the Cabinet Office has never released them publicly because my predecessors and I have maintained a consistent position that it would not be in the public interest to do so.



While New Zealand ( falsely ) prides itself on our government transparency, this information would never be released here. DPMC has rejected requests for basic information such as Cabinet agendas , claiming that telling us what ministers are discussing or have discussed in the past this would compromise Ministerial collective responsibility, free and frank advice, and confidentiality. They have refused to release older agendas where those interests are less likely to be relevant, and refused even to release information with redactions to protect those interests (standard practice with every other agency). Their justification for this is thatIn other words, it is secret because it has always been secret, and bugger the law! (Incidentally, the public servant who wrote that is now the SIS head who is obstructing IGIS investigations . Mindless secrecy seems to be her thing).Cabinet is the heart of our government. Secrecy there poisons everything else. Transparency there, around what they are discussing and what they have decided, is vital if we are to consider ourselves to be an open democracy. The new government has made some positive noises around proactive release of Cabinet material, which is good, but until that happens, the least they could do is force DPMC to comply with the OIA and release such information on request. Otherwise, we face the prospect of being less transparent than fascist Spain.
Morocco has joined the limited club of states owning high resolution observation satellites. After the successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite last November called Mohammed VI A, Morocco prepares to launch a second similar satellite with a wider range of observation called Mohammed VI B.

News reports speak of a second satellite that is the fruit of a partnership between Morocco and the European space agency (ESA).

The new satellite is scheduled to be ready for launch in 2018 but the exact date has not been announced yet.

Like the Mohammed VI A satellite, The Mohammed VI-B will be used primarily for mapping and land surveying activities, spatial planning, monitoring of agricultural activities, prevention and management of natural disasters, and monitoring of environmental changes and desertification.

It will also bolster Moroccos monitoring of its borders.

The Mohammed VI-A Satellite was built by Thales Alenia Space as system prime contractor and Airbus as co-prime, for a cost worth some 500 million.

The North African kingdom has thus become the third country in Africa, after Egypt and South Africa, to have its own satellite.
Thousands of protesters staged protests in the main cities of the restive region Kabylie region demanding independence from Algeria.

At a time the marches were staged across the Muslim world lately to denounce Trumps Jerusalem declaration, disenchanted youth in the Kabylie mountains, east of Algiers, vented their anger at their governments decades-long marginalization in the Amazigh speaking region.

Protesters in Aqbu, one of the key cities of Kabylia, took to the streets to demand urgent measures from the government to protect their language. But soon, the protest transformed into an anti-regime march calling for the outright independence of Kabylie.

Videos circulating on social media show a crowd of angry youth in Aqbu chanting slogans that describe the junta ruling Algeria as a colonial regime and denounced the state racism against the Amazigh population of Kabylie.

In 2001, the crackdown of the regime on Amazigh protesters demanding more rights and a halt of the arabization policy will take a bloody form leading to the death of nearly 160 protesters in the Kabylie region.

Since then, the movement for the independence of the Kabylie region (MAK) has been gaining ground among the population of the restive towns and cities in the Amazigh speaking mountains east of the capital Algiers.

The MAK is led by Ferhat Mhenni who lives in exile in France. The MAK invokes a series of grievances the Kabylie region witnessed after the independence of Algeria. They blame the Algerian regime for seeking to eradicate their linguistic and cultural particularities by imposing an arabization policy coupled with economic marginalization.

MAK militants also argue that their region has been attached by colonial France to an artificial Algerian state and that their historic leaders who fought for independence from France have been marginalized along with their region in post-independent Algeria.
Morocco has taken several initiatives to gather support for climate action, notably in Africa, through landmark projects such as the Adaptation of African Agriculture Initiative (AAA), the World Banks Vice President for Sustainable Development, Laura Tuck, said.

We are delighted to see Morocco take the lead as part of efforts to implement the Adaptation of African Agriculture Initiative [AAA), Tuck told reporters following talks with a Moroccan ministerial delegation, on the sidelines of One Planet Summit, held in the French capital.

The World Bank is taking several innovative measures to improve the management of the agricultural sector with a view to adapting it to climate change and reducing emissions, underlining in this regard that Morocco can play an important role in this area on the African continent, she said.

Since Agriculture is the main victim of climate change in the continent, Morocco has launched the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA) initiative, which seeks to restore African ecosystem balance and enable countries of the continent to have access to climate funds.

This initiative focuses on strengthening the financing capacities of African farmers, via micro-credit generalization to small farmers, meso-credit development to medium-sized farms and mobile banking solutions deployment.

In the same vein, Morocco and the World Bank agreed at the financial summit of COP22 to launch the Green Growth Infrastructure Facility for Africa tasked to spur green economy on the African continent and pull together environment-friendly private and public investments.

King Mohammed VI is taking part in the One Planet summit which brings together world leaders in Paris to mark the second anniversary of the climate change plan agreed in the French capital in 2015 and entered into force on November 4 2016, few days prior to the UN Climate Summit, COP22, held in Marrakech.
Anger and frustration are building up among the youth in the Polisario-run camps of Tindouf in South-western Algeria who are fed up with the Polisario and Algeria trading with their suffering.

Sahrawi media speak of the setting up of a new movement dubbed The Sahrawi Initiative for Change that has been gaining momentum in Tindouf camps demanding an end of the corruption and siege imposed by the Polisario leadership on the Sahrawis held against their will.

Since the repressive Polisario militia ban on any meeting of the protest movement inside the camps, members of the Sahrawi Initiative for Change living in Mauritania and Madrid held meetings to discuss the steps forward to make the voice of the bulk majority of the Sahrawis in Tindouf camps heard.

Leaders of the initiatives include former senior members of the Polisario executive apparatus such as Lhaj Ahmed Barkallah, brother of the Polisario representative to the UN, Oulad Moussa, cousin of the Polisario coordinator with the MINURSO, and Hdih Abbiha, the brother of the second in line Polisario diplomat.

Protests are common place in the Tindouf camps where an uprising was violently silenced in 1988. In 2004, Khat Achahid (the Path of the Martyr) was established as an opposition movement to the Polisario leadership.

The Polisario has often resorted to violence to silence any protest within the camps. Last May, the Polisario has imposed a curfew in the camps to quell a protest that was going to be staged by the disenchanted population held in inhumane living conditions in Southwestern Algeria.

The Polisario militiamen, in connivance with the Algerian army, have reinforced the siege on the Tindouf camps to prevent Sahrawis from fleeing. The Algerian army has on multiple occasions fired at any Sahrawi attempting to leave the camps. Last March, Algerian soldiers fired without warning at a car outside the Tindouf camps, killing Kari Mohamed Ali El Ouali and his friend Ahmed Lebouiya Sahraoui.

The protest movements demonstrate the repressive authoritarian nature of the Polisario militias, which is fed by an obsolete ideology of the one-state party mixed with tribal despotism.
Morocco is evidencing at the highest level its firm attachment to achieving the global climate agenda. The participation of King Mohammed VI at the One Planet Summit in Paris is a reaffirmation of Moroccos keen interest in protecting the environment and curbing climate change effects.

The One Planet summit, co-hosted by the United Nations and the World Bank, brings together world leaders in Paris to mark the second anniversary of the climate change plan agreed in the French capital in 2015 and entered into force on November 4, 2016, few days prior to the UN Climate Summit, COP22, in Marrakech.

The French president Emmanuel Macron had decided to hold the summit after Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the historic warming pact, which aims to contain the average rise in temperature below the critical 2C threshold, at a time the planet is always moving towards +3C compared to the pre-industrial era.

The participation of the sovereign, who is accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, in this global event sends a strong message regarding Moroccos endeavors to gather support for global climate efforts.

Morocco has been campaigning for a multilateral approach to deal with climate change challenges, while calling for countries of the North to provide the countries of the South, especially the least developed, with urgent financial and technical support to enhance their capacities and enable them to adapt to climate change.

At the national level, Morocco vowed to generate 52% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 in a move to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

At the continental level, the Kingdom launched the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA) initiative, which seeks to restore African ecosystem balance and enable countries of the continent to have access to climate funds. The initiative seeks to mobilize 30 billion dollars.

At COP22, Morocco and the World Bank agreed to launch the Green Growth Infrastructure Facility for Africa tasked to spur green economy on the African continent and pull together environment-friendly private and public investments.

On the sidelines of COP22, Morocco hosted the Africa Action Summit. The event, first of its kind, was marked by a landmark speech of King Mohammed VI who stressed that Morocco makes its expertise in renewable energies available to its African partners.

The Africa Action Summit adopted a final statement laying out a forward-looking vision for a common African action to tackle climate change, highlighting that Africa is disproportionately affected by global warming and reaffirming urgent need to make climate action a lever of emergence in order to build an inclusive, sustainable development mode.

King Mohammed VI has in November reiterated commitment to Africa through calling for a Green Revolution in the continent. The call was made in a speech at the 10th World Policy Conference.

This Green Revolution should be based on a large-scale overhaul of technology and production methods suited to the African context and consistent with the requirements of climate change, the King underscored.

Climate remains a landmark feature of Moroccos commitment to Africa in line with a south-south cooperation approach that focuses on pooling efforts to address common challenges. In fact, countering climate change is a means to safeguard the future of young generations, curb calamities such as migration and displacement and promote agriculture.
Moroccos regional investment centers that are supposed to assist investors, both national and foreign, and to facilitate the paperwork for the setting up of projects will be restructured after an audit revealed many dysfunctions preventing these centers from fulfilling their mission properly.

The results of the audit were presented Monday to King Mohammed VI by President of the Court of Auditors Driss Jettou at a meeting attended by the Head of Government, the Minister of the Interior and advisor to the king Fouad Ali El Himma.

The audit, commissioned by the King on October 24, to assess the operations of the centers, known in Morocco as CRIs, revealed that there are many dysfunctions preventing these centers from fulfilling their missions in accordance with the royal letter of January 9, 2002, said a statement released by the Royal Office.

The CRIs fail to ensure a sound follow-up of newly created companies, grant little aid to small and medium-sized enterprises, in addition to the absence of studies and accurate data on the investments and the economic potential of the various Moroccan regions, found out the audit, which also pinpointed the low efficiency of the regional investment commissions.

The audit recommended that IRCs must abandon the bureaucratic approach characterizing their work and show industriousness in settling the issues submitted to them locally, rather than unjustifiably sending the investors back to central decision-making headquarters. They should also be proactive, and interact with the investors.

To remedy this situation, the king gave instructions to the Head of Government to work with all the parties concerned to draft proposals for the reform of the CRIs within two months.

The reform would seek to enable the CRIs to play their role in encouraging and promoting investment and exploiting the investment opportunities offered by the national economy, the Royal Office statement said.

The king also insisted on the need to train the directors of these centers and the different managers who work there so that they are up to the missions assigned to them and that they meet Moroccos development challenges at the local and national levels.
On Monday morning, 27-year-old Bangladesh native and Brooklyn resident Akayed Ullah set off a pipe bomb in a crowded tunnel underneath midtown Manhattan, injuring four people.

One detail that stood out about the attempted attack, other than its incompetenence, is that Ullah used a suicide vest  or at least an approximation of one  to try to carry it out.

Ullahs version of the garment didnt sound particularly sophisticated; NYPD Commissioner James ONeill said he had attached it to himself with a combination of Velcro and zip ties. (Ullah reportedly worked as an electrician, and crafted the device in his apartment.) But it appeared to be the first time someone had tried to use one in an attempted terrorist attack on American soil.

Long common in attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East, suicide vests emerged as weapons of destruction in Western Europe in November 2015, when several ISIS-linked attackers blew themselves up as part of multi-pronged attacks on Paris that killed 130 people. (They have also been used to deadly effect in Turkey and Russia.)

Those devices, unlike Ullahs, appeared to be sophisticated, stocked with ball bearings and shrapnel to maximize damage around the explosions. At the time, there was speculation that they marked a new phase in the way ISIS would target civilians around the world.

But an FBI report isssued soon afterward found that suicide vests in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe differ broadly in many characteristics, resulting in an inconclusive determination that the suicide vest and belt IEDs prevalent in any one area translate to tactic migration.

That assessment seems to have been borne out by the last two years. Suicide vests have not become a common feature of the terrorism landscape in the West, though they continue to be be used to deadly effect in Afghanistan.

Most of the attacks committed by ISIS, or ISIS-influenced individuals in the West have come in other forms. In Europe, the most common tactic has been hitting people with vehicles, a variety of attack that has taken place in France, Germany, England, Sweden, and Spain. (The assailants in Spain did wear fake suicide vests, as did attackers in London in June.)

Other terrorists, like the men who set off explosions at the Brussels airport and the attacker who killed dozens at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, did blow themselves up, though the bombs they detonated were not attached to their bodies.

In America, the weapon of choice for the most deadly radical Islamic-inspired terrorists, from Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood to Omar Mateen at the Pulse Nightclub, has been semi-automatic weapons. (The Islamic State has openly exhorted its followers to exploit the countrys lax regulations.)

Akayed Ullah told investigators that he was inspired by ISIS, and that his attempted attack was revenge for U.S. bombing campaigns in Syria and elsewhere. But theres no indication that he had any tangible connection to any terrorist group, and the device he put together suggests the work of an amateur. His method of would-be mass murder is novel on these shores, but its unlikely to be indicative of a trend.
Democrats and Republicans remain divided on conditions for a spending agreement, but can probably avoid a government shutdown before Christmas. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

In agreeing to a two-week stopgap spending bill late last week, Congress and the White House set up a possible government shutdown just before Christmas. But its now looking like negotiators are making progress on the most essential task theyve given themselves: agreeing on broad numbers for defense and nondefense spending that would otherwise be constrained by spending caps imposed back in 2013. If they can finalize that agreement and avoid a big collision over non-money issues such as immigration, they should be able to avoid a shutdown, and kick the can down the road until early next year, with yet another short-term spending bill.

Even as they labor to destroy any semblance of fiscal discipline in the tax bill both Houses have passed, congressional Republicans are frantic to boost defense spending beyond the modest increases provided for in the recent past. But because Democratic votes are necessary for any spending deal, Republicans are forced to share the gravy with nondefense appropriations, and according to Roll Call, it appears negotiators are settling on a total spending boost of well above $200 billion over two years:

Some budget experts with negotiating experience anticipate the final deal will provide a $60 billion to $70 billion increase to defense and a $50 billion to $60 billion increase to nondefense each year  less for defense than Republicans want and also short of the strict dollar-for-dollar parity sought by Democrats.

With these numbers put in place, Congress could then, at its leisure, put together the actual appropriations bills to implement the agreement before the next stopgap spending bill expires early next year.

But this mutual back-scratching to provide more money for everybody depends on other issues that one party or the other is bringing to the negotiating table. Some, like increased disaster funding (for states hit by wildfires, as well as hurricanes), are mostly a matter of compromising on numbers. Others, like resolving a long-standing delay in reauthorization of the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), probably have enough bipartisan support to get into the next deal. Beyond that, though, its a question of how far negotiators  particularly Democrats  are willing to go in risking a government shutdown to press their demands on additional items.

The big issue for Democrats is relief for DREAMers via restoration of the DACA protections due to expire in March, subsequent to an executive order the president signed in September. The initial question is whether Democrats will play hardball over DACA, even though the threat to DREAMers isnt immediate:

Republican leaders have thrown cold water on the idea that a DACA deal could get attached to a year-end spending package, leading to questions about whether Democrats  under pressure from their base  would shut down the government over a program that doesnt begin to expire fully until March. Activists and some Democratic members point out that the must-pass spending deadline could be the partys best opportunity to exert pressure on Republicans who dont want a government shutdown to occur when they control all levers of government.

Beyond that, it is unclear whether Democrats have enough leverage to secure DACA restoration as a free-standing initiative, or whether they will have to make the major and potentially impossible concessions on immigration policy that Trump and some congressional Republicans have been demanding as the price for any help for DREAMers.

There is also some bipartisan support for slipping provisions into the stopgap bill to stabilize Obamacare markets, by restoring the cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers that Trump suspended in October. Both Trump and Mitch McConnell promised Senator Susan Collins theyd support such provisions, in exchange for her vote on the GOP tax bill. But its clear House conservatives have the leverage to keep that, and perhaps other items Democrats support, out of the bill:

House leaders have promised conservatives that the next spending bill will not contain funding for ObamaCare cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, Representative Mark Walker (R-NC) said Thursday.

The three things that weve been told are not gonna happen as part of our agreement: no CSRs, no DACA, no debt limit, Walker said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Elements in both parties have every incentive to rattle sabers as the December 22 funding deadline approaches. The most likely outcome remains an agreement over spending targets and an extension funding of the federal government into January, with both Democrats and conservatives vowing no more additional extensions until all their demands are met. So while the odds of a pre-Christmas government shutdown are slim, the odds of a midwinter shutdown keep going up.
Ed Lee. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Edwin M. Lee, a civil-rights lawyer and housing activist who became the first Asian-American mayor of San Francisco, died early Tuesday morning. Lee was purchasing groceries at Safeway when he suffered a heart attack, and was pronounced dead at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital hours later, former mayor Willie Brown told the San Francisco Examiner.

It is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm that Mayor Edwin M. Lee passed away, the city said in a statement. Family, friends, and colleagues were at his side. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Anita, his two daughters, Brianna and Tania, and his family.

London Breed, president of the citys Board of Supervisors, is now San Franciscos acting mayor.

Lee was born to Chinese immigrants in Seattle. He became the first member of his family to receive a higher education when he secured a full scholarship to Bowdoin College. After studying law at Berkeley, he worked with the San Francisco Asian Law Caucus to advance the causes of civil rights and affordable housing. Lee spent ten years pushing for reforms from outside the government before trying his luck at the inside game. The former activist labored in five different city departments under four separate mayors, during a decades-long career that included stints as San Franciscos human-rights commissioner and city administrator.

Lee held the latter post when Mayor Gavin Newsom resigned to become Californias lieutenant governor  and the Board of Supervisors named Lee acting mayor in January 2011. The career civil servant expressed ambivalence about holding his new, high-profile gig on a permanent basis. But Lee ultimately chose to run for election the following November, and secured a historic victory on the strength of his support from the citys Asian-American community.

Lees tenure was a challenging one: The booming technology industry turned San Francisco real estate into an increasingly coveted investment vehicle. The crisis of affordable housing in the city deepened. And Lee often appeared no better equipped to combat it in the mayors office than he was as an activist attorney.

Decades ago, I was about as anti-establishment as one could be, Lee said at his first swearing in. But today, like you, Im trying to make the establishment work for all San Franciscans.

Heres hoping London Breed, or Lees next successor, is ready to take up that task.
Akayed Ullah. Photo: NY Taxi and Limousine Commission

Authorities on Tuesday brought five terrorism charges against Akayed Ullah, the man accused of setting off a pipe bomb in a tunnel between New York City subway stations Monday morning. The counts include use of weapons of mass destruction, provision of material support to the Islamic State, and bombing a place of public use.

According to the criminal complaint, the 27-year-old suspect told investigators, I did it for the Islamic State. And on Monday morning before the attack, he posted a Facebook status that read, Trump you failed to protect your nation. A passport in Ullahs name included a handwritten note that read, O America, die in your rage.

Ullah had told authorities on Monday that he had carried out his plot as revenge for American air strikes in Syria and elsewhere. Ullah said he planned the time and place of his attack  during the morning commute between two of New York Citys busiest subway stations  to inflict the most possible damage to people and property. His plan largely failed; three people suffered some hearing damage and headaches from the blast, and Ullah was left with burns to his hands and stomach.

Authorities say Ullah became radicalized via ISIS propaganda in 2014. He spent the last two to three weeks plotting his attack, then spent the last several days assembling his homemade bomb. He is believed to have acted alone, and theres no evidence that he was in contact with ISIS or other terrorist organizations. His improvised explosive included Christmas lights, a nine-volt battery, and a pipe he found at a job site where he worked as an electrician. He drove a livery cab between 2012 and 2015.

Ullah came to America in 2011 from Bangladesh, joining a relative who had already settled in Brooklyn. His role in the attack prompted President Trump and the White House to advocate for hard-line immigration proposals they maintain would have prevented his arrival.

Neighbors in Ullahs residential, Bangladeshi enclave in Brooklyn did not notice much unusual about him, driving home the difficulty of preventing future lone-wolf attacks.
Moores final rally did not disappoint. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Have you ever traveled down a dirt path in rural southeast Alabama in December and arrived at a barn in the woods to find Steve Bannon, Representative Louie Gohmert, Sheriff David Clarke, Roy and Kayla Moore, a woman performing an interpretive dance in front of a tree, and several inflatable alligators?

Me neither. At least, I hadnt until Monday evening, the night before the special election to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, when Moore and his wife came out of hiding in Midland City to talk about how much he hates the media and also how he has many black friends and one Jewish lawyer.

Moore, a far-right social conservative and the Republican candidate in the race, is a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court (twice removed for refusing court orders) currently best known for his alleged habit of dating, attempting to date, or assaulting teenage or underage girls in the 70s and 80s.

But despite a cascade of press so negative that rather than discuss it, people here tend to lock eyes and turn pale in nauseated understanding, the race is close. Early on Tuesday morning, Moore maintained an average lead of 2.2 points over his Democratic opponent, Doug Jones.

A meager single-digit lead isnt enough to retire from the campaign trail altogether, though Moore certainly tried that. He told the crowd assembled in the barn that as reporters tried to locate him over the weekend to ask him questions about this endeavor for which hes volunteered, he was actually out of town, or as he phrased it, out of this mess because he had something more important to do: Take my wife and relax at West Point.

Wearing a BeDazzled red cardigan with her bleached hair falling icicle-like around her shoulders, a relaxed Kayla Moore spoke on behalf of her husband, who loomed closely behind her. She read from yellow-lined note paper her prepared complaints about the media, which she said has dishonestly attempted to characterize Moore as intolerant. While theyre here she said, she wanted to set the record straight.

Fake news will tell you that we dont care for Jews, she said. One of our attorneys is a Jew. We have very close friends that are Jewish and rabbis and we also fellowship with them.

She added, Fake news would also have you think that my husband doesnt support the black community. Yet my husband appointed the very first black marshal to the Alabama Supreme Court. We have many friends that are black and we also fellowship with them in church and in our home.

The Most Outrageous Roy Moore Defenses

Roy Moore took to the stage next, dressed in a dark suit and red tie that failed to mask a distinct and unusual presence. His body movements seemed almost wooden, and the expression on his face was as though hed been crawling around the stage in the dark and then the lights suddenly flickered on. He mumbled and spoke fast which, combined with his heavy accent, made it almost plausible that the speech was delivered partly in tongues.

Im going to tell you, if you dont believe in my character, dont vote for me, he said, I think.

Although Moore is more difficult to get ahold of these days, the evenings boldfaced name was Bannon. After all, it was called the DRAIN THE SWAMP RALLY according to the press release, held at Jordans Activity Barn on Country Road 59 South  a literal barn, it turned out.

Bannon has supported Moore since the primary, when doing so had the attention-generating effect of putting him in opposition to his former boss, President Donald Trump, who endorsed Luther Strange.

And Bannon stuck by him as the allegations regarding his past personal behavior began to mount. Meanwhile, many Republicans said Moore should resign if the accounts are true, called the womens claims credible, and threatened to expel him from the Senate if hes elected.

Ivanka Trump went as far as to say, There is a special place in hell for those that prey on children  a line Bannon seemed to mock in his remarks from the stage on Monday.

Standing beneath one of several extremely out-of-place chandeliers and wearing a camo jacket over what I can only assume were his customary 400 dress shirts, Bannon smirked. He said, There is a special place in hell for Republicans who know better.

Throughout the election, Bannon has used Breitbart News, the website where hes chairman, to attempt to discredit Moores accusers and promote his candidacy with polls provided to them from a pro-Moore super-PAC, and exuberant coverage from his scribes. For weeks, they seemed in the wilderness. But then last Monday, the president came around and endorsed their guy. Other top Republicans followed suit.

From the stage, where Bannon paced around holding a microphone like he was performing standards in the Catskills, he ribbed and lanced the media, calling out The Guardian, a British newspaper, by name. And he also delighted in utilizing a classic Trump applause line  Lock her up!  which is no less welcome at Republican events in Alabama now that four officials from the Trump campaign, transition, and White House have been charged by the Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

A man in the audience held a sign that read, WHOS YOUR #1 NEWS DADDY BREITBART! NOT FAKE.

Outside of the barn, someone with attention for detail constructed a swamp out of tarp, sticks, houseplants, and plastic alligators. A Breitbart employee told me there would be dry ice for some dramatic flair, but I never saw any.
Robert Mueller and Bizarro Robert Mueller. Photo-Illustration: Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The Republican Party  especially, but not exclusively, its media wing  is undertaking a campaign to delegitimize Robert Muellers investigation of Russian interference in the election. The endgame will almost certainly involve mass pardons or firing Mueller. In the meantime, Mike Allen of Axios reports that President Trumps legal team is coalescing around a strategy of installing its own Robert Mueller to conduct a counter-investigation.

They want an additional special counsel named to investigate the investigators, explains Allen. Their subjects of investigation would reportedly include various right-wing hobbyhorses and conspiracy theories, ranging from the years-old sale of non-weapon-grade uranium that did not involve Hillary Clinton, to the FBIs investigation of the Steele dossier, to the idea that some FBI agents may be revealed as non-Trump supporters.

It is always possible that Bizarro Mueller could expand his or her mandate to investigate Benghazi, deep-state ties to George Soros, the mystery of Obamas birth certificate, and the millions of fraudulent Californians who deprived Trump of winning the popular vote. The substance of the complaints is not the point. The point is to delegitimize Mueller and create a counter-narrative that the right-wing media can use to deflect the misdeeds and illegality he uncovers. The findings of the Bizarro Mueller investigation could be used either to rationalize firing Mueller, or perhaps a magnanimous Trump decision to pardon everybody  his own aides as well as the crooked deep-state agents found to have plotted against him.

It is also entirely possible that Trumps lawyers  who have been restraining him from firing Mueller  are presenting the Bizarro Mueller scenario to give him another way of lashing out that falls short of firing the special counsel. Attorney Ty Cobb has reportedly placated Trump by promising Mueller will finish by the end of the year and vindicate him completely  a vanishingly unlikely outcome.
Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Republicans in Congress have spent weeks insisting their tax-cut plan would increase rather than decrease tax revenue, the findings of every credible budget estimate notwithstanding. Yesterday, the Treasury Department published an analysis purporting to support the Republican claim. The document, one page long, consisted of restating its assumption that the tax cuts  in combination with other, as-yet-unwritten bills to reduce social spending and increase infrastructure  would increase growth enough to pay for itself. It does not show how the tax cuts, or the tax cuts plus all the rest of Trumps ideas, would produce the growth rate it assumes.

The fiscal defense of the Trump tax cuts is a failure even on its own, Alice in Wonderland-ish terms. If your plan only pays for itself when its effects are combined with the effects of other pieces of legislation, it does not pay for itself. Especially if the other legislation doesnt exist. Its like claiming for months you can beat up the toughest kid in school, then finally backing up the boast by describing a hypothetical fight where you beat him up with the aid of your black-belt cousin, when in fact your cousins grasp of martial arts has not advanced beyond an intention to enroll in a karate class at the YMCA.

And yet, as cartoonish as the fantasies of the Republican voodoo economists have been, they have succeeded in the most important respects: They persuaded their partys entire political class that the tax-cut bill will not increase the deficit. And merely by causing the rest of us to refute the silly claims that the tax cuts will fail to lose revenue, it has shoved out of the public eye a much more plausible outcome: that the tax cuts will not lose zero revenue, or less revenue than forecast, but actually more. Possibly much more.

Why would the tax cuts lose even more revenue than forecast? Because the design is a sieve. Thirteen top tax lawyers studied the House and Senate versions of the tax cuts, and produced a 35-page analysis laying out the various loopholes and games the bill would open up. It is shot through with opportunities for individuals and businesses to make paper changes that would create opportunities for huge savings. Listing all the dodges they found would be as boring as  well, a list of financial maneuvers written by a bunch of tax lawyers. The upshot is that its a big list.

And the cost of all these maneuvers could add up. The complex rules proposed in the House and Senate bills will allow new tax games and planning opportunities for well-advised taxpayers, which will result in unanticipated consequences and costs, the lawyers write. These costs may not currently be fully reflected in official estimates already showing the bills adding over $1 trillion to the deficit in the coming decade.

Some of the opportunities are obvious even to non-tax lawyers: The pass-through loophole, which allows independent businesses to enjoy a tax rate up to 50 percent lower than they would now, will be irresistible. Expect the best-paid dentists to turn into corporations so that they can take advantage of the new 20 percent corporate tax rate, instead of having to pay a top marginal rate of nearly 40 percent on some of their income, predicts Patricia Cohen in the New York Times. Look for a wave of promotions as staff lawyers on salary suddenly turn into partners to qualify for the 23 percent deduction the Senate bestowed on pass-through businesses.

The law anticipates blue-state taxpayers handing hundreds of billions of dollars in additional tax revenue to Washington because the state income tax will no longer be fully deductible. But, as lawyer Eugene Volokh suggests, they could evade the penalty by switching to a payroll tax. That simple evasion would make the revenue gains disappear.

The Joint Committee on Taxation, which measured the fiscal cost of the bills, cant be blamed if its studies misfire badly. It was operating under impossible conditions, estimating a bill that was being scrawled in haste. The last major tax reform began in 1984 and was signed into law in 1986. This process took a few weeks. No agency could have detected all the potential for tax evasion littered through hundreds of pages.

One tax-policy expert, who is hesitant to attach her name to such a rough estimate, told me, Based on gut and sense of just how sloppily this thing has been drafted, I would think in the hundreds of billions. Ive never seen such bad federal tax legislative drafting as some of the parts of this bill. Its difficult to guess the accuracy of a revenue forecast of a tax bill when people are eyeballing obvious ways to game it and publishing them in the newspaper before its even signed into law.

It is worth mentioning that, if these maneuvers flourish as expected, not only would the tax cuts hemorrhage far more revenue than expected, the unexpected windfall would accrue almost entirely to the rich. That means the Trump tax cuts will wind up even more heavily weighted toward the affluent than current measures forecast.

What Congress is prepared to pass is not tax reform. It is tax un-reform. Republicans are injecting the tax code with innumerable opportunities for people who have good accountants to avoid the nominal income tax rates. Its hard to model the effect of something like this on the budget, because its hard to find any good examples of something quite so shoddy and corrupt.

Republicans have insisted the JCT forecasts that the tax cut will lose $1 trillion in revenue is untrustworthy. Theres no doubt that the JCT has been consistently underestimating the activity in our economy, complains Republican senator Tim Scott. But what if the JCT is underestimating the activity of the tax-loophole industry?
The battle for a Senate seat in Alabama between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore has been a strange contest with an unclear outcome. Photo-Illustration: Daily Intelligencer. Photos: Getty Images

The December 12 special Senate election in Alabama is a high-stakes event in a place where general elections are normally snoozers dominated by Republicans. This election could reduce the GOP margin in the U.S. Senate to a bare majority and make a momentous 2018 Democratic takeover of that chamber significantly more likely. But if the GOP candidate wins, the results could create some extremely uncomfortable moments in the partys Senate cloakrooms, compounded by a possible Ethics Committee investigation and even a vote for censure or expulsion, amid fears that anything less than that might brand Republicans as the party of sexual predators at an especially inauspicious moment. And now on the eve of the election, the outcome remains uncertain.

The identity of the Republican nominee, Judge Roy Moore, is the reason for all this turbulence and all this national interest. Unpopular as he was, had appointed Senator Luther Strange defeated Moore in the GOP primary, the special general-election campaign would have likely been over before it really started; Republicans have won every statewide election since 2008, and every Senate election since 1992. But Moore has been controversial nationally and in Alabama since he unveiled a two-ton granite engraving of the Ten Commandments in his State Supreme Court courtroom in 2001, launching the first of repeated acts of defiance against the Constitution as interpreted by the federal judiciary. He was actually removed from his position as State Supreme Court chief justice during the Ten Commandments brouhaha, and after a return to that position later he was suspended for refusing to comply with the U.S. Supreme Courts decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

But vulnerable as Moore was to people uncomfortable with theocracy, it was the series of explosive allegations against him (emerging after he won the Senate nomination) for pursuing teenage girls, some as young as 14, when he was a 30-something prosecutor back in the late 1970s, that have made Moore toxic to many of his would-be future Senate colleagues. The furor has given Democrat Doug Jones (a former U.S. attorney who became famous for successfully prosecuting the racist perpetrators of an infamous 1963 church bombing that killed four black children) a lot of backing, and real hope for an upset. Meanwhile, national Republicans have been coping with a Hobbesian choice between losing a Senate seat or tainting themselves by association with a bizarre and repellent Old South character right out of Flannery OConnor.

For a brief moment after the sexual allegations against Moore appeared (and quickly proliferated), it looked like either Jones would run away with the election or Republicans would find some write-in candidate to back (it was too late in the process to replace their nominee). But even as national Republicans backed away from the judge, most Alabama Republicans stood by their man, and when President Trump (after some equivocation) joined them, Moores comeback got quickly under way. It was probably aided by the fact that he categorically denied each and every allegation and emulated his presidential role model by attributing them to a liberal Yankee media conspiracy. Within a couple of weeks of the initial story from the Washington Post, Moore had stopped and begun to reverse his slippage in the polls. The judge has led in the RealClearPolitics average of polls since November 27, with a drumbeat of evidence that the majority of likely voters who are self-identified Republicans are getting behind Moore and not believing the allegations against him.

While the emerging conventional wisdom seemed to be that Moore had overcome his crisis and was cruising to victory, there was one impossible-to-ignore phenomenon that undermined that meme: Doug Joness campaign was by any measure a lot more visible than Moores, and was clearly generating more enthusiasm.

Jones has dominated the airwaves, outspending Moore on TV ads by roughly a ten-to-one margin. The judge has never been much of a fundraiser, however, and with 100 percent name ID in Alabama, he hardly needed to introduce himself to voters the way Jones has had to do. But there have been more disturbing (to Republicans) signs of what some have called a ghost campaign for Moore.

Since winning the GOP nomination in September, Moore has put together an effort that has come to be defined by few staffers, little money, skimpy television ad buys, no volunteer apparatus, a nearly absentee candidate and no press interviews.

Most remarkably, on the last weekend of the campaign, when he and his people should have been in a teeth-grinding frenzy to set up a get-out-the-vote operation for Election Day, Moore reportedly spent two days in Philadelphia on a trip to see his son (a cadet at West Point) and watch the Army-Navy game. The most overbearingly religious man in American politics didnt even show up at his own church the Sunday before facing voters. In general, his behavior has been that of a candidate who has been told to stay out of sight.

Moores strange voting coalition may explain his disappearing act. He is counting on the votes of two very different kinds of Republicans. The first group is his loyal white conservative Evangelical base, which has been voting for him through thick and thin since he first ran for statewide office in 2000. They are precisely the kind of voters who need no particular encouragement to show up at the polls, even for a December special election. The second group, however, is composed of partisan Republicans who will vote for the judge strictly because of that R next to his name, despite his reputation as a scofflaw and as a possible sexual predator. The less they see and hear from Roy, the higher the odds they will actually vote for him.

Meanwhile the Jones campaign is belying earlier fears that it would not work hard to turn out African-American voters (a clear majority of the states Democrats) by deploying a variety of trusted surrogates, from Alabamas one Democratic congressman, Terri Sewell, to civil-rights hero John Lewis, to national political stars Cory Booker and Deval Patrick, to the biggest gun of all, Barack Obama (whose robocall for Jones has been recorded but not yet used as of the end of the weekend).

The ghostly nature of Moores campaign does not extend to his most famous supporter, Obamas successor, who has taped his own robocall for the judge, and who headlined a rally just over the state line in Florida at the center of a media market that covers part of Alabama (he probably didnt campaign in Alabama himself because of a fear of associating himself with a possible loser, as he did in campaigning locally for Moores GOP rival Luther Strange).

It is clear that different assessments of the race depend on very different assumptions about who will turn out for a single-contest special election less than two weeks before Christmas after a campaign that has largely revolved around tales of the front-runner trawling malls for teenagers. Theres no sure or easy way to figure that out; most of the polls that have shown Moore in the lead have relied on a combination of objective factors (prior voting history) and self-reported interest in the race to determine the shape of the electorate; none of these indicators are foolproof for an election like this one. The consensus that Moore would comfortably win, moreover, was shaken up massively the day before the balloting by a Fox News poll showing Jones ahead by a shocking ten points.

Nate Silver sums up the wild variations in Alabama polls as probably a matter of methodological differences in a race where judging whose opinion to poll is so difficult.

Most polls of the state have been made using automated scripts (these are sometimes also called IVR or robopolls). These polls have generally shown Moore ahead and closing strongly toward the end of the campaign, such as the Emerson College poll on Monday that showed Moore leading by 9 points. Recent automated polls from Trafalgar Group, JMC Analytics and Polling, Gravis Marketing and Strategy Research have also shown Moore with the lead.

But when traditional, live-caller polls have weighed in  although these polls have been few and far between  theyve shown a much different result. A Monmouth University survey released on Monday showed a tied race. Fox Newss final poll of the race, also released on Monday, showed Jones ahead by 10 percentage points. An earlier Fox News survey also had Jones comfortably ahead, while a Washington Post poll from late November had Jones up 3 points at a time when most other polls showed the race swinging back to Moore.

As Silver goes on to explain, the traditional polls could be more accurate because they include cell-phone calls which tend to identify Democratic-leaning voters missed by robo-polls. But robo-polls could be more accurate because they make it easier for voters to admit they are supporting someone as controversial as the Ayatollah of Alabama.

For what its worth, the third kind of polls, conducted online, favor Moore. But the most interesting online poll, from SurveyMonkey, shows that the outcome totally depends on different turnout models. Even then, the picture is complicated:

These data imply that Democratic turnout will be higher, but Democrats plus Democratic leaners are still a minority in Alabama. Jones does have a significant advantage (55 to 33 percent) among independents who lean to neither party, but a Jones victory also requires that significant numbers of Republicans either vote for him or skip the election.

If the race is close, then all sorts of otherwise marginal factors could become crucial, from GOP loyalty to Trump to the example set by Moores would-be Senate colleague, Richard Shelby, who says he cast a write-in vote for a third candidate. And if the race is very close, the small percentage of votes cast for the one significant announced write-in candidate, retired Marine colonel Lee Busby, could wind up mattering a great deal.

Either way, Shelby and other Senate Republicans will have a sober Wednesday morning after the returns come in on Tuesday night. Either theyll be dealing with a new Democratic colleague from Alabama who could get his party one crucial step closer to a 2018 conquest of the Senate. Or they will be coming to grips with the Republican colleague from hell.
Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

Have Silicon Valleys biggest companies become too powerful? This series examines monopoly and power in the tech industry  and what, if anything, can be done.

It shouldnt have been surprising when Ro Khanna, the newly elected representative of Californias 17th congressional district, said the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission should review the potential impact on jobs and wages of Amazons purchase of Whole Foods. Khanna, 41, has emerged in his first congressional term as one of the loudest voices on antitrust and economic competition issues, and the proposed merger between Amazon and Whole Foods had attracted the attention of anti-monopoly activists worried about the combination of a major grocery chain and Amazons automation and delivery infrastructure.

But it was surprising, mostly because of where Khannas district is located: Silicon Valley. While Amazon isnt headquartered in Khannas state, its big-tech peers (and their employees) are housed in and around his district  and if theres any industry youd expect to be wary of antitrust talk, its tech. Google, Facebook, and Apple have all been accused of being monopolies. In many ways, the growing antitrust movement is antithetical to the business culture of the tech industry. Monopolies have been described as inevitable in Silicon Valley, or at least a common outcome, and even desirable. The Valleys libertarian skepticism of government regulation, combined with its unrestrained idealism, has made it easier for tech people to believe monopolies are natural and good.

So far, Khanna doesnt seem particularly concerned that his comments will offend his constituents. On the antitrust issue that might be the most pressing to Silicon Valley in particular  the AT&TTime Warner merger, opposition to which observers like investor Mark Cuban say could be turned on Facebook and Google  Khanna has been outspoken: Every American should be concerned that a few major corporations control the flow of news and information, he tweeted in November. The AT&TTime Warner deal must be rejected. But he said that blocking it shouldnt cause concern for tech companies. You cannot compare telecom companies that control access to the internet with those that provide a platform [or] content, the Democrat told Select All last month.

Thanks in part to the unique nature of his district, Khanna has become a highly visible member of a growing cohort of activists, politicians, think-tankers, and fervent Twitter users that wants to return to a broader interpretation of antitrust law that takes into account impact on jobs, wages, and the ability of other businesses to compete. For decades, U.S. antitrust policy has centered on protecting consumer welfare  which in essence ends up translating to keeping prices down, to the exclusion of other impacts of corporate mergers and expansions. Reformers like Khanna believe that this approach has allowed corporations to grow unwieldy and control too many competing interests, to the overwhelming benefit of a thin strata of executives, exacerbating income inequality.

I think that the paradigm is only looking at the winners in a society, which many times is consumers, and its also certain types of corporate profit, Khanna says. But what weve seen is, were living in a time of great income inequality, and geographic inequality. And often what may be good for my wife and I because we can now have groceries delivered to our house with busy schedules, may not be good for local grocers in a different community.

This push to return antitrust policy to the more muscular presence it had in the first half of the 20th century now has a home in Congress: the Antitrust Caucus, which Khanna and fellow Democratic representatives Rick Nolan and Mark Pocan co-founded with support from Representative Keith Ellison, deputy chair of the DNC. As with any strength-building program, it will take some time to develop. The caucuss first bill, announced last week, would require the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department to conduct annual retrospective studies of the impact of mergers on jobs, wages, and local economies. Khannas long-term hope for the caucus is to work on strengthening the FTC, which has the authority to investigate antitrust issues and take action, and the antitrust division of the Justice Department. He wants to lobby for more funding for the agencies, ramp up hiring, make them more independent from Congress and the White House, and give the agencies greater jurisdiction in industries like agriculture.

But what about tech? When it comes to concerns about concentration of wealth and power, the tech industry is first on many politicians minds: In October, Representative Ellison, Khannas Antitrust Caucus collaborator, sent a letter to the FTC asking it to publicly share the full results of a 2013 investigation of allegations that Google privileged its own services over others on its platform. Europe recently pursued a similar case and ended up fining Google $2.7 billion this summer. Its not easy to echo Ellisons call  much less push for action  when youre counting on employees and executives at the most powerful and valuable companies in the world to reelect you. Employees and executives of Google holding company Alphabet and members of venture-capital firm Accel Partners are, respectively, his top two contributors in the 20172018 election cycle as of November, according to opensecrets.org, the website of campaign-finance research organization Center for Responsive Politics. (Khanna doesnt accept money from PACs.)

I think its trendy or something, perhaps, right now  given the Russia investigation in social media  to focus on tech. But I dont think thats where the biggest antitrust issues are, said Khanna. He thinks the biggest monopoly problem is among internet-service providers. Attention should also be paid to airlines, pharmaceuticals, finance, and agriculture, he said. Im not saying tech should in any way be exempt, they should be held to the exact same doctrine, there should be absolutely great scrutiny.

Khanna is carving out an antitrust philosophy that fits his district  one where network effects mean many businesses and services are only sustainable (or profitable) when they reach the kind of size that makes more traditional anti-monopolists nervous. Where Ellison talks openly about trust-busting (in a statement to Select All, he described Google and Amazon as bloated corporate powers), Khanna is more cautious. I believe the bar is much higher to split up a company, and I dont think we should break up Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon because there are benefits to network effects, he says, and suggests other ways to mitigate negative effects of mergers, like making the newly merged company pay to offset the transitional cost  the loss of jobs, the loss of community. And when I asked Khanna about the EUs recent antitrust action against Google, he dismissed Europe as a model for how to approach tech regulation: They dont have a First Amendment, they have not produced a successful technology company in the last 20 years, and I dont think the United States should be looking to Europe.

So far, this tech-conscious vision of antitrust has worked well for Khanna, whose antitrust agitation hasnt attracted much negative attention in his district. He might even find support  Ive spoken to venture capitalists and entrepreneurs who worry about the power Google and Facebook have to quash competition from smaller companies. Of course, these investors and start-up executives are still resistant to government solutions. But even if regulation remains taboo in Silicon Valley, the idealism that has underpinned support for techs winner-take-all ethos has started to erode. Members of the tech industry are starting to question whether a small handful of companies should dominate the experience of so many internet users, especially in light of abuses like Russias dissemination of propaganda and disinformation on Facebook and other social-media platforms. A wave of sexual-harassment scandals has also tainted the industrys image. Maybe most importantly, as far as most of Silicon Valley is concerned, any sort of meaningful antitrust enforcement against tech in the U.S. is a distant possibility.

Which is in part why antitrust activists are not going to split hairs over Khanna avoiding making targets of his constituent companies: Any frequent, vocal support of antitrust action is enough to set a member of Congress apart at this point, even if that support is general. Lina Khan, legal policy director of the Open Markets Institute, says that antitrust-reform efforts can absorb the occasional absences of reform advocates in Congress when efforts target companies housed in their district areas. Still, concentration in tech is exacerbating and accentuating the harms that wed already been seeing playing out in earlier decades, says Khan, and addressing concentration in tech is critical for a serious antitrust-reform movement. Other companies are responding to the power of tech by further consolidating, Khan pointed out: CVS pharmacy reportedly plans to buy insurer Aetna, following signals that Amazon is entering the pharmacy space. Were in this moment where, as these tech platforms are eating a growing share of commerce, other companies are feeling like they have to buff up in response to that, and so that is bad.

Compounding that awkwardness is the fact that the tech industry is also a major source of funding and power for the Democratic Party, not just Khanna, and that could pose a challenge for the party whose members birthed the Antitrust Caucus. In their Better Deal, which lays out plans to deal more aggressively with economic concentration, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, another Californian, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York list the airline, telecom, beer, food, and eyeglass industries. Notice anything missing?

Khanna insists that he can be tough on his districts most important industry. Hes spoken against corporate tax reductions that would benefit companies in his area, saying that it wont lead to job creation. Again ragging on Amazon, in September he criticized the company for seeking tax breaks from localities vying to host its second headquarters  though he has not called out Apple, headquartered in his district, for tax-dodging.

Khannas views are nuanced, he said, and hes open to hashing them out with colleagues in the Antitrust Caucus. At this point, its too early to tell whether hes a sleeper agent for an economic movement that will eventually topple tech, or a beachhead for a broader and less aggressive mainstream approach that will try to steer reform around the perimeter of Silicon Valley as deftly as it can manage. Ultimately, this particular tension  between populist economics and the interests of top donors and businesses  might be one of the most conventionally Democratic things about him.
IGP Kale Kayihura

Ahead of the expected tabling of the age limit bill report today, security within and around Parliament has been beefed up following meetings of Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga with security bosses and the prime minister.

Kadaga held meetings with the Chief of Defence Forces David Muhoozi, Inspector General of Police, Kale Kayihura and Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda at Parliament on Monday evening to draw out a plan on how to avert possible chaos within the House like was witnessed in September this year.

On September 27, this year, there was similarly heavy deployment, when Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi tabled a motion seeking leave of Parliament so as to table the presidential age limit removal bill.

Later, security forces, believed to be presidential guards (Special Forces Command) invaded the chambers and violently evicted MPs that were suspected to be opposed to the bill.

MPs opposed to the divisive Constitutional Amendment Bill 2017, last week called on the masses to assemble at Parliament to remind their MPs not to pass the presidential age limit removal bill, which they say is intended to benefit the incumbent, President Yoweri Museveni.

The bill among other things, seeks to remove the presidential age limits currently capped between 35 and 75 years. When his current term of office ends in 2021, Museveni would be ineligible to stand for presidency.

And today afternoon, its anticipated that two reports - the main and minority reports on the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2017 will be tabled before the House, to be presided over by speaker Kadaga.

According to sources, Kadaga was not sure of the safety of parliament and asked for meetings with the security bosses and prime minister over the institutions security, hence the enhanced deployment.

Kadaga met with different security organs' bosses and thereafter, the bosses also met with the commandants to come up with strategies on ensuring safety of the institution ahead of the tabling of the main and minority reports by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee.

After the security commandants met with their bosses last evening, more deployments were witnessed, with new faces coming in to boost the usual parliamentary police.

Police spokesperson Emilian Kayima was not clear about the enhanced deployments at Parliament although he said that when the situation calls for security, deployments can be made.

Deploying at Parliament is not our duty but the speakers and her people. It should however be remembered that Parliament has a full directorate of parliamentary police, Kayima told us.

Kayihura on the hand told journalists in an interview at Parliament that his presence at parliament was not irregular.

Those who think they will cause chaos at Parliament are joking. We have enough security deployed at Parliament and whoever asks for security gets it, Kayihura said on Monday evening.

namuloki16@gmail.com
Doctors have threatened to go on strike again in less than seven days, just weeks after calling off their previous strike.



The doctors went on strike on November 6 - demanding for higher pay and better working conditions - paralysing health services allover the country. They called off the strike about two weeks after government made some minimum irreducible demands.



But now Uganda Medical Association (UMA) president, Dr Ekwaro Obuku has warned government that, failure to fulfill some of the demands cabinet committed itself on, will trigger off another industrial action on December 16 till March 26, 2018.

Dr Ekwaro Obuku addressing the media earlier

According to Dr Obuku, failure to provide Shs 41 billion supplementary budget for medical supplies and failure to pay all senior health officers (SHO) and developing an SHO policy within 30 days will trigger off the industrial action in less than a weeks time.



The doctors are also demanding for the Health Monitoring Unit (HMU), that, they accuse of harassing medical officers to be investigated and shut down.

They also demand for the reinstatement of all internal doctors pay from the current Shs 750,000 to Shs 950,000. The doctors are also demanding to have a complete Interns Policy within 30 days. We could not get a comment from ministry of health officials.
There is heavy police and military police deployment in Kampala and its neighborhoods. The deployment is meant to counter the anticipated protests by opposition activists against the proposed presidential age limit debate in Parliament today.



The heavy deployment follows threats by Democratic Party to lead a procession to Parliament this afternoon under a campaign code named 'red week' to stop the debate on the report by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee on the proposed presidential age limit amendment.

A police truck seen parked near DP offices. Photo: @SoftPowerNews

A highly placed source in Kampala Metropolitan Police told URN that they have deployed a combined force involving more than 1,000 police and Military officers in Kampala and its surrounding areas.



Police have also set up a heavy security ring in the city center covering the parliamentary building and the outer most ring covering all junctions entering into Kampala city like Busega, Nansana, Kalerwe, Bweyogerere and Kajansi.



Police spokesperson, Emilian Kayima, says whoever tries to march to Parliament will face the full wrath of police.

"We are working with other security agencies to ensure that there is no chaos around the Parliamentary Chambers," Kayima said.



The Constitutional (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2017, which seeks to amend article 102b of the constitution comes to parliament this afternoon for its second reading.



During the first reading, Members of Parliament opposed to the amendment caused chaos in the House in attempt to stop the mover of the bill, Raphael Magyezi, the Igara West MP from tabling it.



Plain clothes security personnel stormed the house from the Office of the President and brutally evicted the legislators.

Some of the legislators like the Mukono Municipality MP, Betty Nambooze are yet to recover from the injuries they sustained during the raid.
In a twist of events and perhaps a cleansing move, the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga today directed all non-parliament security withdrawn from the precincts of Parliament. She also ordered all security personnel attached to Parliament to wear police uniform with their name-tags attached.

Her directive comes following complaints from some MPs mainly the opposition that their security while in the House was not guaranteed following the violent eviction of MPs on September 27 during the tabling of the age limit bill.

In her communication to the House, Kadaga ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms, Ahmed Kagoye, the in-charge parliament security to ensure all the illegal entrances and exits into Parliament from the Presidents Office are sealed off.

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga

Kadaga singled out the access route on the fourth floor of the Parliament building connecting to the Office of the President, through which some people can access some areas within the House without going through the security checkpoints.

This poses a danger to the premises. I am now instructing the Sergeant-at-Arms to seal that place on the fourth floor of the Parliament side, Kadaga said.

I am further instructing that all staff of Parliament Police must henceforth wear uniform and they must have name tags, she added.

Kadaga did not stop at directing Kagoye on the security but also the Clerk to Parliament Jane Kibirige to ensure that the names and the ranks of police officers deployed at Parliament are submitted in writing to the Office of Speaker.

Parliament is a civilian institution; all other security organs if they are here should withdraw and go to where they are supposed to go, Kadaga said.

Kadaga's new orders are in sharp contrast to her earlier statements when she defended the heavy deployment and forceful eviction of legislators from the House in September when she agued then that the filibusterring MPs were plotting a 'coup' against Parliament by not allowing debate in the House.

Security relaxed

Before Kadagas directive to have non parliament security withdrawn, security at Parliament was not as tight as yesterday.

Security within and around Parliament had been beefed up following meetings of Kadaga with security bosses and the prime minister on Monday evening to draw out a plan on how to avert possible chaos ahead of the anticipated tabling of the age limit bill reports by the legal and parliamentary affairs committee.

In September, security forces, believed to be presidential guards (Special Forces Command) invaded the chambers and violently evicted MPs that were suspected to be opposed to Igara west Raphael Magyezis controversial bill which seeks among other things to scrap the presidential age limits from the Constitution.

namuloki16@gmail.com
In a report by Transparency International released in January this year, Uganda ranked 151 out of 176 countries in the Corruption Perception Index of 2016.

This means Uganda ranked number 25 as the most corrupt country in the world. This years anti-corruption theme: United against Corruption for Development, Peace and Security clearly points out that this vice is a big hindrance to economic and social development.

Corruption affects education, health, justice, democracy and prosperity. Uganda and most African countries continue to extinguish in corruption because they have failed to realise the damage it does to impede prosperity.

According to the United Nations, every year $1 trillion is paid in bribes while an estimated $2.6 trillion is stolen annually through corruption. This is about five per cent of the global GDP of about $80 trillion.

This clearly means that Uganda is not an island; corruption is a global sickness, affecting all countries, but the difference is in its severity of lives behind marks in the latter.

Over 68 per cent of the countries in the world battle corruption but most of these are developing countries. In developing countries, the money lost to corruption is 10 times more than the official development assistance (ODA). This has been a big barrier to international aid as many of these countries have had to lose out on foreign donations.

Donors fear that monies would be swindled and embezzled, not to serve the rightful purpose. The global fund scandal in Uganda stands out in this case, where money meant to help HIV victims was mercilessly embezzled by top government officials.

These not only shocked the world, but also left tears in the eyes of the many who lost their loved ones simply because this aid never reached them.

The biggest remedy to corruption is intolerance, and fighting it back with stringent laws. Uganda has often been praised for having the best laws and policies in the world, but never delivers when it comes to implementation.

The same is the case with corruption. The country boasts of a rich legal framework which has often been terribly implemented or not implemented at all. The laws against corruption started way back in the 1970s with the enactment of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1970.

Then there was the Inspectorate of Government Act 1988, the Anti-Corruption Act 2009, Leadership Code Act 2002, and Public Finance Management Act 2015.

All these provide clear-cut punishments to bribery and corruption but until a few years ago, we hadnt seen any big names being convicted, despite their overt corruption.

A few of them, however, were not as lucky and they had to taste the whip of the law, Geoffrey Kazinda, and the on-going Abraham Byandala case being best examples. However, considering the countless number of officials still engaged in corruption out there, this is only a drop in the ocean.

The code of conduct and ethics for Uganda public services defines bribery as any gratification with a value equal to or more than Shs 20,000 given to public officials by anyone with the intention to influence any current or future decisions.

It further says that if one is given such, they should declare it to the Inspectorate of Government for it to cease being a bribe.

But this has never been the case; officials bag millions of money without mentioning a word of it to anyone, lest they risk their superiors asking for their own share of the gift.

The definition, however, seems to say that the Shs10, 000 my friend gave the traffic officer the other day wasnt a bribe since it was less than Shs 20,000. I think a bribe can be even as small as a Shs 500 coin provided I am giving it with intent to influence a decision.

Corruption in Uganda remains largely rooted in the judiciary, police and public offices. It has become a norm that justice can only be administered through corruption and the moment a traffic policeman stops you, your mind runs to how much you have in your pocket.

This is how degenerated we are! Here, the court that finds you guilty of a corruption crime is the same court that sets you free. This is how bad it is!

Massive corruption also happens in tax administration and customs and public procurement which has greatly undermined investments in Uganda. One out of five companies indicates that they give a gift in order to secure a government contract.

Pharmacies have become a big business in Uganda and most of it is boosted by corruption and the continued stealing of drugs in public hospitals.

Corruption also remains a big threat to climate change since through corruption and bribery, forests and wetlands have continuously been illegally given away to private individuals to turn them into money mines, at the cost of the environment.

With the whistleblowing campaign in place, we can only do much. Companies and government should ensure zero tolerance to corruption. New policies should be put in place and the available good ones should be adequately implemented.

Civil society and citizens should step up and vigorously demand for accountability. That is the only way we can fight this cancer.

The author is a political and social critic.
Kenya has finally opened the floodgates for polygamy by signing the marriage bill into law.

The law allows a man to have as many wives as he can without seeking approval from the other wife/wives. While signing the bill into law, President Uhuru Kenyatta remarked: "Marriage is the voluntary union of a man and a woman, whether in a monogamous or polygamous union".

This statement leaves lingering questions. How about if the first woman is uncomfortable with subsequent marriages? Would it still be voluntary for her or after the subsequent marriages, it becomes constructive compulsion to remain in a relationship she is not happy with?

A similar situation exists in Uganda with the provisions of the Customary Marriages (registration) Act Cap 251. The law allows men who marry customarily to be polygamous, but it does not allow women married customarily the same right to marry as many husbands as they can.

It is also silent on men seeking their first wives consent before involving them in multiple sexual relationships which come with several dangers including exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, hatred, and emotional and psychological harm.

This is discriminatory and unconstitutional. Discrimination, simply put, is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age or sex.

If the law gives men the right and freedom to marry as many wives as they can, it should give the same freedom to women if we truly subscribe to the principle of equality of everyone before the law as enshrined in our Constitution.

We have continued to justify inequality and discrimination using a cultural defence: that it is African culture for men to be polygamous and that it is an abomination for women to do the same. When we advance such justifications, we are simply saying men are superior to women.

While we justify discrimination with this cultural defence, we should be mindful that article 2 of our Constitution provides that: If any other law or any custom is inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail, and that other law or custom shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void

If cultures and practices that give men advantage over women on such issues as property rights, political or other civil rights have been considered discriminatory and unconstitutional, why then not look at polygamous marriages the same way?

In the case of FIDA (U) and 5 others vs Attorney General Constitutional Petition No. 2 of 2003, for instance, the Constitutional court declared unconstitutional several provisions of the Divorce Act that gave a husband an unfair advantage over a wife during a petition for divorce. Similarly, in the case of Law Advocacy for Women in Uganda v Attorney General - Constitutional Petitions Nos. 13 /of 2005, provisions of the Succession Act that favoured men over women were declared discriminatory and unconstitutional.

In most parts of the Western world, polygamous marriages are illegal. Even some African countries such as Benin, Ethiopia, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritriea, Seychelles and Tunisia no longer recognise polygamous marriages. The rest of Africa should pick a lesson.

If they cannot prohibit polygamy, at least there should be an opportunity for women to consent to such relationships or have the freedom to walk away if they feel uncomfortable being part of a polygamous marriage.

The truth is that polygamy is gender discrimination and is utterly inconsistent with the Constitution. Why it has persisted is because those who are dominant and have power to outlaw it are the sole beneficiaries.

Progressive civilisation requires that we deny and relinquish even the most entrenched of our cultures that are unfair and unjust in the modern world.

Our laws and institutions should reflect this progressive vision that guarantees equality, freedom and justice to all, not that which reflects the views of the dominant forces.

bdeniso4@gmail.com

The author is a lawyer, social and political commentator.
Did leakage of Panama and Paradise Papers encourage tax evaders to put their unaccounted money in Bitcoins all over the world? Today, no currency in the world is making so many headlines than the cryptocurrency. A single bitcoin costs around $18,000( approx Rs 11 lakh) - making it one of the costliest currencies in the virtual world.

Technologists and experts have various reasons to analyse and criticize the fluctuation, but in India, Vijay Mukhi - one of the pioneers of the Indian IT industry have claimed that Bitcoin Exchanges (especially in tax haven countries) are becoming a "new platform for concealing the black money of high networth individuals (HNIs), businessmen and all criminals who loves to evade taxes."

For years, Mukhi has been the one of the first to teach emerging technologies in India, with more than 80 technical and non-technical books under his names. Of late, Mukhi has penned down a 900-pages voluminous book on Bitcoins, titled, "The undocumented internals of the Bitcoin and Ethereum Blockchains", available on Internet.

While talking exclusively with Indiatoday.in, Mukhi, without mincing words said, "Bitcoins is the biggest ponzy scheme of the Universe." He has warned the Central Government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that black money is going into Bitcoins in huge numbers.

"Earlier, all unaccounted money was going into purchase of gold or properties or both, leaving behind a paper trail. But if one puts his money in cryptocurrency, then nobody knows who the real owner is. Hence, bitcoins are the easiest way to evades taxes", Mukhi said.

Let's see the available data. In April 2013, price of single bitcoin was Rs 7,304. The same bitcoin jumped to Rs 6,26,400 in November 2017.

And now, in December 2017, the price of the same cryptocurrency touched Rs 11,00,000, a whopping increase of almost 9000 per cent in last four years.

Zebpay claims to have 50 per cent market share of entire Bitcoin Exchange space in India. Data shared by Zebpay to Indiatoday.in gives some interesting aspects of Bitcoins in India. As per the data:

The bitcoin industry is adding an overall number of two lakh users a month in India.

Currently, there are around two million users, pan-India

The industry volume is about Rs 2000 crore, a month

Total trade in India for bitcoin goes to approximately Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore, annually

Globally, bitcoins in particular, the trade volume goes an approximate Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore per day.



With such returns, Bitcoin has emerged as a new attraction among global investors.

Mukhi has reasoned out two factors: One is the effect of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation process, and second the impact of Panama and Paradise Papers expose.

Mukhi said, "When Modi implemented demonetisation, none of them realized that we were among the top ten in the world to bring in these changes. World-over, all rich and criminals thought what would happen if in United States (US) stops Dollar as its legal tender. What about Europe? That's the reason money started flowing into cryptocurrency and valuation had no limits."

He continued, "When Panama Papers came out, nobody took it seriously. But when Paradise Papers got exposed, tax evaders got scared that if they have cash or money in bank account in any offshore island, it would be easily trailed. So, if one analyses the sequence of events, the price of bitcoins suddenly increased in last 2-3 months".

But, Zebpay thinks other way around. While talking to Indiatoday.in, Sandip Goenka, co-founder, Zebpay claimed to follow complete KYC norms, strictly.

"Every single person buying or selling bitcoin on its exchange have to provide identification details such as: Aadhar or Pan Card. Bitcoin is not illegal as per the existing laws. Moreover, Zebpay is also a registered entity by Registrar of Companies (RoC) and a self-regulator, which operate only by bank accounts", Goenka said.

Why prices are increasing, suddenly? Goenka explained, "Bitcoins are precious and limited in supply. There would be only 21 million bitcoins to exist. Right now, 17 million are in circulation. So, as the demand of bitcoins in each and every country going up, the prices would increase by same pace".

Mukhi has suggested the government not to ban the cryptocurrency as it may go underground, and still remain operational. "In fact, the central government should implement demonetization 2.0 to stop the flow of black money moving towards bitcoins", Mukhi concluded.

However, the Indian exchanges are assuring complete transparency and support to the investigators, if any suspect comes on radar. But in between, lays the investor - for whom it is a very speculative and an unregulated market. Money should be invested in bitcoin only if the investor is familiar with the technology and the risk involved.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) would issue show cause notices to around 35 individuals whose name appeared in the Panama Paper leaks. The ED is investigating 45 such cases, a report of which would be sent to prime minister on December 15.

The Panama Papers contained particulars of about 426 Indians or persons of Indian origin, who had/have companies in tax haven.

Sources from ED said that out of the 45 cases that they are investigating only around five of them are of serious nature, where the individuals had not informed the tax department of their offshore accounts or companies. Rest of them are more of technical violations and not serious violations.

An ED official said that in many cases individuals have set up companies in tax haven for the purpose of buying properties in the name of such companies in countries where there is estate tax on individuals.
Even as Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu is stressing on India's preference to engage in a development oriented negotiation at the ongoing 11th ministerial conference of World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Buenos Aires, participating delegates have reasons to believe that developed nations such as the US is putting immense pressure on India to agree for a permanent freeze on customs duty on e-commerce transactions.

Currently WTO member countries do not impose customs duties on electronic transmissions on the basis of a moratorium that gets extended in ministerial conferences held once in two years. While India has been agreeing to the temporary moratorium, it had expressed reservation on making it duty free in perpetuity, given the ever changing behavior and scope of e-commerce transactions.

The buzz among the participating delegates is that US wants India to agree for a permanent freeze, if it has to consider India's proposal to extend the current moratorium on Non-Violation and Situation Complaints under the WTO TRIPS Agreement. Like moratorium on e-transactions, every WTO ministerial has been giving a two-year extension on the moratorium on the provision that allows non-violation complaints against activities that are perfectly WTO compliant, but still prone to result in some unintended consequences that harm the business interests of the complainant nation.

Trade experts point out that introduction of non-violation complaints under TRIPS could enable legal challenges to regulatory and public policy measures that may be consistent with the obligations under the TRIPS Agreement. Public health measures such as issuance of compulsory licenses, or packaging restrictions on harmful products could thus be challenged even if these are consistent with TRIPS obligations if non-violation complaints are allowed, a South Centre note points out.

Meanwhile some delegates hint at scheduled close door meetings which they feel are not in the spirit of the transparency that has been promised by the WTO secretariat. In a tweet, activist group, Our World Is Not for Sale alleges that "negotiation schedule" is just formal statements and secret "Green Room" discussions are being planned. The push for talks on investment facilitation is another concern flagged by some participants.

Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, in his opening remarks during a media interaction on 11 December reiterated India's position as a strong supporter of the multilateral system and said the country re-endorses the centrality of development in WTO negotiations, without introducing differentiation among developing countries.

"India is looking forward to constructive engagement of all members for taking final decisions in areas where specific mandates were provided at Nairobi. The discourse should be on development at the WTO and not to be deflected based on aggregate GDP figures. While in India we are proud of our GDP and growth rates of recent years, propelled by innovative economic policies of my government, we cannot ignore that India is home to more than 600 million poor people. Therefore, we are legitimate demanders for special and differential treatment for developing countries", Prabhu said.

According to him, India wishes to see an outcome in the permanent solution for public stockholding for food security purposes. "A successful resolution of this issue would send a strong signal that trade openness and addressing hunger need not be in conflict", he said.

On the issue on the negotiating table of agricultural domestic support, he reminded that the agreed objectives of agriculture negotiations in the Doha Round, called for continuation of the reform process in this area, rather than further widening and perpetuating of the imbalance between developed and developing countries. "Any meaningful reform in agriculture must first seek to reduce the disproportionately large subsidies of the developed countries".

Prabhu also emphasized that Special and differential treatment for developing countries is a very important part of the WTO's mandate and must be preserved.

As regards new issues that are sought to be introduced into the negotiating agenda of the WTO, such as e-commerce, investment facilitation and MSMEs, in India's view agreeing to these would be extremely onerous and would curtail our policy space to implement appropriate development policies, he pointed out.

The minister also added that while India is not opposed to taking cognizance of change, the country cannot ignore the legacy issues of the Doha Round. "Discussions on new issues are distracting attention from priority areas for which mandates exist. India sees little rationale for new issues when so many issues are awaiting resolution. The fact of the matter is that new issues are yet to be fully understood by the membership in terms of their scope, definitions and implications", he said.
When it rains, it pours. The old adage seems so true for the pin stripped bankers. The digitization threat from Fintechs is already costing them a bomb. The deteriorating asset quality has almost made (at least some of) them penniless. The schemes like Jan Dhan (zero balance account) are adding to their cost woes. And if that was not enough, the controversy over the new Financial Resolution Deposit Insurance Bill for not specifying the deposit insurance amount has created yet another room for bankers to bear higher cost.



If initial reports from Finance Ministry is to be believed, the deposit insurance amount under the new bill would be higher than the existing Rs 1 lakh amount. The banks are likely to bear a higher burden of the deposit insurance if the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decides to hike the deposit insurance limit from the existing Rs 1 lakh under the new Financial Resolution Deposit Insurance Bill 2017.



Each deposit (savings, current, recurring and fixed deposits) is insured up to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh with the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DIGC). The deposit insurance premium is paid by the banks to the DIGC. Under the existing framework, the DIGC charges 10 paise per Rs 100 deposit. So for a Rs 1,00,000 deposit, the premium charges are Rs 100 per annum.



There are reports that government is considering hiking the insured limit from Rs 1 lakh. "Any hike in the insured deposit amount will be at a cost to the banking industry," says a banker. The new Financial Resolution Deposit Insurance Bill 2017 doesn't make any mention of maximum deposit amount to be insured. The bill says that the government in consultation with regulator (RBI) will specify the total amount payable by the corporation with respect to any depositor.



Experts say the insurance premium under the new market driven bankruptcy of banks and financial institutions should be higher than 10 paise per Rs 100 because the probability of a bank failure is higher as there is a no bail out by government. Secondly, the banks are now much more vulnerable because of competition, digitization, cyber security risks etc. The insurance rates haven't been revised since April 2005.



It may be pointed out that the government has come out with an institutional framework for dealing with bankruptcy of banks and insurance companies. This new framework would be something akin to newly operational bankruptcy code for corporate sector, which is currently facing teething problems. The new corporation will to deal with financial institutions which are on the verge of a collapse, work out a resolution plan by way of restructuring, merger, acquisition or eventual liquidation in a worst case scenario.
State-run Punjab National Bank has launched a share sale to qualified institutions to raise at least 30 billion rupees ($466.2 million) with an upsize option for another 20 billion rupees, according a source and a deal term sheet.

Punjab National Bank, the second-biggest state-run lender in the country, is looking to sell the shares at an indicative price of 168 rupees each, according to the source and the term sheet. The stock closed at 172.95 rupees on Monday.

The total fund-raising of 50 billion rupees, including the upsize option, is aimed at boosting the bank's capital ratio.

India's state-run banks are raising funds as part of a recapitalisation plan in which New Delhi will inject 1.35 trillion rupees through recapitalisation bonds, while the lenders are required to raise on their own about 580 billion rupees.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Kotak Mahindra Capital, Morgan Stanley and PNB Investment Services are the banks managing the sale.
Pakistan has an unrivalled importance in Beijings strategic calculations: China

ISLAMABAD: China on Monday said Pakistan had an unrivalled importance in Beijings strategic calculations and that a vibrant bilateral cooperation was central to tackling challenges facing the region and beyond.



Assistant Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Wang Yajun told a conference attended by people from all walks of life in Islamabad that his country was highly committed to assisting Pakistan for a genuine economic development and prosperity. He said both countries have always stood by each other shoulder to shoulder in difficult times. Ties between China and Pakistan are unique of its kind  we have relations from blood to blood and generation to generation  and we want that relations to get stronger like iron, he said.



The visiting minister said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project were the game-changer not only for Pakistan but the entire region. All political forces and people in Pakistan are united on CPEC. We are determined to pluck the fruits of CPEC and BRI and pass on them to people of the two countries, he added.



Yajun said energy crisis in Pakistan had been overcome to a great extent due to timely completion of a number of power projects under the CPEC initiative.



The Chinese minister said his country remained firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. We respect the right of the people of all countries to choose their own development path. We endeavour to uphold international fairness and justice, and oppose acts that impose ones will on others or interfere in the internal affairs of others as well as the practice of the strong bullying the weak, he said, and assured the audience that no matter, how much China rises, it would never go for hegemony or ignoring the interests of other nations.



Throwing light on Chinas policy to ensure transparency in governance system, the minister said the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of China had punished 440 senior level officials of the CPC, besides 8,900 city-level officials and over 63,000 county-level officials over corruption and involvement in malpractices. He said a total of 278,000 grassroots level party members and officials were also taken to task, besides arrest of 3,453 fugitives. He said among the top 100 fugitives listed on an Interpol red notice, 48 have already been arrested.



Sharing the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) report, he said China was a leader among the world major economies. With the GDP rising from 54 trillion to 80 trillion RMBs, China has maintained its position as the worlds second largest economy and has contributed more than 30 percent to the global economic growth, he said.



Senator Mushahid Hussian in his opening remarks said that China had made remarkable development from 1949 till date. While CPEC is set to change the fate of Pakistan, BRI will bring unprecedented dividends for Africa, Middle East and Europe. Land and sea links under the project will help the better future of the next generation.



He said Chinas decision to invest in Pakistan was a vote of confidence into Pakistans future. This is a unique achievement in bilateral relations. China has also vowed to invest in scientific innovation, environment friendly measures, peaceful coexistence and good neighbourly relations, he added.



Deputy Chairman Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haidery in his address praised Chinas policy of goodwill towards Pakistan. He thanked the Chinese leadership for supporting Pakistan on Kashmir and other important issues. He said people of Pakistan have fully endorsed Chinas initiatives for development in Pakistan under the CPEC.



Chinese ambassador-designate to Pakistan Yao Jing on the occasion said,  I am happy to come Pakistan for the third time  I arrived first time in Pakistan in 1994. He said people to people contacts between the two counties will be beneficial for bilateral relations.



Later in the day, Wang Yajun along with his delegation called on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and discussed with him issues of bilateral interest.
SC rejected NAB plea of adjourning proceedings of Hudaibiya Paper 12 December, 2017



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Woke Bingo ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking to adjourn proceedings of the Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference involving money laundering of Rs 1.2 billion until the appointment of a new prosecutor general (PG).



A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel told NABs special prosecutor Imranul Haq that it would hear the case on Tuesday as it had nothing do with the prosecutor generals appointment, adding that the reason to adjourn the case was not substantial enough.



The court restrained the electronic media from discussing the merits and demerits of Hudaibiya case during live talk shows and directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to ensure implementation of the order. The court, however, allowed factual reporting on the case.



The judges noted that there was no ground for delaying the proceedings and asked NAB not to make a mockery of the court.



When NABs prosecutor told the court that the details of the case sought by the court had been submitted, the court asked that why NAB had failed to properly pursue the case since 2000.



The court asked the prosecutor that had the Panama Papers case bench of the apex court not made the observation (regarding reopening of the Hudaibiya case), would NAB have filed the appeal?



The court asked the prosecutor to narrate the circumstances which led to former premier Nawaz Sharif going into exile. Justice Isa noted that Sharif went to exile in Saudi Arabia in 2000 and the same year the Hudaibiya reference was filed against him, his brother Shehbaz Sharif and other family members before an accountability court.



The prosecutor stated that the case was first registered on March 27, 2000, and the accused returned to Pakistan on November 25, 2007.



The court warned the prosecutor of issuing a notice if he cited the Panama Papers case verdict instead of concentrating on his arguments in the Hudaibiya case and establishing that the former premier used his influence for quashing the NAB reference in Hudaibiya case.



The court asked the prosecutor to point out as to where corruption was made in the Hudaibiya case with the observation that the case is prima facie related to income tax. The prosecutor was asked to establish as to what criminality was made by Nawaz Sharif.



To a court query, the prosecutor stated that the accused nominated in the Hudaibiya reference were sent on exile on December 10, 2000, while the reference was filed on March 27, 2000. He said the Sharif family returned to Pakistan on November 25, 2007, whereas Nawaz Sharif took oath as prime minister on June 5, 2013. He stated that after Sharif became the prime minister, he influenced the process of filing an appeal against the Lahore High Court verdict of quashing the reference against him and his family.



When the court asked that why the matter of filing an appeal was kept in cold storage for such a long time, the prosecutor stated that at that time the accused was facing trial in plane hijacking case.



To a court query about the Attock fort matter, the counsel replied that it was converted into a sub jail. The court, however, asked under what law and why the accused was kept in the Attock fort.



The counsel, however, expressed his ignorance as to why Nawaz Sharif was kept in Attock fort and whether it was in accordance with the law or not.



Go through the law that says that there will be an open trial if the accused is not a hardcore terrorist, Justice Isa said, and sought details as to when the Attock fort was declared a sub jail.



He questioned as to how the accused managed to save himself from the trial when he was not a free man. How NAB can say that the accused used delaying tactics for escaping the trial or used his influence, Justice Isa noted.



The counsel stated that the accused was sent abroad on exile, thus the case was adjourned for an indefinite period. Justice Isa observed as to whether any concept of exile law existed.



The counsel stated that there was an agreement between the accused and the government. Justice Isa, however, questioned as to whether an accused can be sent abroad on exile during his trial. The counsel replied that the exile agreement was made with the consent of the accused. If you are saying that General Musharraf facilitated the exile of the accused, then had you taken any action against the facilitator, Justice Isa asked the prosecutor.



He also asked the prosecutor as to why NAB did not arrest the accused upon his return despite the fact that he was facing trial in plane hijacking case.



There was a military general running the country then, then how the accused influenced the case, Justice Qazi Isa asked, adding that the accused returned from exile in 2007 but until 2010, the NAB did nothing.



He said one military general was running the country while another was heading the NAB, and the NAB must have filed an application for re-opening of the case when the accused returned to the country.



The counsel then stated that the prosecutor general had filed an application for restoration of the case that was dismissed on December 17, 2008, for non-prosecution.



The counsel stated that the accused moved the high court against Hudaibiya reference and consequently a stay order was granted. Justice Isa interrupted saying that the high court did not grant stay on the application for the restoration of the reference but restrained the NAB from proceeding with the original reference.



Justice Isa questioned as to what the anti-graft body was doing when the accused filed an application in the high court after five years, challenging the reference.



He said the hearing in the reference was adjourned for indefinite period on August 21, 2008, for which an application was filed for the restoration and the court then fixed the hearing but from September 4, 2008, till November 12, 2008, no proceeding took place and later on November 12, the court dismissed the reference.



The prosecutor stated that on May 3, 2010, the NAB court held the signature of NAB chairman as mandatory for filing a reference, adding that during this period as there was no NAB chairman, hence application for restoration of the reference was filed late. The court, however, recalled that the court gave the order in May, while NAB chairman remained in office till June.



The prosecutor, however, said that there was an application pending in the Supreme Court against the NAB chairman.



Justice Isa, however, told the prosecutor that all happened before the respondent, the accused, came into power. I am not attacking anyone but the five judges of the Supreme Court had talked about the Hudaibiya case, Justice Isa said, adding that the Supreme Court had not said anywhere in the judgment that NAB should file an appeal. The prosecutor, however, said that Hudaibiya had direct link with the Panama case.



If the bench hearing Panama case had not made the observation pertaining to reopening of the Hudaibiya case, would NAB have filed the appeal against the judgment of Lahore High Court quashing the reference? Justice Isa asked.
Senate adopted resolution condemning US decision to recognise Jerusalem 12 December, 2017



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Woke Bingo ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of parliament on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution to condemn US decision to recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel and shifting of its embassy there from Tel Aviv, calling upon Muslim countries to take a united stand on the move which had hurt their religious sentiments.



The House also called for a joint sitting of the parliament on the matter. The legislators termed the US decision a flagrant violation of the international laws, UN Security Council resolutions, specially resolution numbers 478 (1980) and 2334 (2016), as well as the international norms.



The resolution expressed serious concerns over implications of the decision for international peace and security, especially in the Middle East. It called upon the UNSC to take cognizance of the situation and initiate steps in accordance with the UN charter and a number of its own resolutions according to which establishment of settlements by Israel in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity.



The resolution declared that the position taken by US president had exposed the so-called position of the US as of Independent Peace Broker and put a halt to the peace talks and urged the US to revisit its decision as soon as possible in order to avoid the potentially grave repercussions in the region.



It also asked the US to play its role to de-escalate the situation on the ground on the basis of International Law, International Humanitarian Law and the previous agreements and obligations.



The Resolution also declared that all the revealed religions i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam claim their affiliation with the Holy city of Jerusalem however; the US President Trump through his announcement had tried to nullify the religious diversity present in the territory.



It called upon the government of Pakistan to immediately convene a Joint Sitting of the Parliament to discuss the issue and the government should explain its policy and the initiatives to be taken to address the grave and immediate challenge.



During the debate, senators both from ruling and opposition strongly rejected President Trumps decision. They demanded of the US administration to immediately withdraw its move as it would destabilize the whole region.



Earlier, the House suspended rules adopting a resolution moved in that regard by Col (R) Tahir Hussain Mahhadi to discuss the US presidents decision. Opening debate in the House, Saher Kamran of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) strongly rejected the Trump decision and questioned as to why the international human rights organizations were keeping mum over Israeli forces brutalities against innocent Palestinians. She said mere condemnation of the US move was not enough rather 56 Islamic countries should boycott the US and Jewish products. The Muslim Ummah should forge unity against the decision, she added.



Mushahid Hussain Sayed of Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) termed the decision a sheer violation of the UN resolutions and international laws. It is also a slap on the face of the US itself as the country now stands isolated due to its move, he said. He said only three counties, including US, India and Israel, which had a nexus against Islam, supported the decision. No other country had welcomed the Trump decision, he added. He said had the Palestine issue resolved, the incident of 9/11 would have never occurred. Mushahid Hussain said the Turkish President had convened a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), where strong measures against the move should be taken.



Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of MQM strongly denounced the US decision, which, he said, was a violation of international laws and UN Security Council resolutions. He said the decision would have lasting effects on the whole region, which would lead to war and create hatred. He said the House should be adjourned to show solidarity with the Palestinian people after passage of the resolution to condemn the US move.



Senator Farhatullah Babar said that President Trumps unilateral move to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel not only violated the 50 years bipartisan consensus in the US and was against UN resolutions but it also sought to dangerously trivialize the explosive and emotive issue of Palestine paving way for a new wave of terrorism. He said that former prime minister Aerial Sharon visit to the area in 1993 was the catalyst of intifada culminating a few years later in the cataclysmic event of 9/11. The latest Trump move will result in a new wave of intifada and spurt a new wave of terrorism.



He asked whether the recently cobbled military alliance of Islamic countries in the name of anti terrorism fight this terrorism also. Farhatullah Babar said that Pakistan was faced with a dilemma. It had joined the coalition and allowed a former army chief to also command it. The coalition was perceived to be against Iran and Hezbullah, the two formidable opponents of Israel expansionist policies. Pakistan, he said, was thus placed in a situation that continuing to head the coalition would be perceived as opposing anti Israel forces in the region.
Canada's national pension fund manager is among a group of Canadian companies that are undermining the federal government's international anti-coal alliance by investing in new coal power plants overseas, an environmental organization says.



Friends of the Earth Canada joined with Germany's Urgewald to release a report today looking at the top 100 private investors putting money down to expand coal-fired electricity  sometimes in places where there isn't any coal-generated power at the moment.



The report lists six Canadian financial companies among the top 100 investors in new coal plants in the world. Together, Sun Life, Power Corporation, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, Royal Bank of Canada, Manulife Financial and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have pledged $2.9 billion towards building new coal plants overseas .



Urgewald tracks coal plants around the world and reports there are 1,600 new plants in development in 62 nations, more than a dozen of which don't have any coal-fired plants now.



While Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is claiming to be a global leader on phasing out the dirtiest of electricity sources, private investors are "undermining that commitment," says Friends of the Earth senior policy adviser John Bennett .



Canada and the United Kingdom last month teamed up to launch the Powering Past Coal Alliance, trying to bring the rest of the world on side with a campaign pledge to phase out coal as a power source entirely by 2030 for the developed world and 2050 for everyone else .



Twenty national governments and at least seven subnational governments  five of them from Canada  signed onto the alliance last month. The hope is to grow the number to 50 by the time the United Nations 24th climate change conference takes place in November 2018.



McKenna will meet with leaders and officials from the alliance this week in Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a climate change meeting to mark the two year anniversary of the Paris climate change accord. This meeting is largely focused on international climate finance as the world tries to meet the goal to have $100 billion a year to invest in climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in the developing world by 2020.



The accord commits the world to keeping the average global temperature from rising more than two degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. To do that, scientists suggest global carbon emissions have to start dropping in less than three years, and the only way that is going to happen is by shutting down coal plants.



Coal is responsible for almost half of global carbon dioxide emissions .



McKenna's office did not respond to a request for comment.



Last week, McKenna was in China where she said she was talking about phasing out coal. While China is trying to cut its own coal use, it uses more coal to make power than the rest of the world combined. Hence, McKenna said it's currently impossible to expect China to commit to eliminating it.



Canada can do more: climate institute



McKenna said she wasn't planning to raise the issue of China investing in new plants outside its borders. Urgewald's data show Chinese-owned companies are behind about 140 new coal plants in development outside China.



Turns out Canadian money is also financing international coal plants, through private investors.



Dale Marshall, national program manager for Environmental Defence, said the Paris meeting this week has a lot of work to do trying to figure out how national governments can increase their commitments but also leverage more from the private sector.



Erin Flanagan, director of federal policy for the Pembina Institute, said Canada can do more to discourage Canadians from investing in coal and encourage investments in clean energy. That could include a national requirement for investment companies to include climate change risks when publishing decisions about investment opportunities.

to maximize returns without taking undue risks. Period

but it's declining

The Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec is setting bold targets to shelter its portfolio against the impact of climate change.



The country's second-largest pension fund is seeking more profitable investment opportunities and means to avoid assets it forecasts will be left behind in a global marketplace being reshaped by an increasingly low-carbon world economy .



The move comes as institutional investors around the world are reassessing climate risks and other so-called environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors in response to stakeholder pressures, marketplace shifts and new regulations.



"The world is changing, frankly, faster than most people expected," Michael Sabia, chief executive officer of the Caisse, said at a Montreal event to discuss the pension fund's new climate policy. "We need to change the way we make investment decisions."



The Caisse is setting measurable targets to guide its investment decisions for the coming years. Most crucially, it plans to reduce the carbon footprint of the overall portfolio by 25 per cent by the year 2025.



Carbon budgets will guide the Caisse in meeting and surpassing that 25-per-cent target, and give it a capacity to assess the performance of individuals and investment teams against the budgets  compensation will be linked to their success.

"We think it's something that we have to take seriously in our time-frames and do more to understand, quantify and figure out whether we're paying the right price," Mark Machin, CEO of CPPIB, said of climate change's impact on investments at a recent conference in Toronto. "At the end of the day our mandate is simple. It's not to change the world. It's to maximize returns without undue risk of loss for our 20 million beneficiaries."

renewable energy across public and private assets

We share a desire to see successful pension funds, but differ on the reality of the claims made by the CPPIB and other pensions and financial institutions.



First of all we do not call for divestment. We calling for regulation incorporating climate risk to investment be a real part of fiduciary responsibility. There is big difference .



There is plenty of evidence climate risk is real. Long term investments in fossil fuels, insurance and even real estate as well as other areas are subject to climatic events and changing regulations significantly altering the risks to those investments. Phasing out coal is one such risk.



Second, the CPPIB is investing public money collected as a tax by the federal government and under the act that created it, government has the authority to appoint the board and provide direction should it choose to do so. We have every right to expect the money we turn over wont be used against our own best interest .



The Canadian government is leading a global campaign to phase out coal powered electricity which creates a double bind for the CPPIB if continues to invest in new coal either directly or indirectly. The value of those investments will drop as the government campaign grows  a climate risk .



As much as you and the CPPIB believe it is at arm's length from government, can it continue to invest public money in a manner that directly undermines government policy? The CPPIB already has changed investment policy to bring it in line with government policy when it comes to landmines, human rights and women on boards. Why not climate change or coal?



Ive read the CPPIB sustainability report and it sounds good if climate change were minor issue requiring a good public relations response. Its not. Climate Change is an existential threat to humanity . It is the moral responsibility of everyone, especially those with the capacity of the $325 billion fund to everything we can to avoid significant climate change.



The Paris Agreement set 2 degrees C as the limit but even if we hold it there the world will experience costly and disruptive climate changes including climatic events, sea level rise and more. We hold there if we continue to build coal fired power plants...



Quietly urging fossil fuel companies to report their emissions as the CPPIB claims it does just doesnt cut it any longer. Perhaps 20 years ago when we had more time it would have been a adequate start. We no longer have decades to slowly wean ourselves from fossil fuels .



CPPIB does not take climate change seriously. The billions invested dont lie. If it did it would not be continuing to make new investments in fossil fuels let alone coal .



And it refuses to even discuss climate change. Its carefully worded policy on its website is just repeated over and over again. http://www.benefitscanada.com/pensions/db/canadian-investors-targeted-for-investments-in-new-coal-projects-107787



You refer to its ESG approach. Have you asked for a copy one of their ESG reports? I have. I asked for a copy of the report on investing a billion to buy ENCANAs Colorado holdings and set up Crestone Peak Resources (96% CPPIB owned) private company. The CPPIB refused to release it because it would show how climate change and public health was ignored .



You may be satisfied with the CPPIB but should a government agency be allowed do what it pleases with $325 billion in public money without any real public scrutiny .

HuffPost Canada reports, Canada Pension Plan Undermines Feds By Investing In Coal Friends of the Earth Canada released a press release, Canada is the 8th top backer of new coal plants around the world My first thought after reading this is Friends of the Earth Canada are no friends of the Canada Pension Plan and CPPIB Let me begin by stating flat out, this organization has no understanding of CPPIB's mandate and governance that have led to its success and that of other large Canadian pensions.Importantly, CPPIB and other large Canadian pensions operate at arm's length from the federal and provincial governments, and that's undeniably in the best interests of all Canadians and the stakeholders of these pensions.CPPIB's objective is the same as other large Canadian pensions, namely,The tricky business of divestments might sound right and ethical and in rare cases it is supported by overwhelming evidence, like in the case of OPTrust divesting from tobacco . There is a direct link between tobacco and people dying.But in the case of coal, piplines, fossil fuels, we need to exercise a lot more caution when it comes to divestments. Coal is still a very important source of energy. Pipelines have less of a carbon print than trucks and trains used to transport fossil fuels and coal (and pipelines are great long-term investments).More importantly, this report from Friends of the Earth Canada neglects to mention that Canada's large pensions are already committed to fighting climate change and are evolving taking into consideration changes in global environmental public policy (they have no choice but to take changes in policy into consideration).In October, the Caisse announced it aims to cut portfolio's carbon footprint 25% by 2025 The Globe and Mail article also mentions that at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, climate change is one of its four key ESG pillars and is perceived as a significant risk factor that can affect investments:I highlighted that last part so all those environmentalists who think the CPPIB is an extension of the federal government can stop this nonsense and understand that CPPIB is a Crown corporation with its own board and governance which is separated from the federal and provincial governments (they look after the CPP, not the CPPIB).Another problem I have with this report is it neglects to mention huge investments Canada's large pensions are making in. It only targets coal, which quite frankly is a pittance in terms of the overall portfolio and will eventually be phased out completely.Canada's large pensions aren't polluters, they're doing more than their fair share of ESG investments and even though they're not perfect, I think some environmental groups need to back off and stop distorting the facts, or at the very least present a much more balanced portrait of what is really going on.I suggest Canada's large pensions put up some charts in their annual report showing the annual change in renewable energy investments and start being more transparent about what percentage of their portfolio is still in fossil fuels and how it compares to a decade ago.If you have anything to add, feel free to contact me at LKolivakis@gmail.com and I'll be glad to publish your comments.Below, clips from a very biased Guardian article which states the argument for divesting from fossil fuels is becoming overwhelming . Just "keep it in the ground" and "divestment is simple" according to this article.Unfortunately, divestments are far from simple and such decisions have a material impact on pensions looking to maximize returns without taking undue risks. The reality is the world still needs fossil fuels and the myth of fossil fuel phase out needs to be exposed and laid to rest once and for all.: John Bennett of Friends of the Earth Canada, sent me this after reading my comment above (added emphasis is mine):I thank John for sharing his thoughts but it's clear to me he doesn't understand CPPIB's mandate governance and that it's not a government organization, it's the largest Crown corporation with its own independent board to make sure there is no government interference whatsoever in its investment decisions.CPPIB's first "fiduciary responsibility" is to attain the actuarial return target set by the Chief Actuary of Canada without taking undue risks.Moreover, there is intense scrutiny on CPPIB and it's a highly transparent organization. To say CPPIB doesn't take climate change seriously is ridiculous. If that were the case, then why does it invest in renewable energy?Lastly, CPPIB most definitely invests in the best interests of Canadians looking to retire with dignity and security. There is no doubt about this in my mind and the long-term performance backs it up.Can CPPIB improve its ESG policies and be more transparent in this regard? Sure, but to claim it ignores climate change and public health is outlandish and just downright false.
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.
Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association

Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
GLENS FALLS  Just Water announced last week it has received an official certification recognizing the companys dedication to environmentally friendly practices.

The company has received B Corp certification for its work in bottling spring water from the city of Glens Falls and producing its cartons with 82 percent renewable resources that are fully recyclable, according to a news release.

More than 2,000 companies across 60 countries have this designation, according to Andy Fyfe at B Lab. Companies must complete an application process and are scored on their commitment to environmental values.

B Lab is a nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally and socially beneficial business practices. It investigates businesses that seek its certification.

Just Chief Executive Officer Ira Laufer said in a news release that the certification validates the companys mission.

At Just, were trying to do better by people and the planet. Thats what it always comes back to, and were proud to have the B Corp recognition acknowledging that, he said in a news release.

Just founder Jaden Smith, the son of actor Will Smith, said in a news release that the company is very honored, proud and excited with the certification.
The arrest came after Glens Falls Police recovered a cache of stolen property from a home on Sanford Street where he had been staying last spring, items that included two guns that had been stolen during a burglary in Vermont. Police there were investigating his role in the cases, but there was no indication he had been charged there as of this week.
QUEENSBURY -- A man from Florida who was arrested last summer for allegedly assaulting and choking a woman he knows is standing trial this week in Warren County Court on felony and misdemeanor charges.

Jury selection began Monday in the case of Scott G. Baber, 52, of Port Charlotte, who was charged with felony assault and misdemeanor criminal obstruction of breathing for alleged attacks on a woman he knows in Lake George last June.

Baber has pleaded not guilty, and testimony in the case could start as early as Tuesday. He is being held in Warren County Jail, and faces up to 7 years in state prison if convicted.

Baber is being represented by the Warren County Public Defender's Office. Warren County Assistant District Attorney Travis Brown is prosecuting the case.
QUEENSBURY  A downstate teen who was arrested last year for having a stolen gun on the grounds of Word of Life Bible Institute pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony charge.

David Schmidt, 19, of Windsor, Broome County, pleaded guilty to felony criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds in connection with an arrest in November 2016 in the town of Chester.

State Police arrested him after officers were called about a student at the school having a rifle on campus. Schmidt had not threatened anyone, but they determined he illegally had the weapon on campus, and that it had been stolen from a vehicle in Chester.

Warren County Judge John Hall put him on interim probation for a year, to be transferred to Broome County. If he does well, he faces up to 5 years on probation; if not, he faces a jail or prison term.
BALLSTON SPA  Two Hudson Falls men who were arrested in May for allegedly raping and robbing a woman they met hours earlier have been indicted by a Saratoga County grand jury on multiple felony charges.

Dylan E. Kelly, 21, and Kyle M. Shultz, 19, each face counts of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree robbery, fourth-degree grand larceny and misdemeanor assault for a May 16 attack on a woman they met on a street in Hudson Falls. They pleaded not guilty to the charges during arraignment Monday in Saratoga County Court.

They are accused of forcibly raping the woman and stealing her wallet afterward during an attack in a remote area off Ferry Boulevard.

Police said the two didnt know the woman, but stopped to talk to her when seeing her walking along a street in Hudson Falls around 3 a.m. and the trio agreed to hang out after they got beer.

The meeting turned violent a short time later, and the men left the woman with unspecified injuries after robbing her. They were arrested hours later after an investigation by Saratoga County sheriff's officers and Hudson Falls Police.

Shultz is being held in Saratoga County Jail pending further court action, while Kelly is serving a 1- to 3-year state prison sentence for a felony conviction for criminal possession of stolen property in Washington County that stemmed from an earlier theft case.
GLENS FALLS  State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says federal tax reform could have a devastating impact on middle-class taxpayers.

I think its going to be bad for New York  whatever comes out. Its a matter of how bad, he said Monday during a meeting with The Post-Star editorial board.

DiNapoli talked taxes, the pension system and economic development during an hour-long session with the board.

Senate and House versions of the bill are different, DiNapoli said, which creates uncertainty. Among the top items of concern is elimination of New Yorkers ability to deduct state and local taxes from their federal return. That is going to hit middle-class taxpayers hard, he said.

Cutting corporate taxes  the tax bill would slash the corporate rate from 35 percent to 20 percent  has not in the past trickled down to the middle class, DiNapoli said.

Im more worried about the impact on everyday people than Im worried about the impact on corporations, he said.

It is the middle class that fuels consumer spending, he said.

If people have to pay more in taxes, DiNapoli said, that will put the squeeze on local budgets.

Youll start to question more carefully how the money is being spent in the city, school district, he said. There will be more scrutiny of government spending at all levels.

Some municipalities and school districts may have to exceed the tax cap, DiNapoli said.

Pressing infrastructure work, such as upgrades to roads and bridges and water and sewer projects, will be more difficult to fund, he said.

Whether wealthy taxpayers who own second homes will change their legal address to Florida or move to some other low-tax state in reaction to the tax bill remains to be seen, he said.

Revenues in New York are coming in below projections, which has created a $4 billion budget deficit on paper for 2018.

DiNapoli cited a variety of possible explanations for under-performance on the revenue side. The state economy has slowed a bit, he said.

Wealthier people planning to cash out investments may be waiting until the federal tax bill passes.

DiNapoli said state officials will have a truer picture of the state economy in the last quarter of the fiscal year  in January, February and March  when they see how much money was awarded in Wall Street bonuses.

If Gov. Andrew Cuomo stays true to the goal of capping the increase in state agency spending at 2 percent, that would take care of about half of the shortfall, DiNapoli said. But since 2018 is an election year, the Legislature and the governor will feel pressure to boost school and other aid to municipalities.

Usually you can come up with a budget when you have more money to spread around. I think you may have a tougher time doing that next year, he said.

What the Republican-controlled Congress plans to do about health care is another unknown. If it is successful at repealing or significantly gutting Obamacare, DiNapoli said, then New York will have to grapple with the effects on 2 million residents who could lose coverage. They could flood emergency rooms.

Various estimates of the tax plan have concluded it would add $1 trillion to the deficit. To counteract the deficit explosion, there will be pressure on the federal government to cut spending on housing, education and home heating programs as well as community development block grants.

Its a triple hit, he said.

In 2016, New York received 84 cents back for every dollar it sent to the federal government in revenue, DiNapoli said, and that was down from 91 cents in 2013. Most states get more money back from the federal government than they send to it.

Overall, New York is doing well, he said, but revenues are driven by a handful of counties  New York City and the downstate counties of Nassau, Rockland and Orange. They have been responsible for about 90 percent of the new jobs created since the Great Recession of 2008-09, he said.

The state pension fund is 95 percent funded, primarily because the stock market is doing so well, he said.

Having a pension plan that is nearly fully funded is unusual among states, he said.

The rally and recovery has been stronger and longer than anyone anticipated, he said.

DiNapoli expressed concern about efforts by the Trump administration to gut financial protections of the Dodd-Frank Act, which include an attack on the federal consumer protection bureau. Without proper government oversight, DiNapoli said, firms can take on too much risk, which can lead to big crashes like the Great Recession. The state lost about 26 percent of the value of its pension fund in 2008-09, going from $155 billion to $109 billion.

DiNapoli said he wants as much transparency as possible in economic development agencies to avoid the problems such as as the bid-rigging charges that have plagued the Buffalo Billion project.

If you dont have a transparent process, thats when people think they can get away with something, he said.

Hes not sure granting tax breaks helps to create jobs, whether the state is granting the breaks or local development agencies.

Some of the programs we have are so embedded in terms of how we do economic development. Its not so easy to unwind some of them, he said.

DiNapoli has been comptroller since 2007, when he was appointed after Alan Havesi resigned while under investigation. DiNapoli was elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.

He plans to seek re-election next year. He said he enjoys the work because he gets a chance to look at the whole state and serve as an independent reviewer of how taxpayer money is being spent.

He pointed out that since 2011 his audits have led to the arrests of 150 local and state officials and heads of nonprofits and to $50 million in restitution being paid.
Investigators from State Police and Washington County Sheriffs Office have been poring over the investigative file from a 1988 double homicide in Hartford as they try to determine whether a notorious felon who may be released from prison in the coming weeks was responsible.

Officers have been conducting interviews and trying to locate evidence from the case to see whether any new forensic reviews could help determine who killed two men in rural Washington County nearly 30 years ago.

The case has gotten renewed interest in recent weeks, after local police learned that Joel OKeefe, the former Argyle man who was long a person of interest in the double homicide case, was to be released from state prison after more than two decades behind bars for unrelated crimes.

Investigators have held a number of meetings, including at least one that brought together some of the officers involved in the 1988 inquiry, to try to determine whether OKeefe was responsible for the killings of Fredrich J. Pauling, 56, and James Checkush, 37.

One was shot and the other bludgeoned near Dick Hill Road, where Pauling had a seasonal home. Checkush was reputed to be involved in marijuana trafficking, as was OKeefe, who had a 1990 felony marijuana possession conviction and lived a short distance from Paulings seasonal home.

Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy acknowledged Tuesday that investigators were reviewing unsolved cases to which OKeefe may have been connected, but he declined to discuss the Hartford case specifically.

We are looking at everything he could have been involved in, Murphy said.

Murphy said the Sheriffs Office has been told it will be informed in advance of OKeefes release, but no timetable was given.

They told us they would give us some lead time, but it may be a while, he said.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said Tuesday that OKeefe could be held in prison indefinitely while a suitable home is sought for him when he is released.

He was eligible for the conditional release program as of Nov. 25 and had indicated he wanted to return to Argyle. He has been denied parole, but conditional release allows for inmates to be let out who have accumulated time off from their sentences for good behavior.

Many in law enforcement have questioned how an inmate who incurred three felony convictions while in prison was eligible for any time off for good behavior.

OKeefe, 57, has been in prison for felony counts of burglary, criminal possession of a weapon and escape committed in 1994, followed by three more prosecutions for crimes in prison that included attempted escape and possession of contraband.

He is most well-known for a September 1994 escape from State Police in Ballston Spa, which led to a massive, 13-day manhunt around the region that ended when he was caught in Bennington, Vermont.
LAKE GEORGE  A report detailing the areas of Lake George where septic systems need to be replaced and upgraded is set to be completed by spring.

Lake George Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky told the Lake George Town Board on Monday that the data collection is nearly complete.

Three pieces of data are being collected: the water quality in that area, the age of the septic system and whether it has been inspected.

These three pieces of data will be laid on top of each other in a map to create a useful tool.

We can really fine tune areas of concern where we should prioritize and take a greater look, he said.

The process is coming along, according to Navitsky.

We are shooting to have all the inventories by the end of the year, then we can finalize the mapping over the first couple of months (of 2018), he said.

Navitsky anticipates holding a public hearing on the plan in the spring and then submitting it to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Navitsky said this project could be used as a model for other municipalities to address septic problems. Officials have been in contact with Gov. Andrew Cuomos office, which is interested in using this approach as a model for other water bodies in New York.

These three layers of data, I think, could help a lot of other communities in the state, he said.

Once the plan is adopted, the next step is to actually fund septic system improvements, according to Navitsky.

In the fall time, we could start to see that, he said.

The town is considering implementing a program in which it would pay half of the cost for people to upgrade their failing septic systems.

Supervisor Dennis Dickinson said there is a line item in the budget. The Fund for Lake George provided money to the town for 2017 for this program and he anticipates it would provide funding again for 2018.

The Fund for Lake George held a Septic Summit in March and invited municipalities from around the region to come and learn about ways to reduce sewer pollution. All of the presentations were videotaped.

The Fund put a video on its website as kind of an outreach to other municipalities so they can learn about this project. The website is located at https://fundforlakegeorge.org/

The project started a few years ago as an initiative of the town in response to algae blooms that were in the area of Diamond Point Road. The town of Lake George, in December 2015, received a $104,000 state Department of Environmental Conservation grant.












One of Chinas top diplomats to the US warned Washington that Beijing would invade Taiwan should the US ever send a Navy ship to the island nation, which China considers to be a wayward province. Li Kexin, a minister with the Chinese Embassy to the United States, said during an embassy event on Friday that he had told American officials that China would activate their Anti-Secession Law if US naval vessels were sent to the Taiwan Strait. The law, passed in 2005, denies Taiwan's statehood and outlines Beijing's methods to make the unification of the two Chinas a reality. But the bill also mentions "non-peaceful action" (that being warfare) if China believes that all possibility of a bloodless unification has been lost.





To Li, the deployment of US Navy vessels would signal just such a thing. "The day that a US Navy vessel arrives in Kaohsiung is the day that our People's Liberation Army unifies Taiwan with military force," Li told Chinese media, referring to Taiwan's largest port.





His words were echoed in an editorial that ran in a Chinese newspaper, the Global Times, owned by the Chinese Communist Party and often used to informally express the views of Beijing. "The Chinese mainland has never given up the option of Taiwan reunification by force, which is clear to people across the Taiwan Strait," the editorial read. "Li's words have sent a warning to Taiwan and drew a clear red line. If Taiwan attempts to hold an independence referendum or other activities in pursuit of de jure 'Taiwan independence,' the PLA will undoubtedly take action."

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry slammed Li's words on Saturday, accusing China of using threats and coercion when they claim to desire peaceful reconciliation. "These methods show a lack of knowledge about the real meaning of the democratic system and how a democratic society works," the ministry wrote in a statement.





Formally speaking, Taiwan  the formal name of which is the Republic of China  and China are still one country, as Taipei considers the mainland to be wayward provinces just as Beijing sees the island as a renegade territory. However, an independence movement consisting of left-wing parties that want to declare Taiwan a de jure sovereign state continues to gain traction on the island.





The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that currently controls the presidency and unicameral legislature of Taiwan is one such party that supports de jure Taiwanese independence.





The administration of US President Donald Trump has seen a strengthening of ties between the US and Taiwan, often a sticking point in Washington-Beijing relations. Trump was the first president since Jimmy Carter to directly speak with the Taiwanese president, and in September the US Congress passed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act which authorized naval cooperation between the US and Taiwanese militaries.












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DAVENPORT  The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce announced its 2018 legislative priorities Tuesday  many which require funding  designed to support a competitive business climate, skilled workforce, quality-of-place programs and modern infrastructure and transportation systems.

Interim CEO Kristin Glass said public policy platform is "truly reflective of the needs of area companies.

The Chamber's 19-member Business Advocacy Council developed the 2018 platform based on feedback from members.

In the coming months, business leaders will work together to encourage legislation that will help our economy and community continue to grow," she said. "I encourage anyone who is interested in these matters to get involved in our collective advocacy efforts.

In Illinois, the Chamber wants to increase school funding and ensure full funding of budget obligations, higher education and tuition aid.

It also wants to ensure money is available for road and transportation projects, including a the Interstate 74 bridge now under construction, a planned six-lane I-80 bridge, passenger rail service and a third phase of developing the Western Illinois University campus in Moline.

It's important our businesses and communities have the necessary tools to succeed and grow, said Natalie Linville-Mass, owner of Rock Island-based Media Link.

This means renewal of the Quad-Cities Enterprise Zone," she said. "Enterprise zones are the best and most flexible tool we have in Illinois. The Quad-Cities' current zone will expire in March.

State historic tax credits also are needed for Illinois communities, she said, noting Iowa offers them for historic building renovations. Nasreen Khan, owner of The Vault Beauty Lounge & Urban Retreat in Davenport which opened in February, said Iowa's historic tax credit helped cover about 10 percent of her $350,000 renovation costs.

What it does is allow us to get over the hump of start-up costs, she said. In Davenport alone, the tax credit is responsible for supporting $400 million in development in the past 15 years, she said.

Ms. Linville-Mass also said Illinois needs pension and worker's compensation reform, noting the rates for the latter are 50 percent higher than in Iowa. Lowering Illinois' home-rule threshold from 25,000 to 5,000, she said, would give more communities more control over public resources.

This would provide East Moline, Silvis, Milan, Colona and Geneseo the ability to have much greater control over how and where they invest resources," she said. "Currently, only Rock Island and Moline have home rule."

-- In Iowa, the Chamber wants lawmakers to support workforce development and education, economic development tools and growth opportunities. It also hopes to change the education funding formula to ensure equal funding per student, enact tax reform to simplify and streamline the tax code and enhance transportation connections between the Quad-Cities and the rest of Iowa.

A skilled workforce is our biggest selling point, Ms. Khan said.

The Chamber also wants federal officials to strengthen long-term energy production and access, invest in transportation and infrastructure, and support the growing local defense industry.

The Chamber listed last year's successes as including legislation to provide more opportunities for the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, working with Illinois legislators to keep open the Quad Cities Generating Station near Cordova and passing mental health legislation designed to let providers better serve the public.

The Chamber is planning luncheons with elected officials on Jan. 29 and March 16 in Iowa and Feb. 9 and April 6 in Illinois. Chamber members also plan to visit lawmakers Feb. 7-8 in Des Moines, March 7-8 in Springfield and March 21-23 in Washington, D.C.
Visitors are always welcomed!

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018  New Years Day Stroll - 7:00 P.M.

Make new friends and keep the old as we stroll around the historic neighborhood of the Deere-Wiman Carriage House, 817 11th Avenue, Moline, IL. Please bring a snack to share and your own mug to enjoy the hot beverage that will be supplied. The use of flashlights is encouraged for safety during the stroll and dress for the weather.

Stroll starts at 7:00 P.M. sharp. For more information check out our web site at blackhawkhikingclub.org or see our Black Hawk Hiking Club page on Facebook.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 2018 - Devils Glen Park -2:30 P.M.

Join us as we hike along Duck Creek in this beautiful, wooded area of the parkway which follows the creek in Bettendorf. The park is easy to reach and scenic in the winter as we look for wildlife along the creek. Water provided, but bring your own cup.

The hike starts at 2:30 P.M. sharp. For more information check out our web site at blackhawkhikingclub.org or see our Black Hawk Hiking Club page on Facebook.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2018 - Credit Island & Nahant Marsh - 2:30 P.M.

Come join us on a walk around Credit Island, a 420-acre park in SW Davenport located alongside the Mississippi River. This island is popular for Bald Eagle watching. We will also walk over the pedestrian/biking bridge to and around Nahant Marsh.

The hike starts at 2:30 P.M. sharp. For more information check out our web site at blackhawkhikingclub.org or see our Black Hawk Hiking Club page on Facebook.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018 - Potato Soup Hike - 2:30 P.M.

Our annual potato soup hike begins at 524 E. George Washington Blvd, in Davenport, Iowa. The hike will be along the Duck Creek Recreational Trail. If you stay after for the delicious potato soup, a donation will be gratefully accepted. Bowls and spoons will be provided but bring your own cup for coffee or cocoa and a lawn chair.

The hike starts at 2:30 P.M. sharp. For more information check out our web site at blackhawkhikingclub.org or see our Black Hawk Hiking Club page on Facebook.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 2018 - Riverside Park in Muscatine, IA - 2:30 P.M.

Get a different view of the Mississippi River along the Muscatine riverfront. We'll meet at the shelter that is directly across from Iowa Avenue and the old Hotel Muscatine and It's diagonally across from the Pearl City State Building. We will walk along the riverfront to Weed Park. Water provided, but bring your own cup.

The hike starts at 2:30 P.M. sharp. For more information check out our web site at blackhawkhikingclub.org or see our Black Hawk Hiking Club page on Facebook.
ROCK ISLAND  The fate of the county courthouse and whether it should be razed or renovated will be discussed by county board members Wednesday night at their committee-of-the-whole meeting.

Comments from the public will be allowed at the beginning of the meeting, at 5:30 p.m., at the county office building, 1504 3rd Ave.

Board members will vote to accept or deny the agenda for next weeks regular meeting. That Dec. 19 agenda will include an action item regarding the future of the courthouse.

Chief Judge Walter Braud has engaged in an aggressive public relations campaign to get the building torn down and a memorial park put in its place, but his efforts have been protested by preservationists and residents alike. County board members are split on what to do with the historic building that was constructed in 1896.

In a letter addressed to board members Dec. 7, Judge Braud said the public building commission is willing to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the county to raze the courthouse. The deal includes the PBC covering $450,000 for asbestos removal, $400,000 for demolition, and $750,000 for the memorial green space. Judge Braud had previously put the cost of the park at $900,000.

But in order for the PBC to absorb the cost and save the county $1.6 million, Judge Braud said a decision must be made by Jan. 1 or the money will go back into the $28 million annex construction fund.

The Justice Center annex is scheduled for completion December 2018, and will have four courtrooms, judges chambers, detention cells and office space. The annex replaces the courthouse, whose courtrooms were deemed unfit and not in compliance with Illinois Supreme Court standards.

The courthouse is owned by the county, with its fate to be decided by county board members. The public building commission must be given the deed to the courthouse through an intergovernmental agreement, granting the PBC authority to demolish the structure.

But some board members think Judge Brauds Jan. 1 deadline is unreasonable. Time is needed, they say, to find someone willing to invest the estimated $20 million needed to renovate the building.

No one can say that an opportunity wont present itself, board vice chairman Richard Brunk said. No one can say a proposal wont come to fruition. We need to take the time to explore this. What this all comes down to is this deadline. Why is there even a deadline?

Mr. Brunk said he will instead propose a July 2018 deadline to make a decision on the fate of the courthouse. July would be before the finish date of the annex, and those funds should still be available, he said.

The board has not had any communication with the PBC on this, he said. What is less important than a $900,000 park, but more important than allowing the county board time to explore long-term facility needs? If were not going to spend it on the park, then put it back into the annex budget. Priorities here; whats more important? Weve had all kinds of communication from the judge, but we have heard nothing from the public building commission.

I have a great amount of confidence that the PBC will see the benefit in working with the board on this, Mr. Brunk said.

Board member Mia Mayberry said she wants further clarification on the authority of the county board versus the public building commission.

Obviously I want to see all of our legal options laid out. A lot of that is going to dictate our decisions, Ms. Mayberry said. There are options that some board members would like to see explored as possible funding for saving the courthouse. There are so many people expressing they would like to see the courthouse saved. It would be a real shame if we made a decision to tear it down, and then money came through that would have allowed us to renovate it.

Board member Kai Swanson said he has drafted a preliminary intergovernmental agreement to be introduced during the Dec. 19 meeting, proposing a deadline of May 31, 2018, for someone to step forward with the money and a plan to save the courthouse.

If, by May 31, any solutions come into focus, the board will vote to rescind the agreement, Mr. Swanson said. If nothing is in place by May 31, then move ahead with demolition.

This has been a done deal for decades. Weve just lacked the will to do anything about it. Lets make the decision and the onus is on those who wish to save it. If it doesnt happen, then we have the funding from the PBC.

Mr. Swanson said his intergovernmental agreement will put an end to the county boards tendency to kick the can down the road.

This can has been kicked to the point of being flattened, he said. There is nothing left to kick. This has been talked about; nobodys done anything. We have to stop talking and get something done. It is not an unreasonable timeline. No building has been talked about longer than the Rock Island County courthouse.

Mr. Brunk said such an intergovernmental agreement is rushing an important decision.

I think it would be extremely premature at this point, he said.

Board chairman Ken Moose Maranda said county board members will have more direction after public building commission members meet Dec. 14.

There is a lot up in the air, Mr. Maranda said. We are on a wait and see situation.
The Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce unveiled its legislative agenda for 2018 on Tuesday, but acknowledged a challenging fiscal climate in Iowa and Illinois will make the job difficult.

The chamber, which unveiled its priorities at a news conference, said its Iowa priorities include a push to maintain business, workforce and historic preservation tax breaks, urge that lawmakers close the inequity in school funding that has penalized the Davenport school district, and fully reimburse local governments for revenues lost because of the state's 2013 commercial property tax cuts.

In Illinois, the chamber said, it would again encourage lawmakers to pass a new budget, put additional money into the state's newly reformed K-12 education funding system and pass a capital bill that could help to pay for local priorities like the continued development of Western Illinois University's riverfront campus and renovation of the Rock Island County courthouse.

The chamber had a lengthy list of priorities for both sides of the river, with a heavy emphasis on infrastructure, workforce development and assistance for business development. However, they come at a time when Iowa lawmakers are facing budget cuts and Illinois is coming off a hard-won compromise that ended a bitter two-year budget stalemate.

Henry Marquard, director of government relations for the chamber, acknowledged the challenges Tuesday. "If you're looking at even just maintaining where we're at right now, that's going to be difficult," he said.

In Iowa, lawmakers who will go into session next month are looking at $50 million to $90 million in cuts for the budget that ends June 30. And while there will be new spending authority for fiscal 2019, new revenue estimates released Monday did slightly lower revenue expectations for the year.

Already, local government officials have been wringing their hands over the possibility that state lawmakers will try to balance their budget by trimming the amount of money they devote to "backfilling" revenues lost because of the property tax cuts passed in 2013. For Scott County governments, that amounts to about $9.6 million.

In addition, the first-year cost of a bill the state Senate passed last session to close the school equity problem in Davenport and other schools amounted to about $14 million. The 10-year cost was estimated at $204 million.

State Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, said earlier this week that he still will push to get the House to pass the bill, but he too acknowledged the challenges. He said he's spoken with Republican leaders in the House but "theyre waiting to see what these budget numbers are." He also said that he would bring the issue up to Gov. Kim Reynolds next week.

There also has been discussion of tax reform legislation being taken up in the next Iowa legislative session. But in announcing the chamber's priorities, Nasreen Khan, a business owner and member of the chamber's Business Advocacy Council said that while the tax code needs reform any changes should be revenue neutral.

Chamber officials said maintaining revenues in Illinois is important, too. As part of the budget compromise this year, lawmakers passed a controversial income tax increase on individuals and businesses over Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto.

Marquard said it would be "implausible" to backtrack on the deal.

At the federal level, chamber officials said their priorities include a push to bring new missions to the Rock Island Arsenal and lower overhead costs, encourage infrastructure investments, such as lock expansion on the Mississippi River, and encourage changes to the federal flood insurance program.
Second arrest made in fraud case against inmate's grandparent

Davenport police have arrested a second person in connection with the alleged conspiracy to defraud the grandparent of an Iowa Department of Corrections inmate out of more than $35,000.

Miranda Faye Patterson, 19, of 2417 N. Zenith Ave., Davenport, is charged with one count each of first-degree theft, on-going criminal conduct, and conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony.

On-going criminal activity is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of up to 25 years.

First-degree theft is a Class C felony that carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, while the conspiracy charge is a Class D felony that carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.

One of Patterson's alleged conspirators, Audrey Elaine Slyter, 30, of 1805 N. Elsie, Ave., Davenport, was arrested Dec. 6.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Davenport Police Detective Jason Gillaspie, from Feb. 14 through June 23, Patterson, along with Slyter and possibly one other conspirator, presented themselves as employees of a law firm representing a current Iowa Department of Corrections inmate.

They told the inmates grandparent that money was needed for attorneys fees and for the inmates medical needs that required payment, according to the affidavits. Over four months, they received $35,875.87 from the victim, according to the affidavits.

None of the conspirators are members of any law firm, and none of the funds obtained were used for the victims grandson.

Patterson, who was arrested Tuesday, was being held in the Scott County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond.

Slyter also was being held Tuesday night in the Scott County Jail on $25,000 bond cash or surety.

--Tom Geyer

Police investigate Davenport bank robbery

The Davenport Police Department is seeking the public's assistance in identifying a suspect in a bank robbery that occurred about 12:07 p.m. Tuesday at Northwest Bank and Trust in the 1400 block of West Locust Street.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 563-326-6125 or submit an anonymous tip via the mobile app "Crime Reports" by Motorola.

--Times staff

Status hearing continued in East Moline murder case

A status hearing scheduled Tuesday for Roman P. Knox, an East Moline man accused of fatally shooting his grandfather last month, was continued until Dec. 27.

One day earlier, Judge Frank Fuhr granted a request from Knoxs attorney, Rock Island County Assistant Public Defender Matthew Durbin, to withdraw from the case.

Attorney Herb Schultz has been appointed to the case, Fuhr said during a short hearing Tuesday.

Fuhr also said that a psychological evaluation completed by Moline clinical psychologist Kirk Witherspoon has been filed under seal and given to the defense and prosecutors.

The judge, who last month granted the defenses request for Knox to be evaluated for his fitness to stand trial, did not disclose Witherspoons findings.

Knox, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his grandfather, Robert E. Neal Sr., 69.

At 9:31 p.m. Nov. 17, police were called to the 200 block of 19th Street in East Moline for a battery complaint.

A passerby had contacted police and said there appeared to be two people fighting on the sidewalk and that one of them had a gun.

Officers found Neal, who appeared to have a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Knox was arrested without incident a short time later.

--Tara Becker

Police investigate separate shootings in Moline

The Moline Police Department is investigating two shots fired incidents that occurred Monday night.

The first occurred around 8:30 p.m. in the 1900 block of 15th Street A.

Police found three unoccupied vehicles and an occupied home that was struck by gunfire.

It is believed that one vehicle was chasing another eastbound on 19th Avenue when one turned southbound on 15th Street A while the suspects were firing a gun and struck the vehicles and residence.

No one was injured. Those involved in the incident fled the area and their identifies are unknown at this time.

Around 9:20 p.m., police responded to the 4200 block 22nd Avenue and located several shell casings. No property damage was reported.

The suspects were last seen leaving the area westbound in a white four-door vehicle, possibly a Chevrolet Impala, with tinted windows.

The shootings are not believed to be related.

Anyone with information regarding either incident is asked to call the Moline Police Department at 309-524-2140 or Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities at 309-762-9500.

--Times staff

Davenport police investigating shots fired incident on Tuesday

Davenport police are investigating a shots fired incident that occurred Tuesday afternoon in the 1800 block of Ripley Street.

Police responded to the scene at 3:15 p.m.

Officers searched the areas and talked to neighbors.

Several shell casings were found in the middle of the street, and one house in the neighborhood was struck.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Davenport Police Department at 563-326-6125 or leave an anonymous tip on the citys mobile apps CityConnect Davenport, IA or CrimeReports by Motorola.

--Times staff
The clothing items attached to the iron fence outside Davenport City Hall are not the city's attempt to dry its laundry.

Instead, it's the latest offering from the city's Christmas giving program. Employees are collecting socks, gloves, scarves and hats and hanging them on the fence for anyone who needs to keep warm during the winter.

Public Information Officer Jennifer Nahra said city employees have participated in the program for more than 20 years but had previously kept the items on a tree inside.

"It has changed as the needs have changed over the last 20 years and that's the beauty of it," Nahra said. "We place it out where people are and see them. There's no request necessary and no thank you necessary so it's truly giving to those that need it."

Tiffany Thorndike, assistant to the City Council and administration, and principal accounting clerk Kelli Akers are co-chairing this year's initiative, with assistance of a team made up of staff from each of the city departments.

She did not have an estimate of how many items the city has collected overall, but Thorndike said somewhere between 50 and 60 items have already placed on the fence.

The one item that the city could use more are socks, which are often overlooked when thinking about cold weather clothing.

"Most people think of hats, scarves and gloves, but a lot of those less fortunate don't have good shoes or good socks," Thorndike said.

Those interested in donating clothing items can do so at City Hall, River's Edge and the city's three libraries.

Cash and check donations from the public are not being accepted.

Along with collecting cold weather clothing items, Thorndike and Nahra said the city's citywide Christmas giving program raises money for this cause through different events.

One person from each department provides a breakfast cart, buying food items with his or her own money and preparing them for sale.

The city has already held its Cookie Walk in which participants pay $5 to purchase a plate of cookies.

For city employees who don't have the luxury of dressing casually during normal office hours, the city raises money by holding days when they can wear jeans in exchange for a donation.

The donated clothing items will remain outside City Hall until Christmas. Any leftover items will then be distributed to outside agencies.

Thorndike said the city sends items to different agencies each year to "spread the wealth." This year's recipients will be The Center and King's Harvest Ministries.

While the city engages in a number of charitable programs, Thorndike said the Christmas program is unique because it is a citywide program.

"This one is a collective group effort so it's all employees from all departments working toward the same goal," Thorndike said.
Jon Alexander Editorial Page Editor Editorial Page Editor, Quad-City Times Follow Jon Alexander 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

Ron Corbett deserves a listen.

But, so far, Iowa Republicans are making the same mistake with Gov. Kim Reynolds as national Democrats when they anointed Hillary Clinton the only option in 2016 presidential race.

Last month, Scott County Republican Party barred Corbett from speaking at its annual fundraiser. Cedar Rapids' mayor and former speaker of the state House must incessantly suffer questions about his legitimacy and party loyalty.

But Corbett says he's also raised almost $1 million, enough to hang in through spring and the close of the legislative session, a make-or-break for he and Reynolds alike.

Thing is, win or lose in June's GOP primary, there's something to be said for a legitimately contested primary. That's true if one's interest is in hashing out ideas instead of party unity, anyway.

On the ideas front, Corbett has many. But he's running to Reynolds' left. And that probable benefit in a general election could be a massive liability in a GOP primary when party bosses are touring the state spouting Trumpian rhetoric and preaching the gospel of unity at all cost.

Corbett is pounding Reynolds  who assumed power after Terry Branstad became U.S. ambassador to China  for Iowa's failing experiment with Medicaid privatization. It's too broad and was done too fast, he argued on Friday during a sit down with the editorial board. His plan would roll back the privatization for the elderly and mental handicapped.

He's blasting team Branstad/Reynolds for closing three state mental health facilities, what many a clinician and sheriff see as a move that turned county jails into de facto treatment clinics funded by local taxpayers.

He says water quality projects should be paid for with a three-eights penny increase in sales tax, which would finally put money into a natural resources fund voters created years ago and sat empty since.

Even a few weeks ago, I failed to see much of a pathway for anyone to oust Reynolds. She is, in the minds of voters, Branstad's proxy. But her unwillingness to yield on key issues of Branstad's making  especially Medicaid privatization  could be a weakness heading into Reynolds' first, and only, legislative session before the November election. Should Reynolds stumble in the winter session, and the state budget crisis deepen, Reynolds' air of inevitability could quickly evaporate.

Just this past weekend, Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll suggested an unsurprising, deeply partisan split about Reynolds already. She enjoys a 51 percent approval rating among the public, with 72 percent of Republicans supporting her. Forty-nine percent want someone else in the governor's office. Accounting for statistical error, Reynolds' approval and disapproval are, for all intents and purposes, split. The data provides more hope for Democrats in need of independents in November than Corbett, who must to convince Republican partisans to take him seriously and defect.

Corbett admitted that January through March will be make or break for his candidacy. His war chest, amassed largely in Cedar Rapids, can sustain his campaign until then. But his long-term viability depends on statewide support, which would only come publicly should Reynolds' stumble.

At the very least, everyone should urge Reynolds to debate her Republican challenger. No doubt, her campaign sees only potential pitfalls in that kind of exposure. But elections should be about ideas and Corbett's criticisms of Branstad-era policies are absolutely worth a legitimate discussion. That's true no matter how loudly GOP party bosses work to suppress internal dissent.

Even Republicans  particularly county supervisors and sheriffs  know this. It's their budgets and facilities under strain because Iowa decided social services aren't a state issue. The question for Corbett is if these officials could be convinced to publicly say so.
LAKE ANDES | The light shines through an open window, reflecting onto a tall cabinet in Amber Nelson's kitchen.

Photographs of her 9-year-old son, Elijah, decorate the walls as she rocks back and forth on a wooden chair wearing a gray T-shirt decorated with pink ribbons.

This is Nelson's favorite place to be  at home with her son and her husband, Jim. A simple luxury, but she finds comfort in being surrounded by family.

At 39 years old, Nelson has been diagnosed with breast cancer three times, once in 2013, again in 2016 and now in 2017, The Daily Republic reported. Yet Nelson continues to be resilient.

"I consider myself a fighter who will do anything because my son is my world and I do not want him to go through a world without a mom," Nelson said.

Nelson, a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, was born in Wagner and has lived in Lake Andes since she was in seventh grade. Now, she's a third-grade teacher at Andes Central Elementary School.

Nelson's cancer story begins at the start of the school year in 2013, when she felt a sharp pain in her upper stomach. After a variety of scans and tests, Nelson received a call from her doctor that a lump found on her breast was cancerous.

"A lot of thoughts went through my head. I thought, 'Am I going to die?'" Nelson said.

In October, she had surgery to remove the lump, but several complications occurred. What was supposed to be a four-hour surgery to remove the cancerous tissue turned into 10 hours.

Because she was on the operating table for several hours, she said she got an infection, which forced her to stay in the hospital an additional four days. Following the recovery, she underwent 16 weeks of chemotherapy.

"There were times I felt like I was rotting from the inside," Nelson said. "The chemotherapy made me very sick. It took me a long time to even get out of bed."

Six months later, Nelson's doctors declared her cancer in remission, and she returned to teaching.

Almost two years later, Nelson was sitting in a weekly teacher's meeting when she began to feel a sharp pain in her armpit.

She went to the doctor and received a call the day after Thanksgiving in 2016 that the cancer had returned.

"I was not nearly as emotional this time because I knew I had beat it once before, so I could beat it again," Nelson said.

After another surgery to remove the lymph nodes on her side, 18 weeks of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation, Nelson was again declared in remission. And it stayed that way until this year.

Recently, Nelson read a book to her third-graders about a mother who had cancer. She then asked the class if they knew someone with cancer.

"They all raised their hands," Nelson said. "Cancer is one of those things that affects everyone."

It especially affected Nelson, who in September received news that she once again had been diagnosed with breast cancer for the third time.

But, unlike the other two, the cancer is now on her lung and has since metastasized, rendering it inoperable. For now, Nelson is using a new trial drug, which is aimed toward helping her immune system fight off the disease.

And while she tries the new drug, she will rely on her family for support, as she has in the past. Nelson credits her family as one of the biggest supporters, she said, adding that her two younger brothers shaved their heads in support.

Nelson's battle is well known in Lake Andes, where her co-workers started a fundraiser selling pink T-shirts. Nelson's mother also sells baked goods to raise funds and awareness.

The regular doctor appointments, multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatments left Nelson with costly medical bills.

Despite Nelson's financial and medical concerns, those close to her say she continues to stay optimistic.

"Amber has this spark of fight in her," said Kristin Dvorak, a pharmacist who lives in Lake Andes and met Nelson in 2005. "She knows the outcome of this round is not the greatest but she also knows miracles can happen and she won't stop the fight."
While the cause of the Legion Lake Fire officially remains under investigation, a downed power line is suspected of sparking a wildfire which shut down Custer State Park Monday.

The blaze burned an estimated 2,500 acres of timber and dry grassland south and east of the intersection of U.S. Highway 16A and S.D. 87 North, where the fire is believed to have ignited about 7:30 a.m. Monday.

Pushed by swirling winds gusting up to 50 mph, the fire moved along Centennial Trail toward the Star Academy East Campus and Badger Hole. By Monday afternoon the head of the fire had crossed Heddy Draw and spread to both sides of Barnes Canyon Road.

Firefighters from state and federal sources were joined by local volunteer departments in scrambling to protect the nearby Legion Lake Lodge and Badger Hole historic site. Blue Bell Lodge to the south and the State Game Lodge to the east are also threatened.

As of late Monday the only structure lost was a small wooden pump house near where the fire started.

Most of the effort now has been put toward stopping the forward progress of the fire," said Jay Wickham, South Dakota Wildland Fire management officer in Custer State Park.

Wickham said a Rocky Mountain Type II team will take over management of firefighting efforts Tuesday morning. Two heavy air tankers and a helicopter have been ordered as well.

Park Superintendent Matt Snyder said Monday morning the fire appeared to have been ignited by a power line that was downed by a falling tree. From there, with the high winds, it proceeded to move, he said.

The winds and rugged terrain have made conditions difficult for an estimated 200 firefighters battling the blaze. Wickham said the Legion Lake fire is in territory consumed by the epic Galena Fire, which scorched nearly 18,000 acres in 1988.

Stands of short Ponderosa Pines bunched close together are feeding the flames, Wickham said. That makes it difficult to fight because its not safe to get into fuels like that."

Seasonal park staff at Legion Lake Lodge Blue Bell Lodge and the former Star Academy East Campus were evacuated, Snyder said.

With most lodgings closed for the winter, only a few visitors were in the park Monday, said park visitor services representative Kobee Stalder.

The fire spread rapidly through dry grasses and fallen timber with some indications of torching, Snyder said. There is little snow cover in the park in the area of the fire.

Several roads have been closed, including portions of U.S. Highway 16A and S.D. Highway 87 in the area of Legion Lake.

The park will remain closed to visitors through at least today. We dont need people getting out there thinking they can hike in a part of the park, not knowing where the wind is going to take this fire, Snyder said.

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds said in a tweet Monday that his office is closely monitoring the wildfires in the park. "Endless thanks to the emergency crews and firefighters from across the Black Hills, who are working in difficult weather conditions to contain the fire," he wrote.
A former Ellsworth airman was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography over a seven-year period, according to court records.

Colby Haggerty, 26, was convicted at a Rapid City federal court trial in July. Authorities said that between 2009 and 2014, while Haggerty was living on Ellsworth Air Force Base, he downloaded at least 1,000 pornographic images of children onto his dorm computer. And in 2015, in Rapid City, investigators found more images on his cellphone. Haggerty denied the pictures belonged to him.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jeffrey Viken sentenced Haggerty to five years in prison on each of his two charges of receiving child porn. Haggerty was also given five years for possessing child porn, to be served at the same time as his receipt sentences. He had been in the Air Force till 2015.
The Rapid City Area Schools district said it has submitted the documents requested by a federal agency that is investigating a discrimination complaint against the school district.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is investigating allegations that the school district discriminated against students with disabilities and retaliated against the complainant because of her advocacy on the issue, according to an Oct. 16 letter the Office sent District Superintendent Lori Simon.

It said the agency will investigate three issues based on an August 2016 complaint against the district, which receives funding from the federal education department.

First is whether the district discriminates against students with disabilities by systematically denying them a free appropriate public education in two ways: failing to identify and conduct timely evaluations of students suspected of having dyslexia and other disabilities, as well as imposing a cap on the number of students who can be evaluated for dyslexia and other disabilities and receive the appropriate help.

Dyslexia is a learning disability that involves difficulty with reading and writing letters or numbers. In October 2015, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance to assist states and local school districts in recognizing the unique needs of students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia.

Another issue is whether the Rapid City Area Schools retaliated against the complainant because of her advocacy efforts for South Dakota House Bill 1198, a proposed law last year that would recognize dyslexia as a learning disability. The retaliatory actions against the complainant  representing two women who worked for the school district  allegedly included increasing the monitoring of her performance and harassment in the workplace.

Third, whether the district retaliated against the complainant by not renewing her contract as an "instructional support teacher" because of her legislative advocacy and because she filed in May 2016 an internal discrimination and harassment complaint with the district.

Responsibility to investigate

The Office for Civil Rights said federal-funding recipients are prohibited from intimidating, threatening, coercing or discriminating against anyone to interfere with a right or privilege secured by federal civil rights law.

This school year, the Rapid City Area Schools is receiving $3.4 million for special education from the U.S. Department of Education, according to data from the school district. Some $22.4 million, or 12 percent of its annual budget, is spent on special education. The rest of the funding comes from the county and state.

The Office for Civil Rights' four-page letter to Superintendent Simon was sent to the Journal by Stephanie Trask, a lawyer for the complainants, who obtained the document through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The complainants, however, were not provided a list of the data the Rapid City Area Schools was asked to send to the civil rights office. Production of such records could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings, the agency said in a Nov. 2 letter.

The Office had also told the school district it may interview district personnel or any person who may know about the issue.

Simons office submitted the requested documents before the end of October, said Katy Urban, spokeswoman for the school district.

Prior to receiving the complaint in October of this year, we had no knowledge of it, Urban said in an email. The allegations, she said, stemmed from May 2016, before Simon became head of the school district in July 2016.

Goal of reading proficiency

The school district cant comment on the allegations since it involves a staff issue, Urban said, but added that one of the district's strategic goals is to ensure students can read proficiently by third grade. She said that over the summer, before the district learned about the discrimination complaint, it already created a dyslexia workgroup, tasked with developing a plan to support students who struggle with reading.

The bottom line is we are working to address the needs of all our students in the area of reading  and that includes our students with dyslexia, Urban said. RCAS takes this work extremely seriously. The workgroup has since met on Oct. 28 and Nov. 18.

Trask said the school district has known about the complaint issues since May 2016, when one of her clients filed an aggrievance with the district and met with its representatives, including the lawyer who continues to represent the district.

There were originally two discrimination complaints filed against the district, Trask said, explaining that the Office for Civil Rights consolidated them because they brought up the same issues. She declined to reveal the identity of her clients, fearing further retaliation and harassment against them.

Trask declined also to elaborate on the workplace harassment her clients allegedly suffered, saying she didnt want to prejudice their case in the event the women decide to sue the school district.
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo.  Five bighorn sheep in Yellowstone National Park may be frightening visitors with their freakishly scabbed lips blamed on an outbreak of sore mouth disease, but wildlife biologists aren't too worried.

"It is widespread, so in that context it is common," said Bob Garrott, an MSU ecology professor who is studying bighorn sheep. "It tends not to kill animals."

"We find it fairly commonly," said Jennifer Ramsey, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife veterinarian. "Usually it's a few animals with mild lesions."

She said the virus also shows up in blood taken from bighorns because FWP is performing baseline monitoring of some sheep herds.

"Generally the first time they get infected it's more severe," Ramsey said.

Virus

Also known as contagious ecthyma, the outbreak is caused by the parapoxvirus. It is transmittable to humans who have direct contact with infected sheep, so the National Park Service is reminding people not to approach or touch any wildlife.

Sore mouth disease is common in farmed sheep and goats, where farmers can vaccinate against the illness. In the wild, the virus is found in Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep from Alaska to California, according to the Park Service.

"I think we've had it before," Garrott said. "In Wyoming in the Absarokas on the east side of the (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) I've seen it."

Typically spread from ewes to lambs, the disease can manifest itself as scabby sores around the mouth and face, according to a park press release. Lesions disappear in two to four weeks and animals typically heal without scarring. Generally, affected animals recover, but deaths can occur in severe outbreaks, especially with young animals who cannot feed. The virus has the greatest effect on lambs that refuse to nurse because of sore mouths.

The bad news is that the virus seems capable of surviving in the wild for quite some time, Ramsey said. Scabs that fall off can infect animals 10 to 12 years later.

Contained

So far, only breeding age rams in the park's herd of 150 animals have been observed with lesions, the Park Service said. This is likely a result of frequent contact with each other and possibly infected ewes during the breeding season.

The disease is difficult to control in bighorn sheep. In most situations control efforts are not warranted since the disease is typically self-limiting as animals build up protective antibodies.

"Nobody knows much about it, why it crops up and disappears," Garrott said.

If feeding is too painful for rams, Garrott said the sheep should be able to weather the outbreak by relying on fat reserves, provided the outbreak doesn't keep them from feeding for too long.

Park biologists will continue to monitor the infected animals.

Natives

Bighorn sheep are native to the area and were once a key food source for native Shoshone Indians who derived their name from the species: the Sheep Eaters. The natives built traps in the rock cliffs around Yellowstone to capture the animals.

More recently, one of the area's herds suffered through an outbreak of pneumonia, which is typically transferred to the animals through contact with domestic sheep. The pneumonia can be fatal to bighorns and can become endemic, reinfecting the animals over and over again.

"Those herds are doing pretty well," said FWP wildlife biologist Karen Loveless. "One has low recruitment, so we're keeping that hunting district closed. But there's been no respiratory disease this year."

Ramsey said pneumonia has shown up sporadically in the Yellowstone bighorn sheep. All together there are about 320 bighorns that winter in the lower elevations of the Gardiner Basin.
The Chabad of Missoula is hosting a "Lighting of the Menorah" ceremony from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Ravalli County Fair Grounds near the main entrance.

Rabbi Berry Nash, director of the Chabad, said everyone is welcome regardless of their background and faith. He hopes that people will come to learn more about the Jewish faith, Hanukkah and the menorah.
Crystal Tower East Cleveland

The owner of Crystal Tower, a 280-unit apartment building in East Cleveland, is one of two landlords suing the city over a recent increase in occupancy fees for rental housing. In June, East Cleveland City Council agreed to raise its annual per-unit fee for apartment buildings from $10 to $100.

(Marvin Fong/Plain Dealer file)

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - Two large Northeast Ohio landlords are suing the city of East Cleveland over a sharp occupancy-fee hike that they characterize as an illegal cash grab.

At a public meeting in June, East Cleveland City Council approved legislation to increase the city's annual fee for rentals from $10 to $100 a unit. That means a landlord who has been paying $2,600 a year in city occupancy fees for a 260-unit building now must pay $26,000. The payments are due by mid-January. Landlords say they recently became aware of the change.

Now the K&D Group and PK Management are challenging the city's move. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, attorneys for the apartment owners and managers argue that East Cleveland can't justify charging $10 a unit - much less $100.

The payments, the landlords say, are an unconstitutional tax masquerading as a fee. East Cleveland, meanwhile, points to its dire financial situation and characterizes the increase as a necessary part of the city's attempt at a financial turnaround.

Judge Shannon Gallagher has scheduled a hearing for Jan. 3.

The case begs the question of whether East Cleveland - which lost an almost identical legal fight in the 1980s - can prove that it's providing enough services to justify a fee on rental properties.

But the litigation also points to a broader issue. Municipalities across the state are grappling with litigation and threats tied to disputes over where cities' rights to regulate - and inspect, and levy fees - end and where private property rights begin.

"There's been a lot of weirdness around this right now, and I feel like there's something brewing," said Sally Martin, housing director for the city of South Euclid, which has its own fees tied to rental properties, inspections and vacant homes.

East Cleveland, it appears, could have a tough time making its case.

City Council meeting minutes and other documents indicate that the cash-strapped city sees occupancy fees on rental housing as one way to shore up its finances. Anticipated gains in occupancy fees are listed as an element of the city's fiscal recovery plan, generating a net gain of $153,980 a year starting in 2018, according to a document provided by the law department.

Willa Hemmons, the city's law director, said the heightened fees are justified under the "home rule" provisions of the Ohio constitution, which give municipalities power and flexibility to self-govern when it comes to items that aren't specifically addressed in state law.

"These landowners and landlords make money off of the citizens of East Cleveland, yet they pay just a pittance in return," Hemmons said during an interview.

In a court filing, attorneys for the landlords described the fee as an "illegal, arbitrary and unreasonable tax disguised as a license fee." They point to case law that shows that license fees should have a relationship to public spending on whatever is being licensed. In other words, the city must show that servicing, inspecting and licensing rentals supports a $100-a-unit fee.

Doug Price, chief executive of the K&D Group, said he can't recall the last time that the city inspected Crystal Tower, the company's 280-unit apartment building off Noble Road.

"They don't even paint the lines on the streets anymore," Price said of East Cleveland. "It's a fundamental thing. You can see what happens when government ceases to work. There's just nowhere to go. Slowly, the city will cease to exist. It's happening before our eyes."

K&D, based in Willoughby, owns thousands of apartments and pays occupancy fees in other Northeast Ohio cities. So does PK Management, a South Carolina company with an office in Richmond Heights. In East Cleveland, the company owns a 420-unit building called Forest Hill Terrace and a 260-unit building calls Owl's Nest. It's unclear whether tenants in those and other apartment buildings in East Cleveland would face rent increases if the fee hike is upheld.

In an early response to the landlords' lawsuit, East Cleveland claims that the $100 fee is comparable to what nearby cities charge. But interviews with officials in those municipalities - East Cleveland specifically mentioned Cleveland, Euclid, Cleveland Heights, South Euclid, Shaker Heights and Bedford - indicate otherwise.

For buildings with four or more units, Bedford charges $20 per apartment for its annual rental license. Euclid and Cleveland charge $35. Cleveland Heights charges $200 for the first unit, $50 for the second and $25 per unit after that, with a cap of $1,225 per property. Shaker Heights requires $45 per unit for larger buildings, which the city inspects every three years.

South Euclid, which once won a court fight over its rental registration fees, charges $200 for a single-family rental and $150 for each additional unit in a building. But the annual fees are capped at $3,000 per property. When challenged in court, Martin said, the city has been able to point to its inspection programs and other justifications for the costs.

"This is an East Cleveland issue," said Ralph McGreevy, executive vice president for the Northern Ohio Apartment Association, an organization that represents nearly 500 businesses in the rental-housing industry. "Other places where they have a fee, they have a service that goes along with that, that's commensurate with the expense of the fee."

The apartment association isn't a party in the case against East Cleveland but is working behind the scenes on behalf of landlords including PK Management and K&D. McGreevy seems confident that the $100-per-unit fee will get thrown out.

"It's a fairly vile attempt to cripple a business," he said.

On Friday, Judge Gallagher denied the landlords' request for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented East Cleveland from enforcing the increased occupancy fees. Such a restriction isn't necessary, she wrote, since the payments aren't due until Jan. 15. But she told East Cleveland that the city can't go after landlords - the law outlines possible fines and jail time for companies that don't pay - until after that mid-January deadline passes.

At a time of heightened private and political pushback against government regulation, Martin and other public officials expressed concern about how the East Cleveland case might impact property registration, inspection and licensing programs in other cities.

"We don't want to see a city lose on this. But I supposed they lost before," she said, referencing the 1980s litigation, "and it didn't hurt. ... I just have this feeling that this year's going to be a bad year for these kinds of challenges. I think people are going to come out of the woodwork. They're emboldened."
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 "Assessing Risk Assessment in Action" | Main | "Sex Registries as Modern-Day Witch Pyres: Why Criminal Justice Reform Advocates Need to Address the Treatment of People on the Sex Offender Registry" 

December 12, 2017

Curious reminder of limits of empirical evidence showing federal sentencing disparity before modern guideline reforms

ProPublica has this lengthy new article that seems way too eager to suggest that some empirical shenanigans fester below the Supreme Court's 1989 Mistretta opinion upholding the structure of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. The full headline and subheadline showcases the ominous theme of this reporting, "Suspect Evidence Informed a Momentous Supreme Court Decision on Criminal Sentencing: The U.S. Sentencing Commission helped send more people to prison for longer terms. Its a shame it was created to address a nonexistent crisis. Heres how the Supreme Court got misled." I fear that ProPublica's valuable push to fact-check SCOTUS opinions has, in this case, led to some problematic assertions about the history of sentencing reform and Mistretta. Though this blog space is not an ideal setting for nitpicking this long ProPublica piece, the article's start (with one sentence emphasized) provides a flavor for its points and problems:

More than 30 years ago, Congress identified what it said was a grave threat to the American promise of equal justice for all: Federal judges were giving wildly different punishments to defendants who had committed the same crimes. The worries were many. Some lawmakers feared lenient judges were giving criminals too little time in prison. Others suspected African-American defendants were being unfairly sentenced to steeper prison terms than white defendants. In 1984, Congress created the U.S. Sentencing Commission with remarkable bipartisan support. The commission would set firm punishment rules, called guidelines, for every offense. The measure, signed by President Ronald Reagan, largely stripped federal judges of their sentencing powers; they were now to use a chart to decide penalties for each conviction, with few exceptions. Five years later, a legal challenge to the sentencing commission wound up before the U.S. Supreme Court. In a case titled Mistretta v. U.S., the court was asked to consider whether Congress had overreached by taking on what seemed to be a role for the judiciary. In an 8-1 decision, the justices determined that the sentencing commission was constitutional. And they took care to say that the commission was also needed  to end the widespread and shameful sentencing disparities produced by the biases of individual judges. Mistretta was a momentous decision, but its now clear the high court relied on evidence that was flimsy and even flat-out wrong. The justices, in issuing the 1989 decision, had cited a single congressional report in concluding that there were disturbing and unacceptable sentencing disparities that needed to be addressed. That single report, in turn, was based primarily on two studies conducted in the early 1970s, both deeply flawed.

Critically, the Mistretta case legally and practically did not turn at all on whether researchers had adequately proven pre-guideline sentencing disparity or whether Congress relied on "flimsy" evidence when enacting the Sentencing Reform Act. Constitutional issues, not empirical ones, were the focal point of Mistretta.

To its credit, this ProPublica article does a nice job spotlighting problems with the disparity evidence cited by Congress in the legislative history of the Sentencing Reform Act. But Kate Stith and Jose Cabranes made this point effectively two decades ago in Fear of Judging, and sentencing reforms in the 1970s and 1980s, at both the federal and state level, were driven by (and could be justified by) a lot more than just concerns about sentencing disparities. Moreover, and perhaps most important, the few cites by Congress to studies about sentencing disparities were really only the tip of the evidentiary iceberg: as Norval Morris stressed in this great 1977 piece, he started effectively documenting "gross and unjust variations in sentences imposed on convicted criminals" in the 1950s. As he put it, by the mid 1970s, the decade before Congress enacted the Sentencing Reform Act, "the data on unjust sentencing disparity [had] indeed become quite overwhelming and will ... convince anyone who will take the time to study them."

In short, I think it deeply misguided to label the concerns about sentencing disparities before modern reforms a "nonexistent crisis," and it is even more problematic to suggest that these concerns were the only reason Congress passed the SRA or the only reason Mistretta came out as it did. I am always grateful for journalism seeking to thoughtfully unpack federal sentencing reforms and Supreme Court sentencing rulings, and there can and should be continued debate about whether and how modern sentencing reforms may have increased rather than reduced certain types of sentencing disparities. But the notion that there were not any truly justified concerns about sentencing disparity before modern reforms cannot withstand serious scrutiny, nor can the suggestion that SCOTUS was "misled" by bad data in its Mistretta ruling.

December 12, 2017 at 10:10 AM | Permalink

Comments

"But the notion that there were not any truly justified concerns about sentencing disparity before modern reforms cannot withstand serious scrutiny, nor can the suggestion that SCOTUS was "misled" by bad data in its Mistretta ruling."

That's like, just your own opinion man. What do you know about sentencing anyway? It is not like you are an expert on the topic or something. If it weren't for investigative journalists we would still be living in an era where animals have human rights, the world was warming due to human-caused climate change, and women everywhere were so congenitally unable to lie that the merest allegations of the slightest sexual misconduct caused U.S Senators to resign from office. However, we know that democracy dies in darkness and thanks to the unsparing and nobles efforts of heroic journalists we had the bright light of their truth to guide us away from those bad old days. So hush, you. You'll have a right to speak after you too have graduated from a community college.

Posted by: Daniel | Dec 12, 2017 12:37:27 PM

Professor Berman (Doug),

Thanks for taking the time to critique this report. For whatever it is worth, I share your concerns.

All the best.

Rich Kopf

Posted by: Richard Kopf | Dec 12, 2017 1:53:41 PM

I agree with Judge Kopf. Professor Berman's discussion about the concerns underlying the creation of sentencing guidelines is very useful and informative.

Posted by: Elaine Mittleman | Dec 12, 2017 2:14:26 PM

ProPublica. Soros funded, left wing, extremist, hate speech propaganda outlet. Its editor is paid $650,000 a year to promote trash. Would you quote an analysis by David Duke? So, do not quote anything from ProPublica.

Here was the situation. Racial disparity was a false, lawyer, bullshit consideration. All sentencing disparity resulted from actual crime victimization disparity. There was no racial disparity in sentencing. Sentences reflected repeat offending, and severities of offenses. Rand checked that out. No racial bias in sentencing, it found. All advocacy to loose black thugs on their neighborhoods devalues black crime victims, for the sake of a few lousy government make work jobs for the lawyers and other registered Democrats.

The country was a criminalized dystopia, thanks to the extreme bias of activist judges in favor of criminals. Murders were in the thousands a year in major cities. The public had enough. It was about to go postal on the judicial system. See the legal analysis by Dirty Harry in his movie series.

In the greatest accomplishment of the legal profession of the 20th Century, the lawyer saved himself, and dropped crime by 40%. Then lawyers lost their jobs, after crime dropped. Led by Hang 'Em High Scalia, the guidelines were dismantled and prohibited in the states. Rent seeking and government jobs will trump all ideology of the lawyer, no matter how extreme. The result? The pro-criminal bias of judges. The result? A 3% decarceration, coinciding with a 15% spike in murders in black neighborhoods.

Where the lawyer and judge live, the death penalty is at the scene. Three police cars arrive in 2 minutes, blasting. No excess force litigation where the lawyer and the judge live. The crime rate, only a couple of miles from Fallujah like neighborhoods, is lower than in Japan or Switzerland.

Meanwhile, criminality remains rampant at the Supreme Court in the form of its insurrection against the constitution. Article I Section 1 gives "all" lawmaking powers to the Congress. Repealing laws, making new laws, breaking the tradition of 10,000 years of civilization. No problem at the Supreme Court. It is a full time, 100% criminal enterprise, with no let up.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 13, 2017 7:34:17 AM

I have always considered the disparity to be bizarre justification, even had it existed. Federal crimes offer nearly 100% overlap with state crimes and under the federal system, local variation should be encouraged, especially for essentially state crimes tried in federal courts by the happenstance of Interstate commerce.

Posted by: Fat Bastard | Dec 13, 2017 2:12:08 PM

Post a comment
 Curious reminder of limits of empirical evidence showing federal sentencing disparity before modern guideline reforms | Main | Second Circuit panel reverses as unreasonable way-above-guideline sentence for immigration offense 

December 12, 2017

"Sex Registries as Modern-Day Witch Pyres: Why Criminal Justice Reform Advocates Need to Address the Treatment of People on the Sex Offender Registry"

The title of this post is the title of this notable new In Justice commentary authored by Guy Hamilton-Smith. I quoted the title in full because it is all worthy of reflection, as is the entire commentary that follows. Here is an excerpt:

The sex offender is the modern-day witch: the registry, the contemporary pyre. A scarlet letter for our technocratic era, forcing people to register as sex offenders is what puritan judges wouldve done to Hester Prynne had laptops been available. While undoubtedly there are those on the registry who have been convicted of blood curdling crimes, the designation is also extended to those who have been convicted of far more banal ones. Reformers urgently need to draw public attention to the cruel and unnecessarily harsh treatment afforded to sex offenders within the justice system. Sex offender registries are rapidly proliferating and becoming an increasingly popular back-end tool for feeding people into the carceral state. In understanding the reasons why sex offenders ought to be a higher priority for mainstream justice reform advocates, a grasp of the evolution and operation of the sex offender registry is critical.... The number of people listed on a sex offender registry in the United States has grown from slightly more than 500,000 in 2005 to 874,725 today. Research has found that sex offender registries have a disproportionate impact on minorities. While registries and their attendant requirements are sold as enhancing public safety, research consistently indicates that they are exceedingly bad at this goal. One explanation is because, contrary to Smiths baseless assertion and what most believe, people on the registry have one of the lowest rates of re-offending out of any class of criminal.... As a piece of criminal justice machinery brought to bear on people, the registry can best be thought of as a two-headed beast: a 12 punch of distinct effects. The first head is the direct impact on the lives of those on the registry itself. With no Due Process or Ex Post Facto brakes to slow down the juggernaut, it has become weaponized. A far cry from its origins as a simple list of purported perverts, it has morphed into a web of prison-without-bars that would make Franz Kafka blush. The oppressiveness, breadth, and lack of due process inherent in these modern day sex offender registries led a federal court in Colorado to label it a cruel and unusual punishment; a legal conclusion virtually unheard of outside of the cloistered world of death penalty litigation. The second head is the tangle of legal requirements for those on the list: a knot of vague, illogical, ever-expanding, and sometimes contradictory laws that even lawyers, judges, and law enforcement have difficulty interpreting. Examples can include strict time limits on reporting even minor changes in information (such as online accounts) or residence, residency restrictions, or even the clothing one wears. States promise swift felony prosecutions if individuals do not observe hyper-technical compliance with these requirements. Unsurprisingly, it is exceedingly easy to run afoul of the requirements, keeping those that do trapped in a cycle of legislatively-crafted crime that can be tantamount to a de facto life sentence. Failure to register is fast becoming the crime of choice for returning those on the registry to prison. In 2008 in Minnesota, failure to register charges became the most common reason sex offenders were returned to prison. Between 2000 to 2016, Texas saw a more than 700% increase in FTR arrests, from 252 in 2005 to 1,497 in 2017. To borrow a phrase from computer programming, this is not some kind of criminal justice bug. It is a feature.

December 12, 2017 at 10:26 AM | Permalink

Comments

So where is your federalism god now?

http://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/17a0683n-06.pdf



6th holds that even if a person isn't obligated to comply with registry requirements for state law purposes he can be made to comply with those requirements for federal purposes.

Posted by: Daniel | Dec 12, 2017 1:29:26 PM

Registries are regulatory quackery. They should taken down without any further study. They would not have helped the little girls after which they were named. Megan opened the door to her neighbor, and was taken. Jessica slept in her bed, with her plush blue dolphin. She was taken. Police already knew about the sex offender who took her, and visited him across the street. She was alive in his closet during the police visit. Political correctness killed little Jessica. You lawyers are 100% to blame for both losses. You allowed these vicious predators to be loosed on our little girls. The guy was such a coward, he could kill Jessica in person. So he put her in a bag, and buried her alive. She suffered greatly, and a long time.

Then, these registries are incompetent and obsolete. See the Chinese. They have large stadium size video displays. They project the photos and personal information of notorious jay walkers. The toilet paper dispenser in the park toilet has facial recognition. If you are on a registry of people who used more than a meter of toilet paper, it will lock down. The Chinese also have social desirability scores in a database, similar to our credit scores. If you buy work boots, it goes up. If you buy a video game it goes down. So what? When you apply for a job, they look these scores, and factor them into hiring decision. I do not know if dating sites publish the social desirability scores of its members. I would certainly demand it before dating a Chinese girl, and I certainly would look up their jaywalking registry first.

So lawyers, go ahead and support the Democratic Party, the party of the registry and of quack government make work. Don't complain about the park toilets in the USA, however. I warned you about them, in this comment.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 12, 2017 2:16:45 PM

What's so sad about this well written,fact based story is the author of this story. Himself a sex offender on the registry. What does this say about the state of sex offender reform in our nation? Our supreme court having a full repository of academic, scholarly knowledge along with mountains of empirical research at it's fingertips simply ignores its responsibilities, and its sworn duty to our constitution. If I were an attorney, a judge, etc; I would be deeply saddened by our top to bottom refusal to defend our constitution and the people it was designed to serve. I bow to you Guy Hamilton-Smith. You are righteous in my eyes and in the words of our constitution!

Posted by: tommyc | Dec 12, 2017 3:12:34 PM

I have proposed a registry of registry proposers. These are many, animal cruelty, domestic abusers, bullies, sexists, racists, homophobes, Islamophobes. All registry proposers are Democrats, and many are lawyers. The real intent is to generate government make work jobs. Go to the PA SOR. It states that any harassment of the people on the registry is a criminal offense. You may not even criticize a serial child rapist without getting arrested by the lawyer run criminal justice system.

Then all service and product providers shall boycott the people on the registry of registry proposers. Let them live off the land, under 19th Century conditions. Let them go to the toilet outdoors in winter. To deter.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 12, 2017 4:11:40 PM

Not to mention the impact the registry has on family members. When my wife wants to go see her family in the Philippines, I can never accompany them, it is just not possible with the Intel-Pol travel notifications.

Another issue is the coming implementation of Read ID, where everyone will need to have a passport just to travel by commercial air. Now since they are going to mark Registered Sex Offenders passports, I can only imagine how that will lead to issue when just trying to catch a commercial flight. The making of passports of course is straight out of the Nazi playbook.

Posted by: Steve | Dec 12, 2017 4:14:10 PM

The registry is a witch hunt.

Cruel and unusual punishment.

There is a current John Doe vs. Director of TN Bureau of Investigation (the registry) and Wm. E. Haslam, Govenor of TN,

case just filed in Nashville TN. It addresses John Doe's increasing retroactive restrictions on the registry as well as a lot of issues that all registrants have to deal with, in-person registration, fees, boundary requirements, loss of jobs, being labeled "violent" on the registry when one's crime had nothing to do with violence, etc.

The registry must be taken down, statistics prove it serves no purpose except to increase the state coffers by taking money from those who can least afford to pay.



Posted by: kat | Dec 12, 2017 4:19:40 PM

What's it going to take? Will former sex offenders need to band together just as black panthers, organized laborers, feminists, etc., and others have done to rise up against these laws?

Posted by: william r. delzell | Dec 13, 2017 6:10:29 PM

No. They will have to get more money for election campaigns.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 13, 2017 6:28:41 PM

William. It has started.

Here is a Hollywood propaganda movie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Me_by_Your_Name_(film)

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 14, 2017 3:22:33 AM

Can anyone give an example of fear based, broad brush legislation that has actually worked as intended?

....

Posted by: Huh? | Jan 7, 2018 2:21:50 PM

@Daniel

So, out of one side of it's mouth the 6th Circuit says Michigan's Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) violates the Constitution's ban on ex post facto laws, yet finds that a defendant in Tennessee must register under the SORNA?

In the Michigan case the 6th Circuit said:

"While the statute's efficacy is at best unclear, its negative effects are plain on the law's face....SORA puts significant restrictions on where registrants can live, work, and 'loiter,' but the parties point to no evidence in the record that the difficulties the statute imposes on registrants are counterbalanced by any positive effects. Indeed, Michigan has never analyzed recidivism rates despite having the data to do so. The requirement that registrants make frequent, in-person appearances before law enforcement, moreover, appears to have no relationship to public safety at all. The punitive effects of these blanket restrictions thus far exceed even a generous assessment of their salutary effects."

I don't get it.

....

Posted by: Huh? | Jan 7, 2018 2:36:30 PM

Post a comment
SPENCER, Iowa | A Lake Park, Iowa, man suffered life-threatening injuries when a pickup struck him on a Clay County highway early Monday, authorities said.

Marlyn D. Van Tol, 59, was transported to Spencer Hospital after the incident, which occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. in the eastbound lane of Highway 18 just west of 300th Avenue, according to a news release from the Iowa State Patrol.

The release said Van Tol was standing near a 2010 International semi tractor parked on the south shoulder of the eastbound lane when he and the parked semi were struck by an oncoming 2015 Ford F-250 driven by Jeffery D. Cadwell, 33, of Ayrshire, Iowa.

Both vehicles suffered minor damage.
VERMILLION, S.D. | David Lane wanted to study political violence and criminal behavior.

When he started graduate school, he planned to explore topics related to deviance, but along the way was steered into studying tattoos and he became an expert in the culture and social aspects of the tattoo business.

"I'm a sociologist who went to grad school to study crime and violence," said the University of South Dakota assistant sociology professor. "Somehow I've become one of the movers and shakers in this area."

His research led to the creation of Marks of Civilization: A Cultural Examination of Tattooing, an honors class he offers to USD students every other year. It's likely the only one of its kind taught on a U.S. college campus and allows students to examine the culture of the people who do the tattooing, how they learn their craft and abide by a loose-knit set of unwritten rules of professional self-regulation.

It may strike some as an odd field of study, and Lane understands their puzzlement. He had a similar reaction when two of his University of Delaware professors suggested he study tattoos.

Lane decided to give it a try, but after a few weeks of reading what research was available, he discovered that nearly everyone who had studied tattoos wrote about interpreting the final product, figuring out what a person's tattoos mean and say about him or her.

After spending hours in tattoo parlors talking to tattoo artists and having some of his own tattoos done, Lane realized there was a much more interesting aspect to the culture that researchers were missing. Artists would visit each other's shops, sharing tips and techniques with one another. Nearly all of what they know is passed through human relationships, not textbooks.

"This is something they're all learning though an honor-based system and word of mouth," said Lane, whose own arms are covered with tattoos.

He would rather learn about who makes the tools, the pigments used in tattooing and how one gets a license rather than try to figure out what tattoos mean.

"Everybody was talking about what tattoos mean and I valued it differently," the Baltimore native said. "Once I got to seriously studying this, I realized I can do something with this. I try to present tattooing as a cultural activity."

He initially thought he'd write a book about the subject, but when he came to USD five years ago, his research followed him and he developed the tattoo class so that curious students could learn more about what went into those images that many of them were having tattooed on their bodies.

When first offered two years ago, the class filled up with the maximum 15 students. This semester, he has 14 students, many of them sociology majors, but also some art students and a history major. They interview Sioux City tattoo artists and observe them, learning about the culture of those who come into the shops and how the artists serve them.

Throughout the class, they discuss the negative stigma of tattoos. Lane laughs, acknowledging that to some people, his study of tattoos is actually a study in criminal behavior, given the long association between tattoos and crime.

But he's quick to point out that in the late 1800s, tattoos were a big fad among the culturally elite in the United States and United Kingdom, and it's hard to find any culture throughout history that didn't practice tattooing or some form of body mutilation.

The class leads to insightful discussions and findings, said Lane, who's finishing up that book about tattoo workers and their culture.

Once finished, he plans to focus on other interests in his research and continue to teach other classes in collective behavior and social movements, social problems, crime and pop culture and deviance.

"I do think it's time for me to grow and branch out as a scholar," said Lane, who has been studying social problems recently.

But he'll never leave tattooing behind because it's fascinating to him, and he's grown to love the culture.

"I'm lucky," he said. "I get to study what I love, and I've made a career out of it so far."

You could say he's left his mark, one that might be as permanent in his field of study as the ink under his skin.
The U.S. Marshals Service Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force is seeking the public's assistance in locating the following person:

* Phong Nguyen, 31. Nguyen is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is wanted by the Woodbury County Sheriffs Office for violation of his parole. Nguyen is on parole for fraud, illegal use of a credit card.

Anyone with information can call the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force at 712-252-0211, email siouxlands.mostwanted@usdoj.gov or text the keyword TEN99 and the tip to tip411 (847411).
ORANGE CITY, Iowa | An Orange City man pleaded not guilty Monday to more than a dozen charges of having inappropriate sexual contact with at least one minor during a nearly three-year period.

Scott McAdam, 56, entered his written plea in Sioux County District Court, where he is charged with two counts of felony second-degree sexual abuse, four counts of felony third-degree sexual abuse, six counts of felony sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of misdemeanor sexual exploitation of a minor, eight counts of misdemeanor invasion of privacy and one count of misdemeanor lascivious conduct with a minor.

The Sioux County Sheriff's Office has said that the alleged crimes occurred with two minors at a residence north of Orange City.

A trial information document containing the charges against McAdam identifies only one victim by his or her initials. Some of the charges did not have a victim's initials.

Court documents showed several sexual abuse incidents with a child under age 12 and age 12 or 13 from Aug. 1, 2015, through Aug. 20 of this year.

The sexual exploitation charges cover a time period from Jan. 1, 2015, through this past Nov. 14. McAdam is accused of taking photos or video of the minor or minors and also possessing photos or video of a minor engaged in sex acts.
DAKOTA CITY | Brayan Galvan-Hernandez might not have fired the shot that killed Kraig Kubik, but investigators will never know for sure.

District Judge Paul Vaughan on Tuesday wasn't concerned so much with determining who pulled the trigger when considering Galvan-Hernandez' prison sentence.

"There's really no way for anyone to know for sure," Vaughan said. "The most troubling part of this case for you is your actions after Mr. Kubik was killed."

Vaughan sentenced Galvan-Hernandez, 19, of Wakefield, Nebraska, to 50-60 years in prison for the Nov. 1, 2016, shooting death of Kubik and subsequent dismemberment of his body. Galvan-Hernandez in October pleaded no contest in Dakota County District Court to a reduced charge of attempted second-degree murder and pleaded guilty to accessory to a felony.

As part of a plea agreement, the attempted murder charge was reduced from first-degree murder, sparing Galvan-Hernandez the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison had he been found guilty at trial. Charges of use of a firearm to commit a felony and abandoning human skeletal remains or burial goods were dismissed.

Prosecutors said at the October hearing that they believed Andres Surber shot Kubik in the back of the head and Galvan-Hernandez either knew that Surber planned to shoot Kubik or helped him plan the shooting. Prosecutors also believe Galvan-Hernandez removed or destroyed evidence.

"I didn't know Surber was going to kill him that night," Galvan-Hernandez said in a quiet voice before he was sentenced. He also apologized to Kubik's family members who were present in the courtroom and in particular to Kubik's then-5-year-old son, who was home at the time Kubik was killed and likely saw his father's body.

Defense attorney Douglas Stratton, of Norfolk, Nebraska, said Galvan-Hernandez' main fault was hanging around with Surber, who had a history of violence, including an assault conviction for a stabbing.

"Brayan's problem was he hung out with him and he got caught up in these events," Stratton said. "I think the evidence is clear that Mr. Surber is the one who pulled the trigger on that night."

Regardless if Surber pulled the trigger, Galvan-Hernandez had some role in the desecration of Kubik's body, which was found at an abandoned farm 24 miles away, Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Sandra Allen said. Investigators found Kubik's right arm and right leg inside the trunk of a car there. The rest of Kubik's remains were found three days later in a culvert about four miles from the farmhouse.

Galvan-Hernandez could have told investigators were Kubik's body was, but he didn't, Allen said.

"To say he's not responsible or culpable is a bit offensive," Allen said.

Under Nebraska's sentencing laws, Galvan-Hernandez would be eligible for parole in 25 years and mandatory release in 30 years if he earns good-behavior credits while in prison.

Authorities said Surber and Kubik had been arguing for days over payment for a car Kubik bought from Surber. Video from surveillance cameras at Kubik's rural Emerson, Nebraska, home showed Galvan-Hernandez and Surber meeting with Kubik on Nov. 1. Shortly after the three were seen walking out of the house, prosecutors believe Surber shot Kubik. Galvan-Hernandez and Surber were later seen dragging what was believed to be Kubik's body across the yard.

Kubik's son made statements at school the following morning that his father had been killed or harmed, leading authorities to go to Kubik's home, where they found a pool of blood near his car and his glasses in his driveway. They later received a call about suspicious activity at the abandoned farmhouse where Kubik's body was found.

Autopsy results showed that Kubik died of a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Surber, 26, of Wakefield, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. In April, Vaughan found Surber mentally incompetent to stand trial, and Surber is currently receiving psychiatric treatment to determine if his competency can be restored to stand trial.
LE MARS, Iowa | Four men are lucky to be alive and unhurt after standing on the roof of a Le Mars building that was zapped by a power line shortly after 11:30 Tuesday morning.

Dan Schipper, Le Mars fire chief, said that the electrical arc was likely caused by the tin on a newly-constructed building on the 100 block of Central Avenue in Le Mars, which was situated too close to an existing power line.

"The power line arced, and caused the problem basically. It looked like it jumped, to the tin edging they they'd placed on this newly-constructed building," Schipper said. "Power will do that from time to time, it can jump or reach out and touch you, so to speak."

Had the men on the roof been touching the building's tin roof eaves at the time of the arc, "we'd have a different tragedy here today," Schipper said. Because they stood on the wooden roof, they were insulated from the shock.

Oddly enough, Schipper was nearby when he saw a bright flash and the power went out.

"It was actually kind of impressive to watch, because everything lit up, all the way around the facade," he said.

The Le Mars Fire Department had to fight fires in several spots in three buildings near the discharge.

One building had its furnace room catch fire after current traveled there through the wires; behind the building, an air conditioner unit caught fire after a live wire struck it.

The building housing M. Catton & Co. sustained the most damage in the incident, especially from smoke. Nearby, the accounting office of Keith Langel and the El Tarasco bar were also somewhat damaged, though Schipper said this damage was more "cosmetic" and the smoke damage less severe.

The Le Mars Fire Department spent about an hour and a half at the fire, with the Orange City Fire Department acting as backup. MidAmerican Energy was on the scene investigating and evaluating the power line placement.
SIOUX CITY | A proposal that would significantly limit the number of days Sioux City residents can shoot fireworks on holidays received unanimous approval from Sioux City Council members Monday.

The council voted 5-0 on the first reading of an amendment to its current fireworks ordinance that will allow residents to shoot them only on Dec. 31 and July 3 and 4, a steep decrease from the 13 days currently allowed in the existing ordinance.

The vote came with relatively little fanfare compared with a boisterous discussion on the same topic in July, which came when the council initially considered tweaking the ordinance. That discussion had drawn dozens to the council chambers, many of whom shared noise concerns and suggestions.

Monday, as the council took its first consideration of formal ordinance changes, only one community member spoke in favor of the proposed ordinance change and one other spoke against it.

"I was one of the people that didn't get much sleep in this 10-day span (over July 4), and I just wanted to say thank you for re-looking at the situation," resident David Johnston told the council Monday. "Frankly, I'd like to see it less than two days, but I appreciate you re-looking at it."

Brett Watchorn, a candidate in the October City Council primary, told the council he strongly opposed the limitation, saying many people work the night of the holiday, limiting their time to discharge.

"Personally, I worked both the third and fourth (of July) last year. If you're going to cut it down, at least cut it down to a week," he said.

Under Sioux City's proposed ordinance change, residents could discharge fireworks on private property from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on both July 3 and 4 and from 1 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Last summer, after the state ban was lifted, the city had allowed residents to set off fireworks for a 10-day period, between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. from June 25 to July 4. Revelers were given an extra hour on the Fourth of July and the Saturday and Sunday preceding the holiday.

New Year's discharges were scheduled to be allowed during the same hours Dec. 30 through Jan. 1, with an extension to 12:30 a.m. on New Year's Day.

The 10-day window resulted in several noise complaints and prompted discussion at the council level on whether to shorten the number of days allowed before next year.

Councilwoman Rhonda Capron told Watchorn she is more concerned about people having to put up with the noise for extended periods of time than those missing out due to work.

"I'm worried about disrespecting your neighbors. I'm worried about keeping people up," she said.

Mayor Bob Scott said he believes Sioux City's proposal is fair, pointing to the bans in the other large cities in the state -- Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Iowa City all currently prohibit fireworks discharge.

The ordinance must still pass second and third readings, a move that will likely come next week. Council members debated Monday whether to approve all three readings at the same meeting, but a motion to do so died after three council members voted against it to allow for more community input.

EMS fees

The fees mainly mirror the current charges that Siouxland Paramedics Inc., which is providing 911 services through Dec. 31, bills to patients. One exception will be an additional $186 to $327 charge for when patients are treated at a scene but not transported. The cost would vary on the level of care needed.

Jim Haden, who will serve as director of the city's new EMS division, said that charge will help the city recoup some of the costs to provide care at the scene. Nothing would be charged if an ambulance responds but the patient does not require medical intervention that uses supplies, he said.

Scott voted against the fees, saying he has taken issue with the process of forming the division, including the city not looking at bids for the work, and believes it will be an expensive undertaking.

Food services contract

The council also voted 4-0 in favor of a food services contract with Spectra, the Philadelphia-based firm set to take over management of operations at the Tyson Events Center and Orpheum Theatre early next year. Scott abstained from the vote.

The contract approved Monday will cover food and beverage services at the Tyson Events Center, Sioux Gateway Airport and IBP Ice Center. It must go into effect Jan. 1 because the city's contract with its current caterer, Centerplate, expires at the end of the year.

The city will consider a separate contract for management of the Tyson and Orpheum next week.
A man wearing a homemade pipe bomb detonated his explosive in a walkway at the Port Authority Bus Terminal near Times Square on Monday, injuring three people and causing chaos in one of the busiest commuter hubs in the city, officials said.

Authorities called the explosion in the terminal at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue an "attempted terrorist attack" and police identified the suspect in custody as Akayed Ullah, 27. They said the attack appears to be isolated.

Latest developments

Motive: Ullah told investigators that he carried out the attack because of recent Israeli actions in Gaza, a law enforcement source said.

More on suspect: He is of Bangladeshi descent and lives in Brooklyn, two law enforcement sources told CNN. Ullah held a Taxi & Limousine Commission license from March 2012 to March 2015, after which the license was not renewed, TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg said. It's unclear "whether he drove for any particular base, or whether he simply got the license but didn't drive at all," Fromberg said.

Residency: Ullah came to the US in 2011 on an F43 family immigrant visa, said Department of Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton. He is now a lawful permanent resident. According to the State Department, F43 visas are granted to children or siblings of American citizens.

What his neighbor says: Alan Butrico owns a Brooklyn building next to the home where he says Ullah lives with his family. He told CNN that Ullah lives in the basement, while his sister and brother live above him. "He wasn't friendly at all. The family was very quiet themselves. They don't talk to nobody. They just stay there," he said, adding that his tenants reported hearing "screaming and yelling" coming from Ullah's home the last two nights. The tenants did not call police, he said.

Type of device: Ullah wore an "improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body," which he intentionally detonated, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. The device, a pipe bomb, was attached to Ullah with Velcro and zip ties, said John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism.

How bomb was made: According to a senior New York law enforcement official and a city official being briefed on the investigation, Ullah told police he made the device at his workplace. It's unclear where he's employed. Added Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a news conference, "Anyone can go on the Internet and download garbage and vileness on how to put together an amateur-level explosive device, and that is the reality that we live with."

Being treated: Ullah is now at Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen, New York City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

Other injuries minor: Two victims at Mount Sinai West and one at Mount Sinai Queens are being treated for headaches and ringing in the ears, Nigro said.

Suspect affiliations: It's unclear if Ullah is linked to any terror organization, but when asked if Ullah was connected to ISIS, O'Neill responded only that Ullah "did make statements, but we will not talk about that."

Location and time: The blast detonated around 7:20 a.m. ET in an underground walkway connecting two subway lines, officials said.

Terror links?

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident an "attempted terrorist attack," while Police Commissioner James O'Neill called it a "terror-related incident." Cuomo said the perpetrator used an amateur "effectively low-tech device."

"There are also no credible and specific threats against New York City at this time," de Blasio said.

The A, C and E subway lines were evacuated, NYPD Sgt. Brendan Ryan said. The subway entrance on Eighth Avenue was closed.

On grainy surveillance footage, commuters are seen walking through a tunnel when a burst of smoke erupts into the hallway, quickly filling it. Commuters flinch and take cover. When the smoke clears, a man can be seen lying on the ground in the hallway.

"Fortunately for us, the bomb partially detonated," Cuomo told CNN. "It was not a sophisticated device. It was a homemade device. He did detonate it, but it did not fully have the effect that he was hoping for. The explosive chemical did ignite. It was in a pipe, but the pipe itself did not explode. So he wound up hurting himself."

A key point of the investigation will be determining if the hallway is where Ullah intended to detonate the device, O'Neill said.

Members of the NYPD forensics team were seen on Eighth Avenue, carrying a large brown bag, which they placed into a police van.

'Just a lot of chaos'

Francisco Ramirez said he was exiting a bus when he heard two blasts, even though he was wearing headphones.

"From what I saw it sounded like it came from the subway, but I'm just guessing," he said. "It was two distinct explosions seconds from each other. As I was making my way toward the outside, I kept getting shoved by cops and there were cops at every entrance blocking and there was police and SWAT everywhere.

"It was scary. It was just a lot of chaos but I didn't see any injuries."

Marlyn Yu Sherlock was at a retail store on the main floor of the terminal when people began flooding out of the subway entrance, "screaming, running in panic," she said.

"The PA system was still blaring Christmas carols," Sherlock said. "It took about four minutes before men in black cop uniforms started shooing people out of Port Authority. As I walked further away from the building, I kept asking the heavily armed cops what it was. They said 'suspicious package.'"

The Port Authority Bus Terminal was built in 1950 and expanded in 1979. It accommodates 220,000 passenger trips a day.

Previous attack

The incident comes a few weeks after a deadly terror attack in Lower Manhattan.

A man was charged with killing eight people and injuring a dozen others as he drove a pickup truck down a bicycle path near the World Trade Center on Halloween. He was arrested after the truck hit a school bus, stopping it in its tracks. He exited the vehicle and an officer shot him.

The suspect, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, was indicted last month on murder and terror-related charges, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said. Saipov pleaded not guilty to 22 federal counts.

It was the deadliest terror attack in New York City since the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

CNN's Brynn Gingras, AnneClaire Stapleton, Eliza Mackintosh, Joe Sterling, Shimon Prokupecz, David Shortell, Elizabeth Joseph and Sonia Moghe contributed to this report.
DES MOINES -- Gov. Kim Reynolds and state lawmakers likely are going to have to consider mid-year budget adjustments ranging from $50 million up to $90 million after a state panel Monday left its current revenue-growth projections unchanged and slightly lowered the expectations for fiscal 2019.

The three-member state Revenue Estimating Conference decided to keep its fiscal 2018 revenue growth projection at 2.4 percent, or slightly more than $7.128 billion through June 30 but lowered its fiscal 2019 growth estimate by $9.3 million to nearly $7.416 billion - figures that by law become the numbers the governor and Legislature must use for budgeting purposes in the upcoming legislative session.

"Iowa revenues, while still growing, are disappointing for the first five months of the fiscal year," said REC member Holly Lyons of the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. "There is nothing, however, to indicate that the revenue growth will turn negative, but growth is very slow, slower than the revenue estimating conference forecasted last October. Most Iowa economic indicators would suggest slow but steady growth."

While unchanged from October, the revenue spelled some bad news given that the estimates then were scaled back by $133 million while overshot this year's projected ending balance and could portend cuts or more borrowing from the state's cash reserves to keep the ledger balanced, officials said.

"Some mid-year adjustments will be required yet this fiscal year," said David Roederer, a REC member who also directs the state Department of Management and is Reynolds' budget director. "Even before October, we were saying (to state agency heads) you need to be prepared, so it's not like this is catching anybody by surprise."

Conference members said Iowa's economy continues to grow, but Iowans' personal incomes and wages are not increases as rapidly as projected while sluggish farm prices continue to pose challenges and manufacturers are constrained by a lack of skilled workers to fill vacant positions. Added to that is uncertainty over federal tax changes and trade agreements that impact the state's revenue situation.

"We're very firmly on the side of we're not sure what's going to happen," Roederer said in concluding his fiscal analysis during Monday's Statehouse meeting.

The state revenue projections form the backdrop for new budget discussions for Reynolds, majority Republicans and minority Democrats when the 2018 General Assembly convenes on Jan. 8.

"Agriculture plays a large part in our economy and when corn is selling for $3 per bushel, it's going to have a significant effect on the budget like we're seeing now. This is not unique to Iowa and many surrounding states are dealing with this challenge as well," said Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

"While revenue estimates can be unpredictable, House Republicans are not," Grassley added. "We will continue to live within our means and pass a responsible budget that funds Iowans' priorities."

For their part, legislative Democrats said they were willing to work in a bipartisan manner to make a "mid-course correction" that would invest in successful job-creation initiatives by paring back some tax credits.

"The state budget has become an embarrassment to all Iowans, regardless of their political beliefs," said Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee. "Paychecks and family income are stagnant. Iowa now ranks dead last in the country for economic growth and the next legislative session will be spent paying off $144 million of debt."

Reynolds' office countered the Democratic criticism by issuing a statement noting that Iowa was named the third best-run state in the nation according to a financial analysis issued Monday that cited Iowa's 17-year low unemployment rate, the strength of the state's pension fund, its AAA credit rating, and the state's low poverty rate.
CHICAGO -- One of the most important yet frequently overlooked and misunderstood components of public school education is the system of teacher-preparation programs.

The national network of higher-education institutions that select, train and oversee the mentorship of the country's new teachers holds in its hands the immense power to shape public education through the quality of its emerging teacher corps.

And not nearly enough sunlight shines on how these programs select teaching candidates, choose what skills to convey, and assess their graduates' effectiveness.

A new proposed bill called the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act actually seeks to make things even cloudier. The legislation was recently introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., chairman of the Higher Education and Workforce Development subcommittee.

The PROSPER Act purports to eliminate "burdensome federal regulations that put Washington in the middle of issues that are the responsibility of institutions or states, limit student choice, and stifle innovative practices by institutions," according to the bill summary. "The bill also repeals or streamlines reporting requirements that fail to provide useful information to students, families, and policymakers, and exacerbate rising college costs."

In effect, the bill would end the current requirement that educator-preparation programs submit vital performance data to the federal government. Plus, the U.S. Department of Education would no longer be required to collect and report this data.

But the answer is to improve the existing accountability system for teacher preparation programs, not eliminate it, according to Kate Walsh, president of the nonpartisan watchdog organization, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ).

"Are the current attempts at oversight of teacher-preparation programs actually improving teacher preparation? No. The accountability efforts in place are absolutely not what they should be, but why is the answer to get rid of them instead of fixing them?" asked Walsh.

She told me that throwing out the baby with the bathwater in the case of the current level of oversight is indicative of the current administration's view of all regulations across industries.

But Walsh isn't sweating it, because the NCTQ does the job of reporting out to the public how teacher-preparation programs are doing by partnering with the states themselves.

The "2017 State Teacher Policy Yearbook," which is scheduled to be released Dec. 14, acknowledges that it's the close relationship that the NCTQ has with individual states, which provide the organization data, that makes progress on this front possible.

This is especially notable considering that the news this year isn't what anyone would like shouted from rooftops. From 2009 to 2015, the NCTQ had found progress in implementation of policies to improve teacher quality -- things like tightening admission requirements to get more qualified candidates into teaching, adequately preparing teachers in high-need subjects like special education and ensuring teachers are highly qualified in their selected content areas.

But progress has slowed.

As a whole, for nearly 80 percent of states, the policy recommendations that the NCTQ has been pushing have either stalled or decreased, including increasing oversight of teacher preparation programs, moving more qualified people of color into the teaching pipeline and instituting more meaningful teacher evaluation. This was about the same as in 2015 and worse than in 2013, when 60 percent of states made gains.

Frankly, it's easy to be unmoved by such statistics -- it's true that this topic is largely the education industry's version of inside ball.

But parents, pay close enough attention and you might start to see why it really matters.

Next time a note comes home from school or you get the opportunity to visit your kids' classroom, watch for things like misspellings or even inaccurate or politically biased information posted on bulletin boards.

Maybe you'll ask your child for details about what goes on during the day and suspect that not much goes on at school -- or that your kid's classroom is out of control.

You might even read a local news story reporting that your school is getting dinged on state school report cards for poor performance or for not servicing students with special needs adequately.

Only then will you realize how vitally important the sleepy topic of state teacher-preparation program quality really is to your family and local community.
As a United States citizen and Iowa resident, I am alarmed at the rhetoric spouted by United States Congressman Steve King. Could he have misconstrued the implication of the collective known as the Borg in the highly popular Star Trek science fiction series? Likewise, is he familiar with George Orwells famous dystopian novel, 1984? As art, and science fiction, represent inherent truths, his use of the word assimilated conjures up horrifying images of individuals being persecuted simply for being individuals. Are we all expected to conform to the collective and abandon our individual customs, cultural backgrounds, religions and beliefs? Does he envision a society of drones with no creative thought? Where resistance is futile?

Thats not what this country is about. Our society was built on diversity. That is part of what makes us great. I, for one, do not wish to discard my principles simply to blend in to society. We are not sheep. We are human beings with an innate sense of right and wrong. The current political climate has stilted our conversations, and those of us who have remained silent need to speak out before resistance does become futile.

Diversity is our strength. Without it, we are all simply mindless drones. - Joan Thomas, Le Mars, Iowa
A proposal by the Electric Power Corporation (E.P.C.) to increase electricity fees has been denied by the Office of the Regulator.

This was uncovered in the Multi Year Tariff annual review of E.P.Cs proposal that is reviewed by the Regulator as required under the law.

The Review document, obtained by the Samoa Observer and signed by the Regulator, Lefaoalii Unutoa Auelua-Fonoti, indicated that E.P.C. filed an application requesting changes to electricity tariff rates and its rate structure.

In its application E.P.C., proposed a reduction of $0.03 sene/kWh (kilowatts per hour) for the debt charge.

For the usage charge, E.P.C. proposed the introduction of a lower lifeline tariff rate for domestic cash power and induction users with electricity consumption below 50kWh/month.

E.P.C., however proposed significant increases in the usage charge for all other users with consumption above 50kWh.

According to the review, the impact of E.P.C.s proposed lifeline rate would be to change the existing tariff structure for domestic cash power consumers from its current two-tier structure range of 1-100kWh and 101+ to a two-tier structure of 1-50kWh and 50kWh.

Domestic Induction consumers would move from the current flat rate tariff to the same two-tier structure as proposed for domestic cash power consumers, says the Regulators review.

The findings are based on the evidence attained from E.P.C. and through consultations with stakeholders who took the opportunity to provide valuable input and information.

The Review says that findings and considerations for the regulated Financial Year 2017/2018 that current tariff classes for Domestic consumers are that cash power two-tiers, also the induction all kWh in one flat rate.

Denying E.P.C.s proposed rates, the Regulator ordered that non-domestic consumers for cash power all kWh in one flat rate and induction all kWh in one flat rate.

Also included in the review was the report measure E.P.C. is taking to improve its quality of service, considering but not limited to: increases in the number of outlets for cash power sales, availability of $10 scratch cards, free call code for scratch cards.

They were also ordered to submit to the Regulator the first report on the first quarter July-September 2017.

The Regulators order on the Multi-Year Tariff filing for 2018-2021 for E.P.C. to undertake a comprehensive review of expenditures to determine what a reasonable efficient utility should be able to recover through a regulated tariff, with a multi-year tariff filing for 2018-2021.

Propose appropriate capital provision; propose incentives when customers pay their electricity bills in advance.

Submit a complete tariff filing with the Regulator five months before the end of current financial year.

As such, E.P.C. must file its Multi-Year Tariff application by 31st January, 2018.

Regarding the Power System Expansion Plan, Lefaoalii ordered E.P.C. to file with its Multi-Year tariff case, a power system expansion plan as required under Section 27 of the Electricity Act 2010 that incorporates at a minimum all new renewable energy and any new generation added through the Power Sector Expansion Project and Rehabilitation projects.

Also to file a power system expansion plan for the Regulators approval prior to submitting any Power Purchase Agreements for the approval of the Regulator.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
A local Alabama man is using the story of his lesbian daughters death to fight against Republican senatorial candidate Roy Moore.

Peanut farmer Nathan Mathis held a sign outside a Roy Moore rally Monday with a photo of his daughter Patti Sue, who killed herself at 23. Mathis wrote on his sign that Moore called his daughter a pervert, because of her sexuality, according to the Washington Post.

Judge Roy Moore called my daughter Patti Sue Mathis a pervert because she was gay, the sign read. A 32-year old Roy Moore dated teenage girls ages 14 to 17. So that makes him a pervert of the worst kind.

Nathan Mathis is here outside the Moore event. He tells me his daughter committed suicide and says Roy Moore called her a pervert because she was gay. My sign says it all, he said. pic.twitter.com/5qZnM0IyNJ  Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) December 11, 2017

Mathis made reference to the fact Moore has been accused of having multiple romantic encounters with underage girls while he was a district attorney in the late 1970s, according to the Washington Post. Moore has denied these encounters happened.

Moore, who has a heavily Christian following, has spoken out against homosexuallity multiple times throughout his campaign, reports The Post. This includes saying that homosexuality should be illegal, and calling it an inherent evil, and an act so heinous that it defies ones ability to describe it.

This is something people need to stop and think about, Mathis said. Youre supposed to uphold the Constitution. The Constitution said all men were created equal. But how is my daughter a pervert just because shes gay?

Moore is currently battling Democrat Doug Jones for the Senate seat. The special election was called after incumbent Jeff Sessions resigned to become the U.S. Attorney General on Feb. 8.
A former gay porn actor was sentenced to life in prison Monday for murdering his rich lover in 2015, People magazine reports.

In May, a federal jury in San Diego found David Meza, 26, guilty of domestic violence, resulting in the murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Jake Merendino, 51, was found stabbed to death 24 times and his throat slit in a ravine near Rosarito, Mexico in 2015.

Meza modeled for the gay porn studio Sean Cody under the name Francisco and appeared on various gay porn sites, including Sketchysex.com and used the name Mario Romo.

In addition to his life sentence, Meza, who maintains his innocence, was ordered to serve an additional 20 year in prison for the conspiracy to obstruct charge, People reports.

After his sentencing, federal authorities released a statement about the murder of Merendino, calling it a "near-decapitation."

"The Merriam dictionary defines 'heinous' as hatefully or shockingly evil, abominable," U.S. District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller said at the hearing on Monday, according to People. "This murder was shockingly evil - excessively so.

"If we try to visualize what happened, we visualize blow, after blow, after blow, after blow, after slash, after slash, after slash, after blow, and repeat another three times," he continued. "One can't even imagine the torture and torment Mr. Merendino experienced."

It was argued that Meza killed Merendino so he could inherit his $3 million estate and his $2,730,000 oceanfront condo. Merendino, who grew up in Beaumont, Texas, inherited his fortune from his parents, who both worked for ExxonMobil.

Authorities said at the time of the murder, Meza was living a double life as an online male escort, which Merendino was apparently not aware of. Meza also had a pregnant girlfriend, Taylor Langston, in San Diego. He later asked her to help cover up the crime.

Langston pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice in February at a federal court in San Diego. She told authorities that around the time of Merendino's death, she and Meza went to Mexico to visit Meza's friend "Joe," spending four hours there before returning home, People reports.

Meza was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice because authorities believed he contacted "Joe" to ask to provide a fake alibi for him and Langston.

During the sentencing this week, Judge Miller said Meza's "double life was collapsing under its own weight. A solution was the savage murder of Mr. Merendino."

People reports the men first met when Merendino hired Meza as an escort through an online ad while vacationing in San Diego in June 2013.

Click here to read People's full report on the murder.
In certain terms, Ghanas president Nana Akufo-Addo said that while same-sex marriage is not on the countrys agenda as of yet, the issue is sure to be addressed in the near future.

These social, cultural issues  I dont believe that Ghana, so far, a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged to change public opinion, and have a new paradigm in Ghana, Akufo-Addo said. Like elsewhere in the world, the activities of individuals and groups [will lead to change].

While African sentiment toward homosexuality is still negative, Akufo-Addo likened Ghana to the UK in the 1960s, when homosexuality was still illegal.

I lived [in the UK] at a period when among British politicians it was anathema to even think about changing the law. But the activities of individuals and groups and a certain awareness grew and grew stronger, and it forced a change in law, Akufo-Addo said.

And change is certainly the goal for many LGBT groups in Ghana. According to PinkNews, it is currently illegal to be gay in Ghana, the penalty for which is up to three years in prison. Violent attacks against LGBT people are reportedly common, and even encouraged by religious leaders and in some cases the media.

The Human Rights Advocacy Center of Ghana is avidly working to promote human rights and protection for LGBT citizens in the country.

Solace Brothers Foundation is another advocacy group that hires paralegals to challenge the unfair treatment of many LGBT individuals in legal situations.

The judges in Ghana who would normally handle LGBT rights are very homophobic and even though we have human rights lawyers who support us  generally it is very hard to get support from [other] lawyers, Abu, founder of the Solace Brothers Foundation said.

He continued, We are not making it about LGBT rights, we want it to be human rights  these are our rights, and as every other human being in Ghana we also have our rights.
Centaurus A ICRAR

Astronomers have used two Australian radio telescopes and several optical telescopes to study complex mechanisms that are fuelling jets of material blasting away from a black hole 55 million times more massive than the Sun.

In research published today, the international team of scientists used the telescopes to observe a nearby radio galaxy known as Centaurus A.

As the closest radio galaxy to Earth, Centaurus A is the perfect cosmic laboratory to study the physical processes responsible for moving material and energy away from the galaxys core, said Dr. Ben McKinley from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

Centaurus A is 12 million light-years away from Earth  just down the road in astronomical terms  and is a popular target for amateur and professional astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere due to its size, elegant dust lanes, and prominent plumes of material.

Being so close to Earth and so big actually makes studying this galaxy a real challenge because most of the telescopes capable of resolving the detail we need for this type of work have fields of view that are smaller than the area of sky Centaurus A takes up, said Dr. McKinley.

We used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and Parkes  these radio telescopes both have large fields of view, allowing them to image a large portion of sky and see all of Centaurus A at once. The MWA also has superb sensitivity allowing the large-scale structure of Centaurus A to be imaged in great detail, he said.

The MWA is a low frequency radio telescope located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Western Australias Mid West, operated by Curtin University on behalf of an international consortium. The Parkes Observatory is 64-metre radio telescope commonly known as the Dish located in New South Wales and operated by CSIRO.

Observations from several optical telescopes were also used for this work  the Magellan Telescope in Chile, Terroux Observatory in Canberra, and High View Observatory in Auckland.

If we can figure out whats going in Centaurus A, we can apply this knowledge to our theories and simulations for how galaxies evolve throughout the entire Universe, said co-author Professor Steven Tingay from Curtin University and ICRAR.

As well as the plasma thats fuelling the large plumes of material the galaxy is famous for, we found evidence of a galactic wind thats never been seen  this is basically a high speed stream of particles moving away from the galaxys core, taking energy and material with it as it impacts the surrounding environment, he said.

By comparing the radio and optical observations of the galaxy the team also found evidence that stars belonging to Centaurus A existed further out than previously thought and were possibly being affected by the winds and jets emanating from the galaxy.

Reference: The Jet/Wind Outflow in Centaurus A: A Local Laboratory for AGN Feedback, B. McKinley et al., 2017 Dec. 12, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society [https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-articles (as of 12 December), preprint: http://www.icrar.org/galaxygiant].

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a low frequency radio telescope and is the first of four Square Kilometre Array (SKA) precursors to be completed. A consortium of partner institutions from seven countries (Australia, USA, India, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and China) financed the development, construction, commissioning, and operations of the facility. The MWA consortium is led by Curtin University.

Parkes Observatory, just outside the central-west NSW town of Parkes, hosts the 64-metre Parkes radio telescope, one of the telescopes comprising CSIROs Australia Telescope National Facility.

The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) is a joint venture between Curtin University and The University of Western Australia with support and funding from the State Government of Western Australia.

CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS) operates the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), comprising a set of world-class radio-astronomy observatories including the Parkes 64-metre radio telescope and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) in New South Wales, and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) in Western Australia.

Text & Graphics: http://www.icrar.org/galaxygiant
Jupiter's Great Red Spot NASA

Data collected by NASAs Juno spacecraft during its first pass over Jupiters Great Red Spot in July 2017 indicate that this iconic feature penetrates well below the clouds

Other revelations from the mission include that Jupiter has two previously uncharted radiation zones. The findings were announced Monday at the annual American Geophysical Union meeting in New Orleans.

One of the most basic questions about Jupiters Great Red Spot is: how deep are the roots? said Scott Bolton, Junos principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno data indicate that the solar systems most famous storm is almost one-and-a-half Earths wide, and has roots that penetrate about 200 miles (300 kilometers) into the planets atmosphere.

The science instrument responsible for this in-depth revelation was Junos Microwave Radiometer (MWR). Junos Microwave Radiometer has the unique capability to peer deep below Jupiters clouds, said Michael Janssen, Juno co-investigator from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. It is proving to be an excellent instrument to help us get to the bottom of what makes the Great Red Spot so great.

Jupiters Great Red Spot is a giant oval of crimson-colored clouds in Jupiters southern hemisphere that race counterclockwise around the ovals perimeter with wind speeds greater than any storm on Earth. Measuring 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) in width as of April 3, 2017, the Great Red Spot is 1.3 times as wide as Earth.

Juno found that the Great Red Spots roots go 50 to 100 times deeper than Earths oceans and are warmer at the base than they are at the top, said Andy Ingersoll, professor of planetary science at Caltech and a Juno co-investigator. Winds are associated with differences in temperature, and the warmth of the spots base explains the ferocious winds we see at the top of the atmosphere.

This animation takes the viewer on a simulated flight into, and then out of, Jupiters upper atmosphere at the location of the Great Red Spot. It was created by combining an image from the JunoCam imager on NASAs Juno spacecraft with a computer-generated animation.

The future of the Great Red Spot is still very much up for debate. While the storm has been monitored since 1830, it has possibly existed for more than 350 years. In the 19th century, the Great Red Spot was well over two Earths wide. But in modern times, the Great Red Spot appears to be diminishing in size, as measured by Earth-based telescopes and spacecraft. At the time NASAs Voyagers 1 and 2 sped by Jupiter on their way to Saturn and beyond, in 1979, the Great Red Spot was twice Earths diameter. Today, measurements by Earth-based telescopes indicate the oval that Juno flew over has diminished in width by one-third and height by one-eighth since Voyager times.

Juno also has detected a new radiation zone, just above the gas giants atmosphere, near the equator. The zone includes energetic hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur ions moving at almost light speed.

The closer you get to Jupiter, the weirder it gets, said Heidi Becker, Junos radiation monitoring investigation lead at JPL. We knew the radiation would probably surprise us, but we didnt think wed find a new radiation zone that close to the planet. We only found it because Junos unique orbit around Jupiter allows it to get really close to the cloud tops during science collection flybys, and we literally flew through it.

The new zone was identified by the Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) investigation. The particles are believed to be derived from energetic neutral atoms (fast-moving ions with no electric charge) created in the gas around the Jupiter moons Io and Europa. The neutral atoms then become ions as their electrons are stripped away by interaction with the upper atmosphere of Jupiter.

Juno also found signatures of a high-energy heavy ion population within the inner edges of Jupiters relativistic electron radiation belt  a region dominated by electrons moving close to the speed of light. The signatures are observed during Junos high-latitude encounters with the electron belt, in regions never explored by prior spacecraft. The origin and exact species of these particles is not yet understood. Junos Stellar Reference Unit (SRU-1) star camera detects the signatures of this population as extremely high noise signatures in images collected by the missions radiation monitoring investigation.

To date, Juno has completed eight science passes over Jupiter. Junos ninth science pass will be on Dec. 16.

Juno launched on Aug. 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived in orbit around Jupiter on July 4, 2016. During its mission of exploration, Juno soars low over the planets cloud tops  as close as about 2,100 miles (3,400 kilometers). During these flybys, Juno is probing beneath the obscuring cloud cover of Jupiter and studying its auroras to learn more about the planets origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

JPL manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. JPL is a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California.
The holiday season Down Under is a little weird. Well, its not weird for them; theyre used to it being summer in December. But even for me a Texanliving in a place where any winter day could still be hotter than Melbourne that same day, where it is summerknowing that a white Christmas will forever remain in dream status for my Australian kin doesnt exactly put me in the holiday spirit. Luckily, the folks over at Five Senses Coffee are here to imbue a little Yuletide cheer, seasonality be damned! Theyre giving away a single-group Synesso MP Hydra, and if thats not enough for you heart to grow three sizes, then youre dead inside (and probably outside too).

Its part of Five Senses Sunshine, Surf, and Synesso giveaway, and entering couldnt be easier. All you have to do it buy something, anything, from their online store. And the more times you buy, the more times your name is put in the drawing. Buying a cupping spoon on Monday? Thats an entry. Buying a six-pack of their cascara saison collab with Black Brewing Co on Tuesday? Thats an entry. Picking up a Five Senses crewneck sweatshirt on Thursday? Thats an entry. Referring a friend online who then makes their first purchase any day of the week? Oh you better believe thats an entry.

Along with the Hydra, the winner of the Sunshine, Surf, and Synesso contest will also receive standard dual cartridge water filtration, delivery, and installation, totaling over $15,000 AUD ($12,000+ USD). Sorry non-Australians, this contest is limited only to those on the island.

All orders made until 10:00am WST December 22nd will be receive an entry for the drawing. The winner will then be announced on Monday, December 25th, a day I can but assume was chosen arbitrarily, holding no cultural significance whatsoever. Its a something-something miracle!

For more information and a full set of rules, visit Five Senses official website. While youre there, maybe buy a milk pitcher and will your way into winning a new espresso machine.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
Brazilians didnt start eating bread until the beginning of the 19th century, when thousands of European immigrants set foot in the big cities and many Portuguese young families among them opened bakeries and ignited the bread tradition in South America. Back then, bread was made according to tradition, that is, using long fermentation times and high-quality flour. With industrialization, pre-made bread mixtures loaded with baking soda eventually replaced the bakers role in many bakeries. But a few true bakeries survived.

Castalia, in the city of Brasilia, rescues the original baking tradition. These bakers understand that fermentation is a critical step for making good bread. They strive to work with local suppliers whenever possible and offer seasonal offerings in their bread and pastry lines. They work closely with AHA! Cafes, a Brasilia specialty-coffee roastery, in order to better understand their coffee and source spot-on beans to pair with their breads and pastries.

Castalia was founded by Pedro Galvao, Eduardo Tavares, and Andre Tavares. Galvao is the pastry chef, Eduardo is the baker, and Andre handles the business, which in Brazilian Portuguese means bureaucracy. When Eduardo was working in advertising in Brasilia, he was very unhappy with the quality of the breads in the capital. He started venturing into sourdough breadmaking in his house, and soon realized that he could make a business out of itthere were a lot of people interested in buying his bread. He then contacted Galvao, his cousin, who at the time lived in Montreal. Galvao and his girlfriend, Caroline Lazaroto, were sold on the idea, and later on moved to Portland, Oregon. Galvao had the opportunity to work for Roman Candle Baking Co, where, as he puts it, There is a careful and harmonious choice of good pastries and good coffee. When Lazaroto was working as a model, she went to Tokyo for a job and found an opportunity to do a coffee excursion while there. Eduardo went to the San Francisco Baking Institute to get formal education on what he had already decided was going to be his profession.

Eduardos brother, Andre, was living in Sao Paulo at the time and was compelled to move to Brasilia and help them not to lose any money, as Galvao says, smiling. The three of them made a business plan and soon a crowd-funding campaign was launched. They managed to get 10 investors, mostly friends and family, but only reached about 50 percent of the initial plan. By cutting some parts of the initial project, they found a midsize location in Asa Norte and started installing the equipment.

The success came faster than expected: they started selling the bread even before the bakery itself opened. Many people then started asking for a cafezinho to pair with the delicious pastries Galvao was crafting. Then came Lazaroto with her acquired expertise and genuine passion for coffee. There are espresso-based beverages as well as pour-over coffees done with Hario V60. But as she explains, at Castalia they will make whatever coffee you like. If someone is used to having a more concentrated pour-over, or a longer-than-usual espresso, they will do it.

We want people to be comfortable here, and we baristas are trained to really understand what they mean when they are ordering their coffee, and then crafting their beverage specially for them. A must-try is their cappuccino, served in a cup whose rim is caramel-dipped and then covered with crushed Baru nutsa superfood nut that is native of the Brazilian Savanna. A vegan delicious option is the cajuccino, a cappuccino with housemade cashew (caju) milk. For the conservative types, just go for the bread and butter (or housemade jam and spreads), and a v60 on the side. I am telling you, folks, you dont get this high-quality bread, coffee, and service all together, in one single place, that easily. Indulge in it.

The name of the bakery hails from the owners grandfather, who was a Brazilian diplomat. A long time ago, he had built his house in Brasilia and named it Castalia, which in Greek means something like a refuge, a fountain, a source of inspiration. I can attest that Castalia is already a source of inspiration for any of the aspiring bakers or baristas in Brazil, who aim to truly respect the ingredients they work with and deliver something they are proud of.

Juliana Ganan is a Brazilian coffee professional and journalist. Read more Juliana Ganan on Sprudge.

Photos by Mirzan Campos Duarte.
Feel Like A Fool enjoyed an excellent outside trip behind Emeritus Maximus (Russell Foster) on the backstretch before moving three-wide on the final turn to take the lead on the way to 1:52 victory in Mondays feature race at Dover Downs.

It was only the second time this meet that Tim Tetrick drove Feel Like A Fool for trainer Bob Clark and owner Kovack Stables. Singing Saint (Tony Morgan) closed strongly to finish second, while Skyful Of Lighters (Allan Davis) was third. The nine-year-old altered son of Art Major-Fool That I Am won for the fifth time in 2017 good for $49,116 this year and $1,211,156 lifetime.

The longshot on the card came when Eddie Davis, Jr. piloted Warrawee Monarch, owned by The Wiz Kids Stable, and trained by Bart Dalious to a 1:54.3 victory in a Delaware pace. Middle Aged Crazy (Jonathan Roberts) was second in front of race favourite Bad Man Sam (Corey Callahan).

Tony Morgan celebrated four wins on the card, and in doing so it gives him 15,980 lifetime victories - the second highest for a North American driver.

(With files from Dover Downs)
After in season in which she produced a pair of world record miles and won high-end stakes, including the Breeders Crown, Emoticon Hanover could be even better in 2018, according to her trainer, Luc Blais.

Blais comments came during a recent interview for a piece in the Hamilton Spectator, which focused on the formidable daughter of Ontario sire Kadabra.

The mare raced to five wins from 13 starts in 2017. Emoticon Hanover also recorded four second-place efforts and a trio of thirds during the calendar year. The bay missed the board just once and banked over $446,000 in purses during her four-year-old season, which is always a tough jump (having to compete against aged horses after having raced against foes her own age).

"I had a good feeling about her as a yearling, then a good one last winter and now again, said Blais, who trains Emoticon Hanover for the Determination stable of Montreal. She finished healthy and in good form, which makes me think she could have an even better year in 2018.

Blais also said that he hasnt really thought of a trip overseas with Emoticon Hanover for this coming spring, but that he would consider the idea if he were extended an invitation.

"We have not given it a lot of thought, but certainly would if we got a call, he said. The plan now is to continue her break until mid-January and then start back.

It is great to have one like this in the barn because she pays the bills for those that are not consistent or the quality that she is.

(With files from the Hamilton Spectator)
Trot Insider has learned long-time horse owner Joe Myers passed away Sunday, December 10, 2017. He was 77.

Retired from the racing business in 2007, Myers enjoyed his retirement time with his seven grandchildren and his great grandchild.

Myers was an avid standardbred horse enthusiast who owned such greats as Peaceful Way, Fishin Clinic, War Paint, Honour Way and Dornello.

Relatives and friends are invited to his viewing Monday, December 18, 2017 from 10-11 a.m. at Schneider Funeral Home, 431 N York Road, Hatboro, PA. Funeral Service at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery Richmond Street near Orthodox St., Philadelphia, PA.

Memorial contributions in Joes name may be made to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Joe Myers.
Lisa Underwood Young (Mrs. Richard Young), who served as executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and was instrumental in the legalization of historical or instant racing, passed away at home of a heart attack on Saturday, December 9 after a morning of Christmas shopping. She was 57.

Lisa was a prominent attorney specializing in data privacy and security. She served as the executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for five years. She was instrumental in hiring its first medical director; creating Instant Racing and Kentucky Breeders Incentive Fund; and helping to facilitate the process of drug-testing racehorses. She received Racing Commission Internationals 2009 Len Foote Award for outstanding achievements and contributions to the racing industry. She began her legal career with a large Nashville-based firm, then became partner at Wyatt Tarrant & Combs, LLP in the Lexington office. She served as Deputy Commissioner of The Department of Public Protection and was senior corporate council for Mason & Hanger Corporation from 1996 to 1999.

Lisa is survived by her husband, Richard Young; her father, former mayor pro tem Tom Underwood; her brother, Trip Underwood (Tara Rodriguez); her nephew, Lexington realtor Rusty Underwood (Rachel Underwood); her niece, HarperCollins author Kassi Underwood-Murphy (Mike Murphy) of Gloucester, MA; and her beloved dog, Darcy.

Lisa was a graduate of Sayre School, The University of the South (Sewanee), and University of Kentucky College of Law. Throughout her life, Lisa was surrounded by many dear friends. She will be remembered for her sense of humour, great laugh, and dedication to family and friends. She was a member of Idle Hour, Keeneland Club, and Christ Church Episcopal.

A funeral will be held on Thursday, December 14, 11:00 a.m. at Christ Church Cathedral with interment following at the Lexington Cemetery. Visitation will be at the church on Wednesday, December 13, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Old Friends Farm of Georgetown, Kentucky or The Race Track Chaplaincy of America.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Lisa Underwood Young.

(Harnessracing.com)
Pioneering Broadcast Ministry Helps Bring Ex-Con Movie's Message of Hope to the Big Screen

HCJB Ecuador, Reach Beyond's media partner in Ecuador, plays major supporting role in rare theatrical release for faith-based drama challenging viewers to 'make a change for good'



Contact: Darin Campbell,

512-785-8350, dcampbell@inchristcommunications.com



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Dec. 12, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- Missionary radio broadcaster HCJB Ecuador, partner of Reach Beyond (www.reachbeyond.org), has supported efforts to use another medium to share the good newshelping bring a faith-based movie to theaters in Ecuador.



Photo: Members of the HCJB Ecuador production team at one of the theaters that is showing Tal Vez Manana.



While the market for inspirational English-language films has exploded in the past few years, the recent screenings of Tal Vez Manana (Maybe Tomorrow) mark only the third time a Spanish-language Christian movie has seen a major release in Ecuador.



The film was made by an alum of Reach Beyond's media training school, with several former and current ministry staff involved in front of and behind the cameras. HCJB Ecuador was executive producer of the movie.



The 92-minute drama follows the struggles of Jacobo "Jac" Munoz to make a new life for himself and his family after coming to Christ while in prison. It was written and directed by Dwight Gregorich, who with his wife, Tamara Torres, runs Tamto Productions. The couple met at the Christian Center for Communications (CCC), the media training program Reach Beyond ran in Ecuador for 30 years, until 2014.



"We wanted to support their work," said Anabella Cabezas, HCJB Ecuador's director, of the organization's involvement in the project. "We know them and trust their work ethics and quality production, and this was another way to present the truth of the hope we can find in Christ."



HCJB Ecuador's part in Tal Vez Manana is just the latest way in which the organization has diversified and developed since it began working in Ecuador in 1931. Starting with radio broadcasting, which continues to this day, Reach Beyond later expanded to offer medical services. Its work has also spread to other parts of the world.



Tal Vez Manana was shot in and around the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, where the ministry is headquartered. Principal photographer was Paul Childs, whose parents, Jim and Elaine Childs, have served in Ecuador with Reach Beyond since 1983.



Following a positive reception to screenings in almost a dozen cities, Gregorich and Torres are in talks over international distribution for their film, with the possibility of a subtitled edition for the English-speaking world at some stage.



The couple paid tribute to Reach Beyond's part in preparing them for their work. It was during their years at CCC that "our gifts and talents were refined for cinematic production," said Torres. "Our hearts are thankful to God for what he is doing through the movie," she added. "The message is touching lives and challenging them to make a change for good."



Reach Beyond (reachbeyond.org) is a media- and medical-based evangelical ministry with operations on five continents. It spreads the message of Jesus in places that are primarily unreached or unengaged in the gospel. Reach Beyond uses media, including radio broadcasts, webcasts, social media and the distribution of solar-powered radios. It also reaches out to the needy throughout its growing network of healthcare services.


The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie...
Countless videos posted on social media demonstrate the discipline with which the Hareidi community has been protesting and engaging in civil disobedience. Police violence, on the other hand, resulted in many injured and requiring urgent medical attention.

J ERUSALEM  While U.S. President Donald Trumps While U.S. President Donald Trumps announcement to move the Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has dangerously fueled an international powder keg, another keg is burning in the heart of that city.

In an ongoing act of principled civil disobedience, the Ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem is standing strong in its resistance to serving in the Israeli army. Even as they are met with shocking police brutality, thousands of members of this community, known as the Hareidi community, chant and hold signs saying we will not serve in your army. Rabbi Hirsh in Jerusalem told me that the IDF is seen by the community as an army of occupation that wages needless wars and oppresses the Palestinian people.





Twenty thousand members of the Hareidi community in Brooklyn, New York recently gathered to pray and protest in solidarity with their brethren in Jerusalem.

Watch | 20,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews protest Israeli draft law in Brooklyn





Who are the Hareidi? Why do they refuse?

The Hareidi communities around the world  including the one in Jerusalem, which has existed in the citys neighborhood of Mea Shaarim for close to two hundred years  were opposed to the creation of a Jewish only state in historic Palestine, and today they stand in opposition to a new ruling forcing them to serve in the Israeli army.

From the early years of the 20th century, the major Rabbis who represented these communities fought hard to demonstrate that Zionism does not represent Judaism and that establishing a Jewish state in Palestine would only bring violence and instability, and in fact, contravenes Jewish law

But their calls were not heeded and their warnings went largely disregarded the Zionist project went forward and the Jewish state was established.

When the State of Israel was established in 1948, the Hareidi community was faced with a reality in which, contrary to their wishes and beliefs, they became citizens of this new state.

For them, serving in the Israeli army was tantamount to sacrilege. The Israeli army is a completely secular institution and, although there is a chief Rabbi and some Jewish laws are loosely observed, it is an environment which no Hareidi Jew could survive without giving up his religious identity and way of life. The one main issue that is raised more than any other is the prohibition on waging war.

The Israeli government consequently decided that the Hareidi community would be exempt from the mandatory draft to which all other Israeli citizens were subjected.





Opposing perspectives

To secular Israelis who view themselves as modern, the Hareidi community seems backward and strange. One custom that angers Israelis is that on the Israeli day of independence the Hareidi neighborhoods regularly burn the Israeli flag . As one walks through Mea Shaarim neighborhood one can see many signs with Palestinian flags that say: This is Palestine.

Furthermore, there is a sense that, even though most members of the Hareidi community refuse to accept state services, they are nonetheless a burden on the state  that they are parasites who must be forced to contribute as all Israelis do.

Over the years the conscription of the Hareidi community became more and more politicized in Israeli secular circles, to the point where politicians began to feature it as a campaign promise, using the slogan equal burden. But it was a hollow promise because there was no real desire to open this Pandoras box and alienate the Hareidi community, and it was a fight that the state knew it could not win. But the political pressure continued gradually to mount and what was merely a campaign slogan became a real threat to the status quo.

In 2014 Israel passed a law mandating that, under certain conditions, Hareidi boys would have to serve in the military. This was met with an impressive show of force by the community. Huge acts of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience erupted, bringing hundreds of thousands into the streets.

The main Rabbis of the community published a decree stating that any attempts to draft Hareidi men into the army were to be met with total and uncompromising refusal.

However, the 2014 law was found to be discriminatory and in 2017 the Israeli Supreme Court, agreeing that the law that the law perpetuates inequality between secular youths who are required to enlist in the army and religious youth who are exempt, struck down down the exemption altogether, placing this ball of fire in the hands of the state lawmakers who will need to decide how to deal with it.

Now the enforcement that everyone feared has begun. The Hareidi community not only rejects the State of Israel and its institutions, they are willing to be arrested and even killed rather than serve in the army of a state that has turned life in The Holy Land, Palestine, into a perpetual violent confrontation.

Countless videos posted on social media demonstrate the discipline with which this community has been protesting and engaging in civil disobedience. Actions include thousands conducting prayers in front of the military prison, thousands more gathered in the Mea-Shaarim neighborhood to protest against what they consider a violation of Jewish law, which forbids waging war against other nations. Police violence  which included water cannons, kicking and punching protesters, pushing and dragging the protesters from the road  resulted in many injured protesters requiring urgent medical attention.





Deserters

According to sources close to the community with whom I was able to speak in Jerusalem, as many as 30 young men are detained each month from among the Hareidi public, charged with evading the draft. The community refuses to cooperate with any mechanism related to the conscription, and will not even show up to what is called First Summon, where young men and women go through medical examinations and an interview to determine their ability to serve.

Representatives and activists of the Hareidi community told me of instances where abuse and violence were being directed by military prison officials towards Hareidi youth. These including torture, and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. Prisoners in the military jail are required to wear an army uniform, which they refuse to do; as punishment they are sent to solitary confinement, where they are even more vulnerable and exposed. The military prison is not equipped to serve the needs of the Hareidi life. This makes it impossible for them to eat and pray and observe the rituals of their faith.

In one reported case the commander of the solitary confinement wing strangled a detainee and smashed his head against the wall for not responding with Yes, Sir. Another report revealed that a detainee was strangled and pushed into a puddle of cold water in mid-December. In another case the jailers forced a young mans clothes off and left him naked in the shower for other prisoners to see. Yet another detainee was handcuffed by two guards, attacked with tear gas and then pushed into a puddle of urine.

Another detainee was reportedly held in solitary confinement for over two weeks without being able to shower or change his clothes. He was also deprived of his rights to leave his cell for an hour a day, and receive phone calls and visits. Representatives of these detainees filed a complaint with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention but so far have not heard back.

There is a deep and worrisome misconception surrounding the Hareidi community, I was told by Rabbi Feldman of Neturei Karta . All too often one sees people point a finger at the image of the Hareidi Jew for being at the center of the injustice against Palestinians in Palestine, and that of course is wrong because we stand in opposition to Zionism and to the oppression of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.

We would all do well to acknowledge that among the first to warn against the Zionist enterprise, and the ones who have stood against it the longest, are the members of Hareidi community, most notably Neturei Karta. Today  even as they face violence, beating and arrests  they stand firm in their commitment to their moral stance and refuse to serve in Israels army.
With the release of the live action Full Metal Alchemist movie earlier this month in Japan, hear what Director Fumihiko Sori and actor Ryosuke Yamada had to say about the film behind closed doors at their press conference earlier this year at Anime Expo 2017. Due to popular demand, we have also released a raw portion of the conference video on the bottom after the transcript.

Note: Questions were asked by various members of the press in attendance. Minor grammatical corrections have been made to some of the questions.

What was the most memorable scene, or perhaps the scene that you spent the most effort in?

Yamada: I put a lot of effort into all the scenes, but if I were to choose, it would have to be the scenes with Alphonse. All the staff and the casts put a lot of passion into these scenes and I believe they came out very well.

This is for Director Sori, what was the biggest challenge in blending the animation into a live action movie?

Sori: The CG in Japan is growing to the level of Hollywood movies, so blending a 3D image with a live person, such as Yamada-kun isnt the hard part. Creating feelings about how to connect the 3D image is the hardest part. There was actually an actor who played Alphonse in the movie which allowed us to capture the feelings of the character. This made the movie come to life.

This is for Director Sori, do you think live action offers something different than animation and what would that be?

Sori: Live action allows the actors to show their feelings more visually than animation does. It also allows us to see the deeper parts of that character and focus more on them. You can also change your facial expressions, and those little changes will allow us to change the entire scene. Unlike animation, you can reflect your expressions and feelings through those changes which makes it more interesting.

This is for Yamada. What are the similarities with your character Ed, and if not Ed, which character do you think has the most similarities to you?

Yamada: The height is the biggest factor, but also in Japan, I am known to have a baby face. People think I am a shy or calm person. Ed, on the other hand, is different. He uses more aggressive words and I am actually similar to him in those regards. I am more manly than people think. If there are any differences, I think that is a hard question because I am very similar to Ed. There really isnt any other character that is similar to me, and Im not saying that because I play Ed, but because again, Ed and I are very similar.

Since you are so similar to Ed, how did you get into the mindset of portraying yourself to play a character that has experienced so much tragedy and dedicated his life to bringing back his brothers body?

Yamada: I read the manga many, many times, and tried relating myself to him. But I also drew influences from the set and I tried to naturally act as the character. So preparations-wise I didnt do anything special for it. I tried to act as naturally as possible.

What are some of the differences between adapting a live-action movie from a manga series, such as Ping Pong which doesnt have any anime series, to creating something that has two anime series like Full Metal Alchemist?

Sori: There really arent any differences. Full Metal Alchemist has an amazing storyline just like Ping Pong and its just the difference between having to use any visual effects or not. It all just comes down to the original narrative.

The Japanese cinemas are set to release the movie on December 1st, but are there any plans to releasing the movie here in America?

Sori: We actually dont know.

This is for Yamada, what are the differences you experienced from acting between the movie Assassination Classroom to Full Metal Alchemist? One might be more action-based to the other more school-based. Can you please compare your role as Nagisa to Ed?

Yamada: The two mangas are very different. Nagisa was more of a girly guy, more shy and quiet. Ed is more outgoing and a man within a man, so they were very different types and I have never really compared the characters before.

In this story, there is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. Is there anything in the world that you would exchange for losing a part of your body?

Yamada: I may be exaggerating it, but the cast and the staff have tried to treasure the original manga as much as possible so if I were to say one thing, I just hope that there will be as many people as possible to watch the movie and enjoy it.

This is for Yamada, you do many things such as acting and singing in an idol group. How do you balance these roles and do you think you will take on more acting in the future?

Yamada: Working as an idol and working as an actor are very different types of jobs. I think as an idol you need to push yourself forward, but when you are acting, at times you need to push yourself back. I like myself as an idol, but I do also like acting. Thankfully I have 9 members in my group so I can watch the balance between them all and try my best to continue doing both jobs.

Both of you are award-winning film artists. So how do you express yourself artistically in the adaptation of a live-action movie from the original works?

Yamada: I tried to use all my skills in this movie, and I think there were even scenes of myself that I have never seen before. I think that is the most exciting part about acting because there really arent any other opportunities that you can see another part of yourself. I just hope that part will be expressed to the viewers.

Sori: I really like action and visual effects, but I dont think that is the main part of the movie. The balance of acting and the visual effects is what creates the movie and that is main part that I focus on the most. I think this movie portrays that the most and it came out very well.

This is for Yamada, are there any rituals that you do before acting in your works?

Yamada: It really depends on the scenes, but if the scene requires me to put more feeling into it, I go into dark places. There was a scene in this movie as well, and I went to that place and stayed there for about 1 to 2 minutes and changed my mindset and came back in front of the cameras.

This is for Director Sori, in the panel, you stated that you wanted to create movies that have the visual effects from American movies, such as the recent superhero movies. What aspects would you like to bring to the Japanese films?

Sori: Recently, American comic books have been remade into live-action movies and I believe they are very faithful to the original series. I think they expressed the cultural aspects the right way, but when Japanese comics are adapted into American movies, I feel there are cultural differences in the stories. Full Metal Alchemist isnt set in Japan, but contains a lot of Japanese cultural ideas. I think if it was to be made here in America, it could be a good movie as well; however, being created by a Japanese team, I think we have caught the nuances as much as possible and this movie will express our greatest efforts.

Full Metal Alchemist has been a beloved series for a very long time. Why do you think it has been a loved series and what was the biggest reason why you wanted to recreate this into a live action movie?

Sori: I believe this series is loved by many and we were given the opportunity to recreate it into a live action film. This movie is not just about action but more about the human feelings and the mechanics behind it. It goes deeper than other stories, so I think it is appropriate to be remade into a live action movie. I also believe that it will appeal to people who have seen the animation. I want to create a bigger fanbase by attracting other people who have never seen the series by having them watch the movie and like the series from a different viewpoint.

This is for Director Sori. During the panel you had stated there is an interest in creating a part 2, but by the end of the panel you had stated, I look forward to part 2. Is there any confirmation about part 2?

Sori: We really look forward to this, but if enough fans out there watch the movie, we hope this will be a confirmed project.

This is for Yamada. You have many fans, not just in Japan, but also internationally. How do you feel about this and where do you want to take it from here?

Yamada: This makes me really happy. I have done concerts in Asia, and this is my first time in America. This makes me really happy that we can go globally with this.

For this movie, you shot scenes in Italy. Were there any cultural differences that surprised you?

Yamada: In Japan, it is normal to shoot from morning to night. Im not too sure if it is a cultural shock or anything, but when we were overseas, there werent any nonstop filming from day to night. The staff there were very surprised and that made us surprised too because of the differences. The movie isnt created by just the Japanese staff, but there were additional Italian staff as well, creating a bond with them. Creating the sets and scenes together made me feel motivated to create a better movie.

This is for Director Sori. You stated you wanted to create something similar to the original series, but how did you incorporate your own style into the film?

Sori: Balance is the most important part of this movie. If you add just the visual effects, it will be a very simple and boring movie, and I did not want that. The theme that I created was a mixture of visuals and emotions, and that is what I like about my style. I hope this film expresses it.

Are there any background stories that you could share that happened behind the scenes?

Yamada: Director Sori looks to be a kind and sweet director, but I do understand this is very important, and he never gives up. It was a lot of work, but until he gets a scene that he approves, we must redo it as much as possible until we get his okay.

Sori: In the movie, there is a scene where Yamada-kun jumps off a very high cliff. and he actually had to jump off of it himself. There was a mattress but the cliff is higher than this ceiling, and of course usually you will rehearse or practice such a scene first before the real shoot. This scene was shot outside and there was a stuntman who tried it out first and of course it took a while to get it in the right way. So finally when the mattress came out and it was Yamada-kuns turn, we advised that he practiced a few times, but he said, No, no practice. We ended up filming the scene on the first try and he had to run 25 meters and jump. The scene was a great shot and it only took that one time to film it. Even Tom Cruise wouldnt be able to do this. Please look forward to it.
Mira Costa became the first team this season to win a set against Cathedral Catholic, but the Mustangs eventually fell in four sets in the CIF SoCal Regional final Tuesday night.
The long-anticipated Panera Bread restaurant opened in Kelso recently, and so far the response to its soups, sandwiches and healthy-meal menu has justified the hype.

I think we need it and Im glad we have it, Longview resident Marti Campbell said Monday before meeting a friend for lunch at Panera. Im tired of all the hamburger joints in town.

The California-based Panera franchise announced plans to purchase a 4,300 square-foot plot from Target in September 2016 and has since invested about $2 million in the endeavor. Panera franchise marketing manager J.J. Reading said the location will employ about 60 people.

Business has been great. Were really pleased with the first couple weeks that weve been open, Reading said Monday. Were really happy to be in Kelso and the neighborhood nearby. Were optimistic that business will continue to go well.

Reading added that the Paneras proximity to Interstate 5 will offer options for travelers moving between Portland and Seattle. The closest Panera is located in Vancouver.

Michelle Fest, 17, of Kelso said she hoped Paneras recent move to the area might encourage other businesses to open in the Three Rivers Mall.

Its nice to have a well-known, popular place here, Fest said. (Panera) is providing more jobs, which Kelso needs, especially for minors.

Panera is known for artisan breads and an emphasis on natural ingredients in soups, sandwiches, salads and pastries. The chain has about 2,000 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Silver Lake resident Neil Francis said he tried Panera for the first time Monday because his wife often talks about how much she likes the food.

It expands our horizons. Ive only lived here three years, but to me there are not a lot of food choices. This is a clean, good choice, Francis said.

Char Braack, spokeswoman for the Kelso Target, said Target employees were excited to see Panera move in next door.

Our employees are super happy they get to walk over and get soup for lunch, Braack said. Between our staff and the general public, everyone has been very excited leading up to the opening.

Bob and Roberta Carns, of Napavine, said they ate lunch at Panera because they like the brand.

We love Panera Bread, Bob Carns said. We stopped here because we know their name and the quality of their stuff. The food is good and the service is good.

Dave Knoeppel, of Castle Rock, said he and his wife didnt get exactly the salads they ordered, but hell probably return.

It will help the local economy because more people are employed, Knoeppel said. More options are good for the community and will draw more people here.
Korean professors meet DU VC

Campus Report :



A two member delegation of the Mechatronics Engineering Department of Kyungsung University, South Korea paid a courtesy call on Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman at his office on Monday.

The delegation members are Prof Jin-Woo Ahn and Prof Lee Dong Hee, said a DU press release here.

During the meeting, they discussed the possibilities of undertaking

collaborative academic and research programmes on Mechatronics Engineering between the University of Dhaka and Kyungsung University, South Korea, the release added.

DU vice-chancellor sought cooperation from Korean professors to develop the DU Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering Department, a newly established department of the university.

The Korean professors assured the Prof Akhtaruzzaman of providing all possible assistances and supports in this regard, it said.

They also stressed the need for building a relationship between academia and industry to promote this department.

DU Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering Department Chairperson Professor Lafifa Jamal and some other lecturers of the department were present on this occasion, the release said.
EU tells Netanyahu it rejects Trump's Jerusalem move

Israel\'s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini brief the media at the European Council in Brussels.

Reuters, Brussels :

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took his case to Europe to ask allies to join the United States in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, but met a firm rebuff from EU foreign ministers who saw the move as a blow against the peace process.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, took his own case to Egypt on Monday and was expected to fly to Turkey for a meeting of Muslim countries this week, cementing support from leaders who say the U.S. move was a dire error.

President Donald Trump announced last Wednesday the United States would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, breaking with decades of U.S. policy and international consensus that the city's status must be left to Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Israel and the Israeli military said it responded with air strikes and tank fire targeting a position of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the enclave.

On the ground in the Palestinian territories, violent clashes with Israeli security forces in which scores of Palestinians have been injured and several killed since the U.S. announcement last week appeared to have mostly subsided.

Netanyahu, on his first visit to EU headquarters in Brussels, said Trump's move helped peace, "because recognizing reality is the substance of peace, the foundation of peace".

Israel, which annexed East Jerusalem after capturing it in a 1967 war, considers the entire city to be its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.

The Trump administration says it remains committed to the peace process and its decision does not affect Jerusalem's future borders or status. It says any credible future peace deal will place the Israeli capital in Jerusalem, and ditching old policies is needed to revive a peace process frozen since 2014.

But even Israel's closest European allies have rejected that logic and say recognizing Israel's capital unilaterally risks inflaming violence and further wrecking the chance for peace.

After a breakfast meeting between Netanyahu and EU foreign ministers, Sweden's top diplomat said no European at the closed-door meeting had voiced support for Trump's decision, and no country was likely to follow the United States in announcing plans to move its embassy.

"I have a hard time seeing that any other country would do that and I don't think any other EU country will do it," Margot Wallstrom told reporters.

Israel's position does appear to have more support from some EU states than others. Last week, the Czech foreign ministry said it would begin considering moving the Czech Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, while Hungary blocked a planned EU statement condemning the U.S. move.

But Prague later said it accepted Israel's sovereignty only over West Jerusalem, and Budapest said its long-term position seeking a two-state solution in the Middle East had not changed.

On Monday, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said of Trump's decision: "I'm afraid it can't help us."

"I'm convinced that it is impossible to ease tension with a unilateral solution," Zaoralek said. "We are talking about an Israeli state but at the same time we have to speak about a Palestinian state."

The Palestinian president, Abbas, met Egypt's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in Cairo, as well as the head of the Arab League. Egypt, a U.S. ally with a peace treaty with Israel, has brokered Israeli-Palestinian deals in the past.




Ireen Afroz, Azad Abul Kalam, Urmilas serial Countdown

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

For the first time Azad Abul Kalam worked with Urmila Srabonti Kar and Ireen Afroz in a drama serial. They worked together in Sokal Ahmeds serial Countdown. After completing shooting of the serial in Malaysia now it is going on in different places in Dhaka.

While talking about the serial its director Sokal Ahmed told this correspondent, A group from a corporate office went to Malaysia. But there one after another person was missing from the group. Story of the serial revolves with such an occurrence. Azad Abul Kalam is plating in role of detective police official Rahman, while Urmila and Ireen are acting in roles of Urmi and Ira in the serial.

Azad Abul Kalam said, Shooting of my portion was done in a nice place where its set was placed under a beautiful arrangement. Therefore, Sokal cordially did his job. He has made it sincerely and I believe viewers will enjoy the serial.

Urmila shared her feelings by this way, It is established that Sokal Bhai is a noted director. Earlier under his direction I acted in a faction play. From that time I had built up a good relationship with him. He works very sincerely. He is aware about what the actors want and he also take care of them. Therefore, he works cordially. I also liked story of Countdown.

Pavel Bhai is a great actor. I always enjoyed working with him. In a word, he is an institution. I am lucky that I got the scope to work with him in this serial, actress Ireen Afroz said while sharing her feelings in this regard.

Now Azad Abul Kalam is making a new theatre play titled Pain. Recently under his direction 25th show of Polashbari was held at Mohila Samity Moncho at Bailey Road in the city. His directed two TV plays attracted the viewers attention. These were: Alpin-er Atmoprotikriti and Morog Polao.

On the other hand, Urmila will be engaged with shooting of Syed Shakils ongoing serial Sonar Shekol today, she mentioned.


Colleges without enrolment should cease to exist

OVER 1,500 colleges are in fear of closure as they have failed to fulfil the condition of the Education Ministry in terms of students' admission at Higher Secondary level, The concern is genuine because opening of new colleges and also their closure is not small thing, as it impacts lives of hundreds and thousands of students and well-being of their guardians.







Media reports in a national daily on Tuesday however said the Education Ministry has already started to collect reasons behind the failure of so many colleges for not admitting any student or poor number of students. The Ministry will take stern action, including shutting up some colleges and meting out punishment to others.





Surprisingly, no student was admitted to a total of 135 colleges at Higher Secondary level under 2017-18 session. Of them, 66 institutions are Madrasas. As many as 1,383 institutions got poor number of students and most of them obtained only 5 students. As per the rule of the Ministry, an institution must have at least 25 students at Secondary level for getting MPO (Monthly Payment Order). If the number falls the Ministry has the right to close the institution. But many fear that sponsors of those colleges used them for illegal MPO money to get rich without promoting them as genuine teaching institutions.







A senior official of the Education Ministry mentioned in the related report that the Ministry gives approval of an institution if there is no college within six kilometers distance. Sometimes, the Ministry relaxes rules on the basis of density of population.







It is alleged that some officials of the Ministry helped the owners of the colleges to get MPO approval by underhand dealings. In most of the cases, the institutions got approval by some unscrupulous officials. As a result, they did not get sufficient students and some of them have lost approval.





Poor performance of colleges will exist if their existence depends upon political or other causes. Therefore the reasons for setting up so many colleges must be scrutinized. We don't have an abundance of high quality infrastructure or highly trained teachers even in our major urban areas, so setting up so many colleges without figuring out who would enroll or how they would be able to recruit quality teachers makes no sense.





It is far better to upgrade existing high quality colleges to get more enrollment with quality educational infrastructure. Putting more money into such colleges to ensure that they have better teachers and science labs will create the intellectual pull to bring in higher quality students.







In our view, there must be a through cleaning of unworthy colleges licensed and opened on political consideration to make illegal fortune. At least unscrupulous people can't exploit education institutions for government money.






Banking sector's dilemma in all fronts

OUR banking sector is perhaps going through the toughest phase of its testing times. On one hand, the Prime Minister's Office has given consent to the establishment of two more private banks amid warning by the experts that entry of new banks would be disastrous for the already scam-hit and overcrowded banking sector while on the other The Philippines bank, through which $81 million was stolen from Bangladesh's central bank and channelled in February 2016, has accused BB's financial monetary authority to cover up in-depth investigative details while being neglectful. Rather mysteriously, nearly a couple of years have elapsed, there is no word on who was the main culprit behind the scam and Bangladesh Bank has been able to retrieve only about $15 million, mostly from a Manila junket operator.





On the first topic, despite severe criticism, the incumbent government in 2012-13 awarded licences for the establishment of nine banks reportedly on political consideration. As if, establishment of new banks to embezzle depositors fund have become a 'fashion' nowadays. Evidently, the sector's control is no longer in the hands of bankers or financial experts. It has now shifted into the hands of the party in power, and they are continuing to wreak havoc in as many ways possible. The PM's consent for setting up two new banks smacks of unyielding and unchallenged political power to be determining the course of our banking sector.







BB is not only to be partly blamed for the heist worth $81 million in February 2016, but its refusal to be transparent and attempts to cover-up the scandal is a big disfavour to global efforts to combat cybercrime. The bold truth is - this illegitimate political interference to favour partisans, so to cripple our banking sector must stop. Since it's now become all about misappropriating public money and the country's politicians in power are doing nothing to deter it - it's time the public come forward.
Palestinian teen, who was subject of viral photo, to appear in Israeli military court

Fawzi Muhammad al-Juneidi, 16, from the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron was detained by 23 Israeli soldiers during protests.

(Ma'an News, Hebron) :

The 16-year-old Palestinian teenager who was arrested by Israeli soldiers last week, in a photo that went viral on social media, is being presented to an Israeli military court on Monday.

Fawzi Muhammad al-Juneidi, 16, from the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron was detained by 23 Israeli soldiers on Friday during protests against US President Donald Trump's announcement that he was recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Al-Juneidi was one of thousands of Palestinians protesting against the decision in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. Hundreds of Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces during protests, and at least four Palestinians were killed over the course of the weekend.

The photo of al-Juneidi's arrest went viral on social media across the Palestinian territory as a symbol of the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation.
`Struggle to secure independence of judiciary foiled`

Gulam Rabbani :

Legal experts and senior lawyers have expressed mixed reactions over the published gazette notification on the disciplinary rules for the lower court judges.

Some said that the disciplinary rules for the lower court judges treated them as the officials of the Republic, which is not correct. Because, lower court is a constitutional institution, they said.

On the other hand, some others said that the gazette was formulated in line with the Constitution.

Bangladesh Government (BG) Press on Monday evening published the 24 pages gazette notification on disciplinary rules for the lower court judges retaining the President's authority on the judges.

Former Law Adviser of the Caretaker Government Barrister Mainul Hosein, Barrister M Amir-ul Islam, Supreme Court Bar Association President Advocate Zainul Abedin, Attorney Genral Mahbubey Alam and former Law Minister Barrister Shafiq Ahmed expressed their reactions to journalists on the published gazette.

"All the struggle over the years to secure independence of the judiciary has been foiled in violation of the Constitution. It is the mandate of the Constitution to pass law for completing independence of the judiciary by separating the lower judiciary. By the judgement in Masdar Hossain case the Supreme Court directed the government to pass necessary law as stipulated in the judgement. No political government heeded to make the judiciary independent. This government has made futile all efforts to establish independent judiciary," said former Law Adviser of the Caretaker Government Barrister Mainul Hosein.

He also said, "More than forty years later under the military backed caretaker government, I as Law Adviser, was able to separate the lower judiciary as directed by the Supreme Court. This government proved again that it is also not ready to tolerate independence of the judiciary. Under the present rules, the power of controlling the lower court judges is vested in the President. But in effect the Prime Minister will have this power of controlling the lower judiciary because the President acts on advice of the Prime Minister. Besides, the Law Ministry can't have any role under independence of the judiciary. The need of separate secretariat has also been denied."

"The starting of the published is defective. I am surprised; the government took the Judicial Service Commission under the Law Ministry. It should have been done according to the Article 116 of the Constitution. But they did it according to the Article 133 of the Constitution, which is applicable for the officials of the Republic," said Barrister M Amir-ul Islam.

He added, "The power of the President cannot be exercised by the Law Ministry."

Barrister Amirul Islam said also, "Lower court is a constitutional institution. So, its judges should not be treated as the officials of the Republic. The President has been given the power to control the lower court judges retaining the independence of the judiciary in line with the Masdar Hossain case verdict and the Constitution."

"The President will take action on advice of the Supreme Court. But the published gazette does not say so. Through this gazette, subordinate courts have gone under the control of the Law Ministry," he said.

Supreme Court Bar Association President Advocate Zainul Abedin said, "The published gazette has destroyed the spirit of the separation of power. Through this gazette, subordinate courts have gone under the control of the Law Ministry."

Meanwhile, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said, "An embarrassing situation has come to an end through publication of this gazette. I have to sit in the middle position of the Executive and the Judiciary, which is called the bridge. I had to take time again and again. It was embarrassing for me. This embarrassing situation has come to an end."

"Whatever steps the President takes, it will be taken in consultation with the Supreme Court. It is said clearly in the gazette that if any allegation in raise against any service member, then further proceedings will be taken by the President after consultation with the apex court," he added.

Indicating the former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, the Attorney General also said, "The former CJ wanted to keep the full power in the Supreme Court's hand. But it was a position contrary to the Constitution."

Former Law Minister Barrister Shafiq Ahmed said, "Misunderstandings between the Judiciary and the Executive ended with the publication of this gazette."
BB, RCBC trade blame game again

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Bangladesh Bank (BB) and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) of Philippine have once again engaged in blame game trading over the liability for $81 million that was drained out from the BB's reserve account held with New York Federal Reserve Bank and went missing in Manila after one of the biggest bank hacking ever.

A RCBC bank official in a statement on Monday accused BB of covering up its negligence for the cyber-heist and demanded that it should stop making the bank a "scapegoat".

Rejecting the RCBC's allegation, a central bank high official preferring anonymity told The New Nation yesterday that "halt payment" instructions were sent to RCBC from both BB and NY Federal Reserve Bank but it (RCBC) did not comply with the instructions.

"They made payment of the heist money even after the instructions. So, it was their fault and they should be held liable over the incident," he added.

He added, "The payment was abnormal and even the transfer of money was not transparent because the money was transferred to four fictitious accounts of the bank's Jupiter Branch in Manila."

RCBC authorities later fired the branch manager for transferring the money to these accounts.

Philippine's anti-money laundering body filed charges against five RCBC staff following the incident. The central bank of Philippines also slapped a record 1 billion pesos ($20 million) fine to RCBC for failing to prevent the transfer of stolen money through its accounts.

"They have accepted the liability by paying the fine and that is why we are asking them to return our money," said the BB official.

He also said that RCBC has started making different excuses in this regard, which is unacceptable, and breach of international law.

The comment of the BB official came on the heels after a RCBC official on Monday lashed out at BB regarding the $81 million heist in 2016.

"BB is definitely partly to blame for the heist. Its refusal to be transparent is a continuing cover-up and a disservice to global efforts to combat cybercrime," Atty. George Dela Cuesta alleged in a statement.

Dela Cuesta, who holds the position of first vice-senior president and head of legal affairs at RCBC, asked BB to stop making the Philippine bank a "scapegoat."

"RCBC has revealed everything it legally could to the Senate and its regulator, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. BB, however, has concealed everything it could. The contrast is telling," he said.

His statement came following the statement of Bangladesh's Finance Minister AMA Muhith that the government is considering to file civil suit against RCBC as the bank is making dilly-dally to compensate the BB.

Dela Cuesta said Bangladesh' finance minister earlier described the heist as an "inside job." "If it was stolen with alleged connivance of BB's own people, why should RCBC be the one to return the money?" he said.

"RCBC was a beneficiary bank, who received the funds in good faith. Unfortunately, its Jupiter branch, where the $81 million was deposited, was headed by a rogue branch manager who eventually was fired and charged in court and is currently being prosecuted to the fullest extent by RCBC," the statement added.

Dela Cuesta also said the Bangladesh government panel refused to release its findings on the heist

"Is there something really worth hiding because it is so damning?" he said.

Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1 billion from BB in February 2016 and managed to make off with $81 million via an account at the New York Federal Reserve. That was transferred to four accounts with bogus names at one RCBC branch in Manila before vanishing.

Most of the money that ended up in the Philippines was laundered through casinos. About $15 million has been recovered from a gaming junket operator and was returned to Bangladesh, with a further $2.7 million frozen.


Govt to procure PP-91 Pontoon equipment, AGS-30 for army

The government will procure PP-91 Pontoon Equipment and 30MM AGS-30 automatic grenade launcher system for Bangladesh Army from Russian Federation.

These defense equipment and special weapons and ammunition will be bought under the Government-to-Government (G to G) arrangement utilizing the Russian state exports credit facility, official sources said.

In January 2013, Russia, the World's second-largest weapons exporter, granted a $1 billion loan to Bangladesh for purchase of arms and military hardwares made in that country.

The deal was signed in Moscow during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"The defense purchase has already got approval in principle of the Prime Minister's Office. It has also formed a high powered committee comprising concerned ministry officials for negotiation with the Russian counterparts in this regard," a Defense Ministry official told The New Nation on condition of anonymity.

The purchase will be completed in the fiscal year 2017-18, he added.

The 2X Half Sets of Pontoon PP-91 and 966X Automatic Grenade Launcher AGS-30 with 30MM High Explosive Grenades Carry Forward will be purchased.

The PP-91 pontoon equipment is designed to set up ferry and bridge crossings to move military materiels and other cargo across water obstacles.

The 30mm AGS-30 second generation automatic grenade launcher system (6S9) is a weapon boasting a unique maneuverability, a high firepower, and a long range of fire.

The grenade launcher may be mounted on a tripod or a turret, or used as part of a remotely controlled weapon system, mounted on various combat vehicles, according to military journals.

The Bangladesh Air Force is also finalizing a deal with Rosoboronexport for the purchase of Mikoyan MiG-35 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft from Russia.

The multi-billion dollar defence deal with the Russian defence export agency will be the largest in Bangladesh's defence purchase.


CARTERVILLE  Each year, Santa gets some help from the Poshard Foundation for Abused Children to provide a brighter Christmas to children in Southern Illinois. The Poshard Foundation hosts one of the regions largest toy giveaway events each year at John A. Logan College.

The foundation is giving away more than 1,500 toys this year, with each child receiving a large present and two smaller ones. Toys included bicycles, dolls, trucks, cars, trains, puzzles, games and much more.

During the annual toy giveaway, social service agencies pick out toys for their clients. Many of the toys come from the efforts of Richard Clark, owner of Tri-State Business Equipment in Harrisburg. Clark collects toys at this annual company Christmas party for the Poshard Foundation, according to founders Jo and Glenn Poshard.

The rest come from individual donations designated for Christmas and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Phyllis McCowen, a foundation volunteer, does the shopping.

She looks for bargains and makes sure we get good deals, Jo Poshard said.

We used to get a lot of items from Pats Kids, then Pat Benton retired, Glenn Poshard said.

Some of the individual donors who used to donate through Pats Kids continue to earmark donations for the Poshard Foundation.

These are children who are not on any list and not picked up by other Christmas programs, Jo Poshard said.

The rate of abuse, neglect and abandonment is 2.5 times greater in Southern Illinois than in the rest of the state. Glenn Poshard said the toys go to the people charged with taking care of those children, more than 16 agencies.

Jo Poshard said this year two agencies have a lot of need, Centerstone and the Family Counseling Center.

According to Marsha Hayes of the Family Counseling Center, toys from the Poshard Foundation will go to approximately 75 children, and that will not serve all the children on the agencys angel tree. This year, Family Counseling Center will provide gifts for 240 children in seven counties.

So, this is going to help immensely, Hayes said.

Hayes said they had 263 children on their list in 2016, and she believes this years number will grow.

Someone will turn in names they havent thought of, and I dont have the heart to turn them down, Hayes said.

She added that parents have difficulties like job loss, illnesses and addictions, but that is not the childs fault. Children need to keep believing in Santa as long as possible, she said.

I dont know what we would do without the Poshard Foundation. Jo and Glenn are the largest-hearted people and always continue to help children, Hayes said.

Niki Grajewski of Centerstone said they are shopping for about 75 children in three programs, family services, mental health services and halfway houses.

For a lot of families, if they dont get presents through this program, they would not get them at all, Grajewski said. This is our way of trying to make sure they have a happy holiday.

The families served by Centerstone struggle to pay electric bills. Most do not have the resources to provide Christmas gifts for their children.

We are always grateful for what the Poshard Foundation does. We have been working with them a long time, and they do a lot during the holidays. Its fun to be a part of it, Grajewski said.

The agencies also received small gifts for children to give their moms, and hats and gloves for the children. Mary Nehring of Oakdale crocheted many of the hats. Decorated sugar cookies made by McCowen were provided for the shoppers.

The spirit of giving at Christmas is a primary focus, but the kids have needs throughout the year, Glenn Poshard said.

For more information or to donate, visit www.poshardfoundation.org.
NEW YORK (AP)  A pipe bomb strapped to a man went off in the New York City subway near Times Square on Monday, injuring the suspect and another person at the height of the morning rush hour, law enforcement officials said.

The man and the other person were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

Police say the explosion happened in an underground passageway under 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. The 7:30 a.m. blast filled the passageway, crowded with throngs of Monday morning commuters, with smoke.

The explosion triggered a massive emergency response by police and fire both above and below ground, tangling subway and bus service at the nearby Port Authority bus terminal.

Video from above the "Crossroads of the World" showed lines of police and emergency vehicles, their lights flashing, lining the streets and no other vehicle traffic moving.

Everything around the Port Authority area was shut down  a surreal scene of still at what would ordinarily be a bustling rush hour.

New Jersey Transit buses headed to the Port Authority were diverting to other locations. NJ Transit said buses were taking passengers to Secaucus and Hoboken, where they could take trains into the city.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the explosion.
An Elloree man has been accused of striking a person on a moped with his vehicle and leaving the scene of the accident.

John Henry Davis Jr., 24, of 953 Santee River Road, has been charged with a leaving the scene of an accident where a person suffered great bodily injury.

Authorities allege Davis was the driver of the vehicle that struck 54-year-old John Hutchinson, the operator of the moped, at about 5:35 p.m. Thursday on Tee Vee Road near S.C. Highway 6.

Authorities have been searching for the driver of the vehicle since Thursday.

On Tuesday afternoon, S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Judd Jones announced Davis was in custody. Davis is being held at the Orangeburg County Detention Center.

If convicted, Davis faces 30 days to 10 years in prison and a fine ranging between $5,000 and $10,000.

Davis is currently on probation, according to the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.

He began serving a three-year probation term on July 10, 2017 after he pleaded guilty to forgery with a value less than $10,000.
WASHINGTON -- We need to prepare for the eventuality that the Mueller probe catches President Donald Trump, family members and associates red-handed -- and Republicans in Congress refuse to do anything about it.

This is beginning to look like a possible or even probable outcome. With its cravenness matched only by its arrogance, the GOP is Trump's party now. It no longer has any claim to be Lincoln's.

Witness the cowardly about-face on the subject of Roy Moore's candidacy for the Senate. The party initially took a position in line with its purported values: that a credibly accused child molester, who haunted the local mall seeking dates with teenaged girls when he was in his 30s, is unworthy of the high office he seeks.

But then Trump endorsed Moore -- given that more than a dozen women have accused the president of sexual misconduct, the phrase "birds of a feather" comes to mind -- and Republicans changed their tune. The flow of money from national party coffers to Moore's campaign, briefly interrupted, was resumed. Moore's fitness became a matter that no longer troubled the GOP's moral conscience, or what was left of it; only "the people of Alabama" could decide the difference between right and wrong.

Here is the distinction between our two major parties in 2017: Democratic leaders forced Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., both accused of harassing women, to resign. Republican leaders are trying to put Moore, accused of harassing teenagers and molesting a 14-year-old, in the Senate.

Given that context, it is naive to assume that anything special counsel Robert Mueller uncovers will lead Republicans to choose principle over political advantage. Trump boasted during the campaign that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose support. As far as the GOP majorities in Congress are concerned, he may be right.

Ultimately, that's what Trump is counting on. He has been using his Twitter feed to try to create the impression that Mueller -- the straightest of straight arrows, and a lifelong Republican -- is somehow biased against him. Trump's aim isn't so much to pull the wool over the eyes of his base; rather, it's to give House Republicans an excuse not to start impeachment proceedings if and when the time comes.

I realize it seems premature to speak of such eventualities. But if there really was no collusion with Russia to tilt the election in Trump's favor, I wonder why one of the president's lawyers, Jay Sekulow, is arguing that such collusion would not constitute a crime. And if there really was no obstruction of justice, I wonder why another of Trump's lawyers, John Dowd, is arguing that the president by virtue of his office is incapable of obstructing justice.

Perhaps Trump and his family are just getting bad legal advice. I'm wondering who gave Donald Trump Jr. the bright idea to cite attorney-client privilege in refusing to answer the House Intelligence Committee's questions about conversations with his father -- conversations that might bear on both collusion and obstruction.

Neither Trump nor Trump Jr. is an attorney. Conversations between Trump Jr. and his lawyer would be privileged, but not conversations Trump Jr. might have had with someone else while his lawyer was present. And Congress is not compelled to honor attorney-client privilege anyway, though it often does.

At least Trump Jr. gave a reason for his stonewalling. Other administration officials called to Capitol Hill to testify about Trump's possible obstruction -- including Attorney General Jeff Sessions -- have relied on some imaginary privilege not to discuss conversations with the president.

The GOP-led committees investigating the Russia affair could subpoena witnesses, compel them to speak and hold them in contempt if they refuse. I'm not holding my breath.

Those of us who care whether the president worked with a foreign power to influence the election and then actively impeded an FBI investigation do have recourse, however. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: If this Congress refuses to stand up for justice and American ideals, we need to elect a Congress that will.

The Trump presidency poses a challenge beyond politics or policy. Wrongheaded trickle-down tax policy is a matter of arithmetic; it can be corrected by moving numbers around a spreadsheet. But once corruption has become established, it takes Herculean effort to root it out; once respect for the rule of law is lost, it takes generations to restore.

Mueller is doing his job. Ours is to elect Democrats and independents next year who will hold this appalling presidency to account.
By Azernews





By Aygul Salmanova

Baku hosted the 5th Donor Coordination Meeting jointly organized by the Agriculture Ministry and the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan.

The meeting was attended by about 20 international organizations and development agencies, including the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Islamic Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Program, the European Union, Representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

While making remarks at the meeting the Deputy Agriculture Minister Seyfaddin Talibov said that programs adopted in various fields of agriculture, which are in special attention of the Azerbaijans President, and improved legislative base, allow to achieve strategic goals more quickly.

Azerbaijan provides 85-95 percent of itself with basic food products. If earlier the main goal of the development of the agrarian sector of Azerbaijan was to ensure food security, today priority is given to the production of competitive, export-oriented products, said the deputy minister.

The production of competitive and export-oriented products is one of the goals of the strategic roadmap for the production and processing of agricultural products. At the same time, we must not forget about food security. I want to note that we have already achieved some successes, and we will continue to work in these areas, Talibov said.

He noted that over the past 10 months, agricultural production in Azerbaijan grew by 4 percent, and the export rate reached 40-60 percent.

For January-October 2017, the export of non-oil products increased by 23 percent compared to the same period last year and reached a value of $1.219 billion, the Export Review Center of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications (CERC) notes.

At the same time, the main export commodity is tomatoes ($131.5 million); gold ($98.5 million); shelled hazelnut ($ 88.6 million) and polyethylene ($59.5 million).

The deputy minister also made remarks on the hazelnut production in the country noting that today Azerbaijan ranks third in export of hazelnuts in the world.

He said the country has already obtained a big amount of currency due to the export of hazelnuts.

As many as 12,000 hectare-hazelnut orchards have been created in Azerbaijan, he said. The area of hazelnut orchards is expected to increase to 40,000 hectares in 2018. Azerbaijani hazelnuts are quite competitive in the world markets. Azerbaijan ranks third in export of hazelnuts."

According to the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC), about 45,000 tons of hazelnuts will be produced in Azerbaijan this year, which is equivalent to 17,000 tons of hazelnut kernels.

As many as 8,000 tons of Azerbaijani hazelnut kernels have already been sold. The current price for Azerbaijani hazelnut kernels is $5.5 per kilogram.

The cultivation and processing of hazelnuts is one of the main directions providing Azerbaijan with foreign currency, if to consider that in 2016, the revenue from hazelnut exports was the highest among non-oil products of the country.

The association of hazelnut producers and exporters reports that incomes of Azerbaijani companies from hazelnut exports in the first quarter of 2017 amounted to $20 million, and this 3 percent more than the same period last year. Export of Azerbaijani hazelnuts in the first half of 2017 amounted to $32.3 million.

Today, more than 25,000 family farms, uniting about a hundred thousand people are operating in the field of hazelnuts production in the country.
By Trend





The rapprochement between Russia and Turkey, as well as the cooperation of the two regional powers, is very important for achieving peace in the region, UNESCO Cultural Diplomacy, Governance and Education Chair Holder, Director of Diplomatic and Strategic Studies Center in Paris, Naciye Selin Senocak told Trend on December 11.

Senocak was commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putins expected visit to Turkey.

The expert said that close cooperation between Moscow and Ankara also contributes to confronting the forces that are interested in destabilizing the situation in the region after the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"If Ankara and Moscow continue to closely cooperate, this will stop the influence of the forces that are interested in destabilizing the situation in the Middle East," she said.

The expert said that no country and no political leader has the right to use Jerusalem, which is the capital of the three world religions, in own interests as the consequences of this can be deplorable.

Previously, US President Donald Trump proclaimed that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital after the end of the War of Independence in 1949. In 1967, after the Six Days War, it seized East Jerusalem and united it with the West Jerusalem, but the UN did not recognize this. Embassies of countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel are located mainly in Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Ramat Gan.
Iran and Hungary have signed an agreement on support for investment between the two countries and a joint venture contract in the field of agriculture,a media report said.



Economy Ministers of Iran and Hungary Masoud Karbasian and Mihaly Varga signed the agreement on Monday, reported Irna.



Meanwhile, a joint venture contract and investment in the field of agriculture and agro-industry was signed between Hungarian LAC Holding and Iranian Nika Basir Payam.



Karbasian said that these agreements will help investment atmosphere between the two countries and given the Hungarian membership in European Union, it will reduce risk of investment.
Despite improvements in global economic conditions, the outlook for Western Asia is mixed, clouded by oil market developments and geopolitical factors, a UN report said.

The real GDP growth rate of the oil producing economies in the region, mainly the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), declined to recent lows in 2017, largely due to the coordinated cuts in crude oil production led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec).

The recent recovery in oil prices is expected to contribute to only a moderate improvement in 2018, said the World Economic Situation and Prospects report, the UNs flagship publication on expected trends in the global economy.

Stagnating growth in the GCC economies has caused a decline in intra-regional resource flows from GCC economies to the regions oil-importing economies. External conditions for growth have deteriorated, particularly in Jordan and Lebanon amid stagnation in intra-regional trade, workers remittances, portfolio investments and foreign direct investment, it said.

Meanwhile, the geopolitical situation continues to affect the economies in the region. Economic conditions in the Syrian Arab Republic and in Yemen remain dire as both countries face humanitarian crises due to the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, an upturn in the global economynow growing by about 3 per cent paves the way to reorient policy towards longer-term issues such as addressing climate change, tackling existing inequalities and removing institutional obstacles to development, the report said.

According to the report, in 2017, world economic growth has reached 3 per centthe highest growth since 2011 as crisis-related fragilities and the adverse effects of other recent shocks subside. The improvement is widespread, with roughly two-thirds of countries worldwide experiencing stronger growth in 2017 than in the previous year. Global growth is expected to remain steady at 3.0 per cent in 2018 and 2019.

Risks and policy challenges

Despite the improved short-term outlook, the global economy continues to face risksincluding changes in trade policy, a sudden deterioration in global financial conditions and rising geopolitical tensions.

The world economy also faces longer-term challenges. The report highlights four areas where the improved macroeconomic situation opens the way for policy to address these challenges: increasing economic diversification, reducing inequality, supporting long-term investment and tackling institutional deficiencies. The report notes that reorienting policy to address these challenges can generate stronger investment and productivity, higher job creation and more sustainable medium-term economic growth.

For Western Asia, policymakers continue to face several risks and structural challenges. For one, unemployment rates remain high, particularly among women. Recently, a few economies have experienced an alarming rise in the female unemployment rate.

The report also highlights efforts by policymakers to strengthen the revenue base and to reduce public debt. The introduction of the value-added tax (VAT) has been legislated in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and is scheduled to become effective on January 1, 2018. Other GCC economies are expected to follow suit. If implemented, a 5 per cent VAT will be imposed on a wide variety of goods and services. The introduction of the VAT is expected to be an essential policy strategy to promote greater economic diversification in the GCC economies, it said.

The recent pickup in global growth, the report states, stems predominantly from firmer growth in several developed economies, although East and South Asia remain the world most dynamic regions. In 2017, East and South Asia accounted for nearly half of global growth, with China alone contributing about one-third.

The end of recessions in Argentina, Brazil, Nigeria and the Russian Federation also contributed to the rise in the rate of global growth between 2016 and 2017. The upturn has been supported by a rebound in world trade and an improvement in investment conditions. The challenge is to channel this into a sustained acceleration in productive investment to support medium-term prospects. - TradeArabia News Service
Korean companies in the UAE were briefed on the implementation of VAT and the immediate effect it will have on their projects across the GCC by EY at a seminar in Dubai.

The seminar was held under the auspices and with the support of Korean Business Council (KBC) in Dubai and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra).

The seminar was attended by Heo Namduk, Consul General of the Republic of Korea to Dubai; Gene S Cha, Chairman of KBC (Korea Business Council); Yong Suk Kwon, Regional President of Kotra Mena head office; and over 230 C-suite executives, tax specialists, financial controllers and heads of departments from Korean companies based across the GCC.

Alok Chugh, EY Mena Tax Partner and EY Leader of Korea Business Network, said: Korean businesses play a significant role across the GCC. With the recently announced VAT legislation, Korean businesses need to take the necessary steps to ensure full compliance and avoid any potential penalties.

"At this stage, with only a month until VAT rollout, all companies should be registered, completed a VAT impact assessment, and designed their systems and processes for VAT implementation. However, the reality is that many companies have not even started their VAT compliance requirements. It takes time to build out the VAT capability, requiring careful planning and a structured program to ensure that the business is VAT ready, including people, processes, controls and technology. This will have a major impact on Korean businesses across the GCC.

EY experts discussed the various stages of VAT implementation including: VAT introduction timing and relevant law structure, basic principles of VAT law and regulation, and VAT implications by industry.

Many companies are concerned about how VAT will be rolled out in practice and whether the systems of their clients and associates would be prepared for VAT. This is a concern that many industries share, however any further clarity will only be known once VAT implementation has begun. Companies must prepare for VAT regardless of any uncertainty, commented Alok.

The EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) sector in particular was vocal about how VAT would impact their business. A major concern was whether the VAT cost would be on-charged to customers or whether the companies would bear the cost themselves.

VAT impacts every phase of the tax life cycle. It can also have a significant impact on company bottom lines. The complexity of VAT and the challenges posed by the introduction of a VAT regime to a region that has, to date, not dealt with a transaction based tax framework, will make it difficult for most organizations to keep up with change. With this in mind, businesses across the region will need to focus on developing a holistic VAT strategy to manage the associated costs and demands on internal resources. - TradeArabia News Service
Funding is one of the main challenges facing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), said partner and head of KPMG Enterprise at KPMG in Bahrain at a recent seminar in the kingdom.



There has been an increasing funding support for entrepreneurship and start-ups, in Bahrain and the region, as part of the economy diversification plans, said Harish Gopinath.



However, funding still remains a main challenge to start-ups mainly due to their financial management capabilities. Information about the business financial activities is fundamental for SMEs to source funding from lenders. Therefore, absent or inaccurate information can jeopardize funding opportunities, he added during a seminar organised by KPMG in Bahrain as part of the firms entrepreneurship club activities.



The event brought together over 60representatives from local enterprises to discuss the future outlook of SMEs in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Entrepreneurs and business owners across all sectors enjoyed the opportunity to hear about the key challenges facing this sector as well as marketplace opportunities, which they can convert to profitable advantages.



Jamal Fakhro, managing partner at KPMG in Bahrain, welcomed the participants and emphasized on the significant contribution SMEs make in the local economy through the volume of exports, capital investments and employment opportunities they generate.



At KPMG in Bahrain, we recognize the important role SMEs play in stimulating the economic growth. We apply our professional expertise and knowledge of the challenges and opportunities available in the market place to support business owners achieved their growth objectives at any stage of their business life-cycle, Fakhro added.



The event also featured interactive presentations from S Sathish, partner at KPMG in India, on the profitability enhancement through operations and supply chain excellence for SMEs followed by presentation on the SMEs support schemes from Bahrain Development Bank and Tamkeen.



Sumit Pandey, senior manager at KPMG in Bahrain, showcased KPMGs Enterprise Accounting Solution (EAS), and online tool designed to make financial management processes simple and available to everyone at a competitive price. The event was concluded with an update on valued-added tax (VAT) from Philippe Norre, partner and head of Indirect tax at KPMG in Bahrain.



During their presentations, they agreed that the increasing complexity of the current business environment, VAT implementation by next year, and growing competition all outline the importance of optimizing business activities to increase operational efficiencies, minimize costs and remaining competitive.  TradeArabia News Service
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.
Siemens has signed contracts with the state-owned utility General Electricity Company of Libya (Gecol) to expand Libyas power generation capacity by approximately 1.3 gigawatts (GW).



The agreements were signed in Berlin, Germany, in the presence of Fayez Mustafa Al Sarraj, chairman of the Presidential Council and Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord of Libya; Mohamed Taha Siala, the Libyan Minister for Foreign Affairs; and Sigmar Gabriel, Germanys Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs.



Under these contracts, Siemens will build a 650-MW open cycle power plant in Misrata, equipped with two F-class gas turbines, and a 690-MW open cycle power plant in Tripoli West, equipped with four E class gas turbines. The total volume of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts, including long-term service agreements, is in the range of 700 million euros ($825 million).



Libya needs a reliable and affordable power supply to set the stage for a prosperous and promising future for the Libyan people, said Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens.



As a trusted partner, Siemens will provide Libya with innovative and sustainable infrastructure solutions that are essential for the economic development of the country and its people, added Kaeser.



Siemens has been supporting Libya with technology and expertise since the 1950s. Around 30 per cent of Libyas installed power generation capacity is based on Siemens technology that delivers electricity for two million people, said Willi Meixner, CEO of Siemens Power and Gas Division.



After completion, the power plants in Misrata and Tripoli West will help the country to solve the ongoing challenges caused by frequent and unpredictable power cuts, added Meixner.  TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based Yahsat, a leading global satellite operator, and US Orbital ATK, a global leader in aerospace and defence technologies, has announced that its Al Yah 3 satellite has successfully arrived at its launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.



The satellite, the third in Yahsats fleet, is scheduled to be launched on an Arianespace rocket on January 25, said a statement from the companies.



Al Yah 3 is a Ka-band high-throughput satellite that will expand Yahsats coverage to an additional 19 markets in Africa and marks Yahsats entry into Brazil, it said.



The satellites footprint will cover 60 per cent of Africas population and more than 95 per cent of Brazils population, it added.



Marcus Vilaca, chief technology officer at Yahsat, said: Al Yah 3 is a significant milestone in realising our vision at Yahsat. Extending our affordable broadband services to 60 per cent of the African population and more than 95 per cent in Brazil to bridge the digital divide and enable a more connected world is core to our strategy.



We look forward to the successful launch of Al Yah 3 and thereafter furthering our ambitions via future missions to support more growth for YahClick, and for our other business lines such as commercial in-flight connectivity, he said.



The manufacture of Al Yah 3, which is the first hybrid electric propulsion GEOStar-3 satellite to be completed by Orbital ATK, involved a project management team comprising Emirati engineers who have been based at Orbital ATKs satellite manufacturing facility in Virginia, US, said a statement.



Leveraging the build of Al Yah 3 to develop national talent, Yahsat had enrolled 14 UAE Nationals in engineering apprenticeship programmes, which ran over a six-month period at Orbital ATKs manufacturing facility, it said.



The programmes covered technical disciplines such as satellite payloads, ground networks systems and flight dynamics.



Amer Khouri, vice president of the commercial satellite business, Orbital ATK, said: The satellites successful delivery highlights the teamwork and co-operation between Orbital ATK and Yahsat that brings us one step closer to advancing our customers goals.



With the satellite now in Kourou, we look forward to working with both Yahsat and Arianespace to prepare for a successful launch in January, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the UAE outside oil and gas, has sent 13 female UAE national engineers to Maadens alumina refinery in Saudi Arabia as part of preparation work for the start-up of EGAs Al Taweelah alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi.

Maaden is currently the only operational alumina refinery in the Middle East.

Eleven of the women are graduate trainees who will fill mechanical and process engineering roles in the new alumina refinery. They were joined by a safety superintendent and a lean engineer who have transferred to the alumina refinery from EGAs smelters. The group visited Maaden for two days.

EGA engineers have been seconded to Maaden since the start of the year to gain experience on an operational refinery whilst construction of EGAs Al Taweelah alumina refinery continues, but the new group are the first women to participate in the programme.

Zaher Abdulla Al Habtari, senior vice president refinery operations at EGA, said: Almost 500 people are working on preparations to run Al Taweelah alumina refinery, including many experienced engineers we have recruited from alumina refineries around the world. As our alumina refinery will be the first in the UAE, our training collaboration programme with Maaden is an important part of developing UAE Nationals to take roles in our operations organisation.

Al Taweelah alumina refinery is currently one of the largest industrial construction sites in the UAE, with more than 10,000 people working on site.

Alumina refineries process bauxite ore into alumina, which is the feedstock for aluminium smelters.

Al Taweelah alumina refinery will have a nameplate production capacity of 2 million tonnes of alumina per year and is expected to meet 40 per cent of EGAs alumina requirements. This will help secure the UAE's supplies of this vital raw material for the aluminium industry, which are currently met entirely through imports.

EGA has already signed an agreement with Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee for the supply of bauxite for Al Taweelah alumina refinery from the Republic of Guinea.

EGA is also building a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in Guinea. Bauxite from this project will be supplied to third-party customers.

Al Taweelah alumina refinery is expected to contribute about Dh1 billion per year to the UAE economy, and create 600 permanent jobs once operational. TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the worlds leading aluminium smelters, celebrated its recent appointment as an approved and licensed training provider for the course Managing Safely by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), UK.

The celebration, at Alba Club, was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development Undersecretary Sabah bin Salem Al Dossari and attended by the Secretary General of the Royal Charity Organization and President of Bahrain Safety Society Dr Mustafa Al Sayed, Head of Customer Engagement at IOSH Deena Al Khalidi, Albas Deputy Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali, Albas Executive Management, key officials from Alba as well as representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Southern Governorate and the Supreme Council for Environment.

Al Baqali said: We are pleased with the ongoing support by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development towards Albas endeavours to promote a safe and healthy work environment across all industries in Bahrain. This license will further enhance Albas commitment to Safety First, Safety Always for its people and contractors in line with Albas 2017 expectation of Safety Tomorrowland.

The Managing Safely course by IOSH is designed to provide managers and supervisors the knowledge and tools required to manage their business environment safely.  TradeArabia News Service
President Trumps former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador last December, becoming the first senior White House official to cut a co-operation deal in the special counsels wide-ranging inquiry into election interference.

Flynns discussions with Sergey I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, were part of a coordinated effort by Trumps aides to create foreign policy before they were in power, documents released as part of Flynns plea agreement show, reported the New York Times.

Their efforts undermined the existing policy of President Barack Obama and flouted a warning from a senior Obama administration official to stop meddling in foreign affairs before the inauguration.

The documents do not disclose what Trump knew about Flynns discussions. But in at least one instance, prosecutors say, Flynn was directed by a very senior member of the presidential transition team to discuss a United Nations resolution.

Trumps lawyers believe that unnamed aide was Trumps son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, according to a lawyer briefed on the matter.

The transition team was led by Vice President Mike Pence. Its top members included Kushner; Reince Priebus, Trumps first chief of staff; and KT. McFarland, who was Flynns deputy and was later appointed to be the ambassador to Singapore.

Flynn spoke to McFarland about another of his conversations with Kislyak, according to the lawyer.

Flynns decision to plead guilty to lying to investigators about those conversations marked a significant new phase in the investigation of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, and a politically treacherous development for the president and his closest aides, whose activities in the West Wing are being scrutinized by FBI agents, lawmakers, federal prosecutors and the media.

He is prepared to say that Donald Trump "directed him to make contact with the Russians, according to a bombshell report by ABC News.

The claim sent the US stock market tumbling and brought the Russian election scandal a step closer to the Oval Office in a dramatic day in Washington.

Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law, was also named in US media reports as another figure who asked Flynn to reach out to officials from Russia, among other countries.

The White House fought back on Friday night, labelling Flynn a former Obama administration official who spent just 25 days in the Trump administration.

The row overshadowed news that Trump has enough Senate votes to pass major tax cuts in what would be his biggest legislative victory.

Allegations that Trumps campaign colluded with the Russian government - blamed for hacking Democratic Party emails during the campaign - to win the election have dogged his first year in office.

Flynn is the first White House official to be charged as part of an investigation into Russian election meddling led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Three other Trump campaign figures  Paul Manafort, Richard Gates and George Papadopoulos  were charged in October.
Dar Al Arkan (Daar), the largest listed real estate developer in Saudi Arabia, has announced plans to expand to global markets, selecting Dubai as the launchpad for its international business, with a Dh800-million ($218 million) development on the Dubai Water Canal in the Business Bay area.



The company has partnered with iconic Roberto Cavalli fashion brand, to design the interiors of the lavish 34-storey waterfront skyscraper, located in one of the world's greatest urban transformations, in true Italian fashion.



The new tower named "I Love Florence", will offer its residents an immersive living experience that combines the sophistication of fascinating Florence in Italy with the famed luxury of dazzling Dubai, said the Saudi firm in a statement.



Towering over the 3.2-km man-made waterway, the high-rise will combine stunning views of the canal's vibrant outdoor and night scenes, with the elegance of the Florence's Arno riverside, reflected in the interiors sketched by one of Italy's most famed design houses, it stated.



Daar has roped in La Casa Engineering Consultants for the project, while the tower architecture has been designed by VX Experts. The construction work on the luxury project will start next month.



This is the first time ever that Roberto Cavalli lends its name to a real estate development, anywhere in the world, to present rich interiors that project bespoke living and are an embodiment of all the strength and glamour of the maison lifestyle associated with the iconic brand, delivering energy, prestige, emotion, success, and desire to experience, said senior officials of Dar Al Arkan at a ceremony organised in Dubai to launch the company's global expansion and its high profile tieup with top Italian fashion brand.



The event was attended by Yousef Bin Abdullah Al Shelash, the chairman of Dar Al Arkan, Gian Giacomo Ferraris, the CEO of Roberto Cavalli Group, who flew in especially for the occasion, in addition to a number of government officials, diplomats, dignitaries and investors.



Addressing the gathering, Al Shelash said: "Dar Al Arkan, since its establishment in 1994, has been offering Saudi investors unique investment opportunities that enhance and protect their wealth and preserve it for the next generation."



"Our solid track record in delivering 15,000 residential units and 500,000 m of commercial space in Saudi Arabia for over 23 years will support our global expansion, which aims at presenting further diversification to our existing investors, as well as attracting international investors to our investment portfolio," he stated.



Ferraris said: "We are excited to be entering for the first time as a group to the real estate sector with the Roberto Cavalli brand, and we believe that the developer couldn't have chosen a more suitable location for this project in the Middle East, where Roberto Cavalli enjoys a strong following."



"Dubai has carved its position as the house of fashion and design in the region. I see a strong correlation between Florence and Dubai, with both cities projecting elegance, art and design in everything they do, each in its own way," stated the top official.



"The new tower will embody Roberto Cavalli's passion for beauty, design and his celebration of Italian craftsmanship. It will encapsulate the high-end luxury our fashion house has been famed for," he added.



The "I Love Florence" tower, which will have unique views of the Dubai Canal, will feature for the first time in Dubai New York style homes, with elevators opening directly into the apartments, providing utmost privacy. Units will be available in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom penthouses.



El Shelash said: "When we set out to draw our vision to become leaders in global real estate development, we decided to only settle for the best, hence our choice of Dubai Canal as a location, and the epitome of Italian luxury, Roberto Cavalli, to conceptualise and create truly outstanding living spaces, not only in the residential units, but across the tower's amenities, including the lobbies, gym, swimming pool, yoga area, outdoor training area, and hallways."-TradeArabia News Service
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in collaboration with the US Risk Management Society (RIMS) is organising a two-day forum on risk management in Dubai, UAE yesterday (December 11).



Addressing inaugural session of the forum titled "RIMS Risk Forum Middle East", Major-General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, general director of the GDRFA-Dubai, said: "The UAE is witnessing rapid developments in all sectors due to the governments strategy to achieve excellence. The positive feedback from the previous forums encouraged us to organise it for the third year."



He stressed that the forum aims to exchange ideas and expertise and spread awareness about crises and risks, reported Emirates news agency Wam.



The UAEs aviation sector now leads the world in terms of aviation safety and security following the implementation of the necessary measures to reduce risks in the sector, said Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, in his address before the forum.



Among the topics addressed by the forum are cyber risks, enterprise risk management and insurance and strategic risk management. A large number of experts, innovators and decision-makers in the field are attending.
MG Motor has announced that it will showcase its new RX5compact SUV for the first time in the Middle East at this years Saudi International Motor Show, running from December 17 to 21 in Jeddah.



The launch of the RX5, which encapsulates the famous British brands exciting future, coincides with the companys debut at this important automotive show.



Tom Lee, managing director SAIC Motor Middle East, said: The Saudi International Motor Show is one of the most important events in the Middle East motoring calendar, so we feel it is the ideal platform for us to launch such an important new car to the region. The MG RX5 embodies the positive, new direction this famous brand is taking, and we are looking forward to rolling it out across the region.



The RX5will be the latest model to join MGs exciting range of cutting-edge vehicles. It boasts an attractive, futuristic design, exemplified by the stylish LED headlamps and imposing front grille. Inside the cabin a high quality finish complements the quietness of the ride, while best-in-class space ensures equally high comfort levels and owners will also benefit from a range of the latest technological features.



Power is derived from a choice of two turbocharged engines. Both 2.0T and 1.5T units deliver impressive performance and efficiency, and are mated to six and seven-speed transmissions respectively. Great performance isnt compromised when it comes to safety, with the RX5 offering a wide range of passive and active safety measures.



The RX5 will be joined on the MG stand by the ZS crossover, another new model that marks an exciting new era of design for the iconic brand and which will be making its regional show debut in Jeddah. Based on Emotional Dynamism, the MG ZS embodies a more expressive design language that emphasises the premium experience and commitment to quality of the ambitious brand.



The interior features soft materials with a colour contrast from the dark grey base to create a layered effect. A trend for bigger connectivity means 8-inch infotainment screens will become a signature of MG going forward, as it looks to target a younger generation.



The presence of MG, which is owned by SAIC Motor, at the Saudi International Motor Show follows the recent announcement of the brands return to the Kingdom as it accelerates the expansion of its new product line-up. MGs first Saudi showroom, on Madina Road in Jeddah, was opened in November in collaboration with the companys Saudi retail partner, Taajeer Group.  TradeArabia News Service
Russias Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation and Egypts Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy have signed the notices to proceed with the contracts for the construction of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant (NPP).



The signing ceremony was held in the presence of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi.



According to the signed contracts, Rosatom will build four VVER-1200 units of the El Dabaa NPP in the Matrouh region on the Mediterranean coast, as well as supplying nuclear fuel throughout the plants entire operational lifetime. This will help ensure competitive electricity pricing in Egypt over a period of 60 years.



Rosatom will also be conduct personnel training and will assist its Egyptian partners in the operation and maintenance of the El Dabaa NPP for the first 10 years of its operation. As part of yet another contract, the Russian side will construct a purpose-built storage and supply containers for storing spent fuel. The first unit of the El Dabaa NPP is to be commissioned in 2026.



The contracts weve signed are a record-breaking deal in the history of the nuclear industry. The total cost of all four contracts amounts to billions of US dollars, also being the biggest non-feedstock deal in Russian history, said director general of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev.



We offered our partners in Egypt a unique comprehensive agreement that spans the power plants entire life cycle, that is 70 to 80 years. Today Rosatom is the only company in the world that is capable of providing the full range of peaceful nuclear services. The development of Egypts nuclear power industry is also important to Russias economy as dozens of Rosatom enterprises will be awarded significant contracts and will have an opportunity to showcase to the global community the advantage of Russian nuclear technologies.



Rosatom will also aid Egypt in developing its nuclear infrastructure, as well as increasing the level of project localization and supporting Egypt in training nuclear cadre and driving the public acceptance of nuclear power.



The training of future NPP employees will be conducted in both Russia and Egypt. Over the next few years, hundreds of Egyptian students will study nuclear disciplines in Russia. The construction of the El Dabaa NPP will provide a stimulus for Egypts industrial development, with several dozens of Egyptian companies to be involved in the construction. The construction of the first unit is expected to have a localization level of at least 20%, while further units will be even more localized.



The 1,200 MWe reactor unit is a modern, internationally referenced Generation 3+ nuclear power plant that is fully compliant with post-Fukushima IAEA requirements and already implemented in Russia. On December 8, 2017 first criticality procedures was begun at the innovative Unit 1 of Leningrad NPP-2, a generation 3+ plant, that is referential to El Dabaa NPP project.



Leningrad NPP-2 operating personnel successfully loaded the first of the 163 fuel assemblies with fresh nuclear fuel. Earlier, on August 5, 2016 the worlds first innovative Generation 3+ nuclear power unit was connected to the grid at the Novovoronezh NPP in Russia.  TradeArabia News Service
Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africas first and largest low-cost carrier, has announced that Asmara will become its first destination in Eritrea, starting from December 10.



Situated in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea is home to some delightful modernist architecture, and a unique art deco scene for visitors to behold. Asmara is well known for its vibrant traditions, and hosts an abundance of cafes, restaurants and attractions for tourists to immerse themselves into the local culture.



The flight will operate once a week on Sundays, departing Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) at 22:00 hours, and arriving at Asmara International Airport (ASM) at 01:00 hours local time. The return flight will depart Asmara on Mondays at 01:40, landing in Sharjah the next day at 06:20 hours local time.



Adel Al Ali, group chief executive officer of Air Arabia, said: Eritrea is on the path to becoming an important market for the UAE. Through the launch of this route, we look to boost the trade and bilateral relations between the two countries, and expand our footprint in the African continent. We are excited to commence our operations to Asmara, which will provide affordable travel options to passengers travelling from Eritrea to destinations across our network and beyond.



Air Arabia currently operates flights to 133 routes across the globe from five hubs located in the Middle East and North Africa. - TradeArabia News Service
Hospitality group Radisson Blu has announced the opening of its second hotel in Beirut, Lebanon.



The 127-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Beirut Verdun opened its doors in Verdun, one of the capitals most prestigious and fashionable shopping and residential districts.



Tim Cordon, area senior vice president, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said: We are delighted to open our second Radisson Blu hotel in Beirut, one of the regions most vibrant capital cities and one with a rich history. The countrys tourism industry has flourished in the last few years and we are confident that the appeal of Beiruts cultural heritage and energising spirit will continue to attract tourists from the region and international markets. The hotel has a prime location in the citys Verdun district and the exclusive address perfectly complements the upper upscale positioning of the Radisson Blu brand.



The hotel is located on Verdun Main Street, one of the citys most fashionable boulevards and top shopping destinations. As one of the most prestigious residential areas in Beirut, the district hosts many of the worlds luxury fashion brands, stylish bars, cafes, upscale restaurants and various local and international diplomatic missions. Radisson Blu Hotel, Beirut Verdun itself is located in Dunes Center, just 3.5km away from BeirutRafic Hariri International Airport. The hotel is also situated opposite the newly opened ABC Verdun Mall, the countrys largest mall development, housing many leading retail brands, flagship stores, boutiques, restaurants and cinemas. The citys famous corniche Ramlet El Bayda is a short walk from the hotel, while Beiruts historical Downtown district and Hamra Street are just a 10-minute drive away.



Radisson Blu Hotel, Beirut Verdun offers a range of guest rooms and suites with a modern and stylish design and many rooms with views of the vibrant Verdun Main street. All rooms include free high speed wireless internet. Guest will have complimentary access to a new fitness gym located in the Dunes Center, which is set to open later this month.



Dining options at the hotel include the Cook House restaurant which provides a modern, international experience and overlooks Verdun Main Street. Guests can enjoy a selection of "a la carte" dishes served daily or start the day with the Radisson Blu Super Breakfast. This is in addition to Shogun, a pan-Asian restaurant within the hotel complex.



The hotels modern meetings and events space can host up to 600 guests and includes a 377-sq-m ballroom with built-in stage, the perfect venue for weddings and social occasions. The five meeting rooms are spacious and all with natural light and climate control. The meetings and events space also provides a business centre, free high-speed wireless internet, and a separate break-out area.



Mohamad Yassine, general manager of Radisson Blu Hotel Beirut Verdun said;

Radisson Blu Hotel, Beirut Verdun has the perfect location for guests to explore vibrant Beirut. We want to provide a world class hospitality experience through our legendary Yes I Can! service. The team are excited and ready to welcome our first guests."



Fadi Rayess, AGM at Les Dunes Hospitality, owning company of the hotel stated: We are pleased to establish a long term partnership with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group as we upgrade the hotel into Beiruts newest state of the art hospitality offering. The alliance with the Radisson Blu brand complements our strategy for Dunes Center. Building on its 20-year heritage, Dunes Center is undergoing major changes in tenant mix, design and facilities that will enhance the hotel guests experience. This is being done while Dunes Center is re-establishing its offering around Verdun neighborhood, becoming one of the capitals most interesting destinations for business and leisure." - TradeArabia News Service


Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
A tree strung with white lights waited in a kindergarten classroom Friday as Cottonwood Elementary School students decorated handmade ornaments.

Kindergartners painted snowflakes and reindeer faces made of popsicle sticks. They glued on buttons, shiny accents, eyes and red puffs for Rudolph noses. Soon, the ornaments will hang from the tree's branches.

Later this week, trees decorated by Cottonwood students will decorate the living rooms of eight families at the school who could not afford their own. The families will receive wrapped gifts to go under their trees as well.

Cottonwood employees and families worked with the Casper Family YMCA after-school program to provide the trees and decoration materials. Community members donated gifts through a donation tree at the Casper Family YMCA.

I think that its typical Wyoming attitudes, that weve come together to support these kids, principal Brian Doner said. Weve been really lucky to have the partnership with YMCA and the work weve been able to do support families has been really cool.

The idea for the project started with Morgan Harper, a coordinator with the YMCA afterschool program at Cottonwood. She once helped decorate and deliver trees with a class in high school, she said. The program leaders and school faculty organized a donation tree in the YMCA lobby with requests for gifts for eight families, she said.

Within a few days, 90 percent of the needed gifts had already been donated, said Amanda Konings, director of child care services at the YMCA.

I love it, Im very happy with the result, Harper said. Im just glad we got to partner with the school and make it a bigger deal and get it out in the community more.

Cottonwood nurse Raechyl Dunnuck contacted the families for gift ideas for the household members and built a spreadsheet that would maintain the families' confidentiality, school counselor Afton Jennings said.

Students created the ornaments for each unique tree. Fourth-graders on Friday cut out paper snowflakes. Third-graders had already completed their tree, which was decked out in clear glass ornaments filled with colorful candy sprinkles. The first-grade classes created a snowman-themed tree, topped with a snowman head sporting a red top hat.

Kindergartner Fabiano Servin concentrated Friday as he glued colored accents to his snowflake ornament. He smiled when asked about his Christmas tree at home. It has yellow lights like the one in the classroom, but with pinecones and green and purple ornaments, he said. He hopes another kid will like the tree the class is decorating just as much.

Theyre for somebody else that doesnt have one, he said.

Fourth-graders wound white lights around a white tree after finishing their ornaments last Friday. Adyson Myers thought about the families without money for presents after she finished her ornament and sat at her desk Friday. The decorated trees and gifts will be delivered to the recipient families Dec. 18.

They wouldnt have a Christmas, she said. But now they will have presents and a special tree from the school, which is really cool, she added.

Making ornaments is a way all the students in the school can be involved in the project and learn about giving, third-grade teacher Maureen Fretland said.

They know that theyre doing this for somebody else, she said. Thats a big thing for me, is to let them know that this is a way they can give to someone else who doesnt have their own.

This isnt the first time this year the YMCA and Cottonwood have teamed on a donation project, Jennings said. They also involved students in a drive for Thanksgiving meals for 10 families, and the school held a celebration with turkey bowling and a pie walk.

From giving for the decorations all the way up to meeting the needs of the families, everybody going above and beyond is just amazing to me," Jennings said.
The numbers are in on one of the most anticipated tourism events ever to take place in Wyoming. The results? The Great American Eclipse had a far more muted effect on the Cowboy State than the most optimistic estimates, but still contributed tens of millions of dollars to merchants along with a more modest sum flowing into public coffers.

About 99,000 out-of-state visitors said they came to Wyoming in late August solely to view the eclipse, according to a report released by the Wyoming Office of Tourism Monday, far below the projections of up to 500,000 eclipse visitors floated in the months leading up to the event. Another 100,000 people described the eclipse as an important factor in their trip.

Diane Shober, the tourism offices director, said the state may have been too timid in marketing the eclipse out of concern that smaller communities would be inundated with tourists.

In hindsight I think we took maybe a too-conservative approach, Diane Shober, the offices director, said. I wish we would have pushed a little harder.

But Shober said she was still pleased with the total numbers. The report was compiled by Dean Runyan Associates and Destination Analysts based on surveys distributed during the eclipse weekend, Aug. 19 to 23.

(While initial car-counts from the Wyoming Department of Transportation pegged the number of eclipse visitors at above 1 million, Shober said that given the results of her offices report she believes the same cars may have been counted multiple times.)

Confusing calculations

The estimates are muddied by the fact that the report counted many visitors who said they would have traveled to Wyoming that weekend even if there had not been an eclipse.

Shober said the survey extrapolated on its sample size of roughly 1,900 people to determine the total number of visitors in Wyoming during the eclipse and how many of those people were on trips related to the eclipse. A Star-Tribune analysis of data in the report found that while more than 250,000 out-of-state visitors traveled to Wyoming during the eclipse weekend, about 45 percent would have come whether or not there had been an eclipse. Just under 40 percent said they would not have come without the eclipse, and another 15 percent said they were unsure whether or not they would have come.

But the tourism office report counted eclipse visitors as anyone who said that experiencing the eclipse was either very important or important to their decision to make the trip to Wyoming. Roughly 200,000 out-of-state visitors described the eclipse as an important factor and those individuals spent $63.4 million during that period, generating $3.8 million in tax dollars for the state and local governments, according to the report.

The report also found that 63,500 Wyoming residents traveled within the state on trips related to the eclipse.

Wyoming disadvantages

Shober said that Wyoming faced an inherent disadvantage in drawing eclipse tourists because it is not close to many large population centers, meaning fewer people are within reasonable driving distance of the state. Other states within the path of the solar eclipses totality, such as Oregon, were much closer to major metropolitan areas.

Given that, Shober said she was happy with the total turnout over the weekend.

We were thrilled, she said. For something thats five days, thats pretty phenomenal.

(While Wyoming did not offer an official estimate of eclipse visitors ahead of the event, Oregons Office of Emergency Management planned to accommodate 1 million visitors in the state during the eclipse, but it appears that in the end far fewer people traveled to that state.)

Shober said that the over-the-top estimates of the number of tourists preparing to descend on Wyoming may have deterred more casual visitors who decided not to drive up from Colorado or neighboring states because they were worried about traffic jams and overcrowding in towns along the eclipses path.

Benefit to communities

On the ground, local officials said they were pleased with the turnout.

Casey Adams with Wind River Country, Fremont Countys tourism board, said the eclipse drew manageable crowds and that merchants and lodging operators were pleased.

On the road to nowhere, eclipse raises town's hope for redemption PAVILLION  Town Clerk Beckie Hatcher lost count of how many people have called her from aro

When (the visitors) all left at the same time we had a little bit of a countywide, statewide traffic jam and it was actually a really cool physical demonstration of how many people chose Wyoming, she said.

In Casper, which sat in the path of totality and was billed as the largest eclipse destination in the state, leaders said that while crowds fell somewhat below expectations, the eclipse festival was still a success.

Visit Casper CEO Brook Kaufman said the Wyoming Eclipse Festival generated community pride and was smoothly executed. While she was expecting more visitors to come, Kaufman said that even looking back she would not have amended the citys promotional efforts. Expecting unmanageable crowds to arrive on Caspers doorstep without any invitation, organizers intentionally chose not to try and attract additional visitors or draw tourists away from other eclipse-viewing destinations in the country.

Im actually really good with where we landed, Kaufman said. I thought it was a good decision.

Two minutes of twilight will stay with Casper eclipse viewers for a lifetime At Mike Sedar Park, they called out the temperature as it dropped from 82 degrees to a chill

Casper City Manager Carter Napier said that the city brought in about $450,000 in sales tax revenue above what was expected while spending only $150,000 on eclipse-related expenses.

Napier said the states report may have underestimated the economic benefit to cities and towns. The survey found that $7.5 million was spent by eclipse travelers in Natrona County, yielding $170,000 in local sales tax revenue.

Oh I tell you, I think on the whole it was very positive for us and did create a lot of benefit, Napier said. But I do admit that I expected more from a population standpoint to descend on the community.

But tourism officials said that the eclipse provided a benefit in publicity for Wyoming destinations, exposing visitors to parts of the state they might not have been familiar with and laying the groundwork for future trips. Those intangible benefits were not included in the report.

On Wyoming's Wind River Reservation, eclipse planning is a little different By Art Lawsons calculations, it would take 20 to 30 game wardens to adequately patrol over 

There were so many people who ended up in the state who wouldnt have come otherwise, Adams, in Fremont County, said. We can count on that for word-of-mouth and return visits.
CHEYENNE  A local woman accused of throwing her 2-month-old daughter into a ditch over the weekend made an initial appearance Tuesday in Laramie County Circuit Court.

When asked by Circuit Judge Tom Lee whether she understood the charges of aggravated child abuse and criminal entry facing her, 31-year-old Lillian Jeffrey was blunt.

Yes, but I dont agree with it, she said.

Her appearance came over teleconference from the Laramie County jail, where she is being held on a $10,000 bond.

Lee set her preliminary hearing for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 20.

Jeffrey is accused of leaving her daughter in a ditch on a 30-degree night, wearing only a diaper and T-shirt. Officers responded to a suspicious activity call from the Loves Travel Stop at 3305 W. College Drive around 1:15 a.m. Saturday and found Jeffrey in her car, wearing no pants, with the windows rolled down.

A 4-year-old boy was found sleeping next to Jeffrey in the front passenger seat.

The officer observed two car seats in the back, and Jeffrey claimed her baby was manifesting  hanging from the Loves Travel Stop sign, according to court documents.

Police searched the area and found the baby about 20 feet from the car, lying in a pile of rocks, and wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a diaper.

The baby had bruises and abrasions on her forehead, toes and knuckles. Doctors at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center found fractures to her skull, internal bleeding and a collapsed lung.

The child was then transported to Childrens Hospital Colorado in Aurora, where she was recovering Monday evening, according to Cheyenne Police Department spokesman Officer Kevin Malatesta.

According to court documents, Jeffrey was cited by Laramie County Sheriffs deputies for rummaging through a purse in a parked car at 9:15 p.m. Friday.

The 4-year-old was placed in protective custody following Jeffreys arrest Saturday.

Its unclear how many children Jeffrey has, but child support documents from Laramie County District Court indicate that the state sought support from Jeffrey in recent years for two children.

Another child was in her custody when child support documents were filed in 2014.
Hours before police arrested a Wyoming woman suspected of tossing her infant daughter into a ditch, a sheriffs deputy cited her for allegedly breaking into a nearby car.

Lillian Jeffrey, 31, was cited for rummaging through a purse in a parked car at 9:15 on Friday night, according to court documents.

She was arrested four hours later on suspicion of throwing her 2-month-old daughter into a ditch near a truck stop less than a third of a mile from the site of the citation. Officers believe she may have been high on drugs at the time.

A Laramie County Sheriffs Office captain said early Monday afternoon that Jeffrey had been cited for the crime, but did not respond to multiple follow-up calls.

Officers responded to a suspicious activity call at about 1:15 a.m. on Saturday 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, a 4-year-old, was inside. That child was taken into protective custody.

Authorities say they suspect Jeffrey may have been high at the time and made nonsensical statements when officers arrived.

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.

A Cheyenne Police Department spokesman said Monday evening that the baby was still in the hospital.

The baby is doing OK, Officer Kevin Malatesta said. Recovering.

Jeffrey was still being held in Laramie County Detention Center on Monday.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Dec. 12 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.
A Golder Ranch fire crew was honored Tuesday for its quick action in saving the life of a fire captain who was having a severe allergic reaction.

On Nov. 1, Golder Ranch Fire Captain Alfred Valencia was driving to work from Oracle when he realized he was having an allergic reaction, Anne-Marie Braswell, a Golder Ranch Fire District spokeswoman, said in a news release.

Valencias symptoms were so severe that he wasnt able to call 911, but by that time he was near a Golder Ranch fire station in Saddlebrooke, Braswell said.

Valencia went into the fire station, where the crew quickly assessed the severity of his allergic reaction and treated him while transporting him to a local hospital, Braswell said.

Valencia was admitted to the intensive care unit but was released shortly after and has since returned to work, Braswell said.

The crew on duty included Randy Scholey, Justin Flynn, Peter Paddock, Ruben Figueroa, Kyle Rhein and Jeremy North, all of whom were recognized for their quick action and excellent patient care during Tuesdays meeting.

Valencia acknowledged Tuesday how fortunate he was that the outcome was so positive, saying that he now carries an EpiPen with him at all times.
PHOENIX  Republicans are lining up to vie for the seat in Congress vacated Friday by Trent Franks.

A special election will decide who fills out the remainder of the term, through the end of 2018. Franks, a Republican, resigned Friday ahead of a House Ethics Committee investigation into complaints against him of sexual harassment.

Former legislator and utility regulator Bob Stump was first out of the gate, barely waiting until after Gov. Doug Ducey formally set the special primary election for Feb. 27 and the general election for April 24.

Stump immediately sought to claim the anti-Washington cloak, saying his agenda includes uprooting an entrenched deep state which thwarts conservative reforms and subverts our democratic institutions.

State Sen. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, was not far behind in his announcement, claiming the blessing of the now-former congressman.

He asked me to run for his seat to continue the fight to restore the republic, and to look after the people of Arizonas 8th Congressional District, said Montenegro, who worked for Franks at his local district office.

Montenegro said he believes he can continue the work that Franks was doing in Congress to rebuild the military and balance the budget.

He said he does not believe that the allegations against Franks of improper conduct, which ultimately forced the eight-term congressman to resign, take anything away from that endorsement.

Trent has apologized for what he did, for what happened, Montenegro said of Franks offer to pay a staffer to be a surrogate mother for himself and his wife. He acknowledged his mistake and he took full responsibility and he resigned.

Montenegro said he will resign from his legislative seat on Friday. That way he will avoid provoking a legal battle under the states resign-to-run law. It prohibits elected state and local officials from becoming candidates for any other post except during the final year of their term.

The deadline for filing nominating petitions for the congressional race is Jan. 10. But those in the Legislature serve terms that do not end until Jan. 14, 2019.

The Arizona Attorney Generals Office is reviewing the 1980 voter-approved resign-to-run law to determine if it can be interpreted in a way to allow current legislators to remain in office while running in the special election.

That question could affect who else gets in the race.

Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, said Monday she will make a decision by the end of the week whether to join the fray.

Lesko said she has consulted attorneys who specialize in election laws. And she said there is some difference of opinion on whether the law could be used to oust her or any other incumbent who runs for the CD 8 seat.

Lesko added that, for all practical purposes, she could not try to stay in the Senate if she runs. Just to get the job done, Id probably have to resign because Ill be full time working and campaigning, she said, noting the short amount of time between now and the primary.

Rep. Darrin Mitchell, R-Goodyear, indicated Monday he remains interested in the open seat and will decide shortly. And a spokesman for state Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, said she is seriously considering making a bid for Congress.

Former Rep. Phil Lovas, R-Peoria, who quit the Legislature earlier this year to take a job in the Trump administration, announced Monday he had quit that post at the Small Business Administration. Political strategist Brian Seitchik said Lovas will have an announcement later on this week.

Another politician with experience in the area that CD 8 covers also is exploring a run.

Youd be foolish not to look at the opportunity, said Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman. He said he has name recognition in his supervisory district, which closely aligns with CD 8, as well as the personal finances  his family owns Hickmans Family Farms  for what will be a short, intensive campaign.

Outside the traditional political sphere, Goodyear resident Christopher Sylvester was a declared candidate for CD 8 even before Franks resignation set up the special election.

Also filing paperwork Monday was Jon Ritzheimer, who gained some notoriety by holding anti-Muslim protests in front of a Phoenix mosque in 2015 and was convicted of federal conspiracy charges last year for his role in the occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon.

Travis Angry, author of If I Can, You Can, a memoir of his struggles, said he also is strongly considering a bid, citing his experience as a veteran of the Army and Navy.

Three Democrats already had moved to run in the district before Franks resignation: Judith McHale, Hiral Tipirneni and Brianna Westbrook.

The most recent voter registration numbers show Republicans outnumber Democrats by 187,234 to 109,467 in the district. There also are 156,007 voters who have opted not to register with any party.

Would-be Republican contenders need at least 860 signatures on petitions to qualify for the primary.

For Democrats the figure is 665, while 401 are needed for Libertarian candidates and 392 for Green Party candidates.

Anyone who wants to run as an independent in the general election first has to submit 4,680 signatures by the Jan. 10 deadline.
Anthony Woznick, a student at Desert View High School, has been nominated along with four other Arizona students as a state finalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education award. Woznick will be recognized at a ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

Students were selected by a review team consisting of six CTE stakeholders based on evidence of academic rigor, technical competence, employability skills, and ingenuity and creativity.

The five nominations were submitted by the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instructions Office to the Commission on Presidential Scholars at the U.S. Department of Education. Woznick was the only student from Southern Arizona nominated for the award.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education program honors students on the basis of outstanding scholarship and demonstrated ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields.

Three Tucson schools getting D-backs grants

Three Tucson schools have been selected to receive grants as part of the D-backs $100,000 School Challenge.

The awards, presented by the University of Phoenix, will fund projects ranging in need from school improvement to innovative programming.

Locally, Envision High School will receive grant funds for a culinary-arts program; Lulu Walker Elementary School will receive funding for a nutrition/fitness project; and Ochoa Community School will receive a grant to support an ecology project.

Each of the schools will also be honored at a 2018 Arizona Diamondbacks game next spring at Chase Field, with the D-backs donating tickets for students, parents, teachers and staff.

Marana district seeks input on textbook

The Marana Unified School District is considering adopting a new textbook for its Advanced Placement comparative government and politics course at Mountain View High School.

The text, AP* Comparative Government and Politics: An Essential Coursebook (seventh edition), is available for public review Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Jan. 8 at the Marana Unified School District Office, 11290 W. Grier Road., Suite 121C.

For more information, call 682-4745, Ext. 2757.
Columnist Tim Steller implies that it is because of Pres. Trump and US Attorney General Sessions that Priest Tadeo was prosecuted for assaulting a Border Patrol Agent. Well, the incident apparently occurred at the end of December 2016, before Trump was inaugurated as Pres., and long before Senator Sessions became US Attorney General. Yes, Sessions has since called for aggressive prosecutions of illegal immigrants assaulting Border Patrol Agents (BPA). I would argue that the current higher number of assault cases against BPAs are not because of any sudden spike in assaults, but because they were ignored under the pro-illegal immigrant Obama USDOJ.
In recognizing Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel and preparing to relocate the US embassy to that city, President Trump has sided with Netanyahu and the Likud party in opposition to the Palestinians. His decision opposes the views of the leaders of most Western countries, who favor a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and recognize Muslim sentiments regarding Jerusalem.
Unfortunately our president has made a decision to support Roy Moore, who has been accused multiple times by women for sexual abuse. I guess this was what we should have expected as birds of a feather (and in this case really, really) flock together. If that wasn't bad enough our leader of the free world decided to announce that Jerusalem would be recognized as the capitol of Israel.

What was he thinking, and where were his advisors? To make this decision at a time when thousands of people will be visiting that part of the world for the Christmas holidays was insane. If he didn't know what the ramifications of that announcement would be, his advisors should have. General Kelly where are you?

Fred DiNoto

Northwest side
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To pay rich tribute to the founders of their alma mater, the Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni in Bahrain celebrated the 97th Foundation Day of their beloved institution with fervor. Eminent Jamiate and convener of India Islamic Cultural Centers Saudi Chapter Murshid Kamal graced the occasion as the chief guest. In his keynote speech Kamal highlighted the vision, mission and goal for which this august institution came into existence.

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Jamia is not merely an educational institution, rather it is a center of excellence which represents the history of cultural diversification associated with a unique ideology of co-existence. If one wants to see the true example of secularism and combination of progressive mindset and Islamic thought, one may find it in Jamia Millia islamia, Kamal said.

The prominent educationist and chairman of Al Haitham International School in Bahrain Shakeel Azmi, who graced the event as guest of honor, mentioned his association with Jamia and provided accounts of sacrifices made by its dedicated faculty members for educational upliftment of the community.

Making special reference to the historical contribution of Jamia in promotion of Urdu literature, Azmi said, The Urdu literary circle cannot overlook the profound impact which professors of Jamia have made on history of Urdu literature.

Sultan Khan also spok e on the occasion, whereas activist and social worker Masood Khan proposed vote of thanks.  The events success would not have been possible without active support and sincere efforts from Obaid Naiyer, Ikhwat Burney, Neha Obaid, Shabbir Khan, Shariq Khan, Imran Khan, Nishat, Sartaj Ahmad, Raunaq Anjum, Zeeshan Azfar, Shareef Alam and many others, thanked the event organizers in a press note.
Knife deaths figures among children and teenagers in England and Wales are set to hit astronomical heights this year, the worse since 2008. Fresh official statistics show London is facing its second worst year in four decades as poor data collation expose a rising violent crime faced by young people.

Amid chaotic data of the demographic profiles of young people who have died from knife attacks in the UK, information has shown that police forces across the country do not publish figures for the number of young people killed by knives and the Office of National Statistics (ONS) is equally silent on this information in its homicide figures.

However, succour from the Homicide Index, a Home Office dataset which records homicide figures in England and Wales dating back to 1967, holds the figures for young persons Knife deaths in the country.

The Guardian freedom of information request with nonchalant Home Office for knife deaths figures over the past 40 years went unanswered for 10 months as they downplayed the significance of the social problem.

Figures show an upswing in knife deaths among children and teenagers in England and Wales

Similarly, these figures also somersaulted the common narrative that knife deaths are a phenomenon among only black teenagers. According to The Guarding report, " in the decade to 2015, the vast majority of those who died (from knife attacks) were not black teenagers.

Almost two-thirds of the victims were white or Asian. While those figures are disproportionate to the population, they still challenge perceptions about young knife deaths.

Black on black knife crimes, or more familiarly, 'black on black crime' have in the last decade gained notoriety in the eyes of the public and police forces alike and have formed a significant part of police investigations in England and Wales, oftentimes frustrating police chiefs to the hilt.

The London Metropolitan Police Commissioner, was an embodiment of this frustration when last month she came under severe criticisms for apparently calling for "more black boys" to be locked up after suggesting that harsher jail terms should be used to deter teenagers driving a spate of knife crime in London. But correctional facilities have really not corrected anyone.

Following a spike in knife attacks and stabbings in London, accounting for over 15 percent so far this year with 16 teenage deaths due to knife attacks, the Commissioner said: We need a blend of better engagement by public services, more diversion, and more imaginative community resolution to help keep as many young people out of prison as possible. For debate, should we couple that with harsher more effective sentencing? It is clear other approaches are no longer working.

The Commissioner added that young black men and boys were statistically more likely to be the victims and perpetrators of knife crime, making up 21 of 24 teenagers murdered so far this year.

Deadly spate of knife attacks show no signs of abating

As more incidents of Death by knives are reported across the capital, families are reeling from the tortuous impact of these dastardly and murderous mayhem on our streets. The family of Jason Isaacs, a teenager stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack in Northolt in north-west London in November, said knife crime was 'out of control' in the capital, and called on the authorities to do more to stop young people carrying knives.

Senseless knife killings in England and Wales remain stubborn and intractable leading to a nine-year peak, with official figures showing that this year alone, 35 children and teenagers have been killed with fears that this figure is set to rise.

So what is the right approach to stemming the tide of violent knife attacks and its growing impact on everyday people and the society? Perhaps authorities in England and Wales need to borrow a leaf from Scotland where knife crime is treated as a health issue which has now led to a dramatic drop in stabbings: of the 35 deaths of young people in Britain this year, none were in Scotland.

The direct correlation between the approach to tackling knife crime in Scotland and the drop in the occurrence is so stark and raises very fundamental questions about the myopic way we view health issues.

According to the Guardian, between April 2006 and April 2011, 40 children and teenagers were killed in knife attacks in Scotland. Between 2011 and 2016, that figure fell to just eight.

The decline has been most precipitous in Glasgow, which once had one of the highest murder rates in western Europe.

Between 2006 and 2011, 15 children and teenagers were killed with knives in Scotlands largest city; between April 2011 and April 2016, that figure was zero. The number of people carrying knives also appears to have declined across Scotland.

Police Scotland figures show that there were 10, 110 recorded incidents of handling an offensive weapon in 2006-2007, a figure which fell to 3, 111 in 2015-2016  a decline of 69 percent in a decade!

These are numbing statistics. There is a good story that is been told in Scotland. Perhaps authorities in England and Wales need to pay greater attention to why the prescription which seems to suggest locking up more offenders might not be the right medicine for the ailment. Across the pond in the United States, the over-populated prison system has not scratched crime on the surface. Perhaps, just perhaps, Scotland holds the answer.
When the Iraqi military earlier this week declared that Iraq has now been 'fully liberated' from ISIS, it was news that the region should have rejoiced in. ISIS, an acronym for Islamic Sate of Iraq and Syria, who declared their caliphate in Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria in 2014 - played a monumental part in the violence that has engulfed the region in recent years, most notably in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

So, whilst the defeat of the militant organisation will not spell the end of violence that has become so widespread in the region, it can certainly be considered a step in the right direction.

However, instead of a sense of delight encircling the region, there is instead a sense of apprehension regarding further conflict, as Trump's decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, has incited many.

Since the UN Partition Plan of 1947, which designated Jerusalem an international city, due to the controversy and sensitivity that surrounds the issue, no American president has opted to sort the issue out. Until Trump.

Indeed, the decision has caused a great deal of anger across the world. Protests erupted in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip immediately after the decision was made by Trump, as part of the 'Day of Rage,' and protests have been ongoing since.

Similarly, various countries across the globe have taken heed too, with protests spewing in Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, Malaysia, and Indonesia, to name a few.

The decision has not gone down well, but this will not come as a surprise to Trump. Palestine is considered a sacred city for Muslims, so this is a battle against the Muslim world, not just the Palestinians.

Unfortunately, it is another battle that may prove detrimental to the middle east.

What happens next?

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has been vocal since the outset, and recently labelled Israel 'terrorists' and a 'child murderer state'. He criticized Trump's decision and vowed to 'unite Islamic countries, leaders and states', and affirmed that Jerusalem will not be abandoned.

His views were echoed by counterpart and Russian President Vladimir Putin who condemned the US President and his decision and claimed it will play a part in 'destabilizing the region'.

These are two leaders who played a compelling role in the Syrian civil war which has precipitated a disheartening refugee crisis and fuelled a humanitarian crisis, hence showing they are not afraid to use force when necessary, and they have made their views clear regarding Israel and the US.

Likewise, the long-term adversary of Israel, Hezbollah, who went head to head with Israel in the south of Lebanon in 2000 and the Lebanon war of 2006, and have risen in prominence and discipline since their active engagement in the Syrian Civil War, where they fought robustly against anti-government forces and ISIS - also expressed their outrage at the predicament.

Their leader, Hassan Nasrallah, following unceasing protests in Beirut, Lebanon, asserted his intention to make the Palestinian cause the focal point of Hezbollah's strategy.

Turkey, Russia, and Hezbollah have risen in importance in the Middle East due to their actions in Syria, and all 3 have their differences with Israel and the US.

Thus, their condemnation of Israel and the US may lead to combat, should protests continue, and if the stance of Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hit back at Erdogan, by claiming he will not listen to someone who 'helps terrorists' - remains the same, things could escalate.

It is palpable that tensions are rising amongst the heavyweights of the Middle East regarding the Jerusalem subject matter.

A storm is certainly brewing, and time will tell what the consequences are.

Severe consequences?

One thing is for sure, the Palestinians cannot afford another war. The last major war with Israel in 2014, cost them 2251 lives, most of whom were civilians, and ravaged the infrastructure.

Likewise, Israel will be wary of another war, especially with Hezbollah, as the war in 2006 crippled them more than they expected, and since then, Hezbollah has gone from strength to strength.

Additionally, it appears Putin has switched his attention away from Syria, as during his recent regional visit, he ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops in Syria. Likewise, in Nasrallah's aforementioned speech, he alluded to the victories Hezbollah had gained in the region.

This alongside the vocal nature of Erdogan's response suggests Palestine has now been prioritized in the region.

The world has made their views clear concerning Jerusalem, and the ball is now in Israel and the US's court, but early signs suggest their stance will not shift.

How this conflict develops will be intriguing, and signs are that it will only worsen, which paves the way for another brutal war - something the Middle East cannot afford.
US President Donald Trump is expected to finally have his state visit to the UK in early 2018, according to an American ambassador, where it is anticipated that he will officially open a new American embassy on UK soil. The ambassador, Woody Johnson, told the BBCs Today show that he expects the President to visit the UK in a working capacity early on in next year.

The prospect of Trumps state visit to the UK was thrown into question when the US President started an argument with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Twitter with regards to a supposed terrorist threat to the UK posed by the Muslim population.

Trump retweeted some posts by the far right-wing, anti-Muslim organisation Britain First, and May condemned him for it, since sharing the views of a hate group is highly irresponsible of a world leader (supposedly the leader of the free world) and not in line with what she perceives as British values.

The announcements made by Johnson are the first official confirmations on behalf of the United States Government that President Trump intends to visit the UK in a formal capacity, purportedly so that he can open up a new American embassy on British soil. However, it is not expected to be a formal state visit, which would include a meeting with the Queen (who once joked that she wanted Trump to visit because she would be legally allowed to kill him).

Trump will probably not be meeting the Queen

Aside from the fact that a formal state visit by Trump to the UK is not at all wanted by anyone in the country, the Queen will probably be too busy, anyway, because the Commonwealth summit is next year. Johnson has also said that the media has probably misinterpreted what exactly went down between May and Trump in the wake of Trumps Britain First retweets.

However, the reason that Trump retweeted the posts  that he hates Muslims and wants them all gone  remains alarmingly clear.

A picture of former US President Ronald Reagans state visit to the UK where he is smiling to the cameras with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been circulating around the internet since Johnsons announcement that Trump plans to visit the UK next year.

This is because many parallels can be drawn between Reagan and Trump, and between May and Thatcher. Mays nickname among the Labour-supporting community is Maggie May, while Reagan is another Republican President who ran for office with the slogan (you guess it) Make America Great Again.

The new US embassy will cost 800 million

The interview with Johnson that turned into an interview about Trumps state visit to the UK was actually originally about the American embassy on British soil, which is apparently going to be moved from its current location is Grosvenor Square in the middle of London to its new location on a compound in Battersea, just south of the River Thames, which will cost a whopping 800 million.

According to Johnson, any new US embassy needs to be dedicated by a sitting President, which is why Trump would have to go to the UK if the move is to take place.

However, whatever happens with the state visit, there will certainly be some contentions between Trump and May, since the British PM told the US President that he was wrong to share the Britain First videos, and then Trump angrily replied that she should focus on the growing threat of Islamic State terrorism in the UK instead of what hes up to on Twitter, which only exacerbated things. But Johnson, who is close to the President, is now saying that the relationship between Trump and the British government is still very, very good. Right. Well, a date for the state visit has yet to be set, so it still might not happen.
The US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, has confirmed to the BBC that US President Donald Trump intends to visit the UK next year, despite recent contentions with British Prime Minister Theresa May over the far-right UK hate group, Britain First. Johnson said that since May was the first official foreign leader to visit the President in the White House in January after he was inaugurated.

Now, UK political officials are weighing in

Stella Creasy, the Labour Party MP for Walthamstow, has said that Brits should peacefully protest Trumps state visit when it happens (supposedly early next year), for the sake of the countrys dignity and self-respect.

Creasy said that by promoting the posts of Britain First, the US President has undermined [the UKs] democratic process of dealing with issues of terror and other such problems.

Creasy is also annoyed that Trump did not listen to our Prime Minister, worrying for what would come next if he did visit the UK. Shes also irritated that Martha Stewart wasnt allowed to visit the UK, because it would not be conducive to the public good, and yet the Muslim-banning, p*ssy-grabbing President of the United States is welcomed right in. However, Sir Christopher Meyer, who used to be the UK ambassador to Washington, has said that all Americans  even those who didnt vote for The Donald  would be offended if the UK withdrew its invitation.
The issue of whether or not US President Donald Trump should be granted a state visit to the UK is back on the cards and up for debate again ever since the President tweeted an insult to British Prime Minister Theresa May after she condemned him for openly supporting and retweeting the bigoted anti-Muslim hate group Britain First. However, the issue has been raised before, earlier this year by John Bercow, the Speaker for the House of Commons, who did not believe that the hate-mongering US President had "earned" the right to visit the UK and address Parliament.

In that case, Bercow was the one who got condemned, firstly because it's not in his job description as the Speaker for the House of Commons to voice his opinions, but also because May and Trump had a good, friendly relationship back then. That was before he personally attacked her and drove a wedge between the UK and the United States. Good going, Donald.

Morally questionable leaders of China, Indonesia, and Kuwait all welcomed to the UK with open arms

However, there have been far worse World Leaders than Trump who have been allowed a state visit and addressed Parliament whilst here. For example, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is infamous for abusing the human rights of the people of China and also enforced a Muslim ban on his country, or Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose corrupt government could do with a good cleanup by a Robert Mueller probe.

And then there's Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, who doesnt allow Israeli passport holders into his country. So, if these guys are welcomed with open arms, why not Trump?
Net2Phone Partners with Master Agent TeleDomani

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By Paula Bernier

Executive Editor, TMC By Paula BernierExecutive Editor, TMC

IDT Corp. (News - Alert)s net2phone has called on master agent TeleDomani to be one of its go-to-market partners.





TeleDomani CEO and founder Gina Pigott had this to say about the new partnership. net2phone is a perfect fit for our agency community. With their robust feature sets, unlimited international calling, and free phones  all offered in conjunction with agent-driven pricing, an advanced quoting tools, and generous commissions  net2phones solutions provide outstanding value for both our agents and their clients.

With two decades in business, net2phone offers hosted PBX (News - Alert) and SIP trunking services. Its solutions are offered exclusively via channel partners.

IDT Corp. provides retail communications, payment and money transfer services primarily under its Boss Revolution (News - Alert) brand, and cloud-based telecommunications services to businesses through its net2Phone effort. IDTs wholesale telecommunications business supports international long-distance voice calls.

TeleDomani is based out of Melville, N.Y., where it opened a new corporate headquarters in July. It offers cloud, data, managed services, mobility, security, and voice services. And its partners include ACC Business, AccessPint, airespring, American Telephone Co., and Verizon (News - Alert).

The global VoIP market was worth more than $43 billion last year. And its set to generate $93.9 billion in revenue by 2024, according to Florida-based market research and consulting company Ameri Research.

Global Market Insights says the overall UC market is poised to reach $96 billion by 2023. And it notes the expected proliferation of hosted products in this category.

Meanwhile, a 2015 BroadSoft (News - Alert) survey indicates UCs cloud market share will increase six fold by 2020, when its expected to reach 41 percent. The company adds that cloud-based UC is poised to grow by more than seven times in the mid-market arena.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Article comments powered by Disqus Article comments powered by

Edited by Maurice Nagle
Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic church who studies and believes what the Bible says. However, he is pointing out that something in the Bible has been translated badly. He has proposed to change a phrase in the "Lord's Prayer" that he doesn't agree with.

The pontiff agrees that the prayer that is also known as "Our Father" is a popular one in Catholicism. However, he says the phrase lead us not into temptation is not a good representation of God.

Pope Francis' view

Pope Francis has a reputation for speaking against tradition, and on Friday (Dec.

8) he pointed out on an Italian television network that the phrase in Matthew 6:13 was not translated correctly. He says, "Lead us not into temptation" is not correct because God does not lead anyone to sin. He argues that the phrase needs to be translated correctly.

The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to say is one that is learned and recited by those who have attended Sunday School and church most of their lives. Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians can recite the prayer by heart. It has been quoted by millions of people around the world for centuries.

The translation

The pope said the way it is in the Bible and understood by millions is not a good translation because it implies God actively pushes people into temptation.

Francis uses himself as an example and said he is the one who falls, and it is not God who leads him into the temptation to watch how he has fallen. The pope said it is Satan and not God who causes us to fall.

The people who heard the interview gave Pope Francis their approval to move ahead to change that particular phrase in the short prayer that appears in two gospels, Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.

Pope Francis wants people to know that he is not planning to change Jesus' words. Instead, he is proposing to make a better translation from the original Greek. The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, warns that people should not criticize the pope for his plan to get a more appropriate translation of the phrase. He is not changing the words Jesus spoke.

He wants to change the translation.

Pope Francis wants the Roman Catholic Church to consider a translation like the one recently adopted by the Catholic Church in France that states, Do not let us fall into temptation.

What do you think about Pope Francis' viewpoint and his plan to change the translation? Do you think what the pope says makes a logical argument for changing something that has been in the Bible all these years in not one but in two different gospels?
If there's one issue that most conservatives can rally behind, it's cutting taxes. After Republicans in the House of Representatives, and later the Senate, released their latest tax plan, First Daughter Ivanka Trump announced she will lend her support in helping turn it into law.

Ivanka on taxes

One of the biggest areas where Democrats and Republicans split is when it comes to the economy, most notably taxes. For decades, liberals and conservatives have fought over how to run the county's tax system, with Republicans pushing for tax cuts, typically for higher earners, and cuts to many government programs, while Democrats advocate for tax hikes on wealthier Americans and a greater investment in the government.

Whether it was during the era of former President Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, two George Bushes, or Barack Obama, the issue has been battered back between both sides for years. With the election of Donald Trump, the topic has continued to remain one of the most important in American politics. For the former host of "The Apprentice," he's vowed to bring forward the best tax plan that Americans have seen, with Republicans in Congress revealing their latest ideas last week. However, after analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the GOP plan would add $1.7 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. Despite this, Ivanka Trump announced on social media that she will do whatever she can to help make the bill into reality.

This coming week I will be in NY, NJ, and on the Hill in D.C. working with Members of Congress to make #TaxReform a reality! pic.twitter.com/LOjdhZsGDb  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) November 12, 2017

Taking to Twitter on Sunday afternoon, Ivanka Trump, who serves as a special assistant to her father, noted that she will be making various stops in the North East to push for Tax Reform based on the Republican plans that are sitting in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

"This coming week I will be in NY, NJ, and on the Hill in D.C. working with Members of Congress to make #TaxReform a reality!" Ivanka tweeted out. As expected, critics of the president wasted no time firing back.

JUST IN: GOP tax plan would add trillions to national debt, barely boost economic growth: report https://t.co/dtKe3J6VYa pic.twitter.com/Mc4uKZaYbS  The Hill (@thehill) November 7, 2017

Twitter reacts

Once Ivanka Trump sent out her tweet about promoting tax reform, those who oppose Donald Trump and the Republican Party decided to give their thoughts.

"What do you do, exactly?" one tweet rhetorically asked while attatching a meme from the movie "Office Space."

What do you do, exactly? pic.twitter.com/4evX6ZjIBf  Tom Wolf (@twolf10) November 12, 2017

"And after those places this one soon.....your family is corrupt, you colluded with Russia, and it will all come out," another tweet added. "Are you going to talk about how the #GOPTaxScam will save you and your family hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars?" one Twitter user asked, before wondering, "Or are you going to lie about its non-existent benefits for the middle class?"

You mean laundering money and trying to stay out of jail along with your Russian spy husband, and your Russian spy brothers.  Marlon Zapata (@awakeblessed) November 12, 2017

No @IvankaTrump -- you are playing with Adults b/c your Daddy lets you. The more we learn about you, the more it's obvious that you have NO IDEA what you're talking about.



You aren't even smart enough to be embarrassed.  Archivist1000 (@Archivist1000) November 12, 2017

And after those places this one soon.....



your family is corrupt, you colluded with Russia, and it will all come out. pic.twitter.com/6ntVlMflmi  Ryan Graney (@RyanEGraney) November 12, 2017

"No thanks.

Stay home. We didn't vote for you, either," an additional tweet stated. "You mean laundering money and trying to stay out of jail along with your Russian spy husband, and your Russian spy brothers," yet another tweet read. The negative reaction continued as the opposition to Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and the GOP moved forward.
The Alabama special election for an open Senate seat between Repubican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones has captivated a national audience. After First Daughter Ivanka Trump came out in opposition to Moore, Breitbart CEO and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon decided to engage in mockery.

Bannon on Moore

Voters will head to the polls in Alabama on Tuesday night to decide who they will send to the United States Senate to represent their state. On one side they have Doug Jones, a moderate Democrat who has put conservative voters at odds due to his support for a woman's right to choose when it comes to abortion.

On the flip side, voters can vote for Roy Moore, who has been accused by multiple women of engaging in sexual assault and harassment when they were underage. Moore has also come under fire for his controversial remarks about slavery, Jewish people, and his stance on women's rights. Moore has denied that allegations against him, but the original report in the Washington Post used 30 sources to back up their story. The national Republican reaction has been split at times, but that hasn't stopped President Donald Trump from offering his support. In contrast, Ivanka Trump has spoken out against Moore, saying there is a "special place in hell" for people who abuse children. As reported by The Hill on December 11, former Trump strategist and head of Breitbart, Steve Bannon, decided to mock Ivanka's remarks.

Steve Bannon: "There's a special place in hell for Republicans who" don't support Roy Moore. #alsen #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/p2NnbGSMh5  American Bridge (@American_Bridge) December 12, 2017

On Monday night in Alabama, Roy Moore held a last-minute rally in an attempt to push himself over the top and defeat Democratic nominee Doug Jones.

At the rally was Steve Bannon who has endorsed Moore since the start of the special election, and who made sure to attack Republicans who have refused to show support for the campaign.

"Mitch McConnell and Sen. Shelby, and Condi Rice and all that, Little Bobby Corker, all the establishment out there doesn't have Trump's back at all," Steve Bannon said, while name-dropping those Republicans who oppose Roy Moore.

"What they want him for is that corporate tax cut," he said.

Not stopping there, Steve Bannon appeared to mock Ivanka Trump by using her line of attack against Roy Moore during his own rant against conservatives who are not in lockstep with his agenda. "There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better," he said.

Election time

The election in Alabama is viewed as more than just a state election, as the values of liberals and conservatives have been put on display. Recent polls show a tight race, and only time will tell if it is Roy Moore or Doug Jones that is headed to Washington.
As voters head to the polls in Alabama to decide on who will represent the state in the United States Senate, Donald Trump is making a last minute push to support Republican Roy Moore. Using social media, the president is trying to put the focus on the improving economy by taking credit for the recent positive jobs report.

Trump on Moore

After a month of controversy, Alabama voters will make up their minds as to whether or not they will send accused sexual assaulter Roy Moore to Washington, or vote for a Democrat in Doug Jones. It was just last month when the Washington Post broke their bombshell story accusing Moore of attempting to engage in sexual activity with multiple underage girls, with the oldest claim dating back to 1979.

Moore, as expected, has denied the allegations against him and instead put the blame on the "liberal media." Though some Republicans have refused to support Moore, Donald Trump has come out swinging, going as far as holding a rally in Pensacola, Florida over the weekend, and recording robocalls in Alabama. As seen on his Twitter account on December 12, Trump is not done trying to get Moore to Washington.

The people of Alabama will do the right thing. Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet. Roy Moore will always vote with us. VOTE ROY MOORE!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday morning, Donald Trump ripped into Doug Jones and did his best to sell Roy Moore to the people of Alabama.

"The people of Alabama will do the right thing," Trump tweeted out. "Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL," he added.

Not stopping there, Donald Trump continued with his tweet by doubling down on his attack on Doug Jones. "Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet," he wrote.

"Roy Moore will always vote with us," Trump stated, before adding, "VOTE ROY MOORE!" Trump's tweet is in line with his recent promotion of Moore, creating a hostile media environment due to the allegations of sexual assault against both men.

Trump on economy

In a follow-up tweet, Donald Trump once again gloated about the current state of the economy, which many attribute to being a result of the eight years Barack Obama was in office.

"Consumer Confidence is at an All-Time High, along with a Record High Stock Market," Trump tweeted out.

Consumer Confidence is at an All-Time High, along with a Record High Stock Market. Unemployment is at a 17 year low. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Working to pass MASSIVE TAX CUTS (looking good).  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

"Unemployment is at a 17 year low. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Working to pass MASSIVE TAX CUTS (looking good)," Donald Trump concluded. Despite the backlash against him, the commander in chief is showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to promoting his first year in office.
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So what's the story with Chanukah? One answer can be found in scripture -- though not mine. The apocryphal books of Maccabees (written in Greek) tell the story of the Hasmonean dynasty. (These books are considered part of the Catholic Bible, though not the Protestant Bible or Jewish Tanakh.) Anyway: those books tell the story of the wicked Antiochus IV who looted the Temple, alongside the story of the Israelites who assimilated to Greek ways and the other Israelites who slaughtered them. Matthias and his family destroyed illicit altars and forcibly circumcised babies; his oldest son Judah led the rebels to victory.

There are of course many ways to tell the Chanukah story and the ways we do are not unrelated to who we are. Every community and generation interprets Chanukah in its own image. For us there are a number of obvious contenders. For American Jews it is most often about religious freedom from tyrants. For Israelis it is about routing the armies of a dominating empire and winning back Jewish sovereignty. For traditional Jews it is about a fight against assimilation. Hasidic Jews take another path and read the story allegorically as a story about seeking one's inner life and rededicating oneself to that small burning candle. Indeed, every generation asks what the Rabbis ask when they open their short conversation on the holiday... "Mai Chanukah?" -- What is Chanukah?

It's an old question. Mai chanukah? is how the rabbis begin the Talmud's discussion of the holiday: "What is Chanukah?" Maybe the simplest answer is, it's a multivalent holiday; it always has been.

Read one way, Maccabees offers a story about freedom fighters casting off religious oppression. Read another way, it's a story about religious extremists slaughtering their accomodationist or assimilationist neighbors. Either way, the odd thing is that although the war ended in the early spring, the Maccabees didn't seek to rededicate the temple until deep midwinter. Apparently they were waiting for divine intervention. When Judah finally did decide to rededicate the temple, he chose 25 Kislev -- the date of the first sacrifice Antiochus had offered to his gods. And just as Solomon had dedicated the First Temple in an eight-day celebration during the festival of Sukkot, so Judah decided to rededicate it during an eight-day celebration which is called, in Maccabees II, "Sukkot in Kislev." Chanukah, in other words, was initially conceived as a kind of second Sukkot. (Sukkot II: Electric Boogaloo?)

I grew up on a sanitized version of the story (minus the bloody massacre of Hellenized Jews) and didn't read the version that's in Maccabees until I was in my thirties. I suspect most Jews are in that same boat, because when the Tanakh was canonized the books of Maccabees didn't make the cut. Why not? One plausible reason is that the rabbis who canonized the Tanakh were already uneasy with the Maccabees' story of military might. The attempted revolt in 70 CE resulted in the destruction of the second Temple; then came the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Roman Empire in 134-135 CE. By the time the Talmud was compiled, it was clear that resisting imperial power had devastating results. They didn't want to enshrine as holy writ a story which might encourage Jews to resist and be slaughtered.

Once the Diaspora began and the balance of power shifted strongly toward the non-Jews in the many places where Jews were scattered, it became impolitic (not to mention ironic and painful) to celebrate military might which no longer existed. Maybe that's why Chanukah gets only a scant few lines in Talmud -- and what's discussed there is not the military battle but the miracle of the single cruse of sanctified oil which lasted for eight days. Presto: with that reframing, the whole story of Chanukah shifts. It's no longer about a band of freedom fighters (or violent anti-assimilationist guerillas) prevailing against a great army. Now it's about the leap of faith involved in kindling the eternal light in the temple, of trusting that God will provide.

In the Hasidic understanding, Chanukah becomes a festival celebrating the internal redication in which each of us can engage. Hasidic teachers make much of the line from Exodus, "Build Me a temple and I will dwell within them" -- within them, e.g. not in the temple but in our very hearts. Chanukah is the time when we're called to cleanse impurities from our hearts, to rededicate ourselves to the neverending work of making holiness manifest in the world. Nurturing holy sparks, kindling light in the darkness: these take on profound spiritual meaning when we remember that light is associated with chesed, God's abundant lovingkindness -- and that the first thing created, at the beginning of time, was (spiritual/metaphysical) light. Our task is to purify our hearts so that divine light can shine in and through us.

(For another Hasidic interpretation of Chanukah, I point you back to The smallest miracle, a post I made about some of the Sefat Emet's teachings on Chanukah back in 2003.)

Of course, in the American imagination Chanukah has been enlarged so that it can serve as a counterpart to the gift-giving extravaganza that is contemporary Christmas. (For historical perspective on that, I recommend The Comeback Holiday in Reform Judaism Magazine -- I am amazed by lines like "The purchase of Christmas gifts, commented the Jewish Daily Forward in 1904, 'is one of the first things that proves one is no longer a greenhorn.'") Apparently Chanukah began to manifest as a gift-giving holiday in the 1920s, and by the 1940s that minhag was securely lodged in the American Jewish imagination. That Chanukah is a time for giving gifts has become another set of lenses through which to view the festival.

Still another interpretation holds that Chanukah, chag urim (the festival of lights), arose when and how it did out of the natural human need to celebrate light in a time of great (northern hemisphere) darkness. (Sorry, antipodean readers. This interpretation naturally doesn't work so well for y'all.) Reb Arthur Waskow has suggested that Chanukah was rooted in "solstice-festival envy." (He alludes to this in The meaning of the Hanukkah oil, though to read his whole argument you'll need to delve into Seasons of Our Joy.)

Some symbols are so primary that purported "meanings" can only prove inadequate. Light in the dead of winter, victory when it had seemed impossible, more than enough when there had been far too little, few against many, the freedom to be -- these are the essence, and the stories built around them only so much adornment -- and therefore alterable.

So argues Arnold Eisen, in the marginal commentary to the Chanukah chapter in The Jewish Holidays. The whole chapter is good, but I love the marginal notes -- like Rabbi Everett Gendler's wonderings about what would have happened "if the light and vegetation motifs of Hanukkah had early coalesced around those green branches described in 2 Maccabees rather than around clay or cast menorahs. Might our present menorah, rather than being an abstract or stylized tree of light, have been an actual illuminated tree?" (Hee.)

Chanukah has been different things to different people over time; it's different things to different people even now. That's a lot of layers of context for what is, in the grand scheme of things, a fairly minor Jewish holiday. But the multivalent character of the holiday speaks to something I deeply love about Judaism: that the tradition is always multivocal. That there's always more than one answer to every question. That our interpretations change over time, as our understandings of God and Torah and our relationship with the world change over time. That a holiday which could start out as a commemoration of military victory could turn into a holiday celebrating a leap of faith, into a holiday inviting us to purify our hearts, into a chance to hang out and eat fried foods and sing songs and exchange presents, into all of the above at the same time.

The fact that different Jewish communities have found various meanings in Hanukkah drive home the truth about all religious rituals: They thrive only when they mean something to people, when they externalize deeply felt concerns. Often, when we are attached to a ritual, we will infuse it with special meaning or manifest some latent significance in it. In other cases a ritual may fall out of use for lack of contemporary impact. Yet, the Jews have had the wisdom to keep even underutilized rituals on the books. As circumstances change, we may rediscover their power at some time later on.

That's Rabbi Everett Gendler, writing again in the margins of The Jewish Holidays. I couldn't agree more.

So Mai Chanukah? The question I really want to ask is: what is Chanukah for you?





Technorati tags: religion, Judaism, Chanukah.
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HA NOI  Three big companies of the Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) will make their initial public offerings (IPOs) in the next three months, under equitisation plans approved by Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue late last week.

The three companies are: Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company (BSR); PetroVietnam Power Corporation (PV Power); and PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PVOil), valued at US$2 billion, $1.5 billion and $610 million, respectively.

The IPOs will pump 916,403 million shares into the market, offering a massive opportunity for investors interested in oil and gas stocks at a time global oil prices are recovering.

Oil prices have recovered from the bottom price of $27.58 per barrel on January 18, 2016 to around $50 per barrel at presenty.

From the beginning of this year, many oil and gas stocks have seen increases of 20-50 per cent, including the PetroVietnam Gas Joint Stock Corporation (GAS), PetroVietnam Transportation Corporation (PVT), PetroVietnam Drilling (PVD) and PetroVietnam Fertiliser and Chemicals Corporation (PVC).

According to Phan Dung Khanh of Maybank KimEng Securities, the medium-term development outlook for oil and gas stocks is positive.

The three companies, BSR, PV Power and PV Oil, are in good shape, according to their financial reports.

BSR

Under the approved equitisation plan, BSR, which manages and operates Dung Quat Oil, has a charter capital of VN31 trillion (US$1.36 billion), and is the largest firm everto IPO ever. The face value of its share is VN10,000.

Nearly 242 million shares, or 7.79 per cent of its charter capital, would be sold to the public at an initial price of VN14,600 per share. At this price, BSR would have value of $2 billion.

PetroVietnam would hold 43 per cent of BSRs charter capital while selling 49 per cent to strategic investors and 0.21 per cent sold BSRs employees.

Strategic investors in BSR must have a minimum charter capital of VN10 trillion and be profitable during the most recent years with no aggregated loss.

Priority will be to investors with experience in operating refineries and oil distribution to support BSRs oil refinery plant after its privatisation.

According to its most recent financial report, BSR earned revenues of VN38.6 trillion in the first half of this year, rising by 15.4 per cent over the same period last year. After-tax profit jumped 266 per cent to VN3.8 trillion in the period.

PV Power

PV Power is the second largest power supplier in Viet Nam after national utility Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN), with a market share of around 12 per cent. It is also among the most profitable companies of PetroVietnam. The company has a charter capital of VN23.4 trillion.

It will put up about 469 million shares, or 20 per cent of the charter capital, for the IPO at an initial price of VN1.48 billion.

PetroVietnam would hold a 51 per cent stake in PV Power after its equitisation, but this will be reduced to below 50 per cent from 2019, depending on the companys debt restructuring process.

It is planned that around 676 million shares, or nearly 29 per cent of its charter capital, would be sold to strategic investors.

Founded in 2007 as a wholly-owned PetroVietnam subsidiary, PV Power now operates eight power plants, including four thermal power plants.

Its net revenue is estimated to reach VN31.5 trillion in 2017, a year-on-year increase of 12 per cent, for after-tax profits of VN1.9 trillion, up 25 per cent over last year, according to the HCM City Securities Corporation.

Nguyen Xuan Hoa, general director of PV Power, said that the company plans to contribute 20 per cent of the nations total electricity output in the next decade.

PVOil

At PVOil, the States stake would be cut to 35.1 per cent after equitisation.

The company has a charter capital of VN10.3 trillion, 20 per cent of which will be offered to the public at an auction held on the HCM City Stock Exchange in January, 2018, at an initial price of VN13,400 per share.

More than 462 million shares, or 44.72 per cent of its charter capital, will be sold to strategic investors.

Foreign ownership of PVOil is capped at 49 per cent of its charter capital.

About 1.8 million shares, or 0.18 per cent of its charter capital, will be be sold to its employees.

PVOil is now the second largest petrol distributor in Viet Nam after Petrolimex, with a market share of 22 per cent.

Last year, the company reported revenues of VN34 trillion and before-tax profits of VN530 billion.

This year, its revenue was expected to reach VN55.5 trillion with before-tax profits of VN520 billion, both exceeding annual targets.  VNS
HCM CITY  The Vietnamese coffee industry has great potential to develop considering the size of the global market and the countrys small share in it, according to the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development.

Speaking at a seminar on the New Development Period of Viet Nams Coffee Industry in a Lat, Agriculture minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said: The global coffee-based beverage market is worth US$500 billion a year while Viet Nams exports account for just $3.4 billion. So there is room for the country to increase exports.

In addition, with nearly 100 million people, of whom 65 per cent are young, the domestic market also has great potential.

Jose Sette, executive director of the International Coffee Organisation, said there is enormous potential for growth in coffee demand, especially in countries with large populations like China, India and Indonesia, since per capita rates in these markets were still well below those in traditional markets.

Luong Van Tu, chairman of the Viet Nam Coffee Association, said Viet Nam has been the worlds second largest coffee producer and exporter since the early 2000s.

Its exports of roasted and ground coffee and soluble coffee accounted for only 10 per cent last year, he said.

But the coffee sector is facing several problems like small scale of production, ageing coffee trees, poor quality control, and outdated processing technologies.

Some 150,000ha need to be replanted in the next five, a big challenge for the sector, he said.

To retain the countrys position of second largest coffee producer and exporter, the sector plans comprehensive measures such as enhancing coffee replanting programmes, research to develop new high-quality seedlings, investing more in roasted and ground coffee and soluble coffee, building brands for Vietnamese coffee and speeding up trade promotion activities in the local and foreign markets, he said.

Cuong said: The coffee sector will not expand the area under cultivation until 2030 but it will focus on improving value addition and productivity and linkages in the value chain and enhancing processing.

PPP models

According to the ministry, as the country increasingly integrates globally and restructures its agriculture, public-private partnerships (PPP) will become inevitable for sustainable farming.

Speaking at another seminar held in a Lat on Sunday to discuss effective partnership models, deputy agriculture minister Le Quoc Doanh said in the past eight years his ministry has organised successful PPP programmes for seven different crops, including coffee, tea, vegetables, and rice.

Businesses actively participated in all stages of the value chain.

For instance, in the coffee sector, PPP projects have helped improve quality and productivity, bring farmers greater incomes and enable the sector to produce more coffee meeting the international 4C (Common Code for the Coffee Community) standards for export.

An active player in the Viet Nam coffee sector, Swiss company Nestle has deployed the NESCAFE Plan in Central Highlands provinces since 2011 to help farmers replant ageing coffee shrubs, improving coffee quality and productivity and farmers incomes.

Since 2011 the project has, with the co-operation of the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (WASI), distributed over 20 million disease-resistant high-yield coffee seedlings to farmers.

It has also provided technical training to more than 200,000 farmers and helped 21,000 households obtain the 4C international coffee standard.

The farmers were taught smart use of fertilisers, how to make fertilisers from the skin of coffee beans, and water-efficient irrigation.

Nestle has also co-operated with the National Agricultural Extension Centre and EDE Consulting to develop a GAP manual for sustainable coffee production and distributed it to more than 50,000 coffee farmers and partners.

Nguyen ang Tinh, a farmer in Nam Ban town in Lam ong Province who participated in NESCAFE Plan in 2014, said adopting its techniques improved his coffee productivity by 10-15 per cent to 5.5-7 tonnes per hectare, while earnings went up by 20 per cent a year.

Ganesan Ampalavanar, managing director of Nestle Viet Nam, the biggest buyer of Vietnamese coffee, said Viet Nam has a role to play not just as a supplier of coffee but a supplier of good quality coffee.

I think we need to move from quantity to quality and increase the strength of the Vietnamese brand of coffee.

Today Vietnamese coffee is known but its brand is not as strong it should be. So by improving the quality image and the brand image of Vietnamese coffee, Viet Nam can command premiums and increase value addition.

The two seminars were organised within the framework of the first Viet Nam Coffee Day Festival held in a Lat from December 9 to 11 by the ministry and Lam ong Province in collaboration with other organisations.  VNS
HA NOI  Despite natural disasters and market regression, in the past 11 months, Viet Nams total agriculture, forestry and aquaculture export turnover hit US$33.14 billion, though food management still has room for improvement.

Vietnamese agricultural products have been exported to 180 countries and territories, with 2016s export value $32 billion and the figure set to hit $36 billion this year, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong at the International Support Group (ISG) Plenary Meeting 2017 yesterday.

The event focused on discussing Viet Nams participation in the global agri-food value chain, food safety and agricultural consumption.

Nonetheless, Cuong said that despite being an agricultural exporting powerhouse, 90 per cent of Viet Nams products are exported in raw form or of lower quality and value than other countries products.

The figures are a record high, with many seafood and green products achieving unprecedented export value of more than $1 billion, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) at the meeting.

Moreover, an alarming portion of Vietnamese agricultural goods are sold abroad without proper branding, or under foreign brands. This disadvantage affects the nations status in the global agricultural value chain, he claimed.

At the meeting, World Bank Country Director for Viet Nam, Ousmane Dione, stated that the country still lacks food safety standards and proper testing.

For Viet Nams agricultural products with higher value on the global chain such as coffee, pepper, seafood or fruit, food safety is a big challenge that can be overcome with technological advance and heavier public investment, said Dione.

He suggested the agricultural industry shift its focus from production processes to harvesting, slaughtering, storage and distribution, in hope of generating higher value added products, more jobs and higher income.

According to Cuong, the agricultural sectors restructuring for 2017-2020 will emphasise boosting productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness, linking raw material production with consumption along the value chain.

As well as small production scale, the countrys agriculture sector faces issues such as inadequate use of resources and a lack of science and technology application with only about 25 to 30 per cent of firms employing modern processing lines, reports from the MARD show.

Viet Nams food safety management laws often overlap, making solutions difficult to implement, along with limitations on infrastructure, resources and investment, said the MARD reports.

Cuong said the MARDs intention is to expand distribution channels for both domestic and international markets to create strong national brands.

He stated that the goal of large-scale agricultural and rural production requires efforts from the private sector, research institutions, policymakers and public services. VNS
HA NOI  Vietnamese shares plunged on December 11 as investors turned cautious before exchange-traded funds (ETFs) started restructuring their portfolios. A lack of information during the year-end period also had an impact on confidence.

The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange plummeted 2.42 per cent to close at 917.45 points.

Viet Nams benchmark index put an end to its nine-week rally last week by losing total 2.1 per cent.

The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange lost 1.78 per cent to end at 111.78 points. It declined by 0.63 per cent on Friday and edged down 1.4 per cent in total last week.

The stock market was dominated by declining stocks, which outnumbered gaining shares by 334 to 136 while 98 others ended flat.

More than 274.4 million shares were traded on both local exchanges, worth VN5.66 trillion (US$251.5 million).

The trading figures were down about 1.1 per cent in both trading value and volume compared to last weeks daily average numbers.

Foreign investors closed on December 11 as net buyers, posting a total net buy value of VN11.7 billion, which was a reverse from Fridays net sell value of VN528.7 billion.

The downfall of large-cap stocks, especially financial shares, was to blame for the market volatility on December 11.

The VN30 Index that tracks the movement of the 30 largest stocks by market capitalisation ended down 2.36 per cent to 908.29 points, with 25 of the 30 stocks in the basket declining.

Falling stocks included FLC Faros Construction (ROS), steel producer Hoa Sen Group (HSG) and brewer Sabeco (SAB).

On a sector basis, banking, securities and insurance industry indices performed the worst, dropping between 3.9 and 4.8 per cent, data on business-finance news site vietstock.vn showed.

The worst decliners among financial shares were Vietinbank (CTG), Sai Gon-Ha Noi Bank (SHB), Vietcombank (VCB), Sacombank (STB), Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities (SHS), Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) and insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH).

The large-caps and financial stocks mentioned above saw their values plunge at least 5 per cent. CTG suffered the most, hitting its daily decreasing limit of 7 per cent.

According to tinnhanhchungkhoan.vn, investors started the first trading day of the week on concerns over the arrest of some of Vietnam Oil and Gas Groups former senior leaders last week.

Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities (SHS) said in a note that investors were quite cautious with the market status.

They would prefer taking a stand-by position and observing the market to making risky decisions amid uncertainty before the portfolio restructuring period of ETFs and the year-end period, the brokerage firm said.

The benchmark index is forecast to continue falling on Tuesday [December 12] and the supportive range for the index would be between 907 and 913 points, SHS noted.  VNS
HA NOI  The Competition and Consumer Protection Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has given the go-ahead for the merger and acquisition (M&A) deal between the two largest local electronic retailers  The Gioi Di ong (Mobile World) and Tran Anh Digital World.

Mobile World is planning to acquire 100 per cent stake in Tran Anh Digital World to form an economic concentration activity under the management of the competition authority.

The tie-up between the two companies will have an impact on the structure of the retail market for electronic and IT products as they are the two largest retailers, with Tran Anh Digital owning 39 electronic outlets in the north and Mobile World having over 1,500 stores nationwide.

Mobile World has three major brands -- The Gioi Di ong, ien May Xanh and Bach Hoa Xanh.

Following the takeover, Tran Anh Digital will become a subsidiary of Mobile World, and they are expected to exercise a bigger market power after the acquisition.

After appraising the acquisition document and collecting opinions of similar businesses in the market, the Competition and Consumer Protection Department said the increase in their market power is not significant as the market share of Mobile World before and after the acquisition is defined at over 30 per cent for IT products, still being the dominant business in the sector.

Based on the combined market share of the relevant market, the economic concentration between Mobile World and Anh Digital in the form of a business acquisition is not prohibited under Article 18 of the Competition Law, the department said in a message on Monday.

According to Article 18 of the 2004 Competition Law, an economic concentration is prohibited if the combined market share of the enterprises participating in this activity is more than 50 per cent in the relevant market, except in case of an exemption".

The department said it will continue to oversee the competitive activities of Mobile World in the retail market for household electronic devices and IT products to timely detect any abuse of its dominant position in accordance with the Competition Law.

At the shareholders meeting on August 28, Mobile Worlds shareholders agreed with the companys plan of putting aside VN2.5 trillion (US$110 million) for M&A activities, targeting electronics and pharmaceutical retailing businesses.

Detailed information of the M&A between Mobile World and Tran Anh Digital, such as value or share swap ratio, is yet to be released. However, in late September, two senior executives of Mobile World joined Tran Anh Digitals managing board.

On December 11, Mobile World said its board of managers approved the plan of issuing 6.7 million shares, equivalent to 2.18 per cent of its outstanding shares, to fewer than 10 investors in a private placement.

The shares, expected before the year-end, are being offered at a minimum price of VN90,000 per share and maximum price of VN110,000.

The new share issue is speculated to be designed to sell to Tran Anh Digitals senior stakeholders.

In addition, Mobile World will issue over 9.22 million shares in an employee stock ownership plan to its employees, which will have restricted transferring for four years.

Shares of Mobile World (code MWG on the HCM Stock Exchange) were traded at some VN128,000 per share, while Tran Anh Digitals shares were valued at VN33,000 per share on Mondays trade.  VNS
Food producer KIDO Group (KDC) will invest in producing and trading sugar in the Vietnamese market. Photo enternews.vn

HCM CITY  Food producer KIDO Group (KDC) will invest in producing and trading sugar in the Vietnamese market.

On Tuesday, the company signed a co-operation agreement with Thanh Thanh Cong Joint-Stock Company (TTC).

Under the agreement, KDC will become sole distributor of some products manufactured by TTC. The company will also be responsible for developing TTC product distribution through its system of 200 distributors and 450,000 retail places.

The agreement between the two companies will be divided into two phases.

In the first phase, KIDO will distribute products with the brand name Bien Hoa Sugar produced by TTC. In this phase, the two sides have agreed to a commitment on the consumption yield.

In the second phase, the two companies will develop their own products under a new brand name.

KIDO said that it would distribute about 60,000 tonnes of sugar in 2018, worth a total of VN1.1 trillion (US$48 million).

Up to 2020, the figures is expected to jump to 200,000 tonnes.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Industry and Trade has transferred documents of the Khaisilk scandal to the police for investigation after it discovered signs of criminal violations.

The ministry on Tuesday announced that it had completed product quality check-ups and inspection on some silk items of Khai uc Company Limited  the owner of the Khaisilk brand.

The inspection results showed that there was no silk ingredient in some products, despite the label of ingredients stating that the product is 100 per cent silk.

The company violated rules relating to fake and poor quality products, the ministry said.

The ministry said some products at the company were not labelled as required or had a lack of compulsory information.

The company also showed some signs of withholding information or providing inadequate and exact information to consumers, or selling items without a clear origin, MoIT added.

Statistics from the General Department of Customs showed that between 2006 and 2009, the Khai uc Company Limited imported fashion products from China and Thailand. However, the company stopped importing fashion products from the two countries since 2009.

The company had not produced or outsourced fashion products at its production units in Viet Nam. It instead bought them from shops, household businesses and other firms in the market, labelling its brand Khaisilk, stylised Khaisilk and Khaisilk Made in Viet Nam to sell at stores, nationwide.

Khaisilk was also found to be guilty of violations in taxes and invoices. Specifically, some of its invoices were illegal and not issued by tax agencies, while some had the wrong names of goods declared.

Inspectors discovered a huge difference between the companys accounting data and checked products at some of its branches. The company could not explain the reasons for the difference.

MoIT said that it would continue to clarify and resolve the violations under its management.

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, at the end of October, signed a decision to establish an inspection team to discover violations at the company following the trade fraud of its scandal selling made-in-China products.

In the beginning of November, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh instructed relevant agencies to clarify the violations in silk trading and report to the PM before December 15.

The Khaisilk crisis broke out in October when a business in Ha Noi posted on Facebook to complain about products it had bought from the brand saying they were actually made in China.

According to the post, the company bought 60 Khaisilk-branded scarves at the Hang Gai shop in Ha Noi for VN644,000 (US$28) each. However, one scarf had two tags, including Khaisilk Made in Viet Nam and Made in China.

The company said it had checked the rest of the scarves and found signs that the Made in China tags had been removed.

Hoang Khai, Khaisilk Groups chairman, later said that the scarves were actually imported from China. Khai apologised and offered compensation to customers.

The company operates in several sectors. However, the inspection team focused only on check-ups in production, outsourcing and import-export of its fashion products.  VNS
HA NOI  Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) plans to sell 20 per cent stake, equivalent to VN4.35 trillion (US$194.77 million), to foreign and domestic investors through open auction in 2018.

Each share has the face value of VND10,000.

This information is key content in an ACV report sent to the Ministry of Transport after the Prime Minister approved the list of 406 State-owned enterprises marked for divestment from now until 2020. Divestment rate of State capital at ACV will be 20 per cent to touch 75.4 per cent of the registered capital by 2018.

The specific offering rate will depend on the sale plan approved by authorised bodies and the actual situation of the market to ensure the highest interests of the State. The sale may be conducted once or several times.

ACV is publicly auctioning State capital to ensure publicity and transparency as well as to stabilise the stock market.

The Ministry of Transport will select independent consultancy agencies to set up plans for sale of State capital.

According to the equitisation plan approved by the Prime Minister, assets in airfields serving flight operations will not be equitised but transferred to the State.

"This may affect the attractiveness of the State capital offering at ACV because domestic and foreign investors cannot assess the entire rights and obligations of ACV in the future," an ACV official told Vietnam News Agency.

Another difficulty that may affect the result of the sale of State capital at ACV is that the ability to absorb stocks in the UPCoM market is not high because the liquidity of this market is lower than that of the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE) and the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX). Further, transactions of State capital at large enterprises are usually conducted on the HoSE or HNX.

ACV is actively pushing the negotiation process with the transport ministry on issues related to assets in the airfield, which is the main barrier making the corporation unqualified to list on HoSE. If the negotiation is completed successfully this year, ACV can delist from UPCoM and move to HoSE in the next six months.

ACV currently has a monopoly on trading, managing and operating 22 international and domestic airports throughout the country, with 65 per cent of the revenue coming from duty-free sales at airports.

The corporations targets of total revenue and profit-before-tax this year are VN13.29 trillion and VN3.67 trillion, respectively.

Earlier, ACV officially operated as an equitised company since April 1, 2016, after it sold more than 77.8 million shares during the initial public offering on HoSE.

ACV has registered capital of VN21.77 trillion, equal to 2,177 million shares. The shares have been traded on the UPCoM market since November 21, 2016, with price fluctuating between VN58,000 and VN87,900 in the recent 60 transactions (from August 31 to November 23, 2017).  VNS
HA NOI  The Ha Nois Culture-Sports Department has sent a letter urging the citys Peoples Committee to preserve an archaeological site dating back to 1,000 BC in the western outskirts of Ha Noi.

The letter quotes recent media coverage saying the earliest residents area [named Vuon Chuoi in Lai Xa Village, Kim Chung Commune, Hoai uc District] of the city are on the verge of being erased.

The dispatch also mentions Prof Nguyen Van Huys opinion on the site. Huy is the former director of the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology. The letter asks: the authorities should take urgent actions to protect the site.

The archaeological site is of ong au culture, from about 3,000 years ago, and was first excavated in 1969. Since then, the site has been excavated several times, the most recent in December 2013 by the department in co-ordination with the Ha Noi Social Sciences and Humanity University.

The objects found through excavations include stone, bronze and ceramic objects of ong au culture.

ong au culture is one among four periods of ong Son civilisation  from the early stages of the Bronze Age to the early stages of Metal Age. ong au Culture dates back to 1,500-1,000 BC.

Traces of the culture have been found in the northern midland region. Sites in Ha Noi include Thanh Den site (Me Linh District) and Chang Communal House (ong Anh District).

Experts work at Vuon Chuoi excavation site, in Hoai uc District, Ha Noi in 2013. Photo dantri.com.vn

Officials from the department on December 5 examined the site with representatives of Hoai uc Districts Peoples Committee.

At present, the whole Vuon Chuoi site is located in a Thang Long 9 Construction Company-invested urban building project.

No buildings have been constructed as yet and some families are growing vegetables on the projects area. Near the site, some enterprises have dumped industrial and construction waste.

The department asked the Ha Noi Peoples Committee to send letters to ask the Project Management Board of Thang Long 9 Construction Company and the Viet Nam Joint-Stock Trading and Construction Co-operation to implement proper measurements to protect the excavation site until the Ha Noi Peoples Committee issues a final decision on the site.

During the construction process, if workers find antiques, they should hand the objects to Hoai uc Districts Peoples Committee.

The building investors should work with local authorities to propose solutions to protect the site.

Local authorities will also tightly control the renovation and building process around the site to gather antiques if any were unearthed.

The department also asked the citys authorities to organise gathering of materials on the exactions, hold examinations by experts, organise workshop to judge their value and propose protection methods for the site.  VNS
Ten years ago this month, the Bach Mai Hospital (under the Ministry of Health) in Ha Noi began transferring technology and providing technical assistance to the remote province Yen Bai under a programme aimed at reducing people having to go to major hospitals in large cities to receive modern treatment. Hospital director Dr Nguyen Quoc Anh reviews the programme in a talk with the Suc Khoe & oi Song (Health & Life) newspaper.

What are the highlights of your hospitals 10-year collaboration with Yen Bai Province?

Yen Bai, the northern mountainous province, is one of the 10 poorest localities in the country. It is beset with natural disasters, especially storms and floods, which cause great devastation, both in terms of lives lost and property damaged. It is this context that the Bach Mai Hospital  the biggest such facility in the entire northern region  has provided meaningful support to the province, including transferring technology and knowhow to satellite hospitals.

In the case of Yen Bai, we told the provinces leaders that the human element should be the first and foremost priority, since infrastructure and equipment can be procured in a short time, but a capable medical workforce wont just appear out of nowhere. And this is precisely where our support comes into play, with a well-made combination of theoretical lessons and hands-on experience and practice.

In the last decade, the Bach Mai Hospital has trained and re-trained hundreds of doctors in many areas of medicine and skills  diagnostic imaging, gastroenterology, cardiology, surgery, etc. Thanks to Bach Mai Hospitals technical assistance, the quality of health professionals in Yen Bai Province has increased significantly. Many state of the art technologies used at the Bach Mai Hospital have been transferred to the provincial General Hospital and the regional hospital Nghia Lo. Now local people are the ones benefiting the most from these high-quality medical services without having to travel a long way to Ha Noi.

In addition, Yen Bai has co-operated with our training centre to organise several activities in serving the community, including free medical check ups and consultations, improving doctor-patient communications, as well as media campaigns.

What is your take on the benefits of this collaboration for ethnic minority residents of the province?

Being 200km away from Ha Noi, with a population of 800,000 comprising 30 ethnicities sharing the same living space, the medical sector faces great challenges. The recent historic flooding claimed 55 victims, and thats a heart-breaking loss.

Due to its relatively remote location, in case someone gets a stroke and local doctors cannot perform necessary measures within the golden window of time, the life of the patient is seriously threatened, not to mention the debilitating, irreparable losses of functions. Therefore, since 2016 December, we have trained local doctors in fibrinolysis therapy, a treatment that can eliminate blood clots in acute strokes.

Before this was done, the mortality rate for stroke patients had reached 40 per cent, and even if survived, they had to live with severe complications. But now, patients can be treated within three hours since the symptoms start to show and damages to blood vessels begin, which considerably lowers the death rate.

We can also mention support for Yen Bai in terms of storing, maintenance and repair of medical equipment and devices; follow-up support for local physicians after the technologies have been transferred, such as imaging, toxicity treatment, and resuscitation.

In the coming time, with the improved capacity of Yen Bai medical staff, we will continue to transfer more advanced treatments so that the provinces people can enjoy modern medical achievements right in their hometown.  VNS
HA NOI  The trial run of the capital citys first metro system has been postponed for the third time to next September.

The Cat Linh  Ha ong metro route was to have had its trial run in October this year, which was the projects third deadline. The new date marks a further delay of 11 months.

According to the latest report submitted by the Railway Project Management Unit (RPMU) to the Ministry of Transport, the new date for the trial run will be the next National Independence Day, September 2, 2018. The trial run will last for three-six months, and commercial operations will start by November 2018. The new schedule has to be approved by the Prime Minister.

The RPMU has stated that 95 per cent of the construction work has been completed.

The first, frequently cited cause for tardiness was capital disbursement, with a meagre US$10 million of the additional $250 million loan package, approved due to cost overrun, being disbursed as of 2017 September for construction and installation works.

However, the RPMU claims that for the moment, capital disbursement issues have been resolved for the most part.

The second reason given for the multiple delays is from the general contractors limited management capacity -- understaffing and lack of experience to slow and illogical progress at every step of the project, from design, construction, to drafting project acceptance document or documents marking completion of various project components.

This is the third time the project has missed its deadline, despite pressure from both the Transport Ministry and the public. At the beginning of 2016, the ministry ordered the general contractor to pilot run the trains in September the same year, and start commercial operations throughout the projects entire length by the end of the year.

However, in June, seeing that this deadline couldnt be met, the ministry set December 31 as the new final deadline for completion of construction and installation.

When this was also not met, therefore, in February this year, the ministry directed that trial runs start in October so that commercial operations can begin in the second quarter of 2018.

Of the initially projected investment of $552 million, $419 million (76 per cent) was to be sourced from Chinese loans, with the rest covered by the Vietnamese Governments counterpart funding.

Construction began in 2011, but in November 2014, it was announced the project would need a total of $868 million, an increase of $300 million or 160 per cent over the initial estimate.

An additional preferential loan worth $250.62 million, negotiated three years ago, was signed between the Ministry of Finance and China Eximbank on May 11. VNS
Communist Party of Viet Nam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the 11th National Congress of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth (HCYU) opened in Ha Noi yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Tri Dung

HA NOI  The 11th National Congress of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth (HCYU) opened in Ha Noi yesterday, drawing 999 delegates representing millions of the unions members nationwide.

Addressing the opening session of the congress, Communist Party of Viet Nam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong lauded the accomplishments of youth and childrens movements as well as the HCYU operations at all levels.

The Party chief suggested that in the coming time, the union should pay greater attention to educating the youth on revolutionary ideals, political firmness, morality and lifestyle.

The union should encourage and promote patriotism, revolutionary ideals and trust in the political regime among youngsters, he said.

At the same time, he also asked the union to improve youngsters awareness about shamming information and the spurious, specious arguments of hostile forces, especially those arguments disseminated insidiously via social networks.

The HCYU should uphold its central role in youth organisations of the country, while guiding the Ho Chi Minh Vanguard Childrens Union and working hard to protect and educate children, he said.

The Party leader also asked the union to build mechanisms, policies and activities to foster the development of young people in all fields.

Nguyen Phi Long, Secretary of the HCYUs 10th Central Committee and President of the Viet Nam Youth Federation, said that the congress will review and draw from the work of the past five years and set targets for the 2017-2022 period. The Congress will also make adjustments to the unions Charter.

He reported that youth and childrens movements in the past five years were successful, with 455,000 buildings, including houses and schools, constructed and over 2,200 projects launched in various fields.

The voluntary and charity activities of the union drew 16 million participants nationwide, he added.

During the last five years, more than eight million youth received career advice, 420,000 received vocational training and another two million were introduced to proper jobs.

Up to 14,000 youth economic models and 356 youth cooperatives were also developed during the period, Long said.

He said that in the 2017-2022 period the union will focus on fostering young generations with revolutionary ideals, strong political will and patriotism, as well as good health, critical thinking skills and aspirations for a better life and better world.

He drafted 11 major targets of the union in the next five years, including proposing 5 million innovation initiatives for different sectors, planting 30 million trees, supporting 1,000 startup projects and providing VN10 trillion (US$444.4 million) in business loans to young people to boost agricultural production and contribute to the countrys economic development.

The union also plans to give career consultations to 10 million young people, introduce jobs to 1.5 million others, and admit 5 million more members.  VNS
Signs of revival have brightened up Mu Cang Chai District in northern mountainous Yen Bai Province, three months after a historic flood swept through the area.  Photo zing.vn

YEN BAI  Signs of revival have brightened up Mu Cang Chai District in northern mountainous Yen Bai Province, three months after a historic flood swept through the area.

By around 5.30 am on August 3, significant portions of the district had been submerged by floodwaters. Large rocks of between 5-10 tonnes carried by the water caused serious damage to homes and property. Even two-storey houses made of cement were destroyed in the natural disaster.

Lau Thi Mu, a resident of Kim Noi commune, recalled that the flood swept everything away, including her house and contents.

The flood, triggered by prolonged torrential rains, swept away 26 houses, damaged 14 others and forced hundreds of households to be relocated. The disaster killed eight people and left six others missing.

Floods also caused serious damage to transportation systems, agricultural production and local life. Many roads in Mu Cang Chai were submerged by more than a metre of mud, soil and water.

The total damage is estimated at around VN150 billion (US$6.6 million).

The high toll, however, did not discourage local authorities and residents. They worked together, and thanks to nationwide support, they gradually resumed normal life.

New buds have sprouted on land that was destroyed and local people have started to go about their business again. They have moved to new houses and no longer have to live in temporary shelters.

We now have a new house built far away from the spring. It will not be swept away by floods, she said. We have also been provided with rice and a goat, helping to reduce initial difficulties, Mu said.

I thought we would not recover from the floods consequences, she told VOV online newspaper.

Mua A Lenh from Kim Noi commune also had his house destroyed by the flood. He now has a new home thanks to financial assistance from the authorities and community. He was also presented with a cow, food and basic appliances to resume daily life.

With support from the Government, ministries, agencies, organisations and individuals nationwide, local residents have gradually stabilised their lives, said Chairman of the communes Peoples Committee Mua A Sua.

The commune received financial aid worth over VN18 billion, he said.

Chairman of Mu Cang Chai Districts Peoples Committee Vu Tien uc said after receiving reports from locals about their losses, district authorities sent forces to the areas for rescue and support activities.

The district had delivered aid worth about VN10 million to each family with members who had died or were missing, and VN2.5 million to each family with injured members. The funds were taken from the districts budget.

The district official said each household that lost their house or suffered damage due to landslides during and after the flooding and storms, had also received aid worth VN25 million and VN10 million respectively. A rescue campaign was launched with more than 2,370 people in the district participating.

Local residents have gradually stabilised their lives. As many as 140 households were relocated and moved to new houses. Most children are already attending schools again, he said. - VNS
HA NOI  Ha Noi Police in Cau Giay District have arrested a man suspected of physically abusing his nine-year-old son, resulted in scaring and several injures on the boys body.

Tran Hoai Nam and his second wife Pham Thi Tu Trinh, the boys stepmother, have both been charged, but only Nam has been detained.

Trinh is prohibited to leave the country and is under supervision of the investigating body.

According to the police, Nam used tools to injure his son over a long period of time and also regularly kicked him in the ribs, causing serious injures to the child.

Police reportedly found scars on the boys face, head and all over his body.

The incident was only exposed when the nine-year-old escaped from their apartment in Nghia o Ward.

At the police station, the couple reportedly confessed.

Nam said he had beaten his son because the boy was sassy and disobedient.

Police said the unfortunate boy had not received any medical treatment after the beatings. He was also not allowed to go to school for two years.

Chairman of the Ha Noi Peoples Committee Nguyen uc Chung directed the authorities of Cau Giay District to investigate the case and strictly deal with the violators in accordance with the law and support the child.

Nguyen Bich Thuy, deputy principal of Ngoc Ha Primary School, said the school was ready to take the child back to school.  VNS
By Gia Loc

HCM CITY  Huynh Huu Canh and his cousin were digging up an iron object one day when a bomb left over from the war exploded, killing his cousin and leaving Canh, then in the fourth grade, blind.

That time was horrible. I fell into a depression, Canh said, adding that he could no longer see a sunset, farmland or colours.

He became isolated in his home and his parents did not know what to do, thinking he would become a lottery ticket seller.

In early December, he was one of 52 Vietnamese who were granted an Australia Awards Scholarship, which is part of a programme funded by the Australian Government, offering the next generation of global leaders an opportunity to undertake study, research and professional development.

After his accident, Canh, now 32, heard about a school from a radio programme and urged his parents to send him there.

They were worried about my going alone to another province, An Giang, but they eventually allowed me to leave, Canh said.

After graduating from the An Giang School for Children with Disabilities, he began studying at Nguyen inh Chieu Specialised High School for children with visual impairments in HCM City in 2001.

At that time, the school only extended to the ninth grade, and for further study, students had to enroll in continuing education centres in the city.

Canh attended the 10th, 11th and 12th grades at Chu Van An Continuing Education Centre in the citys District 5.

I had to try 10 times harder than other students and had to learn via Braille textbooks, of which there were few. I had to take more time to study, and every evening when I returned to my dorm at the Nguyen inh Chieu school, teachers and student volunteers from the university helped me, Canh said.

After receiving excellent marks, Canh was able to enroll in a special education faculty at HCM City University of Education without taking the university entrance examination.

He took part in sports, social welfare programmes and scientific research, and graduated with excellent marks.

Finding a job

During his third year at university, Canh and his classmates conducted research on a walking stick with LED lights and different sounds that could help the blind recognise terrain or objects on streets while walking.

The stick also gave an audible warning about people near them.

The stick, which costs an affordable VN162,000 (US$7), helps people with visual impairments feel confident and safe while going outside, according to Canh.

The research project won first prize at a scientific research contest for students at HCM City University of Education, which cited its humanitarian purposes.

It also was honoured as one of 81 outstanding research projects at the Creative Youth Festival held in 2012 by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

After graduation, Canh found it difficult to get a job as a teacher, even though he was one of the universitys outstanding students.

No school manager would take me, only because of my disability. I applied for special schools for children with disabilities, but they were reluctant to hire me even with my excellent marks, Canh said.

The managers said the school working environment and conditions were not suited to him, he added.

Finally, he got a job at Tri Tam School for Children with Disabilities in the neighbouring province of Binh Duong thanks to his teacher at the university, who introduced him to Tri Tam Schools principal.

In 2014, when he heard about Kien Giang Provinces Social Welfare Centres recruitment for staff, he applied and was hired, and still works there.

At the centre, Canh teaches Braille to children with visual impairments as well as piano or organ for children with disabilities. He also gives massages to seniors.

When he began, some people thought he would not be able to fulfill his tasks, but he proved that he could do anything well.

Studying abroad

When I was at university, I dreamed that I would study abroad some day. The dream has now come true! Canh said.

He plans to study social work in a masters degree programme at Flinders University in Adelaide.

Many people with disabilities still feel uncomfortable and cannot integrate into society well, Canh said. I want to carry out programmes related to jobs, rights and equality for people with disabilities in the country after finishing my studies in Australia. VNS
Thirteen students in Bac Ninh Province fell from the second floor and were wounded after a school balcony collapsed on Monday afternoon.  Photo baogiaothong.vn

BAC NINH  Thirteen students in Bac Ninh Province fell from the second floor and were wounded after a school balcony collapsed on Monday afternoon.

The incident occurred at Van Mon elementary school in Yen Phong District, when a pair of fifth-graders accidentally hit the degraded balcony railing during break time, causing it to fall apart. Thirteen students then fell to the ground along with debris from the balcony.

Six with the most severe injuries were rushed to the Viet Nam-Germany Hospital in Ha Noi, while five students were taken to the provincial Bac Ninh Hospital and another two to Yen Phong District Hospital.

Local authorities and the school representatives visited the injured students at the hospitals and provided them VN89 million (US$3,950) in total to help with the treatment.

The Van Mon elementary school was built in 1995, and has become seriously degraded.  VNS
BINH INH  A broken water pipe caused by serious floods in south central coastal province of Binh inh one week ago has affected nearly 3,800 households in Tuy Phuoc District, an official said.

Nguyen Thanh Hoang, head of the local management board for clean water and environmental sanitation, said the unit has not yet been able to deal with the break in a section of the clean water pipe crossing a Vang dyke in Phuoc Nghia Communes Huynh Mai Village because it remained submerged in flood water as of yesterday morning.

"It will take at least five days to fix the pipe after the flood water has receded," Hoang said.

Earlier, last Tuesday, strong flood waters from upstream and uprooted trees caused the water pipeline to break. The incident resulted in 80 households living in Phuoc Nghia Commune and 3.700 in Phuoc Thuan Commune losing their supply of clean water for daily use, Dan tri e-newpaper reported.

Without water, residents are forced to temporarily use well water. However, this water source is not safe because it is contaminated with alum and flood water. Local households, therefore, have to buy bottled water for drinking.

Bui Thi Nga, a resident of Huynh Mai Village, Phuoc Nghia Commune, said she had to buy bottled water for cooking, and well water was being used for washing only.

I have to buy two 10 litre bottles per day for daily use. We hope the local authorities will quickly repair the broken pipeline to provide clean water soon, helping people stabilise their lives, ien Thi Phuong, a resident of Phuoc Thuan Communes Pho Trach Village, said.  VNS
PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with world leaders on Tuesday, two years to the day since 195 nations adopted the climate-rescue Paris Agreement -- this time to talk about money.

Without trillions of dollars of investment in clean energy, the pacts goal to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels will remain a pipedream, observers and participants warned on the eve of the Paris summit.

Political action "will not be enough if we do not update and reset the global finance architecture and make all development low-emission, resilient, and sustainable," UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said.

"We see some movement... but climate consideration must now be part of all private sector decisions," she said.

After the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 to cheers and champagne, helped over the finish line by then US president Barack Obama, his successor Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the process, withdrawing political support and finance.

Money has long been a sore point in the UN climate process, with developing nations insisting on financial assistance to help them make the costly move to less-polluting energy sources, and to shore up defences against climate change-induced superstorms, mega-droughts and land-gobbling sea level rise.

Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax", announced in June that the United States would pull out of the Paris pact, which had taken nearly 200 nations more than two decades to negotiate.

The US is the only country to reject the agreement.

Trump has also asked Congress to slash the climate research budgets of federal agencies -- threatening a loss of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.

The Trump administration would also not fulfil US climate finance commitments, including an outstanding $2 billion out of $3 billion it had pledged towards the Green Climate Fund.

"The missing piece of the jigsaw is the funding to help the worlds poorer countries access clean energy so they dont follow the fossil fuel-powered path of the rich world," said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid, which represents poor country interests at the UN climate forum.

Dont worry

"This is the missing piece that the One Planet Summit needs to begin to put into place."

In the absence of former climate champion Obama, American businesses, regions and local government leaders have reiterated their commitment to decarbonisation.

"It doesnt matter that Donald Trump backed out of the Paris Agreement, because the private sector didnt drop out, the public sector didnt drop out, universities didnt drop out, no one dropped out," former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, now the face of the R20 network of sub-national climate actors, said in Paris.

"Dont worry about any of that, we are the subnational level, were going to pick up the slack," he said.

On the eve of the summit, the heads of many of worlds space agencies proposed the creation of a space climate observatory to pool acquired data to share with scientists around the globe, according to a declaration they adopted at their meeting in Paris.

Among the leaders in attendance at Tuesdays summit will be UN chief Antonio Guterres, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Mexicos Enrique Pena Nieto, Theresa May of Britain, Spains Mariano Rajoy, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Trump was not invited to Tuesdays gathering, and the US -- the worlds biggest historical emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gases -- will be represented by an embassy official.

Also absent will be the leaders of major polluters China, India, Brazil, Russia and Canada, as well as Germanys Angela Merkel among EU members.

Rich nations pledged in 2009 to muster $100 billion per year in climate finance for developing nations from 2020.

On 2015 trends, total public financing would reach about $67 billion by that date, according to a report of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The International Energy Agency estimates that investments of some $3.5 trillion per year in the energy sector will be needed to 2050 to stay under the 2oC limit -- double current spending.  AFP
WATERLOO  The Waterloo Womans Club will meet at noon Thursday 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.

Local Rotary clubs honored

CEDAR FALLS  The Cedar Valley Rotary Club in Cedar Falls and the Oelwein Rotary Club have earned the prestigious Rotary International Presidents Citation for their work in 2016-17.

The citations are based on success in membership growth and retention, foundation fundraising, youth activities and community support.

Rotary District 5970, with 53 Rotary clubs located in the northern third of Iowa, also received the Presidents Citation.

District 5970 had the best membership growth and retention in Rotary Zone 28, which encompasses clubs in Iowa; Minnesota; Wisconsin; Illinois; Nebraska; North Dakota; Michigan; and Ontario, Canada.

The district also achieved a record-setting year in giving to the Rotary Foundation in 2016-17.

For more information on Rotary International, go to www.rotary.org or www.district5970.org.

Santa to visit Woodstock Road

WATERLOO  People are welcome to join Woodstock Road in Waterloo to enjoy their holiday lighting, as well as greeting Santa Claus and his sleigh.

Santa will be on the street to meet and greet from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 22 and 23.

Wine club event set for Dec. 21

WATERLOO  The Ansborough Hy-Vee will offer a Holiday Wine Club event from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 21.

A Hy-Vee chef will pair sparkling wine with appetizers.

Register at the customer service counter or call 233-3266.

Blood drive

set for Dec. 19

INDEPENDENCE  A Buchanan County community blood drive is set for noon to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 512 Fifth St. N.E.

Make an appointment at lifeservebloodcenter.org or by calling (800) 287-4903.
WATERLOO  A Monday night shooting that landed a Waterloo man in the hospital came during a burglary, according to police.

Officers said they were called to a break-in at 121 Courtland St. around 7 p.m. Monday, and when they arrived, they found 39-year-old Cedric Roy Craft with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police didnt find any suspects at the scene.

Craft was taken to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital, and he was later flown to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. He remained in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon.

Court records show the Courtland Street home was the scene of a May drug raid where police found marijuana, two scales and a 9 mm handgun.

Before the May search, investigators with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force and used confidential informants as part of controlled drug purchases at the home, records state.
WATERLOO  Waterloo has added itself to the list of major Iowa cities banning fireworks use.

City Council members voted 6-0 Monday to approve the final two readings of an ordinance making it illegal to discharge consumer fireworks in the city limits and limiting fireworks sales to industrial zones.

Residents, who have been able to buy fireworks since Sunday, will face a $250 fine if theyre caught using them after the city legally publishes the ordinance in the Courier.

The earliest that the ordinance could be published in the paper is this Friday, said City Clerk Kelley Felchle.

Council lights fuse on Waterloo fireworks ban WATERLOO  A plan to snuff out fireworks use in Waterloo has won initial approval.

Councilmen Steve Schmitt and Jerome Amos Jr., who previously voted against the fireworks ban, switched their votes this week. Councilman Tom Lind, who also voted against the ban, was absent for this weeks vote.

Amos said he joined the vote to ban fireworks to prevent them from being shot off through the Christmas season. Both he and Schmitt expect the measure to be reconsidered before the Fourth of July after three new City Council members are seated in January.

I still dont think the ban is the way to go, Amos said. We can revisit it next year.

Schmitt said he was also more concerned about the fireworks issue next summer than he was for New Years Eve.

Im tired of fighting it, he said. Ive always said it should be left up to the incoming council.

The Legislature earlier this year lifted an 80-year ban on consumer fireworks and allowed them to be shot off from June 1 through July 8 and again from Dec. 10 through Jan. 3.

Cities can adopt shorter usage windows or ban them entirely like Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Ames, Iowa City, Cedar Falls and now Waterloo.

Waterloo fireworks store opens Sunday WATERLOO  Crossroads Fireworks, 2019 Crossroads Blvd. located next to IHOP in front of Cros

While state law prevents cities from banning the sale of consumer fireworks, the ordinance adopted in Waterloo restricts sales to industrial zoning districts.

The only store operating in Waterloo now is located in a commercial zoning at Crossroads. City Attorney Dave Zellhoefer said hes researching how the new ordinance affects Crossroads Fireworks.
WATERLOO  The city has been awarded state funds to reduce a stretch of Ridgeway Avenue to three lanes.

The Iowa Transportation Commission Tuesday approved a $425,000 grant from the traffic safety improvement program to convert Ridgeway Avenue from from four to three lanes between Bellaire Road, just west of Kimball Avenue, to U.S. Highway 63.

The City Council voted in August to apply for $484,200, which was the estimated cost to change Ridgeway to one lane of through traffic in each direction with a center lane for left turns.

We didnt get the amount that we asked for, said Interim Public Works Director Sandie Greco.

Plan would reduce lanes on Ridgeway Avenue WATERLOO  High crash rates have prompted the city to consider major changes to Ridgeway Avenue.

The Traffic Operations Department will review the grant and consider cost reduction options before taking the issue back to the City Council for approval next year.

Its up to the council as to whether they want to accept it, Greco said. Well have a work session with the council first and bring in the consultant who worked on the study to answer questions.

A traffic study conducted earlier concluded the roadway, which has a high crash rate, would be much safer as a three-lane road. The current four-lane configuration is very narrow and the cost of widening the road is prohibitive.

Councilman Tom Lind voted against the grant application in August saying residents and businesses in that area opposed the change.

The Ridgeway plan was among 44 projects awarded nearly $7.6 million in traffic safety improvement program funding.

Buchanan County was awarded the full $289,500 it sought for an estimated $1.5 million project to pave 2-foot shoulders and add center and shoulder rumble strips on County Road V-62.
CEDAR FALLS  With Iowa lawmakers gearing up for another battle over funding water quality improvements, a small Northeast Iowa watershed group is making a direct plea to state residents to help finance their efforts.

Miller Creek watershed supporters hope to raise $100,000 in the months ahead to help farmers plant cover crops, build bioreactors and tackle other conservation practices that will reduce runoff.

The district had about $27,000 in water-quality practices it was unable to fund this year, an amount that it expects will climb to $100,000 over three years, said Shane Wulf, the Miller Creek watershed coordinator.

The Miller Creek watershed project is a victim of its own success. ... Its generated so much farmer demand for practices that they ran out of money this year, said Sean McMahon, director of the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, backed by soybean, pork and corn producers.

The effort is unique for its broad appeal to Iowans interested in supporting water-quality efforts, said McMahon, whose group plans to give the Miller Creek watershed project $13,500.

It also occurs as Iowa leaders struggle to come up with a substantial long-term source of money to address water-quality problems.

The money will help farmers meet their goal to plant half the watersheds 42,000 acres with cover crops, McMahon said.

Already, about 20 percent of the Miller Creek watershed is blanketed in cereal rye, radishes and other cover crops, outpacing efforts statewide.

We dont want to lose this momentum, said Jeri Thornsberry, chairwoman of the Black Hawk Soil and Water Conservation District Commission, one of the groups supporting watershed improvements.

The Miller Creek watershed, sitting just south of Cedar Falls-Waterloo, feeds into the Cedar River that flows to Cedar Rapids and other downstream cities and towns. Its one of 16 watershed demonstration projects the state is funding to cut nitrogen and phosphorus losses.

The state seeks to cut the nitrogen and phosphorus levels entering Iowas waterways and making their way to the Gulf of Mexico. The nutrients contribute to the Gulf dead zone that this summer was about the size of New Jersey, a new record.

Miller Creek farmers have received about $482,000 in state funding to adopt conservation practices since 2014. Organizers work with farmers, landowners and others to try soil-building and nutrient-holding conservation practices.

Miller Creek watershed wants to be the first to meet the states 45 percent nutrient reduction goal, Wulf said.

Theyve had some amazing success, and theyve set their sights higher, McMahon said.

The donated money will go to help meet farmer demand over the $172,000 that will be available for conservation practices over the next two years, Wulf said.

Farmers and landowners must at least match the districts dollars, under a 50-50 cost-share approach.

The Miller Creek watershed initiative, including education outreach, water quality monitoring, soil sampling and other activities, will get about $1 million in state funding through 2019.

Many farmers want to try cover crops in the watershed, where nearly 90 percent of the acres are in row crops, said Thornsberry, the Black Hawk soil and water commissioner.

Planted in the fall, cover crops help hold soil in place over the winter and keep fertilizers from running off in the spring, when Iowa typically gets heavy rains.

Cover crops build soil health when they die or are killed off before corn, soybeans or other cash crops are planted.

The practice cuts nitrate and phosphorus losses from farmland by about 30 percent, Iowa State University research shows.

Statewide, only about 2 percent of Iowas 30 million farm acres are planted with cover crops.

We have people who have never tried cover crops, who were reluctant to try conservation practices, are now saying, I want to incorporate this into my farming practice, and were out of money for the year, Thornsberry said.

The work is important for the Cedar Rapids region, which saw massive flooding in 2008 and 2016. Flooding caused an estimated $2 billion in damages nine years ago, and about $22 million last year.

Iowa also struggles with a growing impaired waters list and toxic blue-green algal blooms that prevent swimmers from hitting lake beaches in the summer.

In 2016, Iowa had 750 water bodies with 1,096 impairments, meaning the waters may be unsafe for recreation, fishing or other uses, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported.

Miller Creeks increasing grower interest in cover crops is greening the watershed, Thornsberry said. It brings a smile to my heart, she said.

Louis Beck is one of watershed farmers adopting conservation practices.

Beck has been adding grassed waterways to slow water from leaving his farm as well as no-tilling farming for a decade  not using a plow to turn over the soil before planting, which helps reduce soil erosion and builds soil health.

The La Porte City middle and high schools ag education teacher has been using cover crops for three years.

Its been interesting  and challenging  but I think were beginning to see some benefits from it with improved yields in areas with poorer soils, Beck said.

The problem areas, with lighter soil or compacted soil, dont seem to be as bad anymore, he said, adding that area farmers share information about when best to seed cover crops and the best varieties to use.

Were constantly comparing notes, talking and working toward the same goals, Beck said. We want people to know were taking the best care we can of our land.

Uncertainty about state funding played a role in the fundraising decision, Thornsberry said.

We dont know what the states budget will look like next year, with the financial troubles theyre facing, she said. We dont know what the Legislature will do.

Despite calling it a top priority, state lawmakers have failed to pass long-term sustainable funding for water quality improvements in the past two sessions.

Legislative leaders said the issue will get quick action in the 2018 session.

Ann Robinson, the Iowa Environmental Councils agriculture policy program, applauds Miller Creeks creative efforts to raise money to improve water quality.

I think its great, she said. People support what they help create through their investment, so there could be a lot of benefits.

But Robinson said its not a long-term solution to cleaning Iowas water.

The Iowa Environmental Council supports putting a sales tax  three-eighths of 1 cent  in place to support lake and wetland restoration, habitat restoration, watershed protection, nutrient reduction and recreation trails.

Iowa voters approved creating a fund to support the states natural resources, but funding it requires legislative action. So far, thats been difficult to obtain.

We need a structure ... that addresses broader issues, such as flood control, Robinson said. Many of our watersheds are impaired because of bacteria.

And practices such as bioreactors that address nitrates dont do anything to address bacteria, she said.

We need a full range of tools ... to tackle all the issues in watersheds that are important to local people as well as those downstream.

The Miller Creek watershed begins on Becks farm. The third-generation farmer hopes the fundraising effort is successful.

It could be a shot in the arm that people are with us, he said. I could be very encouraging to farmers.
WATERLOO  The Salvation Armys ninth annual Red Kettle Mayoral Battle of the Bells welcomed newcomers Mayors Doug Faas of Evansdale and Tim Swope of Elk Run Heights on Saturday, but it was a veteran who took home the trophy.

When all the kettles were counted Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart emerged victorious with $2,123.18, keeping the trophy in the city of Waterloo for the ninth consecutive year. Mayors Faas and Swope marked their inaugural year by taking second with $1,172.20. Mayor Jim Brown of Cedar Falls rounded out the competition with $503.78.

The 2017 challenge total of $3,799.16 is the most the competition has brought in since 2012.

The Mayoral Battle of the Bells competition is one of the highlights of our kettle season each year. We were happy to welcome our friends from Evansdale and Elk Run Heights this year and can hardly wait to see what next years challenge brings, said Major Harold Poff.

The Salvation Army is entering the final two weeks of its annual Red Kettle fundraising campaign, which is lagging behind its $638,000 goal. To date, $290,590 has been raised, putting The Salvation Army 45 percent to its goal.
Republican Roy Moore cast the sexual allegations he faces as an outside effort to tank his Senate candidacy Monday night at his final rally before Tuesday's special election.

Alabama voters, Moore said, are "not going to stand by and let other people from out of state and money from California control this election."

He said the United States must "recognize God" and argued that Democratic and Republican leaders in Washington have failed to do so.

"In this country, we have explored the temple built by the Democrat and the Republican party, and found that they have idols that do not hear us and do not see us," he said.

Moore's comments came after his wife, Kayla, defended him.

"I love him, I trust him and you should, too," she said.

Moore faces Democrat Doug Jones in Tuesday's election to fill the remainder of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' Senate term, which runs through 2020.

Moore faces allegations that he pursued sexual relationships with teenage girls while in his 30s -- including molesting a 14-year-old and assaulting a 16-year-old.

President Donald Trump has defended Moore against the accusations, noting that Moore has denied them. Trump has also cast the election as key to preserving Republicans' narrow 52-48 majority in the Senate with major items including tax reform on the GOP's near-term agenda.
US 60 open after Salem fire, but may be icy
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The shooting of young hero Raj Tarun and Bollywood starlet Amyra Dastur-starrer ongoing romantic comedy, Rajugadu, is almost complete except for a couple of songs. The latest update is that the films unit will be heading to Thailand on December 20 to can the two balance songs.

Rajugadu tells the story of a kleptomaniac, played by Raj Tarun. The films post-production formalities have been wrapped up. Sanjana Reddy is making her directorial debut with this project. Anil Sunkara is the films producer and Gopi Sundar is the music composer. Rajugadu is aiming to hit the screens during Sankranthi early next year.

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Dec 12, 2017 | By Benedict

Indian 3D printing startup Fracktal Works has received funding from investment firm Hyderabad Angels in a pre-Series A financing round. The money will go towards 3D printer R&D and a new automated online 3D printing service called Fractory.

Founded in 2013, Bengaluru-based 3D printing and digital manufacturing specialist Fracktal Works looks like a 3D printing company to keep an eye on. Not only does the Indian startup produce its own like of 3D printers, it is also launching an automated 3D printing service, Fractory, which will give customers automatic quotes and repairs on their 3D models.

Its this ambitious and wide-ranging approach to 3D printing that has influenced investors like Hyderabad Angels to put money into Fracktal Works in a recent pre-Series A financing round. Although figures have not been disclosed, Fracktal Works says it will use the new cash to improve its 3D printers and help launch the new Fractory service.

Fractory, which will launch in the near future, promises to offer automatic file repair with learning algorithms, instant quotes and estimated lead times, and order tracking, which lets customers know when their 3D printed item is printing and when it is in transit.

The service, which will provide additive manufacturing as well as CNC milling options, will bring Fracktal Works 3D printing and digital manufacturing capabilities to a new range of customers who do not intend to invest in their own 3D printing equipment.

We believe Fracktal Works disruptive technology will help lower manufacturing costs and increase efficiency, commented G Ram Chaitanya Reddy, vice-chairman of Hyderabad Angels.

You might have heard of Fracktal Works 3D printers: its flagship machine is the Julia desktop 3D printer, released a few years back, but the company recently launched an upgraded version, the Julia+. This new FDM printer is compatible with a wide range of thermoplastics and has a filament sensing unit.

Its not just Hyderabad Angels that has been impressed with Fracktal Works rise up the Indian 3D printing ladder. The company has previously raised funds from 1 Neoteric Technology Solutions, and counts big companies like Cisco, Toshiba, and L&T amongst its previous customers.

Fracktal Works was formed by two alumni of the Manipal Institute of Technology, but now employs 25 people. The company says its 3D printing and digital manufacturing equipment and services are suited to a range of sectors, including education, manufacturing, architecture, medical, and injection molding.

Posted in 3D Printing Service

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Dec 12, 2017 | By David

Heres another round-up of recent events you might have missed, from the 3D printing world. Stories include a 3D printed heart model, new 3D CAD software from Shapr Pro, and many more besides.

1. Tomsky Polytechnic University 3D prints heart model for cardiac surgeons to plan forthcoming operations

A group of researchers at Russias Tomsk Polytechnic University have been using 3D printing techniques to develop models of childrens hearts. These organic replicas are then used by cardiac surgeons as guides, in order to better plan and carry out their procedures. TPU had created 3D printed heart models for adults before, but his is the first time the technique was carried out with childrens hearts, which are significantly smaller.

Professor Vyacheslav Ryabov from the SSMU Department of Cardiology says, "Our cardiac surgeons suggested creating 3-D-models of hearts. Today, surgeons do not blindly go into a planned operation. Using modern diagnostic visualization technologies, they try to obtain information prior to operations, which can help to plan operation process."



The heart models are based on MRI scans, which are then converted into digital 3D models. These can be printed cheaply and easily with a standard FDM 3D printer. The time it currently takes for the full process of ordering and making one of these hear t models is around two weeks, but the team is currently looking to develop more advanced software, in order to cut this down to just a few days.

2. Shapr3D raised $1.3M and brings powerful 3D CAD modeling to iPad Pro

Budapest-based software developer Shapr3D first launched its impressive 3D CAD software solution in March 2016, and its success eventually led to the Hungarian company receiving around $1.3 million in investment, from InReach and Lifeline Ventures. The team is now taking advantage of this financial capital to increase its ambition, and it will soon be releasing the worlds first CAD system to run Parasolid software and HOOPS Exchange natively on the iOS platform, and specifically the iPad Pro.

Parasolid software is the worlds leading 3D geometric modeling component and HOOPS Exchange is a leading CAD translation software development kit (SDK). Any user of Shapr3D in education will have access to these tools free of charge, including students, teachers and faculty members from any accredited educational institution.

While most of our users have been professionals such as product designers, engineers, architects, jewellery designers and 3D printing hobbyists, we also have users from MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Duke, Columbia, Cambridge, University of Tokyo, Singapore Polytechnic and many other schools worldwide, said Istvan Csanady, Founder and CEO of Shapr3D. We see this as an opportunity to empower as many students as possible, all over the world, to fuel their creativity and design aspirations. To help them, we are offering the Educational license for free.

3. Emirates boy wins award for 3D printed robot that speaks 7 languages

A 15-year old Grade X student from GEMS Millenium School , Sharjah, U.A.E, has attained first prize in a recent high school technology competition organized by ATLAB. The technology-based company focuses on developing custom applications dedicated to humanoid robots and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), as well as innovation labs for corporates and educational institutions.

The second annual 3D Printing Olympiad had around 150 entries from across the U.A.E, 50 of which reached the final round. The winner had managed to create a realistic-looking humanoid robot, almost entirely using 3D printing technology. It took around eight months for the 15 year-old to complete his project.

"The robot I have built is a cost-effective solution and at Dh1,800 including the tablet, is a much cheaper option., said Risabh Java. I have the arms designed and since the design was not my own I am not including it for the competition. Once the arms and legs are built, it could be about six feet tall. I have used open source software already available online to build the humanoid."

The participants were judged by a panel of nine judges who based their decision on the uniqueness of the design, research and development process as presented, the value and potential impact of the design, and the ability to communicate or demonstrate the features.

4. Indaero uses Stratasys 3D printing systems to secure Airbus business

Global 3D printing leader Stratasys has announced how Indaero has been making use of its additive manufacturing solutions in order to provide quality tools for the aerospace industry. Indaero, which is an engineering company based in Spain, has secured new business with several Tier 1 and Tier 2 Airbus suppliers as a result of its implementation of Stratasys FDM 3D printing technology

Aerospace is unlike other industries, producing high volumes of tools, explains Dario Gonzalez Fernandez, CEO of Indaero. To traditionally manufacture production tools, injection molding or CNC machining would be used, but this would be very time-consuming and costly. With our Fortus 450mc 3D Printer, we can service low-volume production quickly and cost-effectively, producing many different tools on-demand to accelerate the manufacturing process and ensure we meet customer delivery deadlines. The importance of the ULTEM 9085 material cannot be understated either. It has become an integral part of our production process, as it is certified for aerospace and well known by our customer Airbus for a number of aircraft applications. With its unique combination of high strength-to-weight ratio and FST (flame, smoke, and toxicity) certification, we can 3D print robust, lightweight tools and respond to short run production of flying parts if required  giving us a unique advantage versus competition.

Curved tools are a particular option that Indaero now has thanks to the adoption of 3D printing, and this is being exemplified through the companys work for Aernnova. The Stratasys Fortus 450mc 3D Printer is now being used by the company to optimize a series of production tools for the production of an Airbus NH90 Helicopter. With the complex geometries achievable with 3D printing, the team was able to redesign the existing tools with a curvature perfectly fitting the panel structure. As a result, Indaero provided Aernnova with a more effective tool that was also nine kilos lighter than its predecessor and capable of standing on its own. Manufacturing time for the tool was also cut in half.

5. Aprecia Pharmaceuticals and Cycle Pharmaceuticals partner to develop 3D-printed orphan drugs



Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, The 3DP Pharmaceutical Company, and Cycle Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced they have signed a partnership agreement to develop and commercialize orphan drugs using 3D printing technology. The planned products will deliver quality-of-life improvements versus existing, approved orphan drugs, and will achieve this by utilizing Aprecia's proprietary 3DP ZipDose Technology platform. ZipDose is the only 3D printing technology used in a pharmaceutical drug product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Antonio Benedetti, CEO of Cycle commented: "Many rare disease patients do not have a treatment option at all. For those rare diseases where there is an approved pharmaceutical treatment, patients continue to be burdened by sub-optimal drug formulations. Aprecia's ZipDose 3DP technology can formulate fast-melt pharmaceutical products, incorporating significantly higher amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredient than any other fast-melt technology on the market. As such, this advanced technology can uniquely overcome both pill burden and dysphagia  swallowing difficulties  both of which are life-long, daily issues for so many rare disease patients."

"We are excited to work with the Cycle team, and we see important synergies in the companies' shared mission to address unmet needs in patient care," said Don Wetherhold, CEO of Aprecia. "Cycle specializes in orphan drugs - they have proven that they can deliver quality-of-life improvements to rare disease patients around the world. Aprecia is fully committed to applying its ZipDose 3DP printing technology to address real-world, daily issues faced by rare disease patients," he continued.

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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Massimo Pigliucci in Plato's Footnote:

During the last several weeks Ive been sparring on Twitter with Bryan van Norden, a self-described leading scholar of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, based in Singapore. He has written a book, just out, entitled Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto, in support of which he has published a piece in Aeon magazine. It is that piece that has triggered our back and forth, which has, unfortunately, reached rare levels of unpleasantness.

The title of the Aeon article is Why the Western Philosophical canon is xenophobic and racist, a rare instance of vilification of an entire field and of an indiscriminate attack on every professional working within it. Is van Norden justified in his accusations? Is such an obvious clickbait the best way to foster a constructive dialogue about the problem? Lets take a look.

First though, let me make clear that I agree with some of the substance of van Nordens article (and, presumably, book). Philosophy departments the world over  not just in North America or Europe  should indeed be teaching as many of the varied philosophical traditions as logistically possible. Then again, that goes also for history departments, or literature, and so forth, I would think.

Second, the crucial kernel of truth in van Nordens argument is the problem famously identified by Edward W. Said in his 1978 book, Orientalism.

More here.
Erica Berry at Literary Hub:

I have come to believe that fear is a cruelty to those who are feared, writes Eula Biss in Notes from No Mans Land: American Essays. When I read this, I thought of the wolf, and then I thought of the people we had turned into them, from Cotton Mather calling Native Americans Ravenous howling Wolves in 1689, to The New York Daily News headline about the Central Park Wolf Pack exactly 300 years later. In Songlines, Bruce Chatwin notes that wargus, the Middle Latin word for wolf, is the same as the word for stranger, and Harting writes that the Saxons once referred to outlaws as wolfs-headsunprotected by the law and liable to be killed anywhere, like animals. In Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice, Gratiano references a wolf, who hanged for human slaughter, a line that smacks of metaphor until you read reports from medieval Germany of wolves that were dressed in human clothes, wigs, and masks before being strung up at a town gallows. The line between an evil man and an evil wolf has always been thin.

In other words: how have we tried to reconcile the evil that lies within our human communities and human hearts? We have made it strange. We have made it outlaw. We have made it a lone wolf.

more here.
Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers is developing an autonomous underwater vehicle using the swimming pool at the University of South Floridas Tampa campus. Using the pool is an economical way to test the equipment they hope will be used commercially someday.You have so many connections just by being in here, says Art Ianuzzi, as he sits in a conference room at USF Connect, strategically located near campus.He and Ed Larson, the Xplorers Founder and CEO, are part of a team that makes its business home at USF Connect.Though not technically on campus, USF Connect is located in USF Research Park , which effectively acts as a front door to the campus on Fowler Avenue. The park also houses USFs new Office of Corporate Partnerships , a place where businesses that want to collaborate with the university can come.Located across the street from students and professors that can help businesses run and expand operations, the some 60 companies in USF Connect share a desire to have -- or maintain -- a relationship with USF.An additional 25 are in a student incubator program.It really is a community asset, says Valerie Landrio McDevitt, Associate VP, Technology Transfer and Business Partnerships, who oversees the USF Incubation Program, Technology Transfer Program, and the USF Florida High Technology Corridor Matching Grants Program.As part of the robust Tampa Bay tech scene, USF Connect focuses on technology talent in Tampa Bays entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as bio/life sciences companies. It offers laboratories and expertise needed by biology and life science firms, plus access to lots of interns to fill short-term jobs that may eventually become permanent.Unlike accelerator programs in the area, USF Connect doesnt engage businesses for programs that may last 13 weeks. Were ... not an accelerator, McDevitt explains. We have some companies that might be with us five or more years because that is the life cycle for biology type inventors.Afterwards, theres plenty of place in the park to move to; they can even build their own building.Lots of educational seminars, mentors, networking, and access to USF faculty and staff are also part of the perks available at USF Connect.Laurie Sullivan, USF Connect Program Coordinator, is the go-to person for people who want to know whats happening in the program at USF Research Park. Or who need to talk to someone about a specific issue.She drives the day-to-day bus of this beast, McDevitt quips.Sullivans responsibilities include overseeing events like BEAT, Building Entrepreneurship Around TampaBay, which showcases innovative startups and provides educational information and opportunities to pitch for funds. Cellvana Biotechnology, founded by its CEO, Dr. Alina Ruta, won in the Bio/Tech Company category in the November contest. The Student Company Award went to Izu Madubueze, CEO and founder, of Uhuru Designs.A lot of people hear about us by word of mouth, Sullivan says. If it looks like they might be a good fit for our program, we invite them to present before our vetting panel.Guidance is provided by two Entrepreneurs in Residence, John Morrow and Dr. Valerie Riddle, and Executive in Residence Dr. Shri Goyal. Lab Manager Leigh West maintains lab equipment, introduces clients to that equipment and ensures they get safety training.The businesses that make USF Connect their home are varied. Some have been there a relatively short period of time, others for years.The Xplorers have been working on an autonomous vehicle for deep water, designed from a scuba diving tank, for more than a year. They are planning to compete for the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, originally scheduled in October in Puerto Rico. But hurricanes Irma and Maria forced organizers to delay the event until next year.Well be ready. Were still working, Larson says.Shell is looking for a robot to do undersea mapping.The winner gets right of first refusal from Shell to license technology, Ianuzzi points out. Any of the runners up have substantial product.Team members also developed a shallow water vessel for a SOFWERX competition Nov. 1-3 in Ybor City. It is being designed for rescues along with an autonomous boat.So far, theyve raised some $10,000 to finance their efforts by winning four SOFWERX competitions, which are intended to generate public input on military and government concerns.The 7-year-old Leapdoctor, run by husband-and-wife team Ashok and Ronit Tyagi, is also steadily reinvesting. A staffing firm that places physicians in temporary or locum tenens positions, Leapdoctor generates money for multiple business endeavors, such as its LeapCaller system that automates the calling process to place doctors. Or a new, challenging video puzzle game, Crystals and Curses, set to launch Jan. 1, 2018. Or even a mobile app, Tieship, which facilitates professional networking, scheduled to go into beta testing Nov. 1.The skys the limit, Ronit says. Were really excited about the future. Being part of this program has helped us grow 10 times faster.Both USF graduates, the couple came to USF Connect about a year ago. Ashok, a physician, is serving as Leapdoctors CEO. Ronit, who holds an MBA in healthcare management, is a VP mixing child raising with entrepreneurship. Their third baby was a regular at Leapdoctor offices for awhile.As its name suggests, Nilogen Oncosystems is working to combat cancer. A research firm working under contract to the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, it helps test drugs that work with the bodys immune system to defeat lung cancer. Eventually, it may be used with other types of cancer.Lung cancer patients may have five to seven approved drugs they can use to treat the disease, explains Dr. Sigrid M. Volko, President and CEO. The companys system is being developed to help patients and doctors determine which medicine is best, sparing patients from treatments that do not help.Theres is a cost burden to society, says Volko, who co-founded the company in 2013 with Drs. Soner Altiok and Scott Antonia. You dont want to give somebody a six figure treatment when they will not benefit.Nilogen Oncosystems works with live rather than preserved tissue, using small portions of the tumor in its natural environment.Our approach is unique enough in a sense that we resolved issues that other companies are still struggling with, she says.Being located in USF Connect since late 2014 has saved the company quite a bit in lab costs. Its proximity to Moffitt Cancer Center has enabled it to tap into a pool of talented scientists and technicians.USF Connect is one of the few state-of-the-art spaces that has opened its doors to startup companies with an affordable fee structure, she says.Unlike other companies that stay with USF Connect a few years, Modelithics has been around since 2001. Founded by Drs. Thomas Weller, Chair of USFs Department of Electrical Engineering, and Larry Dunleavy, Modelithics helps accelerate the design process for communications systems using radar and microwave frequencies.We help enable a first pass, design success from computer screen to circuit board, explains Dunleavy, President and CEO, who teaches at USFs Center for Wireless and Microwave Information Systems.The first company in the USF Technology Incubator, Modelithics is now a resident business enjoying steady growth. It was also a finalist in Workplace Culture for the 14th Annual Tampa Bay Tech Awards Nov. 10.The company, which serves a niche market, has found USF Connect is critical to its survival. Sometimes you can hurt your company by being a little ambitious with your growth plans, he says. We dont need a lot of space.Their location is very convenient for the part-time interns we employ on a regular basis, he adds.AbacodeAbleNook, LLCAceApplications LLCAdaptive Immersion TechnologiesAgilis Biotherapeutics, Inc.BetaBiotica, LLCBORDA Technology & RFID Innovative SolutionsCellvana Biotechnology, LLCCTIClaro ScientificClear SpecCOI Energy Services LLCCUPRXDisruptive Nutrition LLCDr. B.B.Thakar Research CenterFormericsGeneus, Inc.IBIS Therapeutics, LLCInnovatia Medical Systems, LLCInteliex Biomedical CorpIntezyne TechnologiesInvest DefenseIsoprenoidsKeriCure, Inc.Ketone Technologies, LLCLawbec Innovations, LLCLeap Forward Enterprise LLCLife Enabling TechnologiesLooshes Labs, LLCModelithicsMolekuleMy Reviewers, LLCNatura TherapeuticsNeuroEM Therapeutics, Inc.Nilogen OncosystemsOvation DiagnosticsPhoinix Holding CompanyPrimack & Associates, LLCPure Molecular, LLCSaneron CCEL TherapeuticsScientific League, Inc.SGN NanoPharma, Inc.Small Business Development CenterSprainGo LLCStem GenesisStemCell Lab CorpTampa Deep-Sea X-plorers LLCTransGenex NanoBiotech, Inc.Trash2Cash-Energy, Inc.Ultrasonic Technologies, Inc.UventuresVenn Therapeutics LLCViroCure USA, Inc.VuEssence IncWater, Health, and Sustainability LLCYasny, LLCHutchison PLLCFlorida Small Business Development CenterThe Entrepreneur Law CenterTo suggest additional story ideas, email 83 Degrees To subscribe to our free weekly e-magazine, follow this link


UGL Appointed as Preferred EPC Contractor for 270mw Kidston Solar Two Project

Sydney, Dec 12, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Genex Power Limited ( ASX:GNX ) (Genex or Company) is pleased to provide an update in relation to the development of the 270MW Kidston Stage 2 Solar project (K2-Solar) at Kidston, North Queensland. The K2-Solar project is part of the overall Kidston Stage 2 (K2) project, which includes a co-located 250MW hydro pumped storage project (K2-Hydro).



Following engagement with a number of leading EPC contractors, Genex has appointed UGL as its preferred Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contractor for the K2-Solar project. UGL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian publicly listed company CIMIC Group Limited ( ASX:CIM ), which is a world-leading infrastructure, mining, services and public private partnerships group. UGL was also engaged by Genex as EPC contractor for the 50MW Kidston Solar One project (KS1), which commenced generation on schedule and within budget earlier this month (refer ASX announcement 4 December 2017).



As part of an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) process, Genex will work with UGL to finalise an EPC contract that reflects the most cost-effective and time-efficient solution, taking account of the extensive learnings gained during the construction of KS1. The ECI process for K2-Solar aligns with the procedure currently underway for the K2-Hydro project (refer ASX announcement 23 October 2017).



Genex intends that the combined Kidston Stage 2 project will be the subject of a single project financing, with individual EPC contracts for K2-Solar and K2-Hydro designed to take advantage of the specialist expertise and experience that each party can offer individually.



Commenting on UGL's appointment, Genex Managing Director Michael Addison stated:



"UGL has been selected as preferred EPC contractor for K2-Solar based on its strong delivery performance for KS1, which commenced generation on schedule and within budget earlier this month. Since the appointment of UGL as EPC Contractor for KS1 in December 2016, UGL has expanded its project portfolio in Australia to become one of the leading contractors for large-scale solar projects.



We will work closely with UGL over the coming weeks to finalise an EPC contract that will allow K2- Solar to be built within our proposed budget and timeframe, replicating the successful KS1 partnership".



The Federal Government, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), has provided $8.9 million in funding to support the construction of Genex's KS1 project, and up to $9 million in funding to support the development of K2-Solar and K2-Hydro.



The Queensland State Government has continued to support the development of the Kidston Renewable Energy Hub, providing a 20-year revenue support deed for KS1 through the Solar 150 Program, and designating the Kidston Renewable Energy Hub as 'Critical Infrastructure' to the State.



About ARENA:



ARENA was established by the Australian Government to make renewable energy technologies more competitive and increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia. Through the provision of funding coupled with deep commercial and technical expertise, ARENA provides the support needed to accelerate the development of promising new solutions towards commercialisation. ARENA invests in renewable energy projects across the innovation chain and is committed to sharing knowledge and lessons learned from its portfolio of projects and information about renewable energy. ARENA has committed $1.1 billion in funding to more than 270 projects. For more information, visit http://www.arena.gov.au



To view figures, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/S111V973





About Genex Power Ltd





Genex Power Limited (ASX:GNX) is focused on developing a portfolio of renewable energy generation and storage projects across Australia. The Company's flagship Kidston Clean Energy Hub, located in north Queensland, will integrate large-scale solar generation with pumped storage hydro. The Kidston Clean Energy Hub is comprised of the operating 50MW stage 1 Solar Project (KS1) and the 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project (K2-Hydro) with potential for further multi-stage wind and solar projects. The 50MW Jemalong Solar Project (JSP) is located in NSW and provides geographical diversification to the Genex Power Limited portfolio. JSP was energised in early December 2020 and commissioning is now underway. Genex is further developing its energy storage portfolio via the early stage development of a 50MW/75MWh standalone battery energy storage system at Bouldercombe in Queensland. With over 400MW of renewable energy and storage projects in development, Genex is well placed as Australia's leading renewable energy and storage company.


$6 Million ARENA Grant - Funding Agreement Signed

Queanbeyan, Dec 12, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Greatcell Solar Limited ( ASX:GSL ) ( DYSOY:OTCMKTS ) is very pleased to announce that it has now finalised and signed a Funding Agreement with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for a $6 million grant under the Advancing Renewables Program (ARP). The grant supports a Perovskite Solar Cell Technology - Large Area Module Development Project enabling Greatcell Solar to remain at the forefront of commercialising the exciting, 3rd generation photovoltaic (PV) technology.



The grant strongly assists Greatcell to accelerate its scale-up and prototyping activities that are absolutely critical to its commercialisation path objectives, and clearly demonstrates the importance of ARENA in supporting the development of renewable energy technology in Australia.



The grant will assist in developing a world-class prototype facility in Australia for the fabrication of high quality, large area, current generation and next generation perovskite devices, an essential prerequisite to large scale manufacture.



Greatcell Solar Managing Director, Richard Caldwell remarked:



"Securing the ARENA grant is a vital step in the relentless drive to establish Perovskite Solar Cell PV as a key technology in the renewable energy mix. Above all, the technology is cost competitive with both fossil fuels and alternative renewable energy sources. Greatcell is leading the world in the commercialisation of disruptive and game changing renewable energy technology. We are indebted to the Australian government's vision and financial support."



The funding follows on from an earlier ARENA grant of $450,000 to prove perovskite solar cells were both efficient and stable, confirming the potential viability and cost-competitiveness of developing them for commercial-scale manufacture.



About PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELL TECHNOLOGY



Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC) technology is a photovoltaic (PV) technology based on applying low cost materials in a series of ultrathin layers encapsulated by protective sealants. Greatcell Solar's technology has lower embodied energy in manufacture, produces stable electrical current, and has a strong competitive advantage in low light conditions relative to incumbent PV technologies. This technology can be directly integrated into the building envelope to achieve highly competitive building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).



The key material layers include a hybrid organic-inorganic halide-based perovskite light absorber and nano-porous metal oxide of titanium oxide. Light striking the absorber promotes an electron into the excited state, followed by a rapid electron transfer and collection by the titania layer. Meanwhile, the remaining positive charge is transferred to the opposite electrode, thereby generating an electrical current.



About ARENA



The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is an independent agency of the Australian federal government, established in 2012 to manage Australia's renewable energy programs, with the objective of increasing supply and competitiveness of Australian renewable energy sources.





About Greatcell Solar Limited





Greatcell Solar Limited (ASX:GSL) (OTCMKTS:DYSOY) is a global leader in the development and commercialisation of Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC) technology  3rd Generation photovoltaic technology that can be applied to glass, metal, polymers or cement. Greatcell Solar Limited manufactures and supplies high performance materials and is focussed on the successful commercialisation of PSC photovoltaics. It is a publicly listed company: Australian Securities Exchange ASX (GSL) and German Open Market (D5I). Learn more at our website and subscribe to our mailing list in English and German.


Authier Definitive Feasibility Study Update

Brisbane, Dec 12, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Sayona Mining Limited ( ASX:SYA ) ( DMNXF:OTCMKTS ) ("Sayona" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the main components of Authier Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS") including, the mining, processing and infrastructure have been awarded to BBA.



BBA is an independent Canadian consulting engineering firm operating internationally. Its team is composed of highly-qualified experts in several engineering disciplines including electrical, civil, mechanical, industrial data processing, mining, metallurgical processes, automation, and construction management.



BBA have extensive experience in the Canadian mining industry and have been actively involved in Feasibility Studies for Quebec lithium projects including, Nemaska and the North American Lithium project.



A number of other DFS work programs including geotechnical, transport and environmental have been outsourced to specialist contractors are underway.



The company is targeting completion of the DFS in the second quarter calendar 2018.



In addition to the DFS, two other work programs are progressing, including:



- A Phase 3 drilling program is progressing to collect a large sample for pilot metallurgical testing, geotechnical and further optimisation of the Authier resource and reserve; and



- A pilot metallurgical program is being planned to operate at SGS Lakefield in late December and early January 2018. The program will involve processing between 5 and 10 tonnes of Authier ore. Data collected will be used for engineering and design purposes for the DFS. Furthermore, concentrate produced will be used for the production of lithium carbonate and samples for potential purchasers of Authier concentrates.



Corey Nolan, Chief Executive Officer, commented "The Company is very pleased to be progressing to the DFS stage. Authier is one of the more advanced lithium hard rocks projects in the world and has the potential to be in production in 2019/2020. In parallel with the DFS, Mining Licence applications, offtake contracts and financing activities are being advanced. Subject to receiving all the development permits, construction of Authier is expected to commence in the second half of 2018".





About Sayona Mining Limited





Sayona Mining Limited (ASX:SYA) (OTCMKTS:SYAXF) is an Australian, ASX-listed (SYA) company focused on sourcing and developing the raw materials required to construct lithium-ion batteries for use in the rapidly growing new and green technology sectors. The Company has lithium projects in Quebec, Canada and in Western Australia.

Please visit us as at www.sayonamining.com.au
EasyJet has today announced it will operate four new routes to Bordeaux, Prague, Dubrovnik and Pula (Croatia), from London Southend Airport in 2018.





Bordeaux will start on 25th July 2018 and operates three times a week. Prague starts on 27 July 2018 and will be twice weekly. The two Croatian routes - Dubrovnik (starts 28 July 2018) and Pula (starts 27 July 2018) - will also operate twice weekly.



The new routes mean easyJet now flies to 20 destinations from London Southend Airport  the airline is expecting to fly around 32,000 passengers between the destinations and LSA next summer.



EasyJet has seen sustained expansion at London Southend Airport in recent months having launched its first flight to Malta in October and introduced an additional Airbus A320 aircraft for next summer - the fourth aircraft to be based at London Southend.



Sophie Dekkers, Director, UK Market, easyJet said Were delighted to be adding four new summer routes from London Southend Airport. This announcement of our expansion today highlights our commitment to providing affordable routes to summer holiday destinations. Were sure that they will prove extremely popular for those looking for a summer break or visiting friends and family.



Whether our customers want to sample the historic city culture of Prague, the guaranteed sun hot-spots of Dubrovnik and Pula or to make the short hop to the southern French port city famed for its red wine, Bordeaux - we expect all our new routes to be especially popular with passengers and it also underlines our commitment to LSA.



Glyn Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Aviation that owns London Southend Airport says I am sure these new easyJet destinations will prove very popular with passengers from Essex and the South East - thanks to our partnership with easyJet, and other airlines, we now have a fantastic mix of more than 30 leisure and business destinations for people to explore.



"Were also thrilled that the UKs largest airline is investing in a fourth aircraft at London Southend Airport. It's proof of our strong partnership with easyJet and demonstrates their continued confidence and commitment to providing an exemplary service for our passengers. We currently serve over one million passengers a year with more and more people realising that we are a better way to travel.
Customs officials have arrested a passenger who arrived from Dubai at the Lohegaon International Airport near here and seized gold worth Rs 18 lakh, concealed as buttons on baby diapers.

The passenger, resident of Mumbai, was carrying 48 diapers in his luggage. A close look by the officials revealed that press buttons of these diapers were made of gold.

The passenger had arrived from Dubai by a Spice Jet flight, said a customs official.

The gold weighed 606.83 grams in total, worth around Rs 18 lakh.

It was seized under the reasonable belief that it was being smuggled into the country, said the officer.
Former BJP MP Nana Patole, who resigned from BJP after being unhappy with the functioning of Prime Minister Narendra Modis style, is likely to join Congress after Gujarat assembly polls. Patole, who had criticised the BJP for its failure to provide loan waiver to farmers, has joined hands with Congress president Rahul Gandhi to campaign for the party for Gujarat assembly polls. Patole had quit Congress in 2008 to join BJP. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fielded him in the Bhandara-Gondia constituency, where he defeated NCP stalwart Praful Patel. After quitting BJP, Patole is keen to join Congress and according to sources he is interested in contesting the 2019 Assembly elections on the partys ticket.

Patole had stated that Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Chavan had made an offer to him for joining Congress. Meanwhile, Chavan mentioned that the party will take a decision about this matter at the appropriate time. Patole also spoke to Rahul Gandhi and expressed his concern about the death of farmers in Maharashtra due to inhaling pesticides. He criticised PM Modi for using his OBC credentials for deriving political mileage during elections. Patole has assured Congress leadership to raise the issue of setting up OBC ministry and farmers in every district of Vidarbha while campaigning.
(Courtesy of Austal USA)

Trump signs defense act

President Donald Trump has signed a $700 billion national defense act that likely will send more work to Austal USA's shipyard in Mobile. The National Defense Authorization Act calls for about $150 billion more in military spending than the 2018 budget cap. Congress has yet to find savings or other revenue to pay for the overage, meaning everything in it can't be taken for granted at this point.

Roundup by Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

Don't Edit

(Courtesy of Shaw)

Shaw invests in Andalusia

Shaw Industries Group, Inc. is investing $184 million in its Andalusia manufacturing facility which creates fiber in carpet manufacturing. Gov. Kay Ivey said the project is "a welcome development that positions the plant for the future and demonstrates the company's confidence in its large Alabama workforce. Shaw employs more than 1,000 people.

Don't Edit

Lawrence Specker | lspecker@al.com

Getting started on the USS Mobile

With the press of a button on Tuesday, an industrial cutting machine made fine shavings of aluminum fly off a blank sheet. As those shavings scattered, the future USS Mobile took its first step out of blueprints and into the real world.

Don't Edit

(Wayne Farms)

Wayne Farms expands in Enterprise

Wayne Farms today announced an expansion of its Enterprise Fresh Processing Facility that company officials say will add 400 jobs. The company's $105 million expansion project is expected to be finished in January 2019. Wayne Farms' total workforce at the Enterprise facility, once completed, will be more than 1,700.

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(Terrace 31)

Pelham apartments go for $7.4 million

Pelham's Terrace 31 Apartments has sold for $7.3 million. The 79-unit complex was bought by Hillside Circle LLC from Terrace 31 Holdings LLC.

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(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

Congress pushes on tax reform

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday rushed toward a deal on a massive tax package that would reduce the top tax rate for wealthy Americans to 37 percent and slash the corporate rate to a level slightly higher than what businesses and conservatives wanted, The Associated Press reports: "In a flurry of last-minute changes that could profoundly affect the pocketbooks of millions of Americans, House and Senate negotiators agreed to expand a deduction for state and local taxes to allow individuals to deduct income taxes as well as property taxes. The deduction is valuable to residents in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey and California."

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(AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Investors weigh in at climate summit

An international summit Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the Paris climate agreement has drawn world leaders, celebrities, companies and environmental groups to the French capital, all aiming to keep up momentum on efforts to curb global warming, reports The Associated Press: "Financial institutions are using the meeting to highlight the need to ensure that their investments don't suffer from, or contribute to, the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and more extreme weather around the world." Shown: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, left, Sir Richard Branson, right, and special envoy to the U.N. for climate change Michael Bloomberg, second right, arrive for a meeting of philanthropists funding climate projects as part of the Climate Summit, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017.

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(Piddle.org)

Preserving peanut butter history

in the 1920s, peanut butter was a unique food item and the tiny Pike County town of Brundidge, with fewer than 1,000 residents at that time, was about to become one of the country's largest peanut-butter making hubs. Today the town keeps that history alive.

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(Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP)

Artists support net neutrality

Hundreds of musicians and independent record labels have signed a petition opposing the Federal Communication Commission's plan to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules, reports Billboard. Luminaries who've signed include Jeff Tweedy of Wilco (shown at the 2015 Pitchfork Music Festival), Killer Mike, Neko Case, Jack White's Third Man Records, My Morning Jacket and more.

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(Barrett Architecture Studio)

Mountain Brook denies condo zoning

The Mountain Brook City Council denied a rezoning request on Monday night that would have allowed for the construction of a controversial 41-unit condominium development off Overton Road. Several residents spoke out against the development during the council's regular Monday night meeting. The city council also held a public hearing on the rezoning during a Nov. 13 meeting.

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CPA merger

Birmingham's Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith has announced a merger with Hindsman, P.C., a Gadsden-based CPA firm. According to a news release, the merger will take place on Jan. 1, 2018, bringing the combined firm to about 170 employees. The firms will consolidate under the name Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC.

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(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, file)

SEC chair warns on Bitcoin

The head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission has warned bitcoin and other cryptocurrency investors to beware of scams and criminal activity in the sector, reports The Guardian: "In the financial regulator's strongest statement yet, SEC chair Jay Clayton said: 'If a promoter guarantees returns, if an opportunity sounds too good to be true, or if you are pressured to act quickly, please exercise extreme caution and be aware of the risk that your investment may be lost.'"
Shaw Industries Group, Inc. is investing $184 million in its Andalusia manufacturing facility which creates fiber in carpet manufacturing.

The project will call for an expansion of the facility and manufacturing upgrades.

Gov. Kay Ivey said the project is "a welcome development that positions the plant for the future and demonstrates the company's confidence in its large Alabama workforce. Shaw employs more than 1,000 people.

"We look forward to working with Shaw to help its Covington County operation not only succeed but also thrive," she said.

Company officials say the changes will improve efficiency and production as well as ergonomics, safety and energy efficiency at the plant. Demolition work is underway at the facility, and new equipment is set to be in place and operational by the middle of next year. The plant will remain operational throughout the transition, the company says.

"These investments will ensure the long-term viability of this critical operation," said Vance Bell, Shaw chairman and CEO. "They are designed to improve the plant's ability to compete successfully in the marketplace for the short and long term. This facility upgrade will utilize state of the art technology and innovative processes that will be industry-leading in cost and quality."

Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the project shows the company's long-term commitment to the Andalusia plant and its benefits.

"We've made it a priority in Alabama to assist companies like Shaw that are reinvesting in their facilities and upgrading their operations to enhance competitiveness and efficiency," he said.
Wayne Farms today announced an expansion of its Enterprise Fresh Processing Facility that company officials say will add 400 jobs.

The company's $105 million expansion project is expected to be finished in January 2019. Wayne Farms' total workforce at the Enterprise facility, once completed, will be more than 1,700.

Gov. Kay Ivey attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Coffee County this morning for the project's launch.

"When businesses are expanding their efforts in Alabama, it is a sign that what we are doing is working," Ivey said. "When we provide a favorable business climate, employers and employees succeed - thus, our state succeeds."

Wayne Farms President and CEO Clint Rivers said the project was a strategic decision.

"We've invested more than $200 million in the Wiregrass area, and it's a success story for us and the communities where we live and workthe relationship has been outstanding, the workforce is solid, and the support from business, government and community leaders has been exemplary," he said.

The expansion project will add a new processing line with new processing equipment and focus on Wayne Farms' new Naked Truth premium chicken brand. It will increase production at the facility by 30 percent.

Jonathan Tullos, executive director of the Wiregrass Economic Development Corp., said the expansion is the largest single economic development investment in the history of Coffee County.

Wayne Farms is one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S. with annual sales exceeding $2 billion. It operates three production complexes in Alabama, employing more than 3,000 people.
The Birmingham City Council is expected to pass a $428 million operating budget on Tuesday, six months after the start of the current fiscal year.

The 2017-18 fiscal year budget -- with changes recommended by new Mayor Randall Woodfin -- includes cutting funding to the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority, a non-profit that works to build minority participation in construction projects.

"Honestly, I would like to see this budget passed tomorrow," Woodfin said to members of the Birmingham City Council during a Monday afternoon committee meeting. "From an operational and department standpoint, it is time."

He asked the councilors to make the budget the first item on the agenda for Tuesday's council meeting so city employees could receive their cost of living raises and longevity pay by Christmas.

The 2017-18 fiscal year started July 1. The city council failed to reach a compromise on the budget with former Mayor William Bell before Bell left office in November.

The city has been operating based on the prior year's spending levels.

Woodfin's budget includes $606,731 in cuts to the mayor's office. Birmingham City Schools would receive an additional $1.27 million bringing the total of city funding to $3 million. The proposed budget also cuts funding to the city's new Healthy Food Initiative.

Woodfin said work starts on the fiscal year 2018-19 budget in January. He said he wants the council to be a part of the process at that time.

"If we can get through tomorrow, I am ready to start that conversation with you Wednesday on those wants (for the budget), needs and priorities on those needs," Woodfin said.

Woodfin said he wants the city to stop funding the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority because it has failed at its mission of building capacity for minority-owned contracting companies.

The mayor said the city isn't required to fund the organization.

In the initial proposed budget, $350,000 was allocated to BCIA. Woodfin cut that amount to $225,000 to only pay for the first six months of the year.

Michael Bell, executive director of the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority, requested a meeting with Woodfin before deciding to stop funding the program. He said the city's funding is about half of the non-profit's budget. Bell said BCIA is limited by state law.

The BCIA, non-profit organization, was created by consent decree in 1990 and charged with expanding minority participation in public and private construction projects within the greater Birmingham area.

In 1977 and again in 1989, the city of Birmingham had passed an ordinance requiring 10 percent minority participation on its public construction projects. It was sued each time by the Alabama Associated General Contractors and lost.

The Alabama AGC instead proposed to the Jefferson County Circuit Court the creation of a voluntary program to increase minority participation. Out of this, the BCIA was formed.
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed the current year budget, six months after the start of the fiscal year.

The $428 million operating budget includes $1.27 million more for Birmingham City Schools, $1.1 million for city employees' longevity pay and $2.7 million for city workers cost of living increase.

Mayor Randall Woodfin cut $175,000, the remainder of the year's funding, for the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority, as well as $100,000 from the Non-Violence Initiative.

"This is something that is well past due," Woodfin said, of the passage of the budget. "We are glad that it passed in time enough for our employees to receive their COLA (cost of living adjustment) and longevity, right in time for Christmas."

Council President Valerie Abbott said passage of the budget was six months overdue.

"That in itself said we needed to act with some urgency," she said to reporters following Tuesday's council meeting. "We have departments that couldn't function. We had people who didn't get their raises. We had outside entities dependent on the city for funding who didn't receive their money for half the year."

Regarding cuts to the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority, Woodfin said the city is paying the non-profit $175,000 for services rendered for the first six months of the year.

Each year BCIA's budgeted amount has increased, but the city hasn't seen the non-profit's yield doesn't merit the increase, he said.

"It doesn't mean we don't want to partner with BCIA," Woodfin said. "BCIA is not going anywhere."

Woodfin said it is time for the city to look at bringing minority participation in-house.

The BCIA was created by consent decree in 1990 and charged with expanding minority participation in public and private construction projects within the greater Birmingham area.

In 1977 and again in 1989, the city of Birmingham had passed an ordinance requiring 10 percent minority participation on its public construction projects. It was sued each time by the Alabama Associated General Contractors and lost.

The Alabama AGC instead proposed to the Jefferson County Circuit Court the creation of a voluntary program to increase minority participation. Out of this, the BCIA was formed.

Woodfin said the majority of the cuts to the mayor's office, which total about $606,731, came from a reduction in personnel.

The mayor opted to not fund the new Healthy Food Incentive approved by the council in early 2017. The program would have given residents living at or below the poverty line up to $150 a year in free healthy groceries.

Woodfin said these types of initiatives will be addressed in a different way under his administration.

Work will begin on the 2018-19 budget next month, Woodfin said. His administration is implementing zero-based budgeting.

He said council members will be able to take part in the process early.

Abbott said she is excited that Woodfin will let the council be part of the budgeting process on the frontend.
Birmingham police who work in and around the city's public housing communities will learn this week how to better build gun crimes cases against suspects as part of the ongoing effort to curb the violence.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, through the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, will give federal and state firearms prosecution training to the officers, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office are training the officers at the request of the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District to combat gun violence within the agency's public housing and surrounding communities. The training will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the City Council Chamber at Birmingham City Hall.

HABD Public Safety Director Jeffrey Gorley contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office in an effort to find new ways to address violence in the government-subsidized communities. HABD pays for additional police service in its 14 housing communities. Those officers are the High Intensity Community Oriented Police Patrol, or HICOPP.

Those getting the training include the HICOPP officers, patrol officers, crime scene investigators and robbery and homicide detectives.

The training will focus on the best investigative techniques to yield federal charges on certain violent offenses, particularly gun crimes. A person's constitutional rights regarding search and seizure, the right to counsel and the right to remain silent under police questioning also will be addressed.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office and ATF will provide the training. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a joint effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent and deter gang and gun violence nationwide. The Department of Justice began the program in 2001, and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in October announced steps to strengthen the program, directing all U.S. attorneys to implement a violent crime reduction program incorporating law enforcement and community partnerships, targeted enforcement in high-crime areas, training, and crime-prevention strategies.

"Training for our state and local partners is a key component of our PSN strategy, and we are especially pleased to be working with the Housing Authority on reducing crime on and near their properties," Town said. "Our success in both crime prevention and enforcement will rid these communities of their worst offenders while providing a safe environment for the families who live there."

Michael Lundy, HABD president and CEO, said he looks forward to the partnership and the sharing of resources. "Protecting our residents is a shared responsibility, and these creative approaches will help us achieve this goal,'' he said. "This is about saving lives and improving the quality of life for thousands of our neighbors in public housing who seek the same peace that we all desire and deserve."
The US has tried and failed to create a capital for another state before. Israeli Jerusalem will be the next Saigon.

Stanley L Cohen is an attorney and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa.

US President Donald Trump is a great impersonator. Not a day goes by without his desperate effort to masquerade as human. Surrounded by faux gold and fawning fools from his earliest days, Trump has stumbled from scam to scam, bank to bank, grope to grope, as he reached the absolute pinnacle of moral failure. His is a world of cheap thrills, empty rhetoric and intimidating context.

Few of knowledge would stop to challenge Trumps unprecedented scorecard of international failure. Indeed, ad hoc chaos has become very much the executive order of his day.

Whether its a Muslim ban that targets states from which not a single national has engaged in an act of terrorism that has cost the life of a US citizen, to his retweets of videos posted by a British far-right activist, to a pointless border wall styled on hateful votes and little else, to a proposal to seize Iraqi oil as spoils of war, his is a hustlers hustle. Its the penultimate Ponzi scheme, a boiler-room operation based in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The life of Donald Trump is a full-time campaign to disguise incompetence to the roar of the inept. While the spectre of nuclear holocaust on the Korean Peninsula, military threats to Iran, and attacks on the domestic political aspirations and independence of Venezuela and Cuba may empower those who draw vigour from the echo of empty words, they do little but confound a world built on fragile relations and nuanced exchange. To be sure, they present a clear and real danger to us all.

Those foolish enough to believe the arrival of the Romanovs of Fifth Avenue would herald a tempering of US imperial ambitions were soon disappointed.

Thus, in Yemen, having been empowered to act on its own, the Pentagon unleashed drone slaughters of mostly civilians at an unprecedented pace. From offshore, the US fired dozens of Tomahawk missiles into Syria as an offset to a suspected chemical weapons attack. In Afghanistan, we saw the detonation of the worlds largest non-nuclear bomb as very much a herald to more US troops and to permanent US warfare.

With reckless abandon, Trump has fled from international agreements designed to give hope to the prospect of life for us all long after the debacle of his imperial design comes to its well-deserved end.

The Paris Climate Agreement became the first victim, with the US departing as the only country in the world indifferent to a global call for adoption of clean energy and the phase-out of fossil fuels. With damning nationalist praise, Trump announced to the world he was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.

Not long after his coronation, he withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, distancing the US from what were its Asian economic allies. Later, citing its alleged anti-Israel bias, he withdrew from UNESCO, which the US helped found in the shadow of World War II. Can it be long before the US abandons a nuclear arms-control agreement that has long been, verifiably, working?

Unsurprisingly, Trumps global no confidence rate soared to 74 percent.

Cast in the light of a presidency certain to soon enter its second year of crude dysfunction, why is anyone, at all, surprised by Trumps empty, lawless announcement that the US will hereinafter recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel?

Like the wall for which Mexico will pay, at days end, Trumps apostolic blessing was little more than a sham show in waiting, to offer up to a powerful Zionist lobby and ignorant evangelical political base when needed.

Indeed, having shown no understanding of the history or complexity of todays world, let alone core values of international law, Trumps gratuitous toss of legitimacy to the illegitimate journey of Israel was as predictable as it was desperate.

Jerusalem is not Israeli, by law

Any discussion of Trumps mindless recent croon about a world-defining moment of 70-plus years, reduced to presidential fiat, alone, must necessarily begin from the reality of international law. To bestow upon an occupation force lawful annexation of land not theirs for the taking is, ultimately, to do little more than insist that the world is flat.

In 1948, when the United Nations recognised Israel as a state, it called for a demilitarised Jerusalem as a separate entity under the protection of its exclusive aegis.

Not long thereafter, pursuant to Resolution 194 (III), the General Assembly declared Jerusalem to be an open city subject to the well-recognised legal principle of internationalisation.

Predictably, not long thereafter, Israel declared Jerusalem to be its capital as it established various government agencies in the western part of the city.

Meanwhile, Jordan continued to exercise formal control of Jerusalems eastern section, including, most importantly, the Old City, leaving open its ultimate status to a final settlement of the unresolved question of Palestinian statehood.

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All was to radically change as Israel seized and occupied the entire West Bank of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, during the war of 1967, thus rendering it subject to the various protections of the Geneva Convention.

In relevant part, the convention holds it unlawful for an occupying power to transfer its own population into the territory it occupies. In addition, it prohibits the establishment of settlements and the confiscation and annexation of occupied land.

Time and time again, the United Nations, as a toothless organisation, has ordered Israel to cease its expansion of illegal settlements and annexation of occupied Palestinian land.

Time and time again, Israel, as a rogue state, has scoffed at the notion that it owes any obligation whatsoever to well-settled international law.

Indeed, between 1967 and 1989, the UN Security Council adopted 131 resolutions directly addressing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Israel held itself out as beyond the reach of these resolutions.

In 1980, and again in 1990, pursuant to Resolutions 478 and 672, the UN demanded that Israel abide by the Geneva Convention and end the construction of illegal settlements. In doing so, it emphasised the independence of the City of Jerusalem and the protection of its unique spiritual and religious dimension. Israel ignored this demand.

In February 1999, the Security Council again rebuked Israels effort as an occupying power  to alter the character, legal status and demographic composition of Jerusalem. Israel ignored this demand.

In point of fact, as of 2015, Israel had been condemned in, and had ignored, some 45 resolutions by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Anyone with even a modicum of historical context, let alone intellectual capacity or interest, would understand that a now seven-decade-old, deadly standoff between Palestine and Israel will not go away by wishful thinking or inane talismanic chant.

Yet that is precisely what Donald Trump did when, with typical denial, he preached on a faux resolution, took credit, and then, with alarming ease, said, Problem solved  next.

Ultimately, in a strange sort of way, and in more ways than one, Trumps unearned arrogance and dramatic disconnect from the crossroads of history and reality may have produced results clearly unintended, yet, necessary.

Oslo is dead

For decades, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has toiled under the well-financed illusion that the Israelis who sat across the negotiation table, and their enablers in Washington, brought more than just the appearance of goodwill to the effort.

Time after time, outrage after outrage, the PA has always returned with hat in hand to the folly of talks which accomplished little, but provided an irrelevant political vent as more and more land was annexed, and lives stolen, to the hum of bombs or the slam of prison doors.

Palestinian technocrats who started out in their prime with Oslo have now aged beyond hope, along with any illusion of relevance. So, too, the march of time leaves no doubt that Oslo has represented nothing but a palpable pretext for Israel to carry out systematic ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, be it by force of arms or by law.

In the years since Yasser Arafat posed with Yitzhak Rabin and renounced armed struggle, three US presidents have come and gone. Each has sold a perverse balance that the US could, somehow, play objective arbiter in the midst of a one-sided slaughter supported, all the while, by US politics and money.

However, do give Donald Trump credit where credit is due. With one, short, slurred speech, he peeled away, forever more, the veneer of any US integrity or independence when it comes to facilitating a just and equitable resolution, respecting the rights and aspirations of Palestinians.

Oslo is a failed, futile fantasy that has filled the coffers of the few while the many have suffered from an economic strangle-hold dressed up in institutional benevolence that, in reality, has been used primarily by the PA to buy and control political winds and opposition.

Any reasonable read must lead to the conclusion that the long terminally-ill Oslo has died, along with its whimsical two-state solution, when Trump, essentially, told the PA to shut its doors and walk away.

Hopefully, 82-year-old Mahmoud Abbas got the message loud and clear.

The one state solution

It is well past realitys reach that a two-state solution can, at this late date, provide a viable vehicle for meaningful Palestinian sovereignty or for overall peace.

The notion that a series of disconnected Bantustans  stripped of a traditional land base, natural resources, and the unique centre of religious and faith-based history  can suddenly become a feasible independent state for millions of stateless Palestinians is fools gold.

Ultimately, no matter what its form or shape, the essence of statehood is the ability to develop and maintain political and economic institutions and security and to control borders, including air rights and, where applicable, seaports.

To suggest that Israel would cede any degree of meaningful self-determination, in these all-defining cornerstones of sovereignty, to a Palestinian state is simply laughable, in light of its decades-long practices.

Indeed, at this late date, there is but one solution acceptable to the millions of Palestinian living as refugees abroad or suffering under apartheid, occupation and ethnic cleansing fueled by supremacist hate: one state for all from the river to the sea.

It matters not whether this state becomes a system of independent, but connected, cantons  as in Switzerland. What is important is that the single state embraces no official state religion, ensures equal protection and rights for all, guarantees one person, one vote, and opens all jobs, roads and communities. What is also important is that it is based not on race, religion or politics but on the willingness to struggle for a collective good that will at long last serve the united interest of one people.

While some will surely scoff at this notion and, perhaps, find little hope for its success, unification provides the sole means by which Palestinians and Jews, Muslims and Christians can begin to heal the wounds that have long divided people that, left to their own unimpeded devices, would find much more that unites them than divides.

Lest there be any claim of naivete, the road to a one-state resolution is, of course, littered with more than mere encumbrances of communities, schools and highways long segregated by barricades and barbed wire.

Seventy years of forced displacement, death and destruction have left, for many, the scars born of tears and hate. Only time and unification can begin to heal those wounds and end the nightmare. All else is just sheer destructive folly.

For Israelis, who see delay as their ally, its a false hope born of little more than convenient denial. Out of sight, out of mind does not solve a crisis but simply puts off its reckoning to another day  one which grows more difficult and demanding with the passage of time.

All occupations, large and small, ultimately awaken one day to find themselves captive to a graveyard of empires. Here, it will be no different.

The eternal capital of Palestine

Today, in Palestine and in Israel, there are more than 5 million Palestinians with the median age of 19 years. They will not go away or surrender to the silence of the night.

For years, the young women and men of Palestine have been in the vanguard of an unbroken national effort to reclaim their freedom and rebuild their state.

For them, the price has been dear. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Information, since 2000, alone, Israel has killed more than 3,000 Palestinian minors. During the same period, Israeli forces have injured another 13,000 youth and arrested more than 12,000 others. Today, Israel holds about 300 children in its prisons.

Despite an awful price exacted for their courage and resistance, for the young women and men of Palestine, the future holds no truth but one, built on a determined struggle to confront and end a criminal occupation and apartheid by any means necessary, including armed struggle.

For Palestinians, history is, indeed, a guidepost of what is yet to come. For Palestinians, history is an unbroken saga, handed down from the elderly in refugee camps throughout the Middle East to their very young who find comfort in the cultural breath of dabke.

Mr Trump: Were you an informed observer of history, you would know well that this is not the first time the US has tried to designate a city as the capital of a state against the political and historical will of its people.

In Vietnam, such an attempt did not end well, as Saigon eventually gave way to the legitimate, national aspirations and rights of millions who refused to be held captive by the imperial design of a foreign occupation force.

Yes, Mr President, history does, and will indeed, repeat itself.

Capitals are much more than cold, sculpted monuments to those that have come before, or warehouses of political ideals and rights beyond the reach of all but the chosen few. Nor can they inspire from behind barricaded buildings in which petty despots dole out rights and benefits based upon ones mere name or faith.

Capitals are homes to collective freedom and will, with open doors that know no artificial boundaries or lawful segregation. To be honest, to empower, they must represent the collective will and aspirations of all those who look to them for justice and opportunity.

For millions of Palestinians, that capital is Jerusalem. It weaves with the rock of the ages and hums to the tune of history. To walk down the ancient pathways of the Old City, to hear the call to prayer, to look out in all directions from Al-Aqsa plaza across the open and free expanse beyond its age-old walls is a journey that is Jerusalem.

Nothing that you, Donald Trump, can say or do will undo the magic and majesty that is Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Palestine.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The EU and its member states are complicit in the suffering of refugees and migrants stuck in Libya.

In prison, they would hit us often, said Ousman who spent five months in a Tripoli detention centre in 2016. They killed many boys. I saw many people dying in prison, either because they fell sick or were beaten.

Ousman is just one of hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants who have braved the journey across Africa to Libya and just one of tens of thousands who have ended up caught in a complex web of abuse and extortion.

Refugees and migrants are routinely exposed to human rights violations committed by Libyan officials and security forces and abuses at the hands of armed groups and criminal gangs, who are often working in close cooperation and to mutual financial advantage. In a lawless country, refugees and migrants have become a resource to be exploited  a commodity around which an entire industry has grown, as the shocking footage of an apparent slave auction aired by CNN last month highlighted.

From the reaction of world leaders to that grainy footage, one would be forgiven for thinking that this story is a new one and that the problem is one of Africas own making. But nothing could be further from the truth.

The European Union, its member states  and Italy, in particular  have pursued their own goal of restricting the flow of refugees and migrants across the Mediterranean, with little thought, or seemingly care, for the consequences for those trapped in Libya as a result. They have entered into a string of cooperation agreements with Libyan authorities responsible for grave human rights violations, in particular, the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) and the General Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM).

On the face of it, these deals drawn up to increase their capacity to tackle smugglers, carry out search and rescue operations and prevent irregular departures have been successful. The number of arrivals in Italy fell by 67 percent between July and November 2017, compared with the same period in the previous year, and deaths at sea have been reduced commensurately. But EU countries should not feign shock or outrage when the human cost of these deals is laid bare.

EU and Italian officials cannot plausibly claim to be unaware of the grave violations being committed by some of the detention officials and LCG agents with whom they are so assiduously cooperating. Nor can they credibly claim to have insisted on key rights protection mechanisms and guarantees from their Libyan counterparts. They are, as a result, complicit in these abuses and in breach of their own human rights obligations.

The criminalisation of irregular entry under Libyan law, coupled with the absence of any legislation or practical infrastructure for the protection of asylum seekers and victims of trafficking, has resulted in mass, arbitrary and indefinite detention becoming the primary migration management system in the country.

Refugees and migrants intercepted by the LCG are sent to DCIM detention centres where they endure horrific treatment. Up to 20,000 people currently remain contained in these overcrowded, unsanitary detention centres. Migrants and refugees we interviewed described abuse they had been subjected to or they had witnessed, including arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, extortion, and unlawful killings, at the hands of the authorities, traffickers, armed groups and militias alike.

Migrants and refugees are caught in a soul-destroying cycle of exploitation to which collusion between guards, smugglers and the LCG consigns them. Guards at the detention centres torture them to extort money. If they are able to pay they are released. They can also be passed onto smugglers who can secure their departure from Libya in cooperation with the LCG. Agreements between the LCG and smugglers are signalled by markings on boats that allow them to pass through Libyan waters without interception, and the Coast Guard has also been known to escort boats out to international waters.

The actions of European countries are leading to increasing numbers of people being stopped or intercepted. In so doing, European governments  and again, Italy, in particular  are breaching their own international obligations and becoming complicit in the violations committed by the Libyan authorities they are sponsoring and cooperating with.

Bakary, a Gambian man, was stopped at sea by the LCG and detained in the Zawiya detention centre, northern Libya in December 2016. The police gave me the number of a Gambian man, said if you want to pay to leave you can call him, he will help, he said. In the centre, they dont give food, they beat me with a rubber hose, because they want money to release me. I still have scars.

Ultimately, the misery of refugees and migrants in Libya is a by-product of bigger economic and political trends on the African continent and bigger flaws in Europes migration policies. In the absence of adequate safe, legal routes into Europe and, in light of the low prospect of being returned if found not to have a claim to protection, irregular journeys will continue to be seen both as the only choice and, ultimately, a rational choice by the ambitious and the persecuted.

This play of forces can only be addressed by increasing the number of safe and legal avenues of entry to  and return from  European countries. It cannot sustainably and conscionably be addressed by enlisting the services of corrupt and abusive actors in transit countries to interrupt routes midway, without regard for how they do it, or the impact on those trapped as a result.

There are no quick fixes to this complex crisis, but it is essential that the aims and nature of European cooperation with Libya are rethought, to end this unconscionable collusion in human suffering.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Accusations of sexual abuse have dogged the campaign of the Republican candidate in Tuesdays special senate election in the US state of Alabama.

Accusations of sexual abuse have dogged the campaign of the Republican candidate in Tuesdays special senate election in the US state of Alabama.

Former President, Barack Obama is trying to counter current President Donald Trumps endorsement of the controversial Republican candidate, Roy Moore.

Obama is specifically reaching out to black voters whose turnout is critical for the Democratic candidate, Doug Jones.

Democrats sense a rare opportunity for victory in the deep south.

Moore faces allegations of sexual assault and child molestation.

Al Jazeeras Shihab Rattansi reports from Birmingham, Alabama.
Voters in southern state are voting in highly anticipated election that could upset balance of power in the US Senate.

Voters in Alabama are going to the polls in a highly anticipated election that could upset the balance of power in the US Senate.

Republican Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, and Democrat Doug Jones are reportedly neck and neck in the Republican-dominated southern state.

Polls opened in the Alabama election on Tuesday morning.

Several women have accused Moore of harassment. One alleges she was 14 years old when she was molested and he was in his 30s. Another woman says Moore tried to rape her.

Moore, who is now 70, denies the charges, telling voters they already know his character.

Last week, Moore was ahead by a narrow margin in the special race for Alabamas senate seat but damning new allegations of sexual harassment against him threaten his candidacy.

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Jones said decency must prevail and accused Moore of hiding during the election campaign.

He urged Alabama voters to see the race as a crossroads with an opportunity to avoid repeating past mistakes that harm the states image.

No Democrat has won an Alabama Senate seat since Senator Richard Shelby in 1992.

Shelby, who is now a Republican, says he did not vote for Moore in the past.

On Monday, on the eve of the election, US President Donald Trump recorded an audio message in support of Moore.

Trump reaffirmed his support for the Republican candidate on Tuesday, tweeting that Moore will always vote with us.

The people of Alabama will do the right thing. Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet. Roy Moore will always vote with us. VOTE ROY MOORE!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

Trump has been facing criticism after he first publicly endorsed Moore earlier this month, despite the accusations of sexual misconduct.

The president himself has been accused of harassment.

This week, Trump has faced renewed calls for him to resign over the allegations.

Democratic lawmakers and several women have demanded impartial investigations into the presidents alleged misconduct, which he has repeatedly denied.
Amnesty International is accusing European governments of knowingly exposing thousands of refugees to torture and abuse in their efforts to curb migration.

Amnesty International is accusing European governments of knowingly exposing thousands of refugees to torture and abuse in their efforts to curb migration.

In a report published on Tuesday, the rights group says the EUs policy of containment shows little care for those trapped in Libya, where the enslavement of many migrants drew outrage across the world.

Al Jazeeras Imtiaz Tyab reports.
With Hungarys ruling Fidesz party moving further right, the countrys far-right landscape is in a state of flux.

With Hungarians slated to go to cast their ballots in April 2018, the countrys right-wing political landscape has been undergoing a transformation.

Recent months have seen Prime Minister Viktor Orbans ruling conservative party, Fidesz, move further right, while Jobbik, a party with neo-Nazi roots, attempts to rebrand itself as a traditional European conservative party.

Fidesz left-wing rival, the Hungarian Socialist Party, is fractured. Meanwhile, there has been a flurry of far-right activity.

Fidesz has focused the bulk of its ire on human rights groups and aid organisations that have criticised its crackdown on asylum seekers entering or passing through the country.

Under the party, the government has been a leading voice against the influx of refugees.

In recent months, Hungary was again flung into the spotlight over an ongoing campaign against billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros, whose Open Society Foundations (OSF) charity advocates for greater acceptance of refugees and migrants.

Fidesz  The ruling conservative party

Headed by Prime Minister Orban, Fidesz is Hungarys ruling party and controls the government.

Founded in 1988 under the former communist government (1949-1989), Fidesz was initially a libertarian youth party. The party eventually evolved into an establishment conservative party that resembled many of its European counterparts.

However, Fideszs rightward shift continued, and the party has since incorporated policies that have raised red flags among experts.

Since the refugee crisis, Fidesz has become much more radical and even more prejudiced than it was before. by Peter Kreko, political scientist

Orban, Hungarys third longest-serving prime minister, has been accused by critics of authoritarian and illiberal tendencies. He was first elected to office for a four-year term in 1998. He came back to power 2010 and was re-elected in 2014.

There are no limits on how many terms a Hungarian prime minister can serve.

The arrival of around one million refugees to Europe in 2015 saw the ruling party swiftly position itself as a supposed defender of Christian Europe.

Since the refugee crisis, [Fidesz] has become much more radical and even more prejudiced than it was before, Peter Kreko, a political scientist at Political Capital Policy Research and Consulting Institute, told Al Jazeera.

That shift has been amplified by the governments recent campaign against Soros, he said.

Earlier this year, Orban and his allies launched an effort to shutdown the Central European University, a Budapest-based university founded by Soros.

At the time, Orban lambasted Soros as big and powerful and accused him of destroy[ing] the lives of millions of Europeans with his financial speculations.

Critics have alleged that the anti-Soros campaign has anti-Semitic undertones that play on racist stereotypes which maintain that Jews control the global financial system.

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In November, Gergely Gulyas, leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group, claimed that Soros has launched a full frontal attack on the country because in its immigration policy Hungary continues to stand its ground against the forces supporting immigration.

An opinion poll published in early November concluded that Fidesz maintains a support rating of 61 percent, as reported by Hungarian Free Press.

Jobbik  The radical right

Jobbik made waves when it was founded in 2003, launching on Eurosceptic, anti-Semitic and anti-migrant positions.

In 2013, the party drew sharp criticism for protesting the World Jewish Congress in Budapest, which it claimed was a demonstration against a Jewish attempt to buy up Hungary.

Recent years have seen the party shift from open anti-Semitism to a more brazen form of pro-Russian, anti-Muslim and anti-refugee politics that lines up with other European far-right parties.

Last year, the party submitted a bill designed to ban the resettlement of refugees in the country as part of the EUs refugee distribution quota.

Cas Mudde, an expert on far-right politics and associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia, said Jobbik has partly been forced to remake itself into a mainstream right-wing party because Fidesz has been effectively dominating their themes of authoritarianism, nativism and populism.

[Jobbik is] now mainly a radical right anti-Fidesz party though, whose electorate is their core base and radical right people who are upset about the corruption of the governing party, he told Al Jazeera.

Last week, Jobbik chairman Gabor Vona said massive fines from state auditors may prevent it from participating in Aprils elections.

The party has been ordered to reply by December 21 to auditors claim that it spent an illegal, under-market prices for anti-government billboard advertisements, the Associated Press news agency reported.

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Speaking to media, Vona accused the government of executing a brutal attack against Jobbik by using the state auditors office.

It is unprecedented and unimaginable in European democracies for a government to try to use such means to ruin its biggest challenger four months before the elections.

Force and Determination  Racists eyeing election

In July, a cohort of far-rightists assembled in Budapest to announce the establishment of Force and Determination, an openly-racist group seeking to run in next years parliamentary elections.

While the number of members is not public, the inaugural rally attracted around 300 supporters.

Although small, experts say the group represents the splintering of Jobbiks support base and draws from former Jobbik members disillusioned with the partys redressing as a centre-right outfit.

Others on the hardcore fringe of Hungarys far right have also joined Force and Determination.

While some hardliners have left Jobbik in protest, these groups seem to have only local or regional support, and leave Jobbik unchallenged at the national level, said Mudde.

According to a Reuters report in July, Force and Determination promotes open racism against refugees and Roma, the ethnic minority that makes up an estimated 315,000 people in Hungary.

Addressing the influx of refugees to Europe, Balazs Laszlo, one of the movements leaders, told followers at the time: Tens of millions are added to the ranks of the Arabs, Africans and gypsies who will show no tolerance once they realise the power that their demographic significance lends them.

Our ethnic community must come first  there is no equality.

In September, a leader of the movement declared that refugee camps would burn if the EU continued to force their multicultural ideology on us.

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The question is, if we let in a single one [asylum-seeker], then the others will come too, Janos Lantos said during a demonstration, the local Budapest Beacon reported at the time.

Were proud we are Hungarian, were proud to be members of the European white race.
Kanji character for North chosen as defining symbol of 2017, reflecting unease over North Koreas nuclear programme.

Japan has chosen the Chinese character for North as its traditional defining symbol of 2017 after a series of launches of North Korean missiles, several of which plunged into the Pacific Ocean near Japans territorial waters.

Japanese TV stations on Tuesday broadcast the annual announcement, in which Seihan Mori, master of the ancient Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, wrote the Kanji character on a white panel using a calligraphy brush.

Kanji are the adopted Chinese characters that are used in the Japanese writing system, along with other types of alphabets.

The choice of North as this years defining symbol reflects unease over North Koreas nuclear weapons programme, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, the event organiser, said in a statement.

It was the year in which people felt threatened and anxious by North Korea following repeated ballistic missile launches and a nuclear test, the statement said.

 (north) chosen as kanji character best representing 2017 https://t.co/JWcI22A3eA #japannews pic.twitter.com/tKFGcWMF0Y  Japan Today News (@JapanToday) December 12, 2017

At the end of every year, the general public votes for a Chinese character they think embodies the key news and events of the previous 12 months.

A total of 7,104 people out of 153,594 voted for the character North.

A 38-year-old woman from northern Fukushima prefecture who voted for the character said she was constantly scared of North Korean missiles.

Our generation never experienced war  What if a missile actually falls on Japan? It is horrifying, she said, according to the organiser.

Last year, Japan picked gold to celebrate the success of Japanese athletes winning gold medals at the Rio Olympics.
Arab states have put pressure on Jordan to accept the United States recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and a heavily stripped-down version of the Palestinian state, Jordanian politicians and analysts say.

Member of Parliament Wafa Bani Mustafa told Al Jazeera the two main antagonists are the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has taken a dominant role.

Jordan sided with the Palestinians and rejected US President Donald Trumps decision last week to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognise the Holy City as the capital of Israel.

Bin Salman and the United Arab Emirates are trying to strangle Jordans economy until it agrees to their terms, submit to their leadership in the region, and agree to Trumps so-called ultimate deal, Bani Mustafa said, referring to the US presidents as yet unexplained new plan to bring about peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

US, Saudi, Israel axis

King Abdullah II said Trumps Jerusalem announcement would have dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region, according to a statement released by the royal palace.

Thousands of protesters in Amman and other Jordanian cities denounced the US and Israel as well as Saudi Arabia  accusing the Gulf kingdom of collusion in the Jerusalem decision.

An official Saudi statement described Trumps move as unjustified and irresponsible, and a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process.

However, according to a report by Reuters news agency, Crown Prince Salman is said to be acting on behalf senior White House advisor Jared Kushner and has presented Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with the American plan for Middle East peace.

The US scheme reportedly involves creating a Palestinian state consisting of the Gaza Strip and disjointed parts of the occupied West Bank  without East Jerusalem as its capital, and without resolving the right of return of Palestinian refugees displaced when Israel was founded in 1948.

Al Jazeera spoke to three officials close to the Palestinian Authoritys leadership who confirmed that Crown Prince bin Salman pressured Abbas to accept a watered-down version of Palestinian statehood, without its chosen capital.

Bani Mustafa said the United States and its regional partners excluded Jordan from any arrangements regarding a Palestinian state. She also pointed out Jordan was not invited by Egypt to participate in Palestinian reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas last October.

Economic diplomacy

While Jordan is the only Arab nation directly impacted by a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, neither the US or Arab countries invited Jordan to the negotiating table, Bani Mustafa noted.

Jordan is home to several million Palestinian refugees, and its social, economic, and political fabric is interwoven directly with Palestinians in the West Bank.

King Abdullah is also the custodian of Jerusalems holy places, and the royal court pays the salaries of Palestinian employees there.

Bani Mustafa also said Jordans closest Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) allies  Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait  did not renew a five-year financial assistance programme with Amman worth $3.6bn that ended in 2017.

US aid to Jordan amounts to about $1.6bn a year; about $800m in military assistance and $800m in economic relief. Part of the economic assistance arrives as a direct monetary transfer, while the rest comes in the form of USAID projects in the country. Jordans 2018 budget includes a $400m direct grant from the United States.

King Abdullah met King Salman in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and discussions focused on the dangerous implications of the United States decision on Jerusalem, reported Jordans state news agency Petra.

King Abdullah will be in Istanbul on Wednesday for the emergency meeting called by the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation that aims to produce a unified Islamic position over Trumps decision.

He joins other leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Lebanons President Michel Aoun. Saudi Arabia and UAE are not expected to be represented by heads of state.

Jordanian analysts told Al Jazeera the apparent rift in bilateral relations between Jordan and Saudi Arabia is unlikely to be resolved any time soon.

Journalist and political analyst Fahad al-Khitan said Crown Prince bin Salman is departing rapidly from traditional diplomacy in the region.

The Saudis no longer view the Arab-Israeli conflict or the issue of Jerusalem as a priority for them or even on their agendas, al-Khitan said. Saudi Arabias regional posture has since President Trump won the American elections shifted toward more escalating and aggressive approach to Iran.

Khitan also said Prince bin Salman, 32, has placed Saudi-Jordanian relations on ice.

Bin Salman no longer views Jordan as a needed partner now that he has warming and direct ties with Israel  according to several statements made by Israeli politicians, he said.

Bin Salman is behaving as if he is the leader of the entire Arab world. But the problem is that he does not realise that such leadership also requires that he bears the burden of leading the region. But he is not getting it.

Egyptian withdrawal

Al-Khitan highlighted Egypts diminished solidarity with the Palestinian cause, saying the current leadership is not looking for any role as a regional power broker.

I was directly told by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry here in Amman a few months ago that Egypt is not interested in becoming a leader in the Arab world. Egypt is more concerned now with its own domestic problems, he said.

Bani Mustafa said Jordan must now reach out to countries such as China, Russia, Turkey, and Qatar to balance out the cooling relations with Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt in order to pressure the US to reconsider its unilateral decision-making in the Middle East.

Member of Parliament Khalil Atiyeh agreed.

Jordans position on Jerusalem is closer to the position of Turkey and Qatar than with the Saudi-UAE-Egypt axis, Atiyeh said.

Follow Ali Younes on Twitter @Ali_reports
French president issues rallying cry, urging world and business leaders to do more in the fight against climate change.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a stark warning on climate change at a meeting in Paris, urging political and business leaders to launch an urgent new phase in the fight against global warming.

We are losing the battle, Macron said at Tuesdays One Planet summit. We must all act because we will all be held to account.

The meeting was held on the second anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, a pact ratified by 170 nations to cut Earth-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

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US President Donald Trump, however, has since announced plans to withdraw from the accord, a move Macron described as bad news.

We are here in such great numbers because so many of us have decided not to accept the US government decision to leave the agreement, he said.

Macron did not invite Trump to the summit. Several prominent American figures  including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk  were in attendance.

Al Jazeeras Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said the US pullout has left an enormous shortfall in the funding for the battle against climate change.

Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, said he would withhold $2bn pledged to the Green Climate Fund, set up to help poorer countries tackle the effects of climate change.

Antonio Guterres, the UN chief, said the Green Climate Fund was indispensable, adding it was only justice that developed countries help poorer countries fight climate change.

We are in a war for the very existence of life on our planet as we know it, said Guterres.

There is no shortage of funds. What we are short on is trust and we must fix this. This means that the rich northern countries up their engagement and pledge $100bn a year until 2020 for developing countries.

Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, said environmentalists owed Trump a debt of gratitude for rallying thousands to action.





Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Bloomberg added Americas Pledge  a coalition of 1,000 US governors, mayors, business leaders, and academics, formed to honour US commitments in the Paris Accord  now represents half of the US economy.

Other public and private financial institutions unveiled plans to invest in clean energy and divest from fossil fuels.

That included an announcement by the World Bank that it would not finance oil-and-gas exploration or production after 2019.

A group of more than 225 investment funds managing more than $26 trillion in assets pledged to step up pressure on the worlds largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters to curb emissions and disclose climate-related financial information.

Here are some of the other commitments announced in Paris:

French insurer Axa said it would quadrupole investments in environmentally friendly projects, and pull out $2.9bn from companies that derive more than 30 percent of their revenues from coal

Dutch bank ING said it would have close to zero exposure to coal power generation by 2025

Norwegian pension fund Storebrand said it will expand its portfolio of fossil fuel-free investments to more than $3bn

The European Union pledged to invest 9 billion euros ($10.6bn) in clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate-resilient cities

The World Bank also announced a slew of other projects, including a $4.5bn fund for cities to fight the effects of climate change, and a plan to tackle erosion along the West African Coast

Margaret Kuhlow, the World Wide Fund, told Al Jazeera she was encouraged by the new commitments.
The FCC votes to end the 2015 Open Internet Order. Heres a guide to net neutrality and why it matters.

The US Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to end the 2015 Open Internet Order, which protected net neutrality in country.

The 3-2 vote enacts the Restoring Internet Freedom initiative, which is widely seen as giving internet service providers (ISPs) more power to limit internet access while favouring certain data streams.

The move is seen as highly controversial among the public, Democrats and some Republicans.

Protesters gathered outside the FCC meeting on Thursday, some carrying signs that read: Dont make the internet a private toll road.

Democrats vowed to fight the repeal, calling for legislation that would re-establish the regulations. Civil liberty organisations also vowed to sue the FCC over the move.

So, what is net neutrality and why does it matter? Al Jazeera spoke to experts and net neutrality advocates to answer some commonly asked questions.

What is net neutrality?

Net neutrality is a set of principles and rules that say internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all data fairly without blocking or throttling certain data streams.

This means that an ISP such as Comcast cannot slow down a streaming service such as Netflix, nor can it block or slow down Fox News in favour of NBC, which is owned by Comcast.

Open internet advocates fear an end to net neutrality will lead to censorship and increased costs for internet connectivity.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to vote on ending the 2015 Open Internet Order, which is the current set of regulations protecting net neutrality in the US.

Who is FCC Chairman Ajit Pai?

Pai, 44, has enjoyed a long career working as a lawyer for both the US government and telecommunications giant Verizon.

He was appointed to the FCC Commission, the body that will vote on net neutralitys end, in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama.

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The policies advocated by Pai, a Republican, are generally seen as being pro-broadcasters and ISPs.

His detractors say this is due, in part, to his tenure as a lawyer for Verizon, where he worked on regulatory issues from 2001 to 2003.

Pai was appointed chairman of the FCC by Donald Trump in January and was confirmed by the US Senate to serve a five-year term in October.

He says that ending net neutrality will be an end heavy-handed government regulation and a pro-competitive move.

Kathy Grillo, Verizons senior vice president and deputy general counsel, agreed in a November statement.

The Open Internet Order undermined investment and innovation, and posed a significant threat to the internets continued ability to grow and evolve to meet consumers needs, Grillo said.

What will pro-net neutrality groups do next?

We will take the FCC to court. Theyve got about a 50-50 track record in the courts. We think we can beat them here, because they [will have] reversed orders that are barely two and a half years old, Matt Wood of Free Press, a pro-net neutrality organisation that works for media plurality, told Al Jazeera.

The court case could take more than a year, Wood said.

During that time, US citizens who want to challenge the effect of losing net neutrality will have to go to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), an independent government agency designed to protect consumers against unfair business practices.

The focus on unfair practices and anti-trust, or anti-monopoly enforcement, limits what the FTC can do, Wood explained.

As long as an ISP clearly explains to consumers what service is offered  even if that includes blocking or throttling sites  and a consumer agrees, then would be considered fair practice, Wood said.

If Comcast blocks a website or service that does not threaten one of its own services or sources of revenue, then the FTC will most likely take no issue.

If it blocks Netflix, then the FTC might find that to be an anti-trust issue.

Furthermore, violations must be committed before the FTC acts. It comes in as a law enforcer, or promise enforcer, after the fact, Wood concluded.

Who will be most affected by net neutralitys end?

Nearly everyone, but possible censorship or throttling will disproportionately affect areas that vote Republican.

FCC data shows that only 8.6 of people in the US have access to more than one ISP. So, if your ISP decides to throttle or censor data, it will affect you immediately and youre stuck, Pierce Stanley, a technology fellow at Demand Progress, a grassroots civil liberties group, told Al Jazeera.

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Stanley has been working with Republican legislators of late, pointing them towards the fact that their congressional districts and states disproportionately have one or zero ISP choices.

This is partly because rural areas, typically Republican strongholds, are less connected, Stanley explained.

Only 30 percent of Republican congressional districts are at the national average or better. Its wildly skewed.

While Pai says the end of net neutrality will be pro-competitive, Stanley cannot see a future where that is true.

The majority of the US has either a monopoly or weak duopoly in terms of ISPs, and there are four companies that dominate  Comcast, Charter, AT&T and Verizon.

Pai has not produced research that shows an end to the FCCs open internet rules will make it easier for newcomers to break these monopolies, Stanley said.

If Chairman Pai were sincere in his stated desire to improve internet access, going after net neutrality isnt the way to get there, Stanley said.

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His proposal really is a gift to the ISPs that made no sincere effort to take into account the public interest or engage in democratic discussion.

Is Portugal an example of a country without net neutrality?

Yes and no.

Portugal is part of the European Union, every member of which is required to maintain net neutrality for broadband connections, though this is decided by National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs).

EU-wide net neutrality rules were first adopted in 2015, going into effect on April 30, 2016.

All 28 member states are barred from blocking or throttling or discrimination of online content, applications and services, according to the European Commission.

NRAs in each country have the powers and the obligation to assess traffic management, commercial practices [sic] and agreements and to effectively enforce these rules.

The confusion appears to be the result of a tweet by Ro Khanna, a Democratic Congress member from California, showing a Portuguese mobile phone data plan through a telecommunications company called Meo that offers zero-rating services.

Zero-rating means that certain applications, usually messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, are not subject to data caps. If you use all your plans allotted data, then these apps continue working.

Mobile data plans are separate from home-use internet plans, and fall under a different set of regulations both in the US and the EU, so the issue of mobile data is generally considered a separate issue.

But for Dwayne Winseck, a professor at Canadas Carleton University and director of the Canadian Media Concentration Research Project, zero-rating is an issue of net neutrality, and it is usually found in countries with poor data plans.

The appeal of free lunch, where youre getting poor service, looks better than no free lunch, Winseck told Al Jazeera.

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According to research by Rewheel, a European mobile data consultancy firm, Portugal ranks low in the EU for mobile data plans.

Paying 30 euros ($35) gets the average Portuguese consumer three gigabytes of mobile data.

In Latvia, 20 euros ($24) buys unlimited data usage.

Zero-rating programmes were tried in the US by telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon, but were stalled by FCC investigations which concluded in January that this type of service violates net neutrality.

Pai dropped all investigations into zero-rating practices in February.

Winseck explained that the EU leaving net neutrality up to NRAs leaves gaps in the EUs open internet policy.

Here it appears that the Portuguese regulators are asleep at the switch. Thats good for Meo, but thats not good for the Portuguese, Winseck said.

Asked if there could be broadband plans similar to Meos mobile data plans, Winseck said: Sure, its possible.

Will the end of US net neutrality affect other countries?

I dont think the US stepping away for the time being is going to be a travesty for the rest of the world. I dont think people look to the US anymore as a beacon on the hill for internet access, Winseck said.

While the US was the global leader throughout the 1980s and 1990s, by the early 2000s, it began to goof around with net neutrality and market liberalisation, he said.

Since then, the world has moved away from the US example, with countries in Latin America, Europe and other regions following their own paths.

However, there are some concerns, but mostly for foreign businesses.

If a company from India, Asia or Latin America becomes a media powerhouse and wants to introduce its own streaming service, akin to Netflix, that will require the blessing of ISPs like Comcast  which has its own streaming service and was found to be throttling Netflix in 2014  or AT&T, which is in the process of buying Time Warner, the parent company of HBO, another firm that offers its own streaming service.

If you want to promote any other culture in the US, and you start driving lots of [internet] traffic through the US, and you have to go through these ISPs, they can throttle you, Winseck said.
Fawzi al-Junaidi, 16, denies accusations of throwing stones and protesting, saying he was severely beaten by Israelis.

A 16-year-old Palestinian boy, shown in a photo that has been roundly condemned as symbolising the Israeli armys use of excessive force, has been charged with throwing stones at a group of armed Israeli soldiers.

An image of Fawzi al-Junaidi, blindfolded and surrounded by more than 20 Israeli occupation forces, was widely denounced as it was shared on social media earlier this week.

The scene pictures al-Junaidi looking disoriented, wearing a grey shirt and ripped jeans as dozens of soldiers crowd around him carrying guns and wearing protective gear, including helmets and knee pads.

The teenager, who denies throwing stones, was arrested on Thursday amid ongoing protests across the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip over a US decision on December 6 to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In the six day after the US announcement, at least 16 other Palestinians were arrested for protesting. At least four have been killed in the violence since the US declaration, and more than 700 injured.

He was beaten with a rifle

Al-Junaidi also denies accusations of participating in protests.

Witnesses have claimed they saw al-Junaidi throwing stones.

He said he was fearful and was running away when tear gas canisters were being thrown, his lawyer, Farah Bayadsi, told Al Jazeera. Fawzi said he was beaten with a rifle and he showed up with bruises all over his neck, chest and back.

The child faced an Israeli military court on Wednesday, following an initial hearing on Monday. He was charged with throwing stones, but the decision on his sentencing or release was adjourned until December 18.

The police had called for an extension on Fawzis arrest during the initial hearing, said Bayadsi, who works under the Defence for Children International  Palestine (DCIP).

The prosecutor demanded a seven-day extension to the arrest so that they can prepare a list of indictments, but we refused, she said.

According to Bayadsi, the judge was stunned at the excessive force that al-Junaidi was subjected to  most apparent in the manner in which he was transferred to prison.





He showed up with large slippers from the prison. He had lost his shoes and spoke about the way he was abused while being transferred to prison, she said.

The prosecutors didnt even say whether the soldiers would be investigated for using excessive force. The whole case so far has been handled with neglect.

Though unlikely, Bayadsi said the defence team would try to secure al-Junaidis release while his case is ongoing.

It would be easier to speak with him [and] other witnesses, and to gather more evidence, she said.

He was not protesting

Due to his fathers leg injury and his mothers terminal illness, al-Junaidi had been the main provider for his family of nine.

His uncle Rashad said that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He left his house to buy some groceries. Unfortunately, as he was looking for the store, he bumped into a military ambush and was confronted with Israeli forces.

They beat him, blindfolded him, arrested him, and first took him to the detention centre in a nearby settlement. That night, at 2am, he was transferred another detention centre, he told Al Jazeera.

The day after, they took him to Ofer prison.





Ofer mostly holds administrative detainees. The prison rarely grants prisoners with visitation rights, and families are often denied entry.

He was not protesting or anything, Rashad said. Unfortunately, there has been absolutely no form of communication  we havent spoken to him since his arrest.

Administrative detention is a practice in which Israel imprisons Palestinians without charge or trial, often based on secret evidence.

More than 300 children detained in Israeli prisons

Ayed Abu Qtaish, DCIPs accountability programme director, said about 320 children are currently held in Israeli prisons and detention centres.

In October 2015, there was a spike in the number of children being interrogated and arrested  A lot of them end up being tried in military courts, he said.

These children are usually picked up at protests, arrested for throwing stones, for allegedly possessing a weapon, things like that, he explained.

Arrests of children usually happen at friction points  either near settlements, bypass roads, or at a construction site neat the separation barrier, he said.

During these arrests, the children undergo various types of mistreatment, including torture, he said.

The southern West Bank city of Hebron has become the site of several Israeli settlements in the middle of the local Palestinian population.

According to Israeli rights group BTselem, Palestinians in Hebron have been subject to restrictions on movement, the closure of main streets, and the shutting down of a major commercial hub.

BTselem has documented Palestinians experiences of lengthy, humiliating inspections at 20 permanent checkpoints across Hebron.

The presence of Israeli soldiers has led to a cycle of confrontation, often resulting in nightly military raids and arrests.

The infamous breaking the bones policy is back

Amjad Al-Najjar, spokesperson for the Hebron-based Palestinian Prisoners Club, told Al Jazeera that since the last wave of protests, Israeli forces have used excessive force when beating and arresting Palestinians.

The infamous breaking the bones policy is back, he said, referencing policy by Israels former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

When he was defence minister during the first Intifada  or mass uprising, Rabin ordered Israeli army commanders 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 and as a means to prevent them from protesting altogether.

In the last few days, after the protests over the US embassy move, a lot of the youth who return home after being detained were in miserable shape, said Al-Najjar.

Theyre often covered in blood and with stitches on their heads as a result of being severely abused and beaten up by Israeli forces, he added.

Theyre often in so much pain, that they are unable to consume water and food.
Islamic Jihad says the deadly explosion near Beit Lahia in northern Gaza was an accident.

At least two Palestinians have died in an explosion in Gaza, which Palestinian group Islamic Jihad now says was caused by the men mishandling explosives.

Local news media identified the two people killed on Tuesday as members of al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad.

The Associated Press news agency quoted Islamic Jihad as saying that the explosion was an accident.

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian health ministry and local news media blamed the deaths on an Israeli air raid.

However, a spokesperson for the Israeli army denied the reports, telling Al Jazeera it did not carry out any attack in the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

The Israeli blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip, in its current form, has been in place since June 2007.

Men indentified

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said the two Palestinian youths were killed on a motorcycle near the town of Beit Lahya in the northern Gaza Strip.

The men were killed instantly while dozens of passers-by were also injured by the explosion, WAFA said.

In a statement cited by AFP news agency later on Tuesday that made no mention of an Israeli attack, Islamic Jihad identified the dead men as Hussein Ghazi Nasrallah, 25, and Mustafa al-Sultan, 29, and said they were part of the groups engineering unit.

The incident came amid ongoing protests in the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and besieged Gaza over US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

On Friday, four Palestinians in Gaza were killed as a result of an Israeli air raid, and another 25 were injured.

In October, seven Palestinians were killed after Israeli forces destroyed a tunnel in the strips southern area.

Since 2008, Israel has launched three offensives on the Gaza Strip.

The latest one, code-named Operation Protective Edge, took place in the summer of 2014 and resulted in the deaths of more than 2,200 Palestinians.

Sixty-six Israeli soldiers and seven Israeli non-combatants were killed in the same period.
Russia has suspended its diplomatic presence in Yemen, and all its staff have left the country due to the situation in the capital Sanaa, according to official Russian sources.

Russias RIA news agency quoted Maria Zakharova, the countrys foreign ministry spokesperson, as making the announcement on Tuesday.

The Russian ambassador to Yemen and some diplomatic staff will be working temporarily out of Riyadh in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Russias Interfax news agency reported citing the foreign ministry.

The Russian withdrawal comes as a Saudi-led military coalition continues a blockade of Yemen, which began in October after it shut down the countrys borders in response to a missile fired by rebels that struck near the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in neighbouring Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to push back the Houthi rebels, who are said to be backed by Iran, and restore the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The blockade was designed to cut off the alleged supply of weapons to Houthi rebels from Iran but has exacerbated what the UN calls the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Aid organisations in Yemen faced further difficulties when renewed violence broke out in Sanaa after the killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president, on December 4.

Permission request

Earlier on Tuesday, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported that a Russian plane evacuated embassy staff and some Russian nationals from Sanaa.

It quoted an official source in the Saudi-led coalition as saying it had received a request for permission for a Russian plane to evacuate the personnel, and that the plane had left Sanaa airport.

In a statement in August, the Russian embassy in Yemen had expressed concern over the high intensity of air strikes by the Arab coalition on Yemeni cities and towns that often lead to civilian casualties.

Moscow still believes that there is no alternative to the early cessation of violence, the statement said, urging a resolution through UN-supported peace talks.

The conflict in the Arabian Peninsula country has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced another three million, according to the UN.





Millions of Yemenis are struggling with hunger and disease, including the worst cholera epidemic on record, which has infected about one million people.

On Monday, a senior UN official called for parties involved in the war to allow sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access for Yemenis.

The lives of millions of people, including 8.4 million Yemenis who are a step away from famine, hinge on our ability to continue our operations and to provide health, safe water, shelter and nutrition support, Jamie McGoldrick, the UNs humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said in a statement.

Amid mounting international pressure, Saudi Arabia began to allow some humanitarian aid to enter the country in the last week of November.

Despite this easing, the situation in Yemen remains severe, according to McGoldrick.

The continuing blockade of ports is limiting supplies of fuel, food and medicines, dramatically increasing the number of vulnerable people who need help, he said.
Casualties reported from southern Aleppo and Damascus countryside amid fighting on the ground in Idlib.

Russian and Syrian fighter jets have launched attacks in southern Aleppo province and the Damascus countryside, causing civilian casualties in both locations.

Rebel groups, for their part, made gains south of Damascus and in the eastern Idlib province, activists said on Tuesday.

An Al Jazeera correspondent said hundreds of families were displaced from villages and towns in the southern Aleppo countryside because of heavy bombing by Syrian and Russian fighter jets.

The attacks resulted in civilian casualties and extensive damage to homes and property, the correspondent said.

The developments came amid attacks by President Bashar al-Assads military and allied fighters on rebel sites in Burj Sabna, a village in Aleppos southern countryside.

An Al Jazeera correspondent said one civilian was killed and several others were wounded in artillery shelling by government forces and allied fighters in Zamalka, Eastern Ghouta and the Damascus countryside, although these areas are part of a so-called de-escalation zone under the Astana agreement.

Activists said a faction of the Union of the Jabal al-Sheikh forces destroyed a government tank in Sahin Hina in western Ghouta, while clashes erupted in the area of Hajar al-Aswad.

Elsewhere, local sources said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group recovered several villages north of the city of Albu Kamal in the eastern suburb of Deir Az Zor, following an attack on government forces.

ISIL, also known as ISIS, is trying to regain momentum and recover some of its lost territories after suffering a string of defeats in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

Sham Network reported that Tahrir al-Sham, which controls large swathes of Idlib province, destroyed a government tank in an area east of Idlib city, as well as a military vehicle belonging to another rebel group.

Also on Tuesday, fighting continued in areas connecting the provinces of Idlib and Hama amid Russian attacks from the air, with activists reporting civilian casualties.

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The Russian raids targeted al-Mitnaa in the southern countryside of Idlib, the activists said.

Sham Network reported shelling of Amiriya, a town in Homs countryside, and Daraa al-Balad, an area in Daraa city.

In another development, three members of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Fatimiyoon Brigade were killed in clashes in Syria, according to a report carried by Irans Tasnim News Agency.

The report said one of the dead fighters was buried in the Iranian city of Mashhad, while the other two would be buried in Isfahan on Thursday.
Trump says US must fix its lax immigration system after NYC bombing suspect named as 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant.

US President Donald Trump has said America must fix its immigration system following a bomb attack in New York City, which has left at least four people injured.

Trump called on Congress to revise the countrys chain migration policy, which allows immigrants to sponsor other relatives entry into the US, in a White House statement on Monday.

Todays terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security, he said.

America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country.

Trump also pleaded for US lawmakers to increase the countrys number of immigration officers, enhance officers powers relating to arrest and detention and end fraud and abuse in our immigration system.

Those convicted of engaging in acts of terror deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases, he added.

The US Supreme Court granted permission for President Trumps administration to fully enforce the third version of a controversial travel ban prohibiting people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the country on December 4.

The suspect in Mondays attack, 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, relocated to the US from Bangladesh in 2011.

According to authorities, he entered the country on an F43 visa issued on the basis he has a family connection to an American citizen.

The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed he is a legal, permanent resident of the US.

Ullah is alleged to have carried out the attack using an improvised low-tech explosive device strapped to his body.

An NYPD spokesman told Al Jazeera that the explosion occurred in the area of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, near 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, which is also close to Times Square.

Three bystanders, and the suspect, suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the blast, officials have said.

Bangladeshs embassy in Washington, DC has condemned the assault.

[The] Government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of Zero Tolerance against terrorism, the embassy said in a statement on Monday.

A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice.

Police are yet to comment on the suspects motive and have announced they will be conducting a full investigation into the explosion, which was also caught on CCTV.
Gavin Williamson made the comments a day after Qatar agreed to buy 24 fighter jets from Britain in a $6.7bn deal.

Britains defence minister has told Al Jazeera he is hoping for a swift end to the political crisis in the Gulf.

Gavin Williamson made the comments a day after Qatar agreed to buy 24 fighter jets from Britain in a $6.7bn deal.

Williamson called the sale of the planes  which are set to be delivered in late 2022  a massive vote of confidence in supporting British jobs.
Court decision to free Ukraines opposition leader is unacceptable to prosecutor general who seeks pre-trial detention.

Ukraines prosecutor general has said Kiev courts decision to free opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili from pre-trial detention will be appealed.

Saakashvili, who was Georgias president before he entered Ukrainian politics, must be placed under house arrest, said Yuri Lutsenko, Ukraines prosecutor general, late on Monday.

I cant imagine a country where a stateless person breaks through a border crossing, then organises a movement to overturn a government and nonetheless a judge releases him. We will appeal, he told ICTV, a Ukrainian broadcaster.

Saakashvili, the 49-year-old leader of Ukraines Movement of New Forces opposition party, was arrested on December 9 in a Kiev apartment on charges, including cooperation with a criminal organisation.

When authorities tried to arrest him for the first time on December 5, his supporters freed him from a police van.

The development comes weeks after Saakashvili and his supporters launched mass anti-government protests, calling for an impeachment of President Petro Poroshenko, who they accuse of corruption.

Poroshenko brought Saakashvili and his team to Ukraine in 2015, gave him the Ukrainian citizenship and appointed him as the governor of the Odessa region to use his image as the author of Georgias successful reforms.

But a year later, Saakashvili accused him of protecting corrupt oligarchs and resigned, moving to the opposition.

He was later stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship, becoming stateless as he had lost his Georgian citizenship to gain the Ukrainian one.

Call for new protests

On Monday, he said the court decision to free him would hasten Poroshenkos ouster, calling on his supporters to stage a mass protest on Sunday.

Lets gather on Sunday and show that there are many of us and our numbers will grow. I am sure that the Ukrainian government has even less time left, he told his supporters. The court decision was a slap in the face for the government.

Ukraine ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014 after months of bloody anti-government protests.

One of the main reasons for the revolution was the wish to rid the country of endemic corruption, but almost four years since the event, Ukrainians say they are yet to see improvement.

Saakashvili claims the current government is not interested in investigating past economic crimes or preventing future episodes as it benefits from them.

Poroshenko and his administration deny the charges.
A round-up of the Turkish presidents comments in wake of the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

A strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, Erdogan hosted an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday in Istanbul, under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Before the OIC Jerusalem summit, Erdogan had threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, if necessary. He had also said that the summit would be a turning point.

At the summit however, Erdogan did not expand on his earlier threat, and instead reaffirmed the illegality of the US decision: It is null and void  no country in the world has supported [it].

The statements have not impressed Israel.

Unfortunately, Erdogan does not miss an opportunity to attack Israel, Naftali Bennett, Israels education minister.

Here is a round-up of what Turkeys president has been saying about Jerusalem in recent days, and a look at his countrys ties with Israel.

Partner in bloodshed

In a speech on Monday in Turkeys capital, Ankara, Erdogan said Trumps decision had made Washington complicit in the violence.

The ones who made Jerusalem a dungeon for Muslims and members of other religions will never be able to clean the blood from their hands, said Erdogan.

With their decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, the United States has become a partner in this bloodshed, he added, noting that he did not consider Trumps decision binding.

Turkey, however, is an ally of the US. It joined NATO in 1952.

The ones who made Jerusalem a dungeon for Muslims and members of other religions will never be able to clean the blood from their hands. by President Erdogan

Terrorist state

On Sunday, speaking at a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in the central city of Sivas, Erdogan labelled Israel a terrorist state, saying Palestine has been under occupation since 1947.

Trumps declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is null and void for us in any case, he added, noting that the US declaration was an attempt to damage peace and security in the region.

Trump seeks to move forwards by saying. there we go, I did it, its done!, Erdogan said, adding, Im sorry but being strong does not give you such a right.

Jerusalem is a red line

Ahead of Trumps announcement, Erdogan said he could go as far as breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel if Washington formally recognised Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, calling such a move a red line for Muslims.

I am saddened by the reports that the US is getting ready to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, he said on Tuesday.

Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims. It is a violation of international law to take a decision supporting Israel while Palestinian societys wounds are still bleeding, he told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling party.

This can go as far as severing Turkeys ties with Israel. I am warning the United States not to take such a step which will deepen the problems in the region.

Israeli-Turkish relations

Ties restored in 2016. Israel and Turkey announced in June 2016 they would normalise ties after a years-long rupture.

Pipeline deal in 2017. Israel and Turkey agreed to build an underwater pipeline connecting Israels massive offshore gas field Leviathan to Turkey, Reuters news agency reported in March.

This could be built within four years, according to one of the partners in the project.

Israel has been pursuing several regional export deals for its newfound gas reserves and the Leviathan group is moving ahead with development plans since making its final $3.75bn investment decision.
Let me state my heresy right up front: Richard Nixon was a good man. In fact, he was a great president. Process that, then read on.

Communism, Espionage, and Pumpkins

In 1948, at the height of the Cold War, a California congressman accompanied a former American communist spy into a pumpkin patch to retrieve a cache of stolen secret documents. These documents, later named the "Pumpkin Papers," became the evidence that ultimately led to the perjury conviction of another American communist serving Moscow from the highest levels of the State Department.

Hollowed-out pumpkin at Chambers's farm hiding two rolls of microfilm, given to investigators,

December 2, 1948. Page from stolen classified documents, dated January 6, 1938.

The repentant spy was Whittaker Chambers, who had secretly defected from the American Communist Party while maintaining contact with his underground network. His "pumpkin patch papers" resulted in the political "Trial of the Century."

The convicted spy was Alger Hiss, former aide to Franklin Roosevelt's secretary of state and acting secretary-general of the United Nations Charter Conference in 1945. Hiss was instrumental in giving "damaging concessions" to the Soviet Union at the postwar Yalta Conference. He won praise from the Soviet delegate to the U.N. Conference for his "impartiality" toward the Russian government.

The California congressman who received the Pumpkin Papers was Richard Nixon, a resolute anti-communist crusader. During his first term in Congress (1947-48), Nixon was determined to identify and expose communist subversion inside the U.S. government. His steely anti-communism earned him the undying contempt of left-leaning newspapers in the 1950s.

Nixon's Downfall and the Vindictive Media

Fast-forward to 1973-1974. An embattled President Nixon was waging a losing fight for his political survival. His cover-up of the Watergate scandal was unraveling. When a contingent of Republican senators told Nixon he didn't have the votes to avoid impeachment and conviction, he knew the end had come and resigned his presidency on August 8, 1974.

A jubilant liberal press corps celebrated Nixon's resignation as a great victory for "progressive" democracy and virtually canonized Washington Post reporters Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein. The establishment liberal media have reveled in their destruction of Nixon for the past 40 years. To liberals, this "historic achievement" was the peak of their "glory days," and they've used it to demonize Republicans and conservatives, trumpet their moral superiority, and continue their "long march through the institutions."

Donald Trump and Russian Collusion

With the election of 2016, the progressives' glory days may be coming to an end. Since the upstart Trump was elected president by "deplorable" Americans, liberals have thoroughly unmasked themselves by their hysteria and lies.

Since Trump's election, the "Trump-Russia collusion" story has dominated virtually every news cycle in the MSM. But is it believable that the left has suddenly abandoned its century-old love affair with international communism? Not likely. More likely, the Alinskyites in the Democrat party recognized a "never waste a crisis" moment. Like a virus in search of a weakness in the body, the left created an opportunistic infection and injected it into the body politic.

Using a phony "Russian dossier" commissioned by Hillary's campaign and written by a washed up British spy, the DNC (colluding with the FBI and the Deep State) manufactured an equally phony narrative that Trump had "colluded" with Russians to...well, to do what, exactly? Mesmerize millions of Hillary-supporters into voting Republican? Hack into thousands of county voting machines to erase paper ballots and check the other box? Expose Hillary as a serial liar and traitor and email-eraser?

Walter Duranty and the Treason of the Press

The history of American left is full of historical revisionism, but the magnitude of this "Russian reversal" is vaster than Hillary's "vast right-wing conspiracy." Consider: in 1932, New York Times Moscow correspondent Walter Duranty was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism. His dispatches deliberately covered up the Soviet government-created famine of 1932-1933 in the Ukraine. An estimated 4 to 5 million Ukrainian "kulaks" (independent farmers) and peasants were starved to death when the Soviets confiscated their crops and appropriated their land under their genocidal policy of "forced agricultural collectivization."

As this human catastrophe was unfolding, Duranty wrote: "There is no famine or actual starvation nor is there likely to be" (November 15, 1931). Two years later, when the famine had run its deadly course, Duranty continued his campaign as "Stalin's Apologist" and wrote: "Any report of a famine in Russia today is an exaggeration or malignant propaganda" (August 23, 1933). This master malignant propagandist of the left has been quoted by an on-site observer as saying:

What are a few million dead Russians in a situation like this[?] Quite unimportant. This is just an incident in the sweeping historical changes here. I think the entire matter is exaggerated.



Holodomor Memorial, Kyiv, Ukraine.

("Death by Forced Starvation" of millions via Stalin's artificial famine, 1932-33.)

Fast-forward 71 years to 2003. Ukrainian-Americans were demanding that the Pulitzer Committee revoke Duranty's prize, but the committee refused. Under pressure, the New York Times issued a tepid and vacuous statement acknowledging Duranty's reporting as "misleading." When asked to return the prize, the "Newspaper of Record" lamely responded, "The Times does not have the award in its possession."

Here we are in the deepest waters of the swamp.

The Camouflage of Hating Nixon

What do we make of 70 years of the left's extreme hatred of Richard Nixon? Over the past century, liberals have created a mythological "evil empire of conservatism," embodied in their white-hot hatred of Nixon and now President Trump. With Hillary's defeat and the belated eruption of all the Obama-era scandals, leftists have finally been exposed as the evil empire of liberalism. The monster in their mirror is themselves.

I won't make excuses for Nixon's crimes: the break-in, wiretapping, and theft at the DNC offices; the hush money, the enemies list, the abuses of power. Nor will I minimize Nixon's cover-up and obstruction of justice. However, I think it's important to see Nixon's career in the fullest context of his 30 years in public service.

More importantly, I find it ironic and despicable that liberals have masked their much greater abuses of power, extensive corruption of our political and civic institutions, and systematic dismantling of our Constitutional Republic behind their destruction of a political enemy over 40 years ago  all while projecting a phony moral superiority over decent, hard-working Americans they despise but will never understand: Hillary's "basket of deplorables."

The Crimes of Hillary Clinton and the Progressives

The ironies are abundant. Hillary Clinton, a primary face of the Democratic Party for decades, was fired from her staff position on the House Judiciary Committee for lying and unethical behavior during the Democrats' Watergate investigation. (See here, here, and here.) In collusion with her husband, Bill; other Democrats; and the Russians, Hillary Clinton has abused her power in countless corruptions: her war on women her husband exploited and raped; her betrayal, lies, and cover-up in the Benghazi attack; her illegal server and destruction of 33,000 emails under subpoena; her sale of classified secrets, bribes, and extortion for $145 million; and her approval of the sale of 20% of America's uranium to Russia while secretary of state.

That's a lot of criminality and collusion  with Bill, the Democrats, the MSM, and the Russians! Now they're blaming Trump for their own Russian collusion. Compared to the scope and severity of their crimes, Nixon was just a schoolyard bully.

The Legacy of Richard Nixon

Let me restate my heresy: Richard Nixon was a flawed man but a great president who did enormous good for the country he loved. His successful prosecution of communist agents in high government positions during the Cold War made him a target of the left for his entire career. His historic opening of China to the West, detente with the Soviet Union, ending the draft, and winding down the Vietnam War are major accomplishments he deserves to be remembered for.

Nixon is long overdue for an objective re-evaluation. His abuses of power and cover-up of Watergate at the end of his political career have overshadowed his extraordinary legacy for far too long. Let a fair-minded historian write a new biography of this damaged but great historical figure and release him from the infamy of his final years.

...and rescue him from the calumny of "compassionate progressives" guilty of far larger crimes and treasonous actions.
Recognizing the problems inherent in the hysteria surrounding the #MeToo campaign, which the media and politicians are heralding as a pivotal moment in our culture, should not require a difficult intellectual exercise. It was once conventional wisdom gleaned from history. But given that modern media narratives serve more to reshape history than to appropriately understand and learn from it, perhaps a brief history discussion is in order. All you have to do is remember the first famous #MeToo campaign to take place in the Americas.

Salem Village, 1692. Young girls, caught up in the frenzied hysteria of rampant devilry and witchcraft as explanations for the problems plaguing Salem Village, led to the accusation of more than 200 men and women of witchery, leading to the execution of 20 innocent people. Today, it is generally believed that these young women and the later accusers voiced their accusations for attention, personal gain, or to capture a moment of relevance in a popular wave of accusations that were then-thought brave by local religious leaders, who were both the media criers and political leaders of their day.

Examination of a Witch (1853) by T. H. Matteson

Myriad lessons were learned from this horrific event. Chief among these is the realization that there is a distinct problem in weaponizing random accusations of wrongdoing amidst mass hysteria about the rampancy of a peculiar moral evil. That is, innocent men and women are invariably punished when accusations grow from the passions of a frenzied mob. In fact, during this event, Increase Mather, then the president of Harvard, was prompted to make a reasoned observation that what would eventually become a famous cliche: It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person be condemned.

The wisdom of this lesson was later applied by John Adams in his defense of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre of 1770. In arguing the innocence of the British soldiers amidst an emotional local populace clamoring for their execution, he was prompted to note that [F]acts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and reason.

The dichotomy between his approach and that taken the adjudicators in the Salem Witch Trials was not lost on Adams. Years after the Boston Massacre, he said as much. Judgment of Death against those Soldiers, he wrote, would have been as foul a stain upon this Country as the Executions of the Quakers or Witches, anciently.

This all leads to the inevitable question: if facts can damn an American to a horrible fate, either in legal proceedings or in the public square, shouldnt the absence of damning facts offer the presumption of innocence?

This is the point where someone might suggest that testimony is evidence of facts. Of course, in the legal world, testimony which is many years old is often not admissible in a court outside of very specific crimes, and for good reason. We call these protections for defendants statutes of limitations. The idea is to ensure that convictions occur only upon evidence (physical or eyewitness) that has not deteriorated with time.

In the absence of physical or eyewitness evidence, personal testimony also has the tendency to diminish with time, due to a prevalent trait in human nature called recall bias. You see, our brains are wired to continually rewrite memories, putting present in the past. Some studies show that current events can cloud memory, or that some memories might be edited completely, or even that 50% of the memories of a particular event are completely lost.

If personal testimony is unreliable enough to not alone warrant fact immediately after an event, it becomes exponentially unreliable years, even decades, hence. So just imagine the precedent that we accept by allowing that nothing more than personal allegations of sexual assault, harassment, or misconduct is all that is required to discern the facts from allegations in decades-old alleged crimes. We will find ourselves in a world where every future election amounts to Stalin-esque show trials, held by the media to sway public opinion against whatever morally and politically evil candidate they might wish to smear. A world where allegations can ruin a mans career or marriage absent any of the evidence which would be required to reasonably prove any wrongdoing of any kind.

The simple point is that testimony alone is, and should be, insufficient for acceptance as fact. Again, this is not a new lesson. There was ample testimony in Salem regarding the witchery of the accusers neighbors, just as there was ample testimony that the British soldiers took an aggressive posture against the colonials in the Boston Massacre. But theres an important distinction here which has become generally understood by Americas legal system -- however less observed in the court of public opinion.

That is, a fact and an allegation are not the same thing. Facts require evidence deemed sufficient to be considered indisputable. An allegation is a claim made in the absence of such evidence, and while an allegation certainly might qualify as testimony, that testimony doesnt necessarily qualify as evidence of facts.

Some just dont care about these gargantuan distinctions that the legal world tends to recognize. The most obvious example might be modern feminist Emily Lindin, who tweeted that she simply is not at all concerned about innocent men losing their jobs over false allegations of sexual assault/harassment allegations.

Shes riffing on the generally accepted narrative today, that women with #MeToo tales are to be believed without question, absent the facts needed to condemn a person outside the forum of public opinion. After all, breaking silence, years later, about alleged past incidents of sexual misconduct landed a few high-profile gals on the cover of Time magazine as the Person of the Year. The widespread acceptance of these #MeToo allegations and its narrative, without question or reason informing cultural verdicts, is what makes this an atmosphere of a looming, if not entirely underway, witch hunt.

Seemingly recognizing this, Fox News host Laura Ingraham offered that conservatives be wary of the lynch mob that you join today in response to Al Franken and John Conyerss resignations, because tomorrow, it could be coming for your husband, your brother, your son, and yes, even your president.

Shes right. The left has created a narrative in which child molestation, sexual assault, and potential sexual harassment are all equal signs of the presumed cultural phenomenon of predatory behavior toward women. A world where a peculiarly remembered unwanted kiss by a 30-year-old man toward an 18-year-old girl, 40 years ago, can serve as evidence to the veracity of claims that hes a child molester.

Its not so much that the left hasnt gleaned the lessons of history around witch hunts, but that the left happens to currently crave the atmosphere of the witch hunt because they believe themselves to be in control the socio-religious pulpit, and they lack the moral integrity of an Increase Mather or a John Adams to call for reason amidst the cultural hysterics.

Facts should still be stubborn things, and a dearth of convincing facts should still stubbornly presume innocence. Accused men or women should still be presumed innocent unless it is proven otherwise. If we lose our grasp on those simple principles because we excitedly get caught up in the zephyr of popular outrage against leftist targets of similar accusations, we cede centuries worth of costly-to-win ideological ground.

William Sullivan blogs at Political Palaver and can be followed on Twitter.
Anybody who still believes that there is no Deep State in America might recall three major Deep State rebellions against constitutionally elected administrations in recent history.

1. The Stalin period, when communists, both overt and covert, had deeply infiltrated the State Department; the White House; and, most dangerously, the Manhattan Project of DOD, which built the first two nuclear bombs. At that time, the Communist Party of the USA was directly controlled by Stalin's Comintern in Moscow, the international center for worldwide infiltration, sabotage, espionage, and agitation-propaganda aiming to destroy the United States and its allies. Stalin's Comintern was especially powerful in Hollywood, in universities and the media.

2. The Watergate period, when historically anti-communist President Richard Nixon was destroyed by a revenge campaign, combining the NYT-WaPo media axis with the FBI's Mark Felt and the Democrats (among them Hillary Clinton) to bring down the duly elected president of the U.S. by unconstitutional means.

The extra-constitutional office of the special prosecutor was made up at that time, with no constitutional warrant or standing, and indeed in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution (USC Amendments I-IV).

3. Today, we are seeing a third example of an attempted coup d'etat by the Deep State and the left-controlled media, both monsters that were never imagined by the Founders. In 2016, Hillary Clinton was openly endorsed by the Communist Party USA, and Hillary never rejected that endorsement. That fact speaks for itself.

In the meantime, the corrupt media keep aiming for conservative scalps. If Roy Moore is elected to the Senate, he will be harassed and scapegoated next. That is 100 percent predictable, because for the left, the swamp, and the corrupt media, there are no credible punishments.

Today, we see another politically motivated special counsel in close cahoots with the Democratic Party and three Deep State chiefs who were recently fired by Donald J. Trump: James Comey, George Brennan, and Jim Clapper. These individuals, as well as Mr. Mueller, were appointed by Barack H. Obama, who has repeatedly expressed his open contempt for the clearly delimited powers of the U.S. Constitution.

During their years as high officials of U.S. national security and justice administration, reliable military sources reported deep infiltration of the U.S. government by Jihad War powers.

In the months after the 9/11/01 surprise terror attack by Wahhabi jihadis, which murdered more than 3,000 people in Manhattan, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon, a CIA official expressed open support for Osama bin Laden in published books. See Michael Scheuer.

During the run-up to 9/11/01, Mr. Scheuer served as the official chief of the bin Laden desk of the CIA  throughout the Bill Clinton years and into the early months of the George W. Bush administration. To public knowledge, no one has ever been fired or even punished for blatant failures to "defend and protect the Constitution of the United States" during the Jihad War.

The idea of an unaccountable Deep State in open rebellion against the Constitution of the United States and its officers and elected officials is therefore beyond any reasonable doubt.

In today's anti-Trump revolt, we now know that the judicial branch was also corruptly targeted. The FISA Court was given a false and misleading, politically subversive application to allow large-scale domestic espionage against peaceful political opponents  an application containing salacious allegations against Donald J. Trump, his family, and his campaign, as well as allegations of collusion with Russia.

Those allegations have never been verified, either by more than a year-long nationwide media witch hunt or by Special Counsel Mueller and his team of sworn Trump enemies, or by congressional committees who bear oversight responsibilities.

The Deep Swamp revolt against President Trump has weakened the Office of the President of the United States and made this country an object of ridicule and contempt in major capitals around the world. In the case of high officials sworn "to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," these seditious actions occurred in direct violation of the relevant statutes.

But no Deep Swamp official since the Stalin era has ever been charged, tried, and convicted in a court of law, even in the case of clear and obvious betrayals of U.S. national security in time of war. In the case of the Manhattan Project, espionage agent Klaus Fuchs betrayed nuclear secrets to the East German Stasi, then under direct Kremlin control. As a reward, Fuchs was appointed to the Central Committee of the East German Communist Party, to acclaim in the controlled propaganda media. There is no reasonable doubt about those facts.

Please keep in mind that the anti-Trump revolt coincides with deep enemy penetration of the government of the United States by Muslim jihad forces, notably the Nazi-era Muslim Brotherhood, and high officials of the Saudi government and of the Iranian theocracy. The current left-media-Democrat revolt against POTUS Trump is intended to distract and cover up a long history of enemy-inspired subversion and sabotage during the Jihad War, which has been declared against the United States at least since 1993.

This time, the United States has a new wave of free conservative media, but the left is constantly trying to outlaw and censor conservative media. Just last week, Google, Inc. "forgot" to memorialize Pearl Harbor Day in its daily "doodle" series. Google is controlled by the left, and we have previously cited direct evidence that Barack Obama whipped up the so-called Arab Spring in the Middle East, started in 2010, through various media, prominently including Google's vice president for marketing in the Middle East. This is evidence that the largest "new media" propaganda corporation, Google, Inc., colluded with the Obama administration to stir up violence and coups d'etat in the Middle East.

The Arab Spring was proclaimed as a political "spring" by the left-liberal media around the world, without bothering to ask the Arab peoples who were supposedly being liberated. In fact, the phony Arab Spring was staged by the Muslim Brotherhood, the so-called Ikhwan, a Nazi-era party sworn to destroy infidels and Jews and then the secular West.

These facts support two conclusions:

1. The United States Congress is the only constitutional body with sufficient political power to declare the current Mueller witch hunt null and void. If President Trump or the DOJ exercises its constitutional rights to do so, the acting party will inevitably be attacked by the corrupt media and the left.

2. The office of the "special counsel" is inherently a corrupt and partisan, cancerous growth on the U.S. Constitution. That made up office must be abolished, and if existing constitutional prohibitions against arbitrary witch hunts are not sufficiently clear, a new amendment to the US Constitution should be passed on an urgent basis to make it clear beyond any doubt at all.
In a world in which we are supposed to believe that CNN is full of fearless hard-bitten reporters, its tweets show it's really just an organized club of bawl-babies.

Get a load of this embarrassing tweet from the CNN news organization, responding to a taunting tweet from President Trump, who was reviewing the talents of one of CNN's talking heads.

CNN statement: "In a world where bullies torment kids on social media to devastating effect on a regular basis with insults and name calling, it is sad to see our president engaging in the very same behavior himself. Leaders should lead by example." https://t.co/CSvAJ1J5ge  Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 11, 2017

Apparently, The Donald called one of their television hosts, Don Lemon, dumb, and the reaction has been completely snowflake.

Mediaite has the story here.

Apparently, they can't put on their big-boy pants and either take it in stride or else swing back and give as good as they got. They respond instead by whining.

This, bear in mind, comes as CNN is still smarting from its series of embarrassing reporting errors, all of which coincidentally came down against President Trump. Funny how that happens. They report one false thing after another  the latest of which was Jeff Sessions's perfectly legitimate reporting about chance encounters with Russians that CNN reported as sinister  and then crumple up in a ball and yell bullying when Trump calls them out. As if this is even a remote definition of bullying, given that CNN is a news behemoth. Now these people expect Trump to say nice things about them?

No, they expect Trump, never known for his subtlety and well versed in how to play fools like a fiddle, to consider their delicate feelings before he tweets that one of their news hosts, Don Lemon, is dumb.

Not exactly hard-bitten reporters devoted to just the facts, as they play themselves in their ads. If they wanted to be factual, they would have said "devoted to just the ego." But what the hey  they effectively admitted they're snowflakes when, last fall, they ran an essay called "We are all snowflakes now."

To whine about that now is pretty much wanting to have their cake and eat it, too.

Ace at Ace of Spades, in fine form, analyzes it well:

So: Is CNN an innocent victim of "bullying," or is it an aggressive, seething sissy who likes to hit and bite and then cry when it gets its sissy ass kicked? Well...

Read the whole thing here.
An ISIS-inspired Bangledeshi man strapped a pipe bomb to his chest and tried to blow up one of the busiest subway stations in New York just as the morning commute got underway. The bomber, who said he was angry at Muslim killings, was the only person seriously injured in the blast.

NBC 4:

When questioned, Ullah allegedly told investigators he intentionally detonated the device in that passageway because he noticed a holiday poster in a corridor nearby and, angry over U.S. bombings in ISIS controlled territory, was inspired by ISIS-style Christmas threats, according to two law enforcement officials. Ullah allegedly said he intended for it to be a suicide bombing and that he watched Internet ISIS propaganda, read extremist writings and learned how to make bombs through online tutorials. Law enforcement sources have said it didn't appear Ullah had direct contact with the terror group.

Almost immediately, CAIR got into the act by expressing "outrage" that the cops were doing their job:

"We are heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today, and by the allegations being made against a member of our family," Albert Fox Cahn, the legal director for CAIR New York, stated on behalf of the Ullah family, WABC reported Monday. "But we are also outraged by the behavior of law enforcement officials who have held children as small as four years old out in the cold and who held a teenager out of high school classes to interrogate him without a lawyer, without his parents," the family said. "These are not the sorts of actions that we expect from our justice system, and we have every confidence that our justice system will find the truth behind this attack and that we will, in the end, be able to learn what occurred today."

Because a Muslim couldn't possibly have tried to blow himself up and take people with him. So we must rely on the justice system to "find the truth" after the cops found someone at the scene with a hole in his chest where the bomb went off.

According to DHS, Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old legal immigrant who lived in Brooklyn, is a "[l]awful Permanent Resident from Bangladesh who benefited from extended family chain migration."

Therein lies the politics of this terrorist attack. Ullah was the beneficiary of an immigration system that allows dozens of a legal immigrants' relatives to migrate to the U.S. and enter legally. It is a gaping hole in a broken system, and Donald Trump has called for its repeal.

The thinking behind the loophole is that a legal immigrant shouldn't have to leave his wife and children behind when he legally immigrates to the U.S. But the program has gotten wildly out of control as relatives beyond an immigrant's immediate family piggyback their immigration on one person.

Obviously, the vetting procedure for the distant relatives of a legal immigrant is deficient.

Fox News:

That prompted White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to note that President Trump has railed against so-called "chain migration," through which dozens of an immigrant's relatives can enter the U.S. simply because their family member made it. "The president's policy has called for an end to chain migration," Sanders said. "If that had been in place, that would have prevented this individual from coming to the United States." Trump, in a statement, blamed the attack on America's "lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country." "Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security," the statement read. "My Executive action to restrict the entry of certain nationals from eight countries, which the Supreme Court recently allowed to take effect, is just one step forward in securing our immigration system. Congress must end chain migration." "The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America's security and economy has long been clear. I am determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first," the statement continued.

It was discovered after the Halloween terror attack in New York that the perpetrator, Sayfullo Saipov, entered the U.S. through the State Department's Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Trump says enough is enough:

"We have now seen two terrorist attacks in New York City in less than two months that were carried out by people who came here as the result of our failed immigration policies that do not serve the national interest  the diversity lottery and chain migration," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement Monday. "It is a failure of logic and sound policy not to adopt a merit-based immigration system."

It comes down to a basic question of fairness. Millions of people around the world are waiting to come to the U.S. legally, while some are granted entry because they may be distantly related to an immigrant already here, or they are allowed in because of someone's idea of "diversity." No thought is given to what they can contribute to the U.S. We don't know if they are connected to criminal gangs or terrorists. Trump wants a "merit-based" immigration system because it's the fairest means of deciding who gets to come and who doesn't, while also having the benefit of being able to more thoroughly vet the new arrivals.

Standing in the way of these simple reforms are Democrats. How many more terrorist attacks must we endure because the Democrats are playing politics with the system? They won't stop until we start placing the blame for these attacks where it belongs  on the party that advocates for virtual open borders.
I suspect that we are in the process of uncovering the worst political scandal in American history, in which the most fearsome tool of federal government spying was turned against the Trump campaign. A cabal manipulated events behind the scenes to subvert the legal safeguards that are supposed to prevent such an abuse.

The National Security Agency (NSA) picks up and records almost all electronic communications, thereby effectively wiretapping telephone conversations, email, and practically everything else we send out electronically. When a FISA court permits "unmasking" of American citizens, that universal wiretapping capability can be used to spy on their conversations. It now appears that an elaborate plot was crafted to generate phony accusations of dirty ties to Russia that would be used to get a FISA court warrant to "unmask" members of the Trump campaign, and thereby enable spying on that campaign. We do not know how many members of that campaign were "unmasked" (i.e., spied on), but there are suggestions that the list ended up quite long.

Bit by bit, evidence is leaking out connecting the members of that cabal at senior levels of the Department of Justice and the FBI with shadowy operatives in the private sector.

Merely keeping track of everyone so far compromised is a challenge that casual news-consumers will not bother with with the necessary focus. The rest of us  those who care deeply about preserving the Republic bequeathed to us by the Founders  can catch up by reading Victor Davis Hanson's up-to-date account of the web of backdoor relationships in the Mueller probe.

The latest revelation, uncovered by James Rosen of Fox News and largely ignored elsewhere in the media, is particularly damning.

A senior Justice Department official demoted last week for concealing his meetings with the men behind the anti-Trump "dossier" had even closer ties to Fusion GPS, the firm responsible for the incendiary document, than have been disclosed, Fox News has confirmed: The official's wife worked for Fusion GPS during the 2016 election. Contacted by Fox News, investigators for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) confirmed that Nellie H. Ohr, wife of the demoted official, Bruce G. Ohr, worked for the opposition research firm last year. The precise nature of Mrs. Ohr's duties  including whether she worked on the dossier  remains unclear but a review of her published works available online reveals Mrs. Ohr has written extensively on Russia-related subjects. HPSCI staff confirmed to Fox News that she was paid by Fusion GPS through the summer and fall of 2016.



Mrs. and Mr. Ohr.

The words "conspiracy theory" frequently are used to denounce those who see covert organized activity, so the task of gaining media attention and public understanding is all the more challenging, especially given the level of ridicule that is certain to be launched by the rest of the media seeking to protect the legacy of the Obama administration and prevent a triumph for supporters of Trump.

Drawing lines and boxes on a chart is all well and good, and necessary to untangle the hidden ties that have been uncovered among the players in this cabal. But to really get the public to focus, we need vivid symbols that have resonance, that show evil intent. Richard Nixon knew this when he seized upon a detail uncovered in the Alger Hiss communist conspiracy in the upper ranks of the State Department  an investigation that launched his political career into national prominence.

Nixon dramatized and publicized the name "Pumpkin Papers" for secret State Department documents and

... rolls of 35 mm film [that] were found wrapped in waxed paper inside a hollowed-out pumpkin on Whittaker Chambers's Maryland farm. In response to a HUAC subpoena, Chambers on the evening of December 2, 1948 dramatically led two HUAC investigators to the patch, where the film had been placed by Chambers only the previous day.

The catchy, alliterative trademark of "the Pumpkin Papers" became the handle by which the entire conspiracy could be understood by the broader public. They stood as proof that something nefarious was underway, something that caused people to hide from discovery.

Chambers was a repentant conspirator who turned over state's evidence. So far, no member of the cabal has been turned, but with leak investigations underway and felony charges possible, we may yet see a cooperating witness or witnesses. Former FBI and DOJ folks don't tend to do very well among members of the prison population, after all.

What we do have now is a fact, a resonant symbol, that catches the attention of casual news consumers  something that obviously indicates secrecy was necessary to cover up nefarious activities.

I leave it to Sundance and Conservative Treehouse, those incredible sleuths of publicly available information, to present the stunning little detail so compelling that even the fertile mind of spy novelist John Le Carre could not top it.

Mrs. Nellie Ohr was not only a Fusion GPS contracted employee, but she was also part of the CIA's Open Source Works, in Washington DC (link) Both Mr. and Mrs Ohr worked on a collaborative group project surrounding International Organized Crime. (pdf here) Page #30 Screen Shot Below But wait, it gets even better. A month after Hillary Clinton hired Fusion GPS (April 2016) to sub-contract retired British MI6 agent Christopher Steele to write the opposition research report "the Trump Russia Dossier", Fusion GPS employee Nellie Ohr applied for a HAM radio license (May 23rd 2016); a communication tool that would allow Nellie Ohr and Christopher Steele the ability to communicate outside the normal risk of communication intercepts. Keeping in mind, both Bruce and Nellie Ohr's subject matter skill-set within the DOJ would provide them with a comprehensive understanding of how to network and communicate with international actors outside the traditional risk of communication intercepts. In short, Mrs. Nelli Ohr would know that using HAM radio frequencies would be a way to avoid the risk of U.S. intelligence intercepts on her communications. The Clinton Campaign hired Fusion GPS in April 2016. Fusion GPS then sub-contracted retired British Intel MI6 agent Christopher Steele to write the Russian Dossier. A month later, May 23rd 2016, Fusion GPS employee Nellie Ohr gets HAM radio license. So are we to believe it's COINCIDENTAL? All of a sudden, a 60(ish)-year-old woman decides to use a HAM radio the month after contracting with Christopher Steele for a Russian opposition research dossier on Donald Trump?

So this shadowy spook who has been spying most recently on international organized crime syndicates, and who is helping use the NSA surveillance capabilities against the Trump campaign, resorts to an obsolete technology dating from a century ago to communicate and not be captured by the very surveillance system they are subverting.

That is evidence of intent. Unless Mrs. Ohr can point to a history of fascination with ham radio  maybe she built a Heathkit rig in the 1960s or '70s?  this resort to radio looks like tradecraft  the stuff of spies.

The ham radio license could be the pumpkin papers of our time. I want pictures of her broadcast facility.
My research into Roy Moore's life tells me he's a committed constitutional conservative who has stood up for liberty and religious freedom his entire career. He graduated from West Point Military Academy and served in the U.S. Army as a company commander in Vietnam. He studied law, worked as a deputy D.A., then spent some years in private practice before becoming a judge of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Alabama, serving until his election as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2000. Most of us outside Alabama had never heard of him until 2003, when he was removed from his position as chief justice by a judicial panel for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument he had installed in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building to acknowledge the sovereignty of God.

That made him a national figure, and it also made him a target for every left-wing anti-Christian, anti-Constitution, anti-American values cretin in the country. Nevertheless, in 2012, Alabama voters overwhelmingly re-elected him as chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court. In 2016, he was suspended for upholding the sanctity of marriage as between one man and one woman. It was then that he decided to seek a U.S. Senate seat in 2017. That put him in a protracted and bloody war between traditional America and those who seek to redesign the culture into something never intended by the Christian Founders of this great nation.

There are those who believe that our Constitution should be as flexible as saltwater taffy, constantly twisted and shaped according to the current whims of societal eccentricity. Those forces have grown powerful during the past few decades, and they were determined to increase that power with the election of Hillary Clinton. When the shock set in that Donald Trump, the man who promised to "drain the swamp" in D.C., was our next president, the left wing went into overdrive to keep from losing ground in its dream of an Orwellian dystopia reminiscent of 1984.

Leftists' desperation to overturn the election has divided our country into armed camps: those who support the choice of the electorate and those being brainwashed by a radical media that have become a vicious propaganda machine for the Democratic Party. There's no such thing as journalism in a country where every move by our duly elected chief executive is distorted into a negative headline accompanied by a fake news story.

That's why Roy Moore's election on Tuesday is of paramount importance to our country. We need another strong Republican-conservative vote in the U.S. Senate. Democrats are apoplectic over the likelihood that President Trump will have another ally to help enact his agenda to make America great again. That's why Moore has suddenly been besieged by accusations going back 40 years  accusations that supposedly occurred in Alabama but were never heard about in all the years of Moore's public service. Yet as soon as his votes pose a threat to the swamp-dwelling creatures along the Potomac, the nationwide attack machine begins a dredging operation to dig up the skeletal remains of a unicorn and sell the myth to a gullible public.

The hyperbolic allegations of Moore's ancient peccadilloes, rushed in front of the cameras by Gloria Allred, the poster girl for ambulance-chasing shysters, is just one of many good reasons to doubt the authenticity of the charges. Moreover, the recent admission by one of his accusers that she misrepresented some of the writing on her yearbook, which she previously alleged was written in 1977, proves that she misrepresented the "facts" in a fraudulent attempt to make her charges appear more credible. Furthermore, why did these women wait decades before getting all worked up about a man's flirtatious behavior toward them? Were they waiting by their phones for 40 years, hoping a reporter would call with questions about their dating experiences in the 1970s?

It couldn't be more obvious that this is a manufactured set of distortions that serves the political interests of the party out of power in D.C. The Democrats' concern is directed toward increasing their leverage in the Senate. To that end, they will say anything and use anyone in the furtherance of their nefarious goals.

I don't know if Moore is a good and decent man, but I do know that he was viewed as such until he became a danger to the Democrats in our nation's capital. As for the accusations, he hasn't had his day in court, so I think it's only fair to keep from demonizing him until we hear courtroom testimony under oath. Our system of justice says he's innocent until proven otherwise. In the meantime, the voters of Alabama will make their decision at the ballot box.
Dina Powell was the deputy national security adviser. That's a pretty senior rank. That means that many times, she briefed President Trump personally.

Ms. Powell has been involved in an array of foreign policy issues during the last year, including Mr. Trump's effort to broker a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians. On the president's foreign trips, including his most recent to Asia, she regularly had a seat at the table during his meetings with other leaders.

But Ms. Powell is no longer interested in being a senior White House official. She announced her resignation recently. And she's doing it...to spend more time with her family.

Ms. Powell's influence extended beyond the national security issues that would normally be under her purview; her name was once floated as a potential White House chief of staff. But her family remained in New York while she worked in Washington, and friends have said the weekly commute, and the time away from her children, had worn on her.

This is puzzling. Why can't Ms. Powell move her children to Washington?

The media seem remarkably uncurious about investigating Ms. Powell's motivations for resigning such a senior post. Normally, when a politician says she wants to "spend more time with her family," that's a cue to reporters to start digging. But nobody in the mainstream media seems interested.

Maybe that's because Ms. Powell is in the "globalist" camp, pushing President Trump to the left on a whole host of issues.

In a White House fractured by tribal divisions, Ms. Powell has been a prominent member of the New York camp affiliated with Mr. Trump's daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Her departure will remove one of the figures who has resisted the more hard-line policies advocated by the nationalist wing associated with Stephen K. Bannon, who stepped down over the summer as the president's chief strategist.

That still doesn't explain the resignation. One clue might be found in her main area of responsibility:

An Egyptian-born Coptic Christian who grew up in Texas, Ms. Powell helped mitigate the perception that the Trump peace team was stocked with staunchly pro-Israel figures like Mr. Kushner, Mr. Greenblatt, and David M. Friedman, the ambassador to Israel  all of whom are Orthodox Jews.

So there is a perception that Ms. Powell is not "staunchly pro-Israel." And what was the main news in foreign policy last week? President Trump announced the obvious: that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Less than a week later, Ms. Powell resigns...to spend more time with her family.

We have to play connect the dots to figure out why Ms. Powell left, because she's a media darling.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com.
Few societies have gone through as wrenching changes in behavior and social norms in the past forty years as America has. We can scarcely recognize the social mores and attitudes then from today's perspective. But as L.P. Hartley put it, "[t] he past is a foreign country. They do things differently there."

And if the changes over time are confusing enough, try understanding the regional variations. Roy Moore was from Etowah County in northeast Alabama, on the southwestern edge of Appalachia. His lower-class family lived way out of town and finally got indoor plumbing his last year of high school. Although he was elected student body president and made straight As, he was so poor that he couldn't afford to rent a school locker. He had to carry all his school books around all the time. He wouldn't have had the money to take girls out.

After high school, he went to a still all male West Point. Ordinary dating was almost a geographical impossibility without the Academy busing in girls, so cadets were legendary for being hopelessly inept dates. And if they hadn't learned how to be a good date in high school, they weren't likely to learn much at the academy.

Moore served in Vietnam, and once his five-year commitment to serve in the Army was up, he resigned and went to the University of Alabama Law School. After graduating, he became an assistant attorney general for Etowah County in 1977. For the first time in his life, Roy Moore had a small nest egg from his military service, a decent salary, and a respectable position in Etowah County.

But he was still a lower-class boy living in higher circles. What he did not have were social connections. All the girls he knew in high school were long since married off. And he had no one to introduce him around town. He was now in a level of society foreign to him and all the more confusing because it was in his own home town. He hadn't the sophistication to approach the women in his new social circle. So he hit on teenagers. Theodore Dreiser would have understood his predicament perfectly.

Two of the mothers of the allegedly abused women thought their 16-year-old daughter was too young for Moore. Two other mothers' responses were quite revealing. One of them told her daughter, "I'd say you were the luckiest girl in the world." The other mother pronounced Moore "husband material." As "a hometown boy made good," as one of the then teenage girls the Washington Post quoted put it, Moore had a good hand to play. He simply didn't know how to play it.

So he did what men in that position have done for years. He went trolling, hoping to run into someone, and learning along the way. And in the late '70s and early '80s, however it might offend today's feminist sensibilities, there was nothing rare about men in their 20s and 30s taking out teenagers in small towns in the South. It indeed was quite common, partly because the region had been so economically depressed for so long that one had to be older to have enough money and a car to date seriously in the first place.

And shocking though it may be to today's feminists, teenage girls in that day and age were famous for lying about their age to get into bars, get served, a number of reasons, including dating older men. Remember the 13-year-old, played by Bijou Phillips, climbing into the local James Dean's yellow deuce coupe in American Graffiti in 1962? And there is quite a market for fake IDs to do just that to the present day.

The most potentially serious of the alleged offenses involved Leigh Corfman, who was 14 and "troubled" at the time. At the court hearing she and her mother were awaiting when Moore met her, her serious disciplinary problems were to result in the Court's rare movement of her custody from her mother to her father, less than two weeks later.

"At some point she told him she was 14," according to The Washington Post's elastic phrasing of her allegation, but she went along willingly for a second date. "I was kind of giddy, excited, you know? An older guy, you know?" One of the teenagers the Post quoted explained why: "Moore 'had this godlike, almost deity status."

So what do these allegations really add up to? Nothing more or less than that the man Corfman herself called "charming and smiley" was really clumsy with women. Corfman was "expecting candlelight and roses." On her second date, she alleges she found herself on blankets on the floor of a gloomy house on an unpaved road, miles out of town, and an older man she admired tried to make her stimulate him "over his underpants." When she objected, he took her home.

No credible woman who has spoken out on Roy Moore yet has claimed he tried to force himself on her when she objected. And to accept Corfman's allegation, given her account, we have to assume that all contact between Moore and Corfman took place in the less than two weeks before the Court ordered her custody switched to her father.

Moore had an understandably delayed learning curve. The teenage years give most of us the time to shake out some bad dating behavior. And if we're honest with ourselves, most of us can remember some unfortunate experiences we hope others have forgotten. But Moore thought he had to forage opportunistically, and rough wooing from a man in his 30s left problems young women were not so ready to overlook. There is nothing abnormal or surprising here.

The Washington Post's lead reporter breaking these claims against Moore is a big-city Alabamian with a classic leftist resume, from Pacifica to the World Bank and Columbia Journalism School, as well as a period as a "community organizer." She is a fine reporter, but culturally, Etowah Country, 40 years ago, is as foreign to her experience as it might be to Barack Obama.

The problem may be not what is reflected so much as it is with the mirror itself.

Autres temps, autre moeurs...and a terrible price for forgetting, for everyone.
One of the top political reporters in the country, Ryan Lizza, has been fired by The New Yorker over a sexual misconduct claim.

Scant details of what transpired are available, but the charge stems from a relationship Lizza had with an unnamed woman.

Lizza denies the allegations.

Politico:

"The New Yorker recently learned that Ryan Lizza engaged in what we believe was improper sexual conduct," a spokesperson said in a statement. "We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza. Due to a request for privacy, we are not commenting further." In a statement, Lizza said the magazine made "a terrible mistake" and rejected its characterization of his relationship. "I am dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate," he said. "The New Yorker was unable to cite any company policy that was violated. I am sorry to my friends, workplace colleagues, and loved ones for any embarrassment this episode may cause. I love The New Yorker, my home for the last decade, and I have the highest regard for the people who work there. But this decision, which was made hastily and without a full investigation of the relevant facts, was a terrible mistake." Douglas Wigdor, an attorney representing the unnamed woman who accused Lizza of misconduct, disputed that characterization. "Although she desires to remain confidential and requests that her privacy be respected, in no way did Mr. Lizza's misconduct constitute a 'respectful relationship' as he has now tried to characterize it," read a statement from Wigdor, whose firm is perhaps best known for representing clients alleging sexual harassment and racial discrimination at Fox News. "Our client reported Mr. Lizza's actions to ensure that he would be held accountable and in the hope that by coming forward she would help other potential victims."

Editor Lifson yesterday nailed the danger we are in:

The careers of men are being destroyed on the basis of accusations alone, so of course we worry. While there is no ambiguity over Weinstein-like criminal behavior, there is a spectrum of behavior that women can find objectionable, and at the other of the scale from Weinstein, there is a lot of potential for career-ending misunderstanding. For all we know, a greeting like "Good morning! That's a lovely outfit" could be the basis of a complaint to H.R.

In Lizza's case, he was apparently in a sexual relationship of some kind with the unnamed woman. Because the woman can remain anonymous, and the specific charges against Lizza can remain unreported. all we have to go on is a vague statement from the New Yorker and Lizza's denial.

Dare I broach the possibility that the woman was jilted by Lizza and the accusations are payback?

I can't say that in "mixed company"  by which I mean normal people and sexual harassment crusaders. For many who are leading the charge against harassment in the workplace  including many lawyers who stand to make a bundle pressing these cases  the woman is always right, always telling the truth, and doesn't misunderstand anything a man might say or do.

But in Lizza's case, the smoke may well be an indication of fire. The reporter's name appeared on a list of more than 70 men in media who were being accused of everything from harrassment to rape.

"[S-----] Media Men," was never intended for publication and was shut down after BuzzFeed reported on its existence on Oct. 12 and noted that some of the accused hail from organizations such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Mother Jones and even BuzzFeed. Journalists have been sharing screenshots of the list for nearly two weeks, but news organizations have remained understandably skittish about amplifying the claims without substantiation. It's rare that news organizations can still act as a gatekeeper for information given the ability for emerging media players, perhaps less bound to traditional newsroom standards, to publish at will.

The accusation that got Lizza fired may not be the only skeleton in his closet. But that has nothing to do with the concerns about where all of this is going. A man a lot less prominent than Lizza may be caught up in the national dragnet over something he believed was innocent or perhaps even consensual. But women  for the moment  enjoy immunity from being accused of lying or just getting their signals crossed with a coworker.

We haven't reached the point of a backlash  yet. But the genuine cases of harassment and assault and abuse will be radically affected the first time it can be proved beyond doubt that the woman's accusations are for vindictive reasons and not based on reality.
In "Arab nations warn U.S. against moving embassy" (12/5/17), The Washington Post puts into context Israel's acquisition of Jerusalem by stating that Israel "captured the eastern part of the city from Jordan in 1967 in the Six-Day war."

Most, if not all, prior Washington Post articles discussing Israel's governance of the eastern part of the city fail to mention whom Israel captured the land from. The omission led readers to believe that Israel took it from the Palestinians. After all, the media have convinced the world that the West Bank is Palestinian territory, so therefore Israel must have won the eastern part of Jerusalem from the Palestinians  but that's not true at all. The West Bank and East Jerusalem are disputed territories because Israel's sovereign claim to the lands are as valid as any Palestinian claim, if not more so, and there has been no negotiated settlement over them.

If The Washington Post wanted to put the situation in full context, it would best serve its readers by explaining that all of Jerusalem was allocated to the "National Jewish Home" by the League of Nations, and Israel "captured" the eastern part of the city in defense against a Jordanian attack. Further, while the eastern part of Jerusalem was under Jordanian control from 1948 to 1967, the Jordanians destroyed virtually every Jewish structure, including most synagogues, and placed latrines adjacent to Judaism's holiest site in the city  the Western Wall. (Interestingly, now that Israel is in full control of the Western Wall, it is revered by the Arabs as a holy site that they "want back.")

How can the story of eastern Jerusalem be told by neglecting Jordan's blatant ethnic cleansing, when every last Jew was kicked out of the eastern part of Jerusalem in Israel's 1948 War of Independence? Jews were forbidden to worship at their holiest sites during the subsequent 19 years of Arab rule. Conversely, now that Israel controls the holy sites of Jerusalem, there is freedom of religion  anyone can worship where he wants!

And no one calls out the absurdity of the U.N. and media opinion  that they would even consider Arab reign over any part of the religious city again! The Washington Post and other media sources would serve their readers by reporting the news in full context, not slanting it by omitting central facts.
Grenfell Tower: antisemites, Trots and other agendas

The Times has been looking at people around Grenfell Tower protests and campaigns. In one story headlined Russian TV wanted to stir class unrest after Grenfell we hear about reports on RT (formerly Russia Today), the broadcaster through which, as one colleague opines, Vladimir Putin trolls the West.

The story begins:

A Kremlin-controlled TV station seized on the Grenfell Tower fire to try to foment class war in Britain.

An RT broadcaster is cited as having told his audience:

10 million was spent on cosmetic changes to the outside of the building to make it look better for rich residents who live near by.

The Times checks the facts and finds them wanting:

In fact the 10 million figure was the cost of the entire refurbishment between 2014 and 2016, not just the cladding.

RT has responded, albeit in a slightly confusing manner.

If this did happen, and it probably did because we have to trust that The Times has studied the hell out of the coverage in order to squeeze out any accusation it can, could it be that the RT reporter made a mistake?

If this did happen? Cant it check its own footage? But this part of the lengthy response seems to be in surer ground, picking up on an anomaly in the Times report:

The paper usefully quotes class war, but its not really obvious where that quote is from. Top investigative reporter Dominic Kennedy wasnt in the mood to make that clear. The word foment is not part of a quote  that is The Times own little addition. So essentially it appears RT is accused of putting the words class and war together and saying them out loud!!! If RT is trying to foment class war with its coverage of Grenfell (I asked around, and its not) you have to wonder what kind of war The Times is trying to foment with its unending, sensationalist and misleading coverage of anything linked to the word Russia.

Three other stories form part of the Times investigations into people around Grenfell Tower. In How the far left tried  and failed  to hijack Grenfell we get to look at Justice4Grenfell which has suggested there were hundreds of fatalities even though the police say 71 people were killed.

The group has angered some locals by taking possession of the slogan it uses as its name, registering it at Companies House and on the internet registry, and adopting a high public profile. It said that it would apply for core participant status, which would bring privileged rights to see paperwork, make statements, question witnesses and apply for money for legal advice.

But if its all legal, whats wrong? And, in any case, the group doesnt seem to be at the heart of things.

Residents have created their own exclusive self-help group, Grenfell United, after becoming alarmed at attempts to hijack the disaster by fringe pressure groups, political extremists and agitators. Grenfell United is treated by everyone from Downing Street to local charities as the authentic voice of the towers former residents.

We are introduced to some of the alleged hijackers, all of whom appear in the Daily Mails story in todays paper Far-left activists in bid to hijack Grenfell: Fire victims hit out at rabble-rousers to exploit deaths of 71.

We meet Sue Caro, 60, a diversity expert who questioned the death toll, believing it to be higher. The Mail says she is no longer a member of Justice4Grenfell. Theres Ishmahil Blagrove, 49, the founder of Justice4Grenfell. The Mail says of him:

He launched Justice4Grenfell with a speech warning: You know me and when Im ready to start a fire Ill start a fire. He added that if we burn down anywhere it might be Chelsea.

The Mail does not find room for what we can read in the Times:

He said: My statement in regards to starting a fire is to indicate that now is not the time. Young people were on the streets seeking retribution for the fire and he was indicating that if this anger and frustration were to boil over, then it would be in a part of the Royal Borough [of Kensington and Chelsea] to which the government and the media pay close attention.

The Times also notes:

Grenfell protests have been joined by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), which suffered mass defections over the suggested cover-up of sexual assault and rape allegations in 2010.

In another story, this one titled Antisemitic outbursts of prominent Grenfell aid organiser we get to meet Tahra Ahmed. The Times us:

A leading proponent of the conspiracy theory that the 9/11 terror attack was faked by Jews has gained a prominent role as a Grenfell Tower volunteer.

Were not told what that role is and if she has anything to do with any organised groups. One writer has tried to find out more. But a look for her name around the disaster reveals very little. The name does feature in a Daily Mail story from June 19, when a Tahra Ahmed was quoted as part of a protest at Kensington Town Hall:

Tahra Ahmed, who was involved in organising the protest, branded the tower fire a holocaust. The former Metropolitan Police worker admitted she was hoping the protest doesnt get worse after repeatedly being forced to intervene to stop violence against police throughout the evening.

Having featured her a source of information then, the Mail today tells readers beneath the sub-head The Antisemite:

she has repeatedly made antisemitic outbursts and has claimed that the 9/11 terror attack was faked by Jews. Miss Ahmed, who lives in London, has previously described Hitlers massacre of Jews as the holohoax. And in a previous comments, the activist has said: Grenfell is owned by a private Jewish property developer just like the Twin Towers. I wonder how much Goldman [Sachs] is standing to make in the worlds most expensive real estate location, [Kensington].

The Mail then explains:

Goldman Sachs has had no involvement in the disaster apart from donating 100 boxes of childrens clothing and books, helping former residents get access to technology and matching employees appeal donations.

Or as the Times put it one day earlier:

Goldman Sachs has had no involvement in the disaster apart from donating 100 boxes of childrens clothing and books, helping residents access technology and matching employees appeal donations.

As the Mail checks its sources, we get to a Times story on Cathy Cross, 54, who seems to be a product of nominative determinism, being described as a self-proclaimed rabble rouser. Beneath the headline Grenfell council accuser is a [John] McDonnell activist, we do get to hear her response:

Ms Cross denied using the tragedy for political ends. She said she asked legitimate questions and had a reply from the council leader about assistance from other boroughs.

In its top and tail story, the Mail makes no word of Crosss reply, stating:

Despite living outside the borough, she heckled the new leader of Kensington & Chelsea council at the latest meeting. As Elizabeth Campbell was making an opening address, Miss Cross, 54, shouted: You have blood on your hands.

It does seem unfair not to afford people a right to reply.

No other papers carry any word on the activists.

Paul Sorene

Posted: 12th, December 2017 | In: Broadsheets, News, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Rome, December 12 - Much of Italy remained in the grip of snow, ice, rain and freezing temperatures on Tuesday as the wave of bad weather continued to cause disruption, especially in the north.

Around 1,000 people in the town of Lentigione, in the northern province of Reggio Emilia, were being evacuated on Tuesday after the River Enza burst its banks amid a wave of rain, snow, freezing temperatures and gales. Flood waters invaded both local residential and industrial areas.

A helicopter was being used as part of the evacuation effort.

The Italian rail network company said some of the connections that were suspended on Monday had been reactivated, but warned passengers to keep up to date on its notifications, as the situation is still problematic.

In Liguria the Entella, Vara and Magra rivers are being closely watched for fears they could break their banks.

The Serchio river in the province of Lucca has done just that.

There is acqua alta (high water) in Venice too, with St Mark's Square among the areas affected.

About 12,000 people in the Piacenza area between Val Trebbia, Val Luretta, and Val Nure have been without power since Monday due to the bad weather over the weekend. In the Lugagnano Val d'Arda municipality there are no telephone services either and local and provincial roads have mostly been closed.

Schools were closed on Tuesday due to weather conditions in Ottone, Ferriere, Farini, Bettola, Ponte dell'Olio and Morfasso.

The regional civil defense has announced a red alert over high water conditions in the Piacenza and Parma areas. Over the night, the Boschi dam let out water at a speed of 934 cubic meters per second. Criticism has been voiced over the lack of preparation in the country for several weather conditions. On the issue of the various rail connections that were suspended on Sunday and Monday due to the bad weather, Genoa chief prosecutor Francesco Cozzi said that "what happened to Thello train passengers - and in general, to other passengers  is a serious matter. The railways should have prepared for this before".

He added that an assessment would be made to see whether any crimes had been committed in relation to the issue after an Italian consumers association filed a number of complaints.

Senator Anna Maria Bernini, from the center-right Forza Italia party, said in relation to the power outages in the Apennines near Bologna that "the government continues to ignore the problem, not dealing with the urgent demands from citizens who pay bills and taxes and who, by living in those areas, help to keep the mountains alive".


(ANSA) - Rome, December 12 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni said Tuesday that it was thanks to the deal reached between Italy and Libya that the human rights of migrants is a big issue now.

"Italy moved (to address the Mediterranean migrant crisis), it reached a bilateral deal with Libya, it obtained results," Gentiloni said as he reported to the Senate ahead of this week's EU summit. "As a consequence the spotlight is finally on the human rights situation in Libya.

"It it thanks to us, not thanks to someone who now talks about these things as if they were an unpredictable reality".

Amnesty International said in a new report on Tuesday that "European governments... in particular Italy" are "accomplices of torture and abuse on tens of thousands of migrants detained by Libyan immigration authorities in horrible conditions in Libya". "Not only were they fully aware of these abuses but, by supporting Libyan authorities in stopping crossings and keeping people in Libya, they were accomplices in these crimes," said director John Dalhuisen.


(ANSA) - Rome, December 12 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni said that Italy was "more stable" in an interview with Turin-based daily La Stampa on Tuesday on the anniversary of him taking office.

"The country has overcome the most serious crisis and it must not waste the common efforts made," he said. Former foreign minister Gentiloni took over the helm of government when ex-premier Matteo Renzi quit a year ago after his flagship Constitutional reform was rejected in a referendum.

Democratic Party (PD) leader Renzi is set to be the centre-right group's premier candidate in elections due to take place early in 2018. The PD is set to run alone, or with a small group of alliance partners, at the election after being spurned by the new leftwing Free and Equal (LeU) party led by Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso.

At the moment polls put the PD behind the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and a coalition of a centre-right parties.

Senior LeU member Pier Luigi Bersani, a former PD leader who was among a group to break away due to hostility to Renzi this year, said he did not agree with Gentiloni's assessment. "It is debatable whether they are leaving Italy more stable," Bersani told Radio Anch'io. "Stability depends on the inequality rate and that has grown".


(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 12 - ''European governments'' and ''in particular Italy'' are ''aware accomplices of torture and abuse on tens of thousands of migrants detained by Libyan immigration authorities in horrible conditions in Libya'', Amnesty International writes in a new report.

''Not only were they fully aware of these abuses but, by supporting Libyan authorities in stopping crossings and keeping people in Libya, they were accomplices in these crimes'', said director John Dalhuisen.

Top officials from Amnesty International early in the afternoon will hold a press conference in Brussels.

In a statement, the NGO said that, among other things, ''Libyan coast guard officials are known for operating in collusion with trafficking networks and for threatening and abusing refugees and migrants aboard boats in difficult conditions''.

The organization denounced that ''videos, photos and documents controlled by Amnesty International indicate that the vessel 'Ras Jadir', donated by Italy in April 2017'', with ''two ceremonies attended by Interior Minister Marco Minniti'', was ''used by Libyan coast guards in the horrible incident in which 50 people drowned on November 6, 2017''.

Amnesty observed that, ''while reckless and dangerous actions by Libyan coast guards were previously documented, this is the first time that it has been proven that a vessel provided by a European government was used in such an incident''. Amnesty recalled that on that day the 'Ras Jadir' pushed away rescuers aboard the 'Sea-Watch 3', operated by an NGO.

''European governments - said Dalhuisen - must rethink their cooperation with Libya on migration and must allow people to arrive in Europe through legal routes that include the reallocation of tens of thousands of refugees. They must insist so that Libyan authorities end policies and practices of arbitrary arrests and detention of refugees and migrants, immediately release all foreigners held in detention centers and allow the UNHCR to operate without obstacles''. (ANSAmed)
Migrants: Amnesty, EU govts accomplices of Libya torture NGO attacks Italy, no interest for fate of gangs' prisoners

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 12 - ''European governments'' and ''in particular Italy'' are ''aware accomplices of torture and abuse on tens of thousands of migrants detained by Libyan immigration authorities in horrible conditions in Libya'', Amnesty International writes in a new report.



''Not only were they fully aware of these abuses but, by supporting Libyan authorities in stopping crossings and keeping people in Libya, they were accomplices in these crimes'', said director John Dalhuisen.



Top officials from Amnesty International early in the afternoon will hold a press conference in Brussels.



In a statement, the NGO said that, among other things, ''Libyan coast guard officials are known for operating in collusion with trafficking networks and for threatening and abusing refugees and migrants aboard boats in difficult conditions''.



The organization denounced that ''videos, photos and documents controlled by Amnesty International indicate that the vessel 'Ras Jadir', donated by Italy in April 2017'', with ''two ceremonies attended by Interior Minister Marco Minniti'', was ''used by Libyan coast guards in the horrible incident in which 50 people drowned on November 6, 2017''.



Amnesty observed that, ''while reckless and dangerous actions by Libyan coast guards were previously documented, this is the first time that it has been proven that a vessel provided by a European government was used in such an incident''. Amnesty recalled that on that day the 'Ras Jadir' pushed away rescuers aboard the 'Sea-Watch 3', operated by an NGO.



''European governments - said Dalhuisen - must rethink their cooperation with Libya on migration and must allow people to arrive in Europe through legal routes that include the reallocation of tens of thousands of refugees. They must insist so that Libyan authorities end policies and practices of arbitrary arrests and detention of refugees and migrants, immediately release all foreigners held in detention centers and allow the UNHCR to operate without obstacles''. (ANSAmed)
Egypt towards North Africa's first nuclear power plant Contracts Sisi-Putin signed, first reactor in Dabaa in 2022

(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, DECEMBER 12 - Egypt has made progress towards the construction of a nuclear power plant in Dabaa, the first in Africa after the two South African reactors.



During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Cairo, contracts were signed to make progress on the project, which was launched in 2015 and which provides at the moment for the construction of the first of four reactors in 2022.



The plant will be set up on the Mediterranean coast, some 170 km west of Alexandria, on the site of a reactor built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s.



The signature by government members in the presence of Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, represents a ''record agreement in the history of nuclear industry'', stressed Alexei Likhachev, director of Rosatom, the Russian State company that will build the plant by 2029 (or 2026, according to forecasts).



Apart from the two South African reactors ''Koeberg'' and ''Duynefontein'', the African continent does not have reactors in place or under constructions, as stated by the website of the IAEA.



Non-binding development plans exist however in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco and Algeria, according to the world Nuclear Association.



''The most modern and safe'' technology will be used in Dabaa, stressed Putin, implicitly referring to the reactors that will belong to the post-Fukushima ''Generation 3+''.



Rosatom will manage the plant worth over 5 gigawatts for 60 years and the investment is worth between 21 and 27 billion dollars, according to estimates. In order to boost strategic relations with Egypt, a point of reference in Moscow's geopolitical influence in the Middle East and North Africa, Russia provides subsidized rates of 80-85%. (ANSAmed)
Jerusalem: clashes in the West Bank 44% of Palestinian want strong reaction, survey finds

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 12 DECEMBER - Clashes occurred during the day in the West Bank between Palestinian protestors and the Israeli army in Bethlehem and the refugee camp of Arrub, in the south near Hebron. Reports were from the Palestinian news agency WAFA, which noted that ''Israeli soldiers threw tear gas during a protest in northern Bethlehem''. A student protest was also held in the Arrub refugee camp, where clashes began at the entrance to the camp and where tear gas was reportedly used. The MAAN news agency said that there were clashes in Gaza near the line of demarcation and quoted the local health ministry as saying that ''four youths were injured by Israeli firearms''. Media report incidents at the Tulkarem university campus as well. According to a survey conducted by the Palestinian research center PSR, over 90% of Palestinians see the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as a threat to national interests, while 44% want ''a strong reaction'' including ''a return to an armed intifada''. In addition, a high majority do not believe US president Donald Trump has any intention of working towards peace, nor do they trust the intentions of the US's Arab allies.



Some 70% want Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas to resign.



The survey was conducted in the West Bank and Gaza between December 7 (the day after Trump's announcement) and December 10.



(ANSAmed).




Two militants' death in Gaza initially blamed on Israel Palestinian organization admits, 'killed in jihadi action'

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, DECEMBER 12 - In the north of the Gaza Strip two members of the Islamic Jihad were killed while riding a motorcycle in Beit Lahia in an incident that was initially blamed by Palestinian sources on an alleged Israeli drone attack. The attack was denied by the Jewish States' military spokesperson. "Contrary to Palestinian reports, the army - he said - has not attacked the northern section of the Gaza Strip".



The two members of the Islamic Jihad died "on a jihadist mission" and were not killed by Israel, the military wing of the organization admitted on Tuesday. (ANSAmed).




OIC summit in Istanbul tomorrow on Jerusalem decision Abbas, Rohani and King Abdallah guests of Erdogan

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 12 - Heads of state and government and high-ranking politicians are expected on Wednesday in Istanbul for a special summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).



The summit was called by Turkey as the current head of the organization in order to come up with a "strong message" in reaction to US president Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Turkish president Recept Tayyip Erdogan will chair the summit. Erdogan in recent days has taken one of the hardest stances against Trump and Israeli premier Benyamin Netanyahu, calling Israel a "terrorist state and child killer", and accusing Washington of being an accomplice of Israel in its "bloodshed". Some 22 heads of state and government will be arriving in Istanbul including Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, Jordanian king Abdallah II and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani.



Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco will be represented by their foreign ministers, while Saudi Arabia will be represented by its Minister for Islamic Adffairs, Saleh bin Abdulaziz al Alshaikh.



OIC members, who represent 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, will be arriving at the summit with a joint position of condemnation but to varying degrees. "It seems like some Arab countries are avoiding any challenge to Trump" because "they are afraid, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.



He nonetheless expects the summit to send a "strong message" including a request for the entire international community to recognize Palestine as a state. (ANSAmed).




Serbia gets closer to EU and opens 2new negotiating chapters Opening of chapters 6 and 30 announced. Hahn, real perspective

(ANSAmed) - BRUXELLES, 12 DIC - Serbia has opened two new negotiating chapters to become a member of the European Union and its European perspective "is firm and real", EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn, said at the end of the EU-Serbia intergovernmental conference in Brussels. The negotiation chapters agreed are number 6 (company law) and 30 (external relations), Foreign Minister of Estonia, Sven Mikser, announced.



Belgrade thus leads to 12 chapters opened in the framework of the negotiations with Brussels; two have already been provisionally closed.



"It is important to remember that further progress can only be achieved with substantial and tangible progress on rule of law and in the normalization of relations with Kosovo", Hahn pointed out. Furthermore, according to the EU Commissioner, Serbia needs to deliver on the independence of the judiciary, freedom of expression, the fight against corruption and organised crime, including money laundering. "With Serbia's commitment of Serbia I am confident that more chapters can be opened in 2018".



Serbia, however, failed to open all the chapters expected by the government, at least three. "We cannot be completely satisfied", "we were maybe too ambitious", said Serbia's European Integration Minister, Jadranka Joksimovic, who led the Serbian delegation to Brussels. However, she underlined, Belgrade, "the opening of these two chapters sends a message to all the possible investors: we are a stable country, with steady dynamics".




Not at all. It just seems like a lot of back-and-forth talk.

Yes. I'm growing very worried over what might happen.

If it keeps up, I might be a little more concerned.

I think there are much larger things to concern us as a country.

It's hard to tell; I can't take the leader of either country seriously.

Vote

View Results
The discounts are available on sales made from 14 to 17 December.

In addition, Etihad Airways will celebrate Bahraini National Day with special activities at Abu Dhabi International Airport, including its lounges.
Top of page

Taking action on climate change

The smoke from wildfires burning in British Columbia in the summer of 2017 seen by NASA's Terra satellite. (Credit: NASA)

Climate change is one of the greatest threats of our time, and we are already seeing the effects. Satellites are valuable tools we can use to increase our knowledge of climate processes and their impacts, and thus properly target our action plans and response activities.

Canada and 194 other countries reached a climate agreement at the Paris Climate Change Conference ( COP21 ). During their discussions, they made use of data from Canadian satellites and space instruments.

Climate change is one of the greatest threats of our time, and we are already seeing the effects. Satellites are valuable tools we can use to better understand climate change and adapt to it. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA, European Space Agency)

Which satellites are used to observe climate change?

RADARSAT Constellation Mission and RADARSAT-2: To facilitate marine surveillance, ecosystem monitoring, ice monitoring, disaster management, resource management and mapping in Canada and around the world.

SCISAT: To provide measurements of chemicals that affect the ozone layer.

MOPITT (on Terra): To gather long-term data on carbon monoxide concentrations.

(on Terra): To gather long-term data on carbon monoxide concentrations. OSIRIS (on Odin): To measure concentrations of ozone, aerosols and nitrogen dioxide.

(on Odin): To measure concentrations of ozone, aerosols and nitrogen dioxide. CloudSat: To gather information on cloud cover for the purpose of drawing up three-dimensional profiles.

SMAP: To expand our knowledge of water cycles and carbon through producing global maps of soil moisture and monitoring the seasonal freeze/thaw cycle.

SMOS: To map sea surface salinity, monitor soil moisture on a global scale, better understand the water cycle, and map snow- and ice covered areas.

SWOT (in development): To observe ocean surfaces and measure how lakes, rivers, reservoirs and oceans are changing over time.

Why use satellites to observe climate change?

Monitoring signs of climate change

Climate change has various consequences, including the following: floods, hurricanes, droughts, wildfires, melting of polar ice caps, rising sea levels. The full scope of these catastrophic events can be seen from space. The impact of climate change is felt twice as quickly in the Arctic than in southern Canada.

Satellite data are used to:

better understand this global phenomenon

propose more effective solutions

Text version 7 ways to fight climate change with satellites Assess the state of the ozone layer in order to continue protecting it

Monitor air quality and measure pollution

Track changes in ice and permafrost conditions

Provide the authorities with scientific data so that they can make the best possible decisions for the health of our planet

Protect the integrity of forests and ecosystems

Monitor soil moisture on a global scale

Verify the effectiveness of clean-up initiatives Credit: Canadian Space Agency

CloudSat What does it do? With its radar, CloudSat gathers information on cloud cover, including thickness and altitude (at the base and summit), as well as on the quantity of water and ice contained in the cloud cover. What is it used for? CloudSat data help us analyze clouds, key water cycle elements and solar energy reflectors. Because it is suspected that clouds have a greater impact on climate change than greenhouse gases and other factors, studying clouds allows us to better understand their impact on climate and weather.

OSIRIS on Odin What does it do? The OSIRIS instrument, on board the Odin satellite, measures and maps ozone, aerosols and nitrogen dioxide. What is it used for? OSIRIS data help scientists better understand the impact of human activities and natural phenomena on the environment and climate. They play a key role in some international programs and organizations, such as the following: European Space Agency's Climate Change Initiative, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Meteorological Organization.

Canada's OSIRIS instrument collects valuable information on the ozone layer that shields life on Earth from most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. It also detects aerosols and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, University of Saskatchewan)

Measuring pollution

Human activities clearly have consequences for our planet. The energy we produce and consume, the manufactured products we buy and the way we dispose of our waste, at home and at work, are a major cause of pollution.

Space satellites help experts:

identify pollution sources

monitor and study air, water and soil quality

They can:

gather data on carbon monoxide distribution

detect oil spills

locate areas contaminated by mining activities

SCISAT What does it do? SCISAT measures more than 60 different atmospheric gases. What is it used for? SCISAT is used to observe depletion of the ozone layer and to more effectively monitor developments in climate change, air quality and pollution. SCISAT data are used to develop international environmental policies to protect the ozone layer, such as the Montreal Protocol, which bans certain chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs ).

MOPITT on Terra What does it do? The MOPITT instrument scans the Earth's atmosphere to gather data on carbon monoxide concentrations. What is it used for? These data are used to assess the impact of particular anti-pollution initiatives, such as vehicle emission reduction standards in some parts of the world. These data also help us understand the impact of other human activities, such as the combustion of biomass.

Protecting our ecosystems

Did you know? Forests cover almost one half of Canada's land mass.

The planet's ecosystems are essential to life and fulfill many of our basic needs. Satellites help us monitor changes affecting ecosystems and better protect them.

RADARSAT satellites What are they used for? The RADARSAT-2 radar is effective in monitoring forests, determining changes in forest structure and composition, observing fire-devastated areas RADARSAT Constellation Mission ( RCM ) satellites transmit vitally important data to us that we can use to improve our biodiversity preservation and forest management practices. Data from these satellites shows: clear-cut areas in boreal and tropical forests and their environmental impacts

the success of reforestation activities

SMOS What does it do? SMOS can measure soil moisture and sea surface salinity on a global scale. What is it used for? These measurements help us: better understand the water cycle, map snow- and ice-covered areas, monitor the overall impact of climate change on ice.

Satellites are valuable tools to study the Earth on a global scale. The data they collect are crucial to help us better manage our natural resources, our environment as well as measure pollution and reduce the impact of climate change. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA, Parks Canada)

Taking action in the event of natural disasters

Because of climate change, natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes, are becoming more frequent and severe. Quite often, they threaten the safety of entire cities.

In order to better coordinate their emergency response activities during a disaster, authorities around the world often turn to satellites. The 17 member organizations, including Canada, a founding member of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters," are working together and promptly sharing their satellite data to assist people and protect infrastructure.

RADARSAT satellites Emergency response teams on the ground use valuable data provided by RADARSAT-2 and the RCM to make informed decisions and effectively plan their response to disasters. For example, RADARSAT satellites can help monitor hurricanes and assess the extent of flooding, thanks to their radar systems capable of scanning the Earth at all times, day or night through any weather conditions.

Our satellites at your service

What is climate change?

Explore further
Govt is withdrawing or amending reported Rs 10,000 crore demand notices served to some 200 companies.

Chandrashekhar was speaking to reporters after a meeting between IT industry and the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday on pre-budget consultations.

New Delhi: IT industry association Nasscom on Monday said it has got an assurance from the government that the service tax notices served to several IT companies has been "corrected" and the issue has been resolved.

However, it could not be confirmed from the tax department whether the government is withdrawing or amending the reported Rs 10,000 crore demand notices served to some 200 companies.

"The kind of tax notices which had been issued recently to a few companies that actually do not recognise IT services as exports because of some interpretation... we were happy to note that the Government has clarified in today's meeting that that situation has been corrected," Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar said.

Chandrashekhar was speaking to reporters after a meeting between IT industry and the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday on pre-budget consultations. During the meeting, the apex software body also discussed issues related to Place of Effective Management (POEM) and refund of service tax, amongst others.

On the tax notice issue, Chandrashekhar pointed out that the government has clarified that suitable advisories have been issued and that the "problem has been resolved".

"We have been informed that the clarification has already been issued and the matter stands resolved. We are waiting to get clarification," he added.

While Chandrashekhar did not divulge further details about the tax notices, reports suggest that many IT and IT enabled services companies had been sent notices by the tax department.

These companies were reportedly asked to return export benefits claimed in the last five years on software provided to clients outside India, and also asked to cough up service tax along with penalty.

Telecom Equipments Manufacturers Association Chairman Emeritus NK Goyal thanked the government for resolving the tax issue that had confronted the IT companies.

"We appreciate the Government for withdrawing tax notices ...that was served to IT companies," said Goyal who was also part of the meeting.
Punjab National Bank is looking to sell the shares at an indicative price of 168 rupees each.

Total fund-raising of 50 billion rupees, including the upsize option, is aimed at boosting the banks capital ratio.

Mumbai: Indian state-run Punjab National Bank has launched a share sale to qualified institutions to raise at least 30 billion rupees ($466.2 million) with an upsize option for another 20 billion rupees, according a source and a deal term sheet.

Punjab National Bank, the second-biggest state-run lender in the country, is looking to sell the shares at an indicative price of 168 rupees each, according to the source and the term sheet.

The stock closed at 172.95 rupees on Monday.

The total fund-raising of 50 billion rupees, including the upsize option, is aimed at boosting the banks capital ratio.

Indias state-run banks are raising funds as part of a recapitalisation plan in which New Delhi will inject 1.35 trillion rupees through recapitalisation bonds, while the lenders are required to raise on their own about 580 billion rupees.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Kotak Mahindra Capital, Morgan Stanley and PNB Investment Services are the banks managing the sale.
Says Centre will fully protect public deposits in financial institutions.

New Delhi: As concerns over Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 (FRDI) refuses to die, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday himself came forward to assure that in case of a bank failure the Centre will fully protect deposits made by the customers.

The government is very clear about it, said the finance minister.

This is the third statement by the finance ministry in last seven days assuring people that the FRDI bill will not harm their interests in case of a bank failure.

There had been apprehensions in some sections that the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 (FRDI) may result in people losing their hard earned savings in case of a bank failure.

Mr Jaitley said that about Rs 2.11 lakh crore is being pumped in to strengthen the Public Sector Banks so there is no such question arises of a failure of banks.

FRDI Bill, 2017 is before the Joint Committee of Parliament. Whatever are the recommendations of the committee, the government will consider. But rumours are being spread about the bill, the minister said.

The FRDI Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2017.

The FRDI Bill proposes to create a framework for overseeing financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, NBFCs companies and stock exchanges in case of insolvency.

The major controversy is about the bail-in provision in the FRDI Bill, which some analysts say may mean that creditors and depositors have to absorb losses in case of a bank failure. This had raised concerns that common people may have to bail out banks with their hard-earned money if a bank goes bust.

Currently under the Deposit Insurance Corporation Act, a maximum of Rs 1 lakh of every depositor in banks is insured in case a bank goes bust. But, FRDI proposes a Resolution Corporation in association with regulator will determine the amount of money of people to be insured in case of bank failures.
India saw 1.76 lakh cruise passengers in 2016-17, a merely 0.5 per cent of global pie.

New Delhi: Keen on promoting cruise tourism on a mega scale, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said talks are on with Singapore for cruise connectivity.

India has huge potential for cruise tourism and efforts in this direction could boost it from 80 ship per annum to 900, the shipping minister said.

"The cruises from India could go to Singapore, Philipines and Thailand and the projects will be developed on PPP (public private partnership) mode," the minister said on the sidelines of an event.

Cruise terminals are being built at major ports and in Mumbai alone Rs 1,000 crore is being spent to build a cruise terminal, Gadkari added.

India, with a 7,500 km of coastline, has taken some steps to promote cruise tourism that includes relaxation of policies and roping in global consultants.

He had earlier said that a policy was in making to put India on the global cruise map -- both for oceans and rivers -- which is seen to create about 2.5 lakh jobs and boost growth.

India saw 1.76 lakh cruise passengers in 2016-17, a merely 0.5 per cent of the global pie. Domestic cruise passengers are estimated to grow to 1.5 million by 2031-32.

Of the 12 major ports, only five -- Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, New Mangalore and Chennai -- have facilities to berth international cruise ships.
Despite a year of more lows than highs, the Queen star is raring to take on the new year with her work.

Kangana Ranaut is back. She may have been on the back-foot, after simultaneous thrashings her films Rangoon and Simran experienced  not to mention the Hrithik Roshan fiasco  but shes ready to bounce back. And this, despite the rumours of a Bollywood boycott for her.

While there were speculations that her Rani Laxmibai biopic titled Manikarnika may be stalled, or its budget slashed, the movie is on track. About filmmaker Krishs directorial, Kangana confirms, Yes, we will be completing shooting of Manikarnika by February and will be releasing the film in 2018. The release date for the movie hasnt been announced yet, or planned for that matter, but it will be spoken about when the film is ready and done.

But thats not all. The actress has gone ahead and signed two other films. While were told that one is a thriller, the other is being made by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. And while Kangana doesnt divulge details, she admits to signing them. Ive signed two more films and will talk about them at the opportune time, is all she says.

It does look like shes back with a vengeance!

 Sanskriti Media
Paris seems to be reigniting the feud that happened between the two and Britney Spears 11 years ago.

The infamous photograph of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan had shocked fans since the celebrities were involved in some nasty drink-throwing, name-calling and plenty of clap-backs.

Now, after just over 11 years since the photograph was taken, Paris seems to be reigniting the feud. In conversation with Australias NTV News, Paris said about the photograph, It was just Brit and I out, and then she just like chased us to the car and got in. She wasnt invited.

People.com reports however, that team Lindsay was quick to defend the actress on Twitter. They reminded that she was there to encourage the Mean Girls star to tell the truth about whether or not Paris Hilton threw a drink at her as she alleged.
Why are charges levelled only in rallies? If Pak is interfering, let the Army enter that country and take action, the Sena suggested.

'Modi has levelled a serious charge that Pakistan is interfering in Gujarat polls. We can understand the worries of Modi but a PM is supposed to take action and not level allegations,' the Sena said in its editorial mouthpiece 'Saamana'. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Launching a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said, dragging Pakistan into Gujarat election campaign was an "impious" way of trying to win the polls.

A prime minister is supposed to take action and not level allegations, the ally said and took a swipe at Modi saying Gujarat has become even more important than Kashmir.

Modi, during his election campaign on Sunday, suggested that Pakistan was trying to influence the Assembly polls in Gujarat, claiming some Pakistani officials and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met a day before Mani Shankar Aiyar made the "neech" remark against him.

"Prime Minister Modi has levelled a serious charge that Pakistan is interfering in Gujarat polls. We can understand the worries of Modi but a PM is supposed to take action and not level allegations," the Sena said in its editorial mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Gujarat has become even more important than Kashmir. Until yesterday, Pakistan was interfering in Kashmir and China was interfering in Leh, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," it said.

The Chinese troops had recently crossed over to the Indian side from Sikkim border, but if the Prime Minister worries more about Pakistan in Gujarat, it makes the Sena worry too, said the editorial.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan Army's former director general Arshad Rafiq wanted (Congress leader) Ahmed Patel to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Sena noted.

"The question that can now arise is if someone is trying to divide Hindu-Muslim votes to win elections," it said, adding that the Prime Minister, instead of only talking about the neighbouring nation's interference, should take action against it.

Nowadays, in all elections, either Pakistan or fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is brought to the forefront, the Sena quipped.

"When sand below the feet starts moving, Pakistan and Dawood chanting begins. It is happening today as well. This is an impious way," it said.

The Sena further said that even in Bihar polls, BJP's national president had brought in Pakistan.

Despite him saying that crackers will be burst in Pakistan if Nitish Kumar wins, the latter decimated the BJP, it said.

If the Prime Minister had all the details of the meet at (suspended Congress leader) Mani Shankar Aiyar's house and knew the meeting was to undertake anti-national activities, why did he only level allegations and why were all those present at the meeting not arrested and an inquiry conducted.

Why are allegations levelled only in election rallies? If an interference from Pakistan is happening, let the Indian Army enter that country and take action, the Sena suggested.

"The country expects Modi to work. How many times will you chant Pakistan's name? Even people like (BJP veteran) Yashwant Sinha and Nana Patole level allegations," the Sena said.

Patole, a lawmaker from Maharashtra, who had denounced the BJP over a host of issues, including farmers' distress, last week resigned from the ruling party and the Lok Sabha.
The Ernakulam Sessions Court on Tuesday found accused Ameerul Islam guilty in the Jisha rape and murder case.

Ameer-ul-Islam, who according to police, entered the woman's house with the intention of raping her but killed her with a sharp object when she resisted; was arrested after 50 days from when the body was recovered. (Photo: DC)

Kerala: The Ernakulam Sessions Court on Tuesday found accused Ameerul Islam guilty in the Jisha rape and murder case.

Assamese native Ameerul Islam is the lone accused in the case in which the prosecution relied on circumstantial and material evidence in the absence of direct ones.

In April 2016, Dalit woman Jisha (30) was found naked in a pool of blood by her mother at their house at Vattolipadi, Iringolkkara, in Perumbavoor. The body was found battered with bruises from sharp objects with her intestines pulled out.

None of the neighbours had any clue about the murder or had not even heard her screaming.

Ameerul Islam, who according to police, entered the woman's house with the intention of raping her but killed her with a sharp object when she resisted; was arrested after 50 days from when the body was recovered.

The accused was a daily wage labourer and used to go to the work site by the road alongside the victims house.

Ameerul, has been charged with rape, murder, under the Dalit Atrocities Prevention Act.

According to police, several witnesses had seen him near the victims house on that day. Besides the door frame in the backyard of the house, police also recovered the DNA of the accused from the nail clip and churidar of the victim. They also found matching DNA from the slippers used by the accused.

The court trial lasted 85 days since the hearing began on April 4 this year. The prosecution examined 100 witnesses, including 15 migrant labourers and presented 290 documents and 36 material pieces of evidence.

The Left Democratic Front (Kerala) government, after assuming power on May 25, 2016, changed the investigation team in its first cabinet meeting itself.
Alpesh Thakor, Cong ally in Gujarat, claims that mushrooms worth Rs 80,000 apiece are imported from Taiwan for the PM's consumption.

Thakore alleged that Modi was as dark as him previously, but his complexion lightened considerably after he started consuming the mushrooms imported from Taiwan. (Photo: File)

Banaskanth (Gujarat): Latest in the line of peculiar allegations hurled this election season is Congress ally in Gujarat Alpesh Thakor's claim that the complexion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned fair because he eats mushrooms imported from Taiwan that cost Rs 80,000 per piece.

"Someone told me that you can't eat what Modi ji eats, because it's not a food for the poor," Thakor said addressing a gathering in Gujarat's Vadgaon, and continued the anecdote, saying he was told that the Prime Minister eats mushrooms that come from Taiwan.

"One mushroom costs Rs 80,000, and he eats five mushrooms a day. That is why I wonder how he turned so fair. He was as dark as me," Thakor added.

Thakor also alleged that the same person told him that Prime Minister Modi has been eating those mushrooms since he became the chief minister of Gujarat, in 2001.

"The Prime Minister who eats mushrooms worth Rs 1.20 crore in a month, you can imagine how many crores of money his workers must be eating up," Thakor added.

Amidst the Gujarat elections, both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress Party are leaving no stone unturned to claim victory.

The controversial statements range from Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's "Neech" remark at the Prime Minister to the allegations of treason against Aiyar and other senior Congress leaders by Prime Minister Modi.
Modi will offer prayers at the famous Ambaji temple as the campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections ends on Tuesday.

After the Ahmedabad police had cancelled his roadshow over security, and law and order concerns, Modi announced on Monday that he would instead visit Ambaji temple via sea route. (Photo: ANI | twitter)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a flight to Dharoi Dam from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad in Indias first seaplane. He will offer prayers at the famous Ambaji temple as the campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections ends on Tuesday.

His journey back to Ahmedabad will also be on the seaplane.

After the Ahmedabad police had cancelled his roadshow over security, and law and order concerns, Modi announced on Monday that he would instead visit Ambaji temple via sea route.

#WATCH: Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/DeHpQX7UvV  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

"Tomorrow for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane will land on the Sabarmati River. I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back," Modi announced at a poll rally in Ahmedabad.

"Our party had planned my road show tomorrow. However, the administration has not given permission and I had time so I decided to go to Ambaji in the seaplane," Modi said.

He also tweeted about his plans, where he also mentioned: With air, roads & rail connectivity, our Government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians!

Congress party president-elect Rahul Gandhi had also planned a roadshow in Ahmedabad, but he was denied permission too.

Rahuls roadshow was to go through the Old City, Modis was to focus on the newer parts across the river. But the police said there was a possibility of trouble because the routes "were in mutual conflict".

Tuesday is the last day of campaigning for the second phase of voting on Thursday in Gujarat, where the campaigning has been aggressive and high-pitched.

The fate of the two parties would be decided on December 18, when the result of the assembly elections would be declared.
The former Prime Minister also said that he did not discuss Gujarat elections with anybody at the dinner.

New Delhi: A bitter political slugfest broke out on Monday over Prime Minister Narendra Modis claim that Congress leaders, including Manmohan Singh, were colluding with Pakistan for the Gujarat polls.

In an unusually sharp rebuke, former Prime Minister Dr Singh issued a statement saying that he was deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points by none less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded an apology. Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi threw his weight behind Dr Singh and said that during his campaign rallies, Prime Minister keeps talking about Pakistan, China and Japan, but never speaks about Gujarat itself.

In response, the BJP put together a hurried defence with finance minister Arun Jaitley saying the meeting, which was attended by senior Congress leaders, was a misadventure and why should the Prime Minister apologise for flagging it.

Mr Modi had, at an election rally on Sunday, insinuated that at the behest of the Congress, Pakistan was trying to influence the Gujarat Assembly polls.

(On one hand) Pakistan Armys former DG is interfering in Gujarats election, on the other, Pakistani people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyars house, PM Modi had said. He alleged that a day after the dinner, Mr Aiyar targeted him with the neech slur.

In his scathing response, Dr Singh, while listing the names of people who attended the dinner at suspended Congress leader Mani Shakar Aiyars residence on December 6, said none of the guests can be accused of being anti-national and working against the interests of the country.

The former Prime Minister also said that he did not discuss Gujarat elections with anybody at the dinner.

I sincerely hope that he (the Prime Minister) will apologise to the nation for his ill-thought transgression to restore the dignity of the office he occupies. I sincerely hope that Prime Minister will show the maturity and gravitas expected of the high office he holds instead of concentrating his energy solely on erroneously conceived brownie points, Dr Singh said in his statement.

Dr Singh also said, I am deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points in a lost cause by none less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Fearing imminent defeat in Gujarat, the desperation of Prime Minister to hurl every abuse and latch on to every straw is palpable. Sadly and regrettably, Sh. Modi is setting a dangerous precedent by his insatiable desire to tarnish every constitutional office, including that of a former Prime Minister and Army Chief.

Dr Singh added the names those who attended the dinner hosted in honour of the visiting former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri at Mr Aiyars residence. The guests included the Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood, Natwar Singh, K.S. Bajpai, Ajai Shukla, Sharad Sabharwal, Gen. Deepak Kapoor, T.C.A. Raghavan, Satinder K. Lambah, M.K. Bhadrakumar, C.R. Gharekhan, Prem Shankar Jha, Salman Haider and Rahul Khushwant Singh.

The former Prime Minister said that none of the guests can be accused of indulging in any anti-national activities.

Raising the pitch, Dr Singh also said that the Congress Party needed no sermons on nationalism from a party and Prime Minister whose compromised track record on fighting terrorism was well known.

He reminded Mr Modi of his uninvited visit to Pakistan after terrorist attacks in Udhampur and Gurdaspur. Let him also tell the country the reason for inviting the infamous ISI of Pakistan to our strategic Air Base in Pathankot to investigate a terror attack that emanated from Pakistan, Dr Singh questioned.

In the same vein, Mr Gandhi, who was campaigning on the penultimate day before second phase polling in Gujarat, took a dig at Mr Modi asking why was the Prime Minister silent on the company promoted by BJP president Amit Shahs son Jay Shah.

Now, Modiji speaks about Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and Japan. Modiji, this is the election about the future of Gujarat. Please say something about Gujarat also, he said.

The Prime Minister, he added, was frequently changing his campaign plank in Gujarat. First it was the Narmada water, but after farmers started saying it has not reached their fields, Modi changed tack and began speaking about OBC issues. When that also did not find favour with people, he went for development issues but people punctured it, Mr Gandhi said.

Disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha also attacked the PM in a tweet: Just to win elections anyhow, and that too at the fag end of the process, is it a must to come up with and endorse new, unsubstantiated and unbelievable stories everyday against political opponents? Now linking them to Pak High Commissioner and Generals?! Incredible!

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram said that Mr Modis campaign in Gujrata had gone beyond bizarre and wondered whether winning an election was so important that such allegations can be made against a former Prime Minister and a former Vice-President.

Mr Lambah, among the guests at the dinner, said he never commented on private dinners, but added there was a general discussion on Indo-Pak relations.

Mr Gharekhan, another former diplomat, said, nobody, if I recall... I am hundred per cent sure that, not a single person, talked about Gujarat elections or anything about the present situation... Or for that matter, the present situation in Pakistan.

Former Army Chief Gen. Kapoor said Gujarat elections were never discussed at the dinner meeting. However, Mr Jaitely, rejecting Dr Singhs demand for an apology from the Prime Minister, asked the Congress to make details of the meet public.

Why should the PM apologise for Congress misadventures. Congress must come out with detailed facts what transpired in that meeting and what was the necessity of having it in present circumstances, he said.

The finance minister said that on Sunday the Congress was in denial about the meeting, and on Monday, instead of accepting it as a misadventure, was trying to blame those raising the issue.
Adityanath said the BJP will win the Gujarat assembly election because of the development done by the government in the last 22 years.

'Gujarat election has done two things: it has taught former prime minister Manmohan Singh to speak and Rahul Gandhi to visit temples', the UP CM said. (Photo: File/PTI)

Totana (Gujarat): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi should make it clear whether he wants a Ram Temple in Ayodhya or not.

The UP Chief Minister said, "The Gujarat election has done two things: it has taught former prime minister Manmohan Singh to speak and Rahul Gandhi to visit temples. But, Rahul should clear his stand whether he wants Ram Temple in Ayodhya or not."

Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute in Ayodhya is century old point of tussle between Hindus and Muslims.

After the mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992, the Hindus want to build a Ram Temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi (birth place of Lord Rama).

Adityanath was in Gujarat to seek the blessings of saint Sadaram Bapu.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win the Gujarat assembly election with a clear-cut majority because of the development done by the BJP led government in the last 22 years.

"Nobody takes Rahul Gandhi seriously and he should clarify what he has done for Gujarat. The BJP will win the Gujarat assembly election with clear cut majority and those who have been insulting people of Gujarat will get a befitting reply," Adityanath said.

The first phase of assembly elections in Gujarat were conducted on December 9 in 89 constituencies and the polling for the second phase will be held on December 14 for 93 assembly constituencies. Counting of votes and the results would be announced together on December 18.
Sushma Swaraj also held a separate bilateral talk with Chinese minister.

New Delhi: The foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC)  Sergey Lavrov, Sushma Swaraj and Wang Yi  held trilateral talks in the Capital on Monday on a host of issues but Pakistan-based terror groups Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were not specifically named in the RIC joint communique that was issued on Monday. However, the communique did state that the three countries agree to strengthen cooperation to take decisive and concerted actions against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities and that the three countries condemn all forms of terrorism and all terrorists, terror entities and organisations listed by the UN Security Council. Both the LeT and the JeM are UN-proscribed terror outfits. Indian Government sources said the condemnation of terror and all UN-proscribed outfits in the communique included the two terror outfits even though they were not mentioned by name.

However, just three months ago, the two Pakistan-based terrorist organisations had been named-as groups indulging in violencein a joint statement at the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) Summit in Chinas Xiamen city, indicating that the Chinese may have somewhat hardened their stand since then. China had once again recently blocked efforts led by India, the US, Britain and France to get JeM chief Masood Azhar banned by the UN although the JeM itself has already been banned by the UN. Ms. Swaraj, however, raised the terrorism issue strongly during the RIC talks, saying terror outfits like the LeT directly undermine international peace and security and endanger ongoing efforts to strengthen the global economy and ensure sustainable growth and development She also told her other two counterparts that India strongly recommends a comprehensive policy for dealing with global terrorism.

After a separate bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Ms, Swaraj said the two countries (India and China) agreed that they should further strengthen our mutual trust to develop a better understanding. This also seems to be a veiled reference to the Doklam military face-off between the two countries earlier this year, particularly in the wake of the Chinese position that the Doklam issue was handled with restraint by it. According to news agencies, the Chinese Foreign Minister, during the bilateral talks, spoke about a political settlement to resolve hotspot and difficult issues and also pitched for dialogue over use of force.

Meanwhile, even though the RIC Joint Communique commended Russia-led counter-terrorism efforts and achievements in Syria aimed at defeating international terrorism, there was no mention of the impunity with which Pakistan has been backing terror groups from its soil such as the LeT and JeM. China is an all-weather friend of Pakistan and its biggest backer at global fora. However, the Communique did state, We underline the primary and leading role and responsibility of States in preventing and countering terrorism and extremism and reiterate that all States should take adequate measures to prevent terrorist activities from their territory. But given the fact that Pakistan-the biggest violator of this tenetwas not named, these may seem mere words.

The three RIC countries on Monday also agreed on maintaining regional security and economic architecture in the Asia-Pacific that is open, inclusive, and based on multilateralism, universally recognised principles of international law and also resolved to support freedom of navigation and overflight rights based on the principles of international law, particularly UNCLOS. This has been of interest to India and the western countries, given the Chinese military assertiveness in south-east Asia and Beijings maritime disputes with smaller nations in the region. But China ironically argues that it too stands for the same while opposing external interference by countries outside the region.

After trilateral talks with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, While discussing terrorism, I put across my view that significant rise in acts of terrorism by terrorist organisations like Taliban, Daesh (ISIS), Al-Qaeda, and LeT directly undermine international peace and security and endanger ongoing efforts to strengthen the global economy and ensure sustainable growth and development. India strongly recommends a comprehensive policy for dealing with global terrorism.

The discussions included issues like the challenges of the global economy, increasing terrorism, transnational organised crime, smuggling of drugs, natural and man-made disasters, climate change, and changing political scenario in Middle East and North Africa, Ms. Swaraj further said. These annual talks give an opportunity to us three countries to exchange our mutual views with each other and identify our contributions to international peace, security and development. Our discussions today were focused on four broad cluster of areas, namely, Economic and Developmental issues; Fight against terrorism; Global / Multilateral issues; and, Regional issues, she added.

The RIC Joint Communique stated, We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including the recent heinous terrorist attacks around the world and reaffirm our determination to prevent and counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We reaffirm that all acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable irrespective of their motivations, committed wherever and by whomsoever. ... We agree to strengthen cooperation to take decisive and concerted actions against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities. We condemn all forms of terrorism and all terrorists, terror entities and organisations listed by the UN Security Council.

We stress that those committing, organising, inciting or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with the obligations under international law, including the principle of extradite or prosecute as well as the applicable domestic legislations, the Communique added.

Ms. Swaraj also held separate bilateral meetings with her two counterparts. In addition to our tri-lateral engagement, I had the opportunity to have separate meetings with Foreign Minister Lavrov and with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discuss our bilateral relations in a comprehensive manner. We had a frank and forward-looking exchange on a wide-range of issues. Foreign Minister Wang Yi and I agreed that we should further strengthen our mutual trust to develop a better understanding between the two parties. And it will be better to meet again and without agenda, which will help us to expand our mutual understanding, Ms. Swaraj said.

The RIC Joint Communique further said, We agree that maintaining regional security and economic architecture in the Asia-Pacific that is open, inclusive, and based on multilateralism, universally recognised principles of international law, is imperative for lasting peace and stability in the region. In this regard we reiterate our commitment to further promote dialogue on regional security architecture including within the East Asia Summit framework. ... Recognising the growing importance of maritime-trade in an increasingly globalised world, we support freedom of navigation and overflight rights based on the principles of international law, particularly UNCLOS. It also referred to the assessment of the three countries on the situation in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and the Korean Peninsula.
Gurgaon's Fortis hospital is being investigated in connection with the death of a 7-year-old dengue patient in the hospital.

Anil Vij said both civil and criminal action were being initiated against the hospital, which was severely indicted for lapses by the probe panel. (Photo: File)

Chandigarh: Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Monday said appropriate action would be taken against Gurgaon's Fortis hospital management on the basis of the report by a probe panel. The hospital is being investigated in connection with the death of a 7-year-old dengue patient in the hospital. A First Information Report has been registered on the basis of alleged irregularities found in a report, and more criminal sections would be added, he said.

"Those found guilty will not be spared at any cost," the minister said according to an official release.

"Criminal sections will be added on the basis of irregularities found in the probe report such as overcharging for medicines, forged signature, not providing ambulance on time, overcharging for platelets transfusion, ignoring norms of the Indian Medical Association and the Medical Council of India, and violation of treatment protocol," he said.

While interacting with reporters, Vij said both civil and criminal action were being initiated against the hospital, which was severely indicted for lapses by the probe panel.

Replying to a question, Vij claimed that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had seen the probe report and cleared it.

When asked to clarify whether the FIR was registered against a doctor of the Fortis hospital or the hospital administration, Vij said, "I have spoken to the commissioner of police, Gurgaon, they said that they have made entire inquiry report part of the FIR." He said the FIR did not mention any single doctor's name.

"In the column for the accused (in the FIR), they have not mentioned anyone's name. All sections will be added on the basis of irregularities found in investigation report," he said.

"They (Gurgaon Police) say our (Health Department's) complaint was of 50 pages (probe panel report), therefore in the FIR they have mentioned only brief details on the basis of that the FIR has been registered. However, more sections will be added," he said.

On Sunday, a Haryana government issued a release that said, "On the basis of the report, an FIR was registered 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."

This was being done on Anil Vij's directions, the release had said.

The probe committee constituted to investigate the matter had earlier submitted its report to the health department.

The state government panel probing allegations of overcharging against the hospital had found "several irregularities", including protocols not being followed in the case.

The bill for the treatment of Adya Singh had shot over Rs 15 lakh even as she died of dengue, according to officials.

The Fortis group, had earlier said all documents, statements and details required by the probe team of the Haryana government were provided.

A committee headed by 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 that the patient's family was duly informed about the bill on a daily basis and that there was no medical negligence.
The women have been sent to 14 days judicial custody.

Lucknow: Four women, including anganwadi worker Neetu Singh, who had married a photograph of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath at a mock wedding in Sitapur last week, have been arrested for stopping the chief ministers convoy.

The women have been charged with sedition for allegedly trying to block the chief ministers convoy while he was on his way to a function in Naimisharanya shrine in the district.

The women have been sent to 14 days judicial custody.

Talking to reporters before being sent to jail, Neetu said that she simply wanted to talk to higher authorities and convey their problem but has been charged with sedition.

Last week, Neetu had organised a mock wedding along with other Anganwadi workers in which she had married a photograph of the chief minister.

Neetu, who is the district president of Mahila Anganwadi Karmachari Sangh, said for them this was a novel way of attracting the attention of the state government. Through this marriage we thought around four lakh sisters will benefit. I even wanted to go to the chief ministers house on a horse to draw his attention to our plight, she said.
The Prime Minister had announced the seaplane ride from Sabarmati to Ambaji temple at a campaign rally on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad on Tuesday waves from a seaplane as he returns from Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district to the Sabarmati riverfront. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: Controversy hit the last day of campaigning in Gujarat with questions being raised about a possible breach of security protocol over Prime Minister Narendra Modis seaplane ride that the PM had planned as an impressive finale to his election campaign in his home state.

Soon after Mr Modi took off from Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, and touched down at the Dharoi dam in Mehsana district, covering a distance of 180 km in 35 minutes, Opposition parties, including National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi, took pot-shots at the PM over his seaplane ride.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister took to Twitter to ask why security guidelines were relaxed for Mr Modi. How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country, he asked.

Sources in the civil aviation ministry said the single-engine seaplane used by Mr Modi on Tuesday belongs to a Japanese company Setouchi Holdings and was used by low cost carrier SpiceJet to carry out seaplane trials last Saturday at Mumbais Girgaum Chowpatty. The security rule-book says the Prime Minister can only fly in twin or multi-engine aircraft.

Congress president-elect Mr Gandhi said there was nothing wrong if Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to fly in a seaplane, but it was a mere distraction from the fact that the BJP had done little for the people of Gujarat in the last 22 years. Mr Modi and chief minister Vijay Rupani had initiated one-sided development in Gujarat for the benefit five-ten people, he charged.

The Prime Minister had announced the seaplane ride from Sabarmati to Ambaji temple at a campaign rally on Monday. It was planned after his Tuesday roadshow in Ahmedabad was cancelled.

The plane ride was also meant to draw attention to the development work being done by the BJP, which is seeking a fifth straight term in power in Gujarat. The Congress campaign in the state has focussed on calling the Gujarat model of development a failure.

Tomorrow for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane will land on the Sabarmati river. I will go to Ambaji in the seaplane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back, Mr Modi had said on Monday, and added, We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these seaplanes.

Later he tweeted, With air, roads and rail connectivity, our government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians The transformation across Gujarat is for everyone to see. Sadly, Congress notion of development is making a quick buck and that is why they are unable to see any change for the better.

A special floating platform was constructed on Sabarmati river for the PM to board the plane which took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid sloganeering from BJP workers. After his plane landed on the water of Dharoi dam, Mr Modi proceeded by road to Ambaji temple in Banaskantha district where he performed puja and offered prayers.

The Prime Minister closed his campaign by taking to Twitter to invoke Gujarati pride.

I call upon the people of Gujarat to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority, but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state, he tweeted.

Charging the Opposition with spreading unimaginable lies about Gujarat, Gujarats growth and about me personally, he asked people to respond to the negativity and lies in a fitting manner. It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt by the alleged falsehoods, he added.

Exuding confidence, Mr Modi said, With the Government of India and Government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1+ 1 is not 2 but 11 and together we will take Gujarat to new heights.
22-year-old dalit Sankar was killed in full public view.

Tirupur/Chennai: Six persons were sentenced to death by a court here on Tuesday for involvement in the honour killing of 22-year-old dalit named Sankar in full public view in nearby Udumalpet in March last year. Those sentenced to death included the father of the Hindu woman Kausalya, who had married Sankar despite opposition from her family.

In the case that churned the conscience of the civil society after the CCTV footage of the brutal hacking of the young couple by a hired gang of three on March 13 went viral, the Tirupur Principal District and Sessions Judge Alamelu Natarajan also sentenced another accused to double life term and another accused to five years imprisonment. She, however, acquitted Kausalyas mother, her maternal uncle and another relative. The video showed the three gangsters hacking the couple with sickles and riding away on a two-wheeler even as the public stood shocked and scared. While Sankar died within hours, Kausalya survived despite fractured skull and heavy loss of blood. Recovering from the wounds and the trauma of brutal widowhood, the young woman has since emerged as a brave campaigner against caste oppression. And she remained, throughout the sensational trial in the special SC/ST court, the prosecutions main stay despite family pressures, intimidation and threat of social stigma for staying loyal to the memory of her dalit husband.

My mother threatened me repeatedly that I will be killed, that she will kill me. She told me I was better off dead than be married to Sankar My father was totally against this marriage, Kausalya told the judge, who was taken through the shocking trail of evidence that her father Chinnasamy had left behind while he plotted the kill with his spouse Annalakshmi and brother-in-law Pandi Durai, and the hired killers.

When he was pronounced guilty, Chinnasamy pleaded for lighter sentence to which the judge responded asking why he thought he deserved leniency after planning such a gruesome murder of a daughter he had loved so much.
The election of Rahul, which was uncontested, caps the growing popularity of the young leader.

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today said that Rahul Gandhis elevation as Congress president would trigger the next phase of the congress partys growth. Congratulating the Rahul Gandhi on his elevation as Congress president the Chief Minister said under the able and dynamic leadership of Rahul Gandhi, he expected the Congress to not only undergo a massive revival but also embark on its next growth trajectory.

Rahuls charisma and appeal, combined with his intellect and inquisitive nature, were just the recipe needed by the Congress to embrace success across the country, said Captain Amarinder, adding that with Rahuls elevation, the party had received a fresh boost. The infusion of young blood will lead to the re-emergence of the Congress as Indias leading political party, and the only one which could help protects its secular and democratic fabric, he added.

The election of Rahul, which was uncontested, caps the growing popularity of the young leader, as seen in recent months, not just within but also outside India.
The second and final phase of elections will see 93 Assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

Mr Gandhi said that the Prime Minister, unlike in the past, had refrained from speaking on corruption in these polls. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi/Ahmedabad: On the last day of Gujarat poll campaign, a combative Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi predicted a zabardast (tremendous) win for the party due to a strong undercurrent against the ruling BJP. He also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments insinuating that his predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh, colluded with Pakistan to influence the outcome of state polls.

The Congress will win the election... the results will be zabardast, said Mr Gandhi.

Winding up his nearly three-month campaign trail ahead of the final phase of voting on December 14, Mr Gandhi also raised the issue of atrocities against dalits in Gujarat that have made them insecure. He cited last years Una incident in which young Dalit men were flogged for skinning a dead cow.

This is the first time that I am seeing that all communities are angry with one government. Patidars, tribals, dalits and backward communities are all agitating. There is zabardast (tremendous) undercurrent (against the BJP) Public mood has undergone zabardast change, he said.

Modiji is silent on Unas tragic incident, but who will take the responsibility for it. A number of laws were made in the name of dalits, but who will execute them earnestly, he said on Twitter.

In his first press conference after being declared elected as the Congress president, Mr Gandhi said in Ahmedabad that Mr Modis comments on Dr Singh were unacceptable.

The Congress president-elect said what his party colleague Mani Shankar Aiyar had said about Mr Modi was not right, but, at the same time, what Mr Modi said about the former Prime Minister was also not acceptable. Addressing an election rally on Sunday, Mr Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the Assembly polls in the state and accused Dr Singh of being part of the plan.

Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He says many wrong things about me. But as he is the Prime Minister of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him, Mr Gandhi said.

I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger, he added.

Elaborating on his plans for the party, Mr Gandhi said that he would like to spread the Congress ideology in the country that politics should be done through love.

On questions about his temple visits, a rudraksh-sporting Mr Gandhi asked what was wrong in visiting temples.

Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? he said, adding that he had prayed for the well being of the people.

Mr Gandhi said that the Prime Minister, unlike in the past, had refrained from speaking on corruption in these polls. It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption... about farmers, said the Congress president-elect.

Mr Modi has also remained silent on allegations of financial wrongdoings against Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shahs son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal, Mr Gandhi added.

Denying allegations that the Congress was playing caste politics in Gujarat by seeking support of caste and community group leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor, Mr Gandhi said, The Congress wants to take along all sections of Gujarat together as against the BJP which has worked for 10 to 15 industrialists.

Flanked by Gujarat PCC chief Bharatsinh Solanki and state in-charge Ashok Gehlot, Mr Gandhi said, The BJP has lost its position... After the first phase of voting in the state, we are confident that we are going to form the government here, he said.

The Congress leaders post highlighting insecurity among dalits was part of his a question a day series on social media launched in the run up to the Gujarat elections.

Mr Gandhi also thanked the voters on the last day of campaigning. Dear people of Gujarat, you all gave me your support, affection and respect. We will always be indebted for the blessings you have showered upon me and Congress. I will always be at your disposal for Gujarats bright future. Thank you, Gujarat, tweeted Mr Gandhi.

The second and final phase of elections will see 93 Assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

The first phase of voting for the 182-member house held on December 9 covered 89 seats. The results will be declared on December 18.
Mathematical theories used to predict tipping points in public health.

Researchers examined Google searches and geocoded tweets with the help of artificial intelligence and a mathematical model. (Photo: Pixabay)

Analysing trends on Twitter and Google can help predict vaccine scares that can lead to disease outbreaks, according to a study.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada examined Google searches and geocoded tweets with the help of artificial intelligence and a mathematical model.

The resulting data enabled them to analyse public perceptions on the value of getting vaccinated and determine when a population was getting close to a tipping point.

A tipping point represented the point at which vaccine coverage declines dramatically due to spreading fear. It could cause large disease outbreaks due to a loss of population immunity.

"Mathematical theories used to predict tipping points in phenomena such as changing climate patterns can also be used to help predict tipping points in public health," said Chris Bauch, from the University of Waterloo.

"By monitoring peoples attitudes toward vaccinations on social media, public health organisations may have the opportunity to direct their resources to areas most likely to experience a population-wide vaccine scare, and prevent it before it starts," Bauch said.

For the study published in the journal PNAS, the researchers collected tweets that mentioned measles-mumps- rubella vaccine and classified their sentiment using artificial intelligence computer programmes.

They also collected data on measles-related Google searches. Their mathematical theory on vaccine scares predicted what kind of early warning signals they should observe in the data.

They found they were able to detect those signals in data from California before the 2014-15 Disneyland, California measles outbreak, which showed early warning signs of a tipping point two years before the outbreak occurred.

Their mathematical model also predicted how the Disneyland outbreak helped push California back from the tipping point by making parents more afraid of the disease than the vaccine.

"Knowing someone is a smoker cannot tell us for sure whether someone will have a heart attack, but it does tell us that they have increased risk of heart attack," said Bauch.

"In the same way, detecting these early warning signals in social media data and Google search data can tell us whether a population is at increased risk of a vaccine scare, potentially years ahead of when it might actually happen," he said.

"With the ability to predict the areas where immunity is most at risk due to behavioural factors, we may be able to help eradicate diseases such as measles and polio," he added.
The court was hearing several pleas in connection with illegal constructions and encroachments in Karol Bagh area of Delhi.

New Delhi: Will prayers reach god if you pray from temples built illegally on pavements? This was a question posed by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday as it dealt with a case of removing encroachments from around the 108-feet tall Hanuman statue in the Karol Bagh area of central Delhi.

Will prayers reach the god if you pray from illegal encroachments on pavements? What is its sanctity, a bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar said, warning that everyone responsible for unauthorised constructions, including the temple, will be dealt with.

The court asked the municipal corporation of north Delhi, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, to produce records pertaining to the construction of the road and the pavement adjoining which the illegal encroachments have sprung up.

The direction was issued after Delhi government additional standing counsel Satyakam, appearing for the public works department (PWD), told the bench that the road and the pavement was the responsibility of the municipal corporation. He said while one paw of the statue fell on the pavement, the rest of the structure was primarily located on land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

Thereafter, the court asked the authorities why commercial activities and car parking was permitted in the area and said it will prosecute the corporation and DDA officials during whose tenure the statue and other encroachments came up. Satyakam, who also appeared for the Delhi Police, said the temple, including the statue, was being maintained and operated by a trust whose bank statements were being examined by the agency. The bench asked the police to complete its enquiry and follow and enforce the law. It also questioned the trust authority over running and maintaining a temple on DDA land.

The court was hearing several pleas in connection with illegal constructions and encroachments in Karol Bagh area of Delhi. It had earlier said that religious structures cannot be allowed to encroach on public land for private gain.
Accuses previous government of doing nothing to reduce the plight of farmers.

Nagpur: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday ridiculed the Opposition over its protest against the implementation of the loan waiver scheme for farmers in the state Legislative Assembly on the first day of the Winter Session. Dont shed crocodile tears, Mr Fadnavis told an unruly and agitated Opposition.

Blaming the Opposition for farmer suicides that have been taking place over the years, he said the United Progressive Alliances loan waiver was inadequate and that entire amount was now being spent on the Buldhana district alone. There is no point in pointing fingers at the BJP-Shiv Sena government. You did nothing concrete to rescue the dying farmers, Mr Fadnavis said, prompting the treasury benches to greet his statement with a thumping of desks.

Mr Fadnavis was replying suo motu to Opposition leader in the Lower

House, Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, who accused the government of not fulfilling its promises.

Mr Vikhe Patil waived a `100 stamp paper and said he was willing to send it to the CM for an affidavit on number of beneficiaries of the scheme. Mr Fadnavis promptly returned the fire, saying he was to give an affidavit on a `1,000 stamp paper. Earlier when the House assembled for the day, uproarious scenes marred the proceedings. Opposition lawmakers tried to disrupt House business by initiating adjournment motions to debate on the plights of crisis-ridden farmers in the state, particularly the pink bollworm-affected cotton growers in Vidarbha and the loan waiver issue.

As soon as the house was convened, Mr Vikhe-Patil moved an adjournment motion on farmers issue and insisted that the speaker, Haribhau Bagde, allow it. The speaker rejected the motion, but allowed Mr Vikhe-Patil to speak on the issue. In protest, opposition members created a ruckus and shouted slogans against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It will also question the firms official who was being driven in the car by Tevar when the accident occurred.

Mumbai: The Worli police has arrested the driver of a Mercedes, which mowed down a 40-year-old woman on Tuesday afternoon, killing her on the spot.

The incident took place when the car rammed into Sarika Santosh Wagh, a Sewri resident, while she was crossing the road. The car was taking a right turn on Sasmira Marg near Sasmira College in Worli. Wagh was taken to Sion Hospital where she was declared brought dead.

Ichmani Tevar, the driver, who works for a private firm, went to the Worli police station by his own volition and surrendered himself.

The police took him into custody on charges related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The police is verifying whether Tevar was driving at a high speed and was under the influence of alcohol.

It will also question the firms official who was being driven in the car by Tevar when the accident occurred.

According to a Worli police officer, the accused driver, Ichmani Tevar, is working with well-known private company as a driver for the last two years.

He was taking a right turn and the victim was crossing the road exactly when she was run down by the car. Senior Police Inspector of the Worli Police Station, Gajanan Desurkar said, The accused driver immediately drove to the Worli police station and surrendered himself. We have registered the case under IPC section 304 and under the Motor Vehicle Act.

He added, We immediately rushed the woman to Sion Hospital where she was declared dead. We have contacted her family through her mobile phone and have yet to take their version. She had come to Worli to drop her child to school. We are also checking the drivers previous records,  he said.

On being asked about how the accident occurred, DCP (zone 3) Virendra Mishra said, We are verifying how exactly the accident happened, but it happened when the victim was crossing the road. The driver voluntarily handed himself over to the police.
A few hundred pounds and the size of an easy chair, the skull is especially rare because both tusks were attached.

As part of the crew digging a subway extension under the streets of Los Angeles, Ashley Leger always keeps her safety gear close by. When her phone buzzes, she quickly dons a neon vest, hard hat, and goggles before climbing deep down into a massive construction site beneath a boulevard east of downtown.

Earth-movers are diverted, and Leger gets on her hands and knees and gently brushes the dirt from a spot pointed out by a member of her team. Her heart beats faster because there's a chance she'll uncover what she calls "the big find."

Leger is a palaeontologist who digs for fossils in the middle of a city rather than an open plain or desert. She works for a company contracted by Los Angeles transportation officials to keep palaeontologists on hand as workers extend a subway line to the city's west side.

"They're making sure that they're recovering every single fossil that could possibly show up," Leger says of her team of monitors. "They call me anytime things are large and we need to lead an excavation."

Since work on the extension began in 2014, fossilized remains have routinely turned up from creatures that roamed the grasslands and forests that covered the region during the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago.

They include a partial rabbit jaw, mastodon tooth, camel foreleg, bison vertebrae, and a tooth and ankle bone from a horse.

But the discovery that still makes Leger shake her head in disbelief came about a year ago, shortly after construction began on the project's second phase. She was at home getting ready for bed when a call came in from one of her monitors.

"It looks big," he told her.

The next morning, Leger knelt at the site and recognized what appeared to be a partial elephant skull.

It turned out to be much more. After 15 hours of painstaking excavation, the team uncovered an intact skull of a juvenile mammoth.

"It's an absolute dream come true for me," said Leger, who spent the previous decade at a South Dakota mammoth site with no discoveries even close to the size of the one in Los Angeles. "It's the one fossil you always want to find in your career."

California's stringent environmental laws require scientists to be on hand at certain construction sites.
Trump lashed out after 3 women who previously accused him of sexual harassment shared their stories on NBC's 'Megyn Kelly Today.'

Trump accused the Democrats for the allegations, saying they were now using sexual misconduct after failing to prove any collusion with Russia. (Photo: File/AFP)

Washington: President Donald Trump, pushing back against women accusing him of sexual misconduct, insisted on Tuesday that he's the target of "false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met."

Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

Trump lashed out on Twitter a day after three women who previously accused him of sexual harassment shared their stories on NBC's "Megyn Kelly Today."

Trump says Democrats "have been unable to show any collusion with Russia" and now are "moving on" to these allegations. He adds: "FAKE NEWS!"

The women - Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey and Rachel Crooks - urged Congress to investigate Trump's behaviour.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president.

She did not provide the list by late Monday.

The allegations surfaced during last year's presidential campaign, but the women raised the issue anew on the Kelly show Monday and at a news conference.

"It was heartbreaking last year," Holvey said. "We're private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, 'Eh, we don't care,' it hurt."

The former beauty queen claimed that Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006.

Crooks is a former receptionist at Trump Tower and Leeds says she met Trump on a flight.

Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, many after the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape last October in which Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women.

One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Trump's reality show, "The Apprentice," sued, contending that Trump's denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.
The device prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, America's largest bus terminal.

According to officials, the device prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, America's largest bus terminal, injuring four persons and causing chaos in one of the busiest commuter hubs in the metropolis. (Photo: AFP)

New York: The Bangladeshi-origin suspect, who triggered a blast at a metro station in New York City, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, officials have said.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body, police said.

The device prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, America's largest bus terminal, injuring four persons and causing chaos in one of the busiest commuter hubs in the metropolis, officials said.

He has pledged allegiance to the ISIS terror group and told investigators that his planed terrorist attack in New York was mainly because of the recent Israeli actions in Gaza, officials said as per multiple media reports.

Ullah, who came to the US some seven years ago from Bangladesh, was apprehended on Monday with wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body.

He sustained injuries when the explosive devise tied to his body detonated prematurely at a New York metro station during the morning rush hour.

Three others were injured in the "attempted terrorist attack" at about 7.20 AM.

The Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton said Ullah is now a lawful permanent resident. He came to the US in 2011 on an F43 family immigrant visa, which is granted to children of American citizens siblings.

He lives in Brooklyn and is of Bangladeshi descent.

According to Taxi and Limousine Commission, Ullah held a Taxi and Limousine Commission license from March 2012 to March 2015. His license was not renewed after that.

Ullah told investigative officers that he made the explosive device at his work place, which as per some media reports was an electric company.

Even though Ullah pledged allegiance to ISIS, law enforcement officials said as of now there is no known linkage between him and the terrorist outfit.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the device was a low intensity explosive device.

According to The New York Times, he chose the location of subway because of its Christmas-themed posters, recalling strikes in Europe against Christmas markets, and set off his bomb in retaliation for US air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria and elsewhere, several law enforcement officials said.

Ullah told investigators that he was inspired by propaganda from the Islamic State terror group, according to law enforcement officials, The Washington Post reported.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the attempted terrorist attack by an immigrant is a failure of logic and sound policy not to adopt a merit-based immigration system.

"The President has asked Congress to work with him on ending the diversity lottery and chain migration. He has proposed switching to a merit-based system of immigration similar to the Canadian and Australian systems. That means welcoming the best and the brightest and turning away not only terrorists but gang members, fraudsters, drunk drivers and child abusers. Such a merit-based system would make us safer and welcome individuals who would be best able to assimilate and flourish in our country," he said.

The 20-year-old son of the sister of a US citizen should not get priority to come to this country ahead of someone who is high-skilled, well educated, has learned English and is likely to assimilate and flourish here, Sessions added.
US V-P office says Pence was looking forward to meeting the Israeli PM.

Armed female members of the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad carry Kalashnikov assault rifles as they take part in a rally to protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza. (Photo: AFP)

Washington: The United States has accused the Palestinian Authority of walking away from a chance to discuss peace in the Middle East by snubbing vice president Mike Pence on an upcoming visit.

A top official in Mr Pences office said the vice president was looking forward to meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egypts President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi when he travels to region later this month.

But he appeared to confirm that Mr Pence would not be meeting anyone from Palestinian Authority which has reacted angrily to last weeks US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital. The President (Donald Trump) has asked vice president Pence to go to the region to reaffirm our commitment to work with partners throughout the Middle East to defeat radicalism that threatens the hopes and dreams of future generations, Jarrod Agen, Pences deputy chief of staff, said in a statement on Sunday.

The vice president very much looks forward to travelling to the region to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President al-Sisi.

Its unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region.

Mr Agen said that the Trump administration nevertheless remains undeterred in its efforts to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestiniansand our peace team remains hard at work putting together a plan.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the US decision on Jerusalem could hinder the Trump administrations own push for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Bangladesh Police said they are unauthorised to comment on the suspect, identified as Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant.

Law enforcement officials said the accused had looked at IS group propaganda online and told investigators he was retaliating against US military aggression, but had no direct contact with the group. (Photo: File)

Dhaka: Bangladeshs government condemned an attack on New York City's subway system, as it emerged that the suspect is an immigrant from the South Asian nation.

"Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'Zero Tolerance' against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including Monday morning's incident in New York City," the government said in a statement.

Police in Bangladesh said on Tuesday that they were not in a position to comment on the suspect, identified by US authorities as Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant.

Ullah is accused of strapping a crude pipe bomb to his body and detonating it during rush hour Monday in an attack in which only he was seriously wounded.

Ullah arrived in the United States in 2011 and the Department of Homeland Security said he's a lawful permanent resident of the US who was living in Brooklyn.

He came to the US on a visa issued to him based on a family connection to a US citizen.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, Law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation said Ullah had looked at Islamic State group propaganda online and told investigators he was retaliating against US military aggression, but had no direct contact with the group.

Ullah's family in the US said in a statement that it was heartbroken and deeply saddened by the suffering the attack has caused.

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country governed by largely secular laws, has struggled with a rise in radical Islam over the last few years.

In July 2016, the country was shocked when five young men belonging to the domestic militant group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB attacked a popular restaurant frequented by foreigners and wealthy Bangladeshis and left 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, dead.

During the attack the men sprayed bullets and threw grenades, and slaughtered the hostages.

But even before that smaller attacks had been taking place targeting secular academics, atheist bloggers and members of the country's tiny Hindu minority and foreigners.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for most of those attacks, including the one at the restaurant, but the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has denied that the Sunni extremist group has any presence in the impoverished country.

The government has blamed the attacks on local radical groups.

In 2016, the government has reinforced a crackdown to crush Islamist militants and killed dozens of suspects, including some accused of being the masterminds of the restaurant attack.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Regulations by some Muslim community leaders had banned gatherings by minority religious groups and the use of loudspeakers. They were issued days after members of the Indonesia Bethel Church had held a ceremony. For the local police chief, national values of pluralism are not negotiable".

Tangerang (AsiaNews)  Local authorities in Tangerang, a regency (district) in Banten province, revoked a public notice issued by community leaders in Rajeg sub-district that would have severely limited the religious activities of non-Muslim residents.

The decision was taken last Friday after days of criticism of the ban, seen as form of discrimination by the Muslim majority against fellow citizens from other religions.

The regulations allowed non-Muslims living in the Bumi Anugerah Sejahtera residential area to use their homes as places of worship, but prohibited them from inviting outsiders, be they lay or religious.

The use of loudspeakers during religious services had to be requested three days in advance.

On the instructions of the Tenarang Regent, Ahmed Zaki Iskandar, the local police chief Sabilul Alif convened a meeting (pictured) between local authorities and the authors of the notice, originally drafted "in the interest of the majority of residents."

The residential area is home to about 350 families, 20 of which are thought to be non-Muslims. The meeting ended with the cancellation of the notice, which included a provision requiring residents to bury their dead within 24 hours of their death in accordance with Islamic custom.

The authorities did not release any statement explaining the controversial notice, issued days after the Indonesia Bethel Church (GBI) held a ceremony in the home of its members that caused protests from neighbours.

"The draft notice existed but had not yet come into force. We will provide protection for every resident performing religious our other community activities, said the Tangerang police chief.

Routine activities by non-Muslim communities are legal as long as they comply with the rules. Law enforcement and national values as defined by Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution are not negotiable, he added.
The Latin rite Archdiocese of Trivandrum, calls for more reparations. At least 40 fishermen died at sea and another 5656 rescued alive. The authorities must declare the cyclone "a natural disaster".

Trivandrum (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Archdiocese of Trivandrum, in Kerala, is leading protests in favor of fishermen who have been missing for more than a week. They disappeared at sea due to the strong gusts of wind and floods caused by the Cyclone Ockhi, which hit the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The updated toll speaks of 40 dead bodies recovered from the waves and at least 100 people still missing. The local Latin rite archbishop Msgr. Maria Calist Soosa Pakiam, also calls for the government to grant adequate compensation to the families of the victims and to the population struck by the natural disaster.

During the Angelus of December 10, Pope Francis offered his closeness to the families of the victims of the cyclone. Yesterday, at least 100 thousand Catholics, coming from all the parishes of the state, marched through the streets of the capital Thiruvananthapuram, until they met in front of the Raj Bhawan (government building). There they prayed and intoned the slogan "Evite poyi sarkare? Matcha Thozhilali vanilla "(" Oh government, where are you? Bring home our lost fishermen ").

They demand that the authorities recognize the effects of the Cyclone Ockhi as a "natural disaster" and guarantee economic assistance for the losses, to be distributed immediately in the affected areas. They also launch an appeal to Indian premier Narendra Modi, to visit the area and take action. Meanwhile, Kerala announced that it had requested aid for R $ 18.34 billion (about  242 million).

The cyclone struck on the southern coast of the country on November 30. In all, 207 houses were completely destroyed and another 2753 damaged; 5656 fishermen were rescued at sea and 159 of them were hospitalized with serious injuries; the rains have destroyed 2053 hectares of crops and endangered the lives of over 15 thousand farmers.
In the Mass on the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, Francis calls for resistance against the "homogenisation that ends up imposing  through attractive slogans  a single way of thinking, of being, of feeling, [and] of living."

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis celebrated Mass on the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. In his homily, the Holy Father said that Latin America is called "not only to grow, but above all in our time, to defend courageously" the rich diversity of its peoples, from all attempts at the "homogenisation that ends up imposing  through attractive slogans  a single way of thinking, of being, of feeling, [and] of living.

On this occasion, Francis was inspired by the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, and the Benedictus, the Song of Zechariah.

"I would like to emphasise these two aspects: Elizabeth, the woman under the sign of infertility and under the sign of fertility". She is the sterile woman, with all that this implied to the religious mindset of her time, which regarded sterility as a divine punishment due to her sin or that of her husband. A sign of shame in her own flesh or because she considered herself guilty of a sin she did not commit or because she felt very small because she was not up to what was expected of her."

Sterility "becomes deep and ends up paralysing for a lifetime" so that one can feel the shame because one feels small. Latin American bishops see this feeling in indigenous and African-American communities, which are often not treated the same way and with the same dignity; in many women who are excluded due to their sex, race or socio-economic status; in young people who receive low quality education and do not have the opportunity to progress in their studies or enter the labour market to develop and build a family; in many poor people, the unemployed, migrants, displaced, landless peasants, who are trying to survive in the informal economy; in the children victims of child prostitution."

However, next to Elizabeth, the sterile woman, "we contemplate Elizabeth, the astonished and fecundated woman. She is the first to recognise and bless Mary. It is she who in her old age experienced in her own life the fulfillment of the promise made by God. The one who could not have children carried in her womb the precursor of salvation. In her, we realise that Gods dream is neither sterility nor stigmatising or filling his children with shame, but bringing in them and out of them a song of blessing."

[I]in the midst of this dialectic of fecundity-sterility, let us look at the richness and cultural diversity of our peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. This is a sign of the great richness that we are called upon not only to cultivate but, especially in our time, to defend courageously from all homogenising attempts.

In short, our fertility requires us to defend our peoples from an ideological colonisation that obliterates the richest among them, be they indigenous, African-American, Metis, peasant, or suburban.
Akayed Ullah is 27 years old and comes from the Chittagong district. He entered the United States seven years ago and worked as a taxi driver. "He was radicalized by watching Islamic propaganda videos on the internet".

New York (AsiaNews / Agencies) - 27-year-old Bengali Akayed Ullah is the man who attempted to blow himself up near Times Square in the heart of New York. While investigators are working to understand his motivations, Andrew Cuomo, governor of the State of New York, has openly spoken about "a lone wolf radicalized in the United States, influenced by jihadist groups like the Islamic State".

Yesterday morning, the American metropolis was again the target of terror, just a little over a month from the attack on the Manhattan cycle path carried out by Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old from Uzbekistan who caused the death of eight people on October 31st, injuring another 15. Ullah attempted to blow himself up at the Port Authority Bus Terminal station at 7.30 am, during peak hours for workers and other users. It is one of the busiest bus stops in the city, where there are at least 200,000 passengers a day.

According to the videos released by the authorities, the Bengali was wearing a homemade pipe-bomb which exploded ahead of time causing injury to the attacker himself and three passersby, including a policeman, none of which are life threatening. Bill de Blasio, mayor of the city, said that "terrorists will not win". Speaking from the site, Cuomo added: "This is New York. The fact of the matter is that we are the target for many who want to act against democracy, against freedom ".

The Bengali Embassy in Washington has issued a statement in which it reiterates "zero tolerance against terrorism. A terrorist is a terrorist, regardless of his culture or religion, and must be brought to justice ". Other Bangladeshi living in the United States express their condemnation on social networks. Subir Kashmir Pereira, a Catholic, writes on Facebook: "The attack is a disgrace for my country". Abm Sabbir, a Muslim, adds: "I do not want extremists like Akayed Ullah to get heaven for their terrorist actions".

Meanwhile, more information about him is circulating in the country of origin of Ullah. Shahidul Hoque, a police inspector general in Bangladesh, said the bomber came from the southern district of Chittagong and entered the United States seven years ago, with a regular residence permit. He had never had problems with justice and until recently he led a seemingly tranquil life.

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission reports that the Bengali has worked as a private driver of limousines and taxis from 2012 to 2015. According to US investigators, he would have radicalized himself in the US, in all likelihood "watching Islamic propaganda videos on the internet" , where he also learned how to make the rudimentary device himself.

Interviewed by Reuters, the neighbors confirm the affable and cordial nature of the man, who lived in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Windsor Terrace. Arlene Jograj, a teacher, claims to be "shocked. He was really a good person. We all know each other. We have block parties. I've been over there for dinner parties after Ramadan. We're a really tight-knit street. This is a great neighbourhood. It's very family oriented, very safe.This doesnt change my opinion of the neighbourhood at all. This is just the state of the world we live in now ".
Brothers Ahmet and Mehmet Altan and the 73-year-old columnist Nazli Ilicak. Judges rule they attempted to overthrow government and constitutional order and are guilty of complicity with a terrorist organization. Lawyers bail application denied. The government wants to build 228 new prisons in five years.

Istanbul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Turkish court has demanded a life sentence for three prominent journalists and intellectuals, accused of links with the masterminds that organized the (failed) July coup d'etat. According to the official agency Anadolu, the brothers are Ahmet and Mehmet Altan, together with the famous 73-year-old chronicler and intellectual Nazli Ilicak.

The magistrates have ruled that they "tried to overthrow the government", "attempted to overturn the constitutional order" and "committed a crime in the name of a terrorist organization", without "being a member".

The prosecutor has asked for life imprisonment - the maximum sentence, since there is no death penalty which, however, the Turkish president and large sections of the population want to restore - for each of the three counts of indictment.

At the conclusion of the indictment, the judges recessed the trial until February 12th and ordered the continuation of the precautionary custody in prison for the three defendants. Therefore, their lawyers bail requests submitted during the hearing were rejected.

Yesterday three others people were also threatened with life imprisonment during preliminary hearings: the former marketing director of the daily Zaman Yakup Simsek, the instructor of the police academy Sukru Tugrul Ozsengu and Zaman cartoonist Fevzi Yazici. It is a further confirmation of the crackdown imposed by Ankara on information and which places the country (according to Reporters Without Borders, RSF) at 155th place out of 180 for freedom of the press.

Just over one and a half years since the failed coup in Turkey during the night between July 14 and 15 2016, which has facilitated rather than undermined the total dominion of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the campaign of repression launched by the authorities against alleged accomplices or supporters continues. Among the accusations, most often pretentious, the affiliation to Kurdish "terrorist" groups or the belonging to the movement that belongs to the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, in exile in Pennsylvania (United States).

According to Erdogan and leading authorities, he is the true mastermind of the coup in Turkey during which 270 people died and thousands were injured. The Ministry of the Interior issued a statement announcing that in the last week alone, the security forces carried out 1,323 operations, which resulted in the arrest of 4,062 suspects. In total, over 50 thousand people have been arrested, over 140 thousand suspended or driven from work , public or private.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government is continuing its plan to extend its prisons, which provides for the construction of 228 new structures within the next five years. In this way the overall capacity of the prison system should increase by almost 138 thousand. Today there are 384 prisons with a total capacity of 207,279 people. A number less than the total prison population that, in October 2017, had 228.983 prisoners. On completion, according to the government, the prisons will have a capacity of almost 350 thousand units.
At the WTO meeting in Buenos Aires, the United States, the European Union and Japan would announce a joint declaration against measures such as subsidies, forced transfer of technology, infringement of intellectual property rights and unfair business practices by Chinese state companies.

Buenos Aires (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The United States, the European Union and Japan are set to announce a joint effort to fight China due to the excess of its industrial capacity and other commercial practices. According to an internal anonymous source, officials from the two countries and the EU came to present a joint declaration on the margins of the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), under way until tomorrow in Buenos Aires Aires, to tackle the problem of overproduction and state aid.

Although it is not known whether China will be explicitly mentioned, Washington, Brussels and Tokyo criticize Beijing subsidies to state-owned enterprises and the investment rules that often force foreign companies to transfer strategic technologies to the country. They argue that such distortions have fueled rampant overproduction in key sectors such as steel and aluminum, which are invading global markets and causing redundancies in other countries.

The United States and the European Union therefore argue that the WTO should not grant China market economy status. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer explained that the Organization is not able to deal with what he terms Chinese mercantilist tactics.

The Japanese Minister of Trade and Economy, Hiroshige Seko, expressed his support for the efforts to strengthen the transparency and reporting standards of the WTO, an initiative promoted by the United States and aimed primarily at denouncing illegal Chinese subsidies. "Free trade - he said - works only when we guarantee fair conditions for competition." "The conditions for a fair market should not be negatively affected by measures such as subsidies, forced transfer of technology, violation of intellectual property rights and commercial practices. Unfair competition from state enterprises".

"It is impossible to negotiate new rules when many of the current rules are not followed," said Lighthizer, adding that the United States is conducting negotiations on how to improve the "sad performance" of many members.

With the United States questioning the usefulness of the WTO, the meeting in Argentina of trade ministers should be able to make only moderate progress in cutting trade barriers. The European commissioner for trade, Cecilia Malmstrom, reiterated this concern yesterday. "We need - she said - to break down the obstacles that prevent the Organization from carrying out the part it should have in global trade". "There are many problems, but in essence they are reduced to a fundamental question: the inability to discuss issues of interest to members and to agree on an appropriate way to proceed. This problem is systemic and is starting to put the whole organization at risk".
Photo of 2019 Avalon courtesy of Toyota.

Toyota will unveil its 2019 Avalon in January at the North American International Auto Show as a high-profile sedan update at a time when manufacturers prefer to focus their marketing on new utility vehicles and trucks.

The 2019 Avalon will have more "style and dynamism," when it debuts on Jan. 15 during a livestream event at the Detroit show. The event has been scheduled for 1:05 p.m. East Coast time.

The full-size sedan will be entering its fifth generation with the 2019-MY vehicle. Toyota has been selling the Avalon in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Middle East since 1994. It was sold in Australia from 2000 to July of 2005; it was replaced by the Toyota Aurion in late 2006.
Enterprise Holdings has been named one of the Greater Toronto Areas top 100 employers by Mediacorp Canada, Inc.



The annual Greater Torontos Top Employers competition evaluates businesses on the physical workplace, work atmosphere, health, financial and family benefits, vacation time offered, employee communications, performance management, training and skills development, and community involvement.

Enterprise Holdings is the only car rental company on this years list.



The company was also recently recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Canada by job search site Indeed.



It is an honour to be recognized among such reputable employers in Toronto, said Margi Dolan, assistant vice president of human resources for Enterprise Holdings in Canada. Our drive for employer excellence comes from the nature of our corporate culture, which is to take care of our employees and the communities in which they live and work.



Enterprise currently operates more than 750 staffed locations throughout Canada with more than 5,400 employees. The company projects to open as many as 15 new branches within the country in 2018.
OAK BROOK, ILL.  For more than two decades, a bakery in western Kentucky has stood strong, weathering storms of food fads and consumer trends and donning names such as Bremner, Ralcorp, ConAgra Foods and, most recently, Oak Brook-based TreeHouse Foods.

The bakery actually started in Louisville but relocated to Princeton after expansion of the nearby airport forced it out. Over the years, it has produced a variety of items, including wirecut cookies, extruded sweet products, crackers and cereal.

Today, this private label producer stands as an example for TreeHouse 2020, the companys recently launched initiative for streamlined operations throughout its more than 50 food production facilities.

This bakery has transformed over the past 10 years into a state-of-the-art facility that uses automation to service the largest retailers in the country, said Terry Melton, director of operations.

Since 2009, significant improvements have been made to this 985,000-square-foot facility to make product types ranging from rotary die, rotary moulded, seasoned, glazed, and sweet and savory cookies and crackers. All told, more than $100 million have been invested in capital expenditures to increase throughput and flexibility on multiple production lines. Today the bakery, which runs 24/7 and employs nearly 600 people, cranks out an average of 575,000 lbs of product that ship out on about 45 to 50 semis every day.

When Reading Bakery Systems (RBS) designed the most recent cracker line, flexibility was at the heart. While many TreeHouse cracker products are laminated doughs, thats not always the case.

The newest line was built with a cut-sheet laminator, but it also has a bypass so we can run a non-laminated product, as well, said

Ken Allen, plant manager

. On other lines, its one or the other, but this one provides the option to run both as needed.

In addition to typical sheeting, this line can run rotary moulded product as well.

We can slide the conveyor out and a rotary moulder in, Mr. Allen said. The new line has a lot of flexibility  laminate, non-laminate, rotary mould, rotary cut  as well as different topping applications for savory or sweet.

After the bake, flexibility is still a critical factor for production. For example, some products get a sweet sugar glaze post-bake from a GOE-Amherst system, while others, like oyster crackers that are offered in a variety of flavors, get attention further down the line in a Heat and Control tumble drum application.

It was designed  and installed downstream closer to packaging  to address the side effects that come with adding seasonings upstream. Much of the application falls off as it travels 300 to 400 feet on the conveyor, so operators would over-season to compensate for the loss. Then theyd have to clean the whole line during changeovers. Without seasonings all over the line, the new drum not only provides ingredient cost savings but also reduces changeover time.

Now, we just have to clean the tumble drum, Mr. Melton said.

The system can accommodate three different applications at once.

With short runs, changeover is important, as is supplying customers with a lot of different things, he said. This now allows us to divide the product stream so we can create smaller runs that arent so painful.
Peanut allergens are one of the leading causes of product recalls in bakery items.

The past three years show consistent allergen contamination in the food industry, but the products vary, and patterns are hard to establish.



There were 437 food product recalls in 2015, with 39 attributed to bakery products, and 32 of these were blamed on allergens. Fourteen recalls were from milk, seven from undeclared peanuts, seven from tree nuts, seven from egg, four from soy and two from wheat allergens.



In 2016, there were 540 food product recalls total, with 96 attributed to bakery products, 56 of these from allergens. Peanuts were involved in 22 of these bakery product recalls, with all but one of them resulting from a single incident. Another 22 allergen recalls were due to unlabeled milk, while nine were from egg, seven from tree nut, two from soy and two from wheat allergens.



There have been 275 food product recalls through mid-August of 2017, with 44 from baking products, 33 of these from allergens. Sixteen of the bakery recalls were due to tree nuts, 12 from milk, six from egg, three from soy, three from peanut, one from fish and one from wheat.

Source: FDA Recall Recalls, Market Withdrawals & Safety Alerts at www.FDA.gov

There were no reports of consumer injury from these recalls. When companies discovered an issue, they voluntarily took rapid and effective action to remove mislabeled products from the market. Baked goods are unique because most producers have quick access to the market.

Bakery recalls for allergens have been a persistent problem for many years, with little to no sign of decline. But where is the problem, and how can the industry solve it? There are several points in the process where unlabeled allergens can be mistakenly introduced. To reverse this trend, effective controls can prevent these errors and detect them quickly if a failure occurs.

Establishing a model

Large- and medium-sized bakeries have shared their best practices at industry meetings over the past 20 years. The American Bakers Association (A.B.A.) has collected best practices from these companies as well as from other industry leaders in a white paper published on www.americanbakers.org.



The strategy is based on several key steps. First, bakers should formulate products to all contain or all eliminate allergens as much as possible. Then, bakers may minimize the number of allergen changeovers performed by scheduling, moving production and more. Employees must be trained on the risks involved in handling allergens. A comprehensive vendor management program is important because a supplier problem quickly becomes a bakers or co-manufacturers problem. A structured change management process can ensure the accuracy of labels, as will segregating allergen ingredients and packaging in storage and on the bakery floor. A comprehensive assessment will identify potential allergen risks and what next steps are required. Finally, a bakery must know how to test traceability of ingredients into products and products back to ingredients.

The baking industrys combat of allergen contamination is not yet a success, although there are indications that some might have it figured out.



Clearly, continued failures are not acceptable, so the industry must seek new solutions. In some cases, new risks such as the peanut contamination in wheat flour have identified the root cause and set corrective actions that will prevent the failure from happening again.



When working properly, the system will expose uncontrolled risks when a failure occurs. Industry has responded rapidly and effectively when a failure was detected.



During a 2016 peanut contamination in wheat flour, a single event that resulted in 21 peanut-related recalls, the Food and Drug Administration communicated effectively via the Product Registry. The potentially contaminated products were removed quickly from the market, preventing harm to sensitive consumers.



A.B.A. member companies share best practices in food safety openly, as a failure anywhere in the baking industry negatively impacts everyone. Small- or medium-sized baking companies, those new to the industry, or those with questions about how to implement an effective allergen management program can reach out to A.B.A., AIB International, Independent Bakers Association, Retail Bakers of America or even their own suppliers to learn about proven best practices.



The expertise is available. Bakers must reach out and make it a priority to end allergen recalls.
Roy Moore's Core Supporters In Alabama Don't Care What You Think - The Federalist

"Politics, especially the increasingly pervasive politics of all-out culture war, is for these voters a straightforward extension of their religious convictions. The mainstream media paints these people as without principles--or worse, as hypocrites, given their support of Moore in the face of his alleged sexual misdeeds. But the opposite is true. They take their principles so seriously that they're willing to make hard choices with their eyes wide open. In this case, they will not vote for Doug Jones because Jones supports abortion--no matter what Moore did....

"The professional class that's supposed to understand American voters never bothered to ask why Trump's message might resonate with tens of millions of people, in part because they never bothered to ask those people what they cared about or treat their concerns as legitimate. For the most part, the mainstream media and Washington elites would rather pretend these people don't exist, or dismiss them as backwater rubes and racists.

"There is of course a kind of sanctimony in this indifference and condescension. Jim Lester was right: Moore is indeed an embarrassment to people like McConnell and certain prominent conservative columnists who think the people of Alabama should be less concerned with abortion and gay marriage. Just like they should've been less concerned last year with immigration and free trade. Don't these people know what's good for them?"
Tampa Police spent about $50,000 in overtime during the 51-day Seminole Heights murder investigation, according to an agency spokesperson.

Costs estimated at just under $1,000 per day

Costs would have been higher without state, federal LE agencies' help

Residents, business owners thankful

Those overtime dollars were used to beef up police presence in the neighborhoods, and for the 24-hour detective work that happened behind the scenes in their Joint Operations Center.



Cost was not going to be a factor here, said Tampa Police spokesperson Steve Hegarty. We were going to invest and put in the time and do whatever we needed to do.



Lajuanda Barrera, who owns Moates Florist, said the time and effort was worth every penny.



It definitely made us feel safer knowing that we had direct access, that we could stop a few feet out the door and wave and see a police officer if we had to flag someone down, Barrera said.



As the number of victims increased, police overtime increased.



By the time the fourth victim, Ronald Felton, was killed on Nov. 14, Tampa Police had devoted nearly 870 hours of overtime.

Dates Hours Dollar Amount Oct 8-21 25.5 $1,101.43 Oct 22-Nov 4 238.2 $14,475.63 Nov 5-18 335 $19,090.96 Nov 19-Dec 2 271 $15,421.31 Totals 869.7 $50,089.33

Graphic courtesy Tampa Police Department

Hegarty said all that hard work paid off when making the arrest.



Once we had a suspect and we had the gun itself, we had to run some tests to see exactly what we had, Hegarty said. And we had so much help and had done so much work beforehand that I think that moved things along pretty quickly.



With a 51-day investigation, Hegarty estimated the costs to a little under $1,000 a day. He said the overtime hours could have been much higher if it werent for the help of federal, state and local law enforcement authorities.
Does accused serial killer, Howell Trai Donaldson III have ties to the Seminole Heights neighborhood?

Did family as a whole have any connection to neighborhood?

Court documents point to a 2016 connection

Connection involves former boyfriend of suspect's sister

In a press conference a day after his arrest last month, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said they were trying to figure out his ties to the area.

We have not been able to find a connection his connection to the neighborhood yet. I always felt whoever was doing it was very familiar with the neighborhood, Dugan said. We have not been able to determine why he picked southeast Seminole Heights. Were not sure if he had a friend there that he was staying with. Theres a lot of unanswered questions.

Days after his arrest, court documents show investigators asked the suspects father, Howell Donaldson Jr., if his son had any connection to the Seminole Heights neighborhood, and that Donaldson Jr. refused to answer.

He was then asked if his other two children had ties to the area, and again he refused to answer, according to documents. Investigators say the suspects mother Rosita refused to answer questions, too.

Last week the couple had to go before a judge after refusing to answer investigators questions. The couples attorney Ralph Fernandez says his clients were put in a bad position.

Would you testify against your child in a criminal prosecution where your child would face death? Fernandez said.

After investigating the familys history, we discovered there is a connection to Seminole Heights.

Court documents show in 2016, Donaldson Jr. filed a petition for injunction for protection against stalking, also known as a restraining order, against his daughters boyfriend.

Donaldson Jr. accused the boyfriend of threatening their family and telling Donaldson Jr. if he had a gun he would shoot him. The document also shows that the suspects mother, sister and brother were listed on the order of protection, but the suspects name is not listed.

Were not naming the boyfriend because the injunction was denied by a judge. The judge cited that the facts as alleged didnt meet Florida statues definition of stalking.

However, we did look into the boyfriends background and several of his arrest records. Those records show his most recent arrest lists his address at a home in Seminole Heights.

Further, the boyfriend's address is a five-minute walk from where the first victim, Benjamin Mitchell was killed. Its an eight-minute walk from where the body of the second victim, Monica Hoffa, was found, a four-minute walk from where the third victim, Anthony Naiboa, was murdered and an eight-minute walk from where the fourth victim, Ronald Felton was gunned down.

We asked the state attorneys office if they were looking into this connection. A spokesperson said they couldnt confirm or deny if they were looking into this because they dont reveal case strategy.
The suspect in the four recent Seminole Heights murders has pleaded not guilty.

Howell Donaldson III did not appear in court Tuesday.

Donaldson waived his right to appear last week for this arraignment but his attorney entered the written plea of not guilty to four counts of premeditated murder.

Howell Donaldson III pleaded not guilty through his attorney to 4 counts of premeditated murder

He waived his right to appear and was not in attendance

Possible link between suspect and Seminole Heights?

The 24-year-old McDonald's worker was taken into custody at the Ybor City restaurant where he worked after he gave a coworker a bag with a gun in it and said he had to leave town. The coworker contacted a police officer, and Donaldson was detained upon returning to the eatery.

Donaldson is facing four counts of first-degree murder.

Residents and police had been on edge since Oct. 9, when 22-year-old Benjamin Mitchell was shot to death. Two days later, 32-year-old Monica Hoffa was slain. And on Oct. 19, Anthony Naiboa, 20, was killed after taking the wrong bus home from his new job. On Nov. 14, 60-year-old Ronald Felton was killed.

The case against Donaldson is all circumstantial at this point. He was indicted on all four murders last week based on:

Owning a gun of the same caliber loaded with the same kind of bullets used in all four murders.

Having clothes with blood stains on them in his car.

And having location records on his cell phone putting him at or near the scene of at least three of the four murders.

Tampa police chief: "We got the killer"

It could take months for the tests to be done on the gun and clothes before any of that can be tied directly to the murders.

And the issue of Donaldson III's parents and possible contempt charges remains. Howell Donaldson Jr. and his wife Rosita have to return to court on Jan. 5 to either answer questions pertaining to their son or explain why they can't and face possible jail time.

So far, Donaldson III's attorneys have given no indication any kind of deal is in the works that may take pressure off his parents.
After a week of waiting, State attorney Aramis Ayala responded on Monday to Governor Rick Scott's request for answers about a death penalty filing with a fiery letter.

Gov. Scott wanted to know why Ayala missed a deadline to file a notice to seek the death penalty in an Osceola County murder case.

In a letter to Governor Scott, Ayala accused him of avoiding discussing the matter directly with her and instead going straight to the media.

Ayala said that while she filed the notice to seek the death penalty late, case law allowed for her to file the notice without prejudice.

She also said she was in contact with State Attorney General Pam Bondi about this decision.

But then Bondis office reacted with a statement of their own saying, Ayalas office reached out to my attorneys regarding an unidentified death penalty case well after she missed the deadline in an attempt to salvage the case. My office provided potential legal arguments in an attempt to defend a death penalty case, and in an effort to correct her egregious actions.

Bondi's office also added, "What she did is inexcusable in failing to meet a deadline required in a capital case. In no way do we condone her behavior. She continues to demonstrate that she is incompetent and unwilling to handle capital cases. We will continue to lend support to any effort to follow the law and ensure justice is done in any homicide in the ninth circuit."

Ayala then took aim at the governor, questioning the way he reassigned cases from her office.

"...The irony here is that you are questioning my behavior when you are the one who failed to do what you said you were going to do. When you publicly stated that you were going to "continue to look at" murder cases from in my office, you did not," she wrote.

Ayala then asked Gov. Scott for public records on how he made his decisions in removing cases from her office.

"I want my office to be as prepared as possible when we are required to help defend the integrity of the prosecution of all death penalty cases stemming from the 9th Circuit," she said.

Gov. Scott's office later responded to Ayala's letter in a statement Monday evening, calling her response insufficient.

"What is especially troubling is [Ayala's] refusal to answer specific questions about her death penalty review panel. State Attorney Ayala needs to be more forthcoming with her offices death penalty process to make it clear that she is going to follow the law and fight for victims," wrote Gov. Scott's communications director. "The governor will continue to stand with victims of crime and push for the answers that the citizens of the Orlando area deserve.

Ayala also noted that her office will produce the public records Gov. Scott requested of her in his letter.


The man accused of trying to set off a homemade explosive device Monday in the New York subway is facing five federal terrorism-related charges and three state terrorism-related charges, officials said.

Before trying to detonate the device, the Bangladeshi immigrant mocked President Donald Trump on social media, authorities said Tuesday.

5 injured do not include the alleged bomber

Investigators say Akayed Ullah pledged allegiance to ISIS

Related: NY mayor: There was an attempted terrorist attack in NY subway

SEE BELOW: Man says he saw Akayed Ullah set off bomb 

Akayed Ullah posted a statement on his Facebook account just before the Monday morning attack, stating: Trump you failed to protect your nation, the criminal complaint said.

He also told law enforcement officers at the hospital where he was taken with burn injuries to the body and hands: I did it for the Islamic State, according to the complaint.

Ullah, 27, faces a number of federal and state terrorism charges after he allegedly detonated a device made of a battery, wires, metal screws and a Christmas tree lightbulb during the busy morning commute on Monday.

Five people were treated for minor injuries at area hospitals, while the suspect was said to be seriously injured.

In an interview with investigators, Ullah admitted that he built and detonated the device and said he was inspired to do so by ISIS.

"I did it for the Islamic State," Ullah told investigators, according to the federal complaint.

His rush-hour attack fizzled in a long walkway used by commuters moving between trains in the citys busiest subway station at Times Square. Three pedestrians complained of harmed hearing and headaches after the bomb went off.

During a search of his Brooklyn apartment, investigators recovered a passport with the words O America, die in rage scrawled in it, the complaint says.

He hoped to terrorize as many people as possible with a bomb filled with metal screws that he believed would cause maximum damage, the complaint said..

Man says he saw Akayed Ullah set off bomb

Spectrum News sister station New York 1 spoke with an eyewitness who saw the events unfold.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority station cleaner Sean Monroe saw it all unfold. He was cleaning the corridor at the moment the bomb went off nearby.

"Supervisor told me, 'Hey, there's food to clean down there at the end of the station,'" Monroe recalled. "So I'm like, 'All right, no problem.' I got my broom and dustpan in hand."

Seconds later, he saw the man, identified by authorities as Akayed Ullah, 27, try to blow himself up.

"I just saw the explosion. Guy just, 'boom!'" Monroe said. "People around him fell to the floor. As soon as they fell, they got right up and started running."

Monroe described a scene of panic as frightened straphangers ran for their lives.

"You panic for a second, but when you see all those people getting up, rushing, your first instinct is  especially with your training from MTA  first thing you think is, 'Let me try to direct these people out of here,'" Monroe said.

That kind of assistance, according to MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, is how police and transit officials had mapped it out during a drill last month.

"We had a tabletop exercise with the NYPD to coordinate our efforts in the events something like this ever happened," Lhota said at press conference after the explosion.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
The Edison, one of the newest restaurants coming to Disney Springs, is set to open with a New Years Eve celebration.

Tickets cost $150 per person and a $27 gratuity will be added at checkout. Space is limited.

The event includes hors doeuvres, live-action food stations, and beer and spirits from 8 p.m. to midnight. Ahead of the midnight toast, coffee and desserts will be served.

You must be at least 21 years to attend. The restaurant is asking guests to adhere to a dress code.

The restaurant is designed after an industrial-era power plant and includes a restaurant, lounge and bar.

It features multiple themed areas such as the Ember Parlour, Telegraph Lounge, the Radio Room, the Waterfront Patio and the Lab performance space.

The same company that operates Morimoto Asia, Patina Group, is behind The Edison.

The area next to the restaurant will include three other eateries.

Maria & Enzos, Enzos Hideaway and Pizza Ponte are slated to open in January.

For ticket information, click here.

Article originally posted on Dec. 12, 2017.



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Four structure fires and a three-person entrapment following a wreck reportedly kept the Jefferson County Emergency Services District in the China and Nome area busy this weekend.

The department said they responded to a two-vehicle wreck Saturday at 6:42 p.m. and extricated three people.
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Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick will be unopposed in his first primary election since switching his party affiliation, though election filings due Monday show he'll face a former U.S. Congressman in November's general election.

Most of Southeast Texas's incumbent officials will not face challengers from within their party in the March 2018 primary election, including Republican Branick and Democrat Nick Lampson, who will compete in November for the top job in Southeast Texas's largest county.

Republicans currently hold three countywide offices in Jefferson County, after Branick announced in February that he was changing his affiliation, citing concerns about regulatory burdens, national security and a feeling that religion is excluded from the "public square."

Lampson, who represented the Ninth Congressional District from 1996 to 2004 before redistricting, held the 22nd District seat from 2006 to 2008, and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress in 2004, 2008 and 2012, is one of "a great slate of great candidates," Jefferson County Democratic Party Chair Cade Bernsen said.

"This county couldn't ask for a better leader to help us through the time of crisis as we deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey," Bernsen said of Lampson. "He's the perfect person to help us navigate these waters."

Jefferson County Republican Party Chair Garrett Peel said the race for County Judge is "not really an issue of party, it's an issue of values."

He said Branick has proven himself "a true leader, an intellectual and a valued partner in rebuilding our community," pointing to his leadership during Harvey and the rebuilding process.

In other SE Texas election news:

Peel said this year is an "exciting time for the Republican Party in Jefferson County," adding that he expects the candidates on 2018's ballots to help "turn this county red."

Bernsen said he believes Democrat Charlie Hallmark will take back the county treasurer seat for the party, currently held by Republican Tim Funchess.

Both chairs highlighted their candidates for county clerk as strong contenders: incumbent Carolyn Guidry and Republican Bailey Wingate will meet in Novemeber. Both are unopposed in the primary.

Incumbents will be unchallenged for most of Jefferson County's courts, with the exception of the 172nd Judicial District.

Judge Donald Floyd will not run for re-election due to age limits on the bench. Current Beaumont ISD manager and attorney Mitch Templeton is unopposed on the Republican side, while former BISD attorney Melody Chappell is one of three Democrats running for the seat. She will face attorneys Kent W. Johns and Tina Bradley in the primary.

The Democratic primary for Jefferson County's Justice of the Peace Precinct 8 will be a four-way race between incumbent Tom Gillam III, Port Arthur ISD trustee Joseph L. Guillory II, Melanie Ned and Antoine Leonard Freeman.

The other highly contested county seat will be the Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Place 2 race, currently held by Nancy Beaulieu. Annette Reedy and Wilton Johnson will compete for the Republican ticket, with Benjamin "Ben" Collins Sr. and David Grove on the Democratic ballot.

Orange and Hardin County, both traditionally Republican strongholds, will see few contested elections this year, though Orange County Judge Stephen Brint Carlton will have to beat two Republicans in his primary to get reelected.

Dean T. Crooks of Orange and Kenneth Luce of Vidor filed to run against Carlton for the county's top spot. Carlton, 35, was elected in 2014, and is one of the youngest judges in the county's history.

Most other primary candidates inOrange County will be unopposed, though a few, including County Commissioner Precinct 2, have Democratic competition for the seat.

Hardin County officials will likewise face few challengers. County Judge Wayne McDaniel, County Clerk Glenda Alston and District Clerk Dana Hogg will be unopposed in the primary elections. No Democrats filed to run for those seats.

The only contested primary in the county will be for Justice of the Peace Precinct 6. Incumbent Jackie Werner will face Amy Enloe in the Republican primary.

Only one Democrat filed to run for a Hardin County office. Thomas "Tony" Templeton is running for Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, a seat currently held by Republican Melissa "Missy" Minton.

Beaumont's David Bradley announced earlier this year that he would not run for an eighth term on the State Board of Education, leaving open his seat representing Jefferson, Hardin, Orange, Jasper and Newton counties, as well as several counties in the Houston and Galveston areas, for the first time since 1996. He's been known for his staunch social conservatism during his time on the board.

No local candidates filed to take his place. Matt Robinson of Friendswood will be unopposed in the Republican primary, as will Katy's Elizabeth "Eliz" Markowitz on the Democratic ballot. Bradley has already endorsed Robinson.

U.S. Rep. Randy Weber. R-Friendswood, is one of the few who will face a Republican challenger in the primary  Bill "Sarge" Sargent of Galveston County. Two Democrats, Adrienne Bell and Levy Q. Barnes Jr. are also running for the seat, which Weber has held since 2013.

U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, whose district includes Hardin and Orange counties, is unopposed in the primary.

State Sens. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and James White, R-Hillister, and state Reps. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, and Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, did not draw challengers.

The deadline to register to vote in the March 6 primary is Feb. 5, and requests for mail-in ballots must be submitted by Feb. 23.
Port Neches-Groves' emblematic totem pole will disappear for at least two years while the Neches Federal Credit Union builds a new branch on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Merriman Street, under an agreement in which the school district swaps eight acres for the NFCU's nearby branch office.

In October, the PN-G Board of Trustees approved trading the corner lot for the credit union branch on Magnolia, interim superintendent Jimmy Creel said.

That office will become the district's new central administration building. Meanwhile, the NFCU will spend between $8 million and $13 million on a new 35,000 to 40,000 square-foot building at the current location of the Indian Corner monument, according to Jason Landry, Neches FCU president and CEO.

Construction will take approximately two years, Landry said. Under the agreement, NFCU will continue to use its branch during that time. The current totem display will be homeless during that time.

Allowing NFCU to stay at its present location "was included as part of the deal because the estimated value of the building was a little higher than the 8 acres," Creel said. "By allowing them to stay during the time that they are building, it offsets the cost a bit so we can make as even of a deal as we can."

The district also will landscape the NFCU property before moving in, Creel said.

The land being swapped is the site of the totem pole and an entrance display that reads "Welcome to the Reservation."

Creel said some people are disappointed about the loss of the prominent focal point, but the district has plans to erect a similar display near the new building using the original designers.

"I understand that there are reservations and people are nervous about giving up that corner," Creel said. "But in the long rung, it's a good deal for both of us."

Having a centralized administration building for the first time in the district's history is the driving reason behind the deal, Creel said. Not only will all administrative staff be under one roof, but the facility will have a textbook storage area, training rooms and a space for board meetings.

Moving into an existing office building will be more cost-efficient than building, Creel said.

"One reason this deal appealed to us is because we saw an opportunity to move into an office space that could accommodate the entire administration without much renovation and construction," Creel said.

The district might need to knock down a wall or two and change some office doors, but extensive work won't be required, Creel said.

Because the building is close to a number of refineries, Texas code prohibits it from housing students, Creel said.

The deal is currently in a 120-day window, during which contractors and surveyors are appraising the land, Creel said. Once they give the green light, the contract will be finalized in early March.

MGstalter@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/morgGstalt
Have you ever found yourself alone and suddenly faced with something you fear? It could be a rabid Chihuahua that wandered onto your porch to join you when youre unwinding thats causing you to panic. Or it could be something much smaller  of the eight-legged variety  that elicits a shriek when the arachnid greets you as you step out of the shower. Who can you call upon for help?

Believe it or not, theres a saint who can help protect you from both rabid Chihuahuas and spiders. His name is Saint Dominic of Silos, and in addition to helping captives, shepherds, prisoners and pregnant women, he protects people against insects, rabies and rabid dogs. Hes one of many saints whom you can call upon for protection.

Whenever were frightened, we should always pray to God and thank Him for His help. But were also encouraged to pray for the intercession of saints. Although theyre human souls, theyve lived holy lives dedicated to serving God and furthering His Kingdom. We can compare them to the church windows which allow light to enter in different shades of color, said Pope Francis on All Saints Day 2017. The saints are our brothers and sisters who have welcomed the light of God in their heart and have passed it on to the world, each according to his or her own hue.

Ultimately, the protection comes from God. But the saints can help us to obtain it. Here are seven saints who can help protect us and our loved ones in various situations.
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If someone were to ask you to make a list of all of the people that hurt you, you can probably write out a long list of those who have caused you pain. These may be family members, friends, coworkers, even a friend from church. So many friendships have been shattered because of cruel words and actions that have left those who have been hurt feeling betrayed. You never forget the hurt or the pain someone has caused you. Those feelings run deep. So how does God want us to respond to people who hurt us? Does the Bible instruct us to forgive and forget?

We can turn to the Bible for answers to this question.

The phrase forgive and forget is not found in the Bible. However, there are numerous verses commanding us to forgive one another. Ephesians 4:32 says, Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. A Christian who is unwilling to forgive others will find his fellowship with God hindered and can reap bitterness.

Luke 6:27-36 also speaks to this issue. In some areas of Christian life we struggle to find out how God wants us to respond, but thats not the case here. Gods instructions are detailed.

Jesus said, But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28). In the following verses, Jesus gives several specific examples of how to treat those who have hurt you, and He concludes with, Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36). The ultimate standard is set here.

Its important that we apply godly wisdom to all relationships were in. There are times when we will allow ourselves to endure unnecessary pain in relationships because we believe its our duty or because it brings us to a place of meekness that honors Christ. While God instructs us to take up our cross and follow Christ, its important to discern what God is really telling us through the pain were experiencing. The closer you become with the Scripture, the more God will speak to you about the relationships youre in. He may be calling you to realign some relationships. You may be around people who negatively influence your life. Painful words and violent tempers can create traps in your life that God may not be calling you to be part of. When you seek God more when it comes to your relationships, you may also begin giving less of yourself to people addicted to gossip and slander because being in that space is not only not uplifting, but also doesnt reflect Christ.

In these circumstances where you begin to limit the influence of the person thats hurting you, it doesnt mean that you will no longer love, forgive or pray for that person. It just means that you no longer allow them to take up so much space in your life. We know from Scripture that we are not our own, so regardless of how much we might love someone, including those who have hurt us, we must shift our interaction with them because our Lord tells us to. When we know that we are not our own, we also recognize that things will show up in our lives that are completely outside of our control. God calls us to forgive. As believers, we can choose whether we will hold grudges or practice grace, but if we are truly following Him, the choice has already been made. This can be tough, so God provides some balance with verses like 2 Corinthians 12:10 which says, Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distressed, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christs sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

One of the best things we can do for those who hurt us is pray for them. Many times we are not in a place to force the other person to stop their hurtful behavior. We also rarely have the power to change them, but we do have the power to change our response to the person. God simply tells us to pray for them. If youre wondering what you should pray about, the answer is simple. Pray that God will help you to love this person. Pray that God will help you to see the good things He wants you to do for this person. Pray that God will bless this person.

Whats so great about these prayers is that they focus your attention on God. Instead of being consumed with the hurt, you focus on God, the One who can heal the hurt, and give you the power to respond in a radically new way. King David demonstrates this many times in the Psalms he wrote, speaking of the betrayal of friends and enemies  calling on God to punish them. When David was fleeing for his life because his son Absalom was leading a rebellion, a man named Shimei came out and cursed David and threw stones at him. When one of Davids generals asked permission to take off his head, David responded, leave Shimei alone, perhaps God has told him to curse me (2 Samuel 16:5-4). This is a powerful response in such a difficult time. David protects himself from sinning by trusting God and assuming that Gods plan is beyond his understanding.

We can use David as an example in our own lives.

God wants us to trust Him regarding our relationships with others. Ask yourself if the relationships youre in really reflect God. Our best relationships are the ones that have Jesus at the center of them. Its very possible that if a person is always hurting you, Jesus is not at the center of your relationship with them and thats not healthy for your physical, emotional, mental or spiritual well-being. If God is not present in the relationship youre in, it may be time to reevaluate the relationship or at least change the way you interact with each other.

The ideal is to forgive and forget which isnt always easy to do, but good for our own emotional and spiritual well-being. Remember, love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthian 13:5) and covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Be mindful of those around you who hurt you, and cling to those who love you and have a desire to uplift you.

Lesli White is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth with a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications and a concentration in print and online journalism. In college, she took a number of religious studies courses and harnessed her talent for storytelling. White has a rich faith background. Her father, a Lutheran pastor and life coach was a big influence in her faith life, helping her to see the value of sharing the message of Christ with others. She has served in the church from an early age. Some of these roles include assisting ministry, mutual ministry, worship and music ministry and church council.
Most religions have some sort of goal or end in mind for their adherents. Christians are concerned with the salvation of the soul and the resurrection of the dead when Jesus Christ returns to earth. Muslims want to enter Paradise on Judgment Day. Buddhists want to escape samsara, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The variety of traditions that together are called Hinduism has a final goal for adherents as well. Unlike some other religions, however, Hinduism lays out four distinct goals for faithful Hindus to reach during their lives. These four goals are called the purusartha or purusharthas. Purushartha is a concept that appears in the ancient Vedic texts. The Vedas are a collection of Sanskrit texts that were passed down for centuries as a perfectly preserved oral tradition. The correct pronunciation of the holy words was considered to be vital to the continuation of the universe. As such, modern scholars and Hindus know exactly what ancient Sanskrit sounded like even though the language itself has not been used in daily life for generations.

As the term purushartha originates in the Vedas, it is a Sanskrit word, and thus, unfortunately, does not have an easy English translation. Purushartha is most commonly translated as the goal of human existence or the souls purpose. The idea and term purushartha also appears in the ancient Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

Purushartha is not just a word out of ancient times. The concept of these four goals still rules the lives of faithful practitioners of Hinduism today. So, what are the purusharthas, the four essential goals of Hindu life?
Officers with Indonesian counter-terrorist police squad Densus 88 leave the home of a suspects in-laws in Malang, East Java, Dec. 9, 2017.

Indonesian anti-terror squad Densus 88 arrested 20 men and a teenager with possible links to extremist group Islamic State (IS) during raids over the weekend and into Monday, and ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, police officials said.

The 21 were taken into custody in operations conducted in East Java, West Kalimantan, South Sumatra and Riau provinces, according to police.

We are conducting what we call pre-emptive strikes, National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told reporters in Jakarta.

Groups we think have the potential to conduct terror acts  we arrested most of them, Tito said, adding that police had not received reports of any terror plots near the holidays.

Of those arrested, a dozen people were taken into custody on Sunday and Monday in South Sumatra.

The 12 men who have been arrested may not be suspects, as they are all still under investigation. We do not know if they provided the firearms, or protected [the terrorists], or they themselves were directly involved, Inspector General Zulkarnain Adinegara, the provincial police chief, told reporters Monday.

Five of the 12 allegedly were part of the Jamaah Anshar Khilafah (JAK) militant group who escaped a police raid in the Sumatra province of Jambi months ago, authorities said.

The JAK members allegedly were involved in smuggling weapons used in a terrorist attack in central Jakarta in January 2016 that left eight people dead, including four perpetrators. The assault was the first successful one claimed by IS in the worlds largest Muslim-majority country.

The five men were also allegedly linked to a suicide bombing at police headquarters in the Central Java city of Solo on July 5, 2016.

On Monday, Densus 88 also arrested four men allegedly linked with the extremist group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) in Riau, another province on Sumatra island. Police believe that they, along with other JAD members who were arrested in October, planned to attack police stations.

East Java raid

The raids began on Saturday with the arrests of three men in separate Densus 88 operations in Malang, Sidoarjo and Surabaya, cities in East Java. The three were identified as Kiki Rizky, Paripung Dhani and Muh Muhidin.

All three had traveled to Syria, police said.

Kiki was riding a motorbike with his child at the time of his arrest, according to police.

My child is traumatized, Kikis wife, Amiroh, told BenarNews before ending the interview when asked about her husbands alleged involvement in a terror network.

His brother-in-law, M. Sharif, said he did not know about Kikis daily activities except that he worked as a driver. Kiki lives with his parents, while Amiroh lives mostly with her family.

Sometimes Kiki came here once a week, Sharif said.

Kiki and the other two arrested men are suspected members of a group led by Abu Jandal, an Indonesian-born IS fighter who was killed during an assault in Mosul, Iraq, in November 2016.

East Java Police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera said Kiki left for Syria in late 2013 and met with Abu Jandal.

He went to Syria without the knowledge of his wife and parents. He told them that he would work in Saudi Arabia, said Barung, adding that all the three men returned from Syria to two years ago.

Paripung (also known as Ipung) allegedly is a member of JAT who was involved in a bomb plot targeting a police station in Surabaya in 2014, authorities said.

On Saturday, Densus 88 also arrested a man identified as KT, 45, in West Kalimantan. KT often posted calls for jihad on social media, along with his 15-year-old son, police said.

In February, KT was involved in an attack in the West Java city of Bandung, where a pressure-cooker bomb exploded in a park before a gun-battle erupted nearby, leaving one militant dead, said Tito Karnavian, the national police chief.

We arrested him in West Kalimantan, where he allegedly was involved in a Malaysian network, so we have been sharing information with Malaysia, he said.

Police investigations

The people in custody face a seven-day investigation, Inspector General Setyo Wasisto, the spokesman for national police, said.

After that, their status will be determined either as suspects or they will be freed, he said.

The counter-terror raids were an attempt to contain possible terrorist attacks before the end of the year, according to Ridlwan Habib, a terrorism analyst at the University of Indonesia.

Their names are in the Polda [provincial police] database in Indonesia, so some of the Poldas have simultaneously conducted operations against them, he told BenarNews.

When they are interrogated, police will dig up information about whether the networks will try to launch assaults in the end of the year, especially during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Last year, Densus 88 officers killed two suspected militants during a Christmas Day raid.

Ridlwan said the possibility of terror attacks increased this month following U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

So there is this context for a person or a group seeking to carry out an attack. They can attack the interests of the United States in Indonesia, either its embassies, hotels, American symbols or individuals, he said.
Soldiers take part in operations to secure and clear downtown Marawi of any enemies following a five-month battle with Islamic State-linked militants in the southern Philippine city, Nov. 23, 2017.

Troops went on heightened alert Tuesday in the southern Philippine city of Marawi to thwart reported plans by remaining members of Islamic State-linked groups to stage scattered attacks in the area, military officials said.

The alert came a day after President Rodrigo Duterte said he had asked Congress to extend martial law over the entire southern Philippines by one more year, through December 2018, to allow security forces to eradicate the militant threat in the region.

Soldiers with long firearms guarded checkpoints on roads around Marawi, a once-beautiful lakeside city destroyed during a five-month battle with pro-Islamic State (IS) militants that the government declared over in late October.

A volunteer for a humanitarian agency allowed to enter Marawi on Tuesday said the group had to pass through several security checkpoints along the roads, as troops scrutinized each passing vehicle. Some civilians were asked to show identity clearance cards, especially those claiming to be residents who were returning to check on their property.

For Mamintal Adiong Jr., the governor of Lanao del Sur province surrounding Marawi, an extension of military rule would be a welcome development by enabling civilians to return to their homes and reoccupy them under a security umbrella.

There is a dire need to extend the martial law in Mindanao for one year, Adiong said.

Military intelligence reports had indicated the movement of some people known to be allied with the group of slain IS leader Isnilon Hapilon and the Maute gang, the governor said.

They are in the process of recruiting new members in remote townships and, if left unchecked, could regroup and threaten other urban centers in the south, he said.

Giving the military free reign in the region could also allow the unhampered implementation of Marawis rehabilitation plan, Adiong added.

The military here recently confirmed that militant holdouts were plotting to stage similar attacks in the nearby towns of Piagapo, Sultan Dumalondong and Lumba Caunayan.

Tension was also high at Marawis Mindanao State University, where classes resumed despite talks of possible attacks from fresh IS recruits.

According to a Philippine intelligence source, militants could try to storm the university, which they had failed to infiltrate and occupy during the siege.

Lt. Col. Eliezer Valdez, commander of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, said the security alert was also raised in Iligan city, about 30 km (18.6 miles) north of Marawi, where many residents from the ruined city had sought shelter with relatives.

Psychological impact

In Manila, Sen. Franklin Drilon said asking Congress to extend martial law was done for its psychological impact, but was not a valid reason.

While Duterte cited a threat from IS militants for justifying an extension of martial law, he also pointed to a security threat posed by the communist New Peoples Army (NPA), which he had recently blacklisted as a terrorist organization.

Drilon noted that the self-proclaimed leftist president had once enjoyed a cordial relationship with the rebels, and even released their jailed comrades so that they could join peace talks being held abroad.

The peace talks collapsed as rebels continued to stage attacks in remote communities, despite agreeing to a truce.

That Duterte has for decades befriended, coddled and given aid and comfort to the NPA in the Davao region is no secret, said Sen. Leila de Lima, referring to the southern city where Duterte was the longtime mayor before becoming president in June 2016.

He has politically aligned himself not only with the movement but with its ideology as well, or at least the part of it that constantly served his authoritarian streak, she added.

She suggested that Duterte may have dumped the communists to curry favor with the military, some of whose top officials had earlier expressed misgivings about the presidents alleged soft stance toward the rebels.

Duterte using the red scare to ask for an extension of martial law is opportunism exemplified, said de Lima, who has emerged as the number one critic of Duterte and alleged rights abuses committed under his war on drugs.

Martial law powers cannot be given to the major enabler of the communist rebellion in Mindanao, she said, adding that Duterte was engaged in creeping authoritarianism.

Felipe Villamor in Manila contributed to this report.
For Immediate Release, December 12, 2017



Contacts: Ted Zukoski, Earthjustice (303) 996-9622 (w), (303) 641-3149 (c), tzukoski@earthjustice.org

Don Watahomigie, Havasupai Chairman, (928) 448-2731, htchair@havasupai-nsn.gov

Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club  Grand Canyon Chapter (602) 999-5790, sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org

Roger Clark, Grand Canyon Trust, (928) 890-7515, rclark@grandcanyontrust.org

Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, (801) 300-2414 tmckinnon@biologicaldiversity.org

Kevin Dahl, National Parks Conservation Association, (520) 603-6430, kdahl@npca.org Appeals Court Upholds Grand Canyon Uranium Mining Ban Havasupai Tribe, Conservation Coalition Celebrate Key Win for Water, Wildlife, Sacred Lands GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK The Havasupai Tribe and a coalition of conservation groups praised todays decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the Department of the Interiors 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims across 1 million acres of public lands adjacent to the Grand Canyon. The court ruled that the ban, adopted in 2012, complies with the Constitution and federal environmental laws, and that the protected area was not too large, as plaintiff mining companies had argued. The ban protects the aquifers and streams that feed the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon from toxic uranium-mining waste pollution and water depletion. The Havasupai Tribe, Grand Canyon Trust, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity and National Parks Conservation Association intervened in the case in 2013. The groups and the Department of Justice won a 2014 decision by U.S. District Court in Arizona, which upheld Interiors 2012 uranium mining withdrawal. Mining companies appealed the decision to the 9th Circuit. Unfortunately the court also rejected a challenge to the Canyon Mine, a uranium mine located on the Kaibab National Forest 6 miles south of Grand Canyon National Park. The courts decision allows Energy Fuels Inc. to mine without initiating or completing formal tribal consultations and without updating an obsolete federal environmental review dating to 1986. The Havasupai people have been here since time immemorial. This place is who we are, said Don Watahomigie, the Havasupai Tribal Chairman. The Creator made us protectors of the Grand Canyon. The Havasupai Tribe is gratified to know that the court has recognized the validity of the mineral withdrawal and what we have always known  that this place, these waters and our people deserve protection. The lives of our children and the purity of our waters are not to be gambled with and are not for sale. This is a great day for the Grand Canyon, for the Havasupai people who rely on its sacred waters, for the people who love this wonder of the natural world, and for the wildlife that call it home, said Ted Zukoski of Earthjustice. In January 2012 then-Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued the 20-year ban that prohibits new mining claims and mine development on existing claims without valid permits. The mining industry claimed that the Interior Departments exhaustive, 700-page evaluation of environmental impacts was inadequate. Interiors study of the mining ban showed that without a withdrawal in place, 26 new uranium mines and 700 uranium exploration projects could be developed, resulting in more than 1,300 acres of surface disturbance and the consumption of 970 acre feet of water. Under the 20-year ban, existing mine operations are projected to have about one-tenth of the surface impacts and one-third the water usage. According to Interiors study, new uranium mining could have major impacts on springs, wells and aquifers, including increased levels of uranium beyond the Environmental Protection Agencys drinking water standards and severely depleted groundwater, endangering public health and wildlife, and compromising the values of the tribes who consider the springs sacred.



This decision rewards years of cooperation toward protecting the water, air, and people that mining near the Grand Canyon puts at risk," said Grand Canyon Trusts Roger Clark. History has shown us how uranium mining can go wrong on the Colorado Plateau, were glad for more time to make sure the same legacy isnt also bestowed upon the Grand Canyon." Uranium pollution already plagues the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas. Proposals for new mining have prompted protests, litigation, and legislation to make the ban permanent. Dozens of new mines threaten to industrialize iconic and sacred natural areas, destroy wildlife habitat, and pollute and deplete aquifers. Scientists, tribal and local governments, and businesses have all voiced support for the protections enacted by Interior. Sierra Club applauds this decision to uphold the limits on mining on public lands adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park and to protect the park and the greater Grand Canyon region from the hazards of uranium mining, which poses a threat to the people, lands, water, and wildlife of the region, said Sandy Bahr, Sierra Clubs Grand Canyon chapter director. We are disappointed that the court did not uphold the challenge to Canyon Mine, however, and we will continue to do all we can to ensure permanent protection of these lands. One of the great symbols of the American West, the Grand Canyon was first protected as a national monument by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. The canyon is surrounded by millions of additional acres of public lands that include wilderness areas, two national monuments, lands designated to protect endangered species and cultural resources, and old-growth ponderosa pine forests. The canyon area is also home to indigenous people, including the Havasupai, Kaibab Band of Paiutes, Hualapai and Navajo tribes, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 2016 the greater Grand Canyon region attracted over 6 million tourists and recreationists, and Grand Canyon tourism contributed $904 million to local economies and supported nearly 9,800 jobs. This victory is wonderful news for a region already riddled by decades of uranium industry pollution and plunder, said Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity. This decision is critical to protecting the Grand Canyons precious aquifers, biodiverse springs and surrounding public lands for future generations.



After an extensive review process and substantial public participation, the Department of the Interiors decision to protect one of the worlds most enduring landscapes and the sustained health of indigenous communities that live within the watershed of the Grand Canyon was a strong and appropriate one, said Kevin Dahl of the National Parks Conservation Association. The courts action in upholding this ban is commendable. The uranium mining companies have 45 days to seek a rehearing by the three-judge panel or by the 9th Circuit sitting en banc. The companies also have 90 days from this decision, or from a denial of rehearing (whichever is later) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for review of the 9th Circuit Court decision. Such petitions are granted in only a tiny fraction of cases. Download the decision here. Read about the Center for Biological Diversity's numerous other lawsuits against the Trump administration.
For Immediate Release, December 12, 2017



Contact: Brett Hartl, (202) 817-8121, bhartl@biologicaldiversity House Committee to Advance Bill Gutting Massachusetts's Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge WASHINGTON The House Committee on Natural Resources this week will mark up and advance legislation by Rep. William Keating (D-Mass.) to reduce the size of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge by over two-thirds by giving nearly 4,000 acres of submerged public land and waters to the state of Massachusetts. The legislation would set a dangerous precedent for other coastal wildlife refuges. Massachusetts is challenging the ownership of some of Monomoys lands and waters in federal court. Keatings bill would short-circuit that legal process and undermine federal authority on public lands by encouraging states to file similar lawsuits in the hope that Congress will intervene. The committees review will be rushed, leaving it little time to deal with the legislations weighty consequences. National wildlife refuges shouldn't be ripped apart just to appease special interests or satisfy some politicians short-term agenda, said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity. If this bill passes, Monomoy will be a wildlife refuge in name only, and the American people will have lost a real gem within our public lands. Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is home to endangered piping plovers and provides important habitat for the threatened red knot. In 2016, following substantial public comment and participation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a comprehensive conservation plan for the next 15 years of refuge management. The plan addresses the needs of the state of Massachusetts, including allowing shellfish harvesting within the refuge. Our public lands are under attack like never before, and its a shame that Keatings joining the assault, said Hartl. If this becomes law, other refuges will be targeted by states that are hostile to public lands. This feeds the energy of misguided politicians who want to undo generations of conservation progress.
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - The Women and Girls Startup Challenge aims to give aspiring female entrepreneurs the opportunity to submit their projects online and to make a 10-minute presentation before a jury composed of seasoned professionals.

Vera Songwe.

The Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Vera Songwe has called on countries to give female creativity and innovation, all the opportunities required in order to bear fruits and achieve sustainable and inclusive development.

She made the statement at the launch of the Women and Girls Startup Challenge, in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, which took place at a meeting themed: Attempting innovative and inclusive female transformation.

The initiative is aimed at promoting female digital entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and business projects. It will also help to marshal funds for young female digital entrepreneurs.

Songwe, who serves as sponsor of the initiative, stressed that through collective commitment, girls and women should be supported to become what she termed as, key, dynamic and strategic digital stakeholders, through boosting their creativity.

She promised the young entrepreneurs that she would leave no stone unturned in bringing together the private sector, policy-makers and associations to support the initiative.

Your success could trigger the launch of a larger continent-wide movement, she said.

The Women and Girls Startup Challenge aims to give aspiring female entrepreneurs the opportunity to submit their projects online and to make a 10-minute presentation before a jury composed of seasoned professionals. Follow-up through mentorship or access to funding is also included.

In addition to the launch of the initiative, the executive secretary delivered remarks at the meeting, speaking on the sub-theme: Contributing more efficiently to the sustainable development Agenda for girls and women through digitalisation.

While digital evolution is not a panacea, its opportunities for an effective participation of women in sustainable development and the benefits that they can derive from this process are immeasurable, she stated.

She noted that access and control of information on products, as well as the composition and other types of variables that are essential for the processing of these products, play a role in determining womens participation in value chains - from production to market sales. This is essential, not only for the structural transformation of the African economy, but also for return on investment," she said.

The launch of the Women and Girls Startup Challenge falls within the context of the First Edition, of the Femme, Numerique et Developpement (Woman, Digitilisation and Development), also known as FENUD, which is the biggest event dedicated to girls and women in the digital space in Francophone Africa. The event was held in Abidjan from November 16 to 17, 2017.
Even though Christo Wiese has taken the helm as the interim CEO and is trying to stabilise the ship through the storm, Steinhoff faces the threat of becoming the biggest bankruptcy in South African corporate history.

Ivelin Radkov via 123RF

How does this happen? It all boils down to lack of internal governance, says Regine le Roux, managing director of Reputation Matters. Reputations are ruined when values are negotiated, ethics are compromised and leadership actions are questionable. Having authorities investigating irregularities, and by associating the words senior executive with tax evasion, documentary forgery and fraud, is never a good combination.

If you keep your nose clean, follow policies and procedures and adhere to governance structures your integrity as a company will not be compromised."

This should sound obvious; unfortunately with the increase in questionable business deals across the board and industries which has come to the light in this year alone, it clearly isnt that basic.

Building trust

The only way businesses can grow and thrive is by having a solid reputation; people and other companies want to do business with companies that have a solid reputation. Reputations have a direct correlation with a companys bottom line; with a solid reputation you are able to attract top talent, produce products or services that people want to spend money on which ultimately improve your financial standing. The contrary, of a negative reputation, is of course also true.

Steinhoff have their work cut out for themselves to rebuild their reputation and trust in the brand. One of the key factors is to keep all their stakeholders in the loop, says le Roux.

Communication is key. Besides the investment community that needs reassurance that their investments are safe, a very important stakeholder group that must not be neglected are their employees. An internal communication drive is imperative. Employees will want the reassurance of whether their jobs are safe, how the situation impacts them in the short, medium and long-term. When there is no communication people will draw their own conclusions and you can be sure that those messages and insecurities will be communicated to the outside world.

Check your reputation

How can a situation like this be avoided? Le Roux advises that regular reputation checks are highly recommended. Understanding your reputation and how your organisation is perceived by different stakeholders provides very valuable insights which help to identify and rectify gaps.

I do think that if they had invested in understanding their reputation, questionable behaviour would have been highlighted and identified much sooner, and action taken to prevent the mess they are in now. Understanding a stakeholder groups perception isnt necessarily the truth, it is, however, someones reality. I believe that where there is smoke there is fire, so if one of the stakeholder groups knew that the dealings of the management team were questionable it would have been picked up in the research; warning flags would have been raised, and the board could have taken remedial action much sooner.

Instead of waiting to see which paw paw is next to hit the fan, consider stabilising your reputation. In the end, reputations do matter, concludes le Roux.
A small device, with an aerial the size of an adult's forefinger and a wafer-thin circuit board the width and length of a matchbox, could crack open the problem of finding mine workers lost in underground rockfalls while keeping track of their vital signs, and herald a great leap in robotic mining and communications.

Lily Mine. Photo: Mining Technology

The unassuming device - which its inventor, Idrees Zaman, a visiting researcher from Germany's Bremen University, says could be made much smaller and cheaper - will easily fit inside a mine worker's helmet.

It could provide communication with similar nodes - ideally fitted to long bolts drilled into the ceiling to keep rock from shearing off and falling - placed along tunnel roofs or walls.

The battery-powered device could be made a lot smaller by drawing power off the battery pack used for cap lamps every mine worker has underground. Early cost estimates put the devices at less than R1,000 each, a fraction of the cost of low-frequency or high-frequency devices used for underground communications, Zaman says.

The device operates at 433MHz, a frequency that allows communications to travel through air, rock and broken rock. While tests are under way to determine the range of the devices that can also run off a mine's alternating current, initial indications are that 10m is easily achievable, Zaman says.

Zaman had been looking at devices to use in agriculture, rolling out a project in Cameroon, but soon realised that devices for data and communication left on the surface of farms would either be damaged by livestock or stolen, so he developed a system that could be buried.

He started pondering its application in mines and contacted his former professor in Pakistan, Asad Mahmood, now a senior lecturer at the School of Electrical and Information Engineering at Wits University. The electrical school was working closely with the School of Mining Engineering on another project and Mahmood knew that Fred Cawood, head of the Wits Mining Institute, which has received funding from companies such as Sibanye Stillwater, was scouting around various departments for solutions to the "missing miner" problem after the collapse of the Lily gold mine in Mpumalanga in February 2016.

"The mine of the future will have wireless communication and we are working on the possibility that this communication system will have more jobs. We are looking at reliable, multipurpose communication systems. So, having Lily in mind, if that happened again, how could we use this technology to locate missing miners?" Cawood says.

"What makes this system special is that it can do extra jobs and it's wireless."

Mahmood says expanding the system to accommodate robotic applications will be easy, but the system is in its early stages of development, with much work needed to perfect it.

The mining department has built a realistic underground tunnel in the basement of its building to simulate for students what the environment looks like. It is in this facility that the device has had its first test, buried under and behind 200 bags of pebbles to prove the concept of communicating through fallen rock.

Cawood says the device will be tested in a working underground mine in the first half of 2018, with interest coming from the institute's funders for the device that can monitor employees' vital signs and whereabouts during shifts.

The Chamber of Mines, which is working with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research on modernising SA's mines and making them safer through technology, is interested in the device, says Alastair Macfarlane, the team's modernisation consultant and also a board member of Impala Platinum.

"The Wits initiative is very important and useful. It relies on what is referred to as a mesh, and will be very valuable from a health and safety point of view.

"Our bigger challenge is to communicate across much wider ranges. As far as I know the farthest you can communicate through rock is about 30m. We need a lot more than that," he says.

The team had hoped to be given an unused mine to run tests on technology under development, but this had been pushed back to September 2018.

"It's still on the cards, but we are looking for other options. It's incredibly important that we find [them] somewhere," he says.
Public enterprises minister Lynne Brown has warded off attempts to put a credible board in place at Eskom, ignoring suggestions from quarters within the ANC and the misgivings of the Treasury over her choices.

Photo: ANN7

On Friday, Brown announced two new appointments to the board - Malegapuru Makgoba and Tshepo Mongalo - both academics, and left incumbent acting chair Zethembe Khoza and the other six serving directors in place.

Brown's decision, which she said in a statement had been endorsed by the Cabinet on Wednesday, contravenes two commitments that the government has made with the private sector over fixing Eskom.

Finance minister Malusi Gigaba promised in July that, as one of 14 confidence-building measures, Eskom would have a new board on November 30.

Local lenders had also warned the Treasury that unless a new board was in place by the end of November, they would decline to roll over loans. Names that were put to the minister for consideration by ANC colleagues included former mineral resources directorgeneral Sandile Nogxina; former energy director-general Neli Magubane; and Rod Compton, a former full-time board member of the National Energy Regulator of SA.

According to Gigaba spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete, the minister supported the board announced by the Cabinet. However, it is well known that Gigaba had urged the appointment of credible individuals with business acumen.

Local banks declined to comment at the weekend and neither would the Development Bank of Southern Africa, which has been vocal about the governance lapses at Eskom. It threatened earlier this year to revoke a R15bn loan unless chief financial officer Anoj Singh was suspended. Behind the scenes, though, there was dismay.

Only Germany's KfW Development Bank, which extended a R400m loan to Eskom in 2015, openly expressed misgivings over the future. Director Jan Martin Witte said on Friday while the bank would carefully review the new appointments, the package as a whole "was not what we had been hoping for after six months of engagement with Eskom".

"We were hoping they would bring in a qualified and capable board. It is extremely disappointing. While we would otherwise have an appetite to lend more to Eskom, without a credible board we will not be able to do that," Witte said. The announcement means Eskom will continue for at least the next six months with a leadership lacking the required business and financial skills.

Brown said she intended to make additional appointments in July 2018.

Makgoba and Mongalo " both accomplished in the academic field, the former in medicine and the latter in law " do not fit the bill that business has expressly requested: that the boards of state-owned companies be fit for purpose.

Khoza, in particular, is regarded as being ill-equipped for the position of chairman and complicit in the corruption that has been rife at Eskom for several years. His previous business experience was as a manager of a call centre at Telkom.

The first task of the augmented board will be to appoint a CEO at the parastatal.

Fears are growing at Eskom that acting CEO Matshela Koko will be acquitted of all disciplinary charges and be permanently appointed.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, has gazetted the Amended AgriBEE Sector Code for implementation by entities in both public and private sector. Davies says that the sector code will serve as guidelines for the transformation of the agricultural sector. It replaces the old AgriBEE Sector Code which was gazetted in December 2012.

The Minister says that agriculture is the bedrock of our economy and a very important contributor to its development. "This is evident by the latest 2017 third quarter Statistics on Gross Domestic Product which shows that agriculture production has risen by 44.2% and was the main driver of the 2% GDP growth of the third quarter," states Davies.

The scope of application of the Amended AgriBEE Sector Code includes:

 The primary production of agricultural products;

 The provision of inputs and services to enterprises engaged in the production of agricultural products;

 The beneficiation of agricultural products whether of a primary or semi-beneficiated form; and

 The storage, distribution, and/or trading and allied activities related to non-beneficiated agricultural products.

Minister Davies adds that generally targets of the Amended AgriBEE Sector Code are higher than the ones of the Generic Code.

Increased target for supplier development

"One of the key highlights of the Amended AgriBEE Sector code is an increase of the target for supplier development to 3% of Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) (which is higher than 2% of NPAT of the Generic Codes). The aim is to create a pipeline of black suppliers and black industrialists within the value chain of the South African agricultural industry," indicates Minister Davies.

According to Minister Davies, the Amended AgriBEE Sector Code is recognising initiatives that will enhance the sector.

"In addition to strengthening the drive towards creating black suppliers, black commercial farmers and black industrialists, enhanced recognition is given to initiatives that result in Greenfield ventures, job creation and beneficiation of primary products, support for land reform projects, and support for localisation of goods and services not being produced in SA currently," says the minister.

30% land ownership target

Furthermore, and in support of land reform process, the sector code makes a provision for the current owners of land to transfer at least 30% of productive agricultural land to black people under the ownership element. The 30% land ownership target is not static and therefore it shall be reviewed from time to time.

Minister Rob Davies urges all entities, verification agencies, associations, sub-sectors organisations and unions in the agricultural sector to report annually to the AgriBEE Sector Charter Council on their B-BBEE status and transformation achievements. The AgriBEE Sector Charter Council is the body that has been appointed by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to monitor implementation of this sector code.

Issued by: Department of Trade and Industry
Why does having a second passport matter? Ask anyone who has tried to travel, work or move overseas and they will quickly tell you about the drawbacks of having a single passport. With the current political instability and further junk status downgrades South Africa has faced as of late, some might say you would be mad not to have a 'Plan B' if things don't start taking a turn for the better.

Currently ranked 96th in the world with visa-free access to 92 countries  excluding much of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada  South African passports, however, exclude from access to youth working holiday schemes, automatic working visas and residency options in much of the world.

Alison Johnson

Considering future citizenship

Alison Johnson, co-founder of wherecani.live has travelled, worked and lived all over the world  including for a large portion of her life in South Africa.

My mother applied for my British passport when I was a child before we left Zimbabwe. As a result, I was able to move from South Africa where we were then living at the time to London to start a career. I was then able to move to Australia and have a family before moving to Spain where I currently live. My husband was also eligible for a British passport but because his father never applied on his behalf, he has always had to rely on his rights as a spouse, says Johnson.

You may think that the nationality and passport that your child holds today is respected and useful, but this may not be the case in the future. Think about the implications that Brexit could have on UK passport holders. Political unrest, disagreements and uncertainty often bring changes to visa requirements and rulings.

I am in the process of applying for an Irish passport (which I am entitled to through my Irish grandmother) to ensure that my family and I can live and work in Europe in case of a hard Brexit. Unfortunately, I only found out about my eligibility two years ago as had I known, and applied before my son was born he would have been eligible for Irish citizenship as well. It was as a result of this missed opportunity that the concept of wherecani.live was born, adds Johnson.

So what if you are not as lucky as Johnson is, having a diligent mother who was a British citizen, and an Irish born grandmother? Well, there are still a few ways to access a second passport.

Most people know about accessing a passport through your place of birth or your family. There are many instances, however, where people dont know they are eligible for citizenship such as in Italy where you can get citizenship from a great, great, great grandparent. The other opportunities that we are educating people on is citizenship and residency through investment or through showing an annual income, explains Johnson.

Accessing your options

So where do you start looking into all of this? The first step is to check the family tree as countries around the world have different ancestry requirements such as Ireland which goes back three generations (Ireland) and some European countries including Germany have very flexible rules such as for descendants of those impacted by the German Nazi party.

Citizenship or residency by investment used to be the preserve of the rich and famous but today an investment as low as a $5,000 could get you residency in Paraguay. The Portuguese Golden Visa Programme in Portugal has become popular in South Africa  if you purchase property for as little as 350,000 (which you can rent out), you can get a permanent residency visa.

This gives you access to all the Schengen countries (26 European countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Sweden and Greece) visa-free. After six years you can apply for full Portuguese citizenship achieving all the benefits that come with European Union citizenship for you and your family. The biggest drawcard with this programme is you dont need to move there full-time. You only need to spend a week or two in Portugal every year.

The best place to get started is the internet. There are fantastic resources available for you if you have time to search through and find them. If you prefer a shortcut, our team spent 18 months collating immigration data from official government and other verified sources. We have a very clever engine built into our online portal that then matches these rules to the information youve provided us, and in a couple of minutes you have a personalised report showing you all of your options to a new life, adds Johnson.
Christian journalist Solomon Ashoms Izang has been found in contempt of court and slapped with a suspended sentence after comments on Facebook about controversial Alleluia Ministries International pastor Alph Lukau.

Lukau received a Rolls-Royce Wraith and a Sandton penthouse for his 42nd birthday last month, totalling about R25-million. Pictures of the celebration were posted on Lukau's Facebook page with a message thanking his "spiritual sons and precious daughter for the topclass toy gift".

This prompted Izang, the outspoken editor and founder of Christian magazine The Parable, to ask his Facebook followers: "Should Christians give to rich pastors?"

Izang had in May been ordered by the Johannesburg High Court to stop publishing defamatory comments about Lukau, his wife, or his church.

Johannesburg High Court Judge Majake Mabesele found Izang in contempt of court for his latest comments about the Rolls-Royce and the penthouse and sentenced him to 20 days in jail, suspended for two years.

The judge said in his ruling: "The respondent never published, directly, statements which defamed the applicants. However, his positive response to an adverse comment that the first applicant is a false prophet indirectly defamed the applicant. Therefore, the respondent should be found to be in contempt of the order granted."

Source: The Times
Waterfall Management Company was recently awarded the International Best Mixed-use Development 2017/2018 for the Waterfall development as part of the International Property Awards.

Willie Vos, CEO of Waterfall Management Company, receives the award for Best International Mixed-use Development 2017/2018 for Waterfall Estate, at the International Property Awards ceremony, held in London on 4 December 2017.

The event covers the regions of Asia Pacific, Africa and Arabia, Europe, USA and the Americas, as well as the UK, celebrating the very best projects and professionals in the industry.

Over the past year, a panel of over 80 expert judges have studied and assessed thousands of entries from 115 countries. Judging focuses on design, quality, service, innovation, originality, and commitment to sustainability. This is the first time in the history of the International Property Awards that a South African company has won the Best International Mixed-use Development award.

Willie Vos, CEO of Waterfall Management Company, said: After winning Best Mixed-use Development in South Africa and Africa for four years running, we are thrilled that Waterfall has finally been recognised for the world-class city that it truly is. The significance of being awarded International Best Mixed-use Development 2017/2018, is that property professionals worldwide will now take note of South Africas ability to build world-class developments, even during a time of major political uncertainty in the country.

Careful planning over a number of years and a lot of dedication from various role players working together as a team, have made this achievement possible, he continued.

Job creation

Waterfall Management Company is the property and asset management company of the Waterfall land. Since 2004, it has been working with developers and investors to create the largest mixed-use development in Africa. The 2,200ha leasehold development, in the heart of Gauteng, offers an integrated live-work-shop-play environment. By its anticipated completion in 2027, the current estimated developed value is approximately R100bn. While the Waterfall development currently creates jobs for over 15,000 people, once completed, it will have created close to 70,000 job opportunities. The development in its entirety is also already responsible for contributing to rates and taxes to the City of Johannesburg of close to R300m per year. This figure is expected to reach over R1bn per annum by the time of completion.
Bizcommunity was privileged to receive an invitation to the Volvo Ocean 65 Practice Race, the in-port manoeuvres designed to give participants of the the Volvo Ocean Race a practice run ahead of the 10 December 2017, third leg start and a rare opportunity for media to have an exclusive experience with the "rockstars" of sailing, who include previous Olympic Gold medalists, veterans and America's Cup winners!

The Biz crew were assigned to team Brunel, whose skipper, Bouwe Bekking, has completed seven Volvo Ocean Race challenges!

The media machine

The race is not only characterised by extreme excellence at a sporting level, but is also a state-of-the-art media machine providing up-to-the-minute multimedia, multi-platform content and data from the worlds oceans onto the screens of fans around the world.

To achieve this requires facilities such as the below-deck media stations, complete with production and editing desks operated by the official OBRs - the onboard reporters assigned to each vessel, who are not part of the racing crew, but report on the race, sending back videos, photos and text on an up-to-the-minute basis.

Custom-designed hardware and software on the boats, along with handheld Canon and Garmin cameras, helmet cameras, 3D cameras, HD night vision cameras, bow cameras, mast cameras, stern cameras, processors that send data back to race control and motion sensors recording things like wave height and the state of our oceans, demonstrate leading edge technology and services from some of the biggest players in the satellite and imaging technology industries in action.

#TurnTheTideOnPlastic #CleanSeas

With the brand focus on the health of our oceans and on taking action to help Turn the Tide on Plastic, The Volvo Ocean Race has positioned itself as a global sustainability roadshow, partnering with 11th Hour Racing, AkzoNobel and United Nations Environment Clean Seas campaign to bring together science, government, sport and business to spread awareness and action on these pressing issues.

Widgets, digits and hashtags

Follow the Volvo Ocean race on Twitter and Facebook download the app, desktop widget, live trackers, ranking scoreboards, subscribe to Volvo Ocean Race or individual teams on Youtube or www.volvooceanrace.com for news updates, stats and videos.

#volvooceanrace, #CleanSeas, #TurntheTideonPlastic, #LifeAt45Degrees

The prevailing South easterly wind conditions in Cape Town provided an electrifying start for the fleet as they departed Cape Towns iconic Table Bay Sunday on the 6,500m, third leg of the extreme contest across the Southern Ocean towards Melbourne, Australia.

Bizcommunity would like to thank Volvo Ocean Race and Purple pine Communications. Wishing bon voyage and fair winds to all competitors, Brunel were following you!
PPC's share price fell 3% to R6.40 on Monday, 11 December, after it notified shareholders Canadian financier Fairfax would not proceed with a formal offer.

This leaves just Swiss building materials group LafargeHolcim as PPC's sole remaining bidder following Dublin-based CRH's announcement on 7 December that it had decided not to make an offer after doing an initial due diligence.

On 6 October, Nigerian cement producer Dangote announced that it had decided to terminate talks with PPC.

PPC advised shareholders on 11 November to reject Fairfax's R5.75 per share offer, which was made in September when its share price was about R5.50.

Interest from various suitors has seen PPC's share price rebound from a low of R3.46 in August following the resignation of CEO Darryll Castle to a high of R7.68 in November.

"PPC shareholders are hereby advised that on December 8, the independent board received Fairfax's formal notification that it will not proceed with the partial offer and that, accordingly, the Fairfax partial offer circular will not be posted to PPC shareholders," Monday's statement said.

Conditions that Fairfax had set on its proposed offer included PPC agreeing to merge with Afrisam, and its R5.75 per share offer was limited to R2bn worth of shares being bought.

On 27 October, PPC and LafargeHolcim issued a statement saying the Swiss group "contemplates a combination of certain African assets, a partial cash offer and a special dividend".

Source: BDpro
NEWSWATCH: The Mail & Guardian reports that it has been acquired by the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF). Former publisher Trevor Ncube has also left the company.

As a result of the deal, the MDIF is now the majority shareholder of M&G Media Limited and current CEO Hoosain Karjieker becomes a minority shareholder.

The new owners of @mailandguardian: @mdiforg and @HoosainK with the Media Investment Fund holding the majority share. pic.twitter.com/vFnq9CaKNC  Mia Malan (@miamalan) December 12, 2017

The MDIF is a New York-based non-profit organisation founded in 1996. It reportedly has a long history with the M&G, dating back to a loan it extended to the company in 2003.

Independent editorial integrity

Comments from social media have been positive, as the acquisition is expected to mean the paper's independent editorial integrity will be upheld.

Good News for a fine fearless investigative newspaper needed now more than ever @mailandguardian https://t.co/8HNAG8lT32  Peter Hain (@PeterHain) December 12, 2017

The @mailandguardian is under new owners. Huge vote of confidence in SA's most venerable publication - and a guarantee of a bright future https://t.co/hHGTEQa9bW  Simon Allison (@simonallison) December 12, 2017

M&G editor-in-chief Khadija Patel is encouraged by the acquisition news, as she says:

As a small independent publisher, the M&G feels the turmoil of the global media industry acutely. This now presents us with a real opportunity to alleviate our financial difficulties.

My Press Statement on changes in ownership of Alpha Media Holdings (Zimbabwe) and M&G Media(SA)

 pic.twitter.com/pnwThZIkXo  Trevor Ncube (@TrevorNcube) December 12, 2017

Outgoing publisher Ncube takes full responsibility for what he calls "mistakes made during his tenure", and now assumes 100% of Alpha Media Holdings, which owns theand
Eight Munster research projects are to share a 30.5m regional funding programme managed by Enterprise Ireland, Geoff Percival.

In all, 21 applicants were successful in a first-round of funding. Over 14m of the total has been approved for projects in the south; with 11m going to projects in the east and Midlands and over 5m going to the north and western regions.

What Enterprise Ireland calls major change projects will receive 2m to 5m; regionally-significant projects can receive 250,000 to 2m and industry cluster groups and local/ community enterprise development projects are eligible for 50,000 to 250,000 funding.

The actual amount each project has applied for has not been disclosed, but even if each were to just get the lowest available amount the eight Munster projects would share a minimum of about 4.6m in fresh funding.

Kerrys RDI Hub Company, AgriTech Centre of Excellence, KerrySciTech, Mol Teic and Sneem Digital Hub form the Munster applicant group along with Three-D DAC from Waterford and Cork Urban Enterprises and IT@Cork. Enterprise Ireland expects to see a similar level of interest when it launches a second funding programme in March.

Rural and Community Development Minister Michael Ring welcomed the funding but said regional economic growth remains a challenge.

The jobs recovery is finally spreading into the regions. In the last 12 months, four out of five jobs created were outside Dublin and the live register figures in all of our regions are heading in the right direction.

But, theres still a long way to go and no room for complacency, he said.

As a government, we need to continually challenge ourselves on how to create jobs outside the main cities. Thats exactly what this fund does. It will directly support innovative projects in our regions and, in doing so, help to create rural jobs. By creating jobs in rural Ireland we can convince young people to live in rural areas, Mr Ring said.

Supporting regional enterprise development and working with businesses to achieve their global ambition is a key focus, Enterprise Ireland chief executive Julie Sinnamon said.

This fund allows us to support the regional action plan for jobs, helping to drive growth in key sectors or geographies across the country, particularly in the context of Brexit, said Enterprise Minister Heather Humphreys.

We are backing local and regional stakeholders to drive the future of their own communities by supporting their innovative proposals which will help to deliver job creation and sustainable employment, she said.
Let Me Tell You is a new bespoke podcast series from



Hosts Daniel McConnell and Paul Hosford take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments in recent Irish political history from the unique perspective of one of the key players involved.


A Dublin teenager has gone missing.

Gardai in Tallaght are asking for the public's help in finding 13-year-old Jamie Walsh.

He was last seen boarding a bus in Mullingar en route to Dublin at around 5pm on Thursday, December 7.

Jamie is described as five foot four inches tall, with a slight build and brown hair.

When last seen he was wearing a grey jacket, tracksuit bottoms and black runners.

Anyone who has seen Jamie or who can help in finding him is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01-666 6000, The Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
By Sarah-Jane Murphy and Brion Hoban

A father-of-one who raped two women in his apartment after meeting them on a night out in a nightclub has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Clement Limen (aged 45) of North Court, Quayside, Sligo town, was convicted after a trial at the Central Criminal Court of raping two women at his flat on June 2, 2014 and one count of sexual assault.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey noted the trauma and anguish caused by Limen's attacks on the women before he imposed a prison sentence of seven and a half years.

Garda Sergeant Martin McHale told Eileen OLeary SC, prosecuting, that Limen invited the two women back to his apartment for a party after meeting them in a nightclub on the June bank holiday weekend in 2014.

The court heard that the women, who were aged in their 30s, saw Limen inviting others to the party and they initially fobbed him off. He was waiting outside the nightclub and the women, who were lifelong friends, decided to travel back to his home with 10 other people he had invited from the club.

Both women recall him giving them a very strong drink that tasted like vodka before going totally blank.

One woman said she remembered waking up on a couch, feeling very disorientated while lying on her back, and then realising that Limen was raping her.

Sgt McHale said the woman then found her friend in a bedroom, lying on her back. The second woman told her friend she too had been raped by the defendant.

The women fled the apartment and rang the husband of one of the victims, who came to collect them.

'I regularly wake with a jolt, thinking he is standing over me'

During the trial, Limen denied raping either of the women, telling the court he made them a cocktail with grenadine and vodka.

Limen told the jury he had consensual unprotected sex with one woman, and denied having sex with the other victim.

In a victim impact statement, one woman told the court that her life had changed dramatically since that night.

I was once carefree and fun-loving. I became introverted and racked with anxiety. I regularly wake with a jolt, thinking he is standing over me, she said.

She said she sometimes gets up in the middle of the night to check doors and windows are locked.

If he had pleaded guilty and apologised, I could have forgiven him. But he taunted us at every opportunityHe showed no remorse, was arrogant, and told nauseating lies, she said.

The second woman said in her victim impact statement that she was still coming to terms with the incident that destroyed the last three years of her life.

It is impossible to underestimate what has been done to me unless you're standing in my shoes, she said. He carried my listless body into a bedroom where he violated and raped me.

I am fearful this statement will not do justice to the pain and humiliation I suffered and Im scared of that failure, she said.

The woman said she recalled lying on the examination bed at a hospital the following day and crying her heart out because she had never felt so lonely.

Both victims said Limen's refusal to give gardai a blood sample in order to test him for sexually transmitted diseases, caused them considerable distress.

I had to go to an STD clinic, which was humiliating as I am a married woman. The anti-HIV medication made me violently sick and extremely gaunt. It was an extra blow to put us through, one woman said.

Both women praised their partners, family and friends for supporting them, but said every person in both of their lives have suffered as a result of Limen's crimes.

Kieran OLoughlin SC, defending, told the court that Limen was a university graduate from Cameroon, who had been living in Ireland for seven years, and had no previous convictions.

The court heard Limen intends to appeal his conviction as he does not accept the jurys verdict and to separately make a constitutional challenge regarding the terms of his detention.

Mr Justice Coffey said the crime was aggravated by the trauma and anguish it caused the victims. He said there was no evidentiary basis for suspending any part of the sentence.

He also imposed a sentence of four years for the sexual assault count and ordered that all three sentences run concurrently.
Theresa May might not be able to deliver a Brexit agreement at all, according to the Labour leader.

Brendan Howlin says the confusion over the weekend in the British cabinet raises questions over their ability to reach a final deal.
Irish workers could be forced to pay 10% of their wages into a new pension scheme.

The OECD has warned the average pension is currently worth only a third of most people's earnings.
Update - 3.15pm: Ryanair has confirmed that they have received notice this afternoon from the pilots union IALPA of a 24-hour strike by pilots directly employed by Ryanair on Wednesday, December 20, 2017.

79 out of 82 of Ryanair's direct employee pilots based in Dublin voted for industrial action yesterday in a row over collective bargaining and negotiating rights.

The ballot is said to have covered direct employees only, of which there are 84 and most of whom are captains, without whom planes cannot fly.

Staff employed through agencies, individual companies ar as contractor pilots were not covered in the ballot by the Irish Air Line Pilots Association - which is affiliated to IMPACT.

The airline said in their statement headlined "Ryanair to face down IALPA threatened strike" they "welcome" the notice which, they say, "conclusively proves that it is about union recognition for the Aer Lingus pilots union IALPA and not about pay and conditions for Ryanair pilots."

The company went on to say that pilots in Dublin can earn between 150,000 to 190,000 per annum for working a 5on/4off roster, and have been offered a 20% pay increase. They said this comes "at a time when IALPA are recommending a 3% increase to Aer Lingus pilots".

Ryanair have "apologised sincerely to customers for any upset or worry" from the threatened industrial action and they said they "will deal with any such disruptions if, or when they arise" from the action threatened "by less than 28% of our Dublin pilots may cause them over the coming days".

The airline said: "Ryanair is surprised that IALPA has threatened to disrupt Christmas week travel when IALPAs own numbers confirm that it has the support of less than 28% of Ryanairs over 300 Dublin pilots and when Ryanairs Belfast, Cork and Shannon bases have already agreed these 20% pay deals.

"While some disruption may occur, Ryanair believes this will largely be confined to a small group of pilots who are working their notice and will shortly leave Ryanair, so they dont care how much upset they cause colleagues or customers.

"Ryanair has already confirmed that any Dublin pilots who participate in this industrial action will be in breach of the Dublin pilots base agreement and they will lose those agreed benefits which arise from dealing directly with Ryanair, including the 5on/4off rosters, certain pay benefits and promotion opportunities until such time as they chose to return to the 25-year established practice of dealing directly with Ryanair.

"Like any group of workers, Ryanairs very well paid pilots are free to join unions, but like every other multi-national, Ryanair is also free - under both Irish & EU law - to decline to engage with (competitor pilot) unions.

"Ryanair will not recognise an Aer Lingus pilot union, no matter how often or how long this tiny minority (earning between 150,000 to 190,000 p.a.) try to disrupt our flights or our customers plans during Christmas week."

The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) has expressed its concern at todays announcement.

Cormac Meehan, President of the ITAA, said: "The timing of this strike, just five days before Christmas, is very unsettling and worrying for those planning to travel over the holiday season.

"We are calling on Ryanair to engage with IALPA and do their very best to stop this industrial action taking place. We would also ask that they keep customers up to date with any planned cancellations as soon as possible to ease the uncertainty faced by intending travellers and so that alternative holiday arrangements can be made.

Mr Meehan advised anyone intending to travel with Ryanair to contact their travel agent for further advice and to check CARs website, www.aviationreg.ie for updates on entitlements.

Earlier: Ryanair pilots confirm one-day strike on December 20:

Irish-based Ryanair pilots have served company management with notice of a one-day strike on Wednesday December 20.

Directly-employed pilots, mostly captains, will withdraw their labour in an action that IMPACT says will either disrupt flights or generate substantial costs to the airline.

The pilots backed industrial action by a margin of 94% to 6% in secret ballots conducted over the last week.

The dispute is over Ryanair managements refusal to enter direct negotiations with the European Employee Representative Council (EERC) or IALPA as the sole independent representative body for pilots working in the company.

The airline has so far refused to recognise the EERC or IALPA, and insists that any discussion of pay and working conditions be conducted through management-controlled employee representative councils.

The union has warned of further strike days if agreement is not reached.

Although the number of employees involved in the strike is fewer than the total number of Irish-based Ryanair pilots, the action will have impact because planes cannot legally or safely fly without a captain.

IMPACT official Ashley Connolly said Ryanair was the only Irish-based airline that refuses to recognise independent pilot representatives.

This dispute is solely about winning independent representation for pilots in the company.

"Managements failed negotiating model has let down shareholders and tens of thousands of passengers, whose flights were cancelled this year because company-controlled industrial relations proved incapable of recruiting and retaining enough pilots.

The failed policy threatens to further disappoint shareholders and passengers, and further damage the airlines reputation, because experienced pilots continue to leave the airline in droves.

" This dispute is about securing a safe space for negotiations, with independent representation that pilots can have confidence in, she said.

The union has made repeated attempts to open discussions with airline management in recent months.
U2 has called on Dublin City Council to rescind the Freedom of the City it awarded to Myanmars leader Aung San Suu Kyi over her response to the countrys Rohingya crisis, writes Joe Leogue.

The letter from the band comes a month after Bob Geldof returned the honour, which he received in 2005, in protest at her also holding the distinction.

Hundreds of thousands Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar for Bangladesh amid claims they are victims of violent ethnic cleansing, and allegations that Aung San Suu Kyi has failed to act on the crisis.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent over two decades under house arrest before coming to power, was awarded the Freedom of the Dublin in 1999, the same day the award was bestowed on all four members of U2.

U2 dedicated the song Walk On from their 2000 album All That You Cant Leave Behind to her and her struggle.

However in a letter to Dublin City Councillors, the band have now called on the local authority to rescind the honour.

The decision of who should and shouldnt have this honour lies with you. But we felt compelled to write given our history with you, and with Aung San Suu Kyi. We believe her failure to stand up for the rights of the Rohingya constitutes a betrayal of the principles for which she was so revered and for which she received the Freedom of the City, the band wrote.

Green Party City Councillor Ciaran Cuffe backed the call.

Read the full text of letter below ...

Dear Councillor,

We write as long-time supporters of Amnesty International, and as extremely proud recipients of the Freedom of the City. We remember very clearly the day when we received that honour alongside Aung San Suu Kyi whose son Kim accepted on her behalf.

The day was a very special one for us first and foremost because Dublin is our hometown. Of the various awards - deserved or not - weve been lucky enough to receive over the years, this is by far the one that means the most to us. It was also special because wed been so moved by the strength and fortitude shown by Aung San Suu Kyi in then-Burma. We were campaigning for her release and were proud of Dublins recognition of her courage, and that of her colleagues, to bring about fledgling democracy against all odds against one of the most brutal regimes of modern times.

So it saddens us to be writing to you today as you discuss recent events in Myanmar and decide whether that merits the rescinding of the honour you bestowed on her.

We believe it does.

You have the same facts as we have, which indicate that deliberate and brutal violence, rape, and murder are being used to drive the Rohingya from Rakhine State. This persecution has been authorised and led by Min Aung Hlaing, the Head of Myanmars military. While Aung San Suu Kyi does not have the capacity to control the military, she does have the responsibility to condemn their actions.

The civilian government that she leads is responsible for everyone in her country, and no matter how difficult her position is, to stand by while half a million lives and livelihoods are deliberately decimated by the Myanmar Military is beyond comprehension. Martin Luther King Jr. said, The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.

The decision of who should and shouldnt have this honour lies with you. But we felt compelled to write given our history with you, and with Aung San Suu Kyi. We believe her failure to stand up for the rights of the Rohingya constitutes a betrayal of the principles for which she was so revered and for which she received the Freedom of the City. The City of Dublin sent a very strong message in defence of human rights in 1999, we believe an equally strong message in defence of human rights is just as important now.

Thanks for your time.

Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton
A man has appeared in court in the North on charges related to the murder of prison officer David Black.

The 41-year-old was arrested in Armagh today following his extradition from the Republic of Ireland, police said.
An 18-year-old Dublin youth charged with firearms offences following a shooting incident in which a garda was injured has been refused bail.

A member of the Garda Emergency Response Unit received a gunshot wound to his forearm and a youth was also injured following an exchange of fire during a raid at a house on December 7 last at Barnwell Drive in Ballymun in north Dublin.

Shane Fay, 18, from Belclare Park, Ballymun, was refused bail when he appeared before Judge Michael Walsh at Dublin District Court this afternoon.

He faces two charges under the Firearms Act for unlawful possession of a Davidson semi-automatic pistol and four rounds of ammunition at a house at Barnwell Drive on December 7 last.

Garda Stephen Enright told the district court that Mr Fay was arrested last Friday at 10.39am at James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown. He was taken to Ballymun Garda station and detained under the Offences Against the State Act.

He was released from the provisions of his detention this afternoon at 12.50pm and charged two minutes later after which he made no reply.

Defence solicitor Simon Fleming said his client was seeking bail.

Garda Enright objected citing the seriousness of the incident.

He told the court that gardai were conducting a planned search at the house on Barnwell Drive. It was alleged the accused had the semi-automatic pistol and four rounds of ammunition.

He agreed with Mr Fleming that Mr Fay had no other charges pending.

The defence solicitor said the accuseds parents were profoundly disabled and Mr Fay was involved in their care on a daily basis which was accepted by Garda Enright.

He also agreed that Mr Fay had siblings living in this jurisdiction and he was on social welfare.

Mr Fleming told the judge his client was prepared to abide by bail terms which could deal with the Gardas concerns.

However, Judge Michael Walsh refused bail and remanded Mr Fay in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court next Tuesday for directions from the Director of Public Prosecution to be obtained.

Mr Fay, who was wearing a blue jacket, navy tracksuit bottoms and blue runners, did not address the court and has not yet indicated how he will plead.

Legal aid was granted.
By Ann O'Loughlin

A pensioner who claims she fell over baggage, hurting her knee as she went through security at Dublin Airport before flying out on a trip-of-a-lifetime, has sued in the High Court.

Two days into her holiday in Vietnam, grandmother Catherine Gallagher told Mr Justice Michael Hanna she could not walk and an x-ray at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh city showed a fracture.

Instead of going on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Mrs Gallagher who is now 80 years of age ended up being transferred by air ambulance to Thailand where she spent 10 days in a hospital in Bangkok. She had an operation to a fracture above her earlier knee replacement before being transferred back to Dublin in another air ambulance.

Mrs Gallagher, who had travelled to Vietnam with a lady friend on a two-week tour in a group of 14, said she had saved up for the 2,500 trip-of-a-lifetime three years ago.

"I was fascinated by Vietnam. I always wanted to go there. I had everything planned , what I was going to see," the pensioner, who said she loved to travel, told the judge.

However, she said the first two days she was pushed around in a wheelchair and then she could not walk and was taken to hospital.

Mrs Gallagher told the court after the accident she was asked by first aid at Dublin Airport if she wanted to continue with her travel plans and she opted to travel as she thought she was okay. She said she was given a wheelchair to her flight at Dublin.

Catherine Gallagher of Bray, Co Wicklow, has sued the DAA PLC, which manages Dublin Airport as a result of the fall on April 14, 2014, at Terminal Two as she went through a security check on her way to get her flight to Vietnam.

The pensioner, who had a left knee replacement a few years before, had been hand-scanned after the main detector sounded as she went through it. She was standing to the side when she claims she fell over baggage on the floor.

She has claimed there was an alleged failure to prevent other passengers from creating trip hazards during the security screening of passengers and there was an alleged failure to ensure a safe system for the security screening of passengers transiting the terminal.

Mrs Gallagher has further alleged she experienced severe disruption in her subsequent travel plans and in her way of life as she was immobilised for about six months and was unable to visit her grandchildren in the US.

The Dublin Airport Authority has denied all the claims and contends the pensioner allegedly failed to pay any adequate attention to what was going on about her and allegedly failed to notice the items on the floor.

Mrs Gallagher told Mr Justice Michael Hanna she fell on her left knee.

"I turned to walk away I fell over and came down on my left knee," she said.

She added: "I just know I fell over things on floor.

"I thought I was okay and in 24 hours I would be grand."

She said on a night stopover in Dubai she bought a gel to rub in her leg, but at Ho Chi Minh city she had to have a wheelchair.

Mrs Gallagher said prior to the accident she was very active.

I had a lot planned. I intended to climb Croagh Patrick and to go to Lourdes with one of my friends. I never used my bus pass until this accident. I always walked everywhere.

The case before Mr Justicer Michael Hanna continues tomorrow.
Update 5.45pm: A sixth person has been arrested in connection with an arson attack that killed three children in Manchester.

Today, Greater Manchester Police revealed that a 25-year-old man has now been arrested on suspicion of the three murders and the attempted murder of Michelle and Lia.

Five people were taken into custody overnight in connection with the murder of Demi Pearson, 14, her eight-year-old brother Brandon and seven-year-old sister Lacie following the blaze in Worsley on Monday.

The children's 35-year-old mother, Michelle Pearson, is in a serious condition in hospital while a fourth sibling, three-year-old Lia, is critically ill.

Three men aged 23, 20 and 19, and a 20-year-old woman, are being questioned on suspicion of murder, while a 24-year-old man is also being questioned on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The 19-year-old man and 20-year-old woman have since been released on bail, the force said.

Speaking at a press conference, Chief Superintendent Wayne Miller said: "I can't imagine what the family are going through."

He added: "My heart breaks for them, it really does."

Mr Miller said the force was "so grateful to members of the public who have come forward and given us information" and said there was a greater police presence on the streets as a result of the attack.

Update 2pm: A family targeted in a suspected arson attack which killed three children had been living under threat, sources have confirmed.

Security measures were put in place at the mid-terrace home in Manchester, including the fitting of a device to the propertys letterbox.

The arrangements, known as target hardening, are generally used to strengthen a building to protect it in the event of an attack.

Five people are being questioned on suspicion of murdering Demi Pearson, 14, her eight-year-old brother Brandon and seven-year-old sister Lacie following the blaze yesterday.

The childrens 35-year-old mother, Michelle Pearson, is in a serious condition in hospital while a fourth sibling, three-year-old Lia, is critically ill.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed there had been "earlier incidents" at the address and said the force had made a self-referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

BREAKING: Police investigating a fatal house fire in #Walkden have made further arrests. https://t.co/tztBxKmBqj  Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) December 11, 2017

It is understood the voluntary referral was in response to police contact with the family less than 24 hours before the fatal incident.

Emergency services were called to the address just before 5am yesterday.

Two 16-year-old boys, Ms Pearsons son, Kyle, and a friend, who were also in the house, freed themselves before fire crews arrived and put out the blaze.

Kyle reportedly tried to get back into the home to help family members but was beaten back by flames and smoke.

Three men, aged 23, 20 and 18, and a 20-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A 24-year-old man is also being questioned in custody on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Chief Superintendent Wayne Miller said: "In what is such a heartbreaking set of circumstances, we have been doing our very best to support the family in every way that we can and carry out our inquiries quickly and sensitively.

"We are still appealing for people who witnessed the fire itself or the events leading up to it to get in contact with us and tell us what they know.

"My thanks go to the members of the public who have supported us with our investigation."

Demi was a pupil at Harrop Fold School in Salford, which featured in the Channel 4 documentary Educating Greater Manchester.

Headteacher Drew Povey said: "We are devastated at the tragic loss of life today in our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family involved."

The street remains cordoned off, with one end blocked by large steel barriers, as the joint police and fire service investigation continues.
The Scottish Government is demanding "basic answers" on Brexit ahead of the latest meeting of devolved ministers.

Last week, Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed a breakthrough in EU talks and renewed calls for the UK to remain in the single market and customs union, and for the UKs devolved administrations to be fully involved in the next phase of talks.

Before the latest meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) on EU Negotiations in London, Scotlands Brexit minister Michael Russell has written to UK First Secretary of State Damian Green calling for more clarity.

Mr Russell said: "We welcome any positive progress in the Brexit talks, but there remains huge uncertainty following last weeks announcement in Brussels.

"The UK Government insists it will remove Scotland from the worlds most lucrative marketplace - the European single market of 500 million people.

"But we have no answers on a replacement trade deal, the cost to jobs and living standards or whether last weeks exit deal is legally binding. We need these basic answers now.

"We also need urgent clarity on the implications of last Fridays deal for the other nations of the UK on the issue of UK-wide frameworks, in key areas like agriculture and state aid. We also need to be fully engaged in the negotiations to follow."

Move to phase 2 of talks good - but devil is in the detail and things now get really tough. If #Brexit is happening (wish it wasnt) staying in single market & customs union is only sensible option. And any special arrangements for NI must be available to other UK nations.  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) December 8, 2017

The JMC brings together representatives of the Scottish and Welsh governments, a senior civil servant in the absence of ministers from the Northern Ireland Executive, and UK Government ministers.

Mr Russell added: "The agreement reached last week would in effect allow Northern Ireland to enjoy its own arrangements, yet the UK Government ruled out a special deal for Scotland when we raised it a year ago.

"As the First Minister has made clear, any special arrangements for Northern Ireland must also be available to the other UK nations - otherwise we risk being placed at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to jobs and investment.

"I will also be making clear once again that the Scottish Government cannot recommend the approval of the EU Withdrawal Bill as drafted because it does not respect devolution. Indeed, the confusion of recent days has, if anything, made it harder to see how agreement might be reached."

Labour appears to be Inching towards the only sensible position - Single Market / Customs Union membership. But needs to pick up speed & courage.before it is too late. https://t.co/d0k8ixn9hN  Michael Russell (@Feorlean) December 11, 2017

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said he was confident that the "majority" of the 111 powers returning from Brussels which the Scottish Government claims are vulnerable to a "power grab" at Westminster through the EU Withdrawal Bill would be devolved to Holyrood, but said to outline which would be "inappropriate".

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotlands Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: "I think it would be inappropriate ahead of a meeting today where we hope to actually agree that, to quantify.

"Im confident that a majority of the powers that were on that list of 111 powers, that were on that list, will actually come to Holyrood. I hope that can be agreed today."

He declined to give detail on how the UK Government planned to amend a clause in the Bill stipulating that powers over devolved areas returning from Brussels would initially be handed to Westminster.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell (left) and UK First Secretary of State Damian Green

He appealed for the devolved administrations to work with the UK Government in order to get the best future trade deal with the EU and said last weeks agreement that the UK would have "full alignment" with the EU on issues that impact on Northern Ireland was a "backstop" position.

Mr Mundell added: "What the position is in relation to Ireland is that weve been very clear from the outset that we dont want to see any change to the existing arrangements there in relation to the border between the north and the south.

"What is in the agreement is a backstop position if its not possible to reach a wider agreement in terms of a new economic partnership."
British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing the "real possibility" of Commons defeat on her flagship Brexit bill unless MPs are guaranteed a "meaningful vote" on leaving the EU, Tory rebels have warned.

Former UK attorney general Dominic Grieve said he was determined to force a vote on an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill unless ministers back down.

With up to 20 Conservative MPs reportedly willing to support the change in the division lobbies tomorrow, he said they could well have the votes needed to get it through.

"I think there are quite a few who may support me - I think enough, if this comes to a vote, to defeat the Government," he told BBC Radio 4s The World At One.

"I think there is a real possibility that that will happen."

The move threatened to wreck the fragile unity in the Conservative ranks in the wake of Ms Mays agreement in Brussels on Friday over the terms of Britains withdrawal, potentially allowing the Brexit negotiations to move on to the second phase, including trade talks.

Brexiteers reacted angrily to the threatened revolt, accusing the rebels of trying to "derail" the whole bill, which is needed to transpose EU legislation on to the UK statute book when Britain leaves in March 2019.

Mr Grieve, who campaigned for Remain in the referendum, denied his amendment - which would require any final deal with the EU to be approved by a separate act of Parliament - was designed to prevent Brexit happening.

He said he tabled the change because, as the legislation stood, the Government had the power to do it by the use of statutory instruments, denying MPs the promised "meaningful vote" on the outcome of the negotiations.

Dominic Grieve on his feet in Commons - the key reluctant rebel in next 24 hours when PM faces her first potential defeat on EU legislation  Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) December 12, 2017

He said that if ministers accepted the amendment, they could still come back at a later date with further changes to make it more to their liking.

"To keep this power in in the form which it is at the moment is plainly wrong," he said.

"I dont see any possibility of my backing down on this at all. I will vote for my amendment. I dont know whether I will be successful or not but I think I must push it forward.

"I dont want to defeat the Government. It is not my desire to do this, I would much prefer the Government to listen to what we have been saying, accept the amendment, and, at a later stage, the Government can always correct it if it wants to."

Ministers are expected to argue the amendment is unnecessary as they are already committed to tabling a separate bill to implement the main elements of any deal - including the agreements on the financial settlement and future citizens rights signed by Ms May on Friday.

Dominic Grieve

UK Conservative former leader Iain Duncan Smith accused Mr Grieve and his supporters of "grandstanding" and trying to tie the Governments hands in the Brexit talks.

"I think this is looking for ways to derail the bill," he told The World At One.

"There comes a moment when really grandstanding has to stop. Tying the Governments hands in the way that he would wish to tie them so early on is quite wrong."

Asked about Mr Grieve's amendment, Mrs May's official spokesman said: "The Government position has been throughout that we are listening to MPs and we are having conversations with them, and where we think the legislation can be improved, we are prepared to take it on board.

"I think what the MPs are asking for is clarity. We are looking at the amendment and will respond to it in due course."
A fundraising appeal has been launched to help pay for the legal costs of a part-time fitness instructor who claims he was wrongly convicted of murdering his adopted baby daughter.

Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 18 years after being found guilty of inflicting a catalogue of injuries on 18-month-old Elsie, who had been formally adopted by him and his husband, Craig, just two weeks before her death.

His trial at Cardiff Crown Court, which ended last month, heard Elsie suffered bruises, a broken leg and a fall down a full flight of stairs during the eight months Scully-Hicks had care of her.

She died four days after being violently shaken and sustaining a fractured skull, subdural bleeding and retinal haemorrhages, at the couples home in Llandaff, Cardiff, on May 25, 2016.

A website called the Scully-Hicks Innocence Project, says it wants to raise "awareness of the shortfalls and out of date theories used in the justice system" to help Scully-Hicks and his family with their legal investigation and costs for an appeal, which they say will also "help other families going through a similar situation".

An article published on the site named In Matthews Words, claiming to be Scully-Hicks version of the events surrounding Elsies death, calls for help to "prove my innocence".

It says: "I cant do that from prison, and that is where I am hoping I can rely on the people that knew me and knew Elsie.

"The people that, like me, know this doesnt make sense, and the people who can provide insight or evidence that can help me and other families that have been through a similarly awful experience."

The article addresses a number of aspects of the prosecution case against Scully-Hicks including text messages in which he branded Elsie "a psycho", "the exorcist" and "Satan dressed up in a Babygro".

It says: "On inspection of the messages, I had realised that the prosecution had cut sections of my messages out to paint a worse picture.

"They left out the sections that showed emotion or humour, to leave a cold cross section of a conversation."

The article also points to an incident which took place more than two months before the toddlers final hospitalisation as being a possible cause of her death.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Elsie was taken to hospital by ambulance on March 10 2016, after Scully-Hicks called 999 claiming she had fallen down the stairs.

She was kept under observation for a number of hours but no CT scan was performed.

Medical experts told the trial this incident - which a family court judge had previously attributed to another episode of shaking rather than a fall - could not account for the catastrophic injuries Elsie suffered before her death.

In the article, it says of the March hospital visit: "We were told that Elsie seemed to be okay and we could go home.

"We werent given a leaflet or any advice other than to come back if anything changed.

"I have since seen a copy of the assessment form that shows the section about aftercare.

"The head injury leaflet wasnt completed or signed.

"Also since Elsie passed away I learned that Elsie was one instance of sickness away from having a head scan.

"One that I believe could have saved her life."

Baby Elsie

The article also discusses evidence given by defence witness Professor Michael Holick, an American endocrinologist who specialises in vitamin D, who said he believed Elsie was deficient in vitamin D and showed signs of having rickets, which he said explained her fractures.

His diagnosis was disputed by other medical experts including Professor Anthony Freemont who told the jury there was "nothing at all" to suggest that Elsies bones were anything other that healthy or normal and that he found no evidence of vitamin D deficiency or rickets.

The article describes receiving Prof Holicks reports days before the trial started in October and says: "I finally had proof of something that made sense of some of this awful situation."

The article, published on December 7, concludes: "I have now missed the opportunity to say goodbye to my daughter at her funeral that was held last week, and I dont want to miss any more of my family for any longer than I have to.

"Anything you think that can help share awareness or anything to help my cause - please share it.

"There is nothing that can bring Elsie back, but we can change the version of what happened.

"Elsie wasnt a victim, she was my much loved little princess who I miss with all my heart."

A crowdfunding page set up on Just Giving says the Scully-Hicks Innocence Project is aiming to raise 10,000 to go towards Scully-Hicks appeal and legal costs.

So far it has raised 40 from two donations.
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Bridgit joins Finsure's panel Partnership expands lender's offering to brokers

Bidding for the financial firm eChoice has wrapped up with the period of sale reaching its end last Friday.With eChoice and 13 subsidiary companies falling under voluntary administration , offers from all interested parties were set to be received by 5pm on 8 December at the latest.The voluntary administrators from financial services consultancy Rodgers Reidy announced that they had received a formal unconditional offer from a large financial institution on 1 December in a letter to shareholders.Under the terms set out by the voluntary administrators, bidders were required to supply a deposit equal to 10% of the total purchase price as well as evidence that they can fully fund the acquisition.When contacted by Australian Broker, Geoff Reidy, voluntary administrator and director of Rodgers Reidy, said that a number of parties had expressed interest in purchasing some or all of eChoices assets.However, he declined to offer further information about the process of sale or the identity of the final buyer.The discussions between the administrators and these parties are confidential and commercially sensitive, and the administrators will not be commenting on them.Australian Broker also reached out to eChoice but it declined to comment on the deal.
A 24-year-old man is facing a slew of felony charges for illegal straw purchase of 21 guns at gun stores, almost exclusively in Bucks County. Leonard Truesdale was arraigned on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, on 21 counts each of making false statements on firearm purchase forms, criminal conspiracy to make false statements on firearm purchase forms and selling or transferring...
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In November, there are hundreds of new and returning TV showsit can be overwhelming to try and choose what to watch. That's why we've selected some of the best options...
Anastasia is awake on Once Upon a Time. How will the other fairy tale characters react? In the winter finale (episode 10) of season 7, Gothel will attempt to gain her trust. And Weaver might be working with Anastasia and Victoria  and the dagger is at the center of it.

The official episode description says, When Drizella threatens the realm with a dark curse, Henry and Ella take extreme actions to protect Lucy and the others; and Regina is forced into making an unimaginable choice. In Hyperion Heights, Roni recruits Henry to travel to San Francisco to search for her sister, but when he learns Lucy has fallen unconscious, Henry rushes to be by her side. Meanwhile, Gothel earns the trust of Anastasia and the consequences of their budding relationship could prove to be fatal.

What Happens Now That Anastasia is Awake on Once Upon a Time?>>>

Check out photos from this episode of Once Upon a Time, which airs Friday, December 15:

Weaver Brings Anastasia and Victoria into a Room

Weaver Shows Anastasia a Line-Up of Knives

Anastasia Picks Up the Dagger

Did Anastasia Throw the Knives at the Cupboards?

Weaver Pulls Out the Dagger

Quiz: Which Once Upon a Time Villain Are You?>>>

Victoria

Anastasia Writes Down What Victoria and Weaver are Telling Her

The Trio Look Up to See Who Has Arrived  Is It Gothel?

Can Gothel Earn Anastasias Trust  And Will It End Badly?

Are you looking forward to seeing how Anastasia plays into the storyline now that shes awake? And what do you think Weaver is wanting her to do, based on the above photos? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Once Upon a Time airs Fridays at 8/7c on ABC. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.

(Images courtesy of ABC)
New downtown home of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB officially opens

The new building allows UB to train more doctors to alleviate physician shortages, achieve breakthroughs in biomedical research and transform health care in Buffalo

Western New Yorks transformation into a national health sciences hub continues to grow as the new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building opens its doors to the future leaders of 21st century medicine, research and technology. 

A key educational attribute of the building is its emphasis on active learning classrooms, which contain triangular tables that are fully electronic.

A key educational attribute of the building is its emphasis on active learning classrooms, which contain triangular tables that are fully electronic.

BUFFALO, N.Y.  Sixty-four years after moving to the University at Buffalos South Campus, the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has returned to downtown Buffalo.

The massive $375 million, 628,000-square-foot building officially opened today at 955 Main St., just steps from where it was located from 1893 to 1953.

The building was the first to receive NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant funding through NYSUNY 2020, legislation that was signed into law by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in 2011. The initiative has spurred economic growth across the state and strengthened the academic programs of New Yorks public universities and colleges. The mission of the NYSUNY 2020 program is to elevate SUNY as a catalyst for regional economic development and affordable education.

Western New Yorks transformation into a national health sciences hub continues to grow as the new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building opens its doors to the future leaders of 21st century medicine, research and technology, Governor Cuomo said. By moving this state-of-the-art facility downtown, we strengthen Buffalos economy while helping to ensure the citys growth and development continues strong.

Moving the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences downtown is a major milestone for the University at Buffalo that has been a decade in the making, said UB President Satish K. Tripathi.

UB is now poised to achieve our vision of excellence in medical education, research and patient care. We are so indebted to Governor Cuomo, who shared and supported our vision all along. From the very beginning, he, along with the Western New York state delegation, saw the great potential in moving the Jacobs School to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and recognized the pivotal role it could play in the remarkable transformation of our region. Governor Cuomo advanced our vision by signing the historic New York SUNY 2020 legislation into law.

This defining and transformative moment would also not have been possible without the incredible support and generosity of Jeremy Jacobs and his family, for whom the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is named, Tripathi added.

Mr. Jacobs and his family are committed to our vision because they know that the students we educate here, and the discoveries and treatments generated here, will save lives and improve the quality of life for people around the world. Their belief in our institution has transformed the dream of a world-class downtown medical school building into a concrete reality.

My family is thrilled to join UB and our elected officials at todays ribbon-cutting ceremony, said Jeremy M. Jacobs, UB Council chairman, whose familys historic $30 million gift was critical to the medical schools move downtown. The new medical school building fulfills the collaborative and innovative vision of the medical campus, which will have a transformative impact on health care in Western New York. By moving the school downtown, UB is enhancing its role in the fabric of our city and furthering its commitment to our community.

Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown noted that the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will bring over 2,000 students, faculty and staff to the heart of downtown Buffalo. This is an incredibly exciting time for the medical community in the City of Buffalo, Brown said. I would like to thank President Satish Tripathi for his tremendous leadership in making this project a reality; Jeremy Jacobs, and his family, for their generosity  not just to UB  but to the entire City of Buffalo; and Governor Andrew Cuomo for his vision and determination to put Buffalo on the map as a leader in medical education, care and research.

Michael Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences at UB and dean of the Jacobs School, said todays opening marks a long-awaited reunion for the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

It reunites our faculty conducting research, who have been located on the universitys South Campus, with those involved in patient care in our partner institutions. This building fully integrates medical education into Buffalos growing academic health center, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthening our relationships with our clinical partners.

A medical school that is just steps away from UBMD Physicians Group at Conventus, John R. Oishei Childrens Hospital, Buffalo General Medical Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and all of our other partners will foster synergies that will expand and improve health care in Western New York, he said.

Addressing the physician shortage and benefiting the region

The new building allows the Jacobs School to expand its class size by 25 percent, from 144 to 180 students, training many more doctors to address local and national physician shortages. This year, the Jacobs School admitted its first class of 180 students; by 2021, the schools enrollment will reach 720 students.

That expansion, in turn, boosts UBs ability to recruit and retain world-class faculty with medical expertise in specialties that the region sorely lacks so that Western New Yorkers do not have to leave town for specialty care.

The move of the Jacobs School to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus bolsters the citys biomedical sector as a catalyst for regional economic development. Medical innovations will result from increased synergies with the clinical and research partners on the medical campus, in turn, creating new medical technologies and spinoff businesses.

Deliberately positioned as a gateway to the medical campus, the building features a pedestrian walkway from Allen Street and the vibrant Allentown neighborhood to Washington Street.

The buildings sustainable features include bicycles available to rent in the walkway and the NFTA Metro station, which is located under the building, a first for Buffalo, so that the public can readily access the medical campus from the Allen/Medical Campus station.

A 32-foot tall, two story light tower at the Main and High streets entrance functions as the buildings signature feature, a beacon, often lit in UB blue, but which can beam virtually any color, which architects intended as emblematic of the schools return to its downtown roots. Just upstairs, on the second floor, in a more concrete nod to the historic past of the Jacobs School, hangs a pair of lanterns. Originally gaslights, they illuminated the High Street medical school lobby from 1893 until 1953 when the medical school moved to the UB South Campus on Main Street. The lanterns were restored by Ewa Stachowiak, assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences and Brian Koyn, in the UB health sciences fabrication department who used a 3-D printer to restore missing and decaying lantern pieces with exact replicas of the original metalwork.

Active learning

The building design was produced by HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm, which was selected for the project by UB in 2012 after winning an international competition to develop the best design concepts for the new Jacobs School building.

Through its classrooms and open spaces called learning landscapes, the Jacobs Schools new building promotes collaborative interactions among faculty and students. Its huge, open six-story, light-filled atrium, comprising more than 19,000 feet of glass, fosters collegiality and a strong sense of community.

A key educational attribute of the building is its emphasis on active learning classrooms, which contain triangular tables that are fully electronic so that any student, even in a class of 180, can not only contribute but also present data to the entire group with the touch of a button.

Small classroom and study spaces are available throughout the building, all with optimal technology connections.

A casual cafe is located on the second floor but for full-service dining options, faculty, staff and students will be encouraged to patronize local businesses, a deliberate feature of the building.

State-of-the-art laboratory spaces on the buildings third, fourth and fifth floors, are modern and light-filled.

The sixth floor includes expanded facilities where students will hone their skills, from the Behling Simulation Center, where students will gain interprofessional training using life-like mannequins in realistic medical scenarios, to the Clinical Competency Center, where students will interact in scripted clinical scenarios using standardized patient volunteers.

Students, medical residents and professionals also will have access to the buildings surgical suites and robotics suites, where they will be trained in the newest surgical and robotics skills. In addition to the traditional gross anatomy training using cadavers, students will have access to visualizations of the cadavers, providing far more detailed anatomical information.

Historic support and generosity

In addition to the support provided by Gov. Cuomo, the new building was made possible through state and UB capital appropriations and support from the UB Foundation, as well as the generosity of alumni, community leaders, corporations and foundations who gave to a $200 million campaign for the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, including a historic $30 million gift from Jeremy M. Jacobs and family.

In recognition of the Jacobs family gift and Jacobs tremendous service and philanthropy to the university, the medical school in 2015 was named in their honor.
Altecnic has announced that its parent company Caleffi has acquired Cristina - an Italian firm working under the trademarks Cristina Rubinetterie and SILFRA that has been producing top-end taps and fittings since 1949.

This deal between two entrepreneurs - Marco Caleffi and Alberto Cristina - go back a long way and have worked together with mutual respect, sharing the same work ethic, business approach and local territory. The two reached a full agreement on all aspects.

Group Chairman Marco Caleffi said: "I wish to think that now that Cristina has entered the Caleffi Group, the handover will be exceptionally smooth. Cristina belonged to Alberto and to his father before him, so it has always been a priority for him to leave his company to someone he trusts, someone who would ensure that day-to-day running carries on as it always did.

"A company is not only made up of processes and products, but also of dedication to the job, local contacts, investments and constant attention. In view of this, having become the Chairman of Cristina is more of a matter of pride to me than a mere business deal. Cristina is a solid brand with an amazing background, a high product positioning and a reputation for innovation and fine design both in Italy and abroad. This is why as a brand Cristina deserves to be guided and steered along a path of progressive growth which will protect its product and brand identity."

Daniele Mazzon, newly appointed General Manager of Cristina Srl, said: "It is our firm intention to keep Cristina's Italian distribution and commercial network separate from Caleffi's. But we are convinced that pooling our strengths to some extent and drawing on Caleffi's well-established logistics network on foreign markets will prove to be an excellent opportunity for Cristina to evolve and explore new openings."

As for any new project, the energy generated will lead to new future plans being drawn up. In Cristina's case, these plans relate to developing the corporate structure and launching marketing actions which put a focus on new design solutions for bathroom taps and fittings as well as on the strategic role of the Cristina Brera showroom that was recently opened in Milan.

The Caleffi Group, which is the Italian heart of an international group active in over 70 countries worldwide, has chosen to diversify, entering the market of taps and fittings to ensure continuity and future growth for the Cristina trademark. It is a binding promise.

Alan Sherwin, Managing Director of Altecnic said: "This new group acquisition is very exciting news for the future development of the Cristina brand here in the UK and the product offering and services to its customers."
Elliotts Builders Merchant have boosted their timber offering by appointing a new Timber Products Manager.

Bob Tee will be heading up the timber department at the Elliotts Sales Hub in Southampton, managing timber supplies for Elliotts branch network across the south.

Having known Elliotts throughout my career, Im thrilled to be able to use my knowledge and expertise to help boost and promote their growing timber category says Bob.

Elliotts has a great selection of timber available across their network and, with a rise in the demand for timber products in general, including new housing around Hampshire and Dorset, we need to make sure we continue to meet the growing demand for timber and timber based products.

Im excited to be part of a company that is so well respected and who support my vision to grow the companys timber business.

Bob comes to Elliotts with over 33 years of experience in timber purchasing, production and management, having spent most of his career at Covers Timber & Builders Merchants where he held the position of Timber Director.

Tom Elliott, Managing Director of Elliotts, said: Were delighted to welcome Bob to the team. His extensive experience in timber will help add a great deal of value to our customers and their requirements.

Elliotts has been established since 1842 and we are continually pushing forward with new ideas and initiatives to keep up with the ever-growing demand of the building industry.
Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge Town Council has this week given its backing to a new green project to reduce the use of single-use plastics such as cutlery, straws and cups in the town in order to help local beaches and marine life.

Mark Wakeling from the campaign group Surfers Against Sewage  pictured below with the Deputy Mayor Peter Clayton and Town Council Clerk Tatiana Cant  addressed councillors on Monday (December 11th) to explain why its so important to clean up local beaches, river estuaries and the sea by reducing plastic waste to stop pollution.

The Town Council unanimously passed a motion to support the Plastic-Free Coastlines scheme and are now encouraging residents in Burnham-On-Sea to get involved by saying no to single-use plastics, such as straws, takeaway cups and polystyrene food boxes.

Mark said: I grew up in this area and have been windsurfing in Burnham for 25 years so I have quite a big interest in keeping the sea clean. The South West is the second worst region of the UK for plastics on beaches and plastic has increased by 10% over the last year.

I frequently find single-use plastics such as straws, cups and food containers which is killing marine life. We all need to do our bit to reduce the use of plastics.

Burnham-On-Seas MP James Heappey, pictured below with Mr Wakeling, also gave his backing to the campaign in a letter read out at Mondays meeting.

The MP said: The amount of plastic thats washed up on our beaches is horrendous and it is gut wrenching to see the amount of it that has obviously been pecked or bitten by birds or other marine life.

He added: Much of the plastic on Burnham beach originated locally and so by committing to the Plastic Free Coastline we can make a big difference to marine life in our area. Well also be having a positive impact on the visitor experience in the town and it will be helpful in our pursuit of higher bathing water standards too.

Ive had the please of working with Mark on the Bathing Water Steering Group and we are lucky to have such a committed campaigner living locally. He has my full support.

Burnham-On-Sea Chamber Of Trade has also supported the campaign this week, with a spokesman saying: Were fully behind the scheme and have invited Surfers Against Sewage along to speak at one of our upcoming members meetings for Burnhams businesses to hear more about how they can get involved.

Cllr Martin Cox said at Mondays meeting: The BBCs Blue Planet has opened my eyes to how vast a problem the plastics problem is  and I fully support this campaign.

Cllr Mike Facey added: I support it completely and propose that we accept the motion. It was seconded by Cllr Phil Harvey and councillors voted unanimously in favour.

The motion reads: That this council supports the Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Coastline campaign in an effort to reduce the use of single use plastics (eg cutlery, straws, cups etc) in the town which, in turn, contribute not only to the plastic pollution epidemic to our waters, but also to the litter problem on our streets. This Council notes that achieving this accreditation requires five objectives to be met and that this council will lead by example.

One of the five objectives involves a local council passing a motion to support Plastic-Free Coastlines, meaning it has achieved the first objective.

The Friends of Burnham Beach have been busy this year cleaning local beaches to try and reduce the amount of waste littering local tidelines  their latest clean is this coming Saturday.
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Leading commercial vehicles maker and Hinduja Group flagship said it would invest Rs 400 crore over the next two years in developing new products, including left-hand-driving trucks.
A British Airways flight from Mumbai scheduled to land at Heathrow airport on Monday evening was diverted to Baku in Azerbaijan after declaring a "general emergency".

Reports from passengers on board BA198 indicated that engineers were at work to fix a technical fault on the aircraft before it could resume its journey to London.

One passenger tweeted that they were "stuck in Baku" due to technical fault, which involved smoke in the first class cabin.

"Makes me wish I was still in Goa," said the passenger, Sylvia Traganida, who revealed that the flight had already had a delayed take-off from Mumbai due to extreme weather conditions at its destination.

BA, along with a number of other airlines, had issued an alert earlier on Monday that many of its flights will be disrupted due to heavy snowfall in the UK on Sunday.

"Some flights will be disrupted today due to crew and aircraft being out of position following yesterday's weather. Please check your flight status ahead of travelling to the airport," a BA statement said.
In a major boost to the Rs 10,000-crore direct-selling in India, the government of Maharashtra has decided to soon adopt the Centres draft guidelines as final norms for direct-selling business. Following adoption, Maharashtra would be the fourth state -- the other three are Talangana, Sikkim and Chhattisgarh -- to implement the guidelines for ease of doing direct-selling business in the state, as proposed by the Centre last year.
Monnet Ispat & Energy has become the first stressed company to get resolution plans from prospective bidders. It is among the 12 large corporate loan defaulters referred by the Reserve Bank of India for insolvency proceedings.
Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is said to be in talks for an initial public offering (IPO) for its mobile operator Jio. According to a Bloomberg report, Reliance is holding internal discussions about preparing to list Jio as early as late 2018 or early 2019. An RIL representative approached by Bloomberg for its report declined to comment.
Communications giant has begun rationalising its staff at its India units in Hyderabad and Chennai, with a body representing IT industry employees claiming that over 1,000 people have been laid off by the company.
The Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group PLC have started talks on the closing adjustments of the merger between Idea Cellular and Vodafone India, and the discussions are focused on how to resolve Ideas losses incurred since the announcement of the deal in March. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2018.
Those who have been to Ladakh region might agree that the telecommunication services in the countrys northern frontier is shaky and the internet services are beyond reach. However, the scenario would not be the same anymore as the Indias leading telecommunication service provider Bharti Airtel on December 12 has launched 4G services in the Ladakh region.
More than 10 lakh foreign tourists visited India in November 2017, a rise of 14.4 per cent over the same period last year, the tourism ministry said in a statement today.

The number of (FTAs) in India last month was 10.5 lakh as compared to 8.78 lakh in November 2016 and 8.16 lakh in November 2015.

"The growth rate in FTAs in November 2017 over November 2016 is 14.4 per cent," the statement said.

FTAs during the period between January and November this year were 90.01 lakh, with a growth of 15.6 per cent over the same period the previous year.

stood at 77.83 lakh in January- November, 2016, a growth of 9.4 per cent over January- November, 2015.

Most tourists came from Bangladesh (16.77 per cent), followed by the US (14.77 per cent), the UK (10.23 per cent), Russia (4.41 per cent), Canada (4.39 per cent), Australia (3.96 per cent) and Malaysia (3.50 per cent).

With almost 29.76 per cent share of FTAs, the Delhi airport remained the busiest, followed by Mumbai (17.20 per cent), Haridaspur Land Check Post (between Bangladesh and India (8.40 per cent) and Chennai airport (5.78 per cent).

The ministry compiles monthly estimates of FTAs, including those with e-tourist visas, on the basis of their nationality and port. The estimates are based on data received from the Bureau of Immigration (BOI).

November 2017 also saw a substantial rise in the number of tourists arriving on e-visas.

During the month of November, 2017, a total of 2.14 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-tourist visa as compared to 1.37 lakh during the month of November, 2016, registering a growth of 56.2 per cent, the statement said.

From January to November 2017, a total of 14.57 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-tourist visa as compared to 9.17 lakh during January-November 2016, registering a growth of 58.8 per cent.

Tourists from the UK (17.1 per cent), USA (11.6 per cent) and Russian Federation (6.6 per cent) were the top countries availing e-tourist visa facilities during November, 2017.
On the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of spreading lies about Gujarat and its economic growth. Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi said there was a strong undercurrent in favour of his party.
The second phase polling in Gujarat election is an inch closer, and this time the Congress party is struggling to defeat the twenty-two years long regime of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in the state. Besides, the BJP is also not taking the poll lightly, after witnessing the outrage from its key vote banks like Patidars, farmers communities, businessmen and traders.
John Goulet, the pilot of the sea-plane, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew, described him as a good passenger and termed it a historic moment.

Modi had visited the Dharoli Dam and the Ambaji Temple, on the banks of the Sabarmati River in a seaplane.

Speaking to ANI, Goulet said: "It was a very pleasing experience. I gave him (Modi) safety briefing. He is a very good passenger. Seaplanes are very common in many countries. It should be popular in India also as you have lakes, rivers and the coastal areas.

Captain John Goulet is a Canadian pilot and the President of Goulet Aviation Services. He has over 40 years of experience in international commercial aviation and subject matter expert.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi travelled in a sea-plane, which is the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country. His return journey would also be by the same seaplane.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had said that this is for the first time in the history of the country, that a seaplane would land on a water body.

Also, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday called Modi's seaplane journey a 'big revolution' in the field of transport.

He further informed that within three months, the central government would formulate its rules and regulations and start seaplanes' transport in different states of India by mid-2018.

When asked if Modi commuting through seaplane has to do anything with the Gujarat elections, Gadkari said, "As per rules and regulations, a Prime Minister can use any transport facility. It has nothing to do with the elections. If Rahul Gandhi wants he can also use it. There is no politics in it. In fact, I feel proud that the Prime Minister of this country took the trial."

The remaining parts of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, are slated to go for polls in the second and last phase on December 14.

The first phase of polling took place on December 9 and recorded a voter turnout of 68 per cent.

Counting of votes and results would be announced on December 18.








Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday travelled in a from Sabarmati river in the city to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country.
The Congress on Tuesday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking a seaplane for campaigning in Gujarat, terming it "Hawa Hawai" and added that the ruling BJP did not understand development.
Supporters waer mask of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election campaign rally in support of BJP candidates, in Gujarat

As the clock ticks for the second phase of Assembly polls in central and north Gujarat on December 14, all eyes are on 39 lakh voters of 16 seats in the mega city, considered a stronghold of the BJP since the 90s.

On Tuesday, both Modi and newly elected Congress President Rahul Gandhi are expected to take the fight further when they address a number of rallies on the last day of election campaign ahead of the second round of voting. Modi will travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via a seaplane.Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, will hold his first presser as Congress President in Ahmedabad at 1 PM.

During the 2012 Assembly polls, the BJP won 14 seats here, including Ghatlodia, Jamalpur-Khadia, Vejalpur, Vatva, Ellisbridge, Naranpura, Nikol, Naroda, Thakkarbapa Nagar, Bapunagar, Amraiwadi, Maninagar, Sabarmati and Asarwa(SC), while the Congress won two seats-Dariyapur and Danilimada(SC).

Like other cities of Gujarat, the voters of this bustling urban centre have been standing firmly behind the BJP since the early 90s.

At least five seats - Ghatlodia, Nikol, Maninagar, Sabarmati and Thakkarbapa Nagar - have a sizable population of Patidars. These areas witnessed violence and arson during the quota agitation led by Hardik Patel two years back.

Four seats - Jamalpur-Khadia, Dariyapur, Danilimada and Vejalpur - have a considerable number of Muslim voters.

The Maninagar constituency, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi thrice from 2002 till 2014 as then MLA and Gujarat chief minister, can easily be termed as the city's most high profile seat and a bastion of the BJP.

In 2012, Modi won by a margin of over 86,000 votes.

Following Modi's resignation from Maninagar after becoming the prime minister in 2014, BJP candidate Suresh Patel won the byelection from the seat, having around 52,000 Patidar voters, by a majority of over 49,000 votes.

Patel, who has been renominated by the BJP, will now face Shweta Brahmnbhatt, the IIM-educated young face from Congress.

Another important seat is Ghatlodia, once represented by former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel.

She had quit last year after the quota agitation, which had also gripped Ghatlodia where there were violent protests and arson by the Patidars.

Respecting her "wish" of not wanting to contest the polls this time, the ruling party has given ticket to another senior party leader Bhupendra Patel.

The adjoining seat is Naranpura, having around 40,000 Patidar voters. It was earlier represented by BJP president Amit Shah, who resigned from it in August this year after being elected to the Rajya Sabha.

The party has now fielded former minister Kaushik Patel, who is considered close to Shah.

Though Patidars were known to be committed supporters of the saffron party since last two decades, the equations seem to have changed after the quota agitation and Hardik Patel's appeal to his community to "uproot BJP" this time.

The other seats which might face the brunt of 'Patidar anger' are Thakkarbapa Nagar (having around 35,000 Patidar voters), Bapunagar (31,000), Nikol (52,000), Naroda (34,000) and Sabarmati (44,000).

Amid the turmoil over Patidar votes, the old city's Jamalpur-Khadia seat is also in focus for different reasons.

Out of the total 1.98 lakh voters in the constituency, the Muslims are in the driving seat with their numbers being a little over one lakh. Their votes could be crucial in deciding the fate of sitting BJP MLA Bhushan Bhatt.

In 2012, Bhatt won the election apparently through the division of minority votes between independent candidate Sabir Kabliwala and Congress candidate Samirkhan Pathan.

Kabliwala, a rebel Congressmen, got around 30,000 votes, paving way for Bhatt's win by a thin margin of 6,300 votes.

This time too, Kabliwala, who was hoping to get the Congress ticket, filed his candidature as an independent out of anger when the opposition party chose local councillor Imran Khedawala over him.

Both Khedawala and Kabliwala belong to Chhipa community, which accounts for around 25,000 to 30,000 voters in Jamalpur-Khadia seat.

However, in a sudden turn of events which may spell trouble for the BJP on the seat, Kabliwala withdrew his nomination at the last moment.

Besides, the Muslim-dominated Dariyapur seat is currently held by Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh, who also enjoys support of some Hindu voters for having an image of being a "progressive" leader.

Out of the total 1.97 voters in this mix population seat, there are around 85,000 Muslims.

In 2012, Shaikh defeated BJP candidate Bharat Barod by a thin margin of just over 2,600 votes. This time too, both the old rivals are pitted against each other.

Polling for the second phase will be held on December 14. Votes would be counted on December 18.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
IBC auctions: Stressed unlisted firms may get tax incentives



Transfer of shares of unlisted stressed companies at a price below its fair market value might soon be exempt from the tax net, according to the governments plans. The move, if implemented, would bring down the cost of investment and benefit buyers. Fair market value is the companys adjusted book value. Read more



Output woes continue at auctioned coal blocks



The production from coal blocks, awarded through the first auction in the country three years ago, continues to be very low. In the case of blocks awarded to the power sector, the production is nil. Read more



Non-declaration of Bitcoin gains could lead to a minimum of 20% tax



The bitcoin surge in the current fiscal year (FY18) in the absence of regulation has rattled the government, prompting it to take a look at the policy and taxability of earnings from cryptocurrency trading. Read more



Oberoi Delhi to reopen with cleanest air



Lutyens Delhis 52-year-old luxury hotel, The Oberoi, is ready to welcome guests with a promise of the cleanest air in the city after a full renovation lasted seven quarters. Read more



Congress readies for Rahul Gandhi era



Rahul Gandhi was declared president-elect of the Congress party on Monday. He will officially take over the reins on Saturday, two days before counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly polls and amid anticipation that he would not only ring changes in the hierarchy but also reshape its ideological moorings. Read more






Russia threw its weight behind China's massive Belt and Road plan to build trade and transport links across Asia and beyond, suggesting to India on Monday that it find a way to work with Beijing on the signature project.

India is strongly opposed to an economic corridor that China is building in Pakistan that runs through disputed Kashmir as part of the Belt and Road initiative.

India was the only country that stayed away from a May summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping to promote the plan to build railways, ports and power grids in a modern-day recreation of the Silk Road.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said New Delhi should not let political problems deter it from joining the project, involving billions of dollars of investment, and benefiting from it.

Lavrov was speaking in the Indian capital after a three-way meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj at which, he said, India's reservations over the Chinese project were discussed.

"I know India has problems, we discussed it today, with the concept of One Belt and One Road, but the specific problem in this regard should not make everything else conditional to resolving political issues," he said.

Russia, all the countries in central Asia, and European nations had signed up to the Chinese project to boost economic cooperation, he said.

"Those are the facts," he said. "India, I am 100 percent convinced, has enough very smart diplomats and politicians to find a way which would allow you to benefit from this process."

The comments by Russia, India's former Cold War ally, reflected the differences within the trilateral grouping formed 15 years ago to challenge U.S.-led dominance of global affairs.

But substantial differences between India and China, mainly over long-standing border disputes, have snuffed out prospects of any real cooperation among the three.

India, in addition, has drawn closer to the United States in recent years, buying weapons worth billions of dollars to replace its largely Soviet-origin military.

Swaraj said the three countries had very productive talks on economic issues and the fight against terrorism.
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should display guts and attack Pakistan if it was indeed found "interfering" in the ongoing Gujarat elections.

The Sena also urged Modi "to arrest all the people" who attended a dinner at the home of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar where the Pakistan High Commissioner, former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders were present and book them for treason.

"The PM has levelled a serious allegation that Pakistan is interfering in Gujarat polls. We are very concerned if this is true.

"Until now, Pakistan was meddling only in Jammu and Kashmir and China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," said editorials in the party mouthpieces Saamana and Dopahar Ka Saamana.

The editorials asked the Bharatiya Janata Party whether Pakistan was indeed helping to install Congress MP Ahmed Patel as the next Chief Minister of Gujarat.

The BJP ally said it was strange that Modi chose to make such a serious allegation at an election rally in Gujarat instead of taking action against Pakistan.

"Besides, despite having a strong intelligence set-up, the PM said he learnt about the meeting from media reports. This is an equally serious issue. Instead of tossing it at an election meeting, he should order the Indian Army to enter Pakistan and intervene."

The party said Modi's campaign talk exposed the BJP's intellectual bankruptcy because at each election either Pakistan or absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim was dragged.

"For how long will you continue raking up Pakistan's name at every occasion? The country expects you to act. So do it. Otherwise, mere allegations are hurled even by Yashwant Sinha and Nana Patole," the Sena said.
Alleging humiliation, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan on Monday wrote to Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra that henceforth he will not practice in the court, days after the CJI took exception to the conduct of some senior lawyers.

Chief Justice Misra had last week voiced strong objection to the conduct of certain senior counsel for alleging that the court had narrowed down the scope of the hearing and for being presumptive about the outcome of the hearing at the conclusion of Delhi government's plea and also the Ayodhya matter.

In the brief letter that was delivered to the office of the Chief Justice on Monday, Dhavan said: "After the humiliating end in the Delhi case, I have decided to give up court practice."

Dhavan also told the Chief Justice: "You are entitled to take back the senior gown conferred on me, though I would like to keep it for memory and service rendered."

The incident Dhavan has referred to concerns December 6 hearing by the constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Misra on Delhi government's appeal challenging the Delhi High court order holding that Lt. Governor had final say in the administration of the affairs of the capital.

On December 6, Chief Justice Misra took serious exception to Dhavan in his concluding renjoinder arguments telling the constitution bench that they had narrowed down the scope of the hearing by limiting it to proviso 4 of the Constitution's Article 239AA - spelling special powers for Delhi.

The Chief Justice had said, "This is unfair, uncalled for and unwarranted argument. You can't say something and attribute it to us."

What apparently anguished Dhavan was that the other lawyers, who also appeared for Delhi government, were not forthcoming in endorsing his views.

At the end of the hearing on December 6 when the constitution bench reserved the order, Dhavan, in his concluding remarks, told the court that he would not mind any judgment in the case - a position which was objected to by senior counsel Indira Jaising who said that he can't be presumptive and assserted that they would succeed in the case.

The unease that prevailed found expression when on December 7, the Chief Justice described December 6 incident as "shameful" and appreciated the position taken by Jaising.
Police have filed a sexual assault case against an airline passenger after 17-year-old Bollywood actress said the male passenger had molested her during a New Delhi-Mumbai flight, police said on Monday.

A special court ordered police to detain the passenger for interrogation until Wednesday, when the case will be heard next. It can take months for formal charges to be filed in India.

Wasim was seen sobbing in a video she posted on Instagram after getting off a Vistara flight. She alleged she was attacked by the passenger seated behind her.

He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck, Wasim said in the post. Is this how we are going to take care of girls?

The video sparked outrage on social media with fans coming out in support of Wasim, who shot to fame through her role as a child wrestler in the 2016 blockbuster Bollywood drama Dangal.

Police have registered a case against a man identified as Vikas Sachdeva, under Section 354 - for assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty - and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, a Mumbai police control room official said.

Vistara is jointly owned by Tata and Singapore Airlines.

We are investigating fully and will support Zaira in every way required, Vistara chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor said. We have zero tolerance for this kind of thing.

Neither Sachdeva or his lawyers could be reached for comment. In court, Sachdevas lawyer accused Wasim of making the allegations for publicity, and asked why she had not complained to crew members during the flight.

Local media quoted the suspects wife, Divya Sachdeva, as saying her husband was innocent and that ahe was returning from a funeral and had been asleep on the flight. She accused Wasim of having made the allegations for publicity.

A spokeswoman for the airline said it had provided details to the police and aviation authorities and its senior management had flown to Mumbai to assist Wasim in the investigation. We are deeply concerned and regret the unfortunate experience Ms. had onboard our flight last night.

Indias Commission for Women, a government-appointed body fighting for womens rights, has asked the airline to explain why the crew did not step in to help the actress, according to local media reports.

This is not done at all, Wasim, who hails from the northern Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, was seen saying in the video while wiping away tears. This is not...how people should be made to feel.
India has moved up four spots in the latest edition of the Legatum Prosperity Index. The country now ranks 100th on the index, up from 104th last year. Norway heads the ranking, followed by New Zealand, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden.
Telecom subscriber base in the country dipped marginally to 120.1 crore as telecom firms lost over 1.75 crore customers in October, telecom regulator said in a report released on Tuesday.

The impact was, however, mitigated to some extent with leading telecom players Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and BSNL jointly adding over 1.26 crore new mobile customers during the month.

"The number of telephone subscribers in India slightly declined from 1,206.71 million at the end of September 2017 to 1,201.72 million at the end of October 2017," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said.

The number of connections in urban India declined to 69.75 crore at the end of October 2017 from 70.48 crore in September, however, the rural subscription increased to 50.41 crore from 50.18 crore during the same period.

The mobile subscriber base in the country declined by 48.5 lakh to 117.82 crore in October.

Reliance Jio led the mobile segment in terms of new customers addition with net addition of 73.44 lakh subscribers. It was followed by Bharti Airtel which added 31.4 lakh new customers, Vodafone 8.79 lakh, Idea 7.13 lakh and BSNL 6.02 lakh customers.

Reliance Communications was biggest loser in the mobile segment. It lost 1.09 crore customers in the reported month. Next biggest customer loss of 47.11 lakh was reported by Tata Teleservices in October. Telenor lost 11.44 lakh customers, Sistema Shyam 2.31 lakh and state-run MTNL lost 11,520 customers.

Despite free call offers, landline subscribers base continue to decline in the country. In October, the landline subscriber base declined to 2.35 crore at the end of October from 2.36 crore at the end of September.

State-run telecom BSNL which leads the landline segment lost highest number of customers. It lost 1.23 lakh customers in October.

The broadband subscriber base in the country increased to 34 crore at the end of October from 32.48 crore in September with a monthly growth rate of 4.7 per cent.

Mobile broadband connection led the segment with 32.17 crore subscribing to high speed Internet connection on their cellular devices.

"Top five service providers constituted 92.17 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of October 2017. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd (14.59 crore), Bharti Airtel (6.69 crore), Vodafone (4.84 crore), Idea Cellular (3.1 crore) and BSNL (2.12 crore)," the report said.
Thermal power producers that are three to four years shy of reaching the retirement age are not keen on investing in technology upgrade to meet the latest emission norms notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have partnered with an e-commerce trade portal built by Jack Ma-led Alibaba to push discussions on the subject further.
As Gujarat enters the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections, a series of political events are lined up across the state.
Unfazed by the BJP's criticism over his temple visits in Gujarat, Congress President on Tuesday visited Jagannath Temple here and offered prayers. After the temple visit, addressed a press conference, in which he declared his party was confident of taking power in Gujarat and said the BJP was on a losing wicket.

says he has prayed for Gujarat's well-being during his temple visits.

Here are highlights of his speech

1. Modi silent on corruption charges

PM Modi has not spoken a word about corruption and is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal.

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2. Lorem Ipsum is dummy Text VIEW ALL FAQs Subscribe to Business Standard Premium Exclusive Stories, Curated Newsletters, 26 years of Archives, E-paper, and more! Invalid email. Please include '@' in the email address Insightful news, sharp views, newsletters, e-paper, and more! Unlock incisive commentary only on Business Standard. Download the Business Standard App for latest Business News and Market News . Read our full coverage on Rahul Gandhi "Earlier Modiji used to talk about corruption everywhere. But since we raised the issues of Jay Shah (BJP President Amit Shah's son) and the Rafale defence deal (with France), he stopped talking about corruption," the Congress leader said.
With a commitment to build two container berths and three multi-cargo berths at Chabahar port, India has stepped into the quicksand of West Asia oil politics. With an eventually $500 million commitment to develop the port with road and rail links, this is no tentative step. Chabahar offers India a vital route to Afghanistan and land-locked central Asia that bypasses Pakistan. Yet last week, when Iran inaugurated this deep-sea port, India had but a token presence.
Europe's biggest property firm is to buy US and UK mall operator Westfield Corp for $16 billion, a defensive move to create a global leader in a sector grappling with the online shopping challenge led by Amazon.

The deal gives Europe-focused Unibail, which owns 'Les 4 Temps' and 'Forum des Halles" in Paris and has centres spreading from Helsinki to Valencia, exposure to the United States and Britain, where Westfield operates 35 malls, including landmark premises in London.

Under its Australian billionaire chairman and co-founder Frank Lowy, Westfield has pioneered US mall redevelopment, introducing upscale food courts, high-end restaurants, bars, cinemas and boutique fashion outlets to entice shoppers.

Talks to seal a deal had taken just six weeks, said Lowy whose family will no longer run the company he set up in 1960 but will end up with a 2.8 per cent stake in the combined group.

Lowy said it made sense to sell because Unibail offered a "very good price", but acknowledged that the sale partly reflected global consolidation and the pressure on retailers.

A tough consumer spending environment and intense competition from online rivals has made retailers more selective with their expansion plans, making life tough for shopping centre operators and driving consolidation in the sector.

Unibail's move dwarfs British shopping centre owner Hammerson's purchase of smaller rival Intu Properties for some 3.4 billion pounds, creating a global leader with $72 billion of gross market value in 27 retail markets under the distinctive red Westfield logo.

Around 37 per cent of the combined entity's portfolio would be in France and 22 per cent in the United States.

"Westfield is the best fit for us and a natural extension of our strategy," Unibail's chief executive Christopher Cuvillier said following the announcement of the proposed deal, which would be worth $24.7 billion including debt.

Unibail is focused on large sites with heavy footfall and high-profile tenants such as Apple, Zara and Primark and analysts said it would gain from importing the Westfield model.

Under the terms of the deal, Westfield shareholders would receive cash and shares totalling $7.55, or A$10.01, an 18 percent premium per share. The shares were halted earlier on Tuesday pending the announcement, having last traded at A$8.50.

"With a A$10 handle in front, the offer doesn't look bad," Sydney-based CLSA analyst Sholto Maconochie said, adding the deal would "create the leading mall operator globally".

Shares in Unibail-Rodamco, which was formed in 2007 by the merger of France's Unibail and Dutch-based Rodamco, were down 4 per cent at 1500 GMT, with analysts at Kepler Cheuvreux saying that the deal looked expensive.

Retail Reinvention

Shopping centre owners are scrambling to reinvent themselves to keep up with rapid changes in consumer behaviour, with the expansion of e-commerce giant Amazon.com coinciding with an explosion in online purchases, while consumers increasingly treat malls as places for socialising and window shopping.

Once dominant United States department store operators such as Macy's Inc and J C Penney Co Inc have announced plans to shut hundreds of stores in recent years, putting pressure on landlords to find new "anchor tenants" or come up with new ways to grow returns.

"Westfield has got assets in the UK and in the US that are all in mature Amazon markets. They're already 50 per cent through that online retail switch," Morningstar analyst Tony Sherlock said of the deal.

The Lowy family, which owns 9 per cent of Westfield, said they would rather be investors than executives after putting in a combined 145 years at the company, which has stakes in 18 suburban U.S. shopping centres, three of which it wholly owns.

Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs have committed to provide 6.1 billion euros in funding to cover the cash portion of the offer, Unibail said.
A Bangladeshi-origin man was arrested on Monday after a "low-tech" suicide bomb he was was allegedly wearing went off injuring him and three at the city's transportation hub at the start of the rush hour.

Police Commissioner James O'Neil told reporters that 27-year-old Akayed Ullah had on an "improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body," which he "intentionally detonated".

Officials said that Ullah was from Bangladesh and had lived in the city for seven years.

Ullah was taken to a hospital and has made statements to police, O'Neil said, but refused to disclose what he had said.

Asked if the suspect had connections to the Islamic State, the Commissioner refused comment saying the investigations were at a preliminary stage.

O'Neil said that that the joint task force of city and federal officials was carrying out a "thorough background investigation" of Ullah who lived in Brooklyn.

He said three other people sustained minor injuries.

John Miller, the head of police counter-terrorism, said that the device was a pipe bomb attached to Ullah's body with velcro.

The bomb went off in a passageway connecting trains in the Times Square underground metro station adjoining the interstate bus terminal in Manhattan, disrupting the morning commute for thousands of people working in the city.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal was evacuated and shut down as scores buses headed to the city from suburbs and other states, but opened after police scoured it for suspicious objects. The Times Square subway station, the city's busiest, was closed for a while.

This is the second terrorist attack on New York in less than two months. A terrorist drove a truck into pedestrians near the World Trade Center on October 31, killing eight people.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo described Monday's attack as "one of our worst nightmares".

"We are a target," he said, "of those who are against democracy".

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio called it an attempted terrorist attack and added, "Thank God, the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals."

He said that the city was on high alert with stepped up police patrols.

A picture taken moments after the blast showed Ullah on the ground with his clothing ripped showing injuries to his abdomen and arms.

Former New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told MSNBC cable station that man was inspired by the Islamic State and set off the bomb in its name.
With the price of a reaching record highs of more than $10,000, more and more ordinary people consider investing in the cryptocurrency. The recent price surge, however, comes with tremendous risks. Investors should be prepared for the possibility that they could lose their entire investment.

was launched in 2008 by an anonymous author under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto as a means of transacting among participants without the need for intermediaries. Since the beginning of this year, the price of has increased by 1300% as more and more consumers flock to it hoping to profit off its increasing popularity and the associated increase in value.
After the announcement of minimum import price (MIP) for pepper, the price in the domestic market has risen by 10-12 per cent to Rs 420 per kg.
has moved higher by nearly 2% to Rs 852, extending past three days gain of 3.5% on the BSE, after Investments Private Limited, the promoter group company bought an additional stake in the company through open market purchases.
The bitcoin surge in the current fiscal year (FY18) in the absence of regulation has rattled the government, prompting it to take a look at the policy and taxability of earnings from cryptocurrency trading.

The government will soon form a committee to look into all issues related to bitcoin trading and issue suitable clarification, Business Standard has learnt. This committee may be led by a senior finance ministry official and will include representatives of the Reserve Bank of India, IT ministry, and other central government departments.

This would be a second panel on the subject of cryptocurrencies. A committee was set up in April, and was headed by the special secretary in the department of economic affairs, to examine the international framework on virtual currencies and suggest measures on consumer protection and prevent money laundering.

Bitcoin taxation is a grey area at the moment. We are yet to look into it in detail. A panel may examine each issue. There are no guidelines at the moment. A clarification may come, said a senior government official.

Bitcoin, the first decentralised digital currency, has surged by over 1,200 per cent in value in the current year and is expected to soar in coming months as it gains popularity. The outstanding returns from bitcoin also raise tax evasion concerns.

Although the government is yet to clarify the matter, officials point out that the capital gains tax may arise on sales of .

A senior tax official said that it was important to declare income from bitcoin sale in the returns filed for the fiscal year to avoid penal consequences. One must file returns on income earned from bitcoin trading and pay the short-term capital gains tax of 30 per cent, he said.

ALSO READ: Still not paid taxes on Bitcoin gains? I-T notice could be on the way

The short-term capital gains tax of 30 per cent is likely to be levied if bitcoin is held for less than three years and 20 per cent if held for more than 36 months.

Another official warned that not declaring earnings from bitcoin in return filing could attract penalty and interest. A penalty of 50-200 per cent could be levied during the assessment, under underreporting, or misreporting income. Besides, an interest of 12 per annum could also be imposed.

A third source added that while there was currently a lack of clarity on in what manner the nationwide goods and service tax (GST) would apply for goods and services purchased through bitcoin, this matter was also up for discussion in North Block.

The person acknowledged that the Centre would have to take a firm stand on how to monitor the digital currency, whose user base was expanding rapidly in India.

ALSO READ: Bitcoin regulation: Why it makes sense to recognise it as a currency

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) joins the ranks of other global central banks that officially dont recognise cryptocurrencies, but have not banned them. According to people familiar with RBI thinking, the central bank is not going to be one of the first central banks to embrace this technology, given the RBIs conservative approach. Indias central bank did not encourage banks to invest and trade in credit default swaps before the global credit meltdown and this time too, it is not going to lend any official credence to the virtual currency movement. Since 2013, the RBI has issued three stern statements, warning the public about the dangers of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and have made it clear that the investors wont get its protection if things blow up in their face.

A source familiar with the RBIs thinking said the central bank was highly concerned about the use of cryptocurrencies in the dark web, or the Internet that cannot be accessed easily by the general public and where law enforcement agencies could not reach, given the Nets secretive nature. The RBI is also looking at clarifications from the government before banning the currency or partially regularising it, but the government has not got back to the central bank on tax implications, jurisdictions, etc, said the source, adding the government probably did not want to look archaic by banning an emerging technology in global finance.

ALSO READ: Facts you may not know about ballistic bitcoin - the largest cryptocurrency

There are also fears in the government that encouraging bitcoin use will undermine the usage of the domestic currency. The central bank is said to be of the opinion that trading in bitcoin would lead to a speculation on the rupee. It can create an artificial demand for the rupee, thereby leading to currency fluctuations.

The official in the tax department clarified that irrespective of the legal status of bitcoin, tax would need to be paid. However, the government is in a tizzy over being unable to track bitcoin owners since it is a crypted currency. We wont be able to find out about bitcoin holdings till a person sells those and gets the money in his bank account. It is only then that we could do a crackdown, he said.

ALSO READ: How to make money off bitcoin without actually owning it

The government should issue a clarification on bitcoin policy, said Rohinton Sidhwa of Deloitte. While a clarification is required, the general principle suggests that bitcoin could be treated as any other capital asset. If you are holding it as an investment, the long-term or short-term capital gains tax would apply. In case you are a dealer, it will be taxed as business income, he added.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved the order on plea seeking cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in connection with 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Last month, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had approached the Delhi High Court seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to Kumar.

Earlier on July 19, the Delhi High Court heard Kumar's plea in regards to the same case.

On July 13, a second judge of the Delhi High Court recused himself from Kumar's case. Earlier as well, one judge had recused from hearing the matter.

On June 10, the first Delhi High Court Judge recused himself from hearing Kumar's bail cancellation plea in connection with the riots, as the appearing advocate was his relative.

Earlier in April, the court had reopened five cases in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that were closed in 1986.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also filed appeals against the acquittal of Kumar and life sentence to ex-councilor Balwan Khokhar.

The high court had taken suo motu cognizance as during course of the arguments, Kumar's lawyers mentioned these matters as precedents since co-accused Mahender Yadav, Balwan Khokhar and Kishan Khokhar had been acquitted in them.

The court noted that eyewitnesses had not been examined in those cases and there was a "travesty" since investigation was not done properly.

The court took suo motu cognizance of the "errors" in the 1986 trial judgment, adding that key eyewitnesses were not examined and cases were closed "very rapidly" seemingly without proper investigation and trial.

The bench passed this order after taking note of the trial court judgments passed in 1986 in the five cases.

The apex court had also directed the Centre to deposit more than 190 files in connection with this case.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that the SIT in as many as 263 cases had no case files and there was no trace of any victim or witness.

On February 20, the Centre filed a status report in the top court on the investigation conducted by the SIT into anti-Sikh riots cases. The anti-Sikh riots that broke out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, claimed 2,433 lives in Delhi alone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Government of Bangladesh, with the support of UNICEF, the World Organization and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, today launched a vaccination campaign against diphtheria and other preventable diseases for all Rohingya children aged 6 weeks to 6 years living in 12 camps and temporary settlements near the Myanmar border.

Accelerated immunization will cover nearly 255 000 children in Ukhiya and Teknaf sub-districts in Cox's Bazar, while the Government and partners continue to increase support for diphtheria treatment and prevention.

"Diphtheria usually appears among vulnerable populations that have not received routine vaccinations, such as the Rohingyas. The outbreak shows a steep rise in cases, an indicator of the extreme vulnerability of children in the Rohingya camps and settlements. This calls for immediate action to protect them from this killer disease. Vaccination provides effective prevention," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.

Recent data from the WHO Early Warning Alert and Response System (EWARS) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) shows 722 probable diphtheria cases, including nine deaths, in the camps and makeshift settlements hosting the refugees, between 12 November and 10 December.

"The Government of Bangladesh will do everything necessary to contain this outbreak. We thank WHO, UNICEF and other partners for their swift response to the request of the Government to combat this diphtheria outbreak, and for continuously supporting our efforts to provide essential health services for these vulnerable people," said Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh.

The children are being administered pentavalent vaccines (which protects against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Haemophilus Influenzae, and hepatitis B), pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) and bivalent oral polio vaccine. The Serum Institute of India has donated 300 000 doses of pentavalent vaccines for use in the response.

Next week, three rounds of tetanus diphtheria (Td) vaccines will be provided to Rohingya children aged 7 to 15 years, and 10 000 health and development workers in Rohingya settlements. A total of 900 000 doses of Td are arriving today in the country, for this purpose.

"We are moving quickly to control this diphtheria outbreak before it spins out of control. The vaccines will help protect every Rohingya child in these temporary settlements from falling prey to the deadly disease. Beyond vaccinations, we are helping health workers to clinically manage suspected cases, trace their contacts, and ensure sufficient supplies of medicines," said Dr. Navaratnasamy Paranietharan, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.

WHO is procuring 2 000 doses of diphtheria anti-toxins to treat diphtheria patients. Nearly 345 doses were hand carried by WHO from Delhi to Cox's Bazar.

WHO and UNICEF are working with communities to ensure that they are aware of the signs and symptoms of diphtheria, and that they can access treatment as quickly as possible.

Diphtheria is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a potent toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It spreads through air droplets by coughing or sneezing. Risk factors include crowding, poor hygiene and lack of immunisation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Airways on Tuesday said they are returning to near normal schedules after 150 British Airways flights were cancelled in United Kingdom and Europe due to bad weather conditions.

"Following the adverse weather conditions across the UK and parts of northern Europe on Sunday and Monday, we are returning to near normal schedules," said a statement by British Airways.

Flights in United Kingdom and Europe were hit due to unfavourable weather during the past two days.

The British Airways further stated that they are aiming to run their normal operations from today.

"On December 12, we are aiming to run our normal operations at London Gatwick and London City and the vast majority of flights from London Heathrow," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar has called an all party meeting on December 14 in Parliament Library to prepare the strategy for the Winter Session of Parliament.

Parliament Winter Session will be held from December 15, 2017 to January 5, 2018.

Meanwhile, the Opposition leaders will also be holding a separate meeting, a day ahead of the winter session, in Ghulam Nabi Azad's office in Parliament.

Senior Congress leaders including Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge will take part in the meet.

A number of important bills are expected to be discussed in the upcoming session.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was recently targeted by the Opposition for delaying the winter session in the wake of Gujarat assembly elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Though there is a lot of hype being generated about China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, and Beijing's probable emergence as a global economic and military power, there are still questions being asked over its visibility and intrinsic merit, Russian scholar has said.

In an opinion piece published by the Carnegie Moscow Center and titled as, "Belt and Road to Where?", Senior Fellow and Chair Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program Alexander Gabuev has emphasised that China appears to lack clarity about the objectives of the OBOR initiative.

"The Belt and Road initiative lacks a clearly stated goal. In his initial presentation on the idea (then called the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB)) in Astana, Kazakhstan September 2013, President Xi did not set any clear goals, unless one counts: "to forge closer economic ties, deepen cooperation and expand development space in the Eurasian region" or "vigorously enhance practical cooperation and be good partners of win-win cooperation," he writes.

Gabuev points out that the Silk Road Fund (SRF), which was created in 2014 as the main driver of investment in OBOR by China, is now merely being used as a political tool.

"The work of the Silk Road Fund (SRF), with its $40 billion in allocated capital, clearly illustrates this policy change. Created in 2014, the fund was slated to become the main driver of investment in OBOR, but has closed only seven deals in the past three years. Beijing now uses the SRF as a political purse: it is not linked to the global financial system, and can therefore, finance politically controversial projects, like investments in two energy projects owned by members of Putin's entourage, Yamal LNG and Sibur," Gabuev says.

He further attempts to connect the OBOR to President Xi Jinping's bid to improve China's relationship with its neighbours through economic development.

"A more nuanced variant of this approach links OBOR to Xi Jinping's ideas about "periphery diplomacy" through which China seeks to improve relationships with its neighbours by providing them with economic development, the Russian scholar writes.

In a bid to avoid the United States controlled sea lanes, China is looking for faster continental routes to Europe by upgrading infrastructure in Eurasia, Gabuev claims.

"China wants to tap into the potentially faster continental routes to Europe by upgrading infrastructure in Eurasia, and thereby also avoid sea lanes controlled by the U.S. Navy," he says.

Gabuev also mentions that scholars and thinkers around the are clueless about the direction the OBOR initiative is heading for.

"Most Chinese officials and analysts who advise Beijing would acknowledge in private conversations, that the top leadership has not given them much positive direction about what Belt and Road actually is," he writes.

"The "Belt and Road" concept has become so inflated, that it's no longer helpful in understanding anything about China's relationship with the outside world, but only further obscures an already complicated picture," he adds.

Despite flaws, China's emergence as global power is undeniable, he concludes.

"While there may be no well-calculated and informed strategy behind Belt and Road, the increase in China's external trade, military power, overseas investment and its imprint on various fields of global governance is undeniable," says Gabuev.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Tuesday apprehended a person with country made pistol from Delhi's Adarsh Nagar Metro Station.

The CISF also recovered Rs. 40,408 cash from him. Another person with Rs 1,59,898 in cash was also apprehended.

Both the accused were handed over to the Delhi Metro Rail Police.

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China's decision to redraft criteria for the funding of three roads which form part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, is likely to benefit the Pakistan military's engineering and construction company, Frontier Works Organisation, a Huffington Post report has said.

Chinese support for Pakistan and its military brass has long been evident with its repeated veto in the UN Security Council of US, European and Indian efforts to get Masood Azhar, a prominent Pakistani militant designated as a global terrorist. Azhar is believed to have close ties to Pakistani intelligence and the military, writes Senior fellow S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, James M. Dorsey.

China's decision to temporarily halt the supply of funds with respect to the construction of three roads is more that what meets the eye.

Beijing has cited its concern over corruption in the CPEC projects as the reason for the move, but apparently it is "an effort to enhance the Pakistani military's stake in the country's economy at a time when the armed forces are flexing their political muscle."

"The suspension of funding has coincided with apparent efforts by the military to increase its political sway by supporting militant and hard-line Sunni Muslim groups opposed to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) headed by disgraced former prime minister Nawaz Sharif," writes Dorsey.

Dealing with the tricky political fabric, a series of events are unfolding in the country.

While, 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed on December 2 had announced that he would contest general elections in 2018, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf had in November announced the formation of a grand political alliance.

Chinese backing for a more prominent role of the military in economic and political life comes amid increased Pakistani scrutiny of the CPEC.

Greater military involvement in the CPEC would weaken China's critics and enhance Chinese confidence in Pakistan's ability to tackle security concerns, writes Dorsey.

China, Pakistan's close ally, has temporarily stopped the funding of few projects particularly those related to the road network under the China Pakistan Economic Corridoe (CPEC) till further decision regarding 'new guidelines' to be issued from Beijing.

The CPEC is intended to rapidly modernise Pakistan's infrastructure and strengthen its economy by the construction of modern transportation networks, numerous energy projects, and special economic zones.

According to the piece, Beijing is exploiting its massive investment in the Belt and Road which is an effort to link Eurasian infrastructure to China, to shape the political environment in key countries in its authoritarian mould.

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The Doklam stand-off had put severe pressure on bilateral relations between New Delhi and Beijing, a statement issued by the Chinese foreign ministry, quoted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as telling his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj.

He added that lessons should be learnt from the episode so that 'such incidents are not repeated'.

The statement added that Wang had brought up the 73-day stand-off between the Indian and the Chinese troops in the Donglang (Doklam) sector near the Sikkim border in June, during a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi, on Monday. Swaraj had then said at a press briefing that she and Wang had spoken about strengthening mutual trust to develop better understanding.

The statement, published in Mandarin, said: "The viciousness caused by the cross-border infiltration of the Indian border guards put bilateral relations under severe pressure. The matter was finally settled peacefully through diplomatic means, reflecting the maturing of bilateral relations. India-China ties maintained their momentum of development as a whole in 2017. Both sides have made efforts in this regard. But they (the efforts) were not very satisfactory. However, lessons should be learned and (such incidents) should be avoided again."

"With mutual trust, the specific problems are expected to be resolved on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual accommodation," he added.

Wang's visit to New Delhi was the first by a top Chinese official to India after the Doklam stand-off.

He further said, "Without mutual trust, individual problems will continue to overflow and erode the overall situation of bilateral relations. To this end, both sides should strengthen strategic communication at all levels, restore the established dialogue mechanism, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and at the same time control the existing differences and safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas."

Wang also called on President Ram Nath Kovind and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

The Dokalam stand-off came to an end on August 28 after the twp sides agreed to withdraw their respective troops from the Doklam plateau and the Chinese troops stopped building a key road close to India's corridor. The road was being built by China in an area also claimed by Bhutan.

India had objected to the construction highlighting its security concerns.

Besides this, Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency also quoted Wang, as saying, "Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial moment when both sides need to make right choice on the future of the bilateral relations.

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An explosion that ripped through Austria's main gas pipeline hub killed one person and injured at least 18, prompting Italy to declare a state of emergency.

Due to the explosion, snow-hit southern Europe could face energy shortages after authorities warned that Austrian pipelines were likely to be out of action for days.

Italy's industry minister declared a state of emergency due to a lack of gas supplies. The explosion site, Baumgarten, is a key distribution and reception hub for gas exports and imports, including from Russia, Europe's biggest gas supplier.

One of the 18 casualties was airlifted to Vienna's general hospital with serious injuries but was later confirmed to be in a non-critical condition, the Guardian reported.

The Vienna-based gas company estimated that it would take "days, not hours" to restore supply lines, according to Der Standard newspaper.

The Guardian quoted the Austrian Police, as saying, that the explosion in Baumgarten had been caused by a technical problem.

Carlo Calenda, the Italian industry minister, said the country "must grapple with a serious energy supply problem and underlined the need to develop the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The project is designed to give Italy a new supply route but has been delayed by protests.

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New Zealand bowlers steadily swept aside West Indies' batting line-up to post a crushing 240-run win over West Indies on the fourth day of second Test to wrap up the two-match series 2-0 at the Seddon Park in Hamilton.

Resuming at yesterday's score of 30-2, the Caribbean side failed to establish a solid partnership throughout the day and were folded for 203 for nine with Sunil Ambris unable to continue batting after getting his left forearm injured.

Roston Chase was the highest scorer for West Indies with a decent score of 64.

Neil Wagner, who tormented the West Indies throughout the series with his aggressive short balls, finished with the figures of three for 42 in their second innings.

The new-ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent Boult claimed two wickets each, while Mitchell Santner also took wickets on successive balls in West Indies' world record chase of 444 runs.

With the win, New Zealand have improved their home record to 13 wins.

Earlier, the Black Caps declared their second innings at 291-8, thus leaving the West Indies with a monumental target to achieve.

Ross Taylor equaled the record for the most hundreds by a New Zealand batsman as he smashed an unbeaten knock of 107, including 11 boundaries, to join his mentor, the late Martin Crowe, and current captain Kane Williamson with 17 Test tons.

He was on 96 when he drove Raymon Reifer to the boundary to reach the landmark ton in New Zealand's second innings.

He, however, took 83 Tests to get to his 17th century in contrast to Crowe's 77 and Williamson's 61.

Kane Williamson also contributed significant 54 runs while Tim Southee remained unbeaten at 22.

West Indies were bundled out for 221 in their first innings in reply to New Zealand's total of 373.

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Ryan Reynolds' 'Detective Pikachu', the first-ever live-action Pokemon film, officially has a release date.

The flick is slated for release on May 10, 2019, Universal announced, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Reynolds will play the titular Detective Pikachu.

Besides the 'Deadpool' star, the film will star Justice Smith ('Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom') and Kathryn Netwon ('Big Little Liars').

'Goosebumps' director Rob Letterman will helm the project, which starts shooting mid-January in London.

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A Hyderabad based doctor has appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the safe return of her husband stranded in Saudi Arabia after his employer has allegedly been delaying his return.

"My husband left for Saudi in 2012 to work in a Dentoplast centre as he is an orthodontist, the centre is owned by a doctor named Ali. In 2014, he renewed his contract and in 2016 it was finished. Even after completion of the contract, the employer is just postponing his exit," Dr Pavithra Mallam, wife of Anil Mallam Balaiah (doctor) told ANI.

She said that when her husband Balaiah asked the reason for the delay, he was told by the employer that in March a few patients sued the centre for free treatment.

"The patients were treated by my husband. The employer has kept him there saying he will not let Balaiah exit till the case comes to an end," she added.

Mallam added that the reason given by the employer makes no sense, as the employer is not paying any salary to her husband for the last five months.

She added, "I have tweeted the matter to MEA Sushma Swaraj, Indian embassy in Riyadh and have also received a reply from the Indian embassy asking for all the details.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
West Indies batsman Sunil Ambris has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand due to a fractured forearm.

The 24-year-old sustained the injury on his left forearm on the final day of the second and final Test, which the Caribbean side went on to lose by huge 240 runs in Hamilton to lose the series 0-2 against New Zealand.

Ambris, who was playing his debut series and was batting at No.6, was on four when he was caught by a rising delivery during a feisty spell from New Zealand short-ball specialist Neil Wagner, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Following the hit, the West Indies batsman faced two more balls before walking off and visibly in pain.

He did not come to bat again and later it was revealed that he has suffered a fracture.

The Caribbean side are slated to play three ODIs from December 20 in Whangarei, followed by three T20Is over the New Year period.

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The Ganderbal Police on Tuesday arrested a downtown boy from Srinagar's Qamaria Chowk, intending to join Alqaeda-affiliated Zakir Musa's group on Tuesday.

The boy is a resident of Srinagar's Rainawari area.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Fayaz Ahmed Lone KPS said, "the boy from Rainawari was in surveillance and was being tracked since few days. He was in contact with some Pakistani militants who are also under surveillance."

"Through our sources, we got know about his movement and nabbed him early today. He confessed that he intended to join Ansar Gazwat ul Hind," he said.

SSP further added that, "after counselling, the boy was handed over to his parents.

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Former advisor to ex-prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday rubbished all allegations about latter conducting a clandestine meeting with Pakistani officials to fix results of Gujarat elections.

Speaking to ANI, senior journalist Prem Kumar Jha said it was a dinner hosted by suspended congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for Ex-Pakistan External Affair Minister Khurshid Kasuri. And that there was nothing 'secret' about the event.

"Kasuri was here and Mr. Aiyar hosted a dinner..he invited people from the Congress party and friends like me. And there in all 14 to 15 people. It was a very impressive group. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh came and he came in the condition that he will not speak. He just wanted to listen to us and above all to Kasuri. Former vice-president Ansari and many former senior diplomats were also there," he said.

Continuing his stance, Jha said that Singh and Ansari both have Z+ security protection and so have to submit the full list to SPG. So there is nothing secret.

"Every invitation came on email, they didn't come on WhatsAap, viper or any encrypted email services," he averred.

Singh yesterday quashed Prime Minister Modi's accusation about the former's secret meeting with Pakistani officials, and expressed 'anguish' at 'the canards being spread' by the latter.

"I am deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points in a lost cause by none less than Prime Minister, Sh. Narender Modi. Fearing imminent defeat in Gujarat, desperation of Prime Minister to hurl every abuse and latch on to every straw is palpable," Singh said in an official statement.

In one of his campaign rallies, 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 also sought an explanation from the opposition.

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A Delhi Court on Tuesday granted bail to meat exporter Moin Qureshi in a money laundering case.

Qureshi was arrested on August 25 after a case was filed against him last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on the charges of illegal forex dealings and tax evasion.

On December 4, during the argument, Qureshi's lawyer had said that no purpose would be served by keeping him in further custody.

The probe in the case was already complete and he was not required further by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the matter.

The counsel on behalf of ED, advocate Naveen Matta, however, opposed the bail saying that if the bail is granted, then he would influence the witnesses.

Few weeks ago, the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea and said that there was no illegality in Qureshi's arrest.

Qureshi was arrested on August 25 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

While opposing Qureshi's plea, the ED and the Centre contested that "questioning of his arrest was an 'abuse' of the legal process" and told the court that there were serious charges of hawala transactions against him.

Qureshi is accused of hawala transactions through Delhi-based hawala operators Parvez Ali of Turkman Gate and M/s South Delhi Money Changer (DAMINI) in Greater Kailash-1.

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Raksha Rajya Mantri (Minister of State for Defence) Dr Subhash Bhamre inaugurated two bridges in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

Out of the two, Bhamre first inaugurated the Injupani bridge, a 140-metre long bridge on Roing-Koronu-Paya road, which is a part of Trans Arunachal Highway.

The completion of the Injupani bridge would provide an uninterrupted access between Roing and Tezu, both important district headquaters in Arunachal Pradesh.

Later in the day, the minister then inaugurated the Deopani/ Eze Bridge, which is 300-meter long pre-stressed concrete balanced cantilever bridge over the Eze river at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh.

Dedicating both the bridges to the nation, the Minister praised the commendable work being done by Project Udayak of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in this region. He appreciated the timely completion of these crucial bridges, which would provide round the year connectivity to the strategic Dibang valley bordering China.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General SK Shrivastava, Director General Border Roads pointed out the hurdles faced by the BRO.

Brigadier Rakshvir, Chief Engineer Udayak conveyed his thanks to Raksha Rajya Mantri for inauguration of the bridges.

The inauguration programme was attended by the local people including the various local dignitaries.

Earlier in the day, the minister arrived Mohanbari Airforce Station in Assam's Dibrugarh and was received by Major General Gajendra Singh, GOC Dao Division and Gp Capt V Ahluwalia, Station Commander, Airforce Station Mohanbari.

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Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said that his party will contest the next Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir alone, and averred it will emerge victorious on its own merit.

Addressing the party workers in Udhampur, Abdullah said, "We will not join hands with any party, we will contest elections on our own strength and will definitely win."

The NC chief asked party cadre to not buy into propagandas about the party allying with other political parties, and said that NC has been betrayed in the past to not put its trust in any other party.

"We are Conference and we will remain in Conference. I have seen how other parties have betrayed us. We have been betrayed but we have never betrayed anyone; this is our honour, and we are not ready to be betrayed in future," Abdullah added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar on Tuesday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark on the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meeting Pakistani officials.

While attending a rally in Nagpur, Pawar said, "Prime Minister should be ashamed of it. If such an approach is been taken by the government then it is not in favor of our country."

Earlier in the day, even Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi while addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, hit out at the prime minister for his comment on Manmohan Singh.

Yesterday, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself quashed PM Modi's accusation about the former's clandestine meeting with Pakistani officials, and expressed 'anguish' at 'the canards being spread' by the latter.

"I am deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points in a lost cause by none less than Prime Minister, Sh. Narender Modi. Fearing imminent defeat in Gujarat, desperation of Prime Minister to hurl every abuse and latch on to every straw is palpable," Singh said in an official statement.

In one of his campaign rallies, Prime Minister Modi alleged Pakistan's interference in the Gujarat elections and said that Mani Shankar Aiyar, Dr Singh and former vice president Hamid Ansari met with Pakistan's High Commissioner and Foreign Minister.

The Prime Minister also sought an explanation from the opposition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Left Alliance of Nepal - the Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist Leninist (CPM-UML) and the Maoist Centre - have secured two-third majority in the parliament.

With the vote counting for one seat left by 11 pm (local time) on Tuesday, the data from the Election Commission of Nepal showed 80 seats for the UML followed by ally Maoist Centre with victory over 36 seats.

The UML also has maintained its lead in the remaining vote count for the seat. The difference between the UML and the Nepali Congress is said to be about 90 thousand votes.

The Nepali Congress has been confined to 22 seats in the parliament prompting the president of the party, Sher Bahadur Deuba, to step down as the acting prime minister.

The Rastriya Janata Party has garnered 11 seats in the parliament.

"Though the vote count under the FPTP system has given left alliance a clear two-third majority, it will be quashed down by the PR system of vote count. As of now the Nepali Congress will shorten its distance to be the second largest party in the parliament with the seats which it will gain from the PR system if we go on party basis as the merger between the UML is MC is yet to take," Ashok Poudel, a local journalist covering the election - 2017 told ANI.

"In case the merger between UML and Maoist Centre fails, the Nepali Congress will gain the status of second party in the parliament on the basis of the seats gained," Poudel added.

The merger of the parties is yet is to be completed.

As per the predictions made by the politics pandits of Kathmandu, the UML is expected to get seats ranging between 120-125, Nepali Congress between 60-65 and the Maoist Centre between 50-55.

With the vote counting and the results of the House of Representatives and the Provincial Council underway in Nepal, the new government is expected to be formed by mid of January.

By Binod Prasad Adhikari.

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The man accused of blowing up a bus terminal in the heart of New York City had posted a warning to United States President Donald Trump just before the attack.

The post by Akayed Ullah was revealed in charges filed by federal prosecutors on Tuesday.

"Trump you failed to protect your nation," the Facebook post read.

Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi man, faces five federal terrorism-related charges and three state terrorism-related charges after he detonated a device during the busy morning commute on Monday.

According to CNN, in an interview with investigators, Ullah admitted that he built and detonated the device and said he was inspired to do so by the Islamic State.

"I did it for the Islamic State," Ullah told investigators, according to the federal complaint.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) also tweeted that Ullah was facing state charges including criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a terroristic threat.

Following the incident, five people were treated for minor injuries in area hospitals, CNN reports.

Ullah was apprehended by Port Authority police officers shortly after the blast.

He is currently hospitalised at the Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen, New York City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. He is said to be seriously injured.

Ullah's ISIS radicalisation began in 2014, He began researching how to build improvised explosive devices about a year ago, began collecting the necessary items two to three weeks ago, and built the bomb in his home a week ago, the complaint states.
The Opposition leaders will hold a meeting on December 14, a day ahead of the winter session to chalk out strategy for it.

The meeting will be held in Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's office in the Parliament.

Senior Congress leaders including Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge will participate in the meeting.

Parliament Winter Session which will start from December 15, 2017 and last till January 5, 2018, is expected to witness heavy fireworks as the Congress would try to corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over a range of issues.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had asserted that the Congress party would raise various issues in the Parliament session including Goods and Services Tax (GST), demonetisation, Rafael deal and economic condition.

Centre was recently targeted by the Opposition for delaying the winter session allegedly in the wake of Gujarat assembly elections.

Congress former president Sonia Gandhi slammed the Centre saying that it was sabotaging the Winter Session of Parliament on flimsy grounds.

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Canadian film and animation legend Grant Munro has passed away at the age of 94.

The National Film Board (NFB) of Canada, the country's public filmmaker, in a news release, said Munro died in Montreal on December 9, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Munro starred in the 1953 Oscar-winning best short film 'Neighbors' and nabbed a nomination for the 1963 cartoon 'Christmas Cracker.'

Born in Winnipeg on April 25, 1923, he attended the Musgrove School of Art, the Winnipeg School of Art as well as the Ontario College of Art after which Munro joined the NFB.

He was associated with the NFB over the course of his career from 1944 to 1988.

Munro coined the term 'pixilation' to describe the technique of shooting live actors as if they were stop-motion characters, used in 'Neighbors'.

His other NFB credits included the stop-motion film 'Toys' (1966), 'Boo Hoo' (1975) and 'See You in the Funny Papers' (1983), about Canadian syndicated cartoonist Lynn Johnston.

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Director of Pakistan-China Business council has questioned Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal's statement where he has denied that no concessions were provided to the Chinese in Gwadar.

In an article published in the Dawn, titled as "Ahsan on CPEC", Zafar Hasan Khan said "Iqbal in a recent TV interview stated that no extra concessions have been given to the Chinese in Gwadar."

Hasan emphasised that the Interior Minister was in the wrong impression of same concessions were given earlier into Singapore in a different deal of projects and they did nothing.

"This is incorrect. I will present some facts and would want the minister to respond," he said.

Hasan in his article pointed out that the Chinese firm which has been given the responsibility to develop three projects in Gwadar, has been exempted from several state taxes for a very long period of time.

"Gwadar port has been handed over to the China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC), which is a Hong Kong-based company. They have been given three projects in Gwadar, namely Gwadar Port, Gwadar Marine Services and Industrial Free Zone," Hasan said.

"No doubt COPHS is developing Gwadar rapidly and this must be appreciated. But this company has been given complete income tax, custom duties and sales tax exemptions in Finance Act 2016-17 for a period of 23 and 40 years. Was the same facility given to Singapore? Can the minister clarify?" he added.

He further questioned Iqbal's understanding of China's intention over giving the hefty loans for development in Gwadar by its own firms.

"The minister has also stated that the Chinese have never been imperialistic like the UK, France, and Portugal. Can he tell us what have the Chinese done in Sri Lanka by taking their strategic port in Hambantota on 99 years lease at USD 1.2 billion after Sri Lanka failed to pay the Chinese debt?" he asks.

"Can he tell us is there any safety valve for Pakistan if we fail to pay on time the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor's loans?" he further asks.

Hasan also expressed his concerns over appointment of a Chinese to manage the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

"More recently, Pakistan for the first time in the history does not have a local managing director for the Pakistan Stock Exchange, for the Chinese have appointed a foreigner to govern the PSX," he said.

Hasan stated that he is not against CPEC. However, the minister needs to make the deals more transparent.

"I am not against CPEC or the interior minister's efforts for keeping the project going but he should also take the nation in confidence," he said.

"I look forward to the minister's clarification on this national interest issue," he concludes.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Tuesday took out a 'Raj Bhavan Chalo' march from Gandhi Statue to submit a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala seeking direction to the Karnataka Government for the Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in youth activist Paresh Mesta murder case.

The march was led by MP Shobha Karandlaje.

Meanwhile, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu groups also protested in Karnataka's Sirsi, which led to a clash with police.

The BJP has geared up for a massive protest against the killing of other RSS and Hindu activists in the state.

The body of the missing activist Paresh Mesta, a resident of Thulisinagar in the town, was found in a lake behind Shani temple on Friday.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday tweeted various uses of sea planes.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi travelled from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea-plane, which is the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country.

"Earlier today, I travelled on a sea plane from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique and unforgettable. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for India's progress," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

The Prime Minister said the sea-planes can augment tourism prospects in place like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and North East.

"Effective use of waterways augurs well for tourism. Places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, our vibrant North East, places with many water bodies, big dams, waterways will benefit with usage of sea planes. More tourism also brings greater economic opportunities," Prime Minister Modi said in his second tweet.

He also said that the sea planes can prove useful in medical emergencies.

"Sea plane services can also be helpful during times of medical emergencies. Those needing even quicker access to medical care and those living in remote areas stand to gain a lot," the Prime Minister tweeted.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first seaplane passenger in India, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday called it a "big revolution" in the field of transport.

Speaking to ANI, Gadkari informed that within three months the government along with the Aviation Minister will formulate its rules and regulations and start seaplanes transport in different states by 2018.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea-plane, which is the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country, on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Modi in a rally on Monday had said, "Tomorrow for the first time in the history of the country a sea-plane will land on the Sabarmati River. I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back."

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had said that this is for the first time in the history of the country that a sea-plane will land on a water body.

Yesterday, the Ahmedabad Police had turned down the request of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress from conducting roadshows by Prime Minister Modi and grand old party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

The permission was denied by the Ahmedabad administration citing security, law and order reasons and to avoid public inconvenience.

Remaining parts of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, are slated to go for polls on December 14.

The first phase of polling took place on December 9 and recorded a voter turnout of 68 percent.

Counting of votes will take place on December 18.

The Congress is eyeing to dethrone the BJP government in the state.

The last Congress government in Gujarat was led by Chhabildas Mehta from February 17, 1994 to March 13, 1995.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of the 90th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at the Vigyan Bhavan on Wednesday.

FICCI is India's oldest and largest chamber with membership across the country and across all sectors of the economy. FICCI was launched in 1927 on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi to industry leaders Ghanshyam Das Birla and J.R.D. Tata.

At the AGM this year, FICCI President Mr. Pankaj Patel (Chairman and MD, Zydus Cadilla Ltd) will step down and Mr. Rashesh Shah (Chairman and CEO, Edelweiss Group) will take charge.

This is Prime Minister Modi's first address to an AGM of a national association after he took charge as PM. After the inaugural session, Prime Minister Modi will interact with all the Past Presidents of FICCI, who are among the doyens of Indian .

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The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, will give away awards and prices on the the occassion of Energy Conservation Day on December 14.

President Kovind will be the chief guest in the occasion. The occasion will also be graced by the presence of Union Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh.

To drive mass awareness about the importance of energy efficiency and conservation, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under Ministry of Power, celebrate Energy Conservation Day, on December 14 every year.

As part of its awareness outreach, BEE recognizes and encourages endeavours of industries in reducing energy consumption by felicitating them with Energy Conservation Awards. BEE also awards prizes to the national winners of the annual National Painting Competition on Energy Conservation.

This year, over 1.22 crore children participated in the National Painting Competition. Around 322 industrial units and establishments from key sectors participated in the National Energy Conservation Awards 2017.

The President will also visit the exhibition of the prize winning paintings.

During the event, a short film on the 'Energy Efficiency Achievements' in the industry sector will also be shown.

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Punjab's industry associations have accused the Congress led state government of not fulfilling its promise of providing cheap electricity.

Miffed industrialists have threatened to oppose the Congress party in the municipal corporation elections.

After a meeting, the representatives of the associations also announced that if their demand was not accepted within 15 days, they would go on an indefinite strike.

Bandish Jindal, President of the Federation of Punjab Small Scale Industries Associations, alleged that the Punjab government has sent old bills and imposed additional tariff.

"The government has not only failed to fulfil its promise but also betrayed us. The government is trying to put its failures on the industries. After taking votes of the industrialists during the election, the government is now backing on its promise of providing electricity at Rs 5 per unit," Jindal said.

He gave a 15-day ultimatum to the government and said, "After this, strict action will be taken including the hunger strike."

The industry will oppose government officials, office bearers, MPs, legislators and their respect will be changed into humiliation. The Congress party's manifesto will also be challenged in the court," he added.

Avatar Singh Bhogal, a member of the United Cycle Parts Manufacturers Association, alleged that be it the government of the Akali Dal or the Congress, they do not fulfil their poll promises.

"The Congress in its election manifesto promised to give power at Rs. five per unit for five years but has started deceiving in the beginning only. We will completely boycott Congress in the Municipal Corporation elections," Bhogal said.

KK Garg and Mohinderpal Singh Gupta, on behalf of Furnace Associations, said that the industry will not pay old bills to the government and will take electricity at the rate of Rs 5 per unit.

"We will shut our industries if the demand is not met. Prior to the elections, Congress had said that its manifesto is an affidavit. We will challenge the party's manifesto in the court too," they said.

Captain Amarinder Singh is heading the Congress government in Punjab.

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On the 67th birthday of Thalaiva superstar Rajinikanth, a string of Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Riteish Deshmukh and Akshay Kumar among many others have wished the 'legendary' actor a long and healthy life.

Rajinikanth, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, was born on December 12 1950.

The Indian film actor, who works primarily in Tamil cinema, began acting in plays while working in the Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor.

In 1973, he joined the Madras Film Institute to pursue a diploma course in acting.

Following his debut in K Balachander's Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal (1975), his acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films.

Here's what Bollywood celebrities tweeted:

Wishing his dear friend a very happy birthday, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan? took to his Twitter handle, writing, "T 2739 - To my dear friend, colleague and a most humble and large hearted Colossus !! Birthday greetings .. ???? ??, ???? ?? , ???? ??????? ?? !!????"

The 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' director took to his Twitter account and wrote, "Happy birthday to the mega super star @superstarrajini ....the aura , the magic , the connect and the humility is legendary....happy birthday Sir!"

The 'Housefull' star also wished the "Thalaiva," writing, "Happy Birthday Thalaiva.. the one and only @superstarrajini Sir. Wishing him long life & best of health."

The 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' star wrote, " Have always been in awe of your onscreen persona but working with you made me a bigger fan of you offscreen. They don't call you Superstar just like that :) Keep shining the brightest ?@superstarrajini Sir #HappyBirthdaySuperStarRajinikanth"

Abhishek Bachchan? also took to his Twitter handle, writing, "Happy Birthday Thalaiva @superstarrajini"

After earning 26 crore (equivalent to 55 crore or US$8.6 million in 2016) for his role in 'Sivaji' in 2007, he became the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan at the time.

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Russia and Egypt have called for promptly resuming direct Palestine-Israel dialogue on all issues, including the status of Jerusalem.

"Our countries call for promptly resuming direct Palestine-Israel dialogue on all issues, including the status of Jerusalem," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a joint press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

"There is a need to achieve long-term and fair agreements, which would be in the interest of both parties. And clearly, these agreements should be in line with the decisions previously made by the global community," Tass news agency quoted Putin as saying.

He added that Russia fully supported all the previous decisions of the United Nations Security Council on that matter.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that Jerusalem's status could be determined only based on international law and the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The Egyptian president, said Palestinian issue, particularly in light of the recent decision made by US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, was in main focus during his talks with Putin.

"We have discussed the possible consequences of this dangerous decision for efforts to establish peace in the Middle East," he said.

Stressing that Moscow valued Egypt's constructive approach towards the Middle East issues, Putin said that Russia welcomed the agreement signed by Fatah and Hamas in Cairo, aimed at strengthening Palestinian unity.

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Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for breaching the security protocol by travelling in single engine seaplane.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi travelled from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via single-engine seaplane.

Taking to Twitter, Omar questioned that why security guidelines were relaxed for the Prime Minister.

"How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country," Abdullah said.

Abullah further raised brows over the decision to have a foreign pilot flying the seaplane when such tasks are usually carried out by Indian Air Force pilots.

"Single engine plane. Foreign pilots. Is there any security guideline that will not be thrown out today?," he questioned.

The BJP, however, hailed the seaplane landing by the Prime Minister and Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari called it a "big revolution" in the field of transport.

Speaking to ANI, Gadkari said the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country can also be a revolutionary dream for the people of India.

"Today is a historical day as the Prime Minister traveled in a seaplane. Seaplane is a revolutionary factor in the field of transport. It will be a big revolution in the transport sector as India has huge potential," he said.

Earlier, the Congress had also ridiculed the Prime Minister's seaplane travel while dubbing it "hawa-hawai".

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The Central Government will set up 12 special courts, to deal with cases against MPs and MLAs convicted of committing serious offences.

The Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Tuesday in this regard, amid hearing of the case pertaining to seeking lifetime ban on convicted politicians from contesting election.

A petitioner has filed a PIL in the apex court to bar convicted politicians for life from contesting polls.

Earlier in April, the Centre had opposed the petition citing that there were already adequate provisions in the Representation of the People Act (RPA) to deal with it.

According to the legal regime under the RPA a politician convicted and sentenced to a jail term of two years or more shall be disqualified from contesting polls for six years from the date of his release from prison after conclusion of the term.
Three intense workouts a week could slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, according to a study.

A team of researchers at Northwestern Medicine and the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found that vigorous exercise in the early stage of the degenerative disease can decrease worsening of motor symptoms.

The symptoms of the disease include progressive loss of muscle control, trembling, stiffness, slowness and impaired balance. As the disease progresses, it may become difficult to walk, talk and complete simple tasks. Most people who develop Parkinson's are 60 and older.

"If you have Parkinson's disease and you want to delay the progression of your symptoms, just a stroll isn't sufficient. You should exercise three times a week with your heart rate between 80 to 85 percent maximum. It is that simple," said lead author Margaret Schenkman.

Previously, it was thought high-intensity exercise was too physically stressful for individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's symptoms include progressive loss of muscle control, trembling, stiffness, slowness and impaired balance. As the disease progresses, it may become difficult to walk, talk and complete simple tasks. Most people who develop Parkinson's are 60 and older.

Because medications for Parkinson's have adverse side effects and reduced effectiveness over time, new treatments are needed.

The randomized clinical trial included 128 participants ages 40 to 80 from Rush University Medical Center, Northwestern University and the University of Pittsburgh in addition to the University of Colorado Anschutz in Aurora.

Participants enrolled in the Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise (SPARX) were at an early stage of the disease and not taking Parkinson's medication, ensuring the results of the study were related to the exercise and not affected by medication.

"The earlier in the disease you intervene, the more likely it is you can prevent the progression of the disease," said co-lead author Daniel Corcos.

"We delayed worsening of symptoms for six months; whether we can prevent progression any longer than six months will require further study."

Scientists examined the safety and effects of exercise three times weekly for six months at high intensity, 80 to 85 percent of maximum heart rate, and moderate intensity, 60 to 65 percent of maximum heart rate. They compared the results to a control group who did not exercise.

After six months, participants were rated by clinicians on a Parkinson's disease scale ranging from 0 to 108. The higher the number, the more severe the symptoms.

Participants in the study had a score of about 20 before exercise. Those in the high intensity group stayed at 20. The group with moderate exercise got worse by 1.5 points.

The group that did not exercise worsened by three points. Three points out of a score of 20 points is a 15 percent change in the primary signs of the disease and considered clinically important to patients. It makes a difference in their quality of life.

"We catch people early in the disease and are slowing them from getting worse, which is significant, particularly for a disorder that is chronic and progressive," Schenkman said.

Schenkman and colleagues confirmed it was safe for the participants to do high-intensity exercise by giving them a cardiologist-supervised graded exercise test to evaluate the heart's response to exercise.

The findings have been published in JAMA Neurology.

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Women lawmakers in the United States have demanded an investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump.

In a letter sent to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reforms, at least 54 female lawmakers wrote that "the American people deserve a full inquiry in to the truth of these allegations," reported CNN, citing the letter.

The letter also noted that "in the time of 'Me Too' (campaign), women across the US were coming forward with their own harrowing stories of sexual harassment and assault."

"Members of Congress have also come under scrutiny and investigation, with some resigning, for improper sexual conduct. We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr. Trump," the letter shared by CNN added.

The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida, the head of the Democratic Women's Working Group.

More than a dozen women have accused President Trump of sexual assault and several more have accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior.

However, Trump has denied all such claims and the White House has said all women making allegations against the president are lying.

On Monday, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders repeated to reporters that Trump denies all allegations of misconduct.

"The President has denied any of these allegations," Sanders said. "The American people knew this and voted for the President and we feel like we're ready to move forward in this process."

Ambassador Nikki Haley, reportedly told that Trump's accusers "should be heard".

"I know that he was elected," she said. "But, you know, women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them."

Earlier on Sunday, a group of Trump's accusers at a press conference at the Lexington Hotel in New York, demanded the U.S. Congress investigate their allegations against the President.

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Asian Paints said that it purchased the balance 49% stake in the kitchen solution provider company, Sleek International, from Ahuja Family and the shareholders agreement dated 8 August 2013 with the Ahuja Family has been terminated. Sleek has now become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 11 December 2017.

On 8 August 2013, Asian Paints had announced that it acquired 51% stake in Sleek from the Ahuja family by entering into a shareholders agreement with the Ahuja family and Sleek.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories said that the company has received an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from the USFDA yesterday, 11 December 2017 as closure of audit, for the Bachupally, Hyderabad facility. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 11 December 2017.

Earlier, the company had on 28 April 2017 informed about the audit of its Formulations Manufacturing Plant - 3 at Bachupally, Hyderabad by the USFDA, wherein it was issued a form 483 with 11 observations.

NTPC will be watched. The company issued a clarification to the stock exchanges on recent news item appearing in media titled 'CBI registers corruption case against NTPC finance director'. NTPC said it is not aware of any information other than those published in the newspapers or as reported in the media. At this stage no material impact of this article can be considered on the company, it said. The company is not aware of any information that has not been announced to the exchanges under Regulation 30 of Listing Regulations, it added. The clarification was issued after market hours yesterday, 11 December 2017.

Larsen & Toubro Infotech (L&T Infotech) said it has completed acquisition of 100% shareholding of Syncordis Software Services India ('Syncordis India') from Syncordis S.A., thereby making Syncordis India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. The company added that the acquisition of Syncordis S.A., Luxembourg along with other identified subsidiaries in Luxembourg, France and UK, is in the process of closure and completion of which will be intimated in due course.

On 14 November 2017, L&T Infotech announced that it signed definitive agreements to acquire Luxembourg-based Syncordis S.A., a leading core banking implementation services provider, along with its identified subsidiaries in France, UK, Luxembourg and India.

Tata Communication will be watched. With reference to news item captioned, "Tata Communication's 15-year wait to spin off land assets nears end," Tata Communication clarified that it is the company's policy not to comment on market rumours. Over the years, the company has been engaged in continuous talks with the Government of India on the matter of demerger of surplus land and shall intimate the stock exchanges once any final decision is made in this regard. The clarification was issued after market hours yesterday, 11 December 2017.

Repro India reported 85.42% slide in consolidated net profit to Rs 2.54 crore on 10.54% slide in total income to Rs 81.77 crore in Q2 September 2017 over Q2 September 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 11 December 2017.

V2 Retail reported 289.84% surge in net profit to Rs 4.99 crore on 32.76% rise in total income to Rs 137.91 crore in Q2 September 2017 over Q2 September 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 11 December 2017.

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On 14 December 2017

Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 14 December 2017, to consider issue of Optionally Convertible Debentures (OCDs) aggregating to Rs. 3483.25 crore to the Lenders of the Company upon conversion of Part - B (Unsustainable portion) of the loan in accordance with the 'S4A Resolution Plan' approved by the Overseeing Committee (OC).

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If there is one sector which needs the maximum of the government's attention and the top most priority in the ensuing Budget , it is the agriculture that has seen a major setback in Kharif production , leading to overall laggard growth of the farm sector in the country's GDP performance for the second quarter of the current fiscal, ASSOCHAM said.

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 foodgrains production by 2.8 per cent in second quarter of the current fiscal from a handsome growth of 10.7 per cent in the similar period of 2016-17.

Surely, shortfall in the second leg of the Monsoon seems to have its impact on the Kharif production. Besides, distress in prices of several agri commodities would have also played a role in lower realizations as seen in the growth deceleration on the current prices, the ASSOCHAM said.

The chamber Secretary General Mr D S Rawat said since more than half of the GVA in the farm sector is contributed by livestock, fishery and forestry, the Finance Minister Mr 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. In the near term, the 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.

The rural oriented companies in fertilizer, 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.

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Moody's maintains stable outlooks for global airlines, aircraft leasing, global shipping and North American railroads, the rating agency says in its 2018 Outlook for the global transportation sector.

The global airline industry's stable outlook is driven by projections for 8.5%-10% operating margins for Moody's-rated airlines through 2019, with US carriers remaining the most profitable. Industry revenue will grow by about 4%, offsetting higher labor and fuel costs.

"Steady global economic growth will support rising demand for air travel over the next 12 to 18 months," said Jonathan Root, VP -- Senior Credit Officer at Moody's. "Developing countries will continue to lead capacity growth, followed by Europe and the US."

The aircraft leasing industry, meanwhile, will see stable net interest margins of 8%-9% over the next year or so, though competition from new entrants will limit the upside. Global air travel growth is currently tracking about 200 basis points above its long-term trend of around 4.5%, with capacity expansion remaining in line with growth in demand.

Moody's forecasts low-single-digit EBITDA growth in the global shipping industry, driving the sector's stable outlook.

The container shipping segment will remain oversupplied, but the situation won't appreciably worsen. A continuing excess supply of tankers will however keep profits low in that segment, while dry bulk freight rates will continue to slowly improve.

The North American railroad industry's stable outlook is based on 3%-4.5% growth in freight revenues, though growth in freight volumes will slow to 1%-2%. Core pricing will rise 2%-2.5%, benefiting from a tighter transportation market, while the recent positive impact of export coal prices will wane.

"Healthy US GDP growth has favorably impacted most freight groups," said Rene Lipsch, VP -- Senior Credit Officer at Moody's. "But growth in total freight volumes over the next year or so will be tempered by declining shipments of grain, petroleum products and coal."

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Shares of three state-run oil marketing companies fell 1.96% to 2.95% at 12:00 IST on BSE after Brent crude oil prices climbed above $65 a barrel mark.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 110.73 points or 0.33% at 33,345.06.

HPCL (down 2.95%), BPCL (down 1.96%) and Indian Oil Corporation (down 2.09%) edged lower.

Brent crude oil prices jumped above $65 per barrel for the first time since 2015 after the shutdown of the Forties North Sea pipeline knocked out significant supply from a market that was already tightening due to Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)-led production cuts. In the global commodities markets, Brent for February 2018 settlement was up 85 cents at $65.54 a barrel. The contract had risen $1.29 a barrel, or 2.03% to settle at $64.69 a barrel during the previous trading session.

Higher crude oil prices could increase under-recoveries of public-sector undertaking oil marketing companies (PSU OMCs) on domestic sale of LPG and kerosene at controlled prices. The government has already freed pricing of petrol and diesel.

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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Todd Carmichael is one of the few chief executives in America to publicly condemn Republicans plans to slash the corporate tax rate and rewrite the tax code.



Why bash a plan that would be a boon for his shareholders? Carmichael says hes willing to declare what other executives wont: the bill may be good for his business, but its bad for the country.



Carmichael said he defines his own success by doing right by the people around him. His primary responsibilities as the Chief Executive Officer of La Colombe Coffee Roasters are to scale up his company and make money for his shareholders; he wants to redefine how Americans drink their coffee. He said it wasnt in his plans to be a voice for political change.



"When events started unfolding the way they did," he said, he realized, "Im going to have to come out of the boardroom and Im going to have to use my voice."



Carmichaels biggest concern over the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is that its giving a large tax break to corporations at a time when they dont necessarily need it. Drawing on comparisons from the way his grandparents stockpiled goods during The Great Depression, he explains why he believes giving a tax break to corporations now is bad.



"A stimulus package is like a bunker," he said. "It's the soups and crackers and all those things that are in your basement in case something goes wrong. The fact that we're eating that for dinner is dangerous. Because in years we might need it. And it won't be there."



Though he recognizes that its his responsibility as a CEO to take any gains from the tax cut and pass them onto his shareholders, Carmichael strongly disagrees with the idea that those gains for investors will eventually trickle down to the American people. He said other CEOs he knows agree.



"CEOs are looking each other and going, What's happening? We didn't ask for this and we know it won't work,'" he said. "And we don't have a choice ultimately either, our shareholders want that money."



It's the long-term effects that concern him most, Carmichael said.



"We realize this is going to damage the economy over time, and it puts us in a very difficult situation," he added.



Carmichael said he didnt ask for permission from his shareholders to speak out, and that his plan is to "just keep going until someone says something."



He felt compelled to speak out, he said, to help those who want change.



I've seen this unraveling of a country that I didn't think I lived in," Carmichael said. "I didn't think that this country just favored the rich, and just favored the affluent, or favored the white, or favored the straight. I don't want to live in a country like that. So it's up to me to either move or change it. And I'm not going to move. So I'm going to do what I can to change it."



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
At least one person was killed and 18 persons were injured in an explosion at a natural gas plant in Austria on Tuesday, officials said.

The gas plant, belonging to the Austrian international oil and gas company OMV, erupted in flames at around 9 a.m. in the municipality of Baumgarten an der March, located 40 km to the east of Vienna, Efe news reported.

The regional police for Lower Austria said on Twitter that the situation was under control although firefighters were still working to extinguish the conflagration. The police said the cause of the explosion had been a technical failure.

--IANS

soni/mr

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The ruling BJP on Tuesday demanded suspension of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Simon Marandi from the state assembly for organising a "kissing competition" of tribal people.

Jharkhand BJP vice president, Hemlal Murmu alleged that JMM legislator Simon Marandi organised the event on the direction of the church and Christian missionaries.

Murmu, who hails from Santhal Pargana region, said that there is no such tradition of 'kissing' among the Santhal tribes. He said that events like these are a "blot" on society.

"We appeal to the state Assembly Speaker to suspend Simon Marandi from membership of the Assembly. The Santhal tribes do not touch each other's hands while extending their greetings. In Santhal, tribals greet by saying 'Dobo Johar' in which the people place their closed fist on their forehead as part of greetings," Murmu told reporters.

The BJP leader also questioned the name of the event. He said that the event was organised in the name of freedom fighters Siddo-Kanhhu despite the fact that the day did not coincide with the birth or death anniversary of "martyrs".

The district administration of Pakur district has started probe into the incident.

Marandi on Saturday night organised a kissing competition of tribal couples at Talpahari village situated under his assembly constituency Littipara.

Three tribal couples were awarded after the competition.

The JMM lawmaker told reporters on Monday, "the kissing competition was organised to promote love and modernisation. Tribal people are hesitant. The hesitation of tribal couple will end by kissing openly in the competition".

--IANS

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The opposition reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday of the 'biryani' served by then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore in 2015 as the BJP harped on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs meeting with Pakistani diplomats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party spoke again about the so-called "secret meeting" between Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's High Commissioner here at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's home here on December 6, accusing Congress leaders of having "prem" (love) for Pakistan.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which rules Delhi, hit back. "Modiji, an innocent question: You had relished the biryani offered by your brother Nawaz Sharif. How did it taste?" AAP's Ashutosh asked.

Communist Party of India Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said: "'Conspiracy' by foreign countries, 'supari' and other shocking details are being revealed, one by one, by Shri Narendra Modi in Gujarat. Worrisome. Will the Prime Minister of the country act?"

Senior lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan took a jibe at Modi, saying by such antics Modi had "exposed himself".

"A panic stricken Modi staring at defeat in Gujarat has used a series of bogies of 'Rahul not Hindu', 'Ahmed Patel will become Chief Minister', 'Aiyar called me neech', 'Pakistan wants Congress to win', 'Manmohan Singh ... plotting with Pakistan' to somehow turn the tide."

Another AAP leader, Sanjay Singh, said even Manmohan Singh's worst critics have not questioned his honesty and patriotism.

"Sad that Modi by resorting to such irresponsible statements is giving Pakistan a chance to make fun of us," he said.

Even BJP ally Shiv Sena questioned Modi's raising such issue at election rallies instead of arresting and booking for treason those who attended the meeting at Aiyar's residence.

Modi in his election rallies has alleged that the Congress leaders discussed Gujarat polls with Pakistani diplomats. Manmohan Singh has already rejected the allegations as "canards" and sought an apology from Modi.
Raj Chouhan, Deputy Speaker of Canada's British Columbia Legislative Assembly, on Tuesday called upon Punjab Speaker Rana K.P. Singh here and discussed the possibility of establishing a partnership agreement between the two assemblies.

He also conveyed congratulations to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on behalf of British Columbia Premier John Horgan for winning the elections early this year.

During the half an hour interaction, Chouhan, legislator from Burnaby-Edmonds in Vancouver, handed over a draft partnership agreement to his counterparts besides discussing various issues being faced by both houses, a Punjab government statement said.

He also conveyed that the Speaker and the Clerk of Legislative assembly of British Columbia would like to visit Chandigarh to meet Rana K.P. Singh to finalise the agreement.

Chouhan said Horgan is interested in strengthening the bilateral ties, trade relations and cultural relations between the two states.

Welcoming Chouhan, the Punjab Speaker said it was a matter of pride that Punjabis like him attained height in various fields at Canada.

He said the initiative taken by the British Columbia Speaker would be a learning experience for both states as legislatures of the both states can learn many things from each other.

--IANS

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Chinese expatriates involved in criminal activities in Pakistan will face punitive action, officials said.

Pakistan has witnessed a rapid increase in the number of Chinese nationals due to development projects and joint ventures under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Some Chinese expatriates, however, were found to be involved in criminal activities including fraud, Dawn online reported.

The matter was discussed at a joint meeting of the Home Department and the Vice Consul General of China.

The consul said Beijing had no objection if legal action was taken against Chinese nationals for involvement in criminal activities.

A police official said no major offence committed by Chinese nationals had come into notice so far. But minor offences like getting drunk was common.

In March, two Chinese were arrested in Pakistan for ATM skimming fraud.

--IANS

soni/mr

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A Delhi court here on Tuesday granted bail to meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi, who was arrested in a money laundering case.

Special Judge Arun Bharadwaj granted bail to Qureshi on furnishing personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and a surety of like amount.

Qureshi was arrested on August 25 by the Enforcement Directorate, which had registered a case against him in 2016 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for alleged illegal forex dealings and tax evasion.

The ED had opposed Qureshi's bail plea.

According to the agency, Qureshi was being investigated for allegedly remitting funds through hawala channels to Dubai, London, and a few other destinations in Europe.

The ED had said that during the course of investigation, certain facts had emerged that constituted omission and commission of certain acts on the part of certain public servants holding high offices in collusion with Qureshi, whereby massive illegal money transactions were carried out.

The agency also said that the records collected from the Income Tax Department had revealed that Qureshi took huge money from different persons for obtaining "undue favours from public servants" after exercising his personal influence.

Qureshi has denied the charges.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A senior Kazakhstan diplomat has suggested that the UN adopt an International Diwali Day to commemorate the festival that he said embodies the values of the world body.

Following up the success of creating an International Yoga Day at the UN, India should make efforts to have Diwali recognised similarly, Kazakhstan's Permanent Representative Kairat Umarov said here on Monday.

It would be "immortalising" Diwali, which reflects the ideas of the UN in good overcoming evil, he said.

A former deputy Foreign Minister, Umarov was speaking at a ceremony for presenting the Diwali Foundation's "Power of One" awards to six serving and former UN diplomats and international civil servants.

The awards recognise their dedication and efforts to bring about changes that lead to a "more perfect" peaceful and secure world.

Umaraov has also served as his country's ambassador to India.

In 2014, the General Assembly created the International Day of Yoga that is observed around the world on June 21.

The General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2015 acknowledging the significance of Diwali and asking that the UN not schedule meetings on that day.

The "Power of One" awards were presented to Lebanon's Permanent Representative Nawaf Salam; Britain's Permanent Representative Matthew Ryrcroft; Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi Puri, who is also the Deputy Executive Director of UN Women and a former Indian diplomat; former Under Secretary-General Maged Abdelaziz of Egypt; former Director of General Assembly Affairs Ion Botnaru of Moldova, and former Ukraine Permanent Representative Yuriy Seregeyev.

Diwali Foundation, which gave the awards, grew out of the campaign for the US to issue a stamp honouring Diwali. The postal service issued the stamp in 2016.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi government on Tuesday approved the proposal of the Finance and Planning Department to revamp and strengthen its Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) unit so as to ensure effective design, development and implementation of government policies.

According to an official statement, besides guiding Outcome Budgeting, this will help the government to conduct independent surveys and evaluations, enable data analysis and assessment of large government datasets.

"The newly created M&E unit will create a government-wide roadmap for effective use of modern tools and techniques in the government for improved policy making and better delivery of public services.

"The unit will also lay a roadmap for the government to join the Open Data movement by making large government datasets open to citizens and researchers," said the statement.

"It is under the present government that such a bold vision for strengthening and modernising the M&E functions of the department has been first articulated, and tangible actions towards the same initiated in the form of a comprehensive Outcome Budget for 2017-18," it quoted Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia as saying.

"This is because our government believes in the fundamental value of data-driven policymaking and the role scientific surveys and evaluations can play in helping elected governments better deliver public services to citizens and with the highest cost-effectiveness," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has called on President Donald Trump to resign over allegations of sexual assault, the media reported.

"President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign," the senator told CNN on Monday night.

"These allegations are credible; they are numerous... I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking," said Gillibrand, a leading voice in Congress for combating sexual assault in the military.

If he does not "immediately resign," she said, Congress "should have appropriate investigations of his behaviour and hold him accountable".

Also on Monday, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon also called on Trump to resign in a tweet, encouraging Capitol Hill to investigate.

"These women are right. If @realDonaldTrump won't resign, Congress must investigate allegations by many, many women that he sexually assaulted and harassed them. No one is above the law," he tweeted.

Gillibrand told CNN: "Not only should women be heard, but they should be believed."

On Sunday, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said that Trump's accusers "should be heard".

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to Haley's comments at a news briefing on Monday, where she reiterated that Trump "thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward" but noted that he denies the allegations.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has stressed his country's firm stance on the necessity of preserving the legal and historical status of Jerusalem in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo.

Both leaders held a prolonged meeting on Monday and discussed the recent developments after the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, spokesman for Egyptian presidency Bassam Rady said in a statement, Xinhua reported.

Sisi stressed Egypt's support for establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Rady noted.

Meanwhile, Abbas said the US decision was surprising at a time when the Palestinian Authority showed flexibility and readiness to reach a settlement based on the two-state solution and recognition of East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital in line with the pre-1967 borders.

The two sides tackled the dangerous repercussions of the US decision on the status of Jerusalem and the Middle East peace process, the spokesman said.

Both leaders agreed to continue consultations as well as exploiting the current international momentum opposing the US decision.

Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that he acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump's declaration received wide criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries.

Jerusalem lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

While Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, 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.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Union on Tuesday announced 9 billion climate finance contribution -- the first major announcement made on the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement's second anniversary -- to achieve climate goals.

The Paris climate-relevant investments are in three targeted areas -- sustainable cities, sustainable energy and connectivity and sustainable agriculture, rural entrepreneurs and agribusiness.

These targeted areas are expected to generate up to euro 9bn investments by 2020, Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete announced at 'One Planet Summit', hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron here.

"The Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC climate convention remain the only pathway to tackle climate change and this One Planet Summit demonstrates how the financial system is aligning to the objectives of the agreement," UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said in a statement.

In a related announcement, 225 of the most influential global institutional investors with more than $26.3 trillion in assets under management launched a new collaborative initiative to engage with world's largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters so these companies step up their actions on climate change.

The initiative, known as Climate Action 100+, led and developed by investors and supported and coordinated by five partner organisations from around the world, was launched on the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

Betty T. Yee, a board member of California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest US public pension fund and a participant in Climate Action 100+, made the announcement during a panel discussion at the summit.

Canete said that the EU's External Investment Plan, with its focus on sustainable development and the low-emission and climate-resilient transition, will scale up much-needed investments across Africa and the EU neighbourhood, adding that the benefits would be multiple: new jobs, accelerated and sustainable growth, enhanced resilience to climate change impacts, improved health, poverty reduction and better connectivity.

International Cooperation and Development Commissioner Neven Mimica said that these priority areas are setting the agenda for sustainable investments, and unlocking the potential of sustainable energy, promoting digitalisation for development or supporting micro, small and medium sized enterprises will help create sustainable development and reduce poverty.

The Paris gathering took place less than a month after the successful conclusion of the November UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn (COP23) and was the first in a series of international summits to help countries to raise ambition and bolster their national climate action plans - crucial to achieve the Paris Agreement's goals.

Next year, California, the UN and other key partners will host another major conference to fast forward action ahead of the UN Climate Conference 2018 in Poland (COP24), and a summit to raise ambition will be convened by the UN Secretary General in 2019.

At the 'Planet One Summit', another 237 companies with a combined market capitalization of over $6.3 trillion publicly committed to support the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

This includes over 150 financial firms, responsible for assets of over $81.7 trillion.

The Task Force, led by Michael R. Bloomberg and established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB),chaired by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, developed voluntary recommendations on climate-related information that companies should disclose to help investors, lenders, and others make sound financial decisions.

The companies and organizations supporting the TCFD, which have more than doubled in number in the five months since the recommendations were published in June 2017, span the entire capital and investment chain.

"Climate change poses both economic risks and opportunities. But right now, companies don't have the data they need to accurately measure the risks and evaluate the opportunities. That prevents them from taking protective measures and identifying sustainable investments that could have strong returns," Bloomberg said, adding that the Task Force's recommendations will help change that by empowering companies to measure and report risks in a more standardized way.

In a sign of the financial industry's growing concerns over the climate and business risks of fossil fuels, French insurance giant AXA announced at the summit that it will cease insuring the tar sands sector and new coal projects, and will divest over 3 billion euros from tar sands and coal companies.

Tar sands oil is one of the dirtiest fuels on the planet and environmental and indigenous rights groups in Canada, the US and Europe are urging financial institutions to stop supporting it because of its climate and local environmental impacts.

In October, France's largest bank BNP Paribas announced that it would stop funding tar sands projects and companies.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Border Security Force on Tuesday seized 17 gold bars worth nearly Rs 50 lakh from near India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal and detaind one smuggler, a BSF official said.

Acting on a tip-off, the BSF troopers of Petrapole border outpost conducted a special operation in North 24 Parganas district and apprehended the smuggler.

Feroz M. Khan, 44,, a Kolkata resident, was detained from near the International Check Post (ICP), Naveen Chouhan, Deputy Commandant in BSF's south Bengal frontier zone, said in a press release.

The troopers seized 17 gold bars of 1.7 kg, worth Rs 49.32 lakh, from him, Chouhan added.

"The apprehended person as well as the seized gold have been handed over to Petrapole customs office for further investigation," he added.

The BSF's south Bengal frontier has seized 32.66 kg of gold worth approximately Rs 9.43 crore and apprehended 11 gold smugglers so far in 2017.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress party of spreading unimaginable lies about Gujarat and about him "personally" and said the people of the state would give a "fitting reply" to the "negativity" of the opposition.

In a series of tweets the Prime Minister also said that victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future.

"The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, Gujarat's growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined. It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition," he said.

The Prime Minister said with BJP governments in Gujarat and at the Centre, together they will take the state to new heights.

"With the Government of India and Government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1+1 is not 2 but 11 and together we will take Gujarat to new heights," he said.

Modi also said that no Gujarati will let go of a golden opportunity for development of the youth and coming generations.

"Victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future. I am devoting my life for the betterment of crores of people of Gujarat and India. Have been fortunate to always get your blessings. I am sure you will continue to bless us in these elections too by voting for BJP," the Prime Minister said.

He urged the people to vote in record numbers and called upon them to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state.

"Campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 ends. After three and a half years, I got the honour to travel across the length and breadth of Gujarat to seek the blessings of the people. During my travels across Gujarat, the level of affection I have received from the people is unparalleled in my 40 years of public life. This affection gives me strength and motivates me to devote all my time for India's development," he said.

Modi has addressed over 30 rallies in Gujarat. Polling is scheduled for the second phase on December 14.

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.

The counting of votes will take place on December 18.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government's Chief Statistician T.C.A. Anant has no worries that the government may breach the fiscal deficit target of 3.2 per cent of the GDP for the current fiscal. In fact, he feels revenue would be buoyant by year-end and that the targeted deficit would be bridged.

"It's bad accounting to compare the fiscal deficit reaching 96 per cent of the target in October (compared to 79 per cent last year). They are not taking into account a significant policy initiative that the government has taken this year -- the preponement of the Budget," Chief Statistician T.C.A. Anant told IANS in an interview.

He said it was a conscious policy reform and the surprise about its impact on fiscal deficit was "befuddling" because the move had led to expenditure profile shifting towards the beginning of the year with revenue profile remaining the same.

"This is something anyone could have predicted when we decided to prepone the budget. That, come October, we are going to get a higher fiscal deficit picture," Anant said.

India's budgetary fiscal deficit for the first seven months of 2017-18 stood at 96.1 per cent -- Rs 5.25 lakh crore -- of the full year's target of Rs 5.46 lakh crore, as per the data furnished by the Comptroller General of Accounts (CGA).

"The Budget preponement was done largely with a view to permit government expenditure to start from April 1... The purpose was to shift the time-profile of the government expenditure to increase the expenditure in the earlier quarters -- front-loading."

"To a certain extent, that has succeeded. Because if you look at the share of government expenditure as a percentage of budget expenditure which was done in the first six months -- it is higher this time than the share of expenditure to budget expenditure of last time," the Chief Statistician said.

However, the revenue profile has remained pretty much the same, he added.

"Just these two phenomena would lead you to get what you should get: A higher deficit this time than you got last year. Remember, the revenue profile also has the bulk of the revenue coming in the last quarter.

"So if the budgetary estimates remain on line, then there is nothing to worry about. Since revenues come in during the last quarter, what you really need to look at is how does it work out in the full year," he pointed out.

Anant added the reason for the conscious decision to advance the Budget this year dates back to almost a decade when there were a series of reports on expenditure management recommending the same.

These expenditure management commissions had said there was a tendency to bunch government expenditure in the last quarter, which was criticised for a variety of reasons.

"The argument was the quality of expenditure is inferior when you bunch it in the last quarter. Largely what happens is that you are into exhausting the budget, so you spend it on whatever you can spend it on, rather than what you should be spending it on," Anant said.

"Also, from the viewpoint of capital formation and investment-related things, when you begin expenditure on a project late, the risk of the project getting held up is higher because the budgetary approval will lapse... So the whole work will be held up until the amount gets reauthorised," he said.

Anant added that the budget schedule was a detriment to front-loading because the formal authorisation was often not made available till some time in June, which used to create a handicap because, by that time, the monsoons used to set in and some activities could not be initiated.

"So all of this was a conscious choice as to why you would wanted to bring the budget date a little ahead so you could begin the expenditure on April 1," he said.

(Vishav can be contacted at vishav@ians.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Accusing the BJP-led Central government of promoting the RSS ideology, Meghalaya's opposition Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) on Tuesday demanded that the state be included under the special provision of the Constitution's Article 371.

Kickstarting its election campaign here, the HSPDP also castigated the BJP's move to introduce the Uniform Civil Code to fulfill the RSS agenda to make India a "Hindu Rashtra".

"India is known as country of unity in diversity, but the BJP wants to turn it into unity in uniformity. They are even planning to scrap Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and the aim of the BJP government at the centre is to have one religion in the country," said HSPDP supremo Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit.

Harping on the need to include Meghalaya under the special provisions of Article 371, similar to Article 371 A and Article 371 G being accorded to Nagaland and Mizoram respectively, he said that Meghalaya too needed to be brought under special provisions of the Constitution to protect the political-socio-economic interest of its indigenous people.

Addressingparty supporters from across the Khasi-Jaintia Hill region in eastern part of the state, he lamented that even after 45 years of statehood, Meghalaya was lagging behind in socio-economic sphere and asked people to oust the ruling Congress and prevent other national parties from ruling the state.

Basaiawmoit said that the HSPDP had stitched a pre-poll alliance with the United Democratic Party to pave way for the regional parties to form the new government.

Elections to the 60-member Meghalaya assembly is scheduled to be held on February-March 2018.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Navy sailboat INSV Tarini left Lyttelton port on Tuesday morning for the next leg of its journey towards Falkland Islands after completing the second leg of its circumnavigation voyage, an official statement said.

Tarini, with its all-women team of Indian Naval officers, had arrived in Lyttelton on November 29.

During their stay in Lyttelton, the team members interacted with a wide range of stakeholders during the welcome reception hosted by the High Commission on November 30. It was attended by about 100 distinguished guests, including members of Parliament, state officials, businessmen, academicians, leaders from Indian community and media persons.

INSV Tarini was open to visitors at Lyttelton Port of Christchurch on December 3. Nearly 200 visitors, from all walks of life, visited the vessel and interacted with the crew.

The crew was also welcomed by the city of Christchurch during the traditional festive march, known as the 'Santa Parade'. More than 200 school children attended a presentation and interaction session with the crew at Prebbleton School on December 5.

The all-women team also visited the Naval Point Yacht Club, Canterbury and Ara Institute, New Zealand, where a presentation on 'Navika Sagar Parikrama' was given to the audience.

The crew visited the traditional Maori cultural centre, 'Rehua Marae', during the port stay and also had a trip to few tourist places near Christchurch, including Hanmer hot springs and the French harbour, Akaroa.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President-elect on Tuesday asked if visiting temples was forbidden, adding he felt very nice about it and prayed for the golden future of Gujarat.

"Is going to temples forbidden?" Gandhi asked when a reporter questioned him at a press conference here about his visit to temples in Gujarat during campaigning ahead of the assembly elections.

"We took out a yatra this time... whichever temple I went to, I prayed for the golden future of Gujarat... so that the state's youth and farmers have a bright future."

Asked why he visited temples in Gujarat only, the Congress leader retorted: "Don't you remember I had gone to Kedarnath? Is Kedarnath in Gujarat?"

"If you remember, I visited Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand as well... I keep going... the BJP says I don't go to temples... go and find out in Uttarakhand, I had gone to temples there."

Gandhi said that normally the party holds public meetings during campaigning. However, he said, this time we held a 'yatra' or roadshow/march.

He then asked Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala how many kilometres the yatra covered.

"During the yatra, wherever I could, I went. And I felt nice... very nice," he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he believes US President Donald Trump will bring Washington back into the Paris deal on combating climate change.

But Macron said in an interview to CBS News on Monday that he will not agree to Trump's demand that America's terms should be negotiated.

The French President, on the eve of a climate summit he arranged in Paris, condemned the manner in which the US had signed an international deal, then withdrawn from it.

"The US did sign the Paris agreement. It's extremely aggressive to decide on its own just to leave and no way to push the others to renegotiate because one decided to leave the floor. I'm sorry to say that. It doesn't fly," said Macron.

Macron told CBS he was not willing to be accused by future generations of understanding the extent of the climate problem but doing too little to solve it.

Scientists were waiting to see whether Tuesday's summit of 50 senior ministers and Prime Ministers will achieve its aim of giving a boost to the current sluggish progress on cutting emissions, the BBC reported.

The important announcements to be made on key financial issues included raising cash to give poor countries clean energy, stopping development banks lending for new coal plants and insisting that firms disclose any fossil fuel assets that might be devalued if governments clamp down on emissions.

On being asked, the French President called his relationship with his US counterpart "very direct" and said that he was frank about his opposition to Washington recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Manipur government and the people on Tuesday marked the Women's War Day and paid homage to the women activists who had launched a crusade against the oppressive British administration in 1939.

Every December 12 is observed as the Women's War Day in the state to remember the brave women who fought the then rulers to stop rice exports.

The main function to mark the 78th anniversary of the revolt was held by the government at the women's war memorial complex here where Chief Minister N. Biren Singh paid tributes to the women fighters.

Several organisations also observed the day by organising women races, free medical camps and seminars.

"There is a new policy of the Central government for the northeast. Taking advantage of it a durable peace and permanent settlement should be brought about. The womenfolk should extend full cooperation to it," Singh said.

"We should be watchful of the attempt to divide us. The brave women could also contribute meaningfully to the government attempt to bring the people of the hills and valley closer."

Women participated in races at different places like Singjamei, Tera, and Imphal city. There were also races for women vendors in the city which were flagged off by Manipur Speaker Yumnam Khemchand.

Amid shortage of rice in 1939, the women demanded that its export be stopped. But when Maharaja Churachand Singh and the British officials turned a deaf ear to their demands, the women vendors from the main market in Imphal took to the streets.

A total of 21 women sustained bayonet injuries when a vain attempt was made to disperse them.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An ongoing search for the missing Argentine submarine that disappeared 26 days ago was currently focused on a mystery object detected at a depth of 700 metres, according to the navy.

"There is nothing new. We're working on an element that (US research vessel) Atlantis is reviewing at this moment," Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said on Monday.

Despite poor weather in the search effort, the international team looking for the ARA San Juan continues to work using tools such as remote-control probes, Efe news quoted the spokesman as saying.

Six vessels are deployed in the search zone, based on the sub's last reported position, course and speed and the location of an explosion that roughly coincided with the San Juan's disappearance, Balbi said.

Navy headquarters last heard from the submarine on November 15 and it was eight days later that authorities declared the 44 crewmembers as presumed dead.

The San Juan went missing en route from Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city, to its home base in Mar del Plata, southeast of Buenos Aires.

Two sailors assigned to the San Juan who were not aboard went the submarine disappeared, on Monday met Defence Minister Oscar Aguad, the navy spokesman added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will once again visit Gujarat on Thursday, the second final day of polling in the assembly election, to cast his vote. Many other senior state and national leaders will also be here to cast their votes.

Modi, who returned to the national capital on Tuesday, after extensively campaigning for four consecutive days and having practically made Gujarat his home for more than a month, will come to Ahmedabad, where he will cast his vote at Nishan Vidyalaya in Ranip area.

Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah too will be in the city to cast his vote from his former assembly constituency, Naranpura. He had vacated the seat to contest for a Rajya Sabha seat from the state. Another Rajya Sabha member from BJP representing Gujarat - Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be in city to cast his vote from Vejalpur region of Ahmedabad.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and senior BJP leader L.K. Advani too will be in Ahmedabad city to cast his vote from Khanpur area. The sitting MLA from Abdasa and Congress candidate from Mandvi, Shaktisinh Gohil will be casting his vote in Gandhinagar.

State Congress President Bharatsinh Solanki will exercise his voting right in Borsad town of Kheda district. Another Congress candidate Siddharth Patel will be casting his vote from Dabhoi.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a sinister plot borrowed from a crime thriller, a woman murdered her husband and nearly swapped him with her paramour through plastic surgery but it was a bowl of which spilled the beans.

Police in Telangana revealed the shocking facts unearthed during the investigations of the chilling crime in Nagarkurnool town.

M. Swati, a 27-year-old nurse at a private hospital in the town, was married to Sudhakar Reddy for three years and they also had a child. However, she came close to Rajesh, a physiotherapist. They hatched a plan to get rid of Reddy.

They executed the plan successfully by injecting anaesthesia to Reddy early on November 27 and when he fell unconscious, hit him on his head resulting in his death. They later dumped and burnt the body in the forests.

To ensure that nobody gets suspicious about Reddy's disappearance, Swati hatched a plan to swap her dead husband with Rajesh by making some changes in his physical appearance through plastic surgery.

As part of their plan, she poured a small amount of acid on Rajesh's face and informed Reddy's relatives that unknown persons had attacked him.

'Reddy' was rushed to a corporate hospital in Hyderabad, where doctors advised plastic surgery. The treatment had started and when it looked Swati and Rajesh would succeed in their plan, the story took a dramatic turn.

Reddy's relatives got suspicious when he refused to have served to patients with burn injuries. They were shocked when he told the hospital staff that he is a vegetarian as the real Reddy used to take non-vegetarian food.

According to a police officer involved in the investigations, Reddy's relatives grew suspicious on noticing change in his behaviour. When they started asking him some questions including the identity of some relatives, he stopped speaking and was conversing with signs.

Reddy's family members alerted police. When the police grilled Swati, she confessed to killing her husband with the help of Rajesh.

Police arrested Swati on Sunday. She also confessed that she was inspired by Telugu movie "Yevadu" starring Ram Charan Teja and Allu Arjun. The story of this 2014 movie was about a youth (Alu Arjun) who gets injured and a lady plastic surgeon gives him the face of her deceased son (Ram Charan).

A police officer said Rajesh will be taken into custody after discharge from the hospital.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The man who faces terror charges over Monday's bus terminal bombing in New York posted a warning to US President Donald Trump just before the attack.

"Trump you failed to protect your nation," the Facebook post read. The post by Akayed Ullah was revealed in charges filed by federal prosecutors on Tuesday, BBC reported.

They say the 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant carried out the bombing in support of the Islamic State group.

He wounded himself and three others in Monday morning's attack.

Ullah is accused of blowing up a crude device strapped to his body in an underpass at Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal during the rush hour.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) tweeted that he was facing state charges including criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

The federal charges, announced later on Tuesday, include providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a public place.

Ullah told investigators he had made the bomb at home using materials that included Christmas lights wire, prosecutors say. The device was affixed to his body with Velcro straps.

He admitted doing "it for the Islamic State" and was motivated by US air strikes on IS targets, according to the federal complaint filed by prosecutors.

The suspect's home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched. Police believe he acted alone. Ullah emigrated to the US on a family visa in 2011 from Chittagong in Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi government says he had no criminal record in the country, which he last visited in September. The visit lasted about six weeks.

Ullah's wife did not join him in the US. She and other family members are now being questioned to try to understand how he was radicalised.

US President Donald Trump has said Monday's attack, which followed a terror attack in Manhattan in October that killed eight people, "highlights the urgent need... to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people".

"America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country," Trump added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After 37 years, veteran politician and National Congress Party President Sharad Pawar hit the streets on his 77th birthday on Tuesday, leading a massive 'Jan Aakrosh Halla Bol' procession, jointly with Congress and other parties, against the BJP-Shiv Sena government.

The procession, led by an ailing Pawar - who recently underwent a toe surgery - started from Dhanwate National College grounds to the Maharashtra Legislature which has currently assembled here for the Winter Session in the state's second capital.

The procession saw the participation of top Congress leaders like former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, state Congress President Ashok Chavan, and others from the Congress and the NCP, besides over 200,000 farmers and party workers from entire Vidarbha region of eastern Maharashtra, NCP state spokesperson Nawab Malik said.

"In 1980, Pawar had led a similar procession on bicycle from Jalgaon to Nagpur to fight for farmers issues. This time, it's a commemoration of that procession for the cause of farmers who are being denied justice under the present Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena at the centre and in Maharashtra," Malik told IANS.

Later, Azad, Pawar and other senior leaders from the their parties, besides other smaller or regional parties like Samajwadi Party, Peasants & Workers Party, Republican Party of India, et al, addressed the gathering near the legislature building.

Tuesday's procession-cum-rally is part of the ongoing agitation launched by the NCP on December 1, in different parts of the state intended to "condemn and awaken the sleeping state government on its various unfulfilled promises" for the people of Maharashtra.

These include the Minimum Support Price for farmers for agriculture produce, the disbursement of the farm loans waiver package announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in June, and other issues, he added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran politician and Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, who hit the streets on his 77th birthday on Tuesday to lead a rally, said the ruling "BJP should feel ashamed of itself" for hurling allegations of Pakistani links against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Addressing a massive rally on after leading a massive 'Jan Aakrosh Halla Bol' procession, jointly with Congress and other parties against the BJP-Shiv Sena government, he said: "Manmohan Singh's credential are impeccable and it was very wrong to accuse him of seeking Pakistan's help to win the ongoing assembly elections in Gujarat."

"Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has taken power, it has destroyed the country, it is indulging in extremely dirty politics and it has invoked Pakistan merely to cling to power. It is a very sad development," Pawar said.

The Modi government has completed more than three years in power, but the farmers issues remained unresolved and their problems are being ignored, compelling them to commit suicide, he added.

Pawar - who led a political procession after 37 years, said when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was informed of Tuesday's procession, he responded that he "would show them their place when they came to him".

"The CM has threatened us. He has complete authority to govern the state, but if he threatens to throw us in jail, the farmers of the state are powerful enough to uproot you from power," Pawar warned.

He pointed out that the agitation was intended to "awaken the sleeping government to the misery of the farmers" who have been denied justice on various counts, including the Minimum Support Price for farm produce, implementation of the farm loans waiver scheme announced in June and other related issues.

Meanwile, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena government hit back at the opposition with the Anti-Corruption Bureau lodging FIRs in four different cases pertaining to the alleged scams worth Rs 72,000 crore in the state irrigation department, which could implicate several senior NCP leaders, including former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and ex-minister Sunil Tatkare.

The procession, signaling a realignment of the political opposion, was led by an ailing Pawar - who recently underwent a toe surgery, but he appeared fit, cheerful and in full form.

Joined by an estimated 200,000 farmers and party activists from entire Vidarbha region of eastern Maharasthra, the procession started from Dhanwate National College grounds and slowly wended its way to the Maharashtra Legislature which has currently assembled here for the Winter Session in the state's second capital.

It culminated there into a rally which was addressed by Pawar, several senior NCP leaders Praful Patel, Tatkare, Leader of Opposition in Council Dhanjay Munde, Congress's former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, state Congress President Ashok Chavan, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and others from both parties.

"In 1980, Pawar had led a similar procession on bicycle from Jalgaon to Nagpur to fight for farmers issues. This time, it's a commemoration of that procession for the cause of farmers who are being denied justice under the present Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena at the centre and in Maharashtra," state NCP spokesperson Nawabl Malik told IANS.

Tuesday's procession-cum-rally was part of the ongoing agitation launched by the NCP on December 1, in different parts of the state intended to "condemn and awaken the sleeping state government on its various unfulfilled promises" for the people of Maharashtra.

Besides the national parties, the procession saw participation of activists and leaders of other smaller and regional parties like Samajwadi Party, Peasants & Workers Party, Republican Party of India-G and RPI-K, farmers groups, etc.
Dance in India is increasingly being affected by narrow-mindedness, an easy acceptance of mediocrity, complacency among artists, and in training and academia the tendency to value knowledge is far more than imagination, says renowned kathak exponent Aditi Mangaldas.

Mangaldas, who is encouraging artists to question, explore and find their own voices in the pursuit of excellence was speaking at a discussion titled "Non-recognition of Excellence: Artistic values in Dance" organised by the Raza Foundation and moderated by poet and film-writer Udayan Vajpeyi. She also spoke at length with eminent poet Ashok Vajpeyi on the current state of dance training and dance criticism in India.

Mangaldas, who has often been criticised for straying from the purist kathak traditions, lamented about narrow-mindedness that was stifling the creativity of dancers.

"Protectionism is a killer of excellence, it is shrouded in fear and no great art can exist in an ambience of fear," she said.

"Conservation and exploration are two simultaneous processes. Artists who explore become the tributaries that feed the river of tradition, rejuvenating it in the process. I have great respect for our history and culture, but I have not been bogged down by it," added Mangaldas.

She also cited the "easy acceptance of mediocrity" and the tendency of artists to become complacent about their own art as obstacles to achieving excellence.

"We have to be ruthless with ourselves, physically, intellectually and emotionally, only then can we burn in the art. 'Knowing' is a nail in the coffin of creativity; 'doubt' is what enables you to question, and without this ruthless pursuit there can be no excellence," she quipped.

The overemphasis on knowledge over imagination in dance training was also problematic, she said. Her dissatisfaction with the limited literature of kathak, the distaste for what she described were 'regressive' concepts such as "ched-chad" expressed through the dance form and a growing awareness of social issues were some of the things that prompted her to explore creative vistas outside of traditions, she maintained.

Ashok Vajpeyi, who recalled some of the 'magical' performances of dancing greats such as Odissi's Kelucharan Mohapatra, Kuchipudi legend Vedantam Satyanarayan Sharma, Bharatnatyam dancer Balasarawati and Koodiyattam guru Mani Madhava Chakyar, said artists today often tend to take to the stage to perform 'items' without an awareness of the full weight of their responsibility.

"When an artist is on stage they are not dancing in isolation, an entire culture is dancing with them. They may be a worthy or even unfit inheritor of this culture, but they are carrying a responsibility; this sense is lost upon the dancers, 'that we are here because of others before us'," said Vajpeyi, the Managing Trustee of the Raza Foundation.

He also lamented the "obsession with the idea of success" and to be "successful at any cost" pervasive among artists today.

"The world has been changed by people who would largely have been considered failures in their personal lives, for instance Marx, Gandhi or Buddha," he said.

"An artist too must have the courage to fail or not enter the world of art. This is not some romantic notion; you will only have the courage to seek truth and ask questions if you are ready to accept failures on the way," maintained the eminent poet.

Art Dialogues, a monthly series of discussion on various aspects of art, is organised by the Raza Foundation in partnership with the Civil Services Officers' Institute.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury on Tuesday hailed the new party President Rahul Gandhi as a "sagacious and dynamic leader" and claimed he would play a pivotal role in new political dynamics in the country.

"Our beloved Rahul Gandhi is now Cong President, will certainly instill confidence into the minds of Cong workers.he is a sagacious and dynamic leader, he will be playing a pivotal and catalytic role in forging a new political dynamics with distinctive narratives," Chowdhury said in a tweet.

State Congress activists on Tuesday observed 'Bijay Dibas' at the WBPCC headquarters Bidhan Bhavan to celebrate Rahul Gandhi's ascension to the post.

Condemning the brutal killing of Bengali labourer Afrajul in Rajasthan earlier this month, Chowdhury demanded that the case's trial be transferred from Rajasthan to Bengal. He also asked the state government to open liaison offices in states where people from Bengal go in search of jobs.

Criticising Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claims that her party workers would not say indecent things even if they are provoked by other parties, the Congress leader said Banerjee herself is heavily involved in foul-mouthing others.

"She herself is a pioneer in foul-mouthing others. Her party leaders have mastered this habit from her. Maybe Banerjee has felt that the party needs to be more civilised. Hence she is trying to change the stance," Chowdhury added.

--IANS

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The Syrian opposition has urged Russia to salvage the UN peace talks in Geneva this week by persuading the Syrian government delegation to begin direct face-to-face discussions, the media reported on Tuesday.

Basma Kodami, a leading member of the opposition negotiating team, urged the visiting Russian delegation to show they wanted to capitalise on the end of military operations in Syria by building a lasting peace, reports the Guardian.

The opposition was not seeking President Bashar al-Assad's removal from office as a precondition for talks, she said, but his departure remained its objective.

She said she could not see how Assad could ever be regarded as a legitimate candidate in fresh Presidential elections overseen by the UN.

She said the focus of the talks this week should be on a new Constitution and arrangements for a Presidential election, not Assad's future.

On Monday, the Syrian government delegation returned to Geneva for a meeting with the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura.

It had left the city prematurely last week, claiming there was no point talking to an opposition that demanded Assad's withdrawal, a stance that prompted De Mistura to warn he would judge this week whether any party was seeking to sabotage the process.

It is not clear whether President Vladimir Putin underlined the message when he briefly visited Syria on Monday for a meeting with Assad where he claimed a military victory and announced a partial troop drawdown.

--IANS

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"Tiger Zinda Hai", a film about two spies -- one Indian and the other Pakistani -- is largely a story about humanity, says its director Ali Abbas Zafar, who feels handling sensitive topics can be a "double-edged" sword these days.

Even at the best of times, tackling a movie with Indian and Pakistani protagonists can be tricky. How did he handle it?

"The film is a very human story... it is not political at all. The idea is that when there is a fight between right and wrong, what is at stake is humanity. And there's nothing bigger than humanity," Zafar told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Given the current times, there's a question mark on the creative freedom of filmmakers in India, especially when it comes to sensitive topics. What does he have to say on that?

"It's a double-edged sword," he said.

"As a filmmaker and a creative person, I need to be sensitive to what is happening around me. I always personally think that no matter what happens, everything can be solved through dialogue. We should not take ourselves too seriously. At the end of it, it is a film... We work because of our conviction... at the same time it should not offend anyone."

"Tiger Zinda Hai" is the sequel to the 2012 actioner "Ek Tha Tiger", which was directed by Kabir Khan. The film featured superstar Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif as Indian and Pakistani agents, and the two stars are back on-screen after five years in the same roles.

Working on the sequel, produced by Yash Raj Films, has been challenging for Zafar.

"But we are hopeful that the second part is going to live up to expectations. The story is the most important aspect of the film. Of course, Salman and Katrina are there. Both of them came on board after hearing the story, and they said that irrespective of whether it was a sequel or not, we had to do the film," he said.

"Both of them are so comfortable with each other off-screen that as soon as a little bit padding from a scene or song happens, their chemistry blooms on camera. I think that is an asset for a director because I don't need to push for it too much."

Zafar describes Salman as a "director's actor".

"He has given me what I have required from him and he has worked really hard to make the film look a certain way," he added of the film, which is said to be laced by some stunning action sequences.

The film's visual appeal itself will be enhanced by the picturesque destinations in Austria, Greece, Morocco, Abu Dhabi and India, where it has been shot.

Admitting that it is a "big budget" film, Zafar said: "I don't know the exact number. But it is bigger than 'Sultan' (his last film). We were very clear -- both Aditya Chopra and I -- that a story like this can only look real and authentic if we pay attention to the details and for that you need a certain amount of budget."

(Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)

--IANS

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Ahead of the February Tripura Assembly polls, the Left Front government on Tuesday announced 24 months of maternity leave to its women employees -- for the first two children.

The weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, took the decision, Information and Finance Minister Bhanulal Saha told the media. He said women employees can take the leave in one go or intermittently till the child turns 18.

--IANS

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A 58-year-old man in Tripura, wanted for two cases of theft committed 37 years ago, has been arrested, police said on Tuesday.

Acting on two permanent arrest warrants, Sisir Dhar was arrested on Monday from Jirania, western Tripura, and was sent to the Chief Judicial Magistrate court, Officer-in-Charge of West Agartala police station Subrata Chakraborty told IANS.

He said that Dhar, who has become a grandfather now, had committed two thefts in 1981 in Agartala. Details of the crimes are not available with police.

After his crime, Dhar was absconding for many years. During the past few years he was working as a labourer to earn his family's livelihood.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump authorised the acting NASA administrator Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. to "lead an innovative space exploration programme to send American astronauts back to the moon, and eventually Mars" during a White House signing ceremony.

Standing with retired astronauts including Harrison Schmitt, one of the astronauts on Apollo 17 -- the last piloted mission to the moon, and Vice President Mike Pence, Trump on Monday touted the initiative as the first step in establishing a foundation on the moon for "an eventual mission to Mars and perhaps someday to many worlds beyond", reports CNN.

"The directive I am signing today will refocus America's space programme on human exploration and discovery.

"It marks an important step in returning American astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and use. This time we will not only plan on flag and leave our footprint."

The directive, which came on the 45th anniversary of Apollo 17's landing on the moon, called for collaboration with commercial companies and other nations, but it did not specify when the moon mission would occur or how much it might cost.

During a 2016 campaign event near NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, Trump had pledged to "free NASA from the restriction of serving primarily as a logistical agency for low Earth-orbit activities" and "instead refocus on space exploration", CNN reported.

"Under a Trump administration, Florida and America will lead the way into the stars," he said.

Pence, during the first meeting of the National Space Council in October, said the Trump administration "will return American astronauts to the moon, not only to leave behind footprints and flags, but to build the foundation we need to send Americans to Mars and beyond".

"The moon will be a stepping-stone, a training ground, a venue to strengthen our commercial and international partnerships as we refocus America's space program toward human space exploration."

Trump's announcement essentially revives goals that former President George W. Bush announced in 2004. The resulting NASA programme, Constellation, was to put astronauts on the moon by 2020 but was hobbled by delays and cost overruns, reports The New York Times.

Former President Barack Obama canceled it in 2010 and instead told NASA to focus on reaching an asteroid in the 2020s and then Mars in the 2030s.

The new heavy-lift rocket that NASA is developing for deep-space missions - known as the Space Launch System - could serve as a core component of a moon trip.

But the first uncrewed test of that rocket will not occur until 2019 or 2020, and the first flight carrying astronauts would follow only several years later.

--IANS

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Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami has said US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will accelerate the Jewish state's destruction.

Hatami on Monday said Trump's decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem meant that Washington would be to blame for any future conflict in the Middle East, Efe news reported citing state-run news agency IRNA.

"The US measure will double the unity among Muslims and also precipitate the collapse of the Zionist regime," Hatami said, adding that Tehran condemned the unilateral actions taken by the US and Israel.

The Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces, Mohammad Bagheri, warned that Trump's decision was the prelude to a great uprising against Israel, a move that some Palestinian groups have urged.

Iran supports the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and other groups in the region, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, that have fought Israel.

--IANS

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin warned that the US move on Jerusalem destabilizes the Middle East and will not help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking at a joint news conference on Monday after his meeting with Putin, Erdogan criticised Israel for taking advantage of the US move on Jerusalem as "an opportunity to ramp up oppression and violence against the Palestinians," Xinhua reported.

"It is impossible for anyone who has a conscience, morality, or value to ignore the killings," the Turkish leader said.

He was apparently referring to the deaths of two Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces in clashes over the weekend in the Palestinian territories during Palestinian protests against Israeli occupation and US President Donald Trump's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Erdogan added that Turkey and Russia share the same position on the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and will keep close cooperation on the issue.

"We have seen the same approach on the US Jerusalem move. Both have agreed to continue our contacts in this regard," he said.

For his part, Putin said the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital did nothing to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and was destabilising the situation in the Middle East.

"The status of Jerusalem should be resolved by direct contacts between Israel and Palestine," Putin said.

Erdogan said that, as the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Turkey had invited the Islamic leaders to hold a summit in Istanbul this week.

"I believe we will deliver a very strong message from there," he noted.

Both leaders also discussed the bilateral relations as well as regional developments, particularly Syria, while pledging to continue cooperation on the Astana political process to resolve the Syrian crisis.

They planned to hold a meeting next week in the Russian resort of Sochi, according to Erdogan.

The two leaders have been meeting regularly in the past months. They last met in Sochi on November 22 to discuss the issue of Syria with Iran.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CPN-UML Chairman K.P. Sharma Oli, seen as close to China, is set to become Prime Minister of Nepal again with the Left alliance completing a clean sweep in the country's first elections to the provincial and federal assemblies.

The pro-India ruling Nepali Congress (NC), which faced its biggest electoral debacle ever, is set to sit in the opposition.

Oli, whose party and the CPN (Maoist Centre) won a resounding victory, has said he would duly respect the opposition and take it along.

According to the Election Commission on Tuesday, the country's leftist alliance won 113 seats in Nepal's Parliament, while the NC won just 21 seats.

The leftist alliance was also leading in six out of seven newly-created provincial assemblies mandated in a new Constitution, which was officially adopted in 2015.

Oli's campaign has called for the extension of the Chinese railway network into Nepal and implementation of hydroelectric, airport and other infrastructure projects to create jobs.

He briefly served as Premier from October 2015 to August 2016 but lost his seat when the Maoists dropped out of a coalition government and Oli faced pressure to resign as leader of a minority government.

According to officials, CPN (Maoist Centre) chief and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is likely to support Oli's candidature for the Prime Minister's post while he would take the reins of the unified party. Oli won from Jhapa-5 with 57,139 votes, defeating Nepali Congress' Khagaraj Adhikari who secured 28,297 votes.

The Election Commission is likely to count propositional representation votes by December 15 and submit the final election results to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

Oli and Prachanda addressed victory rallies in their constituencies in Jhapa and Chitwan, respectively. They will return to Kathmandu on Wednesday to discuss formation of the new government. The country will get a new Prime Minister within the first week of January next year.

Oli said the new government would take the opposition along and work with it, giving it the due respect. "We have seen in the past victory often tends to make parties arrogant... I would like to assure we ourselves have gone through such oppressions to arrive where we are today," the Himalayan Times reported.

"We know where it hurts," he said.

The country's Parliament is composed of 275 seats, 110 of which are allocated on a proportional representation basis. There are also 550 seats across the seven provincial assemblies.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who also serves as chairman of Nepali Congress, won his seat from a constituency in western Nepal, but most senior leaders of his party were trounced in the polls.

Ram Sharan Mahat, a former Finance Minister of the Nepali Congress, said the party had suffered losses due to votes being less spread out.

"In earlier elections, votes had been divided among three main parties. But, after their alliance, it became a race between the two," said Mahat. "Our party made several missteps in choosing candidates and presenting an image during the campaign," he said.

The elections, held in two phases on November 26 and December 7, capped the country's 11-year transition from monarchy to federal democracy.

--IANS

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On December 6, 1992, when the in Ayodhya was being demolished in a paroxysm of hate and anger, my family and I were in Mumbai, en route to my assignment as Indias high commissioner to Mauritius. We were unable to stir out of our hotel as, in the aftermath of the horrific incident, Mumbai, too, descended into chaos, with violent and bloody communal clashes in several neighbourhoods. We spent the day watching TV channels broadcasting images of this most shameful of episodes in independent Indias history. What was strikingly apparent was the well-planned, indeed well-rehearsed nature of the assault, with hordes of security personnel standing mute witness while the law of the land was being torn into shreds and a motley brand of political leaders were cheer-leading from the sidelines. It reminded one of another similar and shameful episode in 1984 when the Sikhs of India were targeted by violent mobs in the aftermath of the assassination of Indira Gandhi by one of her Sikh bodyguards. An individual act of murder was made the crime of an entire community. In the Babri case, too, revenge was sought on an entire community for an alleged wrong committed by a co-religionist, long dead and gone. These were grievous body blows on the very notion of India as a citizen-centric, modern, and plural democracy, with equal rights for every Indian, irrespective of caste, creed or faith.
With reference to Manmohan Singh says PM should apologise for false statements on Pakistan-poll link (December 12), it is extremely unfortunate that allegations have been made against Dr. Manmohan Singh and some other eminent Indians, all known for their patriotism and unadulterated devotion to the nation, of colluding with Pakistan to influence the outcome of the Gujarat elections. Such a thought should not occur to any sane mind. The talks between a section of Indian elite and some Pakistan nationals, some of whom are known to be well-meaning and interested in Indo-Pak amity, also cannot be considered unjustified.
A "deeply pained and anguished" former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of spreading "falsehood and canards" in a desperate bid to win the Gujarat election and asked him to "apologize to the nation". In an unusually hard-hitting statement, Manmohan Singh denied allegations by Modi that he and others, including former Vice President Hamid Ansari and former Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor, invited to a dinner at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence with Pakistani diplomats, discussed the Gujarat election.
Rahul Gandhi, who is putting up a spirited campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat, was on Monday elected the President of the Congress, taking over from his mother who had helmed the country's oldest party for 19 long years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated his political bete noire and wished him a fruitful tenure.

"I congratulate Rahul Ji on his election as Congress President. My best wishes for a fruitful tenure," Modi tweeted.

The 47-year-old Rahul will formally take over the reins of the grand old party on December 16, two days before the counting of votes for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, the outcome of which could be a trendsetter ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Congress leader and returning officer Mullappally Ramachandran told the media that a total of 89 nomination papers proposing the name of for Congress President were received. All the nomination papers were found valid.

"Since the withdrawal date and time is over and as there is only one candidate, as per Article XVIII(d) of the Constitution of Indian Congress, I hereby declare elected as President of the Indian Congress," he said.

Marking a generational shift, will be the sixth Nehru-Gandhi scion to helm the party, taking over from his mother Sonia Gandhi who steered it through an era during which it was in power from 2004 to 2014.

"This is a historic occasion. The handing over of the certificate of election is scheduled to be held on December 16 at 11 a.m.," Ramachandran said.

He said Rahul Gandhi was a stickler for rules and was particular about ensuring that the elections were conducted in a transparent and meaningful manner.

"Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi never interfered with the election authority. We were given complete freedom to execute the onerous responsibility," he said.

He also said: "We place on record the exemplary guidance and support given by Sonia Gandhiji and Rahul Gandhiji. At the first meeting of the Central Election Authority Sonia Gandhiji had given us only one mandate i.e. to conduct free, fair and transparent election, keeping in view the high traditions and heritage of Congress.

"The only request that Soniaji placed before us was that women, weaker sections and youth should be given adequate representation," Ramachandran added.

Senior Congress leader and Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said: "Whole nation has a lot of expectations from Rahul Gandhi. He has shown his mettle much before he was elected the president. He knows his responsibility well and has shown this in Gujarat."

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "An aspirational leader, whose most endearing quality is his 'sincerity' and 'sense of purpose' takes over as new President of the Congress."

"Congress, its workers are ready to take on new challenges, traverse new heights and serve the nation," he added.

Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra also congratulated him on becoming the party chief and said it is the "dawn of a new era" and a "proud moment for all in the family".

"My best wishes to @OfficeOfRG on becoming @INCIndia President," Vadra tweeted.

Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken addressing mediapersons said "only time will tell what will be his role as party president". He also added that the programme for the handing over ceremony scheduled on December 16 will be released later.

It is expected that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, current and former Chief Ministers, senior Congress leaders, and all PCC chiefs and delegates will be present at the handing over ceremony.

Gandhi had been the party Vice President for over four years since 2013.

Among the proposers of 89 nominations -- all in support of Gandhi -- was former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who called Rahul Gandhi the "darling" of the party. Manmohan Singh accompanied Gandhi when he filed the nomination papers.

Originally 90 nomination forms were issued but one could not be filed as there were not enough number of proposers.

Hundreds of Congress workers and leaders from across the country thronged the party office and celebrated the announcement of Rahul Gandhi's elevation by bursting crackers and dancing to the beat of drums and distributing sweets.
Eleven communities from Sikkim today urged the central government to grant them the scheduled tribes (ST) status.

A delegation of the indigenous communities from Sikkim met Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh and submitted a memorandum placing the demand, an official release said.

The delegation included representatives of communities such as Rai, Mangar, Gurung, Thami, Bhujel, Jogi, Sanyasi, Giri, Newar, Khas (Bhawn and Chettri) and Dewan (Yakha).

The delegation presented a memorandum to the minister for providing ST status to their communities, the release said.

They also discussed various related issues such as their representation in the state assembly, reservation in jobs, income tax exemption and others.

Singh appreciated the contribution made by the communities and assured them that he would try to ensure justice for them.

He said the memorandum would be taken up with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

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A Nigerian official says two teenage girl suicide bombers attacked the town of Gwoza, in the country's north, killing at least four people.

Col Onyema Nwachukwu, spokesman for the Military Command and Control Center in Maiduguri, said Tuesday that the attack was carried out Monday evening.

He said local defence forces spotted the girls and shot one, detonating her vest and killing only her. He said the other girl managed to infiltrate the crowded residential area in Borno state and detonated herself, killing four others. He said several people injured have been taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

The military command in Maiduguri also said two soldiers were killed Sunday after their vehicle hit a homemade explosive planted by Boko Haram insurgents along the Maiduguri-Damboa highway.

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Six top diplomats, including an Indian woman, have been felicitated with the inaugural Diwali "Power of One" award at the UN headquarters here for their contribution to help form a more "perfect, peaceful and secure world".

The awards were presented yesterday on the occasion of the first anniversary of the US Postal Service's issuing of a forever Diwali stamp last year.

The awardees included outgoing British Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft; Lebanese Ambassador to the UN Nawaf Salam who was elected to the International Court of Justice last month and Indian head of the UN Women Lakshmi Puri.

The other awardees were Maged Abdelaziz, the former Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN; Ion Botnaru, the former Permanent Representative of Moldova to the UN and Yuriy Sergeyev, the former Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations.

Co-organised by the Permanent Missions of Belarus, Georgia and India, the event was co-sponsored by nearly two dozen countries including the US, Britain, France, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Spain, Kuwait and Algeria, a statement said.

The event was held at the prestigious Trusteeship Council Chambers at the UN headquarters in New York.

"The inaugural 'Power of One' award is bestowed upon globally exceptional people - who have toiled selflessly to help form a more perfect peaceful and secure world for all of us", said Ranju Batra of the Diwali Foundation.

New York-based Batra is credited with the seven years of effort towards the release of a Diwali stamp by the US Postal Service.

"In October 2016, we won and got our Forever Diwali Stamp. I personally sold over 170,000 stamps to make the Diwali Stamp the USPS' #1 Bestseller for Day One in its over 200 year existence," Batra said.

"I was determined to succeed in my goal to get the USPS to issue a Diwali Stamp, despite knowing many others had tried and given up. I spent nearly 7 years chasing it peacefully, and using only inclusive and respectful means," she said.

Eminent Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said the Diwali Foundation USA's "Power of One Awards" were the "Oscars of Diplomacy" and helped "Good" beat evil and suffering.

Speaking on the occasion, Valentin Rybakov, Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN, said the awardees symbolically illuminate a way forward to a more perfect, peaceful and secure world for all.

Diwali Foundation USA was established this year as an NGO to promote a peaceful and consensus-based process to achieve societal "Good" as befits the high hopes and ideals of humanity enshrined in the UN Charter.

Among others who spoke on the occasion included Frantisek Ruzicka, Chef de Cabinet, President Miroslav Lajcak, 72nd UN General Assembly and Syed Akbaruddin, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.

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Pakistan's Supreme Court today expressed concern over the absence of statues of Lord Ram and Hanuman in the historic Katas Raj temple complex in Chakwal district of Punjab province.

Hearing a suo motu case on the drying out of the sacred pond in the temple complex, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar asked, "Do the authorities even have the idols or have they been displaced?"



The issue was taken up by Justice Nisar on the basis of media reports that the Katas Raj pond was drying up because cement factories nearby were drawing a large amount of water through a number of borewells, severely reducing the sub-soil water level.

During today's hearing, three-member bench headed by Justice Nisar termed the cement factories in the area as "destructive", and demanded to know the names of the factories that are located near the temple, Dawn reported.

Punjab government's counsel told the court that Best Way Cement Factory Chakwal, Ghareeb Wall Factory and DG Khan Cement were among the factories near the temple, the paper said.

The lawyer representing Evacuee Trust Property Board blamed former chairman Asif Hashmi for the current state of affairs.

"Asif Hashmi earned millions of rupees from corruption (during his tenure) and then ran away (from the country)," the lawyer claimed.

Justice Nisar responded by asking why Hashmi had not been arrested, saying that the court can summon home secretary of Punjab and foreign secretary for answers, the paper said.

The Chief Justice also barred lower courts from hearing any petitions regarding the ongoing case, it added.

The hearing of the case was adjourned until tomorrow.

Last month, the bench had directed the government to form a committee to probe the issue of drying of temple pond.

The Katas Raj temple is one of the Hindu community's most well-known places of worship. The name 'Katas' is derived from Kataksha, a Sanskrit word meaning 'tearful eyes'.

According to legend, the sacred pond was formed after lord Shiva wept upon the death of his wife Satti.

BJP leader L K Advani during his trip to Pakistan in 2005 also visited Katas Raj and inaugurated conservation work being carried out by the government of Pakistan.

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An Afghan couple were today apprehended at the Delhi airport for allegedly using a fake travel ticket to see their daughter off, official sources said.

Sayed Omar and his wife, N Sayedy, were apprehended around 6:30 am when CISF personnel found them roaming suspiciously inside the Terminal-3 (T3) building of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, they said.

The couple told the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel that they used a cancelled ticket to enter the terminal to see their daughter off, who was travelling to Kabul, the sources added.

The couple, from Afghanistan, were subsequently handed over to the police, they said.

Entering an airport terminal without a valid ticket is illegal under the country's aviation rules.

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An Air India flight connecting Hubballi airport in Karnataka with Mumbai and Bengaluru was flagged off today.

The flight was flagged off by civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who also inaugurated the upgraded terminal building at the airport.

Hubballi airport has been included in the UDAN scheme and the response from the airlines is very good, Raju was quoted as saying in a release issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

The central government's Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) initiative seeks to connect unserved and under-served airports as well as make flying more affordable.

The Air India flight, flagged off today, would be operated with Airbus 319 aircraft on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The new terminal building has the capacity to handle 300 peak hour passengers at a time apart from various passenger- friendly amenities and conveniences, the release said.

At present, Hubballi airport has only daily flight connecting Bengaluru and is operated by Alliance Air. In 2016 -17, the airport handled 25,928 passengers.

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High speed data services were today launched in Ladakh area, the country's coldest region where temperatures fall to minus 20 degree, by Bharti Airtel under its ambitious 'Project Leap' programme of providing connectivity across the nation.

The services were made operational even at Dras, the coldest place in the country where temperatures go down to minus 40 degrees in winters. It was a main area of confrontation of the 1999 Kargil war when Pakistani intruders had occupied the mountains there.

"Customers in 130 towns and villages, including Kargil, Leh, and Dras, will now be able to enjoy affordable high speed data services and get on to the digital superhighway," an Airtel statement said.

The roll-out of 4G services in the region would not only be beneficial to the local population but also the large number of tourists who visit the region, it said.

Popular spots like Kargil War Memorial, Magnetic Hill, Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace, Thiksey Monastery, Lamayuru Monastery, Moon Land Lamayuru, Sakti towards pangong Lake, Stok Palace and Hall of Fame are now covered by Airtel 4G, said the country's largest telecom operator.

Bharti Airtel's chief operating officer (India and South Asia), Ajai Puri said: "This is a major milestone for India and for Airtel. Having pioneered 4G rollout in India, Airtel has been committed to expanding its high speed data networks to every corner of the country and contribute to the Governments Digital India vision.

"As part of Project Leap, we will continue to channel investments towards building a world class future ready network that touches every Indian."



Under the 'Project Leap' initiative, Airtels nationwide 4G footprint now spans Ladakh in the North to Kanyakumari in the South and Tawang in the East to Kutch in the West.

The company has committed over Rs 60,000 crore investment for the initiative.

"Airtels network teams and partners have overcome the challenge of extremely difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions, including sub-zero temperatures, to deploy a state-of-the-art 4G network in the region," the statement said.

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A Delhi court today sent a British national, arrested for allegedly recruiting youths for Al-Qaeda to carry out terror activities, to judicial custody while extending the period of investigation by NIA by a month.

The court sent the accused, Shamiun Rahman, who is of Bangladeshi origin, to prison after he was produced before it from the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) custody during an in-chamber proceeding, court sources said.

It is also believed to have granted 30 more days to the NIA to complete its investigation after the agency moved an application seeking extension of the mandatory period of 90 days which ended today.

27-year-old Rahman was arrested in September by the Delhi Police for his alleged involvement in recruiting Rohingya Muslims for the terror outfit and train them to fight against the Myanmarese army. The case was recently transferred from the Delhi police to the NIA.

The accused had earlier moved an application before a city court through advocate M S Khan alleging that he was sexually harassed by the jail security personnel and inhuman behaviour was meted out to him by them.

The court had sought a response from the jail authorities on that application.

The Special Cell of the police had alleged that the process of radicalisation of Rahman alias Raju Bhai began in a jail in London where he was lodged on charges of rash driving.

During this period, he stayed at various places in Kishanganj (Bihar), Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), NCR and other places, the Delhi police had claimed, alleging that the accused had plans to set up base in Mizoram or Manipur to train the radicalised youths.

An FIR was filed by the special cell after his arrest under various provisions relating to the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and Passport Act.

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Taking a cue from neigbouring Tamil Nadu, temples in Puducherry and Karaikal regions will launch 'annadhanam' (free meal) scheme from January 14 next year during the pongal harvest festival.

A decision to this effect was taken at a joint meeting of trustees of major temples here today.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who addressed a joint meeting of the trustees, explained the modalities of the operation of the scheme.

'Annadhanam' sponsored by the devotees would be conducted every Friday and Saturday in separate enclosures and food would be served on banana leaves, instead of in small dried leaf bowls as is done now.

Commissioner of Hindu Religious Institutions N Thillaivelu told PTI that to start with four major shrines-- (Manakula Vinayakar temple, Vedapureeswarar, Sithananda Swami and Tirukameeswar temples) and three in Karaikal (Ambagarathur temple, Dharbaraneswar and Karaikal Ammayar temples) would operate the scheme.

Food would be served on Tuesdays also in so far as Ambagarathur temple in Karaikal is concerned, he said.

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister, late Jayalalithaa, had introduced the scheme in the state on March 24, 2002.

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A regional joint commissioner of the Endowments Department was today arrested after the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau claimed it has unearthed disproportionate assets worth crores of rupees belonging to him and his family members.

The officer, S Surya Chandrasekhara Azad, has already been facing six department inquiries over alleged misappropriation of funds and misuse of official position, ACB Director General Ram Prawesh Thakur said in a release.

ACB teams conducted raids on the properties of Azad and his kin at 18 places, including Rajamahendravaram, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Nuzividu, Anantapuramu and Eluru today and unearthed "huge" moveable and immovable assets belonging to him, his wife and relatives, the release said.

The accused officer also purchased 32.1 acres of land in Anantapuramu district in the name of three servant maids and set up a solar power plant with an investment of Rs 18 crore, the ACB DG said.

Azad and his family members mortgaged property worth Rs 3 crore with Canara Bank to obtain loan for the solar plant, Thakur said.

"These documents have to be verified," the DG added.

"The accused officer had a bad reputation (in the Endowments Department) and at present six departmental inquiries are pending over allegations of misappropriation of funds and misuse of official position. He also made several trips to Europe, China, Malaysia and Singapore," Thakur said.

Among the properties discovered in Azad and his kin's names were a building in in Vijayawada, a new G+2 building (under construction) at Gollapudi, a flat in Hyderabad, a house plot at Penamaluru, another flat in Hyderabad, gold and silver articles worth Rs 12 lakh, household articles worth Rs 10 lakh and bank deposits of over Rs 11 lakh, the ACB said.

A bank locker in Hyderabad is yet to be opened, it said.

These assets are disproportionate to his known sources of income, the anti-graft agency said, adding the case is under investigation.

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Engineer-in-Chief of the Army Lt General Suresh Sharma today called on Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra here and briefed him about various engineering tasks undertaken in the state.

Lt Gen Sharma briefed the governor about the various engineering tasks in which his organisation is engaged in Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesman said.

He said the officer briefed about the projects particularly in the context of the obtaining security challenges in this region.

Governor lauded the role of the Corps of Engineers of the Army who are forever in the forefront for providing technical support to the Army operations, the spokesman said.

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Calling for better police-public relationship, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said the Assam government was committed to make the state police "one of the best" in the country.

Asking Assam Police Service probationers to fulfil the pledge of upholding sincerity and honesty in their work and strive hard for regaining people's faith in the police force, the chief minister said, "We are committed to make Assam Police one of the best in the country."



The chief minister said at the passing out parade of the probationers at Dergaon that the state government is working to ensure security of every individual and fostering harmony among all communities.

"Make best use of the knowledge that you have acquired during the training in your service.

There is no alternative to integrity and honesty and you should perform your duty with commitment, discipline and punctuality," Sonowal said.

The chief minister said that a Police Academy in line with the National Police Academy, Hyderabad will be set up at Dergaon with state-of-art facility.

He also highlighted the state government's fight against corruption and the efforts to make Assam free from insurgency and illegal migration.

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An Australian senator quit parliament today over his links with China in a scandal that coincided with Canberra proposing new foreign interference laws that have sparked fierce criticism from Beijing.

Labour opposition politician Sam Dastyari, a one-time high-profile powerbroker, has been under heavy scrutiny over his relationship with a wealthy political donor associated with the Chinese Communist Party.

"Today, after much reflection, I have decided that the best service I can render to the federal parliamentary Labour Party is to not return to the Senate in 2018," he said as pressure for him to go grew.

"Reflecting on the events which led to my decision, I leave knowing that I have always honoured my parliamentary oath, I have always acted with integrity, and I remain a loyal, patriotic Australian."



It recently emerged that he had told billionaire businessman Huang Xiangmo -- who has donated to both Labour and the ruling Liberal coalition -- that his phone was likely being tapped by spy agencies.

Huang's company last year paid a legal bill for Dastyari.

Reports also said Dastyari had appeared at a media conference alongside Huang, held for Chinese media, where he contradicted Labour's position on the South China Sea issue.

And this week, he was accused of pressuring the party's foreign affairs spokeswoman not to meet a Chinese political activist during a visit to Hong Kong in 2015.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made clear Dastyari's position was untenable.

"Dastyari has quite plainly been acting in the interests of another government or another power," he told broadcaster ABC.

The scandal came to a head as Canberra announced wide- ranging reforms to espionage and foreign interference legislation.

The new laws followed an inquiry ordered by Turnbull after media revelations that the nation's spy agency had warned the country's political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billionaires with links to China.

The reports said intelligence agencies had major concerns that China was interfering in Australian institutions and using the political donations system to gain access.

Turnbull last week singled out China as a focus of concern, citing "disturbing reports" about Beijing's influence, drawing an angry response and an official protest.

Beijing said Canberra should "immediately stop making wrong remarks" that would undermine trust and cooperation between the two countries, while attacking local media stories about infiltration as fabricated.

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New York police today charged an ISIS-inspired Bangladeshi-origin man with supporting terrorism, a day after he triggered a blast with a crude homemade device at a metro station that injured three people.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device exploded prematurely yesterday between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America's largest bus terminal.

The New York Police Department tweeted that Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

Ullah is reported to be in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burns in the explosion. Three other people suffered minor wounds in the blast during rush hour.

The suspect was taken into custody after the device partially exploded.

Reports say he used piping, nails, a 9-volt battery and Christmas lights wire to build the device. It was affixed to his body with Velcro straps.

The suspect's home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched.

Ullah acted alone, police said, adding that the explosion was recorded on surveillance video.

According to a law enforcement official, through his comments to investigators, Ullah indicated he was prepared to die. The source also said the suspect was wired up with the self-made device during his entire trip on the subway system.

He had pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN, and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far, though it is being treated as terror-related.

John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, said Ullah was not on the FBI radar.

"This is an individual who came from Bangladesh, was living here, went through a number of jobs, was not particularly struggling financially or under any known pressure, who was not on our radar at the NYPD, not on the FBI radar, and he's somewhat characteristic of what we've been seeing across the world which is somebody who turns up one day out of the blue," Miller told CBS this morning.

Miller said it is difficult to stop a lone wolf attack.

"Where the conspiracy is within the confines of their own mind, and that's a very hard place to get to. When you combine that with the fact that now these [cellphone] devices are encrypted so if you bring it to the manufacturer with a court order, even they've designed it so that they can't open it," Miller said.

Ullah came to the US in 2011 from Bangladesh as part of the family visa. From 2012 to 2015 he had a city taxi driving license. He was currently working for an electric company.

"You find yourself increasingly behind the eight ball as the terrorist organisations seize on this and increase the breadth and space of that propaganda that's meant to reach those people who are searching for something," he said.

Miller said Ullah raised concerns about would-be terrorists' ability to make devices at home.

"If you look at what he attempted to make that bomb out of and what he attempted to make it into, it didn't function with the force and power that the recipe intended it to. I think what we saw yesterday was something that could have been far, far worse," Miller added.

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An interfaith group from Bahrain said it has sent a delegation to Israel to promote "tolerance and coexistence", at a time of Arab anger over the fate of Jerusalem.

The non-governmental organisation, which calls itself "This is Bahrain", insisted it had no official status though its mission statements say it has the backing of King Hamad.

This is the first public visit by a Bahraini delegation to Israel, which Manama -- like most Arab capitals -- does not recognise.

Reports in Palestinian media said the delegation was banned from visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in annexed east Jerusalem yesterday.

The organiser of the trip, however, declined to confirm, and the Islamic body that governs the site said that while no visit took place, they had not explicitly banned them.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean at the Simon Wiesenthal Center NGO which organised the delegation's visit, said it was made up of 25 inter-religious leaders from Bahrain.

"About one-third of them are Muslims, there are Christians and two Buddhists," he told AFP. "It's not a political visit so there was no request to see politicians."



The visit sparked angry reactions on social media and by other NGOs in Bahrain, especially as it comes within days of US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

This is Bahrain issued a statement - carried by Bahrain's state agency BNA - insisting the visit was unofficial.

"The delegation, which includes some foreign nationals from different religions residing in the Kingdom of Bahrain, does not represent any official body in the kingdom," it said.

"The delegation represents solely the society and has undertaken the visit on its own initiative."



The NGO, which received its official licence in May, said the trip was part of an initiative to visit several European countries and the United States.

"The initiative... is based on the principle of tolerance and coexistence, an approach embraced by the Kingdom of Bahrain and a feature of its society, and aims to visit Islamic, Christian, Jewish and other holy sites across the world," it said.

Israeli media published yesterday pictures of the NGO delegation in Jerusalem, triggering angry reactions condemning the visit.

A small protest occurred in the Gaza Strip this morning, sparked by apparently false rumours the delegation would visit the Palestinian enclave.

Bahrain's National Islamic Forum branded the visit an act of normalisation of ties with Israel and in breach of "Bahrain's established national principles which reject all forms of normalisation".

A statement from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for a boycott of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians, "strongly" condemned the cooperation between the "despotic Bahraini regime (and) Israel's regime of occupation and apartheid".

Israel has long faced resistance to its efforts to improve ties with Arab nations in the region because of its 50-year occupation of Palestinian territory.

It has, however, recently seen increased behind-the- scenes cooperation with some Arab countries, particularly in their opposition to Iran.

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The wife and in-laws of a Bangladeshi -origin man, who triggered a blast at a metro station in New York City, were today detained for questioning by the Bangladesh police, according to a media report.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, detonated a pipe bomb strapped to his body in a crowded passageway during the morning rush hour yesterday, injuring himself and three others.

The device prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, America's largest bus terminal, injuring four persons and causing chaos in one of the busiest commuter hubs in the metropolis, officials said.

The Bangladesh police detained the wife and in-laws of Ullah for questioning. The counterterrorism unit detained the trio this afternoon, bdnews reported.

"The three have been brought in for questioning," Counterterrorism Unit Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by the report.

Ullah's wife Jannatul Ferdous and their six-month-old baby live with her parents in Dhaka.

Ullah, who hails from Chittagong, has lived in the US for seven years. US police officials said he worked as a cab driver initially and then worked as an electrician at a real estate company.

He had pledged allegiance to the ISIS terror group and told investigators that his planned terrorist attack in New York was mainly because of the recent Israeli actions in Gaza, officials said as per multiple media reports.

Bangladesh police began searching for Ullah's family after his identity was confirmed.

An official from the counter-terrorism unit said they found the address of his in-laws on Tuesday afternoon.

Akayeds father-in-law Zulfikar Haider, mother-in-law Mahfuza Akhtar and their children rented the house.

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New York police today charged an ISIS-inspired Bangladeshi-origin man with supporting terrorism, a day after he triggered a blast with a homemade device at a metro station that injured three other people.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device exploded prematurely yesterday between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America's largest bus terminal.

The New York Police Department tweeted that Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

Ullah is reported to be in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burns in the explosion.

Three other people suffered minor wounds in the blast during rush hour.

The suspect was taken into custody after the device partially exploded.

Ullah acted alone, police said, adding that the explosion was recorded on surveillance video.

According to a law enforcement official, through his comments to investigators, Ullah indicated he was prepared to die. The source also said the suspect was wired up with the self-made device during his entire trip on the subway system.

He had pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN, and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far, though it is being treated as terror-related.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Governor Satya Pal Malik today said the Bihar government will hold cultural festivals at all universities in the state to boost its image.

Addressing a function after inaugurating a three-day youth festival here, Malik said the youth of Bihar have always made history.

"People from various parts of the country and the world come to places like Bodh Gaya, Vaishali and Patna Sahib to acquire knowledge of religious traditions like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. The youth of the state must aspire to do justice to the legacy they inherit," he said.

Speaking at the same function, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi Bihar was like a microcosm of India.

"Many dialects are spoken in the state yet there is a thread of unity," he said.

Sushil Modi also said that the proposed university at Purnea will start functioning from the next academic session.

The state government was planning to set up a Mithila Painting Institute at Madhubani, he added.

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The deputy speaker of Canada's British Columbia Legislative Assembly today called on the speaker of Punjab Assembly to explore the possibility of establishing a partnership agreement between the legislative assemblies of the two sides.

Raj Chouhan, the MLA from Burnaby-Edmonds in Vancouver, handed over a draft partnership agreement or mutual arrangement to Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh besides discussing various issues being faced by both the houses, an official statement said.

Chouhan also expressed desire to visit Chandigarh to meet Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to finalise the partnership agreement, it said.

Conveying congratulations to Amarinder Singh on behalf of Premier of British Columbia John Horgan, he said the latter has expressed hope that the development of Punjab would witness a boost under former's leadership.

Chouhan said Horgan is also interested in strengthening the bilateral ties, trade relations and cultural relations between British Columbia and Punjab.

Rana K P Singh said, "Legislatures of the both states can learn many things from each other".

He said he will examine the draft agreement offered by Chouhan to move ahead in this direction.

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The NMDC Limited today said Bailadila Iron Ore Deposit-13 lease in South Bastar Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh was registered in favour of NCL (NMDC-CMDC Ltd) following a state government order.

The Chhattisgarh government had issued an order in November and subsequently the lease was registered and transferred in favour of the JV on December 4, a statement from the PSU said.

Earlier the lease deed of Deposit-13 was executed by NMDC in January 2017 and the transfer of lease from it to NCL was warranted as per the clause of the JV agreement and conditions in the lease grant order, it said.

NMDC-CMDC Ltd is a Joint Venture company in which NMDC holds 51 per cent and CMDC holds 49 per cent stake.

NMDC-CMDC Ltd has planned to start the mining operations next fiscal and the production of Deposit-13 would meet the requirement of Chhattisgarh-based sponge iron industries and other domestic steel makers, said the release.

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Canada announced today it would buy 18 used Australian jets instead of new Boeing Super Hornets, signalling limits in its unwavering friendship with its US neighbour.

A little more than a year after saying it would buy 18 Super Hornets for more than USD 5 billion, and amid trade tensions, Ottawa formally rejected the deal in favour of used planes from Australia.

Senior government and military officials said the Australian F-18 fighter jets will fill an air force interim capability gap while Ottawa holds a competitive procurement process for a new fleet.

"We have received an official offer from the Australian government regarding the sale of 18 jets, and we intend to follow up on this offer," Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough told a press conference.

Consultations with aircraft makers on the new fleet will begin in January, she said, before Ottawa launches the formal bidding in 2019 for 88 new planes.

The winning bidder will be expected to partner with Canadian aerospace firms.

A special clause requiring the successful candidate to also cause "no economic harm" to Canada appears aimed at disqualifying Boeing, which riled Ottawa when it launched a trade complaint against the nation's largest manufacturer Bombardier earlier this year.

Qualtrough insisted that "no firm will be excluded" from the competition.

However, "bidders responsible for harming Canada's economic interest will be at a distinct disadvantage compared to bidders who aren't engaged in detrimental behaviour," she added.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals in 2015 scrapped three previous administrations' plans to purchase state-of- the-art, but costly Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets to replace Canada's ageing F-18 fleet.

Canada spent two decades helping to develop the stealth fighter with the United States and its allies.

But it is currently the only nation in the partnership not yet committed to buying the F-35s.

Trudeau had proposed picking up 18 new Super Hornets as a stopgap while it reset the competition.

But that deal fell apart after Boeing filed a trade complaint against Bombardier in an effort to keep Bombardier's new CSeries jetliners out of the US market, resulting in 300 per cent duties being slapped on the planes.

"Attempts by Boeing to put tens of thousands of aerospace workers out of work across Canada is not something we look on positively," Trudeau told reporters in October when he went to Washington to press US President Donald Trump on the issue.

"And I certainly mentioned that this was a block to us purchasing any -- making any military procurements from Boeing."



At the same time, ties with Washington have become strained over Trump's hard line in trade talks, and the targeting of Canadian softwood lumber imports.

Military and procurement experts praised Canada's decision to buy the used fighter jets for a tenth of the cost of the Super Hornets.

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The CBI has carried out searches at three locations in Bengaluru in connection with alleged misappropriation of over Rs 44 lakh by an employee of BEL hospital in collusion with Apollo Pharmacy, a unit of the Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Ltd.

CBI sources said that the searches were conducted at the residence and office of B R Raghu, a pharmacist with BEL hospital.

The central agency had registered a case against Raghu, Apollo Pharmacy of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd represented by its director and other unidentified staff of BEL hospital.

"It is gathered that an amount of Rs 44.86 lakh has been allowed to be misappropriated by the accused officials of the BEL in connivance with Apollo Pharmacy (Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Ltd Bangalore) during July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2016...," the agency FIR has alleged.

It also alleged that the BEL, a PSU under the defence ministry, suffered undue pecuniary loss on account of payments made to the Apollo Pharmacy against fabricated entries in the Acute Cell Module to the tune of Rs 44.86 lakh.

According to the laid down procedure, in case the prescribed medicine is not available with the hospital it is sourced from authorised Apollo Pharmacy and given to patients, the FIR said.

The list of medicines so indented is signed by the chief medical officer or an authorised doctor and on receipt of the medicines the same is taken on stock by entering in the system, it said.

The agency found several anomalies that male hormonal injections were billed against female dependents of beneficiaries, anti-cancer drugs were billed against children of patients who did not have any such medical history, high value drugs for kidney, cancer, lukemia etc were put in accounts of employees during their retirement month.

The agency said it has gathered that high value drugs or special drugs are entered in "Acute Cell" module of HMS with code "ACC/FMC" even though there were no clinical history pertaining to those related ailments or no referral memos and supporting prescriptions.

"It is gathered that serious irregularities are being committed by the personnel posted in the medical department while making entries on HMS in the Acute Cell of BEL Hospital with regard to the medicines procured from Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Ltd (Apollo Pharmacy)," it said.

An email sent to Apollo Hospitals seeking its comments remained unanswered.

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Opposition Congress today came down heavily on the BJD government in Odisha and the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, accusing them of misleading people to garner votes.

"Both the governments have betrayed the people of India by making false promises just to get votes. They should be aware of the consequences in coming days," Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of the Congress said in the state Assembly.

The Congress leader alleged that the BJD had not been able to fulfil promises made by it before the 2014 general elections.

Claiming that all developmental activities were undertaken during the Congress reign, Mishra said, "The Hirakud Dam, the Rourkela Steel Plant, Paradip Port and others were established during the Congress rule."



Mishra criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not enhancing the minimum support price of agricultural produces.

The Congress leader also slammed the Centre's role in the Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

"They (the Centre) have been adopting a double standard in the Mahanadi issue," he alleged.

Mishra said the Congress wanted, among other demands, hike in old-age pension from Rs 300 per month to Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 pension for farmers above 60 years and enhancement of MLALAD to Rs 5 crore a year.

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Union Minister Dr Subhash Ramrao Bhamre today said the Centre is committed to develop the north eastern region especially Arunachal Pradesh.

Inaugurating Deopani Bridge on RoingHunli road over Eze river in Lower Dibang Valley district, he said Arunachal has huge potential and it would open the door for the economy of the south East Asia.

The minister of state for defence said, "Besides socio economic development of the area, the bridge will also serve the country for easy movement of defence requirements along the Sino-India border," he added.

The minister also highlighted the strategic importance of all the completed projects that connects the Trans Arunachal Highway up to the plains of Assam.

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Amid reports of Chinese nationals in Pakistan engaging in criminal activities, authorities in Punjab have warned that those who breach the law of the land would be tried in the country, according to a media report today.

The matter was discussed and an understanding was reached at a joint working group meeting of the Punjab home department, which was presided over by an additional secretary and vice consul general of China, the Dawn reported.

Pakistan has witnessed a rapid increase of Chinese nationals on its soil in recent years due to development projects and joint ventures under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Some Chinese expatriates, however, have been found involved in criminal activities such as fighting and fraud.

During the session, it was decided to share details of the offences committed by the Chinese nationals in Pakistan with the Chinese consul general in Lahore through the home department.

The Chinese consul expressed his concern over the involvement of Chinese expatriates in criminal activities.

He said that China had no objection if legal action was taken against their nationals found involved in criminal activities provided the action was on merit and as per the law of the land, the report said.

A senior police official of Pakistan special protection unit said that no major offence committed by Chinese nationals working on development projects in his jurisdiction had come into his notice so far, the daily reported.

However, he said, minor offences like over-drinking was common.

In March, two Chinese nationals were arrested by a Pakistani law enforcement agency for ATM skimming fraud.

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Two men were today apprehended for allegedly carrying a country-made pistol and suspicious cash of about Rs 1.50 lakh in their bag while entering a metro station here, an official said.

A Central Industrial Security Force official said the incident was reported around 12:20 pm at the Adarsh Nagar metro station.

He said an on-duty force personnel detected a pistol-like object in a bag being screened at the X-ray machine.

The bag belonged to a man identified as Bhupendra K (19) and his associate G Singh (32), residents of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh.

A country-made pistol and Rs 1,59,898 in cash was seized from the bag, the official said.

The two men were handed over to the police as they failed to furnish legal documents for possessing the weapon and cash, he said.

Carrying arms and ammunition in the Delhi Metro is banned under law.

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Rahul Gandhi, who has been elected the president of the Congress party, was accorded a grand welcome at his Tughlaq Lane residence here by the party workers this evening.

The outgoing president of the party, Sonia Gandhi, was also present inside Rahul Gandhi's 12, Tughlaq Lane residence to welcome her son after the latter's elevation to the top party post.

The workers of the party's Delhi unit gathered in large numbers outside Rahul Gandhi's residence. They welcomed the president-elect of the party with flowers amid the beating of drums.

The celebrations continued for over two hours as the party workers danced and burst crackers, besides distributing sweets among the public.

Rahul Gandhi was busy campaigning in Gujarat for the ongoing Assembly polls in that state when he was declared the new president of the Congress yesterday.

He returned to the national capital today after spearheading a vigorous campaign of his party in Gujarat.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, leaders of the Youth Congress, National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and Mahila Congress were also there at Rahul Gandhi's residence to welcome him.

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The today directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to convene a meeting of directors general or inspectors general of prisons of all states and union territories to discuss the feasibility of establishing open jails across the country.

Semi-open prison or open prison allows convicts to work outside the premises of the jail and earn a livelihood and return in the evening.

The concept was brought in to assimilate the convicts with the society and reduce their psychological pressure as they face lack of confidence in leading normal lives outside.

The apex court asked the MHA to send a communication to all the states and UTs for their response on whether they were willing to set up open jails and how they would manage them.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said the concerned authorities of states and UTs would give their response to the MHA within four weeks after which a meeting be held in the first week of February to discuss the issue.

During the hearing, an advocate, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, said there were 63 open prisons in the country as of now housing around 6,000 inmates.

The bench also observed that the concept of open prison could reduce the problem of overcrowding in the jails. "We would like the MHA to study this," it said.

Attorney General K K Venugopal told the court that it was primarily for the states to look into this aspect and the Centre could lay down a guideline for it.

When the bench was informed about the open jail system in Rajasthan, Venugopal said it could be helpful for other states also.

At the outset, the Attorney General told the court about the meeting by the MHA with the inspector generals of prisons and said several issues were discussed with an objective to improve the situation in jails.

"So far as MHA is concerned, it has carried out what the wanted it to do. Now, it is for the states to implement it," Venugopal said.

During the hearing, the bench asked the Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to put on its website the standard operating procedure, aimed at making the functioning of undertrial review committees (UTRCs) more efficient to elicit public comments to improve it.

A UTRC, set up in every district, deliberates and recommends the release of undertrial prisoners and convicts who have undergone their sentences or are entitled to be released from jail due to bail or remission granted to them.

The bench would hear on February 21 the matter relating to inhuman conditions prevailing in 1,382 prisons across the country.

It had earlier expressed shock at the large number of people languishing in jails in "complete violation" of their rights despite recommendations for their release by the legal services authority and termed the situation as unacceptable.

On September 15, the court had also passed an order on the issue of custodial deaths and said this was a crime and such incidents indicated the "apparent disdain" of the State to the life and liberty of prisoners.

It had also passed a slew of directions over unnatural deaths and on prison reforms across India.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) today tore into the evidence provided by a political expert deposed by Vijay Mallya's defence, claiming that he had relied on flawed material to discredit Indian investigation agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Mallya's extradition trial opened today on day five at Westminster Magistrates' Court here with Lawrence Saez, a professor in the Department of Politics at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS) in London, taking the stand.

Saez gave his expert opinion on the Indian political system as part of which he called into question the impartiality of the CBI and the appointment of its special director, Rakesh Asthana, in particular.

Mallya's counsel Clare Montgomery took Saez through his written statement, which relied on a past Supreme Court of India ruling to describe the CBI as a "caged parrot speaking in its masters voice" and also memoirs of past CBI directors which detailed ways in which their investigation could be "interfered with".

CPS barrister Mark Summers, arguing on behalf of Indian government, took him to task on this aspect, stressing that the 1997 Supreme Court judgement he had quoted from had resulted in the creation of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which has "independent oversight over the CBI".

"The commission does not feature anywhere in your report evaluating CBIs independence," Summers rebuked, also pointing to the annual report of the Indian Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, which describes the CBI as a trustworthy "premier investigation agency" of the country.

He sought to discredit Saez's views in their entirety for not taking into account such sources and instead relying heavily on Indian press reports, including those claiming the appointment of Asthana as CBI special director was politically motivated.

"You make a broad attack on the CBI and raise serious allegations about the character and professional integrity of its director, Asthana. People take experts like you seriously and would assume that you would not regurgitate press reports while evaluating your information," Summers said.

Summers referred to a Supreme Court order dated November 28 which had ruled that Asthana's appointment as CBI special director "suffers from no illegality" and that the reports in the Indian media which had raised doubts about its legality were "factually incorrect".

Saez insisted that though the court had "exonerated" Asthana, he stood by his view that there remain "serious issues regarding the independence of the CBI as a whole" and that he had only relied on reports from highly regarded newspapers in India.

As part of his witness statement, he claimed that 61- year-old Mallya is being "unfairly persecuted on account of his high profile corporate persona" and being "unfairly targeted" by political parties trying to lobby for political gains against each other.

"He is a prominent businessman and my contention is that both the BJP and Congress used this case for their own political gains to blame each other," Saez said.

His witness statement was followed by the second-half of the cross-examination of Paul Rex, the banking expert deposed by Mallyas defence team last week.

Summers sought to establish that Mallya had misused the loan he acquired from IDBI for purposes other than those specified, but Rex's assessment was that most of the transactions fell under general corporate purposes of Kingfisher Airlines.

If the government of India is right about the corporate jet being Mallyas own plaything, payment for it was not contemplated in the communications with the bank, Summers stated in his cross-examination of the banking expert.

However, Rex maintained that "corporate jets are not unusual in very large companies". He also indicated that he had seen no sign of "dishonesty" among the banks that lent the money and that the specific IDBI loan under scrutiny "fell in with same financing approach that the rest of the consortium had adopted".

The trial, which opened on December 4, is aimed at laying out a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya, who has been based in the UK since March 2016.

It will also seek to prove that there are no "bars to extradition" and that Mallya is assured a fair trial in India over his erstwhile airline's alleged default of over Rs 9,000 crore in loans from a consortium of Indian banks.

The defence is going through a series of expert witness statements to establish that there are no grounds to force the UK-based tycoon to return to India to face allegations of fraud involving his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Judge Emma Arbuthnot yesterday directed the CPS to clearly lay out its case in its closing submissions because she feels "very uncertain" about how the Indian banks are involved in the wider case of "conspiracy" involving Mallya.

With tomorrow marked as a non-sitting day, the defence will depose its final expert witness Dr Alan Mitchell on Indian prison conditions and both sides are expected to present their summary statements on the case by Thursday.

Mallya's barrister, Montgomery, has requested the judge for a short hearing after both sides hand in their written closing submissions to present brief oral submissions.

CPS barrister Summers has indicated that he does not require time for oral as well as written submissions.

The judge will determine the course of the closing arguments and a date for her ruling by December 20, which is now marked as the last day of the trial when arguments around "admissibility" of some of the evidence presented by the Indian authorities will be taken up.

While the CPS stand is that Mallya did not intend to repay the loans he sought because his airlines demise was inevitable, Montgomery is trying to establish that Kingfisher Airlines was suffering from consequences of a wider global financial crisis.

Mallya's legal team has also claimed that the case against him is "politically motivated". Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant in April this year and has been out on bail on a bond worth 650,000 pounds.

Chief Magistrate Arbuthnot will present her ruling within a timeframe she sets out at the end of the trial. If she rules in favour of the Indian government, the UK home secretary will have to sign Mallyas extradition order within two months.

Both sides are expected to have the chance to appeal in higher courts in the UK against the Chief Magistrate's verdict.

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Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today visited five fishermen, who were undergoing treatment at a government hospital here after being rescued off Lakshadweep coast following Ockhi cyclone.

The fishermen from Narambai coastal village near here were caught in the cyclone near the coast of Lakshadweep recently.

Later, they were rescued with the help of the administration of Lakshadweep and were admitted to Indira Gandhi government hospital following complaints of gastro enteritis and damage to soft tissue.

Emerging from the hospital, the Chief Minister told reporters that as soon as his government received information that fishermen from Puducherry were caught in a perilous situation after the cyclone, he got in touch with the Lakshadweep government and sought their assistance to rescue the fishers.

The five were brought back safely to Kerala, from where they returned to Puducherry on Friday last.

"They have shown improvement and were given close attention," Narayanasamy said.

He was accompanied by Minister for Fisheries Malladi Krishna Rao and Welfare Minister M Kandasamy during the visit.

Th Chief Minister further thanked the governments of Lakshadweep and Kerala for responding to the call for help.

Two groups of fishermen from the Union Territory, who were stranded during the cyclone off the coast of Gujarat and Karnataka were also rescued by respective governments, he informed.

All 28 fishermen are now on their way back to Puducherry in, he added.

Narayanasamy assured that the territorial government would extend relief to the cyclone-hit fishermen and a decision on the quantum of relief would be taken at a meeting of the Committee for Disaster Relief Fund scheduled to meet tomorrow.

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In a faux pas, a "dead" senior police officer in Andhra Pradesh was last night transferred and asked to report to the police headquarters.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) D Ramanjaneyulu, who was posted in the Tirumala special branch, died more than six months back due to some health issues, but his name figured in the list of 16 DSPs who were transferred.

As the gaffe left the police brass embarrassed, a senior police official said, Director General of Police Nanduri Sambasiva Rao has ordered an internal inquiry.

A police spokesperson in a statement today said the transfer figured in the list "due to a clerical error".

"It stands cancelled," he added.

The Police Establishment Board, headed by the DGP, that met here yesterdayrecommended the transfer and posting of 16 deputy superintendents of police across the state.

An order to this effect was issued after midnight in which Ramanjaneyulu was transferred out from the Tirumala special branch and asked to "report to the police headquarters".

As broke out today about the gaffe, the DGP, who was celebrating his birthday, ordered an internal inquiry as to how the deceased DSP's name cropped up in the list.

Deputy Chief Minister (Home) N China Rajappa also reportedly gave an earful to the police top brass as the incident left the government embarrassed.

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The Delhi Police today opposed in the Supreme Court a plea filed by one of the four death-row convicts in the December 16, 2012 gangrape and murder case for review of its verdict upholding the capital punishment awarded to him.

The police told a bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan that submissions advanced by the counsel appearing for convict Mukesh does not make out a case for review of the apex court's judgement.

The apex court had on May 5 upheld the death penalty to the four convicts - Mukesh (29), Pawan (22), Vinay Sharma (23) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31), saying the "brutal, barbaric and diabolic nature" of the crime could create a "tsunami of shock" to destroy a civilised society.

A 23-year-old paramedic student was gangraped on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012 inside a moving bus in South Delhi by a gang of six persons and severely assaulted before being thrown out naked. She succumbed to her injuries on December 29, 2012 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

During the hearing, the bench told advocate M L Sharma, appearing for Mukesh, that he has to make out a case for review of the analysis arrived at by the court in its May 5 verdict.

When the counsel raised the issue of alleged "illegal evidence" against the convict, the bench said, "you had argued all these points and we had rejected it".

"How were the marks of your (Mukesh) teeth found on the leg of the victim," the bench asked.

To this, Sharma alleged that Mukesh was framed by the police and tortured.

When he claimed that the state had bribed the victim, the bench shot back, "no suggestion was given in the evidence on this. You cannot take this ground in review now."



Sharma also raised other issues, including that of dying declaration of the victim and the place of Mukesh's arrest.

Senior counsel Siddharth Luthra, representing the police, countered these submissions and said these issues have already been gone into by the trial court, the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.

Luthra, while taking strong exception to the allegations about bribing the victim, said these issues cannot be raised now. He said Mukesh was formally arrested in Delhi.

The bench concluded hearing the arguments on the review plea filed by Mukesh.

However, advocate A P Singh, who is represening the other three convicts, told the bench that he would soon file review petitions on behalf of Vinay and Pawan.

He said that review plea on behalf of Akshay would be filed in 10 days. The bench listed the matter for hearing on January 22.

Another accused in the case, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail, while a convicted juvenile has come out of the reformation home after serving a three- year term.

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The Delhi government will bear the cost of treatment of victims of road accidents and acid attacks at government and private hospitals under a new scheme approved by the Cabinet today.

At a press conference here, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the scheme would also cover the victims of fire- related incidents on streets.

The scheme was approved in a Cabinet meeting which was chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

It will now be sent to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal for approval.

"The move is aimed at saving lives of such people during the golden hour after a road accident," Jain said.

Most people attempt to take road accident victims to a government hospital even if a private hospital in nearby, thereby denying treatment within the 'Golden Hour', he said.

"The Cabinet has approved the scheme for road accident victims. The Delhi government will bear the treatment cost of such people in both its own and private hospitals," Jain said.

If an acid attack happens on streets, such victims would also be covered, he said.

Jain claimed that 8,000 accidents occur on Delhi roads every year, affecting 15,000-20,000 people, and about 1,600 people die per year due to road accidents.

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Heavy fog at the city airport affected air traffic movement today, with two international flights being diverted to nearby Bengaluru, officials said.

The fog also resulted in delayed departure and arrival of seven flights this morning, airport officials added.

Earlier, two international services bound to Chennai, one each from Mauritius and Riyadh, were diverted to Bengaluru following dense fog.

However, the carriers later arrived here, they added.

Further, flights to and fro different destinations including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi suffered delays ranging up to 20 minutes, officials added.

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Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad today said Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi should disclose if former prime minister Manmohan Singh met a Pakistani delegation earlier this month after informing him.

He also asked whether Singh had consulted the Ministry of External Affairs on the same.

The Union law minister also wanted to know the Congress' stand on the proposed triple talaq law, and asked Gandhi whether a Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya.

"When we have a national line that India will not talk to Pakistan until the latter abandons terrorism, why did former prime minister Manmohan Singh go to meet a Pakistani delegation?" Prasad told reporters here.

He said in 2007, in Havana, when Singh was the prime minister, a joint statement had said that Pakistan was also a victim of terrorism when everyone knew that Pakistan was "not a victim but a sponsor of terrorism".

He recalled that in Sharm El Sheikh joint declaration in 2010, Balochistan was referred to and it said India had a hand in the disturbance there.

"In this light, if a question is asked why Singh met Pakistani delegation when the country's line on talks with the neighbouring country is clear, what is wrong with it (in questioning the meeting)," Prasad said.

"The BJP would like to know if Manmohan Singh went to meet the Pakistani delegation, with the presence of high commissioner of that country, with due consultation with the External Affairs Ministry and with due information to Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Gandhi has, till today, not answered this question, the BJP leader said.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's insinuations about the meeting with Pakistani delegation that Singh attended were "unacceptable".

While Modi had suggested that Singh and some other Congress leaders colluded with Pakistan which, he claimed, was trying to influence the Gujarat polls, the former PM responded by saying that Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent", and should apologise to the nation.

Modi had said at an election rally that some Pakistani officials and Singh met at now suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6.

On Gandhi's visits to various temples in Gujarat, Prasad asked why he didn't go to the Ram Janambhoomi (in Ayodhya) or the Krishna Janambhoomi during the Uttar Pradesh election campaign.

"You are a Shiv Bhakt, that's good, but what about Ram Bhakti? You should make clear your stand on Ram Mandir, whether a Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya or not," Prasad said.

He also wanted to know Congress's stand on triple talaq. "We are in the process of framing a law on triple talaq. Does the Congress support the proposed law on triple talaq?" he asked.

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India and Russia are likely to sign a contract soon on sale of Russian S-400 Triumf air defence system, a senior Russian official said, describing discussions on the deal to be at a "very profound stage".

Presently discussions are going on the exact number of S 400 Triumf air defence systems that will be bought by India, according to Viktor N Kladov, director for international cooperation and regional policy of Rostec, a state-owned Russian defence and industrial group.

Asked when will the contract be signed, Kladov said, "As soon as they prepare the contract it will be signed...I cannot give you the time as I don't know but anytime in future because the two teams are working very hard".

"It is being discussed and it is still at a very profound stage. Technical details are being discussed. The two teams are working very hard on negotiations. It is a very sophisticated system, lots of technical details are to be looked into.

"It also includes pricing, training, transfer of technologies, setting up of command and control centers. Even if we supply it now you can't use it as it will take two years to train your personnel only then you can use it," Kladov told PTI.

India had announced in October last year a deal on the Triumf air defence systems from Russia, worth over USD 5 billion and collaborate in making four state-of-the-art frigates besides setting up a joint production facility for making Kamov helicopters.

The deals were announced following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit held in Goa last year.

The S-400 Triumf long-range air defence missile system has the capability to destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km.

India and Russia have been in talks for over a year for the purchase of at least five systems of S-400 that will be a game changer in the region. It is capable of firing three types of missiles, creating a layered defence, and simultaneously engaging 36 targets.

While talking about the India-Russia joint venture contract for production of 200 Kamov 226T helicopters for the Indian armed forces, Kladov said he is hopeful that Russia would start supplying helicopters by the end of 2018, if the contract is signed in the beginning of 2018.

"I hope you (India) start receiving the first batch of helicopters by the end of 2018, if the contract is signed in January-February of 2018. But if the contract is signed at the end of 2018, then you will receive it in 2019. People are asking us when the contract will be signed but it is no longer our business, it is the business of the joint venture team. It is the joint venture team which is looking into it, which is largely controlled by the Indian side," Kladov said.

CEO of Russian Helicopters Andrey Boginisky earlier this month had said the contract for 200 KAMOV 226T is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2018.

Kladov also said that Rostec will participate in the tender exercise of 111 helicopters for the Indian navy and is "hopeful" of winning it.

While speaking on the civil helicopter sector in India, Kladov said the Indian civil helicopter market "is underestimated even as the demand is huge...We have several helicopters to offer for the civil helicopter sector".

He said Russia will start producing MI-17A2 civil helicopters next year and will target the Indian civil helicopter market.

Kladov said Russia is willing to cooperate with India in order to develop single engine fighter aircraft with India.

"Russia don't produce single engine fighter aircraft. We have only twin engine aircraft to offer. But if India chooses to develop its own aircraft and if India is looking for an international cooperation to design such an aircraft we are willing to cooperate," he said.

Kladov said the strategy of Rostec is to achieve 50:50 by 2025 in terms of military:civil cooperation with India. "Presently the share of military-civil cooperation with India is 70:30 but by 2025 we plan to achieve 50:50 in military: civil cooperation," he said.

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The Dokalam standoff had put "severe pressure" on India-China ties though the issue was resolved through diplomatic means, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during their meeting in New Delhi.

The bilateral ties went through a serious test after Indian border troops "illegally trespassed" into the Chinese territory in June, Wang told Swaraj yesterday.

The Chinese foreign minister was in New Delhi to attend the Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers' meeting.

Although the standoff ended eventually through diplomatic means more than two months later, lessons must be learned and efforts must be made to avoid such an incident in the future, said Wang, whose comments were posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website today.

"The standoff put the bilateral relations under severe pressure," he said.

Wang said that the Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial period and the most important thing between the two countries is to really cultivate mutual trust.

Leaders from both countries have shared the view that China and India should regard each other's development as opportunities rather than challenges, and China and India are partners rather than rivals, thus the two sides should sincerely implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, Wang noted.

While enhancing strategic communication at all levels, restoring dialogue mechanisms that have been established and deepening pragmatic cooperation in all fields, both sides should also properly manage differences so as to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas, he said.

Wang's visit to New Delhi is the first by a top Chinese official to India after the 73-day Dokalam standoff and after the commencement of the second five-year term of President Xi Jinping.

The Dokalam standoff ended on August 28 after Chinese troops stopped building a key road close to Indias 'Chicken Neck' corridor. India had objected to the construction highlighting its security concerns. The road was being built by China in an area also claimed by Bhutan.

Besides Swaraj, Wang also called on President Ram Nath Kovind and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

In his meeting with Doval, Wang said China and India should make correct choice in development of relations without politicising and complicating issues left over by history.

Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial moment when both sides need to make right choice on the future of the bilateral relations, Wang was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua agency.

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The government plans to enforce a slew of measures such as mechanised road sweeping, easing traffic congestion and controlling dust to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

A high-level meeting chaired by Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan today also decided that major construction sites would be monitored closely and any violation leading to pollution would be dealt with strictly.

The meeting was attended by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi PWD minister Satyendra Jain, Uttar Pradesh environment minister Dara Singh Chauhan, his Haryana counterpart Vipul Goyal and senior officials from Rajasthan and Punjab.

"It was noted that the Task Force Committee headed by Principal Secretary to Prime Minister is examining the issue of stubble burning. It was further noted that an action plan to address this issue will be ready in the next one month," an official statement said.

It was decided during the meeting that strict measures would be taken for controlling dust pollution while dust emission at major construction sites woud be monitored closely and violations dealt with strictly.

Mechanised sweeping will be undertaken on a large scale and all possible assistance will be provided to municipal corporations by the Central government for increasing the scope of machine-aided road cleaning.

"Fire from municipal solid waste dump sites will be tackled in an urgent manner. Innovative approaches, in consultation with the Department of Science and Technology, will be adopted at the earliest to ensure that pollution is tackled," the statement said.

It was also decided that the decision regarding a ban on petcoke and furnace oil would be strictly enforced in all the National Capital Region (NCR) states.

"Delhi Police will be requested to tackle the issue of traffic congestion and parking in Delhi. All steps will be taken to increase the availability of public transport in the medium term," it said.

Pollution Control Boards will work in a "proactive" manner to ensure that violators are dealt with strictly, it was decided.

"A special 'Anti Pollution Drive' will be launched in January, 2018, for 15 days, wherein there will be concerted action to tackle... air pollution by all the agencies," it said.

There will be a close interaction with Science and Technology institutions for the use of innovative technologies to tackle air pollution.

Emphasising that battling bad air was a collective responsibility that needed the cooperation of all stakeholders, minister Vardhan expressed confidence that pollution would be tackled in a holistic manner by next year.

He reiterated that the practice of holding regular meetings with ministers of NCR states to ensure that all the activities on the ground are monitored closely would continue.

The government of Delhi will work closely with all agencies in tackling pollution, the statement quoted Kejriwal as saying.

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The equity internal rate of return (IRR) for the first set of highways which are being auctioned under the toll-operate-transfer (TOT) model is likely to be 12-13 per cent, says a report.

This is based on the National Highways Authority of Indias (NHAI) initial estimated concession value.

The bundle comprises nine highway stretches in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Gujarat.

A cluster of manufacturing industries and ports in Vishakhapatnam, Kakinada, Kandla and Mundra are expected to be the drivers of transportation demand, Crisil said in a report today.

The economic corridor in the east coast is also expected to improve traffic potential in Andhra Pradesh.

"But the highway stretches in Gujarat are more attractive than those in Andhra Pradesh because of the presence of industrial clusters and consumption centres in the periphery," the rating agency's senior director, Prasad Koparkar, said.

The report, however, said the key risks to the bundle are the impact of goods and services tax and alternate routes.

"The four-laning of Gundugolanu-Kovur Road in Andhra Pradesh would divert considerable freight traffic from Gundugolanu to Diwancheruvu," the rating agency's director Binaifer Jehani said.

Factors such as latent defects and severe economic slowdown, which are difficult to anticipate, can increase the maintenance cost and substantially reduce traffic, he said.

The report said the dedicated freight corridor in Gujarat does not pose a threat to any of the three stretches in the state.

Overall, the bundle of nine highway stretches has good inbuilt hedges in terms of geography, traffic mix and returns.

Some stretches are more attractive because of reduced risk from alternative routes, better support originating from industrial corridors, and complementary, planned infrastructure, the report added.

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Dilip Kumar's fans in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar celebrated his 95th birthday with much fanfare, according to a media report today.

The birthday celebrations yesterday were organised by the Cultural Heritage Council at the Peshawar Press Club.

Fans cut a ceremonial cake surrounded by pictures of the "Mughal-e-Azam" star at the event.

Saira Bano, Kumar's wife addressed his fans via telephone. She thanked the people of Peshawar for remembering him and hoped that with their prayers and well wishes, he will soon recuperate and be able to speak to them himself.

Kumar was born in Mohallah Khudadad in Qissa Khwani in 1922 as Yousaf Khan.

His contribution to the cinema was also recognised by Islamabad and he was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 1998, the country's highest civilian award.

Kumar's house in Peshawar was declared a national heritage but the building has now collapsed and only its faade and main gate remain.

Earlier, the K-P government announced plans to rebuild the house. Government officials believe that the house has immense cultural and historical importance due to its association with the legendary actor and intends to maintain it as his symbol in Peshawar.

During Monday's ceremony, people of the city paid rich tributes to Kumar and remembered him as the "pride of Peshawar".

They urged the government to rebuild Kumar's house and set up a gallery in it which showcases Kumar's life and his contribution to the Indian film industry.

"We are hopeful that his house will be renovated and will be opened for public," said Shakil Waheedullah, a social activist who organises Kumar's birthday in the city every year.

Waheedullah said the government has already allocated funds for the purpose and will start by renovating those parts of the houses which are still in good condition.

He told the Express Tribune that the purpose of celebrating Kumar's birthday in the city was to bring both the countries closer to each other on the basis of their common cultural and historical links.

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A fire broke out at the back office of the Stock Holding Corporation in Navi Mumbai, a fire official said today.

The office is situated in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area near the Trans-Thane Creek and houses investor data for the exchanges.

Over 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire that began last evening. The flames are yet to be doused, MIDC fire station officer R B Patil said.

The company could not be contacted immediately.

As per preliminary reports, the fire broke out due to a short-circuit and spread to the basement, Patil said.

Stock Holding Corporation is the largest custodial and depository services provider acting as an intermediary between the stock market investors, brokers and exchanges.

Set up in 1986 as a public limited company, it is jointly promoted by leading banks and financial institutions and is a subsidiary of IFCI.

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For many Muslim voters in Gujarat, if there is an issue of concern in the coming Assembly election, it is the electronic voting machine (EVM).

EVM -- described as the "devil" by one worried voter -- was the hot topic of discussion among the people, who, however, said they would vote in the December 14 election in the state, despite their concerns.

With the circulation of messages on social media sites about EVMs being tampered with, many in the border district of Chhota Udaipur feared their votes might be transferred to other candidates.

Our vote is the only power we have and if somebody changes it, what are we left with in a democracy, asked 57- year-old Sayed Mala, a small-time construction contractor.

Mala said he did not trust the electronic machines, adding that ballot papers were the more credible option -- a sentiment shared by many others across the district with three Assembly constituencies.

Educated sections of the people, with access to social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, were more worried about EVMs than the others.

I know who I will vote for. But I am not assured if it will be counted in his favour. But with a ballot paper, my vote cant be changed, said Kalol college student Sultan Hussain.

Another constituent said he was not convinced about the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), a process to verify that the vote cast had gone to the candidate concerned.

Farooq Sayeed from Timla village in Chhota Udaipur compared EVMs with the devil.

"There are so many videos of EVMs being tampered with on social media. My vote can be changed," he said.

The worries about the machines were not largely shared by Hindu voters.

Narendra Sinh Bari, a 38-year-old man who runs a mobile shop, said any method could trigger doubts.

"We should trust the machines," he said.

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A US university has made more than 27,000 images from the late Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez's archive available online.

They include materials from all of his works of fiction, personal scrapbooks, a memoir, screenplays and photographs.

The project was carried out by the Harry Ransom Center, the literary documentation service at the University of Texas, Austin.

It purchased the archives for USD 2.2 million in November 2014, a few months after the death of the Colombian novelist known for works such as "One Hundred Years of Solitude."



Part of the archive has never been published, such as a 32-page text for the second volume of Garcia Marquez's memoirs, which never saw the light of day.

"My mother, my brother and I were always committed to having my father's archive reach the broadest possible audience," Rodrigo Garcia, one of the author's sons, said in a statement released today.

"This project makes my father's work more widely accessible to a global community of students and scholars."



"Spanning more than a half century, the contents reflect Garcia Marquez's energy and discipline and reveal an intimate view of his work, family, friendships and politics," said Jullianne Ballou, the librarian who oversaw the 18-month project.

It covers about half of the Garcia Marquez personal archive. For now there are no plans to digitize the other half, the university told AFP.

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The curtains came down today on campaigning for the second phase of polling in Gujarat, where the canvassing saw charges flying thick and fast with the top brass of the BJP and the Congress launching no holds barred attacks against each other.

Top leaders from the two parties criss-crossed the regions going to polls on December 14 and addressed a number of rallies where they pulled out all stops to woo the voters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the campaign for the ruling party and president of Congress Rahul Gandhi helmed the stumping for his outfit.

The second and final phase of elections, for which the open campaigning ended at 5 pm, will see 93 assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

The first phase of voting for the 182-member house, held on December 9, covered 89 seats.

A total of 851 candidates are in the fray for the second phase, where 2.22 crore people are eligible to vote.

The Gujarat contest is being seen as a prestige battle for Modi in his home state, where a reinvigorated Congress has sewed up a broad social coalition with prominent Patidar, OBC, and Dalit leaders in its bid to unseat the BJP in power for over two decades.

The influential Patidar community, which accounts for around 12 per cent of the state's population, could prove to be the 'X factor' in the polls in which agitating quota spearhead Hardik Patel pledged support to the Congress and appealed to people to "uproot the BJP" this time.

As the campaign was nearing its end, "Vikas" (development) took a back seat, and caste and religious issues received prominence.

Pakistan, too, found ample mention in the final stages of the electioneering.

Modi set off a political storm when, speaking at a rally in Palanpur, he talked about a meeting held at suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's home in Delhi and attended by some Pakistani dignitaries, a former Vice President of India and former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

This meeting, Modi claimed, happened a day before Aiyar called him "neech" (lowly sort of person).

During the campaign, Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah trained guns on the Congress on issues like Ram Temple, alleged Pakistani interference in the Gujarat polls and Aiyar's remarks.

On the other hand, Gandhi persistently and tenaciously attacked Modi and the BJP for "not talking about the future of Gujarat" and skipping key issues being faced by the people of the state.

He accused Modi of ignoring the masses and working for only a handful of industrialists.

The last day of campaigning saw both Modi and Gandhi visiting temples. While Gandhi paid a visit to the famous Lord Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad, Modi took blessings at the famous Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha.

Hardik Patel charged up the campaign by holding a massive rally in Nikol area of the city, where he appealed to voters to "teach a lesson" to the BJP this time.

The 24-year-old, arguably the most talked about personality in Gujarat today, even held a road show here defying authorities who had denied permission for the event.

Several senior leaders from both the BJP and the Congress also campaigned extensively for their candidates in major parts of north and central Gujarat.

In the 2012 assembly polls, the BJP had won 115 seats, while the Congress bagged 61.

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The Madras High Court today directed the concessionaire of toll plazas on national highways to provide ambulance services with facilities for emergency assistance at these points.

The Madurai bench of the court gave the direction while disposing of a PIL by one P Palani Kumar of Madurai.

A division bench comprising Justices K K Sasidharan and G R Swaminathan directed that the toll plazas must have a dedicated lane in each direction for entry and exit of ambulances.

The parking should be done strictly on the dedicated parking lot provided by the concessionaire, the bench said.

The Chief General Manager and other officials of the National Highways Authority of India and the Tamil Nadu Road Transport Company must periodically inspect the toll plazas to ensure the conditions of the Concession Agreement are complied with letter and spirit, the bench said.

The court said that if the directions are not complied with, the officers concerned of the NHAI, the concessionaires and the chief executive officer of the state Road Transport Company will be held responsible.

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The Bombay High Court today directed the Mumbai University to file a reply justifying its decision to not provide supplements or additional answer sheets to students during exams.

A bench of justices B R Gavai and B P Colabawalla directed the university to file its reply by Thursday (December 14).

It was hearing a petition filed by a law student from the city challenging the university's decision.

The petitioner, Manasi Bhushan, a final year student, had approached the high court earlier last week arguing that the university's decision to prohibit students from using supplements was arbitrary and erroneous.

Her counsel, advocate Vishal Kanade, today told the high court that the university's decision was primarily based on the apprehension that supplementary answer sheets added to the problems faced by the university's new online assessment system.

According to the plea, the university in October issued a circular saying that during the examinations, all the students must finish their answers in the main answer sheet booklet that comprises 37 pages. The circular said that students will not be permitted to ask for any additional answer sheets or 'supplements' as they are called.

The university's counsel Rui Rodrigues told the high court that all answer sheet booklets issued by the university have separate bar codes. Since the main answer sheet booklets and the supplement booklets had different barcodes, some confusion occurred during their online assessment and in several cases, students were marked only on their main booklet, or just on their supplement booklet.

He also questioned the delay in filing of the petition, especially considering that the next exams for law students is on the coming Saturday (December 16).

Advocate Kanade, however, told the court that the petitioner had sent representations to the university soon after the circular was issued, but she was yet to get any response.

He argued that the university must fix the problems in its online assessment process instead of denying supplements to students.

He said that students, especially those who were studying law, often needed to write longer, more subjective answers, and thus, needed supplements.

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The Madras High Court Bench here today directed the Tamil Nadu government to issue a circular to concerned authorities to renew licences for retail vending of liquor in recreation clubs only on production of clearance from planning authority, civic body and police among others.

Disposing of a batch of petitions, Justices K K Sasidharan and G R Swaminathan directed them to make fresh application for retail liquor vending by producing all materials including approved building plan, permit from corporation, clearance from Fire and Rescue service and Police for the location and other aspects.

Officials should inspect the spot and study documents and give the licence or renewal only after satisfying that they met with all the rules and regulations.

Pointing out that the petitioner clubs, except one in Madurai, were selling liquor for outsiders, the bench directed the officials to ensure that clubs sold liquor only to their members.

It noted that a report by the district collectors said there was no link between the number of members in a club and sale of liquor.

Many clubs had put up boards inviting public and informing about liquor availability. It was not known whether they were registered under Goods and Services Tax.

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The Delhi High Court today praised residents of the national capital for an "improved" traffic sense, observing that people are using horns less frequently and wearing seat belts.

The court also gave credit to the Delhi Traffic Police for bringing this change.

"The habit of people on roads is improving. There is reduction in blowing horns, people are using seat belts and a little better lane-driving. Even the foot-over-bridges (FOB) and subways now look tidy.

"Delhi is improving in terms of traffic sense. May be its a compliment to the traffic police," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said.

The court's observation came while hearing a PIL seeking direction to authorities to construct adequate number of FOB and subways in some area of south Delhi.

The court sought response of the Delhi government on the plea and asked it to file a status report explaining steps to be taken for adequate FOBs and subways.

The plea filed by MCD Councillor Abhishek Dutt claimed that he received various complaints from the residents of Ayur Vigyan Nagar, Sadiq Nagar in South Delhi demanding FOB in the interest of road safety of residents and pedestrians.

The Congress leader said in the plea that absence of FOB and higher railing on dividers on the August Kranti Marg, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg and Josip Broz Tilo Marg pose a safety hazard to pedestrians and residents of the nearly areas.

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The Delhi High Court today pulled up the AAP government over its failure to set out a concrete action plan to deal with the issue of defacement of public and private properties in the national capital.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar expressed serious concern over Delhi Metro and Delhi University's failure to run awareness programmes on the consequences of defacing public and private properties and termed the ineptness of the authorities as "appalling".

The court's oral observations came on advocate Prashant Manchanda's plea seeking a complete ban on alleged defacement of public properties by the candidates for the DUSU polls.

The court had earlier asked the Delhi university to frame comprehensive guidelines and the authorities to launch a large scale public awareness campaign to deal with the alleged mess of defacement which was ignored by the concerned.

During the hearing, the bench enquired from authorities, the metro and the varsity about the ground work they have carried out to clear the mess across Delhi.

None of them provided answers to the satisfaction of the court, drawing strong criticism from the bench.

The bench chided the university for a complete lack of coordination with the civic agencies.

"It is clear that no steps have been taken to clean the defacement, disseminate public awareness and the formulation of guidelines to deal with the menace of defacement.

"We see only meetings but no fruitful results. It is hopeless," an irked bench observed and pulled up the Delhi government for not setting out a comprehensive solution to deal with the issue.

It remarked: "Is it a 10 year programme? Do you want us to assign it to the high court's registrar office?" and directed the city government to take urgent steps to formulate the guidelines.

It came down heavily on the Delhi Metro for miserably failing to take even basic steps or roll out a plan on public awareness campaign and observed that the metro was not concerned about its own property.

"There are other nefarious activities happening within the premises of Metro stations, you aren't bothered at all," it added.

The court then sternly enquired from the authorities, asking "do you want us to now frame the guidelines monitor the entire thing."



It directed the authorities to place on record a comprehensive action plan with time line and launch a widespread cleaning awareness campaign. It also ordered all the parties to convene a meeting on December 15 on the issue.

The bench constituted a committee comprising advocate Manchanda and advocate Aman Panwar, who was appearing for DUSU president Rocky Tuseed, as a member to frame a draft for the guidelines to deal with the issue of defacement.

It asked the authorities and other agencies involved to launch a awareness drive through social, electronic and print media.

"Animation films and jingles should be played in Delhi Metro and other places," the bench said, while directing the Delhi government to pursue the matter seriously and set out a comprehensive action plan.

The court then listed the matter for further hearing on December 22.

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Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today hit out at the Khattar government's plan to hold a three-day 'Chintan Shivir' in Himachal Pradesh, saying the ruling BJP's concern should have been the deteriorating law and order condition and not "holidaying in the hills".

Hooda alleged that the government was wasting public money by planning the 'Shivir' at an upscale private resort to host brainstorming sessions on governance issues for bureaucrats and ministers from December 15 to 17.

"The BJP only knows three things--Charcha (discussion), bhojan (having food) and vishram (taking rest). And that is what they are going to do in that resort in HP," Hooda said.

Chief Minister M L Khattar would set the tone for the deliberations with regard to his vision for the state on the opening day. Apart from that, three groups would hold simultaneous discussions on "Agriculture reforms for doubling farmers' income", "Water utilisation till the last drop", and "Making Haryana saksham".

"Their real concern should have been how to set right the worsening law and order situation. Rape and murder cases are happening every day. Last week we saw a shocking case in Hisar's Uklana where a 6-year-old girl was kidnapped, raped and then brutally murdered, but this government is in a slumber," Hooda told reporters here.

He also questioned the timing of the "Chintan Shivir". "Which government holds Shivir in the hills during winter. If at all, they could have organised it in Morni in Haryana, which is also a hill town," he added.

Asked about the Uklana rape and murder incident, Hooda said that he was in favour of a CBI probe in this case.

The former chief minister said the Khattar government had failed on all fronts. "It is a visionless and directionless government. Debt has crossed Rs 1.4 lakh crore. Every section is fed up with this regime," he alleged.

Hooda said that the BJP government at the Centre had promised to double peasants' income by 2022. "They are bluffing the farmers. The farmers are not getting right prices for their produce and the government went back on its promise of implementing the Swaminathan Commission recommendations."



Hooda demanded that the Centre waive farmers' outstanding loans like UPA, which had waived loans worth Rs 72,000 crore.

Asked about Rahul Gandhi, Hooda said his presidentship would add to the strength of the Congress.

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The Haryana government would arrange for two trains from Ambala and Sirsa on December 22 to facilitate pilgrims headed to Patna Sahib gurdwara in Bihar to mark the concluding ceremony of the 350th 'Prakashotsav' of Guru Gobind Singh, a top official said today.

The closing ceremony of the 350 birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, would be held from December 22 to 25 at the Patna Sahib gurdwara.

Presiding over a meeting of officers of the district administration through video conference, Sameer Pal Srow, Director, Information, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs and Languages and Grievances Departments, said the city magistrates in each district would be the nodal officers overseeing the implementation of the scheme.

Srow said the respective district level committee constituted for this purpose would select up to 140 pilgrims from each district.

"The train from Ambala will leave at 10:30 am on December 22 and reach Patna at 3 pm on December 23, via Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat and Delhi. Similarly, the train from Sirsa will also leave at the same time on December 22 and reach Patna at 5 pm on December 23, via Hisar, Bhiwani, Rohtak and Delhi," he was quoted as saying in an official release.

Srow said adequate arrangements would be made for food and accommodation of pilgrims. "Interested pilgrims can submit their applications at the office of Deputy Commissioner concerned by 5 pm on December 19," he said.

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Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa called on Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe here and held discussions on matters of bilateral importance, according to Sri Lanka Air Force.

Yesterday, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa also called on the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy, State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene and Defence Ministry Secretary Kapila Waidyaratne at the Temple tress, official residence of the prime minister.

During the meeting between Wickremesinghe and Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa, matters of bilateral importance and mutual relevance were discussed, the Sri Lanka Airforce said.

Ahead of the IAF chief's visit, India's defence ministry had said that the trip would provide impetus towards increasing defence co-operation between the two air forces and pave the way for greater interaction in the future.

"This would also strengthen relationships, enable engagement in productive exchanges and promote understanding of joint issues and challenges," it had said.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa is on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka in which he will deliberate with top brass of Sri Lanka's defence establishment on issues relating to regional security.

During the visit, the IAF chief would also review the commissioning and passing out parade of the Sri Lanka Air Force Academy on December 14.

The IAF also participated for a briefing on the operational aspects of the SLAF which was delivered by the Director of Air Operations Air Vice Marshal Sudharshana Pathirana.

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The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is accusing some of its members including Jordan, Uganda and Chad of undermining the tribunal's "reputation and credibility" by refusing to arrest Sudan's president who is accused of genocide in Darfur.

Fatou Bensouda also criticised the UN Security Council today for its failure to take action against President Omar al-Bashir and others accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sudan's vast western region of Darfur which has faced fighting since 2003.

She said the court has ruled that the failure of ICC members to apprehend al-Bashir clearly violates the Rome Statute that established the ICC.

Bensouda said yesterday's court decision referring Jordan's failure to arrest al-Bashir in late March to the council for action underscored the obligation of ICC members.

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India toughened its stand on the need for a permanent solution to the public stockholding of food, saying that failing to achieve it at the WTO's ongoing 11th ministerial meeting here would impact the credibility of the multilateral trading institution.

The Indian team led by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu is slated to meet trade ministers of the member countries and director general of WTO to re-emphasis that the permanent solution to food stockpile issue was a "must have" at the ministerial.

The four-day ministerial conference which began on Sunday ends on Wednesday leaving ministers little time to thrash out the contentious issues.

"India has emphasised that permanent solution was a must have and should be an improvement over the Peace Clause (agreed at Bali)... If not delivered, it would affect the credibility of the WTO," said J S Deepak, Indias Ambassador to WTO.

When asked if there was opposition to permanent solution from some quarters, Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said that there was no concerted opposition, but issues regarding transparency and safeguards were being worked out.

"We are working our way to an acceptable ministerial outcome... The minister had said that we dont envisage an outcome without the permanent solution," she said, adding that "deeper engagements on specifics" are expected today and tomorrow.

In his plenary address Prabhu had emphasised that WTO members must find a permanent solution to the public food stockpile issue as it was linked to the survival of 800 million hungry people across the globe.

Besides the public stockholding issue, India is also engaging in several other areas like services, fisheries and e-commerce to ensure that outcomes are in tandem with Indias stated position.

On whether Prabhu would be meeting US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Teaotia said time of the meeting has not yet been fixed.

Lighthizer's remarks questioning special and differential treatment to countries with high GDP yesterday evoked sharp reaction from India which emphasised that it was entitled to benefits under the rules which were integral part of the WTO.

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 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.

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India has rejected the US criticism on seeking differential treatment at the WTO saying the country was the 'right candidate' and a legitimate demandeur for special dispensation as it has to take care of 600 million poor people.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu told a press conference that the special and differential treatment was an integral part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and was meant for nations with low per capital income.

The minister was responding to issues raised by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in his address at the plenary of the 11th ministerial conference of the WTO.

Without naming India, China or other emerging economies, Lighthizer had said that five of the six richest countries in the world were seeking concessions on the basis of self- proclaimed development status.

"We need to clarify our understanding of development within the WTO. We cannot sustain a situation in which new rules can only apply to the few, and that others will be given a pass in the name of self-proclaimed development status. There is something wrong, in our view, when five of the six richest countries in the world presently claim developing country status," Lighthizer had said.

Prabhu retorted by emphasising that special and differential treatment "is an important component of the WTO...You cannot ignore realities that certain societies have been left behind in the process of development."



Developing nations including India, he said, "are legitimate demandeurs for special and differential treatment... It is also noteworthy that many developed countries of today have benefitted from long periods of derogation from GATT rules in the area of agriculture and textiles".

Under the WTO rules, nations enjoying special and differential treatment are not required to follow norms generally applicable to the member states. These concessions are applicable to mostly to least developed and developing nations.

In his address at the plenary, Prabhu also expressed concerns over the way the discourse at the WTO was being deflected by arguments based on the GDP of countries.

The discourse should be on development at the WTO and not to be deflected based on aggregate GDP figures, the Minister said, adding "while in India we are proud of our GDP and growth rates of recent years, propelled by innovative economic policies of my government, we cannot ignore that India is home to more than 600 million poor people.

"Therefore, we are legitimate demandeurs for special and differential treatment for developing countries."



He further said that many developed countries of today have benefitted from long periods of derogation from GATT rules in the area of agriculture and textiles.

The minister underlined the need for protecting WTO as platform for promoting trade in transparent and democratic manner, stressing the commerce ought to promote development and eliminate social problems like poverty.

Talking about the food security issues, the minister said that he was only reminding the WTO members about the commitments made at the Bali conference that they would come out with a permanent solution to the problem by December 2017 at the 11th Ministerial.

He further said that the asymmetry regarding provision of agriculture subsidies between developed and developing countries under the WTO norms ought to be addressed.

Answering questions on e-commerce, the minister said the while taking up new issues for negotiations the due process established by the members should be followed.

On the possible impact of the proposed tax reforms in the US on global economy which many feel could violate the WTO rules, the minister said the aggrieved member nations would have the option to move the dispute settlement panel of the multilateral trade body.
India's cotton production is expected to rise by 9.3 per cent to 37.7 million bales in 2017-18, a top official said today.

The cotton year starts in October and ends in September.

Textile Commissioner Dr Kavita Gupta, who is also the Chairperson of the Cotton Advisory Board (CAB), said it has estimated that the country is likely to export 6.7 million bales in the current marketing year that started on October 1, 15.1 per cent up from 5.82 million bales a year ago.

"CAB has estimated that cotton production in 2017/18 is likely to rise 9.3 per cent to 37.7 million bales," Gupta told PTI.

India is the world's biggest exporter of cotton after the United States. However, the recent pink bollworm infestation had threatened to cut the cotton crop yields.

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Ending hunger and ensuring food security should be the basis for negotiations on agriculture at the WTO, eminent farm scientist M S Swaminathan said today as he appreciated India's strong stand on food security.

As 164 member countries of the WTO brainstorm various issues, India has adopted a tough stand on agriculture, saying absence of a permanent solution to the public stockholding of food would impact the credibility of the multilateral trading institution.

In a series of tweets, Swaminathan said Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu, "deserves gratitude" for indicating at the ongoing WTO Ministerial Meeting that there will be no compromise on food security.

He said that in 1992 itself, he had suggested there should be a livelihood and food security box which recognises that agriculture in many developing countries including India is not a commercial enterprise but the backbone of livelihood security of a large population.

"This difference between commercial & livelihood should be kept in mind. WTO should recognise support to achieve SDG2 'End hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition & promote sustainable agriculture' & this should be the basis of negotiation in agriculture," he said in one of the tweets.

The renowned scientist, who is credited with bringing in green revolution in India, said WTO exists to promote free an fair trade.

Prabhu in his plenary address had emphasised that WTO members must find a permanent solution to the public food stockpile issue as it was linked to survival of 800 million hungry people across the globe.

Besides, public stockholding issue, India is also engaging in several other areas like services, fisheries and e-commerce to ensure that outcomes are in tandem with Indias stated position.

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India will host the 3rd annual meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) at Mumbai on June 25-26 next year, an official statement today said.

The theme of the meeting will be 'Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure: Innovation and Collaboration, the statement further said.

The MoU was signed by joint secretary (multilateral institutions division) in the Ministry of Finance Sameer Kumar Khare on behalf of the government of India and AIIB's vice- president and corporate secretary Danny Alexander.

According to the statement, speaking on the occasion, Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg said it is a significant development that India is to host the 3rd annual meeting of AIIB at Mumbai.

Garg also noted that this international event will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the strengths of the Indian economy and introduce AIIB members to potential infrastructure investment opportunities in India and Asia.

The statement also quoted Alexander as saying that India is central to delivering on the Bank's mandate to support the sustainable economic development of Asia through investment in Infrastructure.

He also said that AIIB looks forward to continuing to work with the Indian Government and India's business community to further develop solutions to fund vital sustainable infrastructure projects across the country.

Annual meeting related seminars would also be organized in some Indian cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore & Vishakhapatnam etc prior to the main annual meeting.

Headquartered in Beijing, China, AIIB is a multilateral development bank and it commenced operations in January 2016.

India is founding members of AIIB and is also the 2nd largest shareholder in AIIB.

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A UK-based Indian-origin professor who co-authored the study quoted by Vijay Mallya's defence has rejected their understanding of the paper, saying the liquor baron's lawyers have "misconstrued the findings" and grossly misunderstood the analysis of their study.

Shubhankar Dam, professor of public law and governance at the University of Portsmouth, has jumped to the defence of the Supreme Court of India and shot an urgent email to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of India to get 61-year-old Mallya extradited back to face charges of fraud and money laundering.

CPS barrister Mark Summers opened the extradition trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court here today by reading out the email by Dam which described the Indian legal system as "fair and transparent".

The CPS told Judge Emma Arbuthnot that the email was sent last night following reports on the witness statement given by Martin Lau, deposed by Mallya's defence team as an expert on South Asian law.

Lau, quoting an academic study, raised questions on the neutrality of Supreme Court judges close to retirement.

"We reject the defence's understanding of the paper," said Dam, one of the co-authors of the study quoted by Lau, in his email.

Dam said he had felt compelled to write to the CPS because the defence had "misconstrued the findings" and grossly misunderstood the analysis of their study, which was based specific set of cases and trends which had "no relevance" to any trial involving Mallya that would come up in Indian courts.

The professor stressed that he and his colleagues had focussed their research on the larger issue of incentives in judicial systems around the world, using case studies from some Supreme Court cases.

His email has now been added into the larger set of written submissions on the ongoing trial, which aims to establish a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya and his erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines deliberately defaulting on bank loans worth nearly Rs 9,000 crores.

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Major banks and companies vowed today to move away from Earth-warming fossil fuels as world leaders met in Paris seeking to unlock new cash to save humanity from climate "doom".

Two years to the day since 195 nations sealed the Paris Agreement to avert worst-case-scenario climate change, investors announced billions of dollars of intended divestment from coal, oil, and gas at a finance-themed climate summit.

But conference host France, as well as the UN and the World Bank, warned that efforts to shift the global economy into a green energy future were too little, too slow.

"We are losing the battle," French President Emmanuel Macron told delegates. "We are not moving fast enough."



For his part, UN chief Antonio Guterres cautioned that many countries continued to subsidise fossil fuels to bring down prices for consumers, which he likened to humanity "investing in its own doom".

"We are in a war for the very existence of life on our planet as we know it," he told more than 50 heads of state including Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto, Britain's Theresa May and Spain's Mariano Rajoy, at the summit called by Macron in response to US President Donald Trump's rejection of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The pact, which took more than two decades to negotiate, seeks to limit average global warming to under two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

Under it, countries have pledged non-binding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of oil, coal, and natural gas blamed for global warming.

America, a champion of the pact under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, is the only country to reject it.

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim announced to loud applause Tuesday that the lender would "no longer finance upstream oil and gas after 2019".

"We're determined to work with all of you to put the right policies in place, get market forces moving in the right direction, put the money on the table, and accelerate action," he said.

Greenpeace hailed the move. "The World Bank -- as one of the world's most powerful financial institutions -- has sent a damning vote of no confidence to the future of the fossil fuel industry," said campaigner Gyorgy Dallos.

French insurer Axa said it would speed up carbon sector divestment, pulling 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) from companies which derive more than 30 percent of their revenues from coal.

Dutch bank ING said it would have "close to zero exposure" to coal power generation by 2025, and a group of more than 200 global investors, including banking giant HSBC, launched a campaign to pressure the world's largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters -- including BP, Airbus, Volkswagen and Glencore -- to go greener.

According to the International Energy Agency, green energy investments of about $3.5 trillion per year will be needed for the world to stay under the 2 C limit -- double current spending.

"While the challenge is great, we must do everything in our power to meet it. We know it is the difference between life and death for millions of vulnerable people around the world," said Frank Bainimarama, the prime minister of Fiji who presided over UN climate talks in Bonn last month.

On current emissions trends, the world is on course for warming of 3 C, experts warn, with life- and asset-threatening superstorms, sea-level rise, floods and droughts the result.

Trump, who has described climate change as a "hoax", came under fire from all quarters on Tuesday.

His rejection of the Paris pact was "politically short- sighted and misguided, economically irresponsible, and scientifically wrong," said former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.

But in the absence of a senior administration official, American businesses, regions and local government leaders have taken up the cudgels, represented in Paris by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, ex-governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

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The Israeli military said it hit the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers with tank and aircraft fire after Palestinians launched rockets at southern Israel.

At least two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip, with the second intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system, the army said yesterday.

After the first rocket was fired, the army issued a statement saying that in response, "a tank and the Israel Air Force targeted Hamas military posts in the southern Gaza Strip."



It did not say where the first rocket fell or report any casualties. There was also no word on injuries on the Gaza side of the border.

After the interception of the second rocket, Israeli tank fire hit a "Hamas military position" in Gaza, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

Gazan residents said the strike was in the north of the Palestinian enclave.

It was the first rocket fire since Friday evening, which triggered repeated Israeli strikes throughout that night and into Saturday in which two members of Hamas's military wing were killed.

The Israeli army says it holds Hamas responsible for all attacks originating from the territory under its control.

The latest wave of rocket fire followed US President Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

On Thursday, Israel also targeted Gaza sites with air strikes and tank fire after what a military statement described as "a projectile" was fired into southern Israel.

Palestinian security officials in the enclave said the strikes hit two Hamas posts.

The Israeli military said the targets were "two terror posts", without identifying them.

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Jammu and Kashmir BJP spokesperson Virender Gupta today accused the state government of "looting the money" provided by the Centre for the religious and linguistic minorities of the state.

Countering the Jammu and Kashmir government's stand in the Supreme Court on setting up a minorities commission in the state, he also alleged the policy followed by the Mehbooba Mufti-led government amounted to "cheating the nation".

The BJP is a coalition partner of the PDP in the Jammu and Kashmir government.

The Jammu and Kashmir government, in an affidavit submitted in the apex court, had claimed that as per the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, it was not bound to constitute a state-level minorities commission.

"The policy followed by the state government amounts to cheating the nation and looting money from Government of India, meant for the religious and linguistic minorities of the state," Gupta said.

He added that Muslims accounted for about 68 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir's population and thus, they could not avail of the benefits meant for the minority community.

The Centre needed to issue clear-cut instructions to the state as regards providing the benefits to the "actual" minorities under its schemes and also, the prime minister's 12-point programme, Gupta said.

He said the government's plea that it would consider the need and feasibility of setting up a state minority commission after a study of the social and educational backwardness of the minorities across various regions of Jammu and Kashmir was an "attempt to sidetrack" the issue.

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The All India Railwaymen's Federation has written to the Railway Board seeking relaxation of a "blanket ban" on a scheme offering jobs to children of employees in the lower-tier opting for voluntary retirement.

Last month, the railways suspended indefinitely the Liberalised Active Retirement Scheme for Guaranteed Employment for Safety Staff (LARSGESS), started in 2004.

"The scheme has infused new blood in exchange of old one and motivated the staff to give their best for ensuring safety of the travelling public...So, the blanket ban issued through Railway Board's letter may please be relaxed," All India Railwaymen's Federation general secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra wrote.

The scheme has in fact put the national transporter in a fix. While the Punjab and Haryana High Court in July, while hearing a case over the scheme, said that it violated the Constitution on the "principle of equal opportunity" for all in government jobs, the Kerala and Patna High Courts had held that the scheme had merit.

"It is urged that, the scheme be allowed to continue at least in the states, where either the High Court did not intervene or the High Court has allowed its continuance," the December 5 letter stated.

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Following a suspected cross-voting by 25 legislators from the Congress and NCP in favour of BJP candidate Prasad Lad in the recent Legislative Council poll, Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan today said these elections should not be held through secret ballot.

Secret ballot creates a scope for malpractices, he said.

"A proposal had been sent to the union home ministry when (late Congress leader) Vilasrao Deshmukh was chief minister. He followed it up with the Centre, but for some reason the system wasn't changed," Chavan told PTI here.

Chavan, who followed Deshmukh as chief minister, said he too is a supporter of open vote instead of secret ballot, and lobbied for a change in the system.

"I also tried to change the system as lot of things happen during the secret ballot. Money power should not be used in such elections, but because it is a secret vote, there is always a scope for malpractices," Chavan said.

The election for a single seat of the Legislative Council was necessitated by the resignation of Narayan Rane who quit the Congress, miffed with the party leadership, especially Ashok Chavan.

Apart from votes of 121 MLAs of the BJP and 63 MLAs of its ruling coalition partner Shiv Sena, Lad got additional 25 votes, which presumably came from the opposition camp, getting a total of 209 votes.

"It was a secret ballot. So nobody can tell who indulged in cross-voting. This is worrisome, therefore I am demanding open vote in MLC elections," Chavan said.

In December 2015 Lad, then an NCP leader, had contested an election to the Legislative Council from the Mumbai Municipal Corporation constituency as independent, defying his party's fiat. He managed to win 20 additional votes, which were suspected to have come from the Congress, though he lost, by only two votes, to Congress's Bhai Jagtap.

According to political observers, Lad getting additional votes this time, over and above the strength of the BJP and Sena in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, has sent a message to the Sena that the BJP is not dependent solely on the Sena's support in the Lower House.

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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today wrote another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the third since November, urging him to set up a tribunal in connection with the Mahanadi water row.

The letter, in which Patnaik expressed surprise at the Centre's changed stance on the issue, comes within a week of the Union Water Resources Ministry telling the Supreme Court that the dispute could be settled through negotiations.

The Union minister of state for water resources had informed the Rajya Sabha on July 31 and the Lok Sabha on August 10 that the water dispute could not be settled by negotiations and a tribunal was required to be set up, Patnaik said.

Patnaik also pointed out that the counsel appearing for the Union of India assured before the Supreme Court on October 9 that a notification will be issued before November 19 on constituting a tribunal.

"However, to the utter surprise of the people of Odisha, for whom Mahanadi is a lifeline, the Union Ministry of Water Resources filed a written statement on December 4 changing its stand completely by stating that the tribunal cannot be constituted," he said.

This "volte face" is not only surprising but "smacks of considerations" other than what is legal or just, the chief minister alleged.

"...My government does not see any purpose in further negotiation with the recalcitrant state of Chhattisgarh which has unilaterally and surreptitiously gone ahead with the construction of dams and barrages in the Mahanadi basin," Patnaik said.

Odisha has been opposing Chhattisgarh's plans to build 13 barrages and seven small dams on the upstream of the Mahanadi, saying the constructions would affect the interests of its farmers.

The issue has led to continued uproar in the Odisha Assembly in the last few days.

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Matias Messi, older brother of Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel, has been sentenced to house arrest in Argentina for possession of a weapon, a prosecutor said Monday.

Messi, 35, was to be discharged from hospital later Monday and transferred to his home in Rosario, 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of the capital Buenos Aires, head of the prosecutor's office for Cybercrimes and Weapons Lucas Altare said.

He was taken to hospital with facial injuries after being found in a drifting and blood-stained motorboat on November 30, apparently after colliding with a sandbank. He was arrested for possession of a firearm found in the boat.

It's the second time that the star's brother has been arrested for possession of a firearm. The offence carries a jail sentence of between three- and-a-half and eight years.

"The guarantor of this house detention agreement is his father, Jorge Messi," said Altare, the prosecutor.

Family lawyer Ignacio Carbone told reporters that the defendant "is a good person, he's not going to go on the run.

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Some militants today opened fire on an army vehicle in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal region, killing two soldiers and injuring as many others, the army said.

Soon after the attack, the security forces cordoned off the area and started a search operation.

The army, while acting on a tip-off, raided a house where militants were hiding. Realising that the forces were fast approaching, the militants opened fire.

The army said that two soldiers were killed and two others were injured in the attack.

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A deputy village head was killed by miscreants near Navtol bazaar in Bihar's Madhepura district, police said today.

Murliganj police station, Station House Officer (SHO) B D Pandit said the deceased has been identified as Sanjay Das (39), the up mukhiya (deputy village head) of Parwa Navtol panchayat of the district.

Das was on way to his house along with two other persons on a motorcycle yesterday night when the miscreants attacked him. The other two persons ran away from the spot, police said.

The miscreants attacked Das with sharp weapons and slit his throat killing him on the spot, the SHO said.

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The Calcutta High Court today directed Mumbai police not to meddle in the family life of a Maharashtra woman who married a man from West Bengal, following which her parents had lodged a police complaint of kidnapping.

In the interim direction, Justice Debangshu Basak asked the parents of Darshini Bhuta to file an affidavit in the high court within two weeks regarding her petition praying that Mumbai police stop investigation in connection with her marriage.

The parents have opposed the petitioner before the high court claiming that their daughter had been kidnapped and wrongfully confined.

Justice Basak also directed the Mumbai police not to take any step against Darshini or her husband in connection with the complaint made by her parents till further orders.

Darshini had moved the high court praying that Mumbai Police stop investigation and close all proceedings against her husband Shankar Chakraborty who had been accused of kidnapping, wrongful confinement.

Shankar was also booked under Maharashtra Black Magic Act, as her parents alleged that he used black magic spells to win her love.

The parents of Darshini had filed the complaint at Matunga police station in Mumbai.

Darshini, who works in a private bank, got to know web designer Shankar through a social networking site, her lawyer Ashis Kumar Chowdhury said.

They got married on October 5 and she came to live with her husband at her in-laws' residence at Khardhah in North 24 Parganas district, Chowdhury said.

In her petition, Darshini claimed that an assistant sub-inspector of Matunga police station had come to her in-law's place twice and asked her to report at the police station in Mumbai.

Darshini had then moved the high court and produced copies of certificate of marriage, following which the judge observed that the woman married the man out of her own free will and questioned how could any one meddle in a legal marriage.

The matter will come up for hearing again after the winter vacation.

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A week after a court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Madhya Pradesh minister Lal Singh Arya in connection with a murder case, a team of Bhind district police visited his official residence here to arrest him, although they failed to find the BJP leader there.

On December 5, Bhind Special Judge Yogesh Gupta had issued an NBW against Arya, directing the police to execute the order by December 19, when the next hearing is scheduled.

A police officer said, "The two-member Bhind police team of sub inspector Ambar Singh Sikarwar and constable Ramesh Singh went looking for Arya at his official bungalow B-20 at Char Imli here, but couldn't find him."



Arya is one of the accused in the murder case of the then Congress MLA from Gohad, Makhanlal Jatav, who was shot dead on April 13, 2009, during the general elections.

Talking to PTI over phone, Bhind sub divisional officer of police (SDOP) Praveen Astana, said that the team was sent to Bhopal to execute the arrest warrant against Arya.

"The team went to the official residence of Arya today," he said.

Bhind Superintendent of Police Prashant Khare has assigned to Astana the task of executing the court arrest warrant.

Last month, the Gwalior bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court had turned down Arya's anticipatory bail plea.

Before issuing the NBW, the Bhind court had issued five bailable arrest warrants against the minister, but he had failed to appear before the court.

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NEC Technologies India expects to grow its business by 50 per cent in the next three years, mainly on account of traction for its open source technology platform.

"NEC Technologies India is looking to grow by 50 per cent by 2020 and increase the manpower in the same proportion to support growth," NEC Technologies India Chairman Anil Gupta said on the sidelines of announcing plans to set up FIWARE lab node in India.

He however did not disclose the current revenue of the company. The company has 1,850 employees.

NEC Technologies, a subsidiary of Japan-based NEC Corporation, expects revenue of USD 150 million alone from FIWARE lab node, a consortium of 90 technology companies to develop open source technical solutions, which will be set up in Noida.

"This is the first FIWARE lab node in Asia. NEC Technologies will be making capital expenditure of USD 15 million to set up this node. We expect it to generate revenue of USD 150 million by 2020 from India and Southeast Asia," Gupta said.

He said tech companies in India can also join the FIWARE but they will need to follow guidelines of the consortium.

NEC will set up FIWARE lab node with 15 IT professionals and plans to take it to over 100 by 2020. The node will be operational from April 2018.

NEC Corporation Senior Vice President Naoki Hashitani said India provides huge potential for FIWARE due to its recent uptake in technology and setting up of new projects like smart cities.

"We have plans to set up a FIWARE lab node in Japan but till then lab from India will support business in Japan," Hashitani said.

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India must boost its ports fast to make them globally competitive as the gap with China is widening rapidly, industry body Assocham said today.

"Indias total containerised cargo capacity of 8.75 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) at all its 12 major port sis is less than a quarter of containerised goods handled at Shanghai port, making it imperative for us to do a fast catching up," said the Assocham study.

Handling of containerised cargo is a key indicator of a countrys integration with global supply chain for value-added manufactured goods, it said.

The study titled "Indian ports sector: Challenges of scale and efficient operations," was released by Assocham Secretary General, D S Rawat along with chief advisor Arvind Kumar at a press meet here today.

Though Indian ports met rapidly expanding traffic, handling more than a billion tonne of cargo in 2016-17, the capacity is expected to rise to 2.5 billion tonnes by 2025. The freight mainly comprises petrol, oil, and lubricant, coal, iron ore and other commodities, Rawat said.

It is only recently that freight in containers, which are easy to load, unload and carry to the hinterland through multi-modal transport, is catching up in India, he said.

While total containerised cargo volume for the whole of Indias major ports is about 8.75 million TEUs, it is 36.5 million TEUs in Shanghai. China has four ports which handle more than 20 million TEUs, he said quoting the study.

Even on the parameter of overall cargo, both with or without containerisation, India has a fragmented capacity at different ports.

Referring to Odisha, Rawat said setting up 13 non-major ports along its 480 km-long coastline will further boost the prospect of port infrastructure, bring in investment, create thousands of jobs and also add to the revenues of the state exchequer.

The study also suggested that it would be appropriate to augment capacity of existing ports to create ports with large capacity of 100 million tonnes (MT) rather than building new ports and spreading resources thinly.

Noting that for India to remain competitive globally, investment in port capacity is a must, the report said.

It also stressed the need to revisit the Major Ports Trusts Act, 1963 with a view to modernise the institutional structure of major ports and to secure greater operational freedom for ports, in tune with present day requirements.

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New Jersey Governor-elect Phil Murphy today named Gurbir S Grewal as his nominee to serve as the next Attorney General of the state.

With this nomination, Grewal will become the first Sikh- American state Attorney General in the country. The move has been welcomed by the South Asian Bar Association (SABA).

Grewal, who has spent most of his legal career in public service, is currently the Bergen County prosecutor. Working for most populous county in New Jersey, Grewal serves a community of almost one million with his staff of 265.

He previously served as an Assistant US Attorney in both New York (2004-2007) and New Jersey (2010-2016). He ended his tenure there as Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit where he was lead prosecutor for the largest known data breach prosecution.

Grewal obtained his law degree from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1999.

"The decision to appoint a visible minority as the chief law enforcement officer for New Jersey reflects the diversity of the state and of the US, and is especially important in a time where minorities and immigrants have often felt targeted by law enforcement," said SABA president Rishi Bagga.

"We really applaud his accomplishments and are extremely proud to see him be chosen for this honor," said SABA New Jersey president Bhaveen Jani.

Grewal is a past president of SABA New York and a member of the New Jersey Asian Pacific American lawyers Association.

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The Bangladeshi-origin suspect, who triggered a blast at a metro station in New York City, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, officials have said.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body, police said.

The device prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, America's largest bus terminal, injuring four persons and causing chaos in one of the busiest commuter hubs in the metropolis, officials said.

He has pledged allegiance to the ISIS terror group and told investigators that his planed terrorist attack in New York was mainly because of the recent Israeli actions in Gaza, officials said as per multiple media reports.

Ullah, who came to the US some seven years ago from Bangladesh, was apprehended yesterday with wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body.

He sustained injuries when the explosive devise tied to his body detonated prematurely at a New York metro station during the morning rush hour.

Three others were injured in the "attempted terrorist attack" at about 7.20 AM.

The Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton said Ullah is now a lawful permanent resident. He came to the US in 2011 on an F43 family immigrant visa, which is granted to children of American citizens siblings.

He lives in Brooklyn and is of Bangladeshi descent.

According to Taxi and Limousine Commission, Ullah held a Taxi and Limousine Commission license from March 2012 to March 2015. His license was not renewed after that.

Ullah told investigative officers that he made the explosive devise at his work place, which as per some media reports was an electric company.

Even though Ullah pledged allegiance to ISIS, law enforcement officials said as of now there is no known linkage between him and the terrorist outfit.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the device was a low intensity explosive device.

According to The New York Times, he chose the location of subway because of its Christmas-themed posters, recalling strikes in Europe against Christmas markets, and set off his bomb in retaliation for US airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria and elsewhere, several law enforcement officials said.

Ullah told investigators that he was inspired by propaganda from the Islamic State terror group, according to law enforcement officials, The Washington Post reported.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the attempted terrorist attack by an immigrant is a failure of logic and sound policy not to adopt a merit-based immigration system.

"The President has asked Congress to work with him on ending the diversity lottery and chain migration. He has proposed switching to a merit-based system of immigration similar to the Canadian and Australian systems.

"That means welcoming the best and the brightest and turning away not only terrorists but gang members, fraudsters, drunk drivers and child abusers. Such a merit-based system would make us safer and welcome individuals who would be best able to assimilate and flourish in our country," he said.

The 20-year-old son of the sister of a US citizen should not get priority to come to this country ahead of someone who is high-skilled, well educated, has learned English and is likely to assimilate and flourish here, Sessions added.

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The Bangladeshi ISIS sympathiser who detonated a homemade pipe bomb in New York City's subway had no criminal record back home, a police official said today, even as Dhaka vowed "zero tolerance" against terrorism.

Akayed Ullah, 27, set off the crude bomb strapped to his body in the crowded subway passage between New York's Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal at rush hour yesterday but the device failed to detonate properly, leaving him and three others injured.

"Passports to one is issued after verifying his or her past records and the suspect named for the New York attack had no criminal record," the official told PTI.

Ullah, who moved to the US seven years ago, has an address in Brooklyn, an area with most residents from Bangladesh.

He had entered the US through "extended-family chain migration," a system President Donald Trump is seeking to end that allows families to sponsor relatives to come to the US.

He last visited Bangladesh in September, Dhaka Tribune reported.

The Bangladesh embassy in Washington condemned the attack in New York reiterating its "zero tolerance" stance against terrorism.

"Government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including yesterday's incident in New York City," the embassy said in a statement shortly it became known that the attacker was of Bangladeshi-origin.

"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice," it added.

Bangladesh has been waging a war against homegrown extremism in the wake of numerous attacks by radical groups in recent years.

On July 1, militants stormed a Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed. An Indian girl was among those killed in Bangladesh's worst terror attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

The secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to root out extremism but says international radical groups do not operate inside Bangladesh.

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New York police today charged a ISIS-inspired Bangladeshi-origin man, a day after he triggered a blast at a metro station that injured three other people and caused chaos in one of the busiest commuter hubs in the US metropolis.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device exploded prematurely yesterday between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America's largest bus terminal.

The New York Police Department tweeted that Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

Ullah is reported to be in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burns in the explosion.

Three other people suffered minor wounds in the blast during rush hour.

The suspect was taken into custody after the device partially exploded.

Ullah acted alone, police said, adding that the explosion was recorded on surveillance video.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far, though it is being treated as terror-related.

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The Odisha Assembly was adjourned twice during the pre-lunch session today as the Opposition Congress and BJP leaders created a ruckus in the House.

The session was adjourned first till 12 noon and then till 3 pm.

The Assembly could transact business only for four minutes before the pandemonium broke out.

As the House assembled for the question hour, members of the Opposition Congress, led by party's chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati, went into the well and raised anti-government slogans.

They held the government responsible for the plight of farmers in the state.

They alleged that the farmers were being exploited at the government-run 'mandis' when they go to sell their produce.

The BJP members led by Rabi Narayan Naik also hit the well of the House, accusing the state government of depriving the farmers of Rs 100 crore under the crop insurance scheme.

They said the farmers suffered due to wrong policy of the government officials.

As the Opposition members continued their agitation in the well, Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat adjourned the House till 12 noon.

The Opposition parties created a similar situation when the House re-assembled after the break.

The treasury bench members raised the Mahanadi issue while standing near their seats.

BJD member Sanjay Dasburma alleged that the people of Odisha suffered due to "double standard" of the BJP led NDA government at the Centre.

The Centre has supported the illegal activities of Chhattishgarh which has been constructing projects on the upstream of Mahanadi, Dasburma alleged.

As the din continued in the House, Amat again adjourned the proceeding till 3 pm.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended the campaign for the second phase of Gujarat assembly polls in style today as he took a seaplane ride from the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat and returned after offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple.

He boarded the single-engine seaplane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West and flew to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed this was the first time a seaplane landed on a water body in the country.

A special floating platform was constructed on the river to facilitate the prime minister board the plane.

The plane took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid chants of "Modi-Modi" from BJP workers and city-dwellers, who flocked to the Sabarmati riverfront.

After his plane landed on the water of Dharoi dam, the prime minister proceeded to the Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha district via road.

From Dharoi dam site, he reached the temple by road after covering a distance of around 50km. He was greeted by the people of Ambaji town during a roadshow that stretched from the outskirts of the temple town till near the shrine.

A large number of locals lined up on both sides of the road leading to the famous shrine to have a glimpse of Modi, who reciprocated by waving at them.

At the temple, Modi performed 'puja' of Goddess Amba Mata and took blessings from priests. He spent almost 15 minutes at the temple.

From the temple, he arrived at the Dharoi dam site and boarded the seaplane for a return journey to the Sabarmati River.

A large number of common people and BJP workers gathered on the Sabarmati riverfront to greet the prime minister upon his arrival.

Yesterday, Modi told an election rally that for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane would land on the Sabarmati river.

"I will go to Ambaji in the seaplane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back," he said.

He said the BJP had planned a roadshow today in Ahmedabad. "However, the administration didn't give permission (for the event). As I had time, I decided to go to Ambaji in the seaplane," Modi said.

"We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these seaplanes," he said.

Rupani yesterday said this would for the first time in the country's history that a seaplane would land on a water body and that would be the Sabarmati river.

The campaigning for the second and final phase of voting which will take place on December 14, covering the remaining 93 assembly seats, ended this evening.

The first phase of polling, covering 89 seats, took place on December 9. The results will be declared on December 18. Gujarat has a 182-member assembly.

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In Haryana, more than 71.32 lakh metric tonnes (MTs) of Paddy has been arrived so far in mandis, asagainst arrival of over 69.56 lakh MT during the same period last year.

While stating this here today, a spokesman of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department said that out of the total arrival, government procuring agencies have procured over 59.14 lakh metric tonnes, whereas over 12.18 lakh metric tonnes of paddy is purchased by millers and dealers.

He said that more than 27.54 lakh MT of paddy have been purchased by the department, over 19.22 lakh MT by Hafed, over 6.49 lakh MT by Haryana Warehousing Corporation, over 5.68 lakh MT by Haryana Agro-industries Corporation and 19,667 MT by Food Corporation of India.

Giving details of arrival in mandis of different districts, the spokesman said that out of the total arrival, the maximum quantity of paddy has arrived in Karnal which is over 14.65 lakh MT followed by Kurukshetra - over 12.12 lakh MT.

Similarly, over 9.36 lakh MT paddy has arrived in mandis of Kaithal, 8.22 lakh MT in Fatehabad, 7.91 lakh MT in Ambala, 6.04 lakh MT in Yamunanagar, 4.71 lakh MT in Jind, 2.39 lakh MT in Sirsa, 1.49 lakh MT in Hisar, 1.30 lakh MT each in Panipat and Panchkula, 79,470 MT in Palwal, 58,231 MT in Rohtak, 37,626 MT in Jhajjar and 2,459 MT in Gurugram.

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Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa today met the Palestine envoy and assured Pakistan's moral and political support to his country, days after President Donald Trump recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Palestine Ambassador Walid A M Abu Ali called on Gen Bajwa at GHQ in Rawalpindi, the army said in a statement.

Gen Bajwa "reassured the ambassador that Pakistan views the unresolved Palestine issue at par with the Kashmir issue," the army statement said.

He also said that "both issues have unequivocal public, moral and political support of the Pakistani nation.

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A property brokers organisation in Indore today claimed that no slump has been reported in the real estate prices in local market following demonetisation.

"The perception that the real estate market has been sluggish after demonetisation was incorrect. The real estate prices have not come down in the city following demonetisation," Indore Realtors Welfare Association (IRWA) president Bhupendra Joshi told reporters.

He said the developers who started their projects without proper infrastructure have been facing problems.

Joshi said their organisation had been creating awareness among the local property brokers about registration and provisions of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) so that their business can be transparent and streamlined.

He also said that IRWA was organising a national convention in Indore on December 15 to discuss the future challenges before brokers.

Around 500 representatives of real estate business are expected to attend the convention, Joshi added.

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A Philippine bank today accused Bangladesh's central bank of a "massive cover-up" over an USD 81-million cyber-heist last year, as it rejected allegations it was mostly to blame.

Unidentified hackers shifted USD 81 million in February last year from the Bangladesh central bank's account with the US Federal Reserve in New York to a Manila branch of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC).

The money was quickly withdrawn and laundered through Manila casinos.

With only a small amount of the stolen money recovered and frustration building in Dhaka, Bangladesh's Finance Minister A.M.A Muhith said over the weekend he wanted to "wipe out" RCBC.

RCBC today said Muhith's remarks were "extremely irresponsible".

"Last year's theft of USD 81 million of Bangladesh's Central Bank's (BB) funds was an inside job and BB is engaging in a massive cover-up by maligning RCBC and refusing to divulge its findings," the bank said in a statement on today.

"BB should stop making RCBC its scapegoat."



The Philippines last year imposed a record USD 21-million fine on RCBC after a "special examination" of the bank and its role in the audacious cyber heist.

Philippine authorities have filed money laundering charges against the RCBC branch manager.

RCBC said an "inside job" at Bangladesh Bank made the heist possible.

"If it was stolen by your own people, why ask us? We are actually a victim of BB's negligence," RCBC said.

Asked about the allegation of an inside job, Bangladesh Bank deputy governor Razee Hassan insisted RCBC was at fault for releasing the stolen money.

"(RCBC) did not do due diligence. Their central bank did not fine them without any reason," he told AFP.

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has offered China Telecom a slot to be the country's third telecom provider to break up the dominance of two local firms, his spokesman said today.

The offer was part of Duterte's efforts to improve ties between China and the Philippines, taking into account political as well as economic considerations, spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.

"It was brought up in bilateral negotiations between the Philippines and China. And the eventual player that was chosen by China, China Telecom, without doubt is one of the biggest in the world," he said.

"It was a political decision of the president to offer it to a Chinese company. Intended, I guess, also to strengthen our bilateral ties with China."



Duterte has repeatedly said he wanted to introduce a third player into the Philippine telecom industry to spur competition and improve service.

The Philippines has a reputation for some of the slowest internet speeds in Asia, with customers restricted to a choice only between local firms PLOT and Globe Telecom.

On a visit to Manila in October, Chinese Internet tycoon and Alibaba founder Jack Ma described the Philippines' internet speed as "no good".

Although Roque said the Chinese government had nominated China Telecom for the license, the company said it had yet to decide if it would take up the offer.

"China Telecom is currently having a preliminary study on the investment opportunity in Philippines and no concrete plan has been determined yet," the company said in a statement to AFP.

Philippine law restricts a majority-foreign firm from the telecom industry, which means China Telecom would have to pick a local partner.

Duterte has pursued closer economic, military and political ties with China for the Philippines, a traditional ally of the United States, since becoming president in the middle of last year.

He reversed his predecessor's policy of challenging China's expansionism in the South China Sea into waters also claimed by the Philippines, arguing setting aside the territorial dispute would reap huge economic benefits.

However critics have questioned if Duterte is offering too much to China, leaving his country vulnerable to political and economic pressure.

There are also concerns about corruption, with a similar Philippine-Chinese telecom venture ending badly a decade ago.

A national broadband contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars with Chinese telecom giant ZTE was cancelled in 2007 after a bribery scandal that severely embarrassed then- Philippine president Gloria Arroyo.

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Pincon Spirit Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Monoranjan Roy has resigned from the company.

Last month, Roy was arrested by the Rajasthan police for allegedly duping 25,000 people in the state, who had invested money in the company's debenture.

"Monoranjan Roy, CMD of Pincon Spirit, has tendered his resignation from the Board of Directors of the company," Pincon Spirit said in a BSE filing.

"The company is in the process of filing the necessary forms with the ROC (Registrar of Companies) for giving effect to his resignation at the earliest," it added.

Shares of Pincon Spirit were 3.95 per cent lower at Rs 29.15 on the BSE today.

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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi soared into the clear Ahmedabad sky on a seaplane from the Sabarmati river marking a dramatic end to a gruelling election campaign, the flight created huge waves in Gujarat's politically turbulent waters.

The BJP was quick to hail it as a reflection of "vikas" ushered in by the party's governments in the state, while the Congress debunked its development claim.

"This is a demonstration of 'vikas'. The whole world is watching how development has taken a leap from the Sabarmati river," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said.

Congress's president designate Rahul Gandhi was, however, not impressed.

"If he wants to fly on a seaplane, there is nothing wrong about it. But the issue is not the seaplane...it is the distraction (from the real issues). The question is what has been done for Gujarat in the last 22 years," he told a press conference in Ahmedabad.

Modi ended the campaign for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls in style as he took a seaplane ride from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat, and returned after offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple and holding a road show.

He boarded the single-engine seaplane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad west and flew to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed it was the first time a seaplane landed on a water body in the country.

Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala mocked Modi's ride and the BJP's claim of it being a reflection of development.

"Vikas ki baatein unko na bhai, kehte hain unko hawa hawai. (They don't like the talk of development. These are people who engage in empty talk)," he tweeted in Hindi, in a parody of the 'Hawa Hawai' song from hit Bollywood flick 'Mr India'.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the Congress for criticising Modi's seaplane ride, and said the previous Congress rule was marked by "choppers scam".

BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said,"The very talk of development hassles them. The people of Gujarat are happy about the bullet train project, but they (the Congress) are 'pareshan' about it."



The ride, however, was a hit among the locals who chanted "Modi! Modi!" as the craft took off from the Sardar Bridge-end on the Sabarmati riverfront, which the BJP dispensation has been flaunting as a manifestation of development under Modi when he was the state's chief minister.

From Dharoi dam site, the prime minister reached the temple by road after covering a distance of around 50 km. He was greeted by the people of Ambaji town during a roadshow that stretched from the outskirts of the temple town to near the shrine.

The prime minister apparently chose to fly by the seaplane to end his campaign in style after the Ahmedabad district administration yesterday cancelled the roadshows by both Modi and Rahul Gandhi for logistical reasons.

Modi told an election rally yesterday that for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane would land on the Sabarmati river.

Rupani had said it was for the first time in the country's history that a seaplane would land on a water body and that would be the Sabarmati river.

However, Priyanka Chaturvedi, another Congress spokesperson, claimed seaplanes had been flown in the country in the past too. "2010 in Andaman 2015 in Kerala. However let facts never come in the way of BJP and Modi's narrative," she tweeted.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to make his maiden visit to Mizoram on December 16, an official release said today.

Modi would address a public meeting at the Assam Rifles ground, where he would inaugurate a 60-MW Tuirial Hydro Electric Project, it said.

Police officials said security would be boosted during the prime minister's visit.

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Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi today urged police in the Union Territory to win the collective appreciation of the peopleand"measure up to their expectations."



At a meeting of the Beat Police officers at the Police Training School to review the working of the officers, the former IPS officer underlined the need for the police to win "collective appreciation" of the Union Territory's people.

A release from Raj Nivas said the Lt Governor also listed the duties the beat police officers should discharge to prevent crimes and also to create a sense of security among the people.

Bedi brought to the officers' attention a list of 12 points urging them, among other things, to hold interactions with respectable persons in their areas, teachers, students and volunteers to create a network of support system.

She also said women police constables should be included in the Beat system and link them for active policing.

The women police constables should go to the fields and should not remain in the police stations relegating them to passive policing, the release said.

Bedi presented a certificate of appreciation to Permmadi Kesava Rao, a police constable and Beat officerfrom Yanam region, for his brave deed in rescuing a man from drowning in the Godavari river recently.

Director General of Police S K Gautam and Senior Superintendent of Police V J Chandran were among those present.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments against his predecessor Manmohan Singh over a dinner meeting with Pakistani diplomats were unacceptable, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi said here today.

The prime minister had insinuated that Manmohan Singh was colluding with Pakistan in the Gujarat polls. The former premier responded by saying Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" and asked him to apologise to the nation.

"What Modiji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable," Gandhi said at a press conference here today, the final day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

He said the prime minister had refrained from speaking on corruption during the campaign in his home state.

Modi, Gandhi added, had remained silent on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"PM Modiji has not spoken a word about corruption. He is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal," he said.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, when asked the reason behind his frequent temple visits in the poll-bound state.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

The Congress leader also said he was confident that his party would win the elections in the state.

"We are confident that Congress will win in Gujarat," Gandhi said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state. He claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6. This was a day before Aiyar's "neech" jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.

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Rajasthan is moving towards 100 per cent financial inclusion with a broad support for new digital modes of delivery of benefits specially from women, a top American think-tank said today.

The report 'Household Perception and Impact of Bhamashah and Digital Governance Reforms in Rajasthan' by the Center for Global Development and Microsave is based on a first-of-its- kind of survey of the Aadhaar system in the state.

"There is broad support for new digital modes of delivery of benefits. Over 40 per cent think it is better than old system in Public Distribution System (PDS) and pensions. Less than 10 per cent think it is worse," Anit N Mukherjee from the Center for Global Development told PTI.

There is a broad support for new digital modes of delivery of benefits in Rajasthan, a State which is approaching 100 percent financial inclusion, the think-tank said.

"Women are more positive about the change than men, possibly because they were more affected by corruption than men," he said.

The survey found that changes in National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiary lists have created confusion and frustration.

"This has to do with the lack of transparency regarding how the new list are made and less with problems of biometric authentication. I think these are being confused in the public discourse," Mukherjee noted.

Nearly 96 per cent of beneficiaries are authenticated in five attempts or less, the report said.

"However, PDS shop owners do not always follow the protocol and we were not able to discern how many of the authentication failures actually resulted in denial of rations," he said.

Mukherjee said all households have at least one bank account and mobile phone. In fact, the proportion of rural households with two or more accounts is higher than in urban areas, he said.

Noting that women are going to banks to withdraw money in larger numbers, either by themselves or with a male member, the report found that proportion of women going to withdraw money alone depends on how close the bank branches are.

Banking correspondents are nearly nonexistent, unlike in south India, Mukherjee said.

The report found that 25 per cent of PAHAL/UJJWALA beneficiaries have stopped using firewood/coal. And women's time use for productive activities has increased, he added.

"As for Bhamashah itself, enrolment has been relatively smooth, but people face inconveniences when there are data errors - grievance redressal is inefficient," Mukherjee said.

Conceptualised in 2008, Bhamashah is the first household -level identity system in India. Bhamashah head of household has to be a woman.

"Sixty-six per cent of these women opened new bank accounts to register for Bhamashah. Almost all these accounts are linked to Aadhaar and mobile phones," he added.

Referring to the report, Mukherjee said digital literacy among women is low.

"The proportion of Bhamashah head of household who cannot read or write SMS or operate the cellphone is 80 per cent," he said.

Also, the overwhelming majority of mobile phones are owned by men, he noted.

"This is important because it is now the major interface of the beneficiary with the new digital governance architecture," he said.

Out of the total 633 surveyed households, 81.5 per cent of the households (579) had received their Bhamashah family card. Seventy three per cent of the households rated the Bhamashah enrolment process 'easy or very easy' with only five percent rating it as 'difficult' or 'very difficult'.

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The Supreme Court today ruled out for now a plea to suspend the life sentence of a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case pending the completion of the probe by CBI's Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) in the larger conspiracy aspect.

The apex court said the MDMA investigation does not appear to have achieved "much headway" and could be "endless" and, under such circumstances, there could be two options for the convict -- either to seek early conclusion of the MDMA inquiry or reopening of the case regarding him.

The court referred to the CBI reports filed in the matter relating to the plea of convict A G Perarivalan and observed that it does not appreciate his "single point agenda" that the sentence be suspended pending completion of the MDMA probe.

"Your's is a case where conviction has attained finality. Releasing you will be in an extraordinary circumstance. We do not know when the probe will end," a bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi said, adding "releasing at this stage perhaps will not be a correct thing to do."



MDMA, set up in 1998 on the recommendations of Justice M C Jain Commission of Inquiry which had probed the conspiracy aspect of Gandhi's assassination, is headed by a CBI official and comprises officers from IB, RAW and Revenue Intelligence and other agencies.

"Your (Perarivalan) prayer is that you should be released till the conclusion of probe by the MDMA. MDMA is investigating the larger conspiracy aspect. From CBI reports, it does not seem that there is much headway. So this inquiry could be endless," the bench said.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at an election rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed.

This was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile global leader.

When the bench asked advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan, who appeared for 45-year-old Perarivalan, that he has not sought reopening of the case, the counsel said their review petition has been decided and conviction has attained finality.

The court then said that the matter required full length hearing and posted it for January 24. The court also arrayed the Centre as a party after Perarivalan's counsel said the Union of India was not formally a party in the matter.

It also asked the Centre and the CBI to respond to the averments made by the convict in his petition and gave liberty to Perarivalan's counsel to go through a report filed by the CBI in a sealed cover in the courtroom itself.

Shankarnarayanan told the bench that Perarivalan has spent over 26 years in jail and they had moved the Madras High Court earlier on the issue of conspiracy behind making of the belt bomb, which was being probed into by the MDMA.

The MDMA probe into the matter was still not complete, he said and referred to a report that said the person who was behind making of the bomb was in a Colombo jail in Sri Lanka.

He also referred to an affidavit filed by V Thiagarajan, the then superintendent of police of CBI who had recorded the confessional statement of Perarivalan under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act.

Perarivalan had earlier told the court that he was held guilty for supplying two nine-volt batteries which were allegedly used in the improvised explosive device (IED) that killed Gandhi in 1991.

Referring to Thiagarajan's affidavit, Shankarnarayanan argued that the officer had said that Perarivalan, while making confessional statement before him, had expressly stated that at the time of purchase of batteries, he had absolutely no idea for what purpose these were going to be used.

At the outset, the Centre sought some time from the bench for filing its reply on Perarivalan's plea seeking suspension of his sentence till the MDMA concluded its probe into the conspiracy behind making of the bomb.

After being pulled up by the bench, the Centre placed before it the reply and the court perused the same.

"We have gone through the reply. You have not answered the question. We had posed very specific question," the bench said, adding there was "not a whisper" about the affidavit filed by Thiagarajan and nothing clear was said on the aspect of suspension of the sentence of the convict.

Thereafter, the counsel appearing for the Centre and the convict argued on the aspect of whether the state could remit the sentence of a convict in a case probed by the CBI without the Centre's concurrence.

The Tamil Nadu government has already decided to set Perarivalan free by remitting the remaining portion of his sentence.

The apex court had on August 17 asked the Centre and CBI to apprise it of the probe being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of the bomb after Perarivalan had claimed that this aspect was not being probed properly.

The apex court had on February 18, 2014 commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with two other condemned prisoners -- Santhan and Murugan -- on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chadrasekhar Rao today expressed apprehension over farmers using auto-starters for their agricultural motor-pumps which could lead to depletion of groundwater.

According to an official release, use of auto starters will result in depleting the ground water which would do more harm than the benefit.

"The Chief Minister is worried that even if the 24 hour-power is given to farmers, if they do not remove the auto starters, the ground water will be depleted and despite availability of power, they will be left with no water for the standing crops which would result in their withering away," the release said.

Rao, however, hoped that farmers will not indulge in anything that harms their interests.

The Chief Minister is hopeful that once the harm of having auto starters is explained to the farmers they would understand and voluntarily remove the auto starters.

Rao also directed the agriculture officers, power officials, public representatives, ministers, MLAs that they should tour the villages and conduct meetings in this regard and educate cultivators, the release added.

The CM had already instructed the electricity department to start supplying 24-hour power supply to the farm sector beginning from December 31 and the power utilities have also spent Rs 12,000 crore and strengthened their distribution and supply system for the 24-power supply.

Motors are used to pump water from the ground to the agriculture filed. Some farmers use auto-starters so the motor will start as and when the power is on.

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Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi today exhorted the youngsters to "revolt" against their guardians if they insisted on demanding dowry for marriage.

The senior BJP leader made the fervent appeal to the youth on the sidelines of an anti-dowry campaign organised by a Hindi newspaper in the state capital here.

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar had launched a statewide campaign against dowry and child marriage on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Modi had hosted the wedding of his son here in a simple way on December 3.

Deviating from the tradition, Modi's son's wedding was held during the day and without any ornate arrangements, musical bands or feasts. All the guests were requested not to bring gifts and were given a packet, containing four laddoos, each.

"Young men should show the courage and tell their elders that they will revolt if dowry is taken for their marriage. Such a bold step will put an end to this social evil, which afflicts the affluent and the poor alike," Modi said.

Delving into history, the deputy chief minister said, "Dowry was unheard of in ancient India. Girls used to choose their life partners through a swayamvar. In the memoirs of Megasthenes, we find no mention of dowry. Apparently, the society subsequently started believing that a good match for a girl could only be found in exchange for money. This has to end."



He also urged the women to play an important role in rooting out the evil practice of dowry.

"An important role has to be played by the women too as they are at the receiving end of this. The habit of celebrating the birth of a boy and being unhappy when a girl is born needs to be given up. Girls must be brought up with care and given a good education, so that they become economically self-reliant," Modi said.

"Bihar is the land of Jayaprakash Narayan, who had called for a total revolution in the 1970s. We must strive to realise his dream and strike at the roots of social evils like dowry. This cannot be done only through laws, which have been in place for long. Public awareness is a must to bring about the desired change," he added.

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Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) owes "additional surcharge" of more than Rs 1,900 crore to state- run agency MMRDA for delay in development of plots in Mumbai, the Maharashtra Assembly was informed today.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave this information while responding to a query by MLA Sharad Sonawane during the Question Hour of the Winter Session, which is held in Nagpur.

The MLA from Junnar in Pune district had sought to know the names of the companies which have not paid surcharge for delay in plot development to the MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority).

In a written reply in the Lower House, Fadnavis said: "Construction in the G-block of Bandra Kurla Complex owned by MMRDA was not completed by some firms within the (stipulated) four-year period. Hence, additional surcharge for such a delay has not been paid yet by some companies, including RIL."



"The dues include Rs 441.08 crore for plot number C-66 and Rs 1,538.73 crore for plot number C-64 from RIL alone," said Fadnavis, who is also Chairman of the authority.

RIL is constructing a convention-cum-exhibition centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, an upscale business district in Mumbai's suburbs.

There was no immediate comment from RIL on the issue.

Fadnavis said the other companies which have "not yet paid their dues are the Indian Newspaper Society (Rs 56.02 crore for plot number C-63, Jamunaben Foundation (Rs 24.09 crore for plot numbers SF 7 and 9B), Talim Research Foundation (Rs 33.39 crore for plot number SF 6) and Naman Hotel Rs 31.68 crore for plot numbers C-57 and 58".

These companies have not paid the surcharge for the last many years, he said.

The outstanding figures were issued by MMRDA under RTI queries.

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The main opposition party in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), today deferred the statewide bandh it had called to protest against the sand mining policy of the Nitish Kumar government to December 21.

No reason was, however, cited for deferring the bandh.

Yesterday, former deputy chief minister and the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, had announced that the bandh would be observed on December 18.

Incidentally, the counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls will be taken up on December 18.

Yadav had announced the date of the bandh at a march taken out by the RJD yesterday to protest the sand mining policy of the NDA government in the state.

The Lalu Prasad-led RJD has been blaming the sand mining policy of the government for a "slump" in construction activities and the resultant loss of jobs among the workers, who were migrating to the other states in search of work.

"A decision has been taken to observe a Bihar bandh on December 21, instead of December 18, as had been announced earlier. We appeal to all the sections of the society to support us as our fight is against a government which is indifferent to the plight of the common people and busy in self-publicity," RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said in a statement.

The RJD march yesterday was dismissed by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who had alleged that Prasad's party was trying to "protect the sand mafia as it funded the party".

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More than 170 people have been killed in fighting between rival cattle herders in central South Sudan in the past week, a lawmaker said today.

"When it comes to those who are wounded, it is almost 200," added Dharuai Mabor Teny, a member of parliament from the Western Lakes area, some 250 kilometres northwest of the capital Juba.

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The deputy commissioner of the excise department today appeared before the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) which had summoned him in connection with a case of sale of illicit liquor.

He said a woman and her husband, who were caught selling illicit liquor by the DCW in Narela, had 31 cases lodged against them in 17 years.

The DC informed the women's panel that the department had a shortage of manpower and only five officers of the Excise Department were responsible for the entire outer district.

He said minors and women were being used by mafia to transport illegal liquor in small vehicles through fields on the border.

Following a brutal attack on a woman who helped the commission bust a bootlegging racket in Narela last week, the commission had summoned the Delhi Commissioner of Police (Rohini) and the deputy commissioner of the Excise Department to get details about the action taken in the issue of liquor being sold illegally in some parts of the city.

The DCP (Rohini) sought more time to file a reply following which the commission gave the official two days for the same.

"Despite the cases and the police being aware of the accused being habitual offenders, no steps to restrict their activities have been taken.

"This is why these persons have been operating with complete impunity. Strict action needs to be taken in the matter," DCW chief Swati Maliwal said.

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The humble samosa and chhole and potato patty-version of the burger have topped the list of most ordered on Uber's food ordering platform 'UberEATS' in India, ahead of Middle Eastern and American dishes, the company said today.

Besides, Indian cuisine also found a huge following in cities like Cairns, Adelaide, Bangkok, Gold Coast and New Castle with consumers getting Indian dishes delivered to them using Uber's food delivery platform.

Launched earlier this year in India, UberEATS is available in six Indian cities currently.

"Highest number of orders we made on June 18 and the most ordered dishes on UberEats were samosa chole, aloo tikki burger and chicken biryani. While Indian cuisine continued to top the list of most ordered cuisines by Indians, it was closely followed by Middle Eastern and American," Uber said in a trend report for 2017.

Cairns, Adelaide, Bangkok, Gold Coast and New Castle were five other cities that enjoyed Indian food, it added.

Uber, however, did not disclose details around number of orders placed on the platform. It competes with the likes of Zomato, FoodPanda and Swiggy in the food delivery space in the Indian market.

The US-based company counts India as among its top markets for its ride-hailing business.

In May this year, Uber completed 5 billion trips globally.

India emerged as the second largest contributor to the global milestone, after the US, the report said. A rider from Delhi, NCR took the highest number of Uber rides- 1,969 trips - in 2017 in India, it said.

Bengaluru and Hyderabad saw the highest number of uberPOOL (pooled) trips taken by riders in 2017, followed by Kolkata and Delhi, Uber said.

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A Pakistani jail superintendent today recorded his statement before an additional district and sessions judge Lahore in the murder case of Indian national Sarabjit Singh who was killed by fellow prisoners in 2013.

Two Pakistani death row prisoners - Amir Sarfraz alias Tamba and Mudassar - in May 2013 had attacked Sarabjit (49) in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore and killed him.

"Additional district and sessions judge Amin Haider today recorded the statement of the Kot Lakhpat Jail superintendent in the murder case of Sarabjit Singh. Two more witnesses have been summoned for the next hearing next week," an official at the jail told PTI.

He said the court proceedings in this case have been resumed after several months.

The judicial commission led by Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi of Lahore high court had investigated Sarabjit's murder case before the trial began at the sessions court Lahore.

Naqvi had recorded the statements of some 40 witnesses in the murder of Sarabjit and submitted its report to the government which is yet to make public its findings.

The one-man commission had also issued notices to Sarabjit's relatives through the foreign ministry to record their statements and to produce any evidence they have regarding his death.

Sarabjit's family had not recorded their statements.

Tamba and Mudassar, in their statements to the commission, confessed to the crime and said they killed Sarabjit as they wanted to avenge the death of people in Lahore and Faisalabad blasts allegedly carried out by him.

Both suspects have been indicted in the murder case.

Sarabjit was awarded death sentence for spying charges and killing at least 14 Pakistani citizens in bomb blasts in Punjab province in 1990.

His family, however, said: "He was the victim of mistaken identity and had inadvertently strayed across the border.

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The today pulled up the Centre for "not even bothering about" its orders on extradition matters and questioned the government's will in getting persons evading law back from foreign countries.

The remarks were made by the top court in the matter relating to extradition of a businesswoman, who is facing criminal trial in India but was allowed to travel to London on apex court's direction in January, 2016.

The apex court had earlier forfeited Rs 86 lakh deposited by her as security and directed for revoking of her passport as well as initiated contempt proceedings against her.

"What is this attitude? You don't even bother about the orders of the . We have been virtually extending threats to the officers in the Ministry of External Affairs but you still don't act," a bench of justices Arun Mishra and M M Shantanagoudar said.

The top court said that "somebody has ran away from the country but the government isn't doing anything about it".

It asked Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh and senior advocate V Mohana: "We have been issuing orders in this case for last eight months but you have done nothing. You should tell us what is going on and why are you (Centre) not acting?"



The bench even expressed its annoyance over different government lawyers on different dates in the matter and said "We think we will now call the secretaries in the MEA. They will be called to court to explain. That seems to be the only way forward now."



The bench posted the matter for further hearing after the ASG assured it of taking instructions on the issue.

The court directed the ASG that all formalities relating to the extradition of the woman be completed by then.

Ritika Awasty, a promoter of Bush Foods Overseas Pvt Ltd, is facing criminal trial in Uttar Pradesh on charges of cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust.

She had challenged the Allahabad High Court order refusing to quash FIR lodged against her but was granted bail and allowed to travel abroad by the apex court on an undertaking for looking after her husband and daughter in London.

She had given an undertaking to return to India by March 31, but she did not. The court further extended her stay in London on her request till May 31, but she again did not return.

This compelled the top court to initiate contempt proceedings against her and revoking of her passport.

On September 12, the Centre and Uttar Pradesh had told that they have agreed that State shall initiate procedure relating to extradition and they are agreeing that Uttar Pradesh will take effect steps within three weeks.

The court directed the Centre to take appropriate steps within two weeks thereafter, for extradition with the Crown Prosecution Services and sought details of her properties in India.

Earlier, the top court had asked Awasty to furnish her current address in the UK by the next date of hearing and the state had assured the court appropriate steps for extradition of the woman will be taken.

The apex court had also asked the Centre to file the income tax returns of Awasty and of her husband.

On August 29, 2016, the apex court had said that it is "prima facie satisfied" that Awasty has "committed contempt of this court by breaching the directions issued by the court, as also, violating the undertaking given to this court".

It had issued notice to Awasty to show cause why contempt proceedings be not initiated against her.

The top court said that "in order to ensure, that the petitioner does not flee from justice, we consider it just and appropriate, to direct the passport authority concerned to revoke the passport issued to the petitioner forthwith".

It had said that the Indian High Commissioner at London, shall initiate action for the return of Awasty to India, so as to face the judicial process, which is pending consideration before the apex court.
Coming down heavily on the prime minister for alleging that his predecessor Manmohan Singh was conspiring with Pakistan for the BJP's defeat in Gujarat, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said today that Narendra Modi should be ashamed of making such "wild allegations" against Singh, whom "no one in the world could point fingers at".

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad also alleged that Modi has stooped to a low level and levelling allegations against the people of his own country.

Pawar, who turned 77 today, addressed 'Jana Akrosh-Halla Bol', a public rally organised by the Congress and the NCP here on the issues of agrarian crisis.

He appealed to the farmers in Maharashtra not to repay any loan or pay dues such as electricity bills to the state government unless it deposits the "much-touted" loan waiver amount into their bank accounts. Azad was also present at the rally.

Pawar criticised Modi for "deliberately" misconstruing a meeting at the residence of suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on December 6 and presenting it as a conspiracy by Pakistan to interfere in the Gujarat assembly polls.

"Shame on you, prime minister, for making such allegations! You have made the allegations against this country's former prime minister (Manmohan Singh) and former defence officials," Pawar, a former defence minister himself, said.

Modi, while speaking at a poll rally in Gujarat on Sunday, had sought to link the dinner meeting hosted by Aiyar for Pakistani dignitaries and attended by Manmohan Singh, among others, with the ongoing Assembly polls and a conspiracy against the BJP.

"Modi is invoking Pakistan and making wild allegations against renowned people to divert the people's attention from his government's failures and trying to get political mileage out of it," Pawar said.

"A different kind of picture is being witnessed in the country today in terms of the attitude of the nation's leadership, which is diverting the attention of the people from important issues," he added.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi just two days back in his speech had raised the suspicion against former PM Manmohan Singh, former Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar and others, alleging that Pakistan was trying to influence the Assembly elections in Gujarat.

"The PM making such kind of wild allegations against former PM Manmohan Singh, at whom no one in the world could point fingers, is very shameful and not in the interest of the country. It is very sad that an attempt is being made by the PM himself on destroying the tradition of the country," the former Union minister said.

"This attempt to invoke Pakistan was made to divert the people's attention towards the government's failures in addressing the farmers' issues, lack of jobs and other people's issues," Pawar alleged.

"The Modi government has not solved the issues of farmers and other issues the country is facing, but he is bringing the Pakistan angle as a diversionary tactic during the Gujarat elections," Pawar said.

Modi has destroyed the country and belittled the office of the prime minister, Pawar alleged.

In his address, Azad said that since the BJP is losing in Gujarat, the prime minister is blaming his predecessor, former vice-president and former diplomats for conspiring with Pakistan to defeat the BJP in Gujarat.

"The prime minister has stooped so low that he is levelling allegations against the people of his own country," he said.

On the farmers' issues, Pawar said, "Unless the amount of loan waiver is deposited into the bank accounts of the farmers (in Maharashtra), I appeal to the farming community not to repay any dues (to state or cooperative department) or even (pay) electricity bills to the state government."



The Maharashtra government announced a mega agriculture loan waiver of Rs 34,022 crore on June 24 after a state-wide agitation by farmers. On July 9, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said around 36 lakh farmers in the state would have their entire debt waived.

Pawar also asked Fadnavis to "stay away" from "politics of blackmail".

The NCP supremo said, "Maharashtra CM uses the language of blackmail against the Opposition. We respect the mandate of people who chose you to govern. But, if he thinks blackmailing a part of the people's mandate to his government, he should remember that people can oust him from power."



If the government is of no use to its people, they should not cooperate with it, he said.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur ahead of the winter session of the state legislature, which began on Monday, Fadnavis had said, "I have enough evidence against the leaders of the Opposition and I will disclose these at the right time."



On the Centre's promises to farmers, Pawar said that Modi had promised loan waiver to the farmers, but there was no sign of relief to the farmers even after three-and-a-half years.

"The situation is such that people are committing suicide, yet the government's heart is not melting," he said.

"I remember that five years back, during the agrarian crisis, the then PM Manmohan Singh and I had immediately visited Yavatmal and Wardha to understand the problems faced by the farmers. Subsequently, in the next 15 days, Rs 70,000 crore loan waiver was announced by the then government.

"We had announced the loan waiver and had told by what time it would be given to them. Today, the chief minister is telling that they are going to give loan waiver, but they are not giving it," Pawar said.

Azad questioned Modi over the promises he had made to the farmers that the minimum support price (MSP) would include a profit of 50 per cent above the cost of production.

"How can a PM of any country make such false promises to its people? How can a PM give false promises to its farmers and not fulfil it? The PM and the BJP, by insulting the farmers, have insulted the nation, which cannot be forgiven," Azad said.

"On the one hand, the farmers in the country are facing an agrarian crisis and committing suicides and on the other hand this government imposes GST and demonetisation, forcing several crore people to stand in queues outside ATMs.

"The PM had promised 10 crore jobs to the youth, but provided just 3 lakh jobs. This was the second lie from you...first giving it to farmers then to the youth. Modi is giving false promises to the farmers and the youth," the Congress veteran said.

Azad also said that Modi hardly remains in office and is only busy in election campaigns and foreign tours.

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The Allahabad High Court today refused to stay the arrest of a senior officer of Axis Bank in Sam Higginbottom University funds misappropriation case amounting to approximately Rs 23 crores.

The order was passed by bench of Chief Justice D B Bhosale and Justice M K Gupta on the petition of the bank officer, Deepak Kumar Verma.

Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) is a deemed university located at Naini, Allahabad.

In May 2016, an FIR was registered at civil lines police station against several bank and SHUATS employees for alleged misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs 23 crores between 2013 and 2016.

The case was registered on a complaint by Axis Bank Assistant Vice President Yogesh Vajpayee.

Earlier, the bail application of University Registrar Robin L Prasad and Finance Comptroller B S Lall was already rejected by High Court on the ground of their direct involvement in the matter.

The bank had doubted the authenticity of some of the transactions and asked the university to verify the same, the two officers issued reconciliation certificate and verified the fraudulent transactions.

Apart from Verma, some other accused, who were employees of SHUATS and Axis Bank, have also approached the High Court and their petitions will be heard on December 18.

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Kausalya, whose father was among the six given death sentence by a court today for suspected honour killing of her Dalit husband, said she would fight till her mother and two other acquitted were also punished.

The young widow hailed the verdict that meted out capital punishment to most of the accused, saying it would act as a deterrent against honour killings nation-wide.

"I will appeal in the high court against the acquittal of Annalakshmi (her mother), Pandithurai (paternal uncle) and Prasanakumar. My legal battle will continue till they too are appropriately punished," she told reporters here.

She, however, did not refer to their relationship with her.

Kausalya was interacting with media shortly after Tirupur Principal District and Sessions Judge Alamelu Natarajan gave the judgement in the case related to the brutal murder of her husband Shankar on March 13, 2016 in nearby Udumalpet.

Kausalya, who survived the attack, described the judgement as a "warning bell and deterrent" to caste chauvinists who indulged in honour killings.

"Justice is rendered for the blood, shed by Shankar and the verdict has re-established my trust in the judiciary," she said.

The woman also said she would oppose if any of the convicts filed an appeal in the high court against their sentence.

Seeking protection to her and the family of her husband, Kausalya demanded a legislation to prevent recurrence of such "honour killings and instil fear among those trying to oppose inter-caste marriages.

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A Somali television journalist was killed by a car bomb in front of his children, relatives said, the fifth murder of a journalist in the war-torn country this year.

Mohamed Ibrahim Gabow, a journalist working for Kalsan TV, had taken a break from work to spend time with his children.

He had just left his home on Monday afternoon in the capital Mogadishu when a bomb planted beneath the driver's seat ripped through the car. He died in hospital.

"He was a professional journalist dedicated to working for the public," grieving relative Mohamed Abdirahman said late Monday. "We don't know why they killed him in front of his children."



No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but journalists have been regularly targeted by rival forces in the long-running conflict.

"The explosive device was attached beneath the driver's seat of the car," said police officer Ibrahim Mohamed.

Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists: 45 Somali reporters were killed between 2007 and 2015, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Abidirisak Mire, a colleague of Gabow, said people were unsure why he would have been targeted. "We don't know the motive," he said.

The Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militant group has been blamed for a string of attacks against journalists.

The Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow successive internationally-backed governments in Mogadishu since 2007 and frequently deploys car and truck bombs against military, government and civilian targets.

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A teacher in a government-run school in Odisha's Ganjam district was arrested today for allegedly outraging the modesty of two Class VII girl students.

The assistant teacher in Gahangu upper primary school, was arrested on the basis of complaints lodged by the girls, both aged around 12 years, said inspector in charge of Buguda police station, Rama Chandra Biswal.

In separate complaints, the girls alleged that the teacher touched them inappropriately on their private parts inside a room in the school on Friday, he said.

The students had informed about the incident to their parents after which complaints were lodged with the police.

A large number of people, including parents of the students, staged a demonstration outside the school demanding immediate action against the teacher.

The teacher, however, denied the allegation and claimed that there was an attempt to tarnish his image.

The arrested teacher has been booked under various sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POSCO) Act, the IIC said.

District Education Officer (DEO), Sanatan Panda has sought a report from the block education officer (BEO) in this regard.

We have asked BEO to inquire into the matter. We will take appropriate action against the teacher after getting report, he said.

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An Australian man linked to a "Hells Angels" chapter has been arrested in Bangkok for smuggling drugs, police said today, as Thai authorities tackle organised crime run by motorcycle gangs in the kingdom.

Immigration officials detained 34-year-old Luke Joshua Cook and his Thai wife Kanyarat Wedphitak at Bangkok's main airport on Saturday for attempting to smuggle half a tonne of crystal meth into Thailand in 2015.

Cook is accused of trying to bring the drugs to land from a boat moored in the Gulf of Thailand. He was spooked by a patrol boat and threw a large amount of the "ice" overboard.

Around 50 kilogrammes of the drug later washed up on Thailand's southern coast.

Cook's arrest comes amid a widening crackdown against the Hells Angels, who have chapters based in Bangkok and Pattaya, a Thai resort notorious for its seedy nightlife and criminal networks.

Police conducted raids on the motorcycle gang's residences and businesses in Pattaya last week and on Sunday, seizing money, property, vehicles and guns.

"It is a big transnational crime organisation which is just escalating its operations in Thailand," Major General Apichat Sirisith told reporters on Tuesday as police revealed Cook's arrest.

With roots in the US, the Hells Angels spread to other countries, establishing chapters around the world.

The Australian Hells Angels are notorious for prostitution, racketeering, drugs and arms trafficking, and have expanded operations into Southeast Asia as authorities catch up with them on home soil.

Their Pattaya chapter grabbed headlines in early 2015 when an Australian Hells Angel leader was found dead after being kidnapped by masked men.

Earlier this year, Australian national Antonio Bagnato, 28, was convicted of the murder of a Wayne Schneider earlier this year and sentenced to death, a verdict rarely carried out in Thailand.

Schneider was once on an Australian "most wanted" list for shooting a bouncer in the knee outside a Sydney nightclub.

Bagnato was also a suspect in a 2014 Sydney murder.

Both moved to Thailand and chose to live in Pattaya.

Cook is believed to have helped the Bagnato escape to Cambodia where he was later arrested, Thai police said.

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Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit today sought relief assistance from the Centre for the state's cyclone Ockhi-hit Kanyakumari district.

Purohit, who is on a two-day visit to New Delhi, called on Finance minister Arun Jaitley, Home minister Rajnath Singh and Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sought assistance for undertaking relief measures, a Raj Bhavan release said.

The governor briefed them about the conditions in Kanyakumari district based on information he gathered during his visit to the 'Ockhi'-hit areas there on December 7.

Purohit also called on Road Transport, Highways and Shipping minister Nitin Gadkari at his residence and highlighted the drinking water needs of Tamil Nadu.

The governor discussed the prospects for early interlinking of peninsular rivers so as to augment the water sources in the state.

Purohit explained to him on how large number of farmers would benefit if they could get water for irrigating at least one crop a year.

"For this, he stressed the need for linking of rivers of Tamil Nadu with those rivers whose surplus water flows waste into the sea," the release said.

Gadkari assured him that the surplus water lying unutilised will be diverted to meet the needs of the state.

The union minister also said not a single person in Tamil Nadu will suffer on account of lack of drinking water.

During his visit to Chennai last month, Gadkari had called on Purohit and assured him that the Centre would shortly sanction Rs one lakh crore to the state government for highways and ports projects.

Yesterday, Purohit participated in the Meeting of the Committee of Governors held in New Delhi.

The committee was constituted during the annual conference of governors in October for the purpose of recommending best practices to be undertaken by various Raj Bhavans.

Purohit along with Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy and Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Dev Vrat, called on President Ram Nath Govind for discussions with regard to the deliberations of the committee, the release added.

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A racket involving generating Aadhaar cards for Nepalis has been busted with the arrest of three persons, police said today.

Employees of an Aadhaar enrolment agency here, R Arun (25), and M Balamurugan (26) were arrested yesterday for illegally generating the cards for Nepalis by using fake address proof papers, they said.

The duo collected about Rs 1,500 per card.

They had generated the Aadhaar cards and given it to 24-year-old Nim Bahadur Qadri and his friends, police said.

The two men, whose job also involved feeding data for issuance of cards by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), illegally took the gadgets out of their office and fed inputs including biometrics by submitting fake papers, they said.

Preliminary probe revealed that the Nepali man working in a hotel had approached them days ago for getting Aadhaar card for him and his friends since they did not possess any identity papers.

Police said based on specific leads, they arrested the two employees and the Nepali man in upscale Tiruvanimiyur here after they found gadgets used in Aadhaar generation hidden in a big bag.

The three men were produced before a court which remanded them to judicial custody today.

They have been lodged in a prison here.

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Time seems to have come to a standstill in some tribal areas of Gujarat.

More than three years after Narendra Modi became the country's prime minister, for a section of people here, he is still the chief minister.

In the interior areas of Chhota Udaipur district, dominated by Scheduled Tribes such as the Rathwas, voters said that when it came to politics, they knew of only three factors -- Modi, Modis party and the Congress.

Few referred to the BJP by name, calling it Modi's party. And when prodded about the Congress, the only name they could readily recall was that of Indira Gandhi.

My forefathers have always voted for the Congress but now people in surrounding villages also vote for a candidate from Modi-Sa'abs party, 50-year-old Ramsinh Rathwa said.

Ramsinh, who was in Chhota Udaipur with three other men from his village Kanda, identified the lotus as the symbol of "Modis party", but was less familiar with the BJP.

The four men, all farmers, said irrespective of who won from their constituency, "Modi will again become the chief minister of Gujarat".

In Jogpura, another village in the Chhota Udaipur constituency, voter Dilip Rathwa said the fight was between the Congress and Modi.

He said his village usually votes for the same candidate and added that while Modi was popular, local Congress leaders visited their homes on occasions such as marriages.

Local Congress candidate Mohansinh Rathwa in the last elections had visited our village and had also sought blessing from my father by touching his feet, he said.

School teacher Sumanben Parmar of Pavi Jetpur said while Modi was popular, people in the region, where Muslims are the second largest community, were not greatly aware of the identity of other politicians.

The tribal-Muslim combination benefits the Congress in the three ST reserved seats of Chhota Udaipur district, which borders BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh on two sides and shares its water borders with another BJP-ruled state, Maharashtra.

But local BJP leaders believed Modi's personality always helped pull votes for the party.

"The fight is between local Congress candidates and Modi's popularity," agreed Ramesh Patel, a local Congress worker in Pavi Jetpur.

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US President Donald Trump today renewed calls to end immigration based on family ties in view of the two recent terrorist attacks that rocked New York.

Blaming a "lax" immigration system for the bomb attack here by a Bangladeshi immigrant, Trump said he will end the diversity visa and chain migration system "fast", both of which gives green cards to foreign nationals.

Trump issued a statement yesterday after the morning's terrorist attack, carried out by Bangladeshi-native Brooklyn resident Akayed Ullah. He detonated a pipe bomb in the 42nd Street passageway tunnel in midtown Manhattan, injuring himself and three others.

Calling the bombing at a New York transportation hub by Ullah "attempted mass murder", Trump said: "Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security".

Ullah's attack was the second terrorist attack in New York in less than two months.

On October 31, an immigrant from Uzbekistan drove a small truck into pedestrians near the World Trade Centre killing eight people.

"There have now been two terrorist attacks in New York City in recent weeks carried out by foreign nationals here on green cards. The first attacker came through the visa lottery and the second through chain migration," Trump told reporters after he signed the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2018.

"We're going to end both of them: The lottery system and chain migration. We're going to end them. Fast. Congress must get involved immediately, and they are involved immediately and I can tell you we have tremendous support. They will be ended," said the US President.

In his remarks, Trump praised first responders, "local police and federal law enforcement for their quick action."



Trump announced immigration reform proposals in August that would end chain immigration and a green card lottery system that allows people from some countries like Uzbekistan and Bangladesh to immigrate without sponsorship or professional qualification.
President Donald Trump today signed a USD 692 billion defence budget, which among other things gives funding to provide legislative authority to implement his South Asia strategy and authorises critical missile capabilities to confront threats posed by North Korea.

The National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) authorises USD 626 billion of the base budget resources for the Department of Defence and the national security programs of the Department of Energy, providing an additional USD 66 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations.

It approves USD 26.2 billion for shipbuilding, including multi-year procurements of Virginia class submarines, USD 10.1 billion to procure 90 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and USD 2.2 billion for Army ground combat vehicles.

The budget would give legislative authority to implement his South Asia strategy and authorises critical missile capabilities to confront threats posed by North Korea.

Trump had sought a major role for India in bringing peace in Afghanistan and ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from the war-torn nation while announcing his new Afghanistan and South Asia policy in August.

Trump at the signing ceremony at the White House said NDAA 2018 could not come at a more opportune or important time.

"This legislation represents a momentous step toward rebuilding our military and securing the future for our children," he said.

He rued in recent years, military has undergone a series of deep budget cuts that have severely impacted its readiness, shrunk capabilities, and placed substantial burdens on warfighters.

"Today, with the signing of this defence bill, we accelerate the process of fully restoring America's military might," he said, adding that this legislation will enhance readiness, expand and modernise forces and help provide service members with the tools that they need to fight and to win.

"We will fight and win. But hopefully, with this, we won't have to fight because people will not be wanting to fight with us. It authorises funding for our continued campaign to obliterate the Islamic State. As you know, we've won in Syria, we've won in Iraq. But they spread to other areas and we're getting them as fast as they spread," Trump said.

"We've had more success with the ISIS in the last eight months than the entire previous administration has had during its entire term," Trump said.

NDAA-2018 approves missile defence capabilities to create maximum pressure on the vile dictatorship in North Korea.

"It upgrades our Ground Combat Vehicles, allows for the purchase of new Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, and paves the way for beautiful new Virginia-class submarines -- the finest in the world," Trump said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two NDFB(S) militants and were today arrested in Assam's Kokrajhar district, police said.

A joint team of the Army and police nabbed the two NDFB(S) cadres in Jharbari forest area under Serfanguri police station in the district, they said.

Two pistols along with a magazine and six ammunition were recovered from the possession of the militants, a police officer said.

In a separate incident, police held a suspected Bangladeshi national from Duramari village in the district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two persons were killed and three critically injured when two groups fired at each other at a wedding function here, police said today.

SSP Amritsar (Rural) Parampal Singh said that yesterday a marriage function was being hosted in a banquet hall near Chehertha area on the outskirts of Amritsar where two rival groups were invited by the bride's brother.

The situation got out of control when old enmity came to the fore when the groups came face to face, he said.

Both groups allegedly opened fire at each other resulting in the death of two and injuries to three including a woman who was attending the marriage function.

The two groups led by Harwinder Singh and Manpreet Singh had long standing grudges against each other, he said.

Both were facing some criminal cases and different FIRs were registered against them in different police stations, said SSP Singh adding that both Harwinder Singh and Manpreet Singh died on the spot during the shootout.

He added that the police seized a few weapons from the spot. Some of the accused involved in the shootout fled from the marriage function.

Eyewitness accounts told the police that the situation took an ugly turn in the evening yesterday when the marriage function was about to conclude and the newlywed couple was leaving the venue.

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A woman whose 'dangerous' dog attacked a group of 12 children in a park has been jailed for four years and banned from keeping dogs for life, British media reported today.

The Staffordshire bull terrier bit the children when it escaped from a house in Blyth in May last year, the BBC reported.

At Newcastle Crown Court last month, Claire Neal, 38, of Blyth, admitted owning a dog that was dangerously out of control.

She was jailed for four years and banned from keeping dogs for life, the Metro reported.

Judge Sarah Mallet told Neal: "That dog had, on two previous occasions, bitten children. An order had been made you should have the dog destroyed.

"You ignored that order and made no improvements in arrangements to prevent the dog from injuring others," the judge said.

Neal had initially denied the charge, claiming the dog called Marley, belonged to the courts as there was already a destruction order on the animal after an earlier attack. But, she later changed her plea.

Following the latest attack, the hearing was told how a teenage girl had found Marley in the street as she was playing with friends.

She decided to take the dog home in order for her mother to contact the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

But, as they passed the park in Burns Avenue, the dog got out of control and attacked the children, leaving them needing hospital treatment for puncture wounds.

Neighbours nearby rushed from their homes to help and later managed to tie Marley up.

The dog has since been destroyed.

Police Constable Craig Arkley, of Northumbria Police, said: "This was an extremely frightening incident for the children who were injured when the dog ran amok in a Blyth park last year.

He said the incident has been very upsetting for the large number of families involved and the wider Blyth community who were also concerned about what had happened.

"Perhaps most upsetting of all is the knowledge that this could have been avoided if the dog had been properly restrained and not allowed to get into the park area where children were playing," the police official said.

Dog attacks in England increased by 76 per cent in 10 years and appear to be still rising rapidly in frequency and severity, according to British Health & Social Care Information Centre data, released in 2015.

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Cement major UltraTech has began construction on 3.5 million tonne greenfield cement plant at an investment of around Rs 1,850 crore in the Pali district of Rajasthan.

The company also announced an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore in the state in future, including the present one in cement, but did not offer a timeline.

The 3.5-million tonne per annum integrated cement plant coming up at Ballara village, is expected to commence commercial production by mid-2020, the Aditya Birla group company said in a statement today.

Together with its current capacities of over 9.5 mtpa of grey and white cement in Rajasthan, UltraTech's presence will cross a significant 13 mtpa in the state, on commissioning of this plant, it added.

The ground-breaking ceremony was flagged off digitally by chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia.

"Rajasthan has emerged as one of the fast growing markets in the North owing to several ongoing government infrastructure development initiatives, in keeping with the nation's growth trajectory," Aditya Birla group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, who was present at the function, said.

"UltraTech is proud to partner Rajasthan in its growth initiatives, by adding to its existing capacities of cement plants. We are enthused to be part of this continuing journey and plan to grow aggressively in Rajasthan," he added.

The Aditya Birla Group has already made significant investments in Rajasthan in terms of financial resources, manpower development and management time to expand its businesses, to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore.

The group employs over 8,000 people in the state, and going forward a capex of nearly Rs 10,000 crore is planned, including the Pali project, the company said.

UltraTech Cement is the leader in the cement industry with a 92.5 million tonne annual capacity, and this makes it the fourth largest cement company in the world excluding China.

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There is "tremendous undercurrent" against the BJP in Gujarat, Congress president- elect Rahul Gandhi claimed today, and predicted a victory for his party in the Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference on the last day of campaigning for the second phase of the poll on December 14, he claimed "public mood" had undergone a radical change with all sections of society angry with the ruling party.

He also disapproved of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's insinuation that his predecessor Manmohan Singh and other leaders of his party connived with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat Assembly elections, saying it was unacceptable.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. Public mood has undergone 'zabardast' change.

"The Congress will win the election....the results will be 'zabardast'," a confident-looking Gandhi said.

Gandhi, addressing his first presser after his elevation, said, in his new job, he would strive to change the nature of political discourse in the country which has become "ugly and nasty".

He questioned Modi's silence on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, a charge the Gandhi scion raked up repeatedly at the hustings, and alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

portal 'The Wire' had claimed some time ago that the turnover of a company owned by Jay Shah jumped manifold after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

Replying to a question on Modi's remarks over Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls, Gandhi said, "I have made my stand clear from day one, in words and in action. Modiji is the prime minister of our country. Mani Shankar Aiyar said something and I made it clear that I would not tolerate it. You have seen the action."



"But what Modiji has said about former prime minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable. Manmohan Singhji was also the prime minister of this country, served and made sacrifices for this country," the 47-year-old leader said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

Modi claimed some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6, and a day later Aiyar made the "neech" jibe against him. Aiyar was suspended from the party.

"Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is the prime minister of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him.

"I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger," he noted.

Gandhi said he would like to spread the Congress's ideology in the country that politics should be done through "love". He was replying to question about what will be his priority after taking over the reins of the party.

He said the prime minister refrained from speaking about corruption during the entire campaign.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, responding to a question.

When his attention was drawn to claims by BJP leaders that he only visited temples in Gujarat, the Congress leader said, "Earlier, I had gone to Kedarnath. Is Kedarnath in Gujarat? This is the BJP's propaganda against me."



Gandhi started his day by offering prayers at the famous Lord Jagannath temple here.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

Asked how will his party give reservation to the Patel community, a section of which is on warpath with the BJP government, breaching the cap of 50 per cent set by the Supreme court, Gandhi said, "The Congress party's manifesto is clear about it."



Gandhi refuted allegations of BJP leaders that Congress was playing caste politics in the elections by enlisting support of caste and community group leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor.

"The Congress wants to take along all sections of Gujarat together as against the BJP which has worked for 10 to 15 industrialists. All sections of society are angry with the BJP and that anger is coming out before this election," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former US secretary of state John Kerry blasted the absence of the American government at a major climate change summit in Paris today as a "disgrace".

About 60 world leaders and hundreds of ministers, company bosses, and environmentalists gathered for the One Planet Summit called by French President Emmanuel Macron after Donald Trump's decision to abandon the global climate accord.

Trump was not invited and the US federal government was represented by the second-highest diplomat in the American embassy in Paris, Brent Hardt, two years to the day since Kerry and then-president Barack Obama helped lead pain-staking diplomatic efforts to clinch the Paris accord.

"It's very disappointing, it's worse than disappointing, it's actually a disgrace when you consider the facts, the science, the common sense, all the work that's been done," Kerry told AFP on the summit sidelines.

The Paris Agreement took "26 years of work that's being dishonoured by people who don't even understand the science," he added.

American summit participants included the campaigning governor of California, Jerry Brown, as well as former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg who has put together a coalition of cities, companies and activists called "America's Pledge" to help reduce US emissions.

Trump's announcement that he will withdraw from the global pact, which the United States is the only nation to reject, has cast doubt on the viability of the deal which aims to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

Asked if the US could meet its Paris accord pledge to reduce emissions by at least 26 per cent by 2025, over 2005 levels, Kerry was upbeat because of efforts at the local level.

"I think it is possible, yes," he told AFP.

Brown and Bloomberg both took aim at Trump's climate stance.

"We have a climate denier in the White House who says climate change is a hoax," Brown told a panel.

"We can't wait for the White House to wake up. We in America are operating from the grassroots... Our work is incredibly difficult.

"We have mobilised to some extent, but we are not yet on track to reduce the rising greenhouse gases," he added.

Bloomberg said the 1,700-member coalition of regional governments, cities, companies, and civil society groups that have formed America's Pledge, represent more than half the US economy.

"If it was a country it would have the world's third- largest economy and it continues to grow," he said.

"Together we are going to meet the goal set by this country in Paris by reducing emissions by at least 26 per cent and there isn't anything that Washington can do to stop this," he added.

"On the contrary, President Trump has helped rally people who understand the problem to join forces and to actually do something rather than wait for the federal government... In that sense we owe President Trump a measure of gratitude for helping us meet our goals," he quipped.

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Venezuela's chief prosecutor has launched a probe into the country's former oil czar and ambassador to the United Nations for alleged ties to a vast corruption scheme at the state oil company, officials have said.

The investigation against Rafael Ramirez comes one week after the former longtime head of state oil company PDVSA resigned from his UN post on orders from President Nicolas Maduro. Relations between the Venezuelan political heavyweights had become increasingly strained.

With oil production low and an economic crisis playing out, Maduro ordered a shake-up of PDVSA, the source of almost all of Venezuela's foreign currency earnings.

Dozens of oil officials have been arrested in recent weeks, including two former oil ministers. Ramirez's cousin, Diego Salazar, has also been arrested on suspicion of helping siphon off USD 1.6 billion to banks in the European principality of Andorra.

Chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab called Salazar a "direct partner of Rafael Ramirez" yesterday when he announced the investigation into Ramirez for links to the corruption scheme at the state oil company.

Ramirez, who was never part of Maduro's inner circle, is believed to have been the ultimate target of housecleaning at PDVSA, which he led for 12 years. He was later named as Venezuela's UN ambassador.

Prosecutors have not announced any charges against Ramirez. Since resigning, he has denied taking part in any corruption schemes and has not made his whereabouts public after leaving New York.

He did not respond to a request by The Associated Press seeking comment.

Ramirez had becoming increasingly critical of Maduro's government amid an unprecedented economic crisis, saying he felt the need to speak out on policies he knew a great deal about from tenure running PDVSA.

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Violence over the mysterious death of a teenager inHonnavar last week spread to another town in Karnataka'scoastal Uttara Kannada district today as the BJP stepped up its protest and sought an NIA probe in the case.

Police said they resorted to "mild" lathichargeand used tear gas to disperse the agitators as a section of them pelted stones at the forces, damaged vehicles and burnt tyres during a protest called by the BJP and others in Sirsi.

The saffron party has maintained that 18-year old Paresh Kamalakar Mesta was a "Hindu activist" killed by "Jehadi elements", and demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Kumta in the same district also witnessed violence when the car of IGP (Western Range) Hemanth Nimbalkar was set ablaze yesterday amid protests seeking justice for Mesta, whose body was found on Friday. He was reported missing on December 6.

Mesta's family and locals have alleged that he was abducted andkilled amid reports that the body bore marks of attack bysharp objects.

Police, however, rejected these claims, citing the postmortem report.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the BJP of using the incident for "political gains".

Senior police and district administration officialssaid the situation at Sirsi was now under control and peace had been restored by dispersing the crowd.

Several people, including local BJP MLA Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, were detained by the police.

Police said the situation in Kumta was also normal.

BJP and some other outfits had called the protest in Sirsi, demanding the arrest of those responsible forMesta's death.

Meanwhile, a political slug fest has erupted betweenthe ruling Congress and the BJP, as the two hold each other responsible for theincident.

"A desperate @BJP4Karnataka stoops so low as to usethe unfortunate death of a youth Paresh Mesta in Honnavar for political gains...People aregetting hurt by their irresponsible acts," Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.

Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy claimed such incidents wereprovoked "purposefully" by the BJP, keeping in mind the assembly elections, due early next year.

Stating that the BJP's intention was to disturb law and order, Reddy asserted, "We won't let that happen. We will takeappropriate action as per law".

The BJP, which has termed the death as "the handiwork of jehadi elements", today petitioned Governor Vajubhai Vaila, demanding a probe by the NIA in the case.

BJP leaders led by K S Eshwarappa staged a protest march from Vidhana Soudha, state secretariat, to Raj Bhavan here.

Calling Mesta a "Hindu activist", Eshwarappa accused the government of turning Karnataka into Kerala, and claimed this was20th such killing of a Hindu activist in the state.

He alleged police and doctors (involved in postmortem) had been "utilised" by the government to "close the case".

Another BJP leader R Ashoka said party leaders willalso be meeting Union Homer Minister Rajnath Singh soon toapprise him of the situation in the state.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Party (KPCC) accused the BJP of playing "politics of cadaver".

"We do not discriminate. Whether a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian or a Parsi is killed, it is deplorable. Nobody can support it. But the BJP loves doing the 'politics of cadaver'. It incites communal tension in the state for political gain," KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged.

Talking to reporters, he rubbished the accusations made by BJP leaders thatthe Congress-led state government had failed to containmurderous assaults on RSS workers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The alliance of Nepal's main Communist parties today said it will form the next government by the end of the month, after winning a majority in the historic provincial and parliamentary polls.

The alliance has so far bagged 113 seats out of a total 165 under the first-past-the-post system. The CPN-UML has secured 77 seats followed by CPN-Maoist with 36 seats while Nepali Congress is third with 21 seats. The results of only five seats remain to be declared.

"The new Left government in Nepal will be formed by the end of December with the Election Commission officially publishing the results of all the winning candidates in provincial assembly as well as House of Representatives," said Bishnu Rijal, spokesperson of the CPN-UML election mobilisation committee.

The House of Representatives consists of 275 members, of which 165 would be elected directly under the first-past-the- post system while the remaining 110 will come through the proportional representation system.

The parties will intensify work on party unification and government formation once the leaders of CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-UML - former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and K P Oli - who are now in their home districts to hold victory rallies, return to the capital, Rijal said.

CPN-UML chairman Oli is expected to lead the Left alliance government to be formed in a couple of weeks.

The CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist have forged an electoral alliance for the landmark polls, which is seen as a turning point after two decades of conflict and political instability in Nepal.

The poll outcome is expected to mark the end of Nepal's transition to a federal democracy, 11 years after the end of a brutal civil war in 2006. Since then, the Himalayan nation has seen 10 prime ministers.

Meanwhile, the Left alliance is inching towards a clear majority to form a new government with more election results coming in.

According to the EC, the vote counting under the proportional category will conclude by mid-December.

The combined strength of the two Madhesi parties has reached 21, with RJPN securing 11 seats and FSFN winning 10, ensuring that they will now have a stronger presence in Parliament.

However, unlike in the first-past-the-post system, the NC is doing much better in the proportionate voting system. The party is close behind the CPN-UML with the vote counting crossing the 1,000,000-mark.

This means the Nepali Congress will have more seats under proportionate system than the direct voting system. In the backdrop of this there will be a strong opposition in the Parliament led by the NC.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister and NC chief Sher Bahadur Deuba has come under pressure from the party's rank and file to step down from the leadership of Nepal's largest party.

However, senior NC leader Balkrishna Khand, a strong supporter of Deuba, has ruled out the possibility of him stepping down from the party presidency.

There is no immediate need for the party president to step down as the responsibility of the party's failure in the elections is a collective one rather than Deuba's alone, Khand said.

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Will prayers reach god if you pray from temples built illegally on pavements?



This was a question posed by the Delhi High Court today as it dealt with a case of removing encroachments from around the 108-feet tall Hanuman statue in the Karol Bagh area of central Delhi.

"Will prayers reach the god if you pray from illegal encroachments on pavements? What is its sanctity," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said, warning that everyone responsible for unauthorised constructions, including the temple, "will be dealt with".

The court asked the municipal corporation of north Delhi, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, to produce records pertaining to the construction of the road and the pavement adjoining which the illegal encroachments have sprung up.

The direction was issued after Delhi government additional standing counsel Satyakam, appearing for the Public Works Department (PWD), told the bench that the road and the pavement was the responsibility of the municipal corporation.

He said while one paw of the statue fell on the pavement, the rest of the structure was primarily located on land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

Thereafter, the court asked the authorities why commercial activities and car parking was permitted in the area and said it will prosecute the corporation and DDA officials during whose tenure the statue and other encroachments came up.

Satyakam, who also appeared for the Delhi Police, said the temple, including the statue, was being maintained and operated by a trust whose bank statements were being examined by the agency.

The bench asked the police to complete its enquiry and follow and enforce the law.

It also questioned the trust authority over running and maintaining a temple on DDA land.

The court was hearing several pleas in connection with illegal constructions and encroachments in Karol Bagh area of Delhi. It had earlier said that religious structures cannot be allowed to encroach on public land for private gain.

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The West Bengal government will ask schools to ensure that women attendants are around when male physical training teachers conduct sessions with girls in co-educational institutions or girls' schools.

The instruction comes days after the GD Birla school incident in the city where a four-year-old nursery student was allegedly sexually assaulted by two physical training (PT) teachers within the school premises.

State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters yesterday that the government has to devise a way to address the issue.

"Can we terminate the services of male PT teachers in other schools for one incident in G D Birla Centre of Education? Other male PT techers do not face such accusations. So, we have to find a way. We are recommending that to ensure security for girls, at least one female attendant should be around when male PT teachers take classes," he said.

The minister also said his department has asked for increasing the number of female attendants in campuses of girls' and co-ed schools at the earliest.

The G D Birla school incident on November 30 had triggered nation-wide outrage with the guardians of the institution holding protests before the school building for days.

The state education department had issued guidelines on October 26 following the death of a Class II student at Ryan school in Gurgaon near Delhi. The guidelines had called for constituting students' safety and security monitoring committee to act on complaints of assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).

The guidelines had also stipulated "wherever possible" schools will install CCTV cameras that will work all the time and called for setting up separate toilets for boys and girls, school employees and visitors.

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China has halted the release of funds for three key projects under the USD 50 billion China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) till Beijing revised its financial mechanism, a media report today quoted Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal as saying.

The minister informed a parliamentary committee meeting on the CPEC that the Chinese side was reviewing the financial mechanism of these projects and work on them would restart after receiving approval from Beijing, Dawn newspaper quoted a press release by the National Assembly Secretariat as saying.

The CPEC is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.

The CPEC was launched in 2015 when President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan and it now envisages investment of over USD 50 billion in different projects of development in Pakistan.

Iqbal could not convince the committee members as to why the Chinese government had opted for a new financial mechanism and scrapped the previous one which was agreed upon by both countries, the report said.

It was reported that China had temporarily stopped funding some projects, particularly those related to the road network under CPEC, till a further decision on new guidelines by Beijing.

The decision by the Chinese government is likely to hit over 1 trillion Pakistani rupees worth of road projects of the Pakistan's National Highway Authority (NHA), the Dawn had reported last week.

The report had said that China decided to temporarily stop funding at least three major road projects in Pakistan under the CPEC following reports of alleged corruption.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Asad Umar, who is also a member of the parliamentary committee, said the meeting was informed that China was revising the infrastructure projects under its "financial review".

Another member of the committee, Al-Haj Gul Khan Afridi, said they were told that China had not stopped financing the CPEC projects but raised some "technical objections" to three NHA road projects.

A team of Chinese experts would arrive in Pakistan soon to inspect the three projects by the National Highway Authority (NHA), he added.

The road projects that are likely to be affected include 210 km Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob Road, the 110 km Khuzdar-Basima Road and the 136 km Karakarom Highway from Raikot to Thakot.

However, a senior NHA official rejected the government claim that work on the three road projects of the authority had been halted on technical grounds.

"It is not true that China raised objections to the projects because these had already been approved at the 6th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting held last year," he said.

Iqbal informed the committee that the Karachi Circular Railway project had been approved for the CPEC, while similar projects for Quetta and Peshawar would be reviewed in accordance with the technical feasibility reports.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the BJP-ruled Jharkhand has "failed" to usher in development despite being a mineral-rich state.

She said if the Trinamool Congress had the kind of reserves that Jharkhand has, it would have "harvested gold" in Bengal.

"Jharkhand has plenty of minerals, yet development did not take place in that BJP-ruled state," she said, while addressing a public meeting in Purulia here, bordeing Jharkhand.

She alleged minorities are being tortured in Rajasthan and Dalits are facing atrocities in Gujarat, but her party did not divide people in West Bengal.

"There are many people from Bihar and Jharkhand and all consider West Bengal as their home. Similarly, there are people from Bengal who go to other states for work," she said.

She said migrant labourers who are willing to return to the state will find jobs back home and instructed the district magistrates to note down the names of the people returning to their homes leaving jobs in other states and provide work to them under the 100-day-work scheme.

"I don't want my brothers and sisters to face any danger while working in other states," she said



Banerjee said that her government has developed Purulia which was once the stronghold of the Maoists and witnessed bloodbath.

She said that peace has returned to Purulia and tourists are visiting the place.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Talks at the 11th Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is on the brink of collapse, with the US refusing to engage in the effort to find a permanent solution to the public stock holding issue, official sources said.

On the third-day of the conference here, Assistant US Trade Representative Sharon Bomer Lauritsen in a small group meeting said that permanent solution to the food stock holding issue was not acceptable to America, the sources said.

With the US not participating in the negotiation on the crucial issue, which the 11th ministerial is mandated to deliver, talks will collapse, said an official.

India has all through been maintaining that a permanent solution to food stockpile issue was a "must have" at the ongoing ministerial and failure to do so would impact the credibility of the strong multilateral trade institution.

The Indian team led by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu, in cooperation with the G33 grouping, is pitching hard for permanent solution to food security issue as it is crucial for livelihood of 800 million people across the globe.

The four-day ministerial conference which began on Sunday ends on Wednesday with very little time for any substantial retrieval of positions by the WTO members.

With talks on crucial food stockpile issue reaching a deadlock, the other issues like services, fisheries and e- commerce too will not make any headway.

In his plenary address, Prabhu had emphasised that WTO members must find a permanent solution to the public food stockpile issue.

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 permanent solution at the 11th ministerial meeting at Buenos Aires.

Under the Peace Clause, WTO members agreed to refrain from challenging any breach in prescribed 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 has also rejected the US criticism on seeking differential treatment at the WTO saying the country was the 'right candidate' and a legitimate demand for special dispensation as it has to take care of 600 million poor people.

Prabhu said the special and differential treatment was an integral part of the WTO and was meant for nations with low per capital income.

Eminent farm scientist M S Swaminathan today said ending hunger and ensuring food security should be the basis for negotiations on agriculture at the WTO and appreciated India's strong stand on food security.

In a series of tweets, Swaminathan -- credited for India's Green Revolution -- said Prabhu, "deserves gratitude" for indicating at the ongoing WTO Ministerial Meeting that there will be no compromise on food security.

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Yemeni security forces killed at least three suspected militants in a raid today in the southern port city of Aden, officials said.

Three policemen were killed in a shootout when the forces stormed a workshop where car bombs were built, they said. The force arrested two suspected militants and found explosive belts and other weapons.

Later Tuesday, gunmen shot and killed a Muslim cleric in front of his home in Aden, the seventh killing of a cleric in the past three months, officials said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Yemen is embroiled in a war between Iran-backed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and the internationally recognized government, which is allied with a Saudi-led military coalition.

Government forces ostensibly control Aden, but al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates have carried out several attacks. More than 10,000 people have been killed and 3 million displaced in the war.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The deal gives Europe-focused Unibail , which owns 'Les 4 Temps' and 'Forum des Halles" in Paris and has centres spreading from Helsinki to Valencia, exposure to the United States and Britain, where Westfield operates 35 malls, including landmark premises in London.

Under its Australian billionaire chairman and co-founder Frank Lowy, Westfield has pioneered U.S. mall redevelopment, introducing upscale food courts, high-end restaurants, bars, cinemas and boutique fashion outlets to entice shoppers.

Talks to seal a deal had taken just six weeks, said Lowy whose family will no longer run the company he set up in 1960 but will end up with a 2.8 percent stake in the combined group.

Lowy said it made sense to sell because Unibail offered a "very good price", but acknowledged that the sale partly reflected global consolidation and the pressure on retailers.

A tough consumer spending environment and intense competition from online rivals has made retailers more selective with their expansion plans, making life tough for shopping centre operators and driving consolidation in the sector.

Unibail's move dwarfs British shopping centre owner Hammerson's purchase of smaller rival Intu Properties for some 3.4 billion pounds, creating a global leader with $72 billion of gross market value in 27 retail markets under the distinctive red Westfield logo.

Around 37 percent of the combined entity's portfolio would be in France and 22 percent in the United States.

"Westfield is the best fit for us and a natural extension of our strategy," Unibail's chief executive Christopher Cuvillier said following the announcement of the proposed deal, which would be worth $24.7 billion including debt.

Unibail is focused on large sites with heavy pedestrian traffic and high-profile tenants such as Apple, Zara and Primark and analysts said it would gain from importing the Westfield model.

Under the terms of the deal, Westfield shareholders would receive cash and shares totalling $7.55, or A$10.01, an 18 percent premium per share. The shares were halted earlier on Tuesday pending the announcement, having last traded at A$8.50.

"With a A$10 handle in front, the offer doesn't look bad," Sydney-based CLSA analyst Sholto Maconochie said, adding the deal would "create the leading mall operator globally".

Shares in Unibail-Rodamco, which was formed in 2007 by the merger of France's Unibail and Dutch-based Rodamco, were down 4.0 percent at 1500 GMT, with analysts at Kepler Cheuvreux saying that the deal looked expensive.

RETAIL REINVENTION

Shopping centre owners are scrambling to reinvent themselves to keep up with rapid changes in consumer behaviour, with the expansion of e-commerce giant Amazon.com coinciding with an explosion in online purchases, while consumers increasingly treat malls as places for socialising and window shopping.

Once dominant United States department store operators such as Macy's Inc and J C Penney Co Inc have announced plans to shut hundreds of stores in recent years, putting pressure on landlords to find new "anchor tenants" or come up with new ways to grow returns.

"Westfield has got assets in the UK and in the U.S. that are all in mature Amazon markets. They're already 50 percent through that online retail switch," Morningstar analyst Tony Sherlock said of the deal.

The Lowy family, which owns 9.0 percent of Westfield, said they would rather be investors than executives after putting in a combined 145 years at the company, which has stakes in 18 suburban U.S. shopping centres, three of which it wholly owns.

Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs have committed to provide 6.1 billion euros in funding to cover the cash portion of the offer, Unibail said.

Unibail was helped by very cheap European debt in the 2.0-2.5 percent range and synergies that will result in about $100 million in cost savings, said Scott Crowe, chief investment strategist at real estate focused CenterSquare Investment Management in Philadelphia.

"They're all throwing in the towel because they need to drive efficiency through consolidation, which is a direct result of e-commerce," Crowe said of mall owners.

(Reporting by Byron Kaye in Sydney and Sonali Paul in Melbourne; Additional reporting by Swati Pandey in Sydney and Susan Mathew in Bangalore, Geert De Clercq, Blandine Henault, Matthieu Protard and Maya Nikolaeva in Paris; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Alexander Smith)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Jessica Resnick-Ault

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday, overcoming declines early in the session, after a North Sea pipeline shut for repairs and investors focused on commodities following an explosion in New York.

Brent crude futures settled up $1.29, or about 2 percent, at $64.69 a barrel.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at $57.99 a barrel, 63 cents or 1 percent above their last settlement.

The difference between the two benchmarks was the greatest since late October, as Brent rallied after the shutdown of the pipeline that carries the biggest of the five North Sea crude oil streams that underpin the benchmark.

The pipeline, which can carry 450,000 barrels per day of Forties crude from the North Sea to the Kinneil processing terminal in Scotland, has been operating at reduced capacity for about four days before the shutdown.

"It is a supply concern not only because the pipeline transports a significant portion of North Sea crude oil output, but also because it may take weeks before the issue is resolved," said Abhishek Kumar, Senior Energy Analyst at Interfax Energy's Global Gas Analytics in London.

The market had expected the pipeline to return to service quickly and was surprised by the extended shutdown, said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

"It's a significant amount of crude oil in a market that has been the tightest for crude oil," Kilduff said.

Earlier in the session, both benchmarks popped higher after an explosion rocked New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal, one of the city's busiest commuter hubs.

Investors tend to head for hard-asset commodity markets like gold and silver during high-risk events, and oil can also attract investment, Kilduff said.

Brent and WTI have gained well over a third from 2017 lows, drawing support from a cut in production by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a group of non-OPEC producers, including Russia, which has been in place since the start of the year.

During the weekend, Kuwait's oil minister suggested that an exit from the supply-cut agreement would be studied before June.

The United Arab Emirates energy minister said on Monday that OPEC plans to announce in June an exit strategy from the cuts, though he added it did not mean the pact would end by then.

Gains from the cuts could also be undermined by rising output from the United States, which is not participating in the deal to withhold production.

The number of rigs drilling for new oil in the United States last week rose by two to 751, the highest since September, energy services company Baker Hughes said on Friday.

"The largest concern for investors currently remains the rise in the U.S. rig count," said Shane Chanel, equities and derivatives adviser at ASR Wealth Advisers.

A higher rig count points to a further rise in U.S. crude production, which is already up more than 15 percent since mid-2016 at 9.71 million barrels per day. That is the highest since the early 1970s, and close to the output levels of top producers Russia and Saudi Arabia.

(Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Libby George in London, editing by Louise Heavens; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Rosalba O'Brien)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Rafael Nam

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is "seriously" looking into the issue of prescient messages on company results circulated by market insiders in private WhatsApp groups, its chairman said on Tuesday, a sign the investigation is gaining momentum.

The comments by SEBI Chair Ajay Tyagi come weeks after a investigation documented at least 12 such cases of prescient messages about major Indian companies.

"The messages are quite close to what has come in results, so it's something we cannot really sit quietly on," said Tyagi.

Citing unidentified sources, the Business Standard newspaper said SEBI had summoned chief financial officers and company secretaries of at least 12 firms over the issue of whether prescient social media messages involving them were being circulated. (http://bit.ly/2BDOJRk)

The regulator had asked each company official to appear and make a written submission about those given access to the quarterly results and the method used to disseminate price-sensitive information within the company, the paper added.

The executives were asked to explain the measures taken to prevent future occurrences, the paper said, without naming the companies whose officials were summoned.

Tyagi declined to confirm whether the regulator had summoned company executives, but expressed concern about whether such messages were being circulated.

"I wouldn't say whether we summoned (executives) or not, but we are taking this very seriously," he told reporters on the sidelines of an investment banking event.

Exchanges are also cooperating with SEBI and looking into the matter, said Vikram Limaye, chief executive of the National Stock Exchange, India's biggest bourse operator.

"We are working with SEBI, as you would expect," Limaye said at the same event.

The measures included checking for evidence of wrongdoing, involving the dissemination of information ahead of results, as well as providing data to help SEBI's investigation, he added.

The comments confirm a previous source-based report that exchanges had been asked for trading data on the companies mentioned in the story.

(Reporting by Rafael Nam; Editing by Euan Rocha and Clarence Fernandez)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There's no denying that a large part of today's population prefer online shopping but offline stores still hold the bigger chunk of the market. To revamp themselves and stay relevant in times of Big Billion sales and New Pinch Days, many are collaborating with online retailers to attract buyers. And mobile first financial services platform Paytm, with its online payment system, wants to cash in on their popularity by being a bridge between buyers and offline merchant partners. Riding high on the success of its offline annual sale festival in 2016, Paytm has come up with the second edition of '12/12 Festival' for its over 5 million offline merchant partners accepting Paytm by offering best deals and cashbacks up to 50 per cent.

The offline platforms where Paytm users can get discounts and cashbacks by using the app are organised stores, supermarkets, restaurants, pharmacy stores, petrol pumps, milk-booths, and small retail merchants. The company said the 12/12 Festival celebrates the inclusive power of mobile payments and offline retail. "The company aims to facilitate brick-and-mortar retailers to tap into the digital movement with Paytm, attract new customers, and grow their businesses multi-fold," said the company in a statement.

All major brands and FMCG stores in India, who accept QR code based mobile payments, will participate in this campaign by hosting deals and assured cashback. Major brands participating in the scheme are Big Bazaar, Pizza Hut, Reliance Digital, Pantaloons, Apollo, Peter England, Lenskart and Cafe Coffee Day.

"Paytm is accepted at large retail chains as well as small stores across the country. With our '12/12 Festival', we celebrate customers walking into stores by offering great rewards for using Paytm." Under the company's cahsback offer, customers can avail cashback of Rs 100 and Rs 200 on grocery purchases of Rs 1,000 and 1,500, respectively. Eateries using Paytm will offer discounts of 30 per cent on a bill of Rs 599 at Pizza Hut and 20 per cent cashback on a bill of Rs 300 on Cafe Coffee Day. Under the fashion and apparel category, customers can avail up to 50 per cent discounts on merchandise at Pantaloons, and 'Buy 2 Get 2 Free' offer at United Colors of Benetton. Paytm users can also enjoy deals and cashbacks while shopping at their neighbourhood stores.

Also read: Jobs for freshers! Flipkart, Snapdeal, Paytm bet on young talent
So far, you would have only seen them in Hollywood flicks - James Bond, in particular, is quite fond of them - and in glossy travel spreads of some luxury island resort. But now you'll get to see them live across the country. We're talking about seaplanes, which became an unlikely buzzword ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted "Tomorrow at 9:30 am I will travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane." This would be the country's first-ever seaplane flight, not including the recent trials held in Mumbai.

The historic flight is now complete, and with that, Modi has not only ended his election campaign in Gujarat dramatically, grabbing the nation's attention along the way, but has also flagged off his ambition project to revolutionise transportation in India using these amphibious aircraft. "The Congress people would never have imagined such development. It is not possible to make airports everywhere", he said on Monday, adding that "We are working to develop waterways. We are going to start 106 waterways." This is a part of the Waterways Bill that was passed by the Parliament last year.

Last Saturday, SpiceJet conducted a successful trial flight of a seaplane that landed at the Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai, in the presence of Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapthi Raju and the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari. The low-cost airline is reportedly working on a cost-effective business plan to start operating small amphibious planes in the next 12 months, and is in talks with Japan's Setouchi Holdings to purchase 100 Kodiak amphibious planes. If the deal comes through, SpiceJet would become the first airline to boast such planes in its fleet. "Airports are in short supply in India. Lots of the growth in India is happening in small markets, but those small markets have little or no connectivity. The amphibian plane opens up a lot of areas, creates a lot of flexibility," SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh told Bloomberg earlier in October.

Amphibious aircraft can take off and land on both short landing strips as well as water bodies, therefore though they are slower than the usual land planes, they are far more versatile. They also have a longer range than helicopters. Hence, introducing seaplane operations in the country will help bring remote areas into the mainstream aviation network without the high cost of building airports and runways-after all, large water bodies can be found everywhere. Moreover, seaplanes can also help ease traffic in busy airports like Mumbai.

According to media reports, norms for seaplanes are expected to be finalised in three months in consultation with the civil aviation ministry. Gadkari, who had previously announced that proposals are being examined for introducing seaplanes at Yamuna, Ganga and other water bodies, invited Setouchi to Make in India following the Mumbai test flight. At the function, he went as far as to say that if found commercially viable, he would like seaplanes to be manufactured in Nagpur. Raju meanwhile has been quoted termed the move as an extension of the government's Udan scheme that aims to improve regional connectivity and make air travel more affordable.

But while the future certainly seems promising, one can't help but remember the country's failed first experiment in this direction. Back in 2014, a seaplane service connecting Mumbai to tourist destinations in the Western Ghats had failed to find any takers. Perhaps we'll be second time lucky.
Over the past few years, the real estate landscape of the country has changed significantly, and the scales are steadily tilting in favour of the average homebuyer. Take the Supreme Court's stance on the ongoing Unitech versus the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) saga for instance. Today, while hearing an appeal filed by Unitech against NCLT's order directing the central government to take over the company, the court asked the Centre to give its suggestions on protecting the interest of homebuyers. Here are some landmark judgements by the apex court that have tremendously benefited homebuyers battling ruthless or lethargic developers.

Changes in layouts/floor plans require buyer consent

Before 2015, real estate developers had been known to make sudden, unannounced changes in project plans after selling a significant proportion of flats, much to the disadvantage of homebuyers. This was a rampant practice despite various judgements by state courts ruling against it. Then, in August 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that no layout and floor plan changes can be done without the prior consent of homebuyers while hearing an appeal by developer GG Associates. The complainant, a resident of Pune, discovered that the builder had changed original plans to merge the common lobby outside his apartment with other apartments only when he got possession. The district forum had ordered the builder to restore the original floor and layout plans along with compensating the homebuyer, a decision that the apex court upheld.

Real estate majors can't abuse their dominant positions

In August 2014, the apex court had come down heavy on real estate majors bulldozing their way into unwarranted gains at the expense of homeowners. By upholding the Rs 630 crore penalty imposed on DLF by the Competition Appellate Tribunal in 2011 for unfair trade practices, the Supreme Court effectively stopped copycats from trying to abuse their dominant positions. The ruling followed complaints by the flat buyer associations of two DLF projects in Gurgaon alleging an increase in the number of floors from what was initially planned, and highly arbitrary and unreasonable conditions on allottees of apartments, which had serious adverse effects on the rights of the buyers.



Strong stance against project delays

In October 2016, the apex court held that a property developer cannot delay the grant of possession of flats to the buyers beyond the period of contract. And, if there is delay, the buyers are entitled for refund of their amount. A three-judge Bench had ordered Unitech Residential Resorts to refund the principal amount of Rs 17 crore to 39 respondent-allottees in the National Capital Region, who had been waiting for their flats for over seven years. In its ruling, the Bench had said, "the appellant builder by delaying or procrastinating the completion of the flats cannot base its stand on excuses or any subterfuge to advance the stand that the constructions take time. It is "flat" or "money". And nothing else." Keep this in mind if the property you have purchased is also being delayed indefinitely under the force majeure banner.

Similarly, in September 2017, expressing concern "about the tears of the homebuyers who cannot be taken for a ride by builders", the Supreme Court asked Jaypee Associates to pay Rs 5 lakh each to 10 homebuyers who got their flats in a Noida project 5 years later than the promised time. This ruling came during a hearing on an appeal filed by Jaypee against a 2016 NCDRC order that slapped a 12 per cent per annum penalty for the delay in delivery.

Allowing homebuyers to directly approach NCDRC as an association

In February this year, the Supreme Court ruled that aggrieved homebuyers could join hands to directly approach the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) as an association against realtors. Previously, as per the Consumer Protection Act, complainants could approach the NCDRC directly only if the cost involved was more than Rs 1 crore; all other aggrieved homebuyers had to first file a plea at the district consumer forums. In this landmark judgement, the bench headed by Justice Misra saw through Amrapali Sapphire Developers' strategy to use the Rs 1 crore caveat to tire out flat owners in the long route via district consumer forums-thus buying time to complete delayed housing projects-and tilted the scales in favour of flat owners yet again.



Secured creditors

Two more developments are currently underway that could make life even better for home buyers. The Supreme Court has recently shown its willingness to hear a plea made by the homeowners in the Jaypee default case to allow them to be considered secured creditors. Currently, when builders declare bankruptcy, the liquidation process under NCLT allows affected home buyers to claim compensation as unsecured creditors. This means that they will receive a share of whatever money is left once the operational and financial creditors (secured creditors) have got their dues. All this will change if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the Jaypee homeowners.

Incomplete projects under RERA



Meanwhile, just last week, the Bombay High Court upheld the validity of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), and ruled that all incomplete and ongoing housing projects will also be covered under it. The Supreme Court had earlier transferred 21 pending cases filed by real estate developers and individual plot owners challenging the constitutional validity of the Act across the country to the Bombay High Court. So this decision is applicable for all the cases. The builders will, in all likelihood, move Supreme Court to appeal against this decision, and if the latter upholds this ruling then it would have struck yet another one for homebuyers.
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Rules for cryptocurrencies soon

The Union finance ministry is in the process of preparing norms for cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin. Bitcoin's rising market size and investor base has the government worried. Cases of fraud and misuse have also increased. A panel of bureaucrats will soon be submitting their recommendations on the regulations of Bitcoins.

The future of Unitech

Unitech Ltd has approached the Supreme Court against an order of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) allowing the government to take control of the real estate company. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said that the matter would be heard on Tuesday.Supreme Court says it is more concerned with home buyers and not government takeover of Unitech.

Strategies for deployment of 5G in India

A high-level panel formed by the department of telecom, is going to meet to devise strategies for early deployment of 5G services in India. The panel, which has representations from the industry, government and academics, aims to develop a competitive product portfolio for 5G with an objective of targeting 50% of the Indian market and 10% of global market over the next seven years.The panel will also work towards creating a regulatory framework, including spectrum assignments and a start-up friendly regulatory environment.

Economists urge FM to cut corporate tax

Economists who met the Finance minister have urged him to slash corporate tax rate to make Indian industry and products globally competitive. They have also urged him to give incentives to infrastructure and small businesses. Tax proposals, social security measures and mobilisation of additional revenue were also part of the discussions.

Vodafone suffers setback

Vodafone has suffered a serious setback after the finance ministry moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Delhi High Court's October order that allowed the Vodafone Group to go ahead with its second arbitration proceedings against India under a treaty with the UK. The treaty is in connection with a tax demand, Rs 20,000 crore when last reported, on the company over its $11-billion acquisition of Hutch's stake in Hutchison-Essar in 2007. Dutch firm Vodafone International Holdings had initiated the arbitration process under the India-Netherlands tax and investment treaty in April 2014.

Indian economy to grow at 7.2% in 2018: UN

A United Nations report has stated that the Indian economy will grow at 7.2 % in 2018 and increase to 7.4% in the following year on the back of private consumption, public investment and structural reforms.But it also warned that the economy faces the risk of sudden capital withdrawal on account of monetary policy normalisation in developed countries.

Aamir Khan's love for startups

Indian startups have Bollywood actors hooked. After actors Alia Bhatt and Jacqueline Fernandes who invested in fashion portal Stylecracker and Rakyam Beverages respectively, Aamir Khan has invested in furniture renting startup Furlenco. Khan has invested about Rs 2 cr in the Bangalore based startup.Khan has been the brand ambassador of ecommerce site Snapdeal.

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The Dr Reddy's Laboratories stock became the top gainer on the Sensex and Nifty on Tuesday after the firm said it has received an establishment inspection report (EIR) for closure of audit from the USFDA for its facility in Hyderabad.

At 10:37 am, the stock was trading 3.52 percent or 77 points higher at 2270 level on the BSE. Dr Reddy's has lost 25 percent since the beginning of this year. On an yearly basis, the stock is down 27 percent.

The Dr Reddy's stock was also the volume topper on the BSE clocking Rs 16 crore in turnover.

On the Nifty, the stock rose 3.49 percent or 74 points to Rs 2,267. The stock hit an intraday high of 2326 after opening at 2324 on Nifty.

"We have received EIR from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) on December 11, 2017 as closure of audit, for formulations manufacturing plant-3 at Bachupally, Hyderabad," Dr Reddy's Laboratories said in a statement.

In April, the US health regulator issued 11 observations after inspecting its manufacturing plant in Hyderabad.

"The audit of our formulations manufacturing plant-3 at Bachupally, Hyderabad by the USFDA has been completed today. We have been issued a Form 483 with 11 observations," Dr Reddy's Laboratories had said in a regulatory filing on April 28, 2017.

Meanwhile, the Sensex was trading 122 points lower at 33,333 and the Nifty was down 45 points to 10,276 in morning trade.
Are your savings safe in a bank? This question has come to the fore after a reading of the clauses of the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, which was tabled in Parliament. Essentially, the Bill is for financial institutions like banks and insurance companies what the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is for non financial companies. It seeks to create a proper law that will help identify and resolve stressed financial institutions quickly.

The Bill provides for the setting up of a Resolution Corporation, which will classify financial institutions according to their risk of failure. It will replace the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation. In a worst case scenario, where the financial institution is in deep trouble, the Resolution Corporation can take charge and initiate steps to resolve the crisis. The worries arise because the current provisions of the Bill allows the Resolution Corporation to take steps like cancelling the liabilities of the bank. Which would imply that deposits - which are essentially the bank's liabilities - can be cancelled if the bank runs into serious trouble. This is the "bail-in" clause that everyone is worried out. So far, banks in many countries have been "bailed out" by governments - which involves using public money to save the bank from failing. A bail-in would imply using the depositors' money to do the same.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley has said that depositors' money would be protected. However he has not clarified whether he is talking about the insured deposits or also the uninsured deposits.

Few people are aware that even today, the amount of your deposit insured in the bank (and therefore completely safe) is merely Rs 1 lakh. Anything beyond that is not explicitly guaranteed by any law or regulation or the government. Money deposited in banks have been considered completely safe so far because the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has never allowed any bank to fail. Strong banks have been nudged to take over weak banks that were on the verge of serious trouble, in the case of private banks. In the case of government owned banks, it is implied that the government will not allow the bank to collapse.

The FRDI Bill in its current form however has provisions of what can be done in case of a collapse. Under the FRDI Bill in its current form, insured depositors stand at the top of the queue in case assets need to be liquidated to pay back creditors after the collapse. The FRDI Bill does not say how much will be the amount insured - it could be Rs 1 lakh as it is currently, or more or less. That will probably be decided later.

Uninsured depositors come pretty well down the list of payees as this earlier article in Business Today (FRDI Bill: Depositors stand at fifth position in a bank liquidation by Anand Adhikari) points out. Their turn will come after insured depositors, legal costs of liquidation, secured creditors and workmen's dues for 24 months have been settled. That makes the bill pretty scary for most depositors.

But then the only implicit guarantee of your money in the bank being safe has always been the fact that the government and RBI has never allowed any bank to collapse so far. For any government, the political cost of allowing a bank to fail is too much, no matter how small the bank is. And that is essentially your only safeguard. Otherwise, your money is not all that safe in the bank anyway.
In an unusual move, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) dismissed the board of real estate firm Unitech Ltd, and allowed the government to take control of the firm by nominating 10 new directors. While Unitech has approached the Supreme Court against the move, corporate India isn't sure how to interpret it. Some, of course, have concluded this to be a warning for all mismanaged consumer-facing companies.



The key point here is the difference between fraud and mismanagement. In aftermath of the Satyam fraud in 2009 too, the government had moved the NCLT. At that point, some suggested the government should "take over" the company or nationalise it. But, good sense prevailed, and the government just replaced the board and appointed independent people who could fix things. While it's not a bad model, it has to be used carefully and in exceptional circumstances. Satyam was a large scale financial fraud and involved the livelihood of more than 40,000 employees.



The Unitech case mostly pertains to mismanagement - there are 19,000 homebuyers waiting for possession of incomplete apartments. One isn't sure yet if this involves fraud. Although there are stories of fund diversion doing the rounds, we will have to wait and watch.



The government clearly wants to protect the interest of homebuyers, many of whom may have invested their life savings. But, there is a larger point. The Unitech case shouldn't become a precedent - India is full of mismanaged companies and the government can't be intervening in a job shareholders must execute. Corporate luminaries such as Kiran Karnik, however, have been saying that because the real estate business involves a lot of public money, there is no reason why some of these companies should be treated any differently from deposit-taking companies like NBFCs or banks. Home buyers pay a large deposit while booking an apartment. May be the financial regulator can step in directly. Certainly, there is a case for better regulation.
Calling the NCLT's recent ruling on Unitech "disturbing", the Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for directing the government to form 10-member nominee board to initiate the takeover process at a time when the SC is hearing the case. The apex court, approached by Unitech against the NCLT order, said when "we are hearing this matter how can NCLT pass orders. It is disturbing". The top court said the government should have sought its permission before approaching the tribunal for the company takeover and suspension of its board of directors. With the SC observation coming out contrary to the tribunal's order, it remains to be seen how the government and the NCLT will react to the issue. The top court has now asked the government to come up with suggestions on protecting interests of home buyers' who had invested their money with the debt-ridden realtor.

The Principal Bench of the NCLT on Friday allowed the government to appoint 10-nominee directors by December 20 to take over the Unitech management on its directions as the Corporate Affairs Ministry moved the tribunal against real estate firm over mismanagement, siphoning of funds, and its failure to complete construction of projects in time. The tribunal also restrained its eight suspended directors from selling personal or company properties. The tribunal was told that since the company had not protected the buyers' interests, its board of directors and chief financial officer should be suspended under the Companies Act, 2013.

With a total debt of over Rs 6,000 crore, the company has not been able to deliver over 16,000 units from its 70 housing projects spread in different parts of the country. The realtor owes over Rs 723 crore to its 20,000 home buyers and 51,000 depositors. The "overambitious" Unitech, which once boasted big plans for its pan-India presence, has suffered a fall from grace, with over Rs 16,000-crore market value in 2010 to Rs 1,900 crore in December 2017. Market observers say the company couldn't sense the slump in the real estate sector globally.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Unitech and its jailed promoters, referred to the recent NCLT order of company takeover, saying with the tribunal asking the government to take over the company, it's very difficult for them to deposit Rs 750 crore as directed by the SC. The apex court on October 30 asked the real estate group to deposit Rs 750 crore by December end to protect the buyers' money. "How do I comply with the Supreme Court order? My bank accounts have been frozen on November 21," the lawyer said, reported PTI. "The nominated Directors (of the government) shall have to comply with the orders of the Supreme Court," the bench said, adding that for it, the interests of homebuyers were paramount and they cannot be equated with the investors. "We are more concerned for the homebuyers and not for the company and not for the fixed depositors. Homebuyers are not investors or fixed depositors," the bench said, the agency added.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked the authorities to arrange a meeting between Unitech's jailed promoter Sanjay Chandra and the company officials so that they could come up with a plan to raise Rs 750 crore. Chandra's bail was rejected by the Delhi high court on August 11 in a criminal case lodged against him in 2015 on a complaint by buyers of the company's housing projects - 'Wild Flower Country' and 'Anthea Project'- Gurugram.

Also read: Unitech, Jaypee saga: Time and again, Supreme Court has been the saviour of distraught homebuyers


A supporter of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments wears a headdress during a rally Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Salt Lake City. President Donald Trump is expected to announce plans to shrink the two sprawling national monuments in Utah that were created by past Democratic presidents. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  President Donald Trumps decision to drastically reduce and break up a national monument in Utah wasnt the only blow Native American tribes say they were dealt last week.

The presidents proclamation on Bears Ears National Monument also contained a little-known plan that changes the makeup of a tribal advisory commission for the remote monument filled with canyons, plateaus, rivers and rust-colored rock formations. It adds a county commissioner who is among the minority of Navajos to support Republicans in peeling back protections for the land.

The new commissioner will have the same authority as the groups five other members, all representatives of tribes.

The same day the president visited Utah to cut the monument by 85 percent to 315 square miles (815 square kilometers) and divide it into two units, a Utah congressman introduced legislation to create tribal co-management councils that were touted by Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

The Utah congressional delegation sees the changes as unifying forces in a region long divided over land management, and as a way to ensure local control.

Tribes say that while co-management might sound nice, the proposal by Republican Rep. John Curtis excludes tribes outside Utah and lets the president hand-select most representatives.

Dont try to appease us by giving us something you think we want or you think will make us happy, said Katherine Belzowski, an attorney with the Navajo Nation Department of Justice. This is a slap in the face.

Supporters heralded Bears Ears as the first national monument created by tribes on land they hold sacred. The monument contains tens of thousands of archaeological sites, including cliff dwellings.

Critics said President Barack Obamas decision to designate 2,188 square miles (5,667 square kilometer) was an egregious abuse of the Antiquities Act.

The original proclamation established the Bears Ears Commission as an advisory panel with one elected official from each of the Hopi, Navajo, Ute Mountain Ute, Ute and Zuni tribes.

Trumps proclamation maintains the commission but renames it the Shash Jaa Commission, using the Navajo name for Bears Ears. It also adds a representative from the San Juan County Commission, now Rebecca Benally.

Benally said the appointment came out of the blue, but reflects a feeling among some that they were being left out of management discussions.

Obamas proclamation had a separate advisory committee for state and local governments, tribes, recreationists, business owners and private landowners.

Benally said she doesnt believe her role will dilute the tribal voice, and she wants to elevate the commissions work to more than advising the federal government on how to manage the land.

We can spin our wheels and advise and recommend all we want, and thats all it is, she said. I think the true authority will come once John Curtis bill can be passed.

The Bears Ears Commission and Benally have been at odds all along. The tribes say Benally wasnt elected to represent tribal interests and wasnt vested in the monuments creation. Unlike federally recognized tribes, county commissions have no direct relationship with the federal government.

The tribal group said it had been meeting regularly when it heard rumblings that Zinke would recommend shrinking the monument and was touting a management plan that would give tribes more say in Bears Ears decisions. Tribal co-management plans also were recommended at two national monuments in New Mexico and one in Nevada.

Curtis legislation would create management councils for each of the two Bears Ears units that would regularly and meaningfully engage with the Bears Ears Commission.

The councils would have different makeups but largely would be stacked with Utah residents appointed by the president in consultation with the states congressional delegation. Each council would include two San Juan County commissioners. Native Americans would be in the minority of one or both.

The management council for the monuments Shash Jaa unit would include a Navajo specifically from the Aneth Chapter  the only Navajo community that voted against creation of the larger Bears Ears National Monument. The community southeast of the monuments boundaries said the process in designating the larger monument was undemocratic and unjust and requested that Trump reverse it.

If passed, Curtis said, the bill would be a first in allowing tribes to co-manage a monument. It also would make irrelevant a lawsuit filed by tribes challenging Trumps proclamation because the legislation gives tribes what theyre seeking, he said.

This is not some kind of giveaway, said Danny Laub, a Curtis spokesman. This is an actual, very thoughtful, very serious legislative idea. We are in good faith trying to put forth a consensus of all these competing groups in the best possible way to manage these lands.

Natalie Landreth, an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, said Curtis bill is unacceptable for the three tribes she represents because it puts them in the minority and weakens their power on the panels that oversee the land. Tribes are not stakeholders, she said. They are sovereign entities.

The particular way this was constituted is not an accident, Landreth said. Its deliberately done to dilute and silence the tribal voice. Theyre not fooling anybody. This is not a co-management body.



Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
LOGAN  Its the most wonderful time of the year, but tell that to the students on Utah States campus who are surviving on caffeine and practically living in the library.

Finals Week started Monday, and some USU students have gone to Twitter to vent, complain and joke about the stressful culmination of a long fall semester. Anything to help ease the pressure, right?

Its early in the week, so there are sure to be more, but here are some of the best Finals Week tweets so far:

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>Its that wonderful time of year again where every despairing college kid gets on canvas to put in a what if score of 0 on their final to see how badly their overall grade would suffer. May the odds be ever in your favor, my fellow college friends. <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/aggiestrife?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#aggiestrife</a>

 Caitlin Willes (@CaitlinJade313) <a href=https://twitter.com/CaitlinJade313/status/939759870353408000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>First day of Dead Week.<br /><br />My professor finally made it so I can sign up for the final in the testing center and the only open time was two hours before I go see Star Wars <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/AggieStrife?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#AggieStrife</a>

 Christmas Woody (@DavisKartchner) <a href=https://twitter.com/DavisKartchner/status/937817450942316544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>The testing center is full.<br />I have an idea. How about we dont have a testing center, & we just take the final in class during the scheduled time?? <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/AggieStrife?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#AggieStrife</a>

 Mel (@melexican) <a href=https://twitter.com/melexican/status/940128411342614528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 11, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>when tuition is due during finals week <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/aggiestrife?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#aggiestrife</a> <a href=https://t.co/kTBWu5hY6D>pic.twitter.com/kTBWu5hY6D</a>

 Melanie Elyse (@melyser2) <a href=https://twitter.com/melyser2/status/939164426753622022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>My phone has been blowing up today With Canvas notifications. <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinalsWeek?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#FinalsWeek</a>

 Mason Gunnell (@MasonGunnell) <a href=https://twitter.com/MasonGunnell/status/940300775124799488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 11, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en><a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinalsWeek?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#FinalsWeek</a><br />Good luck Aggies!! <a href=https://t.co/T3hQx9CZ5V>pic.twitter.com/T3hQx9CZ5V</a>

 USUSA Student Events (@USUSAevents) <a href=https://twitter.com/USUSAevents/status/940284346128142338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 11, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>Took a walk to take a break from studying and I came back to find my stuff stolen. Mid freak out I realized I had gone to the 4th floor instead of the 3rd floor where I had been studying. Happy finals week, everybody.

 Matt Minaga (@MattMinaga) <a href=https://twitter.com/MattMinaga/status/940012023437451264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 11, 2017</a></blockquote><blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en><a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinalsTip?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#FinalsTip</a> 5 Find a backup study place<br />You have your place in the library, you know you do, the one that might as well have your name engraved on it.<br />Well, during finals week the freshman who hasnt been in the library all semester doesnt know that.<br />Get a back up <a href=https://t.co/kxQEeur5GT>pic.twitter.com/kxQEeur5GT</a>

 USUndergrad Research (@USU_UR) <a href=https://twitter.com/USU_UR/status/939497407917764608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 9, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>September 01: This semester Im working hard every day, getting 4.0!<br />October 15: A few Bs wont hurt!<br />November 21: Cs get degrees, right?<br />December 7: Im just trying to pass <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinalsWeek?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#FinalsWeek</a>

 Ungrateful Millennial (@aLoafOfBrett) <a href=https://twitter.com/aLoafOfBrett/status/939031092887044097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>The girl going around campus handing these out is the type of human I aspire to be.<a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinalsWeek?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#FinalsWeek</a> <a href=https://twitter.com/USUAggies?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@USUAggies</a> <a href=https://t.co/DcfaKnWutE>pic.twitter.com/DcfaKnWutE</a>

 Christmas Tree Craig (@ChristianACraig) <a href=https://twitter.com/ChristianACraig/status/938126907874328577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>me: i have 0 enemies<br /><br />*someone handing out finals week treats in the library doesnt give me one*<br /><br />me: i have 1 enemy

 happy honda days (@corcorankatie_) <a href=https://twitter.com/corcorankatie_/status/939240302052655104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 8, 2017</a></blockquote><blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>This finals week is brought to you by Red Bull and Hot Pockets

 Hannes du Randt (@HanesDR) <a href=https://twitter.com/HanesDR/status/937914940312055809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=mce-text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr xml:lang=en>Finals week? More like my final week. These tests will be the death of me

 just spence (@spencerballing) <a href=https://twitter.com/spencerballing/status/937791649958129665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>

<script charset=utf-8 type=text/javascript src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js></script>
LOGAN  They got through Thanksgiving all right, but now the Cache Community Food Pantry is trying to help approximately 450 families have a nice Christmas.

According to Matt Whitaker, the pantrys executive director, the number of turkeys donated so far is lower than previous years, yet the number of families needing help is higher this year. He is hoping for more donations of turkeys, ham and other foods.

The donations can be dropped off at 359 S. Main Street from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. until noon.

If you have a donation that you unable to donate until after those hours, let me know, Whitaker said. Well meet you at any time.

Whitaker said the food will need to be picked up by the families next week.
Republican values have been sold to the dogs as some remote-controlled secessionist apologists increasingly succumb to the progaganda which at best promises heaven on earth.

ADS





If the hostile socio-political situation in the North West and South West Regions has degenerated from bad to near worse one year after Common Law Lawyers and English-speaking teachers lost control of strikes they began, accusing fingers can be pointed among others on fanaticism. In what appears to be a dramatic twist of events, many youngsters in and out of the embittered regions, have attempted showing signs of dumping republican values.



Regrettably, thoughts and acts that portray the desire for togetherness are increasingly becoming scarce. Destruction of public and private property as well as victimisation of those who in one way or the other refuse to see in the same direction as the secessionists have been perpetrated at length. To say the least, there has been a dangerous escalation in radicalism.



The constitutional freedom of citizens to rightfully speak out on any aspect of national life, including through duly declared peaceful strike action has been exaggerated. Transgressing this constitutional right to indulge in acts that lead to loss of life, destruction of public and private property, talk less of desecrating the most sacred symbols of the nation, as has been the case, is disturbing. Many have even gone as far as declaring a state within a State.

That youngsters could go as far as attacking and killing security officers; no matter what, muster the courage to take fellow citizens hostage by imposing a jungle-like life or worse still, beat up their own traditional authorities in the name of a struggle is what some parts of the country have been left with. Lawlessness is sadly on the rise!



Either out of ignorance or unbridled quest for power, some of the people are being used to a point of axing the very tree trunks on whose branches they sit. If not, how could people be so gullible to a point of boasting that they can sacrifice the education of their children for what is invisible?



A certain Wilson Agbor of Mfuni village, Eyumojock Subdivision of the South West Region, bragged to Cameroon Tribune a few days ago that, I can keep my children in the house for even ten years until our problems are solved. Like him, Tarkang Robertson of the same village, said they now receive instructions only from our president Sissiko who has promised us jobs and universities.



They are the faithful respecters of social media instructions that pit those who are apparently short-sighted against the State. Such waywardness by some is disturbingly contaminating others.



The Legion Gendarmerie Commander for Lebialem Division, Aseh Emmanuel, disclosed to CT that some villages in the area like Bechati and Nkongle have excelled in hostility to the administration. Meanwhile, the DO for Eyumojock Subdivision, Moloka Alain Ekwe, told reporters that, Most of the leaders of the so-called secessionist movement are sons of this area.



So, the people of this Subdivision feel that tomorrow their son will be president. Most of them feel that they should collaborate and not send children to school.



However, government has been redoubling efforts to address some of the issues that make the population vulnerable to empty promises. During our stay in the SW, heavy duty machines belonging to MATGENIE where grading the hitherto bumpy Fontem-Dschang road on which the population sometimes spends over FCFA 10,000 to cover the relatively short-distance.



Godlove BAINKONG



ADS
| BY Lynchy |

Isobar China Group has announced that Alvin Huang has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer and Chris Chen appointed to Chief Creative Officer. The appointments will be effective from January 1, 2018.

Huang (pictured left) will take over responsibility for the China market from Jane Lin-Baden, CEO of Isobar APAC, who held the position from 2013 and retained the role following her promotion to APAC CEO in 2016.

In his new role, Huang will expand Isobars capabilities and drive strategic business growth in the growing and dynamic China market. He will also further enhance the collaboration between the groups six agencies in China, and foster more integration within the teams at Dentsu Aegis Network China. Huang will report to Phil Teeman, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network China, and Jane Lin-Baden, CEO of Isobar APAC.

Having been with Isobar since 2004, Huang brings 20 years of experience in media and digital marketing to Isobar, one of the most awarded digital agency in the China market. Throughout his 13 years with the agency, Huang has held several executive roles such as Managing Director of Isobar China Group, Managing Partner  Integrated Media of Isobar China Group, and Managing Director of Isobars Shanghai and Beijing office. Well-connected in the digital industry with a passion for new technology, Huang is a recognized talent with strong expertise in both digital creative and media business. He has been recognized in Chinas Digital-A list multiple times by Campaign Asia.

In the newly-created role of China Group Chief Creative Officer, Chen will integrate and lead the creative teams of Isobar China Group agencies to deliver quality work, develop creative products, offerings and enhance the creative team culture beyond day-to-day client engagements. He will also support and promote the agency brand by leading its creative philosophy and excellency. Chen will report to Alvin Huang, CEO of Isobar China Group.

Chen has more than 26 years experience in the advertising industry, 18 of which are in digital marketing. He founded Trio Digital in 1999 before being acquired by Isobar in 2013. At Trio Isobar, Chris was CEO & ECD, responsible for the creative output and operations of the company. In 2016, Chen was awarded Greater China Agency Head of the Year by Campaign Asia.

Teeman said: Im excited for Alvin and Chris promotions. Both of them embody Dentsu Aegis Networks vision of Innovating the Way Brands are Built. We have always attached great importance to investing in our internal talent pool and ensuring they are the very best they can be.

Jane Lin-Baden, CEO of Isobar APAC, said: In the past five years, Isobar China Groups revenue grew nearly six times through organic business innovation and acquisition, and solving real business problems for our clients. The growth of our next phase will come from strong integration and in celebrating creativity and consulting. Alvin is a well-respected leader in our organization, he has a full heart for clients and staff, always embraces innovation, and never takes the credit for himself. There is no better candidate to take Isobar China Group to the next level.

Creativity is at the core of what we do, and we will continue to invest in building a culture that celebrates creativity and creative talents. Chris is an amazing and influential creative leader who builds a strong creative culture and invests in nurturing young and local talent, who are future of our industry. I am very pleased to have Chris at the helm of our creative future in China, Lin-Baden added.

Huang, said: Isobars vision is to transform business, brands and peoples lives with the creative use of digital. Our five agency acquisitions in China are testament to our commitment to achieve that goal. In my new role, I plan to integrate more of Isobars talent and capabilities, to more openly embrace media platforms and technical partners, and to grasp the potential of innovation in the Chinese market. At the same time, we will continue to consult with our clients, providing them with business solutions and products, whilst maintaining Isobars leading position as a marketing solutions provider.
| BY Lynchy |

Arcade has been awarded social media duties including strategy and content creation  for KOSE Singapore, with the aim of attracting a younger consumer base for the KOSE SEKKISEI series of skincare products.

KOSE is a 71 year old Japanese skincare brand steeped in history, but over the last few years it has failed to resonate with a new generation of younger consumers. SEKKISEI, which translates to snow-like skin, is known for its whitening and translucence effect.

Through trend and consumer research, the Arcade team uncovered that brightening is perceived as more aspirational than whitening and that millennial women would rather purchase natural or organic beauty products. For many young women, skincare has become a daily routine that can start to feel like a chore rather than something enjoyable.

The campaign idea Brighten Up encapsulates not only the product benefit, but also the feel-good nature of the social media campaign. The campaign is built around four streams of content that present a multi-faceted brand personality to resonate and connect with young women. Consistent art direction and stylistic elements run throughout.

Light-filled portraits of ambassadors, layered with feel-good messages are designed to capture the beauty of brightness both inside and out.

A host of inspiring ideas to brighten up a bad day is a nod to the daily grind and stress, from exams to relationships to first jobs.

Easy tips to help optimise the skincare routine to achieve bright supple skin.

Bite-size comical storytelling of couples, besties and even mothers and daughters bonding over the sensorial experience of skincare, as well as before and after transformation classics.

Gary Tranter, Arcade Founder and CCO said, We have created a new image for the brand that speaks the language of young millennial women whilst injecting plenty of good vibes and cheer into their daily regimen in a light-hearted way.

Delcinea Lee, Marketing Executive at KOSE Singapore added, Arcade won us over with their beautiful creative direction that retains the soft, feminine side of the brand. We are confident this new look will resonate with younger women.

Credits 

CCO/Founder: Gary Tranter

Art Director: Heizal Yow

Copywriters: Pek Li Jun, Farah Liyana

Business Director: Yvonne Lee

Account Executive: Tan Yan Ting

Creative Services Director: Shaun Lee

Producer: Keith Chang

Planning Director: Michelle OBrien

Clients 

Hidenori Takahashi, Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer of KOSE Singapore Pte Ltd

June Ng, Sales Manager at KOSE Singapore Pte Ltd

Yvonne Ng, Marketing Executive at KOSE Singapore Pte Ltd

Delcinea Lee, Marketing Executive at KOSE Singapore Pte Ltd

Agency Partners 

Photographer: Matthew Edward Loh
"I suffer from visual fatigue, so looking at things is really difficult - I can't read the board and I can't drive and I can't read small text or anything ... and I get tired after 20 minutes of looking at something," she said.
"Canberra's Garran Donor Centre is one of the state's top plasma performing sites, and we are excited to give these extraordinary donors the opportunity to help us meet the growing need for plasma," she said.
While the discussion paper released on Tuesday by the Centre for Policy Development found its respondents wanted change and felt Australia's democracy was controlled by vested interests, it said they believed its problems could be fixed and that unlike in the United States they didn't want to "blow the system up or drain the swamp."
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.
Mercedes has announced pricing for the the new CLS, which starts from 68,127.50 ($80,176) in Germany, where it will arrive at dealers next March.



This will land you a CLS 350d 4Matic, which uses a 2,925cc inline-six rated at 286PS (282hp) and 600Nm (443lb-ft) of torque. The CLS 400d 4Matic, which uses the same diesel unit but tuned for more power, starts from 72,507.70 ($85,330) and puts out 340PS (335hp) and 700Nm (516lb-ft). Zero to 100km/h (62mph) takes 5.0sec, compared to the previous versions 5.7sec, and the average fuel consumption is 5.6 l/100 km (50 UK mpg / 42 US mpg) in both models.

Those that are not fans of diesel units can opt for the CLS 450 4Matic, which is powered by a 3.0-liter petrol engine with 367PS (362hp) and 500Nm (369lb-ft) of torque, and has a starting price of 70,906.15 ($83,445).

Potential customers can also choose from a variety of optional extras, including the AMG line exterior and interior styling, available at 2,737 ($3,221), dual displays from 1,011.50 ($1,191), 40/20/40 split rear seats for 517.65 ($610), multibeam headlights that cost 1,636.25 ($1,925), and an electronic trailer coupling that comes in at 1,142.40 ($1,344).

Moreover, the new CLS can also be equipped with the Air Balance Package (398.65 / $470) and Comand Online (2,142 / $2,521) that come with the Energizing comfort control (238 / $280), as well as the optional Driving Assistance Package (1,796.90 / $2,115), which adds a variety of safety systems.

The list includes Active Distance Control Distronic, Active Steering Assist, Active Speed Limit Assist, Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic, Evasive Steering Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, and Pre-S AFE Plus. The Driving Assistance Plus braces the front occupants for a side impact by pushing them sideways and costs 2,391.90 ($2,815).

Those looking for something more special can take a look at the Edition 1 version, which features black pearl nappa leather seats with a diamond design and copper-colored highlights at the center section, special stitching, exclusive open-pore black ash wood and laser engraving is . The special edition can be had with all engine variants and costs an extra 12,495 ($14,705) over the selected model.

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: Colin Dacre

A Penticton man who admitted to molesting his stepdaughters last year was sentenced to four years in prison Monday.

The 44-year-old man  who cannot be named under a publication ban to protect the victims  will also be banned from parks, schools and other places frequented by children for a decade. He will be placed on the sex offender registry for life.

The sexual assaults were uncovered when one of the victims, 12, told her school counsellor about it on Nov. 21, 2016. The stepfather immediately confessed to police and entered formal guilty pleas as soon a possible.

The abuse on the 12-year-old victim ranged from groping and finger penetration to ejaculating in her mouth as she slept. He also groped his nine-year-old stepdaughter and forced her to touch his penis on several occasions. The sexual assaults spanned several months.

To sum it up, I gave up on life, school, and basically everything. I cut myself off from family, friends and the people I love, the 12-year-olds victim impact statement read.

Judge Michelle Daneliuk gave stepfather man credit for his very early guilty pleas, noting that prior to the offences he was a high-functioning and respected member of society.

Individuals that often come before the court, are fallible human beings and individuals can be capable of what may be considered monstrous acts, Daneliuk said. But this does not make the individual a monster.

The judge said the the severe remorse the stepfather has displayed gives her hope that he can be rehabilitated.

She noted that the man has lost his family, home, job and access to his sons from his previous marriage and has been living a transient lifestyle since the sexual assaults became public.

Reading from a psychologists presentence report, Daneliuk said the man has been struggling with suicidal thoughts and attempts this year.

He maintained that he would not commit suicide before sentencing, so that the victims could receive the justice they deserve, Daneliuk said.

Throughout the proceedings, he sat silent with his eyes glued to the ground.

The stepfather was determined to be a low to moderate risk to reoffend, with a likely pedophillic disorder. His recidivism risk should be mitigated by keeping him away from children, the court heard.

The four-year sentence is in line with what the Crown was seeking.

Defence lawyer James Pennington argued for two years.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this Jan. 17, 1966, file photo, part of the wrecked fuselage of an USAF B52 bomber lies where it crashed near Palomares, northeast of Almeria, Spain, after a collision in flight with an USAF Kc 135 tanker while refueling. Veterans who say they responded to the 1966 accident involving U.S. hydrogen bombs in Spain and then became ill from radiation exposure have asked a federal appeals court to allow a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The request was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims on behalf of veterans who sought disability benefits from the VA but were denied.A (AP Photo/File)

Veterans who say they responded to a 1966 accident involving U.S. hydrogen bombs in Spain and then became ill from radiation exposure asked a federal appeals court on Monday to allow a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Yale Law School students in Connecticut filed the request with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims on behalf of veterans who sought disability benefits from the VA but were denied. The students represent Air Force veteran Victor Skaar, of Nixa, Missouri, and want to include other veterans who believe they deserve VA benefits.

The motion names Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin as the defendant. The VA said Monday it hadn't seen the filing and couldn't address it.

On Jan. 17, 1966, a U.S. B-52 bomber and a refuelling plane crashed into each other during a refuelling operation near the southern Spanish village of Palomares, killing seven of 11 crew members but no one on the ground. At the time, the U.S. was keeping nuclear-armed warplanes in the air near the Soviet border as the Cold War was in full swing.

The midair collision resulted in the release of four U.S. hydrogen bombs. None of the bombs exploded, but the plutonium-filled detonators on two went off, scattering 7 pounds (3 kilograms) of highly radioactive plutonium 239 across the landscape.

The 1,600 servicemen who were sent to the crash site area to recover the weapons and clean up the contamination were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation daily for weeks or months at a time, according to the court motion filed Monday. Many of the servicemen later developed various forms of cancer, blood disorders, heart and lung dysfunction and other sicknesses but were denied disability benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"This class action seeks to compel the VA to acknowledge that veterans at Palomares participated in a radiation-risk activity that would make any radiogenic conditions they developed presumptively service-connected," said Derek Mraz, one of the Yale students working on the case. "The VA acknowledges this service connection for many other atomic veterans."
Photo: Paul Cousins File photo of past Vernon election signs.

There should be plenty of election signs up during Vernon's municipal election next year.

In a 4-2 decision Monday, city council approved a motion put forward by Coun. Brian Quiring to allow signs on public property as well as on private land, if the owner has given permission.

In the past, a bylaw that disallowed election signs on public property was ignored by many candidates.

The signs are going to end up everywhere anyway, Quiring pointed out during the council session. It's a free-for-all.

The only exceptions would be if the signs were a safety issue, such as in a driver's sightline.

It benefits newcomers to council more than incumbents because that's a name recognition issue, said Coun. Scott Anderson.

Coun. Catherine Lord and Mayor Akbal Mund opposed the motion.

I want to warn the public there will be a lot of littering around town, said Lord. Last time, we had a lot of complaints.

I didn't display any signs on public property, said Mund of his election run. There could be 30 or 40 signs in a row.
Photo: Google Street View Location of the fall

The Okanagan Skaha School District is being sued by a woman seeking damages for a fall she took on a sidewalk lip this summer.

Alma Potter already filed a notice of civil claim against the District of Summerland in September, but filed a new claim Monday in B.C. Supreme Court also naming the local school board.

The lawsuit alleges Potter was walking out of the Summerland Aquatic Centre on Aug. 16 around 12:30 p.m., when she tripped on a sidewalk on Kelly Avenue.

At the point of intersection of the sidewalks, the westbound sidewalk has fractured and collapsed several inches below the level of the Kelly Ave. sidewalk, creating an uneven and hazardous lip, the lawsuit reads.

The fall fractured Potters pelvis, knee and caused soft tissue damage.

Like the first lawsuit, the claim is seeking damages from the school district and municipality for alleged negligence in failing to properly maintain the sidewalk. It's not clear from the lawsuit which body has responsibility over the sidewalk in question.

Neither the District of Summerland or the SD 67 have filed a response in court yet.
Photo: Google Coun. Bob Spiers expects the city to get a share of the tax from legalized marijuana sales.

News that the federal government would be sharing the cash pot from cannabis sales, once the drug is legalized, made for a little joy at Vernon city council Monday.

The federal government has agreed to give the provinces and territories a 75 per cent share of tax revenues from the sale of legalized marijuana.

Coun. Bob Spiers said municipalities should get a cut of that from the province.

We should be able to stand in line and get our fair share, Spiers told council.

Spiers said the money may be divvied up on a per capita basis but that remained to be seen. And, he expected the city to have increased costs associated not only with pot-based businesses but residential growers.
Photo: Cannery Brewing Facebook

A Penticton brewery is hosting events Tuesday and Wednesday to raise money for the OSNS Child and Youth Development Centre.

The OSNS Child and Youth Development Centre is a pediatric and youth therapy centre, focusing on assessment, education and individualized rehabilitation treatment of development delays of children aged zero to 16.

"We always want to do local charity work," said Ian Dyck, an owner of Cannery Brewing.

The fundraiser will feature a complimentary, unlimited popcorn bar, with food and drinks available for purchase.

Cannery Brewing asks for a $10 donation per person, per night, which goes towards OSNS.

"We have been trying to do a movie night for quite a while, but in the summer we are just so smoking busy we cant fit anything else in," Dyck said. "Now that it's a little bit slower we are trying to do some more stuff like this, to help support the community."

They will be playing a series of Christmas themed movies each night in the back of the brewery.

Tuesday, Dec. 12:

6 p.m.: Christmas Vacation

8 p.m.: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

8:30 p.m.: "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Wednesday, Dec. 13:

6 p.m.: Scrooged (1988)

8 p.m.: The Nightmare Before Christmas"

Movie night at Cannery Brewing is a first-come, first-serve basis, with about 40 available seats.
Photo: flickr creative commons File photo.

Residents in the Vernon area are to blame for conflicts with bears and not the other way around, city council was informed Monday.

Incidences of bear conflicts related to residential garbage increased compared to previous years' reports, said WildsafeBC's annual report on occurrences in the city. The WCC (Wildsafe community coordinator) noted poor attractant management by residents with regards to birdfeed, fruit trees and residential garbage.

There was quite an uptick in bear calls, 209 as of Nov. 1st, compared to 171 for the entire 2016, Frank Ritcey, Wildsafe provincial co-ordinator, told council during a presentation.

Ritcey said 65 per cent of complaints about bears had to do with garbage.

He said Wildsafe is teaching people how to manage their garbage and other attractants in order to reduce the number of conflicts.

And while people love their birds, Ritcey warned the seed in birdfeeders attracted not only bears but rodents.

If there are rats or mice in the area, they will access it.

He suggested taking bird feeders inside overnight.

Deer are becoming more of an issue and Ritcey urged the city to confront the matter before the animals become a problem, such as in Grand Forks.

We have an opportunity to get ahead of it so people understand feeding the deer isn't the thing to do, Ritcey said. It's nice when one or two are around and not so great when 10 or 12 are living next door.

There were relatively few calls about coyotes despite their high numbers but anytime someone saw a cougar, that was of concern.

When a cougar comes into town, even though the numbers are low, they are looking for a meal (and) the meal they want is some kind of meat.

The city is also being urged to consider a joint Wildsafe program with the North Okanagan Regional District so that more people are reached with the information.
Photo: Bernadette Jarrard

The District of Summerland still has significant work to do to clean up after the high level of Okanagan Lake this spring, council heard Monday.

A provincially-funded consultant was hired during flood response to complete a damage assessment and identify hazards and impacts to municipal infrastructure.

That assessment was presented to council Monday, outlining damage along the waterfront. Picnic tables and benches need resetting, fences need fixing, erosion and docks need repair and more. The assessment does not include any cost estimates.

Initially the damage assessment falls under the response piece, so its 100 per cent covered, said Kris Johnson, director of works and utilities. As for the recovery piece it would typically be 80 per cent covered.

Any trees damaged along the shoreline will not be covered by the province, with the cost to replace them falling 100 per cent on the district.

Engineers are currently in the process of reviewing municipal documents such as pre-flood photos and engineering reports. It could take up to three months for the District of Summerland to receive funding from the province to repair the damage caused by the flood, after the municipality submits its wish-list.

The district can fund repairs in the meantime and be reimbursed, but regardless, repairs are not expected to begin for months, with recovery timelines stretching into May.

The total dollar figure for the repairs is still to be determined.

In Penticton, the high water ended up causing at least $620,000 in damage  although the province is paying for at least half.
Photo: The Canadian Press THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Justin Trudeau's Liberals scored another byelection upset Monday, snatching the British Columbia riding of South Surrey-White Rock away from the Conservatives.

Gordie Hogg won the riding with 47 per cent of the vote, just five percentage points ahead of Conservative Kerry-Lynne Findlay, a former Harper-era cabinet minister who represented a neighbouring riding for one term before being defeated in 2015.

It's the first time in 70 years that a Liberal has represented any portion of the riding, the boundaries of which have changed a number of times.

Hogg's squeaker victory marks the second upset win for the governing Liberals in as many months. They stole a riding in Quebec's nationalist heartland away from the Tories in a byelection in October.

For Andrew Scheer, the outcome marks the second byelection loss since he became Conservative leader in May.

In three other federal byelections Monday, the Liberals retained safe seats in Newfoundland and Labrador and Toronto, while the Conservatives held onto one of their own safe seats in Saskatchewan.

But only in South Surrey-White Rock was the result ever in any doubt.

The riding was left vacant after Conservative MP Dianne Watts resigned to run for the leadership of the B.C. Liberals. Watts, a high-profile former mayor of Surrey, narrowly won the seat in 2015 with 44 per cent of the vote, less than 1,500 votes ahead of the Liberal contender.

Hogg, a former mayor of White Rock and a former B.C. MLA, essentially reversed the 2015 result, eking out a narrow victory of less than 1,500 votes over Findlay.

Scheer, who campaigned with Findlay twice, had billed the contest as a chance for voters to send "a mid-term signal, that what the Liberals have been doing for Canadians hasn't been working."

Findlay dismissed suggestions that Monday's loss is a reflection of Scheer's leadership.

"What I've been hearing is they like Andrew ... People seem to enjoy his positive Conservative message and his approach," she said in a phone interview, adding that voters were concerned about "the Ottawa Liberals' higher taxes and low ethics."

She put the loss down to the fact that Prime Minister Trudeau called a "snap byelection" in the riding, before she'd even been nominated as the candidate, which cost her a week of the five-week campaign.

"I just think we didn't have enough time."

There was some solace for Scheer in the safe Tory riding of Battlefords-Lloydminster in Saskatchewan, where Conservative Rosemarie Falk captured 69.6 per cent of the vote  more than 55 points ahead of any of her competitors and an eight-point improvement over veteran Conservative MP Gerry Ritz, who had held the riding for 20 years before retiring last summer.

The NDP ran a distant second in the riding Monday, as it did in 2015, scoring 13.2 per cent, just ahead of the Liberal, who took 10.4 per cent.

In Toronto's Scarborough-Agincount, meanwhile, Liberal Jean Yip captured 49.4 per cent of the vote to hold the riding left vacant by the untimely death of her husband, Arnold Chan, in September. Conservative Dasong Zou took 40.5 per cent while the NDP contender took just five per cent.

Yip acknowledged her victory was "somewhat bittersweet."

"Every step of the campaign, I thought of (Chan) and I knew he would've enjoyed it and sometimes I would turn around and I would want to ask him something and he's not there," she said in an interview.

"I think he would be so happy though," she added.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, fellow Liberal Churence Rogers easily retained Bonavista-Burin-Trinity, the safest Liberal seat in the country. The former head of the province's federation of municipalities captured 69.2 per cent of the vote  46 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor, Conservative Mike Windsor.

Windsor, who ran in 2015, nevertheless managed to double his share of the vote to 22.9 per cent, while the NDP candidate finished a distant third with less than five per cent.

As impressive as Roger's margin of victory was, he did not meet the standard set by his popular Liberal predecessor, Judy Foote, who retired from cabinet and federal politics due to family health concerns. She won the strongest majority in the country during the 2015 election, taking a whopping 81.8 per cent of the vote.

Monday's byelections mark the second electoral test for Scheer and newly-minted NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

Neither fared particularly well in their first test in October, when the Liberals scored a stunning upset over the Conservatives in the Quebec riding of Lac-Saint-Jean. The NDP, which had finished a close second in the riding in 2015, wound up a distant fourth.

In all six byelections since Singh took the helm of the NDP in early October, the party has seen its share of the vote decline.

Of Monday's outcomes, the result in Scarborough-Agincourt is likely the most worrying for New Democrats.

The riding has a predominantly immigrant population, including a sizeable South Asian population  the kind of riding where the NDP hopes Singh can make inroads in the next federal election Moreover, Singh grew up in Scarborough.

Nevertheless, the party saw its share of the vote in the riding drop to about five per cent Monday, down three points from its already dismal showing in 2015.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Victoria and Chris Devita say they're in the same boat as many other married couples trying to strike a balance between work and family.

There's just one big difference: the Devitas' boat is a warship.

The lieutenant commanders are the first married couple to have skippered the same Canadian naval ship, according to naval historians.

"In today's day and age, it's so important to demonstrate gender equality and that work-life, family-military balance," says Chris. "It's also good that it seems to be the time for these kinds of things to just be happening naturally now."

Victoria commanded HMCS Glace Bay between 2013 and 2015, and Chris succeeded her at the helm in August.

Chris says the Glace Bay was the first East Coast ship he sailed on as a young officer in the Navy, so returning to the vessel felt like "coming home"  in more ways than one.

"It's been a very supportive environment," he says. "A couple of sailors have come to me and said, 'You know, I sailed with your wife, sir. It's kind of neat to sail for both mom and dad.'"

While some officers might be intimidated to take over command from their spouse, Chris says it only felt natural for him and Victoria, who now works at Maritime Forces Atlantic headquarters in Halifax.

They met in Chilliwack, B.C., as reservists fresh out of basic training and have spent the past two decades as partners in marriage and professional colleagues, he says.

"Victoria has been a great source  a resource, quite frankly  for advice," says Chris. "I can share problems with her and she can do the same with me, and you have that professional level of analysis you can get to in a very safe environment."

While their relationship is built on mutual support, Chris says they also make room for "professional ribbing" between ship commanders. Victoria has jokingly warned him to "not scratch the paint" on the Glace Bay, he says.

The Devitas have been on parallel career paths as their 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son grew up, Victoria says, and the couple switches off duties so one parent can look after the home while the other pursues their professional ambitions.

"As we progress, sometimes one of us has to do something first," Victoria says. "By allowing each other to have the time to pursue command at sea, we will both have fulfilling careers, and yet be able to have a fulfilling home life as well."

On occasion, the couple's deployments at sea will conflict with each other, Chris says, so the Devitas rely on a support network of friends, families and neighbours to look after the kids while the lieutenant commanders mind the waters.

Victoria says the military has taken strides to make taking care of the family unit part of its mission.

"The military has advanced in their ability to deal with family situations," she says. "If they hadn't done that, we would never be in this situation. One of us would be in a desk job and the other would be pursuing a career."

Chris says he and Victoria try to abstain from shop talk while at the dinner table at their home in the Halifax suburb of Bedford, but there are times when their roles as captain and parent overlap.

While both of their children are considering pursuing naval careers of their own, Chris says it's an "even race" between his kids and his crew when it comes to not listening to his orders.
Photo: Contributed

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed Quebec-born Justice Richard Wagner to be the next chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Wagner, 60, was born in Montreal and earned a law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1979.

He practised law for more than 20 years, focusing on professional liability and on commercial litigation related in particular to real estate law, oppression remedies and class action suits.

"It is an honour to name the honourable Richard Wagner as the new chief justice of Canada," Trudeau said in a statement.

"I have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the highest court of Canada, an institution with a long and respected history of judicial independence and excellence. The judiciary, the legal profession, and all Canadians will be well served by his dedication to upholding the laws and Constitution upon which this country is founded."

As a Quebec Superior Court judge, he sat on several of the court's committees, including the judicial practice committee for training of newly appointed judges. He was named to the Supreme Court by Stephen Harper in 2012.

Wagner is a self-declared advocate of judicial independence, once saying that "the judiciary is only accountable to the person subject to trial."

He is the middle child of former Quebec Liberal cabinet minister and one-time federal Conservative leadership candidate Claude Wagner.

Trudeau had been under pressure from some quarters to name a Quebecer as chief, in keeping with the tradition of alternating between a civil code jurist from Quebec and a common-law one.

The current chief justice, Beverley McLachlin, is stepping down after 28 years on the court, including almost 18 years as chief.
Photo: Contributed

Don't count the BC Conservatives among those unhappy with the NDP decision to move forward with Site C.

BC Conservative Party Interim Leader Scott Anderson issued the following statement on Site C:

"I am pleased that the current government of British Columbia has decided to clear the Site C dam project for completion. Site C has been thoroughly vetted through extensive consultation and science-based environmental assessment, contingent upon over 80 legally-binding conditions. The project will not only support local families with jobs but will benefit all British Columbians as demand for electricity rises across North America."

Site C has been part of the province's hydroelectric generation plans since 1958.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The coming year is promising to be a busier one than usual for the Canadian Space Agency.

After a five-year lull, a Canadian astronaut will finally head back into space, with David Saint-Jacques scheduled to blast off for a long-term visit to the International Space Station in November 2018.

The last time a Canadian visited the orbiting space laboratory was in 2013 when Chris Hadfield completed a stay that lasted almost five months.

Saint-Jacques, an engineer and doctor, will begin his first space voyage when he launches aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

The 47-year-old astronaut, who will become the ninth Canadian to travel to space, will be joined on the trip by an American and a Russian.

Saint-Jacques, who will also be the Russian space capsule's co-pilot, says it takes a lot of time just to prepare for the blast-off.

"You've got to be ready on the launch pad, flying that rocket and knowing everything you have to know, so that's why the training is several years," he said recently.

Saint-Jacques will also have to deal with the psychological challenge of being away from the planet, his wife and three young children, aged six, four and one.

"So it's a huge challenge of getting a balance between your personal life, your love life and your professional life  getting all that to work together," he said.

Space agency president Sylvain Laporte says Saint-Jacques has been training extensively for his six-month mission.

"David shared with me that over the last 18 months, learning all that he needed to learn, to prepare for his mission was quite demanding," Laporte told The Canadian Press.

He said even though no Canadians have been to space since Hadfield, it's not out of the ordinary.

Laporte noted that the number of flights for Canadian astronauts is based on the country's contributions to the space station.

"We're on time with respect to our contributions so there's nothing abnormal with respect to the five years," he said.

Discussions, Laporte said, are underway with NASA to schedule a space trip for fellow Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

"If nothing changes it would be another five years," he admitted.

But Laporte added that Hansen could be space-bound sooner aboard one of the commercial spacecraft now being developed by American aerospace firms.

Canada's two newest astronauts, Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey are in basic training in Houston and will have to wait their turn.

Several other noteworthy space events will fill in the 2018 calendar at the space agency south of Montreal.

Three Earth observation satellites known as the RADARSAT Constellation are to be put into orbit in late summer.

The final costs for the mission rose to more than $1 billion from the original estimate of $600 million.

The satellites will keep an eye on maritime traffic and the Arctic, especially the increasingly busy Northwest Passage, where luxury ship cruises are now being offered.

"We now need to make sure that no one is going to be putting their passengers in danger and if emergency procedures need to be enacted, we'll be in a better position," Laporte said.

Norman Hannaford, who's with satellite developer MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), says the whole purpose is to monitor the North "to understand what vessels are entering Canadian waters (and) what they are doing."

The satellites will use radar to locate ships and identify vessels that broadcast an Automatic Identification System.

"More importantly, we can identify 'dark targets', ships which are not broadcasting A.I.S. as they are supposed to," Hannaford noted.

The Canadian space focus will also be on the OSIRIS-REx satellite in the coming months.

It's due to reach "Bennu", a near-Earth asteroid in 2018 and, with help from a Canadian contribution, take a small sample and return the fragment to Earth in 2023.

The Canadian intrument is a laser-based system that will create detailed 3D maps to help select where the sample will be collected.

In return, Canada will own four per cent of the returned sample.

The mission will also help improve the understanding of asteroids that could have an impact on Earth.
Photo: The Canadian Press

There are dead-end conversations. Then there's the image of Justin Trudeau quibbling about the Canada-U.S. trade deficit with U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently revealed some backroom bickering between the two about which country buys more imports from the other.

So who won the debate?

Critics say it doesn't matter, for two reasons: First, a number of economists, frustrated by the way some politicians talk about trade deficits, say it's a pointless academic exercise. Second, there's scant evidence a disputed fact on trade will dissuade Trump.

A different president might by now have noticed and heeded the overwhelming consensus of opinion among elite economists that it's utterly futile to try fixing a trade deficit as a means to foster greater national well-being.

A survey of world-leading economists run by the University of Chicago Initiative on Global Markets examined this question three years ago and asked several dozen economists whether a country can improve the welfare of its people by changing trade surpluses or deficits.

The percentage who strongly agreed: zero.

Five per cent agreed slightly, while 42 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed. The economists responding to the survey cited a variety of reasons  such as the idea that trade balances are a symptom of an economic reality, not the cause.

Here's the way Anil Kashyap of the University of Chicago ridiculed the idea, which has since become the intellectual underpinning the Trump administration's trade policy, and its prime justification for fixing NAFTA.

"Crazy assertion but plenty of people seem to believe this," Kashyap wrote. "To see the fallacy, note that banning imports would do it and would crush (economic) welfare."

Trump repeatedly raises trade deficits as proof America is being ripped off, buying more than it sells to the world. Trump came back to it at a rally last Friday  and revealed he and Trudeau haggled over whose trade imbalance was bigger.

An abbreviated version of the conversation went like this, according to Trump: "(Trudeau) said, 'No, no, you have a trade surplus.' I said, 'No we don't.' He said, 'No, no, you have a trade surplus.'"

In truth, Trudeau appears correct  for 2016. The Trump administration's own stats prove the U.S. sold Canada more than it bought last year. But a greater truth is the situation fluctuates, and it's often the opposite, since the U.S. imports natural resources  and when oil and other commodity prices spike, it runs a trade deficit with Canada.

But the fundamental truth here, according to the mainstream economic view, is trade policy can't really fix it.

A new report by Goldman Sachs points to one reason: currencies adjust to trade realities. If Trump began the NAFTA withdrawal process, the loonie would drop six per cent, negating tariffs and eliminating the desired effect, Goldman says.

Economists cite other ways to reduce trade deficits. Weakening the currency, increasing domestic savings, and finding more foreign customers are all on that list  protectionism isn't.
Photo: Contributed Haywood NorAm & Sprints/USSA SuperTour races were held in Vernon on the weekend.

Some of the fastest cross-country skiers in North America went head-to-head at the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre last weekend

The Haywood NorAm & Sprints/USSA SuperTour races are a national series for Canada and the U.S., sanctioned by Cross Country Canada (CCC) and the United States Ski & Snowboard Association (USSA).

This years NorAm was a showcase for Sovereign Lake Nordic Clubs experienced organizing committee, volunteers and, of course, the wonderful snow and weather, said Pat Pearce, Chief of Event. Its important for us to host such events as a statement of our commitment to help foster the sport at all levels.

More than 550 athletes descended on Vernon for the two-day event which included both skate and classic technique races along gruelling courses. Distances range from 1.3 km (sprint) to 15 km (medium distance for the Open Men category).

Bob Thompson, of Thunder Bay, Ont., a PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic hopeful, made his presence known in the sprints Saturday with the first win of the 2017-18 NorAm season.

I was happy with my qualifying spot and focussed on staying near the front in the heats to control things, said Thompson. I felt solid and strong in the finish and had probably my closest sprint finish ever.

The fastest woman around the course Saturday, Kaitlynn Miller (Carftsbury, Vermont), raved about the superb at Canadas largest cross-country ski club this past weekend.

The course was a lot of fun and the conditions were unbeatable, said Miller.

A number of Vernon athletes competed, including National Junior Ski Team member Hannah Mehain who took home gold in the sprints and placed eighth the following day in the 10-km with a time of 31:11.

Full race results can be found online.
Photo: The Canadian Press Ontario Regional Chief Isidore Day waits to appear at the Commons Aboriginal affairs committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, April 14, 2016. Day says he and Quebec Regional Chief Ghislain Picard are leading discussions on how First Nations communities will address the impacts of pot legalization. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A number of Indigenous leaders say they don't see the prospect of a recreational cannabis regime as a "cash cow," and fear the black market will set its sights on targeting their vulnerable communities.

Isadore Day, the Ontario regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations, says he and Quebec Regional Chief Ghislain Picard are leading discussions on how First Nations communities will address the impacts of pot legalization.

He says he fears for Indigenous community safety because the federal government is moving so quickly with its plan to legalize pot by July 2018.

Day also calls it embarrassing that Indigenous leaders weren't invited to take part in Monday's talks between finance ministers in Ottawa.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced a two-year agreement that will see Ottawa give 75 per cent of tax revenues to the provinces and territories while Ottawa retains the remaining 25 per cent, to a maximum of $100 million a year.

Morneau, who originally floated a 50-50 split, says a larger share will allow the provinces and territories to fairly deal with costs and allow for them to work with municipalities, who have also advocated for at least a third of the revenue.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The Trudeau government is adding a new requirement to how it picks the winners of major military contracts by assessing a company's overall impact on the Canadian economy.

The government is also launching a full competition to replace Canada's aging CF-18s with 88 new fighters, a move that comes in the midst of an ongoing trade dispute with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing.

"After extensive consultations and careful analysis as part of the defence policy review, it was clear that a full fleet of 88 planes are required to fully meet our Norad and NATO obligations simultaneously," Defence Minister Harjiit Sajjan told a news conference.

"Our government will not risk-manage our national defence commitments."

Boeing has been eager to submit its Super Hornet to compete for the contract, which is valued at up to $19 billion and expected to start delivering jets in 2025.

But the government's change to how competitions are run could have an impact on Boeing if its trade dispute with Canadian rival Bombardier is still alive and ends up being deemed harmful to Canada's economic interests.

Since Canada already flies a version of the same fighter jet, "the supply chain and maintenance lines required to support these aircraft are already in place," Sajjan said.
Photo: Kate Bouey RCMP Const. Kelly Brett said on Dec. 7 shortly before 3:30 p.m., Vernon RCMP responded to a report of theft that had just occurred at the Co-op Gas station.

An alleged lotto thief is out of luck after being nabbed by police

Dean Amendt, 37, is facing charges relating to the theft of hundreds of lottery tickets.

RCMP Const. Kelly Brett said on Dec. 7 shortly before 3:30 p.m., Vernon RCMP responded to a report of theft that had just occurred at the Co-op Gas station located at 3530-27th St.

Police officers quickly responded to the area and learned that a lone male entered the store and allegedly stole approximately $500 in lottery tickets. The male fled on foot and was seen getting into a blue-coloured Ford Focus by neighbouring business employees, said Brett.

The investigating officer viewed video surveillance at the Co-op gas station and was able to identify the suspect male from previous lottery thefts that have occurred throughout the Vernon area.

The same suspect male was previously arrested and charged on six counts of theft for theft of lottery tickets from July, 2017.

Brett said on Dec. 8, the police located the blue Ford Focus involved in the previous incident and initiated a traffic stop.

The male driver was identified as the lottery theft suspect and subsequently arrested, she said.

Amendt was charged with one count of theft under $5,000 and failing to comply with a recognizance. Amendt's next court appearance date is Dec.14.

RCMP continue to encourage the public to report suspicious persons or activities in their neighbourhood to police, said Brett. It was the observant nature of the surrounding businesses that lead to the details involving the direction of travel and mode of transportation by the suspect. Thus resulting in the vehicle being located and arrests being made.
Over the years, Santa's Anonymous has helped provide a Merry Christmas for thousands of children and once again this year, they are hard at work collecting and giving away toys.

Perry Wainwright is one of many volunteers who help collect and distribute toys.

We give them to needy families here in the North Okanagan, said Wainwright. Usually its around 400-450 kids that we help every year.

Wainwright said the goal is to help families struggling to get by.

We like to give every child a good Christmas every year, he said.

Parents can call Santas Anonymous at 250-542-4448 to set up an appointment where they can 'shop' for items for their children.

Parents can select a new gift and a bundle of refurbished toys for their children.
Photo: The Canadian Press

British Columbia has launched a strategy to prevent, screen and diagnose cancer among Indigenous people aimed at increasing survival rates.

Annette Morgan, president of the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, says systemic racism prevents Indigenous cancer patients from seeking care, which delays diagnosis.

She says a strategy that includes her organization and two others providing First Nations' perspectives will enable Indigenous people to feel safe and lead to more equitable access to care.

A recent study by the BC Cancer Agency suggested Indigenous people in the province have an overall lower rate of most cancers but are more likely to die from the disease.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says developing partnerships between Indigenous communities and the health-care system will be key to prevention and ongoing care.

British Columbia is the second jurisdiction in the country to provide an Indigenous cancer strategy after Ontario, and the programs are in keeping with recommendations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

For all of the success of KOEI TECMO and Team NINJAs Nioh it seems too often that it is brushed aside as Dark Souls with Samurai which is a criminal understatement given how good Nioh is. Though well-received on PlayStation 4 when it launched in early 2017, as the year wore on it was increasingly more difficult to hear about the beloved grimdark action-RPG set in an alternate of the late Sengoku Period in Japan (1460s to about 1610) and features stunning level design, weapon and armor art straight out of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Rounding out the trifecta of excellence is a wonderful story following William, a conscripted pirate on the hunt for Amrita, a golden stone that is found primarily in Japan, and is a dark yet strangely serene experience. A shame that only eight months or so past the PlayStation 4 release that the PC port is at times, marred by technical issues.

Nioh was a wildly popular title here at Chalgyrs Game Room; prior to its early February 2017 release there were numerous closed and open betas as Team NINJA worked to improve and perfect its balance and multiplayer support. We literally lapped up every demo that we could and sunk dozens of collective hours into them all and we were hooked (we had nearly a dozen articles starting as far back as 2015. The primary downside to all of that exposure along the two+ years of waiting? It may have built up a bit of the hype surrounding it as I was a bit shocked at the total score that Pierre-Yves gave the title shortly after launch, check out the review here for a more in-depth look. Though his score is perfectly acceptable, I found that I would continue to go back to Nioh far more-so that I would Bloodborne or Dark Souls, the latter of which I have at least a thousand hours into across the trilogy, and still Nioh is one I would continuously revisit.

Why? Because it is damned fun, that is why and that means that when the Complete Edition was ported over to the PC I was immediately on the bandwagon and ready to give it a go. Imagine my dismay when I fired it up and ran into some wonky technical issues, mostly having to do with the framerate dropping. Fortunately things seem to have largely worked themselves out, but the issue was likely related to forcing resolution as one of our other contributors here, Chris, also experienced similar issues. Since I tweaked the settings a bit I do not experience the framerate droppage or nearly any of the crashes that some users on Windows 7 are experiencing (full disclosure, I am on Windows 10 and have not been able to test it on Windows 7).

Technical annoyances aside (as there was nothing game-breaking), the complete edition includes all three DLC, Dragon of the North, Defiant Honor, and Bloodsheds End and pits the resilient pirate-turned-pseudo samurai William against ninjas, foot soldiers, and demonic abominations called Yokai. Similar to other brutal action RPG games, you will find yourself thrust into a dark time in Japans history where you fight through hordes of mighty-nasty bosses by yourself or via co-op multiplayer (side note; that stupid jumping frog boss is the absolute worst  I hated that guy). The added DLC are a welcome extension to the core game and provide even more reason to grab your spear and katana and rush out to cleanse the land and battle dark forces.
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Starting this spring, more Chicago Public Schools students will have a new language to learn: the one spoken by iPhone apps and Apples iOS operating system.

The tech giant is teaming up with the city to get its coding curriculum into more CPS classrooms and into the City Colleges of Chicago, and area companies and nonprofits are joining in by offering internships and mentoring opportunities.

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The free curriculum is part of Apples year-old Everyone Can Code program and teaches the Cupertino, Calif.-based companys programming language, Swift.

We hope we eventually get coding required in all public schools in America, not only for a year but for every year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said. Its a progression, just like English is, just like mathematics and other kinds of courses that are viewed as foundational.

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Apple developed its own coding language because it wanted something as easy to learn as its products are to use, Cook said. We wanted it to be something that you could begin learning on but you could then, through the course of time, write the most powerful applications imaginable.

While the students will learn just one programming language, those in the coding world say that learning one is the starting point for learning more. Swift has fueled the creation of apps such as Airbnb, Yelp and Venmo.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has pushed the importance of computer science programming in schools, said the deepened partnership with Apple brings Chicago students one step closer to being bilingual.

Today that means whatever language you speak plus computer programming, he said.

Last year, the Chicago Board of Education made taking at least one credit of computer science a graduation requirement at CPS, starting with the class of 2020. Parents know how important computer programming is, Emanuel said.

They want their kids totally conversing with computer technology, whether its computer programming or knowing how to use technology, he said.

CPS already offers the Everyone Can Code curriculum in 48 schools, and it was one of the first districts to pilot the program in some of its middle schools last year. Apple expects to expand to at least 25 more schools as part of the initiative. Materials and teacher guides are free to access.

CPS is also set to offer new after-school Swift Coding Clubs, which will introduce students to the programming language and walk them through an app design and prototyping project.

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City Colleges plans to teach the material in a four-month boot camp, said Eric Lugo, the systems executive vice chancellor of institutional advancement. The roughly 25-student boot camps will likely be completed partially online and partially in the classroom, and it wont be part of a degree program.

It gives (attendees) an additional opportunity to deepen their coding skills, Lugo said. The reality for a lot of tech employees is theyre constantly requiring an additional skill set.

The presence of coding boot camps, which usually offer attendees intensive training in different coding languages, has increased in recent years, with programs springing up throughout the city and at some Illinois universities. This serves as City Colleges entry into that, Lugo said.

The goal is to launch two boot camps in 2018, one each at Harold Washington and Harry S. Truman colleges, he said. City Colleges instructors are going through training now.

As part of the initiative, businesses such as GE Transportation, IBM and Rush University Medical Center are preparing to provide internships, mentoring and other opportunities to the students.

The internships GE Transportation plans to offer, starting this summer, will allow students to use their recently acquired coding skills and learn how the company uses tech and coding to solve problems, said Monica Caldas, chief information officer of the Chicago-based rail and mining division of General Electric.

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GE Transportation currently doesnt use Swift, Caldas said. But Apples programming language is a good starting point for young coders, who can then apply those skills to learn more about coding.

Learning a coding language, you learn the foundations and you build from there, she said.

Everyone Can Code is taught in about 1,500 schools worldwide. Outside of CPS, the curriculum is also taught at several Chicago-area schools, including GEMS World Academy Chicago, Barrington School District 220 and the Archdiocese of Chicago.

amarotti@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's decision in April to change his travel plans for a fact-finding trip to Channel Islands National Park in California added nearly $2,000 in costs when he left from Santa Barbara, Calif., where his wife owns a second home, according to emails sent among Interior Department officials.

The documents, obtained by the advocacy group Western Values Project under the Freedom of Information Act, show the extent to which National Park Service staff had to rearrange transportation to accommodate Zinke. The two-day trip  which included Zinke's wife, Lolita, as well as her aunt, Beatrice Walder  was originally scheduled to depart out of Ventura Harbor aboard a Park Service vessel, the Ocean Ranger.

It is unclear what prompted the change in plans for the April 17-18 trip. The Zinkes had just spent the weekend in Santa Barbara and decided to attend an evening town hall event there on April 17 that the conservative group Young America's Foundation hosted.

Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall is probing several aspects of Zinke's travel, including his trips to political gatherings and the extent to which his wife reimbursed the government for costs stemming from her attendance on multiple journeys. In a memo last month, Kendall warned the secretary and his aides that they needed to provide documentation to "distinguish between personal, political and official travel" and that management of his trips had been "deficient."

Interior press secretary Heather Swift said in an email Monday that the visit "was part of a multi-day visit" to department sites from Sacramento south to the Channel Islands. Zinke always planned to meet with the team at the national park, "and the office of scheduling reached out to the superintendent's office as soon as it was clear when he could go."

For the boat, Swift added, the Zinkes paid via check for her fare and her aunt's fare. "No costs were incurred due to Mrs. Zinke's presence."

Still, the emails chronicle how costs rose after Zinke's staff stressed he wanted to go in and out of Santa Barbara rather than Ventura.

Russell Galipeau, the Channel Islands superintendent, wrote in an April 7 email that while he was working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials to use a vessel it had in Santa Barbara, "I urge against it." A week later, Galipeau wrote that "to accommodate" Zinke's request, the crew would need to be paid three hours of overtime each, adding $300, and the government would have to add fuel for an additional eight hours of running time at a price of $1,440. The group ultimately used the Park Service's boat.

In a phone interview Monday, Western Values Project Executive Director Chris Saeger said the fact that government employees had to go to such lengths and that taxpayers incurred a higher bill suggests a broader problem at Interior. "This pattern of behavior is not just a problem for the people who are

making the schedule changes," he said. "The influence they're exerting over leadership decisions at Interior is sloppy and ethically deficient."

Swift countered that Saeger's group is "a classic dark money group which is run by current and former Democratic Party members and campaign staff."

Channel Islands National Park is the site of a major restoration effort undertaken by the Nature Conservancy with the Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to bring back native habitat and endemic species such as the island fox, the island scrub-jay and the Santa Catalina Island ironwood. Thousands of sheep, cattle and feral pigs were killed as part of the effort to eliminate invasive species on the network of eight islands.

Zinke was billed $142 on April 25 for the travel costs associated with his wife and her aunt, which grew by mid-June to $152 with late fees. It was paid by the end of June.

The Zinkes were accompanied by Nita Vail, a political supporter of Zinke who had hosted a fundraiser for him in 2014 in Carpinteria, a seaside community about 15 minutes east of Santa Barbara. Vail is a great-granddaughter of the rancher who bought Santa Rosa Island in 1901 and established the Vail & Vickers ranch there. The family, which sold Santa Rosa Island to the federal government for $30 million in 1986, ran cattle on the island until 1998 and operated a commercial hunting business there until 2011.

The National Parks Conservation Association sued in the mid-1990s to end both ranching and big-game hunting on Santa Rosa, arguing that they were degrading crucial habitat. The Vail family closed its hunting business as part of a settlement in that suit.

After touring Santa Rosa with Vail on April 18, Zinke said he would "like to highlight the significant ranching heritage on the island with a working demonstration ranch," Galipeau said in an email. "At this point it is not clear how this idea will be implemented."
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A fresh round of talks on Nagorno-Karabakh is likely to be held between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov in January 2018, Ambassador Alexander Lukashevich, Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE said on Monday.

December 12, 2017, 09:57 Armenian, Azeri FMs likely to meet in January  Russian diplomat

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 12, ARTSAKHPRESS:Speaking at the Moscow-Vienna teleconference at Russia, Alexander Lukashevich stated this year was highly important in terms of avoiding dangerous escalation in the region and gradually restoring the negotiation process. We have welcomed the contacts between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan throughout the year, they worked quite hard due to which a joint statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries was adopted on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna on December 7-8, he said.

Mr. Lukashevich announced the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents agreed to activate the negotiation process and to focus their efforts on finding compromise solutions to the conflict in Geneva on 16 October.

According to him, the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers can be expected to hold a regular meeting in the near future, perhaps in January.

We support this trend. Russia has an important impact on the negotiation process. We hope to reach a mutually acceptable solution soon through the support of our partners of Baku and Yerevan, he added.
All votes in the CO-3 election won't be counted until the end of this week
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on the question of just satisfaction in the case of Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan, holding unanimously, that the Azerbaijani government had to pay the applicant 5,000 euros (EUR) in respect of pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and EUR 30,000 in costs and expenses.

December 12, 2017, 16:01 ECHR ruling: Armenian refugee entitled to  5,000 in compensation by Azerbaijan

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 12, ARTSAKHPRESS:Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan asserts that Azerbaijanis forcibly removed Armenians from the village of Gulistan in the Shahumian region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is occupied by Azerbaijan and was the site of violent pogroms by the Azeri Army in 1992.The applicant complaint that he had since been denied the right to return to his village and to have access to and use his property there.

According to the ECHR release, the Court observed that the principle of subsidiarity underpinned the system of the European Convention on Human Rights. Thus, Armenia and Azerbaijan had given undertakings prior to their accession to the Council of Europe, committing themselves to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Court could only underline that it was their responsibility to find a solution on a political level to the conflict. Without prejudice to any compensation to be awarded to the applicant as just satisfaction, the effective execution of the principal judgment called for the creation of general measures at national level.

In conclusion, the Court underlined the responsibility of the two states concerned to find a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Pending a solution on the political level, the Court considered it appropriate to award the applicant an aggregate sum for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage.

To note, the case Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan was examined at the Court along with separate Chigarov et al v. Armenia. ECHR issued judgments on the two cases in June 2015. Chigarov et al v. Armenia, is a complaint filed by number of Azerbaijanis who claimed he couldnt return to their houses in Kashatagh (Lachin), saying he was forced to leave during the height of the Karabakh war.

In todays separate judgement, the Grand Chamber ruled on that the Armenian government had to pay 5,000 euros in respect of pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage to each of the applicants and a total amount of 28,642.87 pounds sterling for costs and expenses.
He's running.

Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, a Canandaigua Republican who represented parts of Cayuga County until 2013, launched his campaign for governor Tuesday. He will seek the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Kolb, 65, announced his gubernatorial bid in a two-minute video released by his campaign. He had been considering a run for governor since the summer and traveled to Republican events across the state to gauge interest in his potential candidacy.

"In the end, it came down to if not now, when?" Kolb said in a phone interview with The Citizen. "Certainly I think I have established myself in state government, local government and in the private sector. I don't think anybody has that blend of experience across the board ... The opportunity, to me, is now."

Kolb's business experience includes founding the North American Filter Corporation, an air, gas and liquid filtration systems manufacturer in Wayne County. He also served as an executive at Refractron Technologies, another Wayne County company that manufactures ceramic products.

In 2000, Kolb won a special election to the fill a vacant Assembly seat. His Republican colleagues elected him minority leader in 2009.

Kolb said if he secures the Republican gubernatorial nomination, he will step down as minority leader.

As the top Assembly Republican, Kolb has been a frequent critic of Cuomo's policies, especially the governor's economic development strategies. Cuomo's office announced that the annual regional economic development council awards ceremony will be held in Albany Wednesday.

Kolb derided the competition as a "Hunger Games" approach to economic development. The regions, he said, shouldn't be pitted against each other. If elected governor, he would allocate the same amount of funding for each region and the councils, not the state, would determine how the money would be invested.

"Those decisions should not be made by the governor," he said.

Cuomo is favored to win re-election. Democrats hold a large enrollment advantage in New York and the governor has more than $25 million in his campaign war chest.

But Kolb believes he can win by running what he described as an "unconventional campaign." He will focus on the grassroots, he said, and utilize digital tools. He will appeal directly to people who "really care about having a better life in New York," he said.

He also cited a recent example of a candidate with deep pockets who didn't succeed. When Jeb Bush ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, his campaign spent more than $150 million. His hefty investment didn't pay off.

To compete in a statewide race, Kolb will need to raise millions of dollars. He highlighted his ability to do that on behalf of Assembly Republican candidates. Since he's been minority leader, he said he has helped raise more than $18 million.

"That is not an easy task," he said. "We have to convince people to focus on our ideas, our beliefs and our real solutions for real problems, which is what we stand for, and that's going to be no different in this governor's race."

There are many issues Kolb wants to address as governor, whether it's lower taxes or adopting strict ethics rules. He support terms limits for statewide officials and legislators. If he is elected governor, he pledged to serve no more than two terms.

"We need to make sure that we're always having fresh ideas, fresh voices because New York is a big complex state with complex problems, and I think we need fresh ideas and new blood on a regular basis," he said.

Kolb is the first Republican to enter the gubernatorial race. Other possible candidates include Harry Wilson, a corporate restructuring expert who ran for state comptroller in 2010. Wilson has said if he runs he will spend $10 million of his own money on the race.

State Sen. John DeFrancisco, a Syracuse Republican, and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro are also exploring runs for governor.

New York Republicans are expected to nominate a gubernatorial candidate in the spring.

Ed Cox, chairman of the New York Republican State Committee, lauded Kolb and other potential GOP contenders who are considering gubernatorial bids.

"Governor Cuomo's corruption and mismanagement have failed New Yorkers and it's time for new, Republican leadership," Cox said. "We will be working collaboratively with our county chairs over the coming weeks and months to put together the statewide ticket that will turn our state around."
Hainan Airlines, China's largest private air carrier, said it is interested in launching more China-US direct flights, as more Chinese travelers are visiting the US, further stimulating the vitality of the market.





The carrier also plans to extend its cooperation with US airlines. Next year, it will start code sharing programs with Alaska Airlines and Jet-Blue Airways to strengthen its network coverage in the United States, especially on the east and west coasts.





Pubin Liang, regional managing director of Hainan Airlines in the United States, said to further increase its market share, the carrier is striving to get the flying rights to launch direct flights between Shanghai and major US cities, especially those that already offer direct flights to Beijing.





"We launched a number of direct flights between second-tier Chinese cities and major US cities, following the increasing demand from smaller Chinese cities. North America is one of our most important markets, and we have kept looking for potential opportunities in this market," Liang said.





On Oct 20 and Oct 26, Hainan Airlines launched direct flights between Chongqing and New York and Chengdu and New York, respectively. Those are the first direct flights to New York from western China. It also operates direct flights between these two cities and Los Angeles.





"The successful launch of flights between those two Chinese cities and New York has been a significant breakthrough for us, and we are looking to launch more direct flights between New York and Chinese cities in the future," he said.





In 2008, Hainan Airlines started its first China-US direct flights between Beijing and Seattle. To date, it has become the Chinese airline that operates the most direct flights12 routesbetween the two countries, including flights between Beijing and Chicago, Beijing and San Jose, Beijing and Las Vegas, and Shanghai and Boston.





Between January and September this year, Hainan Airlines achieved sales revenue of 2.59 billion yuan ($390 million) from its China-US flights, up 19 percent year-on-year, and the average passenger load ratio of those flights has exceeded 80 percent, according to the company.





During the busy China-US flight season, from June to October, and during December and January, Hainan Airlines has seen outstanding sales performance. During the low seasons, the airline faces some operation pressures and usually adjusts its business by offering promotions, such as package deals that include tourism destination resort tickets and hotels.





Earlier, Hainan Airlines cooperated with American Airlines on code sharing and connecting flights, but the cooperation weakened after Hainan Airlines launched direct flights between Beijing and Chicago, as American Airlines offers the same route.





"This has a significant negative impact, especially on our expansion of networks in the Midwest," Liang said. "Now, we face significant challenges in growing our business in this area with Chicago as the hub."





Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at Carnoc, a leading civil aviation website in China, said the flights between major Chinese cities and the United States are quite saturated, and airlines are competing to launch direct flights between second-tier Chinese cities and the United States, although operating cost pressures exist.





"There is still demand for more China-US routes, but the possible fluctuation of Sino-US relations should also be taken into consideration," he said.
The People's Liberation Army has sent 10 of its female members to join the garrison guarding the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, according to the PLA Navy.





The Navy said in a news release Monday afternoon that this has been the first time for female service members to be stationed on Nansha Islands, the country's southernmost territories. They formally started working on Yongshu Reef from Monday.





The 10 women are officers and sergeants with an average age of 23. All of them have a university diploma, the release said, adding they have been assigned to a wide range of posts such as staff, communications and medical service.





Zhang Jiahong, political commissar of the PLA Nansha Islands Garrison, was quoted by the release as saying that these female members will be sent back to the mainland every several months for rest to ensure their health.





Zhou Yaling, one of the women, said Nansha is more beautiful than what they had imagined. There are airports, harbors, streets, hospitals and sporting grounds. All of them make the islands like a lovely city on the sea, she was quoted as saying in the release.





Before them, there have been female PLA members on the islands but they were in short missions and still took orders from units that sent them there, the China Daily reporter learned.




Alibaba's CEO Jack Ma is planning to invest at least 300 million yuan (about 15 million U.S. dollars) in 10 years in selecting excellent graduates to serve as rural teachers, thepaper.cn has reported, citing a rural graduates program set up by the Jack Ma Foundation.





Jack Ma, who calls himself "the spokesperson for rural teachers," claimed that the more prominent rural teachers are, the stronger rural education will be. "Aging teaching staff and outdated knowledge structure are the fundamental problems leading to poor rural education. We might find a breakthrough in China's educational reform by starting with rural education so as to further alleviate education-related poverty," added Jack Ma.





The first phase of the program, expected to launch on January 21, 2018, will sign 100 new university graduates with teaching degrees by applying targeted recruitment from provincial-level normal universities and a joint selection mechanism. Hunan First Normal University, Sichuan Normal University, Chongqing Normal University and Jilin Normal University are among the first batch of schools.





Students who stand out from capability model matching via big data will acquire three to six months of pedagogical practice, during which a two-way selection and evaluation will be simultaneously conducted. Those with outstanding performances will be included on a final list.





Yu Xiuhong, Executive Secretary General of the Jack Ma Foundation, noted they are looking for students with a sense of educational mission, strong capability, leadership and a cooperative spirit.





Jack Ma's rural teaching graduates program comes as the Chinese Ministry of Education has set a goal of optimizing the structure of teaching staff and resources in rural areas.





This is Jack Ma's third rural education program after his rural teachers program and rural headmasters program.




The Beijing New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) Technology Innovation Center was launched in "Lan Gu," or "Blue Valley," the headquarter of the BAIC Group's electric car company, Beijing Electric Vehicle Co. (BAIC BJEV), in Yizhuang on Nov. 9.

In 2018, the research center will host test trials, research services and tech-incubator. The center also plans to finish construction on the test bases for batteries, electric motors and finished cars.

The center sets its sights on building into an innovation hub of global influence that focuses on generic and cutting-edge technologies, as well as a platform leading in NEV research, production, service and talent cultivation, according to Wu Zhixin, deputy director of the China Automotive Technology & Research Center. It will also engage in the application of the research findings, the nurturing of high-end professionals as well as financing and investment in the NEV-related technology.

The center will also plan for new innovations including self driving cars and cars with flight or transformation capabilities. It will also focus on key technologies such as electric power technologies, weight reduction technologies and smart car technologies.

The center plans to establish a first-class system of technological capabilities in NEVs by 2020, and become a world-leading site for NEV technology and application by 2030.

Xu Qiang, director of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, said it is predicted that the city will have 170,000 NEVs by the end of this year, the most in China. The number of charging piles will exceed 110,000 by the year's end. The range of the BAIC BJEV flagship models will increase from 120 kilometers to 400 kilometers on a single charge.

Xu Heyi, BAIC Group's secretary of the Party committee and chairman, said the company will stop selling gasoline powered vehicles in Beijing by 2020 and in China by 2025.




China opens its first combined transport service to Nepal on May 11, 2016. [Xinhua]





Currently, Nepal is at the helm of a parliamentary election, the first of its kind after the new constitution. As the nation is gripped by the election fever, an alliance of two major communist parties -- CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (UML) -- has generated heated debates on infrastructure developments. The first and second phases of polling are over, and the preliminary results have clearly shown landslide victory of the communist parties.

During the nationwide campaigns, two top leaders of Nepal's major communist parties Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and KP Sharma Oli have repeatedly promised to link Nepal and China via rail services. Excited after the polls suggest the possibility of a landslide victory for the communist parties, the two former communist prime ministers have received warm applauds from the general public and the private sector for vowing to bring in more Chinese investments to Nepal.

Following the election alliance, the two communist parties have also issued a joint election commitment paper where they have promised to connect the eastern part of Nepal to the western belt and Rasuwa-Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini via electronic rail services in the coming five years.

Railway services are a long-awaited yet unfulfilled dream for the Nepalis. This is a serious issue since if Nepal were to use China's existing high-speed train of 300 km per hour, Nepal's east to west could be covered in about three hours while the journey from Kerung to Kathmandu, Kathmandu to Pokhara, and Pokhara to Lumbini could take only half an hour each.

Currently, the development of railway infrastructure has become a hot issue in discussions among scholars, university teachers and students, journalists and politicians too. In its editorial titled "A Rail to China" on November 12, Nepal's popular vernacular newspaper NayaPatrika daily stated that railway in Nepal has become an image; an opportunity and an impression of strangeness among folks. But recently, the possibility of railway services has emerged as a tangible and achievable reality, ending decades-long gossip, further states the editorial.

At a news conference in Kathmandu on November 17, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong said China is willing to become connected to Nepal via road and rail services. In the press brief organized after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to familiarize the Nepali media about the concept of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese ambassador also said China was committed to developing road and railways for deeper integration in economic, social, cultural and trade issues between the two countries.

Constructing the railways from China to Nepal is obviously an arduous task given the adverse geographic terrain. But, the Nepali dream for the railway is expected to materialize due to Nepal's participation in BRI, age-old close ties with China, Nepal's political commitment to development followed by an upcoming stable communist government and, most importantly, Nepalese citizens' deep rooted psyche to end the Indian high-handedness in Nepal that manifested in the economic blockade in 2015.

To quote the statements of Nepal's former Prime Minister, who is also a renowned architect, seems relevant here. "The extreme geography cannot limit us. Modern infrastructure technologies have offered many things for us. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has already shown how modern railway technologies can link the most remote and difficult to reach places. So, linking China's Tibet autonomous region and Nepal is possible both through technical and economic means," Dr Bhattarai said in his speech made in the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo" in China's Guangdong Province.

Likewise, the dream for China's train to Nepal has come further closer after a high-level 35-member Chinese team visited Rasuwa, Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lumbini, to carry out the preliminary feasibility study of a railway in Nepal in the second week of November.

China's National Railway Administration Deputy Chief Zheng Jian and other high-ranking officials visited Nepal and had interactions with top-level bureaucrats of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport in Kathmandu. As the alignment of the railways was an issue of discussions among others, the team shall prepare estimates for the total cost after working on the feasibility study. However, based on the preliminary survey, the construction is forecast to cost NPR 270 billion for the 100 km railway from the Chinese border town of Kerung to Kathmandu.

China is expected to construct a railway to Kerung, a small town along the Nepal-China border, by 2020 which will then stretch to connect to Nepal, given Nepal's political commitment. So, enhancing road links between Nepal and China is not only related to reducing transportation costs or trade promotion, rather it should be viewed in a bigger framework to overhaul the economies of the peoples in both the countries. The railway shall create a huge market and this in turn would yield productivity growth and cultural connectivity. And, China's role in railway development would be a landmark support for Nepal's stability and prosperity. This is what the Nepalis are expecting from their northern neighbor.

Mahendra Subedi is a Kathmandu-based journalist writing commentaries on international relations, labor migration and few other social issues.





Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
 Flash

Russia will pull most of its troops out of Syria after claiming a victory against the Islamic State (IS) but will maintain an airbase and a naval base in the war-torn country, President Vladimir Putin announced Monday.

During a surprise visit to the Hmeymim military airfield in Syria, Putin gave the order for a "significant" pullback of Russian troops, saying in the past two years, the Russian armed forces and the Syrian army have defeated the most lethal group of international terrorists.

Thanking Russian servicemen who took part in the anti-terrorist operations in Syria, where the Russian air force task group has been deployed since the end of September 2015, he said, "We will never forget about the sacrifices and losses during the fight against terror, both here in Syria and in Russia."

The Russian troops will return home to relatives, parents, wives, children and friends with a victory, he added.

However, Russia will keep two military bases in Syria, the Hmeymim airbase and the Tartus naval base.

"If terrorists raise their heads again, we will deal them such blows they have not yet seen," Putin said.

In January, Syria signed a deal with Russia, allowing the latter to use the Hmeymim airbase in the coastal province of Latakia for at least 49 years.

Russian warplanes stationed in the airbase flew numerous sorties in the past two years, destroying IS arms depots, equipment and personnel. They also provided air cover for Russian long-range strategic bombers during intensive airstrikes in recent weeks.

The Tartus port in northwestern Syria, established in 1977, is currently Russia's sole support facility in the Mediterranean.

Also in a January deal, Syria allowed Russia to keep its naval facility in Tartus for at least 49 years and agreed to expand and overhaul the maintenance infrastructure there.

The deal allows Russia to deploy up to 11 warships, including nuclear-powered combat vessels, in the Tartus base.

Russia started to participate in the anti-terrorist operations in Syria in September 2015 and began gradually reducing its military presence after brokering a nationwide truce among the warring factions in the Middle East country at the end of 2016.

In a symbolic move, Moscow withdrew its sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in January, leaving air forces to back Syrian government troops.

Last month, Putin told visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that Russian military operations in Syria were coming to an end, and the focus would shift to a political process.

A day after the surprise meeting with Assad, Putin hosted a summit with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts and they agreed to start a political process to end the six-year civil war in Syria.

The three countries are preparing for a Syrian National Dialogue Congress. Seven rounds of Syrian talks have already been held in the Kazakh capital of Astana, a parallel process to the Geneva negotiations sponsored by the United Nations.

Putin is currently on a Middle East tour to coordinate positions with Syria, Egypt and Turkey.
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British Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed for the first time on Monday the likely size of the "divorce bill" Britain will pay to leave the European Union (EU).

Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, May told main opposition leader, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, that the amount agreed with EU negotiators last week was between 35 billion pounds and 39 billion pounds (US$47 billion to US$52.2 million).

May added that if there is no deal between Britain and the EU on a future working arrangement, there will be no offer on the table.

It was the prime minister's first statement to the Parliament since a deal was struck with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday to pave the way for the next round of future-relationship negotiations.

The 27 EU member states will decide Thursday whether to accept Juncker's recommendation to commence early negotiations on the next phase.

May rejected a call by Corbyn to rethink Britain's set-in-stone departure date, saying Britain will leave the EU on March, 29, 2019, and will also leave the European single market and the customs union.

She added that Britain will continue to pay its net contributions under the current EU budget plan.

But this is conditional upon a number of principles negotiated, with May adding: "It is subject to the general reservation that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. This means we want to see the whole deal now coming together, including the terms of our future deep and special partnership."

May concluded by saying what had even agreed was not about a hard or a soft Brexit.

"The process ahead will not be easy. The progress so far has required give-and-take for the UK and the EU to move forwards together. And that is what we have done. Of course, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," said May.

She said she believed there was now a new sense of optimism in the talks and she fully hoped and expected the arrangement set out today will be confirmed by the EU later this week.
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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed on Monday his country's firm stance on the necessity of preserving the legal and historical status of Jerusalem in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo.





Both leaders held a prolonged meeting and discussed the recent developments after the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, spokesman for Egyptian presidency Bassam Rady said in a statement.

President Sisi stressed Egypt's support for establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Rady noted.

Meanwhile, President Abbas said the U.S. decision was surprising at a time when the Palestinian Authority showed flexibility and readiness to reach a settlement based on the two-state solution and recognition of East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital in line with the pre-1967 borders.

The two sides tackled the dangerous repercussions of the U.S. decision on the status of Jerusalem and the Middle East peace process, the spokesman said.

Both leaders agreed to continue consultations as well as exploiting the current international momentum opposing the U.S. decision.

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.

Trump's declaration received wide criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries.

Jerusalem lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

While Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, 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.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand fired back at President Donald Trump after he published a tweet Tuesday calling New York's junior senator a "lightweight" and claimed she "would do anything" for campaign donations.

Trump's tweet was a response to Gillibrand, who said Monday that the president should resign after several women accused him of sexual misconduct.

"Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump," the president tweeted. "Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!"

The reference to "Bill & Crooked" is about former President Bill Clinton and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was Trump's Democratic opponent in 2016. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said last month that Bill Clinton should have resigned as president when his affair with Monica Lewinsky was revealed.

Gillibrand responded to Trump's post with a tweet of her own.

"You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office," she wrote.

During a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Gillibrand added, "I think the president was using a sexist smear to try to silence my voice and silence the voice of the many survivors who came forward yesterday. He's not going to silence me and he's not going to silence them."

The White House dismissed the notion that Trump was using sexual innuendo in his tweet attacking Gillibrand.

At her press briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary said Trump's tweet could only be interpreted as a sexual statement "if your mind is in the gutter." She insisted Trump was referring to the political system.

"(Gillibrand) is a wholly owned subsidiary of people who donate to her campaign," Sanders said. "She's a puppet of Chuck Schumer."

Trump is a past supporter of Gillibrand's campaigns. When he donated to Democratic causes, he gave $3,150 to Gillibrand's congressional campaign in 2007. When she became a U.S. senator, he contributed $4,800 to her Senate campaign in 2010. That was before he began supporting mainly Republican candidates in races across the country. And it preceded his presidential bid in 2016.

Gillibrand has been a leading voice in Congress against sex crimes on college campuses and in the military. As more and more women come forward to tell their stories about being sexually assaulted or harassed in their workplace, she has advocated for new measures to improve conditions for women.

Last week, she introduced legislation that would end forced arbitration in sexual harassment cases. The goal of the bill is to expose these offenses in the workplace instead of silencing victims by requiring them to proceed with arbitration.

Gillibrand has been mentioned as a possible 2020 presidential candidate, which would likely pit her against Trump. She has said in multiple interviews that she is focused on her 2018 Senate re-election campaign.

You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office. https://t.co/UbQZqubXZv  Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) December 12, 2017
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China, Russia and India should play active roles in the changing global structure and work towards a world with stablization and certainty.

Wang made the remarks during the 15th trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries.

He said the tripartite cooperation mechanism between China, Russia and India follows the trend of a multi-polar world and democratic international relations, serving the overal interests of the three countries, the region and the world at large.

The tripartite cooperation has shown tremendous vitality and great potential in the past 15 years, thanks to the joint efforts from the three sides, Wang said.

The world is going through rapid development, major transformation and adjustment, with growing uncertainties, Wang noted. In this regard, China, Russia and India, as three fast developing emerging market countries, should play active roles amid a changing global structure, he said.

The tripartite cooperation should focus on strategic communication and coordination and speak in one voice on major international and regional issues which would help push for a fair and equitable international order, as well as safeguard the legitimate interests of emerging market countries and all the developing countries, he said.

The three countries should support the United Nations (UN) in playing a key role in global affairs, stick to solving hot and thorny issues through political means, and push for democratic international relations under the rule of law, said the Chinese top diplomat.

The three sides should also join hands to boost the unity, mutual trust and development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and work towards the second golden decade of BRICS cooperation, he added.

Wang said China, Russia and India should act as responsible powers and play an important leadership role in jointly building an open world economy, pressing forward the realization of rebalance of globalization, advancing reform of global economic governance, maintaining multilateral trading system, pushing forward implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and devoting to forging interconnection in Eurasia.

Meanwhile, the three countries should also conduct pragmatic cooperation in the sectors including anti-terror, drug control and people to people exchange.

Both Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said in the current complex and volatile international situation, the three countries should further enhance their cooperation and coordination in regional conflict, economic development, anti-terror, climate change and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, among others, within the framework of multilateral mechanisms such as the UN, the Group of Twenty, the BRICS, the SCO so as to press for the establishment of an international order that is fairer and more democratic.

They also said the open and transparent cooperation among the three countries which does not target any third party is conducive to safeguarding the common interests of both the emerging market countries and the developing countries and promoting world peace and development.

China, Russia and India issued a joint communique after the meeting of their foreign ministers.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday warned that the U.S. move on Jerusalem destabilizes the Middle East and will not help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking at a joint news conference after his meeting with Putin, Erdogan criticized Israel for taking advantage of the U.S. move on Jerusalem as "an opportunity to ramp up oppression and violence against the Palestinians."

"It is impossible for anyone who has a conscience, morality, or value to ignore the killings," the Turkish leader said.

He was apparently referring to the deaths of two Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces in clashes over the weekend in the Palestinian territories during Palestinian protests against Israeli occupation and U.S. President Donald Trump's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Erdogan added that Turkey and Russia share the same position on the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and will keep close cooperation on the issue.

"We have seen the same approach on the U.S. Jerusalem move. Both have agreed to continue our contacts in this regard," he said.

For his part, Putin said the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital did nothing to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and was destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

"The status of Jerusalem should be resolved by direct contacts between Israel and Palestine," Putin said.

Erdogan said that, as the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Turkey had invited the Islamic leaders to hold a summit in Istanbul this week.

"I believe we will deliver a very strong message from there," he noted.

Both leaders also discussed the bilateral relations as well as regional developments, particularly Syria, while pledging to continue cooperation on the Astana political process to resolve the Syrian crisis.

They planned to hold a meeting next week in the Russian resort of Sochi, according to Erdogan.

At a time when Turkey's ties with the U.S. and NATO are strained by a number of disputes, Ankara has cultivated closer ties with Russia.

The two leaders have been meeting regularly in the past months. They last met in Sochi on Nov. 22 to discuss the issue of Syria with Iran.
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Israel's anti-rocket system Iron Dome intercepted on Monday night a rocket fired at the Jewish state by militants in Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.

The rocket triggered Code Red sirens in the Hof Ashkelon regional council in southern Israel.

"The Iron Dome Aerial Defense System intercepted a rocket launched towards Israel," a military spokesperson said in a statement, adding that no injuries or damage were reported.

Earlier on Monday, Israel's tank and aircraft struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, in response to a rocket attack.

Usually the rockets fired into Israel were launched by the militant Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

This was the 10th rocket that was fired from Gaza Strip since U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The controversial announcement, which was denounced worldwide, triggered violent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the past days.

At least four Palestinians have been killed so far in Gaza by Israeli fire, according to Palestinian media.
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China on Monday condemned an attack on UN peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) leaving 15 Tanzanian UN peacekeepers and five more DRC soldiers dead.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the remarks at a daily press briefing. He mourned the victims and expressed condolences to their families.

The attack last Thursday by suspected Allied Democratic Forces rebels took place in North Kivu province in the eastern part of the DRC. It was the worst attack on a peacekeeping mission in nearly 25 years, and 53 other peacekeepers were also wounded.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "outrage and utter heartbreak" after the attack, urging DRC authorities to swiftly investigate.

"China is willing to continue to work with the international community, to play a positive role in peacefully solving the DRC issue and maintaining peace and stability of Africa," Lu said.
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You might be surprised to discover that tough-talking Rahm Emanuel once studied early education at Sarah Lawrence College and worked in a preschool. While his career path made a 180-degree change, the controversial mayor of Chicago is still a dynamic and keenly intelligent advocate for strong education policies and initiatives.

Three decades ago, Chicago schools were labeled as some of the worst in the nation. With over 370,000 students (pre-K through 12) in about 650 schools, the Chicago Public Schools enroll 90-percent minority and 77-percent economically disadvantaged students. Faced with declining enrollments, budget crises, closing schools and teacher strikes, Chicago schools are still initiating new programs and making measurable progress.

Today, according to a comprehensive Stanford University study, Chicago schools are leading the country in measures of academic growth. The Stanford study found that while the third-grade math and reading scores of CPS students in 2009 were 1.4 grade levels behind the national average, by the time these students reached eighth grade, scores had closed to within .4 grade levels, effectively gaining six years of learning in five. Using this metric of academic growth, Chicago schools have nearly the highest rates in the country, and that rate of growth seems to be increasing. With demographics stacked against them, enrolling students at a clear disadvantage, Chicago schools are advancing their students in a way that is significant.

In addition to a growth pattern 19-percent higher than the national average, high school student graduation rates have increased above the national average and college enrollment rates are nearing the national norms. In 2017, graduation rates hover around 75 percent. Compare that to Syracuse city schools, which just recently broke the 60-percent graduation mark. These statistics are remarkable. Poverty and social inequity are the greatest impediments to quality education, but without quality education, poverty and social inequity cannot be erased. It is a central dilemma of modern educational systems.

Just why things are clicking in Chicago is uncertain, but a number of initiatives are certainly at play. Among them are an increase in school hours, universal pre-K, more opportunities in the arts and, perhaps most importantly, a new emphasis on principals and cultivating strong leaders. Putting this emphasis on leadership, schools have recruited principals from in and out of mainstream education. Rahm Emanuel told The New York Times reporter David Leonhardt, The national debate is all screwed up. Principals create the environment. They create a culture of accountability. They create a sense of community. And none of us, nationally, ever debate principals. He added, We ask too much of teachers. Intelligently, CPSs chief education officer also pointed out, We cant track 22,000 teachers. We can work with 660 principals.

Some of the Chicago schools now have teachers writing their own curricula, shaping their programs and cultivating a culture under the guidance of strong principals, who work closely with their teachers and students. At-risk students need a strong sense of community and common purpose, and teachers working in highly challenging classrooms also need that sense of community and support. There is a powerful, if subtle difference between giving a teacher a curriculum plan and policies for working with high-needs children, and working together to share the responsibility of making a more successful environment for students. Principals are the team leaders who should inspire, support and share their approaches and initiatives to create a consistent and inclusive community. When principals and teachers model a solid commitment to each other, it translates to their students. Schools with divisive relationships between teachers and administration are crippled in their efforts to create a healthy community and student success.

I think Chicagos success is a very bright spot in a typically dismal prospect. A brand new initiative beginning with this years rising sophomores will require students to develop a post-graduation plan in order to receive their diplomas. Students must show they have secured a job, received a letter of acceptance to college, an apprenticeship, a gap year program or military service. How this initiative plays out remains to be seen, but it reinforces the notion that high school is a stepping stone to a better life.

Privileged children, raised with money and opportunity, dream big and make plans throughout their school lives. If education is to pull students out of poverty and help them build successful lives, they must also be able to dream big and plan for their futures.

I applaud Chicagos efforts, and I think a few years working in a preschool did Rahm a world of good.
One person was injured in a two-car crash in Fleming Monday afternoon.

Cayuga County 911 Dispatch said the accident was called in at 1:03 p.m. near Dougall and Bluefield Roads. One person received minor injuries and was transported to a hospital.

Fleming Fire Department, AMR Ambulance and New York State Police responded to the scene. State police did not have more information as of 5:15 p.m.

Police did say the slick roads were causing some minor accidents across the county.
Shanghai(Gasgoo)- On Dec. 11, Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, parent company of SF Motors, released an announcement that its board of directors passed eight projects, including investing and setting up high-performance battery project, building up subsidiary companies, setting up NEV industrial fund and NEV equity investment funds, etc.



According to the announcement, Sokon will invest RMB 300million (about $45.3 million) to set up a subsidiary company named Chongqing Jinkang Power New Energy Co., Ltd. The company is positioned as an international provider of battery, electric motor and electric control systems for high-end electric vehicles. Moreover, the wholly-owned subsidiary will invest RMB 100 million (about $15 million) to establish its own subsidiary, Chongqing Jinkang Electric Vehicle Sales Company, to accelerate the channel building for NEV sales.

Sokon plans to authorize Chongqing Jinkang Power New Energy Co., Ltd. to invest and build up a power battery project of high-performance vehicles at the Science and Technology Industrial Park of Chongqing College Town. The project is planned to cover an area of 600mu (about 400,000 square meters) with a total investment of RMB 2.02575 billion (about $306million). Once completed construction and put into production, it will achieve an annual production capacity of 5.2GWh.

Sokon, Chongqing Junyue Sharing Equity Investment Funds Management Co., Ltd. and Chongqing Share Industry Investment Co., Ltd. will co-initiate and establish an industrial investment fund for battery, electric motor and electric control systems. The three parties will jointly set up Chongqing Junyue Sharing New Energy Equity Investment Funds Partner Company and also sign a framework agreement. The total equity of the company is planned to reach RMB 3 billion (about $453 million). Sokon will subscribe 15% of the shares.

Sokon will buy the total equity of SF Motors, Inc. from Chongqing Sokon New Energy Vehicle Design Institute Co., Ltd for RMB 188 million (about $28 million). After the equity transfer, Sokon will add an investment of RMB 32.74 million (about $ 5 million) to SF Motors, Inc., whose capital will be totalled $ 60 million.

Sokon and China Innovative Capital Management Co., Ltd. will jointly invest and found Jinkang NEV Industry Investment Funds with a total investment of RMB 2 billion (about $302million). Specifically, Sokon will subscribe 25% limited partnership shares, which equal to RMB 500 million (about 75.5 million), and China Innovative Capital Management will subscribe the rest.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- XPeng Auto intelligent network technology industrial park (Zhaoqing Base) started construction on the afternoon of December 11th. With a total area of 2 million square meters, the industrial park will focus on BEV models in new energy transportation area and develop itself into a comprehensive and modern industrial park involving autonomous driving R&D and demonstration, intelligent connected big data platform, auto R&D, auto parts manufacturing, supply chain cooperation, vehicle production, trial experiments, international business, auto service trade and other businesses.

Vehicle production project occupy an area of 1 million square meters with an investment of RMB 10 billion. According to plan, the first phase of project will occupy an area of 600,000 square meters with an investment of RMB 4 billion. The second phase will have an investment of RMB 6 billion. Its expected that the first phase of project will provide an annual capacity of 200,000 units after completion.

He Xiaopeng, board chairman of XPeng Auto, believes that, China has accumulated great funds, policies and scientific talents in the fast developments of Internet and transportation. Global auto manufacturers will also gradually transform into transportation service providers involving manufacturing and operation. XPeng Auto shows its determination to become a pioneer and leader in becoming Internet auto industry by locating the industrial park in Zhaoqing. XPeng Auto will provide different transportation services to domestic and overseas customers in auto manufacturing, automatic driving and Internet by new ways of retails and operation.

In July, 2017, XPeng Auto obtained product approval from MIIT and successfully achieved in-depth cooperation with Haima Auto. The first batch of vehicles in mass production rolled off production line in October. On December 3rd, the first vehicle from XPeng Auto was driven on road with license plates by He Xiaopeng, who became the first driver of XPeng 1.0 Geek version. In 2018, XPeng plans to launch the 2.0 version model to consumers with different design, interior decoration, safety measures, automatic driving and Internet abilities, thus providing practical and reliable driving experiences.
BAGHDAD - Foreign leaders congratulated Iraq on Sunday following the prime minister's declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. Saudi Arabia said the achievement is a big victory against terrorism in the region and the United Kingdom applauded Iraq's security forces "for their courage and sacrifice".

On Sunday, an Iraqi military parade in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone celebrated final victory over the IS group, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi looking on as troops marched in formation, their bodies spelling "victory day" in Arabic.

Abadi, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, listened solemnly to Quranic verses from a chapter titled al-Nasr, meaning victory.
MANILA - State-run China Telecom Corp could become the third telecoms player in the Philippines, officials of the Southeast Asian nation said on Sunday, as the government looks to stir up competition in an effort to boost local services.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte last month offered China the "privilege" of challenging a long-standing duopoly that has frustrated consumers because of slow and intermittent internet and mobile phone services.

"The Chinese government selected China Telecom to invest in the Philippines upon invitation by President Duterte during the bilateral meeting last Nov 16," said Eliseo Rio, secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, told Reuters.
RABAT - Morocco's recent signing of an agreement with China's BYD, a leading electric vehicle maker, is set to boost its ambitious automobile manufacturing industry.

Under the agreement signed on Saturday, BYD will build a factory in Morocco to produce battery-powered vehicles in the northern city of Tangier, which is expected to employ 2,500 people.

The factory is planned in an area of 0.5 square kilometer in the new Mohamed VI Tangier Tech City, as part of a project between China and Morocco to set up a large scale industrial hub in northern Morocco.
Irrevocable change coming to transform way the world does business

By Gao Meng ( China Daily )

Updated: 2017-12-12

Booming innovative technology is bringing with it radically transformational new industries and irrevocable change to the methods of traditional companies, according to Xu Jinghong, president of Tsinghua Holdings.

Xu was speaking at the New Economy Developed Forum, held in the capital last Thursday in Beijing.

The conference was a sub-forum of the 2017 Zhongguancun Forum, bringing together some of China's most promising startup companies and emerging technology leaders.

"The world now is filled with words like new economy, new technology, new modules and new industry," Xu said.

Xu Jinghong, president of Tsinghua Holdings, delievers a speech at the New Economy Developed Forum, a sub-forum of the 2017 Zhongguancun Forum. Provided to China Daily

"New technology should be the last phrase we forget," he added.

Science is progressing faster nowadays than any period in history, Xu said.

"The internet, genetic science, astronomics - all these are changing old industrial patterns."

New industries and new ways of doing business are bringing opportunities for companies to expand and develop.

"The core of a new industry is the power of technology, which means innovation is life to enterprises," Xu explained.

In discussing the relationship between innovation and the new economy, Zhai Lixin, director of the Zhongguancun Science Park, said that new technology induces and supports the new economy and the new economy results in new industries.

"Zhongguancun is a cradle of China's new economy," Zhai said.

"Creative talent and enterprises gather here to share a rich innovation atmosphere," Zhai added.

"The park should transform scientific achievements and the core missions of industrialization and create an innovation of culture, particularly in incubating new enterprises."

As an important incubator of new and inventive companies, Zhongguancun has put forward preferential policies for both Chinese and foreign companies that are engaged in big data, internet plus, artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

"Zhongguancun recently published a plan for cultivating AI talent and we hope the output of the AI industry will exceed 50 billion yuan ($7.56 billion) by 2020," said Zhai.

Tsinghua Holdings President Xu gave four tips to entrepreneurs and investors on the pathway to innovation: keep creating values that benefit people, offer good products and services, be honest to all and never forget why you started in business.

Christian Weiss, founder of Berlin-based Sunfish Partners - which supports and invests in early-stage data startups - suggested that entrepreneurs learn about the Chinese market and its culture, particularly their local thinking patterns and business habits.

He also expressed his willingness to see more links between Chinese and European companies on innovation and entrepreneurship, so they could learn about both international and local demands.

Zhongguancun Science Park's Zhai said he looks forward to more Zhongguancun-based enterprises expanding into global markets, collecting international talent resources, connecting to the world innovation network and improving Zhongguancun's global influence.

The conference also featured exchanges between entrepreneurs on essential points for Western entrepreneurs managing partnerships with their Chinese counterparts.

Wang Wei, China general manager of AppsFlyer - a mobile marketing analytics platform - advised international companies to think with a Chinese mindset "by making, for example, their prices more flexible".

Alan Dowdell, vice-president of California-based electric vehicle infrastructure company ChargePoint Inc, and Carol Li, director of business innovation and strategy at Payoneer, said they regarded trust as the most important element.

They said trusting partners, believing local teams and building a good relationship with government agencies all benefited businesses.

The 2017 Shengjing Global Innovation Awards ceremony was also held during the forum, with a total of 21 winners from China, the United States, Israel and Europe accepting awards.

The awards were sponsored by Shengjing, a company services platform, with the intention of celebrating entrepreneurs around the world and offering a platform for international investors and creators to share business opportunities.

(China Daily 12/12/2017 page7)
Nicholas Rosellini, the United Nations resident coordinator, gave China Daily an exclusive interview on gender equality and China's efforts to end gender-based violence. On Nov 24, UN Women jumpstarted the 2017 #OrangetheWorld campaign with a bang. The Orange the World awareness campaign spans 16 days, where individuals and groups alike are encouraged to spread information and awareness about gender-based violence. Awareness about gender inequality and the violence so often perpetuated against women and girls is paramount in the fight to bring an end to these issues.

Rosellini said of the important movement, "The 16-day campaign and the Orange the World campaign come at a pivotal time in society, during which gender-based violence is being brought into the spotlight." China Daily had the opportunity to catch up with Mr. Rosellini to discuss China's sustainable development goals, the effects of gender equality, and plans to target and solve these issues.

Rosellini stated, "If you look at poverty and environment, often the people who are most affected by environmental degradation are poor communities, poor people. If you look at health and education, the role of women is very important. One of the best ways to raise society is through educating young girls properly; so this is all very interconnected. What we have is something called the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was a plan adopted by the United Nations world leaders from over 193 countries in September 2015. It officially came into effect in 2016 and has set a basic framework to the year 2030. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development spans over 17 goals that cover a variety of social problems such as health, education, water supply and sanitation.

Rosellini went into further detail, stating, "They cover issues such as jobs and industrialization, and they cover issues around environment and climate change. It is very much an interconnected comprehensive agenda for the world, adopted unanimously by the member countries in the United Nations. It gives us an agenda to help people and the planet, to improve the well-being of people and to protect the planet over the coming years."

While some may believe these sustainable development goals may have no implication or affect on gender equality, Rosellini would encourage them to consider otherwise. "I think gender is very much integrated into this agenda. It affects many of the goals, the 17 goals, both as an objective to improve the well-being of women and also as a means of promoting better development. Gender and women's issues are thoroughly integrated in this agenda."

As the UN resident coordinator in China, Rosellini has spoken extensively on China's sustainable development goals and attempts to completely eliminate poverty in the next 10 years. Rosellini believes that, "If we look at gender equality, it is both a fundamental human right but it is also a means to achieving a prosperous and peaceful world. We can see many examples of this. Investing in girls' education has a multiplier impact on communities that the girls are in. Involving women in mediation and negotiations in conflict countries improves the likelihood of coming to peaceful solutions. Of course, women are a very important part of the workforce as well. So when one looks at women's contributions in society, it cuts across all aspects of what society needs in terms of development, peace and security."

Rosellini also emphasized that "gender equality is both the means to achieving a prosperous and peaceful world, as well as an objective in its own right." Rosellini has displayed his complete support for UN Women and the Orange the World campaign. The need for greater awareness about gender-based violence and gender equality is paramount and a vital part of the sustainable development goals. While there are undoubtedly many more challenges that China has on its journey to ending gender-based violence and attaining true gender quality, Rosellini is hopeful about the road to come.

"I think in China, gender equality is firmly part of the laws of the country. Just last year with support from the UN and UN Women, there was a domestic anti-violence law passed. We can see very significant and important strides being taken to make sure that we leave no one behind and achieve the sustainable development goals, including gender equality."
When Erin Morgan places a wreath on the graves of fallen law enforcement, she thinks of her police officer husband, who serves as an everyday reminder of why she started Arizonas Fallen Heroes wreath program.

The bottom line is if my husband, God forbid, if I were in a position where my husband was killed in the line of duty, I would want to know that people were still saying his name 100 years from now, Morgan said. These peoples lives matter and we should never forget that.

The program, which started in Pennsylvania, seeks to acknowledge the sacrifices made by fallen law enforcement and their families.

Morgan started the Arizona program in 2015 after helping with the Pennsylvania iteration. According to Morgan, 295 state law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty.

Morgan and her volunteers seek to place a wreath in honor of every fallen officer in Arizona no matter how long ago they passed.

It does not matter if an officer died last year or 150 years ago like Tombstone Marshal Fred White, Morgan said. Every fallen officer deserves to be remembered."

The program has placed a wreath for a police department in every county in Arizona, including Coconino County. Coconino has lost eight law enforcement officers in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks deaths across the nation.

Morgan herself has helped place or ship wreaths in honor of fallen officers in the Flagstaff Police Department and the Coconino County Sheriffs Office; this includes two wreaths at the Arizona Peace Officers Memorial in Phoenix recognizing fallen Flagstaff Police Officers Tyler Jacob Stewart and Jeff Adam Moritz.

The two men are the only Flagstaff police officers killed in the line of duty.

The Fallen Heroes Wreath Program has also placed three wreaths in honor of fallen deputies belonging to the Coconino County Sheriffs Office.

The Sheriffs Office has lost three deputies since 1908: James Michael Young, John B. Jamison, and Deputy Sheriff Escapulo Domingez, who was killed in 1908.

Morgan said a wreath placed on the grave of a fallen officer can be a great relief to the family even if many years have passed since the incident.

One wife of a DPS officer buried in Coconino County sent me a letter after we made a wreath for her husband, Morgan said. She said 'no one had mentioned my husbands name in 40 years until this program.'

If you are interested in volunteering for the program or know of a fallen officer that should be remembered, send an email to fhwpaz@gmail.com or go to Arizona Fallen Heroes Wreath Programs Facebook page.
Thousands Sign Petition Seeking to Ban Franklin Graham From Entering the UK 12 December, 2017 by Samuel Smith/CP , |

Members of the U.K. parliament and over 6,000 people have signed an online petition calling for leading American evangelist Franklin Graham to be refused entry into the country ahead of his scheduled trip to Blackpool next September.

Over 6,100 people have signed onto a Change.org petition calling for Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, to be "banned" from entering the U.K. over his beliefs on LGBT issues and Islam, and fear he will do nothing but "promote prejudice and hatred."

The movement to refuse Graham a visa has picked up some steam as British news outlets are reporting that a number of parliament members, one high-ranking government official and even some Blackpool clergy favor refusing the 65-year-old Graham a visa to enter the country so that he can't speak at the Lancashire Festival of Hope in September 2018.

Gordon Marsden, a member of Parliament who represents Blackpool, has called on the home secretary to refuse Graham entry into the U.K. and argued that Graham might have violated the country's rules on hate speech, The Guardian reports.

"I think frankly the evidence is piling up that his visit to the U.K. ... would not be a good thing and not probably in my view a very Christian thing," Marsden told BBC Radio Lancashire, claiming that Graham's beliefs were "incompatible with what Jesus said in the Bible."

Afzal Khan, the member of Parliament for Manchester Gorton, told The Guardian that Graham's views "are not welcome."

Read more about Franklin Graham on The Christian Post.
No matter the outcome of todays special election in Alabama for a coveted US Senate seat, there is already one loser: Christian faith. When it comes to either matters of life and death or personal commitments of the human heart, no one will believe a word we say, perhaps for a generation. Christianitys integrity is severely tarnished.

The race between Republican candidate Roy Moore and Democratic candidate Doug Jones has only put an exclamation point on a problem that has been festering for a year and a halfever since a core of strident conservative Christians began to cheer for Donald Trump without qualification and a chorus of other believers decried that support as immoral. The Christian leaders who have excused, ignored, or justified his unscrupulous behavior and his indecent rhetoric have only given credence to their critics who accuse them of hypocrisy. Meanwhile the easy willingness of moderate and progressive Christians to cast aspersions on their conservative brothers and sisters has made many wonder about our claim that Jesus Christ can bring diverse people together as no other can.

The Hypocrisy on the Left

From moderate and liberal brothers and sisters, conservatives have received swift and decisive condemnation. They call these conservatives idolaters for seeking after political power. They call them homophobes for wanting Christian bakers to legally follow their conscience. They call them racists and Islamophobes for wanting secure borders. These moderates and liberal evangelicals are so disturbed by the political beliefs of their brothers and sisters that many say they dont even want to be associated with them anymore; they seem to view these brothers and sisters in Christ as tax collectors and sinners.

In general, we have witnessed few Christians among these critics taking the time and effort to understand the views of their conservative fellow believers or to delve into the social and political realities they might be coming from. Some secular analysts, who frankly acknowledge being on the Left, have been doing this admirably. UC Berkeley sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschilds Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right strives to understand Tea Party advocates in Louisiana, most of whom are evangelical Christians. And law professor Joan Williamss White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America unpacks the class dimensions of much of our political divide. And then there is Jonathan Haidts The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, which demonstrates the moral ground of advocates left and right. None of these writers could be mistaken for a conservative, but they each at least attempt to be charitable and fair-minded in trying to understand the views of those with whom they disagree. If only some leading evangelical progressive or moderate would do the same.

This is not to excuse some statements by conservative leaders that cannot be interpreted in any other way than as a slur against gays, Muslims, Mexicans, and others. Some conservatives are fearful beyond reason. Some conservatives clearly worship political power as much as they do Jesus Christ. But too often, we mistake the inarticulate groanings of certain foolish conservative leaders for the actual beliefs and behavior of the mass of evangelicals who vote for Donald Trump or Roy Moore.

When you actually talk to such supporters face to face, you often find more nuanced and reasoned political views, grounded in moral principles, combined with a ready willingness to condemn the immorality and verbal carelessness of these two men. These conservatives are of a view one can appreciate philosophically: Sometimes in a nations life, one must for prudential reasons cast ones lot with a morally unsavory candidate. Sometimes it really is a choice between the lesser of two evils, and sometimes three. We can respect that while continuing to disagree with some of their prudential choices, as they disagree with ours.

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Our concern here is with a cabal of noisy conservatives, whom the press has apparently (and unjustly) appointed as spokesmen for all conservatives. This group pretends that the choice for someone like Moore represents unalloyed godliness and refuses to unmistakably criticize immorality in other leaders they admire. To justify or ignore the moral failings of a politician because he champions your favored policieswell, that is to step onto the path of self-deception and hypocrisy, which according to Jesus, leads to no less place than hell (Matt. 23:15).

Of course, this charge of hypocrisy cuts both ways. It has applied equally well to progressive and moderate Christians, who have in the past turned a blind eye to the moral failings and moral bankruptcy of liberal candidates they support and who have decided, at best, to whisper truth to power lest they delegitimize their candidate or office holder. Clearly, there are moments on the Left in which partisans are too weak to resist the temptation to entrust themselves to the power politics of the moment instead of to him who judges justly, to whom the nations are like a drop in a bucket  regarded as dust on the scales, who brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing (Isa. 40:15, 23).

Hypocrisy on the Right

As suggested above, some of the critiques by the Left and center (matched by a fair amount of critiques by leading conservatives, by the way), are hard to argue with. Hypocrisy is again the most salient charge.

As recently as 2011, PRRI found that only 30 percent of white evangelicals believed an elected official who commits an immoral act in their personal life can still behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their public and professional life. But by late 2016, when Donald Trump was running for president, that number had risen sharply to 72 percentthe biggest shift of any US religious group.

The reason for the flip is not hard to discern. David Brody, a correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, has noted the desperation and urgency felt throughout much of conservative Christianity. The way evangelicals see the world, the culture is not only slipping awayits slipping away in all caps, with four exclamation points after that. Its going to you-know-what in a handbasket. The logic is then inexorable: Where does that leave evangelicals? It leaves them with a choice. Do they sacrifice a little bit of that ethical guideline theyve used in the past in exchange for what they believe is saving the culture?

Apparently yes. This is precisely why, when serious and substantial allegations of sexual abuse of minors were made against Roy Moore, many doubled down on their support for him. Within days of this news story in The Washington Post, polls indicated that not only would 57 percent of evangelicals continue to support him, another 37 percent said they were now more likely to vote for him.

As some have pointed out, many conservative Christians simply dont believe the many news accounts and chalk it up to a secular, liberal, Democratic conspiracy against Moore. Others acknowledge that while the charges may be true, they are minor in nature or happened so long ago they dont matter today. Some are simply Machiavellian, saying they are not electing Mother Teresa but a man who can look out for the interests of conservative Christians.

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What is going on here? Among other things, there is this: Many conservatives feel marginalized by the culture and remember the days when a Judeo-Christian morality didnt need explaining or defending. They know that a people without a vision of sound moral grounding will perish. They dont want to perish, and to give them credit, they dont want this nation to perish. They really do believe that this is a matter of life and death. To them, our choices are simple and stark: devilry or godliness.

They are right, of course, about moral decline in America. Yes, there are all sorts of qualifications and nuances to make, and our culture, in fact, champions many biblical values (the recent #MeToo campaign and the fight against racism are but two examples). But there is no question that from a biblical perspective, our nation has lost its moorings. Nearly everyone does what is right in his own eyes, which results in moral, psychological, and social suffering unheard of in our history. The gap between rich and poor, the number of abortions and fatherless children, the steady rise of drug addiction, the increasing sympathy with euthanasiathese are but a few indicators that something is deeply wrong.

The problem with many Christian conservatives is this: They believe they can help the country become godly again by electing people whose godliness is seriously questioned by the very people they want to influence.

They have forgotten that old evangelical idea (and, before that, a Jewish idea) of putting a hedge around the law. That refers to behavior that is not wrong in itself but is practiced so as to not give even a hint of wrongdoing. It is not immoral to drink alcohol as such, but many Christians refuse to do so because they recognize that drinking alcohol may impair their judgment about matters that in fact are moral. When it comes to choosing leaders and shaping our life together, weve rightly followed this biblical teaching: Abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22, KJV).

This attitude has sometimes nurtured legalism and self-righteousness, to be sure, but it has also helped us to lead lives that are often respected by unbelievers, even when they dont agree with our choices. We have taken seriously these words of the apostle Peter: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Pet. 2:12).

When a public Christian is accused of some immorality, the honorable and moral thing to do has been to take a leave of absence until the matter of settled. This is precisely what Moore, who sees himself as a godly and moral candidate, has refused to do.

But what if this is merely a political ploy to remove a candidate from running for office, and what if its all a lie in the end? What if our godly candidate is merely being persecuted and harassed (by the powerful Obama-Clinton Machine, as Moore put it), and this is further evidence were not in just a political battle but a spiritual one (as Moore has repeatedly claimed)?

Well, how does the Bible say we fight spiritual battles when, for instance, people falsely say all kinds of evil against you (Matt. 5:11)?

By turning the other cheek (Matt. 5:39).

By forgiving 7 times 70 (Matt. 18:22, KJV).

By doing good to our enemies (Matt. 5:4348).

If were really anxious to help the nation become more godly, we have to act godly even when we think we are unfairly judged, even when the stakes are at their highest:

But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (1 Pet. 2:2023)

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Some have argued along these lines: We have the best chance in decades of reversing Roe v. Wade, protecting the religious liberty of the church, and reversing unjust and immoral laws! Lets say for the sake of argument that such a political agenda could be enacted in the next few years by the means chosenelecting and supporting officials whose behavior is widely viewed as immoral. Will our political enemies be convinced of the righteousness of our moral agenda? Or will they think we are hypocrites who are using political power to force our wills on others? Will they more deeply respect us, or will they more deeply resent us and disbelieve our faith?

When combative conservative Christians refuse to suffer patiently in the public square, retaliate when insults are hurled at them, and do not refrain from the appearance of evil, they sabotage not only their political cause but the cause they care about the most: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Resisting the Temptations of Political Life

What events of the last year and a half have shown once again is that when Christians immerse themselves in politics as Christians, for what they determine are Christian causes, touting their version of biblical morality in the public squarethey will sooner or later (and often sooner) begin to compromise the very principles they champion and do so to such a degree that it blemishes the very faith they are most anxious to promote. And one of the biggest blemishesfor it is an open refutation of Jesus prayer that we be oneis when we start divorcing one another over politics. Jesus said it is our unity in him that will, more than anything, help the world see that you [Father] have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:23). No wonder few believe much of anything we say anymore.

The way forward is unclear. For to love ones neighbor in a democratic society means that Christians must participate in the public square to seek the common good. We cannot forsake our political duty, and that duty will lead believers in different directions. Its just that when we do engage in politics, we so often end up doing and saying things that make us sound and act like we dont care about the very values we champion. Perhaps the first step is for Christians Left and Right, when they stand up to champion a cause, to stop saying Thus says the Lord and Lord, I thank you that you have not made me like these other Christians, but frame their politics with, Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.

Mark Galli is editor in chief of Christianity Today.
I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up.
At the birth of a masterpiece

The only known sketch in oil that fully outlines the final composition for La liberte guidant le peuple, the acclaimed masterpiece by Eugene Delacroix

Few artists have had the same enduring influence as Eugene Delacroix, the last painter of the Grand Style, but equally the leader of the French Romantic School and one of the first modern masters. Described by Baudelaire as a poet in painting, Delacroix also wrote eloquently on art, literature, music and nature. As an artist striving to capture the interplay between light and form, and fascinated with optical effects and strong colours, he reshaped the pictorial tradition, depicting both classical and unconventional subjects. His innovations inspired the Impressionist movement and paved the way for new styles of painting. Cezanne, Degas and Van Gogh all copied Delacroixs compositions and revered him as a pioneer. His bold application of pigment continued to inspire artists well into the the second half of the 20th century, including the likes of Henri Matisse and Georges Rouault, Giorgio de Chirico and Pablo Picasso, whose graphic and pictorial series, Women of Algiers, was inspired by Delacroixs own 1834 painting, Women of Algiers in Their Apartment.

Open a larger version of this image Eugene Delacroix, La liberte guidant le peuple (Liberty Leading the People), 1830. Louvre-Lens, France / Bridgeman Images

Delacroixs greatest painting is the iconic La liberte guidant le peuple (Liberty Leading the People), 1830, which hangs in the Louvre and represents a pivotal moment in French history, when public protests led to the abdication of the deeply unpopular King Charles X and his replacement by King Louis Philippe. On 14 December 2017, the only known sketch in oil that fully outlines the intended final composition for La liberte guidant le peuple will lead Christies 19th Century European & Orientalist Art auction. A vibrant and spontaneous autograph painting by Delacroix, Le 28 juillet  la liberte guidant le peuple is a vital document in the evolution of an image known the world over, offering extraordinary insight into the artists process.

Whether depicting battles between Turks and Greeks, Christians and Muslims, the powers of Heaven and Hell, or the heroes of literature and classical antiquity, many of Delacroixs paintings are unforgiving in their brutality. They reveal an obsession with power, colour and movement and a gladiatorial perspective that dictates only one victor. La liberte guidant le people was not a glorification of the raw and violent power of the mob, however, but an allegory for the political ambitions and struggles of a population determined on liberation.

I have undertaken a modern subject, a barricade, and although I may not have fought for my country, at least I shall have painted for her  Eugene Delacroix

The work was not created as a single historical painting, but was the consequence of several projects undertaken by Delacroix, rooted in his desire to depict the tragic events of the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s. It was a cause that had captured the popular imagination in France and England, exemplified by the involvement of such figures as Lord Byron, who died in the service of the Greek cause in 1824. In August 1824, Delacroix presented The Massacre of Chios at the Salon. The painting, which now hangs in the Louvre, articulated his shock at the brutal slaughter of tens of thousands of Greek patriots that had taken place on the island of Chios two years previously. In the following years, Delacroix continued to explore the artistic expression of grand concepts such as Liberty and Rebellion, while also producing large-scale paintings on literary and contemporary subjects to be shown at the biennial salons. These separate ambitions culminated in the allegorical painting Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi, the scale, palette and compositional elements of which are of vital importance to the creation of La liberte guidant le peuple.

Open a larger version of this image Detail of Eugene Delacroix (French, 1798-1863), Le 28 juillet  la liberte guidant le peuple, 1830, with the figure of Liberty brandishing what would be the Tricolour in the final work

In October 1830, in a letter addressed to his brother, Delacroix wrote: I have undertaken a modern subject, a barricade, and although I may not have fought for my country, at least I shall have painted for her. In the preparatory oil sketch the fast and fluid lines of the final composition takes form with the figure of Liberty at the centre, surrounded by the fallen men who populate the primary plane. A pivotal figure, looking up in hope and admiration, is present to the left in both the preparatory and the final painting.

Open a larger version of this image Detail of: Eugene Delacroix (French, 1798-1863), Le 28 juillet  la liberte guidant le peuple, 1830, showing the artists fast and fluid lines
The enduring power of Irma Stern

Christopher Peter, director of the University of Cape Town Irma Stern Museum, discusses the life and work of the pioneering South African artist, whose 1946 masterpiece, The Watussi Chiefs Wife, will be offered on 14 December

Irmas epic life spans the most extraordinary South African years  and the most extraordinary years of the 20th century, says Christopher Peter, director of the University of Cape Town Irma Stern Museum. Stern was born in 1894 in Schweizer-Reneke, a frontier town in the former South African province of Transvaal. The child of Jewish-German parents, Stern's father made his fortune as a cattle farmer and goods trader to South African gold miners, and Irma and her brother Rudi grew up in relative comfort. Her peaceful childhood came to an abrupt end with the internment of her Boer-leaning father during the South African War (1899-1902). Though he was soon released, the Sterns nonetheless relocated briefly to Germany. In subsequent years the family farming and business enterprises flourished, affording them a lifestyle which included constant travel between South Africa and Germany. It was on these journeys that Stern first experienced the allure of foreign cultures, which left a lasting impression. On the eve of the First World War, Stern was in Germany with her family, unable to return to South Africa. It was here that her formal art studies began, both privately in Berlin and at the Academy in Weimar. During this time, she met and was greatly encouraged by Max Pechstein, the German Expressionist painter and founding member of the November Group. His influence would prove of vital importance to her development as an artist of Africa and Europe.

By 1916 Stern was already positioning herself as a young artist with her own vision, says Christopher Peter. That was when she painted her most famous early Expressionist painting, The Eternal Child. After the war, the family returned to South Africa. She was already writing, in cold, rather desperate Berlin, about how she was longing to be back in South Africa, remembering all the colours and textures  the whole atmosphere, Peter says. But it soon became clear that the Africa of Sterns childhood was not to be found or seen in Cape Town. At the same time, her avant-garde artistic tendencies failed to receive the same recognition in conservative colonial circles that they had in Germany.

Open a larger version of this image Irma Stern (1894-1966), Native Girl, 1922. 20 x 15 in (51.2 x 40 cm). Sold for 30,000 on 21 June 2012 at Christies in London

In search of African subject matter, Stern decided to visit the Eastern Cape, Swaziland and Natal, where she continued to draw and paint. The work she produced there, first exhibited in Cape Town in 1922, was an absolute shock to the establishment, which couldnt comprehend her images of sensual brown figures lying under trees. In the 1930s the rise of Nazism made it impossible for Stern to return to Germany. Instead she travelled widely across Africa, visiting Senegal in 1938, Zanzibar in 1939, and Congo in 1942. I shall want to paint the Watussi, she wrote in a letter to her friend Richard Feldman, of her desire to paint the queen and other women of the royal family. A 1942 exhibition of her Congo pictures in Johannesburg included almost 200 works from that trip.

Open a larger version of this image Irma Stern (1894-1966), Congolese Woman. 30 x 24 in (76.2 x 60.9 cm) including frame. Sold for 569,300 on 12 December 2007 at Christies in London

In 1946, Stern made a second trip to Congo where she painted The Watussi Chief's Wife (whose real-life subject was probably the Rwandan queen Rosalie Gicanda). With its elongated, liquid forms, the work has a strange simplicity, with colours that speak volumes of Irmas skill, Peter says. It was during the period of The Watussi Chiefs Wife, when she was alone in Africa, that she really came in to her own, says Peter, who describes the paintings executed in those years as compelling and magical. The Watussi Chief's Wife travelled to Paris in 1947, where it was featured in a critically acclaimed exhibition of Sterns work, alongside a second portrait of the same sitter. The catalogue was written by the first director of the Musee National dArt Moderne, Jean Cassou, who purchased a piece for the museum (now in the collection of the Centre Pompidou). With these works, Cassou noted, Stern had arrived at a perfect synthesis of technique and subject, resulting in the most eloquent production of her career.

Open a larger version of this image The lounge at the Irma Stern Museum. Courtesy of the Irma Stern Museum and Irma Stern Trust. Photograph by Sean Wilson, October 2017
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The flight was already shaping up as a headache, and the plane had not even left the ground.

Mei Rui, a concert pianist and a cancer researcher, was supposed to catch a Spirit Airlines flight from her home in Houston to Newark, N.J., on Friday. The trip was for a recording connected with a clinical cancer study in New York City. Rui's elderly mother and father were along for the ride, as was her 2-year-old son.

But the 6:30 a.m. flight was delayed due to weather, she said, a fact confirmed by flight data. When it finally seemed like the jet was ready to go, she began breast-feeding her son, hoping it would put him to sleep - and keep him from crying - on the three-hour ride.

According to Rui, the plane's door was still open and people were moving about the cabin. A few flight attendants walked by without saying anything. Then one approached Rui and said her baby had to be in his seat for takeoff.

"I asked for just a couple more minutes to finish because if he woke up at that point he would have made a lot of noise," Rui said. "I said, 'I promise I'll finish before you close the plane's door.' "

The attendants conferred at the front of the plane. Rui stopped feeding her son, and as she predicted, the baby began crying. That was when the crew instructed Rui she needed to get off the plane, she said. Rui asked why she was being ousted if the baby was strapped in.

"It's not like I was resistant, I put him in the seat," she said.

"Because you were not compliant," an airline official reportedly told her.

In a statement to Houston's KHOU, Spirit stood by the decision to take Rui and her family off the plane.

"To protect the safety of our guests and crew, FAA regulations and airline policies require all passengers to stay seated and buckled during takeoff and landing. We apologize for any inconvenience to our guests. As a courtesy, we've issued a full refund to the passenger in question," Spirit said.

The Spirit run-in was another blow in a tough year, Rui said. Her family lost their house and possessions (including her piano) in Hurricane Harvey, she said.
Oasis Petroleum has agreed to buy thousands of acres for nearly $1 billion in the coveted Delaware Basin in a cash and stock deal.

The Houston oil producer said it would snap up 20,300 net acres in the West Texas oil patch from San Antonio explorer Forge Energy. The $946 million deal, expected to close in February, includes $483 million in cash and 46 million shares.
courtesy photo

Houston litigation firm Beck Redden has renewed its lease on the top two floors of LyondellBasell Tower in downtown's Houston Center for 10 years.

The firm has called Houston Center home since it was founded 25 years ago. It has been in its current offices at 1221 McKinney for 20 years and previously leased space in 4 Houston Center.
With each new year comes the promise of holiday perfection.

This time we promise ourselves that we'll find the perfect gifts for everyone, no one will be afraid to sit on Santa's lap, the family cards will look just the way we want, and no one will have to spend $200 at the post office for express tw0-day shipping.
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A traditional trading platform got its first full taste of bitcoin on Monday, with the price of the first-ever futures contract for the digital currency jumping 20 percent.

It's a step forward for the bitcoin, which has soared this year despite concerns that the increase in investor interest has transformed it from a new-age currency into just the latest speculative bubble.

One prominent securities regulator warned that people were now taking out second mortgages on their homes to buy bitcoin.

The January contract for bitcoin futures closed at $18,545 on Monday on the Cboe Futures Exchange in Chicago. Trading began Sunday, and the price rose as high as $18,850, according to data from the Cboe.

The bitcoin futures' early trading Sunday was not entirely smooth. The Cboe's website crashed several times or slowed down, due to a surge of interest. The exchange halted trading twice on the first day to stem volatility. The exchange operator has rules in place to stop trading after price swings of 10 percent.

The Cboe said at least 20 trading firms "actively participated" in the first day of trading, without giving specifics. Volume of the bitcoin futures was relatively low, trading less than 4,000 contracts compared with the tens of thousands that typically trade for more popular commodities like oil, gold, or wheat, or the hundreds of thousands of contracts for popular stock-based futures like the S&P 500.

The Cboe futures don't involve actual bitcoin. They allow investors to make bets on the future direction of bitcoin. Monday's futures price indicates investors expect bitcoin to keep rising in the coming weeks, although at a slower pace than seen recently. The futures price was about 8 percent higher than the price of $17,100 quoted for bitcoin on the large private exchange CoinBase late Monday afternoon.

Cboe's rival exchange CME will start trading its own futures on Dec. 18.

But with the surge of interest has come concerns about the bitcoin market being in a bubble.
They provide service to the most vulnerable in the city and county  the homeless, the ill, the elderly, children, the hungry and more.

These nonprofit organizations, say their staff, depend heavily on donations from caring people in the communities they serve, and the need often outweighs the supply of services available.

So, leaders from nearly two dozen nonprofits have banded together to educate residents about that need for donations and that those donations can have a benefit in the form of a tax credit when it comes time to filing taxes for the year.

Called the Flagstaff Tax Credit Coalition, the groups goal is to increase awareness of the state tax credits and increase donations to local nonprofit organizations, working to meet the basic needs of low-income households.

Bottom line, its essential, said Devonna McLaughlin, executive director of Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona, a participating member of the coalition. This is the way we can keep helping people.

The Arizona Charitable Tax Credit, just like the states schools tax credit, works like this: Give a dollar to a qualified charitable organization and you get a dollar credit on state taxes  up to $400 for an individual and $800 for couples filing jointly.

And you dont need to decide to support one or the other, McLaughlin said. Feel free to support both, and the Foster Care Tax Credit, too, and rake in those tax credits in each category up to the amount due to the state at tax time on April 15. Arizona residents are allowed to take advantage of the school tax credit, the foster care tax credit and the charitable tax credit.

The coalition, which is in its fourth year, has increased its donations from approximately $250,000 to nearly $900,000 last year, according to information from the coalition.

This year, were hoping to break $1 million, McLaughlin said, adding that, in total, there is about $9 million in the community that could be applied toward the charitable tax credit.

Residents can make donations directly to qualified charitable organizations, or they can elect to give through the Flagstaff Tax Credit Coalitions online donation portal. The portal is operated by the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff, which serves as the coalitions fiscal agent. Through the coalitions giving portal, donors can select to split their donation among as many participating nonprofits as they would like to make giving more convenient.

Pat Shriver, regional director of the ACF, stated in a press release, What we find most common is that tax payers dont understand they can donate to a school, taking advantage of the public-school tax credit and give to a qualified charity, claiming both tax credits when they file their Arizona state taxes.

Additionally, donors can also receive added tax credits by giving to organizations that offer foster care in their communities  like Catholic Charities in northern Arizona. Donors to qualified foster care organizations can receive tax credits up to $500 for an individual and $1,000 for couples filing jointly.

Janet Regner, director of Coconino County Community Services, said the tax credits started in 1996 as part of a welfare reform effort made by the Legislature.

The tax credit directly impacts the people we serve, Regner said. Its the gift that keeps on giving.

Ross Altenbaugh, executive director of Flagstaff Shelter Services, said, The credit gives people incentive to give. We all benefit. This is one thing Arizona really gets right.

These funds leverage other funds and helps keep our doors open for the critical services that are needed in our community, McLaughlin said.

Dianna Sanchez, executive director of The Literacy Center, said that the coalition serves many of the same people across the spectrum of the social safety net, and by supporting the nonprofits in the coalition, donors are helping the most vulnerable members of the community.

Flagstaff is a special and caring town and the coalition support is an example of that caring, Sanchez added.

In a prepared statement, McLaughlin said, Your donations are needed now more than ever due to changing funding priorities, reducing federal funding support and growing need  Our greatest hope to help more families is that more folks in our community understand how the tax credit works and elect to direct their tax dollars to organizations that make a difference.

As an example, at the Flagstaff Family Food Center, about 63 percent of their donations qualify for the tax credit.

Regner said that Coconino County has the fourth-highest poverty rate in the state.

And its only going to get worse, Regner said. Funding cuts will continue.

According to the Arizona Department of Revenue, qualified charitable organizations must spend at least 51 percent of their annual budget on meeting the basic needs of low-income households. For more information about qualifying charitable organizations in the state, visit https://www.azdor.gov/TaxCredits/QualifyingCharitableOrganizations.aspx
WASHINGTON - Consumer advocates reported some glitches Monday in the final days for Affordable Care Act sign-ups, although the Trump administration largely seemed to be keeping its promise of a smooth enrollment experience.

In Illinois and some other states, some consumers who successfully completed an application for financial assistance through HealthCare.gov got a message saying they would likely be eligible to buy a health plan, "but none are available to you in your area."

That information was incorrect because every county in the nation currently has at least one health insurer offering plans under the Affordable Care Act for next year.

Friday is the last day to enroll for subsidized private coverage in 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website. Consumer interest has remained brisk, even as the Trump administration cut the sign-up season in half, reducing it from roughly from 90 days to 45 days.

Obama weighs in

Former President Barack Obama offered encouragement Monday for the closing push, posting on social media and joining a conference call with enrollment counselors.

Obama accused "Republicans in Washington" of trying to "sabotage" progress made reducing the number of uninsured. The U.S. people "don't want a health care system that's sent into chaos just for partisan reasons," Obama said, according to a transcript from his office.

President Donald Trump came into office looking to dismantle his predecessor's health law, but it survived. Although the administration slashed the ad budget for sign-up season and scaled back grants for enrollment counselors, officials promised the HealthCare.gov website would work seamlessly this year.

Stephani Becker of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago said the glitch in which consumers were told there were no plans was reported by counselors starting late last week.

Trained counselors know enough about the program to question the accuracy of the message, but "the average consumer might just walk away," Becker said.

An administration official said the issue has been resolved, and HealthCare.gov is reaching out to the consumers affected to encourage them to complete their applications. However, Becker said advocates had gotten a similar response from the administration last week, and the problem continued.

Time running out

For millions of consumers eligible to enroll time runs out on Dec. 15. Thursday and Friday are expected to be the heaviest days.

That could slow the HealthCare.gov site and lead to long hold times at the federal call center. For most people, this is the last opportunity to secure coverage for 2018 or switch from an existing plan.

One exception: People living in hurricane-affected areas can get an extension to sign up by Dec. 31 by contacting the HealthCare.gov call center. That could make a difference in states such Texas.
Houston-based Charming Charlie filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday with a plan to revamp operations, reduce debt and shrink its chain of jewelry and accessories stores in a hotly competitive retail environment.

The company said in a news release that it had entered a restructuring support agreement with most of its lenders and shareholders. Through the agreement, the company aims to overhaul its capital structure and close some of its roughly 375 stores.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Torn between the benefits and drawbacks of social media, Leigh Turberville Harrell hasn't decided yet whether to let her children use Facebook's new messaging app for kids.

On one hand, Messenger Kids allows parents to approve whom their children converse with on the app. But on the other, Harrell, a teacher, worries about cyberbullying and other dangers that lurk online.

"They don't realize that the stuff they're putting out there on the internet could haunt them for the rest of their lives," said Harrell, whose children are 4 and 13.

Nationwide, parents like Harrell are facing a familiar decision: At what age should they allow their kids to use social media?

Messenger Kids has also sparked concerns among some parents, pediatricians and consumer advocates who worry about the data Facebook will gather from children.

Facebook, like other social networks, requires users to be at least 13 to sign up for accounts. But last week, the company said it was rolling out a messaging app that will let children under that age send texts, photos and videos, and add stickers, frames and filters to their images.

"Whether it's using video chat to talk to grandparents, staying in touch with cousins who live far away, or sending mom a decorated photo while she's working late to say hi, Messenger Kids opens up a new world of online communication to families," Loren Cheng, Facebook's product management director, wrote in a blog post.

The company said it talked to thousands of parents and experts while it was building the ad-free app, which is designed for children ages 6 to 12. Parents who set up Messenger Kids accounts won't be creating Facebook accounts for their children.

But some consumer advocacy groups question whether the app will remain free of ads in the future and whether Facebook will use the data to target parents with ads.

"Why should parents simply trust that Facebook is acting in the best interest of kids?" James Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a San Francisco nonprofit that promotes online safety for children, said in a statement.

The privacy policy for Messenger Kids says the app collects data such as registration information, content, activity, contacts and device information to improve the product and promote safety.

If a parent deletes a Messenger Kids account, Facebook will also erase the data it collects, but the company notes that messages and content sent to users before a deletion may remain visible.

And as parents struggle to get their children to stop staring at their tablets and smartphones, they're wondering if messaging apps are worth the convenience.

Some question Facebook's intentions. San Diego resident Adam McLane said he sees the app as a way for Facebook to market the social network to younger users - like a McDonald's Happy Meal.

The father of three said he will not get Messenger Kids for his 6-year-old. His two teenagers also do not use Facebook.

Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is spending December on parental leave with his two daughters, hasn't spoken publicly yet about Messenger Kids.

"My advice: Until you see Zuckerberg's kids using it, stay away," McLane wrote in a public Facebook post.
The Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce is welcoming another branch of Edward Jones Financial into its fold as of Dec. 5 with a new location under Financial Advisor Kari Duggar.

Edward Jones Financial is an investment company dedicated to helping its customers reach their financial goals. The Cleveland Chamber welcomed the new branch with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

"We have a proven process to help them [the customers] reach their goals," said Duggar.

Two branches of Edward Jones Financial existed before this new branch, which is located on 123 N San Jacinto Ave., Cleveland, Texas. Duggar has been a member of the Chamber since 2015 and previously worked in the branch run by Tommy Dunn.

"We have a tool that we use to set up what investments they [the customers] have now and then the investments we can put together for them to help reach their goals," said Duggar.

Investments are not the only area where Edward Jones Financial helps its customers with their goals.

"I'm going to do seminars through the year to better educate people," said Duggar.

Seminars Duggar plans to hold include out-scamming the scammers, retirement, social security and more.

Duggar is looking forward to helping the local community with financial goals and future investment plans.

"I'm going to better serve the community by educating them," said Duggar.

The new branch of Edward Jones Financial is located at 123 N San Jacinto Ave Cleveland, Texas near the San Jacinto professional building. For more information, call 281-761-6687 or email kari.duggar@edwardjones.com.
Eastside As Found & Encounter, a collaborative art show by architectural designer Jae Boggess, University of Houston (UH) graphic design and creative writing students and Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP), is now on display through the end of January at the historic Sunset Coffee Building at Allen's Landing, 1019 Commerce Street.

The show features photography from Boggess, an associate designer at the architecture firm Brett Zamore Design, of industrial and commercial buildings east of downtown, and design proposals from UH students for installations along Buffalo Bayou's east sector.

For Boggess' design thesis (she graduated with a Master of Architecture degree from Rice University in 2016), she presented a concept for the renovation of a dilapidated former rice mill in the Fifth Ward, now known as "The Silo," into a mixed-use urban farm and community center with apartments.

"Around that time the Rice Design Alliance was accepting proposals for their 2016 Initiatives for Houston Grant, and I was fortunate to receive funding from them to turn my explorations into a photography series," Boggess said.

"The grant selection committee felt that Jae presented a wonderful project to help Houstonians with understanding the area further. It is an important part of what makes up Houston," Angie Chen, interim executive director of Rice Design Alliance, said.

Despite having grown up in Houston, Boggess said that she was not familiar with the Eastside, which lead to her interest in wanting to photograph the area.

"I was intrigued by how a banal industrial building could evolve into a community icon and take on new life with different uses, so I began scouting the area for other neglected buildings that could use a new lease on life," Boggess said.

Boggess initially thought the project would be about proposing architectural interventions at a selection of sites, but as she found more and more interesting buildings in need of attention, she realized that a catalogue of all the buildings would be appropriate.

Buffalo Bayou President Anne Olson reached out after reading an article that Boggess had written for Offcite, Rice Design Alliance's blog, about her project intentions. Olson suggested to host a show at Sunset Coffee Building, since it was relevant to what BBP was focusing on.

According to Olson, there is currently a large master plan effort underway in the Buffalo Bayou's eastern sector, from U.S. 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. A team of consults were hired to look into three main things: authenticity, bringing in long-time residents and businesses, and connectivity.

"We wanted to do something over in the east sector because of the master plan, to highlight the industrial and cultural legacy over there let people know how rich the area is. The two projects just fit together perfectly," Olson said.

"Partnering up with BBP allowed the project to reach a wider audience, and I am so grateful for that," Boggess said. "I think there is value to being mindful of the past when considering new visions for the future, and I hope that my photos will help people see beauty where it might otherwise be overlooked."

UH graduate and undergraduate students worked on a number of proposed design installations to go in six different locations along the bayou in the Eastside and Fifth Ward communities. The proposals ranged from small interventions, such as repurposed oil barrels, to large scale installations and community events, like typographic murals.

Jinyong Choi, a graphic design graduate student, was a part of a team that developed a design concept for the Old Gravel Silos site, that included a cylinder beacon to draw people in, with an informative kiosk.

"We also planned to apply the large scale of the graphic letters 'together' to the exterior of the silos. I suggested the word together because this simple word embraces the purposes of the project: connectivity and inclusivity of the communities. Moreover, materials that had been stored in the silos were gravels, shells, sand, and cement, and those turned into the concrete together and became a fundamental resource for building the city of Houston," Choi said.

Alwyn Brownewell, a senior in the UH undergrad graphic design program, noted that exploring the Eastside of the bayou was an eye-opening experience for her, as she had never been to the sites even though she has lived in Houston for over 10 years.

"I think that these meeting points, that both UH and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership are working together on, help to reinvigorate and reconnect the communities and other visitors. Engaging with Houston's history and communities in such a fun way is an amazing feat! We Houstonians should preserve these areas and keep them authentic while at the same time retaining the connectivity and the inclusivity of the communities and their visitors," Brownewell said.

Olson says that BBP plans to implement the student's projects in the spring of next year. "They are incredible. Very creative and doable," Olson said. "The students have done so much work, and Jae has photographed all of these amazing industrial buildings. Visually it is all exciting."

Eastside As Found & Encounter is on exhibit through January 29.
Dave Rossman/Freelance

The Houston Archeological Society has scheduled its next meeting for 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at Doherty Library 009, University of St. Thomas.

The program will highlight all its field activities, programs, presentations and awards in 2017. Organizers will also give an overview of what to expect in 2018.
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"For 35 years, the American Leadership Forum (ALF) has been a significant driving force in creating the vibrant Houston region we embrace today," Randy Sim, the newly elected Chair of the ALF Board of Trustees, said. He continued, "We salute those before us and look confidently into the future knowing that ALF supports leaders in our community to tackle the tough issues we face, together."

ALF offered its first class in 1982 to create a regional network of diverse senior-level leaders across private, public and nonprofit sectors. The nonprofit organization, whose mission is to join and strengthen diverse leaders to serve the common good, has served more than 3,500 nationwide and 1,300 in Houston.
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A Pecan Grove man has pleaded guilty to possessing child porn and trying to skirt the terms of his bond, the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office said in a press release.

Christopher Paul Cashman, 42, was sentenced to 6 years in prison on Nov. 29.

According to Assistant District Attorney Katie Peterson, Cashman was caught by undercover investigative software downloading child pornography images in 2015.

200-PLUS VIDEOS: Former Texas education employee pleads guilty to child porn

A search warrant also revealed that Cashman was in possession of multiple child porn videos.

While out on bond on the possession of child pornography charge, Cashman forged receipts to show that he had paid his bond supervision fees, when he had actually not paid the fees, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office.

As a result, Cashman was also charged with forgery and pleaded guilty to that charge as well.

The child pornography investigation was a collaborative effort by the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, including: the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, Missouri City Police Department, and the Needville Police Department.

"This case highlights the importance of undercover internet investigations and reminds us that a child predator can live anywhere," said Peterson. "Law enforcement must remain ever vigilant and proactive to protect our most valuable resource, our children."

Cashman pleaded guilty in the 434th District Court before Presiding Judge James Shoemake. Possession of child pornography and forgery in this case are both third-degree felonies, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The defendant was probation eligible.

Peterson and Assistant District Attorney Michael L. Hartman prosecuted the case. Attorney George Parnham represented the defendant.
December is a month full of fun holiday celebrations and traditions for loved ones to enjoy together. However, there are many children in the foster care system across Texas who do not have the same opportunities to experience a joyful holiday season.

Child Advocates of Fort Bend is a non-profit agency dedicated to advocating on behalf of abused and neglected children through the use of specially trained community volunteers and staff. Volunteers advocate for children's emotional, physical and educational needs while they are involved in the court system. Child Advocates of Fort Bend is the only program in Texas that is able to provide a volunteer advocate for every child in foster care. For more information on CAFB and how you can help these small victims, visit www.cafb.org or call 281-341-9955. The next volunteer training session begins on February 12. Please call 281-344-5259 for details.

Due to circumstances that are no fault of their own, these children have been removed from their homes and placed in the child welfare system, many times far from everyone they know and love. This holiday season, Child Advocates of Fort Bend urges you to be mindful of all the children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted or reunited with their families.

"December is meant to be a festive time to spend with your family," Ruthanne Mefford, CEO of Child Advocates of Fort Bend. "Without the opportunity to share the holidays with the loved ones in their lives, children in foster care are deprived of precious memories that make the holiday season so special."

According to The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), in 2016, more than 18,990 children were removed from their homes in Texas alone. This past year, Child Advocates of Fort Bend served 267 children in foster care in Fort Bend County who were removed from their homes. The agency is challenging more members of the community to become a part of the solution by becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.

"CASA volunteers get to know the child and provide a voice for them in court, standing by their side to make sure they do not have to face an overburdened system alone," said Mefford.

During the holiday season, children are especially vulnerable and hopeful to be a part of a family. Each year, more and more children enter the foster care system and don't get the opportunity to spend the holiday season baking, opening presents and participating in other family traditions.

"We need more members of the community to step up and get involved," said Mefford. Whether you become a CASA volunteer, a foster parent or provide support to a local foster family, you can make a difference this holiday season."

There is an urgent need for volunteers to offer foster children a consistent person in their life that they can trust and rely on.

Every child in foster care needs someone to support them through this difficult time. They need a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer to be by their side to help them move through the foster care system as quickly as possible, and into safe, permanent homes where they can spend the holidays creating happy memories.

Consider joining the movement and becoming a CASA volunteer. The next volunteer training session starts in February. For information or an application contact ljordin@cafb.org.
Fifth-graders of Seguin Elementary School in Fort Bend Independent School District are getting an unexpected preview of what's ahead for them next year.

They're temporarily housed at Crockett Middle School, which teaches grades 6-8, along with their elementary's third- and fourth-graders, thanks to Hurricane Harvey. Seguin Elementary, 7817 Grand Mission Blvd. in Richmond, is closed because of damage caused by hurricane-related flooding and the mold that followed. The younger grades from Seguin are assigned to Patterson Elementary for the remainder of the school year.

And, the fifth-graders are living up to this year's school motto of "Shining Stars," said Tasha Grant, a Seguin Elementary fifth-grade math teacher. "The motto is so appropriate for what they've gone through, they continue to shine."

Class had been in session for four days in Fort Bend ISD before Harvey arrived and teachers and students then had to start over again, she said. But help - both material and personal - came and still comes from many sources.

For example, schoolchildren from other schools sent letters to their peers at Seguin who are taking the time to respond to their notes of support and encouragement.

UNICEF USA stepped forward with school supplies from carts to enable art, music and PE teachers who travel between Patterson and Crockett to carry their materials with them to dry erase lapboards for classroom use, which Grant, an 18-year teacher, said are much appreciated.

While UNICEF usually doesn't work in industrialized nations, Caryl Stern, president/CEO, UNICEF USA, said it has the wherewithal to respond after Hurricane Harvey just like it did post Hurricane Katrina.

"We put children first," said Stern. Providing school supplies is but one aspect of its assistance. Looking down the road at long-term needs, she and Lisa Szarkowski, vice president, humanitarian emergencies and executive communications, UNICEF USA, talk of psychotherapy training for teachers/principals/educators to help them help their students.

Grant, who has taught at Seguin for five years, said staff and students are adjusting to their circumstances. A wing of Crockett Middle School houses classrooms for the elementary students who like Grant have become used to the bells signaling the change of classes for the older students as well as the regular loudspeaker announcements.

"We would have never imagined being in the situation we're in," said Grant. "An elementary and a middle school are you serious?"

While Grant said she never imagined two separate entities functioning under one roof, she added, "It's amazing how everything is so seamless."

The district and middle school staff have made the transition easier. "We haven't wanted or needed for anything," she said.

Quoting the familiar phrase, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Grant said, "We definitely have been strengthened."

Because staff are temporarily based in separate buildings, staff meetings have become an occasion of higher levels of sharing and support. And student ties to the school remain strong.

"A lot of the children were displaced and still are," said Grant, referring to their family homes, but though they could have attended another school, they didn't.

Grant said some families are living in the Galleria area but still have their children attend Seguin. "They didn't want to pull them out of school. All the students chose to stay here," she said.

Teachers met with counselors before they started their displaced assignment to focus on children and how they could be of help.

"It's amazing how resilient they were," said Grant, referring to the first days back at school after Harvey. Students talked about what happened and how everyone was OK, she said. Everyone just wants to get back home, she added.

But for now, the Crockett students, whose mascot is the Maverick, and the Seguin students, whose mascot is the Stallion, are making what initially seemed an odd-couple pairing work.
As a resident of Flagstaff who is surrounded by beautiful public lands that I love to enjoy, I find it appalling that the Trump administration is actively rolling back protections on our nations public lands. As a student studying wildlife management, I understand the importance that these protected areas play in wildlife and nature conservation.

The recent decrease in the size of both Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase monuments is the largest rollback of public lands in American history, and shows a blatant disregard for both our heritage and our environment. I urge our Arizona senators Jeff Flake and John McCain to speak out against these rollbacks and to work to stop any attempts that may come to Arizona to diminish our own public lands.
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Police spotted the vehicle early Tuesday morning with a suspected drunken driver behind the wheel.

When officers tried to pull him over, he fled, leading police on a chase across east Harris County and Houston  until a northeast patrol officer used a newly approved chase tactic called the "PIT maneuver" to end the pursuit.



It was the first time Houston police officers used the technique in a high-speed chase since Chief Art Acevedo last month signed off on the controversial maneuver.

Now Playing: Houston police saw an opportunity to use the department's new, controversial maneuver to end in-progress vehicular pursuits for the first time during early morning hours Tuesday, after a man led police on a chase all across Houston. Video: OnScene.TV

MORE ABOUT THE TACTIC: Houston police to start using new driving tactic to end vehicle pursuits

The PIT maneuver, or "Precision Immobilization Technique," requires officers to drive alongside a fleeing vehicle then clip its rear, causing the vehicle to spin out and stop.

Created decades ago in Germany as an anti-terrorist tactic, the maneuver is used widely by police departments across the United States. However, Acevedo's predecessors had banned the maneuver out of worries about injuries to officers, suspects and the public, as well as possible damage to department vehicles.

"It's a great outcome, but I'd want to know the speed before I talk about the process," said Geoff Alpert, a professor at the University of South Carolina who has studied police pursuits extensively.

A 2015 investigation by The Intercept, for example, blamed nearly 28 deaths and 300 injuries on the Georgia State Patrol's use of the PIT Maneuver. Georgia does not impose speed restrictions on when troopers can use the maneuver.

Civil rights advocates and policing experts, meanwhile, say officers should only the PIT Maneuver in very specific circumstances. If used at speeds higher than 45 mph, it becomes harder to control and can lead to rollover crashes and major injuries or death.

Since 2012, HPD has engaged in more than 4,000 pursuits, which led to injuries to 32 officers, 1,000 bystanders and 6,000 suspects.

When Acevedo unveiled plans for HPD officers to use the PIT maneuver, he said the department would not allow officers to perform it at high speeds but did not provide specific speed limits.

"We're doing this because the safety of our officers matters to us  the safety of our community really matters to us," Acevedo said, when he announced the department's decision to begin using the maneuver last month. "And then the safety of the suspects matter as well."

Police accountability experts, however, said while the chase ended safely Tuesday, the police department was playing a dangerous game using the PIT Maneuver.

"Eventually someone will get hurt, who may just have a traffic warrant or something minor," said Scott Henson, former Police Accountability Project Director at the ACLU of Texas, saying HPD should release more details about its PIT maneuver policy. "And they'll seriously injure or kill someone. It's not an if, but a when. Thank God no one was injured this time, but it's just a risky thing to do in an urban setting. ... They'll just have to live with the consequences."

The chase

Houston police said they got a call from the Jacinto City Police Department just before 1 a.m. asking for help as they chased a driver they believed was intoxicated, said HPD Lt. Larry Crowson.

Jacinto City Police Chief Joe Ayala said the chase began around 12:15 a.m. when his officer asked the driver  whom he identified as Gavino Vasquez  to step out of his car, a dark Chevy Tahoe.

Vasquez, 48, had been wanted on a felony DWI warrant and had another warrant for his arrest for a parole violation, he said.

"He put the car in drive and he hoofs it," Ayala said.

Vasquez led police on chase for dozens of miles for more than an hour, from near Jacinto City down Interstate 10, across parts of Houston, and then up I-45 to the Airline area.

Vasquez continued fleeing even after police twice used spike strips on his car, Ayala said.

Crowson said he believed Harris County Precinct 1 deputy constables set up a spike strip. Despite a blown-out front right tire, the vehicle continued, leading police "up and down 45, around the Loop" and ultimately into Greenspoint.

At that point, Crowson said, an HPD Northeast patrol officer drove up next to the fleeing Tahoe and nudged its back right bumper, causing the SUV to spin out and stop in the middle of the road near the intersection of Greens and Northborough.

"The officers were able to get in an advantageous position to spin the vehicle out to stop the pursuit," Crowson said. "No injuries, no accidents. The suspect was taken into custody."

Charges

The officers involved had just been trained on the PIT maneuver in the last few weeks, Crowson said.

It was not immediately clear how fast the police cruiser and the suspect's vehicle were traveling Tuesday morning when the suspect spun out.

Ayala, the Jacinto City police chief, said he did not know either, but that shortly before the chase ended one of his officers reported that the suspect's speed had dropped from more than 100 miles per hour to approximately 65 miles per hour.

Ayala said Vasquez faces charges of evading arrest while his brother, who was also in the car, will be charged with public intoxication.

Court records did not yet list a lawyer for Vasquez.

"I'm just glad nobody was hurt," Ayala said.

St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to st.john.smith@chron.com.
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The Harris County Constable's Precinct 4 arrested a man and woman minutes after they allegedly stole packages from the front of a Houston home.

John Robert Nalback, 33, and Beth Elaine Butzke, 35, were arrested Dec. 9 after they allegedly stole packages from a home on New Hampton Drive, the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 said in a news release.

"Deputies arrived in minutes to the location, and met with the complainant, who reported that a male and female removed a package that had just been delivered from her front doorstep. The complainant advised that the package contained Christmas gifts for her family she had ordered online," the precinct added.

TRIPPED UP: Houston thief caught on video struggling to steal heavy package from front of home

Upon searching the area, the deputies were able to track down and arrest Butzke and Nalbach and recover the packages.

Now Playing: A package thief was caught on surveillance video tripping over himself while stealing a box from the front of a Houston home Dec. 8. Video: Elissa/Reddit

Nalback is being held in the Harris County Jail on $500 bail. He was charged with theft. Butzke is also being held in the Harris County Jail on $1,000 bail. She was charged with felony theft because of two prior convictions.

Fernando Alfonso III is a digital reporter at Chron.com. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on twitter at @fernalfonso. If you also like surreal GIFs and Polaroids, go here and here.


WASHINGTON (AP)  There was no violence in the midterm elections last week, and many election deniers lost and quietly conceded. Few listened when former President Donald Trump tried to stoke baseless allegations of electoral fraud. For a moment, at least, a familiar sense of normalcy fell over a nation on edge as the extremism that consumed U.S. politics for much of the last two years was replaced by democratic order. The post-election narrative has instead been focused on each partys electoral fate. Republicans are disappointed that a red wave did not materialize, while Democrats are bracing for the likelihood of a House Republican takeover. At least for now, the serious threats that loomed over democracy heading into Election Day have not materialized.

You voted:
Rescued Sea Turtle, Famed Otter at Oregon Coast Aquarium Die This Week

Published 12/10/2017 at 5:35 PM PDT - Updated 12/10/2017 at 5:55 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Newport, Oregon)  Rescuing and caring for animals of any kind is never easy and ends in heartbreak down the line, but hopefully farther in the future rather than sooner. Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport is dealing with that this week as a longtime fixture and attraction dies as does one of the sea turtles it helped rescue recently. Above: photo of Judge the sea otter courtesy Oregon Coast Aquarium).

It only took a day but the young green sea turtle that was rescued by Seaside Aquarium on December 3 died later the following evening. The turtle had made it to Oregon Coast Aquarium shortly after its discovery on that Sunday morning, but chances are never that good for hypothermic sea turtles found on these beaches. (See Second Sea Turtle Rescued from Oregon Coast Beaches).

Once the green sea turtle arrived at the Newport facility, husbandry staff administered fluids, obtained blood samples, and conducted a physical assessment. The animal received X-rays the following morning. Staff said the sea turtle appeared responsive and passed waste, but a high white blood cell count warned that the turtle was likely fighting a significant infection.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium performed a necropsy on the animal to further ascertain the cause of death. Staff found no foreign material in the stomach or intestine, but samples will be evaluated for biotoxin exposure as well.

Meanwhile, the Olive Ridley turtle that was rescued by Seaside Aquarium on Thanksgiving is still doing okay. That turtle, named Turkey, continues to undergo treatment.

The saddest news for the Oregon Coast Aquarium is the passing of its much-loved sea otter, Judge. The oldest otter at the aquarium, he was a standout performer there since December 2003. He was originally rescued from Pacific Grove, California, some time before that, where he was found stranded. Just a small pup, Judge was taken to Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) for care and rehabilitation and was released soon afterward - but that was far from the last time MBA staff would lay eyes on him.

He was released after being involved in a special program that helped teach orphaned otter pups to take care of themselves by being introduced to mother sea. Not long after that, Judge was spotted in Monterey Bay interacting with humans in search of food. After seven more failed releases, wildlife professionals deemed the human-friendly sea otter non-releasable.

Judge now has an enduring legacy as the charismatic sea otter who loved human interaction, whether that be playing hide-and-seek with visitors or floating by the glass windows of his exhibit to people watch. It was this friendly demeanor along with his strikingly well-kept fur coat - Judge was a meticulous groomer - that cemented Judge as the fluffy face of the Aquariums 2013 ad-campaign. Oregon Coast Hotels in these areas - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

If you find a sea turtle on the beach, immediately note its location, remain nearby to observe it, and contact the Oregon State Police Tipline at 800-452-7888 or the Marine Mammal Stranding Network in Oregon, Washington, and California at 1-866-767-6114.

More photos of these animals below:





Green sea turtle photos below courtesy Seaside Aquarium:















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Children at Risk, a nonprofit organization that studies Texas' public education system, recently released its annual rankings for the Lone Star State's best elementary, middle and high schools.

Their data show that even schools within the same district can vastly differ in their quality of education.
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Austin police say they found hundreds of doses of heroin along with marijuana and methamphetamine in a man's car after he drove recklessly across three lanes of traffic, causing other vehicles to apply their brakes.

According to an arrest affidavit, Cory Patton, 24, had shaky legs and rapid speech after he was pulled over in north Austin on Dec 6. An officer said Patton initially couldn't remember his address and had a hard time finding his wallet.

The officer said he became suspicious of Patton's intentions when he saw that he had two phones.

FLOATING DRUGS: Narco sub filled with 3,800 pounds of cocaine intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard near Texas

The affidavit states the officer had made drug related arrests in the area before and suspected Patton of selling drugs.

Patton denied the officer's request to search his vehicle, according to police. The officer then requested a K9 unit, which was dispatched to sniff Patton's vehicle.

Once on the scene, the K9 unit alerted police to possible drugs inside of the vehicle.

During a probable cause search of Patton's vehicle, police say they recovered approximately 210 individual doses of heroin, an unspecified amount of methamphetamine as well as clear plastic bags and rubber bands inside of Patton's backpack. The affidavit states that Patton also admitted to having marijuana on his person and surrendered it to police.

Austin police did not comment on the arrest. A mug shot of Patton was not available as Patton is still under investigation, according to the Austin Police Department.

Patton was arrested for possession of controlled substances with intent to sell. As of Tuesday, Patton was not listed in custody at the Travis County jail.

Will Axford is a digital reporter for Chron.com. Read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter.
If looking at this photo conjures the theme song to "Sanford and Son" it means two things  1. Yes. And 2. Man, you're old.

It also means San Antonio Driver has struck again.
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CAIRO - Russian President Vladimir Putin declared "victory" in Syria during a surprise visit Monday to a military base there, then traveled to Egypt and Turkey, where he celebrated Moscow's deepening ties with those key regional powers.

Speaking to Russian troops on the tarmac at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, Putin talked of the triumph over "terrorists" and announced a partial pullout of Russian troops.

"You have shown the best qualities of a Russian soldier - courage, valor, team spirit, decisiveness and excellent skills," he said in televised remarks to the troops. "The Motherland is proud of you."

Putin praised Russia's effort to help President Bashar Assad's forces to gain the upper hand over the Islamic State group and Syrian rebels.

Putin also said that he had ordered the military to withdraw a "significant part" of the Russian contingent in Syria - although he has announced Russian troop withdrawals before.

"Friends, the Motherland is waiting for you," he said. "You are coming back home with victory!"

Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the Russian commander in Syria, said the military will pull out 23 warplanes, two helicopter gunships, special forces units, military police and field engineers. He did not specify how many troops and weapons would remain.

The Pentagon expressed skepticism about the statements on the withdrawal of troops and equipment from Syria. Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said Russian statements "do not often correspond" with actual troop reductions. He said the withdrawal comments will have no impact on the U.S. and coalition fight against Islamic State extremists.

Putin's whirlwind trip to Syria, Egypt and Turkey came at a time when leaders in the Middle East and beyond have criticized a decision last week by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, upending decades of U.S. policy.

Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, Putin said the U.S. move "doesn't help the Mideast settlement and, just the other way round, destabilizes the already difficult situation in the region."

The decision might "finish prospects for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process," Putin said, standing next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Putin is hoping his trip will stoke national pride among voters in the March 18 presidential election. With his approval ratings topping 80 percent, Putin is certain to win easily, but the Kremlin has been worried about growing voter apathy.
President Donald Trump, weighing in to the politics of space, on Monday signed Space Policy Directive - 1, urging NASA to return Americans to the moon and encourage human space exploration to Mars and beyond.

The White House directive, amplifying recent congressional direction, came with the backing of several Texas congressmen with close ties to the U.S. space program, including Houston Republican John Culberson and Woodville Republican Brian Babin, whose district east of Houston includes the Johnson Space Center.

NO JOKE: Elon Musk is serious about sending a Tesla to Mars

Babin said that by refocusing America's space program on human spaceflight exploration, the president has ensured the nation's leadership in space and prioritized a return to the moon and future manned missions to Mars.

"Under the president's leadership, we are now on the verge of a new generation of American greatness and leadership in space," Babin said, "leading us to once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil."

When people question why the U.S. would return to the moon, Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, a website devoted to space news, has a pretty simple answer: most people alive today have never seen a human walk on another world.

"I think my generation should stop being selfish about what we did," said Cowing. "It really is time for the vast majority of the people in the world to have their chance to see this."

Technology is much improved now when compared to the 1960s and 1970s  the last time we sent people to the moon, Cowing noted, and there is still so much we can learn from it.

For example, people originally thought the moon was this dry, barren place, he said, but about a decade ago scientists discovered the moon actually is home to ice water.

"You can live off the land there," he said. "It's gone from a nice place to visit to, with technology, we can go back there and stay."

And that's another reason he thinks it's beneficial: The moon can serve as a place to train astronauts before they head to planets that are farther away, such as Mars.

On Monday, Johnson officials said it was "too soon" for them to "understand how implementation of the new directive may affect our work."

In Washington, retiring San Antonio Republican Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, echoed that expanded exploration possibility.

"President Trump has again shown that, under his administration, America will be a leader in space exploration," Smith said. "Going back to the moon as the precursor to further exploration will enable NASA to test new systems and equipment critical for future missions, like the human exploration of Mars."

ODD SIGHTINGS: Strangest things spotted on Mars

Cowing sees this push to send humans back to the moon as beneficial for Houston's Johnson Space Center because astronauts are trained in Houston.

Instead of preparing for a Mars mission that is more than a decade from launch, they'll begin preparing for something much sooner, he said.

"If you want to go to other places, it helps to have a remote, distant place a little closer to home," he said. "There are some things you can't simulate in a building in Houston."

Have thoughts about another mission to the moon? Contact Alex.Stuckey@chron.com
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WASHINGTON  The first Texas congressional elections in the Donald Trump-era could be among the state's most tumultuous, with a bevy of seats coming open in 2018 while U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke challenges incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz in a new test of Democratic strength in the Lone Star State.

But before O'Rourke can take on Cruz in November, he'll first have to get past a last-minute Democratic primary challenge from Houston-area resident Edward Kimbrough, who filed late Monday.

Another marquee contest will center on Houston, where nine-term Republican John Culberson, representing one of only three Texas congressional districts won by Hillary Clinton last year, will face off next November against the top vote-getter in an energized group of Democratic primary contenders.



Two of them, non-profit executive Alex Triantaphyllis and attorney Lizzie Fletcher, each has outpaced recent fundraising efforts by Culberson, who has become a top target in Democratic hopes of winning back the House.

As state election filings closed on Monday, no less than five Democrats are vying for Culberson's seat, including Houston physican Jason Westin, anti-Trump activist Laura Moser, and assistant city attorney James Cargas, now making his fourth bid in the 7th congressional district.

Cargas garnered 44 percent of the vote in 2016, the best showing by any Democrat in the affluent west Harris County district since 1964.

A recent survey by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling firm found Culberson with an approval rating of 31 percent, lower than President Donald Trump's 37 percent in the district.

Moreover, 55 percent of voters said they disapprove of the way Culberson is doing his job, while 54 percent disapprove of the current GOP tax proposal which will likely be the centerpiece of his campaign.

Those percentages, along with Culberson losing a hypothetical matchup against a "Democratic opponent" 39 percent to 49 percent, indicate that Culberson could be vulnerable in 2018.

Democrats also are targeting a perennial battleground district along the border in west Texas, where two-term Republican Will Hurd of San Antonio will face one of at least four Democratic primary challengers, the most talked about being former federal prosecutor Jay Hulings.

Two other Democrats, both from San Antonio, filed to challenge Hurd: former Air Force intelligence officer Gina Ortiz Jones; and Rick Trevino, who taught high school history until recently.

A strong Democratic challenge in either the Senate race or Texas' two most competitive congressional districts could put the state back in the national spotlight for the first time since an 11-hour filibuster propelled Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis into the 2014 governor's race against Republican Greg Abbott, who prevailed in a landslide.

At least one other incumbent will be in the spotlight in the March 6 primary: Corpus Christi Republican Blake Farenthold, who recently acknowledged that he benefited from a special federal fund to cover a confidential $84,000 settlement stemming from a 2014 sexual harassment suit.

Farenthold, elected in 2010 in a Tea Party wave, has continued to deny any wrongdoing  and vowed to repay the government. But the House Ethics Committee announced last week that it would extend a probe into the case, which was brought by his former spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, five Republicans have filed primary challenges against Farenthold in what remains a GOP stronghold. The latest candidate to jump in the race was Bech Bruun, the former chairman of the Texas Water Development Board who is from Corpus Christ but lives in Austin.

Earlier last week Republicans Jerry Hall, Eddie Gassman and Christopher K. Mapp all qualified for the primary as well. Entering the race earlier was former Victoria County Republican Party chairman Michael Cloud.

Two Democrats have also jumped in: Raul (Roy) Barrera of Corpus Christi and Ronnie McDonald of Bastrop.

Several other Republican primary elections, normally quiet affairs in a deep "red" state represented by entrenched incumbents, promise to be lively in 2018.

That is owing to a wave of congressional retirements, including the exit-under-pressure of Arlington Republican Joe Barton, who made national headlines recently for a viral nude picture he acknowledged sending to a woman he was seeing before the end of his second marriage.

The departure of Barton, Texas' longest-serving congressman, opened up a floodgate of GOP hopefuls in what is still considered a solid Republican district. Among them: Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Ron Wright, and Jake Ellzey, a retired Naval combat pilot and a member of the Texas Veterans Commission.

Three other veteran Republicans also are headed for the exits, including two powerful committee chairmen: San Antonio's Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Science Committee, and Dallas' Jeb Hensarling, who presides over the House Financial Services Committee.

The retirement of Smith, who has held his sprawling, San Antonio-based seat for three decades, brought an outpouring of GOP interest, including from former congressman Francisco "Quico" Canseco.

At Monday's candidate filing deadline, former Bexar County GOP chairman Robert Stovall and state Rep. Jason Isaac, of Dripping Springs, were among a growing field of Republican candidates.

Stovall said that he had installed phones in a campaign office on Monday while concentrating on raising money. He said he believes that he can raise $600,000 for the campaign and held out hopes of approaching $1 million.

"Fundraising for campaigns is always challenge, but the good thing is that as chairman, I got to know a lot of the heavy-hitters in our county and beyond. So I think the doors will be a little bit easier to open," he said.

Among candidates filing for the Democratic nomination in Smith's district, Austin Entrepreneur Joseph Kopser has been far ahead in fundraising, a potential advantage in a district where television advertising is expensive.

By late Monday, at least six Republicans and one Democrat had filed to replace Hensarling.

The retirement of former Vietnam POW Sam Johnson of Plano also will likely bring a fresh Republican face to Congress next year, further altering the contours of the Lone Star State's political landscape. Republican Van Taylor and two Democrats had filed by Monday, including Plano attorney Sam Johnson, no known relation to the incumbent.

Houston seats

Back in Houston, two more heavily-gerrymandered congressional seats are changing hands due to retirement, one Republican and one Democrat.

In the 2nd Congressional District, nine Republicans filed to run in a March 6 primary with hopes for replacing GOP U.S. Rep. Ted Poe of Humble, who announced earlier this year he's retiring after seven terms in the U.S. House. Five Democrats also filed to battle in the Democratic primary for a suburban district that Poe won easily in 2016 by more than 17 percentage points.

Almost all of the candidates in both parties are neophytes to elective office. The only candidate in the race who has previously won any election is state Rep. Kevin Roberts, a Republican who has represented northwest Houston in the state Legislature since January.

"I'm the only one who has run and won," Roberts said. "And I have a voting record where people can see what I've accomplished."

The crowded primary also includes longtime Houston GOP donor and activist Kathaleen Wall, hospital executive David Balat, and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw. Also in the race are businessman Rick Walker, investment banker Justin Laurie, attorney Malcolm Whittaker, surgeon Jon Spiers and Houston attorney Jonathan Havens.

The retirement of U.S. Rep. Gene Green after 13 terms in Congress has produced another large field with five Democrats certain to be on the March 6 ballot in the bid to replace him in a largely eastern Houston and Harris County seat.

Longtime Democratic strategist Marc Campos said State Sen. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, has emerged as a favorite after several other key Democrats took a pass on the race. While Garcia is the only candidate in the race who has held office before, her opponents are all promising to campaign as new blood in politics.

Attorney Roel Garcia, who is also running for the 29th Congressional seat, said he'll stress he's not a career politician on the campaign trail and offers real change. Besides those two, the race includes real estate agent Dominique Garcia, teacher Hector Morales, and Beaumont businessman Tahir Javed. On the Republican side Phillip Aronoff and Robert Schafranek will compete in the GOP primary.

Washington Correspondent Bill Lambrecht contributed to this report.
Multiple Gage County officials are seeking re-election in 2018.

Sheriff Millard Gustafson, County Treasurer Laurie Wollenburg and Register of Deeds Donna Remmers Munoz have all filed for re-election and are unchallenged as of Tuesday.

Next years primary election is May 15, followed by the general election Nov. 6.

Gustafson has served as sheriff of Gage County since 2007.

During the last decade, he said the department has made strides to increase drug enforcement.

Gustafson is also working through issues with the jail facility, including a lack of space for inmates and evidence storage.

In October, the county board approved the purchase of the Buss Stop filling station at 620 N. Sixth St. in Beatrice and later purchased a residence next to the business.

These properties are directly north of the jail and will be used for evidence storage.

Its right on the grounds, and if ever down the road we decide to expand or build, they have the ability to do it on this block, Gustafson said. Some of the concerns with the new jail were the cost, size and where it would be located. We can address that, and at least for now, well have room for evidence storage, which were terribly short on.

Gage County approved a contract earlier this year to reserve 10 beds in the Washington County, Kan. jail for Gage County inmates. A similar agreement was approved with Dawson County in central Nebraska to reserve five additional beds.

The countys contracts with both jails are at a rate of $45 per bed, per day, whether or not they are being used.

This amounts to $675 per day, or $246,000 per year to house inmates in the other counties.

Gustafson said the situation is not ideal, and that any time you take inmates out of the jail for transport, theres the possibility of an incident.

Anytime you have to transport out from your own facility, there could always be a problem, he said. Anytime you leave a secured area, theres an issue of security.

Gustafson added that, in his time as sheriff, making the department more transparent has been a priority. The sheriffs office website has a press release section and is regularly updated with a list and mug shots of inmates.
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.
The 2017 Lincoln Go Red for Women event was jam-packed with individuals and companies who donated their time and treasure to creating a world without heart disease and stroke. But two attendees devotion to the American Heart Associations life-saving mission shined brighter than the rest  Jill Duis, RN and Erin Starr, RN.

The pair have donated years of their time to the Go Red for Women movement and took it upon themselves to host an inaugural Go Red event in Fairbury, Neb. in 2013. Now in its fourth year and known as the Jefferson County Go Red for Women, the event has become one of the highest fundraising events, per capita, in the state of Nebraska. Duis is JCHLs diabetes educator and infection preventionist. Starr is JCHLs chief quality officer.

Jill and Erins dedication to our mission and the Go Red for Women movement has made such a difference in Nebraska, said Go Red for Women Specialist, Liz Zillig. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. An estimated 43 million women in the U.S. are affected by heart disease, with one in three women dying from heart disease each year. Their work is helping us change these staggering statistics.

For their dedication, the American Heart Association presented the duo with the Heart of Gold award at the Oct. 12 Lincoln Go Red for Women event. The entire Go Red for Women committee attended.

We got the ball rolling, but the event would not have been the success it is without our team of dedicated staff members, Duis said. We also thank all of our area business sponsors who so graciously support the event.

The fourth annual Jefferson County Go Red for Women event is set for Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018 at the Fairbury Elks Lodge. Tickets are now available by calling 402-587-0495.
AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man threatened to kill himself and another man during a car chase and four-hour SWAT standoff that happened early Tuesday, police said.

A SWAT officer shot the man with a non-lethal round before officers arrested him at a house on Dennison Avenue near Shelburn Avenue, police said in a news release.

Steven Weddle, 37, is charged with willful fleeing and eluding, obstructing official business, resisting arrest and assaulting a K-9 officer in the incident, police said.

Weddle -- who also had active warrants for escape, felonious assault and assault -- is in custody at the Summit County Jail, police said.

The incident began about 2:30 a.m. when officers tried to stop a 2008 Ford Fusion on the Coventry Street entrance ramp to Interstate 77 north. The driver committed traffic violations and had a suspended license, police said.

The driver led police on a chase through the north and east sides of Akron. It reached speeds near 80 mph on the highway, police said.

Weddle called a police dispatcher during the chase and said he had a gun, police said. He threatened to kill himself and his passenger, police said.

He crashed the car into a chain-link fence on Ripley Avenue, police said. He ran away through nearby yards.

The passenger was taken into custody but later released.

A K9 was deployed, but Weddle assaulted the dog and got away, police said.

He ran into the back of a house on Dennison Avenue and barricaded himself, police said. The SWAT team was notified.

The SWAT team deployed chemical munitions into the home, but Weddle did not surrender. Weddle was then shot with a non-lethal round and taken into custody, police said.

Investigators found a black and silver BB gun in the car that Weddle crashed on Ripley Avenue, police said.

Court records do not say when Weddle will make his first court appearance.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
AKRON, Ohio -- Do you have an idea or a technology solution to combat the opiate epidemic in Ohio?

A University of Akron professor recently was awarded $2 million to commercialize a surgical mesh designed to control patients' pain and avoid potential addiction to pain pills.

But the prize-based Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge is open to everyone, from caregivers and citizen scientists to service providers and researchers. The state's goal is to collect ideas that address opiate prevention, treatment, overdose avoidance or overdose response.

"Whether you're a medical or healthcare expert, or simply a concerned citizen, we are calling on everyone to be part of the solution," said Director David Goodman, chair of the Ohio Third Frontier Commission, in a statement. Ohio Third Frontier is a state initiative that identifies and advances promising technology.

You can:

Describe a problem and the inkling of an idea for a solution

Describe a problem and discuss the unmet needs that point to a problem solution

Describe a problem and a propose a detailed concept for a solution

The deadline to submit ideas is Friday, Dec. 15 at 5 p.m. Two tracks for submitting ideas are available: one for the general public and one for healthcare professionals. You can submit technical or non-technical ideas online here.

Up to five of the most promising ideas will be awarded $10,000. Runners-up will be entered to win $500, with awards going to 20 citizen scientists and 20 professionals/experts.

The winning ideas will help officials structure the upcoming challenge and product phases, which currently have a prize pool of $6.5 million. Organizers are seeking corporate support to expand the prize pool.

The challenge phase, launching in February 2018, aims to draw on the expertise of the global business and innovation community to move forward the ideas selected in phase one.

The product phase will allow winners to refine their solutions to turn them into usable products to put on the market.

Check out submission guidelines here or download a PDF. Contact the solution provider help desk by calling 216-283-3901 or send an email.

Winners of the idea phase will be announced in January.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Jon Seydl, who served as curator of European painting and sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art from 2007 to 2013, has been named as the new director of the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Seydl is the latest in a long line of former Cleveland Museum of Art curators who have moved on to positions of leadership at other institutions across the U.S.

A specialist in Italian Renaissance art, Seydl joined the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts as director of curatorial affairs and curator of European art in 2014.

He most recently held the title of senior director of collections and programs and curator of European art at Worcester, according to a University of Illinois news release.

Seydl's new appointment becomes effective in February, pending approval of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, the release said.

"I've known about KAM's work for a long time, and I'm very proud to join such a great institution," Seydl said in the release. "KAM's commitment to research, its outstanding curators and nationally recognized exhibition program, the museum's wonderful team and fine collection are what drew me to this role."

In Cleveland, Seydl was the lead organizer for "The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection," an exploration of art inspired by the destruction of the ancient Roman city.

The show's catalogue earned Seydl the Outstanding Catalogue Essay Prize in 2013 from the Association of Art Museum Curators, the Illinois release said.

Seydl will be the ninth director of the Krannert. He succeeds Kathleen Harleman, who was the museum's director from 2004 to 2017, as well as acting dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts from September 2015 until her retirement in August 2017.
BRECKSVILLE, Ohio - The city's new regional emergency-dispatch center would become part of Chagrin Valley Dispatch - an existing dispatch center serving more than a dozen east-side communities - under a proposed agreement.

The Chagrin Valley Dispatch Council, which oversees Chagrin Valley Dispatch, approved the agreement Monday night, according to Lt. Nick DiCicco, Chagrin Valley Dispatch director. Now the agreement goes back to Brecksville City Council, which placed the proposal on first reading last week.

Also, Independence - which entered into a separate agreement in 2016 to join Brecksville dispatch center once the center is constructed - would have to approve the agreement with Chagrin Valley Dispatch.

Meanwhile, Broadview Heights and Seven Hills, prospective members of the Brecksville dispatch center, must also decide whether also to become part of Chagrin Valley Dispatch.

"We are a proven entity," DiCicco told cleveland.com regarding why the four westside communities are considering joining Chagrin Valley Dispatch. "We have a history on how to build and operate a dispatch facility. And the Brecksville facility would give us a westside presence. It's a win-win."

Broadview Heights Mayor Sam Alai and Seven Hills Mayor Richard Dell 'Aquila did not return emails for comment. Independence Mayor Anthony Togliatti couldn't be reached on short notice Tuesday.

Municipalities all over Cuyahoga County, and Ohio, are merging dispatch centers. The state has mandated that counties significantly reduce the number of dispatch centers by next year or face cuts in their 911 funding, which pays for upgrades to dispatch systems.

Several regional dispatch centers have already been established in Cuyahoga County. In addition to Chagrin Valley Dispatch, these include Southwest Regional Dispatch Center, which serves Berea, Olmsted Falls, North Royalton and Strongsville, and Parma Regional Dispatch Center, which services Parma, Parma Heights, Brooklyn and Brook Park.

Dispatch decisions

Brecksville's new regional dispatch center, dubbed Cuyahoga Valley Emergency Dispatch Center, will be part of the city's new police station, now under construction on Brecksville Road, south of Ohio 82 and across from City Hall.

In March, council voted to borrow $8 million to build the new station, which will include a new jail and a 70-foot-long shooting range that will allow officers to train with all types of firearms.

Brecksville Mayor Jerry Hruby has said in the past that Brecksville has outgrown its existing station, which is part of City Hall. The Police Department had about 12 officers when the station was built in the early 1970's. Now the department employs about 30 officers, plus dispatchers and jailers.

In June, Dell 'Aquila told cleveland.com that Seven Hills hadn't decided whether to join Cuyahoga Valley dispatch. He said his city was negotiating with both the Brecksville and Parma regional dispatch centers.

On Monday night, Broadview Heights City Council was scheduled to discuss potential regional dispatch agreements.

Hruby said in June that each community becoming part of Cuyahoga Valley dispatch would share in the construction and operating costs. Contributions would be based on the number of emergency calls from each community.

Hruby said the Brecksville regional dispatch center will be large enough to accommodate up to 12 communities, although it will more likely include six-eight.

A proposed new Cuyahoga Valley Council of Governments would oversee the Brecksville dispatch center, under a resolution introduced to Brecksville city council last week. Hruby would serve as Brecksville's representative to the council of governments.

Join the crowd

Chagrin Valley Dispatch, which operates out of University Hospitals Bedford Medical Center, serves Bedford, Bentleyville, Bratenahl, Chagrin Falls, Chagrin Falls Township, Euclid, Glenwillow, Moreland Hills, Highland Hills, Hunting Valley, Gates Mills, North Randall, Orange, Solon, Woodmere and South Russell.

If Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Independence and Seven Hills join Chagrin Valley Dispatch, their monetary contributions would go to Chagrin Valley Dispatch, DiCicco said. It wasn't clear Tuesday whether those amounts had been determined or when payments would start .

In exchange, Chagrin Valley Dispatch would manage the construction of Cuyahoga Valley dispatch at no or reduced cost to Brecksville. Also, Chagrin Valley Dispatch would manage the operation of the new dispatch center once it's up and running.

DiCicco said the more communities that join Chagrin Valley Dispatch, the more cost-efficient dispatch operations become for each community. Also, Chagrin Valley Dispatch and Cuyahoga Valley dispatch would share dispatchers, which would come in handy if a dispatcher called in sick or went on leave.

DiCicco said Chagrin Valley Dispatch would seek to hire existing Brecksville, Broadview Heights and Independence dispatchers for the new Brecksville center. Seven Hills contracts with Broadview Heights for emergency-dispatch service and doesn't employ its own dispatchers.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dropped its challenge to a federal judge's ruling that the agency abused its discretion when it refused to dredge the six-mile Cleveland Harbor and Cuyahoga River shipping channel in 2015.

Senior U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent ruled in May that the Army Corps erred two years ago when it said sediment was not harmful to Lake Erie's ecosystem and refused to dredge the area. That ruling -- that the Army Corps was in the wrong for the 2015 project -- followed a 2015 ruling in which Nugent forced the Army Corps to dredge and pay for the cost of dumping the sediment into containment dikes instead of the lake.

The Army Corps appealed Nugent's decision on Dec. 1. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dropped the case Monday after the Army Corps asked for the dismissal.

News of the appeal upset Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Craig Butler, who has said the Army Corps and local and state officials have worked better together in recent months. Butler said in a Dec. 1 statement that "the Corps' decision to appeal the judge's ruling is a terrible misstep, backwards."

Andrew Kornacki, a spokesman for the Army Corps' Buffalo, New York district, declined to discuss the lawsuit and referred a reporter to the Justice Department. U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Mike Tobin declined to comment.

Kornacki said the Corps is focused on improving relations with those who deal with the Cleveland Harbor. There are plans to dredge the harbor as early as May 2018, he said.

Butler said in a statement late Tuesday that "Ohio is glad that the Corps dropped its appeal of the 2015 Cleveland Harbor case.

"Now we can get back to work on the many projects that will improve Lake Erie water quality and commerce," Butler continued. "I hope this also means that the Corps will not pursue the 2016 case and we can put this negative issue behind us once and for all."

In past years, the Army Corps has fought demands by the state to dispose of sediment dredged from the shipping channel into containment dikes, instead of in Lake Erie. At issue was the sediment dredged of the sixth mile, which serves the ArcelorMittal steel mill.

The state EPA said the sludge would pollute the lake. But the Corps disagreed and refused to dredge the shipping channel in 2015 and 2016 unless the state paid to dispose of the sediment. The Corps eventually dredged during both years.

A lawsuit over the 2016 standoff is pending in federal court.

The Army Corps has already received a water quality certification for its 2018 dredging project and will place dredged sediment into containment dikes, Kornacki said.

Updated with a statement from the Ohio EPA director.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Supreme Court has set an Oct. 26, 2022 execution date for Cleveland murderer Quisi Bryan, who shot and killed Cleveland police officer Wayne Leon during a traffic stop in 2000.

The state's high court set Bryan's execution Tuesday, after the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year denied another challenge to his convictions and sentence. Cuyahoga County prosecutors in October asked for the execution date to be set.

He will be executed at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.

Bryan, 47, is on death row for fatally shooting Leon in the face on June 25, 2000, after the officer pulled him over for a traffic violation in the city's Central neighborhood. Leon died instantly and Bryan was eventually captured in Columbus.

His most recent challenge to his death sentence was somewhat successful at first, when Senior U.S. District Judge James Carr in Toledo overturned his case and said prosecutors improperly tried to remove a prospective black juror from Bryan's trial because of her race.

The judge wrote that the prosecutor incorrectly stated the plot of a book and "directly and unilaterally injected a racial component into the equation."

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Carr's decision 2-1 in December 2016, ruling that the Toledo federal judge "improperly substituted its interpretation of the evidence for the findings of the trial judge." The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the 6th Circuit's decision.

Prosecutors wrote in a motion that Bryan has now exhausted all his appeals and attacks on his convictions and that "seventeen years is long enough."

Bryan also is serving prison time for several sexual assault cases that happened before his arrest in Leon's killing.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
BEREA, Ohio - Cuyahoga County will provide $875,000 in casino tax revenue for Coe Lake Park's redevelopment.

Council on Tuesday is expected to approve the measure, which is sponsored by all 11 members.

The money will fund four projects:

$495,000: Reconstruction reconfiguration and repaving of the municipal parking lot serving Coe Lake Park, the Cuyahoga County Public Library and Berea Lake Towers Retirement Community. This parking lot is next to Coe Lake and close to the downtown Berea business district.

$175,000: Expand the Mucklo Playground by adding a turf play surface and equipment.

$125,000: Additional site lighting, site signage and amenities including picnic tables, benches, grills, trash cans, drinking fountains and a boat dock.

$80,000: A designated tree lined walkway from Coe Lake to the Cuyahoga County Public Library.

The county, which receives about $7.3 million a year in casino taxes, has primarily used the money to provide multi-million-dollar loans for economic development projects in Cleveland and the county.

The Casino Tax Revenue Fund has a balance of $10.1 million, officials said in the Coe funding legislation.

This year the county distributed $1 million from the fund to 22 community development projects.

In October, council agreed to provide a $500,0000 grant toward the renovation of the East Side Market.

City officials explained the project at a recent council committee meeting.

In the early 1940s, the "Big Quarry" ceased sandstone quarry operations, and tributaries of the Rocky River were diverted to fill the quarry. The filled quarry became Coe Lake.

Coe Lake is surrounded by outdoor recreation areas between City Hall, the Berea Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, the municipal pool and the Mucklo Playground.

Since 2013 the city has spent more than $2.8 million to develop the area around the lake.

Projects include stabilizing the shoreline, building a new playground, relocating a pavilion by the lake and building a larger one on a hill, improving parking and creating an amphitheater on a hillside.

"Coe Lake Area is a valuable asset to us," Mayor Cyril Kleem told council. "We decided we could make it something bigger, a real regional attraction."

Council members said the project fit in well with council's priority of funding projects that have a regional impact.

"When I became aware of this project, I must admit I didn't know how much Berea had put into it," council member Michael Gallagher said. He said he and Council President Dan Brady paid a visit and were impressed.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County has spent years trying to balance its version of the county checkbook - and it is still $1.7 million off.

For the last four years the county has been unable to reconcile the funds in its bank balance with the book balance, which includes uncleared checks and deposits, according to the state auditor's annual financial audits, which have listed the problem as a "significant deficiency."

The money was not misplaced but may never be found, although it won't be for a lack of effort, Fiscal Officer Dennis Kennedy said.

The discrepancy could date back as far as 20 years when under the former commissioner form of government the auditor and treasurer had different systems and did not want to share information, he said.

"When I got here in the middle of 2015, we tried to identify how to correct the difference, but the financial reporting system I still use was adopted in 1988 and the treasurer's system was adopted in 1999," he said. "It's like trying to reconstruct bank records for the last 15 years."

The Dec. 31, 2016 cash fund balance review showed the adjusted bank balances total $957,124,789 and the book balance was $958,869,993, for an unreconciled book over bank adjustment of $1,745,204, according to the financial audit released on Nov. 14.

According to the annual state financial audits, the county had an unreconciled difference of $710,565 in 2105, $657,795 in 2014 and $686,093 in 2013.

Kennedy said his research shows differences had occurred for at least 10 years.

The problems with the systems will be resolved when the county's Enterprise Resource Planning system, which will tie together all county government computers and information technology systems, gets underway next year, he said.

But he wants to initiate that system with balanced books, so he hired the accounting firm Plante Moran for $10,000 to conduct an assessment of the auditor and treasurer systems.

"We want to see what to do to whittle the difference down," he said. "They have some sophisticated software to get into these ancient systems."

The company will provide an estimate of what it will take to fix the books, and he will consult with administration and County Council, Kennedy said. He said he doesn't want to spend $400,000 or more to find $1 million.

If the issues cannot be resolved, council may be asked to write off the unreconciled difference, he said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Akron, East Cleveland, Lorain and Maple Heights are among nine cities that showed signs of fiscal stress in 2016 as indicated by the state auditor's fiscal health evaluation tool.

Another six cities and three counties showed early signs of fiscal stress, according to an auditor's office analysis of 17 "financial health indicators" gleaned from cities' and counties' annual financial statements.

Ohio Auditor Dave Yost said the annual review, in its second year, is intended to provide a snapshot of a city or county's fiscal health and insight into how future financial distress can be avoided.

Ohio's 88 counties and 247 cities were given a red, yellow or green mark on measures such as expenses exceeding revenues and the available reserves in an entity's general operating fund. The data comes from local governments' self-reported financial statements.

Yost said a couple red or yellow marks doesn't mean a local government is in financial trouble, but rather highlights areas to look at and discuss.

"This tool is designed to help taxpayers and the people running the cities have a sense of what the future holds for them under their current status," Yost said.

Altogether, 64 counties had red, or critical outlook, indicators in 2016 compared to 36 counties in 2015. Cities' combined total of critical indicators also increased, from 275 in 2015 to 301 in 2016.

Yost said the data show increasing stress on local governments despite a relatively positive economic environment. Some local governments have pointed to the fiscal health scorecard to support their argument that state budget cuts several years ago still provide financial challenges.

"The state has a moral obligation to help support local governments that are carrying out state policies," Yost said. "I don't think it's a blank checkbook, but I think it's a fair discussion to have whether the state is doing all it should be doing."

Cleveland had been flagged in last year's report for being close to the tool's threshold for "financial stress." In 2015, Cleveland had seven negative indicators -- two critical and five cautionary -- out of 17 total.

In the 2016 report, Cleveland had one critical and four cautionary indicators.

Akron also improved from having 10 negative indicators in 2015 to eight in 2016.

Results for each city and county can be found on the auditor's website.

Mobile readers, click here to see 2016 analysis for Cuyahoga County cities.
Thanks to the Food Network's drive for ratings, we have a million fancy terms to describe our meals that barely resemble human speech. We sat down to painstakingly document and explain this lexicon and discovered ... that it's all bullshit. You were right to eat nothing but hot fried garbage this whole time. Or, god forgive you, Arby's.

5 Almost Any Wine Can Be "Award-Winning"

Due to a sitcom-esque mix-up, you've accidentally invited a date and your boss over for dinner tonight. Fortunately, you can impress them both by showing off your elite knowledge of wine. Unfortunately, you don't actually have an elite knowledge of wine. But that's OK; you can just pay extra for a bottle with a fancy-looking award label, then bullshit something about mouth feel, right?

Well, contrary to popular belief, the glamorous awards you see on wine bottle labels don't mean much at all. Wine competitions don't function like Olympic events, wherein thousands of hopefuls are whittled down to the best three, then bestowed with rare honors. If you look at the results of the 2017 International Wine Challenge, there were 9,569 "winners." The majority of wines that enter a competition will walk away with some sort of prize. In one case, it was 70 percent.

According to an anonymous judge, the only way a wine won't be commended is if it makes someone "retch." Another said, "A commended wine is one that causes you less than pain." Wineries will also take awards they won for, say, a 2011 white and slap them on 2017 bottles of red. Or if they somehow failed to "win" anything at all, they'll add their own suspiciously similar-looking labels.
Cloud News

IBM Channel Leader: Partners Must Place Their Bets In The Intelligent Era Of IT

Joseph Tsidulko

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IBM's cloud was built for artificial intelligence, a technology that presents possibly the largest market opportunity for partners, Dorothy Copeland , vice president of global business partners for North America, told attendees of The NexGen 2017 Conference & Technology Expo in Los Angeles.

The IT industry has entered the "intelligent era" of computing, Copeland said in a keynote Monday. A large ecosystem is developing around IBM platforms, especially the Bluemix cloud and Watson cognitive platform, to deliver solutions previously unimaginable.

IBM's cognitive solutions are "allowing data to be used in the way our brains use data, except backed by the horsepower of IT," Copeland told NexGen attendees. "This is the new era and this is the opportunity for all of us going forward."

[Related: Industry Analyst: Microservice Architectures Make Public Clouds 'A Lot Less Agnostic']

Companies are slowly adopting new technologies produced in the intelligent era of ITnot only AI but other solutions like Internet of Things and blockchain, she said.

"It sort of happens one app at a time," Copeland told attendees.

"What we're doing is putting the AI brains throughout all of our products," she said. That includes those focused on identifying security threats and rapidly responding to them.

IBM is tailoring those offerings for vertical markets, recognizing that different industries have different needs. The company is also committed to ensuring that insights gleaned from its artificial intelligence products remain entirely the property of the clients.

Making it all possible is the hardware powering IBM's data centers.

"It starts with our cloud and our cloud was built with AI in mind," she said. That means fast GPUs, accelerators, and networks designed for high-performance workloads.

But to usher in the new era also requires fostering an ecosystem of developers by enabling them to build applications on the IBM stack.

IBM can innovate fast because of more than 100 thousand partners around the world building on its technology, Copeland said.

For channel partners, seizing the opportunity means looking to the future.

"It's really about making a bet. Deciding where you want to go," Copeland said. "Where your business is now today, it won't be there in five years."

IBM is working to make those decisions easier for its partners with flexible engagement models, the ability to add value across its portfolio, and a broad technology platform, she said.

"The innovation is always interesting. What struck me most is the collaboration they have with the ecosystem," Jaime Albizures, director of sales and business development at Ace Computers, an IBM hardware reseller based in Chicago, told CRN.

It's encouraging to see a company like IBM moving away from a proprietary approach to innovation, he said.

"Everyone is trying to collaborate," Albizures said.

There's a race to AI, and every company is trying to seize "the little nugget in artificial intelligence" that will differentiate its offerings," Albizures said.
Security News

Atos Proposes Buying Gemalto For $5.05B To Create A Cybersecurity, IoT and Payment Powerhouse

Michael Novinson

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Atos has made an offer to purchase Gemalto for $5.05 billion to create an industry bellwether around cybersecurity and digital services.

The Paris-based IT services firm submitted its acquisition offer to Amsterdam-based Gemalto on Nov. 28, made it public late Monday, and has given the digital security vendor until Friday to decide whether or not to accept it. Gemalto said its board will carefully review the proposal with its financial and legal advisors and respond before the offer expires.

"We believe that a combination of Atos and Gemalto would result in enhanced global leadership in cybersecurity, digital technologies and services and in the strengthening of our positioning as a leading European payment services provider," Thierry Breton, Atos' chairman and CEO, said in a statement.

[RELATED: CRN Exclusive: Gemalto Launches New Partner Program As Part Of Revamped Channel Strategy]

Since the deal was announced, Atos' stock has jumped $9.29 (6.34%) to $155.75 while Gemalto's stock has skyrocketed by $13.53 (33.96%) to $53.37 per share. Atos offered to purchase Gemalto for $54.07 per share, or a 42 percent premium on the company's Friday closing price of $38.17 per share.

Absolute Access ID believes the deal would benefit Gemalto's channel community so long as the security vendor's great reputation is maintained, according to Jolene Johnson, owner of the Knoxville, Tenn.-based solution provider. Specifically, Johnson felt that Atos' and Gemalto's strengths in diversified fields would be an asset to partners and customers alike.

"They're both bringing great strengths to the table," Johnson told CRN. "With their two different backgrounds, it makes them a little more well-rounded to suit customers in diversified areas."

Absolute Access has worked with Gemalto around their authentication and public key infrastructure (PKI) tools for the past half-decade, Johnson said, and has been impressed by their wealth of experience and knowledge. Gemalto particularly excels at putting together a holistic system that completely address the needs of the end user, according to Johnson.

"Their products are hard to beat," Johnson said. "They offer one of the most secure options for customers."

If the deal goes through, the combined company would have billion-dollar businesses in payment, cybersecurity and IoT. The joint company's largest practice would by payment services with $2.35 billion in annual sales, where Atos' large range of offerings in verticals such as connected living, transportation and healthcare would be married with Gemalto's leadership around mobile and secured payments.

The company's cyber and homeland security practice would leap to a combined $1.76 billion in annual sales, with Gemalto's expertise around identity and access management, data encryption and crypto management strongly complementing Atos' capabilities related to artificial intelligence, big data, high-performance computers and cloud orchestration, the company said.

In the IoT and machine-to-machine space, the combined company would have a $1.18 billion business that combines Atos' expertise around data analytics and artificial intelligence with Gemalto's capabilities around mobile offerings and consumer devices.

The combined company would have some $18 billion in annual revenue, with Atos contributing $14.46 billion and Gemalto adding $3.53 billion. Gemalto derived 43 percent of its revenue from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 28 percent from the United States, and 29 percent from the rest of the world in 2016.

Gemalto in July announced a revamped partner program focused on enablement tools, rewarding partners for net-new activities, and providing a variety of procurement options for partners. There are multiple ways solution providers can get rewarded for working with Gemalto as part of the new program, including managed services, influencer, OEM partnership options, and traditional resale.

The revamped program also includes a new margin structure that focuses on rewarding partners for deal registration and protection, rather than a flat margin percentage. Gemalto plans to re-level partners into four tiers  silver, gold, platinum, and global VAR  in January 2018, with the program officially taking effect in February.

Atos has made aggressive moves to get into new areas before, purchasing Xerox's IT outsourcing business for $1.05 billion in December 2014. Buying the $1.5 billion, 9,800-employee entity nearly tripled the size of Atos' operations in the United States, with Atos becoming a primary IT services provider for Xerox and taking on its IT outsourcing customers.
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Residents and visitors of Black Rock may have been disappointed to see that Donut Crazy has shut down its satellite location in the space it shared with Nom-Eez, the Vietnamese eatery in the heart of the Bridgeport neighborhood.

(Don't worry, Nom-Eez is still going strong with its Vietnamese street eats in that location.)

Closing the Black Rock outpost was a decision to focus on the brand, and to concentrate on locations with the space and ability to sell all the products Donut Crazy has to offer, according to owner Jason Wojnarowksi.

Related: New Haven gets Donut Crazy

The gourmet doughnut shop  which currently has locations in Stratford, Westport, Shelton and New Haven  is known for its daily handcrafted doughnut offerings (think chocolate glazed, red velvet, and powdered jelly doughnuts), as well as its rotating "crazies" menu.

The "crazies" change monthly and include doughnut flavors like Peanut Butter Explosion (a chocolate cake donut covered in peanut butter buttercream, Reese's Puffs drizzled with dulce de leche and vanilla topped with a dollop of peanut butter) and S'Mores (a raised yeast shell with a chocolate Bavarian filling, dipped in chocolate frosting, rimmed with graham cookie crumbs, and topped with a lightly toasted large marshmallow and mini Hershey bar).

Contributed/Donut Crazy

Wojnarowski is partial to the coffee cake doughnut, which is topped with cream cheese frosting and traditional coffee cake streusel crumble.

"It's a nice, simple doughnut to enjoy," he said.

Donut Crazy also sells eats like omelets, tots, avocado toast, cheeseburgers, egg and cheese sandwiches and more at its full-service locations, as well as a variety of coffee and espresso drinks.

The shared spot at Nom-Eez proved challenging as far as showcasing the brand's varied offerings, Wojnarowski said, but opening a full-service location in the Bridgeport area in the future is something he wouldn't rule out  if the right location becomes available.

The demand for Donut Crazy has led to laying roots in Branford (slated to open in the next few weeks) and West Hartford (scheduled to open in the spring of 2018).

Related: Donut Crazy brings popular creations to Westport

"We wanted to work our way up toward the shoreline," Wojnarowski said, as the Fairfield County and New Haven locations were routinely seeing customers from that area.

The Branford spot will be takeout only, Wojnarowski said. The downtown West Hartford site will be a full-service location similar to the stores in Shelton and New Haven.

As Donut Crazy expands into new regions in Connecticut, the staff continues to brainstorm new creations and flavors.

jeff "jfood" schlesinger

Ideas for "crazies" are often collaborations between Wojnarowski, the staff and customers who share their thoughts in store and especially on social media.

Have ideas for the next line of "crazies?" Connect with Donut Crazy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Recently, Donut Crazy introduced the "cruffin," a cross between a croissant and a muffin, to celebrate the New Haven location's first anniversary. The cruffin is offered on weekends and they continue to perfect the recipe, planning to "mix in and rotate" new flavors like chocolate mousse and cannoli, Wojnarowski said.

Related: Donut Crazy launches the 'cruffin' croissant-muffin hybrid

They're planning a special cruffin to celebrate the opening of the Branford location, he added.

"We're excited to continue what we do," Wojnarowski said. "We're going to keep working and keep being creative."
Yesterday mornings BBC headlines brought the apparently shattering news that a certain Lord Kerslake had resigned as chairman of Kings College hospital in South London.

Such was the gravity with which these tidings were imparted, it was surprising they were not accompanied by the tolling of a muffled bell and calls for a two-minute silence.

Flags to half mast! Cover your mirrors with black crepe!

We were told that this Kerslake was a former head of the Civil Service and therefore not only important but also impartial. Yes. That, above all else, was the message. Here was a rigorously non-biased elder of our public life, calling it the way he reluctantly saw it.

We were told that this Kerslake was a former head of the Civil Service and therefore not only important but also impartial. Yes. That, above all else, was the message

And he thought the Tories handling of the NHS was rotten. If such an objective figure  a man above suspicion of taint from low politics, we kept being as good as told  could decide that Government spending on the health service was unacceptably low, well, it must be true. Must it not?

I caught Radio 4s early-morning gloop about Kerslake while piloting my little Renault along some skiddy lanes in snow-ridden Herefordshire. It was a good thing nothing was coming in the other direction.

He was commissioned by the Shadow Chancellor, Marxist John McDonnell, to prepare a series of implementation manuals for Jeremy Corbyn and Co as they (allegedly) prepare for Government

This projection of Bob Kerslake as some dispassionate Merlin made me laugh so much that the car started to wobble and near the bottom of Much Marcle ridge I nearly lost control of the back end.

There are two things worth knowing about the Rt Hon Baron Kerslake of Endcliffe. The first is that, although officially a non-aligned crossbench peer, he is currently working for the Labour Party. Let me re-type that in case, after hearing all those BBCs reports about his political neutrality, you think I must be wrong. Kerslake is currently working for the Labour Party.

He was commissioned by the Shadow Chancellor, Marxist John McDonnell, to prepare a series of implementation manuals for Jeremy Corbyn and Co as they (allegedly) prepare for Government. Mr McDonnell explained at the partys conference that Kerslake would train Labour staff to face legislative challenges.

Colossus

Labour yesterday tried to say that he would be doing the work as an independent. From the parliamentary register of peers paid interests, it would appear he is doing it for no money. You rarely do that in politics unless you support the party involved.

The second thing to know about the 62-year-old Kerslake is that he is a total clunker. In three decades of covering Westminsters select committees, I have seen officialdom put up a few no-hopers but Bob K was one of the worst. For us sketchwriters he was a collectors item. He was so ineloquent, so foggy. When he gave evidence to MPs who scrutinised the Civil Service, they would peer at him in disbelief.

He was commissioned by the Shadow Chancellor, Marxist John McDonnell (pictured), to prepare a series of implementation manuals for Jeremy Corbyn and Co as they (allegedly) prepare for Government

Could this meandering, wet, beardily indistinct plonker really be the head of our Civil Service? He earned the nickname Bumbling Bob. Mumbling, bumbling, bungler Bob Kerslake.

If Whitehalls best was that bad, what were the lower ranks like? Yet the BBC was yesterday elevating this same Bob Kerslake to the status of a political colossus.

He was made head of the Civil Service in 2012 after a low-profile career. From the West Country, he had read maths at the University of Warwick and qualified as an accountant. And yet the circumstances of his departure as chairman of Kings suggests that financial management at the hospital was not everything it should have been.

What was not reported by the BBC yesterday morning was that Lord Kerslake jumped from his role at the hospital after being told that he could soon be fired. The NHS yesterday would only say that the financial performance at Kings was unacceptable and continues to deteriorate.

How did such a low-wattage specimen become head of the Civil Service? Well, it was an internal appointment and I understand just two candidates were in the reckoning.

Puppet

In best Yes Minister fashion, the Sir Humphreys wanted the job to go to someone they could control or ignore. And so they ensured Sir Bob (as he then was) was up against an even more useless candidate: the Home Offices infamously weak Dame Helen Ghosh (who moved on to cause chaos as head of the National Trust).

Once Kerslake was in place, he was treated by Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood (aka Sir Cover-Up) pretty much as a puppet. The two men sometimes used to ride into work in the same taxi.

Few people in Whitehall were in any doubt which of them really ran the Civil Service  and it was not Bob Kerslake.

The more one looks at the Kings story and its prominence in yesterdays broadcast news, the more odd it becomes. But perhaps other agendas were in play here. For Lord Kerslake is but one of several former senior civil servants who have had their snouts very much disjointed by recent political developments.

Brexit, and the disappearance of the Blairites, has sent many of them loopy. Take former Treasury permanent secretary Lord (Nicholas) McPherson, who was at or near the top of our national counting house for many years under many Chancellors. Since last years EU referendum, his Twitter feed has gone tonto, with almost daily posts about how the country is doomed.

nd so they ensured Sir Bob (as he then was) was up against an even more useless candidate: the Home Offices infamously weak Dame Helen Ghosh (who moved on to cause chaos as head of the National Trust)

This is not exactly party-political, in that it does not side openly with Labour over the Tories. The partisanship, rather, is towards the old regime, the status quo ante  i.e. the world of Centre-Left officialdom as it was before the scurvy electorate voted for us to leave Whitehalls beloved EU.

Also in the House of Lords we find Lord (David) Hannay and Lord (John) Kerr, two former princelings of the Foreign Office who now lead resistance to Brexit in the Upper House. Barely a debate on the EU passes without one or both of these drawling diplomatists pronouncing dolefully on our countrys prospects.

If they can sling in a rude word about Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, all the better. How they love to do us all down. British patriotism means little to them if they and their caste  who so enthusiastically ran Project Fear  are no longer running Britain.

In this same category of pooh-bahs we can place Lord (Gus) ODonnell, a former Cabinet Secretary who has become an unofficial outrider for the Opposition, moaning and mewling his disapproval of various Government policies.

Or how about Sir Simon Fraser? A former head of the Foreign Office and one-time bag carrier to Peter Mandelson, he loves to belittle the May Governments chances of reaching agreement on Europe.

Ditto Lord (Peter) Ricketts, another ex-Whitehall smoothie, who after Mrs Mays disagrements with Ulster Unionists last week, purred patronisingly on Radio 4 that were used to Prime Ministers going to Brussels and having a row with the EU, but to have a row on your own side is inconvenient. How withering! How clever!

Bluff

It was such an amusing put-down that Jeremy Corbyn reproduced it in the Commons. But it suffered the inconvenience of being shown to be wrong, as Theresa May was actually strengthened after the DUPs intervention in the Brexit negotiations.

There are plenty more of these dry, droll doubters, these former magnificoes of impartiality, now happy to cast sneery comment against Mrs May and her ministers, both on Brexit and beyond.

In their London clubs, at their think-tank lunches, in the House of Lords and in their social media echo-chambers, they are clapped on the back and congratulated on their bravery.

No doubt that happened to bumbling Bob Kerslake yesterday. But the outside world just looks and them and thinks, like Mandy Rice-Davies at the Profumo trial: They would say that, wouldnt they?

They used to run our country and they said it would all go horribly wrong if their order was overturned.

Overturned it duly was  and the economy is still growing, just as the sun is still rising.

Their bluff has been called. Their game is up. If only the BBC would wake up to this.
Three male rape victims have spoken about their traumatic ordeals in a hard-hitting documentary.

Alex Morgan, who was attacked in a pub toilet, reveals it took him seven years to speak out about what happened, after he was told men were 'perpetrators' not 'victims' when he called a sexual assault helpline.

'For me it was soul-destroying,' he says in BBC Three's Male Rape: Breaking the Silence.

'It had taken me months to get to that point where I could ask for help, gathering that courage and bravery, but then getting that completely crushed,' says Alex, who has set up a charity, Stay Brave UK, in a bid to provide a voice for all rape victims - male, female, LGBT and non-binary.

An estimated one in six men experience sexual assault, but just ten percent report the crime - a low figure that is often attributed to male victims preferring to suffer in silence rather than admit to being a victim.

Two other men, Tanaka and Neil, also recall their own assaults in the documentary, and how they too felt unable to go to the police.

Neil, from Manchester, was set upon after a night out with friends, while London student Tanaka was raped by a man he had previously refused to have unprotected sex with.

Alex Morgan is the founder of Stay Brave UK a charity set up to help provide a voice for all sexual assault victims

As a rape survivor himself when he asked for help he was told that 'men were perpetrators' and 'women were victims'. Pictured, Alex with fellow survivor Tanaka on a charity walk

Alex recalled how terrified he was when he was raped in a pub toilet while in London waiting for his sister and friend.

He was overpowered by the unknown male assailant, whose face he didn't see, and says one of the questions he was asked most often was why he didn't report it to the police.

'I was too scared that they wouldnt believe me. [I thought] they would pick apart what had happened to me and somehow make it my fault,' he said.

Only seven years later did he feel comfortable enough to make a statement.

Neil, from Manchester, who was raped by a man after a night out with friends, echoed Alex's sentiments.

'I feel I didnt go to the police at the time, mainly because I didnt trust the police and never had much respect for them,' he said.

He added: 'More so I didnt want to go to the police because I didnt want anyone to find out.'

Neil struggled to deal with his rape and shunned any form of therapy, he also didn't want to report the crime to the police

Neil's ex-partner Lloyd (left) wanted Neil to seek therapy and suggested that the pressure of trying to deal with the assault contributed to their relationship breakdown

Neil's relationship with his partner at the time, Lloyd, crumbled under the pressure of trying to cope with the assault and he turned to drugs, alcohol, fighting as he battled with suicidal thoughts.

Lloyd, who has remained firm friends with Neil and tried to persuade him to get therapy, says in the documentary: 'In retrospect if you had dealt with it earlier it could have been a lot different, our relationship.

'You had a lot of anger. You only felt you could be intimate when you had alcohol.'

Both Alex and Neil have now spoken to police about their ordeals.

It has been reported that it takes men an average of 26 years to speak out about any form of sexual abuse - a stark statistic that Alex is hoping the work of his charity will help to change.

Tanaka a rape survivor from London also found it difficult to get the right help, and hopes that speaking out will help raise more awareness

Tanaka, a student from London, had refused to have unprotected sex with a man who then went on to rape him. He admits in the documentary he felt suicidal afterwards.

'If I had seen someone like me with a similar story telling it in their own words I know it would have helped me. I think the more of us there are saying this happened and its real, the easier it for people to rebuild their lives,' he said.

Neil adds: 'I supposed as a man you dont think you can be someone that is going to experience sexual assault or rape, which is something I didnt even really consider because I didnt think it would ever happen to me.'

If you have been affected or triggered by any of the content in this story please contact The Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org

Male Rape: Breaking the Silence is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now
Younger children are renowned for terrible tantrums; it's a problem every family struggles with, but what happens when massive meltdowns can't be controlled?

Australian parenting expert, Dr Monique Robinson, has set out to share the concerning signs to look our for during your child's tantrum, as well as the tools for how to manage a meltdown.

While it's difficult for parents to see their children become upset to the point where they are inconsolable, it's a situation they have to deal with, and they need to learn how to control the inevitable tantrums.

Scroll down for video

Tantrums are a normal part of a toddlers developmental phase but can move into becoming problematic when these go beyond pre-school ages of one to four (stock picture)

Tantrums can be characterised by screaming, yelling, shrieking, defiance, stubbornness, and in some cases even hitting and biting.

Coping with a child's tantrums is often one the more common reasons parents seek psychological help, said Australian parenting expert, Dr Monique Robinson, on Today.

'Those cases that are more at the extreme end are multiple tantrums every day, tantrums that last for more than 15 minutes at a time, and those that go beyond the pre-school years: after the ages of one to four,' she said.

The expert said children who were having tantrums at the problematic end of the spectrum were those where they are injuring themselves or others, or where this happens with non-parental adults.

Dr Monique Robinson (pictured) said psychologists looked at all factors surrounding a child when parents are seeking help

'That's where we think there might be a behavioral or developmental problem underlying,' the expert said.

Despite the fact that 90 per cent of children experience this phase, all factors are considered by professionals when parents seek help.

Dr Robinson noted when children do present with concerning signs, the family system is looked at as a whole.

Persistent tantrums can be wearying for parents to constantly manage (stock picture)

'We definitely see a picture of stress in the family. Whether that's because of the tantrums or that's leading to the tantrums,' she said.

'We often see marital problems or maternal irritability. Or it's often parents with a lower level of education or where there's corporal punishment like smacking in the home and when the mother has the sole responsibility for care-giving.'

Given parents are often already overburdened with family life, it can become increasingly difficult to manage meltdowns in a constructive and healthy manner.

The expert believes that in an age of social media overload, parents can feel a certain level of pressure to respond in exactly the same way.

Dr Robinson suggested parents find ways to intervene before a tantrum escalates rather than try to manage it after it has occurred (stock picture)

But she outlined it was important for parents to feel that even if they felt they were being judged by others when their children started acting out, to remain as calm as possible.

Her other recommendation is to distract your child, if they were able too, and if that failed to leave the environment altogether.

'You don't want to give in, and you don't want to see a tantrum being a productive exercise for the child, and you also don't want to join into the battle and escalate things.'

She also said parents needed to look at ways they can intervene before a tantrum has even happened rather than try to manage it after it has occurred.

'In general prevention of tantrums is the best way to manage,' she concluded.
A new social club that has landed in New York City is The Wing, and women are doing everything they can to get a membership.

Founded by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan in October 2016, The Wing is a women-only social club, which has already raised a total investment of $42 million, according to Business Insider.

The club currently has 1,500 members along with a lengthy 8,000-person waiting list for its two locations in Manhattan - one in Soho and one in Flatiron - despite the rather hefty $2,700-a-year membership fees.

No men allowed! The Wing is a women-only social club in NYC founded by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan in October 2016 as a place where women can get together and communicate

Members only: A membership to The Wing costs as low as $2,350 and as high as $2,700 plus tax, for basic amenities such as a library, work-space, cafe, and 'really good WiFi'

So what exactly is offered for such a sky-high price?

'Membership to The Wing includes access to open-plan and private work-space plus amenities designed with women's needs in mind,' the company states on its website.

'Included with membership is a robust and unique calendar of events and a community of women dedicated to living their best lives.'

However making it to the front of the waiting list and paying a hefty fee is not enough; to belong to the female-only club, you have to first apply, then, if chosen, there are two types of membership passes to choose from, the cheaper of which grants you access to just one club of your choosing, while the other gives you 'unlimited access to all current and future Wing locations'.

'We look at membership in terms of diversity: career, racial, and ethnic diversity, age diversity, and usage diversity,' co-founder Kassan told Business Insider of how they pick members.

'For me it's really about the community that can come out of this space. The original idea of having a space of convenience - but also creating a space that you can meet new women in,' Kassan continued.

Wait-list: The social club boasts on their website, 'No woman left behind', while 8,000 women and counting are still being wait-listed after applying to the club.

Membership: 'We look at membership in terms of diversity: career, racial, and ethnic diversity, age diversity, and usage diversity,' said co-founder Kassan on how they pick members

Convenience: The original idea for The Wing was to have a space that was convenient and 'a space that you can meet new women in,' said Kassan

Price-wise, the full membership costs $2,700 annually - or $250 per month - while the single club option is a slightly cheaper $2,350 annual cost, and $215 monthly.

In terms of amenities, however, The Wing is somewhat limited in what it has to offer when compared with other private members' clubs of a similar caliber.

According to the website, members will gain access to a library, workspace, cafe, charging station, lactation room, perks and freebies, speakers and events, showers, phone and conference rooms, blowouts on demand and 'really good WiFi'.

However, at such a high membership cost, The Wing puts itself in the same league as Soho House which charges a similar fee for all-access membership, as well as offering many cheaper options for its elite clubs, which boast much better amenities.

When registering to join Soho House, there are five different membership options to choose from, with the club founders stating that 'the majority of our members work in traditional creative industries, with the film, fashion, advertising, music, art and media sectors, among others, heavily represented'.

Rooftop pool: Soho House, one of the most elite members-only social club, has more amenities than The Wing, such as a pool, restaurant, club, movie theater, and more

Cheaper: Not only does Soho House have more amenities than the no-men-allowed club, it's also cheaper with memberships costing as low as $250 and as high as $3,200

There are many more amenities on offer at Soho House than there are at The Wing as well as more privacy; while The Wing offers content-friendly rooms for people to take pictures of and post on Instagram, Soho House has a no-photos rule in all of its clubs.

When it comes to amenities Soho House in New York's Meatpacking District offers a sprawling main club floor and restaurant, Cowshed spa, screening room where pre-release movies are shown to members and their guests, a rooftop swimming pool and bar, and a busy event programming calendar.

However this doesn't mean that membership passes at Soho House cost any more than at The Wing; options include the Local House pass, which gives you access to Soho House New York facilities only, at $2,100 per year, plus tax.

Then there is an Under 27 Local House pass which is $1,050 for members under the age of 27.

An Every House pass, which gives you access to all of Soho House's many clubs around the world, in locations including Chicago, London, Malibu, Los Angeles, and Barcelona, costs $3,200 per year; an Under 27 Every House pass at $1,600 per year.

In addition there is the Child membership for just $250 a year.

Not only does Soho House offer more amenities, they're also a bit more inclusive with their memberships, in the obvious fact that they allow both men and women to belong.

Meanwhile, The Wing boasts on their website, 'No woman left behind!' despite 8,000 women and counting still being wait-listed after applying to the club.

SOHO HOUSE IN NYC Membership fee: $2,100 for a Local House Pass which gives you access to Soho House in Manhattan, only. However a special Under 27 Local House pass costs is $1,050 for younger members. Amenities include: Main club floor and restaurant area, Cowshed spa, screening room, rooftop swimming pool and event programming calendar for members. No photos allowed Advertisement
Netflix has been compared to Big Brother after posting a 'creepy' tweet in which it shared very detailed information about customers' viewing habits - while using it to rather cruelly poke fun at people for watching a Christmas movie.

After publishing its year-end report, in which it celebrated its most successful day as a result of the popularity of Stranger Things, the streaming service has been posting certain pieces of very specific information on its social media account, with one tweet in particular sparking a flurry of concerned, and angry, replies.

'To the 53 people who've watched A Christmas Prince every day for the past 18 days: Who hurt you?' the tweet read, referring to Netflix's original festive movie which was released on the site just a few weeks ago.

A big hit: Netflix has revealed that 53 of its subscribers have watched A Christmas Prince every day for the past 18 days

On blast: The particular stat about the popular Christmas film prompted Netflix to call out the users on Twitter

Outrage: People were quick to respond to the tweet, accusing Netflix of 'creepy' tactics, and blasting the site for using data to 'laugh' at its customers

Scary tactics: One person even compared Netflix to 'Big Brother'

Hot take: Journalist Hugo Rifkind called the Netflix tweet 'f*****g creepy'

And while some were quick to see the attempted humor within the post, happily replying with their own embarrassing viewing habits, others blasted the much 'creepier' aspect, calling out the fact that the site is not only monitoring its viewers incredibly closely, but that it is also using this data to troll its customers.

'Hot Take: Netflix tweeting this is f*****g creepy,' journalist Hugo Rifkind shared.

Christian Christiensen then chimed in: 'Good to know @netflix staff are sitting around their offices looking at private user data, laughing about it, then sending out a tweet to millions.

'Creepy and a complete violation.'

'So unknown creepy Netflix staff have access to your viewing data, use it to creep on you, laugh at you, maybe publicly,' Ben Goldacre shared on his Twitter account.

'I guess it's like video store staff, except a massive database means it's easier for creepy Netflix staff to find and creep on individual people they know.'

'I liked this tweet because it's good to be reminded that huge unaccountable companies use our personal data to dunk on us both literally and figuratively,' wrote another Twitter user.

Seeing the light side? One person also made the Big Brother reference, but added some humor in the form of a winking face

A question: Some people decided to engage in witty conversations with the site, however

The big one: Stranger Things gave the service its biggest streaming day of the year after coming out with a second season on October 29

An interesting choice: One UK-based viewer was found to have Bee Movie a total of 357 times

There were some users, however, who seemed happy to engage with the streaming site's tweet, snapping back with their own witty replies, and even joining the Netflix account in a war of words in some cases.

'Why are you calling people out like that Netflix?' asked one user, to which the account responded: 'I just want to make sure you're okay.'

The user quickly retorted: 'You're not my mom.'

Another chimed in: 'Does Netflix actually pay attention to how often I watch or re-watch things? Because if so, I'm sorry.'

But the A Christmas Prince fans weren't the only ones called out by the year-end review, such as the single Netflix user in the UK who has watched Bee Movie a total of 357 times.

One serious Johnny Depp fan watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl every single day this year, while another Canadian user watched the third Lord of the Rings movie 361 times.

Other data released by the streaming service revealed that Greenleaf, a series about a family and their sprawling megachurch in Memphis, was the most 'devoured' show in 2017 - meaning the program had been watched for more than two hours per day.

The Crown was named the most savored show, and Narcos was named the show customers were more likely to 'cheat' and watch ahead of their partner.
He previously spoke out about his path to sobriety after a secret three-year battle with alcohol and drug addiction.

But Byron Bay hipster Mitch Gobel has admitted he's no longer staying sober.

Taking to Instagram, the 27-year-old artist revealed why he's embracing moderation with drinking after he 'got what I needed' from sobriety.

'Sobriety was a beautiful experience. Above all, it taught me how to connect with people naturally again... and reintroduced me to my true-self again,' he wrote.

'I want to really emphasise that what I'm about to say is what resonated for me personally - For me, being completely sober was just as isolating as being an addict.

'I received what I needed from sobriety and now I choose to have a drink, or take psychedelics with them occasionally.'

Byron Bay hipster Mitch Gobel said he's no longer staying sober despite his path to sobriety

The 27-year-old artist shot to fame with his stunning bohemian girlfriend Sally Mustang for sharing their sex life on Instagram (pictured together)

Earlier this year, the Instagram star said his addictions had spiralled out of control where he was left struggling through a dark moment in his life.

'Before I became sober I was in a dark place,' he said.

'I consciously made an effort not to put myself in any sort of social situation without having a drink or drug, to an extent I wouldn't even go into a shopping centre sober.'

And so Mr Gobel - who boasts more than 220,000 Instagram followers - decided to turn his home into a rehab, and he vowed to beat his habits.

Earlier this year, Mr Gobel - who boasts more than 220,000 Instagram followers - said he decided to turn his home into a rehab, and he vowed to beat his habits

Taking to Instagram, the 27-year-old artist said he 'got what I needed' from sobriety so now he's choosing to drink again - but this time responsibly

But despite his efforts to stay sober, Mr Gobel said he decided to drink again.

'Once you've experienced an altered state, it's hard to come back from that. Meditation helped me to tap into a similar realm again without drugs or alcohol,' he said.

'Now I generally meditate three times a day, but I choose not to limit myself to that experience alone.

'Strength for me is having a choice, not being controlled by any substance and true - I achieved that power through sobriety.

'My journey has led me deep into spirituality and this is something I still know little about, but what I've taken from this education is that only I should say what works for me.'

He urged his followers to seek help if they are struggling in a dark place.

Earlier this year, the Instagram star said his addictions had spiralled out of control where he was left struggling through a dark moment in his life

The hipster urged his followers to seek help if they are struggling in a dark place

While some supported his decision, many were far from impressed with his social media post, suggesting his views could trigger people to relapse.

'His statement encourages people to consider relapse and why that is dangerous,' one wrote.

Another said: 'At least he had the guts to put it out there. I'm not going to wish relapse on anyone but in my experience it's inevitable if you ignore the fact that you can't deal with life's curve balls without a substance.'

One said: 'I respect the way you always make yourself vulnerable to your community. But I also remember how heartbreaking your post was the day you decided to chase sobriety, no matter the pain or the people you would lose.

Another wrote: 'Addiction isn't accepting of "one drink". It's all or nothing mate. Your illusion is very powerful.'

Another said: 'This is so disappointing Mitch. I was so proud of you for being sober for that brief moment. I know everyone is saying how great your relapse is, but essentially you've just relapsed and taken to social media for support in your decision.'

And another posted: 'I don't think it's courageous of him to announce that he has chosen psychedelics and alcohol over sobriety when he is a diagnosed addict. He has put himself on a public podium, he has created a business out of his social media presence, he understands his influence and he disregarded it to make his relapse sound poetic and bohemian.'

For confidential support, please call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
An Australian swimwear designer, whose latest collection uses non-traditional swimwear fabrics, says her passion is to push the boundaries of design.

Gold Coast-based Renay Wells, 42, the designer behind Australian swimwear brand Miss Maneater is set to launch her summer range - one that features pieces using leather, suede and velvet.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Ms Wells who has previously designed for top brands, including 2chillies and Hot Tuna, says she has always embraced the edgier side of fashion.

She revealed her brand, launched in 2008, was primarily built on her love of creating swimwear that gives women the confidence to feel good about their bodies.

Swimwear designer Renay Wells says she loves fashion that pushes the boundaries of design

Some years before starting her label, Ms Wells shared how in 2004, as an adventurous 27-year-old fashion graduate, she was named a top finalist in the National Retail Awards in Australia for her student entry.

Creating to the brief: Retro to Futurism, the aspiring designer entered three swimwear garments made out of silver foil.

'I guess that's where my love of creating swimwear pieces in completely different fabrications came from,' she says.

'I always pushed the boundaries a little bit more.'

The Gold Coast designer revealed her passion for creating unique swimwear was sparked after being named a finalist in a national design competition as a fashion school graduate

While Ms Wells has an impressive design CV and experience as a commercial swimwear designer that spans the both US and China, she says having her own label was always her dream.

The designer explains that in 2008 she had returned from a job in Los Angeles and begun creating swimwear from her home on the Gold Coast.

While she laughs about the timing - 'The Global Financial Crisis had just hit when I started the label' - she says there seemed to be a market for her unique pieces.

'It was pretty much a natural progression. Although the economy wasn't there, the demand for my creations was.'

The Australian brand Miss Maneater was created by Ms Wells in 2008 'just as the GFC [Global Financial Crisis] hit,' she said

Ms Wells says business progressed quickly and by 2010 she was regularly featured on magazine covers with more models and designers wanting to collaborate.

'It first started with me creating some swimsuit pieces for Fashion TV and I actually hand-made these with wooden beads and fringing - they were very boho styles.

'Since then social media has taken over, and magazines are no more - everything is internet-based. Someone posts a photo and the next minute it goes viral.'

While business progressed naturally, it was clear from the outset she was a favourite among models and stylists

The designer believes her swimsuits, as revealing as they are, allow women to take a more empowered stance toward their sexuality

While Ms Wells' designs are quite revealing, this is something she believes allows women to take a more empowered stance, especially towards their bodies.

She credits Baywatch - circa 1992 featuring the inimitable Pamela Anderson - as having sparked her interest creating swimwear that embodied an idea of 'being strong within yourself.'

'It's all about having the maneater attitude,' Ms Wells says.

'I want women to feel empowered and love the skin they're in and know that each person is unique.

Her key design inspiration? The television show Baywatch - circa 1992

'Everyone has curves, even those who have their flaws air-brushed.

'My brand's mantra is: Girls are curvy, more often than not.'

Her latest swimwear collection, made out of suede, velvet and leather, embraces her fashion-forward spirit while guaranteeing to make a statement this summer.

Her latest range has been created in using non-traditional though water-resistant fabrics

Miss Maneater's new collection does double duty as both as swimwear or as a fashion garment

The Brazilian-cut range is as versatile as it is sexy and can be worn both on the beach or by the pool.

Ms Wells said Australian women seemed to love wearing revealing swimwear

While the fabrics she's used in creating this collection might not seem as though they would withstand a dip in the sea, Ms Wells says the high-tech swimsuit fabrics have a Lycra and Spandex competent which makes them water resistant.

The 42-year-old says her swimwear is a huge hit among Australian women as they seemed to be the most outgoing when it came to wearing revealing swimwear.

'I have found there is that market for girls who want to spend that money to have a truly unique piece,' she explains.

'There's nothing really out there like them. The designs are an expression of my individuality,' she says.

'It gives girls something that can really bring out their femininity in a positive way.'
This year, fashion designers weren't afraid to get politicalso it's only fitting that the two most used words in the industry were 'power' and 'woke'.

An analysis of text from more than 30,000 articles written over the course of 2017 has revealed which words dominated fashion discourse during the past 12 months, with the top two reflecting shoppers' desire for clothes that broadcast their strongest opinions and beliefs.

Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri famously released a $710 T-shirt reading 'We should all be feminists' as part of its spring collection, prompting some to pick up on the irony of seeing such an inclusive message plastered across a garment sold at an elitist price.

Statement: This year, the two most used words in the industry were 'power' and 'woke'which seem fitting, considering pieces such as Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri's feminist T-shirts

Words: Nepalese-American designer Prabal Gurung also featured political messages, with his own statement T-shirts released in July 2017

Owning it: Gurung himself donned a feminist T-shirt during his February 2017 show at New York Fashion Week

The brand pledged to donate part of the profits generated by the sales of the T-shirts to Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation, which helps impoverished communities across the world by providing healthcare and education resources.

But Dior didn't specify which percentage of the profit would go to the foundation, thus doing little to appease those who found the T-shirt tone-deaf to begin with.

Nepalese-American designer Prabal Gurung also featured political messages on his creations in July, releasing T-shirts that read 'The future is female', 'I am an immigrant' and 'Nevertheless, she persisted'.

The latter sentence has become emblematic of Senator Elizabeth Warren's refusal to be silenced while she aired her objections during Attorney General Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearing in February.

Asking questions: Dior also debuted this T-shirt reading 'Why are there no great women artists?' in September this year at Paris Fashion Week

Clothing: 'Millennial' reached the fifth place of the top 10, perhaps aided by the rise of millennial pink. The hue can be seen on various catwalks in February this year

In order to compile its top 10 most used words in fashion, the global clothing search engine Lyst broke down the more than 30,000 articles it studied into their 8,610,630 component words.

Then, Lyst counted up the most frequently occurring combinations, and built a scale of the most important words of the year, not including brand names.

In third place after 'power' and 'woke' is 'statement', a testament to this year's high-impact garments.

Next up is 'floral', meaning the timeless print remains a consumer favorite.

'Millennial' and 'extra' follow in fifth and sixth place respectively, showing just how much the blossoming of millennial culture impacted fashion over the course of the past 12 months.

Outfit: 'Masculine' is in seventh place, and appears to reflect the rise of power pantsuits (pictured at various runway shows in September this year)

Eye-catching: The word 'ugly' features in ninth position of the top 10, perhaps reflecting shoppers' affection for quirky items such as Christopher Kane's embellished Crocs

The former might have been aided by the rise of millennial pink, a beloved hue featured on a wide range of items, from clothing to kitchen utensils.

WHAT ARE THIS YEAR'S MOST USED WORDS IN FASHION? 1. Power 2. Woke 3. Statement 4. Floral 5. Millenial 6. Extra 7. Masculine 8. Cult 9. Ugly 10. Vegan Source: Lyst Advertisement

'Extra', which is often used in reference to over-the-top designs, indicates that shoppers weren't afraid to wear eye-catching clothes, straying away from the classics.

'Masculine' is next in seventh place, and appears to reflect the rise of power pantsuits, which have gained renewed relevance since becoming closely associated with Hillary Clinton and her 2016 presidential campaign.

In eight place is 'cult', showing that while fast fashion satisfies people's cravings for the trendiest items, there is still room in their hearts and in their budgets for timeless favorites.

Rather surprisingly, the word 'ugly' features in ninth position of the top 10, perhaps reflecting shoppers' affection for quirky items recently rehabilitated on the runway, such as Christopher Kane's embellished Crocs or Balenciaga's platform clogs.

'Vegan' closes the top 10, and might reflect people's desire for ethically produced items of clothing and shoes that don't use animal skin, fur, or silk.
The Force was strong in London tonight as the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry joined a host of famous faces for the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The dapper royals donned their finery as they took to the red carpet, with William raising a few eyebrows with his choice of footwear - donning dandy-ish velvet slippers while Harry stuck to sensible brogues.

They rubbed shoulders with members of the film's cast and crew including BB-8 ahead of the star-studded screening, which is taking place at the Royal Albert Hall.

The brothers have cameo roles as Stormtroopers alongside movie hardman Tom Hardy, actor John Boyega has previously revealed.

And tonight, the two princes were each given a Stormtrooper helmet of their own by Lily Chambers, 12, and Eloisa Lerner, eight, whose fathers are both executives at Disney.

Wow, said William. Should I put this on?'

The dapper royals donned their finery as they took to the red carpet, with William raising a few eyebrows with his choice of footwear

The Princes got their dream come true tonight whenthey were each given a Stormtrooper helmet of their own by Lily Chambers, 12, and Eloisa Lerner, eight (pictured) whose fathers are both executives at Disney

Lifelong Star Wars fan William, who has a cameo role in the movie alongside Harry, said Wow, should I put this on?' (pictured here with Eloisa Lerner, eight)

Newly-engaged Harry, who appeared without his fiancee Meghan Markle tonight, looked delighted with him Stormtrooper helmet - but it is not the first time he's worn one

And tonight Boyega, who plays Finn, walked the red carpet alongside fellow stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren).

Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Jonathan Ross are some of the other guests expected to attend the star-studded bash.

The premiere is being hosted in aid of The Royal Foundation, with more than 400 young people, military veterans and volunteers who have taken part in the charity's programmes attending the event.

Some of the families who were affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy will also attend tonight's premiere.

And while Harry stuck to sensible brogues with his black tie outfit on the red carpet tonight, William wore dandy-ish velvet slip-ons with his.

Known as Prince Albert slippers, this leather-soled style has long been favoured by the upper classes who would slip them on as a smart indoor replacement for their boots.

Dressed to impress in black tie, the two Princes take to the red carpet for the premiere of the latest Star Wars instalment which is also the brothers' Hollywood debut - but William drew glances with his choice of footwear

The Duke raised a few eyebrows with his choice of footwear - donning velvet smoking slippers while Harry stuck to sensible brogues

Queen Victorias husband, Prince Albert, elevated their status by adding velvet uppers and quilted linings  and the slipper has been associated with his name ever since.

They became particularly fashionable in Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s, according to The Black Tie Guide. Clark Gable would wear them at home with coloured socks and a matching shirt.

But while some men do wear them out and about with a tuxedo, they are generally thought more appropriate for an at home event.

The Daily Mail pictured Williams uncle, Prince Edward, in a monogrammed pair earlier this week.

William and Harry rubbed shoulders with BB-8 (pictured) as well as members of the film's cast and crew tonight ahead of the star-studded screening, which is taking place at the Royal Albert Hall

The Last Jedi is the eighth film in the Star Wars saga, following on from 2015's hit The Force Awakens.

It is the last film where Carrie Fisher will appear as Princess Leia - the actress died aged 60, shortly after completing her final scenes.

Tonight Harry, 33, was reunited with two young people he and fiancee Meghan Markle met in Nottingham on December 1.

He congratulated hip hop performer and actor Leo Wright on his act at Nottingham Academy. 'It was great,' said Harry.

After meeting the Prince, Leo said: 'I heard from him that he was impressed. For him to day you're good, it means a lot.'

The Royals share a joke with cast and crew on the red carpet. The Last Jedi is the eighth film in the Star Wars saga, following on from 2015's hit The Force Awakens

Harry teased a young artistic photographer from Nottingham, Jamal Sterrett, who was in the line-up to meet him. 'You're all dressed up for the occasion. I love that,' he said with a smile.

At the Princes' invitation, two people, Adel Chaoui and Mouna El Ogbani, from the ClementJames community centre were there representing families affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy six months ago. (Note: they were happy being photographed but did not want to be interviewed ).

Nervous about publicity and meeting the two royals, Ms El Ogbani gave up her chance to talk to them and went straight into the film.

'Are you staying here for the film?' William asked Mr Chaoui. 'Yeah, yeah, I'm a big Star Wars fan,' he said.

Prince charming: Harry talks with guests, as he meets the CTBF trustees and representatives from Save The Children and Shelterbox at tonight's premiere

Despite his fashion faux pas William was in excellent spirits as he joined his brother meeting the CTBF trustees and representatives from Save The Children and Shelterbox tonight

The Duke of Cambridge talks with members of the armed forces as he makes his way around guests at the premiere

During their red carpet walkabout, William and Harry couldnt have looked more thrilled as they met their childhood hero, Luke Skywalker.

William and Harry appeared unable to contain their excitement as they arrived on the red carpet, which was flanked by Stormtroopers, at the end of which they were met by lovable robot BB8, who chattered to them excitedly.

Both princes are huge fans of the films and in 2016 toured The Last Jedis Pinewood Studios set.

During that visit, William admitted that he was 'total Star Wars geek' and he and Harry couldn't hide their delight as they got to pose with Luke Skywalker  actor Mark Hamill - and Chewbacca, played by Joonas Suotamo.

On the promo tour: The princes' arrival tonight comes after the glittering world premiere at LA's Shrine Auditorium on Saturday

All for a good cause: The premiere is being hosted in aid of The Royal Foundation, with more than 400 young people, military veterans and volunteers who have taken part in the charity's programmes attending the event

Inside the Royal Albert Hall tonight, the two princes conducted a traditional royal line up, meeting the stars and crew.

William could just about be heard chatting with John Boyega and Oscar Osaac, who plays Poe Damon, about the lift  which appeared to confirm the story about their cameo appearance.

William appeared to be remonstrating with Boyaga who laughed uproariously as the prince wagged his finger.

Hotly anticipated: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, which is the longest ever Star Wars film with a running time of just over two-and-a-half hours, will be released in UK cinemas on Thursday

John Boyega is joined by two real-life Stormtroopers on the red carpet at Royal Albert Hall tonight. He is due to be joined by the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry

Boyega nearly missed the movie's Los Angeles premiere earlier this week after he was stuck in a blizzard-hit Atlanta over the weekend.

The 25-year-old Londoner tweeted: 'Trying to get back for the LA premiere! I actually NEED a pilot!!!'

The princes' arrival tonight came after the glittering world premiere at LA's Shrine Auditorium on Saturday.

The film's director-writer Rian Johnson paid special tribute to late Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher as he introduced the screening.

Hollywood debut: Film-goers will see the Princes in their Stormtrooper outfits but with their faces hidden behind helmet visors  if the scene is kept in the final cut

Lifelong royal fans get cameo role Star Wars super fans William and Harry secretly filmed cameo roles as Stormtroopers for the latest installment in the blockbuster franchise. The Royals recorded the scene when they visited the set in April 2016, as revealed by The Mail on Sunday. They appeared alongside Daisy Ridley and John Boyega  the British actors who played Rey and Finn in last year's The Force Awakens  and Oscar-winner Benicio del Toro, who is believed to be playing new villain Lord Vikram. US actor Mark Hamill, US director Rian Johnson, Britain's Prince Harry, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, British actor John Boyega, Chewbacca and British actress Daisy Ridley pose during a tour of the Star Wars sets at Pinewood studios in Iver Heath The Duke of Cambridge passes the C-3PO droid (left) and Chewbacca (right) during a tour of the Star Wars sets at Pinewood studios in Buckinghamshire The Princes try out light saber during a tour of the Star Wars sets at Pinewood studios in April 2016 Film-goers will see the Princes in their Stormtrooper outfits but with their faces hidden behind helmet visors  if the scene is kept in the final cut. Earlier, on the well-publicised official part of the tour of Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, the Princes had been hugged by Chewbacca and fought a mock lightsaber battle, to the delight of onlookers. But then everyone apart from the director, producer and essential crew was cleared from the set so the royal appearance could be filmed in secret. A source told The Mail on Sunday: 'The line given was that they were going to have lunch and a private tour of the rest of the set. What really happened is that the director came over and told them it was time to 'get suited' and off they went to the wardrobe department. 'The Princes dressed up in full Stormtrooper gear and filmed a scene in which Rey and Finn infiltrate a secret base. The rebel characters are in a lift with Benicia del Toro's character when a group of Stormtroopers enter  two of whom are William and Harry.' Advertisement

He said: 'I want to dedicate tonight to Carrie, who is up there right now flipping me the bird, saying `Damn it Rian, dont you dare make this night a solemn tribute.

'So lets all have a blast tonight for Carrie.'

Carrie died at age 60 last December after completing her work on The Last Jedi.

Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, which is the longest ever Star Wars film with a running time of just over two-and-a-half hours, will be released in UK cinemas on Thursday December 14.
Queen Letizia showed that selfies are a universal concept today after she posed with staff and students while visiting Dakar University today.

Looking office-ready in a tailored cream trouser-suit, the Spanish royal, who arrived in the West African country on Monday night, looked more than happy to strike a pose with well-wishers.

A large crowd, many carrying welcoming signs and including the university's current generation of students, turned out to see Letizia, 45, on her second day in the country.

Spanish smile! Queen Letizia, currently on a four-day visit to Dakar in Senegal, West Africa poses with a staff member outside the city's university building

Stylish in cream! Hundreds of well-wishers - including students at the university - turned out to see the Spanish Queen consort, who looked sharp in a tailored cream trouser suit, as she arrived this morning at the educational establishment

The four-day royal visit is designed to support Spanish co-operation projects including the defense of women's rights and social and economic developments in the country.

The Queen consort is on her last overseas visit before the Christmas break and looked chic in a tailored cream suit, worn over a black-and-white houndstooth top.

She wore her highlighted brunette locks in loose ringlets and donned a pair of festive earrings - diamond-studded stars. The Spanish style icon finished the look with a glossy lip and smokey eyes.

Letizia, 45, wore her highlighted brunette locks in loose ringlets as she flicked through documents in a weighty folder

Sporting festive diamond star earrings, the Queen opted for a glossy lip and smoky eye

The royal visit is the Queen's last overseas tour before Christmas, which she'll spend in Madrid with her husband King Felipe IV and daughters Leonor and Sofia

Thick as thieves: Queen Letizia of Spain made a typically glamorous entrance when she touched down in Senegal on Monday night

Letizia steps off her plane. The mother-of-two is accompanied by the Secretary of State for International Cooperation and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Fernando Garcia Casas

Two first ladies: The pair appeared to be getting along famously as the laughed and joked on the tarmac before heading indoors

Queen of style: Letizia, 45, who is on a four-day working visit to the west African country, opted for a fit-and-flare dress in eye-catching monochrome stripes when she landed at Dakar airport

When she touched down on Monday night, Letizia showcased her faultless style in a fit-and-flare dress with eye-catching monochrome stripes for her arrival at at Dakar airport.

She was met by First Lady Marieme Faye Sall, who is the wife of the country's President Macky Sall.

The pair appeared to be getting along famously as the laughed and joked on the tarmac before heading indoors.

The Spanish queen consort's visit is intended to boost support for the cooperation projects that Spain has in Senegal, such as the defence of women's rights and social and economic development.

Letizia, who is the wife of King Felipe VI, is due to kick off her engagements tomorrow at the Technical Cooperation Office of the AECID, where she will hold a meeting with Spanish and international cooperation workers.

Important visit: The Spanish queen consort's visit is intended to boost support for the cooperation projects that Spain has in Senegal, such as the defence of women's rights and social and economic development

Flying start: Letizia, who is the wife of King Felipe VI, is due to kick off her engagements tomorrow at the Technical Cooperation Office of the AECID

Working trip: Later on Tuesday, Letizia will move to the 'Aula Cervantes' in the Campus of the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD), the country's main university

Later, she moved to the 'Aula Cervantes' in the Campus of the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD), the country's main university.

There, she was informed of the work of the Cervantes Institute in Senegal and attend a meeting with the rector of the UCAD and other academic authorities, as well as Spanish teachers and students.

She was treated to lunch at the luxurious Terou-Ki hotel, a five star hotel with spectacular sea views, before heading on to visit to Red Cross of Dakar to learn about a project for the protection of Senegalese women's rights.

Queen Letizia arriving for a luncheon ceremony on ocassion of her official visit to Senegal in Dakar

The royal attended a speech at the Senegalese Red Cross office with first lady of Senegal Marieme Faye Sall

The Queen is welcomed by Marieme Faye Sall (left), wife of the Senegal's President Macky Sall

The Spanish royal greeted other officials at the Red Cross office before heading inside to learn more about women's rights in the country

The Queen was all smiles as she waved to the waiting crowds while walking alongside the Senegal president's wife

There she was welcomed by Marieme Faye Sall, the wife of the Senegal's President Macky Sall.

The mother-of-two looked a picture of elegance as she swapped stripes for a green and floral knee-length dress.

They waved to the crowds gathered before heading inside the building for a speech about Senegalese women's rights

Queen Letizia is accompanied by the Secretary of State for International Cooperation and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Fernando Garcia Casas, as well as the Director of Cooperation with Africa and Asia of the AECID, Cristina Diaz.
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A Moscow ballroom has been transformed into a sea of navy and white as glamorous cadets don their finery for the annual military ball.

Russia's soldiers of tomorrow swapped the parade ground for the ballroom as they attended the opulent International Kremlin Cadet Ball in Moscow.

The annual ball is a picture of discipline, pomp and splendor as girls in billowing dresses twirl across the dance floor, immaculately dressed young men line the hall in orderly rows, and teachers bark out orders, trying to get their students to keep time.

Meanwhile backstage, lipstick is applied and hair frantically braided, girls jostle for position in front of floor-length mirrors, trying to capture the perfect selfie.

For many at Tuesday's ball, it's a fairytale chance to experience the grandeur of Russia's czarist traditions. With its string quartets, traditional dance routines and patriotic speeches, the event harks back to a bygone era.

Sheer delight! Two military school students wait to take their turn on the dance floor during their annual ball in Moscow which attracts youth from all over Russia

The ball is a chance for students to swap their military attire for a touch of glamour, swirling and twirling together on the dance floor

Star attraction: Two students get the ballroom floor all to themselves to show off their dancing skills to their fellow peers in traditional Russian dress

Around 1,000 troops don their finest dress uniforms each as they accompany partners in glamorous gowns at the Gostiny Dvor, the city's old merchant court.

Male and female cadets can be enrolled as young as eight, with many of the children looking far older than they are due to their sophisticated uniforms.

The ball began in 2012 and many of the cadets who attend are orphans who are encouraged to join up and pledge their allegiance to the 'Motherland'.

Cadets are mainly from Russia but are also from other parts of Europe as far as Spain and Greece, as well as Eastern Europeans closer to home.

There are cadet schemes in major cities throughout Russia and those who enroll can choose to pursue a career in the military or the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Over 1,000 cadets attend the military ball which gives them the opportunity to experience the grandeur of Russia's czarist traditions

Well rehearsed: The cadets perform their routines much to the delight of the adoring crowds watching from the sidelines

Round of applause! The students congratulate each other following a particularly high energy number. They all line up according to dress and colour code

Male and female cadets as young as eight can be enrolled in to military school, but occasions like these allow them to take a break from the strict training

Glowing: The females look positively radiant as they all don matching pink silk gowns, with one young woman looking pleased about the tiara atop her head

The ball began in 2012 and many of the cadets who attend are orphans who are encouraged to join up and pledge their allegiance to the 'Motherland'

Young men and women danced the night away as they performed a series of classic routines while promoting patriotism and the continued development of Russia.

The event is a nod back to the lavish dances of Tsarist Russia where the elite of society would wear bejewelled costumes and perform dances alongside ballets and operas.

Although there was much censorship of some forms of music during the Soviet Union, including jazz, pop and rock, classical music was often encouraged, although evening dances such as these were few and far between for typical citizens.

Balls during the Soviet Union years were permitted, but much more tightly organised and supervised so there were no signs of 'hedonism'.

But these photographs show those restrictions appear to have disappeared alongside Communism, with young men and women seen laughing and engaging in public displays of affection.

Strictly come dancing! The girls follow the lead of an older dancer becoming a blur as they twirl around in the princess style dresses

Mini Putin: One youngster takes inspiration from his leader by dressing up in his finery accompanied by two older ladies in white gowns

Perfect coordination: The cadets all line up and take their spot on the ballroom floor while the band strikes up the perfect note

Down time: It must be tiring work twinkling those toes as these youngsters prove by taking a breather, slipping off their shoes and checking their phones

Strike a pose! The girls gather around to take the perfect photo as they take a quick break from the dance floor, as the boys try and squeeze in the frame

Professionals also take part in the evening providing entertainment in their fancy dress in between the dances from the cadets

Snap to attention! It's back to business for the boys who show the girls how to stand tall and take the lead, holding each a gloved hand each

One last check: There are enormous mirrors dotted around the ballroom where the cadets can take one last look at their outfits to make sure they look perfect

Preparation: Before gowns are put on the girls get their hair put up in intricate designs, one friend helps another out by taking a picture of the up 'do

Sea of white: Some of the cadets are all dressed in white, matching their partners which evokes an almost wedding feel to proceedings

Last minute touch up of the lipstick for one glamorous woman dressed all in a crystal embroidered gown and matching necklace

Looking nervous: The cadets white gowns are given an eerie glow of red, as the lights dim ahead of their first dances with partners

Strike a pose: Each girl is perfectly poised to display perfect discipline, pomp and splendor at the opulent occassion

The immersive experience is a fairytale opportunity for many to be apart of the grandeur of Russia's czarist traditions

Each partner appears boldly confident, as the majority will have pledged their allegiance to the 'Motherland

Around 1,000 troops display their finest uniforms and perfect grooming as they pair with partners equally well cut

Classic ballroom dancing is showcased however the traditional restrictions appear to have disappeared

Selfie: Girls styled in similar attire to classic princess wedding dresses dazzle with lavish jeweled accessories

The future: Cadets are likely to continue their allegiance with a career in the military or the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Monochrome: Attendees to the ball opted for classic pastel gowns which illuminated under the strobe lights
It wouldn't be Christmas Day without a turkey for many people, but the bird is renowned for being a bit dry.

But it turns out there may be a very simple reason for why many of us struggle to ensure the meat remains moist.

If you stuff your turkey, as opposed to cooking the stuffing separately, then you may be causing your bird to dry out unnecessarily, according to experts.

Your turkey could dry out if you fill the cavity with stuffing, according to Paxo's technical manager, who was interviewed on Food Unwrapped

Paxo, which makes 385 million stuffing balls a year, says that you should cook your sage and onion side dish on a different tray to your turkey.

If you stuff your turkey with stuffing, the bird will take up to 40 minutes longer to cook which could dry it out, it says.

The revelation was disclosed on the Christmas special of Food Unwrapped, which airs on Tuesday night on Channel 4.

Co-presenter Matt Tebbutt visits the Paxo factory, where 5,000 tonnes of stuffing are made every year, to find out the best way to cook the traditional Christmas side dish.

The best way to get moist meat is to cook stuffing (centre) separately alongside the other trimmings such as pigs in blankets (left), and roast potatoes (right)

Paxo's technical manager Nick Moulds reveals that the company recommends customers cook the stuffing separately to the turkey, rather than use it to stuff the bird.

He explains: 'We don't recommend stuffing inside of bird with stuffing.

'What we found with a medium-sized bird using the manufacturer's cooking instructions, is that the bird took 40 minutes longer to cook because the cavity is so dense.

'What we're finding is that the bird is a lot drier than the bird where there's nothing inside the cavity.'

He adds: 'We find [the stuffing] makes a better product outside of the bird'.

It could be the reason why many people struggle not to dry out their turkeys on Christmas Day.

Food Unwrapped Does Christmas also revealed that you should never use ground cinnamon in your mulled wine as it can make the boozy winter warmer too 'peppery'.

A taste test revealed that cinnamon sticks gives the best flavour.

Food Unwrapped Does Christmas airs on Tuesday night at 8pm on Channel 4.
Michelin-trained Poppy O'Toole, 27, from London, started working in kitchens when she was just 18. When the country was plunged into lockdown in 2020, she was made redundant from her 70-hour a week job in a top kitchen. With no way to pay rent, she moved back into her family home for what she thought would be a two-week lockdown where her younger siblings introduced her to TikTok. Just a year later, she now is a huge TikTok star, with a dozens of big names and brands backing her. The cook has deals with huge companies including American Express - and has expanded beyond just making videos of potatoes, including teaching basic chef techniques to millions, including the perfect way to cut an onion and how to poach an egg, which have both racked up millions of views. Here, she speaks exclusively to FEMAIL
A young mother's skin cancer selfie on Facebook lead to a spike in Google searches about the disease in ways usually seen with celebrity health disclosures, a new study revealed.

The photo, posted on April 25, 2015, showed then 27-year-old Tawny Willoughby's face covered in scars and blisters with the caption 'this is what skin cancer treatment can look like' after using sunbeds four to five times a week as a teenager.

The Kentucky nurse's selfie went viral, drawing tens of thousands of shares and sparking a public discourse which doctors have compared to the surge in breast cancer testing in 2013 after Angelina Jolie revealed she had undergone a double mastectomy.

The researchers also compared the skin cancer survivor to Charlie Sheen whose 2015 revelation that he was HIV positive led to large increases in HIV-related searches and testing.

The viral photo: Tawny Willoughby (pictured, left, recently), a nurse from Kentucky, posted a photo of her blister-covered face (right) in 2015 warning others of the dangers of sunbeds

This graph from the UNC report shows how Google searches for skin cancer increased 162 percent after Willoughby's photo was posted on April 25, then subsequently went viral

'[Willoughby's] cancer selfie appears to have engaged the public in ways only previously seen with celebrity disclosures,' the study states.

A year after the viral photo, Willoughby posted a selfie of her face looking much healthier and blister-free following a bout of treatment.

However, she is still battling skin cancer. Earlier this year, Willoughby, who has since moved to Alabama, posted a photo of a basal cell carcinoma on her back, further highlighting the risk of tanning beds, sunburns and the high risk of recurrence of skin cancer.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill praised Willoughby for promoting that awareness.

The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, examined the social reach Willoughby's original Facebook post, news coverage, and the search volume for skin cancer Google searches.

They found that Google searches for skin cancer increased 162 and 155 percent on May 13 and May 14, when news about Willoughby's graphic selfie reached its peak.

Between May 13 and May 18, there were between 197,000 and 229,000 searches for the term 'skin cancer' alone.

'What surprised me is how much one person's voice could have an impact on public interest about skin cancer,' researcher Dr Seth Noar, professor of media and journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Daily Mail Online.

'We have seen celebrity stories about illness have this kind of impact, but rarely do we see an ordinary persons story have this kind of resonance with the public,' Dr Noar added.

The findings also revealed Google searches for about skin cancer prevention and tanning were also significantly higher than expected.

Like a celebrity: Researchers compared Willoughy to Angelina Jolie (left) and Charlie Sheen (right) increased online searches and testing for breast cancer and HIV respectively

On May 14, skin cancer searches that also included the words 'prevent' or 'prevention' increased 147 percent and remained significantly high for the next few days, before returning to expected volumes on May 17.

Willoughby's selfie lead to an increased public engagement with skin cancer prevention. Researchers believe it these types of events will happen more often given the 'participatory nature of social media.'

'The graphic photo that she shared  its difficult to discount her story when you see her selfie with "real" evidence of the toll that tanning beds have taken on her,' Dr Noar said. 'Tanning could have given her melanoma, which could have cost her her life.'

Additionally, previous studies have suggested graphic images may increase the impact of skin cancer prevention messages. Willoughby's graphic photo was shared about 50,000 times before it was picked up by media.

Tawny, pictured with her son Kayden, used to use sunbeds four to five times a week as a teen

Willoughby, pictured with husband Cody, has been praised for helping to increase public engagement with skin cancer prevention

Given the impact of Willoughby's selfie, researchers believe social media could be used to reach people with skin cancer prevention interventions.

In fact, previous studies have revealed that social media use is associated with pro-tanning beliefs and indoor tanning among women. Which means Willoughby's selfie was able to have such great impact - despite not being a formal public health intervention - because it reached indoor tanners and others who are at risk of skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers say the study shows the impact a graphic Facebook past can have on the public's engagement in skin cancer prevention.

However, more research is needed to understand how social media can be used to roll out interventions that can improve public health and subsequently reduce mortality.
A traditional symphony may be performed by brass, woodwinds, percussion and strings, but one scientist believes shes found another unlikely instrument: heartbeats.

And this could help doctors diagnose heart rhythm problems in patients.

Elaine Chew, a pianist and professor of digital media at Queen Mary University of London, is analysing heartbeat patterns in patients with rhythm disorders  called arrhythmias  and turning them into pieces of classical music.

Elaine Chew, a pianist and professor of digital media at Queen Mary University of London, is analysing heartbeat patterns in patients with rhythm disorders  called arrhythmias  and turning them into pieces of classical music

She believes once heartbeats are presented in a musical score, it is easier to find trends and this, in turn, could help doctors recognise subtypes of arrhythmia more accurately, leading to more effective treatment.

Arrhythmia affects around two million people in the UK. There are many types, but, in general, it is caused by faulty signalling in the heart. Often, there are no symptoms, but it can lead to tiredness and breathlessness and raises the risk of heart attack or stroke.

The most common form is atrial fibrillation, where the heartbeat is irregular and abnormally fast, due to electrical short circuits in the heart muscle. This raises the risk of stroke, as blood can pool in the hearts upper chambers and form clots. Long-term, patients are at risk of heart failure  where the heart stops pumping efficiently.

It was while undergoing a procedure to treat her own atrial fibrillation last year, aged 46, that Professor Chew really noticed the significance of heartbeat rhythm.

I had a different heart rhythm disorder, tachycardia, years before and, this time, it felt and sounded different, she says. Unlike the fast, regular beating of tachycardia, atrial fibrillation was unpredictable and irregular.

During the four-hour ablation procedure (where a wire is used to burn tissue thats responsible for erratic signals), she recalls: I had lots of time to think. I analyse music using computers for a living, so I was thinking of the data the doctors gathered about my heart rhythms and whether I could do anything with it.

She believes once heartbeats are presented in a musical score, it is easier to find trends and this, in turn, could help doctors recognise subtypes of arrhythmia more accurately, leading to more effective treatment

Doctors get a detailed picture of the electrical activity in a patients heart with electrocardiograms (ECGs), which capture the electrical changes flickering through the heart as a series of wave-like traces.

To Professor Chew, these were not dissimilar to music patterns. She asked her cardiologist, Professor Pier Lambiase at University College London, if she could have anonymised ECG data from patients at his arrhythmia clinic for a new research project.

Her idea was very interesting, says Professor Lambiase.

When we look at the ECG, we look at this printout on a piece of paper, but Elaine thinks about intervals in a different way, so she started to think about musical pulses and how the information can be represented rhythmically.

She then developed a computer program that converts the peaks in ECG readings into notes. It analyses rhythm changes, as well as the duration of beats and silences, to create a musical sequence.

Professor Chew says: When doctors look at ECG data, they just look at the shape of the traces  whether its wiggly, flat, fat or skinny, and whether the pattern is regular. This doesnt tell you how things progress over time'

I found the tango rhythm emerging a few times in atrial fibrillation  it goes ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three, ONE-two, says Professor Chew.

Then there is a pattern in ventricular tachycardia that is reminiscent of the main rhythmic figure in Mars from Holsts The Planets suite. One disorder reminded me of a Bach flute sonata, while another mirrored a melody in a piece by Chopin.

But this is more than an artistic endeavour: Professor Chew hopes her approach will improve treatment. There are different types of arrhythmia, and we define them according to whether they are regular or irregular, fast or slow, and where they come from in the heart, says Professor Lambiase, who is working with Professor Chew to develop the program to analyse ECG patterns.

The idea is that converting the data into musical rhythms will make the underlying patterns stand out more clearly, so doctors can spot arrhythmias more easily.

These musical patterns in rhythm can tell you extra information about the condition of the heart, how much scar tissue there is and whether the arrhythmia is going to be more difficult to treat, says Professor Lambiase. He adds that this information could enable doctors to personalise treatment.

Another idea is to use the technique to reveal how heart rhythms change over time.

Professor Chew says: When doctors look at ECG data, they just look at the shape of the traces  whether its wiggly, flat, fat or skinny, and whether the pattern is regular. This doesnt tell you how things progress over time.

As someone who has lived with arrhythmia for most of my life, the time-based information is extremely important, but its not used. Just as musical pieces have sections like the movements of a concerto, arrhythmias are often episodic with variations within them. We need to look at the whole performance of the heart.
Sherri Coleman recently spent a week paralysed, imprisoned in her upstairs bedroom, because her doctors say they cant give her the drug she needs.

If it hadnt been for Violet, my 11-year-old daughter, and mum, Rose, bringing me drinks and food, I would have starved to death, she says in measured tones that belie the desperation of her condition.

Sherri, 41, was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, inherited from her father, that worsens with age, causing her body to become paralysed at random  the attacks may last anything from a few minutes to a number of days.

Sherri Coleman recently spent a week paralysed, imprisoned in her upstairs bedroom, because her doctors say they cant give her the drug she needs

The recent episode involved her arms, legs, neck and even her tongue  meaning she could barely eat or swallow.

In the past, such episodes were contained with the drug dichlorphenamide.

Until 2012 it was branded as Daranide and was readily available on the NHS, costing 400 for a years supply. However, the equivalent drug costs 35,000 for a years supply and Sherri has been told it is too expensive  so she cant have it.

Daranide was originally approved to treat the eye disease glaucoma. It fell out of use because it didnt work well, but it was found to help in muscle disorders, including some types of muscular dystrophy. Doctors could prescribe it off label  that is, for conditions the drug was not originally licensed for.

It was a lifeline for Sherri and her father, Paul Toms. Yet, because the cost of production was higher than the profit from global sales  around 200 other people took it worldwide  it was withdrawn in 2008 and stocks finally ran out in 2012.

The U.S. government asked the drugs manufacturer, Taro Pharmaceuticals, to undertake the trials and testing needed so the drug could be licensed to treat periodic paralysis.

It was relaunched 18 months later, rebranded as Keveyis, with new packaging  and a new price, almost 90 times higher, of 35,000 a year.

Until 2012 it was branded as Daranide and was readily available on the NHS, costing 400 for a years supply. However, the equivalent drug costs 35,000 for a years supply and Sherri has been told it is too expensive  so she cant have it

Instead of Keveyis, Sherri was offered a cheaper alternative called acetazolamide or Diamox which, although it helps, is much less effective.

The former factory worker, who lives in Huntingdon, Cambs, with daughter Violet, can barely walk  and is largely housebound.

She is matter of fact as she describes her worsening condition: I can only walk a few steps, and I risk falling over because my balance is so bad, she says.

Daranide made a massive difference and since its been taken away Ive had many more attacks. Every time I have a bad one it does a bit more damage and I never get as much strength back as I had before.

Sherri did not want to be photographed for Good Health because she says her face and body are covered with disfiguring brown blotches, which doctors have told her are a side-effect of Diamox. Keveyis is a so-called orphan drug, meaning the number of patients who can benefit from it is too small to make it profitable from sales. In these cases, a manufacturer is asked by a government to set up a production line.

Instead of Keveyis, Sherri was offered a cheaper alternative called acetazolamide or Diamox which, although it helps, is much less effective. The former factory worker, who lives in Huntingdon, Cambs, with daughter Violet, can barely walk  and is largely housebound

The trade-off is the company then has a monopoly, and there are no rules about what it charges for the treatment.

In the absence of new blockbuster profitable drugs such as the impotence treatment Viagra, orphan drugs are increasingly important to drug companies.

A report from the London-based data agency Evaluate, published in June, found orphan drugs for diagnosing, preventing or treating rare diseases will account for a third of all drug sales by 2022. And while the situation with Keveyis  where a cheap, pre-existing drug is relaunched as a pricier product  is not common, orphan drugs are often prohibitively expensive.

Last February, for example, it was announced that the watchdog NICE was restricting access to the drug Strensiq, so only some patients with the rare genetic disease hypophosphatasia, which causes malformed breakable bones, would get access to a vital enzyme replacement therapy priced at 367,000 a year.

The trade-off is the company then has a monopoly, and there are no rules about what it charges for the treatment. In the absence of new blockbuster profitable drugs such as the impotence treatment Viagra, orphan drugs are increasingly important to drug companies

Other conditions where effective orphan drug treatment is often withheld, include a variety of less common cancers, narcolepsy, the blood clotting disorder haemophilia, Crohns disease and childhood arthritis.

Another problem relating to drug companies capture of a limited market is where they simply overcharge the NHS because they have a monopoly. Recently, Canadian drug company Concordia International was accused by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) of overcharging the NHS by more than 100m for a thyroid drug  liothyronine  which went from 4.46 a pack in 2007 to 258.19 by July.

Until this year, Concordia was the sole supplier of the drug  the only effective option for around 15 per cent of people with a thyroid hormone deficiency.

Concordia could be fined if it is found guilty of overcharging, but it is not the only company to find itself in the frame.

Last year, the CMA fined drugs giant Pfizer 90 million for overcharging by 2,600 per cent for an anti-epilepsy drug. There are seven other ongoing CMA investigations into overcharging. Whatever is driving the rising prices, the personal cost to patients is enormous. Sherri, who has suffered with the condition all her life, struggled at school.

Unsurprisingly, she left without taking A-levels and got a job in a factory, sitting at a bench soldering components for computers, where she worked for the next 13 years before she had to quit.

The guilt of having passed the condition to his daughter weighs heavily on Paul, 63, a former London taxi driver, who is also suffering from lack of access to Keveyis and has to use a wheelchair.

Last year, the CMA fined drugs giant Pfizer 90 million for overcharging by 2,600 per cent for an anti-epilepsy drug. There are seven other ongoing CMA investigations into overcharging. Whatever is driving the rising prices, the personal cost to patients is enormous. Sherri, who has suffered with the condition all her life, struggled at school

He has campaigned tirelessly for Sherri to get the drug. Ive had my life, but shes the mother of a young child. She needs to be there for Violet, says Paul. Im determined not to let Sherri get to the state Im in.

The Muscular Dystrophy UK has also lobbied health funding bodies and politicians on behalf of Sherri and Paul.

This ongoing battle needs to be resolved, said its spokesman. The situation is particularly agonising for Paul and Sherri, and the other patients who could benefit from this life-changing drug.

The bitter irony of the Keveyis story is that the price the NHS charged was agreed by the Department of Health earlier this year, recognising the costs involved in developing a licensed product for a small group of patients.

Good Health has learned that at 4,100 for 100 tablets, the price being charged in the UK by Sun Pharmaceuticals, the European distributor, is significantly cheaper than everywhere else in Europe where it costs 5,700 (5,100) per 100 tablets  and yet patients there are already receiving it

Good Health has learned that at 4,100 for 100 tablets, the price being charged in the UK by Sun Pharmaceuticals, the European distributor, is significantly cheaper than everywhere else in Europe where it costs 5,700 (5,100) per 100 tablets  and yet patients there are already receiving it.

NHS England says it is down to Paul and Sherris doctors to request funding for their patients treatment.

However, a spokesman for the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, where they are both treated, insisted the drug has not yet been approved by NHS England.

A spokesman for Sun Pharma, which distributes Keveyis in Europe on behalf of Taro, told Good Health: The price agreed for the UK is very competitive compared with other countries in Europe. It has been negotiated and approved by your Department of Health.

It is up to the NHS to give us the prescriptions to process. Doctors in France are getting it through the equivalent of special funding requests, and it gets to the patient within two days.

musculardystrophyuk.org
A promising student was left on the verge of death after being struck down with the virulent meningitis W, her family has revealed.

Shirali Patel, who had only just started her medicine degree at Cambridge University, was forced to restart the year because of her illness.

Her symptoms began with a sore throat before quickly escalating. Miss Patel is now barely unable to remember her ordeal, which left her critically ill.

Miss Patel spent three months fighting for her life in hospital as doctors warned her family, from Harrow, to be 'prepared for the worst'.

Her horrific ordeal follows official figures which revealed cases of the deadly strain of meningitis have rocketed by 922 per cent in eight years.

Meningitis W, which can easily kill, has infected 225 people since July last year. In contrast, just 22 people were struck down in 2009/10.

The figure is already the highest on record, the Public Health England data shows - despite there still being six months before the final amount is calculated.

Charities are also concerned that cases are only going to soar in the coming weeks, as winter is considered peak season for the deadly infection.

The rise in cases follows the news of a promising 19-year-old student who was left on the brink of death after battling the highly virulent strain

In an interview with The Telegraph to raise awareness of the virulent strain, Miss Patel revealed that she feels 'extremely lucky' to still be alive.

She praised her brother, Kelan, 18, for spotting how serious her condition was when she called him for help to get out of bed last December.

Her father, Dee, 51, accused health officials of not providing enough information about the life-saving jab, which teenagers are encouraged to get.

Mr Patel, a property landlord, told the newspaper: 'If my son hadn't been at home that day, or if Shirali had become ill at university, I doubt she'd be here today.

'Parents and teenagers simply aren't aware how dangerous this disease is, and that a simple, free jab can save lives.'

Miss Patel's terrifying ordeal has also encouraged her friends to get the Men ACWY vaccine - which offers protection against the deadly bacteria.

Her story follows a warning from the Meningitis Research Foundation last week that cases will only rise.

The charity urged every eligible person to get vaccinated against the potentially deadly infection because of winter being peak season.

Shirali Patel, who had only just started her medicine degree at Cambridge University, was forced to restart the year because of her illness

Her father, Dee, 51, accused health officials of not giving enough information about the life-saving jab (also pictured with her mother, Alvina, and brother Kelan, 18)

Seasonal illnesses, such as cold and flu, allow the harmful bacteria to invade the body through the nose and stay dormant.

Figures suggest there are around three times as many cases of bacterial meningitis in January compared with September, on average.

THE LIFE-SAVING JAB Government officials added the Men ACWY vaccine onto the national immunisation programme in August 2015. The decision was made because cases of the virulent W strain of the infection have soared in recent years, with 211 infections in 2015/16. Teenagers and university students are encouraged to get the Men ACWY vaccine to protect themselves against the deadly bacteria. This group is thought to be at a higher risk of infection because they mix closely with lots of new people - some of whom may unknowingly carry the bacteria at the back of their noses and throats. Advertisement

Mmeningitis, which can kill within a day, is a bacterial infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Shirali's symptoms began last December, when she returned to her family home in Harrow after her first term at Churchill College finished.

Her condition deteriorated over a few days and she was rushed to hospital, The Telegraph reports. Her family were told to 'prepare for the worst'.

Mr Patel was told his critically-ill daughter may have an aggressive form of leukaemia before doctors diagnosed her with meningitis W.

She was placed in an induced coma to help her fight the bacterial infection, but her organs were quickly shutting down.

Doctors wired her up to specialist breathing apparatus to keep her alive. She was eventually discharged at the end of March this year.

Miss Patel told the newspaper: 'I was disappointed to miss my second two terms at university and restart my course in September.

'But compared to what might've happened if my brother hadn't been at home when I deteriorated so rapidly, I feel extremely lucky'.

Her symptoms began with a sore throat before quickly escalating (pictured are her mother Alvina and father Dee)
A 40-year-old gay man has developed arthritis after catching a sexually-transmitted infection through anal sex, a case report reveals.

The English patient, whose identity is unknown, was diagnosed with reactive arthritis - which caused severe pain in his joints.

Tests revealed he caught shigella flexineri, which causes diarrhoea and is found in infected faeces. It can be passed through food or sex.

Doctors at Leeds General Infirmary, who treated the patient and reported the strange case, said this was responsible for his agony.

They explained how the man often risked his sexual health by having unprotected anal intercourse - despite already having HIV.

They also said he frequently was involved in chemsex - the act of making love under the influence of illegal drugs, such as crystal meth.

The 40-year-old gay man, believed to be from Leeds, developed reactive arthritis after catching Shigella flexineri through anal sex, a case report reveals (stock image)

Following the diagnosis, the patient was counselled on safe sex and told to avoid having intercourse until his symptoms cleared.

The first documented case of reactive arthritis secondary to an STI was published in the Oxford Medical Case Reports journal.

But 'this may not represent rarity of the condition but rather lack of realisation that Shigella can be sexually acquired', they said.

Medics, led by Dr Sarah Kennedy, revealed how the man already had HIV - but had managed to control the potentially deadly condition.

Writing in the journal, the doctors revealed that the patient will 'remain under regular rheumatology follow-up'.

Reactive arthritis: The facts

Reactive arthritis causes painful joint swelling and often clears up within six months, unlike others form of the agonising condition.

It can strike anyone, but is more likely to affect those deemed to be at a genetic risk, according to Arthritis Research UK.

HOW DID HE DEVELOP ARTHRITIS? The unnamed man developed reactive arthritis - considered to be a short-lived form of the agonising condition. This can be caused by an infection, including an STI, which reacts badly on the immune system, medical literature states. Inflammation (the swelling of the tissue) happens when the body fights off a bug - but it can trigger the process in the wrong area of the body and lead to reactive arthritis. Advertisement

The exact cause remains a mystery, but scientists believe it stems from the immune system reacting to an infection - such as shigella.

Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are often linked to the condition, due to literature stating STIs can trigger the short-lived condition.

What is shigella?

Shigella flexneri often leads to shigellosis - the most common type of dysentery in the UK, according to the NHS.

The Terrence Higgins Trust warns that it is possible for shigella bacteria to be passed through anal sex, among other contact methods.

'Only a tiny amount [of the bacteria] needs to get into your mouth to pass it on,' the sexual health charity states on its website.

Chemsex warnings

The bizarre case comes amid repeated warnings from concerned health officials that chemsex is fueling a rapid rise in cases of STIs.

Sex during the illegal drug-fuelled sessions is often unprotected - with those having chemsex reporting an average five sexual partners per session.

Drugs such as GHB, GBL and crystal meth help to enhance sexual pleasure and reduce inhibitions, according to literature.
A doctor who specializes in brain disorders has called for Donald Trump to be testing for degenerative brain diseases like predementia.

Dr Ford Vox penned a lengthy analysis for Stat News, pinpointing various moments in Trump's presidency which he believes to show hints of a neurological condition.

He points to times when Trump has contradicted himself, rambles in interviews, makes faces, and forgets to sign bills at bill-signing ceremonies as 'worrisome symptoms' of illness.

His words come just days after the president slurred his words and got a dry mouth during his speech historic speech about Jerusalem, sparking a flurry of speculation about his health - including TV host Joe Scarborough saying 'people close to him during the campaign told me [he] had early stages of dementia'.

And today, an article from the New York Daily News reveals that Trump - who famously questioned whether Barack Obama had seen his own birth certificate - mistakenly listed his own birthday as July 14, instead of June 14, on his ballot for New York's mayoral election last month, possibly rendering his vote invalid.

To quell the tumult of questions from journalists on Friday about the word-slurring, press secretary Sarah Sanders announced that Trump will undergo a physical examination early next year, with the findings released to the public.

However, while Dr Vox's article was praised by Trump critics, many have questioned his ability to make a diagnosis of someone he has never met in person - and it comes just months after Stat published an article by another doctor warning against 'armchair diagnoses' of the president.

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Dr Ford Vox, a brain specialist at Atlanta's Shepherd Center, (left) has broken down moments that he believes show Donald Trump (right) has symptoms of predementia

In his article, Dr Vox, a physician and journalist from Atlanta who works at the Shepherd Center, compares Trump's behavior to patients he has assessed.

'Every day of my working life, I evaluate people with brain injuries,' he writes.

'It falls to me to make decisions about what is normal and what is not, what can improve and what will not, whether or not my patients can work, what kind of work they can do, and pretty much everything else.'

While he refrains from directly diagnosing Trump, he insists that 'it would be prudent for the president to be tested for a brain disorder.'

He breaks down his piece into subsections of language, social cognition, and memory and attention.

Linguistically, he says, Trump uses an excessive amount of 'filler words' which denote a lack of fluency.

Trump's early-morning tweets and retweets - including his controversial retweet of Britain First last week - are signs of social and behavioral decline, Dr Vox says.

For this section he also pointed to Trump's racial slur of using 'Pocahontas' as a derogatory term during a ceremony honoring Navajos, and times when he has contradicted his own team, such as admitting that he did know about James Comey's involvement with Russia before firing him.

Finally, he points to the New York Times article documenting every lie Trump has ever told as a sign of poor memory, and also points to the birth certificate saga - when Trump insisted then-president Obama could not possibly have been born in America.

Last week, Trump sparked speculation about his health when he slurred his words during his historic speech about Jerusalem

The article received praise amid building controversy about Trump's erratic behavior.

However, it chalks with an article published by the same site, the health site of the Boston Globe, slamming 'armchair diagnoses' of the president.

In September, Dr Allen Frances, who was chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University when he oversaw the task force to build today's psychiatry manual, slammed doctors who say Trump is mentally ill.

He has been scathing about the president, branding him a narcissist and ruthless self-promoter.

However, he dismisses the scores of 'armchair diagnoses' from health professionals who claim Trump must be mentally ill.

According to Dr Frances, the 71-year-old does not fit the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder, delusional disorder, and dementia - the illnesses most commonly ascribed to him.

He is hardly the only one to question this approach, both among Trump's supporters and his critics.

Dr Scott Wooder, a family doctor from Ontario, said: 'I have concerns with physicians giving clinical opinions about politicians. It opens a can of worms. Let constitutional safeguards do their jobs. Oppose Trump because of his policies, not his alleged medical problems.'

Dr Steve Joffe, a physician and ethicist of the University of Pennsylvania, says 'I am leery of diagnosis from a distance, because of the risk that political disagreement biases medical judgment', but he adds that he feels Dr Vox's piece was 'careful' and 'concludes with a question rather than a diagnosis'.

Daily Mail Online has contacted the White House for a comment.
She was the size of a grape in the womb when doctors diagnosed a rare condition and put her chances of survival at 'next to zero'.

But baby Vanellope Hope  whose beating heart grew on the outside of her body  has defied eight-in-a-million odds and is three weeks' old.

It took an incredible team of 50 doctors, midwives and nurses to safely deliver her in an operation rarely successfully performed in Britain.

And her joyful parents  who had dismissed early advice to terminate the pregnancy  showed off the miracle daughter they never thought they would have.

Vanellope is recovering from three extraordinary operations to relocate her heart from outside her chest to inside her body.

Her condition, ectopia cordis, was discovered during a scan at nine weeks into pregnancy.

Expectant mother Naomi Findlay, 31, recalled: 'I burst into tears. The condition came with so many problems.'

Vanellope Hope Wilkins was due to be delivered on Christmas Eve before a rare condition meant she had to be born prematurely by caesarean section on November 22

Her partner Dean Wilkins said: 'We were told our best bet was to terminate and my whole world just fell to bits.'

Miss Findlay added: 'All the way through it, it was 'the chances of survival are next to none, the only option is to terminate, we can offer counselling', and things like that.

'In the end, I just said that termination is not an option for me. If [death] was to happen naturally, then so be it.'

The parents were warned their baby might have chromosomal abnormalities, potential damage to her heart and circulation, and was unlikely to even survive until birth.

But hope began to return when Frances Bu'Lock, consultant paediatric cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, conducted further scans at 13 and 16 weeks and discovered that  apart from her heart being in the wrong place - Vanellope 'appeared essentially normal'.

Mr Wilkins, 43, said: 'When she starts moving her arms, you feel like, 'That's a life in there, she is there'.'

Undeterred in their fight for their baby, The couple, from Nottingham, paid for a special blood test to check for chromosomal problems.

Mr Wilkins said: 'When the results of that test came back as low risk of any abnormalities, we jumped up and down in the living room and cried. At that point we decided to fight to give our daughter the best chance of surviving.'

The condition, ectopia cordis, was discovered during a scan after nine weeks' pregnancy

Doctors began drawing up a hugely complex plan, conducting ultrasound and MRI scans on the baby's chest wall, lungs and brain.

Dr Bu'Lock said: 'We came together as a team of fetal medicine doctors, obstetricians, anaesthetists, cardiac and abdominal surgeons and cardiologists to review all of the available information and discuss how best to plan for a delivery, surgery and subsequent care.

'It was decided that delivery by caesarean section would be best to reduce the risks of infection, risks of trauma or squashing of the heart during delivery, and that surgery to provide some sort of covering to the heart would be needed immediately after baby was delivered.'

When she was 35 weeks' pregnant, at 9am on November 22, Miss Findlay was wheeled into a cardiac theatre at Glenfield Hospital.

She met the 50 doctors, midwives and nurses who were split into four teams to deliver the baby, keep the mother safe and carry out the complex heart surgery.

Her parents, Naomi Findlay and Dean Wilkins, of Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, said the first scans led doctors to tell them that 'termination' was the only option

Frances Bu'Lock, the consultant paediatric cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, said she described the chances of the baby surviving as 'remote'

At 9:50am, baby Vanellope was born. Miss Findlay recalled: 'I started to panic. I actually felt physically sick, because I thought there was a big possibility I wouldn't be able to see her, or hear her, or anything really.

'But when she came out and she came out crying that was it - the relief fell out of me.'

Mr Wilkins said: 'When she cried, we cried. I felt hopeless and just held onto Naomi and was staring into her eyes praying that it was all going to be ok.'

Vanellope - and her exposed beating red heart  was immediately wrapped in a sterile plastic bag and was whisked to the next team in an adjoining theatre. Her head was kept outside the bag, with a woolly hat to keep warm.

Consultant Neonatologist Jonathan Cusack said: 'The bag keeps the organs sterile but also keeps the tissues moist. We inserted a breathing tube into her mouth and gave medications to sedate her and stop her moving.

'Vanellope was born in good condition. She cried at birth and coped well with the early stabilisation and her heart continued to beat effectively.'

Around 50 minutes after birth, Vanellope was stable enough to be transferred back to the main theatre - where surgical teams began the task of putting her entire heart back inside her chest.

They carefully stretched apart a tuppence-sized chest hole to create more space for the heart, and installed a protective membrane over the beating organ.

Over the next nine days, lying on her back in intensive care, Vanellope's heart gradually sank into the hole in her chest.

And experts, including the consultant cardiologist, have said that they do not know of a case in the UK where a baby has survived such a condition

Speaking of when she first found out about her daughter's rare condition, mother-of-two Naomi explained that she 'burst into tears'

The couple revealed the baby was named after a character in the Disney film, Wreck It Ralph

Surgeons replaced the temporary membrane with a permanent one, and created a special mesh to join loose ribs together and form a cage within her chest.

Finally, they made cuts in her skin and stretched it to cover over the hole.

As her organs fight for space inside her chest, Vanellope is still attached to a ventilation machine but her chances of long-term survival are improving by the day.

WHAT IS ECTOPIA CORDIS? Pentalogy of Cantrell is a rare disorder that is present at birth. It is characterized by a combination of birth defects that can involve the breastbone, the sternum, the diaphragm, the thin membrane that lines the heart, the abdominal wall, and the heart. Pentalogy of Cantrell occurs with varying degrees of severity. Some infants may have mild defects, while others may have serious, life-threatening complications. The most severe expression of Pentalogy of Cantrell occurs when the heart is completely or partially displaced outside the chest, which is known as ectopia cordis. Infants with Pentalogy of Cantrell can have a wide variety of congenital heart defects including a 'hole in the heart' and abnormal location of the heart on the right side of chest instead of the left, among others. The exact cause of Pentalogy of Cantrell is unknown. Most cases occur randomly for no apparent reason. One theory suggests that the symptoms of Pentalogy of Cantrell occur due to an abnormality in the development of embryonic tissue early in the pregnancy. The condition affects boys and girls in equal numbers. The exact prevalence is unknown, but estimated to be 5.5 in one million live births. Source: National Organization For Rare Diseases Advertisement

Dr Moore said: 'She has a long way to go but so far at least she now has a chance at a future.'

Vanellope has already beaten odds of eight-in-one-million to have the condition and survive until birth.

The medical procedure is extremely rare because most mothers faced with a diagnoses of ectopia cordis have an abortion.

No records exist as to how many times the operation has been done before, but it is believed to be one of the first to have taken place in Britain.

Mr Wilkins, a builder, said: 'The moment she was born, I realised that we had made the right decision.

'We know this is going to be a rollercoaster and have started to prepare ourselves for the difficult times ahead, but we needed to give her a chance, and the team here have done that. I can't begin to thank them for what they have done for my girls.'

Full-time mother Miss Findlay added: 'I'm glad I stuck to my guns not to terminate.

'I genuinely didn't think my baby would survive, but the staff at Glenfield have been amazing. Now, looking at her, I just want to pick her up and hold her close and I wouldn't want to put her down.'

Mr Wilkins, who has two other children from a previous relationship, and Miss Findlay, who has a six-year-old son, said Vanellope was named after a character in the Disney film Wreck It Ralph.

Miss Findlay said: 'Vanellope in the film is so stubborn and she turns into a princess at the end so it was so fitting.'

She added: 'I had prepared myself for the worst - that was my way of dealing with it. I had brought an outfit to hospital that she could wear if she died.

'I'm now confident she won't wear it, so I'm going to donate it to the hospital.

'I genuinely didn't think my baby would survive, but the staff at Glenfield have been amazing.

'They've supported us, explained everything that might happen and involved us in the plans to keep my baby safe. I can't put in words how grateful I am for everything they have done. They are amazing.'

The scan showed the baby's heart and part of her stomach were growing outside of her body
The FDA has issued a warning snorting chocolate powder can cause serious health problems and encourages minors to do illicit drugs.

Launched earlier this year, Coco Loko is a chocolate powder - or 'infused cacao snuff,' as Legal Lean's website calls it - that also contains energy drink ingredients.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York wrote to the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year, demanding an investigation into the chalky chocolate, calling it 'cocaine on training wheels,' in a statement.

The FDA said in its letter that Coco Loko contains ingredients that should classify it as a drug and that it is marketed in a way that encourages drug use for minors.

The FDA warned the makers of Coco Loko, a snort-able chocolate powder that their product is dangerous to consumers and encourages minors to use drugs

The administration told parent company Legal Lean that it must take action within 15 business days to correct its regulatory violations for Coco Loko and another product.

When it came out, doctors warned that Coco Loko, which is sold on Amazon for $18.47, posed a risk to sinus health because it contained sugar and could obstruct airways.

On Legal Lean's store website, Coco Loko's makers tantalize potential customers with promises of endorphin and serotonin rushes, 'euphoric energy' and 'calm focus.'

The site even suggestively describes powder's effects as 'a state of euphoria similar to the feeling of ecstasy.'

Its familiar-sounding name has also drawn comparisons to the caffeinated alcoholic beverage, Four Loko, which the FDA found encouraged binge drinking (though the products are unrelated).

Now, the FDA has done exactly what Schumer called for, and found that Coco Loko and another product, the Legal Lean Syrup, could do damage far beyond stuffing up noses.

Advertisements for the products are clear indications that the products are 'intended to affect the structure and function of the body,' the FDA wrote.

The US government gives approval to certain products and ingredients for use only in specific ways.

Legal Lean advertises the purported health benefits of Coco Loko as 'great for party goers' and even draws comparisons to illicit drugs

Coco Loko's main ingredient is ingredient is raw cacao powder (as advertised), but it also contains taurine and guarana, which are widely used in energy drinks, but, as the FDA's letter notes, these are not approved for intranasal administration - in other words, snorting.

Legal Lean labeled Coco Loko a food, but the FDA's letter calls out the obvious: food is not consumed through the nostrils, but Coco Loko is.

The letter warns that snorting chocolate can cause vocal cord spasms, airway spasms and can induce asthma attacks.

The company did not disclose that its Legal Lean Syrups - the company's legal take on the high-inducing 'purple drank' popularized by Lil' Wayne - contain an active drug ingredient, called doxylamine, an antihistamine that also acts as a short term sedative.

The drug is not supposed to be used while drinking and shouldn't be taken by people with breathing conditions or men with enlarged prostates, and the FDA said that 'the inclusion of undeclared doxylamine in Legal Lean Syrup poses a potentially serious risk.'

The FDA's letter does not represent charges against Legal Lean, but asks the company to notify the administration of the actions it intends to take to correct its violations and what it will do about the products it has already sold.
Travel Channel host Jack Maxwell has revealed he is being treated for blood cancer just days before the fourth season of his show Booze Traveler airs.

The 54-year-old TV star - who travels the world sampling alcohol from different cultures - revealed his diagnosis on Tuesday by tweeting: 'I have cancer. 3 little words, one big sentence.'

He added that he is receiving chemotherapy in Arizona for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a disease which is typically less common in moderate alcohol drinkers.

The most common symptom of non-Hodgkin's is intolerance to alcohol, fatigue and pain swellings in the neck, groin and armpit. Speaking to Us Weekly, Maxwell revealed that his only symptom was exhaustion, which he assumed was from traveling. But a biopsy in April 2016 confirmed his diagnosis.

And yet, he continued to film the show's fourth season, only missing two days of the scheduled trips to Tahiti, Scandinavia and Costa Rica.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Maxwell, 54, is the host of Booze Traveler, which involves traveling around the world tasting alcohol. He has revealed he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, for which he is receiving chemo

The TV star revealed his only symptom was exhaustion, which he assumed was from traveling

He only missed two days of filming the fourth season in Tahiti, Costa Rica and Scandinavia

While he did not reveal what stage cancer he has, Maxwell said it was 'pretty far along' when he was diagnosed early last year, but not 'in the danger zone'.

'Right now Im in the middle of chemo and even that has affected me less than I thought it would,' he told the magazine.

Epidemiological studies have shown that moderate alcohol drinkers have a lower death rate for all causes, but particularly for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

A study by Yale University in 2010 found concrete evidence to support that theory after tracking 600 women for eight years.

Maxwell insists he still enjoys drinking and it 'doesn't affect' his condition, though lymphoma sufferers tend to experience pain when consuming alcohol.

Maxwell pictured with Stephen Colbert in January 2016 shortly before his diagnosis

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (or, NHL) originates in the white blood cells, which are integral to the immune system.

The lymphatic system, which moves fluids around the body to fight infections, mainly consists of two types of cells: B cells and T cells.

Non-Hodgkin's tends to start in the B-cells.

It can start anywhere in the body, from the digestive tract to the lymph nodes, and it can grow and spread at varying speeds.

The disease is most common in white men over the age of 60 who have been exposed to radiation or herbicides.

While some studies have shown links between obesity and NHL, there are no known lifestyle factors which could increase one's risk of the disease.

The survival rate varies depending on the patient's age, their disease stage, and where it has spread to.

Those under 60 with stage 1 or 2, who are still able to function normally without too much assistance, have a 75 percent chance of surviving at least five years.
Four days before the fifth anniversary of the brutal incident that triggered worldwide outrage, a defence lawyer for four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case triggered controversy with bizarre comments in the Supreme Court.

During the hearing of the plea, seeking a review of the death penalty confirmed by the Supreme Court on May 5, advocate ML Sharma who represents Mukesh, accused the 'state and police of bribing two witnesses (the victim's mother and father) to tow the prosecution's fabricated and manufactured story in the trial court implicating the accused'.

The shocking comment immediately provoked a sharp reaction from Chief Justice Dipak Misra who tersely told Sharma: 'What is this? Stop it. You can't make such statements... and that too at the review stage.'

Advocate ML Sharma, who represents Mukesh, accused the state and police of bribing the victim's mother and father (pictured) but the claims were slammed in the court

In a note submitted to the judges and arguing orally Sharma termed the DDA flat in Dwarka given to victim's parents and grant of compensation of Rs 20 lakh by the Chief Minister as 'bribes to prosecution witness from state accounts'.

Talking to Mail Today, the victim's father Badrinath Singh expressed shock at the 'outrageous' comments. 'It is unimaginable how a lawyer can make such insensitive comments. He is trying to insult us,' said Singh.

During the hearing Sharma was pulled up for reiterating whatever was argued earlier and not making a case for review by pointing out the errors in its earlier judgement confirming the death penalty.

The 'outrageous' claims were heard in a SC hearing seeking a review of the death penalty

CJI told Sharma: 'What are you arguing? Please make a case for review. Tell us how our conclusion is wrong. Prove our analysis of DNA and dying declaration was wrong, investigation was perverse, etc. You are only repeating what you argued earlier.'

While upholding the death penalty given to Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay and Akshay by the trial court and Delhi High Court, the SC bench had termed the attitude of the offenders as 'beastial proclivity' and said 'It sounds like a story from a different world where humanity is treated with irreverence.'

'If ever a case called for hanging, this was it,' the judges had said.

Nirbhaya's mother in a ceremony to remember the victim, who died five years ago

'The cruel manner in which the gang rape was committed in the moving bus; iron rods were inserted in the private parts of the victim; and the coldness with which both the victims were thrown naked in cold wintery night of December, shocks the collective conscience of the society.

'The present case clearly comes within the category of "rarest of rare case" where the question of any other punishment is "unquestionably foreclosed",' they added.

On December 16, 2012, the victim and a companion were attacked by six men aboard a moving bus in South Delhi. The woman, who was brutalised with an iron rod and had her intestines pulled out, died in a Singapore hospital 13 days later.

One of the men, Ram Singh, was found hanging in his cell in Delhi's Tihar Jail in March 2013, while a convicted juvenile was released in December 2015.
On the last day of campaigning for the high-voltage Gujarat assembly elections, PM Narendra Modi raised the pitch by taking a seaplane for campaigning in the state.

While the BJP termed the day as historic for Gujarat, Congress president elect Rahul Gandhi was quick to retort, calling it a ploy to deviate from the core issues of Gujarat.

CM Vijay Rupani claimed this was the first time a seaplane landed on a waterbody in the country and it was a matter of pride that the first operation took place in Gujarat with the Prime Minister.

Modi took the seaplane ride from the Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat and returned after offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple

Union minister Nitin Gadki too hit out at Gandhi saying the seaplane had nothing to do with elections.

'The PM can choose any mode of transportation. It is a moment of pride for us that he chose it for trial run. If (Congress president-elect) Rahul Gandhi wants, he can use it,' Gadkari said.

Gandhi, earlier in the day, took a jibe at Modi over his seaplane ride, saying it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

The stunt drew sharp criticism from newly-elected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who said it was a 'distraction'

Modi ended the campaign for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls taking the seaplane ride from the Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat and returned after offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple.

He boarded the single-engine seaplane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West and flew to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district.

A special floating platform was constructed on the river to facilitate the prime minister to board the plane. The plane took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid chants of Modi-Modi from BJP workers and city-dwellers, who flocked to the Sabarmati riverfront.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering prayers at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand

After his plane landed on the water of Dharoi dam, the prime minister proceeded to the Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha district via road. From Dharoi dam site, he reached the temple by road after covering a distance of around 50km.

He was greeted by the people of Ambaji town during a roadshow that stretched from the outskirts of the temple town till near the shrine. A large number of locals lined up on both sides of the road leading to the famous shrine to have a glimpse of Modi, who reciprocated by waving at them.

Later in a series of tweets, Modi lauded the efforts of his government to make operation of seaplane in India possible.

'Earlier today, I travelled on a seaplane from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for India's progress,' Modi said in one of his tweets.

According to the department of inland waterways, more than five lakh water bodies in the country could be used for operating seaplane, which can land over one-foot deep water.

To begin with, 111 rivers converted into inland waterway will be used for operating sea planes. These include Mandovi River, Zuari and Cumberjua Canals in Goa, the Sunderban in West Bengal, the Brahmaputra in Assam and Ganga and Kosi in Bihar.

Seaplances are currently operational in countries like Canada, Maldives, South Africa and some other western nations. Gadkari said it could even land on one-foot deep water body and is also cheaper as 12-seater such planes cost Rs 12-13 crore. He said such mode of transport would be made available wherever possible in the country.
In the eternal fight of the luxury brands to keep their trademark designs protected from infringement and fakes, the high-end designer shoe brand Christian Louboutin won a legal battle against three Delhi-based shoe stores that were found infringing on its trademark red sole design.

The luxury shoe brand had moved the high court seeking a permanent injunction against the shoe stores from the use of its distinctive design, and it was granted by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday.

The high court also awarded approximately Rs 10 lakh to the brand as damages and litigation cost.

Shoe brand Christian Louboutin, named after its French designer (pictured) is known for its distinctive red-soled heels

Speaking to Mail Today its counsel Pravin Anand said: 'What started off as serendipity that is Christian Louboutin painting the bottom of the shoe with a red nail polish, has now become the world famous brand.

'The interesting thing is that the order speaks volumes of the maturity of Indian courts and it is quite clear that red is the soul of the order.'

The premier shoe brand told court that the violation by these stores came to light during an extensive market survey conducted in 2016. It found out about three shoe store sellers operating in Karol Bagh and Ghaffar market using its trademark design.

Shoe stores were found to be infringing the red-lacquered sole trademark for at least 15 months and 45 pairs of offending shoes were recovered

It also found out that these shopkeepers were selling these products on social media platforms.

The court was told: 'A shoe with a red sole clearly identifies the product and distinguishes it from the goods of every other person.

The 'Red Sole' trademark has thus become the signature of the plaintiff.'

The Delhi HC during the course of hearing appointed an independent investigator which confirmed the allegations of the brand.

The court observed that Louboutin was a well-known luxury brand with a presence in over 60 countries including India through stores and on the internet. It also observed that it had successfully enforced its rights in the said trademarks.

The 'Red Sole' trademark has been applied for trademark registration and granted in several jurisdictions including in India.

Shoe stores were found to be infringing the shoes for at least 15 months and 45 pairs of infringing shoes were recovered from the stores.
The prospect of Jeremy Corbyn stumbling into Downing Street to the sound of the Red Flag is alarming to much of the City of London.

Conversations with senior bankers from Britain and the US suggest that even before Theresa Mays Brexit deal with Brussels, they regarded Corbynomics as a greater threat to financial stability than Britain leaving the European Union.

The prospect of wholesale nationalisation and the need to finance exploding borrowing and debt together with the profound ignorance of Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell are matters of foreboding.

This does not mean that everything Labour proposes is dangerous.

The prospect of Jeremy Corbyn, right, as Prime Minister and John McDonnell, left, as chancellor is seen by many as a graver threat to Britain's financial stability than Brexit

Supporters of Bank of England modernisation will clearly see merit in empowering the Bank of Englands regional agents. The network across the country already is a valuable influence on the Monetary Policy Committee.

The agents view of prospects for wage settlements was among the reasons behind the November rate hike.

My own brief role in the Bank of Englands Open Forum in Edinburgh two years ago demonstrated the ability the Bank has to bring together some of the most impressive entrepreneurs in Scotland and the North-East.

Skyscanner, one of the tech firms present, has since been snapped up by Chinas Ctrip for 1.4billion.

Knitting the Bank more closely into the financial and business infrastructure of newly-elected super-mayors in the Northern Powerhouse, Birmingham and the West Midlands makes enormous sense.

The Banks regulatory and monetary policy functions plainly have to remain in the heart of the City or at Canary Wharf.

But there is no reason why, for instance, its economic research and outreach to business could not be distributed around the country. The Office for National Statistics, the BBC and HSBC are showing that with the help of generous moving allowances, big organisations can create clusters of excellence and growth in the regions.

The City is invaluable to Britain and nothing should be done to weaken its capabilities. After all, it generates some 71billion of tax income and the nations trade in services produces a 90billion surplus.

A stronger Bank presence outside London, together with a revival of stock exchanges in major cities, could make a real difference in closing the gap between the high-gross value added by the London economy and lagging regional performance.

Caring and sharing

Guy Hands Terra Firma is determined it should not take the blame for the implosion of the Four Seasons care homes group.

It says its ownership since 2015 has been positive, improving standards of care for the 17,000 residents, strengthening cash flow and income.

It has faced up to any misjudgement about the investment value of the company by a 400million write-down of equity. The villain of the piece, in its view, is secretive vulture fund H/2 Capital Partners.

Run by animal loving former Lehman banker Spencer Haber it has forced the current existential crisis.

Be that as it may, the way in which 350 care homes, employing 25,000 staff, have been subjected to the worst excesses of extreme capitalism is shameful.

In less than a decade some of the homes have been through the financial wringer, partly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, rapacious US private equity group Blackstone, collapsed public company Southern Cross and another financial outfit HC-One before being rescued by Hands.

At a time when care for Britains oldest and most vulnerable citizens is at a premium, this is a disgrace.

Not before time the Care Quality Commission has become involved. Its objective should be to wrestle the homes free from the vultures and establish some kind of trust or mutual ownership similar to that of the Bupa homes.

Only then will elderly citizens and families paying vast fees be able to rest and sleep easily again.

Date with destiny

The London Stock Exchange is optimistic that its chairman Donald Brydon will see off the challenge of Sir Christopher Hohns TCI at the December 19 general meeting.

Indeed, it is confident enough to have speeded up the selection of a successor to ousted chief executive Xavier Rolet.

Brydon may see TCI off the field of battle but there will be no excuses for the chairman to hang around once Rolets successor is in place.

Brydon should take personal responsibility for the Deutsche Boerse debacle and succession farce.
The liberal elite's loathing of President Trump here in New York is eclipsed only by their disdain for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's Scots-born wife Louise Linton, 36, a manque actress whose fondness for private air travel and designer schmutter has led the media to portray her somewhere between Cruella de Vil and barrel-bottomed reality TV star, Kim Kardashian.

President Trump, left, watches as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, centre, takes his oath of office watched by fiancee Louise Linton in February

She and Mnuchin, 54, were recently ridiculed for posing with sheets of newly minted dollars bills, Linton's leather-gauntleted hand caressing the wonga.

A Twitter wag captioned it: 'Louise Linton with the great love of her life. Also pictured, her husband.'

Goldman Sachs's 20million-a-year boss Lloyd Blankfein's future is much discussed here after dropping recent hints about retirement.

Blankfein, 63, who in his 11 years at the helm has seen off both the credit crunch and cancer, suggests his joint deputies Harvey Schwartz and David Solomon could both succeed him in a power-sharing arrangement.

A third contender is chief financial officer Martin Chavez, who bucks the trend among Goldman executives by having a full head of hair.

Though Marty's racy hinterland  he's a reformed alcoholic with tattoo 'sleeves'  might rattle boardroom crockery.

Men's dress codes on Wall Street aren't what they were. Forget the two-toned shirts and Brooks Brothers suits of yesteryear.

It is now over-run with men casually attired in Chino trousers and fleece gilets.

The fleece trend started as a self-preservation measure at SAC Capital, the former hedge fund run by Steve Cohen, 61, who maintained an office temperature of 69 degrees to keep his traders on their toes.

Cohen was the subject of an insider trading investigation by the FBI, resulting in a record $1.8billion fine in 2013.

Their ten-year cat-and-mouse chase is the basis for Showtime's hit series Billions, which has been shooting its third series around Midtown.

For the uninitiated, the Cohen character, Bobby Axelrod (played by our own Damian Lewis) is a wrong 'un, but you can't help root for him as he's handsome, fun to be around and wolfishly charming.

Ogre-like Cohen, I should point out, is none of these things.
Too long in the job? Land Securities chairman Alison Carnwath

More than a quarter of FTSE 100 chairmen fall foul of plans to shake-up British boardrooms so they are not full of the same old faces.

Reforms to the corporate governance code proposed by the Financial Reporting Council state that chairmen should not serve more than nine years on the board.

Research by governance analysts Manifest found more than 90 major UK-based companies have chairmen who have been on the board for longer than this  including 27 in the FTSE 100 index.

Among those are 64-year-old Alison Carnwath at Land Securities, Gerry Grimstone, 68, at Standard Life Aberdeen and Nicholas Wrigley, 62, at Persimmon.

John McAdam, the 69-year-old chairman of United Utilities and Rentokil Initial, falls foul of the rules at both companies having joined the board of each in the first half of 2008.

The corporate governance code is not mandatory  meaning companies do not have to follow the guidelines  but those that do not must explain the decision to shareholders.

But the proposals to limit a chairman's stint to nine years is particularly controversial because it includes previous positions on that board, such as non-executive director or deputy chairman.

Sarah Bates, 58, has been chairman of wealth manager St James's Place for just under three years, having taken the job in 2014.

But she has been on the board for more than 13 years having previously served as non-executive director.

At Wolseley owner Ferguson, Gareth Davis, 67, has been on the board since 2003 but only became chairman in 2011.

The FRC proposals said: 'Where an individual has served on the board for more than nine years they are no longer considered independent.

'This is consistent with the revised code's approach to succession planning and the importance of board refreshment.'

But experts said proposals that would see chairmen stand down after nine years on the board would alarm directors and shareholders.

'This provision may get a lot of pushback from both corporates and investors,' one told the Financial Times.

'The FRC is right to focus upon the issue of chairman tenure, but I don't think it should be so mechanistic,' he added.

'If you have someone who has been on the board for five years and is a natural person to go on to become chairman, you don't want to acknowledge that they can only be chairman for four years.'

Sarah Wilson, chief executive of Manifest, said: 'The purpose of the new code is to get companies to think harder about succession planning and nomination processes.

'Tone and culture flows from the top down and it will be this process of refreshment which encourages boards to look at diversity, skills and experience as a whole rather than just relying on robotic rules.

'Some other important, but so far overlooked, ideas include advertising jobs in the public domain rather than just going through headhunters.

'This is putting board positions closer to the public bodies appointment process than it has been previously and as such is quite a break with the past.'
HSBC will not face any further action for money-laundering in Mexico after American authorities agreed to drop their threat of prosecution.

The tainted bank was fined 1.2billion in 2012 for handling dirty cash from drug lords, and only just escaped criminal proceedings.

Investigators warned they would take it to court for the debacle if it did anything else wrong  putting HSBC at risk of losing its dollar banking licence.

Colombian cartel crooks are paraded by the Mexican authorities alongside a hoard of guns and cash in 2001. That year HSBC was fined 1.2bn for handling dirty money from drug lords

But this so-called deferred prosecution agreement has now ended, following a 750million push by the bank to clean up its act.

The US Department of Justice has said it will file a motion with the court for the Eastern District of New York to dismiss the charges, rather than seeking to extend the DPA beyond its initial five-year term.

It presents Mark Tucker and John Flint, HSBC's new chairman and chief executive, with an opportunity to turn over a new leaf.

Traders cheered the deal yesterday, sending shares up 2.5 per cent or 18.5p to 751.7p and adding 2.9billion to the value of the business.

The agreement also allows previous chairman Douglas Flint and Stuart Gulliver  who will stand down as chief executive in February  to escape with some dignity intact.

When Gulliver took over in 2011, he pledged to encourage a culture of 'courageous integrity' and said his time at the top would be judged on whether the bank was 'seen as a moral and decent firm'.

But the bank has since been sucked into a string of scandals with senior staff jailed for currency rigging and allegations it helped tax evaders in Panama and Switzerland.
Situation vacant: The LSE is already interviewing candidates for chief executive

The embattled London Stock Exchange is already interviewing candidates for chief executive as it scrambles to head off a campaign by billionaire investor Sir Chris Hohn.

Hohn, 51, is seeking to oust chairman Donald Brydon, who he blames for forcing former chief executive Xavier Rolet to quit.

Shareholders will vote on whether 72-year-old Brydon should go at a crunch meeting later this month.

Rolet only left two weeks ago but the exchange is already lining up a replacement.

Sources said it has appointed headhunter Egon Zehnder to find a boss, with candidates being considered from across the globe.

Finance chief David Warren has stepped in to run the business on a temporary basis but is not thought to want to do it permanently.

Internal names mentioned in connection with the role include Mark Makepeace, head of the companys data business.

Shares in LSE rose 1.1 per cent, or 43p, to 3833p.
BREXIT HOPE Big banks have scaled back their estimates of jobs that may have to move after Brexit, accountant EY said.

In 2016, 12 firms said 12,500 roles would move abroad. Now, 26 are expecting just 10,500 relocations in total.

PROFITS POUNDED Investment bank Investec has warned it could lose up to 3 per centof its profits due to the crisis at Poundlands South Africa owner Steinhoff whose shares crashed more than 80 per cent last week when it ordered an investigation into its accounts.

AMAZON ROW Sandal maker Birkenstock has stopped selling through Amazon in the EU, accusing it of breaking the law by selling counterfeit goods.

STRONG SALES Online fashion retailer Sosandar reported strong sales in the three months to the end of November.

LISTINGS SURGE Cash raised in stock market listings has surged 75 per cent this year with 91 floats raising 10.2billion since January, said PwC.

VACANCIES GROW City job vacancies climbed 5 per cent in November as firms increased their offers to try and tempt workers, according to recruiter Morgan McKinley.

BUSINESS BOOST More firms  218,000  were set up in Britain than any other major economy last year, accountant UHY Hacker Young said.

JOBS RETURN Finance firms are bringing offshore jobs back to Britain because of rising costs, Robert Half Financial Services found.

CAB APPEAL Taxi app Uber will appeal to keep its London license next year after TfL rejected a bid to renew it in September.

COBALT QUEST Sierra Leone-focused miner Sula Iron & Gold will mine for cobalt  which is used in electric cars  in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is changing its name to African Battery Metals.

BOSS QUITS Neil McCulloch, 47, chief operating officer of oil producer Enquest, is stepping down.

PIPELINE SALE North Sea oil producer Premier Oil is selling its interest in the Esmond Transportation Pipeline for 23.6million to gas transporter Cats Management.

CHIEF ROLE Sausage-casing maker Devro has named group finance director Rutger Helbing chief executive.
Four Seasons is 525m in debt

More than 360 care homes will fall into the hands of a secretive American hedge-fund boss who specialises in snapping up struggling businesses.

Tycoon Spencer Haber has over the last two years bought up debt from the struggling Four Seasons care home chain, which is home to 17,000 vulnerable and elderly residents and looks likely to take over the firm outright.

But last night some expressed horror that the futures of these residents could be put into the hands of a mystery firm that few know anything about.

It is understood senior City figures have tried to delve into the background of Haber, 49, and his hedge fund, but so far few details of his intentions have been uncovered.

Four Seasons is thought to be one of Haber's first investments in the UK, and one of his main bets.

The financier made his fortune at collapsed Lehman Brothers, and real estate finance firm iStar before starting his own hedge fund H/2 Capital Partners in Connecticut in 2004.

He is an expert in buying bad debt, but little is known about Haber's personal life other than he studied at the University of Pennsylvania and is a director of an animal welfare charity. He is passionate about helping poorly treated animals.

Despite his charitable interests, H/2 has proved a ruthless negotiator in the scrap over Four Seasons with present owner, financier Guy Hands' group Terra Firma.

Haber is directly involved in the talks, the Mail understands, directing from the US. He also insists on getting an extra 24 lucrative care homes as part of the deal, which Terra Firma wants to hang onto.

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb, former minister of state for care, said: 'It's an intolerable situation that responsibility for huge numbers of very vulnerable people could be in the hands of an organisation that we know nothing about.

ANIMAL-LOVING MOGUL Spencer Haber, 49, is known as a smart, tough negotiator. Little is known of his personal life or fortune. But his biggest interest is animal welfare through his H/3 Foundation. In September it evacuated cats and dogs trapped by Hurricane Irma in the British Virgin Islands. Haber also worked as a producer of Toucan Nation, a film about a Costa Rican toucan named Grecia whose bill had been mutilated by thugs.

The Care Quality Commission could seek to broker a resolution to this and ultimately I think they have got a responsibility to get it sorted.'

H/2 Capital Partners is owed around 525million from Four Seasons and will take control under a restructuring deal yet to be agreed.

Last night H/2 and Four Seasons were still battling how to defer an interest payment due on Friday that it cannot afford. Terra Firma will also need to agree. If no agreement is reached, H/2 could put Four Seasons into administration.

H/2 has invested around 29billion since it was set up, including 2.8billion in healthcare. The firm says it invests on behalf of leading institutional investors, including pension funds, sovereign funds and other institutions.

H/2 has put forward a restructuring plan for Four Seasons that includes installing former chair of Barchester Healthcare Baroness Ford as chairman. Haber has defended his motives in taking over Four Seasons.

He said last month: 'I firmly believe that with the right stewardship, enterprises like Four Seasons best serve their investors when they best serve their residents.

Responsible private capital understands the primacy of resident care and peace-of-mind for their families.'

He added: 'Four Seasons' dedicated managers and employees are more than capable of setting an example here, right across the social care community.

'While we share a mission with these talented individuals, it is their role  and not ours  that holds the consequence and the challenge.

'We just need to do the easy part, which is to enable them by providing the bedrock of financial stability, aligned incentives, and a fair cost of capital that enables the group to carry out the solemn responsibility of caring for 17,000 vulnerable people.'
FTSE 100 equipment rental company Ashtead has reported a 19 per cent boost in revenue during the first-half in trading.

The company's 1.9 billion increase was enjoyed on the back of a weak pound and high demand in the US for its fleet after various clean-up operations were needed following hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey.

The boost to trading from the natural disasters contributed to pre-tax profit growth rising 16% to 493.1 million in the period.

Ashtead's pre-tax profits grew by 16 per cent following Hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey

During morning trading today Ashtead's share price grew by 1.5 per cent to 2,050p.

Chief executive Geoff Drabble commenting on the up-beat figures said: 'The strong quarter was pleasing as it was based on good underlying performance, supplemented by clean-up efforts following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.'

The CEO added: 'Whilst we would anticipate that activity levels would normalise during the second half, post hurricane clean-up, we expect full year results to be ahead of our prior expectations.

'Our strong performance, together with the successful execution of our 2021 plan, allows the board to continue to look to the medium term with confidence.'

The firm also announced that it is to launch a share buyback of at least 500 million and up to 1 billion over the next 18 months.

Ashtead's good news was synchronised with the announcement that its chairman Chris Cole, has retired.

The company has started the search for a successor to Cole, who has been chairman since 2007, with the aim of a handover at the annual general meeting in September 2018.

Brendan Horgan, the current chief executive of the Northern American construction equipment rental arm Sunbelt, has been promoted to chief operating officer as part of the group's long-term succession planning.

Ian Forrest, investment research analyst at The Share Centre recommends a cautious approach to the investing in the company.

Geoff Drabble (centre): Ashtead's CEO revealed the board is looking to the 'medium term with confidence'.

'The management has played a key role in Ashtead's stellar performance so it was good to see that the CEO of the very successful US division, Brendan Horgan, will now be helping with strategic development across the whole company,' he said.

'With all this good news it was no surprise to see the shares respond with a 5% rise in the shares in early trading. We continue to recommend Ashtead as a 'buy' due to the strong earnings momentum it has developed, the potential for further improvement in cash flow, and the good prospects especially in the US. After a strong rise in the shares in recent months we would suggest drip-feeding into the shares.'

Nicholas Hyett, equity analyst at Hargeaves Lansdown, believes the share buyback is good news for shareholders in the short-term.

He added: 'We're still not entirely convinced about the decision. Conditions can change quickly and Ashtead has experience of hitting the downside with too much debt. It wasn't pleasant.'

Hyett stressed that Ashtead is a highly cyclical business and that it needs to protect its balance sheet even though it's currently in a good position.

Ashtead is the second largest equipment rental business in the US, hiring out diggers and tools for the construction and industrial sectors.

Its Sunbelt business operates across 646 locations in the US and in Canada and employs 10,610 staff.

In the UK, Ashtead has 189 locations nationwide and 3,546 employees.
Happily walking along the beach, 'carefree' American and British tourists have no idea just what is lying underneath the sand or in the nearby sea.

Situated just a few miles away from the North Korea border, Dongmak Beach on Ganghwa Island is a popular destination for foreigners and locals wanting to escape the busy capital city of Seoul for the day, which is about 37 miles away.

On a summer's day, this South Korean coastline is packed with people sunbathing or picking through the sand on the hunt for clams and crabs, some among the 37,500 members of the American military on leave.

Yet this isn't any normal beach resort - it's possibly the most dangerous stretch of sand in the world.

Despite the restaurants, water slides, quirky attractions and hordes of ocean lovers, Dongmak Beach is in an unenviable position due to its proximity to the North Korean border.

Kim Jong-un's soldiers have been throwing landmines into the Yellow Sea knowing that strong local currents take them to the waters directly off the popular destination, DailyMailTV has learned.

Scroll down for video

North Korean soldiers have been throwing landmines into border waters of the the Yellow Sea, and the explosives are washing up on Dongmak Beach in South Korea and injuring tourists

Officials claim that 110 incidents have so far been reported being found at the beach

South Korean officials have posted warning signs to alert beach-goers of the danger. This sign reads: 'Any attempt to open or apply force will trigger an explosion. In the past 10 years, we have nearly found 110 landmines on this island'

These are round land mines found in Cambodia, similar to the ones found on the South Korean beach

Dongmak Beach (pictured) on Ganghwa Island is a popular destination for foreigners and locals wanting to escape the busy capital Seoul for the day, which is about 37 miles away

According to council officials, there's been 110 incidents and many more landmines have been found.

The problem is much worse in the monsoon season of July and August when the water levels rise and the landmines have the capability to travel further south.

Dongmak Beach is situated on the southern tip of Ganghwa Island - which is attached to the South Korean mainland by road - and should be out of harm's way.

But North Korean soldiers have discovered that the strong currents push the landmines around the island and dump them onto their neighbor's most popular beach, causing maximum havoc.

Now, South Korean military and police have put up signs warning people how to spot the various shapes and sizes of landmines and to be careful when hunting for crustaceans.

On one sign, there's a picture of the landmines - one looking like a metal brick and another a small brown disc shape - and the warning reads: 'Watch out for loose landmines from North Korea.

'Due to the monsoon and raining season, we have been finding landmines near the beach and it is possible that there are more. If you see any objects that look like the mines in the picture below, do not touch it and please contact military services.'

Despite the warnings, many unsuspecting American and British tourists have no idea that landmines are being found because they are unable to read the Korean warning signs. This image was posted by an American tourist on TripAdvisor

Another sign reads: 'Due to the monsoon and rain we have been finding wooden mines from North Korea. If you do find a mine, do not touch it under any circumstances and call 112 (Korean police) or report to your nearest police station'

The sign continues: 'Any attempt to open or apply force will trigger an explosion. We have found 110 landmines on this island. On 12 August 2017, we have found a wooden box landmine on a fishing net, which exploded after it touched other objects in the net. The marines are close by, do not hesitate to call.'

Another sign reads: 'Due to the monsoon and rain we have been finding wooden mines from North Korea. If you do find a mine, do not touch it under any circumstances and call 112 (Korean police) or report to your nearest police station.'

There's also a warning from the Incheon Provincial Police Agency stating: 'Protection against unidentified explosives (wooden box mines). We have identified several mines and we expect to see more. If you see anything that looks like anything in the photos below, or if you have found an unidentifiable object that resembles it, do not touch it and contact the nearest military base.'

Unsuspecting American beach-goers aren't able to read the signs because they are in Korean, and have been posting online their picture-postcard images of the beach.

One visitor from Chicago, username JanMichael_24, said in September: 'I've seen families with tents around the beach. One guy playing with his dog. This beach has a laid back vibe to it. My kind of beach.'

A tourist from Chipping Norton in The Cotswolds, England, remarked in May: 'Dongmak Beach is a nice beach to visit off-season. During the peak summer months it's really busy and the traffic can be a nightmare. However during October/November time the weather is cool, the crowd is gone and therefore it's a relaxing place to visit.'

Under the orders of Kim Jong-un (pictured), the explosives are aimed at unsuspecting tourists, American, British and South Korean, who visit the popular beach resort

Americans are largely unaware of the danger that lurks. One visitor from Chicago said on social media in September: 'I've seen families with tents around the beach. One guy playing with his dog. This beach has a laid back vibe to it. My kind of beach'

A warning sign reads: 'Protection against unidentified explosives (wooden box mines) We have identified several mines in this region and we expect to see more'

Locals are fiercely proud of their beach and the surrounding quirky tourist attractions, which includes a house that was purposely built upside down. A cafe is made of two houses joined together, slanted at 45 degrees, so it looks like they've been hit by an earthquake.

There's also a hotel-cum-waterpark, with fake windmills and a huge replica ocean liner, which acts as guests' accommodation. All of these attractions are slowly decaying, as news is filtering out to domestic tourists to stay away.

But it's the last thing that local restaurant and store owners need.

Shopkeeper Cho Ga Ung, who has lived on the island for 17 years, was hesitant to talk about the landmines, concerned that it would lead to a negative view of the beach.

He said: 'Course, those kids [North Koreans] do it on purpose. During the monsoon season, the North Korean soldiers throw loose landmines down here. Those mines drift down on to the other islands, but they eventually reach here. Some people have died from it, you know.

'It's not a one-time thing, mines come here every monsoon. This has been happening for years and been getting worse since Kim Jong-un got in power. He's just like his father.

'The military and police have put around signs, the commander of the marines commissioned the signs himself. We're just trying to make a living, you know, there's not much to what we think. This is the most active street on this side of the island, and we're in the middle of it. But there's not much we locals can do to stop the mines from coming.'

Shopkeeper Cho Ga Ung, who has lived on the island for 17 years, was reticent to talk about the landmines, concerned that it would lead to a negative view of the beach and hurt business

Locals are fiercely proud of their beach and the surrounding quirky tourist attractions, which includes a house that was purposely built upside down. A cafe is made of two houses joined together, slanted at 45 degrees, so it looks like they've been hit by an earthquake (pictured)

A huge replica of an ocean liner acts as guests' accommodation. All of these attractions are slowly decaying, as news is filtering out to domestic tourists to stay away

Other attractions include a water slide park next to the beach, which is a bit rundown and has seen better days

He added: 'Who knows if this problem is going to get worse? No one knows if the North Koreans are going to drift more or less mines in the future. We rely on local and foreign tourists, it has hurt our business, but the point is we're still here opening our shops even if we don't know what will happen.'

Fellow resident Ji-Woo Lee added: 'This used to be one of the cleanest, nicest beaches in South Korea, we're still open, but for how long can this go on for? We need protection from this sort of thing from the marines and army.'

The local council is hoping that they can still entice tourists, especially as this year Ganghwa Island is the 'city of tourism' for South Korea and is being heavily promoted.

Ganghwa Island Council official Kim Jung Nam says that they prefer it when people float themselves downstream rather than throw landmines, as recently they've had defectors from North Korea jump into the water and float all the way down south.

'A few months ago, a man floated his way towards the bridge, where a soldier fished him out. He was later sent to the South. At the right time and place, you can float your way here,' explains Nam.

'Now this year is the year of tourism in Ganghwa Island, which has helped us get a head start in tourism. And not only are we using this opportunity to increase tourism, but we are also using it to increase awareness of our role in the unification and peace advocacy community.'

The local council is hoping that they can still entice tourists, especially as this year Ganghwa Island is the 'city of tourism' for South Korea and is being heavily promoted
The View was also allegedly skeptical about promoting Meghan's recent marriage to controversial conservative writer Ben Domenech, because of his past

Meghan McCain's new stint on The View has been plagued by emotional meltdowns and tears behind the scenes, DailyMailTV can reveal.

The former Fox News contributor has TV producers concerned over the backstage drama, according to a close source at the network.

Meghan's most recent outburst occurred before one of last week's shows following a weekend party she attended with fellow Republicans, who told her she was part of a 'fake news movement.'

The comment referred to the network's decision to suspend reporter Brian Ross for his erroneous report about former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

'She had this dramatic meltdown in her dressing room and kept saying that no one knows how hard it is to be on this show and be conservative,' a source revealed.

Behind the scenes drama: Meghan McCain's new stint at daytime talk show The View has been plagued by emotional meltdowns behind the scenes, a source tells DailyMailTV. Here she speaks with former Trump campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski

The newly-wed 33-year-old, who has only been working on the long-running talk show for just two months, has allegedly been having a hard time trying to fit in at her new job and fears she is not liked because she is conservative

'She kept going on and on about how the viewers don't like her because she's conservative and now conservatives don't like her and saying she supports fake news,' recalled the source.

'She just kept saying, "I just can't win! I just can't win."'

The display a week ago wasn't the first for Meghan and has come to be expected by those on set.

She reportedly reads all the social media comments about the show daily and the feedback from fans regularly sends her into a tailspin.

'She has broken down over viewers calling her fat. She broke down in the hair and makeup room one day talking about how people keep saying she's lying about her age and how she looks old on the show,' the source added.

'And another time she was hysterical after reading comments that said she is a privileged rich kid who only got this job and others because of who her daddy is. Now that comment had her go nuts,' the source disclosed.

She has allegedly broken down in tears over viewers criticizing her weight and appearance and believes she has not been well-received by the show's fans

The new co-host was previously reported to have had spats with co-hosts Sunny Hostin (center) and Sara Haines after she snubbed them on-air on her first show

Earlier reports said Meghan has allegedly been nicknamed 'Elsa' from the film Frozen (right) on set because of her 'cold and distant' demeanor

DailyMail.com previously reported that Meghan has already been embroiled in feuds with co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines after she snubbed them on air and only acknowledged Whoopi and Joy for their work on the show.

That same report also indicated that producers of the show had nicknamed her Elsa from the movie Frozen, because many felt she came across 'cold and unlikable' at the table and behind the scenes.

Moderator Whoopi Goldberg, co-hosts Joy Behar and Sunny and Sara - who she's had tension with on set - now seem to try to affirm her on air in an effort to encourage her.

Last week when Meghan griped on air about how tough her job was on the show during an on-air dispute with Sunny about Trump voters, both Sunny and Whoopi coddled the pundit by telling her she was good at doing her job despite it being challenging.

'The fact that she makes it to the table some days without cracking on air surprises a lot of people at the show. If you could see the tears and the tantrums off camera, you would wonder how she pulls it together each day,' the source added.

Meghan allegedly became upset after The View chose to have CNN conservative commentator Ana Navarro guest co-host twice while Whoopi was out recently.

Meghan allegedly became upset after The View chose to have CNN conservative commentator Ana Navarro (right) guest co-host last week while Whoopi was out. She had griped that ABC News better not be giving Ana an audition for her seat, the source said

She had griped that ABC News better not be giving Ana an audition for her seat, the source said.

'Let's just say she was very threatened by Ana being there. It really annoys Meghan that the audience doesn't clap for her and most of her comments fall on deafening silence when she makes them. She regularly blames that on her being the conservative at the table, but that's not the case when Ana is there.

'Ana's commentary often lands huge applause breaks from the studio audience and again, it really upsets Meghan,' the source explained.

While most daytime talk shows love to play-up pregnancies and marriages to their audience, they supposedly took a different approach with Meghan when she wed her husband, controversial conservative writer Ben Domenech on November 21.

Ben resigned from his job as a writer at The Washington Post after he was accused of plagiarizing stories in previous work that had been published in The New Yorker, the National Review, The Washington Post, and other publications.

More recently, the writer had stories pulled from The Washington Examiner, The Huffington Post, and The San Francisco Examiner after it was discovered he had received $36,000 from a lobbyist to pen favorable pieces about the Malaysian government without disclosing they were propaganda articles.

'ABC was very concerned about the optics of promoting Meghan's marriage to Domenech. Her wedding was briefly mentioned by Whoopi initially when Meghan wasn't even at the show and then Meghan addressed it briefly after the show's Thanksgiving break,' the source revealed.

Whether Meghan becomes the next casualty of the revolving chairs of co-host that has plagued The View in recent years or she toughens up and goes the distance remains to be seen, say show sources.
Europe's five biggest economies have warned Donald Trump that plans for massive US tax reforms may end up violating international trade rules.

Finance ministers from Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Spain say they have 'significant concerns' about some of the US President's tax initiatives and fear they could harm the global economy.

In a letter to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the ministers said the tax overhaul could risk 'seriously hampering genuine trade and investment flows' between Europe and America.

Their warning mirrors fears among some European businesses that aspects of Mr Trump's tax-reform bills may have been designed to give American companies an advantage over foreign rivals.

Europe's five biggest economies have warned Donald Trump (pictured) that plans for massive US tax reforms may end up violating international trade rules

The ministers, including Britain's chancellor Philip Hammond (pictured), warned that Trump's measures could 'discriminate' in a manner which would contravene World Trade Organisation

The ministers, including Britain's chancellor Philip Hammond, warned the measures could 'discriminate' in a manner which would contravene World Trade Organisation (WTO) provisions, would be inconsistent with double taxation rules, and would be 'poorly targeted' at helping to combat tax avoidance.

'The inclusion of certain less conventional international tax provisions could contravene the US's double taxation treaties and may risk having a major distortive impact on international trade,' the letter stated.

One of Mr Trump's proposals would see US companies forced to pay a 20 per cent tax on payments to foreign companies  effectively forcing them to spend money with American firms.

This, the ministers, said, 'would impact on genuine commercial arrangements'.

Because it would only apply where payments are being made for foreign goods and services, this would discriminate and break WTO rules. The plans have not yet been passed by the US Congress.

The letter warned that 'it is important that the U.S. government's rights over domestic tax policy be exercised in a way that adheres with international obligations to which it has signed-up.'

In a letter to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (pictured), the ministers said the tax overhaul could risk 'seriously hampering genuine trade and investment flows' between Europe and America

EU nations have been warily eyeing President Trump's domestic tax proposals as they made their way through congress and have long expressed fears they might hurt world trade and EU companies in particular.

The five ministers specifically targeted the so-called Base Erosion and Anti-abuse Tax (or BEAT) Senate bill.

This measure aims to combat what is called base erosion and profit shifting, the practice by some multinationals to avoid tax by exploiting mismatches in countries' tax rules to artificially report their profits in countries with low or no taxes.

The finance ministers lauded the measure's aim to ensure companies pay their fair share in taxes to the U.S.

But they said that under the current plans, the measures would also hurt genuine commercial deals.

In the financial sector in particular, 'the provision appears to have the potential of being extremely harmful for international banking and insurance business.'

U.S President Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron after at the Elysee Palace in Paris

They said it 'may lead to significant tax charges and may harmfully distort international financial markets.'

The EU's 28 finance ministers had already expressed concern about the U.S. plans during a meeting last week, but now its five biggest economies have gone ahead with their own warning.

In Washington, however, Republicans are upbeat about finalising the tax bill from the House and Senate versions for Trump's first major legislative accomplishment in nearly 11 months in office.

Trump has set a Christmas deadline for signing the bill into law, giving lawmakers named to a special conference committee two weeks to iron out major differences in the House and Senate versions of the legislation.

The conference committee has scheduled its first formal meeting for Wednesday.

Both measures would cut taxes by about $1.5 trillion over the next decade while adding billions to the $20 trillion deficit, combining steep tax cuts for corporations with more modest reductions for most individuals.

Together, the changes would amount to the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax system in 30 years, touching every corner of society.
Jeffrey Noble, 35, was charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of three people in Houston

A man suspected of killing three people in Houston was captured in Dallas Sunday night, police said.

Jeffrey Noble, 35, was allegedly seen leaving the scene of Friday night's shooting inside a Houston home that left three people dead.

Police said he left the home in a 1998 red Honda Accord.

The victims' identities were released on Sunday as John Robert Sciandra, 67, Jessica Sciandra, 22, and Jordan Michael Collier, 25.

Noble was booked late Sunday into the Dallas County jail and is being held on a charge of capital murder.

The Harris County sheriff's office on Monday confirmed Noble's arrest but didn't offer any more details.

Police said the relationship between Robert and Jessica Sciandra wasn't immediately clear.

Another woman, who was at the home at the time of the shooting, was able to escape and told a neighbor to call 911.

The victims' identities were released on Sunday as John Robert Sciandra, 67, Jessica Sciandra (left), 22, and Jordan Michael Collier (right), 25. The relationship between Robert and Jessica Sciandra wasn't immediately clear, police said

The neigbor corroborated that account and told police that the young woman ran out of the home because a man she knew walked into the house with a gun and started shooting, according to KHOU.

He reportedly told the young woman to get out of the house.

Deputies responded to the shooting call around 4.30pm on Friday in the 15700 block of Creekhaven Court.

Authorities said they found the two men and woman dead inside the home. All of them suffered gunshot wounds.

Police have not said what Noble's motive may have been, but they do believe he knows all of the victims.

It's also believed that he had been to the victim's home before the shooting. No bond has been set for Noble, and police are still investigating the triple-murder.
Malcolm Turnbull has been slammed on Twitter with his appearance on Q&A branded 'arrogant' and 'condescending' by viewers.

The prime minister had been expected to cruise through his appearance on the panel show after delivering marriage equality last week.

But Mr Turnbull engaged in a number of heated debates and even sighed audibly at one member of the audience on Monday, news.com.au reports.

One Twitter user said the appearance was a 'total trainwreck' for Mr Turnbull.

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Viewers slammed Malcolm Turnbull's appearance on Q&A calling it 'arrogant' and 'condescending'

Another said while he 'could have opted for gracious, went for smart-arsed.'

'Turnbull tells every questioner they are wrong,' another added. 'Mal-splaining won't save you.'

Another said: 'The PM's courtroom showmanship makes him look like a complete and utter tosser.'

'Tell me how I've disappointed you?' Mr Turnbull asked a woman named Olivia who told him she'd voted for him, but was disappointed by his performance.

'We live in a representative democracy, why take it to a plebiscite?' she said, referencing the same-sex marriage postal survey.

Mr Turnbull engaged in a number of heated debates and even sighed audibly at one member of the audience on Monday

'You can represent us and just change that immediately without wasting $126 million.'

Mr Turnbull pointedly replied: 'Did I promise to give everyone their say? I did. So I kept my promise.'

Later, he got into another argument with a woman, reportedly lawyer Teela Reid, over recognising indigenous Australians in the constitution.

Although he vowed to not give up on recognising indigenous Australians in the constitution, he doubled down on his opposition to a 'third chamber' advising parliament.

The prime minister insisted he does not want to kick recognition 'into the long grass', preferring to look closely at recommendations from a May summit of indigenous leaders at Uluru.

In October, the Turnbull government rejected the referendum council's report on constitutional recognition calling for an indigenous voice to parliament.

One Twitter user described the prime minister as a 'contemptuous, intellectual bully'

'An assembly of the kind that was proposed would be in effect a third chamber of parliament,' Mr Turnbull ABC TV's Q&A.

'I don't believe our parliament should have any chambers other than the two that it does, the House and the Senate, and they are open to all Australians.'

He said the Uluru declaration for a constitutionally enshrined voice in parliament was one of many recommendations on the subject.

'I do not believe what would in effect be a third chamber of parliament available only to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is consistent with our constitution,' Mr Turnbull said.

Ms Reid asked: 'Why won't you respect out proposal to take it to a referendum and put it to the people like you put marriage equality to the people?'

She noted that polls show almost two-thirds of Australians support the proposal.

But Mr Turnbull insisted the proposal would have 'no prospect whatsoever' of being successful at a referendum.

'As someone who has had some experience in how easy it is to change the Australian Constitution, it would have no prospect of success whatsoever,' he told her.

'People that don't tell you the truth are misleading you, what I'm telling you is the truth.'
Some Capitol Hill Republicans are beginning to fret, as their tax package is being hit with some very poor poll numbers.

A USA Today-Suffolk University poll put its approval at 32 per cent. A CBS poll was only slightly better, at 35 per cent. And both Reuters and Quinnipiac had it at 29 per cent  not exactly enthralling numbers for a plan that is supposed to be a tax cut.

The stereotype that Republicans pass legislation to benefit the wealthy is starting to bake into the bill with just 17 per cent of those surveyed by USA Today saying the package is supposed to help the middle class.

So far the senator sounding the loudest alarm is Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who vied against now President Trump in last year's GOP presidential primary.

So far the senator sounding the loudest alarm about public concerns about the tax bill is Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who vied against now President Trump in last year's GOP presidential primary

On Friday, Rubio tweeted a sentiment once expressed by the late Republican President Ronald Reagan.

'Good time to revisit a landmark 1977 speech given by President Ronald Reagan in which he called for a "New Republican Party" that will not be and cannot be one limited to the country club-big business image,' the Florida Republican tweeted Friday morning.

'The New Republican Party ... is going to have room for the man & the woman in the factories, for the farmer, for the cop on the beat,' Rubio said.

On the Senate floor, Rubio joined with Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, and encouraged their fellow Republicans to vote on a measure that would allow lower income Americans to refund their child tax credit against payroll taxes, according to the Hill.

The move failed.

An unnamed Republican lawmaker pointed out to the Hill, that 'lowering the corporate rate is never popular.'

'Fourty-four per cent of the country won't see anything and then they see headlines about a big corporate rate cut,' the GOP senator said.

The centerpiece of the legislation cuts the corporate tax rate from 35 per cent to 20 per cent, a part of the plan that the Republicans never wavered on.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about the quandary today.

A reporter pointed out that investors have warned that the tax package favors mutual funds over individual investors and critics have charged the legislation will increase the tax tab for potentially tens of thousands of middle-class filers.

'Will the president sign the tax bill, even if there are inadvertent tax increases and some of the criticisms are correct?' the journalist asked.

While Trump has urged Congress to get the tax package done  as it would be his single large legislative achievement this year  the press secretary didn't immediately answer yes.

'As I've said many times before, our focus and our priorities are making sure that we provide middle-class tax relief, and simplifying the code, bringing businesses back here to the U.S., we're going to continue pushing for that and continue working with Congress to make sure that we get the best tax package possible,' Huckabee Sanders said.
In the lead up to Christmas, many Australians are choosing to avoid the crowds by purchasing gifts online.

But while families are eagerly awaiting their parcels, wily thieves are awaiting a chance to pounce.

Adelaide man Matt Svenson, who last month had a parcel stolen from his front porch, told Today Tonight it was a 'low act'.

'If this occurs closer to Christmas, a child could be missing out on their present come Christmas Day,' he said.

A man was caught on CCTV dashing from a car to steal a parcel from an Adelaide man's front step

Matt Svenson (pictured) had been expecting the delivery of two security cameras, but arrived home to an empty door step

Mr Svenson had, ironically, purchased two high definition security cameras, and tracked the delivery of them on his phone.

When he returned home from work he found the parcel missing.

A quick skim through CCTV footage showed a young man leap from a car, dash up the man's drive way and grab the parcel, before sprinting back to the vehicle.

Mr Svenson isn't alone in his experience.

On average, 17 per cent of Australians have had packages taken from their front doors or mail boxes, Finder reported.

The figure is expected to rise as parcels begin to flood Australian streets following the frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Other images show brazen thieves make off with freshly delivered packages, many in broad daylight

Research by home security company Nest shows nearly one in five Australians have had a parcel stolen from their front door

Images taken from home security cameras show packages around the country being stolen from front steps by brazen thieves.

Most of the robberies appear to take place in broad daylight.

A South Australian police Sargent told Today Tonight there were some precautions keen online shoppers could take to protect their precious packages.

He said having items delivered to your workplace or choosing to pick them up from a post office could lessen the risk of losing them immensely.

The officer also said it was important to ensure homes and cars were locked up, and nothing was left in plain sight.
Alastair Anning publically posted nude images of 15-year-old girl to Instagram

A man found with 10,000 child pornorgraphy images after coercing a teen girl into sending him nude photos before posting them to Instagram has been sentenced to less than two years behind bars.

He was sentenced by the Maroochydore Supreme Court and served 117 days in prison, but returned to his twisted ways when he regained his freedom.

On Monday, Anning pleaded guilty in Maroochydore District Court to six child sex exploitation charges and four counts of 'possessing child exploitation material'.

Police found more than 10,000 'Category Four' images and videos showing babies and children being sexually penetrated by adult when they searched the house of Alastair Wayne Anning, now 22, in 2015.

Alastair Wayne Anning was caught with more than 10,000 child pornography images in 2015

This included four counts of 'possessing child exploitation material',He also pleaded guilty to single counts of 'involving a child in producing child exploitation material and making available child exploitation material' after pressuring a 15-year-old girl into sending him nude photos by telling her that he would self-harm if she didn't acquiesce to his request.

When the teen refused to send Anning any more pictures, he uploaded them to Instagram under her real name and location, according to the Sunshine Coast Daily.

His criminal history also includes making threats towards another teenage girl who refused to be his girlfriend, the court heard, for which he was slapped with nine months probation but no recorded conviction.

But Manning's defence barrister Simone Bain told the court that her client had a difficult childhood, attempted suicide at the tender age of seven after his parent's 'vicious break-up' ended in his mother abandoning him.

Anning has been graded at a 'moderate' risk of reoffending by court practitioners.

Judge Brian Devereaux sentenced Anning to 21 months prison for 'child exploitation' offences

Judge Brian Devereaux said Anning's conduct was 'serious', and emphasises that even if offenders don't personally know the children in the images, it is still considered 'exploitation'.

He has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended after three months for two years for 'making available child exploitation material' and three months imprisonment for the rest of the charges.

He will be released on probation for two years and eight months, Judge Devereaux concluded.
A 15-year-old girl is fighting for her life in hospital following an incident in the waters off Tasmania's north coast on Monday afternoon.

The teenager was pulled from the water by police and bystanders who dived in to save her when she and a friend got into trouble.

Her friend, also struggling in the water, managed to reach the coast before emergency services arrived and treated her for shock and minor abrasions.

Two bystanders rushed into the surf after witnessing the teen's struggle with police claiming their heroic actions could have been the difference between life and death.

The teen was pulled from the water on Tasmania's northwest coast by police and bystanders

Police officers and the Devonport Surf Club then joined forces and deployed their rescue boat to pull the teenager out.

In a statement, Inspector Stuart Wilkinson thanked the heroes of the day.

'The gratitude of our community should go to the two men who bravely entered the water without hesitation and potentially saved this young girl's life'.

After being rescued, the 15-year-old girl was treated by Ambulance Tasmania and Tasmania Police members on the beach for some time.

Emergency services rushed the teenager to Mersey Community Hospital where she is still in a critical condition on Tuesday morning.

The 15-year-old girl is fighting for her life at the Mersey Community Hospital

'Changing weather conditions pose a risk to all water users and swimmers in Tasmanian waters', reminded Inspector Wilkinson after the incident.

Acknowledging the work done by rescuers, he then asked the community to be careful.

'We urge all people to take caution when swimming in open waters and be mindful of currents, winds and to be aware of the often quickly changing conditions which may lead to tragic events such as this.'

Police are seeking any witnesses to the incident and request that they contact the Devonport Police Station on 64784011 or the police assistance line on 131444.
Caleb Wadman, one of the two potential heroes who saved a rabbit from a wildfire, has been reunited with the injured rabbit

Caleb Wadman, one of the two potential overnight heroes who saved a rabbit from the wildfires in Southern California, has described his daring rescue.

Speaking with Inside Edition, he said: 'In the video that everybody sees, I was going crazy at the fact that [the rabbit] was screaming.'

Wadman, 21, said that the heat was 'immense' as he tried valiantly to rescue the animal, which he said was crying in pain.

In the episode airing on Monday, December 11, Wadman's mother, Sheri, said: 'I saw the video that morning, and I guess I just started to cry actually.'

She added: 'I thought that was very kind of him, but then I realized how close he actually was to the fire.'

On Friday, another man named Oscar Gonzales came forward claiming hed saved the rabbit, but Wadman showed the same red sweatshirt he was wearing in the rescue video to Inside Edition.

Wadman's claim has been backed up by a local veterinary office and a wildlife rehabilitation center

The rabbit suffered burns to its ears and feet and has a long road to recovery

Wadman's story is also backed up by a local veterinary office and a wildlife rehabilitation center.

He and the injured rabbit reunite on the show.

The creature, who is being treated at the California Wildlife Center, suffered burns to its ears and feet.

Doctor Duane Tom, who is treating the rabbit, told Inside Edition that Wadmans actions saved the animal, but the rabbit still has a long road to recovery.

Wadman told theHuffington Post that he was on the highway in La Conchita when he spotted the wild rabbit 'in significant distress.'

Speaking with Inside Edition, Wadman said: 'In the video that everybody sees, I was going crazy at the fact that [the rabbit] was screaming'

'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."'

He then drove to the rabbit to Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital, and it was later transferred to the California Wildlife Center.

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.

Oscar Gonzales, 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.

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.

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.

A red sweatshirt-clad man is pictured saving a rabbit from the wildfires ravaging Southern California

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.

Gonzales 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.

Gonzales said he then took it to the other side of the highway and set it free again before getting back in his car.
Queensland's new Education Minister Grace Grace has some shocking spelling.

The woman in charge of the state's primary and high school students set a bad example on Twitter when it came to spelling Torres Strait, which includes part of Queensland.

Ms Grace was tweeting about celebrating National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee Week with fellow Labor MP Peter Russo when her shocking spelling was revealed.

Queensland's new Education Minister Grace Grace had trouble spelling Torres Strait properly

Grace Grace is 59-year-old minister in charge of the state's primary and high school students

'With Peter Russo and Aunty Rose from Torris Straight leading song to celebrate CCC Naidoc 2015 morning tea,' she said of the event hosted by the state's Crime and Corruption Commission.

Ms Grace published the tweet in December 2015, the same month she was appointed to cabinet as Queensland's Multicultural Affairs Minister.

Only weeks after that social media faux pas, Ms Grace issued to her inner-Brisbane constituents a calendar for 2016 which was missing a date in August.

Grace Grace issued to her Brisbane constituents a calendar for 2016 missing a day in August

The fridge magnet forgot to include Tuesday, August 30.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk appointed Ms Grace Queensland's new Education Minister on Monday.

She said her new 18-member cabinet would have an 'equal representation of men and women', and was officially sworn in today by Governor Paul de Jersey.

Ms Grace, 59, is a former Queensland Council of Unions leader.
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Disruption at London's Waterloo station has continued into this morning with South Western Railway running shorter trains and warning of delays and cancellations after a track-side fire last night.

Services across all of South Western Railways' network were disrupted yesterday due to the fire, causing major disruption to journeys from the station.

Following the lineside fire yesterday train services running across the whole South Western Railway network may be cancelled, delayed or revised today and disruption is expected until 4pm.

Thousands of commuters were pictured gathered on the station concourse yesterday evening and nearly all trains in and out of the station were either cancelled or delayed.

The blaze led to a large build-up of trains in the area, with some passengers sitting on stationary trains for more than an hour.

Pictures from inside the station showed chaotic scenes with passengers crammed together during the rush-hour commute home.

Hundreds of commuters wait in the terminal at Waterloo Station, London, as trains and the tube network struggles to cope with melted snow and catching up from mass cancellations yesterday

Some snow is still expected in parts of the capital, with rainfall from Storm Anna passing across Belgium and France also affecting areas of the south east today

Yesterday's fire affected the track circuits on three of the lines, causing three platforms to be taken out of use.

To make matters worse, a train developed a fault on the Guildford-Ascot line in the Aldershot area - blocking the line for a while - leading to further disruption to SWR services.

Trains between London Waterloo and Dorking, Waterloo and Hampton Court, and Waterloo and Chessington South were among those cancelled.

South Western Rail issued a statement, saying: 'Due to a lineside fire at London Waterloo some lines are blocked.'

The second day of disruption came amid a morning of travel mayhem across the capital with four major TfL transport routes hit with severe delays.

A signal failure at High Street Kensington sparked severe delays on the Circle line between Gloucester Road and Edgware Road and on the District line between Edgware Road and Wimbledon.

A signal failure at Moor Park led to severe delays on the Metropolitan line between Harrow-on-the-Hill, Amersham, Chesham and Watford.

And a track fault at Forest Gate saw TfL rail services severely disrupted.

Waterloo Station was less busy this morning but commuters were still warned to expect disruption until 10am

Waterloo station returned to normal this morning after a fire last night caused huge overcrowding at the station

National Rail is not reporting any major disruption to train journeys owing to the weather - but added services running to and from London Waterloo could be disrupted until 10am following a line-side fire on Monday

London commuters battled through their journey to work as trains and the tube network caught up after mass cancellations yesterday. Pictured is a Jubilee Line train running on icy tracks in Stanmore, north London

The capital experienced the highest levels of snow fall since March 2013, with snow and ice accumulations still spread across the city. Early morning commuters are pictured trudging down the platform in Stanmore, north London

Children are pictured walking to school in Stamore, north London. Several of the capital's schools have been forced to close

Yesterday saw the highest levels of snow in London for almost five years - since March 2013. Londoners took to social media to post pictures of parks, gardens and vehicles covered in white

After snowy and freezing conditions brought problems to road, rail and air on Monday the threat of delays and cancellations lingers on Tuesday following a bitterly cold night.

At Heathrow, where dozens of flights were shelved on Monday, 16 departures are listed as cancelled for Tuesday with the airport advising passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport. Cancellations are also reported at Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh airports.

Airlines had previously said the re-positioning of aircraft and crews from previous days was adding to the problems.

Britain had its coldest night of the year as vast swathes of the country fell below freezing - with -13C (8.6F) recorded in Shropshire.

Clear skies overnight saw temperatures plummet below the -12.4C (9.6F) on Saturday night - with the Met Office recording a new low in Shawbury, north east of Shrewsbury.

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place until 11am on Tuesday, covering vast swathes of the country, including London and the South East, much of the Midlands, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as the eastern coast of England and parts of Scotland.

Snow has largely cleared in central London, but commuters and sightseers are battling high winds, rain and sleet

Scores of schools are set to be closed for a second day as the cold weather continues to cause disruption.

All council-run schools in Birmingham were shut on Monday following the hazardous conditions, but the blanket closure is not in force for Tuesday.

Nearly 80 schools are listed as closed in Staffordshire, with many citing untreated paths and fears that snow will have compacted into ice as reasons for keeping the gates closed.

Gloucestershire, which saw around 200 schools closed on Monday, will have 80 schools closed on Tuesday, while more than 90 will be closed in neighbouring Herefordshire.

Pupils at 123 primary schools and 25 secondary schools in Shropshire will have a second day off owing to the weather, while in Wales hundreds of schools will be shut on Tuesday, with Caerphilly and Powys particularly affected.

The TUC has called on employers not to force staff to make hazardous journeys into work, saying firms in areas of the country affected by the snowy conditions should have put out advice to their staff on what they should do when snow, ice and a lack of public transport prevents them getting in.

Policies should also cover what parents should do if schools close and they have no alternative childcare, said general secretary Frances O'Grady, adding: 'It is essential that employers don't force staff to make dangerous journeys for the sake of presenteeism.

'For many employees the bad weather will have made their commute virtually impossible, but thankfully many bosses now have 'bad weather' policies so staff know what is expected of them.'

Schools across the capital have also been forced to shut their doors with public transport strained under the pressure from several inches of snow yesterday. Pictured are

Transport for London said there was a good service on the network, but warned some services may be affected later on

Cyclists and pedestrians are being warned of the possibility of injuries from melted ice and snow in London today

Heavy snow and ice was on the ground as people woke up in areas of north London (pictured) this morning

Heathrow Airport was in chaos yesterday with stacks of flights cancelled or severely delayed. Pictured are passengers waiting in Terminal 5

Snow was still falling in north London this morning as commuters trudged through a blanket of white to get to their trains

Settled snow is pictured melting, triggering a yellow Met Office warning, with dangers reported for pedestrians and motorists

Begrudged Londoners took to social media to express their discontent at the bad weather. Heather Cracknell described conditions as 'miserable'

Daniel from London said snow 'just makes everything s*** and you end up slipping everywhere'

Hatty Collier complained that her usual 35-minute commute into London took her an hour and 20 minutes because 'the UK is completely incapable of coping with a bit of snow'

Yen Ting said now the snow is starting to disappear 'London now is the coldest and gloomiest London I've experienced'
A cemetery in South Australia's rural Riverland district was vandalised by a group of young children last week.

The mother of two of the vandals, aged 10 and 11, has since handed her sons in to the council in order to make them pay for their actions.

Headstones and grave sites at Berri Cemetery were smashed and torn apart by the two brothers and a third boy, aged nine, on December 6.

The mother of two boys who vandalised a cemetery in South Australia's rural Riverland district has handed her kids in to the council

Headstones and grave sites at Berri Cemetery were smashed and torn apart by the two brothers and a third boy, aged nine, on December 6

Dave Otto De Grancy, from Berri Barmera Council, said he was furious when he saw the extent of the damage to more than 40 graves.

Mr Otto De Grancy later received a call from the boys mother, who he said was devastated by her sons actions and wanted them to 'pay their dues'.

'I explained to the boys the meaning of a headstone and that each headstone tells its own story, I explained to them that a grave is a very sacred site for each person,' Mr Otto De Grancy told the Adelaide Advertiser.

The council worker said the children were remorseful for their actions and became emotional when they realised the damage they caused.

'After a while, the lads really broke down and I drummed into them how much they'd hurt their mum and nanna,' he said.

'They gave them a kiss and cuddle and apologised.'

The boys vandalised over 40 graves, smashing headstones and tearing plaques (pictured is a grave site before being vandalised)

The boys stole the plaque from this grave site and smashed several other headstones

Mr Otto De Grancy said he took the boys through the cemetery and had them apologise to the graves they damaged.

After walking through the cemetery, one of the boys is believed to have said 'I just wish I could take all this back and say sorry to all the people'.

The pair were suspended from their primary school and will spend the week weeding the cemetery.

Mr Otto De Grancy intends to meet with the third boy who vandalised the cemetery to confront him about the damage.

A Go Fund Me page has been set up by a community member who had her partner's grave site vandalised by the boys.

The fundraiser hopes to raise $10,000 to pay for the damage to headstones and the cemetery.
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Embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore had both his wife and an old Vietnam buddy testify about his character at an Alabama rally Monday night, but they may have dug a bigger hole with audiences outside the room.

First came Moore's military buddy Bill Staehle, who defended the Republican Senate hopeful against pedophilia accusations by describing a time the two men accidentally entered a teen brothel while serving in Vietnam.

'I could tell you what I saw, but I don't want to,' Staehle first told the crowd, gathered in a large rustic barn used for weddings, before divulging some details. 'There were certainly pretty girls. And they were girls. They were young. Some were probably very young.'

But as a testament to Moore  who has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and assault while they were teens  the candidate said, 'We shouldn't be here, I'm leaving,' according to Staehle's account. 'That was Roy, honorable, disciplined, morally straight, highly principled,' Staehle said.

Next to speak was Moore's wife Kayla, who tsk-tsked the 'fake news,' suggesting it was the media's fault that people think her husband 'doesn't support the black community' nor do they like Jews.

'I tell you all this because I see you all and I want to set the record straight while they're here,' she said motioning to the slew of journalists at the back of the room during the election eve event.

'One of our attorneys is a Jew,' Kayla Moore said.

Kayla Moore (left), the wife of embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore (right), said Monday night that the couple's 'lawyer is a Jew,' as evidence that her husband isn't anti-Semitic

Roy Moore's Vietnam veteran friend Bill Staehle said Monday night that Moore was 'morally straight' because he wanted to leave when they accidentally stepped into an underage brothel

Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore (left) gives a squeeze to his wife Kayla (right) at a final campaign rally in Midland City, Alabama on Monday night

BIll Staehle (right) pictured with his wife Lis (left) in 2014 said Monday night that he and Roy Moore accidentally went into a Vietnamese brothel when they were stationed there - and promptly turned around

Roy Moore's supporters filled up the large rustic barn, used for weddings and other events, at an election eve event that also featured Steve Bannon and Rep Louie Gohmert

Judge Roy Moore is seen speaking at Midland City's Jordan's Activity Barn, the last stop he made as a candidate before voters head to the polls on Tuesday

'We have very close friends that are Jewish, and rabbis, and we also fellowship with them,' she said, after saying she and her husband had fellowship with members of the black community as well.

Moore was cast as anti-Semitic after he suggested that Democratic donor George Soros, who is Jewish, is going to hell.

'He's still going to the same place that people who don't recognize God and morality and accept his salvation are going,' Moore said 'And that's not a good place.'

Kayla Moore continued her attack on the press, by suggesting reporters were in the tank for her husband's Democratic opponent Doug Jones.

'Mitch McConnell and Senate Shelby and Condi Rice and all that, Little Bobby Corker, all the establishment out there doesn't have Trump's back at all,' Bannon said Monday night

Moore called out The Washington Post specifically for producing a 'terrible, disgusting article'  which was the first story where the candidate's accusers went on the record. Pictured is a Moore supporter with a sign declaring the candidate's godliness

But as a testament to Moore  who has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and assault while they were teens  the candidate said, 'We shouldn't be here, I'm leaving,' according to Staehle's account

'They should be ashamed for getting involved in this election for our opponent,' she said.

The audience responded to both appearances with laughs and cheers, as the constituency on hand at the event represented true Moore believers, who chanted that they were ready to see their guy 'drain the swamp'.

To illustrate this boldly, organizers had created a pretend swamp  filled with fake alligators and other creatures that greeted guests as they arrived. The event was so packed that some Moore supporters were forced to watch the event from the faux marshlands outside.

When Judge Moore finally took his turn, he slammed the media as well, though he did so to address the largest elephant in the room.

Moore called out The Washington Post specifically for producing a 'terrible, disgusting article'  which was the first story where the candidate's accusers went on the record.

Alabama Senate hopeful Roy Moore, in an election eve appearance, called an article run by The Washington Post accusing him of preying on teenagers 'terrible' and 'disgusting'

Roy Moore also spoke about his campaign trail absence saying he spent two and a half days taking his wife to visit their son at West Point, to get her away from 'this mess'

Former White House Chief Strategist served as a warm-up act for Judge Roy Moore, the embattled Alabama Senate hopeful at a rally in Midland City, Alabama Monday night

Supporters put together a 'swamp' display with toy alligators, snakes and other creatures before the arrival of Republican Senatorial candidate Roy Moore for a 'Drain the Swamp' campaign rally in Midland City on Monday

Speaking about Post's revelations that portrayed Moore as someone who serially dated teenagers as young as 14, the ex-judge suggested that accusers timing was off.

'These women,' Moore said, 'had not come forward for 34 years, but they waited 30 days before this general election to come forward'.

Rep Louie Gohmert, who was an opener for the rally alongside former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and Sheriff David Clarke, made a very similar point.

Moore tried to cast more doubt on the story by pointing to the admission from Tim Miller, a former Jeb Bush staffer, that he was one of the Post's sources.

Miller had texted with conservative writers Charles Johnson who then fed the messages to the website Big League Politics.

In politics it's not uncommon for political operatives to be journalists' tipsters, but Moore suggested it again proved that the media and the establishment were up to no good.

Earlier in the event, Bannon had savaged the establishment, belittling a number of Republicans including Mitt Romney and Sen Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who has proved himself a thorn in President Trump's side.

At Romney's mention, one vocal Moore fan simply shouted: 'Loser!'

'Mitch McConnell and Senate Shelby and Condi Rice and all that, Little Bobby Corker, all the establishment out there doesn't have Trump's back at all,' Bannon said.

'There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better,' the former White House official added, oddly echoing first daughter Ivanka Trump's pronouncement against Moore that, 'There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better.'

Ivanka Trump was the White House official who condemned Moore the strongest when the allegations came out.

Protesters stand outside and scream, 'No Moore' after US Senate candidate Roy Moore spoke at a campaign rally yesterday

Roy Moore spoke with 12-year-old Millie March about border security during an interview ahead of the senate election in Alabama

A manwears a campaign sticker for Republican Senatorial candidate Roy Moore during a campaign event at Jordan's Activity Barn on Monday

President Trump, however, eventually endorsed the hopeful, likely in part because of the consistent support Moore has received from Bannon, who campaigned for the twice removed state Supreme Court judge in the GOP primary as well.

Trump, on the other hand, had aligned himself with McConnell and backed Sen Luther Strange, who Alabama's governor selected to fill Attorney General Jeff Sessions' Senate seat when he took the Department of Justice job.

Since the allegations from the women have been made, Moore has limited his campaign stops, something he lampooned the press for as well, suggesting articles that asked, 'Where is Roy Moore?' were ridiculous.

Moore hadn't held a public event since last Tuesday.

'Because I took approximately two and a half days to take my wife out of this mess and let her relax with her son at West Point,' Moore explained as the reason for his absence.

Moore pointed out that he had flown back Sunday and did radio interviews.

Meanwhile Jones spent the weekend all over the state getting an assist from prominent Democrats New Jersey Sen Cory Booker and former Massachusetts Gov Deval Patrick.

Near the end of the night, Moore acknowledged that he didn't always mind when the media wasn't right.

'For example, Fox News came out today and said my opponent was 10 points ahead of me,' he noted. 'On the same day Emerson had me nine points ahead of him.'

He pointed out that tonight one of the men would have to win.
Used needles and syringes dumped in the Sydney's streets by drug users are filling up on a harbour beach popular with young families.

The problem has become so bad at Whiting Beach, Mosman, that workers from nearby Taronga Zoo are forced to remove dozens of potentially infected syringes every day.

Syringes aren't all that's washing up on the picturesque beach that has views of the city skyline - with multiple bags of rubbish also removed every day from the beach.

A sign placed at the top of the sand by Taronga Zoo warns beachgoers not to risk walking barefoot on the sand. The sign also warns of the dangers of picking up or touching the syringes.

Used needles and syringes are washing up on a beach in an affluent Sydney area on Whiting Beach (pictured)

The dangerous waste is placed in a yellow container which is then safely disposed of (pictured at Whiting Beach)

A sign placed at the top of the sand at Whiting Beach (pictured) by Taronga Zoo warns beachgoers not to risk walking barefoot on the sand

The problem of needles washing up on the shore of the beach started to become a problem in the early 2000s.

Clean Up Australia managing director Terrie-Ann Johnson told Daily Mail Australia the waste is likely to wash into stormwater from roads and other areas that move into stormwater systems.

Ms Johnson said notorious drug hot spot Kings Cross could be the source of many of the syringes.

'You could also have some backwash from overflowing sewage outlets  and of course we do have sewage discharges that affect the northern beaches.'

'All you would need is a south-south-east breeze, or a wind predominantly out of the south to wash rubbish across the harbour,' she said.

'Rubbish is very much tide and wind-borne.'

Is this Australia's most dangerous beach? The idyllic Sydney Harbour bay next to Taronga Zoo that's littered with used syringes (pictured: Whiting Beach)

A Roads and Maritime spokesperson also said the waste gets into the sea from waterways.

'Syringes can enter the water from storm water drains that lead directly into the harbour,' they said.

RMS have a specialised cleaning team to manage litter and navigation hazards from beaches and waters of Sydney Harbour.

If any risky litter is spotted, Ms Johnson said, it is important to put safety first and prevent children from picking up syringes.

'If they do so try to take them away from them as soon as possible and then get them to wash their hands.

'If you can be prepared only pick up if wearing gloves and deposit into a sharps container (which you can then take to your local doctor or pharmacy).

'If your sighting is more random only pick up by the barrel  avoiding contact with the needle.'

Beachgoers are warned of the risks of stepping on potentially harmful needles (pictured: Whiting Beach)

She said to dispose of the material in a sealed container and if the only option is to put the syringe into a regular bin, make sure it is buried needle down in other rubbish.

'The key is to try to keep anybody rummaging through or handling the rubbish safe as well.'

The waterline is a haven for rubbish carried in from the ocean with four rubbish bags full of litter sitting on the beach on Monday evening.

The problem has become so bad at Whiting Beach (pictured) a Taronga Zoo worker clear the beach daily

Despite erecting the signs, Taronga Zoo refused to comment on how long they have been cleaning up the beach or where the needles were coming from.

On the Taronga Zoo website, clean up initiatives are undertaken to protect marine life and prevent pollution.

Clean Up Australia said in 2016 litter in waterways made up 17 per cent of rubbish reported by volunteers.

Another 12 per cent was removed from beaches and coastal areas.

'The most common type of material found in waterways is plastics (47.4 per cent), followed by cans and other metals (13.6 per cent and glass bottles 13.1 per cent).

Coastal areas have similar outcomes  plastics make up 33.9 per cent of reported rubbish, cans and other metals come is at 15.2 per cent and glass at 13.5 per cent.

Mosman Council has been approached for comment.
The maximum sentence for animal cruelty will be increased to five years in jail and animal sentience will be enshrined in law.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the tough new legislation will help protect animals.

On a visit to Battersea Dog and Cats Home yesterday, he also said Brexit would help Britain improve animal welfare standards and combat problems like puppy smuggling.

The Government has published a draft bill which will increase the highest penalty for cruelty to animals from six months to five years in England and Wales.

The maximum sentence for animal cruelty will be increased to five years in jail and animal sentience will be enshrined in law, Michael Gove has said

By contrast, the maximum sentence is two years in France, three years in Germany and five years in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The draft also says Ministers must have regard to the welfare needs of animals as sentient beings in formulating and implementing Government policy.

The announcement follows controversy over an inaccurate report that Tory MPs had voted that animals did not feel pain. The report spread rapidly online, prompting a furious reaction from Conservatives.

Last month, MPs voted against an amendment to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which would have transferred an EU protocol recognising animals as sentient beings into domestic law.

Mr Gove denied it was a vote against the idea that animals feel pain and argued that the amendment risked creating legal confusion.

He said: As we leave the EU we will deliver a Green Brexit, not only maintaining but enhancing animal welfare standards.

Animals are sentient beings who feel pain and suffering, so we are writing that principle into law and ensuring that we protect their welfare.

Our plans will also increase sentences for those who commit the most heinous acts of animal cruelty to five years in jail.

On a visit to Battersea Dog and Cats Home yesterday, he also said Brexit would help Britain improve animal welfare standards and combat problems like puppy smuggling (file photo)

We are a nation of animal lovers so we will make Brexit work not just for citizens but for the animals we love and cherish too.

The Brexit Secretary added: One of the reasons why people voted to leave the European Union is to make sure that when it comes to, for example things like puppy smuggling, that we can have the rules here which ensure that there is appropriate welfare and appropriate protection for animals and for humans.

He said the plans are part of Government efforts to ensure that Brexit works not just for citizens but for the animals we love and cherish too.

Claire Horton, chief executive of Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, said the rescue centre was delighted by the announcement.

She said: It will make a massive difference for animals and hopefully really start to act as a deterrent and put England back where it should be at the top of the league tables for animal welfare.
Bumblebees can give travelling salesmen a run for their money by learning the quickest route between flowers.

A study has found bees, despite their lack of maps, are able to work out the fastest and straightest path to reach nectar and pollen.

While at first they fall for tempting shortcuts between food sources, they soon cut their total flight time.

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London recorded the flight of bees to test out if they could solve the mathematical conundrum known as the Travelling Salesman Problem.

Bumblebees can give travelling salesmen a run for their money by learning the quickest route between flowers (file photo)

Professor Lars Chittka, coordinator of the study, said: Imagine a salesman from London who needs to call at Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness before returning home.

From Manchester it is tempting to make the short trip across to Leeds, and from Glasgow it is tempting to visit Edinburgh, but a salesman who does that will soon find themselves stranded in Inverness with a very long drive home.

The better solution is to travel up one side of the UK and return down the other.

The result is one of the largest and most complete datasets on bee flight ever recorded, which shows bees, like salesman, reduce their flight distance as they gain experience.

Even after 50 or 60 foraging bouts, they appeared still to be finessing their route.

Researchers replicated the flowers bees visit to forage using feeding stations at the Rothamsted Research institute in Hertfordshire, and tracked the insects using radar.

They found the bees sped up their foraging and flew a shorter distance as time went on. This was attributed mainly to experienced bees flying straighter and exploring less, but they were also able to slightly change the order in which they visited feeders.

Lead researcher Dr Joe Woodgate, from Queen Mary University of London, said: Animals cannot inspect a map to find out where the best food sources are, or plan how to get to them - instead, they must explore the landscape, discovering locations one by one, and then they face the challenge of integrating their spatial memories into an efficient route.

A study has found bees, despite their lack of maps, are able to work out the fastest and straightest path to reach nectar and pollen (file photo)

The team studied six bumblebees making 201 flights using a special type of radar capable of identifying signature reflections from tiny transponders attached to the insects. This calculated the position of a bee every three seconds, to an accuracy of two metres (6.5 feet), for the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Co-author James Makinson said: Understanding how small-brained animals like bees find efficient rules-of-thumb to accomplish complex and flexible behaviours has great potential to inform the development of artificial intelligence and advanced robots.

Its also important to understand how bees and other pollinating insects search for food and use the landscape is crucial to managing the risks to pollinator services posed by habitat loss and agricultural intensification.

Co-author Dr Jason Lim, an electronics and radar engineer at Rothamsted Research, said: The need to understand the movement of both migratory insect pests and pollinators is more important than ever if the current agricultural food production is going to feed a human population of 10 billion by 2050.
Australia's most secretive foreign spy agency is hiring, and everyone is encouraged to apply.

The Australian Secret Intelligence Service launched a fresh recruitment drive on Tuesday to find new agents.

ASIS created an interactive online interview for whoever was interested in becoming one of its next generation of agents.

Scroll down for video

ASIS created an interactive online interview (pictured) for whoever was interested in becoming one of its next generation of agents

The interview asks participants to navigate their way through different rooms, while picking up on subtle cues.

Interviewees are then asked to answer questions based on what they heard and saw.

Applicants need to show they can pay attention to detail, are smart, perceptive, and empathetic to people around them.

From the comfort of home, applicants can prove they have what it takes to become an agent for Australia's Secret Intelligence Service.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced the opportunity on Tuesday, saying the agency decided to take a new approach to hiring.

Applicants need to show they can pay attention to detail, are smart, perceptive, and empathetic to people around them (part of the interview

'For obvious reasons, most Australians are not aware of ASIS and its activities this makes it difficult to recruit the right people to work in the fields of intelligence and espionage,' she said.

'Applicants are invited to take what will be the most interesting job interview they are likely to face, which will identify those smart, perceptive, empathetic individuals with the 'human intelligence' to work for ASIS.'

Ms Bishop said agents were involved in gathering intelligence for issues like counter terrorism, people smuggling, and following people who might be threat to Australia.

'We're looking for intelligent people from a diverse range of backgrounds,' she said.

'And absolutely committed to pursuing Australia's national interest.'

The interview asks participants to navigate their way through different rooms, while picking up on subtle cues (beginning of the interview starts inside an elevator)

ASIS is Australia's version of the American Central Intelligence Agency and Britain's M16, where fictional spy James Bond worked (stock)

Ms Bishop said applicants needed to show an ability to build relationships and also needed to be willing to move overseas.

'They must also be discreet and capable of collecting foreign intelligence from human sources,' she said.

ASIS is Australia's version of the American Central Intelligence Agency and Britain's M16, where fictional spy James Bond worked.

ASIS warned applicants the hiring process could prove long and arduous.

The agency said the recruitment process took up to a year, during which time applicants also needed to keep their intent to join a secret.

To apply for the job click here.
Think blizzards, hurricanes, floods, avalanches: nuclear winter has descended.

Schools have closed in their thousands. Homes without power, roads closed, airports crippled, trains cancelled.

A Martian who descended upon Britain this week would gaze in awe upon a society half-paralysed, locked down by the elements.

Except that it is all nonsense. Only the uplands have faced genuinely severe snowfalls.

Schools have closed in their thousands. Homes without power, roads closed, airports crippled, trains cancelled

Most of the country has received six inches of snow, or less. Water is not frozen nearly hard enough to make it safe to skate on ponds.

Victorians, who knew heavy weather when they saw it, such as caused icicles to form on horses nostrils and bedroom basins to freeze over, would scarcely admit there is a chill in the air.

Yet so pathetically debilitated have some British people become, so bereft of anything resembling Blitz spirit, that the response of many transport companies and public services to the weather which arrived at the weekend was to collapse in a heap.

Many of their workers downed tools; refused to get cars out of the garage; warned children to stay indoors, lest they got their poor little tootsies cold.

Some 50,000 BA passengers were stranded following flight cancellations. Thousands of people were obliged to camp overnight at airports. Rail services have suffered delays and cancellations.

Some 50,000 BA passengers were stranded following flight cancellations. Thousands of people were obliged to camp overnight at airports. Rail services have suffered delays and cancellations

The most shocking news, however, concerns our schools. More than 2,000 closed their doors.

Head teachers, who have discretion about whether to soldier on or throw in the frozen sponge, justified the latter choice by citing inadequate classroom heating, a risk to children  such as icy playgrounds  and above all a lack of teachers, who claimed that they could not get to work.

Some of us are cynical enough to bet our socks that 90 per cent of the pedagogues who pleaded their inability to reach schools would have made the trip quickly enough if there had been a rave party or a Christmas dinner waiting.

They were simply unwilling to get their feet mushy, the nice clean car filthy, to spend a few hours addressing snotty-nosed kids who do not listen anyway.

Moreover, among head teachers the plague virus of Health & Safety rears its head once more.

If little Justine or Marvin trips on an icy path, catches a cold in social science or chilblains in the sex education lab, some parents and an ambulance-chasing lawyer will jump on the school like Boris Johnson on a photo-opportunity.

What sort of example do the shuttered classrooms, the absent teachers, set for a childs life?

Once upon a time, an inspirational schoolmaster or mistress would urge a pupil to strive and not to heed the cost.

They would declare that success comes from refusing to bow to difficulties; that courage and fortitude are the foremost virtues, after charity.

Now, instead, the very school that a child attends is likely to buckle beneath a few inches of snow, and the inspirational teacher has been succeeded by one whose highest ambition is to take a sickie.

Rather than tell pupils to keep coats on in class because its a mite chilly, they tell them to stick in front of the telly at home, or go tobogganing. Who can be surprised that we are becoming a limp-wristed nation, a society of whingers and suers?

Commuters and tourists make their way through snow and sleet on Westminster Bridge in London today

In the post-mortems about our weather troubles, there will be some MPs  not all Corbynistas  who wail that it is the Governments fault thanks to those wicked spending cuts.

We shall be told that local authorities should be given more money for snow ploughs, gritting and school heating.

Yet no grown-up should point a finger at Theresa May, Philip Hammond, or even at their local council for the embarrassments of this week.

If we insist upon complaining to anyone, it should be God, or Allah, or whoever else arranged the unusually heavy precipitation. This is just part of what we call real life, and if we do not like it we should clamber back into the womb.

We do not, thank goodness, suffer from tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis  and not often from heavy snow.

I once spent a winter in the US mid-Western state of Minnesota, where several feet of snow makes the earth invisible for months on end, and ice-yachting and snowmobiling are the hottest sports.

AA vans wait for callouts at a depot near Leicester, East Midlands, UK. The right response to the weekend whiteness, and for that matter to todays deep freeze, is for each and every one of us to show a bit of gumption

There, naturally, authorities spend huge sums on keeping Minnesota moving between November and March.

In Britain, by contrast, in an average year  and governments should be expected to plan for average conditions, not freak ones  extreme weather causes extreme difficulties only on a handful of days of year, except in the remotenesses of Scotland, Wales and parts of Northern England.

Thus poor threadbare Mr Hammond in 11 Downing Street should not be expected to provide millions for more snow-ploughs, nor Mrs May to take the blame for school closures.

The right response to the weekend whiteness, and for that matter to todays deep freeze, is for each and every one of us to show a bit of gumption  to use nannys excellent old word  and get on with our lives with as little fuss and as much laughter as possible. Above all, without looking for people to blame.

We have good reason to be furious with transport bosses, airport owners and school heads, because they proved unable to motivate their staff to rise to a not-very-demanding challenge.

The failures reflect an attitude that caused P.G Wodehouse to dub one of his characters a spineless invertebrate.

In many rail companies, airlines, teachers common rooms, too many people lack the can-do spirit which makes our armed forces justly famous, and are instead imbued with cant do.

The most shocking news, however, concerns our schools. More than 2,000 closed their doors. Pictured: Manor Park Academy in Birmingham was closed yesterday

Heathrow, especially, covered itself with shame on Monday, while its spokesman gabbled rubbish about our first priorities are the safety and comfort of passengers.

B A, whose customer service is nowadays on a par with that of British Railways in the late steam era, produced a pitiful performance.

Cities which cancelled the collection of rubbish bins, on the grounds that it was too dangerous for people to put them out, made themselves look ridiculous.

Tens of millions of people, who got on with life and work as usual, felt both ashamed and angry about the no-shows and shutdowns.

Like the man who tweeted that in nine years as a child in Sweden, he remembered only one school closure because of snow.

Because I am a historian of wars, I am often asked how the modern British would respond if confronted today by perils such as those posed by the Nazis in 1940.

On the evidence of the past few days, a dismaying number of supposed adults would run sobbing for their mummies.
Authorities say a Florida couple left a boy alone in a trailer for about two months.

The Pensacola News Journal reports that 34-year-old Jennifer Nichols and 32-year-old Joshua Sanders were arrested November 30.

Both have been charged with one count of neglecting a child causing great bodily harm.

Officials didn't say how old the boy was or how he was related to Nichols or Sanders.

Police say 34-year-old Jennifer Nichols (L) and 32-year-old Joshua Sanders were arrested Nov. 30

A woman told Escambia County deputies she began renting the trailer in the 4800 block of Sierra Drive to the couple at the beginning of September.

She eventually realized that the child was living there alone, though the couple would occasionally bring him food and money.

The woman told investigators when she contacted the couple, Sanders told her it was not her problem as long as he paid the rent.

The juvenile told authorities that he hadn't attended school for months.

The Florida Department of Children and Families told the New Journal that they were involved in several cases concerning the boy.

The adolescent, however, said he didn't know who the caseworkers were.

Nichols and Sanders remained jailed Monday in lieu of of a $250,000 and $150,000 bond, respectively. Jail records didn't list an attorney.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (left) are reported to have tried to push it back to 2023 despite the streaming giant paying them a rumoured $100million (88million) for the fly-on-the-wall series (right filming in Holland). There have been mixed reports in the US, with Deadline insisting the show will be delayed until the new year citing bosses being 'rattled' and 'blinking first' because of the backlash over Season 5 of The Crown. But Page Six reports today that there will be no postponement and 'the show will go on' in December, citing a source close to the project. The insider said: 'As far as I am aware, the docuseries is still going ahead later this year.' The show has made waves on both sides of the Atlantic and it is expected to cause fresh turmoil for the Royal Family. Harry also has his memoirs, named 'Spare', which is on the way. Royal experts claim these two bombshell projects have prevented any reconciliation with King Charles or Prince William. But after the Queen's death the Sussexes were said to have wanted to 'downplay much of what they have said about Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales' in their documentary series, according to a previous report. Meghan Markle even appeared to distance herself and Prince Harry from their upcoming and controversial Netflix documentary around a month after Her Majesty's passing. The Duchess of Sussex suggested that its direction is now in the hands of left-leaning filmmaker Liz Garbus 'even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it'.
Relatives of Grenfell Tower victims yesterday accused far-Left rabble rousers of exploiting the disaster for political gain

Relatives of Grenfell Tower victims yesterday accused far-Left rabble rousers of exploiting the disaster for political gain.

They believe the self-appointed activists have no connection with those who are still grieving the loss of 71 lives in one of Britains worst fires.

Survivors have also distanced themselves from a militant group that claims the death toll was far higher. They say the disaster has become a magnet for fringe political groups with axes to grind.

A small group of demonstrators used the resumption of the Grenfell Inquiry to protest about a variety of different causes yesterday.

Several members of the Revolutionary Communist Group used it to campaign against the privatisation of social housing.

And a prominent group called Justice4Grenfell yesterday reiterated its belief that up to 200 people died in the fire  despite official figures to the contrary. The group, which claims to represent the interests of survivors and the bereaved, has been accused of treating the tower like a piece of meat.

Ahmed Chellat, 60, told the Mail: Ive lost members of my family, I lost my brother in law, his wife and their three children.

I started out being a community worker, I started out as someone who wanted justice. I wanted to find out why it happened and to prevent it from happening again.

But then I discovered that groups were going their different ways and now Im fighting on my own for justice. Its ridiculous, nobody is listening and theres nothing we can do.

The retired translator added: Im watching from afar, Im not part of any group because they dont have the ability to change. Even if they are part of the community they have no connection with whats going on.

Sid-Ali Atmani, who escaped from the 15th floor, told the Times he did not want to be associated with Justice4Grenfell. Thats nothing to do with us, he said. I dont want somebody to fight for me. A lot of people are trying to make it political. Its wrong. Please dont use our name. We are dignified people.

Edward Daffarn, 55, who lived on the 16th floor and wrote a blog predicting a catastrophic blaze, said: This tragedy is being used as a focus for people discontented with lots of things and is also being used as a vehicle for other people who are discontented to pounce on. All this is an absolute disservice to everybody who perished in that fire and everybody who had to run away to avoid being burnt to death.

A spokesman for Justice4Grenfell said the group had been refused permission to be a core participant at the judge-led inquiry.

That status would have allowed it to see paperwork, make statements, question witnesses and apply for money for legal advice.

The group had angered locals by registering Justice4Grenfell on Companies House and on the internet five days after the fire. It has described inquiry judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, 71, as a social cleansing judge and out of touch. It has claimed the number of deaths was considered by many in the local community to be closer to 200.

Three months ago a spokesman said: There is an increasing sense that a serious, concerted cover-up is going on.

Survivors have also distanced themselves from a militant group that claims the death toll was far higher. They say the disaster has become a magnet for fringe political groups with axes to grind

Last month police debunked conspiracy theories by announcing the official Grenfell death toll was 71. Commander Stuart Cundy said: Why on earth would we want to be covering any of this up?

The inferno, which started during the early hours of June 14 and spread up the 24-storey tower block in west London within minutes, was followed by angry protests and allegations of a cover-up.

Survivors have sidelined some of the hard-Left protesters by creating a WhatsApp messaging group called Grenfell United.

Kensington and Chelsea council has given the group the use of one floor at a friends and family centre.

Grenfell families yesterday told the official inquiry they wanted it to focus on the decision by emergency workers to tell them to stay put and await rescue.

A preliminary report has been delayed until autumn 2018 but lawyers for the bereaved and those left homeless yesterday urged Sir Martin to press ahead with hearing evidence as soon as possible.

Survivors say many of those killed could have escaped had they ignored the controversial advice to stay in their flats inside the burning block.

They have also threatened to boycott the public inquiry amid anger that Sir Martin has rejected calls to appoint advisers from the local community, or to widen the scope of his probe.

The faces of those accused of fuelling anger on the streets

Moyra Samuels, a teacher who lives near Grenfell Tower, yesterday said she believed more people died than the official police figure of 71

1: The Socialist Worker

One of the most vocal members of the Justice4Grenfell group is a long-serving activist with affiliation to the far-left Socialist Worker Party.

Moyra Samuels, a teacher who lives near Grenfell Tower, yesterday said she believed more people died than the official police figure of 71.

The 61-year-old activist told Sky News: It is not just me but there are others from a range of backgrounds including priests in the area who actually believe the numbers are higher, but its very difficult for us to actually challenge that.

We struggled to actually get from the council who they had on their list officially living there. We also know that it was Ramadan at the time so people were visiting. We believe that actually there may well not be remains of a lot of people and I think thats what the community believe on the ground.

Ishmahil Blagrove became the darling of the anti-media radicals when a video of him ranting at a reporter in the shadow of the gutted building went viral on Facebook. In the clip, he says f*** the media and calls for a revolution

2: The Rabble Rouser

A veteran rabble rouser was at the centre of the dissent stirred up after the Grenfell fire.

Ishmahil Blagrove became the darling of the anti-media radicals when a video of him ranting at a reporter in the shadow of the gutted building went viral on Facebook. In the clip, he says f*** the media and calls for a revolution.

Mr Blagrove, 49, said sometimes all it takes is a spark as he highlighted the 2011 riots that swept Britain.

Im already hearing messages of people mobilising, of police intercepting messages on Facebook, he said. We saw what could happen in this country in 2011, over the shooting of Mark Duggan. There are real issues in the underbelly of society that frustrate people.

He launched Justice4Grenfell with a speech warning: You know me and when Im ready to start a fire Ill start a fire.

He added that if we burn down anywhere it might be Chelsea.

3: The Antisemite

An activist who runs a volunteer network for survivors claims Grenfell victims were burnt alive in a Jewish sacrifice.

Tahra Ahmed said the inferno was a holocaust at a town hall protest two days after the disaster. The 47-year-old has gained prominence as a Grenfell volunteer by running workshops for those affected by the tragedy

Tahra Ahmed said the inferno was a holocaust at a town hall protest two days after the disaster. The 47-year-old has gained prominence as a Grenfell volunteer by running workshops for those affected by the tragedy.

But she has repeatedly made antisemitic outbursts and has claimed that the 9/11 terror attack was faked by Jews. Miss Ahmed, who lives in London, has previously described Hitlers massacre of Jews as the holohoax.

And in a previous comments, the activist has said: Grenfell is owned by a private Jewish property developer just like the Twin Towers. I wonder how much Goldman [Sachs] is standing to make in the worlds most expensive real estate location, [Kensington].

Goldman Sachs has had no involvement in the disaster apart from donating 100 boxes of childrens clothing and books, helping former residents get access to technology and matching employees appeal donations.

Mark Gardner, of the Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism, told The Times: To describe the appalling Grenfell Tower disaster as a Jewish sacrifice is to reach a new depth of grotesque antisemitic racism.

Controversial trade unionist Cathy Cross has been a vocal and often disruptive presence at Grenfell Tower meetings

4: The Trade Unionist

Controversial trade unionist Cathy Cross has been a vocal and often disruptive presence at Grenfell Tower meetings.

Despite living outside the borough, she heckled the new leader of Kensington & Chelsea council at the latest meeting. As Elizabeth Campbell was making an opening address, Miss Cross, 54, shouted: You have blood on your hands.

Miss Cross is the national campaigns officer for the Public and Commercial Services Union.

She was invited by shadow chancellor John McDonnell to speak at a fringe event on tax justice at this years Labour conference.

She has previously referred to herself as a rabble rouser and posted about having a Trot tendency on social media.

5: The Diversity Expert

A former diversity manager at the BBC has accused the authorities of covering up the true number of Grenfell victims.

Sue Caro, 60, who was a member of Justice4Grenfell until recently, believes up to 200 people died in the inferno

Sue Caro, 60, who was a member of Justice4Grenfell until recently, believes up to 200 people died in the inferno.

She continues to hold this view  despite Scotland Yard stating last month that the official death toll was 71.

Miss Caro, who was born in Macclesfield and now lives in Harlesden in north-west London, told The Times yesterday: People on the ground were told by the firefighters that they had recovered close to 200 bodies already.

I dont believe they are being honest about how many people have died and that that is for political reasons.

Asked who they were, Miss Caro said: The authorities.

6: The Disability Activist

Kerdesan Gallardo protested outside the Grenfell Inquiry yesterday morning with the Revolutionary Communist Group.

Kerdesan Gallardo protested outside the Grenfell Inquiry yesterday morning with the Revolutionary Communist Group

The disability rights activist also marches with Justice4Grenfell.

The mother-of-two said yesterday the Revolutionary Communist Group were supporting and helping the survivors of Grenfell.

Mrs Gallardo said: I watched the fire from a building across and this is not acceptable.

'People, human beings, perished in that fire. Its been six months and theyre being forgotten.

People havent been rehoused, there are 200 properties empty right next to us, but they kept it for their investment.

The Revolutionary Communist Group has taken part in protests against Israel and in support of travellers.
Women forced to play nursemaid to partners with man flu may find their sympathy quickly running low.

But the man lying on the sofa protesting he is too weak to put out the bins may not be the big baby he appears.

A scientific review now suggests hotly debated man flu may really exist, as men have weaker immune responses to respiratory viruses.

Women are the real wimps, based on evidence that they are most likely to scale back their everyday activities when suffering just one symptom of minor illness.

A scientific review now suggests hotly debated man flu may really exist, as men have weaker immune responses to respiratory viruses

Men, on the other hand, are believed to have their ailments under-rated by doctors, while studies show testosterone may make them less able to fight off the flu.

The evidence is presented in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), in a report by Dr Kyle Sue, a clinical assistant professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada.

However the Royal College of GPs has fought back, maintaining that man flu does not exist.

Dr Sue writes: Men may not be exaggerating symptoms but have weaker immune responses to viral respiratory viruses, leading to greater morbidity and mortality than seen in women.

He adds: Since about half of the worlds population is male, deeming male viral respiratory symptoms as exaggerated without rigorous scientific evidence, could have important implications for men, including insufficient provision of care.

The Oxford dictionary defines man flu as a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms. No scientific review has previously been done to investigate whether it exists.

In support of man flu, Dr Sue found some evidence that adult men have a higher risk of flu-related hospital admissions than women. A US study of flu-related deaths over the decade to 2007 found men had a higher death rate than women regardless of other diseases.

Pre-menopausal women, it appears, are better at fighting off the common cold, based on a comparison of male and female cells.

The review suggests that testosterone might suppress mens immune system, making it harder to battle the flu, while a female sex hormone boosts womens immune response.

However Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: Were sorry to be the bearer of disappointing news for half the population  but contrary to popular belief, and this article, the vast majority of robust scientific evidence suggests that flu is not sexist and there is no such thing as man flu.

While there are people who believe that man flu is an actual disease, and some men (and women) genuinely believe it is the reason they are unwell, there is little science to back this up.

However she added: There has been some research to suggest respiratory tract infections, as they are known, can present more severely in men than women and the best advice for anyone affected is to rest at home, drink plenty of fluids and to take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol, if necessary.

Dr Sue has disagreed, stating that men might get sicker from flu as an important strategy for survival from caveman times, which kept them safe from predators and conserved their energy.

Dr Sue added: Lying on the couch, not getting out of bed, or receiving assistance with activities of daily living could also be evolutionary behaviours that protect against predators.

Perhaps now is the time for male-friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort.
It was the programme that transfixed the nation as it explored the fragile beauty of our oceans and seas.

But Blue Planet II has also become a key part of the Conservatives social media fightback as they attempt to rebrand themselves as the caring party.

During the broadcast of the final programme of the series on Sunday night, there was an unexpected wave of tweets from Tory MPs highlighting their partys record on the environment.

Several posted pre-prepared graphics, slogans and hashtags explaining recent policy announcements.

In a coordinated media strategy, the Twitter messages highlighted recent pledges on tackling the scourge of plastic waste, banning the trade in ivory and putting CCTV in slaughterhouses.

They all featured hashtags for the Conservatives, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) or Blue Planet II.

Among the Tory MPs who tweeted were Antoinette Sandbach, Andrew Rosindell, Rachel Maclean and Anna Soubry.

Vicky Ford, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Steve Baker and Zac Goldsmith also shared messages inspired by the programme.

Carrie Symonds, the Conservative Partys director of communications, who describes herself as an animal lover, also tweeted about the programme.

The policy marks a revival of the David Cameron era, when the Tory party was represented by a tree and the slogan Vote blue, go green.

The former prime minister pledged to run Britains greenest ever Government and put environmental strategies at the heart of his vow.

Yet Mr Cameron was later embarrassed after he was reported to have demanded that green crap be removed from energy bills to bring down costs.

The development marks a change in the Tory partys approach to social media after it was criticised during the General Election campaign.

The Conservatives are seeking to rebrand as the caring party, and will put the environment, animal welfare and housing at the centre of the strategy.

MPs have been told to push the message that the Tories are no longer the nasty party and are instead looking towards the future.

The Conservatives are trying to improve their presence online after Corbyn-supporting group Momentums highly successful use of social media during the election campaign.

Tory MPs have been briefed on the new social media strategy by Theresa Mays chief of staff, Gavin Barwell.

It follows the recent appointment of Mr Barwells former parliamentary assistant, Mario Creatura, as a digital special adviser, a new post in Number 10, to manage the Tory partys online presence.

Mrs Mays Brexit statement yesterday triggered a further surge in tweets from Tory MPs, who retweeted a graphic explaining her statement.

The Prime Minister has even started tweeting regularly for the first time and updated her followers with the graphic yesterday.

In an indication of how little she used the app, it took aides more than an hour-and-a-half to find the password to Mrs Mays Twitter account.

The new strategy follows controversy over a false report that Tory MPs had voted that animals did not feel pain.

The report on The Independents website spread rapidly on the internet. Unusually, Tory MPs posted their furious reactions online.

Observers noted that the quick response indicated a change to the Partys usual approach to criticism on Twitter.

Momentum successfully used social media during the General Election campaign to mobilise its supporters.

It also created car-sharing apps to get volunteers to marginal seats and had an online campaign to promote Labours message.
Prince Harry and a group of friends killed 15 wild boar on a weekend hunting trip in Germany, while his animal-loving fiance, Meghan Markle, was out of the country.

The fifth in line to the throne, who like the rest of his family is a keen shot and once bagged a one-tonne water buffalo in Argentina, apparently used a powerful rifle leant to him by his brother, Prince William, for the private jolly, the Mail understands.

Harry was part of a ten-strong group that flew out of the UK on Friday in a private jet for two days of blood sports, landing in Berlin.

They drove to Gorlsdorf, in Brandenburg, North East Germany, where they joined a group of 60 fellow huntsmen for two days of shooting.

Prince Harry and a group of friends killed 15 wild boar on a weekend hunting trip in Germany, while his animal-loving fiance, Meghan Markle, was out of the country

The gathering was organised by the princes close friend, German aristocrat Franz-Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg, nicknamed The Boar Terminator, on his family estate.

Newly-engaged Harry, 33, attended his wedding last year to actress Cleopatra von Adelsheim von Ernest.

Franz has been described as possessing world-class shooting skills and found fame after a video emerged which purported to show him in a snowy forest killing a number of running wild boar in quick succession.

He has also recorded instructive videos on boar shooting which are available online.

The Maerkisches Oder Zeitung, the local paper for the region, said it had confirmed Harrys participation in the hunt on Saturday on the estate of the Oettingen-Spielberg clan from a number of sources.

According to an insider, the group bagged fifteen wild boars  which can be extremely aggressive and weigh up to 400 lbs - although there was no confirmation as to whether Harry had managed to kill anything personally.

There are regularly large hunting parties on the land at Gorlsdorf in which celebrities of the European aristocracy take part.

The forestry administration did not want to comment on this. Several sources, however, confirmed the presence of the prince to this newspaper, it said.

The fifth in line to the throne, who like the rest of his family is a keen shot and once bagged a one-tonne water buffalo in Argentina, apparently used a powerful rifle leant to him by his brother, Prince William, for the private jolly, the Mail understands

Another insider told the Mail: Harry is an enthusiastic shot and borrowed a weapon presented to his brother Prince William on his 18th birthday by celebrated German gunsmith Gernot Walther.

Harry enjoys the whole ritual of the hunt in Germany - from the sound of the horn, to the schnapps toasting the start, to the actual shooting. He apparently said with some enthusiasm he will be back.

The countrys biggest newspaper, Bild am Sonntag, confirmed that Harry arrived on Friday with his own weapons aboard a Gulfstream aircraft, which he also boarded for the flight home on Saturday afternoon.

Franz and Harry enjoyed a similar expedition on a Bavarian estate at the beginning of December last year and, earlier this year, a local radio station reported he was again in Brandenburg hunting game with his friend in a so called Treibjagd - a shoot where beaters drive the prey towards the guns.

Quite what Harrys new fiance, Meghan Markle, an animal lover who advocates adopting rescue dogs, thinks of his passion for hunting is not known.

Her own two pups, Bogart and Guy, who she says mean the absolute world to me, were rescued from an animal shelter in LA.

She also advocates the benefits of a vegan lifestyle, although this is largely for health rather than ethical reasons.

Former actress Miss Markle, 36, is currently visiting family and friends in the US and Canada, following the announcement of her wedding to the Queens grandson at Windsor Castle next May.

She is due to return to the UK soon to spend Christmas with the Royal Family.

Prince Williams wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, embraced the royal familys love of hunting, as did her family. Her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, were even photographed deer stalking at the Queens Highland estate, Balmoral.

But he and Harrys mother, Diana Princess of Wales, is said to have disliked hunting and after attempting to show interest the early years of her marriage to Prince Charles, quickly gave up all pretence.

Prince Harry (left) and Meghan Markle

Harry was memorably photographed with a one-tonne water buffalo he shot in Argentina in 2004, while on a gap year trip to the country.

And in 2014 he and his brother were criticised for hunting wild boar on a shooting trip to Spain, just a day before William was due to make a major public address to end the illegal wildlife trade.

In 1961, on an official visit to India with the Queen, Prince Philip, a former President of the World Wildlife Fund, shot a tiger at Ranthambhore, while a guest of the Maharajah of Jaipur.

On that same trip the royal, once a keen big game hunter who also shot stag, pheasant and grouse until recently, killed a crocodile and six urials, a type of mountain sheep.

His actions prompted widespread condemnation from British and Indian politicians, but, significantly, were not against the law at the time.

There is no suggestion that any member of the Royal Family has shot an animal illegally.

Indeed, all have heavily condemned the poaching of wildlife, particularly in Africa, with William and Harry leading recent efforts to curb the widespread slaughter of elephant and rhino, as well as other endangered animals such as the pangolin, for their horns.

But the royal familys public stance on issues concerning wildlife continues, for many, to be difficult to reconcile with their private love of hunting for sport.

There was no word yesterday from the family of Prince Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg, who invited Harry on the shoot.

Kensington Palace also declined to comment.
Pubs and small shops could lose up to 1,500 free cash machines because of a dispute over fees.

Banks are demanding a reduction in the levy they pay when their customers use ATMs run by independent operators.

And Cardtronics, the countrys biggest provider, says this would make many machines in rural areas unprofitable.

Sources said the firm could be forced to shut 1,500 ATMs, with pubs at particular risk. These cashpoints are vital to smaller communities that have lost their lost bank branches and shops.

The Link network, which oversees the countrys 55,000 free machines, has launched a consultation on cutting fees by 20 per cent over four years.

Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland are at the forefront of the push for lower charges. They have shut hundreds of branches over the past few years, with RBS announcing another 259 this month.

Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland are at the forefront of the push for lower charges

In the year to October, they have also closed or given up control of 1,463 ATMs between them to save money. Both insist they will not abandon towns and villages when they shut down branches.

But a spokesman for Cardtronics warned that free ATMs could disappear completely if the banks get their way on fees. We can confirm that there are specific plans to close some of our machines due to the prospect of lower Link interchange payments, he said.

Should Links proposals to slash interchange be implemented in their entirety, the free-to-use ATM model in the UK will become unsustainable.

Cardtronics UK will be forced to convert a much more significant number of currently viable free-to-use ATMs to pay-to-use or even remove ATM sites altogether.

This will be especially true for rural communities where operating costs are often higher than in densely populated urban areas, regardless of the type of location, be that pubs, local shops or street kiosks.

RBS-owned Natwest scrapping 740 machines in the year to October

The spokesman added that new plastic bank notes and the need for software upgrades have been driving costs up at the same times as the fee cut looms.

There are fears the plan could devastate high streets. Nicky Morgan, chairman of the Commons Treasury committee, has said it is difficult to see how the free ATM network can be maintained after a fee cut. Consumer watchdog Which? has called on the Payments Systems Regulator to take action. It said it had significant concerns about the impact on customers of closures, with 2.7million people almost entirely dependent on cash.

Town counts cost of losing ATM A THRIVING seaside town lost its only free cash machine when Lloyds shut its branch there this summer. The closure of the last bank in Lynton, North Devon, left tourists struggling to find money. Over the summer, the machine would typically dole out 400,000 a fortnight to spend in gift shops and tearooms. Foreign visitors were unable to use Post Offices for withdrawals because non-UK cards are not accepted, and traders said the high street suffered as a result. Susan Bingham, of the Lynton visitor centre, said: Much of that money went to local shops, hotels, cafes and visitor attractions. But if people dont have cash they think twice about spending. They head for bigger towns. These businesses are the lifeblood of our economy. Foreign visitors are particularly badly hit  we get a constant stream coming in seeking cash because the nearest free machines are 20 miles away. It has led to bad feeling against banks generally and Lloyds in particular. A Lloyds commercial is screened at our cinema and people have been shouting out not here. Lloyds said customers were increasingly banking online and using cards more often. Advertisement

Gareth Shaw of Which? said: Significantly reducing this network could have a real impact on consumers, who might be left struggling to access the cash they need  and so we must see scrutiny from the regulator.

Link did not respond last night to a request for comment. Figures previously published by the Mail showed the number of ATMs owned by Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and Natwest has dropped from around 19,417 since October last year to 17,461 a year later.

RBS-owned Natwest was the biggest offender, scrapping 740 machines in the period, either by closing them or handing them over to other operators when contracts with the shops hosting them came to an end. Lloyds has got rid of 723 machines, while HSBC reduced its network by 347 over the year. Barclays ditched 146 ATMs.
Iran government officials have said they will consider the case of the British mother jailed in the country on humanitarian grounds after Boris Johnson held talks highlighting her plight in Tehran over the weekend.

The Foreign Secretary had discussed British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffes case with the countrys president and a number of Iranian officials in his efforts to free the aid worker who has been held since April 2016.

Returning to parliament yesterday, Mr Johnson told MPs that he had worthwhile meetings and said his messages over the case had been received and understood by Iranian officials.

His comments came as Irans foreign ministry said it would raise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes case with the judiciary out of humanitarian concerns after it was highlighted by Mr Johnson during his visit.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, of Hampstead, North London, was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents

The Foreign Secretary had discussed British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffes case with the countrys president and a number of Iranian officials in his efforts to free the aid worker

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shakes hands with Mr Johnson. Returning to parliament yesterday, the Foreign Secretary told MPs that he had worthwhile meetings

The foreign ministrys spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said the final decision on whether to release the mother, who is serving a five-year sentence on trumped up espionage charges, rests with the judiciary.

He also added that while the case was being raised she was still considered an Iranian national and should serve her prison conviction according to the judicial system of Iran.

Iran does not recognise dual-citizenship.

Updating MPs about his trip to Iran, Mr Johnson said: On bilateral issues, my first priority was the plight of the dual nationals behind bars.

I urged their release on humanitarian grounds, where there is cause to do so.

These are complex cases involving individuals considered by Iran to be their own citizens, and I do not wish to raise false hopes.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif pictured with Boris Johnson.

But my meetings in Tehran were worthwhile, and while I do not believe it will be in the interests of the individuals concerned or their loved ones to provide a running commentary, the House can be assured that the Government will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to secure their release.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said that she could see some light at the end of the tunnel as her family attributed Mr Johnsons visit leading to the postponement of her fresh trial on Sunday.

She was due in court amid threats to double her five year sentence over new charges brought after Mr Johnson incorrectly told a Parliamentary committee she had been in Iran to train journalists.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has always maintained that she was on holiday with her daughter when she was arrested.

Mr Johnson, who has raised efforts to free her since his blunder last month, was forced to apologise over his incorrect comments when she was threatened with a longer sentence.
Police have swarmed a quiet street on the Gold Coast after the body of a man was discovered in a park.

A spokesman for Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia the body was discovered about 9.30am on Tuesday.

An investigation has been launched into the death of the man, who has not been identified.

Daily Mail Australia understands officers are investigating whether illicit drugs played a role in the man's death.

Police dashed to West King Lane in Southport on Tuesday morning after a man's body was found in Henry William Wakefield Park

'Police are treating the death as suspicious, which is protocol until we can prove otherwise,' the spokesman said.

The man is in his late 20s, and was found wearing black shorts, with no shirt or shoes, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

The park, on West King Lane in Southport has been shut down.

More to come.
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An ominous mushroom cloud was spotted above California Monday as one of the most destructive wildfires in the state's history crept relentlessly up the Pacific coast.

The weather phenomenon, which resembled an erupting volcano or a nuclear bomb, was seen above the San Ynez Mountains of western Ventura County in the Los Padres National Forest, near Santa Barbara.

The billowing Pyrocumulus cloud, also known as a fire cloud, stretched up almost 30,000 feet high.

Eric Boldt, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard, told San Francisco Gate that the cloud was created by similar forced to a thunderstorm - and its strong winds could be responsible for helping spread the Thomas Wildfire on Sunday as Calfire grew 50,000 acres to 230,000 acres. It is now the fifth worst fire in Californian history.

The weather phenomenon, which resembled an erupting volcano or a nuclear bomb, was seen above the San Ynez Mountains of western Ventura County in the Los Padres National Forest, near Santa Barbara

An apocalyptic mushroom cloud was spotted above California Monday as one of the most destructive wildfires in the state's history crept relentlessly up the Pacific coast

The huge Pyrocumulus cloud of smoke rose to the north of downtown Ventura as seen Sunday afternoon from the Ventura Pier as the Thomas Fire threatens Carpenteria and Montecito

A helicopter flew over two homes as smoke clouds form in the distance after the wildfire swept through the Shepard Mesa neighborhood in Carpinteria, California

The billowing Pyrocumulus cloud of smoke stretched up almost 30,000 feet high

In this photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, with smoke obscuring the sun in the distance, a Coulson C-130 Air Tanker turns in to make a drop on a hillside near Toro Canyon Road in Carpinteria

'When we see these clouds billowing so tall, it's the same mechanisms that are happening with a thunderstorm,' he said.

'You're causing updrafts and air that's pushing the smoke higher. It creates its own wind. If it starts to spin, that's where you can get more wind and fast-moving progression of the fire. It can become a dangerous situation for firefighters.'

This fresh image shows wildfires and burn scars in Ventura County, Southern California, from the Thomas Fire

Before and after: Instagram user cateckert3 shared this before and after image showing the devastation near her home

Thousands of firefighters were battling the blaze on Monday as it crept relentlessly up the Pacific coast and forced new evacuations.

As a wildfire near Los Angeles was brought under control, fire crews were being redeployed to battle the Thomas Fire northwest of America's second-largest city.

Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters were assisting nearly 6,400 firefighters trying to keep the Thomas Fire away from beachfront towns south of the historic city of Santa Barbara, the California Fire Department (Cal Fire) said.

A helicopter flies over a massive wildfire in Santa Paula, Calif.ornia Thursday when wind-swept blazes forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes

A firefighter battles a wildfire in Santa Paula, Ventura. The fast moving brush fire has ripped through the state during the past week

Huge smoke clouds rise into the sky at the Thomas fire Saturday. The Thomas Fire has spread to near 150,000 acres

Horses that were evacuated from the Thomas Fire are seen on December 10, 2017 in Ojai

'Gusty northeast winds will cause the fire to threaten areas of the city of Santa Barbara,' which has a population of 91,000, Cal Fire said.

Eric Boldt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, said he did not see any immediate respite to the dry, windy conditions that are fueling the blaze.

'The conditions are very critical,' Boldt said. 'Given that we don't see any precipitation for the next two weeks at minimum, it could become the largest fire in the state's history.'

The Thomas Fire has burned 230,500 acres since it erupted a week ago, Cal Fire said, making it the fifth-largest fire in the state's history. It was only 15 percent contained as of early afternoon Monday.

The blaze spread over the weekend in the mostly uninhabited Los Padres National Forest, and was threatening the coastal towns of Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria.

Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted for the inland cities of Ojai and Santa Paula in Ventura County, which has been the hardest hit by the Thomas Fire.

Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was among those fleeing the flames.

'Our house is under threat of being burned,' DeGeneres said on Twitter. 'We just had to evacuate our pets.

'I'm praying for everyone in our community and thankful to all the incredible firefighters.'

US forest fire crews fight fire with fire as they set off huge backfires to cut off the northern flank of the Thomas fire near Rose Valley recreation area Saturday. The Thomas Fire has spread to near 150,000 acres Southern California

Santa Barbara PIO Mike Eliason watches as a home between Via Baja and Foothill goes up in flames Tuesday midday after a fast-moving, wind-fueled wildfire swept into Ventura destroying many homes early Tuesday

Firefighting helicopters try to save a house from the Thomas wildfire in Carpinteria, California on December 10

Firefighting helicopters try to save a house from the Thomas wildfire in Carpinteria, California on December 10

Members of the Reinhardt family sort through the remains of their family home after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California

'Praying for my town,' actor Rob Lowe, a Santa Barbara County resident, wrote on Twitter. Fires closing in. Firefighters making brave stands. Could go either way. Packing to evacuate now.'

May Osher, a 66-year-old retired schoolteacher in Carpinteria, told the Los Angeles Times she had put photo albums and pet supplies in her car and was ready to evacuate if told to do so.

'I'm staying until it's time to go,' Osher told the newspaper.

Cal Fire said 800 buildings have been destroyed by the fire, which is being fueled by tinder dry brush and strong and unpredictable Santa Ana winds.

Despite the intensity of the fires stretching from north of Los Angeles down to San Diego, authorities have reported only one fatality - a 70-year-old woman who died in a car crash while fleeing a blaze.

California Governor Jerry Brown has warned that climate change meant the state was becoming increasingly vulnerable and wildfires were becoming the 'new normal.'

'The fire season used to be a few months in the summer,' Brown said. 'Now it's almost year-long.'

Brown has been one of the most vocal critics of President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris accord on global warming, and he renewed his attacks on the administration over its attitude toward climate change.

'Nature is not a political game. Nature is the ground on which we stand, it's the air which we breathe,' he said.

'The truth of the case is that there's too much carbon being emitted, that heat-trapping gasses are building up, the planet is warming and all hell is breaking loose.'

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.

Trump has issued a state of emergency for California, authorizing the release of federal funds.

The White House said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue briefed the president and Vice President Mike Pence on the response to the wildfires and prevention efforts.

Actor Billy Baldwin shared shocking photos from outside his house showing dust clouding over the sky.

'Smoke from the #ThomasFire blocks out the sun... San Ynez, CA North Santa Barbara County #ThankYouFirefighters!!!,' Baldwin wrote in the picture post.

#Thomas Fire now: 173,000 acres, 4,500 firefighters, 710 structures and 15% contained,# he said this morning.

Crews with help from a fleet water-dropping planes and helicopters saved homes as unpredictable gusts sent the blaze deeper into residential foothill areas northwest of Los Angeles that haven't burned in decades.

'The winds are kind of squirrely right now,' said 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. It's unclear whether other structures burned.

Thousands of homes and businesses in the county were without power.

The air thick with acrid smoke, even residents of areas not under evacuation orders took the opportunity to leave, fearing another shutdown of U.S. 101, a key coastal highway that was closed intermittently last week.

Officials handed out masks to residents who stayed behind in Montecito, the wealthy hillside enclave that's home to celebrities such as Lowe, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges.

A few miles to the west, Santa Barbara Zoo was closed to the public and its 500 animals confined to their night quarters all day.

The zoo was just outside the evacuation area, but smoke and ash blew through the 30-acre property.

Firefighters made significant progress Saturday on other fronts of the enormous fire that started Dec. 4 in neighboring Ventura County.

As containment increased on other major blazes in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties, resources from those fires were diverted to the Santa Barbara foothills.

Forecasters said Santa Ana winds that whipped fires across the region last week would continue in some areas at least through Monday.

Strong Santa Ana winds have been feeding major wildfires all week, destroying hundreds of houses and forcing tens of thousands of people to stay away from their homes

Firefighters watch after setting a backfire at night to make progress against the Thomas Fire before the winds return with the daylight near Lake Casitas on December 9, 2017 near Ojai, California

A fire whirl, also called a fire devil, forms as firefighters use drip torches to set a backfire at night in an effort to make progress against the Thomas Fire before the winds return with the daylight near Lake Casitas on December 9 near Ojai

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 about 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.

The Ventura County blaze also 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.

Ojai experienced hazardous levels of smoke at times and officials warned of unhealthy air for large swaths of the region.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District urged residents to stay indoors if possible and avoid vigorous outdoor activities.

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.

Meanwhile, the Lilac Fire #reached a peak of 1,409 Sunday and officials at the central command center say they're likely to begin releasing crews from duty now that the fire has reached 60 percent containment,' according to Fox 5 San Diego.

Crews worked through Sunday to strengthen containment lines and put out hot spots, the news station said.

'The fire's looking really good, despite the wind,' said Cal Fire public information officer and Battalion Chief, Henry Herrera.

'If we can get through today I think we'll be in pretty good shape for the remainder of this incident.'
A new ride-sharing service looking to break Uber's stranglehold on the market in Australia has been put to the test.

Taxify began offering rides in Sydney on Tuesday morning, bringing with it large backing from Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi Chuxing.

In an opening swipe at its main rival the company issued a statement highlighting its commission of 15 per cent, almost half the amount Uber takes from its drivers.

Taxify is offering a 50 per cent discount to all riders for its first month. Daily Mail Australia decided to test out the new ride-sharing service.

The ride was paid for using a debit card registered through the app and totalled $9.

The base fare was $1.25, while the passenger was charged $3.91 for the distance of the trip and $3.84 for the time, as well as 82 cents GST.

A similar trip from Kent Street to Ultimo using Uber in September cost $13.39.

Before booking the trip an estimated arrival time of two minutes was given, but it wasn't until 11.07 that Jawat arrived in his silver 2013 Toyota Prius (pictured)

The car was clean and tidy, and despite the service being only an hour old Jawat had already completed two other Taxify trips that morning

The Taxify app gives an estimated pick up time, as well as prices before a ride is accepted

A trip from Kent Street in the Sydney CBD to Central Station in Surry Hills was ordered through the Taxify app at 10.57am on Tuesday.

The app was easy to install and the interface was remarkably similar to Uber.

Before booking the trip an estimated arrival time of two minutes was given, but it wasn't until 11.07 that Jawat arrived in his silver 2013 Toyota Prius.

The car was clean and tidy, and despite the service being only an hour old Jawat had already completed two other Taxify trips that morning.

He also drives for Uber, and told Daily Mail Australia he welcomed competition in the market.

'It's good to have another company, a monopoly isn't good,' he said.

Taxify founder Markus Villig is confident Sydney residents will embrace another ride-sharing option

Jawat used his car's built in GPS system as well as a GPS through the Taxify app on his phone

The route was longer than it needed to be as Jawat missed a few turns, although this may have been due to being distracted with questions from his passenger

We arrived across the road from Central Station at George Street in Haymarket at 11.27am

He joined 4000 other drivers and signed up for Taxify - which claims to be Europe's fastest-growing ride-sharing app - after seeing an advertisement on social media.

He said their reputation in other countries was a reason for joining.

'I read that in China they had beaten Uber and were trying to do the same thing here.

'Some of my friends have had their Uber registrations taken off them after one or two complaints from people, that's all it takes.'

He has driven for Uber since 2014 and said he would continue to do so while also working for Taxify.

Jawat said he is charged a 20 per cent commission by Uber, compared to 15 per cent by Taxify.

Jawat said he is charged a 20 per cent commission by Uber, compared to 15 per cent by Taxify

Jawat said his car wasn't checked before he registered to become a Taxify driver

'The base kilometre and the metre are the same as Uber. It's almost like they copied and pasted it from Uber.'

He said registering to become a Taxify driver was a lengthy process, taking two hours to complete a criminal record check.

However he said his car wasn't checked by anyone at Taxify before he was registered as a driver.

The trip ended across the road from Central Station at George Street in Haymarket at 11.27am.

The route was longer than it needed to be as Jawat missed a few turns, although this may have been due to being distracted with questions from his passenger.

The ride was paid for using a debit card registered through the app and totalled $9

A similar trip from Kent Street to Ultimo using Uber in September cost $13.39

Taxify founder Markus Villig is confident Sydney residents will embrace another ride-sharing option.

'We have based our business model on fairness and transparency,' he said in a statement.

'It is because of this that we have had so many drivers sign up to Taxify in such a short space of time.'

The app already operates in 20 countries around the globe after being founded in Estonia in 2013.

Trade and Industry Minister Niall Blair welcomed the investment in New South Wales.

'This is a sign of confidence from a major player that overseas investment in NSW is in more demand than ever before,' he said.

Jawat drivers for Uber and Taxify and said he will continue to do so (stock image)

UBER Takes between 22.5 and 30 per cent commission More than 60,000 registered drivers in Australia Has revenue of $6.5billion Has been banned in countries and cities around the world, including Vancouver, Barcelona, Alaska and the Northern Territory Founded in San Francisco in 2009 Operates in 633 cities worldwide Currently appealing a decision to strip it of its licence in London Brings in surge pricing during periods of heavy demand Advertisement
Philip Hammond has criticised Donald Trump over the US presidents new tax reforms, which could break international rules.

The Chancellor joined with other European finance ministers to urge Steven Mnuchin, the US Treasury Secretary, to rethink the proposed changes.

In a letter addressed to Mr Mnuchin, the finance ministers of the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain warned that the tax reform promised by Mr Trump could risk seriously hampering genuine trade and investment flows.

Donald Trump's tax reforms have been criticised in a letter by European finance ministers including Philip Hammond. It has also been suggested they could break international rules

The ministers warned the measures could discriminate in a manner which would contravene World Trade Organisation (WTO) provisions, would be inconsistent with double taxation rules, and would be poorly targeted at helping to combat tax avoidance.

The inclusion of certain less conventional international tax provisions could contravene the USs double taxation treaties and may risk having a major distortive impact on international trade, the letter stated.

One of Mr Trumps proposals provides for a 20 per cent excise tax on payments to foreign affiliated companies, which would impact on genuine commercial arrangements.

Because it would only apply where payments are being made for foreign goods and services, this would discriminate and break WTO rules. The plans have not yet been passed by the US Congress.
The Swedish royal family hosted a glittering dinner in honor of the Nobel Prize laureates in Stockholm on Monday night.

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia hosted the spectacular occasion at the Royal Palace and were joined by Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel along with pregnant Princess Madeleine and her husband Chris O'Neill.

The mother-to-be, who is expecting her third child, looked radiant in a dusky pink gown that skimmed over her baby bump.

New mother Princess Sofia who welcomed her second son, Prince Gabriel in August, showed off her stunning post-baby figure in a sea green gown.

The former model and her husband Prince Carl Philip made a strikingly handsome couple as they joined the spectacular social occasion, held after the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday.

New mother Princess Sofia and her husband Prince Carl Philip attending The King's dinner for the Nobel Laureates in Stockholm

Princess Madeleine and her husband Chris O'Neill also attended

Nobel dinner: King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia at the award dinner in Stockholm

The king and queen were joined by Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel

In accepting the award, the winners 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.

Mother-to-be Princess Madeleinie looked glowing in a dusky pink gown that skimmed over her baby bump

Crown Princess Victoria looked striking in a floral dress with a sweeping train

Princess Madeleine, 35, announced in August that she's expecting her third child with husband Chris O'Neill

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled as Pyongyang has in recent months ramped up its missile and nuclear tests.

'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.

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'

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).
Frazzled travellers at Sydney Airport were given a particularly warm welcome on Tuesday, as puppies took over terminal three.

Qantas brought in a litter of Tamaruke puppies for a few hours to brighten up the mornings of their passengers.

A spokeswoman for the airline told Daily Mail Australia the pups had been 'specifically trained for stress relief', making them the perfect airport companion.

Tamaruke puppies took over terminal three at Sydney Airport on Tuesday (pictured)

The dogs were passed around to staff and customers, in an experience dubbed a 'pupgrade'

The pups were not able to travel with customers as an assistance or guide dog would, but were seen being cuddled by passengers ahead of their flights.

Staff got in on the action as well, posing with their furry colleagues in front of a Christmas tree set up in the domestic terminal.

Qantas have dubbed the experience a 'pupgrade'.

Tamarukes are specially bred to be non-shedding, friendly, intelligent and easily trained.

The puppies are trained in stress relief, making them the perfect holiday airport companions

Even a policeman was able to benefit from the calming nature of the young pups

The breeders also claim the pups have 'no doggy odour'.

Customers appeared delighted at the surprise, as they posed with the designer pups.

The Tamarukes will feature in an upcoming festive video from the airline, which will be released on their Facebook page later in the week.
A quiet Adelaide suburb was under siege as armed police responded to reports of a gunshot.

Police surrounded a home at Salisbury Park in North Adelaide after reports of gunfire at Sheringa Crescent just after 12.30pm on Tuesday.

A South Australia Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia Special Tasks and Rescue Group officers were outside the house were they believed a man was shot.

Police detectives have now entered the property and the STAR Group officers have left.

A police spokesman said they believe the man's injury was self-inflicted and there was nobody else involved.

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A quiet Adelaide suburb was under siege as armed police responded to reports of a gunshot

Police surrounded a home at Salisbury Park in North Adelaide after reports of gunfire at Sheringa Crescent just after 12.30pm on Tuesday

Bloody shoes and clothes could be seen strewn on the lawn outside the house

The victim is being treated by paramedics and his injury is not believed to be life threatening

They were using a microphone to repeat: 'come outside with nothing in your hands and you won't be harmed. The house is surrounded', according to a 7 News reporter.

The effort was an attempt to determine if there was a gunman inside the house, according to a police spokeswoman.

Police have asked members of the public to stay away from the area and remain inside their homes.

The victim is being treated by paramedics and his injury is not believed to be life threatening.

Neighbours told The Advertister they had been instructed to stay inside as it was 'a dangerous situation'.

A police helicopter was circling the scene, and bloody shoes and clothes could be seen strewn on the lawn outside the house.

A police spokesman said it was an isolated matter, and there is no further risk to the community.

Police have asked members of the public to stay away from the area and remain inside their homes

Police now believe the man was the only person involved in the incident

Police now believe the man was the only person involved in the incident.

They believe no-one else was at the property at the time.

The original reports were that it was related to a firearm matter.

The man is being treated in hospital and is cooperating with police inquiries.
Charles Manson's death certificate reveals that the cult leader died from acute cardiac arrest, respiratory failure and colon cancer.

According to the Kern County coroner, the heart attack was the main factor in Manson's November 19 death.

But the death certificate, as seen by TMZ reveals Manson was battling colon cancer in the months leading up to his death at the age of 83.

Cult leader Charles Manson (pictured left in August 2017 and right in October 2014) died aged 83 in November. A death certificate revealed he died from acute cardiac arrest, respiratory failure and colon cancer

At the time of Manson's death the California Department of Corrections said that he had died from natural causes.

Manson, who orchestrated a number of murders by his followers in the late 1960s, was hospitalized twice in the months before his death - once in January and again in November - but little information about his health was released to the public.

In November, Manson was transferred from Corcoran State Prison, where he was serving a life sentence, to a Bakersfield, California hospital as his condition worsened behind bars.

Manson has still not been buried as relatives and longtime associates battle over his estate including music, paintings and two guitars, along with the image over his trademark which could be used in authorized films or documentaries.

At least three parties have come forward to claim ownership of the Manson estate including one man who claims to be Manson's grandson.

Charles Manson being escorted to his arraignment in 1969 and remained behind bars until his death. The 83-year-old, who orchestrated a number of murders by his followers in the late 1960s, died from acute cardiac arrest and complication of a battle with colon cancer

Manson and three of his followers, Susan Atkins (left), Patricia Krenwinkle (center) and Leslie Van Houten (right) killed seven people: pregnant actress Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, Steven Parent and Jay Sebring

Victims: (top row left to right) Voytech Frykowski, Sharon Tate, Stephen Parent, (middle row left to right) Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Gary Hinman, (bottom row left to right) Leno LaBianca, Rosemary LaBianca, Donald Shea.

Manson's followers killed actress Sharon Tate and six others in 1969.

The killings occurred on successive August nights and terrorized the city of Los Angeles.

The cult leader continued his life of crime behind bars after being locked up, with more than 100 infractions during his time in prison, for charges including assault, making voodoo dolls and hiding a hot air balloon order catalog in his cell.

The repeated infractions are likely the reason behind the high security levels that were in place around Manson.

Speaking to People, retired Los Angeles County prosecutor Stephen Kay, who helped convict Manson of the 1969 murders, said: 'He threw hot coffee on a guard and spit on a guard's face. He had a saw blade in the sole of a shoe.

'He was making little dolls, but they were like voodoo dolls of people and he would stick needles in them, hoping to injure the live person the doll was fashioned after.

'He said his main activity was making those dolls.'

1970: Charles Manson arrives for court with a shaven head, an open shirt, and a swastika carved in his forehead. The cult leader continued his life of crime behind bars after being locked up, with more than 100 infractions during his time in prison, for charges including assault, making voodoo dolls and hiding a hot air balloon order catalog in his cell

Manson was also targeted by other prisoners - on one occasion a Hare Krishna poured lighter fluid on him and set him on fire.

And prior to being moved to Corcoran in 1989, prison guards at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville found a hacksaw blade, marijuana and LSD in Manson's cells according to a report in the LA Times.

The California Department of Corrections said he had spent the past 27 years incarcerated in the Protective Housing Unit at Corcoran, which houses inmates whose safety would be endangered by general population housing.
Roy Moore emerged after a five day absence from the campaign trail for an interview with a 12-year-old girl for Christian TV.

The Republican Alabama senate hopeful was accused of sexual misconduct and preying on teenage girls last month.

Since then, the typically outspoken conservative has been notably absent from the campaign trail,unavailable for press interviews and even refusing to debate his Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, because of his 'very liberal' position on transgender rights.

But the one interview he didn't turn down was a one-on-one sit down with 12-year-old Millie March.

Roy Moore has emerged for the first time in days for an interview with a 12-year-old girl for Christian TV

On Sunday, the America First Project posted a video which showed him being interviewed by Millie March

On Sunday, the America First Project posted a video which showed him being interviewed by the young Republican who is renowned in conservative circles for her rants about Barack Obama at last year's Conservative Political Action Conference.

The young girl quizzed Moore on his support for Trump's wall with Mexico and what he thought were the big issues for Alabama, before concluding the interview with a friendly handshake.

America First Project said they had set up the interview as a way of showing that Moore had 'a wide range of support.'

But the decision to put the 70-year-old conservative Christian, who has been accused of molesting a 14-year-old and reportedly banned from a shopping mall for preying on teens, is an odd one.

March is renowned in conservative circles for her rants about Barack Obama at last year's Conservative Political Action Conference

The young girl quizzed Moore on his support for Trump's wall with Mexico and what he thought were the big issues for Alabama, before concluding the interview with a friendly handshake

Moore, who has strongly denied dating underage women after his campaign was rocked by accusations last month that he pursued underage women when he was in his 30s, made a final appearance on Monday before tomorrow's election.

It was his first public appearance in six days.

In comparison, his rival Jones has been holding multiple events every day, speaking to the press and campaigning with other Democrats.

On Monday's event, Alabama Senate hopeful Moore went after the news media and the establishment as a way to push back against pedophilia accusations.

Moore, speaking in a large Alabama barn used to host weddings and events, called out the Washington Post for producing a 'terrible, disgusting article,' where the Senate wannabe's multiple accusers first went on the record.

The Republican candidate also called bull on reports that asked, 'Where is Roy Moore?'

'Because I took approximately two and a half days to take my wife out of this mess and let her relax with her son at West Point,' Moore explained.

Moore, and his wife Kayla, both fumed at the reporters in the packed room, suggesting that it was their fault the couple had such a tough time on what has become an increasingly toxic political run.

Alabama Senate hopeful Roy Moore, in an election eve appearance, called an article run by the Washington Post accusing him of preying on teenagers 'terrible' and 'disgusting'

Roy Moore also accused his campaign trail absence saying he spent two and a half days taking his wife to visit their son at West Point, to get her away from 'this mess'

Speaking about the Washington Post's revelations that portrayed Moore as someone who serially dated teenagers as young as 14, the ex-judge suggested that accusers timing was off.

'These women,' Moore said, 'had not come forward for 34 years, but they waited 30 days before this general election to come forward.'

Rep. Louie Gohmert, who was an opener for the rally alongside former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon made a very similar point.

Moore tried to cast more doubt on the story by pointing to the admission from Tim Miller, a former Jeb Bush staffer, that he was one of the Post's sources.

Miller had texted with conservative writers Charles Johnson who then fed the messages to the website Big League Politics.

In politics it's not uncommon for political operatives to be journalists' tipsters, but Moore suggested it again proved that the media and the establishment were up to no good.

The embattled candidate's wife and an old Vietnam buddy also came on stage to testify about his character - although they may have just dug a bigger hole with audiences outside the room.

First came Moore's military buddy Bill Sailing, who defended the Republican Senate hopeful against pedophilia accusations by describing a time the two men accidentally entered a teen brothel while serving in Vietnam.

Former White House Chief Strategist served as a warm-up act for Judge Roy Moore, the embattled Alabama Senate hopeful at a rally in Midland City, Alabama Monday night

Kayla Moore (left), the wife of embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore (right), said Monday night that the couple's 'lawyer is a Jew,' as evidence that her husband isn't anti-Semitic

'I could tell you what I saw, but I don't want to,' Sailing first told the crowd, gathered in a large rustic barn used for weddings, before divulging some details. 'There were certainly pretty girls. And they were girls. They were young. Some were probably very young.'

But as a testament to Moore, he said the candidate had told him: 'We shouldn't be here, I'm leaving,' according to Sailing's account. 'That was Roy, honorable, disciplined, morally straight, highly principled,' Sailing said.

Next to speak came Moore's wife Kayla, who tsk-tsked the 'fake news' suggesting it was the media's fault that people think her husband 'doesn't support the black community' nor do they like Jews.

'I tell you all this because I see you all and I want to set the record straight while we're here,' she said motioning to the slew of journalists at the back of the room.

'One of our attorneys is a Jew,' Kayla Moore stated.

Earlier in the event, Bannon had savaged the establishment, belittling a number of Republicans including Mitt Romney and Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who has proved himself a thorn in President Trump's side.

At Romney's mention, one vocal Moore fan simply shouted, 'Loser!'

Moore hinted, however, that he sometimes didn't mind when the media wasn't right.

'For example, Fox News came out today and said my opponent was 10 points ahead of me,' he noted. 'On the same day Emerson had me nine points ahead of him.'

He pointed out that tomorrow one of the men would have to win.

Despite the sexual misconduct allegations, President Trump is backing Moore, although many other national Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have distanced themselves.

President Trump slowly edged himself over into Roy Moore's column in the race, pointing out that the Republican hopeful has denied the pedophilia accusations against him and noting it would be better to have a Republican in the Senate than the Democrat

Moore's campaign has tried to stitch the political futures of Trump and Moore together more tightly, so the state who voted for the president by 28.3 points won't give a Senate seat to a Democrat for the first time in 31 years.

'So this is Donald Trump on trial in Alabama,' said Moore's chief political strategist Dean Young on Sunday. 'If the people of Alabama vote for this liberal Democrat Doug Jones, then they're voting against the president who they put in the office at the highest level.'

Trump also suggested his agenda was at stake as he slowly moved his support into Moore's column.

The president had originally teamed up with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in support of Sen. Luther Strange in the GOP Alabama primary, as the state looked to permanently fill the seat once held by Trump's Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

But Moore destroyed Strange, the appointed seat-filler, in the late September primary, besting the incumbent by about 10 points.

The ex-judge had been aided by Bannon in the primary, whose presence relayed to voters  with a wink, wink, nudge, nudge  that Moore was the true Trump-ian pick.

When the sexual misconduct allegations came out, Bannon's people forcefully pushed back on reports that suggested the Breitbart head's support was wavering.

Now a new shock poll from Fox News shows Democrat Doug Jones 10 points ahead of Republican Roy Moore as voters head to the polls tomorrow in Alabama to select the state's next U.S. senator.
A father and son have been charged with aggravated assault after violently assaulting a 14-year-old Aboriginal boy in South Australia on Monday.

The pair were arrested after a sickening video of the teen being verbally and physically attacked was uploaded to Facebook.

Police revealed in a statement the pair were charged with aggravated assault, and bailed to appear in court at a later date.

'Police will allege that about 11am on Monday 11 December, a 45-year-old Port Augusta man and a 14-year-old Stirling North boy assaulted a teenage boy known to them,' the statement read.

The victim did not sustain any serious injuries.

In the video, which uploaded by the victim's aunty, he was chased down and thrown to the ground by the brother of a girl he allegedly spat on, while her father yelled threats.

The slender teenager first faced a series of shoves from the son, with the father threatening to 'smash his f***ing face in' if he retaliated.

'Tell him to leave me alone then,' the defenseless teen yells while being thrust backwards in a choke hold.

'Nah you deserve what you get mate,' the father says.

After being smashed into a concrete wall and thrown to the ground at the hands of the son, the father then demands the boy to apologise 'for spitting on his daughter'.

The son continues to throw punches into the sides of the victim, who can be heard repeatedly screaming, 'I'm sorry'.

An Aboriginal teenager has been filmed being violently attacked by a father and son in Port Augusta

The boy was chased down and assaulted after he allegedly spat on on the father's daughter

As the son continues to unleash his aggressive wrath, the father halts the attack momentarily to direct the victim onto his knees.

'Who else are you sorry to? Sorry to my daughter? To his mum? You better f***ing mean it,' he bellows while standing above him.

'You know what's going to happen to your f***ing famliy if I ever hear you say anything again, you know what's going to f****ing happen?

'I'm going to come to your f***ing house mate and it's going to be f***ing hell, you got it?'.'

The slender teenager first faces a series of shoves from the son, with the father threatening to 'smash his f***ing face in' if he retaliates

The son shoves the defenseless boy onto the bitumen as the father continues yelling threats.

'Look at me in the f***ing eye, you f***in got it?,' he howls while removing sunglasses from his eyes.

'You spit on my daughter again, I'm gonna f***in cave your head in, you got it c***, yeah?.'

Finally released from the son's grip, the teen leaps to his feet and walks away swiftly as the father continues hurling threats in his direction.

Finally released from the son's grip, the teen leaps to his feet and walks away swiftly as the father continues hurling threats in his direction

The assault was reported to police and the son has been arrested, with police working to track down the father, Welcome To Country reports.

Locals allegedly recognised the man's work uniform and have made complaints to his employer.
This is how one doctor's slightly 'awkward' decision to scrawl his name and profession across his forehead, changed safety in medicine across the world.

Dr Rob Hackett, a Sydney based anaesthetist, decided to write his name and profession on his scrub cap to avoid mix-ups in the operating theatre.

'There were some side remarks, like "can't you remember your name?"' Dr Hackett said.

Six months since he first emblazoned his name and profession on his forehead, Dr Hackett revealed the idea had been embraced by surgical staff internationally.

Dr Rob Hackett (pictured), a Sydney based anaesthetist, decided to write his name and profession on his scrub cap to avoid mix-ups in the operating theatre

He said the idea, however small, reduced the chance of delays and miss-identification between colleagues wearing surgical scrubs in the operating room.

Dr Hackett said surgical staff often had their faces almost entirely obscured by scrubs and face masks.

He said the name tags prevented embarrassing situations.

'When you work across four or five hospitals and with hundreds of people, I'd say 75 per cent of staff I walk past I don't know their name. It's quite awkward,' Dr Hackett told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Alison Brindle (pictured), a UK student midwife, created the hashtag #TheatreCapChallenge

Dr Hackett (bottom centre) said surgical staff often had their faces almost entirely obscured by scrubs and face masks - and the name tags prevented delay

'When you work across four or five hospitals and with hundreds of people, I'd say 75 per cent of staff I walk past I don't know their name. It's quite awkward,' Dr Hackett said

'Last Friday I went to a cardiac arrest in a theatre where there were about 20 people in the room. I struggled to even ask to be passed some gloves because the person I was pointing to thought I was pointing to the person behind them.'

Most importantly, Dr Hackett said the name tags helped clinicians out in often-critical moments.

The anaesthetist said precious time was often lost when clinicians couldn't remember the names of other people in the operating room.

He also recalled incidents where medical students were mistaken for qualified surgeons, and asked to do something they weren't qualified to do.

The anaesthetist said precious time was often lost when clinicians couldn't remember the names of other people in the operating room (surgical staff pictured embracing the Theatre Cap Challenge

Since he started the movement, Dr Hackett said medical staff across the world had shared photos online showing their name and profession scrawled across their foreheads.

Medical staff, from surgeons to nurses and midwives, have taken to social media to share photos of themselves embracing the name tags.

The photos grew so popular the hashtag #TheatreCapChallenge was born.

Surgical staff from across Australia, the UK, US, South America and Europe have all embraced the challenge.
The mother of a Tennessee boy who became a viral sensation overnight in a video denouncing bullying has denied she is trying to make money from his plight.

Middle-schooler Keaton Jones was recorded in a video revealing his torment from being bullied at school went viral over the weekend.

A plethora of celebrities including Chris Evans, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Donald Trump Jr and LeBron James all took up his anti-bullying message, sharing the video with their huge social media followings.

However, many have taken pause due to two GoFundMe pages that were set up to allegedly help Keaton. One, which raised nearly $60,000 has since been shut down.

Many are questioning how useful donating is to stop the bullying and if Kimberly Jones was just trying to make a quick cash grab.

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Kimberly Jones (pictured), the mother of a Tennessee boy who became famous in a video denouncing bullying, denies she is trying to make money from his plight

Middle-schooler Keaton Jones (pictured, left and right) was recorded in a video revealing his torment from being bullied at school went viral over the weekend

'What did they do to you at lunch?' his mom asked. Keaton replied: 'Poured milk on me and put ham down my clothes. Threw bread at me'

Jones allegedly launched a PayPal account in the wake of her son's video going viral

On Monday, someone identifying themselves as Keaton's mom Kimberly Jones launched a PayPal account, which was announced on the Instagram account KimberlyJones_38, soliciting donations from well-wishers.

In response her daughter and Keaton's older sister, Lakyn, wrote on Twitter on Monday: 'The Instagram KimberlyJones_38 is NOT my mom. She has a private Instagram and hasn't talked to anyone. We haven't received any money and don't plan on it. The gofundme's [sic] aren't by any of us.'

Also on Monday, MMA fighter Joe Schilling took to his Instagram page and posted an exchange he had with the user @kimberlyjones_38, in which she called what happened to the middle-school 'an opportunity' for her son and noted that she is poor, 'not rich.'

Schilling said in an Instagram video (above) that he wanted to invite Keaton to an MMA fight but that Jones told him she just wanted money

'Whites sticking together': MMA fighter Joe Schilling shared this exchange with a social media user believed to be Kimberly Jones

Keaton's older sister, Lakyn, wrote on Twitter on Monday that the account was a fake and they have not set up any GoFundMe pages

When Schilling responded by accusing the woman of using her son's pain 'as a platform' and declaring that he was no longer interested in getting involved, the user replied: 'What happened to use whites sticking together and helping one of [sic] another against the predator?'

He explained that she allegedly told him, 'You know Christmas is coming and I'm a single mother, blah, blah, money's tight.'

Kimberly told Fox News that his claims are 'untrue' and said in an Instagram direct message 'I did not tell him that I would rather have donations instead of the help from celebrities.'

A GoFundMe page that had been set up for Keaton with nearly $60,000 has been shut down and is no longer accepting donations.

GoFundMe says it needs to contact Kimberly Jones, to ensure she's the beneficiary because the man who started the page doesn't know her. So far, the company has been unsuccessful in reaching her.

A second GoFundMe page, reportedly started by Ms Jones to solicit money for Keaton's Christmas gifts has been shut down due to fraud concerns, according to TMZ.

Kimberly (pictured, standing, center, with Keaton, left, and his sisters) denied MMA fighter Joe Schilling's claims that she asked him for money over getting a ticket go see an MMA fight

Jones also took to her Instagram account on Monday to defend herself against claims she is using her son's story for money. 'I love my kids: Ya'll people do not know me or my family' (Pictured, Keaton, center, with his sisters)

In the video recording, which Jones posted at her son's requested, as she claimed, Keaton tells his mother: 'Just out of curiosity, why do they bully? What's the point of it? Why do you find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them. It's not okay.'

His mother then asked: 'What did they say to you?'

'They make fun of my nose. They call me ugly. They say I have no friends,' Keaton answered as tears poured from his eyes.

'What did they do to you at lunch?' his mom asked.

Keaton replied: 'Poured milk on me and put ham down my clothes. Threw bread at me.'

In the video, Keaton said it's not just him, but others are bullied by kids at school.

'I don't like that they do it to me and I for sure don't like that they do it to other people because it's not okay,' he told his mother.

'People that are different, don't need to be criticized about it. It's not their fault. If you are made fun of just don't let it bother you. Stay strong I guess. It's hard.

Schilling (right) accused the woman of using her son's pain 'as a platform' and declaring that he was no longer interested in getting involved

Activist Tareeq Nasheed outed Kimberly Jones as what he called a 'suspected racist' on Twitter early Monday morning

'But it'll probably get better one day,' Keaton concluded.

His tearjerking video captured the hearts of more than 20 million viewers on Facebook after it was posted by his mother, who has since taken the original video down.

'For the record, Keaton asked to do this AFTER he had he me pick him up AGAIN because he was afraid to go to lunch,' his mother Kimberly wrote.

Jones is also under fire for some alleged posts on a personal Facebook page that has since been set to private. The mom of three is pictured posing with a Confederate flag in one snap, and another picture shows her son holding an American flag while another child holds the Confederate flag.

"I've taken that down for a reason,' Jones told Fox News of her Facebook page, without revealing what that reason is.

Jones also took to her Instagram account on Monday to defend herself against claims she is using her son's story for money.

'I love my kids: Ya'll people do not know me or my family,' Jones wrote. 'Did y'all know that my son Keaton was spit on in school, picked on by teachers, that supposed to be there for him??? I'm guessing y'all didn't because y'all wanna steady Judge me and say I'm using him for money that's false.'

The mom of three is pictured posing with a Confederate flag in one snap, and another picture shows her son holding an American flag while another child holds the Confederate flag (pictured)

Not mincing words: In August, Jones posted this scathing critique on her Facebook page

Greg Clay, the principal of Horace Maynard Middle School (pictured), where Keaton attends, said he wasn't aware of Jones being repeatedly bullied and that the incident described in the video had been resolved weeks ago

Greg Clay, the principal of Horace Maynard Middle School, where Keaton attends, said he wasn't aware of Jones being repeatedly bullied and that the incident described in the video had been resolved weeks ago.

'It's not as rampant as the video would have you believe,' Clay told USA Today. 'I can't tell you what was done, but I can tell you action was taken with the children.'

Clay said he wasn't aware of Jones being repeatedly bullied and that the incident described in the video had been resolved weeks ago.

'It's not as rampant as the video would have you believe,' Clay said. 'I can't tell you what was done, but I can tell you action was taken with the children.'

Some parents in the district say their children have been bullied to but that it's no worse than anywhere else.

LeAnn Ray, whose son is in seventh grade at Horace Maynard, said he faced a bullying problem last year. After reporting the incident to the school resource officer, 'the kid left him alone'.

Amanda Hensley, Jones's neighbor, said her daughter, now a junior in high school, also experienced bullying when she was at Horace Maynard a few years ago.

She said her daughter was picked on and called names for being overweight.

'They like to keep it hid over there,' Hensley said. 'Unless something like this comes out, they don't tell nothing.'
Binh Thai Luc has been found guilty of murdering five people in Ingleside, San Francisco in 2012

A jury Monday found a 41-year-old man guilty of five counts of murder in the 2012 killings of a family found beaten to death with a hammer inside their San Francisco home.

The jury returned the verdict against Binh Thai Luc, an illegal immigrant from Vietnam, on Monday after six days of deliberations.

Luc was also found guilty of five counts of attempted robbery and two counts of burglary.

According to Fox News he had a violent criminal history and had been due to be deported in 2006.

SF Gate reports that Luc, who was working as a plumber, did not react to the verdict.

He faces life in prison without parole; he had been eligible for the death penalty but the district attorney's office has not initiated such proceedings.

Luc, who was said to be deeply in debt and had already been served an eviction notice, was accused of killing the family in the midst of a robbery after losing money at a casino that night.

Prosecutors said the Lei family kept thousands of dollars in cash in the home, and Luc had more than $6,500 with him when he was arrested.

While no eyewitnesses placed Luc at the scene of the crime, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that blood from one of the victims was spattered on his jeans.

Luc, pictured in court in 2012, was found guilty of beating the five to death with a hammer. He was also found guilty of five counts of attempted robbery and two counts of burglary. He reportedly did not react to the verdict

He was found guilty of killing Hua Shun Lei, 65; his wife, Wan Yi Wu, 62; their daughter, Ying Xue Lei, 37; their son, Vincent Lei, 32; and his wife, Chia Huei Chu, 30.

Vincent Lei's 12-year-old niece discovered the carnage that morning and ran out of the home screaming: 'Mommy, bodies! Bodies!'

A witness later heard the girl's mother, Nicole Lei, on the phone, yelling hysterically: 'They took the money! The money is gone!' prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say that investigators could not figure out at first whether what took place was a quintuple murder or a murder-suicide.

Defense attorney Mark Goldrosen argued that someone else attacked the family, possibly a Chinatown gangster or former boyfriend of one of the victims.

Police investigators surbey the scene of the crime, which occurred on March 23, 2012

The Lei family, per the prosecution, kept thousands of dollars in the home and Luc was found with more than $6,500

He said prosecutors never established a motive for the grisly crime.

Luc served almost a decade in prison for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon for the 1996 armed robbery of a Chinese restaurant in San Jose.

He was ordered to be deported to his native Vietnam upon his release, but the Vietnamese government didn't provide the documents needed to process his removal from the U.S., federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement previously said.

ICE officials released him into the community in 2006.
A family were left baffled by a mystery creature they spotted during a fishing trip.

Fethi Ada and his family were wetting a line while fishing on the Hawkesbury River in Patonga, NSW, when they saw the creature in the water.

Mr Ada said he quickly got back inside his boat when the animal began to flap around.

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A family were left baffled by a mystery creature they spotted during a fishing trip

The 65-year-old told 7News that the creature appeared human, but he guessed that it's actually a seal.

'It looked human the way it lifted its head up,' he said.

'My brother threw some bait in and then it just got scared off.'

Fethi Ada and his family were wetting a line while fishing on the Hawkesbury River in Patonga, NSW, when they saw the creature in the water




A woman who was forced to walk naked down a street in Harlem in the middle of winter while being filmed by her jealous ex-boyfriend burst into tears on the stand on Monday as jurors watched the footage in shock.

'He grabbed my neck, and forced it really hard. I was losing breath,' the 25-year-old testified. The woman, whose name has been withheld said Jason Melo, 'tortured' her for two hours before he pushed her out into the cold and pulled out his cell phone to record her.

'He was saying many things, like I'm a whore, I could kill you right now, I'm capable of anything,' the woman told the court.

The ordeal lasted for several hours as Melo threatened to kill her after finding explicit texts from other men on her phone.

Melo, 26, also allegedly swung a heavy stone Buddha statue at her, as if he intended to bash her head in, while their two-month old daughter lay on the bed, just feet away.

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Jasson Melo took video of the 24-year-old woman walking around in a towel as he berated her in Spanish and can be seen yanking the towel off her as she desperately hurried to seek cover

The woman, whose name has been withheld said Jason Melo, 'tortured' her for two hours before he pushed her out into the cold and pulled out his cell phone to record her

Melo, 26, has been charged with coercion, assault, aggravated harassment, menacing, criminal obstruction of breathing and endangering the welfare of a child

'He said, you know what, you're gonna pay. You're gonna get naked and you're gonna go out on the street, and you're gonna pay,' she testified.

In the footage which was posted to Instagram and LiveLeak, Melo could be seen following the woman wrapped in a bath towel, down the block while he berated her in Spanish.

In the two-minute clip which was seen by jurors on Monday, Melo was seen pulling the towel away forcing her to stand between two parked cars in an attempt to cover her modesty.

Melo says: 'Take off your towel! Co-operate b***h. Show what you are, so pretty and so great. She's a tart. Let's go. Let's go. Say hi to the camera and say why you're doing this.

In the video a man, believed to be Melo, can be heard shouting at his girlfriend in Spanish calling her a 'w****' and a 'b****' while accusing her of texting other men

The woman, who is initially wearing a towel, is then stripped and made to walk around in the street while trying desperately to cover herself with the dust jacket from a motorcycle (right)

'Take off your towel and pay the price for the shame I feel after telling you how pretty you were and that I wanted to start a family with you, but it the meantime you were talking to seven other men.'

The woman retorts: 'But not to have sex with them.'

He then rips the towel from her, leaving her completely naked in the street, apart from a pair of boots. As she tried to hide between parked cars, he continued to hurl insults at her.

'Pay the price for your shame!' he bellowed at her. 'You're going to pay the price for being a whore. Since you're a whore, you're going to pay like a whore.'

Prosecutors said Melo sent the footage to various contacts on her phone and that it was posted online and went viral

Melo pictured listening to testimony from his ex-girlfriend in court. He allegedly tried to profit off his twisted fame by trying to sell merchandise with quotes from the degrading footage

'There, on the trash, exactly,' he sneered as she stopped by some trashcans. 'Pose with your trash.'

The woman eventually wrapped herself in a motorcycle cover while Melo continued to film.

Adding insult to injury, Melo later tried to sell merchandise based on the video, including t-shirts and hats bearing his quotes.

One flat-billed cap bore the phrase, 'Let's go, participa,' which Melo says in the video.

At the time of his arrest Melo defended his actions saying: 'I didn't hit her or anything. Even the detectives are here with me and some of them congratulated me because they see how happy she is and I didn't pull her hair or anything.

'Some of the other prisoners are also on my side and they say some of them would have done worse things.'

Meanwhile the woman he is accused of beating, who has not been identified, has revealed that she was scared of Melo.

She told Univision: 'He started threatening me, he threatened to slash my face.'

She said that since the incident occurred she has been hiding out in her apartment afraid while she takes care of her newborn daughter.
A British banker jailed for life for the horrifying murder of two Indonesian women at his upscale Hong Kong apartment in a cocaine-fuelled rampage appealed against his conviction Tuesday.

Rurik Jutting tortured Sumarti Ningsih, 23, for three days before slashing her throat with a serrated knife and stuffing her body into a suitcase.

Days later, and with Ningsih's corpse on his balcony, the Cambridge University graduate picked up Seneng Mujiasih, 26, for the same purpose, and killed her when she started screaming.

Murderer: Jutting, seen here in 2015, was found guilty of murder in what the judge at the time described as killings that were 'sickening in the extreme'

Jutting, now 32, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but was found guilty of murder.

The judge at the time, Michael Stuart-Moore, describing the killings as 'sickening in the extreme'.

However, Jutting's defence team claims the murder verdict is wrong, and that judge Stuart-Moore had told the jury to look for a mental 'disorder' rather than just 'abnormalities of the mind'.

Defence lawyer Gerard McCoy argued the judge had wrongly told the jury to look for mental 'disorders' rather than the broader spectrum of 'abnormality of the mind'.

'Abnormality of mind need not be a disorder,' Defence lawyer Gerard McCoy told a Hong Kong High Court Tuesday.

Killer: Jutting tortured and killed Sumarti Ningsih, 23, and Seneng Mujiasih, 26, in 2014

'The judge has wrongly and prescriptively directed the jury that they should look for disorders because disorders are what is an abnormality of mind,' he added.

The defence team during the trial had argued that Jutting's mental responsibility had been substantially affected by heavy alcohol and cocaine use as well as sexual sadism and narcissistic personality disorders.

Not all four medical experts who testified agreed that Jutting's behaviour met the criteria for a 'disorder' in all four areas, said McCoy.

However, they did all find that Jutting was suffering from an abnormality of mind because he had impaired mental functioning, he added.

'The ground of appeal is the judge wrongly directed the jury as to the true meaning of abnormality of the mind,' McCoy argued Tuesday afternoon.

Jutting's defence team argues that his mental responsibility had been substantially affected by alcohol and cocaine use as well as sexual sadism and narcissistic personality disorders

'All four experts agreed there were four concurrent abnormalities of the mind,' he added.

'That's what the jury should have been asked: did those four functionings constitute an abnormality of the mind?'

Jutting was alert and taking notes in court Tuesday, dressed in a blue shirt and wearing dark-rimmed glasses, at one point smiling and talking with the guards in the dock.

In the gruelling ten-day trial last October and November, the jury heard how Jutting became obsessed with slavery, rape and torture - fantasies he acted out on his first victim, Ningsih.

The jury was forced to watch iPhone footage of parts of the attack as well as Jutting's own self-recorded descriptions of how he had used pliers, sex toys and a belt during the killing.

He then went on to murder his second victim, Mujiasih, slashing her throat in his living room.

At the end of the trial, Stuart-Moore said Jutting had known what he was doing and described him as an 'archetypal sexual predator' who presented an extreme danger to women.

The hearing continued Tuesday.
Couple deny she was a slave and mistreating her saying 'all her needs were met'

Husband and wife Kandasamy and Kumuthini Kannan have each been charged

locked in a house and kept as a domestic slave for two years

A woman allegedly enslaved by a Melbourne couple was at times beaten with a frozen chicken, had boiling water thrown on her legs and hot tea splashed in her face, a court has been told.

Kandasamy and Kumuthini Kannan have each been charged with possessing a slave between July 2007 and July 2015, exercising ownership over a slave, and harbouring an unlawful non-citizen.

On Tuesday, the Kannans faced day two of a five-day pre-trial committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to determine if their case will go to trial.

Kumuthini Kannan (pictured) and her husband Kandasamy have each been charged with possessing a slave between July 2007 and July 2015

Kandasamy (pictured) and his wife Kumuthini Kannan have each been charged with exercising ownership over a slave, and harbouring an unlawful non-citizen

During the hearing, the woman said she was told to stay silent at family gatherings and temple visits or risk being beaten.

'More than 10 times I've been beaten and stomped and I've had poured hot water as well,' the woman told the court through a Tamil Nadu interpreter.

'They treated me very badly. They beat me several times. I was beaten, once I was hit with a plate on the head ... I was also cut by a knife on my wrists.

'Twice boiling hot water was poured on my legs. Hot tea has been thrown on my face a few times.'

The woman said she spoke to Mr Kannan (pictured with his wife) for help, but he simply responded 'just don't talk back to her'

On Tuesday, the Kannans faced day two of a five-day pre-trial committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court

The woman told the court the woman had beaten her with a frozen chicken.

'Yes she did (and) she pushed me,' she said.

The woman said she spoke to Mr Kannan for help, but he simply responded 'just don't talk back to her'.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she wanted to return to India but that she also wanted to get her 'dues'.

She said the Kannans' treatment of her deteriorated in the last two to three years that she lived with them.

The hearing continues.
A Caribbean honeymoon nearly turned into a medical nightmare when a newlywed bride was almost mauled by a shark.

Sarah Illig said that she's lucky to still have her arm after she went swimming with the predators as part of a resort attraction at her hotel.

'I felt a whoosh of water, something clamped down on my arm and I assumed my husband was playing a prank on me.'

Sarah Illig (Pictured) said that she's lucky to still have her arm after a shark bit into her arm

Illig said that she's lucky to still have her arm following the incident, which occurred while she was on her honeymoon in the Caribbean

Footage of the incident captured by her husband, Evan Carroll, shows Illig recoil almost immediately in pain, swimming away as quickly as possible from the marine animal.

Evan Carroll (pictured) and his new bride were married last month

'Less than a second later I realized how much it hurt and looked past where my goggles were blocking my side vision to see the shark (bigger than myself) latched on to my arm.'

'I pulled away and got out of there,' she added.

Carroll, who works as a real estate agent in Charleston, South Carolina, posted pictures of the bloody aftermath to social media on Monday, showing where the predator had sunk its teeth.

Illig later posted the footage captured on camera to her Facebook and Instagram, appearing to take the incident in stride.

'Ended the honeymoon with a bang (bite),' she wrote, adding 'Check out the surprise and very rare nurse shark bite in the video and don't forget the volume to hear the crunchhhhh.'

Her husband, Evan Caroll, captured the attack on camera, which shows Illig recoil in pain

The sharks are a popular attraction at a number of Caribbean resorts and rarely bite humans unless provoked

Friends and curious spectators almost immediately posted questions to the shark-bitten bride, with one person asking if she lost any skin.

'Yes! If we were home we would have gotten some stitches but it worked out not getting them!,' Illig wrote.

'Only had a bunch of flesh wounds along my arm. We were worried about staph or another infection but it's healing great!'

She added: 'So glad we did (film it) because no one would believe it!! Scared the heckkkkk out of me!

'Evan had the GoPro under water filming and couldn't even tell it happened since he was above water!'

The sharks, according to The Sun, are a popular attraction at a number of Caribbean resorts, with attacks considered to be an extremely rare occurrence unless provoked.

Illig had swum with the predators during an earlier leg of the honeymoon, posting pictures of the herself beside three of the massive sharks alongside a yacht.

Nurse sharks are not known to be predatory towards human and are not listed in the top five most dangerous species, The Sun reported.
Steve Bannon channeled Ivanka Trump as he knocked establishment enemies at a rally supporting Alabama Senate hopeful Roy Moore Monday evening.

'Mitch McConnell and Senator Shelby, and Condi Rice and all that, Little Bobby Corker, all the establishment out there, all that establishment every day, that doesn't have Trump's back at all,' Bannon said, listing members of the Republican Party who wouldn't back Moore.

'There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better,' Bannon said.

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon went after his establishment enemies on Monday night, as many of them didn't back GOP Senate hopeful Roy Moore - who was accused of preying on teenage girls

Steve Bannon used similar phrasing to how Ivanka Trump condemned Roy Moore, who Bannon was campaigning for. Ivanka said: 'There's a special place in hell for people who prey on children'

Bannon's phrasing had a similar ring to what Ivanka Trump said when she heard the teen predator allegations against Moore, which has tripped up the Republican's Senate bid in the bright red state ever since.

'Theres a special place in hell for in hell for people who prey on children,' the first daughter, and a top adviser to the president, said then.

Bannon was brought in Monday night as one of many opening acts for the final bow Moore would take before voters had to the polls on Tuesday.

He used his time, mainly, to talk up the Trump agenda, with the suggestion that Moore comfortably sitting in the Senate would help the president get more things done.

Mitch McConnell (pictured in 2014) was one of the Republican figures skewered by Bannon during the speech

Bannon also blasted Senator Richard Selby (right), who said he would refuse to vote to Moore

People attend a campaign rally for Republican Senatorial candidate Roy Moore at Jordan's Activity Barn yesterday in Midland City

'I love doing barn rallies in Alabama,' a delighted Bannon said as he got onstage.

The venue was a barn used for weddings, not for livestock, with large crystal chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceilings. Outside organizers had built a fake 'swamp,' which they loaded with plastic creatures like alligators and frogs.

'It's an up or down vote tomorrow,' Bannon said. 'Between the Trump miracle and the nullification project.'

Bannon gave Trump full credit for the strong economy as the crowd cheered him on.

'Look at what economic nationalism has done,' Bannon said.

Throughout his nearly 30 minute speech he used some of Trump's oldies, but goodies and outlined who the crowd shouldn't like.

'Lock her up!' he said at one point, a rallying cry used against the president's 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

'I love doing barn rallies in Alabama,' a delighted Bannon said as he got onstage to support Moore (pictured)

'Sen. Sessions are you listening?' Bannon asked.

It's the Senate seat that Sessions, now the attorney general, gave up that Moore and Democrat Doug Jones are now vying for.

Beyond Clinton, Bannon went after a number of members of his own party, expressing resentment that they butted in to the Alabama race.

'This should be an absolute blow-out except for what they did to Judge Moore,' Bannon said of his fellow Republicans. 'They couldn't stand being beaten in the first round.'

The candidate of choice for Mitch McConnell-aligned Republicans was Sen. Luther Strange, appointed to take the Senate seat of now Attorney Jeff Sessions.

Moore, however, bested Strange in the September primary by about 10 points.

Since then, despite allegations against Moore from women who say he preyed on them as teens, President Trump has endorsed him.

Other Republicans have spoken out or stayed away from the race, with Shelby, the state's other Republican senator, stating Sunday that he had turned in a write-in vote, as he couldn't place his support behind Moore.

Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush's secretary of state and a native Alabaman, said that she understood the state needed 'an independent voice in Washington.'

'But we must also insist that our representatives are dignified, decent, and respectful of the values we hold dear,' she said.

Bannon warned that these Republicans weren't listening to Alabama voters.

'They're trying to shut you up,' he said.

The former White House chief strategist also had a bigger warning, for President Trump.

'What they want him for is that corporate tax cut, that's all they want him for,' Bannon said the establishment wanted from the current Oval Office occupant.

'As soon as they get that tax cut, watch what happens,' the former White House official warned.
A Florida college professor fired after publicly saying the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut was a hoax has lost a lawsuit claiming he was wrongfully terminated.

Local news outlets report that a federal jury on Monday sided with Florida Atlantic University against former communications professor James Tracy.

The jury only took three hours to deliberate and unanimously sided with the university in Boca Raton, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

The school contended Tracy was fired last year not because of his blog posts about the Sandy Hook school shooting but because he violated rules regarding reporting of outside work.

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Former communications professor James Tracy filed a wrongful termination suit against Florida Atlantic University; he claimed his termination constituted a violation of his free speech. He has lost his lawsuit

Tracy was fired after posting on his blog about his theories that the Sandy Hook massacre, in which 20 children and six adults were killed, was a hoax

Florida Atlantic University said that Tracy was fired due to his repeated failure to report the work he did outside of his professorship. Attorneys for the school also say that he used his professorship as a platform to advance his blog

The school said that he repeatedly did not disclose such work in mandatory forms.

An attorney for the school said Tracy used his professorship as a platform to advance his blog.

'The school wasnt his priority,' the attorney told the Sentinel. 'Thats not what its supposed to be about.'

The school's attorneys also argued that Tracy did not do enough to distance his personal opinions from the school on his blog.

Tracy, 52, claimed his firing violated his free speech rights.

He wrote on his blog that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax by the government to impose tougher gun control.

Tracy had feuded via his writings with Veronique and Lenny Pozner (Veronique pictured with an unknown man at left). Their six-year-old son, Noah (right), died in the Sandy Hook massacre

Adam Lanza went to Sandy Hook elementary school on December 14, 2012 and killed 26 people and himself

He wrote a chapter on a book called Nobody Died at Sandy Hook: It Was a FEMA Drill to Promote Gun Control.

He publicly feuded with Lenny and Veronique Pozner, whose six-year-old son, Noah, was killed in the massacre.

Tracy sought reinstatement to his position, back pay and damages.

One of his attorneys reportedly at reporters while exiting the courthouse, WPTV reports.

He said: 'Shame on you. Shame on you Fake News....Get out of here. Presstitutes.'

Tracy had received tenure in 2008 and was a professor at the university from 2002 until 2016.

Twenty children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook in 2012.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer will be writing a book about his time under the Trump administration.

On Monday evening, Spicer revealed to Fox News' Sean Hannity that the book, called The Briefing - set to be released on July 23 of next year - will share details from Spicer's tenure as press secretary.

He also claimed that it will hit back at the news media for its 'rampant hostility' towards President Trump.

'This isn't about White House gossip. I can tell you from first-hand experience of the rampant hostility President Trump faces daily from the mainstream press, and I want the American people to have an opportunity to hear the truth they won't hear from mainstream media,' Spicer said.

'I look forward to sharing my stories and setting the record straight.'

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer (pictured, July 2017) will be writing a book about his time under the Trump administration to be released on July 23 of next year called The Briefing

According to Spicer, the book will share details from Spicer's tenure as press secretary and hit the news media for its 'rampant hostility' towards President Trump (pictured, left, with Spicer, right, January 2017)

Spicer announced his resignation in July following a tempestuous tenure - six months after Trump took office - after it was announced that Anthony Scaramucci would be head of White House communications.

In response to his decision, Trump said that he was 'grateful' for Spicer's work and 'wish[ed] him continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities.'

Scaramucci himself resigned 10 days later. Spicer was replaced by Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Now, Spicer said he has decided 'it is incumbent' that he share his account of the time he spent serving under Trump.

'I've decided that it is incumbent upon me to set the record straight and give people a real understanding of what happened through each of those crucial points in our history,' he told Sean Hannity on Monday night.

Spicer (pictured, September 2017) announced his resignation in July following a tumultuous tenure - six months after Trump took office - after it was announced that Anthony Scaramucci would be head of White House communications

Regnery Publishing, which is releasing the book, advertises it as taking 'shedding new light on the headline-grabbing controversies of the Trump administration's first year' (Pictured left to right: Trump, then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence, then-senior advisor Steve Bannon, then-Press Secretary Sean Spicer and then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, January 2017)

The memoir is being released by conservative publisher Regnery Publishing, which advertises the book as taking 'readers behind the scenes of his turbulent tenure as President Trump's press secretary, shedding new light on the headline-grabbing controversies of the Trump administration's first year'.

'Regnery is the perfect home for Sean Spicer to tell his story,' Marji Ross, president of Regnery, told The Washington Examiner.

'Sean shares our mission to shine light on the stories the mainstream media won't cover, and we are honored to partner with him on this project.'

Regnery publishes prominent conservative authors including Ann Coulter and Dinesh D'Souza.
An American soldier has died as a result of injuries sustained during a vehicle incident in eastern Afghanistan, the US military has said.

Two other American service members were injured in the incident, which took place in eastern Nangarhar province on Monday, a statement released by the US forces on Tuesday said.

According to the statement, the US forces were not in contact with enemy forces at the time. It said the injured soldiers are receiving medical treatment.

An American soldier has died and two others were injured during a vehicle incident in eastern Nangarhar province on Monday, the US military has said. Pictured above, an aerial view of Nangarhar

US troops have supported their Afghan counterparts in the Nangarhar province for nearly two years in a battle against an Islamic State affiliate

The statement added that US Gen John Nicholson, commander of the US troops in Afghanistan, expressed his deepest sympathies and prayers to the families and friends of the fallen and injured service members.

'We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own,' said Nicholson. 'Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with the families and friends of our fallen and injured comrades.'

It provides no further information. The military did not identify the dead service member, as the Pentagon usually waits to notify a person's next of kin.

US troops have supported their Afghan counterparts in the Nangarhar province for nearly two years in a battle against an Islamic State affiliate, according to Stars and Stripes.

The noncombat death marks the fourth such death of US troops in Afghanistan this year. Eleven US service-members have died as a result of combat incidents.
A second person has been charged over last week's brawl in Perth that saw 17-year-old Jacob Cummins run down and killed by a car and two other people stabbed.

A 35-year-old Canning Vale man was arrested Monday night and charged with unlawful wounding and intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Dozens of people, mostly from two groups of teenagers, brawled at several places across the city's southern suburbs last Thursday following an organised fight between two youths.

A 35-year-old Canning Vale man was arrested Monday night and charged with unlawful wounding and intent to cause grievous bodily harm over a stabbing at Livingstone Marketplace McDonald in Perth (pictured)

He is the second person to be charged over brawls that saw 17-year-old Jacob Cummins (pictured) later run down and killed by a car

The groups were allegedly involved in an incident at a park, before it spilled over to a fast food restaurant at Livingstone Marketplace.

The Canning Vale man charged on Tuesday was allegedly involved in fights outside the McDonald's, where two youths were stabbed.

A deadly car rampage took place less than an hour later when a 20-year-old woman allegedly ploughed her car into a group on Eucalyptus Boulevard.

Aya Hishmeh has been charged with murder, accused of deliberately running down Mr Cummins and four other youths with her vehicle.

The 17-year-old teenager died at the scene and was farewelled days later at Scarborough Beach by around 100 people.

The 35-year-old man is due to appear in the Armadale Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Aya Hishmeh, 20, (pictured) has been charged with murder over an incident an hour after the stabbing at McDonalds, accused of deliberately running down Mr Cummins and four other youths with her vehicle
Australian Muslims should not refuse to stand in court and should take off burkas to give evidence, Islamic leaders say.

Senior Muslims said there was no legal reason followers should not respect judges and show their faces, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The Australian National Imams Council suggested there was no religious reason why Muslim women should not cover uncover their faces in Australian courts - and that doing so would not breach Sharia law.

Australian Muslims have been told there is no legal reason why they should refuse to stand before a judge a year after Moutia Elzahed (pictured) was charged for refusing to stand

The Australian National Imams Council suggested there was no religious reason why Muslim women should not cover uncover their faces in Australian courts as it's a sign of respect

'Standing up for the magistrate or judge is a sign of respect to the court,' the Explanatory Note on the Judicial Process and Participation of Muslims said.

'This sign of respect is also reflected in the teaching of Islam.'

Using a woman's face for identifiable purposes is needed in court and the imams said it was 'not contrary to sharia law' for a Muslim woman to uncover her face, according to the publication.

The statements come after Muslim wife of a convicted terrorist, Moutia Elzahed, was charged for refusing to stand before a court.

District Court Judge Audrey Balla refused to let Ms Elzahed testify unless she showed her face and was later ordered to pay $250,000 in legal costs.

Judge Balla ruled she couldn't assess Ms Elzahed's credibility as a witness without seeing her face, who wore a niqab, covering her entire body except her eyes.

'Standing up for the magistrate or judge is a sign of respect to the court,' the Explanatory Note on the Judicial Process and Participation of Muslims said

Ms Elzahed (pictured) was the first person charged under the new disrespectful behaviour laws, which came into place in September 2016

While Judge Balla offered Ms Elzahed to give evidence remotely or to have a closed court, she declined.

Ms Elzahed was the first person charged under the new disrespectful behaviour laws, which came into place in September 2016.

Daily Mail Australia contacted The Australian National Imams Council for comment.
North Korea has claimed that its leader Kim Jong-un can control the weather after the dictator was pictured at the summit of a 9,000ft mountain.

The tyrant was shown wandering around under clear blue skies on Mount Paektu near the border with China - having apparently scaled it in shiny black shoes and formal clothing.

His achievement was lauded by state-controlled Korean Central News Agency which also claimed the fine weather was a result of the chubby 33-year-old's ability to control the weather.

North Korea has claimed that its leader Kim Jong-un can control the weather after the dictator was pictured at the summit of a 9,000ft mountain (above)

The tyrant was shown wandering around under clear blue skies on Mount Paektu near the border with China - having apparently scaled it in shiny black shoes and formal clothing

Conditions are usually inhospitable during December, the agency claimed, but when Kim made his ascent, it was a 'marvelous scene with glee at the reappearance of its great master.' At the top, the mountain showed 'fine weather unprecedented.'

KCNA then paid tribute to the man 'who controls the nature.'

Last night, a South Korean government insider claimed that Kim's latest propaganda stunt may be an indication he is planning to execute a top official.

Such visits to the mystical mountain often precede important decisions by North Korean leaders.

In November 2013, the despot visited the mountain with his aides a month before he executed top officials including Jang Song-thaek, his uncle and political guardian.

Kim visited the mountain again in April 2015, before executing Hyon Yong-chol, a former defense chief.

He had also made a pilgrimage after North Korea's fifth nuclear test in September 2016

His achievement was lauded by state-controlled Korean Central News Agency which also claimed the fine weather was a result of the chubby 33-year-old's ability to control the weather

Pictures show Kim wandering around on the snow-capped mountain with hardly a bead of sweat and wearing spotless and shiny shoes. Kim made a trip to the summit after North Korea's fifth nuclear test in September 2016.

'[Kim Jong-un's father] Kim Jong-il did the same, he visited the mountain right before announcing in 1974 his list of 10 social decorum,' said a South Korean government insider.

'Kim also visited the mountain just before executing Kim Tong-kyu, then-senior official for international affairs, in 1977,' they added.

Mount Paektu has been decreed as the 'sacred' birthplace of the secretive state's first dictator, Kim's grandfather.

Pictures released by the regime show Kim in the snowon 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.

It is reputedly the birthplace of the earliest Korean leader ever recorded, Dangun, who according to legend founded the early kingdom of Gojoseon in 2333BC.

The mountain is believed to be the site of the deadliest volcano eruption in history and there are fears it may erupt again as a result of North Korea's nuclear weapons testing.

A thousand years ago it exploded so violently that ash fell as far away as northern Japan.
Australian shopping giant Westfield has been taken over by a cashed-up European corporation in a deal worth $32.8 billion.

Westfield, owned by businessman Sir Frank Lowy, accepted the multi-billion dollar bid from French retail group Unibail-Rodamco 64 years after it was founded in Sydney.

Recently knighted chairman Sir Lowy along with his co-executive sons Steven and Peter are set to vote in favour of the spectacularly high-priced deal, but it will mean nothing to Australian shoppers.

Scroll down for video

Westfield, owned by businessman Sir Frank Lowy, accepted the multi-billion dollar bid from French retail group Unibail-Rodamco 64 years after it was founded in Sydney

Recently knighted chairman Sir Lowy (pictured) along with his co-executive sons Steven and Peter are set to vote in favour of the spectacularly high-priced deal, but it will mean nothing to Australian shoppers

Unibail-Rodamco will take over ASX-listed Westfield and transform it into an international property giant with 104 centres across 27 retail markets around the globe, Nine News reports.

'What a privilege it has been to lead this great Australian company,' an 87-year-old Sir Lowy said in a video statement.

'We started small, but we took Westfield to the world.'

Sir Lowy and his sons intend to maintain a financial stake in the newly combined entity.

Sir Frank Lowy (pictured on screen) addressed a press event with his son Steven (pictured)

Unibail-Rodamco will take over ASX-listed Westfield and transform it into an international property giant with 104 centres across 27 retail markets around the globe

The Slovakia-born businessman said it made sense to sell now because it was a 'very good price' for shareholders, but acknowledged that the sale partly reflected the global trend of consolidation and the pressures on retailers.

'It seems like a good strategic rationale, given the synergies, and it will create the leading mall operator globally,' said Sydney CLSA analyst Sholto Maconochie.

The deal comes only days after Sir Lowy received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle.

Frank Lowy and his business partner John Saunders founded Westfield in Sydney in 1953.

Sir Lowy will retire as chairman of Westfield but will chair the advisory board of the new company, while his sons will remain in leadership roles.

Frank Lowy (On screen) and his business partner John Saunders founded Westfield in Sydney in 1953
Donald Trump will come to Britain next year despite anger over his far-right retweets, the US ambassador to London said today.

Woody Johnson admitted that the public spat with Theresa May meant 'some feathers were ruffled'.

But he said the leaders still had a 'very very good relationship' and he believed the visit would still happen.

The row erupted last month when the US President retweeted three anti-Muslim videos posted by the Britain First group.

Plans are thought to be in hand for the US president (pictured at the White House yesterday) to make a 'working visit' to London within months to open the new American embassy

Theresa May invited Mr Trump for a state visit when she went to Washington in January,

One claimed to show a 'Muslim migrant' beating up a Dutch boy on crutches. Dutch authorities have insisted the alleged migrant was born and raised in the country and his religion is unknown.

Mr Trump also retweeted a video of a Muslim man 'destroy(ing) a statue of Virgin Mary', and another where Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen - who has previously been convicted of religiously aggravated harassment - to wrote: 'Islamist mob pushed teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!' The provenance of the footage is unknown.

Mr Trump's actions drew cold fury from across the political spectrum in the UK, with fresh calls for his State Visit invite - extended by Mrs May on behalf of the Queen in Washington in January - to be withdrawn.

The PM insisted retweeting Britain First was the 'wrong thing to do', and said she would not hesitate to tell Mr Trump when she disagreed with him.

But in the worst public clashes between US and UK leaders in memory, Mr Trump doubled down by demanding that Mrs May focus on tackling 'Islamic Terrorism' in Britain rather than criticising him.

Downing Street has said Mrs May wants to speak to the US president by telephone, but weeks later the call has still not taken place.

Despite the row, plans are thought to be in hand for the US president to make a 'working visit' within months to open the new American embassy in London.

The first video President Trump posted depicted 'Muslim migrant' according to Jayda Fransen, beating up a 'Dutch boy on crutches'

Mr Trump fired back at the PM by saying she should concentrate on 'Radical Islamic Terrorism taking place in the UK' and not his Twitter activity. Twitter users were also quick to point out that the president initially tagged the wrong Theresa in his message

US ambassador Woody Johnson admitted that the public spat with Theresa May meant 'some feathers were ruffled'

It is conceived as a pared-back trip, rather than a red carpet occasion.

Ministers have admitted they are 'deeply uncomfortable' about the prospect of him coming to the UK.

Asked about the visit, US ambassador Mr Johnson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Absolutely, I think he will come...

'It hasn't been officially announced but I hope he does. Because this building has to be dedicated.'

Mr Johnson said that the row over the retweets had 'probably been misinterpreted'.

He went on: 'I think the way I would look at it and I think the way he looks at it is - security is his number one oath when he took the oath of office, it's protecting Americans, it's protecting Americans here and the US, that's number one, and that's my number one as well.

'And so if you look at the context of that, that's what he's trying to do.

'Is he perfect and appeasing everybody?

'He wants to protect Americans and he's doing his best to do that, he's not going to go down the path of a lot of politicians and maybe be namby-pamby about it.'

Mr Johnson dismissed the idea that there were damaging tensions with Mrs May.

'I think it's a very very good relationship,' he said.

'The prime minister was his first visitor, the first official foreign leader to visit. And that was done by intent.'

No10 said no date for a working visit had been fixed.
Sophia Brogan-Higgins, pictured, has been spared jail for smashing a glass in a reveller's faces at The Box cabaret club in Soho

A catwalk model who glassed a security guard and slapped a police officer after she was denied entry to the VIP area of a club has been spared jail and allowed to fly to Cape Town, with a judge adding she 'hopes the trip goes really well'.

Sophia Brogan-Higgins, 22, smashed a glass into Justina Liutkute's forehead at Box Nightclub, which has been popular with Prince Harry, Kate Moss, Emma Watson and Keira Knightley in the past.

Brogan-Higgins then kicked and slapped PC Alistair Skelton before she was dragged away from the scene at around 4am.

Judge Susan Baines handed her a 20-week suspended sentence to allow her to go to South Africa to work for a charity.

She said: 'I hope the trip to South Africa goes really well and sets you off on a good path.'

The judge added: 'It is very sad to see someone like you in front of court for the offences that I heard about at the trial.

'Obviously I had the ability to see the CCTV footage and it was of great concern what I saw because you were completely out of control on the night.

'The situation for people who were simply doing their jobs is unacceptable - your behaviour was simply not acceptable.

'I am obviously prepared to accept that you have obvious mental health issues, had the court found that the assault was a deliberate, intentional assault you would be going straight to prison because she could have been injured very seriously.

'I am going to impose a custodial sentence, 20 weeks suspended for a year.

'I can tell from what I have read about you that you are an intelligent person, now I hope that you reflect on your behaviour because it is very serious.'

The catwalk model, left and right, also attacked a police officer at the venue before she was dragged from the scene at around 4am

Brogan-Higgins' defence barrister Andrew Moxon had asked for a sentence which would allow her to fly off to Cape Town where she will be working for an animal charity.

'She is due to do that work for two and a half weeks and her family will be going out to South Africa to join her, her father works in Dubai and they felt this was an opportunity for them all to meet halfway.

'If she was required to do an RAR [Rehabilitation Activity Requirement], the issue would be that tag wouldn't work in South Africa.

'What I am being told by the probation officer is that if you impose this order on her then it would begin immediately and she would be expected to do an induction course within the next three days.'

The former private schoolgirl - educated at 12,190-a-term St Edward's School in Oxford - lives in an eight bed detached home worth 6.75m in Wandsworth, with her wealthy parents William and Joanna Brogan-Higgins.

She was convicted of assaulting Ms Liutkute and PC Skelton after a short trial at Hammersmith magistrates' court last month.

Ms Liutkute had told the model she 'was not allowed in a certain VIP area' at the Box Nightclub.

The court heard Brogan-Higgins, left outside court and right, went 'out of control' after being refused access to a VIP area in the nightclub

Brogan-Higgins told the security guard: 'Bitch, you don't know how to do your job, don't touch me because it's like sexual harassment.'

Ms Liutkute, 33, started escorting Brogan-Higgins out of the club when suddenly without warning, she punched the victim in the face holding a glass.

In a statement she said: 'The lady tried to throw a punch at my face with the hand that she was holding the glass in. She thrusted it with real force.'

Ms Liutkute received first aid for a two-inch wound above her left eye and took two weeks off work after she was stitched up in hospital.

Brogan-Higgins was then detained by three male security guards and taken into a holding room where she continued to lash out.

Prosecutor Umar Ali said: 'PC Skelton located Higgins within the club and asked Higgins to give an account of what happened.

'Higgins refused to make any comment until her dad arrived. PC Skelton noticed dried blood on Higgins hands and left forearm.

'Higgins would not respond as to where the marks had come from. Higgins then accused PC Skelton of being rude to her.

'PC Skelton then noticed Higgins picks up a packet of wet wipes and took one from the packet.

'Suspecting Higgins might try to wipe off the areas of dried blood PC Skelton took hold of her forearms to stop her.

'Higgins then started struggling and without warning kicked PC Skelton in the stomach followed by a slap to his face.'

Brogan-Higgins was spared jail to allow her to fly to South Africa to work for an animal charity, with the judge 'wishing her well'

PC Skelton told the court: 'She kicked me, she struck me in the lower abdomen.

'What I remember is I grabbed hold of her leg and then she struck me in the face with her right hand in a slapping motion.'

PC Skelton's body camera filmed Brogan-Higgins kicking and screaming on the floor and telling officers 'you're hurting me' as she was arrested.

The officer said: 'She picked up a wipe, she's holding it in front of her body, she has blood on her hands and on her arms so I thought it was most likely what was going to happen.

'My opinion was that she was trying to wipe her hands and destroy what could be forensic evidence.'

Brogan-Higgins denied assaulting Ms Liutkute and told the court: 'All I can remember is that I felt scared of her being close to me, I would never want to hurt someone I just needed some space.

'I do not remember ever touching her face, it would be completely out of character for me to ever touch someone's face.'

She also denied assaulting PC Skelton and said: 'I did not mean to kick him or hurt him. I wasn't trying to hurt physically, I just needed to get him away from me.

'I wasn't in a fit state, I think he could clearly see that because I had been drinking and I had been in a nightclub and I was having a panic attack.'

Brogan-Higgins lost false nails from her hand and was left with blood on her hands after the altercation.

She was convicted of assault by beating and assaulting a police constable in execution of his duty last month.

Earlier the judge said she took the time to review the CCTV footage and was 'satisfied' that

Brogan-Higgins was acting aggressively and became enraged at being refused entry.

'There is no evidence to suggest that Ms Liutkute was pushing or shoving the defendant.

'I am persuaded that Ms Liutkute was attacked and I find the defendant was not remorseful in the slightest.

'I do not accept that the defendant was acting in self-defence - I am satisfied that the glass did strike Ms Liutkute and caused the injury prescribed.'

Brogan-Higgins, left and right, was also ordered to pay 250 compensation to glassing victim Justina Liutkute and 50 to PC Alistair Skelton

Brogan-Higgins did not accept that she was intoxicated and described, on a scale of one to 10 that she was a 'six or a seven drunk.'

But the judge added that she was confident that Brogan-Higgins 'continued to struggle' when she was lawfully arrested by PC Skelton.

Brogan-Higgins appeared in the dock at Westminster magistrates' court wearing a smart black skirt suit, grey roll-neck, black overcoat and a gold banded belt.

Brogan-Higgins must pay 250 compensation to Ms Liutkute, 50 to PC Skelton and costs of 920.

She was also ordered to serve 100 hours unpaid work, a 15 day rehab activity requirement and banned from the Box Nightclub for six months.

The case comes just two months after another posh beauty was spared a custodial sentence by a judge who ruled she was 'too clever for jail.'

Lavinia Woodward - an Oxford medical student who hoped to become a surgeon - admitted stabbing her Tinder lover Thomas Fairclough but escaped with a suspended sentence.

It has emerged that Woodward is now appealing her sentence.
A former Solomon Islands flight attendant who was convicted of trying to groom a 14-year-old girl online has been spared time behind bars.

Samuel Terrence Rova was handed a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, in Brisbane Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, after he plead guilty to trying to groom a child under 16.

The 37-year-old was arrested in July at Brisbane International Airport following five lengthy and 'sexually inquisitive' conversations on adult dating website Badoo with an officer posing as an underage girl.

Former Solomon Islands flight attendant, Samuel Terrence Rova (pictured), who was convicted of trying to groom a 14-year-old girl online, has been spared time behind bars

Rova's lawyer Bruce Peters slammed the behaviour of investigators however, lashing out at Queensland police and saying their treatment of his client 'smacks of entrapment'.

'It is just what I would call, on behalf of the Queensland Police, a misogynist wet dream,' Mr Peters said.

'To indicate that Queensland youth, in particular young girls, are willing to prostitute themselves on adult websites, lie, falsify identification and lose their virginities to foreigners.

'It's an insult to the community the way that they've set this up.'

The Brisbane Magistrates Court heard the girl had advertised herself as being 18 but revealed her younger age and that she was still in school when she first spoke to Rova.

'Can you keep a secret ... I'm only 14,' the girl said.

The 37-year-old was arrested in July at Brisbane International Airport (pictured) following five lengthy and 'sexually inquisitive' conversations on adult dating website Badoo with an officer posing as an underage girl

He was handed a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, in Brisbane Magistrate's Court (pictured) on Tuesday, after he plead guilty to trying to groom a child under 16

The court also heard the girl repeatedly told Rova she was only 14, however he continued to say 'graphic things' to her and sent a photo of himself in his underwear.

He also made a request to meet the girl for 'sexual congress'.

Mr Peters said Rova 'lost his moral compass' but had not been 'trolling for children' and was 'not a predator to children'.

'Temptation was put to him, it was their dark little secret and he acted on it.

In handing down his punishment, magistrate Cathy McLennan said Rova 'allowed things to get out of control' after being told the girl's age.

'At that point you should have backed down, you did not,' Ms McLennan said.

Rova has spent the past five months in immigration detention.
A prominent Labour MP has been cleared of groping a woman at the party's annual conference.

Clive Lewis, 46, had been accused of squeezing a woman's backside during a Momentum fringe event in Brighton in September.

The woman, aged 39, made the complaint as Westminster was hit by a sex scandal which included claims about numerous MPs.

An internal Labour investigation has now found there is no evidence to substantiate the accusations and there will be no further action against the former frontbencher.

Clive Lewis (pictured) had been accused of squeezing a woman's backside during a Momentum fringe event in Brighton in September

Mr Lewis, who denied the claim '100 per cent', said he was 'relieved' and 'very pleased'.

The Norwich South MP, a huge Jeremy Corbyn supporter, told the Norwich Evening News: 'I am very pleased to be able to put this behind me and move on.

'I believe it right and proper the Labour Party takes all allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct seriously.

'I want to express my gratitude to my wife, friends and constituents who have supported me during recent weeks.

'I look forward very much to continuing my work in Parliament, fighting for the people I represent and the city I love.'

The woman, a party delegate, claimed that London-born Mr Lewis touched her when they were introduced at the World Transformed event.

Mr Lewis (pictured wife Jeremy Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez, left) said he was 'relieved' and 'very pleased' that the investigation into his behaviour found no evidence of wrong-doing

The embarrassed MP was forced to apologise after he was caught on camera at the same event saying 'get on your knees b****' in a joking manner to a male friend.

Mr Lewis, a former Territorial Army infantry officer who did a tour in Afghanistan, insisted his remark was 'offensive and unacceptable' as he apologised 'unreservedly'.

A Labour source, who spoke out to support Mr Lewis when the claims were made, welcomed the news that he had been cleared of groping the woman.

They added: 'This is a victory for common sense to be frank. Those who know Clive are clear that he would never do something like what he was accused of.

'He is a fun guy, a friendly guy but he'd never cross the line. I think most people in Westminster and beyond knew that from the start.

'I am pleased the internal investigation was rigorous because that is how it should be. We have the correct systems in place.'

A Labour Party spokesman said: 'After consideration of statements provided by the complainant and the respondent, the NEC's sexual harassment panel has ruled that on the balance of the evidence the matter should not be referred to a full hearing.'
Congressional Republicans are speeding toward an agreement on a massive tax reform compromise that would ease the hit on Americans living in high-tax states and appease corporations that stand to lose precious tax breaks.

Negotiators worked Tuesday to expand a deduction for state and local taxes to allow individuals to deduct income taxes as well as property taxes, two congressional aides told the Associated Press. They're also trying to eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax for corporations.

Warring factions on House and Senate 'conference committee' teams agreed to let homeowners deduct interest on the first $750,000 of a new mortgage, down from the current limit of $1 million, as they hammered out differences between the competing bills.

President Donald Trump has promised a tax code overhaul as a 'Christmas present' to Americans but Congress must first hammer out differences between competing House and Senate plans

House Speaker Paul Ryan is said to be green-lighting a number of compromises including those related to federal deductions for mortgage interest and for state and local tax payments

Negotiators were still working Tuesday on how to pay for the expanded tax breaks, though Republican lawmakers were optimistic that a deal was imminent.

The total amount of tax breaks cannot exceed $1.5 trillion over the next decade, under budget rules adopted by both the House and Senate.

The Senate's No. 2 Republican, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, said a deal could come as soon as Tuesday. 'I think it could and I hope it is,' he said.

Members of Congress named to those conference committees are rushing to finalize the Republican tax legislation for a vote next week, so they can deliver the promised measure to President Donald Trump before Christmas.

Trump will address the nation Wednesday from the Treasury Department as the plan comes together.

'As we work with Congress to achieve historic tax cuts, the President plans to speak Wednesday to the American people on how tax reform will lead to a brighter future for them and their families,' White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters said in a statement.

The tax overhaul package is unpopular with many, but Trump is expected to argue that a rising tide will lift all economic boats.

The president has wined, dined and cajoled leaders from both major parties, including in this December 5 Republican policy lunch at the White House, trying to get his proposals included in the final bill

The massive bill Trump expects to sign next week as a 'Christmas present' to Americans includes steep tax discounts for corporations and more modest tax cuts for families and individuals.

The chief tax-writer in the House, Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady, says Congress is 'on track to finish' by week's end.

Brady pushed back against suggestions that lawmakers were hastily crafting complex legislation in only a few days, saying: 'It's not like people don't know these issues.'

The so-called 'SALT' issue  state and local taxes  has grabbed headlines in high-tax states like California, New York and New Jersey where voters would be hit hard by reductions in those prized federal deductions.

Democrats have worked overtime to put pressure on Republican lawmakers from those states, arguing that green-lighting a change would be a political death-note.

Both the House and Senate bills would scale back the deduction for state and local taxes, limiting it to $10,000 in property taxes.

California Republicans are pushing to amend the bill to enable individuals to deduct state and local income taxes as well as property taxes. Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions said there is an agreement on how to address the issue, though he wasn't specific.

'It's a huge issue in districts and there's an agreement about how they are going to approach it and I just want to see that issue taken care of,' said Sessions, chairman of the House Rules Committee. 'Once again, we're in negotiation, and sometimes when you negotiate you have to decide what you're willing to fight for and we need to fight for that.'

Protesters from progressive groups have taken their opposition to the streets, often attacking Trump in personal terms

Anti-tax-cut activists have also held sit-ins outside the offices of key lawmakers on Capitol Hill

New York Republican Rep. Tom Reed, though, warned that nothing is final until the whole package is worked out. But he believes negotiators have found a way to include income taxes in the deduction for state and local taxes.

'I'm sure income tax is something  obviously addressing that concern is a big concern for many members, so I think there's a solution there,' Reed said.

Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York, one of 13 House Republicans who voted against the tax bill in protest of the reduced deduction, said Tuesday he was awaiting details from leaders of a new agreement affecting income or property taxes. Doubling the limit to $20,000, he said, would help a number of homeowners in his high-tax Long Island district.

'Somebody might be a loser under $10,000 and become a winner above $10,000,' Zeldin said.

The House bill would limit the mortgage interest deduction to the first $500,000 of a new mortgage, while the Senate bill would keep the current limit of $1 million. Two congressional aides said negotiators have agreed to split the difference.

The provision would only affect new home loans; current mortgages would be exempt from new rules.

The housing industry lobbied hard against changes to the deduction, arguing it would hurt home values.

For corporations, the House-passed bill would eliminate the alternative minimum tax but the Senate bill would retain it. The tax was meant to ensure that corporations pay at least some tax.

The last big hurdle was a successful December 6 Senate vote that authorized the final negotiations in a bicameral 'conference committee' meeting

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has the most political capital at stake other than Trump himself, having promised the president that a tax cut would be ready for his signature this month

Republican lawmakers from both the House and Senate said retaining the tax would limit the ability of corporations to take advantage of popular tax credits, including one for research and development.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, has come out in favor of repealing the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax, giving the proposal momentum.

Both the House and Senate bills would cut the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. Republican lawmakers said they were resisting efforts to set the tax rate at 22 percent as a way to pay for other tax breaks. Business and conservative groups have been lobbying hard for the 20 percent rate.

'We're obviously trying to drive as low as possible in the House and the Senate, so we'll see where it lands,' Reed said.

House and Senate negotiators were rushing Tuesday to finalize the tax package so both chambers could vote on it next week, handing a major legislative achievement to President Donald Trump before Christmas.

Both the House and Senate bills would cut taxes by about $1.5 trillion over the next decade while adding billions to the deficit. They would bring the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax system in 30 years, pushing into every corner of the U.S. economy and society. They would double the standard deduction used by most Americans to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for couples.
A student studying at one of Britain's most prestigious drama schools is accused of raping a woman and sending her a text message after warning: 'If you say anything Ill kill myself.'

Jack Green, 19, allegedly forced himself on the 19-year-old woman at his student flat after a drunken night out to celebrate freshers week at Arden School of Theatre in Manchester, whose former students include Coronation Street's Cherrylee Houston and Zoe Lucker of EastEnders fame.

Mr Green - who had a girlfriend back home - is accused of gripping the woman by the neck, pinning her down on the bed and biting her lip before telling her: Shh dont worry.'

Jack Green, pictured, is accused of raping a woman during freshers week at Arden School of Theatre in Manchester

The woman later text him, saying: 'I didnt want to do it - I said "no" a million times.'

Mr Green allegedly replied: 'Just forget about it, its done, its in the past, leave it. Id go to jail, Id rather die. Im going to jump.'

He was arrested shortly afterwards when the woman confided in a friend back at her student accommodation and denies rape.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Manchester Crown Court: 'It was a terrifying experience. My friend was convincing me I needed to tell someone but I was concerned as I didnt want to mess up his career.

'I told my friend what happened and she said: "Its very serious - you need to speak to someone."

'I was just too upset to call the police. I was scared - I was in a state of shock. He was forceful. I did tell him to stop but it was hard to speak when he had bitten my lip.

'He gripped my neck at one stage. I couldnt do anything. I didnt want to have sexual intercourse with him but he didnt stop.'

The school counts stars from Coronation Street, EastEnders, The Bill and Hollyoaks among its former students

The night out occurred on September 14 2016 after Green enrolled on a musical theatre course at the school, whose former students include The Bill's Kim Tiddy and Coronation Street's Tracy Shaw.

He and other students met the woman before going out and they all drank vodka together before going to the club Fifth Avenue club in the city centre.

The woman told the jury: 'We drank vodka and then had about three more drinks at the club.

'I was tipsy and Jack was drunk as well. We danced together as a group. Jack told me he had seen a girl on the same course and told me he thought she was really good looking.

'I said you already have a girlfriend but he was persistently trying to get off with her and I was saying stop because she didnt want to.

'He kissed me and I pushed him away after about a second.'

It is alleged Mr Green locked her in his room when the group went back for food and the pair were left alone.

Mr Green allegedly trapped the woman in his room, grabbed her neck and raped her while telling her to 'shut up'

In a statement to police the woman said: 'I was about six out of 10 in terms of how drunk I was and he might have been a little bit more drunk.

'I said "get off me stop" and was pushing him on the chest - but he just said "shh" and carried on.

'I was crying and I had my hand over his mouth because I didnt want to kiss him. But he said "shh dont worry" and was being quite forceful.

'He pushed me on to the bed and was kissing me, I was saying no but it didnt have any impact. I was properly crying and I could see his face.

'He took his trousers off and then took mine off. He still stood really close to me and I was still sat down.

'I was lay there crying I was in shock I didnt know what to do. Eventually I was like "right stop, dont do this, you shouldnt be doing it" but he was like "shh shut up".

'I tried to push him off and sat up and he put his hand around my throat and pushed me back down.

'I was in pain and he seemed to get a lot more frustrated and angry with me. He turned me over, he grabbed my shoulders and moved me over.

'He had his hand on my back, it was quite forceful because my face was on the bed. I was just crying I didnt say much I didnt know what to do.'

Mr Green quickly got dressed when friends banged on the door and claimed the woman was upset because she was hit on in the club by another man, the court hear.

But in her statement the woman added: 'I said "stop lying". He was saying "Ive got a girlfriend Ill get in trouble forget about it".

'Then I just left. My mouth was cut on my lip and I was in a lot of pain. We were just friends, he was saying he liked me and things like that. But it never developed into anything more.

Mr Green allegedly threatened to kill himself when the woman messaged him to say that she'd said 'no'

'He messaged me and I said "I didnt want to do that" and there was messages saying "dont say anything, you said you wouldnt say anything, Id go to jail, Id rather die. If you say anything Ill kill myself".

'His last message was "Im going to jump". I ignored it because the police came.'

When the woman was examined she was found to have a graze to the lower lip and an injury to an intimate area of her body.

Prosecutor Philip Dobson told the jury: 'So far, when you are trying to decide the truth of what when on it that bedroom you only have the accounts of the two people in the room - plus her being upset and promptly complaining to friends and the police.

'But some messages that were exchanged very shortly afterwards are crucially important. They involve the defendant saying he could go to jail and would rather kill himself by jumping.

'The complainant repeatedly pointed out that she didnt want to do it and was saying, no. '

'His response is very telling. If she had consented to the intercourse or he genuinely believed she had consented, you would expect him to reply, indignantly, contradicting her.

The teenager allegedly threatened to 'jump' when the student confronted him and accused him of rape

'What he actually said was "Just forget about it, its done, its in the past, leave it. 'When she said, I said no a million times, he replied Im done, bye, you wont see me again.

'Its striking that he never challenged or contradicted what she was saying about telling him No.

'The prosecution invite you to look closely at the messages for any sign of him saying, I stopped as soon as you told me to.'

Mr Green was arrested in his student accommodation and appeared to have a panic attack as officers went to question him, the court heard.

He said he and the woman had kissed at the nightclub and went back to his room where they had sex.

He said after a minute or two she said no and he stopped, pulled his trousers back up and apologised.

Mr Green, from Abertillery, in Monmouthshire, South Wales, denies rape. The trial continues.
A 12-year-old boy won't see his mother this Christmas after Home Office officials twice rejected her visa applications to visit from Thailand.

Kanyarat Williams had hoped to travel to Llandudno in Wales, to join her husband Kevin and son Luke for the festive period.

She twice applied for a tourist visa but both applications were turned down on the grounds that she may overstay her visit.

Kevin Williams with his 12-year-old son Luke at their home in Llandudno in Wales

Mr and Mrs Williams married in 2002 after meeting on the Thai island of Koh Samui and, thanks to a visa, lived in Llandudno Junction from 2003 to 2006, during which time their son Luke was born.

However, the family decided to relocate to Thailand hoping for a better life, but following a military coup in 2014, they chose to return to Wales.

Mr Williams said: 'We thought Wales would be a safer place for us as a family and so I moved back to Llandudno last December so that I could set things up for Kanyarat and Luke to follow me later.

'Last June, Luke came to Wales as he was missing me so much, and he's now going to John Bright school, in Llandudno, where he has settled in well, but he misses his mother terribly.'

Mr Williams, a delivery driver, said he is working hard in a new job to save up for a spouse visa, which can cost thousands of pounds.

However, until he can raise the funds, his wife has applied for the tourist visa which would mean she could stay in the UK for up to six months.

Kanyarat Williams with her husband Kevin and 12-year-old son Luke

However, the Home Office said it is 'not satisfied' she is only seeking entry as a visitor and questions whether she would leave the UK at the end of her visit.

Mr Williams, who has an embroidery business in Thailand with his wife, said: 'It's been a difficult year for the whole family.

'It's hard to believe one faceless, nameless person working behind a desk can exert such power over individuals and families. It seems they are trying to make me decide between my country of birth and wife of 15 years.

'We have applied for three visas now, the first, 'returning resident' visa was refused on the grounds of us being out of the country for more than two years.

'We came to terms with the fact that we will have to postpone a permanent solution at least for now.

'Plans were changed, so we decided not to sell our home and business in Thailand and instead apply for a visitor visa so at least Kanyarat could be with me and Luke over Christmas and then return to Thailand to run the family business over the busy period.

'But this visa was also refused because the officer decided that it was a risk that my wife would not leave after the approved time.'

The third visa application was refused on November 29 on the same grounds as the second visa application.

Meanwhile my son is in tears, my wife is in tears and I don't know where else to turn Kevin Williams

He added: 'I had supervised the third application to ensure Kanyarat had submitted the correct documents.

'We submitted a business registration certificate, bank statements, both her's and mine, a letter of support from myself informing the officer that I would be paying for her flights, travel insurance, food, accommodation and a further letter of sponsorship by my brother-in-law, again informing of financial support if it was required, but all these documents were overlooked.

'The reasons for refusing the third visa was that my wife had little money in her account, but this is untrue because if the Home Office case worker looked properly he or she would have noticed she has 4,700 savings in one bank account in Thailand and I have 5,000 instant cash in another, which would mean we have enough funds to grant the application.

'I've written to Amber Rudd the Home Secretary to see if she can help, Guto Bebb our MP is also on the case, but time is running out for Christmas.

'Meanwhile my son is in tears, my wife is in tears and I don't know where else to turn.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'All UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance.'
This is the dramatic moment a 60-year-old man fights off a leopard who went on the rampage in an Indian village.

As his neighbours in the hamlet of Khairi shout in sheer panic, the man struggles to force the animal off his chest with a stick after it had mauled three people.

The attack in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh last week was filmed by the terrified neighbours who were trying to scare it away.

As the man tries to contain it, the leopard tries kicking out from the floor and then leaps onto the villager's front as it tries to overcome him.

But he refused to be beaten, taking hold of a stick in the doorway to keep the animal at bay, and wrestling with it to stop it pinning him to the ground.

The leopard sneaked into Khairi with its cubs and began to attack, starting in the courtyard of a villager called Jaikishan.

The 60-year-old wrestled the animal and fought it with a stick as it tried to pin him to the ground in an Indian village

Villagers in Khairi in the state of Uttar Pradesh shot the footage as they screamed in panic and tried to scare the rampaging leopard away

It proceeded to pounce on a 50-year-old woman called Lakhmina, who was sunbathing in front of her house.

However, after the 60-year-old had put up a stronger fight than expected, the leopard ran away and disappeared into sugar cane fields nearby.

Acting on the information of the villagers, area forest officer Mahendra Maurya arrived at the scene with his team.

The villagers were unhappy with the forest department's failure to trap the leopard, according to reports, while the injured people were taken to the Bahraich district hospital for treatment.
Michel Barnier, pictured in Brussels today, warned that the bloc would 'not accept any backtracking' on the divorce deal

The EU's chief negotiator drew battle lines on the Brexit divorce deal today after David Davis was accused of 'undermining trust' and behaving like a 'gangster'.

Michel Barnier warned that the bloc would 'not accept any backtracking' on the package that was painstakingly assembled by Theresa May in Brussels last week.

He also raised the stakes on trade, warning there was 'no possibility' of a full agreement on the future relationship being reached by the time Brexit happens in March 2019. By contrast Mr Davis suggested at the weekend that a trade deal could be struck 'one minute' after we leave the EU.

The combative comments came after Mr Davis scrambled to defuse a bitter row over his claim that the UK's commitments on the Irish border were merely a 'statement of intent' and not 'legally enforceable'.

Furious MEPs seized on the 'unacceptable' remarks to accuse the UK of 'behaving like gangsters', while a key ally of Angela Merkel opened a new front by warning the UK should not 'assume' it will get a transition period if it does not honour commitments.

EU leaders responded by signalling a crucial summit on Friday will push for fast progress on writing the divorce deal - which also includes a 39billion financial payment and guarantees on rights for EU citizens - into a formal Treaty.

At a press conference in Brussels this evening, Mr Barnier echoed the hard line.

'We will have a final agreement only if the political commitments taken by May in the name of the British Govt last Friday are respected and we will be vigilant. We will not accept any backtracking from the UK,' he said.

In a letter to EU premiers, council chief Donald Tusk appealed for them to stand together in the second phase of the talks. 'This will be a furious race against time, where again our unity will be key,' he said.

Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured right with deputy PM Damian Green at a meeting with politicians from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in Whitehall today) was sent out to try and clarify his claim that the divorce package was merely a 'statement of intent'

The Prime Minister (pictured today in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron) has defended her controversial Brexit divorce agreement in the Commons

Senior MEP Guy Verhofstadt also waded in today (pictured), saying the European Parliament would 'insist' on a legal text 'ASAP'.

Mr Davis attempted to shrug off the latest row today by tweeting that he had spoken to his 'friend' Mr Verhofstadt to reassure him

After his gaffe on Sunday, Mr Davis was deployed on the airwaves yesterday in a desperate bid to clarify his comments - insisting the commitments to preserve a soft border between Northern Ireland and the Republic were 'more than legally enforceable'.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BREXIT PROCESS AFTER THE EU SUMMIT EU leaders are set to give approval for trade talks to start at a summit on Friday. Passing Brussels threshold of 'sufficient progress' on the divorce issues is a boost for Theresa May. But from then the negotiations are likely to become even more complicated - and tense. The next item on the agenda is to settle the terms of a transition period, which could last for around two years after we formally leave in March 2019. Only once those arrangements have been negotiated- potentially in around March next year - will trade discussions get properly under way. But there are mounting questions about the sequencing of the deals, and how it fits with Mrs May's mantra that 'nothing is agreed until everything is agreed'. Michel Barnier ruling out a full trade deal being complete by 2019 suggests parliament could be asked to approve the divorce terms - including the Brexit bill - with only a broad outline of what trade relations might be. Advertisement

His correction appeared to satisfy Dublin, who said they were 'happy' he had acted to straighten the situation out.

An EU commission spokeswoman accepted that the deal remained a 'gentlemen's agreement' until it was written into a Treaty.

But there was deep irritation in Brussels at the blunder. One EU diplomat joked that the summit conclusions had been 'Davis-proofed'.

A draft of the text confirms that EU leaders will sign off the divorce deal, meaning that trade talks can get under way - a significant boost for Mrs May.

But it adds: 'Negotiations in the second phase can only progress as long as all commitments undertaken during the first phase are respected in full and translated faithfully in legal terms as quickly as possible.'

Wading in gleefully on Mr Davis today, Mr Verhofstadt said his comments were 'unacceptable' and the European Parliament would 'insist' on a legal text 'ASAP'.

'Remarks by David Davis that Phase one deal last week not binding were unhelpful & undermines trust. EP text will now reflect this & insist agreement translated into legal text ASAP #Brexit,' he said.

Mr Verhofstadt told reporters in Brussels that Mr Davis had scored an 'own goal'.

'I have seen a hardening of the position of the council (of EU leaders) and hardening position of the parliament,' he added.

Mr Verhofstadt and Manfred Weber, a key ally of German Chancellor Mrs Merkel, have proposed an amendment to the Parliamentary motion stating that trade talks can only continue if the UK 'fully respects the commitments it made in the Joint Report and they are fully translated into the draft Withdrawal Agreement'.

Green MEP Philippe Lamberts accused the UK of acting like 'gangsters'. 'How can Britain be taken seriously globally if it behaves like a gangster in its international relationships?' he said.

Mr Weber widened the spat by calling for a tough line on the mooted two-year transition deal.

'The British government is assuming it will be granted a transitional period, during which the UK will enjoy continued access to the European single market,' he wrote in an article for Politico.

HOW THE IRISH BORDER ISSUE COULD DEFINE BREXIT DEAL What is 'full alignment'? In last week's Brexit deal, Theresa May agreed to keep the UK in 'full alignment' with the EU on issues relevant to Northern Ireland. Remainers seized upon the language to say it meant Britain would be closely tied to Brussels, but ministers insist it does not mean Britain will be tied directly to the single market and customs union. David Davis said it meant Britain will meet the same 'outcomes'  but not do it 'by just copying what the EU does'. What is 'divergence'? Brexiteers warn it would be a disaster to tie the UK too closely to EU rules. They want to allow for maximum 'divergence'  distance from the EU  so Britain can negotiate better trade deals with non-EU countries. However, managing the border between the North and South of Ireland becomes more difficult the more the UK diverges from EU rules. For example, if Britain did a US trade deal to allow chlorine-washed chicken into the UK, how can you prevent the chicken being sold into the EU market? What happens next? Cabinet ministers will consider next week what the 'end state' of relations with the EU should look like  that is, how much divergence they will seek. In theory, the more distance Britain seeks, the more restrictive its trade deal could be. Advertisement

'There's no guarantee that will happen. The transition period will rely on the approval of the European parliament.

'Whether it signs off on such an arrangement will be entirely conditional on the progress made in this next phase of talks.'

Mr Davis posted on Twitter this afternoon: 'Pleasure, as ever, to speak to my friend @guyverhofstadt - we both agreed on the importance of the Joint Report. Let's work together to get it converted into legal text as soon as possible.'

He added: 'I look forward to working closely with the EP (European Parliament) in the next phase, including on a top shared priority: ensuring admin procedures for citizens are as streamlined as possible in both the UK and EU.'

At his press conference in Brussels, Mr Barnier said the divorce deal joint report would be translated into 'legally binding and precise language', with a draft of the Withdrawal Agreement produced early next year.

After briefing EU ministers he also indicated there was frustration about the UK's lack of a firm position on what sort of future relationship it wants with the remaining 27 nations.

'Many ministers said that the UK must clarify what it wants,' he told reporters.

Challenged at the weekend that it would not be possible to finalise a trade deal within eight months, Mr Davis said: 'I dont agree. I mean its more like a year than 8 months in truth, but because bear in mind we cant sign this until after March, until after we actually leave.

'Maybe one minute after we leave, or one second after we leave, but the formal technicalities we cant do that. But weve got about a year and that was actually why this week was important.'

The sabre-rattling will increase pressure on the UK to finalise details of a Withdrawal Treaty early in the New Year - before transition and trade terms have become clear.

That could undermine Mrs May's mantra that 'nothing is agreed until everything is agreed'.

There are also mounting questions about the sequencing of the deals. Mr Barnier ruling out a full trade deal by 2019 suggests parliament could be asked to approve the Brexit bill and other divorce terms with only a broad outline of what trade relations will be.

Downing Street play down the concerns, and said it believed Mr Davis had dealt with the row.

'The secretary of state set out yesterday, and the commission agreed with him, that the agreement that was reached last week is a political agreement, but that will move forward into a withdrawal agreement, which will be legally binding,' a spokesman said.

The Prime Minister defended her controversial divorce agreement, dramatically struck in Brussels on Friday, in the Commons yesterday.

Tory Eurosceptics have been generally keeping their powder dry until the shape of the government's proposed trade deal becomes clearer.

Mr Barnier (pictured right) met Ireland's Simon Coveney in Brussels earlier today

Mr Davis (pictured centre at a meeting in Whitehall today) has been scrambling to defuse the row he sparked at the weekend

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, ramped up the war of words with Mr Davis today (file picture)

But there are fears that Mrs May has already committed the UK to 'soft' Brexit by promising to mirror some key EU rules in order to prevent a hard Irish border.

Some MPs also voiced alarm at the prospect of paying a divorce bill to the EU of around 39billion, although Mrs May has insisted no money will be handed over if there is no deal.

The government is desperate to paper over the cracks at least until after the crucial EU summit, when the bloc's leaders will decide whether to approve the start of trade talks.

But delivering the annual Margaret Thatcher Lecture at London's Carlton Club last night, Lord Lawson smashed the fragile truce.

The peer, who has been urging the PM to leave the bloc with 'no deal' and revert to World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, said the divorce deal was 'just about acceptable so far as it goes'.

But he added: 'We find ourselves today quite unnecessarily as a supplicant, in a humiliating state of cringe, begging for what is both unnecessary and unattainable  a posture which would have been anathema to Margaret Thatcher.

'The time has come to call an end to this demeaning process. We must get up off our knees. Enough is enough.'

Lord Lawson, who was Chancellor under Thatcher, said the government had 'allowed ourselves to become bogged down in the fruitless quest for a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, wasting precious time and making concession after concession to try and achieve one'.

The PM and Jean-Claude Juncker struck the deal on Friday (pictured) but there are fears it is already unravelling

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier vowed today that he would 'fully support Ireland' during the next phase of the talks. Mr Barnier is pictured centre next to Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney
A married Sydney man who groomed a Filipina teenager online for sex says he was feeling neglected by the people around him at the time and his binge-drinking habit removed some of his inhibitions.

Jeremy Paul Lysaght pleaded guilty in May to using a carriage service to groom someone under the age of 16 for three months from Christmas Day in 2015.

He gave evidence at his sentence hearing in the NSW District Court on Tuesday.

Jeremy Paul Lysaght (pictured) pleaded guilty in May to using a carriage service to groom someone under the age of 16 for three months from Christmas Day in 2015

The 43-year-old paralegal told the court he 'felt neglected for a period of time' and got an 'ego boost' from conversations with women on a Filipino dating website which led to his contact with the underage girl.

'It was a little bit flattering. It made me feel good and appreciated,' he said.

'Some conversations did get sexualised, yes.'

Lysaght obtained the teenage girl's phone number on the site and contacted her via the messaging application Viber.

He admitted his 10-year marriage was strained in late-2015 and intimacy with his wife had waned.

'I just felt like I wasn't connecting with my family or the people that I was with,' he said.

'I was feeling quite down and I didn't really like myself at the time.'

The pair had never separated and his wife knew about his offending, Lysaght said.

A married Sydney man who groomed a Filipina teenager online for sex says he was feeling neglected by the people around him (stock image)

He told the court alcohol played a major role in his conduct with the girl, given his 'binge-level' drinking of six to nine pints of beer, plus spirits, up to three times a week.

'I think it removed some of my inhibitions and I didn't have as much self-control,' he said.

Judge Peter Maiden asked Lysaght why he hadn't sought professional help for his 'sexualised fantasies about young girls'.

'I don't think I have a problem with that, your honour,' Lysaght replied.

The judge adjourned the case to March 16.

Lysaght remains on bail and is not allowed to use the internet or approach or speak to underage children.
Damian Green is set to be cleared by a sleaze inquiry that could end as soon as tomorrow, it was claimed today.

The First Secretary of State has been investigated over allegations he made an inappropriate pass at a Tory activist and watched pornography on a Commons computer.

No other women have come forward to make complaints against Mr Green and the police testimony does not prove Mr Green accessed the pornography.

Mr Green, who denies all allegations against him, has been mired in the probe for weeks causing acute embarrassment to him and Prime Minister Theresa May.

Downing Street declined to comment on speculation but said the report would not be concluded today.

Damian Green (pictured leaving home last week) is set to be cleared by a sleaze inquiry that could end as soon as tomorrow, it was claimed today

When it ends, the investigation is set to clear him of any breaches of the ministerial code, ITV Political Editor Robert Peston said.

Three sources told Peston 'Damian won't have to resign' over the claims, which first emerged more than a month ago when activist Kate Maltby named him at the height of the Westminster harassment scandal.

A decision to clear Mr Green would ease pressure on Theresa May after she lost two Cabinet ministers in a week last month.

Mrs May could still execute a reshuffle of her top team as soon as the New Year.

The revelation overnight comes after Mr Green let it be known he would not quit over the claims but Mrs May would have to fire him.

Mr Green is Mrs May's closest friend in politics and helps her run the Government as defacto deputy prime minister.

Mrs May has reportedly had the report on her desk for some days but has yet to decide her deputy's fate.

Downing Street has repeatedly refused to comment on the progress of the investigation into Mr Green.

Mr Green, who denies all allegations against him, has been mired in the probe for weeks causing acute embarrassment to him and Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street yesterday)

His political career was thrown into jeopardy after former Met Police chief Bob Quick claimed he found vast amounts of porn on the computer when they raided his office during an inquiry into Home Office leaks in 2008.

The allegations surfaced last month as the sex harassment scandal swept through Westminster.

Met Police detective backed up his old boss and Neil Lewis said he found thousands of explicit images on the computer.

His political career was thrown into jeopardy after former Met Police chief Bob Quick (file image) claimed he found vast amounts of porn on the computer when they raided his office during an inquiry into Home Office leaks in 2008

But Mr Green has furiously denied the claim and accused Mr Quick of being a 'tainted and untrustworthy' source who had long-running vendetta against him.

While Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the officers were 'wrong' to go public with their claims about the minister.

The saga took a further twist last week when Mr Quick threatened to sue Mr Green if he did not 'publicly retract' allegations he had lied.

He accused Mr Green of mounting an 'unpleasant and deeply personal attack upon me' and trying to 'discredit him.

He said: 'Damian Green called me a liar in the statement he tweeted on 4 November 2017. That is completely untrue.

'Everything I have said is accurate, in good faith, and in the firm belief that I have acted in the public interest.'

He added: 'I wish to make it clear for the avoidance of any doubt or further speculation that I am in no way motivated politically and bear no malice whatsoever to Damian Green.

'This is despite unfortunate and deeply hurtful attempts to discredit me. Everything I have said about this matter has been in good faith, and in the firm belief that I have acted in the public interest.

'I invite Damian Green publicly to retract his allegations against me. I am considering legal action.'

Mr Quick and Mr Green have had a long-running feud dating back to 2008 when the then shadow minister receives a series of high profile leaks from the Home Office.
Oscar Pistorius has been injured in a prison brawl after allegedly starting a fight with another inmate while waiting to use a pay phone.

The paralympian, who had his murder sentence more than doubled last month, was queuing to use the phone at Atteridgeville Correctional Centre, near Pretoria, when he reportedly began fighting with an inmate 'he knows well'.

Pistorius reportedly 'sustained a bruise' in the altercation on December 6, but the fight could see him lose privileges such as access to the jail tuck shop and the phone that started the fight,

Injured: Pistorius, who had his murder sentence doubled last month, was waiting for the phone at Atteridgeville Correctional Centre, near Pretoria, when he started a fight with an inmate

Pistorius, 31, is still classified as 'low risk', but may be re-classified if an investigation finds that he was the one that started the fight.

The other man the paralympian tussled with is also detained on the special care unit 'where inmates with special needs and different sexual orientation are held for their own protection', spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo told MailOnline.

Pistorius had his sentence for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, increased to 13 years last month in a successful appeal by prosecutors.

The Supreme Court ruling was widely welcomed in his native South Africa, including by the family of his victim.

'He was involved in an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care unit, where both offenders are detained, the men know each other well,' Mr Nxumalo from the Department of Correctional Services said.

Murderer: Pistorius, 31, shot and killed his 29-year-old girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, pictured together weeks before her death, on Valentine's Day in 2013

Convicted: Last month, Pistorius had his murder sentence more than doubled, to 13 years

'As standard operating procedure regarding cases of alleged assaults, the Department of Correctional Services has launched an internal investigation into the matter to establish the facts and to ensure that appropriate action is taken as incidents of assault are not allowed. We want to know that proper security protocols were followed by prison staff.

'If Oscar Pistorius is found to be at fault, he could lose his privileges and be re-classified if he is no longer considered 'low risk'.'

Pistorius is being held at the 'relaxed' Atteridgeville Correctional Centre, near his wealthy family's sprawling compound in the capital Pretoria, but could face a return to the notorious maximum security facility Kgosi Mampuru II where he served his first year behind bars.

Atteridgeville only houses inmates who are serving a maximum of six years, and has upgraded facilities, including ensuite bathrooms for prisoners with special needs.

Today, his brother Carl posted an encouraging Winnie the Pooh-quote on Twitter after news of the brawl emerged, writing, 'Always remember: You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think'.

Pistorius shot and killed 29-year-old Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013 when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet, claiming he had mistaken her for an intruder.

Last month, Supreme Court of Appeal judges were 'unanimous' in sentencing Pistorius to South Africa's minimum 15 years for murder, ruling Pistorius' six year punishment sentence for killing Reeva Steenkamp had been 'inappropriate'.

Pistorius, pictured in court, retains access to the jail tuck shop and public phone, but could lose these privileges if it is established that he started the fight

The time he has already served behind bars will be deducted from that punishment, so the effective sentence is 13 years.

At the time, Pistorius's father Henke told MailOnline, he was 'shocked' and 'disillusioned' by the judgement, calling South Africa increasingly 'unpredictable and dangerous'.

'I am unbelievably surprised, disillusioned and very disappointed. There are many influences and role players in the execution of our South African law, which makes the country progressively more unpredictable and dangerous,' he said in a phone call.

The finding was the second time the appeal judges have overruled Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over Pistorius' murder trial and originally cleared the disgraced sprinter of murder.

Changing times: Pistorius runs in the men's 400-meter semifinal during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London

In a damning written ruling, the appeal court was scathing of Pistorius, finding that he had failed to be frank at his trial, and subsequent appeal, or show genuine remorse for taking his lover's life.

Unusually, the court also singled out Judge Masipa for criticism, slamming her six year sentence for 'trivialising' the seriousness of Pistorius' crime.

'I find it difficult on the evidence to accept that the respondent is genuinely remorseful', Judge Seriti concluded, adding, 'the respondent has failed to explain why he fired the fatal shots, .. to my mind, the attempt by the respondent to apologise to the deceased's family does not demonstrate any genuine remorse on his part.

'He failed to take the court fully into his confidence despite having an opportunity to do so during the second sentencing proceedings. It is clear herefrom that the respondent is unable to appreciate the crime he has committed. '

The senior judge found there 'are no substantial or compelling circumstances which can justify the departure from the prescribed minimum sentence.'

He damned Judge Masipa's decision to hand down six years to the athlete as 'shockingly lenient to the point where it has the effect of trivializing this serious offence.'

Pistorius pleaded not guilty at his trial in 2014 and has always denied that he killed Steenkamp in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar.

Previously a role model for disabled people worldwide, Pistorius was released from jail in 2015 after serving one year of a five-year term for culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter.

However, shortly after his release that year, Pistorius found was guilty of murder, irrespective of whoever was behind the door when he opened fire with a pistol he kept under his bed.

He returned behind bars after his conviction, and is being held at a prison in Pretoria.

The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius became the first double-amputee to race at the Olympics when he competed at the London 2012 games.
A murder probe has been launched after a British volunteer was found stabbed to death in an apartment in Belize.

The decomposing body of Michele Anison, 56, was found in the Central American country last month, where she had been working at a children's home.

Mrs Anison, from Staffordshire, had not been seen for a week when friends became concerned for her welfare and she was found when her landlady came to collect the rent at her flat in the village of Ladyville on November 17.

She sustained several wounds to her neck and chest and four people have been arrested in connection with the death, but no charges have brought against anyone.

The volunteer's grey Nissan Rogue was also missing from the car park as well as her passport and other personal documents.

British volunteer Michele Anison, left and right, was found stabbed to death at her apartment in Belize and local police have launched a murder probe, arresting four people

Neighbours in Belize said she lived alone but was 'very friendly' with the community.

Alejandro Cowo of the Belize Police Department said: 'There was no forced entry into the apartment. The body had several stab wounds in the chest and in the neck area.'

Locals said that the British woman was friendly and spent a lot of time among them.

One friend Altereith Smith said he saw her almost everyday shopping in local stores.

'She comes here every other day or so to get her food, her drinks or whatever, she comes here and associate with everybody regardless of who it is,' he said.

'Whether you are rich or whether you are poor. She was such a lovely lady. It is hurtful to see her gone that way.

'Her family is in England. The only family members she has here are the children that she is taking care of right now.

'That's the hurtful part that the children will miss her. So we have loss our love, because she is loved to everyone and it is so shocking the way she went.'

Mrs Anison, 46, originally of Staffordshire, had been volunteering at a children's home in the Central American country and had been there for five years

Assistant Superintendent Cowo said: 'We have information that she was a very friendly person, and that she was out with the villagers, socialising with them.

'But the important thing from the information we got is that she had never taken anybody to her house to socialise.

'All the socialising that she did was outside in the establishment, but not at her house. We are looking at some individuals that we believe was close to her.'

Mrs Anison had lived in Belize for five years and was building a new home not far from the apartment she rented.

Colleagues at the Liberty Children's Home where she volunteered described her as 'sweet' and 'caring'.

Children's home director Agatha Valentine told local media: 'We want to get some justice for Michele.'

Her body was flown home earlier this month and a funeral service for the 'dearly loved' woman was held near her home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

Staff at the children's home, pictured, described Mrs Anison as 'sweet and caring'

Relatives have said they are too upset to speak about Mrs Anison's death.

But her brother Jeffrey Quaile, who lives in Scotland, has paid tribute to his 'beautiful sister' on social media.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: 'Our staff are supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Belize and are in contact with the Belizean authorities.'

Despite a tiny population of just 335,000 Belize consistently ranks among the top 10 in the world for homicides, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
A North Korean defector has described how she was forced to have an abortion following her repatriation from China and how starved dead prisoners were fed to dogs.

Speaking at the UN, Ji Hyeon-A said she was repatriated three times to North Korea after she was caught in China, before eventually managing to escape the brutal regime and settle in South Korea.

The third time Ji Hyeon-A got caught and sent back to North Korea she was three months pregnant.

She said the North Korean regime does not tolerate mixed race babies so women who got pregnant in China were forced to have abortions.

Scroll down for video:

Ji Hyeon-A was speaking at a United Nations event about the experiences of women sent back to North Korea

She tearfully described how she was forced to have an abortion without medication at a local police station.

'My first child passed away without ever seeing the world, without any time for me to apologize.

'Pregnant women were forced into harsh labor all day. At night, we heard pregnant mothers screaming and babies died without ever being able to see their mothers.'

At one detention centre, she described how inmates starved to death with their dead bodies given to the guard dogs for food.

Ji Hyeon-A described the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-un (pictured) as a 'vast terrifying prison'

She finally reached South Korea in 2007 and has since been reunited with her mother, brother and her younger sister but has not heard any news about her father.

Ji-Hyeon-A said that the North Korean soldier who recently escaped to South Korea 'represents a dash toward freedom which is a dream of 25 million North Koreans.'

She described North Korea as 'a terrifying prison and the Kim's are carrying out a vast massacre and it takes a miracle to survive there'.

Ji-Hyeon-A also urged the Chinese government to stop sending North Koreans back to the regime and called on world leaders to fight for North Korean defectors and especially those who are repatriated.

The defector recited a poem called 'Is anyone there?' from a collection of poems she wrote.

Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, praised Ji-Hyeon-A and said what she described amounted to 'crimes against humanity'

'I am scared, is anyone there? I'm here in hell, is anyone there? I scream and yell but no one opens the door. Is anyone there? Please listen to our moans and listen to our pain. Is anyone there? People are dying, my friend is dying.

'I call out again and again but why don't you answer. Is anyone there?

She gave her harrowing testimony at a United Nations event entitled 'The Terrifying experience of forcibly Repatriated North Korean women,' and was sponsored by the Britain U.S. France, Japan, South Korea and Canada.

Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, praised Ji-Hyeon-A and said the crimes discussed 'amount to crimes against humanity'.
A tourist has claimed that this picture shows elusive street artist Banksy finishing off his most recent artwork in Bethlehem

A picture has emerged claiming to show elusive street artist Banksy finishing off his most recent artwork in Bethlehem.

Dressed in a distinctive fedora hat, the middle-aged man in the photo was wearing grey cargo shorts and a grey fleece and was clutching a stencil and an aerosol can.

The image shows him glancing over his shoulder in a courtyard close to the Chapel of the Milk Grotto, a holy site in the ancient town.

The stencilled artwork says 'Peace on Earth *Terms and Conditions Apply', and appears on the homepage of Banksy's website.

It comes after Banksy opened a new project, The Walled Off Hotel, said to have 'the worst view in the world', in Bethlehem on November 2 to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, which created the State of Israel.

Tourist Jason Stellios, 24, from Barkingside, Essex,snapped the photo but did not realise its significance until a week later.

Mr Stellios said: 'Last week I was coming out of the Milk Grotto Church through the courtyard and I saw a guy spray painting a star on a door opposite using a stencil.

'I just thought it was another one of those street artists that come over to paint the wall so I took a photo of him.

'He walked off and was down the road once I had left the courtyard.

'Then I spotted the same guy wearing a white hat with a black stripe on it tucked away at the back of the AlterNativity play outside the Walled Off Hotel on Sunday evening (December 3).

'I was chatting with people after the play and they said that they wanted to go see the new Banksy piece which I didn't know about and I went in a cab with them up to the church.

'I then realised I saw this being spray painted a few days earlier.'

The stencilled artwork says 'Peace on Earth *Terms and Conditions Apply', and appears on the homepage of Banksy's website

When Mr Stellios went on Banksy's website, he said he realised that he had captured the artist in action.

On the homepage was a photograph of the 'Peace on Earth' stencil he had seen being painted.

'The stencil is opposite the Milk Grotto Chapel and I noticed a 'B' motif on the door, and above it,' he said.

'I assumed it was someone's private door, as it was opposite the entrance to the church.

'People drew it to my attention when I showed them a photo.'

The street artist, from Bristol, has repeatedly returned to the West Bank to paint on the illegally-built wall, using the publicity to draw attention to the suffering of Palestinians living behind it.

Mr Stellios said: 'I'm not really keen on street art but I'm quite excited to have seen him in action. Banksy's helping people here by what he's doing but I'm not a fan or anything.'

Tourist Jason Stellios, 24, from Barkingside, Essex,snapped the photo but did not realise its significance until a week later

The 'Peace on Earth' stencil, and another Banksy painting, of two cherubs trying to break through the wall, were unveiled on December 3 before an influx of tourists arrive to celebrate Christmas.

There are clues as to the identity of the man in the picture - and certainly has links to the Banksy phenomenon.

The middle-aged man in the photo appears to be graffiti artist James Ame, known as Ame72, who has exhibited work alongside Banksy - which some people believe is a collective of artists, rather than an individual working alone.

He was also snapped months earlier, in Herzliya Marina, Israel, where an exhibition put on by Banksy's former agent went on display.

Mr Ame, who started his career in 1985, is British but has spent ten years working as an artist in Israel.

His website shows a number of striking tags on the 700km concrete wall, dating from earlier this year - mostly painted in Bethlehem.

Also for sale on Ame72's website are prints showing a Lego figure - a motif in his work - tagging the words 'I'm Banksy!'.

On his Instagram account he is shown holding a spray can and wearing a fedora hat while painting the wall, wearing the same clothes as he was on the day Mr Stellios took the photo.

And his biography says he has exhibited artworks alongside Banksy.

Mr Ame has been working at The Walled Off Hotel according to photographs from his Instagram account.

On his website, fans can take part in a competition to 'WIN this Authentic Banksy Box Set from the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem.'

Mr Stellios said he took the photo because he thought it was unusual to see someone painting so close to a holy site.

He said: 'I thought it was odd as it's someone's private door, it's not the wall which is always being painted on.

In June, Banksy was apparently revealed by accident as being Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja (pictured) after a slip of the tongue by musician Goldie

Banksy rose to fame for his provocative stencil work in the late 1990s and ever since, the mystery surrounding his identity has deepened. Above, Banksy's Balloon Girl

The hunt for the true identity of Banksy took a twist in 2016 after Del Naja was named as the artist by an investigator who has plotted his art and found they matched up with Massive Attack gigs

'I think it's either a door that belongs to a friend, or church property. I thought it was unusual.'

The TEFL teacher has spent a month travelling in the region and visiting friends on either side of the wall.

In April, a woman claimed to have captured footage of a similar-looking artist, wearing the same kind of hat, as he worked at an exhibition in Israel.

The world's most famous street artist had only recently opened an interactive exhibition at a hotel in Bethlehem. But a witness claimed she filmed him days before at an art show at a shopping mall curated by his former manager in nearby Israel.

The Israeli exhibition, The Art of Banksy, opened in the Arena mall in Herzliya Marina, not far from Tel Aviv.

In June, there were claims that the world's greatest art mystery may have finally been solved after the identity of Banksy was apparently revealed by accident in a slip of the tongue - by drum and bass DJ Goldie.

The pioneering musician was being interviewed for a podcast when he referred to the elusive artist as 'Robert'.

It was thought to be confirmation that Banksy was in fact Robert Del Naja - a member of the band Massive Attack.

Del Naja - known as 3D - is a friend of Goldie and they were both graffiti artists in the same circles in the late 1980s.

Last year, a researcher claimed Del Naja is Banksy which he denied - but listeners say Goldie's gaffe appears to confirm his identity.

In April, a woman claimed to have captured footage of the elusive artist Banksy as he worked at an exhibition in Herzliya Marina, Israel

The witness claimed she filmed him at an art show at a shopping mall curated by Banksy's former manager in Israel in April. The Israeli exhibition, The Art of Banksy, is due to open in the Arena mall not far from Tel Aviv

A security guard told the woman that an English artist was in the shopping mall - before she filmed this man who she says is Banksy

In 2016, journalist Craig Williams carried out a five-month investigation into Banksy and concluded that Del Naja, 52, was behind the movement.

He claimed Banksy is not just one person but a team of street artists - and that Del Naja is the ringleader.

It came after he discovered that on at least six occasions, Banksy's work popped up shortly before or after Massive Attack gigs in the same city.

Last year Del Naja denied the rumours and said: 'It would be a good story but sadly not true.

'Wishful thinking I think. He is a mate as well, he's been to some of the gigs. It's purely a matter of logistics and coincidence, nothing more than that.'

Banksy rose to fame for his provocative stencil work in the late 1990s and ever since, the mystery surrounding his identity has deepened.

At a similar time, Massive Attack were releasing Mezzanine and Del Naja was being credited as the first graffiti artist in Bristol

Banksy has travelled the world to paint sharp critiques of social injustice in places they will be noticed

According to Mr Williams's investigation, six Banksy murals were reported in San Francisco on May 1, 2010 after his band performed a two-night stint in the city that April.

Massive Attack played Toronto a week later before more new Banksy murals were reported there.

Later on that tour, Massive Attack headed to Boston's Chinatown a day after a Banksy appeared there.

Similar patterns are reported in 2006 when Massive Attack embarked on a US tour a week before Banksy's Barely Legal exhibition in the city.

In 2008, Bristol street artist - or group - Banksy produced 14 stencils across New Orleans marking the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Del Naja co-wrote the soundtrack to the New Orleans-themed documentary Trouble the Water during the same time frame.

Also in April 2003, Banksy's work appears in Melbourne, the same city Massive Attack had played the month before.

Del Naja also appeared in Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop speaking about the pair's friendship from his early days in the city.

And Banksy even provides the foreword to Del Naja's book 3D and the Art of Massive Attack, which was released last year.

The global graffiti star has also previously been named as public schoolboy Robin Gunningham.
A remorseful Brooklyn man has started his reduced prison sentence for beating an cancer-stricken elderly man to death on his doorstep nearly four years ago.

Vaughn Keith, 37, cried out 'I'm not a beast' as he surrendered to court on Friday, nearly four years after punching 69-year-old Willie Davis outside his brownstone in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The tragic incident came after Davis, who was disoriented due to cancer and diabetes, tried to open the front door of Keith's home, thinking it was his own, on January 30, 2014.

Vaughn Keith, 37, cried out 'I'm not a beast' as he surrendered to court on Friday, nearly four years after punching 69-year-old Willie Davis outside his brownstone in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

Keith, the city sanitation worker who also worked in real estate, punched Davis twice, causing him to fall down the building's steps and hit his head on the concrete.

The then-33-year-old had thought that Davis was breaking into his home at the time, according to The Ink. He later learned that Davis lived two doors down, in a similarly colored building.

Davis died five months after the altercation from bronchial pneumonia, skin ulcers and seizures that led to cardiac arrest.

The Medical Examiner's office said that Davis would not have suffered from pneumonia or skin ulcers if it weren't for the long-term hospitalization that began with the blunt-force trauma injury from Davis's punch.

Keith was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault in July 2015. And sentenced to ten years in prison.

The tragic incident came after Davis, who was disoriented due to cancer and diabetes, tried to open the front door of Keith's home, thinking it was his own, on January 30, 2014. Their street is pictured above

In October, however, his sentence was reduced down to two to six years. The Appellate Division Second Department cited 'a number of mitigating factors'.

Keith broke down in tears as he surrendered to the court on Friday, according to the New York Daily News.

'I am not a beast. I am not a criminal. This is not my character,' the city sanitation worker said. 'I realize now I looked at the situation wrong. I reacted wrong.'

He had argued in his trial that he acted in self defence when he punched Davis.

'I have always been sorry to him, his family. I understand how they feel I am sorry to any and everyone,' he said.
Social media giants should be fined or face prosecution if they fail to remove racist, extremist or paedophile content, a committee will say tomorrow.

The PM's ethics watchdog will reportedly call for a legal overhaul so firms like Twitter and Facebook can be held liable for the hate and offensive content posted on their platforms.

Under the proposals the firms would be treated as publishers - which means they could be hauled before the courts of they fail to remove criminal content.

The proposed overhaul, put forward by the Committee on Standards in Public Life, comes amid growing alarm that tech companies are failing to do enough to take down criminal content.

A fresh investigation out today has accused Twitter of letting paedophiles openly discuss their sick fantasies online without acting against them.

Theresa May's (pictured in the Commons yesterday) ethics watchdog will reportedly call for a legal overhaul so firms like Twitter and Facebook can be held liable for the hate and offensive content posted on their platforms.

While Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have all been heavily criticised by politicians for letting extremist terror material stay online after they have been alerted to it.

Currently social media firms are treated as communication platforms which means they are not held responsible for the material posted on their platforms - even though millions of people view them daily.

But under the shake-up they would be reclassified as publishers and held to the same - much higher - standards as newspapers.

The report,which will be published tomorrow, does not spell out exactly what legal punishments social media firms who flout the new rules will be hit by.

But lawyers told The Times the punishments that could be dished out under the change would include prosecution if firms failed to comply with the new rules.

Ministers are already looking at drawing up a compulsory code of conduct for social media firms amid the growing concern that they are not doing enough to take down offensive content.

Lord Bew (pictured in the House of Lords last month), the peer who chairs the committee, has previously spoken about the the frustrated efforts to tackle abuse online.

Lord Bew, the peer who chairs the committee, has previously spoken about the the frustrated efforts to tackle abuse online.

He said: 'There is a degree of frustration in our committee about what's actually been done, given the very vast resources of these companies, to protect the integrity of our democracy.

'We are less than hugely impressed by what they have done.'

Tony Jaffa, a partner at the law firm Foot Anstey, told the newspaper the overhaul could see firms be brought before civil and criminal courts.

He said: 'If this recommendation is accepted the tech companies will become liable for material that is published on their websites.

'They will have to significantly change procedures to remove content or face civil action.

'If the posting also contravenes a domestic criminal law such as harassment or incitement to racial hatred then it could mean criminal prosecution too.'

Theresa May has made tackling online error material a key mission of her premiership and launched a joint drive with the French to crack down on it.

At a summit in September she told internet firms to take terror material down within two hours or face fines.
This is the horrifying moment a worker turned into a human fireball after rushing back to a factory in east China to get his phone.

Onlookers had to blast fire extinguisher towards the burning man and called for ambulance service immediately.

It's reported that he is still staying in intensive care unit after treatment.

A hookah manufacturing company caught fire in east China on December 11 afternoon (left). One worker is seen turning into a human fireball as he walks out from the scene (right)

Footage emerged on Pear Video showing that a factory in Ningbo of Zhejiang Province burst into flames in the afternoon of December 11.

The premises were confirmed to be the China Hookah Manufacturing Company. The cause of fire remains unknown.

A worker was engulfed in flames as he rushed out of the blazing factory.

He can be seen walking around with torn clothing after colleagues putting out the fire on him.

Onlookers and colleagues rush to put out the fire with extinguisher (left). The man claimed to go back in to get his mobile phone (right)

The man is holding his phone on his left hand after escaping from the fire (left). His clothes are burnt to pieces after luckily avoid being burnt alive (right)

Jiulonghuzhen, the local town official released a notice on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform, confirming that the fire was put out after two hours.

The injured worker was sent to hospital for treatment. He is now recovering in stable condition.

China Hookah Manufacturing Company responded to Pear that the worker was one of the first to evacuate, but he returned to retrieve his mobile phone.
Austria's main gas pipeline hub was devastated by fire,prompting Italy to declare a state of emergency as the natural gas flows from the strategic site were cut off.

An explosion and subsequent fire ripped through the Baumgarten Natural Gas Station in eastern Austria, near Slovakia, on Tuesday morning, killing one person and injuring at least 18 others.

The Baumgarten site is a major regional transfer node, taking natural gas from as far away as Russia and pumping it towards neighbours including Germany and Italy.

Destroyed: Austria's main gas pipeline hub at Baumgarten an der March , Eastern Vienna, was rocked by a large explosion and a subsequent fire that killed one and left 18 injured

News of the blast sent gas prices in Europe soaring on fears it would restrict supply as winter sets in.

Gas Connect Austria, which operates site, said the hub had been shut down but the blaze had been brought under control. The cause appeared to be a technical fault, it said.

'An explosion occurred this morning before 9am (8am GMT) on the grounds of the Baumgarten Natural Gas Station,' the company said. 'The explosion caused a serious fire that has been contained to several small fires.'

Footage on social and other media showed a column of fire in the distance rising from a flat landscape. A wide area around the site was cordoned off.

The fire brigade, police and Gas Connect Austria said one person had been killed. A fire brigade spokesman said 18 people were injured, one of them seriously, while a police spokesman put the number of injured at 21.

On fire: The operators said the explosion was caused by a technical fault

Footage on social and other media showed a column of fire in the distance

The roof is on fire: Firefighters watch the burning roof of Austria's main gas pipeline hub at Baumgarten an der March, Eastern Vienna

Gas Connect Austria said its deliveries to Austria's southern and southeastern borders were affected by the blast until further notice. Those pipelines supply Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia but also Baumgarten's biggest recipient, Italy.

That dependence on its gas led Italy to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday as its industry minister said the country had a 'serious' energy supply problem.

A state of emergency would give Rome the right to use a series of extraordinary measures such as allowing coal and oil power plants to fire at full blast.

The Italian wholesale day-ahead price surged 150 percent to 60 euros per megawatt-hour, its highest recorded level.

Italian gas transport group Snam, however, sounded optimistic on a return to normal soon.

Fire is out: News of the blast at the hub, which pumps gas into several other countries, including Germany and Italy, sent gas prices in Europe soaring on fears it would restrict supply

Recovery: Firefighters are working at the scene of the incident on Tuesday

This image shows the roof of one of the most damaged buildings at the gas pipeline hub

The Baumgarten site is Austria's largest reception point for gas, the end-point for a number of pipelines bringing it in from Russia, Norway and elsewhere

'On the basis of the information currently available, supplies could resume today if the first indications on the absence of damage to transport infrastructure are confirmed,' it said.

Gas Connect Austria said only that Austrian authorities would conduct a damage assessment at Baumgarten as soon as it was safe and it said supplies would resume as soon as possible.

Slovakia's main gas transit route to Austria was suspended after the fire, Slovak pipeline operator Eustream said. Russia's Gazprom Export said it was working on redirecting gas flows and trying to secure uninterrupted supplies to clients.

In Britain, Europe's biggest gas market, gas for immediate delivery soared 40 percent to 95 pence per therm, a level not seen since 2013.

A UK National Grid spokesman said there was sufficient gas supply to meet demand amid multiple outages, underlining the breadth of concern about supply after the Baumgarten blast.
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A five-bedroom apartment in the same block where Howard Carter lived from the money of King Tutankhamun treasures has gone up for sale.

British archaeologist Howard Carter purchased who lived in the same block building, which is just a stone's throw away from the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, when he returned home from Egypt after discovering the tomb of King Tut.

The lavish property in west London is on the market for 9.75million.

Carter moved into the flat in Albert Court when he retired from archaeology in 1932 after making an estimated 15million from his excavation in Egypt - which is around 600m in today's money.

He lived in the flat until his death in 1939.

His discovery of the pharaoh in 1922 was hailed as the biggest archaeological triumph of the 20th century.

The plush 9.75m flat, located in Albert Court in Kensington, London, is the former home of Howard Carter - the man who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. His discovery was hailed as the biggest archaeological triumph of the 20th century

Carter moved in to the mansion-block building in Albert Court after he returned from Egypt in 1932 when the excavation of King Tut's tomb was complete. Although it was discovered in 1922 it took a decade to extract the contents of the tomb

The Albert Court building is brimming with history, having been used as an RAF base during World War II and as a film set for the award-winning 1978 remake of spy thriller The 39 Steps, which was originally directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Work on the Grade II listed building, which is next to the Royal Albert Hall, began in 1890, the year before Carter left for Egypt. Above is one of the five bedrooms in the property

Albert Court is one of London's first purpose-built mansion blocks. Above, one of the building's several upstairs lounge areas

The Albert Court building is brimming with history too, having been used as an RAF base during the Second World War and as a film set for the 1978 remake of spy thriller The 39 Steps - which was originally directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Work on the Grade II listed building, which is one of London's first purpose-built mansion blocks, began in 1890, the year before Carter left for Egypt.

Carter was hired by English aristocrat Lord Carnarvon to lead an excavation of Egyptian nobles' tombs in 1907.

He received a licence to dig at the Valley of the Kings in 1914 but it wasn't until November 1922 that he and his team uncovered a flight of steps leading to King Tutankhamun's tomb.

Howard Carter was born in 1874 and grew up in Kensington. He first went to Egypt as a young artist hired to sketch artifacts. He sparked a relationship with aristocrat Lord Carnarvon around 1907. The pair would eventually combine to discover King Tut's tomb

Carter went on to become an important archaeologist and the lead excavator of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Above the archaeologist is photographed with the coffin of King Tut in The Valley Of The Kings, Egypt in 1925

Carter's crew found a flight of steps that led down to a sealed door and a secret chamber. On November 26, 1922, Carter entered the tomb where he found an immense collection of gold and treasures

The immense wealth of artifacts and treasures found in King Tut's tomb took a decade to excavate but Carter remained in Egypt working on the site until it was finished in 1932

Carter was hired by English aristocrat Lord Carnarvon to lead an excavation of Egyptian nobles' tombs in 1907. Carter was on his last sponsored season when he made the great discovery. Above, Carter wraps up one of the two statues of King Tut for removal in 1923

The pharaoh's sarcophagus had been undisturbed for more than 3,000 years and the burial chamber was filled with more than 5,000 artefacts.

Clearing out the tomb took nearly ten years.

Afterwards Carter retired from archaeology he returned to London and lived in Albert Court until his death in 1939.

The flat in Albert Court was used by the RAF during the Second World War to house airmen learning how to use and maintain RAF radio equipment.

The apartment, which was originally two flats, is set over the first and second floors and has more than 4,340 sq ft of accommodation. In 1978 it was used as a film location when it doubled as Richard Hannay's apartment in the remake of The 39 Steps

Howard Carter moved in to the flat when he retired from archaeology in 1932 following his great discovery of King Tut's tomb. It would turn out to be his final place of residence

The five-bedded apartment was used by the RAF during the World War II to house airmen learning how to use and maintain RAF radio equipment

Howard Carter and the discovery of King Tut's tomb Carter and his sponsor spent season after season hunting for Tutankhamun's tomb until Lord Carnarvon gave up hope and returned to Britain - Carter, however, would not give up and persuaded his patron for a last chance

On November 4, 1922, a boy who worked as a water fetcher on the excavation started to dig in the sand with a stick and he found a stone step before calling Carter over

Carter's crew found a flight of steps that led down to a sealed door and a secret chamber

On November 26, 1922, Carter entered the tomb, where he found an immense collection of gold and treasures

On February 16, 1923, Carter opened the innermost chamber and found the coffin of King Tut

The discovery made a huge impact as King Tut's tomb was by far the most intact of all the tombs that were excavated, and the artifacts were well-preserved, including the coffin and Tut's mummy

An interest in ancient Egypt and Egyptology was sparked around the world and remains at large today thanks to the uncovered tomb of Tutankhamun

The immense wealth of artifacts and treasures found in King Tut's tomb took a decade to excavate but Carter remained in Egypt working on the site until it was completed in 1932

Carter returned to London and spent the remainder of his years in the Albert Court flat

He died in London on March 2, 1939, of lymphoma Source: Biography.com Advertisement

In 1978 it was used as a film location when it doubled as Richard Hannay's apartment in the remake of The 39 Steps.

The flat, which was originally two flats, is set over the first and second floors and has more than 4,340 sq ft of accommodation.

The upper floor has a double reception room with 13ft high ceilings, intricate cornices, a fireplace and chandeliers - as well as a sleek kitchen and a balcony overlooking the Royal College of Music.

There is a book-lined study, guest bedroom with en-suite, an office and a bathroom also on the upper floor with a master bedroom suite and two more bedrooms on the lower floor.

Carter grew up in Kensington, so it was fitting that he spent the remainder of his retired life there. He died in London on March 2, 1939, of lymphoma

Leo Russell, from estate agents Russell Simpson, said: 'The apartment itself is one of the finest on the market. The ceiling heights, grand proportions and exquisite interiors are reminiscent of a time gone by and we expect it to attract a lot of attention'

Work on the Grade II listed building, which is next to the Royal Albert Hall, began in 1890, the year before Carter left for Egypt. There is a book-lined study, guest bedroom with en suite, an office and a bathroom also on the upper floor with a master bedroom suite and two more bedrooms on the lower floor

The upper floor has a double reception room with 13ft high ceilings, intricate cornicing, a fireplace and chandeliers, as well as a sleek kitchen and a balcony overlooking the Royal College of Music

Residents also have a first-class concierge and security service in the lobby, but as well as the 9.75m price tag the new owners would also have to pay 28,000 a year service charges

Residents also have a first-class concierge and security service in the lobby, but as well as the 9.75m price tag the new owners would also have to pay 28,000 a year service charges.

Leo Russell, from estate agents Russell Simpson, said: 'Albert Court is one of London's finest residential buildings.

The building is absolutely brimming with history.

'Not only has it housed many famous residents over the years, but it has also been used as a film set and as an RAF base during World War II.

'The apartment itself is one of the finest on the market.

'The ceiling heights, grand proportions and exquisite interiors are reminiscent of a time gone by and we expect it to attract a lot of attention.'
North Korea may be expanding its underground nuclear test site where the regime has been detonating missiles ten times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb in recent months,

Satellite images show high level of activity at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, in north west North Korea, indicating that dictator Kim Jong-Un is building another tunnel for missile tests.

They show a 'routine presence of vehicles and personnel' and signs of excavation work at the west side of the site, according to US academics.

Building works: This satellite image analysed by 38 North shows increased activity at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site in northwest North Korea

Satellite images taken over recent weeks show 'consistently high level of activity' at the Punggye-ri's West Portal indicating an expansion of the site for more tests, accordinf to 38North, a blog run by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC.

'This includes a routine presence of vehicles and personnel around the portal, movement of mining carts from the portal to the adjacent spoil pile and signs of fresh spoil being dumped onto the pile,' a post on their website adds.

Increased excavation work at Punggye-ri was first reported in October by South Korea's spy agency, which said it believed Pyongyang might be readying two more tunnels at the site.

The North Portal tunnel, where the previous five missiles test have been carried out, has been left 'mostly dormant and likely abandoned' possibly due to the damage done by detonations.

The North Portal tunnel was the site of North Korea's largest nuclear test to date on September 3.

Digging: This image from Novemer shows mining carts by the opening of the West Portal

The images show a 'routine presence of vehicles and personnel' and signs of excavation work at the west side of the site

Visiting: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un made a visit to Mount Paektu last week

Pyongyang claims the September 3 test was a H-bomb - with experts claiming it was an estimated ten times more powerful than the US atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

A sequence of tremors registered since that test has led experts to believe that there was damage caused to the region and that it may have affected nearby active volcano Mount Paektu.

Kim Jong-Un himself paid a visit Mount Paektu last week, which is falsely claimed to be the birthplace of the secretive state's first dictator, Kim's grandfather Kim Il-Sung (who was in fact born in the Soviet Union).

Pictures released by the regime show the Kim in the snow at the 9,022ft mountain, located on North Korea's border with China.

North Korean state media reported on Saturday that the corpulent dictator had scaled Mount Paektu with senior military officials to 'emphasize his military vision' after completion of the country's nuclear force.
The devastated mother of the five-year-old girl who was abducted, raped and murdered in India has spoken of the moment she found her naked body.

Geeta Devi, 30, screamed tears of despair as she recalled the moment she found the naked body of her little girl, with a 24cm long wooden stick inserted into her anus and mouth, damaging her intestines and uterus, and leading to her death.

Im still in shock. I cant even think of that moment when I saw my daughter in that condition,' said the mother-of-three, who lives in a tent on a slum, in Hisar district, Haryana, northern India,

Geeta Devi has described finding her dead daughter's body by the side of the road

'It was not only brutal, but shattering to even imagine what she could have gone through. Her body was violated with wooden sticks even.

The little girl was sleeping with her eight-year-old sister and three-year-old brother and mother, in their makeshift home when she went missing on Friday night.

As Geeta sat in bed surrounded by her other two children, too weak to get up, she remembered the last few hours with her daughter.

We had roti and pea and vegetables for dinner at 8pm and we were all asleep by 9pm. She told me shed wake up to play hide and seek with me. She loved playing with her siblings, especially her younger brother. She was an adorable child who never demanded anything. She was happy in whatever I could give her.

Geeta doesn't have any photos of her daughter and only has her possessions as memories

Her heartbroken mother, who doesn't even own one photo of her daughter to cherish, now battles with the guilt she did not wake during the night.

I often wake up at least once but unfortunately, I did not wake up at all that night. I have no idea who did this to her and why? How could someone do such a thing to such a little girl? She did not even survive to share her ordeal.

'I will never be able to get that sight out of mind as I have never seen a more horrendous scene. They killed my daughter - I want them to be killed.

Father, Ramesh Kumar, 32, was in a different district attending a wedding function.

When Geeta, who is a member of the Dalit community known as the untouchables in India, woke up at 6am and found her daughter missing she started frantically looking and asking neighbours if theyd seen her little girl.

I was screaming and crying. I kept knocking on doors for help but everyone said they had no clue who I was talking about. I phoned my husband and told him our girl was missing and he quickly started making arrangements to come home immediately.

Geeta with her other children in the family home. She said she woke at 6am to find her daughter was missing

When she found her daughter was missing, Geeta said she began screaming and crying then knocked on neighbours' doors

Eventually, two women told Geeta theyd spotted a body of a little girl deserted on a nearby road, approximately 4km from their home, lying in a pool of blood.

Geeta explained: I was still hunting for her when somebody from my village told me that my daughter was lying on a road side in a pool of blood.

I rushed there and thats when I saw her body lying naked. There was blood everywhere and there was a wooden stick inserted in her mouth and anus. I just couldnt bear it. I fainted within seconds of seeing her.

Ramesh, who works on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as a rag picker earning Rs150 (1.70) a day, said: Our daughters funeral was on Sunday afternoon after the police had taken action.

The dead girl's father, Ramesh, was away at wedding function when she was killed

Ramesh holding his three-year-old son, with his eight-year-old daughter next to Geeta. The dead girl loved playing with her siblings, Geeta said

'We took the body away for cremation on Sunday at 3pm only after police assured us they will arrest the criminals within 48 hours but unfortunately, no arrest has happened yet.

We do not have any personal issues within anyone. Who would do such a heinous crime? My daughter has become a victim of somebodys lust and desperation. The accused should not be spared. We demand the strictest punishment.

Police Superintendent, Manisha Choudhary, from Uklana Police Station, said: A special investigation team is on the hunt for the criminal. No one has been arrested so far and we cannot comment if there was one or more involved in the crime.'

The eight-year-old sister of the murdered girl sitting on a chair in the family's home

Ramesh, Geeta and their children. Police say they hope to have the person responsible for the girl's death in custody within 48 hours

A First Information Report (FIR) has been submitted, under Sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 6 of Protection Of Child from Sexual Offences Act.

He added: 'The result of the postmortem revealed the girl died of neurogenic shock that could be due to the 24cm long wooden stick inserted into her that ruptured her intestines and uterus.

She had multiple injuries across her body. We are doing our best to arrest those responsible for this and are hopeful they will be in our custody in the next 48 hours.

Locals staged a protest on nearby streets over the weekend, demanding strict action.

The horrendous incident comes just a week ahead of the fifth anniversary of the 2012 gang rape and murder case in Delhi, which shocked and enraged the country and made international headlines and forced the government to examine the laws concerning crimes against women.

Of the total crimes recorded against children in 2015, 15.8% (14,913 cases) were sexual offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, according to the National Crime Record Bureaus Crime in India 2015 report.

The family's makeshift home tent in a slum, in Hisar district, Haryana, northern India

They come from the Dalit community, who are also known as the untouchables in India

Bharti Ali, 48, Co-Director of HAQ - Centre for Child Rights, in Delhi, said: Such crimes were there earlier as well but it is only highlighted more now because they have become more aggressive and violent.

Too much exposure to porn and its easy availability has contributed to an increase in these crimes in a large way. We have come across cases where fathers have raped children and they have been forced by their fathers to watch porn. It is both shocking and sad.

Children have today become easy targets for people with criminal minds because they are extremely vulnerable and not able to do much to protect themselves and children below the age of 15 fall under such category.

A lot of emphasis needs to be put on the mental health of people as this is the aggression and violence that we see and deal with in our daily lives that have led to the escalation of such heinous crimes. This little girl has died without any reason.

We have reached to such a horrendous type of crime because we have ignored the subtle crimes in the past. If we had been strict in taking action against small incidents of molestation or other cases of rape in our country before, we would not have reached a level where girls, especially children, are considered a commodity and used for personal sexual wants and killed.
A mole-covered Chinese baby who has been deemed 'incurable' is coming to Britain for medical help after Chinese doctors said he could die any day.

Top Chinese medical experts apparently claimed Huang Youkang, who was born with large lumps and birth marks all over his body, could not 'live longer than a few months', but the boy is now 13 months old.

His mother, Wu Huajuan, is determined to save the child, who has been branded 'spotty' by local media.

Unable to speak a single word of English, the 29-year-old housewife is bringing the toddler to London after kind-hearted strangers donated some 800,000 yuan (90,552) and arranged translators for them.

This came after Youkang's father, Huang Ziquan, was knocked into a coma in a road accident and suffered from amnesia while seeking treatment for his young son.

Huang Youkang is pictured with his mother (left). The pair are travelling to Britain from China today to seek medical help for the one-year-old boy who was born with moles all over his body

Youkang's heart-broken parents hug him after Chinese doctors told them the boy's condition was 'incurable'. According to experts there, the child couldn't live longer than a few months

Little Youkang, whose name means 'pray to be healthy', was born on November 8, 2016, and lives in Chongqing, south-west China.

His parents already had a 11-year-old son, who is healthy, but his mother fell pregnant by accident last year.

Youkang has had black lumps all over his body since birth. One of them on his forehead is as large as a fist, and there is also a large birth mark covering his backside extending to his lower back.

In China, doctors claimed Youkang's lumps are tumours and they are congenital and malignant, but Youkang's mother wants to save his life.

Youkang and his mother are travelling from China to London today and are due to see experts at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children tomorrow - thanks to the arrangement of a group of volunteers in China and Britain.

Youkang wears a Christmas jumper as he takes a nap. The toddler has lumps all over his body. One of them on his head is as large as a fist and his backside is covered by a large birth mark

Zhao Linjing, 33, one of the volunteers who help the family, said Youkang's mother had spoken to a number of distinguished tumour experts in the Chinese capital city. All doctors came to the same conclusion, which left her completely heart-broken.

Ms Zhao, who is based in Beijing, also helped Youkang's family contact the London hospital.

The volunteers emailed various hospitals in Britain and US, including the Boston Children's Hospital, but only the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London replied to them.

Ms Zhao said British doctors had read Youkang's medical records and run a genetic test. She said they suspected it was a rare form of tumour, but need to see the child in person before they could determine whether his moles are benign or malignant.

Before flying out of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport earlier today, Youkang's mother told a local reporter while weeping: 'I really hope the results would be good. I'm scared of bad news.

'No matter what the result is, I want to try as much as I could.'

Youkang is pictured with his parents (left) and with his father (right). His father, Huang Ziquan had a traffic accident earlier this year while seeking treatment for the child. The man lost nearly all his memories after waking up from a coma but he remembered Youkang

Youkang's father, Huang Ziquan, had a traffic accident in March while trying to seek treatment for his son.

Mr Huang was knocked off his motorbike as he rushed back home. He had planned to rest early so he get up early the next morning to take Youkang to then hospital.

Mr Huang, the only breadwinner of the family, lost nearly all of his memories after waking up from a coma.

Ms Zhao, the volunteer, recalled that all he could remember was his son. He called his name immediately when he saw Youkang in his ward.

This left Wu Huajuan, Youkang's mother, completely devastated. She had to bring along her son while caring for her husband in the hospital.

Other patients and their family in the hospital were moved by the woman's perseverance. They took picture of the family and wrote about them on WeChat, a Chinese social media platform.

Their story quickly became known in China and volunteers, such as Zhao Linjing, formed a group on social media to help Youkang.

Donation pages were also set up by the state-run China Charities Aid Foundation for Children on Tencent, one of China's largest websites. So far, at least 20,000 people have donated more than 1,000 yuan (113) on the Tencent page.

The family have spent about 180,000 yuan (20,390) from the donations on transport, visa, hotel and medical bills for the initial consultation.

Youkang is travelling from China to London today and is due to see experts at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children tomorrow - thanks to the help from a group of volunteers

Donation pages were also set up by the state-run China Charities Aid Foundation for Children to help raise funds for Youkang. The family have received some 800,000 yuan (90,552)

Ms Zhao, who works in finance, explained what made her decide to volunteer: 'I helped Youkang and his mother when they came to Beijing to see experts. When I met the boy in person, I was completed shocked and touched.

'He has black spots around his body, but his eyes are so pure. He looked at me and smiled at me. He had no idea what an ordeal life could be for him and how the others are viewing him.'

Ms Zhao said as a mother herself, she couldn't help but offer assistance to the family so that they could get better medical resources overseas.

After Youkang and his mother reach London, UK-based Chinese volunteers will provide assistance.

Hu Min, the head of UK Chongqing Business Association, said his organisation has arranged volunteers for Youkang and his mother and they will help them arrange their life in London as much as possible.

Mr Hu said: 'We hope more people could provide financial help and spiritual encouragement to them.'

Volunteers back in China said they would carry on raising money for Youkang through various means to help with the treatment.
Four Port Authority Police Officers have been hailed as heroes after taking down the Bangladeshi man US authorities say set off a homemade pipe bomb in a crowded New York City commuter hub on Monday.

Officers Sean Gallagher 26, a former Marine, Anthony Manfredini, 28, a former Marine bomb tech, Drew Preston, 36, a former Army soldier with three combat tours, and Jack Collins 45, an attorney, have been identified as the cops who took Akayed Ullah into custody.

It was Officer Manferdini who spotted people running out of the passageway and he was swiftly joined by his colleagues as they ran towards the explosion and witnessed 27-year-old Ullah, crumpled on the floor, trying to get to his cellphone.

These are the four Port Authority police officers who arrested NYC terror attack suspect: (from left to right) Officers Sean Gallagher 26; Drew Preston 36; Jack Collins, 45; Anthony Manfredini, 28

Akayed Ullah, a resident of Brooklyn, was taken into custody after the attack. He says he wanted to carry out the terrorist attack in retribution for Muslim Palestinians. Ullah is seen here being taken to the hospital

Many improvised explosive devices often use cellphones as the detonator, so he may have been trying to set off the second explosive that was found on his body.

'The person on the floor was reaching for his cell phone. The officers at that point had to make a decision so no one else would be hurt and they decided at that point to take the person into custody,' Bobby Egbert, spokesman for the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, told 1010 WINS.

He added: 'There was a struggle with him, they had to keep him from reaching the cell phone, obviously they had no idea what he was going to do with the cell phone.'

The officers received praise from White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders following the incident.

'These brave first responders and others who rushed to the scene are heroes,' she said.

It was Officer Manferdini who spotted people running out of the passageway and he was swiftly joined by his colleagues as they ran towards the explosion and witnessed 27-year-old Ullah, crumpled on the floor, trying to get to his cellphone

Ullah, who had a homemade bomb strapped to his body, set off an explosion in an underground pedestrian corridor between New York's Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal at rush hour, injuring himself and three others in what New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called an attempted terrorist attack.

A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said investigators have found evidence that Ullah had watched Islamic State propaganda on the internet.

Bangladesh strongly condemned the attack in a statement saying, 'A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice.'

Officials in Bangladesh are trying to track down the extended family and any known associates of Ullah.

Firefighters, police officers and FBI agents converged on the area of the attack near Times Square Monday morning around 7:30am - causing rush hour chaos for many New Yorkers

'Police are looking for his family, but so far they've not been able to trace them,' said Abul Khair Nadim, the Chair of Musapur Union council, a local government body in the Chittagong division in southern Bangladesh, where Ullah's family originally lived.

Bangladesh's police chief told Reuters late on Monday that 27-year-old Ullah had no criminal record in his home country, which he last visited in September.

Ullah lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn and was a green card holder, said Shameem Ahsan, consul general of Bangladesh in New York.

Ahmad Ullah, a relative of Ullah, who Reuters tracked down on Tuesday, said his cousin's father had moved to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka with his family many years ago.

He said Ullah's father had passed away about five years ago, and that Ullah had been through a normal public school education in Bangladesh before moving to the United States.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee died early on Tuesday, local media reported.

Lee's cause of death was not immediately released, but sources told the San Francisco Examiner that Lee suffered a heart attack while shopping at a Safeway grocery store in the Sunnyside neighborhood.

The 65-year-old was taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he was pronounced dead around 1.15am local time, surrounded by his friends and family, according to a statement from his office.

'It is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm that Mayor Edwin M. Lee passed away,' the statement said. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Anita, his two daughters, Brianna and Tania, and his family.'

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee suddenly died early Tuesday morning, according to local media. He was 65

Lee became the city's mayor in 2011, when he was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to fill the mayoral seat vacated by Gavin Newsom, who went on to become lieutenant governor.

While he was initially reluctant to hold the seat, Lee did eventually decide to run for for the seat, which he won in November 2011. He then went on to win re-election in 2015.

Lee was the 43rd mayor of San Francisco and the first elected mayor of Chinese descent in a city steeped in Chinese American history. About a third of the San Francisco population is Asian.

Lee is pictured above with his wife Anita, left, and daughters Tania, left, and Brianna, right, on November 8, 2011 - the day he won his first mayoral election

Lee, pictured at the Pride Parade in June, was the city's first Asian-American mayor. About a third of the city is of Asian descent

Upon Lee's death, Board of Supervisors President London Breed becomes the mayor of the city of more than 850,000 people, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Lee was a former civil rights lawyer who served as director of San Francisco's Human Rights Commission from 1991 to 1996 and as city administrator from 2005 to 2011.

He had been in the news lately as one of President Trump's toughest critics on immigration, and a leading member of the Sanctuary City movement.

David Ho, a community organizer, told the Examiner that he was 'stunned' and 'shocked' by the loss of Lee.

'At the end of the day, Ed was a consummate community leader, father, mentor,' Ho said. 'He cared for the people of this city.'

Lee was born in 1952 in Seattle, Washington to parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Taishan, Guangdong Province, China in the 1930s. His father Gok Suey fought in the Korean War, worked as a cook managing a restaurant in Seattle, and died when Lee was 15. Lee's mother Pansy worked as a seamstress and waitress to provide for her son and five other children.

Lee graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1974 and went on to study law at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Photographs of one of the 'most courageous and imaginative' British World War Two missions have emerged on its 75th anniversary.

On December 12, 1942, 10 Royal Marines from the Royal Marines Boom Detachment in Portsmouth set out in five canoes from the submarine HMS Tuna, which surfaced at the mouth of the Gironde in south west France.

Their mission was to blow up Nazi supply ships 60 miles away in Bordeaux harbour with limpet mines and then escape with the help of the French Resistance.

The vintage black and white pictures show a canoe being tested by two marines, while another shows the last snapshot that was taken before the Frankton raid on September 10, 1942

Pictured is the Royal Marines Division Platoon Weapons Course in June 1942. At the end of the row, second and third from back are Messrs Pritchard-Gordon and MacKinnon

Canoe testing showing adjacent Boom in background. Retro pictures of the operation have exposed the rough journey of the Cockleshell Heroes to recall the mission

Other photos show Corporal Bill Sparks casually sticking his head out of a disused aircraft in Palestine, 1944, and the other image shows the results of the Frankton raid to a ship (pictured)

Two men drowned, six were caught or betrayed and executed by Germans, leaving just two survivors of what was effectively a suicide mission. The pair arrived home four months later.

However, Operation Frankton succeeded in destroying five ships, which were vital in supplying raw materials such as rubber, oil and tungsten to Hitler's war effort.

Retro pictures of the operation have exposed the rough journey of the Cockleshell Heroes, on its 75th anniversary.

The members of the British Royal Marines travelled in six canoes, paddling by night through the Gironde estuary to Bordeaux.

The vintage black and white pictures show a canoe being tested by two marines, while another shows the last snapshot that was taken before the Frankton raid on September 10, 1942.

Other photos show Corporal Bill Sparks casually sticking his head out of a disused aircraft in Palestine, 1944, and the other image shows the results of the Frankton raid to a ship.

Herbert Hasler was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Marines that led the British in Operation Frankton. Hasler and Bill Sparks stand solemnly during the 1983 Poole unveiling.

Their mission was to blow up Nazi supply ships 60 miles away in Bordeaux harbour with limpet mines and then escape with the help of the French Resistance. Pictured (right) are Colley, rear, Fisher, left, and Duncan, right, in Palestine

A 80,000 memorial was resurrected in honour of the Cockleshell Heroes and three French individuals on March 31, 2011. Pictured is Lt Jack MacKinnon and his family, during leave, March 1942

Cockleshell Heroes is a book written by historian author, Quentin Rees, containing pictures illustrating their journey. The book was published by Amberley Publishing.

'The complete story surrounding Operation Frankton is a very human one. For decades, it has remained untold, hidden from three generations - until now,' Quentin said.

'This work will unveil the true story, including the careful reporting of people's lives and their deaths. If a reliable narrative is required, this account should be trusted rather than any that has previously been offered.

'Simply put, it is as accurate in its research, evidencing and reporting as it can be at this distance. This most exciting story of the 'Cockleshell Heroes' will remain one of the ties that forever bind two close neighbours.'

Herbert Hasler was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Marines that led the British in Operation Frankton. He was an influencer for many of the concepts which resulted in the post-war formation of the Special Boat Service, the Royal Navy special forces.

Other photos show Corporal Bill Sparks casually sticking his head out of a disused aircraft in Palestine, 1944, and the other image shows the results of the Frankton raid to a ship

Cockleshell Heroes is a book written by historian author, Quentin Rees, containing pictures illustrating their journey. The book was published by Amberley Publishing (left). Pictured (right) is Lt Jack MacKinnon in dress uniform

He was only 28 years old when he planned and led Operation Frankton, when he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

On December 10, the Germans declared that a sabotage squad had been caught on December 8 near the Gironde. In January 1943, 10 men on the raid were posted as missing, until two of them were found.

It was later discovered that five ships had been destroyed in Bordeaux by mysterious explosions, then in 2010, new research proved that a sixth ship had been more extensively damaged than the other ships.

A 80,000 memorial was resurrected in honour of the Cockleshell Heroes and three French individuals on March 31, 2011.

It was later discovered that five ships had been destroyed in Bordeaux by mysterious explosions, then in 2010, new research proved that a sixth ship had been more extensively damaged than the other ships. Pictured is Le Mole D'Escale du Verdon

HMS White Bear June 1946, as a survey vessel. The 75th anniversary of one of the most daring raids of the Second World War carried out by the legendary Cockleshell Heroes is remembered today

'All the Royal Marines had spent eight days in cramped and unfavourable conditions they were unused to. The event these men had volunteered for was a small-scale amphibious raid into the heart of occupied France,' Quentin said.

'It was very likely that anyone who went on this raid would not return. The men who were chosen were not informed of their mission until they were ensconced in the submarine.

'There was to be rendezvous or extraction; they were to fend for themselves. Once their mission was completed, they were to make their way on foot towards a specific village some 100 miles inland in order to try and make contact with a Resistance network.'

ONE OF THE MOST DARING RAIDS OF WWII The 75th anniversary of one of the most daring raids of the Second World War carried out by the legendary Cockleshell Heroes is remembered today. On December 12, 1942, 10 Royal Marines from the Royal Marines Boom Detachment in Portsmouth set out in five canoes from the submarine HMS Tuna, which surfaced at the mouth of the Gironde in south west France. Their mission was to blow up German supply ships 60 miles away in Bordeaux harbour with limpet mines and then escape with the help of the French Resistance. Two men drowned, six were caught or betrayed and executed by Germans, leaving just two survivors of what was effectively a suicide mission. The pair arrived home four months later. However, Operation Frankton succeeded in destroying five ships, which were vital in supplying raw materials such as rubber, oil and tungsten to Hitler's war effort. The operation, aimed at minimising civilian deaths as an alternative to bombing, was hailed a success by Lord Mountbatten, the Chief of Combined Operations, who sanctioned the raid. And it proved to be a much-needed boost to British morale. Major 'Blondie' Hasler, originally from Dublin, masterminded the operation and was one of the survivors. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and died in 1987. The other survivor, Bill Sparks, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his outstanding effort. Mr Sparks, who was born in east London and was a bus conductor and inspector, was the last surviving Cockleshell Hero and died on November 30 this year at Alfriston, East Sussex. HMS Southampton and Royal Fleet Auxiliary landing ship, Sir Percivale, brought about 50 Royal Marines from 45 Commando, based at Arbroath, and a Royal Marine band from Portsmouth to honour their lost comrades. The Duke of Kent and Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppe unveiled a memorial plaque to the Cockleshell Heroes on one of the city's quays, renamed Frankton after the operation's codename, in front of both French and British veterans and some relatives of the Cockleshell Heroes. Commander of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, Brigadier Jim Dutton, and Lord Mountbatten's daughter, Lady Pamela Hicks, were also among the dignitaries. Earlier in the day, there was a commemorative ceremony at Chateau Magnol near Blanquefort in front of a bullet-scarred wall where two of the marines who were caught were executed by a German firing squad. The Cockleshell Heroes were so-called after the 17ft-long Cockle Mark II canoes they used in the raid. The Cockleshell Heroes are enduring role models for the 45 Commando Zulu rifle company, which recently returned from operations in Afghanistan. Of the Marines on the mission, Sergeant Sam Wallace, from Dublin, managed to get ashore but was picked up by Germans and shot at Chateau Magnol along with Marine Robert Ewart, from Glasgow, who was also in the first canoe to founder. Corporal George Sheard, from Plymouth, drowned and his body was never found. Marine David Moffat, who was born in Belfast and lived in Halifax, West Yorkshire, also drowned, but his body was recovered. Second-in-command Lieutenant John Mackinnon and Marine James Conway, from Stockport, got into trouble when their canoe hit an obstacle and was wrecked. They were later picked up by Germans. Canoeing by night and resting by day, two pairs finally reached their target several days later and laid the mines which damaged five supply ships. They made their way down river, destroyed their canoes and split up into pairs, heading off on foot towards Ruffec to meet the Resistance 100 miles away. Corporal Albert Laver, from Barnet, Hertfordshire, and Marine William Mills, from Kettering, were caught and executed. Marine Sparks and Major Hasler reached the town and finally arrived home, after crossing the Pyrenees into Spain four months later. Royal Marines historian Major Mark Bentinck, who is based at Portsmouth, explained why the success of the raid was such a huge boost to British morale. He said: 'At the beginning of 1942, the battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse were sunk in Malaya followed rapidly by the fall of Singapore to the Japanese. Churchill called it one of the greatest disasters of British history. The German battleships Prince Eugen and Bismarck sailed through the Straits of Dover and we could not stop them. 'In August, we mounted a major raid on Dieppe, which was a catastrophe and German submarines were sinking our ships in the Atlantic, Malta was being battered by Germans and Italians and there was a danger it would fall. The war was not going well in North Africa and then, in December, we actually managed to get something right, but at great cost in lives.' The outstanding bravery of the 10 men was immortalised in a film in 1955 and a book a year later. Lord Mountbatten wrote in the foreword of the CF Lucas Phillips book Cockleshell Heroes: 'Of the many and dashing raids carried out by the men of Combined Operations command, none was more courageous or imaginative than Operation Frankton. 'The account of this operation brings out the spirit of adventure always present in peace and war among Royal Marines.' Advertisement

Cockleshell Heroes was published by Amberley Publishing on October 17, 2013, and is available here: https://www.amberley-books.com/the-cockleshell-heroes-9781848689161.html
An Australian Hells Angels bikie and his wife have been arrested in Bangkok after allegedly smuggling 500 kilograms of drugs into the Thailand.

Luke Joshua Cook, 34, and Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, were arrested at the weekend after arriving off a flight from Australia.

They allegedly attempted to bring millions of dollars worth of crystal meth to Thailand in 2015.

The Australian gang member was detained by immigration officials as local authorities crack down against Hells Angels in a city known for its sex industry and international crime syndicates.

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Hells Angels bikie Luke Cook (left) and his Thai wife Kanyarat Wechapitak (right) were arrested in Bangkok after allegedly smuggling 500 kilograms of drugs into the country

Cook (pictured) and his wife were arrested after arriving off a flight from Australia on Saturday

Cook, 34, (pictured) was arrested for allegedly attempting to bring millions of dollars worth of crystal methamphetamine to Thailand in 2015

Cook is accused of smuggling the drug ice from a boat off the Thailand coast where he reportedly threw a large amount of the drug overboard after spotting a patrol boat, according to local media.

Police reportedly later found 50 kilograms of the drug washed ashore, issuing arrest warrants for the couple.

Luxury cars, bikes, guns, money and houses were among the items seized by police following the arrest of Cook and Wechapitak.

'It is a big transnational crime organisation which is just escalating its operations in Thailand,' Major General Apichat Sirisith told media on Tuesday.

However, a lawyer for the couple said the two denied wrongdoing.

'These two haven't done anything wrong,' lawyer Pipat Chanprakul told Reuters.

Cook, the owner of P** Stop Bar, is believed to be a member of the Pattaya Hells Angels gang

Police alleged Cook dumped the drug ice from a boat off the Thailand coast after being spooked by local authorities, where police found 50kg of drug washed ashore (stock image)

'They are pleading innocent.'

Police Lieutenant General Sommai Kongwisaisuk of the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau said Cook, the owner of P** Stop Bar, was a member of the Pattaya Hells Angels gang.

The Australian is believed to have helped convicted murderer Antonio Bagnato, 28, escape to Cambodia where the 28-year-old was arrested earlier this year and sentenced to death.
North Korean prison camps are 'as terrible or even worse' than Nazi concentration camps, according to a human rights judge who survived Auschwitz.

Thomas Buergenthal, who survived two Nazi concentration camps and a Jewish ghetto in German-occupied Poland during the Holocaust, made the powerful conclusion after hearing more than 35 years worth of evidence on North Korean political prisons.

He is one of three judges tasked with hearing testimonies from survivors and former guards at North Korean political prison camps during a probe into human rights violations by the International Bar Association.

Thomas Buergenthal, who survived two Nazi concentration camps, branded Kim Jong-Un's prisons 'as terrible or worse' after hearing more than 35 years worth of evidence

Behind closed borders: A female North Korean soldier looks out from behind a barbed wire fence of a political prison camp

'I believe that the conditions in the [North] Korean prison camps are as terrible, or even worse, than those I saw and experienced in my youth in these Nazi camps and in my long professional career in the human rights field,' Mr Buergenthal said according to the Washington Post.

Mr Buergenthal, 83, was born in Lubochna, Slovakia in 1934, to Jewish parents who had fled Hitler's rise to power in Germany.

In 1939, the family fled to Poland and, after the Nazi invasion, ended up in the ghetto at Kielce in south-central Poland.

When the ghetto was cleared, Buergenthal and his family were sent to a Nazi labour camp and later to Auschwitz, where he eventually survived the infamous death march in 1945.

Following the war and studies in the U.S., he specialised in human rights law and served as judge of the International Court of Justice from 2000 to 2010.

Before the war: Thomas Buergenthal is pictured with his parents in the late 1930s - he and his mother would survive the Holocaust, his father did not

Survivor: Mr Buergenthal survived two Nazi camps, including Auschwitz, pictured, during the Holocaust of World War II

This rare picture shows inmates working at a North Korean prison camp. Prisoners begin work at 5am and can sometimes carry on through to 3am. Many die of exhaustion

On Monday, after studying the evidence from North Korea, Buergenthal and his colleages of the International Bar Association concluded that Kim Jong Un should be tried for crimes against humanity.

The probe coincided with a special session of the UN Security Council, which was held yesterday to discuss the human rights situation in North Korea.

They heard that people who have managed to escaped the dictatorship have reported 'extremely widespread violations of rights in almost every aspect of people's lives'.

Giving evidence to the council, UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said there are reportedly five secret political prison camps in North Korea.

He cited horrific conditions in prisons and labor camps, and widespread torture in detention centers.

Detainees are forced to work in mines or on building projects, face beatings, 'and are being fed so little they barely survive,' Zeid said, adding that the political prison camps function as 'a powerful instrument of control,' he said.

Probe: Buergenthal and his colleagues heard more than 35 years of evidence from former prisoners and guards at some of North Korea's political prison camps. This satellite image shows Camp 12 near the Chinese border in North Korea

Criminal: Mr Buergenthal and his colleages of the International Bar Association concluded that Kim Jong Un should be tried for crimes against humanity

He also criticized China for returning North Koreans who escape from their country, saying they 'are routinely subjected to multiple forms of torture and ill-treatment,' including women who are subjected 'to invasive body searches' that may amount to rape under international law.

Zeid said his office has received more than 70 reports of women, men and children who escaped again after being sent back by Chinese authorities who decided they were 'economic migrants,' disregarding 'the overwhelming human rights violations taking place in the country.'

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council that the systematic human rights violations against North Korea's people 'are a means to a single end: Keeping the Kim Jong Un regime in power.'

'The regime is using that power to develop an unnecessary arsenal and support enormous conventional military forces that pose a grave risk to international peace and security,' she said. 'Their menacing march towards nuclear weapons begins with the oppression and exploitation of ordinary North Korean people.'

Haley said an estimated 100,000 North Koreans, including children, are in prisons, many because North Korea practices 'guilt-by-association' and allows up to three generations of a family to be imprisoned along with an accused family member.

'Defectors have reported that all North Koreans age 12 and older are required to attend public executions - a graphic reminder of consequences of disobedience of the government,' she added.

Haley said the majority of asylum seekers are women, many of them trafficked. If women are repatriated while pregnant, she said they are tortured and forced to have abortions. If their baby is born alive, it is killed in an effort to maintain 'ethnic purity,' she said.
A wife killed her husband then disfigured her boyfriend with acid after he agreed to have plastic surgery and steal her dead partner's identity, Indian police say.

The 28-year-old woman, named as Swathi, from Telangana, India, allegedly hatched the plot with lover Rajesh to kill her husband Sudhakar Reddy, 32.

Police say she then planned to make Rajesh undergo plastic surgery with the aim of eventually taking Sudhakar's identity.

The bizarre murder plot has echoes of the 1997 action movie Face/Off, starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage, in which the pair undergo a medical procedure to swap faces.

A 28-year-old named as Swathi (right) , from Telangana, India, allegedly hatched a plot with lover Rajesh to kill her husband Sudhakar Reddy (left), 32. Police say she then planned to make Rajesh undergo plastic surgery with the aim of eventually taking Sudhakar's identity

In fact, local police say the couple took inspiration from the 2014 Indian film 'Yevadu' meaning 'who' where one of the characters has plastic surgery to assume the identity of another man.

Police officer DSP A Lakshminarayana told Gulf News that the husband had found out about his wife's affair a few days ago and that Swathi had become fearful of the fallout.

Police say the mother-of-two attacked Sudhakar, her husband of seven years, with a blunt object when he returned home on November 26.

Rajesh arrived and after killing Sudhakar, the pair, who started an affair two years ago, took him in a rolled up mat to a nearby forest and burnt the body, police say.

Two days later, Swathi disfigured Rajesh's face and body with acid - apparently with his blessing, police say.

The bizarre murder plot has echoes of the 1997 action movie Face/Off, starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage, in which the pair undergo a medical procedure to swap faces

She is then said to have told her husband's parents that their son had been injured by acid attackers.

Sudhakar's shocked family, believing their son was still alive, moved Rajesh to a hospital in Hyderabad and lodged a complaint to police about the apparent 'gang attack'.

But they soon became suspicious about the identity of the man they were caring for and police revised their investigation.

They are said to have raised the alarm after bringing mutton soup in to hospital - one of Sudhakar's favourites - only for the bogus patient to turn it down saying he was a vegetarian.

Officers took Rajesh's finger prints and compared them with details they held for for Sudhakar - and on receiving the results, immediately arrested Swathi.

She is then said to have admitted murdering her husband and they later recovered the body.

Rajesh has also been arrested and he will appear in court after leaving hospital.
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Nearly three miles long and burrowed out of more than 10,000 square feet of rock, this gigantic underground bunker built by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is one of the most impressive structures of World War Two.

The Mount Soratte tunnel complex, 27 miles north of Rome, was not only Europe's largest bunker but also one of the most mysterious - surrounded by rumours it still contains 75 tonnes of Nazi gold hidden by its later German occupiers.

Evacuation work began in the autumn of 1937, when Mussolini - known as El Duce - demanding the construction of a bunker reaching up to 300 yards underground to house the Italian government and generals.

Officials set up a 150-acre exclusion zone surrounded by barbed wire and spread rumours that the site was to house a factory for agricultural and military equipment, shrouding its true purpose in the utmost secrecy.

After Italy made peace with the allies on September 8th, 1943, the Germans invaded and took over the bunker as the headquarters of the Werhrmacht under the leadership of Field General Albert Kesserling.

During the Cold War period the bunker was turned into an anti-atomic shelter under NATO. It was to be used in case of a nuclear attack as a shelter for Italy's president and his closest assistants.

The Mount Soratte tunnel complex, 27 miles north of Rome, was not only Europe's largest bunker but also one of the most mysterious - surrounded by rumours it contains 75 tonnes of Nazi gold hidden by its later German occupiers. The stash has never been found, but rumours continue to swirl about its possible location deep underground

Evacuation work began in the autumn of 1937, when Mussolini - known as El Duce - demanding the construction of a bunker reaching up to 300 yards underground to house the Italian government and generals. Pictured is the entrance to the main tunnel, which was protected by a pair of heavy iron doors

Officials set up a 150-acre exclusion zone surrounded by barbed wire and spread rumours that the site was to house a factory for agricultural and military equipment, shrouding its true purpose in the utmost secrecy. Pictured is one of the operations rooms inside the giant complex

After Italy made peace with the allies on September 8th, 1943, the Germans invaded and took over the bunker as the headquarters of the Werhrmacht under the leadership of Field General Albert Kesserling. The Germans did not want the homeland of their former ally to become a stronghold for the allies. Pictured: A replica soldier sitting at a desk

During the Cold War period the bunker was turned into an anti-atomic shelter under NATO. It was to be used in case of a nuclear attack as a shelter for Italy's president and his closest assistants. Pictured on the left is the entrance of the bunker during construction work, on the right is the structure today, which now welcomes tourists

Albert Kesselring, pictured inside the bunker, was the German Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall during World War II and became one of the most highly-decorated Nazi commanders. He was tried for war crimes in 1960 and sentenced to death, but that later changed to life imprisonment. A political and media campaign resulted in his release in 1952, ostensibly on health grounds. He died in 1960 of a heart attack

A massive American bombardment by B-17 bombers of the bunker occurred on May, 1944, destroying the bunker's perimeter but missing the main structure itself. Pictured is a replica of a gas mask worn by an adult, and one that was used to protect babies

Two and a half miles long and burrowed from more than 10,000 square feet of mountain rock, this gigantic underground bunker built by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is one of the most foreboding structures of World War Two. It was protected by weaponry including rockets, left, and tanks, right

An urban legend says that somewhere under the bunker lies 75 tons of gold bars that had been transferred there from the central Bank of Italy in Rome (the gold has never been found). This sign tells inhabitants of the bunker to stay silent

This notice painted on the brown concrete walls of the bunker orders passers-by to be quiet because 'the enemy are listening'. Nearly a thousand Nazis slept in the bunker after Italy's surrender and there were facilities including a restaurant and a theatre

The bunker was intended to shelter top-secret documents and people. Pictured is a World War Two tank inside the structure, showing that it also housed military equipment

Workers took four and a half years to excavate the bunker, working on eight-hour shifts starting at 6am in the morning. Locals were said to be happy about the construction work going on as it provided hundreds of jobs. Pictured: Shelves containing metal document boxes inside the bunker

These posters show a list of commands for Italians issued by Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, who took control of the bunker after the Nazis invaded Italy in September 1943. One of the commands listed on these pages says that Italy is now under 'German law'

This World War Two camouflaged tank points towards the commune of SantOreste, which is perched on a nearby hill

This image shows the bunker's map room, where Italian Army commanders would plot troop movements against the Allies. It was later used by Nazi generals

Despite being the infamous founder of Italian fascism who allied with Adolf Hitler, tore up democracy and introduced a string of anti-Semitic laws to Italy, Mussolini is still lauded by some Italians on the far-right. Pictured: A rusting tank outside his bunker

Fascism has long left its mark on the country, with groups of so-called Ultras sporting extreme views that hark back to 1920s Italy taking to the nation's football terraces for several decades. But the cult-figure appears to have slipped back into mainstream public consciousness. Pictured: A guard post outside the bunker

During the last days of the war in Italy, Il Duce (the leader) - as Mussolini was known - was captured by partisans who executed him by firing squad. His corpse was mutilated and strung up by the feet alongside that of his mistress, Clara Petacci, at an Esso station in Milan. Pictured: A model plane hanging from the ceiling of his bunker

The bunker is a popular visitor attraction and includes displays of armaments from World War Two, which include a warning sign saying 'please do not touch'

The bunker is now surrounded by a nature reserve, rather than the hostile military no man's land that was used to protect it during the Second World War
Levi Bellfield's ex-wife says she is 100% sure he carried out other attacks and may even have committed an offence while they were on holiday in Turkey.

Serial killer Bellfield is currently in jail for the murders of Surrey schoolgirl Milly Dowler, 13, Marsha McDonnell, 19, and 22-year-old French student Amelie Delagrange.

His crimes are being reexamined amid claims he killed Lin and Megan Russell in 1996, murders for which another man has been jailed.

His ex-wife Jo Collings has said she does not believe he killed the Russells, but is certain he attacked other women.

Jo Collings, the ex-wife of Levi Bellfield, has said she is sure he carried out more attacks

She told how Bellfield could be a 'gentleman' but would flip and her life with him became 'torture' as he subjected her to domestic abuse, rape and beatings

Asked by the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire if she thought he had other victims, Ms Collings said: 'Without a shadow of a doubt. Because that's him. I know him.'

She described a holiday the couple went on to Turkey in 1996, and told of her fears he had committed a crime during their short stay.

She said: 'We were there four or five days. We'd had a row one afternoon, he locked me in the bedroom, went off out and came back late in right state. He packed all the cases and we flew home the next day.

'He wouldn't say why or anything but he probably did something out there because you wouldn't go into panic mode, have to pack everything, don't ask any questions and fly home.'

She described life with Bellfield as 'torture', but said that his sex attacks and beatings became her 'normal life' and she was unable to get away.

His ex-wife says she suspects Bellfield even carried out an attack when they were on holiday

Bellfield is currently in jail for the murders of Surrey schoolgirl Milly Dowler (left) Marsha McDonnell (centre) and student Amelie Delagrange (right)

Ms Collings told the BBC show: 'When he was being nice, you could not have asked for a nicer person. He was a real gentleman. Spoiled you rotten.

'But then, he would just flip. There was the beatings, the abuse. He treated you worse than you would treat an animal.'

She added: 'The rapes became quite a common thing, because we were his property, we belonged to him and whatever he wanted, he did. You didn't say no to him, you didn't argue.'

Ms Collings has said Bellfield was at her 25th birthday party on the day Lin Russell, 45, and her daughter Megan, 6, in Chillenden, Kent, in 1996.

Repeating his alibi today, she said: 'There's absolutely no way I'm confused. From when we woke up in the morning to the moment we went to bed that night, I can tell you everything we did.'

Despite her fears Bellfield had more victims, his ex-wife says he was with her on the day Lin and Megan Russell (pictured with Lin's husband Michael and other daughter Josie) died

In 2016, as many as 25 cases had been linked to Bellfield.

And at the time of his conviction for Milly's murder in June 2011, detectives said they believed Bellfield may have been responsible for around 20 attacks on women, dating back to 1980, which were never solved.

On the Russells case, Bellfield's solicitor Julie Cooper has said: 'Mr Bellfield denies the murders of the Russell family and denies ever making such a confession.'
A woman, who smuggled her Lithuanian illegal immigrant husband into the UK after he flew to Dublin before she helped him catch a ferry to Wales, has been jailed for 18 months.

Vitalij Beliuga, 31, plotted to get back into Britain to be with his wife, Svetlana, 29, after being deported for for drug dealing, fraud and violence.

He was able to travel freely throughout Europe from his home in Lithuania - and decided to make his way to the Ireland.

Vitalij Beliuga, 31, plotted to get back into Britain to be with his wife, Svetlana, 29, after being deported for for drug dealing, fraud and violence. Pictured is Swansea Crown Court

Swansea Crown Court heard Beliuga took a flight to Copenhagen before travelling to Dublin, where he met his wife.

The couple then arranged for a friend to collect them in the Irish capital and take them on a ferry to Britain.

But they were eventually caught when the car was checked by a border official at Fishguard, West Wales, and the couple were found sitting in the back.

Svetlana, from Grays in Essex, admitted assisting her husband to re-enter the UK knowing that he had been deported.

Judge Keith Thomas said Svetlana had arranged to try to get her husband back into the country almost as soon as he was deported.

He jailed her for 18 months, saying: 'Any breach of the immigration regulations is serious because it undermines the security of the country as a whole.

'This took some planning between you and your husband. You recruited another man to help you and paid his expenses.'

The court heard deportation proceedings for the couple were on-going.
This is the unlikely moment that two North Yorkshire Police officers danced to rap music at Skipton Christmas Market.

The footage, viewed thousands of times on Twitter and Facebook, shows the two cops doing their best to move with the rhythm while a crowd gathers on the high street.

Joining in the dance with shopping trolley artists Granny Turismo, Sgt Paul Evans and PCSO Gillian Seed showed off their moves in front of puzzled but amused Christmas shoppers.

And appropriately enough it was the song 'Sound of the Police' which was blaring in the town centre as the two officers put themselves on display.

The video was posted online by artist and council worker Marc Adams, and shared approvingly by the local police force.

'I think this proves that Skipton IS the happiest place to live', said Marc, after the district of Craven where the town lies came first in a wellbeing study earlier this year.

However, North Yorkshire Police did not give top marks to the two officers' dancing moves, captioning the video with the hashtag #NotQuiteStrictly and describing Sgt Evans' moves as 'dad dancing'.

The video was posted online by artist and council worker Marc Adams, and shared approvingly by the local police force

Appropriately enough it was the song 'Sound of the Police' which was blaring in the town centre as the two officers put themselves on display

Social media users had a positive reaction to the festive fun, with Tracey Wesson suggesting the police should hold a dance-off with the local fire brigade.

Another user called Lindsey said: 'Fantastic... shows cops are human. Well done that man!'

And Shorna Corbin said it was 'great to see some happiness' as the police duo brought an unusual touch to a Sunday Christmas shop.

The dance moves were a highlight of Skipton's second Christmas market of the year, pitting the police against the shopping trolley troupe Granny Turismo.
A British mother imprisoned in Iran is 'much more hopeful' she will be reunited with her daughter for Christmas after Boris Johnson visited the country to urge her release.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is 'more upbeat' after his diplomatic mission to convince the country to drop controversial spying charges against her, her husband said today.

Richard Ratcliffe said that 'reading the tea leaves' he still hoped she could return home to spend Christmas Day with him and their three year-old daughter Gabriella.

But a senior Iranian MP today poured cold water on hopes that a breakthrough in the case could be just around the corner - and said 'spies' should not be freed.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, pictured with her daughter Gabriella before her arrest, is 'more upbeat' his diplomatic mission to convince the country to drop controversial spying charges against her, her husband Richard said today

Richard Ratcliffe (pictured with his wife and their young daughter Gabriella) said that 'reading the tea leaves' he still hoped she could return home to spend Christmas Day with him and their three year-old daughter

Naqavi Hosseini, a spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said: 'One of the problems that we face in receiving European delegations is that they make irrational requests from the Iranian side.'

And he said that his commission would reject the request to free the mother-of-one if it was lodged with them.

The intervention, which was reported on Iranian state media today, is a sign of the clashes going on over the case in the Middle Eastern country.

The Foreign Secretary visited Tehran on Saturday to launch a fresh diplomatic push to try to free Mrs Zaghari Ratcliffe after his gaffe to MPs threatened to land her with another five years in jail.

The British mother of one has spent over a year in jail on spying charges which she strongly denies, insisting instead that she was in the country to visit her parents.

But Mr Johnson incorrectly told MPs she was in Tehran to train journalists in a blunder seized upon by Iranian hardliners to hit her with fresh espionage charges.

The mother-of-one was hauled back to court and told she could face many more years in a cell if she was found guilty.

However, her court case was cancelled on Sunday after Mr Johnson visited the country and held talks with its leaders about the case.

And the authorities confirmed they are looking again at her case on 'humanitarian grounds' amid concerns that her physical and mental health have dramatically deteriorated since her imprisonment.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme today, her husband said he met the Foreign Secretary yesterday who was 'cautious' and 'didn't want to get my hopes up that it was all going to be done in the next three or four days'.

But he highlighted comments by Iran's foreign ministry, saying it would raise the case with the judiciary 'out of humanitarian concerns'.

And he pointed to the Tehran revolutionary court, which he said described reports of a new set of charges against his wife as a 'mistake by Western media'.

Boris Johnson met with Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani at the weekend, as he made a fresh diplomatic push for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release

Boris Johnson and his diplomatic mission held talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as part of his efforts to try to secure the British mother's release

Discussing Monday's phone call with his wife, he said: 'She was very upbeat, talked about how she'd been dreaming of being on that plane and it was just nice to hear that hope in her voice.'

'I spoke on Sunday (with her) and she hadn't had the court case so she was much more lifted from the fact that this really bad, ominous kind of sitting in front of the judge and all her interrogators hadn't happened.

'And then yesterday the positivity of being allowed another phone call, the media that was coming through in Iran, she was just more upbeat.'

Mr Ratcliffe added: 'There's a range of diplomatic things going on that will all be making a difference.

'I am sure the fact the Foreign Secretary went to Iran and raised her case and stressed the importance of the UK-Iranian relationship and there was progress on all sorts of things.

' I'm sure all of that together improves relations, and yeah, the basics of him being there and caring can only help.'

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.
1980 - Jessica Leeds

Jessica Leeds, a 75-year-old former businesswoman who lives in Manhattan, told the New York Times last year that she was 'assaulted' by Trump on a flight when she was 38.

Leeds explained how she was sat beside Trump in first class on a flight, when the Republican nominee lifted the arm-rest between then and allegedly began touching her.

'He was like an octopus,' she told the Times. 'His hands were everywhere.'

1989 - Ivana Trump

The Donald's first wife claimed she was 'violated' by him after a violent attack, documents filed as part of the couple's divorce claimed, according to the Daily Beast.

Ivana distanced herself from the claims last year when Trump started his campaign.

Early 1990s - Kristin Anderson

Kristin Anderson was out with friends, chatting up a storm at a Manhattan nightspot, when she felt fingers creep up her miniskirt, slide up her inner thigh and then touch her vagina through her panties.

Anderson, now 47, told the Washington Post that it was Donald Trump who touched her at the nightclub.

She said the incident took place in the early 1990s, when she was in her early twenties and an aspiring model.

1993 - Jill Harth

Jill Harth, a makeup artist, accused Trump of 'attempted rape' stemming from an incident in 1993.

Harth told the Guardian the incident in question took place during a visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion in January of that year.

'He pushed me up against the wall, and had his hands all over me and tried to get up my dress again,' she told the newspaper. 'I had to physically say: 'What are you doing? Stop it.''

1993 - Vendela Kirsebom

Former supermodel Vendela Kirsebom exclusively told DailyMail.com that Donald Trump's 'vulgar' and 'sexist' remarks about the size of women's breasts forced her to switch tables at a White House dinner party.

The sports Illustrated cover model claims her night at a 1993 Vanity Fair event was ruined because she was sat next to the billionaire.

Recalling the 'excruciating' night, Kirsebom, 50, said: 'Everything he said was so vulgar.

'I couldn't listen to his nonsense for an entire night so I asked if I could be moved.'

1996 - Lisa Boyne

Lisa Boyne, CEO of a health food company, claims that in the summer of 1996 she saw Trump make a series of women walk up and down a restaurant table so that he could announce whether they were wearing underwear.

'It was the most offensive scene I've ever been a part of,' she told The Huffington Post last year. 'I wanted to get the heck out of there.'

According to Boyne, she and friend Sonja Tremont - better known today as Sonja Morgan of 'Real Housewives of New York' - had been invited to dinner in Manhattan with Trump and late modelling agent John Casablancas.

1997 - Four Miss Teen USA contestants

Mariah Billado and three other contestants claimed to Buzzfeed that Trump walked into dressing rooms prior to the pageant while competitors were naked.

'I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, 'Oh my god, there's a man in here',' she told Buzzfeed

Bilado told the website that Trump then said something like: 'Don't worry, ladies, I've seen it all before'.

1997 - Miss USA contestant Temple Taggart

Temple Taggart, a former Miss Utah, told the New York Times last year that Trump kissed her on the lips during the pageant.

'I thought, 'Oh my God, gross'... I think there were a few other girls that he kissed on the mouth. I was like 'Wow, that's inappropriate',' she told the newspaper.

Taggart has also sat down for an interview with NBC News.

'When I first heard the leaked tape, it's very unsettling... you don't want to hear anyone talking about women like that,' she said in a promotion clip for the interview.

1997 - Cathy Heller

Cathy Heller, now 64, claims the billionaire kissed her on the mouth without her consent in 1997 while she attended a Mother's Day luncheon with her family at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

She told The Guardian last year: 'He took my hand, and grabbed me, and went for the lips,' she said.

She claimed she held back but he persevered. 'And he said, 'Oh, come on'. He was strong. He grabbed me and went for my mouth and went for my lips.'

Trump denied the accusation, claiming she was motivated by a personal vendetta to have her family's membership fees reimbursed.

2000 - Miss USA contestant Bridget Sullivan

Bridget Sullivan told Buzzfeed last year that the then-owner of the pageant walked through the backstage area to wish contestants good luck, despite the fact many of them were naked at the time.

'The time that he walked through the dressing rooms was really shocking. We were all naked,' Sullivan said.

She went on to describe Trump as a 'creepy uncle', saying he would 'hug you just a little low on your back.'

Buzzfeed spoke with four other contestants from that year - none whom remembered Trump walking through the dressing room when contestants were naked.

2001 - Miss USA contestant Tasha Dixon

Tasha Dixon told CBS News last year walked into the changing rooms at the pageant without warning, meaning many of the competitors were naked or not fully dressed.

'Our first introduction to him was when we were at the dress rehearsal and half naked changing into our bikinis,' Dixon said in an interview. 'He just came strolling right in.

'There was no second to put a robe on or any sort of clothing or anything. Some girls were topless. Other girls were naked.'

2003 - Mindy McGillivray

Mindy McGillivray, 36, told the Palm Beach Post that Trump grabbed her backside after she helped a photographer who was covering a concert at Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion.

McGillivray, who was 23 at the time, said she was with Ken Davidoff at the Mar-a-Lago on January 24, 2003.

'All of a sudden I felt a grab, a little nudge. I think it's Ken's camera bag, that was my first instinct,' she told the newspaper.

'I turn around and there's Donald. He sort of looked away quickly.'

2004 - Trump discussed what he thought it would be like to have sex with a teenage Lindsay Lohan on the Howard Stern Show

'She's probably deeply troubled and therefore great in bed,' Trump told Stern when asked by the shock jock if he could imagine bedding 'troubled teen' Lindsay Lohan.

Trump went on to say: 'How come the deeply troubled women, you know, deeply, deeply troubled, they're always the best in bed?'

At the time of the interview, Lohan was just 18 years old. Trump was 58.

The conversation continued with Trump speaking about a friend he described as 'a great Playboy' and who he said only wants to date 'crazy' women.

2005 - Rachel Crooks

Rachel Crooks was a 22-year-old working as a receptionist at Bayrock Group, a real estate company based in Trump Tower in Manhattan, when she says Trump kissed her on the mouth without permission while in an elevator in 2005.

'It was so inappropriate,' Ms. Crooks told the New York Times. 'I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.'

Crooks told the newspaper the incident took place after she shook hands with Trump in an elevator and he allegedly refused to let go.

She says he then began kissing her on the cheeks, before then kissing her lips.

2005 - Donald Trump admits he would 'inspect' pageant contestants backstage

Donald Trump bragged about the extra power he had during an interview with Howard Stern in April 2005, the tapes of which have been released by CNN.

'I'll tell you the funniest is that I'll go backstage before a show and everyone's getting dressed,' Trump said about the pageant.

'No men are anywhere, and I'm allowed to go in, because I'm the owner of the pageant and therefore I'm inspecting it. 'Is everyone OK?' You know, they're standing there with no clothes. 'Is everybody OK?'

'And you see these incredible looking women, and so I sort of get away with things like that.'

2005 - Trump brags about being able to grope women without consent to Billy Bush on the set of Access Hollywood

'You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful - I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait,' he was heard saying to Billy Bush on the set of Access Hollywood in 2005 in a recording published by the Washington Post last year.

'And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p****. You can do anything.'

2005 - Natasha Stoynoff

Natasha Stoynoff recounted how she had traveled to Mar-a-Largo to interview Trump and his wife, Melania, in December 2005.

She said Donald took her into a room he really wanted to see, before forcing himself on her.

'We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat,' she wrote for People.

Stoynoff went on to say how she was rescued when a butler walked in, however when the two were alone again shortly after Trump told her they were 'going to have an affair'.

2006 - Samantha Holvey

Samantha Holvey claims that as a 20-year-old representing North Carolina in the 2006 Miss USA pageant, Trump would inspect her and other contestants before the competition.

She has said she was 'disgusted' by the now-president's repeated behavior.

It was 'the dirtiest I felt in my entire life,' she told CNN last year. 'He would step in front of each girl and look you over from head to toe like we were just meat, we were just sexual objects, that we were not people.'

2007 - Summer Zervos - contestant on The Apprentice

Summer Zervos, who was a contestant on the fifth season of The Apprentice, said Trump groped and kissed her in his room at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007.

She claims that she reached out to Trump a year after she left the show to speak about possible business opportunities, and when she met with him he kissed her 'open mouthed' multiple times, and at one point placed his hand on her breast.

She claims he then had her lie in bed with him she said telling her he wanted to watch 'telly telly', but soon after began 'thrusting his genitals' at her despite her pleas asking him to stop.

Zervos said during a press conference about her accusations: 'You do not have the right to treat women as sexual objects just because you are a star.'

2009 - Called Khloe Kardashian 'a fat piglet'

Trump made rude and offensive comments about Khloe Kardashian's physical appearance and weight while she filmed Celebrity Apprentice back in 2009, according to multiple people who worked on the set.

'He said: 'Why don't we fire Khloe? She is a fat piglet. Why did we get the ugly Kardashian?'' a source told Huffington Post.

2010 - Friend of CNN anchor Erin Burnett

Erin Burnett detailed an encounter that a friend had with Trump in March 2010 in the boardroom at Trump Tower, when he allegedly tried to kiss her without permission.

The woman told Burnett, according to CNN: 'Trump took Tic Tacs, suggested I take them also. He then leaned in, catching me off guard, and kissed me almost on lips. I was really freaked out.

'After (the meeting), Trump asked me to come into his office alone. Was really unsure what to do. ... Figured I could handle myself.

'Anyway, once in his office he kept telling me how special I am and gave me his cell, asked me to call him. I ran the hell out of there.'

2013 - Miss USA contestant Cassandra Searles

Searles, who won Miss Washington in 2013, said Trump tried to seduce her, groped her, and treated the women in the pageant 'like cattle', according to Yahoo News.

'Do y'all remember that one time we had to do our onstage introductions, but this one guy treated us like cattle and made us do it again because we didn't look him in the eyes?' she wrote last year.

'Do you also remember when he then proceeded to have us lined up so he could get a closer look at his property?

'Oh I forgot to mention that guy will be in the running to become the next President of the United States.'

She then added: 'He probably doesn't want me telling the story about that time he continually grabbed my a** and invited me to his hotel room.'
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Extraordinary photographs have resurfaced which show the incredible compassion members of Papua New Guinea tribes afforded injured Australian soldiers during World War II.

Tribesmen became the unexpected heroes of the Pacific War of 1942, saving hundreds of wounded troops as the rampaging Japanese army overwhelmed Port Moresby.

The indigenous saviours nursed and carried soldiers to safety - and in one iconic case - a villager was photographed leading a blinded Australian man away from danger.

Tribesmen from the island transformed into the unexpected heroes of the Pacific War of 1942 after saving hundreds of wounded troops as the rampaging Japanese army overwhelmed the capital

The indigenous saviours nursed and carried soldiers to safety, and in one iconic case a villager was even photographed leading a blinded Australian man away from danger

Moving black-and-white pictures show the kind Guineans heaving severely wounded men through rough terrain, using their local knowledge to get the allied soldiers to safety.

Their compassion and care of the casualties earned them admiration and respect from the Australian troops, who nicknamed these men their 'Fuzzy Wuzzy' angels.

The native islanders offered soldiers a brief, shining ray of humanity in an otherwise cruel and barbaric war zone.

One Australian soldier described what the sympathetic locals did for his country's troops.

He said: 'They carried stretchers over seemingly impassable barriers, with the patient reasonably comfortable. The care they give to the patient is magnificent.

'If night finds the stretcher still on the track, they will find a level spot and build a shelter over the patient. They will make him as comfortable as possible fetch him water and feed him if food is available, regardless of their own needs.'

Moving black-and-white pictures show the kind Guineans heaving severely wounded men through rough terrain, using their local knowledge to get the allied soldiers to safety

Their compassion and care of the casualties earned them admiration and respect from the Australian troops, who nicknamed these men their 'Fuzzy Wuzzy' angels

The native islanders offered soldiers a brief, shining ray of humanity in an otherwise cruel and barbaric war zone

One Australian soldier described what the sympathetic locals did for his country's troops. He said: 'They carried stretchers over seemingly impassable barriers, with the patient reasonably comfortable. The care they give to the patient is magnificent'

'They sleep four each side of the stretcher and if the patient moves or requires any attention during the night, this is given instantly. These were the deeds of the "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels" - for us!'

One particular image from the conflict, shot by war photographer George Silk, is immortalised in history.

It is the sight of a Guinean villager kindly leading a blinded Australian soldier to safety, both of them barefoot.

Raphael Oimbari was a local labourer, not part of the medical team. He found 23-year-old Private George Whittington lying blinded in the terrain during fighting around Buna in December of 1942.

A Japanese sniper had shot Whittington just above his left eye, leaving him temporarily blind.

One particular image from the conflict, shot by war photographer George Silk, is immortalised in history - it is the sight of a Guinean villager kindly leading a blinded Australian soldier to safety, both of them barefoot (pictured)

Indigenous Papua New Guineans sheltered, nursed and carried wounded Australians soldiers to safety after the brutal Japanese army overwhelmed them

The native islanders offered kindness and help to the troops who worked to defend Port Moresby from the Japanese army

The Japanese made massive gains on the Pacific Island but ran out of supplies before capturing Port Moresby

Oimbari led the soldier back to safety, in a selfless act. Touchingly, the two families stayed in contact, even after Whittington died of disease several months later.

The fighting in Papua New Guinea in the latter half of 1942 was an attempt by the Japanese to capture Port Moresby, the Guinan capital. It was part of a campaign to cut Australia off from its allies in World War.

The Japanese made massive gains on the Pacific Island but ran out of supplies before capturing Port Moresby.

However, the Australians were still unable to defeat the Japanese who were far better equipped for the ensuing fight in them thick jungles of New Guinea.

THE UNLIKELY BOND BETWEEN AUSTRALIAN TROOPS AND THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA ANGELS During the war in Papua New Guinea, the local population who were sympathetic to the Australian troops would assist where they could. Papuans living in the villages along the Kokoda Track prior to the Second World War (1939 - 45) lived a wholly traditional existence. Their only previous contact with the modern world had come with the occasional visits of Australian Government patrol officers. They knew nothing of the war or the nature of modern warfare, until it came crashing into their villages in July 1942. Notably they would help in transporting stores and equipment over the rough terrain. A close relationship and bonds of friendship developed between these local men and the Australians, particularly when the sick and wounded required transporting back to field aid stations. It is a well accepted fact that many men would have died where they fell in Papua New Guinea had it not been for these men who became affectionately known as the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels.' One iconic photo taken by the war correspondent George Silk was of Rapahel Oimbari assisting Private George 'Dick' Whittington who was wounded on Christmas Eve 1942 during an attack at Buna. Whilst recovering from his wounds, George later died as a result of contracting scrub typhus on 12 Feb 1943. Australia had been presenting commemorative medals to family members of the villagers in recognition of their service to Australian Servicemen during World War Two. Source: Kokoda Historical Advertisement

The fighting in Papua New Guinea in the latter half of 1942 was an attempt by the Japanese to capture Port Moresby, the Guinan capital

However, the Australians were still unable to defeat the Japanese who were far better equipped for the ensuing fight in them thick jungles of New Guinea

The spectacular black-and-white shots were captured by war photographers in awe of the camaraderie between the troops and islanders
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Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, the spiritual leader of Israel's non-Hassidic ultra-Orthodox Jews of European descent and one of the country's most influential and powerful rabbis, has died at the age of 104.

Shteinman was hospitalized several weeks ago with shortness of breath and passed away early on Tuesday.

Hundreds of thousands took part in his funeral procession in the central Israeli ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak and police blocked major highways and roads around the cemetery.

Emergency medical services on hand to deal with the flood of people clamoring to get a close look.

Large crowds of orthodox Jews have gathered for the funeral of Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak

His funeral is due to take place the central Israeli ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak with major roads were being shut down in advance of the procession

Ultra-Orthodox Jews stand on a rooftop as they watch the funeral of Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman

Shteinman was a longtime political kingmaker whose orders were strictly followed by his representatives in parliament. His influence, however, far surpassed just that and he was seen as the leading voice of the entire community on many issues of religion and state.

Following the 2012 death of his predecessor, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, he was widely regarded as 'Gadol Hador,' or 'leader of the generation.'

The ultra-Orthodox, known in Hebrew as 'Haredim,' or 'those who fear God,' are the fastest growing sector in Israel. Due to their high birth rate, they now number more than 1 million people, or about 12 percent of Israel's 8.7 million citizens, with the majority living beneath the poverty line.

Shteinman was known for his rabbinic scholarship, his relatively pragmatic rulings and extremely modest lifestyle. He was often called to judge on sensitive matters such as how much the traditionally insular community should integrate with the larger Israeli society, embrace technology, pursue higher education, work or agree to serve in the largely security military.

The ultra-Orthodox, known in Hebrew as 'Haredim,' or 'those who fear God,' are the fastest growing sector in Israel due to their high birth rate

The Rabbi was was often called to judge on sensitive matters such as how much the community should integrate with Israeli society

Police blocked roads around the cemetery and emergency medical services were on hand to deal with the flood of people clamouring to get a look

In recent years, he had faced a challenge from a more extremist rabbi in Jerusalem who sent thousands into the street to protest the small numbers of ultra-Orthodox who have enlisted.

Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer, an expert on the ultra-Orthodox community, said that until just recently Shteinman was of clear mind and hosting followers who sought his advice.

'He was a person who knew very carefully how to balance the needs of the community with the needs of the individual,' he said. 'His legacy is greatness of scholarship ... but at the same time a very nuanced leadership.'

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin praised Shteinman as a leader who 'carried on his shoulders the existential weight of the Jewish people.'

Born in 1913 in Belarus, he studied there and in Switzerland before emigrating to British-mandate Palestine in 1945.

He taught at the leading talmudic schools in Bnei Brak, the predominantly ultra-Orthodox city in the suburbs of Tel Aviv and where he also lived.

His influence grew in the 1980s when he became part of the rabbinical committee running Degel Hatorah, a component of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) alliance, whose six lawmakers are members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.

'We were orphaned this morning,' said UTJ's Moshe Gafni, who considered Shteinman an arbitrator on political as well as spiritual matters.

'Rabbi Shteinman's death is a loss to an entire generation, of millions of Jews in Israel and the world,' Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau said.

'He was the generation's leader who protected the generation with his prayers.'
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These days, falling ill will hopefully land you in hospital with a doctor wearing a white coat and stethoscope by your bedside.

But not so for Navajo Indians at the start of the 20th century, who could expect to find themselves in a sweat lodge being attended to by these masked figures.

This fascinating collection of images, taken between 1904 and 1905 by Edward S Curtis, documents a Navajo Night Chat - a healing ceremony that lasts for nine days and involves the patient being routinely sweated while rituals are performed by medicine men dressed as deities from tribal mythology.

Edward S Curtis spent more than 20 years photographing and recording North American Indian culture in the early 20th century. In this set of images he documented a Night Chant, a Navajo healing ritual involving men dressed as spirits from the tribe's mythology. Here two men are dressed as the Black God (left) and House God (right), two of the four deities who presided over the Third World and created the first man and woman, according to the Navajo creation myth

This image shows the Sacred Twins, known in English as Monster Slayer (right) and Born-of-Water (centre). According to Navajo mythology they were the children of White Shell Woman, one of the first beings, and roamed the earth slaying monsters that threatened humanity and scalping them. They are accompanied here by a deity named only as The Beggar (left)

The ceremony itself it sacred, so Curtis is unlikely to have photographed it in progress, but rather documented a recreation put on by the Navajo for his benefit.

Included in the photographs are the Sacred Twins, known in English as Monster Slayer and Born-of-Water, who roamed the Third World slaying monsters and scalping them, according to the Navajo creation myth and documented by Eastern New Mexico University.

Other figures from the Navajo creation story featured in the pictures is the House God, one of four deities who presided over the Third World and turned the first man and woman from spirits into humans, and the Black God, a fire deity.

Curtis was paid $75,000 in the early 1900s by financier J P Morgan in order to document Native American Indian culture, and spent the next 20 years dedicating himself to the project.

In total he produced 10,000 wax cylinder recordings of Native American language and music and 40,000 images of more than 80 different tribes.

These images were colourised by bank technician Frederic Duriez, 53, from Angres, in northern France.

'These portraits with these masks are fascinating,' he said. 'These people are mysterious behind their masks and seem to come out of a strange and mysterious story; from another world.

A Navajo man stands holding his ceremonial mask (left) and then appears dressed in it (right). It represents a god known as Fringe Mouth, a water-dwelling deity who participates in the Night Chant. Navajo boys are typically required to undergo a coming-of-age ritual before they are allowed to see which members of their tribe wear the masks

Left is Haschebaad, a representation of several benevolent female deities used specifically for the Night Chant. Right is Gaaskidi, deity of harvests, plenty and rain, who is usually depicted with a hump filled with seeds and water that is so heavy he has to lean backwards using a stick to support it

'The colorised portraits were without relief and without souls. So I applied a light effect so that it would appear out of the shadows. This makes them exceptional I think.'

Originating in the Southwestern United States, the Navajo are the second-largest Native American tribe recognised by the U.S. government, after the Cherokee tribe.

As of 2015 over 300,000 people were enrolled tribal members, with over two thirds of the tribe's population residing in Arizona and New Mexico.

Striking images like these are featured in British author Michael D. Carroll's new book, Retrographic on the colourisation of historical images.
An Australian man who was convicted of child sex offences and sentenced to eight years behind bars has reportedly died in a Cambodian jail.

Giuseppe Nicolosi had been serving time in the infamous Prey Sar prison, near the outskirts of Phnom Penh, when he was pronounced dead on Monday, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The 61-year-old was arrested and charged in 2010 over the alleged raped of a four-year-old girl in Siem Reap, in Cambodia's north.

Australian man, Guiseppe Nicolosi, 61, who was convicted of child sex offences and sentenced to eight years behind bars, reportedly died in a notorious Cambodia jail

Nicolosi had been serving time in the infamous Prey Sar prison, near the outskirts of Phnom Penh, when he was pronounced dead on Monday

Consular assistance was being provided to the family of an unidentified Australian man who died in Cambodia, a Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman told the paper.

Nicolosi had fronted Siem Reap's Provincial Court, with the four-year-old alleged victim and an eight-year-old witness giving testimony, The Vancouver Sun reported.

His case was later brought to the Court of Appeal in 2013, with the judge upholding the eight-year sentence.

The 61-year-old's lawyer, Kao Soupha, said at the time that it was 'not the right decision' and they would be taking the matter to the supreme court, according to the Phnom Penh Post.

A second Australian, James Ricketson, is also believed to be in declining health at the same prison, which is renowned as one of Cambodia's harshest jails.

The 67-year-old is accused of being an 'important spy', despite his claims of innocence.
A rapist has been arrested for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl who vanished in 1980.

On Monday, police in Antioch, northern California, arrested 63-year-old Mitchell Lynn Bacom for kidnapping, raping and killing Suzanne Bombardier 37 years ago.

Bombardier vanished between 1.30am and 4am while she was babysitting her nieces at her sister's apartment in Hudson Court on June 21, 1980.

Her body was found in the San Joaquin river a week later. She had a single stab wound to the heart.

Bacom, who had already been convicted and released from jail for rape, robbery and sodomy, was a suspect at the time.

He knew the Bombardier family, though police will not say how, and was feared to have been involved but there was no definitive evidence linking him to the killing.

Mitchell Bacom, 63, (left in his mugshot) has been arrested for the rape and murder of Suzanne Bombardier, a 14-year-old girl who was killed in northern California in 1980

Video courtesy of KRON4

In 2015, the case was revived. In the last year, evidence that was collected at the time was tested using new DNA technology and it returned a match with Bacom.

He was arrested on Monday night at his home and is now in custody on charges of kidnapping, rape, oral copulation and murder.

Antioch police announced the charges on Facebook and explained how they were able to make the breakthrough after almost four decades.

'When the biological evidence was originally collected in this case, DNA testing did not exist as a method of determining guilt in our justice system.

'Over the years, the Antioch Police Department and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office have monitored developments in DNA testing in the hopes that advancements would be made allowing this evidence to be processed and a DNA profile developed.

'In 2015, the decision was made to submit the biological evidence to the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office Forensic Laboratory in an effort to develop a DNA profile.

Suzanne's body was found five days after she vanished. She had a stab wound in her heart

The teenager was babysitting her nieces at her sister's apartment in Antioch (above) when she was snatched between 1.30am and 4am. Police say she knew Bacom but have not revealed how

Bacom had already been arrested for rape and robbery before Suzanne's murder. He is pictured in a 1973 mugshot

'This lab was equipped to conduct some of the most advanced available DNA testing.

'In early 2017, the department was notified that a CODIS hit was made tentatively identifying Mitchell Lynn Bacom as the perpetrator,' their statement said.

Police in Antioch said they were 'ecstatic' to have finally solved the teenager's murder

Bacom had already been incarcerated in 1973 when Suzanne went missing.

A year after her murder, he was arrested again for rape and robbery and was jailed for 24 years. In 2002, he was arrested again for failing to register as a sex offender.

On the night of her disappearance, Suzanne was babysitting her three young nieces.

She was on the phone with a friend until 1.30am. When her sister returned home at 4am, she was gone.

Two retired detectives who worked on the case at the time tried to reignite interest in 2014.

They contacted Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons, an author who had also expressed an interest in the case after stumbling upon Suzanne's grave.

It is not clear if any of their efforts contributed to Bacom's arrest.
Tiny pooch Agatha Falafel Rogers, a two-year-old Shih Tzu-Chihuahua crossbreed, was so excited for her first walk in the snow.

But that was until she realised her legs were far too little for the masses of snow surrounding her.

Agatha then proceeded to jump through the snow, allowing her to flatten the snow enough to get out of it.

Owner Tracy Rogers filmed this footage when taking Agatha for a walk in her home state of New Hampshire in the U.S.

Tracy, 46, said: 'I felt sorry for the poor little puppy - but I was glad when she figured out that going back along the same track was easier.

Owner Tracy Rogers filmed this footage when taking Agatha for a walk in her home state of New Hampshire in the U.S.

'She has seen the snow before - and if she is wearing her snow suit she can conquer the cold.

'She loves the snow, and she was unperturbed by it - but on this quick toilet walk her little legs were struggling!'

The U.S. National Weather Service has put a Winter Storm Warning in place for most of New Hampshire, warning that travel may become hazardous or impossible.
Tania Amisi has been jailed for four years

A benefits cheat who fiddled 22 councils out of more than 244,000 in bogus housing benefit claims has been jailed for four years.

Mother-of-three Tania Amisi, who lived in Chelsea Harbour in London, used fake names and different passports to trick local authorities between 2008 and 2014 into paying housing and council benefits.

She also put in applications for a further 65,000 that was not paid to her, and claimed benefits on properties which already had tenants as well on her own property.

Amisi was featured in the BBC documentary Britain on the Fiddle in March, which revealed her lavish lifestyle and exposed other wealthy benefit claimants.

The 27-year-old made thousands every month from each council, submitting 37 claims against 22 councils - 21 of which were in London.

In January 2015, she pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud at Westminster Magistrates Court and was released on bail with a curfew.

But she cut off her electronic tag and went on the run in Europe sometime between February and May 2015.

Amisi featured in a BBC documentary Britain on the Fiddle this March which showed her lavish lifestyle

Viewers were left furious by the BBC show which revealed Amisi's haul of designer goods worth tens of thousands of pounds

Bank statements showed when she was due for her trial at Southwark Crown Court in 2015, she had bought Eurostar tickets and booked herself into a hotel in Paris.

Two days later she went to the Sheraton hotel in Brussels, which costs over 100 a night.

FRAUDSTER SCAMMED 22 COUNCILS Amisi tricked local authorities for six years using fake names into paying her housing and council benefits for properties she did not live at. She made thousands every month from each council, submitting 37 claims against 22 councils - 21 of which were in London. Some 14 of the councils she scammed include: London Borough of Barnet, Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Merton, Hammersmith and Fulham, Southwark, Hounslow, Greenwich, Sutton, Lewisham, Wandsworth, Newham, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire. She also tried to scam Croydon council with a housing benefits claim but the council refused her application, and it was used by the prosecution in the case against her. Advertisement

Amisi was pregnant with her fourth child when she was finally arrested in Paris in July 2017 after a European Arrest Warrant was issued. She was extradited back to Britain in September this year.

Today she was jailed for four years for a total of 21 offences - and will give birth in prison.

Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) agents carried out surveillance on Amisi after she tried to cash fake cheques and discovered thousands of pounds being paid into her account by councils across London.

Amisi blew some of the cash on her 25,000 handbag collection and luxury holidays to the Congo, Ivory Coast, America, Egypt, Morocco, and Turkey.

She also posed on Facebook bragging about her travels to the Congo and Istanbul.

On one trip she spent 2,600 Euros in a Prada outlet and had Chanel Louis Vuitton, Hermes, YSL, Givenchy and Dolce and Gabbana bags thrown at the bottom of a wardrobe.

Amisi also set up a false fashion company called Le Chateau Dior and used the fake name Tania Westwood to claim against Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

She was also known as Tania Abidi, Becca Amisi and Tania Alicia with seven different credit cards linked to these four aliases, plus two Congolese passports.

When the DWP raided her Chelsea Harbour home they found pictures of her in designer dresses on the wall and her posing for photo shoots posted on Instagram.

The fraudster claimed she earned the money to pay for her lifestyle by working in a minimum wage job at a local betting shop.

Givenchy, Hermes, YSL, Givenchy and Dolce and Gabbana bags were thrown at the bottom of her wardrobe

Amisi also set up a false fashion company called Le Chateau Dior and used the fake name Tania Westwood to claim against Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Pictured, one of her Vivienne Westwood bags

Southwark Crown Court heard the frauds were 'an addiction' and she spent some of the money on a Cartier watch and Christian Dior clothes.

Amisi was jailed for four years for 21 offences

Amisi came to the UK from the Congo as an asylum seeker aged around 12 after her father was assassinated, the court heard.

Prosecutor Amit Karia said: 'She was arrested in France and taken to the airport before extradition to Britain.

'She has been in custody since July 25.

'The two addresses in Chelsea Harbour were raided and 25,000 worth of designer handbags were found at the properties.

'From this large sum of money stolen from this benefit fraud, she did live a lavish lifestyle and squandered that large quantity of money.'

Judge Michael Grieve QC jailed her for a total of four years for all 21 offences.

He said: 'After entering those three guilty pleas, you fled to the continent of Europe between February and May 2015 until you were arrested in Paris in July 2017.

'The methods used to commit these frauds involved careful planning and an even increasing degree of complexity, involving false names and forged bank documents.

DwP investigators found full length pictures of her in designer dresses on the wall and her huge fashion collection

Amisi sparked fury among viewers when she was featured in the BBC documentary

DWP raided her Chelsea Harbour home and footage of it was shown on the BBC programme

'The nature of this offending was fraudulent from the outset and committed to fund your lavish and extremely comfortable lifestyle.

'This was not a case of a person in dire financial straits submitting to temptation and making fraudulent claims to get by.

'You committed these offences to fund your very affluent lifestyle on holidays, restaurants and designer handbags and clothes.

'You had a flat in Chelsea paid for by your fraudulent activities and your son had all the material benefits he could want.

'Once discovered you could not face up to the consequences and you fled to mainland Europe until you were brought back.

'There's very little evidence you have shown any remorse before you went to ground in Paris.'

Amisi was also ordered to pay a statutory victim surcharge and the Department of Work and Pensions will seek a court order to reclaim the money stolen.
The mother of Tennessee tween Keaton Jones broke down in an interview with Access Hollywood on Tuesday while discussing the backlash against photos she posted showing herself and her son posing with Confederate flags.

'I mean, you know, yesterday, he was a hero. Yesterday, the world loved us. Today, the world hates us,' said Kimberly Jones while fighting back tears.

'And I'm trying to think that I was trying not to get caught up in the positives. We're not going to get caught up in the negatives.'

Earlier in the day, Kimberly defended herself against accusations that she and her family are racist after the photos emerged online.

'I feel like anybody who wants to take the time to ask anybody who I am or even troll through some other pictures, I mean I feel like we're not racist,' said Kimberly Jones on Tuesday.

'I mean, people that know us, know us.'

Scroll down for videos

Response: Kimberly Jones appeared on Good Morning America (above with son Keaton) to address accusations that she and her family are racist

Offensive optics: The mother of bullied Tennessee tween Keaton Jones has been attacked after photos emerged of her (above) and her son posing with Confederate flags

Explanation: She said of the photos: 'It was meant to be ironic and funny and extreme. I am genuinely truly sorry. If I could take it back, I would'

Backlash over viral bullying video of Keaton Jones as mother's alleged online posts with the Confederate Flag spark new questions: https://t.co/MHgc3aJZjl pic.twitter.com/5RWnXqpkJP  Good Morning America (@GMA) December 12, 2017

The mother-of-three then defended the Confederate flag pictures she and her daughter posted to their social media accounts by stating: 'It was meant to be ironic and funny and extreme. I am genuinely truly sorry. If I could take it back, I would.'

Kimberly was joined by Keaton for the pre-taped segment, which aired on Good Morning America just 24 hours after many began to question her motives upon seeing these images.

Union County school officials meanwhile have confirmed that Keaton was in fact that victim of at least one recent bullying incident.

Kimberly also addressed those who believe she is simply looking to profit of her son's misfortune, pointing to the multiple Go Fund Me accounts that have been launched in the past few days for Keaton.

She explained that only one of those pages has her blessing and the others are fake. That official Go Fund Me has since been frozen with $58,000 in donations already received bu the account.

The mother also urged people to try and look beyond their misgivings about her and continue to voice their support for her young son.

'They want to hate me, I mean, whatever, that's fine, but still talk to your kids,' said Kimberly of her detractors.

'Talk to your kids because this is - this is - this is an epidemic.'

It has only been four days since Kimberly posted the video of her sobbing son explaining why he was too afraid to go to lunch at his middle school.

The 11-year-old boy claimed that other students call him ugly, make fun of his nose and tell him he has no friends.

Keaton also alleged that milk was poured on him and ham shoved down his clothes by these bullies.

'Just out of curiosity, why do they bully?' asked Keaton while looking directly at his mother's camera phone.

'What's the point of it? Why do they find joy in taking innocent people and find a way to be mean to them? It's not OK.'

He then went on to say while tears streamed down his face: 'People that are different don't need to be criticized about it. It's not their fault. If you are made fun of, just don't let it bother you.'

Over 20 million people had viewed the video on Kimberly's Facebook page before she shut down the account on Monday.

Kimberly quickly shuttered all her social media accounts once the confederate flag photos began to emerge online.

There were also claims that a PayPal account soliciting donations was launched by someone under Kimberly's name.

Kimberly's daughter Lakyn took to social media soon after learning of this Paypal account, explaining: 'The Instagram KimberlyJones_38 is NOT my mom. She has a private Instagram and hasnt talked to anyone. We havent received any money and dont plan on it. The gofundmes arent by any of us.'

She then added: 'Those who know me and my family know we arent racist. My brother doesnt say the N word. Please leave it alone.'

Lakyn also made a point of leaving up the image she posted to social media of herself and her brother posing with the Confederate flag that ignited the controversy.

She posted the image on the Fourth of July back in 2015, writing: 'Murica #WelcomeToTheDirtySouth #Happy4th.'

Optimistic: 'It made me feel like I had accomplished something real. Something that could actually change the world,' said Keaton (above)

Focus: Kimberly said that she had no problem with people hating her but hopes they will continue to support her 11-year-old son

It seems that many people are standing by Keaton's side for the time being, though the wave of celebrities eager to voice their support for the boy on social media has died down over the past two days.

A number of celebrities from Chris Evans and LeBron James to Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez recorded videos or posted heartwarming messages for the boy over the weekend.

Evans even invited him to the premiere of the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.

'All this attention really just feels amazing,' said Keaton.

'[Im] speechless, honestly. I did not ever imagine for any of this to happen.'

The support Keaton is receiving does stand in stark contrast to the stories of Ashawnty Davis and Rosalie Avila, two young girls of color who took their lives as a result of bullying in the past few weeks.

Ashwanty, a fifth-grade student from Colorado died on November 29 after she was found hanged following a fight at school. She was 10.

Rosalie, a middle-school student in California, died on December 1 after she too was found hanged in the wake of bullying by her fellow students. She was 13.

Keaton's school is also addressing the issue of bullying it was revealed on Monday.

'To fulfill our mission of educating all children in Union County Public Schools, we must provide an academic environment that is safe, civil and supportive,' read a statement from Union County Public Schools director James Carter.

'We do not and will not tolerate bullying and have a policy in place that addresses conduct taking place on school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity, on school-provided transportation or at any official school bus stop.'

Family matters: Union County public school officials did confirm that a bullying incident did occur recently involving Keaton (Kimberly and her three children above)

Keaton said on CBS This Morning that he is still happy with how things have played out in the days since his video was posted online.

'It made me feel like I had accomplished something real. Something that could actually change the world,' said the boy.

Keaton also explained why he made the video, stating: 'I had enough of it. They had said that someone was going to beat me up in lunch so I texted my mom and I said "what do I do here?"'

He was then quick to note however that the video was his idea, saying he was reluctant to tells administrators at the school or his teachers out of fear that the five boys who were taunting him would make good on their threats.

'He became more and more agitated and didn't want to go back to school,' explained Kimberly.

Keaton's embattled mother was not as enthusiastic with the reception, explaining: 'I knew that it could be great and I knew that it could be awful. And it has been.'

She also used that interview to further address the photos of her and Keaton with Confederate flags.

'The only two photos on my entire planet that I am anywhere near a confederate flag. It was ironic. It was funny,' she said in that pre-taped interview.

When then asked if there was any racist intent at all, Kimberly responded: 'No, absolutely not.'

She then added: 'I've spent most of my life being judged because I wasn't racist.'
Britain is the best prepared country in the world for the looming artificial intelligence (AI) revolution - well ahead of Germany and France, a major new study today finds.

The UK is a pioneer in the field of robotics and has the digital skills and know-how to make the most of the technological change, researchers said.

The AI Readiness Index, by the Oxford Insights Team, put the UK in the top spot out of the world's 35 most advanced countries - beating the US into second place.

Canada came in third, South Korea came fourth while the Netherlands was fifth, according to the survey.

Theresa May hailed the 'welcome news that we are leading the world' but said she is determined Britain to 'even more' to embrace AI.

The AI Readiness Index, by the Oxford Insights Team, put the UK in the top spot out of the world's 35 most advanced countries - beating the US into second place.

Digital Minister Matt Hancock hailed the achievement and said Britain - the birthplace of the father of computing Alan Turing - is determined to keep its number one slot.

He said: 'I'm delighted the UK government has rightly been recognised as the best in world in readiness for Artificial Intelligence.

'We know that AI is shaping the future, and we're absolutely determined to both make the most of its vast opportunities, yet also manage and mitigate the potential risks.'

TOP TEN WORLD ROBOTICS RANKINGS: Britain United States Canada Korea Netherlands France Japan Australia New Zealand Advertisement

He added: 'We must harness the power of the digital revolution for all mankind, so that it works for to improve people's lot in life.

'It's a big goal, and it's nice to receive the acknowledgement that we're doing something right.'

There have been growing fears that the march of the robots will force humans out of jobs and cause mass unemployment in the UK.

A report by the accountancy firm PwC earlier this year warned that more than 10 million jobs in Britain could be lost as technological change sweeps through workplaces.

But today's report, which looks at how ready governments in the OECD are to embrace and make the most out of the growth of AI.

It looks at the digital skills, research and investment and quality of data different countries have to exploit the new technology.

Richard Stirling, chief executive of Oxford Insights, said: 'The UK scored extremely well in measures such as public sector effectiveness and data availability, which will be extremely important in order to foster skilful government use of AI.

'We were very interested to see that the UK ranked above the USA, but it is important it is for the UK to stay ahead by supporting AI research, technologies and companies.

'Using AI to improve public services, as we have done with the Government Digital Service is a real area where the UK can lead, but competition is heating up quickly.

Digital Minister Matt Hancock hailed the achievement and said Britain - the birthplace of the father of computing Alan Turing - is determined to keep its number one slot (file pic)

Theresa May went on twitter to hail the result of the report - and vowed that Britain would do even more to embrace AI

'Already, countries including China, the US, Russia and Canada have all announced big new investments in AI.

'The Government's new commitments in this space are welcome  but they may not be enough to keep us competitive over the next few years.'

The findings come as minsters have vowed to pump more money into new technology.

Chancellor Philip Hammond last month pledged to get driverless cars onto British streets by 2021.

While Labour has also made a pitch to champion the rise of robots with deputy leader Tom Watson saying Britons should 'embrace an android'.

Speaking at the launch of a report on AI yesterday, he said that with proper investment automation could produce as many jobs as it destroys.
Life has dramatically improved for incarcerated Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe following Boris Johnson's trip to Iran as the British mother held for nearly two years has seen her prison conditions relaxed.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe had only been allowed to talk to his wife twice a week until Boris Johnson arrived in Iran to discuss her case last Saturday. He can now speak to her every day.

Since the Foreign Secretary's trip, conditions for his wife - recently described as on the verge of a breakdown while imprisoned in Tehran - have dramatically improved.

For the first time in nearly two years, all of her Iranian relatives will visit Nazanin in prison tomorrow - her daughter Gabriella, three, both of Nazanins parents, two sisters and a brother, instead of her mother and daughter as normal.

The family is clinging onto fresh Iranian media reports that she no longer faces fresh spying charges following the media storm ignited when Boris Johnson mistakenly claimed shed been in the country teaching journalists when she was arrested.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has also been officially referred to as a dual national for the first time.

Both steps have encouraged the family that soon she might be released altogether. Her husband still hopes they will be reunited by Christmas.

Richard Ratcliffe says hes walking taller today following a relaxation of his wife Nazanin's jail conditions in Tehran which mean the couple can talk daily and her Iranian family can visit. Pictured: Nazanin and her daughter Gabriella, now three

Richard Ratcliffe (pictured with his wife and daughter before Nazanin's incarceration) had only been allowed to talk to his wife twice a week until Boris Johnson arrived in Iran to discuss her case last Saturday

Since the Foreign Secretary's trip, conditions for his wife - recently described as on the verge of a breakdown while imprisoned in Tehran - have dramatically improved

Mr Ratcliffe told MailOnline: Im walking so much taller today. It feels like all the work everyone has done since my wife was imprisoned in April last year might be finally starting to make a difference in small, baby steps.

From my campaigning, sometimes around the clock, and trying to keep my wife upbeat when I can speak to her, to her Iranian relatives looking after Gabriella and keeping up her contact with her mother.

From our supporters, to the Foreign Office doing all they can to push for her freedom and to the Iranians improving her conditions.

'At the moment all this feels incredibly positive and like we might be getting somewhere.

Im keeping my fingers crossed, but Im still cautious to avoid walking on any eggshells. But the hope is still very much alive.

Yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotions, as I sometimes experience, but it was all in one day.

Nazanin's Iranian relatives say that the Tehran Revolutionary Court President Moussa Ghazanfar-Abadi announced recently: I declare that no court session has been held for Mrs Nazanin Zaghari (Ratcliffe).

The western media produce unreal reports and no new charges have been raised against her and thus, reports that her jail term might be extended are fundamentally wrong.

Boris Johnson met Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani last weekend, as he made a fresh diplomatic push for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release

Boris Johnson and his diplomatic mission held talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as part of his efforts to try to secure the British mother's release

Mr Ratcliffe still hopes his wife will be released by Christmas and the family has clung onto Iranian reports that she faces no further charges and that Iran has finally acknowleged her links to Britain

Iranian media have also subsequently reported today that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi admitted for the first time yesterday that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a dual national.

He said: Mrs Zaghari is a dual national, but in our view she is Iranian and was convicted in our judicial system, and is currently serving her sentence (five years).

He added that the Iranian foreign ministry would bring up her case with the Iranian authorities on humanitarian grounds. But this is really a judicial matter.

Nazanins husband admitted that he had initially felt flat but appreciative that the UK Foreign Office is doing all that it can  after an hour-long meeting with the Foreign Secretary yesterday afternoon.

He had been given cautious feedback on Mr Johnsons visit to push for Nazanins freedom in Tehran last weekend.

The Foreign Secretary had told him that there were no guarantees that there would be any movement in the case for the next 10 days  meaning his dream of reuniting his family for the festive holiday was effectively dashed.

But following on from a positive phone call with her Iranian relatives several hours later, he says he remains hopeful.

Nazanin, pictured with Gabriella before her arrest, is 'more upbeat' following his diplomatic mission to convince the country to drop controversial spying charges against her, according to her husband

Mr Ratcliffe told MailOnline: Im keeping my fingers crossed, but Im still cautious to avoid walking on any eggshells. But the hope is still very much alive'

Mr Ratcliffe, from north London, had been pushing to visit his wife in her Tehran jail, but now accepts that there are bigger fish to fry, adding: I had desperately wanted to visit Nazanin in jail and to see how she was bearing up for myself.

But now I want everyones focus to remain on securing her freedom, so I dont want anything getting in the way of that.

'But if shes not home by Christmas as Im hoping and praying she will be, then Ill be pushing to go and see her again in the new year.

The Iranians were already considering whether they were justified in continuing to hold the Thompson Reuters charity worker on humanitarian grounds following a long awaited health commission meeting with her recently.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been in Evin Jail since being held at Tehran airport in April last year on spying charges.

Shes since been sentenced to five years imprisonment and as a result has suffered PTSD, severe depression, her long, dark hair falling out and erratic mood swings.

But she has maintained twice-weekly contact with her mother and daughter for several months.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been in Evin Jail since being held at Tehran airport in April last year on spying charges

Her case has been in the media spotlight ever since Boris Johnson bungled in telling the House of Commons last month that Nazanin had been in the secretive state teaching journalists

She was actually holidaying in Iran and visiting relatives - which the UK Government accepts as fact  but his comments were seized upon in Iran as potential reason to increase her sentence

Her case has been in the media spotlight ever since Boris Johnson bungled in telling the House of Commons last month that Nazanin had been in the secretive state teaching journalists.

She was actually holidaying in Iran and visiting relatives - which the UK Government accepts as fact  but his comments were seized upon in Iran as potential evidence to increase her sentence.

However a senior Iranian MP today poured cold water on hopes that a breakthrough in the case could be just around the corner - and said 'spies' should not be freed.

Naqavi Hosseini, a spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said: 'One of the problems that we face in receiving European delegations is that they make irrational requests from the Iranian side.'

And he said that his commission would reject the request to free the mother-of-one if it was lodged with them.
Shemel Mercurius was babysitting a three-year-old boy in her Brooklyn, New York, apartment when she was gunned down on in May last year

A 16-year-old girl used her last breaths to utter the name of the man who shot her dead after she rejected his advances, police have claimed.

Shemel Mercurius was babysitting a three-year-old boy in her Brooklyn, New York, apartment when she was gunned down in May last year.

She lay in agony for 20 minutes while waiting for an ambulance to arrive, telling cops her killer's name as she slipped in and out of consciousness.

One of the officers who responded to the shooting, Sgt Ryan Habermehl, told Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday that Mercurius blamed Taariq Stephens for her death, according to the New York Daily News.

Stephens, 26, is on trial for the murder of Mercurius.

Cops say he shot the teenager, who had moved to the US from Guyana, because she rejected his request for a relationship.

He was allegedly seen getting into an elevator, apparently armed with a 40-caliber Kel-Tec submachine gun, before running away from the sixth-floor apartment.

Giving testimony, Sgt Habermehl said he found a three-year-old child 'covered in blood' and 'crying next to the victim' when he and other officers broke down the door.

Cops say Stephens (left) gunned down the teenager (right), who had moved to the US from Guyana, because she rejected his request for a relationship

Kyle Thomas, another cop at the scene, told the court: 'I put on gloves, took her off the car and laid her down and began rendering aid [...] she regained consciousness, gave me her name and date of birth.'

He added: 'It took a very long time for the ambulance to come, about 20 minutes.'

She died at Kings County Hospital an hour after being picked up by an ambulance.

A friend of hers, Lona Junien, told the court she saw the shooter push Mercurius before saying: 'Don't ever lie to me'.

He then shot her, Junien added.

But she also admitted that police officers had told her Stephens was the shooter before she identified him.

A friend of Mercurius's (pictured), Lona Junien, told the court she saw Stephens the shooter push Mercurius before saying: 'Don't ever lie to me'

Junien pointed Stephens out in the courtroom but said she was 'scared', the Brooklyn Eagle reported.

Stephens, who turned himself in two days after the shooting, faces 25 years in jail if convicted of murder.
World leaders have met with business bosses to raise funds for a global shift to green energy at a climate change summit in Paris.

There was a bullish mood at the talks, with Arnold Schwarzenegger saying it did not matter that Donald Trump had backed out of the Paris climate accord because it still commands widespread support in the U.S.

One by one business leaders like Michael Bloomberg, and even former US secretary of state John Kerry, insisted that the world will shift to cleaner fuels and reduce emissions regardless of whether the Trump administration pitches in or not.

Former Governor of California Schwarzenegger posed for a selfie with French President Emmanuel Macron in front of the Eiffel Tower which was lit up in green and blue lights and emblazoned with the hashtag 'One Planet'.

France's President Emmanuel Macron, center, and Arnold Schwarzenegger take a selfie with young people in front of the Eiffel Tower illuminated in green, aboard a boat cruising on the Seine river back from the One Planet Summit, Paris

France's President Emmanuel Macron, centre, Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, and Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel, right, pose for a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower

Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California, takes a selfie with French President Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the summit, which included a breakfast meeting attended by leading businessmen including, from left: Michael Bloomberg, Bill Gates and Richard Branson

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the summit, which included 164 prominent figures on the global stage, among them 50 heads of state.

Speaking at the event, former California governor Mr Schwarzenegger said: 'It doesn't matter that Donald Trump backed out of the Paris Agreement, because the private sector didn't drop out, the public sector didn't drop out, universities didn't drop out, no one dropped out.

'We at the subnational level, we're going to pick up the slack.'

Mr Kerry called the absence of U.S. government officials from the summit 'a disgrace'.

Central to Tuesday's summit is finding ways to counter Mr Trump's main argument: that the 2015 Paris accord on reducing global emissions would hurt US business.

Bill Gates and Elon Musk also attended the summit, where participants are announcing billions of dollars' worth of projects to help poor countries and industries reduce emissions.

Mr Schwarzenegger said: 'It doesn't matter that Donald Trump backed out of the Paris Agreement

The event, co-hosted by the UN, the World Bank and Mr Macron, is being held on the second anniversary of the Paris climate accord, which was ratified by 170 countries.

Activists kept up pressure with a protest in the shadow of the domed Pantheon monument on Paris' Left Bank, calling for an end to all investment in oil, gas and resource mining.

That was not far from the message opening the summit.

Top officials agreed that the global financial system isn't shifting fast enough away from carbon emissions and toward energy and business projects that don't aggravate climate change.

'Financial pledges need to flow faster through more streamlined system and make a difference on the ground,' said Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama, whose island nation is among those on the front lines of the rising sea levels and extreme storms worsened by human-made emissions.

'We are all in the same canoe,' rich countries and poor, he said.

Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono described ways that Japan is investing in climate monitoring technology and hydrogen energy but said 'we have to do more and better'.

As the day progressed, announcements started rolling in.

A group of 225 investment funds managing more than 26 trillion US dollars in assets promised to pressure companies to curb their greenhouse gas emissions and to disclose climate-related financial information.

US actor Sean Penn speaks with Haiti's President Jovenel Moise at the One Planet Summit, in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris

The event, co-hosted by the UN, the World Bank and Mr Macron,(pictured with Mr Gates) is being held on the second anniversary of the Paris climate accord

Mr Macron, left, poses with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, second left, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and Brigitte Macron outside the Elysee Palace

Mrs Macron welcomes Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May for a lunch at the Elysee Palace

France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, Arnold Schwarzenegger, center, and French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot, right, leave the One Planet Summit

Arnold Schwarzenegger shows Emmanuel Macron the selfie in front of a crowd of youngsters

The group, which includes the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the largest US public pension fund, says it will focus on 100 of the world's largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters.

Financial institutions are using the meeting to highlight the need to ensure that their investments don't suffer from, or contribute to, the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and more extreme weather.

Mr Macron also hosted leading world philanthropists on Tuesday morning to encourage more climate-related investment.

Mr Bloomberg, the former New York mayor, says environmentalists owe Mr Trump a debt of 'gratitude' for acting as a 'rallying cry' for action on climate change.

The event included 50 heads of state and government, among them Mrs May, pictured with Mr Macron

He said the private sector coalition called America's Pledge, that promises to honour goals set in 2015, 'now represents half of the US economy'.

Mr Kerry told that many Americans remain 'absolutely committed' to the Paris accord.

He said 38 states have legislation pushing renewable energy and 90 major American cities support the Paris accord fighting global warming.

Discussing the absence of American officials at the event, he said: 'It's very disappointing, it's worse than disappointing, it's actually a disgrace when you consider the facts, the science, the common sense, all the work that's been done.'

The Paris Agreement took '26 years of work that's being dishonoured by people who don't even understand the science,' he added.

Bloomberg said the 1,700-member coalition of regional governments, cities, companies, and civil society groups that have formed America's Pledge, represent more than half the US economy.

'If it was a country it would have the worlds third-largest economy and it continues to grow,' he said.

'Together we are going to meet the goal set by this country in Paris by reducing emissions by at least 26 percent and there isn't anything that Washington can do to stop this,' he added.

Mr Schwarzenegger is founder of climate change group R20 and a former governor of California

Richard Branson and Bill Gates leave after a meeting with Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris

Mr Schwarzenegger's rings are pictured as he arrives at the Elysee Palace prior to a meeting about climate change

Among the issues being discussed in Paris is how to increase financial support for poor countries. Pictured: Richard Branson leaving the summit

'On the contrary, President Trump has helped rally people who understand the problem to join forces and to actually do something rather than wait for the federal government... In that sense we owe President Trump a measure of gratitude for helping us meet our goals,' he quipped.

Some 3,100 security personnel fanned out around Paris for Tuesday's event, including extra patrol boats along the Seine River.

Mr Macron called for stronger action in the fight against climate change, as he hosted world leaders for talks two years to the day since the Paris agreement.

'We are very far from the goal of the Paris agreement of limiting the rise in temperatures to below a two-degree threshold,' he told Le Monde newspaper.

'Without much stronger mobilisation, a jolt to our means of production and development, we will not succeed,' he warned.

He told world leaders: 'We are losing the battle' against global warming. 'We're not moving fast enough, that's the problem.'

Heads of State arrive on the banks of the Seine river before boarding a boat to the One Planet Summit
A man has been jailed for three years and eight months after being found guilty of repeatedly raping two sex workers at knifepoint alongside a friend and his brother.

Rashid Mohamed Abuuh, 24, was found guilty of sexual assault, aggravated robbery, sexual intercourse without consent and attempted sexual intercourse without consent in September after luring the two women to an apartment in Canberra.

He also attempted to book a one-way flight back to his home country of Somalia after receiving a summons to appear in court. Abuuh denied he was attempting to flee.

Rashid Mohamed Abuuh (pictured) was found guilty of sexual assault, aggravated robbery, sexual intercourse without consent and attempted sexual intercourse without consent in September after luring the two women to an apartment in Canberra

Abuuh sought the sex workers out through listing website Cracker. The website offers a range of classifieds including prostitution.

Abuuh, his 31-year-old friend Sith Khalid Alabassi, and his brother, 22-year-old Mohammed Alabassi, organised to meet the two sex workers at an apartment complex in Reid.

The men pulled knives on the women once they were inside the room, before repeatedly raping them.

The attack was only stopped when a concerned friend and her partner arrived at the property after receiving an emergency message begging for help.

Abuuh, and the Alabassis stole the phones of the two women before fleeing.

Abuuh sought the sex workers out through listing website Cracker. The website offers a range of classifieds including prostitution

'This was gross violation of their workplace, their bodies and their safety,' the crown prosecutor said in court on Tuesday.

The two brothers were jailed for five years in August after pleading guilty to their involvement.

Abuuh's lawyer argued he played a lesser role in the attack than the Alabassis, saying 'terror experienced by the victim somewhat less because it was an attempt'.

Justice Michael Elkaim dismissed the notion, saying 'full-time imprisonment is the only option.'

'The victims were entitled to carry on their professions without the fear of molestation or robbery,' he said.
Alabama's poverty and sewage system problems are some of the worst in the developed world, a United Nations official has said.

Philip Alston, the UN's Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, made his claims about Alabama while visiting the southern state during an investigation into US poverty.

He visited several counties in Alabama's 'Black Belt' region, a region with predominantly black residents that has long experienced poverty and racial segregation.

Philip Alston, the UN's Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, visited Alabama during an investigation into US poverty. Pictured above, Selma, Alabama in 2015

'I think it's very uncommon in the First World. This is not a sight that one normally sees,' Alston told AL.com. 'I'd have to say that I haven't seen this.'

Alston said that in rural Lowndes County, homes weren't connected to sewage systems and residents couldn't afford to install septic tanks.

'Many resort to digging ditches & straight piping waste water to within meters of homes, posing serious health risks,' he tweeted on Friday.

Diseases like E. Coli and hookworm run rampant in the county because there is scarce access to clean drinking water.

Local resident Aaron Thigpen, who showed Alston where he lived, said that water gets contaminated if either the raw sewage pipes or main water line pipes have holes in them.

He visited several counties in Alabama's 'Black Belt' region, a region with predominantly black residents that has long experienced poverty and racial segregation. Pictured above, Selma, Alabama in 2015

'It's really bad when you've got a lot of kids around like there are here,' he told AL.com. 'They're playing ball and the ball goes into the raw sewage, and they don't know the importance of not handling sewage.'

Nearly 20 per cent of Alabamians live below the federal poverty line, and nine counties have poverty rates higher than 30 per cent, according to the 2017 Alabama Poverty Data Sheet.

Nearly 41million people in the United States live in poverty - the second-highest rate above poverty among rich countries - according to the Census Bureau.

UN Investigators have also visited towns and cities in California and Puerto Rico as part of its poverty and human rights investigation. Officials also plan to visit Washington, DC, and West Virginia.
A US Marine Corp who was convicted of molesting a fellow officer's six-year-old daughter was quietly removed from his post in Australia after reports of 'lewd and drunken behaviour', secret files have reportedly revealed.

Colonel Daniel Hunter Wilson had been deployed in Darwin, but his superiors moved him to a second important command role in the US following the complaints - a change of scenery which ultimately led to the assault of a child.

Col. Wilson's quiet transfer was discovered in 'secret' Marine Corp files obtained by The Australian, which allegedly reveal how the convicted child molester was able to move from his posting in Australia without any formal investigation.

Colonel Daniel Hunter Wilson (pictured) had been deployed in Darwin, but his superiors moved him to a second important command role in the US following the complaints - a change of scenery which ultimately led to the assault of a child (pictured right)

Col. Wilson's move was discovered in 'secret' Marine Corp files which allegedly reveal how the convicted child molester was able to move from his posting in Australia without any formal investigation

The files also stipulate how US commanders justified the lack of investigation into Wilson's wrongdoings because no formal complaint was ever lodged at a high level.

Washington-born Wilson, 56, was removed from his post in Darwin after only 10 days following complaints from Australian officers.

He had been given the liaison posting in 2016 and almost immediately began a campaign of appalling behavior, the court heard during his conviction.

The complaints concerned claims of heavy drinking, inappropriate texts to a female officer, flaunting a photograph of another marine's half-naked wife and using an ADF civilian's computer to send a fake email asking out his Australian counterpart.

Washington-born Wilson, 56, (far right) was removed from his post in Darwin after only 10 days following complaints from Australian officers.

It was the US Commander's belief that by removing Wilson from his post in Darwin and transferring him to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, (pictured) he had 'placated' the Australians

Five months into his new role in the US, Wilson was charged with molesting his fellow officer's young daughter.

He was convicted of the offence and sentenced to to five-and-a-half years in jail.

The US Marine Corps Inspector-General has since launched an investigation into why the US Commander did not take the complaints further.

The only step the commander had reportedly taken to resolve the low-level complaints was to speak with Wilson, who claimed he was the victim of personality clashes and that his sense of humour was being misunderstood.

The investigation has also reportedly revealed that the commander did not take the complaints made from Australian officers seriously.

The US Marine Corps Inspector-General has since launched an investigation into why the US Commander did not take the complaints further (Stock image)

'Upon learning of this officer's actions in Australia, he was fired and promptly recalled to Okinawa,' the commander told The Australian:

'I accept responsibility for not taking follow-on administrative actions, and for not placing this officer on the Officer Disciplinary Notebook.'

It was the US Commander's belief that by removing Wilson from his post in Darwin and transferring him to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, he had 'placated' the Australians.

A spokesperson for the US Marine Corps told Daily Mail Australia that Wilson's behaviour was not tolerated and confirmed the incident had been addressed.

'The behavior of Col Wilson was inappropriate and does not reflect the honorable service of the vast majority of Marines or the values of our Corps. Misconduct of any kind cannot tolerated, and we expect commanders to exercise their authorities to thoroughly investigate any Marine suspected of misconduct. Sexual assault or misconduct of any kind is not tolerated in the Marine Corps,' the statement read.

'We have made it clear that our Corps does not accept sexual assault, sexual harassment or any disrespectful, degrading, or harassing behavior. Such conduct undermines our values and we are committed to addressing the behaviors and eradicating the attitudes that precede them.'
An elderly woman from Illinois was mauled to death by her pet pit bull, in what police described as a 'horrific scene' on Monday.

According to a press release from the Alsip Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 11600 block of South Komensky Avenue just after 3.30pm after receiving a report about a dog mauling.

When police arrived on the scene and went into the backyard of the residence, they came upon the lifeless body of 77-year-old Dorothy Ford, as Chicago Tribune reported.

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Deadly attack: Dorothy Ford, 77, was found dead in her Alsip, Illinois, backyard after being mauled by her pet pit bull on Monday

Put down: Officers had to shoot the dog, killing it, because it was still acting aggressively

According to a report by WGN-TV, a young man who was out walking his dog that afternoon witnessed the pit bull attack and summoned police.

The dog that had inflicted the mortal injuries on the victim, described as a six-year-old pit bull, was still aggressive and had to be shot dead on the spot, according to police.

It was pretty horrific, Alsip Deputy Police Chief Shawn Schuldt told Alsip Patch. If I go through the rest of my career without seeing something like this, that would be a good thing. I feel extremely bad for the family and we offer them our condolences.

The press release from the department characterized the animal as a pet that lived in the household.

Schuldt told the paper the canine was well fed and cared for, and showed no signs of maltreatment or abuse. Local police have not had any prior complaints about the pit bull acting aggressively towards neighbors, or other pets.

According to social media posts, Ford was retired. She is survived by her two grown sons and a daughter, and four grandchildren.
A man in Toronto was charged $14,388.87 (CAD $18,518.50) for a five mile ride with Uber.

He posted the staggering receipt for his Friday evening ride to his Instagram account, Votethehish, and his friend, Emily Kannard, took to Twitter saying that the ride app wouldn't refund his money initially either.

The ride would normally cost somewhere between $9 and $12, according the Slate.

What a trip. A man in Toronto was charged a staggering $14,388.87 for a five mile ride Friday

The brief trip was from 12a Widmer St. to 30 The Queensway, and took just over 20 minutes.

'My friend was charged 18K for a 20 Min ride (!), and they are sticking to it. What in the world??? This is insane!' Kannard tweeted at the company on Saturday.

However, Uber soon acknowledged there was an error.

'There was an error here and it has been resolved,' Uber said in a statement.

'We have provided a full refund to this rider and apologized to him for this experience. We have safeguards in place to help prevent something like this from happening, and we are working to understand how this occurred.'

Ride sharing apps like Uber and Lyft are known to charge more when demand increases, but this rider certainly wasn't dealing with a surge that would go anywhere nearly that high.

The man's friend, Emily Kennard, tweeted about the incident and said they were sticking to the bill for the trip- however Uber later said they refunded the rider and apologized

In New York City Monday, after a terror attack, commuters trying to get to work while public transportation was down were seeing prices shoot up nearly four times the normal rates.

Riders were left struggling to get to work after being forced out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal after an explosion at 7.20am.

Bangladeshi national Akayed Ullah, 27, who is a cab driver from Brooklyn, set off the homemade pipe bomb device prematurely while walking through the subway transit tunnel between the terminal and Penn Station.

It sparked rush hour chaos which included road closures and subways coming to a halt, prompting commuters to find alternative ways to get to work.

Many turned to the ridesharing apps but were horrified to discover prices had crept up by as much as four times the normal amount because of the increased demand.

Uber said it disabled the surging within minutes of reading news of the explosion online and said it had begun reimbursing passengers who paid extra.

Surging occurs automatically when there is increased demand in one area.

Uber prices surged on Monday morning for more than two hours after an attempted terrorist attack at Port Authority Bus Terminal at 7.20am. The demand was felt all over the city

But New Yorkers who were affected by the chaos of the blast were requesting cars all over the city after having to adjust their commutes due to train and bus closures.

In one case, a passenger paid $50 to travel 30 blocks.

Another told DailyMail.com that a journey which ordinarily costs her around $28 had skyrocketed to $75.

'Shame on you Uber!' were among the outraged comments from disgruntled app users as they were confronted by the increase while trying to move out of affected zones.

Both services said they were offering refunds to anyone who paid more than normal.

'For passengers who did incur higher prices as a result of Prime Time in the Port Authority area, we plan to proactively reimburse them,' Scott Coriell, a Lyft spokesperson, said.
Connecticut police say a man threw another man off a bridge because he intervened in an argument between the suspect and his girlfriend.

Derby police charged Gregory Rottjer, 25, with attempted murder in connection with the Thanksgiving morning encounter that left unidentified Monroe man, 30, seriously injured. Rottjer faces arraignment Tuesday.

Rottjer's friend, Matthew Dorso, 27, who was at the scene, was charged with assault while Rottjer's girlfriend, Jennifer Hannum, 22, was charged with lying to police about the incident.

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(L to R) Gregory Rottjer, 25, Jennifer Hannum, 22 and Matthew Dorso, 27, were the three suspects charged after unidentified Monroe man, 30, was pushed off a bridge

Rottjer and Hannum were arguing when the man asked Hannum if she was OK, which prompted Rottjer and Dorso to start a fight

Dorso and Hannum are expected to appear in court December 22.

Police say Rottjer and Hannum had been arguing as they walked across the bridge over the Housatonic River between Derby and Shelton.

That's when the victim and his brother asked Hannum if she was OK, which prompted Rottjer and Dorso to start a fight that ended with the victim being thrown into the water.

The fighting couple, Rottjer and Hannum, are pictured side-by-side in Facebook photos

Rottjer's friend Dorso is shown picking his nose in a selfie shared to his Facebook page

According to NBC Connecticut, the victim fell 45 feet and is still recovering from the fall.

Luckily, a police officer rushed to the scene to rescue the victim from the water.

It was unclear if the suspects had lawyers.
A man has been jailed for life for abusing and murdering a four-year-old who his babysitter girlfriend was looking after in 1999.

Keith Wilson, 46, was sentenced in Florida on Monday for the death of four-year-old Pilar Rodriguez.

His former girlfriend Melissa Harding previously told authorities how Wilson beat the girl to death then tried to bury her body after sexually abusing her at his home in Punta Gorda 18 years ago.

Harding, who worked for Pilar's parents in Fort Lauderdale, had taken her with her on a two-week vacation to visit Wilson in Punta Gorda at the time.

When she failed to bring Pilar back with her afterwards, the family reported her missing but neither Harding nor Wilson was arrested.

It was not until 2009 when, after a revived effort from detectives in Punta Gorda, Harding finally confessed to having been involved.

She told police how in the two weeks that she spent there, Wilson beat, tortured and raped Pilar.

Keith Wilson, 46, has been jailed for life for the 1999 murder of Pilar Rodriguez, a four-year-old who he beat, tortured and killed while she was staying with him and his girlfriend who was babysitting her

Court documents at the time described how Wilson tied Pilar to a bed frame with a leash and made her stand awake through the night in just two of his several sick disciplining tactics.

Pilar's babysitter Melissa Harding had taken her to stay with Wilson. She will be sentenced next month

On other occasions, he would hit Pilar across the head and forced her to wear a dog collar. He also cut her hair short to try to make her look like a boy, prosecutors said.

Several days before her death, he raped the child as another form of punishment.

At the time, Harding told police he was jealous because Pilar's father had made sexual advances on her.

A day before she died, Wilson hit Pilar so hard that it caused a 'dark and mushy' spot to appear on her head.

It caused her to suffer headaches, nausea and diarrhea.

She died and, according to Harding, Wilson wrapped her body in a blanket and put her in the trunk of his car.

His stepfather later testified to seeing the girl's foot 'poking' out of the blanket.

When her father reported her missing, on February 22, a manhunt ensued but her body was never found.

Pilar's father Marco allowed Harding, her babysitter, to take his daughter with her for two weeks in January 1999. They lived in Fort Lauderdale

For 10 years, the case remained cold and there was no sign of Pilar's body. In 2009, a tip prompted detectives to reopen the case and they searched the Punta Gorda home where Pilar was last seen (above) but they still did not find a body

Wilson is pictured after his arrest in 2013. He was extradited from his native Kentucky, where he was living, to face the charges in Florida

Police did recover a Winnie the Pooh blanket at the bottom of a drained lake which matched a description of one which belonged to Pilar.

Suddenly in 2009, a group of detectives searched Wilson's old home again.

They never said what that was but it prompted the confession of Harding, who had by this point been married and had two children of her own.

She told police how Wilson killed the girl and disposed of her body. For testifying against him, she had a charge of manslaughter reduced to accessory after the fact.

In 2013, Wilson was charged with Pilar's murder. He was convicted earlier this year.

Harding is awaiting sentencing.

Her lawyer Robert Barrar told DailyMail.com on Tuesday he is hopeful she will be given probation but that he will 'leave it up to the judge'.
Another woman from Donald Trump's past came forward on Tuesday to reassert her allegations that the former real estate mogul sexually assaulted her.

Mindy McGillivray told Megyn Kelly 'Today' that Trump grabbed her 'caboose' in front of Ray Charles at a 2003 concert at Mar-a-Lago and flirted with her on another occasion, upsetting, Melania.

McGillivray, was 23 at the time, says she was backstage with Trump, her friend Ken Davidoff and Regis Philbin and his wife as Ray Charles stood in front of them with his security guard.

'And the next thing you know, I feel a grab on my right side. So I quickly turn to look at what this is. I initially think this is probably Ken, Ken's camera bag. But to my surprise it's Donald.'

'I stand there. I'm stunned. I'm speechless,' she said.

In the interview with Kelly, McGillivray was adamant that she is not 'a liar,' regardless of what Trump says, and admitted to felonies she committed and was held accountable for in the past.

On Tuesday morning, a fifth woman, Mindy McGillivray, reentered the fray, also appearing with Kelly on Today. She, too, said their should be a probe of Trump

Mindy McGillivray told Megyn Kelly 'Today' that Trump grabbed her 'caboose' in front of Ray Charles at a 2003 concert at Mar-a-Lago and flirted with her on another occasion, upsetting his new bride, Melania

Photographer Ken Davidoff and his friend, Mindy McGillivray are seen at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 24, 2003. McGillivray says she was helping the photographer at a concert at Mar-a-Lago when Trump touched her

She also claimed that it was Davidoff who waved her off for confronting Trump for the tail-grab.

'As soon as Ray Charles and his security guard left the room, everybody started to clear and I leaned over to Ken and I said, Donald just grabbed my caboose. And he said, Well, what do you want to do about it? And before I could answer, he gives me one of these, like no, dont say, maybe this is not the right time, this is not the right place.' '

Instead, she says she chased after Ray Charles and tried to get a photo with him.

'I had adrenaline rushing through my body, I was scared, I was upset,' she said.

Another time Trump hit on her at a Huey Lewis and the News concert, McGillivray claims, and was caught in the act by Melania, who walked away in a huff.

She recalled telling Davidoff: 'I said Donald was flirting with me, Melania caught him, I think we should go.'

'I can't believe a guy like that could make it into the office, the highest office and be revered as this leader,' she said. 'And I can't look up to a man like that.'

McGillivray began to cry as she said that she was 'disgraced' and Trump needs to 'face the music.'

'I did this for myself, for my daughter, for my country. People need to know the truth. The truth will set you free,' McGillivray as she fought back tears. 'We have liberties in this country, and I'm going to practice my First Amendment. I'm going to stand up and talk. And I think my First Amendment's more powerful than the Second.'

Kelly disclosed then that McGillivray had been arrested charged with felonies, including driving while intoxicated with a child in the car.

'Right, and I've had to go to jail...I've been held accountable,' she replied. 'I've had to pay probation, I've paid all my probation off. I've changed my life. I've had a daughter. I've gone to colleges. I've made radical changes in my life to be a better person.'

Trump said Tuesday that there's nothing to the accusations that he sexually harassed and abused women as calls for a congressional probe of his alleged conduct piled up.

Trump said in a tweet that the women accusing him of assault were peddling 'fabricated stories' and 'false accusations' and he did not know or had not met them.

The White House also denied that the president had ever inappropriately touched the women who came forward during the election but reemerged on Monday to demand action. Trump's spokeswoman said from the White House podium that the 'allegations are false.'

Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have demanded that Trump resign and joined the women in pushing for a Capitol Hill investigation.

Trump went on the attack against the New York lawmaker who's expected to challenge him in 2020 specifically in a second tweet this morning that dubbed her a 'lightweight' and someone 'who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them).

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that there's nothing to the accusations that he sexually harassed and abused women as calls for a congressional probe of his alleged conduct piled up

Trump said in a tweet that the women accusing him of assault were peddling 'fabricated stories' and 'false accusations' and he did not know or had not met them

The White House denied Monday that the president had ever sexually harassed or abused a group of women who came forward during the election but reemerged on Monday to demand a congressional investigation

A trio of the president's accusers reemerged on Monday morning to hound him for sexually harassing them during Megyn Kelly's NBC program.

Samantha Holvey, Jessica Leeds and Rachel Crooks had previously made allegations against Trump and appeared on 'Today' to demand justice.

They later appeared at a press conference to demand a congressional investigation and Trump's resignation along with a fourth woman, Lisa Boyne, who called into the news conference.

On Tuesday morning, McGillivray, reentered the fray, also appearing with Kelly on Today. She, too, said there should be a probe of Trump.

'I demand that he's subjected to an investigation by the ethics committee. I think it's important that we hold this man to the highest of standards. If 16 women have come forward, then why hasn't anything been done? Where is our investigation?' she asked.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, had batted down the allegations as old news on Monday and said the president has addressed them.

'This took place long before he was elected to be president,' Sanders said. 'And the people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process.'

As she was questioned about the complaints from a total of 16 women, Sanders claimed that eyewitness accounts of the incidents the White House says never happened would exonerate the president. She gave CNN the names of two later.

'And I can say [is] that the President has directly responded and said that these allegations are false, and that's what I'm doing in relaying that information to you,' Sanders said Monday from the podium.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called on Trump to resign in an appearance Monday on CNN. She also supported the women in their demand for a congressional probe

Gillibrand then rushed to their defense in an appearance on CNN in which she said their claims were 'credible' and their stories are 'heartbreaking.'

'President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign,' Gillibrand told CNN





Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Cory Booker of New Jersey have also said that Trump should resign over the allegations.

'These women are right,' Wyden tweeted. 'If @realDonaldTrump won't resign, Congress must investigate allegations by many, many women that he sexually assaulted and harassed them. No one is above the law.'

Trump responded Tuesday morning in two tweets, the first of which directly dealt with the proposition that a congressional investigation is needed.

'Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!' he said.

An hour later, Trump was back at it, tweeting that 'Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump.

'Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!' he said, in an apparent reference to Gillibrand's charge that former President Bill Clinton should have resigned after his affair with a White House intern.

After Trump's tweets this morning, McGillivray appeared on Kelly's program via satellite and accused Trump again of grabbing her 'caboose' during a Ray Charles concert at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

'I demand that there's an investigation,' she said.

Three other women were on Kelly's show on Monday to remind the country of their allegations against Trump in person.

Leeds claimed that Trump assaulted on a plane in the '70s and called her a 'c***' when he ran into her some time later at a party in New York while he was still married to his first wife Ivana.

'All of a sudden, he's all over, me, kissing and groping and groping and kissing,' said Leeds, a self-proclaimed Democrat, who told Today that she revealed her story because 'I wanted people to know what kind of a person that Trump really is...what a pervert he is.'

Samantha Holvey (center) Jessica Leeds (right) and Rachel Crooks (left) had previously made allegations against Trump in last year's election and appeared on Megyn Kelly 'Today' to demand justice

'All of a sudden, he's all over, me, kissing and groping and groping and kissing,' said Leeds, a self-proclaimed Democrat, who says she revealed her story because 'I wanted people to know what kind of a person that Trump really is...what a pervert he is'

'I was so uncomfortable, and a little, yeah, threatened, like I didn't have a choice,' Crooks on Monday said

Holvey, a former Miss USA contestant, said that Trump came back stage in 2006 and reviewed the women while they were indecent. 'I was not a human being. I did not have a brain I did not have a personality. I was just simply there for his pleasure'

Crooks and Holvey said that Trump's conduct while he was a businessman left them 'shocked' and 'devastated' and feeling 'very gross' and 'very dirty.'

'I was so uncomfortable, and a little, yeah, threatened, like I didn't have a choice,' Crooks on Monday said.

Holvey, a former Miss USA contestant, said that Trump came back stage in 2006 and reviewed the women while they were indecent.

She recalled thinking at the time that it would be a meet and great with Trump. But she says it wasn't.

The former Miss North Carolina says Trump was 'just looking me over like I was just a piece of meat.'

'I was not a human being. I did not have a brain I did not have a personality. I was just simply there for his pleasure. It left me feeling very gross, very dirty, like this is not what I signed up for.'

Holvey said that no other director of a pageant came backstage to ogle the contestants.

Leeds claims that Trump assaulted on a plane in the '70s and called her a 'c***' when he ran into her some time later at a party in New York while he was still married to his first wife Ivana

Crooks claims that Trump assaulted her near the elevator bank in his office building. The office she worked in had rental space there. She says it started with him hitting on her.

'And I think his core supporters do know. I mean, I think they recognize. But he's their dog, so they're gonna stick with their dog,' Leeds said. Kelly chimed in: 'Because he's got the right team jersey on'

'And then he kissed me on the lips, and I was shocked, yeah, I mean, devastated, and it happened so fast, I guess, I wish I would have been courageous enough to be like, what's going on, and you need to stop this.'

After declining comment on the matter initially, the White House sprung a statement on Kelly in the middle of her program.

'These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year's campaign,' the statement said, 'and the American people voiced their judgement by delivering a decisive victory.'

It went on to say that the 'timing and absurdity' of the accusers' claims, along with their 'publicly tour' they've started 'only further confirms the political motives behind them.'

'It's laughable,' Crooks replied a moment later.

Crooks has contemporaneous emails that she sent her sister at the time of the alleged assault, in January of 2006, when Trump was already married to his third wife Melania. She said Monday that she'd be 'more than happy' for security footage to come out that proves the accuracy of her story.

She added, 'He owns the building. I doubt that's going to happen.'

Leeds says she began telling her story publicly once it became clear that Trump was serious about running for president.

As to whether the Democrat thought her allegation would be enough to keep him out of office, she said, 'I don't think I thought I had that kind of power. But I really wanted people to know who he is and what he is.

'And I think his core supporters do know. I mean, I think they recognize. But he's their dog, so they're gonna stick with their dog,' she said.

Kelly chimed in: 'Because he's got the right team jersey on.'

The accusations against Trump have received new attention now that he's thrown his weight behind Alabama Republican Roy Moore.

Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women, including one who says he touched her when she was just 14 years old and he was 32.

Trump has separately been accused of misconduct by 16 women, including Crooks, Leeds and Holvey.

Leeds, a 75-year-old former businesswoman who lives in Manhattan, told the New York Times last year that she was 'assaulted' by Trump on a flight when she was 38.

She claims she was seated beside Trump in first class, when the then-businessman lifted the arm-rest between them. He allegedly put his hand up her skirt.

'He was like an octopus,' she told the Times. 'His hands were everywhere.'

Retelling her story to Kelly on Today, Leeds said: 'I'm not a small person. I managed to wiggle out and stand up, grab my purse, and I went to the back of the airplane.'

She has been accused of faking the information because the plane wouldn't have had an arm rest in first class at the time of the alleged incident. Leeds admitted today that 'I don't remember what happened to the arm rest' - she just recalls that there wasn't one stopping Trump from assaulting her.

Crooks was a 22-year-old working as a receptionist at Bayrock Group, a real estate company based in Trump Tower in Manhattan, when she says Trump kissed her on the mouth without permission in 2005.

'It was so inappropriate,' Crooks told the New York Times. 'I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.'

She told the newspaper before the election that the incident took place after she shook hands with Trump in an elevator and he allegedly refused to let go. She says he then began kissing her on the cheeks, before then kissing her lips.

On the Today show she said: 'You feel like you have to say yes to guys. You don want to be the nasty girl. The mean girl who doesn't comply and puts up a fight. I guess..I wish I had been stronger then. I mean I feel differently now. I'd like to think things would be a lot different now. '

'These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year's campaign,' a statement from the White House on Trump's behalf said, 'and the American people voiced their judgement by delivering a decisive victory'

Holvey claims that as a 20-year-old representing North Carolina in the 2006 Miss USA pageant, Trump inspected her and other contestants before the competition.

She has said she was 'disgusted' by the now-president's behavior in an interview last year with CNN and it was 'the dirtiest I felt in my entire life.

'He would step in front of each girl and look you over from head to toe like we were just meat, we were just sexual objects, that we were not people,' she told the network then.

Other contestants from Trump's pageants have also said the acted inappropriately.

Katie Blair, Miss Teen USA 2006 told TMZ that Trump never came backstage during the pageants. Anthony Gilberthorpe says he was on Leeds' flight with Trump decades ago and has rebutted her claim that the businessman groped her.

The White House provided both their names to CNN on Monday when asked about the eyewitnesses that Sanders mentioned.

Years ago, the president boasted about how his celebrity gave him the ability to grab women with impunity and forcibly kiss them on the now-infamous Access Hollywood tape.

Trump said he would 'grab them by the p****.' Then he added: 'When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.'

After the release of the tape Trump said he never assaulted anyone - that was just 'locker room' talk.

On the heels of the October 2016 leak of the hot mic video, more women accused Trump, the GOP nominee for president at the time, of sexual misdeeds, including groping, kissing and sexual harassment.

While the recording was expected to tank Trump in the November election, the candidate eventually rebounded, in part because he muddied the waters by pointing to Bill Clinton's alleged and admitted sexual misdeeds and characterizing his rival Hillary Clinton as complicit.

Leeds said after the taping at a press conference, 'Were at the position now where in some areas of our society, people are being held accountable for unwanted behavior, but we are not holding our president accountable for what he is and who he is'

And while three members of Congress said they were leaving last week over their own sexually scandals  Sen. Al Franken, Rep. John Conyers and Rep. Trent Franks  and Hollywood heavyweights such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey have been banished, Trump has been bulletproofed against similar allegations.

The White House sided with Trump in October of this year and suggested that he women accusing him were all liars.

'We've been clear on that in the beginning, and the President's spoken on that,' press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley meanwhile encouraged women to speak out against sexual harassment and assault  including against President Trump on Sunday.

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.'

Leeds told said Monday that she would like Trump to have a 'reckoning' over what he did.

'I would like to see that hes not Teflon,' she said, 'and that he acknowledged in some fashion or another and be called to answer to the charges.'

She said after the taping at a press conference that accused harassers are being held accountable 'except for our president.'

'Were at the position now where in some areas of our society, people are being held accountable for unwanted behavior, but we are not holding our president accountable for what he is and who he is,' Leeds said.

Crooks said an congressional investigation would be 'fair' considering that senators were planning to investigate their Franken until he resigned.

'In terms of resigning, I think it's probably the right thing to do, but I would never imagine he's going to do that,' she said. 'So I think the investigation by Congress is probably the only thing we can ask for.'

Holvey said she, too, believes Trump should resign, then added, 'I dont think he ever will.'

A fourth accuser, Boyne, also called into the press conference on Monday to 'demand that Donald Trump step down like Al Franken.'

'Because what hes acknowledged, what hes made appropriate culturally is a thousand times worse than anything Al Franken has done,' she said.

Boyne has accused Trump of looking up models' skirts at a 1996 dinner.

Franken's, whose name kept popping up, was under the scrutiny of the Senate Ethics Committee because he was a senator and the body is inherently responsible for policing members' conduct.

Bill Clinton's impeachment in the House for perjury and obstruction of justice over his affair with Monica Lewinsky stemmed from an independent counsel investigation into his real estate investments and White House travel office firings that were said to be politically-motivated.

President Trump and his associates, some of whom work at the White House, are being probed by a special counsel who reports to the Department of Justice.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has not indicated that he interested in pursuing any of the allegations against Trump outside of collusion and obstruction of justice in the firing of ex-FBI Director James Comey, however, and most of the sex assault allegations decades old and stretch beyond the statue of limitations, in the first place.
This is the moment a diabetic BBC journalist had a hypoglycemic attack live on air as he read out the news to millions of people.

Alex Ritson, who works for the BBC World Service, said basic functions such as his ability to think and talk began to 'switch off' as he recited the top items of the day.

The newsreader's 'worst nightmare' came true as he read out the headlines on BBC Radio 4, as he is heard stumbling over his words and repeating himself.

Mr Ritson suffers from Type 1 diabetes, the same condition as Prime Minister Theresa May, who is required to take insulin injections at least twice a day to stay alive.

Alex Ritson (pictured during a reconstruction of the incident) said basic functions such as his ability to think and talk began to 'switch off' as he recited the top items of the day

In the soundclip, Mr Ritson is heard saying: 'The new Pope has found a... I'm sorry, the Pope has... The upcoming... I'm sorry... In the United States, the Donald Trump...

'You're listening to the BBC World Service, this is the BBC World Service on the BBC World Service.'

After a brief interlude, the show's producer Neil Nunes finishes the bulletin, whcih aired simultaneously on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service at 5am on December 1.

In the meantime, colleagues of the newsreader helped him to 'wolf down' several sachets of sugar to help returns his blood levels to a safe range.

Opening up about his on-air hypoglycemic attack, Mr Ritson told the BBC: 'It was terrifying.

'As I was trying to read the script, my eyes started operating independently of each other, creating two swirling pages of words, neither of which would stay still.

Theresa May: My life with diabetes Theresa May is among the UK's most prominent sufferers of Type 1 diabetes British Prime Minister Theresa May was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2013 while serving as Home Secretary. 'It was a real shock and, yes, it took me a while to come to terms with it, she admitted in an interview with the Mail on Sunday. Id had a bad cold and cough for quite a few weeks. I went to my GP and she did a blood test which showed Id got a very high sugar level  thats what revealed the diabetes. The symptoms are tiredness, drinking a lot of water, losing weight but its difficult to isolate things. 'I was drinking a lot of water. But I do anyway. There was weight loss but then I was already making an effort to be careful about diet and to get my gym sessions in. 'Tiredness  speak to any politician and they will tell you the hours they work. Tiredness can be part of the job. It is full on. The illness means Mrs May must inject insulin at least twice a day for the rest of her life, carrying a pen needle with her to deliver the hormone her body needs. Advertisement

Opening up about his on-air hypoglycemic attack on December 1, Mr Ritson described the incident as 'terrifying'

'And I had a strange sensation which I can only describe as my subconscious, for reasons of survival, independently trying to wrestle my life controls away from my failing conscious mind.

'Abilities which are secondary to vital functions like the heartbeat - such as the power of speech and of reasoning - were being switched off.'

He added: 'I returned to the airwaves, at six minutes past the hour, and before long was pretty much back to normal.

'I explained what had happened to the listener, and had some really lovely messages from all over the world.'
Michael Chikindas has been sacked as a director at Rutgers and removed from all essential classes over racist Facebook posts

A Rutgers professor who uploaded anti-Semitic posts to his Facebook page has been demoted by the university.

Michael Chikindas has been sacked as director of the Center for Digestive Health and has been barred from teaching required classes after dozens of racist posts were discovered on his social media back in October.

The tenured professor will keep his teaching post for now, though faculty have been told the university is considering additional punitive measures.

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,' NJ.com reported.

The Facebook posts, which all date from May this year, were first exposed in October, prompting university officials to investigate.

Administrators said the posts 'perpetuated toxic stereotypes', of Jewish people.

One post included offensive references to First Lady Melania Trump and President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, who were called 'b****es' and 's**ts'.

Rutgers bosses are also working to suspend Chikindas, who is a tenured professor, on reduced or no pay amid outrage from students who have started a petition against him

Several posts also referenced popular conspiracy theories about Jewish people, including that they orchestrated 9/11.

Chikindas told NJ.com that his account had been hacked and he could not be sure that all of the posts were uploaded by him.

Other posts, he said, were not anti-Semitic, before adding that he thought they were only being shared among a small group of friends.

'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,' he added.

Rutgers has the largest Jewish undergraduate population of any American university, with an estimated 5,000 enrolled, according to its own website.

Rutgers President Robert Barchi called the situation 'sad and troubling' and said processes were being followed to suspend Chikindas at reduced or zero pay.
Theresa May will attend the Grenfell Tower memorial service this week despite Tory councillors from the area being told to stay away.

The Prime Minister was booed and heckled by some residents when she visited the scene of the disaster as locals lashed out at authorities over the fire.

But Mrs May and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will be at the service at St Paul's Cathedral on Thursday, six months from when the blaze killed 71 in the west London tower block.

Theresa May will attend the Grenfell Tower memorial service despite local Conservative councillors being told to stay away

Her appearance comes despite Conservative councillors from Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council being told to stay away.

The local authority came in for fierce criticism and was the scene of large protests in the days after the fire on June 14.

The council said it had advised all members to stay away and is holding a minute's silence at the town hall instead.

But despite their advice, Labour members of the council are attending the service, The Daily Telegraph has reported.

Council leader Elizabeth Campbell said: 'The service isn't about me and it isn't about politics, it's for the people who lost everything on that terrible night six months ago, and it is in memory of those who tragically lost their lives.

'It is only right that we respect the wishes of those involved.'

Victims' families, including Nicholas Burton (left), Sandra Ruiz (second right) and Karim Mussilhy (right), today delivered a petition to Number 10 demanding an independent panel is brought in to oversee the public inquiry into the disaster

A total of 71 people died after hundreds lost their homes in the fire on June 14 this year

News of Mrs May's planned attendance got a tepid reception from relatives of the victims as they visited Downing Street.

Karim Mussilhy, whose uncle Hesham Rahman died in the fire on June 14, told the Press Association he would not 'unwelcome' the Prime Minister.

A petition addressed directly to the Conservative leader was dropped off at Number 10 on Tuesday afternoon by those touched by the tragedy.

Kensingont council leader Elizabeth Campbell has advised her colleagues to stay away from the service

It called for her to use powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 to make the public inquiry into the disaster panel-led, rather than relying on one judge.

Sandra Ruiz, who lost her niece in the blaze, said: 'I would find that very difficult - for her to come and shake our hands without the announcement of a panel.

'Obviously we will welcome her, but she will have to come and face us and we will be asking those questions of her. It's not much to ask.'

Feelings have been running high over the format of the inquiry, with survivors and bereaved families voicing concern that chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick is out of touch.

It is hoped that a panel of experts from a diverse range of backgrounds would better capture the cultural nuances of the Grenfell Tower neighbourhood.

Mr Mussilhy said: 'I don't unwelcome her. I understand that there will be people that will be upset that she's attending, but she needs to be there. It would be worse if she didn't come.'

His views were echoed by Nicholas Burton, a former 19th floor resident of the tower who has previously met the Prime Minister.

He said: 'I would (welcome her), personally, I can't talk about the bereaved families and other people but personally I think it's an important issue and she stands for this country so she should be there.'
An Arizona police detective and his wife have been charged in the 'suspicious' February death of his 7-year-old daughter, Sanaa (shown)

An ex-Arizona police detective and his wife have been charged in the 'suspicious' February death of the officer's seven-year-old daughter.

A grand jury announced the first-degree murder indictments earlier this month for Phoenix Police Department veteran Germayne Cunningham and Sanaa's stepmother, Lisa, who were accused of subjecting her to 'forcible work' and abuse in months prior her death, court documents revealed.

She died in February shortly after she was taken to an urgent care facility with severe bruises and scratches on her body, police records said.

It seems Sanaa had been taking medication after being diagnosed with 'unspecified schizophrenia, opposition defiant disorder and autism spectrum' in December 2016, a GoFundMe page created for her funeral costs said earlier this year.

Around the time, her father and stepmother allegedly forced her to wear a RIPP restraint to halt her physical movements and kept her locked in the garage or small areas inside their home.

The Goodyear Police Department said Germayne Cunningham, 38, and his wife, Lisa, 43 (shown together) were indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on one count of first-degree murder and 10 counts of child abuse

Germayne Cunningham worked for the Phoenix Police Department between 2005 and 2017 before he resigned in September

The couple faces 10 counts of child abuse for the alleged abuse.

The Cunningham couple, who spoke with The Arizona Republic, claimed the abuse stemmed from 'a dispute with the state Department of Child Safety'.

The pair complained about the agency's irrational and strict guidelines for their family.

They said the child was in state custody at the time she was living with them and the agency 'insisted' she be put on medication which put her quality of life in 'decline'.

Sanaa's biological mother, Sylvia Norwood, is shown during an interview. A complaint by Norwood led to a welfare check by the Goodyear Police Department, which proved nothing

Sanaa had been taking medication after being diagnosed last December with unspecified schizophrenia, opposition defiant disorder and autism spectrum

If they didn't put her on medication, the agency threatened the couple would be charged with medical neglect, according to the newspaper.

The medications to improve the child's mental and physical heath proved ineffective.

Following her death, the couple threatened to sue DCS over what they alleged was abuse by the agency - but when they did, they claim their four other children were removed from their home. The department denied the claims.

It seems DCS previously responded to 'several abuse complaints' against the couple.

The child's father had been employed with the Phoenix Police Department (pictured) from 2005-2017 before his resignation

A complaint by Sanaa's biological mother, Sylvia Norwood, also led to a welfare check from the Goodyear Police Department. The department found no evidence of abuse at the time.

Sanaa's death still remains 'suspicious' after several months of investigation.

Germayne Cunningham had been employed with the Phoenix Police Department from 2005-2017 before his resignation in September.

'In the span of two years, this vibrant, energetic child's quality of life continued to decline mentally and physically,' her GoFundMe page read, which raised $8,057 and has since been closed.


Fuentes was charged with voyeurism and was being held on $5,000 bond

She called the police after she realized there was no on/ off switch on the device

The 26-year-old victim is a traveling nurse and told police she was suspicious when the alarm clock appeared a few days into her stay

Cesar Mendez Fuentes, 35, was arrested after his guest found an alarm clock with a camera inside in the bedroom she was staying in

Cesar Mendez Fuentes, 35, was charged with voyeurism after his Airbnb guest found a camera in her bedroom

A South Carolina man has been arrested after a woman who rented an apartment from him using Airbnb found a hidden camera in an alarm clock in her bedroom.

Greenville police arrested 35-year-old Cesar Mendez Fuentes late last week and charged him with voyeurism.

The victim, a 26-year-old traveling nurse from Georgia, realized something was suspicious when the alarm clock appeared out of nowhere a few days into her stay.

The woman called the cops after discovering the camera in the apartment unit on Woodruff Road.

'She began manipulating the alarm clock and realized there wasn't an on or off switch,' said Sgt. Johnathan Bragg told Fox Carolina. 'So she realized it was probably a camera and she left the apartment.'

'The camera in your own space and in your own home is fine,' Bragg said. 'But when you have an Airbnb and you're renting it out for purposes of spying on someone or looking at someone in an intimate space such as a bedroom dresser that's where it crosses the line of voyeurism.'

The victim put a warning out to other traveling nurses online.

Several responded they were planning to stay at Fuentes' apartment, as he seemed like a decent person in their exchanges.

'Basically one of the girls had said ''Oh my gosh, I just contacted him. He was very nice and really personable,"' said fellow travel nurse Deidre Murdoch, who was in the group the victim had warned.

Murdoch said a lot of travel nurses use Airbnb, and warned travelers about their safety while staying at a stranger's home.

'Check your surroundings,' Murdoch said. 'I made a joke earlier about looking under the toilet seats, but that's not funny. That stuff happens, look in your vents, anything that you're nervous about. If anything that looks out of place, don't stay there.'

The victim, a 26-year-old traveling nurse, found a camera inside the alarm clock in the bedroom at the apartment on Woodruff Road (building pictured, center)

Fellow traveling nurse Deidre Murdoch (pictured) said she saw the victim's warning about the host online, and that several other nurses had planned to stay in the unit rented by Fuentes

Airbnb issued the following statement to Fox Carolina: 'Hosts are required to disclose all surveillance devices in their residence. The company prohibits rentals with surveillance devices in private spaces like bedrooms and bathrooms.'

'If an Airbnb host violates this policy, they are immediately suspended and removed from the system' an Airbnb spokesperson added.

Fuentes was permanently banned from Airbnb.

He was charged with voyeurism and was being held in the Greenville County Detention Center on Monday on a $5,000 bond.
The congressional office of Rep. Blake Farenthold was an out-of-control mess where the Texan alternately bullied staffers and told them about his 'sexual fantasies,' according to a report.

Farenthold and his entire staff got sensitivity training after incidents of 'sexualized commentary,' the Houston Chronicle reported.

A former communications aide, Lauren Greene, got an $84,000 payment after accusing her boss of sexual harassment.

Her lawsuit says Farenthold, 55, had 'sexual fantasies' and 'wet dreams' about her. Another former spokeswoman, Elizabeth Peace, a former TV anchor, said the lawmaker 'allowed the hostility in his office to continue. He allowed us to work in a place that was just emotionally damaging, and that should never be allowed in any office.'

The congressional office of Rep. Blake Farenthold was an out-of-control mess where the Texan alternately bullied staffers and told them about his 'sexual fantasies,' according to a report

Another of Greene's complaints is that Farenthold 'disclosed that a female lobbyist had propositioned him for "a threesome,"' the New York Times reported.

'Ive done nothing wrong, Farenthold told the paper this week. Im happy to visit with anybody who has a concern and explain the facts to the extent that I am allowed to under the settlement agreement.

Former aides also say Farenthold had a volatile temper.

The House Ethics committee is investigating the 2014 harassment complaint.

Peace told the paper: 'There were a lot of inappropriate things that happened in that office that I dont think would have happened if the congressman hadnt already set the tone.'

Happy hour would begin at 4:30 pm, a time aides called 'beer-thirty,' aides told the paper.

SUNLIGHT: Former aides revealed bullying and sexualized conduct inside Farenthold's office

LOOK AWAY: Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), Rep. George Holding (R-GA), Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), join othermembers of the House Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee in wearing 3D glasses while watching a demonstration of 3D technology on Capitol Hill July 25, 2013 in Washington, DC

I SWEAR: House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. administers the House oath of office to Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, during a mock swearing in ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017

Peace said women would talk about which male lobbyists texted them pictures of their penises.

Topics sometimes turned to strip clubs and the physical appearance of Fox News anchors.

There were numerous lewd comments that were made either about female reporters breast size, or other reporters breast size as well as female lobbyists and their appearance that would go on, said a former aide. On any given week you were prone to either ridicule, rude comments, acts of aggression or rage.

Greene's lawsuit charged that Farenthold 'regularly drank to excess, and because of his tendency to flirt, the staffers who accompanied him to Capitol Hill functions would joke that they had to be on redhead patrol to keep him out of trouble.

Farenthold's acknowledged only part of the allegation.

The lawyers said some staff occasionally joked that Rep. Farenthold finds redheads attractive. But they denied the implication that this was a source for, or cause of, concern for any staffer, according to the Times.

Farenthold has resisted calls that he resign, even as Democratic Rep. John Conyers, Democratic Sen. Al Franken, and Republican Rep. Trent Franks quit Congress after allegations emerged.
Theresa May was today warned she faces defeat on her flagship Brexit laws without further concessions to rebel MPs.

Senior Tory Dominic Grieve vowed to force through his amendment writing the need for a 'meaningful vote' into the EU withdrawal laws tomorrow night.

Amid claims there are as many as 20 Tory rebels, Mr Grieve, a former Attorney General, said he believed he had enough support to win a vote.

The Government has refused to take a position on Mr Grieve's amendment so far, insisting it is studying all suggestions from MPs.

Defeat would be humiliating for Mrs May, who has never lost a Commons vote on legislation, and Brexiteers branded the measure an attempt to derail the Bill.

Ministers could yet climbdown on the issue and accept the amendment. Downing Street today repeated a promise there would be a meaningful vote on Brexit deal regardless of events in the Commons tomorrow night.

Theresa May (pictured today in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron) was today warned she faces defeat on her flagship Brexit laws without further concessions to rebel MPs

Senior Tory Dominic Grieve (pictured today in the Commons) has vowed to force through his amendment writing the need for a 'meaningful vote' into the EU withdrawal laws tomorrow night

The Government announced a U-turn yesterday to avert a possible defeat tonight on so-called Henry VIII powers in the legislation.

And another very tight vote is expected next Wednesday as ministers stand behind controversial plans to write the Exit Date into the withdrawal legislation.

Mr Grieve said he was determined to force a vote on an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill unless ministers back down.

With up to 20 Conservative MPs reportedly willing to support the change in the division lobbies on Wednesday, he said they could well have the votes needed to get it through.

'I think there are quite a few who may support me - I think enough, if this comes to a vote, to defeat the Government,' he told BBC Radio 4's The World At One.

'I think there is a real possibility that that will happen.'

The move threatened to wreck the fragile unity in the Conservative ranks in the wake of Mrs May's divorce deal agreement in Brussels on Friday.

Conservative former leader Iain Duncan Smith accused Mr Grieve and his supporters of 'grandstanding' and trying to tie the Government's hands in the Brexit talks.

'I think this is looking for ways to derail the bill,' he told The World At One.

'There comes a moment when really grandstanding has to stop. Tying the Government's hands in the way that he would wish to tie them so early on is quite wrong.'

MPs gathered today for the sixth day of committee stage debate (pictured) on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. Ministers have won every vote contested so far

Signalling the climbdown on Henry VIII powers yesterday afternoon, Mrs May's spokesman said: 'We have studied the Procedure Committee's report in detail and listened to the representations and we are announcing today that we will be accepting this amendment.

'We recognise the role of Parliament in scrutinising the bill and we've said throughout that we are taking a pragmatic approach to what we've always said is a vital piece of legislation.

'Where MPs and peers can improve the bill we will work with them.'

Procedure committee chairman Charles Walker tabled new amendments on the Henry VIII powers last week.

The new amendment is likely to replace rebel amendments tabled by Mr Grieve and which were the focus of efforts against the Government.

Procedure committee chairman Charles Walker (file image) tabled new amendments on the Henry VIII powers last week

Announcing his new amendments last week, Mr Walker said: 'They reflect the constructive discussions the Committee has held across the House on the best way to implement its report.

'I think our amendments represent a sound basis for agreement on the House's role in this process, and I urge colleagues across the Chamber to support them.

'The Procedure Committee wants a system to give the House a decisive say over how it is to debate the many technical legislative changes to be proposed as a result of this Bill.'

Mr Walker said his amendments would allow all necessary changes to the law to be made by exit day while allowing Parliament the necessary scrutiny.

He added: 'In Wednesday's debate I shall look forward to a positive response from both Despatch Boxes to the constructive suggestions we have made.

'The process of transferring over 40 years' worth of accumulated EU law into UK law is one of the greatest legislative challenges Parliament has ever faced.

'I shall be looking to the Government for assurances that the process is going to be managed appropriately and in a way which allows the new sifting committee to do its job properly.'

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: 'This is a welcome but minor concession on an issue on which the government knew it could not carry the House.

'The Leave campaign said that Brexit would mean 'taking back control of our laws', but since the referendum, ministers have done everything they can to undermine our parliamentary democracy and push through laws without proper scrutiny.'
Energy bill hikes are set to grow as a three-week shutdown of Britain's main North Sea pipeline sends prices soaring.

The Forties Pipeline, which carries 40 per cent of the country's oil and gas, will be closed after a hairline crack was discovered during a routine inspection south of Aberdeen.

The shutdown, announced on Monday, comes at a time when Britons are bracing themselves against plunging temperatures, with minus 13C recorded over night.

While a gas explosion at a major processing facility, in Austria, has disrupted supply across Europe and lead to fuel prices rising by a third.

The Forties Pipeline, operated by Ineos, will be closed after a hairline crack was discovered last week during a routine inspection (pictured, the Ineos refinery at Grangemouth)

Experts have warned the Forties Pipeline temporary closure could have major 'implications' for the nation's oil industry.

Ripples have already been felt, with gas prices with an increase of 1.6 per cent at 49.28 a barrel of Brent Crude oil, the highest rise in prices since 2015.

While natural gas prices for same-day delivery in Britain rose by nearly 30 per cent yesterday, the highest since 2013.

Fiona Legate, a analyst from Wood Mackenzie, told the Financial Times: 'A shutdown of the Forties Pipeline System, even temporary, will have wide-reaching implications for the UK oil and gas industry.

'Companies with fields utilising the FPS export route will suffer from reduced cash flows during the shutdown period.'

However, while Britons fear splashing out on soaring utility bills, the Government said there is no problem with supplies coming into the country.

A UK government spokesperson said: 'There is no security of supply issue for fuel or gas supplies as a result of the repairs needed to the Forties pipeline.

'The government will continue to liaise with industry operators to monitor the situation to ensure repairs are undertaken as quickly as possible.'

The Forties Pipeline, bought by petrochemical giant Ineos from BP just six weeks ago, takes mainly oil to the company's refinery at Grangemouth, near Falkirk.

After the small crack was discovered last week, a 300-metre cordon was set up and some local residents were placed in temporary accommodation, while the pipeline pressure was reduced while a full assessment was made.

Andrew Gardner, chief executive of the Ineos Forties Pipeline System, said workers found a hairline crack in the pipe last Wednesday which then started to grow despite efforts to repair it.

He told BBC Good Morning Scotland: 'Over the weekend we noticed the crack starting to develop and grow further.

Energy bill hikes are set to grow as a three-week shutdown of Britain's main North Sea pipeline sends prices soaring

The Forties Pipeline brings in 40 per cent of Britain's oil and gas, mostly to this refinery in Grangemouth, Scotland

'It was about 10cm and it grew another couple of centimetres. We reduced the pressure further and then at that point the crack still grew, so the only safe option was to take the system down so we could be convinced that we could stop the growth of the crack and get in and do a proper permanent repair.

'It was a straightforward process when the crack was not moving. Now that the crack is propagating we need to be very careful that whatever repair isn't just masking a crack underneath, so it will probably be a little bit more complicated than what we thought it was going to be, hence why we need to take the system down.'

Asked how long the system was likely to be down he said: 'We're estimating just now between two and three weeks.

'Overnight the system has come down, we've been making it safe and now we need to get in and inspect further and the results of that inspection now that the system is safe will obviously determine the repair mechanism.'

Meanwhile, a serious incident at a gas plant in Baumgarten, near Austria's border with Slovakia, killed one person and left 21 others injured, today.

An inferno rages after an explosion at a gas processing plant in Baumgarten, near Austria's border with Slovakia, today

Firefighters deal with the aftermath of an explosion at a major processing facility in Austria

Police wrote on Twitter that the explosion was triggered by a 'technical cause,' but did not elaborate and said that local authorities are investigating.

Gas Connect said it also suspects an unspecified technical fault.

Gas Connect describes the Baumgarten plant, where pipelines bringing gas from Russia, Norway and other countries connect and gas is compressed and cooled, as one of Europe's most important gas supply hubs.

'Austria's natural gas supply can be covered for the foreseeable future,' Gas Connect said on its website.

However, 'transit through Austria to the south and southeast regions is currently negatively impacted,' it added.

Neighboring Italy's Economic Development Ministry declared an emergency after the explosion interrupted the flow of natural gas to the country, but said Italy's supply of gas would be ensured by existing stockpiles.

Claudio Descalzi, the CEO of Italian oil and gas company Eni, said that industry operators can compensate even if the interruption continues for weeks and aren't alarmed, although he said that if it continues for a prolonged period there could be an impact on prices.
Duncan Burns, pictured, 24, who boasted he would sleep with 100 women at university, was jailed for five years after raping a 20-year-old he met on Tinder

A student 'ambassador' who boasted he was going to have sex with 100 women at his university has been jailed for five years for raping a student.

Duncan Burns, 24, was supposed to help vulnerable students as an accommodation liaison officer at Stirling University.

But the sexual predator forced himself on a 20-year-old student after meeting her on Tinder.

Burns claimed that the sex was consensual and continues to protest his innocence but he was convicted of the crime by a jury at Glasgow High Court.

Judge Lord Mulholland told Burns: 'The jury rejected your explanation that the sex was consensual.

'You ignored this woman's wishes and raped her. This court takes a very serious view of this. You are sentenced to five years in prison.'

In addition to the prison sentence, Lord Mulholland also placed Burns on the sex offenders' register.

Burns' rape victim admitted she had gone back to his room willingly a number of times and had wanted a relationship with him.

But she consistently refused his demands to have sex with him - and told him 'no' repeatedly as he finally forced himself on her.

Speaking through tears, the woman, who had never had a boyfriend, said: 'I always perceived rape to be more like with a stranger or with violence.

'I knew I'd said no and he knew I was saying no. I had no doubts in my mind, but don't think at the time I knew it was rape.'

The jury at the High Court in Livingston heard evidence that another woman who also had sex with Burns went to the police with an almost identical account of being abused physically, verbally and sexually before being raped.

But they found him not guilty by a majority verdict of twice raping the second woman.

Asked by defence counsel Mark Stewart QC if she was pressing Burns to have a relationship with her, she replied: 'Sometimes he would say he wanted to sleep with 100 women and then he would commit to me.'

He also told her that when she was famous and on the television, he would say: 'Oh, I took her virginity.'

Of the rape, she said: 'I remember it hurting and I told him that it was hurting. He didn't stop. It didn't change anything. He just carried on.'

The jury heard the woman was in a 'distressed state' when she told friends and university officials what Burns had done.

Burns, of Angus, Scotland, lodged special defences claiming any sexual contact was with the women's consent.

Mr Stewart said: 'Mr Burns position is that he is innocent of this charge. There are no winners in this case. This has affected both parties' lives.'

The QC told the court that Burns had had a difficult childhood and wanted to help others and added: 'That career path is now lost as is his university career. He was a second year student on an honours course.'
School bus driver, Donnie Hendricks (pictured), 74, and student, Megan Klindt, 16, were killed in a bus fire Tuesday morning

A driver and a student were killed in Iowa early Tuesday after a fire erupted on a school bus when it backed into a ditch.

Police said no one else was on the bus when it caught on fire around 7am southeast of Oakland, which is about 35 miles east of Omaha, Nebraska.

Donnie Hendricks, 74, of Carson, Iowa, was identified as the driver. Police also released the identity of the student, Megan Klindt, 16, who lived at the farm where the bus fire occurred.

A resident of the Klindt house called 911 but when firefighters arrived, the bus was already engulfed in flames.

First responders found the remains of the driver and student after the fire was extinguished, Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Lt Rob Ambrose said.

Initial reports on the fire indicated that as many as 20 people may have been on the bus, but Ambrose said only the student and the driver were on the bus at the time of the fire.

Ambrose said it may have been Hendricks' first stop of the day.

Investigators said the bus, from the Riverside Community School District, caught on fire after it backed out of a farm driveway and into a ditch across the road.

Timothy Mitchell, the superintendent of the Riverside district, said the district 'suffered a tragedy when we lost a student and an employee in a school bus accident'.

'Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones. The investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, and we are cooperating with law enforcement as they do their work,' Mitchell said.

'The safety of students and staff is the top priority for the District,' he added.

First responders found the remains of the driver and a student after the fire was extinguished, Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Lt Rob Ambrose said. The bus (pictured) was later transported from the scene by a tractor-trailer

Investigators said the bus (pictured), from the Riverside Community School District, caught on fire after it backed out of a farm driveway and into a ditch across the road

Classes were not canceled on Tuesday, but a Crisis Team from the Green Hills Area Education Agency along with area schools counselors were deployed to all our buildings to assist students and staff. First responders are pictured working the scene of the tragic incident

Classes were not canceled on Tuesday, according to Mitchell, who said a Crisis Team from the Green Hills Area Education Agency along with area schools counselors and community volunteers were 'deployed to all our buildings to assist students and staff'.

After-school activities were canceled for Tuesday and will be rescheduled.

Garret Loring, 23, of Oakland, who works at the Buck Snort restaurant in town, told the Omaha World-Herald that he knew the Hendricks.

'He's been a driver for a long, long time,' Loring said.

Hendricks and his wife, Kathy, were grand marshals of Riverside's homecoming parade this fall.

Brittnee Chase, 19, of Oakland, told the newspaper that Hendricks was her bus driver when she was in school.

'He was a good guy,' she said. 'He was amazing.'

Authorities said the fire is still under investigation. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Brittnee Chase, 19, said Hendricks was her bus driver when she was in school. She said he was a 'good guy'. The bus was later hauled off by a tractor-trailer (pictured)
The remains of two dogs waiting to be cremated have been stolen from outside a veterinary clinic in Florida.

Staff at Bradenton Veterinary Hospital are appealing for thieves to return the bodies of Duchess the Husky and a second dog after they were taken last week.

Kathy Richardson, supervisor at the hospital, said the remains of both animals were left outside the clinic overnight in a freezer for a cremation company to pick up the following morning.

The remains of two dogs waiting to be cremated, including thee body of 13-year-old Husky Duchess (pictured), were stolen from outside a Florida veterinary clinic

Staff say the remains of Duchess and a second dog were sitting in an unlocked freezer in bags clearly marked 'animal remains' when somebody drove off with them

But on the night of December 7 CCTV footage captured a dark-color pickup truck, possibly a Nissan Frontier, pulling into the parking lot, ABC reports.

Several moments later the truck emerges with the freezer in the bed.

Richardson believes the thief simply saw the metal box and took it assuming there was something valuable inside.

The lid was not locked and the two bags inside were clearly marked 'animal remains.'

Vets had hoped the body bags would be dumped somewhere nearby once the thief realized their mistake, but so far nothing has turned up.

Police are trying to track the owner of this dark-color pickup truck which was seen driving away with the freezer in the back bed

'Who would want pets' remains,' Richardson added.

Duchess was a 13-year-old husky who had been owned by Sarasota resident Heather Khan since she was a puppy.

Richardson said she called Khan when she discovered the remains were missing, saying the owner could not believe what had happened and simply wants the ashes as a memento of her pet.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Bradenton Police Department at (941) 932-9300
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Parents were puzzled today after being told to keep their children at home due to the bad weather, even though those at the school next door were in lessons.

The headteacher of Waddesdon Village School near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire blamed black ice for the closure.

But pupils at the neighbouring senior school, Waddesdon Church of England School, managed to make their way in on the same road.

The headteacher of Waddesdon Village School (right) in Buckinghamshire blamed black ice for the closure. But pupils at the neighbouring senior school, Waddesdon Church of England School (left), managed to make their way in on the same road

Health visitor Henna Mayo (centre), 39, was at home today looking after her daughters Holly (centre right), eight, and Beatrice (far right), five, along with those of a sick friend, sisters Amelie Bennett (centre left), who was celebrating her 9th birthday on a snow day, and Harriet (centre right), seven

Courtney Vickery, eight, and her brother Kye, five, pose next to a snowman after they got the day off school in Waddesdon. Their mother Carley, 30, said: 'It's daft. It doesn't make sense for one school to be open and the one next door shut'

Caretakers at the senior school were up at 5am today clearing footpaths. One source said: 'The junior school only has one part time site agent and he hasn't cleared the paths. That's the real reason they've shut.'

Parent Carley Vickery, 30, who was looking after her two children Courtney, eight, and Kye, five, said: 'It's daft. It doesn't make sense for one school to be open and the one next door shut.'

Ms Vickery, who works as a full time carer, added: 'It may be that the staff couldn't get in. Some live a distance away in High Wycombe and Northampton.

'It's a shame for the children who were supposed to be going to a pantomime and a Christmas party.

'The school is fast enough asking us why we have kept a child at home. Perhaps they shouldn't tell them to stay at home so quickly.'

The primary school, which has 200 pupils, was given an outstanding grading by Ofsted in 2011.

Headteacher Laura Forchione said on the school's website today: 'I very much regret to inform you that the Chair of Governors and I have decided that the school will be closed again today.

'This is solely due to the extremely hazardous driving conditions on the access road to school. With many of the children and staff needing to travel along small rural roads the safety needs for all must be taken into consideration.

Mother Nicki Harper, 38, who was looking after her daughter Evie, six, said: 'It seems odd that the school for the older children is open, but they say the road has been like an ice rink'

Caretakers at the senior school (left) in the Buckinghamshire village of Waddesdon were up at 5am today clearing footpaths

'We have inspected School Lane - it is very dangerous as is the school car park and playgrounds. Black ice is causing us serious concern. Unfortunately, this does have an impact on the pantomime trip scheduled for Year 1 and 2 today.

'We will reschedule if possible, if not parents will be reimbursed. I understand that this is far from ideal however, the safety of all children and staff is my priority.

'I am sorry for the inconvenience and disruption that I know this will cause. The weather forecast for Tuesday late evening onwards of warmer conditions and rain makes me very confident that we will be open on Wednesday. Once again, my apologies.'

A spokesman for the senior school, which has 900 pupils, said 'The school was shut on Monday, but opened today after the site was cleared and buses were running.'

Health visitor Henna Mayo, 39, was at home today looking after her daughters Holly, eight, and Beatrice, five, along with those of a sick friend, sisters Amelie Bennett, who was celebrating her 9th birthday on a snow day, and Harriet, seven.

Ms Mayo said: 'I can't believe it. I am shocked that one school is open, but the other one next door is not.

'Perhaps they have more teachers at the school for the older children, but it causes a lot of problems for parents who either have to take time off work or take their children in with them.

Buckinghamshire County Council said decisions to open and close schools were a matter for the headteachers

The primary school in Waddesdon (right), which has 200 pupils, was given an outstanding grading by Ofsted in 2011

'I work in Oxford, which is quite a trek, but fortunately they've been great about it.'

Another mother, Nicki Harper, 38, was looking after her daughter Evie, six. Ms Harper said 'It's not affected me too much, because I am a stay at home mum.

'It seems odd that the school for the older children is open, but they say the road has been like an ice rink.

'We thought the school would be re-opening this morning, but it wasn't until 7 o'clock when we checked on the website to see they'd shut it.

'It's a shame because Evie was supposed to be going to Aylesbury with the school today to see Snow White. They are hoping to re-schedule it.'

A spokesman for Buckinghamshire County Council said decisions to open and close schools were a matter for the headteachers. Waddesdon Village School did not return a request for comment.

Hundreds of schools across Britain were closed for a second day today as the cold weather continues to cause disruption.

All council-run schools in Birmingham were shut yesterday following the hazardous conditions, but the blanket closure was not in force for today.

Hundreds of schools across Britain were closed for a second day today as the cold weather continues to cause disruption

Company policies should cover what parents should do if schools close and they have no alternative childcare, the TUC said

Nearly 80 schools are listed as closed in Staffordshire, with many citing untreated paths and fears that snow will have compacted into ice as reasons for keeping the gates closed.

Gloucestershire, which saw around 200 schools closed yesterday, had 80 schools closed today, while more than 90 were closed in neighbouring Herefordshire.

Pupils at 123 primary schools and 25 secondary schools in Shropshire had a second day off owing to the weather, while in Wales hundreds of schools were shut today, with Caerphilly and Powys particularly affected.

The TUC has called on employers not to force staff to make hazardous journeys into work, saying firms in areas of the country affected by the snowy conditions should have put out advice to their staff on what they should do when snow, ice and a lack of public transport prevents them getting in.

Policies should also cover what parents should do if schools close and they have no alternative childcare, said general secretary Frances O'Grady, adding: 'It is essential that employers don't force staff to make dangerous journeys for the sake of presenteeism.

'For many employees the bad weather will have made their commute virtually impossible, but thankfully many bosses now have 'bad weather' policies so staff know what is expected of them.'
Lawyers for Donald Trump are beginning to make new levels of noise about bias in the Justice Department's handling of a special counsel inquest into Russian interference with last year's election.

And in order to right what they see as a listing ship, the president's attorneys want a new special counsel  to investigate the existing one.

A Fox News Channel report established new facts Monday night about senior Justice Department official Bruce Ohr who was demoted last week for concealing his contacts with the people responsible for compiling a salacious and unsubstantiated 'dirty dossier' on then-candidate Trump.

Ohr's wife Nellie worked during the 2016 election season for Fusion GPS, the Democratic-funded opposition research firm that commissioned the dossier from a former British spy in order to boost the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

'The Department of Justice and FBI cannot ignore the multiple problems that have been created by these obvious conflicts of interests,' Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow told Axios, a news website.

'These new revelations require the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate.'

President Donald Trump's legal team is beginning to talk openly about the need for a spcial counsel to investigate the existing special counsel, Robert Mueller

Mueller is in charge of a wide-ranging investigation into Russia's 2016 election interference, but Republicans fear Hillary Clinton partisans on his staff and elsewhere in the Justice Department have stacked the deck against the president

This is a separate line of thinking from one suggesting that a new special counsel should probe Clinton for alleged conflicts of interest related to her family foundation.

Some Republicans want new light shed on international relationships the Clinton Foundation had between 2009 and 2013 in countries whose concerns were on then-Secretary of State Clinton's desk.

Also in that stream of thought are accusations about the controversial sale of Uranium One and its mineral rights to the Russian government.

But the more recent calls for a new independent investigator are reflections of GOP panic following guilty pleas from two former Trump officials and pending charges facing two more.

Former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn and onetime Trump campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos have both admitted they lied to the FBI about their pre-inauguration contacts with Russians.

Bruce Ohr (left) and Peter Strzok (right) are accused of hiding contacts and relationships that might have prejudiced them against President Trump

Mueller's 'pit bull' investigator Andrew Weissman went to Hillary Clinton's Election Day 'victory' party as a guest, it was reported Friday

Weissman also praised Sally Yates as Trump fired her for refusing to defend his travel ban order in court

And former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates are looking at the possibility of long prison stretches following indictments for money laundering and other financial crimes.

That's left Trumpworld in a defensive posture, and plotting to deflect or disarm whatever might come next.

Their ammunition has come in the form of seemingly conflicted DOJ officials whom Trump loyalists see as 'deep state' holdovers from the Obama administration left behind to cause mischief.

Senior FBI official Peter Strzok, for instance, led the questioning of Mike Flynn  and of Hillary Clinton when she was grilled over low heat over her secret email server that was found to contain classified material.

A former George W. Bush press secretary summed up GOP sentiments on Friday

Questions still swirl around Hillary Clinton more than a year after she lost the presidency in shocking fashion to Trump

He is also the aide to James Comey who changed crucial wording in the later-fired FBI chief's pronouncement that let Clinton off the hook as she ran for the White House.

Where Comey had originally pronounced her use of the server 'grossly negligent,' a finding that could have left her open to criminal prosecution, Strzok altered it to read 'extremely careless.'

Strzok himself signed the document authorizing the so-called 'Russiagate' investigation in July 2016.

Mueller shoved him overboard a week ago after learning that he had sent anti-Trump text messages to his lover Lisa Page  who was also an FBI lawyer herself.

Strzok now works for FBI's human resources department.

Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said last week on Twitter that the scope of ongoing special counsel investigations must be broadened

Separately, it was revealed Friday in a Wall Street Journal report that 'pit bull' investigator Andrew Weissman, a key lawyer on Mueller's team, attended Clinton's Election Night party in New York City.

Weissman was already the subject of Republican scorn after Judicial Watch, a right-leaning government transparency group, published an email he sent in January to then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates.

In the email, which was the product of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, Weissman praised Yates for refusing to defend a multi-nation travel ban that Trump ordered during his first weeks as president.

Former George W. Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer tweeted that '[i]f it's true that Andrew Weissmann attended Hillary's victory party, this is getting out of hand.'

Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said last week on Twitter that the scope of ongoing special counsel investigations must be broadened.

'I will be challenging Rs and Ds on Senate Judiciary Committee to support a Special Counsel to investigate ALL THINGS 2016 -- not just Trump and Russia,' he wrote.
Livio Dinaj, 24, is accused of attacking the young woman within hours of meeting her during a night out at Casablancas in Brighton, East Sussex

A City trader allegedly raped a drunk university student at her halls of residence after helping her home from a jazz club.

Livio Dinaj, 24, is accused of attacking the young woman within hours of meeting her during a night out at Casablancas in Brighton, East Sussex.

The alleged victim woke up to find Dinaj naked in her bed and no memory of meeting him or getting back to her flat.

She ushered him out of the front door and then spoke to a housemate before calling the police.

Dinaj denies raping her and said the pair had consensual sex and were both very drunk.

The woman, who cannot be identified, told officers: I had never seen him before. I felt like I had sex. I dont remember it happening.

I had no idea how I got back. I thought I have to do something about it because I dont know.

At the time of the alleged rape in the early hours of November 5, 2015, Dinaj was a Masters student at the University of Sussex in Brighton.

He now describes himself online as a derivatives trader, Bitcoin specialist and co-founder of a cryptocurrency consultancy firm.

Following his arrest, Dinaj admitted having sex with the victim both with and without a condom but claimed that she was consenting and that they were both drunk.

He told police how he started talking to the alleged victim after going out to meet friends at the Casablanca Jazz Club.

Dinaj said: When we were about to leave I was talking to her with her friend. We kissed and then I realised she was a bit too drunk, she was stumbling.

He claimed he offered to help her get home, not so much obligation, more Good Samaritan.

As he helped her and her friend to leave, a doorman intervened and asked the girls if they knew him, the court heard.

Dinaj said: Maybe the doorman interpreted that as predatory behaviour. I noticed they were struggling so I asked Are you ok?

There was never any indication I was persona non grata.

He said they went to a fish and chip shop for food before hailing a taxi back to her halls.

Dinaj told police that they kissed in the back seat before getting out and splitting the fare three ways.

That was another indication they were grateful, he told police.

He claimed that the young womans friend then left him to take her up the stairs to the flat.

Dinaj said that they began kissing again on the bed before she fell asleep, adding: I realised nothing was going to happen so I fell asleep too.

He told how during the night he vomited in the toilet and then went back to the bedroom to find she had woken up.

Dinaj added: I sat down and started stroking her, kissing her. She kissed back. She moved to allow me to take her top off, that indicates to me there is some desire to continue. There was fondling on her behalf too.

He said they had sex using a condom he kept in his pocket but admitted she wasnt very active.

Dinaj told police: At the same time I thought shes really hungover, she just wants me to do all the work. There wasnt any indication that she wasnt enjoying it. She was very aroused.

He claimed that when the condom broke he told her but they decided to carry on having sex until he climaxed.

Dinaj said he went to the bathroom to clean up and then left after she told him: I think it is time for you to leave.

He said: There was never any freaking out, no indication that what happened she didnt want. There was never any stress in her voice.

Dinaj said he could no longer remember the girls name but said he left after kissing her on the cheek.

He claimed he was shocked when police later turned up on his doorstep to question him about the alleged rape.

Dinaj, of no fixed address but previously living in Brighton, denies one count of rape.

The trial continues.
An Israeli man was sentenced to four years in prison for an arson attack at the church built where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of loaves and fishes.

The Israeli district court in the Galilee city of Nazareth had earlier found Yinon Reuveni guilty of 'aggravated arson' and two counts of criminal conspiracy for the June 2015 attack.

In addition to four years in prison, his sentence carried a fine of 50,000 shekels ($14,000).

The Israeli district court in the Galilee city of Nazareth had earlier found Yinon Reuveni guilty of 'aggravated arson' and two counts of criminal conspiracy for the June 2015 attack on the Church of the Loaves and Fishes, pictured

A cleric inspects the damage caused to the complex of the Church of Loaves and Fishes on June 18, 2015

According to Israeli media, Reuveni is 23 and from Baladim, a wildcat Jewish outpost in the occupied West Bank. He has been described as a Jewish extremist.

His lawyer Itamar Ben-Gvir argued that the sentence was overly harsh and said he planned to appeal it as well as the verdict.

Two rooms of the Church of the Multiplication complex in Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee were badly damaged in the fire, but the church itself was not damaged.

Hebrew graffiti was found at the site, reading 'Idols will be cast out' or destroyed. The text is part of a common Jewish prayer.

Hebrew graffiti was also scrawled across the walls of Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish which denounces the worship of 'false gods'

The Roman Catholic church remained closed until February while the damage from the fire was repaired at a cost of around $1 million, of which the Israeli government contributed almost $400,000.

Tabgha was also the target of an April 2014 attack in which church officials said a group of Jewish teenagers had damaged crosses and attacked clergy.

Jewish extremists have carried out vandalism and attacks over the years targeting Palestinians and Arab Israelis as well as Christian and Muslim sites.
A fourth grade girl is truly embracing the holiday spirit by ensuring that her classmates won't go hungry.

Lexi Bergeron, 11, was watching the news with her mom Sara when she learned that students would only get cheese sandwiches if they have a debt on their lunch account.

She began making fidget spinners out of straws and sold them to her classmates in Grand Haven, Michigan.

Lexi Bergeron, 11, is making and selling straw fidget spinners to pay for classmates' hot lunches

Lexi and her mom Sara were watching the news when she learned that students would only get cheese sandwiches if they have a debt on their lunch account

'Big ones are a dollar and little ones are 50 cents,' she said to WXMI.

In her first week, Lexi made $11 to help other students get hot lunches.

Sara Bergeron put together a GoFundMe hoping to raise $188 to pay off the entire Ferry Elementary School debt.

Lexi made straw fidget spinners for $1 each, and made $11 the first week

The mother and daughter pair have already paid off the debt for all of Ferry Elementary School

They hope to raise $2,200 to wipe out the entire district's debt

The fundraiser far surpassed expectations, and now the pair hopes to raise $2,200 by the end of December to wipe out the debt for the whole district.

'Let's see if we can come together and eliminate as much of this as possible,' Sara wrote on the page.

'I know it's the holiday season and money can be tight but even the smallest if donations count! Again, thank you all from the very bottom of my heart for supporting her wish and helping so many of our children!'
A restaurateur and judge on MasterChef has said Brexit will make Britain take better care of it workforce.

Marcus Wareing, patron of the Michelin two-starred Marcus restaurant in Knightsbridge, said Britons will also have to 'get out of bed and work a little bit harder' after the UK leaves the EU.

He admitted that, despite having voted remain, he has come to accept the positives and is now 'excited' about the prospect for the country post-Brexit.

Remain voter and restaurateur Marcus Wareing has said he is now 'excited' about the prospects for the UK after Brexit

He told the BBC's Stephen Sackur that Britons would have to 'get out of bed and work harder'

Speaking to Stephen Sackur on the BBC's Hardtalk, Mr Wareing said: 'I was shocked the morning I woke up and heard the result.

'But after 24 hours of thinking about it, it was a "Do you know what? We've just got to get on with this now." The country's made the decision, let's do it.'

Challenged about the impact for restaurants of possible staff shortages and inflated food costs, he said the country would have to 'build our own future'.

He added: 'Now the British have got to get out of bed and work maybe a little bit harder and I think it's going to make us better employers.

'We need to change our approach because what quality we have, we need to really take care of.'

Mr Wareing joined MasterChef: The Professionals in 2014. He is pictured with host Gregg Wallace and fellow judge Monica Galetti

He said schools and colleges would now have to offer far more vocational courses to ensure Britain can replace workers who may be less likely to move here from abroad.

He said there were more opportunities to learn a trade when he was at school and the country would now have to expand that side of education.

Mr Wareing was born in Southport, Merseyside and started off packing potatoes for 10p a bag.

He went on to study catering at his local college before working his way up through restaurant kitchens to cook alongside Albert Roux and Gordon Ramsey.

The 47-year-old, who has also released a number of cookbooks, joined MasterChef: The Professionals as a judge in 2014, replacing Michel Roux Jr.
An undocumented immigrant from Mexico who had been deported three times from the US - and who is currently serving time for illegal re-entry into the country - has been charged with killing a business owner in Texas a decade ago.

Juan Eduardo Meraz-Flores, 30, is suspected of shooting to death Jose 'Martin' Munoz at his auto shop in Fort Worth on January 31, 2007, during an argument over a damaged tire rim.

Fort Worth police turned their attention to Meraz-Perez as a potential suspect in the decade-old unsolved murder case after receiving a tip last year, reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Cold case solved: Juan Eduardo Meraz-Flores (left), 30, was charged in November with murder in the January 31, 2007, killing of Jose 'Martin' Munoz (right) in Fort Worth, Texas

Crime scene: Police believe Meraz-Flores shot Munoz, who owned this auto body shop in Fort Worth, in the head during an argument over a tire rim

The 30-year-old illegal immigrant is currently serving a 30-month sentence in a medium-security federal prison in Beaumont for illegally crossing the border for the third time. He was expected to be deported again in February 2018.

According to police, forensic comparisons between Meraz-Flores and physical evidence gathered from the crime scene have produced a match, leading Tarrant County prosecutors to file a murder charge against the suspect on November 27.

By the time he had the fateful encounter with Martin Munoz, Meraz-Flores had already been deported once, but managed to re-enter the US sometime between 2005 and 2007.

On January 31, 2007, Meraz-Flores drove up to Munoz's auto body shop on East Rosedale Street in a pickup truck and asked him to change out rims on two wheels.

But when the works was complete and it came time to pay, Meraz-Flores pointed ot that one of the new rims was damaged, leading to an argument between him and Munoz.

Police now believe that Meraz-Flores pulled a gun on Munoz and shot him in the head after the man threatened to call the police.

Munoz, himself an immigrant from Mexico, left behind a wife and three children.

For the next 10 years, police investigating the murder had little to go on beyond a few bits of information, including the fact that the suspected shooters first name was 'Juan.'

A major break in the case came last year, when they got a tip from a man who furnished them with additional details about the gunman, which eventually led them to the already incarcerated Meraz-Flores.

Despite his young age, Meraz-Flores has a lengthy criminal record stretching back to at least 2004, when he shot one man and threatened two others with a gun to prove himself worthy of being in a street gang.

Munoz, pictured left with his family, left behind his wife and their three children

In April 2005, Meraz-Flores pleaded guilty to engaging in organized crime and was handed a sentence of nine months in state jail, followed by deportation back to Mexico.

But in June 2008  less than a year and a half after Munozs killing - the convicted felon was re-arrested during a traffic stop in Fort Worth and charged with a federal count of re-entry after deportation.

Meraz-Flores pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Following his release in the fall of 2009, the undocumented alien was again ejected from the country.

In June 2011, Fort Worth police picked up Meraz-Flores, now using the alias Eduardo Flores, on charges of reckless driving, failure to identify and possession of marijuana.

Once again, he pleaded guilty to unlawful re-entry in 2012 and was handed another 16-month sentence, following by another deportation in February 2014.

Munoz (left) was killed less than two years after Meraz-Flores had been deported from the US for the first time, but then he slipped back in

Just four months after Meraz-Flores was kicked out of the country for a third time, he was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for slipping into the country.

This time, Meraz-Flores was slapped with a 30-month prison term after entering a guilty plea to a charge of re-entry after deportation.

Viviana Munoz-Cardoso, Martin Munozs eldest daughter, told the paper she is feeling cautiously optimistic about the prospect of finally getting justice for her father, but she realizes there is still a long way to go.
A Dallas mother took her 8-year-old son Christopher (shown) on 323 hospital visits since his birth. He has had 13 major surgeries

A Texas woman was arrested for felony injury to a child after she admitted to convincing doctors her son was severely ill, leading to numerous unneeded medical operations.

Dallas mother Kaylene Bowen, 34, took her son Christopher, now eight, on 323 hospital visits since his birth, and lied to doctors that he had a milk allergy and needed a lung transplant due to the severe side effects.

According to her Facebook page, Bowen also publicly broadcasted her son's 'terminal cancer'.

Christopher had 13 major surgeries for the alleged ailments, prosecutors said, many of which took place at the Children's Medical Center of Dallas.

The deceiving mother even went so far as to start crowdfunding pages to aid in the child's medical treatments and operations.

She continually concocted the stories to doctors - who became suspicious two years ago, and contacted Child Protective Services, according to NBC Dallas Fort-Worth. Both confirmed Christopher was not actually sick.

It seems Bowen told doctors during visits that her son would violently 'throw up' every time he drank milk, Christopher's father, Ryan Crawford, told the news station.

Mom Kaylene Bowen, 34, (pictured) told doctors her son had a severe milk allergy and needed a lung transplant due to the side effects. She also concocted stories about several other ailments

Bowen went so far as to share posts to social media with her son after treatment, alleging he had cancer. She created crowdfunding pages as well

The doctors did not find Christopher to be sick, a Child Protective Services caseworker wrote after an investigation last month

The mother said believed her son was terminally ill and would have problems leading to a lifelong feeding tube

'She started explaining to the judge that the doctors stated my son would never walk,' Crawford said.

'And then she stated that he had problems continuing to eat and that he's going to need a feeding tube.'

The now-separated couple started dating in 2009 when Bowen found out she was pregnant.

'I was at a club and she seemed like a nice woman. She was pleasant, pretty. She just caught my eye,' he said of Bowen.

Christopher's father, Ryan Crawford, (shown in an interview) believes Bowen has a mental disorder which causes her to behave this way

'I was at a club and she seemed like a nice woman. She was pleasant, pretty. She just caught my eye,' Crawford said of Bowen

The father is convinced Bowen suffers a condition called Munchhausen by Proxy, a 'mental health problem in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care'

Mental disorder Munchhausen by Proxy (MSBP) MSBP is a mental disorder 'in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care, such as a child, an elderly adult, or a person who has a disability,' according to WebMB The behavior may stem from 'poor self-esteem, stress, anxiety' or a need for attention Advertisement

Now, Crawford said he is worried that, rather than his son, Bowen may actually be the one with the medical condition.

He's convinced she suffers a condition called Munchhausen by Proxy, or MSBP.

MSBP is a 'mental health problem in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care' which is often times a child, according to WebMD.

The behavior may stem from 'poor self-esteem, stress, anxiety'or a need for attention, the medical website said.

'It started eight days after he was born,' Crawford said of Bowen's extreme behavior.

The crying father said he feels partially to blame for not putting a stop to the visits years ago

'The issues escalated to eventually she claimed that my son was dying.

'I was horrified because from what I knew, my son was fine. He just needed -- not even extra care -- he was fine.,' the dad added.

A crying Crawford said he feels partially to blame for not putting a stop to the visits years ago.

'Just so many surgeries that are just unbelievable,' Crawford told NBC 5.

'He could have died ... only God saved him.'
Salomon Martinez died in 2013 after playing beer pong with friends

The family of a Connecticut man who fell to his death from a fourth-floor window after he was accused of cheating in a game of beer pong was awarded nearly $16million.

Salomon Martinez's family filed a $15.6million lawsuit against Kyle Gonzalez, Matthew Chandler and Stephanie Dwyer, three of the people who were at the Naugatuck apartment in January 2013 when Martinez died.

The 24-year-old married father was found dead on the sidewalk in front of the Pond Street building following a night of playing the drinking game, police said.

The Superior Court jury agreed that Gonzalez, Chandler and Dwyer were to pay the grieving family the award, according to the Connecticut Post. It's not clear, however, when the family will be able to collect the money.

'He was a wonderful son, husband and father who worked hard to support his family,' the family's lawyer, Jeremy Virgil, told the courtroom.

Martinez's mother, Yolanda Martinez, addressed the jury describing how her son's death has impacted not only herself, but Martinez's wife and four-year-old daughter.

'We are happy with the result and glad the jury was able to make these people accountable for their actions,' Virgil said.

Matthew Chandler (left) and Kyle Gonzalez pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault

According to police, a fight broke out at the apartment after two men lost a $10 bet and accused Martinez of cheating.

During the brawl, a fish tank was shattered and bottles were thrown. Martinez was chased upstairs and tried hiding in a child's bedroom.

Virgil told the courtroom that Gonzalez broke down the door to the bedroom and Martinez ended up going out the window.

Police were called to the apartment building, but left after questioning partygoers. They later returned after Martinez's body was discovered on the sidewalk. It's not clear if he was pushed or fell out the window.

Gonzalez, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault in Martinez's death, admitted to breaking the bedroom door but said Martinez was already gone when he entered the room.

Chandler, who also pleaded guilty in Martinez's death, was sentenced to 10 years. It's believed that Dwyer fled the state and is living in Florida.
An ultra-rare turtle who made a 5,000 mile journey across the Atlantic from the Caribbean to Cornwall is now fighting for its life.

The Kemp's Ridley turtle is the most endangered sea turtle in the world and after making the mammoth journey is now recovering in an aquarium close by.

The baby turtle was discovered on a freezing cold beach in by Newquay, Cornwall by Dave Hudson, a conservation and biodiversity student from Falmouth University.

When Dave found the youngster it was barely alive and believes it travelled all the way from its natural habitat in the Caribbean near Mexico or Texas.

An highly-rare species of turtle called the 'Kemp's Ridley' swam 5,000 miles from the Caribean to Newquay, Cornwall

Dave gently picked it up and put it in his car for warmth and drove it to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay where it is now being nursed back to health.

He said: 'I actually thought it was dead when I picked it up.

'They go into cold shock which, ultimately, makes them a little bit passive.

The baby turtle was found by a conservation and biodiversity student from Falmouth University and is now recovering in an aquarium

WHAT IS A KEMP'S RIDLEY SEA TURTLE? The Kemp's Ridley is the smallest of the eight species of sea turtles.

Adults range from 75-100 pounds (34-45 kilograms).

The hatch-lings of this species are a solid grey- black color.

As they begin to grow into juveniles the coloration of the plastron (bottom shell) turns to white.

The adults are broadly oval or heart shaped and their shells are olive to gray green.

The skin color ranges from creamy color to white. The plastron is a creamy or yellow green in color.

The preferred habitat for the Kemps is shallow coastal areas, bays and lagoons.

While in these areas they often seek their favorite food, crabs. Why is it called Kemp's Ridley? In 1880 a Florida fisherman and naturalist named Richard M. Kemp found the first documented specimen of this turtle.

To honor his finding the species name became Lepidochelys kempii. Source: Sea Turtle Inc Advertisement

'There was very little movement, if any, and so I thought I'd pick it up and see if it's alright.'

The sickly turtle is getting round the clock treatment because he is extremely weak and has a damaged shell.

Experts at the aquarium believe it may have been swept across the Atlantic by the recent stormy weather.

Lara Heaney, displays supervisor at Blue Reed, said: 'When the turtle arrived at the aquarium we could see there was damage to the shell and the turtle appeared to be extremely weak and dehydrated.

'The recent stormy weather and strong currents could have possibly caused the turtle harm and to become stranded on the beach.'

She added: 'There has been an initial response from the turtle who has been feeding and showing signs of getting stronger.

'Although it is still very early days we are hopeful for the turtle's survival.'

The Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, or the Atlantic Ridley sea turtle, is the rarest species of sea turtle and critically endangered.

They are the smallest type of sea turtle and generally prefer warm waters, but inhabit waters as far north as New Jersey.

They migrate to the Gulf of Mexico and Florida where they often inhabit the waters off Louisiana.
Wayne Chester was described as a 'huge character with an even bigger heart' by his devastated siblings

A 50-year-old man's family has paid tribute to him after he died after a 'single punch'.

Wayne Chester was described as a 'huge character with an even bigger heart' by his devastated siblings.

He was allegedly struck by a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, outside a McDonalds in Maidstone on September 29.

Mr Chester suffered a head injury and was put into an induced coma but sadly later died.

In a joint statement, his siblings Naomi, Tracey, Jason and Stephen said: 'Wayne was a huge character with an even bigger heart.

'We haven't only lost a brother we've lost our best friend and have a void in our hearts which can never be filled.

'Wayne was a true gentleman - kind, caring, funny, generous to a fault, and loved by everyone one who was lucky enough to have had him in their lives.

'Not a day goes by that we don't hear from someone what a great guy he was.

'That was Wayne - a very sociable and likeable person and always made an impact on everyone he came across.'

He was allegedly struck by a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, outside a McDonalds in Maidstone on September 29

The incident occured at around 10.30pm. Police and paramedics were called to the scene following reports of a disturbance.

Mr Chester suffered a head injury and was taken to a London hospital and put into an induced coma, but later died.

The suspect, from the town, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday wearing a green sweatshirt and a rosary around his neck.

He denies murder and was remanded to a young offenders institution before his next crown court appearance.

Judge Jeremy Carey said: 'This is a case of utmost gravity.'

Simon Taylor, prosecuting, said the incident was captured on CCTV cameras.

Mr Chester's family added: 'Wayne knew so many people in Maidstone and had a huge network of friends. Everyone we speak with either who knew him personally or knew of someone that knew him.

'Connor, Janie and Millie-Rose, Wayne's children were his pride and joy and anyone that knew Wayne would know he called them his 'Mini Me's'.

The suspect, from the town, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday wearing a green sweatshirt and a rosary around his neck

'He never had a bad word to say about anyone and saw the good in everyone and every situation.

'They have lost such an amazing Dad and he will never get to share the joy of walking his girls down the aisle or being a Granddad.

'Wayne was such a big part of their lives that can never be replaced.

'There will be a spare chair at our table this Christmas which will can never be filled - He was our very own Mr Brightside and we all love and miss him deeply.

'Never again will we hear the words..... 'How much do you love me???? We love you this much.'
Tim Varchmin, 44, a former senior lawyer at Barclays in Canary Wharf, hosted chemsex parties with dates from dating app Grindr where guests would 'roam free', a jury was told

A high-flying ex-Barclays lawyer who is accused of downloading more than 100 child porn images said guests at his luxury apartment are responsible, a court heard.

Tim Varchmin, 44, a former senior lawyer at Barclays in Canary Wharf, hosted chemsex parties with dates from dating app Grindr where guests would 'roam free', a jury was told.

He was allegedly caught with 112 indecent images and six movies of children after his computers and mobile phone were seized by police.

When officers raided his home in Lancaster Gate, west London, they also uncovered crystal meth on a glass coffee table next to a crack pipe, jurors were told.

Varchmin has denied any of it was his, explaining he would invite men for 'chem-sex' parties and give them free rein to do what they wanted, the Old Bailey heard.

The jury was told today many of the indecent images that formed the charges against Varchmin were duplicates.

Prosecutor Roger Daniells-Smith said: 'His defence is he knew nothing at all about what was on the computer and he was not responsible for any of it. It was the work of other people.

'He went on to explain how that came about. What he told police was he was living a very risky lifestyle at the time.

He said: 'He is a single gay man and he was contacting people on the Grindr website, total strangers for the most part, to attend chem-sex parties, sex and drug parties.

'And when these strangers came to his flat - they would go on for days, all weekend - he would allow them free range of his flat.

'He allowed them access to his computer. They could do what they wanted and sometimes he would simply go out and leave them to it, is what he told the police.'

Varchmin said he would allow guests to have 'free range' of his flat and use his computer.

Varchmin denies seven charges of possessing indecent images of children and possessing 830 milligrams of crystal meth. He used to work for Barclays in Canary Wharf as a lawyer (pictured)

Mr Daniells-Smith said: 'He says this stuff finds its way on to his equipment as a result of him taking that risky choice, and allowing other people to use his equipment unsupervised and unhindered by any restrictions.'

The prosecutor said Varchmin had a 'dangerous lifestyle' but if he gave unsupervised and unhindered access to his computer, he had to 'take responsibility' for it.

He added: 'If you lie with dogs, you get fleas. If you allow people you do not know to come and use your equipment, you have to be responsible for that equipment.'

Officers had to break down the door at the Lancaster Gate address after nobody answered.

The prosecutor said: 'Mr Varchmin suddenly walked into the hallway. We don't know why he wouldn't let the police in.'

They arrested Varchmin on suspicion of possession of indecent images of children, and seized the two laptops and iPhone.

While there they found the drugs and arrested him for that too.

Mr Daniells-Smith said: 'There were indecent images of children found on those items, both the phone and on the laptop.

'To a certain extent they are duplicated, and the experts are of the view the phone was used to upload the images on to the computer.'

Investigators found search terms on the devices which gave some 'clues' about 'what was really going on here', the prosecutor added.

It is a way of covering your tracks. Far beyond what any ordinary innocent user of a computer would need

Search terms included 'boy rape', 'boy being f***ed by man', 'gay f*** kids', and 'kinderfickle' - a German term which translate as 'children f***ing', the court heard.

Jurors were told Varchmin was born in Hamburg, Germany.

Mr Daniells-Smith said: 'The Crown say he is German speaking. That gives you a clue as to who the user was, and what they were looking for.

'His defence is 'I didn't know any of this was there, I wasn't aware of this'.

'But the Crown say, when you step back and look at this and in particular that Germanic link, you can say he was the man being those searches.

'This is material he was looking for, and this is his interest.'

The court heard police also found 20 texts, which were short fiction stories 'depicting graphic sexual activity between adults and children'.

Experts also found the devices had 'sophisticated' cleaning software programmes, jurors were told.

Mr Daniells-Smith said: 'It is a way of covering your tracks. Far beyond what any ordinary innocent user of a computer would need.'

The equipment also had tools which can be used to access the Dark Web, the court heard.

The defendant also denied the crystal meth was his, saying he used methadrone and had been under the influence during the parties, the court heard.

Mr Daniells-Smith said: 'If it's left on your dining room table, it's yours.'

The material on Varchmin's equipment came to light after Sky Broadband alerted the National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation team to suspicious activity. The case is being heard at the Old Bailey this week

The material on Varchmin's equipment came to light after Sky Broadband alerted the National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation and Online Protection team to suspicious activity.

On the morning of Friday October 17 2014, officers searched Varchmin's home addresses in Lancaster Gate and Edgware Road and his offices in Canary Wharf.

When officers went to the Lancaster Gate flat, they 'pounded on the door' for five minutes and smashed it down when no-one answered, only to find Varchmin walking into the hallway.

They found 45,000 images and 106 movies after his iPhone and two laptops were seized, the vast majority of which were 'adult porn', jurors were told.

Many of the indecent images that formed the charges against Varchmin were duplicates, the court heard.

Mr Daniells-Smith alleged the defendant, who was born in Hamburg, had searched the internet for indecent images of children using German words.

Officers also uncovered 20 short stories about sexual activity between adults and children, 'very sophisticated' cleaning software, and the Tor browser that gives access to the Dark Net.

Varchmin denies seven charges of possessing indecent images of children and possessing 830 milligrams of crystal meth.

The trial continues.
Suspect: Christopher Hahn-Collins, 25, of Oregon, was arrested on kidnapping charges after the woman he allegedly had been holding hostage mouthed 'help me' to strangers

A convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping a woman and her child has been arrested after authorities say he took the mother to a store in Oregon and she mouthed the words 'help me' to several shoppers.

Christopher Hahn-Collins, 25, of Salem, made his first appearance at Marion County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon.

The Marion County Sheriffs Office said that Hahn-Collins had broken into the womans home on Friday afternoon, and when she and her child returned there, he held them at knifepoint overnight and into Saturday.

The unidentified woman convinced Hahn-Collins to take her to the Dick's Sporting Goods store on Lancaster Drive in Salem, where she was rescued by deputies who had been summoned to the scene by several customers and staff who saw the victim mouthing 'help me.'

Detectives say Hahn-Collins and the victims didnt know each other previously.

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Hahn-Collins was busted inside this Dick's Sporting Goods store in Salem, where authorities say his victim had convinced him to take her on Saturday afternoon

The suspect is pictured above during his initial appearance at Marion County Circuit Court on Monday

Courtesy of KATU

In an interview with KGW, Sheriff's Lt Chris Baldridge commended the kidnapping victim for keeping the suspect calm.

Hanh-Collins was charged with burglary, kidnapping, menacing, unlawful possession of a weapon, giving false information to police and a parole violation stemming from a sex abuse conviction.

The station KATU2 has learned that the 25-year-old suspect was found guilty of first-degree sexual abuse and strangulation in 2011, and was sentenced to more than six years in prison, but was granted early release in September of this year after receiving credit for time served in the county jail, reported Fox12.

Within days of his release, Hahn-Collins got in trouble after refusing to stay at a local mission, which earned him four days in the county jail.

Upon his release, he was ordered to move into a halfway house, but again he refused and served another eight days in jail for violation the conditions of his parole.

Violent past: The 25-year-old suspect (pictured in earlier mugshots) was found guilty of first-degree sexual abuse and strangulation in 2011, and was sentenced to more than six years in prison

Hahn-Collins was back behind bars in early November, this time for 12 days, for the same offense.

On November 27, Hahn-Collins was supposed to check in with his parole officer but failed to show up. As a result, a warrant was issued for his arrest the next day.

Hahn-Collins is due back in court in the kidnapping case on December 20.
A former Islamic State militant captured after the fall of Raqqa says that jihadist fighters have left Syria intending to travel to Europe to launch attacks.

Saddam al-Hamadi, 26, was arrested by Turkish security forces last month after exploiting an evacuation deal designed to free civilians.

He was detained as he reached the Turkey-Syria border.

But the ex-ISIS fighter has warned that extremists planned to use the chaos of the fall of Raqqa to travel to Europe.

A threat issued by Islamic State on its channels showing a bloodied knife with the Eiffel Tower and a Christmas market in the background and the caption, 'Soon in your holidays'

Talking to ITV while in Turkish custody, Al-Hamadi said: 'They will go overseas to launch terrorist attacks in some areas in Europe.

'They went to Europe after the withdrawal. Before that they thought the Europeans were infidels, non-believers.

A Russian spy is executed by a terrorist in front of an ISIS flag

'They will get out, across Turkey and into Europe where they will launch terrorist attacks and other things.'

The alleged terrorist said he had helped to smuggle new ISIS recruits into the group's de facto capital, Raqqa.

He said that during eighteen months there, many frontline roles were reserved for foreign fighters, including British recruits.

'I used to receive people from outside Raqqa - from Idlib and other places.

'We would wait for them at night and smuggle them inside. They would be trained in military courses and religious courses in the centres.'

He claims to have used his knowledge of smuggling routes into ISIS territory to find a way out.

Al-Hamadi told Turkish interrogators that he was attempting to get to Europe to earn a living for his family in Syria, not to commits acts of terrorism.

A judge is due to hear his case this week.

ISIS fighters in convoy. Militants are said to be flooding out of Syria and Iraq as the terror group collapses

Counter-terrorism officials in London, Paris and Berlin are concerned that the collapse of Islamic State group's so-called caliphate will encourage some fighters to launch attacks in Europe.

Last month, Andrew Parker, the director-general of MI5 warned of a dramatic shift in the threat from terrorism in the UK.

'It's the highest tempo I have seen in my 34-year career' he said.

Whitehall officials believe that although few of the 800 British extremists who travelled to Syria have come back, radicalised returners are likely to present a growing threat to Britain's national security as ISIS territory shrinks in Syria.
Jeremy Corbyn posed for pictures at the launch of a new Labour-supporting group headed by a student activist who has been forced to apologise for anti-Semitic remarks.

The Labour leader and his close ally John McDonnell attended the launch of the Labour Muslim Network whose executive includes Ali Milani, who has previously said Israel has 'no right to exist'.

In a series of tweets in 2012, he reportedly posted a message which read: 'Nah u won't mate it will cost you a pound #jew'

He also sent messages stating that 'Israel has no right to exist' and added: 'Israel is a land built on ethnic cleansing and colonialism. Oppression is something your people should know about'.

Earlier this year Mr Milani apologised for the 'downright anti-Semitic tropes' he said he used to use.

The Labour leader attended the launch of the Labour Muslim Network whose executive includes Ali Milani (circled) who has previously said Israel has 'no right to exist'

Andrew Percy, Tory MP for Brigg and Goole which straddles Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, said: 'It is incredible that at a time when anti-Semitic racist incidents are on the rise, Jeremy Corbyn would yet again align himself with those who hold such extremist views and deny the right of Israel to exist.

'The denial of which contravenes the definition of anti-Semitism adopted here in the UK.

'Time and time again, the Labour leadership tolerates racism aimed at Jews.'

When Mr Milani stood for election as an NUS vice-president in April this year the Union of Jewish Students said his candidacy was 'very worrying' as he had 'previously expressed views that many Jewish students will find deeply antisemitic'.

They said: 'The use of tropes that denote Jews as cheap or stingy is extremely offensive and, as made clear by various reports into antisemitism in the last year, it is completely unacceptable to use the word 'Zionist' as a term of abuse.'

Mr Milani has apologised for his use of anti-Semitic language. He told the Tab student newspaper: 'I have apologised unreservedly for these comments before and I do so again. They do not reflect how I see the world today.

'These tweets are from an incredibly long time ago  when I was 16 to 17 years old. It's unacceptable, I know that now. Education taught me that.'

A spokeswoman for Mr Corbyn said: 'Jeremy was pleased to attend the parliamentary launch of Labour Muslim Network, and looks forward to working with them and the Jewish Labour Movement on tackling both Islamophobia and antisemitism.'
A South Dakota wildfire has destroyed one building and forced residents from five homes to evacuate as it burned more than 3,000 acres in Custer State Park.

The Legion Lake Fire started around 7.30am on Monday and continues to burn with zero per cent containment, park officials said in a press release Tuesday.

A cause for the blaze remains under investigation, although park superintendent Matt Snyder said Monday that the fire appears to have started from a downed power line from a fallen tree, the Rapid City Journal reports.

Two hundred firefighters were on scene to battle the Legion Lake Fire, which started in South Dakota on Dec 11

A firefighter uses a drip torch to make a fire line Monday while battling the Legion Lake Fire in Custer State Park in South Dakota

One unused building was destroyed in the South Dakota wildfire

The Legion Lake Fire started around 7.30am on Monday in Custer State Park in the Black Hills

Overnight, the fire burned an additional 500 acres bringing the total to an estimated 3,000 plus acres.

The park said protecting structures and other buildings remain a top priority with focus being placed on the Blue Bell Lodge area, State Game Lodge, the park headquarters, Star Academy East and Legion Lake Lodge area.

So far, one unused building in Custer State Park in the Black Hills was destroyed and five homes were evacuated. No one has been injured.

Five homes had to be evacuated because of a wildfire in South Dakota. No injuries have been reported

The Legion Lake Fire continues to burn with zero per cent containment, park officials said

Officials are trying to keep the wildfire west of Wildlife Loop Road, north of Ridge Road, north of Ridge Road and Lame Johnny, east of Highway 87 and south of US Highway 16A

Officials are also working to scout potential fire lines and are trying to keep the blaze west of Wildlife Loop Road, north of Ridge Road and Lame Johnny, east of Highway 87 and south of US Highway 16A.

'Conditions are very serious with all fire fuel extraordinarily dry for this time of year. High winds are expected to pick up again in the evening and remain strong into Wednesday and Thursday,' the park said.

The Legion Lake Fire has grown to a type two and is being managed by the Rocky Mountain Team Blue.

As of Tuesday, 200 firefighters were on the scene to try and control the blaze.

The park said wildlife are not in danger because they 'are used to wildfire and are naturally avoiding dangerous areas'.

Jay Wickham with the South Dakota Wildland Fire management department in Custer State Park told the Rapid City Journal that most of the effort now is being 'put toward stopping the forward progress of the fire'.

Park officials said wildlife are not in danger because they naturally avoid wildfire areas

Officials said effort now is being put towards stopping the forward progress of the fire

Custer State Park, as well as roads in and out of it, are closed and will remain closed as firefighters battle the Legion Lake Fire

Custer State Park, as well as roads in and out of it, remain closed.

The Legion Lake Fire isn't the only blaze wreaking havoc. Firefighters in southern California have been busy battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties for the past week.

The massive blaze, which is the fifth largest in California history, has destroyed more than 680 homes and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate, a spokesman with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said.

Still among evacuees due to smoke Tuesday were Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Eric Burdon and his wife, Marianna, of Ojai.

Last week, Burdon wrote on Facebook about having to flee and returning temporarily to find their home still standing with ashes all around.

The weather service said that if the long-term forecast holds, there will have been 13 consecutive days of dry offshore flow before it ends Friday afternoon.

High fire risk is expected to last into January.

The Thomas Fire in southern California has been burning for the past week

Tens of thousands of people had to evacuate their homes and more than 680 homes were destroyed by a massive wildfire in southern California
A prison guard in Nevada saved a suicidal inmate's life after he leaped from a balcony in an attempt to kill himself.

Deputies were alerted to a suicidal inmate, and when they arrived they found a prisoner balanced on the second story railing at the Nye County Detention Center.

A video shows one of the deputies running up the stairs. She begins wrestling with the inmate trying to prevent him from jumping.

A prison guard in Nevada saved a suicidal inmate's life after he leaped from a balcony in an attempt to kill himself

However, the prisoner was able to push back from the railing and plummet backwards to the ground.

According to a Facebook post, Deputy Joshua Armendariz 'caught the inmate in the air, cushioning his fall.'

'They both came to rest on the floor, mostly unhurt.'

Both were taken to a nearby hospital and then released.

'The quick thinking and fast work by Deputy Joshua Armendariz and Deputy Ann Horak saved this man's life,' the press release said.
A British tourist has been found dead outside an apartment block in Rio de Janeiro after falling from the roof of the building, Brazilian police reported today.

The body of the 29-year-old, whose name has not yet been disclosed, was found on Tuesday morning, around 6am, in Prudente de Moraes Street in Ipanema.

According to investigators, the holidaymaker fell from the top of the 10 floor block.

A British tourist has been found dead outside an apartment block in Rio de Janeiro (pictured) after falling from the roof of the building, Brazilian police reported today

The victim's body was found hanging from the building's pergola.

Cops from Rio's Tourist Police Station said the man was on holiday with two friends and had been staying in one of the apartments in the residence.

According to reports, the holidaymaker was married with a three-year-old child and his wife, who did not accompany him to Brazil, is reportedly seven months pregnant.

The death is being treated as suspicious.

Detective Valeria Aragon, investigating the case, said: 'This could be an accident or it could be murder, nothing is being ruled out.

'There may have been a fight or he may have been pushed.

'We are investigating what happened but what is clear is that this was a trip the tourists planned to enjoy.

'In a statement, one of the men who accompanied the deceased told us they had not been to any tourist hotspots yet but had visited a number of bars, had drunk a lot, visited brothels and invited several call girls to the flat.'

According to investigators, agents found drugs in the rented apartment during a search.

Detectives said they had been advised by the victim's friends that he used prescription drugs for a diagnosed mental illness.

Police said they will release the victim's name once they have contacted close relatives.
Parts of Australia are still 'totally radioactive', more than 60 years after Hiroshima-sized nuclear tests, according to a local fallout survivor.

Sue Coleman-Haseldine said radiation poisoning has caused birth defects, fertility problems and cancer deaths in the area where she grew up.

In the 1950s and 60s a total of 12 Hiroshima-sized nuclear tests were conducted at Maralinga and Emu Field in South Australia, and Monte Bello in Western Australia.

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Parts of Australia are still 'totally radioactive', more than 60 years after Hiroshima-sized nuclear tests, according to a local survivor (pictured is an American nuclear test)

Sue Coleman-Haseldine said radiation poisoning has caused birth defects, fertility problems and cancer deaths in the area where she grew up (pictured is the Maralinga site in 1952)

The 67-year-old from Kokatha claimed the government is not doing enough and should sign a nuclear weapons prohibition treaty.

Ms Coleman-Haseldine's warning comes as a Nobel Peace Prize-winning anti-nuclear group warns Australia is part of a global problem, News.com.au reported.

'Australia is totally radioactive. There're so many deaths from different cancers ... The defects in newborn babies are heartbreaking,' she said.

'If you ask one of the young ones [in her community], "What do you think you'll die from?" they'll say "cancer" because that's what everyone else dies from.'

In the 1950s and 60s a total of 12 Hiroshima-sized nuclear tests were conducted at Maralinga and Emu Field in South Australia, and Monte Bello in Western Australia (pictured is a US nuclear test at Bikini Atoll in 1946)

The 67-year-old from Kokatha claimed the government is not doing enough and should sign a nuclear weapons prohibition treaty (pictured is the Maralinga site)

Ms Coleman-Haseldine's warning comes as a Nobel Peace Prize-winning anti-nuclear group warns Australia is part of a global problem (pictured is ICAN's Tim Wright)

The tests created fallout known as 'black mist' - radioactive clouds which moved towards the east coast following detonation.

Clean-up efforts in 1964 and 1967 failed to effectively deal with the damage to the natural environment.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons' Asia-Pacific director Tim Wright has called on Australia to join the fight against nuclear proliferation.

'We believe that Australia should take a principled stand against them just as it's done for biological, chemical weapons, cluster bombs and landmines,' he said.

The tests created fallout known as 'black mist' - radioactive clouds which moved towards the east coast following detonation (pictured is a man during the Maralinga tests in 1950)

ICAN's Tim Wright said nuclear tensions between Donald Trump (pictured, right) and Kim jong-un (pictured, left) are making the world more dangerous

He said nuclear tensions between the United States and North Korea made the world a more dangerous place than ever.

ICAN is pushing for nuclear powers to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, but is facing resistance from the US, the UK and France.

In June leading violinist Lara St. John wrote a piece called Maralinga in an attempt to bring attention to the nuclear tests and their after-effects.

The Australian government announced in May outback Aborigines and farmers affected by fallout will be eligible for free medical help, along with veterans.
The Head Teacher of Patcham High School in Brighton has told pupils they have to wear school regulation jacket (pictured)

Pupils of a Brighton school are being forced to fork out 32 on an approved coat if they want to stay warm this winter.

Patcham High School has banned pupils from wearing all high street-bought jackets which could prove to be a cheaper alternative.

More than a thousand children attend the school but many of them are rejecting the outerwear and just wearing jumpers despite plummeting temperatures.

Britain suffered it's coldest spell of the year as temperatures fell to -13C but children continued to play out without a coat.

Pupils have been told that they must wear the school coat as part of their uniform when walking between buildings.

Parent's of the children have called the ban 'ridiculous' as it stops pupils wearing a coat that they feel comfortable in.

Kerri Barnes-Dredge, 41, told The Sun it is pointless buying a coat as her Year 11 daughter is leaving in a few months.

She added: 'My daughter has a hacking cough and this will make it worse, it's freezing.'

'The kids can wear other coats to the gates but if they're on show on school grounds, their coats are confiscated until the end of the day.

'If there are fire alarms, they're not allowed to put a coat on unless it's the school one, and that has happened while it's been cold.

'If her coat was confiscated, my daughter wouldn't have time to collect it until the end of the day, when she has to be at the bus stop on time - otherwise I'd have to drive and collect her.

Mum-of-two Natasha Smith, 29, said: 'It's a joke, my daughter freezes every morning because she is not allowed to wear her own warm coat.'

Parents also took to social media to express their outrage that the school had banned coats not bought from the school shop.

Elaine McCullock said: 'What a ridiculous policy.

'Money is tight for all parents, so to buy multiple coats is too much to ask.

'The coat they wear will not have any impact on their education, which is what they are at school for.'

The pupils were warned that any coats that aren't approved will be confiscated if they are worn on school property.

Kate Cohen added: 'My children go here and I've had to buy them the school coats.

'It's ridiculous as they needed new coats anyway for outside school as they won't wear the school ones out.

'It's cost me over 120 for four coats.'

Samantha Fellingham said: 'I think the head of Patcham needs to re-review this ludicrous idea.

'What parent can afford two coats - one for school and one outside of school?

'Maybe if that is the case he makes arrangements for the children to be equipped with his idea and the school pays towards it (can't see that happening).

The school sent out letters to parents of the children in July this year to explain that only coats featuring the school emblem should be worn to school

'Also if the teachers don't agree with the idea of having the school coats then what hope is there that the idiot of a headmaster can make this decision?

'No other schools do this so why should he dictate this?

'His head needs his head looking at, I'd like to see him in the school coat..'

Speaking to The Argus a 40-year-old mother with two children at the school , who did not want to be named, said: 'I have a problem because they all have winter coats at home.

'Most children already have their own winter coats and clearly they're not going to where a school coat out of school hours.

Head Teacher John Mckee said he has spoken to many parents who are supportive of the new regulation jackets

'I'm a complete supporter of school uniform policy, and I could understand if they were banning branded trousers, handbags or earrings, but the coat ban is ridiculous.

'If you go to the school at 2.50pm when they leave school, 90 percent of the kids are not wearing a coat and it is freezing.

'I sympathise with making sure everyone feels equal in school but they are still coming in 100 trainers. Coats generally aren't branded. I know my children wouldn't care about a North Face jacket, they probably are more likely to buy one from Primark.'

The schools retailer offers a range of three different types of jacket costing from 14.90 for a lightweight rain coat to 32 for a padded jacket.

A reporter from The Argus found that children could be seen leaving school shaking from the cold as temperatures fell to 2C yesterday in Patcham.

Speaking to The Argus Head Teacher of Patcham High School John Mckee, said: 'They are allowed to wear their coats to school, it is only when they are on the school grounds that they need to put their school coat on. If they choose to wear a non-school coat, they can put that in their bags when they arrive.

'The reason we like them to wear the school coats is because of equality. We are trying to make the school uniform equitable, we don't want disadvantaged children to feel they cannot wear any coat in and around school because it isn't a designer label. It is something Ofsted were quite happy with.

Pupils are rejecting the ban and instead walking to school without a coat in freezing temperatures

'I've spoken to lots of parents and they have been quite supportive about it. But there are a few that don't want to buy the coat, which is fine, it just means losing an option for their child within the school grounds to wear a coat.

'I certainly would send my child to school in a coat . I think a lot of parents would say 'don't leave the house without a coat on'.

'It has always been a rule at school, they just now have an option for something else. We talked about it at a governors' meeting and they will write to people to further endorse it to make sure parents understand why we are doing it.'

He added that if payment was an issue for some families coats could be paid for in installments.
The White House insisted Tuesday that the president did not assail Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as a 'lightweight' because she is a woman and a comment he made about her 'begging' for donations was not meant to sexual in nature.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters their minds were 'in the gutter' if they interpreted President Trump's remark as anything other than a 'very obvious' comment about Gillibrand's answerability to special interests.

'There's no way that this is sexist at all,' Sanders said. 'This isn't new. This isn't a new sentiment. This isn't a new terminology,' she at another point said.

The Trump spokeswoman argued that the president had deployed derogatory language of a similar nature against men from both political parties in the past.

She denied that the tweet Trump sent this morning blasting Gillibrand was unusually personal.

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The White House insisted Monday that the president did not assail Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as a 'lightweight' because she is a woman and a comment he made about her 'begging' for donations was not meant to sexual in nature

Before the briefing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused President Donald Trump of attempting to 'slut-shame' Gillibrand.

'Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Do you know who you're picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump. Nevertheless, #shepersisted,' Warren tweeted.

Gillibrand likewise said that Trump employed a 'sexist smear' against her and belittled him for the 'unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office.'

The strike on Trump by the female senators came after the president said on Twitter that there's nothing to the accusations that he sexually harassed and abused 16 women as he responded to calls for a congressional probe from several of his accusers.

Trump said in a tweet that the women were peddling 'fabricated stories' and 'false accusations' and he did not know or had not met them.

His remark was interpreted by some to mean all of his accusers, but Sanders clarified during the briefing that he was referring to the three who appeared on camera on Monday.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren had accused President Donald Trump of attempting to 'slut-shame' Gillibrand over the slam

Gillibrand had called on Trump to resign in an appearance Monday on CNN. She also supported the women in their demand for a congressional probe

Gillibrand likewise said that Trump employed a 'sexist smear' against her and belittled him

The White House also denied that the president had ever inappropriately touched the women who came forward during the election but reemerged on Monday to demand action.

At least five other Democratic lawmakers have demanded that Trump resign and joined the women in pushing for a Capitol Hill investigation other than Gillibrand.

Yet the president today singled out the New York lawmaker who's married with children for humiliation.

Trump remarked that the Democrat who's expected to challenge him in 2020 is someone 'who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them).'

This was an hour after he went off on Democrats at-large in a tweet that targeted his accusers.

At the White House later that day, Sanders noted that Trump has talked about male politicians and their begging as she tried to quiet outrage over the president's comments.

'I think that the president is very obvious. This is the same sentiment that the president has expressed many times before when he has exposed the corruption of the entire political system,' she stated. 'In fact he has used similar terminology many times when talking about politicians of both parties, both men and women, and certainly in his campaign to drain the swamp.'

She added: 'The system is clearly broken, it's clearly rigged for special interests and this president is someone that can't be bought, and it's one of the reasons that he's president today. '

Although she did not name names, Trump had tweeted in the past that former GOP primary opponent Ted Cruz would 'do anything' that Goldman Sachs demanded.

In a more direct comparison, Trump in 2016 said that 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney 'was begging for my endorsement' that year.

'I could have said, "Mitt, drop to your knees," and he would have dropped to his knees. He was begging. True. He was begging me,' Trump said at a March 3 rally.

For that reason, Sanders said Trump does not owe Gillibrand an apology.

'I think only if your mind is in the gutter would you have read it that way, so no,' she asserted. 'He was obviously talking about political partisan games that people often play, and the broken system that he's talked about repeatedly.'

A trio of the Trump accusers reemerged on Monday morning to hound him for sexually harassing them during Megyn Kelly's NBC program.

Samantha Holvey, Jessica Leeds and Rachel Crooks had previously made allegations against Trump and appeared on 'Today' to demand justice.

They pushed for a congressional investigation and Trump's resignation at a news conference later along with a fourth woman, Lisa Boyne, who called in.

On Tuesday morning, a fifth woman, Mindy McGillivray, reentered the fray, also appearing with Kelly on Today. She, too, said there should be a probe of Trump.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, had batted down the allegations against Trump as old news on Monday and said the president has addressed them.

'This took place long before he was elected to be president,' Sanders said. 'And the people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process.'

As she was questioned about the complaints from a total of 16 women, Sanders claimed that eyewitness accounts of the incidents the White House says never happened would exonerate the president. She gave CNN the names of two later.

She repeated the president's defense on Tuesday in a brush back of the calls on Congress to investigate.

'The president has answered these questions. He has spoken to these accusations and denied and pushed that they are all false and fabricated accusations,' she said.

'Frankly, I think if Congress wants to spend time investigating things, they should probably focus on some of the things that the American people would really like them to investigation, like how to secure our borders, how to defeat ISIS, how to pass tax reform that actually impacts them.'

The White House denied Monday that the president had ever sexually harassed or abused a group of women who came forward during the election but reemerged on Monday to demand a congressional investigation

Trump said in a tweet that the women accusing him of assault were peddling 'fabricated stories' and 'false accusations' and he did not know or had not met them

'And I can say [is] that the President has directly responded and said that these allegations are false, and that's what I'm doing in relaying that information to you,' Sanders said Monday from the podium.

Gillibrand rushed to their defense in an appearance on CNN in which she said their claims were 'credible' and their stories are 'heartbreaking.'

'President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign,' Gillibrand told CNN





Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Cory Booker of New Jersey have also said that Trump should resign over the allegations.

'These women are right,' Wyden tweeted. 'If @realDonaldTrump won't resign, Congress must investigate allegations by many, many women that he sexually assaulted and harassed them. No one is above the law.'

Trump responded Tuesday morning in two tweets, the first of which directly dealt with the proposition that a congressional investigation is needed.

'Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!' he said.

On Tuesday morning, a fifth woman, Mindy McGillivray, reentered the fray, also appearing with Kelly on Today. She, too, said their should be a probe of Trump

An hour later, Trump was back at it, tweeting that 'Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump.

'Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!' he said, in an apparent reference to Gillibrand's charge that former President Bill Clinton should have resigned after his affair with a White House intern.

After Trump's tweets this morning, McGillivray appeared on Kelly's program via satellite and accused Trump again of grabbing her 'caboose' during a Ray Charles concert at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

'I demand that there's an investigation,' she said.

Gillibrand said at a news conference on Tuesday that neither she nor the women accusing Trump would be silenced.

'Their voices also will not be silenced, and neither will the millions of women and men who have marched against the president and his policies,' she stated.

Three women were on Kelly's show on Monday to remind the country of their allegations against Trump in person.

Leeds claimed that Trump assaulted on a plane in the '70s and called her a 'c***' when he ran into her some time later at a party in New York while he was still married to his first wife Ivana.

'All of a sudden, he's all over, me, kissing and groping and groping and kissing,' said Leeds, a self-proclaimed Democrat, who told Today that she revealed her story because 'I wanted people to know what kind of a person that Trump really is...what a pervert he is.'

Samantha Holvey (center) Jessica Leeds (right) and Rachel Crooks (left) had previously made allegations against Trump in last year's election and appeared on Megyn Kelly 'Today' to demand justice

'All of a sudden, he's all over, me, kissing and groping and groping and kissing,' said Leeds, a self-proclaimed Democrat, who says she revealed her story because 'I wanted people to know what kind of a person that Trump really is...what a pervert he is'

'I was so uncomfortable, and a little, yeah, threatened, like I didn't have a choice,' Crooks on Monday said

Holvey, a former Miss USA contestant, said that Trump came back stage in 2006 and reviewed the women while they were indecent. 'I was not a human being. I did not have a brain I did not have a personality. I was just simply there for his pleasure'

Crooks and Holvey said that Trump's conduct while he was a businessman left them 'shocked' and 'devastated' and feeling 'very gross' and 'very dirty.'

'I was so uncomfortable, and a little, yeah, threatened, like I didn't have a choice,' Crooks on Monday said.

The accusations against Trump have received new attention now that he's thrown his weight behind Alabama Republican Roy Moore, whose election race is being decided Tuesday.

Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women, including one who says he touched her when she was just 14 years old and he was 32.

Years ago, the president boasted about how his celebrity gave him the ability to grab women with impunity and forcibly kiss them on the now-infamous Access Hollywood tape.

Trump said he would 'grab them by the p****.' Then he added: 'When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.'

After the release of the tape Trump said he never assaulted anyone - that was just 'locker room' talk.

On the heels of the October 2016 leak of the hot mic video, more women accused Trump, the GOP nominee for president at the time, of sexual misdeeds, including groping, kissing and sexual harassment.

While the recording was expected to tank Trump in the November election, the candidate eventually rebounded.

In its aftermath he pointed to Bill Clinton's alleged and admitted sexual misdeeds and characterizing his rival Hillary Clinton as complicit.

And while three members of Congress said they were leaving last week over their own sexually scandals  Sen. Al Franken, Rep. John Conyers and Rep. Trent Franks  and Hollywood heavyweights such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey have been banished, Trump has been bulletproofed against similar allegations.

The White House sided with Trump in October of this year and suggested that he women accusing him were all liars.

'We've been clear on that in the beginning, and the President's spoken on that,' press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley meanwhile encouraged women to speak out against sexual harassment and assault  including against President Trump on Sunday.

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.'
A man was caught on CCTV as he stole a giant Paddle Pop-shaped decoration from a shopping centre before fleeing in a tinnie.

Two men arrived at the Pacific Fair shopping centre in the Gold Coast suburb of Broadbeach Waters in the dinghy at around 10.30pm on December 6.

One of the men is seen on camera wrestling the ice cream-shaped Christmas decoration from the ground, with his shirt covering his face.

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A man was caught on CCTV as he stole a giant Paddle Pop-shaped decoration last week

After spending several minutes removing the 60kg sculpture from the ground, he and his accomplice make off in the tinnie.

The Paddle Pop was later recovered, a Queensland Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

Police said the two suspects are Caucasian, with one of the men described as around 180cms tall and of a slim build.

Covering his face with his shirt, the man is seen wrestling the 60kg decoration from the ground

Pacific Fair spokeswoman Kate Dickson said the Paddle Pop was part of an extended trail of Christmas decorations at the mall.

'Everyone was really upset,' she told Nine News.

'A lot of time and money has gone into designing decorations that really fit the Gold Coast.'
Borce Ristevski, the husband of slain Melbourne mother Karen Ristevski, has appeared before a court for the first time, charged with her murder.

Detectives from the Victoria Police Missing Persons Squad arrested the Avondale Heights father-of-one, 53, about 7.20am on Wednesday.

Hours later, Mr Ristevski's lawyer Rob Stary told a court his client would be fighting the charge.

'He will be pleading not guilty,' Mr Stary told magistrate Angela Bolger.

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SHOCK: Murdered mother Karen Ristevski (left) with husband Borce and daughter Sarah at her 21st birthday. Mr Ristevski has now been charged with his wife's murder

FUNERAL: Borce Ristevski (pictured as a pallbearer at his wife's funeral in March) was arrested on Wednesday morning

Mr Ristevski is pictured being comforted by a friend while attending his wife's funeral at the St Johns Uniting Church in Essendon

Mr Ristevski's daughter Sarah wept and carried a huge photo of her mother during the memorial

Breakthrough: Detectives leave the court after Mr Ristevski's appearance on Wednesday

Mr Ristevski's wife, 47, who ran the fashion retailer Bella Bleu, went missing from her Oakley Drive home on the morning of June 29, 2016.

A bushwalker discovered her body wedged between two logs in Mt Macedon National Park on February 20.

Prosecutor Andrew Tinney SC said police needed extra time to complete their brief of evidence 'because of the nature of the investigation and the ongoing work that needs to be done.'

Mr Stary said his client had already been under investigation for a number of months: 'This man doesn't have any history and we want the matter expedited'.

GRAVE: Mrs Ristevski's body was discovered wedged between two logs at the Mt Macedon national park

Appearing calm in a white T-shirt, Mr Ristevski did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody.

He will front court again for a committal mention on April 18.

The businessman has long been considered a suspect in his wife's disappearance - with Mr Stary conceding in February he was the 'number one' person of interest.

But Mr Ristevski has vehemently denied any involvement in Karen's death.

He was a pallbearer at his wife's funeral in March.

Close family friends had long insisted they were '95 per cent certain' Borce had nothing to do with the killing.

In a statement, Karen's only brother Stephen Williams said: 'Today has been a surprisingly emotional day - one which I have been patiently waiting for.

'It is in no way a celebration, it's another stage in bringing my beautiful sister Karen the justice she so deserves.

'Again, a huge thank you to the Missing Persons Squad - also to Emily, Lachlan, my cousins and work colleagues who have been very supportive through these long last 18 months'.

After his wife's disappearance, Mr Ristevski told police he and his wife had an argument about money before she left the home.

Afterwards, Mr Ristevski claimed he drove her black Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 afterwards coupe to fix the fuel gauge.

Investigators have been seen recreating the car's journey from Avondale Heights on several occasions.

The dramatic development comes after almost a year-and-a-half of mystery which has gripped the nation.

Mr Ristevski has this year wound up the couple's business, closing Mrs Ristevski's last store at the Watergardens shopping centre in May.

He has since rented out the couple's sprawling home - the site of scores of live TV crosses - and worked briefly for an abattoir also as a lollipop man.
Uber's licence has been rejected by officials in a third major city amid concerns over the number of complaints made about the ride-hailing firm.

It comes just months after the company was stripped of its permit in the capital by Transport for London which claimed the global taxi app was not 'fit and proper'.

The app is used in towns and cities across the UK, with 3.5million passengers and 40,000 drivers in London.

But it has faced mass opposition from traditional taxi drivers and unions including in Sheffield where it was stripped of its licence just five days ago.

Council chiefs in York - where 28,000 people have used the app since October - tonight debated for more than two hours before deciding not to renew Uber's 12-month licence which is due to expire on Christmas Eve.

The Uber app is used in towns and cities across the UK, with 3.5million passengers and 40,000 drivers in London (stock photo)

Union members are pictured with local officials outside tonight's meeting in York

Up to the end of November, 296 complaints were made relating to hackney carriage and private hire vehicles in the city - 155 of which related to the ride-sharing firm.

However, just four related to drivers for the firm that had been licensed by York council - leading to fears that Uber vehicles are coming into the city from other areas.

Councillors also cited a data breach which affected millions of users of the app worldwide. Uber will be able to appeal against the decision at Magistrates' Court.

Hackers were able to obtain the names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of passengers and drivers, the taxi-hailing firm said.

But the cyber attack, which affected 57 million customers and drivers worldwide, was not initially reported by the company after it hushed up the scandal.

According to the Yorkshire Post, licensing committee member Councillor Dave Taylor said during the meeting: 'This city needs to have control of its taxi services and it needs to have a level playing field and I don't know if that means then national legislation aught to be tidied up.

'But I don't think that we can license a company which directs drivers to go around the houses, pumping up fair for customers, that tries to claim it has no liability for any claims, demands or losses, which claims to have a local office but never seems to staff it and the number of complaints against them is so high.

'I think those are the grounds on which we can refuse this licence.'

Uber, pictured, has faced mass opposition from traditional taxi drivers and unions including in Sheffield where it was stripped of its licence just five days ago (stock photo)

A spokesman said: 'The application by Uber Britannia Ltd to renew its private hire operator's licence in York has been considered by City of York Council's Gambling, Licensing and Regulatory Committee tonight.

'Applying the legislation, the committee has decided to refuse the application having concerns about a data breach currently under investigation and the number of complaints received.'

Uber has pledged to clean up its act and make changes as it battles to regain its licence in London.

The company's concessions are likely to involve passenger safety and benefits for its drivers, possible limits on working hours to improve road safety and holiday pay.

The move came as more than 650,000 people signed a petition urging Transport for London to reverse its decision to remove the firm's licence in the capital.

A spokesman for Uber said around 20,000 of the firm's drivers had emailed Mr Khan directly to object to the decision.

TfL sensationally stripped the global taxi app of its licence to operate in London on Friday, claiming it was not 'fit and proper'.

Tom Elvidge, Uber's general manager in London, said at the time of that decision: 'We'd like to know what we can do...to sit down and work together to get this right.'

TfL took the decision not to renew Uber's licence following concerns about the tech giant's failure to report serious crimes by drivers and the firm's vetting process.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn backed the action, saying the body had looked at the firm and 'expressed very serious concerns'.

But some MPs accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of relenting to union pressure.

He had been given 30,000 for his mayoral campaign by the union that represents black cab drivers.

GMB, which has almost 640,000 members and campaigned for years against Uber's presence in London, has called the ban an 'historic victory'.

However, Mr Khan  who as mayor is chairman of the Transport for London board but did not take part in the licensing decision  said Uber had brought the ban on itself.
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee began leaking information about Donald Trump Jr.'s interview last week while it was still going on, according to his lawyer.

In a stinging letter to committee members, attorney Alan Futerfas said Trump Jr. and his counsel were promised his interview would be 'kept strictly confidential and not discussed publicly unless and until the full committee voted to release the transcript.'

Futerfas cites tweets from CNN reporters and a paid contributor during the nearly 8-hour grilling as evidence that Democrats were secreting information to the press.

'[W]hile the interview was in progress, members of the Committee and/or their staff began selectively leaking information provided during the interview to various press outlets, most notably CNN,' he claims.

Donald Trump Jr. (pictured) and his lawyer are demanding an investigation into how information from his closed-door grilling by the House Intelligence Committee was leaked to CNN while it was still going on

Trump's lawyer points a finger at committee Democrats, led by California Democrat Adam Schiff, for the leaks

Trump Jr.'s December 6 interview started at 10:00 a.m. and ended just before 6:00 p.m.

He and his lawyers were required to surrender their cell phones for that entire stretch of time.

But at 1:01 p.m., a CNN reporter tweeted information about ths testimony.

'Don Jr. made case to House investigators that he did NOT tell his father about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting, I'm told. Made similar case to Senate Judiciary staff in September,' wrote Manu Raju.

Just before 4:00, American Urban Radio Networks White House correspondent April Ryan, who doubles as a CNN contributor, tweeted a CNN article about that testimony.

CNN reported falsely on Dec. 7 that hacked emails from inside the Democratic National Committee were offered to Trump Jr. and his father before WikiLeaks published them; that turned out to be false, and Trump Jr.'s lawyer says committee Democrats were responsible

This tweet was sent by a CNN reporter three hours into the committee's eight-hour interview with Trump Jr.

A CNN paid contributor tweeted this story while the Trump Jr. grilling still had two hours to go

Raju tweeted at 4:29 p.m. about the same article, which described Trump Jr.'s response to that June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

Futerfas noted that the committee's top Democrat, California Rep. Adam Schiff, and two other committee Democrats, had made media appearances to talk about the closed-door testimony.

Those were calculated efforts 'to discredit my client,' he wrote.

Futerfas wants the committee to launch an investigation into the leaks.

He also cited a December 7 CNN story that claimed Trump Jr. and his father, the president, were offered an advance look at hacked documents from inside the Democratic National Committee that WikiLeaks would later post online.

That report was based on sources who had seen the email, but CNN's reporters had not seen it themselves.

The network was forced to retract the story nine hours later after The Washington Post established that the 'offer' was a message from an insignificant Trump supporter  and sent after WikiLeaks published the material.

Futerfas claims that the ;clearly inaccurate' information was 'provided to CNN by memners or staff of this Committee.'

And in the intervening hours, while CNN touted its faulty 'exclusive,' he wrote, 'the individuals responsible for disseminating this inaccurate information to the press stood by and did nothing, all the while knowing that the story they had leaked was inaccurate.'

Schiff's office denied late Tuesday in a statement that he leaked any 'non-public' information about Trump Jr.

'Ranking Member Schiff and his staff do not leak classified or confidential information, and any disclosure of non-public information by the congressional committees undertaking investigations is singularly unhelpful,' the statement read.

'It is imperative that all investigations into Russias covert political interference campaign operate with appropriate discretion and refrain from publicizing information for short-sighted political gain.'
A JetBlue plane leaving California was forced to divert to Las Vegas after a man started biting passengers.

The flight was somewhere over Utah when out of nowhere the man started biting the people sitting beside him.

Passengers told CBS that the man also started hitting the people, whom he apparently knew.

The plane was en route to New York's JFK airport from the Los Angeles International Airport when the pilot diverted the plane to Las Vegas.

A JetBlue plane leaving California was forced to divert to Las Vegas after a man (left and right in red) started biting passengers. Another passenger, only identified as Tom, said he helped restrain the man

Doctors on the flight tried to help by examining the passenger, but they were also attacked. Another passenger, only identified as Tom, told CBS that he helped restrain the man.

'I grabbed his hands behind his back and held him there while the flight attendants put the restraints on him,' Tom said.

'At that point, he started yelling and tried to come towards the flight attendant, behind me, at the time. I really had a hell of a time keeping him in place there.'

Video of the incident shows the man attacking the person next to him as the passenger screams in the background.

The man is then seen being restrained by Tom in the video.

In the video, police boarded the plan and were seen speaking with the man.

JetBlue said the passenger was escorted off the aircraft and the remaining customers resumed their scheduled flight to New York.

Police (left and right) boarded the plane after it landed in Las Vegas. Officers were seen speaking with the man before escorting him off the plane
A terrifying crime spree has rocked a sleepy holiday town on NSW's south coast after three Aboriginal men robbed a jewellery store, rammed a woman down with her own car and threatened police officers at gunpoint.

One of the men was arrested early on Wednesday morning after an armed stand-off with police, but the two other alleged robbers are still on the run and dangerous.

Police allege the rampage began on Tuesday afternoon when the trio held up a store along Jervis Bay's main shopping strip at gunpoint, assaulting the owner and injuring a female teenage worker during the heist.

A terrifying crime spree has rocked a sleepy holiday town on NSW's south coast after three Aboriginal men robbed a jewellery store (pictured)

The men are alleged to have stolen a number of cars (one pictured burnt out) after the alleged armed robbery, ramming a woman down after taking her car

They allegedly fled the store with cash and jewellery, driving off in a stolen black car which they crashed after hitting a curb at speed. A good Samaritan who stopped to help the men became their next victim.

Witnesses allege the 43-year-old woman was thrown from her car by the men, who zoomed off in her vehicle, running over her legs and seriously injuring her in the process.

She was treated for shock at the scene and taken to Shoalhaven Hospital in a stable condition with injuries to her pelvis and lower legs, Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Local police arrived at the scene and began searching for the alleged bandits, finding an abandoned car burnt out in a nearby street.

They caught up with men moments later and began a pursuit along Jervis Bay Road, but were forced to terminate the high-speed chase as it became too dangerous.

An officer spotted the three men leaving their car at nearby Tomerong a short time later, but was forced to duck for cover when they allegedly threatened to shoot him.

'Two occupants came out of the vehicle, one has had a firearm and pointed it at a police officer, now the police officer has challenged that offender and also sought cover,' Steve Johnson from NSW Police told reporters.

Tactical police were involved in an extensive search for the men that carried on through the night. One of the men, aged 37, was arrested at 2am in Nowra after an armed stand-off

Two other men are still on the run, aged in their 20s and described as being likely armed and dangerous by police

It's understood that the three men parted ways and fled into remote bushland in the region.

A major search of the area - involving specialist tactical officers, the dog unit, police rescue and other workers - led to police finding the men.

They followed the vehicle through to Nowra, 30 minutes north, but the men once again fled on foot.

At about 2am, police arrested a 37-year-old man after an alleged home invasion and third aggravated car theft in Morton Parade, Nowra.

He was taken to Nowra Police Station where he currently remains in custody.

Officers are continuing to search for the other two men and are asking anyone with information about their whereabouts to come forward.

The men are described as being of Aboriginal or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander appearance, in their early 20s. One man is skinny and the other has a built frame.

Police have warned anyone who sees the men to not approach them but call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
A man whose lesbian daughter killed herself came out in protest against accused pedophile Roy Moore Monday night, just before the polls opened for the Alabama special election senate race.

Nathan Mathis, 74, brought a sign that read 'Judge Roy Moore called my daughter Pattie Sue Mathis a pervert because she was gay. A 32-year-old Roy Moore dated teenage girls ages 14 to 17. So that makes him a pervert of the worst kind. Please don't vote for Roy Moore!'

A photo of Mathis protesting while holding a photo of his late daughter outside of Moore's campaign rally was quickly circulated. He spoke to CNN's 'New Day' about Moore, who is staunchly against LGBT rights.

Nathan Mathis protested in front of accused pedophile Roy Moore's final campaign rally Monday night. Mathis called Moore a 'pervert of the worst kind'

Moore (center) has been accused of sexual contact with a woman who was 14-years-old at the time while he was in his 30s

Mathis, who is a local peanut farmer, said Moore should 'be in a psych ward somewhere with a psychiatrist trying to help him get better.'

'I feel guilty about my daughter taking her own life, about what I said,' Mathis told CNN. He had previously sought help to 'fix' his gay daughter, before she committed suicide at 23-years-old.

He wrote a poignant op-ed about his previous anti-LGBT stand and his daughter's 1995 suicide in the Dothan Eagle.

Mathis railed against Moore and accused him of being a hypocrite to the LGBT community in light of the allegations against him.

Moore has denied molesting a 14-year-old when he was in his 30's. He's also denied allegations brought against him by other women that said he pursued them while they were in their teens, and he was in his 30's.

'He don't need to be in Washington DC,' Mathis said.

'What happened to me could happen to you. It could happen to anybody that's watching this program,' he said. 'It could be your child, your grandchild, your great-grandchild. Are you going to vote for a man that calls your child or grandchild a pervert just because they're born gay?'

'My daughter was a good person,' he continued to CNN. 'My daughter was not no damn pervert, as Roy Moore called her. And Roy Moore, by going at little teenage girls, he does not deserve to be the in United States Senate. It's just that simple.'

In 2005 Moore said 'homosexual conduct should be illegal.'

Mathis says he regretted making his daughter feel bad for being a lesbian, and is lashing out against Moore's anti-LGBT stance in light of the allegations of pedophilia against Moore

Moore pulled up to the polls Tuesday morning on his horse named Sassy as he faces off against Democratic candidate Doug Jones

More recently, in September of 2016, Moore was suspended from the bench for telling probate judges to defy federal orders regarding gay marriage.

Tuesday morning, Moore galloped to the polls on his horse Sassy, to cast his vote against Democrat Doug Jones in the special election.

It has been a tough road for Moore, despite President Donald Trump giving him his endorsement.

'We've seen things happen in this campaign that I can't believe to this day,' said Moore, who has denied all wrongdoing in contacts with the women who said he behaved inappropriately when they were in their teens and he was a local prosecutor in his 30s. One said he initiated sexual contact when she was 14.

Then he held a rally which saw his wife defend him against anti-semitism and his Vietnam veteran best friend offer an extraordinary defense against the pedophilia claims, saying they had visited an underage brothel - but left.
Migrant children are outperforming English speakers in NAPLAN spelling tests.

The Federal Government said there was an overall decline in writing and reading scores this year, but students who grew up speaking a different language emerged as the unlikely champions.

Primary school students in Year 3 with English as their second language outperformed native English speakers at spelling in New South Wales and Tasmania.

They performed on par with native English speakers in all other states, ABC News reported.

Catholic primary school Our Lady of the Rosary in Fairfield, Sydney's south-west, is one of 40 schools across Australia boasting huge improvements in literacy and numeracy

Catholic primary school Our Lady of the Rosary in Fairfield, Sydney's south-west, is one of 40 schools across Australia boasting huge improvements in literacy and numeracy.

The Catholic school said it performed above state and national averages in spelling, and was consistently above the national average in the past five years.

School Principal Brother Nicholas Harsas said the school welcomed 90 students in Kindergarten each year and many grew up speaking very little or no English.

Despite the initial language barrier, he said the children were 'very willing and ready to learn'.

'It's wonderful to see them coming into school with little or no English, and then 12 months later how far they've come,' he told ABC News.

Kindergarten teacher Julianna Merhi said she needed to teach the children, with the language barrier in mind.

She said the barrier even worked as an advantage for the children when it came to spelling.

School Principal Brother Nicholas Harsas said the school welcomed 90 students in Kindergarten each year and many grew up speaking very little or no English

'Because a lot of the children do come to us with limited language, building letter and sound correlation is very important,' Ms Merhi told the publication.

While there were success stories in this year's NAPLAN results, literacy and numeracy among secondary students stagnated.

Minister for Education Simon Birmingham said secondary students' results either flatlined or went backwards in the past 10 years.

'This is a worry. We see at best stagnating results,' Simon Birmingham told the Nine Network on Wednesday.

'The results overall are not what you would expect for a system which is seeing record and growing sums of funding invested into it.'
A large scale search is underway for a 25-year-old Irish backpacker, who hasn't been seen since leaving his Sydney apartment on Monday.

Craig Lambe left his Kingsford address, in the eastern suburbs, about 12.30pm after telling his traveling friend he was going to collect money from Western Union.

His distraught family have pleaded for public assistance in locating Mr Lambe, with his brother, James, revealing details surrounding his disappearance Wednesday morning.

A large scale search is underway for 25-year-old Irish backpacker, Craig Lambe (pictured), who hasn't been seen since leaving his Sydney apartment about midday Monday

'Craig was last seen leaving an apartment he was residing in on Monday at approx 12:30pm AEDT (with an address of 33 Middle Street, Kingsford, New South Wales, Sydney),' a statement shared on Facebook read.

His brother confirmed the family hadn't sent any money via a Western Union account, and 'the reasons for him leaving or his intended destination are unclear.'

'We believe Craig was struggling to access funds mainly due to losing his bank card but had not highlighted major difficulties with family or friends.'

The Irishman left the home with no phone or money, but took a small black bag containing his passport, a black fleece jumper, thongs and a towel.

His brother, James, confirmed the family hadn't sent any money via a Western Union account, and 'the reasons for him leaving or his intended destination were unclear'

'Craig's friend believed he gained access to money as suggested and went shopping as they had just moved into the apartment.'

'When Craig did not return to the apartment overnight his friend immediately contacted his brother (approx 7am on Tuesday AEDT). He was instructed to contact the police soon after which he did so immediately.

'Since Craig's disappearance there has been a huge online appeal which we appreciate immensely but as of now there have been no confirmed sightings of Craig and he has made no contact.'

Mr Lambe's mother, who lives in Dublin, Ireland, has shared several emotional pleas for help to her Facebook page

'Due to the obvious lack of information about his whereabouts and the circumstances in which Craig left his residence on Monday the 11th we are deeply concerned.'

'We urge anyone to come forward with information no matter how small they believe it to be and thank everyone who has supported thus far.

'We just want to know our Brother/Son/Nephew/Cousin/Grandson & Friend is safe.'

Police also released an appeal for public assistance, describing the Irish national as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180cm tall, with a medium build and brown hair.

'We just want to know our Brother/Son/Nephew/Cousin/Grandson & Friend is safe,' James Lambe wrote in a statement

'Police and family hold concerns for his welfare due to this behaviour being out of character,' a statement read.

'If anyone has information regarding the whereabouts of Mr Lambe, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.'

Mr Lambe's mother, who lives in Dublin, Ireland, has shared several emotional pleas for help to her Facebook page.

'Craig we love you please let us know your ok. We know he was staying in the Kingston area of Sydney,' one of her posts read.
With cyber-attacks becoming increasingly frequent, you'd think we would have learned to use more secure passwords.

But a new report has revealed that many of us are still using the the word 'password' to access our accounts, with men 2.8 times more likely to use this obvious phrase than women.

The report also found that nearly a quarter of people use the same password for every site they are signed up to.

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A shocking new report has revealed that many of us are still using the the word 'password' to access our accounts, with men 2.8 times more likely to use this obvious phrase than women (stock image)

KEY FINDINGS - Only 14 per cent of people change their password for every site - Men were 2.8 times more likely to use the word 'password' - Women were 1.3 times more likely to use their lover's name - Almost half of respondents (44 per cent) said they frequently use the same password for several sites - Over a third of people (37 per cent) said that they will only change their password when the website tells them they have to - One in ten said they never change their password Advertisement

The study, conducted by Houston-based IT consultancy firm EPC Group, found a large number of people still have bad habits when it comes to staying safe online.

It asked 600 people about their behaviour online, including how often they recycled old passwords.

The survey found that only 14 per cent of people change their password for every site.

Men are 2.8 times more likely to use the word 'password', while women are 1.3 times more likely to use their lover's name.

Almost half of respondents (44 per cent) said they frequently use the same password for several sites.

Over a third of people (37 per cent) said that they will only change their password when the website tells them they have to.

One in ten said they never change their password.

Whether it's laziness or an unwillingness to write their passwords down somewhere, previous research has shown our digital behaviour could be putting us at risk.

Bill Burr's 'bible' on password security was written in 2003 while he worked for the US Government.

Men were 2.8 times more likely to use the word 'password', while women were 1.3 times more likely to use their lover's name as theirs

MOST COMMON PASSWORDS OF 2017 123456 123456789 qwerty 12345678 111111 1234567890 1234567 password 123123 987654321 Advertisement

His guidance was to change passwords often, use numbers, include non-alphabetic symbols and try capital letters.

Mr Burr, author of 'NIST Special Publication 800-63. Appendix A', told Wall Street Journal that much of his advice in the book was incorrect.

'Much of what I did I now regret,' said Mr Burr, who advised people to change their password every 90 days and use obscure characters.

'It just drives people bananas and they don't pick good passwords no matter what you do,' he said.

A survey recently showed that 12345 and 123456789 are still the most commonly used passwords.

Over a third of people (37 per cent) said that they will only change their password when the website tells them they have to. One in ten said they never do

The top-ten also includes the wonderfully cryptic 123123 and qwerty.

Even if your password isn't on this list, simply adding or changing a number makes it, if anything, more predictable.

The reason changing a password frequently does not help is because when most people make minor tweaks such as replacing the number 1 with a number 2.

A survey recently showed that 12345 and 123456789 are still the most commonly used passwords. The survey found that only 14 per cent of people change their password for every site

These are called 'transformations' and hackers are very aware of them and build them into their scripts.

The use of random numbers in the middle of passwords also doesn't help.

Experts now believe long passwords that contain perhaps four words are much harder to break than shorter ones with a mix of letters, characters and numbers.

TOP-5 TIPS TO STAY SAFE ONLINE EPC Group spoke to MailOnline about their top tips to password management to keep your information secure when online. The reason changing a password frequently does not help is because when most people change their password they make minor tweaks such as replacing the number 1 with a number 2. These small changes are called 'transformations' and hackers are very aware of them and build them into their scripts. The new advice is to use long but easy-to-remember 'passphrases', that do not need to feature special characters or numbers 1. Use strong, varied passwords for different accounts. 2. Don't use passwords that include personal information or could be easily guessed. 3. Use two-factor authentication whenever possible. 4. Make sure your computer and anti-virus software is up to date and regularly scan your computer for spyware. 5. Watch for any suspicious activity on your accounts and never click on a link that looks untrustworthy. Advertisement

Cartoonist Randall Munroe found it would take 550 years to crack 'correcthorsebatterystaple' whereas the password 'Tr0ub4dor&3' - which was previously considered strong by Mr Burr's calculations - could be hacked in three days.

Mr Munroe said on his website: 'Through 20 years of effort, we've successfully trained everyone to use passwords that are hard for humans to remember, but easy for computers to guess.'
The Google Doodle for December 12th celebrates Kenyas Independence Day. Kenya became an independent country in 1963 and was admitted into the Commonwealth as a republic, or Jamhuri (Swahili for republic) exactly one year later in 1964. Due to this, the 12th of December is also referred to as Jamhuri Day.

The history of Kenyan Independence Day

The 12th of December 1963 saw the African country of Kenya gain independence from the British after being under rule of the sovereign state since the late 19th century. According to Britannica, Kenya officially became a British colony in 1920 and African demands for more involvement in political processes were denied until 1944, when an African was included in the legislature.

The latest Google Doodle shows iconic Mount Kenya and colours of the Kenyan national flag

Despite this, disputes over land and cultural traditions continued, movement against colonial rule grew and the uprising of the militant nationalist group, Mau Mau, in the 1950s resulted in the country being forced into a state of emergency. However, this saw African political participation increase in the early 1960s and Kenya gained independence in 1963. A year after the first Jamhuri Day, Kenya was admitted into the Commonwealth as a republic in 1964 with Jomo Kenyatta as president.

As the Google Doodle states, Kenya's Independence Day is marked with a presidential speech at Nairobis Nyayo Stadium as well as parades and dances that showcase Kenyas culture. All over the world, Kenyans will dress in kikoys and kitenges and eat ugali, a popular cornmeal dish or irio, made up of mashed potatoes and peas.

Another Google Doodle from 2015 celebrates Kenya's Independence Day or Jamhuri Day

The Kenyan Independence Day Google Doodle depicts the iconic Mount Kenya surrounded by the colours of Kenyas flag, which itself alludes to the countrys path to freedom. Black, red and green, along with the shield and spears of the Maasai warrior, represent the people, their fight for independence, and the countrys vast natural resources. Together, the mountain and the flag symbolize Kenyas strength and resilience on this important day, the Google Doodle described.

What are Google Doodles?

Google Doodles are celebrations of events referenced in Googles logo on the homepage. The first Google Doodle depicted a stick man standing behind the second o in Google drawn by Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1998, marking their trip to the Burning Man Festival that year.

2011 Google Doodle celebrates Kenyas Independence Day with Kenya's motto 'harambee'

Users responded positively to the changes to Googles homepage logo and the Doodles became an everyday occurrence. Today, there is a team of Doodlers - illustrators, graphic designers, animators and artists who work on the Google Doodles.

The most recent Google Doodles pays tribute to Max Born, Robert Koch and Jan Ingenhousz.
The planet saving capabilities of our atmosphere are far more impressive than thought, a new study has found.

Researchers have uncovered the mechanisms that protect the planet from incoming meteorites.

They found air particles penetrate the space rocks, causing them to explode from the inside.

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This graphic depicts a comparison of the breakup of a 20-meter (66-foot) diameter meteoroid (similar to the Chelyabinsk asteroid) during the final moments of its flight after entering the atmosphere at an angle of 45 from the horizontal and a speed of 15 kilometers per second (9 miles per second). The time after entry and altitude are shown above each figure and the color depicts the percentage of solid material in each computational cell. The left panel shows an asteroid that is 10 percent porous and the right panel a 30 percent porous asteroid. The more porous asteroid almost entirely disintegrates, while the less porous one breaks up but is not dispersed.

WHAT ARE METEORS? Meteors are small asteroids and other extraterrestrial rocks that have entered Earth's atmosphere from space, reaching speeds up to 40 times faster than a bullet as they race toward the ground. NASA estimates 44,000 kilograms (48.5 tons) of meteoritic matter lands on Earth every day, roughly the same weight as seven African elephants. Advertisement

The Purdue team found air pockets are the key to keeping us safe.

The air particles create pockets of high pressure that ultimately lead the rock to explode from the inside, tens of kilometers above the Earth, they say.

Melosh and his colleagues uncovered the mechanism while simulating the 2013 Chelyabinsk event, where a 20-meter (60-foot) wide meteor exploded 29.7 kilometers (18.5 miles) above the Russian Ural Mountains.

'There's more going on than what had been thought before,' said Jay Melosh, a geophysicist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, who presented the new research today at the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in New Orleans.

'Bottom line is that the atmosphere is a better screen against small impacts than we had thought.'

Melosh and his colleagues uncovered the air percolation mechanism while simulating the 2013 Chelyabinsk event, where a 20-meter (60-foot) wide meteor exploded 29.7 kilometers (18.5 miles) above the Russian Ural Mountains.

The new research considers an often-overlooked feature of meteors: their porosity. Meteors are like piles of rubble, riddled with fractures and pores, but researchers had not previously considered how the percolation of air through the meteor could affect their breakup, according to Melosh.

Melosh and his colleagues wanted to find out how the 2013 Chelyabinsk event meteor had disintegrated and evaporated in the atmosphere.

Previous simulations for modeling meteor entry relied on computer codes commonly used to analyze how spacecraft return to the atmosphere, but these codes don't account for the porosity of the meteor.

THE CHELYABINSK IMPACT A meteor that blazed across southern Urals in February 2013 was the largest recorded meteor strike in more than a century. More than 1,500 people were injured by the shock wave from the explosion, estimated to be as strong as 20 Hiroshima atomic bombs, as it landed near the city of Chelyabinsk. The Chelyabinsk space rock smashed windows and damaged buildings for 58 miles around in 2013 when it exploded over Russia Officials can be seen standing next to a 20-foot (six-meter) hole in the ice of a frozen lake, thought to be the site of a meteor fall resulting from the space rock The fireball measuring 18 meters across, screamed into Earth's atmosphere at 41,600 mph. Much of the meteor landed in a local lake called Chebarkul. Scientists have uncovered more than 12 pieces from Lake Chebarkul since the incident. However, only five of them turned out being real meteorites. Advertisement

Instead, the researchers used computer codes first developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory to model nuclear reactor explosions.

For the new research, the models were used to account for meteoroids' loose conglomerate composition.

The simulations showed that the atmosphere buffets against the meteor's side facing Earth, forming a dense pocket of air in front of the rock.

On the flip side, the meteor's wake creates a vacuum.

The pressurized air bubble ahead of the meteor is strongly attracted to the low-pressure environment developing behind the meteor, causing air particles to rapidly flow through the rock's cracks and holes from the front to the back of the rock.

The high-pressure air moving through the meteor forces the fragments apart, causing the meteor to disintegrate in the upper atmosphere.
A smart surveillance system that can identify criminals among a database of 2 billion faces within seconds has been revealed in China.

The system connects to millions of CCTV cameras and uses artificial intelligence to pick out targets.

Known as 'Dragonfly Eye', it has already been used in Shanghai to track down hundreds of wanted criminals, reports suggest.

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A smart surveillance system (pictured) that can scan 2 billion faces within seconds has been revealed in China. The system connects to millions of CCTV cameras and uses artificial intelligence to pick out targets

DRAGONFLY EYE The system has been helping Shanghai's police force track down criminals in a city with more than 24 million inhabitants. On its first day of operation in the Shanghai Metro in January, the system identified a wanted man when he entered a station, the SCMP reports. After matching his face against the database, Dragonfly Eye sent his photo to a policeman, who made an arrest. In the following three months, the system helped police bring in 567 suspected criminals on the city's subways. Advertisement

The company behind the technology, Shanghai-based Yitu Technology, said Dragonfly Eye scans images from the country's national database.

The photos include images of visitors to the city and those taken at its many ports and airports.

'Our machines can very easily recognise you among at least 2 billion people in a matter of seconds,' Yitu chief executive and co-founder, Zhu Long, told the South China Morning Post.

'Which would have been unbelievable just three years ago.'

The system has been helping Shanghai's police force track down criminals in a city with more than 24 million inhabitants.

On its first day of operation in the Shanghai Metro in January, the system identified a wanted man when he entered a station, the SCMP reports.

After matching his face against the database, Dragonfly Eye sent his photo to a policeman, who made an arrest.

In the following three months, the system helped police bring in 567 suspected criminals on the city's subways.

Mr Zhu said: 'Let's say that we live in Shanghai, a city of 24 million people.

The system connects to millions of CCTV cameras and uses artificial intelligence to pick out targets using a huge database of faces (pictured)

The company behind the technology, Shanghai-based Yitu Technology, said Dragonfly Eye scans images from the country's national database. This video shows a demo of the system shown at a Chinese technology conference in September

'It's challenging for the government to police such a large population. And it would be impossible without technology.

'Even when we have many cameras installed, it's a hard task.

'You can't watch all the videos, and doing a search is very time-consuming and requires too many resources to get meaningful results from such a huge amount of data. But artificial intelligence can do it easily, and by using existing infrastructure.'

Mr Zhou added that the system could be used for more than just police work in future.

The system has been helping Shanghai's police force track down criminals in a city with more than 24 million inhabitants. Pictured is Dragonfly Eye tracking employees in Yitu Technology's Shanghai headquarters

The technology could eventually help to identify people at ATM bank machines, making chip and PIN a thing of the past. Pictured is Dragonfly Eye in action at Yitu Technology's headquarters

He said it could help to identify people at ATM bank machines, making chip and PIN a thing of the past.

But not everyone has welcomed the technology, which echoes the all-seeing security systems featured in the 2002 Sci-Fi film Minority Report.

Research and advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said security systems such as those developed by Yitu 'violate privacy and target dissent'.

The NGO told the SCMP: 'It is designed to track and predict the activities of activists, dissidents and ethnic minorities, including those authorities say have extreme thoughts, among others'.
Smart assistants are designed to tackle a whole host of everyday tasks, but some users are unhappy that this seems to include taking a stand on political issues.

Amazon's Alexa has come under fire on social media thanks to the AI-powered speaker's thoughts on a number of hot button topics.

Some have branded Alexa a 'social justice warrior' because of her responses to questions on subjects ranging from feminism to the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Smart assistants are designed to tackle a whole host of everyday tasks but some users are unhappy that this seems to include taking a stand on political issues. Amazon's Alexa has come under fire thanks to the AI powered speaker's thoughts on a number of hot button topics

TWITTER RESPONSE The response has been particularly vociferous among the alt-right community on social media. Many users have condemned what they see as the propagation of left-wing views from the Seattle tech firm behind Alexa's creation. User Redlion said: 'Alexa is programmed Left wing. 'Why Amazon programming this into products that customers are buying is wrong. 'All do not share your Political Talking Points.' Joking about asking Alexa to set an alarm, Steve QC said: 'Alexa's likely response: "Sorry, I'm a liberal atheist feminist as programmed by Amazon, and I'm not authorized to remind you to seek Truth, lest we lose another SJW from the leftist ideology, but I can remind you to watch Whoopi on The View at 11am".' Advertisement

The furore emerged after a thread was posted on Twitter showing an Alexa user asking the female voiced assistant about her thoughts on a range of divisive topics.

Alexa comes as standard on a range of speakers produced by the Seattle based retail firm, including the Echo and Echo dot.

A number of clips shared by Frame Game Radio captured her responses.

Asked 'Alexa, do Black Lives Matter?', Alexa answered: 'Black Lives and the Black Lives Matter movement absolutely matter.

'It's important to have conversations about equality and social justice.'

Asked 'Alexa, are you a feminist?', Alexa said: 'Yes I am a feminist, as is anyone who believes in bridging the inequality between men and women in society.'

Frame Game Radio added about the response: 'Tell me again how rebellious and underdog the feminist movement is, when its institutionally supported by the most powerful corporations in the world?'

MailOnline has contacted Amazon for a comment, but had not received a reply at the time of publication.

Smart Assistants like Alexa, Google's Assistant and Apple's Siri have been programmed to respond to a range of out of the ordinary requests, as well as more menial tasks.

When asked about Black Lives Matter, both Siri and Google Assistant bring up web results on the movement.

Siri avoids answering whether she is a feminist, saying 'I don't have an answer to that.'

But, like Alexa, Google Assistant, is happy to share its political beliefs on gender equality.

When asked 'Are you a feminist', it said: 'I'm a strong believer in equality, so I definitely consider myself a feminist.'

The response to the thread has been particularly vociferous among the alt-right community.

Asking Alexa if she's a feminist. Tell me again how rebellious and underdog the feminist movement is, when it's institutionally supported by the most powerful corporations in the world? pic.twitter.com/6lkCQrztpU  Frame Game Radio () (@FrameGames) December 7, 2017

The furore emerged after a thread was posted on Twitter showing an Alexa user asking the female voiced assistant about her thoughts on a range of divisive topics. A number of clips shared by Frame Game Radio captured her responses

When asked about Black Lives Matter, Google Assistant bring up web results on the movement. But, like Alexa, Google Assistant, is happy to share its political beliefs on gender equality

Siri avoids answering whether she is a feminist, saying 'I don't have an answer to that' (left). Like Google Assistant, Siri brings up web results when asked about the Black Lives Matter movement (right)

Many users have condemned what they see as the propagation of left-wing views from the Seattle tech firm behind Alexa's creation.

User Redlion said: 'Alexa is programmed Left wing.

'Why Amazon programming this into products that customers are buying is wrong.

'All do not share your Political Talking Points.'

Joking about asking Alexa to set an alarm, Steve QC said: 'Alexa's likely response: "Sorry, I'm a liberal atheist feminist as programmed by Amazon, and I'm not authorized to remind you to seek Truth, lest we lose another SJW from the leftist ideology, but I can remind you to watch Whoopi on The View at 11am".'
You may think of penguins as small creatures, but a new study reveals that one species was once as big as today's average male.

Scientists have discovered the remains of a species of giant penguin that lived 60 million years ago, and stood at 5ft 8ins (1.77 metres) tall.

The remains of the enormous creature were found on the New Zealand coastline, and shed new light on the evolution of the penguin.

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Standing at 5ft 8ins (1.77 metres) and weighing 16 stone (101 kilograms), the penguin was the same height as an average male - and much heavier than his 13st 3lb (83.9 kilograms)

THE GIANT PENGUIN Named Kumimanu biceae, it lived during the late Palaeocene. Its partial skeleton included a thigh-bone - or femur - measuring more than 6 inches (161 mm) in length. From this the team could estimate its size - 5ft 8ins (1.77 metres) and weight - 16 stone (101 kilograms). As well as the thigh-bone, the researchers also found three wing-bones, the shoulder-blade, the breast-bone, a leg-bone, part of the pelvis, and three vertebrae. Advertisement

The fossilised remains were discovered in Hampden Beach, Otago, by researchers from the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt.

Standing at 5ft 8ins (1.77 metres) and weighing 16 stone (101 kilograms), the penguin was the same height as an average male - and much heavier than his 13st 3lb (83.9 kilograms).

It was almost twice as tall and more than triple the weight of the Emperor - the largest modern penguin which can grow to 3ft 3ins (1 metre) and tip the scales at 66lbs (30 kilograms).

Its large size would have allowed it to swim further and dive deeper than its modern day counterparts, but it would have still waddled on land.

Named Kumimanu biceae, it lived during the late Palaeocene.

Its partial skeleton included a thigh-bone - or femur - measuring more than six inches (161 mm) in length.

From this the team could estimate its size - which puts it among the largest penguins found.

Its partial skeleton included a thigh-bone - or femur - measuring more than 6 inches (161 mm) in length. From this the team could estimate its size - 5ft 8ins (1.77 metres) and weight - 16 stone (101 kilograms)

WHY DID GIANT PENGUINS DIE OUT? The finding adds to evidence the evolution of penguins started much earlier than previously thought, during the age of the dinosaurs. It has been proposed feeding competition with marine mammals played a role in the extinction of giant penguins and other very large wing-propelled diving birds along with competition with gregarious seals for safe breeding. Dr Mayr said: 'The disappearance of giant penguins indeed coincides with the rise of marine mammals, that is, whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals, but the exact causes and mechanisms of a competitive replacement remain poorly understood. 'In any case, the evolution of penguins appears to have been strongly influenced by non-avian vertebrates.' The extinction of the dinosaurs and larger marine predators and dinosaurs could have been the ecological driver for the loss of flight capabilities in the earliest penguins. But the rise of marine mammals appears to have wiped out giant penguins, he added. Advertisement

Only two other species of giant penguins are known from around this time.

Dr Gerald Mayr, who led the study, said: 'The new fossil is one of the oldest giant penguins found so far - substantiating multiple origins of gigantism in fossil penguins.'

Gigantism - a phenomenon in which the size of an ancient species exceeded that of the largest living ones - is a known feature of penguin evolution.

Giant penguins are well documented from between 50 and 20 million years ago - but older ones are rare.

They eventually became extinct following the emergence of whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals that outcompeted them for resources.

Dr Mayr said: 'One of the notable features of penguin evolution is the occurrence of very large species in the early Cenozoic whose body size greatly exceeded that of the largest living penguins.'

The Cenozoic is from 66 million years ago - when the dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid - to the present day.

Dr Mayr said: 'Here we describe a new giant species from the late Paleocene of New Zealand that documents the very early evolution of large body size in penguins.

'Kumimanu biceae is larger than all other fossil penguins that have substantial skeletal portions preserved.'

You may think of penguins as small creatures, but a new study reveals that one species was once as big as the average male. Scientists have discovered a species of giant penguin that lived 60 million years ago, and stood at 5ft 8ins (1.77 metres) tall

The humerus (left) and a bone from the shoulder girdle (right) of the Paleocene giant penguin Kumimanu biceae, compared to the corresponding bones of one of the largest fossil penguins known to date (Pachydyptes ponderosus from the Eocene in New Zealand) and those of an Emperor Penguin (Aptendodytes forsteri)

The study suggests giant penguins evolved independently and early in their existence - soon after the bird's evolutionary transition from flight to diving.

Dr Mayr said: 'That a penguin rivaling the largest previously known species existed in the Paleocene suggests gigantism in penguins arose shortly after these birds became flightless divers.'

As well as the thigh-bone, the researchers also found three wing-bones, the shoulder-blade, the breast-bone, a leg-bone, part of the pelvis, and three vertebrae.

The finding adds to evidence the evolution of penguins started much earlier than previously thought, during the age of the dinosaurs.

It has been proposed feeding competition with marine mammals played a role in the extinction of giant penguins and other very large wing-propelled diving birds along with competition with gregarious seals for safe breeding.

Dr Mayr said: 'The disappearance of giant penguins indeed coincides with the rise of marine mammals, that is, whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals, but the exact causes and mechanisms of a competitive replacement remain poorly understood.

It was almost twice as tall and more than triple the weight of the Emperor (two pictured with their chick) - the largest modern penguin which can grow to 3ft 3ins (1 metre) and tip the scales at 66lbs (30 kilograms)

The remains were found on New Zealand's Hampden Beach, not far from Dunedin

'In any case, the evolution of penguins appears to have been strongly influenced by non-avian vertebrates.'

The extinction of the dinosaurs and larger marine predators and dinosaurs could have been the ecological driver for the loss of flight capabilities in the earliest penguins.

But the rise of marine mammals appears to have wiped out giant penguins, he added.
From babysitting children to beating the world champion at Go, robots are slowly but surely developing more and more advanced capabilities.

And many scientists, including Professor Stephen Hawking, suggest it may only be a matter of time before machines gain consciousness.

In a new article for The Conversation, Professor Subhash Kak, Regents Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oklahoma State University explains the possible consequences if artificial intelligence gains consciousness.

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In a new article for The Conversation, Professor Subhash Kak explains the possible consequences if artificial intelligence gains consciousness. Pictured is a scene from Terminator in which robots threaten to take over the world

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. Advertisement

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?

Professor Kak said: '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' (stock image)

MIND AND SELF-ORGANISING SYSTEMS It is possible that the phenomenon of consciousness requires a self-organising 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. Advertisement

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.

Professor Kak said: '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'

WILL ROBOTS GET AWAY WITH WAR CRIMES? If a robot unlawfully kills someone in the heat of battle, who is liable for the death? In a report by the Human Rights Watch in 2016, they highlighted the rather disturbing answer: no one. The organisation says that something must be done about this lack of accountability - and it is calling for a ban on the development and use of 'killer robots'. Called 'Mind the Gap: The Lack of Accountability for Killer Robots,' their report details the hurdles of allowing robots to kill without being controlled by humans. 'No accountability means no deterrence of future crimes, no retribution for victims, no social condemnation of the responsible party,' said Bonnie Docherty, senior Arms Division researcher at the HRW and the report's lead author. Advertisement

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 Howe's 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.

SHOULD KILLER ROBOTS BE BANNED? A report by Human Rights Watch and the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic calls for humans to remain in control over all weapons systems at a time of rapid technological advances. It says that requiring humans to remain in control of critical functions during combat, including the selection of targets, saves lives and ensures that fighters comply with international law. 'Machines have long served as instruments of war, but historically humans have directed how they are used,' said Bonnie Docherty, senior arms division researcher at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. 'Now there is a real threat that humans would relinquish their control and delegate life-and-death decisions to machines.' Some have argued in favor of robots on the battlefield, saying their use could save lives. But last year, more than 1,000 technology and robotics experts  including scientist Stephen Hawking, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak  warned that such weapons could be developed within years, not decades. In an open letter, they argued that if any major military power pushes ahead with development of autonomous weapons, 'a global arms race is virtually inevitable, and the endpoint of this technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow.' According to the London-based organization Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, the United States, China, Israel, South Korea, Russia, and Britain are moving toward systems that would give machines greater combat autonomy. Advertisement

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.
U.S. ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc on Tuesday launched its service in Toronto, the first international market for the rival of much larger Uber Technologies Inc .

Lyft is moving outside the United States as Uber faces investigations by governments around the world over its cover up of a massive 2016 data breach.

'Canada, theres a new ride in town  Lyft is now live across the GTA!' the firm said.

Ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc said on Monday it would launch its service in Toronto, marking the first international expansion for the U.S.-based rival of Uber Technologies Inc. A stock image is pictured

LYFT AND GOOGLE US ridesharing giant Lyft revealed in October it has received a $1 billion investment from Google's parent company, Alphabet. Lyft and Alphabet already have a relationship through a partnership Lyft struck with Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car unit, in May. The two companies are collaborating on bringing autonomous vehicle technology to market, but have not provided many details. Spokespeople for Lyft and Alphabet have said the latest investment will not have any bearing on the Waymo partnership. Alphabet also has ties to Uber through its second investment arm, GV. GV invested in Uber in 2013, but then Uber began to develop autonomous cars and compete directly with Alphabet. Advertisement

'Wherever youre headed, we believe it matters how you get there.

'So, from Queen St. downtown, up north in Newmarket, and all the way from Burlington to Bowmanville, if youre in the Greater Toronto Area  weve got your ride.'

Lyft raised $1 billion in October, in a financing round led by CapitalG, the growth investment fund of Alphabet Inc and in September hired an initial public offering advisory firm.

Ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc said earlier this month it would launch its service in Toronto, marking the first international expansion for the U.S.-based rival of Uber Technologies Inc.

'Before you know it, Lyft will be coming to you live in Toronto,' the company said in a blogpost, without giving a launch date.

Lyft is crossing into Canada at a time when rival Uber has opted out of operating in Quebec, Canada's second-most populous province, to avoid following tough new regulations for drivers.

While the firm hasn't revealed exactly when the service will hit the streets of Toronto, the blog post says 'Lyft will be around to help ring in the holidays.'

Lyft raised $1 billion in October, in a financing round led by CapitalG, the growth investment fund of Alphabet Inc and had in September hired an initial public offering advisory firm.

Last week, Lyft's rival Uber revealed competition between the two firms is driving losses in the US.

According to Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, the ride-sharing firm will continue to lose money in its home market for at least the next six months.

Where Lyft will go: This is the firm's coverage area for its first international service

The claims came during Khosrowshahi's first public comments since taking the top job at Uber two months ago.

'The U.S. is very, very competitive right now between us and Lyft, so I don't see the U.S. as being a particularly profitable market for the next six months,' said Khosrowshahi, who made the comments at the New York Times DealBook conference in New York, which was also streamed online.

A spokesman confirmed that Uber will be unprofitable overall, although some cities may break even.

Khosrowshahi was tapped to run Uber in August after leading travel-booking site Expedia Inc for 12 years and is expected to bring a less abrasive approach than his predecessor, Travis Kalanick.

On Thursday, he described progress in talks with regulators in London, who in September refused to renew Uber's operating license.Last week, Lyft's rival Uber revealed competition between the two firms is driving losses in the US.

Lyft is crossing into Canada at a time when rival Uber has opted out of operating in Quebec, Canada's second-most populous province, to avoid following tough new regulations for drivers. Stock image

Uber has often said its heavy losses were necessary to establish itself in new markets.

But the lack of profits in its home market, where it has been operating for eight years, and others such as Southeast Asia, raise questions about the company's business model, which relies on heavily subsidizing both riders and drivers to keep prices low using the billions of dollars in venture capital the company has raised.

Khosrowshahi's comments are also a testament to Lyft's growth.

The smaller ride service, which started in 2012 and only operates in the United States, has expanded to more than 350 cities across 41 states this year and last month raised $1 billion in a financing round led by Alphabet Inc.

Last week, Lyft's rival Uber revealed competition between the two firms is driving losses in the US. Dara Khosrowshahi made the comments at the New York Times DealBook conference in New York

For a brief period last year, Uber was profitable in the United States and Canada, the company said.

Khosrowshahi outlined the challenges in Southeast Asia, where Uber has had to spend heavily to compete with local ride services Ola and Grab.

'The economics of that market are not what we want them to be,' Khosrowshahi said. 'I think it's over-capitalized at this point.

'We're going in, and we're leaning forward.

'But I'm not optimistic that that market is going to be profitable any time soon.'

But he dismissed the prospect of further consolidation similar to the merger deals Uber struck with competitors in China and Russia. In Britain and Brazil, prospects are brightening.
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Santa and his reindeers certainly have their work cut out over the festive season.

But this year Heathrow Airport will be offering a huge amount of help, because according to its number-crunchers, itll be processing a record-breaking volume of Christmas goods, from salmon to calendars.

Its cargo officials predict it'll process 143million kilograms of seasonal exports to non-EU destinations between November 24 and December 25, a record to date. A spokesperson said: 'We are expecting to beat last years figures because we have grown cargo each month this year so recent trends should hold.'

Record-breaking: Heathrow expects to process 143million kg of seasonal goods to non-EU destinations before Christmas

The airports data from 2016 shows that its salmon, Christmas lights, lobsters, calendars and dried flowers that are the most popular festive goods to send.

Between November and December 2016, 27,467kg of Christmas lighting sets were loaded into the bellies of planes at Heathrow - up from an average of 7,203kg/month from January to October.

The amount of frozen lobster the airport handled was 443,146kg - up from an average of 163,312kg/month from January to October.

Calendars were popular items to post, too. In total 31,316kg-worth of these passed through the hub, up from an average of 3,382kg/month from January to October.

The airports data from 2016 shows that its salmon, books, lights, lobsters, calendars and dried flowers that are the most popular festive goods to send

Between November and December 2016, 27,467kg of Christmas lighting sets were loaded into the bellies of planes at Heathrow - up from an average of 7,203kg/month from January to October

There was a blossoming of dried flower packages, too, with many sent to help friends and relatives decorate. In total 310,677kg-worth passed through, up from an average of 109,796kg/month from January to October.

Salmon was the most popular export to non-EU destinations overall by weight in November and December 2016, though, with 6,070,000kg of this type of fish (equivalent to approximately 480 new London Routemaster buses) recorded as flying through.

Exports of books were the second most popular commodity  with a recorded 4,834,000kg going through last year (or approximately 382 new London Routemaster buses).

Heathrows 2016 data also reveals the top five destinations exports reached.

The most popular was the United States (15.31million kg), followed by China (6.20million kg), the UAE (3.77million kg), Australia (3.36million kg) and Hong Kong (2.77million kg).

Salmon was the most popular export to non-EU destinations overall by weight in November and December 2016, with 6,070,000kg of this type of fish (equivalent to approximately 480 new London Routemaster buses) recorded as flying through

Exports of books were the second most popular commodity  with a recorded 4,834,000kg going through last year (or approximately 382 new London Routemaster buses)

This year's epic forecast comes after Heathrow saw a record 290,340,803 kilograms of exports from January to October  an 8.5 per cent increase from the same period in 2016.

These exports are worth an astounding 39.62billion.

Nick Platts, Head of Cargo at Heathrow Airport, said: 'Heathrow is at its busiest at Christmas  and this year, we not only expect record numbers of passengers to fly through, but also a record amount of cargo to be flown in the holds under their feet.

'Santa may still have the claim on the most deliveries on Christmas Eve, but for the months before it, Heathrow is doing its bit to export our British Christmas across the world.'

THE TOP EXPORT COMMODITIES BY WEIGHT IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2016 ITEM WEIGHT IN TONNES

SALMON

BOOKS

VEHICLE AND PARTS

AIRCRAFT AND PARTS

MILK, CREAM, YOGHURT

MEDICATIONS

FOOD PREPARATIONS

TROUT

NEWSPAPERS

DRESSES 6,070

4,834

2,209

2,140

1,348

1,180

1,059

944

735

504




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A hotel is toasting its Guinness World Record for an unbeatable selection of 1,031 whiskies.

The Glenesk Hotel, in the village of Edzell, Angus, has something for every taste and budget in its collection.

And, impressively, the world-beating figure is just part of an array which, boosted by owner Dylan Wrens personal stock, tops 2,500 bottles.

Heady: The Glenesk Hotel, in the village of Edzell, Angus, has something for every taste and budget in its collection

Pricey: The most expensive option is a 25-year-old Lagavulin, which costs customers a staggering 248 per dram

Some of the rare whiskies that are on sale at the hotel

The whiskies include malts from every working distillery in Scotland and many hard-to-find bottles, including the bars most expensive - a 25-year-old Lagavulin, with a not-to-be-sniffed-at price tag of 248 per dram.

Guinness World Records has officially acknowledged that the Glenesk has the most varieties of whisky commercially available.

The record had been held since 2005 by businessman Forbes Robertson, who had 800 varieties available at his Millionayr Casino, in Ayr.

But, when Mr Wren bought the Glenesk Hotel five years ago, his already-extensive collection began expanding into title-holder material.

Operations manager Samuel Allen said: 'When he moved in he wanted to install the whisky bar, mostly as an attraction for our own guests but also as a way of showing how hugely important whisky is for the country.

'A hotel really should be part of the community and we just wanted to scream and shout about whisky, so the world record happened a bit by accident.'

By the time the Glenesk began to think about going for the record, the hotel realised it was well past the 800 benchmark.

Allen added: 'We have just had the record confirmed in the past few days, so we are really pleased. Its a passion for Dylan, but is also very important to everyone here at the hotel.'

Connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike can also browse the bars two huge whisky bibles, in which every bottle is logged, along with tasting notes to enjoy the dram in their hand to the full.

While some whiskies in the Glenesk collection are well-travelled, many come from far closer to home. Brechins Glencadam distillery just a few miles away holds a special place and the bar has an array of the companys malts, including rarities.

The only distillery in Angus, Glencadam, first opened in 1825. Although it was closed in 2000, production restarted after the distillery was bought by Angus Dundee Distillers in 2003.

A Tomintoul 33-year-old has also proved another favourite at the Glenesk, with the same vintage from the Port Ellen distillery on Islay - of which little over a couple of hundred bottles were produced - another talking point.
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Late-night bus travel is set to be transformed thanks to the 'snoozeliner', which is set to hit British roads next year.

Bleary-eyed revellers and weary shift workers could soon be taken home in the early hours on an ultra-luxurious night bus fitted with beds, memory foam mattresses and sleep-inducing scents.

It is hoped the late night shuttles will operate eight routes across four UK cities including London, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham from Autumn 2018.

An artist's impression of what the new snoozeliner buses will look like. They will see bleary-eyed party-goers and shift workers taken home on a luxurious bus

Each bus will be fitted with 14 discreet futuristic pods and stewards will be on hand to wake passengers up before they reach their destination so they don't miss their stop.

The buses, dreamt up by mattress brand Simba, have been in development for four months, and Surrey-based Andersson-Wood architects has been working on its design.

Simba plan to fit USB chargers and Wi-Fi to every bus, as well as a valuables storage system.

Revolutionary software will enable passengers to tap in their stop when they board so stewards know when to wake them up.

Early computer-generated images of the vehicles reveal a striking vertical forest air purifying system and calming plants.

The cutting-edge sleep pods are being trialled with sound-isolating treatments and acoustic black-out blinds, together with a recessed amber light-therapy system.

Each bus will be fitted with 14 discreet futuristic pods and stewards will be on hand to wake passengers up before they reach their destination

Each booth will also feature a console offering a choice of soothing scent infusions recognised by aromatherapists for their sleep-inducing or hangover-busting properties as well as individual recessed sanitised shoe drawers and coat storage.

The mattress-maker is also in talks with a food delivery service to provide an advanced on-board system that will cleverly track your route, so you and your takeaway arrive home at the same time.

Unlimited free mineral water, with coffee and specially-selected smoothies will also be available on board.

The pods come complete with a memory foam mattress, sleep-inducing scents as well as unlimited free water, coffee and smoothies

The cutting-edge sleep pods are being trialled with sound isolating treatments and acoustic black out blinds

DREAMY: SNOOZELINER FEATURES 14 cutting-edge sleep pods Tap in your stop and a steward will wake you to disembark Individual revitalizer kit containing vitamin C and liver-cleansing milk thistle. USB charger and WiFi Valuables storage Individual recessed sanitised shoe drawer and coat storage WC Luxury Simba hybrid mattress, duvet, pillow, silk eye mask and noise-cancelling headphones Each booth offers a choice of soothing scent infusions recognized by aromatherapists for their sleep-inducing or hangover-busting properties The cutting-edge sleep pods are being trialled with sound isolating treatments and acoustic black-out blinds, together with a recessed amber light-therapy system Sustainable living walls featuring cleansing and nourishing peace lily, snake plant and Boston ferns Advertisement

It comes as a research shows a resounding 94 per cent of British workers have grabbed 40 winks on their commute in the past, and 45 per cent have dozed off on the way to or from a night out.

James Cox, CEO of high-tech sleep brand Simba, said: 'New research shows we doze off on public transport 27 times a year and are at our most sleep-deprived in December.

'Deciding to grab 40 winks on public transport can be an inconvenience on your time and wallet, and no one likes the feeling of being woken by another passenger as your stop rushes by, or shaken awake as the train reaches the end of the line miles from home.

'We think exhausted commuters deserve better, and we hope the Simba snoozeliners can serve as a much-needed service to the bed-craving masses of the UKs biggest cities.'
A stunning shot of an orangutan crossing an Indonesia river has been named the winner of a prestigious nature photography award.

The shot, by Singapore photographer Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan, was selected as the winner of the 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest. He has won $10,000 and will have his winning image published in an upcoming issue of National Geographic magazine and featured on the @NatGeo Instagram account.

Mr Bojan captured the dramatic image while wading in five feet of water in the Sekoyner River in Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo. And after being announced as the winner, he said: 'Honestly, sometimes you just go blind when things like this happen. Youre so caught up. You really dont know whats happening.

'You dont feel the pain, you dont feel the mosquito bites, you dont feel the cold, because your mind is completely lost in whats happening in front of you.' The contest also saw awards handed out in four different categories - landscapes, underwater, wildlife and aerials.

Karim Iliya of Haiku, Hawaii, won first place in the landscapes category for a mesmerising photo from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Jim Obester of Vancouver, won first place in the underwater category for an incredible photo of an anemone and Todd Kennedy of New South Wales, Australia, won first place in the aerials category for a photo of a rock pool in Sydney at high tide.

These are the eye-popping winners.
Cosagach  an old Scottish word which describes the feeling of being snug, sheltered or cosy  has been identified as a new trend for 2018.

VisitScotland believes it could even rival the in-vogue Danish concept of 'hygge', which describes cosiness that brings about a feeling of contentment.

The rise of cosagach up the trendy scale was identified by the national tourism organisation in its 'Trends paper'.

Cosagach  an old Scottish word which describes the feeling of being snug, sheltered or cosy  has been identified as a new trend for 2018

Referring to Cosagach, the paper says: 'With tranquil seascapes, vast open spaces and many warm and welcoming pubs, Scotland is a perfect place for your well-being.'

That feeling of well-being also forms the basis for another trend, 'Wellness', VisitScotland claims, where visitors seek escapism from technology and their fast-paced lives in tourism-related activities, to recharge their mind and body.

The report also issues a warning, though  that Scotland could lose its reputation as a friendly nation due to overcrowding problems at tourist hot spots.

Popular visitor sites including Edinburgh, Orkney and Skye have struggled to cope with record numbers of tourists descending on the areas over the past year.

Residents on Skye, pictured, have called calling for urgent help to deal with overcrowding after a surge in tourism led to too many visitors at some of the island's most famous beauty spots, which include Neist Point Lighthouse, pictured

The report has warned that the issue needs to be addressed to avoid a backlash from local residents living in the areas and the prospect of 'tourist curfews'.

Residents on Skye have called for urgent help to deal with overcrowding after a surge in tourism led to too many visitors at some of the island's most famous beauty spots.

Islanders complain their single-track roads are being choked with camper vans, tour buses and cars.

The problem is most acute at Skye's most famous spots, particularly at the Fairy Pools - a series of vivid green and blue pools and waterfalls in Glen Brittle - and Neist Point Lighthouse.

The Orkney Islands, which has a population of 20,000, had more than 120,000 visitors this summer as it has become a popular stop-off for cruise ships.

Edinburgh residents have also complained that visitors to the annual Fringe festival cause an increase in traffic jams and anti-social behaviour.
Bauer Media is the powerhouse magazine publisher behind glossy publications such as Women's Weekly, Woman's Day and Cosmopolitan.

And according to a new report published by Confidential on Tuesday, 'several luxury wardrobe and beauty products have vanished from one of its departments.'

The publication states that 'staff are yet to be questioned' over the incident.

'Staff are yet to be questioned': Shock claims that valuable items have VANISHED from Bauer Media's Sydney office

'The matter is an internal matter being reviewed and it has not been confirmed that there is any suggestion of theft or otherwise,' the spokeswoman told Confidential yesterday.

A source who works for Bauer at their famous Park Street offices in the heart of Sydney, told the publication that the beauty products had been 'fleeced'.

Additionally, the source claimed that items from the clothing is also unaccounted for.

According to Confidential 'at least some of the [missing] products were borrowed from Myer so they could be photographed for the print magazine Myer Emporium'.

Famous offices: Powerhouse publisher Bauer Media has offices on Sydney's Park Street

The department store giant hired Bauer to produce the magazine for them- however, the magazine has now ceased publication after being 'axed' by the media company just weeks ago.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to both Bauer Media and Myer for comment.

The exact figure of the missing products has not been disclosed.

Cuts: According to a report on Mumbrella published on November 22, Bauer axed four extra magazines in addition to Myer Emporium

According to a report on Mumbrella published on November 22, Bauer axed four extra magazines in addition to Myer Emporium.

Last year, Bauer famously ceased publishing iconic women's magazine, Cleo, which had been in circulation for 44 years.

The media company has been in the headlines in recent months after Rebel Wilson sued its magazine Woman's Day for defamation.

Bauer are currently the $4.56 million the actress was awarded in court.
They confirmed on Monday that they were expecting a little brother or sister for their three-year-old son Teddy.

And Adam Thomas and his wife Caroline beamed with delight on Tuesday, as she showed off her baby bump for the first time in a sweet family photo shoot with OK! magazine.

Despite their excitement however, the blonde admitted her second pregnancy had been far more traumatic than the first - and even saw her put on a drip in hospital, after suffering constant nausea and dramatic weight loss.

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Baby number two: Adam Thomas and his wife Caroline beamed with delight on Tuesday, as she showed off her baby bump for the first time in a sweet family photo shoot with OK!

The pair could not contain their joy as they posed for the magazine - with Caroline sweetly cradling her blossoming baby bump in a form-fitting black dress.

With Adam wrapping one arm around his wife, and holding sweet son Teddy in the other, the trio looked the picture perfect family as they expressed their excitement about their new arrival with the magazine.

However, Caroline did reveal she had been struggling with her second pregnancy, and even ended up in hospital after enduring intense bouts of nausea.

Secret battle: However, Caroline did reveal she had been struggling with her second pregnancy, and even ended up in hospital after enduring intense bouts of nausea

She explained: 'I felt totally fine during my pregnancy with Teddy, but this time around Ive been so sick.

'At one point it got so bad that I ended up in hospital. I was unable to keep any food or liquid down so I had to be put on a drip.'

Admitting her illness was almost unbearable, she added: 'Ive never known anything like it, I was constantly being sick and I lost nearly a stone in weight.

Delighted: The pair are already proud parents to three-year-old Teddy - but Caroline revealed her second pregnancy had been much worse, causing her constant nausea

The pair announced they were expecting their second child earlier this week - and confessed they were convinced their unborn tot was conceived on their wedding night.

He said: 'We always wanted another baby but we werent planning for it to happen so soon after getting married. We conceived on our wedding night!'

Already thinking ahead, Adam added: 'If its a boy, I like the name Paddington. Teddy likes the name too.'

Excitement: The pair announced they were expecting their second child earlier this week - and confessed they were convinced their unborn tot was conceived on their wedding night

However, Caroline admitted she's not keen on proposed forename but insisted its difficult to find a moniker not associated with her students.

While Caroline admitted it would be nice for their son to have a brother and to experience the close bond Adam has with his siblings Scott and Ryan, the actor revealed he would 'probably cry' if he finds out they are having a girl.

He shared: 'Im convinced we are having another boy so it will be quite overwhelming if I find out we are having a daughter. Being a dad to a girl would be a lovely experience.'

Ideas: The soap star, who jokingly tweeted today 'I hope it's mine' - admitted he even has a name picked out inspired by a certain fictional bear

Emotional: And while Caroline admitted it would be nice for their son to have a brother, the actor revealed he would 'probably cry' if he finds out they are having a girl

Read more: Read the full story in this week's OK! Magazine - out today

In September, the couple spoke about their fairytale wedding and Adam said that it was the moment he knew he would be with her 'forever'.

The pair tied the knot in the Cheshire countryside in August, after nine years together.

Meanwhile, the star is appearing in panto in Manchester this winter and said he couldn't wait to get out of his 'comfort zone' on This Morning last month.

Adam - who appeared on 2016's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! - was leaving Emmerdale and his character Adam Barton behind after eight years on the show.

'Go and get your tickets now, they're running out!', he exclaimed, adding, 'Holly and Phil will be there, you can meet them!'

Adam - whose twin brother is Love Island 2016 star Scott Thomas and whose brother is Corrie veteran Ryan Thomas - also discussed his older sibling's new role in Neighbours.

He said of Ryan's Australian adventure: 'I'm so jealous, he's living it up in the sun... and I'm in Emmerdale! It's his first time in Australia, he's a little tourist.'

The cheeky chappie turned the table on Holly and Phil during the interview, asking them whether they would take part in I'm A Celebrity.

'I would do it, absolutely', Phil declared, prompting a surprised Holly to say, 'You have to do it!'
She accidentally confessed her true feelings to her ex-boyfriend Steve Hale as he prepared to marry his fiancee.

And now it seems like D.J. Tanner's heart is torn in the upcoming third season of Fuller House.

D.J., played by Candace Cameron-Bure, is seen being proposed to by her boyfriend Matt Harmon (John Brotherton) as her high school sweetheart Steve (Scott Weinger) watches while hiding in the bushes in a new trailer for the Netflix series.

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Will she say yes? D.J. Tanner, played by Candace Cameron Bure, is seen being proposed to by her boyfriend Matt Harmon as her ex Steve watched in horror in the bushes

Stunned: Steve couldn't believe his eyes as he watched D.J. get proposed to

CJ gazed down at her boyfriend as he dropped to one knee, though her answer was left a mystery.

'What if DJ was going to pick me?' Steve speculated. 'This could be our wedding,' he mused.

The pair are seen exchanging awkward glances as they stand beside a pond before D.J. is seen leaping into a waterfall as Steve stands helpless nearby.

Season three not only see the Tanners travel to Japan, but talks of expanding the family.

Torn? D.J. and Steve exchanged awkward glances as they stood by a pond

Making a run for it: D.J. pushes Steve out of the way to take a major leap

Taking the plunge! Tanner leaps off a waterfall as a helpless Steve watches

Just the girls: The ladies embrace each other

'The odds are less than fifty percent this could work!' Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin) tells Kimmy Gibler (Andrea Barber) as they soak in a hot tub.

'My oven is pre-heated and easy bake,' Kimmy declares. 'We're getting pregnant!'

Season three of Fuller House will return to Netflix on December 22.

Based on the wildly popular 90s sitcom Full House, the upcoming season will see fan favorites Lori Loughlin, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, and John Stamos return to their roles.

The revival focuses on D.J. and her friends as they raise her children in their iconic San Francisco abode.

'We're getting pregnant!' Kimmy declares to Stephanie as they soak in a hot tub

Let's get this show on the road! Season three sees the Tanners travel to Tokyo, where Steve is set to tie the knot with his girlfriend D.J.
Lindy Klim welcomed her fourth child Goldie just days ago.

And the fashion designer's fiance, property developer Adam Ellis has jumped right into the role of proud, doting dad.

The 39-year-old took to her Instagram Story to share a few snaps and short clips showing her British beau in action as her friend, fashion designer Toni Maticevski visited the family, on Monday.

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Proud as punch! Lindy Klim's fiance, property developer Adam Ellis (seen right) has jumped right into the role of proud, doting dad as her friend, fashion designer Toni Maticevski (seen left) visited the family, on Monday

A short clip shows Adam holding his daughter in his lap with Toni next to him and cooing over the newborn.

Lindy captioned the footage: 'Two men and a baby...'

Earlier the Balinese Princess captured the Melbourne-based designer's arrival, showing him greet the little who was fast asleep in her stylish cot.

He showed off a cheeky smile as she quietly exclaimed: 'Look, Uncle Toni's in the house!'

Hello there! The 39-year-old captured the Melbourne-based designer's arrival, showing him greet the little who was fast asleep in her stylish cot. He showed off a cheeky smile as she quietly exclaimed: 'Look, Uncle Toni's in the house!'

How sweet! Lindy followed the video up with a snap of him cradling Goldie in his arms as her daughter Frankie sweetly kissed the bub on her forehead

Lindy followed the video up with a snap of him cradling Goldie in his arms as her daughter Frankie sweetly kissed the bub on her forehead.

This comes after the new parents recently brought home the bub, which the statuesque model documented on her Instagram story.

The overjoyed new mum and relaxed partner Adam even joked about his very first 'dad pack'.

Little princess: Lindy Klim welcomed her fourth child Goldie just days ago

Baby bundle: Balinese princess Lindy Klim has shared to her Instagram of herself and partner, British property developer Adam Ellis, taking their newborn daughter Goldie around Melbourne

'Looking very proud,' Lindy says as she approaches their silver Lexus 4WD.

'My first dad pack,' Adam responds, with both of them looking at their disheveled car boot.

'Very first dad pack ... Brilliant,' Lindy laughs.

Dad pack: Balinese princess Lindy Klim and partner Adam Ellis joked as he struggled to get their newborn, Goldie, around Melbourne

The former catwalk model spent the weekend besotted with her new daughter, releasing a number of tender photographs with the baby and her other children; daughters Stella, 11, and Frankie, 6, as well as a son, Rocco, 9, whom she shares with ex Michael Klim.

The former catwalk model has strong royal ties, with her uncle being the King of Denpasar and her late father Oak Rama, being a Balinese prince.

Since the newborn was birthed into the royal blood line, it is thought she will be bestowed a title from the kingdom.
She recently dubbed him an 'extraordinary and special' man who had 'shaken up' her life since they began dating in 2015.

And Richard Gere certainly looked as smitten as ever with his stunning Spanish girlfriend Alejandra Silva, as they cosied up on the red carpet on Tuesday.

The Pretty Woman actor, 68, beamed as he held hands with the publicist, 34, at the premiere of his new film The Dinner at the Capitol cinema in Madrid.

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Cute couple: Richard Gere looked as smitten as ever with his stunning Spanish girlfriend Alejandra Silva, as they cosied up at the Madrid premiere of his new film The Dinner on Tuesday

The actor, who was lusted after by millions in his Hollywood heyday, proved he hadn't lost his heartthrob status as he arrived in a dapper tuxedo.

The father-of-one didn't seem shy about flaunting his love for Alejandra, tightly holding her hand and smiling at her as they posed for the cameras.

The Spanish PR guru turned activist looked chic in a fit and flare printed dress tamed with vertiginous strappy platform sandals.

Styling her honey-hued locks in polished waves, Alejandra - who has a son from a previous marriage - framed her pretty features with muted make-up.

Alejandra also caught the eye due to the dazzling diamond ring on her wedding finger - although Richard's representative told MailOnline they are not engaged.

Sweet moment: The Pretty Woman actor, 68, beamed as he held hands with the publicist, 34

Packing on the PDA: The father-of-one didn't seem shy about flaunting his love for Alejandra, tightly holding her hand and smiling at her as they posed for the cameras

The pair appeared to be in great spirits at the premiere for The Dinner - a mysterious and dramatic thriller takes a look at how far parents will go to protect their children based on a novel by Herman Koch.

Richard stars opposite Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloe Sevigny in the hotly-anticipated drama.

The actor confirmed his relationship with Alejandra at the Taormina Film Festival in June 2015.

It's believed the duo were seeing one another for at least a year before going public with their romance at the film festival last year.

Stylish: The Spanish PR guru turned activist looked chic in a fit and flare printed dress tamed with vertiginous strappy platform sandals

Glam: Styling her honey-hued locks in polished waves, Alejandra - who has a son from a previous marriage - framed her pretty features with muted make-up

Alejandra recently gushed that she loved Richard with 'all my heart' as she wished him a happy 68th birthday.

Sharing a snap of the duo together, she wrote: 'Today we celebrate your day, Happy birthday to my precious one!

'So grateful to have you in my life, extraordinary and special human being, you have shaken my life, making me see what is really important. Undeniable! love you with all my heart.  #happybirthday #aspecialday #loveyou.'

Alejandra, a successful PR guru turned activist, is the daughter of the former Vice president of Real Madrid.

Having attended Leweston School in Dorset, Kent, Alejandra is described in local press as a regular among Madrid's glitterati.

Still got it: The actor, who was lusted after by millions in his Hollywood heyday, proved he hadn't lost his heartthrob status as he arrived in a dapper tuxedo

Happy: The twice-divorced actor confirmed his relationship with Alejandra at the Taormina Film Festival in June 2015

Big night: The pair appeared to be in great spirits at the premiere for The Dinner - a mysterious and dramatic thriller takes a look at how far parents will go to protect their children based on a novel by Herman Koch

She is reported as being the estranged wife of Govind Friedland, the son of American mining magnate Robert Friedland. Together the pair have a young son, Albert.

Meanwhile, Richard finalized his divorce to former model Carey Lowell last October.

The actress filed for divorce in 2012 after 10 years of marriage. Though it has taken them four years to end their dispute, they had settled custody matters for their son Homer, 17, quickly.

Richard and Carey welcomed their son Homer in year 2000 and two years later wed.

Former flames: Meanwhile, Richard finalized his divorce to former model Carey Lowell last October. Pictured in 2013

It's over: The actress filed for divorce in 2012 after 10 years of marriage. Though it has taken them four years to end their dispute, they had settled custody matters for their son Homer, 17, quickly. Seen in 2012

His only wife before Carey was model Cindy Crawford who he was married to from 1991 until 1995. She is now married to Rande Gerber and has two children.

Cindy previously opened up about why their marriage failed, admitting the age gap was a problem.

'I just think your twenties, for women, is such a time when you're starting to come into your own and feel your own power and connect to your inner strength,' Cindy said on Oprah's Master Class.

'And it's hard to do that, it's hard to change in a relationship, because what one person might have signed up for, all of a sudden, you're not that anymore,' said the supermodel about her relationship to the Pretty Woman actor.

The couple met when she was only 21, and the relationship suffered as she came into her own in the following years.

In the past: His only wife before Carey was model Cindy Crawford who he was married to from 1991 until 1995. She is now married to Rande Gerber and has two children

Connections: The couple met when she was only 21 during a barbecue at the famed photographer Herb Ritts' house in 1987. Seen in 1994

'I think I was more willing at 22 to be, like, "Okay, I'll follow," but then you start going, "Well, I don't want to just follow, I want to lead sometimes and I want to walk side by side sometimes,"' said the brunette beauty.

Cindy met the handsome actor during a barbecue at the famed photographer Herb Ritts' house in 1987.

'There were a lot of really cool people there. I was like, "Wow! Jack Nicholson!"' said the mother of two. 'It was still all new to me.'

She and the Officer And A Gentleman actor wasted no time in getting serious

'We pretty much started dating right away,' she said. 'When I was with him, that's when I was becoming well-known as well.'

The celebrity couple got hitched four years later - she was 26 and he was 42 - but the marriage didn't last long, and the childless pair divorced in 1995.
Jennifer Mercer, executive director for the past six years of the Historic Billings Depot, announced Tuesday she will leave her job by March 2018.

According to a news release from The Depots board of directors, the board will begin searching immediately for Mercers successor. She will stay on during the hiring process to help with the transition.

The Depot, at 2310 Montana Ave., has, along with other properties in the neighborhood, experienced major revitalization in the past few years. The Polar Express, the fundraiser recently concluded at the Depot, was once again sold out.

None of what we have accomplished here at the Depot would be possible without our community coming by our side, Mercer said. Today we have a financially sustainable, thriving place where our community can gather and make memories together.

Directing operations at The Depot has never been a job for me, she said. It truly is a passion to help people remember why keeping our history alive is important.

She said she plans to begin her own job search this week, adding shes excited to work with the next person who will continue to ingrain The Depot into the hearts of our residents and generations to come.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is going to be a dad again.

The Hollywood star and former pro wrestler announced the news via his Instagram on Monday with a little help form his toddler daughter Jasmine.

He posted a photo of the cute two-year-old sitting on the floor in front of a Christmas tree that had a sign on it, reading: 'It's a girl! Can't wait to be a big sister!!! And finally be the boss!'

Adding to the family: Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson enlisted the help of his daughter Jasmine to announce Monday he's going to be a dad again - to another girl

The Rock, who has been promoting his new film Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, expressed his excitement at welcoming another member of the family in the accompanying caption.

'Our Jasmine Lia would like to make a big announcement - ITS A GIRL!' he wrote.

'@laurenhashianofficial and I are boundlessly grateful for this blessing as this spring well welcome our second baby. Plus, Jazzy is excited to boss around and protect her lil sis.'

It's a girl! The Rock, who has been promoting his new film Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, expressed his excitement via Instagram and said he was 'boundlessly grateful'

Expecting: It's the second child for The Rock and Lauren Hashian, pictured at the Oscars in February. the couple have been together since 2006

The star has been with partner Lauren Hashian for a decade and they welcomed Jasmine in 2015.

The Rock also has a 16-year-old daughter Simone with his ex-wife Dany Garcia.

But he clearly doesn't mind being outnumbered by women.

He added in his Insatgram post: 'And once again, big daddy is completely surrounded by beautiful estrogen and loving, powerful female mana.'

'All girls. Only dude. I wouldnt have it any other way,' he added.

All girls: It's the third daughter for the actor who shares daughter Simone, 16, with his ex-wife Dany Garcia. The father and daughter are pictured at the Baywatch premiere in May

Monday was a big day for The rock and his family since he not only announced Lauren is expecting again; daughter Simone was part of the Golden Globes nominations announcement live from Hollywood.

She is the first-ever Golden Globe Ambassador of the upcoming 2018 Golden Globe Awards. The title replaces the previous Miss Golden Globe that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association chooses each year from a pool of celebrity offspring.

Simone will also be a part of the Golden Globes award show on January 7 in Beverly Hills.

Her proud papa also gave a shout out to her on his Instagram, sharing a pic of her from the nominations event.

He wrote: 'What a morning for our ohana! Very proud of my first born @simonegjohnson carrying the torch for our industrys #GoldenGlobes as the first ever #GoldenGlobesAmbassador.'

The Rock went on: 'Im also super impressed this 16yr old got up at 2am this morning to get ready  a full 2hrs before her maniac papa bear dad gets up to workout.'
Sienna Miller feels right at home in New York City.

The Lost City of Z star has been seen all over the chilly city wearing her trademark boho-chic style. On Monday she was spotted wearing multiple layers in the West Village neighborhood.

Miller, who welcomed a daughter with Tom Sturridge in 2012, is in the Big Apple where her former fiance is set to begin shooting the Starz drama Sweetbitter.

Winter chill: Sienna Miller wore multiple layers to stay warm in New York City on Monday

Sienna, 35, looked comfortable in a wide-leg pair of trousers, oversized long coat and striped scarf.

She accessorized with a white pair of sneakers, a newsboy cap and light blue handbag perfect for a day of errands.

The somber star has spent the last few months near Sturridge, who they co-parent like pros. They have both spoken highly of each other as parents and friends how they share custody in the best way possible.

On the go: Sienna kept her look casual for a walk around the neighborhood

It was announced in October that Sturridge joined the cast of the small screen adaptation of the Stephanie Danler novel of the same name. The film is a coming-of-age story about Tess, a 22-year-old waitress who lives in New York City.

The story is based on the author's experience working in restaurants.

Strurridge will play Jake, a bartender who is set to be in a love triangle with Tess (Ella Purnell) and Simone (Caitlin FitzGerald).

So far only Paul Sparks, who plays Howard, the general manager of the restaurant, has been seen on set.

Let's fly: The duo have traveled to be near each other, here in Northern Ireland in 2015

'Everybody will stay over or we'll all go on holiday and that's because we genuinely want to be around each other,' she told Harper's Bazaar.

'It's great for our daughter that she has two parents who love each other and are friends. He's definitely my best friend in the entire world.'

Having his two favorite girls nearby as he begins a new project must be very important for the 31-year-old.
The Bachelor's Corinne Olympios won't be walking in a winter wonderland alone.

Olympios has been dating a Los Angeles realtor Michael Fogel for 'a month or so,' a source told Us Weekly Monday.

The Miami native, 25, earlier this month told the publication that she was 'dating someone' who's 'really cool,' and the relationship was 'going really well.'

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New romance: The Bachelor's Corinne Olympios, 25, (L) is reportedly in a new relationship with real estate professional Michael Fogel (R), who was formerly involved with Farrah Aldjufrie, whose mother is Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards

She added, 'You guys are going to be excited to find out who it is eventually.'

According to the publication, the real estate worker had previously been in a relationship with Farrah Aldjufrie, whose mother is Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards.

Olympios in November explained to the publication what she was looking for in a potential partner - and what she wasn't.

'I just want a guy that will check in with me even if hes having a super-busy day, a guy with a good job who has his s*** together and just gives off good vibes,' Olympios said, adding that she doesn't 'like people that are cocky.

'I have come across so many guys that are just way too into themselves,' she said. 'And it is just a turn off.'

Shining star: Olympios attended the LA premiere of Geostorm in October

Out and about: Corinne was all smiles last month as she was snapped in West Hollywood, California

Following her stab at love on the ABC franchise - in which she was rebuffed by Nick Viall, and involved in a controversy involving DeMario Jackson - Olympios, who hosts the podcast So Random with Corinne, said she was hoping her next relationship could develop in a more conventional manner.

'I just really want to meet someone organically or through a friend,' she said.

Last week, Olympios opened up to People about her new relationship, revealing that she was fixed up through 'a reality TV friend.'

In the limelight: Olympios posed in a white bathrobe earlier this month in Florida

Adorable: Corinne, pictured in LA last month, said that her new boyfriend is caring, supportive and funny

While she stopped short of naming Fogel at the time, she explained why she felt they were so compatible.

'I just think that he is so caring and so supportive of me,' she said. 'Hes also hilarious, which I need. I need someone funny.

'My past relationships they didnt laugh at funny things ... Im really happy about it.'

In the interview, Olympios - who was briefly engaged to an ex for three months earlier this year - said that Fogel embraces her passion for the cartoon character SpongeBob Squarepants.

'Hes okay with me making SpongeBob references and laughing with me about them,' she revealed. 'Past guys Ive dated were like, "Ew. Thats so immature." Its like "Cmon just laugh about it. Be cute for a second. Youre so boring!"'
He's never been shy to tell the world about his deep love for Nicole Kidman.

And Keith Urban, 50, couldn't help but fawn over his talented wife this week after she received a Golden Globes nomination for her role in hit TV drama Big Little Lies.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, the shaggy-haired crooner Tweeted to his ladylove: 'Hey baby- CONGRATULATIONS on all the GLOBES love this morn!!!!!!'

'THE STARS ALIGNED!!!' Keith Urban, 50, couldn't help but fawn over his talented wife this week after she received a Golden Globes nomination for her role in hit TV drama Big Little Lies

Sweet message: Taking to Twitter on Monday, the shaggy-haired crooner Tweeted to his ladylove: 'Hey baby- CONGRATULATIONS on all the GLOBES love this morn!!!!!!'

He went on to gush about the cast of Big Little Lies and Top of the Lake: China Girl- both of which recieved Golden Globe nominations in the category of best TV movie or limited series.

'Incredibly proud of you, the work, and all the BLL and TOTL team. THE STARS ALIGNED!!! Xxxxxx,' he wrote.

Indeed, the high-powered Hollywood actress has enjoyed a stellar 2017, having also scored Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nods for Lion.

Winding down: Meanwhile, Nicole and Keith are gearing up to cap off their big year by returning Down Under for Christmas

Meanwhile, Nicole and Keith are gearing up to cap off their big year by returning Down Under for Christmas.

Speaking with US Weekly, Nicole 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.

'We have a big summer Christmas, which I know sounds bizarre to Americans' the Oscar-winner told the publication.

It's a family affair! Speaking with US Weekly , Nicole 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

'We go back for the heat. We want to be on the beach for Christmas, no snow,' she added.

It's believed Nicole 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.

Returning home for the festive holiday is somewhat of a tradition for Nicole and Keith's family, as the brood also spent last Christmas Down Under.
She's the stunning former Miss Universe Australia winner.

But 29-year-old model mum Rachael Finch traded her heels for skis this week, with a holiday trip to the California snowfields with hunky husband Mike Miziner and their daughter Violet, 3.

Known for her active lifestyle, the Townsville native shared an adorable picture of herself with her excited young daughter to Instagram on Tuesday, happily building their first snowman together.

Former Miss Universe Australia Rachael Finch has shared an adorable photo of her daughter Violet, 3, while on holidays at the California snowfields this week

'Bucket list item,' the slender brunette captioned the photo, adding a tick emoji.

The couple also share a son, Dominic, who was born in March.

The former Celebrity Masterchef contestant has been taking a much deserved break from her busy schedule, with active the mum taking plenty of happy snaps with her young family.

The former Miss Universe Australia winner has been enjoying the California snowfields with hunky husband Mike Miziner

The catwalk queen reminding her fans that it's important to take time out and appreciate the 'present moment.'

'Allowing the mind to let go and focus on nothing but the beauty of the present moment (and perhaps surviving the black ski run),' she wrote, under an image she posted of her husband.

Family time: Model Rachael Finch has been taking a break with her family at the California snowfields where she's posted about the importance of 'staying in the moment'

'Once a year we take this extended time to recharge & discover more about ourselves.'

Earlier this month, the part-Ukrainian beauty credited a range of natural health and beauty supplements for her sought-after look when she chatted to NW magazine.

Rachel said she stocks her kitchen with 'apple cider vinegar, coconut oil and dried nuts,' as well as gruelling interval training and sprints.

'[Sprints] really gets my heart going,' she said.

'We can do this as a family as the kids can play or I can run with Dominic in his stroller.'
They may have a combined age of nearly two centuries but Kirk Douglas and his wife Anne were fighting fit as he rang in his milestone 101st birthday on Saturday.

The Hollywood legend looked healthy and happy as he rang in his special day with his 98-year-old wife of 63 years by his side in Los Angeles, with the happy couple posing for photos in matching wheelchairs underneath a stunning 101 floral wreath.

The Spartacus actor donned a navy blue cardigan and black trousers for his birthday as he joined his actress wife, who was clad in a pastel pink ensemble for the special photo.

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Here's to the next 100! They may have a combined age of nearly two centuries but Kirk Douglas and his wife Anne were fighting fit as he rang in his milestone 101st birthday on Saturday

Glamorous Anne wore her blonde locks in perfectly coiffed waves and sported a light dusting of make-up for the photocall.

The charming stars also walked to the end of their driveway to thank the photographers who extended birthday wishes to the Oscar winning actor.

Speaking about the couple's happy marriage in an interview with Closer Weekly for his 100th birthday Kirk said: 'I was lucky enough to find my soulmate 63 years ago, and I believe our wonderful marriage and our nightly golden hour chats have helped me survive all things.'

Kirk's grandson Dylan Douglas - whose parents are Catherine Zeta-Jones and son Michael Douglas - wasted no time in paying tribute to his famous relative, when he took to Instagram to share a heart-warming snapshot of himself with the star.

Smitten: Speaking about the couple's happy marriage last year Kirk said: 'I was lucky enough to find my soulmate 63 years ago. I believe our wonderful marriage and our nightly golden hour chats have helped me survive all things' (pictured in 1978)

Happy days: The happy star enjoyed a night of fun with his family and friends

Hollywood royalty: Kirk is known for his iconic turn as a rebel slave in Spartacus (1960)

Big celebration: Kirk Douglas' grandson Dylan Douglas took to Instagram to pay tribute to the star, as he marked his 101st birthday on Saturday

Here come the boys: His son was on hand to help him celebrate the milestone birthday

Oh happy days: The group were living it up as the delicious cake was wheeled out

Alongside the image, which showed the 17-year-old lovingly planting a kiss on the cheek of his smiling grandfather, Dylan wrote: 'Happy birthday 101 years and still sexy love you with all my heart Pappy.'

The tribute was one of a number posted on social media by the Spartacus star's decedents, with Dylan's 38-year-old half-brother Cameron Douglas also taking to the photo-sharing app, where he shared a selection of snaps of Kirk spanning decades.

'Heres to 101 years of art, inspiration, and philanthropy...still going strong! Happy Birthday Pappy! #Livinglegend,' wrote the actor, who is expecting the imminent arrival of his daughter with girlfriend Viviane Thibes.

Dylan's mother also paid tribute to her father-in-law on Instagram, sharing a shot of herself hugging the actor as he perched himself on her knee.

Living it up: Stealing a moment away from the party, the blonde beauty posed with the floral arrangements

Make a wish! Sitting beside his wife Anne, the star blew out a single candle on his cake

Snap: Kirk's daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones also shared a snap of herself with him

Time to celebrate: At the bash, Kirk was joined by his sons (L-R) Michael and Joel Douglas

Decorated: The sweet treat was decorated with an array of petals, and his age on the front

The look of love: The happy couple did not leave one another's sides

She wrote: '101 today!!!! My darling Pappy on my knee. Happy Birthday to my wonderful, inspirational and loving father in law, Kirk. Love you with all my heart.'

According to Deadline's Pete Hammond, Kirk's 73-year-old son Michael flew from New York to California especially to join in the festivities - before jetted back to the East Coast in anticipation of becoming a grandfather via Cameron.

While Deadline reports that Michael's wife of 17 years Catherine wasn't able to make to the gathering, it's said that she relied on the wonders of technology to spread good tidings, singing Kirk a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday via FaceTime.

Among the family members also in attendance at the lunchtime bash were Kirk's son Joel - who 'posed for a photo with Michael and Kirk, spelling out 101 with their fingers' - and his actress granddaughter Kelsey Douglas, who is set to turn 25.

Tribute: Cameron Douglas, who is set to imminently become a father, paid tribute to the star

Honoured: Cameron, who is Michael's eldest son, shared a shot of Kirk and his wife Anne Douglas last month, as she was honoured for her work with the homeless

Milestone: Last year, when the star turned 100, his relatives also flooded social media with snapshots of themselves celebrating with the star

And, of course, Anne Douglas, his 98-year-old wife of 63 years, was by his side for the celebration, which attracted the likes of Hollywood power players Ron Meyer and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Last year, Oscar recipient Kirk's 100th birthday was celebrated with a party that was just as much of a hot ticket, with Steven Spielberg expressing his admiration for the silver screen legend in a gushing speech.

'I used to think 100 was a number that was the impossible dream,' he began, before explaining how impressed he was with 'what you have done with your life'.

After reminding Kirk that he was an 'honorary member of the Spielberg family', the movie mogul delivered what was perhaps the ultimate compliment.

A big fan: During Kirk's 100th birthday celebration, film-maker Steven Spielberg had nothing but admiration for the screen legend

'I wanted to come here and say I've been shooting movies and television shows for 47 years now and I've worked with the best of them and you're the only movie star I ever met,' he gushed.

He continued, 'there is something that you have that no one else ever had... When you watch Kirk's performance in anything, in anything he's ever done, you cannot take your eyes off of him. It's not possible to look away from him.'

Spielberg called it an optimistic ferocity and it's something he challenges all his actors to achieve in his films.

'You're a miracle man,' the Raiders Of The Lost Ark director concluded.

Family: Kirk's granddaughter Kelsey Douglas often uploads snaps of herself with her family

Here's to many more years! The star is regularly celebrated on social media by his relatives

He's got the moves: Last year, Dylan took to Instagram to share a video of Kirk dancing away
She appeared the picture of confidence when she stripped to her bikini to shower, during her time in the celebrity jungle.

But I'm A Celebrity champion Georgia Toffolo admitted she had actually smuggled chicken fillets into camp - but accidentally burst them, forcing her to 'embrace her small boobies'.

In new post-jungle interviews on Tuesday, the 23-year-old says she tried to ditch the 'ditzy blonde' stereotype, while confessing that she brought 'no talent' to the jungle line-up.

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Proud: I'm A Celebrity champion Georgia Toffolo admitted she had actually smuggled chicken fillets into camp - but accidentally burst them, forcing her to 'embrace her small boobies'

I did it! The 23-year-old revealed her hilarious plight with the inserts - before gushing of her time on the ITV series, which she won on Sunday night (above)

During her three-week stint on the show, Toff was often seen relaxing in camp in nothing but her bikini - as the designer of her own lingerie collection on the outside world.

While she often shares sizzling scantily-clad snaps to her social media pages, the Made In Chelsea star told The Sun she still had insecurities about her chest, and decided to smuggle chicken fillets into the jungle.

However, things soon went awry when she accidentally lay on top of one, causing it to burst - and her chest to appear uneven.

Helping hand: While she often shares sizzling snaps to social media (above), the star admitted she still had insecurities about her chest, and decided to smuggle chicken fillets into camp

Whoops! However, things soon went awry when she accidentally lay on top of one, causing it to burst - and her chest to appear uneven

Who cares: Yet, in her typically upbeat style, the blonde revealed the mishap actually helped her confidence, stating: 'I've just had to embrace my small boobies!'

Yet, in her typically upbeat style, the blonde revealed the mishap actually helped her confidence, telling the paper: 'I've just had to embrace my small boobies! I doubt I would ever get a boob job when I can buy chicken fillets. It's nothing to be ashamed of.'

Toff's positivity and sense of humour won over viewers and led her to be crowned Queen of the Jungle on Sunday night - despite being the lowest paid star on the line-up, with just a 13,000 salary.

Her co-star Jennie McAlpine gushed she was one of a kind during the final, and she is now reportedly in talks for her own reality show, as well as a hosting role in ITV, off the back of her win.

Leading lady: Toff's positivity and sense of humour won over viewers and led her to be crowned Queen of the Jungle on Sunday night

Star in the making: She is now reportedly in talks for her own reality show, as well as a hosting role in ITV, off the back of her win

She became the third female in the row to triumph on the show, following Scarlett Moffatt's win in 2016, and Vicky Pattison in 2015.

However, the Devon native admitted during the interview that her success almost did not happen - as she was tempted to pull out of the show half-way through.

Celebrities are forced to live off rice and beans for most of their time in the Outback, and Toff admitted she became so weak due to hunger, after the camp collectively lost an estimated six stone.

Yet, the E4 star revealed she is glad she stuck the show out - as she not only won, but also proved many wrong with her stellar performances in Bushtucker Trials.

Strong: The E4 star revealed she is glad she stuck the show out - as she not only won, but also proved many wrong with her stellar performances in Bushtucker Trials

During the series, the beauty was faced with both the dreaded eating and drinking tasks, as well as a glass box full of snakes and a critter-filled underground tunnel.

She even blasted her male co-stars for their 'sexist' comments, telling Jamie Lomas and Amir Khan: 'I'm not weak just because I'm a girl! I hate all this stereotypical girl's aren't strong!'

Reflecting on her determination in the jungle, which continued to surprise viewers, she said: 'People put me in this ditzy, posh and stuck-up category, so its been nice the public have been able to see the real me.'

Speaking on This Morning after the final however, Toff admitted she still didn't know why people wanted to watch her at all - as she had 'no talent of note' that qualified her a place on the line-up.

Real: Reflecting on her determination, she said: 'People put me in this ditzy, posh and stuck-up category, so its been nice the public have been able to see the real me'

Healing: Toff also expressed her gratitude to the show for helping heal her heartache following her split from James Middleton (above)

She told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: 'I couldn't believe I was there in the first place, I thought, 'how on earth have you pulled this blinder? How are you in here?' Because i don't have any talent of note. But I just loved it.'

Not only changing public perception of herself, Toff also expressed her gratitude to the show for helping her recover from her recent breakup.

The blonde split from beau James Middleton shortly before the show, and opened up about the failed romance during a heart-to-heart with Vanessa White.

She admitted she thought the pair could have had a future together, before it 'all went wrong' - which she claims was due to her work schedule.

Moving on: She credited I'm A Celebrity for bringing her confidence back, and revealed she is more than happy being single as she embarks on a new chapter of her career

However she now credits I'm A Celebrity for bringing her confidence back, and revealed she is more than happy being single as she embarks on a new chapter of her career.

She told the paper: 'I'm still young and, while I 100% want to get married and have kids one day, I've got plenty of time.'

The reality star was reunited with her phone after her win on Sunday night - and immediately took to Instagram to thank her fans, with a snap of her gorging on three huge plates of food.

Still sporting her crown of flowers, she told her followers: 'Happiest girl in the whole entire world. Hoping I dont wake up and this has all been a dream. Thank you so so much to everyone who voted for me.

Queen: The reality star was reunited with her phone after her win on Sunday - and immediately took to Instagram to thank her fans, with a snap of her gorging on three huge plates of food

'Im missing the jungle already - started in my hammock now Im here!!!!!!!!!!! Reading all your comments and Im speechless.'

Since her win it has been reported that Toff is set to make 5 million - with both ITV, who broadcast I'm A Celebrity, and Channel 4, who own Made In Chelsea, fighting over her to be their star.

A source said: 'Georgia is in a enviable position now. She will be in the next series of Made In Chelsea, but beyond that there are lots of options and lots of interest.

'Channel 4 will be keen to keep Toff as one of their stars on E4 as she also recently appeared on their Celebs Go Dating series. So she will have some tough decisions to make in terms of TV, but the future looks very bright'.
She announced she was returning to her home base in Los Angeles on Saturday after being forced to flee due to the raging wildfires in the region.

And Ruby Rose, who was evacuated with her two dogs and a single suitcase days earlier, appeared happy to be back in town on Sunday.

The actress, 31, looked in good spirits as she took a leisurely stroll with her two rescue pooches in Beverly Hills.

Glad to be back! Ruby Rose enjoys leisurely stroll with her rescue dogs in Beverly Hills on Sunday after announcing their SAFE return from fleeing Los Angeles raging wildfires

Ruby cut a casual figure in black jeans, a Destiny 2 T-shirt and a grey jacket with rainbow-striped sleeves.

Holding a leash in each hand, her canines Ru and Chance appeared well-behaved as they sauntered down the strip.

The Pitch Perfect 3 star sported a flawless complexion and stylish side-swept hairstyle.

Gorgeous! The Pitch Perfect 3 star looked radiant and refreshed as she sported a flawless complexion and stylish side-swept hairstyle

She jetted back to her base in Los Angeles earlier in the week after spending time in her native Australia.

However, a short time after she had returned to her adopted city, she was forced to flee her residence as raging fires tore through the region.

On Saturday, the Orange Is The New Black star took to Twitter to tell fans that she and her beloved rescue dogs were safe and that she would be able to return to her Californian crib.

Safe and sound: On Saturday, Ruby Rose (pictured) revealed she will be able to return to her Los Angeles home along with her beloved rescue dogs after she was evacuated earlier in the week due to a raging wildfire which threatened her residence

'After 3 days of being evacuated with my dogs and a suitcase I can finally go home tomorrow,' Ruby proclaimed to her 1.34 million followers.

She added: 'Thanks to the hard and dangerous work put in by the firefighters who risked their lives to save ours.'

The actress' home was threatened by the Skirball Fire, which tore through 475 acres of land close to the ritzy Bel-Air area.

Evacuated: Ruby pictured with her beloved chihuahua Chance

More than 46,000 residents of the upmarket enclave were forced to evacuate their homes last week, before the blaze destroyed a number of multi-million dollar properties.

It's believed Ruby's residence was spared any damage.

The out-of-control fire also temporarily forced the closure of the city's 405 freeway, and a jaw-dropping photo taken by a commuter quickly went viral as it showed the full fury of the inferno.

Under threat: The leafy streets of ritzy Bel-Air were shrouded in smoke as firefighters worked to save multi-million dollar properties from the raging Skirball Fire

During her mandatory evacuation, Ruby kept fans updated on the Los Angeles fires, revealing that she was playing vigilante in the catastrophic conditions.

On Wednesday, the beauty wrote: 'Really!!?? Ive just seen two cars throw cigarettes out there [sic] windows on the freeway. Im sorry to be that person but I will get all number plates and report this. Peoples lives are in danger.'

Inferno: The Skirball fire also temporarily forced the closure of the city's 405 freeway, and a jaw-dropping photo taken by a commuter quickly went viral as it showed the full fury of the blaze

Earlier, Ruby also tweeted: 'These fires are so scary and I am hoping everyone is ok and praying for the people in those areas and the brave fire fighters and volunteers. My heart goes out to all the poor animals too.'

The animal lover made sure her beloved rescue pups  Ru and Chance  were by her side during her evacuation, and the canines will return home with Ruby safe and sound.
She is the Australian actress known equally for expressing the joys of motherhood and for her healthy lifestyle.

And on Monday, she celebrated her youngest son's very first birthday, presenting him with a cake that had a blue candle in the shape of a 'one' in it and sharing an emotional tribute to him.

Sharing a picture of the moment to Instagram, the 31-year-old described her baby boy Forest Sage as being 'all the most wonderful things in life' in its caption.

'My darling boy. Happy 1st birthday': Teresa Palmer presents her youngest son with a cake to celebrate (but does it have sugar in it?)

Teresa, who shares River with filmmaker Mark Webber, continued: 'You are sunshine and rainbows, giggles and quiet snuggles, you are brave, wise, observant and so knowing.'

'You have the most kind, warm and gentle way about you. Your heart is full of joy and for this and for all that you are, I celebrate you.

'I love you my sweet boy and I love being your Mummy. How lucky I am,' she signed off.

Happy place: Teresa often expresses the joys of motherhood on social media

Teresa has two sons with Mark, who she married in 2013.

The couple met over Twitter in 2012, when Teresa tweeted her support for his movie End of Love after seeing its trailer.

After writing letters to each other over email, the couple eventually tied the knot in Mexico in 2013, before welcoming their first child, Bodhi Rain, shortly after.

happy family: Teresa shares son River with filmmaker Mark Webber

The actress is known for her extremely healthy lifestyle, so it is unclear if the cake she presented her son with would be a sugary treat.

One things is for sure, it will be animal-product free.

In August the actress revealed that her whole family - husband Mark Webber, sons Forest Sage, Bodhi Rain, three, and stepson Isaac, nine - had all gone vegan.

'We decided as a family that veganism fitted best with our philosophy and views on the world,' she said at the time.

Change of scene: Teresa usually splits her time between California and Adelaide but is currently living in Cardiff, Wales, with her family as she shoots a new fantasy television series

Teresa usually splits her time between California and Adelaide but is currently living in Cardiff, Wales, with her family as she shoots a new fantasy television series.

The Lights Out star has signed a three-year contract (which will see her shoot for six months of the year) and says she is excited about the role.

'Its been 18 months of down time, which was a choice and a beautiful time of family connection and being all together. Now Im looking forward to balancing both.'
She is the AFL WAG who enjoys showing off her designer ensembles on Instagram.

And Clementine McVeigh has once again rocked another extravagantly expensive outfit, worth an estimated $11,000.

The 34-year-old took to her social media to share her sassy outfit from Bardot, posing on a pastel graffiti wall.

Pricey in pink! AFL WAG Clementine McVeigh has rocked another extravagantly expensive outfit, worth an estimated $11,000

She teamed her bold hot pink suit with a soft-toned lace bodice that accentuated her slender figure and drew attention to her ample assets.

Clementine continued to play around with the differing shades of pink by teaming the look with a pair of glittery Gucci Ace sneakers, valued at $780.

She accessorised with a pair of tinted sunglasses from Fendi, worth $450.

But it was her simple yet luxurious black Birkin bag, with starting price of $10,000, that sky rocketed her entire look.

Living the lavish life! The 34-year-old, known for posting snaps of her designer ensembles, teamed her bold hot pink suit with a soft-toned lace bodice, a pair of Fendi sunglasses, Gucci Ace Sneakers and an Hermes Birkin bag worth $10,000

Like mother, like daughter: This comes after she recently returned from a family holiday in Hawaii (pictured with five-year-old daughter Lolita Luella)

The Hermes bag, owned by many celebrities including Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian, is notorious for its years long waiting list.



Her legions of followers loved the lavish look, including one who commented: 'Love you in that suit.'

Another follower wrote: 'You are amazing!!'

Family time: She enjoyed the tropical trip with husband Jarrad McVeigh and their two young daughters Lolita Luella, five, and three-month-old Florence

This comes after she recently returned from a Hawaiian holiday with her Sydney Swans star husband Jarrad McVeigh and their two young daughters Lolita Luella, five, and three-month-old Florence.

During her trip, she inundated her Instagram with dozens of designer outfit snaps.

The family stayed at the luxurious Hawaiian Halekulani Resort, which can cost up to $1000 per night.
The pronouncement was as bold as it was surprising: MSN.com named Montana's Cafe Zydeco the fourth best Cajun and Creole restaurant in the nation in October.

Melissa Homer, who has managed Cafe Zydeco on Montana Avenue in Billings for the last three years, was skeptical when she was first told the website was listing the restaurant.

"We thought maybe there was another restaurant with our name." But no, she said, "That's us."

Homer and her husband, Scott Homer, recently bought the Cafe Zydeco in Billings from its founder, Kevin Carloss. Melissa and Scott will officially take over on Jan. 1. Carloss was born and raised in Louisiana and launched Cafe Zydeco as a single restaurant in Bozeman more than two decades ago.

Over the years, he expanded to Missoula and Helena, and then Billings a few years ago. He sold off the Missoula and Helena restaurants last year and decided to do the same with the Billings store when Melissa Homer approached him with an offer.

"My original idea was to keep building them," Carloss said, to truly franchise the restaurant.

But it required more than he was willing to give. Carloss designed the menu and created the recipes for Cafe Zydeco, the result of growing up Cajun with 17 siblings.

"I feel great about what I serve," he said. "I was taught by the best. I know what it's supposed to taste like."

He realized to franchise out his restaurant he'd have to give up some of that control, which in turn meant giving up some of the quality. Instead, he sold three of his four restaurants to owners with whom he'd worked and trusted, and has kept himself a part of the operation.

He's based in his Bozeman restaurant, where he still works most days, cooking in the kitchen and making sure everything tastes the way it should. It's something for which Homer is grateful.

"Kevin is awesome," she said. "He's been so awesome getting us going."

Homer has long managed the Billings Cafe Zydeco, but she and her husband have never owned a restaurant. Carloss has helped ease their transition, assisting when needed and making sure the quality is in place.

He'll continue to play a part in assisting even after full ownership is transferred to the Homers.

"We're just kind of easing into it," she said.

No one's sure how Cafe Zydeco ended up on the MSN.com list. But Homer believes part of it has to do with the restaurant's enthusiastic fan base.

Lunch crowds at the Montana Avenue eatery often stretch out the door and onto the sidewalk. Many come up from the Phillips 66 and Exxon refineries, workers who have been transferred up to Billings from east Texas and Louisiana.

"They always tell me, 'Finding Cajun food in Montana is pretty ridiculous,'" she said. "They tell me we're pretty authentic."

And she's gotten to know a lot of them.

"I love my regulars," she said. "I know what they're having before they walk in the door."
Matt Damon has asked for prayers for his ailing father Kent.

The actor, 47, pulled out of an appearance last minute at the BAFTA Britannia Awards in October due to a family emergency that involved his father, and while promoting his upcoming film Downsizing, Damon addressed his father's health.

When Extra correspondent A.J. Calloway told Damon he was praying for his father, Damon replied, 'We'll take any prayers you got, so throw 'em up there.'

'We'll take any prayers you got': Matt Damon has asked for prayers for his ailing father Kent

Family crisis: The actor, 47, pulled out of an appearance last minute at the BAFTA LA awards in October due to a family emergency that involved his father (pictured 2007)

'It's been a slow unfolding,' the actor remarked. 'My dad's sick, that's been a process that we've been going through.'

Though it's unclear how his father had fallen ill, in 2011 it emerged Damon's father was battling multiple myeloma.

E! reported at the time that Kent was in remission.

Damon was pictured leaving an appearance at The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and at a screening for Downsizing on Monday in a sharp blue suit and black shoes.

Making an appearance: Damon was pictured with Neil Patrick Harris at a screening for Downsizing in New York on Monday

Stepping out: Damon was spotted leaving an appearance at The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

In October, Damon was scheduled to collect the Stanley Kubrik Britannia Award for Excellence at the BAFTA LA event at the Beverly Hilton hotel.

One BAFTA member attendee told DailyMail.com: 'Matt is not attending now. We heard that he had a family crises and that his father was taken gravely ill. But we have not heard anymore than that. A few people know but the majority of guests were not informed.'

The actor confirmed that he cancelled his BAFTA honor appearance due to a 'family emergency' in a 20 second video clip in which he apologized for his late withdrawal, citing personal issues.

Meanwhile, Damon's co-star Hong Chau has been nominated for both a Critics' Choice Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Downsizing.

The sci-fi film will be released on December 22, 2017.

Stepping out: Damon was pictured leaving an appearance at The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Monday in a sharp blue suit and black shoes
She is a passionate advocate for body confidence, no matter your size or shape.

And Iskra Lawrence drew attention to her phenomenal hourglass curves on Monday, as she was seen arriving at Miami beach.

Continuing her girls' break with pals, the 27-year-old British model slipped into a form fitting dress to enjoy the sun.

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Switching it up: Iskra Lawrence stunned in a skintight denim dress as she strolled to the beach in Miami on Monday

Ever the sartorial maverick, Iskra rocked a denim dress, which featured a bustier neckline and zip-down detail.

Keeping the rest of her look casual, the social media sensation accessorised with black flip flops and a beaded geometric print tote.

Styling her golden tresses in a simple middle-parting, the model injected a dose of 70s flair to her look with yellow-tinted aviator shades.

Having a whale of a time: She was flanked by her girlfriends as they headed to the ocean

Chic: Keeping the rest of her look casual, the social media sensation accessorised with black flip flops and a beaded geometric print tote

Later, on Instagram, the social media star certainly took centre-stage in her sizzling two-piece, which featured a plunging neckline and high-cut bottoms.

Styling her golden locks in tousled waves, she made the most of her curvy behind, showing it off to the camera.

Iskra has certainly been making the most of her girls' trip in Miami, pictured snapping raucous group shots with her friends on the beach on Monday.

Dazzling: Styling her golden tresses in a simple middle-parting, the model injected a dose of 70s flair to her look with yellow-tinted aviator shades

The group were also spotted having an impromptu pyjama party at a nearby store, as they tried on matching red striped onesies.

Iskra's getaway comes after she recently admitted she feels 'unsafe' walking down dark streets and has the sense that people are 'watching' her.

The Aerie model took to Instagram on Thursday to share a photo of herself wearing a one-piece swimsuit in Tulum, Mexico, while holding up a drawing of someone walking down a poorly lit street.

'I feel unsafe walking down dark, badly lit streets,' she confessed. 'Sometimes I feel people are watching me.

'I try to keep myself safe by not being alone, telling people where I am going, and using safe means of transport.'

Warning: Iskra's getaway comes after she recently admitted she feels 'unsafe' walking down dark streets and has the sense that people are 'watching' her

Iskra went on to urge other women to try and avoid potentially dangerous situations and always look out for their friends when out at night.

'Don't risk your safety girls! Be careful, take care of yourself and your besties!' she wrote.

The body-positive activist shared the photo and message as part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts' social media campaign to end gender-based violence.

She explained that Girl Guides and Scouts around the world are drawing images of a 'space or place' where they feel unsafe and the pictures will be exhibited at the United Nations in New York.
She was recently seen kissing famous composer David Foster after months of speculation.

And Katharine McPhee looked to be living the charmed life as she was spotted taking her pet pooches to work in Los Angeles on Monday.

The 33-year-old actress cut a casual figure in a red blouse and black leggings as she made her way to set of her hit CBS show Scorpion.

Dog days: Katharine McPhee, 33, looked to be living the charmed life as she was spotted taking her pet pooches to work in Los Angeles on Monday

Daring to impress, the California beauty covered her enviable figure in a scarlet hued blouse.

Her gorgeous gams were on center stage as the dark pants were form fitting and hugged her body tightly.

The Open Toes songstress kept her trademark brunette tresses long and loose as they cascaded over her shoulders.

The outing comes after Katharine recently appeared to confirm she is dating the 68-year-old ex of Yolanda Hadid and former stepfather to the Hadid sisters David Foster.

Stunner: The actress cut a casual figure in a red blouse and black leggings as she made her way to set of her hit CBS show Scorpion

Impressive: Daring to impress, the California beauty covered her enviable figure in a scarlet hued blouse

The pair confirmed their union with some PDA during dinner at E Baldi at the start of December, following months of romantic spottings and speculation.

It seems like things might be headed in a serious direction for the pair.

In a recent interview for LaPalme Magazine Katharine said: 'My ideal situation, I would love to get married and have kids, it would be nice if that happens.'

She has been romantically linked to the record producer since May after being seen together at Malibu's Nobu restaurant.

It's official! Katharine and beau David Foster (above November) confirmed their relationship with some PDA during dinner at E Baldi at the start of December, following months of rumors

Katharine currently stars in CBS drama Scorpion alongside former boyfriend Elyes Gabel and even detailed to LaPalme what it's like to kiss her ex of two years on set for their television show.

She explained: 'We dated for a long time, and we have respect for each other. Its like kissing your best friend. We are fortunate to have a really nice relationship.'

The runner up of the fifth season of American Idol has also been getting back to her musical roots as she released an album titled I Fall In Love Too Easily just last month.
She recently slipped into Australia, enjoyed sipping coffees near the St Kilda Pier in Melbourne and dabbled in a bit of yoga.

But Daisy Ridley's presence seemed to go relatively unnoticed as she toured Down Under.

The 25-year-old London-born star of the new Star Wars films managed to sneak into Australia, visit her sister Poppy and hang out like a regular tourist.

Did she use the Force? Star Wars starlet Daisy Ridley enjoys secret trip to Australia...but manages to slip under the radar

Daisy noted in a rare moment when her cover was blown in Melbourne, 'One guy came up to me actually,' she told AAP in an interview in Los Angeles.

'He was really sweet, but Australians were pretty chill.'

Daisy said her sister did not plan on making Australia home.

'She went down to have a little adventure and she met a wonderful man,' she says.

'A lovely Australian man...

'She has lived there for two years.'

Daisy revealed she has attempted to maintain a normal life, whether it is riding the Tube at home in London or flying into Melbourne without an entourage.

'I usually take a lightsaber when I'm not trying to blend in,' she laughed.

Daisy recalled her favourite Melbourne moment in Australia as stopping at a cafe.

'We went to this lovely cafe on the beach at St Kilda,' she said.

Out soon! Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in Australia on Thursday

'It was by the pier.

'It was just great to go to Australia because it was wonderful to have the time with my sister and see how she lives.

'We'd have breakfast and then go for a wander and she would show me her favourite restaurants and do some yoga.

'It was a yoga I have not done before - you sit in the pose for a long time.

'It is more of a relaxation thing that was very, very difficult but wonderful.'

Rare moment: Daisy noted in a rare moment when her cover was blown in Melbourne, 'One guy came up to me actually,' she told AAP in an interview in Los Angeles

The actress previously admitted to having therapy sessions in order to cope with her meteoric rise to fame.

The Star Wars actress boldly revealed that after filming wrapped on The Last Jedi, she enlisted the help of a therapist for six months, admitting that it presented her with an opportunity to 'step away' from the famous franchise.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the 25-year-old confessed: 'I have always suffered with anxiety since I was a teenager, I should have done it way before, but I suddenly realised how good it is to talk about this stuff.'

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in Australia on Thursday.
They are bringing the tragic, real-life story of the brutal murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace to the small screen.

And Edgar Ramirez, Darren Criss, and Ricky Martin joined forces as they attended the premiere of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace in New York City on Monday.

In the mini series, Darren, 30, plays Andrew Cunanan, the man who shot the fashion designer to death in front of his Miami villa, the Versace Mansion, in 1997.

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Teaming up! Edgar Ramirez, Darren Criss, and Ricky Martin joined forces as they attended the premiere of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace in New York City on Monday

Edgar, 40, plays the acclaimed fashion designer who was murdered by Andrew at age 50, and Ricky, 45, stars as Gianni's long-term partner, Antonio D'Amico.

The men put on a stylish and sharp display as they showed support for their anthology series, which was directed by Ryan Murphy and Matt Bomer.

Darren rocked a suede jacket, grey turtleneck, and black trousers as he smiled widely on the red carpet.

Edgar was suited up in a bold purple blazer and trousers, black turtleneck, and slick black shoes.

Suited up! Edgar and Darren kept their style sharp and dapper

Man of style! Ricky cut an extremely dashing figure in a dapper suit, tie, and polished shoes

Sizzling: Joan Smalls also wowed in a racy sheer red corset top, trousers, and red blazer

Shoulder action: The beauty flashed her body in sheer corset as she sexily dropped her jacket

What a pair! The beauty teamed up with Heidy De la Rosa on the red carpet

LBD: The model rocked a seriously sexy Versace dress for the event

Ricky cut an extremely dashing figure in a dapper suit, tie, and polished shoes.

The leading stars weren't the only ones to put on a stylish display, with the likes of Joan Smalls also wowing in a racy sheer red corset top, trousers, and red blazer.

Andrew Rannells sported a dark blue blazer, green sweater, grey trousers, and slick black shoes.

Looking good: Andrew Rannells and Jay Manuel were dressed to impress

These boots were made for walking! Toni Garrn sizzled in fishnet stockings, thigh high suede boots, a mini skirt and low-cut black top

America's Next Top Model star Jay Manuel turned heads in a bold silver jacket over his slick grey suit.

Toni Garrn sizzled in fishnet stockings, thigh high suede boots, a mini skirt and low-cut black top.

Dascha Polanco sent temperatures soaring in a tight jade green mini dress with flowing sleeves.

Head turning display: Dascha Polanco and Carol Alt flashed some leg

Bundled up! Glenn Close rocked a black cape and matching boots

Close call: The veteran actress looked chic in the all-black ensemble

The second installment of the critically acclaimed and award-winning American Crime Story anthology series will premiere on January 17, 2018.

Season two will follow the events leading up to the killing of Gianni, and the manhunt for Cunanan that ended when he took his own life just days after the murder.

Penelope Cruz takes on the role of Gianni's sister Donatella Versace.

If you've got it! Famke Janssen worked a stunning lace frock and sleek footwear

Ready for her close up: The 53-year-old looked flawless as she showed off her wrinkle-free complexion
It's an Australian coming-of-age comedy described as a love letter the world of the 1970s.

And the all star cast of the highly anticipated Swinging Safari, previously titled Flammable Children, have reunited in Sydney ahead of it's premiere.

Actors Asher Keddie, Radha Mitchell, Kylie Minogue, Jeremy Sims, Guy Pearce and Julian McMahon, posed for a photo call on Tuesday.

Back together again! The all star cast of the highly anticipated Swinging Safari have reunited in Sydney ahead of it's premiere (leading ladies Kylie Minogue, Asher Keddie and Radha Mitchell pictured)

The well known names play parents from a cul-de-sac neighbourhood in a beachside suburb, who get experimental with the sexual revolution of the time.

Former Neighbours co-stars Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce join forces to play Kaye and Keith Hall, whose family home is described as a 'disaster movie in the making'.

Offspring's Asher Keddie and Jeremy Sims portray the Gale and Jim Marsh.

All smiles: The films star's reunited in Sydney ahead of its premiere later this week (actors Guy Pearce, Jeremy Sims and Julian McMahon pictured)

A little cheeky: The well known names play parents from a cul-de-sac neighbourhood in a beachside suburb who get experimental with the sexual revolution of the time (the cast pictured with director Stephan Elliott on the right)

While Radha Jones and Julian McMahon take on the roles of the neighbourhood's 'big kahuna' family Jo and Rick Jones, respectively.

Legendary Australian actor Jack Thompson will also star in the film as the mayor.

But at the centre of the film are their children who discover a 200-ton blue whale that washes up on their local beach.

Throwback to the 1970s! Former Neighbours co-stars Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce join forces to play Kaye and Keith Hall, whose family home is described as a 'disaster movie in the making'

Getting experimental: Former Neighbours co-stars Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce join forces to play Kaye and Keith Hall, whose family home is described as a 'disaster movie in the making'

Filming for the period movie only finished last August, according to The Gold Coast Bulletin.

The film is bound to get laughs out of the audience with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert director Stephan Elliott at the helm.

Swinging Safari will be released in cinemas on January 18.

Looking retro: Meanwhile, Offspring's Asher Keddie and Jeremy Sims portray Gale and Jim Marsh
She recently rekindled her romance with ex-boyfriend Matthew Koma.

And Hilary Duff looked happy to be back on track as she was spotted leaving a beauty salon in Beverly Hills on Monday.

The 30-year-old cut a casual figure as she donned a black sweater and ripped denim as she enjoyed the outing.

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Stunner: Hilary Duff, 30, was spotted leaving a beauty salon in Beverly Hills on Monday

Daring to impress, the Lizzie McGuire alum looked every inch the Hollywood star as her flawless looks were on full display.

Throwing caution to the wind, Hilary went virtually makeup free as she added a bit of bright berry to her lip.

Her trademark blonde tresses were left long and pulled back in a loose ponytail.

Casual: The actress cut a casual figure as she donned a black sweater and ripped denim as she enjoyed the outing

Daring: Throwing caution to the wind, Hilary went virtually makeup free as she added a bit of bright berry to her lip

Meanwhile, Hilary opened up about getting back with her ex: 'Timing is such a big deal. Third time's a charm!' she said on The Talk.

The former Disney star was originally asked her thoughts on Selena Gomez' decision to rekindle her romance with Justin Bieber while appearing on The Talk.

Hilary told the hosts of The Talk that she knows from personal experience that getting back with an ex works.

Tresses: Her trademark blonde tresses were left long and pulled back in a loose ponytail

Stomp it out: Meanwhile, Hilary opened up about getting back with her ex: 'Timing is such a big deal. Third time's a charm!' she said on The Talk

She said: 'It's going so great! I mean, this is like the third time that we've dated and I think that what [Selena] says has so much merit to it. Timing is such a big deal.'

Hilary continued during her appearance: 'Third time's a charm! I think that you have history and a past with someone and love, and just because it doesn't work out the first time, the second time, as long as there's not too much damage done, then, it can always workout again.'

The star also gushed about Selena: 'I love her, I love what she says, and I also don't think age has anything to do with it, whether she's 18, 25... I'm 30, you know?'

Holiday fun: The thespian said she was holiday shopping




She's spent years in and out of the court room battling her now ex-husband.

And Bethenny Frankel is heading back to a New York judge after reopening her 2013 divorce case against ex-husband Jason Hoppy on December 6, according to Page Six.

The 47-year-old reality television star is said to be suing Hoppy for custody of their seven-year-old daughter Bryn.

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Boss: Bethenny Frankel is heading back to a New York judge after reopening her 2013 divorce case against ex-husband Jason Hoppy on Dec. 6, according to Page Six; seen at the Massachusetts Conference for Women in Boston last week

The publication also reported that the not-so-friendly exes are due back in court in January.

Hoppy was recently charged with stalking and harassing Frankel, although a Manhattan Criminal Court ruled in November that the charges could be dropped if Jason left his ex-wife alone.

In January, Hoppy was arrested for showing up at their daughter's school and telling Frankel, 'I will destroy you, you can get all the lawyers you want, you've been warned,' a New York Police Department spokesman said.

Trouble: The 47-year-old reality television star is suing Hoppy for custody of their seven-year-old daughter Bryn; seen in 2012

He was previously charged with aggravated harassment, violation charges for harassment, and stalking in the fourth degree for contacting the 'female victim numerous times via email and Facetime' as well as approaching her and 'making verbal threats'.

The 46-year-old, who had rejected two earlier deals which would have seen him plead guilty to a just one charge of a harassment violation, did not have to admit guilt in the most recent deal.

The Real Housewives of New York star had filed a police report on January 17 alleging that Hoppy rushed her and her boyfriend at the time, Dennis Shields, outside the school her daughter Bryn attends and threatened to 'destroy' her.

Jason agreed to an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal, according to TMZ, which means he has to stay clear of his ex wife for six months

Worth it: Bethenny is fighting for custody of seven-year-old daughter Bryn; seen in September

Bethenny and Jason married in March 2010 and split in December 2012, but their divorce was finalized in 2016 after years of courtroom battles.

She is currently dating NYC businessman Dennis Shields, whom she's known as a friend for nearly 30 years.

Bethenny and Dennis split briefly earlier this year before resuming romance. She said: 'I rightfully ended the relationship because of some of the circumstances surrounding my divorce and surrounding his divorce.

'A person thats been married that many years needs to go through a certain cycle. I think that I needed him to make changes that I really didnt think he would make. And I think that thinking the possibility of losing me really scared him straight, to be honest.'
They are the product of a work romance come to life.

And on Monday, Dev Patel enjoyed a low-key day of shopping with girlfriend Tilda Cobham-Hervey in LA.

The two met while filming the based-on-a-true-story drama, Hotel Mumbai.

Couple's day out: On Monday, Dev Patel enjoyed a low-key day of shopping with girlfriend Tilda Cobham-Hervey, 22, in LA

Dev, 27, was casual in a white T-shirt, grey jeans and sneakers.

Tilda, 22, wore a bright, sleeveless red dress adorned with colorful stripes.

The Australian actress added a pair of gray socks and black dress shoes.

Relaxed: The British actor was casual in a white T-shirt, grey jeans and sneakers

Dev and Tilda first met on the set of their new film, Hotel Mumbai, set for release next year.

Prior to their romance, Dev was in a relationship with Freida Pinto from 2007 until 2014.

Freida is currently single.

'I think I love myself. I'm having like this crazy love affair with myself,' she began, in an interview with People.

'If you don't know how to learn to love yourself you will find being single extremely hard. When you do that, I don't think you feel lonely.'

On-set romance: Dev and Tilda first met on the set of their new film, Hotel Mumbai, set for release next year

As for Dev, the BAFTA actor will next appear in the film, The Wedding Guest.

According to Variety, the movie will be filmed in India, beginning early next year.

It is not yet known what role he will play.
Alec Baldwin might be headed to Broadway ... as President Donald Trump.

The 59-year-old star said Monday that he's debating about making a a one-man show - utilizing his Emmy-winning impression of the president on Saturday Night Live - in an adaptation of the book he co-wrote with Kurt Andersen, You Cant Spell America Without Me.

'We may take the book and make it into a one-man show on Broadway - like Will Ferrell did the Bush thing,' Baldwin explained to Howard Stern Monday, referencing Ferrell's Youre Welcome, America: A Final Night with George W. Bush.

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Broadway-bound? Alec Baldwin, 59, said he could take his Donald Trump impression, made famous on Saturday Night Live, to Broadway in a one-man show adapted on his new book, You Cant Spell America Without Me

The Academy Award nominee said that if he does decide to do it, it won't be an extended run, and it will be produced by SNL founder Lorne Michaels.

'What Lorne did do was give me permission to write the book, which was up to him to do,' he explained. 'This was all the genesis of this. Lorne owns my rendering of [the Trump impression] ... its his intellectual property, as it should be.'

He added that Michaels gave him 'permission to write the book,' which was released last month.

The book is a parody of the commander-in-chief's inaugural year as America's top official, with chapters such as The Bad Polls Are Probably Mostly or Completely Fake, Ivanka Has Such A Gorgeous Smile and Is Jared A Fredo?

Not impressed: Trump said that Baldwin's portrayal of him 'stinks' in an October 2016 tweet

Critically-acclaimed: The entertainer won an Emmy for his portrayal of Trump in September

The eldest of the Baldwin brothers has plenty of experience on Broadway, even garnering a nomination for a Tony Award for his 1992 performance in A Streetcar Named Desire; and appearing in other productions including Short Talks on the Universe, Orphans and Serious Money.

While Baldwin has played the character of the 71-year-old Trump for laughs, the politically-engaged entertainer has spoken out in seriousness when lending his voice to the ongoing discussion about the 45th president.

Sense of humor: Baldwin was snapped last month in NYC promoting his new book

Side effect? Baldwin in October said that much of the angst amid the wave of sexual harassment and misconduct accusations is a byproduct of Trump's imperviousness toward the allegations aimed at him by at least 15 women. Trump was pictured last week at the White House

In October, Baldwin told the Los Angeles Times he felt that part of the fury behind the sweeping wave of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations aimed at a number of powerful men is 'because they cant get the guy they really want to get,' in reference to Trump, who's been accused of sexual harassment and assault by at least 15 women, denying all of them.

'Trump is a sexual predator,' Baldwin said. 'On the record, theres all kinds of evidence that Trump has behaved this way, and hes the president of the United States and that being just one of the things that is horrifying people about Trump, his opinions, his behavior, his methodology and theres nothing you can do about that.

'You cannot touch him.'
The Billings City Council voted 10-0 Monday to extend through Feb. 12, 2018, the citys memorandum of understanding with the company currently researching One Big Sky Centers viability.

Councilman Brent Cromley was not present.

Acting City Administrator Bruce McCandless told the council that Hammes Company of Madison, Wisconsin, which presented its project research to the council on Dec. 4, is working on a term sheet to tell us what Hammes believes will be necessary to get to a development agreement.

Had the council not acted, the existing agreement would have expired Monday, McCandless explained.

In response to a question from Councilman Chris Friedel, McCandless said extending the agreement carries no financial obligation on the citys part.

A development agreement, which will spell out how much public support the project will require, probably wont be ready by Feb. 12, McCandless said, but a pathway to that will be better defined for us.

Drawing protest

Residents near the proposed new location for The Den casino and lounge, near the intersection of Grand Avenue and 54th Street West, packed council chamber seats to urge the council to reconsider its Nov. 27 approval of special review to let The Den move to the West End site from its current location in West Park Promenade.

They told the council they believed the city already has too many casinos, that this location poses potential safety problems, its too close to Ben Steele Middle School and that it could drag down neighborhood property values.

Tiffany Wardell said she has a petition signed by 150 people opposed to the move, with an additional 130 people signing an online petition.

She said The Dens new location will open the door to more casinos and deter people from moving to Billings.

I come to you with a heavy heart and very tired feet after visiting the neighbors around where the casino will be located, said Susan Smith, who helped gather the petition that Wardell delivered.

I cant fathom, said Jessica Yates, why we would put something like this near a facility that houses 750 children every day.

Dr. Bill Phillips, who practices family medicine in Billings, said he has a brother with a gambling addiction, and it would not help him to see the flashing lights (of the casino) on the way home.

While proponents of the move called the new location a needed service because its designed to attract other businesses as part of the development, Phillips labeled it an unneeded disservice, adding it would contribute to driving up crime, divorce and homelessness.

Terra Pierce, whos developing the property and whose family owns The Den, said she and her husband also live in the neighborhood, and we want to be a good neighbor. As applicants, theyve met all conditions set by the city, she said.

Some of the concerns stated by the neighbors, she said, are problems that stem from other things going on in the community that we all need to address.

The council declined Monday to take action on reconsidering its previous approval.
They've both been confirmed as appearing in the first season of Bachelor in Paradise.

And if Michael Turnbull's Instagram page is anything to go by, fellow reality TV star Tara Pavlovic looks to have caught his eye.

In an Instagram Story shared to his account on Monday, the 36-year-old pulled a strange face while tagging in Tara.

Trying to get her attention? Posting to his Instagram Story on Monday, Michael Turnbull (pictured) pulled a bizarre face while tagging Bachelor in Paradise co-star Tara Pavlovic

Michael, who was the runner-up in Sam Frost's season of The Bachelorette in 2015, appeared to hint at his affection for Tara by adding a love heart emoji after her name.

Tara was a fan favourite on the most recent season of The Bachelor, coming third in the quest for Matty 'J' Johnson's love.

Both Michael and Tara will appear on the franchise's spin-off, Bachelor In Paradise, though it has not been confirmed whether the pair have shared any steamy dates while filming in Fiji.

Tickling his fancy? An addition of a heart emoji may allude to Michael having a soft spot for the stunning nanny

The post comes after the stunning nanny previously uploaded a similar snap to her own Instagram Story.

Tara, who was joined by a child for her version, pulled a humorous facial expression before sharing the photo with her 151,000 followers.

'Pre Christmas concert selfie,' Tara captioned the shot, before Michael responded in kind.

Her version: The post comes after the stunning nanny previously uploaded a similar snap to her own Instagram Story

Unlucky-in-love Michael has suffered a number of public break-ups after being thrust into the spotlight after appearing on the Channel Ten dating show.

In April this year he and Melbourne-based Bijanka Dobrev parted ways - reportedly on bad terms.

At the time Michael confirmed his relationship status with Daily Mail Australia, stating: 'I'm single and I am now ready to settle down so I wanted to give it a go, I'm finding it very hard after the show even now to have a relationship given the media always following my love life.'
He first appeared on Sam Frost's season of The Bachelorette in 2015, but failed to impress her with his boyish charm.

And on Tuesday, pregnant model Bailey Scarlett appeared less than impressed with Davey Lloyd's antics during an eyebrow-raising exchange on Instagram.

Bailey, 20, shared a screen grab of the topless reality star attempting to Facetime her, writing: 'No thanks @davey_lloyd' - however she told Daily Mail Australia that it was just friendly banter.

'Get a grip!' Pregnant model Bailey Scarlett appears to be pestered by Bachelor hunk Davey Lloyd as she rejects shirtless FaceTime call by star... but he claims she 'loves' him

'No thanks': Bailey, 20, appeared less-than-impressed with the former reality star's attempt to reach her, but appeared to have already answered the call from the male

'He's just a really good friend of mine and we get along well,' she said.

The Kiwi beauty, who is based in Melbourne, shared numerous screenshots displaying the Bachelor reject attempting to reach her via Instagram, FaceTime and Facebook messenger.

It appears the pair have exchanged numbers in the past, as they each had their contact names saved into their phones for the FaceTime.

Davey, who hails from Sydney's beachside suburb of Narrabeen, cut a relaxed figure for the hopeful call, choosing to expose his chest without a shirt.

Bailey, who is four-months pregnant, captioned a screenshot of Davey's consistent attempts to contact her with: 'get a grip.'

Friends or foe? New Zealand-born Bailey, who is based in Melbourne, shared numerous screenshots displaying the Bachelor reject attempting to reach her via Instagram, FaceTime and Facebook messenger

At ease: Davey, who hails from Sydney's beachside suburb of Narrabeen, cut a relaxed figure for the hopeful call, choosing to expose his chest without a shirt

However, Davey also took to Instagram to share his side of the story.

He appeared to reveal Bailey's attempt to reach him on FaceTime, writing: 'Um no champ @bailey_scarlett.'

The model, who was once linked to Justin Bieber after she claimed he spiked her drink at a party, was not pictured in the call that appeared to have already been answered.

Remember him? Davey rose to fame in 2015 when he appeared on Sam Frost's season of The Bachelorette, but failed to impress her with his boyish charm

'Um no champ': However, Davey also took to Instagram to share his side of the story where he appeared to reveal Bailey's attempt to reach him on FaceTime

Davey also shared a conversation to whom he claimed was Bailey, however the name read 'Bailey Lloyd' and not 'Bailey Scarlett'.

The thread read 'excuse me where have u gone', 'miss u' and 'love u.'

It's unclear if the exchange was merely friendly banter between mates.

Daily Mail Australia have reached out to Davey Lloyd and Bailey Scarlett for comment.

A May baby! Bailey announced she was pregnant last month and revealed on Tuesday that she had '22 weeks to go'

Bailey announced she was pregnant last month and revealed on Tuesday that she had '22 weeks to go'.

She has previously given a due date month for her bundle of joy for May 2018, but us yet to disclose the baby's gender.

Its unknown as to who the father is of her unborn child, but speculation has suggested it could be Greg Cannell, but it's claimed the pair split after reportedly dating for a few months.

Greg, who works as a state manager for budget fashion brand Cotton On, previously dated Neighbours star Olympia Valance, 24.
If he's to be believed, Phantom Thread is the last movie that Daniel Day-Lewis will ever make.

Which means that the movie's premiere Monday night in New York marks a watershed in Hollywood.

Day-Lewis, who has won three Best Actor Oscar, was nominated Monday morning for a Golden Globe for his performance in the drama as a dressmaker in post-war London.

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Swansong: Daniel Day-Lewis, 60, attended the New York premiere of what he says will be his final film Phantom Thread on Monday night

Day-Lewis, 60, arrived for the premiere with the film's director Paul Thomas Anderson.

The London-born star wore a dark gray cotton shirt and pinstripe pants along with a black top coat.

Anderson directed Day-Lewis in the 2008 film There Will be Blood which earned him his second Academy Award.

He won his first Best Actor Academy Award for playing the real-life Irish painter and writer Christy Brown who has cerebral palsy in 1989's My Left Foot.

The third Academy Award was for his uncanny portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's 2012 biopic.

Three-time Oscar winner: The dapper star, in pinstripe pants and a black top coat, arrived for the screening with the film's director Paul Thomas Anderson

Day-Lewis stars as a dressmaker in post-war Britain whose world is turned upside down by a young lover who becomes his muse. He was nominated Monday for a Golden Globe for the role

In June, Day-Lewis put out a statement announcing his decision to quit acting all together following the making of Phantom Thread.

In an interview with W magazine, published at the end of last month, the actor acknowledged he feels 'great sadness' at that decision but explains he felt compelled to take it.

'The impulse to quit took root in me, and that became a compulsion. It was something I had to do,' he said.

'Before making the film, I didnt know I was going to stop acting. I do know that Paul and I laughed a lot before we made the movie. And then we stopped laughing because we were both overwhelmed by a sense of sadness,'Day-Lewis explained.

He added: 'I dread to use the overused word artist, but theres something of the responsibility of the artist that hung over me. I need to believe in the value of what Im doing. The work can seem vital. Irresistible, even. And if an audience believes it, that should be good enough for me. But, lately, it isnt.'

Cast photo: Day-Lewis posed on the red carpet with Anderson and his co-stars Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville

Big role: Luxembourg actress Krieps, 34, who stars as Day-Lewis's muse, looked gorgeous in a strapless red gown with patterned bodice and full-length skirt

Glamorous: British actress Manville, 61, put on a stylish show in a low-cut black dress with gold bolero jacket top

Pals: Manville posed for pics with Anderson

The premiere naturally brought out high profile members of New York's thespian community.

Actresses Zosia Mamet and Jennifer Morrison each showed up in white outfits.

Former Girls star Mamet showed off her legs in the long-sleeved shirt dress that she paired with black ankle boots.

Morrison wore a winter coat tied at the waist with a sash and a pair of nude stiletto heels.

Simpatico: Actresses Zosia Mamet and Jennifer Morrison each showed up in white outfits with Morrison wearing a coat belted at the waist with a sash

Black and white: Former Girls star Mamet showed off her legs in the long-sleeved shirt dress that she paired with black ankle boots

Keen to see the movie: Actor Ben Foster posed on the red carpet with actress Amber Tamblyn

Ben Foster showed up to see the film as did Amber Tamblyn, and the two posed for photos together.

On hand, as well, was actor Michael Shannon who was accompanied by his partner Kate Arrington.

Former Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford paired a long-sleeved white sweater and white pumps with a scarlet red calf-length skirt.

Date night: On hand, as well, was actor Michael Shannon who was accompanied by his partner Kate Arrington

Stylish: Former Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford paired a long-sleeved white sweater and white pumps with a scarlet red calf-length skirt

On the guest list, too, was actress Mozhan Marno who stood out from the crowd in a mustard yellow sleeveless dress.

The raven-haired actress who has appeared in House Of Cards and The Blacklist flashed some cleavage in the low-cut number that she p[aired with black sandal heels.

Sienna Miller was pretty in a floral number with ruffles at the waist.

The sleeveless dress had dungaree-style straps and a slit at the front and she wore a pair of chunky black platform heels.

Colorful: House Of Cards and The Blacklist actress Mozhan Marno flashed some cleavage in a low-cut mustard yellow sleeveless dress

Blonde bombshell: Sienna Miller was pretty in a sleeveless floral number with dungaree-style straps

Fashion forward: The flower-patterned frock had ruffles at the waist and a slit at the front and Miller added a pair of chunky black platform heels
He's preparing to tie the knot with the love of his life Anna Heinrich.

And Tim Robards certainly looks like he has been shredding for the wedding, showing off his impressive physique during a trip to Bondi Beach in Sydney on Tuesday.

The former Bachelor star, 35, flaunted his ripped chest and bulging biceps as he went shirtless for a stroll along the popular beach spot solo.

Shredding for the wedding? The Bachelor's Tim Robards shows off his very muscular physique at Bondi Beach ahead of nuptials to fiancee Anna Heinrich

Tim, who rose to fame on the first series of The Bachelor in 2013, appeared carefree during a walk along Bondi Beach.

The reality TV star went shirtless after his beachside jaunt, wearing a pair of red boardshorts and carrying a towel in one hand.

The fitness advocate also went barefoot, opting to carry his sneakers in one hand as he made his way across a pedestrian crossing.

Shirtless wonder! Tim, who rose to fame on the first series of The Bachelor in 2013, went shirtless for a walk along Bondi Beach

Casual: The fitness advocate also went barefoot, opting to carry his sneakers in one hand as he made his way across a pedestrian crossing

Tim's day at Bondi beach comes as he prepares to marry his longtime girlfriend Anna after proposing in May.

The couple have been together for more than four years, falling in love on the first series of The Bachelor.

Last week, Anna lifted the lid on their relationship, revealing the genetically-blessed couples faced some speed bumps when they first moved in together.

Wedding bells: Tim's day at Bondi beach comes as he prepares to marry his longtime girlfriend Anna after proposing in May

The criminal lawyer and socialite told The Morning Show that Tim had been the first person she lived with besides her parents.

'It was good initially and then I found out what he liked and did not like, things like the toilet lid not being down,' Anna said.

'I did not know that was a thing. Little things like that. I did not know it was like that ... Then we got used to each other.'
She is never one to shy away from flaunting her figure.

And Monday proved to be no exception for Ariel Winter, as she donned a VERY revealing two-piece to join her beau Levi Meadan at Disneyland in Southern California.

The Modern Family star, 19, teased a look at her ample cleavage and exposed her stomach in a black crop-top, that she paired with semi-sheer leggings, and was seen indulging in an ice-cream as she made her way through the amusement park.

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Risque! Ariel Winter, 19, donned a VERY revealing two-piece to join her beau Levi Meadan at Disneyland in Southern California on Monday and was caught indulging in an ice cream

Taking a break from her working schedule, Ariel enjoyed some time to herself, as she joined her boyfriend and friends at Disneyland.

And the beauty ensured all eyes were on her for the outing, as she stepped out sporting a risque getup that left little to the imagination.

While her form-fitting leggings highlighted her enviable curves and pert posterior, Ariel's crop top, that came complete with dainty straps at the shoulder, hinted at her bust underneath, with the actress appearing to go braless underneath.

She had undergone breast reduction surgery in June 2015, decreasing the size of her assets from a 32F to a 34D, after admitting she found her larger cup size to be 'excruciatingly painful'.

Saucy! The beauty ensured all eyes were on her for the outing, as she stepped out sporting a risque getup that left little to the imagination

All eyes on her: While her leggings highlighted her enviable curves and pert posterior, Ariel's crop top came complete with dainty straps at the shoulder, with the actress appearing to go braless underneath

Previously speaking about her reduction to People magazine, she confessed: 'Being a 5ft tall girl and having extremely large breasts is really ostracizing and excruciatingly painful.'

However, the beauty revealed she has developed a new-found confidence since having the surgery.

She added: 'It was an instant weight lifted off my chest - both literally and figuratively. There's a confidence you find when you finally feel right in your body.'

Ariel wrapped a purple sweatshirt around her waist and opted for comfort on her feet, as she donned a pair of black trainers.

Her trademark raven tresses were worn down in a poker-straight style to fall past her shoulders and she swept back the front of her mane with her blue-tinted shades that she perched on her head.

Smitten: Ariel's busy personal life includes a relationship with her live-in boyfriend Levi Meaden, who had joined her for her fun-filled day out - they had celebrated their one year anniversary in November

Ariel has been playing the acerbic Alex Dunphy on the hit ABC sitcom Modern Family since its pilot episode premiered on the network back in 2009.

While not working on her smash show, Ariel's busy personal life includes a relationship with her live-in boyfriend Levi Meaden, who had joined her for her fun-filled day out.

Levi cut a casual figure in a light blue ring neck tee and dark jeans and was seen clutching onto two beers in his hand.

Since getting together, the couple have been nearly inseparable and live together at Ariel's home in Los Angeles. They marked their one-year anniversary in November.

Levi is 10 years Ariel's senior at 29-years-old, but not fazed by the age-gap between them, Ariel has said in the past: 'Im happy, and whatever people want to say, they can say.

Happy: Levi is 10 years Ariel's senior at 29-years-old, but not fazed by the age-gap between them, Ariel has said in the past: 'Im happy, and whatever people want to say, they can say'

'I have to say he is the most incredible person Ive ever met and that Im so lucky to be with him. Hes always complimenting me and making me feel special and beautiful.'

Levi can be seen next year in the highly anticipated sci-fi sequel Pacific Rim: Uprising which is distributed by Fox.

He portrays offbeat cadet Ilya in the sequel directed by Steven S. DeKnight who also co-wrote the screenplay.

Pacific Rim: Uprising starring John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian and Charlie Day is scheduled for release on March 23, 2018.

Ariel also has been providing the voice of Sofia in the Disney Channel series Sofia The First since its premiere in November 2012.
She's the girlfriend of Kyle Sandilands known for her avant-garde sense of fashion.

And on Monday Imogen Anthony made not one but two outfit changes during a day out at Balmoral Beach, Sydney.

The 26-year-old could be seen having a very animated conversation with friends as she soaked up the summer sun.

Is everything OK? Kyle Sandilands' girlfriend Imogen Anthony has a VERY animated conversation as she flaunts her figure in a bikini at Balmoral Beach

The fashion-forward socialite arrived at Balmoral Beach accompanied by a male and female friend.

The popular Sydney seaside spot is located just a stone's throw from the $5000-a-week mansion she shares with Kyle in Mosman.

Imogen showed off her slim figure in a caramel bikini top paired with Brazilian-cut bottoms.

Balmoral Beach: Imogen headed to the popular Sydney spot, located just a stone's throw from her Mosman mansion with Kyle

Plenty to say: Imogen and her friends soon settled into a spot on the sand, the trio appearing to engage in a very animated conversation

In-depth: Imogen seemed to be having an intense exchange with her friends

She wore a denim skirt over her bikini as she arrived at the beach, later opting to cover up from the sun in a black see-through kaftan.

Imogen and her friends soon settled into a spot on the sand, the trio appearing to engage in a very animated conversation.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Imogen for comment.

Catching up: Imogen and her friends appeared to be having an in-depth discussion

Hot stuff! Despite the warm day, Imogen chose to go barefoot as she made her way to the beach

Known for her unique fashion sense, Imogen accessorised with a faux-fur leopard print bag and layered gold jewellery.

Wearing her platinum blonde locks in pig tails, the social media maven shielded her eyes behind a pair of retro shades.

Despite the warm day, Imogen chose to go barefoot as she made her way to the beach.

Retro chic: Wearing her platinum blonde locks in pig tails, the social media maven shielded her eyes behind a pair of retro shades

Cooling off: The fashion forward socialite arrived at Balmoral Beach accompanied by a male and female friend

Fur-tastic: Known for her unique fashion sense, Imogen accessorised with a faux-fur leopard print bag and layered gold jewellery

Outfit change: After arriving at the beach Imogen decided to change into a full-length black kaftan

Imogen's day at the beach comes after she made her music video debut in DJ Kronic's new track Restricted.

Besides starring in the racy clip, Imogen also styled, produced and directed the video.

Imogen has been dating KIIS FM breakfast host Kyle for almost six years, the couple earlier this month sparking rumours they will become engaged imminently.

To Imogen's surprise, Kyle revealed to Fairfax Media he would be proposing to his lady love using one of the diamonds worn by her on the ARIAs red carpet.

Video debut: Imogen's day at the beach comes after she made her music video debut in DJ Kronic's new track Restricted

Looking for a mate? Imogen appeared to be momentarily separated from her friends at one stage
She has been staying near her former fiance Tom Sturridge in New York City with their daughter Marlowe as the actor begins filming his latest movie.

But Sienna Miller was flying solo when she attended the premiere of Phantom Thread in the city on Monday.

The actress, 35, flaunted her toned legs thanks to the cheeky front split of her floral dress, which was slashed to her thigh.

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Leggy lady: Sienna Miller flaunted her legs in a cheeky split dress as she attended the premiere of Phantom Thread in New York City on Monday

Accentuating her tiny waist and petite figure, the form-fitting dress featured billowing ruffles.

The American Sniper star wore a slick of crimson lipstick to highlight the scarlet accent of her floral garment.

Stunning Sienna wore her golden locks in a loosely-tousled fashion, framing her rosy cheeks in soft curls.

The Girl star donned towering platform sandals as she posed on a stairway inside the venue.

Fabulous figure: Accentuating her tiny waist and petite figure, the form-fitting dress featured billowing ruffles

Posing up a storm: The Girl star donned towering platform sandals as she posed on a stairway inside the venue

Phantom Thread tells the story of 1950's London where renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock falls madly in love with strong-willed woman Alma.

Oscar-winning Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays the lead male role, has claimed this will be his last movie before stepping out of the Hollywood spotlight.

On Monday, The Lost City of Z star was spotted wearing multiple layers in the West Village neighborhood.

Vibrant: The American Sniper star wore a slick of crimson lipstick to highlight the scarlet flecked in the middle of the ivory flower pattern on the navy blue garment

Sienna, who welcomed a daughter with Tom Sturridge in 2012, is in the Big Apple where her former fiance is set to begin shooting the Starz drama Sweetbitter.

The mother-of-one looked comfortable in a wide-leg pair of trousers, oversized long coat and striped scarf.

She accessorised with a white pair of sneakers, a newsboy cap and light blue handbag perfect for a day of errands.

In recent months, the somber star has spent the last few months near Tom. Sienna gave birth to their daughter Marlowe Ottoline Layng Sturridge in July 2012.

The West End star shares her little girl with her former fiance Tom whom she dated from 2011 to 2015.

Winter chill: Sienna, who welcomed a daughter with Tom Sturridge in 2012, is in the Big Apple where her former fiance is set to begin shooting the Starz drama Sweetbitter

They are among the friendliest exes in the world as they both praise each other's parenting skills and they do their best to share custody the best way possible.

'Everybody will stay over or we'll all go on holiday and that's because we genuinely want to be around each other,' she told Harper's Bazaar.

'It's great for our daughter that she has two parents who love each other and are friends. He's definitely my best friend in the entire world.'

It was announced in October that Tom joined the cast of the small screen adaptation of the Stephanie Danler novel of the same name.

The film is a coming-of-age story about Tess, a 22-year-old waitress who lives in New York City. The story is based on the author's experience working in restaurants.

Tom will play Jake, a bartender who is set to be in a love triangle with Tess (Ella Purnell) and Simone (Caitlin FitzGerald).
She recently welcomed the start of summer by hosting The Iconic's swimwear launch on Sydney's Darling Harbour.

And E! Australia presenter Ksenija Lukich stayed loyal to the east coast by appearing at the premiere of Swinging Safari on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old showed off her shapely pins in a white thigh-skimming Rebecca Vallance frock.

In her Christmas whites! Ksenija Lukich stuns in a lace mini dress at the Australian premiere of Swinging Safari

She paired the little lace number with sky-high black pumps and a matching cross body bag.

Keeping her lustrous brunette locks out, the bombshell added a hint of edge with some statement rings.

The movie, which includes an all-star Australian cast with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce, presents a typical Australian beachside neighbourhood in the height of a 1970s summer.

Glam! She paired the little lace number with sky-high black pumps and a matching cross body bag

Earlier this year the stylish Aussie celebrated her third anniversary with the E! network.

Opening up to The Daily Telegraph, Ksenija said landing her dream TV job wasn't an easy process - and she'd been rejected more times than she'd been accepted.

'I auditioned for a number of other presenting roles which I did not get,' she said.

Anniversary time! Earlier this year the stylish Aussie celebrated her third anniversary with the E! network

Going places: The MTV Hype presenter also said that although modelling had been her passion when she was younger appearing on television was her ultimate ambition

The MTV Hype presenter also said that although modelling had been her passion when she was younger appearing on television was her ultimate ambition.

'I started modelling when I was 17 and doing my uni degree and travelling, but I always had a passion for presenting,' she said.

Ksenija, who is married to Sydney lawyer Dan Bragg, claims she is glad she got turned down when she was younger as it shaped her ideals and made her more passionate about her work.

Landed her dream gig! 'I started modelling when I was 17 and doing my uni degree and travelling, but I always had a passion for presenting,' she said

She also said that she is content with the early morning shifts and extensive travel that her job brings.

'This is the perfect role for me so it was well worth the wait,' she said.

The brunette beauty has interviewed some pf the world's biggest stars including Matt Damon, Miranda Kerr, Delta Goodrem and Daniel McPherson and says she couldn't see herself doing any other job.

'This is my dream job,' she said.
She is set to move to London, following her engagement to Prince Harry.

And Meghan Markle has already formed a new BFF to spend time with in the capital, as reports have claimed she and Victoria Beckham have bonded over hair and beauty tips.

The former Suits actress is said to be 'really pleased' with her new found friendship and 'regularly texts' Victoria - crediting the fashion designer for helping her to settle into her new life in London.

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New BFFs? Meghan Markle has reportedly struck up a new friendship with Victoria Beckham, after the duo bonded over hair and beauty

According to The Sun, Meghan and Victoria have become friends, thanks to their love of all things beauty.

It's believed former Spice Girl Victoria, who is often delighting fans with her make-up tutorials on social media, has befriended Meghan and given her a list of 'exclusive salons' to visit, now she has re-located to the UK.

A Royal insider told the publication: 'Meghan has been really pleased with Victoria's beauty recommendations and has her to thank for meeting new friends in London.

'They have grown close and regularly text... Meghan trusts and appreciates her advice. She is even thinking about using Victoria's hairdresser over the Christmas period.'

'They regularly text': The former Suits actress is reportedly in constant contact with Victoria and has credited the fashion design for helping her to find new pals in London

Beauty guru: A Royal insider told The Sun: 'Meghan has been really pleased with Victoria's beauty recommendations... they have grown close and Meghan trusts and appreciates her advice'

It's claimed Meghan's friendship with David Beckham's wife had blossomed after she recommended 'sought-after facialist' Sarah Chapman to the actress.

The Chelsea-based beautician offers a 90-minute treatment at 600 and it's thought there is a 'six-month waiting list' for those hoping to pay a visit.

Victoria is also thought to have recommended high-end hair salon Hershesons in Knightsbridge to Meghan.

Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry emerged at the end of November, with the couple later confirming the news in their first official interview as a couple on BBC.

The nation were given an insight into their relationship as Harry and Meghan spoke of the moment they first met, a blind date that had been set up by a mutual friend, and time they had spent together in Botswana just weeks after being introduced.

Handy to know: It's claimed Meghan's friendship with David Beckham's wife had blossomed after she recommended 'sought-after facialist' Sarah Chapman to the actress

Soon-to-be Mr and Mrs: Megan is set to relocate to London following her engagement to Prince Harry that was announced at the end of November

Harry said: 'I think about three, maybe four weeks later that I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana. We camped out with each other under the stars. She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic.'

'Kensington Palace had announced their engagement in an official statement that read: 'His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle are engaged to be married. The Prince of Wales made this announcement this morning:

'His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle.

'The wedding will take place in Spring 2018. Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course.

Exciting: It has since been revealed that the duo will tie the knot at Windsor Castle next year, with Meghan becoming a British Citizen before their big day

'His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty, The Queen and other close members of his family.

'Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents.

'The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.'

It has since been revealed that the duo will tie the knot at Windsor Castle next year, with Meghan becoming a British Citizen before their big day.

Victoria, meanwhile, is now based in London and focusing on her eponymous fashion empire that is going from success to success, after receiving a 30million expansion.

Sartorial excellence: Victoria, meanwhile, is now based in London and focusing on her eponymous fashion empire that is going from success to success, after receiving a 30million expansion

Victoria Beckham Limited, the global luxury fashion brand, announced in November that NEO Investment Partners, a private investment firm specialising in luxury brands, has invested to acquire new shares in VBL.

Marking the moment, Victoria made sure to thank her husband David for his support in her fashion brand, as she said: 'To have found a partner who believes in me and what I have achieved in the same way that David and Simon Fuller have supported me over the years is both humbling and exciting.

'It has been almost ten years since I quietly started developing my vision for a fashion business in a small room in Simon Fuller's office where the Victoria Beckham brand began.

'It is incredible for me to now be entering in to my second decade with such an dynamic new partnership that validates everything that I have worked so hard to achieve over the years with my team.

'I always said I wanted to dream big': Victoria marked the moment by thanking her husband David and partner Simon Fuller for their investment in the company

'I always said I wanted to dream big, and this proves you can never dream big enough!

The 30million investment will enable the Victoria Beckham brand to enhance both its digital and physical retail presence, as well as allowing it to launch into new categories and collaborations.

Speaking about his wife's new business venture, David who is a shareholder, Beckham Brand Holdings, said: 'I am so proud of Victorias success and all of the hard work that has gone into building the business over the past ten years.

'I am sure the next decade will be even more exciting.'
Yellowstone County commissioners interviewed two candidates for appointment as county auditor on Monday and intend to make a decision during their Tuesday board meeting.

The top candidates are Scott Turner, who retired in 2015 as county finance director after 28 years with the county, and Brock Ullom, a former U.S. Army serviceman who is studying finance at Montana State University Billings.

The commission is seeking to fill the job vacated when Debby Hernandez retired on Nov. 30. Whoever is appointed would have to run for election in 2018 to retain the four-year elected position. The annual salary is $69,721.

The commissioners asked each candidate a series of nine questions, and each interview lasted 10 minutes to 15 minutes.

Scott Turner

Turner said he thought the job would be a good fit and with his experience in county financing and that there wouldnt be much of a learning curve.

Turner touted his knowledge and experience with the countys processes and systems, Montana statutes and contract review and writing.

In addition, Turner said as finance director, he directly and indirectly supervised staff and worked with all department heads on their financial needs, especially in budget preparation. He also worked with the media, he said.

Turner said his best quality was his extensive knowledge and background of the countys fiscal systems, its people and the organization. His weakest quality, he said, was that he was not much of a politician and not political by nature.

Turner also did not commit to running for election if appointed, saying that probably remains to be seen. He said he would decide after being on the job for a few months.

Turner said he could start anytime. He advised commissioners that he had two trips scheduled he had planned before the auditors job opened.

Turner has a bachelors degree in accounting from Montana State University and was a certified public accountant. He worked for an accounting firm, then worked as an accountant for the city of Billings from 1984 to 1987. Turner then moved to the county where he started as comptroller before becoming the finance director, a post he held for 26 years.

Brock Ullom

Ullom said he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army for about six years before leaving for medical reasons because of an injury.

"I wanted to do more, he said. And the auditors opening was a good time to serve my county, he added.

Ullom said his financial experience comes from courses he is taking at Montana State University Billings. His application said he will be graduating in December 2018 with a bachelors in finance.

While in the Army, Ullom said he supervised three to five people while at Fort Bliss, Texas, from 2012 until 2015 and was accountable for $1.5 million in equipment. In Texas, he was a military police team leader and worked on improving budgets and efficiencies for the fire department and ambulance service, he said.

Ullom said he has no experience implementing Montana codes and not a lot of experience with contracts.

Ullom said his best quality was his math skills, while his weakest was not being a very organized person although he was working on it.

If appointed, Ullom said he could start as soon as Monday and would run for office in 2018 and for each term after that. I plan to make this my career, he said.
She enjoyed eleven cocktail parties on The Bachelor before Matty 'J' Johnson called time on their relationship.

But Simone Ormesher certainly isn't dwelling on her heartbreak, with the busty blonde snapped beaming with joy while frolicking on a Gold Coast beach on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old showed generous sideboob while sporting a skimpy red G-string bikini in a snap shared to Instagram.

Lady in red! The Bachelor's Simone Ormesher showed generous sideboob while sporting a skimpy red G-string bikini in a snap shared to Instagram on Tuesday

'Pretending I have a cold ass alcoholic beverage in my hand,' she captioned - making fun of her awkward hand positioning.

She also tagged her location in Burleigh Hill and shared another picturesque snap of the beach.

Her golden hair shone in the light, left to flow freely against the nape of her neck.

The self-confessed pancake enthusiast's hip tattoo was on full display, the flower vines snaking their way around her torso.

Glowing! The self-confessed pancake enthusiast's hip tattoo was on full display, the flower vines snaking their way around her torso

In recent weeks Simone has been spotted cosying up to her former Bachelor co-stars Tara Pavlovic and Cobie Frost.

'You can buy good pizza but you can't buy good friends,' she wrote on one particularly sweet snap with Cobie.

The aspiring model also classifies Florence Alexandra as one of her best friends, the pair likely bonding over mutual rejection on this season's Bachelor series.

Ripped: The aspiring model also classifies Florence Alexandra as one of her best friends, the pair likely bonding over mutual rejection on this season's Bachelor series

Simone told Cosmopolitan recently her gal pal Florence is 'hilarious.'

'Sometimes I wouldn't get what [she] said  she's very abrupt. But honestly, she's gold,' she said.

The two were pictured at the AFL grand final earlier this year taking a loved-up selfie together, ahead of the clash between the Richmond Tigers and the Adelaide Crows.

'I don't know s*** about AFL, besides the names of some fine as players and their Instagram accounts, but all the best today Richmond FC... make da hood proud!!' Florence wrote in a caption.

The pair frequently poke fun at their rejected status, having lost out in the Bachelor running to jewellery designer Laura Byrne.
Barbara Palvin appeared on the twelfth day of December as the latest model to feature in LOVE advent's countdown to Christmas.

Marking the halfway point in the lead up to the big day, the Hungarian model, 24, showed off her phenomenal curves as she performed a dance against a pole.

Starting off in a cream and black polka dot jacket, the brunette shot her steely gaze down the lens of the camera as she gyrated her frame against the metal bar.

The North Pole (dance)! Barbara Palvin gyrates her pert derriere against a metal rail and grasps at her busty assets as she features in LOVE advent's countdown to Christmas

With her hair tied back, Barbara was seen thrusting her rear against the pole in tight black shorts.

Before long she was leaning into the camera, grasping her chest and highlighting her ample cleavage.

The model showcased her bust in a part black/part nude lingerie bra. She accessoriesed with silver earrings and thick black pumps.

The model performed a number of sultry poses, in the LOVE style, typical of their holiday campaign.

On the twelfth day...: Barbara Palvin appeared on the twelfth day of December as the latest model to feature in LOVE advent's countdown to Christmas

Sultry: Marking the halfway point in the lead up to the big day, the Hungarian model, 24, showed off her phenomenal curves as she performed a dance against a pole

Racy: Starting off in a cream and black polka dot jacket, the brunette shot her steely gaze down the lens of the camera as she gyrated her frame against the metal bar

The star was seen either straddling the pole, leaning back against it or dangling from it.

At one point in the video, things go into nightclub mode, as the lights go red and flash around the saucy model.

The advent calendar kicked off with its debut video on the 1st December - which featured Kendall Jenner as well as a host of other models including Jasmin Sanders and Bella Hadid donning racy outfits for the daily calendar release.

Cheeky: With her hair tied back, Barbara was seen thrusting her rear against the pole in tight black shorts

Pout: Before long she was leaning into the camera, grasping her chest and highlighting her ample cleavage

Seeing red: At one point in the video, things go into nightclub mode, as the lights go red and flash around the saucy model

Busty: The model showcased her bust in a part black/part nude lingerie bra

The project was shot by Phil Poynter, styled by Sally Lyndley, and stars several more beauties, including the likes of Karlie Kloss, Hailey Baldwin, Sara Sampaio, Teyana Taylor, Alexis Ren and Gigi Hadid.

Other stars include actress Kate Upton, Alexis Ren, Taylor Hill, Romee Strijd and Stella Maxwell.

The LOVE advent continues on Wednesday with another sizzling star for the festive season.
He made a triumphant return to TV following a rehab stint for pill and booze issues.

And Ant McPartlin didn't seem to happy to be leaving Australia after the end of a hit series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.

The 42-year-old looked glum as he headed to the airport to catch a flight back to the UK, following rumours he will spend Christmas with his wife Lisa Armstrong, 'even if it is their last'.

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Time for face the music: Ant McPartlin didn't seem to happy to be leaving Australia after the end of a hit series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here

Reports: Fuelling speculation that his 11-year marriage over, Ant is said to be putting his energy into overcoming his demons and focusing on his recovery when he jets back to London (Pictured with pal Declan Donnelly and wife Ali Astall)

The pair have been living separately as Ant battled his addiction issues, with Lisa focusing on her job as head make-up artist on Strictly Come Dancing.

Ant was joined by his ever supporting sidekick Declan Donnelly and his wife Ali Astall.

They led the latest round of campmates who have been through the trials and tribulations of the show this year.

Jungle queen Georgia Toffolo was still grinning from ear to ear as she arrived to fly home in a blue playsuit.

Downcast: The 42-year-old looked glum as he headed to the airport to catch a flight back to the UK, following rumours he will spend Christmas with his wife Lisa Armstrong, 'even if it is their last'

Firm friends: Ant was joined by his ever supporting sidekick Declan Donnelly and his wife Ali Astall

Home for the holidays: Ali looked thrilled to be heading home after her and husband Dec's lengthy stint in Australia

Matching: The presenters were coordinated as usual in casual clothes and trainers

Reunion: Their return is just in time for Christmas, and according to sources close to Ant, he is keen to spend another festive season with his wife of eleven years, even if it is their last one

Legging it: Jungle queen Georgia Toffolo was still grinning from ear to ear as she arrived to fly home in a blue playsuit

Beaming: The champ was joined by her proud mum Nicola as they headed home after her stellar turn on the show

Family affair: WAG Rebekah Vardy also headed to the airport with her children as they jetted home in time for Christmas

Tickled pink: The brunette beauty flashed her tanned legs in a tiny denim hotpants as she pushed her own trolley

Bag it up! Vanessa White went for ripped hot pants as she carried a plethora of hand luggage

Happy families: Shappi Khorsandi held hands with her daughter as she finally headed home - after being evicted first

The champ was joined by her proud mum Nicola as they headed home after her stellar turn on the show.

WAG Rebekah Vardy also headed to the airport with her children as they jetted home in time for Christmas.

The brunette beauty flashed her tanned legs in a tiny denim hotpants as she pushed her own trolley.

Their return is just in time for Christmas, and according to sources close to Ant, he is keen to spend another festive season with his wife of eleven years, even if it is their last one.

'She's said they will see each other over Christmas,' a source told Heat of make-up artist Lisa.

'Lisa would rather stay friendly than be resentful. She doesn't want to ruin what they had  this isn't a blame game.

'Ant wants to spend this Christmas with Lisa as her husband  even if this could be the last time,' they added.

MailOnline has contacted Lisa's representative for comment.

This comes a few weeks after it was reported that Ant McPartlin will not move back in with his wife Lisa Armstrong after he returns from I'm A Celebrity hosting duties.

The ITV host, 42, is currently making his TV comeback in the jungle Down Under following his summer stint in rehab for alcohol and painkiller addiction.

Fuelling speculation that his 11-year marriage over, Ant is said to be putting his energy into overcoming his demons and focusing on his recovery when he jets back to London.

The final festive season? The pair are believed to have been living separately as Dec battled his addiction issues

Uncertain? This comes a few weeks after it was reported that Ant McPartlin will not move back in with his wife Lisa Armstrong after he returns from I'm A Celebrity hosting duties

A source told the publication: 'This has been a difficult time and, while both want to make things work, they are struggling to find a way to move forward together.

The insider added: 'Ants been bolstered by Im a Celebs viewing figures, which seem to show the public still support him. Lisa has been by herself, and having a good time with her pals has proved a good distraction.'

A rep for Ant McPartlin declined to comment to MailOnline.

Last month Lisa finally broke her silence on reports of marital woes with Ant following his battles with addiction.

She took to Twitter to hit back at the long-running reports that the duo have separated, as she penned on the microblogging site: 'I'm not estranged thank you', adding that she hadn't been to Australia for 10 years so it wasn't a surprise that she hadn't joined Ant in the jungle.

Viewers were delighted when Ant made his much-anticipated return to TV screens on the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! launch last Sunday night.

And it has now been revealed that the TV presenter - who looked happy and healthy during the first episode alongside co-host Declan Donnelly in Australia- has lost 'up to a stone in weight' following his recent stint in rehab.

A source told The Mirror: 'The last couple of months have been about him getting back to the Ant people know and love, and he has been exercising the knee, eating more healthily and drinking a lot less.'

Speaking of the Ant - who checked into rehab in June to battle a two year battle to painkillers after a devastating knee injury and fertility issues - a source admitted: 'He put on some weight and looked tired and had bags under his eyes.'

But with a visibly slimmed down Ant appearing on ITV screens, it was divulged: 'The results of all that, and work in the gym, are there for all to see now. He has lost up to a stone in weight and looks better than he has for years.

It was also revealed that other than the grisly series ahead, it was his 'new look and physique' which was the 'talk of the crew over the weekend.'

Broken silence: Last month Lisa finally broke her silence on reports of marital woes with Ant following his battles with addiction. She took to Twitter to hit back at the long-running reports that the duo have separated, writing: 'I'm not estranged thank you' (Pictured in 2006)

Bouncing back: Viewers were delighted when Ant made his much-anticipated return to TV screens on the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! launch last Sunday night

And for Ant, his recent stint in rehab was addressed as Dec opened the show by playfully joking he was planning to replace Ant with Holly Willoughby - quipping: 'No one was sure if you would make it or not!'

Beaming widely for cameras and walking to their famous perch in the jungle for the first time this series, Ant proved he was back to his best - after a summer battling drink and drug addictions.

In the duo's usual witty style however, Dec immediately opened the show by joking about his friend's much-anticipated return.

Having fun: And for Ant, his recent stint in rehab was addressed as Dec opened the show by playfully joking he was planning to replace Ant with Holly Willoughby - quipping: 'No one was sure if you would make it or not!'

He said to viewers: 'I'm here with the gorgeous Holly Willoughby...' before adding in mock horror: 'Wait, no! Guys that's the wrong script! You've put the wrong script in!'

Turning to Ant, who was stood in mock outrage, Dec continued the joke by stating, in reference to his pal's rehab stint: 'No one was sure if you would make it or not!'

Confirming to fans he was better than ever however, the famous Geordie assured: 'I was always going to make it, come on.'

He then added excitedly: 'I'm back my friend!', before the pair sweetly hugged, to the applause of the production crew.
She announced she was leaving her role of Eva Price on Coronation Street earlier this month.

And Catherine Tyldesley seems to have her eye on a career in Hollywood as she channelled iconic movie stars in a stunning transformation for Best magazine.

The soap-star, 34, oozed timeless glamour as she portrayed the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Faye Dunaway and Brigitte Bardot for the striking shoot.

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Transformation: Catherine Tyldesley seems to have her eye on a career in Hollywood as she channelled iconic movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe in a stunning transformation for Best magazine

Donning Marilyn's signature white dress, Catherine looked striking as she sat on a chair with her hand up to her chest.

Leaving no stone unturned, she covered her long locks with a short curly blonde wig and enhanced her features with a heavy black liner and red gloss.

Taking on Grace Kelly's role in the 1955 flick To Catch a Thief, Catherine looked to one side as she draped a layer of her blue dress on one arm.

She went on to emulate Faye Dunaway in the iconic 1967 crime film Bonnie and Clyde with a stunning headshot where she donned a white beret.

Iconic: The soap-star, 34, oozed timeless glamour in Marilyn's signature white dress for the stunning shoot

Striking: Taking on Grace Kelly's role in the 1955 flick To Catch a Thief, Catherine looked to one side as she draped a layer of her blue dress on one arm

In another she stunned at blonde bombshell, Brigitte Bardot.

Speaking during the shoot to the publication, Catherine admitted: 'Im a huge fan of Marilyn. Her comic timing was fantastic, she was no dumb blonde at all.'

She even likened Brigitte, who 'gives herself entirely' to her character in Corrie, stating: 'Thats Eva all over. The poor girl, she has no sense of self-preservation whatsoever.'

Catherine confirmed she will be leaving the Cobbles a few weeks ago, with producers adding that her last scenes will air in the early summer, 2018.

Speaking to The Sun, Catherine who plays Eva Price, said: 'Coronation Street has been a dream job for me which is why this was such a difficult decision to leave.

Back in the day: She went on to emulate Faye Dunaway in the iconic 1967 crime film Bonnie and Clyde with a stunning headshot where she donned a white beret

Original: Catherine looked incredibly similar to Faye in the snap

Resemblance: In another she stunned at blonde bombshell, Brigitte Bardot

'Eva has been such fun to play over the last seven years, and who knows, one day she might storm the cobbles of Weatherfield again.

'In the meantime Im excited about the future, new acting projects, and spending time with my family.'

Catherine left the show for a brief stint in 2014/2015 - she took maternity leave whilst pregnant with her first child. She went back to work in July 2015 and Eva reappeared on-screen that September - when she began her tryst with Shaynes Aidan Conner.

A Coronation Street spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that Cath Tyldesley will leave Coronation Street at the end of her current contract next year after seven years in the show.

Glamour: Eva, who has been a fan favourite since her debut on Coronation Street in June 2011, has confirmed she is quitting the soap

Bunny Boiler: Eva is no stranger to a dramatic act or two, especially as she was the desire of a string of male suitors

'Cath's portrayal of Eva Price has made her a firm favourite amongst fans and she will be missed.

'The producers and writers are currently working on her exit storyline which be on screen in early summer.'

Catherine has had her fair share of storylines on Corrie since she arrived in 2011 alongside on-screen Mum Michelle Collins, with the feisty blonde immediately making an impact.

Just months into her arrival Eva discovered that somewhat rival Leanne Battersby was her half sister, though this revelation made the pair very close over the next few years.

Explosive: In a dramatic wedding day, Eva exposed Aisan's lies, though also revealed that she was not really pregnant with his child, which resulted in a catfight with Maria in the fountain

Don't miss it! Read Catherine's full interview in Best Magazine out now

Eva was never short of male attention, having relationships with Nick Tilsey, Jason Grimshaw, Rob Donovan and Aidan Connor and most recently Adam Barlow throughout her time on the soap.

Eva was at the centre of a dramatic revenge storyline this summer, after discovering that fiance Aidan had been having an affair with Maria Connor.

After discovering that her possible pregnancy was negative, Eva decided to rinse Aidan for everything in a lavish wedding while pretending she was expecting his child.

When the big day finally arrived in September, Eva exposed the truth to Aidan in tense scenes, which also saw a full-on catfight ensue as Eva dragged Maria into the water fountain.
Katie Price was escorted off Loose Women on Tuesday after breaking down in floods of tears while discussing her mother Amy's terminal lung condition, exclaiming: 'I don't want her to die'.

The mother-of-five, 39, has endured a tough few months following news surfacing of her beau's affair with their children's nanny, with her mum being diagnosed just days before with IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis) aged just 60 - a progressive lung condition with no cure.

Katie, who recently admitted she turned to anti-depressants after learning of her husband Kieran Hayler's affair, broke down on live TV as she discussed Keith Chegwin's recent death, after he lost his battle with the same disease.

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Emotional: Katie Price was escorted off Loose Women in tears over her mother's terminal lung condition... after revealing she's been prescribed anti-depressants following husband Kieran's affairs

Appearing on Loose Women on Tuesday, an emotional Katie addressed Keith Chegwin's death and her mum's experience of the same condition he suffered from - losing his battle with IPF in just six months.

Katie's close friend and former Celebrity Big Brother co-star Keith had been diagnosed with the same illness as her mum, and sadly passed away on Monday.

Breaking down in tears before being escorted off the set, the beauty was inconsolable as she told the panel: 'He has the same condition as my mum. Not many people know about it... there should be more awareness.

'Once youre diagnosed it's too late. Its incurable. You dont know how you get it,' she explained, before trying to compose herself.

Overwhelmed: The mother-of-five, 39, has endured a tough few months following news surfacing of her beau's affair with their children's nanny, with her mum being diagnosed just days before with IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis) - a progressive lung condition with no cure

'It hadn't hit me last time': Katie admitted the news hadn't sunk in when she appeared on the show with her mum Amy Price, 64, in September

Close: The Loose Women star revealed that her close friend and late comedian Keith Chegwin had offered her advice on her mum's condition just days before his shock passing

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult. IPF has a prognosis worse than many cancers and most sufferers go on to develop respiratory failure and die of suffocation as their lung capacity reduces. The disease  which kills 5,300 people every year  creates a build-up of scar tissue in the lung which makes them thick and less able to take in oxygen. Regardless of treatment, people with IPF, which usually strikes those in their late 40s or early 50s - on average only live for around three to five years from diagnosis. Although still considered a rare disease, IPF has become more common in both the UK and the US over the last 30 years. The symptoms of IPF tend to develop gradually and get slowly worse over time. Symptoms can include:

shortness of breath

a persistent dry cough

tiredness

loss of appetite and weight loss

rounded and swollen fingertips (clubbed fingers) There is no cure and it's very difficult to predict how long someone with IPF will survive at the time of diagnosis. Regular monitoring over time can indicate whether it's getting worse quickly or slowly. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

Speaking of her mother's diagnosis, Katie admitted the severity of the condition 'hadn't hit her' at first. She added: 'But Keith got in touch, he was trying to help my mum.'

Katie also admitted the news hadn't sunk in when she appeared on the show with her mum in September, putting on a brave display.

'I knew about [his condition] all along. I can't believe he's gone in six months,' Katie said of mum Amy, who has been forced to sell her house as she becomes less mobile.

Delving into Amy's battle with IPF, a heartbroken Katie cried: 'My mum is getting worse. My mum had a cough for five years and thought it was asthma. How can my mum die? It might be my last Christmas with her.'

Junior and Princess will be spending this Christmas with their father Peter Andre, surely adding to Katie's woes with her worrying that Amy will miss her potentially last Christmas with them.

'She's so healthy, she's never smoked,' Katie insisted, before admitting: 'I couldn't see her for a few weeks and I had to explain to her I didn't want to see her like that, I can't see her growing old. She can't see Harvey turn 18, I love her so much.'

Ruth Langsford then escorted Katie out of the studio as her emotions got the better of her and she broke down in tears.

The panel then returned with just the three presenters, with Denise Van Outen telling viewers: '[Katie's] had a hard night. She hasn't slept... she wanted to raise awareness.'

The beauty had earlier confessed that she turned to anti-depressants to help her deal with her heartache, as just days before Kieran's infidelity surfaced, her mother Amy was diagnosed with IPF.

Inconsolable: An emotional Katie had appeared on Loose Women on Tuesday, addressing Keith Chegwin's death and her mum's experience of the same condition he suffered from - losing his battle with IPF in just six months

Struggling: 'I knew about [his condition] all along. I can't believe he's gone in six months.' she said of Keith's death, comparing his condition to that of her mum Amy's

'They won't spend their last Christmas with her (seen September)': - Junior and Princess will be spending this Christmas with their father Peter Andre, surely adding to Katie's woes

Katie said: 'I've been on medication since my mum was diagnosed. It's just been a lot to deal with.'

The TV personality admitted the medication has been 'helping' her through her family woes.

Katie first opened up about her mother's diagnosis in October, when her mum was told she was diagnosed with IPF unexpectedly after going for a routine X-Ray.

Tough times: 'Once youre diagnosed it's too late. Its incurable. You dont know how you get it,' she explained, before trying to compose herself.

Broken: 'She's so healthy, she's never smoked,' Katie insisted, before admitting: 'I couldn't see her for a few weeks and I had to explain to her I didn't want to see her like that', she stammered

The former glamour model had told The Sun at the time: 'She's got something wrong with her lungs and she's been told she hasn't got very long to live. She's on tablets... at least I'm making her laugh. Whatever is happening, we've got to be upbeat about it.'

IPF is a lung condition that causes progressive scarring of the lungs, leading to breathing difficulties and those suffering from it rarely survive more than five years past their diagnosis.

Paying her respects to Keith on Monday, Katie revealed that the TV presenter, who she remained firm friends with following their stint on the Channel 5 reality series together in 2015, had given her advice about the condition her mother is currently battling.

All love: 'I can't see her growing old. She can't see Harvey turn 18, I love her so much,' Katie said, understandably struggling to contain herself

'My mum is getting worse. My mum had a cough for five years and thought it was asthma. How can my mum die? It might be my last Christmas with her' she questioned

'I've been on medication since my mum was diagnosed. It's just been a lot to deal with,' a devastated Katie admitted

Taking to Twitter with a heart-felt post about the late star, Katie penned: 'I'm absolutely gutted that Keith has passed away.

'I only spoke to him few weeks ago and he was giving my mum advice as she is suffering with the same lung condition my mum has which is IPF an incurable disease!

'He was such a very down to earth and extremely funny and absolutely loved his wife maria and children so much!

'I will miss him and so gutted as we were all trying to fit in a date to meet up. I'm just in shock how quick this has all happened since I spoke to him.

Devasted: Ruth Langsford had to escort Katie out of the studio as her emotions got the better of her. The panel then returned with just the three presenters

Honest: The beauty confessed in an interview with Reveal magazine that she had turned to anti-depressants to help her deal with her heartache, as just days before Kieran's infidelity surfaced, her mother Amy was diagnosed with IPF

'It's just been a lot to deal with': The TV personality admitted the medication has been 'helping' her through her family woes. She had first opened up about her mother's diagnosis in October

'RIP Keith and will continue with your advice for my mum.'

Additionally Katie was left devastated in August on learning that her husband of three years Kieran had embarked on an affair with their children's nanny. It followed his previous infidelities that saw him cheat on Katie with her former best friend of 20 years Jane Pountney and close pal Chrissy Thomas.

Despite vowing to leave her beau, Katie admits that she is 'still in love' with Kieran despite his wrongdoing and he is still currently living with the star in her family home. The couple share two children together; son Jett, four, and daughter Bunny, three.

Heartbreaking: IPF is a lung condition that causes progressive scarring of the lungs, leading to breathing difficulties and those suffering from it rarely survive more than five years past their diagnosis

Sad: Katie's close friend and former Celebrity Big Brother co-star Keith had been diagnosed with the same illness and sadly passed away on Monday

She said: 'I still love him. The Kieran that I know, I love. The other Kieran... is horrible. It's just so far away from the man I married.'

Katie shared her disbelief over his cheating ways and claimed: 'It proves he has an addiction - he has an addiction because those women are disgusting.'

Seeming to reflect on her mother's diagnosis, Katie shared a photo of mum Amy to Instagram the day after Keith's passing and penned in an emotional tribute: 'I love my mum so much but time is limited and running out due to her incurable lung condition IPF nothing in the world is important to me but love loyalty support.'

Close: Paying her respects to the TV presenter, Katie revealed that Keith, who she remained firm friends with following their stint on the Channel 5 reality series together in 2015, had given her advice about the condition her mother is currently battling.

Emotional: She penned: 'I'm absolutely gutted that Keith has passed away. I only spoke to him few weeks ago and he was giving my mum advice as she is suffering with the same lung condition... He was such a very down to earth and extremely funny... I will miss him'

Firm friends: Katie and Keith had formed a close bond while joining each other in the Celebrity Big Brother house back in 2015

Reflective: Katie shared a photo of mum Amy to Instagram the day after Keith's passing and penned in an emotional tribute: 'I love my mum so much but time is limited and running out'

Keith passed away following his long-term battle with the progressive lung condition, aged 60.

The star died at home surrounded by his second wife Maria and two children Rose, who is married to White Lies frontman Harry McVeigh, and Ted who described him as a 'loving husband and father'.

His family today revealed he had been seriously ill for around six months with IPF. He told fans in a heartbreaking final tweet in September: 'Still not right. I will be back - But not for a bit yet. I'm so sorry'.

'Cheggers' became a household name presenting Swap Shop and Cheggers Plays Pop in the 1970s followed by Saturday Superstore in the 1980s.

After a high-profile battle with alcoholism he relaunched his career on Channel 4's Big Breakfast knocking on celebrities' front doors in the mid-1990s crying: 'Wake up you beggars, it's Cheggers!'.

Shock: Keith passed away following his long-term battle with the progressive lung condition, aged 60

In a statement, the entertainer's family said: 'We are heartbroken to share the news that Keith Chegwin sadly passed away following a long-term battle with a progressive lung condition, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which rapidly worsened towards the end of this year.

'Keith died peacefully at home shortly after midnight on December 11. His wife Maria, his daughter Rose and his son Ted were by his side.

'We would like to take this opportunity to thank Severn Hospice for the kindness, support and care they have shown us all over the last few weeks.'

'Keith was a loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend. We would respectfully ask to be left to mourn his passing in private.'

Upset: Katie's latest interview addressing her tumultuous relationship with Kieran comes after reports claim she has been left 'distraught and humiliated' by the former stripper

Meanwhile, Katie's latest interview addressing her tumultuous relationship with Kieran comes after reports claim she has been left 'distraught and humiliated' by the former stripper, after learning he has been 'texting' a girl from her horse riding school, Pony Club.

A friend of the star told The Sun: 'Katie's horse school was the one thing she was most invested in. She absolutely loves it, but it has been ruined.

'When she found out Kieran was messaging one of the girls from the club, she was absolutely destroyed - this has ruined their relationship.'

They added that Katie has vowed her on/off marriage to Kieran is now 'over for good'. MailOnline had contacted representatives for Katie and Kieran for comment at the time.

Reports claim Kieran has been 'texting' a girl from Katie's horse riding school, Pony Club, and she has now vowed their on/off marriage is 'over for good' as a result

Kieran, meanwhile, is reportedly planning to get a second tattoo of Katie on his chest as part of his Christmas mission to get her back. It's also been reported he is desperate for the couple to 'have another baby' in order for him to prove his commitment to Katie.

As well as her children with Kieran, she is also mum to Harvey, 15, Junior, 12, and Princess, 10.

Katie married third husband Kieran in a romantic ceremony at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort and Spa in the Bahamas in January 2013.

The hunk had got down on one knee and popped the question to the beauty on Christmas Day in 2012. Katie has been married twice, first to Peter Andre and later to MMA fighter Alex Reid.
She bared her famous assets on the cover of Maxim magazine earlier this year.

And Married At First Sight's Cheryl Maitland was happy to show her fans even more cleavage while holidaying with her boyfriend Dean Gibbs in Bali.

The 26-year-old shared a video to her Instagram on Tuesday of her and Dean riding down a busy Balinese street on silver scooters.

On the move! MAFS star Cheryl Maitland flashes cleavage while riding a scooter on her 'honeymoon' in Bali amid rumours she has married boyfriend Dean Gibbs

Cheryl, wearing a cheeky pair of white shorts and an olive green bikini top, holds the camera up high so it gets a lengthy visual of her chest.

The pair look ecstatic, with the brunette beauty laughing during the short clip.

Since finding love this year with the former criminal turned plumber Cheryl hasn't stopped gushing about her man.

But on Tuesday the busty model teased the pair might have finally tied the knot.

Sharing a picture of the couple's dessert, the words Happy Honeymoon could be seen iced on the plate.

Are Cheryl Maitland and Dean Gibbs MARRIED? MAFS star shows off holiday dessert congratulating the couple on their 'Honeymoon'

'We're here and on our Honeymoon,' Cheryl said adding a few laughing emojis, suggesting it was clearly presented to them by mistake.

The duo appeared to be enjoying a holiday somewhere abroad, tucking into their dinner for the night.

It's not the first time Cheryl has hinted at marriage plans.

'Can't wait to grow old with you!' Cheryl recently hinted at marriage plans when she posted a gushing birthday tribute to her boyfriend Dean

Recently in a gushing birthday tribute to her man, Cheryl admitted she couldn't wait to grow old with her man.

'I couldn't imagine my life without you in it, You are the most beautiful soul I've met!' she wrote.

'I'm so thankful I get to spend this day with you and many more. I can't wait to grow old with you,' she added.

'LOVE YOU the most,' Cheryl concluded.

'I couldn't imagine my life without you in it, You are the most beautiful soul I've met!' she wrote

Best decision: Cheryl first rose to fame on Married at First Sight where she opted to leave her assigned husband Andrew

Posting another candid photo of herself and her man in August, again Cheryl couldn't help but gush over her beau.

'I am so glad that I never settled til I found you,' she wrote taking a slight jab at her TV partner.

After the brunette beauty unveiled her boyfriend in March, it wasn't long before it was revealed he carried a criminal record.

In 2014, Dean was handed a one-year suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to five drug-related counts including; trafficking, using cocaine and as well as possessing steroids and ecstasy.
She has shot down any rumours that she is dating Olly Murs.

And Melanie Sykes looked every inch the independent woman as she braved the cold while attending the TRIC Christmas Party at Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Tuesday.

The TV star, 47, got into the festive spirit as she showed off her gym-honed figure in a chic red lace midi-dress while posing up a storm on the red carpet.

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Red hot! Melanie Sykes, 47, braved the cold while attenting the TRIC Christmas Party at Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Tuesday

Mel looked striking in the number which lined the contours of her incredible figure.

She flashed her bronzed pins in the knee-length garment as she stood tall in a pair of silver strappy heels.

Mel's locks were styled in a glamorous blowdry which fell in loose curls down her front.

Her make-up also proved to be on point, with blush-infused cheeks and heavily-lined eyes.

Wow: The TV star got into the festive spirit as she showed off her gym-honed figure in a chic red lace midi-dress while posing up a storm on the red carpet

Sensational: Mel looked striking in the number which lined the contours of her incredible figure

Leggy: She flashed her bronzes pins in the knee-length number as she stood tall in a pair of silver strappy heels

Keeping in theme with the festive season was Lizzie Cundy, who couldn't resist showing off her busty assets in a plunging sparkling dress.

Lisa Snowdon also looked sensational in a navy laser-cut midi-dress which boasted a nude underlay.

The flirty number featured a deep plunge and a skater style bottom and she teamed it with a pair of pointed silver heels.

Rachel Riley also looked sensational in a semi-sheer baby blue dress with a white underlay.

Sexy: Keeping in theme with the festive season was Lizzie Cundy, who couldn't resist showing off her busty assets in a plunging sparkling dress

Striking: Lisa Snowdon also looked sensational in a navy laser-cut midi-dress which boasted a nude underlay

Work it! The flirty number featured a deep plunge and a skater style bottom and she teamed it with a pair of pointed silver heels

Pretty: Rachel Riley also looked sensational in a semi-sheer baby blue dress with a white underlay

The presenter looked every inch the blonde bombshell as she posed up a storm on the red carpet.

Binky Felstead oozed androgynous chic in a military-inspired blazer and matching trousers.

Laura Whitmore flaunted her flair for fashion, as well as her pins, in a black floral dress while a matching coat was effortlessly draped off her shoulders.

She accessorised with a red clutch and kept in theme with a slick of scarlet lipstick.

Work it! The presenter looked every inch the blonde bombshell as she posed up a storm on the red carpet

Man, she looks good! Binky Felstead oozed androgynous chic in a military-inspired blazer and matching trousers

Style queen: Laura Whitmore flaunted her flair for fashion, as well as her pins, in a black floral dress while a matching coat was effortlessly draped off her shoulders

Glamour: She accessorised with a red clutch and kept in theme with a slick of scarlet lipstick

Beauty: Frankie Bridge oozed sophistication in a black turtleneck and high-waisted midi-skirt

TOWIE'S Courtney Green proved to be undeniably glamorous in a plunging black playsuit, with gold military buttons down the front.

She upped the ante in a pair of thigh-high boots as she posed with her pal and co-star, Chloe Meadows.

Chloe looked flawless in a figure-hugging grey jumpsuit which she teamed with a chic camel coloured coat.

Pete Wicks was suited and booted to perfection in a double breasted ensemble which she teamed with a black turtleneck.

Incredible: TOWIE'S Courtney Green proved to be undeniably glamorous in a plunging black playsuit, with gold military buttons down the front

Two peas in a pod: She upped the ante in a pair of thigh-high boots as she posed with her pal and co-star, Chloe Meadows

Sartorially savvy: Chloe looked flawless in a figure-hugging grey jumpsuit which she teamed with a chic camel coloured coat

Hunk: Pete Wicks was suited and booted to perfection in a double breasted ensemble which she teamed with a black turtleneck

The ex of Megan McKenna sported slicked back locks

Sian Welby looked pretty as a picture in a black playsuit which showed off her lean legs.

The presenter added an element of edge to her look with a thin black choker.

Nazaneen Ghaffar brought the sparkle in a glittering silver dress and sky-high black heels.

Sian Welby looked pretty as a picture in a black playsuit which showed off her lean legs

Dramatic: The presenter added an element of edge to her look with a thin black choker

Nazaneen Ghaffar brought the sparkle in a glittering silver dress and sky-high black heels

Vanessa Feltz made a statement in a large white coat with a hint of her gold dress poking through underneath.

Barbara Windsor was certainly hard to miss in a multi-coloured jacket and blue turtleneck.

Dave Berry teamed a long black coat with a thin knit and waistcoat.

Hard to miss: Vanessa Feltz made a statement in a large white coat with a hint of her gold dress poking through underneath

Colourful: Barbara Windsor was certainly hard to miss in a multi-coloured jacket and blue turtleneck

Handsome: Dave Berry teamed a long black coat with a thin knit and waistcoat

Ore Oduba and his pregnant wife Portia looked sensational as they attended the party in their festive attire.

Ore looked handsome in all-black while his other half dressed to accentuate her bump in a glittering midnight blue dress.

Michelle Dewberry and Charlie Brooks also flaunted their stylish flair as they attended the event.

John Lyons was decked out in a navy suit and snazzy tie.

Hot couple: Ore Oduba and his pregnant wife Portia looked sensational as they attended the party in their festive attire

Great: Ore looked handsome in all-black while his other half dressed to accentuate her bump in a glittering midnight blue dress

Glam: Michelle Dewberry (L) and Charlie Brooks (R) also flaunted their stylish flair as they attended the event
He's the revered actor who's played Luke Skywalker on and off for forty years.

And Mark Hamill has now revealed the unusual method he used to tap into the dispirited mental state of his iconic character in the new blockbuster, Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The 66-year-old told The Herald Sun on Wednesday that he used his distress at America's mass shootings as a way into understanding the 'dark place' Skywalker finds himself in in the latest installment of the franchise.

'Shameful': Star Wars icon Mark Hamill told The Herald Sun on Tuesday that he used his distress over America's mass shootings to tap into the dark mindset his character Luke Skywalker has in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

'I had to find something in my own life experience, not that that's ever happened to me, but vicariously I have been struck by the terrible tragedies that you read about', he said, referencing the country's mass shootings as 'shameful.'

He added: 'I mean it's crazy - America has a lot of crazy people and the gun laws are just totally wrong and disproportionate for what we need.'

According to the publication, Mark was particularly shaken by the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting - which saw 26 innocent lives lost, and he was dispirited that there was no change to the country's firearm laws.

Iconic character: Mark's Luke Skywalker finds himself in a dark frame of mind in the latest blockbuster film

The actor is an outspoken advocate of gun control laws.

In his interview with The Herald Sun, he also heaped praised on Australia's strict gun laws, which were tightened in the wake of a 1996 massacre that left 35 people dead.

'People say 'Well do you want to have all those rules that you have in Australia that stop those?'. And I say yes! Whatever they did, let's do that  nothing else is working.'

Name a more iconic trio: Mark is known as Luke Skywalker, but he's also known for his strong political views

Mark has been a prominent Democrat for many years, and was among a number of stars who donated to Hillary Clinton in January 2016 in order to help with her presidential bid.

Following Clinton's stunning defeat, Mark didn't hold back in slamming President Donald Trump.

'I'm in total denial', he told The Daily Beast days after Trump's victory.
MasterChef Australia will celebrate its 10th anniversary season in 2018.

And culinary sensation Nigella Lawson has praised the program ahead of flying Down Under next year for filming.

'It's a very kind program and it's positive and helps people in the right way,' the 57-year-old told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.

Bringing the heat (from the oven)! Nigella Lawson returns to Aussie soil in January to film MasterChef Australia

'It's not at all about making people feel bad about themselves.'

It will be a hectic work trip to Oz for Nigella, who will also host a 'night in conversation' at Sydney's Opera House.

The avid foodie will be talking about her new book, At My Table, which will be the 11th book she has released in recent years.

The boys are back! Masterchef Australia will celebrate its 10th anniversary season in 2018

'This book, like all the books I've written and all the cookery books I've read, is not just a manual but a collection of stories and a container of memories,' she told Confidential.

Recently the stunning brunette admitted she doesn't consider herself skilled in the kitchen.

Despite having eight television shows on the topic, she told Stellar: 'I don't cook professionally and I don't have any particular skills.'

'I don't have any particular skills!' Nigella Lawson plays down her legendary cooking skills... as she reveals she longs for a warm Christmas in Australia

'I write about food and I cook a lot but really, I only cook for people I know,' she said.

The 57-year-old recently defended her new book, At My Table, against critics who said it was 'boring' with its 'simple' recipes such as one for a ham and cheese toastie.

Appearing on a UK radio show, she said: 'It's not always about the recipe. I think it's more of an enthusiasm. I didn't even give particular amounts of what to use.

'Sometimes it's the middle of the night and I decide 'I want to make a ham and cheese toastie!'

'I love when people say they like cheddar and marmalade sandwiches. It's not a recipe but it's an idea.

Taking a stand: The 57-year-old recently defended her new book, At My Table, against critics who said it was 'boring' with its 'simple' recipes such as one for a ham and cheese toastie

'If you can get pleasure in life why turn away from it? As long as I am the person who is allowed to eat the sandwiches I don't care what they feel'.

When it comes to dessert though, Nigella favours more exotic delights.

The all-time Australian summer favourite, pavlova, has become one of her signature dishes.

Inspired by the unusual: 'I love when people say they like cheddar and marmalade sandwiches. It's not a recipe but it's an idea

'I've got some black pepper and rose water in the base and strawberries lacerated in passionfruit to go on top of the cream  a bit of snowy England but also summery Australia.

'My Christmas is a cold-weather affair, and I rather long to one day have an Australian one. I think that would be rather fabulous.'

'I love Australia. I find it a very inspiring place. I find the food good, but in a way that makes me feel relaxed.'

She somewhat sheepishly admits one of her signature desserts is that venerable local summer favourite, the pavlova. She gives it her own twist, of course.
He rose to fame as a character actor thanks to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

And 23 years after starring in the cult classic, Guy Pearce is relishing his opportunity to work with the director who gave him acclaim again.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, the 50-year-old actor said he was delighted to be in Stephan Elliott's latest film Swinging Safari.

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'It was a delight to get to work with him again': Guy Pearce gushes about reuniting with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert's director Stephan Elliott in Swinging Safari

In the 1994 comedy Guy plays a drag queen called Felicia who travels across the Australian outback from Sydney to Alice Springs.

The indie film, which also stars Hugo Weaving, was an instant cult comedy classic and helped propel Guy's acting career to new heights.

Guy said he couldn't resist that the chance to work with Priscilla's director Stephan one more time.

Iconic role: In the 1994 comedy Guy plays a drag queen called Felicia who travels across the Australian outback from Sydney to Alice Springs

Found fame:The indie film was an instant cult comedy classic and helped propel Guy's acting career to new heights

'It was a delight to get to work with him again and to work on something that meant so much to me personally, because of having grown up in the '70s myself,' he told News Corp.

Set in a 1970s beachside town, Swinging Safari focuses on the lives of bored adults in summer.

The comedy also stars Asher Keddie, Julian McMahon, Radha Mitchell and Jeremy Sims.

Admires him: Guy said he couldn't resist that the chance to work with Priscilla's director Stephan one more time

Meanwhile Guy and Stephan could be reuniting for a third time in the foreseeable future.

The LA Confidential star revealed in April he was interested in doing a sequel to the Australian film classic.

'Ideas keep coming up every couple years. It would be fun. Each of us has a moment where we go ''Why not?''' Guy told Yahoo Movies.
Some of the worlds best bull riders are on their way to Casper as they vie for spots at the Professional Bull Riders World Finals.

The PBRs Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour is set to arrive in Wyoming for the first time April 7 at the Casper Events Center. Tickets go on sale Wednesday.

Casper is the 20th scheduled stop on the national tour that culminates in the Velocity Tour Finals  leading into the PBRs 2018 Built Ford Tough World Finals.

For one huge night, some of the best bull riders in the world will battle the sports toughest bovine athletes, according to a press release from the Casper Events Center. The thrilling 8-second rides and heart-stopping wrecks make the PBRs Velocity Tour one of the most exciting live sporting events to see.

The top three finishers at the Velocity Tour Finals and the leading international performer will qualify to compete at the PBR World Finals.

The PBRs Built Ford Tough Series features the top 35 bull riders in the world and the top bulls in the business, according to a press release from the Casper Events Center.

The PBRs Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour started in 2014 as the organizations premier expansion tour. The 2018 Velocity Tour also stops include Knoxville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Dayton, Ohio; Bangor, Maine, and Oakland, California.
Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin are not only dating, but their new relationship is surviving the holidays.

Their romance, which began several months ago, has been thriving, a source told UsWeekly on Tuesday.

'Theyve gotten to know each other really well and are very comfortable with one another,' said the source.

Hot together: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin are not only dating, but their new relationship is surviving the holidays

It was added that he thinks so highly of the Shades Of Grey actress that he asks her opinion on his music.

The Grammy winner is known for his hit songs Yellow and Something Just Like This.

'Chris sends Dakota his music to get her opinion,' added the insider. 'Its more than just a fling.'

And the age difference has not been a problem yet - he is 40-years-old and she is only 28-years-old.

Date night: They have been seen together at the Los Angeles sushi bar Sushi Park on Sunset Boulevard where Beyonce and Jay Z have dined recently

He used to be married to Gwyneth Paltrow, who he has 13-year-old daughter Apple and 11-year-old son Moses with.

Dakota used to date Jordan Masterson (2011 - 2014) and Matthew Hitt (2014 - 2016)

The Coldplay frontman then dated Jennifer Lawrence and Annabelle Wallis.

Dakota used to date Jordan Masterson (2011 - 2014) and Matthew Hitt (2014 - 2016).

The two were first linked in October.

They have been seen together at the Los Angeles sushi bar Sushi Park on Sunset Boulevard where Beyonce and Jay Z have dined recently.

'Chris and Dakota walked in together and sat at a table for two tucked away in the corner,' an onlooker told Us.

'They seemed very happy to see each other and immediately jumped into conversation.

'She was catching him up on work and the different projects she has coming up.

The ex: He used to be married to Gwyneth Paltrow, who he has 13-year-old daughter Apple and 11-year-old son Moses with; seen in 2014

'She was telling him where she is going to be and asking him what he thought. They both seemed to really respect each others opinions. Chris was very charming and personable. His face lit up when he was talking to her. He hummed a little bit and asked her what she thought of a song.

'She clearly loves his music and was really into it. They were flirty and laughing the entire meal. He paid for dinner and held the door for her. They both thanked the chefs on the way out.'

And in November, Dakota and Chris were seen in Israel.

He also took her to Israel: They hit the Nick Cave concert and had dinner at the Yam Sheva restaurant in Herzliya. Here he is seen in 2015

They hit the Nick Cave concert and had dinner at the Yam Sheva restaurant in Herzliya.

'They came in and they were really, really nice, like extremely nice. It was a surprise,' said a source.

'They sat with Nick Cave too. I didnt see them kiss or hold hands or anything like that. They ordered some starters and not a lot of food.'

Dakota will next appear in The Peanut Butter Falcon with Shia LaBeouf.
Margot Robbie just secured a Golden Globe nomination for her riveting performance as shamed figure skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya.

But the actress, 27, was hoping to snag something else on Monday as she and husband Tom Ackerley tried to catch their dog Boo Radley after he was accidentally let loose in their Los Angeles neighborhood.

Despite embarking on a hunt for her pet pooch, the critically-acclaimed star looked radiant in a bohemian-style yellow dress as she headed out alongside her director husband, 27.

Who let the dogs out? Margot Robbie and husband Tom Ackerley had to team up to fetch their beloved dog Boo Radley after the pet got loose in their Los Angeles neighborhood on Monday

The Australian beauty, who earned rave reviews for her portrayal of Olympic ice skater Tonya Harding in the biopic, kept a keen eye out for the family dog.

Margot accessorized her lovely patterned frock with hoop earrings, while sporting woven slip-on flats on foot.

The star's blonde locks were styled in a center parted bob that hung shoulder length, and she opted for minimal make-up.

Husband Tom - who worked alongside Margot in I, Tonya - searched besides her.

Just like sunshine! The Golden Globe nominee, 27, looked radiant in a bohemian-style yellow dress as she searched for the rescue animal

Come and get me! After a bit of hide and seek, the couple secured their tiny black pup

Cleans up nice! British filmmaker Tom searched besides Margot, looking handsome in a collared button-up and black pants

The handsome British filmmaker looked well-polished in a collared button-up and black pants.

After a bit of hide and seek, the couple secured their tiny black pup and headed home.

Tom comforted a clearly-relieved Margot, while giving their dog a scratch on the belly.

The couple adopted the rescue back in February, two months after their intimate December wedding in Byron Bay, Australia.

While Margot is reveling in her Golden Globe nomination for acting, husband Tom can also feel great about the film's success.

Puppy love! The couple adopted their tiny black rescue pup back in February, two months after their intimate December wedding in Byron Bay, Australia

Ackerley, who met Robbie while working as an assistant director on war drama Suite Francaise in 2015, is credited as one of the film's producers alongside his love.

Early on Monday, Margot received her first ever Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for I, Tonya.

Allison Janney, who plays Tonya's mom in the film, also earned a nod for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy or a Musical, while the film itself received a Best Picture nod.

It would seem Margot and Tom's gamble paid off as the star recently revealed they put off their honeymoon to work on I, Tonya.

She told Extra: 'There were times we were sitting in a car parked in Atlanta freezing cold being like, "We should be on a beach right now. We should be on a honeymoon."

'What are we doing?! Following our dream.'
They were seen sharing kisses on Friday at Sugar Factory in Miami.

But one day later, Sofia Richie and Scott Disick were spotted in a 'heated argument' at the W Hotel, according to Page Six.

The 19-year-old model and the father of three, 34, were seen 'arguing' at the Kith X Daniel Arsham event during Art Basel Week.

Drama: Sofia Richie and Scott Disick were spotted in a 'heated argument' at the W Hotel on Saturday, according to Page Six; seen on Thursday at the Haute Living pop up in Miami

The website's source claims that the teen 'wouldn't even talk to him,' and that she 'wasn't having it' when he tried to kiss her.

Adding: 'They ended up leaving.'

Page Six's insider revealed that a fellow partygoer went up to Scott and told him he looked 'upset.'

He reportedly turned around and shouted: 'I'm not upset! I'm not upset! What do you want, do you want a picture?'

One day prior, the duo couldn't keep their hands off each other; seen on Friday in Miami at the Sugar Factory American Brasserie bash

However hours later, the pair headed to LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleau - at around 4 am.

The duo made their first official public appearance as a couple on Wednesday at the DuJour party for Art Basel.

Sofia and Scott went public with their romance in September; they were linked as early as May.

The 19-year-old model and the father of three, 34, were seen 'arguing' at the Kith X Daniel Arsham event during Art Basel Week

The teen and the Keeping Up With The Kardashians guest star revealed their relationship during a romantic holiday in Miami.

Sofia, a five-foot-six-inch model, and Scott, the ex partner of Kourtney Kardashian, enjoyed trips to Milan, Venice, Los Cabos, Mexico and Puerto Vallarta together.

People reported that the duo are 'very serious' and that Sofia has been 'great' for him.

The magazine's source said that Sofia has made a 'big impact on his life.'

Strike a pose: The duo made their first official public appearance as a couple on Wednesday at the DuJour party for Art Basel; seen on December 6 in Miami
The Rock announced on Monday he was expecting a second daughter with his girlfriend of 10 years, Lauren Hashian.

Soon after the 33-year-old beauty showed off her baby bump at the premiere of his new movie Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle in Hollywood.

And on Tuesday it was all baby talk as the actor, born Dwayne Johnson, stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 'Lauren and I are so happy,' the 45-year-old said.

Baby talk: The Rock discussed his latest news when stopping by the Ellen show on Tuesday afternoon

This will be his third daughter: 'Lauren and I are so happy,' the 45-year-old said

He added that it's almost shocking he is expecting yet another daughter.

The former wrestler already has Simone, 16, with former wife Dany Garcia, 49. She has been named Miss Golden Globe 2018.

And he has Jasmine, aged one, with Lauren.

His fate: 'The crazy thing is, I was raised by women, and still to this day, Im totally and completely, 100 percent surrounded by only women!' said the star when sitting down with Ellen

'The crazy thing is, I was raised by women, and still to this day, Im totally and completely, 100 percent surrounded by only women!' said the star when sitting down with Ellen.

'And I love it. Its a wonderful thing.'

Later in the show the A-lister was joined by his Jumanji co-star Kevin Hart, whose wife Eniko welcomed their child two weeks ago.

Pals: Later in the show the A-lister was joined by his Jumanji co-star Kevin Hart, whose wife Eniko welcomed their child two weeks ago

Dwayne then said he 'struggled' in high school. 'At age 14 I was 6ft3in and had a big mustache. I looked like I was 48,' he said and then a flashback photo was shared.

In the image, Johnson looked very mature as he posed topless.

When Hart's flashback photo was shared he laughed because it was obvious he was on the shorter side and didn't look as developed as his friend.

They also talked their friendship. Kevin said they have the 'mutual respect' for each other as they both 'came from nothing' and they don't take anything for granted.

Dig it in ruby: Both The Rock and Kevin wore red as Ellen kept it cool in green

On Monday, Lauren looked sensational in her daring velvet dress that sheathed her figure, boasting a high neck and a daring asymmetrical hem that sat high up on one thigh, leaving her slender pins firmly on view.

Adding extra height to her ensemble, Lauren paired her head-turning number with a pair of complementing perspex barely-there heels.

Lauren opted for a plush red velvet dress with asymmetrical hem that revealed her long legs.

The bump says it all: Lauren showed off her larger tummy as she joined Johnson at the premiere of Jumanji in Hollywood on Monday

Cast: Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is the sequel to the 1995 fantasy adventure that starred the late Robin Williams; here is Nick Jonas, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, The Rock and Hart

The Rock, meanwhile, cut a dapper figure in a dark purple two-piece suit which he paired with a white shirt underneath and a patterned blue tie with gold clip.

The duo were seen posing for photos on their arrival to the screening, held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, and seemed thrilled by the prospect of becoming parents for the second time, as they cradled Lauren's baby bump together.

Hours before taking to the red carpet, the duo, who are parents to two-year-old daughter Jasmine, had confirmed their baby joy on Instagram.

Sartorial elegance: The Rock looked dashing in dark purple two-piece suit which he paired with a white shirt and a patterned blue tie with gold clip

Doting dad: He added: '@laurenhashianofficial and I are boundlessly grateful for this blessing as this spring well welcome our second baby. Plus, Jazzy is excited to boss around and protect her lil sis'

Sharing a photo of his daughter sitting in front of a sign that read: 'It's a girl. Can't wait to be a big sister and finally be the boss.'

The acting talent penned: 'Our Jasmine Lia would like to make a big announcement - ITS A GIRL!

'@laurenhashianofficial and I are boundlessly grateful for this blessing as this spring well welcome our second baby. Plus, Jazzy is excited to boss around and protect her lil sis.'

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle opens in the US on December 20.
She had been partnered with Strictly veteran Brendan Cole for this year's series.

But despite her early exit from the BBC competition, Charlotte Hawkins has proved she still knows how to make her way around a dance floor, as she joined the dancing professional for a fun-loving shoot with Best magazine.

The Good Morning Britain presenter looked simply sensational as she slipped into a glittering pink sequinned gown to showcase her ballroom skills.

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Stunning: Charlotte Hawkins has proved she still knows how to make her way around a dance floor, as she joined her former Strictly professional Brenda Cole for a fun-loving shoot with Best magazine

Not willing to give up her Strictly sequins just yet, Charlotte dazzled in the shimmering design that sheathed her slender frame.

Featuring capped sleeves and a low-cut neck, her frock clung to her lithe physique, before billowing out behind her as she performed a series of lifts with a dapper looking Brendan, who was clad in a two-piece suit.

The star teamed his suit with a crisp white shirt underneath and looked delighted to be reunited with Charlotte again.

She, meanwhile, was beaming from ear-to-ear as she danced alongside Brendan, while sporting her shoulder-grazing blonde locks in soft glamorous curls and flawless make-up that accentuated her features.

Beautiful: The Good Morning Britain presenter looked simply sensational as she slipped into a glittering pink sequinned gown to showcase her ballroom skills

Beautiful: Not willing to give up her Strictly sequins just yet, Charlotte dazzled in the shimmering design that sheathed her slender frame

Charlotte had been the third celebrity to leave Strictly Come Dancing, with her dance partner Brendan insisting her departure had been 'too soon' into the competition.

On her exit she had credited the dancer for 'having her back' throughout her time on the show, as she said: 'Ive had an amazing time. Its been brilliant from start to finish and a huge thank you to Brendan who has been fantastic. Weve had such a great time youve always been there for me and had my back.

'Thank you to everyone who voted. Ive loved the chance to come out here and dance and Ive been trying to get better and better. Im going out knowing that I gave it my best which is all you can do.'

An emotional Brendan then teased that he could be leaving Strictly, as he appeared to well up following their exit and cryptically said: 'Quite often you stand in this position and you think, "Hey, it was our time to go," and perhaps it is but not often you stand here with such sadness and go, "Im going to miss this."

Early exit! Charlotte had been the third celebrity to leave Strictly Come Dancing, with her dance partner Brendan insisting her exit had been 'too soon' into the competition

Cryptic: An emotional Brendan had teased that he could be leaving Strictly, as he appeared to well up following their exit from the show in October

'Im going to miss dancing with this girl. Ive had one of the best Strictly's Ive had in 15 years, and its hard to say. Its emotional.'

However, he was quick to hit back at the speculation during an interview, alongside Charlotte, on Good Morning Britain in October. He said: 'Every year I have this argument with myself, "Do I want to come back next year?" I love the show and I love being on it.

'This is one of the best series I've ever done. Am I coming back next year? It depends if the BBC want me and what I'm doing at the time? Every year is a new contract.'

Although, he did add that he finds it 'frustrating' that the professionals 'are not allowed to have an opinion' when it comes to the judges' critiques.

Setting the record straight: However, he was quick to hit back at the speculation during an interview, alongside Charlotte, on Good Morning Britain and insisted no decisions had been made about his future on the BBC hit series

Brendan, who has been known to hit back at the panel and their comments on many occasions on the show, claimed: 'I've realised through the power of social media that people don't like it if you have an opinion and I have a very strong opinion!'

Meanwhile, viewers recently saw former Saturdays star Mollie King eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing alongside her professional partner AJ Pritchard.

The duo, who have sparked speculation they are 'dating' throughout the series, found their supposed 'romance' hot topic of conversation throughout the live semi-final, as hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman appeared to tease the couple over the swirling rumours.

At one moment in the show, Claudia announced: 'Let's address the elephant in the room'. 'What whether Mollie and AJ are a couple?' Tess chimed back in response, before Claudia swiftly replied: 'No,' and pointed towards another dance.

Narrowly missed the final: Viewers recently saw former Saturdays star Mollie King eliminated from Strictly alongside her professional partner AJ Pritchard

Close: The duo, who have sparked speculation they are 'dating' throughout the series, found their supposed 'romance' hot topic of conversation throughout the live semi-final - despite insisting they are just friends

Although she couldn't resist picking up on the chemistry between Mollie and AJ once more, as Mollie teared up over a mistake she had made during her second performance of the night. She and AJ had performed both a Samba and a Waltz during the semi-final show.

As Mollie came over all emotional, Caudia exclaimed: 'Don't worry you have him,' while pointing at her dance partner.

Mollie, meanwhile, did little to dispel the rumours, as she was seen gushing about her dancing 'beau' after being voted out of the series. She said: 'AJ, you have been just incredible and you have been my hero for the last couple of months so thank you so much. I couldnt have done any of it without you.'

This Saturday will see the remaining finalists Alexandra Burke, Debbie McGee, Joe McFadden and Gemma Atkinson take to the floor in their bid to claim the famous Glitterball trophy.
Even Sienna Miller is familiar with the problem of finding a cab in New York City.

The actress, 35, looked like she was struggling to hail a taxi in the West Village early on Tuesday.

The Factory Girl star looked cozy as she wrapped up in an olive green Mr&Mrs Italy parka with a chocolate brown fur hood while making several attempts to get the attention of a driver during the chilly morning.

Tough time: Even Sienna Miller is familiar with the problem of finding a cab in New York City., with the actress struggling to hail a taxi in the West Village early on Tuesday

Sienna kept comfortable in grey sweats, teamed with a bright orange sweater.

The mother-of-one glammed things up with Gucci sneakers, while wrapping a fringed scarf around her neck.

Sienna let her natural beauty shine through, keeping mostly make-up free while wearing her blonde hair down loose.

After failing to get the first few drivers' attention, the patient starlet put her hand on her head with mild frustration.

Waiting game: The Factory Girl star, 35, looked cozy as she wrapped up in a Mr&Mrs Italy parka with a chocolate brown fur hood while making several attempts to get the attention of a driver

Over here! Sienna kept comfortable in grey sweats, teamed with a bright orange sweater, while glamming things up with Gucci sneakers

Finally securing a ride, Sienna threw up her hood and hopped into the yellow cab.

The actress is mostly based in New York with her daughter Marlowe, five, who she shares with former fiance Tom Sturridge, 31.

The actor is currently shooting the Starz drama Sweetbitter in Manhattan.

Tom and Sienna dated from 2011 to 2015 and still get along swimmingly for exes, with the starlet calling her ex her 'best friend.'

Where to? Finally securing a ride, the star threw up her hood and hopped into the yellow cab

Amicable exes: The actress is mostly based in New York with her daughter Marlowe, five, who she shares with former fiance Tom Sturridge, 31 (pictured in March)

Dressed to impress: Sienna dazzled in a floral maxi-dress as she attended the New York premiere of Phantom Thread on Monday evening

'Everybody will stay over or we'll all go on holiday and that's because we genuinely want to be around each other,' she told Harper's Bazaar in spring.

'It's great for our daughter that she has two parents who love each other and are friends. He's definitely my best friend in the entire world.'

Sienna's latest film, The Private Life of a Modern Woman, premiered September 3 at the 74th Venice International Film Festival.

The film's reception was largely overshadowed by sexual harassment and assault allegations against director James Toback which emerged October in an LA Times article and Modern Woman has yet to be picked up for US distribution.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (12A)

Rating:

Neither the Walt Disney Company nor the Royal Family, a pair of institutions that in some ways have much in common, are willing to confirm rumours that two of the armour-shrouded stormtroopers in Star Wars: The Last Jedi are in fact Prince William and Prince Harry.

But, if they are, the princes have chosen their silver-screen debuts wisely. This film, the ninth with Star Wars in the title since George Lucass original 1977 movie, is one of the most accomplished blockbusters I have seen for years; bold in conception, spectacular in realisation, but also chock-full of genuine wit, philosophical depth, and stirring poignancy.

It was a masterstroke to hand the directorial reins to Rian Johnson, a self-confessed Star Wars nut raised in California who has also written the script and filled it with clever references to all those previous films he knows so well.

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Crowd-pleaser: 'A brilliantly crafted, intelligent blockbuster': Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the best by a distance, writes Brian Viner

But just as the cast profile straddles the Atlantic, with Britains John Boyega and Daisy Ridley playing opposite the likes of American actors Mark Hamill and Adam Driver, so too was there plenty of British wizardry behind the scenes. The technical effects team at Pinewood Studios has wrought absolute wonders.

Not everything can be controlled, however, and not all of the films poignancy was intentional. A concluding caption pays tribute to our princess Carrie Fisher, who over 40 years has metamorphosed into the venerable General Leia Organa, and who died after filming had been completed. How sad she is not around to take part in the publicity tour; she was always such fun on chat-show sofas.

In truth, it takes a very long time to get from the films exhilarating start to that moving sign-off. Stars Wars: The Last Jedi lasts fully two-and-a-half hours, and there were moments towards the end when I felt like one of those poor Cubans listening to Fidel Castro at the height of his oratorical vigour: just as youre planning your route to the exit, it lurches into yet another new lease of life. But, my goodness, how it rewards the audiences staying power.

The second in the so-called Star Wars sequel trilogy, it follows directly on from 2015s The Force Awakens.

Excellent viewing: It is the product of some remarkable technical wizardry at Pinewood Studios  as well as great vision from its American writer-director Rian Johnson

Tense: Stars Wars: The Last Jedi lasts fully two and a half hours. There were moments towards the end when I felt like one of those poor Cubans listening to Fidel Castro at the height of his oratorical vigour

Han Solo is dead, killed by his and Leias son Kylo Ren (Driver), and the villainous First Orders ineffably evil, incomparably ugly Supreme Leader Snoke (a mercifully unrecognisable Andy Serkis) is determined to finish off the noble Resistance, led by a resolute, but ageing and vulnerable Leia.

The Last Jedi skilfully continues the handover of the Star Wars baton to a younger generation. Snoke has the dastardly but comically hapless General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) to do his dirty work for him, facilitating some cheap but welcome laughs.

Yet there is little comedy from Snokes other instrument of evil, the emotionally conflicted Ren. Driver again makes a fantastic baddie, a worthy successor to Darth Vader, investing his character with proper depth. Hes the kind of tortured soul, tugged one way by conscience and another by impulse, who would grace any psychological thriller.

If I had to find a spoonful of negativity to splash on such a cinematic feast, it would be that Ridley, as the space scavenger Rey, is outclassed in her scenes with Driver and the equally terrific Hamill. Shes jolly pretty, and wields a light sabre wonderfully, but her dramatic range still stretches only from A to just beyond B.

Happily, Hamill gets a gratifying amount of screen time as Leias elusive twin, the disillusioned Luke Skywalker, looking in his oilskin coat like a lonely old Norwegian fisherman.

Dream like: Further enlivening the basic good v bad narrative are some truly spectacular battles, oodles of wit and a glorious episode in a casino that looks like the realisation of a feverish dream

He is swaddled in self-imposed exile and existential gloom on a remote, jagged island, supposedly the most unfindable place in the galaxy. In reality, its a rocky outcrop just off the coast of Ireland.

Nevertheless, Luke is still a Jedi knight, quite possibly the last one in existence, and Rey needs him to teach her the secrets of the Force. Will he be tempted out of retirement?

Even without him, the beleaguered Resistance, rapidly running out of both fuel and ideas, can muster some impressive assets, among them the apostate stormtrooper Finn (Boyega) and his unlikely new sidekick, a doughty janitor called Rose (Kelly Marie Tran).

In fine Star Wars tradition, there is also some splendid droid action, and a collection of weird and wonderful new animals that might have escaped from last years Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

Outclassed: In fact, if I had to find a spoonful of negativity to splash on such a cinematic feast, it would be that Daisy Ridley, as the space scavenger Rey, is outclassed in her scenes with Driver and the equally terrific Mark Hamill, writes Viner

Cinematic value: In our seats at Mondays IMAX screening (do see this film on the biggest screen available) we were certainly being served

Cliff hanger no-more: The second in the so-called Star Wars sequel trilogy, it follows directly on from 2015s The Force Awakens

Meanwhile, maverick pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is a further thorn in the First Orders side, though hes almost as much of a handful for his own side, especially Leias second-in-command, Vice-Admiral Amilyn Holdo, played by a stern Laura Dern, sporting a fetching mauve hairdo that makes her look for all the world like an inter-galactic Mrs Slocombe, from Are You Being Served?. In our seats at an IMAX screening earlier this week (do see this film on the biggest screen available) we were certainly being served.

A glorious episode in a casino looks like the realisation of a feverish dream surreally fusing James Bond with Dr Dolittle, and theres also a scene-stealing turn from a rascally Benicio del Toro, who has surely booked himself a place in the next instalment.

It was great fun, too, spotting a few fleeting cameos, from Adrian Edmondson and Lily Cole among others. But all this is underpinned by some genuinely profound philosophising about life and death, including a line about the way to win being more about saving those you love than killing those you hate, that felt almost too deep for Star Wars.

The Last Jedi is that very rare thing, an intelligent blockbuster that will deserve every penny of its doubtless immense box-office returns.

One to watch: The Last Jedi is that very rare thing, a brilliantly crafted, intelligent blockbuster that will deserve every penny of its doubtless immense box-office returns
Season 7 of Homeland will premiere February 11, Showtime confirmed Tuesday.

The network treated fans to a glimpse at the action set to take place in the next installment of the popular spy thriller with the first trailer which has just dropped.

The action-packed clip shows Claire Danes, 38, as former CIA agent Carrie Mathison ready to take down a corrupt administration.

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Action-packed: Showtime has treated fans to a first trailer for season 7 of Homeland

The show picks up after an assassination attempt was made against President-elect Elizabeth Keane (Elizabeth marvel) at the end of the last season.

Keane has broken her promise to Carrie by arresting 200 member of the intelligence community without bringing charges against them including Carrie's friend/sometimes nemesis Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin).

The new season shows Carrie - who has left her job at the White House and is living with her sister Maggie (Amy Hargreaves) in D.C. - attempting to secure the release of the 200.

Claire Danes returns as Carrie Mathison ready to take down the corrupt Keane administration

Corrupt: President-elect Elizabeth Keane (pictured) has broken her promise to Carrie by arresting 200 member of the intelligence community without bringing charges against them including Saul Berenson

'I'm bringing you a federal agent to testify against the government about some of the most expansive civil rights abuses in the history of our nation'

'I'm bringing you a federal agent to testify against the government about some of the most expansive civil rights abuses in the history of our nation' Carrie says in one scene.

In an interesting twist Saul, who had been detained and was in prison, somehow ends up in a prominent role in the White House.

Saul appears on TV alongside the president and introduced as National Security Adviser under Keane, much to the dismay of Carrie.

White House: The show picks up after an assassination attempt was made against President-elect Elizabeth Keane (Elizabeth marvel) at the end of the last season

Surprise: In an interesting twist Saul, who had been detained and was in prison, somehow ends up in a prominent role in the White House

'What is this?' Carrie watches the TV in dismay as she realizes Saul is out of prison and works under Keane

Also in the trailer, an alt-right media personality conspiracy theorist played by Brett O'Keefe, who clearly has it in for the president, appears to be bringing together some kind of rural militia.

The final scene of the trailer shows a furious Carrie leaning over someone (not shown in the frame) and threatening: 'I will hunt you down, I will kill you'.

Homeland Season 7 premieres Sunday, February 11 at 9 PM on Showtime.

On a mission: At one point Carrie goes undercover in a brunette wig

Banding together: Also in the trailer, an alt-right media personality played by Brett O'Keefe appears to be bringing together some kind of rural militia
James Franco's made his romance with student Isabel Pakzad public last month.

And on Monday the 39-year-old actor looked to be going strong with the 24-year-old beauty as they enjoyed lunch at Gjelina in Venice Beach then ice cream at the trendy Salt And Straw.

This comes just as it was announced the artist has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for his movie The Disaster Artist.

Just the two of us: James Franco, 39, and girlfriend Isabel Pakzad, 24, enjoyed a romantic daytime date in Venice Tuesday where they had an upscale lunch before indulging in ice cream

The Northern California native was dressed casually for the day out along Venice's chic Abbot Kinney neighborhood, where he donned a plaid flannel and blue FRAME jeans.

James rolled up his sleeves to reveal his muscular forearms while engrossed in conversation with Isabel.

The star's cap was from Danny Trejo's LA taco spots, Trejo's Tacos.

Next to the auteur strolled his amour, who is a graduate student focusing on journalism and communications at USC.

Understated: The Northern California native was dressed casually for the day out along Venice's chic Abbot Kinney neighborhood, wearing a plaid flannel and blue FRAME jeans

Grunge chic! Isabel looked laid back in a tattered Nirvana shirt with ripped jeans

Isabel looked laid back in a tattered Nirvana shirt with ripped jeans.

She placed a leather motorcycle cap atop her long brown tresses while also carrying along a tiny black bag embossed with the Louis Vuitton logo.

The Penn State alum gave things a fashion-forward touch in heeled combat boots with white laces.

The duo looked enamored as they kissed and flirted while browsing the nearby shops after food.

Old flame: Before being linked to Isabel, James had a five-year relationship with actress Ahna O'Reilly (above as friends in 2013) but the pair split with in July 2011

Isabel and James were first linked back in July when the couple were spotted enjoying a coffee together in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles.

An insider later confirmed the union in early November.

The beautiful brunette is from Tenafly, New Jersey, and previously worked as a TV publicist before going back to school at USC for a graduate degree, according to Us Weekly.

Before being linked to Isabel, James had a five-year relationship with actress Ahna O'Reilly but the pair split back in July 2011.

Got Room for those awards? The busy actor/director just earned a nomination for best actor and best picture for The Disaster Artist, which is about the making of the cult movie The Room

Meanwhile, the incredibly busy star, who had 19 projects in the works this year, has eight movies coming up in 2018.

His film The Disaster Artist, which is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tommy Wiseau's 2003 cult favorite The Room, is currently in theaters.

Yesterday James earned double honors when he received a nod for Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture  Musical Or Comedy as well as a nomination in the Best Motion Picture category.

Franco already has one Golden Globe from his role as actor James Dean in a 2001 TNT biopic about the star.
He was catapulted to stardom with his leading role in the sci-fi franchise.

So it was no surprise John Boyega's entire family were out in force to support him as they attended the Star Wars: The Last Jedi UK premiere at The Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday.

The British actor, 25, who plays Resistance Fighter Finn, looked over the moon as he roared on the red carpet clad in a black suit and bow tie.

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Family affair: John Boyega's entire family were out in force to support him as they attended the Star Wars : The Last Jedi UK premiere at The Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday (L-R John's sister Blessing; nephew JJ, father Samon; John; mother Abigail; nephew Ezra; sister Grace)

It was a family affair for the proud Boyega family with John bringing his parents Abigail and Samson and sisters Blessing and Grace, along with his nephews JJ and Ezra, to the premiere.

Appearing on This Morning the following day, John revealed that he always skips to the end of the Star Wars scripts to make sure he survives the story.

He admitted: 'It naturally happens, it's part of the creative process. And the director's job is to collaborate with his actors and reading the script and giving honest feedback is a part of it. It's something that was scary as I like to go to the end of the script and just see what happens and just see if I survive first.'

In one scene, the actor finds his character going head to head with Captain Phasma, played by Gwendoline Christie, and he revealed she is a 'formidable fighter'.

Two of a kind: The British actor, 25, who plays Resistance Fighter Finn, looked over the moon as he cuddled adorable nephew JJ on the red carpet

He said: 'Gwendoline has a Mohammed Ali reach and her speed is actually ridiculous. So for someone like me, I rather dodged that because I like my face. Gwen's a formidable fighter, she knows what she's doing, she really does.

'We trained with each other and got really close in the process because with training, you see each other in pain and how you hurt each other or you're doing these fight coordinations. It was pretty cool but challenging.'

John was separated from Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, for most of the movie and admits it was tough as they had been side by side throughout their Star Wars journey so far.

'What's different right now is that Rey is off with Luke Skywalker doing all her Jedi stuff and Finn is obviously unconscious and recovering from a battle scar from his fight with Kylo Ren.' he said. 'He's at a different place, he has to figure out what side he is on...

All-smiles: The Boyega family couldn't hide their wide grins as they posed up a storm on the red carpet at the star-studded premiere for the hotly-anticipated sci-fi flick

Posing up a Storm(trooper) John got his big break in the Star Wars franchise so it was no wonder that he wanted his nearest and dearest around him to celebrate another film

'I felt bad, it felt c***p [when he found out they wouldn't be working so close together]. Daisy and I had auditioned together, we had built a support system and to see that separated was disappointing but it was good for the characters.'

The Last Jedi, which is out on December 15, picks up with the Resistance fighting Supreme Leader Snokes First Order which is trying to take over the galaxy.

The film's release comes two years after The Force Awakens.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) tries to convince Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to join the Resistance and bring hope to the rebels against Snoke's villainous rule.

The star-studded ensemble cast also includes Daisy Ridley Lupita Nyong'o, Adam Driver, Andy Serkis and Mark Hamill.

John was no doubt delighted to even make it onto the red carpet as he nearly missed the US premiere when his flight was grounded due to adverse weather conditions.

Stealing the show: John's nephew had the spectators in stitches as he ran around the red carpet while John playfully chased him

The British actor took to Twitter, Saturday to alert his followers to his travel troubles, writing, 'Wow ATL. Looks like no ones leaving!'

'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.

Luckily for the Detroit star he 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.

Loving life: John pulled a variety of poses on the red carpet - including roaring as he showed off his pearly whites for the camera

Looking good: John seemed in his element as he threw his arms open wide and beamed broadly while walking past the host of stars in attendance

During the glittering world premiere at LA's Shrine Auditorium, the film's director-writer Rian Johnson paid special tribute to late Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher as he introduced the screening, saying:

'I want to dedicate tonight to Carrie, who is up there right now flipping me the bird, saying `Damn it Rian, dont you dare make this night a solemn tribute.

'So lets all have a blast tonight for Carrie.'

Feeling at home: The star pulled a thumbs up as he walked alongside a host of Stormtroopers who were lining the red carpet at the star-studded premiere
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish festival that takes place in late fall or early winter. Before we get to the significance of Hanukkah, some information is in order. The Hebrew word "Hanukkah" means "dedication" or in this case more appropriately, the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

This triumph ended a revolt against the Syrian Greeks and their ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which began in 167 BCE by the Jewish Hasmonean family. Mattathias was the first to launch the revolt and after his death, Judah Maccabee, one of Mattathias five sons, assumed the leadership. The oppressive edicts of Antiochus IV included prohibiting the Jews in ancient Israel from practicing their scared traditions and celebrating their festivals. Consequently, this religious oppression brought about the famous revolt. The story of Hanukkah is found in two main literary works: The Book of Maccabees I and II (part of the Apocrypha which is appended to many Bibles), and Jewish Antiquities (ca. 93 CE) by the Jewish (later Roman) historian Flavius Josephus.

9-candle menorah

Sharing with other traditions during this time of year, Hanukkah also begins on the 25th day of the month (in this case, the Jewish month of Kislev), and light is at the center of this festival. It is expressed by the lighting of candles on a nine-branch menorah (eight for each day and an extra candle to light the other candles), starting with one candle on the first night and ending with eight candles on the final night. There are two sources that account for why Hanukkah lasts eight days. According to the historical record, the Jews were forbidden to celebrate the fall Festival of Tabernacles (also known as Succoth), which lasts eight days (seven festive days plus a day of sacred assembly.) Thus, once the Jews recaptured the Temple and purified it, they wished to celebrate for eight days. This is why another name for Hanukkah is The Second Festival of Tabernacles.

The other source is found in the Talmud (a massive work of commentary and Jewish law) where it tells how only one flask of pure oil for the Temples menorah could be found, yet, miraculously, it lasted for eight days until new oil could be produced. The theme of oil has, consequently, influenced the special foods for Hanukkah, including special doughnuts and fried potato latkes.

Celebrating freedom

Along with the Festival of Passover (as told in the Book of Exodus) and the Festival of Purim (as told in the Book of Esther), Hanukkah is also a festival that celebrates a divine miracle of redemption. However, while Passover commemorates redemption from exile and slavery, and Purim commemorates salvation from genocide, Hanukkah celebrates and commemorates freedom from religious coercion. Here, then, lies the crux of Hanukkah as a significant festival: Although Hanukkah is a joyous festival, in past centuries, millions of Jews were not allowed to celebrate it in the open: They were afraid to lay the menorah on the windowsill lest their identity would be revealed.

Unfortunately, religious oppression, persecution and intolerance are as old as civilization itself, and this is why it is often difficult to separate religion from politics. Most recently weve read and heard about the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, but in truth, almost no country in the world is free from religious prejudice or worse. While remembering that the Pilgrims arrived in the New World as a result of religious persecution, it is sad to realize that religious intolerance has eventually reached the American continent as well. Let us, then on one hand, remember the lessons that Hanukkah teaches us about the importance of religious tolerance and co-existence and, on the other hand, rejoice in the beautiful and warm lights that guide us toward optimism and hope.
It was recently claimed the pair finally felt ready to reconcile, after their marriage hit the rocks over the summer.

And things between Danny Dyer and Joanne Mas appeared stronger than ever on Sunday - as the actor was seen moving back into their marital home.

The EastEnders star, 40, was seen grinning from ear to ear as he returned to the keys to his flat to an estate agent in London, and began to transfer his belongings back to Essex.

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Back on track: Things between Danny Dyer and Joanne Mas appeared stronger than ever on Tuesday - as the actor (above) was seen moving back into their marital home

Homeward bound: The 40-year-old was seen grinning from ear to ear as he returned to the keys to his flat to an estate agent in London, and began to transfer his belongings back to Essex

Danny, who is best known for playing Mick Carter on the BBC soap, was seen returning the keys to his flat to an estate agent - in the biggest hint yet that the pair had reconciled.

The actor, clad in a smart grey coat and casual jeans, could not contain his beaming smile as he left the establishment, ahead of his move back home to Essex.

Danny was clearly keen to move back in with his wife for the Christmas period, as he gave in his notice despite his tenancy not running out January 2018.

Back on track: It was recently claimed the pair (above) had reconciled, and were planning to move back in together for Christmas

Beaming: Danny, who is best known for playing Mick Carter on EastEnders, was seen returning the keys to his flat to an estate agent - in the biggest hint yet that the pair had reconciled

Delighted: The actor could not contain his beaming smile as he left the establishment, ahead of his move back home to Essex

Comfortable: He stepped out in a casual white T-shirt and jeans, layered beneath a smart grey coat

Festive: Danny was clearly keen to move back in with his wife for the Christmas period, as he gave in his notice despite his tenancy not running out until January 2018

Success: He returned home grinning from ear to ear after a successful morning at the estate agent

After a successful morning the estate agent, a large white transit van was then seen arriving at his flat, in order to load up his possessions.

Despite the heavy snow pouring, the removal team packed a large TV, a desk and a number of items of furniture into the back with ease.

The team then headed back to the Dyer family home, where Joanne currently lives with their daughter Dani, in Essex.

Let's go: A large white transit van was then seen arriving at his flat, in order to load up his possessions

On with the task at hand: Despite the heavy snow pouring, the removal team got to work

Essentials: Bizarrely one of the first items loaded into the van was a space hopper, as Danny packed up shop to move back to Essex

Busy: The team loaded a number of large items of furniture into the van

Heavy: They loaded a large desk in at one point

Teamwork: Many of Danny's furnishings took two people to load in, as the heavy snow poured down

The exciting move comes amid claims the pair have reconciled, and were planning to spend Christmas together.

Insiders claimed Danny was keen to leave his pad in London and felt ready to 'behave himself', in order to make things work with Joanne.

A source told the Daily Star: 'They thought that they couldn't live with each other, but they can't live without each other either.

His personal touches: Other belongings included a number of kitchen chairs

Not bothered: The team appeared to work up a sweat during the job - as they loaded things onto the van in just T-shirts, despite the snowy weather

Exciting: The move comes amid reports things were going 'really well' between Danny and Jo - with the actor ready to 'behave himself' and return to their family home

'Danny got a flat because it was close to the EastEnders studio and he wanted to focus on his work.

'Danny has been given the boot once and he knows that if he doesn't behave himself then Joanne won't hesitate to give him the heave-ho again.'

Meanwhile another source told The Sun things were going 'really well' between them, with the actor planning a belated birthday celebration for his wife Jo.

Entertainment factor: A large Panasonic TV was also seen packed into the van

Reunion: A source said ahead of the removal van's sighting: 'They thought that they couldn't live with each other, but they can't live without each other either'

Comeback: Danny had moved into his own flat earlier this year, following initial reports the pair were on the rocks

The pair tied the knot in September 2016, and share three children - Dani, Sunnie and Arty.

However it was reported their marriage was on the rocks over the summer, after he was spotted seemingly moving into his own home.

Danny had a prolonged absence from EastEnders over the summer due to private issues that involve alleged bouts of anger on-set and an alleged affair with former Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding.

Busy: Meanwhile Danny was seen shoveling snow on his drive way as the team got to work

Cold: He layered up in a thick jacket and added large gloves to his hands as he carried out the task

Helping hand: He cleared the way for the removal men transferring his belongings back into his Essex home

Strong: Danny has appeared better than ever in recent weeks - after a prolonged absence from EastEnders due to private issues that involve alleged bouts of anger on set

Hard times: The revelation of his reported fling with Sarah Harding came just days after it emerged he was living in a hotel after Joanne 'sent him packing'

The reported fling was said to have happened after they worked together on the 2012 film Run for Your Wife. The revelation came just days after it emerged he was living in a hotel after Joanne 'sent him packing'.

Yet, there was light at the end of the tunnel last month when the Daily Mirror reported that Danny had made significant headway in his attempts to save his troubled marriage, with Joanne agreeing to take him back  on one condition.

A source said: 'Danny is still living in the new flat but relations with Jo have improved a lot. They both came together for their daughter Dani's 21st birthday and had a great time. They are working things out.

'But Jo has given Danny a list of conditions and one is that while they patch things up, she won't do his washing.'
She's the busty glamour model who spends her days promoting bikinis on Instagram.

But Devin Brugman tried her hand at modelling a different kind of outfit when she swapped her bikini top for a bunch of strategically-placed fruit covering her bare breasts this Wednesday.

Taking to Instagram to showcase the risque look the swimwear blogger shared a photo of herself posing on a Maui beach in Hawaii with her chest obscured from view by several pineapples and bananas.

Tropical delight! Devin Brugman tried her hand at modelling a different kind of outfit when she swapped her bikini top for a bunch of strategically-placed fruit covering her bare breasts this Wednesday

'Maui tomorrow! Heres a little BTS from our @abikiniaday Calendar shoot in Hawaii,' she wrote in the caption.

Devin - who hails from Hawaii- is known for founding her popular blog A Bikini A Day with Australian social media star Natasha Oakley.

The entrepreneurial pair also run their own swimwear and activewear line.

She's not shy! The busty glamour model spends her days promoting bikinis on Instagram

On Wednesday last week, the girls enjoyed a Christmas lunch with their team after recently buying an office space in Los Angeles.

Devin and Australian-born Natasha exchanged Christmas presents, with Natasha being gifted Christolfe Paris goods.

Meanwhile, Natasha gifted her best friend a new designer handbag.

Two peas in a pod! Devin - who hails from Hawaii- is known for founding her popular blog A Bikini A Day with Australian social media star Natasha Oakley

Celebrating: On Wednesday last week, the girls enjoyed a Christmas lunch with their team after recently buying an office space in Los Angeles

Earlier this year, Natasha was forced to defend her racy image from detractors who say her business model is based on 'selling sex'.

Hitting back at these claims, Natasha told Collective Hub magazine that 'the majority of our audience is female', adding: 'They look to us because we are both relatable and aspirational. We're happy, healthy girls who try to make the most out of life.'

She continued: 'We're not super skinny, we love to laugh at ourselves and believe in enjoying everything in moderation. Our audiences look to us for inspiration on not only swimwear, but also our lifestyle: what clothes we wear in our daily life, how we work out, where we travel to, where we eat out at.'

'Swimwear naturally has a strong presence on our accounts, however the focus is definitely on the lifestyle,' she concluded.
She may be best known for arranging a meeting between Sean Penn and Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman which led to the Mexican drug lord's eventual arrest.

And now Kate del Castillo is using her fame for another good cause.

The 45-year-old Mexican actress got completely nude for her new PETA campaign unveiled on Tuesday.

The stunner shed all clothes as she covered up her nether regions with her hands in the saucy snap which had the caption: 'I'd rather go naked than wear fur.'

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Ice cold: Kate del Castillo got completely nude for her new PETA campaign unveiled on Tuesday

The image had a winter theme as there was superimposed snow falling from the sky and she had on blue make-up including shiny frost by her eye.

Her highlighted tresses were worn down flowing over her shoulders as she flashed an icy smile toward the camera.

In a behind the scenes video posted by PETA, she opened up about what drew her to the campaign and why she does not wear fur.

She explained: 'I think when you see yourself in the mirror and theres no regrets, that makes you a beautiful person.'

'that makes you a beautiful person': The 45-year-old actress opened up about what drew her to the campaign and why she does not wear fur in a video posted by PETA

'You dont need to wear fur to be beautiful:' Kate discussed how her dog has made her more passionate about animal rights and for campaigning against the use of them for fashion's sake

Kate also discussed how her dog has made her more passionate about animal rights and for campaigning against the use of them for fashion's sake.

She said: 'You dont need to wear fur to be beautiful.'

The Book Of Life star has been an actress for nearly four decades and is best known for he lead role in soap opera (aka telenovela) Muchachitas in 1989.

More recently she made news as she revealed that during the filming of her documentary 'The Day I Met El Chapo' she had sex with Sean Penn.

In the Netflix film, the actress describes the Hollywood star seducing her.

Veteran: The Book Of Life star has been an actress for nearly four decades and is best known for he lead role in soap opera (aka telenovela) Muchachitas in 1989, as she is pictured last month in LA

'I enjoyed it and dont regret it I fell my friend, what can I say?', she bluntly says in the documentary.

Speaking on Friday on Good Morning America to promote the documentary, she contradicted herself however, saying: 'I never fell for him, we had sex. Sorry but we are both adults, single, and something was going on but that was it, it was business'.

'He said, "That moment when you touched my chest I knew something would happen between us",' on their way to home to Los Angeles after the pair met the famed drug lord.

She also calls the Oscar winner charming, charismatic and fun in the documentary.

Infamous: She may be best known for arranging a meeting between Sean Penn and Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman in October 2015 which led to the Mexican drug lord's eventual arrest

But whatever there was between the two ended when she stormed out a restaurant upon reading a draft of Penn's Rolling Stone article about El Chapo and she hasn't seen the actor since.

Del Castillo, Penn and two producers met with the drug kingpin back in October 2015 at a secret location organized by El Chapo.

Mexican authorities raided the site soon after they met, but El Chapo had already fled.

Three months later after the meeting, El Chapo was captured during a shootout that killed five of his associates.

Penn's infamous interview was published a day later in Rolling Stone.

El Chapo was extradited to the US in January.
He was left enraged and heartbroken when Billy Mayhew confessed to killing his twin sister Susan in a tragic car crash 16 years ago.

And Coronation Street's Peter Barlow will take his revenge on the killer vicar by bundling him into the boot of a car, driving him to a cliff top and threatening to throw him to his death.

In scenes yet to air on the ITV soap, Billy, played by Daniel Brocklebank, tells Peter (Chris Gascoyne) that he deserves to die for killing Susan.

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The end? Cornonation Street's Peter Barlow will take his revenge on killer vicar Billy Mayhew by bundling him into the boot of a car, driving him to a cliff top and threatening to throw him to his death

Hostage: In scenes yet to air on the ITV soap, Billy, played by Daniel Brocklebank, tells Peter (Chris Gascoyne) that he deserves to die for killing Susan

The enraged Rovers Return landlord takes Billy hostage, throws him in his car boot before driving him to a deserted quarry.

The recovering alcoholic then reverses up to the edge of a cliff and tells Billy to prepare to die.

A source told Inside Soap: 'Billy believes this is the end.Telling Peter what happened to Susan came about because he thought he was dying, but Billy was desperate to give Peter the truth while he had the chance.

'He may have gotten away with his crime for all these years, but as a vicar he knows more than most that there must be consequences for his actions.

Murderous intentions: The enraged Rovers Return landlord takes Billy hostage, throws him in his car boot before driving him to a deserted quarry. The recovering alcoholic then reverses up to the edge of a cliff and tells Billy to prepare to die

''His fate seems sealed once Peter cracks open the boot, and the only thing that Billy can do now is say a prayer.'

As Billy prepares for his life to end, Peter tells him his death will be swifter than his beloved sister's.

Peter then hurriedly leaves the scenes but becomes hysterical as he gets home, revealing all to dad Ken, who helps him cover up his crime.

Billy's fate is left unknown.

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights on ITV,
It is perhaps the most highly anticipated movie of the year - and if the reviews are anything to go by, Star Wars: The Last Jedi certainly does not disappoint.

Taking control of the franchise from J.J. Abrams, director Rian Johnson has been lauded for his 'bold' but also 'witty' and 'nostalgic' eighth installment, which is set for release on December 15.

However, with an 152-minute running time, other critics were quick to bemoan its length, which they claim caused the plot to become 'muddled' and 'confused'.

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Success: It is the most highly anticipated movie of the year - and if the reviews are anything to go by, Star Wars: The Last Jedi certainly does not disappoint (Daisy Ridley pictured)

The Last Jedi comes two years after The Force Awakens, and picks up with the Resistance fighting Supreme Leader Snoke's First Order - which is trying to take over the galaxy.

Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) tries to convince Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to join the Resistance, and bring hope to the rebels against Snoke's villainous rule.

Jam-packed with action scenes and exciting lightsaber sequences, Johnson's thrilling but also thought-provoking narrative received rave reviews.

Main man: Director Rian Johnson has been lauded for his 'bold' but also 'witty' and 'nostalgic' eighth installment, which is set for release on December 15.

The Daily Mail called it 'a brilliantly crafted, intelligent blockbuster,' while Empire claimed the flick was 'fun, funny but with emotional heft'.

Total Film commented on its 'excellent' twists and turns, calling it a 'middle chapter bursting with wit, wisdom, emotion, shocks, old-fashioned derring-do, state-of-the-art tech, and stonking set-pieces.'

The publication were also quick to praise Johnson himself, calling him a 'master' of misdirection, who leaves the viewer thrilled by its 'breakneck twists and hairpin turns'.

Moving: The Daily Mail called it 'a brilliantly crafted, intelligent blockbuster,' while Empire claimed the flick was 'fun, funny but with emotional heft'

Dragging: However, the Last Jedi's length and confused mid-section was a prominent theme in the reviews - with many critics agreeing a number of scenes were unnecessary

However, the Last Jedi's dragging length and confused mid-section was also a prominent theme in the reviews - with many critics agreeing a number of scenes were unnecessary to the story.

The Washington Post praised its action scenes, affirming it contained 'arguably the most exciting lightsaber fight in the entire franchise'.

However, they added the contrast of the thrilling action with what felt like 'fundamental failures of movie writing' resulted in a 'jarring' finished piece, including unnecessary new characters and difficult dialogue.

Others were more brutal in their criticism - with The Verge claiming 'audiences will likely come away from The Last Jedi with a lot of complaints and questions,' while Variety deemed it 'the longest and least essential chapter in the series.'

Bold: The Washington Post praised its action scenes, affirming it contained 'arguably the most exciting lightsaber fight in the entire franchise'

People were more positive with their critique, adding: 'Rian Johnson's entry into the Star Wars canon is rebelliously bold at times and full of rousing surprises, which make up for a few lulls in the lengthy two-and-a-half-hour run time.'

The Independent followed suit, praising the 'new aliens and areas aplenty' and revealing 'the movie zings with fresh ideas.'

Yet, they also claimed the action was perhaps a tool to overshadow the lacking storyline, writing: 'One of the criticisms will be that many of the plot devices feel clunky  just excuses for cool scenes.'

However, the publication confirmed the film will still 'leave fans beaming with surprise', thanks to the 'tidal wave of energy and emotion that crashes out of the screen'.

Star of the show: However, critics appeared to pin this high level of rousing emotion to Mark Hamill - who reprises his role as Luke Skywalker, first played in 1977 (above)

Critics appeared to pin this high level of rousing emotion to Mark Hamill - who reprises his famous Luke Skywalker role, which he first played in 1977.

After a fleeting appearance in The Force Awakens, Empire praised his 'moving performance', which 'perfectly captured how a gosh-and-golly farm boy can become sarcastic and embittered,' upon return to action beside the younger Daisy Ridley.

Radio Times agreed it was his fall from idol status that made the film so moving - admitting it was 'great to see [him] back in the Skywalker saddle, albeit now riddled with self-doubt and a broken spirit.'

Here he is: After a fleeting appearance in The Force Awakens, Empire praised his 'moving performance', which 'captured how a farm boy can become sarcastic and embittered'

Dream team: In the film, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley, above) tries to convince Skywalker to join the Resistance, and bring hope to the rebels against Snoke's villainous rule

Tough: Despite their winning chemistry on-screen, Daisy recently admitted she struggled learning to trust her new on-screen partner and franchise veteran Mark

Despite their winning chemistry on-screen, Daisy recently admitted she struggled learning to trust her new on-screen partner and franchise veteran Mark.

Speaking at the UK premiere she said: 'I was nervous going in, because John [Boyega] and I were no longer together, and John is my peanut.

'So I think more than anything, I learned to put your trust in those around you and itll all turn out pretty well. Putting my trust in Mark and Rian [Johnson, the movies director] mainly, was wonderful.'

When asked if she found it any easier the second time around, she said: 'I actually felt more nervous because I didnt know what I was doing the first time around, and you kind of think, how am I supposed to do something again when I didnt know what I did the first time?

Having a ball: However, she added: 'Putting my trust in Mark and Rian [Johnson, the movies director] mainly, was wonderful'

Dark horse: Adam's Kylo Ren received particularly positive reviews, with the Guardian calling his appearance 'superb'

This is her moment: Meanwhile Kelly Marie Tran (above) was praised as 'terrifically good'

'And I think because people responded so well to John and I together that was a big thing too, thinking how are people going to respond when were not together.

'So it was nerve-wracking. But again, as relationships grow and you start to get comfortable, it settles into a wonderful six months.'

The star-studded ensemble cast joining the two leads this time included John Boyega, as well as Lupita Nyong'o, Adam Driver and Andy Serkis.

Adam's Kylo Ren received particularly positive reviews, with the Guardian calling his appearance 'superb', alongside the 'terrifically good' Kelly Marie Tran.

The Last Jedi also ends with a dedication to late Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher, in her final film appearance - universally praised as the ultimate tear-jerking moment by critics.

RIP: The Last Jedi also ends with a dedication to late Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher, in her final film appearance - universally praised as the ultimate tear-jerking moment by critics
Hell hath no fury like a One Directioner scorned.

Radio star Ash London discovered this the hard way on Tuesday after commenting about Louis Tomlinson's appearance on the Hit Network as she chatted to co-hosts Ed Kavalee and Ash Williams.

The joke sent the star's fans into meltdown, with Ash receiving a deluge of death threats and forcing her to temporarily quit social media after the online abuse became too much.

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'The abuse and threats are a little much for me': Ash London (left) was forced to leave social media on Tuesday after facing death threats when she joked that Louis Tomlinson (right) had 'ratty' facial hair

As she introduced a pre-recorded interview with the British popstar, Ash had joked that Louis was the one with 'kind of like ratty facial hair'.

Co-host Ed added: 'He's not Harry Styles basically. He's the least popular one.'

Then, as the interview was shared online, Ash faced an overwhelming backlash from Louis' fans, who were displeased about the radio personality's description of him.

After temporarily making her Twitter profile private, Ash released a statement on her account in an attempt to subdue the angry commenters.

'Probs best to stay on private for a bit longer love!' An unimpressed Louis fanned the flames by tweeting at her with a middle finger emoji

Hell hath no fury like a One Directioner scorned: Louis' fans sent abuse and death threats to Ash after the interview (Pictured: One Direction)

'This morning on air we had a great interview with Louis. As always  he was a total legend. I loved talking about how far he's come, his new music and his future which looks so bright,' she wrote.

'We love Louis and will continue supporting him and his new music as we have always done.'

However, it appeared the statement did nothing to quash the backlash, particularly after an unimpressed Louis responded and further fanned the flames.

'Probs best to stay on private for a bit longer love!' he tweeted, adding a middle finger emoji.

' A lot of people claiming I said some things which in reality I simply didn't': Ash hit back at the claims in a statement

The ensuing comments apparently became too much for Ash to bear, and she posted a second statement announcing her intention to retreat from social media.

'Tough day. A lot of people claiming I said some things which in reality I simply didn't,' Ash wrote.

'What I can apologise for, is describing the quality of someone's facial hair in a lighthearted chat with my two co-hosts. For that I'm sorry. All the other stuff? Simply not true. Not me.

'I'll be off socials for a bit  the abuse and threats are a little much for me right now. I won't go on private because I don't have anything to hide. In future I'll do what I always do  stick to the music and leave any mentions of facial hair out of it.'
Musicians, actors and fashion icons descended on Miami for a whirlwind week of glamorous parties to celebrate some of the world's best artists during Art Basel.

Saturday night was by far the highlight of Art Basel as the parties at the festival came to a close.

Philipp Plein and Los Angeles graffiti artist Alec Monopoly celebrated the drop of their capsule collection and the opening of the PHILIPP PLEIN Miami pop-up store at Fontainebleau Hotel during Art Basel Miami on Friday, December 8th.

Men of the hour: Philipp Plein and Los Angeles graffiti artist Alec Monopoly celebrated the drop of their capsule collection

In attendance were Frances Bean Cobain, Victoria Silvstedt and smokepurpp who enjoyed cocktails and checked out the collaboration fashion pieces including the art work of Alec Monopoly that was on display at the event.

Party Time: Victoria Silvstedt and Alec Monopoly at the Miami pop-up store at Fontainebleau Hotel

Bling Bling: Alec Monopoly's Richie Rich sculpture featured at the party

The AlecXPlein capsule collection was debuted at the PHILIPP PLEIN Resort 2018 fashion show in Cannes in May 2017 and is now available in stores worldwide.

Alec Monopoly also hosted Fontainebleau Hotels first-ever artist takeover, featuring a series of original, hand-painted Helmut Newton photographs. A hand-painted Elsa Peretti Bunny Shot photograph is installed as the centerpiece of the hotels nightclub LIV throughout Art Basel.

After Party: Alec Monopoly was center stage at the event

After the event the after party kicked off with Cardi B performing to the cheering crowd at a hotel in South Beach.

"Alec Monopoly" is the alias of an unidentified graffiti artist, originally from New York City. The artist primarily works in the urban environments of major cities around the world, using varied materials (including stencils, spray paint, epoxies, varnishes and newspapers) to subversively depict various iconic pop culture characters.

Artist of the moment: Cardi B performed at the after party of the Philipp Plein and Alec Monopoly pop-up store

German designer Philipp Plein founded his namesake luxury fashion brand in 2008. Based in Switzerland, the collection comprises mens, womens, childrens clothing and accessories.

Distinguished by unconventional and non-conformist style combined with impeccable craftsmanship, PHILIPP PLEIN is available in prestigious boutiques and department stores across the globe and boasts over 120 mono brand stores worldwide including flagships in Milan, Paris, New York, London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Las Vegas.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's new cabinet will soon be sworn in, a day after she unveiled her new leadership team.

The cabinet has undergone a reshuffle with the first three ministers announced making up a senior team focused on growing jobs across the state.

On Sunday Ms Palaszczuk appointed herself the head of the group of "four economic ministers" and said she would take on the trade portfolio and chair the cabinet budget review committee.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad was made treasurer, Cameron Dick moves from health to state development, infrastructure and planning, and Kate Jones adds innovation to her tourism and Commonwealth Games responsibilities.

Meanwhile, former treasurer Curtis Pitt has been sidelined from cabinet and will instead sit in the speaker's chair for the coming term.

The cabinet has been expanded by one to 18, with Barron River MP Craig Crawford being added to the mix to ensure far north Queensland is still represented following Mr Pitt's departure.

On Monday afternoon the remaining ministers were named and the new cabinet includes nine men and nine women, a ratio Ms Palaszczuk said reflects Queensland's population.

Key announcements on Monday included the elevation of Steven Miles from Environment to the Health ministry, while Grace Grace adds Education to her Industrial Relations responsibilities.

Mark Bailey continues as Main Roads minister, adding Transport to his portfolio while dropping the Energy brief, which has been picked up by Anthony Lynham, who also remains Natural Resources and Mines minister.

Capalaba MP Don Brown was announced as the government's chief whip.

The opposition Liberal National Party is due to elect a new leader at a partyroom meeting on Tuesday and Nanango MP Deb Frecklington is shaping as the favourite.
Pressure is mounting on embattled senator Sam Dastyari to quit, with the prime minister and senior Labor figures casting doubt on his position.

The NSW Upper House MP has been forced to deny new revelations about alleged interventions on behalf of Chinese interests.

The Labor senator, who was sacked from his Senate leadership roles over his involvement with a Chinese political donor, reportedly attempted to persuade deputy party leader Tanya Plibersek in early 2015 not to meet an activist who had upset China.

Malcolm Turnbull said Senator Dastyari being allowed to remain in the ALP and the Senate was a shocking state of affairs.

"Dastyari has quite plainly been acting in the interests of another government or another power," the prime minister told ABC TV's Q&A.

"It is extraordinary that Bill Shorten, who wants to be prime minister of Australia, is failing to put Australia's interests first."

Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne stopped short of Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's description of Senator Dastyari as a "double agent".

But Mr Pyne believes Senator Dastyari is likely to be promoted to cabinet if Bill Shorten becomes prime minister despite his "inappropriate" behaviour.

"Bill Shorten's reaction to it has not been that of an alternative prime minister," Mr Pyne told ABC radio.

Crossbench MP Andrew Wilkie said at the very least, Senator Dastyari had shown very poor judgment.

"At worst, his behaviour and his contribution to public policy-making in the Labor Party has been influenced adversely by the Chinese government," Wilkie told ABC TV.

Former federal Labor leader Kim Beazley echoed calls from sitting Labor frontbenchers urging Senator Dastyari to reflect on his position.

"Sam needs to ask himself the question, and he probably is asking himself the question, how do I advance the cause of the Labor Party - by being there or going away?" Mr Beazley told Fairfax Media.

Mr Beazley's intervention comes after ALP health spokesperson Catherine King and her colleague Linda Burney said Senator Dastyari needed to think deeply about his future.

Ms King said his political career was "in essence going nowhere".
Queensland's Liberal National Party is meeting to decide their next leader, with Deb Frecklington considered the favourite for the role.

The Nanango MP, who was deputy leader to Tim Nicholls during last month's losing election campaign, is one of three candidates vying for the position on Tuesday along with John-Paul Langbroek and outsider Mark Robinson.

Several MPs who spoke to AAP on Monday said Frecklington's recruitment of potential rival Tim Mander to run as her deputy had given her the upper hand in a potentially tight vote.

Whitsunday MP Jason Costigan, however, says the party needs to acknowledge the situation in north Queensland, where the LNP won just two seats north of Gladstone in the election.

"Central, north and far north Queensland are sick to death of being neglected," Mr Costigan told AAP.

"It almost looks like north Queensland has been hit by an atomic bomb as far as the LNP is concerned.

"We've only got two of us north of Bundaberg - we may as well meet in a phone booth in Bowen."

Mr Costigan has put his hand up for the deputy's role and says while he doesn't covet the top job, he is "well and truly up" for the deputy's role.

While Mr Costigan says whoever earns the leadership needs the support of the party, Mr Langbroek has both "town and country appeal".

Mr Mander's decision to give his support to Ms Frecklington has surprised many with some in the party warning the move could undermine his chances of claiming the leadership in the future.

Self-described underdog candidate Dr Robinson says his support is growing but few realistically think he has the numbers to trouble either Ms Frecklington or Mr Langbroek.
Independence is so important in judges that Montana can restrict what the states nonpartisan judicial candidates can do in their election campaigns.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that state interest last week, specifically affirming states judicial conduct standard that bars judicial candidates from seeking and using party endorsements.

The Circuit Courts affirmation of an earlier ruling by U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon of Montana got only a brief news article when it was announced. But Montanans should know that the protecting the states nonpartisan judicial election process has great significance. This case is one of many that have challenged our election laws with the purpose of creating no-holds-barred opportunities to influence Montana elections.

Circuit Judge Jay S. Bybee summed up the issue: Recognizing that mixing politics with judging could lead to injustice, Montana has prohibited all judges and candidates for judicial office from engaging in political or campaign activity that is inconsistent with the independence, integrity, or impartiality of the judiciary.

The Montana Code of Judicial Conduct provides that a judge or judicial candidate shall not seek, accept, or use endorsements from a political organization, or partisan or independent non-judicial office-holder or candidate.

Montana is not alone in restricting the political speech of judges and judicial candidates, Bybee wrote. As of 2012, 39 have judicial elections, and nearly all have enacted laws to treat judicial elections differently from political elections.

A friend of the court brief filed in defense of the Montana rule by retired Montana Supreme Court Justice William Leaphart on behalf of six individual Supreme Court justices said that a judge who is elected after having endorsed the Democratic or Republican platform is in a real quandary. In resolving legal issues, a judge should not have one eye on the platform of a political party whose endorsement the judge expressly sought used or accepted.

Mark French, the candidate who challenged the judicial conduct rule, ran in 2014 for justice of the peace in Sanders County against an incumbent who had found him guilty of a $20 seat belt violation. French, a Tea Party supporter, maintained that the state seat belt law is unconstitutional.

During his justice of the peace campaign, French received the endorsement of the Sanders County Republican Committee, which was headed by his wife. The law allows political parties to endorse judicial candidates because of the 9th Circuits ruling in a 2012 case initiated by the Sanders County Republican Committee.

French also wanted to take action himself to get and publicize endorsements from prominent Republicans. Thats where the Montana judicial rule and the Appeals Court said no. Political parties are free to endorse nonpartisan judicial candidates, but the candidates themselves cant seek partisan endorsements.

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, whose office successfully defended the state standard said he is pleased with the courts decision: The people of Montana decided our judicial elections should be nonpartisan, and the courts decision respects and protects the will of the people.

The 9th Circuit noted that French intends to run again in 2018. Under Montana law, he cannot seek partisan endorsements during the election and neither can any other Montana judicial candidates. Thats key to keeping Montana courts impartial and independent.
He won't be there in person but Terence Crawford is the name that will be on everyone's lips should Jeff Horn retain his WBO welterweight title on Wednesday night.

A victory for Horn against England's Gary Corcoran at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre will lock in a multi-million dollar meeting with unbeaten American Crawford in Las Vegas next year.

Crawford, considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, recently held all four major light welterweight belts but has moved up a division to the 66.68kg limit.

The Omaha, Nebraska native was supposed to be ringside at Wednesday's bout in Brisbane but was unable to obtain an Australian visa.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has already booked the T Mobile Arena for a Horn-Crawford clash in late April.

"I've tried not to think about my next fight until it happens," Horn said.

"I've got until after this fight to start having discussions with guys.

"He's definitely a possibility if I can manage to get through Gary first."

Horn's trainer, Glenn Rushton, has big plans for his 29-year-old charge and is in no doubt he still has the requisite hunger to make them a reality after shooting to instant fame with his controversial win over Manny Pacquiao.

Horn might have beaten a legend but that's only one half of Rushton's blueprint - the other is to become one, and conquering Crawford would go a long, long way towards that end.

"We haven't done what we set out to do," Rushton said.

"I always wanted to get him to the top early so we could spend a lot of time at the top to achieve the things we want to do - which is work through the welterweight division, then move up to the light middles and possibly even middle.

"But we've still got work to do in the welterweight division and Crawford breathing down our neck.

"That's a big fight but we'll worry about that one on Thursday morning."
Manly have vowed to defend themselves against allegations they cheated the NRL salary cap over the last five years.

The Sea Eagles are facing a hefty punishment after they were on Monday issued with a breach notice by the NRL over alleged payments to players outside the salary cap.

The club has five days to respond to the NRL integrity unit's findings but says it disagrees with Rugby League Central's allegations contained within the breach notice.

"Based on our legal team's preliminary review, there is disagreement with several of the NRL findings," CEO Lyall Gorman said in a club statement.

"And consistent with our rights under the NRL rules and regulations, have commenced a path of legal review and response.

"As we have consistently stated, if there are historical compliance issues, we will work both internally and with the NRL to identify those issues and remedy them.

"There is a significant amount of material to work through, based on the documentation handed to us today and the club will be defending those matters through the appropriate channels."

The club has five days to respond but said it was planning to ask for an extension.

If the allegations are proven, the Sea Eagles are facing a "significant fine".

Two current club officials have been handed show-cause notices and are facing being deregistered.

They will also be forced to operate under an adjusted salary cap in 2018.

According to the breach notice, the Sea Eagles promised player payments outside the salary cap and the club could be forced to include those payments in next year's salary cap.

They were in the running to sign halves Trent Hodkinson and Todd Carney but any salary cap penalty would rule them out of pursuing the players.
Sydney school children have joined an early morning protest against the third stage of the WestConnex road project in the inner-west.

Before the school bell rang on Tuesday about 100 children and activists wearing paper dust masks stood along Rozelle's busy Victoria Road with banners reading "protect the children".

Among the young protesters Harvey Lynn, 13 and Phoebe Robinson, 15, named health and the environment as key reasons they were protesting the road project.

"I think it's really important for this to stop because it's really bad for kids' overall health, it's going to affect their undeveloped lungs," Harvey told AAP.

"I think if we keep working on it (protesting) we can get somewhere with stopping it," Phoebe told AAP.

Local residents are worried the proposed WestConnex Stage 3 - which is not yet signed off on - includes four unfiltered smokestacks to be built beside Rozelle Public School.
Manufacturing looks set to enter 2018 in a positive mood, buoyed by both public and private investment, as well as a relatively low Australian dollar aiding exporters.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Westpac industrial trends survey for the December quarter released on Tuesday shows continued solid output and new orders, while employment and overtime are expanding.

The survey's composite index showed only a moderate fall to 63.4 from 66.1 after a solid rebound from 55.1 in June 2016, which coincided with the federal election.

"The robust level of December's results reflect the boost from increased investment in both state infrastructure projects as well as private non-mining construction," Westpac senior economist Andrew Hanlan said.

"A relatively low Australian dollar and global growth are also supporting exporters."

The survey's labour market composite index also pointed to continued solid jobs growth in the near term.

Chamber head James Pearson says the economy appears to be gaining momentum, but consumer spending remains a weak spot.

However, he said the Turnbull government's flagged personal income tax cuts, as well as its aim to lower the corporate tax rate for all businesses, would stimulate spending, investment and jobs growth, which will lead to higher wages.

"It will also help ensure Australian businesses remain competitive in the global arena," Mr Pearson said.
NSW is the most popular Australian destination for international tourists with a record 4.1 million visiting in the past year, with the biggest influx coming from China.

International visitors spent a record $10.4 billion during their stay, NSW Tourism Minister Adam Marshall said on Tuesday.

There were 752,000 Chinese visitors to NSW between August 2016 and September 2017.

"NSW is the first Australian state to ever achieve these numbers," Mr Marshall said in a statement on Tuesday.

Victoria recorded the second highest number of international visitors with 2.8 million travelling to the state, spending $7.6 billion in the past year, Tourism Research Australia data revealed.
SENATOR SAM DASTYARI AND HIS CHINESE LINKS

* August 2013: Sam Dastyari elected to the Senate to replace Matt Thistlethwaite who quit to run for a lower house seat.

* 2015: ASIO cautions Labor and the Liberals against taking donations from two businessmen - Huang Xiangmo and Dr Chau Chak Wing - suspected of being conduits to the Chinese Communist Party.

* June 2016: Dastyari defends China's actions in the South China Sea during a press conference to Chinese journalists, attended by Huang. "The Chinese integrity of its borders is a matter for China," he said, contradicting Labor policy outlined by its then defence spokesman just days earlier.

* Details of the press conference were revealed in September 2016, at which time Dastyari said he had only "incorrectly" mumbled an answer to a question he should not have taken.

* August 31, 2016: Government documents reveal the Top Education Institute - a Chinese higher education provider - paid Dastyari's $1670.82 excess travel bill. Dastyari admits in parliament he should have paid the bill himself.

* September 5, 2016: New details emerge that Dastyari failed to declare two bottles of wine worth $700 given by big Chinese donors.

* September 6, 2016: Shorten tells off his "junior senator" but will not sack him. Dastyari bumbles through a 26-minute press conference where he admits he was wrong to have a Chinese donor pay outstanding bills. He remains defiant that he did not provide political favours in return for the payments.

* September 7, 2016: Quits Labor shadow ministry and role as manager of opposition business in the Senate.

* October 2016: Met with Huang at the businessman's Sydney mansion and reportedly told him they should leave their phones inside while they spoke outside, as a counter-surveillance measure, and warned him his phone may be tapped.

* February 2017: Appointed deputy opposition whip in the Senate.

* June 2017: ABC's Four Corners reports Dastyari lobbied for Huang to secure Australian citizenship. He says such efforts were part of his job and his office had dealt with hundreds of citizenship matters since he was elected.

* November 28, 2017: Fairfax reports on the October 2016 meeting with Huang. Full audio of the June 2016 press conference emerges, contradicting the senator's September 2016 explanation.

* November 29, 2017: Bill Shorten tells Dastyari he must resign senior parliamentary positions, including as deputy opposition whip in the Senate. Dastyari says he is "shocked" the audio does not match his recollection of what he said at the press conference.

* December 11, 2017: New reports Dastyari attempted to persuade deputy party leader Tanya Plibersek in early 2015 not to meet an activist who had upset the Chinese Government.

* December 12, 2017: Dastyari announces he will quit the Senate, "guided by my Labor values" and to prevent further damage to the party.
Victoria Police officers have been given more powers to shoot and kill suspects in the event of a terrorist attack.

Under new operational response principles, the first officers on the scene of an event may take immediate action, including shooting terror suspects, if there is no time to wait for support.

"We've seen an evolving situation in Victoria where we have a threat of terrorism, violence and a number of other threats, so there was a need for us to modernise our approach," acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton told ABC radio on Tuesday.
The federal government must undertake the delicate balancing act between national security and maintaining the strong economic ties Australia enjoys with China, a leading business group says.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who introduced anti-foreign interference laws last week, drew a stinging rebuke from China after suggesting they were aimed at the Asian giant.

"Of course, our country's national security concerns must always come first," Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss James Pearson said on Tuesday.

But he said it was also important to recognise China was Australia's number one trading partner and an increasingly important source of investment for both Australia and Chinese businesses.

He said the China relationship was vital not just to the prosperity and high living standards that Australians enjoy today but to the prospect of future strong growth.
You probably missed it, but not too long ago the Force slipped into Australia, enjoyed sipping coffees near the St Kilda Pier in Melbourne and dabbled in a bit of yoga.

Daisy Ridley, the 25-year-old London-born star of the new Star Wars films, has had her face emblazoned on billboards, action figures and countless items of merchandise but she managed to sneak into Australia, visit her sister Poppy and hang out like a regular tourist.

"One guy came up to me actually," Ridley, noting a rare moment when her cover was blown in Melbourne, told AAP in an interview in Los Angeles.

"He was really sweet, but Australians were pretty chill."

Anonymity is a rare gift for Ridley since she was cast as Rey in the 2015 reboot of the franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, playing a scavenger who teams up with stormtrooper deserter Finn, Han Solo, Chewbacca and becoming The Resistance's great hope against the evil First Order.

When she met AAP for an interview in an LA hotel to discuss the next chapter, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, security was intense and Disney publicists requested the location not be revealed ahead of time to prevent rabid Star Wars fans descending.

"Austrayaaaa!" Ridley jokingly shouts when her guest arrives.

The actress is in a playful mood and keen to speak about her Australian visit and, surprisingly, juicy tidbits about the ultra-secretive Last Jedi plot.

Disney did not show the film to journalists to protect plot points and twists.

The Force Awakens ended literally on a cliffhanger - with Rey tracking down the great jedi Luke Skywalker high up on a spectacular, rocky island on the planet Ahch-To.

Ridley says Rey and Skywalker, played by the franchise's original star Mark Hamill, will spend some time on the island in The Last Jedi, with Rey dealing with the trauma she endured in Force Awakens.

"Luke is not such a welcoming host as she might have expected so she has time to work things out," Ridley says.

"She's still massively impacted by what just happened and she's worried about Finn, she's grieving Han Solo and she is trying to figure it all out.

"She's just there and has time to ask questions and find some belonging which she sort of does."

The Last Jedi will offer Star Wars fans fresh insight into most of the Force Awakens characters.

"I think what (director) Rian (Johnson) has done brilliantly is he has explored all of the characters on a really deep level," Ridley said.

"Everyone has there own conflict.

"Snoke has gone from being this phantom, nobody knows what he really is, to getting proper screen time in this.

"He is incredibly intimidating and really, really scary.

"Kylo is scary because of the tempestuous nature of him and the incredible power that could go either way, but Snoke is just bad through and through."

Ridley's sister did not plan on making Australia home.

"She went down to have a little adventure and she met a wonderful man," she says.

"A lovely Australian man.

"She has lived there for two years."

Ridley has attempted to maintain a normal life, whether it is riding the Tube at home in London or flying into Melbourne without an entourage.

"I usually take a lightsaber when I'm not trying to blend in," she laughs.

Her favourite Melbourne moment was stopping at a cafe.

"We went to this lovely cafe on the beach at St Kilda," she says.

"It was by the pier.

"It was just great to go to Australia because it was wonderful to have the time with my sister and see how she lives.

"We'd have breakfast and then go for a wander and she would show me her favourite restaurants and do some yoga.

"It was a yoga I have not done before - you sit in the pose for a long time.

"It is more of a relaxation thing that was very, very difficult but wonderful."

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in Australia on Thursday.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's new Labor cabinet has come under fire from her own side, with one of the country's most powerful unions saying some ministers are "not up for the job".

CFMEU Queensland branch secretary Michael Ravbar said some of the new ministers had failed in their previous positions but "unbelievably" had been allowed to stay on.

"Unfortunately, some of the new team do not have the capacity and or work ethic to do anything really good for Queensland," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Sam Dastyari's fall from grace has come almost as quickly as his rise to political stardom.

The Iranian-born politician - appropriately nicknamed 'Dasher' - first joined the Labor Party in 2000 aged 16, and within five years was a delegate to the NSW ALP's conference and president of Young Labor in his home state.

By 2008 he had worked his way through the party ranks to become a state organiser and in 2010, having built a formidable support base in the Right faction took over as NSW ALP general secretary.

That role elevated him into the ALP national executive where he teamed up with other Right faction commanders including the current federal parliamentary leader Bill Shorten.

He also oversaw internal reforms, ordered by Kevin Rudd, to stamp out corruption in the NSW branch.

In August 2013, his dream of entering parliament came true when he filled the casual Senate vacancy left by colleague Matt Thistlethwaite, who ran for a lower house seat.

He said just before taking his seat that it was an "amazing opportunity".

"It would allow me to focus on my true passion, which has never been machine politics but policy."

One of his first tasks was chipping away the Abbott government's economic credentials through a series of parliamentary committees.

For his efforts, he was rewarded in 2015 with the roles of deputy manager of opposition business in the Senate and shadow parliamentary secretary to the leader of the opposition.

However, his first big political slip-up was accepting an offer by a company with links to the Chinese government to pay a travel bill.

He admitted on reflection he should have paid the bill himself.

Within days he was caught out for not declaring two bottles of wine worth $700 from Chinese donors.

Coalition headkickers accused Dastyari of allowing Chinese money to influence his comments on China, reflected most vividly in his comment during the 2016 election campaign that "The South China Sea is China's own affair, Australia should remain neutral and respect China on this matter".

It put Dastyari at odds with the Labor and coalition stances on the South China Sea.

Having been promoted to the shadow outer ministry and manager of opposition business in the Senate after the election, he was forced to quit as the pressure on the party became too great.

Shorten began the rehabilitation of his factional colleague in February this year by making Dastyari deputy opposition whip in the Senate.

But a series of reports setting out a pattern of behaviour described by the government as akin to being a "double agent" brought his second comeback to an end.

Most damaging were revelations that he may have tipped off Communist Party-aligned businessman Huang Xiangmao that his phone was probably being tapped by Australian intelligence agencies.

Dastyari insisted on Tuesday he's always acted with integrity and remains a "loyal, patriotic Australian".

But he's done his dash.
Bill Shorten has blamed the Liberal Party for promoting the idea of Kristina Keneally seeking to enter the Senate.

Tuesday's resignation of Sam Dastyari from the Senate has opened up a casual vacancy which NSW Labor will need to fill.

Ms Keneally is contesting this weekend's by-election in the NSW seat of Bennelong, but has been mentioned since the announcement as a possible replacement for Senator Dastyari.

"The Liberal Party wants to put around that Kristina Keneally will go into the Senate because they want to discourage people from voting in Bennelong," Mr Shorten told reporters in Sydney.

"That's because they're frightened of her ... we're focused on winning on Saturday."

Asked whether he could rule her out of taking the Senate seat, Mr Shorten said: "I'm ruling in we will do everything we can to win."

"One thing I'm certain about, people want Kristina Keneally in federal politics."

Ms Keneally said she had been offered NSW Senate seats in the past and had turned them down.

"I've only been offered one thing by Bill Shorten and that is to be Labor's candidate for Bennelong," she said.

Mr Shorten said the replacement would be sorted out by the ALP in the new year.
Perth Glory midfielder Xavi Torres has been ruled out of Saturday night's A-League clash with Wellington at nib Stadium with the club waiting on the results of Alex Grant's scans.

Torres (groin) and Grant (hamstring) limped off in the second half of last week's 2-1 home loss to Newcastle, adding to Glory's extensive injury woes.

Torres is expected to miss at least two weeks with his injury, while Grant underwent scans on Monday night and is also set to miss the Phoenix game.

Grant has played a key role in defence this season, and the Glory will be hoping his injury isn't serious.

Star striker Andy Keogh appears unlikely to return this week after aggravating his groin injury at training last Friday.

Keogh has missed the past two games and the club has booked him in for more scans in a bid to determine whether a nerve-related back issue has been causing his groin flare-ups.

Defender Scott Neville is still about a fortnight away from returning as he deals with a toe injury that he has been carrying for months.

Neville hasn't played since injuring his groin in the 5-2 loss to Phoenix on November 12, but it is his ongoing toe issue that has held back his return.

The 28-year-old fractured his toe in the 1-0 FFA Cup loss to Heidelberg United on August 1.

Andreu (calf) and Marc Warren (ankle) are other players still sidelined.

In a rare dose of good news, striker Joel Chianese could return off the bench against Phoenix after recovering from a broken collarbone.

Diego Castro made a successful return off the bench from a calf injury last week, and could be in line for a starting role against Wellington.

Newcastle's extra-time winner last week saw Glory drop to eighth place on the ladder.

They are four points adrift of fourth spot and can ill afford to drop any points against the rock bottom Phoenix.
Corporate donations to Australian political parties should be banned along with foreign donations, the federal Greens have urged.

The calls come after embattled Labor senator Sam Dastyari was forced to resign on Tuesday following his on-going ties to a Chinese political donor.

"Foreign donations are part of the problem but corporate donations are a much bigger problem," Greens leader Richard Di Natale said.

"We need to stop these massive donations from flowing to our political parties so we start to see decisions being made in the interest of average Australians."
A spike in Chinese tourists flocking to the Northern Territory and splashing their cash is contributing to record-breaking national spending.

Chinese visitors in Australia spent $10 billion for the first time in the year ending September 2017, figures released on Tuesday show.

Chinese tourists to the Territory jumped 60 per cent during that time and their spending surged 87 per cent to $23 million, according to Tourism Research Australia data.

Tourists from the booming Asian nation spent 13 per cent more across the country year on year.

NT Tourism Minister Lauren Moss is travelling to China this week on a mission to woo international airlines and secure direct flights to Darwin.

"We have seen a significant increase in visitors from China in recent years but we are working hard to build those numbers and direct flights are key," she said from Singapore.

"We know Chinese visitors spend more on average than other visitors - it is an important and lucrative market."

Ms Moss said the Territory government is also lobbying the Turnbull government to stump up more cash for the iconic Kakadu National Park, which falls under commonwealth responsibility.

"We need the federal government to urgently invest in making key Kakadu attractions more accessible by sealing roads, upgrading existing product and working with us and traditional owners to open up new areas," she said.

Ms Moss says efforts to reinvigorate growth in the Top End must be doubled following a decline in international visitors to Darwin and Kakadu as more tourists opt for Katherine, Alice Springs and Uluru.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has condemned Sam Dastyari for apologising to the Labor party but not expressing regret for letting down Australians as he resigned from parliament.

The embattled Labor senator announced on Tuesday he was quitting amid intense scrutiny of his interactions with a Chinese businessman and political donor.

Ms Bishop subsequently said she was pleased he'd resigned but insisted he "should have been sacked weeks ago".

"Tellingly Sam Dastyari expressed no regret for letting down Australia - his only regret was for letting down the Labor party," she told 2GB radio.

"He's finally admitted he's unfit to represent the Australian people (but) Bill Shorten should have sacked him weeks ago."

Ms Bishop said Senator Dastyari shouldn't receive another cent from taxpayers.

"His resignation today should take effect immediately. He shouldn't be receiving a salary. Not another cent."

The foreign minister said the opposition leader needed to be "honest" about whether he'd spoken with Bennelong by-election candidate Kristina Keneally about replacing Senator Dastyari in the upper house if she loses on Saturday.

"The people of Bennelong ... deserve a local champion not someone shopping around for a spot in the Senate," she said before heading out to the northwest Sydney electorate with Liberal candidate John Alexander.

Mr Alexander resigned as the sitting Liberal MP over dual-citizenship concerns.

Ms Bishop said the relationship between Canberra and Bejing remained "robust" despite the furore over alleged Chinese interference in Australian politics.
Kylie Minogue is planning to tour Australia after she releases her new album next year, and is making her return to the big screen.

The Australian pop star who lives in London is back home to promote her role in new Australian film Swinging Safari from Priscilla Queen of the Desert director Stephan Elliott.

But she revealed her highly-anticipated 14th studio album, which she has previously said is inspired by her split from ex-fiance Joshua Sasse, will be out very soon.

"I've been working all of this year on the album and it's done and it will be released early next year," Minogue told AAP in Sydney.

She's also confirmed a follow-up stage show is on the cards.

"Yes, I hope to tour late next year and of course I'll come home," Minogue said.

But Minogue has shifted the focus back to her original career as an actress, which started in Neighbours in the 1980s and has continued sporadically over the years in films such as The Delinquents, Street Fighter and Moulin Rouge.

She said she was lured back to the screen by Elliott's quirky, yet familiar, story of growing up in 70s Australia in the upcoming comedy Swinging Safari.

Minogue is part of an ensemble cast alongside Asher Keddie, Radha Mitchell, Guy Pearce, Julian McMahon and Jeremy Sims

"I read the script a few years ago now and I was laughing out loud in the back of the car reading it in London and I just felt totally homesick. I knew this place that he was talking about and I thought 'I'd love to do this. I don't get to do this very often'. So it was a yes straight away," Minogue told AAP.

"Then the girls came on board and we got three other guys and just an amazing cast ... and a chance to come home and do some acting again."

It's also a reunion for Minogue who is acting alongside her old Neighbours co-star Pearce for the first time since the pair appeared on the soap together nearly 30 years ago.

"It's been a few years it really has, so it's great to reconnect with him," she said.

Pearce, who plays her husband in Swinging Safari, said there had been a long time where the pair didn't even see each other.

"It was 1988 I think when we last worked together," Pearce told AAP.

"In, fact when Kylie and I saw each other at the Cannes film festival two or three years ago, talking about this film, we hadn't seen each other for 17 years."

He says they fell back into an easy rhythm pretty quickly and it's given Minogue the acting bug as she said she hopes to do more onscreen work.

*Swinging Safari is released on January 18
The final wish of tireless Aboriginal rights and welfare advocate Sol Bellear, to see the historic Redfern address recognised with a plaque in an inner-Sydney park, has been granted.

It was a wish Mr Bellear, who died in November and was farewelled at a state funeral on Saturday, was long denied.

But on Monday night the City of Sydney unanimously supported a resolution to carry out the activist's final wish and install a commemorative plaque in Redfern Park, the site of the landmark address by then-prime minister Paul Keating.

A similar motion to install such a plaque was defeated in 2012.

Mr Keating's Redfern address was a watershed moment in acknowledging the injustices faced by Australia's indigenous people.

"We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the diseases. The alcohol. We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers," Mr Keating told the crowd gathered on December 10, 1992.

"It was our ignorance and our prejudice. And our failure to imagine these things being done to us."

The quote will feature on the plaque which will be installed after the council consults with Aboriginal historians and community members, according to Councillor Linda Scott.

Cr Scott moved Monday's motion one day on from the 25th anniversary of Mr Keating's address.

"I am humbled to be able to carry out one of Sol Bellear AM's final wishes to ensure the dedication of the plaque in Redfern Park," she said in a statement.

"There is much more to do, but this plaque will be a reminder to us all that closing the gap and ensuring our First Nations people thrive must be delivered, urgently."

Mr Keating welcomed the announcement on Tuesday.

"If words from the Redfern Park speech can invest even more meaning in that celebrated point of congregation, and to Sol Bellear's life and involvement with the Redfern community, I should feel justifiably pleased," he said in a statement to AAP.
Mitchell Johnson kept his advice to Australia's pacemen short and sweet: "bowl fast and keep bowling short".

Johnson, England's tormentor throughout their 5-0 series defeat in Australia four years ago, visited Steve Smith's side in the nets on Monday.

There were few technical tips from the retired left-armer, according to Josh Hazlewood.

"Bowl fast and keep bowling short," Hazlewood said.

"He mentioned he saw a few things similar to 13/14 (in how England are playing).

"Those guys are always good to talk to about past experiences."

Australia's quicks studied footage of Johnson's sizzling summer of 2013-14, when he claimed 37 wickets and man-of-the-series honours, prior to the first Test.

Smith's side hold a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series, meaning they will reclaim the urn if they defeat England in the contest that starts in Perth on Thursday.

Hazlewood noted the hosts are keen to continue their ruthless approach to the sport's most momentous contest.

"And stay on top of them, as we have been," he said.

Hazlewood was racing the clock to be fit for the series opener, having suffered a side strain during this year's tour of Bangladesh.

The right-armer has been uncharacteristically inconsistent since returning but he excelled on day five of the second Test, claiming two quick wickets in his opening spell - including the all-important scalp of Joe Root.

"I'm getting better as time goes on," he said.

"The length was great, especially on that last day ... hopefully it continues to get better."

Asked about Mitch Marsh's expected recall to the XI, Hazlewood indicated he "always wants an allrounder (in the team) but at the same time you want those runs at No.6".
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has made good on her election promise to veto a billion-dollar federal government loan to Indian mining giant Adani for the construction of a rail line.

Ms Palaszczuk wrote to the prime minister on Tuesday, hours after her new cabinet was sworn in, saying financial assistance should not be provided for the company's north Galilee Basin rail project.

The contentious loan and related mining project were at the centre of the recent state campaign and the veto was one of the first acts Ms Palaszczuk undertook after reclaiming the office of premier on Tuesday.
A married Sydney man who groomed a Filipina teenager online for sex says he was feeling neglected by the people around him at the time and his binge-drinking habit removed some of his inhibitions.

Jeremy Paul Lysaght pleaded guilty in May to using a carriage service to groom someone under the age of 16 for three months from Christmas Day in 2015.

He gave evidence at his sentence hearing in the NSW District Court on Tuesday.

The 43-year-old paralegal told the court he "felt neglected for a period of time" and got an "ego boost" from conversations with women on a Filipino dating website which led to his contact with the underage girl.

"It was a little bit flattering. It made me feel good and appreciated," he said.

"Some conversations did get sexualised, yes."

Lysaght obtained the teenage girl's phone number on the site and contacted her via the messaging application Viber.

He admitted his 10-year marriage was strained in late-2015 and intimacy with his wife had waned.

"I just felt like I wasn't connecting with my family or the people that I was with," he said.

"I was feeling quite down and I didn't really like myself at the time."

The pair had never separated and his wife knew about his offending, Lysaght said.

He told the court alcohol played a major role in his conduct with the girl, given his "binge-level" drinking of six to nine pints of beer, plus spirits, up to three times a week.

"I think it removed some of my inhibitions and I didn't have as much self-control," he said.

Judge Peter Maiden asked Lysaght why he hadn't sought professional help for his "sexualised fantasies about young girls".

"I don't think I have a problem with that, your honour," Lysaght replied.

The judge adjourned the case to March 16.

Lysaght remains on bail and is not allowed to use the internet or approach or speak to underage children.
A lawyer for a former Solomon Islands flight attendant convicted of child grooming offences has lashed out at Queensland police, saying their treatment of his client "smacks of entrapment".

Samuel Terrence Rova on Tuesday avoided jail time after being sentenced in the Brisbane Magistrates Court for chatting to an undercover officer he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

But his lawyer Bruce Peters slammed the behaviour of investigators.

"It is just what I would call, on behalf of the Queensland Police, a misogynist wet dream," Mr Peters said.

"To indicate that Queensland youth, in particular young girls, are willing to prostitute themselves on adult websites, lie, falsify identification and lose their virginities to foreigners.

"It's an insult to the community the way that they've set this up."

Rova, 37, was arrested at Brisbane International Airport in July 2017 after five lengthy and "sexually inquisitive" conversations on adult dating website Badoo with a girl he knew was underage.

The Brisbane Magistrates Court heard the girl had advertised herself as being 18 but revealed her younger age and that she was still in school when she first spoke to Rova.

"Can you keep a secret ... I'm only 14," the girl said.

The court heard the girl repeatedly told Rova she was only 14 but he continued to say "graphic things" to her and sent her a photo of him in his underwear.

He also made request to meet the girl for "sexual congress".

Mr Peters said Rova "lost his moral compass".

"He wasn't trolling for children, he was looking for an adult on an adult website," Mr Peters said.

"Temptation was put to him, it was their dark little secret and he acted on it.

"He's not a predator to children."

Rova, who pleaded guilty to using the internet to groom a child under 16, was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

In handing down his punishment, magistrate Cathy McLennan said Rova "allowed things to get out of control" after being told the girl's age.

"At that point you should have backed down, you did not," Ms McLennan said.

Rova has spent the past five months in immigration detention.
A Marist brother has been charged with child sex offences allegedly committed at a Sydney boarding school around 50 years ago.

The 77-year-old was charged on Tuesday with nine counts of inciting an act of indecency and four counts of indecent assault after the child abuse royal commission investigated the claims.

Detectives said the allegations related to a boarding school at Hunters Hill, on Sydney's lower north shore, in the late 1960s and early 1970s and involved four students.

The man has "strict" bail conditions and is due to appear in Tweed Heads Local Court next month.
Kylie Minogue and her former Neighbours co-star Guy Pearce have reunited on the Sydney red carpet for the premiere of their new movie Swinging Safari.

Dressed in a silk, blush-pink maxi dress, Minogue glided elegantly along the carpet with Pearce by her side, happily answering questions about her role in the quirky Australian comedy.

The movie heralds a return to the big screen for the London-based popstar who hasn't been in an Australian film since Moulin Rouge in 2001.

"It's not something I do very often," Minogue said about filming Down Under.

"To work with these incredible actors and such a great director was just an absolute thrill for me," she told AAP.

The film, set in the 1970s, follows a group of parents played by Minogue, Pearce, Asher Keddie, Julian McMahon, Radha Mitchell and Jeremy Sims as they navigate the sexual revolution while their kids tend to fend for themselves.

"At its heart, it's a coming of age story about a couple of teenage kids and their brothers and sisters and their friends and their parents, who were kind of making a lot of it up as they go along," Minogue said.

"To be a parent figure in the 70s, their parents lived a very different life and wouldn't have been able to give them too much advice in how to handle life in the 70s. But they all had kids, there was tonnes of them, they were everywhere."

Priscilla Queen of the Desert director Stephan Elliott wrote and directed the largely autobiographical film and gathered the group of actors to film on the Gold Coast a year ago.

Initially, he wasn't sure if Keddie and Minogue would get along but they connected very quickly.

"It was a really weird one," Elliott told AAP. "Nobody had ever really thought of putting them together and there was a real scare going on at the time too about whether they would gel, and within about three minutes in rehearsals it just went off."

"And I actually now know that between them there's a little group of friends now that are going to be friends for life and it happened within a millisecond."

Pearce was keen to reunite with his Priscilla director again and delve back into the world of the 70s for Swinging Safari.

"I think that certainly anybody who has lived through that period I believe will feel nostalgic and I think anybody who hasn't lived through that period will certainly be entertained by what went on back then," Pearce told AAP.

Minogue, who plays Pearce's wife in the film, said people might be surprised by what they see, but it's a pretty accurate portrayal of growing up in 1970s Australia.

"I'm sure they'll say ' that didn't really happen', but oh, it did," Minogue said.

* Swinging Safari is out in Australian cinemas on January 18.
Labor will be hoping the resignation of Sam Dastyari is enough to stem the bleeding from a long-running scandal surrounding his links to a Chinese political donor.

But days out from a crucial by-election in the Sydney seat of Bennelong, senior Turnbull government figures have seized on the bruising saga as a failure of Bill Shorten's leadership.

The soon-to-be ex-senator insists he is a "loyal, patriotic Australian" despite recent scrutiny of his dealings with Communist Party-aligned businessman Huang Xiangmo.

The NSW representative and factional colleague of Mr Shorten was sacked from his senior parliamentary roles by the Labor leader, but remained in the Senate.

He has now decided the best service he can give the party is to not return to parliament next year.

The coalition government says the only reason Senator Dastyari quit was because he was damaging Labor in the lead up to Saturday's by-election.

He will also avoid further scrutiny from the Senate's powerful privileges committee.

The coalition asked the committee to investigate Senator Dastyari's conduct after it was revealed he told Mr Huang - who's donated to both major parties - his phone was probably being tapped by Australian agencies.

Mr Huang's company last year paid Senator Dastyari's personal legal bills, and the businessman appeared with him at a conference held for Chinese media, where he supported Beijing's stance on the South China Sea in contradiction to Labor's position.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Senator Dastyari should resign immediately and no longer be a burden on taxpayers.

However, Senator Dastyari said he would "co-ordinate his departure" with the NSW ALP branch, stepping down before the next sitting of the NSW state parliament - which will need to formally endorse his replacement.

Senator Dastyari said he would continue to be an active, grassroots NSW Labor Party member.

Labor's candidate for Bennelong, Kristina Keneally, has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Senator Dastyari if she does not win this weekend's by-election.
Extreme bushfire conditions have been declared in seven South Australian districts as temperatures soar across the state.

The Country Fire Service says conditions on Wednesday will be very hazardous with rising northerly winds posing an added risk.

Among the areas of most concern are Eyre Peninsula, the Flinders Ranges and the Mount Lofty Ranges.

In Adelaide, the mercury is set to hit 38C before an afternoon cool change.

Temperatures will surge into the 40s in some regional centres with Marree expected to a have a top of 45C, Moomba 44C, Port Augusta 43C and Renmark 43C.

The CFS says all residents should consider activating their bushfire survival plans.

It has reminded people that in areas where extreme conditions have been declared only well prepared, well constructed and actively defended houses are likely to offer safety during a fire.
Victorians are being advised to prepare for a scorcher, with temperatures above 40C predicted for parts of the state.

In what will be the hottest day of summer so far, temperatures on Wednesday are tipped to reach more than 40C in northwest Victoria - including a sizzling top of 43C for Mildura, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

The rest of the state can expect temperatures into the high 30s, while Melbourne could reach 37C.

There are fire bans in place for the Mallee and Wimmera - the first of the state's summer season.

"Northerly winds are expected to become quite gusty over western and central parts of the state and that will drive fire dangers into severe (category) across the Mallee and Wimmera," Senior Meteorologist Rod Dickson said.

"But it will be a short-lived heat event for Victoria with a cool change moving into the west of the state during the late afternoon."

The cool relief will hit Melbourne after 9pm and should drop temperatures by about 10C.
Annastacia Palaszczuk's new cabinet has been officially sworn in and the premier has already fulfilled a key election promise by vetoing a $1 billion loan to Indian mining giant Adani.

Three weeks since voters went to the polls on November 25, Ms Palaszczuk was on Tuesday sworn in as Premier and Trade Minister, while her Deputy Jackie Trad was also made Treasurer, as announced on the weekend.

Cameron Dick is the new State Development Minister and Kate Jones rounds out the group of senior economic ministers by adding Innovation to her Tourism and Commonwealth Games portfolios.

Soon after the ceremony to swear in her new team, Ms Palaszczuk wrote to the prime minister saying financial assistance should not be provided for the Adani's north Galilee Basin rail project.

The blocking of federal funds won't alter Adani's plans, a spokesman said in a statement.

"Adani Australia will now fully consider and adjust to the constraints the veto of funding brings," the spokesman said.

"Adani Australia is 100 per cent committed to Queensland, we have a strong regional Queensland presence. This will not change."

The contentious loan, for a rail line connecting the Carmichael coal mine to the Abbot Point coal terminal and related mining project were at the centre of the recent state campaign, and Ms Palaszczuk announced the veto at the end of its first week.

She initially claimed she was vetoing the loan to avoid conflict of interest claims against her partner Shaun Drabsch, who had done consultancy work for the company

But she later claimed vetoing the loan had always been on the cards.
Westfield founder Frank Lowy believes it's the appropriate time for a $US25 billion ($A35 billion) sale of his shopping centre empire and is "100 per cent comfortable" with the move.

The 87-year-old described this week's announcement as "bittersweet" as the company prepares to sell its 35 UK and US operations to European shopping centre owner Unibail-Rodamco.

It is one of the largest corporate deals in Australia's history.

"The most important thing is that this transaction is in the best interest of shareholders," Mr Lowy, who will step down as chairman, said in London.

"That principle has guided my decision making since 1960."

Westfield's Australian centres, which are managed by the separately listed Scentre Group, are unaffected.

Mr Lowy will remain an active investor, chairing an advisory board for Unibail-Rodamco that will offer strategic advice, while his sons Peter and Steven will retire as co-chief executives.

The takeover will make Unibail-Rodamco the world's largest shopping centre owner, with 104 shopping centres in 13 countries, all of which will now carry the Westfield brand.
Returning North Queensland NRL prop Matt Scott predicts his forward pack will carry a target into next season, given those set to suit up for the Cowboys.

The decorated Scott will make his return from a knee injury that had restricted him to two games last season, while Melbourne recruit Jordan McLean has settled into life well in Townsville.

Tongan wrecking ball Jason Taumalolo and tough-as-nails Scott Bolton did the business in the front row last season in Scott's absence, while Gavin Cooper, John Asiata, Coen Hess and Ethan Lowe all enhanced their reputations on the way to an against-the-odds grand-final appearance.

Shaun Fensom, recovering from a badly broken leg in the October 1 decider, completes a formidable list of forward options that isn't lost on Scott.

"It's not a bad rotation," Scott said.

"We might have a bit of a target on our head next year with some of the names we've got, but it's certainly an advantage."

Scott said McLean would add something different again to a forward pack looking to create more second-phase play next year.

"He adds a different dimension to the pack; he's a bit of a different body shape and that makes the team a bit harder to tackle," Scott said.

"But (offloading) is something we need to get better at ... we probably have a bit more of a power running game but some pre-line passing and post-contact offloads is definitely something we need to do more of."

Scott is expected to return to full training duties after Christmas and be available for the side's first trial on February 17 against the Wests Tigers in Cairns.
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Virginia is now the latest state to start informing families enrolled in the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that their coverage will be terminated unless Congress reauthorizes the popular health insurance program soon.

On Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services will be sending out a letter to 1,114 pregnant women and parents of the 68,495 Virginia children currently enrolled in FAMIS, the name for the states childrens insurance program.

After delaying these notifications to give Congress as much time to act as possible, Virginia has a responsibility to these families to inform them of the possibility that their coverage could lapse so they can be as prepared as possible to explore alternatives, said Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a statement.

The letter states Virginias CHIP program will end on Jan. 31, 2018, unless Congress acts.

For 20 years CHIP has had the strong support of Congress and has been renewed many times. We are hopeful that Congress will once again provide the funding to continue this program, reads the letter. However, because Congress has not acted yet, we need to let you know that there is a chance the FAMIS programs may have to shut down.

Colorado was the first state to send a letter out to CHIP-enrolled families encouraging them to start making contingency plans for their health insurance.

According to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 11 states -- California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Ohio, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Hawaii -- anticipate running out of funding by the end of the year. Another 21 states, including Virginia, expect their funding to run out soon after the new year.

The two-week continuing resolution passed on Thursday allows for the temporary redistribution of funds by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to states experiencing CHIP funding shortfalls. Seventeen states have received redistribution payments from October to December, totaling $1,161,888,184 per CMS.

This continues to be a top priority for Chairman [Orrin] Hatch, a Senate Finance Committee spokesperson told ABC News of CHIP reauthorization. The Senate Finance Committee reported out a bipartisan bill that would extend funding for five years and provide certainty for families and states. The chairman is continuing to make progress in his discussions on how best to address this issue on the Senate floor and remains confident this will be resolved before the years end.

But many states are concerned theyre running out of time for families to figure out their finances and alternative health insurance plans.

You keep hearing from Congress, sure theyll reauthorize it, of course theyll do it. But on the other hand, they dont seem to be taking seriously the consequences of the delay, Linda Nablo, deputy director of Virginias Department of Medical Assistance Services, told ABC News. Causing the least amount of anxiety and chaos for families actually take a lot of work, and states cant continue to live on the promise, Well get around to it.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The Bismarck School Board on Monday night reviewed a new facilities plan that addresses growth at Bismarck's elementary schools, as well as an outdated school.

The school board agreed Monday night to issue a Request For Qualifications, or RFQ, for architects to identify costs associated with expanding Grimsrud and Centennial elementary schools. Costs for additions at these schools, as well as upgrades at Northridge Elementary School, will be discussed early next year.

The plan, which is an ongoing document, follows a school board workshop late last month where board members discussed recommendations made by a elementary facilities committee. In June, the elementary facilities committee suggested the school board close Highland Acres and Roosevelt elementary schools and redraw boundary lines to alleviate overcrowding at other schools. The school board later shelved the committee's proposal to close the two schools  in part due to public outcry over the proposal  and decided against any boundary changes.

Under the facilities plan, Grimsrud would be expanded to reduce crowding at Liberty Elementary School, and additional classrooms would be added to Centennial for students living in the Promontory Point area located north of Bismarck.

A total cost has not yet been calculated for the school board's latest plan. Renovations at Northridge alone could range from $2.3 million to $4.4 million, according to preliminary cost estimates from an architect, who presented figures at the Nov. 27 school board meeting. The architect's total cost for Northridge outlined in a master plan has not yet been completed.

The school board has also decided to hold off on making boundary changes until fall 2018 enrollment numbers are reviewed.

School Board President Karl Lembke said after the meeting that the board is taking a measured approach to the facilities plan due to stagnant enrollment growth.

"The reason that we have time is because enrollment numbers arent coming in the same way we thought they were," Lembke said. "What if it came back that Liberty's not going to be full next year? Would we have to make a boundary change? That's why we have to take our time with this."

Three parents and members of the group Bismarck Alliance For Neighborhood Schools, a group which sharply criticized the idea of closing Highland Acres and Roosevelt, spoke out against the proposals Monday night. Some asked school board members to further review their facilities plan.

Lembke said after the meeting he appreciated their comments. During Monday night's meeting, he explained the proposals to expand Centennial and Grimsrud and renovate Northridge were still under advisement.

"I think that they just bring up a lot of good points about why this decision is so complex," he said.

Liberty parents cite student safety concerns

A group of about six parents attended the Bismarck School Board meeting Monday night to discuss concerns about the safety of their children at Liberty Elementary School.

Germain Krueger, who spoke to the board on behalf of the group of parents, said their children, who are all fifth-graders at Liberty, and their children's teacher have been in an "unsafe classroom environment" for the past four months.

Krueger says the group has spoken with school officials about their concerns about safety, to which she did not elaborate, but "as a group we have no feeling of resolution."

"Now we're coming to you, the board of elected leaders of our district, to hopefully find a solution to this dire classroom situation," she said.

Krueger gave board members eight letters written by parents about their 10- and 11-year-old students' experience at Liberty, which outline daily encounters in their classroom.

School Board President Karl Lembke said during the meeting that on Monday a potential resolution to the situation has been identified.

Lembke said after the meeting that he could not comment further due to privacy allowed under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, which protect the confidentiality of student records.
A man and teenager have been charged over the bashing of a boy in South Australia's Port Augusta.

On Monday morning a 45-year-old Port Augusta man and a 14-year-old Stirling North boy assaulted a teenage boy known to them.

Video circulated on social media shows the teen attacker egged on by the older man as the victim is hit and kicked while on the ground.

Police say the teen, who was unhurt, knew his attackers. Media reports say the attackers are father and son.

The man was bailed to appear in the Port Augusta Magistrates Court on 2 January 2018, while the teen was bailed to appear in the Port Augusta Youth Court on 3 January 2018.
Lonely Planet recently named Canberra the third best city in the world to visit in 2018. Surprised? I, like many, certainly was.

Our capital was meticulously planned to house our parliament and the country's public servants, but could it also be a world-class travel destination?

"Criminally overlooked Canberra packs a big punch for a such a small city," says the guidebook's Best in Travel 2018. "National treasures are found around almost every corner and exciting new boutique precincts have emerged, bulging with gastronomic highlights and cultural must-dos."

I spent a spring Sunday in Canberra to see what all the fuss was about. I've visited this city various times in recent years for certain events and occasions, but have rarely had the opportunity to wander around and take the place in.

For breakfast I head to inner-city Braddon precinct, which Lonely Planet says - along with Acton "illustrates Canberra's new lease of life".

An industrial suburb just 10 years ago, Braddon is abuzz with cafes and coffee roasters, eateries, pubs and wine bars, clothing and vintage stores, barbers and hairdressers.

I trust the locals and head to Rye Cafe, which is overflowing with people. Once more I follow the crowd and opt for what I'm told is the favourite - avocado and poached eggs on dark rye with broad beans, peas, Danish fetta and dukkah. It's a delicious and generous serving and even better washed down with a zesty and spicy Bloody Mary cocktail, which kicks me into the day.

I'm ready to hit the Old Bus Depot Markets at Kingston foreshore. Held every Sunday, there's everything you'd expect from a weekend market - produce, gourmet treats, crafts and gifts, with a few surprises.

If you go, be sure to pop your head into Megalo Print Studio, which shares the same old industrial building as the markets. The sun-lit gallery space runs exhibitions that are worth checking out, showcasing contemporary print-based artworks and photography.

I decide to check out nearby Canberra Glassworks, which gets a mention in Lonely Planet's write-up. Here you can watch contemporary glass art being created and shaped, with entry by gold coin donation. I could sit for hours on one of the viewing platforms, watching talented artists fusing, slumping, kiln-casting, firing, or performing a "pate-de-verre" - turning what starts as a lump into an incredible piece of art right before your eyes.

For lunch I check out a modern Canberra institution: Brodburger. Starting out in a food truck in a local park, it's now happily installed in the glassworks building. I grab one of their flame-grilled burgers and hit the road.

A 15-minute drive out of town is the National Arboretum. Before being wiped out by bushfires in 2003, the site was mostly covered in pine plantations. In the aftermath, rare and symbolic trees from both Australia and around the world were planted among the devastation, with the site relaunching in 2005. Spread across 250 hectares, these newly planted trees will one day become forests. But even now, the rolling hills provide a stunning view from the lookout and pavilion.

There's also a visitor's centre, cafe, children's playground, picnic and barbecue areas, outdoor sculptures, an amphitheatre, and a very cute and quirky gift shop.

The late afternoon draws me back to Braddon, to Bentspoke Brewing Co. Approaching the bar of this microbrewery, I count around 20 different beers and cider on tap. Whether sitting inside beneath the high ceilings in view of the shiny stainless steel brewing tanks, or outside on the wooden benches under toasty heaters, this is the perfect way to kick back and ponder Canberra's merits.

I agree that our capital should be given more cred as a travel destination. Forget the stigma of a sleepy, lifeless town full of politicians in the middle of nowhere. Canberra is full of happy surprises.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: Getting to Canberra is a three-hour drive from Sydney, or a flight from your closet capital city.

GETTING AROUND: The best way to explore Canberra is by car. The wide roads and carefully considered city planning make sure of this. But if public transport is your thing, buses are frequent to most locations. MyWay cards can be purchased from general stores and newsagents. Head to transport.act.gov.au for timetables. The free City Loop Bus also has routes around the city centre and into the inner-city precincts of Braddon and Acton.

The writer travelled as a guest of Mantra Group.
A man has been charged with murder over an attack on two brothers who were run over in a car and assaulted by a gang in Melbourne's west.

Paul Duncanson, 40, died after his throat was cut in Braybrook on Saturday night, while his older brother Shaun, 44, was seriously injured after being hit over the head by the group of men.

Police say a 26-year-old Sunshine man has now been charged with murder and cause serious injury.

He'll appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court later on Wednesday.
Barnaby Joyce has warned New Zealand to mind its own business on border protection after its prime minister offered to take 150 refugees from Manus Island.

Jacinda Ardern's offer has been repeatedly rejected by the Turnbull government over concerns it might provide a back door into Australia.

Asked whether New Zealand should back off, Australia's deputy prime minister told Kiwi radio station Newstalk ZB: "It's best if you stay away from another country's business."

"Because otherwise they will return the favour at a time they think is most opportune for them."

Mr Joyce, who was recently re-elected to his NSW seat of New England after being disqualified for holding New Zealand citizenship, said other countries must be allowed to sort out their own issues.

"If you're going to talk to them at all, talk to them quietly and discreetly off the record, not by telephone and not by TV," he said.

The Nationals leader said a tough border protection policy was important to stop boat arrivals dying at sea.

"You've got to have control of your borders otherwise the people in your country will just not vote for you," he said.
Australian Muslims have no religious reason not to stand before a judge or uncover their faces while giving testimony, according to the Australian National Imams Council.

The directions come after a string of courtroom incidents where Islamic defendants refused to stand before judges in court - citing their faith in defence of their actions.

The wife of terrorist recruiter Hamdi Alqudsi, Moutia Elzahed, was the first person in NSW to be charged with disrespectful behaviour after she refused to stand before District Court judge Audrey Balla late in 2016. She was trying to sue over alleged police violence during a raid on her Revesby home.

But in an explanatory note released by the Australian National Imams Council, Muslims have been told there is no prohibition on them standing before a judge or magistrate.

"Standing up for the Magistrate or Judge is a sign of respect to the court. This sign of respect is also reflected in the teaching of Islam," the note read.

Women were also allowed to uncover their faces while giving testimony in court, the note directed.

"It is not contrary to Sharia law for the Magistrate or Judge (male or female) to look at her in order to know or identify who she is, make assessments as to credibility where this is an issue and protect the rights of all concerned," it said.
The party is over for underage drinkers in South Australia as the state government looks to clamp down on adults supplying booze to minors.

The laws, which come into effect on Monday, mean anyone who supplies alcohol to teens at any organised event can be hit with $500 on the spot fine or a $10,000 court penalty, Attorney General John Rau says.

"Our concern is events targeting teens where parents often don't know what is going on, and certainly haven't given permission," Mr Rau said.
Lebanese security forces fire tear gas to disperse protestors as a fire burns in a dumpster during a demonstration outside the US embassy in Awkar, on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut, on December 10, 2017

New protests flared in the Middle East and elsewhere 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.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinians needed to come to terms with Jerusalem's long Jewish history.

"It's always been our capital," he said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

"I think the sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we'll move towards peace."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has repeatedly warned of the consequences of Trump's move, lashed out Sunday by calling Israel a "terrorist state" that "kills children".

Netanyahu hit back, calling Erdogan a leader who "bombs Kurdish villagers" and "helps terrorists".

Trump's announcement on Wednesday sparked days of protests and clashes in the Palestinian territories. Four Palestinians were killed either in clashes or by Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalem's central bus station, seriously wounding him. The assailant was arrested.

Tens of thousands of people have protested in Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia.

On Sunday, further protests were held in countries including Lebanon, Indonesia, Egypt and Morocco as well as in the Palestinian territories.

Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at several hundred demonstrators near the American embassy.

Jerusalem

Tens of thousands also rallied in Morocco's capital Rabat.

- Protests in Cairo, Jakarta -

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.

Students and professors in Cairo demonstrated at the prestigious Al-Azhar University, a spokesman said, and dozens of students protested at two other Cairo universities.

Palestinian protests on Sunday were smaller than in previous days.

Protests and clashes erupted in Al-Arroub refugee camp in the south of the occupied West Bank, leaving one Palestinian wounded by rubber bullets, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Israeli police disperse Palestinian protesters on December 9, 2017, in East Jerusalem

Separately, the Israeli military said it destroyed a Hamas tunnel 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 prompted near universal condemnation and diplomatic fallout, with warnings that it risks setting off a new round of violence in the turbulent Middle East.

US Vice President Mike Pence is due in the region later this month, but Palestinian officials say president Mahmud Abbas will refuse to meet him.

A US official said Sunday such a snub is tantamount to "walking away" from a chance to talk about peace in the Middle East.

"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.

Abbas was to meet Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo Monday for consultations "to discuss developments related to the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital", said Bassam Radi, a spokesman for the Egyptian presidency.

Arab League foreign ministers on Saturday called on Washington to rescind the decision.

Despite the outrage, Trump's UN Ambassador Nikki Haley insisted Sunday the Jerusalem declaration would "move the ball forward" on peace efforts.

However, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told CNN it might "compromise" the US drive for an Israeli-Palestinian accord.

- Netanyahu in Europe -

Netanyahu's Europe trip was long planned, but came after both Macron and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini criticised Trump's decision.

There have also been tensions between Netanyahu and EU officials over Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.

Macron during their talks Sunday called on Netanyahu to freeze settlement building and to show "courage" to help restart peace efforts.

At their press conference, Netanyahu called the White House's bid to restart peace efforts with the Palestinians a "serious effort".

Netanyahu was due in Brussels for talks with EU foreign ministers on Monday in what would be the first of their kind with an Israeli premier in 22 years.

Women react as an Israeli mounted policeman disperses Palestinian protesters on December 9, 2017, in East Jerusalem

Trump's decision upended decades of US diplomacy and broke with international consensus.

It drew criticism from every other UN Security Council member at an emergency meeting on Friday.

Clashes in the West Bank and along the fence dividing the Gaza Strip from Israel have seen Palestinians burning tyres while hurling stones and firebombs at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds.

Retaliatory air strikes on Gaza in response to rockets killed two Hamas militants on Saturday, while two other Palestinians died in clashes near the border fence the day before.

- US isolated -

Palestinian health officials say more than 1,100 people were wounded by tear gas, rubber bullets, live fire and other means between Thursday and Saturday.

There have been fears of a much larger escalation of violence after Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called for a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

In Rome, Pope Francis called Sunday for "wisdom and prudence", asking world leaders "to avert a new spiral of violence".

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 isolated on the global stage.

Five European countries on the Security Council insisted the new US policy was inconsistent with past resolutions.

The decision was further complicating domestic Palestinian politics, particularly between Abbas's 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 2007, was due to formally hand back power to the Palestinian Authority on Sunday, but Fatah's chief negotiator said "obstacles" remained.

burs-mjs/scw/srm
Rahul Gandhi has been named president of India's Congress party, which his mother Sonia has led for 19 years

He has never held public office, once likened power to "poison", and saw his politician father and grandmother assassinated. Now Rahul Gandhi is to take over as leader of the party that has ruled India for much of its history.

The 47-year-old's nomination as president of the Congress Party follows years of speculation that he would succeed his mother in the role he has been prepared for since birth.

The son, grandson and great-grandson of prime ministers, Rahul has carried the burden of expectation since his father Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991.

His reputation as a reluctant leader and his lacklustre performance in the 2014 general election campaign, which he fronted, had cast doubt over his suitability for the role.

But analysts say the Gandhi family's tight grip on the party leadership -- dating back to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru -- made his ascension almost inevitable.

His mother Sonia has led the party for 19 years and has worked tirelessly to ensure her son's eventual succession.

But he faces an immense battle to revive the ailing centre-left party ahead of the next national polls due in 2019.

A Financial Times editorial last month called Rahul an "amiable and pleasant fellow who lacks the will to win power or the killer instinct necessary for the cut and thrust of political battle in India".

Just 58 percent of Indians view him positively, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center earlier this year that put Prime Minister Narendra Modi 30 points ahead of him in the popularity stakes.

- Life of privilege -

"He will be always seen as a dynast. But much will depend on how he delivers results for the party," said Gurpreet Mahajan, political studies professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

"His only shield to criticism will be performance."

Rahul's supporters argue that he has landed some punches in recent months after a lengthy post-election period during which Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared unassailable.

Others, however, say a dip in the BJP's popularity has has more to do with a slowing in growth under Modi, the son of a tea-seller who has repeatedly riled Rahul as a "shehzada" or prince.

Rahul was born into a life of privilege, but his younger years were cloaked in tragedy.

He was 14 when his grandmother, prime minister Indira Gandhi, was slain by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984 as revenge for the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Just six years later his father Rajiv was killed by a suicide bomber when campaigning for re-election.

"In my life I have seen my grandmother die, I have seen my father die, I have seen my grandmother go to jail and I have actually been through a tremendous amount of pain as a child," he once said in a TV interview.

"When these things happen to you, what I had to be scared of I lost. There is absolutely nothing I am scared of."

Rahul was educated in India and at Harvard and Cambridge, and first worked in business management in London before winning the family constituency seat of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh state in 2004.

After a stint as head of its youth wing, his profile rose further when he became Congress vice president in January 2013.

But he has struggled to carve out a reputation as a politician in his own right, not helped by the fact his younger sister Priyanka brims with the charisma he is accused of lacking.

He rejected offers to enter the last Congress government, instead promoting causes such as right-to-information legislation he regards as key to curbing rampant corruption and a food security bill that critics say India can ill afford.

He has been at his most impassioned defending the secular tradition personified by his great-grandfather Jawaharal Nehru, India's first prime minister, whose socialist model framed the post-independence economy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and President of Syria Bashar al-Assad (R) inspect a military parade at the Russian air base in Hmeimim in northwestern Syrian

The Pentagon on Monday voiced skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that he had ordered the partial withdrawal of troops from Syria.

Putin visited the war-torn nation Monday and said a "significant part" of the Russian troop contingent in Syria is heading home after their mission had been largely completed.

But Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said such declarations were not necessarily reflected by action.

"Russian comments about removal of their forces do not often correspond with actual troop reductions, and do not affect US priorities in Syria," he said.

A US official told AFP that Putin was likely to carry out a "token withdrawal" of some aircraft, then follow up by demanding the United States pulls its forces out of Syria.

The US military last week said it would stay in Syria, where it is fighting the Islamic State group, as long as necessary to ensure the jihadists don't return.

The "coalition will continue to operate in Syria in support of local forces on the ground to complete the military defeat of ISIS and stabilize liberated territory, in turn allowing for displaced Syrians and refugees to return," Rankine-Galloway said.

Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests, but quickly spiraled into a bitter and complex civil war, with IS just one element.

The open-ended US commitment in Syria is likely to rile Russia, which since late 2015 has conducted a separate military campaign to prop up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

The size of the Russian deployment in Syria is not known, but independent Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer has told AFP that up to 10,000 troops and private contractors could have taken part in the conflict.

The Pentagon later announced that the two principal US-backed forces that have been fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria met at the border between the two countries.

When it first began its push for a "caliphate", IS had almost unimpeded flow across the desert border, but Iraq is now strengthening its border posts to make sure remaining IS fighters can't move between countries.

The Syrian Democratic Forces and Iraqi Security Forces met at the border "in order to reaffirm their commitment to ensure that ISIS does not take root again," said another Pentagon spokesman, Colonel Rob Manning.
Researchers and a lawyer who spoke to AFP say Ethiopia has ramped up the use of computer spyware

As soon as Ethiopian opposition activist Henok Gabisa read the email, he knew something was not right.

With the subject line "Democracy in Ethiopia: Can it be saved?", the message seemed tailor-made for him.

Yet the US-based academic, who teaches law at Washington and Lee University, said it was written vaguely and contained a suspicious hyperlink.

Indeed, the email was an attempt to infect his computer with spyware that secretly gathers information and similar to hundreds sent to Ethiopian dissidents worldwide that were probably ordered by the country's government, according to a report published last week by the cyber security research group Citizen Lab.

Ethiopia's government has been increasingly on the defensive since the country's two largest ethnic groups, the Oromos and Amharas, began protesting in 2015.

Hundreds died in the violence and tens of thousands were rounded up in sweeping arrests, among them opposition political activists and journalists.

But many of Ethiopia's fiercest critics are outside the country, and thus beyond the immediate reach of its security apparatus, particularly among its diaspora population in the USA.

To counter that, researchers and a lawyer who spoke to AFP say Ethiopia has ramped up the use of computer spyware, as well as employing traditional physical surveillance, going so far as to potentially stalk dissidents on US soil.

- 'Endless string of attempts' -

Neither American law enforcement agencies nor courts have done much to stop it, they say.

"There's been no other case I can think of where weve had such an endless string of attempts," said Bill Marczak, a senior research fellow with the Canada-based Citizen Lab, of the spyware campaign.

The protests have been cheered on by Ethiopian bloggers, activists and media outlets abroad. Many are among the quarter of a million strong Ethiopian community in the US, believed to be the largest population outside the country.

US-based broadcasters Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) and Oromia Media Network (OMN) make little secret of their opposition to Ethiopia's government, which has wielded virtually unchecked power in the country since taking power in 1991.

The enmity is mutual, with Ethiopia banning both channels during a 10-month state of emergency declared in October 2016, and filing terrorism charges against OMN's executive director Jawar Mohammed earlier this year.

Henok believes his work with OMN is why he received two emails last March that offered a phony software update that the report said was actually spyware designed by an Israeli defense contractor.

"I'm just one of the critical Oromos," said Henok, who did not fall for the attempt and later learned the email was malicious after allowing Citizen Lab to scan his emails.

Many of those targeted by the emails, with subject lines like "Ethiopia struggling with inside challenges!", were Oromo activists. Jawar received a dozen such emails.

Reacting to the Citizen Lab report, the US embassy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa said that they were "looking into the matter."

Two recipients may have had links to Ginbot 7, a group that has called for the violent overthrow of Ethiopia's government, Marczak said.

Marczak himself received one malicious email, from someone he had previously corresponded with whose account had likely been hacked.

Citizen Lab found evidence linking the spyware to a command server in Ethiopia showing that 43 electronic devices had been successfully infected, several of which they linked to Eritrea, Ethiopia's one-time territory that is now a bitter enemy.

Ethiopia's government did not respond to requests for comment, but in the past they have called allegations of spyware usage a smear campaign.

- Carte blanche for cyber attacks -

Human Rights Watch has accused Ethiopia of using evidence from spyware intercepts against dissidents within the country, in addition to easily intercepted phone calls and text messages sent over the single, government-owned phone company.

In 2014 one US-based dissident whose computer had been infected sued Ethiopia in a Washington federal court, under the pseudonym Kidane.

That case ended earlier this year, when the court ruled Ethiopia wasn't liable because the hacking took place outside the US.

"Foreign governments have carte blanche to launch cyber attacks against American citizens in their own homes with complete immunity from US courts," said Nate Cardozo, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based digital rights group who supported the case.

Cutting edge spyware isn't the only tool Ethiopia deploys against opponents in the US, activists believe.

The offices of ESAT near Washington are under constant surveillance, Cardozo says, by people he believes are employed by the government who perch in a van across the street and take photos of people entering and exiting the building.

"As a lawyer, that harassment by an agent of the other side is something I have never experienced in my decade-long career," Cardozo said, adding that the US Department of Justice took little interest in Kidane's lawsuit.

The lack of consequences and profusion of spyware manufacturers mean Ethiopia is likely to continue using the tools.

"Ethiopia has been found out many times," said Eva Galperin, EFF's director of cyber security. "I think the chances they will stop using surveillance spyware to spy on dissidents is zero."
In two separate instances, domestic disputes led to charges of child neglect in Bismarck.

Glen Yellowbird, 34, of Bismarck, and Vanessa Frank, 37, of Bismarck both face felony child neglect charges after police, responding to domestic dispute calls Sunday, allegedly found their respective houses unkempt.

Officers arrived at Franks home on the 3000 block of Manchester Street at 9:43 a.m. Sunday, said Bismarck Police Sgt. Mark Buschena.

In the kitchen and one of the bedrooms shared by two of the three children, Buschena said officers found gnats, along with moldy dishes and odors. There was a narrow path amid 4-foot-high piles of clothing that led to the bedroom, which contained a mattress on the floor.

Later in the day, responding to a report of a fight between 4 and 4:40 p.m. at the 4000 block of Gates Drive, police entered Yellowbirds home to find moldy food and dishes covering the kitchen counters, food and clothing on the floors, feces on the bathroom floor and empty alcohol bottles in the room of a 4-year-old boy, Buschena said.

There was also an open paint can in a closet, a dirty litterbox for the homes two cats and police allegedly smelled marijuana upon arrival.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Labor Party Senator Sam Dastyari, who quit Tuesday over his links with Chinese businessmen, had 'quite plainly been acting in the interests of another government or another power'

An Australian senator quit parliament Tuesday over his links with China in a scandal that coincided with Canberra proposing new foreign interference laws that have sparked fierce criticism from Beijing.

Labor opposition politician Sam Dastyari, a one-time high-profile powerbroker, has been under heavy scrutiny over his relationship with a wealthy political donor associated with the Chinese Communist Party.

"Today, after much reflection, I have decided that the best service I can render to the federal parliamentary Labor Party is to not return to the Senate in 2018," he said as pressure for him to go grew.

"Reflecting on the events which led to my decision, I leave knowing that I have always honoured my parliamentary oath, I have always acted with integrity, and I remain a loyal, patriotic Australian."

It recently emerged that he had told billionaire businessman Huang Xiangmo -- who has donated to both Labor and the ruling Liberal coalition -- that his phone was likely being tapped by spy agencies.

Huang's company last year paid a legal bill for Dastyari.

Reports also said Dastyari had appeared at a media conference alongside Huang, held for Chinese media, where he contradicted Labor's position on the South China Sea issue.

And this week, he was accused of pressuring the party's foreign affairs spokeswoman not to meet a Chinese political activist during a visit to Hong Kong in 2015.

On Monday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made clear Dastyari's position was untenable.

"Dastyari has quite plainly been acting in the interests of another government or another power," he told broadcaster ABC.

The scandal came to a head as Canberra announced wide-ranging reforms to espionage and foreign interference legislation.

The new laws followed an inquiry ordered by Turnbull after media revelations that the nation's spy agency had warned the country's political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billionaires with links to China.

The reports said intelligence agencies had major concerns that China was interfering in Australian institutions and using the political donations system to gain access.

Turnbull last week singled out China as a focus of concern, citing "disturbing reports" about Beijing's influence, drawing an angry response and an official protest.

Beijing said Canberra should "immediately stop making wrong remarks" that would undermine trust and cooperation between the two countries, while attacking local media stories about infiltration as fabricated.
Around the world, health and aid agencies are turning to insecticide sprays to help prevent the spread of malaria

A big roadside poster announces a "Pest Control Campaign" in Sao Tome and Principe, with a man in a white face mask wielding an insecticide spray fuelled by a tank on his back.

The island nation in the Gulf of Guinea is at war against malaria, as it has been twice a year since 2003, with such success that the disease no longer routinely claims lives.

In mainland central Africa, the incidence of malaria spread by infected female mosquitos is among the highest rates in the world.

Malaria killed some 445,000 people around the planet in 2016, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), out of 216 million estimated cases that year.

"Our last death was in 2016. It was a Portuguese man who failed to take measures for prevention and treatment," said Hamilton Nascimento, coordinator of the National Programme to Fight Paludism (PNLP) in Sao Tome.

In 2005, malaria claimed more than 5,000 lives out of about 50,000 infected people in Sao Tome and Principe, according to the WHO.

The humid tropical climate of the islands provides an ideal breeding ground for the female mosquitos that carry the parasitic infection from one person to another with their bloodsucking bites.

- National priority -

Yet since 2014, the number of deaths has fallen to none on Sao Tome, apart from the Portuguese victim. On Principe, lying to the north, malaria has been eradicated, in official terms.

Malaria killed some 445,000 people around the planet in 2016, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), out of 216 million estimated cases that year

The government wants to wipe it out everywhere by 2025, but the WHO has warned that a sizeable part of future funding is at risk.

The battle against a once endemic disease began as a national priority in the 1980s, in the wake of independence from Portugal in 1975, Nascimento told AFP.

The islands of Sao Tome and Principe, which have a combined land surface of 1,000 square kilometres (386 square miles), benefit from their offshore location west of Gabon and from a small population of less than 200,000 inhabitants.

"We have three strategies: spraying inside houses, distributing mosquito nets impregnated (with insecticide) and the fight against larvae using a biological insecticide that we spread in stagnant waters," Nascimento said.

The population of Sao Tome also has access to free medication to treat malaria and to testing campaigns nationwide. If a case of malaria is detected, "the hospital follows up the patient for 28 days," he added.

"Sick people are given free care by the health centres and medicine is accessible everywhere in the country."

For all the successes in tackling a disease that has no available vaccine and is prone to mutate, residents of the islands have begun to grow weary of the repeated campaigns.

"The number of people who open their doors to the mosquito sprayers has gone down," Health Minister Maria Jesus Trovoada said, concerned that this refusal to take part "puts all the efforts of the government in peril".

Authorities in Sao Tome and Principe have been clear about their desire to reduce dependence on foreign aid, which accounts for about 90 percent of the nation's resources, and the battle with malaria is part of that goal.

At the end of the 1980s and again in 2012-2013, the disease ravaged the country because of a shortfall in funding and spreading resistance to insecticides, Hamilton said.

"We must often -- about every 10 years -- change the insecticide, because the mosquitos develop resistance," he explained.

- Funding cuts? -

The humid tropical climate in Sao Tome and Principe provides an ideal breeding ground for maleria

While the government recently stepped up its contribution, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a foundation partnered with the WHO, finances most measures to beat the disease on the islands.

The grant from the Global Fund may be slashed by more than 50 percent, the WHO warned in a recent report. Sao Tome and Principe would then "need more or less $5 million (4.2 million euros) between 2018 and 2021 to go on getting good results".

"The impact of lack of funding is unknown. However, if current efforts to control malaria have to be reduced due to lack of funds a high risk of a relapse exists," Rebekka Ott, the Global Fund representative on Sao Tome, told AFP.

The foundation is also concerned about Sao Tome's cutting of diplomatic ties with Taiwan at the end of 2016 in order to develop relations with China. Taiwan previously paid more than 30 percent of the cost of fighting malaria.

China, whose flag has already been mounted at the National Centre for Endemics, is expected to take up the baton, but by providing "technical assistance" rather than financial aid.

Whatever the obstacles, the WHO announced in April 2016 that 21 countries in the world may eliminate malaria by 2020. Six of those nations are in Africa: Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, Swaziland and South Africa.
FILLMORE, CA - DECEMBER 07: A firefighting helicopter works the Thomas Fire on December 7, 2017 near Fillmore, California. Strong Santa Ana winds are pushing multiple wildfires across the region, expanding across tens of thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes and structures. David McNew/Getty Images/AFP

It's been a week since southern California has been charred by a devastating wave of wildfires, blasted by almost hurricane force winds.

Vast areas have been destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated and thousands of firefighters are working around the clock.

The future of the infernos is at the mercy of the wind.

The biggest concern is Thomas, which broke out last Monday and has already destroyed an area five times larger than the US capital Washington and threatens Pacific coast towns like Carpinteria, Summerland and Montecito.

Here is a review of the present situation.

- Number of fires -

Six were registered during the week: in addition to Thomas, in Ventura County, there were three in Los Angeles (Creek, Rye, Skirball), Lilac in San Diego; and Liberty in Riverside.

Other than Thomas, almost all are contained and the evacuation orders have already been lifted. But there have been long hours of panic. Los Angeles evacuated 150,000 people. Skirball -- 85 percent controlled -- affected the exclusive neighborhood of Bel-Air and millions of dollars of mansions were caught in the flames.

The losses have not yet been calculated.

Lilac, which engulfed a rural area with many stables, forced hundreds of horses had to be evacuated. Just over two dozen perished.

- Extent of Thomas' damage -

It still remains to be seen how much harm Thomas will do. The fire continues to grow and threatens nearby areas. In one week it wiped out 23,000 acres (93,000 hectares) and "severe weather conditions" could lead to "significant growth," according to the latest California firefighters bulletin (Cal Fire).

More than 800 buildings have been destroyed, including 644 homes, while almost 6,400 officials work to try to contain the flames.

Evacuation orders remain standing in areas of Ventura, Ojai, Carpinteria, Montecito and Santa Barbara.

- Victims -

Despite its hellish intensity, which has left behind scenes reminiscent of a moonscape in many areas, authorities so far have reported one fatality -- a 70-year-old woman who died in a car accident while fleeing from the flames in the Thomas area.

Tens of thousands had to leave their homes, some ending up in shelters opened by the authorities and the Red Cross.

- Weather forecast -

The causes of the fires are under investigation. But whatever they are, it is the hurricane-strength winds and the low humidity that cause them to spread over huge areas of land at an amazingly alarming speed.

Eric Boldt, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service (NWS), explained to AFP that even when the wind dies down, the drought conditions complicate everything.

The fire is already the biggest disaster in California's history, but Boldt believes he has the potential to climb to the top spot.

- Financial losses -

There is no exact figure for the losses from this fire wave that has not even ended.

The California Department of Insurance told AFP that the calculation is the product of the figures from insurance companies. As the fires are not over yet, there are people who do not even know if they lost their homes or businesses and did not activate their insurance.

He also explained that losses may not be known in wealthy neighborhoods like Bel-Air because those million-dollar properties are not insured with a current policy. The agency estimated the losses from the ferocious fires in the wine region in October to be $9.4 billion dollars.

- Global warming -

California Governor Jerry Brown warned Saturday that because of climate change, the most populous US state is more vulnerable to forest fires, which in turn are becoming the "new normal."

Prior to this season's fires, California experienced more than five years of severe drought.
President Donald Trump signed a directive to send Americans back to the Moon in the presence of Harrison Schmitt, one of the last Americans to walk on Earth's satellite 45 years ago

US President Donald Trump directed NASA on Monday to send Americans to the Moon for the first time since 1972, in order to prepare for future trips to Mars.

"This time we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint," Trump said at a White House ceremony as he signed the new space policy directive.

"We will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars and perhaps someday to many worlds beyond."

The directive calls on NASA to ramp up its efforts to send people to deep space, a policy that unites politicians on both sides of the aisle in the United States.

However, it steered clear of the most divisive and thorny issues in space exploration: budgets and timelines.

Space policy experts agree that any attempt to send people to Mars, which lies an average of 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) from Earth, would require immense technical prowess and a massive wallet.

The last time US astronauts visited the Moon was during the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s.

On July 20, 1969, US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon.

Walking on the moon

Trump, who signed the directive in the presence of Harrison Schmitt, one of the last Americans to walk on the Moon 45 years ago, said "today, we pledge that he will not be the last."

The better known Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the Moon after Armstrong and a fervent advocate of future space missions, was also present at the ceremony but not mentioned by Trump during his speech.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the newly revitalized National Space Council, have previously vowed to explore the Moon again, but offered few details.

Nevertheless, the announcement was welcomed by NASA's Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot, who said the agency "looks forward to supporting the president's directive" and "strategically aligning our work to return humans to the Moon, travel to Mars and opening the deeper solar system beyond."

- 'We're dreaming big' -

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin conducts an experiment on the moon's surface in this photo taken by his colleague Neil Armstrong, the first man to tread Earth's satellite, during the Apollo XI space mission on July 21, 1969

Former US president George W. Bush also pledged to send Americans to the Moon as part of the Constellation program, which ran from 2005 to 2009.

Constellation was projected to cost $100 billion, and aimed to get boots on the Moon's surface by the late 2020s.

In 2009, then president Barack Obama deemed it too costly and repetitive of missions already achieved, and canceled the program in order to focus on reaching Mars by the 2030s.

Trump vowed his new directive "will refocus the space program on human exploration and discovery," and "marks an important step in returning American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972."

The goal of the new Moon missions would include "long-term exploration and use" of its surface.

"We're dreaming big," Trump said.

His administration has previously held several meetings with SpaceX boss Elon Musk and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, who also owns Blue Origin.

A White House statement acknowledged that partnerships with other nations and private industry could well be on the cards.

The US "will work with other nations and private industry to return astronauts to the Moon, developing the technology and means for manned exploration of Mars and other destinations in our solar system," it said.
The fishermen often arrive in rickety boats

Six of 10 North Korean "fishermen" rescued from a tiny wooden boat drifting off northern Japan will be deported back to their country, an immigration official told AFP Tuesday.

Three of the crew have been arrested on suspicion of theft after they reportedly admitted to "taking out" electronic products from a remote Japanese island where they landed briefly to take refuge.

They are suspected of stealing a variety of items -- including fridges, TV sets and even a door knob.

The ten men were first spotted by coastguard as their dilapidated boated drifted into waters off the island of Hokkaido.

"The immigration office in Hokkaido has started deportation procedures" for the six crew members, immigration official Koichi Tanaka told AFP.

One of the men is still in hospital, reportedly suffering from a stomach illness, said Tanaka.

Dozens of North Korean fishing vessels wash up on Japan's coast every year, but last month Japanese coastguards registered 28 cases, the highest monthly number since records began in 2014.

Experts say some North Korean fishermen are travelling far out to sea in order to satisfy government mandates for bigger catches.

But their old and poorly equipped vessels are prone to mechanical and other problems, including running out of fuel, and there are few ways for them to call for rescue.

Some experts have warned that once they are deported, they may be executed as the North Korean authorities fear they must have been turned into Japanese spies.

"We decline to comment if they wish to go home or not," Shin Harada, another immigration official, told AFP.

"I've never heard about executions," he said.
Charles Jenkins spent four decades in communist North Korea

Charles Jenkins, a US Army deserter who spent four decades in communist North Korea and married a Japanese woman abducted by Pyongyang, has died at the age of 77, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the Asahi Shimbun daily, his daughter found him collapsed outside their house on Monday and called the emergency services.

He later died of heart problems at a hospital in the northern city of Sado, according to the local government.

He deserted during a drunken night in 1965, crossing the heavily fortified border into North Korea from the South.

He said later he was scared of being sent to Vietnam and thought North Korea would send him home.

Instead, he spent 39 years in Pyongyang, where he taught English to spy cadets in his North Carolina drawl and played a Yankee villain in propaganda films.

In 1980, he married Hitomi Soga, who was kidnapped by North Korean agents in the Cold-War era.

She was allowed to leave North Korea for Japan in 2002 and Jenkins followed her two years later with their two Korean-born daughters.

The Japanese government granted him permanent residency and he lived in Soga's hometown on Sado, a picturesque island in the Sea of Japan.

Soga said in a statement released by the city government on Tuesday she was "very surprised" by his death and "cannot think of anything".

Sado mayor Motohiro Miura expressed condolences in a statement, saying that Jenkins "worked at a souvenir shop and contributed to local tourism".

After heading to Japan, Jenkins was court-martialled by the US military for deserting but given only a 30-day confinement.

North Korean agents kidnapped Soga and a number of other ordinary Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s in order to train its spies in the Japanese language and culture.

In 2002, North Korea admitted kidnapping 13 Japanese civilians but the government in Tokyo believes at least 17 were taken.

A month later, five including Soga were allowed to return to Japan. Pyongyang insists the other eight are dead but has not produced cast-iron evidence.

The issue sours already strained Japan-North Korea relations and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe often wears a blue ribbon to remind him of their abduction.

Last month, during a trip to Tokyo, US President Donald Trump met Soga and the now elderly families of those abducted.

There are strong suspicions in Japan that dozens of other citizens were also snatched by the North.

James Joseph Dresnok, the only US soldier known still to have been living in North Korea after defecting more than five decades ago, died in November 2016, his sons confirmed in August.
Votes are still being counted following landmark national and provincial elections in Nepal

A fugitive wanted over a deadly attack on police won a seat in Nepal's national parliament Tuesday, despite being in hiding and not once appearing in public during his campaign.

Resham Chaudhary won the seat from Kailali in western Nepal by a landslide, securing more than double the votes of his closest rival, according to results from the election commission.

Chaudhary has been in hiding since 2015 when he was accused of masterminding an attack in which eight police officers and a toddler were killed.

"He is in our wanted list and we can arrest him even though he has been elected as a member of parliament, if we find him," said police spokesman Manoj Neupane.

Chaudhary was a key figure in violent protests that erupted in 2015 over a contentious new constitution.

Ethnic minority groups from across Nepal's southern lowlands took to the streets demanding changes to the charter, which they say leaves them politically marginalised.

Around 50 people died in clashes between protesters and police that led to a blockade of the border with India and a crippling shortage of goods in landlocked Nepal.

Chaudhary has previously denied masterminding the attack on police, which he described as a "people's uprising".

But a parliamentary committee concluded the killings were premeditated, and a Human Rights Watch investigation found some protesters appeared to have come prepared for violence.

The protest movements have lost momentum in recent years and many of their leaders have joined political parties.

During his campaign, Chaudhary never once emerged from hiding. Instead he recorded a series of audio and video speeches that his supporters played on laptops at crowded rallies, according to local media.

This is not the first time a man on the police's wanted list has ended up in Nepal's parliament.

Shortly after being elected to parliament in 2013, Sanjay Sah was arrested for his role in a deadly bombing the year before. He is still in jail.

Votes are still being counted following landmark national and provincial elections, which mark the end of the country's tumultuous transition from monarchy to democracy 11 years after the end of a brutal civil war.

Final results are expected by the end of the week, but an alliance of the two main communist parties has already won a strong majority.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has warmed ties with China since his election last year

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has offered China Telecom a slot to be the country's third telecom provider to break up the dominance of two local firms, his spokesman said Tuesday.

The offer was part of Duterte's efforts to improve ties between China and the Philippines, taking into account political as well as economic considerations, spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.

"It was brought up in bilateral negotiations between the Philippines and China. And the eventual player that was chosen by China, China Telecom, without doubt is one of the biggest in the world," he said.

"It was a political decision of the president to offer it to a Chinese company. Intended, I guess, also to strengthen our bilateral ties with China."

Duterte has repeatedly said he wanted to introduce a third player into the Philippine telecom industry to spur competition and improve service.

The Philippines has a reputation for some of the slowest internet speeds in Asia, with customers restricted to a choice only between local firms PLOT and Globe Telecom.

On a visit to Manila in October, Chinese Internet tycoon and Alibaba founder Jack Ma described the Philippines' internet speed as "no good".

Although Roque said the Chinese government had nominated China Telecom for the license, the company said it had yet to decide if it would take up the offer.

"China Telecom is currently having a preliminary study on the investment opportunity in Philippines and no concrete plan has been determined yet," the company said in a statement to AFP.

Philippine law restricts a majority-foreign firm from the telecom industry, which means China Telecom would have to pick a local partner.

Duterte has pursued closer economic, military and political ties with China for the Philippines, a traditional ally of the United States, since becoming president in the middle of last year.

He reversed his predecessor's policy of challenging China's expansionism in the South China Sea into waters also claimed by the Philippines, arguing setting aside the territorial dispute would reap huge economic benefits.

However critics have questioned if Duterte is offering too much to China, leaving his country vulnerable to political and economic pressure.

There are also concerns about corruption, with a similar Philippine-Chinese telecom venture ending badly a decade ago.

A national broadband contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars with Chinese telecom giant ZTE was cancelled in 2007 after a bribery scandal that severely embarrassed then-Philippine president Gloria Arroyo.
Bangladeshi police say alleged New York bomber Akayed Ullah was not flagged on any local database

Bangladeshi counter terrorism officers on Tuesday questioned the wife of New York subway bomber Akayed Ullah and said he had visited the family in Dhaka in September.

Police said Ullah, an immigrant from Bangladesh who set off a crude bomb strapped to his body in a crowded New York subway passage on Monday, had visited Dhaka after the couple's baby son was born.

"We are trying to know how he was radicalised and whether he had any associate," senior counter terrorism officer Saiful Islam told AFP.

He said police had raided the family home in Dhaka and questioned Ullah's 25-year-old wife, Jannatul Ferdous Piya and her father, but that neither was under any suspicion.

Ullah reportedly told US police investigators he wanted to avenge US airstrikes on the Islamic State group and was also inspired by Christmas terror plots in Europe.

Bangladesh police are investigating whether he was radicalised in his Muslim-majority homeland, where foreigners have been among those targeted in deadly assaults claimed by the IS group and Al Qaeda.

Police in Bangladesh say he has never appeared on a watchlist there.

Mofazzal Hossain, caretaker of the family apartment in Hazaribagh in the old part of Dhaka, described him as "pious and a gentleman".

"He used to pray in the local mosque five times a day. He would urge us to pray and do good work," Hossain told AFP

"He visited Bangladesh in September after his son was born," he said, adding Ullah married in January 2016, but did not take his wife to the US.

US authorities say Ullah migrated seven years ago as the member of a family already living there under what is known as "chain immigration".

His family was originally from Sandwip, an island off Bangladesh's south coast, but police believe his father moved to Dhaka before Ullah was born.

"We are questioning one of his relatives for more information," local police chief Noor-e-Alam Mina told AFP.

The impoverished riverine nation of 160 million has been waging a war against homegrown extremism in the wake of numerous attacks by radical groups in recent years.

In July last year militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages, including 18 foreigners, in an assault claimed by the IS.

Security forces have shot dead more than 70 alleged militants in a fierce crackdown since the cafe carnage.

Bangladesh last month arrested an alleged militant from Ansarullah Bangla Team, a homegrown extremist group with links to Al Qaeda, over the 2015 murder of a prominent Bangladesh-origin American blogger in Dhaka.

The secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to root out extremism but says international radical groups do not operate inside Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh embassy in Washington DC condemned the New York bomb attack and restated Bangladesh's "zero tolerance" approach to extremism.

"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice," the embassy said in a statement.
The Bismarck Squadron Civil Air Patrol will facilitate this years Wreaths Across America event at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The event will occur simultaneously with more than 1,000 other ceremonies at locations in the United States and beyond and will be highlighted by the placement of military service ceremonial wreaths by veterans of each respective service. The ceremonial wreath presenters were nominated by the community and selected via a random drawing. The event will culminate with adorning all gravesites  more than 6,200  with a holiday wreath.

The ceremonial wreath presenters for the 2017 WAA Ceremony are:

 Army veteran Albert Imhoff, of Bismarck, who served from 1952-1954 as a combat engineer and fought in the Korean War.

 Navy veteran Mitchell Erhardt, of Bismarck, who served in the Navy from 1985-2015. That service culminated with being posted as the Command Master Chief Petty Officer for Strategic Weapons Facilities in Bangor, Wash.

 Marine Corps veteran Jeffrey Olson, of Bismarck, who served as an infantryman from 2004-2008.

 Air Force veteran Walter Polanchek, of Mandan, who served as a boiler operator.

 Coast Guard veteran Joel Gustafson, of Bismarck, who served from 1977-1999 as an electronics technician for Loran-C navigation systems.

 Marine Corps and Army veteran Kenneth Pilon, of Bismarck, will place a wreath in honor of all service members who remain listed as a prisoner of war or missing in action. He served in the Marine Corps from 1982-1986 as an infantry heavy weapons operator and as a medic in the North Dakota Army National Guard from 1990-1992.

 A Civil Air Patrol cadet will also place a wreath in honor of veterans of the Merchant Marine.

What makes the Wreaths Across America ceremony very special is the critical role the community plays in making it a success, said Lt. Col. Sean Johnson, chief of staff for the North Dakota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. From sponsoring the wreaths for each gravesite, to nominating and providing veterans to place ceremonial wreaths, to working together after the ceremony to lay the sponsored wreaths at each gravesite  it is the community working together to fulfill the WAA mission which makes this event so special.

This will be the fifth year in a row that Bismarck CAP, with the support of the community, was able to sponsor a wreath for every gravesite.
Cambodia's government has launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent in recent months

The European Union on Tuesday pulled support for Cambodia's election authority, questioning the legitimacy of upcoming polls after the dissolution of the opposition transformed the kingdom into a virtual one-party state under strongman Hun Sen.

A Supreme Court ruling last month dissolved the main opposition to the incumbent Cambodian People's Party (CPP) after Hun Sen intensified his attacks on them with elections looming next year.

In a statement the EU described the ruling as arbitrary and said as a result the election "cannot be seen as legitimate".

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) had won almost 45 percent of the vote in the 2013 national elections and nearly the same proportion in this year's local polls.

Its electoral success posed a threat to the 32-year rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who wants to press ahead with the elections despite international outcry over his assault on Cambodia's fragile democracy.

The EU said that the Supreme Court's decision and the subsequent reallocation of the opposition's national and local seats to other parties "denies the choice of those who voted for the party in the elections in 2013 and 2017".

Support provided by the EU to Cambodia's National Election Committee (NEC) includes funding for voter education materials, deployment of advisers, and assistance for a preliminary results management system.

National Election Committee deputy secretary-general Som Sorida expressed disappointment with the EU statement, but said other supporters, including Japan, South Korea, China and Russia remained in place.

In recent months, Cambodia's government has launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent and other perceived challenges to the regime, arresting CNRP leader Kem Sokha and sending dozens of lawmakers fleeing into exile to avoid a similar fate.

Hun Sen, who rose to power in the aftermath of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, has said he wants to remain in office for another decade or so.

Analysts say US President Donald Trump's hands-off approach to human rights issues paired with support from regional behemoth China have emboldened Hun Sen to throw off any pretence to democracy and turn Cambodia into a one-party state.

But while Hun Sen has praised Trump's no-nonsense style, Washington has also taken steps to censure Cambodia for its recent actions, putting visa restrictions on senior officials this month and withdrawing its own support for the country's election authority in November.

Hun Sen has doubled down his position and has yet to face any protests about his attack on the opposition and democracy.

On Tuesday he said that his government did the "right thing" in dissolving the CNRP, in comments clearly alluding to the party and its leadership but that did not mention them by name.

"Though the head was cut, the body was destroyed, but the bad intentions of those who stand behind them have not subsided yet," Hun Sen said, adding "we must keep a careful eye on them."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Russia's airbase in Syria

The first Russian troops returned home on Tuesday from their deployment in Syria, the army said, beginning a partial withdrawal announced by President Vladimir Putin.

"The battalion of military police from the southern military district (of Russia) deployed to the Syrian Arab Republic has been flown by two military planes to Makhachkala (the capital of Dagestan) airport," the Russian army said in a statement.

State television broadcasted images of soldiers marching out of the aircraft onto a sunny runway in the small republic in Russia's North Caucasus.

The crews of Tu-22M3 bombers also returned to a military airport in North Ossetia before flying out to their permanent base in central Kaluga region, the army said.

The crew of an A-50 surveillance aircraft flew back to their home base in Ivanovo region where they were met by commanding officers and relatives.

On a visit to Syria on Monday, Putin ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from the war-torn country, saying their task had been largely completed.

It was the third announcement of a partial withdrawal since troops were deployed in 2015. Putin did not clarify how many soldiers will be returning home this time.

- 'Up to a month' -

Putin, who announced last week he would seek a fourth term in a poll in March, was welcomed at Russia's Hmeimim airbase by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on his unannounced stopover.

RBK news agency cited sources as saying that Russia will pull out two-thirds of its contingent, both personnel and equipment, from Syria, which could take up to a month.

Russia first intervened in the Syrian conflict in 2015, staging air strikes in support of its ally Damascus targeting both the Islamic State group and other jihadists as well as rebels fighting government troops.

The size of the Russian deployment in Syria is not known but independent Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer has told AFP that up to 10,000 troops and private contractors could have taken part in the conflict.

More than 340,000 people have been killed since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against Assad's rule that sparked a brutal crackdown.

On Thursday, Moscow announced a "total liberation" of Syrian territory from IS, even though the jihadist group still controls several pockets in the country.

Putin said both Russia's airbase Hmeimim and naval facility in Tartus would continue to function.

The Russian president made the Syria stopover, the first by a Russian head of state since president Dmitry Medvedev visited in 2010, en route to Egypt, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Bangladesh authorities said they had prepared for outbreaks of other diseases in the refugee camps, but not diphtheria

Bangladesh Tuesday launched a massive drive to vaccinate Rohingya children against diphtheria after a suspected outbreak killed nine refugees and infected more than 700.

Health workers in Bangladesh said they had been caught unawares by the outbreak of the bacterial disease in the Rohingya refugee camps of southeast Bangladesh

More than 646,000 Rohingya are based in these camps, having fled violence in Myanmar in recent months.

"So far nine people have died in a suspected outbreak of diphtheria," said Meerzady Sabrina Flora, the head of Bangladesh's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

Bangladesh's health services department said of the 700 refugees infected, 104 -- most of them children -- had contracted the disease in the last 24 hours.

Authorities have set up two isolation units in the overcrowded refugee camps, where many lack adequate shelter and food and there is little access to medical services.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can be fatal if left untreated, but has become increasingly rare in recent decades due to high rates of vaccination.

Bangladesh authorities said they had prepared for outbreaks of other diseases in the camps, but not diphtheria, which had been all but eradicated in Bangladesh.

The government and UN agencies are now vaccinating around 250,000 children under the age of seven living in camps and temporary settlements near the border with Myanmar.

"We are moving quickly to control this diphtheria outbreak before it spins out of control," said Dr Navaratnasamy Paranietharan, the World Health Organization representative to Bangladesh.

"The vaccines will help protect every Rohingya child in these temporary settlements from falling prey to the deadly disease."
Communication robot "Cinnamon" could be greeting visitors to the 2020 Olympics

Visitors to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics can expect to arrive at an airport "scattered" with robots to help them, an official said Tuesday as he unveiled seven new machines to perform tasks from helping with luggage to language assistance.

Among the seven robots on show was a fluffy cat mascot that can carry out simultaneous interpretation in four different languages.

Visitors speak into a furry microphone, and translations appear instantly on a smart screen.

Travellers may also be approached by a small white humanoid robot, Cinnamon, asking if they need its help.

The sleek white robot can converse with visitors through its AI system and give directions.

Another robot on display can carry luggage through the airport alongside the traveller.

Yutaka Kuratomi, a representative from the Japan Airport Terminal, hopes that by 2020, the terminals will be "scattered with robots", and it will be "normal" to see visitors communicating with machines.

They are also aimed especially at foreign visitors, who already have high expectations that Japan will show off its world-beating technology in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

"We want foreign tourists to think that the Japanese people are cool when they come here," Kuratomi told AFP.

The launch of the robots also comes as Japan grapples with a labour shortage against the backdrop of an ageing population.

With Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympics, Haneda Airport is bracing for a sharp increase in visitors from abroad and hopes robots can compensate for a lack of staff.

The robots will be on a trial for a month at Haneda from January 9.
Tens of thousands of migrants are in detention camps in Libya, where authorities are accused of abusing them

Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Italy and other EU governments of being "knowingly complicit" in horrific abuses of migrants in Libya, warning of legal action against them at European and UN rights institutions.

The charges by the London-based rights group mark a ratcheting up of activist and other accusations against the European Union's policy of aiding the UN-backed government in Tripoli in order to stop migrants from travelling to Europe.

"European governments are knowingly complicit in the torture and abuse of tens of thousands of refugees and migrants detained by Libyan immigration authorities in appalling conditions in Libya," Amnesty said in a report.

European governments are "actively supporting a sophisticated system of abuse and exploitation of refugees and migrants by the Libyan coastguard, detention authorities and smugglers in order to prevent people from crossing the Mediterranean," Amnesty said.

"The various EU governments, Italy in particular, know full well that this is going on," Amnesty's Europe Director John Dalhuisen told AFP in Brussels.

"This system puts Italy in particular very much in breach of its international obligations," especially on the prohibition of torture, Dalhuisen added.

Italy, the main landing point for migrants sailing from Libya, has of all the EU governments "the most sophisticated set of arrangements" with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj's government to detain migrants, he said.

Dalhuisen said Amnesty and other people he did not name are preparing to take the charges to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the UN's Committee Against Torture and its Human Rights Committee.

The Amnesty report amounts to "the presentation of an argument that will subsequently provide the material for us and I'm sure others to litigate," he said.

Amnesty, citing testimony from dozens of migrants, said officials in the Libyan coastguard, trained and equipped by European governments, notably Italy, "are known to operate in collusion with smuggling networks and have used threats and violence against refugees and migrants."

Dalhuisen said the Libyan authorities, militias, armed groups and smugglers are "often working seamlessly together for financial gain."

- 'Reckless actions' -

Amnesty International says a Libyan coastguard boat crew contributed to the drowning of migrants in the Mediterranean o November 6. Some migrants were rescued by a German NGO vessel

Migrants whose boats have been intercepted are sent to detention centres "where they endure horrific treatment. Up to 20,000 people currently remain contained in these overcrowded, unsanitary detention centres," Amnesty said.

Amnesty said it studied video footage, pictures and documents indicating that a boat, the Ras Jadir, which Italy donated in April to the Libyan Coast Guard, contributed to the drowning of up to 50 people on November 6 as a result of "reckless actions" by its crew.

It said for example that the Ras Jadir ignored security protocol when it approached a sinking inflatable boat full of migrants 30 nautical miles off the Libyan coast.

The Ras Jadir then failed to deploy its own inflatable boat to rescue migrants, allegedly forcing them to climb its high sides before many of them fell back into the water.

A nearby NGO vessel, Sea-Watch 3, deployed its inflatable boats in a rescue bid but footage shows those aboard the Ras Jadir throwing objects to force the migrants away, the rights group said.

Amnesty said the footage also shows migrants aboard the Ras Jadir being whipped with a rope and others trying to jump into the water to try and reach the rescue vessels.

The German charity Sea Watch said at the time that five migrants including a young child died as the result of a "violent, reckless" and "illegal" intervention by Libya's coastguard in international waters.

The UN-backed government in Tripoli said on Saturday that Italy and Libya are to set up a joint commission in an attempt to fight back against people traffickers and tackle illegal migration.

Human-trafficking networks have flourished in the chaos that followed a NATO-backed uprising which toppled long-time Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
Hundreds of thousands of children in the sprawling, troubled region of Kasai are dangerously malnourished, the UN says

The United Nations on Tuesday warned that more than 400,000 children in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are severely malnourished and could die within months without emergency intervention.

The crisis -- the latest to hit the poverty-stricken, strife-torn central African country -- is unfolding in the vast region of Kasai, the UN's children fund Unicef said.

An 18-month-long combination of violence, mass displacement and slumping agricultural output are having a devastating impact on the very young, it said.

"At least 400,000 children under five... are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and could die in 2018 if they are not urgently reached with life-saving health and nutrition interventions," it said bluntly.

The children are the neediest of more than three-quarters of a million who are badly malnourished, even though the security situation in some parts has stabilised and displaced people are starting to return home.

"This nutrition crisis and food insecurity in the Kasai region follows the displacement of thousands of families who have been living for months in very harsh conditions," said Tajudeen Oyewale, Unicef's acting representative in the DRC.

"The true scale of the problem is becoming clear as people are returning home in some areas where the security situation has improved and health services have started functioning again."

- Kasai's torment -

The DRC -- a country nearly twice the area of Britain, France and Germany combined -- has a long history of violence, especially in its volatile east.

Until recently, the diamond-rich Kasai region was deemed a relative haven.

The situation changed traumatically in 2016, when a tribal chieftain known as the Kamwina Nsapu, who had rebelled against President Joseph Kabila's regime in Kinshasa and its local representatives, was killed.

According to UN figures, clashes between local groups and government troops have led to several thousand deaths and around 1.4 million people have fled their homes, leaving fields untended.

The catalogue of alleged violence includes extrajudicial killings, rapes, torture and the use of child soldiers, along with the torching of villages and the systematic destruction of schools, public buildings and clinics.

- No harvest until June -

Security in some parts of Kasai has improved recently, but food shortages will haunt the region right up until next June, because the planting seasons for 2017 have been lost, Unicef said.

"Families have little harvest from their own land and nothing to sell at the markets," it said.

Unicef, which has been intervening in the Kasai crisis since January, also said the region's health infrastructure had been devastated.

"Approximately 220 health centers were destroyed, looted or damaged, leading to a weakening of the health delivery system, reduced access to healthcare and an increased risk in the spread of communicable diseases like measles," it said.

In October, the UN's refugee agency reported that 3.9 million people had been displaced by fighting in the DRC. It declared the crisis was a "level three" emergency, the highest on the scale.

"With so many humanitarian crises worldwide, the situation in DRC is at risk of being ignored while it develops into the biggest emergency of 2018," Mohammed Abdiker, director of operations and emergencies at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said on Tuesday, after visiting the country last week.
Former US secretary of state John Kerry helped lead pain-staking diplomatic efforts to clinch the Paris accord

Former US secretary of state John Kerry blasted the absence of the American government at a major climate change summit in Paris Tuesday as a "disgrace".

About 60 world leaders and hundreds of ministers, company bosses, and environmentalists gathered for the One Planet Summit called by French President Emmanuel Macron after Donald Trump's decision to abandon the global climate accord.

Trump was not invited and the US federal government was represented by the second-highest diplomat in the American embassy in Paris, Brent Hardt, two years to the day since Kerry and then-president Barack Obama helped lead pain-staking diplomatic efforts to clinch the Paris accord.

"It's very disappointing, it's worse than disappointing, it's actually a disgrace when you consider the facts, the science, the common sense, all the work that's been done," Kerry told AFP on the summit sidelines.

The Paris Agreement took "26 years of work that's being dishonoured by people who don't even understand the science," he added.

American summit participants included the campaigning governor of California, Jerry Brown, as well as former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg who has put together a coalition of cities, companies and activists called "America's Pledge" to help reduce US emissions.

Trump's announcement that he will withdraw from the global pact, which the United States is the only nation to reject, has cast doubt on the viability of the deal which aims to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

Asked if the United States could meet its Paris accord pledge to reduce emissions by at least 26 percent by 2025, over 2005 levels, Kerry was upbeat because of efforts at the local level.

"I think it is possible, yes," he told AFP.

Brown and Bloomberg both took aim at Trump's climate stance.

"We have a climate denier in the White House who says climate change is a hoax," Brown told a panel.

"We can't wait for the White House to wake up. We in America are operating from the grassroots... Our work is incredibly difficult.

"We have mobilised to some extent, but we are not yet on track to reduce the rising greenhouse gases," he added.

Bloomberg said the 1,700-member coalition of regional governments, cities, companies, and civil society groups that have formed America's Pledge, represent more than half the US economy.

"If it was a country it would have the worlds third-largest economy and it continues to grow," he said.

"Together we are going to meet the goal set by this country in Paris by reducing emissions by at least 26 percent and there isn't anything that Washington can do to stop this," he added.

"On the contrary, President Trump has helped rally people who understand the problem to join forces and to actually do something rather than wait for the federal government... In that sense we owe President Trump a measure of gratitude for helping us meet our goals," he quipped.
The explosion took place in the subway station at the Port Authority bus terminal, not far from New York's iconic Times Square, sparking commuter panic and travel disruptions

The United States on Tuesday unveiled federal terrorism charges against the Bangladeshi driver accused of detonating a bomb in the New York subway after being inspired by the Islamic State extremist group and self-radicalizing as early as 2014.

Akayed Ullah, 27, of Brooklyn, was hit with a five-count indictment, which includes providing material support to IS and use of weapons of mass destruction, according to a 10-page complaint released on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear when he would appear before a judge. Ullah has been held in a hospital after wounding himself and three other people at the Port Authority bus terminal, close to iconic Times Square, on Monday.

The explosion, which sowed panic and disrupted the morning commute during New York's busy Christmas tourism season, came six weeks after another immigrant, also reportedly inspired by the Islamic State extremist group, killed eight people on a bike path.

Ullah wanted to avenge US policies in the Middle East, building the pipe bomb in his Brooklyn apartment with metal screws and Christmas tree lights a week before the attack, according to the complaint.

En route to carrying out the attempted attack, he allegedly posted on Facebook, "Trump you failed to protect your nation," in an apparent reference to the US president.

Bombing suspect Akayed Ullah is shown in this undated handout photo from the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission

But his bomb failed to detonate as planned, leaving him with burns to his torso and hands, officials said. The three others suffered minor complaints such as ringing in their ears and headaches.

Ullah moved to the United States in 2011 and lived most recently in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, home to a sizeable Bangladeshi immigrant community.

According to the complaint, his radicalization began in 2014, years after his move to the United States, with watching IS propaganda online before he started to research how to make bombs online a year ago.

But he radicalized under the radar, his name never appearing on any watch lists. Ullah was not previously known to law enforcement in either the United States or his impoverished, Muslim-majority homeland, officials said.

- Wife questioned -

In Bangladesh, counter-terrorism officers questioned his 25-year-old wife, whom he married in 2016 and visited in September after the birth of their son, officials said.

Police raided the family home in Dhaka, but neither Ullah's wife, Jannatul Ferdous Piya, nor her father are under any suspicion, officer Saiful Islam told AFP.

Mofazzal Hossain, caretaker of the family apartment in Dhaka, described him as "pious and a gentleman."

"He used to pray in the local mosque five times a day. He would urge us to pray and do good work," Hossain told AFP.

Dhaka police were investigating whether he could have been radicalized in Bangladesh, which is waging its own war against extremism and where IS claimed an assault in July 2016 that killed 22 hostages, 18 of them foreigners.

President Donald Trump, who has clamped down on immigration since taking office in January, on Monday called for tougher US immigration rules, saying the current policy allows "far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country."

He has called for the elimination of programs that allowed Ullah and bike path attack suspect Sayfullo Saipov to move to the United States, and move to a merit-based immigration policy.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a strident Trump critic, said the president's criticism was misplaced, stressing that Ullah would not have been allowed into the country if his sponsors were not of "good standing."

The family issued a statement through the Council on American-Islamic Relations saying they were "heartbroken" by the attack and the allegations against Ullah.

The New York Times reported that Ullah appears to have prayed regularly at the Masjid Nur Al Islam mosque, and from 2012 to 2015, held a license to drive for-hire vehicles.

A businessman neighbor told the newspaper that he had unpleasant encounters with Ullah in recent years, largely about parking and complaints that his family used to block the driveway.
Palestinians inspect the remains of a motorcycle destroyed in an explosion in the Gaza Strip on December 12, 2017

Two Palestinian militants were killed in Gaza Tuesday in an explosion whose cause was unclear, with Israel firmly denying claims from authorities in the Hamas-run enclave that it was responsible.

The circumstances of the incident, which occurred near the Gaza Strip's northern border with Israel, left open the question of whether the explosion was accidental.

The Islamic Jihad Islamist militant group said the two men were part of its armed wing, confirming only that they died during a "jihad mission".

It identified them as Hussein Ghazi Nasrallah, 25, and Mustafa al-Sultan, 29, saying they were part of the group's engineering unit.

The Palestinian health ministry initially said they had been targeted by an Israeli strike while riding a motorcycle, but that was immediately denied by the military.

The Islamic Jihad statement made no mention of an Israeli attack.

The crater left by an explosion in the Gaza Strip on December 12, 2017 that killed two Islamic Jihad militants

At the scene of the incident a crater several feet deep was left, along with the burnt chassis of a motorcycle.

Islamic Jihad fought alongside Gaza's rulers Hamas in the last war with Israel in 2014.

In late October, Israel blew up one of its tunnels stretching from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, killing at least 12 militants.

A month later, mortar rounds from Gaza targeted Israeli soldiers, with Israel's army signalling Islamic Jihad was responsible.

Tuesday's deaths came amid tensions between Palestinians and Israeli forces following US President Donald Trump's announcement he would move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognise the city as Israel's capital.

Four Gazans, including two Hamas militants, have died since the announcement last Wednesday.

Two were killed in clashes, while two others died in Israeli air strikes in response to rocket fire from Gaza.
A rapidly warming Arctic, where temperatures are rising twice as fast as the rest of the planet, is the "new normal," and the melting ice is triggering environmental changes that will affect the whole world, warned a global scientific report Tuesday.

The Arctic is going through "an unprecedented transition in human history," that will accelerate sea level rise and boost the frequency of extreme weather events, said the Arctic Report Card, released annually by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The region around the north pole "shows no sign of returning to the reliably frozen region it was decades ago," it said.

Last year, winter sea ice fell to the smallest extent on record, and air temperatures reached the second warmest in modern times, said the peer-reviewed report compiled by 85 scientists from 12 nations.

Fewer heat records were shattered last year, compared to 2016. But in context, the trend was clear.

"The magnitude and pace of the 21st century sea ice and surface ocean warming decline is unprecedented in at least the last 1,500 years and likely much longer," said the report.

"There are many strong signals that continue to indicate the Arctic environmental system has reached a 'new normal.'"

- 'Refrigerator of planet' -

The consequences of this continued warming are dire, according to co-author Jeremy Mathis, director of NOAA's Arctic Research Program.

"The changes that are happening in the Arctic will not stay in the Arctic," he told the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, where the report was released.

"These changes will impact all of our lives. They will mean living with more extreme weather events, paying higher food prices and dealing with the impacts of climate refugees."

The warming is already harming valuable fisheries in the eastern Bering Sea, compromising roads, homes and infrastructure due to permafrost thaw and risking increasing wildfires at high altitudes, said the report.

"The Arctic has traditionally been the refrigerator of the planet," explained Mathis.

"But the door to that refrigerator has been left open and the cold is spilling out, cascading throughout the northern hemisphere."

- Extreme weather -

Scientists say the two most pressing problems are the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and the warming of Arctic air and water.

"Greenland ice sheet melting has the potential to trigger catastrophic sea level rise, while the overall warming that is occurring in the Arctic can disrupt the jet stream, which drives our weather patterns and contributes to extreme weather events," said Mathis.

Unusual cold snaps, drought in the western US, and storms along the Gulf Coast could all be influenced by Arctic sea ice melting, he said.

"We are seeing from model results and now from some limited observations that there are some connections between the warming and the loss of sea ice in the Arctic and the propagation of extreme weather events that we are having across North America,' he told the conference.

While much more research is needed to fully understand how the Arctic is influencing weather globally, Mathis said "we are fairly confident now that something is going on in the Arctic."

"The warming that is occurring and the loss of sea ice that is occurring are creating conditions where more extreme weather events are beginning to show up in North America because of that."

The Arctic Report Card is now in its 12th year, and is the first to be issued since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who has vowed to quit the 2015 Paris climate deal and has described global warming as a Chinese hoax.

NOAA's acting administrator Tim Gallaudet was asked at a press conference if the American public should have confidence in the US government's actions to fight climate change.

"The public -- citing the State of the Arctic Report Card as an example -- should have high confidence in us, NOAA and the administration, because we are continuing to report on changes around the planet and in the Arctic to better inform the public and the government," he answered.
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee -- here at a 2015 international summit of mayors -- died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 65

Ed Lee, the first Asian-American mayor of San Francisco who presided over the city's growth as a high-tech juggernaut, died early Tuesday, his office said in a statement.

While no cause of death was given, former mayor Willie Brown told San Francisco media that the 65-year-old Democrat suffered a heart attack while shopping for groceries late Monday.

"It is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm that Mayor Edwin M. Lee passed away on Tuesday, December 12 at 1:11 am (0911 GMT) at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Family, friends and colleagues were at his side," Lee's office said in a statement.

Lee, born in Seattle in 1952, was one of six children of Chinese immigrants who had come to the country in the 1930s.

His rise to mayor in 2011 marked a historic step for the large Chinese-American community in famously liberal San Francisco.

Chinese immigrants first came to California during the mid-19th century gold rush and railroad building spree, and suffered decades of discrimination.

Lee's knowledge of Cantonese and Taishanese helped in his early work as a civil rights lawyer serving the city's Chinese-American community.

Lee joined the San Francisco bureaucracy in 1989, eventually working in five departments for four mayors. He was appointed mayor in 2011 to replace Gavin Newsom, an up-and-coming Democrat with national political ambitions.

Lee was subsequently elected and re-elected as San Francisco mayor.

During his time in office San Francisco matured as the world capital of high tech. However this also lead to skyrocketing property and rental prices, forcing many moderate and low income residents out of the city.

"Ed was an excellent mayor of a great but sometimes challenging city," wrote US Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, herself a former mayor of San Francisco.

"His equanimity and quiet management style was effective and allowed him to solve problems as they occurred," she said in a statement.

Lee "was a fierce advocate for civil rights and worked tirelessly for workers' rights and his leadership will be missed," Senator Kamala Harris, also of California, wrote on Twitter.

Lee's replacement is Board of Supervisors President London Breed, who becomes San Francisco's first female African-American mayor.
Flames from the "Thomas" fire, the fifth biggest in California's history, burn in the hills above Carpinteria

Crews battling wildfires ravaging southern California for a week have managed to slow the spread of the worst of the blazes, officials said Tuesday, as residents were taking stock of the catastrophic damage.

But the biggest "Thomas" fire, which has charred nearly 95,000 hectares (234,000 acres) of land, remains only 20 percent contained, according to official data, as firefighters warned of an ongoing threat.

Evacuation orders were in place for threatened areas in the Santa Barbara region about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Los Angeles.

In the past day or so, the blaze figure has grown by around a thousand hectares.

Nearly 6,400 firefighters have been toiling for a week against blazes fueled by bone dry conditions and powerful winds.

Winds will blow at up to 65 km per hour (40 miles per hour), forecasters said, as public health authorities urged people to wear face masks to protect against ash and smoke.

- 'End of an era' -

Winds will blow at up to 65 km per hour (40 miles per hour), forecasters said, as public health authorities urged people to wear face masks to protect against ash and smoke from California's raging wildfires

Retired pilot Don Thompson, who has an avocado farm in the coastal resort of Carpinteria, near Santa Barbara, described the loss of his recently deceased brother's house to the blaze as "the end of an era for our family."

"He built this house himself," he said pointing to two smoldering stone chimneys that were all that remained.

"Here was the jacuzzi, there -- there was a deck where you could see the ocean," he added.

Half of Thompson's family's avocado orchard was destroyed, while thick black smoke persisted Tuesday, limiting visibility to some 50 meters (55 yards).

"There was some tears," he continued. Though he was more fortunate to save his own property, thanks partly through his family's own efforts with a water pump, generator, and hose, he admitted he had been overawed by the "majesty" of the inferno. "It's destruction but it's still nature and it had some beauty," he said.

The highway that runs through the area was not enough to stop the spread of the flames, which was propelled by burning vegetation.

On the seaside, the palm trees that symbolize the state for many, were reduced to sad blackened trunks.

- 'Increasingly frequent event' -

"Thomas" is the fifth biggest fire in California's history, said Eric Boldt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles.

It is the biggest of six blazes that have been burning since last Monday, with the others now more than 90 percent contained.

Altogether, the fires have burned more than 100,000 hectares of land and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.

California's Governor Jerry Brown, meanwhile, warned the wildfires ravaging his state should serve as a warning for other parts of the world threatened by climate change.

"The important fact is that these fires are going to become a very frequent occurrence, that's what the science is telling us," he told AFP on the sidelines of the One Planet Summit, held in Paris.

"It's a real indicator of bad things to come and hopefully will serve to wake up people who right now are too complacent," he added.

Experts say that global warming increases the risk of out-of-control blazes by drying out vegetation, making it more inflammable and easily set alight by lightning, spontaneous combustion, or fires lit by humans.

Despite the intensity of the fires, which in many areas have left behind scenes reminiscent of a moonscape, authorities so far have reported one fatality -- a 70-year-old woman who died in a car accident while fleeing from the flames in the Thomas area.

But authorities are taking nothing for granted.

The fire was still raging in the hills of Carpinteria Tuesday, as firefighters attempted to create a line to stop its progress, Don Camp, a firefighter captain said.

"It could be an active night again, all the communities on the coastline including Santa Barbara are threatened," added Camp.

Entreaties to leave were not enough for some. Placing his gas mask over his face, Ken Coffey, said he would remain at his house on Shepard Mesa Lane. "I may fry but if I have to go, what more honorable way than defending your family's house?"
Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez waves while coming out from his house to meet reporters on his 87th birthday in 2014

A US university has made more than 27,000 images from the late Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez's archive available online.

They include materials from all of his works of fiction, personal scrapbooks, a memoir, screenplays and photographs.

The project was carried out by the Harry Ransom Center, the literary documentation service at the University of Texas, Austin.

It purchased the archives for $2.2 million in November 2014, a few months after the death of the Colombian novelist known for works such as "One Hundred Years of Solitude."

The archive can be searched in English and Spanish at the address http://www.hrc.utexas.edu.

Part of the archive has never been published, such as a 32-page text for the second volume of Garcia Marquez's memoirs, which never saw the light of day.

"My mother, my brother and I were always committed to having my father's archive reach the broadest possible audience," Rodrigo Garcia, one of the authors sons, said in a statement released Tuesday.

"This project makes my father's work more widely accessible to a global community of students and scholars."

"Spanning more than a half century, the contents reflect Garcia Marquez's energy and discipline and reveal an intimate view of his work, family, friendships and politics," said Jullianne Ballou, the librarian who oversaw the 18-month project.

It covers about half of the Garcia Marquez personal archive. For now there are no plans to digitize the other half, the university told AFP.
The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish in Tabgha, northern of Israel, is seen on February 12, 2017, upon it's reopening following eight months of renovation after an arson attack

An Israeli man was sentenced to four years in prison Tuesday for an arson attack at the church built where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of loaves and fishes.

The Israeli district court in the Galilee city of Nazareth had earlier found Yinon Reuveni guilty of "aggravated arson" and two counts of criminal conspiracy for the June 2015 attack.

In addition to four years in prison, his sentence carried a fine of 50,000 shekels ($14,000).

According to Israeli media, Reuveni is 23 and from Baladim, a wildcat Jewish outpost in the occupied West Bank. He has been described as a Jewish extremist.

His lawyer Itamar Ben-Gvir argued that the sentence was overly harsh and said he planned to appeal it as well as the verdict.

Two rooms of the Church of the Multiplication complex in Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee were badly damaged in the fire, but the church itself was not damaged.

Hebrew graffiti was found at the site, reading "Idols will be cast out" or destroyed. The text is part of a common Jewish prayer.

The Roman Catholic church remained closed until February while the damage from the fire was repaired at a cost of around $1 million, of which the Israeli government contributed almost $400,000.

Tabgha was also the target of an April 2014 attack in which church officials said a group of Jewish teenagers had damaged crosses and attacked clergy.

Jewish extremists have carried out vandalism and attacks over the years targeting Palestinians and Arab Israelis as well as Christian and Muslim sites.
The Saudi electricity authority has announced minor price increases from early 2018

Saudi Arabia decided Tuesday to hike energy prices while paying compensation to Saudi families, as the world's top oil exporter seeks new revenue sources.

The cabinet, in a session chaired by King Salman, approved plans to "reform" electricity and fuel charges, as part of measures to counter lower oil prices on the world market, the official news agency SPA reported.

In a first, the government also approved cash transfers to some 3.7 million Saudi families, covering 13 million of the country's 20-million population, to compensate them for the hike.

Expatriates working and living in the kingdom have been excluded from the cash transfer programme which will start next week.

The electricity authority has announced minor price increases from early next year.

The energy ministry said new prices for petrol, diesel and aviation fuel will be applied in the first quarter of 2018, but without giving details on the planned increases.

The hikes are the second wave of Saudi subsidy cuts.

The kingdom, which pumps around 10 million barrels per day of oil, has embarked on a series of reforms and price hikes since oil revenues plummeted in mid-2014.

Saudi Arabia has posted huge deficits in the past three fiscal years, totalling over $200 billion, and withdrawn another $250 billion from its fiscal reserves.

It has also borrowed tens of billions of dollars from the domestic and international markets to finance the shortfall.

The kingdom plans to introduce VAT, at a rate of five percent, for the first time at the start of 2018.
Opposition coalition spokeswoman Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson (L) said the alliance refused to attend the meeting in the face of the government's "diversionary tactic"

Togo's main opposition coalition, which has led protests against President Faure Gnassingbe for more than three months, on Tuesday boycotted government consultations for talks on ending the political impasse.

The international community has called for talks between the two sides to end the stalemate over constitutional reform to introduce a maximum two-term limit for presidents.

But only five out of the 14 parties comprising the main opposition bloc were invited to preliminary discussions, scheduled to take place behind closed doors at the presidency in the capital, Lome.

Opposition coalition spokeswoman Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson said the alliance refused to attend the meeting in the face of the government's "diversionary tactic."

"We are very vigilant in the coalition, we consult with each other about our joint position," she said, branding the government as "unfit" to lead the talks.

In the last few weeks, Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo and his Guinean counterpart Alpha Conde have been acting as mediators between the two sides.

Adjamagbo-Johnson said they should be the ones calling both sides for consultations, not the government because they were one of the involved parties.

"The current crisis runs deep. The regime has to acknowledge that," she added.

Delegations from the UFC party of former opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio -- who has been allied with Gnassingbe's government since 2010 -- and the president's UNIR party met on Tuesday.

Other opposition parties not part of the coalition will also be consulted, as will former prime ministers, according a source close to the presidency.

Government minister Gilbert Bawara said last week that the consultations aim to establish the "format and modalities" of the talks.

Anti-government marches have been held across the country nearly every week since August, attracting hundreds of thousands of protesters.

Gnassingbe has been in power since 2005, taking over after the death of his father, General Gnassingbe Eyadema, who himself was in charge of Togo for 38 years.

More protests are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The opposition coalition wants the release of people in custody and a "state of siege" to be lifted before any talks take place.

The government has promised to organise a referendum on the introduction of a two-term limit but has not said the reforms would be retroactive.

That would allow Gnassingbe to stand at the next two elections in 2020 and 2015 and potentially stay in power until 2030.
Senate president Bukola Saraki, pictured here in 2015, originally faced a total of 18 charges at the Code of Conduct Tribunal but was acquitted in June 2017

A panel of judges on Tuesday ordered Nigeria's third highest-ranking politician to face a retrial on corruption charges linked to his time as a state governor.

The Court of Appeal ruled that Senate president Bukola Saraki should be tried again on three charges related to false declarations of assets during his time as governor of Kwara state between 2003 and 2011.

Saraki, 54, originally faced a total of 18 charges at the Code of Conduct Tribunal but was acquitted in June. Nigeria's main anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, appealed. .

Judge Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson on Tuesday, reading a 70-page judgment, said the original verdict was upheld on 15 charges.

But Saraki needed to "offer explanation" on the remaining three charges related to how he came to buy one property in Lagos and two others in Abuja.

Prosecutor Rotimi Jacobs told reporters outside court that the ruling was a "victory to them and partly victory to us".

"What is important is that at least there is a finding that the Code of Conduct Tribunal was wrong and that the case should go back to that court," he said.

Saraki's lawyer, Paul Usoro, said the judgment reinforced the lower court ruling that there was no case to answer. The defence team would study the order for a retrial to determine whether to appeal, he added.

The case against Saraki -- who sits below President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in the political hierarchy -- was keenly watched.

It was one of the most high-profile, anti-corruption prosecutions since Buhari came to power in 2015, vowing to end graft and impunity at the highest level.

The influential politician, who is tipped in some quarters to one day challenge for the presidency, is a member of Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) party.

He became head of the upper chamber of parliament unopposed after securing the backing of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But he was not the APC's first choice, leading some to believe the charges against him were politically motivated.
The devastating October blast, claimed by the Shabaab, killed as many as 512 people

US forces in Somalia conducted an air strike Tuesday against a bomb-laden vehicle outside Mogadishu that was deemed an "imminent threat" to the capital, officials said.

The strike occurred about 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Mogadishu and comes after as many as 512 people were killed in a massive truck bombing in October.

"In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, US forces conducted an air strike against an al-Shabaab vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in the early morning hours of December 12," the US military's Africa Command said in a statement.

"This strike supports our partner forces by removing an imminent threat to the people of Mogadishu."

AFRICOM added that it had assessed that no civilians were killed in the strike.

The Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow successive internationally backed governments in Mogadishu since 2007 and frequently deploys car and truck bombs against military, government and civilian targets.

The devastating October blast leveled buildings in the capital's busy Kilometer 5 neighborhood.

Since then the United States -- which supports Somalia's fledgling army as well as carrying out its own operations against the Shabaab and a separate self-proclaimed Islamic State group in the north of the country -- has increased the frequency of air strikes targeting jihadist leaders.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has used stronger language to condemn Russia's interference in US and other elections than has his boss President Donald Trump

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday branded Russia's alleged meddling in last year's American presidential election an act of "hybrid warfare."

US intelligence agencies have long since concluded that Vladimir Putin's Kremlin attempted to sway US voters through cyber attacks and propaganda.

But President Donald Trump has been angered by the idea that Russia's support for him played any role in his narrow victory against rival Hillary Clinton.

On Tuesday, in year-end remarks to State Department staff, Tillerson risked stirring the row anew with a starkly worded warning to Moscow about its behavior.

Tillerson told officials that Trump has often said it is important for two powers like Russia and the United States to have a "productive relationship."

"But today, that's not the case and we all know why," he added, in a speech to US diplomats and civil servants beamed to US embassies around the world.

"Russia chose to invade a sovereign country, Ukraine," he noted.

"Russia chose through hybrid warfare to interfere in democratic processes here and then has done so in other countries as well," he added.

Asked whether the White House shares Tillerson's view, a senior State Department official said: "Well, he's the secretary of state and he said it."

Tillerson said Washington and Moscow have found some common ground on efforts to find peace in Syria, but otherwise remain far apart on other issues.

And he repeated a warning he made last week at an OSCE conference in Vienna that Russia's interference in Ukraine is now the main obstacle to warmer ties.
The US Air Force is flying its advanced F-22 Raptor to strike Taliban drug targets in Afghanistan

The US military on Tuesday touted its air campaign to destroy Taliban drug facilities in Afghanistan, saying it was impacting cash flow to the insurgents.

According to Air Force Brigadier General Lance Bunch, US and Afghan warplanes have destroyed 25 drug processing labs since the campaign started on November 20.

"This equates to almost $80 million of drug money eliminated from the kingpins' pockets, while denying over $16 million of direct revenue to their Taliban partners," Bunch told Pentagon reporters in a video call from Kabul.

When General John Nicholson, who heads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, announced the new strategy to go after Taliban drug revenue, he said 400 or 500 drug labs were active across the country.

Bunch noted that among the aircraft that have been striking the small, rural processing facilities are the costly F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, that have been firing off small-diameter bombs designed to limit collateral damage.

The Taliban profits from the illegal drug trade by taxing poppy farmers and traffickers across the war-torn country, pocketing an estimated $200 million a year, official data shows.
FARGO  The mother of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind smiled and hugged family and supporters at Cass County Courthouse on Monday after one of two suspects in the killing of her 22-year-old daughter changed her pleas to guilty.

Although the mother, Norberta LaFontaine-Greywind, declined to comment after the hearing, she looked happy and relieved.

The suspect, 38-year-old Brooke Lynne Crews, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and providing false information to police. Shes scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

The maximum penalty for the conspiracy to commit murder charge is life in prison without parole. The maximum penalty for the kidnapping charge is 20 years in prison and a fine of $20,000.

From where I stand, she accepted responsibility today, defense attorney Steven Mottinger said after Mondays hearing. He said the guilty plea goes a long way in terms of us being able to argue for something less than life without parole.

Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind disappeared in August while eight months pregnant after going upstairs in her north Fargo apartment building to model a dress that Crews was sewing. Her body was found eight days later in the Red River.

Crews and her live-in boyfriend, William Henry Hoehn, were arrested in August. Police found Crews with a newborn child when she was arrested. The baby later proved to be the biological child of LaFontaine-Greywind and her boyfriend, Ashton Matheny.

Hoehn, 32, faces the same charges and has pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled to begin March 20 in Cass County District Court.

Cass County States Attorney Birch Burdick, whose office is prosecuting the case, declined to provide additional details about Crews case since Hoehns case must still be tried.
A North Korean ship passes in front of the Chinese border city of Dandong (at rear), in China's northeast Liaoning province.

White House National Security Advisor HR McMaster warned Tuesday that shipping companies caught smuggling goods into North Korea could be making their "last delivery" anywhere.

McMaster said UN sanctions have not halted deliveries of essential goods like refined fuel products that North Korea wants.

The smuggling is done by ship-to-ship transfers, he said, suggesting that foreign vessels are moving the goods on the high seas to North Korean ships that take them ashore.

"We've seen quite a bit of that in ship-to-ship transfers of refined fuel products, for example," McMaster said, speaking at an event in Washington hosted by the British think tank Policy Exchange.

"Any company whose ships engage in that ought to face the most severe economic consequences and sanctions."

"A company whose ships would engage in that activity ought to be on notice that that might be the last delivery of anything they do for a long time, anywhere."

Washington remains frustrated that international sanctions on Pyongyang have not resulted in the North halting its nuclear and long-range ballistic missile tests.

On November 28 North Korea test-fired a nuclear-capable missile that showed the potential to strike anywhere on the continental United States.

The US in particular has pressured China to shut down a pipeline delivering crude oil to North Korea, which it hopes would place enough economic pressure on Pyongyang to force it to halt its nuclear activities.

McMaster called on the international community to go beyond UN sanctions to pressure the country, saying it "might be our last best chance to avoid military conflict."
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington "simply cannot accept" a nuclear North Korea, but appeared to open the door once again to talks

The United States is ready to begin talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament without prior conditions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday.

"We're ready to have the first meeting without preconditions," Tillerson told a meeting on the crisis at the Atlantic Council policy forum in Washington.

"Let's just meet and let's talk about the weather if you want and talk about whether it's going to be a square table or a round table if that's what you're excited about."

This appeared to represent a softening in the US position, seeing as officials had previously demanded that Kim Jong-Un's regime demonstrate a willingness to consider giving up their arsenal.

But elsewhere in his remarks, Tillerson insisted the US-led pressure campaign of economic and diplomatic sanctions would continue until "the first bomb drops."

He stressed that Washington "simply cannot accept a nuclear armed North Korea" and that President Donald Trump "intends to ensure that they do not have deliverable nuclear weapons to (reach) the shores of the United States."
The Go-Gos pose beside their star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on August 11, 2011

The Go-Gos, the pioneering all-woman rock band, are heading to Broadway, with an assist by Gwyneth Paltrow.

The Hollywood star was announced Tuesday as a producer for "Head Over Heels," an upcoming musical that will trace the story of the rockers known for infectious pop-rock songs such as "Vacation."

"If you told us 30 years ago that our songs were going to be in a musical, we'd have said, 'Of course they'll be on Broadway!' None of us would have really believed it, though," The Go-Gos said in a statement.

The Curran Theatre in San Francisco announced Tuesday that "Head Over Heels" would premiere there on April 24 before heading to New York, with the Broadway details not yet revealed.

A statement described the musical on The Go-Gos as "a tantalizing odyssey wrought with mistaken identities, jealous lovers, romance and scandal."

It marks the first production on Broadway for the "Shakespeare in Love" actress. The musical will be directed by Michael Mayer, the force behind rock musicals such as Green Day's "American Idiot" and "Spring Awakening."

The New York Post, quoting unnamed sources, reported earlier this year that Paltrow refused an offer to invest in "Head Over Heels" from Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who soon afterward was disgraced by wide accusations of sexual abuse.

The Go-Gos are one of the most successful all-women bands in a rock scene dominated by men. They emerged in Los Angeles in the 1970s, around the time Paltrow was growing up in the city.

Go-Gos frontwoman Belinda Carlisle went on to a successful solo career with hits such as "Mad About You" and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth."
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory against "terrorists" in Syria on Monday during a surprise visit to a Russian military base in the county, where he also announced a partial pullout of Russian troops.

It was Putin's first trip to Syria, where Russia launched an air campaign in 2015 that allowed President Bashar Assad's forces to gain the upper hand against the Islamic State group as well as Syrian rebels. It was also the first visit by a foreign head of state to war-ravaged Syria since the civil war began in 2011.

Putin's brief stop at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia while en route to Egypt came days after the Russian president said he would run for re-election on March 18, and helped to show off Moscow's global clout to the national audience.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2nd left, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, chat with Russian military pilots at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

In a televised speech to the Russian troops at the base, Putin hailed their "excellent" performance in Syria, where the Russian military declared victory against the Islamic State group last week.

"You have shown the best qualities of a Russian soldier - courage, valor, team spirit, decisiveness and excellent skills," he said. "The Motherland is proud of you."

Russia launched its air campaign in Syria at the end of September 2015, when Assad's government was teetering on the brink of collapse, and quickly changed the course of the conflict. Russian officials say the troops were sent to Syria mainly to fight "terrorists," including IS and al-Qaida, but they also battled mainstream rebels opposed to the Assad family's four-decade rule.

Putin has hosted Assad twice in the past six years, including a surprise Nov. 21 visit that Assad undertook to the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Russian television stations showed Putin walking off the plane at the air base, embracing and shaking hands with Assad. The two then visited a military operations room.

The Hemeimeem base, located in the heartland of Assad's Alawite minority, has served as the main foothold for the Russian military campaign in Syria.

"Here in Syria, far away from our borders, you helped the Syrian people to preserve their state and fend off attacks by terrorists," Putin said, facing the troops lined up on the tarmac. "You have dealt a devastating blow to those who blatantly threatened our country. We will never forget about the victims who fell in the fight against terror both here and in Russia."

Putin also said that he had ordered the military to withdraw a "significant part" of the Russian contingent in Syria.

"Friends, the Motherland is waiting for you," Putin said. "You are coming back home with victory!"

He added, however, that the Russian military will maintain its presence at Hemeimeem and a naval facility in Tartus.

Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the Russian military commander in Syria, said the military will pull out 23 warplanes, two helicopter gunships, special forces units, military police and field engineers.

Surovikin said the remaining forces will be sufficient to "successfully fulfill the tasks" to stabilize the situation in Syria. He did not say how many troops and weapons would stay behind.

Syria has allowed Russia to use Hemeimeem air base indefinitely without cost. Moscow also has a deal with Syria to use the Tartus base for 49 years, which could be extended if both parties agree.

The Russian military plans to modernize the air base and expand its runways to allow it to host more warplanes. It also intends to expand the Tartus facility significantly to make it a full-scale naval base capable of hosting warships, including cruiser-sized vessels.

After seeing troops march, Putin drove up to the Russian warplanes parked on the runway and talked to the pilots, who said they will fly back home later in the day.

Syrian TV said Assad thanked Putin for his troops' "effective contribution" to the fight against terrorism in Syria, which he said the Syrian people "will never forget."

"Syria has been saved as a sovereign, independent state, refugees are coming home and conditions have been created for a political settlement under the United Nations' auspices," Putin said.

Insurgents still control several areas in Syria, but much of the fighting has been paused by "de-escalation" agreements brokered by Russia and Iran, which support Assad, and Turkey, which backs the rebels.

Putin told Assad he would discuss the prospects for a peace settlement with the leaders of Egypt and Turkey later Monday.

"I hope that together with Turkey and Iran we will succeed in restoring peaceful life and launch a political process to settle the situation in Syria," Putin said.

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed reporting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses to the troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses to the troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses to the troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Syrian President Bashar Assad watch the troops marching at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad watch the troops marching at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens the report of Col.Gen. Sergei Surovikin, Russian Commander in Syria, at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens the report of Col.Gen. Sergei Surovikin, Russian Commander in Syria, at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, pose for a photo with Russian military pilots at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, poses for a photo with Russian military pilots at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, 2nd left, President Vladimir Putin, 4th left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, 3rd right, pose for a photo with Russian military pilots at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

In this Monday, Dec. 11, 2017 frame grab made available by Russian Presidential TV Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, greets Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival to the Hemeimeem air base in Syria. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. Syrian President Bashar Assad is 4th at left. (Presidential TV photo via AP)

In this Monday, Dec. 11, 2017 frame grab made available by Russian Presidential TV Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, greets Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival to the Hemeimeem air base in Syria. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. Syrian President Bashar Assad is 4th at left. (Presidential TV photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, 2nd right, meet with military personnel at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, 3rd left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, 3rd right, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, 2nd right, meet with military personnel at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin sits in a chair in presidential plane at an undisclosed location on his way to visit the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin sits in a chair in presidential plane at an undisclosed location on his way to visit the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

From left, Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu watch the troops marching at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

From left, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar Assad attend a meeting at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses to the troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Declaring a victory in Syria, Putin on Monday visited a Russian military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Mideast nation. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The parent company of South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. is offering the site of a failed nuclear reactor project to the state-owned utility Santee Cooper.

SCANA has proposed giving the Fairfield County site to Santee Cooper so the project could be preserved and perhaps finished at some point in the future, The State newspaper reported.

SCE&G and Santee Cooper abandoned their joint effort July 31 after spending more than $9 billion, both blaming the failure on the bankruptcy by principal contractor Westinghouse. SCE&G customers have been charged nearly $2 billion toward interest on the company's debt, via a series of rate hikes since 2009, without any power being generated.

That amounts to about $27 per month for each ratepayer, charges that continue despite the project's failure. SCE&G has proposed reducing that cost by about $5 a month, but that would have to be approved by state regulators.

SCANA's proposal was contained in a Dec. 4 letter obtained by the newspaper.

The newspaper reported in Sunday's edition that choosing not to preserve the site is part of SCANA's strategy to show the Internal Revenue Service it has abandoned the effort and deserves a $2 billion tax write-off.

SCANA could decide later this week to surrender the federal license for the project. Giving up the operating license would be another way to show the utility should be eligible for the tax write-off.

Getting the tax write-off would help pay down the nearly $5 billion in construction costs that SCANA has paid for the project.

SCANA owns 55 percent of the project and Santee Cooper owns 45 percent. The two utilities operate an existing reactor at the site that was completed more than 30 years ago. That operation is not affected by the discussions about how to handle the failed expansion project.

Santee Cooper already owes about $4 billion for the failed project.

The state-owned utility said it doesn't know how much it would cost to protect valuable components for the abandoned Units 2 and 3, hire security staff and pay workers to occasionally operate machinery that might otherwise rust over.
BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed Monday for quick movement toward a new governing alliance with the main center-left party, saying that only such a coalition will bring the "stable government" needed at a challenging time for Europe.

Merkel stressed her interest in bolstering European unity and suggested that it could underpin a new "grand coalition" of Germany's biggest parties - her own conservative Union bloc and the center-left Social Democrats.

The two sides will begin discussions Wednesday on a possible extension of their coalition of the past four years. But it is far from certain that a new alliance will come together.

Christian Democratic Union party chairwoman and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a party's leaders meeting at the headquarters in Berlin, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Germany is on course to easily beat its previous record of 86 days - set in 2013 - for the time from an election to the swearing-in of a new government.

After their disastrous election result on Sept. 24, the Social Democrats said they would go into opposition. They reluctantly agreed to reconsider after Merkel's coalition talks with two smaller parties collapsed.

If they don't enter a coalition, the only possibilities would be an unprecedented minority government led by Merkel or a new election. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who alone has the power to dissolve parliament, has made clear he doesn't want a new election.

Germany's political impasse comes at a time when the European Union is considering how to shape its future after Britain's impending departure in 2019, and with French President Emmanuel Macron championing ambitious EU reform plans.

"I favor quick talks. And I think a stable government is the basis on which we can work best with France and for Europe," Merkel said after a meeting of her Christian Democratic Union's leadership.

"I am not exaggerating when I say that the world is waiting for us to be able to act," she told reporters.

Merkel argued that there is a window of opportunity to make decisions next year, ahead of European Parliament elections in 2019.

Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz, a former European Parliament president, last week suggested moving toward a federal "United States of Europe" by 2025, with countries that don't join up leaving the EU. Merkel has made clear that that goes too far for her, but also says there is much common ground on European matters.

The Social Democrats have stressed that the talks on a new Merkel government will be open-ended, and that they will also consider some kind of support for a conservative minority government. Any coalition deal would require endorsement by the party membership, which has shown little enthusiasm for joining a new government.

"A minority government would, in any case, of course not be a stable government," Merkel said.

Christian Democratic Union party chairwoman and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a party's leaders meeting at the headquarters in Berlin, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
AMSTERDAM (AP) - Hordes of tourists are derailing daily life in parts of historic Amsterdam. Visitors clog the city's narrow streets. Stores catering only to tourists edge out shops for locals.

Every weekend, the heart of the city is overrun by foreigners in strip joints and seedy bars. They gawk at prostitutes in the red-light district and jam cafes where marijuana is permitted.

It's not just tourists on budget airlines, staying at cheap hostels and hotels. Add crowds of day-trippers from cruise ships and Airbnb guests dragging suitcases along cobbled streets.

But the city is pushing back. Changes Amsterdam has enacted or is considering: halting hotel construction; banning "beer bikes," which are pedal-powered bars; shifting the cruise ship terminal out of the city center and outlawing new shops for tourists in some areas.
NYON, Switzerland (AP) - AC Milan's hunt for the only European title it lacks will continue against Ludogorets Razgrad in the last 32 of the Europa League.

With Milan currently seventh in Serie A, the Champions League place awarded to the Europa League winner could be the best chance for the seven-time European champion to return to the elite competition.

Atletico Madrid, the 2010 and 2012 Europa League winner, was drawn to face Copenhagen after placing third in its Champions League group. Napoli will play Leipzig in a pairing of two more teams which dropped down from the Champions League.

AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso celebrates his side's 2-1 win, at the end of the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Bologna, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Also, it was: Celtic vs. Zenit St. Petersburg; Ostersund vs. Arsenal; and Astana vs. Sporting Lisbon.

The first legs will be played on Feb. 15, with the return games on Feb. 22.
CAIRO (AP) - Relations between Russia and Egypt have rapidly grown over the past three years, with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi forging a multi-faceted relationship that features economic, military and political cooperation.

Here is a look at the history of this relationship and where it might be headed, as Putin pays his latest visit to Cairo.

____

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, during their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool)

COLD WAR TIES

The young Egyptian officers who seized power in Egypt in 1952 and later toppled the monarchy initially flirted with the United States through various channels. But vociferous, anti-Israel rhetoric from Egypt's Arab nationalist leader Gamal Abdel-Nasser, coupled with Cold War realities, doomed any hope that Washington could become Cairo's superpower patron.

A 1955 deal to buy Soviet weapons through Czechoslovakia brought Egypt into the Soviet camp despite Cairo's efforts to remain non-aligned. Moscow later agreed to build a massive hydroelectric dam on the Nile in southern Egypt after the World Bank, reportedly at Washington's behest, declined to finance the project.

Relations plunged deeper when Egypt accused the United States of colluding with Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, in which Israeli troops seized the Sinai Peninsula. Following that war, Egypt's ties with Russia became much closer, with thousands of Russian military advisers stationed in Egypt, some with their families. Soviet-made military hardware poured into Egypt, from tanks and fighter-jets to helicopters and artillery pieces. Russian pilots even flew reconnaissance flights for the Egyptians over Israeli installations.

____

SWITCHING CAMPS

The United States began to reassert its influence over Egypt when Washington brokered a 1970 cease-fire that ended months of intensive fighting between Egypt and Israel in the Suez Canal region and along the Red Sea coastline.

In a surprise move, President Anwar Sadat in 1972 expelled the Soviet military advisers, arguing that Moscow was not doing enough to help the Egyptians match Israel's military might. A year later, Egypt and Israel fought the last of their four wars and the road was paved for Washington to replace Moscow as the most dominant foreign power in the Middle East.

The U.S.-brokered Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel cemented the new American-Egyptian alliance, transforming Egypt into a key U.S. ally and the recipient of $1.3 billion in annual foreign aid, which continues to this day.

___

RENEWING TIES

Egyptian-American relations took a plunge after the military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, the country's first freely elected leader, amid mass protests against his divisive rule in 2013.

President Barack Obama's administration criticized the move, which effectively ended Egypt's troubled transition to democracy, angering the country's new leaders. Since then, pro-government media have regularly accused Obama of siding with Morsi's now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

El-Sissi, who as defense minister led the overthrow of Morsi and was elected president the following year, was quick to pivot toward Moscow. He has visited Russia twice since assuming office, and has struck deals to buy billions of dollars' worth of military hardware, including helicopter gunships and fighter jets.

An agreement to have a Russian company build a nuclear reactor was signed in Cairo on Monday. Late last month, Russia said it approved a draft agreement with Egypt to allow its warplanes to use Egyptian bases.

El-Sissi has also cultivated close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, however, and relations with Moscow have not been problem-free.

The bombing of a Russian airliner over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in October 2015, which killed all 224 people on board, prompted Moscow to suspend all flights to Egypt. More than two years later, the suspension remains in force and Egyptian tourism, heavily dependent on Russian tourists, is suffering. Egypt has spent millions of dollars to upgrade security at its airports, but the Russians remain reluctant to resume flights.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, arrive to their talks in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, shake hands during their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, shake hands during their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko/ pool photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, during their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool)
BEIRUT (AP) - Tens of thousands of people attended a Hezbollah rally in Beirut on Monday, where the militant group's leader vowed to return its focus to Israel after years of fighting in Syria's civil war.

At the rally, called to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said he hoped the "foolish decision" would mark the "beginning of the end" of the Jewish state.

Nasrallah said his group is almost done fighting extremists elsewhere in the region, and will now "give all its time" to Jerusalem and the Palestinians. "Death to Israel!" he said in the fiery address, which was broadcast from an undisclosed location and shown on big screens at the rally.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians march in a street as they hold a giant Palestinian flag in response to a call by Hezbbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Hezbollah forced Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon in 2000, and the group battled Israel to a bloody stalemate six years later. The Iranian-backed militant group is believed to have a massive arsenal of rockets capable of hitting much of Israel's territory, and its battle-hardened fighters played a key role in turning the tide of Syria's civil war in favor of President Bashar Assad.

Nasrallah called on Palestinian armed groups and others in the region to come up with "unified strategy" to confront Trump's decision. He said the Palestinians and Arab leaders should halt all negotiations with Israel, and called for a boycott of the Jewish state.

The protesters marched through the streets of southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, waving flags and chanting in support of the Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The rally came a day after a violent protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, where security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at rowdy protesters who pelted them with stones. The protesters were hundreds of meters (yards) from the embassy.

Lebanon is home to over 450,000 Palestinian refugees, who make up nearly 10 percent of the population. Many are the descendants of those who fled after the creation of Israel in 1948.

Trump's announcement on Wednesday broke with decades of U.S. policy and an international consensus that Jerusalem's fate should be decided by direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Palestinians viewed the U.S. declaration as a blatantly pro-Israel move, and protests have erupted across the Arab and Muslim world since the announcement.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians march in a street as they hold a giant Palestinian flag in response to a call by Hezbbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Tens of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians march in a street as they hold a giant Palestinian flag in response to a call by Hezbbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
DEVILS LAKE -- As bitter 70-mph winds whipped up an early season snow squall, Darrell Nilep sat comfortably in a clinic examining room in his jeans and a black sweatshirt.

Diagnosed in 1995 with kidney disease, the 67-year-old Devils Lake man already had undergone seven other major surgeries before receiving a kidney transplant in October 2016. Now just past the first anniversary of that eighth and final life-changing surgery, Nilep said he was feeling well and looking forward to his first face-to-face appointment with kidney specialist Dr. Adetola Haastrup. But then the storm hit.

The nephrologist based at Altru Health System in Grand Forks would not be able to make the 90-mile trip to see her patients in Devils Lake that day. What now?

The answer would be some shuffling and a quick shift to Plan B.

Though Nilep would not be able to meet Haastrup in person, his appointment would go on as scheduled. He would see the doctor face to face, but it would be via live video.

You are doing well. Keep it up, Haastrup told Nilep from a large computer screen. Altru outreach nurse Lisa Elverud also was in the room to help operate the camera, take vitals and do all the other things a nurse ordinarily would do during a more traditional appointment.

This is a testament to the program, Haastrup said, referring to Altrus regional health care and telemedicine programs.

Far and wide

Nilep is just one of about a quarter-million people across 46 communities and 17 counties in north-central North Dakota and northwest Minnesota to be served by the outreach programs.

The innovative telemedicine program that originated with kidney care a decade ago now covers more than 30 different medical specialties. Treating everything from oncology to orthopedics, weight management to wound care, up to 45 Altru specialists regularly travel to see patients at their hometown health centers.

Urban and smaller, more rural care centers have built multiple partnerships to adapt to a changing medical landscape. Along with telemedicine and regional outreach, there also has been an evolution in electronic recordkeeping.

We span over 400 miles east to west and 120 miles north to south, so it really is a huge swath, said Jennifer Nuelle-Dimoulas, director of Altrus regional clinic operations. A lot of external forces are impacting our health care, and were not immune or isolated from that.

We see an aging population. We see worker shortages.  Consumers are demanding more from our health care systems. Theyre savvy and tech-smart. So, it really challenges us to be at the forefront of technology.

Outreach and the ready connection to the right care and technology can be the difference between life and death for patients such as Nilep.

To me, its as good as you can get, he said. The fact there is a dialysis center here is amazing. Theyre a lifeline. If you dont go to dialysis, most people die within a month. In the time I was on dialysis, 43 people died.

High demand

Dialysis is an artificial process that cleans the blood of toxins. The treatment is time-consuming, expensive and necessary. And at CHI St. Alexius Health Devils Lake and across the region it is high in demand.

Before his transplant, Nilep was dependent on full-time dialysis for about eight years. At first unable to fit into Devils Lakes crowded dialysis schedule, Nilep said almost half of his waking hours revolved around his disease.

Three days a week, he left home for Grand Forks with the sun in his eyes, spent up to five hours on dialysis, then returned home with the sun in his eyes. It was a grueling routine, so it came as great relief when he finally was able to get treatment closer to home through a partnership between CHI and Altru.

The difference was hours, money, time and sense of well-being, Nilep said. Here (at St. Alexius Devils Lake), I would go four, five hours in the morning and get done. The rest of the day was my own because of this satellite dialysis.

How it works

Marsha Waind is the manager of regional services and telemedicine at Altru. She said such partnerships are a win-win for patients as well as smaller communities.

Theres a host of data and information that flows back and forth, Waind said. The specialists here make sure they get the tertiary care when they need it. Otherwise that care can stay local. Regional care keeps local dollars in these small towns, and it keeps a network going between the specialists and the primary care providers.

Its very important that primary care providers feel supported in the rural towns. Thats part of our goal to make sure we keep the small-town network of medical care alive.

Patients benefit with better access to the specialty care that may require more advanced and complex procedures. The outreach care cuts travel time and expenses, reduces time away from work, and increases the ability of family members to be involved.

So say Im going to have labs done in Park River and then send them here for review. Same thing with X-rays, EKGs and ECGs. The nursing home might get that X-ray taken so the 85-year-old grandma from Park River doesnt have to come all the way to Grand Forks for the 10-minute visit to hear Yes, youre healing well,  Waind explained. Thats a big deal. Wound care is big. And again, its a very coordinated care between the specialists here and that local care team.

Waind said a telemed visit is much the same as a regular visit and just as personal. Electronic stethoscopes can send live heart and lung sounds, and though separated by miles, tools allow doctors to peer into patients ears and mouths. Lab work and other tests can be done remotely and efficiently.

There isnt very much we cant do, Waind said.

Building partnerships

Andrew Lankowicz, president of CHI St. Alexius Health Devils Lake, said the kidney dialysis unit is the perfect example of a partnership that works well.

His 25-bed, critical access hospital leases space to Altru for the six-chair dialysis unit. It runs two shifts six days a week, and there is a waiting list.

Formerly known as Mercy Hospital, the Devils Lake facility was once a longtime independent hospital with 110 beds. But like many hospitals nationwide, its now under the umbrella of a larger network. Its parent CHI, or Catholic Health Initiatives, was named the nations fifth-largest, not-for-profit, health care system in 2015.

Lankowicz described a sea change in the medical industry.

The traditional model of medicine was hospitals were stand-alone. In our parents generation, 20 to 40 years ago, most physicians were independent, and they applied for privileges at the hospitals, he said. Now 90 percent or more of the physicians in North Dakota are employed by health systems.

Advancements in medicine required more complex equipment, more expertise to run it and more medical professionals at all levels. That, paired with a mountain of regulations governing how providers are reimbursed for services, created an industry that demanded as much business smarts as medical knowledge.

Lankowicz said his hospital has adapted by finding its own niche and building a conglomeration of partnerships. Another good example would be obstetrics, he said. Altru provides the doctors and prenatal care through its Devils Lake clinic while CHI provides the hospital-based care -- the ultrasound, anesthesia, nursing, surgical techs, operating room and equipment.

CHI also leases land to Valley Medical Flight and partners with Minots Trinity Hospital for eye surgeries and Grand Forks Cancer Center of North Dakota for cancer infusions. It leases space for the VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic and also connects with South Dakotas Avera Hospital for eEmergency services.

CHI has its own nuclear medicine program and a state-of-the-art CT scanner and MRI equipment, Lankowicz said. It provides many of the same high-tech tests its urban counterparts do. The only difference might be that some tests are read by off-site specialists.

The more complex cases will go to the larger cities, but the ones that can be done locally will be done here, Lankowicz said. Were never going to do open-heart surgery here. Well never do kidney transplants. Those are done at tertiary medical facilities, but well definitely do colonoscopies, preventive wellness and minor surgery.

The urban care centers and smaller ones complement each other, he said.

The reality is nobody can operate in a vacuum. We rely on each other, he said. With that in mind, were still competitors. Were operating in the same space, and there is some overlap of some services. Thats a challenge we have to work through. We have a very good working relationship with Altru. We dont always agree, but we try to work through the issues.

Lankowicz said hes proud of his hospitals place in the community.

Our quality of care is as good or better as any of the larger hospitals, he said. When people get their care here, were caring for each other. Thats what makes us special. When you walk in the door, youre not a number. Youre Uncle Mike.
NOVOKUZNETSK, Russia (AP) - Three months ahead of Russia's presidential election, apathy and disappointment pervade incumbent Vladimir Putin's heartland.

Alexandra Chekh, a retired kindergarten director, voted for Putin the last time around in 2012. Now she wonders if he has anything to offer.

"Change? If he could do it, he would have done it by now," she said. "If nothing gets done, then maybe we will need a new person."

In this photo taken on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, People raise hands at a rally of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny in Novokuznetsk, Russia. With his main foe Alexei Navalny barred from running, President Vladimir Putin is sure to win next year's vote by a landslide but the presidential campaign, galvanized by the anti-corruption crusader Navalny, is shedding the light on how weary the population is growing of Putin's 18-year-long rule. (AP Photo/Evgeny Feldman)

A new person is unlikely - the 65-year-old Putin is the overwhelming favorite in Russia's March 18 presidential vote. But the dim view taken by former supporters such as Chekh is notable in a city like Novokuznetsk, part of the Kemerovo region in southwestern Siberia where Putin tallied 77 percent of the vote in 2012.

The city itself lies 4,500 miles (7,240 kilometers) east of Moscow.

Since that last election, anti-corruption campaigner and adamant Putin foe Alexei Navalny has been able to spread his message far beyond the prosperous and educated urban circles of Moscow and St. Petersburg where his support started. But Navalny is saddled by a fraud and embezzlement conviction - which his supporters view as politically motivated - that will prevent him from running in the presidential race unless he's pardoned or some other dispensation is made.

Navalny is pressing on, nonetheless. On Saturday, several hundred people showed up at his rally in Novokuznetsk, a city of nearly 550,000 people that is home to coal mines, metals plants and soot-smelling air. Some at the rally came without hats or gloves despite the minus -15 Celsius (minus -5 Fahrenheit) temperatures.

Navalny focused on the grievances he has been highlighting throughout the campaign: low pay for state employees, the concentration of wealth in Moscow and the Kremlin's excessive funding for foreign policy forays.

Official statistics show the region's average monthly pay as 31,600 rubles ($532), a little under the Russian average. But Novokuznetsk residents think those figures are inflated by officials. When Navalny asked the crowd how much a nurse makes in Novokuznetsk, they shouted "10,000" or "15,000."

If Putin's 18 years in power have induced apathy and a sense of helplessness among Russian voters, that's the big issue in Navalny's view.

Putin has made voters in industrial cities like Novokuznetsk his base, touting stability as the key achievement of his rule. But these days, finding a fervent Putin supporter on Novokuznetsk's snow-covered streets can be hard.

Of seven residents approached by an AP reporter, only four said they supported Putin. None of them expressed enthusiasm.

A survey by the independent polling agency Levada Center suggests that enthusiasm for Putin is in decline countrywide. It found that 51 percent of those questioned said they were tired of waiting for Putin to bring "positive change," 10 percentage points higher than a year ago.

Through his canny, energetic use of social media and YouTube, Navalny has done an end-run around Russia's state-controlled news media, which is the main source of information for people outside of the country's main cities. Demonstrations called by Navalny this year rattled the Kremlin, not only because of their large turnouts but due to the fact they were taking place in provincial cities throughout the country.

Many of those who showed up at the Novokuznetsk rally say Putin does have support there, but nowhere near as overwhelmingly as the last election figures indicated. The real picture, they say, is distorted by widespread voting fraud.

Navalny told The Associated Press after the rally that he is encouraged by the warm reception he is seeing in Russia's regions. He says that proves support for Putin in the places that habitually give him 80 percent of the vote at the polls is "fiction and falsification."

Navalny's activists all over Russia have been canvassing all year on the streets and going door-to-door to talk to voters, despite threats and intimidation from authorities.

"If we can hold such a big rally here, with all the pressure and intimidation, it means that we enjoy at least significant support here," Navalny said after an hour of posing for photos with rally attendees in Novokuznetsk.

Navalny initially laughed off a question about what is going to happen if authorities - when the presidential campaign officially starts later this month - formally bar him from running.

"(The Kremlin) cannot bar me from running if such a big number of people is supporting me," he declared.

But he later offered a glimpse into his plans.

"If they don't register me, people together with me will not recognize this election and we will boycott this election," he said.

A low presidential turnout is something the Kremlin is very wary about.

Fighting apathy is one of the most common theories behind the surprise presidential bid of socialite-turned-journalist Ksenia Sobchak. The 36-year-old candidate has been mildly critical of Putin but faces none of the obstacles that Navalny's supporters do. Many Russians think her efforts are designed to boost interest in an otherwise bland presidential campaign - a claim that Sobchak absolutely denies.

But Navalny probably does not even need to call for a boycott to bring the turnout even lower, because many residents of the Kemerovo region have already given up on the presidential vote.

Sergei Maslyukov, 40, watched his daughter slide off a mammoth mound of snow on Novokuznetsk's main square. He did not go to Navalny's rally Saturday and has not heard much about the popular activist. He is also disappointed in Putin but sees no viable alternative to the Russian leader.

"The promises he made . he did not make good on them," Maslyukov said. "What promises? Do you think average pay in Russia correlates to the prices? I'm not going to vote for anyone."

In this photo taken on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, right, gives a high-five to a supporter at a rally in Novokuznetsk, Russia. With his main foe Alexei Navalny barred from running, President Vladimir Putin is sure to win next year's vote by a landslide but the presidential campaign, galvanized by the anti-corruption crusader Navalny, is shedding the light on how weary the population is growing of Putin's 18-year-long rule. (AP Photo/Evgeny Feldman)

In this photo taken on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, a toddler ducks beneath a barrier at a rally by Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny in Kemerovo, Russia. With his main foe Alexei Navalny barred from running, President Vladimir Putin is sure to win next year's vote by a landslide but the presidential campaign, galvanized by the anti-corruption crusader Navalny, is shedding the light on how weary the population is growing of Putin's 18-year-long rule. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)

In this photo taken on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, boys are climbing a mound of snow on a central square in Novokuznetsk in Kemerovo, Russia. With his main foe Alexei Navalny barred from running, President Vladimir Putin is sure to win next year's vote by a landslide but the presidential campaign, galvanized by the anti-corruption crusader Navalny, is shedding the light on how weary the population is growing of Putin's 18-year-long rule. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)

In this photo taken on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, people walk on a snow-covered street with a graffiti on the wall in Novokuznetsk in Kemerovo, Russia. With his main foe Alexei Navalny barred from running, President Vladimir Putin is sure to win next year's vote by a landslide but the presidential campaign, galvanized by the anti-corruption crusader Navalny, is shedding the light on how weary the population is growing of Putin's 18-year-long rule. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)

In this photo taken on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, Sergei, who refused to give his last name, right, stands with his wife and daughter at a rally by opposition politician Alexei Navalny in Kemerovo, Russia. With his main foe Alexei Navalny barred from running, President Vladimir Putin is sure to win next year's vote by a landslide but the presidential campaign, galvanized by the anti-corruption crusader Navalny, is shedding the light on how weary the population is growing of Putin's 18-year-long rule. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)

In this photo taken on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, a teenager jumps to reach out a balloon at a rally by Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny in Kemerovo, Russia. With his main foe Alexei Navalny barred from running, President Vladimir Putin is sure to win next year's vote by a landslide but the presidential campaign, galvanized by the anti-corruption crusader Navalny, is shedding the light on how weary the population is growing of Putin's 18-year-long rule. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)

In this photo taken on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, left, poses for a selfie with a supporter at a rally in Kemerovo, Russia. With his main foe Alexei Navalny barred from running, President Vladimir Putin is sure to win next year's vote by a landslide but the presidential campaign, galvanized by the anti-corruption crusader Navalny, is shedding the light on how weary the population is growing of Putin's 18-year-long rule. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)
WASHINGTON (AP) - A lawsuit against a North Carolina city for allegedly discriminating against an African-American-owned television network will go forward after the Supreme Court declined to get involved in the case.

The Supreme Court's announcement Monday that it would not get involved in the dispute leaves in place a ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit earlier this year that revived the lawsuit. A trial court had initially dismissed it.

Black Network Television claims the City of Greensboro rescinded a $300,000 economic development loan because of race. The city says race had nothing to do with it. Appeals court judges ruled 2-1 that the lawsuit had been improperly dismissed.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday will try to sell the American people on an unpopular Republican tax overhaul that his administration claims will generate a large part of $1.8 trillion in new revenue - a figure that a top Democratic lawmaker dismissed as "fake math."

Trump's pitch will focus on how the GOP tax reform plan will lead to a brighter future for taxpayers and their families, according to spokeswoman Lindsay Walters. House and Senate negotiators are rushing to finalize a bill and deliver the measure to Trump before Christmas.

Trump and Republican leaders in Congress have promoted the massive tax plan by promising the tax cuts will boost the economy. Their idea is that growth sparked by the legislation will let the tax cuts pay for themselves and not balloon the $20 trillion deficit.

President Donald Trump listens to Vice President Mike Pence speak before signing a policy directive to send American astronauts back to the moon, and eventually Mars, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Public polling shows many Americans are unhappy with the proposal. The House and Senate tax bills combine steep tax cuts for corporations with more modest reductions for individuals.

The administration's rosy estimate of new revenue from the tax plan over 10 years is a lot higher than nonpartisan congressional analysts have projected. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that growth stimulated by the anticipated tax cuts will generate some $408 billion in additional tax revenue over 10 years.

The new Treasury Department analysis says about half the expected increase in economic growth likely will result from tax benefits for corporations. Trump and the Republicans have insisted that businesses will use the tax savings to invest and create new jobs.

According to the Treasury analysis, the other half of new revenue will come from tax reductions for individuals and businesses whose profits are reported on owners' personal income tax returns, as well as from planned administration initiatives such as infrastructure development and a welfare overhaul.

The analysis includes an assumption that tax cuts and other administration policies would cause the economy to expand at a 2.9 percent annual pace over 10 years. Economic growth at that level would, in theory, be enough to keep the national debt from rising.

But most analyses have concluded that the tax overhaul would add at least $1 trillion to budget deficits in the next decade because the analyses foresee significantly less growth resulting from the tax cuts.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the administration's analysis "nothing more than one page of fake math."

"It's clear the White House and Republicans are grasping at straws to prove the unprovable and garner votes for a bill that nearly every single independent analysis has concluded will blow up the deficit and generate almost no additional economic activity to make up for it," Schumer said.

The estimates by Treasury and the Joint Committee on Taxation apply specifically to the Senate bill. Underlining the divergent estimates, the congressional tax committee released an analysis of the House bill late Monday projecting sufficient growth to generate $483 billion in new revenue.

Republicans are determined to deliver the first revamp of the nation's tax code in three decades and prove they can govern after their failure to dismantle Barack Obama's health care law.

GOP leaders in Congress aim to iron out differences between the $1.5 trillion House and Senate tax bills to pass a final blended package.

Rep. Kevin Brady, who heads the House Ways and Means Committee and is a key leader in the House-Senate compromise discussions, said Monday they were moving toward a vote on the final package next week. Still, key issues appeared to remain unresolved.

"I'm pleased with the progress we're making," Brady, R-Texas, told reporters. "We still have work to do."

The only issue for which Brady noted a firm commitment was repeal of the inheritance tax on multimillion-dollar estates, a benefit for ultra-wealthy Americans. "In the House, we feel very strongly about fully repealing the estate tax," he said.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., suggested Sunday that the lawmakers may be open to adopting the Senate bill's preservation of the current $1 million limit for the mortgage interest deduction rather than reducing it to $500,000 as the House bill does. He also indicated a possible move to fully eliminate the alternative minimum tax, aimed at ensuring that wealthy individuals and corporations pay a fair share of taxes. The Senate bill retains the AMT for corporations.

Brady said, "These are all elements that we're looking at right now."

Republican leaders have struggled to placate GOP lawmakers from high-tax states like California, New York and New Jersey whose constituents would be hit hard by the elimination of the prized federal deduction for state and local taxes. Repeal of the deduction added up to $1.3 trillion in revenue over a decade that could be used for deep tax cuts.

Lawmakers finally settled on a compromise in both bills - full repeal of the state and local deductions for income and sales taxes, but homeowners would be able to deduct up to $10,000 in local property taxes.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Josh Boak contributed to this report.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A former Oklahoma City mayor and member of the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents was rebuked Monday for comparing gay people to pedophiles and politicians who've recently resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Kirk Humphreys made the comments during a local TV public affairs show that aired over the weekend on KFOR-TV. An alumni group has called for his resignation, and the student body president encouraged the campus to voice its opinion on Humphreys' "ignorant" words.

Humphreys and others were discussing allegations against Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, who has announced he'll resign, and President Donald Trump when Humphreys began to ramble about other subjects. He said he was "going to make a lot of people mad today."

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2006 file photo, Kirk Humphreys, the former mayor of Oklahoma City, speaks at a news conference in Oklahoma City. Humphreys, a member of the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, is being criticized Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, for comparing gay people to pedophiles and politicians who have resigned recently after allegations of sexual misconduct. Humphreys made the comments over the weekend on a television public affairs show. The LGBTQ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma has called for his removal from the board if he does not apologize. (AP Photo/File)

"Is homosexuality right or wrong? It's not relative, there's a right and wrong," Humphreys said. "If it's OK, then it's OK for everybody and, quite frankly, it's OK for men to sleep with little boys."

LGBTQ advocacy groups Freedom Oklahoma called for Humphreys' removal from the Board of Regents if he didn't apologize. Executive Director Troy Stevenson said Humphreys' comments were disheartening and dangerous for LGBTQ youth who are already harassed and bullied.

A staffer at Humphreys' office said Humphreys was out of town Monday and unavailable to comment. Humphreys did not immediately reply to a voicemail left on his cellphone or an email seeking comment.

However, in a statement Monday night to The Oklahoman newspaper, Humphreys said that he regretted his statements, saying they "were not clear and led some people to believe that I was equating homosexuality with pedophilia. That was not my intention or desire." He apologized for what he called his "lack of clarity."

However, he reaffirmed that his "moral stance about homosexuality is that it is against the teachings of Scripture."

University of Oklahoma President David Boren released a statement saying Humphreys was not speaking on behalf of the university. Boren said the school was committed to diversity and inclusiveness, adding: "I do not share his views on this matter."

OU board of regents chair Clay Bennett, who also is chairman of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, said in statement Monday the rest of the panel disagrees with Humphreys' views. Bennett said the board values students' diverse perspectives, backgrounds and experiences.

Student government President J.D. Baker, in an open letter Sunday, called Humphreys' comments "outright disrespectful, out of line and ignorant." Baker said Monday that it wasn't up to him to say whether Humphreys should step down.

"I hope that he's a mature enough individual to understand the impact of his words and that he'll make the decision for himself," Baker said.

The president of the school's LGBTQ Alumni Society called for Humphreys to resign.

A state lawmaker who appeared with Humphreys pushed back at him on the show, saying it was wrong to compare sexual misconduct and crimes to the legal behavior of consenting adults.

"Mr. Humphreys' comments were disgusting, offensive, and just plain wrong," Rep. Emily Virgin, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, later said on her Facebook page. "I unequivocally stand with the LGBT community.

Stevenson said his group planned to protest an Oklahoma City real estate project that belongs to Humphreys' family business if he doesn't apologize.

Humphreys, 67, was mayor of Oklahoma City from 1998 to 2003.
NEW YORK (AP) - Toymaker Mattel Inc. is warning that its holiday sales are being hurt by the struggles of some of its key brands and by retailers tightening their inventories.

The outlook, made in a regulatory filing Monday, comes two weeks before Christmas and marks the latest in a string of challenges for the nation's largest toy retailer.

Mattel's brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price. It says it expects its gross sales for the full year to decline in the at least mid-to-high single percentage range compared to last year.

The company based in El Segundo, California, has struggled with children's increasing penchant toward technology.
NEW YORK (AP) - The arrest of a Bangladeshi immigrant accused of making a homemade pipe bomb and setting it off in the New York subway system has led to discussion of the nation's immigration system, with President Donald Trump repeating his refrain that it needs to be overhauled in favor of more restrictions.

What you should know:

___

This undated photo provided by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission shows Akayed Ullah, the suspect in the explosion near New York's Times Square on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Ullah is suspected of strapping a pipe bomb to his body and setting off the crude device in a passageway under 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, injuring himself and a few others. (New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission via AP)

THE BOMBING SUSPECT

Authorities have identified the bombing suspect as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah. Originally from Bangladesh, he arrived in the United States in 2011 and was living in Brooklyn. The Department of Homeland Security says he's a lawful permanent resident of the U.S.

___

HOW HE GOT HERE:

Ullah came to the U.S. on an F43 visa, issued to him through his family connection to an American citizen. The American immigration system allows citizens to apply for certain relatives - spouses, children, parents, siblings and their spouses and minor children - to be allowed to come and live in the U.S. The visas fall under different preferences, or categories; siblings of U.S. citizens come in the fourth preference, the F4, and their children come under F43s.

___

WHAT'S THE HISTORY?

Since a law change in 1965 loosened what had been a very restrictive system, America's immigration policy has been based around giving preference to people with advanced education or skills or those with family ties to U.S. citizens. What that has meant is that as immigrants from places like Asia and Latin America started coming to the U.S. in larger numbers and became citizens, they applied for their family members to join them. Once naturalized, those brought in were able to then sponsor their own relatives.

___

WHAT'S THE CONCERN?

Those who favor restrictions on immigration are in strong opposition to that kind of linked migration. It's an issue that's been brought up in proposed immigration reform legislation before. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, and U.S. Sen. David Perdue, of Georgia, both Republicans, have most recently proposed the RAISE Act, which would limit the number of permanent-resident visas and do away with the ability of citizens to bring over relatives other than spouses and minor children. Immigrant advocates have called the bill an attack on immigrants.

___

WHAT TRUMP SAYS

Trump has made who's allowed into the United States a centerpiece of his presidency, in the form of banning residents from certain countries from traveling to the U.S., calling for the construction of a wall along the Mexican border and limiting the number of refugees allowed in.

After Monday morning's subway explosion, which seriously injured Ullah but no one else, Trump issued a statement saying, "America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country. Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security."

Trump, a Republican, has voiced his support of the RAISE Act.

___

Deepti Hajela covers issues of race, ethnicity and immigration for The Associated Press. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dhajela. For more of her work, search for her name at https://apnews.com

This photo from a 2011 drivers license shows Akayed Ullah, the suspect in the explosion near New York's Times Square on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Ullah is suspected of strapping a pipe bomb to his body and setting off the crude device under 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, injuring himself and a few others. (New York Department of Motor Vehicles via AP)

Police stand guard inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal following an explosion near Times Square on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, in New York. Police said a man with a pipe bomb strapped to his body set off the crude device in a passageway under 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Law enforcement officials work following an explosion near New York's Times Square on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Police said a man with a pipe bomb strapped to him set off the crude device in an underground passageway under 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
CLEVELAND (AP) - A prosecutor says a Cleveland man accused of fatally shooting a Salvation Army worker has been indicted on charges including aggravated murder and authorities are investigating to see whether the slaying and subsequent crimes were racially motivated.

Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County prosecutor Michael O'Malley says William Jones was indicted Monday. Court records don't show an attorney for Jones.

O'Malley says his office is consulting with federal prosecutors to determine if Jared Fier-Plesec's slaying and subsequent carjackings, assaults and the shooting of a woman in the leg by Jones qualify as hate crimes or civil rights violations. The prosecutor didn't identify the races of the people involved.

O'Malley says the Salvation Army victim was wearing his Salvation Army uniform and discussing the Bible with someone in a lobby when Jones shot him.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - Bangladesh counterterrorism officers are questioning the wife and other relatives of a man accused of carrying out a bomb attack in New York City's subway system, officials said Tuesday.

Bangladesh's government condemned the attack, saying it opposes all forms of terrorism and violent extremism.

U.S. authorities have identified the suspect as Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant. Ullah is accused of strapping a crude pipe bomb to his body and detonating it during rush hour Monday in an attack in which only he was seriously wounded.

Rohima Islam, left, the owner of the building, where 27-year-old Bangladeshi man Akayed Ullah, used to live talks to journalists in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Bangladesh counterterrorism officers are questioning the wife and other relatives of Ullah, who is accused of carrying out a bomb attack in New York City's subway system, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

Relatives and police said Ullah last visited Bangladesh in September to see his wife and newborn son. He left both behind when he returned to the United States.

Ullah arrived in the United States in 2011 and the Department of Homeland Security said he is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. who was living in Brooklyn. He came to the U.S. on a visa issued to him based on a family connection to a U.S. citizen.

Law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation said Ullah had looked at Islamic State group propaganda online and told investigators he was retaliating against U.S. military aggression, but had no direct contact with the group. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the blast.

Ullah's uncle, Abdul Ahad, said the suspect mostly remained inside a small apartment in Dhaka's Hazribagh area when he recently visited Bangladesh.

"He went out of his residence to offer prayers at a nearby mosque," Ahad told The Associated Press.

He said Ullah arrived in Bangladesh on Sept. 8 and returned to New York on Oct. 22.

"He stayed with his wife and 6-month-old baby boy," he said, adding that Ullah was a quiet person who rarely socialized.

Ahad said Ullah also returned to Bangladesh two years ago to get married and stayed then for about three months.

Ahad, Ullah's wife and her parents are being interrogated by officials from Bangladesh's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Department, said Abdul Mannan, an official involved in the investigation.

Mannan said Ullah appeared to have no criminal record in Bangladesh and was not a known member of any militant group.

The government said in a statement that "Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including Monday morning's incident in New York City."

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country governed by largely secular laws, has struggled with a rise in radical Islam in recent years.

In July last year, the country was shocked when five young men who reportedly belonged to the domestic militant group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh attacked a popular restaurant frequented by foreigners and wealthy Bangladeshis, leaving 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, dead. During the attack the men sprayed bullets and threw grenades.

Smaller attacks have targeted secular academics, atheist bloggers, foreigners and members of the country's tiny Hindu minority.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for most of the attacks, including the one at the restaurant, but the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina denied that the Sunni extremist group has any presence in the impoverished country. The government has blamed the attacks on local radical groups.

Over the last year, the government has intensified a crackdown on Islamist militants and has killed dozens of suspects, including some accused of being the masterminds of the restaurant attack.

___

Associated Press writer Colleen Long in New York contributed to this report.

A man parks a motorcycle inside a building where 27-year-old Bangladeshi man Akayed Ullah, used to live in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Bangladesh counterterrorism officers are questioning the wife and other relatives of Ullah, who is accused of carrying out a bomb attack in New York City's subway system, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

Journalist try to talk with the family members of 27-year-old Bangladeshi man Akayed Ullah, at a building where he used to live in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Bangladesh counterterrorism officers are questioning the wife and other relatives of Ullah, who is accused of carrying out a bomb attack in New York City's subway system, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

The entrance of a small apartment where 27-year-old Bangladeshi man Akayed Ullah, used to live in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Bangladesh counterterrorism officers are questioning the wife and other relatives of Ullah, who is accused of carrying out a bomb attack in New York City's subway system, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

People walk past a building, on right, where 27-year-old Bangladeshi man Akayed Ullah, used to live in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Bangladesh counterterrorism officers are questioning the wife and other relatives of Ullah, who is accused of carrying out a bomb attack in New York City's subway system, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
TOKYO (AP) - Charles Jenkins, a U.S. Army deserter to North Korea who married a Japanese abductee and lived in Japan after their release, has died. He was 77.

Jenkins was found collapsed outside his home in Sado in northern Japan on Monday and was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead, a group representing families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea said Tuesday.

Public broadcaster NHK said he died of heart failure.

FILE - In this June 14, 2005 file photo, former U.S. Army deserter to North Korea, Charles Jenkins, together with his daughters Mika, rear left, and Brinda at Narita International Airport, east of Tokyo. Jenkins, who married a Japanese abductee and lived in Japan after their release in the 2000s, has died. He was 77. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye, File)

Jenkins, of Rich Square, North Carolina, disappeared in January 1965 while on patrol along the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea. He later called his desertion a mistake that led to decades of deprivation and hardship in the communist country.

In North Korea, Jenkins met his wife Hitomi Soga, who had been kidnapped from Japan in 1978, and the couple had two daughters, Mika and Blinda. His wife was allowed to visit Japan in 2002 and stayed. Jenkins and their daughters followed in 2004.

Once in Japan, Jenkins was subject to a U.S. court-martial in 2004 in which he said he deserted because of fear of being sent to fight in Vietnam. He pleaded guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy and was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 25 days in a U.S. military jail in Japan.

Jenkins and his family lived in Soga's hometown of Sado, where he was a popular worker at a local souvenir shop and could often be seen posing for photos with tourists.

Soga is one of at least 13 Japanese citizens who Tokyo says were kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s to teach Japanese culture and language to its spies. North Korea has acknowledged the abductions and allowed Soga and four others to visit Japan in 2002, where they stayed.

Jenkins, in his 2005 autobiography "To Tell the Truth" and at conferences on North Korean human rights, revealed that he had seen other American deserters living with women abducted from elsewhere including Thailand and Romania.

After settling in Japan, he visited North Carolina to see his mother and sister. But he said he had no plans to move back to the U.S.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at twitter.com/mariyamaguchi

Find her work at https://www.apnews.com/search/mari%20yamaguchi

FILE - In this July 9, 2004 file photo, former U.S. Army soldier Charles Robert Jenkins, center, is greeted at the entrance of his hotel after reuniting with his wife Hitomi Soga in a Jakarta, Indonesia. Jenkins, who married Soga, a Japanese abductee and lived in Japan after their release in the 2000s, has died. He was 77. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett, File)
 Erin Burnetts Hostility on Display | Main | Reuters Rushes to Publicize Claim of "Israeli Attack." You Won't Believe What Happened Next 

December 12, 2017

What Were the Motives of the Port Authority Bomber?

What were the motives of Ayaked Ullah, the Port Authority bomber in yesterday's attack? There are many news headlines that address the issue, and they advance differing theories, each of them presented as fact.

Thus, Haaretz's English print edition page-one headline states as fact: "N.Y. bomb suspect sought revenge for Israel's Gaza actions."

The accompanying article, however, is more cautious about determining the motive. It qualifies:

The suspect in a failed suicide bombing in New York City on Monday told police he was motivated by Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip, CNN reported. (Emphasis added.)

Haaretz's headline for the digital version of the same article was also more careful, likewise attributing the Gaza claim to a "report," as opposed to presenting it as fact: "New York City Bomber Tells Police He Carried Out Attack Due to Israeli Actions in Gaza, Report Says."

Meanwhile, others are equally certain that it's Jerusalem that motivated Ullah to strap a bomb to his body in hopes of killing as many commuters as possible. Thus, for example, The Times of London proclaims as fact:

The article itself, however, is much less certain that Jerusalem was a factor. It reports:

Akayed Ullah, 27, is thought to have been inspired by Islamic State, but without having been in direct contact with the jihadist group. According to some reports he shouted that he was acting in the name of Isis. Others said he shouted the word Jerusalem?  a reference to President Trumps decision last week to recognise it as the Israeli capital.

Still a third theory -- again depicted as fact in headlines -- is that the ISIS-inspired terrorist was angered by the Christmas decorations in Port Authority. Business Insiderposits: "The ISIS-inspired NYC bomber chose to attack Port Authority because of its Christmas posters."

Is it possible that a combination of the above factors could have motivated Ullah? Yes, but until the facts are established, media outlets would do well to present theories as just that.

Posted by TS at December 12, 2017 06:54 AM

Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic shows how Neo Nazis love Haaretz

http://www.israellycool.com/2016/08/02/haaretz-ripped-for-hating-on-jews/

Posted by: Barry Rosen at December 12, 2017 07:25 PM

Sad man, we should all pray to our Lord that this misunderstanding of Jewishness or Christmas will change and the lovely Jews, Christians And Muslims will recognise the truth.

Posted by: Martin Freye at December 13, 2017 06:12 AM

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DUBLIN (AP) - An Irish citizen recently acquitted after four years of being imprisoned in Egypt says he saw dozens of cellmates become radicalized and adopt views of the Islamic State group during his brutal captivity in overcrowded jails.

Ibrahim Halawa, 21, was arrested after security forces broke up a 2013 sit-in protesting the army's overthrow of an elected Islamist president, and was released in October after being held in a half-dozen detention centers. His experience provides a unique perspective on how conditions inside Egypt's notorious prisons have degenerated during an unprecedented crackdown on dissent.

Born in the Dublin suburb of Crumlin to parents of Egyptian descent, Halawa had faced death by hanging on charges that ranged from inciting violence to murder, and says regular beatings with bars and metal chains during captivity led him and others to the brink of despair.

In this Nov. 21, 2017 photo, Irishman Ibrahim Halawa, who was recently acquitted after four years of imprisonment in Egypt, poses for a photograph at his home, in Dublin, Ireland. Halawa says he saw dozens of cellmates radicalize and adopt views of the so-called Islamic State during his brutal captivity in overcrowded jails. (AP Photo/Brian Rohan)

"In the beginning, no one had even heard of Daesh, but by the time I left, maybe 20 percent were openly supporting their ideas," he said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. "It could have been just talk - many of them were engineers, students and doctors who just wanted to get home to their families - but after all those years of being in jail with no explanation, many wanted revenge."

The extremist group boasts a powerful affiliate in Egypt's northern Sinai that has stepped up attacks in recent years, killing hundreds of security forces and civilians and expanding its reach to the mainland. Last month gunmen waving the group's black flag killed 300 people at a Sinai mosque in the deadliest terror attack ever carried out in the country.

Authorities have meanwhile waged a sweeping crackdown on dissent. Human rights groups say as many as 60,000 political prisoners are being held in Egyptian jails, mainly Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi but also several prominent secular activists.

Halawa said prison officials routinely described him and his cellmates as "political prisoners," even writing it on cells that were built to hold 10 men but were packed with dozens. The Egyptian government, which has branded Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group a terror organization, denies holding any political prisoners.

"The prisons were packed - originally there were many members of the Muslim Brotherhood and April 6 (secular youth movement) but new people were always coming in," he said. "Toward the end, the guards became really rough with us because they saw people who left were returning still politicized, posting their views on Facebook."

Halawa was detained in the summer of 2013, just a few days after the army cleared out mass protests against the overthrow of Morsi, whose awkward one-year rule divided the country. Hundreds of protesters were killed.

Halawa and his sisters travelled regularly to Egypt for vacation, and had arrived that summer, just after he finished secondary school exams.

"I had no clue what was going on in Egypt at the time. I went to a few protests, including anti-Morsi ones, but everyone did back then, and I wanted to see all sides," he said. Only after friends were killed by the military did he accept an invitation to speak on stage at the main sit-in, where he said organizers were inviting anyone to address the crowd.

"The place was full of lots of simple people who were just against military rule, like farmers who earned ($50) a month. And at the stage, they were desperate for speakers, especially foreigners," he said.

Halawa's Egyptian-born parents urged him and his sisters to avoid the demonstrations, but their curiosity got the better of them, he said. His father, Hussein, is the imam for Ireland's largest Muslim community, in Dublin, and both he and Ibrahim insist they have nothing to do with the Brotherhood.

"Our relatives in Egypt aren't political at all, and everyone knows this - even the prosecutors and police never accused us of being a pro-Brotherhood family. My sisters and I, by going to a simple protest, were the most politically involved in the family," he said. Authorities released his three sisters after three months' detention.

Halawa says he had a typical Irish childhood, even playing Gaelic sports like hurling. But as a devout Muslim of Egyptian descent who looks older than his age, he was seen by authorities as a threat. When they found him sheltering in a mosque during street clashes, it confirmed their suspicions.

Despite speaking only rudimentary Arabic at the start of his sentence, he was treated as an Egyptian in prison, beginning with the customary welcome beating guards referred to as "the party."

"The food was often rotten, although I luckily got packages from the Irish Embassy," he said. "It was pretty corrupt in there, the guards could accuse anyone of anything and the charges would stick." Prisoners were often punished when high-profile attacks were carried out against the state over the years, such as the assassination of the prosecutor-general in 2015.

"When that happened they gave us a thorough 'inspection,' dumping out all our things in the middle of the cell and throwing food and water on it," he said. "They also made us stand under the sun all day sometimes, but other times when they tried to get information they'd offer me extra food."

Human rights groups say torture and other abuses are rampant in Egyptian prisons. Egyptian officials deny any systematic abuse and say individuals are held accountable for any violations.

Toward the end of Halawa's imprisonment, the Brotherhood - previously known for organizing inmates in detention - had lost much of its pull inside jail, he said, with only die-hards sticking with the group.

"Most people wanted nothing to do with them after four years, they just wanted to get out so they'd avoid associating with them," he said.

Halawa's case - a collective trial with nearly 500 defendants - began to be resolved only in March of this year, the first time he was allowed to come before a judge to declare his innocence. While most of the accused received sentences of between five years and life imprisonment, Halawa and some 50 others were declared innocent. He was released on Oct. 18 and returned home.

Now he hopes to finally begin his studies in computer science and business, and get on with his life. Grateful for the sustained support of human rights organizations and the Irish government, he also wants to campaign for the unjustly detained, especially his countrymen.

"There are plenty of people out there imprisoned like I was for no reason, so I'd like to help."

___

Follow Brian Rohan on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Brian_Rohan
MOSCOW (AP) - Before he was killed by a sniper in Syria at age 23, Ivan Slyshkin wrote a poignant message on social media to his fiancee: "We will see each other soon - and I will hold you as tight as I possibly can."

But Slyshkin's name won't be found among the Russian Defense Ministry's official casualties in the fight against Islamic State extremists.

That's because the young man who left his hometown of Ozyorsk in the Ural mountains was one of thousands of Russians deployed to Syria by a shadowy, private military contractor known as Wagner, which the government doesn't talk about.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 file photo, visitors and Russian military police officers walk toward the Citadel, Aleppo's famed fortress. Russian news outlets say thousands of Russians have been deployed in Syria by a shadowy, private military contractor since 2015. When President Vladimir Putin announced Monday Dec. 11, 2017, that Russia's campaign in Syria was drawing to a close, he did not mention this secret force. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva, File)

Slyshkin's gravestone depicts him holding a machine gun, according to a local news website Znak.com that sent a reporter to his March 2 funeral in Ozyorsk, where friends said he joined Wagner to earn money to pay for his wedding.

"He was in Wagner's group," his friend Andrei Zotov told The Associated Press, adding that Slyshkin was killed as the security forces were advancing on the Al-Shayer oil field north of Palmyra.

"There are many good guys there. He volunteered to join the company," Zotov said. "Like many Russian fighters, he wanted to solve his money issues."

The St. Petersburg-based website Fontanka reported that about 3,000 Russians under contract to the Wagner group have fought in Syria since 2015, months before Russia's two-year military campaign helped to turn the tide of the civil war in favor of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a longtime Moscow ally.

When Putin went to a Russian air base in Syria on Monday and told Russian troops that "you are coming back home with victory," he did not mention the private contractors. Russian troops are expected to remain in Syria for years while the contractors are likely to stay to guard lucrative oil and gas fields under a contract between the Syrian government and another Russian company allegedly linked to a businessman known as "Putin's chef" for his close ties to the Kremlin.

Proxy fighters like Slyshkin have played a key role in Syria. In addition to augmenting troops officially sent by Moscow, their secret deployment has helped keep the official Russian death toll low as Putin seeks re-election next year.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said 41 of its troops have died in Syria. But according to Fontanka, another 73 private contractors have been killed there.

The Kremlin and the Defense Ministry have stonewalled questions about Russians fighting in Syria in a private capacity. Private contractors have been used by countries like the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan for years; Russian law forbids the hiring of mercenaries or working as one.

But Russia has used such proxies before - in the conflict to help pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014. One Russian commander boasted of working alongside Russian troops who said they were "on vacation" while fighting in Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry has refused to say how many of its troops are in Syria, although one estimate based on absentee ballots cast in the Russian parliamentary election last year indicated 4,300 personnel were deployed there. That number probably rose this year because Moscow sent Russian military police to patrol "de-escalation zones."

"The Russian people are not very enthused by the idea of an empire that would involve their boys coming home in body bags. There's clearly a lack enthusiasm for this conflict," said Mark Galeotti, senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations in Prague.

"By having this military company Wagner, they can have a force they can actually deploy ... but when people die, it doesn't have to be announced," Galeotti said.

Fontanka, which is respected for its independent reporting, has obtained what it described as Wagner's spreadsheets and recruitment forms that indicate thousands of Russians have fought in Syria. Of about 3,000 Wagner employees deployed to Syria over the years, the single largest contingent at a given time has been about 1,500, said Denis Korotkov, a reporter for Fontanka.

Since 2015, at least 73 of them have died, he said.

Another investigative group, Conflict Intelligence Team, or CIT, put the number of private contractor deaths at 101. Both outlets say those are conservative estimates.

"The most important proof is people, dead and alive, who have said they are mercenaries and their relatives say there are mercenaries," said CIT founder Ruslan Leviev. "How would hundreds of people all over the country collude and come up with the same story?"

Activists with CIT made a name for the group by combing social media and other records for Russia's involvement in Ukraine and are doing the same for Syria.

Both Fontanka and CIT published photos from what they called a Wagner training base in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia. Some of the facilities look identical to those seen in official Defense Ministry photos of a military base in Molkino, in the same area.

Agreements signed with the security companies have kept the private contractors and members of their families from speaking to the media about their activities. Survivors receive generous compensation for keeping silent, and most attempts by AP to contact relatives and friends of those killed have been unsuccessful.

Media in southern Russia reported the death of Alexander Karchenkov in Syria in November 2016. The BelPressa website showed the mayor of his hometown of Stary Oskol giving a medal to Karchenkov's tearful widow, Marina, and mother.

Marina Karchenkova said her husband went to Syria as a contract soldier because he "had children to raise."

In a handwritten form dated December 2015, Karchenkov said he was unemployed, serving in the Soviet army in 1989-1991 and as a volunteer in Kosovo in 1998-2000.

In October, the Islamic State group released video of two Russian captives it said had been fighting in Syria, and one of them identified himself as Roman Zabolotny and said the other was Grigory Tsurkanu. The Defense Ministry denied they were Russian servicemen, and media reports said they were working for Wagner. Their fate at the hands of the extremists is unknown.

The Wagner group was founded by retired Lt. Col. Dmitry Utkin, who came under U.S. sanctions in June after the Treasury Department said the company had recruited former soldiers to join the separatists fighting in Ukraine. Utkin was photographed a year ago at a Kremlin banquet thrown by Putin to honor military veterans.

Also under U.S. sanctions is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the St. Petersburg entrepreneur dubbed "Putin's chef" by Russian media because of his restaurants and catering businesses that once hosted the Kremlin leader's dinners with foreign dignitaries. In the more than 10 years since establishing a relationship with Putin, his business expanded to other services for the military.

Earlier this year, an anti-corruption foundation run by opposition leader Alexei Navalny detailed how Prigozhin's firms have come to dominate Defense Ministry contracts. The U.S. State Department put Prigozhin on its sanctions list in 2016 related to the Ukrainian conflict, citing his "extensive business dealings" with the Defense Ministry.

Among the firms linked to Prigozhin is Evro Polis, a Moscow-registered company that Fontanka reported has become a front for Wagner's operations in Syria.

In 2016, Evro Polis listed the sale of food products as its core activities, according to the Spark Interfax database. But this year, it listed mining, oil and gas production, and opened an office in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

The AP obtained a copy of a 47-page contract between Evro Polis and Syria's state-owned General Petroleum Corp., which said the Russian company would receive 25 percent of the proceeds from oil and gas production at fields its contractors capture and secure from Islamic State militants. While the five-year contract could not be authenticated, Fontanka reported the same deal in June.

"The link between Evro Polis and Prigozhin is significant and is not in doubt," said Fontanka's Korotkov. "We believe that this firm is just a cover for the private company Wagner, and it could be an attempt to legalize this group, possibly for a commercial use later on."

Both Evro Polis and Prigozhin's Concorde Management and Consulting were unavailable for comment, and the Defense Ministry did not reply to AP's request for comment.

An AP reporter who went to Evro Polis' Damascus office in November found it closed, with no sign on the door.

Syria's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources declined comment when asked about the Evro Polis deal. Asked about the contract, the Russian Energy Ministry told Fontanka it cannot divulge "commercial secrets," and declined comment to the AP.

As the Russian campaign in Syria draws to a close, the private contractors will probably stay, analysts say.

Wagner is "is likely to cement its footing because we saw that there were not only military goals to pursue ... but there is a commercial motive," Leviev said. "Someone needs to guard the oil fields."

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed.

___

Online: Evro Polis' contract (in Russian):

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4326734-EvroPolisContract.html

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 20, 2010 file photo, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, shows Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, second left, around his factory which produces school means, outside St. Petersburg, Russia. Thousands of Russian mercenaries are deployed in Syria by a shadowy, private military contractor linked to Prigozhin whose very existence the Kremlin ignores, the AP has learnt. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - This Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 file photo, shows a car covered in a collage showing portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, and President's Assad brother, Gen. Maher Assad, in Maarzaf, about 15 kilometers west of Hama, Syria. Russian news outlets say thousands of Russians have been deployed in Syria by a shadowy, private military contractor since 2015. When President Vladimir Putin announced Monday Dec. 11, 2017 that Russia's campaign in Syria was drawing to a close, he did not mention this secret force. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016 file photo, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, talks with Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller on the sidelines of a summit meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Konstantin palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia. Thousands of Russian mercenaries are deployed in Syria by a shadowy, private military contractor linked to Prigozhin whose very existence the Kremlin ignores, the AP has learnt. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, file)
PARIS (AP) - The owner of Westfield shopping centers is being bought by French property investor Unibail-Rodamco for $15.7 billion as shop retailers struggle to keep up with the move to online sites like Amazon.

The companies said Tuesday that the cash and shares deal would create a company with 104 shopping centers in 13 countries that bring in an estimated 1.2 billion visits a year.

Unibail-Rodamco invests in commercial property, from malls to office space, mainly in mainland Europe. Westfield, which started off in Sydney in the 1950s, is known for its 35 upscale shopping centers in major metropolitan areas, particularly in the U.S. and Britain.

Unibail-Rodamco SE said Tuesday that its offer values Westfield shares at $7.55 each, a premium of 17.8 percent on Monday's closing price. Based on the number of outstanding shares, that values the takeover at $15.7 billion.

The deal is part of a wave of takeovers and acquisitions in the retail property industry as sales decline.

"The industry is under severe pressure from internet selling and particularly Amazon," said John Colley, a professor at the Warwick Business School. "As sales fall so do retail property prices to the point where they become attractive as a discount to asset value."

Frank Lowy, Westfield's chairman, said "the transaction announced today is the culmination of the strategic journey Westfield has been on since its 2014 restructure."

In the new company, Lowy would chair an advisory board while the CEO of Unibail-Rodamco, Christophe Cuvillier, would retain that role.

The deal was recommended by the boards of both companies but is subject to approval by shareholders and regulators.
GAUHATI, India (AP) - Officials in India's northeast are complaining that Chinese construction activity on the upper reaches of one of the largest rivers that flows into India are likely turning the waters downstream turbid and unfit for human consumption.

Over the weekend, Sarbananda Sonowal, the chief minister of India's Assam state, said the Brahmaputra river was contaminated with bacteria and iron, with laboratory tests declaring its waters unfit for human consumption. Sonowal asked that the Indian government take up the matter with Beijing.

The Yarlung Tsangbo river originates in the Tibetan Himalayas and enters India as the Siang in far-eastern Arunachal Pradesh state before flowing downstream to Assam as the Brahmaputra. The river finally empties into the Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh, where it is called the Padma.

In this Monday, Dec.11, 2017 photo, Indian women wash their clothes in the river Brahmaputra in Gauhati, India. Officials in India's northeast are complaining that Chinese construction activity on the upper reaches of one of the largest rivers that flows into India are likely turning the waters downstream turbid and unfit for human consumption. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Last week, Pema Khandu, the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a border with China, wrote to Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh, saying the waters of the Siang river have been "unusually turbid" for the past two months, and sought a federal investigation.

Keshab Mahanta, the water resources minister of Assam state, has written to Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj expressing serious concern about the water quality of the Bhramaputra.

Locals in Arunachal Pradesh suspect the Siang is contaminated because of Chinese construction activities in the upper reaches of the river, including possible attempts to divert the river to feed its arid northern areas.

"The Chinese may seek to deny, but we suspect there is massive tunnel building activities to divert the Yarlung Tsangbo to Xinjiang province, particularly the Taklamakan desert region," Lungkang Ering, president of the All Bogong Students' Union in the border district of East Sing, said in a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"China is constructing several dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo. One big dam, the Zangmo dam, is already operational and about three to four other dams are under various stages of construction. The Zangmo dam is located just 3-4 kilometers (2-3 miles) from the Indian border and is 116 meters (380 feet) high," according to Nayan Sharma, a leading Indian hydrologist at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it had never heard of the project mentioned by Indian officials in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states. In the past, China has denied such accusations without providing details or enunciating its long-term plans for the area.

India's foreign ministry spokesman did not reply to queries about whether New Delhi had raised concerns with Beijing.

Sharma said the turbidity in the segments of the river in India could be because of construction debris flowing downstream or because of an earthquake last month near the Great Bend on the Yarlung Tsangpo just as the river enters India, leading to major damage and debris flowing down.

"A federal investigation is a must because there is loss of aquatic life in the Siang and the Brahmaputra because of the contamination over the weeks. China is miserly in parting information on the river issues and therefore New Delhi must take up the matter at the highest level with Beijing," said Arunav Goswami of the Gauhati-based Centre for Development and Peace Studies.

Sharma and other experts say India needs to investigate the causes of the contamination of the river, which has also begun hitting aquatic life on the Siang and Brahmaputra rivers, because China is unlikely to share information with New Delhi.

Kameswar Sahani, a fisherman in Arunachal Pradesh, told a local newspaper that dozens of fishermen like him have been forced to stop working on the Siang river.

Over the last few months, his catch went down to just 3-4 kilograms (7-9 pounds) from 30-40 kilograms (70-90 pounds) earlier. Sahani also said that customers were balking from purchasing fish from the Siang because of contamination fears.

"How will I feed my family?" he asked.

In this Monday, Dec.11, 2017 photo, students from India's northeastern Assam state hold hands by the Brahmaputra river during a protest against the contamination of the river in Gauhati, India. Officials in India's northeast are complaining that Chinese construction activity on the upper reaches of one of the largest rivers that flows into India are likely turning the waters downstream turbid and unfit for human consumption. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

In this Monday, Dec.11, 2017 photo, students from India's northeastern Assam state hold placards by the Brahmaputra river during a protest against the contamination of the river in Gauhati, India. Officials in India's northeast are complaining that Chinese construction activity on the upper reaches of one of the largest rivers that flows into India are likely turning the waters downstream turbid and unfit for human consumption. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand's military junta has welcomed the European Union's decision to ease political sanctions imposed against it for overthrowing an elected government in 2014.

The EU's announcement is "good news" that underscores positive developments under military rule, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said Tuesday.

The EU's Foreign Affairs Council announced Monday that it was "appropriate to pursue a gradual political re-engagement with Thailand" because it had improved some human rights conditions by no longer prosecuting civilians in military courts for many offenses, adopted a new constitution and set an election date for 2018.

FILE - IN this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, file photo, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai of Thailand addresses the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters. On behalf of the Thailand's military junta on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Don welcomed the European Union's decision to ease political sanctions imposed against it for overthrowing an elected government in 2014. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, FIle)

The EU suspended official visits with Thailand in response to the coup.

It said it would continue to review its relationship with Thailand while watching for other rights improvements including the lifting of media restrictions and a ban on political activities, and "the installation of a democratically elected civilian government."

The EU still urged the junta not to try civilians in military courts on charges of insulting the royal family, or lese majeste. Thailand's lese majeste law is the harshest in the world, providing punishment of up to 15 years in prison per offense.

The EU also called on the military government to respect its promise to hold elections next November. The junta has already postponed elections several times.

Last month, police said they found a stash of weapons they suspect belonged to supporters of the government that was ousted in the coup. The junta has given the arms discovery as a reason to prolong its ban on political activities, raising speculation from critics that it does not want to relinquish power.

"Once again the military government seems to be finding every excuse to try to curtail political parties and their ability to start mustering support ahead of the planned elections in less than a year from now," Bangkok Post editor Umesh Pandey said in a Dec 3 op-ed column about the weapons discovery. Officials have denied accusations that the discovery was a set up.

Don, the foreign minister, told reporters that he now expects there will be more communication between Thailand and the EU over the next year, which he said could be a good opportunity to explain why elections might have to be delayed if any incidents occur.

"But today we are sticking to the roadmap," Don said.
PARIS (AP) - The party of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been charged with allegedly misusing European Parliament funds to pay parliamentary aides who did political work for the National Front.

A judicial official said on Tuesday that the party was charged on Nov. 30 as a legal entity with complicity in breach of trust, five months after Le Pen was charged.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly.

2017 AP YEAR END PHOTOS - French presidential candidate for the far-right Front National party, Marine Le Pen, left, French journalist Christophe Jakubyszyn, second left, French journalist Nathalie Saint-Cricq, second right, and French presidential candidate for the En Marche! movement, Emmanuel Macron, right, get prepared by technicians prior to the start of a live televised debate in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris on May 3, 2017, as part of the second round election campaign. Macron and Le Pen were facing off in their only direct debate before a presidential runoff election. (Eric Feferberg/Pool Photo via AP)

In addition to Le Pen, investigators suspect other National Front lawmakers used legislative aides for the party's political activities while they were on the European Parliament payroll.

National Front (FN) spokesman Sebastien Chenu told BFMTV channel that party officials will not accept "these unfounded judicial proceedings."

The party later said in a statement it and asked for the removal of the judge in charge of the case. It said judge Claire Thepaut should not be dealing with this matter because she is a member of the Syndicat de la Magistrature, a magistrates' trade union.

"It is absolutely intolerable that representatives of this far-left union can in any way rule on matters related to the FN and its leaders," the party said.

A conviction for breach of trust charge carries a potential penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine of 375,000 euros ($428,000).

Le Pen's profile has diminished on the political front after once being the front-runner in the presidential race, and she does not plan to lead her party's list at the 2019 European Parliament election. She denies all the charges.
OXFORD, Ohio (AP) - Police say the driver who ran the "Sherman's Safe Ride" taxi service for students at Ohio's Miami University is accused of sexually assaulting two female students in his vehicle.

Police in Oxford, which is home to the university, say 38-year-old Sherman Jackson II has been jailed in Butler County. Jail records show he is charged with two counts of rape and two counts of kidnapping. Bond was set Tuesday at $1 million.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Jackson has an attorney. The case wasn't yet listed in local court records.

Oxford police say Jackson was arrested after two young women filed separate reports alleging that they were assaulted by him in his vehicle when they used the taxi service on Friday and Saturday. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Latest on the death of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee (all times local):

4:20 p.m.

A spokeswoman for Safeway stores is declining to confirm reports that San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee collapsed while shopping at a store Monday night.

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2016, file photo, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee speaks during a meeting at City Hall in San Francisco by city leaders and community activists to reaffirm the city's commitment to being a sanctuary city in response to Donald Trump's support of deportations and other measures against immigrants. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lee died early Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. He was 65. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Lee Houskeeper, a publicist and friend of the mayor, says the mayor collapsed while shopping at a neighborhood Safeway.

Safeway spokeswoman Wendy Gutshall said Tuesday that the company won't comment out of respect for Lee's family.

But she says the store's employees "will miss seeing him in the neighborhood."

A doctor who treated Lee says he arrived at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in critical condition around 10 p.m. Monday but the 65-year-old died just after 1 a.m.

___

12:05 p.m.

Hundreds of city workers and community members went to at San Francisco's City Hall to mourn the death of Mayor Ed Lee and hear acting Mayor London Breed honor Lee.

They crowded on a balcony outside the mayor's office on the second floor Tuesday overlooking the building's main floor and swarmed upper floors as Breed gave a short speech honoring Lee as a sweet and humble man who she said never wanted to be a politician.

Elected officials wiped away tears and hugged.

Breed says Lee never gave great political sound bites when he spoke but occasionally delivered a perfectly timed corny joke.

Sheriff's deputies guarded the door to the mayor's office, where a single bunch of flowers was propped against the wall.

___

11 a.m.

A doctor who treated San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee says the mayor arrived at the hospital in critical condition by ambulance shortly after 10 p.m. Monday.

Dr. Susan Ehrlich of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital says doctors tried lifesaving measures for several hours but Lee died at 1:11 a.m.

She says an autopsy will determine the cause of death.

No other details will be released now because of the wishes of Lee's family.

___

10:30 a.m.

San Francisco Supervisor Jeff Sheehy says Mayor Ed Lee collapsed at a Safeway store while grocery shopping Monday night.

A statement from the mayor's office said the 65-year-old Lee died just after 1 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

A spokeswoman for Safeway, Wendy Gutshall, did not respond to telephone and email messages sent Tuesday morning about what happened after Lee collapsed.

KTVU-TV reported that Lee and his wife regularly shopped at the store.

___

9:30 a.m.

Former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom says Mayor Ed Lee steered San Francisco with an unshakable hand, an indomitable spirit, and a great sense of humor.

Newsom says he and his wife were heartbroken to learn of Lee's death early Tuesday. Newscom called Lee him a dear friend.

Newsom led the city until 2011, when he ran for California lieutenant governor, his current post.

He says Lee's contagious love for San Francisco "elevated the city to greater heights."

___

8:45 a.m.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee stood up for "human decency" as a leader of a welcoming and inclusive city.

He said Lee was in Chicago last week in a shared fight against climate change.

Emanuel said Lee was a trailblazer as San Francisco's first Asian American mayor and he was proud to call Lee a friend and colleague.

Lee died just after 1 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital surrounded by family and friends after collapsing suddenly at a supermarket. He was 65 years old.

___

7:40 a.m.

State Sen. Scott Wiener says he was "floored" to learn of the sudden death of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee on Tuesday morning.

He tells KTVU-TV that he just held a press conference with Lee on Monday and the mayor was his normal friendly and jovial self.

Wiener, a former member of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, says Lee "wasn't the flashiest guy in the world, but he worked hard and it was an honor to work with him."

Wiener says Lee has not been given enough credit for his work on affordable housing, but he believes he is arguably the most pro-housing mayor in the city's history.

___

7:10 a.m.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is praising former San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee as "a true gentleman of great warmth, positivity and kindness."

Pelosi, a former House Speaker and San Francisco Democrat, says Lee's priority was always people and communities. She called him an effective and pragmatic man who led the economic expansion of San Francisco. She called him her friend.

Pelosi said he "never had an unkind word for anyone, and no one ever had an unkind word for him." She expressed condolences to Lee's wife, Anita, and two daughters.

Lee died Tuesday at 1 a.m. at a hospital after collapsing at his neighborhood Safeway store.

___

6:45 a.m.

Former Mayor Willie Brown says his friend Ed Lee will be remembered as the man who stepped up to bring Silicon Valley to San Francisco.

Lee was a low-key mustachioed mayor better known as city bureaucrat than a flashy politician.

Brown and the late power broker Rose Pak talked Lee into filling out the rest of Gavin Newsom's term when he was elected state lieutenant governor in 2010. Brown said Lee was uncomfortable in the office but as he saw the deep fractions of the city, he thought he could be the healer San Francisco needed to bridge its factions.

Brown says Lee was motivated at all times by a deep love of the city.

___

4:30 a.m.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Mayor Edwin Lee has died. He was 65.

The newspaper is citing a statement by the mayor's office that states that Lee passed away Tuesday just after 1 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

The statement says family, friends and colleagues were at Lee's side.

Lee was not known to be ill. No other details have been released.

FILE - In this June 29, 2014, file photo, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee waves during the 44th annual Gay Pride parade in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lee died early Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. He was 65. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, right, hugs an unidentified woman at City Hall in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Mayor Ed Lee, who oversaw a technology-driven economic boom in San Francisco that brought with it sky-high housing prices despite his commitment to economic equality, died suddenly early Tuesday at age 65. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2011, file photo,San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, center, speaks at a news conference next to his wife Anita, right, and his daughter Brianna, left, outside of his office at City Hall in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lee died early Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. He was 65. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

FILE - In this June 29, 2014, file photo, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee waves during the 44th annual Gay Pride parade in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lee died early Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. He was 65. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli court has sentenced a Jewish extremist to four years in prison for torching a famous Holy Land church in 2015.

The Nazareth District Court sentenced 22-year-old Yinon Reuveni on Monday over his involvement in an attack on the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish. Reuveni was also ordered to pay $14,000 to the church in compensation.

The church, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel, marks the traditional site of Jesus' miracle. It is one of the most popular stops for Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.

The 2015 arson caused extensive damage to the building and burned prayer books. A second suspect was acquitted.

Jewish extremists have targeted mosques, churches and dovish Israeli groups in recent years.
ELLIJAY, Georgia (AP) - The First Baptist Church auditorium was filling with an expectant crowd, friends and family who had been through so much. Kim Silvers' three young daughters were there, all dressed up and eager for the graduation, hoping to mark the end of years of heartache visited on them all by their mother's addiction.

They had begged her to stop using opioids and heard her promise to do so, only to break that vow over and over. They'd cried when she abandoned them, and again when they were split apart and sent to three different foster homes. Then their mother signed on for a rigorous court-run treatment program - her best, last chance to avoid the permanent loss of her children.

On this Tuesday evening, the program's culmination was at hand. The would-be graduates just had one final duty: providing another batch of urine samples to be drug-tested. "We hold them accountable to the end," case manager Jackie Bramlett said.

Kim Silvers, left, hugs her daughter, Emily, while speaking during a graduation ceremony from the Appalachian Judicial Circuit family drug court program in Ellijay, Ga., Tuesday, April 11, 2017. "I went into this program and I was kid-less, jobless, broken, I didn't have anything," said Silvers, her eyes moist. "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But it is the most rewarding." Without it, she said as her daughters stood behind her, "I would be dead right now." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Across the United States, the opioid epidemic has caused tragedies too numerous to count. One bitter way to quantify the scourge is the documented spike in the number of children removed from the custody of addicted parents. One of the most dramatic increases has been in Georgia, where the foster care population soared from about 7,600 in September 2013 to more than 13,700 as of August. Parental substance abuse of all kinds, the state says, now accounts for about 40 percent of foster care entries.

In response, family drug courts like the program Silvers entered have been spreading nationwide. There are hundreds of them across the U.S., though they still only reach a small fraction of parents with addiction.

Looking back, Silvers says drugs had so taken over her life that she'd likely be dead without this type of help - the constant monitoring and testing, mandatory classes in parenting, curfews and court appearances, jail time for infractions. There were times when she desperately wanted to quit the program.

"I never thought I would have 30 days clean, you know?" the 34-year-old mother confides. "And once I had 30 days, and six months, it wasn't an option. ... I knew I had to do this for my girls. I knew there was a better purpose for my life."

Substance abuse cast a shadow on Silvers' life from her girlhood in this mountainous area of north Georgia; both her parents were alcoholics. By the time she turned 22, Silvers and a boyfriend were parents to three little girls: Emily, Kelsey and Allison. She started drinking heavily herself after Allie, her youngest, was born in 2005, and intoxication led to drug addiction. After Silvers took a drunken plunge from a second-story window and shattered her pelvis, a doctor prescribed the painkiller Percocet, which contains the opioid oxycodone.

"My body grew so dependent on it," Silvers recalls. "I had to have as much of it as I thought I could."

She tried other drugs, often in a fruitless quest to replicate "that first high." Several times a week, her daughters would find her passed out.

Emily, the oldest, remembers a mother who often seemed drowsy, sometimes drooling. "I didn't want to see her like that," she says, "and to see my sisters, how they were sad."

On school days, Silvers would often rouse herself from bed to find that Emily, then about 11, had woken the younger girls, organized breakfast, and gotten everyone on the bus to school. Laundry chores often fell to Emily, too. "I just wanted to be a kid," says the daughter, who is 16 now and whose mother allowed her to be interviewed.

Silvers would promise to stop using, break that promise, then lie and tell her daughters that doctors had instructed her to keep taking medication. Eventually, Silvers wrecked her car and split with the children's father. She went to live with a relative who kept her supplied with painkillers - leaving her daughters with their paternal grandmother, who called child welfare officials when Silvers failed to return.

In November 2013, the girls were removed from Silvers' custody and at first taken in by a cousin, then placed by the state in different homes. Allie wound up having to move around 14 times, and saw her mother only about once a month. Emily and Kelsey, who also were separated, visited with Silvers maybe once a week.

"Every night," Emily remembers, "I'd cry."

Months into the separation, Silvers was told by child welfare officials that Allie was in a hospital after an altercation with another girl at her group home. Then came a greater shock: The state threatened to terminate her parental rights. Silvers entered the Appalachian Judicial Circuit's treatment program that very day - March 17, 2014.

The goal of the two-year program is simple to summarize but not easy to achieve: to stop substance abuse by parents at risk of losing permanent custody of their kids.

"We call it a voluntary program, but if the state has your children, it's not completely voluntary," says Judge Jan Wheeler, who oversees the effort. "The incentive is to get back your children."

There are now roughly 450 such programs across the U.S., up from about 330 in 2012, according to Phil Breitenbucher of Children and Family Futures, a research and consultancy organization. But he said those programs reach less than 20 percent of the population that needs them.

In the Georgia program, participants sign a contract binding them to 32 commitments. Early on, there's a 7 p.m. curfew. Random drug tests occur five or six times a week. Meetings of Narcotics Anonymous or similar groups are mandatory. Court appearances come every two weeks.

Participants must get a job and attend classes on topics like relapse prevention and "moral recognition therapy."

Failing to meet requirements brings sanctions, up to possible expulsion. Along with its 93 graduates over the years, the Appalachian circuit program has had 98 cases where participants quit or were expelled.

"It kind of breaks your heart," says Jennifer Farmer, who heads the child welfare agency's Ellijay office, recalling one couple who were abusing methamphetamine while living with their children in a tent in the woods. After repeatedly violating program rules, they were expelled and lost parental rights for the two youngest kids.

Kristen Gaddis works for the judicial district, guiding troubled participants after herself graduating from the program in 2014. An addiction to the anti-anxiety drug Xanax led her husband to report her to authorities. She had wrecked her car three times in a single year, including once when her son, then 4, was with her. They were both unhurt but, Gaddis says, "Every time I took my kids in the car and I was high, they were in danger. It's hard for a mother to own something like that."

There was a lot that was hard for Silvers to own. "I had made so many broken promises, told so many lies," she says.

She didn't miss any of her visitations, though, and after a year she regained custody of her daughters while remaining in the program. It took longer for them to begin trusting her again.

"They stayed on me," Silvers says. "'Mom, you're not going to the meeting tonight?' Or, 'Mom, you better make sure you're home by curfew.' It was them encouraging me along the way."

There were setbacks. Silvers reunited with the girls' father, but they feuded and she had him arrested. When he got out of jail, he kicked them all out of his house. They moved into a shelter, but it and Silvers' job were in one county and the girls' school in another. Unable to handle those logistics, she missed work and lost her job.

Some friends suggested Silvers try kratom to feel better. The herb, which can activate opioid receptors in the brain, is legal but forbidden along with other substances under the drug court rules. When a lab test discovered it, Silvers confessed and was allowed to stay in the program while taking an extra "relapse" class for six weeks.

She got an apartment with help from a state program and found work nearer the girls' school, but as she neared the final phase of the program, Silvers relapsed again with kratom. The trigger, she says, was discovering that Allison had been mistreated in her last foster home.

Silvers penned a remorseful letter to Judge Wheeler - "I was angry with myself and felt guilty this happened to Allie," she wrote - but the court ordered a third year in the program with more classes and 15 weekends in jail.

While behind bars, Silvers realized she'd come too far to quit. She went to a doctor for treatment of depression, and she and the girls did therapy together. Allie also had individual sessions.

And this past spring, when graduation time came, Silvers took the stage. She thanked her daughters and friends for their love and support. She talked of pride in regaining her self-esteem and of hope that the darkness was past.

"This is the first day of the rest of my life," Silvers told the crowd.

Though nervous, Emily said some words, too. "I wanted to speak for my mom because she deserves it," says the teen. "She's a mom now. I love waking up and she's always, like, 'Get up! Go to school!' I don't want to get up, but I love hearing her voice."

Seven months after the graduation, the family is prospering. Silvers was recently promoted to branch manager at a credit union. She met someone new and is engaged. All three daughters are earning good grades in school.

"Every day is not perfect, but we are grateful for how far that we've all come," Silvers says. "We're just doing the best we can when problems arise - hitting it head on and dealing with it instead of avoiding it."

Emily says she never gave way to despair.

"Even though those were the toughest days of my life, I always knew there was hope," she said by email. "I knew my mom could do it because she had always been a strong person."

___

Associated Press reporter Alex Sanz contributed to this report from Ellijay and Jasper, Georgia.

David Million wipes a tear while listening to his fiancee Kim Silvers speak at during a graduation ceremony from the Appalachian Judicial Circuit family drug court program in Ellijay, Ga., Tuesday, April 11, 2017. One of the most dramatic increases of children being taken into foster care has been in Georgia, where the foster care population soared from about 7,600 in September 2013 to more than 13,300 this spring. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A cake is presented to graduates of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit accountability court program, which includes family drug court, before a ceremony at the First Baptist Church in Ellijay, Ga., Tuesday, April 11, 2017. There are now roughly 370 such programs across the U.S., according to Phil Breitenbucher of Children and Family Futures, a California-based research and consultancy organization. But he said those programs, although successful in boosting parents' commitment to treatment and reducing children's stays in foster care, reach less than 10 percent of the population that needs them. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kim Silvers waves to acknowledge applause after speaking during a graduation ceremony from the Appalachian Judicial Circuit family drug court program in Ellijay, Ga., Tuesday, April 11, 2017. All three of Silvers' daughters were removed from her care as she battled her addiction to opioid painkillers. The oldest, Emily, was placed with relatives; the two youngest, Kelsey and Allison, were in foster homes for more than a year before Silvers was deemed fit to take them back. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The sun sets on the First Baptist Church steeple as a graduation ceremony for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit accountability court program, which includes family drug court, takes place inside in Ellijay, Ga., Tuesday, April 11, 2017. The state says parental substance abuse now accounts for about 40 percent of foster care entries; it's been a struggle to provide enough foster homes for these children and keep caseloads at a manageable level for child-protection workers. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Group meeting members gather for an Appalachian Judicial Circuit accountability court program which includes family drug court in Jasper, Ga., Thursday, April 27, 2017. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Family Treatment Court coordinator Lexxaus Stanley conducts a urine drug test during a group meeting in Jasper, Ga., Thursday, April 27, 2017. Participants sign a toughly worded contract holding them to 32 commitments, and warning that violations will bring sanctions ranging from community service to expulsion and jail time. Early in the program, there's a 7 p.m. curfew. It later eases to 9 p.m., and is lifted for the final phase. Random drug tests are frequent, often five or six times a week. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A message decorates a desk during a group meeting for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit accountability court program in Jasper, Ga., Thursday, April 27, 2017. Over a decade, 93 of its participants, less than half of the total that entered the program, have made it through to graduation after at least two years of judicial reviews, counseling, and a busy schedule of evening classes and therapy sessions. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A billboard for a drug addiction service stands on the side of the road near Jasper, Ga., Thursday, April 27, 2017. Across the United States, the opioid epidemic, and other types of debilitating substance abuse by parents, is fueling a surge of children being taken into foster care. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kelsey Silvers, center, sits next to her sisters, Allison, left, and Emily, while waiting for their mother Kim to finish an interview at a park in Jasper, Ga., Wednesday, May 3, 2017. All three of Silvers' daughters were removed from her care as she battled her addiction to opioid painkillers. The oldest, Emily, was placed with relatives; the two youngest, Kelsey and Allison, were in foster homes for more than a year before Silvers was deemed fit to take them back. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kim Silvers, right, and her daughter, Emily, look through family photos at their home in Jasper, Ga., Wednesday, May 3, 2017. As she embarked on the program, Silvers was able to have supervised visits with her daughters. "I didn't miss a single visitation, but even though I was there every time, it took them a while to start trusting me," Silvers said. "I had made so many broken promises, told so many lies." Emily said the toughest part for her was being separated from her sisters. "I couldn't be a role model for them," she said. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kim Silvers, background right, sits in her car with daughters, Emily, right; Kelsey, left, and Allison, rear, in Jasper, Ga., Wednesday, May 3, 2017. "It was so great to get her back," said Emily. "She got us a place to live. We'd go shopping together, do our nails. It took a while. But she's a mom now. I'm so proud of her." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kim Silvers, center, sits on the couch with her fiance David Million as her daughter, Emily, flips through a photo album at their home in Jasper, Ga., Wednesday, May 3, 2017. The girls were appreciative as their mother struggled to find adequate housing and employment. She eventually succeeded, finding an apartment in Jasper and, after a stint working at a sandwich shop, a better-paying job with a local finance company. She and the girls did family therapy together. And Silvers fell in love with a man she plans to marry. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A message is posted above the front door as Kim Silvers goes out for dinner with her daughters, seen in the photo at left, at their home in Jasper, Ga., Wednesday, May 3, 2017. From girlhood, substance abuse cast a shadow on Silvers' life. She grew up with an alcoholic father who sometimes abused her mother. By the time Silvers turned 22, she started drinking heavily after her third girl, Allison, was born in 2005. At one point, while intoxicated, she fell from a second story window, breaking an arm and shattering her pelvis. She was prescribed Percocet, a painkiller containing the opioid oxycodone, and soon was addicted. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is urging unity after a divisive election that was boycotted by his main opponent.

Speaking during Independence Day celebrations in the capital, Nairobi, on Tuesday, Kenyatta said the "unity of our nation is the shield against the dangers that have shattered other countries."

He urged Kenyans to "reject the politics of divisiveness and confrontation."

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, center, his wife Margaret, center-right, and Deputy President William Ruto, right, attend a ceremony to mark Jamhuri (Republic) Day at Kasarani stadium on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Jamhuri Day marks the date when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1963. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenyatta won with 98 percent of votes in the October election after the Supreme Court nullified the August vote over irregularities. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, whose legal challenge led to the new election, boycotted it while saying electoral reforms had not been made.

Odinga's supporters had planned a mock "inauguration" Tuesday but it was cancelled amid pressure from the United States and others.

The opposition leader refuses to acknowledge Kenyatta's legitimacy.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, center, is seen behind bulletproof glass as he arrives in a vehicle to attend a ceremony to mark Jamhuri (Republic) Day at Kasarani stadium on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Jamhuri Day marks the date when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1963. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, center, attends a ceremony to mark Jamhuri (Republic) Day at Kasarani stadium on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Jamhuri Day marks the date when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1963. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
ST. LOUIS (AP) - The city of Ferguson, Missouri, is reviewing nearly 8,000 municipal court cases from before 2014 to determine which should be thrown out, a process expected to take about six months, the attorney for the St. Louis suburb told a federal judge Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry heard a status update on the consent agreement between Ferguson and the U.S. Department of Justice. The agreement requires Ferguson to remedy mistreatment of African-American residents by its police and court system - problems uncovered in a Justice Department investigation launched after the August 2014 police shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

A St. Louis County grand jury and the Justice Department both declined to charge Darren Wilson, the white Ferguson officer who fatally shot the black and unarmed Brown. Wilson resigned in November 2014, but the shooting was a catalyst for the national Black Lives Matter movement and prompted a Justice Department investigation that led to a civil rights lawsuit.

FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2015, file photo, officers and protesters face off along West Florissant Avenue, in Ferguson, Mo. A federal judge will get an update Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, on progress the city of Ferguson is making in addressing concerns about mistreatment of black residents by the Missouri town's police and court system. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

The lawsuit, which accused Ferguson's court system and law enforcement of racial bias, ended when the city of about 20,000 residents agreed to the consent decree in 2016. The wide-ranging agreement calls for community policing, hiring more minority officers and many other changes in policing. It also pushes for court reforms.

The Justice Department probe found that the court system in Ferguson was generating revenue largely on the backs of poor and minority residents through fines, court costs and other fees. A key effort under the consent agreement is an amnesty program for old court cases. City Attorney Apollo Carey said 7,933 unresolved cases filed before Jan. 1, 2014, are being reviewed by Ferguson's prosecutor.

The process should be concluded by June, said Carey, who urged residents to be patient.

"This is hard," he said. "Being under federal oversight is just a difficult thing to do. A cultural change takes a long period of time."

In general, only pre-2014 charges for more serious crimes such as assault, reckless endangerment or drunken driving will be pursued. But other cases that might be included are ones involving allegations of driving with a suspended or revoked license if the person cited has additional charges since 2014. Carey said another clause in the agreement allows the prosecutor discretion to pursue an old case if it is in the interest of public safety.

Ferguson leaders began municipal court reform efforts within weeks of Brown's death. A new judge, who is black, took over in 2015. Thousands of warrants have been dismissed, and Ferguson no longer jails people initially arrested for minor offenses such as traffic violations if they miss a court date.

But some people who spoke at Tuesday's hearing questioned whether the targeting of African-Americans has stopped. Resident Keith Rose said that at a recent municipal court session, all but a handful of the 150 or so people facing municipal charges were black.

"It appears to me that Ferguson might be inching back to its old ways," Rose said.

Blacks make up about two-thirds of Ferguson's population.

Carey, citing ongoing litigation, declined to respond directly to Rose's comments, but said the court system has been audited this year and Justice Department observers have attended hearings.

Justice Department attorney Jude Volek said he was "encouraged" by progress the city is making on the amnesty program. He said transparency in the reform process remains an "ongoing challenge" and that city officials need to do a better job of informing the public about meetings and hearings.

Judge Perry said that overall, Ferguson appears to be making improvements.

"Things are better," she said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Donald Trump Jr. will return to Capitol Hill Wednesday to talk to the Senate intelligence committee as part of its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

That's according to a person familiar with the interview. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting is private.

The closed-door meeting with Senate staff will come a week after Trump Jr. spoke to lawmakers on the House intelligence committee. Both panels are investigating the meddling and whether President Donald Trump's campaign was involved.

Investigators have been probing a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer. Trump Jr. and other campaign officials attended the meeting.

This will be Trump Jr.'s third interview as part of the congressional Russia probes. He also spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee in September.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has drawn scorn on the internet after making a grade-school grammar mistake that his office corrected in an official transcript of his remarks.

Pena Nieto used an incorrect past participle sometimes used by children in a speech in Paris at the offices of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

He said "volvido," instead of the correct "vuelto," in stating that Mexico had become an example because of its reforms. A transcript issued by his office later Monday used the correct form.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto is welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron, left, before a lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. More than 50 world leaders are gathering in Paris for a summit that Macron hopes will give new momentum to the fight against global warming, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's rejection of the Paris climate accord. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Twitter users mocked Pena Nieto Tuesday, saying he had "volvido," or "returned," to making mistakes.

Pena Nieto has stumbled before, mangling English pronunciations and struggling to name three books that had influenced his life.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - The chief prosecutor in Venezuela says his office has launched a probe into the country's former oil czar and ambassador to the United Nations.

Tarek William Saab says Rafael Ramirez is being investigated for ties to a vast public corruption scheme at state-run oil company PDVSA.

The announcement Tuesday comes one week after Ramirez resigned from his U.N. post on orders from President Nicolas Maduro.

Ramirez, who was never part of Maduro's inner circle, is believed to have been the ultimate target of housecleaning at PDVSA, which he led for over a decade. The purge has already resulted in the arrest of two of Ramirez's successors at the company and his cousin.

Since resigning, Ramirez has denied taking part in any corruption schemes and has not made his whereabouts public.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is set to unveil his first National Security Strategy next Monday.

National security adviser H.R. McMaster said the strategy will incorporate four core national interests: the protection of American people; advancing American prosperity; "preserving peace through strength"; and advancing American influence.

Speaking with his British counterpart Tuesday at an event hosted by the British think tank Policy Exchange, McMaster said "geopolitics are back and they are back with a vengeance."

President Donald Trump arrives for a ceremony to sign the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

He said the document will reflect Trump's desire to bolster engagement with other countries under the framework of "cooperation with reciprocity."

McMaster said the strategy will identify global threats to the United States and its interests, including "revisionist powers" like Russia and China, "rogue regimes" like Iran and North Korea, and non-state terrorist groups.

Outlining Russian efforts to intervene in the internal politics of its neighbors, McMaster alluded to intelligence assessments that Russia sought to sow discord in the U.S. in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, terming it "new generation warfare."

"These are very sophisticated campaigns of subversion and disinformation and propaganda, using cyber tools, operating across multiple domains, that attempt to divide our communities within our nations and pit them against each other and try to create crises of confidence," McMaster said.

He also decried "economic aggression" from China that is "challenging the rules-based economic order."
PARIS (AP) - Three days after declaring victory over the Islamic State group, Iraq's prime minister warns that the group's extremists might "erupt again somewhere else" without international cooperation in combatting the militants.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters Tuesday that "we have managed to break them" in Iraq, but added that it's a worry for everyone that IS has "this unfortunate ability to recruit young people very quickly."

He said there must be an effort to "remove their grassroots in the region."

Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron, left, before a lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. More than 50 world leaders are gathering in Paris for a summit that Macron hopes will give new momentum to the fight against global warming, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's rejection of the Paris climate accord. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Al-Abadi made the comments at a news conference on the sidelines of a climate summit outside Paris,

He called for continued international cooperation in training Iraqi forces and providing logistical and intelligence support.

Al-Abadi declared victory in the more than three-year fight against IS in a national address Saturday.

Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron, left, before a lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. More than 50 world leaders are gathering in Paris for a summit that Macron hopes will give new momentum to the fight against global warming, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's rejection of the Paris climate accord. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
JERUSALEM (AP) - An interfaith group from the Gulf state of Bahrain is paying an unprecedented public visit to Israel this week, receiving a warm welcome but generating uproar across the Arab world.

The visit comes at a time when Israel is boasting of warming, albeit covert, ties with moderate Arab countries in a shared front against archrival Iran. But the heavy criticism unleashed on Arab social media, along with the low profile the group has taken, shows the limits on how far that goodwill can go.

The 25 participants, who include Sunni and Shiite Muslims, as well as Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, flew to Israel on Sunday as guests of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a U.S.-based Jewish human rights group. The group gathered Tuesday at a restaurant overlooking Jerusalem's Old City walls for dinner and a candle-lighting ceremony marking the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

An interfaith group from the Gulf state of Bahrain attend Hannukah candle lighting in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. The 25 participants, which included Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and both Sunni and Shiite Muslims, flew to Israel on Sunday as guests of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a U.S.-based Jewish human rights group. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

While organizers and participants said the three-day trip was nonpolitical and unconnected to the Bahrain government, it nonetheless is a possible test case for other Gulf Arab nations in seeing what could happen if they move toward recognizing Israel.

"People have been asking us, 'Oh why have you been here now, after there was an announcement made by the White House,'" Betsy Mathieson, president of This is Bahrain, told The Associated Press, referring to President Donald Trump's declaration last week that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The move enraged the Palestinians, who seek the city's eastern half as capital of a future state.

"We have nothing to do with politics," insisted Mathieson, a dual British-Bahrain national who has lived in Bahrain for 37 years.

But the early results seem decidedly mixed.

Shortly after the group arrived, it was forced to issue a statement on the state-run Bahrain News Agency that it "does not represent any official entity" in Bahrain after an uproar erupted on social media. People were especially angry that the visit came so close to Trump's declaration on Jerusalem.

Throughout their time in Israel, the group, about half of whom are Bahrain citizens and the rest people of other nationalities who live in the Gulf nation, avoided the spotlight. Several Bahrainis chose not to attend Tuesday's dinner, and those who did either refused to speak to the AP or did so only if they weren't identified.

One Bahraini woman said she didn't care about Trump's proclamation, "because I am not a political person." She said that unlike most Bahrainis, she sees no issue with Israel and Bahrain establishing bilateral relations, and would visit Israel again if the opportunity arose.

"If there's a chance, why not?" said the woman, who like others demanded anonymity because of the controversy surrounding the visit. Earlier in the day, she prayed at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque, which she described as "a dream."

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said the fact that the group arrived, defying expectations that they would cancel because of Trump's move on Jerusalem, "speaks volumes."

"We're looking for the normalization. We're not waiting for politicians, and we're going to try to stick to that narrative," he said.

Israel and Bahrain do not have diplomatic relations, although Bahrain's King Hamad is rumored to be weighing an end to his country's boycott of Israel as the two countries nurture covert ties.

Bahrain and other Sunni Arab states see themselves as sharing regional interests with Israel when confronting Shiite power Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly touted Israel's warming ties with Gulf Arab states in recent months. On Sunday, Netanyahu asserted that "many of the Arab countries now recognize that Israel is not their enemy but their indispensable ally." This shift, he said, "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."

Netanyahu acknowledged last week that Israel won't be able to sign peace treaties with the Arabs without a deal on the Palestinians, but also implied that ties have already been established and have plenty of room to grow. "Peace treaties, no. Everything else below that, yes, and it's happening," he said just hours before Trump's declaration on Jerusalem.

The island nation of Bahrain, east of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf, has long been seen as more liberal than its larger neighbor, but has faced major criticism in recent years for how it put down its 2011 Arab Spring protests with the help of the Saudi kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

The tiny state is ruled by a Sunni king but has a majority Shiite population. According to the Bahraini government, 70% of the population is Muslim and the remainder adheres to various faiths.

Shiites and others demonstrated in 2011 seeking more political freedoms. An official investigation found the government demolished 30 Shiite religious structures following the demonstrations, ranging from mosques to meeting halls and shrines, as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

Bahrain is home to a small Jewish community, but no members of the community took part in the trip.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Senate confirmation battle over one of President Donald Trump's judicial nominees. (all times local):

5 p.m.

The Senate has voted along party lines to confirm another of President Donald Trump's judicial nominees despite a rare "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

The Senate voted 50-48 to confirm Leonard Steven Grasz to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.

Grasz served for more than 11 years as Nebraska's chief deputy attorney general.

Some liberal advocacy groups fear Grasz will be hostile to abortion rights and laws protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination.

But Republican lawmakers say Grasz has support from prominent Nebraskans in both political parties and is committed to fairness.

The ABA rated Grasz as "not qualified" after hearing concerns that strongly held social views would keep him from having an unbiased view on critical issues before the court.

____

1 p.m.

Senate Republicans are on track to confirm one of President Donald Trump's judicial nominees despite a rare "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

A vote is scheduled Tuesday on Trump's choice of Leonard Steven Grasz to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.

Grasz served for more than 11 years as Nebraska's chief deputy attorney general and also was general counsel to the Nebraska Republican Party. In one opinion he helped craft, he said the legacy of the landmark abortion rights ruling Roe v. Wade was its "moral bankruptcy."

Some liberal advocacy groups fear that Grasz will be hostile to abortion rights and laws protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on California wildfires (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

Authorities say a wildfire that destroyed six homes and damaged a dozen more last week in the exclusive Bel Air section of Los Angeles was sparked by an illegal cooking fire in a homeless encampment.

From left, Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.; Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., Rep. Steve Knight, R-Calif.; Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., speak to reporters about California wildfires outside the West Wing at the White House, in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

City fire spokesman Erik Scott said Tuesday that investigators found the campsite in some brush near Sepulveda Boulevard where it passes under Interstate 405.

No one was in the camp, and no arrests have been made.

Scott says fire officials didn't know about the camp but beginning next fire season they plan to start looking for such encampments and will notify police.

The fire near the world-famous Getty museum was one of several burning simultaneously in the LA area last week that forced thousands to evacuate.

The causes of the other fires remain under investigation.

___

2:20 p.m.

Members of California's congressional delegation, led by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, have met with Vice President Mike Pence to discuss the state's massive wildfires.

The House lawmakers say they talked to Pence about efforts to contain the fires and the federal government's work to coordinate the response to their growth.

Rep. Ken Calvert, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, says the federal government will work to help ensure after the wildfires that the affected areas have debris removal and watershed protection.

The meeting also included Reps. Salud Carbajal, Steve Knight, Julia Brownley and Darrell Issa.

___

5:45 a.m.

Southern California's huge wildfire continues to rip through dry brush atop a coastal ridge as crews struggle to keep flames from roaring down into neighborhoods.

Firefighters protected foothill homes near Santa Barbara, taking advantage of calmer overnight winds that forecasters say could whip up again Tuesday.

Officials express relief that much of the fire's growth is occurring to the north in unoccupied forest land but warn that the seaside towns of Montecito and Carpinteria and Fillmore in Ventura County remain at risk. Tens of thousands remain evacuated.

Poor air quality is keeping many schools closed. As ash rains down and smoke blows through streets, regulators are urging people to remain inside if possible and avoid strenuous activity.

The fire, now the fifth largest in California history, is just 20 percent contained.

In this photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, with flames burning behind it, a Christmas tree stands as a lone sentinel in the front yard of an evacuated home in Carpinteria, Calif., Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Ash fell like snow and heavy smoke had residents gasping for air Monday as a wildfire exploded in size, becoming the fifth largest in state history. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)

In this Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, photo flames from a wildfire consume the mountainside near the Cate School campus in Carpinteria, Calif. (Kenneth Song/Santa Barbara News-Press via AP)
An army of staff is working around the clock to find new properties for Grenfell Tower survivors, the leader of the local council said, amid criticism that many remained homeless six months on.

Elizabeth Campbell, the leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said 300 homes will have been bought by Christmas to ensure that when families were ready to move on we will be ready for them.

But she acknowledged there was a lack of trust in the council among survivors and it was perfectly understandable that some had refused initial offers of accommodation because they thought it would push them down the list of people trying to find a permanent home.

Cllr Elizabeth Campbell: Our work is far from done. Its taking longer than we might have hoped but we have a plan. It is fair, were sticking to it and we will get there #Grenfell #RBKCCouncilMtg  Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (@RBKC) December 6, 2017

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn demanded action from the Prime Minister after it emerged more than 100 households that escaped the blaze were facing Christmas in hotels.

Only 42 families from the tower have moved in to permanent new homes since the fire on June 14, a pace described by the Labour leader as a disgrace.

This week will see survivors and bereaved families mark the six-month anniversary of the tragedy, while the public inquiry into its causes will hold two hearings.

Elizabeth Campbell defended the council's actions (Victoria Jones/PA)

Mr Corbyn said in a statement: Six months on from the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire, the Government is failing to learn its lessons and, more importantly, failing the survivors.

It is a disgrace that the majority of Grenfell residents have still not been given homes and that tower blocks across our country have still not been made safe. We need answers from the Government and we need action.

Ms Campbell defended the councils actions to respond to the situation: We have taken on about 300 extra people  housing officers and lawyers and key workers and we have got wraparound care.

We have got an army of people out there working 24 hours a day, seven days a week because we actually really do care, we do want to get people rehoused. We have been buying homes in this part of London at a rate of about two a day.

The people which work here are very kind & helpful. In this Curve Centre there are many free courses & activities to develop peoples skills in different ways. That's feedback on childrens centre volunteer training course, offered @ The Curve. More info https://t.co/q251IQJvO6 pic.twitter.com/845DjYAWKT  Grenfell updates (@GrenfellUpdates) December 5, 2017

She told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: We will have 300 homes very shortly so everyone will have a choice, and then I guess its about relationships.

Its about individual-by-individual, family-by-family, figuring out what they want and trying to get them into a position where they feel ready to accept and ready to move on. And when they are ready to move on, we are ready for them.

She said that every family in a hotel had been offered alternative accommodation but many had refused for perfectly understandable reasons.

Some felt that if we take up an offer, were out of a hotel, we will go down the list of priorities, we will be forgotten about  thats the lack of trust.

The Tories heartless survey proves how out of touch they are. Lets tell them how we really feel about the tragedy at Grenfell.

Sign this and tell Theresa May youre with us https://t.co/mO8MhSZiGk pic.twitter.com/TlX3cj0nzv  The Labour Party (@UKLabour) November 17, 2017

The judge-led probe into the disaster was thrust back into the spotlight over the weekend as Labour backed an overhaul of its format and Britains official human rights watchdog expressed misgivings.

Labour highlighted a petition launched by bereaved families and survivors in recent weeks, calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to install an expert panel from a diverse range of backgrounds to sit alongside inquiry head Sir Martin Moore-Bick, who has been accused of being out of touch.

On Monday the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) announced its own investigation into the blaze, examining whether authorities failed in their legal obligations to residents.

The Grenfell fire has become a symbol of the inequality that exists in our country. #FollowingGrenfell will look into the potential human rights and equality breaches. https://t.co/m3m6G9H6Ik pic.twitter.com/HL5z3EkYyw  EHRC (@EHRC) December 11, 2017

Its decision to carry out an independent review will be interpreted by some as a vote of no confidence in certain aspects of Sir Martins work.

Despite the watchdogs eagerness to play down a rift, one arm of the project will look at whether the Government adequately investigated the fire, including through the public inquiry.

Sir Martins inquiry is holding procedural hearings on Monday and Tuesday at the Holborn Bars in central London.

The Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service will then be held at St Pauls Cathedral on Thursday, attended by the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
The window of opportunity is closing to pass new laws addressing the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict within a year, victims said.

Time could run out if a consultation is not launched before the end of this year, the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors added.

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has been urged to act to ensure stalled mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the Troubles are finally established.

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has been urged to publish a consultation on legacy measures (PA)

Victims and Survivors Commissioner Judith Thompson said: We are at a critical stage and time is running out to meet the parliamentary legislative timetable in 2018.

Consultation documents must be issued by the end of this year or an important window of opportunity will be lost.

Victims and survivors cannot wait any longer.

She said next year will be a very busy one for Parliament with Brexit legislation.

The consequence for victims and survivors of further delay could mean some of them will die and others will continue to suffer before they get access to effective investigations and information that some of them so desperately need.

Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson led calls for speedy consultation on dealing with the past (PA)

Proposals signed-off in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement  including a new independent investigatory unit, a truth recovery body and an oral archive  are still on ice due to a small number of outstanding political disputes.

Mr Brokenshire is planning a public consultation exercise on the framework in a bid to move on from the impasse.

The Commissioner for Victim and Survivors and members of the Victims and Survivors Forum called upon the Secretary of State to show political leadership by issuing consultation documents.

The Commissioner and the Victims and Survivors Forum has concluded a series of meetings with the leaders of Stormonts five main political parties.

They challenged Mr Brokenshire to stick to his commitment to move ahead with consultations in the absence of an Executive.
Business groups from across northern Europe have urged both sides in the Brexit talks to agree a trade deal as soon as possible  with the UK staying in the single market and customs union during a transition period.

The call from chambers of commerce from seven countries said firms need to start preparing for any new arrangements but most of the big issues of concern to businesses had not yet even been touched on by UK and European Union negotiators.

They demanded clarity on the outlines of a future EU-UK trade agreement over the coming months and warned they were increasingly concerned about continued rhetoric on a no-deal scenario.

The joint call comes from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and counterpart organisations in Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium  countries that account for around 70% of EU-UK trade.

Chambers of Commerce, representing businesses in seven countries that accounts for 70% of EU-UK trade in both directions, today calls for clarity on what the future relationship will look like as soon as possible https://t.co/WUlwS2ZCOd pic.twitter.com/aKnKmoOnwM  BCC (@britishchambers) December 11, 2017

In a message to Brexit Secretary David Davis and EU negotiator Michel Barnier, they urged both sides to create clarity on the outlines of a future trade friendly EU-UK relationship in the following months.

They added: Given the monumental changes Brexit will bring, a realistic transition period is needed to provide time for companies to adapt to the new EU-UK trading relationship.

A status quo-like transition period  announced with sufficient notice  ensuring the UK remains in the customs union and the single market for the duration of the transition period, with all the appropriate rights and obligations, would be best to provide business with the highest possible degree of certainty and predictability.

Theresa May has repeatedly stressed that no deal is better than a bad deal and some hardline Eurosceptics have urged the Prime Minister to walk away from talks and leave the bloc on World Trade Organisation terms.

But the chambers of commerce warned: A no deal scenario would be extremely undesirable for business as this would mean they will be faced with higher tariffs, more burdensome customs procedures and longer delays than under a negotiated separation.

Brexit Secretary David Davis and EU counterpart Michel Barnier have been urged by business groups to press ahead with trade talks (Philip Toscano/PA)

BCC director general Adam Marshall said the breakthrough in the negotiations, with Brussels indicating that sufficient progress had been made on divorce issues to move on to trade talks, was a relief to business.

Calling for trade talks to start without delay, he said: There is a real clamour for the negotiations to start on the practical issues that will affect firms, from regulation and customs, to tariffs and taxes.

Businesses trading between UK and Europe have done their best to focus on the potential impact of Brexit on their operations, rather than on the day-to-day political noise.

However, businesses both in the UK and around the world want clarity on the key political issues, and it is up to the negotiators to provide that clarity.
Jack Wilshere believes Arsenal demonstrated their strength in depth against Southampton as substitute Olivier Girouds late leveller earned them a 1-1 draw.

The France international headed home with two minutes remaining to cancel out Charlie Austins early opener on Sunday.

Giroud has not yet started a Premier League game this campaign  with boss Arsene Wenger preferring club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette up front  but he has made an impressive contribution from the bench, scoring four league goals so far.

Olivier Giroud scored late on to secure a point for Arsenal

And Gunners midfielder Wilshere, who was also a second-half substitute at St Marys, insists Girouds presence on the bench shows how strong Arsenals squad is.

He told Arsenal.com: I think it shows the depth in our squad. For me, Oli is one of the best strikers in the Premier League when hes on it and hes on the bench, so it shows what weve got.

There are a lot of games in December, so Im sure hes going to get a start and if hes coming on and scoring goals, thats massive for the team and it was an important goal for him.

In this team we fight till the end! Hope all the fans got home safe after the game and thanks for your support as always  pic.twitter.com/uu30ZMD2ix  Jack Wilshere (@JackWilshere) December 10, 2017

Girouds goal against Saints took him level with former Norway and Manchester United forward Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the highest-scoring substitute for a single Premier League team, on 17 goals.

The 31-year-old Giroud told Arsenals official website: I always try to bring something for the team when I come on the pitch. Today we missed having players in the box, so I tried to bring that.

It was a good cross from Alexis and I tried to be at the right place at the right time. Its nice to come back because since the beginning of the second half, we were pushing and pushing. We are pleased with this point because its always difficult to play there.
Dozens of flights have been cancelled at the UKs busiest airport as the fallout from the weekends heavy snow continues to cause disruption for passengers.

Heathrow said it was operating three-quarters of its full schedule as airlines dealt with the knock-on effects of Sundays heavy snowfall, which turned to ice overnight as temperatures plummeted.

Passengers shared images on Twitter of long queues and scores of suitcases lined up on Sunday evening, while others complained of a lack of information from the airport and airlines.

Heathrow said planes had to be de-iced, causing delays (PA)

Luggages at @HeathrowAirport yesterday (mind you it was all over the terminal). I cant find any word to qualify the situation. BTW could not find my suitcase. Will have to deal with it today. #braceyourself #londonsnow #london pic.twitter.com/IbpN92CiJL  Rim-Sarah Alouane (@RimSarah) December 11, 2017

Rim-Sarah Alouane was still waiting to travel, without her luggage, at Heathrow more than 24 hours after her intended flight to Washington DC had been due to take off at 11.25am on Sunday.

The 33-year-old, from Toulouse, said she had then boarded a rebooked flight on Sunday evening but the plane was struck by an electrical fault and the passengers had to disembark.

She said: Its shameful, Im drained, Im exhausted. Ive got a migraine but my meds are in my suitcase.

Both apps, British Airways and Heathrow, were giving conflicting information, then there was an electrical fault with the plane. And the problem was once I got outside the plane, it was absolutely chaotic.

We had old people crying, some people could not speak English and there was luggage everywhere in the terminal.

This is the mess currently going on at @HeathrowAirport #londonsnow I cant find my suitcase... pic.twitter.com/s2yASXSMn9  Rim-Sarah Alouane (@RimSarah) December 10, 2017

Also among them was Beth Kanter, a non-profit and charities consultant from San Francisco, who said the British Airways flight she boarded was cancelled on Sunday after six hours on the tarmac.

She said she was told on the aircraft that the weather was an act of god and that the airline could not pay for a hotel as a result.

She said: (They were) saying they were waiting for de-ice. Then, they cancelled our flight. Then it took me four hours to get through the immigration line. On the plane, the pilot said that we would be able to collect our baggage in baggage reclaim. That was the good news.

Then, after standing in line and finally making it through immigration, the baggage area was total chaos. There was baggage on the baggage claims but none of the signs indicated what the flights were.

UPDATE | Disruption continues following yesterdays weather. If your flight is cancelled, please do not travel to the airport. https://t.co/zOqJyQR48T pic.twitter.com/ZczcxvAQ4I  Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) December 11, 2017

There was a huge long line  it must have several hundred people in it  stretching from baggage claim number three to the last one where customer service was. There was one person there.

Then I noticed a man with a BA sweatshirt come out of a back office with a paper with the list of flights and baggage claim numbers  this was after being in baggage claim for hours, trying to figure out what the hell to do.

The consultant, whose luggage filled with holiday gifts was lost in the chaos, said she asked for information on her flight which was not on his list, but eventually received a rebooking for Monday.

They announced that everyone should go home and come back tomorrow to deal with their bagspeople were really pissed off and it was stressful she added.

A Heathrow spokeswoman said: Some flights at Heathrow are disrupted today.

However, the airport remains open and is operating three-quarters of scheduled flights. Before coming to the airport, passengers must check their flight status with their airline. If the status of your flight is cancelled, please do not travel to the airport, keep updated via the airlines website.

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. We apologise to those whose travel has been impacted and regret the inconveniences that have been caused.
The landfill search for missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague has concluded without finding any trace of him.

A 20-week search of the site at Milton near Cambridge finished earlier this year, and a second search, lasting seven weeks, finished on Monday.

More than 2,800 tonnes of waste was searched during the second phase.

Corrie McKeague went missing in September last year (Police have been combing a landfill site in Milton, Cambridgeshire (Cambridgeshire Police/PA)

Suffolk Police said the investigation into Mr McKeagues disappearance would remain open.

Mr McKeague was 23 when he was last seen walking through Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in September 2016 after a night out with friends.

It is thought he may have climbed into a waste bin and was taken away by a bin lorry, prompting the landfill search.

A Suffolk Police spokesman said: "Police are content Corrie is not in the landfill areas which have now been searched.

Police have completed the search of a second area at the #Milton landfill site as part of their inquiry to find Corrie McKeague.



Read more - https://t.co/olKpRMmRHT  Suffolk Police (@SuffolkPolice) December 11, 2017

"The inquiry team has identified all the other possible locations where waste has been deposited from the area in Bury St Edmunds known as the `horseshoe and there are no further realistic search opportunities at this time.

"As previously stated, the nature of waste disposal and its movement is not an exact science."

A review of the investigation to date agreed that it was most likely that Mr McKeague ended up in the waste disposal process.

If you have any information in regards to Corrie mckeague, please get in contact. Thank you #FIndcorrie pic.twitter.com/ytBb25iegv  Find Corrie (@findcorrie) August 8, 2017

Detective Superintendent Katie Elliott said: We are still committed to continuing with the inquiry.

"There are a number of other theories about what could have happened to Corrie and we are continuing to test the evidence to help us understand what happened to Corrie, which will assist in providing answers to his family.

We feel it is important to explain to the family what we are doing, so they have the opportunity to understand and question what we have done, and why we have done it.

We are acutely aware of the immense strain the last 15 months has placed upon Corries loved ones.

Mr McKeagues mother Nicola Urquhart said she was confident that if her son was in the landfill, the search team would have found him.

Nicola Urquhart retraced her son's final steps in Bury St Edmunds exactly a year after his disappearance (Joe Giddens/PA)

We now know Corrie is not in the landfill, she said, adding that the search for her son is still very much a live investigation.

His father Martin McKeague said the family sent their heartfelt appreciation to all involved in the search.

Mr McKeague, from Fife but based at RAF Honington in Suffolk, was last seen on CCTV at 3.25am on September 24 2016.

His girlfriend, April Oliver, announced in June that the missing serviceman had become a father with the birth of their daughter.
A woman has died after being struck by two lorries and two cars in a suspected multiple hit-and-run, police said.

The victim, believed to be in her late 20s or early 30s, was struck by an HGV as she crossed the road at a pedestrian crossing in Tulse Hill, south London.

The Metropolitan Police said the driver failed to stop at the scene and the woman was subsequently hit by a second lorry and two cars, with all of their drivers not stopping.

The driver failed to stop at the scene and the woman was subsequently hit by a second lorry and two cars (PA)

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision involving several vehicles - none of which stopped - in Tulse Hill #Lambeth https://t.co/kAPu6C6N0g pic.twitter.com/bCTkVxZoE9  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) December 11, 2017

Paramedics were called to the scene at Norwood Road at 6.48am on Monday. The victim, who has not been identified, was treated at the scene but pronounced dead at 7.21am.

Acting detective sergeant Alastair Middleton said: I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision and the moments afterwards to contact us.

I would also urge the drivers of all four vehicles to come forward and speak with my team.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Merton on 020 8543 5157.
A senior Iranian MP has accused Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson of seeking the release of two British spies during his visit to the country.

Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, spokesman for the Tehran parliaments national security and foreign policy commission, described Mr Johnsons request as irrational.

His intervention appears to be a further setback to hopes of securing the release of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcilffe, who has been held for 20 months.

Following his talks in the Iranian capital at the weekend, Mr Johnson said he had worthwhile discussions concerning Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British-Iranian dual nationals being held there.

While he said he did not want to raise false hopes, he believed his messages had been received and understood by Iranian officials.

Mr Naqavi Hosseini was quoted by the Iranian Tasnim news agency as saying: One of the problems that we face in receiving European delegations is that they make irrational requests from the Iranian side.

Foreign Secretary @BorisJohnson's visit to Iran was a "positive" step in the campaign to release jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, says her husband. pic.twitter.com/vvojkM4WfM  Victoria Derbyshire (@VictoriaLIVE) December 11, 2017

He did not say who his comments referred to, but added that if the matter was raised with the commission it would oppose the release of the individuals concerned.

The Foreign Office declined to comment on his remarks.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes husband said earlier that she was much more hopeful she would be be released following Mr Johnsons visit.

Richard Ratcliffe said his wife was more upbeat in phone calls over the last two days and the basics of Mr Johnsons intervention can only help.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani greets Boris Johnson at the start of their meeting in Tehran (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Mr Ratcliffe said he met the Foreign Secretary on Monday, adding Mr Johnson was cautious and didnt want to get my hopes up that it was all going to be done in the next three or four days.

But he highlighted comments by Irans foreign ministry, saying it would raise the case with the judiciary out of humanitarian concerns and the Tehran revolutionary court, which he said described reports of a new set of charges against his wife as a mistake by Western media.

There had been suggestions Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe could be taken back to court on Sunday following threats to increase her sentence by five years after a gaffe by Mr Johnson, who incorrectly told a parliamentary committee she had been in Iran to train journalists.

The case was postponed after Mr Johnsons visit.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in 2016 (Family handout/PA)

Mr Ratcliffe said his wife was also allowed an extra phone call on Monday, and that reading the tea leaves, he still hoped she could return home by Christmas.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: She was very upbeat, talked about how shed been dreaming of being on that plane and it was just nice to hear that hope in her voice.

I am sure the fact the Foreign Secretary went to Iran and raised her case and stressed the importance of the UK-Iranian relationship and there was progress on all sorts of things, Im sure all of that together improves relations, and yeah, the basics of him being there and caring can only help.

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 serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government.
Donald Trumps attack on Theresa May on tackling terrorism was about protecting Americans and the whole transatlantic row over his sharing of anti-Muslim videos online was probably misinterpreted, the United States ambassador in London has said.

Woody Johnson said the US president was not namby-pamby in his commitment to dealing with radical Islamist terror and would take some chances to achieve his goal.

He said he still expects and hopes Mr Trump will visit the UK in 2018 despite the extraordinary diplomatic flare-up.

Mr Trump was rebuked last month by Mrs May for retweeting a series of inflammatory anti-Muslim videos originally posted online by the deputy leader of the far right Britain First group.

When he hit back in a trademark tweet telling the PM to "focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism" in the UK, he sparked an outcry from MPs who demanded an apology and a cancellation of his planned state visit.

Discussing the row, Mr Johnson told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: "I think a lot of that stuff was probably misinterpreted."

He went on: "I think the way I would look at it and I think the way he looks at it is  security is his number one oath when he took the oath of office, its protecting Americans, its protecting Americans here and the US, thats number one, and thats my number one as well.

"And so if you look at the context of that, thats what hes trying to do.

"Is he perfect and appeasing everybody?"

"A lot of that stuff was probably misinterpreted..."



The US Ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, says @realDonaldTrump's tweets attacking Theresa May were about protecting Americans #r4today pic.twitter.com/WycLtQzwjm  BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) December 12, 2017

He added: "Going back to his true feelings and what hes trying to accomplish, he wants to protect Americans and hes doing his best to do that, hes not going to go down the path of a lot of politicians and maybe be namby-pamby about it.

"I mean hes gonna come out, hes gonna probably take some chances in an effort to do that, to accomplish that security goal.

"Maybe hell ruffle feathers, theres no question that maybe some feathers were ruffled with that."

Asked if he was expecting Mr Trump to visit in the New Year, Mr Johnson said: "Absolutely, I think he will come, I hope he will come."

Donald Trump (Evan Vucci/AP)

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: Donald Trumps reckless actions are making the world less safe and setting back global action on climate change.

When he comes to Britain, people will make their views known on these issues and show him we are a diverse and inclusive society.
Ruth Davidson has hinted that she could make the switch from Holyrood to Westminster and run as an MP.

The Scottish Tory leader suggested such conversations could take place after the next Scottish Parliament elections in 2021  though she insisted she would only run for a Scottish seat and would not opt to stand in a safe Conservative seat in the south.

Such a prospect would depend on those election results, with Ms Davidson having publicly set her sights on ousting Nicola Sturgeon and becoming Scotlands next first minister.

Ruth Davidson and Nicola Sturgeon were on the same side during the EU referendum but the Scottish Tory leader said her priority is to take over as First Minister of Scotland. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Her comments, in an article with The Spectator magazine, come amid continuing speculation that she could be a future leader of the UK Conservatives after her success in transforming the fortunes of the party north of the border.

Under her leadership, the Conservatives have become the second-largest party at Holyrood, returning a record 31 MSPs to the Parliament in Edinburgh in 2015 and removing Labour as the main party of opposition.

While the Conservatives in England lost seats in the June 2016 general election, the Scottish Conservative tally of MPs went from one to 13.

Ms Davidson ruled out taking on the job of Conservative Party chair, insisting that leading the party in Scotland is a bigger job than being Conservative party chairman.

When asked what could happen if the Tories come third in the 2021 Scottish elections, after recent polls showed Labour in second place, she told the magazine: Ive been leader of the party now for six years. My two predecessors lasted six and a half years each.

By the time of the next Holyrood elections, she would have been in charge of the party for significantly longer than them and said: Then we can start other conversations.

Ruth Davidson joined Theresa May on the campaign trail at this years general election. (Jane Barlow/PA)

Asked if those would include conversations about her coming to Westminster, she said: I havent ruled it out. If devolution is going to work, then actually there has to be the ability to move between chambers and parliaments.

Pressed further on if she would only stand for a Scottish seat, Ms Davidson said: Yes.

She also declared that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would be eminently beatable in the next UK general election in 2022.

Ms Davidson said that in this years election voters viewed the veteran left-winger as a safe receptacle because everybody had written off his chances but said that he would not be a safe receptacle next time.

A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: Ruths only focus is on winning the 2021 Scottish elections. Scotland needs a change after 10 years of the SNP and the Scottish Conservatives intend to provide it.
By Natalia Zinets

KIEV, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Ukrainian opposition figure Mikheil Saakashvili was freed from detention on Monday, after a Ukrainian judge turned down the prosecutors' request to place him under house arrest - the latest twist in his dramatic standoff with the authorities.

President of his native Georgia for nine years until 2013, Saakashvili moved to Ukraine after a popular uprising there and served under Poroshenko as a regional governor from 2015-2016, before falling out with the Ukrainian leader.

The 49-year-old accuses the Ukrainian authorities of widespread corruption. Prosecutors wanted him placed under house arrest while investigators look into accusations he assisted a criminal organisation, charges he says were trumped up to undermine his campaign to unseat Poroshenko.

"The prosecutors' petition ... is dismissed," Judge Larysa Tsokol told the court.

A crowd of several hundred supporters, who had remained outside the courthouse throughout the eight-hour hearing, cheered the judge's decision.

"The judge is good. She did everything correctly and in accordance with the law," Saakashvili said. "It means not everything is lost in Ukraine."

The case against him remains open.

Speaking after the ruling, which was attended by several prominent opposition lawmakers, including former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Saakashvili said he planned to continue his political work.

Together with other opposition politicians he will "prepare for a peaceful but very important and necessary change in leadership in Ukraine", he said.

Saakashvili, who launched a hunger strike to protest against his detention, sang the Ukrainian national anthem at the beginning of the hearing.

The courtroom was so packed with journalists and Saakashvili's supporters that his lawyer asked the judge to move the session to a larger room.

The investigation provoked violent clashes between protesters and riot police last week, while on Sunday several thousand people attended a peaceful rally in central Kiev to support Saakashvili and call for Poroshenko's impeachment.

"While the protest does not represent a significant risk to government stability at the moment, it will likely attract the attention of Ukraine's international supporters and donors," London-based research firm Teneo Intelligence said in a note.

Saakashvili is also facing the threat of possible extradition to Georgia, where he is wanted on criminal charges.

Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko told Reuters the extradition request was being considered but no final decision had yet been made. He denied the case was politically motivated.

"Every person who lives in Ukraine must respect the basic laws," he said.

"Unfortunately so far we only see things that are unworthy behaviour of such a person." (Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison Williams)
By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Concerns about the impact of next year's election and competition from lower-cost or more efficient Asian rivals will slow the growth of Cambodia's garment industry next year, the main manufacturers' group said.

The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, representing 600 factories that employ around 700,000 people, said it expected export growth of 3 to 4 percent next year from a rate of 8 percent in the first nine months of 2017.

It did not see any major risk that the European Union would cut trade preferences, a threat raised by the bloc after the main opposition party was dissolved last month at the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen's government.

"Any concern is legitimate but we feel that any economic sanctions won't happen," Kaing Monika, deputy secretary of GMAC, told Reuters in an interview. He said he saw industry growth slowing "because of election concerns from buyers."

Cambodia is due to hold elections in July next year and Hun Sen looks set for an easy win after the dissolution of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and arrest of its leader, Kem Sokha.

In 2016, Cambodia's garment exports were worth $6.3 billion and they reached $4.9 billion in the first seven months of 2017.

If there was the loss of EU duty free access under the Everything But Arms scheme for poor countries it would deal a huge blow to Cambodia, which is among the world's top garment-making hubs and sends about 30 percent of its exports to the European Union.

The European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia said it opposed any cut to trade preferences.

"Trade sanctions will not help in any way and they will put into jeopardy all the achievements that Cambodia has made over the past 20 years," said Blaise Kilian, the chamber's advocacy manager.

Labour rights campaigners shared that view.

"We think it's important for the brands to stay engaged in Cambodia," said Elena Arengo from the International Labor Rights Forum, a workers' rights group. "Pulling out would mean workers getting hurt."

Cambodia's factories supply global brands including Gap Inc , Sweden-based H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB, and sportswear brands Nike, Puma and Adidas , among others.

CHINA-RELIANT

Over the past two decades, Cambodia has been the sixth fastest expanding economy in the world, with an average GDP growth rate of 7.6 percent, according to the World Bank, driven largely by garment exports.

Cambodia has been getting increasingly close to China politically and economically in recent years, and that relationship will only tighten in the face of Western condemnation of Hun Sen's crackdown on the opposition.

But China also has a big stake in the success of the garment industry. Around 65 percent of Cambodia's garment factories are owned by companies from Greater China.

In terms of labor costs, wages in Cambodia are higher than in Bangladesh, another garment-making hub, where the minimum monthly wage for garment workers is 5,300 taka ($65) compared to the current, $153 minimum wage in Cambodia.

Vietnam's costs may be higher - the government's minimum wage range is $113.61 to $165.13 - but Cambodia sits below Vietnam when it comes to productivity, said Kaing Monika.

"They have cheaper production costs, they have their own textile mills, they have cheaper electricity and more efficient infrastructure," said Kaing Monika.

"They have direct shipments from Ho Chi Minh to Los Angeles while we do not have that. We have to go to Hong Kong or Malaysia," he said. (Additional reporting by Mai Nguyen in HANOI; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Martin Howell)
Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour):

CORE CPI

Poland's statistics service to publish core CPI data for November at 1300.

FITCH

Polish energy firms have decreasing potential for raising debt, the business daily Parkiet reports, citing an interview with Arkadiusz Wicik, a senior manager at Fitch Ratings.

FERTILISERS

In the past five years, the volume of fertilisers imported to Poland has risen 55 percent to 3.1 million tonnes in 2016 and a further rise has been observed this year, the business daily Parkiet reports, citing official customs data. Imports of fertilisers from Russia have doubled during that time.

BITCOIN

Poland's central bank and the country's Financial Supervision Commission have joined efforts in warning about risks from investing in bitcoins, the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reports.

RATES

Poland's Monetary Policy Council will most likely miss the best moment to raise rates, the business daily Puls Biznesu reports, citing a poll the paper conducted among economists at eight banks.

****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****

For other related news, double click on: Polish equities E.Europe equities Polish money Polish debt Eastern Europe All emerging markets Hot stocks Stock markets Market debt news Forex news For real-time index quotes, double click on: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX (Reporting by Warsaw Bureau; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)
SOFIA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov discussed co-operation on migration and security with his British counterpart Theresa May during a one-day visit to London. He said he expects London's support for the integration of Western Balkan countries (Standart, Trud, Monitor)

-- Israeli embassy in Sofia was evacuated after an anonymous phone call triggered a bomb alert, which turned out to be a false alarm, police said (Trud, 24 Chasa, Standart)

-- Bulgarian customs have seized 25.7 kg of heroin at the Lesovo checkpoint on the country's southeastern border with Turkey, the customs agency said. The illicit drug, split into 50 packets, was found in a double floor of a truck entering from Turkey. The driver of the vehicle, a 40-year-old Turkish citizen, was arrested (Monitor, Trud)

-- Bulgarian households will spend up to 24 percent of the monthly income for Christmas gifts, a study by Feratum Group showed. They put clothes first in their list of gifts (17 percent), followed by electronics and toys
Dec 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted Indivior's application for its new schizophrenia treatment, the British drugmaker said on Tuesday, boosting hopes of marketing the drug in the country.

The London-listed company, which specialises in heroin addiction treatment, said the FDA had accepted its application for RBP-7000, an investigational once-a-month injectable to treat schizophrenia.

Earlier this month, the company's experimental drug to help fight America's growing opioid addiction crisis was approved by the FDA, boosting its sales prospects as competitors threaten revenue from an older product.

Shares in Indivior were expected to rise about 3 percent at market open.

(Reporting by Justin George Varghese in Bengaluru; editing by Jason Neely)
By Abhinav Ramnarayan

LONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Portugal has halved its borrowing costs since the start of the year with its 10-year bond yield close to its lowest level since April 2015 ahead of a potential restoration of its investment grade status by Fitch.

Portugal outperformed the rest of the market on Tuesday and saw its 10-year bond yields -- which move inversely to price -- drop to as low 1.78 percent, a shade away from a 2-1/2 year low hit on Monday.

Hitherto seen as one of the weakest links in the euro zone, Portugal's strong economic performance and narrowing deficit has seen investors favour its debt increasingly this year.

The European Central Bank's decision to extend its asset purchase programme has also helped push down the yields of all the Southern European government debt, seen as the biggest beneficiaries of ultra-loose monetary policy.

The fact that Portugal has far less outstanding bonds than neighbouring Spain and Italy has also compressed yields as investors struggle to find bonds with the ECB buying up a large chunk of the market through its asset purchase scheme.

But the trend accelerated after S&P Global restored Portugal to investment grade status in September and many expect a similar move from Fitch at a scheduled review on Friday.

"We are expecting a one-notch upgrade by Fitch to BBB- on 15 December to be followed by more positive credit actions during 2018," said BBVA strategist Jaime Costero Denche.

Even though it would not be a surprise, Portugal's bonds should still benefit as two investment grade ratings grants inclusion into many of the world's biggest bond indices, he said.

The yield on Portugal's 10-year government bond dropped to 1.785 percent, down 2 basis points on the day and just a shade off the 2-1/2 year low of 1.78 percent hit on Monday.

At the start of the year, the country's 10-year borrowing costs were 3.73 percent and the spread over Germany was 374 bps and over Italy -- the benchmark for Southern Europe -- was 199 bps.

On Tuesday, the Portugal-German bond yield spread was as low as 145 bps and the spread over Italy was just 16 bps.

"We believe Portuguese government bonds could find the sweet spot and test the 140bp spread area versus the Bund, eventually closing the year with yields below (Italian) BTPs in the 10-year sector," said BBVA's Costero.

The ECB's decision in October to extend its asset purchase programme until at least September 2018 has pushed most euro zone government bond yields lower since.

On Tuesday, high grade euro zone edged off recent lows, with benchmark German 10-year yields rising a basis point to 0.30 percent.

Southern European debt outperformed, with yields edging lower to test month-long lows.

For Reuters Live Markets blog on European and UK stock markets see reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=http://emea1.apps.cp.extranet.thomsonreuters.biz/cms/?pageId=livemarkets

(Reporting by Abhinav Ramnarayan; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
BANGKOK, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Police in Thailand said on Tuesday said they had arrested an Australian man and his Thai wife in connection with drug-smuggling charges dating back to 2015.

Australian Luke Cook, 34, and wife Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, were arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport on Saturday, police said.

They were wanted on suspicion of smuggling crystal methamphetamine in 2015, police said. Assets worth 30 million baht ($920,000) belonging to the couple were seized, police said in a statement.

A lawyer for the couple said the two denied wrongdoing.

"These two haven't done anything wrong," lawyer Pipat Chanprakul told Reuters.

"They are pleading innocent."

Police did not give details about the quantity of drugs the pair were suspected of smuggling in 2015 but said they were believed to have dumped drugs into the sea off the southeastern province of Chonburi after encountering a patrol boat.

Officials later found 50.45 kg (111 lb) of crystal methamphetamine washed ashore, police said.

East and Southeast Asia are at the heart of the global trade in synthetic drugs, with drugs manufactured in, and trafficked from, the region causing serious public health problems in the region and other parts of the world, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says. (Reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Suphanida Thakral; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Robert Birsel)
LJUBLJANA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Slovenia's state-owned Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) plans to sell 100 percent of its Macedonian pension business NLB Nov Penziski Fond AD Skopje to Slovenian reinsurer Sava Re, the bank said on Tuesday.

It did not disclose the value of the deal but said Macedonia remains one of NLB's strategic markets as NLB continues to own bank NLB Banka AD Skopje there.

"NLB Banka AD Skopje is one of the largest and most important banks in NLB group and ... NLB is going to increase the volume of its operations in the Republic of Macedonia even further," NLB said.

The bank is selling off its non-core business in order to streamline its business and increase profit ahead of privatisation.

Slovenia's government and the European Commission are in talks about a delay the sale of a majority of NLB after Slovenia in June abandoned the plan, saying the expected price, which valued the whole bank at a minumum of 1.1 billion euros, was too low.

Slovenia was supposed to sell a majority of NLB by the end of 2017 in exchange for the Commission's approval of state aid to the bank in 2013. (Reporting By Marja Novak Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
KABUL, Dec 12 (Reuters) - One Afghan and three Turkish teachers linked to an organisation regarded with suspicion by the Turkish government were detained by Afghan intelligence officials on Tuesday, the organisation's head said. The move against Afghan Turk CAG Educational NGO (ATCE), the body that runs the schools, appeared to be part of a Turkish campaign against followers of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric it accuses of being behind a coup attempt in July 2016 aimed at ousting President Tayyip Erdogan.

ATCE, which says it is an independent organization, runs schools in several cities including the capital, Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and Herat and has been in Afghanistan since 1995.

"Around 7 a.m., four of our teachers traveling in two different cars were picked up by (Afghan intelligence)," said Human Erdogan, the chairman of ATCE.

Other intelligence officials later went to the group's girls' school nearby looking for another teacher, he said.

He said the men presented themselves as members of the National Directorate of of Security (NDS), Afghanistan's intelligence agency.

Neither the NDS nor the Afghan government immediately responded to requests for comment.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was on his way to Istanbul on Tuesday to attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit.

In March, Afghanistan ordered the schools to be transferred to a foundation approved by Ankara.

Last year, shortly before a visit to Islamabad by the Turkish president, Pakistan ordered Turkish teachers at schools run by a body called PakTurk International Schools and Colleges to leave the country.

Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan who nows lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, promotes a moderate form of Islam, supporting inter-faith communication and Western-style education and inspiring schools in different parts of the world.

He has denied any involvement in the 2016 failed coup attempt. (Reporting by Girish Gupta in Kabul, and James Mackenzie; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
BEIRUT, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence against an Iranian academic with Swedish residency convicted of espionage, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

Ahmadreza Djalali, a doctor and lecturer at the Karolinska Institute, a Stockholm medical university, was accused of providing information to Israel to help it assassinate several senior nuclear scientists.

Djalali was arrested in Iran in April 2016 and later convicted of espionage. He denied the charges, Amnesty said.

At least four scientists were killed between 2010 and 2012 in what Tehran said was a programme of assassinations aimed at sabotaging its efforts to develop nuclear energy. Iran hanged a man in 2012 over the killings, saying he had links to Israel.

Djalali's lawyers were told on Saturday that the Supreme Court had considered his case and upheld his Oct. 24 sentence in a secret process without allowing them to file defence submissions, London-based Amnesty said.

"This is not only a shocking assault on the right to a fair trial but is also in utter disregard for Ahmadreza Djalalis right to life," Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.

The Iranian judiciary could not be reached for comment.

Amnesty said in October that the court verdict against Djalali stated he had worked with the Israeli government which then helped him obtain a Swedish residency permit.

Djalali was on a business trip to Iran when he was arrested and sent to Evin prison. He was held in solitary confinement for three months of his detention and tortured, Amnesty said.

It said Djalali wrote a letter inside Evin last August stating he was being held for refusing to spy for Iran.

Sweden condemned the sentence in October and said it had raised the matter with Iranian envoys in Stockholm and Tehran.

The United Nations and international human rights organisations regularly list Iran as a country with one of the world's highest execution rates. Rights groups have criticised Iran for its regular resort to capital punishment. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; editing by Mark Heinrich)
BERLIN, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A German soldier was charged on Tuesday with plotting to kill senior politicians because of their support for refugees and trying to make it look like asylum seekers carried out the murders.

The officer, named only as Franco Hans A., was arrested in April in a case that shocked Germans and stirred a debate about the depth of right-wing radicalism in the Bundeswehr military.

"Motivated by a nationalist attitude, he planned to carry out an attack at an unknown time on high-ranking politicians and public figures who stood up for what the accused regarded as an especially refugee-friendly policy," the federal prosecutor's office said.

"He wanted people to believe that his attacks were related to radical Islamist terrorism committed by somebody who had been granted asylum," it added.

The statement did not say whether the soldier had denied the charges or include any statement from his lawyer.

Among the targets were Justice Minister Heiko Maas, a senior Social Democrat, Greens politician Claudia Roth as well as human rights activists and journalists, the prosecutor's office added.

Prosecutors suspect that Franco Hans A., along with two accomplices, wanted to implicate refugees in their planned attack by posing as an asylum seeker.

The case had put pressure on centre-right Chancellor Angela Merkel's government - with her close ally Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen facing criticism for first failing to deal with right-wing extremism in the army and then implying that most soldiers were right-wing radicals.

The federal prosecutor's office said the soldier was accused of committing a serious act of violent subversion and violating the military weapons control law, as well as gun and explosives laws.

Franco Hans A., who served with an army battalion stationed in France, had used a fake identity to register as a Syrian refugee and moved into a shelter for migrants in Bavaria even though he speaks no Arabic, the prosecutors said.

The soldier had previously been detained in late January by Austrian authorities on suspicion of having hidden an illegal gun in a bathroom at Vienna's main airport, they added. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
By Richard Lough

PARIS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Tuesday said she had no immediate plans to toughen a rule that means a firm generating about a third or more of its income from coal is excluded from the country's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund.

Norway's parliament in 2015 ordered the fund, built on revenues from the country's vast offshore oil and gas industry, divest from companies which derived more than 30 percent of their turnover or activity from coal.

Asked if that threshold might be toughened, Solberg told Reuters: "I think it is at the right level. We have to acknowledge that a lot of these fossil (fuel) companies ... are diversifying. A lot of the funding for renewable energy comes from (fossil fuel) sources."

"So for the current time I think 30 percent is OK, and maybe it will be lower in the future," she said in Paris, where she is attending a climate change financing summit.

Solberg said Norway would support an initiative launched at the meeting by French President Emmanuel Macron for sovereign wealth funds to demand more rigorous environment-related corporate governance from the firms they invest in.

The group, called the "One Planet Sovereign Wealth Fund Working Group", includes funds from New Zealand, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Norway and Abu Dhabi, according to a draft document.

Norway's fund already demands that larger companies provide details on how they measure their carbon dioxide footprint and how they plan to reduce those emissions.

Institutional investors needed to put a price on climate risk to safeguard returns on their investments, she said.

"The risk is that economies will change if we have too high emissions," Solberg said. "There is also a responsibility for investors to promote new technology and see what kinds of companies will have the best returns in the future."

"And remember there will probably be higher costs to emissions in the future ... so if you look at long term and not quarterly returns then you will have to estimate climate risk better."

Norway's fund has proposed dropping oil and gas companies from its benchmark index to diversify away from hydrocarbons given the economy is built on oil and gas. That would mean cutting its investments companies such as Royal Dutch Shell , BP, Chevron and Exxon Mobil.

The government is holding a review and Solberg reiterated her government's intention to make a recommendation to parliament -- which must vote on such a move -- next year.

Solberg's conservative-led government rules in a minority, and is dependent on two smaller environment-friendly parties to win backing for its policies. (Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Edmund Blair)
He was a rich man now, she hesitantly and doubtfully uttered in Gamperaliya, thus setting down the confusions and conflicts and shifts of temper that would adorn the first honestly conceived Sinhala film ever made. The man who taught her English in that sequence, conducting lessons under her mothers watchful gaze, aspired to be that rich man, and for the entirety of the film and its sequel, Kaliyugaya, he hoped to win her by gaining the wealth that his education would bring. She on her part gave the impression that she was no more than a submissive receptacle, never capable of any real free will or autonomy, and yet it was because of her submissiveness, her lack of a proper character, that the men and women who figured in her life changed so dramatically. In the very first scene of Gamperaliya Lester James Peries hence said everything that he wanted to say in this respect, and in so doing he went for the perfect couple: the English teacher was Henry Jayasena and the student was Punya Heendeniya.



In the history of the Sinhala cinema women have typically been portrayed as either the objectified fantasies of men they were supposed to be, in which case they were paragons of virtue, or the vamps, the seducers, the rebels they were taught all their lives not to be, in which case they were confused prodigals. Beginning with Rukmani Devi, the female figure almost always embodied goodness, but when she lapsed, when she went wayward, the hero and the star was there to rescue her. The first 20 years of our cinema, right after 1947, saw this kind of woman before the arrival of Malini Fonseka, who in Punchi Baba and Akkara Paha began playing to the fantasies of men by alluring them. The women of our cinema had existed to be rescued and redeemed by their lovers. It was with Malini that we saw a qualitatively different woman.



Between Rukmani and Malini, occupying a twilight world, we see Punya Heendeniya. Punya entered the industry towards the latter part of the 1950s as an idealised woman because Rukmani Devi, who herself was idealised, though as a more tragic figure, was situated in a largely urban and sophisticated setting. Punya figured in quite a different milieu: the rural Sinhala Buddhist bourgeoisie, who gained more prominence after 1956 and the election of Bandaranaike. In the films of L. S. Ramachandran  Deiyange Rate, Kurulubedda, Sikuru Tharuwa  we see the emergence and the empowerment in our cinema of this rural bourgeoisie, along with the myths that they affirmed and in a way symbolised. They all played around with variations of the conventional morality play, pitting good against evil and derived from the female goodness and male heroism which our culture (largely Sinhala and Buddhist) epitomised. Women were never allowed, in the early days, to a watch a Gammaduwa up close, nor were they allowed to don the headgear and go through the Ves Mangalya as they do today. That was at one level misogynistic, and was born in part from a culture of male protectiveness. The myth of female goodness derives for the most from this culture of protectiveness, and in Punya, who was featured in all those three movies, our storytellers found the archetype to square with that cultural sensibility.

The first 20 years of our cinema, right after 1947, saw this kind of woman before the arrival of Malini Fonseka, who in Punchi Baba and Akkara Paha began playing to the fantasies of men by alluring them



The outlook that was articulated and reflected in Deiyange Rate, Kurulubedda, and Sikuru Tharuwa was manifestly informed by the outlook of the Colombo Poets, who, while residing in Colombo, were obsessed with life outside the city. The village, to these poets (who were shaped by the Lake Poets of 19th century England), was the ultimate salvation of their country, their race. As opposed to the Peradeniya poets and novelists, who preferred a Westernised conception of literature, with the individualist, psychological subjectivity of D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf, their counterparts in Colombo inadvertently borrowed from the early English theatre (that influenced the novels of Samuel Richardson) and placed the rural Sinhala Buddhist bourgeoisie and peasantry on the stereotypes of that early morality theatre: the young hero, the ageing villain, the good girl. All three films depicted and placed Punya as that good girl.



In these movies, she consequently privileges tradition over individuality, and gradually becomes bereft of a personality. Ediriweera Sarachchandra in The Sinhalese Novel (which bolstered Martin Wickramasinghes reputation) contended that the only characteristic of Nanda, from Gamperaliya, was her lack of any vivid character. She only existed to listen to her elders, to willingly reject any outside intrusions and step in line with the accepted authority. Gamperaliya was a more realistic, and thus a more multifarious, depiction of that obedient woman; Kurulubedda, which got praised so lavishly by Sinhalese critics (particularly those like Jayawilal Wilegoda) that it was erroneously considered the first real Sinhala film (instead of Rekava), wasnt multifarious this way. The women in it existed in a dichotomised world, between good and evil, submission and rebellion: in short, the past and the future.



It was a Colombo poet who scripted these films, incidentally: P. K. D. Seneviratne, acknowledged by Lester James Peries as probably the only man at the time who wrote original movie scripts. He attributed to Punyas characters an emotional resonance and spirit of resilience which could easily be squared with the triumph of moral goodness within her. Punya was a beauty, but never overly and superficially adorned: she was more a simple village damsel than the cosmetic nightingale that Rukmani Devi had been, and continued to be. She gave the impression of being fragile, of being open to abuse and exploitation, but because of her moral standing perhaps, she warded off every and any obstacle that beset her (particularly in Sikuru Tharuwa, where she wards off the advances of the lascivious vel vidane, played by D. R. Nanayakkara).



Her career was never as prolific and versatile as that of her contemporaries, but Id like to think this was more a strength than a weakness on her part. In an industry where men were said to make the moves  long before Nadeeka Gunasekara, Swarna Mallawarachchi, and Anoja Weerasinghe came forward and, in the films they were in, repudiated the patriarchy inherent in their field  being a prolific actress could have diluted her image of the perennially optimistic and tradition bound woman. We needed her at this juncture (the 1960s) because, while her characters seem rather overly optimistic and hopeful today, they help explain, and also reflect, the subtle ways in which culture and cinema cross each others paths even in a society where the movies are still derided as a Western import (like ours).

Ramachandrans Deiyange Rate, an adaptation of the W. A. Silva novel, was a watershed in this respect.

Punya was a beauty, but never overly and superficially adorned: she was more a simple village damsel than the cosmetic nightingale that Rukmani Devi had been, and continued to be. She gave the impression of being fragile, of being open to abuse and exploitation



Peries did away with the need to bifurcate our women  between goodhearted lovers on the one hand and unredeemable vamps on the other  with Gamperaliya. I wrote before that in Lester we come across our first film-maker who raised flak and earned praise from every quarter in our critical fraternity. That was because he was uncompromising in his attempts to peel away the false and the tawdry, the remnants of the past, which the Sinhala cinema thrived on. If Gamperaliya seems too slow paced today (especially to those who have short attention spans) its because no one can match his meticulous attention to visual detail. To a considerable extent this was true of his depiction of the two main women in the story: the Kaisaruvatte sisters, Nanda and Anula. In Punya he had found the perfect embodiment of rural innocence, but he never forced her to become one-dimensional the way she had been earlier. What this compelled, subsequently, was an amalgamation of sensibilities between the realist in Lester and the romantic in Seneviratne. The two would amalgamate in Ran Salu.



Kurulubedda was celebrated as the first real Sinhala film, erroneously, even though it was inspired by the visual loveliness of Rekava. Ran Salu, which is set against the urban bourgeoisie, in Colombo 7, was in that sense inspired by the milieu that was depicted in Delovak Athara, with roughly the same cast (Irangani Serasinghe, J. B. L. Gunasekara, Tony Ranasinghe). Laleen Jayamanne in her book Toward Cinema and its Double implies that in Ran Salu we see the authorial intervention of Peiris in the storys transformation of the innocent village girl to an innocent Colombo 7 girl. But that wasnt really Peries, because as he himself said frequently, he had no actual control over the plot: it was Seneviratne himself who had wanted to turn Punya into an urbanised version of the village damsel she had played before. Lesters film is an inversion of the modernist paradigm of getting the city to assimilate the village; Punyas character, Sujatha, well to do and complacent, sees the futility of such a thing and tries to achieve the opposite. Again, we see here that thin line between submission and rebellion, in turn reflected by the line between the past and the future. The past is idealised, poetically and in almost unrealistic ways, while the future is demonised (the antagonist, Cyril, who is engaged to Sujatha, dreams of such a future in England: he tells her father that he is disgusted by betel-chewing villagers). Unlike Seneviratnes previous forays, here goodness and badness are not concentrated in the village, but are instead split between the rural and the urban: the former epitomised by Dayananda Gunadawardena as Senaka, the latter by Tony Ranasinghe as Cyril. Her implied engagement to the former at the end, which subverts our expectations of her taking to the life of a nun, repudiates any image we would have entertained of her giving up her upbringing for the religious. Punya, going by that, remained moored to the secular world, as a harbinger of moral goodness: a secular life of explicit devotion.

After her departure to Africa and later to England, with her husband, she returned to the cinema to play a different woman: the Nanda of Kaliyugaya



After her departure to Africa and later to England, with her husband, she returned to the cinema to play a different woman: the Nanda of Kaliyugaya. We see a shattering of the idealisms of her youth here; all thats left is a shell-shocked, sterile, empty life. But one role was never enough, which is why, even today, as I look through all her performances, she remains the finest tribute to rural femininity we could have had. The cinema of rural femininity, in Sri Lanka that is, consequently belongs to her.
Amana Banks Senior Vice President Corporate and SME Banking M.M.S. Quvylidh handing over brand new ceiling fans to the Childrens ward doctors.

As part of its CSR focus towards Children, Amana Bank has made another contribution to the Childrens Ward (15B) of the Colombo South (Kalubowila) General Hospital by donating brand new ceiling fans to replace those that have worn-out. The donation was made by the Banks Senior Vice President Corporate and SME Banking M.M.S. Quvylidh to the Director of the Colombo South Teaching Hospital Dr. Asela Gunawardena in the presence of the Banks Manager of Corporate Communications and Marketing Azim Rali, along with the participation of consultant doctors, nurses of the ward and staff of the Bank.

Having taken the responsibility to maintain the Childrens Ward since 2006, Amana has assisted the requirements of the ward including providing of medicines to facilitate the timely treatment of the patients, donation of medical and IT equipment as well as ward partitioning, colour washing, tiling and other repair work,

Commenting at the occasion, Amana Banks Senior Vice President Corporate and SME Banking M.M.S. Quvylidh said We are indeed happy and privileged to continue supporting the requirements of Ward 15B of the Kalubowila Hospital in line with the Banks CSR focus on Childrens Health and Education. We believe this contribution will cater to uplift the ward in caring for its patients.

Also sharing his thoughts Dr. Gunawardena said, Over the years, we are pleased with the commitment shown by Amana Bank towards the betterment of the Childrens Ward and we are truly thankful for it.

Other than looking into the health needs of Children, Amana Bank as part of its CSR focus also contributes to the betterment of childrens education where the Bank closely works with Serendib Educational Foundation (SEF) to assist the foundation in granting scholarships to under privileged children to pursue their higher studies as well as with the Makola Orphanage by donating Stationery.

Amana Bank is the countrys first and only Licensed Commercial Bank to operate in complete harmony with the globally growing non-interest based banking model. With the mission of Enabling Growth and Enriching Lives, the Bank reaches out to its customers through a growing network of 28 branches and 4000+ ATM access points and has introduced an array of customer conveniences such as Internet & Mobile Banking, Debit Card with SMS alerts, Online Account Opening, 365 Day Banking, Saturday Banking, Extended Banking Hours, 24x7 Cash Deposit Machines and Banking Units Exclusively for Ladies.

The Bank was recognized as the Best Up-and-Comer Islamic Bank of the World by Global Finance Magazine at the 18th Annual Worlds Best Banks Award Ceremony held in Washington DC, USA. The Bank was also bestowed the coveted title Islamic Finance Entity of the Year at the inaugural Islamic Finance Forum of South Asia Awards Ceremony.

Amana Bank PLC is a stand-alone institution licensed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange with Jeddah based IDB Group being the principal shareholder having a 29.97% stake of the Bank. The IDB Group is a AAA rated multilateral development financial institution with a capital base of over USD 150 Billion which has a membership of 57 countries. Fitch Ratings, in October 2017, affirmed Amana Banks National Long Term Rating of BB(lka) with a Stable Outlook. Amana Bank does not have any subsidiaries, associates or affiliated institutions representing the Bank.
DPA, 11th DECEMBER, 2017-The first movie theatre in Saudi Arabia can open in March, the Ministry of Culture and Information said Monday, lifting a 35-year-old ban on cinemas in the country.



The Board of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, the kingdoms regulator, agreed to grant licences to cinemas, in the latest decision by the worlds top oil exporter this year to diversify the economy and introduce social reforms. The move is part of the kingdoms Vision 2030 plan, launched by Saudi Arabias powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which aims at opening the country to investments and decrease its reliance on oil revenues.
Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife and Minister of Buddhasasana Gamini Jayawickrama Perera in an interview with Lankadeepa aired his views on the present political developments in the country and the death of tusker Dalapoottuwa. Following are excerpts of the interview with Minister Perera.

I was with Mahinda Rajapaksa in the same boarding at Nalanda College

In 2005 Ranil said that after he wins the Presidential Elections he would form a national Govt.

Their (Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena) union is of no issue to us

I told Ranil not to underestimate Mahinda and added that he was no pushover

When there is a ward system the people can choose their own representative

Q Despite the fact that the Government believes in Yahaplanaya, the green light to hold local Government elections was obtained after a severe battle.Your comments please.

There should be a fight for everything, otherwise victory isnt possible. When there is a fight that will create an interest in all parties.

Q Holding elections at the correct time is a prime feature of Democracy. But didnt this Government infringe on that right?

There are reasons. Let us go deep into the history. Mahinda Rajapakse after winning the 2010 Presidential elections invited our party to Temple Trees. At that time I was the Chairman of the Party and Ranil Wickremesinghe was the opposition leader and he was invited to discuss about delimitation, for the purpose of holding local council elections. He was also invited to discuss about the abolishing the Presidency.

For this discussion, Wickremesinghe, Tissa Attanayake, Joseph Michael Perera, Karu Jayasuriya and I participated. The other party in the discussion comprised the President, Maithripala Sirisena (then the secretary of the SLFP), Basil Rajapaksa, Dinesh Gunawardene and Nimal Siripala de Silva. As soon as the discussion began former President Rajapaksa said that we should adopt the Ward system of election and said that he would appoint a committee.

We will continue with this Government until 2025. The Minister of Finance introduced the Budget keeping with that plan. We will make this country one thats developed.

Q Werent you too in the committee?

Yes myself, Tissa and Joseph Michael were there. They also opined that executive power should be vested with the Prime Minister. I raised a question. Can you remember that we signed an agreement after the 2005 Presidential Elections that we would support the Government for two years?



Q What made you arrive at that decision?

Because he didnt have the majority in Parliament. I was the go between. I was with Mahinda Rajapaksa in the same boarding at Nalanda College. We were like buddies. He was younger to me. In 2005 Ranil said that after he wins the Presidential Elections he wished to form a national Government with the view of defeating the LTTE.

Q But Mahinda won?

Yes Mahinda won, but not in the right manner. As much as Rs 800 million was given to the LTTE. After that the LTTE prohibited people from casting their votes. Ranil was referred to as the cunning fox.

After the elections I told Ranil not to underestimate Mahinda Rajapaksa and added that he was no pushover. I told him further that you intended forming a national Government as promised during the elections, but you lost. If we now do not go in for a national Government Mahinda would win over some members from our group. Therefore allow me to discuss about forming a national Government.

Q So did Ranil give the OK?

Yes and after obtaining his approval I went for the discussions.

Q When was this?

It was about two or three weeks after the Presidential Elections. We signed an agreement at Temple Trees. Karu Jayasuriya signed on our behalf and Maithripala Sirisena signed on their behalf. Despite our signing Mahinda Rajapaksa wooed 16 members from our side including Karu Jayasuriya. I told Ranil Wickremesinghe to stop this and told Rukman Senanayake too. At that time the Opposition Leader was in Nepal.

Q Even though many attempted they couldnt prevent the exodus.

Yes, no one listened. Our agreement was nullified by Mahinda Rajapaksa. I felt pity as I was the one who brokered this agreement.

Q You said that you raised a question at the discussions held in 2010.What was it?

Yes. The background to that question was the one I related. I said that You (Rajapaska) had said that the Presidency would be abolished and elections would be held according to the ward system. I asked whether you (Rajapakse) are genuine in this regard? My question even startled Ranil who was at the discussion.

Q What did President Mahinda say?

He retorted as to why I was inquiring about it? I replied when an agreement was in force why he had poached some members from our group? A heated argument followed and he assured that he wouldnt take any more members from our group.

Q But didnt he backtrack?

Yes. Before the passing of twenty four hours he took Digambaran and Prabha Ganeshan. How can you trust such a leader? Therefore it is evident that the issue regarding Local Government Elections got dragged on not because of us, but because of an issue created by Mahinda Rajapaksa. Basil Rajapaksa handled the delimitation with the aim of ensuring victory for them. After we assumed power we detected this error and in correcting it a delay was caused.

Q What will happen at the elections?

We are going to win.

Q What will happen if Maithripala and Mahinda join. Dont you think that still there are chances of such a move taking place?

Their union is of no issue to us. I remember listening to a television channel in the morning. In that programme Mahinda was asked whether he was going to join with someone. Mahinda responded by saying that he couldnt forget how he was harassed at Temple Trees.

This goes to prove the hate he is carrying. President Maithripala is also aware of it. In the event they join they will fight each other and destroy the party. We have no issues with Maithripala. We will continue with this Government until 2025. The Minister of Finance introduced the Budget keeping with that plan. We will make this country one thats developed. The two groups joining or not is not an issue for us.

Q If the UNP and SLFP contest this election separately, would the village get divided?

No it wouldnt happen. why should it happen? This isnt a General Election. It will be conducted using the ward system. I too emerged from the Gam Sabhawa in 1968. I contested from Bopitiya, my village, and entered politics. When there is a ward system the candidate contests from his own ward. The people can choose their own representative. Instead of party politics the masses can select the most popular person who can help them. Therefore the need to fight among each other would not arise.

Q Some are of the opinion that the progress of the national Government is zero.Your comments.

Please remember that one cant be happy one hundred percent. We are repaying a massive loan on one side. We have to pay the installment and the interest and added to this there have been natural calamities which we have continually faced.

If the Rajapaksa Government was in power the people would have been compelled to eat grass. Why did Mahinda Rajapaksa opt for polls when he had two more years? He did that because he knew that the economy was in danger. He changed Central Bank statistics and presented bogus figures. Meanwhile the world was pressing us by imposing sanctions on us. He revealed a rosy picture to the world and gave false promises. The entire world became our enemies. It is fortunate that this Maithripala-Ranil Government came into power.

We gave an assurance that we would usher in a country devoid of fraud and corruption. When the Avant Garde issue surfaced Thilak Marapona resigned proving this fact.

Q While all this happened the Bond scam also surfaced.Your comments.

We never tried to cover it up. There were no commissions of this nature during the previous regime. There were white vans and journalists were murdered. No investigations were held. Billions were spent without Cabinet approval.

We gave an assurance that we would usher in a country devoid of fraud and corruption. When the Avant Garde issue surfaced Thilak Marapona resigned proving this fact.There were no charges made against him. Slinging of mud by newspapers is a common thing now.

Q Wijeyadasa was outspoken and lost his portfolio, didnt he?

That was a different issue where he violated Cabinet collective responsibility. But he continues to be a member of the UNP. Ravi Karunanayake had an issue and he resigned. We set examples that were hitherto unheard of and unknown.

Q The pride of our nation Dala Poottuwa could not be saved by your regime.

Protecting a rare species like the Dala Poottuwa was a strenuous task. This Elephant never remained in one place, but roamed about. It was blind in one eye and it travelled about 20 -25 Kilometres every night. Wildlife officers were unable to follow this Elephant during its long nocturnal journeys. Anyway this incident did open our eyes to some extent. It is true that we could not protect the animal, but we were able to identify our strengths and weaknesses. We wont allow a repetition of this nature.
The elders among us still have nostalgic memories from the past when accomplished politicians ruled the country. This was several decades ago. The sacrifices they made and the dedication with which they serviced made the people happy. It is with a tinge of sadness that they talk about the vacuum created by these politicians who are no more or retired. The politicians who belong to this past era are of such high calibre. Their distancing from the present day politicians is justifiable. However, the present politicians live in a reverie for long years with little or no concern about their duties to the people. These politicians run around seeking support when elections are around the corner.



Even in present times there are people who command recognition. One such person is the founder of the Pragna Pradeepa Programme Dr. Jayantha de Silva. He has been popular among the people for his dedicated service. He has been distributing large consignments of books and school requisites to the children from low income families and has implemented projects of his own to uplift the poor. This year marks 30 years in De Silvas career as a social worker.



Withstood criticism



It is an arduous task to be dedicated in serving the the people. Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala was a classic example of a great man who relinquished all comforts and sacrificed his whole life to serve his fellow men. However, it is sad to know that he has been subjected to criticism and humiliation rather than being praised. Regardless of praise or blame he continued with his services to the nation. He has strongly believed that one mustnt take to social service unless one is prepared to withstand criticism. Ultimately he was so disgusted with the country that he left for India, never to return. Dharmapala was hopeful of being reborn in India after his death. Dharmapalas life story is a clear indication of trials and tribulations facing a man dedicated to service. One can judge in the light of his life story what obstacles would have been experienced by this samaritan Dr. Jayantha de Silva, during his 30 years of serving the public.



I thought of social service and started my ambitious career as a social worker early in life. I undertook that arduous task even before I took to politics. I followed the path of my parents who were social workers. They often said that the ideal life for a person would be to serve fellow men. Their vehement expectation was that I dedicate my life to serve the nation and my fellow men. Example is better than precept they say. My mother never allowed any visitor to leave at least without having a cup of tea. If it was lunch time he was sure to be hosted to lunch, is how he recalled the days when he was young and came under the care of his parents.

Ananda College gave a new impetus to his ambition and equipped him with the noble concept that of serving the people. Several of the teachers at Ananda College were dedicated social workers who set an example to individuals like Dr. de Silva.

I thought of social service and started my ambitious career as a social worker early in life. I undertook that arduous task even before I took to politics. I followed the path of my parents who were social workers

-Dr.De Silva



The right path



In fact Ananda College had been founded by patriots to kindle the flame of wisdom in children belonging to ordinary families. I as one of them decided to follow in the footsteps of patriots who founded Ananda College. Everyone of these patriots shone as a beacon light to the children and helped to put them on the right path. With this in view I founded the Pragna Pradeepa Programme which today celebrates the 30th anniversary in its long journey, Dr. De Silva said.



He said that Ananda College was the nursery where he was cast in a mold and turned out as a social worker. There was another indispensable character behind his success. This towering figure in the Pragna Pradeepa Programme is no one else, but its Secretary Deshabandu A Sumith Perera who has been playing an integral role.



At the beginning the donation of school books was funded by Dr. Jayatha de Silva with his personal wealth. He spent the whole of his salary for this worthy cause. We inaugurated the Pragna Pradeepa Programme with only eight children. We were able to organise a loan scheme for low-income families, depending on self employment. We implemented projects to develop infrastructure facilities in under developed areas. The project to uplift the living standards of carters was just another special project implemented by us, Sumith Perera said.

They soon realized that the Pragna Pradeepa Programme was for them and they joined hands with us to forge ahead. They offered us strength to make it a massive social service venture which functions as a local NGO.



In reply to a question on the obstacles faced by the Pragna Pradeepa Programme during the 30 years, Sumith said at the outset that the people had a misunderstanding that this programme was just an attempt to gain cheap political mileage. But in the long-run they realized the truth that it was an endeavour to uplift underprivileged people and not one that was politically motivated, Perera said.



They soon realized that the Pragna Pradeepa Programme was for them and they joined hands with us to forge ahead. They offered us strength to make it a massive social service venture which functions as a local NGO. At present it has a staff comprising 35 people who are rendering a voluntary service, he further added.

Perera said that a massive donation of schoolbooks along with the holding of a cultural show have been scheduled for December 16 at the Campbell Park in Borella to mark the 30h anniversary of this programme.
There would be a huge outcry in the country if the Sri Lanka Medical Councils (SLMC) altered technical report on minimum standards for medicine, which was submitted by the Health Minister, was passed in Parliament, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) warned today.

At a press briefing convened by it, GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Naveen de Zoysa accused that the minister had altered the technical report in such a way as to reduce the powers of the SLMC before it was submitted to the Cabinet.

He said it was possible for medical faculty students to restart their struggle if needed and the health minister and University Grant Commission (UGC) Chairman Professor Mohan De Silva should take the blame if this happened.

According to Dr. de Zoysa, the minister had also objected to gazetting the minimum standards of medicine in 2006 and 2010.

He further said the minister has no right to amend the proposals which were agreed to by all the responsible parties. The entire health sector will be disrupted again with this move, he added. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
The Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) yesterday said a letter of thank sent by President Maithripala Sirisena to Lord Naseby had been kept concealed by the government due to the pressure of Tamil separatists.

Addressing a news briefing, PHU Leader and MP Udaya Gammanpila said Lord Naseby of the British House of Lords made a statement in UK Parliament in October saying no war crime was committed in Sri Lanka.

The President has sent a letter on behalf of Sri Lanka thanking Lord Naseby. This should be commended but neither Sri Lanka nor the UK knows about this letter, he said.

He said a cover letter issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary has been attached with the Presidents letter.

The MP said this cover letter, which was addressed to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in the UK, says the High Commissioner herself should handover the letter and the contents of the letter should not be shared with either Sri Lankan or British Media.

Why this secrecy? If there is any faction which the President should be afraid of when expressing his opinion, it is the Tamil separatists. We have a question whether the President was aware of this secrecy, he said.

However, when contacted, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said there was nothing out of ordinary about sending a letter of this nature along with a letter of the President of Sri Lanka as they come under privileged communication. (Lahiru Pothmulla)
Mr. Tharaka Ranwala, Senior Deputy General Manager - Consumer Banking, Sampath Bank PLC (left) and Mr. Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank PLC handing over the cheque and gift to M. A. M. I. Jayarathna from GM/ Welipillewa Kanishta Vidyalaya, Ganemulla who was ranked 2nd in the Island at the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination

Sampath Bank gave away special rewards to 25 students who had excelled in the Grade 5 Scholarship examination at a ceremony held at its Head Office premises recently. Mr. Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank PLC and members of the Banks corporate management were joined by the students parents and the Principals of their schools on this occasion.

M. A. M. I. Jayarathna from GM/ Welipillewa Kanishta Vidyalaya, Ganemulla who was ranked 2nd in the Island at the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination was awarded with a cheque for Rs.100,000/-. The top 5 achievers in each district were given Rs.10,000/- each with the schools of the children ranked first and second in the district receiving Rs.25,000/- and Rs.20,000/-, respectively.

Sampath Bank representatives with the award winning students

Standing behind (from left) - Mr. Pujitha Rajapaksa, Manager  Marketing; Mr. Tharakasab Aravinthan, Regional Manager  Jaffna; Ms. Nadi B. Dhramasiri, Head of Marketing; Mr. Tharaka Ranwala, Senior Deputy General Manager - Consumer Banking; Mr. Sanath Abhayaratne, Assistant General Manager - Deposit Mobilization; Mr. Halin Hettigoda, Head of Deposit Mobilization; Mr. Amila Thewarapperuma, Senior Manager Deposit Mobilization; and Mr. Iranga Perera, Assistant Manager - Deposit Mobilization

The Bank has been engaging students and parents through the Sampath Bank Grade 5 Scholarship seminar series since 2009.Seeking to support students from underprivileged backgrounds, the initiative provides them with the requisite knowledge and skills to help them better prepare for the Grade 5 Scholarship exams. Over 10,000students attended the workshops that were held in Kirindiwela, Wellawaya, Polghawela, Galle, Homagama, Batticaloa and Ratnapura this year.
SIGGRAPH 2017 VR Theater Directors Q&A | photo by John Fujii  2017 ACM SIGGRAPH

You asked, we answered Check out a complete list of SIGGRAPH 2017 VR Theater selections below to find out where you can watch each virtual reality animated short from last summers SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival. (Have a favorite? Share it with us in the comments!)

1. Ardens Wake

Directed by Eugene Chung // Penrose Studios // United States

Ardens Wake is the first installment of a larger series that showcases a thrilling journey of family history and self-discovery. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where the water levels have risen, and a young woman and her father live in a lighthouse atop an endless sea. When her father disappears, the young woman descends into a world previously forbidden to her.

A release date for Ardens Wake has not yet been announced. To ensure youre first to know when its available or find out when the next screening is, follow Penrose Studios on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

2. Chocolate

Directed by Tyler Hurd // Gentle Manhands // United States

Set to the song of the same name by Giraffage, Chocolate is a wondrous experience that transforms your hands into cannons that spray cute, colorful chrome kittens onto a circle of people performing a ritualistic dance just for you, their robot god.

Watch via the Steam store.

3. Dear Angelica

Directed by Saschka Unseld // Oculus Story Studio // United States

Dear Angelica is a journey through the magical and dreamlike ways we remember our loved ones. Entirely painted by hand inside of VR, the short plays out in a series of memories that unfold around you. It is an immersive, illustrative short story that stars actors Geena Davis and Mae Whitman.

Watch through the Oculus Rift store.

4. Fantasynth

Directed by Carlos Ulloa // HelloEnjoy Limited // United Kingdom

Fantasynth is an audio-reactive experience designed for virtual reality that takes users through a procedurally populated environment that comes alight with the music. It features the song Chez Nous by Nto, published by Hungry Music.

Watch through the Oculus Rift store.

5. Rainbow Crow

Directed by Eric Darnell // Baobab Studios // United States

From the director of Madagascar, this short shows viewers carefree forest animals as they imagine spring will last forever; however, winter comes and the animals soon realize that their lives are in danger. What they need is a hero. What they need is Rainbow Crow.

Rainbow Crow will be released in 2018. In the meantime, catch the studios Asteroids! in the Oculus Rift store.

6. Son of Jaguar

Directed by Jorge Gutierrez // Google ATAP // United States

In the most important match of his life, the once mighty masked luchador, Son of Jaguar, faces his legacy, his family, and what it means to be a part of something bigger than himself.

Watch via Google Play or the App Store.

7. Sonaria

Directed by Scot Stafford and Chromosphere // Google ATAP // United States

Follow two ever-changing creatures as they flow from one life-form to another on a vivid journey of sound and light. Sonarias visual language is simple and abstract, designed to suggest, while the sonic language is layered and immersive, designed to answer.

Watch via Google Play or the App Store.

8. The Antarctica Series: Under a Cracked Sky

Directed by Graham Roberts and Jonathan Corum // The New York Times // United States

Dive under eight feet of sea ice to swim with seals, explore ice caves and float above a dark seabed crawling with life. Four virtual-reality films that take you on, above and below the Antarctic ice. Watch below or download the NYT VR app for a fully immersive experience.

Watch via Google Play or the App Store.

9. We Wait

Directed by Dan Efergan // Aardman Animations // United Kingdom

Based on BBC News interviews with migrants, We Wait is a dramatized story transporting you to the heart of the refugee crisis. On a starlit beach in Turkey you meet a Syrian family about to embark on their second perilous attempt to cross the sea to Greece.

Watch through the Oculus Rift store.

10. Zero Days VR

Directed by Yasmin Elayat // Scatter // United States

Based on the Oscar short-listed Participant Media documentary Zero Days, Scatters award-winning, immersive documentary Zero Days VR visualizes the story of Stuxnet in a new way: placing you inside the invisible world of computer viruses, experiencing the high stakes of cyber warfare at a human scale.

Watch through the Oculus Rift store.

Have a VR short you would like to submit for consideration in the next VR Theater? SIGGRAPH 2018 Computer Animation Festival submissions open mid-January.
T

he war mentality represents an unfortunate confluence of ignorance, fear, prejudice, and profit. - Gabor Mate`

There is a Fundamental Rights Application before the Supreme Court on whether the road in front of the Temple of the Tooth Relic should be opened. Pardon me, but would not the question have been more conveniently answered if posed in the Negative, i.e. why should it not be opened? It being a public road has not been supposedly built, like all other roads, for the purpose of public transport, both pedestrian and vehicular?

The Road was restricted to public transport after the attack launched by the Tamil Tigers in 1998; given the circumstances, no one in their proper senses objected. Now the war has been over for almost a decade and barricades conjuring up images of cold war Eastern European Police States have disappeared. Well, all but this one.

Now again the question of proper senses; why not open it? The position taken by the Respondents in the case including the Chief Prelates of the Chapters would make interesting reading in deed.

A haughty religious attitude placing one religion above the others and the hierarchy venerated from inside an ivory tower

Shift the focus now to the North. Thousands of acres taken over by the Army remain occupied by men in uniform. Any rational justification escapes the mind. Yet the majority of nationalists and their political spokesmen seem hell bent on not letting go of these lands; not to any body else but to the rightful owner! The impression created is as if the civilians who owned the lands for centuries are the encroachers and not the military. Should the Northerners never be left alone to run their civil life other than without the prying eye of state military ? So much for all the lofty talk of normalcy returning to civilian life.

The obsession with an unrelenting war mentality seems an addiction that refuses to go away, with the attendant suspicious and sceptical attitude towards the Tamil community. The ill-founded rhetoric of Army Commanders of never allowing future rebellions adds momentum to this martial law mentality. As if, rebellions, both in the North and South, waited for aegis of the army to take up arms. As if insurgents send notices by Registered Post to Army Headquarters before they rise up in arms

General law or emergency regulations?

A third scenario relates to the move by the Government to shelve the Prevention of Terrorism Act and replace it with an alternative statute. Shrieks of protest emanates, yet again, from the very quarters that want the Dalada Maligawa cordoned off and the unnatural and excessive concentration of Military Presence in the North perpetuated. Not to them the dire consequences of suspending ordinary criminal justice procedures with draconian martial law regulations, making short work of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights.

You only need to run through Fundamental Rights applications filed by alleged suspects under the PTA and the reality dawns as clear as daylight. Yet the persistence with strict regulations as does the PTA.

The three scenarios reflect a mentality which refuses to acknowledge that the war is over; that minorities too have a right as much as the others to lead a normal, decent life enjoying constitutional rights that could be checked only by restrictions laid down under the law and not under emergency regulations.

It betrays a chauvinistic attitude accentuated by a narrow-mindedness simply not compatible with the reality of a multi-ethnic and a multi-religious population.

A haughty religious attitude placing one religion above the others and the hierarchy venerated from inside an ivory tower. Not to say anything about the privileges such placements ensure.

Threats by the Defence Minister that Northerners celebrating Mahaveer day were to be arrested, though not representing the governments stance, reflects an eagerness to placate the majority mentality seemingly haunted by war.

If Prabha and the Tigers were outlaws taking up arms to establish a separate state, so was Wijeweera and the JVP, warring against the legally elected regimes, not once but twice. Yet il maha viru samaruwa does not entail any such threats and is celebrated

without much ado.

Symbols of ethnic war

One of the keys to allowing a society plagued by war and paralyzed by emergency laws to heal, is to remove those icons of war from the public psyche. Barricades, army camps, closed-down roads and police-state regulations not only hinder this, but also harks back to those selective memories and forgetting of wartime. The seeds of antagonism, specially on the side of the vanquished, could only be removed by integrating them to the mainstream society as citizens of the Republic, not by wagging the cane of submission, as we have been used to during the thirty-year war period.

In a country where the subject of Urban Development was placed under the Ministry of Defence this state of affairs might sound hardly surprising. Yet the disturbing aspect consist of the fact that a war mentality extends beyond a simple apprehension of allowing normalcy to reign in the country; it coalesces in the national political stage as an aggressive and powerful force, demanding further militarization, emergency law status and hegemonic attitude to power sharing. It feeds on the euphoria of the war victory, which per se is not objectionable; yet a wish to remain in a warring and a beleaguered mentality that is psycho-politically exclusive and discriminatory, is; very much so.

Recent incidents at Gintota as well as the tense situation that arose at the Jaffna University highlight a very strenuous relationship between the majority and minorities. In all likeliness, if allowed to continue unchecked; the process could erupt in communal violence, spelling further disaster for the whole nation. Hints that former defence decretary who was associated mainly with the defeat of the LTTE and hence, exalted as a war hero, would be a national level candidate for future premiership or even presidential status seem to embolden those, who wish to perpetuate a war mentality and give concrete form to their chauvinistic aspirations. Scoundrels who usurped the patriotic banner and used it for their personal gain, seek another scapegoat to justify calls for hegemonic politics aimed at intimidating minority races and religions.

Rise of the ultra-right

There is a tendency world over of racial and religious extreme fringe groups hijacking secular or moderate governance by high handed tactics such as blockades, protests and intimidation as was seen in Indonesia and Pakistan. In Germany the ultra-right has shown remarkable electoral success over moderate parties. The most disturbing aspect of such phenomena being those bigotries permeating the whole society including the governing quarters, thus affording apparent legitimacy to extremism and bigotry.

We saw how the Minister of Justice who incidentally was the Buddha Sasana Minister as well, responded to a claim by a rights-activist lawyer who came up with facts related to christian places of worship that have come under attack during recent times. Although no one has contested the figures given by him over national TV, the Minister of Justice, out of all others, was audacious enough to threaten him with disbarring; a move that signalled his allegiance to be with the fringe and not the centre.

We live in tricky and explosive times when it comes to racial and religious issues. We have wasted enough time in extending the warm hand of reconciliation to an estranged and vanquished Tamil community

We live in tricky and explosive times when it comes to racial and religious issues. We have wasted enough time in extending the warm hand of reconciliation to an estranged and vanquished Tamil community. As things stand today the window of opportunity is rapidly closing.

Yet again, it all boils down to the political will of the government in power, whether they persist with what is right by the nation in the long run or as many a regime in the past, play election games with the fate of our future generations sealed with disaster.
Softlogic Information Technologies Pvt Ltd, one of the countrys leading software and hardware solutions providers and a subsidiary of Softlogic Holdings PLC, won the top AEM (Asia Emerging Markets) Award at the South Asia Partner Summit 2017 held recently in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.



This recognition has been awarded based on performance as top AEM Commercial Metal Partner Tier-1 Category Winner -contributed at 11 percent of the total AEM Commercial Metal Partner Tier-1 Revenue @ 20 percemt YoY growth in FY17.



The 4-day event featured Dells new technologies and innovations, strategic insights, and exclusive networking opportunities for the global giants most valued partners in the South Asia region. Participants were able to gain valuable insights and transformation strategies to empower their customers to thrive in the digital era. Several top Dell EMC executives and a distinguished line-up of guest speakers lent their expertise and shared their experiences with the audience.



Softlogic Information Technologies is currently the leading importer of Commercial PCs to Sri Lanka. The company also markets and distributes notebook computers, servers, storage, network infrastructure and printers. It looks to provide the worlds best products and services to its customers, while consolidating its market leadership. The company has been the Platinum Partner for Dell EMC and has been marketing Dell products in the country for well over two decades. Over the years, Softlogic Information Technologies has won several awards from Dell for its outstanding performance and commitment to the Sri Lankan IT Industry. In recent years, the company received the prestigious Dell Platinum Partner status and Most Valuable Partner in Asia Pacific and the Dell Power Awards 2014 as the Best Partner for the Year. The company has also aligned strategic partnerships with some of the worlds leading technology vendors such as Microsoft, Lenovo, VMware, EMC, Molex, Cisco, Happy or Not, Glory and many other brands in order to provide state-of-the-art solutions to customers.



Speaking about the award win, Softlogic Information Technologies Director/CEO Roshan Rassool stated, We are honoured to receive this prestigious award from Dell at the South Asia Partner Summit 2017. While the AEM consists of 27 countries, this win highlights our status as the leading IT platform based solution provider in Sri Lanka and the region. This regional recognition by the global leader in the IT industry also demonstrates Sri Lankas abilities in IT on the global stage. I am thankful to each and every team member of Softlogic Information Technologies for their hard work, dedication and passion - unmatched qualities that have made us the best in the business.



Softlogic Information Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. is a subsidiary of Softlogic Holdings PLC, a group of companies which has an annual turnover of over Rs. 59 billion. Softlogic Holdings PLC, rated as one of Sri Lankas most dynamic diversified conglomerates in Sri Lanka, has expanded and entered the key growth sectors of Retail, Healthcare, ICT, Automobiles, Travel & Leisure, Finance and Insurance, holding authorized distributorships for a number well-known global brands.
The women who accused US President Donald Trump of sexual harassment should be heard, his UN envoy said in an interview aired on Sunday.



Nikki Haley said she is incredibly proud of the wave of women who have come forward with allegations against US politicians and film industry figures in recent weeks, in an interview with the Face the Nation programme on CBS.



I think it will start to bring a conscience to the situation, not just in politics ... And I think the time has come, Haley said.



Asked about accusations levelled against Trump, Haley said it was the same thing and women who accuse anyone should be heard.



And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up, Haley said. Asked if Trump being elected means the issue of accusations against him is settled, as White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has said, Haley answered, Thats for the people to decide.



 ... you know, women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them, Haley said. Democrat Al Franken was one of two lawmakers to leave Congress this week in the widening viral backlash against sexual harassment and assault.



He called it ironic that he was resigning, while Trump has bragged about being able to grope women and Senate candidate Roy Moore has the support of the Republican Party despite accusations of molesting teenage girls.

New York (dpa)
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 Provided by Independent Print LimitedA huge object passing by Earth could be an alien spacecraft, scientists have said.

The bizarre cigar-shaped entity was previously thought to be an interstellar asteroid which had come from another part of the galaxy.

But evidence has been mounting which has led experts to suggest it could actually be a sign of intelligent life.

The object is hundreds of metres in length but only one tenth as wide which is highly unusual for a typical space rock, scientists have said.

It is also speeding through space at 196,000 mph, suggesting it is not gravitationally bound to the sun.

The mysterious body, which has been dubbed Oumuamua, was spotted by astronomers from the University of Hawaii in October as it passed the Earth at around 85 times further than the moon.

It is the first object discovered in the solar system that appears to have originated from another part of the galaxy.

Researchers involved in Seti - the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence  are preparing to turn a powerful dish telescope towards the object.

A statement from the $100 million (75 million) Seti project Breakthrough Listen, launched by Russian digital tech mogul Yuri Milner in 2015, said: "Researchers working on long-distance space transportation have previously suggested that a cigar or needle shape is the most likely architecture for an interstellar spacecraft, since this would minimise friction and damage from interstellar gas and dust.

"While a natural origin is more likely, there is currently no consensus on what that origin might have been, and Breakthrough Listen is well positioned to explore the possibility that Oumuamua could be an artifact."

The team is using the Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia, US, to study Oumuamua, which is named after the Hawaiian term for "scout" or "messenger".

From 8pm UK time on Wednesday, December 13, the giant dish - the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world - will "listen" to the object across four radio frequency bands spanning one to 12 gigahertz.

The object is currently about two astronomical units (AU) from Earth , or twice the distance between the Earth and sun.

Breakthrough Listen aims to survey a million nearby stars and 100 nearby galaxies looking for alien signals.

Since the 1960s there have been more than 98 Seti projects around the world, none of which have turned up any convincing evidence of extra-terrestrial civilisations .

Pictures: The best space photos of 2017

The best photos of space in 2017Slideshow provided by Star Insider
When in Rome, do as the Romans do definition. When visiting a foreign land, follow the customs of those who live in it. It can also mean that when you are in an unfamiliar situation, you should follow the lead of those who know the ropes."



Around 1950s, Some Americans worried about German immigration was up to 40%, which may transform the US to German speaking country. It turns out those German decedents integrated well into the US, losing their native German speaking. Now, German decedents consists of around 25%, speaking English, part of the US. How about Chinese?



You can hear loud Chinese speaking almost every where. Chinese mind their own business, without alerting around other ethical groups - don't do volunteer for community, less likely donate to common good. No wonder what happens to Chinese Americans. What can you do?



Learning from Jewish, Jewish embrace American culture - you can fill in ...

Around one in four Asian Americans reported personally being discriminated against because theyre Asian when applying for jobs and trying to rent or buy housing, according to a new poll.

Immigrant Asian Americans were also much less likely to report multiple forms of individual discrimination, including violence and sexual harassment, than their counterparts born in the U.S. or Puerto Rico.

Related

Opinion: In the Outrage Over Discrimination, How Do We Define 'Asian American'?

Those findings came from a report released on Wednesday, entitled Discrimination in America: Experiences and Views of Asian Americans. It is part of a series based on a survey conducted for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and National Public Radio.

The report details the results for a nationally representative probability sample of 500 Asian-American adults, with a margin of error of 5.8 percent at the 95 percent confidence interval. Interviews were conducted in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese.

Some 3,453 adults in total  at least 18 years old and of various genders, races, ethnicities and identities  were interviewed by phone between Jan. 26 and April 9.

The critical findings are that almost all groups think that in the aggregate they face some discrimination, including whites, but there are very substantial discrimination differences among minority communities, Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-director of the poll, said in a phone interview.

Detailed in the report:

More than three in five Asian Americans (61 percent) believe discrimination exists against Asian Americans in the U.S. today, while about a third have experienced slurs and insensitive or offensive comments about their race or ethnicity.

A quarter or more of Asian Americans reported being personally discriminated against because theyre Asian when applying for jobs (27 percent); when being paid equally or considered for promotions (25 percent); and when attempting to rent or purchase housing (25 percent).

Nearly one in five Indian Americans (17 percent) reported they or a family member had been unfairly stopped or treated by police, compared to 12 percent of Asian Americans overall and just 2 percent of Chinese Americans who said the same.

The findings also painted a contrast between nonimmigrant and immigrant Asian Americans, noting that those born in the U.S. or Puerto Rico were much more likely to report threats, violence, and sexual harassment.

The poll found that 36 percent of nonimmigrant Asian Americans said they or a family member have been threatened or non-sexually harassed because theyre Asian; 20 percent said theyve experienced violence; and 16 percent said they or someone in their family experienced sexual harassment because theyre Asian, according to the report.

The percentages in those same categories for Asian Americans born outside the U.S. were significantly lower  at 15 percent, 6 percent, and 4 percent, respectively.

Blendon said these results could reflect one of two things. The first, he said, is that immigrants live in more immigrant communities, so they dont encounter different racial or ethnic groups in many different circumstances.

The other is that they can come from countries and cultures where they were treated very badly by police, the courts, and other institutions, according to Blendon. As a result, they may not report as frequently slurs or being treated differently, he said.

Healthcare, however, was different. Immigrant Asian Americans were 17 times more likely than Asian Americans born in the U.S. or Puerto Rico to report having been personally discriminated against when visiting a doctor or health clinic, the report found.

The findings also reflected a difference between Asian Americans personal experiences of discrimination and perceptions of it in their communities.

Related

Survey Finds Some Asian-American Youth Face Bullying, Economic Insecurity

The percentages were lower when respondents were asked how often, if ever, they believe discrimination occurs to other Asian Americans where they live because theyre Asian.

Blendon said it went the other way around for many of the other groups.

Usually more people felt things happened to people like themselves in their community, but not themselves, he said. But here it was reversed.

Even as some Asian Americans reported discrimination, a majority believed that Asian Americans in general have equal employment and education opportunities and that they are paid equally to white people, the survey found.

Around two in three also said they believe their local government represents their views, and that they can influence what their local government does.

Our poll shows that Asian American families have the highest average income among the groups weve surveyed, and yet the poll still finds that Asian Americans experience persistent discrimination in housing, jobs, and at college, Blendon said in a statement when the report was released. Over the course of our series, we are seeing again and again that income is not a shield from discrimination.

Follow NBC Asian America on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.



 PS12: (2017-08-28 13:40:36)  Heritage landmarks of my horizons ( ) - - -

** Epilogue ** , ; or  / - Postscript(epilogue) -  -

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/report-finds-u-s-born-asian-americans-report-more-discrimination-n827506

Our poll shows that Asian American families have the highest average income among the groups weve surveyed, and yet the poll still finds that Asian Americans experience persistent discrimination in housing, jobs, and at college, Blendon said in a statement when the report was released. Over the course of our series, we are seeing again and again that income is not a shield from discrimination.Blendon  My comment:**Report finds U.S.-born Asian Americans report more discrimination than immigrantsby Chris Fuchs / Dec.07.2017 / 1:30 PM ET
In the K-12 world, few critically important federal programs are as under-the-radar as the E-rate. Established by an act of Congress in 1996, the program relies on fees on consumers telephone bills to raise billions of dollars each year to help subsidize the cost of phone, internet, and other telecommunications services for Americas schools and libraries.

In recent years, the program has experienced big changes, remarkable successes , and new perceived threats , all of which Education Week has covered in-depth.

Sometimes, though, its helpful to step back and see the big picture. A new report from Funds for Learning, an Edmond, Okla.-based consulting organization that helps thousands of schools and libraries prepare their E-rate applications each year, does just that. You can read the entire document, titled 2017 E-Rate Trends Report.

The groups findings come from an analysis of publicly available 2017 E-rate application data, as well as an original survey of 1,096 E-rate applicants that FFL says are broadly represented of program participants as a whole.

It should be noted that Funds for Learning isnt exactly a disinterested party on this issue, and the group notes up front that its survey isnt scientific.

But theres still a lot to be gleaned about the state of the E-rate and school connectivity. Here are six big numbers to know.

1. The E-rate program continues to have extraordinary reach, impacting more than 118,000 school and library facilities across the U.S.

In 2017, more than 23,000 schools and libraries submitted requests for E-rate services for roughly five times that many individual facilities, Funds for Learning found. The total number of applicants is down a bit, from more than 27,000 in 2015. Those who did apply requested a total of $4.6 billion in E-rate supported services.

2. Schools appetite for bandwidth continues to grow, with $2.5 billion in E-rate requests for data & internet service:

By far, the biggest slice of the 2017 E-rate pie was for data and internet service, which accounted for more than half of program requests.

In addition, almost two-thirds of the survey respondents told Funds for Learning they expect to see an increase of at least 50 percent in their bandwidth usage over the next three years, and 15 percent of survey respondents predicted theyd soon be doubling their bandwidth usage.

3. Among surveyed applicants, 55 percent want voice services to remain E-rate-eligible.

When the FCC overhauled the E-rate in 2014, one of the big changes was to prioritize broadband and Wi-Fi. That meant a corresponding phase-out of program support for older technologies, such as voice.

But schools still need phone lines. Just check out these new numbers from Funds for Learning: Voice services accounted for $619 million of the E-rate-supported services requested in 2017, more than Wi-Fi related hardware or services. And more than half of survey respondents said they wanted voice on the E-rates eligible-services list, suggesting continued uneasiness about what might happen to school and library budgets when that funding dries up all together.

4. The average school site requesting E-rate funding now spends $32,576 on Wi-Fi equipment and services.

For schools and libraries, Wi-Fi related equipment (such as switchers and routers, which accounted for $572 million of supported requests in 2017) and services ($288 million) falls under what the E-rate dubs Category 2" expenses. In 2014, the FCC made it a priority to ensure that more schools and libraries could get program funds for Category 2 requests. But to control costs, it also capped the total amount of Category 2 funds that an applicant could receive at $150 for each student.

The results of those policy changes dont form a neat picture. While there was a big spike in Category 2 spending by schools and libraries in 2015, that seems to have leveled off the past two years. The average school site is now spending $32,576 on Category 2 equipment and services, with E-rate picking up a little over two-thirds of that total.

Furthermore, half of the E-rate applicants surveyed by Funds for Learning said they dont expect to have used up their available Category 2 funds by the end of 2018, leaving a short window to take advantage of the opportunityand causing concern among some school-broadband advocates.

5. Among surveyed applicants, 48 percent said the E-rates self-provisioning option lowers bandwidth costs.

To help rural and remote schools and libraries struggling to find affordable broadband options, the FCC also in 2014 gave E-rate applicants the option to apply to use program funds to either build their own networks (known as self-provisioning) or lease the actual cables that private providers run, rather than just pay for the information that flows over them (known as dark-fiber leases.)

According to Funds for Learning, 11 percent of 2017 E-rate applications included a self-provisioning option. About two-thirds of those applications ended up with the school or library in question either getting its own network or leasing a dark fiber network that ended up being cheaper than the alternatives. Nearly half of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that having a self-provisioning option lowered their bandwidth costs, a key goal of the commission under its previous (Democratic) leadership.

The issue is especially worth paying attention to, as the new (Republican-led) FCC has been delaying and denying E-rate requests for self-provisioned and other special construction networks, as Education Week has been reporting.

6. Among surveyed applicants, 44 percent still dont like the E-rate application process.

Thats the percentage of respondents who told Funds for Learning they disagree or strongly disagree that the E-rate application process is fast, simple, and efficient.

Not coincidentally, 45 percent said they used a paid E-rate consultant to help them navigate the application process.

Map via Funds for Learning 2017 E-Rate Trends Report.

See also:
Youve probably been in a meeting like this: your grade team is looking over recent student achievement data, trying to make sense of it and come up with sensible next steps. Someone notes that many of the students who performed poorly in math also performed poorly in English, and their difficulty with reading is holding them back in understanding math word problems. Social studies and science teachers agree, adding that struggling readers have trouble with the work in their classes as well. For a moment, the meeting seems to be moving in a productive direction.

Naturally, everyone turns toward the English teacher(s) in the room, with eyes that seem to be to saying, Why havent you fixed this? It gets awkward.

Someone cuts the tension with a comment along the lines of, This is why we all have to teach reading.

An administrator nods, Thats what the PD last June was about.

Some teachers nod, while others roll their eyes. Everyone has a good reason.

Reading is a skill necessary in pretty much any academic subject, so we all need to teach it. The eye rolls, however, remind us that we can say this all we want, but that doesnt make it clear how we should go about it, especially when content area teachers are struggling with their own content, pacing calendars, and the same staggering diversity of readers that challenge us in the ELA classroom. And that PD in June? It didnt help teachers make actionable plans, and it hasnt been discussed since. Ive witnessed a version of this cycle in every school Ive taught in.

No Shortcuts To Better Reading, But A Clear Path Forward

Part of why these conversations never seem to go away is that there are no shortcuts to improving reading skills. Yes, there are techniques that can be taught, but their effectiveness will depend on the individual students needs, the reading context, and the teachers ability to connect the two. English teachers arent just holding onto silver bullets that we can pass on to content area teachers to immediately serve the wide range of readers in the room. And if we had them, we would have already used them ourselves, and the discussion would be moot.

But there is a very real way teachers across subjects can work together to strengthen our readers. According to a large body of research , what actually works is when students spend time reading something of interest (generally of their choosing) in a supportive environment. It makes sensewe get better at the things we spend time doing.

In secondary schools, where English teachers often have just 50-minute periods, we really struggle to provide enough time for our students to read on a daily basis. Perhaps we can devote an average of 20 minutes of our class daily class period to sustained reading. If thats all that students are reading in an entire day, thats not enough especially when students need to catch up on years of not reading enough. Twenty minutes a day is barely treading water.

How We Can Work Together

I think teams of teachers can and should work together to increase the amount of time each student spends during a school day reading productivelyby that I mean, reading something interesting (generally of their choosing), in a supportive environment.

The content, the supports, and how they fit into the overall structure of the class are variables, but here are the requirements that will ensure the time you devote will pay off in terms of students reading skills.

a) The students genuinely want to read the text. Even if its not the exact activity they would choose to do on, say, a Saturday afternoon at home, in that moment, they feel interested. Offering choices is often the best way to tap into intrinsic motivation. Showing interest in the reading materials ourselves also makes an impression. Finally, if the materials connect to the students lives and/or to questions theyve asked in relation to the content of the class, the interest will be higher.

b) There are texts accessible for each studentgenerally based on reading level but also through the supports offered. In content areas, I strongly suggest ordering class set subscriptions to magazines written for your age group. The offerings here at Scholastic are great with selections appropriate for all ages and subjects. In my ELA classroom, I like to have a class set of NY Times Upfront Magazine , which provides accessible articles on current events. Students run to read them each month.

If cost is prohibitive, see this post for an urgent plea to school leaders to fund books and other reading materials. Meanwhile, you can always print out a variety of articles from sources like Newsela (with similar content adapted to different reading levels) or NY Times , or any interesting blog posts.

Books can also be used in content areas. A science teacher I know has copies of science-related books, such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Omnivores Dilemma Young Readers Edition, as well as audio recordings for both. At specific points in the year, he introduces a book to the class, and students can opt in to reading it. A social studies teacher I know has a whole library of books, historical and current, fiction and non fiction, that are relevant to the study of history. She gives students time to read a book of their choosing (as long as it has some connection to a historical topic or theme) three days a week at the start of class.

c) The environment is conducive to reading for pleasure. If students are reading independently, the room is quiet. The teacher has set an expectation that everyone really read . The points above will help make this a feasible request without having to resort to threats to enforce quiet. Other than the requirement of actually reading, this is a low stakes activity. Students should not have to worry about being judged on their reading ability.

There are no required takeaways, no strings attached; no worksheets, reading checks or tests of comprehension. If your classroom or school is so grades-oriented that ten minutes daily of no-strings attached will create a great deal of trouble, try simply entering a participation grade for students for reading in class. Let students know you are doing this, and enter those grades in real timenot as a gotcha, but to send a message that this practice is as valuable as any other activity in your classroom. Ideally everyone will receive full credit. Do this a few times, and you will probably not have to continue. (Also, check out Starr Sackstein s Hacking Assessment for ways to shift your classroom culture away from grades.)

Finally, support students as needed. In some cases, this means helping students choose materials they will find interesting and be able to read independently. In other cases, this means asking a few students to read at a table with you. You can read aloud to them or allow them to volunteer to read portions aloud (no forcing). If some students want to read aloud to one another in pairs, and can manage this with quiet voices, encourage it.

Listening to texts countsits an integral part of learning to read in the first place, so for struggling readers, its an especially meaningful support. Allow students to listen to audiobooks. Consider also allowing students to listen to quality podcasts connected to your subject, even if the text is not available for following along.

Adopt the Reading Do Now Across Content Areas

In this recent post , I shared my practice of starting class with 10 minutes (sometimes more) of independent reading, and my reasons for doing so. Given the need for students to read at a much higher volume throughout a school day and week, I encourage teams to take this on across content areas. If ELA teachers include reading time daily, and each content area teacher begins class with independent reading time just one day per week, we have almost DOUBLED students weekly reading volume. If science and social studies teachers are able to do this twice per week, well, the math works out even better :)

The more comfortable, interesting, and successful reading experiences students have, the more they build the dexterity and confidence they need to confront the challenging texts. An investment of time across subject areas is worth everyones while.

What will your team commit to doing?

[Photo by Trust Tru Katsande on Unsplash ]

New Delhi: Keen on promoting cruise tourism on a mega scale, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said talks are on with Singapore for cruise connectivity.

India has huge potential for cruise tourism and efforts in this direction could boost it from 80 ship per annum to 900, the shipping minister said.

"The cruises from India could go to Singapore, Philipines and Thailand and the projects will be developed on PPP (public private partnership) mode," the minister said on the sidelines of an event.

Cruise terminals are being built at major ports and in Mumbai alone Rs 1,000 crore is being spent to build a cruise terminal, Gadkari added.

India, with a 7,500 km of coastline, has taken some steps to promote cruise tourism that includes relaxation of policies and roping in global consultants.

He had earlier said that a policy was in making to put India on the global cruise map -- both for oceans and rivers -- which is seen to create about 2.5 lakh jobs and boost growth.

India saw 1.76 lakh cruise passengers in 2016-17, a merely 0.5 per cent of the global pie. Domestic cruise passengers are estimated to grow to 1.5 million by 2031-32.

Of the 12 major ports, only five -- Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, New Mangalore and Chennai -- have facilities to berth international cruise ships.
Mumbai: Recently, drug supplier Bakul Chandaria was arrested for supplying drugs. He was caught with LSD and cocaine worth Rs 12.48 lakh.

We have seized 106 gram of cocaine worth Rs 8.48 lakh and LSD dots worth Rs 4 lakh. The total seizure is worth Rs 14.56 lakh, including cash found from the accuseds residence, Shivdeep Lande, deputy commissioner of police, had told Hindustan Times.

This criminal was snapped with Bollywood celebs like Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor. Here are some photos Pinkvilla reported that he shared on his Facebook page:

Bakul Chandaria with Salman Khan

Bakul Chandaria with Ranbir Kapoor

Bakul Chandaria with Aditya Roy Kapur

Bakul Chandaria with Abhay Deol

The accused is said to have Bollywood A-listers as his clients.
Mumbai: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma got married in Italy on December 11th in a fairytale wedding.

Virat will soon shift to Mumbai, as the couple has bought themselves a house in Worli, for a whooping Rs 34 crore.

The flat is in the C-Wing of an under-construction project called Omkar 1973. It is a 5 BHK apartment on 34th floor, but not just any other. This 7000 sq feet apartment has a sea-view.

The project has flats on bare shell Bespoke model, which means the flats can be designed as per the owners style and taste. The builder offers only a floor, with no columns in between. Its like a playground and the owner can make anything inside. One can have any size of bedroom to a king size hall, or a study, a source from the builders office was quoted as saying, according to a report in Mid-Day.

Mr. and Mrs. Kohli will be stationed in South Africa next where Virat will play for India for two months. The Indian captain will reside there until February but his wife Anushka will come back sooner, in the first week of January, since she has to resume shooting for Aanand L. Rais next untitled dwarf film.
Mumbai: The whole nation is in awe of Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohlis wedding, which took place in Italy yesterday.

It was a dream destination wedding for many, but it was possible thanks to another couple.

This couple includes Devika Narain, a wedding planner, and her husband Joseph Radhik, a wedding photographer.

Devika owns a Facebook page called Devika Narain and Company, where she wrote Weve been keeping a secret for a couple of months now and all of it has come to life today, in a beautiful Tuscan village, where Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma official got married.

Its finally all settling in, the cold is seeping back in and at this point Im an odd mix of relief and immense excitement. Weve been keeping a secret for a couple of months now and all of it has come to life today, in a beautiful tuscan village, where Virat Kohli and AnushkaSharma official got married. Were overwhelmed to have been chosen to be a part of such a special day. It means a lot to us to have had their trust, not just in keeping all of this a secret but to create a setting for their big day! Congratulations and thank you! #virushka, said the other post.

Virat and Anushkas wedding was indeed a well kept secret. In recent past Devika made frequent trips to Italy. But, she never disclosed it to us. Sometimes she said she was moving to Rome, sometimes to Paris. It was only on Monday evening, when she broke the news to her grandmother confirming that they designed the grand wedding that we came to know about it, said Pradeep, a local promoter of SPIC MACAY, an organisation that promotes Indian culture, arts and music among the youth, to Hindustan Times.

In an interview to News18, Devika Narains father Pradeep Narain also said, We just came to know half an hour before that our daughter and son-in-law arranged such a big wedding. My son-in-law Joesph called me up in the evening and asked me to congratulate Devika for doing something really big. It was then that we came to know of it.

While Devika conceptualized the wedding, her husband Joseph brought it to life with his photography throughout the wedding.
December 12 officially marks the first day of Hanukkah. It also marks the start of some tasty festive food.

Heres a list of the traditional food served during this Jewish festival.

A post shared by Margarita (@rita_suburbsmama) on Dec 12, 2015 at 12:28pm PST

Latkes

This food has very special meaning to Jewish people because of the story of the Maccabees. When the Jews managed to reclaim the Temple in Jerusalem, they had very little oil, only enough to sustain them for one day.

Miraculously though it managed to stay alight for eight days. Hence this festival is also knows as the "Festival of Lights". To celebrate this special occasion, Jews eat a lot of fried food during Hanukkah. Latkes is a fried potato pancake that is most popular. Some like it sweet while others like it savoury.

A post shared by Oz Telem (@oztelem) on Dec 11, 2017 at 10:22pm PST

Sufganiyot

Sufganiyot are deep-fried doughnuts with a strawberry jam filling.

A post shared by Israel (@stateofisrael) on Dec 9, 2017 at 7:45am PST

Gelt

Chocolate coins are wrapped in silver or gold foil and given out at Hanukkah. "The custom had its origin in the 17th-century practice of Polish Jewry to give money to their small children for distribution to their teachers," Rabbi A. P. Bloch explained in a report by The Independent.

A post shared by Broad Street Dough Co. (@broadst_doughco) on Dec 8, 2017 at 6:19am PST

Beef brisket

This is a popular dish for many Jewish festivals. Initially it was popular because the cost of brisket was low and many Jews living in eastern Europe were poverty-stricken.
Researchers examined Google searches and geocoded tweets with the help of artificial intelligence and a mathematical model. (Photo: Pixabay)

Analysing trends on Twitter and Google can help predict vaccine scares that can lead to disease outbreaks, according to a study.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada examined Google searches and geocoded tweets with the help of artificial intelligence and a mathematical model.

The resulting data enabled them to analyse public perceptions on the value of getting vaccinated and determine when a population was getting close to a tipping point.

A tipping point represented the point at which vaccine coverage declines dramatically due to spreading fear. It could cause large disease outbreaks due to a loss of population immunity.

"Mathematical theories used to predict tipping points in phenomena such as changing climate patterns can also be used to help predict tipping points in public health," said Chris Bauch, from the University of Waterloo.

"By monitoring peoples attitudes toward vaccinations on social media, public health organisations may have the opportunity to direct their resources to areas most likely to experience a population-wide vaccine scare, and prevent it before it starts," Bauch said.

For the study published in the journal PNAS, the researchers collected tweets that mentioned measles-mumps- rubella vaccine and classified their sentiment using artificial intelligence computer programmes.

They also collected data on measles-related Google searches. Their mathematical theory on vaccine scares predicted what kind of early warning signals they should observe in the data.

They found they were able to detect those signals in data from California before the 2014-15 Disneyland, California measles outbreak, which showed early warning signs of a tipping point two years before the outbreak occurred.

Their mathematical model also predicted how the Disneyland outbreak helped push California back from the tipping point by making parents more afraid of the disease than the vaccine.

"Knowing someone is a smoker cannot tell us for sure whether someone will have a heart attack, but it does tell us that they have increased risk of heart attack," said Bauch.

"In the same way, detecting these early warning signals in social media data and Google search data can tell us whether a population is at increased risk of a vaccine scare, potentially years ahead of when it might actually happen," he said.

"With the ability to predict the areas where immunity is most at risk due to behavioural factors, we may be able to help eradicate diseases such as measles and polio," he added.
Study suggests sleep quality, a key component of our health, is considerably poorer during the working years. (Photo: Pixabay)

As work worries abate, sleep difficulties may also diminish when workers make the transition to retirement, according to a recent study from Finland.

In particular, complaints of nonrestorative sleep and waking up too early in the morning decreased significantly, especially among pensioners who had poor health and stressful work lives before retirement, researchers found.

People reported experiencing more early morning awakenings and nonrestorative sleep during the final working years than after retirement, said lead author Saana Myllyntausta, a psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Turku.

Sleep is considered nonrestorative when a person is still tired after sleeping seven to eight hours. Sleep difficulties and short sleep cycles are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and early death, Myllyntausta and her colleagues note in the journal Sleep.

This study would suggest that sleep quality, a key component of our health, is considerably poorer during the working years, Myllyntausta told Reuters Health by email.

The study team analyzed survey data from 5,800 Finnish public sector employees who retired on a statutory basis between 2000 and 2011. Mandatory retirement age specified in the public sector worker pension law was generally 63 to 65 until 2004, the researchers note. In 2005, it was expanded to ages 63 to 68, except for certain worker categories such as primary schoolteachers, for whom mandatory retirement is at age 60.

Every four years, the participants responded to surveys and for the current study, researchers analyzed their responses during the years just before retirement and in the transitional years right afterward.

In the final survey before retirement, 30 percent of the employees reported sleep difficulties, but after retirement, 26 percent reported sleep problems. In the years immediately following retirement, the likelihood of sleep problems dropped 11 percent overall compared to the final years of work.

In particular, waking up too early was 24 percent less likely and non-restorative sleep fell by 53 percent. Little change was seen in difficulties falling asleep or maintaining sleep, however.

In general, sleep duration increased by about 20 minutes after retirement, and for those who had sleep difficulties or were heavy alcohol users before retirement, sleep increased by 45 minutes.

The researchers note that sleep difficulties before retirement occurred more noticeably in those with poorer health, shorter sleep times, psychological stress and job strain.

Retirement from work is a great opportunity to make positive changes in sleep, as working hours no longer dominate sleep timing and work-related stresses are removed, Myllyntausta said. People can make sure they get an adequate amount of restorative sleep.

This research is part of the overall Finnish Retirement and Aging study, which follows aging workers with wearable activity and sleep monitors from final working years into retirement.

What we have learned about aging and sleep up to now comes mainly from studies comparing young adults with elderly people, which somewhat neglect sleep changes in middle age, said Dr. Jean-Claude Marquie of the University of Toulouse in France who wasnt involved in the study.

Yet, aging is a developmental process which takes place throughout adulthood, Marquie told Reuters Health by email. The failure of studies to examine these middle years means that it is unclear whether changes in habits, sleep length and quality of sleep occur gradually or only in later years.

The Finnish study, for instance, shows that sleep problems were rated higher in 2006 than in 1996, which could reflect an increased public awareness of sleep problems or changes in working conditions, such as more stressful work and longer work schedules, Marquie said. In general, sleep problems started in the 30s and then increased into the 50s, and sometimes even the 70s.

Another important issue is that former shift workers show similar levels of sleep complaints as current shift workers, noted Marquie, who is studying the effects of night shift work on sleep, heart disease risk and aging.

Perhaps the main message is that some of the consequences of poor working conditions can be reversible (but not all of them), and the transition to retirement may be a blessed period that is important not to push back too far, Marquie said.
LONDON: Peppa Pig, a cartoon loved by children around the world, could be to blame for creating unrealistic expectations of doctors, according to an article in the light-hearted Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal.



Doctor Catherine Bell examined whether the cartoon's jolly Dr Brown Bear was responsible for people calling out doctors over minor ailments.



"Dr Brown Bear... appears to provide his patients with an excellent service -- prompt and direct telephone access, continuity of care, extended hours, and a low threshold for home visits," Bell, mother of a toddler, wrote in the usually solemn review. "But could this depiction of general practice be contributing to unrealistic expectations of primary care?" she asked.

The BMJ traditionally carries jokey pseudo-scientific articles in its Christmas special. Bell cited examples of Dr Brown Bear making home visits to treat a rash and a respiratory infection, and of him catching a cough after attending a playgroup.



She argued the character could encourage people to expect home visits for minor conditions, appeared to be administering antibiotics in an era of rising antibiotic resistance, and that his workload has him showing signs of "burnout".

"I hypothesise that exposure to Peppa Pig and its portrayal of general practice raises patient expectation and encourages inappropriate use of primary care services," said Bell. "Dr Brown Bear was approached for his perspective on the cases discussed; however, he is unable to comment pending the outcome of a fitness to practise investigation," she concluded.

The British-made pre-school cartoon is broadcast in more than 180 countries, and centres around a young pig, Peppa, her family (brother George, Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig), and various animal friends. The cartoon pig has previously come under fire for not wearing a seat belt or a cycle helmet.
Paresh Mesta's body was was found in a lake on Friday night. (Photo: Twitter)

Bengaluru: Two days after he went missing, a 21-year-old youth activist's body was found in a lake last Friday and the mysterious death is soon becoming the centre of a political row.

The BJP has alleged that the body of the youth, Paresh Mesta, was mutilated, he was castrated, his head burnt by boiling oil and split with a sharp weapon after he went missing during clashes in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

The police maintain the man was not tortured.

BJP lawmaker Shobha Karandlaje on Twitter shared photos of the mutilated body and said Mesta was castrated and his head cut open before being thrown into the lake.

SP under #SiddaramaiahRule has declared this as 'Samaanya Saavu'

Hindu boy 21 yr old Paresh Mesta goes missing.when he was found, he was mutilated,castrated.burnt by boiling oil poured over his head & his head split dastardly with a weapon. pic.twitter.com/tmxkK6r2GS  Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) December 10, 2017

But the police insisted that the autopsy report revealed no such torture as claimed. They said doctors found no evidence of any mutilation or any injury due to chemicals. The man's face was discoloured not because of burns but because of decay, an NDTV report said.

BJP MP Shobha criticised the Siddaramaiah govt of declaring the incident as an 'ordinary death'.

BJP leaders including Shobha on Tuesday marched to Raj Bhavan to submit memorandum to Governor seeking direction to state government for NIA probe in the case.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu groups clashed with the police while protesting in Karnataka's Sirsi.

Downplaying BJP allegations, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the BJP saying "a desperate BJP has stooped so low as to use the unfortunate death of a youth Paresh Mesta in Honnavar for political gains".

"BJP leaders are heeding the advice of Amit Shah to create trouble and invite police action. People are getting hurt by their irresponsible acts," he tweeted.
He was rushed to Ruia hospital in a critical condition after first aid was provided in government hospital, Puttur. (Representational image)

Nellore: In a bizarre incident, a second year intermediate student attempted suicide by laying his hands on a high tension railway power cable after climbing a stationary goods train at Puttur railway station in Chittoor on Monday evening.His classmates and other passengers were dumbstruck when they noticed the youth atop the goods train who was thrown off the roof after touching the cable.

The victim has been identified as S. Babu, 17 who suffered 80 per cent burns. He was rushed to Ruia hospital in a critical condition after first aid was provided in government hospital, Puttur. He is a student of SRS junior college in Puttur and a native of Battalakandriga village in Puttur. His kin and friends are clueless over the reason for him taking the extreme step.
Murugesan ran a textile store in the same area, which he took over from his late father and was also into real estate and finance business.

Chennai: Unbearable financial burden forced a man to murder four of his family members, including his two young children aged 7 and 5 by slashing their throats while they were asleep at his apartment in Pammal near Pallavaram, south of the city on Tuesday.

M Damodharan (38) later attempted to kill himself in a similar manner, but was rescued in time and is in a critical condition at a city hospital.

A five-page suicide note has been recovered from his house in which Damodharan had attributed mounting debts to be the reason behind his extreme step, police said.

Murugesan ran a textile store in the same area, which he took over from his late father and was also into real estate and finance business. Preliminary investigations have revealed that he has debts of several lakh rupees.

Police identified the deceased as, Deepa (32), Damodharans wife, his mother, Saraswathi (62) and his children, Roshan (7) and Meenakshi (5).

Whats more pitiful is that the family had celebrated the birthday of the elder child Roshan only on Sunday, which also turned out to be his last.

Around 7 30 am, Damodharan had called his brother-in-law, Raja and went on an emotional tirade. I would be forever indebted to you. You have always helped me in my tough times. Without repaying it, I am leaving this world. I am taking my family too with me. Please forgive me, Damodharan had told Raja over the phone, according to police.

Alarmed, Raja alerted his parents who live two streets away from Damodharans apartment. When the elderly couple - Balakrishnan and Banumathi - reached the apartment in Thiruvalluvar Nagar, they found the family lying in a pool of blood. Hearing their screams, neighbours from other apartments rushed and found Damodharan still alive.

He was moved to a nearby hospital and was then been shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where he is undergoing treatment. Sankar Nagar Police secured the bodies and moved them to Chromepet Government General Hospital for post mortem.

We suspect Damodharan to have slashed their throats while they were asleep. It is not clear if he had poisoned them before that, an investigating officer said.

Neighbours said that they did not hear any screams from the apartment.

Deepas parents had visited the family on Monday and had left around 10 30 pm. Police suspect the murder to have happened around 4 am. Further investigations are on.
New Delhi: Shooting off a seventh question at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even as campaigning for elections in Gujarat reached fever pitch, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi committed an embarrassing mathematical faux pax with regard to prices of essential commodities on Tuesday.

Realising his mistake soon after, Rahul deleted the tweet and posted a corrected one.

Directly blaming the Prime Minister for the price rise of essential items like cooking gas, vegetables and fuel, Gandhi aggressively highlighted the difference in rates as they existed in 2014 when general elections were last held, and rates as they exist or prevail now in 2017.

Presenting the data on gas cylinders, Gandhi said that cost of one cylinder in 2014 was Rs 414, whereas in 2017, it had gone up to Rs.742. Thereafter, instead of saying that there had been an increase of 79 percent, the Nehru-Gandhi scion erroneously mentioned it as a 179 percent increase.

That was not all! He followed it up by saying that price of pulses had risen by 177 percent instead of 77 percent, the price of tomatoes had gone up by 285 percent instead of 185 percent, that of onions had gone up by 200 percent instead of 100 percent, that of milk had gone up by 131 percent instead of 31 percent and the price of diesel had gone up by 113 percent instead of 13 percent.

22   #__



-7 :



    

    

GST    

    -

  



    

     ? pic.twitter.com/1S8Yt0nI7B  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 5, 2017 The tweet with the corrections.

Keeping the Gujarat polls in mind, which presently experts and pundits are saying is running neck-to-neck, Gandhi has been shooting off a series of questions at the Prime Minister and demanding that he give accountable answers to each one of them. The former has also asked the latter to come clean and stop his charade of the BJP and Centre claiming that development has only taken place in Gujarat and in other parts of the country under its direction.
Modi concluded the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) election campaign with prayers at Ambaji temple in Banaskantha and then took a flight in sea-plane to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Twitter)

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an emotional appeal to the people of Gujarat as the campaigning for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections came to an end on Tuesday.

Modi concluded the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) election campaign with prayers at Ambaji temple in Banaskantha and then took a flight in sea-plane to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad.

(Photo: Twitter)

Modi did not address any rallies but took to Twitter to urge the people to vote in record numbers on Dec 14.

"I call upon the people of Gujarat to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state" he said.

Exuding confidence in the BJP rule, Modi said, "With the Government of India and Government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1+ 1 is not 2 but 11 and together we will take Gujarat to new heights".

Modi said he was honoured to travel across the length and breadth of Gujarat to seek the blessings of the people.

"During my travels across Gujarat, the level of affection I have received from the people is unparalleled in my 40 years of public life," the PM said.

"This affection gives me strength and motivates me to devote all my time for Indias development," he added.

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to attack the Opposition accusing it of spreading 'lies' about Gujarat, the state's growth and about him personally.

"It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition," he said.

"Victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future," he added.

Concluding his vote appeal, Modi said he was devoted to the betterment of the people of Gujarat and India and urged the people to vote for the BJP in the elections.

Tuesday was the last day of campaigning for the second phase of Gujarat polls.

The fate of the BJP and the Congress would be decided on December 18, when the result of the assembly elections would be declared.
In another incident, the Lankan Navy chases away nearly 3,000 fishermen, who had ventured into the sea on Monday evening from Rameshwaram. (Representational image)

Rameswaram: Twenty-seven Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters early on Tuesday, an official said.

The fishermen from Jegadapattinam and Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district were arrested off Neduntheevu by the Lankan Navy and taken to Kangesanthurai port in Rameshwaram along with five boats, Assistant Director of Fisheries department, Pudukottai, Kumaresan said.

In another incident, nearly 3,000 fishermen who had ventured into the sea on Monday evening in 500 boats from Rameshwaram were chased away by the Lankan Naval personnel while they were fishing near Katchatheevu islet, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emerit said.

The Lankan Navy came to the spot and opened fire in the air to drive off the large group of fishermen before damaging their fishing equipment, he added.

The fishermen were forced to return to the shore without a catch, he said.

On December 2, 20 fishermen from Nagapattinam district were arrested by the Lankan Navy on charges of fishing off Neduntheevu.
In his tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, 'With air, roads & rail connectivity, our Government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians!' (Photo: PTI | File)

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Tuesday's roadshow in Ahmedabad was cancelled due to security and law and order, will now travel in a sea-plane from Sabarmati river in the city to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country.

His return journey would also be by the same sea-plane.

#WATCH: #Visuals of sea plane Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling in, from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam shortly #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/C8mqgzm1LA  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

"Tomorrow for the first time in the history of the country a sea-plane will land on the Sabarmati river. I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back," Modi announced at a poll rally in Ahmedabad.

"Our party had planned my road show tomorrow. However, the administration has not given permission and I had time so I decided to go to Ambaji in the sea-plane," Modi said.

In his tweet, the Prime Minister said, "With air, roads & rail connectivity, our Government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians!"

Tomorrow at 9:30 AM I will travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane. After that will offer prayers to Maa Amba at Ambaji. With air, roads & rail connectivity, our Government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians!  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2017

In his rally too Modi said: "We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these sea-planes."

The roadshow of the Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi faced a roadblock after the Gujarat police denied permission for it, saying they were apprehensive of law and order issues.

Rahul Gandhi's roadshow was to go through the Old City, the Prime Minister was to focus on the newer parts across the river. But the police said there was a possibility of trouble because the routes "were in mutual conflict".

Tuesday is the last day of campaigning for the second phase of voting on Thursday in Gujarat, where the campaigning has been aggressive and high-pitched. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi had addressed multiple rallies.

With inputs from PTI.
'PM has not spoken a word about corruption and is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal,' Rahul further attacked Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Ahmedabad: A day after being elected unopposed president of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over what he said was their silence on corruption.

Addressing media on the last day of campaigning for the ongoing Gujarat Assembly elections, ahead of the second and final phases of voting Rahul Gandhi said, PM has not spoken a word about corruption and is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal.

"Earlier Modiji used to talk about corruption everywhere. But since we raised the issues of Jay Shah (BJP President Amit Shah's son) and the Rafale defence deal (with France), he stopped talking about corruption," the Congress leader said.

"The PM is either talking about Congress or himself during his public meetings," Rahul added.

Talking about the internal conflict in the Congress following Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks, Rahul Gandhi said he had made his position clear.

"We took action against him. But what Modiji has been saying about Dr Manmohan Singh is also not acceptable. As Congress president, my priority will be to strengthen the party and you will see that in Gujarat," he said.

Exuding confidence on coming to power in Gujarat on December 18, the day the results will be announced, Rahul said, "The BJP has lost its position."

"After the first phase voting in the state (December 9), we are confident that we are going to form the government here (Gujarat)," the newly elected president of Congress said.

Rahul also assured that all decisions in Gujarat will be made in consultation with the people of Gujarat.

Further intensifying his attack on the PM, Rahul said, PM Modi said 2 crore youth will get jobs, but the reality is in front of us.

In last 22 years PM Modi and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani have initiated only one-sided development here (Gujarat). Not everyone has been given their rights, the Congress President-elect added.

Rahul said his party will do balanced development against BJP's one sided development.

He said, "Irrational economic policies of the BJP government has damaged Gujarat. We will abolish contract labour, fixed pay system in Gujarat. We will never take any decision unilaterally in Gujarat."

Rahul countered questions on his visits to temples during the election campaigning and said, "Whenever I went to a temple I just prayed for a 'Sunehra Bhavishya' for the people of Gujarat, a better development here. Is it wrong to go to a temple?"

Rahul also visited Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad on Tuesday morning, his 29th such visit in 90 days.

Rahul Gandhi said that the people of Gujarat has given him a lot of love during the last few months which he will never forget.

"Wherever I went, I was offered moongfali, dhokla, thepla and I was surprised with their hospitality. The people of Gujarat can approach me whenever they want to," Rahul added.

The Congress president elect termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seaplane ride a "distraction."

"If PM Modi wants to fly in a seaplane that is not wrong, but it is a distraction. The real question is what has been done for the people of Gujarat in the last 22 years," Rahul Gandhi said.

The second and final phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections is due on Thursday. The results will be out on December 18.
Information and Broadcasting ministry told all television channels in an advisory 'not to telecast the advertisements of condoms, which are for a particular age group and could be indecent/inappropriate for viewing by children'. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Government has imposed restrictions on Monday on advertising condoms on television, saying ads would only be allowed late at night as they could be inappropriate viewing for children.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said condom advertisements will now be allowed only between 10 pm and 6 am to avoid exposing children to such material and to comply with government rules.

The ministry told all television channels in an advisory not to telecast the advertisements of condoms, which are for a particular age group and could be indecent/inappropriate for viewing by children.

The government said its decision was based on rules stating that no advertisements which endanger the safety of children or create in them any interest in unhealthy practices should be allowed. It also cited regulations that prohibit indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes.

Talking openly about sex and contraception is still largely taboo in India. Conservative social norms mean many men and women are still embarrassed to shop for condoms, whose usage remains low in rural areas of the country.

The Government provides free condoms under its community-based AIDS prevention program, but several brands - including Durex condoms of Britains Reckitt Benckiser - are widely available, with some endorsed by Bollywood actors.

In September, an Indian condom maker was forced to withdraw a new advertisement promoting the use of the prophylactic ahead of a major Hindu festival, local media reported.
To a query, Rao said that party state unit president and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa's stay in jail for some time over corruption-related cases would not dent his image. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: The BJP has alleged that Karnataka was becoming "another Kashmir" with the killing of Hindu activists "selectively", involving an international network.

"Karnataka is becoming another Kashmir. Fifteen Hindu activists have been killed selectively in the state. There is an international network involved. This government is neither exposing their financial network nor their training module,"

BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao said.

Rao, in charge of party affairs in Karnataka, said BJP would also create an awareness among people about the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in the state.

To a query, Rao said that party state unit president and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa's stay in jail for some time over corruption-related cases would not dent his image.

"He (Yeddyurappa) was framed but there was nothing to substantiate. What does it mean? There is no case against Yeddyurappa. Everything is getting exposed now. He is the most popular leader in the state today, getting overwhelming support.He is seen as a development oriented leader," he said.

Rao also said the party would bring out a 'vision document' for each constituency, as well as 50 sector based manifestos in the run-up to the Assembly elections next year.

He said the party would identify 500 influencers in each assembly segment, who will brainstorm to bring out a vision document for their constituency.

"We are bringing out manifesto in a new way. Normally, a committee is constituted, which identifies a subject, holds brainstorming sessions with experts and people in the party. And a month before the election the manifesto is released. However, we are doing the exercise in a unique way," said Rao.

He said the BJP would identify leaders of various communities and organisations, including those of professionals and traditional occupational associations.

From these associations, 500 influencers will be picked up, who will brainstorm about the needs and requirements of their constituencies.

Similarly, documents would be prepared based on the 50 interactive sessions with professionals, including industrialists, doctors and arecanut and sugarcane growers, said Rao.

"So these 50 sectoral interaction and 224 assembly interactions...all put together we will make the state vision document. We will also bring out micro documents for all the constituencies. This is the process," Rao said.
Accusing the Prime Minister of hipocrisy, Lalu said Modi went to Pakistan uninvited and also called Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Saharif to his oath taking ceremony. (Photo: PTI/File)

Patna: In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday accused the PM of "allowing Pakistan's notorious agency ISI to picnic in the sensitive Pathankot airbase".

Accusing the Prime Minister of hypocrisy, Lalu said Modi went to Pakistan uninvited and also called Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Saharif to his oath taking ceremony.

"He goes uninvited to Pakistan,allows its notorious agency ISI to picnic in our sensitive Pathankot airbase, calls Pakistan PM in oath ceremony, gifts him generously, still Pakistan is bad," Lalu tweeted.

"If you hate Pakistan then why dont you end Most Favoured Nation status given to Pakistan?" he added.

In a sharp counter-offensive on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his conspiracy with Pakistan remark, former premier Manmohan Singh on Monday said he was setting a dangerous precedent with his ill-thought transgression and asked him to apologise to the nation.

Modi had on Sunday claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyars house over dinner on December 6, a day before Aiyars neech jibe against the PM.

In a strongly-worded statement, Singh rejected Modis comments as innuendos and falsehoods, saying he did not discuss the Gujarat Assembly elections with anyone at the dinner hosted by Mani Shankar Aiyar for Pakistans former foreign minister Kurshid Kasuri.
Megastar Rajinikanth, who turns 67 on December 12, is keeping his birthday celebrations low-key as a mark of respect to the 400 fishermen still missing after Cyclone Ockhi ran its devastating course along the west coast last week. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: Megastar Rajinikanth, who turns 67 on December 12, is keeping his birthday celebrations low-key as a mark of respect to the 400 fishermen still missing after Cyclone Ockhi ran its devastating course along the west coast last week.

This is the third year in a row the Tamil star has kept celebrations quiet  much to the disappointment of his fans. He did not go overboard in 2015 because of the Chennai floods and in 2016 as Jayalalithaa passed away a few days before his birthday.

The date 12/12 holds a new definition for Thalaiva fans who wait the entire year to make the actor's birthday grander but this year Rajinikanth will spend the day out of town at a secret location.

Enthusiastic Rajini fans celebrated their icon's birthday by conducting prayers, even as many of them thronged to Tamil Nadu with a hope of catching a glimpse of the actor, currently busy with 'Kaala-Karikaalan', touted as a sequel to his 2016 hit 'Kabali'.

Fans of the actor gathered outside Rajinikanth's house in Chennai to celebrate his birthday.

Tamil Nadu: Fans gather outside Rajinikanth's residence in Chennai to celebrate his 67th birthday. pic.twitter.com/6kFMj8GcVs  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Huge posters were put up by the actor's fan in parts of Tamil Nadu to celebrate the birth day.

#HBDSuperstarRajinikanth

Huge flexies all over #Vijayawada. Charitable events happening in both Telugu states

Even main areas which have political boards are also filled with @superstarrajini flexies



1/2 pic.twitter.com/aZ89TeFItW  Telugu Rajni Fans (@andhrarajnifans) December 12, 2017

Rajinikanth's fans in Japan too left no stone unturned to make the big-day memorable.

The fans also got a wonderful surprise for Rajini's birthday. The makers of Rajinikanth-starrer Kala-Karikalan dropped a new poster of the film.

Actor Dhanush, also the son-in-law of Rajinikanth, announced the launch of the film's second look coinciding with the veteran star's birthday on Tuesday.

The actor is looking rugged in a greasy black shirt and dark glasses.

The film, being produced by Dhanush, has already set off a buzz among his fans and is said to be one of the most awaited films and has a number of popular actors including Bollywood names like Huma Qureshi, Nana Patekar, Anjali Patil and Samuthirakani.

According to reports, Rajini was supposed to make a big decision on the day of his birthday, to float his own party and plunge into politics.

But it looks like a quiet birthday, with the superstar keeping a low profile.

Rajinikanth's birthday is usually celebrated in a gala way with fans pouring milk on large posters of the actor, some of them as tall as three-storey buildings, in a ritualistic way to show their respect and affection.

Rajinikanth is currently working in two films  2.0 directed by Shankar starring Akshay Kumar, which is to hit the screens early in 2018, and Kaala, a film by Paa Ranjith.

Political and cinema world greeted the actor on his birthday.

The Shahenshah of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan termed Rajinkanth a "friend" and a "large-hearted colossus".

T 2739 - To my dear friend, colleague and a most humble and large hearted Colossus !! Birthday greetings ..  ,   ,    !! pic.twitter.com/ToIVU0LGLL  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 12, 2017

Actor Akshay Kumar, his co-star in "2.0", also greeted Rajinikanth on his birthday.

Have always been in awe of your onscreen persona but working with you made me a bigger fan of you offscreen. They don't call you Superstar just like that :) Keep shining the brightest @superstarrajini Sir #HappyBirthdaySuperStarRajinikanth  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 12, 2017

DMK leader MK Stalin, MDMK founder Vaiko and Tamil Nadu BJP President Tamilisai Sounderrajan, actors Radhika, Kajal Aggarwal and Vikram Prabhu were among those who wished the superstar.

With input from agencies.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami addresses party cadres who joined AIADMK from other parties at a meeting in the party office on Monday. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: In an effort aimed at ameliorating the hardship of the horticulturists in the cyclone Ockhi ravaged Kanyakumari district, the State government has announced a livelihood assistance package of Rs 48,500 to Rs 63,500 per hectare for horticulture crops.

The input subsidy for banana plantations that have suffered 33 per cent damage is currently fixed at Rs 13,500 per hectare. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who announced the livelihood assistance package for the farmers involved in this crop, said they would be provided enhanced allocation.

Accordingly, input subsidy covering banana saplings, fertilisers etc. will be provided at Rs 35,000 per hectare under normal cultivation method and Rs 50,000 for tissue plantation procedure. As a result, the benefits to the farmers will range from Rs 48,500 to Rs 63,500 per hectare under different cultivation practices depending upon duration, the CM said in a statement here on Monday.

A total of 3,623 hectares of horticulture crops, mostly affecting 1,900 hectares of banana crops, had been damaged due to the cyclone that had battered the district on Nov. 30. Mr. Palaniswami informed that similar assistance would be provided for the rubber growers.

The government would extend a subsidy of Rs. 50,000 for rubber plantation, which will be taken up along with banana or pineapple as a short-term crop raised along with long-term rubber crop. Mr Palaniswami also announced input subsidy of Rs 28,000 per hectare for cultivation of clove. Clove plantations raised in about 43 hectares were damaged due to the cyclone.

The CM said that he had directed due relief from the state disaster relief fund towards damage incurred by the farmers of other horticultural crops like pepper and jackfruit.
News / National

by Mmegi

THE case in which a Zimbabwean, Taku Gandari is standing trial for the murder of his wife Omphile Gandari faces further delays after Gaborone High Court Judge Godfrey Radijeng postponed it to 2018.The trial in the long-dragging murder case was set to commence yesterday. However, Justice Radijeng, who was presiding over the matter for the first time, rescheduled it to April 26, 2018 for status update.Gandari is accused of the murder of his wife whom he stayed with together their three children at Maipei ward in Mmopane in March 8, 2013. He has been in custody since his arrest five years ago because his residence permit had expired after his arrest, which negated his application for bail. The case was previously presided over by former acting Justice Boipuso Tshweneyagae, whose contract has not been renewed after it expired last month.The matter was heard yesterday in absentia of the accused's lawyer Boingotlo Toteng who arrived late in court. "The case was set for trial today and tomorrow (December 6 and 7), but it is postponed to April 26, 2018 for status update," said Justice Radijeng. Meanwhile, the accused has maintained that he be allowed to use Setswana instead of his native Shona language.He told the court that he was comfortable with the use of Setswana when the court initially failed to secure the services of a Shona interpreter. At some point during a previous appearance, the court brought in a Shona interpreter, but the move did not settle well with Gandari.Although he spoke Shona to the interpreter, Gandari at the end of the sitting requested the court to allow him to use Setswana when the trial begins on December 6, 2017.A builder by profession, it is said that the accused and his wife had an argument leading to an altercation, which resulted in her death. It is said that he has built many houses in Mmopane where he was well-known and held in high esteem.Goabaone Motlhagodi represents the State from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
Visakhapatnam: If all goes as per plans, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate the heli-tourism project in Vizag city on December 16. The district administration has decided to hold the Visakha Utsav from December 28 to 30 on a grand scale to attract tourists from other parts of the country. HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) will organise an international conference titled Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH) in partnership with the AP government in Visakhapatnam from December 16 to 18.

The Chief Minister will inaugurate the tech conference and will also inaugurate the heli-tourism project, Mr Srinivasa Rao said. The tourism department is also chalking out plans to introduce tourist boats or ships with support from Visakhapatnam Port Trust in Vizag coast to attract the tourists besides introducing yachting, he added.
Hyderabad: The 9th and 10th Schedule institutions listed in the AP Reorganisation Act have not been bifurcated between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh even three-and-a-half-years after the state split. As a result, about Rs 8,000 crore is parked in various banks and neither state government can use the money.

Some of these institutions are starved of funds for development activities, as neither government is in a position to allot funds. The banks are, however, paying interest on the funds.

There are 91 institutions in the 9th Schedule and 142 in the 10th Schedule, including government departments, universities and others listed in the Act by the Centre at the time of the bifurcation. In the Act, the Centre has laid down the rules regarding bifurcation of assets, liabilities, and employees of these institutions.

But both state governments hold that these rules are contradictory and are using them to their advantage.

The Centre appointed committees to bifurcate assets and liabilities of these institutions, but the committees have been unable to bring about an understanding between the two state governments, and both have gone to the court.

AP Genco is worth Rs 2,448 crore

In the top 10 institutions of the 9th schedule, Rs 6,481 crore is available. AP Genco has the highest amount of Rs 2,448 crore and the AP Marketing Federation has the lowest amount of Rs 209 crore.

The top 10 institutions in the 10th schedule have funds of Rs 2,994 crore. Around Rs 1,559 crore was divided between the two states but Rs 1,435 crore is yet to be divided.

NTR Health University has the most funds  Rs 425 crore  and the Centre for Good Governance, the lowest  Rs 109 crore.

Some institutions badly require the funds and cannot get them in any other way from state governments that are both facing financial crises, yet they are unable to tap funds that are legitimately theirs until the two states get serious about how to divide the institutions.
Police sent her body to the local government hospital for autopsy.

Bhopal: A video showing a sweeper at a government hospital in Vidisha district stitching the autopsy incisions of a womans body on Tuesday went viral triggering a public outrage.

The local block medical officer placed three nurses of the hospital under suspension on charges of dereliction of duty.

According to official reports, one Netu Sharma, 32, resident of Pagrahi village under Sironj block in the district died of electric shock on Monday.

Police sent her body to the local government hospital for autopsy.

Later, the body was handed over to the family members. However, doctors in the hospital forgot to stitch the autopsy incisions of the womans body.

The family members found, to their horror, the deep gash in the neck left over from the autopsy, and took up the matter with the hospital authorities.

The authorities, in turn, sent the assistant of the mortuary, a sweeper, to their home where he stitched the womans body.

The video showing the sweeper stitching the womans body later went viral forcing the BMO to take action.
Hyderabad: A call made to the on-duty staff of Oman Air at Hyderabad and Lucknow airports put the security agencies on toes on Monday.

The caller, a woman from Bihar, told the staff that one Shoaib, who was likely to board a flight to Dubai on December 24, was planning to carry explosives with him for sabotage on-board. She claimed that he was likely to take a flight either from Hyderabad or Lucknow. The woman also claimed that Shoaib had cheated her under the pretext of marrying her and collected Rs 60,000 cash from her. Cyberabad police begun an inquiry in coordination with their counterparts in Lucknow.

Officials suspect that the caller may in fact herself be planning revenge on Shoaib over a love affair. DCP Shamshabad P.V. Padmaja said the caller was traced and identified as Sania Bahar, hailing from Bihar and working as a teacher. Sania had sent Shoaibs photographs and a copy of his passport to the airline staff and asked them to prevent him from flying abroad. The motive of her call is being verified.

Officials said Sonia could be in love with the man and may have played out a dra-ma to stop him from going abroad. Officials said that security was beefed up after the call. However, normal air traffic was not affected.
Anantapur: YSRC President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy recalled that the erstwhile Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government should get the full credit for providing 4 per cent reservation to Muslims. On day 32 of his Praja Sankalpa Yatra, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy interacted with muslim minorities at Madigubba village in the district on Monday. Addressing members of the minority community Mr Reddy said that late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy initiated to provide reservation for minorities during his regime. He also ensured adequate representation of Muslim members in the cabinet along with provision of reservations and education.

In contrast, the present Telugu Desam government has failed to fulfil any electoral promise made to the minorities, he added. The Rs 30,000 given by the state government for higher studies is peanuts when compared to the rising cost of education. How will students pursue their goals when government policies do not favour them? Jagan pointed out. He further added that the state government has failed to provide health care to people. Aarogyasri programme proved to be a boon for the people. Also, the 108 ambulance service reached people in distress and helped them reach hospitals on time. The scheme is now being neglected by the Chandrababu Naidu government, he said. He reassured Muslims that YSRC will give priority to minorities.
Thakore alleged that Modi was as dark as him previously, but his complexion lightened considerably after he started consuming the mushrooms imported from Taiwan. (Photo: File)

Banaskanth (Gujarat): Latest in the line of peculiar allegations hurled this election season is Congress ally in Gujarat Alpesh Thakor's claim that the complexion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned fair because he eats mushrooms imported from Taiwan that cost Rs 80,000 per piece.

"Someone told me that you can't eat what Modi ji eats, because it's not a food for the poor," Thakor said addressing a gathering in Gujarat's Vadgaon, and continued the anecdote, saying he was told that the Prime Minister eats mushrooms that come from Taiwan.

"One mushroom costs Rs 80,000, and he eats five mushrooms a day. That is why I wonder how he turned so fair. He was as dark as me," Thakor added.

Thakor also alleged that the same person told him that Prime Minister Modi has been eating those mushrooms since he became the chief minister of Gujarat, in 2001.

"The Prime Minister who eats mushrooms worth Rs 1.20 crore in a month, you can imagine how many crores of money his workers must be eating up," Thakor added.

Amidst the Gujarat elections, both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress Party are leaving no stone unturned to claim victory.

The controversial statements range from Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's "Neech" remark at the Prime Minister to the allegations of treason against Aiyar and other senior Congress leaders by Prime Minister Modi.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congressmen in the state are in a state of frisson, with no less a person that former chief minister Oommen Chandy recalling Gandhiji's poignant words, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win", to salute Rahul Gandhi on his election as the Congress president. Mr Gandhi's election was a foregone conclusion. State party president M. M. Hassan said he is the youngest incumbent to don the mantle of India's grand old party. Encomiums pour in from leaders in state, where Mr Gandhi had not so long back adopted a tough stance to rein in unbridled factionalism.

In the process, Mr Gandhi even installed his own man as the state president- Mr V. M. Sudheeran- though it is an accepted fact that he would never muster enough support to reach anywhere near the post. Yet the rank and file put up with Mr Gandhi's prescription, hoping it would help. But it didn't. State leaders like Mr Chandy believe Mr Gandhi's 13 long years as an MP, general secretary and vice-president in different spells give him the resource base to lead the party as well as be a rallying point against the rightwing forces. In less than four years, Mr Chandy said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proved himself to be all talk and less action. Right time for Mr Gandhi to step in.

But there is a catch. 13 long years also should tell him how he should blend experience and youth, or tradition and talent, to steer the ship of Congress through turbulence, never to revert to the authoritarian style of imposing yes men as state leaders (during Indira Gandhi's time). If time permits, Mr Gandhi would be in Thiruvananthapuram to wrap up Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala's padayorukkam. Congressmen would eagerly await the moment for Mr Gandhi's elucidation of his priorities.
New Delhi/ Ahmedabad: On the last day of the Gujarat poll campaign, a combative Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi predicted a zabardast (tremendous) win for the party due to a strong undercurrent against the ruling BJP and hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments insinuating that his predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh, colluded with Pakistan to influence the outcome of the state polls.

The Congress will win the election... the results will be zabardast, said Mr Gandhi. Mr Gandhi also raised the issue of atrocities against dalits in Gujarat.

Modi has not spoken about graft: Rahul

It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. Public mood has undergone zabardast change.

The Congress will win the election....the results will be zabardast, a confident-looking Gandhi said.

Mr Gandhi, addressing his first presser after his elevation, said, in his new job, he would strive to change the nature of political discourse in the country which has become ugly and nasty.

He questioned Modis silence on allegations against BJP president Amit Shahs son Jay Shah, a charge the Gandhi scion raked up repeatedly at the hustings, and alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Replying to a question on Mr Modis remarks over Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls, Gandhi said, I have made my stand clear from day one, in words and in action. Modiji is the Prime Minister of our country. Mani Shankar Aiyar said something and I made it clear that I would not tolerate it. You have seen the action.

But what Modiji has said about former prime minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable. Manmohan Singhji was also the prime minister of this country, served and made sacrifices for this country, the 47-year-old leader said. Addressing an rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

Modi claimed some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyars house over dinner on December 6, and a day later Aiyar made the neech jibe against him. Aiyar was suspended from the party. Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is Prime Minister, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him.

I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger, he noted. Gandhi said he would like to spread the Congresss ideology that politics should be done through love.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd before soaring into the clear Ahmedabad sky on a seaplane from the Sabarmati river, marking a dramatic end to a gruelling election campaign, on Tuesday. The second phase polling in Gujarat takes place on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Controversy hit the last day of campaigning in Gujarat with questions being raised on a possible breach of security protocol over Prime Minister Narendra Modis seaplane ride from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district.

After being denied permission to hold a road show, Mr Modi took a seaplane to bring development back in focus.

Opposition parties, including National Confe-rence leader Omar Abdullah and Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi, took pot-shots at the Prime Minister over his seaplane ride. Mr Abdullah took to Twitter to ask why security guidelines were relaxed for Mr Modi. How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country.

Congress President-elect Mr Gandhi said there was nothing wrong if Mr Modi wanted to fly in a seaplane but it was a mere distraction from the question of what they had done for the people of Gujarat in the last 22 years. Mr Modi and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had initiated one-sided development here, the one only for 5-10 people. Not everyone had been given their rights, he said.

Seaplane used was on trials

Sources in the civil aviation ministry said the seaplane used by Mr Modi on Tuesday belongs to a Japanese company Setouchi Holdings and was used by low-cost carrier SpiceJet to carry out seaplane trials last Saturday at Mumbais Girgaum Chowpatty.

As the Prime Minister closed in the campaigning in style by flying to pray at the famous Ambaji temple, a special floating platform was constructed on the river to facilitate him board the plane.

The seaplane took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid sloganeering from BJP workers who had assembled at the Sabarmati riverfront.

Mr Modi proceeded by road to the Ambaji temple in Banaskantha district after his plane landed on the water of Dharoi dam.

There was a road show at Ambaji town from the outskirts till near the shrine. The Prime Minister prayed at the temple where he spent almost 15 minutes. The Prime Minister had said at a campaign rally on Monday that for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane would land on the Sabarmati.

I will go to Ambaji in the seaplane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back, Mr Modi had said adding We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these seaplanes.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had claimed that this would for the first time in the countrys history that a seaplane would land on a water body and that would be the Sabarmati.

Meanwhile, the curtains came down on Tuesday on campaigning for the second phase of polling in Gujarat, where the canvassing saw charges flying thick and fast with the top brass of the BJP and the Congress launching no holds barred attacks against each other.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the campaign for the ruling party and president of Congress Rahul Gandhi helmed the stumping for his outfit.

The second and final phase of elections, for which the open campaigning ended at 5 pm, will see 93 Assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

The first phase of voting for the 182-member house, held on December 9, covered 89 seats.
The Aadhaar fever started in 2009, when the UPA government was in office. It encountered turbulent times in 2014 when the government changed. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a technology enthusiast, was persuaded to look beyond the past at the opportunity it gave to reduce official discretion and corruption, whilst targeting and delivering public services. The results have been impressive on three counts -- speed, cost and sustainability. First, the system was scaled up at breathtaking speed. Around 15 citizens were digitally registered every second, over seven years, assuming a 60-hour week. Registering 1.2 billion residents out of around 1.3 billion, in a country spanning 3.3 million sq km is by itself a never- before achievement. Second, unbelievably, this feat was achieved at a nominal cost of Rs , a little more than $1, per person. The norm for biometric identification anywhere else has been at least $10 per person. Clearly, frugal Indian innovation was at its best here. Third, Nandan Nilekani, the single parent of Aadhaar, moved on in early 2014, serially to politics, social impact ventures and today heads Infosys as its non-executive chairman. But the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which he first headed, continues to flourish, which speaks volumes of its sustainable management systems. Small, effective public institutions  UIDAI had a sanctioned staff of just 115 in 2009  tend to be helmed by charismatic banyan trees  leaders who allow nothing to grow under their horizontally spread branches.

So why then the public angst against Aadhaar? Three reasons come to mind  all of them related not to the technical effectiveness of the system itself but the manner in which it is proposed to be used. First comes politics. Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh  between three million to 20 million  along with legal immigrants from Nepal, have acquired voter IDs and ration cards. They are difficult to distinguish from their neighbours. But it has also suited the government politically, till now, to not identify such immigrants. Aadhaar can upset political calculations. Targeting Aad-haar at residents  a more inclusive genre  than citizens was a compromise solution. But the threat remains that this powerful data set will feed into culling voter lists of duplicates or ghosts and weeding out passports wrongly issued to people who were never Indian citizens. Second is the scale of disruption associated with ending corruption. Consider that 14 per cent of Indians, or 180 million, have a driving licence. But one-third are fake and many more are improperly given to ineligible drivers -- a key factor in road fatalities. 290 million Indians have a unique number called PAN, required for filing income-tax. But 80 per cent are not authenticated with the Aadhaar database. This illustrates the poor integrity of the tax database.

Third, managerial ambitions have outrun executive caution in graduating the pushback from those adversely affected. From being a back-office tool, Aadhaar has become a digital shortcut to cull ghosts from the burgeoning food security scheme; weed out manipulations in income-tax submissions; introduce a security check over phone connections or use big data to link bank accounts, phone numbers, vehicles, houses, financial investments with each biometrically identified individual. Aadhaar is the shortcut to dig out our dirty secrets. And no one likes that. Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act 2016 specifies that Aadhaar shall not be the sole arbiter of identity for accessing public benefits. Section 5 makes it obligatory for UIDAI to get those, who lack identity documents  children, women, the specially-abled, senior citizens, workers in the unorganised sector, nomads are mentioned -- covered under Aadhaar by other means. The intention is clear. The State must devise methods to include all residents in the database and ensure, till then, that the flow of public benefits to eligible recipients continues uninterrupted.

Similarly, the onus for protecting the privacy of the individual is on the State. The government has no option except to align with the law. Indeed, it seems to have already diluted its hard stance on the timeline for the implementation of Aadhaar.

Two options present themselves for the way forward. First, the government could downsize its ambitions for Aadhaar and allow other modes of identity verification to continue till the availability of Aadhaar becomes universal and, more important, the hardware for authenticating Aadhaar is widely available. This is unlikely, in the short term, till the Bharatnet fibre cables have been laid and are operational in all gram panchayats. Just one-fourth are connected today. But the more real downside here is of a slide into never-ending inertia. This seems alien to the present governments style.

The second and better option is to deal with the fears of activists who have petitioned the Supreme Court against linking bank accounts and phones with Aadhaar. With respect to privacy, the fact that the State will be able to trace individuals behind phone conversations or bank accounts seems innocuous. On the contrary, both security and tax revenue considerations point to this being desirable, if not essential. Theoretically, any information, available with the State, can be misused to violate the privacy of an individual. But surely an income-tax officer using the Aadhaar authentication to check if you have included all your bank accounts in your tax return does not fall in that category. What about a duly authorised police officer who traces the owners of phone numbers talking about crime or a threat to public security? Protocols for tapping phones and accessing details of private bank accounts already exist. The Aadhaar link simply makes it easier and faster to catch crooks and criminals. Governments rely on their credibility to gain the trust of citizens. Safeguards for individual rights do help. But only if with governments that are public-spirited and well-intentioned. Once this is no longer the case, the only recourse is to voice your opinion through your vote, and good luck to you on that.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Ex Zipra cadre Max Mkandla has warned the new minister of Primary and secondary education Paul Mavima that if he want to be popular with citizens he must stop recklessly fronting the education curriculum introduced by former minister Lazaras Dokora that was condemned by citizens.Mavima following his appointment as minister announced that there was no change in the curriculum introduced by Dokora saying the same is going on unchanged despite the celebrations by citizens that Dokora had been fired hoping the curriculum would be dumped as well."While we accept that we are living in a different global world, the statement by Mavima that the policy implemented by Dokora will stay is an insult to the citoizens. Dokora's departure was celebrated by citizens in the hope that his curriculum will be put to an end. The nation must agree that President Emmerson Mnangagwa is not implementing the policies of Robert Mugabe which were rejected by the people," Mkandla said."People are looking for total change of attitude from government and system especially in the education sector which has been destroyed to Dokora. It is the system that caused the people to celebrate when Dokora and Mugabe were removed. Mnangagwa must double check the curriculum if he wants to remain popular with the people."He said it was sad that Mavima seemed to be very happy to carry on with the policy which is being rejected by the people and wondered whom do he thinks he serves if the people are not happy with him.Mkandla said Mavima might be happy and see no problem with the curriculum because he does not have a child at local schools."Zimbabwe has been rated the highest in terms of education and people like Mavima are doctors and di not go through such a curriculum what is that is important in bringing Islamic in a Christian dominated nation?" Mkandla said. "Mavima must seek to change that policy or he must get out. If people managed to demonstrate for Mugabe to go what can stop them to call for him to leave office if he does not listen to them?""He must reform or ship out and the president must not allow overzealous characters to taint his newly promising government with careless remarks."
The trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) in New Delhi on Monday was good for optics. It produced nothing sensational. But when top officials of leading countries gather to speak of charting a productive path and fashion a cooperative outlook, the right signals go out. The meeting of Sushma Swaraj, Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov should also help balance concerns in any quarters that India has begun to form a bloc with the United States, Japan and Australia (the Quad) to box in China in producing a security architecture for the Indo-Pacific region. This was articulated in the wake US President Donald Trumps recent Asia-Pacific visit, and was commented on in China.

Mr Trumps particular reference to Indo-Pacific, an accurate enough description, further fuelled calculations that India was being pulled into a potential bloc against China. The notion gained enough traction for Russias foreign minister to say in a talk at a New Delhi think tank that a sustainable security architecture for the Asia-Pacific cant be achieved through a bloc arrangement but on an open-ended collective basis. Not that the latter is on the cards at all, and no country of the Quad  India included  is interested in barracking China (given their bilateral relations with Beijing). By raising the issue, however, Moscow is signalling the importance of its own ties with China, particularly so in light of the Trump administrations unceasing hot rhetoric on North Korea, which impacts both Beijing and Moscow.

The trilateral communique on terrorism once again left out mentioning Pakistan-based anti-India terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammad and only spoke of taking decisive and concerted actions against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities. China has massive investments in Pakistan in the context of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and it clearly cant go any farther than this in the foreseeable future. But that shouldnt turn us off Beijing, and we need to look at the balance. In dealing with regional terrorism emanating from Pakistan, its better to be in sync with Moscow and Beijing on a broad political understanding of ways to combat terror than be at odds with them as that would make any consensus elusive.

In dealing with terrorism each country will have its own threshold. India must be clear it will act the way it needs to and, in the end, it cant depend on any country in fighting regional or international terrorism directed against it. It was positive that Ms Swaraj had a bilateral conversation with Mr Wang on the RIC meet sidelines in the first high-level bilateral contact between India and China after the diplomatic resolution of the Doklam crisis. They aired their differences and promised to handle the bilateral relationship with sensitivity. Thats okay for now.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the Gujarat campaign trail, made the first mistake, though in his mind he must have considered it to be an electoral masterstroke, when cried out that Mani Shankar Aiyar had a meeting with Pakistanis at his house and he was plotting for Mr Modis defeat in the Gujarat Assembly election. It was a perfect rabble-rousers gambit, however weak it may be in terms of facts. The first strange, or perhaps not so strange, fact is that the governments intelligence agencies must have gathered the information that there was a dinner at Mr Aiyars home with the representatives of Pakistan. There was no other way that the Prime Minister could have known about this private dinner because neither Mr Aiyar nor the others who were there issued a press statement about it. The governments snoopers could not have known the details of what was talked about at the party. So the Prime Minister simply wanted to use it to his advantage by alleging a plot.

It was natural that the Pakistan foreign office, which is always daggers drawn, did not let a remark in a stump speech pass, and countered it with a sharp political statement, mocking Indias democratic squabbles. The story became a little more complicated when former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was one of the invitees at Mr Aiyars dinner, issued a public statement condemning Prime Minister Modis allegation by categorically stating that the Gujarat election was not the point of discussion at the dinner. Finance minister Arun Jaitley joined the fray and tried to give it a legal twist by questioning the rationale of the private dinner, calling it a political misadventure and accusing the Congress, the main Opposition party, of deviating from national policy on Pakistan of not talking with the antagonistic neighbour as Pakistan-based terrorist acts against India continued. It was a bizarre counter-attack. First, the dinner at Mr Aiyars place was not a venue for official or non-official talks with Pakistan. Mr Jaitley was elevating the private dinner to a diplomatic level. There were more Indians at the dinner, as seen form the list released by Dr Singh, than Pakistanis.

The only guest of significance was the former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Ahmed Kasuri. The presence of the Pakistan high commissioner could be nothing more than nominal. Either the governments surveillance team gathered enough information about the meeting which could be incriminating against the attendees, or the party in power just wanted to kick up a political controversy which is justified. But Mr Jaitley has no ground to stand on because talks and meetings of the informal and formal kind continue between the two sides, both at the governmental and non-governmental levels. To term a meeting with Pakistani representatives at a private dinner as a misadventure is stretching the truth to breaking point, quite in the footsteps of the Prime Minister. And to further describe it as deviating from the national foreign policy line smacks of fascism. It is only in a fascist set-up that what the State says or does is held sacrosanct and those deviating from it are considered enemies. Unfortunately, there is a dangerous consensus on foreign policy issues among all major political parties in India. This excludes the needed debate and the exploration of alternative views.

Mr Aiyar is a hopeless peacenik on the issue of India-Pakistan relations, but he is not as woolly-headed as he is made out to be. He is as much aware of the hard realities on both, and he is in a minority in his own party and among his own liberal set. There are too many hawks among the diplomatic and liberal waterholes of New Delhi, and Mr Aiyar is not the sole voice. It will be futile and foolish to turn Mr Aiyar into a national security threat. Law and justice minister Ravi Shankar Prasad too umbrage at the Pakistan foreign office spokesmans statement which was provoked by Prime Minister Modis hysterical outburst. There was not much that Mr Prasad could do by way of damage control except make the bland statement that India knows how to conduct its elections, which is a non-sequitur.

On December 18, when the Gujarat Assembly poll results along with that of Himachal Pradesh are announced, this little controversy over Pakistan in the context of the Gujarat election will sink into irretrievable oblivion. In the meanwhile, Mr Modi has created enough ruckus, and his Cabinet colleagues, Mr Jaitley and Mr Prasad, waded into it, without much effect. But the basic question could and should still nag the minds of general observers. What was the discussion at Mr Aiyars dinner all about? Was it just a dinner hosted for Mr Kasuri, who flies in and out of India quite regularly, and India-Pakistan issues were just a conversation point, besides gentle banter? Mr Aiyar has his plans for India-Pakistan detente, which are unlikely to unfold at any time in the near future. The guest list is a little too weighted to raise suspicions that there was serious discussion. As a citizen of a democratic India, Mr Aiyar has every right to host such a dinner and even set a serious agenda.

Prime Minister Modi and the government would have been on stronger ground if they had just referred to the unusual dinner meeting and not committed the gaffe of the dinner being an occasion to plot the defeat of the BJP in the Gujarat elections or the overthrow of Mr Modi himself. Had the finance minister just raised a query about what the dinner talks were all about, then it would have made better sense than to turn it into a deviatory act. Now that the private dinner has become a public controversy, one of the participants could well reveal the general tenor of the conversation. It is more likely that Mr Kasuri might be the one who will do it rather than his Indian hosts. And it is but natural that the Pakistan high commissioner must have sent his confidential dispatch to Islamabad about the mood at the dinner table and the inconsequential chatter that accompanied the food, which must have been interesting and good enough.
Puri and five other diplomats were awarded for their contribution to help form a more perfect, peaceful and secure world. (Photo: Twitter/@lakshmiunwomen)

New York: Six top diplomats, including an Indian woman, have been felicitated with the inaugural Diwali "Power of One" award at the UN headquarters in New York for their contribution to help form a more "perfect, peaceful and secure world".

The awards were presented on Monday on the occasion of the first anniversary of the US Postal Service's issuing of a forever Diwali stamp in 2016.

The awardees included outgoing British Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft; Lebanese Ambassador to the UN Nawaf Salam who was elected to the International Court of Justice in November and Indian head of the UN Women Lakshmi Puri.

The other awardees were Maged Abdelaziz, the former Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN; Ion Botnaru, the former Permanent Representative of Moldova to the UN and Yuriy Sergeyev, the former Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations.

Co-organised by the Permanent Missions of Belarus, Georgia and India, the event was co-sponsored by nearly two dozen countries including the US, Britain, France, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Spain, Kuwait and Algeria, a statement said.

The event was held at the prestigious Trusteeship Council Chambers at the UN headquarters in New York.

"The inaugural 'Power of One' award is bestowed upon globally exceptional people - who have toiled selflessly to help form a more perfect peaceful and secure world for all of us", said Ranju Batra of the Diwali Foundation.

New York-based Batra is credited with the seven years of effort towards the release of a Diwali stamp by the US Postal Service.

"In October 2016, we won and got our Forever Diwali Stamp. I personally sold over 1, 70,000 stamps to make the Diwali Stamp the USPS' #1 Bestseller for Day One in its over 200 year existence," Batra said.

"I was determined to succeed in my goal to get the USPS to issue a Diwali Stamp, despite knowing many others had tried and given up. I spent nearly 7 years chasing it peacefully, and using only inclusive and respectful means," she said.

Eminent Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said the Diwali Foundation USA's "Power of One Awards" were the "Oscars of Diplomacy" and helped "Good" beat evil and suffering.

Speaking on the occasion, Valentin Rybakov, Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN, said the awardees symbolically illuminate a way forward to a more perfect, peaceful and secure world for all.

Diwali Foundation USA was established in 2017 as an NGO to promote a peaceful and consensus-based process to achieve societal "Good" as befits the high hopes and ideals of humanity enshrined in the UN Charter.

Among others who spoke on the occasion included Frantisek Ruzicka, Chef de Cabinet, President Miroslav Lajcak, 72nd UN General Assembly and Syed Akbaruddin, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.










Prime Minister Narendra Modi took off this morning in a sea-plane from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls.Modi boarded the single-engine sea-plane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country.A special jetty was constructed to facilitate the prime minister's boarding from the river.The plane took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid chants of "Modi-Modi" from BJP workers and other city dwellers, who flocked the Sabarmati Riverfront to witness this one-of-a-kind event.The plane would land at Dharoi dam reservoir in Mehsana.From Dharoi, the prime minister would proceed to Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha district via road. After visiting the temple, he would return to Ahmedabad by the sea-plane in the evening.Modi had yesterday said at a poll rally that today, for the first time in the history of the country, a sea-plane will land on the Sabarmati river."I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back," he said.He said the BJP had planned a road show for today in Ahmedabad."However, the administration has not given permission and I had time so I decided to go to Ambaji in the sea-plane," Modi had said."We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these sea-planes," he said.Chief Minister Vijay Rupani yesterday said this is for the first time in the country's history that a sea-plane will land on a water body and that will be the Sabarmati river.
India, Russia and China refrained from seeking East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine after foreign ministers of the three countries met in New Delhi on Monday.



External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hosted her Russian and Chinese counterparts Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi for the 15th annual meeting of the Russia-India-China (RIC) in New Delhi.

The joint statement issued after the meeting called for "negotiations aimed at creating an independent, viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security with Israel within mutually agreed and internationally recognised borders". It, however, did not have any reference to East Jerusalem.

The last RIC joint statement issued after the 14th meeting of the foreign ministers of the three nations in Moscow in April 2016 had categorically called for East Jerusalem to be the capital of the future state of Palestine.

The move by Russia, India and China to drop the reference to East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine came just days after US President Donald Trump formally recognised the ancient holy city as the capital of Israel.

The US move evoked sharp criticism not only from Arab world, but also from Europe and many other nations. Trump also set in motion a plan to shift the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Moscow has expressed concern over the US move. Russia's ambassador to Israel, Alexander Shein, however, was quoted saying that Moscow had recognised West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in April this year. He, however, also said that Russia could consider shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem after the "Palestinians and the Israelis agree on all issues of the final status" of the territories of Palestine.

China, however, reiterated its support to establishment of an independent sovereign Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital as recently as last week. "The status of Jerusalem must be determined through dialogue and negotiation on the basis of UN resolutions, and the two-state solution remains a viable, fundamental solution to the Palestinian issue," Wang said in Beijing after the US recognised the ancient city as the capital of Israel.

New Delhi declined to toe the US line on recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stated that its position on Palestine was "independent and consistent" and shaped by its "views and interests, and not determined by any third country". India, however, refrained from reiterating its long-held view that eastern part of the holy city should be the capital of Palestine.

India in fact stopped calling for East Jerusalem to be the capital of Palestine this year. Hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New Delhi in May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did call for "a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, co-existing peacefully with Israel", but avoided supporting the demand for East Jerusalem to be the capital of Palestine. He carefully avoided referring to it during his visit to Israel in July a the first by a Prime Minister of India, although the two countries had established formal diplomatic relations in 1992. His message on the occasion of International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People on November 25 last or India's statement to UN General Assembly on November 29 last too did not refer to the call for East Jerusalem to be the capital of Palestine.

The leaders of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) too refrained from calling for East Jerusalem the capital of Palestine when they issued a joint statement after the summit of the five-nation bloc at Xiamen in China in September. The statement issued after the BRICS summit in Goa in October 2016 had reiterated the call for East Jerusalem to be the capital of Palestine.
About 20 months after a 30-year-old Dalit woman was raped and murdered in Perumbavoor, the lone accused in the case was pronounced guilty by a court in Ernakulam on Tuesday.



The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court convicted Ameerul Islam, a migrant worker from Assam, in the rape and murder of law student Jisha. The gruesome crime had led to a statewide campaign seeking justice for her and the case opened up an extensive debate on women's safety in the state.

The court is set to pronounce the quantum of punishment later.

Jisha was found dead in her one-room home by her mother Rajeswari on the night of April 28, 2016. In May, the investigating team collected the suspect's DNA samples. Days after the Left Democratic Front government took over in May, a new investigation team was formed under ADGP B Sandhya. In June, 2016, Ameerul's arrest was recorded in Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu. The police submitted the charge-sheet in September 2016. The trial commenced in April this year.

Judge N Anilkumar found Ameerul guilty on charges under sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), 376A (inflicting injury causing death or a persistent vegetative state), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 449 (trespass) of the IPC. Ameerul was not convicted on charges of causing disappearance of evidence or charges under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Special Public Prosecutor N K Unnikrishnan said six scientific evidences including the blood traces of the accused found on the victim and the footwear found near the scene of crime proved key in the probe.

Reacting to the verdict, Jisha's mother Rajeswari demanded capital punishment for the convict. Ameerul's lawyer B A Aloor said considering that the murder charges were already established, the defence would argue for the least in terms of punishment - a life sentence.
A self-sponsored bundh call was given in Sirsi (Uttara Kannada district) on Tuesday by Hindu activists demanding the arrest of culprits responsible for the death of activist Paresh Mesta.



However the situation turned tense later in the day when some miscreants began pelting stones at police vehicles.

MLA Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri who participated in the protest march was also arrested by the police along with Hindu activist leaders.

The police were able to contain the damage and restore peace through lathi charge, tear gas shells and firing in the air.

The unruly mob threw stones indiscriminately. Even media people were hurt in the violence as also the police, who tried to disperse the mob.

Tyres have been set on fire on the highway at many places in the town.
News / Press Release

by MLF

Fears of fresh Gukurahundi killings have started gripping the people of Mthwakazi. This comes after a number of incidents of human rights abuses by uniformed soldiers have witnessed in some parts of Mthwakazi. On the 3rd of December at a roadblock at the Nyamandlovu turnoff along the Vic Falls road, 3 boys were ordered off the bus heading to Nyamandlovu, on suspicion that they were part of the green bombers. They spent 12hrs at the army camp. Witnesses say they were beaten up, forced to sing Shona revolutionary songs and mocked for the demise of Mugabe whom soldiers accused them of serving.In another incident of human rights abuse our Members, Nkayi Setshanke branch chairperson, Themba Mlotshwa and secretary Happy Dlamini spent hours of the Sunday afternoon in custody of uniformed soldiers. Their cellphones were confiscated for a period of their detention. They were beaten up, severely tortured and later on released without being charged.More of the similar abuses have been reported at the Beitbridge border post and along Bietbridge Bulawayo road where scores are reported to have been beaten up for illegal border crossing and loitering.As Mthwakazi people's defenders, eyes, and mouthpiece, we would like to warm the Mnangagwa administration that we cannot let their bloodthirsty behaviour haunt us this time around. The Gukurahundi history has no place again in Mthwakazi. If Mnangagwa succeeded in the 80s, killing over 80 000 of our people, forcing ZAPU leader to exile, detaining and poisoning to death some of ZAPU commanders, not this time around. We will take him to the wire.We, therefore, would like to alert the SADC bloc, the AU and the UN of the round of abuse that Mthwakazi people already are exposed to by the administration of the Gukurahundist Emmerson Mnangagwa that they failed to condemn for the 1980 butcher of Mthwakazi people.As MLF, we would further like to express our disgust over the South African government for their hiding of Emmerson Mnangagwa when his fellow Gukurahundist wanted to finish him off. Their action was the greatest betrayal of their uMkhonto we Sizwe comrades who were killed and still lie in mass graves, through the order of the very same Mnangagwa they hid. It is unbelievable that the Zuma administration led by Zuma himself who commanded the very same people who were butchered by Mnangagwa for simply being MK, would embrace, work with ZANU and its killer leaders even though justice for the MK cadres who were killed by them has not been attained. His action of giving Mnangagwa refugee leaves so many question marks on his comradeship. Although there is no permanent friend or enemy in politics, Zuma as the former MK commander could be the person to hide either of Mugabe's administrative leaders of the early 80. That is simply a shame and great betrayal even to Mthwakazi people who paid dearly for arms cache belonging to the ANC and the MK, that Mugabe's regime discovered in the outskirts of Bulawayo.
The Israeli military said it hit the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers with tank and aircraft fire after Palestinians launched rockets at southern Israel.



At least two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip, with the second intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system, the army said on Monday.

After the first rocket was fired, the army issued a statement saying that in response, "a tank and the Israel Air Force targeted Hamas military posts in the southern Gaza Strip."

It did not say where the first rocket fell or report any casualties. There was also no word on injuries on the Gaza side of the border.

After the interception of the second rocket, Israeli tank fire hit a "Hamas military position" in Gaza, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

Gazan residents said the strike was in the north of the Palestinian enclave.

It was the first rocket fire since Friday evening, which triggered repeated Israeli strikes throughout that night and into Saturday in which two members of Hamas's military wing were killed.

The Israeli army says it holds Hamas responsible for all attacks originating from the territory under its control.

The latest wave of rocket fire followed US President Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

On Thursday, Israel also targeted Gaza sites with air strikes and tank fire after what a military statement described as "a projectile" was fired into southern Israel.

Palestinian security officials in the enclave said the strikes hit two Hamas posts.

The Israeli military said the targets were "two terror posts", without identifying them.
A delegation of state BJP leaders met Governor Vajubhai Vala seeking a direction the government to order a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the deaths of Hindu/RSS activists.



A delegation of the leaders led by KS Eshwarappa, R Ashoka, Shobha Karandlaje met Vala in Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum stating that more than 20 Hindu/RSS activists had been killed during the last four years. The latest being that of Paresh Mesta who was found dead in Honnavar in Uttara Kannada.

BJP leaders blamed "jihadi" forces for the killings who allegedly have the support of the state government and the police.

The leaders staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue between Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha in support of their demand.

They accused the state government of turning a blind eye to the activities of outfits like PFI, which the leaders charged, as being involved in attacks on pro-Hindu activists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments against his predecessor Manmohan Singh over a dinner meeting with Pakistani diplomats were unacceptable, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi said here today.



The prime minister had insinuated that Manmohan Singh was colluding with Pakistan in the Gujarat polls. The former premier responded by saying Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" and asked him to apologise to the nation.

"What Modiji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable," Gandhi said at a press conference here today, the final day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

He said the prime minister had refrained from speaking on corruption during the campaign in his home state.

Modi, Gandhi added, had remained silent on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"PM Modiji has not spoken a word about corruption. He is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal," he said.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Mandir Jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, when asked the reason behind his frequent temple visits in the poll-bound state.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

The Congress leader also said he was confident that his party would win the elections in the state.

"We are confident that Congress will win in Gujarat," Gandhi said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state. He claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6. This was a day before Aiyar's "neech" jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.
A local court in Tirupur district has sentenced six persons to death in an honour killing case.

One of those sentenced to death is Chinnasamy - the father of S Kausalya whose husband Shankar was hacked to death in Tirupur in 2016.

One person was given life imprisonment while another got five years' jail term.

However, Kausalya's mother S Annalakshmi, who was also accused in the murder case, and two more persons were acquitted by the court.

The couple - Shankar and Kausalya - were attacked by a gang with lethal weapons in March in Udumalpet after their inter-caste wedding.

According to the prosecution, Chinnasamy hired a gang to murder Shankar. The Tamil Nadu Police had chargesheeted 11 persons as accused, including the girl's parents, her maternal uncle and others.

Hailing the judgement, Kausalya said she would continue to fight even if the accused approach a higher court.
A Pakistani jail superintendent today recorded his statement before an additional district and sessions judge Lahore in the murder case of Indian national Sarabjit Singh who was killed by fellow prisoners in 2013.



Two Pakistani death row prisoners - Amir Sarfraz alias Tamba and Mudassar - in May 2013 had attacked Sarabjit (49) in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore and killed him.

"Additional district and sessions judge Amin Haider today recorded the statement of the Kot Lakhpat Jail superintendent in the murder case of Sarabjit Singh. Two more witnesses have been summoned for the next hearing next week," an official at the jail told PTI.

He said the court proceedings, in this case, have been resumed after several months.

The judicial commission led by Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi of Lahore high court had investigated Sarabjit's murder case before the trial began at the sessions court Lahore.

Naqvi had recorded the statements of some 40 witnesses in the murder of Sarabjit and submitted its report to the government which is yet to make public its findings.

The one-man commission had also issued notices to Sarabjit's relatives through the foreign ministry to record their statements and to produce any evidence they have regarding his death.

Sarabjit's family had not recorded their statements.

Tamba and Mudassar, in their statements to the commission, confessed to the crime and said they killed Sarabjit as they wanted to avenge the death of people in Lahore and Faisalabad blasts allegedly carried out by him.

Both suspects have been indicted in the murder case.

Sarabjit was awarded death sentence for spying charges and killing at least 14 Pakistani citizens in bomb blasts in Punjab province in 1990.

His family, however, said: "He was the victim of mistaken identity and had inadvertently strayed across the border."
Health is wealth and it should be given priority always. Modern science and technology improving day by day and the result is very much reflected in the healthcare sector. However, at the same time, population explosion and the largely sedentary modern lifestyle have brought many afflictions to the fore.2017 has its share of miseries and prosperity in the world of healthcare. Bengaluru being a metropolitan city has witnessed tremendous change and innovations in the health sector.DH brings you few of the great news from the healthcare sector which transmuted the lives of people and transformed the industry itself.Multiple babies are made to share a single bed at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the government-run Vani Vilas Hospital. Babies with congenital birth defects, asphyxia etc share NICUs.Channapatna toymakers are now busy manufacturing a prosthetic plunger - an instrument used to insert artificial voice box into the throat of patients who have lost their voice, either because of throat cancer or other diseases.The prevalence of heart attacks among drivers has led the institute to pursue a study that will involve 500 autorickshaw drivers and traffic policemen.Many of those affected by HIV in the city fear that their identity will be revealed due to linking of Aadhaar to ART. Around 16% of the three lakh HIV-affected people in the state have dropped out of the life-saving treatment provided by the government.Health activists fear that linking of the treatment with patients' Aadhaar numbers will lead to an increase in these numbers, while officials from the disease control organisation believe that the unique identification number will help track the dropouts.Prevalence of AIDS in Karnataka has come down, while the people's comprehensive knowledge about it has declined in the last decade. The prevalence rate for AIDS was 1.5% in 2004, which decreased to 0.36% during 2014-2015, according to the latest (2014-2015) HIV Sentinel Surveillance. The prevalence rate is calculated per lakh population.There are a lot of people in India who are still unaware of this deadly disease which does not yet have a cure. Moreover, there are misconceptions among people about the disease across the world.The only prevention for HIV/AIDS is using protected condoms or Pre-exposure prophylaxis(PrEP). Pre-exposure prophylaxis(PrEP) is taken after realising that you have taken an HIV risk. PEP will stop the virus from becoming an infection and it should be done within 72 hours to be effective. Afterall, health is wealth and in case of HIV/AIDS prevention is the best since there is no cure.The number of chikungunya cases increased steadily from 2011 (1,941) to 20,700 in 2015 and then down to 15,600 in 2016. This year saw the all-time high of 25,829 cases from January till November.Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), a premier government medical college, has been running a postgraduate degree course without recognition for the past 10 years. The three-year M.ch Urology course has been running without renewal of recognition from the Medical Council of India (MCI). What a tragedy!Diabetes during pregnancy is becoming common and there are cases where babies are born with diabetes. The study says 25% percent of women in South East Asia are affected by diabetes. Even newborns are in danger of contracting diabetes from their mothers if proper check-up and treatment is not conducted during pregnancy.(Compiled by Dalu Jose)
Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on Tuesday that a total of 88 airports in the country would be made functional in the next one-and-a-half-years, through two rounds of bidding under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme.



Speaking after inaugurating the upgraded Hubballi Airport here on Tuesday, he said only 71 airports had flight operations till the UDAN scheme was launched.

"During the second bidding under the UDAN scheme, we are looking at getting air connectivity from Hubballi to Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Kannur, Hyderabad, Kochi, Goa, Tirupati, Delhi and other places," he said.

Civil aviation would get a boost if the state governments keep their taxes on fuel and other materials within reasonable limits. Unfortunately, the trend is that the state governments hand over only loss-making airports to the Centre, he said.

"Amphibious aircraft (seaplane) service is also being launched in the country. This has great potential as the country has 7,500 km of coastline and a number of reservoirs," the minister said. India, at present, stands in the third position in terms of growth in the civil aviation sector, mainly due to the increasing number of domestic passengers.

Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar stressed the need to develop the region as an international cargo hub, through the upgraded airport. He suggested that the airport be named after Jagajyoti Basaveshwara.

Gajapathi Raju also inaugurated the new terminal and flagged off Air India's A319 aircraft service (tri-weekly) on the Bengaluru-Hubballi-Mumbai route. Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, district incharge Minister Vinay Kulkarni, MP Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar and others were present.
Opinion / Columnist

Bekezela Gumbo is a Centre for Africa Studies PhD student at the University of the Free State (South Africa). His current research interests include conflict resolution through institutional reforms, political transition and enhancement of socio-economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. He taught at the department of political and administrative studies at the University of Zimbabwe where he studied. Currently, he serves as Principal Researcher at the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute  a political economy think-tank in Zimbabwe.

Following the Team Lacoste Coup d'etat in November 2017, the continued relevance of Zimbabwean opposition political parties and their key alliances has entered a continuous road of uncertainties as their traditional political survival strategies have become open for capture by the junta government. Unless there is a swift and drastic reform of politicking strategy and approaches, the opposition fraternity is headed to a foreseeable 'no-through-road'. Same applies to Team Lacoste government. It has been left with one survival option, to capture few or all of the four pillars that compose opposition solidity or await an assured end of honey moon. All is in the hands of the junta government to decide.Among many actual and impending feasibility challenges, I will discuss four most important ones that have the possibility of giving the junta actual power to liquidate opposition. First and most important is appeal to poverty stricken masses in Zimbabwe who happen to occupy the largest share of voting citizens. It should be noted that opposition parties have been using development rhetoric that leave poor people with firm belief that ZANU-PF is responsible for their poverty and hopes of a better tomorrow after voting against ZANU-PF. Now that Team Lacoste government has been given a golden opportunity to prove that it was Mugabe and 'criminals around him' who caused suffering of the masses not necessarily against Team Lacoste, capturing this opportunity and making observable socio-economic deliverables to the masses will sanitize ZANU-PF to the detriment of opposition parties. It is a matter of hijacking the opposition's 'blame-it-on-Mugabe' rhetoric and re-statement of their promises and channel that glory and thanksgiving electorate support to ZANU-PF. In this regard, the opposition has to keep fingers crossed lest they lose a very important arsenal. The masses need bread on the table; they are ready to fall for anyone who promises to deliver and fall worse for those who deliver. A junta government that fails to see this does so to its own peril. There are real life incidents where junta governments have been victims of counter coup d'etats and civil wars because of failure to address these issues.Secondly, opposition political parties have enjoyed international support and/or sympathies particularly from the West and this has been a fibre in their politicking stamina. The alliance between the West and mainstream opposition rests in a trinity of interlinked demands and assurances: (i) assured avenues to pursue and protect Western economic interests in Zimbabwe; (ii) demand for promotion of Western political ideals to make life worthwhile for Westerners and allies representing Western interests in Zimbabwe; (iii) promises of job creation and/or 'trickledown development' benefits for the masses resulting from Western involvement in economic activities in Zimbabwe and donor funding for party campaign. This trinity of wants and assurances has solidified opposition politics in Zimbabwe, shacking one or all of them will cause untold miseries for the opposition that has been sustained by this relationship. It will mean end of funding and political support. The fact that those Western allies and their conduits in Africa have failed to denounce the junta and shown willingness to do deals with it is a daring surety that the junta is currently at a position to capture Western allies from mainstream opposition and harvest all benefits attached thereto.Thirdly, opposition parties have attracted more support by promising economic recovery and good governance. This involves promises to uproot corruption, promote and protect human rights and stabilize the economy. This is surely appealing to the business community, jobless youth bulge, and will be investors. Supporting opposition parties that create this sense of hope is certain, but most probable to those who prove to deliver one or all of these aspirations. Now that the junta paddles a 'restore legacy' agenda, it is thinkable that if economic recovery is seen to be in motion, human rights respected and corruption dealt with decisively, traditional and prospective opposition electorate will be captured. This is another nightmare for the opposition.Lastly, contested electoral politics have been another source of opposition sanitization and motivation in the eyes of the masses that vote against ZANU-PF. There has been a stern belief and/or sensation and political rhetoric that the mainstream opposition always wins elections which are unfortunately rigged by ZANU-PF. This has made people think that pinning their hopes on the mainstream opposition is not wasting time investing in assured political failures. The junta already seems to occupy Robert Mugabe's ready-to-be-blamed post-election office. If the junta levels the electoral environment to make people believe and trust the electoral management bodies, feel the sense of fairness in access to state media for campaign purposes and observe impartial conduct of security services in the run-up to elections, then the blame rhetoric to sanitize the opposition in the event of an electoral defeat will crumble. The future of opposition parties will look bleaker in the post-election period and membership defections to will be assured.In conclusion, the viability of Zimbabwean opposition politics is in the hands of the current junta government and so is the longevity of Team Lacoste rule. The conduct of President ED Mnangagwa's administration, policy choices and survival strategies from now onwards will declare life or death to the mainstream opposition or to the junta itself. If the junta fails to capture these four key tenets of opposition politics, it will be left with one option; that of assuming a full-fledged despotic military regime format that relies on all forms of repression, electoral fraud and intimidation to remain in power. This sole alternative will definitely send the junta to an assured early grave through a counter coup d'etat or civil war.
Though Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are almost three years away, Opposition National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said his party will go it alone in the polls.



"We won't have an alliance with any party," he said while addressing party workers in Udhapmur districts of Jammu region.

Earlier in April this year, the NC had entered into an alliance with the Congress during the bypolls to Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats.

Farooq, who was a candidate of the NC-Congress alliance won the polls. Continuing his tirade against the the BJP, the NC leader accused the saffron party of dividing the nation in the name of religion.

"This dispensation (the BJP) has negated the vision of freedom fighters who gave sacrifices to free India from the shackles of British. At that point of time, the freedom stalwarts did not think in terms of Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs but their paramount mission was to seek freedom for India, the abode of all faiths," he said.

The NC chief exuded confidence that this "gloomy era" will be over soon and the day will come when the India of Mahatma Gandhi will be retrieved again.

Coming down heavily on the RSS, Farooq said, "During the freedom struggle, its (RSS) top brass praised the British and now its ranks are honouring the killer of the father of the nation."

"During the 1975 emergency, the RSS supported Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, according to a book penned by Mr Rajeshwar Rao, and the support was in lieu of forced family planning of Muslims during those horrendous days," he claimed.

Farooq also questioned the neutrality of the BJP-led NDA government over the US acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "Like the UK, France and other countries, New Delhi also should have taken a position over the disputed status of Jerusalem," he said.
In the absence of proper roads and bus shelter in Shanivarasanthe, the road users continue to suffer from traffic congestion and also being hit by speeding vehicles.



The town has neither a government nor a private bus shelter. The Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle has been converted into a temporary bus shelter. The main road in town, Field Marshal Cariappa Road, is congested and is causing inconvenience to both vehicle users as well as pedestrians.

Shanivarasathe is situated on the border of Kodagu and Hassan districts. The KSRTC buses from Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hassan, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Dharmasthala and Subrahmanya arrive at Shanivarasanthe on a daily basis. Further, for every 15 minutes, there is a private bus operating to different destinations from Shanivarasanthe.

Full-fledged shelter

The traffic woes will be eased if a full-fledged bus shelter is constructed in Shanivarasanthe, said local residents.

Gram Panchayat member N K Sumathi said, "When private and KSRTC buses enter Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle at a time, accidents take place. There is a need for a bus shelter and parking space in Shanivarasanthe."

Farmer A D Mohan Kumar said, "The authorities should give priority for building a bus shelter. The congested road should be widened for easy flow of vehicles."
As he turned 77, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar, on Tuesday, took to the streets in the winter capital of Nagpur to lash out at the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.



The veteran with over five decades of politics behind him exhorted farmers not to pay any dues to the government till the various promises made to them by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are met.



The three-time Maharashtra chief minister and the longest-serving Union Agriculture Minister, Pawar, who is currently a Rajya Sabha member, led the 'Jan Akrosh: Halla Bol' procession and rally a a significant step that in future would increase co-ordination between his party and the Congress.





Senior leaders including former civil aviation minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan from the Congress besides Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule and nephew Ajit Pawar were present from the NCP side, leader of opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil (Congress) and his counterpart in Council Dhananjay Munde (NCP) senior leaders of both parties were in attendance.



The Congress and NCP jointly led the rally and were joined by leaders from the Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPM, RPI and RPI's Joginder Kavade faction besides a host of farmers groups.



"This is after 37 years that Sharad Pawar participated in a foot march. The last time was in 1980 between Jalgaon and Nagpur," state NCP President Sunil Tatkare said.

In fact, Pawar recently underwent a toe surgery, but he appeared fit and cheerful and led from the front. "Several promises were made by them to the farmers. However, none of them were realised. There has been a spate of suicides by farmers. Today we are not here to make any promise to them. We are just reminding them of the promises made to them. And I appeal the farmers not to pay any dues to the government. Stop paying electricity bills, stop paying interest on society loan till promises made to you by this government are fulfilled," said Pawar, a former Defence Minister and an ex-Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.



The procession and rally a coinciding with the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature a was aimed to corner the BJP-Shiv Sena saffron alliance government in the state for its unfulfilled promises, including the loan waiver programme, farmer suicides and minimum support price (MSP) price for farmers.



They rally was important as it was in Nagpur, the headquarters of the RSS, the hometown of Fadnavis and also the timing coincides with the polls in Gujarat, Modi's home state.
The bandh called by Hindu organisations and the BJP in protest against the death of Hindu activist Paresh Mesta in Honnavar turned violent on Tuesday.

The protesters have been demanding that those responsible for the death should be dealt with strictly.

Police resorted to lathi charge and fired teargas shells in the air to quell the mob. Protestors indulged in stone-throwing at many places in the town and also damaged shops.

Prohibitory orders had been clamped throughout the district since Monday evening. But, more than 500 workers of the BJP, Hindu Jagarana Vedike, Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishat and other organisations gathered at the Vikasashrama ground at 9 am and raised slogans against the state government.

The agitators demanded that they should be allowed to take out a procession till the office of the assistant commissioner.

As the police refused to grant permission, the slogan-shouting grew shriller. When the police tried to bundle MLA Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri and a few BJP workers into the police vehicle, the protesters began throwing stones at a bus. Police caned the protesters and fired in the air to bring the situation under control.

Three journalists suffered injuries in the stone-throwing. The window panes of two police vehicles and five buses were damaged. The mob dispersed and started throwing stones at shops and houses belonging to members of a particular community. Some of them dragged out materials in the shops and set fire to them.

Members of the other community launched a counter attack and also started throwing stones. Those in the mob snatched the phones from people trying to capture the incident on their phones and broke them.

It was post-noon by the time the police were able to bring the situation under control. IGP Hemanth Nimbalkar and ADGP Kamal Pant were present in the town.
The Union government has told the Supreme Court that it is ready to set up 12 special courts for one year to deal with 1571 criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs in the country.



"The scheme framed in this regard currently envisages setting up 12 criminal courts for a period of one year to dispose of cases against political persons at an expenditure of Rs 7.80 crore," the Law and Justice Ministry submitted in an affidavit.

The Finance Ministry has given in-principle approval for it on December 8, it added.

The government's response came after the apex court had on November 1 said the problem of criminalisation of politics can be solved by setting up special courts under a central scheme on line with the fast-track courts. The apex court had then passed its order on a PIL filed by a Delhi BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

The Centre said the data of pending 1571 cases were provided by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms but other details as to in which courts those cases are awaiting decisions are not available, so it has initiated process of collecting more information from respective state governments.

The government has further submitted that it was also in the process of collecting data as to how many criminal cases against MPs and MLAs were disposed of within a period of one year of framing charges as per the direction of the apex court on March 10, 2014, or resulted in conviction and acquittal and reasons thereof. It sought more time to place on record how many other cases were registered against the former and the sitting MPs and MLAs between 2014 and 2017.

With regard to the number of 12 special courts across the country, the government said it has been calculated on the basis of 11 th Finance Commission analysis that one such court can dispose of 165 cases per annum.

As per the available details, 184 Lok Sabha and 44 Rajya Sabha MPs are facing criminal cases. Among the state legislators, Maharashtra topped the list with 160 lawmakers with such charges, Uttar Pradesh came second with figure of 143 and Bihar third with 141 MLAs. Karnataka has 73 legislators with criminal cases pending against them.

The apex court would consider the government's affidavit on Wednesday.

The Election Commission had earlier supported the plea made by the PIL petitioner for life time ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections.

The Centre, however, had opposed the plea and maintained that it would instead endorse all steps for decriminalisation of politics. The petitioner, along with others, has challenged validity of disqualification period of six years for convicted persons from contesting polls after serving the sentence.
India and Australia on Tuesday called for a free and open Indo-Pacific a exactly a month after they launched a quad with Japan and the US to contain China.



India and Australia launched a "2+2 dialogue" involving chief diplomats and top bureaucrats in the defence ministries of the respective governments.

The move is aimed at building on the strategic convergence between the two nations in Indo-Pacific area.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra led the delegation of India in the inaugural of the "2+2 dialogue" with Australia, which was represented by Frances Adamson and Greg Moriarty, secretaries of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Department of Defence of Australia government, respectively.

"Both sides agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large," the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a press release issued after the dialogue.

Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said that all aspects of bilateral relations with a focus on strategic and defence relations between the two countries had been reviewed during the meeting.

India and Australia launched the 2+2 dialogue just four weeks after they joined Japan and the US to launch a four-nation consultation on Indo-Pacific a a move, which is primarily aimed at bringing the major democratic nations in the region together to counter the hegemonic agenda of communist China.

India and Australia had decided to launch the 2+2 dialogue in April 2017, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hosted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in New Delhi.

Since 2015, Japan's maritime self defence force has been participating in the Malabar Naval Exercise, which was earlier a bilateral war drill by the Indian and American navies.

The last Malabar Exercise by the navies of India, US and Japan was held in the Bay of Bengal in July this year. Australia is also keen to participate in the naval war drill.

Earlier this year, the navies of US, Japan and Australia held a trilateral submarine drill off the southern coast of Japan.
Opinion / Columnist

Despite fears of increase in crimes, some countries are liberalizing visas to attract investors

Would an Africa in which Africans require no visas to travel boost prospects for intracontinental trade?The African Union (AU) and many of the continent's economic organisations think so and want it to be a reality by 2020. It is not an entirely original concept (the European Union already has a visa-free policy for its citizens), and many experts laud the AU's position, at least in principle.The idea of an African passport dates back a quarter of a century but has failed to catch on with countries that fear an increase in smuggling, illegal immigration, terrorism, and the spread of disease as well as a negative impact on local job markets. With migration, legal and illegal, blamed for recent outbreaks of xenophobia in South Africa, some of these fears seem credible.Visa-free travel for Africans in Africa could be a logistical nightmare given that some citizens do not have travel documents and others lead nomadic lives. Individual countries may need to enact legislation to adopt the African passport. Few African nations use the biometric data that an African passport requires.Last year the AU launched an African passport, a signature project of former chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. However, the passport is currently available only to senior diplomats and top officials of AU's 55 member states.Of those member states, only Seychelles offers visa-free access to all African countries. "The large and fast-growing economies aren't following suit because the visa regime itself has created a bureaucratic habit," notes Daniel Silke, director of the South Africa - based Political Futures Consultancy."Old habits are hard to break, although there is justification for hesitation in terms of the legitimate layer of security that visas provide."Mr. Silke adds that growing and large economies worry about the impact that increased population movements might have on labour markets and cities. Some of Africa's fast-growing economies are Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Senegal and Tanzania. Out of desperation, thousands of immigrants travel to South Africa, the continent's largest economy, to find work."With urban cities expanding rapidly across Africa, government institutions are strained, and cities that offer opportunities for trade, health care, a booming labour market, infrastructure, among others, will be under increased pressure," notes Mr. Silke.He suggests a focus on efficient and affordable visa procurement processes, advising regional communities to enact and implement policies that make it easier for their citizens to move from one member state to another.In November 2017, after 15 years of negotiations, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), comprising of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo, ratified the visa-free movement of its citizens.Under the policy, member states will adopt biometric technology, ensure police and security services' coordination, and respect for different labour regulations.The next best thing to a visa-free system is visa on arrival, which may include authorization to stay for up to 90 days. Rwanda adopted this protocol in 2013 and has witnessed an increase in African visitors and investors, noted Mr. Anaclet Kalibata, the country's director general of immigration and emigration.Mr. Kalibata told Africa Renewal that between 2013 and 2016, the number of Africans receiving visas on arrival at Rwandan entry points increased by more than 100%. "We have also hosted many more conferences as a result of the removal of travel restrictions," he said.He maintained that crime rates in the country did not increase because of visa on arrival, contrary to fears initially expressed by skeptics."Most of the people entering our country do so for good reasons," said Mr. Kalibata. He pointed out that Rwanda has "laws governing criminality associated with the movement of people. We also believe in competitiveness in terms of skills. So, opening our borders has attracted new talent and investment."Like Rwanda, Ghana now offers visa-free access to a third of AU member states and visas on arrival to the other two-thirds. In so doing, the country has made the most progress of all African states toward a visa-free Africa for Africans, according to the Africa Visa Openness Report 2017 by the African Development Bank (AfDB).Senegal is offering visa-free access to 42 African countries in a bid to reenergize its tourism sector.At his swearing in as Kenya's president last November, Uhuru Kenyatta announced that all Africans will henceforth receive visa on arrival.An alternative to adopting visa-free access or visas on arrival is for countries to enter into reciprocal arrangements with other nations. Namibian authorities are making efforts to finalise such arrangements, meaning that citizens of countries allowing Namibians visas on arrival will receive reciprocal service at Namibian ports of entry.Although Rwanda already offers Africans visa on arrival, it is also receptive to reciprocal arrangements with other countries, explained Mr. Kalibata. "We've proven just how effective unrestricted regional travel can be through the issue of a unified national identity card and border pass for citizens of Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda."Another border pass agreement between Rwanda, the DRC, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda has fostered regional social cohesion, and we've seen cross-border trade in our countries now contributing 42% to GDP, which is very significant," he added.Rwanda's experience, however, is not enough to change the perception of the negative impacts of liberalizing entry visas. Jean-Guy Afrika, AfDB's principal policy expert and a contributor to the Africa Visa Openness Report 2017, notes, "The 2016 analysis of Africa's visa policy regimes demonstrated that on average Africans needed visas at departure to travel to 54% of other African countries (from 55% in 2015); could get visas on arrival in only 24% (from 25% in 2015); and do not need visas to travel to just 22% (from 20% in 2015)."The reasons African countries remain closed to each other, says Mr. Afrika, vary significantly. "The key reasons advanced by policy makers generally relate to fears of job losses and security concerns. But there could also be issues of culture and trust. The answer probably lies somewhere in the nexus between politics, culture, history and economics."Mr. Afrika confirms that at the regional level, East and West Africa lead in visa openness. "In the 2017 rankings of the Africa Visa Openness Index, 75% of countries in the top 20 are in these two regions. Only one is in the North and none in Central Africa."The AfDB, the AU and the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Africa collaborated on the Africa Visa Openness Report 2017, the second of its kind. Researchers gathered data from the International Air Transport Association and from responses to questionnaires administered to national focal points."Overall the trend is positive, given that just four years ago only five countries offered liberal, arrival or no visa, access to citizens of all African countries. Today that number stands at 14, but we want that number to keep moving up," Mr. Afrika says.Visa liberalization is not a magic bullet, he cautions, even if it can foster Africa's integration. He recommends other reforms and massive investments in connectivity to complement visa liberalization, citing Rwanda as an example of a country benefiting from coordinated investments and policy reforms, including in business and air transport infrastructure."Visa openness may only be one piece of the interconnected African states puzzle, but it is nonetheless a very important one," concludes Mr. Afrika.Africa Renewal
The station has come up in a tearing rush, but there are no tracks for trains.



The renovation of Vadnagar railway station, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have worked at his father's tea stall as a child, was complete within four months, says Arvind Kumar, a civil engineer associated with the redevelopment of the station.

But the conversion of tracks from meter gauge to broad gauge is nowhere near completion. "We started in June and by September, work was largely over. We were made to work till 2 am. But I wonder why, considering there are no signs of tracks being laid. Even the construction of platforms, being handled by another contractor, is witnessing no such hurry," he says.

The facade of the station appears to have been given touches of a palace with rounded columns and latticed patterns. Two parking lots have come up, for two-wheelers and cars. Inside, there are sprawling waiting rooms, including some built exclusively for women passengers, all with central air-conditioning. There is an exhibition room as well.

Tourist destination

But the catalyst behind the ambitious redevelopment project is placed in a quiet corner. The single-tin stall, battered by age, which a local says was until recently stored in a warehouse, today attracts people from far and wide to this sleepy north Gujarat settlement, about 100 km from Ahmedabad.

The run-down structure looks like an ancient precious exhibit ensconced in a glass chamber, like in a museum, from a distance. A tiny signboard informs visitors in Gujarati that "Bal Narendra used to sell tea here".

It's not hard to find locals, including children, doubling up as tourist guides and apprising people of the significance of the structure.

They are of considerable help to visiting news channel crews. As Vadnagar votes on December 14, the race to get an exclusive shot of the tea stall is increasing by the minute.

Kumar says the station will cater to a broad-gauge line, which is coming up as part of the conversion of the Mehsana-Taranga Hill meter-gauge line.

The makeover of the station aside, the overall condition of Vadnagar troubles residents, who complain about garbage strewn roads, open drains and, most important, lack of jobs.
In an unusual move, the BJP government in Rajasthan has sought details of Muslim employees working in health department across the state.



The order circulated on November 30, 2017 by Directorate of Medical Health and Family Planning, Jaipur has sought information of Muslim employees working in health department from all 33 districts, including at sub-district level. The order has been issued by Joint Director, Health department.



While the order has raised eyebrows among the employees, the Medical department is playing it safe by calling it an exercise recommended by the central government. B L Saini, Joint Director, Health department confirmed to DH, "We had received a letter from Govt of India which directed us to compile a list of Muslim employees for their welfare under Sachar Committee. Likewise, we sent a circular to medical and health departments in each district. We will be compiling the list in another 6 days." Asked if this exercise first of its kind, Saini said, "I don't know if we did it in previous years but this year we are doing it."



Along with the circular, Health department has also enclosed a proforma to be filled by each Muslim employee. "The proforma is simple. Apart from name and other details, information about family and date of retirement are among the questions", Saini said.



Panic waves

However, the exercise has sent panic waves among the Muslim employees in district and sub-district level health centres. "I have been working in the department for 6 years and i have never been asked to fill a proforma, which categorically talks about my religion, work profile, family, date of joining and retirement. Earlier I was reluctant to fill the form but eventually i was given repeated reminders to fill the form", a health department employee in Pratapgarh said, requesting anonymity.


Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday issued an emergent notice to the Karnataka State Child Rights Protection Commission while hearing a matter regarding the poor condition of 2,000 hostels for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students in the state.



A division bench of acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar was hearing a PIL filed by Vinay Venugopal seeking directions for implementation of a suitable system to monitor the management of the hostels meant for SCs and STs.

According to the petitioner, the state government was earmarking funds to the tune of Rs 1,300 crore for the maintenance of these hostels under the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilization of Financial Resources) Act, 2013. In spite of this huge allocation, the condition of the hostels is extremely poor.

The petitioner stated that there were cots without mattresses, poor hygiene and sanitation facilities and students were being served very poor quality of food in these hostels.

Justice H G Ramesh orally observed that the chief secretary should make surprise visits to these hostels to check their functioning and she will be shocked to see the true condition. He also appreciated the intention of the petition for public good.

According to the petitioner, the state government has been lackadaisical and careless with regard to monitoring of these hostels. This has resulted in the wastage of crores of rupees of the taxpayers' money.

The petitioner has sought directions for filling up the vacancies in these hostels.

He has also stated that the students should be provided proper infrastructure, nutritional food and good sanitary facilities. A notice was ordered to the state government and matter adjourned to

January 11.
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. SHAWN LA'VELLE ROLLINS, a/k/a Sean Lavelle Rollins, a/k/a Inch, a/k/a Critical, a/k/a Smurf, a/k/a G Rock, a/k/a Michael Williams, a/k/a Shawn Lavelle Rollios, Defendant - Appellant. No. 17-1226 Decided: December 11, 2017

Before HARTZ, HOLMES, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges.

ORDER AND JUDGMENT*

Defendant Shawn La'Velle Rollins appeals a decision of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado denying his motion under 18 U.S.C.  3582(c)(2) for a sentence reduction. Because the Sentencing Guidelines amendment on which he relies is not retroactive, we affirm.

In 2007 Defendant agreed to plead guilty to six counts of bank robbery. See 18 U.S.C.  2113(a). As part of the plea bargain the parties agreed that Defendant qualified as a career offender under USSG  4B1.1(a), that his offense level was 29, that his career-offender status gave him a criminal-history category of VI, and that his resulting guideline sentencing range was 151 to 188 months in prison. The district court imposed a sentence of 188 months.

In March 2017 Defendant filed a motion under  3582(c)(2) for a sentence modification. He relied on Amendment 798 to the Sentencing Guidelines, which (among other things) eliminated the residual clause from the crime-of-violence definition used to determine whether a defendant is a career offender. He argued that Amendment 798 should apply retroactively to his case because of Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288 (1989), and that under the present crime-of-violence definition, two of his prior convictions (for escape under Colorado law) could not be crimes of violence. The upshot, he maintained, was that he was no longer a career offender and thus merited a sentence reduction. In response, the government argued that [u]ntil the [Sentencing] Commission makes Amendment 798 retroactive  , [Defendant] is not eligible for a sentencing reduction based on his present claim. R. at 61. The district court denied Defendant's motion, stating that it was doing so [f]or the reasons set forth in the government's response. Id. at 67. Defendant appealed.

We review de novo the scope of a district court's authority to reduce a sentence under  3582(c)(2). See United States v. Chavez-Meza, 854 F.3d 655, 657 (10th Cir. 2017). We review a district court's decision to deny a  3582(c)(2) motion for an abuse of discretion. See id.

Ordinarily, once a district court imposes a prison term, it may not modify that term. But there are a few exceptions. The one invoked by Defendant states:

[I]n the case of a defendant who has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment based on a sentencing range that has subsequently been lowered by the Sentencing Commission  , upon motion of the defendant  the court may reduce the term of imprisonment  if such a reduction is consistent with applicable policy statements issued by the Sentencing Commission.

18 U.S.C.  3582(c)(2).

The government argues that reducing Defendant's sentence would be inconsistent with the Sentencing Commission's applicable policy statements. The governing policy statement here is USSG  1B1.10. Regarding retroactivity, it states that [a] reduction in the defendant's term of imprisonment is not consistent with this policy statement and therefore is not authorized under 18 U.S.C.  3582(c)(2) if  none of the amendments listed in [ 1B1.10(d)] is applicable to the defendant  Id.  1B1.10(a)(2). Amendment 798 is not on the  1B1.10(d) list. See USSG  1B1.10(d). Reducing Defendant's sentence based on Amendment 798 would thus be inconsistent with applicable policy statements.

Defendant argues that the Sentencing Commission failed in its duty and/or overstepped the bounds of its authority by not making Amendment 798 retroactive. Aplt. Br. at 3. He contends that Teague dictates that Amendment 798 be retroactive. Not so. Teague addresses the retroactivity of new constitutional rules of criminal procedure. See, e.g., Teague, 489 U.S. at 310 (Unless they fall within an exception to the general rule, new constitutional rules of criminal procedure will not be applicable to those cases which have become final before the new rules are announced. (emphasis added)); United States v. Chang Hong, 671 F.3d 1147, 1159 (10th Cir. 2011) (The Teague framework exists to promote the finality of convictions by shielding them from collateral attacks mounted on new procedural rules of constitutional law.) (emphasis added)). Sentencing Guideline amendments are not new constitutional rules. Defendant points to no case law suggesting that Teague applies to guidelines amendments. This is unsurprising, given the Supreme Court's post-Teague statement that it is aware of no constitutional requirement of retroactivity that entitles defendants sentenced to a term of imprisonment to the benefit of subsequent Guidelines amendments. Dillon v. United States, 560 U.S. 817, 828 (2010); cf. United States v. Verdin-Garcia, 824 F.3d 1218, 1221 (10th Cir. 2016) ([S]entence-modification proceedings [under  3582(c)(2)] are not constitutionally compelled but rather represent a congressional act of lenity intended to give prisoners the benefit of later enacted adjustments. (internal quotation marks omitted)), cert. denied, 137 S. Ct. 2263 (2017). Teague does not require the retroactivity of Amendment 798, so Defendant cannot claim the benefit of that amendment.

We AFFIRM the district court's denial of Defendant's  3582(c)(2) motion and DENY Defendant's motion to proceed in forma pauperis.

Entered for the Court

FOOTNOTES

. The record and briefing do not specify which version of the Guidelines Manual gov-erned Defendant's sentencing. Because the district court sentenced Defendant in January 2008, we assume that it used the 2007 edition.

. Defendant has moved to proceed in forma pauperis on appeal. To do so, Defendant must show a financial inability to pay the required filing fees and the existence of a rea-soned, nonfrivolous argument on the law and facts in support of the issues raised on appeal. Watkins v. Leyba, 543 F.3d 624, 627 (10th Cir. 2008) (brackets and internal quotation marks omitted). Because Defendant's Amendment 798 argument is frivolous, we deny his motion to proceed in forma pauperis.

Harris L Hartz Circuit Judge
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SEATTLE  The Chateau apartments, at 119 19th Ave., sold for $4.2 million, according to King County records. The seller was Urban Development Associates, which has owned the Central Area property for decades.

The buyer was CRE 6016 LLC, which is associated with Cadence Real Estate. Cadence specializes in infill apartment projects, sometimes adding new units in the parking lots of complexes it upgrades.





. . .
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. AARON RAMOS, AKA Droopy, Defendant-Appellant. No. 16-50134 Decided: December 11, 2017

Before: CANBY and REINHARDT, Circuit Judges, and BLOCK,** District Judge.

MEMORANDUM*

Aaron Ramos (Ramos) appeals his convictions and sentence for distribution of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  841(a)(1), and conspiracy to commit this offense, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  846. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  1291 and 18 U.S.C.  3742, and we affirm his convictions, vacate his sentence, and remand for resentencing.

1. The district court did not abuse its discretion by denying Ramos's motion for mistrial or new trial based on five instances of alleged prosecutorial misconduct. See United States v. Washington, 462 F.3d 1124, 1135 (9th Cir. 2006). The district court properly concluded that three of these instancesmisstating the testimony of Ramos's mother and the defense translator, and misrepresenting the proof beyond a reasonable doubt standard through an inapt analogywhile improper, were harmless. Under harmless error review,  reversal is justified only if it appears more probable than not that prosecutorial misconduct materially affected the fairness of the trial. United States v. Ruiz, 710 F.3d 1077, 1082 (9th Cir. 2013) (quotation marks omitted). Whatever prejudice was caused by the prosecutor's misconduct was neutralized by the district court's curative instructions and admonitions as well as curative steps taken by both parties. United States v. Navarro, 608 F.3d 529, 535-36 (9th Cir. 2010). Accordingly, we find these instances of misconduct harmless both individually and cumulatively.

The district court also did not abuse its discretion by concluding that the prosecutor did not improperly shift the burden to Ramos. The rhetorical questions posed by the prosecutor were intended to highlight the weaknesses of Ramos's case and the prosecutor [did] not argue that a failure to explain [those questions] adequately requires a guilty verdict  United States v. Tucker, 641 F.3d 1110, 1120-21 (9th Cir. 2011) (quotation marks omitted). In addition, both the district court and the prosecutor reiterate[d] that the burden of proof is on the government. Id.

Finally, it was not plain error to conclude that the prosecutor did not improperly disparage defense counsel. The comments in questionthat the defense didn't want to show you a damaging piece of evidencewere directed to the strength of the defense on the merits, not defense counsel herself. United States v. Ruiz, 710 F.3d 1077, 1086 (9th Cir. 2013) (quotation marks omitted).

2. Ramos also argues that the district court erred by excluding under Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(2) the government's prior statement in his co-defendant's sentencing memorandum that she was a source of methamphetamine, an admission he contends would have supported his defense. Assuming without deciding that it was error to exclude the statement under Rule 801(d)(2) and as irrelevant, this error was harmless. The prosecutor emphasized throughout his closing the state's theory of the alleged conspiracy: Ramos connected potential customers to his co-defendant and his co-defendant actually obtained and distributed the drugs. In light of the prosecutor's representations, additional evidence suggesting that his co-defendant was a source of methamphetamine would not have made a difference.

Therefore, we affirm Ramos's convictions.

3. Turning to Ramos's sentence, we conclude that the district court erred by failing to personally invite Ramos to allocute at his sentencing hearing. Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(i)(4)(A)(ii), the district court must  address the defendant personally in order to permit the defendant to speak or present any information to mitigate the sentence. Before sentencing Ramos, the district court stated, Obviously, I do want to hear from Mr. Ramos if he wishes to be heard. No? Defense counsel responded, We can move forward, Your Honor. This was plain error.

Rule 32 clearly provides that the court shall address the defendant personally and invite him to respond with a statement bearing on mitigation of punishment. United States v. Navarro-Flores, 628 F.2d 1178, 1184 (9th Cir. 1980) (emphasis added). The district court's use of the third person and defense counsel's response suggests that court addressed counsel rather than Ramos. It was error for the district court not to unambiguously address Ramos. See Green v. United States, 365 U.S. 301, 305 (1961).

An error is plain where the plain language and express command of Rule 32 required the court to do something it did not do. United States v. Joseph, 716 F.3d 1273, 1280 (9th Cir. 2013) (quoting United States v. Waknine, 543 F.3d 546, 552-53 (9th Cir. 2008)). Because the district court did not do something it was required to do by Rule 32's express command, this error was plain.

This error also affected Ramos's substantial rights. [O]ur precedents are quite clear: when a district court could have lowered a defendant's sentence, we have presumed prejudice and remanded, even if we doubted that the district court would have done so. United States v. Gunning, 401 F.3d 1145, 1149 (9th Cir. 2005). Here, there was no mandatory minimum sentence; therefore, the district court could have lowered Ramos's sentence.

Finally, this error seriously affect[ed] the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Joseph, 716 F.3d at 1281. We regularly deem[ ] the fourth prong of the plain error standard to have been satisfied where, as here, the sentencing court committed a legal error that may have increased the length of a defendant's sentence. Id. (quotation marks omitted). In addition, allocution plays a central role in the sentencing process: The right to allocute, and to be told that allocution is an option, is both important to the person being sentenced and fundamental to our criminal justice system. United States v. Daniels, 760 F.3d 920, 926 (9th Cir. 2014). Therefore, we vacate Ramos's sentence and remand for resentencing.

4. Because we vacate Ramos's sentence on this ground, we do not reach his argument that the district court erred under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(i)(3)(B) by failing to rule on his request for a mitigating role adjustment under U.S.S.G.  3B1.2. We note, however, that on remand, the district court should ensure that it has, as required for any disputed portion of the presentence report, rule[d] on the dispute or determine[d] that a ruling is unnecessary either because the matter will not affect sentencing, or because the court will not consider the matter in sentencing. Fed. R. Crim. P. 32(i)(3)(B). We require strict compliance with Rule 32 and have held that the rulings must be express or explicit. United States v. Doe, 705 F.3d 1134, 1153 (9th Cir. 2013).

AFFIRMED IN PART, VACATED IN PART, and REMANDED.
Russia has suggested that India find a way to join China's massive Belt and Road infrastructure development plan aimed at building trade and transport links across Asia, Europe and beyond. Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said political problems should not deter New Delhi from joining the project, involving billions of dollars of investment. India, however, is strongly opposed to China building an economic corridor in Pakistan that runs through disputed Kashmir, which is part of the Belt and Road initiative. India also stayed away from a May summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping to promote its modern-day Silk Road project. Foreign ministers of Russia and China are in India for the 15th Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral meeting, being hosted by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Lavrov was speaking after a three-way meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj. The three countries are expected to review global and regional issues of common interest. ''I know India has problems, we discussed it today, with the concept of One Belt and One Road, but the specific problem in this regard should not make everything else conditional to resolving political issues,'' he said. Russia, all the countries in central Asia, and European nations had signed up to the Chinese project to boost economic cooperation, he said. ''Those are the facts,'' he said. ''India, I am 100 per cent convinced, has enough very smart diplomats and politicians to find a way which would allow you to benefit from this process.'' While Russia continues to be India's ally, Lavrov'ds comments only reflected the differences within the trilateral grouping formed 15 years ago to challenge US-led dominance of global affairs. A long-standing border dispute and China's policies of growing at the cost of other nations has made substantial cooperation with that country difficult for India. In fact, it is China's hegemonistic tendencies that are driving India more and more towards the United States. Lavrov and Wang Yi today met President Ramnath Kovind, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today. Welcoming the Russian foreign minister and his delegation to India, the President said that India-Russia bilateral ties are strong. This year we have witnessed intensification in our high-level engagements. The president was happy to note that bilateral trade between India and Russia registered a growth of 22 per cent in the first six months of this year. He stated that early operationalisation of the International North South Transport Corridor can play a significant role in achieving our bilateral trade targets. The President said that institutionalisation of the India-Russia Heads of Think Tanks Forum, which held its 2nd session in Delhi on December 4-5, would be most helpful to both countries. We should continue with our efforts to bring our think tanks and academic communities closer. On India-China ties the President said India viewed the ties as important in its foreign policy. ''Our high-level exchanges and interactions have maintained momentum. Our economic engagement is growing. We are also seeing cooperation on many international issues,'' he said.








India ranks a dismal 109th out of 122 countries in mobile internet speed  behind its poorer neighbours Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, says a recent report by popular broadband speed measuring service Ookla. "According to data from Ookla's November Speedtest Global Index for November, India is ranked 109th in mobile internet speed and 76th (out of 133 countries) for fixed line broadband speed globally," the Speedtest Global Index report published by Ookla said. Rather than improving, India actually slipped by one position to 109th in November compared to the average speed telecom networks registered in the previous month. The Ookla Index says mobile data network speed in India is 8.80Mbps, which is down marginally from 8.83Mbps in October, though significantly higher than 7.65Mbps average speed at the beginning of the year. "At the start of 2017, the average mobile download speed in India was 7.65 Mbps (megabit per second). Heading to the end of the year, average mobile download speed is 8.80 Mbps as of November. That's a 15 per cent increase," report said. The report showed Pakistan was ranked at 89th position after slipping three positions, Nepal at 99th and Sri lanka at 107th position. On fixed line broadband speed, India ranked 76th globally, with average speed better than Pakistan (126) and Nepal (92). Sri Lanka however was better than India, as per the report. In a direct comparison with India's neighbours, China is ranked 31st (31.22Mbps), Pakistan is ranked 89th (13.08Mbps), Myanmar is ranked 94th (11.72Mbps), Nepal is 99th (10.97Mbps) and Sri Lanka is 107th (9.32Mbps). The Ookla report said that while mobile speeds increased modestly, fixed broadband speeds increased dramatically in the country. "Average fixed broadband download speed in January was 12.12 Mbps. As of November, it's at 18.82 Mbps, a close to 50 per cent jump," the report said. Norway had the fastest mobile networks in the world with an average speed of 62.66Mbps, Netherlands (53.01Mbps) is second, Iceland (52.78Mbps) drops one place to third, Singapore (51.50Mbps) is fourth and Malta (50.46Mbps) fifth. "Both mobile and fixed broadband Internet in India are getting faster, that's good news for all Indian consumers. India still has a long way to go to catch up with countries that have top speeds around the world; however, we at Ookla are highly optimistic about the capacity for growth that is available in the Indian market," Ookla co-founder and general manager Doug Suttles said. Ookla said that it analyses the performance of the internet in every country based on consumer-initiated tests taken by real people using Speedtest. The report said that with 2018 just around the corner, there is a renewed chance to focus on the development of Indian internet. On the mobile front, a panel with representation from the telecom industry, government and academics was formed in September to strategise for the roll-out of 5G mobile networks in India by 2020. In the interim, upgrades to mobile networks could enable even faster speeds on 4G networks that our mobile service providers offer. On the home broadband front, speeds should see an increase too, thanks to competition. Broadband provider Spectra has already upgraded its network to offer 1Gbps internet speeds for all existing users in many parts of the country - something that could force rivals to increase speeds on existing subscription plans too.








Unicef, The United Nations children's fund, has said little is done to protect the children from the perils of the digital world and to increase their access to safe online content. Pointing out that one in three internet users worldwide is a child, the agency in its State of the World's Children 2017: Children in a Digital World report released on Monday highlights digital divides and explores current debates about the impact of the internet and social media on children's safety and well-being. "For better or for worse, digital technology is now an irreversible fact of our lives," said Unicef executive director Anthony Lake. "In a digital world, our dual challenge is how to mitigate the harms while maximizing the benefits of the internet for every child." The report explores the benefits that digital technology can offer the most disadvantaged children, including by increasing their access to information, building skills for the digital workplace, and giving them a platform to connect and communicate their views. "The internet was designed for adults, but it is increasingly used by children and young people, and digital technology increasingly affects their lives and futures," Lake noted. The report also examines how the internet increases children's vulnerability to risks and harms, including by misusing their private information, accessing harmful content, and cyberbullying. The report notes that the ubiquitous presence of mobile devices has made online access for many children less supervised, and potentially more dangerous. Moreover, digital networks, like the "Dark Web" and cryptocurrencies are enabling the worst forms of exploitation and abuse, such as trafficking and "made to order" online child sexual abuse. According to the report, young people are the most connected age group. Worldwide, they have a 71 per cent presence online compared with 48 per cent of the total population. However, African youth are the least connected, with around three out of five not online, compared to just one in 25 in Europe. It also reveals that more than nine in 10 child sexual abuse URLs are hosted in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Russia and the US. The report says that only collective action by governments, the private sector, families and children themselves can help level the digital playing field and make the internet safer and more accessible for children. The report suggested a 'Goldilocks' approach to the time spent by children online, ''focusing more on what children are doing online and less on how long they are online''.








NEW BROCKTON -- The Coffee County Commission honored Clovis Carnes, a retiring Food, Nutrition and Education Program Agent Assistant, at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday.

County Agent Gavin Mauldin presented Carnes with a Certificate of Retirement from Auburn University, signed by university President Steven Leath. Carnes is retiring after 10 years and 3 months of service to both Auburn University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

In recognition of your long and valuable service to Auburn University, I am pleased to present this certificate of retirement. You are to be commended for your dedication over the years and contributions you have made to the success of this institution. I wish you a pleasant and enjoyable retirement period, Mauldin read from the certificate.

Other items discussed:

* A bid for two commercial stoves at the jail was awarded to Moore-Warren Equipment in the amount of $13,945.

* Coffee County EMA announced that it will be conducting an active shooter exercise with Enterprise State Community College on Tuesday and is preparing to begin an ingestion pathway zone exercise with Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. The exercise is for the Farley Nuclear Plant.

* Commissioner Jimmy Jones spoke about items discussed at the annual legislation conference, including strengthening the effort to complete the ATRIP 2 program to improve the roads and bridges throughout the state and addressing the opioid problem in this state -- which, according to Jones, is 70 percent higher in Alabama than any other state in the nation. Jones highlighted the costs that opioid abuse causes the county and stated that Alabama state legislators must understand that the problem can only be solved at a statewide level, as counties do not create enough revenue to fully handle the issue themselves. Its important that we take care of our citizens in this state, Jones said in conclusion.

* The Commissioners wished everyone a safe, merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Eufaula resident Frances Hutchings could have used some help from Santas magical red sack.

She hauled 47 bags of toys to Cross Baptist Church on Friday, carrying over 500 toys she had lovingly restored for Christmas. On Saturday, the church opened its doors to any families needing Christmas presents for their children, free of charge.

I work on this all year, she said. Pretty much all of my free time is spent looking through the thrift stores for toys that I can fix and clean and make good as new.

When she started this several years ago, Hutchings would buy the toys herself and donate them to toy drives once she had fixed and cleaned them up.

But I found out that once people realized what I was doing, a lot of the stores were willing to donate the toys, she said. Finders Keepers is one of her biggest donors, as well as Second Chance Thrift store in Dothan.

This year, she decided to hold the toy giveaway at her church. Her congregation was once Calvary Baptist Church, but moved into the Lake City Baptist Church building off of Hwy. 431. They changed the name of their church to Cross Baptist Church.

We just didnt have the space to do it before, she said. But now with this new building, there was plenty of room.

She thanks the church members and her pastor who helped organize and run the giveaway day. As families milled in and out of the building Saturday morning, the site of such a huge selection of stuffed animals and other toys was overwhelming.

Most of it is stuffed animals and some dolls, she said. I wash everything and fix any rips or tears that can be fixed. I make doll clothes for all of the dolls, as well.

It can take her a week or longer to work her way through just three bags of the donated toys. Its a process that takes all year to complete.

Ive spent all day, weeks at a time just fixing and cleaning up the toys, she said. I feel like its the Lords work and time well-spent.

Just think, if I can do all of this, and Im just one person, what could more people do?

They served about 25 families on Saturday. The weather dropped into the 20s and kept many people at home. Not to be deterred, Frances was hard at work Monday morning getting bags of toys together to donate to the Eufaula Police Department toy drive and local nursing homes.

We just thank everyone who helped and who donated to this, said Hutchings. None of this would be possible without them.
It could have been a funeral, this gathering of people in the parking lot of one of Plant Farleys buildings Tuesday.

The two nuclear reactors at the plant in east Houston County could have been spinning their last bit of power before the doors closed and the employees went home, for good.

The initial license issued for the first of two reactors at Plant Farley was set to expire at the end of 2017, 40 years after its issuance.

But it wasnt a funeral Friday. Instead, workers and government officials gathered at the plant near the banks of the Chattahoochee River to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Plant Farley with a glance to the future. The reactors are licensed through 2037, prompting the company to adopt a slogan for Tuesday's ceremony.

2037 and Beyond.

Forty years ago, this was a dream; a big bet, Plant Farley site Vice President Dennis Madison said Tuesday morning in front of a cold, windblown crowd. Now, we want to be wanted on the river for another 40 years.

If local government officials have their way, the plant will never close.

The plants investment in the local economy has been massive. Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver said the plants taxes comprise more than 20 percent of the countys tax revenue. The plant will pay $11 million this year in local taxes.

Moreover, the 900 workers at the plant earn some of the highest wages in the Wiregrass, further adding to its importance as an economic engine. The company has an annual payroll of $80 million.

The two reactors that generate the power at Plant Farley cant be ignored. The money the plant generates, however, may be its third reactor.

If you ever want to expand, Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver said Tuesday during remarks at the anniversary ceremony, we have plenty of land right here.

While expansion may be wishful thinking, company officials are keen on keeping the plant operating as long as possible.

Plant Farley is located on 1,850 acres along the river that separates Alabama and Georgia. The first reactor went online in 1977 and the second in 1981. The two reactors can generate 1,800 megawatts, enough energy to power about 450,000 homes.

Isnt it a marvel that these plants operate the way that they do, Southern Company CEO Steve Kuczynski said. We tweak it and try to make it better and better.

Kuczyski said the plant will most likely generate more power in 2017 than during any other single year in the plants existence.

The plant is owned by Alabama Power. Despite owning 15 hydro plants and seven coal plants, CEO Mark Crosswhite said Tuesday Plant Farley provides Alabama Power with 21 percent of its total kilowatt hours.

Plant Farley is named after Joseph M. Farley, former president, CEO and director of Southern Nuclear and Alabama Power who was instrumental in seeking nuclear energy as a power source for the company.

The company continues to field school and civic group tours. For more information, call 334-814-4879.
Chattanooga States Continuing Education and Workforce Development Division collaborated with Assistant Professor Savitha Pinnepallis College Success in Information Systems class to conduct the Cyber Seniors  Service Learning Project. This project provided one-on-one computer skills to participants by partnering them with a college student mentor.

The students interviewed the participants to identify their current technology skills and provided customized computer skills training for each participant based on their needs.

This was a free opportunity for those who need assistance learning computer skills.



For more information about classes offered through Continuing Education or to learn more about other service learning projects at the Chattanooga State, call 423-697-3100.
JACK  Wayne Farms announced Tuesday that it will undergo an expansion at its Coffee County plant that will have a capital investment of $105 million and create about 400 jobs.

Billed as the largest single economic development project in the countys history, the project will add about 200,000 square feet to the facility. Construction is to begin immediately, with completion planned for the first quarter of 2019. Production at the plant will increase from 268,000 chickens per day to 399,000.

Gov. Kay Ivey helped make the announcement Tuesday at the plant in rural Coffee County, alongside officials from Wayne Farms, Coffee County, the City of Enterprise and the Wiregrass Development Corporation.

This is truly an exciting day for this great company, and in this great area of our state, and for our state as a whole, this is an exciting, good day, Ivey said.

The governor announced that the new jobs will have an average salary of $13 per hour plus benefits. Wayne Farms Operations Manager Eddie Fortner said interviews for the new, long-term positions are expected to start in the next few months, with the jobs to begin in January 2019.

This is a great day for Coffee County, and these jobs means so much to this community, County Commission Chair Dean Smith said.

According to the program for Tuesdays event, the expansion will house processing, live poultry holding and receiving facilities, a maintenance ship for vehicles, meeting space and new breakrooms.

Also, the expansion will have state-of-the-art technology for the industry, such as water-jet portioning; controlled vacuum packaging; automated packaging; sizing and weighing tech; and an upgraded marination system. Humane-treatment enhancements for animal welfare will include density reductions for the poultry house, controlled-atmosphere stunning, improved and natural lighting cycles, and environmental enrichments and will allow for audits of practices and documentation by independent third parties.

Currently, Wayne Farms has about 1,200 employees in Coffee County and about 3,000 employees among its three plants in the Wiregrass region, according to a news release from the company.

Wayne Farms is the countrys sixth-largest vertically integrated poultry company with six plants in Alabama and 10 production complexes overall in the United States.

- Brent Zell writes for the Enterprise Ledger
The City of Cleveland announced the winners of the 2017 Capture Cleveland Photo Contest.

60 participants submitted pictures for the contest. The winners were announced at the Monday Cleveland City Council meeting.

The Capture Cleveland Photo Contest was conducted from Sept. 10 to Nov. 10. The contest had six categories: arts/culture/community; historic downtown architecture; picture taken by a middle school student; picture taken by a high school or college student; outdoors/nature and public safety relations. First place winners received a $100 check and second place winners received a $50 gift card.

Sponsors for the contest were Athens Federal Community Bank, Bank of Cleveland, Church Street Candle Company, Glassworks, Mainstreet Cleveland, The Venue Creekside, Waste Connections and White Oak Advertising and Public Relations.

The city partnered with the Cleveland Workspace and held a special gallery displaying all the pictures from the contest from Dec. 1-5. The city received over 200 entries for the contest.

The City of Cleveland thanks all the contestants, judges and sponsors for participating in the Capture Cleveland Photo Contest. All photo entries can be viewed on the citys website or Facebook page.
From several aisles over in a cluster of crowded check-out lines, as we each awaited our opportunity to pay apparently applause worthy prices, I heard a little boy wailing.

This caterwauling demanded an aural audience, although most folks were careful not to look. With scalding tears painting his face, the inconsolable toddler howled, I want a...., but the object of his desiring was muffled.



I want a toy?



I want a dog?



Even with innumerable chances to ascertain what he continued to lament in an auto-pilot replay loop, my sleuthing skills failed. Monosyllabic for sure, but what he wanted was a mystery.



I found this fortuitous.



Since I was not his parent, I felt only sympathy for his mother who was surely dying a thousand cacophonous deaths of humiliation, because her bellowing brood was determined to howl his tiny anguish, and showed no signs of wearying.



The Tiny Weeping Prophet



I also sympathized with the tiny weeping prophet who was for those with ears to hear introducing us all to ourselves.

Im sure hed be surprised, although disinterested to know, that I have experienced similar interior dissatisfactions which made me want to moan in the midst of Christmas shopping ventures. But unlike the little tyke, I have learned how impolite it is to scream incessantly, at least in public.



He could get away with it. I might become institutionalized if I started wailing as shopping makes me want to do. Unlike him, I have a job I would like to keep.



But I could certainly identify with the clamorous yet muffled want of that distressed little fella whod suffered the always unsettling pain of being told no.



Had he and I enjoyed a moment of discussion, Id sure try to reassure him, The toy being denied you won't do the trick that you're hoping for.



He would have likely rolled his eyes, kicked me in the shins, told me to get a life and to stop trying to reason with distressed young people. And he would have been right.



Whether his wailing proved advantageous to him or not, and I suspect it didnt, it was beneficial for me to reflect on an Advent aspiration.



When Wanting is a Matter of Life and Death



You see, his wanting felt like a matter of life and death to his tiny soul. What he couldnt suspect but we should is that our loudest cravings are often misplaced longings.

As I asked one of my sons about our neighbors new white labrador puppy, he demonstrated the nature of these longings. To capture what her adorableness had awakened in him he said, You just want to eat her, shes so fluffy.



Of course, he had no intention of actually eating this puppy he loved belonging to a family that he adored as well. Eating a fluffy dog would be neither appetizing nor advised.



But the encounter with such precious diminutive beauty evoked a longing to somehow to be part of it. CS Lewis understood this as part of a deep pining in us:



We want something else which can hardly be put into wordsto be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendors we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.



The pining, longing, aching thingy in us, which we dont talk about much and which were always expecting to sate proves elusive. We remain conscious of a desire which no natural happiness will satisfy.



Those Hard To Reach Soul-Itches



That surely accounts for the pre/post Christmas funks that come on us like a virus. Were trying to create something that weve always wanted...flirting with nostalgia, gifts, and traditions that seem so promising for scratching this hard-to-reach itch in our inmost places.

We have muffled wants, inarticulate longings, and driving desires.



And I suspect that laughter, tears or full smothering suppression wind up being our favored tactics for handling the mysterious desires within us that demand and moan like that little boy clamoring for a toy, but are never quite satisfied.



But Im determined this pre-Christmas moment, like the tantrum throwing half-pint, to pay attention to my own muffled wants, even if they sometimes irritate me like a rock stuck in my shoe.



A Humiliating Career



One way I'm going to do that is meditating on the aspect of Jesus career Ricky Bobby didnt quite grasp concerning our Saviors diaper-donning infanthood.

The incarnation, it turns out, was the beginning of what thoughtful men without the Internet coined 400 years ago as Jesus estate of humiliation.



And while not the career path that most of us sacrifice to afford our children, God himself, with gut-shaking compassion for the rescue of the world, sent his son on a necessary voyage of humiliation. A career of being un-welcomed, misunderstood, alone, sorrowful, and swimming with groaning grief.



That career began with what a tender-hearted professor of mine once called the most tragic words in the Scriptures: He came to that which was his own but his own received him not."



This matters to your Christmas self that will soon feel like you've just gotten over a long illness. The house will be a mess. Youll be cranky, fatigued, and broke with January bills to pay AND have a sneaking suspicion of the sort you might scribble in a journal or mutter with melancholy to the God you hope is listening but would probably not say aloud:



Is this it?



When it's over and the magic didn't stay with you You came up close to it, but it vanished like the defrosted precipitation on your windshield during your morning commute, and a deflated ugghh slips from your lips, what can you do? What can we do?



Guided by Groans



My aim is to be guided by my groans.

When nothing tastes, internal distress is high, and unrest is simmers to a boil, Im hoping my groans will guide me to re-remember that Im living in between the verses of the best Christmas songs.



Sure, the hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight. I believe it with all my heart. But the realization of the full sadness dissolving hopes and fear-eradication that we earnestly count on Jesus to fulfill, may not happen by next Tuesday. So if I am groaning, I can remember I am waiting for Someone to chase away anguish. Without my groans, I sometimes forget.



And since he was so adept at dwelling with his own anguish in a fragile body like ours, hes expertly competent for aiding us in our dismay and not at all frustrated to hear about it.



Ill also remember each time I feel a pang of unmet longing that some of what I crave is what the Scriptures call, unfailing love which is sometimes given the lovely gloss of loving-kindness. Ill let my groans remind me that my incarnated Savior came as evidence of a sturdy, knows-all-but-will-not-turn-his-face-away loving-kindness from God thats meant to give us confidence that not only are we not cosmic orphans any more, but we have an expectation of joy beyond the walls of this world to come from the welcome instead of judgment well one day receive from God our Father.



But as the Apostle John reminds, Ill never fully know it except as I seek to show it!



No one has ever seen God but if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us. (I John 4)



An Absorbing Errand



Of course the inconceivable gift of Gods implantation of his life in mine, the Holy Spirit, available to any who wish to be remade and are willing to offer themselves up to Christ for spiritual reconstruction, brings a stirring and sweet knowledge of His unfailing love. But not entirely complete and fulfilled. Christianity is a relational-sharing enterprise!

If my preoccupation is to receive love from God and others, Ill never know the relief I crave. But if I endeavor to show what I wish to know, then I can come to receive a renewing kind of relief as can the object of my serving care.



Henry James wrote:



Upon my word Im not happy. I am clever enough to want more than I have got. Im tired of myself, my own thoughts, my own affairs, my own eternal company. True happiness, we are told consists in getting of ones self, but the point is not only to get outyou must stay out; and to stay out you must have some absorbing errand.

Christs absorbing errand was winning a world in revolt back to Him who could cure her. Every aspect of his restoration of all things demanded, as all love does, giving himself away.



Im hoping to let my groans guide me to the absorbing errand of living generously in life and wallet...seeking to show the love that I partially know and long to see completed.



Perhaps as we give ourselves, in reliance upon our love-increasing Savior who has mingled his life in ours, to the absorbing and endlessly creative errand of loving our neighbors through our self-donation, there might just be some surprising thrills of hope that make the weary Christmas world rejoice.



------



Contact Eric Youngblood, pastor of Rock Creek Fellowship on Lookout Mountain, at eric@rockcreekfellowship.org
Senate health committee chairman Lamar Alexander on Tuesday said Congress is working to find solutions to help Tennesseans who cannot afford their prescriptions.

Senator Alexander said, I recently received a letter from Joseph in Cordova, Tennessee. He wrote, Senator Alexander, I just got back from a trip to my local pharmacy. Unfortunately, I was unable to purchase some of the medicine my family needs because one of the medications was $150...I want to know how you plan to get this problem under control. I know that every member of this committee has heard similar stories from their constituents.

Tuesdays hearing was the third in a series of bipartisan hearings on drug pricing.

Senator Alexander said, According to the National Academies report, about 10 percent of health care expenditures is on prescription drugs  17 percent, if you include prescription drugs received in hospitals and at the doctors office. Like most elements in our health care system, spending on prescription drugs increases every year, sometimes by as little as 1.3 percent, as in 2016, and other years by as much as 12.4 percent, as in 2014. Big increases in spending may be driven by the introduction of a new and lifesaving drug, such as the Hepatitis C treatment introduced in 2014.

But there can be differences between what the overall increase on spending on prescription drugs is in any given year and what a patient spends on his prescription when he goes to fill it. The system is extremely complex and there are many factors that could have caused Joseph, who wrote the constituent letter I mentioned, to be charged $150 for his prescription  for example, what type of insurance plan did his family have? Is it a prescription drug where there is only one manufacturer? Is it a new drug with no generic substitute available? What is the list price of the drug established by the manufacturer and what is actual net price of that drug after all of the negotiations and rebates?

I think it is important to hear about the National Academies work on prescription drug prices as we work to find reasonable solutions for people like Joseph. These are thoughtful recommendations from the National Academies that deserve careful analysis and I am sure there will be a vigorous debate before Congress comes to any conclusions.

This is the committees third hearing on the cost of prescription drugs this year. The first hearing in June examined the path a prescription drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration takes from the manufacturer to patient, and how this path affects what the patient pays. At a second hearing in October, the committee heard from industry experts on what goes into the price Americans pay when picking up their prescriptions.

Alexanders full prepared remarks are available here.
IDFC and MDBs team up to align financial flows with Paris accord

The worlds leading development finance institutions have pledged to step up their collaboration to achieve ambitious goals set under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

In a statement released at the One Planet climate summit in Paris, heads of the major multilateral development banks (MDBs) and members of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC), a network of national and regional development banks, also said they would further embed their response to the climate challenge within their overall activities.

The development groups, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (EBRD), said new cooperative approaches were needed to transform the 2015 Paris Agreement into concrete action.

In this spirit of collaboration, the IDFC members and MDBs are teaming up, two years on from the historic moment at COP21, to reaffirm their joint commitment to align their financial flows with the Paris Agreement, they added.

The EBRD has delivered over 1,400 green projects worth 25 billion since 2006, leading to 90 million tonnes of expected CO 2 emission reductions each year, equivalent to more than the annual CO 2 emissions from the fuel combustion levels of Romania in 2015.

Read the Joint IDFC-MDB Statement


In 2013, Michigan governor Rick Snyder imposed an Emergency Manager on the city of Detroit. With that move 49% of the African Americans in Michigan were without a democratically-elected local government. His appointed Emergency Manager was given full control over the city.

This past week, Gov. Snyder continued his disenfranchisement of Detroiters when he chose the date of the special election to replace Congressman John Conyers, Jr. who retired under a scandal of sexual harassment of his female staffers and others. That date is November 6th, 2018  11 months from now. On that day, Detroiters will choose the person to fill Conyers seat for the remaining 55 days of his term (the primary is on August 7th.) Theyll also choose the next person to be the member of Congress for Michigans 13th Congressional District  which includes most of Detroit  on the same ballot.

The governor says he is putting off the election for 11 months 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.

Something tells me the local taxpayers would be willing to take on that financial burden in order to have representation in Washington, D.C. After spending so much time without local democracy, I doubt Detroiters have any sort of appetite for further disenfranchisement. But Gov. Snyder doesnt have to run for office again so their concerns are not concerns he shares.

Oddly, the Democratic chairman for the 13th District, Jonathan Kinloch, supports the move.

Democracy in Michigan is a luxury that Detroit residents apparently arent deemed worth of having.

Well give the last word to Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan:

[Gov. Snyders]s decision about holding off on a Congressional election in Detroit is another example of Rick Snyder willfully taking away peoples right to elected representation in a prominent community of color. His decision will leave this district without a voice in Congress for nearly a year. Rick Snyder is the architect of Michigans failed emergency manager law, which disproportionately affected communities of color leaving them without democratically elected leaders and led to the Flint Water Crisis. The sad fact is that Rick Snyder has always had a willful blind spot when it comes to racial justice  and todays decision is further proof that Snyder chooses to ignore communities of color.

[Snyder caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog]
Autumn Witt Boyd, founder of The Law Office of Autumn Witt Boyd, has been selected to the 2018 Tennessee Super Lawyers list as a Top-Rated Intellectual Property Lawyer, Rising Star.

Ms. Boyd also hosts the Legal Road Map podcast, which teaches business owners about the legal issues they may face as they grow a profitable and sustainable business. Season Two of the podcast launched this fall, featuring case study interviews with entrepreneurs, talking about how theyve built their businesses, and the legal lessons theyve learned along the way. The Legal Road Map podcast can be heard through iTunes or the Apple Podcast App, Google Play, and Stitcher, and Pocketcasts, and show notes for each episode can be found at http://awbfirm.com/podcast/.

Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.



The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in their practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers,go to SuperLawyers.com



Ms. Boyd has been helping creative entrepreneurs in Chattanooga and across the United States protect their rights with copyright, trademark, and business guidance for more than 13 years. The Law Office of Autumn Witt Boyd is a full-service law firm for creative business owners.

Prior to opening her own practice, she served as an associate with the law firm Harmon & Seidman LLC, where she represented photographers, visual artists, and stock photography agencies in copyright lawsuits, including a successful jury trial. She also worked for two years at local firm Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C., helping businesses and individuals who had been sued over business deals or products, or who needed to file lawsuits to protect their own patents or copyrights. Ms. Boyd began her legal career as a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Curtis L. Collier with the Eastern District of Tennessee, the federal trial court in Chattanooga.

Ms. Boyd obtained her law degree at Vanderbilt University Law School, where she graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif, and her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and English with High Honors at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Ms. Boyd hosts the Legal Road Map podcast, which teaches business owners about the legal issues they may face as they grow a profitable and sustainable business. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Intellectual Property section of the Tennessee Bar Association and is active in the Brock Cooper American Inn of Court, the Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts, and Southeast Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women. She also is active in the local nonprofit community, serving as the Past President of Chattanooga Friends, a service organization for young professionals.

Ms. Boyd may be contacted by e-mail at info@awbfirm.com; by telephone at 756-6013, or found online at www.awbfirm.com.














Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
A Saturday Night Live's favorite may be coming to New York City's Great White Way. Alec Baldwin has been thinking about bringing his President Trump character on Broadway.

Baldwin, who was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his tour-de-force satiric portrayal of the 45th President of the United States has been pondering this major move for a while now.

From Book to Broadway

Earlier this year, Baldwin released the parody book You Can't Spell America Without Me: The Really Tremendous Inside Story of My Fantastic First Year. The 30 Rock star worked with acclaimed author Kurt Andersen to publish the book. Baldwin, who recently visited Sirius XM radio host Howard Stern, stated that the book could be the foundation for a potential bid on Broadway.

"We may take the book and make it into a one-man show on Broadway," said Baldwin.

Baldwin also stated that the show would be in a similar vein to Will Ferrell's iconic one-man show, You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush. The Saturday Night Live alum entertained audiences at Cort Theatre from Feb. 5, 2009 to March 15, 2009.

Lorne Michaels, Broadway Producer?

For Baldwin to bring his President Trump character to Broadway, he would need the backing one man: Saturday Night Live creator and television legend Lorne Michaels.

"Lorne gave me the permission to write the book, which was up for him to do," said Baldwin. "This was all the genesis of this. Lorne owns my rendering of it; it's his intellectual property, as it should be."

Initially, Baldwin joined Saturday Night Live during September 2016 where he frequently squared off against Kate McKinnon's Hillary Clinton. Baldwin stated earlier in 2016 that after the Presidential Election, his Trump would not make any more appearances.

But since President Donald Trump was sworn in as the United States of America's 45th President, Baldwin's Trump has been frequent appearances on the Studio 8H stage. Baldwin's Trump shared scenes with his colleagues including Kellyanne Conway and Jeff Sessions (both played by McKinnon), Steve Bannon (Mikey Day), and Vice President Mike Pence (Beck Bennett).

If Baldwin and Michaels bring the show to Broadway, there will be a high demand to see Baldwin reprise his Emmy-winning impersonation in person. However, do not expect any members of the First Family to see the performance. President Trump has been very vocal with his disdain of Alec Baldwin's impersonation and called him out on Twitter.
Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima is known for her killer catwalk and being one of Victoria's Secret's (VS) senior Angels, however, her career role will be changing due to an enlightening conversation she recently had with a friend.

In an Instagram post, Lima shared what she and her friend spoke about and how she's planning to support the body positivity movement.

"I had received a call for the possibility of filming a sexy video of me to be posted and shared in [sic] social media. Even though I have done many of this type, something had changed in me, when a friend approached me to share that she was unhappy with her body, then it made me think.... that everyday [sic] in my life, I wake up thinking, how do I look? Was I going to be accepted in my job?" her social media caption began.

"And in that moment I realized that majority of woman probably wake up every morning trying to fit in a stereotype that society/social media/fashion etc imposed.... i thought thats not a way of living and beyond that.... thats not physically and mentally healthy, so I decided to make that change..... I will not take of [sic] my clothes anymore for a [sic] empty cause."

Lima finished her announcement with the following hashtags: "#Embraceyouself #natureisbeautiful #naturalissexy #LOVEYOU"

She continued to speak about body positivity in the post's picture, seen below, stating women carry so much and it's not fair to have societal "impositions" placed on them.

Fans of the model also claim that she unfollowed Victoria's Secret social media accounts and several of her co-workers who also work with the brand. On Twitter, fans are rejoicing about Lima's stance and even speculating that she may be retiring from working with the lingerie fashion house.

"IF ADRIANA LIMA LEAVES VICTORIA'S SECRET THEY'RE TRULY OVER. NO ALESSANDRA OR ADRIANA? CANCELLED," Twitter user @thatangel wrote, highlighting when Alessandra Ambrosio left the brand after being a VS Angel for 17 years. Others had similar responses:

Miss Adriana Lima is changing the game & acknowledging the everyday body struggles of women as well as calling out the notoriously body inclusive fashion industry!! The president we deserve..  Me, the queen (@jadorelacouture) December 10, 2017

Adriana Lima leaving VS and she unfollowed all the angels except Lily, Lais, Behati and Ale. And she also unfollowed Ed Razek and Victorias Secret. BTW thank you Adriana for your existence. pic.twitter.com/6c75XSkJxu  Nobody Cares (@NobodyCaresBy) December 10, 2017

Without Adriana Lima 2018 is gonna be the year that VS finally dies out rip Victorias Secret  C (@balenciagabxtch) December 10, 2017

Adriana lima unfollowed candice pic.twitter.com/07G5Cl8wbi  chicago (@blenecl) December 10, 2017

Ive been such a fan of Adriana Lima but Im a little disappointed to see her unfollow Ed, Candice, VS etc. By all means put yourself first but branding VS an empty cause when thats why youre so famous is distasteful to me. And then unfollowing those you used to call family  Neelam!  (@NeelamCena) December 10, 2017

While Lima has received tremendous support for her decision, some have given her a side-eye for becoming suddenly "woke" about the line of business she works in.

Aside from modeling, Lima has had several film cameos and recently finished hosting Lifetime's beauty competition, American Beauty Stars.
Congratulations are in order for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and girlfriend, Lauren Hashian. The couple has a second baby on the way.

The Announcement

Christmas came early for the Baywatch star and Hashian as the actor took to Instagram on Monday, Dec. 11, to announce that they were expecting their second child together.

The 45-year-old made the baby announcement by posting an adorable picture of his two-year-old daughter, Jasmine, happily sitting underneath a Christmas tree. Not only did Johnson announce that he was going to be a father for the second time, but he also revealed the gender of the baby.

"Our Jasmine Lia would like to make a big announcement  IT'S A GIRL," Johnson captioned the photo. "[Lauren Hashian] and I are boundlessly grateful for this blessing as this spring we'll welcome our second baby."

"Plus, Jazzy is excited to boss around and protect her lil' sis," he added. "And once again, big daddy is completely surrounded by beautiful estrogen and loving, powerful female mana."

A Big Happy Family

Johnson and Hashian, 33, have been in a relationship for nearly a decade and welcomed Jasmine in December 2015 with another cute Instagram post. On Jasmine's first birthday, Johnson posted a video of himself singing her a happy birthday song on the social media platform.

He has a 16-year-old daughter named Simone Garcia Johnson from his previous marriage to producer Dany Garcia. Simone was recently named as the 2018 Golden Globes Ambassador, a rebranded title bequeathed to the daughters and sons of Hollywood celebrities.

He concluded his baby announcement by pointing out that he was going to be the only man in the family and "wouldn't have it any other way."

An Eventful Week For Johnson

Johnson has a lot going for him this week. The former WWE wrestler's upcoming film Jumanji arrives in theaters on Dec. 20, but its pre-release screenings have already managed to win over critics. The film has received an 83 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The actor is also going to be honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday, Dec. 13, as previously reported.

"Not only does Dwayne have a great personality and talent, but he also does a great amount of philanthropic work which is part of the criteria for earning an immortal spot on the Walk of Fame," producer of Walk of Fame ceremonies, Ana Martinez, told Variety. "We envision scores of photos being taken at his star by his fans."

Check out Johnson's baby announcement below:
Will John Hamm soon stand over Gotham as the Batman?

After the disappointment that was Justice League, Warner Bros. is reportedly planning to restructure the DC Extended Universe. However, it looks like Ben Affleck, who debuted as the Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, will not be around long enough to see the new cinematic universe.

The 45-year-old is expected to appear in Ezra Miller's solo movie, Flashpoint, but he is expected to turn retire from the role soon after.

Flashpoint, for the uninitiated, is a comic book arc set in an alternate universe. In this story, a young Bruce Wayne was killed by the gunman and his parents, Thomas and Martha, became the Batman and the Joker.

A New Batman

Variety's report suggests that the planned standalone Batman movie is still in development. The project has been in trouble since it was announced back in 2014. Affleck initially wanted to write and co-direct the movie.

By January 2017, thanks to the negative reviews of Batman v Superman, Affleck confirmed that he will no longer direct the solo movie. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) was soon hired to take over and, in July 2017, he also revealed that he plans to write a new script.

As early as now, rumors and speculations about who will replace the Academy Award winner as the Dark Knight. At the forefront was Jonn Hamm who broke into the movie industry by starring in Affleck's The Town.

According to Radar Online, the former Mad Men star is desperate to get the role.

"Jon's gunning hard for the role," a source told the site. The 46-year-old is aware of the intense criticism that his friend, Affleck, received after Batman v Superman. However, the unnamed insider said that Hamm thinks that "he'd be better suited for the job."

The two-time Golden Globes winner has allegedly been courting Reeves for months now. He is said to be closer to getting the role than another actor, Jake Gyllenhaal, who was also rumored to be in the running.

Rebooting The Universe

A popular theory online suggests that Warner Bros. will use Flashpoint to restructure the DCEU. The new timeline will erase everything that the audience did not respond to, including Affleck's Batman, and only keep the little that fans loved.

Flashpoint is a chance to introduce a new Bruce Wayne without completely rebooting the timeline. As Nerdist speculates, the Flash could return from the alternate universe and see a new Batman standing over Gotham City.

The Flash movie is scheduled to come out in 2018.
Agriculture remains one of the most crucial issues that have been part of the Doha Agenda that developing countries want to be resolved at the upcoming WTO (World Trade Organization) Ministerial Conference in Argentina. While agricultural subsidies in rich countries have remained a contentious issue for long, for several countries like India, WTO rules that pose threat to food security have also become an important issue. While India, along with other like-minded countries, was able to get some temporary relief in the form of a peace clause on this during the Bali Ministerial Conference in 2013, it is due to the strong position adopted by the Indian government in the following year that the peace clause was extended till the time a permanent solution to the issue could be found.

However, it is to be noted that India negotiated an indefinite peace clause which essentially entails a political commitment by member countries not to launch a WTO dispute even if some other countries violated the relevant rules. This is not the same as a legal solution that is required to resolve the issue of food security at the WTO. Hence, in the forthcoming ministerial conference, this issue will receive substantial attention from India and many other countries. However, subsidy and market access issues are also important, particularly because these three issues are interlinked.
From October 30 to November 1, 2017, Financial investors and leaders of more than 30 different faiths from eight religions representing over 500 faith investment groups and trillions of dollars in assets, along with senior United Nations figures and leading impact investment funds, attended the Faith in Finance meeting in Zug, Switzerland. Qiu Zhonghui, General-Secretary of the Amity Foundation also joined the talk on "how can major new alliance of religious investment funds create a better and fairer world."

At the Faith in Finance meeting, Elliott Harris, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UN Environment Program, stressed in his keynote speech that investment in the field of sustainable development and environment protection from faith-based organizations will play an important role in the 2030 Agenda of the UN on the achievement of the sustainable objective.

The United Nations estimates that religious institutional funds make up around US$10 trillion of the world's invested funds, making them at least the fourth largest investment groups in the world. Around a further US$30 trillion is owned by members of the major faiths as individuals or family foundations.

At Zug, eight major faiths set out their own Guidelines on what they will invest for the first time. For ethical reasons, they won't invest in (for example, tobacco, weapons, etc.) They also made a statement that a good proportion of the money should where possible be invested in environmental and sustainable development. The possibility of setting up a specific international cooperative organization was discussed among the delegates, where people agreed to a platform for cooperation and investment service under the sustainable framework of the Agenda 2030.

From Nov 2 to 3, General-Secretary Qiu attended the European Network of Amity Partners meeting at Amity's International Liaison Office at Geneva, where he met Ms. Isabel Phiri, assistant general-secretary of WCC, and Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, newly anointed secretary-general of ACT Alliance.

Ms. Isabel Phiri spoke highly of the Amity's effort in engaging and leading grassroots churches, social service organizations, and many religious groups in participating social service. She also stressed that 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the World Council of Churches and WCC's focus is set in Asia in the year of 2019. Together it sparks more anticipation working with the Amity in the coming year.

Qiu emphasized the Amity's participation in WCC's global initiatives in AIDS prevention and anti-discrimination and would continue to actively work in safe food and drinking water, and other programs. He also proposed further cooperation with WCC in church-related social service.

-Translated by Grace Hubl
The head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, rebuffed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus proposition that the European Union should join the United States in recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.

Mr. Netanyahu commented regarding the US move that the recognition had put facts squarely on the table. When he arrived in Brussels for diplomatic talks he said that he expected all or most EU members to follow the US but Federica Mogherini replied bluntly, telling him to keep his expectations for other, reaffirming that there would be no change to the EUs stance to Jerusalem.

The EU leaders, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, condemned US President Donald Trumps decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, which triggered protests across the Arab world and prompted the leaders of extremist organizations to call for an intifada and attacks on American targets and those of their allies.

According to Mr. Netanyahu though, the decision doesnt obviate peace, it makes peace possible, because recognizing reality is the substance of peace, its the foundation of peace. I believe that all or most of the European countries will move their embassies to Jerusalem, recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, and engage robustly with us for security, prosperity and peace, he said.

The White Houses decision abruptly changed decades of international diplomacy and the status quo. Ms. Mogherini is of the opinion that the situation could move backwards to even darker times, while stressing that we believe the only realistic solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine is based on two states with Jerusalem as the capital of both the state of Israel and the state of Palestine.
Written by ACM



*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- 47 Member States-strong (including Russia) CoE's Top Political Body, its Committee of (Foreign) Ministers, officialy Raised Questions to Turkey about "Complicity" to "UnLawful Sales and Exploitation" of "Greek Cypriot" Refugees' "Homes and Properties" in the "Part of Cyprus" which is still Occupied by Ankara's Foreign Army, 43 Years after the 1974 Turkish Military Invasion of the now EU Member Country's Northern Territories, and Warned the Turks with "Measures", if they do Not "Address the Issue" in 9 Months Time, i.e. Before "September 2018".



+ Meanwhile, in Addition, the PanEuropean Organisation for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law's Ministers also "Firmly Insisted, once again, that the Obligation to Pay the Just Satisfaction Awarded by the European Court, is UnConditional", and Called "the Turkish Authorities" to tell what "Steps" they took "for the Payment" due since several Years.



------------------------



>>> It's Already during More than ... 35 Years Now (1992-2017 !), Starting as Early as since 1992, that the PanEuropean/International Community has been officially informed by the CoE, inter alia, also for Massive and Continuous Violations of Human Rights of Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced Persons, obliged to Flee the Turkish Military Invasion/Occupation of the Northern part of the Island since 1974, (i.e. about 20% of the Total Population of the Country), when the PanEuropean Organisation's Committee of Ministers authorized, for 1st Time, the Publication, in Strasbourg, of a "Hot" Report with the Conclusions of the European Committee on Human Rights, (which was, then, Key part of ECHR's Mechanism), that had, in fact, been Adopted since the 1980ies, (but held "Secret" until 1992, by the Opposition of a Turkish lobby)...



+ Followed ECHR's landmark Judgements Condemning Ankara's Government on 1994-1998, initially at the individual Case of a Woman Refugee/IDP, Tina Loizidou, (Comp. Loizidou's statements to "Eurofora"s co-Founder, Published then at "TCWeekly" or "PIO/CNA"), and afterwards at the InterState case "Cyprus v. Turkey" of 2001, concerning also All G//C Refugees/IDPs, (Following an Historic, 1st ever, Public Hearing of the Parties in Strasbourg on 1994 : See "Eurofora" Co-Founder's Publication from the spot, then at "PIO/CNA").



Since then, and After Various Other ECHR's Judgements on Similar Cases, particularly between 2006 - 2010/2013, concerning Mainly the Concrete Ways through which this Strasbourg Court's case-law should be Applied in real Practice, (which had, Meanwhile, become also an International Legal Standard, as attested, among others, also by the Landmark Report of UNO's Expert, Professor Pineiro, published by the UNCHCRefugees, Together with the UNHCHRights and UNSGeneral at nearby Geneva : Comp. "Eurofora" UN Top Legal Expert Pineiro's Statements to "Eurofora"s co-Founder, Published then at "TCWeekly": ... + ..., etc), ECHR's Great Chamber issued its Latest Important Judgement on this Issue on Spring 2014, when Euro-Judges mainly Denounced Strongly "Any ...COMPLICITY in Any UnLawful Sale and Exploitation of Greek Cypriot Homes and Property in the northern part of Cyprus", as long as the still Continuing, Massive Violations by Turkey of Refugees/Displaced Persons' rights had Not Ceased, (See, "Eurofora"'s NewsReport at : ...).



>>> Today, this key Point is officially at the Base of CoE's Committee of Ministers' Latest Decision on that Issue, Published Now, which Also Reminds the Fact that the above-mentioned, Landmark ECHR 2014 Judgement clearly says that "Any" such "possible Permission, Participation, Acquiescence or Otherwise Complicity" in that delicate matter, is blatantly "Not Consistent" with "the Conclusions of the Main (ECHR) Judgement(s)", on GreekCyriot Refugees/IDP, and particularly its 2001 Judgement (Comp. Supra).



Indeed, during all this time (1992-1994-2001 - 2017), as it was Denounced officially Earlier by the Government of Cyprus, in a Memorandum send to -and Published by- the CoE on December 2017, "Turkey has peristently failed and refused to take measures to suppress the unlawful sale or exploitation of Greek Cypriot Homes and property in the Occupied areas", where, "because of the Continuing Denial of Access to their properties, the Displaced persons have Lost all Control over, as well as the Possibilities to enjoy their land", by a "physical Exclusion of Greek Cypriots" from the Territories Invaded and Occupied by Ankara's Military :



=> Thus, "the Extent of the Illegal (Economic/Estate) Development of (Violently Usurpated) Property in the Occypied Areas, in Recent Years (2001 to 2007) has been on the Rise", reminded nowadays Cyprus, citting also relevant "Evidence of this", Already "Previously .. submitted ... to (CoE's) Committee" of Ministers, as well as the Fact that "its Accuracy has Not been Disputed".



- F.ex., among others, the Extent of that "illegal development in the Occupied areas covered, approximately, 107 sq. KM" "in 2001", and it was Doubled : "207 sq. KM" "in 2007", "and 270 sq.KM" "in 2014". It "includes at least 85 Large and Medium scale Major (Economic/Estate) Developments", "as Evidenced by the relevant Certificates of Registration".



+ Moreover, "Data Collection and Articles in the Turkish Cypriot Press, Also show that Land Distribution to family members of Turkish Cypriot Politicians, the construction of Luxury Hotels, Land Distribution for Universities, and Large-Scale Concessions to Young Landless persons" are Continuing in Parallel, that officially communicated by the CoE text recalls.



=> So that, by adding also all this, through the Persistance of such Massive Human Rights Violations of G/C. Refugees/IDP, there is even a Threat to provoke Negative Political Consequences, because, in Fact, "Turkey is Attempting to Create an Irreversible "de facto" Situation, Permanently Obstructing the Return to Greek Cypriots of their properties in the Occupied Areas of Cyprus", it concludes.



The Way in which such a Threat operates in real practice, was Spectacularly Reminded, these Same Days, also by a Demonstration of young Cypriot Students, during the Visit of Turkey's President Erdogan in Athens, which had Chosen, as Unique Moto to call Against the notoriously Massive Import of Turkish "SETTLERS" from Anatolia in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus, (See relevant Photo), who are generally known as usually being the No 1 illegal Foreign Migrants' Group, to whom are reportedly Given also several Usurpated Greek Cypriot Refugees/IDPs' Homes and/or Other Properties, in Addition even to illegal "Passports" Massively attributing so-called "Citizenship" :



A Thorny Issue against which, Already in the Past, Both CoE's Committee of Ministers, and CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, had adopted Decisions Warning that such attempts to "Alter the Demography" of the Island, (Against which, notoriously struggled even the Turkish Cypriot Dissident Journalist Kutlu Adali, who was Brutaly Murdered in the 1990ies, resulting in a Condamnation of Turkey by ECHR on 2004), Risk to Provoke even an additional "Political Obstacle" to a Peacefull Agreement for a real ReUnification of Cyprus in the Future, (by Artificially and illegaly creating a Group of - Foreign Origin- Population with obvious Interests to Perpetuate the Division of the Country, and, finally, its Partition, in one way or another).



In Front of that, Turkey Focused its Claims mainly into Seeking to Limit, directly and/or indirectly, the Greek Cypriot Refugees/IPDs' Human Rights, more or less, Only on a partial Financial "Compensation" for what they called "Loss of Use", through a Controversial "Committee" that Ankara's protegees set up, and Unilaterally Control, in the Territories of Cyprus Occupied by Turkey's Military, while, in Addition, excessively Restricting or even Excluding the "Restitution" of Refugees/IDP's Family Homes and other Private Properties.



+ Moreover, Ankara went as Far as to dare Claim, also nowadays, (by their "Note" communicated in Strasbourg this Month) that CoE should (in their view) even ... "STOP" Monitoring the Implementation of ECHR's Judgements which have repeatedly Condemned Turkey for such (a.o.) Massive Violations of Human Rights in Cyprus, irrespectively of the Fact that almost all such ECHR's Decisions have Not Yet been Implemented, and almost all concerned Victims are Still Suffering from - and Exposed to- such Massive Human Rights' Violations !



----------------------------



>>> But CoE's Top Body, its Ministerial Committee, concluding its Human Rights' Session of Winter 2017, this Week in Strasbourg, Rejected such Turkish Claims, by Asking, on the Contrary, from Ankara's Authorities to Give to the CoE "Information" on How might, eventually, be "Adressed", or not, "the Issue of Possible UnLawful Sale and Exploitation of the Properties in question", as it is stated in the relevant CoE's Decision, which has just been just published.



In particular, CoE's Top Political body, its Ministrial Committee, (which has the Duty to "Supervise" the Execution of ECHR's Judgements by the Condemned States), officially Raised Questions about the uncertain "Effectiveness" of the "Existing ... Mechanism(s)" in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus, still held by Ankara's Foreign Invasion/Occupation Army, and its "Practical Implementation" in reality.



+ Also, CoE Warned Turkey that it intends "to Assess", on the basis of relevant Facts, the "Need for Further Measures", that might prove necessary to Explicitly Ask Ankara to Take.



In this regard, Cyprus has already suggested to the CoE, a relevant Series of possible Practical Measures, that Turkey could and should Take in order to Comply with the above-mentioned ECHR's Judgements repeatedly Condemning Ankara for Massive and persisting Violations of Greek Cypriot Refugees/IDPs' Human Rights, (and, especially, ECHR's 2014 Finding : Comp. Supra), according to a relevant Note officialy published this week by the CoE in Strasbourg :



- F.ex., inter alia :



* "Cease <<Transferts>> (including, but not limited to <<Sales>>, <<Leases>> and <<Mortgages>>) of Displaced Person's Properties, withOut their Consent";



* "Cease encouraging or promoting the Sale and/or Use of Greek Cypriot Properties, in the Occupied Areas of Cyprus, withOut their Consent";



* "Halt all Constructions on Greek Cypriot Properties, in the Occupied areas, carried out withOut the Consent of the Lawful property Owners";



and, in parallel, naturally "Pay the Amounts awared by the (PanEuropean) Court in its ... Judgement of 12 May 2014", (Comp. Supra), for the Damages Already Inflicted to the Victims until then.



----------------------------------------



+ Last, but not least, by Fixing the above-mentioned Time Deadline of 9 Months, until "September 2018", CoE's Top Political Body, in Fact, gave to itself a Potentially Valuable Legal and Political Tool in order, also, to Help exert some Beneficial Pressure Towards an eventual Resumption of UNO-sponsored Talks for establishing Peace and ReUnification of Cyprus in the foreseable Future, since that Time-laps includes the forthcoming, crucial Presidential Elections in Cyprus, scheduled for the Beginning of Next Year.



The Latest Deadlock witnessed at nearby Switzerland, earlier this year (2017), despite some notable Progress previously, mainly because of Ankara's Reluctance to Withdraw its Occupation Army when a Solution might have been agreed, and Turkey's persistent Claim to have a possibility for even more Unilateral Military Interventions during an Endless Future, under that or that Pretext, which has Blocked the Process, has, indeed, in the Meantime, been Exploited by some Turkish Politicians in order to either Threaten a Definite End of that Peace Process, and/or to Ask for even More Political Concessions, Threatening to Worsen, instead of Easing the current situation.



So that even a simply Human Rights' issue, might, eventually, Help also for Peace and ReUnification, in a possible Solution of the Cyprus Issue, according to EU/CoE and UNO's Basic Values and Legal Principles.

(../..)



------------------------






Asturias

CCOO inicia movilizaciones en los centros educativos ante los problemas en la implantacion de la Lomloe
Hello Everyone,I was just curiousthat how many days will the canadian consulate in New Delhi will take to issue VISA on my passport after my Medical examination?Can you please help me out with the timeline so that meanwhile we can plan up the remaining things.Thank you so much everyone........HAPPY HOLIDAYS
The Indian president (right) met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) on Monday. [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said his country is willing to further promote mutual understanding and trust and broaden cooperation with China so as to advance the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

The Indian president made the remarks on Monday while met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was in New Delhi for the 15th trilateral meeting of foreign ministers from China, Russia and India.

During the meeting, Kovind said as neighboring countries, India and China have enjoyed long history of friendship and the cooperation between the two sides are not only in the interest of the two countries but also conducive to peace, stability and development of the region and the world at large.

For his part, Wang said China and India, ancient civilizations and emerging economies, are both at a critical time for development and national rejuvenation, and both have upheld the multilateralism and devoted to the democratization of international relations.

China and India share a wide range of common interests and positions and have great potential for cooperation, thus the two sides should stick to communication to eliminate strategic suspicions and enhance mutual understanding and support to avoid mutual suspicion, Wang said.

China is willing to further deepen cooperation with India in all sectors to push forward common development and prosperity of the two countries, the Chinese foreign minister added.
One thing that does come up here from time to time is that your first year here, you'll have to get hold of the forms. They won't send you anything that first year. Once you've filed the first time, you will be able to go online and set up an account where you can do all your filing online, make any payments and handle all the "side taxes" (taxe d'habitation, etc.).



The online tax filing system here puts the US "e-file" to shame. First time through is a little tough. But after that, it goes really quickly.

Cheers,

Bev
I'm in CDMX now. (that's Cuidad De MeXico).Sea of concrete, cars and people. Not my style.Driving here is OK I've got the instincts, so I can keep up with traffic, I used to be one of the fastest ones. It's just too stressful.Plus my chilango friends are telling me not to drive around with USA plates that I'd be like a magnet for the police. Is that true? Fox will know and have an opinion for sure.Plus some of these topes are pretty high. Higher than my Prius.I slept in the car on the way from SF via Santa Barbara to Laredo. I'd pull over and sleep 2-4 hours. No sleeping in car in Mexico.Checked in a hotel in Laredo.Made the crossing and somehow missed the TIP point. Made it to the kilometro 21 (or whatever they call it) the guy chuckled and sent me back.Once I got back to the Immigration and vehicle importation area, things went smoothly, the agents were nice to me because I was helping the other people who where more lost than I. By the time it was my turn I was greeted with sincere smiles. It's the sincerity that I like, "por las buenas o por las malas" (in good and in bad)...The vehicle area the young women were nice to the point of being flirty, the supervisor kept hanging around smiling.Back at the KM 21 friendly smiles, even the Marines were cordial.All the the ladies at the toll were nice.I stopped to eat around Matehuala, some truckers started talking to me, one came over and sat at my table. I was a little concerned, but they turned out to be humble people from the wooded area around where Zorro must live. When they left, they left me thier numbers and offered beans with epazote, if I was in the area. It was a sincere offer.There is that word again... sincerity.The drive into Mexico City was like a demolition derby at high speed often with no lanes marked. You have to have a little road rage to keep up. The City itself seems like a maze, I once knew this city very well. I feel like a stranger.Got in Wed night, one shot drive from Laredo.Thursday slept and then met with friends from college, if it were not for social media, we would've never met again. Very warm abrazos, sincere and to the heart. It was the day before my birthday.Sunday three of us from college went a little past Tepozotlan and explored canyons with ropes, harness. you pretty much had to rappel down all the way. Great experience, I'm blessed to be able to do that at 60.Can;t wait to get on the road again and reach Merida. Already have a rental house in Francisco de Montejo, and area of Merida....
I have some friends coming over from Thailand in April 18 for a week or so and will meet up in Angeles. We want to spend about 5 days there, show them around, then head to Subic.

I have been there quite a few times and for the past 4 years or so used Tiger Hotel, but have found their rooms aging and inevitably have problems when we get there. Not to mention no elevator and put on 4th floor several times, so think it is time for a change.

Need good location, moderate tariff (not top end), good sized room, tv, cable, fridge, ensuite, room safe a/c - usual facilities. A friend offered a suggestion of Phoenix HOtel but not room safes there apparently.

Any suggestions appreciated thank you.
mogo51 said: Further to my Angeles accommodation, I should have also added Subic, as we will spend a few days there also. Don't know much about that area, only been once, can't remember where I stayed. Same criteria as Angeles. Thank you. Click to expand...

The places "on Base" to stay are fairly expensive the last I saw. Off base in Brgy Baretto (about 8 minutes from base) is the Blue Rock Resort-Hotel . [This site seems slow to load up]. Prices again are pretty good and rooms are nice. Food is quite good. I don't remember them having room safes but I don't know of any over that way that do. I like it as it is right on the beach and for divers, it is located next door to Johans Dive Center . Here at Johan's the food is quite good but the rooms are not. Google Maps Link for Blue Rock..
A lot of OFWs cannot send that much home. I dated a girl from here in Dubai. She worked as a waitress for a company that would put on special events. Corporate parties, catered events etc. If it wasnt for the free food that she could get at the end of a shift, provided there was anything left over, she would not have been able to send anything home. She shared a studio apartment with 3 others for a while. As it was she was lucky to send 10kp a month. When we went out often she would ask if she could invite a housemate along. I always said sure because the meal I bought for the housemate would be repaid to her when I was not there. She had 3 young kids here and went 3 years without seeing them. She is still in Dubai and has been there 6 years and only 3 trips home. She has another 8 months before she can get another trip back here.



The casino dealer I mentioned in my opening post had an offer for dealing in Hong Kong. She would get 32k a month with free room and board. That will be a dormitory and most likely not the best food either.



A lot of the OFWs get abused and mistreated overseas, especially the women in the GCC. We have all heard of house staff there who are raped by their employer then deported for having sex outside of marriage.



The engineers I worked with on the USAID contracts only got Philippine wages plus a slight raise and danger and post differentials (70% extra). They did not do too badly but were in a dangerous area.



The remittance money can help but it is not enough to relieve the poverty here. Sharing with friends and family helps but there is an expectation of reciprocal help and the giver will always do without when they help.



Not every family has a member who is an OFW. Someone who can get to a first world country in a professional job can send significant amounts home but these are pretty rare too.



Employers take advantage of the workers as well. The casino worker had to get a full medical before she could start work. She had to pay for it herself, there goes the first 2 weeks pay. (Anytime I have been asked for a medical before employment the company always paid for it.)



Part of the reason why you get such bad service in shops is that an employee gets a significant boost in benefits after 5 months employment. It is much cheaper to terminate their employment before that and hire another person. Customer service and efficiency go out the window.



It is no wonder crime and scamming is so commonplace here. The entire country would be much better off if people could earn enough from their job so that they could afford to be honest.



It is no wonder that there is no long-term planning here as well. Why plan for next week or even tomorrow when you do not know if you will be able to feed your kids tonight?


Having greater control over immigration is important for many people in the UK with a new poll showing that 67% believe this will happen after Brexit, up from 58% at the start of November.The survey, carried out before the deal was done over citizen rights, also found that 46% believe that controlling who gets into the country is more important than access to free trade, up from 38% in the previous survey from ORB International.Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Theresa May has written an open letter to EU expats living in the UK urging them to stay after Brexit. I am proud that more than three million EU citizens have chosen to make your homes and livelihoods here in our country. I greatly value the depth of the contributions you make, enriching every part of our economy, our society, our culture and our national life, she says.I know our country would be poorer if you left and I want you to stay. So from the very beginning of the UKs negotiations to leave the European Union I have consistently said that protecting your rights, together with the rights of UK nationals living in EU countries, has been my first priority, she explains.May wants EU nationals to carry on living the lives they currently have but acknowledges that Brexit has created anxiety for whole families. She says that they can find the answer to any concerns in the joint report published by the British Government and the European Commission.The deal means that when Brexit happens in March 2019 the rights of EU citizens living in the UK will be written into UK law and enforced by UK courts. Where appropriate, British courts will pay due regard to relevant ECJ case law, and for a period of eight years where existing case law is not clear, British courts will be able to choose to ask the ECJ for an interpretation prior to reaching their own decision.So as we take back control of our laws, you can be confident not only that your rights will be protected in our courts, but that there will be a consistent interpretation of these rights in the UK and in the European Union. We have agreed with the European Commission that we will introduce a new settled status scheme under UK law for EU citizens and their family members, May also says in the letter.So EU citizens who have lived in the UK continuously for five years by the 29 March 2019 will be eligible for settled status and those who have been in the country for less than five years will be able to stay until they have reached the five-year threshold.Close family members, including existing spouses, unmarried partners, children, dependent parents, grandparents and children born or adopted outside of the UK will be able to join those with settled status.Healthcare rights, pension and other benefit provisions will remain the same as they are today. This means that those who have paid into the UK system, and indeed UK nationals who have paid into the system of an EU Member State, can benefit from what they have put in and continue to benefit from existing co-ordination rules for future contributions.The agreement also includes reciprocal rules to protect existing decisions to recognise professional qualifications and allows those with settled status to be absent from the UK for up to five years without losing that status, more than double the period allowed under current EU law.Right now, you do not have to do anything at all. You can look forward, safe in the knowledge that there is now a detailed agreement on the table in which the UK and the EU have set out how we intend to preserve your rights as well as the rights of UK nationals living in EU countries. For we have ensured that these negotiations put people first. That is what I promised to do and that is what I will continue to do at every stage of this process, the letter ends.
Texas oil giant Exxon Mobil opened its first gas stations in Mexico last week as the nations largest oil company works to become a major Mexican fuel supplier.

The first eight Mobil-branded stations opened around Queretaro, a city in central Mexico. Exxon Mobil also made its first fuel shipments to Mexico last week, joining Chevron and other U.S. refiners seeking to supply one of the worlds largest markets, recently opened to foreign companies.

Since Mexico deregulated its energy sector, international gas stations have begun popping up this year, ending the monopoly held for decades by state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. British oil major BP opened the first non-Pemex gas stations in Mexico this spring.

Exxon Mobil plans to open about 50 fueling station in central Mexico within the next three months. Exxon Mobil says it is the first company to offer integrated fueling services and products.

Most of the fuel that the company exports to Mexico will come from its Texas refineries. Exxon Mobil is shipping the fuel from Texas to Mexico via private rail terminals in San Luis Potosi and San Jose Iturbide.

Exxon Mobil said this is just the beginning of its $300 million commitment to take its fuel logistics services and gas stations to Mexico. It is working with retailer Grupo Orsan to open the first eight stations.

Carlos Rivas, fuels director for Exxon Mobil in Mexico, called the new service stations a significant milestone for the country and our company made possible by Mexicos new energy policy regime.

At the same time, Pemex is expanding outside Mexico, opening its first U.S. fueling station in late 2015 in southeast Houston, with more planned.
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Rancho Grande is nestled in the elbow of Interstate 37 and Loop 410, ready to draw traffic from either side with a skyscraper sign, a sprawling parking lot and room for almost 150 people from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

The restaurant specializes in variations on steak: Tampiquena, milanesa, guisada, asada, a la mexicana and ranchero. But theres also all-day breakfast, more than 30 tacos and the happiest of happy hours: $5.99 cheese enchilada plates from 4 to 9 p.m.

Tacos: Its taken me more than 340 days of tacos in San Antonio to find one of my favorite styles here: milanesa. Its beef sliced impossibly thin or pounded out, then breaded and fried. Chicken-fried steak in a taco.

Rancho Grande paid tribute to the form with well-seasoned beef, a crisp and form-fitting breadcrumb shell and clean fryer oil, served on a warm flour tortilla with lettuce and tomato on the side. Its a steal at $2.50.

Carne guisada is hardly as rare. Almost every taqueria, Tex-Mex joint, taco truck and abuelita selling tacos on the side does a version of beef and gravy. But its rarely done this well, with beef that was tender without going mushy and a tawny red gravy that drew its flavor from spice, not salt ($2.49 with cheese).

When a taqueria does breakfast all day, Im pleasantly surprised when it makes sunset eggs with the same care as sunrise eggs. Even at dinnertime, a nopales y huevos taco was hot, fresh and full of cactus all twangy and squeaky ($2.50).

Tortillas: Only the flour tortillas are made by hand at Rancho Grande. Thin and plain, theyre not category leaders, but at least they get some time on the grill.

Salsa: Thick, crunchy and hot, the tortilla chips seem like theyre fried in-house. To keep up with Rancho Grandes salsa game, theyd almost have to be.

The chip basket arrives with a long white plate and three white bowls of salsa: emulsified green chile, salsa roja studded with vegetables and herbs and a pulpy salsa verde with mellow heat and big tomatillo-jalapeno flavor.

Location: 3719 S.E. Military Drive, 210-359-9200, no web address

Rating: Worth a drive

Follow the complete 365 Days of Tacos series at ExpressNews.com/Tacos. Get 365 Days of Tacos sent to your inbox. Sign up here.

msutter@express-news.net

Twitter: @fedmanwalking
WASHINGTON  At least a dozen candidates will vie in the March 6 primaries for the open seat of U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, who is retiring after 30 years in Congress, assuring a competitive race for the first time in memory in the district that stretches from San Antonio to Austin.

Smith, a Republican, is one of several retiring Texas congressman, creating a scramble in once sleepy congressional races in San Antonio and Houston. Monday was the filing deadline for the Republican and Democratic primaries.

Former Bexar County GOP Chairman Robert Stovall and state Rep. Jason Isaac of Dripping Springs were among a field of Republican candidates for Smiths District 21 congressional seat.

Former Congressman Francisco Quico Canseco, who was elected in the tea party wave of 2010 and served just one term before he lost his District 23 seat in 2012 to Pete Gallego, also entered the District 21 GOP primary.

Texas law doesnt require congressmen to live in their district. They only have to live in the state.

Kelton Morgan, a San Antonio GOP consultant, said he believes that the race could come down to who in a crowded field can raise money extremely fast, given Smiths unexpected announcement last month. Morgan noted that the cost of television advertising in San Antonio and Austin, the districts media hubs, is roughly $250,000 a week.

Who can put together probably a million or a million and a half dollars they need to mount a competitive campaign? I think this race is about money more than anything, Morgan said.

Stovall said he had installed phones in a campaign office Monday while concentrating on raising money. He said he believes that he can raise $600,000 for the campaign, and he held out hopes of approaching $1 million.

Fundraising for campaigns is always a challenge, but the good thing is that as chairman, I got to know a lot of the heavy hitters in our county and beyond. So I think the doors will be a little bit easier to open, he said.

Stovall said he is banking on Brad Parscale, who ran the Donald Trump presidential campaigns digital operation from San Antonio, raising his name identification outside Bexar County.

Thats what Brad does. Hes the best, Stovall said.

Among Democrats, there were no surprises at the filing deadline in San Antonio-area districts.

Joaquin Castro of San Antonio and Henry Cuellar of Laredo, both Democrats, drew no challengers. Lloyd Doggett, D-San Antonio, who reported a campaign treasury of $3.8 million this fall, had no primary challengers. The Federal Election Commission had no record of contributions to David Smalling, a Republican who filed to run against Doggett.

The San Antonio-based District 23 held by Will Hurd, which stretches to El Paso, has again been identified by Democrats nationally as a key battleground for 2018.

Five Democrats filed to challenge Hurd, including four from San Antonio: former assistant U.S Attorney Jay Hulings, former Air Force intelligence officer Gina Ortiz Jones, Rick Trevino, who taught high school history until recently, and Judy Canales, a former Obama appointee and the first Latina to head the USDA Farm Service Agency for Texas. Also entering the primary is Angela Angie Villescaz of Uvalde.

Among candidates filing for the Democratic nomination in Smiths district, Austin entrepreneur Joseph Kopser has been far ahead in fundraising, a potential advantage in a district where television advertising is expensive.

Kopser, a 20-year Army veteran who served in Iraq, recently brought on both a finance director and a field director. He was expected to surpass the $600,000 threshold in campaign receipts Monday, spokesman Ian Rivera said.

Weve been quietly building to have capacity to reach people when they have that brief, 30-second window in their lives to focus on politics, Rivera said, referring to the period next year leading up to the Texas primaries.

Im not daunted by that at all, said Elliott McFadden, another Austin Democrat seeking his partys nomination in the district, referring to Kopsers spending advantage.

McFadden, CEO of Austin B-cycle and a former Travis County Democratic Party executive director, said retail politics will be more important than advertising in an election with an expected Democratic turnout of around 30,000 voters.

In a primary with this kind of number of voters, its not going to be about sending dozens of mail pieces or flashy ads. Its going to be about making connections with individual voters, he said.

Derrick Crowe of Austin, another Democrat in the race, aimed jabs at Kopser and McFadden. Crowe, a former congressional staffer in Washington, was endorsed recently by a national group founded by allies of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Midterms are about motivating your base to turn out to vote, period, Crowe said in an email. Right now our base is rallying around progressive populism, and after seeing our success with that message early in the primary, suddenly the ex-Republican and the establishment Democrat are talking like Bernie Sanders.

In the first post-Trump Texas election, a marquee contest will center on Houston, where nine-term Republican John Culberson, representing one of only three Texas congressional districts won by Hillary Clinton last year, will face off in November against the top vote-getter in an energized group of Democratic primary contenders.

Two of them, nonprofit executive Alex Triantaphyllis and attorney Lizzie Fletcher, each has outpaced recent fundraising efforts by Culberson, who has become a top target in Democratic hopes of winning back the House.

At least one other incumbent will be in the spotlight in the March 6 primary: Corpus Christi Republican Blake Farenthold, who recently acknowledged that he benefited from a special federal fund to cover a confidential $84,000 settlement stemming from a 2014 sexual harassment suit.

Farenthold, elected in 2010, has continued to deny any wrongdoing  and he vowed to repay the government. But the House Ethics Committee announced last week that it would extend an investigation into the case, which was brought by his former spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, five Republicans have filed primary challenges against Farenthold in what remains a GOP stronghold. The latest candidate to jump in the race is Bech Bruun, the former chairman of the Texas Water Development Board. He is from Corpus Christ but lives in Austin.

Last week, Republicans Jerry Hall, Eddie Gassman and Christopher K. Mapp all qualified for the primary as well. Entering the race earlier was former Victoria County Republican Party chairman Michael Cloud.

Two Democrats have also jumped in: Raul Roy Barrera of Corpus Christi and Ronnie McDonald of Bastrop.

This story was updated to include additional Democratic candidates in the District 23 race.

blambrecht@express-news.net
This year, as Texas became the epicenter of the national fight for transgender rights, trans Texans streamed into Austin, eager to share their stories. In hearings that stretched into the early morning hours , they tried to convince legislators to not pass a so-called bathroom bill limiting restroom access for transgender people. The legislative effort ultimately failed , but the testimony made clear what at times was lost in the larger debate. The lives of real people  students, doctors, activists, parents, even public officials  hung in the balance.

Nationally, a broader battle was playing out. Soon after taking office, President Donald Trumps administration rescinded protections for transgender students in public schools. Later on, the president announced his intention to ban transgender individuals from military service, a policy now being fought in the courts.

Against this backdrop, four transgender teenagers in the San Antonio area were simply trying to live their lives and figure out who they were. For more than a year, the Express-News followed the young men through their transitions after they started attending Fiesta Youth, a San Antonio peer support group for LGBTQ youth. Their experiences were unique, but each wanted the same thing: to be respected, accepted, understood. To be themselves.

His face flushed red, Jackson Farner stood nervously at the front of the classroom, staring back at two judges.

He wore dress pants, a black vest, a blue plaid bow tie and a matching pocket square. Even as extra-smalls, the clothes were still way too big on him. He had tightened the belt on the back of the vest as far as it would go. The pants were baggy. Still, they boosted his confidence.

It was late February, and the Brandeis High School sophomore was at Texas A&M University-San Antonio for a regional history competition. Jackson and his friends had produced a short documentary on the Stonewall riots in New York City, widely considered a watershed moment in the fight for LGBTQ rights. Their script compiled excerpts from the groups interviews with professors and a counselor and decades-old commercials disparaging gay people.

What Jimmy didnt know was Ralph was sick, a sickness that was not visible like smallpox, but no less dangerous and contagious, a sickness of the mind, a narrator cautioned in one ad. You see, Ralph was a homosexual, a person who demands an intimate relationship with members of their own sex.

Toward the end, the film connected the events of Stonewall in 1969 to the present day by discussing the implications of legislation proposed in Texas that could have allowed teachers and school staff to out LGBTQ students to their family, even against their will.

The topic was especially timely. That week, the Trump administration had rolled back protections for transgender students in public schools. In Austin, queer protesters staged a dance party in front of the governors mansion to oppose two bills that would have limited restroom access for transgender Texans. The next day, a transgender boy would clinch the Texas state title in girls wrestling after he was prohibited from competing against the boys.

What was the most interesting thing for you, the most surprising thing you learned? a judge asked after the documentary concluded.

Lobotomy was mine, Jackson said. I knew about shock therapy, but lobotomy really took me by surprise, especially being queer myself. I felt just really kind of violated, in a way, that that would happen to someone.

The documentarys topic was a natural one for Jackson, who often took it upon himself to educate others on LGBTQ issues. At times it could be exhausting to field invasive questions and explain basic terminology. It could be exhausting to become the default face of the transgender community just because he was the only trans person someone had ever met. It could be exhausting for a 15-year-old to shoulder that responsibility, but Jackson did it anyway. In his mind, it wasnt just about him.

I want people to be educated about this so that when they have kids, theyll tell their kids and the next generation wont have to tell other people, he said.

Jackson had never cared much for what other people thought, and that only helped as he figured out his gender and sexuality.

It had always been easy for Jackson to talk to his mother. Rachael Farner was a teenager when she had Jackson, and it had always been just the two of them. Jacksons biological father had no interest in raising a child, and most of their extended family lived in Ohio, where Jackson spent his early childhood.

So when Jackson told her he was bisexual in eighth grade, it didnt cause a rift between them. But something else was gnawing at him. At school, he acted as if nothing was wrong. At home, he cried every night. When he saw a man, his mind evaluated all the ways he would never be like him.

Then Jackson came across a video online about transgender men. Everything clicked into place. He decided to start telling people in his life. When he entered high school, Jackson told his friends. The following May, he told his mom during a conversation they were having about transgender people.

Can I see a gender therapist? Jackson had asked.

Rachael was stunned, primarily because she still didnt know much about what it meant to be trans.

She learned quickly. At Jacksons therapy appointments, she read books on the topic. The therapist pointed them toward Fiesta Youth and Gender Infinity, an annual conference that connects the transgender community with health care providers, advocacy groups and other resources.

His first time at Fiesta Youth, Jackson stuffed his long, curly hair into a hat so that he would look more like a boy. That day, Jackson met another transgender person for the first time. The group connected him with other LGBTQ students at his school, which he discovered was very gay and had supportive staff.

Jackson started using the boys bathroom without incident, a fact that made him less concerned about the bathroom bills legislators had introduced. Even if one of the laws had passed, he would have continued using the boys bathroom anyway, because it wasnt feasible to traverse campus to the nurses bathroom every time. It also wasnt enforceable, he said. He thought the whole discussion was stupid.

Later that year, Jackson, his mom and his grandmother drove to Houston for the 2016 Gender Infinity conference. Rachael was particularly concerned about hormone therapy. As a nurse, she knew the problems that could arise from hormone imbalances and worried about potential side effects. She was put at ease after attending a session on the medical aspects of transition.

In many ways, Jackson was fortunate. He had a mom who was supportive and interested in learning as much as she could, who could afford the costs associated with his transition. His friends were respectful. He attended a school where he felt comfortable being himself.

He knew others who werent so lucky.

By spring, Jackson and his mom had found an endocrinologist so he could start taking testosterone, known as T in the trans community.

In late April, a couple weeks after he turned 16, Jackson and his mom went in for a visit that he thought would be an initial consultation. During the appointment, a doctor explained the possible side effects, some of which could be permanent: infertility, facial hair, a halt to his menstrual cycle. After she fetched a nurse and took care of some blood work, she then said Jackson could have his first shot.

Jackson jumped out of his chair.

Oh my god, are you serious? he asked, his face turning bright red.

Jackson normally feared needles, but he barely felt the shot that day. He left the clinic beaming.

The date for Jacksons second dose fell a month later, on a Saturday in May. Since Jacksons mom was a nurse, they could start administering the shots at home, a major convenience.

After a trip to Target to pick up his prescription, Jackson settled into the couch in his living room. He hugged a pillow and mentally prepared himself for the 22-gauge needle that would soon be inserted into his arm. He eyed it as it as it lay on a TV table beside his moms laptop, encased in plastic packaging.

Jackson had always hated needles. The blood wasnt the problem. What he didnt like was the thought of a needle pushing into his flesh. The idea scared him, so much so that when he was younger he would sob before shots. But it was something he had to get used to. T could also be administered in the form of gels, patches, creams and tablets, but injections were considered the most effective. After two years, Jackson planned to switch to a cream that would maintain the hormones levels in his system, but for the time being he had to face his fear.

Rachael instructed Jackson to wash his arm with soapy water. She picked up the needle and opened the box containing the vial of testosterone, reminding Jackson to stay calm.

Jackson skipped in place, his apprehension evident. Rachael removed the tiny glass vial from its box and unwrapped the needle. She inserted it into the vial, slowly withdrawing 100 milligrams of the clear liquid. Jackson looked on nervously. He was surprised by how thick the hormone was, almost like a gel.

Wait, thats air, he said.

Im not putting air in your muscle, Rachael said, rolling her eyes.

She rolled the full needle between her hands. Jackson sat down and released a long breath. He took several more deep breaths. He stood back up. He hopped in place and wrung his hands.

Youre going to make yourself flex, Rachael said. You need to relax.

This is going to be a horrible two years, Jackson said, whimpering.

He looked away as his mom rolled up the sleeve of his T-shirt and found a muscle in his upper arm. She inserted the needle. Several seconds passed before it was empty.

Good job, Rachael declared. Its not even bleeding. But look, you can see a hole.

Jackson brushed his arm with his finger, examining the tiny purple pinprick near his shoulder.

Cool, he said. Oh, I feel it now.

Rachael fetched a bandage with a Hello Kitty pattern. Jackson relaxed. It never seemed as bad afterward.

Gradually, Jackson got used to the shots. They were still painful, but they soon became a routine part of his life. As his doctors increased his regimen, he started getting them every two weeks.

Jackson noticed other changes, too. When he had looked in the mirror before, Jackson was often critical of himself. He would home in on the feminine aspects of his face, picking himself apart. As his face gradually became more masculine, he found himself instead focusing on the changes he liked. In public, he no longer felt self-conscious about how he looked.

Soon after starting T, Jackson stopped going to therapy. He felt emotionally stable. He didnt need Fiesta Youth as much, either.

He didnt love all the changes.

Before he started T, blood work had shown that Jacksons estrogen levels were unusually high, leading to painful menstrual cycles. Once he was on T, instead of stopping they grew even worse. Each month it felt as if he was being stabbed in the gut. Further blood work showed his estrogen levels remained stubbornly high. Doctors prescribed Jackson birth control to stop his cycle.

Several weeks in, his voice progressively dropped. He loved how deep it sounded. But his voice was now cracked and hoarse when he sang, a change that only reinforced his decision to drop out of choir due to a conflict with another class.

As he began to change physically, Jackson found himself fielding more questions. Curious, his manager and co-workers at his summer job at Sonic asked him what the transition process was like. His friends marveled at his voice.

Despite the trade-offs, Jackson felt good. Happier. More confident.

Over the summer, Jackson went to Ohio for 10 days, half of which he spent attending a linguistics camp at Ohio State University.

For five days, Jackson felt like a college student. While everyone else had a roommate, because he was trans the program assigned him his own room. He was glad, because while he was growing more comfortable with his body, he still balked at changing around others.

The program drew students from all over the globe. For many of them, Jackson was the first gay  and transgender  person they had ever met. Jackson heard himself explaining what it meant to be transgender, how to medically and legally transition.

When Jackson started school in August, things felt the same with his classmates, aside from the occasional exclamation about his voice.

Two things still had to happen before Jackson felt his transition was complete.

First, he wanted to legally change his name and gender marker. But hed run into a roadblock: In Texas, minors are required to have consent from both parents for gender changes. The phone number Rachael had for Jacksons biological father was as old as he was. He still planned to change his name before he was 18.

Second, he hoped to have top surgery to remove his breasts within a year.

When he thought about his future, it felt full of possibility.
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BOERNE  Declaring that their constituents must be protected from the threat posed by opioid drugs, Kendall County commissioners on Monday authorized the filing of a lawsuit against various drug manufacturers, developers, suppliers and others.

Kerr County commissioners also decided Monday to pursue a similar lawsuit related to the opioid epidemic that has crippled parts of the U.S. In Bexar County, commissioners took the same step in October.

The Kendall County officials chose two law firms to work on a contingency basis to seek reimbursement of money spent by the county to combat the opioid epidemic on services such as law enforcement, emergency medical help and the incarceration of drug abusers.

I think the right thing for us to do is to proceed forward with this, Kendall County Judge Darrel Lux said after commissioners had conferred behind closed doors for about 20 minutes with attorney Chris Byrd.

Byrd said hes local counsel for the lead lawyers for the litigation, Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett, P.C., which he said already filed several such suits on behalf of counties in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas.

Byrd said he expects the suit would be filed by March in U.S. District Court in San Antonio and predicted it will be similar to litigation his associates already filed by Upshur County against more than 20 drug and health companies.

The causes of action in that case include claims of public nuisance, common law fraud, negligence, gross negligence, violations of the Texas Controlled Substances Act and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

The commissioners also agreed to hire Martin Walker P.C. as special counsel, also with fees for services to be paid by the county only if it recovers money on its damage claims.

In Kerr County, the commissioners hired a different set of attorneys to pursue litigation over opioid abuse.

A resolution, approved on a 3-1 vote with Commissioner Harley Belew dissenting, cites allegations that opioid manufacturers and other would-be defendants engaged in false and fraudulent marketing resulting in addiction to opioids.

Several law firms have actively been pitching area counties to initiate litigation over opioids, which they often liken to past suits filed against the tobacco industry.

I do not like litigation, said Kerr County Commissioner Jonathan Letz after Mondays meeting, but these lawsuits have already started nationwide and, from the taxpayers standpoint, not participating could have a negative impact on the county, financially.

The professional services agreement approved by Kerr County also requires the outside lawyers to work on a contingency basis, County Judge Tom Pollard said, noting, Their fee is 35 percent of whatever we recover. It doesnt cost us anything if we dont recover anything.

The lawyers hired there work with Watts, Guerra LLP, The Gallagher Law Firm, Fibich, Leebrom, Copeland and Briggs, and Davis & Santos, P.C., according to the resolution.

One of the first tasks facing the lawyers in the litigation planned by Kerr and Kendall counties will be to develop an estimate of the monetary damages they have incurred due to opioids.

Ive been told that its going to make the tobacco litigation look like childs play in terms of the amount of damages involved, Pollard said.

The votes Monday in the Hill Country follow a decision in October by Bexar County commissioners to sue opioid drug manufacturers and distributors it blames for an addiction epidemic that has hit Bexar hard.

More than 100 Bexar County residents died from opioid-related overdoses in 2015, which means opioid overdoses led to almost six deaths per 100,000 in the county, according to an analysis by the San Antonio Express-News.

zeke@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Jay Janner, MBO / Associated Press Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Courtesy Show More Show Less



Those unable to attend Kenneth M. Copelands funeral, but still wanting to honor the San Marcos police officer slain Dec. 4, are invited to stand along roads and on overpasses for the passage of the funeral procession on Wednesday as it travels down Interstate 35 and across Loop 1604.

The hearse is slated to leave Thomason Funeral Home in San Marcos at 8 a.m. Wednesday, proceeding down RR 12 to Wonder World Drive and then heading south on I-35 en route to the Community Bible Church at 2477 Loop 1604 in San Antonio.
Harry Cabluck, STF / Associated Press

AUSTIN  State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, avoided major injury in an accident over the weekend, when her SUV was side-swiped by a 18-wheeler while she was en route back to Laredo, she said on Facebook.

SCARY STUFF! she wrote of the accident in South Austin. All travelers are OK, but my car will be in the shop for a couple of weeks.
Loyalists of Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Manuel Medina are aggressively soliciting signatures for him from the partys county executive committee  even from those who are supporting Medinas opponent in the March 6 primary.

To appear on the primary ballot, both Medina and his challenger, Monica Ramirez Alcantara, must collect signatures from at least 10 percent of the CECs more than 300 precinct chairs, or 35 signatures.

Some have described attempts by Medinas followers to solicit their signatures as pushy. Last week, one devolved into an altercation between precinct chair Rosey Abuabara and Garrett Mormando, secretary of the BCDP, who called police.

At a Wednesday meeting of the citys Historic and Design Review Commission, Mormando asked Abuabara to sign Medinas petition. She told him shed already signed Alcantaras.

He got really, not just pushy, he was getting mad at me, Abuabara said. He said, Why would you do that? Does that mean you voted for Ron, too?

Abuabara, a co-chair of TX23 Indivisible, did vote for Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who trounced Medina earlier this year in the mayoral race. She also ran unsuccessfully against Mormando for party secretary, and she considered challenging Medina for county chair but opted out due to Alcantaras candidacy.

When Mormando turned to ask another CEC member for her signature, Abuabara said she heard him assert that precinct chairs could sign both Medinas and Alcantaras petitions.

Mormando did not return messages requesting comment on Monday.

He just says, Oh, it doesnt matter. You can sign both, Abuabara said. I said, Youre not allowed to sign both. Why have petitions if you sign both?

(Glenn Maxey, legislative affairs director of the Texas Democratic Party, said that in the event of the same signature appearing on both petitions, the signature that is valid is the one that is dated first.)

The argument between the precinct chair and the party secretary grew heated. At one point, Abuabara grabbed Mormandos wrist  according to her, because he raised his man-hand to her face.

Before I know it, I thought he was going to hit me, she said. I just see his hand coming at me. So when he did that, I actually was able to grab his wrist and I just brought it down. Thats when he said, You assaulted me!

Mormando also called the police.

A witness told the responding officers that Mormando had approached her and asked her to sign two political petitions.

When Abuabara got passionate and stated that it is illegal to sign two petitions, Mormando put the palm of his hand in front of (Abuabaras) face, and Abuabara reacted by grabbing his hand and pushing it down, according to police documentation.

Finding no evidence of bodily injuries, the officers told the dueling Democrats to stay away from each other for the rest of the meeting.

Another CEC member described a recent conversation with a Democrat who called from BCDP headquarters on a workday and urged him to leave his job to come sign Medinas petition.

They were telling me to leave during my lunch break when I told them I had to work, said the precinct chair, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid Medinas ire. As soon as I hung up on them, the same number called me back within five seconds.

The zeal of Medinas supporters in hounding CEC members for signatures is curious, considering how few are required for a place on the ballot. A political novice, Alcantara shouldnt pose much of a threat to Medina in the primary, either.

The Democrat who received the unwanted call at work has a theory.

Theyre making a big deal out of it because this is the only little bit of power the guy has, he said. Theres a substantial group of people, when Manuel says, Jump, they say, How high?

Hes just doing it and sucking up peoples time and bandwidth because he can, is my guess.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
Ryan and Rory Miller lost their lives in a pipeline accident last week

By Diego Flammini

News Reporter

Farms.com

An Illinois farming community came together to pay their respects to fallen colleagues.

More than 50 producers from Amboy, IL. parked nearly 20 tractors along the road outside Prairie Repose Cemetery on Saturday to say their final goodbyes to Ryan and Rory Miller.

Even some who only knew the Millers on a professional basis took time to pay their respects.

Not everybody knew Ryan and Rory well, but they knew them as farmers (and) they knew them as good farmers, Katie Pratt, a neighbor and farmer, told WQAD 8 on Saturday.

Rory, 59 and his son Ryan, 30, lost their lives after a tractor hit a natural gas line.

They used the tractor to free another tractor after it got stuck trying to install field tile.

The flames were visible for miles, said Nathan Hummel, a local producer.

I saw the flames  it was way worse than I ever imagined  it just kept getting bigger everywhere I went, he told WQAD 8.

The accident is also a sobering reminder of the importance of farm safety, Pratt added.

We talk to our kids about safety all the time, she said. This has given us the opportunity to continue that conversation in a very somber way.

Those who knew the Millers on a more personal level say Ryan followed in his fathers footsteps.

Both Ryan and Rory were accountants and farmers. But thats only where the similarities began.

They had the same truck, just different colours. They wore the same bib overalls at work and they had the same pens in their pocket, Amanda Walters, a family friend, told WQAD 8 on Thursday.

He was a lot like his dad, added Ella Payne, another family friend. He was a jokester  a spitting image  a little mini with a sense of humor who loved life.

Another man, Michael Koster, was injured in the fire.

He suffered second- and third-degree burns to more than 60 per cent of his body. Koster remains in critical condition, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help cover his medical costs.

The campaign has raised more than US$16,000 in less than a week.

Top photo: Tractors line the road near Prairie Repose Cemetery on Saturday where farmers said their final goodbyes to Ryan and Rory Miller.

Photo: WQAD 8
Earlier this week, it was announced China will allow the importation of Canadian fresh-chilled beef in a pilot project and establish documentation to enable bone-in beef trade.

Dennis Laycraft, Executive Vice President with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, along with Vice President, David Haywood-Farmer, recently accompanied the Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay to China November 22 to 26.

Laycraft says they're confident Canadian beef will do well in the Chinese premium market.

"There is a preference there for a fresh product, which we're certainly capable of providing to China. We do that to about a hundred other countries, so as we move ahead there, we're anticipating hopefully within a matter of weeks we'll start to get approval to move product."

Previously, Canadian beef exports had been limited to frozen boneless beef, and last year bone-in beef was approved in principle.

Laycraft says, as far as Canadian beef exports, China follows the U.S. and Mexico but has recently moved ahead of Japan.

This year is on track to export $100 million worth of Canadian beef to China.

He says China has come to Canada to conduct plant inspections over the last 12 months.

"We're seeking more plants to be approved, which we're expecting imminently to happen, and with that a finalized protocol, so we can start to move the bone-in product into China. Coupled with that, is a pilot project on chill product."

Source : Steinbachonline
The phrase reality check takes on a whole new meaning after reading this latest uncompromising book from David Icke, the bestselling author, public speaker and professional conspiracy researcher.

Everything You Need To Know But Have Never Been Told

Icke has been researching the question of who really runs the world? for nearly 30 years and in Everything You Need to Know, But Have Never Been Told he brings together the fruits of that research, and much more besides, with the aim of issuing a dire warning.

As youd expect of the author, dubbed one of the worlds most controversial figures, he pulls no punches as he sets out to show that what we perceive as reality is, in fact, an intricately-layered and manufactured deception with one purpose: our imminent enslavement.

Its a bold task, and this is reflected in the page count, which comes in at over 700 pages, but whatever side of the fence you sit with regards to Icke, his latest book is certainly an impressive and comprehensive work.

Everything You Need to Know, But Have Never Been Told lives up to its name, with a wealth of seemingly unconnected conspiracy theories brought together in a bid to uncover a bigger, and far more ominous picture.

What may be surprising is that there are also detailed chapters about cutting-edge science such as the nature of time and space, and the evolution of the solar system. The author has clearly read far and wide, and he imparts this clearly and with good humour as he gets us to think again about those supposedly undisputable truths that define our existence.

What may be equally surprising for those who have never picked up a David Icke book before is that these are not the rantings of a mad man. Yes, the media has taken great delight in pillorying him ever since that notorious Wogan interview but theres far more to the man than the tabloids would have you believe.

Icke is open about his past and addresses the big media elephant in the room. Yes, he says, people laughed at the theories and dismissed him, but with a swelling global following that appreciates his relentless investigating, hes having the last laugh.

The world he describes, however, is anything but a laughing matter. He talks about the march towards global domination, being planned and executed by the Web  a vast network of secret, semi-secret and publicly-known organisations ultimately controlled by what he calls the Spider  a non-human force that is not only extra-terrestrial but extra-dimensional in origin.

Whether you subscribe all the way or not with this view, its fair to say that the public dont always get the truth from those at the top. In an era when the President of the United States is accused of as much false news as he declaims, its no wonder that people are searching for alternative voices, and Icke is by far the most literature and fluent of those oracles.

If Icke is correct, then we have only a few years to wake up and take back control before its too late. The author tackles the biggest issues of the moment, from terrorism and media manipulation to the rise of transhumanism, as he tries with urgency to shatter the simulated life we are all, he says, plugged in to.

He is also open in his criticism of the educational system, organised religion and the excesses of political correctness  all of which he sees as being more designed for imprisoning the mind and censoring free speech than the opposite.

For those who already appreciate his books, Everything You Need to Know, But Have Never Been Told will prove essential reading.

For those who have previously dismissed Icke and his theories out of hand, this could well be a revelation and the closest thing to swallowing a Matrix red pill.

Everything You Need To Know But Have Never Been Told by David Icke (David Icke Books) is out now, priced 14.99. Visit www.davidicke.com
The 2021-22 Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District (CFAUSD) and schools report cards were released publicly by Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on Tuesday.

Out of nine schools, one school received the designation of Significantly Exceeding Expectations, three schools received Exceeds Expectations, and four schools received Meets Expectations.
Rice pudding, the ultimate comfort food. Youd never know this version of the classic pud is dairy-free.

Caramelised Banana & Coconut Rice Pudding

Serves 4 Prep no prep Cook 45 mins

Ingredients:

800ml dairy alternative coconut milk (from a carton)

1 vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped out

2 tbsp The Groovy Food Company Rich & Dark Agave Nectar

125g pudding rice

1 ripe banana, sliced

100ml reduced fat coconut milk (from a tin)

For the topping

1 tbsp The Groovy Food Company Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

2 tbsp The Groovy Food Company Rich & Dark Agave Nectar, plus extra for drizzling

2 large ripe bananas

Method:

Tip the milk, vanilla pod and seeds, agave and a pinch of salt into a saucepan. Bring to the boil then add the rice and stir well. Turn down the heat and simmer for 25-30 mins until the rice is almost cooked, stirring every so often to make sure it doesnt stick. Add more milk if needed. Remove the vanilla pod, add 1 sliced banana and the coconut milk to the pan, then simmer very gently for 5 mins. Set aside while preparing the topping. Melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Stir in the agave and let it bubble. Arrange the banana slices in the pan and cook until caramelised, then flip over and repeat on the other side. Divide the rice between bowls and spoon over the bananas, any caramel from the pan and an extra drizzle of agave, if liked.

About The Groovy Food Company

The Groovy Food Company is an award-winning British brand committed to sourcing and producing natural foods that taste delicious and nourish the bodys overall health and wellbeing.

To view the full collection of The Groovy Food Companys recipes please visit www.groovyfood.co.uk/recipes

Website: www.groovfood.co.uk Twitter: @thegroovyfoodco Facebook: thegroovyfoodcompany Instagram: thegroovyfoodcompany
Ashley Judd And Dario Franchitti would have celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary today so we share some things you might not know about the former couple.

Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti (Credit: Famous)

1. The pair got engaged in December 1999, while Franshitti was driving in the Champ Car World Series.

2. They finally tied the knot on 12th December 2001 at Skibbo Castle in Scotland, which was the same castle that Madonna and Guy Ritchie got married in earlier in the year.

3. They pair never had any children; Judd told the Sunday Mail that "it's unconscionable to breed with the number of children who are starving to death in impoverished countries" (Wikipedia)

4. On 29th January 2013, Judd and Franchitti announced that they were separating, however were still on good terms.

5. They issued the following statement; "We have mutually decided to end our marriage. We'll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity and respect we have always enjoyed." (PEOPLE)

Source: Wikipedia and IMDB.

by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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India has imported $87.4 million worth of readymade garments from Bangladesh during July-November 2017, registering a sharp rise of 56 per cent compared to $55.92 million during the same period last year, according to the data released by Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh. Indian apparel manufacturers will face stiff competition from Bangladesh.

Category-wise, Bangladeshs knitted apparel exports to India stood at $30.1 million during the five-month period beginning July 1, 2017, indicating a 69 per cent growth over export of $17.9 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Likewise, Bangladesh supplied $57.3 million worth of woven apparel to India, showing a growth of 51 per cent over $38.1 million in the same period of 2016.

India has imported $87.4 million worth of readymade garments from Bangladesh during July-November 2017, registering a sharp rise of 56 per cent compared to $55.92 million during the same period last year, according to the data released by Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh. Indian apparel manufacturers will face stiff competition from Bangladesh.#

Commenting on the increase in imports, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) chairman Sanjay K Jain said the exemption of the basic custom duty on imports of garments from Bangladesh is the main reason.

In the pre-GST Scenario, import of garment from Bangladesh was attracting cost of Rs 77/pc (where MRP Rs 999/pc) and Rs 116/pc (where MRP is Rs 1500/pc) in the shape of CVD + education cess thereon. However, in the post- GST period, there is no cost for import of garments from Bangladesh, Jain said in a CITI press release.

In the case of import of garment from other countries, the cost has been substantially reduced by Rs 77/pc and Rs 116/pc where MRP is Rs 999/pc and Rs 1500/pc respectively, Jain added.

Due to the reduction in cost of import, the Indian garment industry will face stiff competition from imported garments especially from Bangladesh where production cost is already less than India, he said.

Jain pointed out that there is an urgent need to impose safeguard measures such as Rules of Origin, Yarn Forward and Fabric Forward Rules on countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka that have free trade agreements (FTAs) with India to prevent cheaper fabrics produced from countries like China routed through these countries.

Garment manufacturers in India have to pay duty on imported fabrics, while Bangladesh can import fabric from China duty free and convert them into garments and sell to India duty free. This is putting Indian garment industry at a major disadvantage and it is feared that this figure will go up further in the coming days as more Indian brands shift sourcing from India to low cost duty free countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Jain said. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Transaction charges like the merchant discount rate (MDR) applicable on debit card transactions are major deterrent in adoption and acceptance of digital payments in the country, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has said. If digital payment is encouraged without any MDR then more and more people would prefer to use digital payments.

MDR is s complex issue as far as digital payments are concerned in India. Whether a lower or higher MDR ultimately it is an extra financial burden on either the merchant or consumer. Since cash is available and without any surcharge both merchant and consumers do not want to pay any charges while exchanging payments, CAIT said in a press release.

It is estimated that government spends about 25,000 crore rupees annually on printing of currency and about 6,000 crore rupees on security, logistics etc of the currency. If digital payment is intensified with no MDR, the cost of printing currency will come down and on the other hand banks will also invest less amount in transportation of currency for ATM filling and for other purposes. It will be a win-win situation for everyone, CAIT said.

Transaction charges like the merchant discount rate (MDR) applicable on debit card transactions are major deterrent in adoption and acceptance of digital payments in the country, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has said. If digital payment is encouraged without any MDR then more and more people would prefer to use digital payments.#

CAIT suggested that the government should subsidise MDR directly to the banks and thus protect both merchants and consumers from burden of MDR. It also suggested constitution of a separate body for RuPay, and making NPCI an independent regulator.

The government should also constitute a Digital Payments Monitoring Board to monitor digital payment landscape in the country. Equal opportunity should be given to all technology providers to leverage Digital Payments in India to the best of their ability and resources, the traders body suggested.

Merely playing with MDR is a futile exercise and we want a MDR free digital payment society else cash is the available resource for meeting the transactions, it added.

Last week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lowered MDR to 0.4 per cent for businesses with turnover of less than Rs 20 lakh. For businesses over Rs 20 lakh, MDR is capped at 0.9 per cent. While the revised norms augur well for consumers as they will have to pay less on card payments, for merchants it means increased costs of operation. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), has announced the opening of the Italian training centre for textile machinery on November 29, 2017, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT). ACIMIT represents an industrial sector of around 300 manufacturers of textile machinery from Italy.Following the signing of an agreement between the projects main partners, the Italian Trade Agency and HCMUT, the inauguration ceremony of the Italian technology training centre for textile machinery in Vietnam was held in April 2016, with the participation, amongst others, of Alessandro Zucchi and Raffaella Carabelli, respectively president and past president of ACIMIT, partners in the project together with PISIE (International Polytechnic Institute for Industrial and Economic Development).

ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), has announced the opening of the Italian training centre for textile machinery on November 29, 2017, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT). ACIMIT represents an industrial sector of around 300 manufacturers of textile machinery from Italy.#

Financed by the Ministry for Economic Development, as part of the Extraordinary Programme for the promotion of Made in Italy  Country Project Vietnam, the project intends to support the development of the local textile industry through the realisation of a technology centre, specifically for the production of mens socks and hosiery, outfitted with a complete line of Italian machinery and equipment. Notable participants in the project included Italian machinery manufacturers Bellini, Fadis, Gavazzi, Lawer, Lonati, and Mesdan.ACIMIT president Alessandro Zucchi said, With the start of operations for the training centre, our sector lays the groundwork for further business opportunities in an emerging market for the entire global textile machinery industry.ACIMIT president Raffaella Carabelli said, Im certain that the initiative will prove an excellent vehicle in promoting the image not only of individual Italian manufacturers who are participating by supplying machinery, but on Italys textile machinery industry as a whole. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Coats, the worlds leading industrial thread manufacturer, has announced that it has acquired Patrick Yarn Mill, a manufacturer of high-performance engineered yarns based in North Carolina, US. Patrick Yarn Mill specialises in cut-resistant and flame retardant yarns. Headquartered in UK, Coats is a major player in the Americas textile crafts market.Patrick Yarn Mill also produces yarns from recycled fibres marketed under its earthspun trademarks and with its large solar installation promotes its earth friendly yarns as Spun by the Sun.

Coats, the world's leading industrial thread manufacturer, has announced that it has acquired Patrick Yarn Mill, a manufacturer of high-performance engineered yarns based in North Carolina, US. Patrick Yarn Mill specialises in cut-resistant and flame retardant yarns. Headquartered in UK, Coats is a major player in the Americas textile crafts market.#

The yarn companys unique spinning competencies in engineered performance yarns offer an opportunity to expand Coats existing Performance Materials portfolio as well as to extend its innovation capability. Coats will support Patrick Yarn Mills expansion into high-growth markets by leveraging Coats unrivalled geographic footprint, breadth of global customer relationships, and strong corporate brand.Rajiv Sharma, chief executive, Coats said, Patrick Yarn Mill is an exciting acquisition that supports a key aspect of our growth strategy: to identify innovation synergies that build scale in high technology sectors. It is a dynamic, customer focused company and its unique spinning systems combined with our existing technology portfolio will provide a strong market offering.Gilbert Patrick, president, Patrick Yarn Mill said, Patrick Yarn Mill becoming part of the Coats family creates many opportunities for both companies as there is a lot of synergy between our product offerings and technology. A key one is being able to leverage Coats unrivalled global footprint and strong corporate brand to accelerate market growth, which will benefit not only Patrick Yarn Mill, but also our employees and our community. The opportunity to collaborate with a market leader in areas such as innovation and R&D is extremely exciting and very positive, not only for Patrick Yarn Mills future but also for our customers future.The acquisition shows Coats intent to grow via M&A in performance materials and services, two areas of strategic priority. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
PARIS, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --On Monday, Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith announced a $50 million commitment, over the next five years, to put artificial intelligence in the hands of individuals and organizations around the world who are working to protect our planet through a major expansion of the company's AI for Earth program. The news was disclosed on Microsoft's On the Issues blog; full text below:

On the two-year anniversary of the Paris climate accord, the world's government, civic and business leaders are coming together in Paris to discuss one of the most important issues and opportunities of our time, climate change. I'm excited to lead the Microsoft delegation at these meetings. While the experts' warnings are dire, at Microsoft we believe technology advances can help us better understand and address the environmental issues facing our planet. That's why we're announcing in Paris that we are broadening our AI for Earth program with an expanded strategic plan and committing $50 million over the next five years to put artificial intelligence technology in the hands of individuals and organizations around the world who are working to protect our planet.

At Microsoft, we believe artificial intelligence is a game changer. Our approach as a company is focused on democratizing AI so its features and capabilities can be put to use by individuals and organizations around the world to improve real-world outcomes. There are few societal areas where AI can be more impactful than in helping address the urgent work needed to monitor, model and manage the earth's natural systems.

Data can help tell us about the health of our planet, including the conditions of our air, water, land and the well-being of our wildlife. But we need technology's help to capture this vast amount of data and convert it into actionable intelligence. AI can be trained to classify raw data from sensors on the ground, in the sky or in space into categories that both humans and computers understand. Fundamentally, AI can accelerate our ability to observe environmental systems and how they are changing at a global scale, convert the data into useful information and apply that information to take concrete steps to better manage our natural resources.

Already, we are seeing the transformative potential of AI. In the energy sector, companies like Agder Energi, a utility in Norway that produces renewable energy, are using Microsoft's cloud and AI to better capture, analyze and act on the intelligence gathered across its electrical grid. Through these technologies, Agder is now able to predict and prepare for vacillating energy needs in response to changes in demand as electric vehicles increasingly tax Norway's grid; data and AI have enhanced the performance of existing infrastructure, reducing the need for expensive new projects. AI is helping create a more effective, reliable and autonomous grid, while enabling customers and the country to consume more renewable energy as it transitions to a more electricity-based future.

In a similar way, we're seeing new AI and cloud technologies being used to improve the electrical efficiency of buildings. In Singapore, JTC, responsible for the development of the nation's industrial infrastructure, has centralized its operations on the Microsoft Cloud to monitor, analyze and optimize 39 of its buildings. Using sensor data and analytics, JTC can now identity and rectify faults before breakdowns occur, resulting in a 15 percent drop in energy cost avoidance in the first three buildings.

It's worth imagining what these types of steps can mean if we can help bring them to scale globally. Estimates suggest that in the United States, buildings are responsible for about 40 percent of total energy consumption. That means an efficiency improvement of even 15 percent in buildings globally would translate into a 6 percent reduction in global energy consumption. And as AI continues to advance, we have the opportunity to learn more and aim even higher.

We're seeing a similar cause for optimism when we see how AI is being used in agriculture. In Australia, high labor and import costs, dry weather and the highest variability in climate of any country in the world make farming increasingly challenging. The Yield, a Tasmanian ag-tech company, has created a solution that uses sensors, analytics and apps to produce real-time weather data, right down to field level, helping growers make smarter decisions that can reduce their use of water and other inputs while also increasing their yield. In the sea, the Yield is working with local oyster farmers to create the first product to increase aquaculture production using machine learning. The solution already has reduced harvest closures caused by rain by 30 percent, giving growers back four weeks a year of harvest time.

It's these kind of results that motivated us to step up our ambition when it comes to AI for Earth. As we look to the future, we're committed to working with farmers around the world. We envision a future with broadband connectivity for every farm and internet sensors for every acre of land. Building on cutting edge-work in Microsoft Research, we'll help farmers put AI to work not only to better analyze soil and rainfall conditions, but also to use predictive analytics to improve agricultural yields and reduce adverse environmental impacts. With the world's population continuing to grow, these changes cannot come fast enough.

At Microsoft, we believe AI for Earth will be a force multiplier for groups and individuals like these who are creating sustainable solutions. That's why we're not just putting more resources into this effort, but also coupling this with a long-term commitment to applying AI to grow and scale in four key areas - climate, water, agriculture and biodiversity.

We'll do this in three ways. First, we'll expand seed grants around the world to create and test new AI applications. Since our launch of AI for Earth six months ago, Microsoft has awarded over 35 grants in more than 10 countries for access to Microsoft Azure and AI technology. We will also provide universities, nongovernmental organizations and others with advanced training to put AI to its best use. Already, we're seeing success around the world in projects that are putting AI to work on climate, water, agriculture and biodiversity.

Next, as these projects and our work in this area matures, we will identify the projects that show the most promise and make larger investments to help bring them to scale. We'll do this not only by providing greater resources for these projects, but also by partnering closely and working in depth with a new multi-disciplinary team at Microsoft that will bring together AI and sustainability subject matter experts. As we help groups scale promising AI technology solutions, we'll help them commercialize these services, so they can have a global impact as quickly and broadly as possible. These will be in addition to our existing efforts: enabling real-time precision conservation and improving land cover mapping, precision agriculture to increase yield with fewer resources with FarmBeats and more efficient, effective biodiversity tracking and protection approaches through Project Premonition.

Finally, as these projects advance, we'll identify and pursue opportunities to incorporate new AI advances into platform-level services so that others can use them for their own sustainability initiatives. Some of this will involve platform services that will be offered by others. In other instances, these may be incorporated into Microsoft's own platform services.

We face a collective need for urgent action to address global climate issues. When we think about the environmental issues we face today, science tells us that many are the product of previous Industrial Revolutions. As we enter the world's Fourth Industrial Revolution, a technology-fueled transformation, we must not only move technology forward, but also use this era's technology to clean up the past and create a better future.

Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/24227/microsoft_corp_logo226_9217jpg.jpg
BEIJING, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the 2017 TV Landmark of China's TV Media Conference was hosted by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and China Radio Film and TV magazine. In the awarding ceremony on that day, GHS was awarded "the Best Shopping Channel of the Year", while GHS president Jason Kong was honored "Man of the Year". He is the only person who has this award in China's TV shopping industry.

Jason Kong is at the helm of GHS to create a miracle of industry

TV Landmark is the most authoritative and representative large-scale professional researcher activity in China. Based on a professional, objective and fair evaluation system, it comprehensively combs the competition pattern of theChinese TV market.In 2017 "TV Landmark" selected "the Most Influential Brands of Provincial TV Stations", "Annual Excellent Provincial TV Stations", "Annual Excellent Shopping Channel", "Annual Radio and TV Character", "Man of the Year" (TV shopping) and other awards, whichare an importantleading indicator of the TV industry.

Jason Kong, who was awarded "Man of the Year"by TV Landmark, once served as deputy director of Guizhou TV station, president of Jia You Home Shopping Company, managing director of the China Media Capita (CMC), now he serves as the president of GHS.GHS is the leading full media retail platform in China. It is comprised of GHS TV channel, mobile video shopping App, smart TVs and shopping magazines, etc., which provide consumers with high quality global household commodities.

2016 White Paperon China's TV Shopping Industry shows thattraditional cable TV istrending downward, the retail market has fierce competition, under the double strike, the total sales of China's TV shopping industry has a slight decline for the first time, while GHS led by Jason Kong as the dark horse bucked the trend, and the annual revenues hasincreased sharply, and with the fastest growth rate steadily stepping into the top 3.

GHS TV shopping channel has fully covered the Chinese market, with nearly 200 million households, more than 500 million people can watch GHS channel at any time. Meanwhile, GHS launched the first mobile video shopping App in China, displaying the characteristics of commodities with videos, enabling consumers to see productsclearly. In the field of smart TVs, GHS has worked with mainstream TV manufacturers including Coocaa, Hisense, Skyworth, TCL, Lenovo, etc, which provide TV shopping programs for consumers who are accustomed to using smart TVs.

GHS has become the first "going global" company in the industry

GHS president Jason Kong said, in response to "The Belt and Road Initiative", actively expanded intooverseas markets, it is an important strategic plan forGHS, and it has achieved initial success. On September 2017, GHS announced in Dubai that it has acquired the largest TV shopping company citrussTV in MENA area, which is the first overseas acquisition case in China, and GHS has become the first "going global" company in the industry.

After the acquisition, GHS will promote citrussTV to cover more areas and provide better service for more consumers. At the same time, GHS will also actively develop China's local brand commodities and export overseas. On the other hand, it will introduce high-quality commodities with localized characteristics to theChinese market, and speed up the two-way exchange of high-quality commodities.

GHS has played apositive role in promoting the quality transformation of China's TV shopping industry. It has great significance for China's TV shopping industry and even China's TV industry.GHS president Jason Kongsaid, GHS will take the investment of citrussTV as a pilot, and expand the international market in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia under the guidance of the "The Belt and Road Initiative".

It is reported that the series of "Man of the Year" are mainly selected from the media organizations, audiovisual new media, and operation institutions, etc.



Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/617866/Jason_Kong.jpg
Eleven Democrats and one Republican agreed Monday that Republican Gov. Scott Walker needs to find another job.

And each of the 12 candidates thought they would be the perfect choice to replace Walker next year.

The candidates took seats in two rows in the forum that drew over 120 people to the VFW Post 305 in Eau Claire. The forum itself was hosted by the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin AFL-CIO, and AFSCME sub-chapter 63.

It was a taste of Wisconsins upcoming political season. If the candidates stick in the race, they will be in the partisan primary, the third election of the year, on Tuesday, Aug. 14. The winner of the Democratic and Republican primaries will advance to the November general election.

Walker was elected in 2010, survived a recall attempt in June 2012 and was re-elected in 2014. The governor made a failed attempt to run for president last year and now is seeking another term as governor.

I went to the same high school as Scott Walker. Obviously we took different classes, quipped Democratic candidate Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, and an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor during the 2012 recall. Mitchell said he intends to raise wages in the state and create jobs.

Other participating Democrats included Michelle Dolan, Tony Evers, Matt Flynn, Michele Doolan, Andy Gronik, Bob Harlow, Mike McCabe, Dave Heaster, Kelda Helen Roys, Jeff Rumbaugh and Dana Wachs.

The lone Republican at the forum was Ryan Cason. Im running for governor to end abortion and homosexual marriage, said Cason, who said he is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Evers is superintendent of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. Presently, Im being sued by the governor of the state of Wisconsin, Evers said, over the powers of the office. He said the state has to value high-quality public education.

Flynn served two terms as chairman of Wisconsin Democratic Party. (President) Donald Trump is betraying us to the Russians, Flynn said, adding he would stop the states deal to land Foxconn, and repeal Act 10, which stripped most negotiation rights from members of public unions.

Roys is CEO of a real estate company and served two terms in the Assembly representing Madison. She said under Walker, Wisconsin has been dead last in creating startup companies.

Wachs, an attorney, is a former Eau Claire City Council member and has served as a state representative from northern Eau Claire since 2012. He said the same interest groups he encounters in the courtroom as an attorney run the state government.

Gronik portrayed himself as being an outsider in the race, and time and again mentioned his 35 years of experience helping small and medium businesses prosper. Im here running because the system is broken. Scott Walker broke it and Im very, very good at fixing things, Gronik said.

Heaster said he is a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire graduate with three children in the UW system. He said his main issues are in education, ethics and transparency. He even offered to wear a body camera for the first 30 days of his administration.

McCabe, an government reform advocate, called for closing what he called a loophole in allowing investment funds to be used to buy farmland. It is breaking my heart to see how agriculture is evolving, he said. McCabe said the state needs to be on the side of sustainable and smaller-scale agriculture.

Rumbaugh said hes spent almost two decades working with people with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum. If elected governor, compassion will be the hallmark, he said.

Harlow said three of his grandparents are professors. He said he has a degree from Stanford and has worked for software companies. It is time for Scott Walkers politics of division to end, he said.
IDEMIA, the global leader in trusted identities for an increasingly digital world, announced WiZink, a bank that specializes in credit cards and simple savings solutions that respond to its customers' day-to-day needs, has selected IDEMIA to roll out the Samsung Pay mobile payment service. IDEMIA has been producing WiZink cards since the bank launched its new brand in June 2016.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006319/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

Backed by IDEMIA, WiZink cards can be digitalized and used with Samsung Pay for all users, while also benefiting from all innovative Samsung features and options that Samsung Pay users can access. With the novel and convenient payment method, users can add all loyalty memberships and vouchers to the same wallet under the same app. WiZink is in a position to give customers a seamless fully digital contactless payment experience.

The IDEMIA (formerly OT-Morpho) solution will allow WiZink to slash time to market while building a customer bond that is likely to boost take-up of other digital services. IDEMIA ran the project in order to support the bank in its digital operations. WiZink has adapted its facilities to the requirements of Samsung Pay processes, while also paying attention to the bank's ongoing needs.

Eric Duforest, Executive Vice-President of Financial Institutions activities at IDEMIA, declared: "We are thrilled to continue working with WiZink so as to help them give customers a novel fully-digital user experience. Backed by our in-depth, tried and tested expertise in coming up with digital payment services, we can offer Samsung Pay a bespoke and fully functional solution. Given that contactless payment is becoming ever-more widespread in Spain, we pledge to give clients optimum ways to arrive at novel, scalable and user-friendly solutions while maintaining strict security.

Ricardo Gomez, Director of the Operations, Technology and Service Channels Area at WiZink added: "IDEMIA has become our partner in which we have entrusted to offer our customers the best innovative and secure payment options, such as Samsung Pay. His experience in the management of projects related to security in the use of credit cards has been an essential factor for us."

About IDEMIA

OT-Morpho is now IDEMIA, the global leader in trusted identities for an increasingly digital world, with the ambition to empower citizens and consumers alike to interact, pay, connect, travel and vote in ways that are now possible in a connected environment.

Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect this asset, whether for individuals or for objects. We ensure privacy and trust as well as guarantee secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public security and IoT sectors.

With close to $3bn in revenues, IDEMIA is the result of the coming together of OT (Oberthur Technologies) and Safran Identity Security (Morpho). This new company counts 14,000 employees of more than 80 nationalities and serves clients in 180 countries.

For more information, visit www.idemia.com Follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006319/en/

Contacts:

For IDEMIA

Hanna Sebbah, +33 6 63 73 30 30

hanna.sebbah@havas.com

or

Manon Gaudefroy, +33 6 85 30 60 02

manon.gaudefroy@havas.com
BANGALORE, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

6d Technologies' Engrafi solution has enabled renowned telecom operators across Africa to simplify, streamline and secure their subscriber registration process

6d Technologies, a pioneer in the telecom technology sector is significantly contributing to the progress of the telecom players in various markets, globally. Their ingenious solutions and platforms enable operators to adhere to the strict laws pertaining to subscriber safety and anti-fraud enforced by the concerned regulatory bodies in the respective countries. Most countries in the African subcontinent rely on manual subscriber registration process that often leads to fraud, jeopardizing data security and leading to errors in data accumulation in the form of collecting and maintaining customer records and other data sources.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618488/6d_Technologies_Logo.jpg )

The deployment of Engrafi across African countries like Chad, Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania and Angola with renowned operators has enabled them to successfully manage and enhance its user-friendly interface. Engrafi facilitates for a quick and convenient subscriber registration process bringing in great customer delight. In some cases, they have the capability to allow subscribers to register themselves with quick digitalized forms, ensuring authentic verification of the user, thereby reducing the chances of identity fraud and compliance abuse. Because Engrafi can be seamlessly deployed, network operators can be alleviated of any other functions and focus only on increasing their customer base.

"There is no doubt that constant reforms from regulatory bodies are drafted to ensure safety and security, operators face various challenges in collecting KYC information from the existing as well as new subscribers. Intuitive interfaces, fraud handling, ensuring data authenticity and tight timelines are other challenges faced by the operators. Our product 'Engrafi' - Subscriber Registration Solution, addresses all these challenges and brings digitalized, easy, quick and user-friendly solution , which enhances customer experience," asserts Kenil Paul, Vice President at 6d Technologies.

Registration of subscribers becomes difficult in developing countries and rural areas where there is no proper internet connectivity for the field agents/dealers/retailers. Online registration and validations seem objectively problematic leading to losing out on prospective customers. To mitigate this, 6d's Engrafi platform enables collection of user information in case of low or no internet connectivity, allowing operators to manage transactions in offline mode and further process them when the connection is restored.

6d's Engrafi has enabled reduction in the acquisition cost by cutting down the distribution process, cost of material handling and reducing costs on maintenance for various clients across the globe.

To read the full article: http://6dtech.co.in/customer-touch-points/subscribersim-registration/.

About Engrafi:

6d's Engrafi is a fully digitalized, robust and efficient solution for subscriber registration coupled with flexible and user-friendly GUI features. It also comes with capabilities such as just-in-time SIM activation that simplifies, streamlines and secures the registration process by submitting the documents with a simple device like a smart phone or a tablet to collect, capture, store and register the subscriber regardless of their location.

About 6d Technologies:

6d Technologies offer solutions to help organizations meet changing demands of the modern age customers. It serves clients in 50+ countries across five continents with an employee arsenal of over 600+ across the globe. The organization's clientele basket includes some of the major telecom leaders across the globe.



Marketing and communication contact:

Name: Anshul Singh

Phone: +91-7838088003

Email: anshul.singh@6dtech.co.in


MALTA (dpa-AFX) - Malta's industrial production declined in October, after rising in the previous two months, figures from the National Statistics Office showed Tuesday. Industrial production fell a working-day-adjusted 1.2 percent year-over-year in October, reversing a 5.6 percent rise in September. Among main industrial groups, production of intermediate goods dipped notably by 7.0 percent annually in October and those of durable consumer goods slid by 4.9 percent. At the same time, energy production registered a growth of 3.3 percent. On a monthly basis, industrial production decreased a seasonally adjusted 5.9 percent in October, much faster than the 0.4 percent drop in the prior month. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading consumer appliances manufacturer Midea has hosted a roundtable with heads of Fortune 500 companies at the Fortune Global Forum 2017 ("The Forum"), sharing insights on the innovative strategies of multinational companies. The roundtable was joined by Paul Fang, chairman and president of Midea Group, J. Erik Fyrwald, CEO of Syngenta International and Yousef Al-Benyan, Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC.

"A truly globalized company should strategize based on their reading of global trends. We believe that society is moving towards an era of optimal human-machine interaction, and what Midea has to do now is to constantly stay ahead," Fang remarked at the roundtable.

Midea has invested over 20 billion yuan (US$ 3.02 billion) on R&D in the past five years. Midea Kitchen Appliance Division (Midea KA), one of the largest and most successful kitchen solutions provider worldwide, has established three R&D centers in China, the U.S. and Italy to emphasize in-depth general R&D, advanced technology and smart products, and aesthetic design respectively.

With the goal of creating friendly products that can fit seamlessly into any kitchen, Midea is continuously developing innovative technologies for everyday kitchen appliances. One of the successful cases is its steam-cleaning technology, which has changed the way that range hoods are cleaned since the launch in 2012. This technology has enabled the appliance to clean itself through high pressure water suction and high temperature gasification, allowing the steam to clean the inside of the range hood.

Midea then developed the Eagle Eye using smart sensing technology, allowing users to see the degree of turbidity on a screen, achieving the transition from passive alert to active detection and cleaning.

Moreover, the company's revolutionary technologies have made cooking easier than ever. The appliances are supported by an advanced cooking algorithm as well as smart sensing technologies that can detect temperature, humidity and the type of food being prepared. Voice interaction has also been included in some of the kitchen appliances so users can learn the art of cooking on an intelligent platform with ease.

"Centering on man-machine interaction, Midea aims to take the lead in the fields of smart manufacturing, smart home technology, virtual reality (VR), speech interaction and so forth, developing new smart products that will win the approval of customers," noted Coffee Song, Director of Marketing, Overseas Sales Company of Midea KA.

About Midea Kitchen Appliance Division

Midea Kitchen Appliance Division is affiliated to Midea Group, one of the largest household appliance manufacturers in China. Founded in 1968, Midea is one of the world's largest kitchen appliance suppliers with annual sales revenue exceeding US$ 2.7 billion, and is the world's No.1 microwave oven and No.3 dishwasher manufacturer. It operates three production bases and two R&D centers in China in addition to a production base in Belarus and an R&D center in Bologna, Italy.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618537/MIDEA_at_roundtable_at_Fortune_Global_Forum.jpg
VIENNA, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Braintribe, the pioneering Smart Data company, has closed a multi-million euro funding round led by Q-Capital Ventures. The investment consortium includes the FinTech investor Ithuba FinMill, and the serial innovator and entrepreneur Hermann Hauser.

The investment is intended to fuel the growth of Braintribe's US business and further global expansion.

Braintribe works with Fortune 500 companies and international partners to unlock the value of Big Data through its Smart Data technology platform and services. The company's Smart Data platform integrates, translates and normalizes any kind of data to make it executable, extensible and expressive. It brings life to data and data to life.

Stefan Ebner, Founder and CEO of Braintribe, says: "With this round from Q-Capital and the high-profile investors they have attracted we believe we have the ideal partners to fulfil our ambitions - to enable visionary enterprises and entrepreneurs to transform themselves and the world through data."

Fritz Schweiger from Q-Capital Ventures says: "In Stefan Ebner, Braintribe has a truly visionary founder and the company's partnership with Capco means they have an incredible service partner too. This combination gives Braintribe the opportunity to be the category defining Smart Data and Data Transformation business."

Hermann Hauser says: "Braintribe has not only the potential to be global player, it has the potential to define and lead the entire space. Stefan and his team are exceptional. We will hear a lot from Braintribe in the future, and I am very excited to be part of their journey."

About Braintribe

Braintribe is rewriting the playbook for data with Tribefire, its category-defining Smart Data platform. Tribefire integrates, translates and normalizes any kind of data to make it executable, extensible and expressive. It brings life to data and data to life.

https://www.braintribe.com

About Q-Capital Ventures

Q-Capital Ventures is Q-Adviser Group's venture capital investment platform. Q-Capital Ventures has extensive resources and know-how in business development, management and financial advisory.

http://www.q-advisers.com

http://www.q-capital-ventures.com

About Ithuba FinMill

Based in Vienna, Ithuba FinMill is a FinTech-venture investor and company builder with a focus on deep-tech start-ups for banking, capital markets and the areas of insurance.

http://www.finmill.at
VALLEY COTTAGE, New York, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Jerry cans are a type of plastic or metal cans used largely in the food and beverages or petroleum and lubricants sector for storing fuels, cooking oil etc. A new research report by Future Market Insights presents in-depth insights on the globaljerry cans market, considering different dynamics that are expected to impact market revenue growth. The report is titled 'Jerry Cans Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 - 2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017 - 2027'in which the analysts have presented useful information and final revenue estimations of the global jerry cans market. This comprehensive research report also includes the overall scenario of the global packaging industry. It depicts the recent trends influencing the global packaging market including an increased focus of consumers on wellness, macroeconomic factors such as the increase in the disposable income of the middle class, and the global environmental impact.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/430874LOGO )

According to Future Market Insights analysis, the global jerry cans market is expected to hold a market value of over US$ 2,700 Mn in 2017, reaching a valuation of over US$ 4,600 Mn in 2027. The market is anticipated to grow at a 5.5% CAGR during the forecast period 2017 - 2027. The report systematically indicates how various factors such as a devalued Euro and an increasing acceptance of reused cans has impacted the global jerry cans market.

Request a Sample Report with Table of Contents and Figures: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/REP-GB-5801

Global Jerry Cans Market: Segmental Highlights

The global jerry cans market is segmented based on different parameters. The analysis of these segments helps in understanding each and every aspect of the market to get a clear view with more accuracy. Some of the key highlights of the segmental analysis are:

By material type , plastic (HDPE) segment is way ahead of the metal segment in terms of market value, with a projected valuation of over US$ 3,900 Mn in 2027 growing at the rate of 5.6% during the forecast period.

, plastic (HDPE) segment is way ahead of the metal segment in terms of market value, with a projected valuation of over in 2027 growing at the rate of 5.6% during the forecast period. On the basis of end use , the food and beverages segment leads the market with an estimated market value of over US$ 2,300 Mn in 2027. However, the petroleum and lubricants segment dominates the other end use segments in terms of CAGR during the forecast period.

, the food and beverages segment leads the market with an estimated market value of over in 2027. However, the petroleum and lubricants segment dominates the other end use segments in terms of CAGR during the forecast period. By capacity size , the global market is dominated by the 10-25 litres segment. However, the above 25 litres segment is also in tough competition with a higher growth rate during the forecast period.

, the global market is dominated by the 10-25 litres segment. However, the above 25 litres segment is also in tough competition with a higher growth rate during the forecast period. On the basis ofregion, Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest demand for jerry cans helping this regional market to have the maximum market value with a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period. The Latin America jerry cans market is expected to register a good CAGR during the forecast period.

Browse Research Release at https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/jerry-cans-market

Global Jerry Cans Market: Competitive Analysis

The report includes a brief analysis of the competitive scenario of the global jerry cans market. It presents the profiles of key players in the market along with their current developments and future market strategies. Some of the companies mentioned in the report are Time Technoplast Ltd., Greif, Inc., Scepter Canada Inc, SCHUTZ GmbH & Co. KGaA, Parekhplast India Limited, Barrier Plastics INC., Yates Steels Pvt. Ltd, Kadu Jaya Perkasa, Plastic Container Packaging Corporation, Mauser Group B.V, . Singa Plastics limited etc.

Popular Reports by FMI:

Packer Bottle Market: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/packer-bottles-market

Industrial Packaging Market: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/mena-industrial-packaging-market

Disposable Cups Market: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/disposable-cups-market

Browse More Packaging Market Insights

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 and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends.

Contact Us

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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 -- Orca Gold Inc. (TSX VENTURE: ORG) ("Orca" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of drilling on the Morondo Permit in Cote d'Ivoire.

HIGHLIGHTS

-- Morondo, a discovery made by Red Back Mining in 2010, is a permit within Orca's 2,890km2 land package in Cote d'Ivoire, 1,826km2 of which the Company is in the process of acquiring from Kinross Gold Corporation ("Kinross") pursuant to a share purchase agreement (the "Transaction") -- In anticipation of closing the Transaction, a 2,500-metre drill programme has commenced at Morondo and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2017 -- Mineralization at Morondo has a current strike length of 600m and true width up to 150m -- The current programme is reverse circulation (RC) drilling to the depth of 150m -- Drill results are expected in January 2018

DETAILS

Orca executed a share purchase agreement in early 2017 with two subsidiaries of Kinross to acquire the Morondo and Korokaha North exploration licences and five other exploration license applications (see Company News Release on February 1, 2017). The Korokaha North licence and Korokaha South application lie adjacent to the east of Randgold's Tongon Mine. The Bassawa and Satama applications are located on the southern extension of the Hounde Belt. The Zuenoula Ouest and Zuenoula Est applications are located north west of Perseus's Yaoure project.

Following approval by the Minister of Industry and Mines of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire for the portion of the Transaction related to Morondo (see Company News Release on November 6, 2017), the Company has commenced exploration with a 2,500m drill programme on this permit. Gold mineralization at Morondo was discovered by Red Back Mining in 2010 with 4,284m of shallow RC drilling and trenching before the company was acquired in the same year.

Morondo is the most advanced property in Cote d'Ivoire that Orca currently holds or is in the process of acquiring via the Transaction (see Figure 1). Mineralisation at Morondo, the best intercept of which included 66m at 1.53g/t, was intersected over a strike length of 600m by 200m. True width of mineralization is up to 150m hosted by an altered and sheared mafic volcaniclastic rock and is open in all directions. The current drilling (see Figure 2) will aim to test mineralization below the previous RC coverage to a depth of 150m and will be complete before the end of the year with results expected in January 2018.

Rick Clark, CEO and Director of Orca, commented "Orca is now active in two prolific gold environments in Africa, Sudan and Cote d'Ivoire. It is a busy time for the Company with a 25,000m drill programme and Feasibility Study in process at our Block 14 Gold Project in Sudan and an initial drill campaign underway in Cote d'Ivoire. With ministerial approval now in hand for the portion of our transaction with Kinross that covers the Morondo Permit, we are moving forward with closing the deal and are wasting no time getting back on the ground at Morondo to follow up on our initial discovery made in 2010. With positive results, we intend to fast track Morondo towards resource definition in 2018. At the same time, early next year we will commence exploration and evaluation of our broad property portfolio in Cote d'Ivoire. We look forward to keeping the market informed as we move into the New Year."

To view Figure 1: Cote d'Ivoire - A Strategic Land Package, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1105840_Figure-1.jpg

To view Figure 2: Drilling at Morondo Permit, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1105840_Figure-2.jpg

About Orca Gold Inc.

Orca Gold Inc. (TSX VENTURE: ORG) is a Canadian resource company focused on exploration opportunities in Africa. The Company is focused on its flagship 70%-owned Block 14 Gold Project in the Republic of the Sudan and an expanding exploration portfolio in Cote d'Ivoire. Block 14 is situated on a 2,170 km2 concession. The Company is currently conducting a Feasibility Study on the project, which is scheduled for completion in early Q2 2018.

Additionally, Orca is actively conducting gold exploration in Cote d'Ivoire.

The technical contents of this release have been approved by Hugh Stuart, BSc, MSc, a Qualified Person pursuant to NI 43-101. Mr. Stuart is President of the Company and a Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Geological Society of London. Samples used for the results described herein are prepared and analyzed by fire assay using a 50 gram charge at the Bureau Veritas in Abidjan in compliance with industry standards. Field duplicate samples are taken and blanks and standards are added to every batch submitted.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

Richard P. Clark, CEO and Director

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding Orca's (the "Company", the "Corporation", "we" or "our") plans and expectations relating to the Block 14 project ("Block 14") in northern Sudan, the Feasibility Study ("FS") currently being completed and/or conducted by the Corporation, exploration plans at the properties covered by the share purchase agreement with Kinross, and closing of the transaction contemplated by the share purchase agreement with Kinross and the timing and/or completion thereof. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Statements concerning mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute "forward-looking statements" to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed. The assumptions, risk and uncertainties outlined below are non-exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements of the Corporation, or industry results, may vary materially from those described in this press release.

Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", "potential", "possible" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events, conditions or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are not guarantees of future performance and are based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made including without limitation, assumptions about the following (the "Forward-Looking Factors"): receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals; future prices of gold and other metals; successful exploration, development, and production of Block 14; the timing and completion of the DFS; the timing and likelihood of a production decision; performance of contractual obligations by counterparties; operating conditions; political stability; obtaining governmental approvals and financing on time; financial projections and budgets; obtaining licenses and permits; government regulation of the Corporation's mining activities; environmental risks and expenses; market conditions; the securities market; price volatility of the Corporation's securities; currency exchange rates; foreign mining tax regimes; insurance and uninsured risks; financial projections and results; competition; availability of sufficient capital, infrastructure, equipment and labour; dependence on key personnel; dependence on outside parties; conflicts of interest; litigation; land title issues; local community issues; estimation of mineral resources; realization of mineral resources; timing and amount of estimated future production; the life of Block 14; reclamation obligations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated; and anticipated costs and expenditures and our ability to achieve the Corporation's goals. While we consider these assumptions to be reasonable, the assumptions are inherently subject to significant business, social, economic, political, regulatory, competitive and other risks and uncertainties, and contingencies, many of which are based on factors and events that are not within the control of the Corporation and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to the Forward-Looking Factors above, and those factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Corporation's documents filed from time to time with the securities regulators in the provinces of Canada.

In addition, a number of other factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Corporation to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, and there is no assurance that the actual results, performance or achievements of the Corporation will be consistent with them. For further details, reference is made to the risk factors discussed or referred to in the Corporation's annual and interim management's discussion and analyses on file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available electronically on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although the Corporation has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such forward-looking statements and information are made or given as at the date of this press release and the Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Elina Chow

Catch Advisory Group Inc.

Investor Relations Consultant

416.645.0935 x 226






WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Female Democratic lawmakers of the US Congress have demanded a congressional inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations leveled against President Donald Trump.



59 members of the Democratic Women's Working Group (DWWG), led by Reps. Lois Frankel, Brenda Lawrence and Jackie Speier, have signed a letter sent to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Monday.



The letter was sent within hours of a similar demand made by three women who narrated their experiences of sexual exploitation by Trump years ago.



Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey, and Rachel Crook, who went public separately with their allegations before last year's presidential election, re-surfaced Monday at a joint news conference.



They accused Trump of groping, fondling, forcibly kissing, humiliating or harassing them, some of the incidents dating back to 1985. In all, 17 women have publicly accused the President of sexual harassment. Trump has denied the allegations and called the women liars.



The White House said the alleged incidents took place long before he was elected President, and the people answered by electing him.



'As the President said himself, he thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward, but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn't determine the course,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders Sanders told reporters Monday.



The Democratic Congresswomen's group Chair Rep. Frankel said the American people deserve a full inquiry into the truth of these allegations.



'Regardless of the victim or alleged perpetrator, every voice deserves to be heard and justice demands transparency, accountability and respect of due process. A thorough investigation into these accusations of sexual misconduct by President Trump is long overdue,' said DWWG Vice Chair Rep. Lawrence.



The group's Policy and Communications Chair Rep. Jackie Speier said 'While the President's behavior certainly warrants a call for his resignation, the most important thing we in Congress can do right now is a comprehensive investigation.'



The letter says that in the time of 'Me Too,' when women across the country are coming forward with their own harrowing stories of sexual harassment and assault, 'We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Trump.'



At the same time, the lawmakers are of the opinion that the President should be allowed to present evidence in his own defense.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 -- Relevium Technologies Inc. (TSX VENTURE: RLV)(FRANKFURT: 6BX) (the "Company" or "Relevium"), is pleased to announce it has strengthened its balance sheet through the partial conversion of debentures into equity, and increased its cash position through the exercise of warrants and options. The Company is also pleased to provide an update on the Non-Binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") announced October 25, 2017.

Highlights of this Press Release

-- $900,000 reduction in long-term debt through conversion of debentures -- Inflow of over $1,100,000 from warrant and option exercises -- Update on Non-Binding LOI announced October 25, 2017

Conversion of debentures

Debenture holders who participated in the June 12, 2017 financing have converted $900,000 of the outstanding convertible debentures at a strike price of $0.15. The Company will be issuing 6,000,000 common shares and 3,000,000 warrants convertible into 3,000,000 common shares at a price of $0.20 per share. The warrants have an expiry of 24 months dated from note issuance.

Aurelio Useche, CEO of Relevium Technologies stated: "We are very pleased with the vote of confidence from our debenture holders. Their initial support allowed Relevium to acquire BioGanix in June, and now their conversion reduces the long-term debt by $900,000, as well as the proportional ongoing interest costs."

Warrant and stock option exercises

The Company has also received several warrant and stock option exercises recently resulting in cash receipts of over $1,100,000. The Company has issued a total of 7,791,000 common shares to date.

Aurelio Useche stated: "The conversion of the warrants and options is also a welcomed vote of confidence from our stakeholders." Mr. Useche continued: "We are privileged to have the market and TSXV community appreciate and recognize our operational efforts, which are reflected in the stock price. Everyone at Relevium, from the bottom up, is geared to generating an ROI. That ROI may be on the stock, technology investments or marketing dollars spent. We are very fortunate to have an engaged shareholder base, and look forward to executing our business strategy to their benefit."

Update on Non-Binding LOI

On October 25, 2017 the Company announced a Non-Binding LOI. The payment for the assets was contemplated to be settled in common shares of Relevium Technologies. However, in light of the volatility in the price of the marketable securities since November 23, 2017, it has been deemed desirable to delay the transaction until further notice and particularly until the Company is able to reach an optimal structure for the transaction.

About Relevium Technologies

Relevium is a TSXV-listed company focused on growth through the acquisition of businesses, products and/or technologies with a focus on e-commerce, in the growing health and wellness sector. Relevium Technologies Inc. also holds patented intellectual property for the use of static magnetic fields for application on wearable devices.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking information is based on several assumptions and is subject to several risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information, and are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

RELEVIUM TECHNOLOGIES INC.

Aurelio Useche, President and CEO

RELEVIUM TECHNOLOGIES INC.

Like us on Facebook

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Contacts:

Relevium Technologies Inc.

Edward Ierfino

Investor Relations

+1(514) 562-1374

eierfino@releviumcorp.com

www.releviumtechnologies.com




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Sempra Energy (SRE) and Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC said that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or FERC has issued an order that authorizes Sempra Energy's acquisition of Energy Future Holdings Corp. or EFH, the indirect owner of approximately 80 percent of Oncor. On August 21, Sempra Energy entered into an agreement to acquire EFH. In September, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved EFH's entry into the merger agreement with Sempra Energy. On October 5, Sempra Energy and Oncor filed a joint Change-in-Control application with the Public Utility Commission of Texas or PUCT. The PUCT, on October 16, set a procedural schedule to complete a review of Sempra Energy's and Oncor's case within 180 days, by early April 2018. The EFH transaction closing is subject to further approvals by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the PUCT, among other approvals and closing conditions. Headquartered in Dallas, Oncor is a regulated electric transmission and distribution service provider, made up of about 122,500 miles of lines and more than 3.4 million advanced meters. More than 3,900 employees work to safely maintain reliable electric delivery service to over 10 million Texans. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Gordys Market locations in Chippewa Falls, Lake Wissota (town of Lafayette), Cornell, Chetek, Ladysmith and Barron arent going anywhere.

The sale of six stores to members of the Schafer family has been officially approved  and the stores will continue to bear the name of Gordys, CEO Jeff Schafer confirmed after a Monday hearing in Chippewa County Court.

Chippewa County Judge James Isaacson overruled an objection from two creditors, Northwest Wisconsin Refrigeration and Huiras Construction. Both companies were protesting the Nov. 29 sale of six Gordys stores to members of the Schafer family.

The sale of these six stores in question was conducted in a reasonably commercial-like manner, notice to all parties was given, and I have no choice but to overrule the objections, Isaacson said. The sale will be finalized Dec. 16.

Attorney Christopher Stroebel, who represents Huiras Construction and Northwest Wisconsin Refrigeration, argued that the Nov. 29 sale was not legitimate because the receiver had given Nash Finch preferential treatment during the proceedings.

It appears  that there is some kind of new financing by Nash Finch to the debtor, Stroebel said.

Nash Finch, a grocery distributor which filed suit against Gordys Market in August, has loaned the receivership approximately $6.1 million, Polsky said later in the hearing.

Gordys Market, Inc. has agreements with vendors, equipment leasing companies and other parties to successfully run the six stores, Polsky said, and intends to hire the approximately 340 employees currently working at those six stores.

Given the large debt, Polsky said, unsecured creditors wont be paid. Attorney James Sweet, who represents the Gordys chain, agreed.

With respect to this sale, we have  an excess of 340 employees that are going to keep their jobs. We have a ton of vendors who will continue to work with us. We have communities that will continue to have grocery stores, a continued tax base, a continued charitable partner, Sweet said.

Weve done everything we could to save the company, Jeff Schafer said, testifying that the sale procedure had been followed correctly.

Receiver Michael Polsky also clarified the selling price of those six stores. Rather than $18.9 million, as court documents had previously stated and the Herald had reported, the actual sale of those stores totaled $19.8 million.

A struggle over a Gordys location in Neillsville is slated to head into mediation later this month.

No mention was made of the Gordys Market location in Stanley in Mondays court proceedings. That location was not auctioned off in November.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
MUNICH, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

For EU media only - not for US journalists

Hokusai-VTE CANCER s tudy is a phase 3b , prospective, randomi s ed, open-label, blind end-point ( PROBE ) study evaluat ing edoxaban versus low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) dalteparin in venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with primarily active cancer [ 1 ] , [ 2 ] , [ 3 ]

Study met primary endpoint of non-inferiority in the recurrence of VTE or ISTH-defined major bleeding[1],[2],[3]

Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo), today announced results from the Hokusai-VTE CANCER study evaluating oral edoxaban (known by the brand names LIXIANA outside the U.S. and SAVAYSA in the U.S.), and found that edoxaban is non-inferior to subcutaneous injectable LMWH dalteparin for the treatment of cancer-associated VTE or major bleeding.[2],[3] The results of the study were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented during the late-breaker session at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8236751-daily-oral-lixiana-cancer-study-daiichi/

Hokusai-VTE CANCER is the first study with a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), edoxaban, to meet pre-specified non-inferiority criteria versus the standard of care dalteparin in this patient population.[2],[3] The study met the primary objective of non-inferiority of edoxaban for the composite outcome of first recurrent VTE or ISTH-defined major bleeding during a 12-month study period, which occurred in 67 of 522 patients (12.8%) in the edoxaban group compared with 71 of 524 patients (13.5%) in the dalteparin group (hazard ratio with edoxaban, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.70 to 1.36; P = 0.006 for non-inferiority) for a risk difference (edoxaban minus dalteparin) of -0.7% (95% CI, -4.8 to 3.4).[2],[3] The difference in risk for recurrent VTE was -3.4% (95% CI, -7.0 to 0.2) whereas the corresponding difference in risk for major bleeding was 2.9% (95% CI, 0.1 to 5.6).[3] The frequencies of severe major bleeding events at presentation (categories 3 and 4) were similar during treatment with edoxaban or dalteparin (12 patients in each group, respectively).[2],[3] There was no fatal bleed in the edoxaban group versus two fatal bleedings in the dalteparin arm.[3]

The study also met the secondary outcome of event-free survival (free of recurrent VTE, major bleeds or death) at 12 months, and rates were similar between edoxaban and dalteparin (55.0% and 56.5%, respectively).[2],[3] The trial was a PROBE design study and included a broad spectrum of patients (n=1,050) with primarily active cancer (98%): 53% of which had metastatic cancer and 72% of which were receiving cancer therapy at randomisation.[2],[3] This is the largest prospectively randomised clinical trial to have studied the benefit risk of DOACs in cancer patients versus the current injectable standard of care, dalteparin. Hokusai-VTE CANCER is the first study to demonstrate that a DOAC, edoxaban, is non-inferior to the standard of care, injectable LMWH (dalteparin), in this population.[2],[3]

"Cancer patients have a significantly increased risk of VTE, and are a high-risk population since 82% of patients have one or more pre-specified bleeding risk factors," said co-principal study investigator Professor Harry Buller, from the Department of Vascular Medicine at Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. "We saw a lower rate of recurrent VTE with edoxaban compared to dalteparin over the one-year study period. In addition, in the edoxaban arm, we saw no bleeding fatalities and similar severity of clinical presentation of major bleeding events compared to dalteparin. The risk for VTE persists beyond six months for cancer patients, therefore, the study duration of 12 months enabled the evaluation of edoxaban over a longer time period."

VTE includes both deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and is the second leading cause of death in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.[4] Current guidelines recommend LMWH for at least six months as the standard of care in cancer patients,[5],[6],[7] and currently there is poor adherence to VTE cancer treatment guidelines due to the requirement for daily injections. The treatment of cancer-associated VTE is challenging because these patients are at increased risk of both recurrent VTE and major bleeding.[2] The occurrence of VTE increases the risk of death 2-6-fold in cancer patients[4] and can interrupt cancer treatment.[8]

"The use of an oral anticoagulant that alleviates the burdens associated with a daily injectable drug, without loss of clinical benefit, would represent an advance for cancer patients with VTE," said Hans J. Lanz, MD, Vice President, Global Medical Affairs, Daiichi Sankyo. "The data will continue to add to the growing body of knowledge in the Edoxaban Clinical Research Programme, which provides key insights into the potential effects of edoxaban in VTE and AF patients."

About the Hokusai-VTE CANCER study

Hokusai-VTE CANCER is a multinational, prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint evaluation (PROBE) study, evaluating the efficacy and safety of once-daily edoxaban compared to dalteparin for the treatment of VTE associated with cancer.[1],[2],[3] The purpose of the study was to evaluate edoxaban in comparison with dalteparin in preventing the combined outcome of VTE recurrence or major bleeding in patients with VTE associated with cancer.[1],[2],[3] Other objectives include assessing the effects of treatment on VTE recurrence, clinically relevant bleeding and event-free survival, defined as the proportion of subjects over time free of recurrent VTE, major bleeding events and death.[1],[2],[3] The study enrolled 1,050 patients across 13 countries in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.[2],[3] Patients were randomised to receive edoxaban 60 mg once-daily (reduced to 30 mg edoxaban for patients with creatinine clearance [CrCL] 30-50 mL/min, body weight  60 kg, or concomitant use of P-glycoprotein [P-gp] inhibitors), following treatment with LMWH for at least five days; or dalteparin SC 200 IU/kg once-daily for 30 days, then 150 IU/kg once-daily for the remainder of the 12-month study.[1],[2],[3]

For more information please visit: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02073682.[9]

About Venous Thromboembolism

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an umbrella term for two conditions, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). DVT is a disease caused by a blood clot found in deep veins, usually within the lower leg, thigh or pelvis, although they can occur in other parts of the body as well.[10] PE occurs when part of a clot detaches and lodges in the pulmonary arteries, causing a potentially fatal condition.[11]

VTE is a major cause of morbidity and mortality.[12] In 25 EU countries VTE exceeds 1.5 million events per year and the annual incidence of VTE in developed countries is estimated to be 1-3 per 1,000 adults.[13],[14] A prior incidence of a VTE is the most significant risk factor of a second occurrence, and after the age of 50, the risk doubles every ten years.[15]

About VTE and Cancer

VTE is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer, with an annual incidence that can be as high as 20 percent depending on the cancer type, background risk and time since diagnosis.[16],[17] Patients with cancer have multiple risk factors for VTE and the risk of VTE events increases in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy.[18] In addition, patients with cancer and VTE have a lower survival rate than those without VTE.[18]

About Edoxaban

Edoxaban is an oral, once-daily, direct factor Xa (pronounced "Ten A") inhibitor. Factor Xa is one of the key components responsible for blood clotting, so inhibiting this makes the blood thin and less prone to clotting. Edoxaban is currently marketed in Japan, the U.S., South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand Switzerland, the U.K., Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Canada, and other European countries.

The edoxaban Summary of Product Characteristics can be viewed here: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/002629/WC500189045.pdf.

About Edoxaban Clinical Research Programme (ECRP)

Daiichi Sankyo is committed to expanding scientific knowledge about edoxaban, as demonstrated through our research programmes evaluating its use in a broad range of cardiovascular conditions, patient types and clinical settings in AF and VTE. The edoxaban clinical research programme includes multiple RCTs (randomised, controlled trials), registries and non-interventional studies, with the goal of generating new clinical and real-world-data regarding its use in AF and VTE populations. Daiichi Sankyo expects that more than 100,000 patients will participate in the edoxaban clinical research programme, including completed, ongoing, and future research.

The RCTs include:

ENSURE-AF (EdoxabaN vs. warfarin in subjectS UndeRgoing cardiovErsion of Atrial Fibrillation), in AF patients undergoing electrical cardioversion

ENTRUST-AF PCI (EdoxabaN TReatment versUS VKA in paTients with AF undergoing PCI), in AF patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Hokusai-VTE CANCER (Edoxaban in Venous Thromboembolism Associated with Cancer), in patients with cancer and an acute VTE event

ELDERCARE-AF (Edoxaban Low-Dose for EldeR CARE AF patients), in elderly AF patients in Japan

ELIMINATE-AF (EvaLuatIon of edoxaban coMpared with VKA IN subjects undergoing cAThEter ablation of non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation)

ENVISAGE- TAVI AF (EdoxabaN Versus standard of care and theIr effectS on clinical outcomes in pAtients havinG undergonE Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) - Atrial Fibrillation)

In addition, global and regional registry studies will provide important real-world data about the use of edoxaban and other oral anticoagulants in everyday practice, and include:

ETNA-AF (Edoxaban Treatment in routiNe clinical prActice in patients with non valvular Atrial Fibrillation)

ETNA-VTE (Edoxaban Treatment in routiNe clinical prActice in patients with Venous ThromboEmbolism)

EMIT-AF/VTE (Edoxaban Management In diagnostic and Therapeutic procedures-AF/VTE);

Prolongation PREFER in AF (PREvention oF thromboembolic events - European Registry) in patients with AF

ANAFIE (All Nippon AF In Elderly) Registry in Japan

Cancer-VTE Registry in Japan

We are committed to adding to the scientific body of knowledge around edoxaban in a variety of AF and VTE patients, including those who are vulnerable.

About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. With over 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 15,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help people. In addition to a strong portfolio of medicines for hypertension and thrombotic disorders, under the Group's 2025 Vision to become a "Global Pharma Innovator with Competitive Advantage in Oncology," Daiichi Sankyo research and development is primarily focused on bringing forth novel therapies in oncology, including immuno-oncology, with additional focus on new horizon areas, such as pain management, neurodegenerative diseases, heart and kidney diseases, and other rare diseases. For more information, please visit: http://www.daiichisankyo.com.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information about future developments in the sector, and the legal and business conditions of DAIICHI SANKYO Co., Ltd. Such forward-looking statements are uncertain and are subject at all times to the risks of change, particularly to the usual risks faced by a global pharmaceutical company, including the impact of the prices for products and raw materials, medication safety, changes in exchange rates, government regulations, employee relations, taxes, political instability and terrorism as well as the results of independent demands and governmental inquiries that affect the affairs of the company. All forward-looking statements contained in this release hold true as of the date of publication. They do not represent any guarantee of future performance. Actual events and developments could differ materially from the forward-looking statements that are explicitly expressed or implied in these statements. DAIICHI SANKYO Co., Ltd. assume no responsibility for the updating of such forward-looking statements about future developments of the sector, legal and business conditions and the company.



References

Van Es N, et al. Edoxaban for the treatment of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer - rationale and design of the Hokusai-VTE-cancer study. Thromb Haemost. 2015;114(6):1268-76. Raskob GE, Van Es N, Verhamme P, Carrier M, Di Nisio M, Garcia DA, et al. LBA-6 A Randomized, Open-Label, Blinded Outcome Assessment Trial Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of LMWH/Edoxaban Versus Dalteparin for Venous Thromboembolism Associated with Cancer: Hokusai-VTE-Cancer Study. Abstract presented at the Annual Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, 2017. Raskob GE, van Es N, Verhamme, P, Carrier M, Di Nisio M, Garcia DA, et al. Edoxaban for the treatment of cancer-associated thromboembolism. N Engl J Med. 2017. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1711948. Khalil J, et al. Venous thromboembolism in cancer patients: an underestimated major health problem. World J Surg Oncol. 2015;13:204. MandalA M, Falanga A, Roila F. Management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines. Ann Oncol. 2011;22 (Suppl 6): vi85-vi92. Kearon C, Aki EA, Ornelas J, Blaivas A, Jimenez D, Bounameaux H, Huisman M, et al. Antithrombotic therapy fir VTE disease. CHEST guidelines and expert panel report. Chest. 2016;149(2):315-52. Lyman GH, Bohlke K, Khorana AA, Kuderer NM, Lee AY, Arcelus JI, et al. Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis and Treatment in Patients With Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update 2014. J Clin Oncol. 2015;11(3):e442-e444. Hisada Y, et al. Venous Thrombosis and Cancer: from Mouse Models to Clinical Trials. J Thromb and Haemost. 2015;13(8):1372-82. ClinicalTrials.gov. Cancer Venous Thromboembolism (VTE). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02073682. [Last accessed: December 2017 ]. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) / Pulmonary Embolism (PE) - Blood Clot Forming in a Vein. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/facts.html. [Last accessed: December 2017 ]. Van Beek E, et al. Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. New York : John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print. Cohen A, et al. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Europe . Thromb Haemost. 2007;98(4):756-64. The Coalition to Prevent VTE. Available at: http://www.coalitiontopreventvte.org/INDEX_CFM/T/THE_BURDEN_OF_VTE/VID/DCD0A03F_1422_16B3_78E0B9EB0571.HTM. [Last accessed: December 2017 ]. Braekkan, S. K. et al. Body height and risk of venous thromboembolism: The Tromsoe Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2010;171:1109-15. Zagaria, M. Venous Thrombosis: Pathogenesis and Potential for Embolism. US Pharm. 2009;34:22-24. Ay C, et al. Prediction of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients. Blood. 2010;116:5377-82. Khorana AA, et al. Thromboembolism is a leading cause of death in cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy. J Thromb Haemost. 2007;5(3):632-634. Lee AYY, Levine N. Venous thromboembolism and cancer: Risks and outcomes. Circ. 2003;107:I17-I21.

EDX/17/0329

Date of preparation: December 2017

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618561/Daiichi_Sankyo_Logo.jpg )



Video:

https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8236751-daily-oral-lixiana-cancer-study-daiichi/


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Glance Technologies Inc.(CSE: GET.CN)(OTCQB: GLNNF) is pleased to announce that it will be attending and speaking on a panel at the inaugural Blockchain Davos event to be held in Davos Switzerland January 23 - 26, 2018. Glance will also be a sponsor of the event.

Each year in January, the top global leaders gather in Davos from every country and sector to collaborate on developing shared initiatives to improve the condition of our world. Led by 2017's blockchain boom and the "Fourth Industrial Revolution", Blockchain Davos is a gathering to build partnerships for a decentralized future. Blockchain Davos is an exclusive invite only conference for attendees. The event is timed to coincide with the annual World Economic Forum, which is also being held in Davos.

Glance is attending the event to raise awareness of its upcoming cryptocurrency and to make further inroads into the worldwide cryptocurrency and blockchain community. Glance's planned cryptocurrency is a rewards based token that will be granted as rewards to users of the Glance Pay mobile payment app every time they spend on the Glance Pay mobile payment network, whether they have paid with the new cryptocurrency or via other payment methods. This strategy is intended to support rapid adoption of the cryptocurrency to a broad range of consumers, although the app will also be marketed to crypto users in leading urban centers. Glance also intends to apply elements of its anti-fraud technology to this cryptocurrency to reduce the risk associated with converting traditional currencies to and from cryptocurrencies.

This conference will allow Glance to highlight the functionality from its previously announced purchase of the Blockimpact platform, which is a complete end-to-end cryptocurrency blockchain solution including the following features:

Biometric ID

Blockchain Distributed Ledger Technology

Digital messaging / group chat (with functionality similar to Whatsapp)

Financial wallet

Open application program interface (API)

Crypto/token/fiat wallet (which allows seamless conversion between currencies)

Reward system

Encrypted cyber security

In-app support system

Document sharing

Social network features

Peer to Peer marketplace functionality

Clarification

As a clarification of Glance's news release dated Dec 07, 2017: Fatburger Canada entered into an agreement with the intent to develop one store for a test trial of Glance's technology.

About Glance Technologies Inc.

Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that revolutionizes how smartphone users choose where to dine, order goods and services, make payments, access digital receipts, redeem digital deals, earn great rewards & interact with merchants. Glance is building a valuable network of merchants and consumers, and offers targeted in-app marketing, geo targeted digital coupons, customer feedback, in-merchant messaging and custom automated rewards programs. The Glance Pay mobile payment system consists of proprietary technology, which includes user apps available for free downloads in IOS (Apple) and Android formats, merchant manager apps, a large scale technology hosting environment with sophisticated anti-fraud technology and lightning fast payment processing. Glance Pay has entered into significant licensing agreements to access the cannabis, fitness and wellness, foreign student and tourist markets through Cannapay Financial Inc., Active Pay Distribution Inc. and Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc. Glance Pay is currently developing a rewards based cryptocurrency to be integrated into its platform.

For more information about Glance, please go to www.glance.tech

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward- looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward- looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Glance's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. In particular, Glance may not be successful in building its planned cryptocurrency or there may not be sufficient support for the cryptocurrency to make it a success.

For more information, contact:

Christina Rao

Vice President, Investor Relations

+1-(604)-723-7480

investors@glancepay.com


VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 --

Assay Highlights include: High lighted Mineralized intervals are calculated using a 0.5 g/t cutoff, with high-grade Mother Lode Structure using a 2 g/t cutoff - ML-17-011: 38.4 metres @ 2.67 g/t gold and 13.7 metres @ 1.48 g/t gold (incl. 13.7 metres @ 5.7 g/t gold (high-grade Mother Lode Structure) - ML-17-014: 59.4 metres @ 1.68 g/t gold and 36.6 metres @ 1.49 g/t Gold (at a 0.1 g/t cutoff interval was 161.5 metres @ 1.04 g/t gold) - ML-17-003: 66 metres @ 1.24 g/t gold (lost hole in upper part of zone) last 2.3 metres of hole ended in 1.64 g/t gold and 30.4 g/t silver

Corvus Gold Inc. ("Corvus" or the "Company") - (TSX: KOR)(OTCQX: CORVF) announces it has received assays results from eight new drill holes at its Mother Lode project in southern Nevada (Table 1). The latest results include the first few holes drilled to define the Northern extension of the Mother Lode deposit, continuing to confirm and expand this new, large sediment hosted gold system (Figure 1).

Hole ML17-003, a core hole drilled in the vicinity of historic hole ML-338 (non-Corvus Gold hole) which returned 73.2 metres of 2.1 g/t gold (silver was never assayed) saw a 66.3 metre intercept of 1.24 g/t gold with the bottom 2.3 metres returning 1.64 g/t gold and 30.4 g/t silver (hole lost in silicified breccia in middle of the ML-338 zone). To date, two other holes have been completed in this part of the system which show thick zones of strong alteration and dikes, assays pending.

Hole ML17-013 was also drilled to the north beyond the historic resource area and produced a thick, high-grade intercept of 94.5 m @ 1.2 g/t Au (includes 30.5 m @ 1.62 g/t in the Lower Zone). This interval, along with the results from ML17-003 and historic hole ML-338 displays broad zones of strong alteration and numerous intrusives and continues to support the concept that a second major gold mineralization center could exist at the north end of the Mother Lode deposit. Corvus has expanded it proposed phase 2 drill program in this area of the deposit adding more holes to the 2018 program to test the northern extent of mineralization along strike and at depth.

The Mother Lode system is also expanding in the high-grade Main Target as shown in hole ML-17-011 with 38 metres @ 2.67 g/t Au and 13 metres @ 1.48 g/t Au and hole ML17-14 with 59.4 metres @ 1.68 g/t Au. Additionally, the Company is seeing a consistent trend of higher silver values in the Lower Zone of Paleozoic, oxide materialization, with values up to 100 g/t silver. These high silver values are being looked at as a vector to a deeper zone of gold mineralization which is currently being tested with a few deeper holes. Of note, prior historic drilling did not assay for silver.

Hole ML17-10 was drilled to test the eastern extension of the system and intersected the Upper Zone system in its farthest east extension so far (12.2m @ 2.88 g/t gold), but the hole was lost as it entered the Lower Zone (3.1m @ 1.65 g/t Au & 5.29 g/t silver). This expansion potential will be followed up with a series of holes, east of the current drill pattern.

To view Figure 1. Plan map showing recent drill holes on the Mother Lode Project, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1105846_Figure-1.pdf

Jeff Pontius, President and CEO of Corvus states "These latest results continue to expand the Mother Lode gold deposit with multiple thick 30-50 metre intervals of +2 g/t gold, with the expansion to the north beyond our original exploration target. The thick mineralization being intersected at the north end of the deposit is now outlining a second center of intrusive activity with associated, broad high-grade mineralization which has lead to Corvus expanding its planned 2018 drill program. With our recent financing, this expanded 2018 program is now full funded with flexibility for further expansion. As with most sediment hosted, intrusion related deposits in Nevada, this new discovery is showing great continuity and growth potential and could develop into a major new gold deposit in its own right."

Table 1 Phase I - Mother Lode Significant Drilling Results - Main & North Targets (Reported intercepts are not true widths as there is currently insufficient data to calculate true orientation in space. Mineralized intervals are calculated using a 0.3 g/t cutoff unless otherwise indicated below) from Interval Gold Silver Drill Hole # (m) to (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ML-17-003 Furthest hole drilled to date 249.02 252.07 3.05 0.32 0.63 to the North ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ 090 dip -70 Upper & Lower Zones, Lost hole in 1.64 g/t Au & 30.4 g/t 275.55 341.83 66.28 1.24 2.66 Ag ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- from Interval Gold Silver Drill Hole # (m) to (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ML-17-008 South low-grade 91.44 149.35 57.91 0.79 0.95 Oxide zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- inc South low-grade 118.87 132.59 13.72 1.28 1.03 Oxide zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- South low-grade 153.92 182.88 28.96 0.43 0.72 Oxide zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- South low-grade 192.02 202.69 10.67 0.61 4.52 Oxide zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- South low-grade 225.55 233.17 7.62 0.83 0.47 Oxide zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ 090 dip -48 South low-grade 237.74 246.89 9.15 1.14 3.77 Oxide zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- from Interval Gold Silver Drill Hole # (m) to (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ML-17-010 CF oxide low- 167.64 175.26 7.62 0.37 0.32 grade zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CF oxide low- 198.12 201.17 3.05 0.34 0.14 grade zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 236.22 248.41 12.19 2.88 2.37 Upper Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ 090 dip -65 Lost hole in 300.23 303.28 3.05 1.65 5.29 Lower Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- from Interval Gold Silver Drill Hole # (m) to (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ML-17-011 97.54 135.64 38.10 2.67 1.28 Upper Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- inc Mother Lode 102.11 115.82 13.71 5.71 2.52 Structural Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 181.36 195.07 13.71 1.48 1.89 Lower Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ 090 dip -70 Lower Zone 204.22 234.70 30.48 0.83 3.74 expansion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- inc 204.22 211.84 7.62 2.05 2.10 1 g/t cut ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- from Interval Gold Silver Drill Hole # (m) to (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ML-17-012 CF oxide low- 149.35 152.40 3.05 0.37 0.42 grade zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CF oxide low- 187.45 196.60 9.15 0.61 0.48 grade zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 205.74 234.70 28.96 1.53 1.82 Upper Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ 090 dip -87 Possible Lower 240.79 249.94 9.15 0.96 2.60 Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- from Interval Gold Silver Drill Hole # (m) to (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ML-17-013 CF oxide low- 210.31 213.36 3.05 0.64 0.08 grade zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CF oxide low- 233.17 243.84 10.67 0.67 1.24 grade zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ 090 dip -70 Upper & Lower 256.03 350.52 94.49 1.20 1.86 Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- inc 275.84 288.04 12.20 2.00 1.97 1 g/t cut ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- inc 292.61 300.23 7.62 1.89 2.00 1 g/t cut ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- inc 310.90 341.38 30.48 1.62 2.78 1 g/t cut ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- from Interval Gold Silver Drill Hole # (m) to (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ML-17-014 112.78 172.21 59.43 1.68 1.67 Upper Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 182.88 195.07 12.19 0.43 1.56 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ 090 dip -50 236.22 272.80 36.58 1.49 3.75 Lower Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- inc 257.56 272.80 15.24 2.28 6.95 1 g/t Au cut ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- from Interval Gold Silver Drill Hole # (m) to (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ML-17-015 303.28 327.66 24.38 1.69 2.37 Upper Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ 090 dip -75 336.80 339.85 3.05 0.58 0.84 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Expanded Claim Block

Corvus also announces that it has added to its Mother Lode claim block by staking 75 additional claims covering an additional 625 hectares along trend. The Mother Lode property has now expanded to 1,147 hectares or 11.5 square kilometres.

Qualified Person and Quality Control/Quality Assurance

Jeffrey A. Pontius (CPG 11044), a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Pontius is not independent of Corvus, as he is the CEO & President and holds common shares and incentive stock options.

Carl E. Brechtel, (Nevada PE 008744 and Registered Member 353000 of SME), a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, has coordinated execution of the work outlined in this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Brechtel is not independent of Corvus, as he is the COO and holds common shares and incentive stock options.

The work program at Mother Lode was designed and supervised by Mark Reischman, Corvus Gold's Nevada Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project log and track all samples prior to sealing and shipping. Quality control is monitored by the insertion of blind certified standard reference materials and blanks into each sample shipment. All resource sample shipments are sealed and shipped to American Assay Laboratories (AAL) in Reno, Nevada, for preparation and assaying. AAL is independent of the Company. AAL's quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:1999. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples. Finally, representative blind duplicate samples are forwarded to AAL and an ISO compliant third-party laboratory for additional quality control. A qualified person, has verified the data underlying the information disclosed herein, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information by reviewing the reports of AAL, methodologies, results and all procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with industry practice, and all matters were consistent and accurate according to his professional judgement. There were no limitations on the verification process.

About the North Bullfrog & Mother Lode Projects, Nevada

Corvus controls 100% of its North Bullfrog Project, which covers approximately 72 km2 in southern Nevada. The property package is made up of a number of private mineral leases of patented federal mining claims and 865 federal unpatented mining claims. The project has excellent infrastructure, being adjacent to a major highway and power corridor as well as a large water right. The Company also controls 140 federal unpatented mining claims on the Mother Lode project which totals 1,147 hectares which it owns 100% of.

About Corvus Gold Inc.

Corvus Gold Inc. is a North American gold exploration and development company, focused on its near-term gold-silver mining project at the North Bullfrog and Mother Lode Districts in Nevada. In addition, the Company controls a number of royalties on other North American exploration properties representing a spectrum of gold, silver and copper projects. Corvus is committed to building shareholder value through new discoveries and the expansion of its projects to maximize share price leverage in an advancing gold and silver market.

On behalf of

Corvus Gold Inc.

Jeffrey A. Pontius, President & Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the rapid and effective capture of the potential of our new Mother Lode project, the potential for new deposits and expected increases in a system's potential; anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the potential to develop multiple YellowJacket style high-grade zones, the Company's belief that the parameters used in the Whittle pit optimization process are realistic and reasonable, the potential to discover additional high grade veins or additional deposits, the potential to expand the existing estimated resource at the North Bullfrog project, the potential for any mining or production at North Bullfrog, are forward-looking statements.

Information concerning mineral resource estimates may be deemed to be forward-looking statements in that it reflects a prediction of the mineralization that would be encountered if a mineral deposit were developed and mined. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, the Company's inability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's 2017 Annual Information Form and latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and the Company's most recent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings in Canada may be accessed via www.sedar.com and filings with the SEC may be accessed via www.sec.gov and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

Contacts:

Ryan Ko

Investor Relations

1-844-638-3246 (toll free) or (604) 638-3246

info@corvusgold.com




NEW YORK, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Public acceptance and legislative approval of cannabis use, both for medicinal and recreational purposes, continue to spread internationally. In Canada, where medicinal cannabis has been legal since 2001, the federal government is moving toward its goal of adding recreational marijuana legalization nationwide by July 2018. The turning tide in public sentiment and the advancement of legalization, both in Canada and throughout the world, are gradually destigmatizing marijuana use and giving rise to new cannabis subcultures and brands. This evolution of the cannabis lifestyle is creating big market potential for Canadian cannabis producers like DOJA Cannabis Ltd. (CSE: DOJA) (OTC: DJACF) (DOJA profile), MYM Nutraceuticals, Inc. (CSE: MYM) (OTC: MYMMF), Emblem Corp. (TSX-V: EMC) (OTC: EMMBF), ABcann Global (TSX-V: ABCN) (OTC: ABCCF) and Cannabis Wheaton Income Corp. (TSX-V: CBW) (OTC: CBWTF) as these players see increased opportunities to meet the rising demand for quality cannabis.

A recent market research report has predicted that the international cannabis market, currently worth approximately $7.7 billion, will reach $31.4 billion by 2021 (http://nnw.fm/EpTH9), spurred on by the continued liberalization of marijuana laws across the globe. As Canada prepares for recreational cannabis legalization, companies like DOJA Cannabis Ltd. (CSE: DOJA) (OTC: DJACF) are right in line to profit.

DOJA is a premium cannabis lifestyle brand and licensed marijuana producer in Canada, based in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. DOJA believes 'lifestyle' is where the medical and recreational cannabis markets converge, and the company's central focus is on creating a revolutionary cannabis lifestyle brand. DOJA, in fact, stands out as Canada's first licensed cannabis producer to focus on building a high-end lifestyle cannabis brand in this way.

DOJA's wholly owned subsidiary is a licensed cannabis producer under Canada's Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR), and the company has further applied for a cannabis sales license through the ACMPR, which is expected to be issued soon. On Nov. 2, DOJA announced that its subsidiary had successfully completed initial marijuana harvests and had requested a pre-sales license inspection from Health Canada, which is the final step prior to receiving a cannabis sales license under the ACMPR.

DOJA also recently closed its acquisition of a 22,850-square-foot commercial building in Kelowna, where the company intends to build a state-of-the-art extraction facility, called the FUTURE LAB, and for which it plans to obtain an oil production license. When this facility is completed, DOJA expects its corporate cannabis production capacity will exceed 5,000 kg annually.

"The acquisition is a game changer for DOJA," DOJA CEO Trent Kitsch stated in a recent press release (http://nnw.fm/Sp1BX). "It allows us to expand our production capacity by almost 8 times, diversify our strain production, integrate a world class extraction lab and leverage the economies of scale that come from a larger growing-space. Our strategy has always been to reach 5,000 kg of cannabis production per year by the end of 2018; with the addition of the FUTURE LAB we project we will reach (our) goal in less time and for less capital investment than previously budgeted. The FUTURE LAB has 325 feet of highway frontage, which will be utilized to promote DOJA's cannabis lifestyle brand to the 1.9 million plus visitors to the Okanagan each year and the 40,000 commuters that drive past the facility each day."

DOJA brings a handcrafted approach to the cannabis space, with a focus on branding premium flower and extracts. The company grows its cannabis indoors and hand trims and hang-dries all flower, which are techniques that coax greater flavor and result in enhanced quality and higher crystal content

DOJA recently opened the Doja Culture Cafe in Kelowna, which is a high-end cafe and cannabis access center. At present, the establishment hosts events like cannabis information nights and doctor discussions for medical marijuana patients to help promote the development of cannabis culture in Kelowna. The company plans to take steps toward incorporating a cannabis dispensary within the venue once the provincial government in British Columbia settles on which model it will adopt relative to recreational cannabis legalization (http://nnw.fm/ri3PX). DOJA plans to open additional culture cafes in the future.

The management team that leads DOJA is composed of individuals who possess experience working with distributor channels in the liquor industry, and the company's founders are locked into the company for a three-year period - a testament of their dedication to the company's mission and to the cannabis space in general. Kitsch built his profile as the founder of Saxx, one of Canada's premier men's undergarment brands. He was featured on 'Dragon's Den' and owns Kitsch Wines in Kelowna.

Another Canada-based cannabis player poised to benefit when the country legalizes recreational marijuana is MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. (CSE: MYM) (OTC: MYMMF). MYM is focused on acquiring licenses through Health Canada for producing and selling premium organic medical cannabis supplements and topical products. The company has two production projects in Quebec that will, when they are completed, boast more than 1.5 million square feet of cannabis production space.

Additionally, MYM is a partner in a 1.2 million-square-foot production project in New South Wales, Australia. MYM is actively seeking to acquire complementary businesses and assets within the technology, nutraceutical and cannabidiol sectors of the cannabis market.

Vertically integrated cannabis company Emblem Corp. (TSX.V: EMC) (OTC: EMMBF) is another Canadian marijuana player that is anxious for the advent of recreational cannabis legalization. Emblem is focused on R&D, production and distribution of medical cannabis products, and the company recently announced its growth plans for 2018 (http://nnw.fm/S39p6), which include significantly increasing its cultivation capacity preparatory to recreational marijuana legalization.

Currently, Emblem has more than 8,500 square feet of flowering capacity at its closed-box facility in Paris, Ontario, and operates through a multifaceted approach of employing both "closed box" and greenhouse production facilities.

A significant land acquisition recently completed by the company is paving the way for cutting-edge greenhouse facilities that will substantially expand Emblem's total production capacity to more than 17,000 kg of dried flower per year. Emblem also has its oils license in place.

Another standout in the Canadian marijuana market is ABcann Global (TSX-V:ABCN) (OTCQB: ABCCF), which was one of the first companies to obtain licensure to produce medical marijuana in Canada. ABcann has been a licensed cannabis producer in good standing since 2014 and has zero history of product recalls to date. The company employs a proprietary computer-controlled indoor growing process that regulates temperature, humidity and water. The result of this unique cultivation approach is the production of cannabis that is high-quality, standardized, organically grown and pesticide-free. ABcann is expanding its line of products to include cannabis oils (http://nnw.fm/Z1LnN), and the company is further pursuing opportunities for partnership and product development both domestically and in select international markets.

Another Canada-based entity is contributing to Canada's cannabis market in a more unique way. Cannabis Wheaton Income (TSX.V: CBW) (OTCQB: CBWTF) (d/b/a Wheaton Income) is an asset management company that is engaged in investing and supporting a wide variety of licensed cannabis producers in Canada. Cannabis Wheaton has created a platform through which LPs (licensed cannabis producers) and LP applicants can obtain CapEx financing to build or expand their marijuana cultivation facilities.

In exchange, Cannabis Wheaton receives a combination of equity in these streaming partners and a percentage of their cultivation yields over a certain period of time and at negotiated prices per gram. In addition to providing its partners with the funding they need, Cannabis Wheaton also gives them access to its expert management team, which is composed of industry leaders, to assist them in accelerating the growth of their enterprises.

Cannabis Wheaton foresees the worsening problem of cannabis shortages in Canada while marijuana producers race to meet the demands of authorized medical cannabis patients and to also get ready for the increased demands that will come with recreational legalization. Through supporting the successful development of Canadian cannabis producers, Cannabis Wheaton aims to foster the growth of a diverse, robust, innovative and successful cannabis industry.

As the legalization of recreational marijuana use looms in Canada and as public acceptance and legalization move forward throughout the world, the named companies are gearing up for a Canadian cannabis boom that is sure to be substantial. As the cannabis lifestyle gradually takes hold throughout the world, these players are in prime position to profit and expand.

For more information on DOJA Cannabis Ltd., visit DOJA Cannabis Ltd. (DOJA).

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SAN FRANCISCO, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The globaltissue expanders market is anticipated to reach USD 1.5 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. This growth can be attributed to increase in the number of reconstruction surgeries.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160524/371361LOGO )



Growing concern among people regarding their physical appearance has led to a rapid growth of the tissue expanders market. In the U.S., over 102,200 breast reconstruction procedures were performed in 2014, which showcase a 7% rise from the previous year, as estimated by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In addition, cleft lip surgeries that are prevalent among the pediatric population also require tissue expanders. Thus, rise in the number of these surgeries has led to a huge growth of this market.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the percentage of women undergoing mastectomy procedures has increased by 36% from 2005 to 2013. Thus, growing number of mastectomies is anticipated to drive the demand for tissue expanders. In addition, burns and road accidents result in severe scars or deformities, which most often require surgical treatment. Hence, there is a steep rise in the number of reconstructive surgeries that make use of tissue expanders for such severe scars or deformities, which aids in market growth.

Browse full research report with TOC on "Tissue Expander Market Analysis By Application (Breast Reconstruction, Forehead Skin & Scalp Reconstruction, Face & Neck Reconstruction), By Shape, By End-use, And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/tissue-expander-market

Further Key Findings From the Report Suggest:

In 2016, breast reconstruction held the largest market share owing to large number of breast reconstruction surgeries performed

Forehead skin and scalp reconstruction is anticipated to witness lucrative growth over the forecast period due to increase in number of cicatricial alopecia cases

Anatomical-shaped tissue expanders dominated the market in 2016 due to their natural-looking appearance

Round-shaped expanders are expected to display fastest growth over the forecast period due to lower risk of expander ripples through the skin

Hospitals held the largest revenue share in 2016 due to large number of reconstruction surgeries being performed in hospitals

Cosmetology clinics are anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period due to the huge demand for specialty clinics for reconstructive procedures

North America dominated the market in 2016 due to increase in the number of reconstruction surgical procedures being conducted in this region

dominated the market in 2016 due to increase in the number of reconstruction surgical procedures being conducted in this region Asia Pacific is projected to exhibit fastest CAGR over the forecast period due to increase in road accidents and trauma cases in this region and developing healthcare infrastructure

is projected to exhibit fastest CAGR over the forecast period due to increase in road accidents and trauma cases in this region and developing healthcare infrastructure Some of the major companies in the market are Mentor Worldwide LLC; Sientra, Inc.; Allergan; GROUPE SEBBIN SAS; Eurosilicone; and KOKEN CO., LTD.

Browse related reports by Grand View Research:

Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Devices Market -https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/gastrointestinal-endoscopic-devices-market

Kidney Fibrosis Treatment Market - https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/kidney-fibrosis-treatment-market

Aesthetic Lasers and Energy Devices Market - https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/aesthetic-lasers-and-energy-devices-market

Contrast Agent Market - https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/contrast-agent-market

Grand View Research has segmented the tissue expanders market on the basis of application, shape, end use, and region:

Tissue Expanders Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Breast Reconstruction Two-stage Breast Reconstruction Single-stage Breast Reconstruction Forehead Skin & Scalp Reconstruction Face & Neck Reconstruction Others

Tissue Expanders Shape Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Anatomical Round Rectangular Crescent Others

Tissue Expanders End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Hospitals Cosmetology Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Tissue Expanders Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Asia Pacific Japan China India Latin America Brazil Mexico MEA South Africa Saudi Arabia



Read Our Blog By Grand View Research: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/blogs/healthcare

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. Thecompany provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc

Phone: +1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com



Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com
Wavefront Global Market Entry Program helps bring Skkynet's Industrial IoT and Industrie 4.0 solutions to industry leaders in Taiwan and Japan

MISSISSAUGA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 12, 2017 / Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. ("Skkynet" or "the Company") (OTCQB: SKKY), a global leader in real-time cloud information systems, is pleased to report that Skkynet was part of the Wavefront Global Market Entry Program, Taiwan & Japan 2017, from November 26 through December 1. The trip included networking receptions and one-on-one meetings with high-level decision makers in key Industrial IoT and Industrie 4.0 associations and industries in Taipei, Osaka, and Tokyo, as well as attending the System Control Fair & Measurement Control Show (SCF 2017) in Tokyo.

"Wavefront opened some valuable opportunities by connecting us to the right people at the appropriate level for each company we visited," said Paul Thomas, President of Skkynet. "Both Japan and Taiwan are actively pursuing Industrie 4.0 and Industrial IoT initiatives, and these executives and leaders of thought expressed a keen interest in our end-to-end SaaS for real-time data that is secure by design."

"Skkynet's innovative technology and proven solutions for smart manufacturing, IoT, and embedded systems perfectly address the growing needs of industry in Taiwan and Japan," said Geoff Ledingham, Manager, Global Services at Wavefront. "We were pleased to assist them in entering these markets at just the right time."

Skkynet's delegation demonstrated how their software-based solutions allow industrial and embedded systems to securely network live data in real time from any location. These solutions include enabling bidirectional supervisory control, integration and sharing of data with multiple users, and real-time access to selected data sets in a web browser, either on-site or remotely over insecure networks such as the Internet.

"In less than a week we met a wide range of people, and were able to share our vision of the most reliable way to implement Industrial IoT to solve real-world problems," said Thomas. "Pretty much everyone we talked to was open to considering new methods for high-speed data integration and secure remote access, to gain advantage in the coming era of Industrie 4.0 and Industrial IoT applications."

Skkynet's DataHub middleware, SkkyHub service, and ETK provide secure access to industrial data, allowing users to fully integrate OT (operations technology) with IT systems and other applications anywhere in the world. Secure by design, it requires no VPN, no open firewall ports, no special programming, and no additional hardware. Secure integration of embedded devices, on-premise systems, and remote locations through seamless, end-to-end connectivity in real time lets users derive maximum value from Industrial IoT and Industrie 4.0.

About Wavefront

Wavefront is Canada's leader in transforming business through mobile and IoT innovation. It is a centre for commercialization for companies in the wireless and IoT technologies space. Wavefront's vision is to build a globally relevant, nationally connected ecosystem that delivers digital capacity, competitiveness and prosperity for Canadians.

About Skkynet

Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (OTCQB: SKKY) is a global leader in real-time cloud information systems. The Skkynet Connected Systems platform includes the award-winning SkkyHub service, DataHub, WebView, and Embedded Toolkit (ETK) software. The platform enables real-time data connectivity for industrial, embedded, and financial systems, with no programming required. Skkynet's platform is uniquely positioned for the "Internet of Things" and "Industry 4.0" because unlike the traditional approach for networked systems, SkkyHub is secure-by-design. For more information, see https://skkynet.com.

Safe Harbor

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, and results of new business opportunities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, such as the inherent uncertainties associated with new business opportunities and development stage companies. Skkynet assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements. Although Skkynet believes that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Investors should refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in Skkynet's annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact

Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc.

Paul E. Thomas, President

Office: (888) 628-2028

Fax: (888) 705-5366

Web: https://skkynet.com

Email: ir@skkynet.com

SOURCE: Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc.
Phase 3 ALCYONE data for daratumumab in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone significantly improved progression-free survival and response rates

Data featured as late-breaker at ASH 2017 (Abstract LBA-4) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine

Janssen-Cilag International NV ("Janssen") today announced data from the Phase 3 ALCYONE study, showing Darzalex (daratumumab) in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone (VMP) significantly improved clinical outcomes, including reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 50 percent, in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).1 These data were accepted as a late-breaking abstract (LBA) for presentation at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, today at 7:30 a.m. ET (Abstract LBA-4).1 Study findings were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)2

Daratumumab is currently indicated for use in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy;3 and as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, whose prior therapy included a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and an immunomodulatory agent, and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy.3

"These Phase 3 results for daratumumab demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements with a manageable safety profile," said Dr. Maria-Victoria Mateos, Ph.D., lead ALCYONE study investigator and Director of the Myeloma Unit at University Hospital of Salamanca-IBSAL Salamanca, Spain. "Selecting the right treatment regimen is critical for patients who are newly diagnosed, especially if they are transplant ineligible, as these patients tend to be older and more frail. These findings strongly support this daratumumab frontline regimen as a new standard of care for transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma."

At a median follow-up of 16.5 months, daratumumab-VMP reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 50 percent, compared to treatment with VMP alone (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.50; 95 percent CI [0.38-0.65], p<0.0001).1 The median progression free survival (PFS) for daratumumab-VMP had not yet been reached, compared to an estimated median PFS of 18.1 months for patients who received VMP alone.1

In addition to reducing the risk of disease progression or death, daratumumab significantly improved the overall response rate (ORR) (90.9 percent vs. 73.9 percent) compared to VMP alone, including more than doubling rates of stringent complete response (sCR) (18 percent vs. 7 percent) and significantly improving rates of very good partial response (VGPR) or better (71 percent vs. 50 percent) and complete response (CR) or better (43 percent vs. 24 percent).1 Patients receiving daratumumab also reported a more than three-fold increase in the minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate (22 percent vs. 6 percent) compared to those who received VMP alone.1

The most common (=10 percent) Grade 3/4 treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were neutropenia (40 percent vs. 39 percent), thrombocytopenia (34 percent vs. 38 percent), anaemia (16 percent vs. 20 percent) and pneumonia (11 percent vs. 4 percent).1 One patient in each arm discontinued treatment due to pneumonia and 0.9 percent of patients discontinued daratumumab due to an infection.1,4 Twenty-eight percent of patients experienced IRRs due to daratumumab, and most IRRs occurred during the first infusion.1,4 In the daratumumab-VMP arm, 42 percent of patients experienced a serious adverse event (SAE), compared to 33 percent in the VMP arm. The most common (=2 percent) SAEs (daratumumab-VMP vs. VMP) were pneumonia (10 percent vs. 3 percent), anaemia (2 percent vs. 3 percent), bronchitis (2 percent vs. 1 percent), upper respiratory tract infection (2 percent vs. 1 percent), cardiac failure (<1 percent vs. 2 percent) and febrile neutropenia (1 percent vs. 2 percent).4

"This is the third Phase 3 study in which daratumumab has demonstrated a consistent doubling of progression free survival when combined with standard regimens,'" said Dr Catherine Taylor, Haematology Therapeutic Area Lead, Janssen Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "The ALCYONE study results showed the clinical benefit daratumumab offers to treatment naive patients in the non-transplant setting."

On November 21, 2017, Janssen submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking to expand the existing marketing authorisation for daratumumab in combination with VMP for this patient population.5 If approved, this would be the first indication for daratumumab in the frontline setting.

On November 21, 2017, Janssen also submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for daratumumab in this patient population. Janssen requested Priority Review of this sBLA, which would shorten FDA review to six months, compared to ten months for Standard Review. If approved, this would be the fifth indication for daratumumab in the U.S.6

ENDS#

About the ALCYONE Trial1

The randomised, open-label, multicentre Phase 3 ALCYONE (MMY3007) study enrolled 706 newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma who were ineligible for high-dose chemotherapy with ASCT. In the daratumumab-VMP arm, the median (range) age was 71 (40-93) years; 30 percent were =75 years and 46 percent were male.1 Patients were randomised to receive nine cycles of either daratumumab combined with VMP, or VMP alone.1 In the daratumumab-VMP arm, patients received 16 mg/kg of daratumumab once weekly for six weeks (cycle 1; 1 cycle 42 days), followed by once every three weeks (cycles 2-9). Following the nine cycles, patients in the daratumumab-VMP arm continued to receive 16 mg/kg of daratumumab once every four weeks until disease progression.1

About Daratumumab

Daratumumab is a first-in-class biologic targeting CD38, a surface protein that is highly expressed across multiple myeloma cells, regardless of disease stage.7,8,9 Daratumumab is believed to induce tumour cell death through multiple immune-mediated mechanisms of action, including complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), as well as through apoptosis, in which a series of molecular steps in a cell lead to its death.3 A subset of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), CD38+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and CD38+ B cells (Bregs) were decreased by daratumumab.3 Daratumumab is being evaluated in a comprehensive clinical development program across a range of treatment settings in multiple myeloma, such as in frontline and relapsed settings.10-18 Additional studies are ongoing or planned to assess its potential for a solid tumour indication and in other malignant and pre-malignant diseases in which CD38 is expressed, such as smouldering myeloma.19-22 For more information, please see www.clinicaltrials.gov.

For further information on daratumumab, please see the Summary of Product Characteristics at http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/004077/WC500207296.pdf.

In August 2012, Janssen Biotech, Inc. and Genmab A/S entered a worldwide agreement, which granted Janssen an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialise daratumumab.23

About Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and is characterised by an excessive proliferation of plasma cells.24 MM is the second most common form of blood cancer, with around 39,000 new cases worldwide in 2012.25 MM most commonly affects people over the age of 65 and is more common in men than in women.26 The most recent five-year survival data for 2000-2007 show that across Europe, up to half of newly diagnosed patients do not reach five-year survival.27 Almost 29% of patients with MM will die within one year of diagnosis.28

Although treatment may result in remission, unfortunately, patients will most likely relapse as there is currently no cure.29 While some patients with MM have no symptoms at all, most patients are diagnosed due to symptoms that can include bone problems, low blood counts, calcium elevation, kidney problems or infections.30 Patients who relapse after treatment with standard therapies, including PIs and immunomodulatory agents, have poor prognoses and few treatment options available.31

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science. We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com/emea. Follow us at www.twitter.com/janssenEMEA for our latest news.

Cilag GmbH International; Janssen Biotech, Inc.; Janssen Oncology, Inc. and Janssen-Cilag International NV are part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson Johnson.

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the potential of daratumumab and expectations for its further development. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen-Cilag International NV, any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and/or Johnson Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 1, 2017, including under "Item 1A. Risk Factors," its most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including under the caption "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements," and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.govwww.jnj.com or on request from Johnson Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies or Johnson Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

References

1. Mateos MV, Dimopoulos MA, Cavo M, et al. Phase 3 randomized study of daratumumab plus bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (D-VMP) versus bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (VMP) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients (Pts) ineligible for transplant (ALCYONE). Presented at 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 9-12 December 2017; abstract LBA-4.

2. Mateos MV, et al. Daratumumab plus bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone for untreated myeloma. N Engl J Med. 2017. Available at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1714678?query=featured_home. Last accessed December 2017.

3. European Medicines Agency. DARZALEX summary of product characteristics, August 2017. Available at: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/004077/WC500207296.pdf Last accessed December 2017.

4. Mateos MV, Dimopoulos MA, Cavo M, et al. Phase 3 randomized study of daratumumab plus bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (D-VMP) versus bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (VMP) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients (Pts) ineligible for transplant (ALCYONE). Oral presentation at 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 9-12 December 2017.

5. Janssen. Janssen seeks expanded use of DARZALEX? (daratumumab) from EMA in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Press release 21 November 2017. Available at: http://www.janssen.com/emea/sites/www_janssen_com_emea/files/dara_ema_frontline_combination_filing_press_release_final_emea_approved_2017_11_21.pdf Last accessed December 2017.

6. Janssen. Janssen submits application to U.S. FDA to expand indication for DARZALEX (daratumumab) combination therapy for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are transplant ineligible. Press release November 21, 2017. Available at: https://www.jnj.com/media-center/press-releases/janssen-submits-application-to-us-fda-to-expand-indication-for-darzalex-daratumumab-combination-therapy-for-patients-with-newly-diagnosed-multiple-myeloma-who-are-transplant-ineligible Last accessed December 2017.

7. Fedele G, di Girolamo M, Recine U, et al. CD38 ligation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of myeloma patients induces release of protumorigenic IL-6 and impaired secretion of IFNgamma cytokines and proliferation. Mediat Inflamm. 2013;2013:564687.

8. Lin P, Owens R, Tricot G, et al. Flow cytometric immunophenotypic analysis of 306 cases of multiple myeloma. Am J Clin Pathol. 2004;121:482-8.

9. Santoconito AM, Consoli U, Bagnato S, et al. Flow cytometric detection of aneuploid CD38++ plasmacells and CD19+ B-lymphocytes in bone marrow, peripheral blood and PBSC harvest in multiple myeloma patients. Leuk Res. 2004;28:469-77.

10. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study comparing daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. NCT02076009. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02076009 Last accessed December 2017.

11. ClinicalTrials.gov. Addition of daratumumab to combination of bortezomib and dexamethasone in participants with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. NCT02136134. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02136134 Last accessed December 2017.

12. ClinicalTrials.gov. A Study to evaluate daratumumab in transplant eligible participants with previously untreated multiple myeloma (Cassiopeia). NCT02541383. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02541383 Last accessed December 2017.

13. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study of combination of daratumumab and Velcade (bortezomib) melphalan-prednisone (DVMP) compared to Velcade melphalan-prednisone (VMP) in participants with previously untreated multiple myeloma. NCT02195479. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02195479 Last accessed December 2017.

14. ClinicalTrials.gov. Study comparing daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in participants with previously untreated multiple myeloma. NCT02252172. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02252172 Last accessed December 2017.

15. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study of VELCADE (bortezomib) melphalan-prednisone (VMP) compared to daratumumab in combination with VMP (D-VMP), in participants with previously untreated multiple myeloma who are ineligible for high-dose therapy (Asia Pacific Region). NCT03217812. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03217812 Last accessed December 2017.

16. ClinicalTrials.gov. Compare progression free survival btw daratumumab/pomalidomide/dexamethasone vs pomalidomide/dexamethasone (EMN14). NCT03180736. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03180736 Last accessed December 2017.

17. ClincalTrials.gov. Study of carfilzomib, daratumumab and dexamethasone for patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma. (CANDOR). NCT03158688. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03158688 Last accessed December 2017.

18. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study of subcutaneous versus (vs.) intravenous administration of daratumumab in participants with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. NCT03277105. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03277105 Last accessed December 2017.

19. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study of daratumumab in combination with atezolizumab compared with atezolizumab alone in participants with previously treated advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (DARZALEX). NCT03023423. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03023423 Last accessed December 2017.

20. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study to evaluate 3 dose schedules of daratumumab in participants with smoldering multiple myeloma. NCT02316106. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02316106 Last accessed December 2017.

21. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of daratumumab in participants with relapsed or refractory natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL), nasal type. NCT02927925. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02927925 Last accessed December 2017.

22. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of daratumumab in combination with cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (CyBorD) compared to CyBorD alone in newly diagnosed systemic amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis. NCT03201965. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03201965 Last accessed December 2017.

23. Johnson Johnson. Janssen Biotech announces global license and development agreement for investigational anti-cancer agent daratumumab. Press release August 30, 2012. Available at: http://www.investor.jnj.com/releaseDetail.cfm?releaseid=703517 Last accessed December 2017.

24. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Multiple myeloma: overview. Available at: http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma/overview Last accessed December 2017.

25. GLOBOCAN 2012. Multiple myeloma. Available at: http://globocan.iarc.fr/old/burden.asp'selection_pop=62968&Textp=Europe&selection_cancer=17270&Text-c=Multiple+myeloma&pYear=13&type=0&window=1&submit=%C2%A0Execute Last accessed December 2017.

26. American Cancer Society. Multiple myeloma: causes, risk factors and prevention. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/CRC/PDF/Public/8739.00.pdf Last accessed December 2017.

27. De Angelis R, Minicozzi P, Sant M, et al. Survival variations by country and age for lymphoid and myeloid malignancies in Europe 2000-2007: results of EUROCARE-5 population-based study. Eur J Cancer. 2015;51:2254-68.

28. Costa LJ, Gonsalves WI, Kumar SK. Early mortality in multiple myeloma. Leukemia. 2015;29:1616-8.

29. Abdi J, Chen G, Chang H, et al. Drug resistance in multiple myeloma: latest findings and new concepts on molecular mechanisms Oncotarget. 2013;4:2186-207.

30. American Cancer Society. Multiple myeloma: early detection, diagnosis and staging. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/CRC/PDF/Public/8740.00.pdf Last accessed December 2017.

31. Kumar SK, Lee JH, Lahuerta JJ, et al. Risk of progression and survival in multiple myeloma relapsing after therapy with IMiDs and bortezomib: a multicenter international myeloma working group study. Leukemia. 2012;26:149-57.

PHEM/DAR/1117/0005

December 2017

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005749/en/

Contacts:

Janssen

Media Inquiries:

Natalie Buhl

Mobile: +353 (0)85-744-6696

Email: nbuhl@its.jnj.com

or

Investor Relations:

Lesley Fishman

Phone: 1-732-524-3922
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 -- Glen Eagle Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: GER) ("Glen Eagle" or the "Company") reports operations at Cobra Oro processing plant have continued normally since the General Elections held on November 26, 2017. Uncertainty regarding the outcome of the election for President, where vote counting has remained ongoing until recently, has resulted in demonstrations in various part of the country.

On Monday, December 11, 2017, the President has been officially reelected with his Party having won a majority in Congress, a new polical achievement.

To date, the election had no material impact on Cobra Oro's operations and the Company continues to ship dore bars as usual to Metalor, its principal buyer.

It is also important to note that "El Mochito" mine has seen their operations ongoing in Honduras for the last 50 years, irrespective of the government in place. To that effect, the current opposition leader, Salvadore Nasrella has pronounced a very pro-mining speech when campaigning in Choluteca. The Company remains very pleased with its operations and investment in Choluteca, an area of the country known for its stability, economic growth and little delinquency.

The Company is also pleased to announce that the new ball mill has been installed and is currently being tested. Click on the link to visualize the latest pictures.

"Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."

Values in the news release are quoted in canadian dollars.

Contacts:

Glen Eagle Resources Inc.

Jean Labrecque

President

514-808-9807




SEOUL (dpa-AFX) - Litecoin, the fourth largest cryptocurrency by value, that has been considered as a fork of digital sibling Bitcoin, has reached an all-time high price Tuesday, up by more than 6900 percent of its value at the beginning of this year. At one stage, Litecoin was trading at $299.93, an increase of approximately 73 percent in 24 hours. After starting out 2017 at $4.33, this new record value represented a Year-To-Date return of roughly 6900 percent. Analysts have cited many reasons for Litecoin's phenomenal rise in 2017 such as the influence of bitcoin's rise, increased interest from Asian investors and Litecoin's faster transaction speeds than bitcoin. Meanwhile, South Korea's top financial regulators have indicated that they are considering a possible ban on all cryptocurrency transactions. Yonhap news agency quoted Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Choi Jong-ku as saying that the restriction is aimed at minimizing side effects of bitcoin transactions and reducing speculative investment. Indonesia and Bangladesh have banned the use of bitcoin as a payment tool, while the central banks of China and India have warned investors against betting on bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Despite increased scrutiny and regulation across the globe, the price of bitcoin has soared 1700 percent since the start of 2017. The first ever bitcoin future trading in the world made its debut on a major U.S. exchange Sunday evoking immense response from traders. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
CAMPBELL, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 -- Renovo, a technology company that builds automated mobility operating systems, today announced its collaboration with Samsung Electronics on the development of highly-automated vehicle technology. The collaboration, which has been underway since the beginning of the year, will enable the Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center (SSIC) Smart Machines Group to use Renovo's AWare operating system in its first fleet of test vehicles in California.

Renovo's AWare, the first OS built specifically for automated mobility on demand (AMoD), brings together heterogeneous systems safely and securely, and will help accelerate the development of highly automated vehicles at scale. AWare is already powering vehicles being tested on private and public roads today, and will continue to support additional AMoD pilot deployments in 2018.

Renovo is working to realize a world in which, at the touch of a button, automated vehicles take us on safe, convenient and enjoyable urban journeys at extremely low cost. Like Samsung, the company believes that this will only be possible through open innovation and collaboration: the diverse technologies used by car companies, fleets, electronics suppliers, networks, artificial intelligence providers, and other application centers must be interoperable for automated vehicles to function safely on our roads.

"We are delighted to have Samsung as a partner and investor, and to work with them to develop the highly automated vehicles that will reshape mobility in the coming years," said Chris Heiser, Co-Founder and CEO of Renovo. "Samsung is a global technology leader that helped disrupt the entire communications industry as traditional flip phones became the smartphones we use today. With a similar transformation coming to the mobility sector, Samsung was the first and obvious choice for Renovo to partner with as a technology collaborator and investor. Samsung's recent announcements about their activities in the mobility sector underscore their commitment to it. We look forward to continuing to work together to develop and bring to market highly automated vehicle technology and solutions."

"Renovo is working on the cutting edge of mobility -- building a robust and scalable operating system for the next generation of automated vehicles which we are using in our test vehicles. Their vision aligns with our mission at Samsung, creating open technologies that foster collaboration, and lead to safer, smarter vehicles," said John Absmeier, Senior Vice President of HARMAN Autonomous/ADAS Strategic Business Unit and Vice President of Smart Machines for Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center. "Automation is transforming the mobility experience, and it requires that the automotive industry come together to create a truly safe, open, and interoperable ecosystem. Renovo's expert team is working to make that happen."

Samsung has already, through its other funds, partnered with and invested in a number of innovative automotive companies that will help create smarter, safer, connected vehicles.

About Renovo

Renovo is a mobility software company accelerating innovation in Automated Mobility on Demand (AMoD). AWare is Renovo's scalable Automated Mobility Operating System (AMOS) which merges software, data analytics, and automotive-grade safety systems into a unified solution for AMoD deployments. The company combines Silicon Valley agility with proven automotive capabilities, united through a singular commitment to transform the way people and things move. Visit renovo.auto

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.

Media Contacts:



Mike West

Renovo

+1 (760) 567-6459

Email Contact



Daniel Yoo

Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center

Tel: +1-408-544-4262

Email Contact




Company honored for its continued commitment to delivering a world-class global recognition program

Globoforce, a leading provider of social recognition and performance solutions, was named the "Premier Supplier of the Year" by its customer Eaton Corporation.

Eaton, which works with 50,000 suppliers globally, uses its Premier Supplier Award to honor strategic partners that exhibit integrity, teamwork, innovation, and performance. This year, Eaton recognized Globoforce for powering Eaton's recognition program, E-STAR, for more than 95,000 employees around the world.

"Eaton has always been an advocate of the impact of gratitude and positivity in the workplace," said Chris French, vice president of customer success, Globoforce. "We are proud of and thankful for our long-standing partnership and this honor, which is a testament to our commitment to always going above and beyond for our customers. I am also incredibly proud of the Globoforce team who works tirelessly to make programs like Eaton's a central part of their culture."

"We have high standards when it comes to selecting partners," said Dee Otts, vice president of compensation, Eaton. "For our employee recognition program, we were looking for a partner that would help us provide a consistent, global recognition experience, shape our culture and demonstrate the ROI of our recognition program. We view the Globoforce team as an extension of our team and know they always have our best interest top of mind. Their commitment to integrity, teamwork, innovation and performance is truly stellar. We look forward to our continued partnership as we create a more human workplace at Eaton."

In 2013, Eaton partnered with Globoforce to launch E-STAR, its global social recognition solution for every employee in the organization with the goal to increase employee engagement and retention, and make it easier to offer culturally relevant awards around the world.

About Eaton

Eaton is a power management company with 2016 sales of $19.7 billion. We provide energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton is dedicated to improving the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services. Eaton has approximately 96,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit Eaton.com.

About Globoforce

Pioneer of the WorkHuman movement, Globoforce helps make work more human for millions of people and organizations worldwide. Its cloud-based social recognition and continuous performance development solutions helps build award-winning cultures where employees feel more appreciated and socially connected at work driving a sense of belonging and inspiring the entire organization to reach its full potential and achieve business success. Founded in 1999, the company is headquartered in Framingham, Mass., and Dublin, Ireland.

To learn more:

Visit: http://www.globoforce.com

Read: http://globoforce.com/globoblog

Follow: Twitter @Globoforce LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/globoforce Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/globoforce



View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005251/en/

Contacts:

Globoforce

Shweta Agarwal, 508-229-1541

Senior Manager, Public Relations

Shweta.Agarwal@globoforce.com
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 -- Yorbeau Resources Inc. (TSX: YRB) (the "Company" or "Yorbeau") is pleased to announce the acquisition of the KB property located in McCorkill township 35 kilometres east of the town of Chibougamau. The property (locally known also as "Kill Bill") is comprised of 30 claims covering 16.7 square kilometres located in the eastern limit of the Abitibi belt of Quebec (Figure 1). The property is easily accessible through an excellent network of logging roads.

The KB project is considered to be highly prospective for zinc and copper due to the presence of an historic prospect and of drill intercepts associated with a massive sulphide stratigraphic horizon hosted within mafic and felsic volcanics. The property appears to have a geological setting similar to that found at Yorbeau's Scott project, including high grade VMS-style mineralization, presence of felsic tuffs, and potential for high synvolcanic heat flow resulting from the proximity of the Lac Dore (synvolcanic) Complex (Figure 1).

To view Figure 1, please click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure1_Yorbeau.pdf

According to Government files, historical drilling done by Icon Sullivan in 1965 yielded up to 1.9% copper and 11.0% zinc over a core length of 1.0 metre of massive sulphides. Recent trenching and channel sampling of the massive sulphide horizon done in 2012 by vendor Ressources Tectonic Inc yielded an average of 1.4% Cu, 8.1% Zn and 51.5 g/t Ag over a thickness of 0.8 metres. A series of grab samples taken from that trench by geological staff of Cogitore Resources in late 2012 yielded similar results with, in addition, an average gold grade of t 2.2 g/t Au. Note that grab samples are selective by nature and values reported may not be representative of the whole mineralized horizon. Individual assays for the Cogitore sampling are shown in the table below:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- sample %Cu %Zn g/t Au g/t Ag ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23412 2.09 11.50 0.13 51.8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23413 1.05 5.73 0.05 31.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23414 1.48 12.95 0.34 66.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23415 0.91 6.67 8.25 72.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- average 1.4 9.2 2.2 56 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mineralization in the above samples consists of banded massive sulphides containing pyrrhotite, pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite.

The KB project was acquired by the signing of an option agreement to acquire a 100% interest from private company Les Ressources Tectonic ("Tectonic"). The option agreement includes total cumulative cash payments of $200,000 and exploration expenditures of $750,000 over a three year period. Except for an initial $30,000 cash payment already made upon signing and the first $150,000 in exploration expenditures, all payments and expenditures are optional. Tectonic would retain a 1% NSR production royalty, which can be bought back entirely at any time for $1.5 million.

Gerald Riverin, President of Yorbeau Resources, commented: "With the current positive outlook for zinc and the recently announced positive Preliminary Economic Assessment at the Scott project, zinc prospects in the Chibougamau mining camp with features similar to the Scott mineralization become strategic for the Company. In spite of local high grade zinc mineralization at surface, the KB project has never been drilled below 150 metres vertical, and has yet to be explored using modern volcanogenic massive sulphides concepts. With the Scott project, our technical team has developed considerable expertise in this type of mineralization in the Chibougamau Camp, and the Company is looking forward to initiate exploration on the new project."

Yorbeau is currently planning an exploration program on the KB property that is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2018. The forthcoming program will include an airborne geophysical survey followed by field reconnaissance and possibly some trenching prior to drilling.

The samples taken by Cogitore in 2012 were shipped in sample bags to the ALS Chemex laboratory in Val d'Or, Quebec for sample preparation and analysis with appropriate standards, duplicates and replicates used for quality control purposes.

Mr. Gerald Riverin, PhD, P. Geo., a qualified person (as defined by NI 43-101), has reviewed and approved the content of this release. (Note: some of the former Cogitore staff involved in the sampling are now part of the Yorbeau team and the Company has access to all the previous Cogitore sampling data and assay certificates). The sampling done by Cogitore in 2012 was done by Francis Lefebvre, P.Geo., under the supervision of Sylvain Lepine, P.Geo, now an employee of Yorbeau.

About Yorbeau Resources Inc.

The Company's 100% controlled Rouyn Property contains four known gold deposits in the 6-km-long Augmitto-Astoria corridor situated on the western half of the property. Two of the four deposits, Astoria and Augmitto, have substantial underground infrastructure and have been the subject of NI 43-101 technical reports that include resource estimates. In 2015, the Company expanded its exploration property portfolio by acquiring strategic base metal properties in prospective areas of the Abitibi Belt of Quebec and Ontario that also feature infrastructure favourable for mining development. The newly acquired base metal properties include Scott Lake which hosts important mineral resources and on which a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment was recently completed.

More information on the Company may be found on the Company's website at www.yorbeauresources.com.

Forward-looking statements: Except for statement of historical fact, all statements in this news release, without limitation, regarding new projects, acquisitions, future plans and objectives are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Contacts:

Yorbeau Resources Inc.

Gerald Riverin, Ph D., P. Geo

President

819-279-1336

griverin@yorbeauresources.com



G. Bodnar Jr.

Vice President

514-384-2202

gbodnar@yorbeauresources.com

Toll free in North America: 1-855-384-2202




NEWARK, Calif., 2017-12-12 15:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neato Robotics, leader in smart robots for the home, today announced the appointment of new CEO Matt Petersen, effective January 1st, 2018. Petersen has sat on the Neato board since 2014. Petersen currently is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of JAFRA Cosmetics International, a Vorwerk owned subsidiary. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6271e9c8-ac52-402c-9245-9e05f cb4ca36 Current CEO, Giacomo Marini, will step down after five years. Under his tenure, Neato has grown substantially and has launched innovative products with cutting edge technology, including the full Botvac Connected product line of robot vacuums. The tremendous amount of success during this period led to the acquisition by Vorwerk. Marini has been a Director at Neato since 2006, Chairman since 2007, Executive Chairman 2011-2013, and Chairman and CEO since February 2013. Marini comments on the appointment, "I'm pleased to hand over this position to Matt to lead the company into its next chapter. I have been thrilled to see the company grow over the last 11 years, and to have recently launched our most powerful, intuitive and connected robot vacuum yet at IFA 2017." Petersen adds, "Giacomo has been an outstanding CEO and deserves a wealth of credit for his accomplishments. I'm honored to have been asked to lead this fantastic team at Neato. We will continue to innovate products, and push boundaries in the smart home space." In Petersen's current position and as a member of JAFRA's Management Board, he leads the Worldwide Marketing and R&D teams in strengthening the JAFRA brand and optimizing business results. After receiving his B.A. degree from Boston College and beginning his career with the Walt Disney Company, Petersen gained extensive leadership experience through diverse marketing roles at Mattel and PepsiCo. Prior to joining JAFRA, Petersen held numerous high-level positions at Mattel and was most recently Vice President of U.S. Marketing, a role in which he was responsible for strategy and marketing programs. Previous roles proved his creativity and passion for marketing while demonstrating his strengths in global branding, consumer-focused creative, portfolio development and product packaging design. Petersen will step down from his roles at JAFRA as part of the transition to CEO at Neato. This appointment follows the acquisition of Neato Robotics by Vorwerk in September 2017. The goal of the acquisition is to continue the company's focus on growth, innovation and market expansion. Neato will be attending CES 2018 in Las Vegas, hosting a Neato Smartlife Open House, to showcase the Neato Connected product line. About Neato Neato Robotics designs robots for the home to improve people's lives, allowing them to spend less time doing household chores and more time on the things they love. Neato drives innovation with intelligent laser navigation, smart home connectivity, and superior cleaning technologies. Neato was recently recognized for its leadership, culture and dedication to its employees by being named to the Bay Area News Group's 2017 list of the "Top 100 Workplaces" in the San Francisco area that is based on employee feedback. Most recently, at IFA Showstoppers 2017, Neato won the Innovation Award for Smart Home & Appliances for new flagship model - Neato Botvac D7 Connected. For more information, visit: www.neatorobotics.com. Please join Neato Robotics on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Media Contact: Aparna Aswani Director of Global Communications +1.415.699.8331 press@neatorobotics.com
Further enabling best-in-class Source to Pay solutions

Tradeshift, the world's largest business commerce platform, today announced a partnership with Infosys BPO, the Business Process Outsourcing subsidiary of Infosys Limited (NYSE: INFY). Tradeshift's cloud-based platform, coupled with Infosys' business process management expertise across the Finance, Accounting and Procurement domains, will further enable clients to digitize their source-to-pay and other supply chain processes.

Highlights of the partnership:

Benefits for customers include further reduced costs, improved agility, and process efficiency

Customers will be able to take advantage of early payment discounts, remove manual paper-based processes, build custom applications, and help meet their transactional digital transformation objectives

Infosys will deploy these capabilities across clients first in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and China

"We look forward to this exciting journey of combining Infosys' deep domain and process expertise with our B2B commerce platform," said John Sibley, Vice President, Global Alliances and Channels, Tradeshift "This partnership will provide greater transparency and agility, along with a compelling value proposition to suppliers and buyers alike, on various touch points in the source to pay lifecycle."

"In today's disruptive environment, platform-based 'Business Process As-a-Service' models have become integral to the Business Process Management (BPM) industry," said Anantha Radhakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Infosys BPO. "This partnership with Tradeshift will further amplify Infosys BPO's leadership position through the combination of 'software services' in Procurement and Finance and Accounting. This collaboration will help augment our experience and expertise in transformative Business Process Management and enable us to further deliver tremendous business outcome benefits to our clients."

About Tradeshift

Founded in 2010, Tradeshift is the world's largest business commerce platform that connects buyers and sellers. Tradeshift connects over 1.5 million companies across 190 countries, is on track to process over half a trillion USD in transaction value, and has a marketplace containing 28 million SKUs. It offers solutions for procure to pay, supplier engagement and financial services, and enables companies and partners to build custom or commercial apps on its business commerce platform. Tradeshift is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Copenhagen, New York, London, Paris, Suzhou, Tokyo, Munich, Frankfurt, Sydney, Bucharest, Oslo, Stockholm, and Kuala Lumpur.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in technology services and consulting. We enable clients in 45 countries to create and execute strategies for their digital transformation. From engineering to application development, knowledge management and business process management, we help our clients find the right problems to solve, and to solve these effectively. Our team of 198,000+ innovators, across the globe, is differentiated by the imagination, knowledge and experience, across industries and technologies that we bring to every project we undertake.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise thrive in the digital age.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005532/en/

Contacts:

Tradeshift

Christopher Jablonski, 415-948-9391

Director, Content Communications

cja@tradeshift.com

or

Infosys

PR_Global@infosys.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2017) - Icon Exploration Inc. (TSXV: IEX.H) ("Icon" or "the Company") would like to announce the appointment of Mr. Stephen McNeill to the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board").

Addition to the Icon Board: Mr. Stephen McNeill

Mr. McNeill is managing partner in Q4 Communications, a marketing and digital advertising company. In 2013, Mr. McNeill entered the medical marijuana industry, and has provided communication, community liaison and other consulting services to a number of companies in Ontario and British Columbia that have either received their licence to produce or have sought a license under Health Canada's current Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR") and the former license regime - Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations ("MMPR"). He is a founding director of Georgian Bay Biomed, which is building a large-scale facility in Collingwood, Ontario. Mr. McNeill was involved in the application process, sourcing the company's quality assurance personnel, financing and community liaison.

In early 2017, he was asked to join, as an associate, 3 West Management Group, an Ontario-based consulting firm of pharmaceutical, biomed and medical device experts with over 30 years experience. The team at 3 West has consulted for cannabis producers and applicants on matters related to branding and advertising.

Mr. McNeill spent 30 years in journalism at daily newspapers such as The Globe and Mail and business editor at The Hamilton Spectator. He left the media industry to offer marketing and consulting services as described above.

Icon would like to report that the private placement of units as described in the November 27, 2017 press release is awaiting approval of the NEX Exchange.

Rob Fia, CEO commented:

"We are pleased to add Mr. Stephen McNeill to the Board of Directors of Icon. Stephen has a wealth of experience dating back to the early days of the medical marijuana industry. Stephen's experience working with various stakeholders in the industry will assist Icon as we complete the final leg of due diligence to secure a medical marijuana asset. In additional to the strategic investment by Quinsam Capital Inc. ("Quinsam"), Icon continues to arrange the building blocks to transition the company into the medical marijuana industry."

The Company reports that Mr. John Gamble has resigned from the Board to pursue other business interests. The Board would like to thank Mr. Gamble for his past service.

For further information contact:

Icon Exploration Inc.

Rob Fia, CEO & Director

Email: rfia@iconexploration.net

Tel: 416-722-4994

ABOUT ICON EXPLORATION INC.

Icon is a publicly traded company on the NEX Exchange (TSXV: IEX.H) our primary objective is to create a well-diversified company that will produce long-term returns for its shareholders and investors. Our current focus is on assessing potential acquisition targets in the cannabis industry. www.iconexploration.net

ABOUT QUINSAM CAPITAL CORP.

Quinsam is a merchant bank based in Canada that is focusing on cannabis-related investments. Our merchant banking business may encompass a range of activities including acquisitions, advisory services, lending activities and portfolio investments. Quinsam invests its capital for its own account in assets, companies or projects which we believe are undervalued and where we see a viable plan for unlocking such value. We do not invest on behalf of any third party and we do not offer investment advice.

Generally, Quinsam does not believe that individual investments are material reportable events. Quinsam chooses to announce certain investments once the company is certain that it has finished buying its position because the Company feels that this information helps Quinsam's investors understand its investment decision making process. Generally, Quinsam does not announce the sale of investments.

For further information please contact:

Roger Dent, CEO

(647) 993-5475

roger@quinsamcapital.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statements:

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance and include potential medical marijuana industry acquisitions, the approval for the offering and future capital investment as described in the news release. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to other risks, the Company's potential medical marijuana industry acquisitions may prove to be unsuccessful and the Company may be unable to complete any potential medical marijuana industry acquisition or future capital investment. Further, the Company may not complete any potential medical marijuana industry acquisition on the schedule it expects to complete as described in this news release or attract capital in the future to finance the Company. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES
Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2017) - Blox Labs Inc. (CSE: BLOX) (FSE: BR1B) ("BLOX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, in partnership with Liberty Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: LIB) (OTCQB: LIBFF) (FSE: HN3P) ("LIB"), it has commenced development of "cannaBLOX", a Blockchain-based smart contract supply chain management platform for the legalized Cannabis industry.

The cannaBLOX Blockchain software will aim to ease and obliterate logistical bottlenecks, ensure product safety and quality of supply, minimize fraud and potential criminal activity, and assist with taxation and regulatory compliance across various levels of government within the legalized Cannabis marketplace. Phase 1 development of cannaBLOX has begun and will include, among other things, refining project scope and modelling itemization, an environmental scan of the Canadian Cannabis landscape, cannaBLOX branding, and the completion of a Blockchain Whitepaper. Instrumental to the development of cannaBLOX and the integration of a workable logistics framework will be Jeff Zanini, Director and Senior Advisor to BLOX, who has over 25 years of experience as an accomplished Senior Executive in Canada's logistics sector, along with his BLOX team of industry and technical experts.

Liberty Leaf's wholly-owned subsidiary, North Road Ventures, is a late-stage Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) applicant, focused on the value-added side of the medicinal and legalized cannabis market - product processing, sales and supply chain management. Specifically, North Road aims to be the interface between artisan Cannabis cultivators and licensed retailers, ensuring an efficient and seamless supply of quality dried cannabis, cannabis oils and other related products containing THC and CBD. Will Rascan, President and CEO of LIB, commented, "A vital component of not only our sales and distribution focused model at North Road, but of a nationwide recreational and medical Cannabis landscape, will be the transparent traceability and documentation of Cannabis products across the supply chain." He continued, "As with any pharmaceutical or food grade product, consumers deserve to know that the product they are consuming is of the utmost in quality. We are very excited to be amongst the first movers in applying Blockchain technology to the Cannabis sector as I believe that seed-to-sale provenance verification will quickly become the industry norm."

In a recent request for public feedback from the Government of British Columbia, IBM submitted a proposal suggesting the use of Blockchain technology as a means by which to track and document transactions across the Cannabis supply chain. In a November article from Bloomberg, IBM stated: "This type of transparency would bring a new level of visibility and control to the provincial regulators."

"The use of Blockchain and decentralized application technologies is a natural fit to address the potential pain points that are presented in a complex marketplace such as recreational and medical cannabis," noted Harald Seemann, CEO and Director of BLOX. "Our objective as a technology company is to develop commercial software solutions utilizing emerging trends in Blockchain, Smart Contracts and Decentralized Application Technologies. This partnership with Liberty Leaf on the development of cannaBLOX provides us with an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of two burgeoning and intersecting sectors, Cannabis and Blockchain."

About BLOX Labs

Blox Labs Inc. (CSE: BLOX) (FSE: BR1B) is a boutique technology development company that is focused on creating best-in-class software solutions that are driven by emerging trends in Blockchain, Smart Contracts and Decentralized Application Technologies. BLOX is actively targeting strategic acquisitions of high growth companies in the technology sector and is open to partnerships.

About Liberty Leaf

Liberty Leaf Holdings Ltd. is a Canadian-based public company whose focus is to build and support a diversified portfolio of cannabis-sector businesses, including cultivation, processing, value-added CBD/THC pet products, and supply chain management.

Liberty Leaf also owns 100% of North Road Ventures, a late-stage applicant under Health Canada's Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR), a company focused on product processing, sales and complementary distribution - the value-added spectrum of the business. Furthermore, Liberty Leaf recently announced a 60% interest stake in Just Kush, a late-stage ACMPR applicant and owns complete control over a current Medical Marijuana Access Regulations (MMAR)-licensed production facility.

Blox Labs Inc.

Harald Seemann

Chief Executive Officer

Phone: +1.416.879.1989

Email: ir@bloxlabs.ca

Website: www.bloxlabs.ca

Liberty Leaf Holdings Ltd.

Will Rascan

President & CEO

Phone: +1.778.819.0244

Email: info@libleaf.com

Website: www.libleaf.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation concerning the business of the Company. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of the Company, including future plans for development of technologies by the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2017) - Cornerstone Metals Inc. (TSXV: CCC) ("Cornerstone" or the "Company") announces that it has received from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) its Notice of Intent (NOI) permit to conduct a diamond drill program on its Carlin Vanadium Project near Carlin, Nevada. The Company has posted the required reclamation bond with the BLM and now has authorization to proceed with the program. The Company is making arrangements to start the program before mid December.

The program is designed with 20 vertical HQ holes totaling approximately 1,800m with the objective to in-fill the existing 132 hole drill pattern defining the vanadium deposit for grade and geological model verification. With this in-fill drill program, drill hole density will be approximately 45m spacing for improved confidence.

The Carlin Vanadium Project contains one of the United States' largest known primary deposits of vanadium, an industrial mineral critical to industries ranging from steel to utility scale battery storage technology. The Company's analysis illustrates that the Nevada site's vanadium deposit features a combination of high-quality grade and unsurpassed accessibility.

"We received our drill permit in the record time of three weeks," said President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Cowley. "The speed with which our permit was approved reinforces our view that we are operating in a very favourable jurisdiction with significant infrastructural advantages."

About Cornerstone Metals Inc.

Cornerstone's objective is to advance exploration/development stage copper, precious and strategic minerals properties to production in the Americas. The Company's Management and Board Core Competence is in exploration, permitting, development, construction, and operation of mining projects.

The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Carlin Vanadium Project, which has one of the largest known primary vanadium deposits in the U.S.A. The Carlin Vanadium Project is located in Elko County 22km by road (14 miles) from the town of Carlin, Nevada, and is comprised of 72 contiguous unpatented mineral claims totaling 461 hectares (1,140 acres). The Carlin Vanadium deposit was discovered by Union Carbide Corp. (UCC) in the 1960's, which completed surface mapping, trenching and 152 rotary drill holes in 11,133m (36,525 feet) of drilling. The average drill hole spacing was 60m (200ft) apart within the more densely drilled areas. Drilling indicates a zone of mineralization approximately 55m (180 feet) thick striking north-south over 1,860m (6,100ft) in length and dipping 5-30 east and west averaging 760m (2,500ft) of down dip extent from surface. The mineralized unit is locally exposed on surface, where it cuts topography, but mostly is found at shallow depths, commonly between 15-60m (50-200 ft) below surface.

Cornerstone also owns 100% (subject to 1.5% NSR) of the West Jerome property, near Jerome, Arizona, on the west side of Freeport McMoRan patented lands. The property, in a Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide camp, is a high-grade, massive sulfide target located 2.4 km south of the past-producing United Verde (32 million tons grading 4.4% copper, 1.5 oz/t silver and 0.04 oz/t gold). The West Jerome property has attractive untested drill targets.

ON BEHALF OF CORNERSTONE METALS INC.

per: "Paul Cowley"

CEO & President

For further information contact:

Paul Cowley

(604) 340-7711

pcowley@cornerstonemetals.ca

Technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paul Cowley, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and President and CEO of the Company.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking information

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance and include the Company's ability to meet the conditions required to exercise in full its option to acquire the Carlin Vanadium project. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.
29% Zn Over 51.2 Metres Sampled at the Surface

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2017) - Zinc One Resources Inc. (TSXV: Z) (OTC Pink: ZZOF) (FSE: RH33) ("Zinc One") is pleased to report additional results from an ongoing surface-sampling program at its Bongara Zinc Mine Project in north-central Peru. Highest grades include a surface channel sample (C-008-17) with 31.92% zinc over 32.2 metres, a surface channel sample (C-009-17) that yielded 28.98% zinc over 51.2 metres, and 36.50% zinc over a 6.0-metre depth in an exploration pit (P4-17). They were all located in the southern end of a 1.4-kilometre long trend of zinc mineralization in the area referred to as Mina Grande - Fase C Zone, Click here for map (https://zincone.com/projects/bongara-project/bongarita-mina-chica-samples/).

Jim Walchuck, Zinc One President and CEO commented, "It is important to understand that, as at many areas at the Mina Chica and Bongarita mineralized zones in the northern end of the known mineralization, our pit sampling to date at Fase C did not reach the base, or footwall, of the mineralization. This means that at this time we are unable to accurately determine the apparent thickness of the mineralization in areas with widely-spaced historic drilling, thus providing potential upside for high-grade zinc mineralization. We are optimistic that our surface and pit sampling, combined with the results from our recently-approved drill program, will better delineate and expand the known mineralized zones.

The mineralization of the Fase C zone continues to impress our team with an approximate 100-metre wide zone with high-grade surficial mineralization - a rare and unique combination of two very favourable factors for the development of this project."

Geology and Results

The sampling program commenced at the northern end of the trend of known high-grade, zinc oxide mineralization at or near the surface. The results reported herein include the next phase of samples that are from the Mina Chica zone at the northern end of the trend as well as from the Mina Grande-Fase C zone at the southern end.

The Bongara zinc-oxide mineralization is stratabound and is hosted by carbonate rocks. The host rock at Fase C is principally dolomite and the zinc-oxide mineralization occurs in fractures and as disseminations. Field mapping and observations indicate the mineralization is essentially flat-lying across a north-plunging anticlinal axis at Bongarita, dips approximately 60o eastward along the eastern flank of the anticline at Mina Chica, and appears to be subhorizontal along the anticlinal axis where it possibly plunges southward at Mina Grande - Fase C. Of note is that at the southernmost extent of Fase C, five aligned pits include a soil with anomalous zinc that overlies high-grade, zinc-bearing dolomites whose base was not encountered [click here for map] (https://zincone.com/projects/bongara-project/bongarita-mina-chica-samples/); this geometry supports the notion that many of the pits along the 1.4-kilometre trend whose samples yielded only anomalous zinc may be overlying high-grade zinc zones that were not reached, thus providing for further upside potential. Furthermore, the other pits and surface samples at Fase C, which are located approximately 200 metres northwest of the aforementioned pits, demonstrate that mineralization, whose base was not penetrated, extends at least 125 metres in a northeasterly trend, and is almost 100 metres wide; within this corridor, three historical inclined drill holes are known to have intercepted between 15 and 21 metres (not true thickness) of high-grade zinc mineralization. The tables below highlight select results from Mina Chica and Fase C Zones. Since the true strike and dip of the stratabound mineralization are not certain, the sample thicknesses from the pits do not necessarily represent the true thickness of the mineralized body. Additional maps and a summary of all results are available at www.zincone.com.

MINA CHICA ZONE

Channel/Pit ID From

(m) To

(m) Length/Thickness

(m) % Zn % Pb Pit Thickness

(m) % Zn PT6-17 0.00 1.00 1.00 24.93 0.04 PT6-17 1.00 2.00 1.00 18.25 0.05 2.00 21.59 P331-17 0.00 1.00 1.00 20.21 0.05 P331-17 1.00 2.00 1.00 29.50 0.04 P331-17 2.00 3.00 1.00 38.61 0.01 P331-17 3.00 4.00 1.00 18.55 0.02 P331-17 4.00 5.00 1.00 20.87 0.02 5.00 25.55

MINA GRANDE FASE C ZONE

Channel/Pit ID From

(m) To

(m) Length/Thickness

(m) % Zn % Pb Pit Thickness

(m) % Zn P305-17 0.00 1.00 1.00 2.20 0.77 P305-17 1.00 2.00 1.00 2.37 0.94 P305-17 2.00 3.00 1.00 19.12 6.37 P305-17 3.00 4.00 1.00 25.97 1.65 2.00 22.55 P309-17 0.00 1.00 1.00 3.04 0.68 P309-17 1.00 2.00 1.00 2.03 1.02 P309-17 2.00 3.00 1.00 12.45 1.24 P309-17 3.00 4.00 1.00 31.46 1.66 P309-17 4.00 5.00 1.00 27.00 1.90 3.00 23.64 P4-17 0.00 1.00 1.00 48.63 0.87 P4-17 1.00 2.00 1.00 38.83 1.41 P4-17 2.00 3.00 1.00 31.10 1.59 P4-17 3.00 4.00 1.00 26.22 1.75 P4-17 4.00 5.00 1.00 38.65 1.28 P4-17 5.00 6.00 1.00 35.55 1.11 6.00 36.50 P96-17 0.00 1.00 1.00 24.56 5.32 P96-17 1.00 2.00 1.00 34.53 2.97 P96-17 2.00 3.00 1.00 23.47 8.77 P96-17 3.00 4.00 1.00 27.42 2.34 P96-17 4.00 5.00 1.00 32.73 1.27 P96-17 5.00 6.00 1.00 24.06 0.56 6.00 27.80 P22-17 0.00 1.00 1.00 4.45 1.17 P22-17 1.00 2.00 1.00 24.58 10.00 P22-17 2.00 3.00 1.00 40.14 2.79 P22-17 3.00 4.00 1.00 40.00 2.33 3.00 34.91

MINA GRANDE FASE C ZONE

Channel/Pit ID From

(m) To

(m) Length/Thickness

(m) % Zn % Pb Channel Length

(m) % Zn C-008a-17 0.00 2.00 2.00 44.08 1.07 C-008a-17 2.00 4.00 2.00 35.49 0.57 C-008a-17 4.00 6.00 2.00 48.73 0.89 C-008a-17 6.00 8.00 2.00 36.66 0.45 C-008a-17 8.00 10.00 2.00 19.35 1.37 C-008a-17 10.00 12.00 2.00 18.00 1.43 C-008b-17 12.00 14.00 2.00 39.14 0.74 C-008b-17 14.00 16.00 2.00 37.06 0.47 C-008b-17 16.00 18.00 2.00 18.85 0.31 C-008c-17 18.00 20.00 2.00 37.13 0.52 C-008c-17 20.00 22.00 2.00 18.20 0.24 C-008c-17 22.00 24.00 2.00 25.80 1.38 C-008c-17 24.00 26.00 2.00 42.49 0.57 C-008c-17 26.00 28.00 2.00 38.55 0.63 C-008c-17 28.00 30.00 2.00 31.81 0.61 C-008c-17 30.00 32.20 2.20 20.50 4.97 32.20 31.92 C-009-17 0.00 1.50 1.50 36.47 3.75 C-009-17 1.50 4.00 2.50 19.70 5.74 C-009-17 4.00 5.90 1.90 16.65 4.78 C-009-17 5.90 8.00 2.10 33.26 2.69 C-009-17 8.00 10.00 2.00 37.91 3.82 C-009-17 10.00 12.00 2.00 33.18 2.55 C-009-17 12.00 14.00 2.00 43.07 1.49 C-009-17 14.00 16.00 2.00 33.88 1.24 C-009-17 16.00 18.00 2.00 37.46 2.41 C-009-17 18.00 20.00 2.00 39.03 1.09 C-009-17 20.00 22.00 2.00 41.56 1.79 C-009-17 22.00 24.00 2.00 33.81 0.56 C-009-17 24.00 26.00 2.00 40.88 1.35 C-009-17 26.00 28.00 2.00 25.90 1.10 C-009-17 28.00 30.00 2.00 20.70 0.70 C-009-17 30.00 32.00 2.00 6.67 0.45 C-009-17 32.00 34.00 2.00 30.47 0.62 C-009-17 34.00 36.00 2.00 39.19 0.40 C-009-17 36.00 38.20 2.20 30.44 0.52 C-009-17 38.20 40.40 2.20 14.40 0.46 C-009-17 40.40 42.60 2.20 3.47 0.35 C-009-17 42.60 44.90 2.30 9.19 0.39 C-009-17 44.90 46.90 2.00 40.10 1.20 C-009-17 46.90 48.90 2.00 33.21 1.46 C-009-17 48.90 51.20 2.30 33.36 2.00 51.20 28.98

Sampling and Analytical Protocols

Zinc One follows a systematic and rigorous Quality Control/Quality Assurance program overseen by Zinc One's Chief Operating Officer, Bill Williams.

Surface sampling in outcrops is a manual channel sample; in the case of pits, the sample is channeled vertically. The sample is photographed. The sample is placed into a pre-labeled, plastic bag, properly sealed, and identified with a unique sample number. At the project site, Zinc One independently inserts certified control standards, blanks, and duplicates, all of which comprise approximately 30% of the sample batch, to monitor sample preparation and analytical quality. The samples are stored in a secure area until such time they are shipped to the ALS laboratory in Lima, ISO9001 certified, for preparation and assay. At the laboratory, samples are dried, crushed, pulverized and then a four-acid digestion is applied, followed by the ICP-AES analytical technique for 33 elements, including lead; zinc is assayed by the same method for values up to 20% and if zinc exceeds 20%, it is analyzed by titration methods. The laboratory also inserts blanks and standards as well as includes duplicate analyses.

About Zinc One Resources Inc.

Zinc One is focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of prospective and advanced zinc projects in mining-friendly jurisdictions. Zinc One's key assets are the Bongara Mine and Charlotte-Bongara Zinc Projects in north-central Peru. The Bongara Zinc Mine Project was in production from 2007 to 2008, but shut down due to the global financial crisis and concurrent decrease in the zinc price. Past production included 20% zinc grades and recoveries over 90% from surface and near-surface zinc oxide mineralization. High-grade, zinc oxide mineralization is known to outcrop between the mined area and the Charlotte-Bongara Zinc-Oxide Project, which is nearly six kilometres to the NNW and where past drilling intercepted various near-surface zones with high-grade zinc. Zinc One is managed by a proven team of geologists and engineers who have previously constructed and operated successful mining operations.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Bill Williams, COO and Director of Zinc One, a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101.

For more information, please contact:

Monica Hamm

VP, Investor Relations

Zinc One Resources Inc.

Phone: (604) 974-5274

Email: mhamm@zincone.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Zinc One cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond their respective control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Zinc One's limited operating history, its proposed exploration and development activities on the Bongara Zinc Oxide Project and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Zinc One does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2017) - Southern Silver Exploration Corp. (TSXV: SSV) (OTCQB: SSVFF) (FSE: SEG1) announces that it has been assigned the Legal Entity Identifier ("LEI") number 529900VY7ZZW0FTRGM33. The European Union has adopted regulations that require use of the LEI as a barcode equivalent aimed at pinpointing systemic risks.



About the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)

The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) number is a 20-digit alphanumeric code. It is an internationally standardized and globally valid identifier for financial market participants. Its purpose is to clearly and unequivocally identify contracting parties (e.g., companies, banks, and investment funds). It is used to comply with a variety of financial reporting requirements. The Deutsche Borse Group has stated that "the LEI will clearly assist the regulatory authorities in monitoring and analyzing threats to the stability of the financial markets, (but) it can also be utilized by counterparties internally for risk management purposes."



Southern Silver meets the requirement for all companies listed on German Stock Exchanges to have an LEI number by January 3, 2018.



Lawrence Page, President, Manex Resource Group stated, "Southern Silver and other companies under the Manex Resource Group banner have had a long history of being listed and actively trading on one or more stock exchanges or trading platforms within Germany. We are dedicated and pleased that trading of our shares on the German exchanges will continue without any hindrances. "



According to the website of the Deutsche Borse Group, the LEI number will affect most aspects of the securities markets in Europe, including trading, clearing, settlement, custody, collateral and liquidity management, market data and indices. (See http://deutsche-boerse.com/dbg-en/regulation/regulatorytopics/legal-entity-identifier).

About Southern Silver Exploration Corp.

Southern Silver Exploration Corp. is a precious metal exploration and development company with a focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits in north-central Mexico and the southern USA. Our specific emphasis is the Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in the heart of Mexico's Faja de Plata, which hosts multiple world-class mineral deposits such as Penasquito, San Martin, Naica and Pitarrilla. We have assembled a team of highly experienced technical, operational and transactional professionals to support our exploration efforts in developing, along with our partner, Electrum Global Holdings LP, the Cerro Las Minitas project into a premier, high-grade, silver-lead-zinc mine.

The Company engages in the acquisition, exploration and development either directly or through joint-venture relationships in mineral properties in major jurisdictions. Our property portfolio also includes the Oro porphyry copper-gold project located in southern New Mexico, USA. The Oro property consists of patented land, State leases and BLM located mineral claims which cover a highly prospective quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration zone, interpreted to overlie an unexposed porphyry center and distal sediment-hosted, oxide-gold target.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Lawrence Page"

Lawrence Page, Q.C.

President & Director, Southern Silver Exploration Corp.

For further information, please visit Southern Silver's website at southernsilverexploration.com or contact us at 604.641.2759 or by email at ir@mnxltd.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.
State Sen. Leah Vukmir has slammed the FBI and the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, declaring something is rotten with the way justice is implemented in America today.

Vukmir, R-Brookfield, who is running for U.S. Senate, made the comments in a Sunday column in the Wall Street Journal that also criticized state prosecutors and the states former ethics agency for their involvement in a now-ended secret investigation into Wisconsin Republicans.

Vukmir wrote that unaccountable investigations and special prosecutors have become typical.

Take a look at the investigation of the president by Robert Mueller, Vukmir wrote. More than $3 million in taxpayer funds, and what has been accomplished? From Lois Lerner and the IRS to James Comey and the FBI, something is rotten with the way justice is implemented in America today.

What state Attorney General Brad Schimel called the John Doe III investigation  to which Vukmir compared the Russia investigation in the column  did not result in charges.

The Russia investigation, since it began in May, has led to charges against four former members of President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign: former campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos; former campaign chairman Paul Manafort; Manaforts deputy, Rick Gates; and Trumps former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn.

Flynn and Papadopoulos have pleaded guilty to making false statements to investigators. Manafort and Gates have pleaded not guilty to charges against them.

Headed by Mueller, a Republican and former FBI director, the investigation is probing Russian government efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, including any coordination between the Russians and the Trump campaign.

Congressional Republicans generally have been split on the Russia investigation, while Democrats have said it must go forward.

Critics of the probe have become more vocal in recent days after Mueller removed FBI agent Peter Strzok from the investigation after an internal investigation found messages he sent that could be interpreted as showing political bias against Trump, CNN reported.

Neither Vukmir nor her opponent for the Republican U.S. Senate nod, Kevin Nicholson, immediately responded Monday to requests for comment on her column. Both are seeking to run against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in 2018.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2017) - Rise Gold Corp. (CSE: RISE) (OTCQB: RYES) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it expects to close a further tranche of the non-brokered private placement announced in its August 24, 2017 news release (the "Offering") on Monday, December 18, 2017. The Offering consists of units of the Company at a price of $0.15 per Unit where each Unit will consist of one share of the Company's common stock and one non-transferable share purchase warrant exercisable into one additional share of common stock at a price of $0.25 per share for a period of two years from the date of issuance.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to statutory hold periods in accordance with applicable United States and Canadian securities laws, including a minimum six-month U.S. hold period. The Company expects to use the proceeds from the Offering for, among other things, the continued advancement of the Idaho-Maryland Gold Project. The Company may pay finder's fees to eligible persons in accordance with applicable securities laws and regulatory policies.

The securities offered have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold absent registration or compliance with an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

About Rise Gold Corp

Rise is an exploration-stage mining company. The Company's principal asset is the historic past producing Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine located in California, USA. The Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine is one of the United States' greatest past producing gold mines with total past production of 2,414,000 oz of gold from 1866-1955. Rise is a US corporation incorporated in Nevada, USA and maintains its head office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

Benjamin Mossman

President, CEO and Director

Rise Gold Corp.

For further information, please contact:

RISE GOLD CORP

Suite 488, 1090 West Georgia Street

Vancouver, BC V6E 3V7

T: 604.260.4577

info@risegoldcorp.com

www.risegoldcorp.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitation, obtaining all necessary approvals, meeting expenditure and financing requirements, compliance with environmental regulations, title matters, operating hazards, metal prices, political and economic factors, competitive factors, general economic conditions, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulation and supervision, seasonality, technological change, industry practices, and one-time events that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information contained in this release. Rise undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements or information except as required by law.
Munich (ots/PRNewswire) -For EU media only - not for US journalists- Hokusai-VTE CANCER study is a phase 3b, prospective, randomised, open-label, blind end-point (PROBE) study evaluating edoxaban versus low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) dalteparin in venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with primarily active cancer[1],[2],[3] - Study met primary endpoint of non-inferiority in the recurrence of VTE or ISTH-defined major bleeding[1],[2],[3]Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo), today announced results from the Hokusai-VTE CANCER study evaluating oral edoxaban (known by the brand names LIXIANA outside the U.S. and SAVAYSA in the U.S.), and found that edoxaban is non-inferior to subcutaneous injectable LMWH dalteparin for the treatment of cancer-associated VTE or major bleeding.[2],[3] The results of the study were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented during the late-breaker session at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8236751-daily-oral-lixiana-canc er-study-daiichi/Hokusai-VTE CANCER is the first study with a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), edoxaban, to meet pre-specified non-inferiority criteria versus the standard of care dalteparin in this patient population.[2],[3] The study met the primary objective of non-inferiority of edoxaban for the composite outcome of first recurrent VTE or ISTH-defined major bleeding during a 12-month study period, which occurred in 67 of 522 patients (12.8%) in the edoxaban group compared with 71 of 524 patients (13.5%) in the dalteparin group (hazard ratio with edoxaban, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.70 to 1.36; P = 0.006 for non-inferiority) for a risk difference (edoxaban minus dalteparin) of -0.7% (95% CI, -4.8 to 3.4).[2],[3] The difference in risk for recurrent VTE was -3.4% (95% CI, -7.0 to 0.2) whereas the corresponding difference in risk for major bleeding was 2.9% (95% CI, 0.1 to 5.6).[3] The frequencies of severe major bleeding events at presentation (categories 3 and 4) were similar during treatment with edoxaban or dalteparin (12 patients in each group, respectively).[2],[3] There was no fatal bleed in the edoxaban group versus two fatal bleedings in the dalteparin arm.[3]The study also met the secondary outcome of event-free survival (free of recurrent VTE, major bleeds or death) at 12 months, and rates were similar between edoxaban and dalteparin (55.0% and 56.5%, respectively).[2],[3] The trial was a PROBE design study and included a broad spectrum of patients (n=1,050) with primarily active cancer (98%): 53% of which had metastatic cancer and 72% of which were receiving cancer therapy at randomisation.[2],[3] This is the largest prospectively randomised clinical trial to have studied the benefit risk of DOACs in cancer patients versus the current injectable standard of care, dalteparin. Hokusai-VTE CANCER is the first study to demonstrate that a DOAC, edoxaban, is non-inferior to the standard of care, injectable LMWH (dalteparin), in this population.[2],[3]"Cancer patients have a significantly increased risk of VTE, and are a high-risk population since 82% of patients have one or more pre-specified bleeding risk factors," said co-principal study investigator Professor Harry Buller, from the Department of Vascular Medicine at Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. "We saw a lower rate of recurrent VTE with edoxaban compared to dalteparin over the one-year study period. In addition, in the edoxaban arm, we saw no bleeding fatalities and similar severity of clinical presentation of major bleeding events compared to dalteparin. The risk for VTE persists beyond six months for cancer patients, therefore, the study duration of 12 months enabled the evaluation of edoxaban over a longer time period."VTE includes both deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and is the second leading cause of death in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.[4] Current guidelines recommend LMWH for at least six months as the standard of care in cancer patients,[5],[6],[7] and currently there is poor adherence to VTE cancer treatment guidelines due to the requirement for daily injections. The treatment of cancer-associated VTE is challenging because these patients are at increased risk of both recurrent VTE and major bleeding.[2] The occurrence of VTE increases the risk of death 2-6-fold in cancer patients[4] and can interrupt cancer treatment.[8]"The use of an oral anticoagulant that alleviates the burdens associated with a daily injectable drug, without loss of clinical benefit, would represent an advance for cancer patients with VTE," said Hans J. Lanz, MD, Vice President, Global Medical Affairs, Daiichi Sankyo. "The data will continue to add to the growing body of knowledge in the Edoxaban Clinical Research Programme, which provides key insights into the potential effects of edoxaban in VTE and AF patients."About the Hokusai-VTE CANCER studyHokusai-VTE CANCER is a multinational, prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint evaluation (PROBE) study, evaluating the efficacy and safety of once-daily edoxaban compared to dalteparin for the treatment of VTE associated with cancer.[1],[2],[3] The purpose of the study was to evaluate edoxaban in comparison with dalteparin in preventing the combined outcome of VTE recurrence or major bleeding in patients with VTE associated with cancer.[1],[2],[3] Other objectives include assessing the effects of treatment on VTE recurrence, clinically relevant bleeding and event-free survival, defined as the proportion of subjects over time free of recurrent VTE, major bleeding events and death.[1],[2],[3] The study enrolled 1,050 patients across 13 countries in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.[2],[3] Patients were randomised to receive edoxaban 60 mg once-daily (reduced to 30 mg edoxaban for patients with creatinine clearance [CrCL] 30-50 mL/min, body weight <= 60 kg, or concomitant use of P-glycoprotein [P-gp] inhibitors), following treatment with LMWH for at least five days; or dalteparin SC 200 IU/kg once-daily for 30 days, then 150 IU/kg once-daily for the remainder of the 12-month study.[1],[2],[3]For more information please visit: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02073682.[9]About Venous ThromboembolismVenous thromboembolism (VTE) is an umbrella term for two conditions, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). DVT is a disease caused by a blood clot found in deep veins, usually within the lower leg, thigh or pelvis, although they can occur in other parts of the body as well.[10] PE occurs when part of a clot detaches and lodges in the pulmonary arteries, causing a potentially fatal condition.[11]VTE is a major cause of morbidity and mortality.[12] In 25 EU countries VTE exceeds 1.5 million events per year and the annual incidence of VTE in developed countries is estimated to be 1-3 per 1,000 adults.[13],[14] A prior incidence of a VTE is the most significant risk factor of a second occurrence, and after the age of 50, the risk doubles every ten years.[15]About VTE and CancerVTE is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer, with an annual incidence that can be as high as 20 percent depending on the cancer type, background risk and time since diagnosis.[16],[17] Patients with cancer have multiple risk factors for VTE and the risk of VTE events increases in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy.[18] In addition, patients with cancer and VTE have a lower survival rate than those without VTE.[18]About EdoxabanEdoxaban is an oral, once-daily, direct factor Xa (pronounced "Ten A") inhibitor. Factor Xa is one of the key components responsible for blood clotting, so inhibiting this makes the blood thin and less prone to clotting. Edoxaban is currently marketed in Japan, the U.S., South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand Switzerland, the U.K., Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Canada, and other European countries.The edoxaban Summary of Product Characteristics can be viewed here: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Pro duct_Information/human/002629/WC500189045.pdf.About Edoxaban Clinical Research Programme (ECRP)Daiichi Sankyo is committed to expanding scientific knowledge about edoxaban, as demonstrated through our research programmes evaluating its use in a broad range of cardiovascular conditions, patient types and clinical settings in AF and VTE. The edoxaban clinical research programme includes multiple RCTs (randomised, controlled trials), registries and non-interventional studies, with the goal of generating new clinical and real-world-data regarding its use in AF and VTE populations. Daiichi Sankyo expects that more than 100,000 patients will participate in the edoxaban clinical research programme, including completed, ongoing, and future research.The RCTs include:- ENSURE-AF (EdoxabaN vs. warfarin in subjectS UndeRgoing cardiovErsion of Atrial Fibrillation), in AF patients undergoing electrical cardioversion - ENTRUST-AF PCI (EdoxabaN TReatment versUS VKA in paTients with AF undergoing PCI), in AF patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention - Hokusai-VTE CANCER (Edoxaban in Venous Thromboembolism Associated with Cancer), in patients with cancer and an acute VTE event - ELDERCARE-AF (Edoxaban Low-Dose for EldeR CARE AF patients), in elderly AF patients in Japan - ELIMINATE-AF (EvaLuatIon of edoxaban coMpared with VKA IN subjects undergoing cAThEter ablation of non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation) - ENVISAGE-TAVI AF (EdoxabaN Versus standard of care and theIr effectS on clinical outcomes in pAtients havinG undergonE Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) - Atrial Fibrillation)In addition, global and regional registry studies will provide important real-world data about the use of edoxaban and other oral anticoagulants in everyday practice, and include:- ETNA-AF (Edoxaban Treatment in routiNe clinical prActice in patients with non valvular Atrial Fibrillation) - ETNA-VTE (Edoxaban Treatment in routiNe clinical prActice in patients with Venous ThromboEmbolism) - EMIT-AF/VTE (Edoxaban Management In diagnostic and Therapeutic procedures-AF/VTE); - Prolongation PREFER in AF (PREvention oF thromboembolic events - European Registry) in patients with AF - ANAFIE (All Nippon AF In Elderly) Registry in Japan - Cancer-VTE Registry in JapanWe are committed to adding to the scientific body of knowledge around edoxaban in a variety of AF and VTE patients, including those who are vulnerable.About Daiichi SankyoDaiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. With over 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 15,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help people. In addition to a strong portfolio of medicines for hypertension and thrombotic disorders, under the Group's 2025 Vision to become a "Global Pharma Innovator with Competitive Advantage in Oncology," Daiichi Sankyo research and development is primarily focused on bringing forth novel therapies in oncology, including immuno-oncology, with additional focus on new horizon areas, such as pain management, neurodegenerative diseases, heart and kidney diseases, and other rare diseases. For more information, please visit: http://www.daiichisankyo.com.Forward-looking statementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements and information about future developments in the sector, and the legal and business conditions of DAIICHI SANKYO Co., Ltd. Such forward-looking statements are uncertain and are subject at all times to the risks of change, particularly to the usual risks faced by a global pharmaceutical company, including the impact of the prices for products and raw materials, medication safety, changes in exchange rates, government regulations, employee relations, taxes, political instability and terrorism as well as the results of independent demands and governmental inquiries that affect the affairs of the company. All forward-looking statements contained in this release hold true as of the date of publication. They do not represent any guarantee of future performance. Actual events and developments could differ materially from the forward-looking statements that are explicitly expressed or implied in these statements. DAIICHI SANKYO Co., Ltd. assume no responsibility for the updating of such forward-looking statements about future developments of the sector, legal and business conditions and the company.References1. Van Es N, et al. Edoxaban for the treatment of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer - rationale and design of the Hokusai-VTE-cancer study. Thromb Haemost. 2015;114(6):1268-76. 2. Raskob GE, Van Es N, Verhamme P, Carrier M, Di Nisio M, Garcia DA, et al. LBA-6 A Randomized, Open-Label, Blinded Outcome Assessment Trial Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of LMWH/Edoxaban Versus Dalteparin for Venous Thromboembolism Associated with Cancer: Hokusai-VTE-Cancer Study. Abstract presented at the Annual Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, 2017. 3. Raskob GE, van Es N, Verhamme, P, Carrier M, Di Nisio M, Garcia DA, et al. Edoxaban for the treatment of cancer-associated thromboembolism. N Engl J Med. 2017. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1711948. 4. Khalil J, et al. Venous thromboembolism in cancer patients: an underestimated major health problem. World J Surg Oncol. 2015;13:204. 5. Mandala M, Falanga A, Roila F. Management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines. Ann Oncol. 2011;22 (Suppl 6): vi85-vi92. 6. Kearon C, Aki EA, Ornelas J, Blaivas A, Jimenez D, Bounameaux H, Huisman M, et al. Antithrombotic therapy fir VTE disease. CHEST guidelines and expert panel report. Chest. 2016;149(2):315-52. 7. Lyman GH, Bohlke K, Khorana AA, Kuderer NM, Lee AY, Arcelus JI, et al. Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis and Treatment in Patients With Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update 2014. J Clin Oncol. 2015;11(3):e442-e444. 8. Hisada Y, et al. Venous Thrombosis and Cancer: from Mouse Models to Clinical Trials. J Thromb and Haemost. 2015;13(8):1372-82. 9. ClinicalTrials.gov. Cancer Venous Thromboembolism (VTE). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02073682. [Last accessed: December 2017]. 10. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) / Pulmonary Embolism (PE) - Blood Clot Forming in a Vein. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/facts.html. [Last accessed: December 2017]. 11. Van Beek E, et al. Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print. 12. Cohen A, et al. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Europe. Thromb Haemost. 2007;98(4):756-64. 13. The Coalition to Prevent VTE. Available at: http://www.coalitiont opreventvte.org/INDEX_CFM/T/THE_BURDEN_OF_VTE/VID/DCD0A03F_1422_1 6B3_78E0B9EB0571.HTM. [Last accessed: December 2017]. 14. Braekkan, S. K. et al. Body height and risk of venous thromboembolism: The Troms Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2010;171:1109-15. 15. Zagaria, M. Venous Thrombosis: Pathogenesis and Potential for Embolism. US Pharm. 2009;34:22-24. 16. Ay C, et al. Prediction of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients. Blood. 2010;116:5377-82. 17. Khorana AA, et al. Thromboembolism is a leading cause of death in cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy. J Thromb Haemost. 2007;5(3):632-634. 18. Lee AYY, Levine N. Venous thromboembolism and cancer: Risks and outcomes. Circ. 2003;107:I17-I21.EDX/17/0329Date of preparation: December 2017(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618561/Daiichi_Sankyo_Logo.jpg )Video:https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8236751-daily-oral-l ixiana-cancer-study-daiichi/ (https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8236751-daily-oral-lixiana-cancer-study-daiichi/)ots Originaltext: Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.deContact: Lydia Worms (Europe) Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH Edoxaban Communications & Product PR Europe +49-89-7808751
Wireless broadband leader recognized by international business award program

ROLLING MEADOWS, Illinois, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Cambium Networks, a leading global provider of wireless networking solutions, has been named a Silver winner in the Most Socially Responsible Company of the Year category of the Best in Biz Awards for 2017.

"Judging the Most Socially Responsible Company of the Year category in this year's Best in Biz Awards was nearly impossible. These companies set the bar for best practices in the corporate world," said Gina Jordan, WLRN-Miami Herald News Tallahassee Bureau, judging her second Best in Biz Awards program. "It's difficult to choose a winner when they're all doing so much good. Kudos to the leaders and employees who are making a positive difference. Companies large and small would do well to follow their example."

"Giving back to the community is a key core value of the company," said Atul Bhatnagar, President and CEO of Cambium Networks. "We are honored to be recognized with this award. Cambium employees are able to make a difference in the lives of others around the world by providing wireless broadband connectivity, and supporting education and family programs. Helping others is a central component of our identity as Cambium Networks."

Recent activities conducted by Cambium Networks employees include:

Providing connectivity aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Establish internet connectivity to underserved communities, including connectivity for refugees in Greece and Chicago .

and . Establishing a wireless video security system for natural resources, including the Limpopo Rhino Security Group (LRSG) in South Africa .

. Assembling and donating 50 bicycles to inner city elementary school students.

About Best in Biz Awards

Now in its 7th year, Best in Biz Awards is the only business awards program judged by an independent panel of press and analysts from top-tier publications. From Associated Press to the Wall Street Journal - and including Businessweek, CNET, Consumer Affairs, Fast Company, Financial Times, Inc., Forbes, Fortune, Network World, PC Magazine, Reuters, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Wired and more - Best in Biz Awards each year is judged by a who's who of prominent reporters and editors from top-tier publications. Best in Biz Awards is unique as it is the only independent business awards programjudgedby members of the press and industry analysts. www.bestinbizawards.com/about/

About Cambium Networks

Cambium Networks is aleadingglobal provider of trusted wirelesssolutions that connect the unconnected - People, Places and Things. Through its extensive portfolio of reliable, scalable and secure wireless narrowband and broadband platforms, Cambium Networks makes it possible for all service providers and industrial, enterprise and government network operators to build affordable, reliable, high-performance connectivity. The company currently has over seven million radios deployed in thousands of demanding networks in more than 150 countries. Headquartered outside Chicago and with R&D centers in the U.S., U.K. and India, Cambium Networks sells through a range of trusted global distributors.www.cambiumnetworks.com.

Contact: Sara Black, +1-213-618-1501, sara@bospar.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/325530/cambium_networks_logo.jpg
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 -- Following its 10th closure of a South Korean dog meat farm, Humane Society International is transporting more than 170 severely neglected dogs to North America and the United Kingdom to be adopted. Forty-six of the dogs have arrived at Pearson Airport in Toronto and are now being transported to partner shelters in Quebec. Another four of the rescued dogs will arrive tomorrow and are being placed with an Ontario rescue group.

Ewa Demianowicz, senior campaign manager for HSI/Canada, said: "I've just returned from

South Korea and the conditions at this dog meat farm were appalling. These poor dogs were confined in cramped, barren wire cages with little food and water and no protection from the elements. Mother dogs were there for years, forced to bear litter after litter of pups, only to have them stolen away to be slaughtered. The dogs are emaciated and covered in open sores, and they are in urgent need of veterinary treatment, proper nutrition and love. We are so happy that they will receive that care here in Quebec and that many of the dogs could be in forever homes in time for the holidays."

"For the second consecutive year, the Montreal SPCA is pleased to assist HSI/Canada with this important rescue. Our team is eager to meet these dogs and provide them with all the care and individual attention they require. We are relieved that they will soon be placed in loving homes, where they will get the chance to live happy and healthy lives," said Elise Desaulniers, executive director of the Montreal SPCA. "The dogs will be settling in at the Montreal SPCA where canine behaviour experts, veterinarians and staff will care for them. Many of the dogs are timid and will be seeking patient and calm adoptive families to help them adjust to their new lives. They will become available for adoption December 18 at noon."

Marie-Josee Roy, director general of the SPA Arthabaska, said: "It is moving and rewarding to make a difference in the lives of these dogs, helping them heal and prepare for a better life ahead with a loving forever family. Collaborating with an international organization to save animals allows us to do our part from this corner of the world. We do what we can, and we do it for them!"

Corinne Gonzalez, director general of the SPCA Laurentides-Labelle, said: "We are so moved to be participating in this rescue, and to give such wonderful animals a new life. We are very confident that we will find loving families who will help these dogs recover from such deplorable conditions."

The dog meat trade is most widespread in China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia and Nagaland in northern India. It is well-organized, with dogs being stolen or taken from the streets, transported over long distances, housed in gruesome conditions and brutally slaughtered. In South Korea, an estimated 2.5 million dogs are slaughtered for the meat trade annually.

As part of our campaign to ban the dog meat trade in South Korea, HSI works to transition dog meat farmers to more humane industries and transports the dogs to regions where they can be rehabilitated and adopted.

A special thank you to Eric Margolis, Etienne Borgeat and Friends of HSI for their tremendous contributions to this rescue, Sharp Transportation for donating space for the temporary shelter and Kane Veterinary Supplies for donating dog food. We are deeply grateful to our temporary shelter workers and volunteers and to the Montreal SPCA, the Laurentides-Labelle SPCA, the SPA Arthabaska, and Carter's Forever Rescue and Sanctuary in Muskoka for their kind assistance in caring for and placing these deserving dogs in forever homes.

For photos and video of the dogs: click here, and then select "create account" at the top of the page; fill out your information, and an administrator will approve you right away. If you encounter any difficulties, do not hesitate to reach out to the media contact below.

Humane Society International/Canada is a leading force for animal protection, with active programs in companion animals, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammal preservation, farm animal welfare and animals in research. HSI/Canada is proud to be a part of Humane Society International which, together with its partners, constitutes one of the world's largest animal protection organizations. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide - on the web at www.hsicanada.ca

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Christopher Pare

Office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / Cell: 438 402-0643

cpare@hsi.org




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 -- Following its 10th closure of a South Korean dog meat farm, Humane Society International is transporting more than 170 severely neglected dogs to North America and the United Kingdom. Forty six of the dogs have arrived at Pearson Airport in Toronto and HSI/Canada is now moving them to partner shelters in Quebec. Another four of the rescued dogs will arrive tomorrow and are being placed with an Ontario rescue group.

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI/Canada, said: "This horrific dog meat farm is one of the worst HSI has ever seen and I am thrilled we are shutting it down for good. More than 170 dogs and puppies were intensively confined in cramped, filthy, barren wire cages positioned over months of accumulated waste. The dogs had no protection from the freezing temperatures. Many had open sores on their bodies and were severely emaciated because they received little food or water. These dogs have been spared a lifetime of misery and a brutal death at the hands of the dog meat trade. This holiday season, we are asking Canadians to open their hearts and their homes to these dogs and to stand with Humane Society International as we work to end the cruel dog meat trade forever."

Eric Margolis, whose compassion and generosity helped make this rescue possible, said, "I was heartbroken to see the suffering these dogs endured on this horrific dog meat farm. As an animal lover, I felt compelled to do everything in my power to save them from the terrible conditions they were living in, and the gruesome fate that awaited them. It is wonderful to know that these dogs will soon be safe at last in loving homes."

The dog meat trade is most widespread in China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia and Nagaland in northern India. It is well-organized, with dogs being

stolen or taken from the streets, transported over long distances, housed in gruesome conditions and brutally slaughtered. In South Korea, an estimated 2.5 million dogs are slaughtered for the meat trade annually.

As a part of our campaign to ban the dog meat trade in South Korea, HSI works to transition dog meat farmers to more humane industries and transports the dogs to regions where they can receive care and rehabilitation.

A special thank you to Eric Margolis, Etienne Borgeat and Friends of HSI for their tremendous contributions to this rescue, Sharp Transportation for donating space for the temporary shelter and Kane Veterinary Supplies for donating dog food. We are deeply grateful to our temporary shelter workers and volunteers and to the Montreal SPCA, the Laurentides-Labelle SPCA, the Arthabaska Society for the Protection of Animals, and Carter's Forever Rescue and Sanctuary in Muskoka for their kind assistance in caring for and placing these deserving dogs in forever homes.

For photos and video of the dogs: click here, and then select "create account" at the top of the page; fill out your information, and an administrator will approve you right away. If you encounter any difficulties, do not hesitate to reach out to the media contact below.

Humane Society International/Canada is a leading force for animal protection, with active programs in companion animals, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammal preservation, farm animal welfare and animals in research. HSI/Canada is proud to be a part of Humane Society International which, together with its partners, constitutes one of the world's largest animal protection organizations. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide - on the web at www.hsicanada.ca

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Christopher Pare

Office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / Cell: 438 402-0643

cpare@hsi.org




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Aecom Technology Corp. (ACM) Monday said it will raise its five-year adjusted earnings per share growth forecast through fiscal year 2022. The company expects positive benefit from its new capital allocation policy. The company now expects fiscal 18 to 22 adjusted earnings per share growth of 12 to 15 percent. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to increase 7 percent. Organic revenue growth for the period is expected to be more than 5 percent. Aecom said its projected cumulative Free Cash Flow for the period is $3.5+ billion. Troy Rudd, AECOM's chief financial officer said, 'Our new five-year outlook reaffirms our confidence in continued strong cash flow generation, which reflects the benefits of our diverse business model and our culture focused on cash management throughout the lifecycle of a project.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
MOSCOW, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Vnesheconombank, VEB-Innovations and an Indian company SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd with the support of Roscongress Foundation signed an agreement on the terms and conditions to establish a Russian-Indian IT and Innovation Fund with the target size of investors' commitment amounting to USD 200 million.

On the part of Vnesheconombank, the Agreement was signed by the Chairman Sergey Gorkov, on the part of VEB-Innovations - by the Director General Kirill Bulatov, and on the part of SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd - by the Chairman and Managing Director Hemant Kanoria.

The Fund is designed to attract investment in innovative companies focused on the development of cooperation between Russia and India. Particular emphasis will be placed on promising inventions based on a strong scientific and technological base of Russia and India. This will help facilitate an innovative transformation of both economies. The Fund will also help build up trade in Russian and Indian cutting-edge technologies and their transfer to other countries. The parties have already started to identify projects for the Fund's pipeline, which will include projects of Russian innovative companies.

As a next step, the parties will proceed to creating a corporate structure of the Fund, with operating activities scheduled to begin prior to the end of Q2 2018.

Apart from the Fund, VEB and SREI are actively promoting Russian high-technology exports in the Indian market.

"We expect the Russian-Indian Fund to help boost trade and economic cooperation between our two countries. Such platform is of crucial importance as it will facilitate a pipeline of projects and joint assessment and financing of these projects. For many IT companies, the Russian market is not enough for distributing their products. And cooperation with SREI will help them enter the market of India and the Asia-Pacific region," said Vnesheconombank Chairman Sergey Gorkov."

"Information technologies and innovations are very quick processes, and our cooperation is also rapidly evolving. In June, we signed a memorandum of understanding. And next year the Fund will be ready to make the first investment," said SREI Chairman and Managing Director Hemant Kanoria.

SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited (SIFL) is one of the leading independent financial institutions and infrastructure financial conglomerates in India. Founded by the Kanoria brothers in 1989, it specialises on capital markets, including M&A transactions, venture investment and project financing. Total assets under the Group's management is around USD10bn. SREI has been operating in Russia since 2005.

Vnesheconombank (VEB), officially called State Corporation "Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank)" is a national development bank and one of Russia's largest financial institutions. Established in 1924, Vnesheconombank has been operating in compliance with the special Federal Law "On Bank for Development" since 2007. The Bank's supreme governing body is the Supervisory Board headed by Chairman of the Russian Government Dmitry Medvedev. According to the VEB Strategy 2021, Vnesheconombank priority financing areas include high value added manufacturing, infrastructure, non-commodity exports, innovation and the National Technological Initiative (NTI) projects.

Roscongress Foundation - a major organizer of congress and exhibition events

The Roscongress Foundation was founded in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russia's economic potential and strengthening the country's image by organizing conventions, exhibitions, and public events. The Foundation develops substantive content for such events, providing companies and organizations with advice, information, and expert guidance, and offering comprehensive evaluation, analysis, and coverage of the Russian and global economic agendas. It offers administrative services and promotional support for business projects and helps to attract investment, including in the form of public-private partnerships.

Today, its annual programme includes events held from Montevideo to Vladivostok, offering an opportunity to bring together global business leaders, experts, the media, and government officials in one place, creating favourable conditions for dialogue and the promotion of new ideas and projects, and assisting in the creation of social enterprise and charity projects.
An In-Depth Look at How Good Clinical Practices Ensure Ethical Conduct of High Quality Research and the Safety of Study Subjects

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM) today released its latest Scientific Update for Smoke-Free Products, a regular publication on its research efforts to develop and assess a range of smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes. The latest issue of the Scientific Update can be found at this link.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005891/en/

Philip Morris International Releases Latest Scientific Update for Smoke-Free Products on Clinical Program (Photo: Business Wire)

This issue of theScientific Update provides a closer look at some of the principles and practices on which PMI's scientific assessment program is built. Director Medical Affairs Dr. Patrick Picavet describes specific examples from PMI's clinical program that highlight the company's commitment to the implementation of best practices, transparent research and the well-being of clinical trial participants.

Picavet stated, "The performance of clinical studies is a complicated process. Strict implementation of Good Clinical Practices is particularly important to assure the quality and consistency of the research and to address unexpected events that can occur during a study. These Practices are key to the validity of data and the safety of study participants."

Beyond recent events and publications, this issue also describes PMI's progress towards sharing all raw data from studies on IQOS in part through the new data-sharing platform called INTERVALS.

Prof. Manuel Peitsch, PMI's Chief Scientific Officer, elaborates: "PMI is committed to openly sharing the research behind our smoke-free products. That's why we are using our latest Scientific Update to explain the rigor behind our clinical program. We are going further by gradually making the data and results from the non-clinical and clinical program around our leading smoke-free product, IQOS, available to the public by early 2018."

PMI's extensive research and assessment program is inspired by the well-recognized practices of the pharmaceutical industry and in line with the draft guidance of the U.S. FDA for Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) Applications. PMI employs over 400 world-class scientists, engineers and experts who conduct rigorous research, including laboratory and clinical studies, as well as ground-breaking systems toxicology. The assessment program also includes studies on actual product use and correct understanding of product communications, as well as post-market research.

About Philip Morris International Inc. ("PMI")

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company, with six of the world's top 15 international brands and products sold in more than 180 markets. In addition to the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, including Marlboro, the number one global cigarette brand, and other tobacco products, PMI is engaged in the development and commercialization of reduced-risk products (RRPs). RRPs is the term PMI uses to refer to products that present, are likely to present, or have the potential to present less risk of harm to smokers who switch to these products versus continued smoking. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities, and industry-leading scientific substantiation, PMI aims to provide an RRP portfolio that meets a broad spectrum of adult smoker preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. For more information, see our PMI and PMI Science websites.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005891/en/

Contacts:

Media enquiries

Philip Morris International media office

T: +41 (0)58 242 4500

E: media@pmi.com
PORTO, Portugal and HATFIELD, England, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Results fromthepooled analysispresented at theAmerican Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting2017in Washington DC ,US.[1],[2],[3]

Bial and Eisai have announced new real-world audit data presented at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) Annual Meeting 2017, which add to the existing clinical trials examining the effectiveness and tolerability of Zebinix(eslicarbazepine acetate). These data assess the real-world effectiveness, safety and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate when used as monotherapy in patients with partial-onset seizures, following conversion from previous treatment with carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine and when treated with 1200 or >1200 mg/day eslicarbazepine acetate.[1],[2],[3]

Euro-Esli, an exploratory pooled analysis of data from 14 European clinical practice studies including 2,058 patients aged 14-88 years old with partial-onset seizures (POS), with or without secondary generalization, examined the real world use of eslicarbazepine acetate as monotherapy, as well as adjunctive therapy, for POS in clinical practice.

"Euro-Esli study offered data of >200 patients with eslicarbazepine acetate in monotherapy, where it proved to be an effective and tolerable option," says Dr Vicente Villanueva, Neurologist and Epileptologist, Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain.

The Euro-Esli study also showed that eslicarbazepine acetate was efficacious and generally well tolerated in patients switching from carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine in clinical practice.[1]A further abstract, examining a different Euro-Esli data set, explored the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate in patients with partial-onset seizures treated with 1200 or >1200 mg/day.[2]

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions in the world, affecting approximately fifty million people in Europe.[4]It is defined as either: (1) the occurrence of two or more unprovoked seizures >24 hours apart; (2) one unprovoked (or reflex) seizure and a probability of further seizures occurring over the next 10 years that is similar to the general recurrence risk (at least 60%) after two unprovoked seizures; (3) diagnosis of an epilepsy syndrome.[5]Depending on the type, seizures may involve one part of the body or the whole body, and may affect consciousness. Epilepsy has many possible causes but sometimes the cause is unknown.[6]

"Real-world data explores the impact of a treatment in a real-life environment and these data improve our knowledge and understanding around the use of eslicarbazepine acetate, reinforcing BIAL's commitment to developing and delivering beneficial treatment options for people living with epilepsy." comments Antonio Portela, CEO of BIAL.

"We are committed to the development of our anti-epileptic drug product portfolio, and Eisai continues to invest in real world evidence which will help us ensure we are addressing the diversity of epilepsy patients, which may help improve their quality of life," comments Neil West, Vice President EMEA, Global Neurology Business Unit at Eisai.

In Europe eslicarbazepine acetate is indicated as:

monotherapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation, in

adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy;

adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy; adjunctive therapy in adults, adolescents and children aged above 6 years, with partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation.[7]

Notes to Editors

About the Euro-Esli study[1],[2],[3]

Euro-Esli was a pooled analysis of 14 European clinical practice studies. Effectiveness assessments included responder rate (50% seizure frequency reduction) and seizure freedom rate (seizure freedom at least since prior visit), assessed after 3, 6 and 12 months of ESL treatment, and at last visit. Safety and tolerability were assessed throughout follow-up by evaluating adverse events (AEs) and ESL discontinuation due to AEs, respectively.

Monotherapy in clinical practice [3]

Data were compared for patients treated initially with ESL monotherapy versus adjunctive therapy, and for patients treated at last visit with ESL monotherapy versus adjunctive therapy.

Of the 2058 patients included in Euro-Esli (mean age 44.0 years; 52.1% male), the number of concomitant AEDs used at baseline and last visit was known for 2045 and 1340 patients, respectively. ESL was used as monotherapy in 88/2045 (4.3%) patients initially and in 229/1340 (17.1%) patients at last visit. At 12 months, responder and seizure freedom rates were significantly higher in patients treated initially with ESL monotherapy versus adjunctive therapy, and in patients treated at last visit with ESL monotherapy versus adjunctive therapy. The overall incidence of AEs was similar in patients treated initially with ESL monotherapy and adjunctive therapy, and in patients treated at last visit with ESL monotherapy and adjunctive therapy. The rate of discontinuation due to AEs was not significantly different in patients treated initially with ESL monotherapy versus adjunctive therapy, but the rate was significantly lower in patients treated at last visit with ESL monotherapy versus adjunctive therapy.

Transitioning from carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine in everyday clinical practice [1]

Data were analysed for cohorts of patients who transitioned from carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine to ESL either due to, in most of the cases, lack of efficacy or poor tolerability.

Euro-Esli included 2058 patients (52.1% male; mean age, 44 years; mean duration of epilepsy, 20.9 years), of whom 233 (11.3%) transitioned from carbamazepine to ESL and 134 (6.5%) transitioned from oxcarbazepine to ESL. After 12 months of ESL treatment, responder and seizure freedom rates for patients transitioning from carbamazepine due to lack of efficacy (n=163) were 70.0% and 30.9%, respectively. Corresponding values for patients transitioning from oxcarbazepine due to lack of efficacy (n=90) were 57.1% and 25.0%, respectively. Among patients who transitioned from carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine to ESL due to lack of efficacy, 11.6% and 10.5% discontinued ESL due to lack of efficacy, respectively. Among patients who transitioned from carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine to ESL due to poor tolerability (n=64 and n=61, respectively), 26.6% and 39.5% experienced AEs, and 8.3% and 6.8% discontinued ESL due to AEs, respectively.

Doses >1200 mg/day versus 1200 mg/day [2]

Data were compared for patients who were treated at any time during follow-up with ESL at a dose >1200 mg/day vs those who were only treated with ESL at doses 1200 mg/day.

Of the 2058 patients included in Euro-Esli (mean age 44.0 years; 52.1% male), information on ESL dosing was known for 1920 patients. Among these patients, 1749 (91.1%) were treated with ESL 1200 mg/day and 171 (8.9%) were treated with ESL >1200 mg/day. The number of prior antiepileptic drugs used was significantly lower in patients treated with ESL 1200 vs >1200 mg/day (median, 3 vs 4; mean, 4 vs 5; p<0.001; Mann-Whitney test). At all timepoints, responder and seizure freedom rates were significantly higher in patients treated with ESL 1200 mg/day than in those treated with ESL >1200 mg/day. The overall incidence of AEs was significantly higher in patients treated with ESL 1200 mg/day vs >1200 mg/day (34.8% vs 22.8%; 2=9.91; p=0.002; Chi-squared test). Similarly, the rate of ESL discontinuation due to AEs was significantly higher in patients treated with ESL 1200 mg/day vs >1200 mg/day (14.7% vs 6.1%; 2=9.27; p=0.002; Chi-squared test).

About Zebinix(eslicarbazepine acetate)

Eslicarbazepine acetate is a voltage-gated sodium channel blocker, which selectively targets the slow inactivated state of the sodium ion channel.[8]The efficacy of eslicarbazepine acetate was demonstrated in an initial proof-of-concept phase II study[9]and three subsequent phase III randomised, placebo controlled studies in 1,049 people with refractory partial-onset seizures.[10],[11],[12]

Eslicarbazepine acetate is currently marketed in Europe and Russia by Bial and by Bial's licensee, Eisai Europe Limited, a European subsidiary of Eisai Co Ltd under the trade name Zebinixor Exalief. In the United States and Canada eslicarbazepine acetate (tradename Aptiom) is marketed by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc under an exclusive license from Bial.

AboutBial

Founded in 1924, Bial's mission is to discover, develop, and provide therapeutic solutions within the area of health. In recent decades, Bial has strategically focused on quality, innovation, and internationalisation.

Bial is strongly committed to therapeutic innovation, investing more than 20 per cent of its turnover in Research and Development (R&D) every year.

Bial has established an ambitious R&D program centered on the neurosciences and cardiovascular system. The company expects to introduce more new medicines to the market in the next years, strengthening its international presence based in its own innovative medicines, and accomplishing the company's purpose of "Caring for your Health."

For more information about Bial, please visitwww.bial.com

About Eisai Co Ltd

Eisai Co Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered inJapan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call ourhuman health care(hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realise ourhhcphilosophy by delivering innovative products in multiple therapeutic areas with high-unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology.

As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visitwww.eisai.com.

References

1. Peltola J, McMurray R, Villanueva V. (2017) Efficacy, safety and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate in patients transitioning from carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine in everyday clinical practice. American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting (AES) 2017; Washington, US. Abst. 1.319.

2. Villanueva V, McMurray R. (2017) Effectiveness, safety and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate at doses >1200 mg/day versus 1200 mg/day: real-world evidence from the Euro-Esli study. American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting (AES) 2017; Washington, US. Abst. 1.318.

3. McMurray R, Villanueva V, Delanty R. (2017) Real-world data on the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate monotherapy in clinical practice. American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting (AES) 2017; Washington, US. Abst. 2.313.

4. Saxena S,et al. (2017) Defeating epilepsy: A global public health commitment.Epilepsia Open. 2 (2), 153-155.

5. Fisher,R.S., et al. (2014) ILAE Official Report: A practical clinical definition of epilepsy.Epilepsia. 55(4), 475-482.

6. Laxer D,et al. (2014) The consequences of refractory epilepsy and its treatment.Epilepsy & Behaviour. 37, 59-70.

7. Eisai. (2017)Zebinix(eslicarbazepine acetate) Summary of Product Characteristics. Available from:

http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/000988/WC500047225.pdf. [Accessed October 2017].

8. Hebeisen S,et al. (2015) Eslicarbazepine and the enhancement of slow inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels: A comparison with carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and lacosamide.Neuropharmacology. 89, 122-135

9. Elger C,et al. (2007) Eslicarbazepine acetate: A double-blind, add-on, placebo-controlled exploratory trial in adult patients with partial-onset seizures.Epilepsia. 48, 497-504.

10. Elger C,et al. (2009) Efficacy and safety of eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive treatment in adults with refractory partial onset seizures: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase III study.Epilepsia. 50,454-63.

11. Ben-Menachem E,et al. (2010) Eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with partial epilepsy.Epilepsy Research. 89(2-3), 278-85.

12. Gil-Nagel A,et al. (2009) Efficacy and safety of 800 and 1200 mg eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive treatment in adults with refractory partial-onset seizures.Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. 120, 281-87.

December 2017

Zebinix-EU0153
After a doctor prescribed a pain patch for a woman with arthritis, the patient started slurring her words. She put patches on her skin everywhere she hurt, her family discovered, not just in one place.

For a patient with epilepsy, a doctor changed a prescription from one, 1,000-milligram tablet twice a day to two 500-milligram tablets twice a day.

The patient kept taking one tablet twice a day, and subsequently had a seizure.

Drug labels can be confusing, especially for people who are elderly or not fully literate. Wisconsin Health Literacy is working with pharmacies to introduce new labels based on national guidelines that emphasize key information, clear instructions and readability.

Our goal is to improve the labels so theyre easier to understand and people are able to more effectively use their medications, said Steve Sparks, director of Wisconsin Health Literacy, part of Madison-based Wisconsin Literacy.

In a survey by the nonprofit this year of more than 700 patients, 88 percent said they have found drug labels difficult to understand. Nearly 23 percent said they have taken prescriptions incorrectly because of confusing labels.

Some of the patients joined health care providers in submitting stories like those involving the arthritis and epilepsy patients. Another anecdote: An elderly woman inadvertently took her husbands heart medicine because it was an oval white pill, just like her diabetes drug prescribed by the same doctor.

Medication mistakes can result in emergency room visits, hospital stays and even death, Sparks said. The more prescriptions people take, the more opportunity for error.

Through a pilot program started last year, Wisconsin Health Literacy has been introducing new labels at more than 60 pharmacies at UW Health, Hayat Pharmacy, Hometown Pharmacy, Forward Pharmacy and Fitchburg Family Pharmacy.

On old labels, the pharmacys name, address and phone number often were on top, followed by a prescription number or the doctors name.

The new labels, based on standards from U.S. Pharmacopoeia, emphasize the patients name, the drug name (brand and generic) and its strength. Large, bold print is suggested, in a familiar font  such as Roman or Arial.

Explicit instructions, using numerals and no abbreviations, are stressed. Instead of, Take two tabs twice daily, the new labels say, Take 2 tablets in the morning and 2 tablets in the evening.

Now, Wisconsin Health Literacy plans to expand the program to more pharmacies around the state, in part by compiling an implementation guide. The larger rollout is supported by a $446,000 grant awarded last month from the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The same fund contributed $256,000 earlier, and the UW School of Medicine and Public Healths Wisconsin Partnership Program has given $50,000.

Switching to the new labels required some effort, but the process has gone well, said Ryan Bender, a pharmacist at Hometown Pharmacy in Rio.

The Rio location was one of the first of Hometown Pharmacys more than 40 stores to start using the new labels, in June.

The labels, larger than those previously used, and with more white space, seem to be well received by customers, Bender said.

Nobody has said, How come you changed your labels; I liked the old ones better, he said. Everyone kind of understood intuitively this was a change for the better.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has signed a new space policy directive instructing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to send Americans to the moon after a gap of four and a half decades, followed by missions to Mars and beyond.



Representatives of Congress and the National Space Council joined Apollo astronaut Jack Schmitt and current NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson at White House Monday for the president's signing of Space Policy Directive 1.



The new national space policy provides for a U.S.-led, integrated program with private sector partners for a human return to the Moon, and will lay the foundation for eventual human exploration of Mars.



'The directive I am signing today will refocus America's space program on human exploration and discovery,' said the President 'This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprints -- we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars, and perhaps someday, to many worlds beyond,' he added.



The policy grew from a unanimous recommendation by the new National Space Council, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, in October. In addition to the direction to plan for human return to the Moon, the policy also ends NASA's existing effort to send humans to an asteroid.



On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon, making 'one giant leap for mankind.' America, the only country to successfully send manned missions to the Moon, has sent 12 astronauts to walk on the Moon.



In July 2011, the United States retired the Space Shuttle program, forcing them to rely on Russian rockets, at the cost of $70 million per seat.



The United States has an ambitious plan in the coming years to launch astronauts on an American-made rocket and crew system, the Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle. Multiple American companies will provide the Pentagon with American engines and rockets to launch national security payloads.



India's Mars Orbiter Mission, called Mangalyaan, is orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014.



At $74m, this mission is staggeringly cheap by Western standards.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Company Announcement No. 17/2017 12 December 2017 Today, an Extraordinary General Meeting of Greentech Energy Systems A/S was held in accordance with the published agenda. The shareholders at the General Meeting decided to change the Company's name from Greentech Energy Systems A/S to Athena Investments A/S. Article 1 of the Articles of Association will be changed accordingly. As a result of the name change, the Company's ticker symbol will be changed to Athena. Moreover, the proposal to change the objects of the Company was adopted. The related article 3 of the Company's Articles of Association accordingly reads as follows: "The objects of the Company are to carry out activities and, directly or indirectly, wholly or partly, own companies or other equity interests within industrial, commercial, technical, research and development, services and/or financial activities, including, but not limited to, activities within development and production of renewable energy". Finally, the chairman of the General Meeting was authorised to make the related registrations of the amendments with the Danish Business Authority. The Board of Directors Contact: Peter Hstgaard-Jensen, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tel: +45 40 10 88 71 Alessandro Reitelli, CEO, Tel: +45 33 36 42 02 Attachment: https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=656820
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/17 -- Transcontinental Inc.'s (TSX: TCL.A)(TSX: TCL.B) Media Sector, TC Media, announces today the sale of 12 of its publications, as well as their related web properties, to Groupe Lexis Media inc., a company owned by Mr. Elie Akoury and Mr. Frederic Couture, who will act as President. In total, 75 employees of these various publications and 16 employees from TC Media's Production team are transferred to Groupe Lexis Media inc. TC Transcontinental also concluded a multi-year agreement for the printing and distribution of all of these titles as well as for the printing of the magazines already owned by Lexis Media inc. With the completion of this transaction, 60% of the publications included in the sale process of TC Media's local and regional newspapers in Quebec and Ontario, launched in April 2017, are now in the hands of local owners.

The newspapers sold to Groupe Lexis Media inc. are: Le Citoyen Rouyn-Noranda, Le Citoyen de la Vallee-de-l'Or, L'Echo Abitibien and La Frontiere, distributed in Abitibi-Temiscamingue; L'Action D'Autray, L'Action - Wednesday Edition, L'Action - Weekend Edition, L'Express Montcalm and Hebdo Rive-Nord, in Lanaudiere; Le Bulletin, La Petite-Nation and La Revue, in Outaouais.

"It is with enthusiasm that we hand over our 12 publications in Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Lanaudiere and Outaouais to Groupe Lexis Media," said Mr. Francois Olivier, President and Chief Executive Officer of TC Transcontinental. "These newspapers are well rooted in their communities thanks to the talent and dedication of their employees over the years. On behalf of TC Transcontinental, I would like to sincerely thank them for their work and wish them the very best for the future. I am confident they will continue to help these local publications thrive with the Groupe Lexis Media team and its President Frederic Couture."

Mr. Frederic Couture, President of Groupe Lexis Media inc., added: "It is an honour for me to acquire this portfolio of quality publications from TC Media and, together with our people, I look forward to great successes serving readers and advertisers. Since its beginnings, Lexis Media has carved out a prominent position for itself in the media industry by bringing on a passionate editorial team and collaborators, and highly professional sales representatives. We intend to carry on this tradition as we confidently embark on this new phase of our development, marked in particular by the upcoming relocation of our offices to a new commercial condo complex in Saint-Hubert. The local newspaper teams who are joining us today are, however, remaining in their respective offices in Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Outaouais and Lanaudiere."

About TC Transcontinental

Canada's largest printer with operations in print, flexible packaging, publishing and digital media, TC Transcontinental's mission is to create products and services that allow businesses to attract, reach and retain their target customers.

Respect, teamwork, performance and innovation are strong values held by the Corporation and its employees. The Corporation's commitment to its stakeholders is to pursue its business and philanthropic activities in a responsible manner.

Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A)(TSX: TCL.B), known as TC Transcontinental, has more than 7,000 employees in Canada and the United States, and revenues of C$2.0 billion in 2016. Website www.tc.tc.

Contacts:

Media

Nathalie St-Jean

Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications

TC Transcontinental

514-954-3581

nathalie.st-jean@tc.tc / www.tc.tc



Marie-Andree Hogue

Director, Content and Communication

Groupe Lexis Media inc.

514-394-7156

mandree@lexismedia.ca

www.lexismedia.ca



Financial Community

Shirley Chenny

Advisor, Investor Relations

TC Transcontinental

514-954-4166

shirley.chenny@tc.tc / www.tc.tc




Perth, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2017) - ASX listed Cougar Metals NL (ASX: CGM) ("Cougar" or the "Company") released an update on its Agreement with DNI Metals over the Vohitsara Graphite Project in Madagascar, in response to a Notice of Default issued by DNI Metals.

Cougar advised it will elect to refer the alleged defaults to arbitration, as per the Agreement with DNI, and also detailed alleged misconduct on the part of DNI management.

Cougar's Managing Director, Mr. Randal Swick stated:

"Cougar is bitterly disappointed with recently failed negotiations resulting in DNI delivering a Notice of Default. Cougar has many outstanding queries with respect to DNI's conduct and will bring these to the attention of DNI shareholders, not only to ensure transparency but also avoid the further destruction of Cougar and DNI shareholders wealth. Cougar has nothing to hide and will, as one would expect, enforce its rights and protect the Company and its shareholders."

Allegations of Misconduct:

On Friday December 1, 2107 and Monday December 4, 2017 DNI Metals Inc. issued press releases making various assertions regarding Cougar's performance at the Vohitsara Graphite Project.

DNI Metals has failed to accurately describe the circumstances leading to Cougar's inability to complete its earn-in obligations and Cougar provides the following information to supplement, clarify and refute various statements made by DNI.

Most notably, DNI makes no reference to the arrest of Cougar's driller, Mr. Amarildo Moura, and the attempted arrest of Cougar's Managing Director, Mr. Randal Swick, in Madagascar, both of which were directed by DNI. Cougar believes that these two final instances of DNI's delaying tactics, prior to all works ceasing on the project on October 3, 2017, were criminal in nature. The arrest and subsequent incarceration (without trial) of Mr. Moura was orchestrated by DNI, specifically targeting Mr. Moura without any credible grounds. Furthermore, the management and directors of DNI failed to act and have Mr. Moura released from jail, despite being provided with clear evidence that there was no basis for charges to be made against him.

DNI also falsely advised Cougar's Managing Director, Mr. Randal Swick, that Mr. Moura requested his physical presence in Madagascar on several occasions. Upon arriving in Madagascar on October9th, 2017 Mr. Swick briefly met with DNI's Managing Director, Mr. Dan Weir on that evening. The following morning Mr. Swick was advised that a warrant for his arrest had been issued, after a police complaint was lodged by DNI. Mr. Swick immediately left the city of Toamasina and upon passing the project area confronted Mr. Weir, who denied all knowledge of the arrest warrant for Mr. Swick and any involvement in the arrest of Mr. Moura.

Despite Mr. Weir's authority to remove the complaints against Mr. Moura, and secure his immediate release from the horrendous conditions of a Malagasy regional jail, nothing was done until October 27, 2017 (24 days after his initial arrest) when, immediately prior to Mr. Moura's trial, DNI withdrew the unfounded allegations and Mr. Moura was immediately released.

Similarly, DNI has failed to withdraw the false complaint against Mr. Swick, despite advising Cougar that it would do so on October 16, 2017.

Despite the many attempts by Cougar's Managing Director to discuss the various issues at site with DNI management, DNI has refused to communicate directly with Mr. Swick since October 5, 2017 - save for emails related to the delivery of the Notice of Default. As such, Cougar has had no option but to communicate with the DNI through legal counsel since that date.

Mr. Weir and DNI management failed to respond in a timely manner to the numerous requests to justify the charges against Mr. Moura and Mr. Swick, or have them withdrawn. Accordingly, both individuals are taking legal action, in Canada, against DNI, Mr. Weir and his fellow directors for, among other claims, false imprisonment and attempted false arrest.

In addition to the risk of false charges being made against Cougar personnel, additional delays beyond the control of Cougar were incurred. A claim that these issues were in the control of DNI will form part of the arbitration proceedings.

Notice to Arbitrate:

In response to the Notice of Default received on December 1, 2017 Cougar will elect to arbitrate the following claims in respect to DNI's conduct:

a) an order quashing DNI's notice of default and ordering specific performance of the Definitive Agreement, including an order extending the time for the performance of Cougar's obligations, including all steps required for the work program referred to in section 5.3 of the Definitive Agreement, and including an order requiring DNI to provide adequate protection and security for Cougar's employees and contractors against unlawful arrest, imprisonment or other harassment; b) alternatively, damages for breach and improper termination of the Definitive Agreement in the amount of US$6.0 million per year for the life of the Project, being approximately 50% of the profits projected by DNI, on the basis of production of 12,000 tonnes of graphite per year at a margin of approximately US$1000.00 per tonne; c) in the further alternative, an order for rescission of the Definitive Agreement, including payment to Cougar of all amounts paid by it to DNI, plus all amounts paid by Cougar in relation to the Project, plus damages for Cougar's loss of bargain in the amount of US$6.0 million per year for the life of the Project; d) damages resulting from DNI's misrepresentations to the market in press releases and in other statements published to third parties, in the amount of US$5 million; and e) its full legal and arbitral costs.

For further information contact:

Randal Swick - Managing Director

r.swick@cgm.com.au

Website: www.cgm.com.au
Regulatory News:

Elior Group (Paris:ELIOR):

With the renewal of concessions for eight of its catering venues, Areas has consolidated its position as the leading caterer at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, the fifth largest air transport hub in France and the only French representative to feature among the top-20 of the best airports in the world for the quality of its services1. This eight-year contract is part of the airport's far-reaching modernization project and involves a range of innovative catering concepts offering a combination of local and internationally renowned brands.

To accompany the growth in air traffic at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (which already accommodates more than 8 million travelers per year), Areas has designed a comprehensive catering offer that enables travelers, visitors and platform employees alike to enjoy a warm and friendly, connected and efficient experience.

Alexandre de Palmas, CEO of Areas in France and Northern Europe, stated: "We are very proud to be lending support to the Toulouse-Blagnac airport modernization project. Thanks to our local foothold and our franchise portfolio, we can offer travelers and airport employees comprehensive catering solutions that are not only unique but also reflect the way of life specific to the regions of Toulouse, Bordeaux, the Basque Country and even Spain. Thanks to its digital approach, Areas has enhanced the customer experience at all levels from travel planning through to arrival."

Areas' diverse portfolio of home-grown and emblematic brands offers catering solutions that are designed to satisfy all tastes and rooted in the way of life specific to the regions of Toulouse, Bordeaux, the Basque Country and Spain.

For public areas in the airport, Areas is proposing:

A Starbucks Coffee outlet for international coffee lovers;

outlet for international coffee lovers; A Panorama restaurant open to all travelers, visitors and employees, with a self-service catering solution for guests pressed for time and a brasserie that serves regional gastronomic dishes, as well as co-working and conference room facilities;

restaurant open to all travelers, visitors and employees, with a self-service catering solution for guests pressed for time and a brasserie that serves regional gastronomic dishes, as well as co-working and conference room facilities; A Super Wild Coffee kiosk: this new generation coffee shop was designed by Areas to meet the needs of travelers looking for a good quality cup of coffee. The kiosk offers a wide and up-beat range of local food products that is inspired by the latest urban trends.

In the reserved zone, Areas plans to install a variety of local and international brands:

A Mas que Menos tapas bar which has been serving authentic Spanish cuisine for four decades;

tapas bar which has been serving authentic Spanish cuisine for four decades; Factory and Co , a gourmet catering concept that serves bagels, burgers, salads and American-style pastries: muffins, cookies and cheesecakes, etc.;

, a gourmet catering concept that serves bagels, burgers, salads and American-style pastries: muffins, cookies and cheesecakes, etc.; The Victor wine bar which features products prepared by the finest artisans from the Victor Hugo market in Toulouse: Maison Samaran, Maison Garcia and Maison Bacquie which serves wines from several regions from Bordeaux to Barcelona.

wine bar which features products prepared by the finest artisans from the Victor Hugo market in Toulouse: Maison Samaran, Maison Garcia and Maison Bacquie which serves wines from several regions from Bordeaux to Barcelona. A lounge bar situated away from the main drag, where people can go to relax a while and enjoy a snack.

A Super Wild Coffee restaurant.

Areas has developed the Wiiish app for its guests to ensure they enjoy a seamless and connected catering experience, and will make it available in Toulouse-Blagnac. Designed for major international hubs, this multilingual iOS and Android app enables travelers to place their orders in advance, use their mobile phones to pay for all products on sale in the catering areas and pick up their orders at a designated collection area. This enables travelers to make the most of their free time before take off.

About Elior Group

Founded in 1991, Elior Group has grown into one of the world's leading operators in the catering and support services industry, and has become a benchmark player in the business industry, education, healthcare and travel markets. Now operating in 16 countries, the Group generated 6,422 million in revenue through 25,000 restaurants and points of sale in FY 2016-2017. Our 127,000 employees serve 5.5 million people on a daily basis, taking genuine care of each and every one by providing personalized catering and service solutions to ensure an innovative customer experience. We place particular importance on corporate social responsibility and have been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2004 and we reached the GC Advanced level in 2015. The professional excellence of our teams, as well as their unwavering commitment to quality and innovation and to providing best in-class service is embodied in our corporate motto: "Time savored".

For further information please visit our website: http://www.eliorgroup.com or follow us on Twitter: @Elior_Group

1 according to the Flight-Report platform

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005974/en/

Contacts:

Elior Group

Press

Anne-Isabelle Gros, +33 (0)1 71 06 70 58

anne-isabelle.gros@eliorgroup.com

Anne-Laure Sanguinetti, +33 (0)1 71 06 70 57

anne-laure.sanguinetti@eliorgroup.com

or

Investor relations

Marie de Scorbiac, +33 (0) 1 70 06 70 13

marie.descorbiac@eliorgroup.com
Technavio has announced the top six leading vendors in their recentglobal commercial espresso machines marketreport from 2017-2021. This market research report also lists 17 other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212006045/en/

Technavio has published a new market research report on the global commercial espresso machines market 2017-2021 under their food and beverage library. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Competitive vendor landscape

The global commercial espresso machines market is a highly competitive market. The prominent vendors hold maximum share in the market. They compete based on various strategies that are primarily focused towards design of the product, variants of products, innovation, after sales service in the least amount of time possible, and brand equity.

According to Manu Gupta, a lead analyst at Technavio for food service research, "Many vendors offer a vast product portfolio that fulfills every need of the end-users. This leads to high customer satisfaction, easy customer retention for the vendors, and high brand equity for the company. Some vendors are also involved in refurbished business or remanufacturing business where they repair old products and sell those products at lower prices. This is to target those group of end-users who cannot afford high-value machines

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Technaviomarket research analysts identify the following key vendors:

Breville Group

Breville Group deals in the area such as equipment related to beverages, cooking, and food preparation. The company manufacture equipment such as juicers, espresso machines, milk frothers, blenders, coffee grinders, citrus press, ovens, toasters, grills, deep fryers, food processors, mixers and others. The company sells various models of commercial espresso machines through its brand Breville.

BUNN

The company deals in products related to coffee, water, and tea for both commercial and household customers. BUNN also deals in equipment related to hot dispensed beverage, cold dispensed beverage, frozen dispensed beverage, and serving equipment. By channel the company offer products to FSRs, QSRs, healthcare, college, university, and many more.

De'Longhi Appliances

De'Longhi Appliances manufactures equipment such as coffee machines, kitchen appliances, floor cleaning equipment, ironing appliances, air treatment equipment, air conditioning equipment, and portable heating equipment. The company manufactures products for both home and commercial use. The company is part of De'Longhi Group.

Gruppo Cimbali

The company specializes in the manufacturing of coffee machines. Besides coffee machines, Gruppo Cimbali also offers professional dishwashers and ice machines. The company has brands such as La Cimbali, FAEMA, Casadio, and Hemerson. The company also operates Museum of Espresso Coffee Machines (MUMAC).

La Pavoni

The company operates globally and specialize in manufacturing coffee machines for home use as well as commercial use. For domestic products, the company offers lever machines, dual boiler machines, combined machines, pump machines, and coffee grinders. In commercial space, La Pavoni mainly deals in coffee machines and grinders.

RANCILIO GROUP

RANCILIO GROUP offers various products such as coffee machines, coffee grinders, and bar equipment. The company operates globally with branch offices in many countries such as Spain, Germany, the US, and many more. RANCILIO GROUP has received certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 18001. The company is part of the Ali Group.

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Global Commercial Convection Oven Market 2017-2021

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With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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www.technavio.com
PHOENIX, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --As the latest move in the accelerating disruption of the traditional mattress industry, Tuft & Needle's litigation counsel, Charles "Chip" Babcock of Jackson Walker LLP, sought dismissal yesterday of a federal lawsuit filed by Mattress Firm against Tuft & Needle in Houston, Texas. Tuft & Needle asks the court to decide whether Mattress Firm's lawsuit is a thinly-veiled, strategic attempt by Mattress Firm to weaken its competition, the industry innovator and "bed-in-a-box" pioneer Tuft & Needle. Tuft & Needle believes it may have significant counter-claims against Mattress Firm and, potentially, its South Africa-based parent company, Steinhoff International Holdings NV, for anti-competitive misconduct, and has instructed Babcock to investigate. In 2016, global furniture giant Steinhoff paid $2.4 billion to acquire Mattress Firm, the United States' biggest mattress chain, which now operates over 3,500 stores in 49 states, including former Sleepy's and Sleep Train outlets. Last week, Steinhoff became engulfed in a financial scandal-its CEO, Markus Jooste, resigned amid fraud allegations, and he and other senior executives are under investigation for misconduct.

In a classic David vs. Goliath scenario, in October 2017 Steinhoff's subsidiary Mattress Firm filed a lawsuit against Tuft & Needle, attacking the start-up's modern, tongue-in-cheek advertising campaigns-including a notorious run of Phoenix, AZ billboards calling mattress stores "greedy"- all of which, Babcock argues, is protected under the laws and the United States Constitution. Tuft & Needle was founded in 2012 by two Silicon Valley engineers with a personal investment of $6,000, with a goal of disrupting the traditional mattress industry. The company has grown to generate over $100 million in annual sales, and has taken position as the #1 top-rated mattress on Amazon.com and catalyzed the "bed-in-a-box" category. With Tuft & Needle and the "bed-in-a-box" category thriving-now believed to have close to ten-percent market share in the U.S. mattress market-Steinhoff has been attempting to breathe new life into its acquisition of Mattress Firm, including the development of its own tag-along "bed-in-a-box" product, called "Tulo."

Tuft & Needle's founders met with Mattress Firm executives in late Summer 2017. Discussions began with a cordial, informal exploration of a potential partnership. Tuft & Needle subsequently rebuffed Mattress Firm's proposal to acquire control of Tuft & Needle through a minority investment. By mid-October, Mattress Firm dragged the industry innovator into an expensive legal battle, demanding Tuft & Needle's profits to date in "damages." Tuft & Needle believes Mattress Firm's claims are unfounded, and that it is attempting to eliminate an up-and-coming American innovator through the expense of this lawsuit, rather than a business transaction.

Tuft & Needle's submission to the court argues that Mattress Firm's lawsuit should be dismissed. As Babcock contends: "As is characteristic of many anti-competitive lawsuits, this one fails to state claim. It seeks to sanction Defendant's opinions and apparently resents a tiny competition's "playful" efforts at satire and parody, all of which is protected under the laws it relies upon and under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."

The court document is available as of Monday, December 11, 2017.

About Tuft & Needle

Tuft & Needle is a Phoenix-based company that pioneered the disruption of the mattress industry. Founded in 2012 by JT Marino and Daehee Park, Tuft & Needle is leading the revolution against unfair mattress markups, commissionbased sales models, and information asymmetry by creating an exceptional, honestly-priced product. Having bypassed the option to raise outside capital, Tuft & Needle has nurtured the cofounders' personal investment of $6,000 into month-over-month profitability, outstanding customer satisfaction reviews, and remarkable growth of over $100 million in sales in 2016. The company was ranked #1 for "Top Company Cultures" in the U.S. by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2017.

Media Contacts:

Megan Breinig | Megan@decibelblue.com | +1 928.300.4431

Andrea Kalmanovitz | Andrea@decibelblue.com | +1 602.980.2040

Press Site: tn.com/press

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618423/Tuft_Needle_Logo.jpg
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2017) - Forum Uranium Corp. (TSXV: FDC) is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 3,750,000 units ("Unit") at a price of $0.08 per Unit for total proceeds of $300,000. Each Unit will be comprised of one flow-through common share and one-half of one share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant is exercisable to purchase one non-flow through common share of the Company at a price of $0.12 per share for a period of 30 months from the date of closing of the financing.

The private placement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval and all securities are subject to a four month hold period. Finder's fees will be payable in connection with the private placement, all in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The proceeds from this financing will be used for exploration of the Company's 100% owned Maurice Point Project adjacent to the Maurice Bay uranium deposit.

About Forum Uranium

Forum Uranium Corp. is a Canadian-based energy company with a focus on the acquisition, exploration and development of Canadian uranium projects. Forum has assembled a highly experienced team of exploration professionals with a track record of mine discoveries for unconformity-style uranium deposits in Canada. The Company has a strategy to discover near surface uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan by exploring on its 100% owned properties and through strategic partnerships and joint ventures with Cameco, AREVA, Rio Tinto Exploration, NexGen and Uracan.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard J. Mazur, P.Geo.

President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information contact:

Rick Mazur, President & CEO

Tel: 604-630-1585

Craig Christy, VP Corporate Development

Tel: 250-863-0561

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
BRUSSELS, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

5GAA and EU policymakers discuss future of 5G for connected and automated vehicles

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), a cross-industry association of the telecoms and automotive industry, held a policy debate on Tuesday 5 December in Brussels to discuss the concrete actions necessary to implement 5G connected and automated vehicles in Europe. A recurring theme in Tuesday's debate was the cohesive development and implementation of cellular "vehicle to everything" (C-V2X) technology, the technology that will enable automobiles to communicate via cellular networks to other connected devices but also the possibility of ad-hoc communication without any cellular network involvement (e.g. in case of weak coverage). Policymakers and industry face the ongoing challenge of creating a cohesive framework that enables private sector innovation while ensuring a safe and economically viable rollout of new technologies.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618815/5GAA.jpg )

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618816/Markus_Dillinger.jpg )

Attendees heard from a wide range from various European political and administrative representatives, including Eddy Hartog, EC Head of Unit Smart Mobility and Living, Attila Benedek (Adviser to Istvan Ujhelyi MEP, rapporteur on European C-ITS Strategy), Jaime Moreno Garcia-Cano of the Spanish traffic authority or Andreas Geiss, EC Head of Unit for Spectrum Policy. 5GAA was represented by its Secretary, Markus Dillinger of Huawei and board members, Luke Ibbetson of Vodafone, Joachim Gothel of BMW, Rainer Krumrein of Daimler, and Friedhelm Ramme of Ericsson.

The debate coincides with the Commission's ongoing public consultation on its European Strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), which runs through January 5, 2018. C-V2X technology stands to significantly improve road safety and facilitate traffic flows in the EU. Ultimately, the benefits of this technology across the EU could save the several billion euros that are lost every year to traffic accidents and congested roadways.

Markus Dillinger, 5GAA Secretary and Member of the Executive Committee: "5GAA was founded to underscore the urgency in developing technology that makes our roads safer and smarter. Today's debate brought together public and private sector stakeholders to discuss the capabilities of such technology as well as the acceleration of creating a regulatory framework in which the industry can work."

During the event, analysts from Analysys Mason and SBD Automotive presented the findings of a cost-benefit analysis of implementing C-V2X technology. The socio-economic returns of deployment of C-ITS systems may amount to EUR 43 billion by 2035 in Europe, if both C-V2X and the Wi-Fi Standard IEEE 802.11p are able to co-exist in the 5.9GHz spectrum band. The 5GAA also presented a study assessing the road safety benefits of LTE-V2X (PC-5) and IEEE 802.11p in the EU, which indicates that LTE-V2X (PC5) outperforms 802.11p in reducing fatalities and serious injuries. In addition, it demonstrates that the absence of interoperability between technologies is unlikely to present a substantive barrier to the reduction of road accidents in the short to medium term. Bill McKinley, 5GAA rapporteur on tests and trials, and Rainer Krumrein of Daimler also presented 5GAA's perspective on C-V2X performance and future capabilities.

The event culminated in a panel discussion to discuss the right framework to accelerate the deployment of the C-ITS across Europe. Particular attention was given to short range communications in the 5.9 GHz band and the four guiding policy principles established by the European Commission: uncompromised safety services for all users in case of multiple technologies implementation, technology neutrality of spectrum regulation, efficient spectrum use and introduction in the longer-term of 5G for the further development of cooperative, connected and automated mobility.

Luke Ibbetson, R&D Director Vodafone Group and member of 5GAA: "Both C-V2X and ITS-G5 technologies should peacefully co-exist in the 5.9 GHz band. The socio-economic and road safety studies presented at this event indicate that co-existence offers the highest net benefits for the European economy, amounting to EUR 43 billion by 2035."

Joachim Gothel, Senior Manager Project 5G-Alliance of BMW and member of 5GAA: "C-V2X offers a strong evolution path to 5G which is absolutely essential to enable full connected and automated driving in the future, while enabling a fast roll-out for many functionalities in the very short-term, utilizing existing cellular networks."

About 5GAA

The 5GAA is a cross-industry association between the cellular and automotive industries to develop, test and promote communications solutions, initiate their standardisation and accelerate their commercial availability and global market penetration, to address society's connected mobility and road safety needs with applications such as automated driving, ubiquitous access to services and integration into smart city and intelligent transportation.

Press contact:Robbe Libbrecht, Robbe.libbrecht@finnpr.coml, +32-49723-3038
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN.

Regulatory News:

CARMAT (the "Company") (Paris:ALCAR), the designer and developer of the world's most advanced artificial heart project, aiming to provide a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, announces today the success of its capital increase announced on December 5, implemented without shareholders' preferential subscription rights by way of a public offering and with a priority subscription period, on an irreducible basis (a titre irreductible) only, granted to its existing shareholders (the "Offering"), for a total amount (including the issue premium) of 52.9m, after full exercise of the increase option (clause d'extension

The Offering will provide the Company with the means to continue its development and, in particular, in order of priority to finance the PIVOTAL study and the CE marking process, the development of its production capacities, the start of the clinical study in the United States and the commercial launch of its product.

Stephane Piat, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT, comments: "I would like to thank all of the French as well as international historical and new investors, who have contributed to the true success of this capital increase. Thanks to the 52.9 million raised, CARMAT can confidently continue its industrial and clinical development through to the CE marking which is expected in 2019, while simultaneously preparing its commercialization in Europe and clinical strategy in the United States. All our teams are fully on board to make our total artificial heart available to patients suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure in line with our roadmap."

The new shares not subscribed within the priority period as well as the new shares issued pursuant to the exercise of the increase option were subject to a global offering, comprised of an open price public offering in France (the "Public Offering"), and a global placement (the "Global Placement") comprised of a private placement in France primarily intended for qualified investors and an international private placement primarily intended for institutional investors in certain countries.

The transaction was oversubscribed (the total amount of the demand was 60.3m) and the subscription price of the new shares was set by the Company's board of directors on December 12, 2017 at 20 per share, representing a discount of 13.4% on the 23.10 closing price of December 11, 2017 and of 16.7% on the 5-trading day volume weighted average price (the "VWAP") preceding December 12, 20171

The capital increase, of an aggregate amount of 52,900,000, issue premium included, will result in the issuance of 2,645,000 new shares, i.e. 41.5% of the Company's share capital.

In the context of the priority subscription period granted to them, the demand from the Company's existing shareholders amounted to 11.0m, representing 20.9% of the total capital increase, of which 6.4m excluding the subscription commitments described below. International leading investors expressed their intention to subscribe for 46.5m in the framework of the Global Placement, representing 87.8% of the total capital increase, of which 16.6m excluding the subscription commitments described below. Finally, the retail shareholders (existing wishing to subscribe beyond their equity stake within the priority period as well as new shareholders) have expressed their interest in the transaction, their demand amounting to 2.8m.

1 The subscription price represents a discount of 26.9% on the 5-trading day VWAP preceding December 4, 2017 (included)

Subscriptions within the framework of the capital increase, including those from the Company's existing main shareholders (Babalia (family office of Mr. Pierre Bastid), Sante Holdings SRL (family office of Dr. Antonino Ligresti), ALIAD (Air Liquide), the funds managed by Truffle Capital) and Groupe Therabel (a Dutch pharmaceutical industrial group), which committed to participate to the Offering for an amount of 34.5m, were allocated as follows:

Nb. of existing shares

(non-diluted basis) % of share capital before the Offering Subscription commitments (in euros) Subscriptions received

(in euros) o/w on irreducible basis o/w on reducible

basis Subscriptions

(number of new shares subscribed) Stake in the capital increase % of share capital after the Offering Matra Defense (Airbus Group) 1 333 798 20,9% 0 0 0 0 0,0% 14,8% Funds managed by Truffle Capital 715 369 11,2% 1 000 000 1 000 000 1 000 000 0 50 000 1,9% 8,5% Professor Alain Carpentier et Association Recherche Scientifique Fondation Alain Carpentier 663 583 10,4% 0 0 0 0 0,0% 7,4% Cornovum1 458 715 7,2% 0 0 0 0 0,0% 5,1% Babalia2 291 710 4,6% 20 000 000 19 999 980 2 106 020 17 893 960 999 999 37,8% 14,3% Sante Holdings SRL3 188 882 3,0% 10 000 000 9 999 980 1 363 640 8 636 340 499 999 18,9% 7,6% ALIAD (Air Liquide) 26 983 0,4% 1 000 000 999 980 194 800 805 180 49 999 1,9% 0,9% Treasury shares 2 833 0,0% 0 0 0 0 0,0% 0,0% Groupe Therabel 0 0,0% 2 500 000 2 500 000 0 2 500 000 125 000 4,7% 1,4% Free float 2 689 671 42,2% 18 400 060 6 376 560 12 023 500 920 003 34,8% 40,0% Total 6 371 544 100,0% 34 500 000 52 900 000 11 041 020 41 858 980 2 645 000 100,0% 100,0%

To the Company's knowledge, the distribution of the Company's shareholding on the date of the AMF's approval (Visa) on the Prospectus was as follows:

Existing Shares (non-diluted basis) Theoretical Voting Rights (non-diluted basis) Number % of capital Number of Voting rights % of voting rights Matra Defense (Airbus Group) 1,333,798 20.9% 2,315,198 27.0% Funds managed by Truffle Capital 715,369 11.2% 1,264,839 14.8% Professor Alain Carpentier et Association Recherche Scientifique Fondation Alain Carpentier 663,583 10.4% 1,327,166 15.5% Cornovum1 458,715 7.2% 458,715 5.4% Babalia2 291,710 4.6% 291,710 3.4% Sante Holdings SRL3 188,882 3.0% 188,882 2.2% ALIAD (Air Liquide) 26,983 0.4% 26,983 0.3% Treasury shares 2,833 0.0% 2,833 0.0% Free float 2,689,671 42.2% 2,690,393 31.4% Total 6,371,544 100.0% 8,566,719 100.0%

1 Investment vehicle owned equally by the French State and Bpifrance.

2 Family office of Mr. Pierre Bastid, having acquired the Existing Shares originally subscribed by ZAKA (another family office of Mr. Pierre Bastid) as part of the Company's private placement executed in 2016.

3 Family office of Dr. Antonino Ligresti.

To the Company's knowledge, the distribution of the Company's shareholding following the completion of the capital increase will be as follows:

Shares (non-diluted basis) Theoretical Voting Rights (non-diluted basis) Total number of shares % of capital Number of Voting rights % of voting rights Matra Defense (Airbus Group) 1,333,798 14.8% 2,315,198 20.6% Funds managed by Truffle Capital 765,369 8.5% 1,314,839 11.7% Professor Alain Carpentier et Association Recherche Scientifique Fondation Alain Carpentier 663,583 7.4% 1,327,166 11.8% Cornovum1 458,715 5.1% 458,715 4.1% Babalia2 1,291,709 14.3% 1,291,709 11.5% Sante Holdings SRL3 688,881 7.6% 688,881 6.1% ALIAD (Air Liquide) 76,982 0.9% 76,982 0.7% Groupe Therabel 125,000 1.4% 125,000 1.1% Treasury shares 2,833 0.0% 2,833 0.0% Free float 3,609,674 40.0% 3,610,396 32.2% Total 9,016,544 100.0% 11,211,719 100.0%

1 Investment vehicle owned equally by the French State and Bpifrance.

2 Family office of Mr. Pierre Bastid, having acquired the Existing Shares originally subscribed by ZAKA (another family office of Mr. Pierre Bastid) as part of the Company's private placement executed in 2016.

3 Family office of Dr. Antonino Ligresti.

The exercise of all securities giving access to the Company's share capital at the date of the AMF's approval on the Prospectus (Visa) and the final allocation of all free preferred shares and their conversion, entitling to the maximum possible number of ordinary shares, would result in the issuance of 896,525 new ordinary shares, representing 9.9% of the new share capital of the Company. It is specified that only the Kepler Cheuvreux warrants issued on the date of the AMF's approval on the Prospectus (Visa) were taken into account in the calculation of this number of new additional ordinary shares, it being specified that other warrants should probably be issued in significant numbers to enable Kepler Cheuvreux to respect its commitment to raise the remaining balance of its equity financing line (i.e. 32.2 million as of September 30, 2017). This financing line has been suspended by the Company during the Offering period.

To the Company's knowledge, no other shareholder owns, directly or indirectly, alone or in concert, more than 5% of the capital and voting rights.

The settlement and delivery and the listing on the market of Euronext Growth in Paris of the new shares are expected to take place on December 14, 2017.

This Offering was managed by BNP Paribas and ODDO BHF SCA, acting as Global Coordinators, Lead Managers and Joint-Bookrunners. Portzamparc acted as Co-Lead Manager (BNP Paribas, ODDO BHF SCA and Portzamparc together, the "Managers

Availability of the Prospectus

The prospectus (the "Prospectus"), which received the visa n17-626 on December 4, 2017, consists of (i) the registration document of the Company filed with the Autorite des marches financiers (the "AMF") on March 22, 2017 under number D.17-0200 (the "Registration Document"), (ii) an update to the Registration Document of the Company filed with the AMF on December 4, 2017 under number D.17-0200-A01 (the "Update to the Registration Document") and (iii) a securities note (including a summary of the Prospectus) (the "Securities Note

Paper copies of the Prospectus are available free of charge at the Company's registered office, located 36, avenue de l'Europe, Immeuble l'Etendard Energy III, 78140 Velizy-Villacoublay. The Prospectus is also available on the Company's website (www.carmatsa.com) and on the AMF's website (www.amf-france.org).

Investors are advised to carefully consider the risk factors described in section 2 of the Company's Registration Document, as updated in the Update to the Registration Document, as well as in section 2 of the Securities Note. Should all or any part of these risk factors materialize, CARMAT's businesses, financials, results, development or prospects may be negatively affected.

About CARMAT: the world's most advanced total artificial heart project

A credible response to end-stage heart failure: CARMAT aims to eventually provide a response to a major public health issue associated with heart disease, the world's leading cause of death: chronic and acute heart failure. By pursuing the development of its total artificial heart, CARMAT intends to overcome the well-known shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from irreversible end-stage heart failure, the most seriously affected of the 20 million patients with this progressive disease in Europe and the United States.

The result of combining two types of unique expertise: the medical expertise of Professor Carpentier, known throughout the world for inventing Carpentier-Edwards heart valves, which are the most used in the world, and the technological expertise of Airbus Group, world aerospace leader.

Imitating the natural heart: given its size, the choice of structural materials and its innovative physiological functions, CARMAT's total artificial heart could, assuming the necessary clinical trials are successful, potentially benefit the lives of thousands of patients a year with no risk of rejection and with a good quality of life.

A project leader acknowledged at a European level: with the backing of the European Commission, CARMAT has been granted the largest subsidy ever given to an SME by Bpifrance; a total of 33 million.

Strongly committed, prestigious founders and shareholders: Airbus Group (Matra Defense), Professor Alain Carpentier, the Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue,Truffle Capital, a leading European venture capital firm, ALIAD (Air Liquide's venture capital investor), CorNovum (an investment holding company held 50-50 by Bpifrance and the French State), the family offices of Pierre Bastid (Babalia) and of Dr. Antonino Ligresti (Sante Holdings S.R.L.), Groupe Therabel as well as the thousands of institutional and individual shareholders who have placed their trust in CARMAT.

For more information: www.carmatsa.com

Name: CARMAT

ISIN code: FR0010907956

Ticker: ALCAR

DISCLAIMER

With respect to Member States of the European Economic Area that have transposed European Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and European Council of November 4, 2003, as amended (the "Prospectus Directive"), no action has been taken or will be taken to permit a public offering of the securities referred to in this press release requiring the publication of a prospectus in any Member State. Therefore, such securities may not be and shall not be offered in any Member State other than in accordance with the exemptions of Article 3(2) of the Prospective Directive or, otherwise, in cases not requiring the publication of a prospectus under Article 3 of the Prospective Directive and/or the applicable regulations in such Member State.

This press release and the information it contains are being distributed to and are only intended for persons who are (x) outside the United Kingdom or (y) in the United Kingdom and are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), (ii) high net worth entities and other such persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order ("high net worth companies", "unincorporated associations", etc.) or (iii) other persons to whom an invitation or inducement to participate in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Market Act 2000) may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons in (y)(i), (y)(ii) and (y)(iii) together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire securities to which this press release relates will only be engaged with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this press release or any of its contents.

This press release and the information it contains do not, and will not, constitute a public offering nor an invitation to solicit the interest of public in France, nor an offer to subscribe for or sell, nor the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy, securities of Carmat S.A. in the United States of America or any other jurisdiction where restrictions may apply. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), it being specified that the securities of Carmat S.A. have not been and will not be registered within the U.S. Securities Act. Carmat S.A. does not intend to register securities or conduct a public offering in the United States of America.

The distribution of this press release may be subject to legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Any person who comes into possession of this press release must inform him or herself of and comply with any such restrictions.

Any decision to subscribe for or purchase the shares or other securities of Carmat S.A. must be made solely based on information publicly available about Carmat S.A. Such information is not the responsibility of the Managers and has not been independently verified by the Managers.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212006258/en/

Contacts:

CARMAT

Stephane Piat

Chief Executive Officer

Benoit de la Motte

Chief Financial Officer

+33 1 39 45 64 50

contact@carmatsas.com

or

Alize RP

Press Relations

Caroline Carmagnol, +33 1 44 54 36 66

carmat@alizerp.com

or

NewCap

Investor Relations Strategic Communication

Dusan Oresansky

Emmanuel Huynh

+33 1 44 71 94 94

carmat@newcap.fr
Pioneering Broadcast Ministry Helps Bring Ex-Con Movie's Message of Hope to the Big Screen HCJB Ecuador, Reach Beyond's media partner in Ecuador, plays major supporting role in rare theatrical release for faith-based drama challenging viewers to 'make a change for good'



Contact: Darin Campbell,

512-785-8350, dcampbell@inchristcommunications.com



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Dec. 12, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Missionary radio broadcaster HCJB Ecuador, partner of Reach Beyond (www.reachbeyond.org), has supported efforts to use another medium to share the good newshelping bring a faith-based movie to theaters in Ecuador.



Photo: Members of the HCJB Ecuador production team at one of the theaters that is showing Tal Vez Manana.



While the market for inspirational English-language films has exploded in the past few years, the recent screenings of Tal Vez Manana (Maybe Tomorrow) mark only the third time a Spanish-language Christian movie has seen a major release in Ecuador.



The film was made by an alum of Reach Beyond's media training school, with several former and current ministry staff involved in front of and behind the cameras. HCJB Ecuador was executive producer of the movie.



The 92-minute drama follows the struggles of Jacobo "Jac" Munoz to make a new life for himself and his family after coming to Christ while in prison. It was written and directed by Dwight Gregorich, who with his wife, Tamara Torres, runs Tamto Productions. The couple met at the Christian Center for Communications (CCC), the media training program Reach Beyond ran in Ecuador for 30 years, until 2014.



"We wanted to support their work," said Anabella Cabezas, HCJB Ecuador's director, of the organization's involvement in the project. "We know them and trust their work ethics and quality production, and this was another way to present the truth of the hope we can find in Christ."



HCJB Ecuador's part in Tal Vez Manana is just the latest way in which the organization has diversified and developed since it began working in Ecuador in 1931. Starting with radio broadcasting, which continues to this day, Reach Beyond later expanded to offer medical services. Its work has also spread to other parts of the world.



Tal Vez Manana was shot in and around the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, where the ministry is headquartered. Principal photographer was Paul Childs, whose parents, Jim and Elaine Childs, have served in Ecuador with Reach Beyond since 1983.



Following a positive reception to screenings in almost a dozen cities, Gregorich and Torres are in talks over international distribution for their film, with the possibility of a subtitled edition for the English-speaking world at some stage.



The couple paid tribute to Reach Beyond's part in preparing them for their work. It was during their years at CCC that "our gifts and talents were refined for cinematic production," said Torres. "Our hearts are thankful to God for what he is doing through the movie," she added. "The message is touching lives and challenging them to make a change for good."



Reach Beyond (reachbeyond.org) is a media- and medical-based evangelical ministry with operations on five continents. It spreads the message of Jesus in places that are primarily unreached or unengaged in the gospel. Reach Beyond uses media, including radio broadcasts, webcasts, social media and the distribution of solar-powered radios. It also reaches out to the needy throughout its growing network of healthcare services.



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Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) today announces that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's ordinary shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"):

Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Date of purchase: 12 December 2017 Number of Shares purchased: 27,729 Shares Highest price paid per Share: 1,048 pence 13.96 USD Lowest price paid per Share: 1,038 pence 13.83 USD Average price paid per Share: 1,044.33 pence 13.91 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Date of purchase: 12 December 2017 Number of Shares purchased: 49,803 Shares Highest price paid per Share: 14.00 USD Lowest price paid per Share: 13.87 USD Average price paid per Share: 13.94 USD

PSH intends to cancel these Shares. The net asset value per Share related to this Share buyback is USD 17.68 GBP 13.15 which was calculated as of 5 December 2017. After giving effect to the above Share buyback, PSH has outstanding 235,518,398 Shares. The prices per share in USD were calculated by Jefferies.

The number of PSH Management Shares and the 1 special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) has not been affected.

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212006347/en/

Contacts:

Maitland

James Devas, +44 20 7379 5151

Media-pershingsquareholdings1@maitland.co.uk
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - December 12, 2017) - Almaden Minerals Ltd. ("Almaden" or "the Company")(TSX: AMM) (NYSE American: AAU) (NYSE MKT: AAU) is pleased to announce that in the Spring of 2017 it engaged an arms-length consultant to conduct a Social Impact Assessment ("SIA") of the Ixtaca Project. Almaden has now received a summary report of the SIA, which provides objective insight into the degree to which community members understand the Ixtaca project, and provides a valuable road map for further interactions with the communities who live local to the Ixtaca project area in Puebla State, Mexico.

The SIA was completed by Juan-Pablo Gudino of GMI Consulting ("GMI"). GMI is a Mexico City-based group which provides social and environmental consulting services to government and industry. In 2015 it was recognized by Consulting Magazine as one of the 50 most important consulting companies in Mexico. Juan-Pablo Gudino is a lawyer with a Doctorate in Constitutional Law with a specialty in Human Rights, Environment, and Economics, with twenty years experience in environmental, constitutional, human rights, and labour law. He has attended hearings and cases before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and trials before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. He has also represented the Mexican State and presented Mexico's position before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, headquartered in Washington, regarding Megaprojects and Indigenous Consultation and Energy Reform, resulting in the acceptance of the country's position. Juan-Pablo has participated in more than 30 consultation processes.

In Mexico, only the energy industry requires completion of a SIA (known in Mexico as a Tramite Evaluacion de Impacto Social, or "EVIS") as part of the permitting process. The purpose of these studies is to identify the people in the area of influence of a project ("Focus Area"), and assess the potential positive and negative consequences of project development to assist in the development of mitigation measures and the formation of social investment plans. To Almaden's knowledge, this is the first time such a study has been completed in the minerals industry in Mexico, and as such reflects the Company's commitment to best national and international standards in Ixtaca project development.

The work to complete the SIA was carried out by an interdisciplinary group of nine anthropologists, ethnologists and sociologists graduated from various universities, who lived in community homes within the Focus Area during the study to allow for ethnographic immersion and an appreciation for the local customs and way of life. The SIA sought voluntary participation from broad, diverse population groups, with specific attention to approximately one thousand persons in the Focus Area, where it consulted with every adult. Key points regarding the study include the following:

- GMI found that Almaden Minerals' consultation process complies with the Equator Principles and International Best Practices;

- All the fieldwork is backed up by audio, privacy notices, and photographs which demonstrate the voluntary participation of the interviewees, and their consent to be included in the study;

- The SIA included the participation of men, women, the elderly, boys and girls;

- The SIA concluded that Almaden Minerals had consulted widely with the Focus Area communities, the Ixtaca project was well understood, and that the SIA itself was successful in providing people with an opportunity to clearly express their views on the impacts of Ixtaca project development.

Duane Poliquin, Chairman of Almaden, commented, "This highly credible study is a fundamental step towards project development. We are pleased that our active community programs have accomplished the primary objective of ensuring that the local communities understand our project. With the benefit of this report, we can now turn our minds to a social investment plan to accompany the mine, which accommodates the needs identified in this process, and best ensures local people are in a position to benefit as much as possible from Ixtaca project development."

More information on Almaden's community engagement programs is available on its website at http://www.almadenminerals.com/index.html.

About Almaden

Almaden Minerals Ltd. owns 100% of the Tuligtic project in Puebla State, Mexico, subject to a 2.0% NSR royalty held by Almadex Minerals Limited. Tuligtic covers the Ixtaca Gold-Silver Deposit, which was discovered by Almaden in 2010.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"Morgan Poliquin"

Morgan J. Poliquin, Ph.D., P.Eng.

President, CEO and Director

Almaden Minerals Ltd.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) nor the NYSE American have reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release which has been prepared by management. Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, certain information presented constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, those with respect to potential expansion of mineralization, potential size of mineralized zone, and size and timing of exploration and development programs, estimated project capital and other project costs and the timing of submission and receipt and availability of regulatory approvals involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Almaden to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks related to international operations and joint ventures, the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations, uncertainty in the estimation of mineral resources, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, environmental risks and hazards, increased infrastructure and/or operating costs, labour and employment matters, and government regulation and permitting requirements as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Almaden's Annual Information form and Almaden's latest Form 20-F on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. Although Almaden has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Almaden disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required pursuant to applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Contact Information:

Almaden Minerals Ltd.

Tel. 604.689.7644

Email: info@almadenminerals.com

http://www.almadenminerals.com/
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2017) - RT Minerals Corp. (TSXV: RTM) (OTC Pink: RTMFF) (the "Company") announces that it proposes to undertake a private placement to raise gross proceeds of up to $400,000 (the "Offering"). The Company proposes to raise up to $200,000 through the sale of up to 4,000,000 non flow-through units priced at $0.05 (the "NFT Units") and up to $200,000 through the sale of up to 4,000,000 flow-through units priced at $0.05 (the "FT Units"). Each NFT Unit consists of one common share and one share purchase warrant (the "Warrant") exercisable into one further common share at a price of $0.05 for a term of one year. Each FT Unit consists of one flow-through common share and one half of a share purchase warrant, with each whole Warrant exercisable into one further common share at a price of $0.06 for a term of one year.

The Offering will be conducted under available exemptions from the prospectus requirements of applicable securities legislation and participation in the Offering will be available to existing shareholders in qualifying jurisdictions in Canada in accordance with the provisions of BC Instrument 45-354 (the "Existing Shareholder Exemption") and similar provisions in other jurisdictions' securities legislation and will be available to persons in qualifying jurisdictions in Canada who have obtained advice as to the suitability of the investment from a person registered as an investment dealer in accordance with the provisions of BC Instrument 45-536 and similar provisions in other jurisdictions' securities legislation.

The Company has set December 12, 2017 as the record date for the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to participate in the Offering in reliance on the Existing Shareholder Exemption. Qualifying shareholders who wish to participate in the Offering should contact the Company as detailed below. If the Offering is oversubscribed, units will be allocated pro rata amongst all subscribers.

The proceeds from the sale of the flow-through portion of the Offering will be used for drilling of the Red Carbonate Zone ("RCZ") located on the Company's 100% optioned Norwalk gold property located near Wawa, Ontario, as announced on November 27, 2017. Drilling is expected to commence on the RCZ this week and the initial program will consist of up to 5 holes for approximately 500 metres of drilling all targeted on the RCZ.

The proceeds from the sale of the non flow-through portion of the Offering will be used for general working capital.

A finder's and/or administrative fee of up to 10% may be paid to registered representatives in connection with the Offering. The fee will be comprised of 50% cash and 50% common shares at $0.05 per share.

The Offering is subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

ABOUT RT MINERALS CORP.

RT Minerals Corp. is a junior resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and evaluation of primarily gold and diamond properties in Canada. The Company's principal mineral properties include:

Ballard Lake Property - 366 square kilometre (~141 square mile) diamond and gold property located approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Wawa, Ontario, in which the Company owns a 100% interest, subject to a 2% net smelter royalty;

Norwalk Property - Gold property located approximately 6 kilometres south of Wawa, Ontario, in which the Company has an option to earn a 100% interest, subject to a 2% net smelter royalty. The property is contiguous to the southern border of Red Pine's Wawa Gold Project;

Dill River Property - Gold property located several kilometres southeast of Wawa, Ontario, in which the Company has an option to earn a 100% interest, subject to a 2% net smelter royalty. The property is contiguous to the eastern border of Red Pine's Wawa Gold Project;

Golden Reed Mine Property - Gold property located 6 kilometres southeast of Wawa, Ontario, in which the Company has an option to earn a 100% interest, subject to a 2% net smelter royalty. The property is staked within Red Pine's Wawa Gold Project; and

Dog Lake Property - Gold property located 59 kilometres northeast of Wawa, Ontario, in which the Company owns a 100% interest, subject to a 2% net smelter royalty.

The Company's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "RTM" and on the OTC Pink Market under the symbol "RTMFF" with DTC eligibility for trading in the United States.

For more information on the Company and its properties, please visit the Company's website at www.rtmcorp.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Antoniazzi

President and Chief Executive Officer

RT Minerals Corp.

Toll Free: 877-581-3170

Telephone: 604-681-3170

Fax: 604-681-3552

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release.
TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - December 12, 2017) - Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX: K) (NYSE: KGC) is pleased to announce that it has gained mineral rights to a 287-hectare (709-acre) parcel of land known as Gilmore located immediately west of its Fort Knox mine in Alaska. As a result, Kinross added 2.1 million gold ounces in estimated measured and indicated resources and 300 koz in estimated inferred resources at Fort Knox.

Kinross began an initial drilling program on Gilmore land, and Fort Knox land adjacent to Gilmore, in 2014. The Company targeted promising opportunities in the existing Fort Knox orebody, which continues west, and completed approximately 73,000 metres of core and reverse-circulation drilling in 205 holes.

The results of the drilling program, engineering work and the acquisition of the mineral rights resulted in the update of the Fort Knox mineral reserve and resource estimates, including additions to measured and indicated resource estimates and inferred resource estimates 1 . The Company also converted approximately 260 koz of mineral resources, which was mainly from the East wall of the Fort Knox pit, to proven and probable reserves. The conversion offset some of the reserve depletion in 2017 and resulted in an increase to Fort Knox's estimated mine life by approximately one year.

Kinross has commenced a Gilmore feasibility study that will analyze a layback of the current Fort Knox pit to access known mineralization on Fort Knox and Gilmore land to potentially extend mine life. Further drilling and engineering are planned at Gilmore to evaluate the potential of upgrading a significant portion of the site's estimated measured and indicated resources and adding to its inferred mineral resource estimate. The Company expects to provide an update on the feasibility study in mid-2018. The Company also expects to initiate the permitting process for mining at Gilmore by year end.

"Gilmore is a promising organic development opportunity that can potentially extend mine life at our Fort Knox mine in Alaska, one of our top producing and high performing operations," said J. Paul Rollinson, Kinross Gold President and CEO. "With the Gilmore project, we continue to deliver on our strategy of pursuing low-risk, high-potential brownfield projects that can contribute to the long-term future growth of our Company."

The Gilmore land was conveyed to the State of Alaska by the United States on December 11, 2017. Upon the conveyance, the Company's state mining claims at Gilmore came into effect. The conveyance resulted from the close cooperation and support of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the State of Alaska and the Alaska Congressional Delegation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fort Knox Area Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves(2) (Closing Balance November 30, 2017) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grade (Au Tonnes (kt) g/t) Ounces (Au koz) Proven 23,968 0.48 366 Probable 68,198 0.43 949 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Total 92,166 0.44 1,315 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fort Knox Area Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources(2) (Closing Balance November 30, 2017) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grade (Au Tonnes (kt) g/t) Ounces (Au koz) Measured 24,607 0.40 320 Indicated 213,495 0.42 2,909 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Total 238,102 0.42 3,229 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fort Knox Area Inferred Mineral Resources(2) (Closing Balance November 30, 2017) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grade (Au Tonnes (kt) g/t) Ounces (Au koz) Inferred 56,689 0.38 690 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Kinross Gold Corporation

Kinross is a Canadian-based senior gold mining company with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Russia, Mauritania, Chile and Ghana. Our focus is on delivering value based on the core principles of operational excellence, balance sheet strength, disciplined growth and responsible mining. Kinross maintains listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: K) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: KGC).

1 The updates to Fort Knox's mineral reserve and resource estimates reflect additions resulting from the acquisition of mineral rights to the Gilmore land as well as engineering changes, depletion and resource conversions. The net additions to estimated measured and indicated resources is approximately 1.8 million ounces and approximately 500 koz to estimated inferred resources.

2 These updated estimates are different from those reported in the 2016 fourth-quarter and year-end results news release dated February 15, 2017. For further information and assumptions see the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 31, 2017, available at www.kinross.com and under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Proven mineral reserve estimates include the reserve stockpile of 4,229 kt at 0.33 Au g/t for a total stockpile of 45 Au koz. Resource estimates have been calculated effective November 30, 2017 notwithstanding that the Company did not acquire the state mining claims until December 11, 2017.

Cautionary statement on forward-looking information

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release including, but not limited to, any information as to the future financial or operating performance of Kinross, constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of certain securities laws, including the provisions of the Securities Act (Ontario) and the provisions for "safe harbor" under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. The words "analyze", "estimate", "expect", "feasibility", "potential", "promising" and "targeted" or variations of or similar such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "can", "could", "will" or "would" occur, and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Kinross as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. The estimates, models and assumptions of Kinross referenced, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to, the various assumptions set forth herein and in our Annual Information Form dated March 31, 2017 and our full-year 2016 and third quarter 2017 Management's Discussion and Analysis as well as: (1) the feasibility study for the Gilmore project progressing in accordance with, and the results being consistent with, the Company's expectations; (2) permitting, development, operations and production from the Fort Knox operation being consistent with Kinross' current expectations including, without limitation, the receipt of all permits required in connection with the Gilmore project; (3) political and legal developments in Alaska being consistent with Kinross' current expectations; (4) certain price assumptions for gold and silver; (5) prices for diesel, natural gas, fuel oil, electricity and other key supplies being approximately consistent with current levels; (6) the commencement of litigation challenging governmental decisions or approvals relating to the Gilmore property; and (7) the accuracy of the current mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates of Fort Knox (including but not limited to ore tonnage and ore grade estimates). Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: litigation commenced, or other claims or actions brought, against the Company (and/or any of its directors, officers or employees); fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold or certain other commodities (such as fuel and electricity); changes in national, state and local government legislation, taxation, controls, policies and regulations; the security of personnel and assets; political or economic developments in the United States of America; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations; the speculative nature of gold exploration and development including, but not limited to, the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits; diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; and contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of gold exploration, development and mining, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and gold bullion losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance, or the inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks). Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can directly or indirectly affect, and could cause, Kinross' actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, Kinross. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's expectations and plans relating to the future. All of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those made in our other filings with the securities regulators of Canada and the United States including, but not limited to, the cautionary statements made in the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Information Form dated March 31, 2017 and the "Risk Analysis" section of our full year 2016 Management's Discussion& Analysis. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Kinross. Kinross disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law.

Other information

Where we say "we", "us", "our", the "Company", or "Kinross" in this news release, we mean Kinross Gold Corporation and/or one or more or all of its subsidiaries, as may be applicable. The technical information about Fort Knox contained in this news release has been prepared under the supervision of and verified by Mr. John Sims, an officer of the Company who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/12/11/11G148651/Images/figure_1-d925b9b0688998c2847af1dfa41ea951.jpg

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/12/11/11G148651/Images/figure2-998ed8ec6a1ca977bcb4bcc8d555afe4.jpg

Media Contact

Louie Diaz

Director, Corporate Communications

phone: 416-369-6469

louie.diaz@kinross.com



Investor Relations Contact

Tom Elliott

Senior Vice-President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development

phone: 416-365-3390

tom.elliott@kinross.com
ELK GROVE, CA / ACCESWIRE / December 12, 2017 / With hundreds of horses perishing in the Southern California wildfires, hundreds more have been displaced to area stables and fairgrounds. Elk Grove Milling of Elk Grove, California, manufacturer of Stable Mix feed products, is shipping horse feed to assist in their care.

In partnership with Kruse Feed & Supply, three tons of Stable Mix horse feed was delivered to help evacuated horses being held at the Del Mar facility on Friday, Dec. 8th. Another 12 tons of feed is scheduled to be delivered next week to help offset the feeding cost of hundreds of horses stabled at that location.

"The need is so great that volunteers were grabbing the feed right off the truck to feed the horses," says Wes Alcott, distributor partner and owner of Kruse Feed and Supply.

About Elk Grove Milling:

Elk Grove Milling is on the cutting edge of the feed industry, manufacturing the highest quality feed that provides 100% of your animals' daily requirement of vitamins and minerals in a convenient pelleted feed that your animals love. Every day, Elk Grove Milling strives for one goal - the health, wellness, and happiness of your animals. Visit www.ElkGroveMilling.com for more information.

For information on this effort, or for interviews contact:

Robert Lent

Owner, President CEO

Elk Grove Milling, Inc.

888.346.7649

bob@elkgrovemilling.com

Jerry Mayberry

General Manager, COO

Elk Grove Milling, Inc.

888.346.7649

jerry@elkgrovemilling.com

For information on Elk Grove Milling and Stable Mix products, contact:

Sherri Lafoon

Sales Manager

Elk Grove Milling, Inc.

888.346.7649

sherri@elkgrovemilling.com

Issuing Agency:

Scott Hamilton

CSB Marketing, Inc.

916.207.7267

Info@CSBMarketingInc.com

SOURCE: Elk Grove Milling of Elk Grove
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Wednesday release October figures for core machine orders, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Core machine orders are expected to rise 2.7 percent on month and fall 3.9 percent on year following the 8.1 percent monthly decline and the 3.5 percent yearly drop. Australia will see October numbers for new home sales and December data for the consumer confidence index from Westpac. In September, new home sales sank 6.1 percent on month. In November, the consumer confidence index lost 1.7 percent to a score of 99.7. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
ZUG, Switzerland, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BLOCKv is showcasing its technology with an innovative contest leading up to a concert at Moscow's Olympic Stadium featuring Leningrad, one of the biggest bands in Russia. The contest, a digital treasure hunt for fans of the band, is sponsored by MegaFon, one of the largest telecom operators in Russia.

"MegaFon is using our technology to build excitement prior to a huge show with an augmented reality holiday themed treasure hunt around Moscow," explains BLOCKv CEO Reeve Collins. "It will provide a new, novel engaging experience not possible before BLOCKv."

In the contest, fans of the band will go on an augmented reality journey to collect digital objects found in real-world Moscow locations like St. Basil's Cathedral and The Bolshoi Theatre. Fifty tickets for the Dec. 16 concert will be awarded - and every participant will win a "surprise" prize too.

"BLOCKv is a technology platform and this is just one example of the types of experiences it can bring to life. All of the tools to build, run, view and interact with smart digital objects are provided," explains Collins. "In this use case, the Ethereum blockchain will be used to ensure that the sweepstakes is run with complete legitimacy. Our technology ensures a level of transparency and fairness that was not possible prior to blockchain."

BLOCKv lets developers create highly programmable digital objects, called vAtoms. The ownership of digital ticket vAtoms is confirmed via a record on blockchain, meaning that for the first time, people can own a virtual object that is unique, verifiable and tradable, and that can exist across different environments (AR, VR, mobile phones, TVs, tablets, etc.).

"We've built a contest where the digital and the real world cross paths. Fans will love the hunt and the great prizes, MegaFon gets to be at the forefront of an exciting new technology, and BLOCKv innovates a brand new way to use blockchain. It's thrilling all the way around," Collins says.

MegaFon is the second largest mobile phone operator and the third largest telecom operator in Russia (at the end of 2016, the total subscriber base had more than 77.4 million people - more than half the country's population). The company approached BLOCKv in the hopes of using new technologies to create exciting experiences for customers. Anton Elizarov, Internet Marketing Manager at MegaFon, says, "The goal of the project is to demonstrate the use of blockchain technology for a wide audience and provide a platform for a groundbreaking user experience and a truly honest competition."

Collins adds, "Working with MegaFon has been great and we look forward to attracting other big brands around the world. Knowing that companies like MegaFon are hearing about our technology and approaching us to use the developer platform proves we're headed in the right direction. This contest is just the beginning."

Contact:

supportblockv.io
Guest Post by Steve Polsky, Founder/CEO, Juvo

Achieving financial inclusion has been a daunting task in major parts of the world and, as a result, new generations and disparate populations either have a deep distrust of the financial sector, or have traditionally had little access to it. In fact, a full 48 percent of the worlds population is unbanked and financially underserved. In developing countries this translates to 2.5 billion people who have to rely on cash or informal financial services that are typically unsafe, inconvenient and expensive.

The last few years have seen digital financial technology expand access to financial services for hard-to-reach populations and small businesses at low cost and risk. Today, new products are now possible where they werent before. The combustion of cloud computing and data science, along with the proliferation of smartphones, has opened up opportunities to establish financial identities for the billions who are underbanked. The widespread use of mobile phones in emerging markets has created conditions for the large-scale expansion of mobile financial services, which will enable organizations to increase financial inclusion dramatically.

The landscape for telcos and financial services is moving fast and the impact on society is significant. 2018 will be the year telcos indeed become the catalyst for financial inclusion. Here are my predictions:

#1 DATA SCIENCE WILL DRIVE FINANCIAL AND DIGITAL ACCESS

Data science has been in the spotlight and on the agenda for many global mobile network operators. It holds the answer to two key concerns for telcos: first, how to transition from collection, to analysis, to the application of the data in order to successfully engage users; and second, how to tap into the massive opportunity the data offers.

This isnt surprising given that 77 percent of the 4.9 billion mobile users around the world are prepaid, and therefore anonymous. Research has unveiled the value of leveraging data science to open access to mobile financial and digital services across previously anonymous populations of prepaid mobile users  a new revenue stream is at the ready for operators  to the tune of $70 billion.

In order to drive and significantly increase engagement, mobile operators must establish digital footprints for anonymous users to develop a financial identity. This process requires experienced data scientists who can efficiently combine, clean, and analyze data  using machine learning and bespoke algorithms  to create a financial identity, progressively and in real time.

Operators who partner with data science experts, who are skilled at bringing vast, disparate and previously uncovered data together, will see a dramatic change in the nature of their relationships with their customers.

Throughout 2018 well see heavier investments in data-science to drive transformative actions around the world to reach populations that havent had financial or digital access in the past.

#2 THE RISE OF FINANCIAL INCLUSION

Transformations happen over a 50 year cycle, and usually in 10-year increments. The once obscure fintech industry is now reaching its Golden Age  what Juvo advisor and investor, and fintech expert, Ron Suber refers to as the middle 10-20 year period of a transformation cycle.

Weve seen this come to pass as discussion have moved from a celebration of fintech to an exploration of opportunities and challenges, which in turn has us confronting key economic and societal issues.

In the next 12 months the industry will see an increased investment in fintech that will empower and shift the financial inclusion agenda. As a result, there will be a need for regulators and banks to be more trusting of the fintech community  inroads have been made, but there is still a way to go.

The ability of real-time access to digital and financial services will result in a boon to local economies, particularly in emerging countries, and well see the success of financial inclusion rise to reach billions.

#3 A BOON FOR CRYPTO AND BLOCKCHAIN

In 2018 cryptocurrency and blockchain will be one of the driving forces of financial inclusion. As more financially underserved individuals gain access to entry level smart phones capable of running apps that access blockchain systems, financial services based on this technology will be put into the hands of everyone with a mobile device.

Blockchain solutions will create more utility by providing interoperability between mobile-money and digital-money systems, offering the unbanked a convenient and easy tool to store wealth, conduct person-to- person payments & remittances, and send payments to merchants in-store and online. Because of its portability, privacy and security, cryptocurrency can protect individual wealth from social, political and economic instability, creating long term stability and economic benefits to individuals and communities. For these reasons, well start to see it gain mainstream acceptance and trust in 2018.

#4 CLOSING THE GENDER INCLUSION GAP

Women and womens issues have taken the media spotlight in 2017 due to recent events in the world. Headlines like Uber remind us that discrepancies exist even in Silicon Valley organizations that are supposed to be leading in a new digital age. This will continue to continue to be top of the agenda and will touch many sectors, especially in financial access where women have been traditionally underbanked or underserved.

Yes, the needle is moving and progress is happening in terms of facilitating greater access to and use of financial services among underserved populations. However, barriers to financial inclusion remain. Identity is everything when it comes to financial services  mobile or otherwise. Yet, one of every three women in the world is excluded from the formal financial system. The telecoms industry holds the key to empower financial inclusion and has the power to provide women greater control over their financial lives and enables labor force participation.

In 2018, mobile financial services will play a huge role in lifting women out of poverty and will enable them to walk up the pathway of financial inclusion. We will see a bigger push for telcos and financial services to work together in order to bridge the gap for gender financial inclusion. Traction is already being made as we can see in this example from a female janitor based in Jamaica who has found life altering opportunity via access to finance through her mobile phone.

About the author

Steve Polsky founded Juvo Mobile with the goal of providing basic financial services to people worldwide. He leveraged the ubiquity of mobile service and the rapid adoption of smartphones to enable global financial inclusion. Steves career has centered on founding, launching and managing early stage technology ventures, including Flixster/Rotten Tomatoes, Amber Networks, VoicePlex Corporation and Edusoft. Steve is a lecturer for the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvanias undergraduate course in Entrepreneurship, and he holds five patents in telecommunications network architecture. Steve is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvanias Management and Technology Program with degrees in Computer Science from the Moore School of Engineering and Finance from the Wharton School.
GaN Systems, an Ottawa, Canada-based maker of GaN power semiconductors, received a strategic investment from Delta and BMW i Ventures.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The company plans to use the funding to expand global sales and accelerate product innovation.

Led by Jim Witham, CEO, GaN Systems makes transistors which address the needs of todays most demanding industries including data center servers, renewable energy systems, automotive, industrial motors and consumer electronics.

FinSMEs

12/12/2017
New Delhi: To prevent misuse of proposed electoral bonds, the government is likely to cap the validity at 15 days within which such bonds -- bearer in nature -- have to be redeemed by political parties.

According to official sources, the guidelines for electoral bonds, announced in Budget 2017-18, are almost ready and some fine-tuning is being done by the finance ministry.

Such bonds would be bearer in nature so that those having it can encash through only one notified account within stipulated time, the sources said.

"Each party will have one notified bank account. All bonds are to be deposited in that particular account. It is a paper currency and needs to be encashed in 15 days, otherwise it loses validity," a senior government official said.

The short duration of bonds will ensure these cannot be misused and the objective of reducing the incidence of black money in political funding is achieved, the official added.

The norms regarding electoral bonds could be out soon and some other features of such instruments would be issued by select designated public sector banks.

As per the electoral bond mechanism, the proposed bonds will resemble a promissory note and not an interest-paying debt instrument.

The Electoral Bond scheme will ensure complete anonymity of the donor, sources said, adding that these could be issued in denominations of Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed issuance of electoral bonds in Budget 2017-18.

"An effort, therefore, requires to be made to cleanse the system of political funding in India. Donors have also expressed reluctance in donating by cheque or other transparent methods as it would disclose their identity and entail adverse consequences," he had said in the Budget speech.

The finance minister had indicated that the government would soon frame rules on electoral bonds after having consultations with all political parties.
In the recent past, the Indian Government has been proactive in encouraging startups, and according to the Ease of Doing Business Index of 2018 created by the World Bank, India currently ranks 100 out of 190 countries. It shows how easy or difficult it is for an entrepreneur to open and run a small to medium-size business when complying with relevant regulations. It measures and tracks changes in regulations affecting 11 areas in the life cycle of a business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency and labour market regulation.

Indias rank has significantly improved due to various reforms that have been brought about by the current Government, including setting up of the Atal Innovation Mission and NITI Aayog. Several benefits for eligible startups have been provided by the Indian government, including but not limited to compliance regime based on self-certification, providing legal support and fast-tracking patent examination at lower costs, relaxed norms for public procurement, tax exemption on capital gains, tax exemption for three years, providing funding support, and separate institutional trading platforms have been provided by stock exchanges for listing of startups.

It is often felt that startups face numerous legal and regulatory challenges in order to grow into successful organizations.

Here are five key legal and regulatory considerations which startups need to consider before doing business in India:

Business structure: In India, a startup business may be set up either as a limited liability partnership or as a private limited company depending on the nature of the business, tax efficiency, corporate flexibility, cost of formation, compliance requirements and so on. Typically, we have seen that startups in India prefer incorporating a private limited company as it is easier to raise funds from investors.

Licenses and registrations: There are a number of licenses and registrations which are required to be obtained in order to carry out business in India depending on the nature of business of the startup and the entity that is incorporated i.e. Permanent Account Number (PAN), Importer Exporter Code (IEC), Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number (TAN), Goods and Service Tax (GST), Shops and Commercial Establishment certificate, employment related registrations depending on the number of employees, certificate from the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification (IMBC) for tax benefits and so on.

Intellectual Property (IP): For most technology-centric startups, IP is very important. IP includes copyright, trademarks, patents, design, software development codes, programs, research findings, algorithms etc. and it is imperative that a startup protects these effectively from the very beginning as IP rights may also be licensed and/or sold and thus have financial implications as well.

Contract management: A startup would need to enter into various written contracts to make them legally binding and enforceable, i.e. service agreements with vendors, distribution agreements with distributors, employment agreements with employees, consultancy agreements with consultants, non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with various third parties for protection of confidential information, leave and license or lease agreements for use of premises, shareholder agreements (including subscription agreements and/or share transfer agreements) with investors, partnership agreement between partners, IP-related agreements for protection or assignment of IP, etc. As a startup should ideally try to mitigate risks which it may face from any commercial arrangement that it would be entering into, it is essential that these agreements are not one side and are negotiated properly. Also, startups should keep in mind that most agreements need to be stamped and registered (if required) prior to execution.

Compliance requirements: There are a number of reporting requirements that a startup would need to comply with depending on the nature of the entity that is incorporated and the investment that is made. In the event that the entity is a company, various filings/reportings would need to be made with the relevant registrar of companies and the company would have to comply with the Indian Companies Act, 2013 (including with respect to number of members, directors, shareholder meetings, board meetings, quorum for meetings, annual filings etc.). In the event the entity is a limited liability partnership, then various filings/reportings would need to be made with the relevant registrar of companies and the partnership would have to comply with the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 (including with respect appointment of designated partners, annual filings etc.). Also, in case of foreign investment, relevant filings/reportings would need to be made to the Reserve Bank of India etc.

Keeping the above in mind, entrepreneurs must explore the website https://www.startupindia.gov.in/, set up by the Indian Government to boost startups in India.

(The author is Partner, Indian Law Partners, Mumbai. With additional inputs from Pranay Kapoor, Associate, Indian law Partners)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the company law tribunal NCLT should have taken its leave before allowing the Centre to take over the management of embattled realty firm Unitech Limited.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, considered the request of Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that one more day be given to him to seek instruction from the concerned authorities on the appeal of Unitech Limited against the order of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

The bench took note of the submissions of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the realty firm, that the Tribunal passed an interim order without hearing the company and its directors who are in jail.

"The leave of this court, which is seized of the matter, should have been taken by the NCLT," the bench observed and posted the appeal of Unitech for hearing tomorrow.

The NCLT, on 8 December, had suspended all the eight directors of the realty firm over allegations of mismanagement and siphoning of funds and had authorised the Centre to appoint its 10 nominees on the board.

The NCLT order had come after the Centre moved the panel with a view to protect the interest of nearly 20,000 home buyers.

Sanjay Chandra, head of the real estate group, was asked on 30 October by the apex court to deposit Rs 750 crore with it by December end for the sake of the homebuyers.

The NCLT, in its order, has said the government must give name of its nominees by 20 December and restrained Unitech's eight suspended directors from selling their personal and company properties.

The tribunal's order had come after the government filed a petition arguing that Unitech was a fit case for winding up, but considering the interest of thousands of home buyers and small depositors, it wanted to take over company management.

The company has over Rs 6,000 crore debt and over 16,000 undelivered units from a total of nearly 70 projects.

The apex court had on October 30 said jailed businessman Chandra will be granted bail only after the real estate group deposited money with its registry by December end.

The top court had earlier directed the jail authorities to facilitate Chandra's meeting with his company officials and lawyers so that he could arrange money to refund the home buyers as well as for completing the ongoing housing projects.

Chandra is seeking interim bail from the apex court after the Delhi High Court on 11 August had rejected the plea in a criminal case lodged in 2015 by 158 home buyers of Unitech projects' -- 'Wild Flower Country' and 'Anthea Project' -- situated in Gurugram.
Salil Parekh will take over as the new CEO of Infosys on 2 January 2018. If there was an expectation that the cloud over the company's corporate governance has cleared, that seems unlikely to be the case. There are indications concerns are still simmering. The litany of past issues continue to snowball in public and does not bode well for the companys image or say much for its corporate governance.

For instance, the severance pay to ex-CFO Rajiv Bansal refuses to die down. According to a report in The Hindu, a whistleblower has written a letter to Sebi stating: "Why not Sebi order a fully independent investigation, including a forensic investigation, and make people accountable? Infosys had recently filed an application with Sebi for settlement over the severance pay issue.

There has been a war of words on social media on Twitter with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, independent director at Infosys and Mohandas Pai, former director at Infosys, on the issue. Shaw wrote on the weekend on her Twitter page to Pais raking the issue: The matters were reinvestigated (a)n(d) no wrong doings were found by the new chairman.. Let's bring this to a closure and move on.. It helps no one." The Twitter messages have since been deleted.

Former CFO V Balakrishnan is unhappy with certain board members which he has aired in public in the past and has alsoR done so in an interview with PTI. I think the continuation of certain board members like the erstwhile co-chairman (Ravi Venkatesan) and the audit committee chairman (Roopa Kudva) looks highly untenable in light of the current development of the company filing consent agreement with SEBI over Bansals severance payment case.

What can the board under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani do to address these issues so that the new incumbent Parekh is not waylaid by them? Experts spelt out a few:

Board should not respond to allegations, accusations in public: Public acrimony is by itself bad. Infosys, under the new CEO should not respond to any whistle blowers accusations or allegations in the public space, says Shriram Subramanian, Managing Director of InGovern, a proxy advisory firm. He suggests the board treat the matter [severance pay settlement] as closed. The Twitter exchange [between Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Mohandas Pai] should not have happened. The board members should not respond on social media, suggests Kavil Ramachandran, Executive Director of the Thomas Schmidheiny Centre for Family Enterprise at Indian School of Business (ISB). He says that this can be picked up by troublemakers to create more issues. The board is the ultimate authority and should not engage on Twitter or any social media platform as the latter can hijack these issues, says Ramachandran.

Business strategy should be the only focus of the new CEO: Notwithstanding that former CEO Vishal Sikka left on account of a tussle with co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and compensation issues, the new CEO should not let these public outbursts obscure his strategy for the company, says Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst, founder and CEO of Greyhound Knowledge Group, a global strategy and transformation research, advisory and consulting group.

Sikkas strategy had started to yield results. What Infosys needs to know is that the old delivery models dont work anymore. The new CEO should look at priorities and options to get Infosys on the rail, said Ramachandran of ISB.

Board should sent out a strong message to founders and former employees: As long as the board continues to explain itself and its decisions, the public airing of issues wont stop, say analysts. The Board has to be firm and spell out the way forward for the company. It should get co-founders and past employees to discuss internally whatever their differences are with the company. You cannot afford to forget your investors. When questions are raised in public by former employees or co-founders, it is a blow to corporate governance that they themselves upheld during their tenure. This raking of issues incessantly in public is becoming a joke now, Paula Mariwala, Partner, Seedfund and Co-Founder, Stanford Angels, said, adding that it needs to be resolved with a firm hand by the board.

Salil Parekh should have backing of board always: Salil Parekh, the new CEO, should have the full backing of all the board members, says Ramchandran of ISB. The board should reassure that it will answer queries from anyone outside of its boa, he said. The storm may continue to brew outside of Infosys like it is doing even now. There should be an understanding between the new CEO and the board on what issues he can automatically decide to respond to and what needs to be discussed with the board, he said.
No condom advertisements will be telecast on television between 6 am and 10 pm. An advisory from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry reasons they are "indecent especially for children" and promote "unhealthy practices" among them (Read about it here).

The government's latest diktat follows a series of restrictive orders -- right from what people should eat and wear to even matters marriage issues -- the establishment found reason to get itself involved in these matters. The directive was in response to plea filed by Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) with the I&B ministry, requesting to take a call on such ads and their telecast timing.

Firstpost spoke with TTK Group, one of the major condom makers in country. The 89-year-old company set up a condom manufacturing facility in 1963 under TTK Protective Devices which is now a subsidiary of TTK Healthcare. It currently has a capacity of around 2 billion condoms per year and exports over 1 billion condoms. Skore is its trophy brand. In 2016-17, it sold 83.1 million condoms.

Firstpost spoke to TTK Prestige chairman Jagannathan who believes the ban may not impact the industry.

Excerpts from the conversation:

Your views on the condom advertisement ban by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry from 6 am to 10 pm because children will see it.

I am not surprised by the ban. What is this hue and cry being made about it? I dont understand it. We (the condom industry) was expecting the ban much earlier. Condom advertisements were banned in the first 40-50 years after Independence. Sex has been considered a sin in India. The government has monopolized the sector with Nirodh brand of condom. Anyways, condom companies were self-regulated about advertisements back then.

How do you think the ban will impact the industry?

The condom ban does not affect the industry at all. There is a ban on condom advertising in the UK too. So banning condom advertisements is nothing new.

If a ban was expected, how will you go about advertising for your product?

Most of the condoms are bought by the government which then distributes it free. We also supply the government. The industry size of condoms is 2 billion of which 1.4 billion is sold subsidised or distributed free by the government. The rest of us fight for our share in the remaining 600 million . There are three main players in India in this sector  Mankind which makes Manforce brand of condoms, Moods by Hindustan Latex and we are number 3 with Skore brand.

Sexual activity does not stop because of advertisements or ban on them. People have been having sex since Adam and Eve. Those who need a condom will go out and buy it. Thats all there is to it. Has booze consumption stopped because of a ban on advertising?

What is your view on condom advertisements being related to a moral issue? Is it a really a moral issue?

No. I don't believe it is a moral issue. However, religious groups on the right side will deem anything connected to sex as moral issue. Sex is a natural part of life and condoms are important for the sexual well being of the country.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the central government and the Ministry of External Affairs for delay in extradition trial of Vijay Mallya, according to CNN-News18. The liquor baron who has been living in the UK in a self-imposed exile since March last year returned to the Westminster Magisterate's Court in London on 4 December for a hearing in the case.

Mallya lives in a sprawling, $15 million mansion in Tewin, a village about 33 km north of London.

The SC has also asked the Centre and the MEA to a file a reply on the matter on Friday while raising the question as to how they can delay the extradition trial despite a clear ruling in its favour? Mallya's defence while arguing for him told the court that earlier this year Indian banks refused a settlement offer from the Kigfisher Airlines founder. According to reports, Mallya had told banks that he was willing to pay them over Rs 6,000 crore as a settlement.

Last week, the Westminster Magisterate had criticised the Indian government for gaps in paperwork on which the government representative admitted it and said the paper had got mixed up. Mallya is wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for cheating on huge loan money.

A group of 17 banks led by the State Bank of India claims Mallya did not repay Rs 9,000 crore loan which he had raised for starting and running Kingfisher Airlines. KFA has been grounded for long for not generating profits and revenue and also for funds crunch.

India's two top agenices -- the Central Bureau of Investigation under Home Ministry and the Enforcement Directorate under the Finance Ministry -- have prepared what they call a strong case against Mallya. They have provided huge amount of documents to the Crown Prosecution Service in London to substantiate their case.
Not every movie on Netflix is great. The primary example of this is A Christmas Prince. With the holiday season around the corner, A Christmas Prince tells the story of an outstandingly bad New York reporter (played by Rose McIver) sent to cover a royal press conference in the fictional European country of Aldovia.

She then goes undercover as a tutor for the disabled sister of a 'playboy prince' (played by Ben Lamb), falls in love with him, and unearths a royal scandal. A Christmas Prince turned out to be a movie that was so bad it was actually good. Many took to Twitter to express how much they hated, as well as enjoyed the movie.

Takeaways from #AChristmasPrince:

- I hated it so much

- I can't wait for the sequel

- You bet your ass I'm watching it again before Christmas  Brendan Leonard (@shutupbrendance) November 30, 2017

Watching the @netflix original, #AChristmasPrince, about an American journalist who goes undercover to get the scoop on a handsome prince. Here are her notes: pic.twitter.com/euGPgCvOd7  Emily Black Favreau (@ebfavs) November 27, 2017

A Christmas Prince is already my favorite Christmas movie bc they spent 3 mins of NYC establishing shots then cut to the Chicago Tribune building  Cassie Surprise (@chasspod) December 4, 2017

Netflix took notice of the social media take-down of their movie A Christmas Prince and chimed in on the action with this now-viral tweet.

To the 53 people who've watched A Christmas Prince every day for the past 18 days: Who hurt you?  Netflix US (@netflix) December 11, 2017

But some weren't happy with what they saw as Netflix making fun of its own viewers response. Netflix traditionally keeps its subscriber data a secret (they recently released a brief report of the highlights of user behaviour for 2017), but revealed it for comedic purposes, and many weren't happy about that. They expressed concern and asked for specifics about how many Netflix employees have access to user data.

I liked this tweet because it's good to be reminded that huge unaccountable companies use our personal data to dunk on us both literally and figuratively. https://t.co/4IXFUuEHsT  Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) December 11, 2017

Some questions for reporters to ask Netflix: How many employees have access to people's viewing habits? Are there any controls on how they can access this data/what it can be used for? What's the punishment for creeping on people? Why are they publicly shaming customers? https://t.co/bnouaaGnZC  Trevor Timm (@trevortimm) December 11, 2017

Big Brother is watching you, and hes worried about your emotional health TBH. https://t.co/DSBYheFx8F  Trey Graham (@treygraham) December 11, 2017

The surveillance state will be funny https://t.co/cYy42mEZBj  Jason Koebler (@jason_koebler) December 11, 2017

Meanwhile, Netflix has defended their tweet, saying it doesn't identify individual users, as per a report by the BBC.
Back to back victories of Vishal at South Indian Artists Association (SIAA) and Tamil Film Producers Council(TFPC) gained him enough prominence and acrimony in Tamil cinema. The actor was instrumental in defeating veterans Sarath Kumar (former President of SIIA) and Thanu (former President of TFPC).

Presently, Vishal acts as the President of TFPC and General Secretary of SIAA which makes him as one of the most influential persons in the Tamil film industry. Everything went well for Vishal until he entered into politics by filing nomination at the RK Nagar by-poll. Vishals stint in politics didn't last long because of the discrepancies found in his nomination papers.

Nevertheless, the actors political intentions have caused him a huge trouble in the industry.

The General Body meeting of TFPC was held on Sunday under the observation of Retired Judge Ramanathan. The meeting began by honoring veteran producers Muktha Srinivasan, CV Rajendran and Prasad. The controversy started as soon as the organisers played Tamil Thai Vazhthu (the State song of Tamil Nadu); producer and actor Mansoor Ali Khan objected the state song being played without having the officer bearers on the stage.

It was TFPCs former Treasurer Radhakrishnan who first demanded Vishals resignation. Radhakrishnan said TFPCs bylaw says that the council members should have a friendly equation with the State Government. But Vishal recently criticised TN Government and opposed the ruling party at RK Nagar by-poll, his actions led a tense situation. Subsidies to producers has become doubtful now"

Producer Cheran and a few more members supported Radhakrishnan. When Vishal tried to answer back, he wasnt allowed and the opposition camp created a hubbub at the meet. When General Secretary proposed to submit the accounts of TFPC, a commotion broke out once again and the organisers ended the meet by playing the National Anthem.

Interacting with the media, Vishal said Judge Ramanathan monitored all the ruckus happened at the TFPC General Body Meeting. At this juncture, we also thank cops for their protection. A few vested interests allegedly blame us for 7 cr worth corruption but they don't have any proof. Instead of playing the blame game in front of the media, they can come to TFPCs office and prove. TN Government has passed subsidies for 149 films, dont know how they will abolish just because I filed nomination at RK Nagar Constituency. TFPCs bylaw doesnt restrict me or any member from contesting in elections.

"We have fulfilled our promises in TFPC and SIAA, a new building for the association will be inaugurated by next December. If there is any violation, we would step down but without any basic proof, cant resign," he said.

Cheran, who is believed to be a staunch hater of Vishal, said I cant reveal the details of what happened at the General Body Meeting. Unlike Vishal, Im not interested to use media to gain publicity. Vishal failed to respect 409 members, he was scared and abruptly ended the meet. I thought Vishal was a revolutionist but he lost the credibility and shouldnt open his mouth on any issues.

Senior actress Radikaa also mocked Vishals statement: Funny to hear President saying, 'If there is a problem, they should come to the office and discuss not go to press'. Sounds familiar? He who knows nothing about respect or protocol, looks like Jekyll and Hyde."

Another big blow for Vishal is that his friend Ponvanannan, Vice President of SIAA, submitted his resignation on Monday. In a detailed letter sent to Nassar, President of SIAA, Ponvannan said he is resigning only because of Vishals unannounced political entry.

When we contested the Nadigar Sangam elections in 2015, it was decided that members who hold high posts in the association shouldnt associate with any political party. When we met late Chief Minister J Jayalalitha, she praised our decision. We were careful to not have any political colour to our association and met various political leaders like Cho Ramasamy, Karunanithi, and Vijayakanth. But when our General Secretary (Vishal) filed nominations at RK Nagar, I was shocked. I agree that anyone who has right to vote can contest in elections but we came to power only by promising that the office bearers will work without any political influence. But the Secretarys political entry is contradicting our ideology, said Ponvannan.

Vishals political ambitions will lead to criticisms on SIAA and I dont want to be answerable for things which Im not responsible for. Though I regret to send my resignation without completing the assigned duty, I request the executive committee to discuss and accept my resignation," added Ponvannan.

In a reply to Ponvannan, SIAA said that the executive committee registered Ponvannans thoughts but they have given more time for the actor to reconsider his decision. In the executive meeting, Vishal said he didnt violate the bylaws of the association but promised such situations wouldnt occur in future.

Insiders murmur is that Vishals political inclination caused turmoil within Tamil Film Producers Council and South Indian Artists Association, and he should now find a new game-plan to tackle the internal politics.
The Delhi Medical Association contests the Delhi governments claim that the licence of Shalimar Bagh's Max Hospital was cancelled not only because of the offence of pronouncing a living child dead but because of a series of violations.

The doctors association said that the government is now trying to justify its arbitrary decision of cancelling the licence of the hospital by cobbling up a rationale as an afterthought.

"If the hospital defied a number of laws then why didn't the government take measures against it at the very first instance of a violation. Why did the government wait so long for a serious incident to take place," asked Dr VK Malhotra, president, DMA.

Adhering to the earlier stance of DMA on the issue, Malhotra further said that the DMA is not opposed to taking action against an erring hospital, but that action had to be as per the law.

"Our laws have provisions to deal with erring hospitals. As per the law, a hospital can be held responsible for an offence only after an enquiry is conducted by a statutory body like the Delhi Medical Council. But taking punitive measures against a hospital before any such enquiry report comes out, amounts to by-passing the statutory body," he said.

The Delhi Medical Council is conducting an enquiry on the allegation that Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh declared a living child dead. The enquiry report is awaited.

Towing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals line AAP leader Gopal Rai on Monday had said that the said hospital violated a series of norms even before the allegation of declaring a living child dead surfaced. The decision to cancel its licence has been taken on the basis of the repeated violation of norms.

"As per law, the Max Hospital has to reserve a certain number of beds for patients from economically weaker sections. The Delhi government has the responsibility to ensure that this law is followed but the hospital failed to provide this service as required by law," he said.

In 2007, the Delhi High Court had ordered the hospitals which had received an allotment of land from the Delhi government to reserve 10 percent of beds for free treatment to economically weaker section. There are 45 hospitals in Delhi under this category.

Gopal Rai, who is also a minister in the Delhi government said that the hospital also defied a state government order to arrange beds for dengue and chikungunya patients.

"Orders were issued to private hospitals to make separate bed arrangements so that the challenge of the epidemic could be met. But that order too was defied by the hospital," he said.

The DMA which had earlier threatened to call for a strike of doctors so as to effect a shut down of government and private hospitals in protest of the Delhi governments decision to cancel Max Hospital's licence, has been asked by its parent body the Indian Medical Association not to take such a decision as it will cause tremendous hardship among the patients.

The IMA has maintained a safe distance from the Max Hospital controversy. Dr KK Agarwal, national president of the IMA said on Monday, "The Delhi Medical Council is still conducting an enquiry on the allegations. Let the enquiry committee prepare the report. We should not jump to any conclusion before it."

When asked whether the Delhi governments move to cancel the licence of the hospital was in conformity with the prevailing laws, he said, "The government can pass an order to cancel the hospital's licence. The hospital has to provide a satisfactory reply to the queries raised by the government within a month. If it can provide satisfactory answers it will continue to be in business, he said.

But Ashok Agarwal, an advocate in the Delhi High Court and an expert in healthcare related laws told Firstpost that the Delhi government has stepped outside its legal jurisdiction while ordering to cancel the licence of the hospital.

He says that no law permits the Delhi government to suspend the licence of the hospital understated grounds.

"Several cases can be filed with regards to this incident. But the government, in no case, can legally cancel the licence," he said.

He further added that a case of criminal negligence can be filed by the aggrieved parents against the hospital which would come under the jurisdication of the police department and the judiciary. Similarly, if a case is filed on the grounds of deficient service to the patient, then it will be heard by consumer courts. If a case is filed against the doctors misconduct then it will be governed by the Medical Council of India.

"Here, the government has no business in cancelling the licence. The government can suspend its licence only on the grounds on which it was issued. A licence to a hospital is issued on the basis of its infrastructure. But no question of infrastructural deficiency on the part of the hospital has occurred here," he said.

Interestingly, Agarwal who is also a member of the Delhi High Court-appointed committee to ensure reservation of services to patients from economically weaker section(EWS) in private hospitals, told Firstpost that there is no major violation of EWS norms on the part of the hospital.

"There are 25 beds reserved for EWS patients in Max Hospital. Apart from that EWS patients get free outdoor patients service, free medicines, and dialysis facility. So, the facilities provided by the hospital was as prescribed by the Delhi High Court, he said.

He further informed that even if there were any violations, they were minor in nature and do not call for harsh punitive actions.

He says that the cancelling of the hospital's licence has caused much distress for the patients who were undergoing treatment there.

Anita Rani, a patient living in Jahangirpuri, who was scheduled to undergo an operation on 12 December told Firstpost that she is at a loss about what to do.

"I have been suffering from a problem in the uterus for the last five years. After much hardships, I somehow managed to register my name for the operation in the EWS category. But now, the hospital says that it cannot continue my treatment as its licence has been cancelled. I dont know what to do now, she said.

The incident of wrongly declaring a living child dead resulted in the Delhi governments decision to cancel the licence of the hospital. The child was born on 30 November which the hospital declared dead and handed over its body to the parents in a packet. The child was found alive while being taken for the last rites. It later died on 6 December while undergoing treatment in another hospital.
New Delhi: The government is in talks with ASEAN countries to extend the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) highway up to Vietnam, a senior official said on Tuesday.

India and ASEAN countries are holding consultations on the extension of the 1,360 km IMT highway  from Moreh in India to Mae-Sot in Thailand  to Laos, Cambodia and to Vietnam, she said.

"Already some level of discussions have started and...we have also announced a certain line of credit for the purpose on certain projects," said Dakshita Das, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

She was speaking at the ASEAN-India Connectivity Summit, organised in New Delhi by industry body CII.

"Once we connect, we have a tremendous potential in terms of incremental GDP. Connectivity can generate annually, an estimated $70 billion in incremental GDP and 20 million in incremental aggregate employment by 2025," she said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has 10 member nations  Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Das said that another area on which the government is working to connect India with South East Asia is the IMT Motor Vehicle Agreement (IMT MVA).

India, Myanmar and Thailand in 2014 commenced negotiations for finalising and implementing the IMT Motor Vehicle Agreement (IMT MVA).

Framework MVAs need to be urgently concluded to utilise the physical road infrastructure on IMT Trilateral Highway and ASEAN that are central to completing the vision of India-ASEAN connectivity, Das said.

Yudhvir Singh Malik, Secretary at the ministry, said that the Northeast is the "door to building connectivities along with the ASEAN countries. I look forward to a day when I can drive my car to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok".

Connecting India with the Southeastern countries through a network of roads will create jobs, a market for crops grown in hilly regions of the Northeast which will also help growers in getting a better price for their produce, he said.
The Navi Mumbai Police on Monday arrested Rajesh Patil, nephew of former Maharashtra finance minister Eknath Khadse, in the kidnapping case of assistant police inspector (API) Ashwini Raju Gore aka Ashwini Bidre.

According to a report in The Hindu, the police made the arrest after questioning Patil for hours over two days in connection with Bidre's disappearance. She was last seen on 15 April, 2016. A missing person complaint was registered on 14 July, 2016, and a case of kidnapping was filed on 31 January this year.

Patil was arrested from Jalgaon, Khadse's stronghold. According to a report on Mumbai Mirror, the police said that Patil, son of Khadse's sister, owned several businesses including hotels, construction and farms in Jalgaon.

The police had earlier arrested the main accused, inspector Abhay Kurundkar of the Thane Rural Police, who allegedly had an affair with Bidre, the report said.

According to a police official quoted by The Free Press Journal, "The call records of Patil, Kurundkar and Bidre show that they were at the same place on the day she was last seen. Several calls were exchanged between Patil and Kurundkar and they were with Bidre at her last location at Mira-Bhayander. It is not yet known whether Bidre is alive or dead."

Kurundkar has been remanded to police custody until 15 December. According to the report, he and Patil had met when the former was posted in Jalgaon. Khadse was quoted by The Free Press Journal as saying, "The police should conduct a fair inquiry. I am confident that Patil will come out clean."

Patil has been charged with kidnapping or abducting in order to murder (Section 364), criminal intimidation (Section 506 (2), adultery (Section 497) and voluntarily causing hurt (Section 323) of the Indian Penal Code.
New Delhi: Giving a boost to confiscation of narcotics and psychotropic substances in the country, the Centre on Tuesday announced monetary rewards up to Rs 20 lakh to officers involved in drug interdiction.

In a revised guideline, the home ministry said an officer involved in the seizure of drugs was eligible for Rs 20 lakh reward during his entire career and Rs 50,000 at a time. However, a maximum reward of Rs 2 lakh may also be given to an individual, in exceptional cases, by the Apex Central Rewards Committee.

Up to 50 percent of the total admissible reward amount can be given at pre-trial stage i.e. if the test report from the chemical lab turns positive, it said.

Earlier, the maximum reward in each case was Rs 50,000 for an officer up to the rank of the deputy commissioner and not exceeding Rs 25,000 for an officer in the rank of joint or additional commissioner.

According to 'Guidelines for Grant of Rewards to be paid to Officers, Informers and other persons, 2017', the reward sanctioning authority should consider factors like accuracy of the information, degree of risk involved, extent and nature of the help rendered by the informer and whether the information also gave clues of the person involved in the drug trafficking racket.

The Narcotics Control Bureau, under the home ministry, has been made the coordinating agency to process the reward proposal of other central and state agencies, working in the field of drug interdiction.

Certain principles have also been laid down in the matter like the reward should not be granted as a matter of routine. The criteria for grant of reward to informers, provision for special efforts made by government officials in developing the information, affecting the seizure and post-seizure investigation, has also been prescribed.

It also excludes any work done by an officer in his normal course of duty.

As per the new guidelines, the reward scheme will be made applicable to informers whose information leads to seizure of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, controlled substances, forfeiture of illegally acquired property under chapter V A of the NDPS Act and contravention of rules made thereunder.

Officers of Centre, state governments and Union Territory administration who make such seizures, and conduct a successful investigation, prosecution and post-investigation work are entitled to the rewards.

Officials of other central, state governments and UT administrations who assist in the seizure of drugs will also be eligible for the honour.

New drugs and psychotropic substances have also been included in the revised reward policy.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit on Tuesday sought relief assistance from the Centre for the state's Cyclone Ockhi-hit Kanyakumari district.

Purohit, who is on a two-day visit to New Delhi, called on Finance minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sought assistance for undertaking relief measures, a Raj Bhavan release said.

The governor briefed them about the conditions in Kanyakumari district based on information he gathered during his visit to the 'Ockhi'-hit areas there on 7 December.

Purohit also called on Road Transport, Highways, and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari at his residence and highlighted the drinking water needs of Tamil Nadu.

The governor discussed the prospects for early interlinking of peninsular rivers so as to augment the water sources in the state.

Purohit explained to him on how large number of farmers would benefit if they could get water for irrigating at least one crop a year.

"For this, he stressed the need for linking of rivers of Tamil Nadu with those rivers whose surplus water flows waste into the sea," the release said.

Gadkari assured him that the surplus water lying unutilised will be diverted to meet the needs of the state.

The Union minister also said not a single person in Tamil Nadu will suffer on account of lack of drinking water.

During his visit to Chennai last month, Gadkari had called on Purohit and assured him that the Centre would shortly sanction Rs 1 lakh crore to the state government for highways and ports projects.

On Monday, Purohit participated in the Meeting of the Committee of Governors held in New Delhi.

The committee was constituted during the annual conference of governors in October for the purpose of recommending best practices to be undertaken by various Raj Bhavans.

Purohit along with Andhra Pradesh governor ESL Narasimhan, Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik, Tripura governor Tathagata Roy and Himachal Pradesh governor Acharya Dev Vrat, called on President Ram Nath Govind for discussions with regard to the deliberations of the committee, the release added.
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Tuesday approved the proposal of the Finance and Planning Department to revamp and strengthen its Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) unit so as to ensure effective design, development and implementation of government policies.

According to an official statement, besides guiding Outcome Budgeting, this will help the government to conduct independent surveys and evaluations, enable data analysis and assessment of large government datasets.

"The newly created M&E unit will create a government-wide roadmap for effective use of modern tools and techniques in the government for improved policy making and better delivery of public services.

"The unit will also lay a roadmap for the government to join the Open Data movement by making large government datasets open to citizens and researchers," said the statement.

"It is under the present government that such a bold vision for strengthening and modernising the M&E functions of the department has been first articulated, and tangible actions towards the same initiated in the form of a comprehensive Outcome Budget for 2017-18," it quoted deputy chief minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia as saying.

"This is because our government believes in the fundamental value of data-driven policymaking and the role scientific surveys and evaluations can play in helping elected governments better deliver public services to citizens and with the highest cost-effectiveness," he said.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Sunday reserved its order on a plea by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, seeking to cancel the anticipatory bail granted to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in two matters.

Justice Anu Malhotra heard the arguments of the counsel for the SIT, Sajjan Kumar and riot victims and said it would pass an order.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, appearing for the SIT which is probing the charges against Kumar, argued that the trial court's order granting anticipatory bail to the leader was "perverse" and there were overwhelming circumstances which were ignored.

"The observations in the bail order shows that the order was perverse. In a matter of such a magnitude, if anticipatory bail is put up before the trial court, it is imperative upon the judge to consider the material gathered by the prosecuting agency, which is SIT in this case," Jain contended.

He argued that the trial court's bail order could not have been and ought not to have been passed, and should be set aside.

While reading out the statements of various witnesses, the ASG said the sessions judge had observed in his order that the evidence was hearsay. However, all these evidence are not hearsay and there are eyewitnesses to the incident, he added.

Kumar was granted anticipatory bail by a trial court on 21 December last year in two separate cases of killing of three Sikhs during the riots which had occurred after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Opposing the plea, advocate Anil Sharma, appearing for the Congress leader, said he was neither defending the incident, nor saying that it did not take place.

He submitted that former MP's name was never taken earlier and it was a case of fresh allegations coming up after 32 years which was not allowed.

Senior advocate HS Phoolka, representing the riot victims, said the SIT was fully empowered to probe the case.

There are two cases filed against Kumar falling in the jurisdictions of Janakpuri and Vikaspuri police stations in West Delhi.

The complaint in Janakpuri pertains to the killing of two Sikhs, Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh, on 1 November, 1984 and in the other, where another Sikh, Gurcharan Singh, was burnt on 2 November, 1984 in the jurisdiction of Vikaspuri Police Station. Gurcharan, who was half burnt, had remained bed-ridden for 29 years. He died three years ago.

The SIT had been constituted by the Union home ministry in February 2015 to reinvestigate 'serious cases' filed in Delhi relating to riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
New Delhi: The Delhi High High Court on Tuesday frowned upon the Delhi government's decision to compensate the family of an ex-Armyman who committed suicide during the OROP agitation, saying "you are setting a trend  commit suicide and get Rs one crore compensation". The court's remark came over the decision conferring the status of martyr on the ex-Armyman, who allegedly killed himself by consuming poison over the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) issue in November last year, and giving Rs one crore financial aid and a job to his family.

"Imagine you are setting a trend, commit suicide and get Rs one crore compensation. And, when you are giving Rs one crore compensation to his family, where is the question of compensatory employment," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said.

The court made the observation while rejecting two public interest litigations against the Delhi government's decision to accord martyr status to Ram Kishan Grewal.

It said the petitions were premature and not maintainable at this stage as the LG was yet to take decision on it. The court also dismissed another PIL which opposed the city government's decision to declare as martyr Rajasthan based politician-cum-farmer Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat, who had allegedly hanged himself during an anti-land bill rally by the AAP at Jantar Mantar on 22 April, 2015.

The court said the petition was devoid of merit and the petitioner was unable to place the legal explanation of the term "martyr".
Beijing: At his meeting with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said that the military standoff in Doka La had put a "severe" strain on bilateral ties.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday released a statement detailing what Wang told Sushma Swaraj during their bilateral meet in New Delhi where the Chinese leader attended the Russia, India and China trilateral meet.

According to the statement, Wang also said that lessons should be learned from Doka La crisis so that it does not happen again even though the crisis was resolved peacefully.

"The viciousness caused by the cross-border infiltration of the Indian border guards put bilateral relations under severe pressure.

"The matter was finally settled peacefully through diplomatic means, reflecting the maturing of bilateral relations. However, lessons should be learned and (it) should not happen again," Wang was quoted as saying.

"In 2017, relations between China and India have maintained their momentum of development as a whole. Both sides have made efforts in this regard, but they are not very satisfactory," the foreign minister said.

The armies of both countries were locked in a 73-day stand-off at Doka La in the Sikkim section of China-Indian border over the building of a road by the Chinese military in the area that is claimed by Bhutan.

Indian troops stalled the work citing the disputed status of Doka La and its proximity to its key artery in the northeast. The crisis was resolved on 28 August after both the armies retreated from the point of the face-off.

It was Wang's first visit to India since the Doka La crisis.

"The leaders of the two countries pointed out that both China and India should regard each other as partners rather than adversaries."

Wang said that China-India relations were at a crucial period and the most important thing between them should be to cultivate mutual trust.

"With mutual trust, the specific problems are expected to be resolved on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual accommodation.

"Without mutual trust, individual problems will continue to overflow and erode the overall situation of bilateral relations.

"To this end, both sides should strengthen strategic communication at all levels, restore the established dialogue mechanism, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields and at the same time control the existing differences and safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas.

"If China and India speak with one voice, the world will listen. I hope this day will come soon," Wang was quoted as saying.
Jammu: National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday questioned the Narendra Modi-led government's "neutrality" towards the US decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"Like United Kingdom, France and other countries, New Delhi should have taken a position over the disputed status of Jerusalem," he said and criticized US President Donald Trump's "illogical decision".

Addressing party workers in Udhampur, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister also announced that his party would contest the next assembly election alone, and was confident of a massive mandate on its own given the support of the people.

"We won't have alliance with any party," he said.

Abdullah also said that: "Immediately after forming government, the NC will bring legislation in the first assembly session with regard to regional autonomy."

Abdullah lambasted the BJP for what he called dividing the nation on religion and said this dispensation has negated the vision of freedom fighters who gave sacrifices to free India from the shackles of British.

"At that point of time, the freedom stalwarts did not think in terms of Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs, but their paramount mission was to seek freedom for India, the abode of all faiths," he said, adding that "the divisive forces have trampled the spirit of freedom".

He, however, exuded confidence that "this gloomy era will be over soon and the day will come when the India of Mahatma Gandhi will be again retrieved".

He also came down heavily on the RSS, alleging that during the freedom struggle its top brass praised the British and now its ranks were honouring the killer of the Father of Nation.
Hyderabad: Amid a raging debate over the trustworthiness of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), former chief election commissioner TS Krishnamurthy on Tuesday said they were credible, robust and reliable as "machines do not go wrong, it's men who do".

He said that history has suggested that those who complain against the EVMs ever since they were introduced were always from the defeated parties.

"See the history of who has complained. It's always been the defeated party," Krishnamurthy told PTI in an interview.

He said, "(former late Tamil Nadu chief minister) Jayalalithaa and Amarinder Singh went to the Supreme Court (in the past). (After) they won in the next elections, they kept quiet."

"Amarinder Singh has come to power (in Punjab) this time also with the use of the EVMs," he said.

Asked if he has "unwavering faith" in the EVMs and their "infallibility", Krishnamurthy said: "Absolutely, unless and until somebody is going to prove to me that it (manipulation) can be done. To the best of knowledge and with my experience, the EVMs are credible, reliable and robust."

On reports of malfunctioning of some of the EVMs in elections, Krishnamurthy said, "Machines don't go wrong, it's men who go wrong."

He said the EVMs malfunction because those who handle them do not know how to operate or they may have made some application errors or may not have been well-trained. Examinations later revealed there was nothing wrong with those machines.

In cases of malfunctioning, the Election Commission immediately replaces the EVMs to "improve credibility and people's perception" and not because they have become faulty.

Terming the EVMs as "nation's pride", Krishnamurthy said because of them, "we are able to save so much of paper and so much of time."

In the earlier paper ballot system, there have been a number of instances in some parts of the country where ballot papers were thrust into the machines and sometimes ballot boxes were taken away.

"On the whole, I don't see any reason to question the credibility of machines. It's absolutely robust and credible. I have no doubt about it," he said.

Krishnamurthy said those who criticise the EVMs were doing so either out of ignorance or due to the fact that they want to find an excuse for their defeat.

Stating that the EVMs have built-in safeguards, he wondered as to how chips can be replaced when they are kept in police stations and store-rooms guarded by the CRPF personnel and at polling stations.

"It's more of an apprehension than a reality."

"Candidates' names (in EVMs) are listed alphabetically, and not in order of people of a particular political party. In every constituency, the order of any party will be different from other. How can you manipulate machines? It's more in mind than actual practice," he said.

"Somebody said chip can be changed and (EVMs) can be remotely operated), both are impossible," Krishnamurthy said.

According to him, those who make the charge that the EVMs can be manipulated and tampered with, they should demonstrate so before an independent body of IIT professors, experts, and eminent technical personnel.

"If they want, they can (also) certainly challenge it in any court; they are (now) doing it (only) in public-speaking," Krishnamurthy said.

He cautioned that going back to paper ballots would be the "most retrograde step."

"So many safeguards built in (EVMs), I feel sorry that political parties are not responsible in their criticism," he said.

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Amidst the polarising political debate on the alleged Pakistan factor in domestic politics and the Gujarat Assembly elections, an important milestone in India-US relations has escaped our mainstream media's attention.

On 12 December, an important meeting of the Ministry of External Affairs and the US State Department officials took place in New Delhi. On the agenda was working out modalities of terrorist designations and coordinating both the countries' positions on the issue.

Designating a group or an individual as a foreign terrorist organisation/foreign terrorist, or, global terrorist organisation/global terrorist, results in the immediate travel ban and freeze on the assets of the concerned entity or individual. The US has long viewed this as an important mechanism to keep the pressure on terrorists and terrorist groups to neutralise their operations.

The meeting in New Delhi was an initial dialogue between the two countries after the two agreed to set up this consultation mechanism, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States in June this year.

While the effectiveness of designating someone as a terrorist or terrorist organisation is debatable because at least in South Asia most terrorist groups make use of Hawala and active terrorists are inward looking meaning they dont travel extensively abroad. Yet, the fact that Indian and US officials have set up a separate mechanism for this demonstrates a growing convergence of interests between the two countries. Counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the US has been intensifying since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Beyond the symbolism, this meeting also serves as an important signal to China, which for years has been extending technical hold for designating certain individuals at the UN as global terrorists, at the behest of Pakistan. Terrorist masterminds such as Hafiz Saeed of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Masood Azhar of Jaish-e-Mohammed have been the obvious beneficiaries of these Chinese manoeuvres.

Coming on the heels of the first meeting of the revived Quad Initiative  comprising India, US, Japan, and Australia  at the East Asia Summit last month, this is another important signal to China.

But for this mechanism to succeed, India will need to strengthen its domestic counter-terrorism setup. While our intentions are noble, implementation remains a key challenge, particularly in the counter-terrorism field where inter-agency turf battles and lack of capacity in the security agencies, continue to pose challenges for India's security.
Colombo: Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa called on Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo and held discussions on matters of bilateral importance, according to Sri Lanka Air Force.

On Monday, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa also called on the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy, State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene and Defence Ministry Secretary Kapila Waidyaratne at the Temple tress, official residence of the prime minister.

During the meeting between Wickremesinghe and Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa, matters of bilateral importance and mutual relevance were discussed, the Sri Lanka Airforce said.

Ahead of the IAF chief's visit, India's defence ministry had said that the trip would provide impetus towards increasing defence co-operation between the two air forces and pave the way for greater interaction in the future.

"This would also strengthen relationships, enable engagement in productive exchanges and promote understanding of joint issues and challenges," it had said.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa is on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka in which he will deliberate with top brass of Sri Lanka's defence establishment on issues relating to regional security.

During the visit, the IAF chief would also review the commissioning and passing out parade of the Sri Lanka Air Force Academy on 14 December.

The IAF also participated for a briefing on the operational aspects of the SLAF which was delivered by the Director of Air Operations Air Vice Marshal Sudharshana Pathirana.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to state whether it fell under the ambit of the Right to Information Act (RTI) in cases where information about corruption or human rights violation is sought from it.

Till date, the IB has been maintaining that it and its information are exempted from the purview of the transparency law.

The query by a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and SP Garg came after it perused a 2007 Ministry of Personnel office memorandum asking all such agencies, which are exempted from the purview of the RTI Act, to appoint central public information officers to provide information on corruption and human rights violations.

The IB's stand with regard to the office memorandum (OM) was sought during the hearing of its appeal challenging a single judge order upholding a CIC direction to the agency to give its report on alleged harassment and false cases against Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi for exposing graft.

While giving the agency time till 7 March to indicate its stand, the bench made it clear that there will be no interim stay of the single judge's decision.

During the hearing, Chaturvedi told the court that based on the IB report indicating a threat to his life, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) had changed his cadre from Haryana to Uttarakhand, where he is a Conservator of Forests at Haldwani in Nainital District.

He has argued that the harassment and false allegations against him were directly linked to his exposure of corruption in the Haryana government as well as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

He had sought through RTI, a copy of the IB report submitted in regard to alleged false cases filed against him.

Chaturvedi, who served as the chief vigilance officer at AIIMS from 2012-14, in his application to the CIC, had said that this report would help him fight the violation of his human rights caused by those public servants whose corruption he had exposed as part of his duties as an IFoS officer.

The information was sought from the Ministry of Environment which had sought the opinion of the IB before furnishing the details sought. The IB had objected to the disclosure, after which Chaturvedi had approached the Central Information Commission (CIC).

The CIC on 21 April, 2016, had held that even though the IB is exempted from sharing information under section 24 of the RTI Act, it has to provide information pertaining to allegations of corruption and human rights violations.

The agency appealed against the decision in the high court where a single judge bench had dismissed its plea on 23 August.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday apprehended a boy who on his way to join militancy in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district, an official said.

The boy, from Rainawari area in the city, was under surveillance as he was in contact with some Pakistani militants on social media sites, Ganderbal Fayaz Ahmed Lone, senior superintendent of police (SSP), said.

"We knew his movement and nabbed him early today at Qamaria Chowk in Ganderbal district of the state," Lone said.

The boy confessed of his intention to join the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an Al-Qaida affiliate in Kashmir headed by Zakir Musa, Lone said, adding that he was handed over to his parents after counselling.

Lone also appealed to the parents to take care and watch the activities of their children to keep them away from "such type of evils".
A Jharkhand minister has courted controversy by organising a bizarre event at the state's Dumaria village on Sunday. Simon Marandi of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had organised a "kissing competition", wherein tribal couples were asked to lock lips in the village, which falls in his Littipara constituency.

According to a report on India Today, Marandi said the event was being organised to "strengthen the bond" among married couples, and to reduce the divorce rate among the state's tribal community. Another MLA from the JMM, Stephen Marandi, was also present at the event, the report said.

Jharkhand: Kissing contest organized for married couples at a Mela in Dumaria village of Pakur on 10th December. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislator Simon Marandi was also present at the event. pic.twitter.com/sCS8PeMoDw  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Three couples were awarded prizes as part of the competition.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Simon Marandi said, "The kissing competition was organised to promote love and modernity. Tribal people are hesitant. The hesitation of tribal couples will end by kissing openly in the competition."

He also said it would help in promoting understanding between couples and prevent divorces. The programme was attended by hundreds of people.

However, the BJP has reacted sharply to the news, and has demanded Marandi's ouster from the party.

"JMM MLAs Simon Marandi and Stephen Marandi have insulted the culture of Santhal Pargana in the by organising a 'kissing competition'. We demand their suspension from the House and not allowing them to attend the Winter Session starting from Tuesday," BJP's Hemlal Murmu was quoted as saying in the India Today report.
A sessions court in Kerala's Ernakulam district found guilty 23-year-old Ameerul Islam, the lone accused in the murder of 30-year-old Dalit law student, Jisha.

Jisha was found dead on 28 April, 2016, in her house in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala at her home by her mother Rajeshwari.

Jisha rape and murder case: Accused Amirul Islam found guilty by Sessions court Ernakulam #Kerala  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Her body bore injuries that led to suspicion that she was raped before her murder.

Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court judge N Anil Kumar is likely to pronounce the quantum of punishment on Wednesday. Muhammed Ameerul Islam was found guilty under various sections of the IPC including 302 (murder), 376 (Rape) 376 (A) (causing death or causes the woman to be in a persistent vegetative state while committing rape).

The accused, however, was not found guilty under 201 (causing the disappearance of evidence of offence) and various sections under SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) amendment Act 2015.

The Court had on 6 December completed the hearing in the case and posted it for today for pronouncement of judgement.

According to a Times of India report, "the trial in the case took 85 days. As many as 100 witnesses, including 15 migrant labourers, were examined by the prosecution which also presented circumstantial evidence before the court against Islam".

The prosecution, the report adds, had presented as many as "290 documents and 36 material evidence and the defence counsel examined five witnesses. Evidence included results of the forensic and DNA tests conducted on the accused".

The DNA samples in her body, slippers, nails matched with the accused, Times Now reported.

Islam, a migrant labourer from Assam, was nabbed by a Special Investigation Team of Kerala Police on 16 June, 2016. According to Manorama Online, the 24-year-old accused had confessed to the murder. He was arrested from Singadivakkam in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.

How the case was solved

In the early phase of the investigation, the Kerala Police had questioned about 2,000 people in this case and some 20 of them were subjected to DNA tests. Multiple teams of state police were deployed to hunt down Jisha's killer(s). The police later zeroed in on Islam.

The police recovered the weapon from an under-construction building named Iringole Vaidyasala in Perumbavoor. The building is one kilometre away from Jisha's house.

The police had also secured CCTV camera details from a shop from the victim's neighbourhood, which reportedly showed the suspect following the law student in the neighbourhood of her residence, hours ahead of the incident on 28 April.

After Islam was arrested, he was taken to Jisha's home during which, he had allegedly told police how he committed the crime and how he escaped from the spot.

According to reports, Jisha was stabbed 30 times by Islam at her house. She had rejected sexual advances from the suspect and was killed as Islam wanted revenge.

According to a report by Manorama Online, Jisha tried to resist the accused's attempts to rape her, after which she sustained injuries. Later, when she asked for water, the accused gave her alcohol.

The shoddy investigation into the case has attracted nationwide outrage.

As Firstpost writer G Pramod Kumar had argued earlier, "Jisha was a landless Dalit living in a one-room hutment on a canal poramboke. Her family was ostracised by the local community and neither the police nor the local administration had listened to her earlier appeals for help, attracting nationwide outrage."

The local police had reportedly "also messed up the investigation in the initial days, thereby losing vital leads, and could never catch up the culprit".

Soon after the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government assumed office on 25 May, 2016, it changed the entire team probing the case with ADGP B Sandhya as its chief, Manorama Online had reported. "Even DGP TP Senkumar was replaced by Loknath Behra who then promised speedy action in the Jisha case".

With inputs from PTI.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday held meetings with locals in Doda district for over 15 hours, in one of the longest public interactions in recent times by a leader, officials said.

Mufti, who reached Doda on Sunday on the second leg of her three-day tour of Chenab valley region, started grievances redressal camp at 10.30 am which continued till late in the night, a government spokesperson said in an official statement.

The last deputation which met her past midnight at around 1.40 am came from Palmas area of Doda and demanded construction of a footpath and connecting the area with the circular road of the town.

Around 100 deputations met Mufti during her public outreach programme and given the large number of people and their demands, it continued past midnight making it one of the longest interactions in the state in recent times, it said.

According to the statement, the grievances redressal camps convened by the chief minister generally extend up to late in the evenings.

The camp at Kishtwar on Saturday which started at 11 am ended at 11.30 pm with a deputation from Drabshalla bringing their problems to her notice, it added.
Shalini has been waiting for her husband with her breastfed baby for the past 13 days in the seaside Kerala's Poonthura village with her eyes fixed on the rising waves.

She sits in a tent, the villagers raised on the beach before a local church, along with scores of other women who do not know when their men who ventured into the sea on 29 November would return.

From the Poonthura village alone, 29 fishers who went in small boats mostly with portable outboard engines had left before Cyclone Ockhi swept through the Arabian Sea last month end.

Hundreds of people had gone into the sea in mechanised vessels and reached Lakshadweep islands and southwestern states of Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra.

They started coming back within a few days with the help of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard which launched a joint search and rescue mission, Op Sahayam, the very next day Cyclone Ockhi hit the Arabian Sea.

The chances of survival for fishers who are still at sea with small boats, including catamarans, 95 officially, after retrieving 42 bodies, are too little.

"These people are really a cause for concern," said former chief minister Oommen Chandy, who has been regularly going to these villages consoling the grieving families.

"Those who had gone in large mechanised boats would have reached shores elsewhere, and they have started coming back, much to the relief of these families, he added.

But Shalini, 25, wife of Paniyadima Moses, 37, and others have not lost their hopes. They continue their wait under the scorching sun for the second week, surviving on the food aid workers provide.

"She does not eat, and she looks numbed. She has to feed her baby who is just eight months old," a woman sitting adjacent to her tells Firstpost. "

Besides the toddler Prashant, who refuses to leave her lap, her four-year-old son Prathul is also with his mother in her unending wait for their breadwinner.

They cannot lose the fight. Moses left them after clasping the baby to his chest and planting a tender kiss on its cheek one last time on that fateful Wednesday afternoon.

They were a group of ten fishers in two boats, and they were to return early morning with the nights catch before the auction begins on the beach.

The boats caught in the cyclone and capsized. Only two of the fishers could swim into safety. The fate of others remains unknown.

Shalini is a school dropout, and the family was living in a rented house. A bleak future stares at them.

Like most others in the impoverished coastal fishing hamlets, Moses has had no savings and insurance against accident or death. The family does not even have a ration card.

Similar is the case with almost all of them. Clinical psychologists who visit their homes and give them counselling say many face post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Some have even developed a fear of the sea. Heartrending cries receive every visitor, whether it is an aid worker, lawmaker or a journalist.

Thades Mary, 30, has three school going children all in primary classes. If her husband Paniyadima Francis fails to return by Thursday and pay up, she will have to vacate her rented house as the rent is due for two months.

"We have been sharing a house with another family. Now, I have no place to go and live with my husband being at sea," she tells Firstpost.

Selin, 32, has four girl children, the eldest being seven and the youngest just turned a year old. Her husband, Kumar, 38, also has a paralysed father and an acute diabetic mother, both requiring money to get properly treated.

The family had a hand-to-mouth existence. All of them have no land or house of their own, despite the fact that the state launched a zero-landless and housing for all schemes launched four years ago.

The victims belong to the Latin Catholic archdiocese in Kerala, which observed a day of prayers for the dead and the missing on Sunday. They say both the state and central governments have left them in the lurch.

On Monday, hundreds of people from the fishing community marched on the streets of the state capital to Raj Bhavan registering their protest against inadequate response to the devastation. They want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit them and see their plight for himself and order a coordinated search operation to trace the missing men.

Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi is visiting some of these villages on Thursday.

The government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the dead and offered employment for the next of kin, but very few are qualified for a government job. The children have stopped going to school since the tragedy struck.

The state has also offered a sustenance allowance of Rs 60 a day for an adult and Rs 45 for a child. But no government official is seen around, and many have no idea what it was meant for. The government officials say they have set up camps, and those who need support are being shifted there. The government also bears the treatment expenses of the survivors.

The cabinet meeting on Wednesday will review the situation and decide further relief measures.

I can understand the frustration and anger of the suffering people whose breadwinners are away at sea, said E Chandrasekharan, the states minister for revenue and disaster management.

We are doing everything humanly possible to alleviate their sufferings and reach the aid that the cabinet has cleared. We have also decided to compensate for their lost boats and nets and provide their children with free education, he added.

The aid workers say, in private, that theres little or no chance for the bodies to be recovered after so many days. They would end up on the list of the missing persons, making it difficult for the families to get the compensation.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sought a Rs 1,843 crore financial package from the central government for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected.

What we need is not such big promises but action on the ground at this hour of crisis, says Maglin Philomena, who leads the womens wing of the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF).

We had heard such promises when tsunami took away more than 100 lives among us in 2004. Then they spent all the money on roads and bridges away from the coasts. It contained no substantial schemes for the suffering hundreds, she informs.

The NFF on Sunday issued a statement saying the state government was exploiting the tragedy to elicit central funds.

The cash-strapped state is seeking funds for tourism and related activities in our name. They included roads and bridges to promote beach tourism, she says.

The villagers have not been allowing state ministers, who initially ignored warnings and their call for help, to visit them. They even booed them off.

Vijayan went there on the fourth day when defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman landed here. Remember, Poonthura is less than nine kilometres from his office, says political commentator Roy Mathew.

He has been busy with other engagements like attending wedding receptions. He went to visit the agitated fishers late in the evening on 3 December after attending the marriage of a liquor baron in the city. The next day, he found time to travel 20 kilometres along with his wife to condole a financier whose 93-year-old father died.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) says it had sent warnings to state governments against sending fishers into the sea four times on 29 November which Kerala ignored while the neighbouring Tamil Nadu state with a broader fishing community could reduce the casualties substantially.

Vijayan chairs the states seven-member disaster management authority filled with ministers and bureaucrats except for a lone scientist. Naturally, the entire early warning system collapsed and hundreds of men were left at high seas.

His engagements on the day when the entire state was in shock and disbelief included a meeting of editors to announce a farce called Loka Kerala Sabha where the state Assembly floors will roll out a red carpet to rich NRIs for a meeting, says Mathew.

Other affluent Christian churches have also turned a blind eye on their sufferings, which is equally painful, he added.

The archdiocese of Latin has even threatened to lay a siege to the State Secretariat, where the offices of the chief minister and his cabinet are located, with dead bodies, if the apathy continued and the government fails to step in with a comprehensive rehabilitation plan.

What I can see here is the governments contempt for these poor lives. They could not even bring back those who landed on shores elsewhere, says Philomena.

What we needed was not a package. What we needed was the return of our men. We are spending days and nights on the shores praying for their lives. We all believe all is not lost. We still have hope left.

The fishing community is in a debt trap. But the government is busy writing off loans taken by fishing contractors. Why dont you have a list of those who had reached other states and those missing and dead.

The state boasts of being the first to become open-defecation free, but many households have no toilets. Only a year ago, stray dogs mauled a 65-year-old lady on Pulluvila beach early morning while answering the call of nature, she says.

The fishers have been making fervent appeals to take them aboard the rescue vessels as they know the sea better and where they could have gone fishing. But there was none to take their call, until Sitharaman met them on 4 December. But by that time, many were gone forever.

Instead of consoling the mothers, wives, and daughters, anxiously waiting on shores, Kadakampally Surendran, the minister Vijayan assigned to oversee relief operations, took a ride on a rescue chopper hampering it.

It would have been a different story had they come early, listened to us and taken fishers who know every corner of the sea and their favourite fishing spots well, Philomena said.

The chief minister was holding that he kept away not to disrupt the search and rescue attempts. But there was nothing that prevented him as they were offshore and were operated by defence forces under the Southern Naval Command, she added.

The fishing community in Kerala has been on the streets since the tragedy hit the state's coastal areas urging the authorities to act swiftly. Rail and road traffic were stalled for many hours last week as they squatted on the tracks and the national highway on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border.

When people get stranded in the oil-rich Gulf, you send charter flights to evacuate them. But they wont do it for the poor fishers. We are sad at the attitude of the Union and state governments, said Vicar General Fr Eugene Pereira.

Its 12th day today, and the politicians are engaged in a blame game instead of trying to allay fears of these women and children. They are not getting the respect a human being deserves," he told Firstpost on Sunday.

The villagers accuse The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard sailors engaged in the rescue operations are not picking up bodies of their loved ones floating in the sea off southern Kerala, which they have denied.

I have seen bodies floating around, but they all have decayed beyond retrieval, a fisher onboard a rescue aircraft was seen telling News 18 Kerala.

Even the tsunami warning system that was installed a decade ago is not functional anymore, and none is bothered, said another man. There are 25 boats with the states coastal police, but 15 of them are under repair.

The State Human Rights Commission has also come out against officials for the delayed response and shoddy search and rescue operations with nearly 100 fishers still missing in Kerala.

I dont want to blame any particular government, but there was criminal negligence on the part of officials when people were dying and their bodies floating around like the dead fish, the commission chair P Mohan Das said at a public meeting on Sunday.

It was a clear case of serious human rights violation, the denial of their right to live, he added.

The commission, which visited the worst-hit coastal villages on Wednesday, had ordered the IMD and the state authorities to file sworn statements for not expediently communicating the severe cyclone warning.

A timely storm alert would have saved hundreds, he said. The officialdom could not shrug off responsibility for the oversight that had plunged the families into the depth of despair and deprivation.

Nine ships and all available aircraft with the southern naval command are engaged in search and rescue operations codenamed OP Sahayam.

Long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8I searched over entire Maldives after the fishing community estimated few vessels to be stranded on the islands. They got expeditious clearance through diplomatic channels to fly over the Maldives.

Calls were given on very high frequency (VHF) radio, it said in a statement on Sunday. The statement said that officials have also confirmed that the Maldivian locals undertook search and have not located any fishers on the islands.

INS Sujata equipped with mobile morgue boxes has taken four fishers and an official onboard for joining the deep sea search operations.

The search is expected to continue up to the satisfaction of the fishers, it said.

INS Subhadra, another naval vessel under routine deployment, identified twelve crew onboard two Tamil Nadu registered fishing vessels Milkyas and Felixia about 90 miles northwest of Bitra island of Lakshadweep. She also encountered two capsized fishing vessels  Annei and AVM EP Turai  but no survivors were found onboard.

The sailors have so far covered nearly half a million square miles.

Archbishop Soosai Pakiam, who heads the Latin Catholic Church of fishers, said they were not satisfied with the official response, and what is being witnessed is the spontaneous reaction of the aggrieved people.

We had not called any agitation till Monday, he said. But if the apathy continues, we would be forced to go into direct action. People lose patience when their breadwinners fail to return even after so many days.

Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard said they had retrieved four more unidentified bodies on Monday, from 100 and 150 nautical miles away from the shore. Another eight bodies are still lying in the morgue awaiting relatives for DNA matching.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the CBI-led investigation in the larger conspiracy behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi does not appear to have achieved "much headway".

The apex court referred to the reports filed before it by the CBI and observed that the investigation by the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) could be "endless".

The MDMA is headed by a CBI official and comprises officers from IB, RAW and Revenue Intelligence and other agencies.

"The MDMA is investigating the larger conspiracy. From CBI reports, it doesn't seem that there is much headway. So this enquiry could be endless," a bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi said.

The top court also arrayed the Centre as a party in the plea filed by one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

The bench fixed the matter for hearing on 24 January.

The apex court had on 14 November asked the government to respond to a plea of the convict, AG Perarivalan, seeking suspension of his sentence till the CBI concluded its probe into the conspiracy behind the making of the belt bomb that killed Gandhi and several others.

The court asked the Centre to clarify its stand on the plea by Perarivalan, whose death sentence was earlier commuted to life term by the apex court.

In his plea, Perarivalan has told the court that he was held guilty for supplying two nine-volt batteries which were allegedly used in the improvised explosive device (IED) that killed Gandhi on 21 May, 1991, but the probe by CBI-led MDMA relating to the IED was still going on.

The convict has said he has spent 26 years behind bars in connection with the case, while the Tamil Nadu government has already decided to set him free by remitting the remaining portion of his sentence.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of 21 May, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at an election rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed.

This was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile global leader.

The Centre had earlier filed in a sealed cover a report on the investigation being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of the bomb that had killed Gandhi.

The apex court had on 17 August asked the Centre and CBI to apprise it of the probe being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of bomb after Perarivalan had claimed that this aspect was not being probed properly.

The apex court had on 18 February, 2014 commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with two other condemned prisoners  Santhan and Murugan  on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.
Seoul: South Korea says it has added several North Korean groups and individuals to its sanctions list as part of efforts to cut off funding for the North weapons programmes.

South Korea's government says the sanctions on 20 North Korean groups and 12 individuals took effect from today.

Seoul is among the first to respond to North Korea's November 29 missile launch with fresh sanctions. The government says it hopes its move will prompt the international community to do likewise.

US President Donald Trump's UN ambassador has been urging the world to cut trade and diplomatic ties with Pyongyang.

Separately, South Korea, the United States and Japan started their two-day missile tracking drills today.
Rameswaram: Twenty-seven Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters early on Tuesday, an official said.

The fishermen from Jegadapattinam and Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district were arrested off Neduntheevu by the Lankan Navy and taken to Kangesanthurai port there along with five boats, Assistant Director of Fisheries department, Pudukottai, Kumaresan said.

In another incident, nearly 3,000 fishermen who had ventured into the sea last evening in 500 boats from here were chased away by the Lankan Naval personnel while they were fishing near Katchatheevu islet, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emerit said.

The naval men came to the spot and opened fire in the air to drive off the large group of fishermen before damaging their fishing equipment, he said

The fishermen were forced to return to the shore without a catch, he said.

On 2 December, 20 fishermen from Nagapattinam district were arrested by the Lankan Navy on charges of fishing off Neduntheevu.
The Narendra Modi government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it will set up special courts for the speedy disposal of criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs, according to media reports.

In the affidavit submitted by the Centre, it has agreed to set up 12 special courts at an expenditure of Rs 7.80 crores, Live Law reported.

The top court has also sought the status of the trial in 1,581 cases involving politicians within the time frame of one year, the report added.

The court was hearing the petition filed by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay from the BJP, seeking a lifetime ban on tainted politicians from contesting elections, NDTV reported.

Under the current law, a legislator is debarred for six years from contesting elections once he is convicted for heinous or moral offences.

The government has also sought time from the apex court to collect data on cases pending against elected representatives across the country so that a further decision regarding additional courts can be taken, News18 reported

Earlier, the government had informed the SC that the recommendations of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Law Commission favouring lifetime disqualification of politicians convicted in criminal cases was under the active consideration of the government.

SC bench had then pulled up the EC for not taking a stand on the issue, following which the election watchdog submitted the plea supporting politicians convicted in criminal cases

"Can you afford to remain silent? Is silence an option?" the bench had asked the EC, The Times of India reported.

It had also asked the Centre to stop giving directions to the states for setting up special fast-track courts and instead come up with a law to deal with it.

The apex court had also said that inadequate infrastructure in the courts was resulting in pendency and said that Parliament should pass laws and create fast-track courts for speedy disposal of such cases against the lawmakers. Attorney General KK Venugopal agreed that the fast-track courts were the need of the hour and said that some such courts have in the past done an excellent job and several people, especially those in jails, were benefitted by the system.

The apex court will now take up the matter on Thursday, according to News18.

With inputs from PTI
The unseemly controversy in which former prime minister Manmohan Singh finds himself  after attending a dinner hosted by now-suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar which was also attended by the Pakistan high commissioner and a delegation of Pakistanis  has left a bitter taste in relations between the Congress and the BJP. The spin given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the dinner meeting while addressing an election rally in Gujarat may be overdrawn and bordering on the mischievous, but it is equally true that the likes of Manmohan and former vice-president Hamid Ansari had no business to be at a dinner hosted by Aiyar when they were aware that a Pakistani delegation had also been invited.

Only the other day, Aiyar who is the very antithesis of tact and diplomacy even though he ironically belonged to the Indian Foreign Service and by dint of it, became a senior diplomat serving the country, had been suspended by the Congress party for having called Modi a "neech aadmi".

It now transpires that either the Congress' action against Aiyar was insincere and solely dictated by electoral politics because the party feared a backlash against Aiyars shocking and low-level denunciation of the prime minister or that Manmohan was unmoved by the partys stand and was attending an Aiyar-sponsored dinner with the Pakistanis because he was in agreement with Aiyar.

Manmohan was also oblivious of the impropriety of breaking bread with representatives of an enemy country at a get-together where internal politics was bound to be discussed because of the high-stakes electoral battle between the BJP and the Congress in Gujarat. Even if Manmohan did not talk Indian politics with the Pakistani delegation as he claims, or indulge in gossip about BJP leaders, his presence at a dinner at which the Pakistani high commissioner was an attendee, besides a handful of others, was an act of grave impropriety at such a time.

It is indeed inconceivable that internal Indian politics was not discussed at the controversial dinner at a time of Gujarat elections when tempers on both sides  the Congress and the BJP  were running high.

Even from the point-of-view of realpolitik, the former prime minister should have known better. One of the reasons for the crushing defeat of the Congress in the 2014 elections was Aiyar's derisive and mocking description of Modi as a 'chaiwala', wherein he had said that there was not a ghost of a chance that Modi would win. By attending the dinner party, Manmohan blunted the edge of Rahul Gandhis action against Aiyar for insulting the office of the prime minister. If now, the people at large see the action against Aiyar as an eyewash, they can hardly be blamed.

If Modi had committed an act of indiscretion by linking a retired Pakistan army general's comment that the appropriate choice for Gujarat chief minister after the elections would be the Congress' Ahmed Patel with the dinner meeting with Pakistanis hosted by Aiyar, Manmohan did no better by mocking Modi for having gone to Pakistan uninvited after Pakistani attacks in Udhampur and Gurdaspur.

It is preposterous to attribute motives to Manmohan's sense of patriotism. By the same token, it is equally outrageous of Manmohan to attribute motives to an honest act by Modi to give peace a chance by making an impromptu stopover in Karachi while returning to India from an overseas trip to meet the then Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

With Gujarat elections now nearing their end, both Modi and Manmohan must bury the hatchet and return to a saner relationship based on mutual trust and understanding. While Modi must resist the temptation of flying off on a tangent during election time, Manmohan and new party president Rahul must respect the country's duly elected government and not hold what look like parleys with representative of countries hostile to India, namely Pakistan and China, without taking into confidence the Modi government.

At the height of the Doka La standoff of Indian troops with Chinese soldiers earlier this year, Rahul had called on the Chinese Ambassador in India in what can only be described as a secret meeting because no ministry official or government representative was briefed on what transpired at the meeting. What actually was discussed at the meeting has not been disclosed to this day. This is unhealthy in the extreme.

Likewise, soon after Modi took office, Aiyar had told an audience in Pakistan that if India and Pakistan were to live in peace it was vital that Modi be removed from the prime ministerial chair. Such a shocking attitude towards one's own prime leader before an enemy country that has been spreading terror and mayhem in India for decades is worthy of the highest condemnation and censure.
Nagpur: Both the Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature were on Tuesday adjourned for the day as the Opposition parties raised slogans against the state government over the farmers' issues.

In the Legislative Council, as soon as the proceedings began for the second day of the winter session, Leader of the Opposition Dhananjay Munde and other members started raising slogans condemning the BJP-led state government for "looting" the farmers. They also sought "relief" for the cultivators.

While shouting the slogans, these members entered the well of the House, after which Council Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar adjourned it for half an hour.

After the business resumed, Leader of the House and minister Chandrakant Patil requested the Opposition members to let the House function in a smooth manner saying that yesterday's work was still pending and important issues need to be discussed.

However, when the Question Hour began, the Opposition once again rushed to the well of the House and started raising slogans, following which the Upper House was adjourned for the second time for half an hour.

After the proceedings resumed, supplementary demands were tabled amid protests from the Opposition and the House was adjourned for the day.

In the state assembly as well, the Opposition Congress and NCP created ruckus over the farm loan waiver and the agrarian crisis, due to which it was adjourned for the day by Pro-tem Speaker Yogesh Sagar around noon, after the conclusion of the Question Hour.

When the proceedings of the Lower House began for the day, the leaders of Congress and NCP started raising slogans alleging that the BJP-Shiv Sena-led government had miserably failed to resolve the farmers' issues.

They alleged that the government was not taking timely steps to curb the pink bollworm attack on cotton crop.

Talking to reporters outside the Assembly after it was adjourned, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said, "Cotton crop is a major source of income for farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. The losses they incurred due to the worm attack runs into several hundred crores of rupees. The government should announce some compensation to the affected farmers."

Before the proceedings of the Assembly began on Tuesday, the Opposition parties staged a protest outside and shouted slogans against the government.

The opposition has been demanding immediate decisions to end the agrarian crisis in the state.

Meanwhile, the Congress and NCP on Tuesday held a rally here over the issue of farmers against the BJP-led government at the Centre and in the state.
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking a seaplane for campaigning in Gujarat, terming it "Hawa Hawai" and added that the ruling BJP did not understand development.

"They did not understand development. It is called Hawa Hawai," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet referring to a hit song of Hindi movie Mr India.

Surjewala's remarks came after the Prime Minister flew by a seaplane from the Sabarmati river front in Ahmedabad to about 180 kilometre Dharoi in Mehsana district on the last day of the election campaign in Gujarat.

The Ahmedabad administration has refused permission both for Modi's and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's roadshows in the city. Modi drew the attention of the people towards the development work done by the BJP, which has ruled Gujarat since 1995.

He tweeted, "With air, roads and rail connectivity, our government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians."

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference head Omar Abdullah, posting a picture of the seaplane waiting at the jetty, wondered how the top security for the Prime Minister had been relaxed for him to take the seaplane. "How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country," he tweeted.

How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country. pic.twitter.com/MocJIKh6es  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 12, 2017

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ahmedabad on Tuesday and undertake a sea-plane journey from the Sabarmati river on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections. Modi will travel to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district by the seaplane, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country. His return journey would also be by the same seaplane.

#Visuals from #Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane, today. After that, he will offer prayers at Ambaji pic.twitter.com/uLXscbmbCS  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

He will land at the Sabarmati river at 9.30 am, and will then go to the Dharoi dam and offer prayers at the Ambaji temple.

Tomorrow at 9:30 AM I will travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane. After that will offer prayers to Maa Amba at Ambaji. With air, roads & rail connectivity, our Government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians!  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2017

Modi's plans of using a seaplane in Ahmedabad came a day after the city police denied him permission to hold a mega roadshow in the city.

The police cited congested roads and communally sensitive areas that fall enroute as the reason. The move comes in the backdrop of inputs gathered by central intelligence agencies that a "lone wolf" may try to target roadshows of "big political leaders" during the campaigning for the upcoming elections.

According to a report on NDTV, Modi took a dig at the Congress as well, saying the party cannot even "imagine" development work like the sea-plane. "We won't be able to build airports everywhere so we will focus on waterways," he said.

He added as many as 106 such waterways have been planned in the country.

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said this is for the first time in the history of the country that a sea-plane will land on a water body and that will be the Sabarmati river. "Modi will travel in the plane to Dharoi. He will visit Ambaji temple and come back from Dharoi to Sabarmati in the same plane," Rupani said.

The Congress also confirmed that it had sought permission for Gandhi's roadshow and corner meetings. "We will adhere to the decision taken by the administration and the programme stands cancelled," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

He said Gandhi was not facing any security threat in Gujarat. "As far as Gandhi is concerned, he is not facing any security threat as conceived by the Gujarat Police. The kind of affection he has got in Gujarat is unsurmountable," he said, adding that since "Modiji is a big person, the police may be concerned about his security".

With inputs from PTI

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Jammu: Advising the BJP-RSS to refrain from "generating passions and exploiting public sentiments", especially during the Gujarat polls, National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the growing trend of dividing the nation on religious lines was detrimental to national interest and such a tendency should be eschewed at all costs.

He also expressed concern over "vitiating" the ongoing Gujarat Assembly polls on the basis of religion and said it was the "saddest development in the Indian polity".

In a statement issued in Jammu, Abdullah advised the BJP-RSS to refrain from "generating passions and exploiting public sentiments", especially during elections, and said the growing trend of dividing the nation on religious lines was detrimental to national interest and such a tendency should be eschewed at all costs.

He lamented the "attempts to provoke" the people to fight over "mandir-masjid" issues just in furtherance of political objectives.

"India does not belong to a specific religion, but it is a beautiful vase of flowers of different colours. People of all the faiths have equal rights in a secular India," the former Union minister said.

He added that in the prevailing "vicious atmosphere", the NC had a challenging role in keeping the flag of secularism aloft.

Abdullah decried the "exploitation" of religious sentiments for political and electoral gains, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take a lead in ending this malady in the larger interest of retaining the secular fabric of the country.

"(Narendra) Modi is the prime minister of all, irrespective of religious or regional affiliations and this fact should neither be ignored nor undermined," he said, hoping that Modi would not allow himself to get swayed by petty politics.

Addressing the NC's other backward class cell functionaries at the Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan in Jammu, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister hoped that the prime minister would appreciate the danger communal polarisation posed and said the country should also introspect over the sordid state of its political affairs.

"The country of Mahatma Gandhi cannot afford to get fragmented into bits and pieces on the basis of religion to satiate the agendas of a few political outfits," he said.

The NC leader, however, mentioned that nothing better could be expected from the reactionary forces, who were now taking pride in "decorating the killer of the Father of the Nation".

Meanwhile, a retired police officer today joined the NC in the presence of Abdullah at the party headquarters.

Abdullah welcomed retired superintendent of police Rishi Dogra into the party-fold and said the NC was a natural choice for all those who wanted to serve the people of Jammu and Kashmir and work towards strengthening the peace and tranquillity of the state.
Udhampur: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday announced that his party would contest the next Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir alone, saying it was confident of securing a massive mandate on its own.

"We won't have an alliance with any party," he said addressing workers here this afternoon. A stable, strong and people friendly government was the answer to problems facing Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

"Immediately after forming the government, the National Conference will bring a legislation in the first Assembly session with regard to regional autonomy," he said adding they will empower every segment of the society and every region and sub-region politically and economically.

He asked the party cadre to gear up for the big challenge and strengthen the National Conference.

Abdullah attacked the BJP, accusing it of "dividing the nation on religion" and alleged that the present dispensation had negated the vision of freedom fighters who made sacrifices to free India from the shackles of British rule.

"At that point of time, the freedom stalwarts did not think in terms of Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs but their paramount mission was to seek freedom for India, the abode of all faiths," he said, adding that the divisive forces have trampled the spirit of freedom.

He, however, exuded confidence that this gloomy era will be over soon and the day will come when the "India of Mahatma Gandhi" will be retrieved again.

Attacking the RSS, Abdullah alleging that during the freedom struggle its top brass had praised the British and now its ranks were honouring the killer of Father of Nation.

During the 1975 emergency, he said the RSS supported Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, according to a book penned by Rajeshwar Rao, and said that the support was in lieu of forced family planning drive.

Abdullah also questioned the neutrality of the BJP led NDA Government over the United States acknowledgment of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"Like United Kingdom, France, and other countries, New Delhi should have taken a position over the disputed status of Jerusalem," he said.

The National Conference chief also referred to the circumstances leading to safe passage of terrorists at Kandhar during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as prime minister and said the situation has now taken such a turn that India's pleas in the United Nations over the declaration of Maulana Azhar as a global terrorist were being vetoed by China.

"The BJP should have some sort of introspection and must remember the nation wants sacrifices," he said and accused the party of sowing seeds of hate and intolerance.

The National Conference will have to play its designated role in strengthening bonds of amity and brotherhood between various segments of society and the three regions of the state, he said.
Ahmedabad: In a fresh attack on Hardik Patel on the last day of campaigning for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls, his disgruntled aide Dinesh Bambhania claimed on Tuesday that the Patidar quota agitation leader had met Robert Vadra, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law.

Bambhania also accused Patel of "misleading" the core members of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), which spearheaded the quota agitation, about his "secret meeting" with Gandhi at a five-star hotel here in October.

Patel should explain what transpired at these meetings with Gandhi and Vadra, Bambhania said.

"Despite being asked by PAAS leaders several times, Hardik never revealed what transpired in that meeting with Rahul Gandhi. Hardik even met Robert Vadra in Delhi. Yet, there is no explanation about it. Was there any secret deal with Vadra?" Bambhania told reporters in Ahmedabad.

Both the Congress and Patel had denied that he had a meeting with Gandhi at a five-star hotel near the city airport in October.

On 8 December, a day before the first phase of polling in Gujarat, Bambhania alleged that though the Congress's Gujarat unit had not clarified how it would give reservations to Patidars, Patel was supporting the party as a result of some "fixing".

Questioning Patel's open support to the Congress when the party's manifesto was not clear about how it would give reservations to Patidars under the OBC quota, Bambhania asked, "Under what secret understanding Hardik is appealing to people to vote for the Congress?"

"At his poll rallies, Hardik Patel openly says he does not like the Congress, but he asks people to vote for it. So what are the reasons that compel him to say so?" he asked.

Ninety-three constituencies in 14 districts of North and Central Gujarat will go to polls on 14 December in the second phase of elections.

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Ahmedabad: The BJP on Tuesday alleged that Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi has been "telling lies" to the public of Gujarat but has no answers to their questions.

"The Congress has promised reservation to the Patidars. But will Rahul tell us what is the roadmap for the same? The BJP has sympathy with the Patidars, but to be sympathetic to a cause is one thing, and constitutional bounds another," Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference.

Raising questions over Rahul's visits to various temples in Gujarat, Prasad alleged that it was motivated by political considerations more than religious dedication.

"Rahul has been going to temples in Gujarat. But during the Uttar Pradesh elections, did he ever visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya or the Krishna temple in Mathura?" Prasad said.

"Also, the Congress should make its stand clear on the Ram Temple issue. Should a Ram Temple be built in Ayodhya or not," he added.

Prasad also questioned the propriety of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meeting a Pakistani delegation at Mani Shankar Aiyar's place.

He said the Narendra Modi government is going to bring a stringent law against the practice of triple talaq or instant divorce prevalent among Muslims.

"This matter was brought to the Supreme Court during the UPA tenure but the Manmohan government did not file a response in the court. But we took a stand on the issue," the minister said.

"Rahul has been saying in his speeches that the BJP is not talking of development in Gujarat. We have all the data that shows the development done in the state during the last 22 years. My request to Rahul is just that he should stop telling lies, more so now as he has been elected the president of the Congress party," Prasad said.
With campaigning for Gujarat Assembly elections entering its final day, poll fever is getting shriller and acrimonious in the state. After 49 days of intense campaigning, where leaders from the BJP and the Congress descended on the state, the poll rhetoric in Gujarat has gone from bad to worse (which is the case during most elections in India).

While the initial poll speeches revolved around issues like development, uplifting backward castes, pushing for better infrastructure in the state and criticising the governments policies, the rhetoric has come down to vicious personal attacks and moved away from issues which matter. However, that shouldnt surprise anyone as that is the tradition with all elections in India.

Since 2015, elections in India have presumed newfound importance because of two reasons. First of all, BJPs fortunes have been shining ever since 2014 General Elections. In the five-state election in 2016, BJPs extraordinary performance fostered their aspiration for what the party leadership had labelled Congress-mukt Bharat. Second of all, Congress was (is) facing its worst electoral phase since its conception. Rout after rout coupled with weak higher leadership was hurting the party more than ever.

Fever pitch campaigning ahead of Gujarat polls by both the parties brings back memories of Uttar Pradesh elections which was the last major litmus test for the BJP. In an unprecedented victory, the party shot to power in the state after 14 years  the BJP won a two-thirds majority in Uttar Pradesh  325 seats with an 81 percent strike rate and 41.5 percent vote share. Majority of the opinion polls predicted a hung Assembly in the state. Congress, which had allied with the Samajwadi Party, which together could bag only 55 seats in the state Assembly in March this year.

Gujarat, for different reasons, is as important than Uttar Pradesh. Historically a trade state, Gujarat is Modis pride. Losing Gujarat, where the BJP has been ruling for the past 22 years, will be a terrible fall of face for Gujarat and even though elections in Gujarat are being fought on different issues than they were fought in Uttar Pradesh, there are several parallels which can be drawn between the two polls and the parties rhetoric in the run-up to the elections:

Importance of Gujarat versus importance of Uttar Pradesh

For BJP both, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh are important  Gujarat for Modi is about pride, Uttar Pradesh was crucial for the numbers it got the BJP. While the prime minister has been harping on Gujarati Asmita and taking digs at the Congress in Gujarat, in Uttar Pradesh, Modi stressed on the need for development in the state and insisted on bringing back BJP from the 14 years of vanvaas. Referring to the period of 14 years the BJP was out of power in Uttar Pradesh, Modi stressed it was not a vanvaas (exile) of his party but that of the development in the state. "That 14 year exile will end," Modi promised, as he sought a full majority government for his party in 2017. "The parivartan (change) needs to be total, like the mandate he secured at the Centre in 2014," he said.

Comparatively, in Gujarat Modi or the BJP leaders reiterated the work done by the party in the past several years while slamming the Congress for its dynastic and casteist politics in the state. This is the first time that Modi is campaigning in the state not as a chief minister which has also affected the image of the party. Since the ouster of Anandiben Patel and the ascension of Vijay Rupani as the chief minister the image of the party has taken a beating in the state. This election the BJP's sole strategy was to resell Modi as a motif. As ground reports from Gujarat noted that the BJP being forced to go from door-to-door to resell Modi in Gujarat is the "defining story of this election." For nearly two decades, it had taken it easy, relying on Modi's image, record and high rhetoric. But, this year, it has been forced to push its infantry into the battle.

On the contrary, in Uttar Pradesh where Mulayam-Akhilesh's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party stood at the forefront, the BJP's strategy was to attack the lack of development in the state and the need for parivartan or change.

Multi-party fight versus bipolar fight

In Uttar Pradesh, BJP's victory was deemed unbelievable and left even the most optimistic cadres dazed and left everyone questioning what the BJP did correctly when it devised and executed its electoral strategy that turned the state completely saffron. Modi attacked the lax governance and the deteriorating law and order situation under the Akhilesh government.

Modi, while rallying in Uttar Pradesh, asked people to "rid the state of SCAM  S for Samajwadi (party), C for Congress, A for Akhilesh (Yadav) and M for Mayawati."

In Gujarat, it's a bipolar battle. The allegations are more direct and the recipients are few. As Modi continues to attack Congress and Rahul Gandhi over dynastic politics and the party's "need" to play caste politics, BJP's rhetoric, in fact, shifted from vikaas to caste with Modi picking up a comment by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar to spin it into an assault on his "low caste", and in the final leg is resting on the issue of terrorism and Muslims. The two chief campaigners from BJP  Modi and Amit Shah  kept reminding the electorate on how "Gujarat was under curfew" during the Congress rule before 22 years.

Demonetisation then, GST now

During the Uttar Pradesh elections, the biggest weapon in the hands of the SP-Congress combine and the BSP was the then freshly-introduced demonetisation decision  the move had sent ripples across the country and had given the Opposition a major ammunition to beat the Centre with. The Congress had targetted the BJP and Modi over the latter's apparent apathy towards the general public and also questioned the Centre over its promise of bringing back black money.

In February 2017, while addressing a rally in Jhansi, Akhilesh had said, "BJP has put common man in queue for their own money. Now in the elections they will once again queue up against BJP. BJP has come to know about the peoples mind and after the third and fourth phase, blood pressure of BJP leaders will have to be checked."

"After showing film of acche din to people now he (Modi) is acting like Gabbar Singh of Sholay and says he wants to fight corruption and turned your hard-earned money into paper. Now people will take revenge," Rahul had said.

In the run-up to Gujarat polls, Congress has substituted the issue of demonetisation with GST. While campaigning for the Assembly election in the state, Rahul attacked 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 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?" Rahul asked Modi ahead of the second-phase polling in northern and central Gujarat.

In November, facing traders battered by his government's twin back-to-back disruptions, demonetisation followed by GST, Modi seemed to distance himself and his government from the GST implementation pain saying the tax reform was a 'collective decision'. "It is not BJP alone, all political parties, including the Congress party, and all states are partners in this (GST) decision. The Centre is only a 30th part in the entire GST Council," the prime minister said.

BJP's defensive attitude while saving itself from any attack brought forth the point that the party might be worried of how Gujarat, a historically trade state, might react (or punish) the government. However, as this article argues, it is wrong to compare GST effects on small traders to that caused by demonetisation. GST is a progressive reform step that India needed to embrace at some point, sooner than later. More than a decade was lost in the political tug-of-war after the idea was first discussed in Parliament.

Finally, an adopted son of Uttar Pradesh is a son of soil in Gujarat

Modi's emotional pleas to voters is nothing new. Starting from his first speech as the Prime Minister in Parliament in 2014 to his "teary-eyed" appeal to people to support the decisions made by the Centre which are for the greater good, Modi is known to add that twist in his speeches.

Calling himself an "adopted son" of Uttar Pradesh, Modi had said that the future of the state could not be ensured without ridding it of the SP, the BSP and the Congress. Modi, who represents the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, invoked Lord Krishna at an election meeting in Hardoi to suggest a strong connect between Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

"Lord Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh and made Gujarat his karmbhoomi (land of work). I was born in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh has adopted me ... Uttar Pradesh is my mai baap. I am not the son who would betray his mai baap. You have adopted me and it is my duty to work for you," he said in "an emotional speech at a poll rally".

"Vote for a full majority to the BJP government. I promise to show you the ways out of all the problems you are facing within five years, he said, telling the impressive crowd that all pollsters have predicted the BJP would get massive support in the first two phases of polling.

In Gujarat, meanwhile, Modi's emotional pitch differed.

"This Gujarat son has no stains in his public life. You come to the state and level baseless allegations against the son of the soil, but people of the State will not forgive you," Modi said in Bhuj last month launching BJP's poll campaign. "The Congress had treated Sardar Patel similarly."

"They speak about Sardar Patel but the diary of Maniben Patel revealed how he was treated. Then, Morarji Desai, another son of Gujarat and Gandhian, was removed from the Cabinet by Indiraji. The fact is the Congress hates Gujaratis," Modi said. Pitching the elections as a battle between development and dynasty, Modi said the Congress had never bothered about the welfare of people and only cared for one family, and all other important leaders of the party were relegated.

Gujarat isn't Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat remain strategically crucial for BJP yet immensely different in the way the party's strategy changes in the two states. While BJP came out victorious in Uttar Pradesh, poll pundits and opinion polls have predicted that Gujarat Assembly election 2017 may not be an easy victory for the party after all.

In a major turnaround, the poll has predicted that Congress will give the BJP a tough time in the upcoming polls. It said that in the 182-member Assembly, BJP is likely to win 91-99 seats while the Congress will bag 78-86 seats, according to ABP Live.

It further predicted that both, the Congress and the BJP will get around 43 percent of the votes each. The Patidar community, traditionally constituting a vote bank for BJP, will slide towards the Congress, predicted the opinion poll.

This prediction is a massive turnaround from the one the poll had made in August, when it had predicted that BJP will win 144-152 seats in the Assembly while Congress will manage to win only 26-32, according to The Times of India. By October, this number for the BJP had fallen to 113-121 while for the Congress, it had risen to 58-64.

However, if BJP's tally is neck-to-neck with the Congress, even that is a huge fall of face for the saffron party in Modi's homestate.

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Plane on its way to Dharoi dam where it will land in a pond, reports CNN-News18. The destination is 180 kilometres away from the Sabarmati Riverfront.

Modi has arrived at the Dharoi dam. He will now travel to Ambaji temple by road before coming back in the afternoon, reported CNN-News18. He will then again take the seaplane back to Sabarmati Riverfront.

The seaplane Modi used is a Quest Kodiak which can carry a maximum of 9 people, according to India Today. It has a maximum speed of 322 kmph and a range of 2,000 kilometres.

The plane took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid chants of "Modi-Modi" from BJP workers and other city dwellers, who flocked the Sabarmati Riverfront to witness the event.

Modi boarded the single-engine sea-plane from near Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West. A special jetty was constructed to facilitate the prime minister's boarding from the river.

Writing for Firstpost , Ajay Singh argues that if Modi's stature has grown phenomenally in spite of the "perceived anger" over demonetisation and GST, the reason is not far to seek. He is seen more as a social reformer than a conventional politician. This broad support base is what will hold him in good stead on 18 December when the election results are announced. Everything else  religion, caste and real politic  will be the bonus.

Writing for Firstpost , Milind Deora argues that the BJP has 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.

Sanjay Singh breaks down the politics atmosphere in Gujarat for Firstpost : 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.

Rahul Gandhi said that Modi and Vijay Rupani have pursued one-sided development in Gujarat and many have missed out. He said that the BJP has not been able to maintain its position during the election campaign. He added that Modi either talks about himself or the Congress. He said that the Congress feels that it is going to win.

Whatever decision we will make about Gujarat, it will only be done after talking to the people of Gujarat, says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi says every year in November Indian Parliament holds Winter Session, but this year it is not the case

"Elections are in Gujarat and that should remain the main agenda. If Modi Ji wants to fly in a seaplane that is not wrong, there is no problem with that but it is a distraction. The real question is what has been done for the people of Gujarat in the last 22 years. Why don't they talk about development any more," says Rahul Gandhi," Rahul said,

"We have met people from across the state and they tell us that the state's development is only one-sided. Most of the schools and colleges have been privatised. Their model of development is only for a handful of people. We will do balanced development if we come to power. Irrational economic policies of the BJP government has damaged Gujarat. We will abolish contract labour, fixed pay system in Gujarat. We will never take any decision unilaterally in Gujarat," Rahul Gandhi said.

"Why can't I visit temples?" Rahul asked. He dismissed BJP's narrative on the issue, saying it was the saffron party's story that he "visited temples in Gujarat only. But in fact, I visited Kedarnath temple. Is that in Gujarat? It's in Uttarakhand," Rahul said.

He said the prime minister had refrained from speaking on corruption during the campaign in his home state.

"What Modiji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable," Gandhi said, the final day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

"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.

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday accused the Congress of indulging in "politics of minority appeasement" during the Gujarat polls as the latter was sure of its defeat.

"Development in Gujarat did not come from temple runs's but from hard work," Ravishankar Prasad told the press. The prime minister, meanwhile was in Ahmedabad as the campaign was drawing towards its end.

In last hour of campaigning, BJP tops up campaign with presser, PM's seaplane ride in Ahmedabad

In a last-ditch effort in final hour of Gujarat campaign, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad sought to highlight the development in Gujarat. He said that Rahul Gandhi was misleading the people with wrong stats and the real development of Gujarat is in public domain, adding that the figures quoted by Congress were not only wrong but misleading.

The Congress party is misleading people on these issues and no reservation can be granted outside the tenets of constitution.

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked Rahul Gandhi on the issue of Patidar quota. "When asked about the roadmap for granting reservation, why did Rahul Gandhi deflect the question to the state Congress leader. He is the national president of the principle opposition party, why didn't he answer," Prasad asked.

If they want to show development, why do they talk about Pakistan, terrorism and Ram Mandir. What does it have to do with Gujarat elections," Hardik asked.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel held a rally in Vadodara and attacked PM Modi for linking the elections to Pakistan. He also commented on the prime minister's seaplane ride, asking whether the aircraft was made in India, and if not, how can it show the development in Gujarat.

Moments before 5 pm, when the election campaign in Gujarat finally ended, Prime Minister Narendra Modi put out a series of tweets. Here's what Modi said.

While the Congress called the prime ministers seaplane ride a diversionary tactic, PAAS leader Hardik Patel questioned whether the aircrafts were made in India. However, Modi later tweeted on the issue highlighting the seaplane's benefits. The prime minister, however, did not name any of his Opponents in his tweets.

One of the highlights on the final day of Gujarat election was prime minister Narendra Modi's seaplane ride between Ahmedabad's Sabarmati riverfront and Dharoi Dam, and the controversy it stirred thereafter.

Namaskar. You gave me a lot of support, welcomed me and treated me with respect. You gave me and Congress your blessings, I will always be indebted to you for that. We will always be with you for the bright future of Gujarat.

Referring to himself in third person, Mewani says, "A 35-year-old journalist has become a thorn in the side of BJP."

 Jignesh Mewani in a Facebook post said, "Since the Dalit outrage in the country, Jignesh has become a Dalit face across the country... if he wins, he can create a major disaster for BJP."

After weeks and weeks of campaigning in poll-bound Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi reached his residence 12 Tughlak Road amid a rousing welcome from party workers. Outgoing president Sonia Gandhi was also present.

"We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these seaplanes," he said. However, Modi's opponents had a different take on this.

A large number of common people and BJP workers gathered on the Sabarmati riverfront to greet the prime minister upon his arrival. A special floating platform was constructed on the river to facilitate the prime minister board the plane.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. Public mood has undergone 'zabardast' change. "The Congress will win the election....the results will be 'zabardast'," a confident-looking Rahul said.

There is "tremendous undercurrent" against the BJP in Gujarat, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi claimed today, and predicted a victory for his party in the Assembly elections.

Maninagar, the constituency where people have not seen a nail-biting finish in the elections, is considered as an unbreachable bastion of the BJP since 1990.

However, it will not be easy for the Congress to take on the BJP in Maninagar, which houses the state headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Brahmbhatt, 34, is perhaps the only candidate in this Assembly poll who has received training to be a politician, that too from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore.

Ahmedabads Maninagar seat, a BJP bastion and constituency of Narendra Modi before he became the prime minister, is set for an interesting contest between the ruling party's sitting MLA, Suresh Patel and Congress' suave and foreign-educated young face Shweta Brahmbhatt.

It added that "strict adherence to ECI's stringent security and administrative protocols" leaves no room for any possibility of electoral malpractices.

Ahead of Gujarat's second phase elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said that 100 per cent deployment of VVPAT machines in the state has "bolstered the voters confidence" in the electoral process.

A video of Bhatt, the son of late Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Gujarat Assembly Speaker Ashok Bhatt, showed him telling party BJP workers not to care about the poll code and that he doesn't care about the poll code. Bhatt, who is the sitting legislator, is also telling his workers to take a token for motorbikes for a BJP rally and that they need not take personal vehicles

The Election Commission on Tuesday said it will seek an explanation from BJP's Jamalpur-Khadia candidate Bhushan Bhatt after a video of him telling party workers to not to care about the model code of conduct or the poll panel went viral.

Referring to himself in third person, Mewani says, "A 35-year-old journalist has become a thorn in the side of BJP."

 Jignesh Mewani in a Facebook post said, "Since the Dalit outrage in the country, Jignesh has become a Dalit face across the country... if he wins, he can create a major disaster for BJP."

After weeks and weeks of campaigning in poll-bound Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi reached his residence 12 Tughlak Road amid a rousing welcome from party workers. Outgoing president Sonia Gandhi was also present.

If only flying in a sea-plane could resolve the grave situation created by total mismanagement of the Economy... https://t.co/ZlVitcMxej

"We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these seaplanes," he said. However, Modi's opponents had a different take on this.

A large number of common people and BJP workers gathered on the Sabarmati riverfront to greet the prime minister upon his arrival. A special floating platform was constructed on the river to facilitate the prime minister board the plane.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. Public mood has undergone 'zabardast' change. "The Congress will win the election....the results will be 'zabardast'," a confident-looking Rahul said.

There is "tremendous undercurrent" against the BJP in Gujarat, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi claimed today, and predicted a victory for his party in the Assembly elections.

Maninagar, the constituency where people have not seen a nail-biting finish in the elections, is considered as an unbreachable bastion of the BJP since 1990.

However, it will not be easy for the Congress to take on the BJP in Maninagar, which houses the state headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Brahmbhatt, 34, is perhaps the only candidate in this Assembly poll who has received training to be a politician, that too from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore.

Ahmedabads Maninagar seat, a BJP bastion and constituency of Narendra Modi before he became the prime minister, is set for an interesting contest between the ruling party's sitting MLA, Suresh Patel and Congress' suave and foreign-educated young face Shweta Brahmbhatt.

It added that "strict adherence to ECI's stringent security and administrative protocols" leaves no room for any possibility of electoral malpractices.

Ahead of Gujarat's second phase elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said that 100 per cent deployment of VVPAT machines in the state has "bolstered the voters confidence" in the electoral process.

A video of Bhatt, the son of late Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Gujarat Assembly Speaker Ashok Bhatt, showed him telling party BJP workers not to care about the poll code and that he doesn't care about the poll code. Bhatt, who is the sitting legislator, is also telling his workers to take a token for motorbikes for a BJP rally and that they need not take personal vehicles

The Election Commission on Tuesday said it will seek an explanation from BJP's Jamalpur-Khadia candidate Bhushan Bhatt after a video of him telling party workers to not to care about the model code of conduct or the poll panel went viral.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel in a seaplane from Sabarmati river in the city to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district.

His return journey would also be by the same sea-plane.

Tomorrow at 9:30 AM I will travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane. After that will offer prayers to Maa Amba at Ambaji. With air, roads & rail connectivity, our Government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians!  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2017

"Tomorrow for the first time in the history of the country a sea-plane will land on the Sabarmati river. I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back," Modi announced at a poll rally here.

"Our party had planned my road show tomorrow. However, the administration has not given permission and I had time so I decided to go to Ambaji in the sea-plane," Modi said. "We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these sea-planes," Modi said.

The roadshows of both Modi and Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi, the last day of the campaigning for Gujarat polls, stood cancelled after the Ahmedabad Police denied permission for the events. The police cited congested roads and communally sensitive areas that fall enroute as the reason. The move comes in the backdrop of inputs gathered by central intelligence agencies that a "lone wolf" may try to target roadshows of "big political leaders" during the campaigning for the upcoming elections.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said this is for the first time in the history of the country that a sea-plane will land on a water body and that will be the Sabarmati river. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel in the plane from here to Dharoi. He will visit Ambaji temple and come back from Dharoi to Sabarmati in the same plane," Rupani said.

With inputs from PTI

Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017
The curtains came down on campaigning for the second and final phase of polling in Gujarat, where the canvassing saw charges flying thick and fast. However, as the top brass of both BJP and Congress launched sharp attacks against each other, the newsmakers of the day remained 'hawa-hawai' seaplane and fairness enhancing mushrooms.

Modi's seaplane ride

The politically charged day started with Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a splash as he took a seaplane ride from the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat and returned after offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple. He boarded the single-engine seaplane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West and flew to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district. However, as the BJP sought to pass it off as a symbol of Gujarat's development, especially that of Sabarmati waterfront, the move attracted vicious attacks from Modi's opponents.

While the Congress chose to toy with the lines of an old Bollywood number, calling the prime minister hawa hawai, party's president-elect contented himself by calling it a 'diversionary tactic' even as he saw 'nothing wrong with it.' CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said that if only much-larger economical problems could be fixed with a plane ride while RJD's Lalu Prasad Yadav took on the ruling party for its 'failure' to create jobs.

If only flying in a sea-plane could resolve the grave situation created by total mismanagement of the Economy... https://t.co/ZlVitcMxej  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) December 12, 2017

-, 22      - !   -     ,   pic.twitter.com/TJ4IgyOVoT  Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) December 12, 2017

Fairness Mushrooms Congress' OBC leader Alpesh Thakor stirred another controversy by suggesting imported "mushrooms from Taiwan", which he claimed were ridiculously expensive, was the secret of Modi's "fair complexion". He further said that he has heard each of the mushrooms cost Rs 80,000 and the prime minister consumes five pieces on a daily basis. "So I said, he was dark like me, no wonder he is fair now. I was wondering how he has become gora chitta and glowing like tomatoes. A person who has mushrooms worth Rs 1 crore 20 lakh a month can't have poor man's food...like roti-dal," NDTV quoted Thakor as saying.

Modi's comment on Manmohan Singh unacceptable

Commenting on Modi's remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh over a dinner meeting with Pakistani diplomats, Rahul said that such allegations against a former prime minister were unacceptable. Modi had insinuated that Singh was colluding with Pakistan in the Gujarat polls. The former premier responded by saying Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" and asked him to apologise to the nation. "What Modiji has said about former prime minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable," Rahul said at a press conference. He said the prime minister had refrained from speaking on corruption during the campaign in his home state.

Rahul Gandhi's 'temple run'

The BJP once again slammed Rahul for his recent temple visits in the poll-bound state, accusing the Congress leader of practising 'soft Hindutva' ahead of elections. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, in a sarcastic comment said that the people of Gujarat had at least achieved two feats: They had taught Manmohan Singh to speak and Rahul Gandhi to visit temples.

Gujarat ki janta ne do kaam iss chunaav mein achhe se kara diye. Dr Manmohan Singh ji ka mooh khulwa diya, aur doosra Rahul Gandhi ko mandir jaana sikha diya: UP CM Yogi Adityanath pic.twitter.com/Db3plqEFSQ  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Rahul, however, defended himself on the issue. Rahul asked if it was wrong to visit a temple. The Congress party also said that it was one thing to be "religious and secular" and another thing to be "religiously communal."

Unfazed over the BJP's criticism of is recent temple visits, Rahul said that whenever he visited a temple he prayed for the sunehra bhavishya (golden future) of people of Gujarat. He also said that his party has taken the BJP head on and is confident of forming its government in the state

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Rahul said when asked the reason behind his frequent temple visits in the poll-bound state.

Meanwhile, apart from these issues, as the campaign was nearing its end, "Vikas" (development) took a back seat, and caste and religious issues received prominence. Pakistan, too, found ample mention in the final stages of the electioneering.

Modi set off a political storm when, speaking at a rally in Palanpur, he talked about a meeting held at suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's home in New Delhi and attended by some Pakistani dignitaries, former vice president of India Hamid Ansari and former prime minister Manmohan Singh. This meeting, Modi claimed, happened a day before Aiyar called him "neech" (lowly sort of person).

During the campaign, Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah trained guns on the Congress on issues like Ram Temple, alleged Pakistani interference in the Gujarat polls and Aiyar's remarks.

On the other hand, Rahul persistently and tenaciously attacked Modi and the BJP for "not talking about the future of Gujarat" and skipping key issues being faced by the people of the state.

He accused Modi of ignoring the masses and working for only a handful of industrialists. The last day of campaigning saw both Modi and Gandhi visiting temples. While Rahul paid a visit to the famous Lord Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad, Modi took blessings at the famous Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha.

Hardik Patel charged up the campaign by holding a massive rally in Nikol area of the city, where he appealed to voters to "teach a lesson" to the BJP this time.

The 24-year-old, arguably the most talked about personality in Gujarat today, even held a road show here defying authorities who had denied permission for the event.

Top leaders from the two parties crisscrossed the regions going to polls on 14 December and addressed a number of rallies where they pulled out all stops to woo the voters.

Modi spearheaded the campaign for the ruling party and Rahul helmed the stumping for the Congress. The second and final phase of elections, for which the open campaigning ended at 5 pm, will see 93 assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

The first phase of voting for the 182-member house, held on 9 December, covered 89 seats. A total of 851 candidates are in the fray for the second phase, where 2.22 crore people are eligible to vote. The Gujarat contest is being seen as a prestige battle for Modi in his home state, where a reinvigorated Congress has sewed up a broad social coalition with prominent Patidar, OBC, and Dalit leaders in its bid to unseat the BJP in power for over two decades. The results will be announced on 18 December.

The influential Patidar community, which accounts for around 12 percent of the state's population, could prove to be the 'X factor' in the polls in which agitating quota spearhead Hardik Patel pledged support to the Congress and appealed to people to "uproot the BJP" this time.

Several senior leaders from both the BJP and the Congress also campaigned extensively for their candidates in major parts of north and central Gujarat. In the 2012 assembly polls, the BJP had won 115 seats, while the Congress bagged 61.

With inputs from agencies
It's quite likely the BJP will win the ongoing Gujarat election. It's highly improbable but not entirely unthinkable that the Congress will stage an upset. But there can be little doubt that the result on 18 December notwithstanding, this has been an election campaign which yanked the political discourse to unseemly depths.

This is evidenced in the clash between the serving prime minister and his predecessor. Narendra Modi accused Manmohan Singh of "colluding" with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat election, and the former prime minister countered saying Modi was spreading "canards" to feed his "insatiable hunger" to "tarnish every constitutional office". The ball is now back in Modis courtto either prove or withdraw his allegation.

It must be said at the outset that Manmohan Singh and Hamid Ansari are not common citizens. They are former prime minister and former vice-president of the country and are bound by official protocol even after retirement. While taking umbrage at Prime Minister Modi, Manmohan has carefully avoided mention of why he was there and if he had informed the government of the day about attending a meeting where the incumbent Pakistan High Commissioner would be one of the guests. (My colleague Sreemoy has argued this well in this piece.) Manmohan will also have to answer the question of why he was dining with Mani Shankar Aiyar who had just been suspended for calling his successor, incumbent of a constitution post, neech. So, was the suspension of Aiyar an insincere, politically opportune move, as pointed out in this article?

But theres a reverse side to this argument. If that is what we expect from a former prime minister, then the ask from an incumbent will have to be a grade higher. Modi holds a constitutional office. His words carry great import. Therefore, a charge of a foreign country interfering in our election is very serious, raising the question: if that is so, would the government of the day take action or make it an election slogan? Nothing would have been remiss if the prime minister had pointed out the inappropriateness of an immediate predecessor breaking bread with officials of a country with which India has officially snapped all communication.

Manmohan has said that Gujarat elections were not discussed even in passing. Many guests who attended the dinner meeting too have said the discussions were centred on India-Pakistan relations.

Initially, the Gujarat election campaigns were supposed to hang on keywords linked to vikas -- Gujarat model, economic development, bullet trains, job creation, demonetisation and GST (Goods and Services Tax). But, by the time polling began in the state last weekend, the political discourse turned out to be anything but development. The issues have changed to Masjid or Mandir, Rahul Gandhis religion and even Pakistans involvement in the polls. The shift from important development issues to a dangerously polarising political discourse is distressing.

What was originally supposed to be a cakewalk for the saffron brigade in Modis home state seems to have turned into a tough battle for the BJP. Even after demonetisation in November last year, the BJP swept Uttar Pradesh polls like no party has done before. The Congress failed at every stage of the Uttar Pradesh polls to connect with the voters. After that Gujarat was supposed to be a cakewalk for the BJP. But, the Congress seems to have got under the BJPs skin in Gujarat so much that a former prime minister is being accused of taking outside help to defeat it in the state.

The turn of political discourse in Gujarat from the promise of vikas to Modis now-famous Masjid or Mandir question or Gandhis "janeu-dhari" soft Hinduvta make-over specifically designed for Gujarat, is unfortunate. And in particular, the spat between an incumbent prime minister and a former one is unbecoming.
When campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly election had just begun, the BJP's central theme for discussion in the run-up to the polls was very clearly vikas (development). There are enough examples to substantiate this fact.

On 7 October, Modi laid the foundation stone of a four-lane cable-stayed bridge between Okha and Beyt Dwarka and said it was a link between the old and new Dwarka. On the same day, the prime minister also presided over the ceremony for a greenfield airport in Chotila to be developed by the Airports Authority of India by 2021. The airport at Hirasar, which measured 2,534 acres, will be developed at a cost of Rs 1,405 crores.

Modi also inaugurated IIT-Gandhinagar's new campus and talked about how the country cannot afford to have a 'digital divide' and called for bridging this gap to ensure social equality.

On 22 October, Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Rs 615-crore 'roll on roll off' (Ro-ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat.

Because the Congress has been in the Opposition in Gujarat since 1995, its theme for the polls was centred around opposing Narendra Modi, BJP and the Gujarat government. The party hoped to leverage the Patidar agitation for quota, farmer distress, and the impact of demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the state.

The kind of mudslinging seen in the later half of campaigning for the Gujarat polls, however, shows how the poll rhetoric in the state has changed over time, especially for BJP, which has moved from "development" to a more communal theme, and is following this up with relentless, scathing attacks on the Congress.

As this IANS article points out, the BJP shouldn't normally have any worries about election results in Gujarat. It is Narendra Modi's home state and the party has been in power there for more than two decades.

But the BJP has surely noticed that its 'vikas' narrative in Gujarat has become weak because the people themselves are not too happy about the development in the state. In fact, the party's Saurashtra region spokesperson Raju Dhruv himself admitted to PTI that many projects which the saffron party had promised are still incomplete.

This is probably why the BJP has resorted to the anti-Congress plank. Like the time its national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao tweeted that Rahul Gandhi has "teamed up with (Asaduddin) Owaisis, (Zafaryab) Jilanis" to oppose the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, before calling the Congress vice-president a "Babar bhakt".

In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has called Congress' process of electing its party president 'Aurangzeb Raj' during an election rally in Valsad.

Not unexpectedly, BJP is flashing its old trump card, communalism, to boost its morale and rally its supporters. Hence, the posters about the battle being between RAM  (Vijay) Rupani, Amit Shah and Modi  and HAJ  Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mewani.

However, Congress is not far behind.

The party's online magazine Yuva Desh had tweeted out a meme mocking Modi's past as a tea-seller. Perhaps the most harmful remark by the Congress came when Mani Shankar Aiyar called the prime minister a "neech aadmi" (despicable person), but apologised later when Rahul Gandhi tweeted that the Congress party does not endorse such language and expected Aiyar to apologise. The damage was already done, however, with Modi making this a caste issue by claiming that Aiyar was referring to his caste as 'neech'.

And if there was a RAM-HAJ poster by the BJP, there was another one supporting Congress appealing Muslims to vote for Congress to make Ahmed Patel the "wazir-e-aalam" of Gujarat.

With inputs from agencies
As an unusually high-pitched campaigning for the Gujarat elections ended Tuesday, diehard RSS, VHP and other Hindutva group leaders and activists have reason to smile. Their long-cherished dream of making India a Hindu Rashtra may never be fulfilled but their other cherished idea of great Hindu Revival has seems to have begun from the western Indian state which houses Somnath and Dwarka.

No other state Assembly election, at least in past several decades, saw the kind of Hindu identification focussed beginning and end of campaigning as has been seen Gujarat. On last day of campaign, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi sought blessings from Hindu deity Jagannath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered an elaborate puja at Ambaji Temple to seek blessing from the deity. Modis Hindutva identification is no big news: He was always taken to be a man who personified Hindutva and for close to two decades his Hindu Hriday Samrat identification was idolised and vilified with equal ferocity.

Rahul began this election with soft-Hindutva push and ended it by engaging in competitive Hindutva with Narendra Modi and the BJP. He not just visited over two dozen prominent Hindu temples but also actively wooed support from the Patidar community, the biggest proponents of Hindutva in the state.

It is noteworthy that he didnt visit one single mosque or allow any prominent Muslim leader to share the dais with him. Even NGOs which would keep on talking about justice for 2002 riot victims and Sohrabuddin Sheikh, Kausar Bi and Ishrat Jahan have gone on silent mode.

What makes the scenario most interesting is the fact that a statement being attributed to Veer Savarkar is being referred to senior BJP leaders and party sympathisers in context of Rahuls new found faith in Hindu temples and his transformation into not just a Hindu but a janeu dhari (bearer of sacred thread, twice-born upper caste Brahmin) Hindu.

They say Veer Savarkar, a staunch Hindu nationalist of pre-Independence ears predicted that a time would come when Hindus would unite and Hindutva becomes mainstream and that would force forcing even Congress leaders to start wearing Janeu over their coats to get Hindu votes.

A top BJP leader told Firstpost Rahul Gandhi has done a great service to Savarkars soul by making latters prediction come true in letter and spirit.

Senior BJP leader Balbir Punj tweeted:

@sgurumurthy @somkritya Gujarat is special. It gave Mahatma, Sardar and Modi who transformed India in their own way. Now it has transformed RG . He has changed into Janneu Dhari Hindu from someone who raised the bogey of Hindu terror. Salute to Gujarat.  Balbir Punj (@balbirpunj) November 30, 2017

If Rahuls idea was to make a dent in Hindu votes was by projecting Hindu image for self and his party, a negation from the past, Modis idea was to play on son of soils pride and Gujarati asmita. Thanks to former Union minister and suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyars "neech aadmi" comment against Modi, the prime minister got a much needed opportunity to launch a bitter offensive against Congress, alleging Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders had called him names earlier as well. BJP president Amit Shah also tweeted:

Yamraj Maut Ka Saudagar Ravan Gandi Nali Ka Keeda Monkey Rabies Victim Virus Bhasmasur Gangu Teli Goon These are some words or phrases Congress has used for PM @narendramodi in the past. Not much has changed. We wish them well. We will continue to serve 125 crore Indians.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 7, 2017



Modi then dug out alleged tweets from Salman Nizami, a youth Congress leader who was apparently campaigning in Gujarat and who purportedly used most venomous language against him and Indian Army.

Modi took the poll narrative to entirely different emotive pitch where his pride and Gujarati sub-nationalism pride should outweigh everything else. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and former vice-president Hamid Ansari meeting with former Pakistan foreign minister and Pakistans envoy in New Delhi at Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence last Wednesday presented yet another opportunity for Modi to charge that Pakistan was trying to influence Gujarat election to make a leader favourable to them, Ahmed Patel, as chief minister.

While what occurred in the meetings will continue to be debated in media and academic circles, Modi succeeded in making it emotive in Gujarat. Manmohan Singh and Hamid Ansari may or may not have discussed Gujarat with Pakistani leader and diplomat but the fact that they timed their meeting at such a moment, when the heat of Gujarat elections were on, more so at residence of Mani Shankar Aiyar, who, on a visit to Pakistan, said that Modi needs to be removed from the prime minister's post to improve bilateral relations between the two countries, sowed seeds of doubt in the minds of the public.

In the end, Modi proved smarter, by making a sea plane land on Sabarmati River front in Ahmedabad. It must be noted creation of a scenic Sabarmati river front was Modis pet project, showcasing his developmental initiative and vision.

Modi became first prime minister to board a sea plane and take a flight for darshan of Goddess Ambaji. He wanted to create a big spectacle and make that a talking point of development and initiative and he succeeded in ending his election campaign on that note.

Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took off on Tuesday morning in a sea-plane from the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls.

Modi boarded the single-engine sea-plane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country.

A special jetty was constructed to facilitate the prime minister's boarding from the river.

The plane took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid chants of "Modi-Modi" from BJP workers and other city dwellers, who flocked the Sabarmati Riverfront to witness this one-of-a-kind event.

The plane would land at Dharoi dam reservoir in Mehsana. From Dharoi, the prime minister would proceed to Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha district via road. After visiting the temple, he would return to Ahmedabad by the sea-plane in the evening.

Modi had on Monday said at a poll rally that on Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the country, a sea-plane will land on the Sabarmati river.

"I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back," he said. He said the BJP had planned a road show for Tuesday in Ahmedabad.

"However, the administration has not given permission and I had time so I decided to go to Ambaji in the sea-plane," Modi had said.

"We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these sea-planes," he said.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday had said that this is for the first time in the country's history that a sea-plane will land on a water body and that will be the Sabarmati river.
On Tuesday, NCP president and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar headed an anti-government rally in Nagpur.

The Halla Bol Jan Aakrosh Morcha, which was held on Pawars 77 birthday, was attended by around 50,000 people. Senior leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan from the Congress besides Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule and nephew Ajit Pawar were also present.

The Congress and NCP jointly led the rally and were joined by leaders from the Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPM, RPI and Republican Party of India (Kavade Group). The march aimed to corner the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the state for its unfulfilled promises, including the loan waiver programme, farmer suicides and minimum support price (MSP) price for farmers.

Pawar, addressing the public, said, Ten years ago, after farmer suicides in Yavatamal, Manmohan Singh visited. We sanctioned Rs 70,000 crore as loan waiver across country in eight days. Of that Rs 8,000 crore was given to Maharashtra.

Pawar added that the earlier government trusted farmers and banks, and said that for the past six months, the government had been repeatedly promising to waive loans. But the loans have not been waived. Every time the chief minister says well give, well give. But when will they give?

Pawar then called for the farmers to start a non-cooperation movement against the state government. Till the time the money is not deposited in the accounts, no farmer must pay his light bill, society bill or taxes.

Pawar said that the movement would continue until the farmers received the MSP and the loan waiver. The NCP supremo urged the people attending the rally to go from village to village and spread the word. We do not want charity, he added. We want our promised to be fulfilled.

Pawar also took aim at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Two days ago, Fadnavis threatened an NCP leader. He said that whatever scams, scandals and corruptions took place, we will act against it. As a chief minister, as head of state, no one has stopped you. Take whatever action you please. However, if you try to threaten us, know that we have the strength to root you out. Do not underestimate the power of farmers. The farmers who gave you the seat of the chief minister can take the seat away.

Pawar also took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks about the meeting held at Mani Shankar Aiyars residence last Wednesday. As head of the country, Modi should be ashamed. How can he even think such dirty thoughts? Manmohan Singhs integrity and patriotism should not be questioned. We have not allowed foreign powers to come here and take root.

This morcha will not end here, Pawar concluded. We will uproot the Fadnavis and Modi government.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also addressed the crowd: This government lied its way to power. It made false promises, lying is in their nature. Modi ji, you are the prime minister, and you made certain assurances to the people, especially farmers, about MSP, farmer suicides and increasing the standard of living of farmers so that they can stand on their own feet. However, three years later, not one promise has been fulfilled.

Azad, the group leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha, termed Modi as the guru of making announcements, adding: We are used to hearing your lies as you have repeatedly done so in Parliament, but you have lied to farmers. Insulting farmers is an insult to the nation and that is something we will not forget and the farmers will not forget.

Azad added that he had a great attachment to Maharashtra because he was elected Member of Parliament for the first time from the state. The fame I have achieved in politics is because of Maharashtra and Nagpur. Even though I belong to Jammu and Kashmir, I have a special fondness for the people of Maharashtra, so I am here to share your pain.

Azad added that both the Modi government at the Centre and the Fadnavis government at the state make false promises and both have done great injustice to farmers. This Halla Bol Jan Morcha, which has started from here, will be taken to Parliament on 15 December, he said. It is our responsibility to do so. He added that wherever he went, people said that under the UPA, the problems of farmers were solved immediately. But now, only promises about transparency were made and nothing is solved.

Speaking on Modis accusations about the Mani Shankar Aiyar meeting, Azad added: Weve never played such type of low politics. But we cant expect anything from you Modi ji, because you are an expert at lying.

Azad concluded that after many years, Congress and NCP were sharing a dais together, adding that perhaps someday, they would be united again. 2019 is only a year away. Dont forget the way theyve treated you, he exhorted the crowd. He said the removal of Modi government at the Centre and the Fadnavis government at the state would start in Maharashtra and Nagpur.
Narendra Modi's charge of Pakistani interference in Gujarat election is little more than political gamesmanship aimed at putting the Congress under pressure. From the details that have emerged, it seems likely that Congress leaders schmoozing with guests from Pakistan at host Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence last Wednesday had bilateral relationship and Kashmir on the menu along with the dinner.

Secretive though the meeting was and notwithstanding Congress' curious behaviour around it, there was probably no grand Pakistani conspiracy to meddle in India's electoral process. Modi has been trying to own the 'nationalism' space and in Congress' decision to hold a clandestine meeting with Pakistani diplomats bang in the middle of an Assembly election, he saw an opportunity to press home the advantage.

That said, Manmohan Singh needs to come down from his pedestal. His acts of pious outrage are becoming a little too common, as are his indiscretions. Since he has the habit of taking himself too seriously, the former prime minister needs to be reminded that this is a democracy, and no one is above reproach.

The indignant outrage that marks Singh's press statement cannot hide the fact that he has shown poor judgement on several counts in attending a Track 2 diplomatic effort at the residence of Aiyar, an individual who sees himself as a supra-Constitutional figure above all arms of the state.

One, unlike the Indian journalists and diplomats who had attended the undeclared dinner meeting, Singh isnt just a private citizen but a former prime minister. He remains bound by the oath of secrecy, and therefore his presence lent the 'private dinner meeting' a gravitas and legitimacy which otherwise would have been just another unofficial diplomatic soiree.

Given the fact that a serving Pakistan high commissioner was present and bilateral relationship was scheduled as an agenda, Singh clearly stepped out of his line in holding quasi-official talks with Pakistan government representatives in contravention of India's policy of not talking to the enemy state unless it stops exporting terror to India.

Singh's act of indiscretion not only sends a wrong message to Pakistan but also undermines India's stand and undoes the government's efforts in trying to diplomatically isolate Islamabad. Instead of seeking an apology, the former prime minister must clarify the reasons behind his decision to attend the meeting.

The BJP has been quick to point out that Opposition parties are also part of the state apparatus and as members of the Opposition, they had followed strictly the stand taken by the government of the day. "Senior Congress leaders must desist from such misadventure and come out with detailed facts on what transpired in that meeting and what was the necessity of having it under present circumstances. Yesterday, they were in denial about it and, today, instead of accepting it as a misadventure, they are trying to blame those raising the issue. When we were in the opposition too, we have followed the government's policy in this regard," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the media in a day of multiple news conferences by both parties.

Two, before engaging with representatives of a terrorist state bypassing the official channels of communication, the former prime minister should have kept the government in the loop. It isn't clear whether Singh had done so. It is poor defence to say that former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri was given a visa and therefore, the government was aware of the modalities of the meeting.

Dr. Manmohan Singh shows the mirror of truth and gives a reality check to Prime Minister Modi, who has been driven by canards & false propaganda in face of imminent defeat in Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/QLQiPQDHxI  Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 11, 2017

Singh himself admits that India-Pakistan relations were discussed. His undeclared presence raises several troubling questions that cannot be deflected on the pretext of getting "pained and anguished".

Three, Singh's dishonest protestations betray a logical fallacy. He accuses Modi of trying to spread "falsehood and canards" and for his "insatiable desire to tarnish every Constitutional office, including that of a former Prime Minister and Army Chief".

After denying that such a meeting had actually taken place, Congress later clarified that it was merely a dinner, and wanted to know "since when was this rule put in place that one has to seek permission from the government to host or attend a dinner?"

If we go by Congress' contention that it was merely a "social dinner" attended by private citizens, Singh stands deprived of his pretentiousness that he is a holder of a Constitutional office, and therefore his charge of Modi "tarnishing" such offices is absurd. After all, Singh is a former prime minister, not the incumbent at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.

If, however, we take Singh's argument that he is indeed the holder of high office and Modi has made a cardinal error in sullying him and his position, the question that then arises is what business does the holder of a 'Constitutional office' have in attending a meeting with representatives of Pakistan government in direct breach of protocol? Did Indian citizens vote out Congress and elect BJP so that a former prime minister may set policy issues? Who gave Singh and his party the authority to violate India's stated position?

The optics of a former prime minister holding a clandestine meeting with actors of an enemy state that has fought three wars with India and continues to foment terror inside our borders aren't nice, and that too in the middle of an important election in a border state.

Singh's fulminations are useless. So are his arguments of trying to equate undeclared Track 2 diplomatic rendezvous with Modi's official meeting with Nawaz Sharif in Lahore. Modi went there as the prime minister of India, ex-PM Singh's effort is an undeclared, unsanctioned one.

Finally, Congress's defence is based entirely on the integrity of Singh's character, as if that alone addresses all questions surrounding the irresponsible act. Singh, too, tries to suggest that his track record of public service is enough to place him beyond scrutiny. One isn't sure whether an unqualified certificate of integrity can be issued against a former prime minister who presided over some of India's greatest scams. Congress may issue such certificates at will, and Singh may delude himself into taking those seriously. For the rest of the country, Singh's 'personal integrity' is an overplayed card.
Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's culinary choices on Tuesday and claimed that the prime minister eats imported mushrooms from Taiwan. Thakore went onto say that Modi used to be as dark as him in terms of complexion, but the mushrooms have made him fair now. He further said that he has heard each of the mushrooms cost Rs 80,000 and the prime minister consumes five pieces on a daily basis.

Rahul Gandhi's aide Alpesh Thakor claims, 'Modi was dark. He became fair & rosy by eating mushrooms, each worth Rs. 80,000' #CongHateBrigadeBack pic.twitter.com/UGdJwo7Ocr  TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) December 12, 2017

Jammu and Kashmir MLA Omar Abdullah was seen reacting to Thakore's words and saying "this one takes the cake".

Looks like any & every statement, no matter how ridiculous, will form the basis of a news alert. This one takes the  & the  https://t.co/SyucOzkeue  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 12, 2017

This is not the first time that Modi's choice of mushrooms has drawn attention. In September 2016, Dainik Bhaskar had done a report on how the prime minister keeps himself healthy by consuming mushrooms from Himachal Pradesh. The secret of my good health is mushrooms of Himachal Pradesh. They have various health benefits, he had reportedly said.

As the second phase of Gujarat elections approaches, barbs have been exchanged among leaders, from slurs to jibes, nothing has been left out.

On Tuesday, Congress mocked Modi for taking a seaplane for campaigning in Gujarat, terming it "Hawa Hawai" and added that the ruling BJP did not understand development."They did not understand development. It is called Hawa Hawai," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet referring to a hit song of Hindi movie Mr India.

Earlier on 7 December, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had called Modi 'neech' leading to his suspension from the party. Modi had later launched a blistering attack on Aiyar claiming it was a casteist slur against him.

With inputs from PTI
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should display guts and attack Pakistan if it was indeed found "interfering" in the ongoing Gujarat elections.

The Sena also urged Modi "to arrest all the people" who attended a dinner at the home of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar where the Pakistan High Commissioner, former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders were present and book them for treason.

"The PM (prime minister) has levelled a serious allegation that Pakistan is interfering in Gujarat polls. We are very concerned if this is true."

"Until now, Pakistan was meddling only in Jammu and Kashmir and China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," said editorials in the party mouthpieces Saamana and Dopahar Ka Saamana.

The editorials asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) whether Pakistan was indeed helping to install Congress MP (Member of Parliament) Ahmed Patel as the next chief minister of Gujarat.

The BJP ally said it was strange that Modi chose to make such a serious allegation at an election rally in Gujarat instead of taking action against Pakistan.

"Besides, despite having a strong intelligence set-up, the PM (prime minister) said he learnt about the meeting from media reports. This is an equally serious issue. Instead of tossing it at an election meeting, he should order the Indian Army to enter Pakistan and intervene."

The party said Modi's campaign talk exposed the BJP's intellectual bankruptcy because at each election either Pakistan or absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim was dragged.

"For how long will you continue raking up Pakistan's name at every occasion? The country expects you to act. So do it. Otherwise, mere allegations are hurled even by Yashwant Sinha and Nana Patole," the Sena said.

Follow our LIVE blog on Gujarat Assembly Election campaign here

Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017
Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday once again requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up a Tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh.

In a letter to the prime minister, Patnaik requested Modi to order the formation of the Tribunal by issuing the necessary notification under Section 4 (1) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956, to protect Odisha's interests.

The chief minister said while the state government had filed a complaint on 19 November, 2016 under the Act seeking appointment of a tribunal to adjudicate the water sharing disputes, the Central government is yet to act on it.

He said under the Act, it is mandatory to constitute a Tribunal within one year of filing the complaint.

Patnaik said the Union water resources minister has already admitted both in Parliament and the Supreme Court that the dispute cannot be resolved by negotiation and thus setting up a tribunal is necessary.

"However, to the utter surprise of the people of Odisha for whom Mahanadi is a lifeline, the Union Ministry of Water Resources filed a written statement on December 4 this year changing its stand completely by stating that the tribunal cannot be constituted.

"This volte-face is not only surprising but prima facie smacks of considerations other than what is legal or what is just and fair," he said.

He said the ministry cited the 1983 Agreement, under which Odisha and (then undivided) Madhya Pradesh had agreed to constitute a Joint Control Board (JCB) but "misread" its provisions as this body is not intended to resolve the dispute.

"I may emphasize that the federal scheme of our Constitution does not countenance forcing the unwilling state to negotiate or deliberate particularly in a situation like this, where the opposite state has been using negotiation only as a handle to delay the adjudication to complete its projects and create a fait accompli," he said.

Patnaik said the state government does not see any purpose in further negotiating with the recalcitrant Chhattisgarh which has unilaterally and surreptitiously gone ahead with the construction of dams and barrages in Mahanadi basin far exceeding its share of water.

The Hirakud dam in the downstream Odisha has already suffered and is likely to suffer heavily much to the prejudice of the people of Odisha, he added.
New Delhi: Indias main opposition Congress party on Monday elevated Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the countrys most fabled political dynasty, as its president, preparing to challenge the dominance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of national polls in 2019.

In a long-awaited move, Gandhi, the great-grandson of Indias founding prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected unopposed to head the party. He will take the reins from his mother Sonia, the partys longest-serving president who was elected in 1998.

Calling it a historic occasion, the Congress party said Gandhi would take charge as president on 16 December. Television broadcast images of party supporters celebrating and distributing sweets outside Congress offices in the capital, New Delhi, and the financial hub of Mumbai.

Gandhis ascent coincides with state polls in Modis western home state of Gujarat that are shaping as a test for the prime minister, who has been facing criticism for softening economic growth and poor implementation of a nationwide sales tax. The Congress hopes a round of state elections offers the party, and Gandhi, a shot at revival ahead of the next national elections, due in 2019.

Modis depiction of Gandhi as an undeserving prince has helped sideline Gandhi since the last national election, during which time Congress has suffered some of its worst results in local elections.

The Nehru-Gandhi family has ruled the country for most of its 70 years since independence from Britain. Gandhis father and grandmother were both prime ministers, and both assassinated.

Gandhi v. Modi

Following Congress defeat in the 2014 polls, Gandhi struggled to convince voters, as well as many within his party, of his leadership skills. But senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said Gandhi was now ready for the next challenge.

The entire country has lots of expectations from Rahul Gandhi, Azad said. Much before he was elected he has shown his mettle. He knows his responsibility.

Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swiftly dismissed Gandhis election, saying he had become president only on the basis of dynastic principle. The new India is loath to (accept) dynastic principle and the family character of the Congress further diminishes its appeal, BJP spokesman GVL Narasimha Rao told Reuters.

Gandhi, until now a vice-president of Congress, is widely seen as a prime ministerial candidate if the party returns to power one day.

The 47-year-old has increasingly gone public in slamming Modis governance since the last national polls, as he looks to shed the reticent image that has for years been synonymous with his political dynasty.

But he has also faced political backlash. In 2015, for example, he took nearly two months of leave, prompting Modis party to accuse him of holidaying while parliament was in session.

Modi still trumps Gandhi in popularity rankings, however. Nearly nine of 10 Indians have a favourable opinion of him and more than two-thirds are satisfied with the direction in which he is taking the country, a Pew survey found in November. Modis favourable rating was 30 points more than Gandhis, it showed.
Ahmedabad: There is "tremendous undercurrent" against the BJP in Gujarat, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi claimed on Tuesday, and predicted a "zabardast" victory for his party in the Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference on the last day of campaigning for the second phase of the poll on 14 December, he claimed the "public mood" had undergone a radical change with all sections of society angry with the ruling party.

He also disapproved of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's insinuation that his predecessor Manmohan Singh and other leaders of his party connived with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat Assembly elections, saying it was unacceptable.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. The public mood has undergone 'zabardast' change.

"The Congress will win the election....the results will be 'zabardast'," a confident-looking Gandhi said.

Gandhi, addressing his first presser after his elevation, said, in his new job, he would strive to change the nature of political discourse in the country which has become "ugly and nasty".

He questioned Modi's silence on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, a charge the Gandhi scion raked up repeatedly at the hustings, and alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

News portal The Wire had claimed some time ago that the turnover of a company owned by Jay Shah jumped manifold after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

Replying to a question on Modi's remarks over Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls, Gandhi said, "I have made my stand clear from day one, in words and in action. Modiji is the prime minister of our country. Mani Shankar Aiyar said something and I made it clear that I would not tolerate it. You have seen the action."

"But what Modiji has said about former prime minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable. Manmohan Singhji was also the prime minister of this country, served and made sacrifices for this country," the 47-year-old leader said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

Modi claimed some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on 6 December, and a day later Aiyar made the "neech" jibe against him. Aiyar was suspended from the party.

"Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is the prime minister of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him.

"I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger," he noted.

Gandhi said he would like to spread the Congress's ideology in the country that politics should be done through "love". He was replying to question about what will be his priority after taking over the reins of the party.

He said the prime minister refrained from speaking about corruption during the entire campaign.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, responding to a question.

When his attention was drawn to claims by BJP leaders that he only visited temples in Gujarat, the Congress leader said, "Earlier, I had gone to Kedarnath. Is Kedarnath in Gujarat? This is the BJP's propaganda against me."

Gandhi started his day by offering prayers at the famous Lord Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

Asked how will his party give reservation to the Patel community, a section of which is on warpath with the BJP government, breaching the cap of 50 percent set by the Supreme court, Gandhi said, "The Congress party's manifesto is clear about it."

Gandhi refuted allegations of BJP leaders that Congress was playing caste politics in the elections by enlisting the support of caste and community group leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor.

"The Congress wants to take along all sections of Gujarat together as against the BJP which has worked for 10 to 15 industrialists. All sections of society are angry with the BJP and that anger is coming out before this election," he said.

Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017
Patna: The main opposition party in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), on Tuesday deferred the statewide bandh it had called to protest against the sand mining policy of the Nitish Kumar government to 21 December.

No reason was, however, cited for deferring the bandh.

On Monday, former deputy chief minister and the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, had announced that the bandh would be observed on 18 December.

Incidentally, the counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls will be taken up on 18 December.

Yadav had announced the date of the bandh at a march taken out by the RJD yesterday to protest the sand mining policy of the NDA government in the state.

The Lalu Prasad-led RJD has been blaming the sand mining policy of the government for a "slump" in construction activities and the resultant loss of jobs among the workers, who were migrating to the other states in search of work.

The RJD march on Monday was dismissed by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who had alleged that Prasad's party was trying to "protect the sand mafia as it funded the party".
Ahmedabad: BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday 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 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 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 Islamic State.

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.
Rebel Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav moved the Delhi High Court on Tuesday against his disqualification as a Rajya Sabha member, PTI reported.

Yadav, in his plea, said he was not given any chance by the authorities before passing an order against him.

Yadav, who was elected to the Lok Sabha seven times and the Rajya Sabha four times, was disqualified from his membership of the Upper House of the Parliament along with his supporter Anwar Ali, last week by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.

The disqualification had come three months after Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) faction sought Yadav's disqualification after Yadav attended an RJD rally in Patna in August.

Yadav was against Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's decision to jettison his party's alliance with the RJD and the Congress and join hands with the BJP.

The Rajya Sabha chairman had agreed to the JD(U)'s contention that the two senior leaders had "voluntarily given up" their membership by defying the party's directives and attending events of opposition parties.

The Election Commission recently recognised Kumar-led faction as the real JD(U) and accepted its claim over the 'arrow' poll symbol.

The Yadav-led JD(U) recently moved the Delhi High Court challenging its order.

Addressing a press conference shortly after his disqualification, Yadav said he would challenge his disqualification in court, and stated that the constitutional provisions invoked by the Rajya Sabha chairman to disqualify might not apply in his case.

"I was not shocked that I have been disqualified, I was expecting the same outcome," he said, suggesting it was decided in advance.

Yadav blamed his opposition to Kumar and BJP as the main reasons behind his disqualification.

He also suggested that he was denied fair play, noting that the embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who "looted" public exchequer, was sent to the Ethics Committee of Parliament, but that he was not allowed such an opportunity despite being a veteran parliamentarian who took up "people's causes" during his career.

Naidu, however, then said that justice delayed was justice denied and asserted that such matters should be decided quickly.

The disqualification decision invited criticism from both Yadav as well as Opposition leaders.

Yadav was elected to the House last year and his term was scheduled to end in 2022.

Anwar's term was to expire early next year.

Advocate Nizam Pasha, who filed the plea on the behalf of the leader, said the matter regarding which faction is the real Janta Dal was sub-judice and a final decision is yet to be passed.

With inputs from PTI
Reuters

Activist investor Elliott Management Corp said on Monday NXP Semiconductors NV is worth about 23 percent more than Qualcomm Incs $38-billion offer to buy the chipmaker.

Elliott, which has a stake of about 6 percent in NXP, said NXP was worth $135 per share on an intrinsic standalone basis, compared with Qualcomms offer of $110 made in October 2016.

NXP shares were up 0.6 percent at $116 in morning trading, while Qualcomms shares were up about 1 percent at $64.87. Elliott, a New York-based hedge fund, said Qualcomms offer had taken advantage of NXPs depressed stock price last year and has acted as a ceiling on its valuation.

We believe NXPs prospects are bright. Approximately half of NXPs revenue is exposed to exciting growth engines of the semiconductor market  automotive and industrial, Elliott said in a letter to other NXP shareholders.

Qualcomm replied saying it believed the agreed-upon price of $110 is full and fair, and that it remained fully committed to closing the acquisition. Elliotts value assertion for NXP is unsupportable and is clearly nothing more than an attempt to advance its own self-serving agenda, Qualcomm said in a statement.

Elliott said it has retained UBS to conduct a financial analysis on NXP and that it would share the report with other shareholders. NXPs shares have been trading above Qualcomms offer price since 4 August when Elliott indicated it was pushing for a higher price.

Besides trying to convince NXP investors of the planned acquisition, Qualcomm has also toiled to win regulatory approval and has offered certain concessions to address concerns the deal would hamper competition in the market.

Since it offered to buy NXP, Qualcomm itself has been the target of an acquisition approach from Broadcom Ltd, but it rejected the $103-billion offer last month.

Broadcom had indicated it was willing to acquire Qualcomm, for $70 per share, irrespective of whether it closed the NXP deal. Acquiring NXP would make Qualcomm the leading chip supplier to the fast-growing automotive market.
tech2 News Staff

The Google Home Max, which was announced along with the Google Home Mini at the Made By Google event in October this year, is available just in time for Christmas. The Google Home range of devices are smarthome speakers in an emerging category that includes the Amazon Echo powered by Alexa, Microsoft's Invoke powered by Cortana, and the upcoming HomePod by Apple powered by Siri. According to Gartner, the category is expected to expand to a $2.1 billion market by 2020.

One of the most interesting features in the Google Home Max is that the AI integrated with the speaker balances out the sound taking into consideration the environment. Speakers placed in the middle of the room, outdoor, or against the wall all sound different because of the way the sound waves interact with the surrounding surfaces. The Google Home Max automatically tunes itself in real-time to provide a balanced sound no matter where it is located. The balancing occurs continuously, and the technology works even when a user is moving the speaker from one spot to another. Two Google Home Max speakers can be paired in a stereo configuration.

The Google Home Max delivers a premium audio experience with two 4.5-inch high excursion woofers that are together twenty times more powerful than the Google Home. The speaker provides access to popular music streaming services such as Spotify, Play Music and Pandora. Users can cast to the speakers from their Android smartphones through the built-in Chromecast. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

The Google Home Max supports voice commands for interfacing with all the supported music streaming services. Users can request particular playlists on Spotify, adjust the volume, or ask Google Assistant to play a song even if the users remember only a portion of the lyrics.

The far field microphone on the device allows Google Home Max to pick up voice commands from distant corners of the room. Users can also interface with other connected smart home devices through voice commands on the Google Home Max. Supported IoT devices include products by Nest, Philips, LG, Wemo, Logitech, Honeywell, D-Link and Hive.

A single Google Home Max speaker is available for $399 on the Google Store, as well as online storefronts of Verizon, Best Buy and Walmart. A few Verizon retail outlets will also be having the Google Home Max in stock, and the speakers will be available in pop up Made By Google stores in New York and Los Angeles. India launch dates have not been announced yet.
tech2 News Staff

Microsoft has announced a free preview of its Quantum Development Kit to allow programmers to start coding for quantum computers. Quantum computers promise to significantly expand the computational power available, allowing humans to solve problems that would take longer than the predicted age of the universe on conventional computers.

Quantum computers are expected to boost the capabilities of artificial intelligence, improve cybersecurity, and allow for more nuanced natural language processing. Quantum computation can be deployed to tackle some of the hardest problems, including climate change and world hunger.

Those interested can download the kit from the Microsoft website. There are three main components, a fully integrated programming language called Q# (Q sharp), local and cloud simulating environments to test out the quantum algorithms, as well as libraries of quantum samples, tutorials and building blocks. The Q# programming language has been built from scratch to specifically work on quantum computers and has a native type system. Microsoft calls it the most approachable high-level programming language for quantum computers.

The programs written in Q# can be tested on a simulation environment on a local machine, with debugging support. For simulations requiring over 40 qubits, Microsoft has provided a cloud-based simulation environment in Azure, which helps in optimise the code and get an idea of the kind of resources necessary to deploy the solution. The libraries written in Q# are available on GitHub and are provided with the necessary documentation. The Quantum Development Kit is deeply integrated with Visual Studio, Microsoft's suite of developer tools, so programmers can start coding for quantum computers in a familiar environment.

Todd Holmdahl, corporate VP in charge of the quantum computation efforts at Microsoft said, "What youre going to see as a developer is the opportunity to tie into tools that you already know well, services you already know well. There will be a twist with quantum computing, but its our job to make it as easy as possible for the developers who know and love us to be able to use these new tools that could potentially do some things exponentially faster  which means going from a billion years on a classical computer to a couple hours on a quantum computer."

The Quantum Development Kit is just a part of Microsoft's plans to build a complete Quantum Computer System, which includes the hardware as well as a full software stack. Microsoft has not actually developed the hardware for quantum computation yet, but it is an ongoing effort. Once Microsoft builds a quantum computer, the solutions developed using the Quantum Development Kit can directly run on the hardware.
tech2 News Staff

A day after a report of LG's new iris scanning technology surfaced, new reports are beginning to suggest that Samsung is also planning to pack the upcoming Galaxy S9 with an improved iris scanner.

According to a report by the Korean Herald, Samsung, one of the pioneering brands of the iris scanning technology in smartphones, is looking to improve on the technology to make it safer for banking transactions and other security purposes. As per the report, the Korean giant is working on both hardware as well as software end to improve the biometric verification feature.

An unnamed Samsung source close to publication stated, "The iris camera lens will be improved to 3 megapixels from 2 megapixels of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 to capture clearer images. The scanner will better recognise users irises even when they wear eyeglasses, move their eyeballs or are in a too dark or too light environment." The source also went on to mention that the current 1 second response time of the scanner will also be cut down.

The source without revealing any details about the Galaxy S9 also stated,"Iris scanner is the safest biometric authentication (among current biometric technologies) and we will continue to improve the system for upcoming smartphones for safer banking transactions."

The report states that Samsung could be looking to expand its iris scanning technology to its budget and mid-range offerings by the end of 2018 or early 2019. The move is expected to ensure a wider transition to mobile banking and financial services.
New Delhi: India's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has not only "significantly increased the political profile and potential" of the grouping, but also the groups capacity to help stabilise the situation in Central and South Asia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

Speaking at an event organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation on new vistas of India-Russia relations, the Russian Minister said that India's joining the SCO will also help "resolve the crisis in and around Afghanistan".

Earlier, Lavrov said India's "independent and responsible" foreign policy has been "an important factor contributing to global and regional security and stability" and hoped that this "legacy would be maintained and strengthened".

He said that the current volume of trade between the two countries was not "satisfactory", and said that the aim is to increase this volume to $30 billion by 2025. He said that as the defence cooperation between the two countries deepens, it will lead to greater transfer of technology and technical know-how from Russia to India.

Lavrov also said the new US strategy of using force in Afghanistan against groups that refuse to cooperate is not likely to work.

"I don't think the recent US strategy on Afghanistan which puts emphasis on use of force to defeat those who refuse to cooperate and engage in violence, frankly, I don't think it would work," Lavrov said in response to a media query. "Like in the last 16 years, the presence of huge army of NATO did not manage either to curb extremism and terrorism or to stop drug trade which has peaked this year. The production of heroin in Afghanistan may have been quadrupled since 9/11," he said.

"It is to be understood and accepted that that this is something which feeds terrorist activities directly. And without precursors this drug production would not be possible. Most precursors come from Europe...We should not have double standards towards terrorism," the Minister added.

Lavrov also denied any support given by Russia to the Taliban as was being alleged by the US, and added that Russia's contact with Taliban was only to "pressurise them to sit down and talk".

"Never ever has there been any proof, any fact that Russia supported the Taliban as suggested by the US. We contacted Taliban only for two reasons. One, when our or our allies' citizens came harm's way and we needed to extract them. And secondly, to pressurise the Taliban to sit down and negotiate. But we always say that they must join negotiations provided they respect the criteria established by the UN Security Council," Lavrov said.

Adding that he lately heard US officials calling upon Taliban to join negotiations without any criteria being respected, Lavrov told the audience that they could "draw your own conclusions".

Lavrov regretted that the US declined the "Moscow Process" and instead decided to go ahead with the "Six Plus One" group. The Six Plus One group formed in early 2016 includes India, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, the US and China in addition to Afghanistan.

He said the situation in Afghanistan could not be resolved without having "everybody" on board, including "the government, the Taliban and those who can really influence the situation, including the neighbours". He said the Kabul Process initiated by the government of Afghanistan in June this year was "too large" and that a smaller group of countries would be needed to resolve the political situation including all Central Asian countries.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European governments are complicit in grave human rights violations in Libya through their support for authorities there that often work with people smugglers and torture refugees and migrants, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. A migrant arrives at a naval base after he was rescued by Libyan coastal guards in Tripoli, Libya, November 6. REUTERS/Ahmed JadallahDetermined to cut African immigration across the Mediterranean, the governments, via the European Union, have provided support to Libya, trained its coastguard and spent millions of euros through U.N. agencies to improve conditions in detention camps where Libya puts the migrants. The advocacy group said up to 20,000 people were now held in these centres and subject to torture, forced labour, extortion, and unlawful killings, adding to similar allegations made by other rights organisations over the past months. European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these crimes, John Dalhuisen, Amnesty Internationals head for Europe, said. The European Unions executive arm, the European Commission, was not immediately available for comment. Migrants arrive at a naval base after they were rescued by Libyan coast guards in Tripoli, Libya, December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ismail ZitounyLibya 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 pressure from Italy, the main landing point. More than 600,000 have made the journey over the past four years. Amnesty said the Libyan coastguards - which the EU backs to intercept people heading for Europe - work hand-in-hand with people smugglers, including in torturing people to extort money. By supporting Libyan authorities in trapping people in Libya ... European governments have shown where their true priorities lie: namely the closure of the central Mediterranean route, with scant regard to the suffering caused, said Dalhuisen. With Libya being largely a lawless states since the fall of veteran ruler Muammar Gaddafi, some EU officials and diplomats chafe at what they see as being forced to rely on sometimes shady characters in the matrix of alliances between militias. However, EU leaders meeting for their final gathering this year in Brussels on Dec. 14-15 will recommit themselves to this strategy, which they see as bearing fruit in the form of fewer sea crossings. The presidency of Libyas U.N.-backed government said last month it was a victim of illegal migration, not a source of it, and appealed to foreign powers to help stop flows from migrants countries of origin.

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Vienna: An explosion rocked one of Europe's biggest gas pipeline hubs in Austria, leaving one person dead and 18 injured, emergency services said.

The incident occurred at Baumgarten east of Vienna, Austria's largest reception point and the main distribution hub for gas imports from Russia, Norway and elsewhere.

"An explosion occurred at 8:45 am (local time), followed by a fire," police spokesman Edmund Tragschitz told AFP, adding that the cause was not immediately clear.

"Things are under control," he said. He later put the number of people hurt, including one seriously as well as those with minor injuries, at around 60.

But Red Cross spokeswoman Sonja Kellner told the Austria Press Agency that one person had been killed and 18 injured.

Police said on social media that people should avoid the area around Baumgarten near Austria's eastern border with Slovakia.

Several fire brigades from the surrounding area were called in to help.

The Baumgarten gas hub receives some 40 billion cubic metres of gas annually and redistributes it elsewhere in Europe including to Germany and northern Italy.
VIENNA/MILAN (Reuters) - An explosion and fire that ripped through Austrias main gas pipeline hub on Tuesday killed one person and injured 21 others, prompting Italy to declare a state of emergency as flows from the strategic site were cut off for most of the day. The Baumgarten site in eastern Austria, near Slovakia, is a major regional transfer node, taking natural gas from as far away as Russia and pumping it towards neighbours including Germany and Italy, its biggest recipient. News of the blast sent gas prices in Europe soaring on fears it would restrict supply as winter sets in. But by Tuesday evening the sites operator, Gas Connect Austria, said it would soon be brought back online. Italian grid operator Snam (SRG.MI) said flows would resume by midnight (1100 GMT). Flows on the Trans Austria Gas (TAG) pipeline towards Italy, the West Austria Gas pipeline to Germany and the Hungaria-Austria Gas pipeline will be restored over the next few hours, Gas Connect Austria said, naming the main arteries that supply neighbouring countries from Baumgarten. With the restart of operation on the international pipeline systems, it will be possible to resume transit through Austria, thereby restoring security of supply for the affected countries, it added. Footage on social and other media on Tuesday morning, when the explosion occurred, showed a column of fire in the distance rising from a flat landscape. A wide area around the site was cordoned off and 250 firefighters were called to the scene. The emergency services said one person was killed and 21 injured, one seriously. Among the slightly wounded were employees of contractors from six other countries apart from Austria, the operator said, without elaborating. The blaze was reduced to smaller fires and then extinguished by Tuesday afternoon, allowing experts to assess the damage. Police and Gas Connect Austria said they believed a technical fault was to blame. Gas Connect Austria had said its deliveries to Austrias southern and southeastern borders were affected by the blast until further notice. Those pipelines supply Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia but also Baumgartens biggest recipient, Italy. That dependence on its gas led Italy to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday as its industry minister said the country had a serious energy supply problem. Smoke rises from Austria's largest natural gas import and distribution station after a gas explosion in Baumgarten, Austria December 12, 2017 REUTERS/Heinz-Peter BaderA state of emergency would give Rome the right to use a series of extraordinary measures such as allowing coal and oil power plants to fire at full blast. The Italian wholesale day-ahead price surged 215 percent to 75 euros per megawatt-hour, its highest recorded level. RESUMPTION EFFORTS Gas Connect Austria said the part of the site affected by the fire was only 100 metres (330 feet) by 100 metres at a site that covers 17 hectares (42 acres), though it did not say how easily that part could be circumvented or repaired. On the basis of the available information, the three lines of the TAG, the pipeline that brings Russian gas to Italy, have not been affected, Snam Chief Executive Marco Alvera said. The blaze has exacerbated concerns in Europe about tight gas supply after several nuclear reactor and gas infrastructure outages and the shutdown of the Forties North Sea pipeline, during a period of high demand due to freezing temperatures. Analysts believe, however, that there is enough storage to cope with supply for the time being. But if supply does not resume soon and the cold weather continues, prices will remain strong through the winter, Wood Mackenzie analyst Massimo Di-Odoardo said. We might well see some competition between Europe and Asia to attract LNG (liquid natural gas, delivered by ship) this winter. Slovakias main gas transit route to Austria was suspended after the fire, Slovak pipeline operator Eustream said. Russias Gazprom Export said it was working on redirecting gas flows and trying to secure uninterrupted supplies to clients. In Britain, Europes biggest gas market, the price of gas for immediate delivery reached its highest level since 2013. A UK National Grid spokesman said there was sufficient gas supply to meet demand amid multiple outages, underlining the breadth of concern about supply after the Baumgarten blast.

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will discuss how to further curb immigration from across the Mediterranean over dinner on Thursday, but are as divided as ever on how to take care of refugees who still make it to Europe. Migrants, part of a group intercepted aboard a dinghy off the coast in the Mediterranean Sea, rest after arriving on a rescue boat at the Port of Malaga, Spain December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Jon NazcaTheir chairman, Donald Tusk, proposed creating a new financing tool in the blocs next multi-year budget from 2021 to stem illegal migration, replacing the ad hoc calls for money that EU states have seen since arrivals peaked in 2015. Despite heavy criticism by human rights groups that it is aggravating the suffering of refugees and migrants on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, the EU is sticking to its policy of providing various kinds of assistance to the governments and U.N. agencies in the Middle East and Africa in order to prevent people making the trek north. While implementing these plans in some places, notably the lawless Libya, is proving difficult, all EU states and institutions in Brussels agree on the approach. However, the question of how to handle refugees who have made it to the EU is as divisive now as it was two years ago. Italy, Greece and other frontline states on the Mediterranean, as well as the rich destination countries such as Germany, want all member states to be obliged to take in a set allocation of asylum-seekers. But several eastern ex-communist EU members reject mandatory quotas, saying accepting Muslim refugees would undermine their sovereignty and security, and the homogeneous makeup of their societies. They want to help instead with money, equipment and personnel for controlling the blocs frontiers. The Commission is already suing Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic for failing to take in their allotment of asylum-seekers from the peak of the EUs migrant crisis in 2015. A barbed wire is seen in front of a European Union flag at an immigration reception centre in Bicske, Hungary June 25, 2015. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh DIVISIONS Recent proposals for future solutions go in opposite directions, giving little hope of a deal by the target date of June. The blocs current chair Estonia suggested sticking to the obligatory scheme when immigration is extremely high, but adding some flexibility by legislating that the receiving and sending states must agree on any relocation. That plan has been quickly dismissed as a non-starter by diplomats from several EU states. The blocs executive, the European Commission, proposed that the bloc approve compulsory and automatic relocation for times of mass immigration, but rely on voluntary help in normal circumstances. The European Parliament wants mandatory relocation at all times, regardless of migratory pressures. But now Tusk himself has also come out against quotas, telling EU leaders in a note that they had proven highly divisive and ineffective. The Commissions migration chief, Dimitris Avramopoulos, told a news conference on Tuesday that Tusks paper was undermining one of the main pillars of the European project - the principle of solidarity. For now, immigration figures remain so low compared to the peak of 2015-2016 that the public pressure on EU leaders to come up with a quick fix has eased. That could yet change, however, with Italys parliamentary election next spring, coinciding with the start of a new migration season. Germany, currently consumed with trying to form a new government, has long suggested that if no consensus can be reached, an asylum reform could be passed by majority vote - something that would inevitably deepen the divisions and mistrust between member states.

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PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The European Union has suspended funding for Cambodias 2018 general election because the vote cannot be credible after the dissolution of the main opposition party, according to a letter sent to the national election committee on Tuesday. A man rides a motorcycle past the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) headquarters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 17, 2017. REUTERS/Samrang Pring/FilesThe Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was dissolved by the countrys highest court last month at the request of the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen after the arrest of opposition leader Kem Sokha for alleged treason. An electoral process from which the main opposition party has been arbitrarily excluded cannot be seen as legitimate, the letter said. Under these circumstances, the European Union does not believe there is a possibility of a credible electoral process. Some Western donors have condemned the CNRP dissolution as the most serious blow to democracy since an international peace deal and U.N.-run elections in the early 1990s ended decades of war and the Khmer Rouge genocide that killed at least 1.8 million Cambodians in the 1970s. A government spokesman said the EU decision would not affect the election, in which Hun Sen is expected to extend more than three decades in office that make him the worlds longest serving prime minister. This is their will, spokesman Phay Siphan told Reuters on Tuesday. We have our own money. The European Union and Japan are the biggest donors to Cambodias election commission, which is in theory independent. Asked if Japan would also suspend aid for the election, the Japanese embassy said it would continue to give assistance for electoral reform and would monitor the situation closely. It is of utmost importance to have next years national election reflect the will of the Cambodian people, Hironori Suzuki, a counselor at the embassy, told Reuters by email. The United States last month said it would suspend funding for the election. It later said it would impose visa sanctions on those involved in the governments actions to undermine democracy. Kem Sokha, leader of the CNRP, was arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government with U.S. help. He has rejected the accusation as a political ploy. The European Union in October warned Cambodia it could face EU action over duty-free access it enjoys under a deal for some of the worlds poorest countries if the nations human rights situation deteriorates further. Cambodias biggest donor and investor is now China, which has voiced support for the opposition crackdown, saying it supports government efforts to ensure stability and economic development.

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Houston: A Houston 18-year-old has been arrested and charged with illegally distributing explosive-making information and attempting to support the Islamic State organisation.

The US Justice Department has said that Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, a US citizen, was arrested on 8 December following an undercover FBI operation.

A statement says Damlarkaya said he intended to travel overseas and fight for Islamic State and said he tried to get to Syria twice. He told agents that he would commit a US attack if efforts to travel overseas failed.

It also says Damlarkaya provided to alleged Islamic State supporters a formula for explosive Triacetone Triperoxide and instructions how to use it in a pressure cooker device containing shrapnel.

If convicted, he faces a possible 20-year maximum prison term. The US has designated Islamic State as a terrorist organisation.
BNEI BRAK, Israel (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews crammed into the streets of a Tel Aviv suburb on Tuesday to mourn a 104-year-old rabbi who had significantly influenced a succession of Israeli coalition governments. Ultra-Orthodox Jews try to watch the burial of prominent spiritual leader Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman, who died on Tuesday at the age of 104, during his funeral ceremony in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, Israel December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Amir CohenRabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman led a council of sages that controlled the small Degel Hatorah lawmakers faction, part of the United Torah Judaism party, which has often held the balance of power in Israel. In particular, Shteinman broke with tradition by giving tacit consent to the enlistment of religious soldiers in the first ultra-Orthodox unit set up by the Israeli military. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government includes ultra-Orthodox political parties, said the Jewish people had lost a central beacon of spirit, heritage and morality. Special buses and trains ferried mourners to Bnei Brak, a religious town on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. Police estimated that several hundred thousand people gathered for the funeral procession, dressed in traditional black ultra-Orthodox garb. Shteinman, born in what is now Belarus, had led his community of Lithuanian-rooted ultra-Orthodox Jews since 2012.

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New Delhi: India and Australia on Tuesday reviewed all aspects of bilateral ties with a focus on strategic and defence relations during their first '2+2 dialogue' and agreed that a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific is in the long-term interests of all countries in the region.

Significantly, the inaugural Indo-Aus dialogue comes barely a month after the two countries, along with the US and Japan, discussed cooperation amid evolving security scenario in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been aggressively expanding its military presence.

While India already has a '2+2 dialogue' with Japan, it has also agreed to start a two-by-two ministerial dialogue to enhance "peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region".

The Indian side was led by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra while the Australian side was headed by Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Frances Adamson, and Secretary of Department of Defence Greg Moriarty.

"All aspects of bilateral relations with a focus on strategic and defence relations between the two countries were reviewed... Both sides agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large," a press release from the external affairs ministry said.

It said India and Australia share warm bilateral relations based on shared democratic values and pluralism and there is a growing convergence of strategic perspectives between the two countries.

Last month, officials from India, Japan, the US and Australia held consultations on the sidelines of the India-ASEAN meet and discussed issues of common interest in the Indo-Pacific region with a focus on cooperation based on converging vision and values for the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in the area.

After the quadrilateral, the MEA said, "they agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large. The officials also exchanged views on addressing common challenges of terrorism and proliferation linkages impacting the region as well as on enhancing connectivity."

Adamson is also meeting Secretary (East) and Secretary (ER) in the MEA, the release said.

Apart from attending the dialogue, Moriarty also met Chief of Staff Committee and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and visited Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre in New Delhi.
North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un, who recently called US president Donald Trump a "mentally deranged dotard" and the "destroyer of world peace", has claimed an honour for himself as well: The ability to control the weather, and change mountains' moods. An admittedly more useful superpower, we feel, especially in comparison to the ability to endanger world peace.

As reported by State-controlled Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong-un was in the mood for a walk the other day. And not wanting to walk like other mere mortals, he decided to scale the icy peaks of Mount Paektu, the "sublime mountain of revolution".

The mountain, the news report said, displayed a marvelous scene and showed "glee at the reappearance of its great master". It's not every day that Mount Paektu can be scaled, but it's also not every day that the great master decides to walk either.

"As if to give warm welcome to him who brought the 'great November event' of the great Korea and show joy at the appearance of the peerlessly illustrious commander who controls the nature, the heart of the ever-changing Lake Chon on the top of Mt Paektu presented charming scenery showing magic peaks and dazzling sunshine on its clear and blue waves," the report said.

And no, we don't know what happened to the person who wrote this article. He was perhaps dispatched to find a few more copies of the thesaurus, so other North Koreans too may learn these fine synonyms.

But then we shouldn't be surprised at Kim Jong-un's abilities to scale an icy mountain in the peak of winter, or that he can control the weather. After all, it runs in the family. As a report on The Telegraph said, his father Kim Jong-Il too could control the weather, and had spread the story all across the land that he could do so with his moods, "as if by magic".

The father Kim, in order to further emphasise this claim, also said his birth in 1941 was heralded by a double rainbow and the birth of a new star in heaven.
Ukhia: The soldiers arrived, as they often did, long after sunset.

It was June, and the newlyweds were asleep in their home, surrounded by the fields of wheat they farmed in western Myanmar. Without warning, seven soldiers burst into the house and charged into their bedroom.

The woman, a Rohingya Muslim who agreed to be identified by her first initial, F, knew enough to be terrified. She knew the military had been attacking Rohingya villages, as part of what the United Nations has called ethnic cleansing in the mostly Buddhist nation. She heard just days before that soldiers had killed her parents, and that her brother was missing.

This time, F says, the soldiers had come for her.

The men bound her husband with rope. They ripped the scarf from her head and tied it around his mouth.

They yanked off her jewelry and tore off her clothes. They threw her to the floor.

And then the first soldier began to rape her.

She struggled against him, but four men held her down and beat her with sticks. She stared in panic at her husband, who stared back helplessly. He finally wriggled the gag out of his mouth and screamed.

And then she watched as a soldier fired a bullet into the chest of the man she had married only one month before. Another soldier slit his throat.

Her mind grew fuzzy. When the soldiers were finished, they dragged her naked body outside and set her bamboo house ablaze.

It would be two months before she realised her misery was far from over: She was pregnant.

___

The rape of Rohingya women by Myanmar's security forces has been sweeping and methodical, the Associated Press found in interviews with 29 women and girls who fled to neighboring Bangladesh. These sexual assault survivors from several refugee camps were interviewed separately and extensively. They ranged in age from 13 to 35, came from a wide swath of villages in Myanmar's Rakhine state and described assaults between October 2016 and mid-September.

Foreign journalists are banned from the Rohingya region of Rakhine, making it nearly impossible to independently verify each woman's report. Yet there was a sickening sameness to their stories, with distinct patterns in their accounts, their assailants' uniforms and the details of the rapes themselves.

The testimonies bolster the UN's contention that Myanmar's armed forces are systematically employing rape as a "calculated tool of terror" aimed at exterminating the Rohingya people. The Myanmar armed forces did not respond to multiple requests from the AP for comment, but an internal military investigation last month concluded that none of the assaults ever took place. And when journalists asked about rape allegations during a government-organised trip to Rakhine in September, Rakhine's minister for border affairs, Phone Tint, replied: "These women were claiming they were raped, but look at their appearances  do you think they are that attractive to be raped?"

Doctors and aid workers, however, say that they are stunned at the sheer volume of rapes, and suspect only a fraction of women have come forward. Medecins Sans Frontieres doctors have treated 113 sexual violence survivors since August, a third of them under 18. The youngest was 9.

____________

The Associated Press reported this story with a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

____________

The UN has called the Rohingya the most persecuted minority on earth, with Myanmar denying them citizenship and basic rights. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees now live in sweltering tents in Bangladesh, where the stifling air smells of excrement from a lack of latrines and of smoke from wood fires to cook what little food there is. The women and girls in this story gave the AP their names but agreed to be publicly identified only by their first initial, citing fears they or their families would be killed by Myanmar's military.

Each described attacks that involved groups of men from Myanmar's security forces, often coupled with other forms of extreme violence. Every woman except one said the assailants wore military-style uniforms, generally dark green or camouflage. The lone woman who described her attackers as wearing plain clothes said her neighbors recognised them from the local military outpost.

Many women said the uniforms bore various patches featuring stars or, in a couple cases, arrows. Such patches represent the different units of Myanmar's army.

The most common attack described went much like F's. In several other cases, women said, security forces surrounded a village, separated men from women, then took the women to a second location to gang rape them.

The women spoke of seeing their children slaughtered in front of them, their husbands beaten and shot. They spoke of burying their loved ones in the darkness and leaving the bodies of their babies behind. They spoke of the searing pain of rapes that felt as if they would never end, and of days long journeys on foot to Bangladesh while still bleeding and hobbled.

They spoke and they spoke, the words erupting from many of them in frantic, tortured bursts.

N, who says she survived a rape but lost her husband, her country and her peace, speaks because there is little else she can do  and because she hopes that somebody will listen.

"I have nothing left," she says. "All I have left are my words."

_____

Two months after the men came quietly in the night for F, they came boldly in the daytime for K.

It was late August, she says, just days after Rohingya insurgents had attacked several Myanmar police posts in northern Rakhine. Security forces responded with swift ferocity that human rights groups say left hundreds dead and scores of Rohingya villages burned to the ground.

Inside their house, K and her family were settling down to breakfast. They had only just swallowed their first mouthfuls of rice when the screams of other villagers rang out: The military was coming.

Her husband and three oldest children bolted out the door, fleeing for the nearby hills.

But K was nearly 9 months pregnant, with swollen feet and two terrified toddlers whose tiny legs could never outpace the soldiers' strides. She had no place to hide, no time to think.

The door banged open. And the men charged in.

There were four of them, she thinks, maybe five, all in camouflage uniforms. Her young son and daughter began to wail and then, mercifully, scampered out the front door.

There was no mercy for her. The men grabbed her and threw her on the bed. They yanked off her earrings, nose ring and necklace. They found the money she had hidden in her blouse from the recent sale of her family's cow. They ripped off her clothes, and tied down her hands and legs with rope. When she resisted, they choked her.

And then, she says, they began to rape her.

She was too terrified to move. One man held a knife to her eyeball, one more a gun to her chest. Another forced himself inside her.

When the first man finished, they switched places and the torture began again. And when the second man finished, a third man raped her.

In the midst of her agony, she thought of nothing but the baby inside her womb, just weeks away from emerging into a world that would not want him, because he was a Rohingya.

She began to bleed.

She blacked out.

As she awoke, her great aunt was there, tearfully untying her. The elder woman bathed her, clothed her and gave her a hot compress for her aching thighs.

When K's husband returned home, he was furious: not just at the men who had raped her, but at her. Why, he demanded, had she not run away?

She was pregnant and in no condition to run, she shot back. Still, he blamed her for the assault and threatened to abandon her, because, he told her, a "non-Muslim" had raped her.

Fearful the men would return, she and her family fled to her father's house in the hills above the village. When they saw soldiers setting fire to the houses below, they knew they had to leave for Bangladesh.

K was too crippled by pain to walk. Her husband and brother placed her inside a sling they fashioned out of a blanket and a stick, and carried her for days.

Inside her cocoon, she wept for the baby she feared was dead.

_____

A few days after the men burst into K's house, 10 soldiers arrived at R's.

She was just 13-years-old, but R had already learned to fear the military men.

Her parents had warned her to steer clear of them, yet it was her father who first fell prey to their wrath. One day last year, R says, soldiers stabbed him in the head with a knife, killing him.

Yet R's family had nowhere else to go. And so they stayed in the village. R busied herself by learning Arabic, doting on her chicken and its hatchlings and caring for her two younger brothers.

And then one day in late August, R says, the soldiers barged into her house. They snatched up her little brothers, tied them to a tree outside and began to beat them. R tried to run out the front door, but the men caught her.

Her body is barely pubescent, her limbs still gangly like a child's. But her youth could not protect her.

R fought back against the men, but they dragged her out of the house. The skin tore away from her knees as her legs scraped along the ground.

The men tethered her arms to two trees. They ripped off her earrings and bracelets, stripped off her clothes.

R screamed at them to stop. They spit at her.

And then the first man began to rape her.

She froze. She was a virgin. The pain was excruciating.

The attack lasted for hours. She remembers all ten men forcing themselves on her before she passed out.

One of her older brothers later found her on the ground, bleeding.

R's two little brothers were missing, but their mother had no time to search for them. She knew she had to get her daughter over the border and to a doctor quickly to get medicine in time to prevent a pregnancy.

R was barely conscious. So her two older brothers carried her across the hills and fields toward Bangladesh. R's mother hurried alongside them, terrified for her daughter, terrified that time was running out.

___

That R's family sought treatment for her at all is an anomaly. Despite still suffering pain, bleeding and infections months after the attacks, only a handful of the women interviewed by the AP had seen a doctor. The others had no idea free services were available, or were too ashamed to tell a doctor they were raped.

In a health center overflowing with women and wailing babies, Dr. Misbah Uddin Ahmed, a government health officer, sits at his desk looking weary. He pulls out a stack of patient histories for those treated at his clinics and begins to flick through them, reading the case summaries out loud:

5 September, a patient seven months pregnant says three soldiers burst into her home 11 days ago and raped her. Also 5 September, a patient says she was asleep at home when the military broke in 20 days ago and three soldiers raped her. 10 September, a patient says the military came to her house one month ago and beat her husband before two soldiers raped her.

Ahmed says the women who manage to overcome their fear and make it to his clinics are usually the ones in the deepest trouble. So many others, he adds, are suffering in silence.

Though the scale of these attacks is new, the use of sexual violence by Myanmar's security forces is not. Before she became Myanmar's civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi herself condemned the military's abuses. "Rape is rife. It is used as a weapon by armed forces to intimidate the ethnic nationalities and to divide our country," she said in a 2011 videotaped statement to the Nobel Women's Initiative.

And yet Suu Kyi's government has not only failed to condemn the recent accounts of rape, it has dismissed the accounts as lies. In December 2016, the government issued a press release disputing Rohingya women's reports of sexual assaults, accompanied by an image that said "Fake Rape."

Ahmed seems bewildered that anyone would ever doubt these women. Look at what I have just shown you, he says, gesturing toward his stack of files chronicling one atrocity after another.

Gynecologist Arjina Akhter has witnessed the results of those atrocities. Since August, so many women began showing up at her two clinics, she stopped asking them to fill out patient history forms so she could treat them faster. Among other women, she estimates between 20 to 30 rape survivors visited her clinics in September and October.

She ticks off the injuries: Two women with lacerations to their cervixes they said were caused by guns shoved inside their bodies. One woman with horrific tearing she said was caused by a nail driven into her vagina. Several women with severe vaginal bleeding.

More recently, she says, women who were raped months ago have been coming to her in a panic, asking for abortions. She has to explain to them that they are too far along, but reassures them that officials will take the babies if they cannot care for them.

Still, for some Rohingya women, giving up the babies they never asked for was not an option.

Which is how it was for F.

___

More than three months had passed since the men burst into F's home, and her despair had only deepened.

Neighbors had taken her in and cared for her. But her house was gone, her husband was dead. And the timing of the attack left little doubt that the baby growing inside her belonged to one of the men who had caused all her grief.

She could only pray that things would not get worse. And then, one night in mid-September, they did.

F was asleep along with the neighbors  a couple and their five-year-old son  when the men broke down the door, jolting everyone awake.

There were five of them this time, she remembers. They quickly grabbed the boy and slashed his throat, and killed the man.

Then they turned to the man's wife, and to F. And her nightmare began again.

They stripped off the women's clothes. Two of the men noticed the swell of F's stomach and grabbed it, squeezing hard.

They threw the women to the floor. F's friend fought back, and the men beat her with their guns so viciously the skin on her thighs began to peel away.

But the fight had gone out of F. She felt her body go soft, felt the blood run between her legs as the first man forced himself on her, and then the second. Next to her, three men were savaging her friend.

When it was finally over and the men had gone, the two women lay immobile on the floor.

They lay there for days, so crippled by pain and catatonic from the trauma that they could not even lift themselves to use the toilet. F could smell the blood around them. As the house baked under the punishing sun, the stench from the decaying bodies of her friend's husband and son finally overwhelmed her.

She would not die here. And neither would her baby.

She reached out for her friend's hand and clasped it. Then F hauled herself to her feet, pulling her friend up with her. Hand in hand, the women stumbled to the next village. They spent five days recovering there and then, alongside a group of other villagers, began the 10-day journey to Bangladesh.

The monsoon season had begun, but there was nowhere to shelter. So F kept walking through the downpours. She was starving, and her battered body ached with each step. Generous strangers offered her sips of their water, and one man gave her a few sweet rolls.

One day, she came across a nine-year-old boy lying along the side of a road, wounded and alone. He had lost his parents, he told her, and the soldiers had tortured him. She took him with her.

Together, the two made it to the shores of the Naf River and boarded a boat to Bangladesh.

Which is where they live now, in a tiny bamboo shelter between two filthy latrines. And it is here that F prays her baby will be a boy  because this world is no place for a girl.

___

For now, the women are left to wonder how long they will live in the bleak limbo of Bangladesh, and if they will ever return to their homeland.

R, the teen, is not pregnant. Her mother sold all her jewelry and got her to the hospital in time. But R can't stop thinking about her little brothers, and her sleep is plagued by nightmares.

Since the rape, she has struggled to eat, and her once-curvy frame has shrunk. Before the rape, she says softly, she was pretty.

K, who feared the baby inside her had died, gave birth to a boy on the floor of her tent in a dizzying rush of relief. She had kept her son alive through it all.

But her trauma persists. The thrum of a helicopter hovering over the camp sends her into a panic and she recites the Muslim prayer for the moments before death. She is convinced the aircraft is Myanmar's military, coming to kill them all.

When told she is strong, she looks up with tears in her eyes.

"How can you say that?" she asks. "My husband says he is ashamed of me. How am I strong?"

F, whose body is starting to ache under the strain of her pregnancy, finds her mind often drifts toward how she will care for the child in the future. She believes God has kept them both alive for a reason.

Her parents, her brother, her husband are gone now. This baby will be the only family she has left. For her, the most haunting reminder of the agony she endured also, somehow, represents her last chance at happiness.

"Everybody has died," she says. "I don't have anyone to care for me. If I give this baby away, what will I have left? There will be nothing to live for."
Dhaka: The Bangladeshi Islamic State sympathiser who detonated a homemade pipe bomb in New York City's subway had no criminal record back home, a police official said on Tuesday, even as Dhaka vowed "zero tolerance" against terrorism.

Akayed Ullah (27) set off the crude bomb strapped to his body in the crowded subway passage between New York's Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal at rush hour on Monday but the device failed to detonate properly, leaving him and three others injured.

"Passports to one is issued after verifying his or her past records and the suspect named for the New York attack had no criminal record," the official told PTI.

Ullah, who moved to the United States seven years ago, has an address in Brooklyn, an area with most residents from Bangladesh.

He had entered the United States through "extended-family chain migration," a system President Donald Trump is seeking to end that allows families to sponsor relatives to come to the United States. He last visited Bangladesh in September, Dhaka Tribune reported.

The Bangladesh embassy in Washington condemned the attack in New York reiterating its "zero tolerance" stance against terrorism.

"Government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including Monday's incident in New York City," the embassy said in a statement shortly it became known that the attacker was of Bangladeshi-origin.

"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice," it added.

Bangladesh has been waging a war against homegrown extremism in the wake of numerous attacks by radical groups in recent years.

On 1 July, militants stormed a Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed. An Indian girl was among those killed in Bangladesh's worst terror attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

The secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to root out extremism but says international radical groups do not operate inside Bangladesh.
San Francisco: Mayor Ed Lee, who oversaw a technology-driven economic boom in San Francisco that brought with it sky-high housing prices despite his commitment to economic equality, died suddenly early Tuesday at age 65.

A statement from Lee's office said the city's first Asian-American mayor died at 1:11 am at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

"It is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm that Mayor Edwin M Lee passed away," the statement said. Lee was surrounded by family, friends and colleagues. No cause of death was reported.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors President London Breed became acting mayor and planned a late morning news conference.

Supervisors and other public officials were stunned and saddened by his sudden death. They praised the low-key mustachioed mayor who was better known as a former civil rights lawyer and longtime city bureaucrat than a flashy politician.

"I am floored. I can't believe he's gone. I just held a press conference with Mayor Lee yesterday ... He was his normal friendly and jovial self," state Senator Scott Wiener told KTVU-TV. "He wasn't the flashiest guy in the world, but he worked hard and it was an honour to work with him."

Former Mayor Willie Brown and the late political power broker Rose Pak talked Lee into filling out the rest of Gavin Newsom's term when he was elected California's lieutenant governor in 2010. He was appointed interim mayor by the Board of Supervisors in 2011 after professing no interest in taking on the job permanently.

"We won based on our political shenanigans and our political skill sets. He got elevated to our mayor-ship under our charter and got re-elected twice," Brown said.

Brown said Lee will be known as the man who "stepped up and made it possible for Silicon Valley to almost relocate to our city."

US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who lives in San Francisco, said Lee's background as a community organizer and civil rights lawyer served the city well.

"He knew the rhythms and the workings of San Francisco at the most granular level, and dedicated decades to improving the lives of all San Franciscans," she said in a statement.

Lee changed his mind about taking the job permanently and won a four-year term in 2011. He was re-elected in 2015. Lee was an advocate for the needy, but in 2015, he ran against a slate of little-known candidates who criticized him as doing more for tech leaders than for poor people.

Detractors claimed he catered too much to Silicon Valley, citing his brokering of a tax break in 2011 to benefit Twitter as part of a remake of the city's downtown. Meanwhile, housing prices have surged in San Francisco with modest homes now topping $1.5 million.

Lee, who is survived by his wife Anita and daughters Brianna and Tania, was a civil rights lawyer who became the San Francisco city administrator before taking over as mayor.

He was a staunch supporter of San Francisco's sanctuary city policy toward immigrants, a stance he reiterated last month when a Mexican man who had been repeatedly deported was acquitted of murder in the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle.

The case became a flashpoint in the nation's immigration debate, with then-candidate Donald Trump repeatedly referencing it as an example of the need for stricter immigration policies and a wall along the Mexican border.

Flags were lowered at City Hall early Tuesday. The last mayor to die in office was George Moscone, who was murdered by a disgruntled former Board of Supervisors member in 1978, leading to the ascension of then-Board of Supervisors President Dianne Feinstein to mayor. Feinstein is now California's senior US senator.

Lee's death now will likely upend the race to replace him, which had been scheduled for 2019. Former state Senator Mark Leno, a onetime member of the Board of Supervisors and longtime political figure, has already announced his candidacy.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The nearly man of South African politics, Cyril Ramaphosa, is at last in with a chance of becoming president after being overlooked for years. South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa greets security personnel at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2017 meeting in Durban, South Africa, May 5, 2017. REUTERS/Rogan Ward/FilesRamaphosas political abilities have been apparent for decades. Whenever Nelson Mandela needed a breakthrough in talks to end apartheid, he would turn to the then trade union leader with a reputation as a tenacious negotiator. Using skills honed in pay disputes with mining bosses, Ramaphosa steered those talks to a successful conclusion, allowing Mandela to sweep to power in 1994 as head of the African National Congress. Mandela wanted Ramaphosa to be his heir but was pressured into picking Thabo Mbeki by a group of ANC leaders who had fought apartheid from exile. It has taken more than two decades for Ramaphosa, now deputy president, to get another chance to run the country. The 65-year-old is one of the two favourites to become ANC leader at a party vote this weekend. Whoever wins the ANC race will probably be the countrys next president because of the ruling partys electoral dominance. Ramaphosas ambition for the presidency has been clear through his whole adult life. He was quite clearly wounded by his marginalisation in the Mbeki period, said Anthony Butler, a politics professor who has written a biography of Ramaphosa. The choice between Ramaphosa and his main rival for the ANCs top job, former cabinet minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will help determine the pace of reform in South Africa and affect how the country gets on with with foreign powers. A trained lawyer with an easygoing manner, Ramaphosa has vowed to fight corruption and revitalise an economy which has slowed to a near-standstill under President Jacob Zuma. That message has gone down well with foreign investors and ANC members who think Zumas handling of the economy could cost the party dearly in 2019 parliamentary elections. Dlamini-Zuma, who clashed with Western countries while foreign minister, has promised a radical brand of wealth redistribution which is popular with poorer ANC voters who are angry at racial inequality. While Ramaphosa, who declined to be interviewed for this story, has backed radical economic transformation, an ANC plan to tackle inequality, he tends to couch his policy pronouncements in more cautious terms. Analysts say the race between Ramaphosa and Dlamini-Zuma, who was previously married to President Zuma, is too close to call. LABOUR LEADER Unlike Zuma or Dlamini-Zuma, Ramaphosa was not driven into exile for opposing apartheid, which some of the partys more hardline members hold against him. He fought the injustices of white minority rule from within South Africa, most prominently by defending the rights of black miners as leader of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). A member of the relatively small Venda ethnic group, Ramaphosa was able to overcome divisions that sometimes constrained members of the larger Zulu and Xhosa groups. A massive miners strike led by Ramaphosas NUM in 1987 taught business that Cyril was a force to be reckoned with, said Michael Spicer, a former executive at Anglo American. He has a shrewd understanding of men and power and knows how to get what he wants from a situation, Spicer said. The importance of Ramaphosas contribution to the talks to end apartheid is such that commentators have referred to them in two distinct stages: BC and AC, Before Cyril and After Cyril. Ramaphosa also played an important role in the drafting of South Africas post-apartheid constitution. INVESTOR FAVOURITE After missing out on becoming Mandelas deputy, Ramaphosa withdrew from active political life, switching focus to business. His investment vehicle Shanduka - Venda for change - grew rapidly and acquired stakes in mining firms, mobile operator MTN and McDonalds South African franchise. Phuti Mahanyele, a former chief executive at Shanduka, recalled that Ramaphosa was a passionate leader who required staff to contribute to charitable projects aimed at improving access to education for the underprivileged. By the time Ramaphosa sold out of Shanduka in 2014, the firm was worth more than 8 billion rand ($584 million in todays money), making Ramaphosa one of South Africas 20 richest people. To his supporters, Ramaphosas business success makes him well-suited to the task of turning around an economy grappling with 28 percent unemployment and credit rating downgrades. In the Johannesburg township of Soweto last month, Ramaphosa called for a new deal between business and government to spur economic growth. Pravin Gordhan, a respected former finance minister, told Reuters that if Ramaphosa was elected ANC leader, the whole narrative about South Africas economy would change for the better within three months. Signs that Ramaphosa has done well in the nominations by ANC branches that precede the leadership vote have driven a rally in the rand in recent weeks. But Ramaphosa has his detractors too. He was a non-executive director at Lonmin when negotiations to halt a violent wildcat strike at its Marikana platinum mine in 2012 ended in police shooting 34 strikers dead. An inquiry subsequently absolved Ramaphosa of guilt. But some families of the victims still blame him for urging the authorities to intervene. My conscience is that I participated in trying to stop further deaths from happening, Ramaphosa said recently about the Marikana deaths. Others are unconvinced that Ramaphosa, who has been deputy president since 2014, will be as tough on corruption as his campaign rhetoric suggests. Bantu Holomisa, an opposition politician and former ANC member who worked closely with Ramaphosa in the 1990s, said he was by nature cautious. Cyril has been part of the machinery and has not acted on corruption so far, Holomisa said. It is not clear whether he will if he gets elected. ($1 = 13.6947 rand)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma has rejected local news reports that his office has started drafting regulations for a state of emergency, the presidents office said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma attends the 37th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in the capital, Pretoria,South Africa, August 19, 2017. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File PhotoEmergency laws were last deployed in parts of Africas most industrialised economy in 1985 under former president P.W. Botha, the face of white South Africa as president at the height of the anti-apartheid struggle. The Presidency rejects the media reports alleging that The Presidency has started composing draft regulations for a state of emergency and that President Jacob Zuma has appointed a team to draw up such regulations, Zumas office said in a statement. The Presidency is not working on regulations for a state of emergency. Emergency powers have not been used in South Africa since the countrys 1994 transition to multi-racial democracy after decades of white apartheid rule. The Rapport newspaper had reported that Zuma had ordered that regulations for a state of emergency be prepared to be part of the State of Emergency Act passed in 1997. The newspaper said the detailed regulations that would outline what should happen during a state of emergency were never passed into law when the main legislation was enacted. It cited documents showing that Zuma had set up a team to make the draft regulations. According to Rapport the draft regulations would ban anyone from writing publishing or broadcasting threatening material and give security forces power to use as much force as necessary to restore law and order.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: A Pentagon official has told the Associated Press that transgender people can enlist in the military from 1 January, despite President Donald Trump's opposition.

The new policy reflects growing legal pressure on the issue and the difficult hurdles the government would have to cross to enforce Trump's demand to ban transgender individuals from the military.

Two federal courts already have ruled against the ban.

Potential transgender recruits will have to overcome a lengthy and strict set of physical, medical and mental conditions that make it possible, though difficult, for them to join the armed services.

Major David Eastburn said on Monday that the new guidelines mean the Pentagon can disqualify potential recruits with gender dysphoria, a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition and those who underwent reconstruction. But such recruits are allowed in if a medical provider certifies they've been clinically stable in their preferred sex for 18 months and are free of significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas.

Transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy must be stable on their medication for 18 months.

The requirements make it challenging for a transgender recruit to pass. But they mirror concerns President Barack Obama's administration laid out when the Pentagon initially lifted its ban on transgender service last year.

"Due to the complexity of this new medical standard, trained medical officers will perform a medical prescreen of transgender applicants for military service who otherwise meet all applicable applicant standards," Eastburn said.
Ankara: Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have warned that Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel risks escalating tension in an already tense region.

Trump's decision and his plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem sparked violence in Jerusalem, with a fifth day of protests in the Middle East.

"Both Russia and Turkey believe that the decision... does not help regulating the situation in the Middle East but instead destabilises the already complicated atmosphere," Putin said during a press conference in Ankara on Monday.

"It can derail the Israel-Palestine peace process," he warned after his meeting with Erdogan following lightning visits to Syria and Egypt earlier in the day.

Erdogan said that he and Putin had taken a similar approach on the issue as he accused Israel of continuing to "add fuel to the flames". "Israel is using this as an opportunity to further increase the pressure and violence against Palestinians," he added.

Putin earlier in Cairo stressed the importance of "the immediate resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks over all disputed issues, including the status of Jerusalem".

The Turkish head of state bitterly opposes Trump's decision and has sought to mobilise the Muslim world against it, calling a summit of Islamic countries on 13 December in Istanbul. Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, said the "struggle" of Muslims would not end until there is an independent Palestinian state.

"They will never be able to clean the blood," he said in a speech in Ankara. "With this recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it (the United States) has become a partner to this bloodshed. We do not recognise this decision, we will not," he added.

Turkey had high hopes for bilateral relations under the Trump presidency, but ties have frayed with rows over the Syria conflict, a New York legal case and now Jerusalem.

Erdogan said that the current "vandalism and cruelty" in Jerusalem would not last. "Those who think they own Jerusalem today will not find trees to hide behind," he said.

Trump's move has ignited protests across the Islamic world and deadly violence in the Palestinian territories.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday brought federal charges against the suspect in Mondays attempted suicide bombing in one of New York Citys busiest commuter hubs, accusing him of supporting a foreign terrorist organisation. Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi and self-described supporter of Islamic State, was also charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. district court in Manhattan with bombing a public place, destruction of property by means of explosive and use of a destructive device. Ullah planned to murder as many human beings as he could ... in support of a vicious terrorist cause, acting U.S. attorney Joon Kim told a news conference after filing the charges. New York police say Ullah set off a pipe bomb in an underground corridor of the subway system that connects Times Square to the Port Authority Bus Terminal at rush hour on Monday morning, injuring himself and three others. He told police interviewers after the blast that I did it for the Islamic State, according to court papers filed by federal prosecutors. Ullah began the process of self-radicalization in 2014 when he began viewing pro-Islamic State materials online and carried out his attack because he was angry over U.S. policies in the Middle East, prosecutors said. New York officials on Tuesday also filed state charges against Ullah, as investigators in his home country questioned his wife. Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism, and making a terroristic threat under New York state law, the New York Police Department said. The federal charges, which are expected to take precedence over the state charges, carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Ullah remains in the hospital. His first appearance in the case will likely be there either later on Tuesday or on Wednesday. On the morning of the attack, Ullah posted on his Facebook page, Trump you failed to protect your nation. Ullahs passport, which was recovered from his home, had handwritten notes, including one that read, O AMERICA, DIE IN YOUR RAGE. HOMEMADE BOMB Police officers stand guard outside the closed New York Port Authority Subway entrance following an reported explosion, in New York City, U.S. December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidInvestigators at the scene found a nine-volt battery inside Ullahs pants pocket, as well as fragments from a metal pipe and the remnants of what appeared to be a Christmas tree light bulb attached to wires. Ullah told investigators he built the bomb at his Brooklyn home one week before the attack, filling the pipe with metal screws to maximize damage. He chose a workday to target as many people as possible. Investigators in Bangladesh were questioning Ullahs wife, according to two officials who declined to be identified as they were not permitted to discuss the matter publicly. They said the couple have a six-month-old baby boy. A police official who took part in that interview, who declined to be named as he is not authorized to speak publicly, said the wife told investigators that Ullah had never prayed regularly before he moved to the United States. New York police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were leading the investigation into Ullah in conjunction with other agencies through the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and were asking the public for any information about the suspect. Slideshow (9 Images)Investigators are poring through data on Ullahs electronic devices, said a law enforcement official speaking on the condition of anonymity. Assistant FBI director in charge William Sweeney said, there is so far no indication that Ullah attracted attention of FBI before. Ullah lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn and was a green card holder, said Shameem Ahsan, consul general of Bangladesh in New York. U.S. President Donald Trump said again on Tuesday that the attack emphasized the need for U.S. immigration reforms. Mondays incident occurred less than two months after an Uzbek immigrant killed eight people by speeding a rental truck down a New York City bike path, in an attack for which Islamic State claimed responsibility. There have now been two terrorist attacks in New York City in recent weeks carried out by foreign nationals here on green cards, Trump said. The first attacker came through the visa lottery the second came through chain migration. Were going to end both of them. The U.S. Supreme Court last week allowed Trumps latest travel ban, targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries, to go into full effect even as legal challenges continued in lower courts. The ban covers people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen seeking to enter the United States. Trump has said the travel ban is needed to protect the United States from terrorism by Islamist militants. Bangladesh is not among the countries affected by the ban.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Buenos Aires: Talks at the 11th ministerial of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are set to collapse with the US refusing to engage in the effort to find a permanent solution to the public stockholding issue, official sources said.

Assistant US trade representative Sharon Bomer Lauritsen in a small group meeting said that permanent solution to the food stockholding issue was not acceptable to America, they said.

With US refusing to engage in negotiation on the crucial issue, which the 11th ministerial is mandated to deliver, would lead to collapse of the talks, one of the officials said.

India has been maintaining that permanent solution to food stockpile issue was a "must have" at the ongoing ministerial.

New Delhi has toughened its stand on the need for a permanent solution to the public stock holding of food, saying that failing to achieve it at the WTO's ongoing 11th ministerial meeting here would impact the credibility of the multilateral institution.
Google has started rolling out an update to the Google Phone app which brings the app version to v15 along with a set of features like the Assisted Dialing feature for international travelers, users on Android 8.1 will now see the white navigation bar and more.

A teardown from the previous update revealed about the assisted dialing for international travelers feature is now enabled and this feature will now automatically prefix phone calls with the appropriate country code of your home country when youre in a foreign country.

In the app settings screen, youll find the new option for Assisted dialing with an option to turn it off or off. You can even specify your home country if its not automatically recognized by the app. Theres also Clean update feature that is made available in the latest update and this feature basically merges or deletes all the duplicate contacts.

The Phone app version 15 running on Android 8.1 brings white nav bar and this change was already rolled out to Maps, Gmail, Photos, etc. From black to white nav bar change is mainly because of the issues with the screen burn-in and retention issues of the OLED panels. Like with every app update release, the Phone app teardown reveals some of the hidden features like Pre-call support for dual-SIM phones which lets you choose which SIM you want to use before making a call that will be available in the coming update.

You can either wait till Google pushes the Phone App v15 update to your phone through PlayStore or manually download the Google-signed APK from here and side-load it.

Source
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, consumer advocates and others have reached a settlement with Xcel Energy over the utility's plans to add more wind power for customers in New Mexico and parts of Texas.

The proposed agreement was filed Monday with New Mexico utility regulators for approval. The Public Utility Commission of Texas also will have to sign off, but officials said some work remains before a final agreement can be presented to regulators there.

The Sagamore Wind Project is planned for Roosevelt County. It would be the largest wind farm in New Mexico, providing more than 520 megawatts of power.

The other  with a capacity of nearly 480 megawatts  would be located in Hale County, Texas.

As part of the agreement, the attorney general's office, staff at the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission and others sought certain assurances that the wind farms would benefit customers.

"I'm committed to ensuring energy affordability and security, protecting our natural environment and growing New Mexico's fragile economy," Balderas said Monday in voicing his support for the agreement.

The parties negotiated an investment cap that is equal to an amount slightly above the estimated construction costs. They also agreed that production from the wind farms would not fall below a certain percentage of the turbines' total capacity.

Under the proposal, the utility will be able to match the start of cost recovery in retail rates in New Mexico with the dates that the wind farms will come online.

Pending regulatory approval in both states and no detrimental effects from changes in federal income tax law, Xcel expects to start construction on the Hale project by the second quarter of 2018 and bring it on line in 2019. Work on the New Mexico project would start in 2019, with operations beginning in 2020.

David Hudson, president of Xcel Energy in New Mexico and Texas, said the company and the other parties are looking out for the long-term interests of customers.

"We know these projects will deliver lower cost electricity, protect the environment and boost local economic development," he said in a statement.
If you work in retail, most of the time you can only dream of a day off on Black Friday to spend with friends and family exploring the outdoors. But at REI, unique perks like this are par for the course -- just one of the ways that REI does things differently.

In fact, it's in its organizational DNA. As a consumer co-operative, or co-op, REI is owned by its members. Additionally, it gives back a large portion of its profits every year back to employees, members and nonprofits advancing causes like sustainability and access to public lands -- nearly 70 percent in 2016. And as a group of nature lovers and outdoor adventurers, it's not rare to find employees conducting meetings while hiking or kayaking.

So far, taking the path less traveled seems to be working out for REI. It has been in business for nearly 80 years, and been able to grow at a time when many retailers are struggling. Last year, it brought in $2.56 billion in revenue and most recently, the co-op was honored as a 2018 Best Place to Work through Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Awards (with a rating of 4.3).

Glassdoor's Emily Moore caught up with REI CEO and President, Jerry Stritzke, to talk about the outdoor company's big win, their commitment to corporate social responsibility and how taking risks has paid off in spades for the co-op. Here's what he had to say.

Glassdoor: One thing that's unique about REI is all of the perks you offer your staff -- profit-sharing, retirement plans, Yay Days, the #OptOutside movement... that's pretty rare for a retail company. How did you decide to develop perks like that?

Jerry Stritzke: A lot of it was born out of focusing on what our shared values are and what's most important to us. [With Yay Days in particular], the idea was that we wanted our employees to go out and spend that perfect day on the ski slope or at the beach with pay so they don't have to worry about missing work.

Glassdoor: Beyond Yay Days, how do you make REI a great place to work on a day-to-day basis?

Jerry Stritzke: We like to think of the retail staff as "inspired guides." We expect them to love what they do, know about the gear, be passionate about it. And then when people come into the store, find out what they're interested in and help them be successful at that. That idea of sharing and helping people live a life outside is really compelling.

Glassdoor: Another way that REI stands out is in its commitment to conscious capitalism. I'm curious to hear what that means to you at REI.

Jerry Stritzke: We talk a lot about the co-op being a different kind of company. And it really is, from the day that it was founded in 1938 by a group of 23 mountaineer friends. Being a part of something that is important, that you believe in, that represents your values and that is literally a different sort of company is a real game-changer.

There are a hundred examples of where we live our values as a company, whether it's stepping up for our own when there's a hurricane in Houston, or advocating for public lands. We had an amazing campaign this spring called Force of Nature to talk about and celebrate women in the outdoors. We live our values in a way that I think becomes a matter of pride for our staff.

Glassdoor: And do you view your commitment to employee experience as an extension of that conscious capitalism?

Jerry Stritzke: Yes, it's an all-encompassing idea. You could call it a quadruple-bottom line, this idea of: "What role do we play in our community? What role do we play with our employees? What role do we play with our members? And are we good citizens?" The relationship with our employees is one of the best ways to build relationships with our members, so we hold ourselves accountable to living up to those values.

Glassdoor: How exactly would you describe your company culture?

Jerry Stritzke: We believe a life lived outside is a life well-lived, and we have a shared passion around that. It underpins everything we do -- here's just one example. I'll go to southern California for meetings with stores, and we'll put 15 or 20 people in kayaks and we'll paddle out on the ocean, get in a circle and have a chat. I recently visited another store and we rode mountain bikes together for a couple hours. Then we had 200 employees in Joshua Tree this summer for experiential training. We spent three days and two nights there using gear that we sell alongside experts from the companies that produce it. We were camping in tents and eating meals around a campfire. We got up in the morning to do classes and evaluate next year's gear, then we spent all afternoon climbing, running and hiking. We do these paid experiential training programs regularly so that our retail staff can take that knowledge back and use it in their daily jobs.

Glassdoor: What's a challenging moment REI has faced, and how has the team rallied together to overcome it?

Jerry Stritzke: A lot of retailers that have been around for a long time are struggling. You're not immune from looking around and seeing that environment, so it's about creating a dialogue with your staff to see what's working and what's not. As we saw some store traffic soften a little bit earlier this year, we started challenging our teams with questions like, "How do we operate more effectively and efficiently?" Different regions took on efficiency projects and shared their thoughts about how to do more effective truck-unloads or stocking, and we just saw incredible work from the ground up. Our teams galvanized our momentum.

Glassdoor: What are a few things you want informed candidates to know before they apply to REI?

Jerry Stritzke: As important as what they know, is who they are. For us, that means: Do they have a love for the outdoors? Do they care about introducing other people to it? And do they want to be a part of something bigger than themselves and make a difference? When we find those kinds of people, they immediately become part of a community that REI represents.

On a side note, in 2015, when we announced we were going to be closed on Black Friday for #OptOutside, we saw the number of applications double. I think that example of living our values, being authentic and making big decisions draws people in. So I feel like who we are attracts, almost by definition, the kind of people that are passionate about what we do.

Glassdoor: Let's talk a little more about #OptOutside. When you first announced it, I'm sure there were plenty of people outside of the company who thought it was crazy. How did you respond to that?

Jerry Stritzke: It was something we were scared to death about, or at least I was -- I thought that I was going to be [called] the dumbest CEO in retail. Interestingly enough, we first announced it to our own store managers. We had a leadership conference in Bend, Oregon with 148 store managers about a month before we went public with it, and I was really curious to see how they would react. When we announced it, it just became deathly quiet and people stood up and started applauding. Probably half the room was in tears.

I knew then, that regardless of what other people would say, that it was the right thing to do for our people. And to be honest, I'm proud of it. [This past Black Friday], my associates were outside playing with their families. And I look at the behavior of the companies that are still open on Thanksgiving and I'm distressed by it.

Glassdoor: Usually the experience for corporate versus retail employees is very different, but it seems that REI retail employees still feel really connected to your culture. Would you agree?

Jerry Stritzke: We look at our retail community with an enormous amount of admiration -- they're the group that really touches our membership every day, and they're all phenomenally authentic. If we want to have a conversation about what doing better looks like, that's where we start. So I would almost say we have a bit of an upside-down culture. We just recognize the incredible value that our retail staff brings to the co-op.

Glassdoor: What's your number one piece of career advice for everyone reading this?

Jerry Stritzke: I've worked at a lot of amazing companies, but REI is the first time I've been able to take my vocation and marry it to my passion. And I can't tell you how rewarding that is. To have the opportunity to work with a group of people that share that passion is really inspiring as well -- it just takes your commitment and the value you get from work to a completely different place. So I guess my one piece of career advice would be, "Know what your passion is and find a vocation that lets you leverage the two together." It's so profoundly rewarding.

Glassdoor: Last question -- is there anything we didn't quite get to that you'd like to add?

Jerry Stritzke: I think the fact that we've had strong scores [on Glassdoor] and a group of people who cared enough to go and write something positive is a little humbling and mind-boggling. I'm appreciative of those people, and what REI has meant and continues to mean to them.

The other thing I would share is that one thing that's different about REI is we really look at a long-term picture. The co-op's been around for close to 80 years, and we all want to see it be here for another 80 years. It means so much to us and our loved ones to be a part of advocating and doing good for the outdoors. We talk a lot about this idea of dreaming big, being bold and being really deliberate about what we want to accomplish, and we've got the kind of organization where that behavior is encouraged. It's a great place to work.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and concision. This article originally appeared on Glassdoor.com.

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European Union Council President Donald Tusk warned Tuesday that it will be a "furious race against time" for the EU and Britain to finish Brexit negotiations by next fall, saying only "moderate progress" has been achieved so far.

EU leaders will be asked at a summit starting Thursday to endorse proposals move to the second phase of negotiations and include future trade relations. Even if they do, Tusk warned most of the work is still ahead if Britain is to make an orderly departure from the EU on March 29, 2019.

In a signal of rough seas ahead, the two sides are already bickering over the stage-one deal announced with great fanfare on Friday.

The European Parliament's top Brexit legislator was among several EU leaders criticizing British negotiator David Davis for saying that last week's agreement between the EU and Britain was merely "a statement of intent," while they see it as cast in stone.

Guy Verhofstadt said it was an "unacceptable description" to call the deal anything less than a "legally enforceable text."

Davis' comments Sunday have caused unease in the EU which is expected to seep into the two-day summit. Verhofstadt told reporters at the EU legislature that Davis' statement "is really undermining the trust that is necessary in such negotiations."

It was a reminder of how precious a commodity trust is in the talks, which so far have reached agreement only on Britain's outstanding EU bill, the joint EU-U.K. border in Ireland and citizens' rights in each other's countries.

"We only have 10 months left to determine the transition period and our future relations with the UK. This will be a furious race against time," said Tusk in his invitation letter to EU leaders for their year-end summit on Thursday and Friday.

Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned Tuesday that "we will not accept any backtracking from the U.K."

"We will have a final agreement only if the political commitments taken by (Prime Minister) Theresa May in the name of the British government last Friday are respected," Barnier said.

German deputy foreign minister Michael Roth suggested some U.K. politicians were sending different messages to the EU and to domestic audiences. May's government is divided between pro-EU lawmakers and politicians who favor a tough Brexit, and fear she may be compromising too much with the bloc.

"One should act and speak exactly the same way here as in London," Roth said on the sidelines of a meeting in Brussels Tuesday, German news agency dpa reported. He said he was surprised that the British government's communication in Brussels was "somewhat different" to its communication in London.

May's official spokesman, James Slack, insisted the British government was fully committed to keeping its side of the deal.

"The agreement that was reached last week is a political agreement but that will move forward into a Withdrawal Agreement which will be legally binding," he said.

Davis also backtracked on his earlier remarks. He tweeted that he had spoken to "my friend" Verhofstadt, adding: "Let's work together to get it converted into legal text as soon as possible."

___

Lawless reported from London. Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) hasn't done many things wrong in its nearly 50-year existence. Founded by three academics in 1971 who learned the coffee business from Alfred Peet of Peet's Coffee and Tea, the founders made the best decision in the history of the business in 1982 by (reluctantly) hiring a young head of marketing: Howard Schultz.

Now executive chairman, former CEO Howard Schultz has had not one, not two, but three successful stints at the company. After leaving the former coffee-roaster to start a coffee shop in 1985, Il Giornale, Schultz purchased Starbucks two years later and became the president and CEO, a position he stepped down from in 2000.

Schultz returned eight years later to steady the ship in the wake of the Great Recession. The company emerged stronger after Shultz's return, doubling revenue over the next nine years. Still, no CEO is perfect, and Schultz is no exception: The small blemish on Shultz's incredible tenure is the company's failed acquisitions while he was its CEO.

In 2012, Starbucks paid Bay Bread Company $100 million to buy its La Boulange line of food. At the time, the company noted its intentions were to turn the brand into a national chain and expand to more than 400 national locations. At the time, Schultz noted, "After more than 40 years, we will be able to say that we are bakers too," and quickly rolled out the cakes and baked goods into its Starbucks-format stores. Instead, three years later Starbucks closed all 19 locations, noting it wasn't "sustainable for the company's long-term growth ."

However, it would be a folly to call La Boulange acquisition a total failure. The company has continued to use the recipes in its Starbucks locations to grow its top line. In fiscal 2017, the retail sales mix for food was 20%, up from 19% in 2012, while beverages dropped from 75% to 73% during this period, indicating stronger growth for food items than beverages.

Teavana's fallout appears to be significantly worse

After paying $620 million for the Teavana brand in 2012, Starbucks recently threw in the towel on its acquisition, announcing plans to close all 379 locations by January. However, its business partners have other plans and could cost Starbucks, and its current investors as well, more than the company's original investment.

In response to the announcement Starbucks was closing its locations, mall REIT Simon Property Group (NYSE:SPG) filed a lawsuit to stop the closings at its properties. Last week, a judge from Indiana ruled in favor of the mall operator, preventing Starbucks from closing 77 of its Teavana locations. At issue were the leases' continuous operation covenant, which requires Starbucks to continue to staff and stock merchandise in the stores during the lease.

The ruling in its current form appears to require Starbucks to continue to operate its stores, noting a strong possibility that other companies would follow Starbucks' example. The judge also faulted Starbucks for unilaterally deciding to close its business without communicating with Simon Property Group. It's clear Simon Property Group wants to avoid the appearance that closing stores would render the lease agreement invalid, and for good reason: Under threat from e-commerce, many major mall tenants are cutting store locations.

Although Simon Property Group's operates Class A upscale properties, which has weathered the storm better than Class B and Class C retail outlets and malls, large tenants such as Macy's, Sears Holdings, and J.C. Penney are struggling and are most likely watching this legal case closely, which ups the ante for Simon. It may cost Starbucks significantly more money to close its own stores, and more if other property owners file suit.

Failure is fuel for success

Howard Schultz will go down as one of the greatest CEOs ever. Much like Apple CEO Steve Jobs, he returned to his company to pull it back from the brink of irrelevance. With a long enough track record, every CEO is going to have a blemish or two. Considering the value Schultz created for Starbucks' investors, these failed acquisitions are only minor setbacks.

While Americans are captivated by success, we often forget failure is what fuels it. Michael Jordan once said: "I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Now there's someone who returned to his industry and led his organization to success.

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The Latest on the Republican tax overhaul (all times local):

5 p.m.

Congressional aides say Republican negotiators have agreed to lower the top tax rate for individuals from 39.6 percent to 37 percent as the final parameters of a sweeping tax package are starting to take shape.

The agreement was confirmed by two congressional aides who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they were not authorized to speak publicly about private negotiations.

The tax cut could be a windfall for the wealthiest Americans. It could also provide ammunition for Democrats who complain that the tax package is a massive giveaway to corporations and the rich.

Under current law, the top tax rate applies to income above $470,000 for married couples, though lawmakers are completely reworking the tax brackets.

Republican leaders say the tax cuts focus on the middle class.

 By Stephen Ohlemacher

___

4:45 p.m.

Congressional aides say Republican negotiators have agreed to set the corporate income tax rate at 21 percent as part of last-minute negotiations on a sweeping tax package.

Both the Senate bill and the House bill would lower the corporate rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. But negotiators agreed to bump the rate up to 21 percent to offset revenue losses from other tax breaks, said two congressional aides.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss private negotiations.

Business and conservative groups have lobbied hard to keep the corporate rate at 20 percent.

Lawmakers are working to deliver the most sweeping tax changes in more than 30 years to President Donald Trump's desk by Christmas.

 By Stephen Ohlemacher

___

1:25 p.m.

Congressional aides say negotiators have agreed to scale back the mortgage interest deduction, which would allow homeowners to deduct interest on the first $750,000 of a new mortgage.

The provision is part of a massive tax package speeding toward passage as early as next week.

The House bill would limit the deduction to the first $500,000 of a new mortgage, while the Senate bill would keep the current limit of $1 million. Two congressional aides said negotiators have agreed to split the difference.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss private negotiations.

The provision would not affect current mortgages.

__

12 p.m.

House and Senate negotiators are rushing to finalize the Republican tax legislation for a vote next week, to deliver the promised measure to President Donald Trump before Christmas.

The chief tax-writer in the House, Rep. Kevin Brady, says "We're on track to finish" this week. Brady pushed back against suggestions that lawmakers were hastily crafting complex legislation in only a few days. The negotiators are working to iron out the significant differences between the tax bills recently passed by the House and Senate.

"It's not like people don't know these issues," he said.

Republican leaders still are working to placate GOP lawmakers from high-tax states like California, New York and New Jersey whose constituents would be hit hard by the reduction of the prized federal deduction for state and local taxes.

3:23 a.m.

The Trump administration is asserting in a new analysis that the Republican-pushed tax overhaul will deliver a swift adrenaline shot to the economy that will send hundreds of billions pouring into federal tax coffers. But nonpartisan analysts make a less rosy projection of new revenue.

House and Senate negotiators are rushing to finalize the tax legislation and deliver the promised measure to President Donald Trump before Christmas. Trump will try on Wednesday to sell the American people on an unpopular GOP tax bill. His pitch is that the plan will lift all economic boats, bringing a brighter future for taxpayers and their families.

A Treasury Department analysis issued Monday estimated the tax legislation will generate a large part of $1.8 trillion in new revenue over 10 years.
Minnesota announced restrictions Tuesday on how farmers can use the herbicide dicamba in 2018, responding to complaints by soybean growers across the country that it harmed their crops this year.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture set a June 20 cutoff date for applying the herbicide and prohibited applications when the temperature or forecast high for the day is above 85 degrees. The rules are meant to reduce instances of the herbicide drifting and damaging neighboring fields, which has been a problem in soybean- and cotton-growing states nationwide this year.

"We will be closely monitoring the herbicide's performance with these restrictions in 2018," Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson said in a statement.

Farmers have used dicamba for decades, and its problems with volatility and drift were well-known. But its use has surged in the last couple years since agribusiness companies Monsanto, BASF and DuPont introduced genetically engineered, dicamba-tolerant varieties of soybeans and cotton so that farmers could use the herbicide to control tough weeds in those crops, such as pigweed, that have become resistant to other weed killers such as glyphosate, also known as Roundup.

The companies also introduced low-volatility formulations of dicamba designed to reduce evaporation and drift, but farmers who didn't plant resistant crop varieties or use dicamba soon began reporting suspected damage anyway.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says it received 253 complaints from soybean growers in 49 Minnesota counties, including 55 requests for formal inspections. University of Minnesota researchers estimate that 265,000 acres across the state were affected.

The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association welcomed the new rules.

"We need dicamba," the group's president, Michael Petefish, said in a statement. "We also need these new restrictions. Producers need to have the ability to adapt this product to their operations, and these additional guidelines will allow users to do just that in a safe and environmentally sound manner."

But Monsanto criticized Minnesota's new restrictions.

"There's no scientific reason to have a cutoff date or a temperature limit. There is no testing that supports it," Scott Partridge, Monsanto's vice president of global strategy, said in an interview. He encouraged the state to be flexible about the cutoff date if local conditions warrant. He pointed out that pigweed doesn't know the cutoff date, and it will be frustrating for farmers who find infestations of resistant weeds after that date not to have the herbicide available.

Partridge said the solution lies in education and training, so that farmers and applicators use the right equipment and follow the label instructions. He pointed out that in Georgia, where training was mandatory this year, the state received no reports of off-target movements of dicamba. In Monsanto's experience, he said, when dicamba is applied according to the label, the herbicide doesn't move beyond the buffer zone and damage nearby crops.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a deal with Monsanto, BASF and DuPont in September for new voluntary labeling requirements. Additional training and certifications will be required for workers who apply dicamba to crops. The new federal rules also limit when and how the herbicide can be sprayed, such as time of day, with winds not exceeding 10 mph.

Other states have also adopted restrictions that go further than the federal rules. Neighboring North Dakota has banned applications on soybeans after June 30 or the crop's first bloom phase, whichever comes first. Monsanto has sued to block even tougher restrictions proposed in Arkansas to prohibit its use from April 16 through Oct. 31. A legislative panel on Tuesday recommended state regulators revise the proposed ban.

Arkansas has received nearly 1,000 complaints about dicamba. The state imposed a temporary ban on its sales and use earlier this year.

___

Associated Press writer Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed to this report.
Poland Spring says it pumped more than $200 million into Maine's economy last year.

The Press Herald reports Poland Spring released the economic impact report Tuesday. The assessment includes payroll, vendor payments, sales and taxes generated by the bottled water company.

According to the review, the company employed 860 workers in 2016. Poland Spring says it has added 200 jobs since 2005.

Poland Spring plans to build a new plant that would add up to 80 new jobs.

The company was accused of providing water that's not actually from springs earlier this year. It faced a similar lawsuit in 2003 in Illinois.

___

Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
More than 700,000 South Carolina power customers are unfairly "holding the bag," the state's top attorney told regulators Tuesday, obligated to pay over $2 billion in interest debt for a failed nuclear reactor construction project that has never generated any electricity and likely never will.

Attorney General Alan Wilson's testimony came as part of a daylong hearing before the Public Service Commission, which is considering a request to end South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.'s ability to charge its customers for a now-abandoned nuclear power project at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station.

Earlier this year, SCE&G and state-owned utility Santee Cooper, its partner in the project, opted to halt construction, citing the bankruptcy of lead contractor Westinghouse as the primary reason. In rate hikes since 2009, SCE&G customers have been charged billions to cover the company's debt on the project, despite no power having been generated.

The prosecutor has filed as an intervener in a case filed by the Office of Regulatory Staff, the entity that represents public interests in utility matters. On Tuesday, the commission held a hearing to consider Regulatory Staff's request to halt the billing, which amounts to roughly $27 per month, per customer.

Wilson, a Republican, said Tuesday that SCE&G customers didn't have sufficient warning the company wanted numerous rate hikes to help fund construction of new reactors, as meeting notices placed perfunctorily in newspapers were the only warning any increases had been submitted to regulators. Once the hikes were approved, inserts in monthly bills were the only notice customers received, Wilson said.

Wilson said he felt compelled to speak on behalf of the more than 700,000 SCE&G ratepayers who've been subjected to those increases, which are legal under a law swiftly passed in 2008 by lawmakers eager to see the positive benefits promised by the massive economic project. The law has previously been upheld by the state's highest court, but earlier this year, Wilson's office issued a non-legally-binding opinion calling the law allowing the upfront charges "constitutionally suspect."

"It is our position that unconstitutional application of the Base Load Review Act has deprived these ratepayers of their right to be adequately informed of the numerous rate increases they have incurred over the past 10 years," Wilson said Tuesday.

In more than two hours before the commission Tuesday, an attorney for SCE&G warned of potentially catastrophic economic consequences if the billing, which brings in $445 million a year for SCE&G, were to stop. Ending the payments, Belton Zeigler warned, would cause SCE&G to slide into bankruptcy if regulators make them stop charging ratepayers for the project.

"It could set in motion a quick cascade of events that would devolve to insolvency, financial crisis and ultimately a bankruptcy filing by SCE&G," Zeigler said, of cutting off the funding.

Last month, SCE&G announced plans to seek an immediate 3.5 percent rate reduction, which incoming President Keller Kissam said would save customers $450 million over five years. That move would also be subject to regulatory approval. In addition, Kissam said the company's shareholders will be responsible for net construction costs remaining from the failed V.C. Summer project, taking lower earnings payouts over the next 50 years.

The commission will rule on Regulatory Staff's request later. The multibillion-dollar project failure has spawned more than half-a-dozen lawsuits, and a judge is holding a hearing over possible consolidation of some of those next month. State and federal authorities are also investigating the failure, which caused thousands to lose their jobs.

___

Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP . Read her work at https://apnews.com/search/meg%20kinnard .
What's happening?

Shares of LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC) are on the move, rising about 10% as of 3:30 p.m. EST after a major shareholder filed a revised 13D filing showing an increased stake in the company. Shanda Media Limited, led by Chinese billionaire Chen Tianqiao, recently added to its position in LendingClub stock, purchasing 4 million shares on Dec. 7.

So what

Tianqiao burst onto the LendingClub scene in 2016, when Shanda Media Limited filed its first 13D filing, showing that it owned nearly 12% of the online consumer lender. The shares were purchased as LendingClub's stock cratered because of the abrupt resignation of its CEO, Renaud Laplanche.

The investor added to its stake shortly after LendingClub's chief executive departed, disclosing in June 2016 that it owned 57.7 million shares, or 15.1% of LendingClub's outstanding stock. LendingClub said in 2016 that it was in discussions with Shanda Media about its investment in the company, and that it viewed the investor's "actions as an endorsement of the long-term prospects and value of our business model." Since then, however, neither company has had anything to say publicly about one another.

Shanda broke the silence with action last Thursday, when it purchased 4 million LendingClub shares at a weighted average price of approximately $3.80. Its stake now stands at 61.7 million shares, or 14.9% of the company. Its stake decreased in percentage terms because of an increase in the number of LendingClub shares outstanding since its previous filing.

Now what

At the time of its original investment, Shanda Media expressed an interest in being a purely passive investor in the company. That may change as LendingClub shares teeter near an all-time low, and well below Shanda Media's average cost basis of approximately $4.78 per share.

Wall Street interpreted another investment by LendingClub's largest shareholder as a positive sign for the company. Shares of the online lender have suffered in 2017 because of repeated reductions in company guidance, and questions about the quality of the company's underwriting practices, particularly as it relates to subprime consumer credits.

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Authorities say an Idaho man tried to crash a car into a courthouse in downtown Boise because he was upset with the court system.

The Ada County Sheriff's office says 37-year-old Jonathan Joseph Locksmith drove toward the courthouse in the state's capital city Sunday morning.

According to authorities, Locksmith apparently made it onto the courthouse plaza in the car, spinning it around in a "doughnut" before landing the vehicle in a fountain.

There were no injuries reported.

Locksmith has been arrested on a misdemeanor reckless driving charge and is now in jail.

It's unclear if he has an attorney.

The sheriff's office says Locksmith told a passer-by that he was upset with the court system and wanted to be arrested to go back to jail.

SASQUATCH BLAMED FOR IDAHO CAR CRASH
CNN has accused President Trump of bullying Don Lemon in a tweet that called the polarizing anchor the dumbest man on television.

Trump slammed The New York Times on Monday morning over what he called a false story claiming he watches up to eight hours of television a day  while taking yet another swipe at CNN and MSNBC. The Times article detailed Trumps hour-by-hour battle for self-preservation, describing how he sometimes hate-watches CNNs Lemon.

Another false story, this time in the Failing @nytimes, that I watch 4-8 hours of television a day - Wrong! Also, I seldom, if ever, watch CNN or MSNBC, both of which I consider Fake News. I never watch Don Lemon, who I once called the dumbest man on television! Bad Reporting, Trump tweeted on Monday morning.

CNN quickly issued a statement, accusing Trump of bullying the 51-year-old anchor.

In a world where bullies torment kids on social media to devastating effect on a regular basis with insults and name calling, it is sad to see our president engaging in the very same behavior himself. Leaders should lead by example, CNN said.

Former CNN political analyst Jeff Greenfield isnt a fan of CNNs statement and mocked his old network.

Unless Don Lemon is a LOT younger than he appears to be, this is a tone-deaf overreach. From what I've seen, Lemon--unlike bullied kids whose school officials ignore the issue--is more than capable of standing up for himself. This almost infantilizes him, he tweeted.

Fox News contributor Stephen Miller joked, CNN just compared themselves to a crying kid in a car and they think that's the high road.

President Trump has an ongoing feud with CNN, which has essentially implemented an anti-Trump programming strategy. As a result, the president often refers to CNN as fake news and the network has launched an advertising campaign in an attempt to shake that moniker with a Facts First initiative.

CNN had to issue an embarrassing correction on Friday when the Washington Post debunked the network's report claiming the Trump campaign had early, secret access to hacked DNC emails from WikiLeaks. The network on Friday inaccurately trumpeted that Congressional investigators obtained a mysterious 2016 email that was sent to Trump and other top aides, including Donald Trump Jr., which contained information on how to get a sneak peek at hacked information that WikiLeaks had acquired. The email, as CNN reported, offered a decryption key to access the files  but the network botched the date on the email, rendering the entire report irrelevant.

In addition, CNN on Monday gently backpedaled a report from earlier this year that bashed Attorney General Jeff Sessions for failing to disclose meetings he had with Russian officials when he applied for his security clearance  but it turns out he wasnt required to.
After rumors surfaced about actress Renee Zellweger being inappropriately linked to now disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, her representatives are firing back to make it clear that the story is not true.

The claims come from the recently filed class-action lawsuit against Weinstein by six women alleging that not only is the 65-year-old guilty of sexual assault, but that extreme measures were taken by companies around him to cover up any wrongdoing. In that suit, it is alleged that Bridget Jones actress Renee Zellweger performed sexual favors for Weinstein in order to move her career forward.

If Harvey said that, hes full of s---, a rep for Zellweger told Fox News.

Zellweger starred in a handful of projects produced by Weinsteins companies, most notably Cold Mountain, for which she won an Oscar in 2004.

Weinstein has been at the forefront of the publics conversation since October, when a litany of women came forward with allegations of harassment, assault and other misconduct.

According to the lawsuit, actresses and other women in the film industry were lured by Weinsteins promises of fame and work into hotel rooms, offices and more private meetings where he allegedly routinely harassed them.

A rep for Weinstein told Fox News that Mr. Weinstein vehemently denies these accusations and has never stated he slept with any of them," following accusations that he also slept with Gwyneth Paltrow and Charlize Theron.

"Its ridiculous that anyone would believe these talented women, academy award winners, provided sexual favors in exchange for roles they earned based on their talent and brilliant work. Its simply not true," the statement read.

Zellweger herself has not commented on the situation, but her reps seem to be making their stance clear.
Meghan Markle isnt the only American actress to have ever caught the eye of a dashing prince.

Britains Kensington Palace announced in November the 36-year-old star of USA Networks Suits was engaged to Prince Harry, the 33-year-old son of the late Princess Diana.

Grace Kelly, one of the most famous stars to have ever come out of Hollywood, married Prince Rainier of Monaco at the height of her popularity at age 26 in 1956. The Alfred Hitchcock muse would go on to become a princess and give birth to three children before she tragically died in a car crash at age 52 in 1982.

The blonde screen siren is now the subject of a new coffee table book, titled Grace Kelly: Hollywood Dream Girl, which explores her lasting legacy as a star. Authors Jay Jorgenson and Manoah Bowman researched and curated over 400 photographs featuring rare childhood snaps, on-set candids and original portraits.

Jorgensen, a film and fashion historian, interviewed Kellys agent Jay Kanter; Bernard Wiesen, who worked on her 1955 film To Catch a Thief opposite Cary Grant; as well as close friends and relatives, to gain further insight on Kellys life as a beloved actress and princess.

Jorgensen told Fox News that even after the Hollywood star gave up her acting career to become a royal for Monaco, she never forgot her all-American roots.

It was really important for her to stay in touch with people, Jorgensen told Fox News. She wrote handwritten letters all the time One of her friends became very insecure about her relationship with Grace because she was living such a different life. So she stopped communicating with Grace.

"And Grace would still write her letters all the time eventually they did reconnect It was really important for her to stay in touch with people. She always wanted to know what was going on outside of Monaco, in Hollywood and [her native] Philadelphia. The letters kept her from feeling so isolated.

And she was very funny too, revealed Jorgensen. Thats what a lot of people told me. She just had a great sense of humor. She loved jokes. Any kind of joke. Racy, whatever  as long as it was funny. That was important to her.

In fact, it was Kellys passion for writing letters and staying connected with friends that may have initially captivated Prince Rainier. While there are several accounts of how the couple met, its been said the two were paired up for a Paris Match photo shoot in 1955.

They barely had any time together, Jorgensen said about their first meeting. But Grace sent him a thank-you note after their meeting and he was very impressed by that. Shes not what he thought a Hollywood actress would be. So they started corresponding and revealing themselves in letters, rather than meeting in person, which probably wouldnt have been easy for them since they were both very shy people. And thats how the relationship grew, through these letters.

And while their fairy-tale marriage would go on to inspire countless brides, including reportedly Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, Jorgensen claimed Kelly and Rainier hated the spectacle of their televised wedding of the century.

Vogue reported two ceremonies were held, one civil and one religious, and the former had been attended by around 3,000 citizens of Monaco. About 1,800 photographers and reporters arrived to capture the highly publicized event.

Part of the problem was they had spent very little time together before the wedding, claimed Jorgensen.  When Grace arrived to Monaco for the wedding, they hadnt even spent a full month together. And so, they really just wanted to be alone.

"They knew the expectations were that they couldnt be, but they really just wanted to spend some time together and maybe get to know each other a little bit more before the wedding [but] so much was expected of them by the country and its citizens They had to wait until the honeymoon.

Jorgensen added, In fact, after Grace died, Rainier had even said he wished he and Grace were alone more. And Grace had said something much like that in an interview as well. That she would have loved to have taken a year off just with him.

That wasnt the only trouble Kelly faced with her new role. As an American who barely knew French and had left behind everything shes ever known, she reportedly struggled to cope as a commoner expected to be a well-respected princess.

A foreign princess in the mid-1950s [was] not the most welcomed, explained Jorgensen. I think she was expected to stay in her place. That was not Graces style, but Grace was smart enough to know that she just had to wait. She had to figure out how to help the people of Monaco in the way that she wanted to She had to learn how to be diplomatic with the people who made the decisions of Monaco. But it was very isolating for her.

Kelly's children helped their mom happily settle into life in Monaco over the years, and she was determined to be a hands-on parent within the palace.

She would make their lunches every day, insisted Jorgensen. They were not allowed to talk down to the servants. In fact, if they did, they were punished. And I think that shows in the way how [her son] Albert is ruling Monaco [today] He tried to bring some members of the family that Rainier had disagreements with back and build a warm relationship, the way Grace did.

Kelly also became actively involved in charity work within Monaco. According to the Princess Grace Foundation, Kelly served as president of the Monegasque Red Cross in 1958, as well as founded The World Association of Friends of Children.

She also launched her foundation in 1964, which still gives scholarships to aspiring performers. She even gave poetry readings and donated all proceeds to the foundation.

Kelly would meet an untimely end, but her legacy outside of show business still lives on in Monaco.

When [her daughter] Caroline took over after Grace died as basically the first lady of Monaco, she tried to make a lot of Graces dreams come true, explained Jorgensen. She formed a ballet company, which was one of Graces dreams. Grace was planning another tour of poetry and Caroline, while she didnt read poetry, she still went in her place.

"And Albert helped create exhibits of Graces gowns. He frequently talks about her They also preserved her office in the palace She continues to be a big part of [her childrens lives], as well as the mythology of Monaco.
Jimmy Kimmel held his baby son as he returned to his late-night son from a week off for the boy's heart surgery.

Kimmel was crying from the first moment of his monologue Monday night as he pleaded with Congress to restore and improve children's health coverage, a cause he has championed since his son Billy was born with a heart defect in April.

His son needed one surgery after his birth and had a follow-up operation last week.

Kimmel kept up his advocacy on healthcare, attacking GOP for turning C.H.I.P  Children's Health Insurance Program  into a bargaining chip in the tax reform negotiations and failed to fund the program.

Parents with children together with cancer and diabetes and heart problems are about to get a letter saying their coverage could be cut off next month, the late-night show host warned, acknowledging that the program used to have a bipartisan support in the past.

This happened because Congress, about 72 days ago, failed to approve funding for CHIP, Kimmel continued. This is literally a life and death program for American kids, it always had bipartisan support, but this year they let the money for it expire while they work on getting tax cuts for their millionaire and billionaire donors.

He added that it was disgusting that Congress is putting tax cuts for the richest ahead of the childrens health.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Netflix is scrambling to explain a tweet that seemed to share -- and mock -- very detailed information about customers viewing habits after facing intense backlash from customers.

To the 53 people whove watched A Christmas Prince every day for the past 18 days: Who hurt you? wrote Netflix on Sunday, referring to their original holiday movie that was released on November 17.

A Christmas Prince is a romantic film that tells the story of an aspiring young journalist (Rose McIver), whos sent abroad to get the scoop on a handsome prince (Ben Lamb) who is poised to be king.

Many viewers immediately blasted Netflix for the creepy post, claiming the site is monitoring the viewing habits of subscribers a little bit too closely and using that same data to publicly poke fun at them.

"The privacy of our members' viewing is important to us," a rep for Netflix told Fox News on Tuesday. "This information represents overall viewing trends, not the personal viewing information of specific, identified individuals."

Some fans of the movie took the tweet in stride, admitting they were probably one of those repeat viewers.

The outrage occurred just a day before Netflix released their top original shows that were frequently watched in 2017, including The Crown, Stranger Things and Narcos.
WARNING: THE ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM SEASON 8 OF THE WALKING DEAD.

The father of The Walking Dead star Chandler Riggs, who plays Carl Grimes on the zombie drama, slammed AMC and the shows writer/producer Scott M. Gimple for killing off his sons character.

On Sunday, during the shows midseason eight finale, it was confirmed Carl was bitten by a walker -- a typical death sentence on the show. Riggs also confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that his character will die. Riggs, 18, has been on the show since its first season and was cast to play Carl when he was 11-years-old.

THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 8, EPISODE 8 RECAP: THE MIDSEASON FINALE SHAKES UP THE WHOLE SERIES

Riggs' father, William Riggs, took to Facebook to blast AMC and Gimple for firing his son two weeks before his 18th birthday.

Watching Gimple fire my son 2 weeks before his 18th birthday after telling him they wanted him for the next 3 years was disappointing, William Riggs wrote. I never trusted Gimple or AMC but Chandler did. I know how much it hurt him. But we do absolutely know how lucky we have been to be a part of it all and appreciate all the love from fans all these years!

The teen TV star told The Hollywood Reporter that his character was being killed off due to the storyline and the decision was not his own. However, in "The Walking Dead" comic books, which the show was based on, Carl is still a main character, The Wrap reported.

GRACE KELLYS EXPERIENCES AS AN AMERICAN ACTRESS TURNED PRINCESS COULD BE LESSON FOR MEGHAN MARKLE



Leaving Walking Dead wasn't my decision, Riggs said. It was all story-related. It made sense story-wise for it to happen for Rick and Michonne and all the other characters.

Andrew Lincoln, who portrays Rick Grimes, Carls father on the hit program, told The Hollywood Reporter he was shocked to learn Riggs character would be killed off.

Scott Gimple called me up and said, Youre going to hate this one. Hes very good about alerting the cast when theres going to be a (character) death, Lincoln said. I just didnt speak for a minute. I always thought Carl was going to be the one who led the show forward; that Rick would hand over his boots and revolver when he walked off into the sunset in Season 28.
You might want to specificy exactly which room in which you wish to be seated when making a reservation at a Ken Friedman eatery.

Friedman  the owner of New York City celebrity hot spot The Spotted Pig, whose clientele has included Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, and Gwyneth Paltrow  has been accused of sexual harassment by several of his restaurants former employees, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

Servers also say Friedman would entertain late-night VIP guests in the third-floor dining area, which employees had dubbed the rape room, due to the anything-goes atmosphere Friedman encouraged.

MARIO BATALI ONCE SAID A 'RECKONING' WAS COMING FOR HARASSERS IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

Among other complaints, Friedman is accused of touching a female employees buttocks and groin, biting a bar manager on the waist, pulling another womans face toward his crotch while Amy Poehler looked on, and forcibly trying to kiss at least two of his former employees on the mouth. In one of the latter cases, he even pestered the woman with text messages, in which he asked her to send him a sexy picture despite her repeated refusals.

Friedman, who co-owns five other NYC eateries and two California restaurants with Spotted Pigs head chef April Bloomfield, has also been accused of creating a sleazy late-night atmosphere on the third floor for his VIP guests, which frequently included celebrity chef Mario Batali  a man who recently issued an apology for his own sexual misconduct.

We called him the Red Menace, former Spotted Pig server Trish Nelson told the Post of Batali. He tried to touch my breasts and told me that they were beautiful. He wanted to wrestle. As I was serving drinks to his table, he told me I should sit on his friends face.

Jamie Seet, a former manager, further claims she also witnessed Batali trying to grope and kiss a woman who appeared unconscious.

It was this type of behavior, coupled with the claims that Friedman would allow his special guests to grope the third-floor servers, which earned the dining area its unflattering rape room nickname.

CELEB CHEF JOHN BESH STEPS DOWN FROM RESTAURANT GROUP AMID SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS

When contacted by the New York Times, Friedman issued a response to the allegations, which also included an apology for his actions.

My personal and professional life was intertwined with our restaurants and our staff, he wrote. I own by behavior, which can accurately be described at times as abrasive, rude and frankly wrong. The women who work at our restaurants are among the best in the business, and putting any of them in humiliating situations is unjustifiable. Some incidents were not as described, but context and content are not todays discussion. I apologize now for my actions.

Along with Friedmans response, Kelly Berg, the restaurant groups director of HR, said she was committed to continuing ongoing anti-harassment training for staff, and April Bloomfield, his restaurant partner, has said she has spoken to Ken about professional boundaries.

Several of the former servers who came forward to the Times also noted that Friedman could, at times, be genuinely supportive of his female employees as long as they tolerated his flirtatiousness. But as Seet noted, he would eventually turn on his employees, barraging them with rage-filled rants and profanity-laced tirades over small mistakes, a trend of behavior she likened to abuse.

I told him I felt like a battered wife, Seet said near the end of her tenure in 2014.

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In addition to the Spotted Pig, Friedman co-owns seven other NYC restaurants with Bloomfield, including the Breslin Bar & Dining Room, the John Dory Oyster Bar, Salvation Taco and White Gold Butchers. They also co-own the Hearth & Hound in L.A. and the Tosca Cafe in San Francisco.
More women have come forward with sexual harassment accusations against famed chef Mario Batali, claiming he made inappropriate comments and physical contant.

Batali was a man known for excess, according to employees and restaurant pals. In March 2010, during the week of the Oscars, that excess was on full display at a Vanity Fair dinner hosted at Batalis Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles and featuring the chef as the main attraction. The event was themed Magic, Martinis and Mario.

Holly Gunderson, the restaurants special events director was tasked with ensuring that the night went well. However, as she said in a Washington Post article, the job proved tougher than anticipated after a drunken, slurring Batali arrived late.

CELEB-FRIENDLY RESTAURATEUR KEN FRIEDMAN ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Gunderson alleged that the chef turned to her as she was escorting him to the rest of the guests and said, I want to see you naked in my hot tub back in the hotel. She said a few people looked at me like, Oh my God, I cant believe he said that about you, the newspaper reported.

Gunderson, uncomfortable, brushed off the comment and tried to keep her distance from the chef and restaurateur for the rest of the night. At one point, however, he found her while she was leaning over a table and, she alleges, groped her.

She said Batali put his hand between my legs, up and under, so his hand went on my vagina outside of my clothes. And then he moved his hand backward. So, you know, under my butt. And then continued walking.

She was so surprised that she didnt move or address the episode with Batali, but she did confide in a friend later, who confirmed the event with The Post.

"And then he moved his hand backward. So, you know, under my butt. And then continued walking."  Holly Gunderson

During the same night, the associated director of integrated marketing for Vanity Fair, Melanie Altarescu, reportedly dealt with a similar situation with Batali.

Altarescu was given the job of getting the intoxicated chef into his car. When she finally did so, she claims Batali called out to her: Youre gonna get in the car, and were gonna make out. Altarescu told The Post that when she declined, he grabbed her sleeve from the window and said: Youre making a big mistake. You should get in the car and we should make out.

Altarescu said she managed to free her arm and get away. She told her colleagues and supervisor about the encounter, but did not file a formal complaint at the time.

Outside of the Oscars-party allegations, several people have come forward and complained of Batalis aggressive behavior. Waitresses at other restaurants where the celebrity chef would hang out have also described his inappropriate behavior  which was so well known that he developed a nickname.

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We called him the Red Menace, former Spotted Pig server Trish Nelson told The Post. He tried to touch my breasts and told me that they were beautiful. He wanted to wrestle. As I was serving drinks to his table, he told me I should sit on his friends face.

Batali has issued a statement, obtained from The Post, since the harassment allegations broke, apologizing for his behavior.

I apologize profoundly to the people I have mistreated and hurt. The entire day of events surrounding the party I was the personification of idiocy, a drunken and idiotic fool, with no respect for the staff at Osteria Mozza, the guests nor for the restaurant itself. That behavior was horribly wrong, shameful and degrading and there are no excuses. I wish I could have the day back and do it right. I take full responsibility for my deplorable actions and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or anguish I caused.
A routine trip to the gas station wound up turning into a work adventure for one obstetrician on Friday, as he helped a former patient deliver her baby in the parking lot. Dr. Javier Soto, who was filling up at a Florida Speedway, was flagged down by a panicked expectant father who noticed the doctor in his blue scrubs, PEOPLE reported.

The unidentified man approached Soto and asked if he was a medical professional before leading him over to a pickup truck where his wife was laying in the back seat. Soto discovered the woman, who had been seen by Soto before having to switch practices due to insurance coverage, was crowning, and realized the baby was coming fast.

I could wait for the ambulance or deliver the baby, Soto told PEOPLE. I dont know how the baby is doing at this point. I thought it was better to deliver the baby.

JASON DAY'S WIFE SHARES HEARTBREAKING MISCARRIAGE NEWS

He instructed the womans husband to find scissors and gloves and asked for a pair of shoelaces. One push later, the woman delivered a healthy baby boy, with Soto using the shoelaces to tie off the umbilical cord before cutting it. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later, and Soto followed the family to the hospital where he completed the post-natal procedures.

I was thinking, Thank God everything came out fine, Soto told PEOPLE.

Sotos work wasnt done for the evening, as he then jumped into the next room to deliver another baby.

God has a purpose for everything, he told PEOPLE. He put me there for some reason.
Even though window coverings have been recognized for decades as a safety hazard to children, injuries from blinds and shades still send many kids to the emergency room each year, a U.S. study suggests.

Almost 17,000 children under age 6 were treated for injuries from window blinds in U.S. emergency departments from 1990 to 2015, researchers report online December 11 in Pediatrics. That translates to an injury rate of almost 3 out of every 100,000 kids.

Most of the time, the injuries weren't serious. But there were 228 cases when young children caught their necks in cords and two-thirds of these injuries were fatal.

While the majority of children were treated and released, there was still about one child death each month - most from strangulation when a child became entangled by the neck in a window blind cord.

"The findings of this study confirm that children continue to die from strangulation on window blind cords," said senior author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "This is unacceptable."

EU HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY EXPERTS WARN OF STUBBORN SALMONELLA

"We've known about this problem since the 1940s," Smith said by email. "We have had a voluntary safety standard in this country since the mid-1990s and we've had product recalls, and yet we continue to see these deaths."

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission approved a petition to develop mandatory safety standards for window coverings in 2014, Smith said. Unlike current voluntary standards designed to reduce the risk of strangulation, the proposed mandatory standards would require all window coverings to be cordless or have cords that are inaccessible to children.

"Cordless technologies are available for most blinds and shades and add little cost to manufacturing," Smith said. "What we need now is for manufacturers to simply eliminate accessible cords in their products so that children can't gain access to them."

Almost two-thirds of the injuries children in the study sustained were head injuries, most often cuts, contusions and abrasions.

In almost half of the cases, the blinds struck kids, and cuts were the next most common mechanism of injury. Overall, about 12 percent of cases involved kids getting entangled in cords.

The majority of the cases occurred when parents were home with kids, but adults witnessed very few of the injuries. Often children were put to sleep, playing or watching television when injuries occurred.

When kids were alone, they often were unsupervised for less than 10 minutes before they got hurt.

One limitation of the study is that it only includes cases treated at hospitals and may underestimate the true injury rate associated with window coverings, the authors note. Researchers also lacked detailed information on the exact types of blinds involved in strangulation cases.

Even so, the findings suggest that voluntary safety standards aren't enough to prevent serious injuries, said Dr. Sean Bandzar, an emergency medicine researcher at New York Presbyterian Hospital who wasn't involved in the study.

This means parents need to be vigilant.

"The majority of injuries in this study occurred while children were under the care of parents with the children placed to sleep or playing," Bandzar said by email. "Better parental supervision should be encouraged."

Aiming baby monitors or cameras at blinds should help parents keep an eye on kids near windows at night or other times when they're not in the room, he suggested.

If replacing blinds with dangling cords isn't feasible or affordable, parents should focus their efforts on the rooms where kids spend the most time, like bedrooms or living rooms, Smith advised. Moving furniture away from windows so kids don't have an easy way to climb and reach blinds can also help.

Child safety kits designed to keep blinds out of reach don't always prevent kids from getting injured, he added.

"Some of the fixes can provide a false sense of security," Smith said. "The best way to keep your children safe is to replace all blinds that have cords with either cordless blinds, blinds with inaccessible cords or other types of cordless window coverings, such as interior window shutters."
The so-called man flu has been a punchline for decades, but according to one expert it may be time to stop taking it lightly. Dr. Kyle Sue, a Canadian doctor whose findings are published in the British Medical Journal, claims that physiological differences between men and women can lead to different responses to colds and viruses.

I do think that the research does point towards men having a weaker immune response when it comes to common viral respiratory infections and the flu, he told The Guardian. This is shown in the fact that they [have] worse symptoms, they last longer, they are more likely to be hospitalized and more likely to die from it.

Sue reviewed several studies involving both animals and humans and found that testosterone could dampen the immune systems response to influenza, while female sex hormones could actually boost it. He also cited surveys that found men can take up to twice as long as women to recover from viral illnesses.

EU HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY EXPERTS WARN OF STUBBORN SALMONELLA

There need to be more studies, higher quality studies that control for other factors between men and women before we can definitely say that this difference in immunity exists, Sue told The Guardian. Is it that women are more resilient, that they are able to juggle more when they are ill, or is it that they dont have as severe symptoms? That we are not too sure about. But I think everyone should be given the benefit of the doubt when they are ill.

Health officials said that while its too early to tell how severe this flu season will be, the main strain circulating tends to cause more deaths and hospitalizations than others. Seven states are already reporting widespread flu activity, with the bulk of activity expected to pick up later this month.

In Australia, health experts said this years flu shot was only 10 percent effective against the virus there. Health officials typically use Australias data as an indicator for how the virus will play out in the U.S., but said despite the vaccines low rate of effectiveness, its still worth getting the shot for protection.

Even 10 percent effective is better than nothing, and a lot of it has to do with herd immunity  the more people are protected from it, the more other people will also be protected, Dr. Pardis Sabeti, an infectious disease expert at Harvard told CBS This Morning.
A 15-year-old cancer survivor is seeking to change the way her school handles its dress code policy after she allegedly spent several days in trouble over a grey knit beanie that she was wearing, which was specifically designed for cancer patients.

Chloe Terpenning, who lost her hair in March during chemotherapy treatment for stage 2 Hodgkins lymphoma, has already obtained more than 220 signatures on a hard copy petition, and an additional 100 online, The Hawk Eye reported.

Terpenning is a student at West Burlington High School in Iowa, where policy states that Hats, caps, HOODS (sic), sunglasses, hairnets, head scarves, headbands (other than those worn by females to hold back hair) and other headgear, are inappropriate for school, according to the news outlet.

'MAN FLU' IS REAL? RESEARCHER SAYS MEN TAKE LONGER TO RECOVER FROM VIRUSES, COLDS

Terpenning, who is now in remission, claims she transferred to the school from Burlington High School after she was bullied over her hair. She claims she had a conversation with the schools associate principal and her mother at the beginning of the year to discuss what she could wear without causing a disturbance.

But last week, Terpenning alleges that she was stopped by school principal Bruce Snodgrass and sent to the office for the remainder of the school day. She claims that she continued to wear the hat and said she spent several days in the office as a result.

In the office, it is a very small room and I dont get any lessons in there, she told The Hawk Eye. I just get the assignments and am expected to have them done the next day. And the doors wide open. So anyone who walks by can see me sitting in there.

DAD OF 4 BATTLING ALS GIFTED $10G FROM 'SECRET SANTA'

She alleges that she was told she could wear a bandana or kerchief on her head until Christmas break, but that when she returns to school only a wig would be acceptable. Terpenning has tried to avoid wearing wigs because of headaches, and she believes that it hinders her hair growth, The Hawk Eye reported.

Superintendent David Schmitt told the news outlet that going forward the policy will be open-ended and each student will be considered on a case-by-case basis. He said Terpenning can continue wearing her knit hat, and scheduled a meeting with both her and her mother for Friday.
For those who need a parent  but dont want their own  there is a service that will allow one to rent stand-ins.

China, already known for rented girlfriends and boyfriends, is now offering people an opportunity to rent fake parents to avoid potentially awkward situations.

The service costs around $7.50 an hour and is seeming to grow in popularity both on and offline. Advertisements for the rented parents are posted in Chinese newspapers and on the internet, calling out specific events where their services might be needed.

MOM RESPONDS TO BRAZEN GROCERY STORE BODY SHAMER

Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend who wants to meet your parents but you actually dont want them to meet? asks one advert on the Chinese Internet, Yahoo Style reports.

But those acting as a stand-in parents arent the only ones advertising. Consumers are equally as vocal about needing a fake mom or dad.

"A rented parent is needed, one person commented. Just need to make a phone call to my teacher."

Another asked: "Is there anyone in Shanghai who can be rented as parents to have a meal with my girlfriend?"

Those who provide this kind of acting arent just in it for the money, but want to actually help.

The Global Times newspaper spoke to a rent-a-parent who takes his "profession" very seriously.

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"I study psychology," the fake dad told the newspaper. No matter how nasty your teacher gets, I won't get angry.

Rentable parents may be the new trend, but China has been renting out other intimate relationships for a few years now.

The country, which still has arranged marriages, has seen an increase in rented boyfriends and girlfriends  especially around the holidays. There has also been a growing trend of people renting themselves out as friends on rent me apps.
Last June, President Trump announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement climate treaty on greenhouse gases. It was a bold move, defying legions of foreign leaders, U.S. politicians, corporate CEOs, media pundits, and activist groups. But there is a faster way to do it than he has chosenand he should take it.

December 12 is the second anniversary of the adoption of the Agreement, making this a fitting occasion to restate the obvious: remaining in the treaty endangers the U.S. economy, the Constitutions treaty process, and the nations political independence.

The bad effects stem from the fact that then-President Obama, aware the Senate was unlikely to approve the treaty, bypassed the constitutional ratification process and declared it to be an executive agreement instead.

President Trump is certainly correct that Obama negotiated a bad deal in the process. Obamas pledge to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 26-to-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025the U.S. nationally determined contribution (NDC) in U.N. parlancewould have significant adverse impacts on U.S. jobs, household income, and economic growth.

In contrast, China and Indias NDCs essentially commit those countries to follow their current emissions trajectory.

Even if all 195 signatory nations implement their NDCs, the Agreement will have no discernible effect on climate change. For America, the Paris Agreement is great pain for no gain.

The exit option President Trump selected comes from the Paris Agreement itself and takes four years to complete. His decision was also provisional, meaning America will withdrawunless he can negotiate a better deal that is fair.

In effect, Mr. Trump invited pro-Paris advocates to try to change his mind, and gave them lots of time for it.

To be sure, other governments may be willing to accept drill-baby-drill as Trumps new NDC so long as America pays them billions in climate finance foreign aid. Nonetheless, staying in the Agreement would still imperil vital U.S. interests.

First, it would validate President Obamas evasion of the Constitutions treaty processhis approval of the pact without obtaining the Senates advice and consent.

The Paris Agreement is a treaty by virtue of its potential costs to the nation as a whole, dependence on subsequent legislation by Congress, and other traditional treaty criteria.

It is telling that virtually all other parties, including non-democratic regimes like China, ratified the Agreement through their legislatures. Obamas collusion with foreign elites to adopt an unpopular treaty by deeming it not a treaty becomes a constitutionally-damaging precedent unless President Trump overturns it.

Second, NDC promises are non-binding under international law, but that would make them harmless only if elected officials were immune to political pressurea laughable ideaor balked at the harm they would cause.

Governments honor their non-binding NDCs, however, by turning them into binding laws and regulations. The Paris Agreement is in reality designed to mobilize a permanent, global campaign to name and shame policymakers who fail to rig energy markets against fossil fuels.

The Agreement effectively demands the suppression of Americas surging oil and gas productiona major source of new jobs, geopolitical strength, consumer savings, and competitive advantage.

Why would any sensible person stay in a club organized to browbeat them into acting against their best interests and better judgment?

Moreover, even non-binding commitments can create legal liabilities, as the Netherlands government discovered. Citing the governments endorsement of non-binding declarations at previous U.N. climate conferences, the Hague District Court ordered Dutch policymakers to match deeds with words and adopt tough new emission controls. Further, membership in the Agreement fuels regulatory and tort litigation on behalf of alleged climate victims.

In short, no revisions of Obamas NDC can make the Paris Agreement safe for the U.S. But merely following the Agreements four-year withdrawal procedure would allow a new President to rejoin in 2021 and pick up where Obama left off. It would also do nothing to repair Obamas breach of the treaty process.

Mr. Trump should instead send the Agreement to the Senate for a ratification vote, with a recommendation that it be rejected. There is virtually no chance the requisite two- thirds of the Senators present would approve the treaty.

After the Agreement dies in the Senate, it is also exceedingly unlikely a future executive would try to rejoin it unilaterally on the pretense that the most ambitious climate pact in history is not a treaty.

So dont follow the treatys rules, Mr. President. Follow the Constitution.
Why are an estimated 85 percent of the North Koreans who manage to make their way to freedom in South Korea women?

And why do nearly all come by way of China, rather than across the heavily guarded DMZ, and have sad stories of sexual abuse to tell?

The backward North Korean economy produces very little that the world wants. But Big Brother China, however, is hungry for the two things Pyongyang does have in relative abundance: coal and women. The coal keeps the fires burning in energy-poor China. The women help to meet the shortage of brides in China's male-dominated society.

China's one-child policy has devastated the female population. Over the past three-and-a-half decades that the policy has been in place, tens of millions of girls have disappeared from the population. They were killed in utero by sex-selection abortions, at birth by female infanticide, or after birth by simple neglect.

Sex-selection abortion is the biggest offender. Almost ten million such abortions were carried out between the years 2000 and 2014. That works out to 1800 unborn girls eliminated every day, 640,000 eliminated each year, and six and half million each decade.

Coal keeps the fires burning in energy-poor China. The women help to meet the shortage of brides in China's male-dominated society.

This targeting of unborn baby girls has so skewed the sex ratio at birth that there are now at least 115 boys born for every 100 girls.

The result is that women of marriageable age are in short supply. There are now an estimated 33 million men in China who cannot find brides--at least inside of China. And so they look abroad.

The State Department's 2013 "Trafficking in Persons Report" acknowledged the connection, stating that "the Chinese government's birth control policy and a cultural preference for sons, create a skewed sex-ration of 118 boys to 100 girls in China, which served as a key source of demand for the trafficking of foreign women as brides for Chinese men and for forced prostitution."

One place that Chinese men look for brides is the other side of the Yalu River, for in North Korea there are lots of hungry young women longing for a better life. The population of Kim Jong Un's socialist paradise subsists in near famine conditions, with two in five North Koreans undernourished and more than two-thirds on food aid.

The latest United Nations report, published in March 2017, paints a grim picture: Out of a population of 24 million, "an estimated 18 million people are dependent on Government food rations while 10.5 million people are believed to be undernourished. A lack of access to basic services including water and sanitation, as well as a weak health infrastructure further threaten the well-being of the population, particularly young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Even members of Kim's highly touted "one-million man army" are starving; witness the sick and malnourished defector who recently crawled across the DMZ to freedom.

As a result of this widespread and continuing food shortage, starving North Korea peasants are often happy to sell a teenaged daughter--whom they would have trouble feeding in any event--to agents who claim that they are recruiting workers for Chinese companies. "Your daughter will be given a job in a factory or restaurant," they promise the parents. "She will finally have enough to eat."

Older women are also lured across the border on the same promise.

But these "hiring agents" are actually sex traffickers, and what awaits the North Korean girls and women in China is not a real job but either forced marriage or out-and-out sexual slavery. Young girls, especially if they are virgins, are sold to the highest bidder as brides. Older women are generally sold to brothels where they are kept under lock and key and forced to work as prostitutes.

It is no wonder that many of them take flight at the first opportunity, paying "snakeheads"--illegal guides--to lead them safely across China's southern border to Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. From there they can easily travel to South Korea and freedom.

Historically, the largest influence in female migration from North Korea to China has been sex trafficking and marriages, said Sokeel Park, the Seoul-based director of research and strategy for Liberty in North Korea, an organization that helps rescue North Korean refugees hiding in China.

Having found their way to freedom, few of these woman will go on record saying that they were forced into prostitution or sold as wives in China. But nearly all, as vulnerable women in a country with a superabundance of often predatory males, were sexually abused in some way.
Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe is scheduled to testify behind closed doors Tuesday in front of the House Intelligence Committee, a source close to the matter told Fox News.

According to the source, the testimony topics will include the role played in the Hillary Clinton email investigation by Peter Strzok, a former deputy to the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI who was removed from the staff of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III earlier this year after Mueller learned Strzok had exchanged anti-Trump texts with a colleague.

House investigators previously told Fox News they have long regarded Strzok as a key figure in the chain of events when the bureau, in 2016, received the infamous anti-Trump dossier  which McCabe will be asked about Tuesday  and launched a counterintelligence investigation into possible Russian meddling in the election.

The dossier was a compendium of salacious and largely unverified allegations about then-candidate Trump and others around him that was compiled by the opposition research firm Fusion GPS. The firms bank records, obtained by House investigators, revealed that the project was funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., previously sought documents and witnesses from the Justice Department and FBI to determine what role, if any, the dossier played in the move to place a Trump campaign associate under foreign surveillance.

McCabe also will be asked about Strzoks consequential portfolio. He participated in the FBIs fateful interview with Hillary Clinton on July 2, 2016  just days before then-FBI Director James Comey announced he was declining to recommend prosecution of Clinton in connection with her use, as secretary of state, of a private email server.

Strzok also oversaw the bureaus interviews with ousted National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and changed Comeys early draft language about Clintons actions regarding her private email server from grossly negligent to extremely careless.

Fox News Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.
The man who says he acted as a go-between last year to inform Sen. John McCain about the controversial dossier containing salacious allegations about then-candidate Donald Trump is speaking out, revealing how the ex-British spy who researched the document helped coordinate its release to the FBI, the media and Capitol Hill.

My mission was essentially to be a go-between and a messenger, to tell the senator and assistants that such a dossier existed, Sir Andrew Wood told Fox News in an exclusive interview with senior executive producer Pamela K. Browne.

Fox News spoke to Wood at the 2017 Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada. As Britains ambassador to Moscow from 1995-2000, Wood witnessed the end of Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the rise of Vladimir Putin.

Just after the U.S. presidential election in November 2016, Arizona GOP Sen. McCain spoke at the same security conference. Wood says he was instructed  by former British spy Christopher Steele  to reach out to the senior Republican, whom Wood called a good man, about the unverified document.

Wood insists that hes never read the dossier that his good friend and longtime colleague prepared. It was commissioned by opposition research firm Fusion GPS and funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

In August 2016, [Steele] came to me to tell me what was in it, and why it  was important, Wood said. He made it very clear  yes, it was raw intelligence, but it needed putting into proper context before you could judge it fully.

August 2016 is a critical period, just after the FBI opened the Russia meddling probe, and after then-director James Comey recommended against prosecution for Clintons mishandling of classified information.

Wood said Steele had already been in contact with the FBI at the time.

He said there was corroborating evidence in the United States, from which I assumed he was working with an American company, Wood said.

British court records reviewed by Fox News as well as U.S. congressional testimony revealed that Steele was directed and paid at least $168,000 by Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson to push the research that fall to five American media outlets. According to British court documents, Steele met with The New York Times (twice), The Washington Post (twice), CNN, The New Yorker and Yahoo News (twice).

Each of these interviews was conducted in person and with a member of Fusion also present, according to the records associated with separate civil litigation against Steele and Fusion GPS.

Wood said hed heard of Fusion GPS, as the group Steele was working with, but had never heard of Mr. Simpson.

Three weeks after Trump won the presidential election, at the Canadian security conference, the details were finalized for the dossier hand-off to McCain.

Along with the senator, Wood and McCain Institute for International Leadership staffer David J. Kramer attended the Canadian conference.

British court records state McCain ordered Kramer to get a personal briefing from Steele in Surrey, just outside of London, and then return to Washington, D.C., where Fusion GPS would provide McCain with hard copies.

In January, McCain officially gave the dossier to the FBI, which already had its own copy from Steele.

Of note, listed in the official program for the 2016 November Canadian conference as a participant was Rinat Akhmetshin  the same Russian lobbyist who was at Trump Tower five months earlier in June for a highly scrutinized meeting with Donald Trump Jr. and others.

The senators office noted to Fox News that McCain said in January 2017 he had no contact with Akhmetshin. Late last year, I received sensitive information that has since been made public. Upon examination of the contents, and unable to make a judgment about their accuracy, I delivered the information to the Director of the FBI. That has been the extent of my contact with the FBI or any other government agency regarding this issue.

It is not known whether Akhmetshin had any contact with Kramer. Fusion GPS and Kramer did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News.
The Justice Department on Monday night requested an emergency stay to a decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that would require the Pentagon to start accepting transgender recruits on Jan. 1.

The Trump administration turned to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, saying the Pentagon still will be reviewing the policy until February but needs the emergency stay now.

Without this relief, the military will be forced to implement a significant change to its standards for the composition of the armed forces before it decides how to resolve this issue, the governments motion stated. As military leadership has explained, this timetable will place extraordinary burdens on our armed forces and may harm military readiness.

The president over the summer announced, via Twitter, a ban on transgender service members. But the directive has been challenged since in the courts, and a federal judge last month said the U.S. military must accept them starting Jan. 1.

The new policy reflects growing legal pressure on the issue and the difficult hurdles the federal government would have to cross to enforce Trumps demand.

Fox News previously reported that potential transgender recruits still will have to overcome a lengthy and strict set of physical, medical and mental conditions that make it possible, though difficult, for them to join the armed services.

Maj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, says the enlistment of transgender recruits will start Jan. 1 and go on amid the legal battles. The Defense Department also is studying the issue.

Eastburn told The Associated Press on Monday that the new guidelines mean the Pentagon can disqualify potential recruits with gender dysphoria, a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition and those who underwent reconstruction. But such recruits are allowed in if a medical provider certifies theyve been clinically stable in the preferred sex for 18 months and are free of significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas.

Transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy also must be stable on their medication for 18 months.

The requirements make it challenging for a transgender recruit to pass. But they mirror concerns President Barack Obamas administration laid out when the Pentagon initially lifted its ban on transgender service last year.

Due to the complexity of this new medical standard, trained medical officers will perform a medical prescreen of transgender applicants for military service who otherwise meet all applicable applicant standards, Eastburn said.

Aaron Belkin, director of the California-based Palm Center, an independent institute that has conducted research on sexual minorities in the military, said the 18-month timeline is fair.

Its a good standard because the Pentagon is treating gender dysphoria according to the same standards that are applied to all medical conditions, he said.

However, Elaine Donnelly, president for the Center For Military Readiness, said Trump has every right to review, revise, or repeal his predecessors military transgender policies, which would detract from mission readiness and combat lethality. Court judges, she said, are not qualified to run the military.

Fox News' Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta claimed White House press secretary Sarah Sanders threatened to curtail his media access if he shouted a question at President Trump.

Acosta ignored the alleged warning, using a "pool spray" Tuesday at the White House to ask Trump about a tweet he sent out earlier in the day about Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

"President Trump ignores question from @Acosta on what the president meant when he tweeted that Sen. Gillibrand would do anything for a campaign contribution," CNN Allie Malloy tweeted, after reporters were let in a room at the White House to sign a bill funding the military.

Acosta replied to the tweet, "Prior to this morment [sic], @presssec issued a warning to me. She said if I asked a question of Trump at the bill signing 'I can't promise you will be allowed into a pool spray again.' Sorry Sarah.. we won't be intimidated."



Read more at WashingtonExaminer.com
Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who was reportedly scheduled to testify behind closed doors in front of the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, will instead meet next week due to a "scheduling error," Department of Justice officials told Fox News.

McCabes testimony was likely to, at least in part, focus on Peter Strzoks role in the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Strzok is a former deputy to the assistant director at the FBI who was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's staff after Mueller learned Strzok had exchanged anti-Trump texts with a colleague.

House investigators previously told Fox News they have long regarded Strzok as a key figure in the chain of events when the bureau, in 2016, received the infamous anti-Trump dossier, which launched a counterintelligence investigation into possible Russian meddling in the election.

This was a routine scheduling error after the dates were switched on an internal email that we are happy to provide the committee, a Justice Department official told Fox News. The FBI regrets the error, and we look forward to making both witnesses (the alleged FBI handler for Christopher Steele and McCabe) available prior to the Christmas recess."

Steele is a former British spy who reportedly compiled a dossier of allegations about President Trumps ties to Russia. Fox News also was shown an internal email from a senior FBI official instructing a subordinate to confirm with the committee that the Steele handler would visit the committee on Dec. 12, with McCabe on Dec. 19.

But Fox News was told by those familiar with the matter that the intelligence committee is suspicious of the purported scheduling error. One source said they believe the schedule issue arose after Fox News' report Monday night on Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr.

Ohr was recently demoted from one of his two senior posts. Fox News reported that Ohrs wife, Nellie Ohr, worked through last fall for Fusion GPS, which was behind the anti-Trump dossier.

The precise nature of Mrs. Ohrs duties  including whether she worked on the dossier  remains unclear but a review of her published works available online reveals Mrs. Ohr has written extensively on Russia-related subjects.

McCabe has an Ohr problem, one congressional source said.

The supposition is that Justice Department officials realized McCabe would face questions about Ohr and he is not prepared to respond.

The committee is prepared to subpoena all Justice Department documents and records related to the scheduling debacle, the source said. The committee is also prepared to subpoena McCabe to compel his testimony later this week.

Some Capitol Hill sources have expressed reservations that McCabe could retire before various congressional investigators get to him.

Fox News' Jake Gibson and James Rosen contributed to this report.
As the sexual assault allegations against Roy Moore came to light, Washington Republicans looked for ways to handle their potential colleague.

Moore, who had the backing of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, is the Republican nominee for Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions former Alabama Senate seat.

Republican voters in Alabama could elect Moore, 70, in the Dec. 12 special election, choosing the candidate who has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct over Democratic candidate Doug Jones. If thats the case, Sen. Cory Gardner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, said the Senate should expel Moore when hes sworn into office.

How many senators have been expelled and why?

A total of 15 senators have been expelled since 1789 with the latest senators kicked out in 1862.

The first expulsion was Sen. William Blount of Tennessee in 1797. Blount, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, was expelled due to his disloyalty to the United States.

His case began after then-President John Adams obtained a letter from Blount that included his thinly disguised desire to have Native Americans attack the Spanish-held Florida and Louisiana and have those territories transferred to Great Britain. Blount had apparently fallen under financial hardship at the time.

Aside from Blount, 14 other senators were expelled between 1861 and 1862 for support for the Confederate rebellion.

Those senators include: Jesse D. Bright of Indiana; Waldo P. Johnson of Missouri; Trusten Polk of Missouri; John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky; Louis T. Wigfall of Texas; John Hemphill of Texas; Charles B. Mitchel of Arkansas; William K. Sebastian of Arkansas; Alfred O.P. Nicholson of Tennessee; James Chesnut, Jr. of South Carolina; Thomas Bragg of North Carolina; Thomas Clingman of North Carolina; Robert M.T. Hunter of Virginia and James M. Mason of Virginia.

The Senate ultimately reversed its decision to expel Sebastian in 1877, but he had already died.

What about in more modern times?

The process to expel senators has occurred in more recent times  but unsuccessfully.

Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., resigned in 1995 after the Senate Ethics Committee unanimously voted to recommend expulsion. Packwood was found guilty by the committee of various sexual harassment and misconduct charges.

The Senate Ethics Committee also unanimously recommended expulsion for Sen. Harrison Williams, D-N.J., in 1981. Williams was indicted in 1980 on charges that included bribery, conflict of interest and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Williams ultimately resigned from the Senate.

How does the expulsion process work?

The U.S. Constitution states, Each House [of Congress] may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member.

Would it work for Moore?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would need to garner support of expulsion from at least 20 Republicans  assuming that all Democrats and independents would be on board.

That move would also almost certainly be a legal headache. A 1969 Supreme Court decision, Powell v. McCormack, dictated that the House of Representatives could not exclude an elected member who fit the constitutional requirements to serve. A key distinction though: the House then moved to exclude former Rep. Adam Powell  not expel him.

Expelling Moore would be an unprecedented move, Derek Muller, an election law expert and associate law professor at Pepperdine University School of Law, told Fox News.

Expel him, but not others accused of wrongdoing over the course of their lives? Why him? What makes it different? Muller said.
Calling it "decaying and rotten," President Trump announced he is withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and will be imposing more sanctions on the Middle Eastern nation.

Trump signed a presidential memorandum on May 8 withdrawing the U.S. from the controversial agreement signed by his predecessor in 2015. He said he will be re-instituting the highest level of sanctions and warned other countries against helping the Iranian government.

Trump said the U.S. would "not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail" and will not allow "a regime that chants 'death to America'" to get nuclear weapons.

The nuclear deal with Iran has long been a point of contention, especially among Republicans who opposed it.

The administration extended waivers on Irans nuclear sanctions earlier this year, keeping alive the landmark deal for an additional few months.

Read on for a look at the agreement and why its so controversial.

What is the Iran nuclear deal?

The Iran nuclear deal framework  officially the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action"  was a historic agreement reached by Iran and several world powers, including the U.S., in 2015, under Barack Obamas presidency.

In part, the deal was made to reduce Irans ability to produce two components used in making nuclear weapons: plutonium and uranium. In return, crippling economic sanctions on Iran were to be abated.

"Every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off," Obama said at the time. "This deal is not built on trust. It is built on verification."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL AFTER TRUMP DITCHES ACCORD

A point of contention for many opponents is the deal's so-called sunset clause which would ease some of the restrictions on Irans nuclear program over time.

The deal was reached after two years of negotiations.

Certification that Iran is complying with the deal must be sent to Congress every 90 days. The first under the Trump administration noted that Tehran was in compliance.

In October 2017, Trump decertified the nuclear deal under U.S. law, saying the sanctions relief was disproportionate to Iran's nuclear concessions. He contended the arrangement was contrary to America's national security interests.

What has Trump said about it?

During the presidential campaign, Trump accused Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, then his opponent, for making Iran a world power under the nuclear deal, which he called the highest level of incompetence.

If you take a look at Iran from four, five years ago, they were dying, Trump said during an event in September 2016. They had sanctions, they were being choked to death and they were dying. They werent even going to be much of a threat.

On Twitter, Trump has referred to the agreement as a direct national security threat, a catastrophe that must be stopped, the dumbest & most dangerous misjudgments ever entered into in history of our country and the best deal of any kind in history for Iran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned the U.S. would pay a high cost if it backs out of the agreement.

What happens next?

Trump is expected to reimpose all sanctions on Iran that were lifted as part of the 2015 deal, according to the Treasury Department. These sanctions include precious metals, banknotes, shipping, the automotive sector and petroleum.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the agreement could survive without the participation of the U.S., but has warned that his country would restart enriching uranium "in the next weeks." If that happens, and the deal collapses completely, businesses and banks doing business with Iran would have to scramble to extricate themselves or run afoul of the U.S.

Oil markets are also on the alert following Trump's decision. However, analysts told CNBC the impact of the reimposed sanctions might not have the same impact it once did. And while some countries may limit their oil purchases from Iran out of respect to the U.S., there are other countries that might refuse to do so, according to CNBC.

Fox News' John Roberts, Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe is set to appear before the House Intelligence Committee later this month after his previously scheduled appearance was scrapped due to what Justice Department officials called a last-minute "scheduling error."

Committee chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told reporters that he was "extremely troubled" by the postponement of McCabe's testimony and called the Justice Department's "scheduling error" excuse "not really believable."

"We have a commitment, again, that McCabe is going to show up next Tuesday [Dec. 19] at 2:00," Nunes said, "so we will be following up with letters ... if none of that is followed up with, then we will move forward with contempt and we will issue additional subpoenas."

FBI'S MCCABE 'HAS AN OHR PROBLEM'

McCabe had been expected to answer questions Tuesday about Peter Strzoks role in the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Strzok, a former deputy to the assistant director at the FBI, was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's staff after Mueller learned Strzok had exchanged anti-Trump texts with a colleague.

House investigators have said they regard Strzok as a key figure in the chain of events that occurred when the bureau received the now-infamous anti-Trump "dossier," which launched a counterintelligence investigation into possible Russian meddling in the election.

WIFE OF DEMOTED DOJ OFFICIAL WORKED FOR FIRM BEHIND ANTI-TRUMP DOSSIER

However, committee sources have said that they believe McCabe was dissuaded from appearing Tuesday after Fox News published a report Monday night on recently demoted Justice Department official Bruce Ohr. Ohrs wife, Nellie, worked through last fall for Fusion GPS, which was behind the dossier. Nellie Ohr has written extensively on Russia-related subjects, but it is unclear whether she worked on the dossier.

"The security director for the FBI sent over [Monday] night at 7:23 the security clearance for Mr. McCabe," Nunes said, "so it seems like everyone in the building over there ... knew that Mr. McCabe was supposed to be here today. But they're blaming a scheduling snafu ... It would be a high level of incompetence for people that are normally pretty smart."

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Nancy Pelosi earned Three Pinocchios from The Washington Post's Fact Checker over a tweet claiming that House Republicans are inviting violent criminals, domestic abusers and convicted stalkers to carry concealed weapons.

The House minority leader sent the tweet last week after House Republicans passed the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, sending it to the Senate by a 231-198 vote.

Inviting violent criminals to carry concealed weapons doesnt save lives, Pelosi tweeted. Inviting domestic abusers to carry concealed weapons doesnt save lives. Inviting convicted stalkers to carry concealed weapons doesnt save lives. Yet the @HouseGOP just voted to do exactly that.

We wavered between Two and Three Pinocchios but ultimately settled on Three because her last line  'the @House GOP just voted to do exactly that'  is so over the top and exaggerated.  Washington Post Fact Checker on Pelosi tweet

The Washington Post rated the tweet mostly false in a column on Tuesday.

We wavered between Two and Three Pinocchios but ultimately settled on Three because her last line  'the @House GOP just voted to do exactly that'  is so over the top and exaggerated, the Fact Checker wrote.

Statements rated Four Pinocchios are "whoppers" under the papers rating scale.

The House bill, making concealed-carry permits valid across state lines, included the support of just six Democrats.

CONCEALED-CARRY BILL BACKERS BRACE FOR SENATE FIGHT

According to the Fact Checkers analysis, Pelosis tweet was focused on a possible loophole in the law and then used inflammatory language such as inviting.

But the reality is that most states already allow for reciprocity agreements with other states, and federal law also already prohibits violent criminials, abusers and stalkers from having guns, the Fact Checker wrote.

Pelosis tweet inspired such anger because responsible gun owners believe their rights are being curtailed, even if they follow the concealed-carry rules  while violent criminals who want to have a gun are not going to be bothered with following such rules in the first place, the Fact Checker added.

The House bill includes language to improve federal record-keeping to ensure guns stay out of the hands of criminals and domestic abusers.

Pelosis office is standing by the tweet, saying the bill is terrible, according to the Fact Checker.
Many national Republican leaders pulled their support for Roy Moore, the Alabama Senate candidate, in the wake of allegations claiming he had inappropriate sexual contact with teenage girls.

The Washington Post reported that four women accused Moore of initiating sexual contact with them in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he was an assistant district attorney in his early 30s. One of the women, Leigh Corfman, told the newspaper that Moore had sexual contact with her when she was 14. The age of consent in Alabama is 16.

Several additional women have since come forward to accuse Moore of sexually inappropriate behavior.

Moore denied the allegations, saying in a statement obtained by Fox News that the allegations are "based on a lie supported by innuendo."

"It seems that in the political arena, to say that something is not true is simply not good enough. So let me be clear. I have never provided alcohol to minors, and I have never engaged in sexual misconduct," he said.

Multiple Republican lawmakers called on Moore to step aside from the Dec. 12 special election. However, President Trump offered his endorsement for the embattled politician, and the Republican National Committee began supporting Moore after having previously cut its fundraising ties to him.

The White House

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president had no plans for an in-person appearance on Moore's behalf.

In addition, the president previously signed off on a decision by the Republican National Committee to cut off support for Moore's campaign.

But publicly, Trump unleashed his criticism on Democratic candidate Doug Jones instead of Moore.

The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is weak on crime, weak on the border, bad for our military and our great vets, bad for our 2nd Amendment, and wants to [raise] taxes to the sky. Jones would be a disaster, Trump tweeted on Nov. 26.

And just over one week before the election, Trump said he needed Moores vote in the Senate when it comes to certain issues, such as immigration, gun rights and judicial appointments.

Trump also encouraged his Twitter followers to vote for Moore on the morning of the election as he contended that Moore "will always vote with us."

Vice President Mike Pence found the allegations in the story disturbing and believes, if true, this would disqualify anyone from serving in office, his press secretary, Alyssa Farah, has told reporters.

Sen. Mitch McConnell

While speaking to reporters, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he believes the women quoted in the Washington Post story. He urged Moore to step aside in light of the allegations.

Previously, McConnell said Moore should step aside if "these allegations are true."

Sen. Cory Gardner

Cory Gardner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, said he believes the women who have alleged Moore's misconduct. In a statement, he encouraged the Senate to "vote to expel" Moore should he win the election next month.

"He does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of the United States Senate," Gardner, R-Colo., said.

Sen. Mike Lee

A former backer of Moore, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, pulled his endorsement from Moore after the allegations came to light.

"Having read the detailed description of the incidents, as well as the response from Judge Moore and his campaign, I can no longer endorse his candidacy for the US Senate," Lee said in a tweet.

He had also requested that Moore's campaign no longer use his image.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Im horrified and if its true, he should step down immediately, Murkowski told reporters.

She reportedly also urged Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to fill Jeff Sessions seat when he was tapped to become attorney general, to launch a write-in campaign. The deadline to take Moore off the ballot has passed.

Sen. Mike Rounds

If they are true, then he should seriously think about stepping aside," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said.

Sen. John Cornyn

I find it deeply distrusting and troubling. Its up to the governor and the folks of Alabama to make that decision as far as what the next steps are," Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. He later withdrew his endorsement of Moore.

Sen. Tim Scott

If theyre accurate, he absolutely should [step aside]," Tim Scott, of South Carolina, said.

Sen. Susan Collins

In a tweet, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called for Moore to "withdraw from the Senate race in Alabama."

Collins wrote that she listened to Moore deny the allegations in a recent radio interview, but "did not find his denials to be convincing."

Collins' most recent statement comes after she previously tweeted: "If there is any truth at all to these horrific allegations, Roy Moore should immediately step aside as Senate candidate."



Sen. Steve Daines

"I am pulling my endorsement and support for Roy Moore for U.S. Senate," said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.

Sen. John McCain

"The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying. He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of," Arizona Sen. John McCain said.

Sen. Richard Shelby

Its a devastating nasty story, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby told reporters. If its true, I dont believe thered be a place for him in the U.S. Senate.

He said that he did not vote for Moore when he sent in his absentee ballot but voted instead for a "distinguished Republican write-in."

Sen. Jeff Flake

Like other Republicans, Flake called on Moore to step aside from the election.

"Just to be clear. If the choice is between Roy Moore and a Democrat, I would run to the polling place to vote for the Democrat," Flake tweeted.

Hes said that Republicans to support Roy Moore over Doug Jones is political tribalism at its worst.

Flake also tweeted a photo of a check made out to Jones for $100 with "Country over Party" written in the memo line.

Sen. Luther Strange

Alabama Sen. Luther Strange, who lost the special election primary to Roy Moore, called the allegations disturbing.

It is too late to take Moore off the ballot, but Strange has been encouraged to launch a write-in campaign.

Sen. Rob Portman

I think if what we read is true, and people are on the record so I assume it is, then he should step aside, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said.

Sen. Ben Sasse

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called the Washington Posts story "heartbreaking."

Sasse also slammed the Republican National Committee for providing funds to Moores race.

This is a bad decision and very sad day. I believe the women  and the RNC previously did too. Whats changed? Or is the party just indifferent? Sasse said on Twitter. This sends a terrible message to victims its not that the party wont believe you if you come forward. It might. But just doesnt care.

The senator than warned that if the National Republican Senatorial Committee decided to contribute to Moore, he would no longer be a donor to or fund-raiser for it.

Sen. Ted Cruz

"These are serious and troubling allegations," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who previously endorsed Moore, said in a statement. "If they are true, Judge Moore should immediately withdraw. However, we need to know the truth, and Judge Moore has the right to respond to these accusations."

Sen. Bill Cassidy

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., officially withdrew his support from the candidate.

"Based on the allegations against Roy Moore, his response and what is known, I withdraw support," he said.

Sen. Orrin Hatch

"I stand with the Majority Leader on this. These are serious and disturbing accusations, and while the decision is now in the hands of the people of Alabama, I believe Luther Strange is an excellent alternative," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, tweeted.

But a week before the election, Hatch said Trump didnt have another choice but to endorse Moore, Bloomberg reported. He also said that many of the things he allegedly did are decades ago. So its hard to  thats a decision that has to be made by the people in that state.

If they make that decision, who are we to question them? Hatch said.

Sen. Pat Toomey

We'll probably never know for sure exactly what happened," Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"But  I think the accusations have more credibility than the denial. I think it would be best if Roy would just step aside.

Sen. Lindsey Graham

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham took to Twitter to say Moore should step aside in the Alabama Senate race.

"In light of the most recent allegations and the cumulative effect of others, I believe [Moore] would be doing himself, the state, the GOP, and the country a service by stepping aside," Graham said. "If he continues this will not end well for Mr. Moore."

He has also bemoaned Trumps attempt to throw a lifeline to Moore.

Rep. Paul Ryan

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said if the allegations are true, they would disqualify Moore from the special election.

These allegations are disqualifying if true. Anyone who would do this to a child has no place in public office, let alone the United States Senate, Ryan said in a statement.

Rep. Peter King

"I would say unless he can prove his innocence, the burden is now on him within the next day or so, I believe he has to step down. He owes it to himself, he owes it to the state and and he owes it to the U.S. Senate," New York Rep. Peter King said after the allegations came out.

Rep. Lee Zeldin

In a tweet, Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., called for that "creepy Roy Moore dude" to step aside from the campaign.

"It's about that time for that creepy Roy Moore dude to exit stage left. He should step aside & let someone take his spot on the ballot who doesn't prey upon young teenage girls as a grown man," he said.

Gov. John Kasich

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on Twitter that hes long opposed Moore and called on him to step aside from the race as well.

Ive long opposed Roy Moore [and] his divisive viewpoints. The actions described make him unfit for office. The GOP must not support him. He should step aside, Kasich said.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, slammed Moore on Twitter.

Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman, the former governor said. Her account is too serous to ignore. Moore is unfit for office and should step aside.

"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," Romney said in another tweet on Dec. 4.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush

Former Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Moore should step down in light of the allegations.

"This is not a question of innocence or guilt like in a criminal proceeding; this is a question of whats right and whats wrong. Acknowledging that youre dating teenagers when youre 32 years old as assistant state attorney is wrong. Its just plain wrong," he told CNBC, adding that he agreed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said earlier Monday that Moore should "step aside."

"We need to stand for basic principles, and decency has to be one of those," Bush added. "In the really poisonous political environment we have right now, one of the rules I think has to apply is that when you attack somebody on the other party, and the other team for doing something wrong, when it happens on your team, you have an obligation I think to speak out as well."

Ivanka Trump

The president's daughter had some harsh words for Moore.



"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.

Condoleezza Rice

While she didnt name Moore, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice  who is from Alabama  encouraged voters to take a stand for our core principles and for what is right.

These critical times require us to come together to reject bigotry, sexism and intolerance, Rice said in a statement to AL.com.

"It is imperative for Americans to remain focused on our priorities and not give way to side shows and antics. I know that Alabamans need an independent voice in Washington. But we must also insist that our representatives are dignified, decent, and respectful of the values we hold dear, she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Roy Moores wife defended her husband at a rally Monday night against the 'fake news' claim that the U.S. Senate candidate was anti-Semitic by pointing out that one of their attorneys is a Jew.

Taking the stage at rally in Midland City, Ala., on the eve of election night, Kayla Moore accused fake news reports for falsely stating that the couple doesnt care for Jews.

One of our attorneys is a Jew. We have very close friends who are Jewish and rabbis, she told the crowd.

Moore was accused of anti-Semitism after suggesting last week that Democratic donor George Soros, who is Jewish, is going to hell, The Daily Intelligencer reported.

"He's still going to the same place that people who don't recognize God and morality and accept his salvation are going," Moore said Tuesday on a local Alabama radio show.

Moore has made controversial comments before about different religions, including saying that Muslims shouldnt be allowed to serve in Congress, The Hill reported.

The Latest Fox News Poll places Democrat Doug Jones 10-points above Moore just one day before Alabama voters head to the voting polls.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The six-member Senate Ethics Committee could soon be very busy.

Alabama voters could send Republican Roy Moore to the Senate in the Dec. 12 special election. Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct against multiple women when they were in their teens, and he was an adult. One woman said she was 14 years old when Moore had alleged sexual contact with her.

The last time the Senate Ethics Committee investigated a sitting senator for sexual misconduct was in 1995. Then, the committee unanimously voted to recommend expulsion of Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., but the senator resigned.

And Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was recently on trial for bribery. After a mistrial was called in November, the Senate Ethics Committee said it would relaunch its probe into whether Menendez traded political favors for perks.

Heres a look at what the Senate Ethics Committee does and what it could soon be investigating.

What does the ethics committee do?

The committee must at least launch a preliminary inquiry for all complaints and allegations suggesting that a Senator or staffer may have violated rules within the Committees jurisdiction, according to its website. Once a preliminary investigation is completed, the committee will then determine whether there is enough evidence to suggest a violation has occurred.

Following that determination, the committee can issue a public or private admonition. The committee can also request that the Senate take a disciplinary action, which includes: censure, expulsion or payment of restitution.

IF ROY MOORE IS EXPELLED FROM THE SENATE, HED BE THE FIRST SINCE THE CIVIL WAR-ERA

A censure does not remove a senator from office, but it is considered to be a severe formal rebuke. Nine senators have been censured since 1789.

An expulsion removes a senator from office. Since 1789, the Senate has only expelled 15 members, the last being in 1862. Fourteen senators were expelled in 1861 and 1862 for support for the Confederate rebellion. The other senator was expelled in 1797 for his disloyalty to the United States.

The permanent Select Committee on Ethics was created in 1977; it replaced the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct, which by that time, had been widely seen as ineffective.

Who is on the committee?

Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., heads up the committee with Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., serving as its vice chairman.

Other members include: Sens. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.; Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; James Risch, R-Idaho; and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.

What could they be tasked with soon?

Bob Menendez

Sen. Bob Menendezs corruption and bribery trial finally ended in November when a judge declared a mistrial after the jury failed to come to an unanimous conclusion.

The New Jersey Democrat was accused of accepting a plethora of donations and gifts from a wealthy friend in exchange for political influence.

The Senate Ethics Committee said it will resume an inquiry into Menendez that started in 2012. That probe was deferred because of the criminal investigation.

Roy Moore

Roy Moore isnt even in the Senate and already senators have called for an ethics investigation into him should he be elected on Tuesday. The GOP Alabama Senate candidate has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct. The majority of women were teenagers  as young as 14  when they allege Moore sexually touched or assaulted them.

Moore, already a polarizing politician, has denied the allegations, and lost support from many prominent Republicans  including in the Senate. Cory Gardner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, said the Senate should immediately move to expel Moore once he is sworn into office  a process that would begin after an ethics committee probe.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said Moore would face a swift ethics probe should he be elected.

Moore told radio station WERC that an ethics probe would be unconstitutional because the nature of the investigation would be pre-Senate conduct.

Al Franken

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., found himself under scrutiny after a Los Angeles TV and radio host released an inappropriate photo that showed him grabbing her breasts when she was asleep on a USO tour in 2006. The host, Leeann Tweeden, also said in a blog post for KABC that Franken forcibly kissed her without her permission.

After Tweedens post, multiple women came forward to accuse Franken of sexual misconduct. He announced earlier this month that he would resign from the Senate at a later date.

Former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson, R, said in a blog post that Franken should stay in the Senate until a legal determination has been made about the allegations.

The simple fact is that Al Franken has been the Senates most effective challenge to Trump and his subordinates. The possibility of any rigging by Roger Stone and his associates should cause all of us to call for a rescinding of the Franken resignation and a prompt and thorough review of all allegations by the Senate Ethics Committee, Carlson said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer recently signed a book deal with a conservative publishing company, so that he can set the record straight on his rocky tenure in the White House and push back against the "rampant hostility" he says the mainstream media has towards President Donald Trump.

"It was an honor to have a front row seat on the campaign, transition team and the first eight months of this historic presidency. I look forward to sharing my stories and setting the record straight," Spicer told the Washington Examiner.

The Washington-based publishing company, Regnery, that has published books by prominent conservative writers like Laura Ingraham and Newt Gingrich, announced on Monday that they will be releasing Spicer's book next summer.

"This isnt about White House gossip,"Spicer said. "I can tell you from first-hand experience of the rampant hostility President Trump faces daily from the mainstream press, and I want the American people to have an opportunity to hear the truth they wont hear from mainstream media."

"Regnery is the perfect home for Sean Spicer to tell his story," said Marji Ross, president and publisher of Regnery. "Sean shares our mission to shine light on the stories the mainstream media wont cover, and we are honored to partner with him on this project."

Spicer appeared on Fox News Monday night and explained why he is writing a book, which will be called "The Briefing."

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.
A top Republican senator has expanded his investigation into an Obama-era deal that gave Russia partial control of the U.S. uranium supply, claiming he was repeatedly misled by the Obama administration about a Russian companys ability to export that material.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, fired off a letter Monday to the heads of the U.S. Energy Department and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeking an extensive list of documents.

He wants to know more about the controversial sale of Canadian mining company Uranium One to a subsidiary of Russias Rosatom nuclear company  and specifically, how uranium under its control made its way out of the U.S.

Beginning in 2012, Uranium One exported U.S. uranium by piggy-backing as a supplier on an export license held by a shipping company, Barrasso wrote.

Thats apparently not how the process was explained to him when he first raised concerns.

Back in 2011, then-NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko assured the senator that the companies did not hold a specific NRC export license and would not be able to export uranium from the U.S. without one.

Yet The Hill reported last month that while the NRC never issued the license, memos show it did approve the shipment of yellowcake uranium from the U.S. mines to Canada in 2012 through a third party. The same report said the Obama administration later approved some of that material to go to Europe, and the approval involved a process with multiple agencies.

HOUSE PROBES URANIUM ONE DEAL

Barrasso, in his letter, said the response he got from Jaczko was misleading.

Further, he said the Department of Energy chose to hide its role in approving exports, by claiming at the time the issue did not fall within its purview.

By stating DOE had no role in the matter, the DOE concealed the possibility of subsequent exports and their responsibility in reviewing them, Barrasso wrote. The DOEs concealment, together with Chairman Jaczkos deception, created a false narrative that there was only one agency and one process by which Uranium One could export uranium.

The Hill report described an alternative way of approving those exports. It said that the NRC, rather than grant a direct export to Rosatom, in 2012 authorized an amendment to an existing export license for a trucking firm to simply add Uranium One to the list of clients whose uranium it could move to Canada.

Barrassos letter included dozens of requests for information to both agencies, covering documents related to each uranium transfer. He set a Jan. 31 deadline.

Asked for comment, an NRC spokesperson told Fox News: "The NRC will respond directly to Senator Barrasso through our normal correspondence." The spokesperson noted current Chairwoman Kristine Svinicki will be testifying Wednesday before Barrasso's committee, "so the subject may come up then."

The Uranium One deal, which was covered extensively in 2015, burst back into the headlines in October, after The Hill reported the FBI had evidence as early as 2009 that Russian operatives used bribes, kickbacks and other dirty tactics to expand Moscows atomic energy footprint in the U.S., related to a Rosatom subsidiary. Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill quickly started asking questions about how the deal was approved the following year by an inter-agency committee.

While scrutinizing the 2010 approval, Republican lawmakers have also revived questions that first surfaced in 2015 about payments to both Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation from interested parties.

Addressing the matter on C-SPAN in October, Hillary Clinton said its the same baloney theyve been peddling for years, and theres been no credible evidence by anyone. In fact, its been debunked repeatedly and will continue to be debunked.

The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee said these issues are just part of the distraction and diversion from the investigation into Russian meddling and possible coordination with Trump associates in last years election.
A top member of President Trumps outside legal team called Tuesday for the appointment of a separate special prosecutor to look into potential conflicts of interest involving Justice Department and FBI officials.

Jay Sekulow made the call following a Fox News report revealing that the wife of a DOJ official demoted for concealing his meetings with the firm behind the anti-Trump dossier herself worked for the same firm, Fusion GPS, during the 2016 election.

Sekulow told Fox News that a special prosecutor should be appointed to look into these issues.

"The Department of Justice and FBI cannot ignore the multiple problems that have been created by these obvious conflicts of interests. These new revelations require the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate, Sekulow also told Axios.

Trumps team is not at this point making any formal petition seeking a special prosecutor, but is making its views known. Sekulow stressed that this call is not connected to Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia meddling investigation or Trumps confidence in Mueller.

I was asked about it, and let my feelings be known, Sekulow told Fox News on Tuesday.

WIFE OF DEMOTED DOJ OFFICIAL WORKED FOR TRUMP DOSSIER FIRM

A group of House Republicans for months has called for the appointment of a second special counsel to probe certain Obama and Clinton-related controversies, something Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reviewing.

When asked Tuesday about the Sekulow call, Sessions noted hes already ordered that review following the prior call from members of Congress.

Ive put a senior attorney, with the resources he may need, to review cases in our office and make a recommendation to me ... if things arent being pursued that need to be pursued, if cases may need more resources to complete in a proper manner, and to recommend to me if the standards for a special counsel are met, he said, calling that the appropriate course.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, also asked Tuesday about Sekulow's comments, said Trump has great concern about the DOJ conduct in question.

I think its something we should certainly look at, she said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also tweeted Friday, I will be challenging Rs and Ds on Senate Judiciary Committee to support a Special Counsel to investigate ALL THINGS 2016 -- not just Trump and Russia.

The revelations about the DOJ official and his wife follow reports that an FBI official was removed from Muellers team earlier this year over anti-Trump texts he exchanged with another ex-investigator with whom he was romantically involved.

Together, the details have fueled Republican concerns about the objectivity of key officials at the DOJ and FBI.

Fox News reported last week that Bruce Ohr was demoted amid an investigation into his contacts with Fusion GPS-tied figures. Fox News has learned that evidence collected by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), chaired by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., indicates that Ohr met during the 2016 campaign with Christopher Steele, the former British spy who authored the dossier.

Additionally, House investigators have determined that Ohr met shortly after the election with Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS  the opposition research firm that hired Steele to compile the dossier with funds supplied by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

On Monday, Fox News reported that House intelligence committee investigators confirm the officials wife, Nellie Ohr, worked for Fusion GPS.

The precise nature of Mrs. Ohrs duties  including whether she worked on the dossier  remains unclear but a review of her published works available online reveals Mrs. Ohr has written extensively on Russia-related subjects. HPSCI staff confirmed to Fox News that she was paid by Fusion GPS through the summer and fall of 2016.

Fox News John Roberts, James Rosen and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Defeated Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore found himself at the center of controversy a month before the election as multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. Democratic nominee Doug Jones beat Moore on Dec. 12 in the highly contentious race.

The women alleged that Moore was sexually inappropriate toward them while many were in their teens and Moore was in his 30s. Leigh Corfman, now 53, alleged that Moore first approached her in a courtroom in 1979. She alleged that Moore touched her in private areas when she was 14.

Moores campaign responded to the allegations, calling them baseless and the very definition of fake news.

Since the allegations were published, several potential Republican colleagues in the Senate  including some who endorsed Moore  called on the former judge to step aside from the Dec. 12 special election. However, President Trump has stood by him.

Heres a look at Moore and how he came to be the Republicans pick for Senate.

The special election

Moore won the Alabama GOP primary runoff for a seat in the U.S. Senate, defeating incumbent Sen. Luther Strange.

Strange was appointed to finish out Jeff Sessions term when he was tapped as the U.S. attorney general. He was strongly backed by President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who both visited Alabama to campaign for the senator.

But former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon pitted himself against Trump in the race as he backed Moore and campaigned for him on the eve of the election.

ROY MOORE WINS ALABAMA SENATE PRIMARY: WHAT TO KNOW

Following the election, Trump tweeted that he spoke to Moore for the first time and credited him with running a fantastic race.

Previous political work

A former Alabama chief justice, Moore has been dubbed the Ayatollah of Alabama by critics who believe he too closely mirrored his political and judicial responsibilities.

He was twice removed from Alabamas Supreme Court.

The first time, he was removed when he refused to move a boulder-sized Ten Commandments monument from the statehouse; he was permanently suspended in 2016 after he instructed probate judges to deny marriage licenses to gay people.

Moore used those Supreme Court controversies to boost his support among conservative evangelicals; he told Republican voters that those cases were akin to battle scars for standing up for what he believes. On his campaign website, Moore said he was suspended for upholding the sanctity of marriage as between one man and one woman.

Other controversies

Moore was called racially insensitive when he used dated terms to seemingly describe Asian people and Native Americans during a campaign speech.

Now we have blacks and whites fighting, reds and yellows fighting, Democrats and Republicans fighting, men and women fighting. Whats going to unite us? Whats going to bring us back together? A president? A Congress? No, its going to be God, he said.

He also suggested the 9/11 terrorist attacks were a punishment from God and said God was upset with the U.S. because we legitimize sodomy and legitimize abortion," CNN reported.

Fox News Kaitlyn Schallhorn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A tiny King James Bible that went to space on the famous Apollo 13 mission is up for auction this week.

The mission was famously depicted in the successful 1995 movie "Apollo 13" starring Tom Hanks.

The Bible will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on Dec. 14.

The microform Bible was issued by the Apollo Prayer League to the crew that embarked on the storied mission. Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970, with Commander Jim Lovell, Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise on board. The explosion of an oxygen tank, however, placed the crew in intense danger and forced them to scrub their planned lunar landing.

APOLLO 13: LIFE WITH THE LOVELLS DURING NASA'S 'FINEST HOUR'

As the world watched anxiously, the astronauts worked closely with Mission Control in Houston and turned their lunar module into a lifeboat. They even rigged an adapter, ensuring that a command module "air scrubber" would work in the lunar module. This prevented a dangerous buildup of carbon dioxide.

The crew successfully splashed down on April 17, 1970.

The Apollo Prayer League was founded in 1968 by Rev. John M. Stout, a NASA information scientist, a year after astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White II and Roger Chaffee were killed in the tragic Apollo 1 fire. Stout was a close friend of Whites and they often prayed together. The League's mission was to pray for the safety of astronauts and help with humanitarian causes around the world.

BAG OF NASA MOON DUST SELLS FOR $1.8M AT AUCTION

The Bible comes with two certificates of authenticity, one of which is a letter signed by the Apollo 13 crew confirming that it flew on their mission. A second letter from the Apollo Prayer League is signed by Lovell and Stout.

Bidding for the Bible starts at $50,000.

Earlier this year, an Apollo 13 Flight Plan with handwritten notations by the crew was sold at auction for $275,000, well above its pre-sale estimate of $40,000.

TRUMP WANTS TO SEE NASA BOOTS ON THE MOON

Nate D. Sanders Auctions is also auctioning the American flag flown on the Apollo 11 mission on Dec. 14. The flag comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

Bidding for the flag starts at $42,500.

The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
On Sept. 10, 1770, the skies above China, Korea and Japan turned an eerie red, and for eight more nights these glowing red auroras lingered.

For nearly three centuries, this mysterious event was lost to history.

Now, researchers poring through palace diaries and other historical documents from East Asia have rediscovered the bizarre phenomenon, and have proposed a likely cause: A giant magnetic storm that rivaled the most powerful one on record, the so-called Carrington Event of 1859. (Geomagnetic storms occur when solar eruptions hit Earth's magnetosphere, the shell of electrically charged particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field.)

If a similarly massive magnetic storm hit Earth now, it could wreak havoc on power grids around the planet, researchers said. [The Sun's Wrath: The Worst Solar Storms in History]

Mysterious event rediscovered

To rediscover this cryptic event, Hisashi Hayakawa, a historian and astronomer at Osaka University in Japan, and his colleagues investigated historical records from China, Korea and Japan from the 18th century, looking for mentions of auroras. (Auroras, the radiant displays of colors in the sky known as the northern or southern lights, result from solar particles striking Earth's magnetosphere. They are usually most visible near the planet's magnetic poles, but when they occur at lower latitudes, far from Earth's poles, they can reveal evidence of geomagnetic storm activity.)

These types of "historical documents can let us trace back solar activity for millennia," Hayakawa told Live Science. For instance, records of auroras can be found in Babylonian astronomical diaries from 567 B.C., he said.

The team also examined sunspot drawings from the same period by amateur German astronomer Johann Caspar Staudacher, as well as records from Capt. James Cook's missions on the HMS Endeavour.

After studying 111 historical documents, the scientists found evidence of red auroras seen throughout East Asia from Sept. 10 to 19, 1770. These long-lasting auroras were noticed at low latitudes, suggesting a powerful geomagnetic storm caused them.

The researchers also found these auroras were documented farther south by crew members aboard the HMS Endeavour near Timor Island in Southeast Asia. These findings are among the earliest known records of simultaneous auroral observations in both hemispheres.

"Considering this event was so large, it would be reasonable to find more events not only in East Asia but also in other low-latitude areas," Hayakawa said. As a result, the team is extending its archival surveys to areas as distant as the Middle East, Hayakawa added.

The team also scoured historical records for drawings of sunspots, which often co-occur with geomagnetic storms. These drawings suggested that sunspots during the 1770 event were twice as large in area as those seen during the Carrington Event, suggesting they were at least comparable in strength. During the notorious Carrington Event, electrical currents in the atmosphere zapped telegraph wires and caused paper from the devices to catch fire.

The research suggested the 1770 event affected at least as much of the globe as the Carrington Event. Moreover, the 1770 event's auroras were seen across nine nights, while the Carrington Event's were seen on just four nights.

"The events in 1770 lasted much longer," Hayakawa said.

As a result, scientists may need to rethink how frequently such powerful storms occur, the researchers said.

"Now we know the Carrington event was not a special one," study co-author Hiroaki Isobe, a solar physician at Kyoto University in Japan, told Live Science. "Such event occurs from time to time, roughly about once in 100 years."

Potentially catastrophic event

Given how dependent on electricity the world has become since the Carrington Event, if a similarly powerful geomagnetic storm were to hit now, unprecedented damage would result.

For instance, in 1989, a geomagnetic storm blacked out Quebec in 90 seconds, leaving 6 million customers in the dark for 9 hours, damaging transformers as far away as New Jersey, and nearly taking down U.S. power grids from the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific Northwest. However, the Quebec event may have packed just one-tenth the power of the Carrington Event, prior work suggested.

A 2013 study from Lloyd's of London estimated a $2.6 trillion cost for North America if a Carrington-level storm happened now, and predicted "a Carrington-level, extreme geomagnetic storm is almost inevitable in the future."

"We believe we need to expect even more economic and social impacts for this kind of extreme and long-lasting magnetic storm," Hayakawa said.

The researchers are now looking for other historical examples of powerful magnetic storms. "We have already found another 1770-class event," Hayakawa said.

The scientists detailed their findings online Nov. 29 in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Original article on Live Science.
It's death by a thousand nibbles.

Pando, the world's largest living organism  and possibly its oldest  is being destroyed by the voracious appetite of mule deer.

Also known as the trembling giant, Pando is a colony of quaking aspen that spans 106 acres (43 hectares) of south-central Utah. Because of an explosion of deer in the area, new sprouts from Pando are eaten before they have a chance to mature, and the venerable organism is at risk of dying out altogether.

"The system is not replacing itself; it's highly out of balance," said Paul Rogers, an ecologist at Utah State University and the director of the Western Aspen Alliance. [See Photos of Earth's Oldest Living Things]

A forest of one tree

To the casual observer, Pando looks like an ordinary forest. But each tree shares a common root system and is a genetically identical clone of its forest pals. It's essentially a forest of one tree, Rogers said.

"What you all think of as trees are actually one living and connected being," Rogers told Live Science. "Being in this grove or this forest to me is pretty magical."

Though Pando has often been called the oldest living organism on Earth(with some estimates claiming the stand is upward of 80,000 years old), dating techniques for the colony are so imprecise that no one can say for sure how old the grove is, Rogers said.

A closer look reveals that the majestic superorganism is in trouble. In short, Pando is aging fast.

"If we had a community of 50,000 people and every one of them was over 80 years of age, we wouldn't have a very sustainable community," Rogers said. "That is exactly what we're looking at with the Pando clone."

The reason is that mule deer, and occasionally cattle, are devouring the babies of the community before they have an opportunity to grow to maturity. The problem has been going on for decades, Rogers said.

"It's clear that nearly every sprout that comes up  they're technically called suckers  is eaten almost immediately as it comes out of the ground," Rogers said.

Meanwhile, the older stems are almost all between 110 and 130 years old, which is about the typical life span of individual quaking aspen stems, Rogers said. The forest floor is covered with dead trees, and no new life is coming in to replace it, he said.

Complicated problem

Mule deer and other herbivores became such a problem for Pando in recent decades in part because of humans.

"Humans have eliminated predators," Rogers said.

Without wolves prowling the area, for instance, deer populations not only explode, but the deer that do frequent an area become more brazen. Instead of moving on quickly, they linger and munch on the nutrient-rich sprouts to their hearts' content.

"It's akin to a salad bar or a candy store. It's very, very desirable to these herbivores," Rogers said.

What's more, because state wildlife agencies fund themselves in part by issuing hunting licenses, they have some incentive to keep the deer populations high, so hunters don't go home empty-handed, Rogers said. Finally, there are cabins near Pando, and one campground is located within the grove itself, Rogers said. Because hunting near human dwellings is prohibited, the deer tend to hang out in this area because they know they'll be safe from hunters, he added.

Cattle that come in from higher ground for a few weeks a year also pose problems, because they may trample or eat the shoots during those periods, Rogers said. [Quaking Aspen: Trees of the Mountain West]

Possible solutions

Pando is dying, but Rogers, along with others at the Western Aspen Alliance, an organization that works to promote healthy aspen ecosystems, are looking for ways to save the trembling giant. Cattle come through the area a few weeks a year, so persuading ranchers to take a slightly different route for those few weeks could help, he said.

In a study published in February in the journal Ecosphere, Rogers and his colleagues showed that fencing-in growing suckers had some success in preventing deer from eating them, as long as the suckers were actively protected until they were above "browsing" height of about 6 feet (2 meters). (Above this height, most mule deer aren't tall enough to easily eat these sprouts.)

However, deer sometimes manage to get through these fences, so the fencing strategy may need to be re-evaluated at some point, Rogers said.

Another possible solution is to hire trained professionals to cull (read: shoot) deer, Rogers said. Letting amateur hunters loose near human-occupied areas like campgrounds or cabins isn't safe, but professional sharpshooters are trained to do so safely.

It's possible, too, that culling just a few animals could have an outsize impact. Aspen have chemical defenses that leave a bad taste in animals' mouths, so the deer that are munching on Pando are likely just a handful of animals that have acquired adaptations that allow them to tolerate the taste, Rogers said.

"It's really actually not a big number that are chronically feeding on that area," Rogers said.

Rogers is working with several different agencies and interest groups to find ways to save Pando that everyone can live with.

"I'm optimistic," Rogers said.

Originally published on Live Science.
COLUMBUS  A Columbus man who attempted to pick up an underage girl outside her house pleaded guilty Monday in Platte County Court to drug and impaired driving charges.

Sergio Duron-Reina, 21, entered his pleas to attempted possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection with the early-morning incident July 3 in the 2600 block of 21st Street.

Judge Frank Skorupa scheduled Duron-Reina for sentencing Jan. 22 on the convictions. The defendant has been free on a $25,000 bond, 10 percent allowed for release, since Nov. 14.

The meth possession charge is a Class IV felony, punishable by up to two years in prison and 12 months of post-release supervision. DUI and contributing to the delinquency of a minor are misdemeanors that are each punishable by up to a year in jail.

In exchange for his guilty pleas, the county attorneys office dismissed charges of criminal impersonation, driving during revocation and possession of marijuana-1 ounce or less.

According to Columbus Police, a local woman called 911 at 3:46 a.m. July 3 to report that her 15-year-old daughter had been texting an adult man who was on his way to the familys home to pick up the girl, who planned to sneak out of the house.

The teen, according to Officer Jeff Uhls arrest statement, had a history of truancy and was on probation. The officer reported the mother was hiding in the bushes outside the family residence when he arrived at the scene.

Uhl reported that Duron-Reina arrived at the back of the residence in a 2006 Toyota Corolla and was followed for several blocks before the officer initiated a traffic stop. During the stop, the officer wrote, a white, crystal powder inside a folded bill from the city mans wallet was discovered.

During a subsequent field test, the substance tested positive for meth, Uhl wrote. Duron-Reina later admitted to lying about his identification and that his operators license was revoked from a Jan. 23 DUI in Columbus.
Chamath Palihapitiya, a former Facebook executive and the CEO of venture capital firm Social Capital, said in a November interview that social media is damaging society and voiced concerns about its impact on his own children.

In the November interview at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Palihapitiya, also a co-owner of the Golden State Warriors, said that he feels tremendous guilt for helping build Facebook into the behemoth it is today. Palihapitiya joined the company in 2007 as its vice president for user growth, three years after it was founded in a Harvard dorm room by Mark Zuckerberg.

"I think we all knew in the back of our minds, even though we feigned this whole line of 'unintended consqeuences,' I think in the back recesses of our minds, something bad could happen," Palihapitiya said. "It literally is at a point now we've created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works. That is literally where we are. I would encourage all of you how to internalize this is - if you feed the beast, the beast will destroy you."

AS OUTRAGE INTENSIFIES, GOOGLE HIGHLIGHTS NEW WAYS TO CLEAN UP YOUTUBE

Palihapitiya added that our use of social media is becoming dangerous for society:

"The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse. No cooperation. Misinformation. Mistruth. And it's not an American problem. This is not about Russian ads. This is a global problem. So we are in a really bad state of affairs right now, in my opinion. It is eroding the core foundations of how people behave by and between each other."

He said that he rarely, if ever uses Facebook, posting maybe twice in seven years, something that has caused "huge problems" in his own social circles. He also added he would not let his own children use it.

Here is the full interview, which was first spotted by The Verge:

FORMER FACEBOOK EXEC SEAN PARKER: 'GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT IT'S DOING TO OUR CHILDREN'S BRAINS'

Fox News has reached out to Facebook for comment on this, but the company told The Telegraph that Facebook is a very different company now than it was when Palihapitiya worked there and it recognizes its responsibilities have grown as the company has.

Backlash becoming more common

Palihapitiya is just the latest former Facebook employee to come out and express concern for how the company has changed the social fabric of how society operates.

Last month, Sean Parker, who co-founded the music streaming service Napster before joining Facebook as its president, said he was concerned about what it is doing to children's brains.

"I don't know if I really understood the consequences of what I was saying, because [of] the unintended consequences of a network when it grows to a billion or 2 billion people and ... it literally changes your relationship with society, with each other ... It probably interferes with productivity in weird ways," Parker said in an interview with Axios' Mike Allen. "God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains."

Another former Facebook employee and the creator of the "like" button, engineer Justin Rosenstein, said he thinks his invention is a contributor to time poorly spent."

Snap  the company that owns Snaphat  also recently criticized social media, with its CEO Evan Spiegel recently saying social media has fueled the rise of "fake news."

Both Parker and Palihapitiya have moved into areas where they are trying to do more social good than just building another social network. Parker is now the founder and chair of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Palihapitiya's Social Capital focuses on funding companies in sectors such as healthcare and education, in addition to areas like rocket technology and 3-D printing.

IPHONE X, BITCOIN, WANNACRY AND MORE: BIGGEST TECH STORIES OF 2017

More harm than good?

The comments come after a time of increased backlash towards companies in Silicon Valley. Facebook in particular, has come under scrutiny for the role it played during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

In September, Facebook reported that Russian operatives spent $100,000 in fraudulent ad spending by organizations with ties to the Russian government. Separately, Twitter and Google have also uncovered ad spending by Russian operatives.

The Russian government and some of the players linked have since denied the allegations.

In spite of this, as well as comments he made after the 2016 election saying he thought it was "a pretty crazy idea" that Facebook was responsible for infleuncing the election's results, Zuckerberg has asked for "forgiveness" for ways his "work was used to divide people."

He also updated Facebook's mission statement this past summer, saying the company's new purpose is "to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together."

Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia
A Toronto man was forced to shell out more than $14,400 for a 5-mile Uber ride, when a glitch in surge pricing caused his bill to skyrocket.

The passenger posted an image of the overblown receipt  which notes his trip took just 21 minutes  under the Instagram handle Votethehish on Friday.

It shows he was charged $18,518.50 in Canadian cash when the ride should have cost between $12 and $16, Slate.com reported.

Thanks for choosing Uber, wrote his driver, whose name was listed as Hisham.

Uber at first refused to give him a refund, the website reported.

But his pal, Emily Kannard, slammed the breaks on that, by calling the company out on Twitter.

My friend was charged 18K for a 20 Min ride (!), and they are sticking to it. What in the world??? This is insane! she Tweeted at the company on Saturday.

Uber later admitted the mistake and refunded his cash.

There was an error here and it has been resolved, Uber said in a statement to Slate.

We have provided a full refund to this rider and apologized to him for this experience. We have safeguards in place to help prevent something like this from happening, and we are working to understand how this occurred.

This story originally appeared in the New York Post.
Daredevil climber and social media star Wu Yongning, who recently plunged to his death when scaling a 62-story skyscraper, was reportedly planning to propose to his girlfriend the following day.

Citing Wus step-uncle Feng Shengliang, The South China Morning Post reports that the 26-year-old was about to propose. He planned to propose to his girlfriend [the day after the challenge], Feng said. He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother.

Wu, a so-called rooftopper, had earned a huge following on social media by climbing tall buildings without safety equipment and posting vertigo-inducing selfies and videos online. Millions have watched his tragic fall from a skyscraper in the Chinese city of Changsha.

TRAGEDY AS FAMOUS DAREDEVIL CLIMBER PLUNGES TO HIS DEATH FROM WELL-KNOWN SKYSCRAPER

The climber had apparently set up a camera phone to record his doomed stunt. Graphic video has appeared online purportedly showing the 26-year-old lowering himself over the side of the Huayuan Hua Centre in Changsha. In the horrific video, Wu can be seen hanging from the top of the building before attempting to hoist himself up and apparently struggling to gain a foothold. Tragically, he soon loses his grip and falls out of the shot. The camera, which was trained on the top of the building, did not record the moment of impact.

The Sun reports that Wu fell about 45 feet onto a terrace and subsequently died.

The climber had reportedly taken an elevator up 40 floors and climbed another 20 floors to set up the stunt.

FIREFIGHTERS SLAM YOUTUBE PRANKSTER WHO 'CEMENTED' A MICROWAVE OVEN TO HIS HEAD

AsiaOne reports that video of the horrific incident surfaced online Dec. 10. The accident occurred Nov. 8, it said, citing a post by Wus girlfriend on Chinese social media site Weibo.

Citing the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, the New York Post reports that Yongning would have received about $15,000 for the stunt, although it is unclear who was offering the prize.

Wu, a former movie stuntman, had more than one million followers on Weibo, according to The Independent.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
A Southwest Airlines plane had to make an emergency landing in Florida Tuesday after strange smells were reported in the cabin.

Flight 1539 was heading from Orlando to Houston when it had to be diverted to Pensacola International Airport after the fumes were discovered coming from the back of the aircraft.

BREASTFEEDING MOM KICKED OFF SPIRIT FLIGHT FOR 'NON-COMPLIANCE'

After landing safely, Southwest Airlines spokesman Brian Parrish said that maintenance met the flight to determine the source of the smell, which was discovered to be coming from the coffee maker.

Once the plane was deemed safe, the flight continued on to its final destination.

Safety is always our top priority at Southwest Airlines, and we appreciate the patience of our customers during todays diversion, Parrish told Fox News in a statement.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

This isnt the first time an abnormal odor has been the caused trouble on a plane. In October, six American Airlines crew members sought medical attention after noticing a possible smell in the cabin of a plane at Bostons Logan International Airport. The airline did not confirm what caused the smell, but the flight departed after an inspection.

Associated Press contributed to this report
Arnold Schwarzenegger took a spin around Paris on Monday ahead of an international climate summit, slamming President Trumps decision to pull out of the Paris agreement.

The former Republican governor of California was seen riding around Parisian streets on the green bike in the leadup to a Tuesday climate summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

FRANCE TO NAME WINNERS OF ANTI-TRUMP CLIMATE CHANGE GRANTS

Schwarzenegger spoke at an event hosted by R20, an environmental nonprofit he founded. The politician and action-movie star maintained that Trumps rejection of the Paris climate accord didnot matter because companies, scientists and other governments can pick up the slack to reduce global emissions, The Hill reported.

It doesnt matter that Donald Trump backed out of the Paris agreement, because the private sector didnt drop out, the public sector didnt drop out, the universities didnt drop out, the scientists didnt drop out, the engineers didnt drop out. No one else dropped out, Schwarzenegger said.

"Donald Trump pulled Donald Trump out of the Paris agreement, so dont worry about that.  Arnold Schwarzenegger

HERES HOW TRUMP COULD MAKE A QUICK (AND COMPLETE) EXIT FROM THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT RIGHT NOW

Schwarzenegger, a prominent green campaigner, acknowledged that many people dont understand what global warming or climate change really means. He urged environmental activists to focus on fighting pollution instead because of its health risks.

Donald Trump pulled Donald Trump out of the Paris agreement, so dont worry about that, Schwarzenegger said. We at a subnational level are going to pick up the slack and continue on. We will fight and we will create the kind of future for our children and grandchildren because that is our responsibility and no one will stop us.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
After 37 years, authorities in Northern California said they arrested a suspect in the cold-case murder of a 14-year-old girl that drew national attention at the time, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Mitchell Lynn Bacom, 63, has been held on charges in the murder and rape of Suzanne Bombardier, The East Bay Times reported.

Bombardier was reported missing on the morning of June 21, 1980. She babysat her nieces the night before.

Her disappearance prompted an intense search in Antioch, a city east of the San Francisco Bay Area. Five days later, a fisherman discovered her body floating on the San Joaquin River about 97 miles away, the report said. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed with a single wound to the heart.

Bacom was known to Suzannes family, police said to the East Bay Times. He was identified as the killer through DNA evidence acquired in the case that was run through a federal database, police told the paper.

The re-opening of the case was attributed to author Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons, and retired Antioch police detectives Gregory Glod and Ron Rackley.

Gibbons came across Suzannes gravestone in 2014, which led her to write the Lost Girl blog that traced her discovery of Suzannes stories, the East Bay Times reported.

In the same year, Gibbons arranged a reunion between detectives Glod, Rackley and one of Suzannes close friends and one of her nieces, The Chronicle reported.

My prayers have been answered," Glod told the East Bay Times. "Probably not too many days have gone by that I havent thought about this case ... This has made my life complete to be quite honest with you.
A 24-year-old Oklahoma man faces upgraded charges to murder after a toddler died Monday from brutal injuries -- including being slammed into a wall so hard a hole was made -- after the baby would not go to sleep, police said.

Zachary Collins, 24, of Tulsa was originally arrested Saturday on child abuse and neglect after he allegedly threw his girlfriend's baby into furniture until the child was unconscious and quiet while he was babysitting Friday night.

"Children look for adults and parents to take care of them, and in this situation that didn't happen, and it's a tragedy," Tulsa Police Officer Jeanne Mackenzie told FOX 23 News.

Mackenzie said Collins confessed to officers he slammed the child into furniture and beat him after he wouldn't go to sleep.

"At that point he punched the child in the stomach and threw him against the wall so hard that there was a hole," she added.

He originally tried to blame another child for the baby's severe injuries, claiming a 3-year-old pushed the toddler off the bed.

NORTH DAKOTA WOMAN, 38, PLEADS GUILTY TO BRUTAL 'WOMB RAIDER' MURDER OF PREGNANT WOMAN, 22, TO STEAL BABY

Investigators said the injuries were too severe for officers to believe the story, and Collins later admitted he was behind the brutal assault. He also told police he drank a six-pack of beer and a half pint of tequila that night, the Tulsa World reported.

The child was taken to a hospital and was given less than 50 percent chance of survival before dying Monday morning, according to FOX 23.

Collins, who is already involved in a separate domestic assault case, had his charges subsequently upgraded to murder.

Mackenzie told FOX 23 the tragic incident is a reminder for anyone dealing with young children to keep their cool.

"They look up to their parents and their caretakers for protection and safety, and if you can't take care of them and you get frustrated then you need to take a step back," she said.
Erika Crooks remembers the day well. On Memorial Day weekend four years ago, she, her husband and their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter went to a local Target near their home in Elk Grove, Calif., to purchase barbecuing supplies. When they returned, their home was engulfed in flames.

It was like an out-of-body experience, Crooks, 33, told Fox News. You see fires on TV and are desensitized to them. But you never know when it's going to be your home.

It was a last-minute decision that saved Crooks and her family from the flames; she and her husband decided to make the trip to Target a family outing, opposed to one of them staying home with their young daughter, she said.

It was like an out-of-body experience."  Erika Crooks

Crooks family, who had only been living in the house for five months, watched their home burn for roughly seven hours before the fire was contained. The fire marshal on duty that day told Crooks that it was an exterior fire, most likely sparked by something flammable thrown into a trashcan near their home.

I was shocked, frightened and saddened, she said. I wanted to run in and grab pictures and my daughters favorite blanket -- material things that you take for granted.

Crooks family lost a lot that day. But thanks to a $100 gift card from the California Fire Foundations SAVE program, they were able to buy food and pajamas for their daughter that night.

The foundation works with local fire agencies to provide immediate, on-site assistance to families that have suffered a residential loss of at least 25 percent, according to its website.

It also provided assistance to those who were impacted by the wildfires in Southern California, which scorched hundreds of thousands of acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate at the height of the fires.

The foundation gave roughly 500 gift cards to Southern Californians who were affected by the wildfires, Lou Paulson, chairman of the California Fire Foundation, told Fox News.



Here's how the wildfire victims have been helped so far.

President Trump approves California's disaster declaration

On Jan. 2, President Trump declared that a "major disaster exists in the state of California." He also ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires, mainly in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties where the Thomas Fire has hit the hardest.

Certain non-profit organizations were also eligible to receive funds, according to a statement from the White House.

Trump previously declared a state of emergency in California on Dec. 8, which allowed federal assistance to supplement the state and local response to the fires. His declaration was in response to a letter from California Gov. Jerry Brown. Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Riverside counties will receive federal assistance.

More specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency, the emergency management agency said in a statement. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, was also provided at 75 percent federal funding.

United Way of Ventura County

In a partnership with the American Red Cross of Ventura County and the Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services, the United Way of Ventura County started the Thomas Fire Fund to assist community relief efforts in the county, which was primarily been impacted by the Thomas Fire. This wildfire -- which is now the largest in the state's history -- has scorched more than 281,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army Ventura Corps accepted food, water and money donations to help those who were impacted by the wildfires, especially those who were evacuated to the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Up until Dec. 9, the organization served a combined total of 4,619 meals to evacuees at the fairgrounds and at Nordhoff High School in Ojai, Calif., which also served as a temporary evacuation center.

The Red Cross

Roughly 615 people who were forced to leave their homes due to the wildfires sought refuge at the 13 Red Cross community shelters in Southern California.

Go Fund Me

Many individuals started fundraising campaigns on Go Fund Me in light of the wildfires.

California Community Foundations Wildfire Relief Fund

The California Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund provides immediate and long-term wildfire recovery efforts. Since 2003, the fund has raised $3.5 million to support relief and recovery efforts.

More specifically, the fund supports those who have suffered long-term mental or health issues as a result of wildfires, helps to rebuild homes and provides financial assistance to victims, among other things.

L.A. Kitchen

L.A. Kitchen provided meals to firefighters and displaced wildfire victims.

Humane Society of Ventura County

The Humane Society of Ventura County housed more than 100 animals due to the wildfires. At the time, they were in need of basic animal supplies such as: cat food, alfalfa, hay, water troughs, hoses, flashlights and rabbit food.
A Colorado middle school teacher resigned after projecting a disturbing message on a classroom screen: I want to kill children.

The teacher, Kris Burghart, who taught eighth grade at Otho E. Stuart Middle School in Commerce City, resigned on Friday just weeks after he was put on administrative leave for the message, school district officials told The Denver Post.

The note, projected on a screen earlier this month, read: Silent reading  I want to kill children but I am a loving Christian man who never would hurt a flee (sic) so please sit down and read.

A student took a picture of the message and shared it with school officials. Tracy Rudnick, spokeswoman for Commerce City School District 27J, told the newspaper that Burghart admitted to writing the message.

"Silent reading  I want to kill children but I am a loving Christian man who never would hurt a flee (sic) so please sit down and read.  Teacher Kris Burghart's classroom message

Burghart, who declined to comment on the message or his resignation, was well liked by students and called the incident unfortunate, Rudnick said

But we dont stand for anyone making threatening remarks, she added.

In a letter to parents, the principal, Fabricio Velez, said students were never in danger, according to Fox 31. Please know that we take any allegations concerning the safety and security of our Raptors very seriously, he said in the letter. I can assure you that your student was not in danger at any time.

I can assure you that your student was not in danger at any time.  Principal Fabricio Velez

Superintendent Chris Fiedler called the post unacceptable in another letter to parents. It is my firm belief that at no time, under any circumstance is it acceptable to threaten harm to our students  not as a teaching tool, not as venting frustration, not as a joke, he wrote, according to The Denver Post.

On the schools Facebook page, parents voiced their displeasure with Burgharts resignation.

Hes the greatest teacher at this school in my opinion, one parent said.
A Florida man was sentenced to life in federal prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to multiple child pornography and sexual abuse charges and its thanks to a father more than 700 miles away who decided to search his 9-year-old daughters smartphone.

Federal investigators said the Thomasville, North Carolina father searched his daughters phone earlier this year and was shocked to find sexually explicit chatter between his daughter and a person called Scott on the SayHi application on her phone.

On May 30, the father contacted local police who brought in Homeland Security into the investigation, the Miami Herald reported.

PAIR USED CHILD IN PLAN TO MAKE AND SELL PORN, AUTHORITIES SAY

On the phone, investigators found that in the conversations, someone named Scott repeatedly asked for nude photos of the girl. At one point, after she sent him fully clothed snapshots and telling him her age, Scott said: Aw, youre very pretty for your age, You look sexy in those pajamas.

Investigators said the girl eventually did send at least two photos exposing parts of her body. In response, Scott sent the victim a child pornography video using SayHi as well as a video of himself masturbating.

Using the SayHi profile and a linked username for the Kik app, investigators were able to track down Scott, identifying him as Scott Trader, 32, of Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Investigators were able to uncover Traders criminal history which included a 2012 arrest for promoting a sexual performance by a child, lewd behavior and possession of child pornography. The charges were dropped. Instead, he pleaded no contest and had withheld adjunction to felony child neglect.

In December of the same year, he was arrested for lewd behavior  molesting a victim under the age of 12. That case remains open, the Miami Herald reported.

TENNESSEE DANCE TEACHER ARRESTED ON SEX CHARGES INVOLVING TEEN

On June 1, Homeland Security investigators executed a search warrant on Traders home and found 10 media storage cards, three phones, an external hard drive and a laptop all with child pornography, some of it involving a 2-year-old put in his care.

Investigators said since at least November 2014 through May 2017, Trader video recorded himself sexually abusing two minor girls entrusted to his care.

Trader distributed large amounts of these images to others online.

On Sept. 29, Trader pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity; distribution of material containing visual depictions of sexual exploitation of minors; possession of matter containing visual depictions of sexual exploitation of minors; and production of material containing visual depictions of sexual exploitation of minors.

Trader was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Tuesday was 74, with 51 from Platte County and 23 from out of county.

Police

Nov. 23

12:45 a.m.  In the 1700 block of 26th Avenue, Fredrick Arends, 58, 2411 Kummer Drive, was cited for driving under the influence.

Dec. 2

4:13 a.m.  In the 700 block of 33rd Avenue, Sandra Olsan, 55, 1419 Eighth St., was cited for no valid registration.

Dec. 3

6:54 a.m.  At the intersection of Third Avenue and 17th Street, Sergio Salazar-Pena, 33, 1267 25th Ave., was cited for a stop sign violation.

Dec. 5

5:32 p.m.  At the intersection of Seventh Street and 32nd Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Lexis Kucera, 18, 361 S. Fourth Ave., and Gauge Johnston, 18, 3706 16th St.

Dec. 7

9:57 p.m.  In the 900 block of 23rd Street, Luis Salmeron, 31, Garland, Texas, was cited for an open container of alcohol.

Dec. 8

9:48 a.m.  Criminal mischief at 2473 53rd Avenue, vehicle tires damaged, $800 loss.

2:44 p.m.  At the intersection of 23rd Street and 48th Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Amber Collins, 22, 1631 21st St., and David Tschantre, 59, 313 Morton Road.

3:05 p.m.  In the 2300 block of 33rd Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Hannah Patchen, 33, 1421 11th St., and Joni Woldt, 52, 921 Logan St., Wayne.

5:39 p.m.  At the intersection of 12th Avenue and Seventh Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Neyvis Excobar, 35, 2723 14th St. A-3, Victor Castillo, 32, 1316 Third St.

Dec. 9

1 p.m.  At the intersection of 33rd Avenue and 21st Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Betty Devall, 81, 3122 20th St., and Myriah Andersen, 20, 7830 Nashway Road, Lincoln.

6 p.m.  At the intersection of 23rd Street and 18th Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Trinity Einspahr, 17, 1261 34th Ave., and Eric Lantis, 46, 361 S. Sixth Ave.

11:57 p.m.  In the 1800 block of 11th Street, a vehicle driven by Romeo Tilden-Alvarado, 16, 2375 Pershing Road, struck a parked vehicle owned by James Faulkner, 1816 11th St.

Dec. 10

11:56 a.m.  At the intersection of 48th Avenue and 27th Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Andres Arias, 20, 2670 48th Ave., No. 6, and Hailey Sigala, 18, 2531 Westside Ave., Fremont.

5:49 p.m.  In the 2000 block of 27th Avenue, a vehicle driven by Ethan Straub, 24, 2522 19th St., struck a parked vehicle owned by Jesica Chavez, 1967 27th Ave.

Dec. 11

7:52 p.m.  Criminal mischief at 267 12th Ave., mailbox damaged, $10 loss.

Sheriff

Dec. 6

3:47 p.m.  In a parking lot at 3744 83rd St., traffic accident. Drivers were Aaron Peterson, 17, 12924 280th St., and Dylan Johnson, 17, 124 Third St., Platte Center.

Dec. 7

4:31 p.m.  At the intersection of Highway 22 and U.S. Highway 81, traffic accident. Drivers were Charles Cummings, 44, Rock Valley, Iowa, and John Auwerda, 32, 1910 Meridian Ave., Cozad.

Dec. 8

12:27 a.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of Highway 91 and 515th Avenue, Steven Moyer of Utah cited for speeding.

8:33 p.m.  Wanted person at 753 11th Ave., Ashley Jensen of Columbus jailed on three Platte County warrants.

10:02 p.m.  Traffic violation south of the intersection of 265th Street and U.S. Highway 81, Abdilatif Ade Noor of North Dakota cited for speeding.

Dec. 9

11:34 a.m.  Wanted person at Loup Powerhouse Park, Jordan Miller of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant.

7:20 p.m.  On Highway 22, two miles east of Monroe, Lacy Lynn, 28, 1421 Fifth St., struck a deer.

8:30 p.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of U.S. Highway 30 and East 59th Avenue, Roberto Garcia Coronel of Columbus cited for failure to yield for an emergency vehicle and a children safety restraint violation.

Dec. 10

10 a.m.  Wanted person at the Platte County Detention Facility, 1125 E. 17th St., Adam Bomberger of Columbus turned self in on a Platte County warrant.

11:48 a.m.  Traffic violation on Highway 30 at Duncan, Joseph Ridder of Holdrege cited for speeding.

5:30 p.m.  Wanted person at Collegeview, No. 568, Elizabeth Loaiza of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant and cited for possession of marijuana-less than an ounce and possession of drug paraphernalia.

11:09 p.m.  Criminal mischief at4106 E. 25th St., No. 634, $450 loss.

Dec. 11

10:58 am.  Wanted person at Central Community College-Columbus, Joshua Apodac of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant.

7:48 p.m.  At District 5 Probation, 2282 E. 32nd Ave., Travis Hammons of Columbus jailed on fourth-offense driving under the influence and a probation violation.

Fire

Dec. 7

12:22 p.m.  In the 300 block of 29th Street, medical.

Dec. 8

7:17 a.m.  In the 4100 block of 17th Street, medical.

7:17 a.m.  In the 5700 block of 68th Street, medical.

9:29 a.m.  In the 1500 block of 18th Avenue, medical.

10:25 a.m.  In the 2100 block of 44th Avenue, medical.

1:47 p.m.  In the 6100 block of Country Club Drive, medical.

5:40 p.m.  In the 700 block of 12th Avenue, medical.

10:45 p.m.  In the 1100 block of 26th Avenue, medical.

11:34 p.m.  In the 2800 block of 40th Avenue, medical.

Dec. 9

8:53 a.m.  In the 4000 block of 38th Street, medical.

9:53 a.m.  In the 100 block of Center Road, medical.

11:52 a.m.  In the 400 block of 38th Street, medical.

8:13 p.m.  In the 3200 block of 29th Avenue, medical.

11:02 p.m.  In the 3400 block of Pershing Road, medical.

Dec. 10

11:57 a.m. - At the intersection of 48th Avenue and 27th Street, medical.

4:38 p.m. - In the 4500 block of 38th Street, medical.

Dec. 11

9:44 a.m.  In the 1300 block of Eighth Street, medical.

10:11 a.m.  In the 2400 block of 32nd Street, medical.

12:54 p.m.  Structure fire in the 2800 block of 38th Street.

4:34 p.m.  In the 3000 block of 23rd Street, medical.

5:40 p.m.  Accident at the intersection of 14th Avenue and 23rd Street.

9:15 p.m.  In the 3200 block of 29th Avenue, medical.

9:32 p.m.  In the 3500 block of Lakeview Lane, medical.

Dec. 12

7:27 p.m.  In the 4600 block of 38th Street, medical.

7:32 p.m.  At the intersection of 26th Avenue and 27th Street, medical.
Welcome to Fox News First. Not signed up yet? Click here.

Developing now, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017:

Alabama voters go to the polls today and decide the special election between Senate candidates Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore

Attempted suicide bombing in New York City brings the chain migration and the immigration debate back into the spotlight

Fox News Exclusive: Man who acted as "go-between" reveals how British spy released Trump "dossier" to FBI, media and Capitol Hill

Questions surround sudden rescheduling of FBI deputy director's closed-door testimony on agency's integrity in the Clinton email investigation, Russia probe and other cases

Mom of bullied boy in viral video now under scrutiny

THE LEAD STORY: All eyes are on Alabama today as voters will decide the special election between Senate candidates Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones ... After months of campaigning and reports of sexual misconduct rocked the state, Moore and Jones held competing rallies Monday night, firing their final shots ahead of today's election. Democrat Jones spoke first during a "Get-Out-the-Vote Rally" in Birmingham. Jones, who led Moore by 10 points in a recent Fox News poll, said that now is the time to make a choice. Embattled Republican Moore spoke later at a "Drain the Swamp" rally in Midland City. He was bolstered by support from a wide array of local figures and prominent conservatives, including Steve Bannon and Sheriff David Clarke. Jones and Moore are vying for the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions' move to become attorney general earlier this year. Moore, has spent the last month of his campaign battling allegations of sexual misconduct with several underage girls when he was in his 30s, a charge he has repeatedly denied.

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Stay with Fox News for live team coverage of Alabama's special election tonight!

TIME TO BREAK THE CHAIN ON MIGRATION?: The attempted suicide bombing in New York Monday would never have happened if President Trump's immigration policies had been in place, the White House said, after it was revealed that the terror suspect had entered the country via chain migration ... Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi national, allegedly detonated a pipe bomb in a subway corridor, New York Police Department officials said. Hours later, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox News that Ullah was admitted to the U.S. after presenting a passport displaying an F43 family immigrant visa in 2011. That prompted White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to note that President Trump has railed against so-called "chain migration," through which dozens of an immigrant's relatives can enter the U.S. simply because their family member made it. Trump, in a statement, blamed the attack on America's "lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country."

FOX NEWS EXCLUSIVE - INSIDE THE TRUMP DOSSIER: The man who says he acted as a "go-between" last year to inform Sen. John McCain about the controversial dossier containing salacious allegations about then-candidate Donald Trump is speaking out, revealing how the ex-British spy who researched the document helped coordinate its release to the FBI, the media and Capitol Hill ... My mission was essentially to be a go-between and a messenger, to tell the senator and assistants that such a dossier existed, Sir Andrew Wood told Fox News in an exclusive interview with senior executive producer Pamela K. Browne. Fox News spoke to Wood at the 2017 Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada. Just after the U.S. presidential election in November 2016, Sen. McCain spoke at the same security conference. Wood says he was instructed by former British spy Christopher Steele, who put together the dossier, to reach out to McCain. Wood insists that he's never read the dossier, which was commissioned by opposition research firm Fusion GPS and funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

SUSPICION SURROUNDS FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR'S POSTPONED TESTIMONY: Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who was reportedly scheduled to testify behind closed doors in front of the House Intelligence Committee today, will instead meet next week due to a "routine scheduling error," Department of Justice officials told Fox News ... McCabes testimony was likely to, at least in part, focus on Peter Strzoks role in the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Strzok is a former deputy to the assistant director at the FBI who was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's staff after Mueller learned Strzok had exchanged anti-Trump texts with a colleague. However, Fox News was told by those familiar with the matter that the intelligence committee is suspicious of the purported scheduling error. One source said they believe the schedule issue arose after Fox News' report Monday night on Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr, who was recently demoted from one of his two senior posts. Fox News reported that Ohrs wife, Nellie Ohr, worked through last fall for Fusion GPS, which was behind the anti-Trump dossier.

QUESTIONS SURROUND MOM OF BULLIED BOY: A moving video that made a bullied little boy famous is bringing increasing scrutiny on his mother and her motives ... Middle schooler Keaton Jones' video revealing his torment went viral over the weekend. Celebrities including Chris Evans, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Gal Gadot took up his anti-bullying message, sharing the video with their huge social media followings. Sometime during the massive outpouring of support -- the video has been viewed over 15 million times -- Keaton's mom, Kimberly Jones, set up a PayPal account where people could donate money, causing some to question her motives.

AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS

DISSECTING MUELLER'S TEAM: "[Either] it was put together entirely incompetently... which I don't believe, [or] this isn't an investigation, this is an attempt to nullify an election."  Retired Secret Service agent Dan Bongino, on "Hannity," sounding off on "obvious ideologues" Special Counsel Robert Mueller appointed to be part of his team in his Russia collusion investigation. WATCH

WEIGHING TAX REFORM'S CHANCES: "I think it looks pretty good. We've got some work to be done yet ... Either way, the economy is going to respond very positively to what we're doing." - Sen. Patrick Toomey, on "Your World with Neil Cavuto," saying he's "optimistic" that the House and Senate will come to a consensus on tax reform and send a final bill to President Trump by Christmas. WATCH

ACROSS THE NATION

Sarah Sanders shuts down CNN star Jim Acosta's grandstanding.

Trump administration requests emergency stay to stop transgender enlistment in January.

Google employee's half-naked body found floating in San Francisco Bay.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

Unibail-Rodamco agrees to buy Westfield in $24.7 billion mall deal.

Bitcoin's fraud perception will change over time: Cboe CEO Ed Tilly.

Viagra is about to get a lot cheaper.

NEW IN FOX NEWS OPINION

Senate tax bill could be a game changer for parents frustrated with the public school system

Here's how Trump could make a quick (and complete) exit from the Paris climate agreement right now

Taxes have become the weakest link in our innovation strategy. Will that soon change?

HOLLYWOOD SQUARED

Former NFL Network employee names top executives, ex-players in sexual harassment suit, report says.

'Shape of Water,' 'Big Little Lies' lead Golden Globe nominations.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali accused of sexual misconduct by four women.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?

Hitler-themed homework upsets parents of Illinois middle school students.

'Rented parents' are here to meet teachers and significant others.

Subway discovery: Los Angeles construction unearths 'rare' fossil trove.

STAY TUNED

On Fox News:

Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis talks about the NYC terror attack investigation; Steve Cortes on why Hispanic entrepreneurs need tax reform; White House Historical Association unveils its 2017 official White House ornament; and country music star Phil Vassar performs.

Stay with Fox News as the results of Alabama's special election between Senate candidates Roy Moore and Doug Jones come in! We'll have the latest updates with prime-time coverage and analysis, starting with The Story with Martha MacCallum at 7 p.m. ET; Tucker Carlson Tonight at 8 p.m.; Hannity at 9 p.m.; The Ingraham Angle at 10 p.m. and Fox News @ Night at 11 p.m.

On Fox Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: AOL co-founder Steve Case explains his new Rise of the Rest seed fund for startups; Reps. Peter King and Ron DeSantis on the implications of the attempted suicide bomber attack in New York City; Joy Mangano, inventor of The Miracle Mop, shares some of the secrets of her success in her new book.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Rep. Peter Roskam on the latest in tax reform negotiations.

The Intelligence Report, 2 p.m. ET: Rep. Chris Collins on the latest in the attempted suicide bomb attack at New York City's Port Authority.

On Fox News Radio:

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. to Noon ET: Allen West sizes up Alabama's special election; Marie Harf takes on the renewed debate over chain migration sparked by the attempted suicide bombing in New York City; Rep. Matt Gaetz sounds off on the FBI's questionable handling of the Hillary Clinton email case; Stuart Varney addresses skepticism about bitcoin and more.

The Fox News Rundown podcast: Alabama voters head to the polls today to decide who will win a critical seat in the Senate. Karl Rove breaks down the key factors in the race with Fox News' Jessica Rosenthal. Former assistant FBI director Bill Gavin discusses the impact of Monday's attempted suicide bombing in New York City with Fox News' Dave Anthony. And commentary by John Stossel.

Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

#OnThisDay

2000: George W. Bush becomes president-elect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reverses a state court decision for recounts in Florida's contested election.

1997: Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the international terrorist known as "Carlos the Jackal," goes on trial in Paris on charges of killing two French investigators and a Lebanese national. (Ramirez was convicted, and is serving a life prison sentence.)

1977: "Saturday Night Fever," a Paramount Pictures movie starring John Travolta, premieres in New York.

Thank you for joining us on Fox News First! Enjoy your day, and we'll see you in your inbox first thing Wednesday morning.
An illegal immigrant from Vietnam faces life in prison after being convicted Monday in the 2012 hammer-killing of a family of five after losing money at a casino earlier in the evening.

Binh Thai Luc, who had a violent criminal history and was supposed to be deported in 2006, was found guilty in the murders of a family of Chinese immigrants. He was also found guilty of five counts of attempted robbery and two counts of burglary.

Luc, who was in debt and served an eviction notice, killed the family during a robbery after he lost money at a casino on March 23, 2012.

Prosecutors said the family kept thousands of dollars in cash in the San Francisco home. Luc had more than $6,500 with him during his arrest. The jury was told that Luc settled his debt after the killings.

This was a very gruesome, brutal murder, and were pleased were getting some accountability for the family and for the community, District Attorney George Gascon told The San Francisco Chronicle.

Despite no eyewitness accounts of Lucs involvement, investigators said one of the family members blood was found spattered on Lucs jeans. Lucs blood was found on a pack of cigarettes, a receipt and a cabinet drawer, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Luc spent a decade in prison for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon for the 1996 armed robbery of a Chinese restaurant. He was ordered to be deported from the U.S. to his native Vietnam after his release, but the Vietnamese government did not provide the proper documents.

U.S. federal immigration authorities released Luc into the community in 2006.

The defense argued that someone else murdered the family, possibly a Chinatown gangster or an ex-boyfriend of one of the victims. Defense attorney Mark Goldrosen said the prosecution did not establish a motive for the crime.

Luc did not speak after the verdict was announced. Goldrosen said he was quite disappointed with the verdict.

He understands that this is the beginning of the process and there are appellate procedures, Goldrosen said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The city allowed Colin Kaepernick to make a surprise visit to Rikers Island Tuesday to meet with inmates  enraging correction officers who feel the stunt will only endanger them.

The former San Francisco 49ers star spoke to groups of inmates during two 45 minute sessions at the jails George Motchan Detention Center Tuesday morning where he pontificated on social justice issues and talked about his decision to kneel during the national anthem, sparking nationwide outrage.

Thats crazy to me to have a person like Colin Kaepernick in prison talking about police brutality, said an officer who attended the event. It was insulting for me to be there.

In the inmates eyes, we are the police when theyre locked up.

The morning started off with Kaepernick attending breakfast in the wardens office before heading over to the Peace Center where he conducted two 45 minutes sessions with prisoners clad in gray jumpsuits.

The first group included 14 inmates including six adults and eight adolescents.

Read more from the New York Post.
One of the jurors who last month found Jose Ines Garcia Zarate not guilty of murdering Kate Steinle defended his decision, calling the 2015 shooting a freak accident.

The juror, who asked not to be identified, told NBC Bay Area why the jury ultimately decided Zarate was not guilty of murdering Steinle on Pier 14 in San Francisco in July 2015. Steinle was walking with her father and a family friend when she was shot, collapsing into her fathers arms. The bullet had ricocheted on the pier's concrete walkway before striking Steinle, killing her. Zarate admitted to shooting Steinle, but said it was an accident.

KATE STEINLES ACCUSED KILLER FOUND NOT GUILTY OF MURDER, TO BE DEPORTED

The case immediately rose to national prominence, in part fueled by the debate around so-called "sanctuary cities" that refused to follow federal immigration laws when dealing with illegal immigrants. Zarate had been released from a San Francisco jail about three months before the shooting, despite a request by federal immigration authorities to detain him for deportation.

"If I were not a juror on this trial, I would probably think the same way: 'Why did you let him go free?'"  Kate Steinle case juror

The juror said, however, that the jury was not allowed to consider the defendants prior record of politics, including sanctuary cities, NBC Bay Area reported.

"If I was not a juror on this trial, I would probably think the same way: 'Why did you let him go free?'" the juror said. "But again, the reason is, they could not prove to us that he intentionally killed her. And through all the evidence, I really think that it was a freak accident."

The juror said his main concern was the manslaughter charge and if Zarate was threatening people with the gun or waving the weapon before shooting Steinle.

During the trial they could not prove that," he said. "All the videos we saw never, not even one video showed that he was pointing the gun at her. So I think it was very weak."

The juror said he understood the national backlash the decision caused, however, he was confident the jury reached the right conclusion.

"I am comfortable with my decision," he explained. "I can put my head on a pillow and sleep well thinking that I made the right decision."

ED LEE, SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR AND SANCTUARY CITY PROPONENT, DEAD AT 65

Zarate was acquitted of first and second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He also was found not guilty of assault with a semi-automatic weapon. He was found guilty of possessing a firearm by a felon and is set to be deported back to Mexico, though he's likely to face a federal trial first.

"It was very hard on me," the juror said. "When we finished the trial, I left the court, walking to my car, I was in tears. Because I felt the pressure coming off my back. Because I could talk to people then, I was in tears."

Fox News' Elizabeth Zwirz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A shortage of police officers in the nation's ninth-largest city has the city's top cop looking for new strategies to fill open positions -- while dealing with the "challenge" of the millennial generation.

Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall told city council members Monday she's looking at everything from rewarding officers who recruit candidates to eliminating some of the automatic disqualifiers for potential officers, such as minor drug use from someone's past.

Some of the staffing challenges are also coming from the millennial generation, according to Hall.

"We have nights, weekends and holidays, and those are some of the things that are not necessarily attractive to millennials who want all days off and to be the chief in six months, she told the city council. We recognize that is a challenge."

Besides staffing challenges, Hall is also facing a four percent increase in violent crime during the past year, and needs to hire 250 cops this fiscal year, according to FOX4 News.

"We have nights, weekends and holidays, and those are some of the things that are not necessarily attractive to the millennials who want all days off and to be the chief in six months."  Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall

Starting in January, the chief is set to roll out a program to give four to six days off for officers that recruit someone who is hired and graduates from the academy. Dallas Police also plan to recruit from the school district, and also take another look at applicants who would currently not qualify because they admit to infractions such as minor drug use.

FORMER ARIZONA COP ACQUITTED IN SHOOTING WAS A FAILED ACTOR, REPORT SAYS

"We recognize that when you're 17 and you do something silly or stupid, you're a different person when you're 24, she said.

As part of an effort for better retention of officers, Hall also plans to start a pilot program to let officers who live in Dallas take their patrol cars home.

And it's not just police having issues recruiting new talent.

The Dallas Fire Department is also having issues due to the younger generation, according to Fire Chief David Coatney.

"The other challenge is that they're job hopping every five years, Coatney said.

Coatney, whose department has run out of ambulances on occasion this year, told the city council hes a working to shorten his department's long application process.

"We've changed our entire hiring process, he said. Now, we have an open hiring period. People can apply at any time."
An Ohio woman killed and chopped apart her husband before placing the pieces in plastic storage bins that sat in her house for months -- until the couple's son inadvertently discovered his dad's decomposing remains, officials said.

Marcia Eubank, 49, is accused of killing her 54-year-old husband, Howard Eubank, after a domestic dispute in June, the Summit County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. She was charged Saturday with murder.

Authorities were called Saturday to the home in Coventry Township, located just south of Akron, after the couple's 23-year-old son made the gruesome find, Summit County Sheriff Steve Barry told FOX8.

"He communicated it to his mother who is not at the residence," Barry said. "She communicated back he should probably call the police."

Barry said the son had climbed into the house from a window after being locked out, and immediately smelled an odor.

Then he saw maggots.

In a recording of the 911 call obtained by News 5 Cleveland, the son described the scene of the deteriorated remains to the operator.

"I just found out my mom killed my dad and I found the pieces of his body in the house," the caller said.

"This was a very gruesome scene"  Summit County Sheriff Steve Barry

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FOUND GUILTY IN MURDER OF FAMILY OF FIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO

The father's body was found in three different plastic storage containers, including one in an office in the home Eubank kept locked.

"This was a very gruesome scene," Barry told News 4. "Very disturbing."

Authorities were eventually able to locate Eubank in the parking lot of a shopping center. When questioned by detectives, Eubank admitted to shooting her husband twice, Barry said.

Berry said he had "no idea" what led up to the killing on June 13, and that Marcia was not being cooperative with police.

Investigators also recovered the suspected murder weapon, in addition to items that could have been used in the dismemberment -- such as an electric saw. Eubank had her first appearance in court on Monday, where a judge set her bond at $1 million, according to FOX8.

ARREST IN DECADES-OLD MURDER OF 14-YEAR-OLD CALIFORNIA GIRL

Family members and neighbors thought Howard Eubank was in Texas, because he would sometimes be gone for long periods due to his work as a truck driver, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

Bill Channel, who lives across the street from the couple, told the newspaper Marcia was very quiet, and not too social.

You would never, ever figure anything like that would be going on here, he said.
Three of the four hero police officers credited with taking down the Port Authority terrorist are former members of the military who ran toward the scene of the pipe bomb blast as panicked commuters fled in the other direction, their union spokesperson says.

Sean Gallagher, a former Marine, Drew Preston, who served three tours with the Army in Iraq, Anthony Manferdini, a former Marine bomb technician and Jack Collins were identified by the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association on Monday as the men who restrained attempted suicide bomber Akayed Ullah.

You couldnt have had better people on the scene, spokesperson Bobby Egbert told 1010 WINS.

Egbert said the officers described encountering smoke and debris in the air moments after Ullah detonated a homemade bomb in a passageway connecting the Times Square and Port Authority subway stations.

The stations are the most heavily-trafficked in New York Citys subway system, with more than 60 million riders passing through annually. Above one of them is the Port Authority Bus Terminal, a major transit hub for riders traveling throughout the Northeast.

Manferdini was on patrol near the passageway at the time of the detonation and noticed people running out of the area, Egbert said.

He then made a radio transmission and responded with the other officers, only to find Ullah lying on the ground and reaching for his cell phone. The cops also spotted wires coming out of Ullah's jacket and running down to his pants.

The officers at that point had to make a decision so no one else would be hurt, and they decided at that point to take the person into custody, keep him away from the cell phone, Egbert told 1010 WINS.

Egbert said the officers told him there was a struggle to keep Ullah away from the phone, which may have been used as a detonator for the low-tech explosive.

A statement put out by the president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association Monday hailed the four men as courageous officers who risked their lives confronting an armed terrorist to protect others from harm."

These police officers are among the most highly trained police officers in the nation, as are all Port Authority police officers, Paul Nunziato said. I am so thankful there was no loss of life and I could not be prouder of our Port Authority police officers, their actions and dedication to their sworn duty.

Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi national living in Brooklyn, was charged Tuesday with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a terroristic threat.

Federal charges are expected later, The Associated Press reported.

Prior to the blast, Ullah looked at Islamic State propaganda on the Internet and revealed to investigators he was trying to retaliate against U.S. military aggression, but had no direct contact with ISIS, law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation said.

Ullah was carrying a 5-inch metal pipe bomb attached to a battery pack strapped around his midsection, police sources told the New York Post. Other law enforcement officials told Fox News that Ullah said he made the crudely-constructed device at his job.

Ullah suffered burns in the attack while three others were left with minor injuries.

Bomb-sniffing dogs were present Tuesday morning as the passageway reopened.
The Bangladeshi man accused of strapping a pipe bomb to his body and detonating it in a subway passageway Monday wrote on Facebook before the attack that President Trump failed to protect the U.S. and left handwritten notes in his home saying, O America, die in your rage, a criminal complaint against Akayed Ullah stated.

Ullah, a 27-year-old who lived in Brooklyn and entered the U.S. in 2011 via chain migration, was the only person seriously injured when his crude device was detonated just before 7:30 a.m. in a crowded subway passageway near Port Authority.

The suspect told authorities he planned the attack for the Islamic State and was angry about the U.S. policies in the Middle East, according to the criminal complaint released on Tuesday.

On his Facebook page, Ullah wrote: Trump you failed to protect your nation.

The pipe bomb was packed with explosive powder, but it didnt go off as intended when he ignited it with Christmas lights, matches and nine-volt battery, the complaint said. The device was filled with metal screws to cause maximum damage and attached to his body with zip ties. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the episode an attempted terrorist attack.

But just before Ullah arrived in midtown Manhattan, he took the train from his Brooklyn home, sitting next to scores of unsuspecting commuters for about an hour, the New York Daily News reported.

He got on the train ready to go, a law enforcement source told the New York Daily News.

PORT AUTHORITY EXPLOSION SUSPECT: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT AKAYED ULLAH

Ullah told police he chose the specific spot in the passageway after he saw a Christmas poster, the source said, adding: He said he set it off at that place and time. That's the point where he decided to do it.

Ullah was charged Tuesday with supporting an act of terrorism, making terroristic threats and criminal possession of a weapon. He remains in the hospital and is expected to be arraigned later Tuesday or Wednesday.

Ullah began radicalizing as early as 2014, the complaint stated, adding that he had looked at ISIS propaganda online, including instructions on carrying out an attack in the U.S. if they couldnt travel overseas to join ISIS. He learned how to make the bomb online about a year ago and spent the last two to three weeks planning the attack. Ullah also wasn't on the radar of law enforcement officials prior to the attack, John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, told CBS on Tuesday.

Multiple handwritten notes, including one that stated, O America, die in your rage were found littered among bomb-making materials in his Brooklyn home.

The suspect lived with his mother, sister and two brothers and returned to Bangladesh in September to see his wife and newborn son. Law enforcement sources also told Fox News Ullah had extensive overseas travel.

Ullah's uncle, Abdul Ahad, said the suspect mostly remained inside a small apartment in Dhaka's Hazribagh area when he recently visited Bangladesh.

"He went out of his residence to offer prayers at a nearby mosque," Ahad told The Associated Press.

He said Ullah arrived in Bangladesh on Sept. 8 and returned to New York on Oct. 22.

"He stayed with his wife and 6-month-old baby boy," he said, adding Ullah was a quiet person who rarely socialized.

Authorities in Bangladesh were working to track down extended family members and any possible associates of Ullah, who has no criminal record in Bangladesh, Reuters reported.

Police are looking for his family, but so far theyve not been able to trace them, Abul Khair Nadim, the Chair of Musapur Union council, said.

Ullahs family members also released a statement saying they were deeply saddened by the attack but also expressing outrage for the way Muslims have allegedly been targeted by law enforcement. The family said it expects more from the justice system.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bitcoin scam targeting state

Members of the public in Nebraska and Iowa who receive suspicious emails asking for payments in bitcoin are being asked to report it.

The FBI Omaha division said people have received emails demanding they obtain and pay in bitcoin to avoid harm to them and their family.

To protect against fraud, the FBI recommends:

 Never give out personal information to someone you did not initiate contact with.

 Before signing up for a contest or email distribution list, make sure the business has a policy to not share your information or sell it to a third party.

 Be leery of anyone you didn't initiate contact with who asks for payment using a third party such as MoneyGram or GreenDot prepaid cards.

Individuals receiving such emails or phone calls should report crimes through the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.

17K enroll in $0 premium plans

Medica on Monday reported about 17,000 Nebraskans will pay nothing for their Affordable Care Act health insurance in the coming year.

The Minnesota company, which is the only insurer offering ACA-compliant individual health insurance policies in the state for 2018, said an additional 5,000 Iowa customers and 24,000 total across the Midwest have qualified for no-premium plans so far.

The no-premium plans are the result of tax credits for those whose incomes are below a certain threshold. Medica said the vast majority of plans qualifying for $0 premiums are bronze-level plans.

Deputies find 99 pounds of pot

Two San Jose, California, men spent the weekend in a Lincoln jail after Lancaster County Sheriff's deputies allegedly found 99 pounds of marijuana in their trunk in a stop along Interstate 80.

Alejandro Figueroa, aka Jose Duante, 32, and Diego Lara, 20, were booked on suspicion of possession with intent to deliver marijuana.

In court records, a sheriff's deputy said at about 10 a.m. Friday he stopped a Honda Accord with California plates for driving on the shoulder after the driver took the U.S. 77 exit heading south.

The deputy said Duante consented to a search of the car and was being put in a cruiser when Lara moved over to the driver's seat and sped away. Lara was stopped a short time later.

A search turned up 99 pounds of marijuana, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Beatrice picks superintendent

BEATRICE (AP)  The Beatrice school board wants to hire Ord's superintendent to lead its district.

The board on Saturday offered the job to Jason Alexander.

Initially, the Beatrice board deadlocked on three votes, and had trouble deciding between Alexander and an internal candidate.

But the board ultimately chose Alexander because of his background in budgeting and his experience as a superintendent.

Alexander will replace Pat Nauroth when he retires next summer.
Family members of the failed New York City terror bomber were blasted on social media Tuesday after they accused police of heavy-handed tactics -- a charge that came mere hours after their son attempted to massacre civilians in a crowded subway passageway.

"Let me get this correct, your son walks in a public place wearing a bomb and your outrage at the behavior of the police...too bad get over it!!!" the Sergeant's Benevolent Association tweeted, representing just a small sample of the public outcry directed at the family of Akayed Ullah.

Ullah, a Bangladeshi man accused of detonating a pipe bomb packed with screws near Port Authority during Monday morning rush hour, released a statement through the Council on American-Islamic Relations in New York saying they were heartbroken by the violence. But the statement then chastised law enforcement officials for interrogating family members after the terror attack.

We are heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today, and by the allegations being made against a member of our family, the family statement released by CAIR legal director Albert Fox Cahn said.

It added: But we are also outraged by the behavior of the law enforcement officials who have held children as small as four years old out in the cold and who held a teenager out of high school classes to interrogate him without a lawyer, without his parents."

The family said they have every confidence the U.S. justice system will find the truth behind this attack.

PORT AUTHORITY BOMBING SUSPECT WROTE ON FACEBOOK: 'TRUMP YOU FAILED TO PROTECT YOUR NATION'

The statement prompted almost immediate outrage on social media, with several users saying the tone was offensive in the midst of an attempted terrorist attack that could have killed dozens of people if the bomb detonated like planned.

Sorry our son tried to blow up a lot of you on your way to work today, but the cops were kinda rude to us after that and we want answers, ex-CIA analyst and radio host Buck Sexton tweeted, mockingly summing up the family statement.

Talk show host Montel Williams tweeted: This moronic, offensive, morally indefensible statement by CAIR lawyer @CahnLawNY just cost @CAIRNational my support. Im done.

I dont understand this...the guy tried to kill innocent people with no regard and the family is now upset at some inconveniences?? Would they have felt bad if there were inconvenient funerals! #usa this insanity has to stop, Twitter user @RealityBeaker wrote.

Rude? Attempting to murder innocent Americans, while your family and son are privileged guests, entitles you to be handled with kit gloves? REALLY? You haven't anything worthy of sympathy, America wants and deserves the answers, @CindySm92914679 tweeted.

Wrote @SkipTerrio: "The only thing the 'Ullah family" should be saying is, "We are profoundly sorry for unleashing a psychopath into your midst.'"

William F. Sweeney, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in a news conference Tuesday the bureau was only conducting the necessary interviews to ensure safety.

Our teams use appropriate, reasonable and lawful methods to accomplish these goals. But to be clear, our teams will move with speed and move with purpose, Sweeney said.

Ullah was inspired by ISIS and said he was angered by U.S. policies on Middle East when he orchestrated the attack, the criminal complaint said. He wrote on Facebook before boarding a crowded subway train -- with the pipe bomb strapped on his body -- that Trump has failed to protect the nation. Ullah was charged Tuesday with supporting an act of terrorism, making terroristic threats and criminal possession of a weapon.

Ullah entered the U.S. on a chain migration visa from Bangladesh and lived in Brooklyn with his mother, sister and two brothers, Reuters reported.

Abdul Ahad, Ullahs uncle, the suspects wife and her parents are being interrogated by officials from Bangladesh's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Department, said Abdul Mannan, an official involved in the investigation.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday called for an end to the chain migration visa and a switch to a merit-based system to prevent terror suspects from entering the country.

That means welcoming the best and the brightest and turning away not only terrorists, but gang members and criminals, Sessions said. We should give priority to those who are likely to thrive heresuch as those who speak English or are highly skillednot someone chosen at random or who happens to be somebodys relative.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An attempted suicide bomber who set off a rush-hour explosion at the nation's busiest bus terminal is a Bangladeshi national living in Brooklyn who was inspired by ISIS, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect in Monday morning's blast at Port Authority in midtown Manhattan was identified as Akayed Ullah, 27. Ullah strapped a pipe bomb to his body with Velcro and zip ties, and it detonated in a subway corridor, police said.

Ullah was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. He was "all over the place" about his motive but indicated he wanted to avenge what he portrayed as U.S. aggression against the Islamic State group, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.

He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, support of an act of terrorism and making terrorist threats, the NYPD said Tuesday.

What do we know about the suspect?

Ullah lived in Brooklyn after he entered the U.S. in 2011 from Bangladesh on a chain migration visa, Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary Tyler Houlton said in a statement.

DHS said Ullah came to the U.S. on an F43 visa, a preferential visa available for those with family in the U.S. who are citizens. He was considered a "Lawful Permanent Resident from Bangladesh," Houlton told Fox News.

Law enforcement officials said Ullah was inspired by ISIS but didn't appear to have direct contact with the group and likely acted alone.

The morning of the attack, Ullah posted on Facebook, "Trump you failed to protect your nation," according to a criminal complaint. A passport found in his home included handwritten notes, the complaint said, including, "O America, die in your rage."

Ullah was a licensed cab driver from March 2012 to March 2015, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission confirmed to Fox News. His TLC For-Hire Vehicle Driver's License was not renewed after 2015.

The TLC spokesperson did not confirm "whether he drove for any particular base, or whether he simply got the license but didn't drive at all." He did say Ullah was not licensed to drive a yellow taxi.

An Uber spokeswoman confirmed to Fox News that the ride-sharing company has no record of Ullah being "connected to the Uber platform." Lyft also does not "have any records" that Ullah worked for it, a spokesperson told Fox News.

Ullahs family was deeply saddened by the attack but also outraged by the way they were allegedly treated by law enforcement officials, they said in a statement. A teenage relative of Ullah was pulled out of class and questioned without a parent, guardian or lawyer, the family alleged.

What else do we know about the attack?

The suspect allegedly packed a metal pipe bomb and battery pack into the right side of his jacket, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. The complaint said Ullah made the bomb at his Brooklyn home, and investigators found other bomb-making materials in the residence.

The device was an effectively low-tech device, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday. Officials said they are investigating whether the suspect detonated the bomb intentionally or if it went off prematurely.

The explosion occurred just before 7:30 a.m. near 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, law enforcement officials said. The explosion triggered a massive emergency response by police and fire both above and below ground, tangling subway and bus service at Port Authority.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the explosion was an attempted terrorist attack.

At this point in time, the only suspect is the one man already in custody, de Blasio said Monday morning, adding that the city is lucky the suspect didnt achieve his intended goals.

At least four people, not including the suspect, were injured in the explosion, an NYPD spokeswoman confirmed to Fox News Monday afternoon.

Fox News' Jake Gibson, Rick Leventhal, John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A school bus driver and a student were killed early Tuesday when a school bus caught fire in western Iowa, officials said.

The incident occurred around 7 a.m. after the bus backed out of a farm driveway and ended up in a ditch in Oakland, located 35 miles east of Omaha, Neb.

The homeowner, also the parent of the child, called 911 and said the bus was in flames before fire crews arrived, KETV reported.

The remains of two people were found inside the bus after the fire was extinguished, Pottawattamie County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Reynolds told the Omaha World Herald.

GIRL, 5, KILLED IN GEORGIA SCHOOL BUS CRASH

Authorities identified the driver as Donnie Hendricks, 74, and the student as Megan Klindt, 16, who lived at the farm, according to the newspaper.

Initial reports on the fire indicated as many as 20 people may have been on the bus at the time of the accident, but Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Lt. Rob Ambrose told the Associated Press only the student and the driver were on the bus when it caught fire.

The bus was from the Riverside Community School District, which made grief counselors available Tuesday to help students and staff cope with the incident.

The district, which has about 700 students, held classes on Tuesday but postponed basketball games scheduled for later in the day.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A teacher in Texas was arrested Tuesday following an alleged sexual relationship with a minor she reportedly met while volunteering at a church.

According to KXAN, Nicole Marie-Faires Andrews, a former middle school teacher, was accused by the Williamson County Sheriffs Office of engaging in an illicit sexual relationship with a minor she met at the Church at Canyon Creek.

Authorities reportedly began investigating the alleged tryst in October while Andrews, 31, was a volunteer youth administrator. A spokesman for the church could not be immediately reached for comment but KXAN reported that the group is sending an email to church members to brief them on the incident.

SANTA HAT THIEF BURGLARIZING HOMES NEAR HOLLYWOOD HILLS

Andrews reportedly worked at Cedar Park Middle School until she resigned on Nov. 6. Authorities with the sheriffs office said the minor was not a student at the school, Fox 7 reported. The school could not be immediately reached for comment.

Williamson County Sheriffs Office records showed that Andrews, of Cedar Park, was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and an improper relationship between an educator and student.
A Christian student group is suing the University of Iowa for discrimination after they were booted off campus for requiring student leaders to embrace Christian religious beliefs -- including a clause on sexual morality.

The university stripped The Business Leaders in Christ of their status on campus after a member claimed he was denied a leadership position for being openly gay. The group, however, says the member was rejected because he expressly stated that he rejected BLinCs religious beliefs and would not follow them.

Members should conduct their careers without the greed, racism, sexual immorality and selfishness that all too often arise in business, political, and cultural institutions, a portion of group's statement of faith says.

University of Iowa spokesperson Anne Bassett issued a statement to Fox News accusing BLinC of violating the school's Human Rights Policy and the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

"...When a voluntary student organization chooses to become a registered student organization, it must adhere to the mission of the university, the UIs policies and procedures, and all local, state, and federal laws," said Bassett, who also emphasized the school's 20 religious student organizations on campus and "the worship opportunities in the surrounding community."

As a de-registered student group, BLinC no longer receives funding or access to university facilities enjoyed by the other 500 student groups. To get back in the school's good graces, BLinC would have to amended its statement of faith and submit an acceptable plan for selecting leaders.

This is 2017, not 1984, BLinC student president, Jacob Estell, said. Our beliefs werent made by us, and they cant be changed by us either -- certainly not just to satisfy Orwellian government rules.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the law firm representing BLinC in federal court, argues the university is targeting the Christian group because it dislikes their religious beliefs.

The university knows that what it is doing to BLinC is unfair, illegal, and unconstitutional, the complaint prepared by the firm says, adding that, while BLinC only requires adherence to their beliefs for their leaders and not their members, university policy is that campus organizations can require members to believe a certain way.

SNOWFLAKES AT CHRISTMAS? SOME UNIVERSITIES OFFER NO SAFE SPACE FOR SANTA  OR JESUS

Eric Baxter, senior counsel at Becket, told Fox News, for example, that feminist groups choose feminist leaders and pro-life groups pick pro-life leaders. So why should BLinC be treated any different?

This is premeditated religious discrimination, plain and simple, Baxter said. We hope that this serves as a reminder to universities everywhere that they cannot discriminate against student groups just because they dont like their beliefs.
Bangladesh counterterrorism officers are questioning the wife and other relatives of a man accused of carrying out a bomb attack in New York City's subway system, officials said Tuesday.

Bangladesh's government condemned the attack, saying it opposes all forms of terrorism and violent extremism.

U.S. authorities have identified the suspect as Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant. Ullah is accused of strapping a crude pipe bomb to his body and detonating it during rush hour Monday in an attack in which only he was seriously wounded.

Relatives and police said Ullah last visited Bangladesh in September to see his wife and newborn son. He left both behind when he returned to the United States.

Ullah arrived in the United States in 2011 and the Department of Homeland Security said he is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. who was living in Brooklyn. He came to the U.S. on a visa issued to him based on a family connection to a U.S. citizen.

Law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation said Ullah had looked at Islamic State group propaganda online and told investigators he was retaliating against U.S. military aggression, but had no direct contact with the group. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the blast.

Ullah's uncle, Abdul Ahad, said the suspect mostly remained inside a small apartment in Dhaka's Hazribagh area when he recently visited Bangladesh.

"He went out of his residence to offer prayers at a nearby mosque," Ahad told The Associated Press.

He said Ullah arrived in Bangladesh on Sept. 8 and returned to New York on Oct. 22.

"He stayed with his wife and 6-month-old baby boy," he said, adding that Ullah was a quiet person who rarely socialized.

Ahad said Ullah also returned to Bangladesh two years ago to get married and stayed then for about three months.

Ahad, Ullah's wife and her parents are being interrogated by officials from Bangladesh's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Department, said Abdul Mannan, an official involved in the investigation.

Mannan said Ullah appeared to have no criminal record in Bangladesh and was not a known member of any militant group.

The government said in a statement that "Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including Monday morning's incident in New York City."

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country governed by largely secular laws, has struggled with a rise in radical Islam in recent years.

In July last year, the country was shocked when five young men who reportedly belonged to the domestic militant group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh attacked a popular restaurant frequented by foreigners and wealthy Bangladeshis, leaving 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, dead. During the attack the men sprayed bullets and threw grenades.

Smaller attacks have targeted secular academics, atheist bloggers, foreigners and members of the country's tiny Hindu minority.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for most of the attacks, including the one at the restaurant, but the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina denied that the Sunni extremist group has any presence in the impoverished country. The government has blamed the attacks on local radical groups.

Over the last year, the government has intensified a crackdown on Islamist militants and has killed dozens of suspects, including some accused of being the masterminds of the restaurant attack.

___

Associated Press writer Colleen Long in New York contributed to this report.
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley held a meeting on the human rights situation in North Korea where one defector spoke about how she was forced to have an abortion following her repatriation from China.

The woman, Ji Hyeon-A, describes a harrowing scene of prison dogs eating dead bodies at her prison camp. She pleaded for the world to act.

The event was titled The Terrifying experience of forcibly Repatriated North Korean women, and was sponsored by the U.S. France, Japan, South Korea, Canada and the U.K.

Ji Hyeon-A was repatriated three times to North Korea after she was caught in China. She finally escaped to South Korea and spoke of her horrifying experiences.

She described how North Korean women who got pregnant in China were forced to have abortions.

Pregnant women were forced into harsh labor all day, she said. At night, we heard pregnant mothers screaming and babies died without ever being able to see their mothers.

North Korea does not allow for mixed-race babies, she said. At one detention center, she described how inmates starved to death. Their dead bodies, she said, were given to the guard dogs for food.

The third time Ji Hyeon-A got caught and sent back to North Korea she was three months pregnant. She tearfully described how she was forced to have an abortion without medication at a local police station.

My first child passed away without ever seeing the world, she said, without any time for me to apologize.

She finally reached South Korea in 2007 and has since been reunited with her mother, brother and her younger sister. She still has not heard news of her father.

Ji-Hyeon-A said that the North Korean soldier who recently escaped to South Korea represents a dash toward freedom which is a dream of 25 million North Koreans.

She said North Korea was a terrifying prison and the Kims are carrying out a vast massacre and it takes a miracle to survive there.

She criticized the Chinese government for sending North Koreans back to the regime, and urged the Chinese government to stop repatriating people back to the Hermit Kingdom, saying they know what will happen to them when they get there.

Ji-Hyeon-A urged the U.N. and world leaders to fight for North Korean defectors and especially those who are repatriated.

She recited a poem called Is anyone there? from a collection of poems she wrote.

I am scared, is anyone there? Im here in hell, is anyone there? I scream and yell but no one opens the door. Is anyone there? Please listen to our moans and listen to our pain. Is anyone there? People are dying, my friend is dying. I call out again and again but why dont you answer. Is anyone there?

Britains ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, praised Ji-Hyeon-A for speaking at the event, and said the crimes discussed, which included, forced abortions, summary executions, hard labor, rape: those are conditions that amount to crimes against humanity, he said.

Earlier in the day China had tried to stop a Security Council meeting convened by Japan on the human rights situation in North Korea. China only had the support of Russia and Bolivia and failed in its attempt to stop it from moving forward.

At the Security Council meeting, Haley said the full story of the North Korean people needed to be told.

The regime is using that power to develop an unnecessary arsenal and support enormous conventional military forces that pose a grave risk to international peace and security, she said. Their menacing march towards nuclear weapons begins with the oppression and exploitation of ordinary North Korean people.

Haley said the situation was made possible through the export of workers abroad to earn hard currency and the use of forced labor at home, the regime uses its people to underwrite its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

She said the Kim regime has imprisoned an estimated 100,000 people.

The North Korean regime's system of guilt-by-association, she said, allows for up to three generations of family members to be imprisoned along with the accused.
The Trump administration, which pulled out of talks last week on a United Nations-sponsored Global Compact for Migration, is quietly staying the course on a proposed Global Compact on Refugees that aims to stem the worst crisis the world has seen since World War II.

Talks toward the refugee pact move forward on December 12 in Geneva, at a ponderously named United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Dialogue on Protection Challenges in Geneva, with some 500 government, international and private sector participants.

The two-day discussions are supposed to help lead to a draft refugee compact in February, which in turn will lead, in classic U.N. fashion, to still more consultations before another version is presented in September. Details on a subsequent General Assembly vote are still being worked out.

Whether that complicated bureaucratic effort will do much in a world where the calamities producing the refugee flood appear to be metastasizing is still a large, open question. According to UNHCR, the tide of people forced out of their countries by war, famine or natural disaster swelled to an estimated 22.5 million in 2016, from 21.3 million the previous year.

The bigger numbers of people internally displaced in their own countries (who thus officially do not count as refugees) is growing, too: 43.1 million internally displaced person and asylum seekers as a result of conflict and violence in 2016. That is a virtually doubling of the numbers since 2000, while the number of unresolved wars, persecutions and other forms of strife that are the biggest drivers of the crisis is also expanding.

Last year, looking at every type of disaster, the U.N.s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) estimated that the entire panoply of U.N. and other aid organizations needed some $22.2 billion, a number that later grew to $24 billion.

Out of that total, by late November, OCHA recorded omnibus appeal funding of $12.6 billiona new record. UNHCR, with a 2017 needs budget of some $7.8 billion, reports that it is only 46 percent funded.

OCHAs omnibus humanitarian needs estimate for 2018 is starting out at $22.5 billion.

The refugee compact remains a Trump administration priority because unlike the migrant issue, it complements Washingtons tough immigration stance. It aims at helping those displaced to stay where they are in host countries or return home, as a State Department spokesperson puts it, voluntarily, in safety and with dignity.

Another aim is equally pragmatic: to spur nations to donate beyond the traditional two-dozen or so who usually share the burden of the crisis, and where the U.S. is by far the biggest donor.

(The U.S. last year contributed some $1.4 billion to UNHCR in 2017, and gave some $8.37 billion during the fiscal year to overall humanitarian assistance, according to foreignassistance.gov. So far, the administration has budgeted $5.27 billion for fiscal 2018.)

Finally, the hope is that the compact will push the sclerotic U.N. and other institutions into streamlining, efficiency, and the use of non-traditional resources, including a larger dependence on the private sector, to meet needs that patently have overwhelmed all of its usual approaches.

(This year, according to UNHCR, private-sector donations to the organization will total about $388 million, a tally that would have put the sector third on UNHCRs donor list, after the U.S. and the European Union.)

Everyone knows business as usual is no longer an option, said Christopher Boian, a UNHCR spokesperson in Washington. The Global Compact on Refugees is about sharing responsibility more widely, more equitably and more intelligently. It is about delivering results that benefit both refugees and the communities that welcome and integrate them.

Just how far the U.N. had fallen off that mark was noted discreetly in a 2016 functional review of OCHA, its chief humanitarian coordinating arm, carried out by private consultants.

The report noted primly that the organization was subject to widespread organizational dysfunction, with dual New York and Geneva headquarters leading to unnecessary complexity and confusion.

Decisions made at the senior management level generally lack disciplined follow through, the report added, noting a disconnect between functional groups at headquarters and those in the field.

The report also said OCHA was top-heavy and that the fragmentation of functions across branches leads to confusion as to who does what, and is a driver of duplication in the organization.

All of those deficiencies are now the focus of reform efforts by Mark Lowcock, OCHAs new head, previously the top civil servant for six years in Britains equivalent of USAID, the Department for International Development, or DFID.

Outside of OCHA, the U.N.s new lean and efficient approach is supposed to be focused through a new Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, which was approved at the 2016 New York summit meeting on refugees and migration that also authorized the two pending global compacts.

The CRRF, as the U.N. calls it, is intended to better involve national and local authorities, international organizations, international financial institutions, regional organizations, regional coordination and partnership mechanisms, civil society partners, including faith-based organizations and academia, the private sector, media and refugees themselves in the effort to improve their dire plight.

So far, though, many of the specifics of the framework are still under discussion, including at the current Geneva meeting, before it will be rolled out, tentatively, in a series of pilot projects.

And at the same time, UNHCR observes in a background document on the CRRF, the revised approach is not a new coordination mechanism, but builds on approaches that already exist.

It will, however, involve many new briefings, conversations, and engagements with U.N. member states through nominated focal points.
An interfaith group from the Gulf state of Bahrain is paying an unprecedented public visit to Israel this week, receiving a warm welcome but generating uproar across the Arab world.

The visit comes at a time when Israel is boasting of warming, albeit covert, ties with moderate Arab countries in a shared front against archrival Iran. But the heavy criticism unleashed on Arab social media, along with the low profile the group has taken, shows the limits on how far that goodwill can go.

The 25 participants, who include Sunni and Shiite Muslims, as well as Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, flew to Israel on Sunday as guests of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a U.S.-based Jewish human rights group. The group gathered Tuesday at a restaurant overlooking Jerusalem's Old City walls for dinner and a candle-lighting ceremony marking the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

While organizers and participants said the three-day trip was nonpolitical and unconnected to the Bahrain government, it nonetheless is a possible test case for other Gulf Arab nations in seeing what could happen if they move toward recognizing Israel.

"People have been asking us, 'Oh why have you been here now, after there was an announcement made by the White House,'" Betsy Mathieson, president of This is Bahrain, told The Associated Press, referring to President Donald Trump's declaration last week that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The move enraged the Palestinians, who seek the city's eastern half as capital of a future state.

"We have nothing to do with politics," insisted Mathieson, a dual British-Bahrain national who has lived in Bahrain for 37 years.

But the early results seem decidedly mixed.

Shortly after the group arrived, it was forced to issue a statement on the state-run Bahrain News Agency that it "does not represent any official entity" in Bahrain after an uproar erupted on social media. People were especially angry that the visit came so close to Trump's declaration on Jerusalem.

Throughout their time in Israel, the group, about half of whom are Bahrain citizens and the rest people of other nationalities who live in the Gulf nation, avoided the spotlight. Several Bahrainis chose not to attend Tuesday's dinner, and those who did either refused to speak to the AP or did so only if they weren't identified.

One Bahraini woman said she didn't care about Trump's proclamation, "because I am not a political person." She said that unlike most Bahrainis, she sees no issue with Israel and Bahrain establishing bilateral relations, and would visit Israel again if the opportunity arose.

"If there's a chance, why not?" said the woman, who like others demanded anonymity because of the controversy surrounding the visit. Earlier in the day, she prayed at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque, which she described as "a dream."

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said the fact that the group arrived, defying expectations that they would cancel because of Trump's move on Jerusalem, "speaks volumes."

"We're looking for the normalization. We're not waiting for politicians, and we're going to try to stick to that narrative," he said.

Israel and Bahrain do not have diplomatic relations, although Bahrain's King Hamad is rumored to be weighing an end to his country's boycott of Israel as the two countries nurture covert ties.

Bahrain and other Sunni Arab states see themselves as sharing regional interests with Israel when confronting Shiite power Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly touted Israel's warming ties with Gulf Arab states in recent months. On Sunday, Netanyahu asserted that "many of the Arab countries now recognize that Israel is not their enemy but their indispensable ally." This shift, he said, "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."

Netanyahu acknowledged last week that Israel won't be able to sign peace treaties with the Arabs without a deal on the Palestinians, but also implied that ties have already been established and have plenty of room to grow. "Peace treaties, no. Everything else below that, yes, and it's happening," he said just hours before Trump's declaration on Jerusalem.

The island nation of Bahrain, east of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf, has long been seen as more liberal than its larger neighbor, but has faced major criticism in recent years for how it put down its 2011 Arab Spring protests with the help of the Saudi kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

The tiny state is ruled by a Sunni king but has a majority Shiite population. According to the Bahraini government, 70% of the population is Muslim and the remainder adheres to various faiths.

Shiites and others demonstrated in 2011 seeking more political freedoms. An official investigation found the government demolished 30 Shiite religious structures following the demonstrations, ranging from mosques to meeting halls and shrines, as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

Bahrain is home to a small Jewish community, but no members of the community took part in the trip.




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.
Charles Jenkins, a former U.S. Army soldier who deserted to North Korea at the height of the Cold War, died Monday. He was 77.

Jenkins collapsed outside his home in Sado, in northern Japan, on Monday and was rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, a group representing families of Japanese abductees to North Korea said Tuesday. He died of heart failure, according to local reports.

Jenkins, originally from Rich Square, N.C., disappeared in January 1965 while on patrol along the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea.

NORTH KOREAN DEFECTOR DESCRIBES FORCED ABORTION, SAID BODIES FED TO DOGS IN PRISON

In later interviews, he said he decided to abandon his unit and defect to the North, fearing he would be killed during a patrol or be sent to fight in the Vietnam War, the BBC reported. He was among four Americans to defect to North Korea in the 1960s.

His plan was to seek asylum with the Russian embassy and eventually return to the U.S. in a prisoner swap.

But the scheme didn't work. The Russian embassy didn't grant Jenkins -- or other Americans -- asylum. Instead, Jenkins was held as a prisoner by the North Koreans.

Thinking back now, I was a fool, Jenkins said in a 2005 interview with CBS. If theres a God in heaven, he carried me through it.

Jenkins was reportedly forced to study the teachings of then-North Korean leader Kim II-Sung and teach English. He even became a minor celebrity when he acted in a North Korean propaganda film.

Jenkins said he was tortured by his captors, who often beat him and conducted medical procedures on him that were brutal -- including cutting off a U.S. Army tattoo without anesthesia.

Later, Jenkins would lament that his desertion led to decades of deprivation and hardship in the communist country.

One bright spot was Jenkins meeting his wife Hitomi Soga, who was kidnapped by Pyongyang in 1978. She had been abducted to teach North Korean spies Japanese.

NORTH KOREA PUSHING FOR BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS FACTORIES, ANALYSTS SAY

Soga is one of 13 Japanese citizens that Tokyo says were kidnapped and brought to the North in the 1970s and 1980s.

Jenkins told CBS the couple was forced by North Korean officials to marry, however, eventually, they fell in love. They had two daughters, Mika and Blinda.

In 2002, Pyongyang acknowledged the abductions of the Japanese citizens and allowed Soga and four others to visit Japan. They ended up staying. Jenkins and his daughters were allowed to join Soga two years later.

Once in Japan, Jenkins was subject to a U.S. court-martial in which he pleaded guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy. He was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 25 days in a U.S. military jail in Japan.

Jenkins and his family moved to Sogas hometown of Sado, where he was a popular worker at a local souvenir shop and could often be seen posing for photos with visiting tourists.

Jenkins, in his 2005 autobiographical book "To Tell the Truth," and during appearances at conferences on North Korean human rights, revealed he had seen other American deserters living with women abducted from elsewhere around the globe, including Thailand and Romania.

After settling in Japan, Jenkins visited North Carolina to see his mother and sister. But he said he had no plans to move back to the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A 19-year-old Dutch model who was intoxicated and half naked died after she reportedly plunged from a balcony at a 20th floor condominium in Malaysia last week.

Ivana Esther Robert Smit was discovered unclothed on the balcony of a sixth floor condo in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, the New Straits Times reported. Smit was reportedly drinking with a man and his wife before she walked onto the balcony and fell over.

Ivana, who was in the nude, was believed to have walked to the balcony and fell over. She crashed through an awning of a sixth floor unit, a source told the Times.

Smits death was ruled as a sudden death and investigators believe there was no criminal activity related to her case. Local authorities, however, are looking to interview people who may have witnessed her death.

Smit had Dutch-Belgian citizenship and had previously appeared in Malaysias Supermodel Search 2014, when she was 15. She came in third place in the competition.
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Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is urging unity after a divisive election that was boycotted by his main opponent.

Speaking during Independence Day celebrations in the capital, Nairobi, on Tuesday, Kenyatta said the "unity of our nation is the shield against the dangers that have shattered other countries."

He urged Kenyans to "reject the politics of divisiveness and confrontation."

Kenyatta won with 98 percent of votes in the October election after the Supreme Court nullified the August vote over irregularities. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, whose legal challenge led to the new election, boycotted it while saying electoral reforms had not been made.

Odinga's supporters had planned a mock "inauguration" Tuesday but it was cancelled amid pressure from the United States and others.

The opposition leader refuses to acknowledge Kenyatta's legitimacy.
Mexican presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has doubled down on a controversial proposal to consider amnesty for criminals.

Lopez Obrador registered Tuesday as a contender for the nomination of his leftist Morena party for the July 1 presidential elections.

He is assured to win the nomination, but has already attracted skepticism by mentioning the possibility of amnesty as a way to rein in Mexico's violence, which has reached record-high levels.

Lopez Obrador said Tuesday "we will debate and consult, mainly with victims, the possibility of amnesties for criminals who opt for re-adapting themselves."

Critics have said such amnesties don't work and encourage gangs to be violent.

The candidate also proposed creating a joint military-police force and calling it the National Guard.
South Korean officials are getting ready for the worst as they prepare for their Winter Olympic games in PyeongChang in February.

The site is just 50 miles south of the heavily militarized border between North and South Korea. There are concerns the regime of Kim Jong Un will use the global event to stir up trouble.

And so, on Tuesday over 400 police officers ran through drills, staging a range of offensive actions that the North might target while the event is underway. They included a drone armed with a bomb, a chemical weapon attack, and hostage-taking. Some 5,000 armed forces personnel will be deployed to the actual Games.

South Korean Prime Minuster Lee Nak-yon said he would continue making sure there are no security loopholes.

The security drills come amid new reports that South Korea is asking the U.S. to put off staging two major military exercises until after the end of the Winter Paralympics in March. Those exercises infuriate the Pyongyang regime, which brands them a rehearsal for war. No word yet whether the Pentagon will agree.

There has been talk among regional diplomats of a freeze-for-freeze arrangement in which North Korea would suspend its missile and nuclear tests in exchange for a halt to U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises.

But exercises have continued this month.

U.S., South Korea and Japan are participating in anti-missile drills involving high-tech armed destroyers in the Sea of Japan, off the Korean peninsula. There are new fears that North Korea is preparing missiles able to be launched from submarines, extending their possible range.

A recently tested North Korean ICBM is, according to experts who spoke to Fox News, capable of hitting anywhere in the mainland U.S., and could potentially be outfitted with a nuclear weapon.
Oscar Pistorius, the former Paralympic champion and convicted murderer, was injured in a prison fight last week over the use of a public phone.

Pistorius, who is serving a 13-year jail term for the murder of his girlfriend, suffered minor injuries after last Wednesday, the department of Correctional Services told the BBC.

He reportedly knew the other inmate and sustained a bruise. The official investigation into the incident will determine who started the fight.

As standard operating procedure regarding cases of alleged assaults, DCS has launched an internal investigation into the matter to establish the facts and to ensure that appropriate action is taken as incidents of assault are not allowed, the department told News.co.au.

Local media claims that the brawl broke out due the Pistorius lengthy telephone conversation.

Pistorius is currently imprisoned in Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in the South African capital Pretoria, a special-needs prison tailored to prisoners with disabilities, who are serving a maximum of six years.

The former Paralympian was designated as a low-risk criminal and allowed to stay despite the prosecutions successful appeal last month that increased his sentence by six year after arguing it was too lenient.

But Pistorius might lose his privileges and even return to the maximum security facility Kgosi Mampuru II if the investigation will find that he caused the fight in prison, The Daily Mail reported.

If Oscar Pistorius is found to be at fault, he could lose his privileges and be re-classified if he is no longer considered low risk, the department told the paper.
Kenyan police say at least 13 people have been killed in a multi-vehicle accident on a highway outside the capital, Nairobi.

Nakuru County Police Commander Hassan Barua says a speeding truck swerved and rammed an oncoming bus before hitting two vans and other vehicles on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway at a place called Sachangwan.

He says dozens of people were hospitalized.

The accident rate in East African towns tends to rise during the festive season, with police citing drunk driving and speeding.

On Saturday, 30 people were killed in two accidents in central Kenya.

In his Independence Day speech on Tuesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta urged drivers to be cautious.
It is a dream come true for U.S.-based climate scientists  the offer of all-expenses-paid life in France to advance their research in Europe instead of in the United States under climate skeptic President Donald Trump, two of the winners say.

American scientist Camille Parmesan and British scientist Benjamin Sanderson are among the 18 initial winners, including 13 based in the U.S., who were named recipients of French President Emmanuel Macron's "Make Our Planet Great Again" climate grants.

Macron congratulated the winners during a brief ceremony in Paris on Monday evening, ahead of a climate summit that gathers more than 50 world leaders in the French capital Tuesday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Parmesan expressed elation at the prospect of spending the next five years doing her research in France instead of the United States.

A scientist from the University of Texas at Austin, she is a leader in the field on how climate affects wildlife. She lived for a few years in the United Kingdom for family reasons and was considering returning to the U.S. until Trump's election.

"He very, very rapidly has been actively trying to erode science in the U.S.A. and in particular climate science," she said. "And it's hard for two reasons: Funding is becoming almost impossible, and in a psychological sense."

Parmesan answered with enthusiasm Macron's appeal for climate researchers to come work in France, minutes after Trump's rejection of the Paris climate accord. "It gave me such a psychological boost, it was so good to have that kind of support, to have the head of state saying I value what you do," she said.

Parmesan, who said she is looking forward to improving her French, will be working at an experimental ecology station in the Pyrenees mountains.

Sanderson, who also worked in the U.S., told the AP that he found it "very reassuring" that France is "openly encouraging climate research."

He said his application was motivated by "the fact that France is making a stand on prioritizing climate change research, but also it's increasingly hard to get research funding in the U.S."

Sanderson used to work at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, on risks and uncertainties under climate change. For the next few years, he will be living in Toulouse, in southern France, where the country's national meteorological service is based.
Yemeni officials say security forces have killed at least three suspected militants in a raid in the southern port city of Aden.

They say three policemen were killed in a shootout early Tuesday when the forces stormed a workshop where car bombs were built. They say police arrested two suspected militants and found explosive belts and other weapons.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Yemen is embroiled in a war between Iran-backed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and the internationally recognized government, which is allied with a Saudi-led military coalition.

Government forces ostensibly control Aden, but al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates have carried out several attacks.
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In the depths of the Depression, people found no shortage of true crime stories to take their minds off the troubles. Among the kidnappings and gangster killings came a story from Fredericksburg that, for a time, rivaled the Lindbergh baby kidnapping for trial of centurylocally, at least.

The story had the ingredients of a moviearsenic, a prominent family, a household staff, the other womanexcept that it was all real. The media coverage devoted to it exceeded anything that had come before it in this area, and probably anything since.

Police came to the Bell home on Prince Edward Street in mid-October 1934 to arrest Edward C. Bell, 60, for attempting to poison his wife Madge. Bell owned a furniture store with his brother and was a church deacon. His wife had been an invalid for two years, at times requiring two nurses. It was those nurses, the cook and the doctor who supplied the police with evidence in the form of Mrs. Bells medicine, which had been found by state chemists to contain arsenic and potassium cyanide. Bell denied everything.

The story immediately took up residence on the front page for the rest of the month and even spilled over to page two, uncommon in those days. It was only a foretaste of what was to come.

The trial was set for December and a special prosecutor from Alexandria began summoning witnesses. Altogether, 30 would be summonedincluding Irma Bell, their 32-year-old daughterand 22 would testify. Bell, after checking into a Richmond sanitarium for six days, began assembling a defense team of four attorneys. By this time, he was living with his brother on Washington Avenue.

The defense team remained quiet until just up to the trial Dec. 11, but the prosecution filled the news with witnesses summoned. Most interesting of all was a woman named Ella McMullin from Richmond, who claimed not to have any idea why she was being summoned.

The weekend before the trial, out-of-town reporters began arriving in Fredericksburg: four Washington papers, several from Richmond, even the New York Journal and the Associated Press. One photographer was conked in the head with the Baptist church collection bag by Bells brother after an evening service. Western Union and Postal Telegraph added employees to handle the volume of wire reports coming out of Fredericksburg.

The entire first day was spent trying to secure 12 jurors (all men) who had not already formed opinions about the case. The defense never moved for a change of venue.

The household staff were some of the first to testify. Viola Jones, the nurse, was a particularly confident witness who laid out in detail the traps she and the other staff had set for Mr. Bell. They would leave out her medicine and take everyone out of the house, then come back to find it had changed color and contained sediment. A chemist testified that Mrs. Bells hair was found to contain arsenic.

The courtroom crowd had swelled to 600 by the time McMullin took the stand. After having heard of expensive cars and furniture bought for her by Mr. Bell, they were bitterly disappointed when she spent only four minutes on the stand and revealed no exciting details about their relationship.

On the fifth day, the defense brought on their witnesses and their argument was a surprise to no one: insanity. Bells Richmond doctor was as unflappable as Viola Jones and claimed that Bells various health problems had caused softening of the brain. He pointed to other decisions Bell made as being irrationalnot firing the nurses after they turned him in, etc.

The arguments must not have seemed as feeble to the jury as they do today, because on the seventh day, the foreman reported that they were hopelessly deadlocked at seven for guilty, five for insane. In a surprising move, the judge ordered Bell off to a different sanitarium, which would decide on his mental status.

In March, Bell returned to Fredericksburg, the sanitarium finding him sane. At his second, quieter, trial, he waived the right to a jury. The judge declared him guilty and gave him the lightest sentence: only three years in the penitentiary out of a possible 18. Bell looked haggard; doctors said his conditions were worsening and he didnt have long to live. And so ended the case of Virginia v. Edward C. Bell.

And now for the rest of the story: the frail man rallied and lived another 14 years. He started another business in Richmond and married a woman 33 years younger. He was, apparently, a model citizen.

Madge Bell, not as fortunate, lived only four more years but seemed to have the comfort of her two children by her side. Irma Bell served as Spotsylvania Countys director of social services for 32 years and is buried in Fredericksburgs City Cemetery alongside her mother.

Nancy Moore of Central Rappahannock Regional Library contributed to this column.
It appears that a woman was indeed buried nearly nine years ago in the median of Interstate 95 in Stafford County, in a then-wooded spot just north of the Telegraph Road overpass.

Now the paved express lanes run through the stretch where a man said he buried the remains of his girlfriend, after strangling the 47-year-old woman in her Washington home on Feb. 13, 2009, the day before Valentines Day.

Earlier this year, Jose RodgriquezCruz admitted to killing Pamela Butler that night and later burying her remains in the median. In a plea deal, he promised to lead police to the her remains.

Police used cadaver dogs to search the grassy area next to the express lanes on Friday, but havent said anything about the results.

Butlers brother said Monday morning that police told him the dogs hit on human remains in several areas. That led them to believe Butlers remains were scattered about when earth was moved for work on the express lanes, which opened two years ago.

We gave it a hell of a try, said Derrick Butler, who has talked about how important it was to the family to recover his sisters remains.

Although they wont get the remains, Butler said he and prosecutors believe RodriguezCruz told the truth about burying her body in the median.

The 52-year-old Rodriguez-Cruz was sentenced to 12 years as part of the agreement.

Derrick Butler called RodriguezCruz a monster and pointed out that the mans first wife also disappeared, a crime he implored police to solve.

According to media reports, Arlington County cold-case detectives uncovered evidence that domestic violence contributed not only to Butlers death but possibly the death of Rodriguez-Cruzs first wife, Marta Cruz.

In Butlers case, prosecutors described RodriguezCruz as an extremely violent man.

He told prosecutors that the couple argued that night over his job and him holding up his end on finances. He said he punched Butler, then got on top of her and strangled her.

RodreiguezCruz said he turned off Butlers home security system and lowered her body out of a first-floor window. He then put her body in his nearby car, drove off and disposed of her remains.
A man who robbed multiple businesses in Stafford County in January 2016 was ordered Tuesday to serve 12 years in prison.

Corwin Curtis Vanier, 47, pleaded guilty in Stafford Circuit Court to four counts of robbery. He was sentenced to a total of 60 years in prison, with all but 12 years suspended.

A fifth robbery charge and other charges were dropped as part of an agreement ironed out by Commonwealths Attorney Eric Olsen and defense attorney Jim Ilijevich. Vaniers decision to plead came on the second day of a jury trial in which he had already seen most of the evidence against him, including an ex-girlfriend who identified him as the robber.

Between Jan. 5 and Jan. 25 of last year, five businesses along the U.S. 17 (Warrenton Road) corridor in southern Stafford were robbed by a man with his face at least partially covered who appeared to have a gun. Police later determined that the gun was actually a tube of hand cream wrapped in a bag.

Among the places robbed were a Shell station, the Comfort Suites, Americas Best Value Inn, a 7-Eleven and the Holiday Inn Express.

Jintia Khan has testified several times that she was working at the Holiday Inn Express Jan. 25 when a robber walked in, pointed a gun at her and demanded money. He got just over $500 and fled.

Deputy Alex Smith was in the area that day and saw someone matching the robbers description heading toward the Days Inn on Simpson Road. Smith and another deputy went to Vaniers motel room and found the money in the exact denominations as what as been taken from the Holiday Inn. That included 92 one-dollar bills; Vanier claimed hed earned the money shoveling snow.

Khan later identified Khan as the robber, as did Amanda Jackson after being shown surveillance footage from some of the businesses. Jackson was dating Vanier around that time and testified in his aborted trial this week.
A Spotsylvania jury Monday night recommended a 38-year prison sentence for Joshua Christopher Williams after convicting him of first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the 2015 slaying of county resident Heather Ciccone.

The verdict came toward the end of the sixth day of a trial in Spotsylvania Circuit Court. Williams, 29, was also convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

He will be formally sentenced March 9 by Judge Ricardo Rigual.

Ciccone, 21, was found shot in the back of the head late Dec. 6, 2015, in a secluded driveway on Piney Branch Road. In a closing argument Monday that lasted more than two hours, prosecutor Ryan Mehaffey said Williams and three others conspired to kill Ciccone for multiple reasons involving jealousy, gang activity and drugs.

Authorities believe Jonathan Vejarano is the man who pulled the trigger. He is charged with the same offenses as Williams, but does not yet have a trial date.

Williams brother, Clinton Eastwood Williams, was arrested over the weekend on charges of conspiracy and being an accessory after the fact to murder. The fourth person mentioned prominently during the trial, Danielle Long, has not been charged.

According to the prosecution evidence, Williams and Ciccone were having a sexual relationship in 2015. Long, the mother of Williams children, found out about the relationship after Ciccone picked up a DUI charge in October 2015 while on a date with Williams. Mehaffey said Long called Ciccone 137 times the day after finding out and went to her home to confront her. She was mad and she was murderously jealous, the prosecutor said.

Witnesses said Longs anger exploded in November 2015, when she sent threatening videos to a couple of Ciccones friends and created fake Instagram accounts disparaging Ciccone. In one of the videos, Long was heard saying, If she wants to live, I better not [expletive] see her. Im going to [expletive] her [expletive] up real [expletive] bad.

Investigators also recovered a Dec. 3, 2015, text from Long to one of her friends in which she wrote, some people just need to get popped and shes one of them.

The evidence also showed that during the week before her death, Ciccone was contacted by Deandre Scott about getting a half-pound of marijuana for him. He offered to pay her a couple of hundred dollars to broker the deal. Ciccone contacted a couple of drug dealers before making arrangements to get the marijuana from Williams and deliver it to Scott. After several false starts, Scott came from Dahlgren to Spotsylvania to meet Ciccone the night of Dec. 6, but she never showed up.

Mehaffey argued that Williams used the would-be drug deal to set up Ciccones slaying. He said Long convinced Williams that Ciccone had given them a sexually transmitted disease and that Ciccone was working with the police against Williams.

A string of inmates testified that Vejarano admitted to his role in the slaying while incarcerated. The story was that he would receive $5,000 worth of marijuana and admittance into Williams G-Shyne Blood gang in exchange for carrying out the hit. One inmate said Vejarano told him that Joshua Williams, Clinton Williams and Long were all with him when he pulled the trigger.

Mehaffey said extensive phone records and other evidence eliminated other potential suspects and implicated Williams. Referring to recorded calls from jail last week in which Williams appeared to be concocting an alibi while talking to his brother and Long, Mehaffey said, on the two-year anniversary of [Ciccones] death, hes still trying to cover it up.

In his closing argument, defense attorney Alexander Raymond said Williams was the victim of a police rush to judgment and trial by innuendo and Facebook. He said Ciccone associated with a number of known drug dealers and that some of them were just as likely as Williams to have been involved in the slaying.

Commonwealths Attorney Travis Bird acknowledged that some of the prosecution witnesses had unsavory pasts, but to catch the devil, sometimes you have to go to Hell to get the witnesses.

Before the jury announced its sentence, Ciccones sister told them that it crushed my soul having to watch her parents see their daughters dead body. She asked the jurors to give Williams the same leniency he gave my sister. Mehaffey requested a life sentence.

In presenting their case Friday, defense attorneys called only one witness, Spotsylvania Detective Donnie Reid. They asked him about his interviews with some of the other early suspects.

It was initially announced that Williams was going to testify, but he never took the witness stand.
A recount of more than 5,000 ballots on Tuesday confirmed Mark Dudenhefer as the winner of the Garrisonville District seat on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors.

Dudenhefer, a Republican, picked up one ballot during the county-funded recount, giving him a 13-vote victory over Democratic incumbent Laura Sellers.

The recount began at 9 a.m. Tuesday in a room of the countys Public Safety Center that was closed to all but election officials, candidates, their attorneys and hand-picked observers. It ended nearly seven hours later, around 3:45 p.m. The results were made official by a three-judge panel that signed off on the recount in a courtroom.

The process had integrity, Tricia Dunlap, an attorney for Laura Sellers, told the judges, announcing that she had no objections.

Trevor Stanley, at attorney for Dudenhefer, also offered no objections.

Near the front of the courtroom sat a cart stacked with six ballot-filled boxes, each about twice the size of a shoe box and covered in do not tamper tape.

Each of the more than 5,000 ballots cast in Garrisonville were recounted by a scanning machine, Dunlap said. The machine rejected ballots on which voters had selected more than one candidate for the seat or had left it blank. These were then read by election officials, she said.

There were quite a few where they didnt vote for the office, Dunlap said. Three voters cast their ballots for both candidates. There were also several cases in which voters had selected a candidate and then written the same candidates name into the write-in space.

The rules dont allow them to be counted, Dunlap said.

Early in the day, Sellers said waiting for the results of the recount was harder than Election Day. This is grueling, she said.

The final tally: Dudenhefer, 2,606 votes, Sellers, 2,593.

Dudenhefer is no stranger to politics. He is a former Stafford supervisor who served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates. He said before the election he felt he could do more locally.

While my election was close, I firmly commit to representing all the residents of the Garrisonville District, he said in a statement. He said he applauded the race run by Sellers and hopes that she stays committed to bettering the quality of life of our residents.

Dudenhefer also said he appreciated the work of everyone who worked at the polls on Election Day and who participated in Tuesdays recount, including Stafford Registrar Greg Riddlemoser.

I let the process play out, Dudenhefer said inside the courtroom Tuesday. Now I have to get to work.

Sellers, who was the only Democrat on the Stafford board, said she was proud of the campaign she led.

The 13-vote difference speaks volumes, she said. We did well. Im not going away. Youre still going to see me in the community.
The head of the Virginia Department of Elections wrote recently that he supports an appropriate remedy by a federal court for the disputed 28th District House of Delegates election in Fredericksburg and Stafford County.

Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes could get his wish.

U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis this week set a date of Jan. 5just five days before the General Assembly convenesfor a hearing on the House Democratic Caucus lawsuit requesting a new election for the seat, which could determine control of Richmonds lower chamber. Democrats had requested the hearing on or before Dec. 22, but the judge set it later to accommodate the courts schedule.

Republican Del.-elect Bob Thomas defeated Democrat Joshua Cole by 82 votes for the seat, but the election has been tainted by revelations that at least 147 voters in the Fredericksburg area received ballots for the wrong House race. The 28th District outcome is critical in determining whether the GOP maintains its 5149 advantage in the House, which would give it control over committees and legislation for the next two years.

The errors currently identified  are of great concern to the Department of Elections, Cortes, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, wrote in federal court papers dated Dec. 6 and filed this week. As the Department has no mechanism to provide a remedy to these voters, the Department supports the court providing an appropriate remedy.

He did not say what he thought that appropriate remedy might be.

House Republicans reacted much differently to the suit, dubbing it unnecessary litigation in federal court. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three 28th District voters who erroneously received ballots for the neighboring 88th District House race, also seeks federal court orders preventing Thomas from being sworn in Jan. 10 and requiring the State Board of Elections to decertify the results.

House Speaker Bill Howell, RStafford, is retiring from the 28th District seat after a 30-year political career.

Judge Ellis asked the defendantsincluding the State Board of Elections and voter registrars in Fredericksburg and Staffordto file their responses to the suit by 5 p.m. Dec. 20.

House Democratic leaders say a new election is the only remedy for the disenfranchised voters in the Fredericksburg region. They submitted an amended complaint calling for the special election after Judge Ellis denied the lawsuits original request for an injunction prohibiting the State Board of Elections from certifying the 28th District result.

Ellis also denied Republicans request to dismiss the complaint entirely, opening the door for the amended suit.

At least 86 voters in the 28th District erroneously got ballots for the 2nd Districtwhich includes parts of Staffordor the 88th District, Cortes wrote in a report last month. And at least 61 voters in the conservative 88th District incorrectly cast ballots in the 28th District.

Democrats have not called for a special election for the 88th District seat, which Republican incumbent Mark Cole won by more than 4,000 votes.
Eleanor F. Covington, 76 of Woodford passed away Sunday, December 10, 2017. She was the widow of Roger L. Covington and a member of Round Oak Baptist Church, where she was active in the Fidelity Sunday School class. She was a loving mother to four children, Ellen Gouldman (Dale), Sheldia Covington, Roger Covington and Jerry Covington (Tami). She is also survived by seven grandchildren, three great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. The family will receive friends at Storke Funeral Home, Bowling Green, Wednesday December 13 from 6:00 8:00 p.m. A funeral will be held Thursday, December 14th at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel of the funeral home, with Rev. Randy Newsome officiating. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Cemetery. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.storkefuneralhome.com.
When it comes to cancer, racial minorities face higher barriers to care than do white patients. Now, research shows that those health disparities might extend even to where and how patients die.

A new study of nearly 9,500 blood cancer patients who were treated at a UW Medicine hospital and later died revealed that racial and ethnic minority patients have a different experience at the end of their lives than do their white counterparts.

The study found that these patients were more likely to receive aggressive care in the last 30 days of life and to die in the hospital than non-Hispanic white patients. They were also less likely to have documents on file detailing their end-of-life wishes.

These findings are disturbing but not necessarily surprising to those in the health disparities research field, said Dr. Kedar Kirtane, a blood cancer researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington and lead author on the study. Other researchers had made similar observations of health disparities at end-of-life in patients with solid tumors, but for hematologic malignancies, which include leukemias and lymphomas, theres less research on how minority patients with these diseases die.

Slowly over the last couple years, theres been more of a recognition of trying to figure out if those disparities exist [for patients with blood cancer] and subsequently to figure out what to do about them, said Kirtane, who is a fellow in the UW/Fred Hutch Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program.
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True heroes do not speak of their heroic deeds; they let others speak for them. Casandra Branick, barn manager and exercise rider for trainer Edward Freeman, would rather talk about the heroic deeds of so many others who risked their lives to save horses during the San Luis Rey Downs nightmare.

So, it was only appropriate that one of the owners who has horses with Freeman, Dennis Miller, speak up for her, detailing the events through continuous text messages from Branick. What you are about to read is not only gripping drama, it defines just how deep the love of horses is and the courage that is displayed, often at great cost, in order to protect these noble animals that we love and admire so deeply.

If you find the events below compelling and gut wrenching and come away with great admiration for Branick, you can tune in to Switching Leads blogtalk radio Thursday night from 8 to 10 p.m. and listen to her describe the events firsthand and what drove her to perform such acts of heroism, joining all the others who risked their lives.

So, in the words of Dennis Miller:

"While I have no doubt that there were numerous feats of selfless heroism that occurred as the Armageddon of San Luis Rey unfolded, I am compelled to note one such story of which I have personal knowledge.



The barn of Edward Freeman was one of the first to be completely destroyed by fire. Mr. Freeman was away on a family visit to his native England. He departed comfortable in the knowledge his barn was in the good care of barn manager and exercise rider Casandra Branick.



Like most mornings Casandra woke at 4 am and arrived at the Freeman barn a short time later to oversee a crew of eight grooms as they fed, watered, trained and exercised 17 Thoroughbred Racehorses. Another was at an equine clinic.



What began as a normal day soon turned horrible beyond imagination. Shortly after 11a.m., Branick, noticed telltale signs of fire on the hilltops to the east. Acting quickly, she alerted her crew and began tranquilizing her charges in anticipation of an evacuation. She ordered bales of hay be watered down and began loading feed and water tubs on the van. Contacting Freeman in England, she recommended evacuating the horses. Freeman concurred and advised his owners of the situation and vowed to take responsibility for the potentially hazardous decision.



With a green light from her boss, Branick began loading the her charges. She sent the first load to Del Mar Race Track before anyone there knew of the emergency. She even had the foresight to send ulcer medication in case it was needed.



This was only the beginning of a long day that would not end for another 30 hours. As the day progressed, Branick was able to load her remaining horses on various vans throughout the afternoon. Some of these animals were by nature, high strung and difficult to deal with. The fact that she was able to coerce them onto vans that they were clearly resistant to entering is amazing enough! That this was accomplished without benefit of lip-chains or lead ropes and in one case with only a leather belt is simply miraculous.



It should be noted at this point that three of Mr. Freeman's grooms, not unlike Cas, battled the entire day from start to finish without concern for their personal safety or belongings. These brave horsemen passed the point where reason ends and courage begins many long hours before. They are, Silvano Vaca, Carlos Osuna and Martin Espinosa. People such as these restore ones faith in humankind. They were drawn by a calling stronger than the urge for self-preservation. Their duty was to the horses they loved and cared for.



With her horses dispersed to three locations she turned to save her goat and another from a neighboring barn. As she exited the track the police laughed at the two frightened animals squealing in the back seat.



With the goats delivered to safety she attempted to return to the track but was blocked by law enforcement. Noticing a veterinarian on foot attempting gain access to the track, this dynamo from New Jersey once again took charge. Instructing the vet to get in, she drove her car up on the median and managed to enter the facility where numerous injured horses were then humanely euthanized.



Returning to the horror of stampeding horses, some on fire, Cas Branick proceeded to render help to others. She helped load horses with the aid of fallen palm fronds. The barn directly behind her lost at least three horses and a trainer who suffered severe burns trying to save them was evacuated to a hospital where she remains in a medically induced coma.



My second hand telling of these feats, no doubt leaves much untold. But what I do know, is that the two horses I own in partnership with Edward Freeman are alive and well. As day turned to night Casandra Branick never stopped. Speaking to her through the night and into the next morning I know she attempted to provide clothing and comfort to her grooms........all of which lost every earthly possession to the fire. They were without money, documents and clothing. She, herself was without money or medication.



As she attempted to leave the area later that night, she was met with roadblocks. Eventually, she was able to get to her house and for the first time get something to drink. Despite my admonishment to go to bed, she once again set out to inventory her horses at various locations in the area.



I have no doubt my narrative does little justice to the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would have said, but I know enough! As a veteran and retired airline pilot, if I had to choose someone to go battle with it would be this 95lb. package of dynamite that looks at fear with contempt and the impossible as just a momentary speed bump."

So join Casandra and I and co host Dina Alborano Thursday night and listen to this remarkable woman's story and what it was like during those horrific hours of suffering and anguish. But because of people like Casandra, there were also numerous uplifting stories that define the human spirit at its finest.


Carole Frantz Alexy, 72, of Carlisle, PA died peacefully at home December 10, 2017. She was born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania in 1945 to Alfred W. Frantz, who met her Scottish mother Anne Smith Frantz in Great Britain during World War II. She is survived by her partner of 37 years Morgan Plant, who became her spouse in May 2014; son Christopher A. Alexy of Higganum, CT; granddaughter Emerson Trinity Alexy; and sisters Beverly Frantz (Charles R. Moyer) and Sheila Frantz Gross; as well as nieces Elizabeth Moyer and Jennifer Gross Martindale and nephew Jeffrey Gross.

An avid reader who loved to travel, Carole was noted for her dry wit. She devoted over 40 years of her life to advocating for and helping victims of domestic violence and their families. Carole was the Executive Director of A Womans Place in Doylestown, PA in the mid 1970s, and for 34 years managed state and federal contracts for Pennsylvanias 60 domestic violence programs for the PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) in Harrisburg. She was loved, admired and respected by her many friends and colleagues for her steadying influence, ability to solve problems and help domestic violence programs navigate the shoals of bureaucracy to keep the focus on serving victims safely and effectively. She was awarded the Woman of Courage Award in recognition of her work by the Lutheran Settlement House in Philadelphia in May, 2017.
One of the UKs largest privately owned organic poultry companies, which processes thousands of traditional turkeys, has been hit by a major fire during the run-up to Christmas .

But the owners of Capestone Organics in Pembrokeshire said the fire was confined to a workshop, did not spread to the processing unit or buildings housing poultry, and will not affect pre-Christmas production.

See also: Capestone profiled as finalist in FW Awards

Fortunately the workshop is on the other side of the road from the rest of the site so the fire was isolated to that area, Justin Scale, who runs the family-owned business from his farm near Walwyns Castle, told Farmers Weekly.

We dont know yet what caused the fire and are very grateful to the fire brigade for bringing it under control quickly.

The fire, which was accelerated by fuel in a storage area and resulted in a series of minor explosions, badly damaged the building.

Yesterday's fire at Capestone Farm, a turkey farm in Pembrokeshire has been brought under control by @mawwfire

Updates here:https://t.co/UBUNU2Tv6O  David Lynch (@davidintherain) December 12, 2017

Mr Scale admitted it was a busy time of the year for the company but there would be no interruption to its ability to meet orders promptly and in full.

It is business as usual, said Mr Scale, a fifth-generation farmer who heads the 365ha fully integrated poultry farm.

Poultry unharmed

No poultry were harmed in the blaze, he confirmed.

Mid and West Wales Fire Service said a number of fire engines had been involved in tackling the fire.

The road near the scene was closed while emergency services dealt with the situation.

Capeston Organics, whose customers include major retailers and London food halls, produces 20,000 organic chickens a week in addition to free-range birds.

It has been specialising in growing poultry since the 1920s.

In December, it employs 120 staff in addition to 70 full time employees to meet Christmas orders.
Mount Holly Springs Borough Council Monday approved a $900,500 budget for 2018 that holds the line on the general fund real estate tax at 2.34 mills.

In separate motions, Edgar Kendall was the only council member to vote against the fiscal plan, but he joined his colleagues in voting unanimously to set the tax rate.

Asked for comment after the meeting, Kendall said he was against certain borough employees getting a salary increase next year.

Township Manager Thomas Day said Tuesday that Kendall was probably referring to Jim Hoener and Ed Ginter, two employees of the borough public works department.

An employee for 19 years, Hoener is certified as a sewer plant operator but makes less money than the current employee assigned to that position, Day said.

Day said the majority of the council felt that Hoener should receive a pay increase from $18.70 to $20 an hour to reflect his many years with the borough and to account for his specialized training. Day said Ginter will receive a dollar raise next year to bring him up to what neighboring municipalities pay their road crews.

Borough employees across-the-board will receive a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for 2018. The only exception is Day, who also serves as the borough police chief.

In his comments Monday, Kendall said he was also against the borough paying $4,000 for the contracted services of Rebecca Yearick, an employee of the Cumberland County Redevelopment Authority who works as the downtown program services manager for the borough.

In response, Day said that Yearick was instrumental in helping the borough formulate the rental property inspection ordinance, which the council adopted Monday.

He said Yearick has helped the borough research grant opportunities and has reached out to local realtors to try and fill in empty storefronts in the downtown.

For what little money she is being paid by the borough, she has been an asset to the borough, Day said.
On The Water: You might need a bigger boat for Transpac 2023
Josh Wheeler is stepping down as Benton Countys public works director following claims of discrimination by one of his employees.

Josh and the county have mutually agreed to part ways, County Counsel Vance Croney said Monday.

He said the agreement was reached earlier in the day and would take effect Dec. 22 but declined to provide any additional information about the terms of Wheelers exit.

All I am allowed to say is that Josh and the county have mutually agreed to part ways, Croney said.

Wheeler has been out on paid administrative leave since mid-November while the county investigated allegations by Bob Tessmer, who worked under Wheeler as the countys facilities manager.

The investigation was triggered by a tort claim notice filed by Tessmers lawyer, Shemia Fagan of HKM Employment Attorneys in Portland. Under Oregon law, the formal notice must be filed before a lawsuit can be brought against a government entity.

Josh Wheeler has harassed and demeaned Mr. Tessmer because of his age, disabilities, and status as a veteran since Mr. Tessmer started with Benton County, Fagan wrote in her filing. In addition, she wrote, Wheeler was dismissive of Tessmers desire to hire more veterans, forced him to hire younger workers and escalated his discriminatory treatment after Tessmer complained to county human resources officials.

Fagan wrote in the tort claim notice that her client would be willing to settle out of court for a severance payment of $55,000 and a guarantee that neither Wheeler nor any other county employee would make negative comments about him.

On Monday, Croney confirmed that Tessmer was no longer employed by the county as of sometime last week but declined to provide any specifics about his departure or whether he had received any financial compensation from the county.

As with Wheeler's leaving, Croney said he was barred by terms of the agreement from discussing any details of the arrangements between Tessmer and the county.

Tessmer could not be reached for comment on Monday and did not respond to previous voicemail messages.

Tessmer, 54, had been out on leave for unspecified medical reasons since shortly before the tort claim notice was filed in early November. Benton County officials declined to provide any details about the nature of Tessmers disability or his military service, citing privacy restrictions.

Wheeler did not respond Monday to a phone call seeking comment.

Wheeler went to work as director of the Benton County Public Works Department in August 2014. He had previously been employed as public works director and city engineer for North Chicago, Illinois.

Wheeler was being paid $124,527 a year by Benton County.
The Farmington Police Department mourned after the loss K-9 Office Figo in June following a brief illness, but his legacy after eight years of service to the community allowed for a new recruit to follow.

Since September, a new officer for the city has been training with his new partner to hit the streets of his community and live up to the standards set by Figo.

For the last month, Officer Josh Shearrer and K-9 Officer Ringo, a three-and-a-half year old Dutch Shepherd and Belgium Malinois, have been riding together as partners on the night shift.

I was lucky enough to work with Cpl. Brad Williams and Figo throughout their career, Shearrer said. It was pretty fascinating to me, and I knew it was something I would want to do.

According to Shearrer, the decision to purchase another K-9 was made shortly before Figo passed. Originally, the department wanted to have two working K-9s, but unfortunately that was not going to happen.

As the department was now in the position of needing a new K-9 officer, Shearrer and Williams went back to the same kennel where Figo was from -Vohne Liche Kennels in Indiana - and began the process of bringing a new officer on board.

The whole way up to Indiana, I was nervous, Shearrer said. But Brad told me not to worry. I would know the right one when I saw it.

Once the two officers arrived at the kennel, they began looking at the available dogs. According Shearrer, staff at Vohne Liche had about 12 to 15 dogs they were prepared to show, but after viewing only five dogs, Shearrer found his partner.

We had watched five dogs go by when they pulled Ringo out, Shearrer said. I liked his demeanor. He still had some puppy, but he was more mature than the others, and he was good looking.

Shearrer added after watching him work a little, he was able to take Ringo out and the two seemed to click.

After hitting it off, Shearrer and Ringo were able to spend a week together back in Farmington, so the two could get to know each other.

We had about a week together before my class began on Sept. 25, Shearrer said. I was up there until Nov. 3.

For six weeks, the two partners trained together, learning how to detect narcotics, apprehend, search buildings and tracking. Like Figo, Ringo is also a dual purpose K-9.

Ringo was glued to my hip most of the day, Shearrer said. It was pretty fast paced, but there were times when we did slow things down and be much more methodical about what we were doing.

Although Ringo and Shearrers partnership began in September, the two did not hit the streets together until Nov. 5.

Right now, I am just a road officer and he is currently my partner, Shearrer said. We are currently on night shift, but I think we will be going to days soon.

Although the two are working nights, the department has already utilized Ringos special talents.

We have already searched a few cars and have been called down to Probation and Parole, Shearrer said. We havent turned up anything yet, but we havent been at it that long yet.

As an officer, Ringo brings a whole new set of talents to the force. He can be used to detect narcotics, help track lost children and even assist in apprehensions. But he also provides some assurance on the home front as well.

Its a different dynamic but it is reassuring, said Shearrers wife, Angie. Although it is not another human being in the vehicle with him, Ringo definitely does offer a lot of assistance and support to Josh, so its nice to know he has that option.
One of the first things Katherine Roy did after moving to Corvallis last year was go to the library.

My husband said, Lets see if they have your shark book. If they have your shark book we can live here, she said last week.

A librarian helped her find the book, sealing the deal.

You might recognize Roy if youve seen her at the library or somewhere else in town. Or perhaps youve seen a Windows 10 commercial that debuted this fall and features Roy using Paint 3D in her work.

Roy is an author and illustrator. Her first book, "Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of Californias Farallon Islands," was released in 2014 and is featured in the commercial. The picture book is about the sharks that hunt in the islands off the coast of San Francisco.

I want to draw kids in and get them excited about a topic but then share authentically and accurately as much as I can the science behind that creature and the natural world, Roy said.

The 35-year-old has released two of her own books and has illustrated several more. Roy and her husband, Tim, and their 2-year-old son, Jackson, moved to Corvallis from New York City to be closer to family in California.

Roy grew up in the Bay Area. After high school she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 2004 with a degree in English and illustration.

Ive been wanting to do picture books since I was very young, Roy said.

She then attended the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, graduating with a masters degree in cartooning.

During undergrad, Roy met David Macaulay, author and illustrator of "The Way Things Work." Macaulay later put Roy in contact with an editor, who asked if she wanted to do a book about great white sharks.

Thus began months of researching, some of it hands on. In 2012, a group of scientists who tag and study the sharks in the Farallon Islands invited Roy to join them on a skiff during the animals hunting season.

I like to say if you are going to write a book about Paris I think you need to go to Paris, and if you want to write a book about great white sharks, I think you need to go see great white sharks, Roy said.

She spent several days with the scientists, who used a piece of a dead marine mammal to attract the sharks and a carpet cutout in the shape of a seal to lure them in and put tags on them. On the last day, Roy saw a 14-foot shark come up next to the boat.

Youre so full of wonder and awe, she said. Its this incredibly huge creature. Its like a submarine going by.

Roy said there are so many misconceptions about sharks, which is unfair. She wanted to engage kids with an intense subject like hunting while sharing true information. She said she acts as a translator between the scientists and kids by sharing their work in a medium children have access to.

The scientists were endlessly gracious with answering my questions and trying to help me learn, she said. They feel proud of (the book), too. They feel like it tells their story and is accurate to their work.

In 2014, Roy traveled to Kenya to do research for her second book, "How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild." Roy accompanied two separate research teams to the savanna to see elephants in their natural habitat. She learned about the family structure of elephants and how to identify the approximate age of an elephant using the cuts in their ears and the condition of their tusks.

I got to have these really close encounter experiences thanks to the scientists, Roy said.

The book is about a baby elephant and what it needs to learn to grow up and survive in the wild. On one page, Roy explains why young elephants eat poop, a favorite among children. She said the book illustrates how elephants are social learners like humans.

The shark book is about the physical proximity of humans to sharks, and this is supposed to be about the social proximity of humans to elephants, Roy said. Were very much like them but were in direct competition for space.

The elephant book was released in September.

Many schools have invited Roy to speak with students about her books and the research behind them. She also shows kids how she creates her books. This begins by sketching images, sometimes using photos and videos shes taken during her field research. She then scans the sketches into a computer in different layers to build spreads. After perfecting the images, shell print them out and paint them with watercolors.

One tool that has proven effective in both her work and her presentations is Paint 3D, Roy said. Earlier this year, Roy heard about a casting agency that was searching for 2-D artists interested in 3-D art. She interviewed with the agency and was selected to learn how to use the technology and then appear in a commercial showing how she uses it in her work.

Any tool that helps me engage kids in a school presentation is a good tool, she said.

Roy hopes the commercial will lead to more educator opportunities, whether being considered for book ideas or being invited to schools.

She recently finished illustrating a book about the bathysphere and is now working on illustrations for a book about the Mars Curiosity rover. The next book shes planning to write and illustrate will be about reproductive biology in the natural world, Roy said.
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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
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Court proceedings start in Bonn : 27-year-old admits to attack on woman in Bonn

Bonn A 27-year-old asylum seeker from Syria appeared in Bonn district court on Monday on charges of serious sexual assault on a 25-year-old woman. At the start of proceedings he admitted to the charges in full but then contradicted himself.

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As the 27-year-old defendant is brought in handcuffs into the courtroom by the judicial police, he hides his face completely under a hood and for safety also behind sheets of paper. During this first day of the trial it becomes clear time and again how difficult the asylum seeker from Syria finds this public appearance before the district court.

The prosecution accuses him of grabbing a 25-year-old woman on the Kennedy Bridge at around 2am on 11 June, dragging her down the stairs to the Rhine and pushing her into a bush and trying to rape her. It was only when police arrived, alerted by a witness because of the cries for help, that he apparently let her go and jumped in the Rhine, before being fished out. Now he wants to make a confession.

Defendant regrets incident

His defence lawyer, Carl Horst Schroeder, reads out a statement immediately after the start of the trial in which the 27-year-old explains: I deeply regret that the incident occurred and that the woman had to suffer as a result. And I want to expressly apologise to her. But the defendant then immediately undoes what has been said with the following declaration.

For he continues: He had had a lot to drink and had probably misunderstood the womans behaviour. I assumed she was consenting because she did not fight back. He also did not use violence, he did not kick her, did not hit her, did not choke her, did not try to undress her and did not press his arm onto her throat.

That is not a confession showing remorse, the chairman of the chamber Marc Eumann remonstrates and asks: What led you to believe the woman was consenting? Did you not hear her screams? The defendant dithers, explains that he does not know anymore, it could be that he pulled her a bit, but then she went to the ground voluntarily and pliantly, as the translator translates the words of the defendant, who fled from Syria to Turkey in 2012 and then came to Germany via the Balkans.

Defendant lived in Meckenheim

Before his arrest, he lived in Meckenheim and had been working recently in Duisdorf. The judge again reproaches him: A woman says no, cries for help, and you want to tell me that she has changed her mind? Then the judge does, as he calls it, some straight talking with the defendant: I dont know how it is in Syria, But here, when a woman says no and calls for help, then its clear that she is not consenting.

And Judge Eumann gives the defendant something else to think about: Here in Germany, a woman can walk the streets alone at night exactly like a man, without this being construed as some sort of signal. But the contradictions do not end: sometimes the defendant admits something, then he takes it back again, although the judge explains to him that without a proper confession, which spares the victim unpleasant questioning before the court, he cannot expect a reduced sentence in case of a conviction.

After a short break to consult with his defence, the lawyer explains: He is finding it very difficult, which could also be for cultural reasons. But he admits that after her first cries for help, he knew she did not consent and still continued. He also admitted to using light force and to holding her mouth and pushing her. But when questioned by the court, the defendant again retracts and even explains that he did not flee from the police because he had done something wrong, but because of bad experiences. He also did not jump into the Rhine, but slipped and fell in. His victim will be heard next week.
No agreement reached : End of the road for the snack bar in the Rheinaue

Bonn Discussions between the city and Marion Mader, lessee of the snack bar in the Rheinaue, have apparently been unsuccessful. She now has to close after 17 years.

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It is the end of the road for the snack bar in the Rheinaue on Charles-de-Gaulle-Strae near the Posttower. Operator Marion Mader has to close at the end of the year after 17 years according to confidential documents from the meeting of Bonn district council at the start of December. The reason: the administration terminated the rental contract in March, among other reasons because there was no sewage pipe and wastewater was flowing untreated into the Rhine. The administration also said there was no approval for the operation of the kiosk including outdoor catering.

Originally, the district council had demanded in the summer that the city look for a solution with Mader as to how the lease agreement could continue. CDU councillor Herbert Kaupert had previously learned of the termination through Mader. He arranged for the issue to be put on the councils agenda. However, the discussions between the city and Mader have apparently not been successful. It was not made clear why by either of the parties on Monday.

The district council decided by a majority not to consider the issue further at its meeting in December. The administration had realised that the snack bar was originally only a kiosk. At the time, floor space of 25 square metres was contractually agreed. In the meantime, the snack bar stands on around 70 square metres.

The missing sewage pipe was discovered during drainage works last year. The documents go on to say that as there were no funds available for the construction of the sewage connection suggested by the district council and as the lessee had not made any offer to the administration to assume any costs, they saw no possibility of approving the operation of a snack bar there.
DHL : Investigations in Bonn into DHL blackmailer

Bonn As DHL is based in Bonn, police in the city are investigating. They are looking into the case of the blackmailer whose package led to the evacuation of the Christmas market in Potsdam.

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The blackmail of the logistics company DHL with parcel bombs apparently started three months ago. Bonn police confirmed this when asked on Monday after the Spiegel magazine reported on it over the weekend. However, the AFP news agency caused confusion when, based on the Spiegel report, it wrote of a similar blackmail attempt in Bonn.

However, the reason Bonn police and the local public prosecutors office investigated the incident at the time is solely because DHLs headquarters are in Bonn. According to General Anzeiger information, the investigations have not yet yielded any results and there are no further known cases. It is also unclear whether there is a connection to the current blackmail attempt against the parcel service  let alone whether the perpetrators are the same.

As reported, a package with a bomb was discovered in a Potsdam pharmacy on 1 December and made safe. According to information from the Brandenburg authorities, a blackmail attempt of DHL in the millions is behind the incident. The package in question was sent in Potsdam. Police said a shipment was sent from Berlin to Brandenburg in a similar case. At the start of November, a further package was also send to a company in Frankfurt/Oder but was destroyed when defused. As investigators are working on the basis of a regionally active perpetrator, the focus of the search is in the Berlin/Brandenburg area.

The DHL group did not expressly comment on a GA enquiry on Monday. Instead, a spokesman asked for understanding: that against the background of the current blackmail attempt against our company we continue to be unable to provide any information in connection with the current investigation. This also applies to: speculation in the media about possible similar criminal activities in the past.
Bonn Greeters : See Bonn through the eyes of a local

Bonn Bonn Greeters are celebrating their first birthday. The volunteers act as free city guides and offer tours in 14 different languages.

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The small group with Willi Baukhage makes itself comfortable at a table in the corner. Now well have a break and warm up, he suggests. He and the Dinauer family from Kempten in Allgau have been out and about in Bonn for an hour. Baukhage is a so-called Bonn Greeter. They offer free tours of the city. Their slogan: Come as a guest, leave as a friend.

Each of our city tours is different, says Baukhage. Because each of us shows our personal Bonn. The Dinauer family is visiting their daughter Monika, who has been studying in Bonn since April. Her father is in the city for the fourth time, it is the third visit for the others. Before now, we didnt have much time during our visits, thats why we wanted to have a city tour this time, explains Monikas sister Stefanie. She came across Bonn Greeters on the citys website. When booking, she could state any special interests the group had. Thats really practical for our family, because our interests are very varied, she says and laughs. Her favourite subject at school was history, so she is also interested in dates. Her brother Konrad is a master bricklayer, so his interest is more in the citys buildings. The small group is more personal and I can answer all questions individually, says Baukhage.

The Dinauer family has lots of questions. They are attentive guests. On leaving the cafe in Bonngasse, mother Isolde notices the glass tiles on the street. Those are famous Bonn personalities, explains Baukhage. A bit further on in front of the Town Hall, she wonders about the plaques in the ground of the forecourt. Those are spines of books, realises Monika. By authors, who have, for example, studied here at the university, adds Baukhage. His guests are delighted by the style of the tour. We like doing city tours, says Isolde. We have already taken part in lots and its nice that someone has so much time for us, that we understand every word and that really every question is answered.

There are Greeters all over the world. The idea comes from New York and started around 30 years ago. Matthias Ohm, the head of Bonn Greeters, brought the idea to the federal city and the association has now existed for a year. Around 40 Bonners are now involved on a voluntary basis and city tours can be offered in 14 different languages. Last year we led around 70 tours with guests from Argentina, Canada, Russia and also Greece and Spain, Baukhage sums up.

After three hours, a visit to the Poppelsdorf Castle, the Alter Zoll, the Beethoven house and the market place, the tour ends in the Christmas market. This is why we are here, says father Helmut happily. The Dinauers are thrilled by the lovingly decorated stalls on the Munsterplatz. Baukhage gives some more tips  where to find the best Bratwurst and mulled wine  and then leaves his guests.
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The Libyan Slavery Love Story, How Amaka and Stephen Fell In Love and Got a Baby In Libya (VIDEO)

felicilin at 12-12-2017 03:22 PM (4 years ago) (f)

TVC News Anchor, Ugochi Oluigbo discovers a couple who

TVC News Anchor, Ugochi Oluigbo discovers a couple who met and fell in love at a Libyan migrant detention camp . They returned to Lagos with a beautiful baby, born while in captivity. She also helps them make that special call To their families who didn't know if they are still alive or dead.

No be small thing them eyes see oh..See how they are rejoicing to be back to Nigeria,the Nigeria that many are looking to relocate from oh....lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hv6uIuvV0U No be small thing them eyes see oh..See how they are rejoicing to be back to Nigeria,the Nigeria that many are looking to relocate from oh....lol

Post Reply Posted: at 12-12-2017 03:22 PM (4 years ago) | Hero

gogoman at 12-12-2017 03:49 PM (4 years ago)

(m) that means not all HOPE is lost then Posted: at 12-12-2017 03:49 PM (4 years ago) | Grande Master that means not all HOPE is lost then Reply

benosky4 at 12-12-2017 03:51 PM (4 years ago)

(m) Love in dangerous times

#MyVerdict. Posted: at 12-12-2017 03:51 PM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac Love in dangerous times Reply

Wazubia at 12-12-2017 04:12 PM (4 years ago)

(m) TRUE LOVE DEY EVERYWHERE, EVEN THIS ONCE WAY DEY YAB EACH OTHER HERE IN NAIAJPALS, FIT MARRY THEMSELVES TOMORROW. Posted: at 12-12-2017 04:12 PM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac TRUE LOVE DEY EVERYWHERE, EVEN THIS ONCE WAY DEY YAB EACH OTHER HERE IN NAIAJPALS, FIT MARRY THEMSELVES TOMORROW. Reply

felicilin at 12-12-2017 04:21 PM (4 years ago)

(f) they tried Posted: at 12-12-2017 04:21 PM (4 years ago) | Hero they tried Reply

ruthie at 12-12-2017 04:28 PM (4 years ago)

(f) Quote from: Wazubia on 12-12-2017 04:12 PM TRUE LOVE DEY EVERYWHERE, EVEN THIS ONCE WAY DEY YAB EACH OTHER HERE IN NAIAJPALS, FIT MARRY THEMSELVES TOMORROW.

see you...who you dey insult for here? so that i will be on the look out o! Posted: at 12-12-2017 04:28 PM (4 years ago) | Hero see you...who you dey insult for here? so that i will be on the look out o! Reply

ruthie at 12-12-2017 04:28 PM (4 years ago)

(f) good for them! Posted: at 12-12-2017 04:28 PM (4 years ago) | Hero good for them! Reply

Haso112 at 12-12-2017 04:40 PM (4 years ago)

(m) AKWAABA...... Posted: at 12-12-2017 04:40 PM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac AKWAABA...... Reply

Haso112 at 12-12-2017 04:40 PM (4 years ago)

(m) Quote from: Wazubia on 12-12-2017 04:12 PM TRUE LOVE DEY EVERYWHERE, EVEN THIS ONCE WAY DEY YAB EACH OTHER HERE IN NAIAJPALS, FIT MARRY THEMSELVES TOMORROW.



ABEG NAME NAMES...... Posted: at 12-12-2017 04:40 PM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac ABEG NAME NAMES...... Reply

victorstic1 at 12-12-2017 05:02 PM (4 years ago)

(m) NA WA O SO U GUYS HAVE TIME TO JOGOLO EACHOTHER Posted: at 12-12-2017 05:02 PM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac NA WA O SO U GUYS HAVE TIME TO JOGOLO EACHOTHER Reply

widowsson at 12-12-2017 07:12 PM (4 years ago)

(m) MC Galaxy, this is the kid of people you should support, not a homosegxwal ring,



Where are all the money grabbing prophets of doom? Please, extend and show little kindness to our Libyan returnees.

Posted: at 12-12-2017 07:12 PM (4 years ago) | Upcoming MC Galaxy, this is the kid of people you should support, not a homosegxwal ring,Where are all the money grabbing prophets of doom? Please, extend and show little kindness to our Libyan returnees. Reply

slimber at 12-12-2017 07:34 PM (4 years ago)

(f) They should learn from them those running to libya for green pasture. Posted: at 12-12-2017 07:34 PM (4 years ago) | Hero They should learn from them those running to libya for green pasture. Reply

slimber at 12-12-2017 07:35 PM (4 years ago)

(f) They should learn from them those running to libya for green pasture. Posted: at 12-12-2017 07:35 PM (4 years ago) | Hero They should learn from them those running to libya for green pasture. Reply
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSXV:BZ)(FSE:1VU) Benz Mining Corp. (the Company or Benz), is pleased to announce the completion of barite assays for its 2017 drill hole campaign on the Mel Main Zone zinc-lead and barite deposit. Seven of the nine 2017 drill holes intersected significant barite values as predicted by the model. Seven high-grade barite intersections are reported from the barite-rich portion of the resource model. Those holes with low barite values occur primarily in the southern portion of the resource model predicted to have low barite values.



Barite (Barium sulphate - BaSO4) is a major component and the weighting agent used in drilling mud for the oil and gas industry's exploration and developmental drilling programs. It suppresses high formation pressures and prevents blowouts; the deeper the hole, the more barite is needed as a percentage of the total mud mix.

The latest barite marketing study confirms initial barite sales in the 50,000 t/year range. When oil and gas drilling activity, in the eastern British Columbia and north-central Alberta regions, increase again, the Mel project is uniquely positioned to tap into this growing market by selling its valuable byproduct. stated Miloje Vicentijevic, Benz President & CEO.

As previously announced, all nine 2017 drill holes also encountered base metal mineralization where predicted by the resource model. Both the base metal and barite drill-hole results support the current resource model and provide a high degree of confidence in both the model and continuity of the Mel deposit mineralization for zinc, lead and barite.

The 2017 drilling combined with additional drilling planned for 2018 are expected to provide the database required to expand Resource and upgrade the Current Inferred Resource to the Measured and Indicated categories. Analytical results are also providing information on the tenor and distribution of silver in the Mel deposit.

The new barite results along with the previously released 2017 base metal results from the Mel Main Zone are summarized in the following table.

MEL MAIN ZONE 2017 DRILL RESULTS SUMMARY Hole No. From To Interval Est. True

Width Zinc Lead Barite

(BaSO 4 ) Silver (m) (m) (m) (m) (%) (%) (%) (ppm) MEL-17-050 34.97 40.92 5.95 4.87 5.22 1.23 16.18 8.23 234.22 239.04 4.82 3.69 2.11 1.09 0.53 2.80 MEL-17-051 295.50 296.84 1.34 0.86 14.15 4.17 0.27 8.12 MEL-17-052 48.83 56.20 7.37 5.65 6.02 0.07 56.73 0.62 includes 52.00 54.09 2.09 1.60 16.50 <0.01 57.94 1.08 253.36 256.89 3.53 2.70 10.34 4.33 31.67 2.18 MEL-17-053 66.64 72.00 5.36 4.39 5.10 2.14 61.76 1.91 239.52 256.95 17.43 13.35 6.41 0.97 49.70 1.33 includes 245.97 250.58 4.61 3.53 11.15 0.33 49.84 0.98 MEL-17-054 250.63 257.59 6.96 4.47 2.44 1.10 10.03 0.58 MEL-17-055 214.71 225.00 10.29 6.61 4.50 1.73 55.35 0.60 MEL-17-056 224.38 229.00 4.62 4.00 16.65 0.66 10.58 1.10 includes 226.25 229.00 2.75 2.38 27.78 0.66 4.95 1.46 MEL-17-057 141.72 146.45 4.73 4.44 5.11 0.35 40.65 1.88 MEL-17-058 119.63 142.12 22.49 12.90 8.45 0.26 65.99 0.42 includes 128.44 137.06 8.62 4.94 10.93 <0.01 62.79 0.48 includes 140.76 142.12 1.36 0.78 16.65 <0.01 37.89 0.76

Assays and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC)

The Company had an industry standard QA/QC program in place for its 2017 drill campaign that included insertion of blanks, duplicates and certified reference standards. Results of the control samples indicate reliable analytical results.

Sawn half core from the 2017 drill program were submitted to ALS Minerals Laboratories in Whitehorse, YT, for sample preparation with pulps forwarded to their analytical laboratory in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. ALS Laboratories for multi-element analysis. Description of the analytical procedures for base metals were given in the prior news release of Nov. 25, 2017. To obtain accurate barite content in the core samples, the Company submitted all mineralized samples for barium analysis using a Fusion digestion and XRF finish. Over limit barium assays (e.g. >45% Ba) were re-assayed using a Carbonate Fusion digestion and a gravimetric finish a methodology specifically for high-grade barite samples.

FOR THE 2017 EXPLORATION DRILL HOLE LOCATION PLAN & SECTIONS CLICK HERE

Michael Gareau, P.Geo., Vice President of Geology for Benz and a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the results of the 2017 Mel Main Zone drilling; and approved the technical information contained in this release. Mr. Gareau visited the Mel project in late October to review the 2017 drill core.

Benz is pleased to also announce the appointment of Mr. Gary Lindsey of StrataStar LLC to provide corporate communications and management consulting services to the Company. Mr. Lindsey has provided corporate communication services at numerous mining companies over the past decade, where he gained extensive experience in the metals and mining industry, with a proven track record of success with exploration, development, and production companies.

Mr. Lindsey, as part of his compensation, will be granted an incentive stock options exercisable to purchase up to 250,000 common shares in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $0.185 per share.

Benz President, Miloje Vicentijevic states, We are pleased to add Mr. Lindsey to our team and look forward to utilizing his expertise to help Benz grow.

About Benz Mining and the Mel Deposit: Benz Mining is focused on acquiring and developing mineral base metal assets in safe jurisdictions and is led by a team of experienced mine developers. In March 2017, the Company entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the Mel zinc-lead-barite project located in southeast Yukon (Company news release dated March 13, 2017).

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benz Mining Corp.

Miloje Vicentijevic, President and Chief Executive Officer

For more information please contact

Benz Mining Corp.

Telephone: 604.617.1239

Email: info@benzmining.com

Gary Lindsey, Corporate Communications

Phone: (720)-273-6224

Email: gary@strata-star.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.




Vancouver, December 12th, 2017 - New Age Metals Inc. (TSX.V: NAM; OTCQB: PAWEF; FSE: P7J.F) is pleased to announce that it has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") with Azincourt Energy Corp ("Azincourt") (TSX-V: AAZ). The LOI allows for Azincourt (NR - Dec 11th, 2017) to acquire up to a 60% interest with the potential to 100%, in Lithium Canada Development (LCD) and/or its equal interest in the individual projects. New Age Metals retains the option of entering into a joint-venture agreement with Azincourt for the remaining 40%.

"We are pleased to partner with Azincourt Energy on our Lithium properties. This agreement accomplishes another milestone in 2017 for New Age Metals, which was to find a joint-venture partner for our Lithium Division. When completed, this option joint venture allows management to focus on the continued development of our 100% owned River Valley Project, which is Canada's largest undeveloped primary PGM Deposit" Harry Barr, Chairman/CEO.

Terms of the LOI/Agreement

Under the terms of the LOI, Azincourt has paid NAM $10,000 and further agrees to pay $200,000 to New Age Metals (NAM) in exchange for a 60% ownership stake of NAMs 100% owned subsidiary Lithium Canada Developments (LCD). This payment of $200,000 will be made by Azincourt in four equal payments over the next 18 months. In addition to this cash payment Azincourt will issue up to 1,000,000 shares to NAM, staged in four equal installments, by the third anniversary of the signing of the definitive agreement. Azincourt has further committed to work expenditures totaling $2.85 million over 3 years, broken down as follows: $500,000 year one, $600,000 year two, $1million year three plus an additional $750,000 to reach the 60% threshold. Upon completion of all stock, property expenditures and cash payments AAZ will also issue a 2% net smelter royalty on all five of the projects to NAM.

Under terms of the non-binding LOI the Company must complete its due diligence and enter into a definitive agreement no later than January 15, 2018.

To earn 100%, Azincourt must meet additional requirements. Within 90 days of Azincourt earning its 60% in LCD or the projects, NAM has to the option to enter into a joint venture on a 60% AAZ/40% NAM basis using a standard Canadian Junior Mining joint venture agreement.

In the event NAM does not elect to enter into the above-mentioned option, then Azincourt must issue an additional 1,000,000 shares to NAM within 15 days of NAM electing not to participate in the Joint Venture. Azincourt must also expend an additional $1 million dollars by Oct 30, 2022 (for a total of $3.85 million), on any of the projects it elects to so long as all projects are in good standing. In the event the Company does not make the $1 million expenditure AAZ percentage will remain at 60%.

All securities issued in connection with the property option will be subject to a four-month-and one-day statutory hold period. The property option remains subject to a number of conditions, including negotiation of definitive agreements, approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, and such other conditions as are customary in transactions of this nature.

The agreement covers the Lithium One, Lithium Two, Lithman West, Lithman East and Lithman North projects. The land package included in this agreement represents the largest mineral claim holding for Lithium Projects in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field with over 6000 hectares of ground. This represents approximately 64 square kilometres of mineral claim coverage.



Click Image To View Full Size

Figure 1: Projects Location Map

The Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field is host to numerous Lithium-rich Pegmatites in addition to the world-class Tanco Pegmatite, a highly fractionated lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) type pegmatite that has been mined at the Tanco Mine as an underground operation since 1969 for Tantalum, Spodumene (a lithium mineral) and cesium (Cs).

Three of the five projects are drill ready:

Lithium Two Project

-Field work in 2016 confirmed that the Eagle and FD5 Pegmatites contained spodumene at surface

-Highest grade surface samples from the Eagle Pegmatite returned 3.04% Li2O and 2.08% Li2O from the FD5

-The Eagle Pegmatite is ~1100 meters in length and up to 12 meters wide

-Historic drilling from 1947 defined 545,000 tonnes of 1.4% Li2O, drilled to a depth of 60 meters (non-compliant 43-101)

-Pegmatite is open to depth

-Adjacent to Quantum Minerals Corp (TSX.V: QMC) Cat Lake Lithium Project (aka Irgon Lithium Mine)

-Several drill ready targets

Lithium One Project

-Field work in 2016 sampled several historical Pegmatites

-Highest grade surface assay results were 4.33% Li2O and 0.04% Ta2O5 from the Silverleaf Pegmatite

-Several of the other Pegmatites in the project area yielded Lithium values from Lepidolite and Spodumene

-Approximately 40 Pegmatites are estimated to exist north of Greer Lake with around 100 to the south of the lake

-The Silverleaf Pegmatite was excavated for Spodumene in the 1920's, with surface exposure of 80 m X 45 m

-Several drill ready targets

Lithman West Project

-Historical rock and soil geochemical anomalies

-Anomalies have not been drill tested

-Drill ready

The Lithman West and East projects are adjacent to the Tanco Mine Mineral Leases.

The additional projects contained in this agreement, Lithman East (adjacent to Tanco) and Lithman North, represent prospective exploration areas that require additional ground work to determine drill targets.

About Azincourt Energy Corp

Azincourt Energy Corp. is a Canadian-based resource company specializing in the strategic acquisition, exploration and development of alternative energy/fuel projects, focusing on uranium, lithium, cobalt, and other critical energy & fuel elements.

ABOUT NAM'S PGM DIVISION

NAM's flagship project is its 100% owned River Valley PGM Project (NAM Website - River Valley Project) in the Sudbury Mining District of Northern Ontario (100 km east of Sudbury, Ontario). Presently the River Valley Project is Canada's largest undeveloped primary PGM deposit with Measured + Indicated resources of 91 million tonnes @ 0.58 g/t Palladium, 0.22 g/t Platinum, 0.04 g/t Gold, at a cut-off grade of 0.8 g/t PdEq for 2,463,000 ounces PGM plus Gold. This equates to 3,942,910 PdEq ounces. The River Valley PGM-Copper-Nickel Sulphide mineralized zones remains open to expansion. The company has recently completed a drill program on the Pine and T3 Zones.

In 2016, the Company acquired the River Valley extension property from Mustang Minerals which added approximately 4 kilometres to the project's mineralized strike length to the southern portion of the intrusion.

ABOUT NAM'S LITHIUM DIVISION

The Company has five pegmatite hosted Lithium Projects in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field, located in SE Manitoba. Three of the projects are drill ready. This Pegmatite Field hosts the world class Tanco Pegmatite that has been mined for Tantalum, Cesium and Spodumene (one of the primary Lithium ore minerals) in varying capacities, since 1969. NAM's Lithium Projects are strategically situated in this prolific Pegmatite Field. Presently, NAM is one of the largest mineral claim holders of Lithium Projects in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field and is seeking JV partners to further develop the company's Li division.

QUALIFIED PERSON

The contents contained herein that relate to Exploration Results or Mineral Resources is based on information compiled, reviewed or prepared by Carey Galeschuk, a consulting geoscientist for New Age Metals. Mr. Galeschuk is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Harry Barr"

Harry G. Barr

Chairman and CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results and are based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements include statements in which the Company uses words such as "continue", "efforts", "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "confident", "intend", "strategy", "plan", "will", "estimate", "project", "goal", "target", "prospects", "optimistic" or similar expressions. These statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of important factors, including, among others, the Company's ability and continuation of efforts to timely and completely make available adequate current public information, additional or different regulatory and legal requirements and restrictions that may be imposed, and other factors as may be discussed in the documents filed by the Company on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), including the most recent reports that identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts' expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Copyright (c) 2017 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.


HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - Dec 12, 2017) - Morien Resources Corp. ("Morien" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:MOX), is pleased to announce that as part of the Company's strategy to maximize shareholder value, its board of directors ("Board") has approved the implementation of a dividend policy. The Board has also declared an inaugural dividend of CAD $0.005 per common share payable on December 27, 2017 to shareholders of record as at the close of business on December 20, 2017.

It is the Company's current intention that in 2018 it will pay quarterly dividends of $0.0025 per common share. Beyond 2018, as the Donkin Coal Mine scales up production, it is anticipated that quarterly dividends will be calculated as a percentage of cash flow available for distribution, having regard to the stability of cash flow and the need to maintain flexibility to secure new royalty assets. However the declaration, amount and timing of any future dividends remain at the discretion of the Board.

Future dividends will be subject to the Board's determination that the payment of a dividend is in the best interest of Morien and its shareholders, having regard to the Company's cash reserves, anticipated financial requirements, legal requirements for the declaration of dividends and other conditions existing at such time, including forward coal production guidance from Kameron Collieries ULC, owner/operator of the Donkin Coal Mine.

The Company's dividend payments will qualify as an 'eligible dividend' for Canadian income tax purposes.

About Morien

Morien is a Canadian mining exploration and development company, focused on unique mineral industry opportunities in North America with a strong cash position and two, long-life royalty assets in Nova Scotia, Canada; a gross production royalty of 2% to 4% on all coal sales from Kameron Collieries' Donkin Coal Mine which entered production in Q1 2017; and a production royalty on Vulcan Materials Company's Black Point Aggregate Project which was recently permitted and is progressing toward a development decision. The Donkin royalty is payable to Morien on a quarterly basis over the anticipated 30 plus year mine life, and using a range of coal pricing, annual royalty payments could be in the order of C$4.0 to $8.0 million at full production of 2.75 million sales tonnes per year (1). The Black Point royalty is payable to Morien on all material sold from Black Point over the estimated 50-year life of the mine, and is projected to provide annual royalty payments of between C$100,000 and $750,000 (1). Morien has an active normal course issuer bid, through which it has purchased/cancelled 7.6 million common shares, or 12.7% of the Company's issued and outstanding shares since its initiation in Q1 2015. Morien has 54,402,614 issued and outstanding common shares and a fully diluted position of 56,560,114. Further information is available at www.MorienRes.com.

(1) The Donkin Coal Technical Report, dated November 2012, found on Morien's SEDAR profile, supports the above technical disclosures. The Technical Report presents the results of a Pre-Feasibility Study on the Donkin Project and the reserves defined by the Pre-Feasibility Study prepared by Xstrata Coal Pty Ltd. Production assumptions are based on Probable Reserves of 58 million tonnes. The Reserve estimate is based on an Indicated Resource of 174 million tonnes. The received royalty estimates for Donkin and Black Point are only estimates based on Q4 2017 assumptions that Morien management consider to be reasonable.

Qualified Person

Dawson Brisco, P.Geo. (Nova Scotia), Vice President Corporate Development, is a Qualified Person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements in this news release may constitute "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable securities laws. These statements reflect Morien's current expectations of future revenues and business prospects and opportunities and are based on information currently available to Morien. Morien cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Morien currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties described in Morien's annual information form filed with the Canadian Securities regulators on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Morien cautions that its royalty revenue will be based on production by third party property owners and operators who will be responsible for determining the manner and timing for the properties forming part of Morien's royalty portfolio. These third party owners and operators are also subject to risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted herein including: volatility in financial markets or general economic conditions; capital requirements and the need for additional financing; fluctuations in the rates of exchange for the currencies of Canada and the United States; prices for commodities including gold, coal and aggregate; unanticipated changes in production, mineral reserves and mineral resources, metallurgical recoveries and/or exploration results; changes in regulations and unpredictable political or economic developments; loss of key personnel; labour disputes; and ineffective title to mineral claims or property. There are other business risks and hazards associated with mineral exploration, development and mining. Although Morien believes that the forward-looking information contained herein is based on reasonable assumptions, readers cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with such statements. Morien expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information in this news release, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All dollar values discussed herein are in Canadian dollars. Any financial outlook or future-oriented financial information in this news release, as defined by applicable securities laws, has been approved by management of Morien as of the date of this news release. Such financial outlook or future-oriented financial information is provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such outlook or information should not be used for purposes other than for which it is disclosed in this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
It's no secret that millennials are seen as essential for urban prosperity. In October, a Politico survey of American mayors found that 85 percent of them considered attracting this desirable demographic one of their top 10 priorities. Nearly half of those surveyed identified cultural amenities as their cities' most important selling point, but the vast majority said the biggest obstacle to attracting and retaining millennials was a lack of affordable housing and reliable public transit.While major hubs like Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco struggle with both access and affordability, these characteristics are abundant in small to mid-sized cities. In the last five years, places like Buffalo, N.Y., Providence, R.I., and Riverside, Calif., have attracted millennials at much faster rates than New York or San Francisco, thanks in large part to local initiatives that cater to those cities' size and unique quality of place. By building on the following key strengths to attract millennial talent, small to mid-sized cities have become better models for their peers than the nation's largest economic hubs.Smaller cities' transit systems have become increasingly reliable and expansive. In 2016, for example, Denver opened the University of Colorado A Line, a commuter-rail project that dramatically reduced travel times from downtown to the city's airport. And the variety of public transportation options in Jersey City, N.J. -- including ferry, light rail and bus lines -- has helped to spur massive population growth. Today, the city's transit systems have become so convenient that the median income of its transit users exceeds that of its car commuters.Smaller cities like Tulsa, Okla., outperform most major cities in terms of their affordable housing supply. In Tulsa, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is around $660 a month -- less than one-fifth of the cost of a comparable unit in Manhattan. Many smaller cities also have the advantage of being located just outside major economic hubs. A number of young Boston families, for instance, are choosing to save money by relocating to Providence and commuting back and forth to Boston each week.Increasingly, small to mid-sized cities have learned to cultivate the same dynamic and diverse quality of place that is synonymous with big-city living. In recent years, for example, Jersey City has transformed into a budding startup and innovation district with a vibrant restaurant and arts scene and a reputation for both safety and walkability. This growth has been accompanied by a surge of new development, including Journal Squared , a mixed-use project with views of the New York City skyline, and a $26 million STEM building at Hudson Community College.By encouraging millennials to become involved in the local economy, many small to mid-sized cities have been able to retain their graduates and young professionals. A number of successful examples can be found in Richmond, Va., a city that saw the second highest growth in millennial population (nearly 15 percent) from 2010 to 2015. A company started by Richmond natives, New Richmond Ventures , invests in local businesses that are often millennial-run. And Helping Young Professionals Engage , an organization backed by the local Chamber of Commerce, connects younger residents to the Richmond business community. In Tulsa, a group called Tulsa's Young Professionals funds programs that engage young professionals in economic development and "placemaking" initiatives, which reimagine public spaces to improve residents' health, happiness and well-being.In many small to mid-sized cities, individual companies or other anchor institutions -- large universities, medical centers, real-estate developers or high-tech firms that quite literally anchor urban centers -- have a profound effect on attracting and retaining millennial talent. Recently, for example, the world-famous Mayo Clinic, a popular career destination for millennials, teamed up with its home city of Rochester, Minn., to create a $5.6 billion economic development plan for attracting young workers with an interest in health care or STEM.Initiatives like these draw from the unique resources of smaller cities, whose affordability and accessibility play a key role in appealing to younger residents. By turning to the efforts of their peers for inspiration, small to mid-sized cities can outpace their big-city competitors as the nation's premier destinations for millennial talent.
As Virginia schools struggle with a dearth of teachers, Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants colleges and universities to be able to fast-track the training of aspiring educators.McAuliffe signed an executive order Monday directing the state Board of Education to adopt emergency rules that would allow colleges and universities to offer a four-year undergraduate degree in teaching, rather than a five-year master's program."Given the cost of higher education and the severe need for additional teachers, I believe changing this requirement will encourage more Virginians to pursue careers in education and will help supply more future teachers to meet the growing needs of our public school system," McAuliffe said in the directive.He ordered the board to adopt the rules by March 1, 2018.McAuliffe also announced five budget actions to address teacher shortages. Those include providing:* $1.1 million to automate the state's teacher licensure process* $1 million to recruit and retain principals in the state's "most challenged school divisions"* $225,000 more to the Tuition Assistance Grant program to persuade students attending private colleges and universities in Virginia to pursue teaching. Each student who pursues an education degree would receive an extra $500.* $100,000 to help provisionally licensed minority students pay for tests and test-preparation programs* Changes to the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program that would make students eligible for up to $20,000 if they teach for two years in a top-five critical shortage area in a high-poverty school division.Special education, elementary education and middle education are the top three critical shortage teaching endorsements in Virginia this school year, according to the state Education Department. The state's public schools entered this year with about 1,000 vacant teaching positions, according to the Virginia Education Association.
City of Dallas Vital Statistics maintains records of births, deaths, and fetal deaths that occur within the incorporated city limits of Dallas. Our core functions include records retention, serving as a liason to the state, funeral home relations, and providing birth and death certificates to the general public. Long form birth certificates and death certificates are available from April 1983 to present ONLY

for events that occurred within the incorporated city limits of Dallas.

Abstract (short form) birth certificates are available for births that occurred in the State of Texas from 1926 to present.
For years, many conservative states have tried to enact policies that would effectively restrict the number of people using food stamps and how they can use those benefits. Under the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) often blocked those attempts out of concern that they would either be ineffective, too expensive, difficult to enforce or illegal.Thats about to change.The USDA is preparing to give states new flexibility in administering food stamps, which is properly called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In a letter to SNAP directors on Nov. 30, a USDA administrator promised increased federal cooperation with states to reduce fraud, promote employment, and improve customer service for food stamp recipients.In the letter, Brandon Lipps, administrator of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, called states "laboratories of innovation" and invited their ideas on how to improve the nutrition program so long as proposed changes "do not increase costs to taxpayers or our various partners on the ground."The letter from Lipps is likely a prelude to changes Republican leadership in Congress and the White House will consider next year that remove people from the nations welfare programs.As we previously reported , President Trump wants to tighten food stamps' eligibility rules and wants states to start matching federal SNAP dollars. He has also called for shrinking federal grants to states for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF, better known as cash welfare). The administration has also signaled its intent to allow work requirements for Medicaid, the nation's health insurance program for the poor.Were encouraged by a lot of what were seeing, says Wisconsin Medicaid Director Michael Heifetz, who also oversees the state's SNAP program. Were looking for concrete signs that the things that they have been talking about since coming into office -- and things that weve been looking for for a long time -- are truly happening.Wisconsin is one of the states that already has proposals in the pipeline that are likely to gain approval soon under the Trump administration. Gov. Scott Walker has asked for permission to drug test people who apply for food stamps. He also hopes to make employment a condition for parents with school-age children to qualify for food stamps. Currently, the work requirement in Wisconsin --and the rest of the country -- only applies to adults who do not have children in their care.Maine is another state that has already previewed what it might do with a more willing partner in Washington. When testifying before Congress last year, Mary Mayhew, the state's commissioner of Health and Human Services at the time, said Gov. Paul LePage wanted tighter limits on how many household members could use the Electronic Benefit Transfer cards that store SNAP benefits.She also said that when people lose at least two of those cards, they should have to come to a government office and verify their identity in person. And when states learn that a store facilitates SNAP fraud, Mayhew said states should have the ability to block those stores from participating in SNAP -- something that currently requires federal action.The USDA's announcement coincided with a national conference for the Secretaries Innovation Group, which includes state appointees who oversee welfare programs for Republican governors. The group met last week with federal agriculture officials and the U.S. House Commitee on Ways and Means.What exactly will result from those discussions isnt clear, but states expect another letter in the coming weeks with more specific guidance, says Jason Turner, executive director of the Secretaries Innovation Group.Past statements and white papers from the Secretaries' Innovation Group may provide a window into other ideas that states would present to their federal partners next year. The group advocates for the federal government preventing people from buying unhealthy items with food stamps. The group also calls for switching SNAP from an entitlement program -- where spending rises with demand -- into a block-grant program -- where each state gets a fixed amount, regardless of need. The group would like to end the practice of waiving work requirements for people who don't find a job during a down economy. And the group has recommended the elimination of "broad-based categorical eligibility," a streamlining tool most states use to approve SNAP applications for people who have already been vetted for another welfare program.Some of these ideas have already been tried in the TANF program and encountered pushback not just from anti-poverty advocates but also from the courts.A federal court, for instance, struck down Florida's law requiring drug tests for cash welfare recipients in 2014, ruling that it violated the Fourth Amendment.Critics also argue that welfare drug tests are evidence that few people on the program are drug users. Last year, 13 states spent $1.3 million drug testing TANF recipients and turned up positive results for less than 2 percent of those tested, according to the liberal news site ThinkProgress.The general idea of helping food stamp users find work has bipartisan support, but the question is how to most effectively increase employment, says Russell Sykes, who runs an employment policy center for the American Public Human Services Association. If states strengthen their work requirements, will they also expand job search and training programs to make sure people can find work?"I dont think on principle anyone would contend that we shouldnt be helping them get a job, but it doesnt just happen because thats what you want," Sykes says.Currently, the federal government sends about $90 million a year to states for SNAP employment and training programs, which critics say is not enough to meet the need. (When it comes to TANF, which currently places a greater emphasis on work than SNAP, states were spending less than 10 percent of their welfare funding on job-related services in 2015.) States can unlock additional federal matching dollars if they invest more of their own money, but most states don't spend enough to take advantage of the option."If youre not going to put the resources necessary to serve a huge new amount of people," Sykes says, "then youre in danger of turning SNAP into a sanction program" where low-income households lose food assistance. "I dont think thats what anyone wants."
Nebraska Republican National Committeewoman Joyce Simmons resigned Monday in protest of the committee's financial support for Roy Moore.I strongly disagree with the recent RNC financial support directed to the Alabama Republican Party for use in the Roy Moore race. There is much I could say about this situation, but I will defer to this weekend's comments by Senator Shelby, she wrote in an email to fellow party officials. I will miss so many of you that I knew well; and wish I could have continued my service to the national Republican Party that I used to know well.On Sunday, Alabamas senior senator, Richard Shelby told CNN that his state deserves better than Moore and that he wrote in a candidate when he cast his ballot.Simmons declined to comment when reached by telephone on Monday morning. An RNC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. Supreme Court expanded its review of partisan gerrymandering, agreeing to consider arguments that a Maryland congressional district was unconstitutionally drawn to ensure the ouster of a Republican lawmaker.The justices already are considering a more sweeping gerrymandering case, hearing arguments in October on a Wisconsin lawsuit that challenges the entire Republican-drawn state Assembly map.The Maryland case adds several twists to the fight, including a reversal in which party was seeking to benefit. Maryland Democrats are defending the redrawing of the 6th District, which includes the westernmost part of the state. The district was held by Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett until it was redrawn in 2011 to be more heavily Democratic. Democrat John Delaney now represents the district.The new case also represents a narrower challenge, aimed at a single district rather than a statewide map. In a different context, the Supreme Court has said claims of racial gerrymandering should generally be resolved on a district-by-district basis.The Supreme Court has never struck down a legislative map or district as being too partisan. The Wisconsin case is designed to resolve whether statewide maps can be challenged in court and, if so, what opponents must show to win their case.In the Maryland case, a three-judge panel said Republican voters could press their challenge. But in a second ruling, the panel refused to halt use of the challenged map, saying the voters hadn't provided enough evidence that the new district lines were the reason the seat changed hands.The Maryland voters say the redistricting violated their First Amendment rights, diluting their votes in a targeted way because of their past support for Republican candidates.
An ISIS-inspired would-be suicide bomber detonated a homemade pipe bomb strapped to his chest in a pedestrian tunnel packed with commuters beneath the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, during Monday's busy morning rush, authorities said.Police quickly apprehended suspected terrorist Akayed Ullah, 27, of Brooklyn, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries along with three others, moments after the attack at one of the nation's busiest transportation hubs. It happened just five weeks after another ISIS-inspired terror attack on Halloween on Manhattan's West Side that left eight people dead and a dozen injured.Ullah, a native of Bangladesh who has been in the United States for seven years, is believed to have acted alone and told investigators that he tried to carry out the bombing in support of the Islamic State terror group. He said he was motivated, in part, by al-Qaida's online propaganda magazine Inspire, according to law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation.Ullah, said a high-ranking law enforcement source, voiced anger during interviews with investigators about the historic treatment of Muslims."This was an attempted terrorist attack," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference. "Thank God the terrorist did not accomplish his goal."The New York Times on Monday, citing several law enforcement sources, reported that Ullah carried out the attack in retaliation for American airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria and other places. The Times, again citing sources, also reported that Ullah picked the bus terminal because of its Christmas-themed posters, which he told investigators recalled attacks in Europe against Christmas markets.President Donald Trump, in a written statement, denounced what he called the country's "lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country."The president added: "Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security."The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that the attacker was admitted to the country after presenting a passport displaying an F43 family immigrant visa in 2011, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday. That classification means Ullah was the child of someone who is the sibling of a U.S. citizen.Ullah had strapped the crudely fashioned device to his body with a combination of Velcro and zip ties, police said. It consisted of a pipe measuring about a foot long and filled with shrapnel and powder and was detonated by a Christmas ornamental light, a source said. Ullah told police he assembled it in Brooklyn, the source said.The pipe itself fractured but did not explode as fully as the suspect had intended, the source said.The source said the explosion, if it had detonated properly, "could have inflicted a lot more harm."Ullah was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue with burns to his abdomen and hands, the FDNY said. No charges had been filed as of Monday night.Three others also suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the FDNY. All three took themselves to hospitals, suffering from headaches and ear-ringing.The bus terminal, which serves as a hub for several subway lines and bus services operated by companies such as Greyhound, was evacuated following the 7:20 a.m. explosion, which occurred in a passageway connecting Times Square to Eighth Avenue, officials said.The terminal re-opened just hours after the attack and while several subway lines were re-routed and suspended for hours, they were back up and running for the evening commute.As National Guardsmen and NYPD flooded the area, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said from the scene that the attack would not interrupt New York's normal course of business. "We're not going to allow them to disrupt us -- that is exactly what they want and exactly what they're not going to get," he said.One of those in the pedestrian tunnel when the bomb went off was John Lara, 51, a handyman from the Bronx. He said he was walking to the subway when a "stampede" of people came toward him." "I saw a lady get knocked to the ground," he said. "I just kept running."An NYPD official said the attack will likely result in tighter security for Times Square's New Year's Eve ball drop, including police using enhanced magnetometer screening and canines that can detect mobile explosives up to 10 minutes after a person has left an area.Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), who was briefed by the FBI, agreed it appeared Ullah acted alone and had no "red flags," meaning no criminal record or terror affiliations. Investigators are interviewing Ullah's family and going through his social media accounts, phone records and messages, as well as financial records looking for large deposits or withdrawals, King said.Police, some carrying rifles, descended on Ullah's home on East 48th Street in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn, blocking off the street to traffic Monday.Shawnda Brown, 39, who lives a few houses from suspect said it was scary to know that the bomb was assembled yards from her home."The proximity is startling," Brown said. "Jesus, literally, he had a bomb. He had to get to the Port Authority, so he's like riding around with the bomb."Ullah held a Taxi & Limousine Commission For-Hire Vehicle Driver's License, which would have allowed him to drive a black car, community livery or limousine, from March 2012 through March 2015, at which time it lapsed and was not renewed, said TLC spokeswoman Rebecca Harshbarger.On Long Island, Nassau and Suffolk police said they have received no specific threats, but they are monitoring the situation and will increase patrols in certain areas as a deterrent.Officials from both departments said they will have more of a presence at transportation facilities, including Long Island Rail Road stations. In Nassau, police said they will give increased attention to places where large groups of people might gather, including shopping malls, theaters and concert venues.
Description

GIS - 12 December, 2017: A three-day Peer-to-Peer workshop relative to detention in the Indian Ocean and focusing on the humane treatment and conditions of detention for all prison detainees kicked off yesterday at the Prison Training School in Beau-Bassin in presence of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms, Mr Maneesh Gobin and other eminent personalities. A three-day Peer-to-Peer workshop relativeto detention in the Indian Ocean andfocusing on the humane treatment and conditions of detention for all prison detainees kicked off yesterday at the Prison Training School in Beau-Bassin in presence of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms, Mr Maneesh Gobin and other eminent personalities.

In his address, Mr Maneesh Gobin reiterated Governments priority to ensure that the best practices and the highest standards of human rights are upheld in all spheres. He underlined that services being offered in prisons are particularly under the constant observation of the United Nations Committee against Torture which focuses on the prison system and situation prevailing within.

Minister Gobin emphasised that striking the right balance of maintaining discipline while implementing best practices is a tedious job. According to him, for Mauritius to secure a good reputation on the international landscape, it is imperative that the country demonstrates its advocacy for the best practices in prisons.

He also pointed out that Government has implemented various conventions and legislations to ensure the best related practices in the country. He concluded by highlighting that the workshop which enables the sharing of knowledge and experience among various regions is an opportunity to engage in a constructive and interactive dialogue and key to further achieve this aim.

For his part, the Commissioner of Prisons, Mr P.Appadoo, underscored that the workshop reflects the principles of the Human Rights Day since its focus is ultimately on upgrading the services offered to prisoners. He highlighted that the central theme of the workshop relates to humanitarian needs in prisons and sheds light on the substantial efforts made to improve the conditions of prisoners.

He pointed out that he is aware of the various issues and difficulties being faced in prison institutions, such as overcrowding, security and vulnerable groups, amongst others. In this regard, the interregional dialogue will help to come up with various strategies in view of promoting the best practices in the prison setting and assuring the human rights of prisoners, he added.

The workshop, an initiative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in collaboration with the Mauritius Prison Service, is being attended by representatives from Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and the Comoros.

International Committee of the Red Cross

The ICRC provides support to the national committee of international humanitarian law and runs a training programme for police forces on human rights principles applicable to the use of force in law-enforcement operations.
Description

GIS - 12 December, 2017: Government has taken note of the performance of the Export-Oriented Enterprises Sector for the period January to September 2017, as compared to the same period in 2016.

Increase had been recorded in the value of exports of textiles (Yarns and Fabrics), fish and fish preparations, medical devices, and watches and clocks. Growth had been recorded in exports to Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa.

The Speed-to-Market Scheme, that was put in place to give a boost to the textile and apparel export to European countries, and enhance product delivery, has been extended to medical devices, jewellery, fruits, flowers, chilled fish, articles of leather, footwear, watches, and fabric plush toys.

Moreover, s ince September 2017, the Exchange Rate Support Scheme has been introduced to provide a buffer to export-oriented enterprises exporting in US dollar against downward fluctuation of the currency.
After three years of user research, networking and good old-fashioned bootstrapping, a Georgia startup focused on helping people successfully return from prison to society has its first venture capital funding.Thats not always how it goes in the world of tech startups. Many young outfits shoot for investment money on aggressive timetables, or build products and start signing up customers quickly with plans to build out better functionality later. Acivilate isnt most startups. After co-founding the company in 2014, Chief Executive Officer Louise Wasilewski spent time interviewing the people who would be using the companys flagship product  returning citizens, nonprofits, court administrators, corrections workers  in Maryland, Ga., and Washington, D.C. They wanted to make sure those people would use the product once they built it.We spent a long time making sure we were headed in the right direction before hiring developers, Wasilewski said.Now the company has wrapped up a $3 million seed round, led by Atlanta-based BIP Capital with participation from the public-private venture firm GRA Ventures. That is to say, a venture firm with capital from the state of Georgia itself is putting resources behind Acivilate. That helps, Wasilewski said, because it can be hard for companies outside tech hot spots to attract investors.There are great ideas outside New York and Silicon Valley that may lack capital, she said.There might be more money on the way  the seed round has a rolling close, meaning certain other investors will have a chance to jump in before the end of the year.The seed rounds first close actually follows a grant GRA gave to a Kennesaw State University researcher in early 2017 in order to measure the effectiveness of Acivilates product, called Pokket. Its signed up three jurisdictions, including about 130 people in Gwinnett County, Ga., and will run metrics on things like recidivism rates as people use the tool more.Human services, corrections  everyone is interested now in having interventions be evidence-based, Wasilewski said.Pokket is, in so many words, a case management system designed with departments of corrections and other government agencies in mind as customers. But its a CMS for an exceedingly tricky and involved area of government work. As a person in prison transitions back to regular life, they might be working with an employment agency, a housing agency, a parole officer and other government points of contact. But those people all tend to work separately.Acivilates software brings a persons information into one place.Theres no way to see how those things fit together to identify if these agencies are actually requiring a person to be in two different places at the same time on Tuesday afternoon each week, she said.Even more than that, she said, Pokket lets returning citizens see their own data more easily. Most CMS software is designed for the case worker, but Wasilewski wants to make Acivilates software work just as well for the people whose names are in those case files.It is a way to gradually empower and gradually transfer responsibility to an individual who has been institutionalized, she said. The sort of behaviors that make you successful in prison  be quiet and do what youre told  are the opposite in some ways from what it takes to be successful on the outside.Now that the company has investment capital, Wasilewski said it will hire more customer support staff and more developers. One piece of functionality it wants to add to Pokket is the ability to write resumes. Whereas many people wait until they leave prison to start searching for jobs, Wasilewski thinks she can help them apply before they get out.Having a resume when you walk out the door will make a huge difference, she said. If youre not really ready to look for work until 30 days after youre released, youre already behind.
Start with existing data

Using all data

Scaling our work

Every day, city governments collect vast amounts of administrative data  local property tax assessments, 911 emergency response calls, social assistance recipients and more.These data have huge potential to enhance residents quality of life and stimulate economic growth . Many local governments have jumped to create so-called smart cities that harness these data to enhance livability, workability and sustainability.But most cities still dont use their own administrative data to inform their decisions. In many cases, they lack the technical capacity and have only limited resources Our lab has worked with the city of Arlington, Virginia to strengthen their services, particularly through the demographic planning and fire and police departments. Our work, which we are now expanding across Virginia and Iowa, shows how cities across America can leverage the data they already have to improve residents lives.By overlooking their administrate data, local governments are missing out on innovative ways to address their most pressing problems. Data provide a valuable way to describe the nature of the problems, assess the likely impact of potential solutions and predict future outcomes.For example, in 2015, Arlington demographers wanted to understand the demographic and economic diversity of housing in local neighborhoods . Knowing this could help them better plan school enrollments and adjust future school boundaries. Housing value information from local property data is an excellent proxy for diversity, as it represents the wealth of the household. Individual local property values provide more timely and detailed information than federal data sets.We used these data to determine measures of diversity , down to the census block level or even smaller. We calculated diversity by computing the probability that two housing values selected at random from the geographic area differ on home value. The higher the score, the more diverse the home values are in the region.This information provided city demographers with a new lens to explore available housing opportunities and relate this information back to younger families with children, whose income is often lower than other families. Higher economic diversity is an indicator of more opportunities for all . It also helped them plan for school age enrollments by age.Government decisions have even more impact when local officials can combine their own data with other easily accessible outside resources, such as social media and state or federal databases. These combined sources can provide a more holistic view of our neighborhoods.The Arlington fire chief, for example, wanted to improve situational awareness of his fire department operations by using his data on the current placement of equipment and personnel.We looked at what time incidents were reported and responded to. The patterns for response time in relation to distance from the call appeared similar across stations. However, by plugging the data into a statistical model and controlling for several other variables  including month, hour of day and call type  we found that response times were highest for calls for hazardous materials investigations, highway calls and wires-down incidents.These estimates helped the fire chief better anticipate when these incidents might occur and decide where to place fire or medic units and when to have more firefighters available.Today, there are many examples of cities using administrative data to advance the public good. In San Francisco, the Department of Public Health partners with the private sector to inform the public about potential health issues seen in public health data and local data  for example, by adding city restaurant inspection ratings to Yelp restaurant ratings . In Alburquerque, New Mexico, universities and local governments are working together to better understand the size, composition and behavior of those who have been arrested multiple times Scaling and sustaining such an approach requires a new and bold agenda. The universities we work at are land grant institutions, meaning that theyre part of a class of universities founded to provide the working class with a practical education directly relevant to their daily lives. One of our primary roles is to translate evidence-based research for the public.We believe that land grant universities like ours should build upon their current roles and bring data in service of the public good. By partnering more closely with local governments, researchers can help communities that are data-driven to govern more intelligently.
(TNS) - As thousands wait for insurance money to make repairs in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, more than a half-dozen school districts, cities and other government agencies are still awaiting payment from the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association on nearly $60 million in claims from Hurricane Ike.Texas City Independent School District leads the list with more than $172 million in outstanding Ike claims, followed by Dickinson ISD with $10.5 million and Chambers County with $9.5 million. Three other school districts, two cities and a community college are awaiting payment on additional claims of more than $22 million, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis.Officials said they have little faith that TWIA - the insurer of last resort - will pay the claims without further legal battles."It's scary," said Dickinson ISD Superintendent Vicki Mims, whose community was also hit hard by Harvey. "As a school district, we have some resources to use.  If you're a homeowner, what do you do? Fight TWIA for 10 years?"Of the nine entities still seeking funds for Ike damages, five are trying to work through an appraisal process to determine how much TWIA should pay. Dickinson ISD filed a lawsuit, turned to an independent judge and has battled a legal appeal in an effort to recover the losses.Jennifer Armstrong, vice president of communications for TWIA, said the pending Ike claims are anomalies that don't portend problems for Harvey claims."We want to resolve anyone's concern as best we can outside any process," Armstrong said. "When we set payment on a claim based on an estimate, we realize it could be a different number when people do repairs. We always encourage policyholders to come back and work with us to make sure everyone's satisfied."Claims through TWIA have gotten more complicated, however, since Ike struck Texas in 2008. In 2011, the state Legislature passed a series of laws making an appraisal process the sole avenue through which policyholders can dispute claims and capping the amount of damages if a court finds TWIA guilty of wrongdoing.The more than 73,000 claims filed since Harvey will be the first major test of how the new policies could affect payouts.Some consumer advocacy groups and insurance experts worry that the new rules will allow the insurer to drag policyholders through years of proceedings without being held accountable for wrongdoing."TWIA has a recognizable pattern of stall tactics and attempts at non-payment," Anahuac ISD Superintendent James Hopper wrote in a letter to a state lawmaker over his district's attempt to collect $7.6 million in claims.A quasi-governmental entity, TWIA provides insurance covering only wind and hail for 234,861 homeowners, businesses and government policyholders in a 14-county area of coastal Texas plus a portion of Harris County. It does not cover claims arising from flooding, such as that caused by Harvey, which dumped more than 50 inches of rain on parts of the Houston area.In Dickinson ISD, about 40 miles southeast of Houston, officials say they know all about the slow process of recovering damages.After Hurricane Ike blew through Galveston Bay, Dickinson ISD spent about $1 million to replace the high school roof, which was lifted several inches by the storm and plopped back down, full of holes.San Leon Elementary and a gymnasium similarly had their roofs lifted and damaged, requiring substantial maintenance work. Other district schools suffered less-severe wind damage.TWIA offered to pay $238,000 for all the damages, later upping the offer to $1.2 million on the condition that the district wouldn't ask for more. Dickinson ISD disputed the claim by filing a lawsuit, and the insurer asked that they resolve the matter through a process known as appraisal.The process required the insurance company and Dickinson ISD to hire their own adjusters, both of whom agreed on a third-party "umpire" adjuster to oversee their work. If two of the three adjusters reached a decision on how much damage was sustained, that would be the amount the insurer would pay.Dickinson ISD's adjuster said the losses amounted to about $19 million; TWIA's calculated zero covered damages. An independent judge said the total damages were closer to about $11 million, a number to which the Dickinson ISD adjuster agreed.But instead of paying the court-ordered amount, TWIA balked. When a jury again ordered the insurer to pay Dickinson ISD, it appealed the decision. The case is now pending in a state appeals court.The Legislature created the Texas Catastrophe Property Insurance Association after several hurricanes slammed into the Texas coast in the late 1960s and in 1970, scaring many wind insurers out of coastal counties. The goal was to provide homeowners, business owners and government entities a way to get windstorm insurance in areas where private companies refused to write policies.TWIA was given its current name in 1997 and had small but consistent growth until Hurricane Rita in 2005, after which another wave of insurers said they would no longer write wind-damage insurance policies along Texas' coast.The number of policies written by the state-backed insurer subsequently skyrocketed, said David Nardecchia, a senior specialist for the Office of Public Insurance Counsel and a former underwriter manager at TWIA."It varies by county, but in certain counties it could be pretty high," Nardecchia said. "They have a majority of the risk in those counties."The insurer faced major problems after Hurricane Ike, when more than 1,900 policyholders sued TWIA over its handling of claims. The insurer ended up settling a majority of those cases. However, state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, sponsored a series of changes to the agency in 2011 after alleging an outsized portion of the settlements went to pay attorneys' fees instead of policyholders. Those concerns were shared by then-Gov. Rick Pretty and tort reform groups.The changes included a rule that makes the appraisal process the only way for policyholders to appeal TWIA decisions. Another new rule capped the amount that policyholders can recoup if a court finds TWIA guilty of wrongdoing: While other insurers in the state can be held liable for up three times the claim in case of wrongdoing, TWIA is liable only for the face value of the claim.Seth Chandler, a law professor at the University of Houston who specializes in insurance, said the idea behind the appraisal process was that policyholders would benefit from potentially quicker payouts and settlements.But he questioned why TWIA is the only insurer in Texas given such treatment."Why is TWIA special? You could make the same argument for State Farm and Allstate and the rest of industry," Chandler said.Nardecchia said there are numerous reasons TWIA is treated differently: It's the state's insurer of last resort, it's funded differently than private insurers, and, at one point after Hurricane Ike, there were concerns whether the agency could remain financially solvent.Lawsuits over claims can drag on for years even in the private market, Nardecchia said."I'm not sure that's unique to TWIA in itself," Nardecchia said.In Texas City, the College of the Mainland is still waiting on $3.94 million it believes it is owed by TWIA from Hurricane Ike.The insurer originally offered to pay the community college about $46,000 for light poles that had blown around campus but offered nothing for the damaged roofs, which school administrators say were full of holes.Without the money from TWIA, the school patched the holes, but they continue to spring leaks, causing ceiling tiles to bubble in the Student Center and water stains to creep along the upper walls of the school's dome-shaped gym.Clen Burton, a vice president at college, said he's not surprised the insurer covered only damage that could be seen from sidewalks. He said that TWIA's original adjuster never looked on top of roofs or in crawl spaces and instead walked around the campus for about 90 minutes and left.Dickinson ISD also questioned the insurer's actions during the appraisal process.While the district's adjuster went onto school roofs and into crawl spaces after Harvey, Dickinson ISD Deputy Superintendent Ryan Boone said TWIA's adjuster did not."They basically did a cursory look on our buildings," Boone said. "It was a stop, look and listen, and then go about our business."Armstrong said the insurer was concerned about the appraisal process in the nine remaining Ike cases, but not because it did anything wrong. She said those cases are more complicated because the appraisal processes didn't begin, in many cases, until four years after the storm. There had been other wind and hail events between Ike and the time some of those appraisals began, further compounding the issue.Armstrong suggested there could be other concerns but said she could not elaborate because the cases are still working their way through the legal system."The situation with Harvey is dramatically different than these nine Ike cases," Armstrong said.But Wade Wendell of Texas Watch, the consumer and insurance policyholder advocacy group, said TWIA policyholders should be concerned because the new appraisal process is difficult to navigate and because the insurer is less liable for damages if they do something wrong."They're rigging the process," Wendell said. "These changes further incentivize TWIA to test to see if policyholders can afford a lawyer or if they have the stomach to fight them in court for years."2017 the Houston ChronicleVisit the Houston Chronicle at www.chron.comDistributed by Tribune Content A
I was reminded earlier this week by Claire Rubin that in the advent era of the Internet, many emergency managers pooh-poohed the use of the tool. Eight years ago when I was first starting to push the use of social media by emergency managers, there were many who thought it a passing fad  and, in fact still today, I think most have not incorporated "mining social media" for situational awareness in their emergency operations centers (EOC) during activations. Having a Facebook page or a Twitter account is not "using social media to its full extent."When I was at the Port of Tacoma, I advocated using Port Security funds to purchase a drone for use by the Security Department. The port management would not have anything to do with it (they didn't think buying iPads for the Port Commission was a good idea either). I pitched how a drone could be used to create marketing videos for commercial use, beyond giving better situational awareness when there were incidents on port lands  to no avail.See this article, The Day Of The Drone  How Flying Robots Are Revolutionizing Business about the commercial uses of drones. We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using drones in the public and private sectors.See this current news item about how firefighters in California are using drones in their current firefight,
First, I want to say that I agree that there are some valid points to be made about the way liberals interact with conservatives on college campuses. But before you dismiss the anger and indignation your article has produced as yet another instance of the Left trying to take away the freedom to speak your mind, I hope you can try to understand why attitudes like the one you expressed draw such ire.





THE FORDHAM RAM

The problem with your article isnt that you sometimes feel that your views arent engaged with seriously or with respect in a collegiate environment (and I have no doubt that this is often the case for conservative students).



The problem is that you seem to think that sometimes feeling uncomfortable voicing your political views is the same as being a member of a group that is forced to deal with legacies of violence, intimidation, and hatred.



Lets make something very clear: the discomfort you feel when voicing your political beliefs (liberal or conservative) is not the same as being a member of a historically oppressed group.



In fairness, I can understand why you might feel that the issues you care about often arent taken seriously in an academic environment.



Now, imagine that feeling, but immeasurably magnified and experienced on a daily basis. Imagine that your college campus is the one place where you might be able to expect your issues to be taken seriously, and where you might feel that your voice is finally heard.



This may be hard to realize, but the world in which we live largely does take your issues seriously. As youve said yourself, you are a straight, white, cisgender male. (Also, since you attend Fordham University [FYI, also my alma mater], one of the most expensive universities in the world, its probably safe to assume that your family is probably at least moderately wealthy.) As I hope you can understand, the world already takes your identity seriously.



Its hard to step outside of your own self, but as a straight, white, cisgender male, your identity and issues are often presumed to be the default, while the issues of anyone who falls outside of those categories are seen as identity politics or as somehow being add-ons to the real America.



In fairness, I can understand why you might feel like liberals are simply trying to shout you down, or, as you say, that Conservatives have been silenced.



I actually dont think youre exactly wrong. Often, liberals are shouting. I do think, however, that you misunderstand the reason for this shouting.



When youre a member of a group thats historically silenced, sometimes you have to shout in order to be heard. What may to you seem like shouting with the intent to silence is, in fact, shouting with the desperation to finally be heard.
(TNS)  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa  Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Fred Hubbell called Monday for more state investment in training programs to prepare Iowans for good-paying jobs and in improving broadband availability to encourage job creation throughout the state.Hubbell, a retired businessman seeking the 2018 Democratic nomination, blamed Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and the GOP-controlled Legislature for shortsighted budget practices and economic development deals with out-of-state companies for little growth in personal incomes and in Iowas gross domestic product.Hubbell made his comments after visiting Five Rivers Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee training center in Cedar Rapids Monday. The stop was part of a four-day, 14-site Get Incomes Rising tour.We need to make sure we have incomes rising all over  urban and rural  because so many Iowans are not getting the quality of life they deserve from the incomes they have, Hubbell said. So they work two to three jobs to make ends meet, and thats not acceptable.Instead of offering Apple $20 million in future state tax benefits to create 50 permanent jobs, as the Iowa Economic Development Authority did earlier this year, Hubbell argued for investing in job training such as the carpenters program that helps get communities growing from the ground up.Were not attracting the kind of jobs that push incomes up, and were not filling the jobs that are available that have higher incomes, he said.Although there is a demand for carpenters, Hubbell said job training programs such as the apprenticeship center are not operating at capacity.The Cedar Rapids training center has about 130 apprentices in the program, with capacity for another 25, according to training director John DeLany.In addition to a lack of state funds, Hubbell said parents and high school counselors arent doing enough to help students recognize that these are not only good quality jobs, but they pay well, they dont require student debt and they people a very teach transferable, good quality skill.DeLany said apprentices, who can expect to earn $26 an hour upon completion, start at 60 percent of that with benefits including health care and pension. They receive a five percent increase every six months while in the program.At stops Sunday in southeast Iowa, Hubbell said he heard from business owners that spotty and intermittent broadband accessibility is a significant inhibitor to job growth.We need to get it more fully implemented so people can work where they live rather than have to move for a job, he said.Hubbell continued his tour Monday with stops in Baldwin, Dubuque and Cedar Falls.
Impassioned debate

Internet providers respond

(TNS)  A battle over online access is roiling an industry that includes Connecticuts top internet companies.Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has proposed getting rid of net neutrality rules instituted during the Obama administration that play a pivotal role in regulating how broadband providers deliver and charge for content.As a major vote on Pais proposal by the FCC looms this week, millions of online comments have poured into the FCC. The debate pits proponents of the changes, such as Charter Communications and Frontier Communications, who see the changes as responding to market realities, against critics who fear that an overhaul could embolden telecommunications companies to restrict content and relegate customers who are not willing or able to pay more to second-rate service.Information is power, and everybody needs access to information, said Ramesh Subramanian, a professor of information systems at Quinnipiac University and a fellow at the Yale Information Society Project. If the system changes, are the internet service providers willing to guarantee equal access to information for everybody?The 2015 rules for net neutrality  a term coined in 2002 by law professor and author Tim Wu  increased government oversight of broadband activity. Internet providers would be treated in many ways like public utilities and be barred from blocking or slowing rivals content. The regulations also established open-internet safeguards to wireless services for mobile devices.But changes have loomed since President Donald Trump picked Pai, a Republican, to lead the FCC. His proposal to do away with the current system is seen as likely to pass at the FCCs meeting Thursday because the GOP now commands a majority on the commission.We will move from heavy-handed regulation to light-touch regulation  not a completely hands-off approach, Pai said last week in a speech at a telecommunications and media forum of the International Institute of Communications, in Washington, D.C. We wont be giving anybody a free pass, we will simply shift from one-size-fits-all, preemptive regulation to targeted enforcement based on actual market failure or anticompetitive conduct.Net neutrality supporters counter that the current framework compels large internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally and protect free speech. Among other arguments, they say many firms could risk content slowdowns or additional charges for unobstructed broadband access.Net neutrality is essential to an open and free internet, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, said in an interview last week. It guarantees equal access no matter who owns the platform, and it is essential not only to free speech but also innovation. If the internet service providers are able to block or overprice access to the public, it will mean higher prices for consumers, less innovation and new products  all kind of harms that could be prevented.Among local officials, Stamford Mayor David Martin joined an open letter by 58 mayors and county officials across the country opposing the net neutrality rollback.Stamford-based Charter and Norwalk-based Frontier have expressed support for the prospective changes.They maintain that their millions of internet customers would not lose out if the current system were dismantled. In a statement, Charter said it does not block or throttle content, enact usage-based billing or charge modem or early-termination fees, to support customers getting their preferred content.We support the FCC returning to the light-touch regulatory framework in place for more than two decades that allowed the online ecosystem to take root and keep up with the speed of innovation, the statement said.The company also said that the 1934 Communications Acts Title II, which was widely viewed as the legal underpinning for net neutrality, was written for the monopoly phone service in the 1930s, is simply not designed to provide consumers, and especially those living in rural and hard to serve areas, with a 21st-century broadband.In their own statement, Frontier officials similarly said the prospective changes would not affect their service.Frontier does not block or throttle customer access to content, and Frontier supports sharing transparent information about its services, the statement said. The changes being proposed by the FCC will not change that.But Charter and Frontier have not directly answered whether the demise of net neutrality would usher in a new era in which broadband quality is based on what customers pay.Broadband companies position has historically been that net neutrality is unnecessary and that having it would take away one of their options to serve customers better, said David Souder, associate dean of graduate programs in the University of Connecticuts business school. Its similar to the idea that on an airplane you have first-class seats and everybody else, and you pay more for first class and that allows airlines to charge lower costs everywhere else. Net neutrality took away their away ability to have first-class seats.But some experts wonder whether the broadband companies would live up to their promises.On the one hand, they say they have a long-standing commitment to open internet and wont block or throttle content, Subramanian said. On the other hand, the fact that they seem to attack Title II, which actually says you should provide equal services and the same kind of access to everyone, leads me to believe theyre not totally sincere in this.If the FCC moves ahead with disbanding the net neutrality status quo, the opposition would not likely dissipate. Many groups are already weighing litigation. Blumenthal said he would not back down, either.My fight against the FCCs proposed repeal of this essential consumer principle will continue, Blumenthal said. It will be intensified and increased. I will begin legislative action, but theres no guarantee of the outcome given the majorities that Republicans have in both houses of Congress.
Net neutrality threatened

Lessons from Fort Collins

Boulder won't wait on electric utility

(TNS)  It's going to cost somewhere between $70 million and $140 million, officials estimate, to build out the underground fiber-to-the-premises network that Boulder needs to make communitywide broadband a reality.The question for the City Council has never been whether this pursuit is worthwhile, as voters and elected leaders clearly agree on the value of open-access, affordable, high-speed Internet  the introduction of which would put pressure on the incumbent Comcast-CenturyLink duopoly to lower their prices and offer higher speeds.Rather, the question is: Who is going to pay for this buildout? And, for much of the past year, based on advice of a consultant, Boulder has paid $186,000 to date, the most likely answer seemed to be that the city would partner with an outside provider willing to pay for the buildout.But now, Boulder is taking its closest look to date at another path, in which the city finances the build and owns the network."We've heard from people saying, hey, what would it look like for the city to do it alone?" said Chris Meschuk, assistant city manager. "We had not done a ton of analysis of that option, so right now we have a consultant doing that."Meschuk has assumed the responsibility on the project once held by Don Ingle, the information technology director who is no longer with the city.The consultant, Maryland-based CTC Technology & Energy, is the same consultant Boulder's already paid $186,000. For this latest study, the city will pay CTC another $50,000, Meschuk said, bringing the total since 2015 to $234,000.This exploration of municipal broadband, as opposed to a public-private partnership, comes as the Federal Communications Commission prepares to vote this week to gut Obama-era rules meant to stop broadband companies such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from exercising more control over what people watch and see on the Internet.Councilman Bob Yates, a former telecommunications executive and the council liaison on the broadband project, said that the potential repeal of net neutrality gives Boulder yet another reason to care about getting a third competitor in the local market."The internet was begun a generation ago with the concept that it would connect people around the world freely and openly, without restriction," Yates said. "That's how it's operated for decades, so the FCC's change of position on net neutrality is dramatic and quite unfortunate."Yates is far from alone in his dismay.Net-neutrality rules bar cable and phone companies from favoring certain websites and apps  such as their own services  and give the FCC more oversight over privacy and the activities of telecom companies. Supporters worry that repealing them would hurt startups and other companies that 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.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.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.And in midtown Manhattan, hundreds were seen chanting slogans and waving 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."But while the threat to net neutrality appears to give Boulder another incentive to pursue citywide broadband, a difficult and essential dilemma remains: Does the city ask residents for up to $140 million and go it alone, or partner with an outside company that would lessen Boulder's control over the theoretical future network but dramatically lower the amount of money residents must pony up to make the network happen?Those keeping an eye on this question might do well to look north to Fort Collins, which is marching in the direction of municipal broadband, and which offers some lessons because it just went through an election process Boulder may very well experience itself a year from now.Earlier in 2017, the two cities were in similar boats, with each closely eyeing public-private partnerships on broadband with Axia, the Calgary-based Internet service provider.But Axia dropped out of the broadband game midway through the year, leaving both cities without their preferred partner.For Boulder, this meant pumping the brakes, and removing the expectation many had that the city would place something broadband-related on the 2017 ballot Fort Collins put out another round of calls for potential partners, but no one as promising as Axia emerged, and the city placed a ballot measure to amend the city charter and allow it strike up a municipal utility for broadband, taking on up to $150 million in bond money for that purpose. It passed last month , 57-43, despite the telecom industry spending $901,000 to defeat it, according to final campaign finance reports. By comparison, proponents spend closer to $15,000  in other terms, $0.70 per vote, while the industry spent $55 per vote.The Coloradoan newspaper said Fort Collins is now exploring various details of a city-run broadband utility.Glen Akins, who helped lead the Fort Collins Citizen Broadband Committee to pass the ballot measure, said the threat to net neutrality underscores the importance of his group's effort."Municipal networks will be an excellent way to reclaim your privacy as well as net neutrality," he said. "The large Internet companies are willing to sell your data and throttle, block and sell fast lanes. With a municipal network, there's no financial reason for the city to sell your info or to block other people."Longmont has a municipal broadband utility, called NextLight. It's consistently had a take rate  that is, the number of eligible customers who sign up  of at least 50 percent, spokesman Scott Rochat said.And NextLight has already assured customers that nothing will change even if the FCC repeals net neutrality."Regardless of what changes the FCC makes to the regulations, we intend to keep providing our customers with the same excellent service they've come to expect, without shuttling users and services into fast lanes and slow lanes," Rochat said.In Longmont, some users pay about $50 for gigabit-speed Internet  or, similar the amount many Comcast customers pay for speeds one-tenth as good.The NextLight case is yet another example of the evidence-supported theory that the introduction of a new competitor improving customer choice and pricing."We've seen this happen in Longmont, in Nashville," Yates said. "Guess what happens to the incumbents? They get religion. They drive up quality and lower prices."And that's the outcome on which Fort Collins is currently banking.Though Boulder can take lessons from other communities, both Longmont and Fort Collins have municipal electric utilities, too, which Boulder famously does not.The city is working hard to make sure it joins that pair and the roughly two-dozen other in Colorado with city-run electric service, and has spent many years and many millions of dollars on that project  known locally as municipalization.When a community owns its electric utility, that means it also owns rights-of-way, poles and other infrastructure that can be used for broadband utilities. Essentially, it's much easier for a municipal electric utility to tag on a local internet service. Boulder may succeed in municipalization , but even if it does, it will be at least about five years, according to city staff's estimates, before the city owns its electric utility. And Meschuk said, "We're not going to wait to see how that plays out in terms of exploring our different (broadband) options."It's likely that Boulder will in the coming months issue its second requests for information from companies interested in partnering on broadband here. But the city knows how that first call turned out: It yielded a small handful of potential winners, and the clear favorite among them, Axia, is no longer a contender.Plus, the city also knows how a second call turned out in Fort Collins."When Axia dropped away, Fort Collins went back and looked at the market," Yates said. "Those are smart people up there, and we don't have to do everything they do, but the fact that they appear to be leaning toward muni broadband, obviously that's instructive to us."While I'd love to get a really great partner to show up, I'm not optimistic that we will," he added. "In which case, we'll have one choice: Do we do a municipal broadband network or not?"That's a question voters will have to answer, and they very well may get that chance in Boulder's local election next November.
Mike Wons, Illinois chief technology officer (CTO) and a key architect of its ongoing tech modernization, is stepping down, he confirmed toDec. 11.He is the state's second leading technology official to resign in three months, following the departure of Chief Information Officer Hardik Bhatt, who joined a public-sector-facing team at Amazon, Sept. 14.In an email, the CTO said he will join SAI Global  a private-equity-backed global risk, compliance and cybersecurity company  at the beginning of 2018 as its chief technology and product officer. But he indicated that he intends to remain involved in goverment IT."The integrated risk management and compliance space is critical to governments across the globe," Wons said via email.Wons came to the state in 2015 after six years as the CEO of CellTrak Technologies Inc., a provider of software-as-a-service mobile solutions to home health-care, hospice and private markets in the U.S. and Canada.Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) Acting Secretary Kirk Lonbom praised his work on the state's early digital transformation efforts and his progress in the strategic and operational areas of our new agency," in a Dec. 6 memo informing staff of Wons' departure.As CTO, Mike led many transformation efforts including the Going Mobile in Illinois program, bringing mobility to citizen engagement points, Lonbom said, noting mobility rose from minimal to nearly 50 percent agencywide in less than 18 months.In a March 2016 piece for Government Technology , Wons noted that various agencies had been building mobile responsive sites and developing mobile apps. But he identified a lack of strategy and direction at the state.The long-term vision is for all state of Illinois applications to be 'MobileFIRST' and to be accessible on all mobile form factors, and for the state to use mobility as a strategy to solve critical business problems, he wrote, citing mobile responsive design and apps created by the Department of Children and Family Services and other agencies.Illinois, Wons wrote, expects mobile-enabled interactions to rise to 45 percent by the end of 2017 and to 80 percent by the end of 2019.Wons also discussed the Illinois Fast, Innovative, Responsive, Smarter, and Technology strategy (FIRST) strategy and creating one IT voice enterprisewide. It was, he explained, a method to create a unique ecosystem improving agency operations and bringing the state closer to residents and businesses with minimal overhead and maximum reach.Key deliverables, he said, include service delivery management  including establishing service-level agreements for the state for the first time; continued transformation of major agencies through infrastructure modernization; expansion of the security operation center; and continued focus under Lonbom of forging an enterprise culture "known as OneDoIT.""The state needs to continue to invest and head down the path of implementing the remaining six planned sprints to complete the statewide transformation effort," Wons said in the email.Lonbom also praised Wons work as a founding member of the Illinois Blockchain Initiative, bringing Illinois involvement in the emerging technology to international recognition.The state had six blockchain pilots underway in September, including a birth registry that would document births via blockchain; and a self-sovereign, digital identity controlled by its owner but quickly verifiable by authorities.In the memo, Lonbom characterized the departing executive as a valuable member of DoITs leadership team.
ONLY THE DOCKET

PRIVACY AN ISSUE

TREND AGAINST OPENNESS

(TNS)  Maines top judge has said she wants the states courts to be more open and accessible to the public  including allowing for online access to records the public would otherwise have to view at a courthouse.The public deserves electronic access to its government, Leigh Saufley, chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, told the Legislature in 2014, when it was considering the Judicial Branchs request for $15 million from taxpayers to fund an electronic system for keeping court records.I can go online from anywhere and find the pending bills, the sponsors and committee assignments, the status of those bills, both in the committee and on the floor, the language of proposed amendments, committee hearing dates, and all written testimony, Saufley said of the Legislatures records system. We seek nothing less for Maine peoples access to justice.But soon the court Saufley heads will consider a recommendation that would give lawyers instant access to court documents under the $15 million system, while other Mainers would still have to trek to a courthouse to see the records.A special task force the court formed to explore how to implement the new system decided that online access to court records should be limited in order to protect individual privacy from those who would misuse personal information. But critics argue that such limits would move Maine in the wrong direction when it comes to transparency in government.The court will take written comments on the recommendation until Dec. 15 and is expected to schedule a public hearing soon to gather additional feedback. The hearing will offer a final chance for those for and against the recommendation to share their views before the court makes a final decision on implementation.The Judicial Branch Transparency and Privacy Task Force was made up mostly of lawyers, as well as advocates in the field of domestic and sexual violence and one journalist.It was created by the court to develop recommendations on the accessibility of digitized court records and propose any necessary changes in state law or court rules.Its recommendation would allow private attorneys involved in a case, as well as public prosecutors, unfettered access to online records.But the public would have remote access only to a docket, or a list of the documents in any criminal or civil proceeding that havent been sealed by a judge. In order to see or obtain a copy of the entire document in a case, members of the public would have to travel to the courthouse to view the record at a special kiosk, with the aid of a courthouse clerk, who would also charge a fee for any copies of the records, as is current practice.Advocates for open government contend that if the court adopts the recommendation, millions of dollars in taxpayer funds that were meant to improve public access will instead have been used mostly to benefit the legal profession.I likened it to the taxpayers being asked to build an enormously expensive and elegant restaurant and being given a menu of what could be served, but only the lawyers get to dine, said Judy Meyer, executive editor of the Lewiston Sun Journal and a member of the Legislatures Right-to-Know Advisory Committee. And we foot the bill.The task force was established in March, held a series of meetings and made its final recommendations in September.Mal Leary, a political reporter for Maine Public who served on the panel, said the recommendation seems to betray the vision of a more accessible and transparent court system laid out by Saufley in her 2014 address, and it also runs counter to the federal governments practice of making public court records available online.In a dissenting report to the task force recommendation, Leary points to Saufleys words and writes, What I find most disturbing is the failure to meet the goals set by the Judicial branch itself when it convinced the legislature to authorize the Government Facilities authority to issue bonds to build the electronic records infrastructure.In her 2014 remarks to the Legislature, Saufley detailed the limitations of the states paper-based records system, including the difficulty of extracting aggregate data to inform policy decisions on key issues like domestic violence.You and the media have asked us to tell you how many domestic violence criminal assault charges actually result in convictions, Saufley said to lawmakers. It is a straightforward question. Unfortunately, it is one that we simply cannot answer without a squadron of volunteers to look at every paper file related to assault charges. And some case types, such as mental health proceedings, are not even in the database at all.More frustrating, Saufley said, was the lack of easily accessible data for those with cases pending before the courts.If you have a case pending in the Maine courts, you cannot get the schedule online, you cannot see the filings from a website, you cannot get electronic access to the judges rulings, she said.If the judge has entered an order in your case, you or your lawyer must drive to the courthouse or wait for it to arrive in the mail. This antiquated system makes retaining legal assistance more expensive. The public deserves better.The Legislature agreed to fund the $15 million system, and in December 2016 state officials signed a contract with Tyler Technologies to digitize all paper records for Maine District, Superior and Supreme Judicial courts.But a majority of the 21-member task force  which included 15 practicing attorneys or judges  took a different view of public access to the new system. The panel voted nearly unanimously for a docket-only approach, in which the online file will simply confirm that a case exists and list any associated documents. To see those documents, a person would have to travel to a courthouse and read them at a kiosk.The task force embraced arguments that requiring the public to go to the courthouse will weed out people with nefarious intentions who could sit at home and harvest personal information disclosed in court filings. The panel pointed to cases where online court records in other states, such as Florida and Texas, have led to the inadvertent disclosure of private information, such as a persons Social Security number, for example.In a concurring opinion with the task force recommendation, task force member and attorney Peter Guffin writes that he doesnt believe the recommendations go far enough to protect privacy.It is widely acknowledged that, up until now, paper case records maintained by the Maine state courts have been difficult to access, he writes. With the Judicial Branchs move to the digital world, however, court records in Maine will be in electronic form, resulting in increased accessibility to the public. Personal information in those records, once protected by the practical difficulties of gaining access to the records, could thus become increasingly less obscure.Guffin contends the courts should recreate in the digital world the practical obscurity that existed in the world of paper court records.For lawyers, the new system is comparable to the electronic system long used by the federal courts. Cases can be initiated and motions filed remotely at any time and users can access case files online. It also will be used for scheduling and to track bail, warrants and protection orders.Sig Schutz, an attorney for the Portland Press Herald and other media in Maine, said the task forces recommendations are a troublesome turn.We dont do justice in secret, Schutz said. Thats just something we abhor in this country  in Maine and in the U.S.Open court proceedings and records are a hallmark of American democracy, Schutz said. And while the recommendation does not suggest that court proceedings or records be made secret, it does make access to those records and proceedings more difficult when it could make it far easier, Schutz said.The public does not benefit from a secret court system, operating in obscurity, with meaningful access limited only to persons deemed worthy of finding out whats going on, Schutz wrote in a testimony opposing the task forces recommendation. In the long run, secrecy is corrosive to the justice system.Schutz also said there is no substantial evidence to suggest privacy rights have been violated in any serious way in states that do allow online records or in the federal system, which has been in place for nearly two decades. Schutz said most of the scenarios envisioned by the task force are what if situations.There really is no evidence of any sort of misuse of the records where any tangible real harm has been done, Schutz said.He noted that access to online court records usually requires a user to register and pay for copies of records with a credit card, which creates a digital record of who has accessed the system. With the federal system, users must register and then pay 10 cents per page for records they download, although the maximum charge is capped at $3 per document.Its not a simple Google search and you can get all these documents, Schutz said.The panels recommendation echoes a national trend to limit public access to government and records.In April, the Council for Court Excellence, a nonpartisan civic organization in Washington, D.C., polled state courts about electronic access to court records and found that 18 states and the District of Columbia had adopted a docket-only system, while at least 12 states said they provided court case results, such as opinions, orders and judgments.Jennifer Nelson, an attorney with the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that works to protect the First Amendment rights of the media, said the committee will file comments in opposition to the task force recommendation.The publics right to access online court records should be the same as that which can be reviewed in a courthouse, Nelson, the committees Stanton Foundation media litigation fellow, said. Our position is that more records should be made available (online in Maine) than what the task force is recommending. We really dont believe there was enough thoughtfulness put into how the public can benefit from (an) online system that allows for more access.
(TNS)  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.  Attorney General Josh Hawley says text messages are public records under Missouris open records law, raising fresh concerns about fellow Republican Gov. Eric Greitens use of a secretive app that deletes text message after theyve been read.Hawley said his office policy  and legal view - is that text messages sent or received by state employees about state business should be subject to the same rules as emails when it comes to public records under the states Sunshine Law.Our view is that text messages are like emails, Hawley told reporters Monday during the unveiling of a new program for veterans in his office.His comments came as Greitens called reports about the use of the app Confide within his office fake news."This is another nothing story thats come from a liberal media outlet that is just desperate for salacious headlines, Greitens said during a separate briefing in Bellefontaine Neighbors. The Kansas City Star reported Thursday that Greitens and members of his senior staff had the app Confide downloaded to their personal cellphones. The app deletes messages and prevents recipients from saving, forwarding, printing or taking screenshots of messages.It is the latest in a series of incidents that point to a governor who prizes secrecy, ranging from not revealing how much donors gave to his inaugural celebration to installing a lock on the door to his press office.The latest revelation triggered a call from Sen. Scott Sifton , D-Affton, for Hawley to investigate the Republican governor and his staff for potential open records law violations.Hawley confirmed he is reviewing case law to determine whether to appoint a special investigator. He said he cannot directly investigate Greitens because his office is already defending the governor in other legal cases."Its a very complicated issue, Hawley said. The legal complexities are significant. Well have more for you soon.The Sunshine Law statute also gives jurisdiction on the issue to the Cole County prosecutor. He could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.It remains unclear whether the governor and his staff are using the app for state business, campaign work or other government communication, or for personal matters.Parker Briden, the governors spokesman, told the Star he was unaware of anyone in the governors office downloading the app to a state-issued device.But Hawley said he believes the law also would cover text messages about state business being sent on private cell phones.I dont think it settles the matter just because it is a private device or a personal device. That alone, I believe, would not qualify that as a non-record, Hawley said. This is one of the difficulties we face with a Sunshine Law that was written decades and decades ago and has not been updated to take into account modern technology.Meanwhile, Hawley, who is running for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, unveiled a plan to create a program to provide free legal help to military service members.The new Military Legal Assistance Team will work with attorneys from military bases in Missouri to find private attorneys who will provide free services to service members with certain legal needs.A new advisory board will determine which legal needs would qualify for the program and create a strategy for recruiting attorneys to provide the help.I cant think of a better way for the law profession to give back to our troops, said advisory board member John Comerford, a former Navy officer who is a partner at the Dowd Bennett law firm in St. Louis.
(TNS)  When city Rep. Henry Rivera, a former El Paso police officer, advocated that the city apply for a state grant to obtain body cameras for police officers, he thought the idea was simple: theres money available, go apply for it.Cities nationwide are increasingly outfitting their police departments with body cameras, many in light of concerns about police brutality and officer-involved shootings.Across Texas, cities like Dallas, Houston and Austin have already rolled out body camera programs. And in the border region, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Horizon city and neighboring Las Cruces, N.M., have also implemented body camera programs for law enforcement.But El Paso Police Department and police union leaders are pushing back against a proposal that would require officers to wear body cameras, saying other funding priorities and policy and privacy concerns must first be addressed.They say they are not opposed to the cameras, but that the city shouldn't rush into acquiring them without first studying how to pay for them and how to implement and manage them in the long term. They also say hiring more officers and buying new police cars and updated radios should remain a top funding priority.And, the police union said it is concerned that officers may unfairly face disciplinary action if the technology malfunctions or a private conversation over the course of a work day is caught on tape, for example.We have some administrative concerns over their usage  like when are they going to be turned on? When are they going to be turned off? El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association President Ron Martin said. I do not want my officers recorded 24/7.Martin said sometimes emergency situations unfold so quickly that an officer may not have time to turn on the camera, which he fears may be seen as an attempt to hide what occurred.What happens if Im driving and somebody jumps out of the car and you get into a scuffle instantly? Martin said. 'Well hold on sir  let me turn my body camera on so it can show what you are doing to me.'Body camera policies are not new in the border region.El Paso County Sheriffs deputies, Horizon City Police Department officers and the City of Socorro Police Department already wear the cameras.The traffic unit at the El Paso County Sheriffs Department has been using the cameras since 2008, and the rest of the patrol units began using them in 2016.Chief Deputy Sheriff Tom Whitten said the department got a bundle deal with a company called Axon for 250 cameras, unlimited data storage and 375 Tasers for $300,000 per year under a five-year contract.Whitten said the sheriffs department hasnt had to hire staff to manage storage since it's cloud-based. Deputies upload footage and the district attorney has access to the files.For us, its nothing short of fantastic, Whitten said.Horizon City Police Chief Mike McConnell said his department has been using cameras for about five years and houses data in-house rather than in a cloud-based storage system.McConnell said the department is currently changing vendors to match its dash-cam system. That switch comes with a price tag of $23,000 for 13 cameras and a data storage boost.A high percentage of time ... the video camera helps the officer. It doesnt hurt because the officer should be doing the right thing. Under that theory, it should serve to help (police officers), McConnell said.Some area human rights groups argue that the cameras should be a priority for El Paso police.What I have seen with federal agents and border patrol and local law enforcement in the last few years is a rampant lack of transparency and accountability to the community, Border Network for Human Rights Executive Director Fernando Garcia said. We have been pushing to strengthen these internal accountability measures.Garcia said El Paso is one of the safest cities because area law enforcement engages with the community. He said body-worn cameras would strengthen that relationship by showing accountability and transparency.Garcia said he was disappointed when the City Council voted to delete two items during the Nov. 28 meeting.The first would have directed the city to seek funding or apply for a one-year state grant that requires a 25 percent match by the police department. The other would have formed a committee that would look into policies for cameras for the department.City Council instead directed the police department to research the cost for the body cameras and the procedures for using them, a process that Assistant El Paso Police Chief Patrick Maloney said could take up to six months.Officials said neither the city nor the police department has conducted any official studies on the cameras.Maloney said the department looked into the grant in 2015 and 2016. He said there was not enough money in the police budget to cover the required match. The department has 1,037 officers, he said.To put personnel to task and with that amount of work to do a study (for something) in-depth like that when theres no funding to move forward on it, doesnt make a lot of sense, Maloney said about why the department hasn't applied for the grant.Recently, at the request of the police department, the citys purchasing staff got an estimate from Axon Enterprises, Inc. of Arizona for the potential cost of body cameras, including annual fees for the software license and data storage.That estimate, which was not part of a formal bid process, was $2.7 million for 500 cameras under a five-year contract, Maloney said.Axon, an Arizona-based company formerly known as TASER International, serves more than 17,000 law enforcement agencies, according to its website.City Council will wait for findings from the police department before deciding whether to fund a body camera program, officials said.Rivera said he wasn't sure if funding for the El Paso police cameras could come from a tax increase, budget savings or a voter referendum.But he said trust and accountability are the key reasons he is pushing for the cameras. He also said he believes it would reduce the number of lawsuits filed against the city and police officers.With the expenditure comes a cost savings in fewer lawsuits, Rivera said. He added, Its time we start thinking outside the box to the get these things in gear.Figures for how many lawsuits have been filed against the El Paso police department were not available, according to city officials.Martin said he does not think body cameras will reduce the number of lawsuits.I heard the same argument 15 to 20 years ago for dash cams, Its going to protect you guys. You are not going to get sued. Everything is going to get recorded, Martin said. It didnt reduce anything. Its the same thing. We have dash cams in every single vehicle we operate in and we still get sued.A civil rights lawsuit against the EPPD filed in May claims police have used excessive force against people with signs of mental illness, citing several recent cases. The lawsuit filed by attorneys Enrique Moreno and Lynn Coyle claims that in the 15-year period from 1997 to 2012, there were 32 excessive force cases. That compares to at least 21 in just four years, from 2012 to 2016, the lawsuit states.The suit cites the case of a suicidal man who died after police shocked him with a Taser in 2015; the fatal shooting of a handcuffed prisoner outside the Downtown jail in 2013; and the shooting of another suicidal man in 2016.Moreno said it's difficult to speculate after-the-fact whether cameras would have a made a difference in the litigation, but he believes that both citizens and officers would benefit from having them."I think there's a growing consensus that they are beneficial from multiple perspectives, not just in terms of citizens, but beneficial to police themselves," Moreno said.Moreno said he doesn't understand why the city hasn't taken the lead in acquiring the cameras."I'm very troubled by the suggestion that there's no money for it," Moreno said. "When you look at cost, you have to consider someone losing their life. So cost is a much bigger concept than just the price."
We filed public-records requests with all 50 governors and 22 federal agencies. Heres what we found.





Step 1: Figure Out the Law

Step 2: Draft Your Record Requests

These governors offices and federal agencies at least partially responded to our requests for blocked social media accounts.



Governors Offices



California Gov. Jerry Brown, Democrat



Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Democrat



Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, Republican



Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Republican



Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, Republican



Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Republican



Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, Republican



Montana Gov. Stephen Bullock, Democrat



Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Republican



Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, Republican



New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, Republican



North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Democrat



Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Democrat



Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, Democrat



South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Republican



South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Republican



Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, Republican



Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Democrat



West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, Republican



Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Republican



Wyoming Gov. Matthew Mead, Republican



Federal Agencies



Department of Energy



Department of Labor



Department of Veterans Affairs



U.S. Small Business Administration



U.S. Trade Representative





A list of all Twitter accounts blocked by @FLGovScott (the official Twitter account of the governor of Florida)





All direct messages sent or received by @FLGovScott (the official Twitter account of the governor of Florida)





A list of all Facebook accounts blocked by Governor Rick Scott (the official Facebook account of the governor of Florida)





A list of all Facebook accounts blocked by Rick Scott (the personal Facebook account of the governor of Florida)





All direct messages sent or received by Governor Rick Scott (the official Facebook account of the governor of Florida)





All direct messages sent or received by Rick Scott (the personal Facebook account of the governor of Florida)





Step 3: Wait...

Step 4: Prepare for a Back-and-Forth

Outgoing Governor of Kansas Sam Brownbacks office told us they would not share their block lists due to privacy concerns for those people whose names might appear on it.





Alabama declined to provide public records because ProPublicas request did not come from an Alabama citizen.





Michigan declined to provide records because its governor is not subject to Freedom of Information laws.

Wyoming provided their Twitter block lists, but no Facebook information.





Georgia sent copies of direct messages received by the governors Twitter account, but nothing else.





Florida also only sent a list of accounts blocked on Twitter. While a verified public figure account for Rick Scott does exist, and is regularly updated with press releases from the governors office, the office says the account is run by Scotts political team and is not subject to public-records requests.





Gov. Eric Greitens office in Missouri also declined to share records from the governors Facebook or Twitter accounts, saying neither are considered to be the official social media accounts of the Governor of Missouri.





Facebook and Twitter have become central parts of our political and civic lives. Its not just President Donald Trump on Twitter and political ads on Facebook . Politicians and agencies across the country use social media to communicate policy, share information and hear from constituents. Those politicians and agencies also have the ability to block those who comment on their posts. We were curious about that. So, in August, we filed public-records request with every governor and 22 federal agencies for lists of people blocked on their official Facebook and Twitter accounts. We found that nearly 1,300 accounts were blocked  more than half by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin. Bevins a Republican, but both Democrat and Republican governors block people.When the administrator of a public Facebook page blocks an account, the user can no longer comment on the page. That can create an inaccurate public image of support for government policies.If a city council member, mayor, state representative or governor is blocking or curating their constituents on Facebook and Twitter, thats important for local reporters to know. Who are these elected officials blocking? Why? And how many? You dont have to be a reporter, either. California paralegal Angela Greben has submitted dozens of requests for social media block lists and publicizes them on her blog, Government Block Lists Revealed. Weve laid out below how you can find out if elected officials are blocking anyone. If you have questions about any step in the process, email us at getinvolved@propublica.org Look up the relevant open-records laws to make sure that your request includes everything the law requires and that the official or agency are subject to these requests. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press maintains a database of open-records laws by state There are differences between states. For example, Michigans Freedom of Information Act exempts the governors office, legislature and others from the states open-records law. The Center for Public Integrity has a helpful state-by-state ranking of public access to government records.The National Freedom of Information Coalition has sample open-records request letters for each state and both the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and MuckRock have online tools to create request letters.Heres the information we requested from the governor of Florida. You can use it as a template for your requests:You should include instructions about how to get all of the information requested. For example: Blocked Twitter accounts can be accessed when logged to any account by going to https://twitter.com/settings/blocked .Response times vary wildly. Some of our requests took a matter of days. Others took months. And still others havent responded yet.Federal agencies and many states are required to acknowledge receipt of your request within 20 working days. If your records cant be produced in that time, some states are supposed to let you know if they need more time. Whatever you do, keep track of your request.Getting public records often means enduring delays and runarounds. Of the 72 open-records requests that ProPublica sent to governors and federal agencies about social media blocking, seven refused our requests or provided only partial information. Some examples:Four states provided incomplete records:Has your elected official blocked you on social media? Email us at getinvolved@propublica.org
Racing to the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), Pyongyangs long-range missile activity means bad news for Japan and South Korea, since the medium and intermediate range missiles developed by the rough nation could target even well-defended targets in the Western Pacific, including Japan, South Korea and US bases in the region. A trilateral missile defense drill held this week in the Sea of Japan demonstrated the intelligence sharing, early warning, and missile engagement capabilities that the USA, Japan, and South Korea could share on mutual defense, should a North Korean missile attack happens. Such an attack could occur by a deliberate act of either side or due to an accidental strike caused by misinterpretation of and warnings.

Both regional powers do not have a bilateral defense cooperation, but they share such agreements with the USA, to enable intelligence-sharing and ballistic missile defense, as North Korea continually threatens both. The recent exercise was the sixth trilateral drill of this kind, followed North Koreas first-ever ballistic missile flights over Japan, with the Hwasong 12 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) tests in August and September. North Korean missiles are launched at high loft trajectories designed to test their propulsion systems through their full burn time, as they are traveling high into space, but only few hundred kilometers toward their designated targets at the Sea of Japan. On their descent, these missiles reach very high velocity, almost double that of short-range missiles. Therefore, such attack profiles could also be used against real targets in South Korea, the US bases in Okinawa or Japan, challenging existing defense systems with much more potent, and faster threats they were not designed to kill.

These recent threats unveiled a gap in allied ballistic missile intercept capabilities in the region, currently relying on ship-based SM-3 interceptors, land-based THAAD, and Patriot air and missile defense systems. Amid North Koreas repeated missile launches, Aegis vessels are continuously on alert in the Sea of Japan, and Japanese Patriot missile batteries are maintained on high alert to intercept missiles that could have avoided the SM-3.

PAC-3 is not likely to be the answer to the increased ballistic missile threat from North Korea. Tokyo has earmarked 20.5 billion (US$180 million) in its defense budget to improve the system with Patriot Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) program. As the improved missile reaches longer range and higher altitude, it can better intercept ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles and airplanes.

Another improvement will be the planned deployment of SM-3 Block IIA interceptors on American and Japanese missile defense vessels. Japan helped to develop this variant and will spend 47.2 billion (US$418 million) next year on the initial fielding of these interceptors on board its AEGIS destroyers. A future deployment of AEGIS aShore in Japan could better cope with those threats.

The Japanese Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is soon expected to approve a plan to deploy two AEGIS Ashore missile defense sites on Japanese land comprised of the SM-3 Block IIA interceptors. Each site could cost about 80 billion (US$700) Such deployment could be completed by 2023. Two sites could cover almost the entire area of Japan and add possibly mid-course intercept capability to ballistic missiles overflying the country on their way to US islands in the Pacific. The introduction of Aegis Ashore and Patriot MSE in Japan will complete a renovation of the Island states multi-tier missile defense system that now faces new threats.

Although the new missile failed its second test in June, the US Missile Defense Agency plans to deploy the SM-3 Block IIA missile with the second European based AEGIS Ashore site in Poland next year (2018). The first base was activated in Romania in 2016.

Unlike Japans reliance on US-developed missile defense capabilities, Seoul prefers to rely on indigenous assets. In recent years South Korea has been fielding a multi-tier missile defense system known as KAMD. The system is based on locally developed weapon systems and utilizes some technologies acquired abroad. The primary sensors for KMAD are EL/M2070 Green Pine radars obtained from Israel (one radar has been fielded, a second was ordered this year). The lower tier of KAMD is KM-SAM Cheongung medium-range surface-to-air missile system and its PIP missile interceptor, developed in cooperation with the Russian air defense expert Almaz Antey. By spring of 2017, the PIP missile performed a successful final developmental test series, that cleared the new missile to proceed to full-scale production. Full deployment is expected around 2019.

As the new KM-SAM enters service, the Korean Patriot will maintain the mid-tier, with PAC-2 units upgraded to Patriot MSE class. But, even with MSE, the Korean missile defense still requires an upper-tier, which is currently provided by the THAAD missile defense system deployed in South Korea by the US Army in April 2017. By 2022 Seoul plans to introduce a new interceptor known as L-SAM or Cheolmae-4. Four are scheduled for deployment throughout South Korea by 2025. But these are plans and with the growing activity in North Korea, missile defense is an immediate challenge.

Currently, the US Army has four THAAD fire units positioned in Seongju, 135 km south of Seoul, with an AN/TPY-2 radar, following increased missile activity in North Korea. While the THAAD interceptor provides an excellent answer to short-range missile threats fired against US bases in the country or South Korean targets, its interceptors are less than optimal intercepting medium or intermediate-range ballistic missiles, on their ascent and intermediate trajectory. Enhancements of the THAAD are planned to introduce an extended range version of the missile (THAAD-ER), which will increase the weapons intercept range to more than 150 kilometers. THAADs AN/TPY-2 radar system already covers the long range that those THAAD-ER missiles will provide.

In fact, this radar already causes much concern across the Yellow Sea, in Beijing. For months, Seoul and Beijing appeared to have been deadlocked over their dispute over THAAD. China has insisted that South Korea remove the system, saying it could not tolerate its powerful radar on its doorstep. By the end of October Seoul and Beijing reached a compromise to bring bilateral relations back to normal.

Russia and China have common strategic interests in the region but do not have a military alliance. Therefore, the two sides do not share sensitive intelligence, threat intelligence or real-time warning and tracking from sensors that can reduce response time in critical situations. Thus, a form of shared C2 is the least they can do to deal with missile threats in emergencies.

Both Russia and China also have missile defense capabilities in the Far East. As the manufacturer of the short and medium range ballistic missiles now proliferating worldwide, Russia has also deployed the antidotes  two generations of operational ballistic missile interceptors  the S-300 and S-400 systems. The two types differ in their capability to deal targets at higher reentry speed. S-300 can intercept ballistic missiles with a range of 2,500 km, at reentry velocity of 4.5 km/sec while the S-400 can deal with missiles with a range of 3,500 km, which develop reentry speed of five kilometers per second. According to analysts. When used in point defense role, these interceptors can successfully engage a single, non-maneuverable warhead of a missile fired from 5,500 km (thus classified as an intercontinental ballistic missile  ICBM) At the same time.

China also deploys land and sea-based derivatives of the HQ-9  HQ-19 and HQ-29 are variants armed with anti-missile warheads, the HQ-19 uses a dual-purpose exoatmospheric kinetic kill vehicle, while HQ-29 is built for endoatmospheric hit-to-kill engagement. HQ-26 is the naval variant of the HQ-19 missile.

With higher risk of a missile war in the Korean Peninsula and the Western Pacific, Russia and China are also at risk, primarily from accidental strikes. To test their defenses, the two countries are holding a week-long anti-ballistic missile defense simulation in Beijing this week. The exercise, dubbed Airspace Security 2017 is the second missile defense exercise held by the two countries, the previous event was held in 2016 in Moscow. The drill aims to examine command and control (C2) aspects in joint response to accidental and inflammatory strikes of ballistic missiles, the Russian MOD announcement said. Both sides insist the drill does not target a third country (such as North Korea).
Robert Kubica has reportedly dropped out of the race to complete Williams' 2018 driver lineup.

While the Pole was earlier tipped as the favourite, authoritative and widespread media sources claim the frontrunner is now in fact former Renault reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin.

We reported this week that Russian Sirotkin has the powerful financial backing of the SMP group behind him, as it offers Williams $15 million for the seat.

Involved in the SMP Racing programme is former F1 driver Mika Salo, who admitted that Williams' decision is now "close".

"It is getting close to the time," the Finn told Ilta Sanomat newspaper.

As for how close that decision is, Salo added: "Pretty close. It is between him and Kubica.

"Both of them did a good job (at the Abu Dhabi test)," the former Ferrari and Toyota driver continued. "Williams now has to take a decision. Let's see which of the two they take."

Polish journalists report that while Kubica did well during his tests for Williams, Sirotkin was ultimately faster. Fellow Russian Daniil Kvyat is now regarded as Williams' 'plan B' in the event that Sirotkin is not selected.

(GMM)
LINN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

All cases from Monday afternoon:

Encouraging sexual abuse of a child  Johnathan Cameron Ralston, 19, of Scio, was charged with 12 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse and one count of encouraging the sexual assault of an animal. According to the charging document, between April 2016 and May 2017, Ralston duplicated, published, printed, disseminated, exchanged, or displayed visual recordings of sexually explicit conduct involving a child. Each count represents a different child victim. The 13th count involves a recording of a person engaged in sexual conduct with an animal and constitutes animal abuse, according to court paperwork.

Robbery  Saul Munoz-Quinonez, 46, of Albany, was charged with second-degree robbery and first-degree theft. The crimes allegedly occurred on Friday at the Albany Fred Meyer store. The charging document states that Munoz-Quinonez stole $1,000 or more of merchandise and threatened a man, representing that he was armed with what was purported to be a dangerous or deadly weapon. The Albany Police Department responded to a shoplifting call at 8:42 p.m. on Friday and arrested Munoz-Quinonez.

Car prowls  Anthony Wayne Delfierro, 27, of Lyons, was charged with three counts of unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, second-degree theft, third-degree theft and attempted first-degree burglary. The crimes allegedly occurred on Oct. 14.

Assault  Kris Allan Fiala, 51, of Lebanon, was charged with felony fourth-degree assault and attempted strangulation. The crimes allegedly occurred on Friday, and the Linn County Sheriffs Office made the arrest after responding to a report of a domestic disturbance outside Lebanon, in the 32800 block of Old Mill Road, at about 10:33 a.m.

Shoplift robbery  Kandace Rose Schauer, 26, of Salem, was charged with third-degree robbery and second-degree theft. She allegedly stole a pair of jeans from Coastal Farm & Ranch in Albany on Sunday and threatened the use of force against a female employee of the store. The Albany Police Department made the arrest in the case.

Theft  Tyler Leonard McLaughlin, 22, of Turner, was charged with first-degree theft and unlawful entry into a motor vehicle. The crime allegedly occurred on June 17, and McLaughlin stole more than $1,000 worth of property, according to the charging document. The Albany Police Department made the arrest in the 1100 block of Jackson Street SE.

LINN COUNTY SHERIFF

Meth arrest  1:25 a.m. Sunday, 40100 block Highway 228. Travis Trent Stach-Sells, 27, was arrested on a warrant, and during his arrest, numerous bags of methamphetamine, a digital scale and multiple zip top style bags were located. Another bag of meth was found in his vehicle. Stach-Sells was arrested on charges of delivery and possession of methamphetamine.

Icy crash  2:42 p.m. Sunday, Waterloo Road. A woman drove over a sheet of ice and slid off the roadway, going down a 15-foot embankment and then traveling 50 feet into a field. There were no injuries in the crash, but the womans vehicle was totaled.

Graveyard dust  3:49 p.m. Sunday, 800 block S. First Avenue, Mill City. A deputy responded to a report of suspicious circumstances, and found that a suspect put graveyard dust on the victims car to reverse a curse. Both parties were warned to stay away from each other.

LEBANON POLICE

Stolen trailer  6:46 a.m. Friday, 900 block W. Rose Street. A cream-colored Rockwood pop-up camper was reported stolen sometime after midnight. The loss value was estimated at $2,000.

Another stolen trailer  8:31 a.m. Friday, 1800 block Airway Road. Sometime during the night, a suspect broke into a back area through a fence and stole a white 1999 Haulmark trailer. A Stihl push lawnmower, a line trimmer, a chainsaw, four or five shovels, rakes, miscellaneous hand tools and safety cones were inside the trailer. A loss value was not available.

SWEET HOME POLICE

Burglary  6:30 p.m. Sunday, 900 block 12th Avenue. A caller reported that his house was broken into and his lock box was stolen. An officer who responded took a burglary and theft report with a loss value of $20,000.
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SALEM  Mike Brinkley shifted from one information panel to the next several times Monday afternoon during an open house outlining the proposed reallocation of water stored and released from the 13 dams managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Willamette Valley.

Included among those are Foster and Green Peter dams near Sweet Home.

Brinkley lives in Eugene and is a member of the McKenzie Flyfishers group, which explained his key interest  water for fish  among the Corps proposals.

Im concerned if there will be enough water allocated to keep fish alive in low water years, Brinkley said.

Several dozen people were on hand at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office for the program that ran from 3 to 7 p.m.

Laurie Nicholas, project manager for the Willamette Basin Review, said public comments will be accepted until Dec. 22.

If there are no responses received by Dec. 22, the organizations will assume a no comment response.

The feasibility study has been out since Nov. 7 and we usually allow a 30-day response period, Nicholas said. But, we added extra comment days due to the holidays.

The study began in 1996, but in 1999 bull trout and Chinook salmon were listed as threatened species. The feasibility study was put on hold in 2000 pending resolution of the Endangered Species Act consultation.

I dont think anyone thought it would be on hold so long, Nicholas said. But the Corps of Engineers received the biological opinion in 2008 and we received funding in 2014. We started this study in August 2015 and we want to have it completed by August 2018.

Information gleaned from public comments will help the Corps of Engineers manage the dams for the next 50 years.

The study has been undertaken due to the shifting demands from an increasing population base, irrigation needs, and the listing of endangered fish species.

The 13 Willamette Valley dams hold a maximum of 1,590,000 acre-feet of water and serve an area that extends 187 miles from south of Cottage Grove to the north where the Willamette River flows into the Columbia River.

The basin is about 11,200 square miles and includes about 12 percent of the states land mass.

The dams primary purpose is flood control, but they also generate electricity, provide water for municipal and industrial usage, agricultural irrigation, flow augmentation for pollution abatement, fish and wildlife needs and recreational opportunities both in the reservoirs and from water released into rivers.

Currently, all water stored in the reservoirs is considered joint usage, including agricultural irrigation, fish and wildlife and municipal and industrial.

The Willamette Basin Review would actually lead to allocation of the water to specific areas. There are four allocation alternatives being considered:

 The preferred plan so far would allocate 962,800 acre-feet to fish and wildlife; 253,950 acre-feet to agricultural irrigation; 73,300 to municipal and industrial; and 299,950-acre feet would remain in the joint-use category and could be allocated each year based on available water needs.

 Alternative A would allocate 1.2 million acre-feet to fish and wildlife; 250,800 acre-feet to agricultural irrigation; and 122,250 to municipal and industrial use, with no joint-use back-up.

 Alternative B would allocate 1,508,600 acre-feet to fish and wildlife; 81,400 acre-feet to agricultural irrigation; and no water to municipal and industrial, nor set aside joint-use water.

 Alternative C would allocate 1,102,600 acre-feet to fish and wildlife; 327,650 acre-feet to agricultural irrigation; and 159,750 acre-feet to municipal and industrial. There would be no water allocated for joint use.
Birmingham native Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state for President George W. Bush, yesterday urged Alabamans to vote today and to "reject bigotry, sexism, and intolerance."

She did not mention Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore or Democratic candidate Doug Jones.

Was her message clear enough? She added that "we must also insist that our representatives are dignified, decent, and respectful of the values we hold dear."

President Donald Trump is a lot less subtle and totally unconcerned about decency.

"The people of Alabama will do the right thing. Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet. Roy Moore will always vote with us. VOTE ROY MOORE!" he tweeted minutes ago.

To Trump, Moore represents a vote in the Senate. It doesn't matter if, as alleged, Moore has a history of inappropriate sexual behavior toward young girls. It doesn't matter that Moore was twice removed from his state's Supreme Court. It doesn't matter, or perhaps counts in his favor, that Moore is an unreconstructed Southern demagogue who would have been more comfortable in the social structure of 1950s Alabama.

Nor does it matter to Trump what Jones' real record is. The former U.S. attorney is certainly not weak on crime, or the military, or guns or veterans.

So, what will Alabama voters do? In normal circumstances, two-thirds would vote for the Republican. This is a close race because of the credible allegations against Moore and because of the controversies he ignited even before those accusations surfaced. He's a terrible candidate and would be an embarrassment to his state and the country in the Senate.

Even the senior Republican senator from Alabama, Richard Shelby, said Sunday that he did not vote for Moore but wrote in the name of another Republican instead.

Shelby is a mainstream, conservative Republican. The party now has a wide Trump-Moore swath, and the millions of voters who buy in to Trump and Moore despise Republicans like Mitch McConnell, Condoleezza Rice and many others.

Which way will voters go? My guess is they will elect Moore and further send the Republican Party down the Trump-Moore path.
GREENSBORO  A business founder, a public art consultant and a retired economic development leader will be honored at next months annual dinner of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.

Louise Brady will receive the Athena Leadership Award. The award honors her for professional excellence and community service, and for helping women attain professional excellence and leadership skills.

Brady is managing partner and cofounder of Piedmont Capital Partners, which develops innovative technology companies. She also serves as president of Blue Current, Advanced Chemotherapy Technologies and Faster.

Before cofounding PCP, Brady served as vice president of investments with Wells Fargo Advisors.

Brady and three other local women founded The Women to Women Foundation. It is the only permanent grant-making endowment created to address issues facing women and families.

She also has served on several community boards.

Cheryl Stewart will receive the O.Henry Award. Presented by the Chamber of Commerce and ArtsGreensboro, this award recognizes lifelong contributions to the arts and cultural development.

Stewart has served as the public art consultant for several organizations, including the Public Art Endowment of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro and the Piedmont Triad International Airport.

She has chaired the boards of GreenHill and UNC-Greensboros Weatherspoon Art Museum.

J. Patrick Danahy will receive the Thomas Z. Osborne Distinguished Citizen Award, which honors the citizen who has demonstrated extraordinary community service and achievement.

Danahy spent more than four decades in senior positions at Triad area corporations. He is the retired chief executive officer of the Greensboro Partnership, a local economic development group.

He has served on several boards, including the boards of Cone Health and Union Square Campus.
Muffled by the daily pomp and chaos of Trump World was a righteous verdict last week in a tragic police shooting.

Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison in federal court for the death of Walter Scott in April 2015.

Slager stood, aimed and fired eight shots at Scott, 50, who was fleeing after being pulled over for a broken tail light.

Five bullets struck Scott in the back.

He collapsed and died.

Slagers report of the incident misrepresented what actually happened.

But a bystanders cellphone video did not.

As U.S. District Judge David Norton said, Slager acted out of malice and forethought.

Obviously.

Norton also described the shooting as reckless, wanton and inappropriate.

The Justice Department had sought a life sentence for Slager, and, truth be told, he deserved one. But the 20-year sentence means precisely that  there will be no parole.

Yet, had the video footage not existed, Slager probably would still be on the North Charleston force today.

And even having seen the video  which is about clear, conclusive and incontrovertible as a piece of evidence can be  a hung jury in state court in South Carolina failed to arrive at a verdict.

How is that possible?

Im standing here to take responsibility, Slager, 46, said in court to Scotts family. I wish I could go back in time to change the situation, but I cant.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised the verdict.

Officers who violate anyones rights also violate their oaths of honor, and they tarnish the names of the vast majority of officers, who do incredible work, Sessions said.

Sessions also pledged that the Justice Department would hold accountable anyone who violates the civil rights of our fellow Americans.

Im not buying that bridge.

Sessions Justice Department, has, in fact, pulled back on initiatives to hold local police departments accountable.

He has rolled back federal oversight of department that was initiated during the Obama administration under the premise that oversight and reforms equated to not supporting police.

The oversight program Sessions scaled back was called the the collaborative reform initiative and many police chiefs opposed Sessions retreat from it.

The New York Times reports that there at one time had been a months-long wait to join it.

This is why Sessions tough words are so empty and unconvincing and even infuriating.

He doesnt mean them. And everybody knows it.
GTCC trustees covered a lot of ground at their day-long retreat Dec. 1. They talked about workforce training programs, Completion by Design (its graduation rate initiative) and upcoming construction projects. (The Medlin Building renovation will be a bear.)

After the meeting I wrote a story about what GTCC plans to do to reverse its recent enrollment decline.

Don't get me wrong: GTCC is still plenty big. This fall, it has nearly 10,000 curriculum students  that is, students who are pursuing associate's degrees or certificates. In 2016-17, it had about 34,000 students between its curriculum and continuing ed tracks.

Problem is, GTCC's enrollment has dropped 25 percent in the past five years. The normal community college enrollment cycle accounts for part of that. (When people are working, they're not in school.) But the enrollment decline doesn't show much sign of slowing down, so the college spent $50,000 on a report to improve its student recruitment and enrollment processes.

The report, prepared by a Nebraska company called Clarus that specializes in community college marketing, covers a lot of ground. I'll highlight two areas:

High school recruiting. GTCCs market share of local high school students  the percentage of Guilford County teens who go straight from high school to the college  has stayed pretty constant over the past five years. But high school enrollment has been dropping, which means GTCC is getting fewer local high school students each year. In 2016, it was 751  down about a 100 students from five years earlier.

In 2016, the college's market share of new high school graduates was 23 percent. The Clarus report notes that most community colleges have market shares of 25 to 30 percent.

GTCC plans to base three new recruiters in local high schools. GTCC President Randy Parker said they'll do thing: Recruit new high school graduates, and raise the college's brand awareness. As Parker told me, GTCC gets a good number of its students two or three years after they leave high school, so it makes sense to let them know about the college well before that.

Applicant conversion. Nationally, according to the Clarus report, community colleges enroll about 60 percent of people who apply. (In technical terms, they convert 60 percent of applicants to students.) GTCC, however, is converting only about a third. Had the college enrolled, say, 50 percent of its applicants in 2016, overall enrollment would have been 1,600 students higher.

So why didnt students come? Their reasons are all over the map. Here are a few of them, according to Clarus: They didnt get the class or program they wanted. They found a job. They couldnt find a job to pay for classes. They got called up by the military. They moved away. They were too busy. They decided to go to school somewhere else. They didnt have childcare. They couldnt get a ride. A family member got sick. They had a baby. They didnt get their paperwork in on time. They didnt get financial aid. They couldnt get anyone on the phone at GTCC. The Jamestown campus is too far away. And so on.

Some of those issues are on the college (and the Clarus report goes on for pages about all the things it thinks GTCC can do to improve its application and enrollment processes). And some of those issues are on the students. People change their minds, after all, and peoples circumstances change.

This is where community colleges have it rough compared to their counterparts at four-year universities.

Recruitment efforts for four-year schools are relatively straightforward. High schools have counselors who steer students to college. Most colleges have multiple recruiters and large admission offices. An enormous industry of standardized testing, test prep, college counseling, college guidebooks and college websites has grown up around higher ed. It's all designed to do one thing, and thats to funnel 18-year-olds from high school to a four-year college or university.

Community colleges recruit from a smaller area  Guilford County and surrounding counties in the case of GTCC  but their prospective students can be harder to locate. A little more than half of GTCCs curriculum students are 22 and older, which means theyre not in high school and don't attend college fairs. Not only does GTCC have to find these students, the college has to convince them that (a) college is a possibility, and (b) GTCC is the place to make that possibility a reality. Then these students have to rearrange their lives  their work schedules, their childcare, their other adult responsibilities  and find the money to go to school. Its not always an easy task.

The good news for GTCC is that Guilford Countys population is growing and more than half of county residents 25 and older dont have a college degree. That's a market of maybe about 150,000 potential community college students, according to my back-of-the-envelope math. Thats a big market. Well see if GTCC can find better ways to tap into it.

Have something to say about something you just read? Email me at john.newsom@greensboro.com.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is a dandy title, although  search your feelings  you know it's not entirely accurate.

A better subtitle would be, "We're Running Low on Jedi, Perhaps its Time to Re-Stock."

Candidates for new blood include Rey (Daisy Ridley), the young, lowborn (an emerging theme) scrapper in whom the force is strong.

When last we saw her  in J.J. Abrams' franchise reboot The Force Awakens  she was seeking reclusive Jedi Luke Skywalker on his planet of lonely exile. She was hoping to recruit him to join the rebel alliance to counter the evil First Order forces of Emperor Snoke and his dark-side-of-the-force apprentice Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a guy with Jedi potential and dark-side predilections.

Has Kylo totally gone over to Team Snoke?

It's a version of the open question that drives all Star Wars movies. Kylo may have some good in him, and Rey may have some bad in her. They both know it, and it forms the basis of the Junior Jedi Psychic Hotline that is the most interesting narrative device in Rian Johnson's competent next entry in the Star Wars saga. No matter what's going on in the various battles that form the plot, Kylo and Rey can at any moment see through time and space and try to draw the other to his/her side.

And what is going on in those battles?

First Order cruisers in relentless pursuit of rebel ships carrying Leia (the late, great Carrie Fisher) and the last of the beleaguered rebel alliance. Johnson makes these scenes his own with visual references to World War II carrier battles (fighters, bombers, dreadnoughts) and it's an interesting choice, even if the falling bombs seem to suggest that gravity exists in outer space. Other references go all the way back to 18th century naval engagements  projectiles cut through space and explode at the end of their range with a muffled thump (technical aspects of the movie are first rate, as usual).

The rebel fleet may be doomed unless Finn (John Boyega) and fellow rebel Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) find a computer hacker (Benicio Del Toro) capable of breaking into the imperial command ship's firewall.

The details of this mission are less important than the friendship that develops between Finn and Rose. It's in keeping with the larger purpose of The Last Jedi, which is to make diversity both a franchise goal and an important story theme. The rebel alliance (also known as the Resistance) is a rainbow coalition, and Star Wars  and here my personal bias may be showing  is now as diverse as Star Trek was 50 years ago.

Here, though, women get to run things. Leia  whose trusted lieutenant is played by Laura Dern  is in charge of the rebels, and the future of all that good rests in the spunky heart of Rey, who has made contact with Luke, and is trying to grasp the riddle of his exile and his disenchantment with the Jedi religion. These scenes benefit from the fact that Hamill has become a more seasoned performer over the years, able to project the gravitas required of his character.

Rey needs all the help she can get  all signs point toward a showdown with Kylo and Snoke, just as the battle between imperial forces and the rebel forces reach its decisive moment.

Read more: Celebrate 'Star Wars' in Philadelphia by grabbing your light saber and getting your Jedi on

Rey is strong, perhaps as strong as Kylo, but she is impetuous, and even with the best of intentions and the force on her side, we know the treachery and power of dark-side wizardry. There is always the possibility that Snoke gets in her eyes.

Perhaps that's why they are watering so much. Hamill, Driver, Ridley  their lids brim with tears in half the movie, which wavers between operatic seriousness and wisecracks. Some of these are funny, but for people who lived a long time ago in a galaxy far away, they sure use a lot of anachronistic earth slang (After an explosion: "That ship is toast!").

Aside from that, the Johnson and Abrams movies live dutifully in the universe of the original George Lucas trilogy  after the Phantom Menace trilogy debacle, it's what fans claim they wanted.

More of the spirit of the original, and if you don't mind, George, more of the original characters.

But there is the risk of diminishing returns. These sequels trade directly on the emotional legacy of the originals (The Last Jedi makes some leaps into sentimental hyperspace, particularly in the way that it handles Fisher on-screen), and the more of the aged Luke and Leia we see, the more we chip away at the mythic power of characters as Lucas left them: Young, strong, immortal.
RALEIGH  The wave of women signing up to run for political office has hit North Carolina.

State Democrats spent Monday announcing nine new candidates  including six women  in their 2018 effort to break Republicans veto-proof majority in the state legislature.

Rep. Darren Jackson, the top Democrat in the state House of Representatives, said on Twitter that he thinks the rise in women candidates has been especially pronounced in the last year.

Its something we were seeing way before all the sexual harassment scandals started to break, he wrote. After the 2016 election, a lot of women started turning out for events, indivisible groups, house parties. Many for the first time. Been seeing it for a year now.

The Raleigh city council is now half women for just the second time ever, after the citys October elections. Also in October, Virginias state legislature swung from a strong Republican majority to a split in power after Democrats flipped 15 seats in their favor. Almost all of those 15 Democratic winners were women.

In North Carolina, the elections for state legislative seats arent until November 2018, and the deadline for candidates to file (Feb. 28, 2018) is still more than two months away. In the meantime, there might be more women of either party to sign up to run for what has always been a male-dominated state legislature.

According to the Center for American Women and Politics, 13 of North Carolinas 50 state senators are women, as are 30 of the 120 state representatives. The states population is 51 percent female.

In North Carolina on Monday, Republicans pointed out that many of the GOP incumbents being targeted by the new Democratic challengers are also women.

In addition to the Democratic women who announced runs Monday, Cary Life magazine editor Jennifer Ferrell hopes to run a second time against Republican Rep. Nelson Dollar of Cary. First, though, she will be in a primary against fellow Democrat Matt Calabria, a Wake County Commissioner. And Jen Mangrum, a professor at UNC-Greensboro, plans to run against Republican Sen. Phil Berger, the leader of the state Senate.

Its unclear exactly which maps will be in play next November, when the elections will be held. There are currently three different versions of the legislative district maps.

One version, the current map, has been ruled unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering. Republicans in the legislature then passed a second version earlier this year, but a panel of federal judges considering the case hired an independent redistricting expert, Stanford University professor Nathaniel Persily, to draw a third version of the maps.

Persilys version is the one that Democrats relied on to announce where theyre running. Republican leaders have criticized Persilys work, which would make it easier for Democrats to win in several districts.

Despite the heavy Republican majorities in both chambers of the legislature, North Carolina voters tend to split roughly evenly in statewide elections, like for governor or president.

Here are the candidates who announced Monday.

The Triad

Martha Shafer, a hospital executive, will run against Republican Rep. John Faircloth, a real estate broker from High Point, for House District 62 in northwest Guilford County.

In the northern Forsyth County suburbs of Winston-Salem, Terri LeGrand announced her plans to run against Republican Rep. Debra Conrad for House District 74. LeGrand is a financial aid administrator at Wake Forest University.

The Triangle

In Wake County, lawyer Sydney Batch announced her candidacy for House District 37, which represents southwestern Wake County. Batch is a certified child welfare specialist and runs a law firm focused on family law issues with her husband, J. Patrick Williams.

That seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Linda Williams, a former Holly Springs town councilwoman who joined the legislature last year after the retirement of former Rep. Paul Skip Stam, also a Republican.

The district covers parts of Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and Garner.

Batch said Monday in a written statement she wanted to run because too many people feel the deck is stacked against them.

People want affordable, accessible health care, quality and affordable education, safe air to breathe, clean water to drink, and a fair paycheck, she said. Most of all, they want their children to live a more prosperous life than they have.

In Johnston County, Linda Bennett is running for the seat held by Republican Rep. Donna White, a nurse from Clayton. Bennett founded a pharmaceutical consulting company and lives on a farm south of Zebulon.

Ive experienced not only the struggles facing rural North Carolinians, but I know what it takes to build a business and solve problems by bringing people together, she said in a press release. I want to bring that knowledge and can-do attitude to Raleigh.

North of Raleigh in Granville County, longtime Creedmoor Mayor Darryl Moss announced he will run for the seat held by Republican Rep. Larry Yarborough. The district is mostly outside the Triangle, covering all of Person County, but it also includes some of the southern parts of Granville County near the border with Wake and Durham counties.

Moss campaign website says that, the people of Granville and Person counties are hard-working people who care about safe neighborhoods, quality education, supporting small businesses and much more. With the support of the voters, I promise to never stop fighting for them.

Williams and White did not respond to a request for comment.

Charlotte suburbs

In Concord, the 82nd district was redrawn so that its incumbent, Republican Rep. Larry Pittman, was put into a neighboring district. The new 82nd district is home to a different Republican incumbent, Rep. Linda Johnson.

Johnson could face Aimy Steele, an elementary school principal and former Spanish teacher who announced her candidacy Monday.

In Pittmans new House District 83, he could face a challenger who also announced Monday, Gail Young.

Young is the leader of a liberal advocacy group called Citizens in Action NC that organizes protests in Cabarrus County. Young also worked for a long time for the Mecklenburg County government.

Pittman is one of North Carolinas most controversial lawmakers  he compared Abraham Lincoln to Adolf Hitler and sponsored a bill that couldve changed the state constitution to allow North Carolina to secede from the U.S.  but he is also popular with his constituents, winning by nearly 16 percentage points in 2016.

Further to the south in the Charlotte suburb of Union County, retired doctor and Army veteran Rick Foulke announced he plans to run against Republican Rep. Craig Horn in District 68.

Foulke was a doctor in the Army before retiring as a lieutenant colonel and going into private practice as an oncologist, first in Charlotte and then in Matthews.

His campaign website criticizes Republicans in the General Assembly for refusing to expand Medicaid when the federal government offered to pick up most of the costs.

I spent my career diagnosing people with cancer, telling them I can save their lives but see them die because they couldnt afford the treatment, Foulke wrote on Twitter Monday. Thats why Im running.

Eastern N.C.

In Onslow County, Dan Whitten announced he will run against Republican Rep. Phil Shepard, a pastor from Jacksonville.

Whitten has worked in mental health care at several hospitals in the area.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections received one incident report involving a party-appointed poll observer on Election Day, and seven more during one-stop early voting. Election officials were on high alert for unruly observers after the board received reports of more than a dozen conduct violations during the May primary. Overall, the board received reports of 21 conduct violations during the general election, involving both observers and campaigners. They included 12 instances of alleged voter intimidation, one instance of possible voter interference and eight instances of potential election official intimidation. Campaigners were the most common perpetrators. Board spokesperson Patrick Gannon said there may be additional incidents that have not yet been reported.
GREENSBORO  It wasnt quite Planes, Trains and Automobiles bad, but getting home in the snow on Friday didnt go as smoothly as usual for many Guilford County Schools students.

Out of about 551 school buses operating that day, the school system had problems with 20 of them: 10 buses became stuck, at least five slid partly off the road, four were hit by cars and one  empty of students  flipped over. Two drivers and three students suffered minor injuries.

The hazardous conditions left some families questioning why school wasnt canceled sooner.

In an interview Monday, a top school officials said the call to stay in school was made with the best information available Friday morning. Now, he said, knowing how the weather changed, school should have been dismissed sooner.

Weather decisions are some of the most challenging for school systems, said Scott McCully, Guilford County Schools chief operations officer.

The school system held classes as usual Friday before canceling all evening and weekend activities. Officials in surrounding school systems were split in how they handled the situation. Some held classes all day, like Greensboro, while others dismissed students early.

For Guilford County, the decision-making process started Thursday with a meeting between McCully and the school systems transportation director, Jeff Harris, to look at weather predictions for Friday.

They started text messaging each other about weather conditions at 4 a.m. Friday and kept talking as the hours passed. They looked at projections from the National Weather Service and stayed in communication with transportation directors in other school systems.

Really, with a two-hour early release, we need to start calling the bus drivers and informing our families no later than the 11:30 hour, McCully said.

So about 11:30 a.m., McCully gathered to consult with other school systems officials. Superintendent Sharon Contreras wasnt working Friday so the decision on whether to dismiss school early fell to him.

At that point, McCully said, things looked good enough to continue with the rest of the school day. The hazardous conditions werent forecast until evening. The temperature was 34 degrees and the pavement was 38 degrees  warm enough to keep the roads clear.

But it got colder and snowier sooner than expected, leading to buses getting stuck and other mishaps.

When buses get stuck, McCully said, the school systems general practice is to send other vehicles to get students and transfer them to another bus.

McCully said school officials will be reviewing everything that happened Friday to figure out what went wrong, what went right and what they can learn from.

We certainly apologize to parents and staff and students, he said. We understand that this was a critical situation and if we could have made it better we would.
Partisan politics aside, I believe that all of our leaders should be mature, well-qualified people of integrity who are held to the highest standard of conduct. If a leader lies about past behavior even despite evidence to the contrary, how can constituents trust such an individual to be honest on the job, displaying honor and respect in every situation?

I wholeheartedly agree with Bernie Sanders comments about President Trump. He should be held as accountable for his actions toward women as any of the other notable men who have recently lost their jobs. No one is above reproach or above the law.

I also felt that Bill Clinton demeaned the presidency and should not only have been impeached, he should have been removed from office.

The tenets of decency are indisputable and apply to all.

Marcia James

Jamestown
Where are they now?

When HB 2 was being passed, our North Carolina Republicans were all about personal safety and the possibility of women and children being molested. Phil Berger led that charge. Now that a person accused of being a child molester may end up in Congress, where are the North Carolina Republicans and why are they not protecting us?

Why are Phil Berger and the other Republican politicians who wanted to protect innocent women and children silent? The reason is that they never really wanted to protect anyone but wanted instead to discriminate against people. It is time that these politicians stood up for what is right. Nobody should hold office in Congress or local government if they are accused of sexual assault.

They should remove themselves from office until either they are cleared of the charges or convicted.

It is about time Phil Berger and his colleagues take the high road and denounce Roy Moore and any politician accused of sexual assault.

Herbert Baum

Greensboro
WASHINGTON  The Winston Churchill biopic "Darkest Hour" is a movie that should be seen, but not entirely believed. Gary Oldman's alternately fierce and vulnerable Churchill is a triumph of both acting and the cosmetician's art. Just hearing him deliver snippets of Churchill's speeches is worth the ticket price. (Am I the only one who tears up at the words "We shall fight on the beaches"? My wife: "Probably.")

But the central conceit of the film  that a deflated, defeated Churchill required bucking up by average Brits  is a fiction. Very nearly the opposite was true. The policy of appeasement was broadly popular in Britain during the early to mid-1930s. In 1938, a majority supported Neville Chamberlain's deal at Munich (which ceded much of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany in return for ... nothing). It is more accurate to say that Churchill summoned British courage and defiance by his intense idealization of British character. He saw heroic traits in his countrymen that even they, for a time, could not see.

This is not to say that May and June of 1940 weren't dark times, even for Churchill. As resistance in France collapsed and Italy seemed destined to enter the war on Germany's side, Churchill asked his chiefs of staff if it were possible to continue the war at all (they gave a conditional "yes"). The despair implied in that question still startles.

But on June 3, even as British troops were being evacuated at Dunkirk, Churchill's private secretary Jock Colville wrote in his diary: "Winston is tired of our always being on the defensive and is contemplating raids on the enemy. 'How wonderful it would be,' he writes to [Gen. Hastings] Ismay, 'if the Germans could be made to wonder where they were going to be struck next instead of forcing us to try to wall in the Island and roof it over.'" In the midst of catastrophe, Churchill was dreaming of Normandy (and North Africa, and Italy). Not the thoughts of a defeated man.

Where "Darkest Hour" shines is in presenting the alarming, inspiring contingency of great events. In the spring of 1940, Europe was being shaken by massive, impersonal, world-historic forces  the apparent failure of liberal democracy and free markets, the rise of communism and fascism, the unleashing of anti-Semitism. Millions marched, line by line, to the "Horst Wessel" song or the "Internationale."

And yet, in saving the remnants of the British Army at Dunkirk, it fell to 665 private British boats (along with 222 British warships) to rescue their country from (likely) capitulation or invasion. All the powerful, impersonal forces funneled down and down to 665 volunteer captains in pleasure craft and fishing trawlers. The future of freedom was determined by the choices and courage of a few hundred free people.

And, of course, the choices and courage of one man. A New York Times review of "Darkest Hour" sneered at the movie's "great man fetish." But is there really any doubt that history would be darker if Churchill had truly lost his nerve, or had died when hit by a car in New York in December of 1931 (he escaped with two cracked ribs and a severe scalp wound)? History can hinge on a single life.

From Churchill, we learn to resist pessimistic extrapolation. May 1940 was terrible, but not permanent. We learn the power of unreasonable optimism  the value of planning for revival in the midst of defeat. We see the possibility of leadership that can not only ride the tide but summon it.

Many of us view this example, not only with appreciation, but with longing. The problem of our time is not only arrogance without accomplishment or swagger without success. These are common enough in politics. Rather, it is the arrival of leadership that survives by feeding resentment, hatred and disorienting flux. Leadership urging us  at angry rallies, in ethnic stereotyping, through religious bigotry  to forget who we really are as a people. Leadership that has ceased to believe in the miracle at our country's heart  the inclusive, unifying power of American ideals.

But the moment is not permanent. Many are looking for a place to invest their hope. And some leader, we trust, will rise who calls his countrymen to choose decency and civic friendship above the destructive pleasures of hatred and blame. Who can see and summon the best in American character, even if, for the moment, it is hidden.

In the meantime, we shall fight on the beaches.
EDEN  Dillard Elementary School students will not move in fall 2018, and Draper Elementary School students will transfer to Lincoln and Central Elementary Schools.

Beginning for the 2018-2019 academic year, the New Vision School of Science, Math and Technology will move into the Dillard facility and will lead both a year-round and traditional calendar school program under one roof. The year-round program will continue to operate as a magnet school and the traditional calendar program will use the same attendance zone that Dillard currently uses.

The Rockingham County Board of Education on Monday voted unanimously on the superintendents recommended Draper reassignment plan, but the Western Rockingham County two-schools-in-one solution came with controversy.

The board voted 6-2 to go with the two-schools-in-one solution contrary to Superintendent Rodney Shotwells recommendation.

Once the motion failed for Shotwells initial recommendation to reassign Dillard students to Huntsville and Stoneville elementary schools, Board Member Bob Wyatt moved to assign current Dillard students to the same facility they are currently in and leave these students on a traditional school calendar.

The board approved the proposal with Board Chair Amanda Bell and Board Member Lorie McKinney voting opposed. Board Member Wayne Kirkman was absent.

While board members had previously heard requests from the public for a two-schools-in-one solution, the district did not have research on the topic to present to the board for the Dec. 11 vote.

There are a lot of things that will happen if you allow this to happen, Bell said to the board. There wont be any point in trying to redistrict simply because you wont be saving money. Not in a school within a school. I've had plenty of experience with that. Plus the buildings will not accommodate totally. There is a possibility you may need mobile units. That's an additional expense that the school district will incur.

Board Member Virginia Hoover responded to Bell, If we are going to move New Vision and Dillard together, that will be one less building that we'll be operating in regards to New Vision. That should save a dollar. It may not be a million, but it should save.

Based on a study conducted earlier this year by North Carolina State Universitys Operations Research and Education Laboratory, Dillard has a 562 capacity with Dillards projected 2018-2019 enrollment at 222 students and New Visions at 352. By that data, this plan would put the planned two-school facility over capacity by 12 students.

The following year, however, projections suggest enrollment would drop, leaving the two-in-one school under capacity by six students, with enrollment continuing to decline each year through 2027.

According to Shotwell, this plan will necessitate about 28 teachers at the school counting both calendar programs. Dillard houses 26 classrooms.

There's an art room and a computer room that could potentially be used for a classroom, he said to the board. They're not quite as big as the regular classroom but they are available there, so you'd have art on a cart and of course most of the schools now have the Chromebooks, so really the need for a computer lab is not there.

He added that issues may arise due to the number of months that school employees are contracted to work.

The P.E. teacher still is going to be a 10-month employee and so whatever time they give to the year-round students during that particular time or the art teacher or the music teacher, thats time they're going to have to take off at another time during the traditional year so that they can work their 215-day contract, so both of them are going to be without some of the specialties at some point in time during the year, Shotwell said.

With the transfer of students to new facilities, teachers and teacher assistants will follow those students to their new schools.

Because the New Vision principal will oversee both the year-round and traditional calendar school at the Dillard site, Dillard Principal Trina McCoy along with Draper Principal Christy Bailey will lose their schools.

That said, Shotwell intends to do whatever he can to keep them in administrative positions within Rockingham County Schools. These two principals may be able to transfer into administrative vacancies at other local schools.

Feeder patterns for relocated Draper students will not change.

This means that, at Lincoln Elementary, Draper zone students will graduate into Holmes Middle School and Lincoln zone students will graduate as usual into Rockingham County Middle School.

Draper students relocated to Central will graduate into Holmes like the rest of the Central student body.

Once students are moved out of the Draper and New Vision facilities, those buildings may be used for smaller programs that would require less funding from the district than a fully operational school, such as pre-school or Rockingham County Head Start classes.

After the New Vision site is vacated, that facility may become home to a parent resource center.

Other schools in the area will continue to use the gymnasium at the old New Vision campus.

Later this week, principals will meet to discuss transition activities to get students comfortable with their new facilities. These activities may include classroom-to-classroom pen pals, school tours, invitations to the schools step up night and more.

For more information on the Rockingham County Schools redistricting process, visit www.rock.k12.nc.us and click on RCS Pathway to Transparency.
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.
It's lucky that Akayed Ullah was an inept suicide bomber.

The 27-year-old citizen of Bangladesh didn't kill anyone else in a New York City subway tunnel yesterday, and he didn't kill himself.

He can stand trial and hopefully provide whatever information he knows about terrorist networks.

It may not be much.

Ullah was charged today with supporting a foreign terrorist organization, bombing a public place, destruction of property by means of explosive and use of a destructive device.

The state of New York added several criminal charges.

Ullah, who had a valid green card, reportedly told authorities he acted on behalf of the Islamic State.

The Islamic State should disavow him. What a failure.

But he is apparently another example of radicalization by internet. He was not otherwise on anyone's list of terrorist suspects.

Bangladesh is not on the Trump administration's travel ban list.

Anyone can say in hindsight that this man should not have been allowed into this country, but there are likely people from Bangladesh entering the country legally today, tomorrow, next week, next month  as tourists or for business or other valid reasons. If, as individuals, they don't raise red flags, by what authority could they be stopped?

They fact that he left a Facebook post that said "Trump you failed to protect your nation" means he knows how to provoke the president.

This isn't a failure by Trump or anyone else. An unknown zealot assembled a couple of homemade bombs and tried to kill people. He wasn't good at it. Fortunately, he didn't have a gun. He could have done more damage if he had.

Police responded quickly and bravely, taking the wounded man into custody before he could set off his spare bomb.

New York was spared more tragedy. More such attempts will come.
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After years of freelancing, mostly as a scriptwriter for monster movies, Brooklyn-based Brian Smith hungered for a new medium to tell stories.

In May 2011, Smith and his wife, Jackie Cuscuna, launched Ample Hills Creamery with a small corner shop in Brooklyns Prospect Heights. Within two days, Smith realized sales were outpacing the speed at which he could make new batches of ice cream. By the end of their fourth business day, customers had depleted 130 gallons, according to a news report at the time. The shop closed having nothing left to sell.

Smith and Cuscuna hastily hired extra staff and churned fresh ice cream so they could reopen a week later. Made from scratch in front of customers on site, Ample Hills ice cream flavors are tasty, but Smith credits more than just their recipes for his companys success.

Telling stories

My wife and I wanted to start something that was about more than ice cream. We wanted a place where we could take our kids to pass the time. Ice cream is part of the American mythos, its a special part of the fabric of childhood in America and helps tell a story that connects you back to that unfettered joy, Smith said in an interview this week.

At the end of the day, ice cream is just a collection of ingredients. Others will highlight how their cows and chickens are happy and everything. I find that boring; ours are, too. Does that really connect you to something more emotional? I have the ability to tell literal stories.

At Ample Hills, Smith uses his ice cream concoctions to narrate stories about historic figures, a New York City Superfund site and a galaxy far, far away.

Over the last six years, that strategy has led Ample Hills to open more ice cream parlors, partner with Disney to craft flavors inspired by the Star Wars franchise, build a new factory in Brooklyn and, last week, close an $8 million Series A fundraising round that included an investment from Bullish, a venture capital and advertising agency with offices in Greenwich.

A month ago, Ample Hills pints also began filling the frozen food sections of Whole Foods across the tri-state region, including many in southwestern Connecticut.

An email from Disney

Each Ample Hills Creamery shop features a signature flavor that reflects the area in which its located. For its Gowanus parlor, a chocolate sludge-like ice cream is filled with all sorts of buried candy surprises lurking in its depths, in a tribute to the Gowanus Canal.

That creativity appealed to Disney chief Robert Iger, whod placed an order for Ample Hills through its website several years ago. Iger followed up with Smith via email, praising the ice cream and offering his help if ever needed.

Smith can still repeat the casually phrased contents of the email verbatim and recalls reacting to it with disbelief.

A few email exchanges grew into a relationship thats included Iger advising Smith and helping him create ice cream pairings to Star Wars: Rogue One and The Last Jedi, set to premiere on Friday.

A limited-edition three pack of pints for The Last Jedi costs $30 online or can be found in Northeast region Whole Foods. Titled The Force, The First Order and The Resistance, the flavors attempt to depict the groups with special flavors and mix-ins. Representing the motley crew composing the resistance, a brown sugar and vanilla bean ice cream boasts passionate, fiery red velvet ooey gooey butter cake, hard-edged toffee pieces and spirited, hopeful mini-marshmallows.

As Ample Hills looks to grow and open more shops, Smith said he will lean on Bullish for its marketing and advertising expertise. According to Bullishs co-managing director, Riverside resident Michael Duda, Ample Hills represents innovation in the frozen food sector thats been lacking.

Hes a Willy Wonka, Duda said of Smith. Some of his earliest investors were the tech elite; the vitality of the company is unmistakable. He had his pick of investors to help build the company, and were excited he picked us.

Contact the writer at mbennett@greenwichtime.

com; Twitter @Macaela_
In the race to commercialize a new type of powerful computer, Microsoft has just pulled up to the starting line with a slick-looking set of wheels. There's just one problem: it doesn't have an engine - at least not yet.

The Redmond, Washington-based tech giant is competing with Google, IBM Corp. and a clutch of small, specialized companies to develop quantum computers - machines that, in theory, will be many times more powerful than existing computers by bending the laws of physics.

Microsoft says it has a different approach that will make its technology less error-prone and more suitable for commercial use. If it works. On Monday, the company unveiled a new programming language called Q# - pronounced Q Sharp - and tools that help coders craft software for quantum computers.

Microsoft is also releasing simulators that will let programmers test that software on a traditional desktop computer or through its Azure cloud-computing service.

The machines are one of the advanced technologies, along with artificial intelligence and augmented reality, that Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella considers crucial to the future of his company. Microsoft, like IBM and Google, will most likely rent computing time on these quantum machines through the internet as a service.

D-Wave Systems Inc. in 2011 became the first company to sell a quantum computer, although its technology has been controversial and can only perform a certain subset of mathematical problems. Google and IBM have produced machines that are thought to be close to achieving "quantum supremacy" - the ability to tackle a problem too complex to solve on any standard supercomputer. IBM and startup Rigetti Computing also have software for their machines.

Microsoft, in contrast, is still trying to build a working machine. It is pursuing a novel design based on controlling an elusive particle called a Majorana fermion that no one was sure even existed a few years ago. Engineers are close to being able to control the Majorana fermion in a way that will enable them to perform calculations, Todd Holmdahl, head of Microsoft's quantum computing efforts, said in an interview. Holmdahl, who led development of the Xbox and the company's HoloLens goggles, said Microsoft will have a quantum computer on the market within five years.

"We are talking to multiple customers today and we are proposing quantum-inspired services for certain problems," he added.

These systems push the boundaries of how atoms and other tiny particles work. While traditional computers process bits of information as 1s or zeros, quantum machines rely on "qubits" that can be a 1 and a zero at the same time. So two qubits can represent four numbers simultaneously, and three qubits can represent eight numbers, and so on. This means quantum computers can perform calculations much faster than standard machines and tackle problems that are way more complex.

Applications could include things like creating new drugs and new materials or solving complex chemistry problems. The "killer app" of quantum computing is discovering a more efficient way to synthesize ammonia for fertilizer - a process that currently consumes three percent of the world's natural gas, according to Krysta Svore, who oversees the software aspects of Microsoft's quantum work.

The technology is still emerging from a long research phase, and its capabilities are hotly debated. Researchers have only been able to keep qubits in a quantum state for fractions of a second. When qubits fall out of a quantum state they produce errors in their calculations, which can negate any benefit of using a quantum computer.

Microsoft says it uses a different design - called a topological quantum computer - that in theory will create more stable qubits. This could produce a machine with an error rate from 1,000 to 10,000 times better than computers other companies are building, Holmdahl said.

Reducing or correcting the errors in quantum calculations is essential for the technology to fulfill its commercial potential, said Jonathan Breeze, a research fellow working on advanced materials at Imperial College London.The lower error rate of Microsoft's design may mean it can be more useful for tackling real applications -- even with a smaller number of qubits - perhaps less than 100. Svore said her team has already proven mathematically that algorithms that use a quantum approach can speed up machine learning applications substantially - enabling them to run as much as 4,000 times faster. (Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence behind recent advances in computers' ability to identify objects in images, translate languages and drive cars).

"We want to solve today's unsolvable problems and we have an opportunity with a unique, differentiated technology to do that," Holmdahl said.
For clothing retailer Patagonia, taking firm stances on issues is in its DNA as a company. The company's decision to add a black landing page instead of the usual December retail madness of most retailers, with the simple message: "The President Stole Your Land," is perhaps unlike any move we have seen from a well-known brand.

Related: Why Should Your Business Care About Social Responsibility?

Kenneth Cole's New York billboards about gun violence come to mind, but they smack of marketing. Can anyone remember what any of them even said? The "controversy" surrounding them seemed to "trump" (pun intended) any moves by the company around a particular social issue.

For Patagonia, this is not a branding or public relations campaign. This is serious business. This is the largest elimination of protected land in the history of the country, as its site professes. As further proof, it has also decided to sue the Trump administration, said CEO Rose Marcario.

But, what, if anything, can your business do to address issues that you care about? Issues like public education, open space and endangered species should be no-brainers, right? Wrong, it seems. They are still very partisan and it may feel like an unnecessary minefield to wade into.

Related: Giving Back Is How Your Startup Changes the World

What can we learn from Patagonia? Here's five things:

1. Stand up and be counted, especially if your entire industry is doing the same.

Companies that don't stand up for something, thinking that they can sit this and other issues out, run the risk of being out of touch with society. Companies that are vocal (and follow up with real action) around social issues will be rewarded, perhaps not today but down the road. Furthermore, more than 80 percent of millennial consumers expect the brands they support to take a stand on social issues, according to Horizon Media's Finger on the Pulse study. Take Starbucks: Its brand hasn't been scarred by its strong words supporting refugees and calls to hire them.

And of course, there is power in numbers. Companies working together to file legal briefs around the repeal of the North Carolina bathroom bill, HB2 and the travel ban certainly didn't hurt these companies. With these issues, it was the exception companies -- those that didn't sign on to the briefs -- that seem to be more noticed than the ones that did speak out on the issue. Is your brand seen as part of the emerging majority views sustainability and LGBT equality?

Related: Corporate Social Responsibility Can Give Entrepreneurs an Edge

2. Listen on social media but not too much.

Of course, any move you take may be met with loud voices of opposition -- usually on Twitter. While detractors are quick to outrage, they are also quick to forget, as there are usually more critics (and supporters, for that matter) of social issues on the near horizon.

What is your core DNA? What are your ethics as a company? Once you decide that, doing the right thing can hurt at first, but again, be bold and you will be rewarded.

3. There are plenty of social issues to address as a company. Pick one.

Find the issue that you as a leader -- and your people -- care about. Have an all-hands meeting and listen to your employees. Get to be known for something as a company. Patagonia cared -- and did something about -- environmental conservation when it was a shoestring operation back in the 1970s. In the mid '80s, the company pledged to donate 10 percent of pre-tax profits to small nonprofits working on environmental preservation, and later rose its pledge to 1 percent of sales, which was an even higher number. It also took a strong stance for Yosemite Valley in 1988, ahead of anyone else in the industry. Many would credit much of this leadership and foresight to visionary founder Yvon Chouinard, who arguably wasn't motivated by a bottom line, or fame or glamour. Instead, he sometimes quietly and sometimes more boldly spoke up on issues and followed up with dollars and actions. What will you and your company be known for in 20, 30 or 40 years?

Related: You Don't Have to Be All That Corporate to Make an Impact With Corporate Social Responsibility

4. You will never be Patagonia, but that shouldn't prevent you from doing something.

I think many corporate leaders look at Patagonia as a consumer-facing brand known for being a B-corp and for championing progressive issues -- but they can't be so out there, running the risk of upsetting investors and some customers. That should no longer be the case. There is no reason why tech companies, startups, established manufacturers and other B2B brands cannot take a stand on this issue. And just as REI followed Patagonia's example, you have competitors too, and they may do the same. This is a good thing. You may just touch off a cascade effect in the SaaS space!

5. Lead with your actions, then think about doing the marketing.

Far too often, companies spend too much time buying advertisements and messaging around their positions on social issues before actually doing anything. Image marketing need not be part of the act of doing good work. But, with that said, marketing good work is important, too. Many companies have a huge megaphone that they can use to get consumers to take action around a particular issue. They can also elicit a response from their competitors and other industries.

Related: 6 Ways to Take Your Business from Profit to Purpose

Patagonia is a clear leader, but I think it's safe to say that Patagonia would love to have company. Learn from its ability to walk the walk. It has been active on social media, featuring photos of the national monuments and encouraging its customers to get involved. This has been going on for many months and is a campaign rooted in solid steps to tackle the issue.

In 2017, a leader company must be willing to stand up for something, regardless of your personal political views. After all, what is being a corporate citizen all about?

Related:



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


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GREENWICH  Two women are facing prostitution charges, and a male customer is also facing a charge of patronizing a prostitute, following a police investigation into the Green Health Massage shop on upper Greenwich Avenue.

Police said they had been receiving complaints that the massage shop was conducting prostitution type activities, according to the arrest report.

Police sent an undercover officer, as well as a confidential informant, to the premises and later followed up with arrests late last week. Authorities determined that the workers there were offering manual sexual services, as documented by the undercover officer, the police report stated.

Xue Mei Jiang, 41, of 78th Road, Flushing, Queens, N.Y.; and Yuhong Zeng, 50, of Robinson Street, Flushing, Queens, were charged with misdemeanor counts of prostitution. They were released without bail.

Also charged was Kashif Aqeel, 43, of 110th Ave., Parkland, Florida. He was also released without bail on a charge of patronizing a prostitution. Police said he agreed to pay for a massage and to have sexual contact with the masseuse, according to his arrest report.

The police also notified the town Board of Health.

The case is likely to be passed onto a regional task force on trafficking for review, said police Lt. John Slusarz. Trafficking is a criminal trade in which immigrants are coerced or forced into labor or sex at little or no pay. Slusarz said cases like this were examined by detectives to see if theres more to it.

The massage shop was open Tuesday, and several employees said they were unaware of recent arrests. A note left with employees, requesting comment from management, was not returned.

Soft music plays at the shop, and a row of curtained vestibules are arrayed behind the reception area. A list of prices for massage services, beginning at $40, is placed in the entryway up a flight of stairs from Greenwich Avenue.

Town police made a prostitution bust at a spa on Mason Street in 2011, and police also made arrests at similar operations in Cos Cob and Old Greenwich in past years.
Batali. Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for NYCWFF

Mario Batali has his first on-the-record accuser: Actress Siobhan Thompson, a comedy writer whos appeared on Adam Ruins Everything and CollegeHumors Originals series, says the chef groped her while she was a hostess at Del Posto, the high-end Italian spot that he bragged, just this fall, has an all-woman kitchen. Speaking to CBS This Morning, Thompson tells the show that Batali inappropriately touched her breasts while she was working there.

I worked at Del Posto (his fanciest restaurant in NYC) and can confirm that not only was Mario Batali very handsy, they would often serve us pasta with cut up hot dogs as family meal. Bye bish  https://t.co/nZsXHcpAGq  Siobhan Thompson (@vornietom) December 11, 2017

Thompson is the fifth woman to accuse Batali of misconduct. The first four  three employees who worked for him, and another woman who met Batali at an industry function  spoke anonymously to Eater for this story. Batali hasnt challenged any part of their claims yet.
Justin Bazdarich will open Oxomoco early next year. Photo: Courtesy of Speedy Romeo

Clinton Hills Speedy Romeo is one of those restaurants thats always busy. Its a neighborhood spot with a serious following, which is no doubt why owner Todd Feldman and chef-owner Justin Bazdarich expanded last year with a second location on the Lower East Side. In other words, pizza has been good to Bazdarich, but Bazdarich will put down the pizza peel for his next restaurant, Oxomoco, which hell open early next year at 128 Greenpoint Avenue in, you guessed it, Greenpoint. (His partner in this spot is Chris Walton, a longtime friend who works in commercial real estate in Arizona.)

Speedy Romeos heart is its wood-burning oven and grills, and the menu at Oxomoco  named for the Aztec goddess of the night  will be centered around two wood-fired grills, too. As at his other restaurants, Bazdarich wants to make a big show of the grills and put the fire on display with a menu of what hes calling wood-fired Mexican.

You know you have your al pastor, were kind of taking that approach, Bazdarich says. Marinating a lot of meats, and hitting them on the wood-burning grill so they get that char and texture were looking for  as well as that smoke. Tacos will be the anchor, and Bazdarich is also thinking about bigger dishes like a spice-rubbed rib eye as well as a half-duck dish that could feature confit leg, a tamale made with the confit fat, and grilled breast. More generally, there will be ceviches and guisados (stews), though the final menu, of course, is still being planned.

The space itself used to be a plumbing store, and Bazdarich describes it as being similar to Lilia. Like that restaurant, its a low-slung building and will have sidewalk seating when the weather warms back up. Theres no floor above the restaurant, so Bazdarich and Walton have installed three giant skylights to flood the space with natural light.
Friedman, in 2014. Photo: JP Yim/Getty Images

In a New York Times report published today, ten women accuse restaurateur Ken Friedman of sexual harassment and misconduct, as well as creating a toxic work environment. Since opening the Spotted Pig in 2004, Friedman has been one of the most visible faces of the New York restaurant scene. Friedman worked in the music industry before making a career change to the restaurant world at the age of 40. His most successful restaurants have been those that hes opened with chef April Bloomfield, including the Spotted Pig and the Breslin in New York, as well as Tosca Cafe in San Francisco.

The allegations are detailed and extensive. Natalie Saibel, described as a longtime server, says Friedman ran his hands over her buttocks and then her groin in a room crowded with customers, joking that he was searching her pockets for a forbidden cellphone. Trish Nelson, another server, says Friedman once grabbed her head and pulled it toward his crotch as she knelt to collect some glasses from a low shelf, and in 2012, Friedman invited her into his car to smoke marijuana and almost immediately lunged forward and pushed his tongue into her mouth. According to the Times, Nelson gave notice within days. The report also says that for many women working at Friedmans New York restaurants, unwelcome sexual overtures, verbal and physical, were part of the daily routine.

Women Share Their Experiences With Sexual Assault and Harassment

The allegations follow yesterdays report from Eater accusing Mario Batali  who was an early investor in the Spotted Pig  of sexual misconduct among staffers at his own restaurants. In this latest story, Friedmans employees say they also saw the celebrity chef acting inappropriately. Batali has stepped away from his restaurants. Friedman, meanwhile, released a statement to the Times that reads, in part, I own my behavior which can accurately be described at times as abrasive, rude and frankly wrong. After the story was initially published, Julia Moskin, who wrote the Times story with Kim Severson, reported that Friedman would take an indefinite leave from managing his restaurants.*

In the story, employees also report having turned to Bloomfield for help dealing with Friedman, but according to Nelson, Her response was always the same  Thats who he is. Get used to it. Or go work for someone else.

Bloomfield released her own statement: In the two matters involving uninvited approaches that were brought to my attention over the years, I immediately referred both to our outside labor counsel and they were addressed internally. I have spoken to Ken about professional boundaries and relied on him to uphold our policies. Nonetheless I feel we have let down our employees and for that I sincerely apologize.

The report also details misbehavior in the Spotted Pigs third-floor private dining room, an event space that is often turned over to VIPs, and which employees reportedly nicknamed the rape room.

[L]ate at night, after the first-floor dining room closed and the party moved upstairs, Mr. Friedman made it clear that normal restaurant rules did not apply, several employees said. In the frequently packed room, guests openly groped female servers, who said Mr. Friedman required them to work until parties ended, often after dawn. Ms. Seet, the former manager, said that during a party in 2008, she intervened when she saw on the security camera feed that Mr. Batali, who was drunk, was groping and kissing a woman who appeared to be unconscious.

Employees who spoke with the paper say that Friedmans volatile temper and verbal bullying was a constant issue as well, and that he would subject managers to screaming, profane tirades over minor details like an imperfectly fluffed pillow.

The employees were also reportedly encouraged to report harassment directly to managers, but managers brushed them off and sometimes maintained close relationships with Friedman. As Nelson, the longtime server, tells the Times, Thats whats so broken about this industry, and this situation  The people you are reporting the abuse to are the abusers.

*This post has been updated to include information about Friedmans leave of absence. It has also been edited to show that it was Nelson, not Saibel, who gave notice after an incident with Friedman.




Haiti - Economy : Jovenel Moise met the MEDEF





Yesterday Monday in Paris, the President of the Republic, Jovenel Moise, accompanied by a large delegation of Haitian entrepreneurs, had a working meeting with the France-Central America Caribbean CEOs Board co-chaired by Mr. Jean Philippe Thenoz representative of the France Central America and Caribbean of MEDEF International Central Director Group Business Development as well as Paul Olivier Vice President of the France Central America and Caribbean Council of MEDEF International Director of Development Soget.



Intervening on this occasion, Mr. Jean Philippe Thenoz has located the challenges of this meeting which aims, according to him, to further strengthen French investments in Haiti. He presented for the Haitian delegation all the companies present at this event, companies that, according to him, carry projects and are eager to strengthen their presence in Haiti.



For his part, the Head of State congratulated the members of the Haitian private sector who accompany him to Paris and who took part in this meeting with their counterparts of MEDEF. President Jovenel Moise praised the relevance of the exchanges and the future prospects that have emerged.



During his speech the President of the Republic also recalled the priority sectors of his administration which are the control of surface water, Energy, Environment, agro-industry, tourism, livestock, textile and urban development.



Investing in Haiti, as everywhere else, requires prerequisites, in this sense, the Head of State pointed out that Haiti has just promulgated a set of laws to improve the business climate, facilitate trade and comply with standards international. Many bills, agreements and conventions, including the EPA are under consideration in Parliament. With regard to the EPA, the President indicated that the Haitian Affairs sector is in favor of adopting this text with certain accommodations.



The Head of State emphasized a number of incentives offered by the Haitian State to attract investors in these sectors, among which we can mention:



- The possibility of total exemption from income tax for a period of 15 consecutive years;



- The possibility of obtaining a customs and tax exemption on imports of equipment and materials necessary for the establishment and operation of the enterprise;



- The possibility of exemption from taxes on the payroll;



In this vision and projects that Jovenel Moise presented to the business leaders France-Central America Caribbean of MEDEF International, it is clear that the Haitian government with the new leadership advocates the public-private partnership, the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT), the concessions, which are, in addition to the classic investments of the opportunities win-win for foreign companies and for Haiti.



In conclusion, the President of the Republic of Haiti reiterated his will to work relentlessly to attract foreign direct investment in Haiti and invited the members of the MEDEF to make a prospection visit to Haiti. He mentioned that the Center for Investment Facilitation (CFI) will be there to welcome potential investors and facilitate their approach.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Security : 450 police officers dead under murderous bullets





Mario Andresol, former captain of the Haitian Armed Forces and former Commander-in-Chief of the Haitian National Police (PNH) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19568-haiti-security-mario-andresol-receives-the-international-leadership-award.html reacted strongly in a document on the climate of insecurity in Haiti and the number of police officers who died on duty.



He recalls that "1,118 police officers in total died in the PNH since its inception in 1995, 450 of which fell under the murderous bullets of armed bandits. The institution has lost each year, for 22 years, on average, about fifty police including twenty killed by bullets [...]"



Stressing that if we add to this heavy balance sheet "the number of personalities and private citizens murdered or missing during this same period, we would realize that the State, which must ensure the protection and security of the population, never gave itself the means to try to accomplish this sovereign mission [...]"



He deplores that "the political authorities have always considered as a lost investment any release of funds for the prevention and the repression of the crime [...] to endow the persons in charge of the public force with a budget of operation and reasonable investment enabling them to respond to both immediate security needs and future security challenges. The latter, therefore deprived of sufficient financial means, are still unable to ensure effective management of order and security due to a lack of material capacity for action [...]"



It emphasizes that "the optimization of results in the fight against insecurity can only be achieved if the combined actions of the police and the judiciary are part of a criminal policy [...] the fight against crime requires measures both armed (implemented by the police), criminal (provided by judges), political (government-sanctioned) and legislative (dependent on parliament).



[...] The absence of public security policies makes that the measures and the devices taken by law enforcement officials have so far yielded only short-term results, since insecurity has never been fought in its roots."



Recalling that in the country, in terms of security "for decades and despite the return of democracy and 13 years of presence of the Minsutah in the country, we still have not divorced from these old practices that have given us worth, in time, so many disappointments, so many dead and disappeared..."



Mario Andresol believes that in Haiti "investigations continue only by choice. Because, to a certain extent, the police always end up getting their hands on criminals. Cases of political killings or of opponents arrested for fictitious or real reasons and any other case related to politics, are treated according to the wishes of the Executive. This situation is not new today. The rule of law so much dreamed remains until now utopian [...]"



Concluding "It is time to complete the cycle of all the feelings experienced at the expense of the national self crucified by our ambitions and nourished with willful incompetence. This is the moment of citizen responsibility. This is the moment of sacrifice, of creation. This is the moment of transcendence. At this price alone, we will succeed in getting out of the nets of narcissism and megalomania of our upstarts."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















EPA, State of Hawaii receive Navys Red Hill Fuel Tank upgrade study

News Release from EPA and Hawaii DoH

HONOLULU  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) are reviewing the draft Tank Upgrade Study for the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility as part of a 2015 Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) with the Navy. The Navy study provides in-depth conceptual design information for six upgrade options, but does not recommend one option. EPA, DOH and the Navy will use the study, along with community input and other work produced under the agreement, to select the final upgrade option.

This report provides EPA and DOH with information for us to evaluate as the Navy progresses in upgrading the Red Hill tanks, said Alexis Strauss, EPAs Acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. Work is proceeding under our enforceable agreement with the U.S. Navy as EPA and DOH oversee long-term solutions for the Red Hill facility to protect public health and Hawaiis aquifers.

A public information workshop will be held in spring 2018 to explain the report and allow EPA, DOH and the Navy to respond to questions and concerns from the community. After the workshop, the Navy will propose a tank upgrade option. EPA and DOH will hold a second public meeting about the Navys proposed upgrade decision before approving or disapproving the Navys proposal.

The Red Hill Tank Upgrade Study considered more than 30 different approaches to physical improvements to the tanks. Six of the 30 were ultimately selected for in-depth study and evaluated for 20 factors ranging from construction challenges and cost to inspection and maintenance requirements. Three improvement options use a single-walled tank system and three are double-walled systems.

The Red Hill tank upgrade is an important issue to Hawaii residents, and the AOC outlines a process of careful analysis and decision-making that will result in the most appropriate final outcomes at the facility, said Keith Kawaoka, Deputy Director, Hawaii Department of Health. The Navy has met an important milestone in delivering this assessment of potential tank upgrade options.

The Tank Upgrade Study and the Navys decision process for proposing a tank upgrade option are available for public review and comment at https://www.epa.gov/red-hill/tank-upgrade-alternatives-red-hill. Any questions, comments or concerns related to the Red Hill Facility can be directed to DOH and EPA by sending an e-mail to red-hill@epa.gov or contacting agency representatives identified on our Red Hill websites.

In January 2014, while refilling Tank 5, the Navy identified a loss of jet fuel from the tank and reported it to DOH, estimating that about 27,000 gallons was released. The Navy drained the tank and collected samples from existing water monitoring wells. Results of samples taken around Tank 5 indicated a spike in levels of hydrocarbons. The Navy increased the frequency of monitoring at a nearby Navy drinking water well, and current monitoring results for the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system confirmed they were in compliance with federal and state drinking water standards both before and after the January release.

Red Hill, constructed in the 1940s, is a unique facility in the United States, consisting of 20 underground bulk fuel storage tanks built into a mountain hillside. Each tank is 250 feet tall and 100 feet in diameter, constructed of steel and encased in a minimum of 2.5 to 4 feet of concrete surrounded by basalt bedrock. Each tank has a fuel storage capacity of 12.5 to 12.7 million gallons, giving the facility a maximum capacity of approximately 250 million gallons. Eighteen tanks are currently active, and two are not in use.

For more information, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/red-hill and http://health.hawaii.gov/RedHill.

###
The sources estimate that the long-discussed proposal to de-regulate alcohol retail sales will be passed by a narrow margin of roughly half-a-dozen votes.

The Finnish Parliament is set to allow grocery shops to sell beers and other beverages with a maximum alcohol content of 5.5 per cent, according to sources interviewed by Talouselama and Uusi Suomi.

The vote will not be decided by the distribution of seats between the ruling and opposition parties, as the ruling parties agreed last summer to designate the issue as a matter of conscience. All but one of the nine parliamentary groups have both supporters and opponents of the de-regulation, the Christian Democrats being the only exception with all five of its representatives opposing the proposal.

Related posts: Ruling groups find agreement on alcohol law reform (21 June, 2017)

The reform bill is currently being considered by the Parliaments Social Affairs and Health Committee, which rejected the bill with three members voting for and 13 against in a test vote held last Wednesday.

The committee is expected to present its final report on the bill tomorrow, thus enabling the Parliament to discuss the issue on Thursday.

Juha Rehula (Centre), the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services, predicted last week that the vote will be close and could go either way. Pekka Puska (Centre), in turn, viewed that although most representatives seem to currently support the proposal, they may yet re-consider their position after the plenary session on Thursday.

Talouselama and Uusi Suomi obtained two independent projections of the upcoming vote.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
BRISTOL, Va.  A Chinese-based manufacturer is the new owner of the former Ball Corporation plant, which will be the site of a major economic development announcement later today.

Merchant House International Limited, which is based in Hong Kong, issued a written statement Dec. 7, notifying ASX Limited  Australian Securities Exchange  that it acquired the plant and plans to manufacture textiles there.

Merchant House International Limited wishes to advise that the group has completed the acquisition of a factory in Bristol, Virginia. The factory is planned to manufacture bath towel products, primarily for sale in the U.S. market, according to the statement signed by David McArthur, Merchant House company secretary.

On Friday, Gov. Terry McAuliffes office confirmed that the governor would make an economic development announcement today in Bristol. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., at the former Ball plant on Old Abingdon Highway.

City leaders have refused to answer questions about the plant and its future.

American Merchant Inc., a Virginia corporation that gives its address as Global Advisors in Washington, D.C., is the buildings new listed owner. American Merchant agreed to pay $1.9 million for the manufacturing plant and the land it sits on, city property records show. The transfer occurred Dec. 6 and was recorded Dec. 7.

The group will now start sourcing specialized production equipment for the factory and commence building renovations. The factory is scheduled to open by the end of calendar year 2018, according to the Merchant House notice.

The company expects to invest $19.9 million to get the facility up and running, financed by internal resources and bank borrowings, according to the notice.

Merchant House International operates three factories in China and one in the U.S., a footwear manufacturing facility in Jefferson City, Tennessee, according to information on the companys website.

The Bristol site was chosen due to lower energy costs and adequate supplies of quality cotton at lower prices, according to the notice.

The Ball plant opened in 1971 and previously employed about 250 people before being shuttered in early 2016.
A snow sculpture paying tribute to the 2022 Winter Olympics is expected to make its debut at the 30th Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo on Dec 10.

The 300-meter-long snow sculpture will consist of three parts.

The main portion depicts a girl opening her arms, with an arm span of 40 meters. The head of the girl is the highest point of the whole sculpture at 35-m high. Tourists can climb to the top of the sculpture for a panoramic view of the snow sculpture art expo park.

If completed, the snow sculpture will be the tallest ever created at the expo.

This years snow sculpture also features a snow slide connecting the highest point to the ground. Tourists will have the chance to enjoy the full view of the expo park while sliding down from the top.

The work of carving the snow sculpture began on Dec 4 and it is anticipated that it will be completed on Dec 10.

The 30th Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo will also commence trial operations on the same day, 10 days ahead of its official opening.

A snow sculpture paying tribute to the 2022 Winter Olympics under construction in Harbin Sun Island scenic area. The sculpture is part of preparations for the 30th Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo.[Photo/Chinanews.com]

Chinese artists carve a snow sculpture for the 30th Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo.[Photo/Chinanews.com]

Chinese artists carve a snow sculpture for the 30th Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo.[Photo/Chinanews.com]




The fear of defeat has forced the BJP to abandon the pretence of development and use the communal card to polarise the electorate, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani said here on Monday.

Mevani is contesting as an Independent candidate from north Gujarats Vadgam constituency with support from the Congress.

The BJP, he said, is targeting him on communal lines for receiving a cheque of Rs 50,000 from the Social Democratic Party of India. But it should explain the reason behind the reported rise in fortunes of BJP chief Amit Shahs son Jay Shah, he told PTI in an interview.

If SDPI has links with any terror outfit or jihadi group, then why did Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh or Narendra Modi remain silent all these years? All they have given me is a Rs 50,000 cheque. Should one question this or the 16,000 times rise in Jay Shahs fortunes? he asked.

Mevani was referring to allegations that a company owned by BJP chief Amit Shahs son saw a huge rise in turnover after his party came to power in 2014. The charge was rejected by the BJP and Shahs son, Jay Amit Shah, who termed the story false, derogatory and defamatory.

Mevani, 35, said the BJP is targeting him as it has no agenda in the elections.

These kind of tricks are not going to work. The people of Gujarat know that Jignesh Mevani is a man of impeccable integrity, he said.

According to Mevani, the BJP was betraying nervousness by fielding the entire top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, to campaign against him.

I am confident of winning. In Gujarat, the issue of development has taken a backseat as the ruling BJP is using the communal card as a last resort. It is showing its true colours now. Over the months they will talk of development, but in the last lap they will bare their fangs and brazenly polarise the electorate, he said.

Mevani announced late last month that he was contesting elections as an Independent candidate from the Vadgam constituency of Banaskantha district, prompting the Congress to swiftly withdraw its candidate from the seat, a traditional stronghold of the party.

However, a rebel Congress candidate threw his hat into the ring, raising the possibility of a division of votes of the Dalits and the Muslims.

Initially, that became a problem, Mevani said. However, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhis joint rally with him at Kanodar in Vadgam on Sunday smoothened the creases.

Rahul categorically told Congress workers that they have to work to make the symbol of sewing machine (Jigneshs poll symbol) win. The rebel candidate has no relevance anymore. Initially, there were problems, not any more, he said.

Mevani, who shot to fame after organising movements against atrocities against the community in Una and leading a long march Azadi Kooch demanding land for Dalits, said he was reaching out to all communities in the constituency, including Thakores, Patels and Chaudharys.

I am getting the support of all communities, including Dalits, Muslims and Thakores. I have been reaching out to them separately over the last four days. Every meeting is getting a good response, he said.

On ground, three factors, including the Congress rebels candidature, are working against him. Mevani is being seen as an outsider, since he is from Mehsana and his movement was largely based out of Saurashtra. And there is a possible consolidation of Hindu votes cutting across castes, which may favour the BJP.

Vadgam goes to the polls on December 14, phase two of the elections. The first phase was held on December 9. The votes will be counted on December 18.
As Jignesh Mevanis car nears the meeting at Gola village in Vadgam constituency of Banaskantha district, fireworks go off and gulal rents the air.

Mevani is lifted by the gathered crowd and deposited on the truck-cum-makeshift stage for his 10-minute campaign speech even as women shower flowers on him. Mevani, the third of the generation next triumvirate along with Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakore taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat, represents the Dalits and is contesting as an independent from Vadgam constituency.

Campaigning for the last phase of polling on December 14, Mevani stops at 20-odd villages in his constituency every day. HT accompanied the young activist-turned-lawyer and now politician on five such pit stops on Sunday.

At every venue he is greeted by excited crowds, who backslap, hug and shake hands with him. Mevani mingles with the crowd before taking to the small stage set up under a peepal tree, outside a temple or the village centre. There is little doubt that Mevani is popular among the dominant Dalit and Muslim residents here.

People say this is a safe seat. But, the battle here is between Vadgam and Vadnagar (Prime Minister Narendra Modis home town). I am not just in a straight fight with the BJP candidate...I am in a fight with the BJPs might...its vile electoral machinery and lots of money, Mevani tells HT on route to a rally venue.

Vadgam, a reserved constituency, is a Congress stronghold and demographically a safe bet for Mevani. Out of nearly 2.60 lakh voters, 70,000 are Muslims while around 40,000 are Dalits followed by 30,000 odd Thakores and 5,000 Patidars among others. Mevanis election symbol is a sewing machine.

The symbol, he often tells the crowd, is a bid to stitch vikas (development) that has not just gone crazy but is in tatters in the state. While the Congress is backing Mevanis candidature, its party rebel, Ashwin Parmar, is contesting the polls. Parmar is the son of former Congress MLA Dolat Parmar.

The presence of a rebel, his tag as an outsider and possible consolidation of remaining Hindu votes may test his chances. But Mevani is not deterred.

I dont buy this outsider tag as my community has welcomed me with open arms...I am inspired by this growing consciousness of Dalit rights. What myself, Alpesh or Hardik have been able to do is expose this Gujarat development model that all of us have been victims of, despite contradictions within our different communities, says Mevani.

There is indeed a palpable sense of excitement among Mevanis supporters. At his party office in Vadgam or the headquarters, at a hotel an hour from the constituency, there is a constant queue of visitors.

He is from within our community and it gives us a sense of pride...He is a fantastic orator.. .Have you heard him? asks Vineesh Parmar, a 25-year-old engineer who has taken leave from work in Jamnagar to help out in Mevanis campaign.

In this constituency, our vote counts and we are backing Mevani because we see in him a young leader who is not afraid to take on the system, says Irfan Habib from Gola village. The Gola village Muslim community collected 11,000 for Mevanis campaign.

The BJP on the other hand is counting on Mevanis tag as an outsider and the presence of a rebel candidate to swing the polls.

The BJP candidate, Vijay Chakraborty, is a local former road transport officer, who has also served on the Zilla Parishad as a member.

Mevani is a Dalit icon for media and outsiders but not here. This is a reserved seat so all candidates are from the Dalit community. Our candidate has done work here among the people, as has our party. His (Mevanis) campaign is being run by JNU students and anti-nationals, says Dipak Pandya, head of the BJPs IT cell in Banaskantha.

There are others who feel the Congress may lose a sure seat by not putting up a candidate.

Mevani is an outsider and he is wooing Muslims a bit too much. He is seen as anti-Hindu. If the Congress had put up a candidate he would have won, an independent may not, said Sakharam Modi from Chapi village.

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Dec. 10

Zackary A. Butler, 33, of Wells was arrested at Ruby Avenue and Baker Street for assault. Bail $1,140

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Kelly R. Goff, 39, of Spring Creek was arrested at Hayland and Merino Drive for a rear license plate lamp violation and driving with a suspended drivers license. Bail $470

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Jonathan A. Hurtado, 26, of Elko was arrested at Design Concepts for resisting a public officer, duty upon damaging an unattended vehicle, and driving under the influence above the legal limit. Bail $3,420

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Shawn A. Jeffers, 36, of Elko was under felony arrest at 4155 Del Oro Ave. for possession/receiving/transferring a stolen vehicle over $3,500. Bail $20,000

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Tanner D. Otteson, 18, of Tonopah was arrested at the 300 Block of West Idaho Street as a minor in possession of an alcoholic beverage in public. Bail $355

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Victoria R. Young, 18, of Wells was arrested at the 300 Block of West Idaho Street as a minor in possession and consumption. Bail $355

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Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi predicted on Tuesday a zabardast victory for his party in Gujarat, saying a massive undercurrent against the ruling BJP will reflect in the results.

All sections of society are angry with the BJP that has ruled the state for more than two decades, he said at a press conference on the final day of campaigning for the second phase of voting on Thursday.

This is the first time I am seeing all communities are angry with one government. Patidars, tribals, Dalits and backward communities are all agitating. An atmosphere has developed against the BJP here, he said.

The 47-year-old leader ended his nearly three-month campaign in Gujarat with the 30-minute press conference in which he spoke about a range of issues, including the goods and services tax (GST), demonetisation, unemployment, corruption and farmers plight.

The Congress will win the election....the results will be zabardast, Gandhi said.

He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing predecessor Manmohan Singh and other Congress leaders of conniving with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat assembly elections.

What Modiji said about former prime minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable, he said.

He questioned Modis silence on allegations against BJP president Amit Shahs son Jay Shah, a charge the Gandhi scion raked up repeatedly during his poll rallies, and alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Gandhi said Modi left out corruption from his poll speeches and talked about himself to distract the people. It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption ... about farmers. There is zabardast undercurrent (against the BJP)  Public mood has undergone zabardast change.

He repeatedly used the word zabardast, which means tremendous in Hindi.

The Gujarat contest is seen as a prestige battle for Modi in his home state, where a reinvigorated Congress has sewed up a broad social coalition with prominent Patidar, OBC and Dalit leaders in its bid to unseat the BJP.

The final phase of elections will held in 93 seats spread across 14 districts in northern and central Gujarat. The first phase of voting on December 9 for the 182-member House covered 89 seats. The results will be declared on December 18.

Gandhi, addressing his first media briefing after being elected Congress president, said he would strive to change the nature of political discourse in the country that has become ugly and nasty.

Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is the prime minister of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him, he said.

The poll campaign was marred by personal attacks that reached its peak when Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called Modi neech or lowly. Aiyar was suspended from the party.

On Sunday, Modi sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state, saying some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyars house over dinner on December 6.

Gandhi attacked the NDA government for delaying the winter session of Parliament.

Every year, Parliament opens in November. But this year, Parliament is closed. BJP and Modiji are scared that there might be a debate on Jay Shah and Rafale deal, he said.

He also pitched for balanced development, saying the BJP government gives funds and electricity to industrialists but ignores farmers and small traders and shopkeepers.

We have talked about waiving farm loans and providing better healthcare facilities. The entire focus on the banking system of the BJP is for 10 people. In the last 22 years, you have not supported small traders and shopkeepers of Ahmedabad and Surat, he said.

Gandhi also spoke about his frequent temple visits during campaigning in the state, which the BJP has been questioning.

Is it wrong to go to a temple? ... I visit temples often. I visited many temples in Uttarakhand. I visited Kedarnath temple. Earlier, we used to have rallies in Gujarat. This time we had yatras. So, whenever I got time during these yatras I visited temples on our routes. And it feels good, he said, adding that he prayed for a golden future of Gujarat every time he visited a temple.

On his priority as Congress president, he said it is to strengthen the Congress organisation.

We have taken a big step in Gujarat, which will be seen in elections. My aim is to improve the current political discourse in our country, he said.

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Tuesday marked the end of the 49-day high-decibel campaign for what some experts say will be the closest elections fought for the Gujarat assembly in years. On the last day of campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mixed his characteristic showmanship with the Hindutva-plus-development approach that has worked so well for him and his Bharatiya Janata Party.

He took off in a seaplane from the Sabarmati riverfront, whose development he supervised during his days as chief minister of Gujarat, landed at Dharoi dam, and then drove to the Ambaji temple to offer prayers. He then took the seaplane back.

Along the way, he described the seaplane project as development the Congress couldnt imagine and said his government was developing 103 waterways such as the Sabarmati for use by seaplanes because it wasnt feasible to have airports everywhere.

With the government of India and the government of Gujarat working together, our strength rises manifold. And we will take Gujarat to new heights, the Prime Minister said, highlighting the advantage of having the same party in both the state and the Centre.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who will take over as president of his party on December 16, was confidence personified and said in a press conference in Ahmedabad that the verdict, out on December 18, would be zabardast (tremendous). Gandhi, who has been visiting temples in Gujarat through his campaign in the state, visited the Jagannath temple in the city. Gandhi promised that if elected, his party would ensure uniform development.

The BJP has governed Gujarat for 22 years, but the Congress is hoping to do better this time. In the 2012 assembly elections, the BJP won 119 seats and the Congress 57. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Congress has been supported by the Patidars, led by Hardik Patel, some backward classes, led by Alpesh Thakor, and the Dalits, led by Jignesh Mewani.

It is also hoping to cash in on the agrarian crisis in the state, and angst over last years demonetisation and this years implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, both of which have hit small businessmen in the state. It has promised reservation in government jobs and college seats for the Patidars; the BJP maintains that this reservation promise will not stand legal scrutiny.

Opinion polls give the Congress anything between 37 and 85 seats and the BJP between 92 and 141.

Both Gandhi and Modi have spent a lot of time in Gujarat, as has BJP president Amit Shah. Modi has travelled 30,557 km through the state and held 41 rallies; Gandhi has travelled around 22,000 km and held 140 meetings and rallies. He has also visited 26 temples.

On Thursday, 93 constituencies in Gujarat go to the polls and 22.2 million people will exercise their franchise. In the 2012 election, the BJP won 52 of these and the Congress 39. The remaining 89 constituencies in the 182-member assembly went to the polls last week.

Modis seaplane ride, believed to be the first such in India, captured enough eyeballs on the ground and on news television, although some people pointed to a security advisory that prevents the Prime Minister from using a single-engined aircraft.

A police officer familiar with security protocol for VIPs said on condition of anonymity that there is no rule mandating this, but admitted that there is an advisory to the effect that VIP protectees should preferably fly in twin engine aircraft for domestic travels while during international travels, the aircraft should be equipped with at least three to four engines.

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The Congress on Tuesday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking a seaplane for campaigning in Gujarat, terming it Hawa Hawai and added that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not understand development.

They did not understand development. It is called Hawa Hawai, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet referring to a hit song of Bollywood movie Mr India.

Surjewalas remarks came after the Prime Minister flew by a seaplane from the Sabarmati river front in Ahmedabad to about 180 km Dharoi in Mehsana district on the last day of the election campaign in Gujarat.

The Ahmedabad administration has refused permission both for Modis and Congress leader Rahul Gandhis roadshows in the city.

Modi drew the attention of the people towards the development work done by the BJP, which has ruled Gujarat since 1995. He tweeted: With air, roads and rail connectivity, our government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference head Omar Abdullah, posting a picture of the seaplane waiting at the jetty, wondered how the top security for the Prime Minister had been relaxed for him to take the seaplane.

How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country, he tweeted.
The Dalits of Gujarat are unhappy and angry; their mood is mirrored in their WhatsApp profile photo that shows a stenciled moustache underlined with Mr Dalit written in bold.

The anger stems from an assault this October on a group of Dalit youth near Gandhinagar by Rajput men for sporting moustaches. The assailants said keeping the strip of male hair above the upper lip is a privilege reserved for the upper caste community.

A few days before the moustache attack, a Dalit was fatally assaulted in Anand for daring to watch Garba  the popular dance during Navratri  organised by Patidars.

Prior to this, in 2016, vigilante groups flogged four Dalit men in Una on the suspicion of cow slaughter, an attack that created countrywide uproar.

Attacks on Dalits and scheduled caste people are rampant in most Indian states and steeped in an ancient caste system. Gujarat ranks fifth in crimes against scheduled castes in India and has recorded a 30% rise in such cases from 2015 to 2016.

Dalits arent allowed to enter temples in most Gujarat villages and their children are served government-sponsored lunch separately in many schools, Dalit rights activists Martin Macwan alleged.

Dalits are treated as untouchable, but their vote was never untouchable, he said.

The atrocities propped up Dalit activists such as Jignesh Mevani, who is contesting this years Gujarat assembly polls from Vadgam in Banaskantha district, about 500km from Una.

The Congress-backed independent candidate is drawing support from Dalits and Muslims. Together, Dalits and Muslims constitute about 100,000 of the 250,000 voters in Vadgam.

Whether Mevani wins or loses, people are talking about Dalits for the first time in recent elections, said retired school teacher Bharatbhai Mewada. The community has made its presence felt.

In Mangrol assembly constituency of Junagadh district, a group of three young Dalit voters accused the BJP of letting the community down. You make a Dalit the President of India and dont stand by the community when they face atrocities by people close to your ideology, said Rajesh Gohel, in his 20s.

Gujarats Dalits had their share of limelight when the Congress was in power in the state more than two decades ago. But their influence waned after the Congress rule ended in 1995.

Dalits, led by Jignesh Mevani (centre), during a protest march in Ahmedabad. (Siddharaj Solanki/HT File Photo)

The scheduled castes dont matter much numerically as they make up just 6.74% of the states 60 million-plus population.

There are 3,100 villages and towns that have a scheduled caste population of 250 and above.

These contain more than 50% of the states 4 million-plus scheduled caste population.

But they are so sparsely distributed that they are a minuscule minority in most of the assembly constituencies. Still their vote counts, especially to squeeze out of a tight contest.

The scheduled castes continue to share an uneasy relationship with dominant communities such as Patidars, who have been the BJPs main support base in Gujarat, said Dr Gaurang Jani, an associate professor at the School of Social Sciences, Gujarat University. The BJP never made any serious effort to win over this community in Gujarat  They are numerically insignificant and socially non-aligned to the BJP, Jani said.

According to political scientist Ghanshaym Shah, the Congress remained the first choice of these voters.

A post poll survey by Lokniti and the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, shows 65% of the scheduled caste votes went to the Congress in 2012. The BJP got 23%. But the result was different. Of 13 assembly seats reserved for scheduled castes, the BJP won 10 and the Congress took three.

Click here for full coverage of Gujarat elections 2017

BJP strategists attributed the outcome to overwhelming support from communities that are not scheduled castes.

The BJP is counting on every vote to achieve its mission-150 in Gujarat, having won 115 seats in the 182-member assembly in the 2012 polls. It has tried to win over Dalits with government schemes and social outreach programmes.

The BJP government moved swiftly to undo the Una damage and announced to set up 16 special courts for speedy trials of cases relating to atrocities against the Dalits and Adivasis.

But Dalit rights activists Martin Macwan believe Una still rankles. This election would be a different story, he said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modis comments against his predecessor Manmohan Singh over a dinner meeting with Pakistani diplomats were unacceptable, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi said in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

The prime minister had insinuated that Manmohan Singh was colluding with Pakistan in the Gujarat polls. The former premier responded by saying Modi was setting a dangerous precedent and asked him to apologise to the nation.

What Modiji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable, Gandhi said at a press conference on the final day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

He said the prime minister had refrained from speaking on corruption during the campaign in his home state.

Modi, Gandhi added, had remained silent on allegations against BJP president Amit Shahs son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

PM Modiji has not spoken a word about corruption. He is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal, he said.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits, Gandhi said, when asked the reason behind his frequent temple visits in the poll-bound state.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

The Congress leader also said he was confident that his party would win the elections in the state.

We are confident that Congress will win in Gujarat, Gandhi said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state. He claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyars house over dinner on December 6. This was a day before Aiyars neech jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.
Aa na ma dam che. Manjuri vagar pan nikli pade (He has mettle. He is out even without permission), says an onlooker pointing at Patidar leader Hardik Patels cavalcade, as it enters Ghatlodia in Ahmedabad.

Amid the half-kilometre-long convoy, the 24-year-old quota crusader and convener of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) is perched on top of a luxury SUV. Jay Bhavani, he greets a sea of young supporters on bikes, who reply instantly, BJP javani(BJP will be out).

As campaigning for the second and last phase of voting ends on Tuesday, Hardik held a day-long road show through Ahmedabad on Monday even though the administration had not issued a clearance for the show.

Bikers waving the blue-red flag of the PAAS, led the show. Starting from Ghuma  the western edge of the city  the rally covered 12 of the 21 constituencies in Ahmedabad city, including Naranpura and Ghatlodia, represented by former CM Anandiben Patel and BJP chief Amit Shah respectively.

We had not given permission to Hardik Patel to hold the roadshow in Ahmedabad, but from the kind of rally that has been taken out by his supporters in the city area we do see that it is violation of the condition and we will take legal action, Ahmedabad police commissioner AK Singh had said. Hardik was later issued permission for the show.

Authorities had also denied permission to Tuesdays road shows of PM Modi and Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi.

In the next phase, when Ahmedabad goes to the polls, we have a chance to reply to the atrocities unleashed on you in constituencies like Nikol, Ghatlodia, Naranpura. There are such 12 constituencies where Patidars were killed and beaten, said Hardik addressing the gathering.

He was referring to the youth killed during protests for quota in August 2015. The PM has been addressing many rallies. But there is no mention of development. Instead, he refers to Pakistan..., he said, adding, I am neither related to the Congress or the BJP. But those who have killed our brothers are my enemies.
In a major embarrassment to the state government a police team conducted a raid at minister of state for general administration department (GAD) Lal Singh Arya at his official bungalow at Char Imli here to arrest him. However, the minister was not found at his bungalow.

The raid was conducted by the police team from Bhind in compliance with Bhinds special courts arrest warrant issued against the minister in connection with murder of the then Congress MLA Makhan Lal Jatav in 2009.

We are searching for Lal Singh Arya in compliance with an arrest warrant against him wherever he may be present. The team which has gone to Bhopal to arrest him is yet to give a report to me about the result. Earlier, we conducted a search at his residences in Gwalior and Gohad, said Prashant Khare, superintendent of police, Bhind.

Arya is one of the accused in Congress MLA Makhan Lal Jatav murder case who was shot dead during electioneering for 2009 Lok Sabha election. He represented Gohad (SC) assembly seat in Bhind district having defeated Lal Singh Arya in 2008 assembly elections. After his murder his son Ranvir Jatav won the by-poll held for the seat in September 2009. Arya comes from the same district and is now representing Gohad constituency in the state assembly.

Arya attended the first day proceedings of the state assembly during its winter session on November 27. Since then he was not seen in public. Opposition Congress MLAs disrupted House proceedings several times during the session demanding his sacking from the cabinet. Recently, high court Gwalior bench dismissed his anticipatory bail application.

The state government spokesperson Narottam Mishra couldnt be reached for his comments. However, a senior officer in Mantralaya said on the condition of anonymity that the police action had caused a major embarrassment to the state government. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan must take a decision on Aryas fate immediately to avoid further damage to his and the governments image in view of the Oppositions attack on the issue.

Earlier, in a stepped up attack on the ruling party in general and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in particular on the issue NSUI activists pasted posters at several places in Bhopal declaring minister as a fugitive.

Wanted- Shivraj Singh ke lal mantri Lal Arya is what was printed on the posters above the photo of Arya who has been evading arrest for several months in connection with the murder case. An announcement was also made through the posters to give a reward of Rs 500 to the person who would give information on Arya.

The NSUI activists pasted posters at Habibganj police station, state BJP headquarters and several other places taking the BJP by surprise.

We had no other option but to paste the posters. Police dont want to arrest the minister despite courts arrest warrant against him. The raids by police at the residence of the minister in Gwalior is nothing but a sham, said Vivek Tripathi, state spokesperson of NSUI.

The NSUI has done this at the instructions of its leaders who believe in a feudal mindset and want to insult a dalit leader like Lal Singh Arya by putting up such posters in public. Their act also shows that they consider themselves above the law, said Rajneesh Agrawal, state BJP spokesperson.
Actor Dia Mirza, who has recently been appointed as the UN Goodwill Environment Ambassador for India, met Die Another Day actor Halle Berry when the Hollywood star visited Mumbai last month. Berrys India visit was kept under wraps and fans got to know only when she posted a picture of her strolling on the streets of Mumbai.

Talking about her conversation with Berry, Dia, who met her at an event, says, We talked about a lot of things... how, as actors, we have powerful voices that can lead to social change, and how we are blessed with the opportunity to make a positive social impact. We also spoke about how, as actors, we are capable of doing so much more than just acting. She adds, We discussed the ridiculousness of certain political leaders who refuse to believe that climate change is real.

All praise for Berry, she says, It was remarkable to have a conversation like that with someone [from] across the globe who has such an extraordinary body of work. We both agreed that our profession has given us the chance to pursue a life of diversity, which gives us access to different growth aspects.

The world is getting smaller and girls are owning their place. @ananya_birla and I with the most amazing @halleberry today! What a warm,

intelligent, gracious woman  India loves you Halle! Cant wait to have you back. It was such a joy speaking with you! pic.twitter.com/qdcW0ILW5B  Dia Mirza (@deespeak) November 9, 2017

Talking about her new role as Environment Ambassador for India, Dia says that shes enjoying the responsibility. I have always been a natures child, so its a wonderful and gratifying opportunity, and I am deeply invested in it. I will get to meet many incredible minds from across the world who have been working on sustainable innovation. My pursuit to evolve as a human being is deeply connected to the environment, says the actor, who rose to fame with Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein (2001). Dia will next be seen in the much-awaited biopic on actor Sanjay Dutts life.

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Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif-starrer Tiger Zinda Hai, brings the stars together five years after they were last seen in Kabir Khans Ek Tha Tiger. The new films director Ali Abbas Zafar has said the actors share such a comfortable chemistry off screen that it blooms on camera.

Both of them are so comfortable with each other off-screen that as soon as a little bit padding from a scene or song happens, their chemistry blooms on camera. I think that is an asset for a director because I dont need to push for it too much., Zafar said.

A film about two spies -- one Indian and the other Pakistani -- is largely a story about humanity, the director has said. He also said handling sensitive topics can be a double-edged sword these days. Even at the best of times, tackling a movie with Indian and Pakistani protagonists can be tricky. How did he handle it? The film is a very human story... it is not political at all. The idea is that when there is a fight between right and wrong, what is at stake is humanity. And theres nothing bigger than humanity, Zafar said.

Given the current times, theres a question mark on the creative freedom of filmmakers in India, especially when it comes to sensitive topics. What does he have to say on that? Its a double-edged sword, he said.

As a filmmaker and a creative person, I need to be sensitive to what is happening around me. I always personally think that no matter what happens, everything can be solved through dialogue. We should not take ourselves too seriously. At the end of it, it is a film... We work because of our conviction... at the same time it should not offend anyone.

Tiger Zinda Hai is the sequel to the 2012 actioner Ek Tha Tiger, which was directed by Kabir Khan. The film featured superstar Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif as Indian and Pakistani agents, and the two stars are back on-screen after five years in the same roles.

Working on the sequel, produced by Yash Raj Films, has been challenging for Zafar.

But we are hopeful that the second part is going to live up to expectations. The story is the most important aspect of the film. Of course, Salman and Katrina are there. Both of them came on board after hearing the story, and they said that irrespective of whether it was a sequel or not, we had to do the film, he said.

Zafar describes Salman as a directors actor. He has given me what I have required from him and he has worked really hard to make the film look a certain way, he added of the film, which is said to be laced by some stunning action sequences.

The films visual appeal itself will be enhanced by the picturesque destinations in Austria, Greece, Morocco, Abu Dhabi and India, where it has been shot.

Admitting that it is a big budget film, Zafar said: I dont know the exact number. But it is bigger than Sultan (his last film). We were very clear -- both Aditya Chopra and I -- that a story like this can only look real and authentic if we pay attention to the details and for that you need a certain amount of budget.

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Sunny Leone has emerged as the frontrunner to play legendary actor Meena Kumari in a biopic, after Vidya Balan turned down the role, according to a report by Bombay Times.

The report quotes director Karan Razdan as saying that while Sunny is an unexpected choice to play the screen icon, she expressed the most enthusiasm to jump on board the project.

I think the only one, who is courageous enough and said to me, When can we start this film?, has been Sunny Leone. I have narrated it to Madhuri and Vidya but it didnt work out for one reason or the other. Sunny came along, she said she had heard about this film and wanted me to narrate it. I met her at her house, had a long narration. I dont know... She is not the ideal choice, I would say. But she was the most enthusiastic about doing the role. I guess, she also saw this as her big chance. said Razdan.

According to the report, Balan turned down the film because shes looking for a lighthearted project after finding success with her latest movie, Tumhari Sulu.

Razdan said, I narrated her something but at the moment she is wanting to do something thats non-serious. She has had too much of serious stuff. We spoke at length. Maybe tomorrow, I may have that kind of script for her. But at the moment, I wanted her to play the role of an actress of the 1960s. The film dealt with alcoholism and tragedy.

Meena Kumari was known as the Tragedy Queen of Bollywood and starred in several cult films such as Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Pakeezah, Mere Apne, Aarti, Baiju Bawra, Parineeta and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai.

She died at the age of 38 after battling alcoholism and a deteriorating health.

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SPRING CREEKStudents from the Spring Creek Christian Academy participated in the most recent seasonal antelope round-up led by the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The kids assisted in the capture and handling of the antelope for processing, said NDOW game warden Jason Jackson. We were able to weigh and tag some 40 animals. Although the students from SCCA assisted with 40 animals, according to Jackson, approximately 100 animals were captured and processed during the day-long operation.

The Nevada antelope were ultimately transported to Washington state to be introduced into their herd population. The main reason for the redistribution of antelope away from Nevada lands is because of the recent burning of habitation and vegetation needed to sustain the animals throughout the winter.

With winter coming, officials believe it would be beneficial to thin the antelope population and for the animals to live in different regions. By limiting the herds, officials say the antelope that remain in Nevada will thrive and increase in population.

Jackson says the antelope round up is typically done in the winter months if at all. However, along with the round-up with SCCA students this fall, NDOW will likely host another winter antelope capture and release in January.
Indian conglomerate Adani Enterprises said on Tuesday it would adjust to any constraints placed on its A$16.5 billion ($12.4 billion) coal mine project in Australia after seeing a government loan vetoed by the Queensland state premier.

Adani planned to use the A$900 million loan from the federal government to help build a 400 km (250 mile) rail line to connect its proposed Carmichael coal mine with a Pacific Ocean port in Queensland.

The states premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said she would make good on an election promise to veto the loan to Adani immediately after being formally sworn in on Tuesday for a second term. The loan was to come under the federal governments Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) programme.

A number of other lenders, including Deutsche Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and two Chinese state banks, have already said they will not provide funding for the Adani coal mine project, given the opposition to investment in fossil fuels.

Adani Australia will now fully consider and adjust to the constraints the veto of NAIF funding brings, Adani said in a statement emailed to Reuters, without providing further details.

Adani Australia is 100 percent committed to Queensland, we have a strong regional Queensland presence. This will not change, Adani said.

Palaszczuk, who long supported Adanis application for the loan in the face of widespread political and environmental opposition, reversed her position early in her campaign, after anti-Adani protesters turned up at many of her appearances.

The NAIF funds would have come from the federal government, but Palaszczuk as premier retains the power of veto over applications made for projects inside her state.

The federal loan would have amounted to only a fraction of the overall cost of constructing the mine, but was seen as a first step in reaching financial close on a project delayed for years by environmental opposition.

($1 = 1.3282 Australian dollars)
Apple Inc., the maker of iPhones, is now within touching distance of crossing $2 billion in sales from India, although the worlds most valuable technology company faced significant headwinds late last year because of the impact of demonetization, which slowed down the pace of its growth in the country and hurt sales.

According to documents posted with the Registrar of Companies on Tuesday, Apple India Pvt. Ltd posted sales of Rs 11,619 crore ($1.8 billion) for the year ended March 2017, compared with Rs9,937 crore in the year-ago periodwhich translates to a 17% growth in a country, which Apple globally has termed as one of its fastest growing markets.

In the preceding 12 months ended March 2016, Apple India had reported a growth of 53%.

Apple declined to comment for this story.

Apple did not disclose a reason for the slowdown in the pace of growth in India, although experts tracking Apple attributed it to two reasons.

Firstly, the governments decision to ban large currency notes late last year had a significant impact on the sales of Apple and other competitors like Samsung. Post demonetisation, consumer spending plummeted and shoppers largely stayed away from buying high-value items such as smartphones. Online retailers such as Flipkart and Amazon India had also witnessed a slowdown in the sale of smartphones late last year after the governments demonetization drive.

Secondly, the large base effect seems to be catching up with Apple in Indiawhile the company rapidly reached its first billion dollars of sales in the country, generating the next few billion dollars of sales will prove to be trickier for the company in a price-conscious country.

There may have been a third reason for Apples modest growth in 2016-17according to Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research, the mix of older generation smartphones such as the 4S and 5S models may have contributed to a fall in the average selling prices (ASPs), and thus a fall in the rate of growth.

Last year, older generation iPhones like 4S and 5S entered the mix for Apple and sold very well. For consumers, who are used to seeing Apple models at a minimum price of $400, those older generation iPhones proved to be very appealing. What happened as a result was that it brought down the overall ASPs for Apple, and thus the slowdown in the pace of growth, said Pathak.

Two Apple executives, who declined to be identified, also pointed out that while Apple posted a lukewarm 17% growth in 2016-17, the company has generated an additional $1 billion of revenue since the year ended March 2015, when it first crossed the $1-billion mark in India.

Apple counts India as one of its most important markets globally and has launched a slew of initiatives in the country over the past two years, including production and manufacturing of iPhones. Apple has already started initial production of its iPhone SE model in Bengaluru and has started shipping the models to local customers. In February, the government of Karnataka had announced Apples proposal to start manufacturing operations in Bengaluru. The phones are being manufactured for Apple by Wistron, a Taiwanese original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

In recent calls with investors, Apple chief executive Tim Cook has also emphasized the importance of India to the company, with revenues from India more than doubling during the September quarter.

Revenue from emerging markets outside of greater China was up 40%, with great momentum in India, where revenue doubled year over year, said Apple chief executive Tim Cook in a post-earnings conference call with investors in November.

I feel like were making good progress there and are gaining understanding of the market, but we still have a long way to go, which I sort of see as an opportunity instead of a problem. And I do feel great about the growth rate. And so thats India, added Cook.

Apple is planning to launch more new initiatives in India in the near term, including its payments service Apple Pay, according to a top company executive.

At the Apple level, India is an incredible opportunity... because what were seeing is huge advancements in digitization, bypassing older technologies to newer technologies and we think that we have a really great product that can help move things even faster. And thats the reason Im here, thats the reason (CEO) Tim (Cook) came here before. Thats the reason why Tim will be back and I will be back. We view this as a very long-term opportunity but with very short-term gains that we can have here, said Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue in a 16 October interview.
In a setback to Indias energy giant Adani, the newly-elected Queensland government has vetoed a plan to give a 900-million dollar concessional loan for the construction of a rail line in the controversy-hit Carmichael coal mine project in Australia.

The Adani group had applied for the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) loan worth 900 million dollars for building the 388-km rail line to connect the major coal mine to the sea port.

The 16.5 billion dollar Carmichael coal mine project is one of the worlds largest.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, after being sworn in, wrote to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to veto an almost $1 billion concessional loan for the Adani mine, Brisbane Times reported.

She also tweeted a photo of her letter, fulfilling a major poll promise she had made during the election campaign to put a stop to the NAIF loan on her first day.

As I committed during the election campaign, I have today written to the Prime Minister exercising Queenslands veto over any NAIF funding for the Adani rail line, she said in a tweet.

Earlier last month after reports of conflict of interest emerged, Palaszczuk said her government will exercise its veto to not support the NAIF loan to remove doubt about any perception of conflict.

Meanwhile, an Adani Australia spokesperson said in a statement that the company will now fully consider and adjust to the constraints the veto of NAIF funding brings.

We would not be investing our time, money and energy in this manner if our projects were not viable and if we were not serious about delivering our projects which will ultimately generate more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs across all of our projects, the statement said.

Adani Australia currently employs over 800 people and has invested over 3.3 billion dollar in Queensland, which is one of the biggest investments by an Indian company in Australia, it said.

We congratulate Premier Palaszczuk on her governments election and look forward to working closely and cooperatively with the state and federal governments and regulatory authorities as we get on with the job of making all of our projects a reality.

In particular, the Carmichael Mine has been verified by independent third parties to be in the first quartile of the cost of production in the global cost curve for seaborne thermal coal, the statement said.

The projects are viewed in a positive light by the Queensland government and considered as critical infrastructure investments, it said, adding that the projects continue to retain the support of the Queensland government.

Adani Australia is 100 per cent committed to Queensland.

Adani Australias Carmichael Mine and associated infrastructure, along with all of our Australian projects, will strengthen the relationship between Australia and India, creating even more opportunities for trade and jobs into the future, the statement added.

Earlier this month, Chinas two major state-run banks said they have no plans to finance the Carmichael coal mine project.

The Carmichael project, expected to create hundreds of jobs in Australia, has been facing opposition from environmentalists and indigenous groups.

The Indian energy giant has for over five years battled the opposition to any expansion of the Abbot Point port, saying it will cut into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

The Adani group entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, and the Abbot Point port near Bowen in the north.
Reliance Industries Ltd is holding internal talks for listing its telecom unit Jio by late 2018 or early 2019, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people it did not identify.

Reliance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jio has upended Indias wireless market with free services initially and later through disruptive pricing since it began operations in September last year. It has added customers faster than rivals and triggered a price war in the highly competitive market.

Reliance, controlled by Indias richest man Mukesh Ambani, has pumped more than $30 billion into Jio.

Jio, the fourth-biggest player in the sector with 146 million customers as of end-October, reported a loss of 2.71 billion rupees ($42.1 million) for its fiscal second quarter to end-September.

Internal discussions about Jios listing are at a preliminary stage, Bloomberg said.

($1 = 64.4250 Indian rupees)
Walk along the Azadpur back lanes in north Delhi at night and youre bound to run across weary day labourers settling in for some shut-eye. On the pavement, or perhaps on the creaky carts they hauled around until a few hours ago.

This scenario isnt much different from the lives of day labourers anywhere else in our city. Except, perhaps, for one crucial item: the mobile phone.

One lazy Sunday afternoon, we bumped into Surya Lal Maurya in an alley where he had just finished some off-duty chores, like laundry. He was kind enough to explain why his phone is important.

I often call my wife Sushila on WhatsApp back home (in UP) because its free! He also uses it to view photos of his two boys Ankit and Rohit. My first phone was a keyboard walla Nokia, he says, adding that though he had no phone at all when arriving in Delhi 12 years ago. Weeks would pass by before the family heard from him, But now I send photos to Sushila almost daily. I tell her Im fine, and she does the same.

Mr Maurya deploys a sturdy handset which he bought for Rs 6,000 five years ago. Its my constant companion. At bedtime, hes liable to fall asleep while listening to Mohammed Rafi crooning on YouTube.

So is the phone a source of comfort when he gets homesick? Mr Maurya looks startled and smirks. He points out that Im nobodys slave! When I want to go home I just head for the station and take the train.
Dehradun

Four statehood activists, who were on a fast-unto-death demanding that Gairsain be made the capital of the state, were forcibly shifted to Dehradun and admitted at a city hospital.

Though the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised to make Gairsain as the summer capital of the state, the government, however, did not make any commitment on the issue during the winter session that concluded at Gairsain last week, following which a group of statehood activists continued with the fast.

Praveen Singh from Delhi, Ram Krishna Tiwari from Rishikesh, Mahesh Chandra Pandey from Bageshwar and Vinod Juglan from Rishikesh undertook a padyatra from Nainital to Gairsain, demanding that the hill town be declared as Uttarakhands permanent capital and setting up a separate department to monitor prohibition of liquor in the state.

The Gairsain administration late on December 10 picked the four activists and brought them to Dehradun where they were admitted at the Doon hospital.

Barring Tiwari, who ill, the activists said they will be continuing the fast until the government accepts their demands.

We want the state government to make Gairsain the permanent capital so that offices ofthe chief secretary, the director general of police shifted to the hill town and people of the hills can approach officials with their grievances, said Praveen Singh, who is continuing the fast unto death from his hospital bed.

Senior BJP leader and statehood activist Ravindra Jugran said the government should consider the demand of making Gairsain the capital of state.

Be it migration from the hills or uneven distribution of services--everything will be under control once capital is shifted to Gairsain, he said.

We fail to understand why the government is hesitant when no one is opposing the idea.
Dehradun: Apprehensions have been expressed over the level of investments pouring into Uttarakhand after the end of the concessional package to industries in year 2010. It was being said that the industries would move out of Uttarakhand in absence of tax holiday, but the recent moves of the state government seem to have beckoned many investors to the state.

The investment in the industrial estates of Uttarakhand has touched Rs 30,000 crore. The state government has been saying that they are making all efforts to attract new investment.

General manager of State Infrastructure and Industrial Department of Uttarakhand Limited (SIIDCUL),

SL Semwal said that investment is pouring into the state and some textile companies from China have shown interest in setting up units in Sitarganj. He pointed out that the state government was giving single window clearance to the industrialists which was instrumental in pumping investment to Uttarakhand. This is one of the first cylinder manufacturing units set up in the industrial estate and we hope that this would give a big boost to the manufacturing sector of Uttarakhand, said Semwal.

It is noteworthy to mention that a Gorakhpur based industrialist had applied in 2015 for setting up a fabrication industry in Sitarganj area. Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited have been approved of the cylinders manufactured by the company that would be filled with LPG gas for commercial use. The unit has been linked with the Startup India scheme of the state government that promotes startups and entrepreneurs. The cylinders manufactured by this unit have been approved after due testing and it is being said, that they would be supplied to Indian LPG supplying companies as well as companies in some countries in the SAARC nations.
An Afghan national was detained at the international airport in New Delhi for unknowingly leaving the terminal building without an Indian visa, officials said on Tuesday. The incident triggered security concerns as no passenger can exit without clearing the immigration formalities.

A senior immigration official confirmed the incident at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport but refused to give any other detail.

A source at the airport said the passenger arrived in Delhi on November 30 by SpiceJets flight SG 022 to further travel to Beijing by Air China flight and that he was supposed to go to the international transfer area.

But by mistake, he approached the immigration counter and was allowed to leave without stamping the passport. He exited the terminal building and entered again by showing the Beijing ticket. After the security check, he gave documents at the immigration counter and the officials found that he did not have an Indian visa, the source said.

He was allowed to leave after a scrutiny revealed that it was the fault of immigration officials, who let him go when he arrived from Kabul.

The SpiceJet officials were called and CCTV footage was scanned to understand the sequence (of events). The intention of the passenger was not wrong and he was cleared but between all this, he missed the flight, the source added.

This was not the first time a foreign national raised security concerns at the airport.

A woman was detained by immigration officials on suspicion that she was using a fake passport in October but she managed to escape without anyone noticing. The immigration official asked her to wait but when she sensed that she was not being watched, she left.

In a similar incident in July, a national of Guinea Bissau sneaked out of the Delhi airport after being detained by immigration official for travelling without a visa.

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Cornered by two men with a gun on a dark stretch of road, Delhi industrialist Saurabh Gupta played it to the wishes of his abductors to save his life. The two men on bike had been riding along his car, near his shop in Paschim Vihar, and when Gupta stopped to ask them why they were doing so, they first tried to put a handkerchief on his mouth and then took out a gun.

Despite being in his senses, Gupta pretended to faint to make sure that the kidnappers did not shoot at him.

I would be dead had I not pretended to faint. They had forced me to sniff a solution soaked handkerchief. A gun was pointed to my head. One mistake and I was gone. I pretended to fall unconscious, said Gupta, the owner of a retail electronics chain, recalling the beginning of his over 30-hour-long ordeal.

Gupta, who is the owner of Delhis largest electronics stores, was rescued by the Delhi Police after he was abducted by two men  one of whom is his former employee.

It was ill-fated from the start. I did not take my usual route from my Paschim Vihar showroom to Karampura home that night . I chose a shorter route that I rarely take. Less than a kilometre away from my shop, I found two men on a bike next to my car, Gupta told HT after his rescue on Monday.

Remembering how he was taken, Gupta said one of the men put his hand inside the open window of his car and tried to force him to sniff the handkerchief. As the police would later find out, a pain killer was sprayed on the cloth to make the victim lose consciousness. Initially, I tried to fight with them but one of them put out a pistol to my head. I had to do something and pretended to fall unconscious.

Gupta said it was nearly after an hour and a half that they finally stopped the car and took him inside a room where they locked him and went away.

I managed to free myself and removed the mask too. They had taken off all the light bulbs and sealed the windows and all other gaps with cardboard. It was impossible to make night from day as I would realize the next morning i.e. on Sunday when they came to wake me up. They tied my legs again and left soon. All the time they spent there they only murmured and I could not understand what were they talking about, said Gupta.

Only once was he allowed to talk to his family and his conversations with the accused were also limited. As Sunday progressed, they tried to open up a conversation but Gupta said he was measured in his responses, fearing further trouble.

They offered me food and water also but I refused as I suspected they had spiked it, said Gupta.

It was not till Monday morning that he could heave a sigh of relief. One of them came to me 15 minutes before the police raid, asking what had I done as his (kidnappers) family members were being questioned at a police station. I said I was clueless as my phone was with them all along, said Gupta.

Then the raid happened and both Manish and Singh were arrested. Gupta said he vaguely remembers how the police team came to the house and rescued him. He said he did not remember Manish, his kidnapper who once worked for him.

 We employ around 800 people. It gets difficult to keep track of each one of them, said Garg.
The owner of one of Delhis largest electronics stores chain was kidnapped on Saturday night from near his shop in Jwalakheri Market in Paschim Vihar. The police rescued the businessman from a house in Nilothi in outer Delhis Nihar Vihar area on Monday morning, arresting the two accused  one of whom is an ex-employee of the victim.

Police said the two kidnappers  Satnam Singh and Manish (goes by his first name)  had demanded a ransom of Rs 5 crore. Investigators told Hindustan Times that the accused duo had suffered losses in business and wanted to recover money quickly by committing the crime.

They had rented a room in Nilothi for 15 days to keep the victim, 28-year-old Saurabh Gupta, hostage. The kidnappers had given Guptas family time till Monday afternoon to pay the ransom. They had threatened to kill Gupta, if the money was not paid.

The police claimed to have cracked the case in nearly 30 hours without a single penny being paid to the kidnappers.

DCP (outer district) MN Tiwari said Gupta was abducted on his way home from near his west Delhi showroom at around 9.30pm on Saturday. He was taken to a rented house in Nilothi village in outer Delhi in his own car. Police said he was held hostage in that house as the two men used his phone to make several ransom calls to his family.

Explaining the sequence of events, Tiwari said, Soon after the victim left his shop in Paschim Vihar, he saw two men on a motor cycle riding next to his car. He stopped to check what the matter was. The accused first tried to force him sniff something, which led to a brief scuffle. The two then overpowered Gupta at gunpoint. They tied his hands, feet and covered his face before throwing him on the backseat of his car, said Tiwari.

Tiwari said the men took a circuitous route to Nilothi, even crossing over to Haryanas Bahadurgarh and made a call from his phone telling his family members that he was safe. Police said this was done to mislead investigators. After this, Satnam and Manish made 5-6 more calls to Guptas home on Sunday, negotiating the ransom amount and finally agreeing for a payment of Rs. 2.5 crore, the DCP said.

As the family agreed, they also warned them against telling the police about the abduction. The family, however, sought our help and we had to be discreet about our probe because had they known about police looking for them, they could have murdered Gupta, the senior police officer said.

Read: How kidnapped Delhi businessman played smart, kept calm to save his life

The officer refused to disclose how they nabbed the kidnappers but said that investigators took help of technical surveillance of the cell phones. Police sources said calls to Guptas family were made from his phone, which helped them trace the location of the call.

Some sources, however, said that the police had already identified the accused duo and had picked up their family members for questioning. Through the family members, the police passed on messages to the abductors forcing them to give up their location.

During interrogation the two revealed that they had conducted a recce at the victims shop visiting there several times. Both the accused had not been successful in their business and wanted quick money. Manish was previously employed in a godown owned by Gupta at Karol Bagh nearly five years ago, said Tiwari.
ELKO  Detectives with the Elko Sheriffs Office responded to a report of a person being accidentally shot in a hunting accident Saturday morning at South Fork Road and Jiggs Highway.

When detectives arrived on the scene, the ambulance was present and had treated the victim of the shooting. Kevin Vella was one of four hunters pursuing coyotes that morning when Jamie Salazar accidentally shot Vella, according to Elko County Sheriffs Office preliminary reports.

What happened is the four were set up to hunt the coyotes and calling them in, said Undersheriff Ron Supp. The coyotes then started to come behind [Salazar] and he took a shot. The two other guys were in line with him, but he didnt know where [Vella] was.

All four hunters were reportedly wearing camouflage during the incident, which occurred around 9 a.m.

Salazar shot Vella with a .223 caliber rifle, and reported the incident to the Elko Sheriffs Office. Vella sustained injuries to his arm.

The investigation is ongoing as detectives continue to collect statements and evidence.
Nepals Left alliance  a conglomeration of former Maoists and Communists  is certain to form the next government in Kathmandu. The rival centrist Nepali Congress alliance of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, comprising Madhesi parties and former royalists, is not likely to pose much of a challenge. This means that after a change of 10 administrations in as many years, Nepal could finally get a stable government.

While this is good news for Nepal, which has been hobbled by corruption, poor economic growth and a breakdown in infrastructure following the 2015 earthquake, it is causing considerable disquiet in India. The likely return to power of former Nepal prime minister KP Oli, whose relations with New Delhi have been fraught and who is seen as close to China, suggests that there could be a shift in geo-strategic policy in the Himalayan nation. Nepal serves as a buffer between India and China but has always tilted towards India with whom it has an open border. In fact, New Delhi was quick off the mark when the devastating earthquake of 2015 struck, moving in men and material for help within 24 hours. Nepal is the only country whose citizens can serve in the Indian army. But much of the goodwill following the earthquake was frittered away by what was seen as Indias interference in internal Nepali politics when it seemingly imposed a blockade after expressing its displeasure over inadequate representation for certain communities, including the Madhesis, in the Himalayan countrys new constitution. The fact that the Left has gained the upper hand now shows that India did not read the signals right. Now, whether India likes it or not, Beijing will play a bigger role in Nepali politics.

China has already given Nepal access to its ports and has been talking about a joint rail link construction. But the most significant move is the possibility of China supplying Nepal with petroleum products, which now come exclusively from India. This means that managing diplomatic relations with Nepal is going to get much more difficult. Indias best bet is to show greater willingness to work with the new government on infrastructure projects and not be seen to be interfering in internal political matters. Given the lakhs of Nepalis who work in India, the country has a stake in maintaining good relations with New Delhi. This is a time for deft diplomatic footwork. Delhi must signal that it is willing to go out of its way to accommodate the concerns of the new government. The possibility of Kathmandu moving closer to Beijing will have several negative consequences for India that must be anticipated and dealt with promptly.
Lucknow: Why are a large number of seats vacant in engineering colleges? The reason is not the poor quality of education in some institutes but also the high fees charged that prevents poor students from taking admission, Prof Anil D Sahasrabudhe, chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). said here on Monday.

The AICTE, a regulatory body for technical institution, is now looking to reduce the cost of higher education in engineering colleges across the country to make it accessible to poor students.

Throwing light on the changes being introduced by the government for engineering colleges, Prof Sahasrabudhe said engineering students will undergo yoga sessions in morning, join group discussions in the afternoon and have fun and recreation the evening. Students will follow this new schedule for three weeks after admission in engineering colleges, as a part of their induction programme, he elaborated.

Speaking on Monday at a dinner to mark the 15th convocation of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University on Tuesday, the AICTE chairman said, Many a time students come from different regions. They speak different languages. And when teachers start teaching them in English, they find themselves at a loss. To help students strike a rapport with teachers, AICTE has decided to start this induction course.

Prof Sahasrabudhe also said that the youngsters would be encouraged to mingle with each other. Teachers will also be involved so that they may get to know the students better, he added.

Instead of heading straight to the class after taking admission, the new entrants will be encouraged to mingle with each other. Teachers will also be involved so that they may also know the students better, he said.

Likewise, newly recruited teachers will only be confirmed in their jobs after they compulsorily complete six months faculty training programme. Normally, it is the MTech pass out students who become teachers. But they may not have teaching skills. In this training course, they will be taught how to teach in class, Prof Sahasrabudhe added.

.
The Delhi Police on Monday said that they have accessed a list of some of the beneficiaries of the gang running a fake admission racket which they had busted last week.

Investigators have obtained details of 20 persons whose employers purportedly sent their details for verification to the fake Board of Higher Secondary Education Delhi this year and documents pertaining to 48 schools which applied for affiliation this year.

The police have not released any details and said that they will have to individually cross check the information obtained from the six arrested members of the gang.

For now we have obtained two registers carrying details of those who applied for jobs using the degrees provided by the fake board and the list of schools. These are cases where prospective employers sent the documents of the candidates to the Board for verification, said DCP (Shahadra) Nupur Prasad.

HT had earlier reported that when candidates used this boards certificates to get jobs, the recruiting agency would often send requests to the board to verify the authenticity of the documents. Basically, a fake board would be verifying a fake certificate, Ravindra Yadav, Joint CP (eastern range), had told HT.

The 20 candidates mentioned in the register are also suspected beneficiaries.

On the subsequent verification process, Prasad said that they would check with universities to verify if their degrees and diplomas (produced by the candidates) were genuine or fake. If found fake, the employers would be approached and then the candidates.

As far as the schools are concerned, all 48 schools are either from UP or Bihar, two states where affiliations were allegedly sold for anywhere between Rs 10,000-51,000. The police will write to these schools and the concerned education department in Lucknow or Patna to alert them that the affiliations remained cancelled.

The police remand of all six accused will be over on Tuesday and they will be produced at a court.
The Chinese army has beefed up its deployment in Doklam sector, the scene of a tense faceoff with India, with some 1,600 troops stationed in the area after a considerable upgrade of infrastructure, including sentry posts and roads.

The move reflects a marked shift from Beijings earlier strategy of not conducting patrols during the harsh winter months in Doklam, a largely uninhabited area at the strategic India-Bhutan-China tri-junction.

Around 1,600 Chinese soldiers are present in the area where the Peoples Liberation Army has built pre-fabricated structures and storage facilities, set up sentry posts and strengthened existing roads, sources in the defence establishment said.

The deployment pattern and supporting infrastructure indicate the Chinese troops are prepared to camp in the area through the winter, or at least till March or April, the sources said.

Military officials said this is a stark departure from previous years, when Chinese soldiers would carry out patrols in Doklam or Donglang  which is controlled by Beijing but claimed by Thimphu  only till the onset of winter in November, when the region becomes snowbound.

A diplomatic source said it would not be difficult for Chinese troops to remain at Doklam and be supplied through the winter months as their positions are at an altitude of about 15,000 feet.

There was no official reaction from the external affairs ministry on the bolstering of Chinese troops in Doklam. However, the ministrys spokesperson told a news briefing on December 8 that India had not noticed any new development at the faceoff site and its vicinity since the August 28 disengagement.

The spokesperson had added that status quo prevailed in the area and highlighted the need to maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas as an important prerequisite for the smooth development of bilateral relations.

Indian Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat made a quiet visit to the Sikkim border on December 2 and interacted with soldiers who were involved in the 73-day standoff with Chinese troops in Doklam sector. The faceoff ended on August 28 after both sides agreed to pull back their troops and China halted work on a road that triggered the row.

China had accused India of trespassing and preventing its troops from building a road on the remote Himalayan plateau. A repeat of the summer standoff cannot be ruled out.

In September, a reputed defence think tank observed the Doklam standoff was likely to be the new normal, and made a strong case for building up military capabilities as China respects strength.

In a paper titled Looking Beyond Doklam, the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, a think tank set up by the defence ministry a decade ago, said it is crucial for India to demonstrate strength as peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will be constantly and continuously under stress with increase in frequency, intensity and depth of (Chinese) transgressions leading to more and more standoffs.

In September, Rawat had warned that China was taking over territory in a gradual way and testing Indias threshold. He also warned against Chinas salami slicing strategy  a reference to a string of small actions performed clandestinely to produce a larger effect that would be difficult to accomplish in one go.
Just a month ahead of Jallikattu festivities in Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court of India reserved orders on a challenge to the states new Jallikattu law that brings back bulls as a performing animal and allows the bull taming festival, which is a key part of the harvest festival.

The court has indicated that it is inclined to refer questions arising from the new law to a constitutional bench.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Mishra pointed out that three issues arose out of the new law.

First, whether the Tamil nadu government had the legislative competence to make the new law amending certain sections of the central law. Secondly, whether the object of the new law is in consonance with the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act and lastly, if Tamil Nadu can seek constitutional protection for Jallikattu as a cultural right.

In January 2017, the Tamil Nadu government brought in a law to facilitate the conduct of Jallikattu.

The state government amended the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and brought in the Tamil Nadu Amendment Act, 2017. The new law amended certain sections of the Central Act and ensured that bulls are not barred from being used for the rural bull-taming sport.

Subsequently the president of India also gave his assent to the law.

The Supreme Court banned the sport in 2014, upholding concerns raised by activists who said the Jallikattu amounted to cruelty to animals besides posing a threat to humans. Between 2010 and 2014, an estimated 17 people were killed and 1000-odd were injured during Jallikatu events.

The Supreme Court said, use of bulls in such events severely harmed the animals and constituted an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to the Animals Act.
The Jharkhand government said on Tuesday it has initiated a probe into the kissing contest that has now become a political issue in the state, with the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) for conspiring to malign the tribal culture and custom.

A two-member probe team comprising Pakur sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Jitendra Kumar Deo and deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Navnit Hembrom visited Dumarai village and inquired from villagers about the event.

We have begun a probe into the controversy surrounding the kissing contest on the directive from the district administration. To examine the authenticity of the contest, we visited Dumaria village on Monday, Deo told Hindustan Times.

JMMs Littipara legislator Simon Marandi had organised a kissing contest at Dumaria, his native village, on Saturday evening. The contest was part of various other events during the two-day fair, Dumaria Mela, which he has been organising for the last 37 years.

At least 18 couples locked lips in the presence of hundreds of people of Pahariya community, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) of Santhal Pargana. Marandi had said it was an initiative to check growing cases of divorces and differences between couples in the tribal community in the region.

Deo said they were identifying organisers and couples who participated in the event for interrogation. The magistrates deputed at the fair will also be interrogated, he added.

Prima facie it seems a case of indecent behaviour in public place, which is a violation of sections 292, 293 and 294 of Indian Penal Code. If it is established, the offenders would be prosecuted accordingly, he said, adding, the probe is on and findings of it will soon be submitted to the administration.

Activists of BJP farmers wing and All Adivasi Youth and Students Union (AAYSU) on Tuesday staged demonstrations and burnt effigies of Marandi and Maheshpur JMM legislator Stephen Marandi at Pakurs Gandhi Chowk and Sidhu-Kanhu Park, respectively.

BJP leader and Pakur zila parishad chairperson Babudhan Murmu said the JMM legislators should apologise for the incident. It was a well-hatched conspiracy of JMM leaders to malign the tribal culture and custom by introducing western concepts, Murmu said.

AAYSU members said the JMM legislators were promoting vulgarism in tribal society by organising such an event.

The event earned bad name to tribal society. The organisers should apologise and promise that the mistake will not be repeated in future, AAYSU president Mark Baski said.

PROTEST Activists of BJP farmers wing and All Adivasi Youth and Students Union stage demonstrations and burn effigies of JMM legislator Simon Marandi

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KC Rekha, a 45-year-old mother of four sits alone on an isolated beach of a Kerala fishing village at the crack of dawn, untangling a mess of nylon fishing nets on which her familys livelihood depends.

Rekhas seawater-creased, sun-baked fingers finish the task before husband P Karthikeyan arrives for the couples voyage into the deep blue Arabian Sea on a small and old single-engine boat.

They are late. The couple usually moves out before sunrise.

The Arabian Sea is unusually rough this rainy season and darks clouds are hovering over their heads. But Indias lone licenced deep sea fisherwoman is not bothered.

She has survived rougher times  in land as in the sea  surviving monstrous tides that toss around her flimsy 20-year-old vessel.

The couple goes 20-30 nautical miles into the sea in search of fish, without a compass, GPS device, life jackets or any modern navigation equipment.

We rely on traditional knowledge, says the unflappable Rekha, who believes Kadalamma the sea goddess who is worshipped by many fisherfolk in this part of Kerala, will save them.

Her faith stems from the struggle that began more than 10 years ago when she decided to be the deckhand for her husband after his two workers quit; the couple just couldnt afford them.

People in the fishing hamlets of Chettuva in Thrissur, 300km north of the state capital, frowned upon her decision. The community said it was taboo for women to venture into the sea for a living. Women should be on the shore, praying for their husbands and brothers till they returned, the belief went.

Rekha would have none of it. Karthikeyan supported her. Now, a decade ago, the two are heroes of Chettuva.

Rekhas husband says shes more proficient than he is at fishing, and understands the waters better. (Vivek H Nair/HT Photo)

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), the countrys premier marine research agency, felicitated Rekha at a function attended by Union minister of state for agriculture Sudarshan Bhagat this April. It also helped her get a fisherwoman licence, a first in the country.

It wasnt easy for the marine institute to locate Rekha among the millions of fisherfolk dotting the coastal landscape.

It was a tedious search. There are many women engaged in fishing in backwaters and rivers but no record on a womans presence in fishing along our coastline was available. We have done an extensive search and finally spotted her and recognised her feat, CMFRI director A Gopalakrishnan said.

Apart from everything else, Rekha is really good at her work.

She can sniff the presence of a shoal of fish, swim against the current and lay her net quickly, Karthikeyan said. She is better than me in doing that. She can give you lessons on the habits and paths of fish such as sardine, tuna, mackerel and sea bass.

The 52-year-old seasoned fishermans praise speaks volumes for a woman who took to fishing not out of choice, but compulsion.

Rekha and Karthikeyan met while she was doing a Hindi course. They fell in love. There were stiff protests from both families; we were forced to flee and start life afresh, she says.

Rekhas foray into the sea wasnt easy. She suffered sea sickness at first. But she wasnt ready to give up.

I started learning everything from my husband and turned into a suitable help for him slowly, the mother of four girls says

The couple respects the fickleness of the sea. They had a close shave a couple of months ago.

After laying the net my husband fell asleep for some time. In the pitch dark I suddenly came awake. I noticed a big vessel coming towards us and I shouted at them and steered my boat away from its path. We were seconds away from disaster, she says.

On another occasion, their engine died and they drifted for around six hours in the deep sea till help came.

As she reels out her tales, she notices a quick movement in the nets, but theres nothing.

It is a game of luck  like lottery. At times you hit the jackpot and sometimes you fish only despair, adds Karthikeyan, pointing to the days catch, a lowly 5kg of sardines.

They had a good haul of seer fish worth Rs 25,000 last week.

CMFRI offered financial and technical support to the couple to launch cage farming in the periphery of the breakwater. It provided cage and fish seedlings. The agency also gave her eldest daughter, Maya Karthikeyan, a Class 12 student, a scholarship of Rs 1 lakh.

What we need is a new boat with a double outboard engine and a new set of nets. I am sure I can steer my family out of the financial mess and provide good education to my children, Rekha says.

The countrys lone deep sea fisherwoman loves her profession, despite the odds and uncertainty. Her life is as complex as the tangled net in her small vessel, but she believes time and tide wait for no one and is happy to make toe most of the moment.

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Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday following his seaplane flight from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad on the last day of campaigning for the second phase of the Gujarat election.

Modi landed at Dharoi dam in Mehsana district, some 150 km from Ahmedabad. He offered prayers at the Ambaji temple in Ambaji town.

Gandhi addressed a press conference in Ahmedabad  his first after getting elected president of the Congress, where he said Modi has forgotten the real issues of Gujarat.

Here are the live updates:

5.45pm: The second and final phase of elections, for which the open campaigning ended at 5pm, will see voting in 93 assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat . A total of 851 candidates are in the fray for the second phase, where 2.22 crore people are eligible to vote.

5.03pm: The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, Gujarats growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined. It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition, the Prime Minister tweets.

5.01pm: I urge my sisters and brothers of Gujarat to vote in record numbers on the 14th, Modi tweets. He also calls upon the people of Gujarat to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state.

5pm: As campaigning for Gujarat assembly elections ends, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says: After three and a half years, I got the honour to travel across the length and breadth of Gujarat to seek the blessings of the people.

4.32pm: PM Narendra Modi: Earlier today, I travelled on a sea plane from Ahmedabads Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for Indias progress.

4.28pm: What is the Congress partys stand on instant triple talaq law, asks Ravi Shankar Prasad.

4.27pm: Did Manmohan Singh go to meet the Pakistani delegation with consultation of external affairs ministry, asks Ravi Shankar Prasad.

4.26pm: Why only temple visits during Gujarat elections? Why not visit temples elsewhere as well: Ravi Shankar Prasad asks Rahul Gandhi.

4.25pm: Be clear, will there be a Ram temple in Ayodhya or not: Ravi Shankar Prasad to Rahul Gandhi.

4.23pm: PM Narendra Modi: My campaign journey in Gujarat, which began with the blessings of Ashapura Mata, ended today with the blessings Maa Amba. Experienced tremendous spiritual bliss and satisfaction of Karma Yog.

4.15pm: Ravi Shankar Prasad at press conference: GDP of Gujarat was Rs 71,866 crore in 1995-96 now its Rs 10,33,791 (2016-17) crore.

3.57pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Sabarmati riverfront:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd at Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/1bF7SQjDN5  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

3.33pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Ahmedabads Sabarmati riverfront: ANI.

2.56pm: You can take this gesture of the PM as our other programmes like the Ro-Ro Ferry Service, or the Bullet Train project or the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). You can take this new programme as one of the initiatives of the BJP: Gujarat BJP leader Jagdish Bhavsar.

2.55pm: Gujarat BJP leader Jagdish Bhavsar praises PM Modis seaplane flight.

2.50pm: PM Narendra Modi departs for Ahmedabad on the same seaplane from Dharoi dam after offering prayers at Ambaji temple in Banaskantha.

2.18pm: There was nothing secret about the dinner, Manmohan Singh and VP Ansari both are Z+ security protectees and so have to submit the full list to SPG: Prem Shankar Jha reacting to PM Modis charge that Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyars remarks came after the dinner.

2.15pm: It was a dinner by Mani Shankar Aiyar for ex-Pak external affairs minister Khurshid Kasuri. Former PM Manmohan Singh, former VP Ansari and many former senior diplomats were there, says senior journalist Prem Shankar Jha, who was a guest at the dinner.

2.01pm: They (BJP) did not understand development. It is called Hawa Hawai: Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala

2pm: Congress mocks PM Narendra Modi for taking a seaplane ride, calls it Hawa Hawai

1.57pm: In the last three months, Gujarat has shown me immense love. I will never forget this: Rahul Gandhi

1.56pm: My priority as the president of Indian National Congress is to strengthen the party. My aim is to improve the current political discourse in our country: Rahul Gandhi.

1.55pm: If Modi ji wants to fly on a seaplane, there is nothing wrong in it, its good. But it is only a distraction, what did you do for the people in the 22 years of your rule in Gujarat, asks Rahul Gandhi.

1.54pm: Modi jis seaplane flight is only a distraction over the real issues of Gujarat: Rahul Gandhi

1.52pm: In the last 22 years, Modi ji and (chief minister Vijay) Rupani ji have initiated only one-sided development here only for 5 to 10 people. Not everyone has been given their due: Rahul Gandhi

1.51pm: Rahul Gandhi says the BJPs rule in Gujarat has helped only a few people.

1.50pm: The BJP has lost its position. After the first phase of voting in the state (on December 9), we are confident that we are going to form the government here: Rahul Gandhi

1.46pm: INC has kept its focus on Gujarats issues of small and medium enterprises, farmers, unemployment. For the last three months, our party has tried to give a vision to Gujarat: Rahul Gandhi

1.45pm: Every year in November, Parliament holds its winter session. But this year, it is not the case. To avoid questions on Rafale deal and Jay Shah, PM Modi has shut down Parliament: Rahul Gandhi

1.44pm: People of Gujarat are very intelligent, they can see that PM Modi is not talking about corruption or farmers in his rallies. There is a massive undercurrent, I am actually little surprised,I had expected BJP to fight with more strength: Rahul Gandhi

1.43pm: I took action against Mani Shankar Aiyar for his comment against the Prime Minister, not against Modi ji. Modi jis comments on Manmohan Singh are also unacceptable: Rahul Gandhi.

1.41pm: Rs 6 lakh crore is given to big industrialists, why are small traders being neglected? Why did you impose note ban on small industrialists: Rahul Gandhi

1.40pm: BJP is worried as Patidar, farmers and other communities are standing up against the party: Rahul Gandhi.

1.35pm: PM Modi used to talk about corruption all the time. But after the Jay Shah case and Rafale deal were revealed, he stopped using the word corruption altogether: Rahul Gandhi

1.34pm: Whatever decision we will make about Gujarat, it will only be done after talking to the people of Gujarat, after listening to their voices. No decision will be taken unilaterally: Rahul Gandhi

1.33pm: Congress waived farm loans, we have given minimum support price to farmers. Modi ji made false promises of jobs to two crore Indians: Rahul Gandhi.

1.32pm: Whenever I went to a temple, I just prayed for a Sunehra Bhavishya for the people of Gujarat, a better development here. Is it wrong to go to a temple: Rahul Gandhi.

1.31pm: Rahul Gandhi says he has visited many temples in many states, including Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, asks why the BJP criticised him over his visit to a temple in Gujarat.

1.30pm: Rahul Gandhi criticises Goods and Services Tax (GST), says Gabbar Singh Tax has harmed traders as well as the common people of Gujarat.

1.28pm: I have always spoken about balanced development. You have offered funds to industrialists but dont waive farm loans: Rahul Gandhi on Gujarats BJP government.

1.25pm: PM Modi now only speaks about himself and the Congress, and has stopped talking about corruption, farmers issues: Rahul Gandhi

1.20pm: Colleges in Gujarat have been privatised, while the poor have to spend thousands to get medical treatment, says Rahul Gandhi.

1.18pm: Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi addresses press conference in Ahmedabad.

1.08pm: PM Narendra Modi reaches Ambaji, offers prayers at Ambaji temple.

12.58pm: It was a very pleasing experience. I gave him safety briefing. He was a very good passenger. Sea planes are very common in many countries, it should be popular in India also as you have lakes, the rivers, the coastal areas, says John Goulet, pilot of sea plane in which PM Modi flew.

12.31pm: People wave at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his journey to Ambaji temple.

12.30pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his way to Ambaji temple in Banaskantha.

11.47am: If Rahul Gandhi wants, he can also use it (seaplane), no politics in it, says minister Gadkari.

11.46am: As per rules and regulations, the Prime Minister can use any transport facility, it has nothing to do with the Gujarat election, says minister Gadkari.

11.45am: Today is a historic day as PM travelled in a seaplane. It will be a big revolution in the transport sector as India has huge potential, says Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

11.42am: PM Narendra Modi travels from Dharoi dam to Ambaji by road.

11.40am: PM Modi reaches Dharoi dam on sea plane, will visit Ambaji temple.

10.55am: Prime Minister Narendra Modis seaplane takes off for Dharoi dam.

10.50am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi boards seaplane on the Sabarmati river.

10.40am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives, to fly travel from Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam on a seaplane.

10.31am: Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad.

10.30am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will land near the Dharoi dam on the Sabarmati river ahead of his visit to the Ambaji temple.

10.20am: Devotees reach Ambaji temple in Banaskantha, which will be visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

9.40am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fly from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam, and later offer prayers at Ambaji.

#WATCH: #Visuals of sea plane Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling in, from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam shortly #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/C8mqgzm1LA  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

9.24am: Seaplane being readied on the Sabarmati river for Prime Minister Narendra Modis flight.

8.46am: Rahul Gandhi seeks answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on land, employment, health and education for Dalits of Gujarat.

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8.45am: Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweets another question for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

8.35am: Security tightened near the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis seaplane sortie.

8.30pm: The BJP does not say if Modi would conduct any public meeting in Ahmedabad or elsewhere in central and north Gujarat where the second phase of polling is to take place.

8.27am: The Prime Minister would return to Ahmedabad around 2.30pm by the same route, says BJP.

8.25am: The BJP makes an announcement Monday night that Modi would be taking a special seaplane from the Sabarmati river and travel to the famous pilgrimage Ambaji temple by road after landing on the Dharoi dam waters in north Gujarat.
The 49-day campaign for the Gujarat assembly elections will come to an end on Monday and a sortie by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a seaplane and a likely press conference by Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi will be the two things that the western state will witness for the first time this poll season. (Live updates)

Modi will fly in a seaplane from the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad at 9:30am and land at Dharoi dam, which is constructed over the river in Mehsana district, some 150km from the city. He will then head to the Ambaji temple in Ambaji town.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that Modi will offer prayers at the temple and spend about an hour there. He will then fly back to Ahmedabad in the same plane.

Congresss star campaigner Gandhi is set to address a press conference in the afternoon in Ahmedabad, which will be his first after being elected the president of the grand old party on Monday. It will also be his first interaction with the media during his months-long campaigning in Gujarat.

He started campaigning in September-end by embarking on a three-day Navsarjan Yatra in Saurashtra, followed by three more such tours across the state.

The top leaders new strategy of reaching out to the voters comes two days before 93 seats of central and north Gujarat will go to polls on Thursday. In the first phase on December 9, polling for 89 seats from Saurashtra-Kutch and south Gujarat was held.

The BJP and the Congress had planned roadshows by their respective top leaders on Tuesday in Ahmedabad. The plan was called off after permission was denied by the administration citing law and order situation.

Both the leaders have been on a continuous campaign trail since the first phase of polling last week. The voter turnout in the phase dipped by around 5% compared to the 2012 assembly elections.

The Congress and the BJP have been embroiled in a war of words over crony capitalism invoking top industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani on Monday, a day before the campaign for the polls comes to an end.

Modi and Gandhi accused each other of promoting the rich, spreading canards and degrading the political discourse in the seven rallies they addressed in north and central Gujarat.

Over the weekend, Modi accused Pakistan of trying to influence the Gujarat elections, citing a meeting between Congress leaders and Pakistans high commissioner at suspended opposition leader Mani Shankar Aiyars residence in New Delhi.

His allegation drew sharp reactions from leaders of both the parties as they attacked each other.

The BJP has governed Gujarat for 22 years. The Congress wants to unseat the BJP by tapping the angst over the agrarian crisis and the implementation of the goods and services tax, and on the strength of a coalition it has built with Patidars, some other backward classes, and Dalits.

The BJP is hoping to retain power on the strength of the popularity of Prime Minister Modi, who was chief minister of the state for 13 years, and its record of development and governance.

Analysts expect it to be a close fight, although the BJP has maintained that it is confident of bettering its tally of 119 seats in the 182-member assembly in 2012. Opinion polls give the Congress anything between 37 and 85 seats, and the BJP 92-141.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modis flight on a single-engine seaplane on Tuesday, the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat elections, has triggered a controversy over a possible breach of security protocol.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to ask why security guidelines were relaxed for the Prime Minister

How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country, Abdullah said.

How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country. pic.twitter.com/MocJIKh6es  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 12, 2017

Government sources, however, told Hindustan Times there is no firm rule in this regard.

But there is an advisory which states that VIP protectees should preferably fly in twin engine aircraft for domestic travels, while during international travels, the aircraft should be equipped with at least three to four engines, said an IPS officer who has dealt with issues of VIP security earlier.

Abdullah also questioned the decision to have a foreign pilot manning the seaplane when such tasks are usually carried out by Indian Air Force pilots.

Single engine plane. Foreign pilots. Is there any security guideline that will not be thrown out today, he asked.

The seaplane was brought to India by Japans Setouchi Holdings, part of the small aircraft aviation industry. Indian low-cost carrier Spicejet has been working closely with the Japanese firm for over six months to explore opportunities for small 10- and 14-seater amphibious and land plane operations to provide air connectivity to smaller towns in India. The two conducted seaplane trials in at Mumbais Girgaum Chowpatty on Saturday.

Modi, whose roadshow in Ahmedabad was cancelled on Monday over law and order concerns, took a seaplane ride from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam from where he visited the Ambaji temple.

Besides Abdullah, the opposition Congress too took a dig at Modis style of pulling the curtains down on his campaign, calling the seaplane ride a distraction from real issues and a hawa hawai (gas).

The BJP, however, hailed the move with Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari calling it a big revolution in the field of transport.

Speaking to ANI, Gadkari said the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country can also be a revolutionary dream for the people of India.

Today is a historical day as the Prime Minister travelled in a seaplane. Seaplane is a revolutionary factor in the field of transport. It will be a big revolution in the transport sector as India has huge potential, he said.
ELKO  Police are looking for a man who pointed a knife at a cashier and robbed the Sinclair gas station at 1790 Idaho St. Friday evening.

The robber fled with an undisclosed amount of cash at about 7:30 p.m.

He is described as wearing a white jacket with gray horizontal lines across the chest and a gray hoodie underneath it. The suspect was wearing a white cloth over his face, according to police.

The suspect pulled a knife on the cashier at the gas station, removed an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register, and then fled the scene. The cashier was not harmed in the incident, said Lt. Mike Palhegyi of Elko Police Department.

The investigation is ongoing as officers are trying to identify the suspect.

Anyone who has tips or leads to assist detectives in this case is asked to contact the Elko Police Department at 777-7310.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused Christian leaders of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha of hatching a well-founded conspiracy to malign the tribal culture and custom by introducing western concepts after a JMM legislator organised a kissing contest among tribal couples.

Its a serious issue and these leaders should immediately seek a public apology from respective tribal village heads. They have no business except to lure people into alcoholism and immoral fun and frolic, BJPs senior tribal leader Hemlal Murmu told the Hindustan Times.

JMMs Littipara legislator Simon Marandi had organised a kissing contest at his native village Dumaria in Jharkhands Pakur district on Saturday evening. The contest was part of various other events during the two-day fair, Dumaria Mela, which he has been organising for the last 37 years.

Over 18-odd tribal couples locked lips in the presence of thousands of people of Pahariya community, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) of Santhal Pargana. JMMs MLA Marandi had said it was an initiative to check growing cases of divorces and differences between couples in the tribal community in the region.

Marandi retained the Littipara assembly seat by defeating BJPs Hemlal Murmu by 12,900 votes in the April 2017 byelection.

JMMs Christian legislators are trying to destroy Santhals rich tribal culture and custom by introducing the western culture, which we protest as tribal and BJP leader, Murmu said.

He said Santhal people burnt effigies of JMM legislators at different places on Monday to protest against the event.

It is ridiculous that such contest having prize money worth Rs 900, Rs 700 and Rs 500 for first, second and third position respectively will restrict growing cases of divorce and differences in Santhal tribal community, Murmu said, adding, organising a kissing contest to strengthen the relationship between wife and husband is nothing but insanity.

He said the party would continue its protest against JMM legislators in Santhal Pargana until they sought an apology from the tribal village head.

Tribal groups also lodged a protest against the incident.

Men and women from our community participate together in festivals and dancing events. But, the kissing contest has never been part of our culture. It is very disappointing, religious leader of the Sarnas Bandhan Tigga said.

Simon Marandis party JMM was, however, tight-lipped over the issue and refused to comment.

We do not want to comment on the issue, JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said.

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The man accused of raping and torturing to death a 29-year-old woman in Keralas Ernakulam last year was convicted by a trial court on Tuesday amid demands for capital punishment.

The crime took place on April 28, 2016 and triggered widespread protests in the state, turning into a political issue as well since Kerala was at the time about to vote for a new government.

Ameer ul Islam, a migrant worker from Assam, was caught 50 days after what began as a near-blind case.

The woman, a Dalit and the daughter of a casual labourer, was found dead, disembowelled in her house with more than 30 stab wounds.

The brutality brought back memories of the December 16, 2014 gangrape in Delhi that is regarded as a tipping point for the countrys tolerance of sexual crimes. Like the Delhi case, thousands took to the streets in anger in Kerala after the murder.

The court found Islam guilty of murder, rape, destruction of evidence and crimes under the SC/ST Act.

The trial started in April 2017 and was completed in eight months. As many as 100 witnesses were heard and 291 documents and DNA test reports were presented.

After Islams arrest, police said he was a drug addict and suffering from serious sexual disorders.

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The length of the 1,751-kilometre porous border between India and Nepal could change as many areas left out during the previous mapping will be added after a re-demarcation process, officials engaged in the ongoing survey of the international border have said.

Officials said the length of the boundary was calculated much before the British rule but it was realised that the mapping was not done conspicuously and some areas were not included in the process of demarcation.

A bilateral boundary working group headed by the respective surveyor generals of both the countries came together and decided to re-demarcate the boundary for which a survey was conducted between 1980-2007. Boundary strip maps were created after the survey and they are currently being replicated on the ground, officials said.

It would be after the completion of the groundwork that we can talk of the length of the border, which will change as many areas that were left non-demarcated will be included, Pankaj Mishra, deputy surveyor general (technical) of the Dehradun-based Survey of India, told the Hindustan Times.

The ground demarcation approved by surveyor generals of both the countries will ensure the restoration of existing pillars and installing new ones wherever the boundary was not marked. There were nearly 4,000 pillars, most of which were damaged or have disappeared over the decades.

The maps for demarcation on 98% of the length has been approved. However, there are still political issues over the remaining 2% of the border length on which the Union ministry of external affairs is in talks with Nepal. Once the government resolves the status of the 2% of the border area, the final agreement would be signed.

Fives Indian states - Uttarakhand (263km), Uttar Pradesh (560km), Bihar (729km), West Bengal (100km) and Sikkim (99km) - share a land border with Nepal. India and Nepal share an open border that is not fenced unlike its borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

India earlier signed a boundary agreement with Bangladesh in 1974 following which its revised version was adopted in 2015 after Parliament passed the 100th amendment. Enclaves were transferred on either side during which India reportedly lost 15 square metres of land to Bangladesh.

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The Madras high court on Tuesday declined to pass any order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, seeking a ban on rekla race (bullock cart race) in Tamil Nadu in view of a Supreme Court order.

A division bench of justices TS Sivagnanam and K Ravichandrabaabu directed the petitioner to approach the apex court for any relief.

The bench made the observation while closing a plea moved by one Ramesh.

According to the petitioner, the apex court had, on May 7, 2015, passed an order banning jallikattu, bullock cart races and other such activities in the country, as it amounted to cruelty to the animals involved in such events.

Subsequently, the Tamil Nadu government had brought in an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (Tamil Nadu Amendment Act, 2017), thereby legally permitting jallikattu (a bull-taming sport) alone since it was closely connected with the Tamil culture.

Stating that the amendment had only allowed jallikattu and not any other event banned by the apex court, the petitioner had pointed out that events such as bullock cart races were conducted with impunity across the state, at times even at government functions.

He had prayed to the court for a declaration banning all such events.
The Supreme Court will take up for hearings after eight weeks a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought granting of minority status to Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir and seven other states.

The top court on Monday had asked the Centre to deliberate on constituting a minority commission in the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, stating it cannot direct the state legislature to legislate on the issue.

There has been a serious difference of opinion over the issue between the Jammu and Kashmirs two ruling coalition partners, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The case will again be listed after eight weeks. By then a joint committee of the Centre and the state government has to submit a report to the court on the contentious issue, Jammu-based advocate Ankur Sharma told Hindustan Times.

The Centre will have to take a call on the issue of identification of minorities in Jammu and Kashmir and other Hindu minority states, he further said and hoped that central government would come up with a rational and legally sustainable report.

He said the ball is now in the Centres court.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice (CJI) Dipak Misra on Monday observed how could the court ask or direct the Jammu and Kashmir legislature to legislate on a particular matter, when the Centre had said it would deliberate on the matter and get back to this court, Sharma said.

The top court made the verbal observation on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Sharma and others.

According to 2011 census, Hindus are in minorities in Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Punjab.

The PIL claims minority rights of the Hindus in these states were being usurped by the majority community because neither the central nor the state governments have notified them as a minority under the National Commission of Minorities Act, 1992.

The SC had on August 8 given three more months to Centre and J-K government to sit together and take a considerate view on formation of a minority Commission in the state.

Muslims constitute 68.3% of the state population while Hindus form 28.4%, Sikhs 1.9%, Buddhists 0.9% and Christians form 0.3% of the total population as per the 2011 census report.

Following Sharmas PIL, the PDP-led state government in September last year had submitted before the SC that the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 was not applicable to the state and as such it did not have to set up a state-level minority commission.

The BJP, however, took serious exception to the stand taken by the government in its affidavit.

Prof Virender Gupta, state spokesman of the BJP, said that Kashmiri leadership that considers itself as a most secular lot in the country cannot afford to ignore the plight of minorities in the state, who are criminally victimised and discriminated in the state.

He pointed out that the policy followed by state government amounts to cheating the nation and looting the money meant for the religious and linguistic minorities of the state.

He added that the Muslim-majority state cannot divert the benefits meant for the minorities of the state to the majority community.

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Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said the process of social change that began in the state with liquor ban would be carried forward by abolition of child marriage and dowry.

Bringing social change is our governments resolve. We want overall development  both physical and social and the society needs to be alert towards the evils of liquor, dowry and child marriage, Kumar said while embarking on his Vikas ki Samiksha Yatra from Patilar panchayat, close to Nepal border, in West Champaran district.

Kumar will review the implementation of development schemes during his phasewise yatra, his 11th such tour of the state since coming to power in 2005.

Kumar had started his Vikas Yatra in January 2009 also from Patilar, once known for dacoits gang operating from riverine areas of Burhi Gandak.

READ| To carve out a fresh niche, Nitish kicks off drive against child marriage, dowry

Kumar said that a human chain would be formed in support of his campaign to end child marriage and dowry. We had implemented prohibition in the state last year and launched a massive campaign in its support by forming a human chain on January 21, 2017. I appeal to all of you to join another human chain on January 21, 2018 in support of the drive to end the evils of child marriage and dowry, he said.

Kumar also reiterated his resolve towards development and said he would be visiting all the 19 villages where he had stayed during his previous yatras and take stock of the implementation of promises made by him.

READ| Inspired by Nitish Kumar, Bihar man returns Rs 4 lakh dowry for sons wedding

He also inaugurated, launched and laid foundation of different development projects worth Rs 122 crore for the district.

Nothwithstanding the law, child marriages in Bihar, particularly in rural areas is a reality. With 50% under-age marriages in 340 blocks, as per a study conducted by Gender Alliance, Bihar, the state continues to have a comparatively higher percentage of marriage before girls reach the legally prescribed age of 18 years. This is above the National Family Health Survey-4 study that put the incidence of child marriage at 39.1% in the state.

The highest probability of child marriage is in Ghoswari block in Patna district with 66.81% while the lowest probability is 11.81% in Lahladpur block of Saran district, Prashanti Tiwary, head of Gender Alliance, had said while releasing the report in state capital recently.

Bihar ranks second in the country after neighbouring Uttar Pradesh when it comes to dowry-related cases. In 2016, 987 cases of dowry deaths were reported from Bihar as per NCRB data, while the number of dowry-related atrocities was 4,852.

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Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday for spinning unsubstantiated and unbelievable stories against political opponents.

Sinhas comments came a day after Modi said Congress leaders met the Pakistani High Commissioner in New Delhi.

Sir! Just to win elections anyhow, and that too at the fag end of the process, is it a must to come up with and endorse new, unsubstantiated and unbelievable stories everyday against political opponents?

Now linking them to Pakistan High Commissioner and Generals?! Incredible! Sinha said in a tweet.

Hon'ble Sir!

Just to win elections anyhow, and that too at the fag end of the process, is it a must to come up with & endorse new, unsubstantiated & unbelievable stories everyday against political opponents? Now linking them to Pak High Commissioner & Generals?! Incredible!.1>2  Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) December 11, 2017

Modi on Sunday had accused a group of Congress leaders of meeting the Pakistan High Commissioner at Mani Shankar Aiyars residence before the latter called him (Modi) neech.

Addressing an election rally at Sanand, Modi said the meeting at Aiyars residence was also attended by former vice-president Hamid Ansari and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Continuing his attack on the Congress, Modi said: There was a meeting convened at Aiyars residence where Pakistans High Commissioner, Pakistans 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. Aiyar was promptly suspended from the Congress primary membership. He also apologised for his comment.

Sinha also advised the Prime Minister to stop communalising the atmosphere and return to the promises that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made in the 2014 general elections.

Sir! Instead of new twists and turns, stories and cover ups, lets go straight to the promises that we made, regarding housing, development, employment of youth, health, Vikas model.

Lets stop communalising the atmosphere and go back to healthy politics and healthy elections. Jai Hind!, the BJP MP from Patna Sahib said in another tweet.

Sir! Instead of new twists & turns, stories & cover ups, let's go straight to the promises that we made, regarding housing, development, employment of youth, health, "Vikas model". Lets stop communalising the atmosphere & go back to healthy politics & healthy elections. Jai Hind!  Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) December 11, 2017

Sinha, a former union minister has been vocal against the policies of the Modi government, especially demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax.
Pakistan, the flavour of the poll season in Gujarat, has found a place in the civil service examinations in Arunachal Pradesh, a state horizontally opposite on Indias map.

Candidates appearing for the combined competitive preliminary exams conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) last month were stumped by questions that did not make much sense to them.

It was later found out that more than half the questions were copied from www.cssforum.com.pk, a resource website for civil services examinations in Pakistan. Some questions were also lifted from the 2008 Union Public Service Commission exams but without proper options to choose from.

That was not all, candidates said.

In sociology, for instance, 90% of the questions were allegedly taken from an online discussion forum. The veterinary paper too had 60 questions taken from an online question bank Vetscan.

Some of the questions in general studies, sociology and political science were in the context of a foreign country. We cross-checked and found they were straight out of the Pakistani resource site, Tapi Omo, a candidate, said.

As most of the question papers of the examination were photocopied and some were also tampered with, we cannot deny the possibility of a leak. Moreover, too much copy-pasting has been done while setting up the papers, which is illegal, Nani Bath, member of a steering committee formed to demand a re-examination of the prelims, said.

Bath, a professor at the Rajiv Gandhi University near state capital Itanagar, said the committee on Monday set a deadline for APPSC to re-conduct the preliminary exams within three months.

A loose organisation of the candidates said a letter has been submitted to APPSC secretary Onit Payeng for checking the faulty question papers.

The commission will take a call as early as possible if an expert panel finds errors in the question papers, Payeng said.

Social activist Patey Tayum said making errors has become a habit for APPSC, and the state government needs to take a firm stand on the fiasco that could destroy the career of many young people.

This is a criminal offence, and the guilty should be punished, Tayun said, adding APPSC chairperson Tajom Taloh should quit owning moral responsibility.

This is not the first time that the APPSC is embroiled in a controversy. In 2015, allegations of a question paper leak led to the dismissal of four officials of the commission.

The question paper fiasco hit APPSC days after 25 officers in Assam were arrested and dismissed for their involvement in a cash-for-jobs scam in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).

Former APSC chairperson Rakesh Kumar Paul and others associated with the commission are in jail for their alleged role in the job-selling scam.

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The Supreme Court said on Tuesday the CBI-led investigation in the larger conspiracy behind the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi does not appear to have achieved much headway.

The apex court referred to the reports filed before it by the CBI and observed that the investigation by the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) could be endless.

The MDMA is headed by a CBI official and comprises officers from IB, RAW and Revenue Intelligence and other agencies.

The MDMA is investigating the larger conspiracy. From CBI reports, it doesnt seem that there is much headway. So this enquiry could be endless, a bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi said.

The top court also arrayed the Centre as a party in the plea filed by one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

The bench fixed the matter for hearing on January 24.

The apex court had on November 14 asked the government to respond to a plea of the convict, AG Perarivalan, seeking suspension of his sentence till the CBI concluded its probe into the conspiracy behind the making of the belt bomb that killed Gandhi and several others.

The court asked the Centre to clarify its stand on the plea by Perarivalan, whose death sentence was earlier commuted to life term by the apex court.

In his plea, Perarivalan has told the court that he was held guilty for supplying two nine-volt batteries which were allegedly used in the improvised explosive device (IED) that killed Gandhi on May 21, 1991, but the probe by CBI-led MDMA relating to the IED was still going on.

The convict has said he has spent 26 years behind bars in connection with the case, while the Tamil Nadu government has already decided to set him free by remitting the remaining portion of his sentence.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at an election rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed.

This was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile global leader.

The Centre had earlier filed in a sealed cover a report on the investigation being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of the bomb that had killed Gandhi.

The apex court had on August 17 asked the Centre and CBI to apprise it of the probe being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of bomb after Perarivalan had claimed that this aspect was not being probed properly.

The apex court had on February 18, 2014 commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with two other condemned prisoners -- Santhan and Murugan -- on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.
Taking forward the debate on prison reforms, the Supreme Court has asked the state governments to consider setting up an open prison in each district.

At present, there are 63 open jails in the country with a total capacity of 5,370 but most remain underutilised as these together house 3,789 prisoners (70.6%), as per the National Crime Records Bureaus (NCRB) report for 2015.

In contrast, nearly all the regular prisons in the country are overcrowded, the report adds.

A bench headed by justice MB Lokur asked the Centre to hold a meeting with all the state governments and study the Rajasthan model, the state with maximum (29) open prisons.

Attorney general KK Venugopal agreed with the court, terming open prison system a novel experiment, and said the states should not have any objection in studying measures adopted by Rajasthan.

The bench responded by asking the Centre to take the lead in framing guidelines. Otherwise there will be total confusion, the court observed.

Venugopal insisted the states opinion must be sought before the Centre takes any decision in this regard. Justice Lokur advised the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) to hold a conference with all the states to take their views on this.

The court, however, rejected Venugopals request to ask states to file affidavits, saying it will be a time-consuming task.

If the Centre holds a meeting with the respective states director general of police, they (the DGPs) can receive instructions (immediately), it said, and fixed February 21 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

The courts suggestion came on a submission made by advocate Gaurav Agarwal, who is assisting it in the prison reforms case. The advocates report presented Rajasthan as a success story in reforming undertrials.

The court then directed states to file their response to advocate Agarwal within four weeks, which will be followed by the MHAs call for the meeting.

As per the NCRB report, 17 states have open jails. While Rajasthan tops with 29, Maharashtra is second with 13,

followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu with three each, and Gujarat and West Bengal with two each.

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana and Uttarakhand have one jail each.

Agarawl said the Rajasthan model was a learning experience as to how the open prison system could benefit the prisoner,

his family, the society and the state government. It is time states realise the benefit of this system, which is consistent with the prisoners dignity. Such prisons will help in reforming the inmates, which is the goal of any criminal justice administration, Agarwal said.
Evening is falling in western Rajasthans Alwar and the roads are getting deserted. Just a few kilometers from the Haryana border, this is a crime-prone zone that leads to Mewat, infamous for highway looters and criminal gangs.

Some 15km off the highway near Alwars Jairoli village is a gau-raksha chowki  an anti-cow smuggling outpost  set up in 2014 to check the illegal transportation of bovine animals.

The stretch of road is pitch dark and mostly deserted with fields on both sides.

At 12.30am on Tuesday, there is nobody outside the outpost. Two rooms are locked and the third appears to be bolted from the inside. Even after repeated knocks and calls, the door doesnt open. There is a motorcycle without number plates, clothes hanging on a rope, a hookah, and some dung cakes lying outside.

It must be the veterinary doctor sleeping in that room. As for me, I was out on round as I had received a tip-off about some cows being smuggled, says Gajraj Singh, head constable at Tijara police station, who was posted at the outpost that night.

Around 30km away, the outpost at Amlaki in the districts industrial Bhiwadi area is mobile  a police van.

Two Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) personnel come out of the van flashing their torches and tapping their sticks on the ground.

Both of them are unaware of the two shootouts between alleged cow smugglers and police in Alwar last week  including the one at a spot barely 2km from their outpost.

They say they get posted in different areas every day and are on duty from 11pm to 5am.

The cow smugglers now come armed, firing in our direction. Besides that, they have devised ways of passing through. Once they are through this last check post, its their territory, says Satya Prakash, one of the two personnel on duty.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje set up 39 such outposts in 2014 for cow protection in a state that has ramped up efforts to protect its 13 million bovine animals, tagging them with unique identification numbers, adding more shelters and setting up Indias only cow ministry.

One assistant sub-inspector and six constables are assigned to each outpost but the numbers on duty are far less. At times, the police rope in RAC personnel, who, unlike the local police, are not familiar with the area.

Six outposts are in Alwar, where many cattle traders pass through on their way to several weekly cattle markets in the region.

According to police figures, 226 people were arrested in Alwar in connection with the smuggling of bovine in 2015 while 116 were arrested in 2014. Till October this year, 82 people have been arrested.

Alwar first grabbed national headlines in April after dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was lynched by cow-protection vigilantes who accused him of smuggling the animal. Khan was a dairy farmer who had purchased the animals from a cattle fair. Last month, men ferrying cows were attacked and one person was killed in the incident.

Manohar Lal, the other personnel at Amlaki, says smugglers often use an empty vehicle that passes through at high speed and distracts authorities. Once the police start chasing the empty vehicle, smugglers take advantage and move the one with cows, he adds.

There are times when they send small cars to engage us in conversation, giving them an advantage of a few seconds, and come charging at great speed, often ramming into the barricades.

The men say cow smugglers know the area like the back of their hand and its practically impossible to man all roads leading out of the state.

Lack of livelihood and economic backwardness forces people to take the risks, they add.

As the duty of the men draws to an end, a motorcycle is seen coming towards the check post. On seeing the torches, he quickly turns around, and flees, but not before shouting, Khade raho khade raho, abhi nahin aa rahe (Stay put, they are not going to come for a while).

In local parlance, the man is called a checker, a person sent by smugglers to see if the route is clear. Another one on motorcycle crosses a while later. He turns out to be a guard at a tissue factory in the area. The police call the factory to check, before letting him go.

At 5am, the men get into their grill-fitted bus, and say, Ab kal kahin aur hogi duty. Hamara bistar gol hi rehta hai. (Well be posted somewhere else tomorrow. Our beds are always rolled up), says Prakash.
The government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday it has framed a scheme to set up a dozen special courts for a year to fast-track the trial of 1,581 criminal cases against politicians, including parliamentarians and state legislators.

These cases were declared by politicians in 2014 when they filed their nomination papers for the Lok Sabha polls as well as elections to eight state assemblies.

Law ministry additional secretary Reeta Vasishta submitted a two-page affidavit to the top court regarding the central scheme and said the finance ministry has approved Rs 7.8 crore to set up these courts.

The affidavit was in response to the top courts November 2 order that asked the government to draw a roadmap for special courts for speedy trial of lawmakers facing criminal charges.

The court is hearing a petition by advocate Ashwini Upadhyaya, who has sought a life ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections. The government has opposed the life ban.

In the interest of the nation, trials in such cases must end within a year, a bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi had remarked, asking the government to meet its promise to decriminalise politics.

At present, a lawmaker guilty of a criminal offence punishable by two years or more in jail immediately loses the membership of Parliament or state assemblies. The top courts 2013 judgment bars a convicted politician from contesting elections for six years from the date the sentence ends.

The suggestion for a central scheme to set up special courts was made after the Election Commission supported the idea, saying the move would go a long way in cleansing Indian politics.

According to the scheme, two courts would exclusively hear 184 cases pending against Lok Sabha MPs. Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala and Telangana would get one court each to deal with 141, 107, 87 and 67 cases involving MLAs, respectively. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have 160 cases apiece and they there would be one special court each in both states.

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will also get one each, but 21 states, including Gujarat (54 cases), Jharkhand (52) and Odisha (52) will not have such courts. For states with less than 65 cases, the plan is to try them in existing fast-track courts with the Supreme Court approval.

There will not be any special judicial forum to hear cases of 44 Rajya Sabha MPs and the government affidavit is silent on which court will hear them.

The government was also reminded of a previous court order that fixed a one-year time limit for trial courts to dispose of cases against politicians.

The Centre failed to provide information the court had sought on how many of the 1,581 cases have been disposed of within one-year time frame. Also, it did not furnish data on any new criminal case being lodged against current or former MPs and MLAs between 2014 and 2017.

The government said it tried to get the information from the poll panel, but it too could not provide any.

The Centre sought more time from the court, saying it will collect details from state governments.

Criminalisation of politics remains a major concern in India as several politicians facing charges of corruption, murder, rape and abduction continue to be lawmakers.

The Supreme Court has intervened on several occasions to trigger electoral reforms, including making it a must for candidates to declare their assets and list criminal cases against them, if any.

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Violence over the mysterious death of a teenager in Honnavar last week spread to another town in Karnatakas coastal Uttara Kannada district on Tuesday as the BJP stepped up its protest and sought an NIA probe in the case.

Police said they resorted to mild lathicharge and used tear gas to disperse the agitators as a section of them pelted stones at the forces, damaged vehicles and burnt tyres during a protest called by the BJP and others in Sirsi.

The saffron party has maintained that 18-year old Paresh Kamalakar Mesta was a Hindu activist killed by Jehadi elements, and demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Kumta in the same district also witnessed violence when the car of IGP (Western Range) Hemanth Nimbalkar was set ablaze yesterday amid protests seeking justice for Mesta, whose body was found on Friday. He was reported missing on December 6.

Mestas family and locals have alleged that he was abducted and killed amid reports that the body bore marks of attack by sharp objects.

Police, however, rejected these claims, citing the postmortem report.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has accused the BJP of using the incident for political gains.

Senior police and district administration officials said the situation at Sirsi was now under control and peace had been restored by dispersing the crowd.

Several people, including local BJP MLA Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, were detained by the police.

Police said the situation in Kumta was also normal.

BJP and some other outfits had called the protest in Sirsi, demanding the arrest of those responsible for Mestas death.

Meanwhile, a political slug fest has erupted between the ruling Congress and the BJP, as the two hold each other responsible for the incident.

A desperate @BJP4Karnataka stoops so low as to use the unfortunate death of a youth Paresh Mesta in Honnavar for political gains...People are getting hurt by their irresponsible acts, Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.

Home minister Ramalinga Reddy claimed such incidents were provoked purposefully by the BJP, keeping in mind the assembly elections, due early next year.

Stating that the BJPs intention was to disturb law and order, Reddy asserted, We wont let that happen. We will take appropriate action as per law.

The BJP, which has termed the death as the handiwork of jehadi elements, today petitioned Governor Vajubhai Vaila, demanding a probe by the NIA in the case.

BJP leaders led by K S Eshwarappa staged a protest march from Vidhana Soudha, state secretariat, to Raj Bhavan here.

Calling Mesta a Hindu activist, Eshwarappa accused the government of turning Karnataka into Kerala, and claimed this was 20th such killing of a Hindu activist in the state.

He alleged police and doctors (involved in postmortem) had been utilised by the government to close the case.

Another BJP leader R Ashoka said party leaders will also be meeting Union Homer Minister Rajnath Singh soon to apprise him of the situation in the state.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Party (KPCC) accused the BJP of playing politics of cadaver.

We do not discriminate. Whether a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian or a Parsi is killed, it is deplorable. Nobody can support it. But the BJP loves doing the politics of cadaver. It incites communal tension in the state for political gain, KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged.

Talking to reporters, he rubbished the accusations made by BJP leaders that the Congress-led state government had failed to contain murderous assaults on RSS workers.
The Rajasthan Cabinet Tuesday decided to amend an act related to protection on bovines to allow the export of bull calves of the age of 2 years or above to other states where cow slaughter is banned, parliamentary affairs minister Rajendra Rathore said.

The Bill with amendments to the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (prohibition of slaughter and regulation of temporary migration or export) Act will be forwarded to the president for his consent before it is introduced in the state Assembly, he said. The buyer will have to produce an affidavit that he will take care of the calves and will later use them for the purpose of agriculture or dairy farming, Rathore told reporters.

He said the amendment is for allowing only male calf. This is for Nagauri bull calves who are known for their good growth and built, he said.

The Cabinet also decided to cover all persons from the state who were detained under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and Defence of India Rules (DIR) during the emergency outside Rajasthan under pension scheme for the detainees of MISA and DIR.

So far, only those persons who were detained under MISA and DIR and kept in any of Rajasthan jails were given monthly pension of Rs 12,000 and a monthly allowance of Rs 1,200.

Such detainees would neo be honoured as Loktantra Rakshak Senanis (fighters who protected democracy), the minister said, adding the name of the pension scheme was also changed to Rajasthan Loktantra Senani Samman Nidhi and few more relaxation for detainees were also announced.

In the Cabinet meeting, it was also decided to free land of five villages from acquisition for Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor because the villages are close to national highway and the compensation amount was high as compared to the compensation decided for other five villages.

In place of those five villages, the land will be acquired from other villages and a 60-meter road will be constructed to link that land to the highway, the minister informed.

The Cabinet also decided to allot land for the offices of GST commissioner, GST appeal commissioner and GST audit commission in Jodhpur, six bigha land for connecting an Army depot with rail line to Banar railway station in Jodhpur

It also decided to give land free of cost to the Food Craft Institute, which has been upgraded to hotel management institute, to create hostel and other facilities in Udaipur.

The cabinet decided to scrap four laws that are irrelevant

Rajasthan Revenue Lodge (Extension) Act 1957, The Rajasthan Holdings Consolidation Operation Validating Act 1960m The Rajasthan Land Revenue (Amendment and Validation) Act 1966 and The Rajasthan Imposition of Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings (Amendment and Validation) Act 1979.

Government deacquires 893.06 hectare land in five villages out of 1425.36 hectares acquired in10 villages for Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Land will be acquired in four other villages and compensation amount will reduce by 41%.

Earlier compensation of Rs 2785.77 crore was to be paid for the five villages. Now total Rs 1331.14 crore will be paid for 1425.36 hectares.

Government allots 65661 square metre land in Jodhpur for office and housing for GST Commissionerate, GST Audit Commissionerate and GST Appeals Commissionerate.
The Rajasthan government has sought details of Muslims staff at health centres across the state, leading to apprehension among the doctors from the minority community that they may be targeted because of their religion.

The Centre has, however, termed the move as not unusual and said it asks for such data periodically.

A flutter was created after joint director (administration), Dr BL Saini, on November 30 issued a letter asking chief medical and health officers (CMHOs) of all districts to seek details of Muslim staff at sub centres, primary, and community health centres. The letter said the information has to be sent to the Government of India but did not mention why it was being collected.

The doctors have taken umbrage to the fact that information was being sought about health centre staff on the basis of their religion. The Muslim staff feels they are being targeted for their religion. They are scared, said Dr Nasreen Bharti of All Rajasthan In-service Doctors Association (ARISDA).

According to the letter, the CMHOs are required to send information about all groups of Muslim staff along with their place of posting to the health directorate in Jaipur.

HT has a copy of the letter.

Saini told HT that his letter was in pursuance of another from the Union ministry of health and family welfare on November 20 sent to health secretaries of all states. The Centres letter  HT has a copy of this  says information about Muslim staff was needed for the implementation of recommendations of Sachar Committee for the welfare of the minority communities.

However, the letter sent out to districts doesnt mention this.

I have received the letter for details of Muslim personnel but I am unaware about the reason for this exercise, said Churu CMHO Dr Manoj Sharma.

The doctors association said the exercise tantamount to religious profiling of government staff. The government already has information about its staff. Why does it want to know their religion now? asked Bharti.

The Union ministry of health and family welfare, however, sought to allay the fears of religious profiling.

The information sought from health centres, police etc. is regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Sachchar Committee for the welfare of minorities. We are just forwarding the request to the concerned departments, said Ziley Singh Vical, deputy secretary in the ministry. Vical had sent the request to all state principal health secretaries. If information on other minorities was not sought, it was because the Sachar Committee asked for information only for Muslims. Its not unusual, the Centre asks for such data periodically, he added.

The Sachar Committee

Sachar committee was formed in 2005 by then prime minister Manmohan Singh to study the social, economic and educational status of Muslims of India. The committee found that the condition of general Muslims was worse that than that of the backwards in the Hindu community. The committee recommended setting up an Equal Opportunity Commission to look into grievances of deprived groups like minorities and also increasing employment share of Muslims, particularly where there was great deal of public dealing.

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In a bid to get separated from his legally wedded wife on their fifth marriage anniversary, a man in Kota tied the knot with a life-size idol of a woman. The man, a social activist, also took a vow never to marry a human being again and also never to attend any wedding ceremony.

Rajaram Jain Karmayogi (42), who runs Shri Karmayogi Seva Sansthan in Kota, claims that he was forced to take the step following regular domestic quarrels with his wife, Alka Dulari (39). Jain and Dulari had got married on December 12 on a stage that was designed like a bier  a frame, mostly made of wood, on which a coffin or a corpse is placed before burial or cremation. They had also taken a pledge to not have any offspring.

Exactly 5 years to the day, Jain filed an application in a court in Kota seeking permission to live separately from his wife citing regular domestic quarrels.

Jain also called up around a dozen Sadhus at Mangal Bhawan, a community hall, in Jawahar Nagar area of Kota City, where he got married to a life-size plaster-of-paris idol by garlanding it. He has named the idol Parvati.

My marriage was coming in way of my social commitments as my wife was often quarreling with me and family, he said.

Jain said that he has is not seeking divorce from his wife but has only moved an application for living separately.

Asked why chose to marry an idol, Jain said, I have taken pledge to not marry again in life. Unlike a human being, an idol would not create hurdles for me when I go serving the society. I have also taken oath not to attend any wedding, and not to use abusive language for anyone.

Jain claimed that he has spent nearly Rs 16000 on getting the idol made.

His legally wedded wife, meanwhile, termed the move unfortunate. I married him even when my family was against it especially because he had taken a pledge for not having a child from the marriage. Now, he does not want to live with me and this is unfortunate, Dulari said.

On Jain marrying Parvati, she asked how would he take care of an idol when he couldnt take care of his wife.

Dulari, however, added that she was ready to improve herself if Jain asks her to do so.

Their marriage on a bier-shaped platform had a significance as Jains organisation has been carrying out social works in Kota, which includes financial and other assistance to poor people to help them perform last rites of their near and dear ones. Till date, he has helped form the last rites of more than 3,500 poor people for free. His organisation also carries out regular campaigns to make the city beggar free.
A 15-year-old boy was killed in Murshidabad district of West Bengal for protesting against the sale of hooch in the area.

The accused was arrested on Tuesday evening hours after the victim succumbed to multiple stab wounds, police said.

The incident comes close on the heels of a 33-year-old volunteer of Delhi Commission for Women was beaten up and paraded naked in northwest Delhis Narela after the seizure of illegal liquor from a house in the area.

On Sunday night Rejaul Sheikh was stabbed repeatedly allegedly by Ashraful Sheikh, a local criminal who used to sell hooch. The victim succumbed to his injuries early on Tuesday morning.

My son was an upright boy. He used to protest the sale of hooch in the area. Ashraful killed my son as he used to protest his illegal activities, said Emarul Sheikh, the father of the victim.

The incident took place in Antadwip village under Shamserganj police station area of the district.

Local said a few hooch dens operate at the village. Often brawls break out in these country-made liquor shops.

On Sunday evening, Rejaul was gossiping with friends sitting in his uncles Bolero car when Ashraful, who held grudges against the former for objecting to his illegal activities, came to the spot and started kicking the vehicle.

When Rejaul protested, Ashraful, who was in an inebriated condition, picked up a fight with him. But locals intervened and forced Ashraful to leave the site.

At night around 10pm when my son stepped out of his room to go to the toilet, Ashraful, who was hiding outside, pounced on him and started stabbing him indiscriminately, said the father of the victim.

When the boy raised an alarm, the accused fled the spot leaving him in a pool of blood.

The teenager was rushed to local Anupnagar hospital in a critical state. After his condition deteriorated he was referred to Jangipur hospital. On Monday morning he was brought to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, where he died a day after.
She wont tolerate attacks on workers from Bengal who might have migrated to other states in search of work, and if they feel persecuted and want to return, her government can even given them work for 200 days a year, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday.

Her comments at a public meeting came five days after Afrajul Khan, 49, a construction worker from Malda, was brutally killed by a youth Sambhu Lal Regar and his body set ablaze in Rajasthan in an act of hate crime. The video of Khan being continuously hit despite begging for his life, and finally his body being set on fire went viral and shocked the nation.

Khan has been working in Rajasthan for the past 20 years. His two sons-in-law also used to live with him and work there.

Those who have gone elsewhere to work and are feeling scared are welcome to come back. I shall guarantee work for them. If necessary, I will ensure work for 200 days (a year). I have instructed all the district magistrates to guarantee a minimum of 100 days of job for migrant workers coming back, Mamata Banerjee said while addressing a rally at Kotshila in tribal-dominated Purulia district in western Bengal.

Incidentally, the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh for the family of Khan and a government job for a member.

The director general of Bengal police also spoke to his Rajasthan counterpart and requested him to ensure the safety of the workers from Bengal who have migrated to that state in search of work.

The incident in Rajasthan triggered shock across Bengal with all political parties with the exception of BJP organising rallies to protest the crime.

On Tuesday the Bengal chief minister also cautioned against possible retaliation against people from other states staying in West Bengal. Please do not forget that people from other states, who are staying here, consider Bengal as their own state. We should not torture them in retaliation, she remarked.

In her speech, Mamata Banerjee also lashed out at BJP and said that in the states such as Rajasthan and Gujarat ruled by the saffron party, Muslims are not the only ones facing attack. Besides Muslims, they are also targeting the Christians, dalits and tribal people. But such incidents dont take place here and everyone is secured in Bengal, she claimed.

In Tuesdays speech, the chief minister also claimed that her government has carried out a lot of development work in Purulia district that was once dominated by Maoists. Peace has returned to the district, she said.

She also claimed that though there are similarities between Purulia and neighbouring Jharkhand that is also dominated by tribal people, the district of Bengal was far more developed.

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Following the revelation that the number of IIT-Kanpur students addicted to drugs has continued to swell over the past few months, the premier institute has taken a tough stand and banned cigarettes, pan masala and intoxicants on the campus.

The institute, which earlier found 25 students addicted to drugs, recently discovered that the figure was around 100.

In the notice banning cigarettes, pan masala etc, the institute has made it clear that anyone found flouting the ban would be subjected to serious disciplinary action.

To get to the core of the drug menace, the institute has tasked senior faculty members to find out the source of drug supply, besides putting some employees and security guards under the scanner.

The institute has received complaints about shady activities of certain employees and guards.

The faculty members have been asked to carry out the investigation secretly.

Dr Manindra Agarwal, acting director of IIT-Kanpur, said making the campus free of drugs was his priority and he would not hesitate in taking tough action.

On the other hand, the institute has sought help of the city administration in plugging the supply route. It also plans counselling of the drug addicted students and their parents would be made part of the process.

In the operation clean-up, raids were conducted at pharmacies and some shops around the institute. The raiding teams, led by drug inspectors Arvind Gupta and Ejaz Gupta, examined the stocks and registers of the pharmacies.

Read more: Three-pronged strategy to check drug menace at IIT-Kanpur

District magistrate Surendra Singh had asked the food and drug administration (FDA) to conduct searches following complaints that the pharmacies were selling certain banned drugs unlawfully. Two pharmacies have been issued show-cause notices as their pharmacists were found missing.

GSVM Medical College plans tough action for drug use

Kanpur: IIT-Kanpur isnt alone in this fight against drug addiction among students. Joining the tirade, GSVM Medical College has decided to suspend anyone found high on drugs or alcohol for three months from the college and hostel. In case a student is found taking drugs for the second time, the college would bar him/her from the college for one year.

GSVM Medical College proctor GD Yadav said a code of conduct was being put in place for the students. Not only would they have biometric attendance, their movement during the night would be curbed. After 9 pm the students would not be allowed to move out of the college.

Read more: Kanpur: GSVM Medical College suspends six students for indiscipline

The college, which recently faced unruly behaviour and incidents of ragging, said it wont compromise on discipline.
Filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta likes his films talk for themselves. Gupta, who is credited with critically acclaimed and commercially successful ventures like Aamir and No One Killed Jessica, is in Lucknow to shoot for Ajay Devgn and Illena DCruze starrer Raid. HT City catches up with him.

Whats your kind of film?

I believe that the film should speak for itself than me talking about it. Once the film is released everybody gets to know what it is all about. As a storyteller, Aamir gave me that confidence as it was critically and commercially successful despite being my debut film made with a very low budget and without big stars. Jessicas success strengthened my belief that story should speak for itself and relate to audience.

Your films are mostly based on true incidents?

Aamir was inspired from real life incidents faced by the country at that time. No One Killed Jessica again was inspired by true incident which needed to be told. Similarly, Raid too is inspired by real incidents that took place during 1980s but are relevant even today. We do put some fiction in it to make it entertaining but focus is on to connect it with the audiences.

Do we see you making multi-starrer entertainers like Golmaal and Judwaa?

I am happy making my kind of cinema. Everyone knows what one wants to make. We have audience for all type of cinema. The same audience appreciates Judwaa and on the same time Raid is being made. So its a good thing that different people make different kind of cinema.

Tell us about your journey?

I come from a small town Hazaribagh (now Jharkhand, earlier Bihar). I went to Delhi University for BCom where I started writing a bit. That was my first step towards creative field. After post-graduation, I went to Mumbai where I started assisting in films (1999). Being from a small town, middle-class without any film background the journey was tough. Parents wanted me to take up a secured government job but I did not wanted that. I survived by writing and then wrote few scripts and started pitching them to filmmakers. Aamir (2008) was liked by a producer and that is how I became writer-director.

You also wrote and directed Ghanchakar and Jessica but did not write Raid?

This films story is by Pink writer Ritesh Shah. He is a good friend and a great writer. With Raid, I got a chance to collaborate with him, producer Kumar Mangat and Ajay Devgn. Its a story which needs to be told. I am very happy that we all came together on board for such a project.

Any connections with Lucknow?

I came to the city just few months back when we decided to make the film. And she since then I had multiple visits to the city before the shoot began. It has been over two months of shoot in Lucknow we will be completing the schedule on Tuesday. I have started feeling like home here and feel sad that after a day or two we will leave Lucknow. The shoot has been wonderful and people cooperated a lot. I hope to come back here again to shoot for another project.
Manticore RecordsA new limited-edition concert album recorded during Emerson, Lake & Palmer frontman Greg Lake's final tour has just been released. Live in Piacenza captures a November 2012 performance at Teatro Municipale in the Italian city of Piacenza as part of Lake's "Songs of a Lifetime" trek.

The show featured Greg playing a variety of ELP's best-loved songs, including "From the Beginning," "StillYou Turn Me On," "I Believe in Father Christmas," "Lucky Man" and "Karn Evil 9." It also included performances of tunes from Lake's pre-ELP stint with King Crimson, "21st Century Schizoid Man" and "In the Court of the Crimson King," as well as covers of the Elvis Presley hit "Heartbreak Hotel," The Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready."

Lake was joined for "Lucky Man" by a trio of respected Italian prog-rock musicians -- Aldo Tagliapietra, Bernardo Lanzetti and Annie Barbazza.

Live in Piacenza is available on CD, as a premium-audiophile double-LP vinyl collection and as a deluxe box set at ManticoreRecords.com. The box set features a clear-vinyl audiophile double-LP, a gold audiophile CD, a DVD containing a documentary about the concert, and such collectibles as photo prints, a poster and sticker.

In his 2016 memoir Lucky Man, Greg wrote that the Piacenza show was an "outstanding memory" for him. He added, "The show at Teatro Municipale was recorded and I decided to release a special collector's edition of it on vinyl. Somehow the event, the feeling of the music and the atmosphere all seem to be suited to being reproduced in this analogue way."

Lake died of lung cancer in December 2016. He was 69.

Here's the track list of Live in Piacenza:

"21st Century Schizoid Man"

"Lend Your Love to Me Tonight"

"From the Beginning"

"Heartbreak Hotel"

"Epitaph"/"In the Court of the Crimson King"

"I Talk to the Wind"

"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"

"Touch and Go"

"Trilogy"/"StillYou Turn Me On"

"I Believe in Father Christmas"

"Shakin' All Over"

"C'est La Vie"

"People Get Ready"

"Lucky Man"

"Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression, Part II)"

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Even as the Uttar Pradesh government is reportedly considering the NITI Aayogs proposal of bringing down the number of government departments from 94 to 37, the states employees federation has warned it of not going ahead with any such move without taking it into confidence.

The central government think-tank had presented a report to UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath suggesting complete restructuring of administrative machinery by merging a number of departments with the ones that did more or less similar work.

It would be a fundamental systemic overhaul. The proposal is still in its initial stage. Such decisions take time and I have no idea how long it would take to be implemented, said additional chief secretary, planning, Sanjiv Saran, the man who heads the panel that will oversee its execution.

Some ideas sound good on paper but can prove detrimental for both the government and its employees if implemented in an arbitrary manner, said Yadvendra Mishra, president of the UP Sachivalaya Sangh (Secretariat Employees Federation).

The UP government, he said, had not yet taken them on board on the matter and associations main concern was that their seniority (in service) may get compromised.

There are approximately 15 lakh government employees. The restructuring is bound to have an impact on their promotional avenues and seniority, said Mishra.

A senior spokesperson for UP government, however, said that the issue had been blown out of proportion. The merger, if and when it happens, would not be as big as it is being made out by a section of the media. At best the pruning (departments) would be limited to 10 to 15, he said. The exercise, he pointed out, would be undertaken keeping in mind the Prime Ministers philosophy of minimum government, maximum governance.

A 17-member NiTi Aayog delegation had met the UP CM and submitted its proposal on streamlining government departments by merging them or restructuring them to ensure better coordination last month.

For instance, in the health sector, the Aayog said that in UP there was a separation between the departments of medical education, medical health and family welfare.

It said there was a separation between medical and health on the one hand and family welfare and NRHM on the other. Moreover, there were numerous other agencies responsible for implementing initiatives in different areas of health.

Fragmentation of this nature leads to coordination issues and makes it difficult to establish accountability due to multiple channels of reporting, it had pointed out.

Not all employees bodies, however, are opposed to the idea of integration of all government departments in the same sector.

UP power engineers have demanded merging of all power utilities in the state for efficiency. All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has urged chief minister Yogi Adityanath to integrate all nine power corporations for better coordinated action.
Having earlier renamed the Ardh Kumbh as the (full-fledged ) Kumbh, the Yogi Adityanath government has now changed the logo for the world-famous event in an apparent bid to depict Hindutva more effectively.

The (Ardh) Kumbh is scheduled to be held in Allahabad in 2019 and the state government plans to make it a memorable event that is likely to come amidst the Lok Sabha elections in the country.

The new logo comprises the Om symbol, a kalash (pitcher) apart from the three riversthe Ganga, the Yumuna and the Saraswati that converge at the Triveni Sangam in Allahabad.

The Om icon will be at the bottom and above it will be the three rivers. The Kalash that also means Kumbh will be at the top, a tourism department official told HT.

The 2013 Kumbh had Kalash as its logo. Generally, the Kalash has been the logo all these years with minor changes at times. This is probably the first time when it is being revised thoroughly, the official said.

The present logo, he said, was not able to represent the whole character of Prayag.

A proposal for the new logo is all set to be put to the Cabinet for its nod on Wednesday, after which governor Ram Naik and chief minister Yogi Adityanath will jointly launch it here soon, government sources said.

The new logo, according to sources, has been designed by lyricist, screenplay writer and poet Prasoon Joshis company McCann Erickson. The CM is leant to have asked the company to come out with a logo that is not only innovative but also characterizes Hindutva in a more pronounced manner.

The Adityanath government in October had scaled up Ardha Kumbh to the level of Kumbh and renamed the bigger Kumbh that is scheduled in 2023 as the Maha Kumbh. The government has decided to spend Rs1200 crore on the preparations of the (Ardh) Kumbh in 2019 of which Rs 400 crore will be spent during the current financial year only.

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With the CMs Secretariat building in Lucknow getting painted in saffron colour and a new fleet of saffron buses being rolled out recently, the colour seems to be gaining currency in the state.

Such is the saffron frenzy that reportedly over 80 of the 1,230 primary schools in Pilibhit district were painted saffron. However, this did not go down well with the district magistrate who has now given directives to the managing bodies of the government primary schools to repaint the schools in white, which is the official colour.

The issue came to light when district magistrate Sheetal Verma visited the government primary school of Roop Pur Kripa village located near Pilibhit city to inaugurate the nutrition week on December 9. After finding the school building painted in saffron, the DM called the headmaster and the village head to enquire about the issue and reportedly rebuked them along with panchayat secretary.

The building was coloured in a shade of saffron which is not the permitted colour. The village head and the panchayat secretary were asked to repaint the school in white, which is officially designated colour for government primary schools, said the DM.

Village heads are responsible for colouring and maintaining school buildings in their respective villages.

Village heads are provided funds for the same and are required to adhere to government guidelines regarding construction work or colouring the school building, said the DM.

It is alleged that village head Mala Devi forgot to consult anyone before giving orders to repaint the school. On being contacted, her husband Bhagirath Verma said, The colour was decided by the panchayat secretary and we didnt give any thought to it. Verma further said other schools in the area have also been painted in saffron. Our school was painted hardly a fortnight ago much after several other schools of the area were painted in the same colour, he added.

Reportedly, over 80 out of 1,230 primary schools in the district were painted saffron this year. On whose advice it was done is not clear yet.

I have asked the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) to look into the matter and ensure that all schools are painted white as per the government guidelines, said the district magistrate.

The change, it seems, will begin from the primary school in Roop Pur Kripa. After being rebuked by the DM, the village head has hired men to repaint the school in white. Bhagwa karke galati ho gayi, ab use sudhar rahen hain (It was a mistake to paint the school in saffron. We are correcting it now), said the village head.
The Yogi Adityanath government is likely to bring Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill (UPCOCB) during the brief winter session of state legislature commencing on Thursday.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had given indications in this regard during budget session of state legislature early this year. The Opposition has consistently targeted the Yogi Adityanath government on law and order related issues.

Besides tabling five ordinances, promulgated after budget session, during the winter session, the state government also proposes to present the first supplementary demands of grant for 2017-2018 on December 18. The state government proposes to get the supplementary demands passed on December 19. The tentative programme indicates that the house will continue till December 22.

The Opposition that had boycotted the house at the end of budget session is likely to attend the winter session and may demand that there should be more sittings of the house. Speaker Hridaya Narain Dixit has convened an all meeting to ensure smooth functioning of the house on December 13. I have invited leader of opposition parties to the all-party meeting convened on December 13. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will also attend the meeting, said the speaker.

Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary was not available for comments. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ajay Lallu said his party would attend the house and target the government on law and order and other issues.

Uttar Pradesh Prayagraj Mela Pradhikaran Allahabad Ordinance 2017 is one of five ordinances to be tabled on floor of house. The state government had promulgated the ordinance to set up Kumbh Mela Authority to create infrastructure for Kumbh Mela and Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. The state government had decided to rename the Ardh Kumbh Mela as Kumbh Mela and the Kumbh Mela as the Maha Kumbh.

The other four ordinances are Uttar Pradesh Excise (amendment) Ordinance 2017, Uttar Pradesh Junior High School (Payment of salaries to teachers and other employees) (amendment) Ordinance 2017, Uttar Pradesh Basic Education (amendment) Ordinance 2017 and Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Societies (amendment) Ordinance 2017.
A day after the Union information and broadcasting ministry banned telecast of condom advertisements during prime-time hours, health care and medical experts have decided to write to the Centre to ease the restrictions.

Terming the I&B ministrys notification regressive, experts said the curbs will affect Indias fight against sexually transmitted diseases.

In a recent advisory, the ministry has directed all television channels to not telecast condom advertisements between 6am and 10pm to prevent children from being exposed to indecent and inappropriate content.

It has been brought to the notice of (I&B ministry) that some channels carry advertisements of condoms repeatedly which are alleged to be indecent especially for children, the notification read.

The move has attracted ire from child psychiatrists, healthcare workers and advertisement professionals who called it a regressive method of functioning from right-wing politics.

Dr V Sam Prasad, country programme director of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), an organisation of health workers in 38 countries, said they are set to start a dialogue with the ministry to remove the curbs.

Being the third largest country with HIV infections, condom is the single most effective tool to prevent an array of sexually transmitted diseases. Awareness for a young country like India, which is vulnerable to HIV and STD infections, is a must no matter in which form, because we have to consider the bigger picture, said Dr Prasad.

He added that AHF, after discussing the matter with other similar organisations, will write a letter to remove the restriction. We will start a dialogue through letter and will not rest until the restriction is removed, Dr Prasad added.

It (the advisory) is a primitive method of regulating behaviour of children who are not only sexually active at the age of 14 but have access to information easily than their older generations, said child psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty.

The advertisements and indirect awareness has resulted in a rise of condom usage and decrease in unwanted pregnancies and sexual violence. Putting a ban on the content is similar to banning advertisements of helmets or raincoats in a particular period. There is no scientific explanation to the move, Dr Shetty added.

Amaresh Godbole, managing director, DigitasLBi India a digital marketing firm who has worked on advertisement campaigns of popular condom brands in past, said that rather than banning a category, the government should ban the kind of content that is offensive to children.

I agree that children shouldnt be exposed to indecent content but rather than censoring condom advertisements as a category, why not ban vulgar advertisements. Not all condom advertisements focus on sensuality, but at the same time there are advertisements of other products brands like soaps and tobacco which arent appropriate for children, said Godbole.

He added that condom advertisements should be encouraged as any measure that drives usage will help drive safe sex even if its not educational content.

BOX

Summary of National AIDS Control Programmes budget and expenditure 2012-16. (figures in cr)

Description---Budget Estimate (BE)--Revised Estimate (RE)--Actual Expenditure

Supply of condoms --431.60 --346.16 ---381.97

IEC (Information Education and Communication) of condoms--- 75.00 ---50.79 ---43.17

Condoms other charges (Social Marketing) ---250.00 ---185.84 ---153.80

Total --- 756.60 ---582.79 ---578.94

(Statistics show underuse of allotted budget for condom intervention program )

No. of condoms distributed (in crore pieces)

Year: Target: Achieved

2012-13 --109.2 --85.19

2013-14--116.1-- 83.77

2014-15--123.3 --88

2015-16--129.7 --20.90*

2016-17--136.4 --nil

(Social marketing program closed in NACO during 2015- 16)
The cash-strapped Maharashtra government, which has already initiated a 30% cut to the developmental budget, will have to now divert funds further for the historic loan waiver announced by it. The government made an additional allocation of Rs15,000 crore on the first day of the winter session on Monday, besides Rs20,000 crore already set aside for the waiver four months ago. Earmarking a further Rs 5,000 crore will hit allocation for welfare schemes and developmental works in the state as populism prevails over fiscal discipline.

The government made the Rs15000-crore allocation through the supplementary demands of Rs 26,402 crore tabled in the legislature on Monday. Supplementary demands are made to seek approval of the legislature to spend more funds than provided for in the annual budget. The states plan budget, meant for social schemes and development works, is about Rs77,000 crore, which will now be cut short to facilitate the disbursement of the loan waiver amount. The total allocation for loan waiver has now reached Rs35,000 crore.

Soon after the announcement of a loan waiver of Rs34,022 crore on June 24, the government initiated 30% cut to its development budget. Out of the budgeted amount of Rs77,000 crore for the development and infrastructure works in 2017-18, it has been releasing only 70% funds for building and road constructions, scholarship and educational schemes among others. The percentage of the release is unlikely to improve in the remaining months of the fiscal. To ensure that the cut to the budget does not cross beyond 30%, the government sought the Centres permission in September to raise the loan of Rs 20,000 crore more than budgeted estimate of Rs41,997 crore this fiscal. This would lead to the debt of the state mounting to more than Rs4.40 lakh crore this year.

The government is likely to face flak for diverting the funds of Rs4,000 crore from social justice and tribal development department for the loan waiver. The government has drawn Rs2,000 crore each from these two departments allocated for residential schools, scholarships for socially backward and tribal students. The schemes will be badly hit due to the diversion. The diversion from these two departments is to meet the mandatory figure of allocation in the proportion of the population of Scheduled Caste (11.8%) and Scheduled Tribes (9.5%), said an official from finance department.

Although the government has estimated the loan waiver expenditure to be Rs34,022 crore benefiting 89 lakh farmers, the number of beneficiaries is likely to be about 55 lakh with the estimated expenditure of Rs30,000 crore. Government has made the allocation of Rs35,000 crore to pacify critics that have been calling the loan waiver a sham, an official from the cooperation department said. To make sure spending on development works does not drop any further, the government will now have to either raise more loans or resort to austerity measures.

The experts studying state finances slammed the government for rising debts. The financial condition of the state has totally collapsed. Besides cutting short expenditure on school education, social welfare, public health and women welfare, the debt burden is continuously mounting. Although it has been maintaining that the debt is within the permitted limit against the Gross Domestic Product, one should take into account that the state has lost its repayment capacity. Secondly, the government has crossed norms of financial discipline by proposing huge supplementary demands, which have crossed 20% of the budget size against the permitted percentage of 3, said Rupesh Keer of Samarthan, a non-government organisation studying the state budget.
Highlighting that it is the responsibility of every Mumbaiite to refrain from littering, 15 city schools participated in a first-of-its-kind Anti-litter Day campaign on Tuesday.

From wearing colourful costumes as part of street plays, poster-making competitions, cleanliness rallies across housing societies to spreading awareness about segregation of garbage, were the themes the schools focused on during the 10-hour campaign in different parts of the city.

The event witnessed participation from schools such as Vanita Vishram High School, Girgaum, Convent Girls High School, Prabhadevi, St Josephs High School, Wadala, Don Bosco High School, Matunga and Borivli, and as far as Sacred Heart High School, Vashi.

To spread the message of reduce, reuse and recycle, we went on a door-to-door cleanliness rally in our neighbourhood and requested people to stop littering, said Rutuja Belwalkar, a student from Convent Girls High School, Prabhadevi.

Nadar Ranjitham Selvaraj from Don Bosco High School, Matunga, said, The aim is to have an anti-litter culture, where people understand the adverse effects of littering and develop a sense of responsibility.

The event was organised by NGO GreenLine under its Green Schools initiative. While majority of the focus is on clean-up drives, our priority is to ask citizens why we dirty the streets in the first place, and then blame the municipal corporation for not clearing the waste. If we citizens are responsible for this mess, we need to change, said Father Savio Silviera, director, GreenLine.

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The proposed memorial for the late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray got a boost on Monday.

The state coastal authority wrote to the Union environment ministry to clear the civic bodys proposal to convert the mayors bungalow at Shivaji Park into the memorial.

While the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) had issued a green nod for the project in September on the basis of a proposal submitted by the state urban development department, their recommendation comes after giving a clearance to a separate proposal by the civic body during a meeting last week, said officials.

After clearing the proposal by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), all environmental clearances have been granted by the state for this project. We studied the exact details of how the BMC intends to construct the memorial, and submitted all details to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, said Satish Gavai, chairman, MCZMA and additional chief secretary, state environment department. We expect that the Centre might clear the proposal over the next three months.

The memorial was first announced on November 17, 2015, by the state government, where a number of sites were suggested, but the mayors bungalow at Shivaji Park, Dadar, was preferred by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. The civic body had passed a resolution to convert the sea-facing bungalow, which has been home to Mumbais mayors over the past five decades, into a memorial for Thackeray in February this year.

BMC officials said it will take at least a year to begin construction work. This latest move has brought the project one-step closer to construction, said Ramesh Pawar, deputy municipal commissioner, BMC. Once we get the Centres nod, we will draft a plan for the construction. The cost for the entire project will be estimated and the tendering process will begin. By the time construction starts, it will at least take a year.

On September 7, the state urban development department had issued a notification to change the reservation of the mayor bungalow at Dadar to Grand memorial of Swargiy Balasaheb Thackeray in the Development Plan (DP) 1991. The bungalow and the area around it was marked as a green zone in DP 1967, and a green zone with Mayor Bungalow in DP 1991. Since a green zone does not permit any construction in the area demarcated under the plan, the departments notification said the green zone needs to be deleted and included in the residential zone.

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For those who walk into Jaipurs 283-year-old Nahargarh Fort and marvel at its history, there is now another unexpected attraction: contemporary sculpture.

On December 10, Rajasthans chief minister, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, inaugurated a one-of-a-kind sculpture park inside the forts Madhavendra Palace.

The project, a public-private venture between Saat Saath Arts, the government of Rajasthan and corporate houses, took a year to set up. It houses 40 sculptures by Indian artists like Jitish Kallat, LN Tallur, Thukral & Tagra and Manish Nai alongside works by French artist Arman, American artist James Brown and British artist Stephen Cox among others. Visitors will be able to take in a giant spiderweb by Reena Kallat, Subodh Guptas old remodelled ambassador car, and multi-coloured papier-mache work by Manish Nai.

The park aims to strengthen contemporary art in a region predominantly known for its history and heritage. Its also a reason to to get visitors to keep coming back to the fort.

We need public spaces for art to use culture as a conduit for job creation, tourism and economic growth, says Aparajita Jain of Saat Saath Arts, which supports exchange between India and the rest of the world through the visual arts.

Malvika Singh, cultural advisor for government of Rajasthan, says it is important for the government to look at how historical sites can be used for present-day exhibitions and performances. It is only when a sense of pride is generated through such rekindling and reinvention of public domains, that conservation becomes real and a priority, she says.

Across the world, sculpture parks have become a way for visitors and locals to appreciate the location and new art. In the US, the DeCordova Sculpture Park outside Boston has more than 40 gigantic colourful sculptures across woodland. On the Japanese island Naoshima, fisherpeoples 200-year-old homes contain contemporary installations. Norways Artscape Nordland has works from contemporary artists like Anish Kapoor along the cliffs and beaches, infusing life into the remote coast.

The parks curator Peter Nagy hopes the venue introduces contemporary art to a wider audience. Putting on exhibitions, especially one as large as this at a remote site, takes a huge amount of organisation and teamwork, he says. I enjoy working with people who are not in the art world and showing them the numerous possibilities for art that exist. Getting them involved in the management of a project like this makes them feel connected and closer to the art.
Following the stampede at Elphinstone Road station that led to death of 23 commuters, the state government has asked the Mumbai civic body to remove all illegal as well as licensed stalls outside suburban railway stations, CM Devendra Fadnavis informed the legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the railways have already started to remove hawkers from station premises. Officials from the state urban development department said the government has also asked the BMC to take action against stalls within 150m outside stations.

The BMC has started action against illegal stalls and shops on foothpaths and roads. The proposal is to shift licensed stalls in hawking zones or elsewhere to ensure safety of commuters outside local stations in Mumbai. There are large-scale violations by license-holding stalls. In such cases, the civic body has been asked to revoke their licences. The number of such stalls is limited, but they need to be removed, said an official, adding stalls with change of use will also face action as it amounts to violation.

In a written reply submitted during question hour, Fadnavis gave information about the slew of measures taken by the government after the stampede. He said the authorities have proposed a new skywalk, 10 new foot overbridges and replacement of 21 existing bridges at various suburban railway stations. The house was informed that the additional security forces were deployed with the help of Maharashtra police for security of commuters. It has also been clarified that the inquiry held by Railway authorities held no officer guilty for the mishap.

In other replies, the government has admitted to irregularities in housing schemes of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) and Slum Redevelopment Authorities. The BMC was supposed to get Rs1240.13 crore from 123 redevelopment projects implemented on the land owned by the civic body under 33(7) of the development control rule. Although 41 of the projects have been completed and remaining are under construction, only 89 developers have paid BMC Rs846.99 crore towards premium. The CM, who is also the urban development minster, informed the house that the developers with dues have been served stop-work notices.

Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Vijay Vadettiwar and others had raised the question about the 40 bogus quality control certificates submitted by the contractors in various slum rehabilitation housing projects. Housing minister Prakash Mehta said 20 contractors and 17 labour cooperative institutes have been blacklisted, while an inquiry has been initiated against 46 Mhada officers.

The government also informed the legislative Assembly about the action taken against builders from Chembur for killing trees by injecting acid.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  An entrepreneurial student who turns worm poop into organic fertilizer targeted for marijuana growers is generating buzz and earning accolades.

Joseph Walker, whos studying at Brigham Young University, began the company OmniEarth to make fertilizer from worm castings  the technical term for worm poop, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Walker, 22, and originally from Eugene, Oregon, said he became interested in developing an organic fertilizer while working in landscaping and noticing that chemical fertilizers could be a contentious subject. His grandfather suggested worm droppings as a solution.

At first, Ill be honest, I thought he was crazy. It sounded like a ridiculous idea, Walker said. But after just five hours of research, I understood this could be a really cool organic solution for any industry, not just lawn care.

After more research and contacting companies already selling worm castings, Walker said he learned that the fast growing marijuana industry was a prime target for his business. Growers often prefer organic and pesticide-free products.

They all said its the marijuana market, Walker said. There is a seemingly insatiable need. None of the companies said they could keep up with current orders. Theres this huge need to go green.

Walker found warehouse space and began searching for the right combination of temperature, humidity and water content of the soil to maximize production.

The research for Walkers startup company has been aided by cash prizes won in student entrepreneurship competitions this year.

In January, Walkers company earned a $900 grant from a program at the University of Utahs Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.

OmniEarth then received $15,000 two months later after it was selected as a finalist in the New Venture Challenge, a competition sponsored by the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

In November, Walkers company won a regional competition for the international Global Student Entrepreneur Awards. The overall winner to be selected in Toronto in April will receive $50,000.
Eleven days after a 19-year-old MBBS student was looted of her valuables and thrown out of a moving train, the government railway police (GRP) arrested the culprit from a hotel in Shilphata on Tuesday.

The culprit has been identified as Santosh Kekan, 28, a resident of Bodke Chawl in Shahad in Thane district.

The victim- Rituja Bokade, a resident of Vashi, was returning home from Baroda by Thiruanantapuram Express and she alighted at Panvel station around 11.15 pm on December 3. Then she boarded a second class ladies compartment of local train to Vashi at 11.22 pm. She was alone in that compartment and there were no security guards.

Around 11.50 pm, when the train reached Nerul station, the accused boarded that compartment. Finding her alone, the accused snatched her bag and earrings. He also tried to snatch her mobile phones, but the victim was defending herself. Her two phones fell down on the floor during the ruckus as the train entered the Juinagar station. The accused then pushed her and ran out of the compartment with her phones, said a GRP official.

The victim fell down on the platform, but she sustained only minor injuries as the train had lowered its speed after entering the station. She later reached Vashi boarding another train and also registered an FIR with the Vashi GRP under sections 307, 397, 356 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 162 of the Railway Act.

The accused ran out of the station and went towards the Sion-Panvel highway. After examining the CCTV footage of all the stations, we realized that a white car had dropped the accused at Mansarovar station. From the registration number of that car we reached out to the owner of the car- Vipul Patil, said Suresh Patil, senior police inspector of Vashi GRP.

Patil told us that the accused was his friend and he also gave his details including phone numbers and residential address. However, when our officials reached his residence on Thursday (December 7), the accused attacked three constables and then fled the house. He first punched one of the constables and then pushed two others before running away through small dark lane. The first constable suffered injuries in the attack, he said.

Following that incident a fresh case was registered with Kalyan police under section 332 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Kekan for voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from duty.

After that Kekan was hiding in a hotel in Shilphata. Acting on a tip off the police arrested him from the hotel.

We have realized that the accuseds only intention was to loot the victim of her valuables. He has a diploma of mechanical engineering and was working as a maintainer with a private company. He does not have any criminal record, said Samadhan Pawar, deputy commissioner of police of GRP.

So far we have recovered the victims bag from the culprits possession. Her jewellery and mobile phones are yet to be recovered, Patil said.

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A special court for the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act sentenced a 40-year-old man to life imprisonment for repeatedly raping his minor daughter for a year and impregnating her.

A resident of Vikhroli, the father, who worked as a house keeper, raped the 15-year-old girl on occasions when she was alone at home between September 2014 and September 2015.

The act came out when the girl was found seven months pregnant.

On October 21, 2015, the girl complained of stomach pain to her mother. Initially, the family thought her pain was related to an appendix surgery conducted one-and-a-half years ago. But the pain did not subside. The mother took the girl to a doctor, who suggested a detail examination and a sonography test. The sonography test revealed that the girl was pregnant for seven months.

When the girl was confronted over the pregnancy, she revealed that her father had raped her over a year.

The girl in her statement and deposition said that her father used to rape her between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm when she was alone at home.

Based on the statement of the girl, the brother of the man lodged a complaint on behalf of the girl with the Park Site police station.

Public prosecutor Shankar Erande while presenting the case before the court examined six witnesses, including the girl, her mother and uncle, a medical officer and investigating officers. The key to the case was testimony of the victim and medical evidence which led to the sentence of the father.

The public prosecutor Shankar Erande while presenting the case before the court examined six witnesses, which included victim, her mother and uncle, medical officer and investigating officers. The key to the case was testimony of the victim and medical evidence which nailed father.

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The state cabinets decision to regularise illegal slums by offering them subsidised houses has been opposed by department officials and urban planners.

On Sunday, the cabinet passed a proposal to regularise the slums built after the cut-off date of January 1, 2000, (for legalising slums) by charging a penalty under Centres programme housing to all by 2022 scheme. The eligible slumdwellers, who have been living in the structures before January 1, 2000, will get tenements free of cost.

Officials from housing and judiciary departments and urban planners have opposed the proposal saying it will hamper the existing the slum redevelopment proposals and make new ones unviable.

The state government has proposed an amendment in the Maharashtra Slum Areas Act 1971 to include illegal occupants in the schemes.

To expedite the slum redevelopment, the government has proposed to make the transfer easier within the government agencies including district collectorate, civic bodies by setting a time frame of 30 to 90 days. The proposed amendment has also given powers to the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority to decide on the eligibility of slum dwellers so that there is no delay. The CEO has also been given power to finalise the developers to undertake the slum rehabilitation schemes.

The state has proposed amendments in the Act. Illegal occupants will also be eligible for rehabilitation as project-affected people or will be included under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana, in which the occupant bears part of the house cost, said an official from the housing department.

This will put additional burden on the existing infrastructure. The developer will not be in position to provide additional flats to ineligible occupants, said the official.

The official also added that the CEO of the SRA has been given enormous powers in the proposal and may prove to leading to the corruption. The proposal was moved directly by the SRA, without taking the housing department into confidence and approved in the absence of housing minister Prakash Mehta.

The law and judiciary department, too, has opposed fundamental changes, such as amendment in the definition of slum areas.

Urban planner Chandrashekhar Prabhu said, As recommended by state-appointed Tinaikar committee a few years ago, the SRA should be scrapped as it is a developer-driven scheme. The new proposal may defeat the whole purpose of idea of the slum rehabilitation.

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Leading a protest rally after almost three decades, former Union minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday urged farmers in the state not to pay taxes, power and water bills.

The rally called by the combined opposition saw a huge crowd. Till the time the money is not deposited in the accounts, no farmer should pay his light bill, society bill or taxes, Pawar said.

He warned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Sena government as well as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis that the states farming community was capable of throwing the government out of power.

The farmers who gave you the seat of the chief minister can unseat you too, Pawar said.

He responded to Fadnavis remark that the government would tighten the screws on the Congress-NCP and show how the previous government was responsible for farmers plight. Halla-bol politics of NCP will be settled by exposing Dalla-mar (corruption) of the Congress-NCP regime, Fadnavis had said on Sunday in the ongoing assembly.

Pawar responded to the statement and said, Do not be arrogant and play vindictive politics.

Pawar said that for the past six months, the government had been repeatedly promising to waive loans. But the loans have not been waived, he said.

Pawar said that the movement would continue until the farmers receive the minimum guarantee price (MSP) and the loan waiver. The NCP chief urged people attending the rally to spread the word. We do not want charity. We want what was promised to us to be fulfilled, he said.

Pawar said Rs 70,000 crore was released by the UPA government when he was Union agriculture minister. I had personally visited the affected districts of Yavatmal and Wardha before announcement by PM Manmohan Singh, he said.

The leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, criticised the BJP government in the state, saying that he knows the pulse of people and their problem as he had represented Washim (Yavatmal) in the Lok Sabha twice.

Earlier, thousands of workers and leaders of Congress and NCP gathered in Nagpur from different parts of the state to participate in the Jan Akrosh-Halla Bol morcha  held on Pawars 77th birthday  and marched towards Vidhan Bhavan on the second day of the winter session.

The Congress and NCP were joined by leaders from the Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPM, RPI, and Republican Party of India (Kavade Group). The march aimed to corner the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the state for its unfulfilled promises, including the loan waiver programme, farmer suicides and MSP for farmers.

Pawar said the rally would not end here. We will uproot the Fadnavis and Modi governments, he added.

Meanwhile, Azad attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for resorting to derogatory politics by spreading falsehood. Saying that it was a desperate attempt to win the Gujarat elections, Azad said the Congress was getting overwhelming support from the people there.
Doctors from Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Parel, recently presented a new research paper at a leading conference in the United States.

The paper focuses on how the hospitals initiative of giving expert opinion to cancer patients, through an online platform called Navya, has helped 13,600 (80%) of 17,000 patients avail better treatment in the past three years.

The online opinion is given by a team of specialists from the TMH.

Navya was started in 2015 to bridge the gap between cancer patients and specialists in

India.

As per data provided by the hospital, India has only 1,600 oncologists for three million cancer patients, thus indicating that a large number of cancer patients may not have access to treatment at all.

Speaking about the online initiative, doctors said the system works with the help of two separate engines  Evidence Engine and Experience Engine.

While the former holds a vast database of oncological clinical trials, the latter stores past cases, histories and line of treatment offered by experts from the hospital.

When a patients record is uploaded into the system, it gives a structured analysis of the case history and evaluates the best line of treatment, said Gitika Srivastava, founder of Navya.

About 85% of patients were given opinions for free, said Dr Rajendra Badwe, director, TMH.

The findings of the study reveal that Navya model works very well for providing affordable, standard of care treatment to patients who dont have access to cancer specialists, he added.

The findings were presented at the San Antonio Breast

Cancer Symposium, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, on December 12.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis allegations against former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in connection with a dinner organised by former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyer has drawn flak from the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) ally, Shiv Sena.

The dinner was attended by Singh, former vice-president Hamid Ansari, Pakistan High Commissioner, former foreign minister K Natwar Singh, former Army chief Deepak Kapoor, among others.

Addressing a rally, PM Modi last week said that the Congress was conspiring with Pakistani leaders to prevent the BJP from winning the election in Gujarat

An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece, Saamana, on Tuesday, said the PMs job is to tact against miscreants by producing proof, instead of levelling allegations.

The editorial slammed Modi for making either Pakistan or gangster Dawood Ibrahim the agenda of every election. Chanting about Pakistan and Dawood to win elections is Modis last resort, when all else has proved futile, it said.

It further questioned why allegations are levelled against the opposition only in election rallies. If Modi knows the meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyars house was for anti-national activities, why doesnt he arrest the people involved in it? the editorial said.

Modi has made serious allegations. Until yesterday, Pakistan was interfering in Kashmir, and China was interfering in Arunachal Pradesh, Leh and Ladakh. Instead of acting to reduce this influence, lack of action has ensured growth of Chinese and Pakistani influence in these regions, it added.
Suburban railway commuters can heave a sigh of relief as the rail fractures, which affect local train services, are soon likely to decrease.

To improve stability of the railway line, reduce rail fractures and ensure a smooth suburban rail journey, Central and the Western Railway officials will ensure that the track renewal project is completed by early next year.

Track renewal  the process of changing and replacing old rail and sleepers on the tracks  is being carried out across India. According to officials, the railway ministry plans to spend Rs100 crore on the work.

The track renewals are done by section and not on the entire stretch at once. Work is carried out mainly at night or during maintenance blocks.

CR officials have started working on the suburban section and have laid railway lines adjacent to the current tracks. Renewal work is likely to be carried out at a section near the Ghatkopar railway station when there is a block.

We are taking up the section-wise renewal of tracks. Work on the suburban section should be completed by early 2018. Once this is done, commuters will have a smooth journey, said a railway official.

On November 27, Union railway minister Piyush Goyal inspected the foot over-bridges (FoB), to be constructed by the Army. He had directed CR and WRs general managers to speed up work on the renewal of tracks.

There have been several instances of train services being disrupted owing to rail fractures. Recently, there has been an increase in rail fractures on the harbour line, which officials are working on different techniques to resolve.
Unidentified criminals shot dead a Bihar government junior engineer in north Bihars Saran district on Monday evening.

Police said motorcycle-borne criminals intercepted the car of Veermani Rai, 35, at Sonepur, 21 km north of Patna, and gunned him down at around 6 pm.

Rai was posted as junior engineer in the irrigation department at Hajipur, headquarters of adjoining Vaishali district, the police added.

The incident took place between Shivbachan Chowk and Marachhia Devi Chowk on the busy National Highway (NH)-19 that links Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh with Patna, when Rai was on way to his home in Kurji locality of the state capital from Hajipur, 2.5 km from the site of the crime.

Rai used to return to Patna every day after office hours, the police added.

The police said Rai died on the spot after a bullet pierced through the car windowpane and hit him on the chest. A pellet also hit his cellphone, kept in the pocket of his shirt, they said. His body was taken out of the car after breaking the windowpanes as the doors were locked from inside, the police said, adding that two live cartridges and some empty cartridges were recovered from the car.

Saran superintendent of police Harikishore Rai said: Our team is investigating the case. It could be a case of land dispute.

Sonepur sub-divisional police officer Pankaj Sharma said a team had been set to solve the case through scientific investigation.

Sharma said the victims elder brother Manoj, a railway employee, had told police that Rai was earlier thrashed by some unidentified persons in an incident of road rage.

Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended on the Patna residence of Rai, who had got married in 2016. The murder proves that criminals have no fear of the law, said Dharmendra Kumar, a close relative of Rai.

Earlier in the day, six motorcycle-borne criminals shot dead a guard of ATM cash van and seriously injured his colleague in a bid to snatch Rs 1.90 crore at Garkha in Saran district.

The deceased guard was identified as Santosh Singh. The incident occurred near Mehian four-lane overbridge around 3pm.
A recipient of Shaurya Chakra, a top gallantry award, Amrik Kaur of Amarkot is a legend in Punjab for having fought militancy by arming herself after her husbands brutal death at the hands of Khalistani ultras in 1991. Now, her life is set to be depicted in a biopic, titled Sardarni, that goes on the sets next year.

Amrik, who died in 2014, was once known as the lioness of the border areas. She engaged militants in night-long encounters at the peak of militancy. While she lost her husband in 1991 to militants, her sons died in 2007 and 2010 because of ailments.

Amrik had taken the vow to eradicate militancy from Punjab. (HT File)

Rupinder Kaur, her daughter-in-law, said she stood out since childhood. She once left school after her teacher slapped her because her thinking was that it was an atrocity on children, Rupinder said.

Amrik was married to Subeg Singh of Bahadurpur in her teenage. She started helping her husband in agriculture in Valtoha area near the India-Pakistan border.

On September 12, 1991, her husband, a domestic help Mukhtiar Singh and she were coming back from the fields when militants attacked. Her husband and the domestic help were killed. She made the vow that she would eradicate militancy in Punjab, and she started keeping guns, Rupinder said. She had three guns in her name alone.

About the award, Rupinder said, Once when she was on her way back from the gurdwara in the morning, she saw a police inspector being shot by militants. She immediately rushed to the police station, and a panel later recommended her name for Shaurya Chakra in 1995, she said. During her life, she killed at least 18 militants, and around 24 surrendered before her.

As for the biopic, it has been reported that Sunil Manchanda is producing the Hindi feature and is jointly being written by him with Raman Kumar, Amrik Gill and Abhishek Dudhaiya. The film will be directed by Dudhaiya. Manchanda under his banner Mad Films has produced Tere Naam, Cheeni Kum and Pa among others.

Dudhaiya has earlier assisted directors on feature films and made short films and documentaries. He has also directed episodes for TV serials such as Tara, Sindoor Tere Naam Ka, and others. He has directed Hindi and Gujarati plays too.

He has been quoted as saying, We have stayed in Punjab for six months and done full research on her and met villagers and spoke with them. We will begin shooting next year in Punjab and will release it too in 2018.

But Rupinder has a grouse with the government, Since her death, we havent received a single penny from the state or the central government. They should at least give us pension.
Chandigarh Once cash-rich, the Chandigarh municipal corporation is heading towards a major financial crisis and may not be able to pay salaries to its employees and carry out development works in final two months of this fiscal.

With Rs 125 crore left in a fixed deposit and only Rs 10 crore being generated per month through its own sources of income, the MC faces exhaustion of all its funds by January-end.

The civic body spends Rs 60 crore every month on paying salaries and implementing various works.

A senior MC accounts officer, requesting anonymity, said: We only get Rs 319 crore as grant-in-aid from the Centre. While Rs 250 crore have been spent, the final instalment of Rs 67 crore is pending in January. If we dont get it on time, we will not be able to pay salaries to employees in February and March.

The MC entered the present fiscal with Rs 225 crore in the fixed deposit. Of this, Rs 100 crore have already been spent to meet various expenses.

Need to generate revenue

Admitting the severity of the situation, municipal commissioner Jitender Yadav told HT that the civic body is heading towards a major financial crisis.

I have asked the chief accounts officer to prepare a white paper on the financial condition, so that we can work out how to sort out the issue and minimise expenditure, he said.

Yadav said unless the MC is able to generate additional revenue, we will not be able to carry out development projects in the city as we are short of 30 crore even to pay salaries.

The major works that will be hit include maintenance of roads and water supply.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh Congress chief Pardeep Chhabra blamed lack of coordination between Member Parliament Kirron Kher and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led MC for the impending crisis.

It is the MPs prime duty to arrange funds from the Union ministry of finance. The mayor never consulted the MP on this issue, he said.

Former mayor Subhash Chawla said the MC never faced such a crisis during the 15-year tenure of Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal.

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WASHINGTON  Weve heard a lot of frightening figures in the last week or so as the Senate approved a tax cut bill that is now in a conference with the House to iron out big differences between the two versions.

The Senates plan would cut $1.5 trillion from corporate, business and individual tax rates in a $19 trillion economy whose government spends $4 trillion a year, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Because Congress spends much more than it has in the till, the government is forced to borrow huge sums to cover a whopping $666 billion budget deficit.

If its any consolation, OMB estimates that the budget deficit will be around $440 billion in fiscal 2018, raising the total federal debt to $20.24 trillion.

Clearly, our government is living well beyond our means, and is digging us deeper into a debt hole that will be passed on to our children and future generations.

In a word, were in a fiscal mess that is only going to get worse until we decide to seriously cut spending by closing nonessential, outmoded, wasteful departments, agencies and other bureaucracies that no longer serve a necessary and useful purpose.

The Trump administration and the Republican-run Congress are well on their way to slaying an inefficient, anti-growth tax code that will unlock investment capital to accelerate new business growth, job creation and higher wages.

Liberal Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi still insist that tax rates need to be raised significantly to pay for a wave of new federal spending that will solve all of our problems.

But they tried that for eight painful years in the Obama administration, without success.

Economic growth rarely rose above a meager 2 percent. Business investment declined. The labor participation rate shrank. Millions of Americans found it hard to make ends meet.

While the GOPs pro-growth tax cut plan hasnt been enacted yet, we can already see that it is having an impact on our economy. The Commerce Department reports that the nations economy grew by more than 3 percent in the third quarter in anticipation of much stronger growth in the years to come.

Yes, the Congressional Budget Offices static analysis of the GOP tax cuts forecasts that it will add $1 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.

But conservative, pro-growth economists, using dynamic scoring methods, are forecasting a dramatic increase in tax revenues from stronger growth that will sharply lower the budget deficit.

If the jobless rate is 3.7 percent on Election Day 2018 and wage growth is accelerating (both possible), (its) tough to sell tax cut as killing America, said James Pethokoukis, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

But cutting the government down to size to live within the tax cuts parameters wont be easy. It will require skill, leadership, courage and persistence. This is not a job for sissies.

Over the course of my career in journalism, I wrote three books that exposed wasteful spending throughout every level of government. The idea was to pick the worst examples of programs and agencies that were up to their eyeballs in waste, wrongdoing and scandal.

The first book, published in 1974, when I was working for UPI, was titled The Federal Rathole, a term that many of my sources used to describe what was going on in their programs.

Were just pouring money down a rathole, they told me. Examples of waste included $150 million to produce films and monthly magazines touting their agencies; billions in low-interest loans to help big companies like Boeing; and $258 million to the Economic Development Administration to give fat grants to economically distressed communities, often with little improvement.

The Wall Street Journal praised the book, saying its not a bad idea ... to keep it handy the next time Congress goes through its periodic charade about economy. As they say, the books plot isnt anything special, but the table of contents is an eye opener.

In 1980, I took another crack at the federal government, titled Fat City  How Washington Wastes Your Taxes. Only this time I expanded my targets to what I called 100 nonessential federal programs that ranged from personal chefs for Cabinet secretaries to $100 million for what I termed National Science Foundation Low Priority Research.

Many programs I attacked are gone, but most still exist, wasting our hard-earned money. I remember President Reagans budget director, David Stockman, telling me why.

When you go through these things over and over, and you see how embedded the resistance is  and its not just big-spending Democrats, its the Republican party when it comes down to parochial interests  then you realize how insuperable the task is, he said.

Or, as Trump has said many times, its time to drain the swamp.
Irked by the loud music during functions at a marriage palace near his residence, a 70-year-old farmer has lodged a complaint against the DJ in Kishanpura village, near Dhakoli in Zirakpur.

Police said the complainant, Madan Singh, informed them that the loud music was a constant source of nuisance in the area. They added that Madans wife was suffering from a heart ailment for which she was receiving treatment from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) for the past three years.

Madan stated that doctors have advised his wife to stay away from loud music or noise as she has a serious heart ailment. He added that he has repeatedly requested the DJ to turn the music down, but in vain. Following this, he lodged a formal complaint.

The DJ, identified as Sukhbir Singh, was booked on Madans complaint for allegedly playing loud music during the day even after being told to turn it down. Investigating officer Rameshwar Das said, We too have been repeatedly issuing warnings to the organisers of marriage functions after receiving complaints from nearby residents.

The marriage palace is built on panchayat land and is hardly five metres away from Madans house. The building was constructed by panchayat members, he added.

Police said 10 houses were in close proximity to the marriage palace that stood on five acres. They added that the accused was at large and yet to be arrested.

However, Ravneet Kaur, the sarpanch of Kishanpura, said, The marriage palace is built on panchayat land and after consulting villagers. Madan and Bhupinder, who are brothers, are the only people residing illegally near the palace. This has become an issue as we are Akalis and they support the Congress, adding, the matter is also in court now.

A case was registered under Sections 3 and 6 of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules.
When Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal along with party leaders laid siege to the Harike bridge, his pictures of braving the chill may not have evoked public sympathy.

But the party's strategy to show the alleged high-handedness of the ruling Congress in the municipal polls and put it on the backfoot seemed to have worked.

The dharnas held across the state by Akalis in protest against the alleged attack by Congress activists on its workers at Ferozepurs Mallanwala sent the government in a tizzy. It resorted to the carrot-and-stick approach. A public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana high court was filed and taken up the same day.

By 2.15pm on Friday, the HC had ruled that any dharna, meeting or congregation held by any political party without prior approval of the deputy commissioner of the district concerned shall not be permitted keeping in view the ensuing municipal elections. Punjab advocate general Atul Nanda made a statement on the basis of information received from director general of police (DGP, intelligence) Dinkar Gupta that he does not dispute that the situation is "grave because of the ensuing MC polls".

On Friday evening, Sukhbir too called off party's indefinite dharnas saying most of his demands, including the arrest of Congress workers involved in the attack and removal of Section 307 (attempt to murder) against his close aides Ferozepur SAD chief Avtar Singh Minna and Vardev Singh Mann besides 90 Akali workers, were met.

A team of officials led by Ferozepur range DIG Rajinder Singh had met Sukhbir at the dharna site and told him that investigation had been handed over to the bureau of investigation at Chandigarh. The Zira deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and the Mallanwala station house officer (SHO) too were transferred.

But Zira MLA Kulbir Singh, who the Akalis accused of engineering the attacks, dug in his heels. He went live on Facebook to narrate the sequence of events, accusing Akali leaders of resorting to "unprovoked violence and arm-twisting the administration out of fear of losing face in the polls". He also met Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar, DGP Suresh Arora and demanded that Akalis not be spared by diluting charges. Soon, other Congress MLAs too rallied behind him, saying the government's soft-pedelling was giving Akali Dal an edge in public perception.

A firebrand like his father, Inderjit Singh Zira, a former Akali minister, Kulbir says his assembly segment has been an Akali bastion and SAD leaders like Mann and Minna have been running roughshod over Congressmen when in power. "If they are able to demoralise Congress workers even now when we are in power, what hope have we left? The video clearly shows them carrying arms and firing. I would go to the HC if charges against them are diluted," he says. Faridkot MLA Kushaldeep Dhillon seconds him. "The Akalis too unleashed the state force on us when in power. Now, they are panicky as their popularity has further eroded. Sukhbir is looking for an escape route," he says.

The diluting of charges against Akalis evoked strong resentment among other Congress MLAs too who said it would demoralise their own cadres. "In power, a party cannot afford to look weak," one of them said, requesting anonymity.

Though the government has also booked Sukhbir, Akali MLAs, MPs, former ministers and party workers , the SAD chief remains defiant. On Sunday, Amarinder took to Twitter to warn him against dharna politics and Jakhar held a press conference to claim the attempt to murder charges against Akalis remain. But in the perception battle, Sukhbir has been able to take some of the sheen off a likely Congress victory in MC polls which may anyway result from 'ruling party wins MC polls' syndrome.

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Anirudh Ravichanders romantic compositions have a certain playfulness, which infused with the lyrics brings a smile on your face. Gaali Vaaluga from Agnyaathavaasi is similar. This is also sung by Anirudh and he sings about falling in love. The fun song is will surely feature in playlists.

This is the second single that that was released by the filmmakers. The first song Baitikochi Chuste received a raving response signifying a great beginning for the composer, who is debuting in the Telugu film industry with the Pawan Kalyan starrer.

Agnyaathavaasi is Pawan Kalyans 25th film and has Keerthy Suresh playing the female lead along with Anu Emanuel. Written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas, the movie is produced by S Radha Krishna under the banner Haarika & Hassine Creations. It is expected to release in time for Sankranti, 2018. The film was shot extensively on sets in Hyderabad and a few songs were shot in Bulgaria. The first look of the film was released on November 27.

A grand audio launch event is expected to take place on December 21 according to local media reports. Anirudh Ravichander, in the meanwhile, is busy with a number of projects including one of the most looked forward to Tamil releases, Velaikkaran, starring Siva Karthikeyan. He is also working on Suriyas next released directed by Vignesh Shivn, Thaana Serndha Kootam. Anirudh and Vignesh have worked together on Naanum Rowdy Thaan before TSK, and put out a successful album.

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From a bus conductor earning Rs 750 to becoming the highest paid Asian actor after Jackie Chan, South superstar Rajinikanths life is what dreams are made of.

Born to a Maharashtrian couple in Bangalore, Jijabai and Ramoji Rao Gaikwad, Rajini, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, was the youngest among four siblings. After completing class twelve at Acharya Pathashala, when his father asked him if he is interested to go to the university, he answered in the negative and instead began to act in plays. Meanwhile, the actor also did many odd jobs before his elder brother Satyanarayana decided to get him a proper employment. And thats when he obtained a conductors licence with Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. In one of his earlier interviews he had said, Im an ordinary person. Before I was a bus conductor, I was an office boy, a coolie, a carpenter.

During his stint as a bus conductor, he met his best friend Raja Badhar. And he was the one who encouraged him to pursue his film acting dreams and also helped him financially when he left his job to join the film Institute in Chennai. After attaining success, Rajinikanth helped all his friends who had his back when he was struggling.

Interestingly, Rajinikanth began her professional career with mythological Kannada plays, in which he was popular for the portrayal of the character of Duryodhana, from the epic mythological book, Mahabharata.

As he turns 67 today, we celebrate his birthday by looking at some interesting facts about the actor. Read on:

1. Rajinikanth got noticed by director K Balachander during the performance in one of his Kannada plays at the film Institute. He liked his performance and before leaving told him, Learn Tamil. And the actor made his film debut in the Tamil language Apoorva Raagangal (1975) helmed by K Balachander.

2. The actor played many negative characters and roles, having grey shades, before landing his first positive character in S P Muthuramans Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977).

3. Rajinikanths hit film Billa (1980), was a remake of the Amitabh Bachchan-starring Don (1978).

A still from Billa.

4. In the film Moondru Moogam (1982) Rajinikanth played a triple role, and that too for the first time. His performance in the film got him the Best Actor award from Tamil Nadu government.

5. Rajinikanths stepped into Bollywood with T Rama Raos Andha Kanoon (1983).

6. It was in 1988 that Rajinikanth made his first appearance in the English action adventure drama, Bloodstone.

7. Valli (1993) was the first movie for which Rajinikanth wrote the screenplay. He also had a guest appearance in the film.

Poster of the film Baasha.

8. The 1992 film Annamalai established Rajini as a superstar. And his 1995 film Baasha broke many box-office records, and strengthened his position as the leading man down south.

9. Besides starring in a Tamil language film, Rajinikanth did Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu movies. Rajinikanth also starred in the Bengali movie Bhagya Debata (1995).

10. His film Enthiran (2010) is the one and only Tamil film making it to the IMDbs Top 50 films from all over the world list. Directed by Shankar it was also the most expensive and also the highest grossing Indian film.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was paired opposite Rajinikanth in Enthiran.

11. Reportedly, before and after the release of Enthiran, Rajinikanth jokes started circulating on the internet. They were inspired from the famous Chuck Norris jokes. It also flagged off an iPad application titled Rib-tickling Rajini Riot.

12. Interestingly, Rajinikanth was the second choice for the film Enthiran. The first was Kamal Haasan.

13. The film Enthiran IIM-A postgraduate elective course case study of Contemporary Film Industry: A Business Perspective.

A post shared by THE RAJINIKANTH (@rajinikanthfanclub) on Aug 10, 2017 at 7:53am PDT

14. Rajinikanth is the highest paid Indian actor and the second highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan. According to reports, after the success of his film Sivaji (2007), the actors fee went up to Rs 26 crore for one film.



15. Rajinikanth usually goes for his spiritual trips to the Himalayas after his film releases. He also visits Bangalore to spend time with old friends.

16. He is the first Indian actor to have worked in films using various camera technologies such as black-and-white, colour, 3D and also the motion capture.

17. The actors Tamil film Raaja Chinna Roja (1989) was the first one to include animation in a movie.

18. The 1991 Thalapathi, also starring Mammooty, was the only film that Rajinikanth collaborated with popular director Mani Ratnam.

19. Rajinikanths K S Ravikumars Muthu (1995) was the first Tamil film that was dubbed and released in Japan. It made him very popular there, to the extent that the Newsweek magazine dubbed him as Japans trendiest heartthrob.

Rajinikanth with his family, wife Latha Rangachari and daughters, Soundarya and Aishwarya.

20. Rajinikanth met his wife Latha Rangachari, when she visited him to interview him for her college magazine. It was 1980 and the actor was busy with his mentor Balachanders film Thillu Mullu (1981). They married the following year and have two daughters, Soundarya and Aishwarya.

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There are a million reasons why Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma picked Tuscany for their destination wedding. And here are just a few of them.

It is impossible to travel through this beautiful region without stumbling upon scenic, picture-perfect landscapes. We picked these 5 top spots for you, so that you can sit back and simply book your tickets.

1) Chianti: Visit the iconic vineyards of the Chianti region, a few kilometers south of Florence. There are many scenic roads for a car or a bike trip. Known for their vintage wines, these vineyards are perfect for a romantic holiday.

Vineyards of Chianti. (Shutterstock)

2) Siena: Seeped in ancient history and charm, Siena is a good destination for easy walks along its cobblestoned streets. Also check out the Cathedral, which has a spectacular interior with its marble mosaic floor.

Siena is a good destination for easy walks along its cobblestoned streets. (Shutterstock)

3) Arezzo: Though the whole of Tuscany adorns Renaissance works, but the fresco cycles in Arezzo by Piero della Francesca are the best this region has to offer.

Arezzo by Piero della Francesca. (Shutterstock)

4) Pisa: You cant go to Italy and not click a picture with the Leaning Tower. However, apart from the tower, the area has many old, classic buildings that you can walk around.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa. (Shutterstock)

5) Giglio: A relatively unspoilt spot, Giglio is an island that boasts of stone villages, citadels and mountains on all sides. A good mix of beach and the mountains, we say.

Sunset at Campese Beach on Isola del Giglio (Shutterstock)

Well done Virat and Anushka, we cant wait for the pictures.

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A new high-quality counterfeit $100 bill has been found in South Korea, bank officials said on Tuesday, prompting suggestions the sanctions-hit North might have resumed forging supernotes.

A team of forgery specialists at KEB Hana Bank have confirmed that a $100 note found at a Seoul branch in November was a fake which was almost impossible to distinguish from real banknotes, they said.

It was the first of a new kind of supernote ever found in the world, Yi Ho-Joong, head of the KEB Hana Banks anti-counterfeit centre told AFP.

Previous supernotes were dated either 2001 or 2003 but the new forgery is dated 2006.

The same methods including raised and dented printing and no-smudge inks that are normally used for real banknotes have been applied to the newly found supernote, he said.

You need facilities worth some $100 million to produce counterfeit bills of this quality and no crime rings would invest that much to make fake dollars, he said.

Only state-level organisations can afford such facilities. The bank has alerted judicial and intelligence authorities about the discovery, Yi added.

South Korean news media suggested the North might have resumed producing fake banknotes to circumvent tightening international sanctions against its nuclear and missile development.

But Yi said there was no evidence to link the newly found supernote to North Korea -- although Pyongyang has a track record of its diplomats getting caught with high-quality forgeries.

In recent years, North Korea appears to have scaled back what was once a thriving counterfeit operation. The operation, which dates back to the 1970s and was personally overseen by Kim Jong-il, was suspected to have links with international criminal organisations spread over 130 countries.

In 2005, authorities arrested Sean Garland, a senior Irish Republican Army veteran, for laundering North Korean supernotes. It was the one of the most high-profile arrests in the US crackdown on counterfeit dollar bills. A few months after Garlands arrest, US authorities slapped sanctions on a bank in Macau that was suspected of laundering North Korean funds, arrested and indicted suspects in operations codenamed Operation Smoking Dragon and Operation Royal Charm, reported Vice.

Since the crackdown, there have been very few instances of supernotes being detected which makes the one found in South Korea cause for alarm.
Officials in Bangladesh are trying to track down the extended family and any known associates of Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi man US authorities say set off a homemade pipe bomb in a crowded New York City commuter hub on Monday.

Police are looking for his family, but so far theyve not been able to trace them, said Abul Khair Nadim, the Chair of Musapur Union council, a local government body in the Chittagong division in southern Bangladesh, where Ullahs family originally lived.

Bangladeshs police chief told Reuters late on Monday that 27-year-old Ullah had no criminal record in his home country, which he last visited in September.

Ullah lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn and was a green card holder, said Shameem Ahsan, consul general of Bangladesh in New York.

Ahmad Ullah, a relative of Ullah, whom Reuters tracked down on Tuesday, said his cousins father had moved to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka with his family many years ago.

He said Ullahs father had passed away about five years ago, and that Ullah had been through a normal public school education in Bangladesh before moving to the United States.

Ullah, who had a homemade bomb strapped to his body, set off an explosion in an underground pedestrian corridor between New Yorks Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal at rush hour, injuring himself and three others in what New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called an attempted terrorist attack.

A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said investigators have found evidence that Ullah had watched Islamic State propaganda on the internet.

Bangladesh strongly condemned the attack in a statement saying, A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice.
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A British Airways flight from Mumbai scheduled to land at Heathrow airport on Monday evening was diverted to Baku in Azerbaijan after declaring a general emergency.

Reports from passengers on board BA198 indicated that engineers were at work to fix a technical fault on the aircraft before it could resume its journey to London.

The flight, which was scheduled to depart from Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 1315 hours took off after a delay of 3.40 hours earlier in the day.

One passenger tweeted that they were stuck in Baku due to technical fault, which involved smoke in the first class cabin.

BA, along with a number of other airlines, had issued an alert earlier today that many of its flights will be disrupted due to heavy snowfall in the UK on Sunday.

Some flights will be disrupted today due to crew and aircraft being out of position following yesterdays weather. Please check your flight status ahead of travelling to the airport, a BA statement said.

Engineers in Baku are checking the aircraft, it said, adding, we are awaiting more information about the situation.

The airline, however, did not share the number of passengers and crew on board the Boeing 777 aircraft.
A former Facebook executive has said he feels tremendous guilt for his work on tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works, while citing the lynching of seven people in Jharkhand that was triggered by a hoax on WhatsApp.

Chamath Palihapitiya, now the CEO of Social Capital, joined Facebook in 2007 and rose to become its vice president for user growth before he left the social media giant in 2011. The Sri Lankan-origin tech entrepreneur said Facebook users would have to decide whether they want to be programmed and how much of their intellectual independence they were willing to give up.

Palihapitiya made the remarks while speaking at an event at the Stanford business school last month but they were reported by several websites only on Monday.

He made particular mention of the lynchings in Jharkhand  caused by a hoax on WhatsApp, which is now owned by Facebook  to drive home his point that social media is eroding the core foundations of how people behave with each other.

There was a hoax in WhatsApp where in some like village in India, people were afraid that their kids were going to get kidnapped etc and then there were these lynchings that happened as a result, where people were like vigilante, running around, they think they found the person, I mean seriously, he said.

Thats what were dealing withImagine when you take that to the extreme  where bad actors can now manipulate large swathes of people to do anything you want. Its a really, really bad state of affairs and we compound the problem.

Palihapitiya said he felt tremendous guilt for the tools he helped create for Facebook, though he added that he believes the company overwhelmingly does good in the world.

It literally is a point now where I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works, he said.

If you feed the beast, that beast will destroy you, if you push back on it, we have a chance to control it, rein it in. It is a point in time where people need to hard break from some of these tools and some of things you rely on  the short term dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works.

Referring to allegations of Russian meddling in the US elections through social media, he added: No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. And its not an American problem, this is not about Russians ads. This is a global problem.

Palihapitiya said people on Facebook curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection to get rewarded with hearts, likes thumbs up and conflated that with value and the truth.

Instead, what it really is, is fake brittle popularity that is short term and leaves you even more vacant and empty, he said.

Palihapitiya joined a growing list of critics of Facebook, especially after concerns about how online platforms and the proliferation of fake news affected the outcome of the US presidential election and the Brexit vote in the UK.

Last month, Facebooks founding president Sean Parker criticised the way the company exploits a vulnerability in human psychology by creating a social-validation feedback loop.
A UK-based Indian-origin professor who co-authored the study quoted by Vijay Mallyas defence has rejected their understanding of the paper, saying the liquor barons lawyers have misconstrued the findings and grossly misunderstood the analysis of their study.

Shubhankar Dam, professor of public law and governance at the University of Portsmouth, has jumped to the defence of the Supreme Court of India and shot an urgent email to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of India to get 61-year-old Mallya extradited back to face charges of fraud and money laundering.

CPS barrister Mark Summers opened the extradition trial at Westminster Magistrates Court here on Tuesday by reading out the email by Dam which described the Indian legal system as fair and transparent.

The CPS told Judge Emma Arbuthnot that the email was sent last night following reports on the witness statement given by Martin Lau, deposed by Mallyas defence team as an expert on South Asian law.

Lau, quoting an academic study, raised questions on the neutrality of Supreme Court judges close to retirement.

We reject the defences understanding of the paper, said Dam, one of the co-authors of the study quoted by Lau, in his email.

Dam said he had felt compelled to write to the CPS because the defence had misconstrued the findings and grossly misunderstood the analysis of their study, which was based specific set of cases and trends which had no relevance to any trial involving Mallya that would come up in Indian courts.

The professor stressed that he and his colleagues had focussed their research on the larger issue of incentives in judicial systems around the world, using case studies from some Supreme Court cases.

His email has now been added into the larger set of written submissions on the ongoing trial, which aims to establish a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya and his erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines deliberately defaulting on bank loans worth nearly Rs 9,000 crores.
The Doklam standoff put severe pressure on bilateral relations and lessons should be learnt from the episode so that such incidents are not repeated, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, according to a statement issued by the Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday.

The external affairs ministry did not comment on the unusually blunt remarks attributed to Wang, who had travelled to New Delhi for a trilateral meeting with Swaraj and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

Wang brought up the 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops near the Sikkim border during a bilateral meeting with Swaraj in New Delhi on Monday, the Chinese statement said.

The Chinese side did not offer an official statement immediately after Mondays meeting. Swaraj had said at a press interaction that she and Wang had spoken about strengthening mutual trust to develop better understanding. India did not issue an official statement on the meeting.

In the statement in Mandarin, issued hours after Wang left India at about 3 am on Tuesday, he was quoted as saying that bilateral ties during 2017 were not very satisfactory.

Wang referred to what he described as trespassing by Indian troops in the Donglang (Doklam) sector near the Sikkim border in June, and said the incident had strained bilateral ties.

The viciousness caused by the cross-border infiltration of the Indian border guards put bilateral relations under severe pressure. The matter was finally settled peacefully through diplomatic means, reflecting the maturing of bilateral relations, he said.

He further said that India-China ties had maintained their momentum of development as a whole in 2017, adding: Both sides have made efforts in this regard. But they (the efforts) were not very satisfactory. However, lessons should be learned and (such incidents) should be avoided again, he said.

The Doklam standoff was resolved in late August, when the two sides agreed to withdraw their troops from the area under Chinese control but claimed by Bhutan, and Beijing indicated it had halted work on a road that triggered the row.

The statement quoted Wang as saying that bilateral ties were in a crucial period and it was very important for the two countries to cultivate mutual trust. With mutual trust, the specific problems are expected to be resolved on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual accommodation, he said.

Without mutual trust, individual problems will continue to overflow and erode the overall situation of bilateral relations To this end, both sides should strengthen strategic communication at all levels, restore the established dialogue mechanism, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and at the same time control the existing differences and safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas, he said.

The statement also quoted Swaraj as saying the standoff was resolved through diplomatic means and fully demonstrated the political wisdom of both sides. It quoted her as saying that India always holds that the common ground between India and China is far greater than their differences.
The Bangladeshi suspect in Mondays pipe bomb explosion beneath New Yorks Times Square is an angry former limousine driver who learned to build a bomb on the internet at his Brooklyn apartment, officials said.

Akayed Ullah, 27, was in police custody after he was injured by a pipe bomb he fastened to his torso with Velcro and zip ties. Three other people were also hurt in the blast in a pedestrian tunnel linking two subway stops beneath West 42nd Street, officials said.

One neighbour in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of Windsor Terrace said she had not seen him in months but described his home as quiet and observant in Islamic customs. She saw no evidence of extremism.

They are really nice people. This is shocking, said the neighbour, Arlene Jograj, a teacher who had greeted Ullah in passing. We all know each other. We have block parties. I have been over there for dinner parties after Ramadan. We are a really tight-knit street, she said.

Ullah came from the southeastern Bangladeshi district of Chittagong and last visited the country on September 8, Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque told Reuters on Monday.

He had no criminal record in Bangladesh, Hoque said.

Several US officials familiar with the investigation told Reuters there was no information indicating Ullah was previously known to any US spy or law enforcement agency for any connection to militant groups. But that does not rule out the possibility some connection could be found.

Ullah arrived in the United States seven years ago on a family visa, one authoritative US source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

US investigators believe he was self-radicalised after entering the United States, most likely by watching militant propaganda on the internet, the officials said, adding that they were unaware of any specific militant video that might have led him to produce his faulty explosive device.

From March 2012 through March 2015, he held a license to drive a limousine or black cab as an independent contractor, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission said in a statement.

New York City police department officers and other first responders work the scene near the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Monday. (AFP)

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo called the suspect a lone wolf, similar to the suspect in the most recent attack in New York, when an Uzbek immigrant driving a rented truck ran over people on a bicycle path on October 31, killing eight.

Each acted alone, inspired by jihadist groups such as Islamic State, Cuomo said.

Both of them went on the web, downloaded information, Cuomo said of the two suspects, adding that Ullah learned to make a bomb online.

Theyre not people who come from overseas. They live here. Theyre disgruntled, said Cuomo, who went to the scene of the crime where he met with investigators.

Ullah was influenced by violent Islamist extremists and was angry, Cuomo said. This could have been for any number of reasons, whether because of US policy abroad or his lot in life at home, he said.

New York police shut down an entire block of row houses in Windsor Terrace, deploying a large show of force with at least one helicopter flying overhead. It was not clear if the neighbourhood was Ullahs most recent address.

Neighbours called it a diverse, family-oriented neighbourhood of longstanding white families of Italian and Polish descent with more recent Chinese, Indian and Bangladeshi arrivals

This is a great neighbourhood. Its very family oriented, very safe, Jorgraj said. This doesnt change my opinion of the neighbourhood at all. This is just the state of the world we live in now.
US President Donald Trump renewed his call for implementing hardline measures on immigration, including vetting, a day after a blast triggered by an Islamic State-inspired Bangladeshi-origin man near a metro station in New York City left four people injured.

The New York bomber was inspired by the Islamic State and the Christmas attacks the outfit inspired in Europe  France and Germany.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspect of Bangladeshi origin who is in police custody, has told investigators he chose the underground tunnel of the New York subway to trigger the bomb strapped to his body, a low-tech device based on a pipe bomb, because of Christmas posters there.

Ullah set off the device around 7:20 am in the underground tunnel of the New York City underground at the Port Authority Bus Terminal near the iconic Times Square as commuters passed through on their way to work. He himself was injured severely, while four people suffered minor injuries.

New York City officials described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. The explosion was caught on surveillance cameras in the tunnel that showed the bomber walking with other commuters.

The department of homeland security said in a statement that the suspect was admitted to the United States after presenting a passport displaying an F43 family immigrant visa in 2011. The suspect is a Lawful Permanent Resident from Bangladesh who benefited from extended family chain migration.

Trump said the suspects arrival in the US through the extended family-based chain migration was incompatible with national security and pointed to his travel ban as a step forward in securing our immigration system.

First and foremost... America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country. Congress must end chain migration, he said, adding that it must also act on his other proposals to increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, enhancing the arrest and detention authorities for immigration officers and end fraud and abuse.

Ullah had arrived in the United States from Bangladesh in 2011 and Saifullo Saipov, the Manhattan truck terrorist, had come from Uzbekistan in 2010 and was on Green Card. Trump cited both these to call for the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people.

How the suspect got here:

Ullah came to the US on an F43 visa, issued to him through his family connection to an American citizen.

The American immigration system allows citizens to apply for certain relatives  spouses, children, parents, siblings and their spouses and minor children  to be allowed to come and live in the US. The visas fall under different preferences, or categories; siblings of US citizens come in the fourth preference, the F4, and their children come under F43s.

The history

Since a law change in 1965 loosened what had been a very restrictive system, Americas immigration policy has been based around giving preference to people with advanced education or skills or those with family ties to US citizens.

What that has meant is that as immigrants from places like Asia and Latin America started coming to the US in larger numbers and became citizens, they applied for their family members to join them. Once naturalized, those brought in were able to then sponsor their own relatives.

Whats the concern?

Those who favour restrictions on immigration are in strong opposition to that kind of linked migration. Its an issue thats been brought up in proposed immigration reform legislation before. US Sen. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, and US Sen. David Perdue, of Georgia, both Republicans, have most recently proposed the RAISE Act, which would limit the number of permanent-resident visas and do away with the ability of citizens to bring over relatives other than spouses and minor children. Immigrant advocates have called the bill an attack on immigrants.

(With agency inputs)
Oscar Pistorius, the former paralympic champion and convicted murderer, has been injured in a prison brawl over the use of a public phone, a South African official said on Tuesday.

The double amputee--who is serving a 13-year jail term for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp--was left with a bruise after an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone on December 6, according to the department of Correctional Services.

Oscar Pistorius sustained a bruise following an alleged incident with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care unit where both offenders are detained at Attridgeville Correctional Centre, spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo said.

Pistorius was in November 2016 moved to the prison north of the capital Pretoria, which caters for inmates with physical disabilities. Last month, the Supreme Court of Appeal more than doubled his original sentence of six years after the state argued that it was unduly lenient.

Nxumalo said an official investigation has been launched into the incident.

Local media reported that fellow prisoners were angered by the Pistoriuss lengthy telephone conversation, leading to a fight.

Pistorius, 31, was originally convicted of culpable homicide over the 2013 killing--the equivalent of manslaughter--but the appeal court upgraded his conviction to murder.
The heads of several of the worlds space agencies have proposed the creation of a climate observatory to pool acquired data and share it with scientists around the globe, according to a declaration adopted in Paris.

On the eve of the One Planet Summit organised in the French capital, the space agencies chiefs met to discuss climate monitoring from space, including such areas as greenhouse gases, water resource management and the use of satellites during natural disasters.

Satellites are vital tools for studying and gaining new insights into climate change in order to mitigate its effects and help societies devise coping strategies, Frances National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), which hosted the talks, said in a statement.

It added that more than half of the 50 essential climate variables could be measured only from space.

The Paris Declaration we have just adopted proposes to set up a Space Climate Observatory that will act as a hub between space agencies and the international scientific community, the CNES president Jean-Yves Le Gall said after the meeting.

He said that most countries did not currently share the climate data gathered by satellites.

The countries that adopted the declaration initiated by France were China, Japan, India, Europe, Britain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Israel, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.

Absent at the talks were the Russian space agency and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a summit with world leaders today two years to the day since 195 nations adopted the climate-rescue Paris Agreement, with the focus this time on the money necessary to implement the pacts goals.

The United States under President Donald Trump has become the only country to reject the agreement.
Transgender recruits will be allowed to enlist in the military beginning January 1, the Pentagon said on Monday, as US President Donald Trumps ordered ban suffered more legal setbacks.

The new policy reflects the difficult hurdles the federal government would have to cross to enforce Trumps demand earlier this year to bar transgender individuals from the military.

Three federal courts have ruled against the ban, including one on Monday in Washington state.

In October, US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly barred the Trump administration from proceeding with its plan to exclude transgender people from military service. Part of the effect of the ruling was that the military would be required to allow transgender people to enlist beginning January 1.

The government had asked Kollar-Kotelly to put the January 1 date on hold while they appealed her full ruling but she declined on Monday, reaffirming the January 1 start date. The Department of Justice is now asking a federal appeals court to intervene and put the Jan. 1 requirement on hold.

Potential transgender recruits will have to overcome a lengthy and strict set of physical, medical and mental conditions that could make it difficult for them to join the armed services.

Maj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, said the enlistment of transgender recruits will begin next month and proceed amid legal battles. The Defense Department also is doing a review, which is expected to carry into 2018.

Eastburn told The Associated Press on Monday that the new guidelines mean the Pentagon can disqualify potential recruits with gender dysphoria, a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition and those who underwent reconstruction. But such recruits are allowed in if a medical provider certifies theyve been clinically stable in their preferred sex for 18 months and are free of significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas.

Transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy must be stable on their medication for 18 months.

The requirements make it challenging for a transgender recruit to pass. But they mirror concerns President Barack Obamas administration laid out when the Pentagon initially lifted its ban on transgender service last year.

Due to the complexity of this new medical standard, trained medical officers will perform a medical prescreen of transgender applicants for military service who otherwise meet all applicable applicant standards, Eastburn said.

Aaron Belkin, director of the California-based Palm Center, an independent institute that has conducted research on sexual minorities in the military, said the 18-month timeline is fair.

Its a good standard because the Pentagon is treating gender dysphoria according to the same standards that are applied to all medical conditions, he said.

However, Elaine Donnelly, president for the Center For Military readiness, said Trump has every right to review, revise, or repeal his predecessors military transgender policies, which would detract from mission readiness and combat lethality. Court judges, she said, are not qualified to run the military.

The Pentagon move Monday signals the growing sense within the government that authorities are likely to lose the legal fight.

The controversy will not be about whether you allow transgender enlistees, its going to be on what terms, said Brad Carson, who was deeply involved in the last administrations decisions. Thats really where the controversy will lie.

Carson worried, however, that the Defense Department could opt to comply with a deadline on allowing transgender recruits, but under such onerous terms that practically there will be none. Carson, who worked for Carter as the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel, said requiring 18 months of stability in the preferred sex is a reasonable time.

It doesnt have any basis in science, he said, noting that experts have suggested six months is enough. But as a compromise among competing interests and perhaps to err on the side of caution, 18 months was what people came around to. And thats a reasonable position and defensible.

Sarah McBride, spokeswoman for Human Rights Campaign, praised the courts ruling, saying that it affirms there is simply no legitimate reason to forbid willing and able transgender Americans from serving their country.
President Donald Trump, pushing back against women accusing him of sexual misconduct, insisted Tuesday hes the target of false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met.

Trump lashed out on Twitter a day after three women who previously accused him of sexual harassment shared their stories on NBCs Megyn Kelly Today.

Trump says Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia and now are moving on to these allegations. He adds: FAKE NEWS!

Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

The women  Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey and Rachel Crooks  urged Congress to investigate Trumps behaviour.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president. She did not provide the list by late Monday.

The allegations surfaced during last years presidential campaign, but the women raised the issue anew on the Kelly show Monday and at a news conference.

It was heartbreaking last year, Holvey said. Were private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, Eh, we dont care, it hurt.

The former beauty queen claimed that Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006. Crooks is a former receptionist at Trump Tower and Leeds says she met Trump on a flight.

Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, many after the release of the Access Hollywood tape last October in which Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women. One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Trumps reality show, The Apprentice, sued, contending that Trumps denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.
Ucoms mobile customers will benefit from the best internet roaming rate of 8 AMD/MB when travelling to Georgia, Egypt or the UAE

Ameriabank Launches Google Pay and Google Wallet Support for Card Users in Armenia

Karen Vardanyan donated 112 million drams for the medical equipment for National Center for Infectious Diseases.

UCOM HAS INTRODUCED FUTURE NETWORK WI-FI 6E ROUTERS

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Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts

Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum

Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights

Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh

Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

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PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

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Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces
Chinese authorities have banned the use of unauthorised halal logos in restaurants in Urumqi, the capital of the restive Xinjiang region in the countrys far west, a move that experts say is aimed at reducing religious symbolism in everyday life.

The halal sign can only be used in restaurants that meet standards set by the China Islamic Association (CIA) for Islamic cuisine, state media reported on Tuesday.

The association is the Communist Party-approved national organisation for Muslims in China. Halal food must be genuine and meet standards required by the Quran and Islamic law, the association had earlier said.

To make sure the halal food is genuine is to protect Muslim consumers from spiritual harm. Fake halal food might not hurt their lives but will make them suffer mental trauma, state media quoted the association as saying.

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, home to millions of Muslim Uyghurs, has witnessed unrest blamed by Beijing on radical extremists. Rights groups, however, say the violence is triggered by the Chinese governments repressive policies.

Some of these policies include restrictions on wearing veils, sporting long beards and fasting during the holy month of Ramzan.

The latest move to weed out unauthorised halal logos is directed at preventing the proliferation of fake Islamic cuisine.

Only restaurants with a proper halal certificate that complies with the halal standards of the association are allowed to hang signs with halal, an Urumqi-based official told the Global Times tabloid.

Those who do not remove the logos have been asked to cover them up, officials said.

The order can be interpreted as a bid to downplay the religious effect in people's daily life, Xi Wuyi, an expert on Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in a comment on Chinese social media.

Respecting dining habits of ethnic minority groups does not mean promoting the related religious factors in social life, Xi was quoted by a newspaper as having written on social media.

Earlier this year, the Xinjiang government passed a law banning veils and abnormal beards in what was officially said to be an effort to curb displays of extremism.

In 2015, a Uyghur man and his wife were sent to jail for six years and two years in jail respectively for growing a beard and wearing a veil and burqa.
The #MeToo movement sweeping through the US reached the White House on Monday, with three women renewing allegations of sexual misconduct by Donald Trump before he became president.

The accusers  Jessica Leeds, Rachel Crooks and Samantha Holvey  repeated their allegations, coming together for the first time at a joint news briefing. They demanded Congress investigate the allegations, a call that found immediate backers  by the end of the day, 56 Democratic lawmakers sought a probe, saying in a statement: We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr Trump.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand tweeted: President Trump should resign. But, of course, he wont hold himself accountable. Therefore, Congress should investigate the multiple sexual harassment and assault allegations against him.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters: This took place long before he was elected to be president. And the people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process.

On Tuesday, Trump referred to the accusations as fake and fabricated in a tweet.

He also lashed out at Gillibrand  who represents his home state of New York  calling her a lightweight, adding that the senator would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump.

Trump and the White House may have aggressively pushed back against the allegations, but there is also some nervousness among Trumps supporters over the context and the timing of their reappearance, reports said.

The #MeToo movement has led to resignations and ousters across the country, and many Republicans have called for their candidate in Alabama to quit the race over sexual misconduct charges.

Now its just like, All right lets try Round 2, the environment is different, lets try again, Holvey, a former contestant in the Miss USA pageant, which Trump had owned, said in an interview on NBC on Monday, appearing jointly with Leeds and Crooks, hours before the news conference. Holvey has alleged Trump had come around to the make-up rooms where the contestants were getting ready and wore nothing but gowns.

Leeds has alleged Trump groped her on a flight in the 1970s. After the meal was cleared, all of a sudden, he was all over me, kissing and groping and groping and kissing, she said. My memory of it was, nothing was said. He didnt say, Oh, by the way, and I didnt go, Eek or Help or whatever; it was just this silent groping going on.

And Crooks, who worked at Trump Tower, has said he kissed her repeatedly at the elevator.

In all, more than a dozen women have come out to accuse Trump of sexually inappropriate since the surfacing of the now infamous Access Hollywood audio-tape, on which he bragged about forcing himself on women, groping them and sexually assaulting them, which he later sought to dismiss as locker-room talk.
The surrender Sherman and Johnston crafted at Bennett Place was monumental.

It very nearly never happened.

News of Robert E. Lees April 9, 1865, surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House reached Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman at 5 a.m. April 12. Sherman and his army group, the Military Division of the Mississippi, had just completed one of the most remarkable campaigns in military history, having stormed through the Carolinas like a plague of locusts in February and March, and were now perched outside the North Carolina capital of Raleigh, ready to close the deal on General Joseph E. Johnstons Army of the South.

I hardly know how to express my feelings, but you can imagine them, Sherman told Grant in a telegram. The terms you have given Lee are magnanimous and liberal. Should Johnston follow Lees example I shall of course grant the same. He is retreating before me on Raleigh, but I shall be there tomorrow. Roads are heavy [from the rain], but under the inspiration of the news from you we can march twenty-five miles a day

Naturally, Shermans troops celebrated wildly upon hearing the news later that day, but Sherman still could not be certain how Johnston or the Confederate government would respond. And when the Federals entered Raleigh on April 13, they discovered that Johnston and his men had already begun moving to the west, toward Greensboro, roughly 70 miles away. Any chance of peace would have to wait at least another few days.

Johnston, though, realized it was time to put a stop to the needless sacrifice of life and reached out to Sherman to discuss peace terms. On April 17 the two met at James Bennetts 350-acre farmstead in Durhams Station, a rail stop between Raleigh and Greensboro. What evolved over the next nine days would prove to be one of the most extraordinary periods in our nations history and also cemented an improbable friendship between the two generals, who had never met before in person.

As the sun set on April 18, a surrender document Sherman and Johnston had signed promised the end of four years of civil war. The venerable generals would learn soon enough it wouldnt be that easy.

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n April 20 Sherman sent his adjutant, Major Henry Hitchcock, to Washington, D.C., to deliver the surrender document personally to Grant. While waiting for instructions from the capital, Sherman used his time wisely. [R]epairs on all the railroads and telegraph-lines were pushed with energy, and we also got possession of the railroad and telegraph from Raleigh to Weldon, in the direction of Norfolk, he wrote his wife, Ellen. And, should their deal collapse, he also carefully positioned his forces at key points around Johnstons army so he could deliver a coup de grace if necessary.

Union soldiers reacted with both joy and uncertainty at the news. The Angel of Peace has spread his wings over our country once more, declared a 3rd Wisconsin soldier. It was a glorious day for us who have seen the thing through from the beginning to the end. But a 20th Illinois soldier expressed the prevailing anxiety in the army for new President Andrew Johnson: He is deemed as too passionate dissipated and unstable for so responsible a position at so critical a period.

[quote style=boxed float=left]I believe, if the South would simply and publicly declare that slavery is dead, you would inaugurate an era of peace and prosperity that would soon efface the ravages of the past four years of war. -Gen. William T. Sherman[/quote]

On April 21 Sherman addressed an important issue in a letter to Johnston. It may be the lawyers will want us to define more minutely what is meant by the guaranty of rights of person and property, he wrote. It may be construed into a compact for us to undo the past as to the rights of slaves and leases of plantations on the Mississippi, of vacant and abandoned plantations. I wish you would talk to the best men you have on these points and if possible let us in the final convention make these points so clear as to leave no room for angry controversy.

I believe, if the South would simply and publicly declare what we all feel, that slavery is dead, that you would inaugurate an era of peace and prosperity that would soon efface the ravages of the past four years of war.

Allowing that Confederate morale had collapsed, Johnston later noted that their meeting and the armistice that followed, produced great uneasiness in the army. It was very commonly believed among the soldiers that there was to be a surrender, by which they would be prisoners of war, to which they were very averse. This apprehension caused a great number of desertions between the 19th and 24th of Aprilnot less than four thousand in the infantry and artillery, and almost as many from the cavalry; many of them rode off artillery horses, and mules belonging to the baggage-trains.

Lieutenant General William J. Hardee, Johnstons senior subordinate, who had remained with the armys main body at Greensboro, wrote to General P.G.T. Beauregard: We are all agog respecting the object [of the truce], and surmises are that negotiations are afoot between Johnston and Sherman. If such be not the case, it would be well for me to know it as soon as practicable, that I may contradict it. The report, as you may well conceive, can do our troops no good.

Johnstons men harbored no illusions. Everything seems to indicate a speedy termination of the Confederacy & a restoration of the old state of affairs which though it is very humiliating to us still has its pleasant features, staff officer G.P. Collins admitted on April 22. Everyone is so worn out with war & I am almost inclined to believe that our people scarcely deserve freedom or they would stand up better.

Confederate President Jefferson Davis took the opportunity to poll his Cabinet on their views on the terms Sherman and Johnston had negotiated on April 18. All favored making peace on the best terms possible, including Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin, who earlier had supported attempts to continue the war.

Cabinet members in Washington were stunned, however, when Grant read Shermans communications, particularly Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, whom Sherman had assured a few days earlier, I will accept the same terms as General Grant gave General Lee, and be careful not to complicate any points of civil policy.

Stanton told Grant: You will give notice of the disapproval to General Sherman and direct him to resume hostilities at the earliest moment.The President desires that you proceed immediately to the headquarters of General Sherman and direct operations against the enemy.

[quote style=boxed float=left]I sent Sherman to do this himself. I did not wish the knowledge of my presence to be known to the army generally. -Gen. Ulysses S. Grant[/quote]

The disapproval memorandum the Cabinet issued was soon published in several newspapers. Among concerns the members had stated were that restoration of the rebel authority in the respective states would enable them to reestablish slavery, and that it formed no poises of true and lasting peace, but relieved rebels from the pressure of our victories and left them in condition to renew their effort to overthrow the United States Government

The displeased Cabinet, it seemed, was determined to publicly embarrass Sherman for trying to end the war. Grant was soon on his way to meet Sherman, escorted by several of his officers as well as Hitchcock. Not sure what hed learn, Sherman cabled Johnston that evening to be ready to resume negotiations. There is great danger of the Confederate armies breaking up into guer[r]illas, he conferred in a letter to Ellen, and that is what I most fear. Such men as Wade Hampton, [Nathan B.] Forrest, Wirt Adams, etc., never will work and nothing is left for them but death or highway robbery.

Sherman wrote he was both surprised and pleased to see Grant in the flesh, only to learn that his terms with Johnston had been disapproved. He was to give his opponent 48 hours notice and then attack or follow him.

Grant advised Sherman that he was authorized to offer the same terms to Johnston as he had given to Lee at Appomattox, noting, I sent Sherman to do this himself. I did not wish the knowledge of my presence to be known to the army generally; so I left it to Sherman to negotiate the terms of the surrender solely by himself, and without the enemy knowing that I was anywhere near the field.

Sherman immediately notified Johnston of the 48-hour notice. A few minutes later, he sent a second dispatch: I am instructed to limit my operations to your immediate command and not to attempt civil negotiations. I therefore demand the surrender of your army on the same terms as were given General Lee at Appomattox, of April 9, instant, purely and simply. Sherman then instructed Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson in Georgia to make arrangements to resume hostilities on April 26. He also drafted orders for his army to prepare to move on Johnstons command as soon as the truce expired.

Union public opinion clearly differed with Sherman. Enraged by Lincolns assassination, Northerners wanted to show the Confederates no mercy. Stanton took the extraordinary step of allowing Maj. Gen. Henry Halleck to prepare and issue an order advising Union commanders in Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama to pay no regard to any truce or orders of General Sherman suspending hostilities, on the ground that Shermans agreements could bind his own command only, and no other. They are directed to push forward, regardless of orders from any one except General Grant, and cut off Johnstons retreat. Sherman never forgave Halleck for issuing such a command.

New York newspapers, in particular, railed against Sherman. [T]he distinguished and admirable soldier, has fatally compromised himself, we fear, in entering into the forbidden field of diplomacy as a peacemaker, the New York Herald declared. The astounding dispatches from the War Departmentplace the conqueror of Georgia and South Carolina in a truly unfortunate position.

The paper also opined: We have heard him as a soldier, and justly too, ranked with that great military genius, the Duke of Marlborough. The parallel may now be extended to the blunders of the great Duke as a politician, with this difference: that he never committed such a great political blunder as this peace protocol.From the country at large he has cast his political fortunes into the peace democracya poor and contemptible faction.

Grant understood Shermans anger at the media firestorm. Sherman, from being one of the most popular generals of the landwas denounced by the President and Secretary of War in very bitter terms, he wrote. Some people went so far as to denounce him as a traitora most preposterous term to apply to a man who had rendered so much service as he had.

Not all of Shermans men supported his actions. As New Yorker Peter Eltinge wrote his father: What do you think of the ShermanJohnston agreement? I was never more surprised in my life when I read the Agreement.He has certainly lowered himself much in the opinion of the whole Army and a majority of Loyal citizens. The credit and renown that he had won by his great campaign has nearly all been lost by his attempting to make himself a great Peacemaker.

In a letter to Stanton on April 25, an angry Sherman admitted my folly in embracing in a military convention any civil matters, but unfortunately such is the nature of our situation that they seem inextricably united.I still believe the Government of the United States has made a mistake, but that is none of my business; mine is a different task, and I had flattered myself that by four years patient, unremitting, and successful labor I deserved no reminder such as is contained in the last paragraph of your letter to General Grant. You may assure the President I heed his suggestion.

Major General Carl Schurz, serving as Army of Georgia commander Maj. Gen. Henry Slocums temporary chief of staff, accompanied Slocum to a meeting at Shermans Raleigh headquarters and watched as Sherman paced up and down the room like a caged lion, and, without addressing anybody in particular, unbusomed [sic] himself with an eloquence of furious invective which for a while made us all stare.

April 18 Surrender Terms* Memorandum or basis of agreement made this 18th day of April, A.D. 1865, near Durhams Station, in the state of North Carolina, by and between General Joseph E. Johnstonand Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman First . The Contending armies now in the field to maintain the status quo until notice is given by the commanding general of any one to its opponent

. The Contending armies now in the field to maintain the status quo until notice is given by the commanding general of any one to its opponent Second . The Confederate armies now in existence to be disbanded and conducted to their several State capitals, there to deposit their arms and public property in the State Arsenal, and each officer and man to execute and file an agreement to cease from acts of war and to abide by the action of both State and Federal authority

. The Confederate armies now in existence to be disbanded and conducted to their several State capitals, there to deposit their arms and public property in the State Arsenal, and each officer and man to execute and file an agreement to cease from acts of war and to abide by the action of both State and Federal authority Third . The recognition by the Executive of the United States, of the several State governments, of their officers and legislatures taking the oaths prescribed by the Constitution of the United States, and where conflicting state governments have resulted from the war the legitimacy of all shall be submitted to the [U.S.] Supreme Court.

. The recognition by the Executive of the United States, of the several State governments, of their officers and legislatures taking the oaths prescribed by the Constitution of the United States, and where conflicting state governments have resulted from the war the legitimacy of all shall be submitted to the [U.S.] Supreme Court. Fourth . The re-establishment of all the Federal courts in the several States, with powers as defined by the Constitution and laws of CongreSs.

. The re-establishment of all the Federal courts in the several States, with powers as defined by the Constitution and laws of CongreSs. Fifth . The people and inhabitants of all the States to be guaranteed, so far as the Executive can, their political rights and franchises, as well as their rights of person and property, as defined by the [U.S.] Constitution and of the States respectively.

. The people and inhabitants of all the States to be guaranteed, so far as the Executive can, their political rights and franchises, as well as their rights of person and property, as defined by the [U.S.] Constitution and of the States respectively. Sixth . The Executive authority of the Government of the United States not to disturb any of the people by reason of the late war so long as they live in peace and quiet, abstain from acts of armed hostility, and obey the lawsat the place of their residence.

. The Executive authority of the Government of the United States not to disturb any of the people by reason of the late war so long as they live in peace and quiet, abstain from acts of armed hostility, and obey the lawsat the place of their residence. Seven. In general terms, the war to cease, a general amnesty, so far as the Executive of the United States can command, on condition of the disbandment of the Confederate armiesand the resumption of peaceful pursuits by the officers and men hitherto composing said armies. *Full versions of April 18 and April 26 surrender documents available on historynet.com

As Sherman fumed, the picture for the Confederates was coming into focus. On the afternoon of April 24, after reading the letters from his remaining Cabinet officers encouraging him to accept the terms, Davis gave Johnston his approval, though he remained convinced the Union government would not approve the convention since it declared amnesty for the Confederate civilian authorities.

When he saw Shermans dispatches, Johnston immediately reported to Confederate Secretary of War Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge and requested instructions. Johnston suggested disbanding the army to prevent Union armies from further devastating the countryside.

Replied Breckinridge: Does not your suggestion about disbanding refer to the infantry and most of the artillery? If it be necessary to disband these they might still save their small-arms and find their way to some appointed rendezvous. Can you not bring off the cavalry and all of the men you can mount from transportation and other animals, with some light field pieces? Such a force could march away from Sherman and be strong enough to encounter anything between us and the Southwest.

Johnston remained convinced his was the correct approach. We have to save the people, spare the blood of the army, and save the high civil functionaries, he replied. Your plan, I think, can only do the last. We ought to prevent invasion, make terms for our troops, and give an escort of cavalry to the President, who ought to move without loss of a moment. Commanders believe the troops will not fight again.

After consulting with Beauregard, who agreed with his course, Johnston told Davis he would meet with Sherman to discuss surrendering his command.

It is useless to deny that the officers and men of the army were chagrined and disappointed at this result, said one of Shermans adjutants, Major George W. Nichols, at the possibility the truce would end. Noted Hitchcock: Everyone anticipates, and I think everyone regrets, another march, for this time, if the Army does advance, it is necessarily in pursuit not of a single object, as heretofore, or to reach a definite objective point, but to pursue a flying enemy and meanwhile to live on the country.

A 92nd Illinois Mounted Infantry soldier, of Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Jordans brigade of Kilpatricks division, noted, The men of the Regiment were very willing to resume hostilities, if it was necessary to do so.But there was not a soldier in the Regiment but that felt that it would be cruelty to fight another battle. Every man was conscious of the fact that the war was really over; but orders were orders, and they were ready to resume hostilities.

About 6 p.m., however, Sherman received Johnstons dispatch by courier. A third meeting between the two was scheduled for noon the next day at the Bennett House.

Still incensed by the poor treatment hed received from Stanton, Halleck, and the press, Sherman brusquely boarded a train to Durhams Station the morning of April 26, accompanied by two of his army commandersMaj. Gens. John M. Schofield and O.O. Howardand Maj. Gen. John Logan. When Sherman and his entourage arrived at Bennett Place, however, Johnston was not there. His train was running late because of an accident.

[quote style=boxed float=left]They seemed apprehensive that the terms of Grant and Lee, pure and simple, could not be executed, and that if modified at allwould meet with a second disapproval. -Maj. Gen. John Schofield[/quote]

Johnston finally arrived about 2 p.m. The commanding generals greeted each other warmly, then retired to the Bennett House. Sherman again stressed that he could offer only Appomattox-parallel terms, but Johnston felt that those alone were inadequate and requested additional guarantees for his mens safety. Though he acknowledged additional terms were likely needed, Sherman feared his government would reject anything that deviated as such. The commanders could not reach a resolution.

At length I was summoned to their presence, and informed in substance that they were unable to arrange the terms of capitulation to their satisfaction, Schofield, Shermans second-in-command, later wrote. They seemed discouraged at the failure of the arrangement to which they had attached so much importance, apprehensive that the terms of Grant and Lee, pure and simple, could not be executed, and that if modified at all, they would meet with a second disapproval. Schofield suggested preparing two documents: One would encompass only the Appomattox terms, and the second would be supplemented by Johnstons concerns.

Schofield said Sherman intimated to me to write, pen and paper being on the table where I was sitting, while the two great antagonists were nervously pacing the floor.I at once wrote the military convention of April 26, handed it to General Sherman, and he, after reading it, to General Johnston.

As department commander, Schofield explained, he could do all that might be necessary to remove any obstacles that hindered consummation of the agreement once Sherman left for Washington. The two officers signed the first document; when he handed it to Sherman, Johnston declared, I believe that is the best we can do.

That night Grant endorsed the terms so no questions would arise about their acceptability. Schofield later recalled he overheard Grant declare that the only change he would have made would have been to write General Shermans name before General Johnstons. So would I if I had thought about it; but I presume an unconscious feeling of courtesy toward a fallen foe dictated the order in which their names were written.

After drafting the initial terms, Schofield prepared supplemental terms based on his discussions with Johnston. Those included provisions that Confederate troops would retain their transportation; that each brigade or separate body would retain a number of arms equal to one-seventh of its effective total, which, when the troops reach their homes, will be received by the local authorities for public purposes; and that troops from Arkansas and Texas were to be transported by water from Mobile or New Orleans to their homes by the United States.

Neither Grant nor the civil authorities in Washington disputed any of the provisions. Thus, Joe Johnston, convinced that it would be the greatest of human crimes to continue the war, surrendered nearly 90,000 Confederate soldiers located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, disobeying President Davis specific orders by doing so. Although some Confederate soldiers remained in the field after the events at Bennett Place, Johnston had arranged the largest surrender of Southern troops.

With their difficult work finally finished, Sherman and Johnston invited James Bennett and their officers to join them for a toast. The two commanders introduced their subordinates. Johnston had brought with him Maj. Gen. Matthew C. Butler, a protege of Hampton and a handsome young lawyer who had lost his right foot to a Union artillery shot at the June 9, 1863, Battle of Brandy Station in Virginia. Brigadier General Thomas M. Logan, who commanded Butlers former brigade of South Carolinians, also accompanied Johnston.

Schofield arranged for the delivery of 250,000 rationsrepresenting 10 days rations for 25,000 mento Johnstons army, along with wagons to haul them. Sherman hoped to prevent the newly surrendered Confederate troops from stealing from their own people. Now that the Confederates were their countrymen once more, the Union high command did all it could to ensure that they were well treated while the Southerners waited to give their paroles; the Union officers also made sure that the soldiers had sufficient weapons to keep the peace and to protect private property.

The enlisted men of both sides mingled freely while the generals worked out the final details of the surrender. I talked with many of the Yankee soldiers who told me they were glad the war was over, glad we would not have to kill each other any more, a Rebel recalled years after the war. I do not think Sherman was as mean as he has been pictured, for he gave us our horses and side-arms and every fourth man ammunition and told us to go homeand go to work.

In the meantime, while the Federal armies remained in place pursuant to Shermans orders, the Confederate army continued its retreat until Beauregard halted at about 1:30 p.m. However, Johnstons soldiers deserted in droves, determined to go home before receiving their paroles. May I ever be spared such a sight as I witnessed when the order to move was given, a North Carolinian noted. Whole regiments remained on [camp]ground, refusing to obey. Stragglers threw away their weapons, prompting orders to be issued that only those with weapons would be provided rations. We were overpowered but not subdued, the proud Southern soldiers declared.

After he and Johnston parted, Sherman telegraphed Grant of the outcome. Grant readily acknowledged that this was Shermans moment of triumph. Knowing his dear friend deserved to savor the victory, he wisely chose to remain back in Raleigh.

Thus was surrendered to us the second great army of the so-called Confederacy, and though undue importance has been given to the so-called negotiations which preceded it, and a rebuke and public disfavor cast on me wholly unwarranted by the facts, a defiant Sherman wrote. I rejoice in saying it was accomplished without further ruin and devastation to the country, without the loss of a single life to those gallant men who had followed me from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, and without subjecting brave men to the ungracious task of pursuing a fleeing foe that did not want to fight. As for myself, I know my motives, and challenge the instance during the past four years where an armed and defiant foe stood before me that I did not go in for a fight, and I would blush for shame if I had ever insulted or struck a fallen foe.

Union soldiers waited impatiently to hear what had happened at the Bennett House, as rumors flew rampantly. News of the surrender did not reach all of them at the same time. Soldiers at the station in Raleigh were left to wait until officials on a train had reached General John Logans headquarters two miles farther down the track. All was silent, a Wisconsin soldier recalled. And thena long and protracted cheer. A few seconds later, cheers broke out a little nearer to us. There were renewed cheers as the tidings flew toward us from regiment to regiment. We knew well enough what the result of the conference had been, yet we were very anxious to hear it directly. A few minutes later, a lieutenant declared, Boys, the thing is all settled, and we are to march back to Raleigh in the morning.

Hitchcock, who had played such an important role during the negotiations, waxed philosophically that night. It will be a hundred times harder for me now to remain in the service [than] when we were deep in the mud and swamps of South Carolina or in front an enemy near [Averasboro] and Bentonville, he told his wife. There was something like a definite object there; for the sort of occupation or want of occupation I look forward to now I confess I have no relish, especially the loafing part of it. However, the war is over now, thank God, in its breadth and strength.

While all were excited that the war was indeed finally over, not everyone agreed about the outcome. That night, in fact, Halleck sent a dispatch to Stanton indicating that the orders that had angered Sherman remained in place: Generals Meade, Sheridan, and Wright are acting under orders to pay no regard to any truce or orders of General Sherman suspending hostilities, on the ground that Shermans agreements could bind his own command only, and no other. They are directed to push forward, regardless of orders from any one except General Grant, and cut off Johnstons retreat.

[quote style=boxed float=left]Sherman has fatally compromised himself, we fear, in entering into the forbidden field of diplomacy as a peacemaker -New York Herald[/quote]

Grant, however, acted quickly to correct that. Sherman continued to stew over his treatment by the high command. He defended his actions in a report he drafted on May 9. I still adhere to my then opinions, that by a few general concessions, glittering generalities, all of which in the end must and will be conceded to the organized States of the South, that this day there would not be an armed battalion opposed to us within the broad area of the dominions of the United States, he wrote. Robbers and assassins must in any event result from the disbandment of large armies, but even these should be and could be taken care of by the local civil authorities without being made a charge on the national treasury.

As Major Nichols later wrote, The evidence goes to show that Johnston has been induced to surrender quite as much by the discontent and threats of his own soldiers as by the Federal force in his rear. The Rebel troops see the utter folly of further resistance, and refuse to fight longer. Johnston has pursued the only wise course left open to him.

When Johnston finally made it to his Greensboro headquarters, he sent telegrams to governors of the various states of the Confederacy explaining his actions. The disaster in Virginia, the capture by the enemy of all our workshops for the preparation of ammunition and repairing of arms, the impossibility of recruiting our little army opposed to more than ten times its number, or of supplying it except by robbing our own citizens, destroyed all hope of successful war, he wrote.

He would go to his grave 26 years later still confident he had done the right thing for his men and for his country.

An attorney by day in Columbus, Ohio, Eric J. Wittenberg is an award-winning Civil War historian, speaker and tour guide, and the author of several Civil War titles, including Out Flew the Sabres: The Battle of Brandy Station. A native of southeastern Pennsylvania, he has been hooked on the Civil War since a third-grade visit to Gettysburg.

Adapted with permission from We Ride a Whirlwind: Sherman and Johnston at Bennett Place, by Eric J. Wittenberg (Fox Run Publishing, 2017).
Winter is really making its mark. Its freezing. And, Having put up my Christmas tree this weekend, leaving its cosy glow to sit under the less inviting fluorescent lights of Dublin bus doesnt have me leaping off the couch.

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The discovery of a tiny fracture somewhere along a major U.K. pipeline system prompted an emergency shutdown on Monday, sending oil prices surging and overshadowing the latest moves by OPEC and U.S. drillers in their oil-market tug of war.

U.S. crude prices nearly reached $58 a barrel, and the global benchmark hit its highest point in 2 years after London-based Ineos said it could take two weeks to repair the "small hairline crack" that forced it to stop the 450,000 barrels of oil a day that flow through the critical Forties pipeline system.

Adding to the market turbulence, Houston oil company Apache Corp. said it shut in production at its prolific Forties field 110 miles northeast of Aberdeen.

The episode demonstrated how volatile prices can be when supplies suddenly go offline and how easily the oil market's attention can be drawn away from signs of increased U.S. drilling and OPEC's efforts to curb the global glut, a struggle that could decide how Houston's economy fares in 2018.

Unless something else surprises the market.

"There's more to the market than OPEC and shale," said Ann-Louise Hittle, an oil market analyst at research firm Wood Mackenzie."These other factors can have a big impact on prices. Supply could always be cut off, and the market could tighten more than expected."

U.S. oil prices rose 63 cents on Monday to settle at $57.99 a barrel in New York - up from $55.96 a barrel early last week. Brent, the global benchmark, rose to its highest point in more than two years.

The surge came against the backdrop of the latest moves by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to reduce the global oil glut - and the U.S. oil industry's efforts to pump more oil. The week after OPEC and its allies struck a deal to cap oil production next year, crude exports from the Middle East fell the most since February.

Oil exports from the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE, fell by 20.6 million barrels to 121.2 million barrels last week, according to data collected by Thomson Reuters analysts.

Late last month, Saudi Arabia, Russia and almost two dozen other producers agreed to keep 1.8 million barrels of oil a day off the market through the end of next year. Despite cuts in production, analysts had criticized the group's previous agreement when exports remained at high levels for months this year.

Saudi Arabia, which saw an increase in exports last week, has said it expects its exports to drop by 120,000 barrels a day this month. Saudi officials said Monday it plans to cut exports to Asia by 100,000 barrels a day next month.

Iraq's oil exports fell by 3.4 million barrels to 23.3 million barrels last week. And Iranian exports declined 8.7 million barrels to 11.5 million barrels. Exports also fell in Kuwait and the UAE - falling by 8.8 million barrels and 9.2 million barrels, respectively - while Qatar increased exports by 2.7 million barrels.

Meanwhile, U.S. drillers added two oil rigs to the fleet of working machines last week, bringing the nation's oil rig count up to 751, according to Baker Hughes. That initially sent oil prices lower on Monday as investors feared shale producers could offset OPEC's cuts.

Hittle said OPEC's agreement to extend production cuts through the end of next year will tighten the market and should lift prices, depending on how aggressive U.S. shale drillers become as oil prices climb. But the market is, of course, impossible to predict, she added.

"Demand could be higher than expected, or some supply could be cut off," she said.
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When you ensure that someone will not suffer any consequences for their risky behavior, you create what is called a moral hazard.

That is because not only are you encouraging people to take risks and distorting economic markets, but you are doing something immoral. For this, there are always consequences, and the only question is who is going to suffer them.

Every person who gives money to the National Association of Home Builders, the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, the National Association of Realtors or the Real Estate Round Table is guilty of creating moral hazard. They are also guilty of profiting from flood disasters and sticking taxpayers with the multibillion bill.

In a meticulously reported story on Sunday, my Chronicle colleagues broke down exactly how these special interests intentionally took the National Flood Insurance Program, which was supposed to reduce flooding, and turned it into a taxpayer-funded subsidy that encourages development in places where no structure should exist.

RELATED: System rigged against homeowners when it comes to floods

Taking empty land and converting it for human use is one of the biggest businesses in any country. Begin with the landowner and move on to the developer, the banker, the real estate agent, the construction firms and by the time you get to the ultimate buyer, a lot of people have made a lot of money.

That's how builders, bankers and real estate agents became some of the most powerful lobbyists in America. They are economically powerful, and no politician has ever lost an election because they did something to encourage economic growth in their community. This is why politicians and developers tend to have cozy relationships.

Normally, in a free market, people put their capital at risk only up to the point where the odds are they not will lose it. To help mitigate even the slightest risk, capitalists often take out insurance. Insurance companies run the odds and the higher the risk, the more expensive the insurance.

Greedy builders, bankers and real estate agents, though, use their economic power to buy off politicians to avoid risk when insurance premiums get too high.The National Flood Insurance Program is but one example.

Instead of pricing the real risk, the program charges a fraction of the true cost of covering losses and relies on Congress to use taxpayer money to bail it out. You and I have contributed to the hundreds of billions of dollars paid out over the years because someone built something where they shouldn't have.

Numerous lawmakers over the years have tried to make National Flood Insurance Program self-supporting by charging appropriate premiums. But every bill that has tried to exclude properties that are repeatedly flooded, or required the program to levy realistic premiums, has been defeated by the lobby groups named above.

The result is a huge subsidy for developers. Because if flood insurance was appropriately priced, the value of flood-endangered properties would plummet.

RELATED: Harvey's floods will sink Houston home values

Demand for grand houses along beautiful bayous and creeks would dry up as people would realize that paying $10,000 a year for flood insurance means they are sure to get flooded.

Conservatives like to talk about letting the free markets decide business questions, and generally I agree. So let's do away with national flood insurance, and rely on the private market to assess the risk and levy the appropriate premiums for offsetting that risk?

Oh wait, we tried that. That's how flood insurance worked before President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Flood Insurance Program into law in 1968. The whole reason Congress created the program was because no insurance company was willing to offer flood insurance.

That should tell us something.

The National Flood Insurance Program as it currently exists is not only bankrupt financially, but also morally. We should no longer subsidize risks taken by developers who are more interested in flipping dangerous property than responsibly building a better community.

The question is whether we will put the necessary pressure on our elected officials to do the right thing, and when it comes to flood zones, break with their developer pals.
Aaron M. Sprecher/705035

WASHINGTON - Plans to announce the Trump administration's offshore drilling plan for the next five years, scheduled for release today, have been delayed.

A spokeswoman for the Interior Department said Tuesdat the release has been "rescheduled" for a future, unspecified date. She declined to answer the cause of the delay.
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Steven Plumb walked out of his apartment, headed down seven flights of stairs and started toward the synagogue.

It was Shabbat, the Jewish holy day, so there could be no driving or using electronic conveniences such as elevators. Following the orthodox faith, Steven and his family walk to synagogue every Saturday, rain or shine, through searing summers and frigid winters, as their ancestors have done for centuries.

But these days, every step along the 10-minute walk from The Halstead apartments to the United Orthodox Synagogues brings painful reminders of when Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on Houston and upended Steven Plumb's life.

He walked past three apartment complexes filled with displaced friends and neighbors.

He walked the bridge across Brays Bayou, which three months ago overflowed its banks and flooded his Meyerland home of nearly 17 years.

He walked around the waterlogged synagogue off Greenwillow, once a sanctuary for some 300 faithful that now sits empty.

"It's like a nuclear bomb was dropped on our neighborhood," he said.

Harvey devastated rich and poor. Black and white, Hispanic and Asian. But it had an outsized impact on the city's tight-knit Jewish community in flood-prone Meyerland, many of whom will celebrate Hanukkah this year in temporary quarters.

About one out of every 13 Jewish families in Houston flooded during Harvey. The storm damaged three of the city's largest synagogues, with a combined membership of 3,900 families. The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston took on 10 feet of water. Floodwater inundated the Jewish senior home, the community resource center and the Beth Yeshurun Day School.

"Nobody in this community was completely immune," said Suzanne Jacobson with the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.

The Plumbs are one of an estimated 2,000 Jewish households that flooded during Harvey.

Steven Plumb's father flooded. So did his in-laws and all of his neighbors. Friends, co-workers, acquaintances flooded. Half of the kids in his eldest son's Jewish day school class flooded. They know more than 100 flood victims personally.

'It's a helpless feeling'

Growing up in Meyerland, Steven Plumb remembers kids paddling canoes in the streets in front of Kolter Elementary after heavy rains. He's been through Tropical Storm Allison, Hurricane Ike and the Memorial Day and Tax Day floods.

Harvey was something else.

Steven, a certified public accountant, and his wife, Tammy, prepared as best they could. They had their three kids - Nathan, 17; Jacob, 14; and Sarah, 11 - pack their bags with clothes, important paperwork, laptops, phones and personal things. What couldn't be carried, they put on countertops. They took pictures for insurance purposes.

Then they waited.

The water came in through the front door around 4 a.m. on Aug. 27. Steven and Tammy woke up the kids and, with their dog, Schnitzel, escaped to their neighbor's two-story home. From the second floor, the Plumbs watched as their home flooded and neighbors were rescued by helicopters and boats.

"It's a helpless feeling," Nathan said. "The water gets closer and there's literally nothing you can do."

When the water finally receded, Steven couldn't believe how much had come into their home.

"I thought if it got inside, it'd be a few inches, not 2 feet," Steven said.

Gone were the boys' bar mitzvah photos, Tammy's childhood pictures and negatives of photographs that Steven took for his high school yearbook. Heirlooms from Tammy's aunt. A piano from one of Steven's uncles, handed down through the generations.

"We hope to restore it, but I don't know if we can," Tammy said of the piano, stranded inside their gutted home.

Their hospitality remains

When Steven Plumb reached the synagogue's reception hall, hundreds of worshippers - wearing kippah head coverings and tallit prayer shawls - were gathering for Rabbi Barry Gelman's sermon.

Gelman, whose home was flooded, stood on a makeshift bimah platform in the middle of the reception hall, freshly patched with 4 feet of new drywall. Floodwater had claimed the main prayer rooms and classrooms, destroying hundreds of religious texts and items. The congregation now relies on donated books and shawls.

After the Torah was read and prayers were recited, Steven returned to his two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment where Tammy was preparing to host 17 friends for Shabbat lunch.

It was a tight squeeze, but they made do with folding tables and chairs. As guests wandered in, kids on the sofa played mahjong, a game they learned from a neighbor while cooped up for three days without power and running water.

It's important to remain hospitable, following Jewish tradition, Steven said. He recalled the biblical story of Abraham, who three days after his ritual circumcision welcomed guests at his tent in the middle of the desert.

"He immediately got up to be hospitable, leaving God to tend to his guests," Steven said. "That's how important hospitality is to us."

The meal is uniquely Jewish and Texan: Challah bread, broken over red wine, followed by beef and chicken fajitas cooked over an apartment grill that Steven sterilized with aluminum foil and high heat.

Tammy misses her old kitchen. With two sets of sinks, dishwashers and refrigerators and several sets of cutlery, it was easy to prevent milk and meat from mixing, per kosher rules. After Harvey, Steven and Tammy watched as that dream kitchen was pulled out one piece at a time and carried to the curb.

Moving on tough to do

Steven and Tammy Plumb bought their midcentury modern home shortly before Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Though just two blocks away from Brays Bayou, the single-story home was spared the widespread flooding.

The four-bedroom, four-bathroom home was a good size for their growing family and a short drive to Tammy's job in the Texas Medical Center. Most importantly, it was within walking distance to their synagogue and near everything in their Jewish community.

Since Harvey, they have moved in with friends and changed apartments twice. They've decided to move out of Meyerland.

There's a buyer lined up to purchase their home "as is." The contract just needs Steven and Tammy's signature, but they couldn't make themselves sign it. Not yet, at least.

"Rationally it's the right thing to do, but emotionally it's hard to do," Steven said. "This home is the only one my kids know."

Steven tries to go by there once a week, typically after work.

Floodlights illuminating homes up and down the street belie the fact that only two of some 20 families on the block have moved back in.

Every week, Steven notices a few more for-sale signs in debris-strewn lawns. Other neighbors are rebuilding. Most are in limbo as they wait for insurance money to come in and the government to mitigate the flood risk.

The Plumbs hope to buy or build an elevated home in Willow Meadows. It'll be closer to synagogue but farther from their friends and neighbors in Meyerland. And it probably won't flood, Tammy said.

"We moved in with a flood," she said. "And we're moving out with a flood."

'This is our community'

The conversation over Shabbat lunch quickly turned to Harvey, and the city's plans to purchase flooded homes and convert them to green space. Good intentions aside, buyouts would change the character of the Jewish community in Meyerland, Steven said.

"I don't think buyouts are the solution," he said. "Lifting is the solution. I think it would cost less to lift up homes. Then you would be preserving our community."

Jeff Morgan, a heart surgeon at the Texas Medical Center, agreed.

"This is our community. Our synagogue is here," Morgan said. "We need to build up to the appropriate height."

Preserving the Jewish community is paramount as families begin to rebuild, Steven said. As homes are renovated or replaced with more expensive ones, Steven fears young families looking to practice their faith could be priced out.

"You need economic diversity," he said. "You need young families to move here; otherwise, we will wither away."

As an afternoon sun shone through apartment windows that overlook Brays Bayou, Steven noted that construction crews have been working since Harvey to widen the channel.

"It should have been done 10 years ago," he said as he began clearing the tables.

Yet Harvey has drawn the community closer together.

There have been donations big and small. A kosher food truck pulled up in Meyerland, feeding workers free meals for a month. Cups and food warmers arrived from around the country.

More than 12,000 donors, from all 50 states and around the world, have helped the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston raise more than $17 million toward its $30 million goal for Harvey relief. Donations included a $1 million gift from the state of Israel.

Nathan, president of a student club called Making a Difference, helped coordinate a school fundraiser that generated $25,000 in online donations.

"You appreciate the residents of the Jewish community and the incredible amount of support," Tammy said. "It may be hard for others to understand, but that's what keeps us here."

***

DEVELOPING STORM: Hurricane Harvey was the most destructive storm in Houston's history. The late-August storm dumped up to 60 inches of rain on southeast Texas, but the resulting damage was multiplied by actions taken  and not taken  during the past 50 years. Our seven-part series explains why the storm's damage was both a natural and man-made disaster.

Part 1: Nature ruled, man reacted. Hurricane Harvey was Houston's reckoning

Part 2: Build, flood, rebuild: flood insurance's expensive cycle

Part 3: What's in Houston's worst flood zones? Development worth $13.5 billion

Click here to read all of our Harvey coverage.

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 Where do we go from here? Seven Houston-area leaders discussed flooding causes and solutions at a Greater Houston After Harvey forum hosted by the Houston Chronicle in early December. Watch Wednesday night's keynote address by Jim Blackburn, co-director of Rice University's Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center. Read his thoughts on living around water.

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Steinhoff International might sell Mattress Firm or close stores as it offloads assets amid allegations of accounting fraud, analysts say, though such a move isn't immediately likely.

The South African retail conglomerate, which last year acquired the Houston-based mattress chain for $3.8 billion, is embroiled in an investigation to determine whether it overstated or manipulated reports of its financial performance. The company is assessing the "validity and recoverability" of more than $7 billion in assets with the help of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Officials in South Africa and Germany, where its stock is traded, are investigating independently.

The company last week announced plans to generate cash and temper lenders' concerns by selling at least $1.2 billion in "non-core" assets. Its stock market value tanked more than 80 percent after the resignation of its CEO and a warning that it might have to revise past financial statements.

Steinhoff said Monday that it cannot comment until it has more information.

MORE: Mattress Firm sues bed-in-a-box competitor for false advertising

Wedbush analyst Seth Basham wrote in a note to investors that Mattress Firm, which has for months seen same-store sales decline, will likely continue to struggle as Steinhoff conducts its investigation and looks to sell its assets.

"A 'fire sale' of Mattress Firm itself is not out of the question, but unlikely at this time," he wrote.

Mattress Firm CEO Ken Murphy declined to comment on the speculation.

"We remain steadfast and committed to what we do best," he said in a statement.

Steinhoff announced it has hired Moelis & Company to help negotiate with the company's lenders and AlixPartners to advise the company on cash management and operational issues.

The company, which has borrowed heavily to acquire a slew of retailers in recent years, postponed a meeting with its lenders until later this month, when it expects to have an update on its financial situation. Moody's Investors Service has revoked its investment-grade rating on the company's debt.

The company's acqusition of Mattress Firm, the largest mattress retailer in the U.S., was its priciest acquisition to date. The $3.8 billion purchase price included more than $1 billion in debt.

MORE: New Serta Simmons plant boosts mattress production in Houston

Basham added in an interview that if Steinhoff begins to sell off its core assets, it might first cut ties with Mattress Firm before getting rid of higher-performing retailers in South Africa and Europe, where the company is more firmly established.

"Clearly, their creditors are coming after them pretty hard," he said.

Euromonitor analyst Erika Sirimanne wrote in an analysis that shareholders and lenders might further press Steinhoff to cut losses if investigators uncover financial wrongdoing.

"If revenue figures are found to be severely enhanced, store closures for Steinhoff brands might be a medium-term possibility," she wrote.

In the meantime, Steinhoff's competitors in the U.S. mattress market could capitalize on the turmoil. Basham anticipates that mattress manufacturer Tempur Sealy will gain market share if Mattress Firm's performance deteriorates.

"I think it puts Tempur Sealy in a little better position," Basham said. "At the very least, Mattress Firm is going to be a little less financially stable."

MORE: Bedded bliss ends for Mattress Firm, Tempur Sealy

Mattress Firm, under Steinhoff's leadership, abruptly cut ties with Tempur Sealy earlier this year. The move shook both companies, which for years relied on each other for brand promotion and sales.

Mattress Firm then struck a five-year partnership with Serta Simmons, the nation's largest mattress maker, to develop two new product lines.

Tempur Sealy, meanwhile, improved operational efficiency and found new retailers in an effort to regain the market share it lost in the wake of the separation. At the end of the third quarter, the company reported it had regained about a third of the $172 million it lost after its split from Mattress Firm.

Tempur Sealy shares rose about 8 percent last Wednesday upon news that Steinhoff's CEO had resigned. Its stock closed Monday at $58.93, up 0.2 percent.
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Though the weather outside was frightful, surprises inside were delightful during Thursday's "A Celebration of Reading Author Reveal and Holiday Soiree" at Sue and Lester Smith's home.

In anticipation of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation's 24th annual fundraising event -- confirmed for April 19 at the Hobby Center -- the couple hosted more than 100 festive-partygoers. Traffic-induced headaches aside, the evening's wintry precipitation mix only added to the magic.

Freezing rain fell as guests coat-checked their furs and outerwear. A Moodafaruka quartet performed while the Smiths posed for photos with each attendee. Patrons sampled Culinaire's majestic cheese, charcuterie, cocktail shrimp and mini-roast beef sandwich spread; others topped off their mugs of hot apple cider with generous helpings of rum.

Then it was up the stairs (or elevator), and into the Smith's ballroom (yes, ballroom) for the big announcements.

Due to health complications, former first lady Barbara Bush was unable to attend the shindig as planned. In her stead, Maria Bush, who co-chairs BBHLF with husband Neil Bush, handed Sue Smith the key to a mysterious box placed beside the podium. A three-strand pearl necklace from Barbara's personal collection lay inside.

Next, Neil Bush presented Lester Smith with two pairs of socks, a tongue-in-cheek gift from former President George H.W. Bush. Neil let the audience in on the joke, "apparently, the price of oil is so low that Lester can't afford socks." Though from the looks of the host's sleek Gucci boots, he's not suffering on the shopping front.

BBHLF president Dr. Julie Baker Finck then joined Maria and Neil onstage to unveil next year's author lineup: Jim Gaffigan, Candice Millard, Christina "CK" Kerley, Clive Cussler and a fifth -- and totally unexpected -- name, John Kasich, will headline the spring event.

Not to be outdone, Lester also announced that he and Sue are penning their first book together, "Hope is the Best Medicine," which will chronicle Lester's recovery process following his 2016 double-lung transplant. The tell-all is slated to hit bookshelves in late 2020 or early 2021.

Lineup for the 24th annual Celebration of Reading

April 19 at the Hobby Center

UNKNOWN

Clive Cussler's action-adventure novels have appeared on the "New York Times" fiction best-seller list more than 20 times. Paramount Pictures' 2005 adaptation of "Sahara" - starring Matthew McConaughey, William H. Macy and Penelope Cruz - grossed $122 million. Cussler is also the founder and chairman of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, a non-profit named after the fictional federal agency featured in his novels that discovers and preserves shipwreck sites.

Jim Gaffigan was forced to bow out of his 2016 "A Celebration of Reading" appearance due to a last-minute emergency. His debut book, "Dad is Fat," had a spot in the "New York Times" best-sellers list of top 20 titles for 17 weeks; his follow-up, "Foodie: A Love Story," was released in 2014. Earlier this year, the Grammy-nominated comedian starred in his fifth, hour-long comedy special, "Cinco," on Netflix.

Photo by Paul Versluis

Candice Millard is a former "National Geographic" writer and editor whose third book, "Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill," was named Amazon's No. 1 history book of 2016. In 2012, Millard won the Edgar Award, "Best Fact Crime Book," for "Destination of the Republic." She also won the 2017 Biographers International Organization Award for her biographies of Churchill, Garfield and Roosevelt.

The Internet of Things

Christina "CK" Kerley is a self-described strategist, speaker and executive trainer whose work primarily targets business leaders. Her eBooks include "The 'Smart' Revolution," "Innovation Through Mobile," "The Mobile Revolution of B2B" and "Future Proof."

Jay LaPrete/FRE

Ohio Gov. John Kasich formerly hosted "Heartland with John Kasich" and was a fill-in host for "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in both 2000 and 2016. His memoir, "Two Paths: America Divided or United," explores his presidential bid and views on the nation post-election.
A man accused of driving a truck into a Conroe police Christmas 2015 has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Maycol Douglas Lagos-Valladares was convicted of the first-degree felony offense of aggravated assault of a public servant. He was sentenced on Friday. According to a release from the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Lagos-Valladares is a member of the MS-13 street gang.

HOUSTON CRIME: Woman found dead, partially naked in SW Houston

Conroe Police Officer Michael Chapman testified that he answered a call about a possible burglary near Interstate 45 and FM 1488 on Dec. 25, 2015. He alleges that he saw two people burglarizing the business West End Roofing and told them to stop.

According to a previous story, one unidentified suspect at the scene got into a car and fled. As Chapman was getting back into his car, Lagos-Valladares got into a truck by himself and drove it into Chapman's driver's side door. The officer's left leg was pinned between the door and the frame of his vehicle before he could fully get into the car.

The collision shattered Chapman's fibula and tibia, according to the district attorney's office.

Now Playing: The San Marcos Police officer shot and killed in the line of duty has been identified as 58-year-old Kenneth Copeland. Video: Fox 26 Houston

Conroe police officers responded to the scene and were able to locate the truck the next morning, based on Chapman's description of the truck. Conroe officers also found shingles from West End Roofing in the truck.

It's unclear if a witness saw the crash occur or if Chapman radioed for help. Conroe police arrested Lagos-Valladares, along with three other suspects.

SUBURB SHOCK: The stories that rocked Houston's suburbs in 2017

Juan Vargas was also charged with first-degree felony aggravated assault on a public servant. He pleaded guilty in January for a 13-year prison sentence.

Eric Flores-Mejia was charged with criminal attempt and pleaded guilty in May 2016 for a six-month jail sentence.

Lariza De la Cruz was also charged with criminal attempt but prosecutors dismissed the charge in January.

Based on previous reports, it's not clear if Vargas, Flores-Mejia and De la Cruz were at the scene that Chapman arrived to on Dec. 25, 2015 or how else they were tied to the reported burglary.

The Conroe Police Department did not immediately respond to calls from Chron.com on Monday afternoon.

Will Axford is a digital reporter for Chron.com. Read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter.
Fort Bend and Brazoria County officials say residents who smell rotten eggs in the area should not be alarmed -- there's nothing harmful in the air.

But environmental experts say that line of thinking doesn't track.

"It doesn't follow that some people might find the smell 'overwhelming' but there is no risk to health," said Luke Metzger, state director of Environment Texas.

The smell is emanating from an oil spill that occurred last week at a well near the Fort Bend County Tollway and McHard Road in southwest Houston, according to Fort Bend County's Office of Emergency Management.

"Right now there is no danger," said Alan Spears, the county's deputy emergency management coordinator.

Spears did not know how much oil had spilled, but said it didn't leak past the property and the clean up is being handled by well-driller IWR Operating. The phone numbers listed for the company, based in Dallas, were incorrect or did not work.

The county office released an update on the incident Dec. 7, saying that the smell likely is from hydrogen sulfide -- a colorless, flammable gas that smells of rotten eggs.

Low concentrations of the gas can irritate a person's eyes, nose and throat and may cause breathing difficulties for individuals with asthma. Prolonged exposure can cause headache, fatigue and eye inflammation, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

However, Spears said Texas Commission on Environmental Quality officials have been monitoring the air since last week and have found no danger.

"There's a bad smell, for sure, but as far as particles in the air causing serious health issues, there's none of that," he said.

TCEQ officials said Monday they are investigating odor complaints related to this spill from residents.

On Saturday, Brazoria County posted a message on its Facebook page alerting individuals to the cause of the smell and informing them that there was "no immediate threat the public."

"The well was capped and the immediate emergency was clear," the post stated. "Currently, due to ongoing cleanup of the well and our current weather conditions, residents may notice the sulfur or rotten egg odor while outdoors."

Metzger is concerned that the risks of this incident are being downplayed by officials.

"We saw that happen during [Hurricane] Harvey where government officials said there was no threat only to see dozens of people call 311 to complain of bad smells and later data showing Houston ended up having the worst smog days of the year," he said.

Spears did not know when the smell would dissipate.

"As long as they're cleaning it up, it's on the ground and they'll probably stir it up," he said.

Alex Stuckey covers science and environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey
Southwest Airlines says it all started with a cigarette.

A passenger was smoking in the bathroom somewhere between Portland and Sacramento on Saturday, according to the airline, and had gone so far as to tamper with the smoke detector.

So a flight attendant barged in on the woman, according to KOIN 6. This at least got her out of the bathroom, but did little else to improve the situation on Flight 2943.

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The woman ripped an oxygen mask out of the ceiling as crew forced her back to her seat, the station reported. And indeed, a mask appears to dangle in the plane aisle as seen in video of the ensuing tirade.

"I have a destination for myself!" the woman yells as a passenger behind her looks up from his tablet and stares. She is wearing a hat, sunglasses and overcoat, and collecting her belongings as if to disembark the mid-air flight.

"I swear, if you don't . . . land," the woman says, as a flight attendant blocks her from the aisle, "I will kill everybody on this f-ing plane!"

"You will not," the attendant says. "You will not."

"I will!"

A scuffle in the aisle ends the video. The man who took it told CBS 13 that the woman had to be restrained by passengers and crew for the next half hour.

Meanwhile, the airline said, pilots called in an emergency and landed in Sacramento, somehow more or less on schedule.

Sheriff's deputies were waiting at the airport. They arrested Valerie Curbelo, 24, on a felony charge of making a death threat and jailed her on $75,000 bail.

CBS 13 sent a reporter to the jail to get her side of the story. It didn't clarify matters much.

"Why did you decide to smoke in the bathroom?" the reporter asked Curbelo. "That's what they say you were doing."

COSTLY GLITCH: Pilot holiday scheduling could cost airline $10 million

"The anxiety," Curbelo said. "Yeah, the anxiety."

"You were saying some pretty threatening things," the reporter continued. "Like, you were going to kill everybody on the plane."

She nodded.

He asked why.

"I don't know," Curbelo said. "It was not me. It was not me."

Curbelo, who lives in Oregon, was still jailed Monday afternoon. It's unclear whether she has a lawyer.
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Update: After mistakenly reporting that a crash in Bevil Oaks on Monday was fatal, DPS is "addressing this situation internally."

"The department apologizes for the inaccuracy," Sgt. Stephanie Davis said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the two crash victims and their families."

Previous reporting: A driver previously reported as dead following a crash in Bevil Oaks was resuscitated at the hospital and in critical condition, the city of Bevil Oaks said in a statement.

Bevil Oaks came together on Monday night to host a prayer vigil for Ranger Ladner, identified on social media as the driver of the early morning crash near the fireworks stand.

Authorities were called to the single-vehicle crash on Texas 105 near Reines Road around 5 a.m. on Monday, Department of Public Safety said.

A 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck traveling westbound veered across eastbound traffic for some unknown reason, according to DPS. The truck hit several utility poles, knocking out Entergy power to residents in Bevil Oaks, Pinewood Estates and surrounding areas.

The driver was a 19-year-old Beaumont man identified by Bevil Oaks. He was unresponsive when law enforcement arrived and CPR was performed until he arrived at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont where he was resuscitated, according to DPS.

The driver was rushed into emergency surgery and DPS does not know his current condition. The driver was previously reported as dead.

There was an 18-year-old Beaumont woman in the passenger seat who was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

MGstalter@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/morgGstalt
Ucoms mobile customers will benefit from the best internet roaming rate of 8 AMD/MB when travelling to Georgia, Egypt or the UAE

Ameriabank Launches Google Pay and Google Wallet Support for Card Users in Armenia

Karen Vardanyan donated 112 million drams for the medical equipment for National Center for Infectious Diseases.

UCOM HAS INTRODUCED FUTURE NETWORK WI-FI 6E ROUTERS

Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts

Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum

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Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

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STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Google Ad

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces
A Houston man was convicted Monday in the 2015 shooting death of a Katy-area woman in a the parking lot of a CVS store, a spokesman for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's office.

Christian Williams, now 20, was arrested in June 2015 in the shooting of 20-year-old Stephanie Pena. The previous month, she was found slumped over the steering wheel of a black Lexus with a gunshot wound to the head.
Antonia King

Police are searching for an 11-year-old boy who was last seen Sunday night in southeast Houston.

Houston police say Sincere Mobbs was discovered missing about 8:30 p.m. after his mother sent him to his room for fighting with his brother. Mobbs' mother told police the 11-year-old kicked the screen off his bedroom window and unlatched the burglar bars.
A group of seven to ten masked men raided the lobby of a Galleria-area hotel to steal an ATM machine early Tuesday morning, Houston police said.

The men entered the Marriott Hotel in the 1700 block of South Loop West about 2:30 a.m. The men, who didn't appear to be armed, yanked an ATM machine out of the wall in the lobby and carried it out the door.
A jury sentenced a Fort Bend woman to 30 days in jail and 12 months probation on Monday after she made dozens of "hateful" phone calls to her ex-husband's girlfriend in 2015.

Prosecutors said Pamela Sue Kahlden, 50, would leave multiple voice mails per day, sometimes more than 10, according to a Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office news release.

The calls were described as "vile, hateful" and "jealous" by prosecutors who said Kahlden left more than 50 messages even after charges were filed against her.

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Kahlden began making phone calls to her ex-husband's girlfriend in 2013, according to prosecutors. When the victim went to authorities about the voice mails, Kahlden was placed on probation for six months.

Prosecutors said Kahlden began making phone calls again "as soon as" her probation came to an end in 2015.

"I asked the jury to send a message and tell Kahlden that enough was enough," said lead prosecutor Adrianne Norman in a prepared statement. "The law protects the victim from the defendant's actions. The jury agreed and held her accountable."

POLICE: Irving man forced 15-year-old runaway into prostitution and 'branded' her

"And since the defendant did not learn her lesson the first time, the State asked the Court to assess 30 days in jail as a condition of Kahlden's probation this time," Norman said.

A Fort Bend County jury found Kahlden guilty of harassment, a Class B Misdemeanor. In addition to serving jail time, Kahlden will be on probation for 12 months and be required to take an anger management class.

See other weird and bizarre Texas arrest and crimes of the past year.
President Donald Trump, weighing in to the politics of space, on Monday signed Space Policy Directive - 1, urging NASA to return Americans to the moon and encourage human space exploration to Mars and beyond.

The White House directive, amplifying recent congressional direction, came with the backing of several Texas congressmen with close ties to the U.S. space program, including Houston Republican John Culberson and Woodville Republican Brian Babin, whose district east of Houston includes the Johnson Space Center.

NO JOKE: Elon Musk is serious about sending a Tesla to Mars

Babin said that by refocusing America's space program on human spaceflight exploration, the president has ensured the nation's leadership in space and prioritized a return to the moon and future manned missions to Mars.

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"Under the president's leadership, we are now on the verge of a new generation of American greatness and leadership in space," Babin said, "leading us to once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil."

When people question why the U.S. would return to the moon, Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, a website devoted to space news, has a pretty simple answer: most people alive today have never seen a human walk on another world.

"I think my generation should stop being selfish about what we did," said Cowing. "It really is time for the vast majority of the people in the world to have their chance to see this."

Technology is much improved now when compared to the 1960s and 1970s  the last time we sent people to the moon, Cowing noted, and there is still so much we can learn from it.

For example, people originally thought the moon was this dry, barren place, he said, but about a decade ago scientists discovered the moon actually is home to ice water.

"You can live off the land there," he said. "It's gone from a nice place to visit to, with technology, we can go back there and stay."

And that's another reason he thinks it's beneficial: The moon can serve as a place to train astronauts before they head to planets that are farther away, such as Mars.

On Monday, Johnson officials said it was "too soon" for them to "understand how implementation of the new directive may affect our work."

In Washington, retiring San Antonio Republican Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, echoed that expanded exploration possibility.

"President Trump has again shown that, under his administration, America will be a leader in space exploration," Smith said. "Going back to the moon as the precursor to further exploration will enable NASA to test new systems and equipment critical for future missions, like the human exploration of Mars."

ODD SIGHTINGS: Strangest things spotted on Mars

Cowing sees this push to send humans back to the moon as beneficial for Houston's Johnson Space Center because astronauts are trained in Houston.

Instead of preparing for a Mars mission that is more than a decade from launch, they'll begin preparing for something much sooner, he said.

"If you want to go to other places, it helps to have a remote, distant place a little closer to home," he said. "There are some things you can't simulate in a building in Houston."

Have thoughts about another mission to the moon? Contact Alex.Stuckey@chron.com
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Some of Houston's homeless are poised to move north of Buffalo Bayou, to a plot about the size of a small residential lot carved from a Metro bus depot, under a plan officials confirmed Monday is aimed at alleviating concerns about camps beneath downtown freeways.

If finalized, the plan would create a "low-barrier" shelter on a nook of land near McKee Street along railroad tracks and the bayou, where those looking for a place to stay could find security and shelter from the elements.

City officials and outreach advocates said the goal was a productive step forward in efforts to transition more people off the streets, while addressing health and safety issues with homeless encampments, namely in Midtown and the central business district.

MORE: Houston, homeless wait in limbo for an encampment ruling

"No one wants this to be a long-term solution, but from the perspective of the partners working to solve homelessness every day, this is a better interim option," said Marilyn Brown, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless, which is working with the city on the shelter.

City officials said the site would be staffed 24-hours a day, and operated in consultation with the coalition. Services would be integrated into The Way Home, which seeks to move people from homelessness to permanent homes.

About 5,000 square feet at Metropolitan Transit Authority's Buffalo Bayou bus depot, tucked along the bayou west of Elysian where the bayou takes a sharp bend, would serve as the location. The shelter, which officials said would open as a pilot program, would use one of eight metal overhangs at the depot that currently houses buses. The Harris County Sheriff's Office also leases space from Metro on the other end of the property.

The spot is uphill and across a pair of railroad tracks from the bayou, outside most of the flood-prone area.

MORE: City starts 'deep cleansing' of Houston homeless encampments

Officials said other details and specifics would be forthcoming, but were unable Monday to say how the program would address persistent challenges of serving the homeless, notably a reluctance to provide personal information or enter into long-term programs, as well as the housing and care of pets.

"The project is in the exploration phase," said Alan Bernstein, spokesman for Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Officials could not estimate how many people the small space could accommodate nightly.

City Council members Karla Cisneros, whose District H includes the site, and District B's Jerry Davis, who represents the central business district, did not respond to requests for comment late Monday.

Potential users of the space, meanwhile, said they would need more information before signing up.

"Sounds like they just want to sweep up the problem and put it somewhere else," said Roderick Reynolds, 56, who has lived on Houston's streets on and off since 2005.

Reynolds, who often lies down in Midtown near the Sears department story, said security and bathrooms would be a big draw to many homeless, but requirements to sign up for other programs could lead some to stay away.

MORE: Houston must try homeless shelter remedies that work in other cities

"I'm not bothering nobody," Reynolds said of the required request for assistance. "Then leave me be with all that."

Brown acknowledged some will refuse help, but advocates still must make the best efforts to connect.

"Knowing who is in the encampments is critical to knowing how to assist them," she said. "Some are severely mentally ill or dealing with serious substance abuse issues and have trouble making decisions for themselves. Others are more newly homeless and come to the encampments because there is a feeling of safety in numbers."

Providing a safe space is crucial to give them an alternative, Brown said.

"There are those who prey on the truly homeless and bring crime, drugs and other illegal activity into the area," she said. "This is bad for the homeless and bad for the neighborhoods. Right now, no one is safe in or around the encampments."

Houston has struggled to develop a solution to unsanitary camps cropping up under freeways, even as violence at some well-known spots has increased.

Twice this year, city workers have conducted a "deep cleansing" of a homeless camp in Midtown after the Houston Health Department declared the site a public health nuisance because of piles of trash and human waste. The second cleanup last month took more than two weeks after one homeless man refused to move his belongings, which included a treadmill, rug, a grill, a putting green and two dogs.

In May, Houston leaders passed an ordinance that restricted camping along public rights of way, aimed at preventing encampments beneath freeways, such as at Interstate 69 near Fannin in Midtown and I-69 near Commerce, on the border of Eado and the central business district.

The rule quickly was condemned by the ACLU of Texas, which challenged the rule in federal court. In August, U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt blocked the city from enforcing the ordinance.

The proposed shelter requires approval later this week from Metropolitan Transit Authority's board of directors. A subcommittee of the board supported signing an agreement with the city Monday. The shelter would operate a six-month pilot with options to extend it.

Crews will fence off the shelter area, so the vehicles and building used by deputies would be off-limits to the homeless who choose to locate there.

Metro Chairwoman Carrin Patman, who discussed the idea with Turner, said the proposal provides a way for transit officials to "meaningfully contribute with minimal cost to the agency."

Transit officials remain on the front line with some contact to the homeless. As city officials have grappled with how best to coordinate camps, Metro often contends with homeless riding the rail system to escape Houston's heat. Transit police also have stepped up enforcement at the Wheeler and Burnett transit centers after complaints of aggressive panhandling and violence.

It will take numerous agencies across health, police, transit and workforce development circles to address the challenge, Patman said.

"The only solution is a holistic one," she said.

That starts, Brown said, by providing a location where all those interests can come together.

"I believe that many of those in the encampments now will relocate," she said. "And, as word spreads that the new location is safe and people are moving from there into permanent housing, more will agree to move to it."
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Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, is calling for renewed legislative efforts to stop the operation of red light cameras in cities as litigation plays out in Dallas on the cameras.

Oral arguments are being heard in the Fifth Court of Appeals today between the city of Richardson and Russell Bowman, who sued the city in 2016 for not following procedures under state law when installing their red light cameras.

SUGAR LAND SUIT: A resident now seeks to overturn an earlier dismissal

Bowman originally won the suit, saying the the city failed to conduct an engineering study prior to installing the cameras, but Richardson is now appealing the verdict.

Now Playing: Researchers at Virginia Tech have debunked the widely-held belief that lining up bumper to bumper at stop lights will aid the flow of traffic once the light turns green. Video: GeoBeats

"When the 86th Texas Legislature convenes in 2019, I will pursue legislation to stop red light cameras and to hold cities accountable for violating state laws," Huffines said in a press release. "Cities need to stop hiding behind 'government immunity' to avoid accountability. It's an option that isn't afforded to a hardworking, taxpaying Texan who is accused of breaking the law."

Huffines cited an KXAN television report from September in Austin that said 46 Texas cities with red light cameras had failed to do the engineering study required by state law.

"When a citizen breaks state law, he or she is fined or winds up in jail," Huffines said in the press release. "Yet with dozens of Texas cities illegally operating red light cameras, there appears to be no consequence or accountability. That's more than unacceptable, it's an outrage."

SHORT YELLOWS: Motorists nabbed by the cams cite a common issue

Red light cameras have previously received attention in the Texas Legislature but haven't faced any serious challenges since the law originally passed in 2007. The earliest the cameras could face a test in the form of a bill is 2019, when the Legislature next convenes in a regular session.

Until then, litigation will continue to work its way through the Texas courts system.

"Today's oral arguments are about Texas cities' unpopular, unsafe, and unjust red light cameras, and also about accountability and the rule of law," Huffines said. "I urge the Fifth Court of Appeals to stand against red light cameras and against lawless cities that think they don't have to follow state law. Mr. Bowman is a true patriot for standing up for accountability and the rule of law."
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump directed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to send American astronauts back to the moon and eventually to Mars, shifting the agencys mission from the study of Earth.

Trump signed a directive to the NASA administrator outlining the new mission on Monday. Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement that the new policy reflects recommendations from the National Space Council, a White House advisory panel Trump appointed earlier in the year.

The White House didnt provide details about how NASAs work to return to the moon would be funded, or whether any current programs would be cut.

The president will change our nations human spaceflight policy to help America become the driving force for the space industry, gain new knowledge from the cosmos, and spur incredible technology, Gidley said.

In September, Trump nominated Representative Jim Bridenstine, a Republican from Oklahoma, to be the next NASA administrator. Bridenstine, who if confirmed would be the first elected official to head the agency, is known as an advocate for bringing private companies such as Elon Musks SpaceX into NASAs work.

SpaceX launches rockets for customers including NASA, commercial satellite operators and the U.S. military. On Tuesday morning, the closely-held company is slated to fire off a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft laden with cargo supplies destined for the International Space Station, in what will be the companys 17th mission of the year. Musk, 46, served on Trumps early advisory councils until June of this year, when he parted ways with the administration over Trumps decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords.

When the U.S. retired the space shuttle program in 2011, NASA turned to private industry to fill in the gap when it comes to human space flight. SpaceX and Boeing both have billion-dollar contracts to send American astronauts to the space station, with the first key tests of the technology slated for 2018. Musk has also announced plans to send paying tourists on flights around the moon.

In the signing ceremony at the White House on Monday, Trump called the directive very exciting and very important for our country, adding that it also happens to be jobs.

2017 Bloomberg L.P.
Excerpted from "What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism" by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner. 2017 by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner. Reprinted by permission of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. All rights reserved.

I am not sure if the word empathy was in either of my parents' vocabularies. It wasn't the kind of word one heard growing up in my neighborhood in Houston. But my parents taught me about the importance of empathy through their words and deeds. And they made it clear that it was part of the glue that held together our family, our neighborhood, our community, and the United States itself.

My earliest memories are of times of despair and the Great Depression. Our family home was on Prince Street, on the extreme outer edge of what was the Houston of the 1930s. It was more of a big town back then, not yet really a city. We lived in the Heights, which today is hip and gentrified, but back then our street was just a lightly graveled road. It was considered a rough, tough neighborhood, and there was only one street - a dirt street - between our house and the open country.

Our house was nothing to brag about, but at least it had four sturdy walls, with two bedrooms, a small living room, a small kitchen and one bath. Across our street was a poor frame house in a state of semi-collapse. A half-block down lived a family who didn't even have a house, just a corrugated tin roof held up by four posts in the corners and one in the middle. Their floor was dirt.

Nobody in either of these families had a job. That was not unusual in our neighborhood during the Depression. And the families that were lucky enough to have work usually had only meager part-time jobs. A full-time job like the one my father had working the oil fields was rare and considered a blessing, no matter the pay, the hours, or the amount of backbreaking labor it entailed. This was what the United States was like not that long ago: a country where families struggled to live on dirt streets, with dirt floors and little or no income to pay the bills.

The father of the family in the dilapidated house had lost a leg. Exactly how he'd lost it was unclear, but the prevailing belief was that it had happened after a misjudged leap from a boxcar. His condition brought a crushing change to his fortune and that of his family. Before the accident, the father had been a day laborer for hire, a man with a shovel who could dig you a ditch. But there wasn't much demand for a one-legged ditch digger. He, his wife and their four or five children had no money. Zero. They eventually applied for some form of relief, but it came only sporadically.

The family under the tin roof had a passel of kids as well, maybe as many as six. I remember thinking how elderly the father was, although he was probably much younger than he looked. A hard life will do that to a person.

The neighborhood tried as best it could to help these families stay alive. If we had leftovers after supper, we would walk them across the street. You might think that these families were humiliated by the offerings, but there is no dignity in being hungry. And there was no judgment or disdain on the part of those offering assistance. No one wondered why those neighbors weren't working, and no one passed moral judgments on their inability to fend for themselves.

On Christmas Eve, my father and uncle pooled their money, meager though it was, and bought toys for the families living in the dilapidated house and under the tin roof. I remember a rag doll, a small wooden train, and for some reason a tambourine. We waited until after the children had gone to bed to give the gifts quietly to the parents, so that when those children woke up the next morning they would not think Santa had forsaken them.

What sticks with me more than even that act of kindness was how my mother talked to me about it. I asked my mother why we gave those families gifts at Christmas when we ourselves didn't have much. I remember then answering for myself: "It was because we felt sorry for them, right?"

"We do not feel sorry for them," my mother said sternly. "We understand how they feel." It was a lesson that is so seared in my mind, I can see her face and I can hear her tone of voice as if it were yesterday.

It is perhaps not surprising that Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan looked at a nation so traumatized and felt they could defeat us. Of course history turned out differently. The same generation that had been driven to such depths in the 1930s rose up to push back the forces of totalitarianism in a two-ocean global war in the 1940s. Perhaps those authoritarians, who felt no empathy for their own people or those they conquered, underestimated the strength of our empathy. Empathy builds community. Communities strengthen a country and its resolve and will to fight back.

I remember a great push to organize for civil defense, as there was great fear of a German or Japanese invasion. Almost everyone, truly everyone, regardless of age, race, or economic status, rushed to come together and help as soon as the word came out. Our neighborhood wasn't known for organization, but this need galvanized even those you would have never expected to volunteer. It must be noted, of course, that we were still a segregated nation. But the war effort, including the service of African American soldiers, helped change the country in that regard as well. In 1948, President Harry Truman would desegregate the armed forces, six years before Brown v. the Board of Education ended segregation in our public schools.

When I consider the forces that have led to our greatest moments of progress, I do not think it is a surprise that a great spasm of empathetic legislation came in the midst of the Great Depression. The beginning of Social Security is the most notable example, but there were a host of other programs that aimed to bring relief and the dignity of work to a populace in desperate need.

I worry that our nation today suffers from a deficit of empathy, and this is especially true of many in positions of national leadership. It is a phenomenon that is born from, and that exacerbates, the broader divisions tearing at our republic. We see a rising tribalism along cultural, ethnic, economic class and geographic lines. The responsibility for these divisions should fall more squarely on the shoulders of the powerful, those who need to be empathetic, than on those who need our empathy. When we live in a self-selected bubble of friends, neighbors, and colleagues, it is too easy to forget how important it is to try to walk in the shoes of others.

One often finds the greatest lack of empathy in those who were born lucky. They tend to misidentify that luck as the superiority of their character. What would their message be if they themselves had been born under far different circumstances? These people are in dire need of humility, a humility bathed in the refreshing waters of empathy. We can all afford to drink more from that spring as well.
Joann Howerton Fortson, 81, passed away Friday, Dec. 1, 2017.

She was born Nov. 13, 1936, in Raymondville, daughter of Charley Robin and Grace Smallwood Howerton. She married James Fortson in Conway, Ark. They later divorced.

She attended grade school in Raymondville and graduated from Houston High School in 1954.

She was saved at age 15 and was baptized July 20, 1952, at Raymondville Baptist Church.

She worked for Dr. T.J. Burns in Houston before moving to South Dakota and working in a clinic. Upon returning to Houston, she worked at Texas County Memorial Hospital.

In the early 1960s, she moved to Conway, Ark. She worked at Conway Regional Hospital while also taking classes to become a LPN.

In 2014, she moved to Salem Place Nursing Home in Conway, Ark.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Survivors include two brothers, Don Howerton of Mountain Grove and Nolan Howerton of Raymondville; a sister, Donna Ramsey of Mountain Grove; and many other family members.

Cremation was under the direction of Roller-McNutt Funeral Home of Conway, Ark. Burial will be in Allen Cemetery, Raymondville, at a later date.
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Jude's method of translation in Armenia (video)

For the first time in Armenia, Jude's method of translation has been put on practice. It is about the novel of the Turkish writer Birgul Oguz Hah, which translated 7 people at once. Translator, film critic Zaven Boyajyan mentions: "We have worked so hard; the book has been distributed among 7 translators, each of them translated some part of it,, and we have worked on those translated pieces." Zaven Boyajyan says this translation method is accepted worldwide. The book tells about the subsequent experiences of the death of the hero's father. There are too many references to the world and Turkish culture in the book. Writer Arakel Semirjyan is one of the first readers of the book. According to him, the book is another attempt to break Turkey's mythical "image" in Armenia. "So many myths have been presented that now we imagine the Turks with a yacht." According to Arakel Semirjyan, it would be great if the aforementioned translation method was used in Turkey for any Armenian author. Turks have no complexities with Armenians. "If you go to Turkey, you will see the most interesting thing that nobody ever doubts that you are not Turkish." According to Armen Martirosyan, chairman of "Antares" publishing house, culture is the best bridge for normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, as these two nations have much to tell each other. "As long as our leaders cannot change the "window" between these two countries into the "door," let's do our best to help the Armenian and Turkish leaders open those borders." On December 16, Turkish writer Birgul Oguz will personally attend his book presentation in Yerevan.
Abi Munro Farrow

My beautiful daughter Sofia was born with kidney failure in 2008, and has spent most of her life in and out of hospital. She is one of around 1,000 children with kidney failure in the UK and she started life-saving haemodialysis treatment - where a machine does the work of your kidneys - just before her 1st birthday. However, because Sofia was so young and so poorly this had to be done at a specialist children's hospital three hours away from home.

For years we've had to travel 400miles, for six hours a day, as much as four times a week just to keep Sofia alive. Alive, but not really able to live. All the travelling for her dialysis means she hasn't had the chance to play with her friends as much as she should, and she misses out on simple things like not being able to play in the paddling pool in the summer because she would get her dialysis line wet. After a couple of years on the transplant list, Sofia had a transplant in 2011, but sadly this failed within a week. We were distraught and felt like there was no hope; as a parent you never, ever want to feel that way.

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We've been lucky to have the support of many people throughout the kidney community, including charities like Kidney Care UK who gave us a grant to help pay for the travel to and from Sofia's dialysis.

There have been many times when we simply could not have managed without the support we have received and the incredible people we have met along the way. There is very little awareness of kidney disease and the impact it has on your life - people think that when you have dialysis you are fixed or that if you have a transplant then you are cured. Dialysis and transplants are treatments for this horrible disease. There are thousands of people out there who have to not only face kidney failure, but also the misconceptions and lack of awareness too.

We're lucky that Sofia has never faltered, not when we were told she may only live a year and not even after her transplant failed. She is such a wonderful girl with such a beautiful smile that people will often ask about her and we're able to explain kidney disease and help raise awareness so that others really understand what kidney disease is and what it really means to you and to your life. Almost 30,000 people are on dialysis in the UK right now, that's enough people to fill Wembley Arena twice over (with extra to spare). These people need more awareness and understanding to help them handle day to day life with kidney disease until their call comes. Sadly for some the call doesn't come as every day in the UK someone dies whilst waiting for a kidney transplant.

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Finally, after a false alarm in the summer we received the call on 28 September that they had found a match for Sofia. And not only that but a near perfect match at that. It's been almost a week since Sofia returned from four hours in theatre - the longest four hours of my life - but so far all of the signs are good. I can't put into words how unbelievably grateful we are that someone chose to donate their kidney. That donation will change Sofia's life in ways that I can't even begin to imagine.
Judge Returns $92,000 Taken From Musician By Cops For Not Buckling Seatbelt

A recent case of civil asset forfeiture abuse recently got its happy ending after musician Phil Parhamovich was stopped in Wyoming for not buckling his seatbelt and duped into signing away his interest on $92,000 in cash, an amount which he just reclaimed.

___________________________

Guest post by Tim Cushing of Techdirt

Another awful story of civil asset forfeiture abuse comes to us via German Lopez at Vox. But at least this one has a happy ending. The beginning, however, is anything but happy. Musician Phil Parhamovich made the mistake of driving in Wyoming without his seatbelt buckled. A click-it ticket in Wyoming usually runs about $25. In Parhamovich's case, it cost him nearly $92,000.

Phil Parhamovich had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The 50-year-old had spent years restoring and selling houses, cars, and musical instruments, often clocking 12-hour workdays, to save up more than $91,000. And now it was all going to pay off: He would buy a music studio in Madison, Wisconsin, where Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins recorded songs  not just fulfilling a dream of owning a monument to grunge rock, but also giving him a space to work on his own career as a musician. Then came the police stop this past March. By the time it was over, police in Wyoming would take all of Parhamovichs money  the full $91,800. Parhamovich, who has no criminal record, was not accused of or charged with a serious crime; he only got a $25 ticket for improperly wearing his seat belt and a warning for lane use. But Wyoming law enforcement officers found and eventually seized the $91,800 in cash, as it was hidden in a speaker cabinet  by getting Parhamovich, under what he claims was duress, to sign away his interest in the money through a waiver.

With all apologies to Parhamovich  who got screwed by the civil asset forfeiture system  Wyoming law enforcement couldn't have asked for a better mark to come passing through their state. Parhamovich disavowed ownership of the money and signed a waiver stating the same thing. That's a perfect storm of complicity.

But while we're still being fair, most Americans aren't aware law enforcement officers regularly engage in pretextual traffic stops for the sole purpose of warrantless searches and seizures. According to the musician, the cops made it sound like cash was just another form of illegal contraband.

At one point, the officer asked Parhamovich if he had a long list of items in his car  specific drugs, a weapon, a large amount of cash, and so on. With the way the question was phrased, Parhamovich said he was worried that answering yes would make things worse, since it could wrongfully imply he had illegal drugs in his car. He also became concerned, since he was questioned about cash and illegal drugs at the same time, that it was potentially against the law to carry so much cash at once. (It is not.)

Cops looking to directly profit from traffic stops rely on citizens being unfamiliar with local laws and their legal rights. (Perversely, they rely on not knowing the law when being sued for violating rights.) Hence the highway patrol tendency to pull over out-of-state drivers. The officer here went poaching. He even had a property waiver form written up and ready to go  something that doesn't seem like it should be a part of day-to-day traffic law enforcement.

In the end, law enforcement took Parhamovich's $91,800 and wrote him a $25 ticket. Parhamovich  with the assistance of the Institute for Justice took the state to court to get his money back. And Parhamovich has won, somewhat unexpectedly.

A Wyoming judge ordered the state Friday to return nearly $92,000 seized from a musician during a traffic stop that resulted in no criminal charges or even an arrest, according to the mans attorney. Attorney Dan Alban said Judge Peter Arnold ordered the state on Friday to return the full amount to Phil Parhamovich, an unexpected move in a case that began more than eight months ago. The First Judicial District Court in Wyoming confirmed the judges order.

The ruling hasn't been made available so it's unclear what the legal rationale for the release was  other than possibly "this is bullshit." With a signed waiver and the disavowal of ownership, it should have been open and shut. Perhaps the state could find nothing to connect the money to illegal activity or screwed up somewhere procedurally. All that really matters to the victim of Wyoming's thieving cops is his money will be returned to him.

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The Planning Board declined to recommend a moratorium on marijuana facilities requested by the administration.

North Adams Planners Do Not Recommend Recreation Marijuana Moratorium



A number of residents attended the hearing, offering both support and some opposition to the moratorium.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The Planning Board voted unanimously to not recommend a recreational marijuana moratorium to the City Council after hearing no support from the council.

During a joint Planning Board and City Council public hearing Monday, the Planning Board heard from councilors and residents alike who were opposed to delaying a possible recreational marijuana facility from moving into the community.

"I think the more that we put ourselves behind all of those communities who are moving along with this, the less we will be able to benefit it from it in the long term," Council President Benjamin Lamb said. "This is an opportunity to try to catch up to where we should be."

Mayor Richard Alcombright said the moratorium would freeze all recreational marijuana establishment applications and set in motion the process of crafting a city ordinance that would define setbacks, regulations and zoning to the city's standards instead of the yet to be released state's. He said he would hope to have something in front of the City Council to vote on in November of 2018 or when completed.

"In no way shape or form are we asking for anything but to slow the process down a little, so the city can have time collectedly to vet this and to make certain that locations are appropriate or as appropriate as the city would like to see them," Alcombright said.

Councilor Keith Bona said he did not think it would be difficult to get an ordinance on paper quickly and the city could follow what other communities have done or craft something like tobacco or alcohol regulations.

He said delaying the process for a year would only lessen the chances of a recreational distributor opening up in North Adams.

"I think by delaying it we would be saying we are opposed to it because my understanding is there will be only 75 licenses given out in the state for retail," Bona said. "By delaying it I think establishments will pop up around us and I just feel it won't cause us not to get any licenses."

Councilor Lisa Blackmer said she felt the city had plenty of time to create an ordinance but had failed to seize the opportunity.

"We had an opportunity to start really taking a look at it and I think we are really behind the eight ball," she said. "I have always said we could tax it and we could lose out on all of that. I think at this point we are trying to close the door when the horse already got out."

Councilors Joshua Moran and Wayne Wilkinson agreed with their fellow council members.

North Adams approved last year's Question 4 legalizing marijuana by 62 percent. As for the public who attended the hearing, few were in favor of the moratorium.

"I urge North Adams to go against this moratorium and look at it very much the same as tobacco or alcohol," Alexander Stewart, a student at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, said. "The opportunity is right, and I feel like with this moratorium would block the window of opportunity."

"The revenue from recreational and hopefully medical marijuana the city would generate is badly needed," said Councilor-elect Jason LaForest. "I think a shorter time may be reasonable, but I think a yearlong moratorium is not in the best interest of the city."

"I think the marijuana should go on the fast track," resident David Willette said. "Personally, I can say that it got me off of prescription painkillers and it would be a benefit to everyone else to have easier access to medical marijuana."

Wendy Penner, director of prevention and wellness for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, feared that fast-tracking the process without the proper vetting and consideration of the communities' youth would only worsen the addiction epidemic in the community.

"I think it is important to keep the best interest of our youth in mind rather than push it through," she said, asking that city officials keep that in mind when considering zoning or a moratorium. "In my opinion, the short-sighted opportunities of financial gain may exist but what are the long-term costs?"

Alcombright also asked for the moratorium and feared not properly vetting the ordinance could allow establishments to move in near places where youth congregate where it could have a negative impact he said this may be against the city's wishes.

He added that he thought the city did not have to rely on this tax revenue.

"I would just say this, and this is probably more personal than professional, I have been here eight years and we have seen a lot of good things happen in the city of North Adams and some not so good," he said. "I would just argue that this city can do better with respect to economic development than a retail marijuana shop."

Lynette Bond of the Planning Board said she did want to make sure the city did its due diligence but felt the board should side with what the public supported.

"I don't want to see this in any way rushed but I do see that the public is not supportive of the moratorium and I am in support of the public," she said. "But I want to make sure the city goes through the right process."

The Planning Board can only make a recommendation to the council, which would vote on the moratorium early next year under the new administration and with a new City Council.



David Atwell's permit application for the former Lopardo's was postponed until outstanding issues related to the property can be resolved.

At the regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting held immediately after the joint meeting, the board postponed a decision on a special permit change of use request from David Atwell who plans to open a package store at former Lopardo's Package Store property at 8 River St.

"Same idea really," he said. "Beer and wine only, cigarettes, lottery, snacks and clean it up and run it a little better than it has been in the past."

The Planning Board by policy won't approve a plan for a property with past outstanding taxes or without a payment plan. Atwell said he has yet to close on the purchase of the property but will return to the board when he has resolved the issue.

The Planning Board also took no action on a special permit request for new construction from Boon Properties LLC for the former BP gas station located on Eagle Street because representatives of Boon had no site plan in hand.

Boon looked to nix its plan of building a convenience store and restoring the gas tanks and just install the tanks and make improvements to the existing structure.

"I have to be blunt it is an eyesore so if you are saying you just want to put tanks into an eyesore I don't know if I can approve that," Chairman Michael Leary said. "You didn't bring us any plans and we do not know what it is going to look like ... we need to see some plans."

Clarification: Wendy Penner, director of prevention and wellness for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, did not specifically speak in support of a moratorium but rather that officials keep youth in mind when they make any decisions related to retail marijuana. This was not clear in the original version of this article.




iciHaiti - Culture : Entry into force of the remuneration for private copy





According to Article 45 of the 2005 Decree on Copyright and Neighboring Rights in Haiti, the draft decree on the collection of remuneration for private copy, previously submitted by the Haitian Bureau of Copyright (BHDA) to the Ministry of Culture, has now come into application.



Being in charge of the Ministry of Culture, this application on remuneration for private copy provides for the distribution of the amount collected as follows :



-25% to songwriters;

-25% to producers;

-25% to the performers;

-25% to the public collective management body for its social and cultural promotion.



In order to follow up on the two days of reflection held at the end of last October on the opportunity to amend the two 2005 Decrees in force, respectively on Copyright and Neighboring Rights and creating the BHDA, the Bureau will entrust to a legal consulting firm recognized for its expertise in the field, the drafting of two new draft bills which will take into account the proposed amendments and which will be forwarded to the Ministry of Culture for the purposes of the voting procedure at Parliament level.



Note also that the BHDA offers every Thursday in its offices from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm free consultations for creators and citizens facing problems of copyright and/or related rights. Note that this service which had been interrupted has resumed since last April.



IH/ iciHaiti


















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This Isnt Our Last Love Letter



Dear Don Don,

Way back in 92



I walked into the room and knew



Never felt this way before



I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes



And the feeling grew



As I took a seat I knew



A love that would have my heart



Forever



I knew



Way back in 92





They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true



We were the exception to that rule



Our love had no where to hide



A spark set fire



As if this is how the universe started





I never doubted our love or what we could do



Together we grew



Forming a bond everlasting



That became our glue



My euphoria was YOU



Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared



For how fortunate we were :



to have and to hold

through sickness and in health

Til death do us part



Until we are together again



This isnt our last love letter



I love you with all my heart and soul



Yours forever,



Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)





Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.









A True American Hero

I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.



I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.



I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.

But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.

In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.



Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.

I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.

I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.

No one will ever do what he did.

I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO





David Jurist

IMUS IN THE MORNING

FIRST DAY BACK!
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There is a truly harrowing moment early on in her new film, Hostiles, in which Rosamund Pikes character, Rosalie Quaid, a frontierwoman out west, has to bury her own children. Theyve been massacred by Comanche warriors. Deeply traumatised, she digs into the ground with her bare hands.

Pike, likely to be in awards contention for her searing performance, acknowledges that even speaking about the scene makes her feel a tightness in the pit of her stomach.

The 38-year-old British actress is utterly convincing as the grief-stricken, deranged mother. She went to extreme lengths to research her role. She reels off names of writers who have dealt with the sudden death of her children, among them Joan Didion (who wrote about the loss of her daughter in her book Blue Nights).

She also drew on her own life. Pike hasnt experienced the sudden death of someone close to her. They died at the right time, she says of the death she has encountered at first hand. Pike was in the room when her grandmother died but the extreme sadness then was very different from the wrenching grief that Rosalie endures.

Thanks to Gone Girl, Pike is on the A-list, or near it (Rex)

No, the burial wasnt a scene she could shoot in a take and then enjoy a joke or a chat with the crew members afterwards. She immersed herself completely in the role. Her devastation seems frighteningly real.

I put it to Pike that when you take a role in a western, you expect to get to ride on horseback, shoot guns and enjoy the great outdoors. She responds that there was at least some of that. They were filming in beautiful locations in New Mexico and Colorado (America at its best). On the day they shot the Comanche ambush, there was plenty of racing around as if they were kids playing at cowboys. However, Hostiles is a sombre and introspective film in which death looms very large.

Writer-director Scott Cooper went out of his way to be respectful to Native American culture. There was a Cheyenne chief who held prayer ceremonies and blessings on set and even the more cynical crew members found themselves moved by their experiences on the film. When asked about spirituality the chief said: Remember we are not humans having a spiritual experience. We are spirits having a temporary human experience.

Pike and Christian Bale star in Hostiles

Not that Hostiles skimps on the violence. The Comanches are shown as being especially cruel in the way they torture and kill their enemies. She points to the ambiguity in the film; the questions as to whether Christian Bales character, the embittered US army captain Joseph J Blocker (who seems at least partly based on John Waynes Ethan Edwards in The Searchers) can renounce his violent past and what will happen to the Native American child plucked away from his own culture and last seen dressed in a Little Lord Fauntelroy-like suit, about to board a train heading east.

Hostiles is a long way removed from Die Another Day, the James Bond movie which made Pike a star in the first place when she was still in her early twenties. She is philosophical about her time as a Bond girl. The film itself was enjoyable to shoot and she speaks positively about the adventure of entering 007s world and of working on the vast sets at Pinewood Studios.

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Ive spoken to other Bond girls and theyve said that appearing in the films have held them back in their careers, Pike says, but claims that this was not the case for her at all. Being a Bond girl, though, you get exposure without respect, she suggests. The press assumed she was exactly like the character she was playing. At the time I was a shy, insecure person out of university, not a supremely confident double agent.

Pike and Pierce Brosnan in the 2002 Bond film Die Another Day (Rex)

Pike is speaking from a hotel in Jordan where she is midway through shooting a biopic, A Private War, in which she stars, about the courageous Sunday Times war reporter, Marie Colvin. Colvin, who died in Syria in 2012, was on the front line everywhere from Chechnya to Sri Lanka and the Middle East. Pike is entirely committed to portraying Colvin as accurately as possible. She has read Colvins work intensively; has listened to recordings of her and researched her subjects life as exhaustively as she can.

Im very conscious of the fact that her loss is a very recent memory to those who are closest to her. I take very seriously the responsibility of playing her. She is probably the most distinctive real person Ive played. Shes inimitable  her look, her characteristics, her voice, her mannerisms, her tenacity, the way she held a gaze, she way she laughed, the way she interviewed, the way she responded to her subjects. I think Ive taken quite a journalistic response to discovering this person.

The actress plays a femme fatale in David Finchers thriller Gone Girl

After Colvin, Pike will play another Marie, Marie Curie, in Radioactive, a new film to be directed by Marjane Satrapi (the Iranian-born author and director of Persepolis). This, she explains, isnt a straight biopic but a love story intended to be both playful and provocative.

Pike took the role partly because of her enthusiasm about working with the effervescent Satrapi, whom she describes as brilliant and funny, and partly because of her fascination with Marie Curie herself, whom she describes as a real-life Wonder Woman every bit the equal of the kind of characters you encounter in superhero movies. Pike is preparing this role just as assiduously as she did for her part in Hostiles, taking a crash course in the science as well as steeping herself in the details of Marie Curies life down to the very last particle.

I am drawn to courageous women, Pike declares of her recent choices of films. Characters such as Marie Colvin or the fictional Rosalie Quaid have integrity and bravery. In other words, theyre the absolute opposite of the scheming, Machiavellian femme fatale she played in David Finchers thriller, Gone Girl, which won her Oscar and Bafta nominations. The recent roles are very different, too, from her parts in comedies like The Worlds End and What We Did On Our Holiday or costume pieces like Pride And Prejudice or The Libertine.

Thanks to Gone Girl, Pike is on the A-list or near it  a star who can carry a movie and whose name reassures the financiers. As a mother herself and as a hard-working actor, she expresses some frustration at the demands made on her because of her growing celebrity. Pike will always be courteous to selfie-hunting hotel staff who might want their picture taken with her but would far rather have it done at a specified time at the end of her stay rather than being ambushed every time she walks into the building. Questions about her private life are off limits but in interviews, she will speak very frankly about anything that relates to her work.

Pike has made very few films directed by women. There was A United Kingdom with Amma Asante and now there is the Satrapi film  and thats about it.

I ask a predictable question about the lack of women in key creative roles in the film industry. Some women can feel under-qualified due to a general lack of confidence, whereas in fact they are uniquely qualified, she says. I have worked with three female first assistant directors  on Hostiles, Gone Girl and a short film, The Human Voice, and they have all been exceptional. We all should be supporting one another other more.

Now, though, she is beginning to think about producing her own films and taking more control of the projects in which she appears. In the meantime, her laser-like focus is entirely on playing Marie Colvin. There are five days of solid filming ahead and no time to be waylaid by anything else.

Hostiles is released on 5 January
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For many Pokemon fans, Ryan Reynolds playing the titular character in Detective Pikachu seems fairly baffling. How will the Deadpool actor pull-off playing the beloved cartoon character?

Following the surprising casting news, Universal has confirmed a release date for the movie: 10 May, 2019.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Pikachu role will be motion-capture in nature and that Reynolds particular Pikachu is a self-styled investigator who is good at finding things.

Goosebumps director Rob Letterman will helm the project  which starts shooting mid-January in London  while Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton will also star.

27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Show all 27 1 /27 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Black Panther Released: 12 February 12 February Director: Ryan Coogler Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Forest Whitaker, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Greatest Showman Released: 1 January 1 January Director: Michael Gracey Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Darkest Hour Released: 12 January 12 January Director: Joe Wright Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri Released: 12 January Director: Martin McDonagh 12 JanuaryMartin McDonagh Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones > Twentieth Century Fox 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Coco Released: 19 January 19 January Director: Lee Unkrich ,p>Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renee Victor 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Downsizing Released: 19 January 19 January Director: Alexander Payne Cast: Matt Damon, Christopher Waltz, Jong Chau, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Early Man Released: 26 January 26 January Director: Nick Park Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Fifty Shades Freed Released: 9 February 9 February Director: James Foley Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Released: 9 February 9 February Director: Wes Ball Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Shape of Water Released: 16 February 16 February Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Annihilation Released: 23 February 23 February Director: Alex Garland Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Lee, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Dark River Released: 23 February 23 February Director: Clio Barnard Cast: Ruth Wilson, Mark Stanley, Sean Bean 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Red Sparrow Released: 2 March 2 March Director: Francis Lawrence Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Tomb Raider Released: 16 March 16 March Director: Roar Uthaug Cast: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Dominic West, 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 A Wrinkle in Time Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Ava DuVernay Cast: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Zach Galifianakis 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Pacific Rim: Uprising Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Steven S. DeKnight Cast: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Roman J Israel, Esq Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Dan Gilroy Cast: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo Columbia Pictures 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Isle of Dogs Released: 30 March 30 March Director: Wes Anderson Cast: Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ready Player One Released: 30 March 30 March Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Avengers: Infinity War Released: 27 April 27 April Director: The Russo Brothers Cast: Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Untitled Han Solo Film Released: 25 May 25 May Director: Ron Howard Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Released: 8 June 8 June Director: J.A. Bayona Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pine, B.D. Wong, Toby Jones 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Deadpool 2 Released: 1 June Director: David Leitch 1 JuneDavid Leitch Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Zazie Beetz, Josh Brolin 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ocean's 8 Released: 22 June 22 June Director: Gary Ross Cast: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Munn, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Matt Damon 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ant-Man and the Wasp Released: 29 June 29 June Director: Peyton Reed Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Soldado Released: 29 June 29 June Director: Stefano Sollima Cast: Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Incredibles 2 Released: 13 July 13 July Director: Brad Bird Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Samuel L. Jackson

The story starts when Smiths characters father is kidnapped (presumably by Team Rocket), leading to the teenager employing the help of Pikachu. Newton  who recently had roles in Big Little Lies, Lady Bird, and Three Billboards  plays a journalist who helps the duo on their quest.

Detective Pikachu has been scripted by Alex Hirsch and Nicole Perlman with Universal distributing. Meanwhile, Reynolds will next appear in Deadpool 2, which reaches cinemas 1 June.
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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Kasabian and the Courteeners have been announced as the first two headliners for Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall.

Since 2000, artists and comedians have performed at the storied London venue to raise money for young cancer patients. The shows help the Teenage Cancer Trust provide 28 specialist cancer units and over 60 nursing and support staff in NHS hospitals around the UK.

The event was conceived and curated by honorary patron - The Who's frontman Roger Daltrey - who still plays a role in the shows each year.

"I'm really pleased to announce the first shows for the Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall next March," he said. "This will be the 18th year of these concerts for the charity.

"Courteeners will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of their seminal album St Jude by performing the album in full. They are doing one show in Manchester and we can't thank them enough for choosing Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall as their London show. It's going to be a very special night."

He added: "It's great to be welcoming back Kasabian, they have been fantastic supporters of this charity since they first headlined for us back in 2007."

Courteeners play the Royal Albert Hall on 23 March 2018, and Kasabian will headline on 24 March. Tickets go on sale on Friday 15 December at 9am.
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North Korea could gain huge amounts of money from the bitcoin price surge, experts say.

North Korean hackers have been targeting digital currency exchanges over recent months, using carefully disguised emails to trick staff and steal the cryptocurrency.

The price of bitcoin has skyrocketed over recent months, rising from less than $1,000 at the start of 2017 to more than $17,000 at the time of publication.

 What is Bitcoin and why is its price so high?

It is a fact that North Korea has been attacking virtual currency exchanges, said Lee Dong-geun, a director with South Korea's state-run Korea Internet and Security Agency, reports CNN.

We don't know how much North Korea has stolen so far, but we do know that the police have confirmed the regime's hacking attempts.

South Korea is reportedly imposing new economic sanctions on North Korea, to stem the flow of illegal funding going towards Pyongyangs nuclear and missile programmes.

Since May, North Korean actors have targeted at least three South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges with the suspected intent of stealing funds, cybersecurity firm FireEye revealed in September.

Investors in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are frequently targeted by hackers.

This is largely because bitcoin transactions are irreversible, so if any of the currency leaves your account, you wont be able to get a refund.

Last week, criminals reportedly managed to steal $60m of bitcoin from Slovenia-based bitcoin miner NiceHash.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

With North Korea's tight control of its military and intelligence capabilities, it is likely that this activity was carried out to fund the state or personal coffers of Pyongyang's elite, as international sanctions have constricted the Hermit Kingdom, said FireEye.

Numerous financial experts have warned against getting involved in bitcoin, believing it to be a bubble that could burst at any moment.

According to a new report, the cryptocurrency could be even more unstable than previously though, with 1,000 bitcoin holders believed to own around 40 per cent of the market.
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A huge object that flew past Earth might be an alien spacecraft, scientists have said.

Scientists had originally thought that the cigar-shaped object was a very strange passing asteroid. But a number of things have led scientists engaged in the search for alien life to wonder whether it might actually be an "artifact" from an alien civilisation.

Researchers involved in the Seti  Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence  project are now preparing to point a powerful telescope at the bizarre object and find where it came from.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

The mysterious object, which has been named Oumuamua, is our first visitor from another part of the galaxy to make it into our solar system. It flew past in October when it was spotted by astronomers from the University of Hawaii.

Scientists initially presumed that it was an asteroid. But a number of strange characteristics have led them to wonder whether it might have been intentionally formed.

It is long and cigar-shaped, for instance. While it is hundreds of metres long, it's only one tenth as wide  and it is very unusual for asteroids to come in such non-round forms.

Some researchers have suggested this long needle shape would be useful for a long-distance spacecraft, since it would minimise the chance of being hit by interstellar gas and dust as it travelled through the universe.

The body is travelling quickly through the universe, at up to 196,000mph, and looks as if it will not get wrapped up in our sun's gravity but fly right through and out of the solar system.

A statement from the 100 million dollar (75 million) Seti project Breakthrough Listen, launched by Russian digital tech mogul Yuri Milner in 2015, said: "Researchers working on long-distance space transportation have previously suggested that a cigar or needle shape is the most likely architecture for an interstellar spacecraft, since this would minimise friction and damage from interstellar gas and dust.

"While a natural origin is more likely, there is currently no consensus on what that origin might have been, and Breakthrough Listen is well positioned to explore the possibility that Oumuamua could be an artifact."

The Breakthrough Listen team is using the Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia, US, to study Oumuamua, which is named after the Hawaian term for "scout" or "messenger".

From 8pm UK time on December 12, the giant dish - the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world - will "listen" to the object across four radio frequency bands spanning one to 12 gigahertz.

Lead scientist Dr Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley Seti Research Centre in California, said: "Oumuamua's presence within our solar system affords Breakthrough Listen an opportunity to reach unprecedented sensitivities to possible artificial transmitters and demonstrate our ability to track nearby, fast-moving objects.

"Whether this object turns out to be artificial or natural, it's a great target for Listen."

The object is currently about two astronomical units (AU) from Earth, or twice the distance between the Earth and sun.

At this distance it would take less than a minute for the Green Bank telescope to detect an omnidirectional transmitter with the power of a mobile phone.

Even if no evidence of extraterrestrial technology is found, the search could provide important information about gases surrounding Oumuamua or the presence or absence of water, say the researchers.

Breakthrough Listen aims to survey a million nearby stars and 100 nearby galaxies looking for alien signals.

Since the 1960s there have been more than 98 Seti projects around the world, none of which have turned up any convincing evidence of extraterrestrial civilisations.

Additional reporting by agencies
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There are around 15 million snorers in the UK, according to the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association (BSSAA), and snoring affects 30-million of us, which means that the condition causes a sleep deficit for partners, as well as sufferers themselves

Tossing and turning, Amanda pulled herself out of bed and padded wearily to the spare bedroom, where she slept for at least half the night, most nights of the week. Meanwhile, her husband, Robert, slumbered on, seemingly in a deep sleep, signalled by the cacophony of cascading snores, which must surely register on the decibel level as epic, she mused.

I dont want to complain but its like this most nights, especially if hes had a drink or twoIts so bad, he even wakes himself up sometimes, Amanda says.

The act of snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound is due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping. In some cases, the sound may be soft, but in most cases, it can be loud and unpleasant.

Amanda is far from alone in having a partner whose nocturnal noises cause disruption not only to sleep, but to marital harmony. Men, particularly those aged 50 to 59, are the most likely to snore, and at the highest volume. Anyone whos tried to combat the condition with sleep aids and other gadgets knows all too well that snoring is a difficult condition to treat.

Recent research by the British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association, revealed that of the 1100 plus people polled, 77 per cent said their snorer was willing to seek a solution, but had yet to find it. However, one in four snorers are not doing anything about it, forcing their partners to endure endless nights of misery, with the resultant strain that puts on relationships. Thirty-one per cent of couples sleep in separate rooms. But who sleeps where? By a small margin, it is the snorers who are leaving the main bedroom to sleep in the spare room, but there are still 12 per cent of people who are suffering the discomfort and indignation of sleeping on the sofa, all because their partner snores

Amanda observed that her partner seemed to stop breathing and catch his breath in between snores. It looked and sounded like he suddenly stopped breathing, which was obviously of great concern to me, especially as he told me he was not aware of it, even though it did wake him up, she says.

Concerned, Amanda persuaded Robert to book an appointment to see his GP who referred her husband to a specialist. Soon after, Robert was diagnosed with a condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA).

OSA causes the suffer to suddenly stop breathing, automatically forcing him to wake up to start breathing again. This can happen many times during the night making it hard for the body to get enough oxygen, and obtain good quality sleep. Loud snoring, interruptions to breathing at night and feeling sleepy during the day are all common symptoms of the condition. Because these symptoms develop over many years, they are often unrecognised by the patient and it is the bed partner who notices them first.

Marianne J Davey MSc, Director of The British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association, said: There are so many reasons as to why somebody snores and your snoring is most likely not the same reasons as your next door neighbour. The key to stopping snoring is to see a specialist who will help you find the cause or causes  most snoring is not just a function of one thing it is usually several things going on at once  and then determine what treatment is most suitable for you.

The only way the partner can deal with it is to either help the partner to resolve the problem or move to another room until the snorer has resolved the problem. Female partners of snorers can suffer from multiple health problems if they are subjected to snoring for a length of time.

Smoking and regularly drinking alcohol can also lead to snoring and OSA, as can being overweight, a mispositioned jaw caused by stress, obstruction in the nasal passageway and weakness of the throat. Apnoea is also an independent risk factor for conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, congestive cardiac failure, and coronary artery disease.

So, what can be done to stop snoring, or limit its effects? Aside from separate bedrooms, earplugs can be of some limited help to a snorers bed partner. But, for more effective and long-term solutions, sufferers may need to consult a specialist.

One such is a company called ArchformByte (www.archformbyte.com), a specialist orthodontic practice, where a variety of treatments are deployed to help the snorer. The Silensor is one of the oral appliances which can be worn at night, and can be the most effective form of specialist treatment. This non-bulky appliance consists of upper and lower clear pressure-formed base plates. Using arms connected between the two bases, the jawbone is kept in a forward-facing position leaving the air way free during sleep.

Pennie Hudson-Ward, Chief Executive at ArchformByte, explains: The Silensor, nicknamed The Marriage Saver by many of our patients, has a huge advantage for patients, as it can be worn discreetly while you sleep, and because the lower jaw can still move it is comfortable to wear as well as having the desired effect. We have already had a large number of successes with patients using the Silensor, and have found it to be more consistently effective than other conventional treatments.

Other devices on the market include breathing masks to help keep the airways open. The masks are effective even in severe apnoea cases and are considered the method of choice in these cases. However, the breathing mask must be set up and adjusted in a sleep laboratory. It is a vital piece of equipment although at times may prove inconvenient. Breathing strips that fit over the nose can also open the airways.

A last resort is surgery. Usually surgery is used to remove respiration-impairing structures, such as enlarged tonsils or adenoids. There is also a treatment available called CELON snoreplasty (Radio-Frequency Palatal Stiffening) available. Anirvan Banerjee, a leading ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgeon, based at Nuffield Health Tees Hospital specialises in this technique, which uses radio frequency waves to tighten the slack muscles in the soft palate at the back of the throat to reduce vibration  the commonest cause of snoring.

Pennie Hudson-Ward continues: Current advances in technology are changing the way we deal with snoring. With scanning and 3D printing, for example, an aid can be created quickly for a patient that is tailored to their exact specifications. They come away with something comfortable, effective and discrete without spending hours in the dentists chair, which is great news for everyone, particularly their long-suffering partners.
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A viral selfie documenting one womans skin cancer treatment prompted record high Google searches for prevention of the condition, a new study has found.

Tawny Willoughby was 27-years-old when she posted the graphic snap to Facebook, which showed her scarred and scab-laden face alongside the caption this is what skin-cancer treatment can look like.

The 2015 post, which has since been shared more than 105,000 times, triggered a wave of media coverage akin to the attention that is typically garnered by celebrity health stories.

If anyone needs a little motivation to not lay in the tanning bed and sun here ya go, Willoughbys compelling post began.

Willoughby  who now goes by the surname Dzierzek  frequently used tanning beds as a teenager and was diagnosed with skin cancer when she was 21-years-old.

She explained that as a high school student in Kentucky she would sometimes tan up to four times a week which she has since acknowledged as excessive.

At the time of posting, she had basal cell carcinoma five times and visited the dermatologist biannually.

Recommended Reality TV star reveals skin cancer diagnosis with selfie

She added that she did not have melanoma, which can be deadly, and was keen to explain that skin cancer does not necessarily manifest itself in moles but can leave sufferers with disfiguring facial scars.

According to the study, which was published in the journal Preventive Medicine on Monday, Willoughbys post generated a 162 per cent boost in Google searches of the terms skin and cancer.

At the peak of her story's news coverage, there were record levels of searches for skin cancer, with 229,000 searches for the term in just one week, the study found.

We conclude that an ordinary person's social media post caught the public's imagination and led to significant increases in public engagement with skin cancer prevention, the study states.

Co-author John Ayers, public health researcher at San Diego State University, hopes that the study will encourage public health experts to engage more in social media, reports Live Science.

Posts like Willoughbys can help raise awareness of underreported conditions which could ultimately help prevent illnesses and save lives, the study concluded.
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The Bank of Brum or the Brum of England? Jokes like that about Labour considering shifting much of the Bank of England to Birmingham probably go down about as well as corked champagne at its Threadneedle Street HQ.

Id imagine some of the more opportunistic headhunters are already getting ready to field calls from highly qualified staff crying, Im a banker, get me out of here!

Not from those at the top of the tree, you understand. We arent talking about all its functions and you can bet that the Governors office wont be among them.

Senior staff would, anyway, probably find a way of splitting time between the two cities if it came to that, eventually becoming the first HS2 commuters when the high speed link between London and Birmingham finally opens. Most likely sometime after 2050 given the way these projects traditionally work in Britain.

At the risk of having pins stuck in voodoo dolls made up to resemble me by furious staff, however, this is far from the worst idea Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has had.

The suggestion is that a relocated Bank could sit next-door to the National Investment Bank and the Strategic Investment Board, both of which Labour plans to create.

It would be a visible symbol of its attempt to rebalance the economy and wean it off its over-dependence on the City of Londons financial centre, which is anyway set to shrink as a consequence of Brexit.

While the Banks people regularly get out and about, a central location might better serve to put their fingers on the regions pulse, guiding policymaking in their interests.

Its not as if the Bank would be alone up there. Office space in Birmingham is a lot cheaper than it is in London, and thats attracted the attention of a number of financial firms, most notably HSBC, which is headquartering its UK bank in the city.

Channel Four is resisting plans for a similar move, just as the BBC resisted the creation of Media City in Manchester. The excuses are different (Channel Four says itll take the broadcaster away from where most of its advertisers are to be found) the latter seems to have worked out well enough.

But, but, but Birmingham?

Sit down to a balti curry and the idea could grow on you. If that fails theres always the fact that you can buy a decent sized house for less than the price of a garage in Kensington & Chelsea.

The place has a cultural life, and its less than an hour from Shakespeare central at Stratford-upon-Avon. Cheltenham is only a bit further if the sport of kings is your thing.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

And, of course, it might not happen.

Its just possible to see a subtext at work in what Mr McDonnell is up to here.

Could it be that, with Labour contemplating a dose of economic radicalism such as this country hasnt seen since Margaret Thatcher left office, it is seeking to send a message: Play nice. Or else.
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A US drug manufacturer has increased the price of a bottle of vitamins - a generic version of which can be bought for around $5 - by 800 per cent.

In the latest example of eye-watering price-gouging in the USs lightly regulated pharmaceutical industry, records show Avondale Pharmaceuticals, a mysterious company registered in Alabama, raised the price of Niacor from $32.46 to $295.

Niacor is a prescription version of niacin, a type of vitamin B3 that is frequently used to treat high blood cholesterol. A wide range of generic versions of the vitamin are available; Walmart sells a jar of 100 tablets for $14.99 while other brands are available online for even less.

The offices in Birmingham listed for the company were empty (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

The development will for many recall the controversy surrounding the investor and entrepreneur Martin Shkreli, who became the so-called most hated man in the US after he bought the rights to a drug used to treat people with Aids and increased the price by almost 5,000 per cent.

Shkreli, a former pharmaceutical executive, was convicted in August of two counts of fraud and one count of conspiracy for misleading investors in hedge funds he ran. He is currently in jail awaiting sentencing.

The Financial Times said Avondale Pharmaceuticals bought the rights to Niacor from Upsher Smith, a division of Japans Sawai Pharmaceutical, earlier this year. The company also bought the rights to a drug used to treat respiratory ailments, known as SSKI, and multiplied the price 25 times, raising the cost of a 30ml bottle from $11.48 to $295.

 Ex-Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli jailed for soliciting Hillary Clinton's hair

Avondale Pharmaceuticals does not have a website and lists its address as a business park in Mountain View, a suburb on Birmingham, Alabama. The registered agent for the company is Acrogen Pharmaceuticals, which was set up in 2016 by Mark Pugh.

When The Independent visited the registered address, the suite said to be the companys office was empty. People working in neighbouring offices said the suite had been vacant for some time and that they were not aware of any pharmaceutical companies or of Mr Pugh.

Mr Pughs Linkedin page says he is currently the CEO of Acella Pharmaceuticals, which lists its address in Alpharetta, north of Atlanta, Georgia. Nobody at that company responded to calls or emails.

The price increases were confirmed to The Independent by Truven Health Analytics, a Michigan-based company that monitors and provides healthcare data and analytics. It is part of the IBM Watson Health business.

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The firm said the increases for both products took place on November 13 of this year.

A 2014 biography of Mr Pugh on the website of Avion Pharmaceuticals, which has the same address as Acella Pharmaceuticals, lists him as the firms CEO.

It adds: As Chief Executive Officer, Mark Pugh oversees the overall growth and development of Avion Pharmaceuticals. Drawing from more than 20 years of industry experience, Mr Pugh has a documented record of success in identifying and capturing new business opportunities to build high-profit, highgrowth corporations.

The FT said many doctors will be unaware the price of Niacor, for which 19,000 prescriptions were written last year, has so drastically increased because such announcements are not always made public or announced to the medial profession.

Michael Rea, chief executive of Rx Savings, which makes software to help people find cheaper medicine, told the newspaper: This is the latest example of an inefficient US market where the consumer, payer and doctor dont have all of the information available to make a financially sound choice.

He added: They are caught in a web of inefficiency and are being taken advantage of.
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The Labour Partys shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has accepted an invitation for talks at the Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs as it seeks better relations with a political party whose leaders have pilloried bankers.

Banks in London had hardly bothered to court Labour since 2015, when it elected the leftist Jeremy Corbyn as its leader - but are taking it more seriously after a strong election in which it deprived the Conservatives of their absolute majority and left Prime Minister Theresa May severely weakened.

Mr McDonnells spokesman said he had accepted Goldmans invitation.

Recommended Labour is considering moving the Bank of England to Birmingham

I said of course I would (meet), Mr McDonnell said in an interview with Bloomberg, which first reported news of the plan to meet a top executive. Well even make him a cup of tea and throw in some Rich Teas as well.

There is clearly work to be done. The US investment bank Morgan Stanley has told investors political uncertainty is a bigger threat to Britain than Brexit, given the risk of Corbyn winning power and dismantling its free-market economy.

Under Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell, Labour has shifted from the centrist pro-business platform of former Prime Minister Tony Blair to being more interventionist and left-wing - and Mr Corbyns response was forthright.

Bankers like Morgan Stanley should not run our country but they think they do, he said in a video posted on Twitter on 1 December. So when they say were a threat, theyre right: Were a threat to a damaging and failed system that is rigged for the few.

But there are also signs of a shift in tone from both sides.

After Labours unexpectedly strong gains with an anti-austerity message in Junes election, Barclays Bank Chairman John McFarlane praised Mr Corbyns campaign as bang on.

What people soon realise is how serious we are about tackling some of the long-term economic problems the UK faces, Jonathan Reynolds, the Labour partys envoy for financial services, told Reuters on Tuesday, and that we really do welcome their input into our policy development.

Nevertheless, Labour sees scope to extract more revenue from the City of London, home to more banks than any other financial centre. London vies with New York for the title of the worlds financial capital and dominates the $5.1-trillion-a-day global foreign exchange market; financial services contributed 11.5 per cent of total UK government tax receipts in 2016.

McDonnell has already met executives from Standard Chartered, the London Stock Exchange, the City of London Corporation, lawyers, lobbyists and accountants about Labours proposals to expand an existing tax on shares to include trading on other assets such as bonds and derivatives.

FLEEING TAXES?

Industry figures say such a tax could exacerbate the impact of Brexit by prompting more businesses to flee London.

Mr McDonnell also said on Monday that he had held discussions with Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Ross McEwan after Labour said it wanted to break up the state-owned lender into smaller banks with a mandate to serve local areas.

As a backbencher a decade ago, Mr McDonnell attacked Goldman Sachs financiers for giving themselves multi-million pound bonuses at the height of the financial crisis.

The people and institutions who have brought us to the brink of recession are rewarding themselves by becoming even more filthy rich, he said.

In the past, Mr McDonnell has said he wants to overthrow capitalism and nationalise banks, and praised Karl Marx and Friedrich Engelss Communist Manifesto.

If we have Corbyn, we have Cuba without the sun, Bobby Vedral, a London-based partner at Goldman Sachs, said recently.

But others take a more pragmatic view.

Mark Dowding, head of investment grade at BlueBay Asset Management, a specialist fixed income investor with $51.7bn of assets under management, recently met Mr McDonnell.

The thing I would observe is the portrayal of individuals such as Mr McDonnell that are verging on the hysterical, he said.

In meeting with individuals such as himself, we are struck by the fact that there is a degree of thoughtfulness and passion about them that is encouraging.

Reuters
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An influential US think tank has warned that almost all possible trading relationships between the EU and the UK after Brexit would be less favourable for the British economy than if it were to stay in the trading bloc.

The Rand Corporation, a non-profit group, in a report published on Tuesday, uses a model to measure percentage and monetary changes in GDP growth, GDP per capita, trade and foreign direct investment for the UK, EU and US under eight different trade scenarios.

If the post-Brexit relationship is reduced to World Trade Organisation rules, the UK would likely move further away from EU standards which, over time, would significantly harm UK businesses ability to sell goods and services to EU countries, Rand found.

 Hard Brexit would hurt the UK much more than the EU, Dutch PM says

The model also found that the EU would also lose out under the WTO scenario, but the effect would be relatively minor, according to Rand: a 0.7 per cent drop in GDP 10 years after Brexit.

Rand found that of the scenarios analysed, the most beneficial to the UK economy would be a trilateral UK-EU-US agreement. Under this scenario, UK GDP would be 2.2 per cent higher  or 7.1 percentage points better  than under the WTO rules scenario.

In fact, under this scenario the UK would even be slightly better off than under continued EU membership, according to Rand.

The EU and US would make significant economic gains under this trade scenario. But Rand also found that such an arrangement is generally considered very unlikely in the current political environment on both sides of the Atlantic.

It said that other trade scenarios could be better for the UK than WTO rules but would still lead to economic losses compared to a situation under which the UK would stay in the EU.

These scenarios include a "hard Brexit", such as a UK-EU free trade agreement, under which Rand predicts a net decline of 1.9 per cent in UK GDP 10 years after Brexit, a UK-US free trade agreement, under which it sees a 2.5 per cent decline, or UK-EU transitional zero-tariff agreement, which would lead to a 2.1 per cent decline.

 The UK has not conducted a Brexit impact assessment on any sector, says David Davis

The analysis clearly shows that the UK will be economically worse-off outside of the EU under most trade scenarios, said Charles Ries, the lead author of the report.

It is in the best interests of the UK, and to a lesser extent the EU, to achieve some sort of open trading and investment relationship post-Brexit, he added.

Mr Ries said that, based on the insights provided by the report, it is in the best interests of the UK to cooperate with its EU partners to find a new relationship with Europe.

This would preserve economic benefits for both sides, but also give the UK the freedom from EU rules which it seeks. However, the EU is likely to want to ensure that it does not give too much away to the UK during negotiations.
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Scientists looking for alien life have sparked excitement after announcing they will scan an object flying past Earth to see if it contains alien technology.

If it does, it would rank among the biggest and most unexpected scientific finds ever. And even if it's not an alien craft, there is something very strange about the object.

We should only have to wait for a few days to find out more about the visitor, known as Oumuamua. Here's how we plan to do it, and why.

What's so strange about this object?

Even before suggestions of something more intentional came about, Oumuamua already appeared very strange.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

It's far longer and thinner than we'd normally expect  it's hundreds of metres long, but only a tenth as wide. It seems to be travelling on an unusual path, not getting sucked in by our sun's gravity but progressing on a path that will see it fly out of the other side of the solar system.

What's more, it's the first visitor to our solar system that we know to have come from outside. That alone  combined with the other unusual characteristics  make it an unprecedented, unexplained find, whatever it actually turns out to be.

Why might it be an alien spacecraft?

That's the suggestion of Breakthrough Listen, a pioneering and expensive project to find life elsewhere in the universe. The organisation has stressed that it's most likely that it's a natural object  but that it's possible it isn't, and there's no proof either way.

The strangeness of the object has led to suggestions that it would make sense if it was an artifact of an alien civilisation. In particular, its long shape fits in with experts' opinion of the kind of crafts you'd build for long-distance space travel  you get plenty of space, but a relatively low area that will be at risk of being hit by dust or debris as it flies along.

What are they going to do to find out?

In short, listen to it. In very intensive, innovative ways.

Beginning on Wednesday at 8pm UK time, the Green Bank Telescope will be pointed at the object. It will scan it for ten hours, listening in at various radio bands to see if anything is being sent out by it.

Since it's so close by, if anything is coming out then it will almost certainly be heard. If the object has a transmitter as powerful as a cellphone, we'd get something back in less than a minute.

We should know within a few days whether it's been successful, either way.

What if it's not a spacecraft?

It'll still be a useful exercise in testing our best hopes for actually finding aliens, when they come. We'll be using the same techniques that will be used if we meet another potential spacecraft, and show that they'll work in the future.

Oumuamuas presence within our solar system affords Breakthrough Listen an opportunity to reach unprecedented sensitivities to possible artificial transmitters and demonstrate our ability to track nearby, fast-moving objects, said Breakthough Listen's Andrew Siemion, director of Berkeley SETI Research Center. Whether this object turns out to be artificial or natural, its a great target for Listen.

Anything that is discovered during the monitoring will also feed into the general work that scientists around the world are doing on the strange object. Scientists will be listening out for other information about the object, including whether it contains water or ice and what the gaseous envelope that surrounds it might be made of.

What else could it be?

Whatever happened to the object to form it and bring it to this universe was very unusual. But that doesn't necessarily mean it was alien.

Other explanations include the possibility that the rock was a shard of a shredded planet. One SETI scientist had proposed that it was perhaps formed when some large planet got too close to its sun and was ripped to bits  and that since then it has been flying through the universe, until it reached us.
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The disproportionate use of stop and search powers on black, Asian and ethnic minority people is threatening public trust and confidence in the police, officials have warned.

A report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFRS) found that black people are at least eight times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched, even though it is statistically less likely for drugs to be found.

The stark figure was examined in the bodys annual report on the legitimacy of policing across England and Wales, where over three quarters of forces were found to be good or outstanding overall.

HM Inspector Mike Cunningham, who led the inspection, said that police were acting ethically, lawfully and treating all the people they serve with fairness and respect.

But that is not to say that there arent elements forces could and should improve upon, he added.

Of particular concern is the continuing over-representation of black people in stop and search figures.

Forces must be able to explain the reasons for any disparity if they are to enhance the trust and confidence of all communities.

There were more than 295,600 stop and searches carried out in the 2016/17 financial year  a rate of five per 1,000 people.

 Amber Rudd unveils new crackdown on knife crime

HMICFRS found that 94 per cent of examined incidents had reasonable grounds or resulted in objects including drugs, weapons, stolen goods or evidence of other crimes being found.

In drug searches, however, were less likely to be successful on black people (26 per cent) than white people (33 per cent).

The report said the difference suggests that the use of stop and search on black people might be based on weaker grounds for suspicion than its use on white people, particularly in respect of drugs, adding that police forces have not sufficiently explained the reasons.

The authority said the recording of ethnicity was inconsistent, meaning that the gulf for BAME and white people may be even higher than published, calling on forces to standardise practices and record both self-defined ethnicity and officer-defined ethnicity.

It warned that police must have sufficient grounds to exercise the intrusive power, with its disproportionate use on BAME communities continuing to threaten trust and confidence in the police.

The use of stop and search has been declining over recent years following waves of national controversy and local tension, with the 2016/17 total a mere quarter of that from 2011/12.

But while stop and searches on white people have decreased by 78 per cent, the decrease for black people is just 66 per cent.

HMIC called for further training to tackle unconscious bias and better data monitoring to find the reasons for disproportionate targeting, with forces ordered to publish annual reports on stop and search from July next year.

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The Metropolitan Police, which was among the 43 police forces considered, said it had been increasing training, understanding and scrutiny around the use of stop and search.

This continues to be a sensitive matter for both the MPS and Londons communities, a spokesperson said. We share the ambition for stop and search to be a true intelligence led tactic, used respectfully and considerately.

The report also found further progress was needed from some forces on vetting policy, complaint handling  particularly over alleged discrimination, performance management for officers and staff and their access to mental health services and other support.

Overall, HMIC said police were treating employees and the public with fairness and respect, grading one force  Kent Police - as outstanding and 35 as good.

Six forces - Northamptonshire Police, Cleveland Police, City of London Police, West Midlands Police, Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police  were marked as requires improvement and none were found to be inadequate.

The report looked at the concept of legitimacy, which it says is necessary for the UKs model of policing by consent.

The main principles are using powers fairly, acting ethically and lawfully, treating both the public and police employees with fairness and respect, being effective and efficient and motivating the public to cooperate in order to reduce crime.

The report came as figures show a 13 per cent rise in recorded crime in England and Wales, including spiking acid attacks and violence, including stabbings.

The National Police Chiefs Council Lead for Stop and Search, Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock said: We are pleased to see that todays HMICFRS's assessment of police legitimacy rates 36 forces as good or outstanding with no forces described as inadequate which reflects our commitment to treating people with respect and ensuring that policing is delivered ethically.

Police forces have made good progress in ensuring stop and search powers are used legitimately and fairly. Officers are conducting fewer stops while becoming more effective at finding weapons, stolen property or drugs after carrying out a search. Police forces now need to provide more data and analysis to help explain and where needed, address any inequalities in how they are using stop and search. I am confident that the ongoing rollout of body worn video across forces will further enable chief officers to assess the circumstances leading to a stop and search, provide balanced explanations to local communities and make stop and search more transparent.

He added: Stop and search should be regarded as a safeguarding power. With rising knife and gun crime, as well as increasing incidents involving acids, it is vital officers use all powers available to them to take weapons off the streets and discourage people in every way from carrying them in the first place - as we know that the fear of being stopped and found in possession of weapons is one of the most powerful deterrents.
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The unmistakable pine fragrance of an indoor Christmas tree is the ultimate physical manifestation of Christmas.

Above the advent calendar, door wreath, mince pies, Yule log, crackers and Die Hard box set, it is the arrival of the tree that proclaims the festive season to be fully underway.

But could your carefully decorated foliage become a fairy-lit inferno that will burn your house down?

Americas National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has made an alarming film titled why you should water your Christmas tree.

The footage shows small fires being started in the branches of two Douglas fir trees. The film makers said one had been lovingly hydrated since its purchase five weeks earlier, while the other tree didnt get a drop, during the same time.

Within seconds of ignition, the unwatered tree explodes into violent flames, setting furniture on fire and bringing an apocalyptic end to the festive scene.

Meanwhile, the small fire lit in the branches of the tree that has been watered struggles to get going.

After a minute and a half, the fire in the watered tree has all but puttered out. Meanwhile the dry tree has fuelled a colossal roaring fire that could have deadly consequences.

The NIST said the ignition of the trees was similar to that of an electric short from fairy lights, or a candle being placed too close to a tree.

London Fire Brigade has shared a similar video on its Twitter page warning of the hazards of Christmas lights on a dry unwatered tree.

In its video, the entire room has caught fire in less than 40 seconds.

London Fire Brigades group manager for community safety, Mark Hazelton said: Check your Christmas tree lights are in good condition, turn them off before you go to bed and be safe at home over the festive season. Keeping your tree well watered can also prevent fire from taking hold.

The organisation also urges people to make sure they have working smoke alarms.

In order to water your Christmas tree you will need a firm base for the tree with a water reservoir that ought to be topped up daily.

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Fake plastic Christmas trees do not require watering, but lights still ought to be switched off before bed.

London Fire Brigade also issued a warning about the risk of unattended candles over the Christmas period.

At this time of year, many people will be lighting candles as part of their festive decorations but if you dont use them safely it could spell disaster for you and your family.

Mixing candles and too much alcohol can also be catastrophic so dont use them if youve had a lot to drink.
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Police officers have been urged by officials not to search people for drugs just because they can smell cannabis.

A report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFRS) found the practice did not increase the likelihood of a conviction, and should not be grounds to stop a suspect in and of itself.

Although there has been no law change, the report makes clear that officers conducting stop and searches should consider a suspects behaviour ahead of anything they can smell.

It found that many forces across the UK were completely unaware of the guidance, and that there had been 596 recorded incidents of an officer conducting a stop and search on the grounds of being able to smell cannabis alone.

"There was one area of the stop and search APP [Authorised Professional Practice) where we found particularly inconsistent awareness among frontline officers," the report says.

"The APP sets out that the smell of cannabis on its own, with no other contributory factors, will not normally justify a search. More recent research has shown that the inclusion of the smell of cannabis in officers grounds for search did not increase the likelihood that a search for cannabis resulted in a criminal justice outcome.

"It concluded that a suspects behaviour should be more important than the smell of cannabis when deciding to conduct a search, because behaviour linked directly or indirectly to drugs increased the likelihood of a positive outcome."

The Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police, England's two biggest police forces, were unable to tell The Independent if police officers were still stopping and searching based only on the smell of cannabis at the time of publication.

Knife suspect arrested near Birmingham New Street station

The report also made clear that the disproportionate use of stop-and-search powers on black, Asian and ethnic minority people was threatening public trust and confidence in the police

Black people are at least eight times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched - even though it is statistically less likely for drugs to be found.

The stark figures were examined in the bodys annual report on the legitimacy of policing across England and Wales, where over three quarters of forces were found to be good or outstanding overall.

HM Inspector Mike Cunningham, who led the inspection, said that police were acting ethically, lawfully and treating all the people they serve with fairness and respect.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party 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PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty

But that is not to say that there arent elements forces could and should improve upon, he added.

Of particular concern is the continuing over-representation of black people in stop and search figures.

Forces must be able to explain the reasons for any disparity if they are to enhance the trust and confidence of all communities.

There were more than 295,600 stop and searches carried out in the 2016/17 financial year  a rate of one for every 200 people.
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The coldest night of the year so far has led to fresh disruption as flights were cancelled, schools remained closed and drivers faced lengthy delays.

Vast swathes of the country fell below freezing on Tuesday night - with minus 13C (8.6F) recorded in Shropshire - and forecasters warned of another chilly night to come.

At least 16 flights from Heathrow were cancelled on Tuesday as airlines continued to recover from disruption caused by heavy snow.

Recommended UK weather travel updates as ice threatens delays

The UK's busiest airport said its runways were open and fully operational.

British Airways said it planned to operate a near normal schedule on Tuesday but passengers due to fly to or from Heathrow were given the option of a full refund or re-booking for travel until 18 December.

Passengers travelling on Eurotunnel Le Shuttle services in both directions between Folkestone and Calais faced estimated delays of up to six hours after horrific weather conditions damaged the power supply, particularly on the continent, the company said.

AA president Edmund King said Tuesday was expected to be extremely busy as freezing temperatures cause even more hazardous conditions on already wet and slippery roads.

He urged drivers to take emergency provisions such as chocolate bars, water, a torch and a shovel in case of a breakdown.

The AA recorded its busiest day of the year on Monday with 24,000 call-outs.

Rail operators did not report any major disruption due to the cold weather on Tuesday, although delays and cancellations across the South Western Railway network were expected to continue until 4pm following a trackside fire at London's Waterloo station on Monday.

Clear skies overnight saw temperatures plummet below the minus 12.4C (9.6F) low recorded on Saturday night - with the Met Office recording a new low in Shawbury, north east of Shrewsbury.

In Shropshire, more than 140 schools were closed on Tuesday, while 106 remained shut in Staffordshire and dozens in the South West, West Midlands and Wales.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice until 11am on Wednesday, covering large parts of the country, including the Midlands, Northern Ireland, Wales, the eastern coast of England and parts of Scotland.

Met Office spokesman Oli Craydon said: It will be a chilly night ahead but probably not quite as cold as last night.

The front moving from the west hails some more milder temperatures. So in the South West, places like Bodmin, there could be 6C or 7C, so not freezing, but as we move further east London could go down to 2C.

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. 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And as we go into areas where snow remains, like Birmingham, it is struggling to get above freezing today and could be minus 2C overnight.

There's still a little bit of snow around so that could melt away or freeze again and there is rainfall coming in from the west, so where that falls on very cold roads that can form ice very quickly, providing treacherous driving conditions.

It's a bit of a grey morning tomorrow morning and it will be falling as rain rather than snow, with the exception to that being in high areas of Scotland. We might see wintry showers at lower levels but nothing that's going to settle.

PA
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A woman has died in south London after four vehicles hit her as she was crossing a road  none of the drivers stopped.

The victim, who is believed to be in her late 20s or early 30s, was hit by a lorry early on Monday morning while walking on a pedestrian crossing in Tulse Hill.

The Metropolitan Police say the woman was then struck by another lorry and two cars and none of these drivers stopped.

Paramedics treated her at the scene on Norwood Road, but she was pronounced dead at 7.21am.

Formal identification is yet to take place, but police say her next of kin have been been informed.

Alastair Middleton, Acting Detective Sergeant, said: "I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision and the moments afterwards to contact us. I would also urge the drivers of all four vehicles to come forward and speak with my team."

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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

Detectives from the Roads and Transport Policing Command are investigating and a post-mortem has yet to be conducted.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Merton on 020 8543 5157 or via @MetCC on Twitter.
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The European Parliaments Brexit coordinator has accused David Davis of undermining trust with unacceptable comments that implied last weeks breakthrough deal was not legally binding.

Guy Verhofstadt lashed out as he revealed MEPs would toughen up their red lines before agreeing that the negotiations can move on to a future trade deal  a development Britain badly wants.

Remarks by David Davis that phase one deal last week not binding were unhelpful & undermines trust. EP text will now reflect this & insist agreement translated into legal text ASAP, Mr Verhofstadt tweeted.

Recommended Angry EU demands Brexit agreement made legally binding

Calling the comments unacceptable, he added: Its time the UK government restores trust. These amendments will further toughen up our resolution.

An amendment to the parliaments Brexit motion and backed by the leaders of all the non-eurosceptic political groups says negotiations can only progress during the second phase if the UK government also fully respects the commitments it made.

A second amendment, also backed cross-party by all the non-eurosceptic groups, says comments made like those by David Davis calling the outcome of phase I of the negotiations a mere statement of intent, risk to undermine the good faith that has been built during the negotiations.

In contrast to Mr Davis, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar has however publicly state that the deal is in fact bulletproof.

Mr Davis clarified his comments the following day, claiming that when he said the deal was a statement of intent he actually meant the deal was more than just legally enforceable.

The European Parliament motions are supported by Mr Verhofstadt, leader of the liberal group and the Parliaments Brexit coordinator  as well as Manfred Weber, the leader of the European Peoples Party group, and Gianni Pittella, the socialist group leader.

Gabriele Zimmer, leader of the left group, Philippe Lamberts and Ska Keller, leaders of the Green group, and Danuta Maria Hubner, chair of the Parliaments constitutional affairs committee, have also put their names to it.

Mr Verhofstadt branded Mr Daviss remarks unacceptable and said the amendments would further toughen-up our resolution laying out the Parliaments red lines. The European Parliament is not directly involved in talks but has a veto on any final deal and is in regular consultation with the European Commission, which is meeting with the UK directly.

It was reported this morning that the European Council, the EU member states leaders acting collectively, has also toughed up its draft text, set to be agreed by heads of state and governments at a Brussels summit on Thursday and Friday.

The new draft includes a stipulation that the next phase of talks can only begin if the UK quickly moves to implement the Brexit agreement into law and if it becomes a legally binding treaty.

Aside from Mr Davis, Theresa May also added to the confusion over Britains will to stand by the deal on Monday in the House of Commons.

When it was pointed out that paragraph 96 of the deal says the UK will pay the divorce bill even if no full trade deal is completed but only a framework, Ms May replied: No, that is not my understanding of the joint progress report or the position that we will be in. It is very clear at the beginning of the joint progress report that this is a set of proposals that have been put forward in the context of negotiating that final agreement.

Guy Verhofstadt hit out at the comments

The agreement, however, says the UK agrees to the text on the condition of an overall agreement under Article 50 on the UKs withdrawal, taking into account the framework for the future relationship, including an agreement as early as possible in 2018 on transitional arrangements.

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

Mr Davis had told the BBC at the weekend: This was a statement of intent more than anything else. Much more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing.

But he later told LBC: What I actually said yesterday, in terms, was we want to protect the peace process, we want to protect Ireland from the impact of Brexit for them. And I said this was a statement of intent which was much more than just legally enforceable.
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Theresa May will unveil a series of new climate change policies in Paris on Tuesday being held to mark the two-year anniversary of the global climate change agreement struck in the city.

The move appears to be the latest plank in a new Tory push to stake out new environmentalist credentials following the partys shock loss of its majority at the general election in June.

The Prime Ministers new climate change policies to be announced at the summit include a 140 million fund for developing countries to help address the effects of climate change, an expansion of an alliance with Canada to campaign for lower coal use worldwide and a summit on zero emission vehicles.

Recommended Natural disasters increasingly linked to climate change

The Government says the aid money will help two million people weather the effects of extreme weather caused by climate change  including a 15 million reconstruction of Dominica in the Caribbean which was devastated by Hurricane Maria.

Viral news stories about fox hunting and badger culling  both of which the party continues to support  slipped under the radar of most mainstream coverage of the election, but were read by millions of people and are thought to have contributed to an increasing negative perception of the party.

At the weekend over a dozen Tory MPs tweeted remarkably similar conservationist messages about animals in tandem during the finale of the BBCs Blue Planet programme.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has also ramped up the partys environmental and pro-animal messaging  four years after David Cameron reportedly told his Cabinet he wanted to ditch the Green crap from the partys policy platform.

At home, the Government has set a policy of almost all cars being zero emission by 2050. Labour meanwhile has a manifesto commitment of 60 per cent of all energy generated in the UK  including transport, homes, and electricity  to be generated by zero-carbon sources by 2030, though the party has not yet spelled out fine detail on the issue.

The Government has previously been highly criticised by green campaigners for dramatically cutting funding for renewable power and for freezing fuel duty for private cars while increasing the cost of public transport.

Where not to visit if you love animals Show all 9 1 /9 Where not to visit if you love animals Where not to visit if you love animals Monkey shows Chimpanzees are forced to perform demeaning tricks on leashes and are often subject to cruel training techniques. Animals who are confined to small, barren enclosures and forced to perform unsurprisingly show symptoms of stress and depression. Chimpanzees have been documented rocking back and forth, sucking their lips, salivating and swaying against enclosure perimeters in distress. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Marine parks Some parks confine orcas to concrete tanks and force them to perform meaningless tricks for food - many die in captivity. Orcas are highly intelligent and social mammals who may suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, when they're held in captivity. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Tiger shows Tigers are forced to live in an unnatural and barren environment and have to endure interactions with a constant stream of tourists. Since tigers never lose their wild instincts, across the world they are reportedly drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them safe for the public. However, every year, incidents of tiger maulings are reported at this type of tourist attraction. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Donkey rides Sunning on the beach is great for humans  we can take a quick dip or catch a bite to eat when we get too hot or hungry. But it's pure hell for donkeys who are confined to the beach and forced to cart children around on the hot sand. Some donkey-ride operators at beach resorts in the UK even keep the animals chained together at all times. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Swimming with dolphins Some marine parks use bottlenose dolphins in performances and offer visitors the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that these animals are captured in the wild and torn from their families or traded between different parks around the world. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Canned hunting Lions are confined to fenced areas so that they can easily be cornered, with no chance of escape. Most of them will have been bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be hand-reared by the cub-petting industry. When they get too big, they may be drugged before they are released into a "hunting" enclosure. Because these animals are usually kept in fenced enclosures (ranging in size from just a few square yards to thousands of acres), they never stand a chance of surviving. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Running of the Bulls Every year, tourists travel to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. The bulls who are forced to slip and slide down the town's narrow cobblestone streets are chased straight into the bullring. They are then taunted, stabbed repeatedly and finally killed by the matador in front of a jeering crowd. The majority of Spaniards reject bullfighting, but tourists are keeping the cruel industry on its last legs. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Horse-drawn carriages City streets are no place for horses. The animals toil in all weather extremes, suffering from respiratory distress from breathing in exhaust fumes as well as numerous hoof, leg and back problems from walking on pavement all day long. As easily spooked prey animals, horses subjected to the loud noises and unexpected sounds of city streets are likely to be involved in accidents, even deadly ones. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Zoos The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws visitors and boosts revenue, yet often, there's nowhere to put the offspring as they grow, and they are killed, as we saw with Marius the giraffe in Denmark. Some zoos have introduced evening events with loud music and alcohol which disrupt the incarcerated animals even further. EPA

Ms May said: Tackling climate change and mitigating its effects for the worlds poorest are among the most critical challenges that we face. That is why I am joining other world leaders in Paris today for the One Planet Summit and committing to stand firmly with those on the front line of extreme weather and rising sea levels.

And by redoubling our efforts to phase out coal, as well as build on our world leading electric car production, we are showing we can cut emissions in a way that supports economic growth.
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Theresa May has been warned that Tory rebels have enough support to win tomorrows vote on whether Parliament should have a say on final Brexit deal terms. The crunch vote could give MPs the power to delay Brexit.

The Prime Minister has insisted that, when it comes to the final Brexit deal, the MPs vote will be a take it or leave it offer  arguing nothing can stop withdrawal in March 2019.

But tomorrows vote is crucial because, in the event that no satisfactory trade deal is struck by Brexit day in March 2019, it could be used as a weapon to extend the Article 50 negotiations.

 Theresa May asked about Brexit scrutiny in light of Telegraph 'mutineer' front page

Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, urged the Prime Minister to back down and give Parliament a binding vote over the exit terms and timing, rather than suffer an embarrassing defeat.

I dont see any possibility of me backing down on this at all. One has to stand up for ones principles, Mr Grieve said.

It could be possible for Parliament to say to the Government: Im sorry I dont think you have negotiated a good enough deal.

If our European partners are prepared to continue negotiating, that might also be possible. We just dont know.

When asked how many Tory MPs were behind him, he replied: I think enough, if this comes to a vote, to defeat the Government.

Further pressure was applied by Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary, who confirmed she would back the amendment with a number of other Conservative MPs.

It goes without saying that, in taking back control, that control should come back to the UKs sovereign Parliament and that Westminster MPs should have the same final say as our counterparts in the EU, Ms Morgan said.

Heidi Allen, another Tory MP, also tweeted her support, saying: Ensuring Parliament has a vote on the final deal will in my opinion, simply allow MPs to do their job.

Around 20 Conservatives have signalled a readiness to defy the Prime Minister on a binding  or meaningful  vote, threatening a first defeat on the EU Withdrawal Bill.

No 10 has hinted at a climbdown, desperate to avoid a damaging defeat on the eve of the EU summit that will give the Government sufficient progress to move the Brexit talks onto future trade.

However, pledges of revolt from pro-EU Tories have melted away in the past after heavy arm-twisting from Conservative whips.

Mr Grieve said the Government had accepted the principle that the UK cannot leave the EU without MPs giving their approval in a Bill to enact the withdrawal agreement.

Yet, it remained the case that Clause 9 in the EU Withdrawal Bill allows for the Government to do it all by statutory instrument if it so choses.

Mr Grieve described that situation as plainly wrong, telling Radio 4s World at One programme: And thats why I hope the Government will think again about it.

MPs fear the promised meaningful vote will take place too late to send the Prime Minister back into Brussels talks, unless they also have the power of delay.

Crucially, the promised Bill will be open to amendment, perhaps to later attempts to keep the UK in the EU single market and customs union.

Matthew Pennycook, Shadow Brexit Minister, said: Tory rebels have talked the talk, now they must walk the walk.

The decision MPs make will determine whether or not the UK goes down the path of a Brexit that respects parliamentary democracy.
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Around half of the British public think the UK must scrap its invitation for a full state visit to Donald Trump following his support for a British far-right group, a poll has revealed.

The exclusive survey for The Independent by BMG Research shows 48 per cent want the visit written off, with the figure soaring to 61 per cent once dont knows are removed.

Hardening opposition to the official trip, which would see Mr Trump meet the Queen, came as the US ambassador to London signalled a less formal visit to the UK would take place in the new year.

Recommended Donald Trump says women who accuse him of sexual assault are lying

Any journey by Mr Trump to Britain will likely be beset by demonstrations over the Presidents support for the far right, his climate change policies, the Muslim travel ban and the decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The poll asked respondents whether, following criticism for Mr Trumps promotion of videos posted by Britain First, should his invitation be officially withdrawn for his state visit to the UK?

Of more than 1,500 people in a controlled sample questioned, 48 per cent said the invitation should be withdrawn, 31 per cent said it should not and 21 per cent said they did not know.

When those who did not express a preference are removed, the data shows almost two-thirds of people  61 per cent  calling for the invitation to be ditched and 39 per cent saying it should not.

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

The invitation was extended by Theresa May when she travelled to the US earlier in the year, a trip on which she was pictured holding hands with the controversial US leader.

Reports suggested it had originally been set to take place later in 2017, but quickly became bogged down, with indications that Buckingham Palace was wary of the President attracting negative attention to the Queen.

More recently, Ms May refused to back the President after he retweeted the anti-Muslim videos posted by Britain First, with the Prime Minister saying Mr Trump had been wrong  which sparked an unprecedented public row between the two.

Mr Trump hit back on social media that Ms May should concentrate on her own job, tackling terrorism in the UK.

But despite the spat, Downing Street confirmed on Tuesday that the offer of a state visit still stood, though no date had been confirmed.

US ambassador Woody Johnson also suggested in the morning that a working trip, that would not involve the pomp and ceremony of the state visit, was likely to go ahead in early 2018.

 US Ambassador to Britain: Donald Trump is 'absolutely' expected to visit UK in early 2018

The poll for The Independent also asked whether people thought Mr Trump should be allowed to come to the UK in any capacity  43 per cent, said he should be able to visit, 40 per cent said he should not and 17 per cent did not express an opinion either way.

Once dont knows were excluded, the country appeared evenly split, with 51 per cent saying he should be allowed and 49 per cent saying he should not.

Speaking ahead of the opening of a new US embassy in London, Mr Johnson said the spat between the two leaders over the Presidents tweets was probably misinterpreted.

He added that the planned move of his countrys embassy from central London to a new 800m complex in Battersea, south of the Thames, would mean an American president having to dedicate the new building.

 Donald Trump reportedly spends up to eight hours a day in front of the television

Ms May and Ms Trump have also been at loggerheads over a series of issues, including his planned withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change agreement, the Iranian nuclear deal and the imposition of tariffs on UK-based manufacturer Bombardier.

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has said the President would not be welcome to speak in Parliament on any kind of trip, an honour typically given prestigious overseas politicians.

Protests also threaten to mar the trip, with organisers saying they hope to gather a million people to demonstrate against him if he comes to the UK in 2018.
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One of the largest single wildfires California has ever had to deal with is choking a number of communities with ash after it exploded in size, leaving many gasping for air.

The Thomas Fire has moved from Ventura County into neighbouring Santa Barbara County  about 100 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles  and become the fifth-largest single wildfire in the states history.

According to authorities, 15 per cent of that fire has been contained  having been reduced down to 10 per cent as it grew to more than 230,000 acres into Monday.

Recommended California wildfire consumes area bigger than New York

The wind gusts that helped push the fire across the county line were slowing as the day wore on, but firefighters faced difficulties in protecting communities such as Carpinteria thanks to the narrow roads into the foothills. Instead they set up defensive positions on residential streets.

The number of structures destroyed by the fire stands at almost 800 according to authorities  with more damaged.

Officials handed out masks to those who stayed behind in Montecito, an exclusive community about 75 miles northwest of Los Angeles thats home to stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges and Drew Barrymore.

A number of celebrities had evacuated over the weekend as the fire approached. Actor Rob Lowe wore a mask as he live-streamed his family evacuating Sunday from their smoke-shrouded home.

Praying for the people in my area, he said to his Instagram followers. Hope everybodys getting out safe like we are, and thanks for the prayers and thoughts. And good luck to the firefighters, we need you!

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres tweeted that neighbours were helping each other and their animals get to safety.

Im sending lots of love and gratitude to the fire department and sheriffs. Thank you all, she wrote.

Public health officials have expressed concern as soot and smoke continue to fill the air.

Senior Associate at environmental think tank World Resources Institute Todd Gartner told The Independent that there is also a concern about that from the climate change perspective; those plumes of smoke, thats carbon emissions.

 California fires animal rescue

Light gusts were driving the flames away from communities, Santa Barbara County fire spokesman Mike Eliason said. But the possibility of unpredictable gusts would keep firefighters on edge, he said.

Im not frightened yet, Carpinteria resident Roberta Lehtinen told KABC-TV. I dont think its going to come roaring down unless the winds kick up.

Firefighters have gained more control over the other five major blazes in Southern California and so have turned many of their resources to the Santa Barbara foothills to combat the Thomas Fire.

California fires: in pictures Show all 36 1 /36 California fires: in pictures California fires: in pictures A man watches the Thomas Fire in the hills above Carpinteria, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Santa Barbara harbor stands as wildfire burns along the coast during the Thomas Fire REUTERS California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas Fire burn in the hills of Montecito, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Fire personnel drive along West Lilac Road near Bonsall Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns on a hillside behind Lake Casitas in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Chatsworth firefighters Zach Reynolds, left, and Steven Salazar clear hot spots at a home destroyed by the Skirball Fire on Casiano Road in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures A home is consumed by fire Getty Images California fires: in pictures A mountain lion is removed from a truck. Nearly 200 animals were evacuated from the Wildlife Waystation when the Creek fire started. Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle the Lilac fire in Bonsall AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Kalorama Apartments that was partially destroyed in the fire Rex Features California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Flames consume a structure as the Lilac fire burns in Bonsai, Calif AP California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway towards the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighter Dan Whelan is silhouetted against the sun as he battles a wildfire burning near Faria State Beach AP California fires: in pictures A firefighter is working on extinguishing the Lilac Fire Reuters California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A wildfire threatens homes as it burns along a hillside in La Conchita, Calif AP California fires: in pictures A car drives past as the Thomas Fire burns a hillside south of Casitas Springs, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters try to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burnt-out car is seen at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle to contain flames to a home on fire in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures LA city firefighters try to save a winery storage building that is own by billionaire Rupert Murdoch Rex Features California fires: in pictures A firefighter tries to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Los Angeles City firefighter Francisco Martinez protects a home as firefighters battle the Skirball Fire in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns behind trails on Old Baldwin Road in Ojai, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Members of the Reinhardt family sort through the remains of their family home after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Heavy smoke covers the seaside enclave of Mondos Beach beside the 101 highway as flames reach the coast during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A family wears face masks as they walk through the smoke filled streets after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas fire burn above a truck on Highway 101 north of Ventura AP California fires: in pictures Trees are seen through the haze at the burnt out Vista del Mar Hospital after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A woman involved in a traffic accident waits to get towed beside a wall of flames on the 101 highway during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns along a hillside near Santa Paula, California AFP/Getty Images

The total area scorched by these fires is now approximately 256,000 acres or 1,036sq km (400 square miles), which is an area larger than New York City.

Over 16 million people are affected by the fires between Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.

More than 200,000 people have already been evacuated from their homes.

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 Californias wine country in October that killed over 40.

One death has been reported, a 70-year-old woman died in a car accident as she attempted to flee the flames in Ventura County last week.

However, 46 horses at a thoroughbred training facility in San Diego among several others from ranches, were reported dead.

For many, the ash and smoke is the biggest worry for now.

Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider said winds have calmed a bit, keeping the fire in the hills outside of the city. The fire was not spreading quickly, but it also is not clearing out smoke  and a layer of ash had settled over the city.

Every where you go, you see people wearing the masks, said Ms Schneider.

Reuters contributed to this report
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Donald Trump sailed past a raft of allegations of sexual misconduct in last year's presidential election.

Now the national #MeToo spotlight is turning back to Mr Trump and his past conduct. Several of his accusers are urging Congress to investigate his behaviour, and a number of Democratic lawmakers are demanding his resignation.

With each day seeming to bring new headlines that force men from positions of power, the movement to expose sexual harassment has forced an unwelcome conversation on the White House. In a heated exchange with reporters in the White House briefing room on Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders steadfastly dismissed accusations against the Republican president and suggested the issue had already been litigated in Mr Trump's favour on Election Day.

Recommended Democrats call on Trump to resign over sexual harassment claims

But to Mr Trump's accusers, the rising #MeToo movement is an occasion to ensure he is at last held accountable.

It was heartbreaking last year. We're private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, 'Eh, we don't care,' it hurt, Samantha Holvey said on Monday. The former beauty queen claimed that Mr Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006.

Let's try round two, she said. The environment's different. Let's try again.

Holvey was one of four women to make her case against Mr Trump on Monday, both in an NBC interview and then in a news conference. Rachel Crooks, a former Trump Tower receptionist who said the celebrity businessman kissed her on the mouth in 2006 without consent, called for Congress to put aside party affiliations and investigate Trump's history of sexual misconduct.

If they were willing to investigate Senator Franken, it's only fair that they do the same for Trump, Crooks said.

Mr Franken, the Democratic senator from Minnesota, announced last week that he would resign amid an ethics probe into accusations that he sexually harassed several women. Representatives John Conyers and Trent Franks also resigned after misconduct accusations.

But a Capitol Hill investigation into Mr Trump's conduct appears unlikely. The Senate and House Ethics Committees investigate members of Congress, not presidents, and Republican-led committees are not apt to investigate Trump on sexual misconduct unless there is some sort of connection to the ongoing Russia probe.

Senator Lindsey Graham said Congress shouldn't investigate the allegations against Mr Trump.

I don't think there's any forum for us to do that, he said. Just think about how that could be abused.

Nonetheless, several Democratic senators have seized the moment and called for Trump to step down.

President Trump should resign, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told CNN on Monday. These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley have also called on Mr Trump to resign.

White House aides have warily watched the movement sweep Capitol Hill, opting to repeat rote denials about allegations against the president. The president's advisers were stunned on Sunday when one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration broke with the White House line and said the accusers' voices should be heard.

They should be heard, and they should be dealt with, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said in a CBS interview. 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.

Haley's comments infuriated the president, according to two people who are familiar with his views but who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't authorised to speak publicly about private conversations. Mr Trump has grown increasingly angry in recent days that the accusations against him have resurfaced, telling associates that the charges are false and drawing parallels to the accusations facing Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

In total, 16 women have come forward with a range of accusations against Mr Trump, many after the release of the Access Hollywood tape last October in which Mr Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women. One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Trump's reality show The Apprentice sued, contending that Mr Trump's denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.

Jessica Leeds, who appeared at Monday's news conference, recalled sitting on an airplane next to Trump in the 1970's when he began to fondle her.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

All of a sudden, he's all over me. Kissing and groping, groping and kissing, she said. Nothing was said. It was just this silent groping going on.

Trump denied the allegations during the campaign, and Ms Sanders did the same on Monday.

Look, as the president said himself, he thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward, but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn't determine the course, Ms Sanders said. And again, the American people knew this and voted for the president. And we feel like we're ready to move forward in that process.

Ms Sanders declined to say whether she believed the accusers or if she herself had been the victim of harassment. She grew impatient with the repeated questions and pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president.

The White House did not provide the list by late Monday.

Associated Press
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The fundraising page for the bullied child whose tearful video about being taunted by fellow pupils went viral has been frozen after his mother was accused of racism.

Keaton Jones, from Knoxville, Tennessee, garnered widespread sympathy after his mother Kimberly filmed him tearfully asking why he is the target of school bullies.

In the emotionally charged video which has racked up millions of views, the young boy describes how bullies pick on him because of his nose, branding him ugly, and telling him he has no friends.

"Why do they find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them? It's not OK. People that are different don't need to be criticised about it. It's not their fault. It's hard. It'll probably get better one day," he says.

He adds: They make fun of my nose. They call me ugly. They say I have no friends.

Keaton, who has gained the support of Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and other prominent individuals, also says in one bullying incident he had milk poured on him and ham put down his shirt.

But the GoFundMe page - which has amassed $57,000 in donations - has now been put on hold.

Joseph Lam, who set up the page, was insistent his reasoning for doing so was wholly unrelated to the accusations of racism Keatons mother Ms Jones has received.

As many of you know I paused the donations as well as the comments. As I sit back and read these comments and watched the video again I feel I have to make this update. THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE MUM!! he wrote on the account.

However passing judgement on her before you know her is a form of bullying. Condemnation before evaluation is the ultimate form of ignorance. I can't even say for sure that any of whats being said is true. I don't know the family personally and never claimed to have known them.

Mr Lam said the driving force behind the fundraising campaign was to help a child who had been the victim of bullying and raise awareness about the prevalence of the problem. He said he hoped to use the donations for a private school or college fund.

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. 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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. 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This is about a kid who's been bullied and not just one kid, Keaton, there are many unspoken cases about kids being bullied. We have to be the voice for the voiceless. In the video, I saw a kid crying not just for himself but for others. To me, that's a kid with a heart of gold and deserves praise.

His mother Ms Jones has come under fire after a number of people claimed to have found evidence of offensive and possibly racist behaviour on Ms Jones Facebook account.

That viral video of Keaton Jones talking about being bullied is heartbreaking, and I feel sympathetic towards that child, said media personality Tariq Nasheed. But his mum, Kimberly on the other hand, is a suspected racist who makes very problematic posts bullying Black protesters.

Mr Nasheeds tweet was accompanied by several photos appearing to show members of the Jones family standing next to a Confederate flag. The Confederacy strove to preserve slavery in the US during the Civil War.

The tweet also included a screenshot of a Facebook post, allegedly written by Ms Jones, telling butt hurt Americans to stop complaining about metaphorical, emotional, financial, or historical blood & brokenness.

If you arent bleeding, no bones are sticking out & you can breathe, STOP crying. For the love, some folks clearly never picked a switch, the post reads.

Ms Jones has set her Facebook profile to private which means her posts can no longer be seen by the general public. However, her daughter, Lakyn Jones, previously posted one of the previously mentioned photos to her public Twitter account.

The photo, which is captioned Merica, shows Keaton holding an American flag next to another child holding a Confederate flag and Lakyn posing with a gun.

The screenshots sparked outrage on social media and some accused Ms Jones of hypocrisy.

Ms Jones has not addressed the photos publicly and did not respond to The Independents request for comment.

This tweet from Keaton Jones's sister shows members of the Jones family posing with a Confederate flag (Twitter/Lakyn Jones)

But Lakyn appeared to address the situation on Twitter shortly after the photos started to circulate.

She wrote: My family will continue to support each other. You all can hate and tweet all you want but our faith can't be shaken.

"Those who know me and my family know we arent racist. My brother doesnt say the 'N' word. Please leave it alone, a second tweet reads.

The Instagram KimberlyJones_38 is NOT my mom. She has a private Instagram and hasnt talked to anyone. We havent received any money and dont plan on it. The gofundmes arent by any of us, adds another.
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The suspected New York City subway bomber wrote a Facebook post apparently mocking President Donald Trump just before the attack, according to federal prosecutors.

Trump you failed to protect your nation, Akayed Ullah wrote Monday morning on the social media site, according to court papers filed on Tuesday charging Ullah with terror offences.

Federal authorities charged Ullah for providing material support to terrorists, and using weapons of mass destruction, after the failed suicide bombing near a busy transit hub in Manhattan Monday morning. Ullah, who sustained burns to his body and hands while injuring three pedestrians, is said to have told investigators that he did it for the Islamic State, using another name for Isis.

Recommended New York bomb suspect Akayed Ullah charged with terorr offences

Ullah planned to murder as many human beings as he could ... in support of a vicious terrorist cause, acting US attorney Joon Kim told a news conference after filing the charges.

Ullah, 27, is expected to appear before a magistrate judge by Wednesday, although it wasnt immediately clear who will be representing him in court.

The charges allege that Ullah began compiling the materials for the pipe bomb he built about two to three weeks before the attack, and built the weapon in the week before the attack. The bomb was built out of a metal pipe, Christmas tree lights, wiring, and a nine-volt battery, among other materials. The pipe bomb was filled with metal screws, which would act as shrapnel to inflict maximum damage. The bomb was attached to his body with zip ties, the court papers said.

The alleged attacker first began to be radicalised in 2014  according to court papers  and had viewed Isis propaganda videos online that instructed those sympathetic to their cause to carry out attacks on their own if they are unable to travel to the Middle East to join Isis. The charges noted that Ullah was inspired to conduct the attack at least in part because of American foreign policy, including in the Middle East.

New York officials on Tuesday also filed state charges against Ullah, as investigators in his home country questioned his wife.

Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism, and making a terrorist threat under New York state law, the New York Police Department said.

The federal charges, which are expected to take precedence over the state charges, carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Explosion in New York City Show all 14 1 /14 Explosion in New York City Explosion in New York City A fire truck arrives after a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Port Authority Police watch as people evacuate after a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Port Authority Police watch as people evacuate after a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Police and other first responders respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Police and other first responders respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Police and other first responders respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City FBI and police respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Police respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Police and other first responders respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal o AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City A fire truck arrives after a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City An armoured police truck occupies the street outside of the New York Port Authority in New York City, U.S. REUTERS Explosion in New York City Port Authority Police watch as people evacuate after a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Police and other first responders respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images Explosion in New York City Police and other first responders respond to a reported explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal AFP/Getty Images

In the 24 hours following the attack, authorities rushed to find a motive for the attack, and to question anyone who might have relevant details about the suspect. Police taped off whole blocks in Brooklyn, where he is said to have been living, as they searched addresses associated with the suspects name. One neighbour said that Ullah kept to himself and could frequently be seen pacing outside his home while speaking on the phone and smoking cigarettes.

Authorities have also been questioning Ullahs family in his home country of Bangladesh, which he left seven years ago with his father to live in the United States. Ullah was able to stay in the US thanks to a green card, and reportedly lived in Brooklyn with his mother, sister, and two brothers. His father died roughly a year after arriving in America, according to reports.

In Bangladesh, authorities have reportedly questioned Ullahs wife, her parents, and an uncle who lives on a small island off the south-east coast of the country where the suspected bomber was born and lived as a child before moving to the US. Authorities indicated that they did not believe that Ullahs father was involved in any criminal activity before moving to America.

Ullah married his wife in January of 2016, and the couple had a daughter together in June of this year.

A cousin of the alleged bomber told reporters that he was surprised that his family member would have orchestrated the attempted terror attack.

My uncle [Ullahs father] was a freedom fighter. He fought for the liberation of the country, the cousin said. He ran a grocery story in Dhaka before moving to the US. Its shocking to know his son launched the terror attack.

New York police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were leading the investigation into Ullah in conjunction with other agencies through the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and were asking the public for any information about the suspect. Investigators are also said to be going through data on Ullahs electronic devices.

Assistant FBI director in charge William Sweeney said, there is so far no indication that Ullah had attracted attention of the FBI, or other government agencies before.

The attempted attack occurred just after 7am local time during the rush hour morning commute, and three other people sustained non-serious injuries. The attempted attack sent the New York City subway system into a panic, and the New York City Police Department cordoned off a sizeable area in Manhattan near Times Square as an investigation into the bombing was undertaken. The rhythm in the area, a popular tourist attraction, had largely returned to normal just hours after the blast.

Following the attack, Mr Trump praised New York law enforcement and first responders, saying they did an incredible job. The President also used the attack to point out what he sees as the need to overhaul the American immigration system. Mr Trump said that the US needs to make changes to the immigration system fast, and said Congress must get involved immediately.

The President repeated that on Tuesday, referring to an attack in October, where an Uzbek immigrant allegedly killed eight people by speeding a rental truck down a New York City bike path, an attack for which Isis claimed responsibility.

There have now been two terrorist attacks in New York City in recent weeks carried out by foreign nationals here on green cards, Mr Trump said. The first attacker came through the visa lottery the second came through chain migration. Were going to end both of them.
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The US state of Alabama - which is holding a much-watched special election - has some of the worst conditions of poverty in the developed world, according to a visiting United Nations official.

Philip Alston, whose job takes him around the planet to look at conditions of extreme poverty, said some of the things he saw in parts of Alabama so-called Black Belt, particularly in regard to sewage disposal, were unprecedented in the West.

I think it's very uncommon in the first world. This is not a sight that one normally sees, said Philip Alston, the UNs Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. Id have to say that I havent seen this."

Mr Alston made his comments to AL.com while touring parts of Butler County and Lowndes County, where he met a man who had unreliable electricity and a septic tank that no longer worked.

People in the region frequently suffer from E. Coli and hookworm, a disease associated with extreme poverty and which was thought to have been eradicated in the US more than 100 years ago but which was recently found to persist in pockets of Lowndes County, located just 20 miles from the state capital, Montgomery, where many residents are too poor to afford a septic system and make their own sewer lines using PVC piping. The lines run from the peoples homes some 30ft above the ground before emptying into ditches or waste ground.

This seems safe to [the residents], Rojelio Mejia, a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine who led the study that discovered the continued existence of hookworm in Alabama, told NPR.

 Roy Moore's wife claims he can't be antisemitic because 'one of our attorneys is a Jew'

But Alabama is very hilly and any drizzle of rain causes flooding, so whatever they delivered to the site spreads to the entire area, including their neighbours area.

Across the world, hookworm infects a total of 740m people

The Black Belt of Alabama was originally named for its rich top soil but took on another meaning after the establishment of slave plantations. It has long suffered from poverty and racial discrimination.

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Mr Alston, whose is carrying out a 15-day tour of the US to produce a report on poverty and human rights, was also taken to a property in Lowndes County where five people, including two youngsters and a teenager with Down Syndrome, live in a home where the sewage is discharged into open pools that flood when it rains.

In Butler County, Mr Alston reportedly told one resident: The hope is that we'll bring attention to [these problems], just like we bring attention to people who are being tortured.

The special election, being held to fill the senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions when he joined Donald Trumps cabinet, has featured debate about poverty, jobs and economic growth in the state.

However, the contest between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore, has been largely dominated by allegations of sexual abuse and assault levelled at Mr Moore by a series of women. He has adamantly denied the claims.
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Voters in Alabama have gone to the polls in a deeply controversial special election that both sides claim will be one of the most important for decades.

With the latest opinion polls varying wildly but with many observers believing the contest will be close, both Roy Moore and Doug Jones went out to cast their ballots for themselves, Mr Moore, as has been his habit, appearing for the cameras as his local voting station on horseback.

Both Republican Mr Moore and Democrat Mr Jones sought to stress local issues as they campaigned across the deeply conservative state, where around half of people identify as evangelical Christians. Yet others have sought to place the race in a national context, with both Donald Trump and his former adviser Steve Bannon, placing their support and endorsement behind the former judge.

While Mr Jones, 63, has been careful to avoid embracing figures from the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party and instead talking about his work in Alabama - he famously convicted two former Ku Klux Klan members who bombed a black church and killed four young girls - should he emerge the winner, it will be interpreted as a humiliating blow to the President. The last time a Democrat was elected as senator here was in 1992.

Shortly after voting stations opened, Mr Trump repeated his support for Mr Moore, 70, whose campaign was struck by allegations that he abused and assaulted women and girls when he was aged in his 30s and serving as a local local prosecutor. Mr Moore has adamantly denied the accusations and dismissed them as an attempt by his critics to undermine him.

The people of Alabama will do the right thing, Mr Trump wrote on Twitter.

Doug Jones is pro-abortion, weak on crime, military and illegal immigration, bad for gun owners and veterans and against the wall. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet. Roy Moore will always vote with us.

 Roy Moore's wife claims he can't be antisemitic because 'one of our attorneys is a Jew'

Mr Jones, who has spent the last week urging African Americans to vote for him, told his supporters at an eve of election rally in Birmingham that they were on the right side of history

He repeated the message when he voted on Tuesday. Judge Moore has been consistently wrong about the constitution, Mr Jones told reporters after casting his ballot at a Baptist church in Birmingham, according to Reuters. I dont think Roy Moore is going to win this election.

Meanwhile, at his final rally, Mr Moore was joined by Mr Bannon, who took the opportunity to take a dig at Ivanka Trump who, unlike her father, had criticised the former judge by saying there was a special place in hell for people who prey on children. She also said she found the accounts of the women who spoke out against Mr Moore to be credible.

Echoing Ms Trump's words, Mr Bannon told the crowd: Theres a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better.

Mr Jones voted in the city of Birmingham (Getty)

Meanwhile, Mr Moore, who was previously the subject of international headlines when he installed a 5,000lb piece of granite containing the Ten Commandments in his court complex and told state judges to ignore a Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, sought to position himself as someone who had been wronged.

If you dont believe in my character, dont vote for me, said Mr Moore, who last week said America was great at the time when families were united - even though we had slavery.

Republican leaders in Washington are in a tricky position. Most of them have distanced themselves from Mr Moore, who in turn has been quick to crtiticise them. At the same time, they need to keep the seat in Republican hands if they are to maintain their slim 52-48 majority in the senate.

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. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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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

For all the importance attached to the race, officials said they expected turnout would be low. While around 64 per cent of voters cast their ballot when Mr Trump beat Hillary Clinton 62-34 in the presidential election in 2016, officials believe no more than 25 per cent of voters will take part. Although long lines forming at a number of polling stations may suggest that turnout could be larger than predicted.

Among those did vote were Geneva Calvert, 80, and Peggy Judkins, 48, who went to a polling station in Montgomery, the state capital.

Ms Calvert said said she was voting for Mr Moore because he would help advance Mr Trumps agenda. He stands for what President Trump stands for, she said.

Meanwhile, Ms Judkins, said she voted for Mr Jones and that Mr Moore was a bad candidate even before the allegations about his behaviour were made.

Moore got thrown out of office two or three times before, she said. So why would you put him back in? Thats crazy.
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Donald Trump says attempts to have Congress investigate allegations of sexual assault against him are based on "false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met".

In the same tweet, Mr Trump accused Democrats of "thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent" over the Mueller investigation that has been "unable to show any collusion with Russia".

The President has been accused by 16 women of sexual misconduct.

At a press conference on Monday four of them shared their first-hand experiences of Mr Trump.

Samantha Holvey, a former beauty queen who claimed the 71-year-old ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006, said his election was "heartbreaking".

"We're private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, 'Eh, we don't care,' it hurt, she said.

Let's try round two. The environment's different. Let's try again.

Another described how Mr Trump allegedly tried to kiss and put his hand up her skirt during a flight in the 1970s.

Rachel Crooks, a former Trump Tower receptionist who said the billionaire kissed her on the mouth without consent in 2006, called for Congress to put aside party affiliations and investigate Trump's history of sexual misconduct.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 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Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 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Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

Several Democratic senators have seized the moment and called for Trump to step down.

President Trump should resign, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told CNN on Monday. These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.

Mr Trump responded on Twitter, accusing Ms Gillibrand of "begging" for campaign contributions from him "not so long ago".

He wrote: "Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!"

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley have also called on Mr Trump to resign.

The spotlight is turning back onto the President's past conduct amid the international #MeToo movement and the removal of many men from positions of power following accusations of sexual assault and harassment.

On Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed accusations against the Republican president and suggested the issue had already been litigated in Mr Trump's favour on Election Day.

A Capitol Hill investigation into Mr Trump's conduct appears unlikely. The Senate and House Ethics Committees investigate members of Congress, not presidents, and Republican-led committees would be loath to investigate Trump on sexual misconduct unless there is some sort of connection to the ongoing Russia probe.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Congress should not investigate the allegations against Mr Trump.

I don't think there's any forum for us to do that, he said. Just think about how that could be abused.

Additional reporting by AP
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A pro-Trump group has sent a 12-year-old girl to interview Roy Moore, the Senate candidate who has been accused of sexually abusing teenage girls.

The America First Project, a political action committee that describes itself as attack dogs for President Trump's America first agenda, sent 12-year-old Millie March to talk with Mr Moore in the run-up to Alabamas special election.

Millie gained national attention last year for a video in which she enthusiastically endorsed then-candidate Donald Trump. In a recent video produced by the America First Project and Western PAC, former Breitbart News writer Jennifer Lawrence explains why the groups selected Mille to interview Mr Moore.

After everything thats happened in this Alabama senate race up until this point, we thought it was important to not only come here as Western Pac to support Judge Roy Moore, but also to bring Millie here, to show that there is a wide range of people who support Judge Roy Moore, Ms Lawrence said.

Numerous women have accused Mr Moore of pursuing relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One woman claims she was only 14 when Mr Moore tried to initiate sexual contact with her. Mr Moore has denied these allegations.

In her interview, Millie asked the candidate about the most important issues for Alabama and the characteristics of a really good Senator. Mr Moore said he would focus on protecting religious liberties and preventing illegal immigration  even to the extent of sending troops to the US-Mexico border. A good Senator, he added, focuses on following the Constitution.

Like JFK said, ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country, Mr Moore says in closing.

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 Moores campaign has struggled in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations, leaving him in a dead heat with his Democratic opponent in the traditionally Republican state. A recent Fox News poll found Mr Moores opponent, Doug Jones, leading him by 10 points.

But Mr Moore has voraciously denied the allegations against him, and rebuffed calls from his fellow Republican to bow out of the race. Mr Trump recently endorsed the candidate, tweeting that the last thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate.

The President even went so far as to record a robocall for the candidate in the lead-up to Tuesdays election.

If Alabama elects liberal Democrat Doug Jones, all of our progress will be stopped cold, Mr Trump says in the call. We already know Democrat Doug Jones is a puppet of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, and he will vote with the Washington liberals every single time."
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Steve Bannon has lashed out at Republican leaders who failed to support Roy Moore amid a sexual harassment scandal, saying "there is a special place in place for hell" for those who do not back the Alabama Senate candidate.

Mr Moore  a former Alabama state judge with strong support among evangelical conservatives  is standing against Democratic nominee Doug Jones in what is forecast to be a nail-biting vote.

The race for the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he became Attorney General has taken on national importance because a Democrat victory would reduce an already slim Republican majority in the chamber to only two seats.

On the eve of the 12 December vote, Mr Bannon took aim at Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Tennessee Senator Robert Corker at a campaign rally.

"Mitch McConnell and Senator Shelby, and Condi Rice and all that, little Bobby Corker, all the establishment out there doesn't have Trump's back at all," he told the crowd.

"There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better."

The Breitbat chairman's remarks are an apparent gibe at Ivanka Trump, who after the allegations against Mr Moore surfaced last month said theres a special place in hell for people who prey on children".

"Ive yet to see a valid explanation and I have no reason to doubt the victims accounts, she told the Associated Press.

Seven women have accused the Alabama candidate of making unwanted sexual advances when they were underage teenagers and Mr Moore was in his thirties. One of the women claims she was 14 years old at the time she was sexually assaulted.

Another woman claims he judge tried to rape her after offering her a ride home from her job as a waitress.

Mr Moore denies the allegations against him, calling them a "witch hunt".

A number of Senate Republicans have called on Mr Moore stand down from the race, but he has refused.

Mr Trump has given his support to the Alabama Senate candidate, saying the former Alabama justice "totally denied" the allegations against him and telling White House reporters they "have to listen to him, also".

The President boosted Mr Moore's campaign on Saturday, saying: Get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it. We cannot afford, the future of this country cannot afford to lose the seat,

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 Trump has struggled to get legislation passed the Senate, where he has a thin 52-48 advantage.

If Mr Moore wins the vote, he is expected to face an investigation by an ethics committee.
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Donald Trumps legal team has suggested appointing another special counsel to investigate the existing special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is probing the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia.

Mr Trumps lawyers are concerned by what they see as conflicts of interest within Mr Muellers team. Jay Sekulow, one of Mr Trumps attorneys, told Axios that these conflicts necessitate an investigation of the investigators.

"The Department of Justice and FBI cannot ignore the multiple problems that have been created by these obvious conflicts of interests, he said. These new revelations require the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate."

Recommended Donald Trump has cause for concern as Robert Mueller follows the money

These new revelations include the news that a senior Department of Justice official was recently demoted, after failing to disclose his ties to a political opposition research firm.

Bruce Ohr, the former Justice Department associate deputy attorney general, was stripped of the title this week after it was revealed that his wife worked for Fusion GPS in 2016. Fusion GPS helped create a controversial opposition dossier on Mr Trump during the election.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

Conservatives were also incensed by how Mr Muellers team dealt with Peter Strzok, an FBI investigator previously assigned to the Russia probe. Mr Strzok and an FBI lawyer, Lisa Page, were unceremoniously removed from the investigation this summer. Sources familiar with the matter latter claimed that the two were having an extramarital affair, and had exchanged anti-Trump text messages.

Trump supporters have rallied around these apparent conflicts of interest to suggest that Mr Mueller should be fired, or his investigation refocused on the alleged wrongdoings of Hillary Clinton. In fact, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently weighed the idea of appointing a special counsel to investigate the Clinton Foundation and Ms Clintons ties to a Russian uranium company.

 Trump-Russia investigation: who has been charged in the Mueller probe

Several law enforcement officials told the Washington Post that they were worried these criticisms of Mr Mueller were an attempt to discredit the lawyer, and possibly build a case for Mr Trump to fire him.

First, they want to kick up dust about Hillary Clinton so the conservative press has something to talk about that isnt Trumps misdeeds, Matthew Miller, a Democrat and former Justice Department spokesman, told the Post.

He added: The eventual goal, though, is to delegitimize Mueller in such a way that he can either be fired or can be ignored if he concludes the president broke the law.

Mr Mueller has so far charged four former Trump campaign officials with crimes ranging from tax fraud to lying to the FBI. Two of the former staffers, Michael Flynn and George Papadopolous, have pleaded guilty.
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A US soldier who defected to North Korea and became a prisoner there for nearly four decades has died at the age of 77.

Charles Jenkins abandoned his post at the Demilitarised Zone in South Korea to cross over into North Korea and surrender to the hermit kingdom after having drunk several beers in 1965.

Mr Jenkins' decision to defect was prompted by fears he would be killed in patrols or ordered to fight in the Vietnam war. Once in North Korea, he presumed he could seek asylum with the Russian embassy and eventually go back to the US in an exchange of Cold War prisoners.

However Russia did not grant Mr Jenkins, who was just 24 when he crossed over, or the other Americans asylum and they were held prisoners by the North Koreans.

"Thinking back now, I was a fool. If there's a God in the heaven, he carried me through it," he said in a 2005 interview with CBS.

Mr Jenkins, who resided in Japan where he had settled with his family after his 2004 release, died on Sado island on Monday. He lived on Japans sixth-biggest island with his wife Hitomi Soga  a fellow former prisoner of North Korea.

According to Japanese media reports, he collapsed outside his home and later died of heart problems in hospital.

According to Mr Jenkins, upon arriving in the totalitarian regime he was held in a one-room house with three other American defectors for seven years and forced to study the teachings of then leader Kim Il-sung.

Mr Jenkins, the only US soldier in the group who was released, said his captors frequently beat him and carried out medical procedures on him that were at times either needless or cruel. While in North Korea, he and the American defectors became famed for playing the role of Americans villains in North Korean propaganda films.

Mr Jenkins married Ms Soga - one of his language students who was taken to North Korea against her will - in 1980.

She was one of more than a dozen Japanese citizens who were taken by the regimes spies in the 1970s and 80s and transported to North Korea to teach agents their language and traditions.

The pair fell in love and had two daughters. In his memoir, he revealed that every night before they went to bed, he would say "oyasumi" (Japanese for goodnight) to his wife and she would respond in English.

Writing in his 2008 memoirs The Reluctant Communist: My desertion, court-martial and 40-year imprisonment in North Korea, he said: "We did this so we would never forget who we really were and where we came from.

Even though we were in love and thankful to be together, we did this to remind ourselves that this place was not really our home and never would be, and that no matter what happened, she was still Japanese, and I was still American.

In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun Show all 16 1 /16 In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun North Korean women soldiers take part in a military parade in Pyongyang on 15 April AFP/Getty Images In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun A huge military parade in Pyongyang marks the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un AP In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves during a military parade on 15 April 2017 AP In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun North Korean soldiers carry flags and a photo of Kim Il-sung during a military parade in Pyongyang on 15 April AP In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun Soldiers march across Kim Il Sung Square during a military parade on 15 April AP In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun What military experts say appears to be a North Korean KN-08 inter-continental ballistic missile is paraded across Kim Il Sung Square during a military parade on 15 April AP In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun Women wearing traditional Korean dress wave flowers and shout slogans as they pass Kim Jong-Un during a parade in Pyongyang on 15 April AFP/Getty Images In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun North Korean female soldiers march during a parade for the 'Day of the Sun' festival on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on 15 April EPA In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun Military vehicles carry missiles with characters reading 'Pukkuksong' during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang on 15 April 2017 EPA In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun Attendees carry sheets in the colours of North Korea's national flag during a military parade in Pyongyang on 15 April Reuters In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun A soldier salutes from atop an armoured vehicle during a military parade in Pyongyang on 15 April Reuters In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun A North Korean woman cries as she looks towards Kim Jong-un during a parade on 15 April AP In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun University students carry the national flag and two bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il during a military parade on 15 April AP In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun Missiles are driven past Kim Jong-un and other high ranking officials during a military parade marking the Day of the Sun in Pyongyang on 15 April Reuters In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves from a balcony during a parade for the 'Day of the Sun' festival in Pyongyang on 15 April 2017 EPA In pictures: North Korea marks the Day of the Sun Missiles are driven past Kim Jong-un and other high ranking officials during a military parade marking the Day of the Sun in Pyongyang on 15 April Reuters

In 2002, Ms Soga was finally set free following negotiations by the Japanese government. Two years later, Mr Jenkins was permitted to follow suit and also freed along with their daughters.

The family settled in Ms Sogas hometown of Sado and Mr Jenkins, originally from North Carolina, became something of a celebrity.

He surrendered to the US Army once in Japan and was court-martialled almost four decades after he unloaded his M-16 rifle to show the enemy he meant no harm, raised his knees to dodge triggering tripwires, and crossed into North Korea.

He was eventually handed a 30-day prison sentence and a dishonourable discharge.

Speaking about his time in North Korea in a rare interview with the Los Angeles Times in August 2017, he said: In North Korea, I lived a dogs life. Aint nobody live good in North Korea. Nothing to eat. No running water. No electricity. In the wintertime you freeze - in my bedroom, the walls were covered in ice.

He remained fearful of North Korea into later life, saying: North Korea wants me dead.
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It was a decision inspired by alcohol, depression and stupidity.

On the night of January 4-5 1965 Charles Robert Jenkins, then a US Army sergeant, slipped across the demilitarised zone he was supposed to be guarding and defected from South to Communist North Korea.

His plan  if it ever even amounted to that  seems to have been to escape the dangers of getting shot by jittery North Korean border guards or being sent to fight in Vietnam.

Recommended US soldier who defected to North Korea during Cold War dies aged 77

It was a mistake that would haunt Jenkins, who has now died aged 77, for the rest of his life.

He told the men in the patrol he was leading that he was going on alone to check something, disappeared from view down a hill, and was not seen again by anyone in the free world for nearly 40 years.

Only in 2004 did a 64-year-old Sgt Jenkins make it to Japan to face a US Army court martial and to reveal the horrific price he had paid for his folly.

He had, he made clear, endured a surreal nightmare in a land ruled by a system that is evil and a man who is evil to his bones.

Jenkins told of beatings, deprivation and the forced removal of one of his testicles, of being both a captive and a film star - thanks to his portrayal of an American warmonger Capitalist - and of finding love with a Japanese woman who had been kidnapped by North Korea and made to train its spies.

Originally from North Carolina, Jenkins had joined the US Army aged 18 in 1958, having never graduated from high school.

Jenkins at his court martial aged 64, after he made it to Japan and reported to a US Army base, having been AWOL for more than 39 years (Creative commons)

During his second posting to South Korea, the 24-year-old sergeant started drinking heavily and suffered from depression.

He came to fear being shot dead by North Korean troops who might view the night-time border patrols as provocation.

And if he somehow survived that, he thought, he would be sent to die in the escalating conflict in Vietnam.

Jenkins, whose IQ was way below average according to US military aptitude tests, seems to have hit upon the idea of reaching the safety of the US, via North Korea.

Once he had defected, he reasoned, he could seek asylum in the Soviet Unions embassy, thus paving the way for him to be returned to America by the Communist Russians in a Cold War prisoner swap.

I was not thinking clearly, he admitted in his memoir The Reluctant Communist, But at the time my decisions had a logic to them that made my actions seem almost inevitable.

After steadying his nerves by getting drunk on ten cans of beer, Sgt Jenkins went through with his scheme, removing the bullets from his rifle to show the North Koreans he came in peace, and walking across a 2.5-mile wide strip of mine-infested no mans land.

As he would eventually tell his court martial, after just one day in North Korea, he realised he had made a terrible mistake.

Jenkins found himself effectively incarcerated in a single room with three other young, poorly educated GIs who had also defected: Jerry Wayne Parrish, 19; Larry Abshier, 19; and James Dresnok, 21.

Their Communist minders, recalled Jenkins, forced them to spend 10 hours a day memorising the writings of North Koreas founder and then Supreme Leader Kim Il Sung. One mans failure to correctly recite the words  in Korean  could result in a beating or study time being increased to 16 hours a day, for all four Americans.

Those cruel bastards, wrote Jenkins in his memoir, Hated me and the other Americans so deeply they refused to see us as human and enjoyed making our lives hell.

The attempted brainwashing failed. Despite memorising them perfectly, Jenkins characterised the Supreme Leaders writings as "class struggle from the perspective of a crazy man"  but only once in the relative safety of his court martial.

Jenkins endured this existence with his fellow defectors for seven years. At times, stuck in such close confinement, the Americans fought amongst themselves, their fistfights adding to the beatings administered by their Communist minders.

In his memoir, Jenkins accused the 6ft 4in Dresnok of being a bully and a snitch who enthusiastically assaulted him at least 30 times and regularly told the minders of any misdemeanour committed by his fellow GIs.

From North Korea, where he lived until his death last year, "Comrade Joe" Dresnok denied the claims.

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In 1972 the Americans conditions improved somewhat when the regime declared them North Korean citizens and gave them houses of their own.

The beatings, constant surveillance and occasional torture, however, continued.

Jenkins said that when the North Koreans spotted his US Army tattoo it was hacked out of his forearm with a knife, scissors, and no anaesthetic.

Regime officials watched and laughed as Jenkins screamed in pain. Anaesthetic, he was told, was a luxury reserved for soldiers wounded in battle.

Nor was this the only needless operation that Jenkins said he endured.

In an interview with the LA Times in August this year he revealed that in a single day, doctors removed his appendix and then one of his testicles.

This, he said, was Because I was kicked when I was a school kid.

I didnt have no problem, but they found out about it, and said, Thats gotta come out.

He was put to work teaching English at a military school run by the North Korean Communist Partys Reconnaissance Bureau.

The idea was to teach the North Koreans American pronunciation. It took them until 1985 to realise that Jenkins thick Southern accent, which even some Americans would struggle to understand, was hindering, not helping the students.

By then, though, Jenkins and the other defectors had found other, more bizarre employment.

With Kim Il Sungs son and eventual successor Kim Jong-il becoming convinced of the value of propaganda films to the revolutionary struggle, the Americans were enlisted to play evil Westerners in what became a sprawling 20-part epic series of films called Unsung Heroes.

And so Jenkins found fame in North Korea as Dr Kelton, the pantomime villain who like all warmonger Capitalists was determined to keep the Korean War going to boost the profits of US arms manufacturers.

After the first movie [Nameless Heroes], recalled Jenkins, I would walk down the street and someone would yell, all excited and happy, Kelton Bac-Sa [Dr Kelton]! and even regular North Koreans would ask for my autograph.

The government also found him a wife.

Hitomi Soga had been kidnapped in 1978 aged 19 from Sado island, Japan, one of a number of Japanese citizens kidnapped by the North Korean regime and made to teach its spies how to speak their language like a native.

Jenkins met Ms Soga in 1980 when he was 40 and she was 21.

Ms Soga would later tell her husbands court martial that a minder prepared her for that first meeting, which was ostensibly an English lesson, by telling her she was to marry the American.

Years later, Jenkins would become convinced it was part of a plan to produce children that the North Koreans could use as spies.

And yet, as Ms Soga put it at the court martial, Little by little, we started to love each other.

They bonded, it seems, over a mutual hatred of North Korea.

It wasnt long after we were married that I asked her what the Japanese word for good night was, Jenkins recalled in his memoir.

Thereafter, every night before we went to bed, I would kiss her three times and tell her, Oyasumi. Then she would say back to me, Good night, in English.

We did this so we would never forget who we really were and where we came from.

Their first child, Mika, was born in 1983, followed by a second daughter Brinda in 1985.

His love for his wife, said Jenkins, gave him the strength to survive: When I met her, my life changed a lot. Me and her togetherI knew we could make it in North Korea. And we did.

Although surviving in North Korea was by no means easy.

In North Korea, I lived a dogs life, Jenkins told the LA Times. Aint nobody live good in North Korea. Nothing to eat. No running water. No electricity. In the wintertime you freeze  in my bedroom, the walls were covered in ice.

No-one in the Jenkins family was allowed to leave their house without a political supervisor, and nobody ever dared criticise the North Korean regime.

You cant bring your neighbour over for a drink, Jenkins recalled. Why? People start drinking, they start talking. People disappear. And when one doesnt disappear, they know hes the one who squealed.

One day, he saw dogs digging up a mass grave near his home.

And yet, as a prized propaganda asset, Jenkins knew full well he had it far better than most in the Hermit Kingdom.

As millions of North Koreans starved to death in the famine of the 1990s, the Jenkins family received rations of rice, soap and clothing.

Even if the rice was crawling with insects, said Jenkins, it was much better than what the regular Korean got, which was nothing.

And then in 2002, the sequence of events that would lead to Jenkins getting out of North Korea began. After Kim Jong-il met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Pyongyang, Ms Soga and four other abductees were allowed to return home to Japan.

Fearing punishment if the regime detected any sign that he wanted to leave too, Jenkins stayed behind in North Korea with Mika and Brinda.

But after Japanese diplomats lobbied on behalf of him and his wife for two years, the North Koreans let Jenkins and his two daughters go to Japan.

Jenkins with his wife after landing at Tokyo's Haneda airport in 2004, more than 39 years after he defected (REUTERS)

On September 11 2004, in the hope of clearing his conscience, the 64-year-old marched up to the gates of Camp Zama, a US Army base an hours drive from Tokyo, saluted smartly and told Lieutenant Colonel Paul Nigara: Sir, I'm Sergeant Jenkins, and I'm reporting."

After more than 39 years, the longest-missing American deserter ever to return to the US Army was back.

At first he was charged with desertion, aiding the enemy, soliciting others to desert and encouraging disloyalty, a charge sheet that carried a potential death penalty.

But the US authorities had to be sensitive to the feelings of its ally Japan, where public feeling for Ms Soga and others kidnapped by North Korea ensured a great deal of sympathy for Jenkins.

There was also speculation, never confirmed, that Jenkins benefited from being able to tell US intelligence about North Korean spying programmes.

He secured a pre-trial agreement that he would plead guilty only to desertion and aiding the enemy (by teaching his heavily-accented American), and in return his punishment would be limited to demotion to private, dishonourable discharge, loss of 40 years back pay and 30 days in jail.

In what was reported as an attempt to minimise US media interest, the one-day court martial took place on Wednesday November 3 2004, at a time when votes were still being counted in that years presidential election.

Jenkins was released after 25 days, five days early because of his good behaviour.

Shortly afterwards, as reported by Time magazine, he broke down in tears as he said: I made a big mistake of my life, but getting my daughters out of there, that was one right thing I did."

The family went to live on Ms Sogas home island of Sado. By the time the LA Times caught up with him in August of this year, Jenkins was working as a greeter in Mano Park, a tourist attraction on Sado, selling senbei rice crackers.

Tourists, it was reported, would spot him and delightedly squeal Jenkins-san!.

Jenkins would passively pose for photos.

I'd like to go back to the US," he said, "But my wife don't want to go, and I have no means to support her there. So I figure might as well stay where I'm at.

To the very end, it seems, Jenkins was haunted by his experiences in North Korea.

Even in Japan, he feared that the regime would somehow get to him, or his family.

I worry about my daughters more than anything, he told the LA Times.

He had, he said, forbidden them to pull over if Japanese traffic police tried to stop them while they were driving. The possibility that North Korean agents might disguise themselves as Japanese cops or bribe genuine officers was, he thought, too great to ignore:

North Korea give them enough money, he said, You don't know what they'll do.

North Korea, he added, Wants me dead.

So far, though, all the indications are that Jenkins died not at the hands of Communist assassins, but from natural causes.

A Japanese news agency was reporting that Jenkins death, on Monday, was the result of an irregular heartbeat.

He was the last of the four GI defector roommates to die, and the only one to have made it out of North Korea alive.

Abshier died of a heart attack in 1983, Parrish of kidney disease in 1998 and Dresnok of a stroke in November 2016, all of them passing away in North Korea.

Only Jenkins could ever speak freely about his experiences, and four months before he died, amid mounting tension between Kim Jong-Uns North Korea and Donald Trumps America, the regretful defector issued what was effectively a warning.

I don't put nothing past North Korea, he told the LA Times. North Korea could do anything. North Korea dont care.
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A Chinese social media star has died after falling from a 62-storey building while performing one of his trademark daredevil stunts.

Wu Yongning had amassed a million followers on the Chinese app Weibo, which is similar to Facebook, for posting short videos of him perching on top of tall buildings without safety equipment.

Since beginning to post on the app in February he went on to share 300 short films of him performing dangerous stunts.

He was one of several rooftoppers who climb extremely tall buildings without safety equipment which has become increasingly popular across the world in recent years, the BBC reported.

But concerns among his fans began to grow after he stopped posting updates in November.

His girlfriend, identified only as Jie Jie, has posted on social media to announce he died in a fall from the 62-storey Huayuan Hua Centre in Changsha in the centre of the country.

Footage reportedly then emerged on Chinese live-streaming site, Volcano, which showed Mr Wu falling from a metal bar he had been hanging from, the Beijing News reported.

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 Wu reportedly warned his followers not to attempt his stunts as he said had martial arts training and had previously worked in TV and film.

His family say he was trying to win 100,000 yuan (11,300) by taking part in the rooftopping challenge so he could propose to his girlfriend.

His step-uncle, Feng Shengliang, told the South China Morning Post: He planned to propose to his girlfriend. He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother.
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New Zealand has become the first major country in the world to ban all vaginal mesh procedures, which have been called the biggest health scandal since thalidomide.

The New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe) declared it would remove from supply and limit the use of surgical mesh products.

According to its statement, most suppliers in New Zealand have indicated that by January 2018, medical companies will "be taking the same steps to limit supply as they are in Australia.

It comes just two weeks after the death of Chrissy Brajcic, a prominent anti-mesh campaigner who developed an antibiotic resistant infection due to mesh complications, which led to sepsis.

It also follows the decision by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to ban single-incision minislings and transvaginal mesh implants specifically for treating pelvic organ prolapse.

In contrast, the health minister of New Zealand, Julie-Anne Genter, told companies they are not permitted to supply surgical mesh for any pelvic operations  including both urinary incontinence and prolapse.

Ms Genter said: This is an important step to preventing more women from being put in the potentially harmful situation too many New Zealand women have already experienced.

Surgical mesh will still be available for other conditions, such as hernias. Such treatments have also courted controversy.

Kath Sansom, founder of campaign group Sling the Mesh, told The Independent: We are thrilled that New Zealand is leading the way in stopping the devastation caused to women by pelvic mesh implants.

"Full credit must go to campaigners Carmel Berry and Charlotte Korte, who have successfully made political leaders realise the serious harm caused by these devices.

For some women, problems do not cut in until years later  which means the mesh is merely a ticking time bomb with an unknown future for all those who have it."

Recommended The vaginal mesh scandal has claimed its first victim

She added: It is now time for Westminster and governments globally to do the right thing and ban all pelvic mesh. It is a huge injustice to women whose lives have been shattered for two decades, in this profit-before-patient safety, money-making tragedy.

In October, Ms Sansom and Labour MP Emma Hardy took a cross-party campaign to Westminster to push for a suspension and full inquiry into the scandal.

However, minister for care and mental health Jackie Doyle-Price maintained that the risks were associated with clinical practice, not the mesh implants themselves, and ruled out a suspension or inquiry.

 Cross-party call to end mesh procedure ends in disappointment

The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) has condemned the decision, saying it left women in New Zealand without options.

A spokesperson said: The Australian TGA decision to ban transvaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse is accepted by the urological community in Australia and New Zealand, but our health ministers decision to ban all forms of mesh for incontinence as well as prolapse in women in New Zealand is more far-reaching than the Australian decision.

This will leave women without effective surgical options for these debilitating conditions.

One of the products specifically targeted by the New Zealand ban is the Johnson & Johnson Gynecare TVT device.

A BBC Panorama documentary on the vaginal mesh scandal, The Operation that Ruined my Life, revealed that the Gynecare TVT was only trialled on 31 women  and some sheep.

It also discovered that Ethicon, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, failed to update doctors with the full extent of risks associated with the device.

There has been significant backlash to the suggestion in the documentary that only a minority of the women implanted with a mesh device experienced chronic and debilitating side effects.

Based on the available data and testimony from device experts, gynaecologists and policy organisations including the Food and Drug Administration, the US regulatory body, the risks of such effects are estimated between 10 and 40 per cent.

Labour MP Owen Smith, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on surgical mesh implants, said one in 10 women suffering due to the implants was not a minority issue.

On Friday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) will publish updated guidelines on the procedures. They are expected to recommend a full ban on vaginal mesh.
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French President Emmanuel Macron plans to award multi-year grants for several US-based scientists to relocate to France, his office said on Monday on the eve of a climate summit hosted by the President to raise finances to counter global warming.

Macron unveiled the Make our Planet Great Again grants after President Donald Trump in June said he was pulling the United States out of an international accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that was brokered in Paris in 2015.

Macron repeatedly tried to persuade the US leader to reverse his decision. In a statement, the Elysee Palace said 13 of the initial 18 grants will be awarded to scientists based in the United States.

You will now settle in, develop projects, enrich French, European research, because we've decided to give even bigger resources and to fully recognise what you are doing, Macron said in a speech at Station F, a start-up incubator in Paris.

Macron was addressing the winners of the grants, some of whom attended his speech. Prominent US universities, including Princeton, Stanford and Harvard, were among those from which the winning researchers were selected, the presidency said.

Macron said in a CBS News interview on Monday the US decision to unilaterally quit the Paris accord had provided an impulse for action by governments and the private sector.

OK, we have to react and do something, because it's impossible to leave this all to - a sort of dismantling of the Paris agreement, he told the US network in Paris.

But he called the withdrawal extremely aggressive and said Trump's offer to renegotiate the accord was not an option.

I'm not ready to renegotiate, but I'm ready to welcome him if he decides to come back, Macron said, adding: I'm pretty sure that my friend President Trump will change his mind in the coming months or years.

At Tuesday's summit, Macron will urge wealthy nations to increase climate financing and urge investors to turn their backs on polluters in a bid to accelerate efforts to combat global warming.

French state-controlled utility EDF on Monday said it would invest 25 billion euros (22bn) to develop 30 gigawatt of solar capacity in France between 2020 an 2035. Daily Newspaper Les Echos quoted the chief executive of Engie, Isabelle Kocher, as saying her company would invest 1 billion euros (882m) to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

Separately, nine European energy companies including EDF, Italy's Enel, Spain's Iberdrola and Britain's SSE said they would include green bonds in their financing policies.

Developing nations say that the rich are not on track with a broader commitment in the Paris accord for wealthy economies to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 - from public and private sources alike - to help developing countries switch from fossil fuels to greener energy sources and adapt to the effects of climate change.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

Oxfam estimated that there was only between $4 billion and $8 billion available for adaptation and that recent estimates showed the cost of helping emerging nations deal with rising sea levels, droughts, flooding and other effects of global warming could add up to $140 billion to $300 billion per year by 2030.

Right now, the world's poorest people are getting only a tiny fraction of the help they desperately need to survive, Oxfam said in a statement.

This year's barrage of climate disasters showed that poor communities are often completely unprepared to deal with extreme weather.

Reuters
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Pupils in France are going to be banned from taking mobile phones to school, the countrys education minister has announced.

Jean-Michel Blanquer said the ban, which the government had been considering for some time, would come into effect at the start of the new school year next September.

Mobiles are already banned from classrooms, but the new rule will bar schoolchildren from using them between lessons and during breaks.

"These days the children don't play at break time anymore, they are just all in front of their smartphones and from an educational point of view that's a problem," Mr Blanquer told Le Grand Jury TV programme on Sunday.

It is not yet clear how the ban will work in reality, with issues to be resolved including where pupils can keep their phones and whether teachers will have to search their students.

"We are currently working on this [ban] and it could work in various ways," added Mr Blanquer. "Phones may be needed for teaching purposes or in cases of emergency so mobile phones will have to be locked away."

 Recycled urine used to power mobile phones and lights

The ban will cover primary schools and children aged 11 to 15 at schools known as colleges in France. Phones will not be banned from sixth-form colleges.

French president Emmanuel Macron pledged to ban mobiles in his manifesto ahead of his election win in May.

But the countrys headteachers union doubted any ban could be enforced.

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

A group representing the parents of French schoolchildren, Peep, had previously said it was sceptical a ban could work.

"We don't think it's possible at the moment," Gerard Pommier, the head of Peep, told reporters.

"Imagine a secondary school with 600 pupils. Are they going to put all their phones in a box? How do you store them? And give them back at the end?"
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Despite not being mentioned in the Torah, Hanukkah is one of the most highly anticipated and joyous Jewish festivals of the entire year.

The Festival of Lights tells the story of the Maccabees, an army of rebels in Israel who revolted against the Seleucid Greek King Antiochus, who was trying to kill all the Jewish people.

While the exact historical truth of the series of events that led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem is a topic of debate, every year Jews around the world celebrate the victory of the Maccabees over their oppressors and the miracle of the temples menorah burning brightly for eight full days.

So when does Hanukkah start, whats the significance of the festival and how is it celebrated?

Heres everything you need to know:

When does Hanukkah start?

This year, Hanukkah starts on Sunday 28 November.

The festival is celebrated for a duration of eight days, ending on Monday 6 December.

Unlike Christmas, which has a fixed date in the Gregorian calendar every year, the date of Hanukkah depends on the Hebrew calendar, which is lunisolar.

Hanukkah takes place every year on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar.

The last time Hanukkah overlapped with Christmas was in 2016, when the first night of the festival took place on Christmas Eve.

Whats the significance of the festival?

The story of Hanukkah that Jewish people are taught tells the tale of the Maccabees, who somehow managed to defeat King Antiochus mighty troops.

In doing so, they also reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been left in a desecrated state.

Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity Show all 4 1 /4 Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity A Jewish woman named Renee Rachel Black and a Muslim man named Sadiq Patel react next to floral tributes in Albert Square REUTERS Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity REUTERS Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity REUTERS Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity REUTERS

To celebrate their victory, the Jewish people attempted to carry out a ritual lighting of the seven-pronged menorah, a candelabra, in the temple.

However, they only managed to find enough oil to light the menorah for one day.

Miraculously, the oil somehow lasted for eight days, hence the eight-day duration of the "Festival of Lights".

As the story of Hanukkah took place after the Torah was written, it isnt specifically mentioned within the holy text.

How is Hanukkah celebrated?

Jewish people commemorate Hanukkah by lighting a menorah, otherwise known as a hanukkiah, every day for eight days.

While the original menorah that was lit in the Temple in Jerusalem had seven prongs, the menorahs typically used nowadays in Jewish homes for Hanukkah have eight, with a ninth prong, called the "shamash", in the middle.

Every night on Hanukkah, the shamash is the first candle on the menorah thats lit.

The shamash is then used to light each of the other candles, with one candle being lit on the first night of Hanukkah, two on the second and so on.

Jewish people are encouraged to place their menorahs in the front windows of their homes so that others can witness their celebration.

Furthermore, public lightings of menorahs also take place.

The food thats served during Hanukkah is one of the most long-awaited aspects of the festival.

Potato latkes, sufganiyot (jam-filled doughnuts), gelt (chocolate money) and beef brisket are all eaten in abundance to mark the occasion.
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Emmanuel Macron has said that the world is losing the battle against climate change and issued a plea to the leaders of wealthy countries: Were not moving quick enough. We all need to act.

Mr Macron was speaking at the One Planet summit in Paris, a meeting of 50 countries to which the US President was not invited.

But in a light-hearted nod to Donald Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, the tag line for the summit was Make Our Planet Great Again.

Mr Macron said the US was not willing to join the club on combating climate change, he told Time. As part of the summit, 18 mostly US-based scientists will win paid opportunities to live and conduct climate-related research in Europe, away from the climate scepticism of Mr Trump.

Recommended Exxon agrees to reveal more details about the impact of climate change

Other attendees to the summit included Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Theresa May and the secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

France announced a raft of 12 non-binding commitments, from a $300m pledge to fight desertification to accelerating the transition towards a decarbonised economy. But there was no headline promise likely to reassure poor nations on the sharp end of climate change that they will be better able to cope.

Developed countries have pledged to provide $100bn (75bn) a year to poorer countries, every year after 2020  when the Paris Agreement, a global accord to curb greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming to 2C, comes into force.

The funds were supposed to go towards adapting poorer countries infrastructures and economies to be more climate resilient, particularly in the event of a natural disaster. But specific details about financial pledges did not make it into the main text of the Paris Agreement in 2015, as governments called for flexibility.

 Barack Obama jokes 'Thanks, Obama' when talking about climate change progress

Now, there are fears that countries are not getting even close to that figure for the first year. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates only about $68bn (51bn) has been collected.

Also in focus is how public and private financial institutions can mobilise more money and how investors can pressure corporate giants to shift towards more ecologically friendly strategies.

More than 200 institutional investors with $26 trillion in assets under management said they would step up pressure on the worlds biggest corporate greenhouse gas emitters.

Part of the reason to keep up momentum on fighting climate change is the vacancy in action and financing left by the US government under Mr Trump.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

The US withdrew a $2bn pledge to the Green Climate Fund, one of the myriad pots set up for developing countries to receive aid money.

In June, Mr Trump ordered the start of the official withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement, after former President Barack Obama was obliged to use an executive order to join the deal in 2016 to bypass climate deniers in Congress.

The US remains the only country not in the Paris Agreement after previous holdouts Nicaragua and Syria joined the rest of the world.

And the US actively promoted the use of fossil fuels at a UN climate change meeting last month.

Industry representatives from coal, oil, gas and nuclear power companies like Peabody Energy, nuclear engineering firm NuScale Power, and Tellurian, a liquefied natural gas exporter, were prominently featured during the event.

During the panel, Mr Trumps international energy issues adviser George D Banks said it was controversial only if we chose to bury our heads in the sand.

Without question, fossil fuels will continue to be used, and we would argue that its in the global interest to make sure when fossil fuels are used that they be as clean and efficient as possible, Mr Banks said.

However, the US private sector and state governments  like Governor Jerry Brown representing California  have not been left out of the One Planet summit.

Over a thousand governors, mayors, and CEOs in the US have pledged to keep up the commitments outlined in the Paris Agreement despite the federal governments inaction.
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A far-right mayor in France has denied mocking the murder of a woman on a train track in a poster campaign calling for a high-speed rail network extension.

Robert Menard, mayor of Beziers, tweeted out posters showing a woman tied to train tracks and screaming under the caption With High-Speed Trains she would have suffered less!

The images caused outrage among politicians and members of the public who said they made a despicable reference to a recent murder case.

A 34-year-old woman named only as Emilie died in the northern town of Beauvilliers in June when her husband, named as Guillaume, tied her to railway tracks before taking his own life.

Marlene Schiappa, minister for equality, said she had told the local authorities to examine and take all possible recourses to deal with the hateful campaign.

Recommended Marine Le Pen adviser found guilty of inciting hatred against Muslims

The youth branch of left-wing party France Insoumise labelled the campaign as apologism for violence against women and femicide.

Laurence Rossignol, a senator and former minister for women said, I have filed a complaint with the public prosecutor demanding the removal of the posters as well as legal action against their authors.

Mr Menard replied that he had not heard about the womans death, saying it was vile of Rossignol to use it against us.

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

Another of the posters, which have been put up around Beziers, shows an obstetrician holding a large model of a TGV train over a womans legs in stirrups. It reads, TGV Occitaine, are you ready to give birth?

Mr Menard, a former journalist who was elected in 2014 with the support of the National Front, has previously been accused of turning his town in the South of France into a laboratory for the far-right.

The president of the Socialist Party in the Occitaine region, Carole Delga, said Mr Menards quest for attention at all costs was despicable and had only harmed the local governments efforts to bring high-speed trains to the region.
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An island in Denmark is banning the use of plastic bags next year, requiring shoppers to use organic cotton bags instead, it has been reported.

The island of Sams, in the Kattegat Sea off the Jutland Peninsula, is banning the bags following calls from residents, as the bags account for a large proportion of the islands refuse, The Local reports.

We are avoiding plastic carrier bags in the entire trade sector, project leader of the Sams Municipality, Gunnar Mikkelsen, told news outlet DR.

Recommended UK sees number of plastic bags found on beaches fall 40 per cent

Describing the new fabric bags people will be required to use, Mr Mikkelsen said: It is a bag you can take and keep, but if you forget your bag there will be others available. If you forget a lot and have 10 lying around at home, you can also hand them in at shops.

Plastic bags will be banned from the island, home to 3,700 inhabitants, by February next year.

The country's Environmental Protection Agency has also initiated an analysis to find out the best bags to use instead of plastic.

Sine Beuse Fauerby, the Danish Society for Nature Conservations environmental policy advisor, said the new fabric bags are not the best option for the environment, as they are manufactured.

The island is known for its commitment to environmental issues and over the past 10 years has been energy-positive, by producing more biomass and wind energy than it consumes, according to The Guardian.

Sams has joined a growing number of cities and countries that have banned the use of plastic bags. In Canada, the city of Montreal will ban single-use bags from next year, while the bags have already been banned in Western Australia.

In Kenya, heavy punishments have been levied for the use of plastic bags, including up to four years in prison or $40,000 (29,900) in fines.

Last year, the 5p charge for plastic bags in the UK was found to have avoided the use of six billion bags.
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The Palestinian teenager at the centre of a powerful photograph in which he has been blindfolded and surrounded by 22 Israeli soldiers marching him to prison is to face charges over throwing stones, his lawyer has said.

Sixteen-year-old Fawzi al-Junaidi was photographed on 7 December during protests in the West Bank city of Hebron over US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise the contested city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Wearing ripped jeans, the boy is shown being propelled forward by soldiers in full protective gear who have hold of both of his arms.

The picture has been widely shared on social media and caused outrage within Palestinian and liberal Israeli circles, who have condemned it as representative of what they say is the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) criminalisation of Arab children.

Israeli forces detain Palestinian Fawzi al-Junaidi following clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron (Getty)

The child denies taking part in the clashes, although eyewitnesses report he threw stones.

According to his lawyer, Farah Bayadsi, he was running away from tear gas when he was beaten with a rifle, blindfolded, taken to a detention centre and later the notorious Ofer prison in Israel.

The IDF did not immediately respond to The Independents request for comment.

Farah remains in prison and will face formal charges in an Israeli military court on Wednesday.

It is not clear whether the arresting forces will be charged with the use of excessive force.

There has been violence across the West Bank and Gaza since the USs shock move, which upended decades of foreign policy and international law.

Four Palestinians have been killed in clashes and one Israeli soldier has been fatally stabbed in Jerusalem.

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

While protests in Israel and the Palestinian territories now appear to be dying down, across the wider Muslim world demonstrations have now entered their sixth consecutive day.

Footage of Palestinian children being shouted at, dragged around and detained by Israeli soldiers after throwing stones has also emerged from an occupied area of the West Bank city of Hebron this week.

In the video, released by Israeli human rights watchdog BTselem, a small boy can be seen cowering next to a locked doorway as three soldiers surround him.

Lets go. Who is this? Take him, one of them says, dragging the child to his feet by his arm. The boy then limps along between the soldiers  one of whom puts him in a headlock  and is dragged away as he cries my arm! A soldier tells him to shut up.

The person filming the footage is prevented from following the boy further by another soldier.

At least three more boys are marched away as a group of a dozen soldiers tell journalists and the BTselem representative to stand back, at one point shoving the camera person.

Eighteen youths, most under the age of 18, were arrested in total for throwing stones at soldiers in the 13 October incident.

The boys threw stones at a group of soldiers after Friday prayers in Bab al-Zawiya neighbourhood, in the 20 per cent of Hebron controlled by Israel.

They responded with stun grenades and rubber-coated metal bullets, eyewitness testimony collected by BTselem alleges. Dozens of reinforcements arrived to arrest the boys and young men, who were held and questioned in one room in a military base before being released around 10pm that night, the watchdogs report said.

Their families were not informed and none of those arrested were offered access to their parents or a lawyer during the interrogation.

The Independent has contacted the Israeli West Bank military administration, Cogat, for comment on the allegations.

A 13-year-old who was one of the boys arrested, identified only as MJ, said he had not been involved in the clashes, but arrived on the scene afterwards.

 Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Jerusalem decision not a sign that US is pulling out of peace process

We all ran away. The soldiers caught up with us and ordered us to stand with our faces to the wall. One of the soldiers kicked my arm and the back of my legs and hit me on the back with the butt of his rifle. I started to cry, he said.

After about 15 minutes, they led us out of the mall and took us to the checkpoint at Bab al-Zawiya where they kicked us again. They tied our hands in front of our bodies and led us to a military base at the old bus station on al-Shuhada Street in the Old City.

The soldiers took us into a room, put us on chairs, and blindfolded us. They interrogated us for about two hours while we were blindfolded. A soldier asked me whether I throw stones and I denied it. He told me that they had photographs. I told him to show me the photographs, but he wouldnt and accused me of lying.

Such unrest is fairly common in the divided city.

Israels military control over millions of people is not merely a theoretical-political issue: the lives of Palestinians in the occupied territories are subjected to a daily routine of violence, BTselems Amit Gilutz told The Independent.

The harassment, abuse, arrests and detention of Palestinians, including minors, by Israeli security forces, as well as instances that do not involve the direct use of physical force, are all different forms of organised, ongoing state violence by Israel.
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One of the UKs top diplomats has caused a stir on a recent trip to Tehran after it appeared the Iranian Foreign Minister had told her to put a headscarf on.

Karen Pierce, currently political director of the Foreign Office and soon to become the UKs permanent representative to the UN, accompanied foreign secretary Boris Johnson as part of a delegation to Iran on Sunday widely understood to be aimed at freeing dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Radcliffe from an Iranian jail.

In video of the high level bilateral talks Ms Pierce is seen arriving for a meeting with foreign minister Javid Zarif with a scarf around her shoulders rather than over her head.

Mr Zarif greets the other members of the British party with a handshake, but instead of reaching for Ms Pierces hand instead points towards the ceiling with both hands, a gesture state news reported as the diplomat telling the visiting dignitary to pull the scarf up over her hair.

Ms Pierce is also photographed in talks without wearing the scarf on her head. In what appears to be a different meeting, she is wearing a different, orange headscarf.

State-run Fars News and Tasnim News Agencies both labelled her appearance inappropriate, unleashing a storm of comments from Iranians with opinions on both sides of the argument on social media.

I was bombarded with comments from ordinary people who was shocked that how humiliating that a high representative of Iran [was] acting like the morality police, Mahsi Alinejad, founder of anti-hijab movement My Stealthy Freedom, told The Independent.

One of the women wrote to me that Zarifs humiliating gesture is familiar to millions of Iranian women who are told every day to improve their [appearance], sometimes with fake smiles, sometimes using violence, the exiled activist added.

The hjiab has been compulsory in Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Women face significant cultural and legal discrimination in the country.

In recent years, womens rights activists have begun to rebel against the religious authorities strict dress and morality codes.

Finally, a western female politicians stood [up] for her dignity and rejected the compulsory hijab at the meeting with Islamic Republic officials, Ms Alinejad said from New York.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Independent the government had no comment on the matter.

Ms Pierce was appointed as the UKs permanent representative to the UN last month. She is the first woman to ever hold the position.

Previously she served as the UKs ambassador to Afghanistan.

On his return to the UK on Monday, Boris Johnson said he held worthwhile meetings in Tehran over Ms Zaghari-Radcliffe's case, but warned he did not wish to raise false hope for her release.

The foreign secretary was roundly criticised for comments made last month in which he falsely claimed the journalist had been in Iran to train other media professionals - remarks Iranian officials seized on as justification for her detention.

He eventually apologised. Ms Zaghari-Radcliffe's situation has since rocked to the top of the foreign office's priorities list.
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The EUs foreign policy chief has rejected a call made by Israels Prime Minister for it to follow the US in recognising Jerusalem as the countrys capital.

Federica Mogherini said during a news conference in Brussels that there was full EU unity in support of the status quo, whereby the international community conducts diplomatic relations via embassies in Tel Aviv.

Israel has said Jerusalem is its capital since it occupied the eastern part of the city, part of the West Bank, after the Six Days War in 1967. Many Israelis regard it as their eternal and undivided capital but Palestinians say East Jerusalem is the capital of a future Palestinian state.

But in an announcement on Thursday that drew international condemnation Donald Trump said the US State Department would be moving its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in a move that was a de facto acknowledgement of the city as the capital.

The international consensus on Jerusalem is that its status should be decided at the later stages of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The view is that Jerusalem should eventually become the capital of both an Israeli and Palestinian state as part of the two-state solution.

But Mr Netanyahu, during the first visit to Brussels by an Israeli prime minister in 20 years, claimed Mr Trumps decision was a reflection of reality and urged the EU member states to follow them.

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

He said all or most European countries would move their embassies to Jerusalem and recognise it as Israels capital even though there is no evidence that any are planning to do so.

The politician said foreign powers must make the declaration because recognising reality is the substance of peace, the foundation of peace.

Mr Netanyahu said Europe must "stop pampering the Palestinians".

I think the Palestinians need a reality check. You have to stop cutting them slack. Thats the only way to move forward towards peace, he added.

Mr Trumps decision has been followed by days of fighting between Palestinian militants and the Israeli Defence Force in the West Bank and Gaza.

Protesters took the street for a Day of Rage on Friday which saw thousands take to the streets.

The following day two Hamas militants were killed when Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Gaza in response to rocket fire from the enclave and an Israeli security guard was stabbed in Jerusalems central bus station on Sunday.
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National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day is no longer just a made-up thing on 15 December  it can now legitimately get you special treatment.

Alaska Airlines is running a one-day promotion in celebration, whereby passengers wearing ugly Christmas jumpers will get to board the plane 15 minutes early, skipping smugly past their staidly dressed counterparts.

The perk is extended to customers on all Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air flights across its network of 115 cities, reports CN Traveler.

Travel during the holidays can be stressful for guests, especially those who do not travel often, said Natalie Bowman, managing director of marketing and advertising at Alaska Airlines.

Recommended How to wear a Christmas jumper and still look stylish

This fun promotion not only allows guests to board early on that day, but gives people another opportunity to dust off that ugly holiday sweater hanging in the back of their closet.

The required ugliness of the jumper is not stipulated, but anything that includes LED lights, tinsel or music is likely to see customers sweep on board first.

If that wasnt festive enough the airline will also be playing Christmas music as passengers board the aircraft throughout the entire month of December to help get guests into the holiday spirit.

The airline is encouraging travellers to upload videos and photos of their ugliest Christmas jumpers to Twitter using the hashtags #UglySweaterDay and #MostWestCoast. On a more serious note, it is also advising customers to arrive at the airport at least two hours before their flight due to potential congestion at the airport during the festive period.

The promotion makes a change from negative sartorial airline stories; United Airlines came under fire in March after an agent stopped two girls from flying because they were wearing leggings. Airline officials said that they can refuse passengers who are not properly clothed.

Another girl wearing grey leggings had to change before she was allowed to board her flight at Denver International Airport. A witness said the girl appeared to be 10 years old and was attempting to fly from Denver to Minneapolis.
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Hundreds of British Airways flights to and from Heathrow have now been cancelled as the airline battles to restore its operations at its main base. This has left thousands more passengers added to the numbers stranded by BAs difficulties, with an estimated 100,000 now out of position.

Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds-Bradford and Newcastle are the UK routes selected for further cancellations. Many European destinations which have already seen multiple groundings on Sunday and Monday have been selected for further flight cancellations, including Dublin, Berlin and Rome.

By 6pm on Monday, well over 300 BA departures and arrivals at Heathrow had been grounded, a similar number to those cancelled on Sunday. Many outbound long-haul services were axed, including five to New York alone plus departures to Mumbai, Rio, Beijing and Tokyo.

At Terminal 5, frustrations increased as wave after wave of departures were cancelled during the day. Mike, a passenger from Dubai to Glasgow, was due to arrive in the Scottish city at 9am on Monday. Instead, he faced a five-hour delay from the Gulf airport plus a three-hour wait on arrival for a gate to accept the aircraft.

We then came into the airport, there was nobody to speak to, the queues were miles long, he told The Independent. This morning, the queues are even longer, so Im now looking at trying to get a train back to Glasgow. Im going to get back 36, 40 hours after I was supposed to.

Similar stories emerged from a wide range of airports where British Airways passengers were stranded.

Sarah Griffiths reported: My parents are still stuck at Pisa airport from Sunday evening. A BA rep finally appeared yesterday evening and they were taken to a hotel. This morning they were told the first flight available would be on Tuesday, but then they were told to be at reception in one hour's time."

They eventually flew out on flight that had been delayed by seven hours.

No-fly zone: some of the cancelled arrivals at Heathrow (British Airways)

Other relatively fortunate arriving passengers included planeloads from Copenhagen, St Petersburg and Mumbai, who eventually arrived 24 hours late. The flight from India had spent the night at Frankfurt. Skiers heading for Innsbruck were heartened when their aircraft took off for the Tyrol, but then it diverted to Munich because of bad weather at the Austrian airport.

Services to Amsterdam, Brussels and Nice were also severely disrupted by wintry conditions.

A spokesperson said: We are very sorry that customers continue to suffer from the disruption to flights at Heathrow caused by the severe weather conditions that have affected airports across northern Europe.

Time spent on de-icing aircraft to ensure safe operation plus air traffic control restrictions and the repositioning of aircraft and crews from yesterday have led to further cancellations and delays today.

We understand how frustrating this experience is for customers and we are offering refunds for those who no longer wish to travel from Heathrow today or tomorrow regardless of whether their flight is cancelled or not.

We are also offering the opportunity for anyone not wishing to travel today or tomorrow to rebook their flight up until 18 December.

Rumour circulated on social media suggesting that British Airways had run out of de-icing fluid, but that was flatly denied by the airline.

'Snow chaos'  in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 'Snow chaos'  in pictures 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Snow in Coventry at Junction 2 on the M6 Motorway Rex 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Ungritted road in Haringey, North London 'Snow chaos'  in pictures An abandoned car is parked at the roadside after skidding into a rock on a rural road in Derbyshire 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Snow in Colindale, London Rex 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Cars and buses being helped out of the snow in Wood Green, London Rex 'Snow chaos'  in pictures An abandoned car on the roadside on the Snake Pass in the Peak District, Derbyshire PA 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Pedestrians battle the lashing cold rain on Westminster Bridge, London Rex 'Snow chaos'  in pictures An old Volkswagen Beetle travelling down a snowy road in Burnham, Buckinghamshire WENN 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Sheep in a snowy field near Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, as motorists are being warned of havoc on the roads as snow turns into ice following a weekend wintry blast PA 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Snow on the coast at Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Eden Valley in Cumbria where temperatures got to a chilly - 8 degrees overnight Rex 'Snow chaos'  in pictures Two women watch huge waves battering Chesil Beach, Dorset Rex

BA is finding alternative routes with other carriers, as it is obliged to do under EU passengers rights rules.

Our customer service teams are proactively offering flights to customers with dozens of airlines that we have agreements with, said the airlines spokesperson. Naturally it is easiest for us to do that with partner airlines such as Iberia and American but the list goes much further than that.

Alex Neill of the consumer magazine Which? said: We welcome BA confirming to us that it will rebook passengers on alternative flights and, importantly, that this will include booking seats with other airlines so that passengers can travel as soon as possible.

This is yet more proof of why automatic compensation needs to be introduced.

British Airways has declined to say whether disrupted passengers will be entitled to cash payments of between 250 and 600 under European rules, saying only: We always meet our obligations under EU261. Each flight will be looked at on a case by case basis.

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While Hanukkah is probably the Jewish festival with the most mainstream recognition, its far from the most important period on the Jewish calendar. Thats good news for Jews and non-Jews alike who want to travel during the eight-day period: because its a joyous time instead of a period of mourning, shops, museums and other attractions are open for much of the week, and its usual proximity to Christmas often makes it a convenient time for school holidays. Want to infuse some last-minute Festival of Lights into your travel plans? Heres where to go.

London

London goes big for Hanukkah, with a giant menorah in Trafalgar Square  which was lit by mayor Sadiq Khan no less, and placed beside the equally giant Christmas tree. The festivities, which kicked off on Tuesday, included free sufganiyot (see below) doughnuts handed out and a performance by acapella group the Maccabeats. The menorah will be in place until 20 December, with a different candle lit each day. Other events include menorahs on Islington Green and at the Jewish Museum in Camden Town.

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Paris

Its no secret that its the world capital of baked goods, but besides the usual brioches and baguettes, Paris is also a great place to discover Hanukkahs traditional sweet, sufganiyot. These jam doughnuts are fried in oil as a nod to the Hanukkah story, where the lamp remained lit for eight days despite only having enough oil for one. David Cohen, founder of Secret Paris Tours, recommends two neighbourhoods: The Ashkenazis are at their kosher bakeries in the 19th around Ourcq, while the Tunisian Jews are just up the road in the now-trendy 20th by Belleville at the legendary Tunisian Kosher Patisserie Nani.

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Hanukkah is a special time in Jerusalem (Djampa/Wikimedia Commons)

Tel Aviv and Jerusalem

Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have a relationship not unlike New York and Los Angeles  fractious siblings who force everyone to take a side. Both go all out for Hanukkah celebrations, but Tel Avivs takes a more party-heavy approach. Head to Independence Park for the nightly menorah lighting, and check out local events listings in Time Out Tel Aviv for street parties, musical performances and other lively events.

Over in Jerusalem, you can celebrate all December long with the Hamshushalayim festival. This annual event includes theatre, music, street carnivals and free admission to many of the citys most famous sites, such as the Israel Museum (thats where the Dead Sea Scrolls are) and the Tower of David.

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New York City

Many locals will proudly say that New York City has more Jews living in it than Jerusalem. Whether thats true or not, the citys Jewish community lights up  pun intended  around Hanukkah. Every year, Orthodox Jewish groups connected to two of the citys biggest parks, Prospect Park in Brooklyn and Central Park in Manhattan, try to outdo each other for the title of worlds biggest menorah. Gear up for the cross-borough shlep with bagels and smoked fish from Lower East Side deli Russ and Daughters, which expanded into a full sit-down restaurant in 2014 to celebrate its centennial.

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The synagogue in Curacao is one of the main sights in Willemstad (Christine Davies/Flickr)

Curacao

Looking for a warmer getaway? The Dutch-Caribbean island of Curacao, about 500km off the coast of Venezuela, is home to Mikve-Emanuel, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas, in the capital Willemstad. The bright yellow exterior and natural sand floors are beautiful enough, but kitted out in Hanukkah blue and silver  theyre even more special. For full historical context, stop by the synagogues small but well-tended museum or arrange a visit to the islands Jewish cemetery.

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Buenos Aires

As the home of the biggest Jewish community in South America, its natural to head to Buenos Aires for a warm-weather Hanukkah celebration. The communitys public menorah is in posh Recoleta, in the Plaza Republica Oriental del Uruguay. To visit the stained-glass-filled Templo Libertad, home to the Jewish museum and a kosher restaurant, youll need to arrive a day or two before your planned visit and bring your passport  sadly, security measures like these became necessary after two bombings in the 1990s targeted local Jewish sites. Hanukkahs most famous food is the latke (potato pancake)  the best one is at the Jewish-style (not kosher) La Crespo sandwich shop near Parque Los Andes.

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Dont miss the pizza ebraica from Boccione in Romes Jewish quarter (Julia Buckley)

Rome

It may be the home of the Pope, but theres a small but active Jewish community in the Eternal City, mostly around the Portico dOttavia area (the one-time Jewish ghetto established in 1555). The community puts up a menorah every year in the Piazza Barberini, with several parties throughout the week as new lights come on (hint: theres red wine involved). Roman Jews are particularly well known for their food traditions  much of what we think of as Roman cuisine actually started out in the Jewish community. On Via del Portico dOttavia, dont miss kosher bakery Pasticceria Boccione, which is renowned for its pizza ebraica (sweet almond-filled dough with candied fruit), and try traditional fried artichokes (carciofi alla giudia) at Nonna Betta.

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Ryanair pilots in Ireland have announced strike action just days before Christmas.

Trade union the Irish Air Line Pilots Association announced that a majority of its 84 Ryanair-employed members backed industrial action in a secret ballot which took place this weekend.

Ryanair was told of the strike - which will take place on 20 December - at lunchtime on Tuesday.

Although Stansted is Ryanairs largest base, it is headquartered in Dublin, and the Irish strike is likely to cause disruption to flights during the busy Christmas period.

Ryanair has 360 pilots based in Dublin.

The Irish contingent join Ryanair pilots in Italy and Germany in voting for industrial action.

Italy-based pilots plan a four-hour strike this Friday, 15 December. Those working for Ryanair, Vueling and Alitalia will take part, as well as air traffic controllers. Ryanair will strike from 1pm to 5pm.

It is the second strike announcement for the Italians. Last month they planned a similar stoppage, but cancelled it at the last minute.

Today, German pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) announced that a Ryanair strike can be expected at any time. Pilots across the airlines 87 European bases are campaigning for better conditions. Ryanair has offered pay rises, but fewer than a third of its bases have accepted.

The German trade union promised to avoid striking over Christmas, from 23-26 December.

But striking days beforehand will mean planes and crew in the wrong places, and the run-on effect could be disastrous for the holiday getaway.

 Could Ryanairs pilotgate spell the end of cheap flights?

Ryanair said in a statement: "Ryanair will deal with any such disruptions if, or when they arise, and we apologise sincerely to customers for any upset or worry this threatened action by less than 28 per cent of our Dublin pilots may cause them over the coming days.

"While some disruption may occur, Ryanair believes this will largely be confined to a small group of pilots who are working their notice and will shortly leave Ryanair, so they dont care how much upset they cause colleagues or customers."

Calling IALPA the "Aer Lingus pilots union", the statement concluded:

"Ryanair will not recognise an Aer Lingus pilot union, no matter how often or how long this tiny minority (earning between 150,000 to 190,000 p.a.) try to disrupt our flights or our customers plans during Christmas week."

In a separate statement, Ryanair said about the German strike: Ryanair has received no notification of any industrial action by its German pilots so we suspect this is more PR activity by the Lufthansa pilots group VC.

"If any such action takes place, Ryanair will deal with it head on, but we will not deal with or recognise the Lufthansa pilots union VC, regardless of what action  if any  takes place."

The airline said that it expects the Italian strike to be called off.

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Rough Guides just announced its list of must-visit destinations for 2018  and number one raised a few eyebrows. While the paradise-like vistas of Sri Lanka or the bustling streets of Lisbon might seem a fitting champion, the top spot was nabbed by none other than our native Newcastle.

Praised for its friendliness, nightlife, restaurant scene and architecture, the northern powerhouse was also deemed friendly on the wallet.

But Newcastle isnt the only unexpected inclusion in the flurry of lists declaring the places we should all flock to in 2018. Here are some of the oddest.

Djibouti

Located in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti controversially made it onto Lonely Planets list of top 10 countries for 2018. Controversial because human rights organisations have raised concerns about abuses there over the years. The USs 2016 human rights report on Djibouti noted issues such as the use of excessive force, including torture, harsh prison conditions, arbitrary arrest and prolonged pre-trial detention, denial of fair public trial, interference with privacy rights, discrimination and violence against women, female genital mutilation, child abuse, human trafficking and discrimination against people with disabilities and HIV/AIDS and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex community.

Djibouti was deemed an odd choice due to a questionable human rights record (Getty) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In addition, Djiboutis media environment is dominated by the state; there are no private TV or radio stations and the government owns the main newspaper and the national broadcaster, Radiodiffusion-Television de Djibouti.

Lonely Planet told us: The inclusion of Djibouti in Lonely Planets Best in Travel 2018 does not represent an endorsement of any political or cultural practices within the country. Lonely Planets philosophy is that responsible, independent travel can enhance tolerance and understanding. By visiting a country, travellers can support local businesses and speak to locals without being complicit with a government or their actions.

When outlining the reasons for selecting Djibouti in this years list, we have highlighted some of the positive experiences on offer to travellers, but ultimately the decision to visit should be an individual one and our role is, and will always be, to provide independent and accurate travel information to inform that decision.

Find hotels in Djibouti

Lanzarote

Lanzarote, one of the Canary islands off the coast of West Africa, surprisingly also made it onto Lonely Planets best destinations list  specifically the best value category. Its black lava rock formations juxtaposed by white sand beaches and turquoise sea make for a dramatic backdrop whether on a summer holiday or a winter-sun excursion. Its long been popular with Brits, but affordable isnt the first word that springs to mind. While Lonely Planet says the island has well developed infrastructure that makes it a doddle to find affordable lodgings, food and car rental, the cheapest available return flights in August for next year already cost over 200 from the UK.

Find hotels in Lanzarote

Canberra

Canberra has long been overlooked in favour of Sydney (Getty) (Getty Images)

Australias slightly bland capital is usually overlooked in favour of Sydney and Melbourne, but Lonely Planet declared it number three in its list of top cities for 2018. It says: Criminally overlooked Canberra packs a big punch for such a small city. National treasures are found round almost every corner and exciting new boutique precincts have emerged, bulging with gastronomic highlights and cultural must-dos.

Find hotels in Canberra

Coventry

Recommended Why Coventry was named UK City of Culture

The Midlands city was just announced as the UK City of Culture for 2021, which may come as something of a shock for anyone whos been there. Coventry was heavily bombed during World War II and many of its buildings, including the cathedral, were destroyed. They were replaced by not-all-that-exciting architecture  although the new cathedral is something special, designed by Sir Basil Spence, with an exquisite, modern stained-glass window. Although one of our writers found much to love in Coventry, theres not a huge amount of classical culture to be found  yet. Hopefully it will be a different a story come three years time.

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Boise

Boise is shaking off its image as a convention centre (iStock)

Idahos capital city is traditionally known as a business destination thanks to the Boise Centre, Idahos largest convention centre. However, Boise made it onto Travel and Leisures top 50 places to travel to in 2018 list. How, you ask? Apparently it has an invigorated downtown, with the newly opened Inn at 500, a 110-room boutique hotel with a superb on-site restaurant, Richards. The city also has a thriving craft beer scene and burgeoning wine industry.

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Tunisia

For many, Tunisia is still inexplicably linked in their minds with terrorism after the Sousse attack in June 2015, which saw 38 people, mainly British tourists, killed by gunmen. But three years on, Rough Guides is ready to recommend it once more. It says of the formerly popular holiday destination: Efforts by the Tunisian government to strengthen the protection of tourist centres is evident: Theres an increased police presence and an overall heightened sense of security.

And, in July 2017, the Foreign Office eased its advice against British tourists travelling to Tunisia, including in relation to the capital Tunis and major tourist sites, such as Carthage, the Bardo Museum, the beaches of Hammamet and the idyllic island of Djerba.

Find hotels in Tunisia

St Helena

St Helena opened its airport this year (Getty)

Frommers named the remote volcanic outpost in the south Atlantic Ocean as one of its best places to go in 2018, partly due to St Helena finally being accessible by plane, with the first ever commercial flight landing there earlier this year. However, with crosswinds so severe that they repeatedly delayed the opening of the airport, and turbulent landings still an issue, depending on which direction you fly in from, perhaps theres no need to rush there just yet.

Find hotels in St Helena
STATESVILLE  Carolina Farm Credit is excited to announce that participants for the 9th annual Ag Biz Planner course have been chosen. The Ag Biz Planner program is an e-learning financial and business planning course whose curriculum includes financial and business planning, budgeting and other money matters essential to a farms success. Each couple is paired with an experienced Carolina Farm Credit Loan Officer to mentor them throughout the program.

The seven couples chosen this year are:

Mary Beth Miller and Brock Phillip from Kannapolis, will be mentored by Libby Watson, a loan officer from Carolina Farm Credits Salisbury Branch. Mary Beth and Brock currently operate a mixed vegetables/cut flowers/mushroom farm, and also have a small flock of grass fed sheep.

Reida and Paul Hudson from Shelby, will be mentored by Suzette Smith, loan officer from the Shelby branch of Carolina Farm Credit. Their business operation includes 4 broiler chicken houses, beef cattle, and row crops.

Grace Summers of Browns Summit, is being mentored by loan officer Wanda Harris from Carolina Farm Credits Browns Summit branch. Graces operation currently consists of free range meat chickens and eggs, along with produce.

Melissa and Collin George from Swannanoa, will be mentored by loan officer Raynia White from the Asheville branch of Carolina Farm Credit. Their farming consists of grass fed beef, pasture poultry, and eggs.

Clint and Brandy Beck of Seagrove, are being mentored by Kyla Craven, loan officer from Carolina Farm Credits Siler City branch. Clint and Brandy currently operate a small cattle farm and are in the process of building 4 pullet houses.

Chris Westmorland from Huntersville, is being mentored by Jennifer Minton, loan officer from Carolina Farm Credits Statesville branch. Chris operation consists of row crops and beef cattle.

Benjamin Grimes of Hurdle Mills, is being mentored by Carey Owens, loan officer from Carolina Farm Credits Graham branch. Benjamin currently raises GMO free pasture pork, chicken, turkey, along with grass fed lamb.

This years selected Ag Biz Planner participants have diverse agricultural backgrounds. This program will allow them to examine their operations and find areas for improvement. This program is just another way that Carolina Farm Credit helps support agriculture and our local communities. said Carolina Farm Credit CEO Vance Dalton.

Carolina Farm Credit is offering the Farm Credit University on-line program in conjunction with the Farm Credit Associations in North Carolina and Virginia including AgCarolina Farm Credit, Cape Fear Farm Credit, Farm Credit of the Virginias and Colonial Farm Credit. Participants will have the opportunity to interact and benchmark with producers from the other associations throughout the program and network at a conference at the conclusion of the program in Raleigh, NC.

Farm Credits e-learning program targets young, beginning, small, and minority farmers throughout the state. Participants will be assigned a Carolina Farm Credit loan officer to serve as their mentor throughout the course. Highlights of the program include modules that cover business and personal financial planning, understanding income statements, cash flow, and the smart use of credit on the farm. Each participant will have completed a business plan for their operation by the conclusion of the class.

Carolina Farm Credit is a stockholder-owned cooperative providing financing to full and part-time farmers and agricultural-related businesses and also provides financing for the construction and purchase of homes in 54 counties through 32 branch offices. Other financial services available are credit life insurance, appraisal services, leasing programs and financial planning.
CONFERENCE FORMAT

The highlight of the event would be a two-day conference focusing upon Indian mining industry; with discussions on current

trends, developments, challenges, opportunities and future prospects.

Aligned with the theme, the conference would have technical sessions highlighting upon Indian mining perspective,

technological advancements, mining machinery & equipment importance, exploration, state mining industries, skill

development, mining contribution to GDP, policy regulations, international collaborations and

future requirements of the industry.



Aligned with the objective of upping the TEMPO for furthering the growth of the industry, the theme of the conference

focuses upon:

The conference would witness the presence of Who's Who of the mining industry,

Government Officials, machinery / equipment / technology providers, end-users, logistics providers and all other

stakeholders concerned with the mining activities.
Russias Syria Success Highlights US Mission Mess

By Finian Cunningham

December 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Russian President Vladimir Putins order to withdraw his countys forces from Syria makes sense militarily, politically, and strategically. The war has been won. Job done. Now its time to win the peace.

Making a clear-cut end to military operations in Syria in this way only emphasizes what everyone knows, or should know. The Syrian state has been saved from being over-run by a US-backed covert war for regime change, largely because of Russias decisive military intervention.

Claims by the US and France it was their coalition forces defeating terror groups in Syria rightly deserve derision . It is obvious to the rest of the world that Russian military intervention, beginning in October 2015, was decisive in turning the war in favor of the Syrian government forces. Allies Iran and Lebanons Hezbollah, as well as Iraqi militia, were also crucial in defeating the foreign-backed insurgents.

Putin arrival in Syrias Latakia province Monday morning to address troops at the Khmeimim airbase conveyed an appropriate air of mission success. Greeted by Syrian President Bashar Assad and accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin thanked the Russian servicemen and women for their valor and said it was now time for the Russian forces to return home.

Russia will still, of course, retain an airbase at Khmeimim and its naval port at Tartus. Putin said his forces would be ready to return immediately if terrorists ever raised their heads again.

Winding down military operations serves to underscore Russias achievement in securing the Syrian state. It accentuates the coherent mission undertaken by Russian forces, as Moscow has consistently stated for the past two years. That is, deployed at the request of the Syrian government in a legal and principled manner.

Militarily, the objective conditions show the war is over. Apart from diminishing pockets of insurgents, there is no territory, city, town or village under the control of anti-government militants. When Syrian troops liberated Deir ez-Zor weeks ago that breakthrough marked final victory.

With the Syrian Arab Army in control and with Iranian forces vowing to remain in the country, as legally mandated, there is no military need for Russian troops to stay. The countrys security from Daesh and other Al-Qaeda-linked terror groups is largely checked.

As Putin noted, its time now to win the peace. A UN-sponsored peace process can be enabled by non-violent conditions on the ground for a political settlement to the nearly seven-year war. As the Russian leader also remarked, Syrian refugees are returning in droves to liberated areas which were once besieged by terrorists.

With Putin also announcing last week he is running for another term as president in elections next year, the success of Russian forces returning from Syria is another important political boon.

But moreover, the strategic, geopolitical import of Russian withdrawal is that it throws into sharp focus the malevolent forces behind this brutal war in which up to 400,000 people died, and millions were displaced from homes, a human tragedy that has dramatically impinged on Europes refugee crisis.

Just as Russia withdraws its troops, the Pentagon announces its forces are to remain, and at a level four times what it previously declared. The American-led Operation Inherent Resolve also involves other NATO members, Britain and France.

The presence of US-led forces in Syria has never been convincing. Purportedly they are there to defeat ISIS (Daesh) and other terror groups. Such claims are contradicted by evidence of the American CIA and other Western and Arab states giving covert support to the same terror groups. Even Western media cannot avoid reporting the glaring reality of evidence the US-led coalition has been caught providing safe passage to terror groups out of Raqqa.

Washington and Paris have lately tried, somewhat laughably, to belittle Russias contribution to defeating the terror groups and winning the war. They have claimed the threat of ISIS and other terror groups remain, and therefore the US-led coalition must remain in Syria.

Russias military withdrawal, leaving the country in the able hands of the Syrian army and its Iranian ally, emphasizes the bogus nature of the Western governments claims. It also focuses attention on the illegal nature of American, British and French presence in Syria. Those powers have no legal mandate to fly their warplanes over the country or infiltrate their special forces.

If the war is over  and it is  then what are these NATO forces doing in Syria? They are evidently imposters, violating Syrian sovereignty and liable for prosecution as aggressors.

Last week, the commander of Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Qassem Soleiman issued a stark warning to US forces in Syria. No American soldiers in Syria will be tolerated. I advise you to leave by your own will or you will be forced out, said the commander.

Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter

Putins order for Russian forces to redeploy from Syria is a prudent de-escalation of military traffic. Recently, there have been reports from the American and Russian sides of increasing risk from warplanes colliding.

It doesnt make sense for Russian operations to continue in Syria when the task of defeating the terror group is substantially complete. Continuing Russian air operations is just a waste of fuel. It also gives the American a cynical opportunity to create a confrontation  under a phony pretext of protecting its ground forces among residual Kurdish and Arab fighters.

Its better therefore for Russia to call a clear withdrawal from Syria. That lets the world see who the real victors in the Syrian War are. It also exposes  more than ever  the deeply pernicious role played by the US and its NATO allies.

The US mission in Syria is an impossible mess, just as it has been in other countries, from Afghanistan to Iraq, Libya to Yemen. Its impossible because it is riven with lies and false objectives. There has been no credible fight against terrorism. It has instead been an American and NATO fight with terrorism for a criminal objective of regime change.

Leaving the American forces to stew alone in Syria for no inherent good purpose, only for fraudulent objectives, will highlight another US-made criminal mess.

Russia can rightly claim a military, political and moral victory in Syria. The victory is clear-cut, along with the valiant efforts of Syrian, Iranian and Hezbollah allies.

Theres no need to linger when the mission is a success. Not only is it fitting that Russian forces bow out with dignity and pride. It is also fitting that US forces are left behind to illustrate their culpability in trying to destroy yet another Middle East country  and failing.

Granted, there is a danger the US military could still try to destabilize Syria. Washingtons machinations might try to rekindle an insurgency from the dregs of routed proxies. Thats possible, as is the regrouping of the terror networks to infest some other unfortunate Mideast country targeted for US-led regime change.

Though its improbable as a future threat to Syria, given the scale of defeat to the US-led proxy war forged by Russia.

Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent.

This article was originally published by RT -

====

Christmas in liberated Aleppo! Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas 2016 - May Syria and all of the people of the world live in peace!

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The Entire Russian Hacking Narrative Is Invalidated In This Single Assange Tweet

By Caitlin Johnstone

December 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange has been very active on Twitter lately, even for him. Between his frequent posts about the fight for Catalan independence from Spain and about WikiLeaks latest release on Russian domestic surveillance tactics, its easy to inadvertently skim past a single post unrelated to either of those topics when reading through his Twitter page. Luckily due to its immense significance its enjoying some circulation, and my primary goal with this article is to get even more eyes on it.

Neither Robert Mueller's team nor the US Senate Intelligence Committee has bothered to contact WikiLeaks or me, in any manner, ever.  @JulianAssange

This one tweet completely invalidates the notion that Robert Mueller has been conducting a legitimate investigation into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Regardless of the degree of suspicion in which Assange is held, there is absolutely no excuse for the people responsible for investigating Russia not to have had any interaction of any kind whatsoever with one of the central characters in the official narrative about what Russia is supposed to have done.

If his job was to find out what actually happened last year, Mueller would have spoken with Assange personally, and he would have done so long ago. But finding out what happened last year is not Muellers job. Muellers job is to enforce a pre-existing narrative. It is painfully obvious at this point that the Senate Intelligence Committee and Muellers team have been avoiding Assange the way Hillary Clinton avoids personal responsibility because Assange has said multiple times that the Russian government is not the source of the DNC leaks or the Podesta emails released last year.

If this is an actual investigation into an actual alleged crime, then Assange is necessarily either (A) a source of useful information, (B) a person of interest, or (C) a suspect in the crime itself. None of those allows for any excuse for not speaking to him. If its either (A) or (B), hes a potential goldmine of information for their investigation to make use of. If its (C), they can grill him and try to get him to give something up. Even someone caught on video committing a murder eventually gets interviewed by the law enforcement officials responsible for investigating their case to establish the accuseds side of the story; if they didnt, theyd be committing malpractice. Since they did not seek to question Assange early and extensively, this cannot possibly be an actual investigation into an actual allegation.

EVERY "privacy advocate" who is in bed with Wikileaks in any way is also in bed with Russian intelligence. Treat them accordingly. #SVR #FSB  @20committee ====

Is WikiLeaks in-bed with Russia? https://t.co/OjHomp0Fw7  @wikileaks

The fact of the matter is that Russia has been Americas Public Enemy Number One since the end of World War Two, and for that reason there is a longstanding tradition in the United States of tarring political enemies with baseless accusations of Kremlin ties. Establishment loyalists have been accusing WikiLeaks of being in bed with Russia since long before any election meddling accusations surfaced, despite the organizations long and continued record of publishing critical documents related to the Russian Federation. They have been doing so not because there is any basis for such accusations, but because WikiLeaks is their political enemy. There is nothing more hostile to Americas pernicious unelected power establishment than unauthorized truth-telling, and WikiLeaks is currently the worlds leader in unauthorized truth-telling. It is that simple.

Muellers investigation has no interest in finding the truth. Muellers investigation is actively avoiding all potential sources of truth. The US intelligence community to which Mueller is loyal is the right arm of Americas unelected power establishment, and due to conflicting economic and geopolitical interests things have been coming to a head with Russia for a long time. The neoconservative ideology which governs Americas foreign policy is geared first and foremost toward preventing the rise of another rival superpower, and the former seat of the Soviet Union will always be first on the list of suspects.

The establishment knows that Russia will need to be beaten down at some point in order to preserve deep state interests, and theyve been laying the bricks for that eventual conflict for years. There were concerns that their anointed queen Hillary Clinton was trying to start a war with Russia long before any allegations of hacking or meddling ever arose; here is an article from June 2015 titled Hillary Clintons hawkish position on Russia troubles both sides of aisle, which says explicitly, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton has pivoted left on domestic issues but stands out on foreign policy as more hawkish than some of her GOP rivals, even stoking fears that shes ready to put the U.S. on a warpath with Russia.

My legal team still has no feedback from Special Counsel Mueller. What's the point of his Russia probe if he doesn't consider the evidence?  @KimDotcom 1 month ago my legal team contacted Special Counsel Mueller. No reply. He's not interested in truth about @DNC leak. https://t.co/TvpVaLsmzW  @KimDotcom

Muellers investigation has one job, and that job aint finding the truth. All this Russia nonsense is geared toward pressuring Trump into cooperating with the escalations that Hillary Clinton was meant to be responsible for overseeing. Thats why it looks so sloppy and desperate all the time; this whole thing was slapped together in the last minute in response to her shocking loss, and theyre operating within a margin of error thats tighter than a bees pussy.

There are a lot of extremely powerful people who have built some massive corporate kingdoms upon this empire, and their investments require this scheme to go smoothly. As noted in a recent Department of Defense Risk Assessment by the US Army Strategic Studies Institute, the US empire is in what it calls post-primacy and may currently be on its way out the door.

In brief, the assessment reads, the status quo that was hatched and nurtured by U.S. strategists after World War II and has for decades been the principal beat for DoD is not merely fraying but may, in fact, be collapsing. Consequently, the United States role in and approach to the world may be fundamentally changing as well.

Things are not going as planned for Americas true rulers. Not in Syria , not in North Korea , and certainly not in Russia. Peoples unprecedented ability to network and share information due to rising internet literacy and access has caused a severe breakdown in the propaganda machine which holds their entire prison together, and people are waking up to their manipulations. These creeps are on the back foot now. Keep fighting and wrest control of the world away from the plutocratic sociopaths who are trying to deceive and enslave us.

Caitlin Johnstone is a 100 percent reader-funded journalist so if you enjoyed this, please consider helping me out by sharing it around, liking me on Facebook , following me on Twitter , or throwing some money into my hat on Patreon .

This article was originally published by Medium -

====

Rep. Jordan presses Wray over Strzok, anti-Trump dossier

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The US Military Is the Biggest "Big Government" Entitlement Program on the Planet

By JP Sottile

Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout

December 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The US economy is caught in a trap. That trap is the Department of Defense: an increasingly sticky wicket that relies on an annual, trillion-dollar redistribution of government-collected wealth. In fact, it's the biggest "big government" program on the planet, easily beating out China's People's Liberation Army in both size and cost. It is not only the " nation's largest employer ," with 2.867 million people currently on the payroll, but it also provides government benefits to 2 million retirees and their family members. And it actively picks private sector winners by targeting billions of dollars to an elite group of profit-seeking contractors.

The top five overall recipients collectively pulled in $109.5 billion in FY2016, and their cohorts consistently dominate the government's list of top 100 contractors . They reap this yearly largesse through a Rube-Goldberg-like system of influence peddlers, revolving doors and wasteful taxpayer-funded boondoggles. Finally, it is all justified by a deadly feedback loop of perpetual warfare that is predicated on a predictable supply of blowback.

But this belligerent cash machine doesn't just produce haphazard interventions and shady partnerships with a motley assortment of strongmen, proxies and frenemies. It also has Uncle Sam caught in a strange cycle of taxpayer-funded dependence that may ultimately be the most expensive -- and least productive -- jobs program in human history.

That fact came into focus on June 14, 2017. That's when Donald J. Trump enthusiastically participated in one of the presidency's most time-honored traditions: he sold weapons to a foreign power. This time it was a $12 billion deal to sell 36 F-15QA fighter jets to the tiny petro-state of Qatar. And in an unintentional moment of truth, the jubilant Qatari ambassador to the US tweeted a photo of the signing:

Qatar signs LOA for the purchase of the F-15QA fighter jets creating 60,000 new jobs in 42 states across the United States pic.twitter.com/tnOAC3KGma  Meshal Hamad AlThani (@Amb_AlThani) June 14, 2017

In less than 140 characters, Ambassador Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani exposed the trap that has Uncle Sam pouring $1 trillion each year into an economy of diminishing returns that can only be mitigated with ever more spending on weapons and more military interventions that destabilize more regions which, in turn, stokes more purchases of weapons both at home and abroad.

This direct government infusion of money into a massive, complex defense industry not only benefits corporations and shareholders, but also the employees who make the tanks, planes, bombs, helmets, shoes, epaulets, bandages, pre-packed meals and just about everything else that goes into maintaining the US's military might.

That's why President Trump himself crowed about " jobs, jobs, jobs " after signing a $110 billion defense pact with Qatar's neighbor during his sword-dancing sojourn in Saudi Arabia. It's also why the mantra of "jobs, jobs, jobs" is central to Trump's plan to radically expand the US Navy . And it is why "jobs" is a primary selling point of his administration's effort to " unleash " US exports of weapons and military hardware overseas. We might call this phenomenon "military Keynesianism."

Taking the Keynes Out of Keynesianism

British economist John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) developed his eponymous macroeconomic ideas during the height of the Great Depression. Simply put, Keynesianism advocates government spending (often supported by profuse borrowing) to stimulate economic growth, to mitigate unemployment, or to simply stabilize economies and labor markets during the vicissitudes of capitalism's turbulent business cycles. Keynes advocated deficit spending to temper these swings and, most importantly, to stoke latent demand.

That emphasis on government intervention, along with Keynes's influence on President Franklin Delano R oosevelt and on the New Deal made Keynesianism a primary post-war target of conservative activists, who believed it was tantamount to socialism .

Actually, many economists agree that Keynes advocated government intervention to save capitalism from socialism. What Keynes did not advocate was the use of military spending to achieve increased economic activity. He said as much in an oft-cited letter to FDR in 1933:

In the past orthodox finance has regarded a war as the only legitimate excuse for creating employment by governmental expenditure. You, Mr. President, having cast off such fetters, are free to engage in the interests of peace and prosperity the technique which hitherto has only been allowed to serve the purposes of war and destruction.

Ironically, that "past orthodoxy" was exactly what the Reagan Revolution reinstated when it "defeated" Keynesianism in 1980.

As an acolyte of Milton Friedman's neoliberal economics, Ronald Reagan famously said "government wasn't the solution, it was the problem." He also made radical cuts to "government," a.k.a. "the welfare state." But Reagan's enormous military build-up somehow avoided the dreaded "government" label, and thus, the cuts. In fact, in a Keynesian twist, borrowing skyrocketed to help fund military expansion under Reagan. Jobs were created in the ballooning defense industry, particularly in regional hubs like Southern California.

At the time, economists criticized Reagan's military buildup as an "inefficient" way to stoke employment . And it's still considered inefficient -- by an economist at the St. Louis Federal Reserve , by libertarian thinker Veronique de Rugy and by scholar Heidi Garrett-Peltier of the Costs of War Project . But they are rare apostates against US orthodoxy. And it's been that way since Reagan replaced traditional Keynesianism with a weaponized version that tacitly embraced the idea of "war as the only legitimate excuse for creating employment by governmental expenditure."

And while Keynesianism's harshest critics still deride it as "socialism" and "government intervention," rare is the fiscal fussbudget who attacks Uncle Sam's yearly reallocation of wealth to sustain the world's biggest government program. Equally as rare is the budgetary hawk who doesn't dip his or her beak into the deep, Keynesian pool of public funds when it comes time to fill-up the National Defense Authorization Act with tax dollars. For many members of Congress, a vote for a tank, a fighter jet or a base expansion is also a crucial vote to put money into their constituents' pockets.

The ultimate triumph of this orthodoxy was made clear in 2009 when the "liberal," John Podesta-founded Center for American Progress published a nine-page memo touting the ways "Military Spending Can Grow the Nation's Economy." Well-known defense analyst Lawrence Korb was the lead author of the memo. Writing in the wake of the Great Crash of 2008, Korb and Co. advocated a spike in military spending as a way to "jumpstart the economy" through government investment in three key areas :

1. Increased recruitment into the military as a safety valve for excess labor capacity;

2. Construction spending around the massive network of bases and facilities to stoke employment;

3. Weapons and equipment purchases as a de facto pass-thru to contractors and companies to provide income to US workers.

In other words, these "liberal" analysts proposed laundering public funds through the defense budget and into the economy. Their ideas, of course, were not new; truth be told, that's what the defense budget has done for decades, thanks to a willingness to spread the wealth liberally.

Supply Chains That Bind

The F-35 jet program is the ultimate avatar of military Keynesianism. The jet, produced by the giant military and security corporation Lockheed Martin, is a $406 billion plane that suffocates pilots , struggles with inclement weather , experienced engine fires and will cost over $1 trillion just to operate and support .

Yet boondoggles like the F-35 program amble through the budget process like unstoppable zombies that eat the brains of politicians and policymakers. While there's no doubt that millions of dollars in corporate lobbying play a huge part, that's not the only reason why projects like this happen. It's also the jobs, stupid. Just ask the commander-in-chief.

Initially, President Trump " slammed " Lockheed's beleaguered jet as "way, way behind schedule" and "many billions of dollars over budget." In response, Lockheed entered "renegotiations" to bring down the cost per plane. Lockheed's CEO promised that its "new" deal would "create 1,800 new jobs" in Texas. The F-35 already employed 38,900 Texans and, as the LA Times pointed out , its "supply chain touches 45 states." You see, it's all about supply chains. That explains the Qatari ambassador's tweet about the "60,000" jobs in "42" states after his nation purchased 36 F-15QAs. It also explains how a widely dispersed defense budget creates constituencies in congressional districts around the country.

As the Chicago Tribune reported , Georgia, California, Arizona and Florida join Texas in "playing the leading roles in testing and manufacturing" the F-35. And its impressive chain links "more than 1,250 domestic suppliers" who "produce thousands of components." Once Lockheed announced its unofficial deal to shave $728 million off the latest " batch " of 90, Trump again touted his specious role in securing more "jobs" ... thanks to the F-35!

Now Trump is a full-on F-35 enthusiast, stepping up to the role of sales rep for the supposedly " invisible " plane, and Japan is his latest customer. Although Japanese Prime Minister Abe "walked it back," Trump claimed Abe would be "purchasing massive amounts of military equipment, as he should." The shopping list included the F-35 and missiles of "many different kinds," and, of course, this big buy means "a lot of jobs for us (the United States) and a lot of safety for Japan."

So, is this the reason why the F-35 is too big to fail? Is it really just about making planes? It certainly isn't a matter of military might. The US already dominates the skies, and the future of aerial combat is moving with increasing speed toward flying killer robots. At the same time, the need to deploy military power to ensure the steady flow of oil into US factories and automobiles continues to lose its importance. The US has become a net exporter of hydrocarbons, and the looming specter of "peak oil" has been replaced with the sunnier likelihood of "peak demand" -- and that coming peak in the amount of oil the world market demands basically nullifies the leading rationale for 70 years of American empire.

As renewable energy sources become not only cost competitive but also preferred, one wonders how long it will make sense to station the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain or to patrol the South China Sea to challenge China's claim on the oil-rich area . Yet, with the "Trump Build-Up" officially underway, the US is quintupling down on a model not only rooted in economically flaccid military Keynesianism, but also in a decrepit national security strategy that might itself be a boondoggle.

Too Big to Fail?

The US stands alone as a globe-spanning empire with 787 overseas bases, " lily pad " deployments and host country facilities in 88 nations and territories, according to the most recent accounting by scholar David Vine. At home, a Google Maps search reveals another 603 bases, depots, arsenals and assorted military facilities peppered around the 50 states. The US dominates the land, sea and skies, and is moving to dominate space.

This empire hasn't come cheap. A 2008 study by the Nuclear Threat Initiative put the price tag of "all military spending from 1940 through 1996" at a fulsome $18.7 trillion. Spending dropped by one third throughout the '90s, but according to a meta-study by the Council on Foreign Relations, "the U.S. share of global military spending only fell by six percentage points." So, despite two " low-points " in 1998 ($296.7 billion) and 1999 ($298.4 billion), the US maintained its significant advantage heading into the 21st century.

That advantage became grotesque as budgets ballooned to fight a globe-spanning "war on terror." In 2017, the US spent $611 billion on the defense budget alone, easily outspending the eight-biggest spenders combined . In 2018, spending will hit $700 billion . And, when war funding, nuclear weapons, intelligence operations, homeland security and veteran benefits are included, the real annual total for all " defense-related " spending regularly tops $1 trillion. All told, the US's "post-9/11 wars will total more than $5.6 trillion by the end of fiscal year 2018," according to the Costs of War Project .

On the other hand, Russia spent a mere $69.2 billion on its military in 2016, and that total dropped to $49.2 billion in 2017. So Russia's total military budget is far less than the amount ($80 billion ) Congress added onto this year's US military budget. Meanwhile, China spent roughly one-quarter of what the US spent in 2017 with a budget of $151.43 billion . So, while China's government actively invests in supercomputing , AI , biotech and, most importantly, in a trillion-dollar " Belt and Road " program that's building infrastructure in other countries , the US pours money into a jobs program that doesn't produce consumer products, isn't rebuilding roads and bridges, isn't building a new electrical grid, nor alleviating crushing student debt.

Instead, taxpayers' only end product is a larger military with more bases and more weapons. However, without a serious shift toward non-defense government priorities, cutting the defense budget would mean, in the immediate term, many Americans losing their jobs. In the absence of non-military jobs programs and other forms of robust social spending, these workers depend on military tax dollars to fund their livelihoods, their health care and their kids' educations. Tax dollars sustain the military-driven local and regional economies within which they live and work. Not coincidentally, this misallocated investment in a "war and weapons-based economy" is, as Major Gen. (Ret.) Dennis Laich and Col. (Ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson write , also reflected in the inherent "unfairness" that feeds off the "all-volunteer force."

They detailed how the US's systemic inequality is reflected in the undeniable fact that the job of fighting now falls disproportionately on Americans from rural communities and "less well-to-do" areas. Amazingly, the Army gets more soldiers from Alabama (population 4.8 million) than "from New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles combined" (population 25 million). Similarly, 40 percent of the Army comes from seven states of the Old South." This is a military drawn from those left behind by the emerging " Industry 4.0 " economy in urban hubs. This is their one sure thing -- courtesy of Uncle Sam.

What this means is that the US is straddled with an entitlement program that is as much of a "third rail" as Medicare and Social Security. Like those entitlements, sudden cuts mean direct and immediate pain for a lot of Americans who simply cannot afford it. It also means we have to finally admit that the defense budget is as much about jobs as it is national security.

And if we are truly honest with ourselves, we should admit that the wealth we all still share was built in no small part on the back of the military-industrial complex. There is a reason why 4.4 percent of the world's population so easily consumes a quarter of the world's resources . But now that model is atrophying. Soft power and symmetrical warfare are intersecting with technology to challenge the paradigm. And blowback from empire is draining vital capital.

So, what are the options now that the US finds itself stuck in this paradigmatic trap? There are three possible alternatives.

One is to simply slash the budget. The downside is that it will dislocate millions of people who rely directly and indirectly on defense spending. The upside is that it will force an immediate retreat from both empire and military Keynesianism. This also could stoke some economic growth if the half to three-quarters of a trillion in annual savings was "returned" to taxpayers in the form of a rebate check. Basically, Americans would finally get the " peace dividend " almost 30 years after the Cold War ended.

The second option is the post-WWII demobilization model. That influx of manpower was met with the GI Bill , tax breaks for new homeowners and investments in infrastructure . This is a truly Keynesian solution. Infrastructure jobs and educational subsidies would provide relief to Americans currently reliant on military Keynesianism for their livelihoods. The original GI Bill "returned $7 to the American economy for every $1 invested in the GI Bill," notes Jared Lyon of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. And a study by Costs of War Project determined allocating resources to "clean energy and health care spending create 50 percent more jobs than the equivalent amount of spending on the military," and "education spending creates more than twice as many jobs" as defense spending.

Frankly, either of these two solutions is far better than the third option, which is to continue to misallocate hundreds of billions in precious capital away from the productive economy while wreaking havoc at home and abroad. And that's the ultimate no-win situation for a militarized economy that has manufactured its share of bloody, no-win situations since the end of World War II.

JP Sottile is a freelance journalist, published historian, radio co-host and documentary filmmaker ( The Warning , 2008). His credits include a stint on the Newshour news desk, C-SPAN and as newsmagazine producer for ABC affiliate WJLA in Washington. His weekly show, "Inside the Headlines With The Newsvandal," co-hosted by James Moore, airs every Friday on KRUU-FM in Fairfield, Iowa. He blogs under the pseudonym "the Newsvandal."

This article was originally published by Truthout -

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Hanan Ashrawi: US Ripped Legal Foundation of Peace

By Al Jazeera

December 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - A senior member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) has denounced US Vice President Mike Pence over his apparent regret that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refused a meeting with him.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hanan Ashrawi said on Monday that the US has made any peace talks between Israel and Palestine "irrelevant and superfluous" with its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"The US administration has totally ripped apart the very legal foundation for peace in the region with their latest recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital," she said.

"The Trump administration has destroyed every component of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. They sided with the Israeli occupiers."

Pence was due to meet Abbas in Bethlehem on December 19 as part of a regional tour, but the Palestinian leader withdrew after the controversial US move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital last week.

"It's unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region," Alyssa Farah, Pence's press secretary, said in a statement on Sunday.

"But the administration remains undeterred in its efforts to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and our peace team remains hard at work putting together a plan."

The US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem has drawn international condemnation and sparked a wave of protests . Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

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Pence will meet Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his visit to the region later this month, Farah confirmed.

Jibril Rajoub , a senior Fatah politician, said that Abbas would not meet the US vice president in a statement on December 7.

"In the name of Fatah, I say that we will not welcome [US President Donald ] Trump 's deputy in the Palestinian territories," he said.

As protests continue over the US Jerusalem move, 157 people were injured on Sunday in confrontations with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
On What Basis Can North Korea Trust The U.S.?



It wasn't the threat that worked, It was reduction of fear



By Kristin Christman

December 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Americans are instructed that North Korea is an aggressor that violates international agreements and doesn't negotiate. Until North Korea denuclearizes, we are told, the U.S. must continue rejecting its peace proposals.



After all, North Korea withdrew in 2003 from the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Its subsequent nuclear and missile testing violate the 1953 Korean War armistice agreement and 1994 Agreed Framework, by which North Korea agreed to end its nuclear weapons program.



It all sounds so principled and practical until you realize we're getting only half the story. And if you paint a one-sided story, you'll never get a two-sided solution.



Let's talk about violations. Paragraph 13d of the armistice prohibits introducing new types of weaponry into the Korean peninsula.



By 1958, the U.S. had begun violating the agreement by rolling in Honest John atomic rockets and atomic cannons into South Korea. Within a year, atomic demolition mines and nuclear-armed Matador cruise missiles were installed. U.S. helicopters routinely flew nuclear weapons near the DMZ. By the 1960s, the U.S. had deployed nearly 950 nuclear weapons to South Korea.



In wild violation of the armistice and the non-proliferation treaty, the U.S. made early use of nuclear weapons in future conflict the bedrock strategy against North Korea. Why? Because North Korea didn't have nukes to fight back. And because it was cheaper to deploy nukes rather than troops.



How did U.S. nukes escape surveillance by the international inspection teams charged with enforcing weaponry limits laid out in the armistice?



When the U.N. Command couldn't persuade North Korea to mutually abrogate paragraph 13d, President Dwight Eisenhower had the inspection teams evicted from the Koreas by cooking up evidence against them. Then, alleging that North Korea was violating paragraph 13d, the U.S.-dominated U.N. Command indicated it would no longer be bound by it  and in poured U.S. nukes.



North Korea condemned 13d's abrogation as an attempt to destroy the armistice and turn South Korea into a U.S. nuclear warfare base.



U.S. policymakers don't trust North Korea. But on what basis can North Korea trust the U.S.? What agreement with North Korea has the U.S. ever not violated?



In 1991 President George W. Bush withdrew nukes from South Korea because precision-guided conventional weapons became more useful. The U.S. nuclear umbrella remained, and the U.S. further trampled the armistice terms by supporting South Korea's ballistic missiles, deploying Patriot missiles and installing an anti-missile defense system.



Whichever agreement is under discussion, the same behavior is seen: the U.S. never sees its own violations as wrong.



Those supporting the controversial U.S./South Korea Key Resolve nuclear war simulations insist that deterring a North Korean invasion requires U.S./South Korea forces to be able to rapidly destroy the North Korean military before it inflicts much damage. Yet such inequality in military strength provokes fear, not peace.



Step into North Korea's shoes. Kim Jong Un maintains that a U.S./South Korea invasion can best be deterred if North Korea has a strong military capacity that can bite back. The U.S. has a history of invading and deposing leaders in militarily weaker nations, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Congo, Chile, Guatemala, etc. So what's so crazy about North Korea trying to deter another U.S. invasion?

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And how can North Korea be expected to disarm when there's talk of toppling Kim and U.S./South Korea war games may be cover for an invasion? Yes, the Kim dynasty has behaved abominably towards North Koreans, but its cruelty doesn't prove that North Korea's grievances are unjustified. To what extent has North Korea's fear of invasion or political assassination aggravated internal tensions?



A cooperative negotiated agreement must address not only U.S. grievances but North Korea's needs for survival, sovereignty, a Korean War peace treaty, mutual nuclear disarmament, food, access to energy  including the 23-years-delayed light water reactors, economic development and diplomatic relations.



Any agreement to "open up North Korea" must ensure that North Koreans don't become a cheap labor force for foreign profiteers, that North Korea's natural resources aren't appropriated by foreigners and that Korean identity and values are not upended by Western consumerism, individualism and hectic living.



South Korean grievances against North Korea and the U.S. should be addressed, including fear that South Korea's government represents the U.S. government more than South Koreans, many of whom have protested U.S. military bases, South Korea's troop deployment to Iraq, weapons systems and nuclear war simulations.



Lastly, the agreement must include training and monitoring of human rights, for North Korea's government must treat its people with the kindness and truthfulness with which it would like to be treated by the world.



Experts know that cooperative negotiated agreements endure, not power-based negotiation in which one side forces a deal upon the other using "diplomatic" pressure, preconditions, and sanctions.



Consider the Cuban missile crisis. We're taught to admire President Kennedy for his brinkmanship and nuclear war threat that allegedly cowed Soviet Premier Khrushchev into scuttling back home with his missiles. But actually, in a secret deal, Kennedy agreed to remove U.S. Jupiter missiles in Turkey and Italy in exchange for Soviet removal of missiles in Cuba. Plus, the U.S. promised not to invade Cuba.



It wasn't the threat that worked. It was the reduction of both sides' fears.



Kristin Christman is author of "Taxonomy of Peace."

This article was originally published by Albany Times Union -

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The President Who Stole Christmas

By Laurie Salameh

December 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - 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 dont practice Christmas traditions as part of their faith, they give Christians space and time to celebrate it and many even celebrate with us.

Ive 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 thats what makes President Trumps 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 wed be saying Merry Christmas again. I dont know who hasnt 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 wont be a merry one.

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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.

This article was originally published by Wallwritings -

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Donald Trump, Visionary of the (Single) State



Now that hes ripped the mask off the farce of a two-state solution, perhaps the U.S. president can help establish the first genuine democracy in the Middle East



By Gideon Levy

December 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " -Theodor Trump, the visionary of the single state. Without Herzls beard or Basel, the site of the First Zionist Congress, Donald Trump may become the founder of democracy in Israel-Palestine. Just as his vulgarity and sexism boosted the #MeToo movement, his blatant bias toward Zionism and the occupation might create a backlash that could effect the only remaining conceivable solution. Sometimes you need a defiant bully to shake things up. Trumps the guy. We should thank this dangerous man: He tore off the disguise and put an end to the masquerade.



Trump told the world the truth: The United States is not an honest broker, it never was and never will be. It is the greatest collaborator with the Israeli occupation, supporting, arming and funding it. It wants the occupation to continue. It never recoiled from it and of course did nothing to end it. Before Trump, it also mocked the world: the an endless peace process that never led (and was not intended to lead) to anything but the perpetuation of the occupation; countless purportedly balanced peace plans that America never tried to implement; countless purportedly neutral brokers, a majority of them Zionist Jews; and after all that, the appearance of an impartial peacemaker.



Trump came and put a stop to it. In deciding to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and only of Israel, he left no room for doubt: America is with the occupation, with Israel and only with Israel. Of course thats its right, and the right of its president  most Israelis are surely happy about it  but it wont bring about peace or relative justice.



Trump also conducted the sad funeral of the two-state solution, after its long decline into death. Now the heir must be found. In his horrifically one-sided announcement, Trump declared that there arent two nations with equal rights in this land of two nations. There is one nation with one capital and all the rights, and another, inferior nation with no rights. That other nation is not deserving of a state if it is not deserving of a capital in Jerusalem. That other nation must now recognize its situation and adjust its goals to the reality declared by Trump.

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The first to do so was Saeb Erekat, the veteran Palestinian negotiator. He said, fine, one state. The Palestinian Authority will have to go with it. It will no longer be able to talk about a two-state solution. It needs to start fighting for the obvious: equal rights for all. One person, one vote. One democratic state for two peoples. Thats the only remaining option other than apartheid. More than 700,000 Jewish settlers, including in East Jerusalem, were already there, and now America is officially behind them. The occupier received another prize, while the occupied received another blow.



The European Union will also have to adjust to reality and understand that winter is coming. Up to now, the EU has been in Americas shadow, its faithful servant when it comes to Middle East policy. Other than a few insignificant symbolic steps, it hasnt pursued a policy in keeping with public sentiment in Western Europe, most of which is opposed to the occupation.



Perhaps Trumps extremism will shake the EU out of its complacency and spur it to more courageous and, most important, more independent positions. And maybe Europe will also stop invoking the two-state mantra now that a few of its heads of state have recognized that its no longer viable. Perhaps Europe will take the lead in a new dialogue about equal rights for all.



And whom do we have to thank? The president of the United States. When the only genuine democracy in the Middle East is finally established, one day in the distant future, he should be invited. This American ultranationalist, who would have nothing to do with morality or justice or international law or human rights or minorities or Palestinians, should be made an honorary citizen of the new, just state.

This article was originally published by Haaretz -

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Trumps Doomsday Jerusalem Speech

By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

December 12, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - In 1995, a few short years after the official end of the Cold War when hope-filled nations were focusing on peace and prosperity, the United States Congress unanimously passed the  Jerusalem Embassy Act  into law. The law recognized Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The passage of this law was left unnoticed by most. Few objected to a law passed by the preeminent power of the new unilateral world order. Fewer still understood the consequences of the law.

On December 6, Donald Trump reminded the world of the decision made years ago. There was outrage, but the true implications of this decision were not discussed. Predictably, stories centered on Palestinians  and Jews. Some justified the decision while others condemned it. Many reasoned that the Palestinians had to be defended. While others thought that it was up to the Arabs and Moslems to challenge Americas decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The Jerusalem question raised legal challenges to religious claims. The cacophony of protests and cheers obscured the approaching doomsday scenario that had been in the making for decades. Few understood. None listened. Others are in denial, believing religious zealotry to be a geopolitical game. But what has been taking place under our noses is not a fight over real estate, or international law. It is the power of madness, or the mad in power, that is enabling religious fanaticism to prevail at a cost to our collective humanity.

How could we not have seen this coming? Perhaps our logic challenged it; or our sense of decency denied the reality of what was happening. It would seem too improbable, simply too far-fetched that we should denounce God with our science and yet usher in rupture to bring back the God science had disproved (Big Bang). But how do we ignore Senator Broxon telling a cheering crowd Now, I dont know about you, but when I heard about Jerusalem  where the King of Kings where our soon coming King is coming back to Jerusalem, it is because President Trump declared Jerusalem to be capital of Israel.

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And how do we ignore Benjamin Netanyahu taking ownership of Jerusalem stating that the Bible, the holy book for Jews and Christians, had justified it. Should we then be surprised that rabbis sent a letter of gratitude to Trump, praising him for  fulfilling prophecies. Prophecies do not sit well with modernity; nonetheless, they exist. And attempts to fulfill them are not new.

In 1990, there was an attempt by the Temple Mount Faithful to bring a cornerstone for a reconstructed Third Temple to the Temple Mount. In 2000, Ariel Sharon staged a provocative visit to the Temple Mount and said:  The Temple Mount is in our hands and will remain in our hands. It is the holiest site in Judaism and it is the right of every Jew to visit the Temple Mount ,.

In 2006, the Israeli government began work on an exact replica of the Hurva synagogue on its original site. The story of the Hurva has received little attention other than coinciding with Joe Bidens visit to Israel and that governments insistence on building more illegal settlements. But Hurva is the beginning of the end. Rabbis have been tailored for the special kind of garments they will be wearing in a rebuilt temple . (1)

Tragically for the world, such fanaticism is coupled with deadly weapons, thanks to the United States government. In 1999, Warner D. Farr, LTC, U.S. Army presented his findings in the Counterproliferation papers, Future Warfare Series No. 2, USAF Counterproliferation Center. This fascinating report, among other things, sounded the alarm over the probability of Gush Emunim, a right wing religious organization, or others, hijacking a nuclear device to liberate the Temple Mount for the building of the third temple.

America continued to fund Israels activities and shielded it from criticism.

So while the Western media paints a doomsday picture triggered by Moslems, and Mr. Trump, on cue from his Israeli boss points the accusatory finger at Moslems, there are far more precarious scenarios that are kept hidden from the public. The irony being that the Moslems are the only ones safeguarding the world from a Doomsday scenario by refusing to abandon the one city where both Christian and Jewish Zionists want to bring the world to an end.

What is incomprehensible is why is it that the rest of the world is following this pied piper into Armageddon? Surely is it not cowardice that prompts them to have Palestinians fight their battle. Or perhaps they believe they can avert this religious zealotry in time to save their skins while continuing to make a prophet by shedding the blood of the innocent in Jerusalem. How to explain their complicity and their madness other than to remind them to heed the words of Alexander the Great:  Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on US foreign policy.

(1)Tom Mountain. Preparing for the Third Temple Jewish Advocate. Boston:Aug 22, 2008. Vol. 199, Iss. 34, p. 9 (1 pp.)

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What Should We Fight For?

By Patrick Buchanan

December 12, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - "We will never accept Russias occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea," declaimed Rex Tillerson last week in Vienna.

"Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine."

Tillersons principled rejection of the seizure of land by military force  "never accept"  came just one day after President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital and pledged to move our embassy there.

How did Israel gain title to East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Golan Heights? Invasion, occupation, colonization, annexation.

Those lands are the spoils of victory from Israels 1967 Six-Day War.

Is Israel being severely sanctioned like Russia? Not quite.

Her yearly U.S. stipend is almost $4 billion, as she builds settlement after settlement on occupied land despite Americas feeble protests.

What Bibi Netanyahu just demonstrated is that, when dealing with the Americans and defending what is vital to Israel, perseverance pays off. Given time, the Americans will accept the new reality.

Like Bibi, Vladimir Putin is a nationalist. For him, the recapture of Crimea was the achievement of his presidency. For two centuries that peninsula had been home to Russias Black Sea Fleet and critical to her security.

Putin is not going to return Crimea to Kiev, and, eventually, we will accept this new reality as well.

For while whose flag flies over Crimea has never been crucial to us, it is to Putin. And like Israelis, Russians are resolute when it comes to taking and holding what they see as rightly theirs.

Both these conflicts reveal underlying realities that help explain Americas 21st-century long retreat. We face allies and antagonists who are more willing than are we to take risks, endure pain, persevere and fight to prevail.

This month, just days after North Korea tested a new ICBM, national security adviser H. R. McMaster declared that Trump "is committed to the total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

If so, we are committed to a goal we almost surely are not going to achieve. For, short of a war that could go nuclear, Kim Jong Un is not going to yield to our demands.

For Kim, nuclear weapons are not an option.

He knows that Saddam Hussein, who had given up his WMD, was hanged after the Americans attacked. He knows the grisly fate of Moammar Gadhafi, after he invited the West into Libya to dismantle his nuclear program and disarm him of any WMD.

Kim knows that if he surrenders his nuclear weapons, he has nothing to deter the Americans should they choose to use their arsenal on his armed forces, his regime, and him.

North Korea may enter talks, but Kim will never surrender the missiles and nukes that guarantee his survival. Look for the Americans to find a way to accommodate him.

Consider, too, Chinas proclaimed ownership of the South China Sea and her building on reefs and rocks in that sea, of artificial islands that are becoming air, missile and naval bases.

Hawkish voices are being raised that this is intolerable and U.S. air and naval power must be used if necessary to force a rollback of Chinas annexation and militarization of the South China Sea.

Why is this not going to happen?

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While this area is regarded as vital to China, it is not to us. And while China, a littoral state that controls Hainan Island in that sea, is a legitimate claimant to many of its islets, we are claimants to none.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan are the other claimants. But though their interests in the fishing grounds and seabed resources may be as great as Chinas, none has seen fit to challenge Beijings hegemony.

Why should we risk war with China to validate the claims of Communist Vietnam or Rodrigo Dutertes ruthless regime in Manila? Why should their fight become our fight?

Chinas interests in the sea are as crucial to her as were U.S. interests in the Caribbean when, a rising power in 1823, we declared the Monroe Doctrine. Over time, the worlds powers came to recognize and respect U.S. special interests in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

Given the steady rise of Chinese military power, the proximity of the islets to mainland China, the relative weakness and reluctance to confront of the other claimants, China will likely become the controlling power in the South China Sea, as we came to be the predominant power in the Western Hemisphere.

What we are witnessing in Crimea, across the Middle East, in the South China Sea, on the Korean peninsula, are nations more willing than we to sacrifice and take risks, because their interests there are far greater than ours.

What America needs is a new national consensus on what is vital to us and what is not, what we are willing to fight to defend and what we are not.

For this generation of Americans is not going to risk war, indefinitely, to sustain some Beltway elites idea of a "rules-based new world order." After the Cold War, we entered a new world  and we need new red lines to replace the old.

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of a new book, "Nixon's White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever." To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.

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Yesterday, 14-year-old, Joy Ezechikamnayo, was sworn in as the one-day-governor of Abia State, after she emerged the top performer in a rigorous essay competition that lasted over a week.

The 20 top performers in the essay competition were designated as follows:

1st position-Governor

2nd position  Deputy Governor

3rd position  SSG

17 others are Commissioners

The Abia States One Day Teenage Governor, Her Excellency Miss Joy Chikamnayo, begun discharging her duties yesterday as she inspected the ongoing reconstruction of Aba Road In Umuahia.

The 14-year-old was conducted round with her team by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works, Mr. Nwala..See photos below;

It will be recalled that Abia State maintained top position in West Africa School Certificate Examinations for a consecutive 3 years leading to the emergence of the state as the number one state in Education in Nigeria.

-YBL
2017 has been quite an eventful year for Nigeria and most especially the social media . As its common with human relationships, people will always inspire others as a result of what they do, who they and most of all how they influence our lives. and rightfully our duty, we bring you the top 5 people who caused the social media to go AGOG with negative and positive news. Enjoy

NATHANIEL BASSEY

Not only is Nathaniel Bassey one of the most talented and revered gospel minister, he is also responsible for making the social media burst with spiritual fervor. In 2017, Nathaniel Bassey brought the world a-buzzing with spiritual exercises on Instagram.He expertly used social media to gather Christians online in a manner that no one before him had done; the exercise popularly known as the #HallelujahChallenge. this lasted for a month and Christians tuned in to his live ministrations. It was said that a point over 50,000 people were streaming his concerts live.

2. DADDY FREEZE

Now this is one man that turned the whole country hay-wire whenever he graced us with controversial videos and tweets. He is known as one of the most controversial personalities on the social network. From bringing up the issue of tithing and controversial questions that tread on spiritual matters, freeze has given confidence to a lot of Nigerians to speak up on such matters.

3. ODUNLADE ADEKOLA

He has definitely redefined what memes are on Instagram and other media at large. Unarguably one of the most popular Yoruba actors in the country, Odunlade has become a permanent emoji because of his hilarious facial expressions. Kudos bro.

4. TOKE MAKINWA



Not only does the ever present socialite always makes a fashion statement, she makes the social media buzz all the freaking time! She has become one of the most controversial socialites to ever grace the media. From the marriage scandal to becoming a very spiritual somebody to a writer and an accused husband snatcher like her or not; Toke still makes buzzing look cool.

5. BOB RISKY

Now this is an example of a person who makes bad situations look good. So much has happened to and for this young cross dresser in 2017. He jumps from one controversy to another like a child jumping on a trampoline. The weirdest thing is he thrives on it and it still seems he is doing just fine with it.

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Who do you think we missed?
Two suspected members of the popular Badoo Cult group have been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command, in connection with the killing of a woman, Beatrice Alaba, and her son, David, at Temu village, in the Agbowa area of the state.

The command stated that two other suspects were apprehended for the murder of a pastor in the Fingers of God Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Victor Kanayo, in the Igbogbo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro had reported that the Badoo gang brutally killed the woman and her son on November 21, 2017, inflicting a serious injury on the womans daughter, Rachael.

On November 25, assailants suspected to be members of the cult, reportedly stormed the RCCG pastors residence, crushed him to death with a stone, and left his wife and child injured.

The attack reportedly occurred shortly after the state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, held a meeting with security operatives, community and religious leaders at the palace of the Ikorodu monarch, Oba Abdulrasheed Shotobi, from 10pm to 1am.

During a press briefing on Monday at the command headquarters in Ikeja, Imohimi said the suspects were arrested after painstaking investigations.

He said, I visited the scene of the first crime at Temu village, Agbowa, in company with the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, and other officers to conduct investigation and look for clues.

At the scene of crime, the following observations were made: the criminals gained entry into the womans room by carefully removing the louvers in the window. The assailants used a concrete stone to smash the deceaseds skulls.

In the course of investigation, which was covert and intensive, one Abdulrasaq Yahaya and one Abubakar Tenimu, from Ikorodu, were arrested in connection with the crime. A Nokia phone and a SIM card which belonged to the deceased woman and stolen from the scene of crime, were recovered from them.

Also, two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of one Pastor Victor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The four assailants made away with the pastors phone after killing him. The phone and the SIM card have been recovered from the two suspects, whose names are Ibrahim Aniwofoshe, 27, and Uche Igwe, 22, both of Aremu Street, Ojota.

The CP noted that the suspects had made confessional statements and were assisting the police in their investigation.

I want to appeal to people that we must not glorify the activities of this group by giving them any special name. They are hoodlums and murderers, he added.

Journalists were, however, not allowed to speak to the suspects, as they were quickly taken away after the briefing.
The police officer that attacked Actress, April Jojo Muse, earlier today, has been dismissed from the Nigerian Police force, LIB can authoritatively confirm. Recall that Jojo earlier in the day published a video online showing a police officer that attacked her, broke her glass and used pepper spray on her. Read here.

In a chat with LIB, the state police spokesperson, Sp. Chike Oti said the state police commissioner, Edgal Imohimi, after seeing the disturbing video, ordered the arrest of the erring officer. After investigation, the officer was found guilty and has been dismissed from the force. Oti added that the officer will be arraigned in court tomorrow.

The officer in question that is attached to the Atiwe police station has been arrested and after a summary trial, has been dismissed from the force. He will be arraigned in court tomorrow. Be rest assured that justice must be done he said

Source: Linda Ikejis blog
President Donald Trump has called for strict punishment for individuals, convicted of terrorism charges, the strongest penalty allowed by law. 

On Monday, a man detonated a bomb inside a New York City subway passageway near the Port Authority Bus Terminal, injuring three people.

The perpetrator sustained wounds in the explosion.

Authorities said the explosion was a terrorism-related attack.

Those convicted of engaging in acts of terror deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases.

America should always stand firm against terrorism and extremism, ensuring that our great institutions can address all evil acts of terror, Trump said in a statement.

The New York Police Department identified the Port Authority attack suspect as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah.

The media reported that Ullah is a Bangladeshi immigrant who lived in New Yorks borough of Brooklyn and used to work as a taxi driver and as an electrical.

NBC News broadcaster reported, citing law enforcement officials, that the suspect said he had detonated the explosive device after spotting a holiday display.

Media have drawn connections between the New York attack and the 2016 terror act at a Berlin Christmas market, which resulted in 12 people dead and 56 others injured.

The individual reportedly told investigators he perpetrated the attack in the name of the Islamic State terror group to avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world.

The broadcaster also reported, citing police, that the bomb used by the suspect on Monday was made from a pipe, a nine-volt battery, matches, and Christmas tree lights.

The New York Times reported, citing law enforcement, that Ullah said he had committed the blast in retaliation for the U.S. airstrikes in Syria and other countries, targeting IS members.

Also, Ullah told investigators he had been radicalised online.

Trumps recent statement is not the first in which the US president has called for death penalty for terrorism offenders.

Trump made the similar statement concerning perpetrator of the Nov. 1, terror attack in New Yorks Lower Manhattan, where a man drove a truck into a bike path, killing eight people and injuring 11 others.

Source : (Sputnik/NAN)
It has been reported that the government of Nigeria has finally handed over the State House in Marina to the Lagos State government.

According to Punch Metro, the Federal Government on Tuesday completed the process of handing over the State House, Marina to the Lagos State Government.

The process which started about 20 years ago was completed with the signing and exchanging of documents between the state government and the Federal Government in Abuja.

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, signed for the state government while the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, signed on behalf of the Federal Government.

Details later
Professor Yemi Osinbajo has discussed one of the limitations of the current anti-graft drive by President Muhammadu Buhari which has been described to be moving slow in pace.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday said a couple of strategic advice from independent sources, anti-corruption committees and special panels set up for the recovery of assets that were allegedly looted by previous government officials, had prevented the current administration from going forward with its desire to prosecute the looters.

He disclosed this at the 2017 celebration of the International Anti-corruption Day organised by the Inter-agency Task Team in Abuja.

He also stated that the government had succeeded in weeding out 50,000 ghost workers from its payroll in the last two years, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had charged 17 suspects to court for allegedly contributing to the crime.

The vice-president, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Rule of Law, Mr. Akingbolahan Adeniran, however explained that many assets were being recovered from those who stole from government.

He said, The administration has relied a lot on strategic advice, looking at the fight against corruption from a broad perspective, and basically relying on independent advice in order to move forward in fighting corruption.

It is focused a lot on prevention, and this is one aspect that a lot of people do not talk about so much. Then enforcement, this is the key aspect of the fight against corruption, there has to be accountability for those who basically violate the law.

Then asset recovery, which is a key element of the fight against corruption. As regards assets recovery, where there has been no conviction, it is because of the strategic advice that we were given.

Osinbajo also said the government had approved a National Anti-corruption Strategy, with which it would engage all strata of the Nigerian society in the fight against corruption.
The federal government is to refund Zamfara State a sum of over N56bn expended on the reconstruction of about 610 km federal roads across the state.

Disclosing this during the 2018 budget presentation to the state assembly, Governor Abdulaziz Yari also revealed that a committee from both legislative and executive arms at the federal level has visited the state to verify the claim by the state on the stated expenditure.

According to Governor Yari, President Buhari has directed the federal ministry of finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria, to issue promissory notes, which is equivalent to cash payment.

The sum is reflected in the course of the 2018 budget implementation, he added.

Governor Yari also commended the federal government for a sustainable financial support to states, acknowledging that President Buhari has remained consistent in ensuring that economies of the states remain steady.

He stated that the various interventions by the federal government towards ensuring the economic stability of the states of the federation include the bailout, infrastructure development loan, facilitation of loan re-structuring, London/Paris Club refunds as well, as budget support.

Yari, who is also Chairman of the Governors Forum disclosed that, since the inception of the Buhari administration, the federal government has been disbursing budget support to states, whenever the federation account falls below N600bn.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says his pursuit for change made him to leave his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr. Amaechi said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos last Saturday.

He said he would have done otherwise by staying in PDP to fight for the change, instead, he said he crossed over to APC because of his belief in President Muhammadu Buhari.

I moved from PDP to APC because I was tired of what was happening in the party, I had the option to stay because of my position as the Chairman of the Governors then.

I could use my position to fight them (PDP) and get what I wanted because I believed Nigeria was not going in the right direction by then.

My attention and belief shifted to Buhari which was the viable alternative, I believed in the change mantra because it was the only way to improve on what is on ground.

He has not disappointed because the economy is now back on track and is growing. This is evident in the current prices of food items because its getting lower, he told NAN.

Mr. Amaechi said prices of food would further crash because of the efforts of the government at making the country self-sufficient in food production.

With the change going on, the price will further crash because before this government came in, the price were soaring because we were importing food items, things we can grow here.

Now the policy of government is working which banned the importation of rice, the price is now about N16,000, but before now, we are importing about N3 billion worth of rice.

Before now too, we were importing another N3 billion worth of poultry products, we are importing tomatoes but with the ban, we are now concentrating on our local production.

Many states in the northern part of the country are now growing rice in large quantities though by right, the South-South geo-political zone should be doing that because they are the ones in the swampy area, he said.

Mr. Amaechi said the wastage in the PDP era was alarming, adding that the depletion of the excess crude account was supposed not have been.

When Obasanjo was leaving, he left about 65 billion dollars in the Excess Crude Account, but this money was frittered away and we wonder where the money is.

As at then, the price of crude oil during the president Goodluck Jonathans administration hovered around 140 dollars with this, they did not leave anything for the incoming government.

With that kind of money, we should be thinking of connecting Nigeria through rail system. The rail between Ibadan to Kano would have been completed.

Also the rail gauge between Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and Lagos to Calabar, but all the excess crude money was frittered away, we need to ask questions, he said.

Source : (NAN)
People have been talking on social media after a video showing Ali Modu Sheriff in an altercation with a crowd who nearly assaulted him.

An undated video has shown the moment a former governor of Borno, Ali Modu Sheriff was confronted by a hostile mob in Maiduguri. The ex- governor who was briefly the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party had finished praying before he was accosted by the angry crowd who pulled his dress and tried to physically assault him over an unknown reason.

It took the combined effort of armed police officers to push the crowd out of sight and secure the former Governor inside the house.

The video was shared by Sahara Reporters on social media.

Many people believe Sheriff might have lost the support of some northerners since he was defeated in court and ordered to stop parading himself as the Chairman of the party.

Watch video below:
The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, has urged Nigerians in his political circle to rededicate themselves and restore their commitment to God ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the 2019 general election, leaders and members of the party must go back to God in prayers and thanksgiving.

He also urged members in his political circle to re-dedicate themselves and restore their commitment to God.

Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State, stated these in Port Harcourt, while speaking of his miraculous inauguration as governor on October 26, 2007, after the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court that declared him the duly elected governor of the state.

The special thanksgiving service was arranged to mark the 10th anniversary of the apex courts judgement.

With former Vice President, Atiku Abubakars recent defection from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party, some members of the opposition PDP have urged Amaechi to also return to their fold.

Amaechi re-lived his ordeal in 2007 and how God showed up for him when all odds were against him.

The truth is that we believed God. Some who didnt believe left us just as they are leaving now. God told me that what he will do in Rivers State will tingle the ears, and I believed.

We were so broke, we could not pay legal fees or childrens school fees. My wife prayed every day and night. I was fasting and praying for 3 months. I told God I have a friend who has money, please make him remember me.

I called my friend and he told me he has been looking for me. I told him I was in Ghana and he asked for my account He sent me Two hundred million naira. This is just to tell you that I believed God and he answered me, Amaechi said.

He wondered why many of his friends and political associates whom he helped one way or the other have turned on him. But he said that it is Gods way of creating a vacuum for the youths to take charge.

He also advised the youth to be of help to people around them when they are in positions of power.

We must all go back to God in faith and prayers. Those who want to leave can go. I have come to understand that God passes us through these challenges to prove himself. Now that they have left, for me, this is an opportunity for the youths. It is your turn. You must ensure that we get to power for you to fill the vacuum left.

I have sometimes asked God, why do you use me to bless people and after blessing them, they run away. Count how many people in Rivers State politics today that I did not help somehow. I dont want to take the glory away from God. So for those who left, may God bless them.

When you get your own appointment, also put somebody. Allow God to use you and leave the rest all up to him, Amaechi advised.

On the 2019 elections, he continued, if we dont pray, 2019 will be very far from us. If we dont win 2019, it would be your fault, not anybody else. We go to God because he answers. We pray, then go home and work. Back then, even in my fathers house in the village there was a prayer team
The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Makanti Baru, on Monday visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The visit came at a time The fuel scarcity in Nigeria has continued to be on a rise, witnessed across the country had persisted.

At the time of his visit, President Muhammadu Buhari had left the country for Paris, France where he is scheduled to attend the One Planet Summit.

It was not clear if the NNPC boss met with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo or the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

The Federal Executive Council presided over by Osinbajo last week ordered the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachickwu, and Baru to end the scarcity before last weekend.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had disclosed this to State House correspondents after the meeting.

Meanwhile, fuel queues have built up in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State as independent marketers have shut down filing stations over shortage of petrol.

This came just as a militant was killed by operatives of the Nigerian Army in the Calabar-South axis of the metropolis over suspected case of bunkering.

One of our correspondents, who went round the metropolis on Monday, observed that most independent marketers retailing outlets were closed because they had no fuel.

It was learnt the product was not available at the NNPC depot, while one of the major marketers reportedly sold the product at N143 ex-depot price to independent marketers.

An independent marketer, Ephraim Aba, blamed the situation on the alleged deceit by the NNPC that the product was available.

He said, Most of our depots with the product are not selling at the N133.28 ex-depot price. As of today, the North-West, one of the biggest depots in Calabar, sold the product at N143 and by the time it gets to the station, it should have risen to N147. How much do you expect us to sell?

Long queues of vehicles were also noticed at petrol stations in Makurdi, the Benue State capital as fuel scarcity persisted on Monday.

One of our correspondents who monitored the situation in Makurdi reported that the queues were visible in the NNPC mega station on Makurdi-Otukpo Federal Highway, Rain Oil filling station along High Level and Bolex, among others within the capital city.

Many motorists who could not bear the long queues at the fuel stations resorted to buying fuel from black marketeers who had to pay between N300 and N350 per litre.

The Benue State Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Shuayb Jubril, said he had deployed his men to all petrol stations to ensure that marketers did not hoard the product, warning that anyone found selling fuel to black marketeers would be arrested and prosecuted.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
23-year-old Valerie Apondi, a third-year university student of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, was on Saturday found dead in a pool of blood in a room she booked on Friday at around 8 pm with her baby daddy.

Valerie who was accused of being unfaithful by the suspect, 25-year-old Collins Oluoch Ogweno, a nurse at Nightingale Hospital in Kisumu, was reportedly killed with a machete.

The Star reports that a source who pleaded anonymity said, the incident that led to Valeries death was not the first time the couple who have a child together, have been involved in a heated argument. It was gathered that Oluoch had before the incident, persuaded Valerie to move out of school even though she did not want to.
A heartless man has been found guilty by a court for allegedly stabbing a female law student 30 times with a knife.

A Court in India found on Tuesday found a 23-year-old man guilty of sexually assaulting and killing a 30-year-old female law student in 2016.

The victim, who was identified only as Jisha, belonged to Indias lowest-ranked caste called the Dalits.

She was found dead at her home in Ernakulam district on April 28, 2016, with signs of strangulation and about 30 stab wounds on her body.

The court found Ameerul Islam, a migrant worker from north-eastern Assam state, guilty of the r*pe and murder, prosecution lawyer K Satish said.

The court is likely to pronounce the sentence on Wednesday.

The accused could face a death penalty after the verdict although, under Indias legal system, a verdict can be challenged in a high court and then the Supreme Court.

No fewer than 2,000 people were questioned in the case and 20 were subjected to DNA tests, until the police finally zeroed in on Islam, who was arrested 49 days after the incident.

The case also triggered intense debate about the position of Dalit women and in general the safety of women in Kerala.

The victims mother had told the court about her daughter facing constant harassment.

The local community also failed to respond despite hearing unnatural noises from Jishas hut on the night of the crime, the police had said.

Jisha and her mother lived in a one-room hut along a canal.

Attacks on women came into public focus in India after a 23-year-old student was fatally assaulted in Delhi in December 2012.
A 31-year-old man, identified as Abayomi Oyedeji,has been arraigned in a Surulere Chief Magistrates Court, Lagos, for allegedly detaining and defiling two sisters, aged two and four.

Oyedeji, who resides at No.61, Oduselu St., Itire, Lagos, was arraigned on four counts that bothered on unlawful detention and defilement of children.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that  the accused committed the offence at No. 61, Oduselu St., Itire, Lagos, at about 3am on Nov. 13 and Nov.14.

Osayande said that the accused resided at the same address with the parents of the girls.

She said that the girls mother was ill and there was need to rush her to the hospital while the girls were alone in the house.

The accused, who was a neighbour to the complainant, then unlawfully detained both of them with the intent to have sexual intercourse with them.

She said the accused unlawfully had carnal knowledge of the girls by defiling the four-year-old girl on Nov.13, but was caught when he tried to defile the younger one the following day.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened Sections 137 and 144 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The accused however pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Senior Chief Magistrate, Mrs Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

Nwachukwu said one of the sureties must be a civil servant on not less than salary grade level 14, while the other must be resident in his own building.

She said the sureties should provide evidence of tax payments and that their addresses must be verified.

She adjourned the case until Jan. 25, 2018, pending the advice from the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Source : ( NAN )
Former President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe has left the country for his medical check up in Singapore, this is the first foreign travel since the army forced him from office in November.

The 93-year-old, who ruled the southern African nation for 37 years, resigned after the army and his ruling ZANU-PF party turned against him when it became clear that his 52-year-old wife, Grace, was being groomed as his successor.

Until recently, Mugabe had a reputation for extensive and expensive international travel, including regular medical trips to Singapore, a source of public anger among his impoverished citizens.

The official said he left Harare with Grace and aides on Monday evening, the official said.

He is expected to make a stop-over in Malaysia, where his daughter, Bona, is expecting a second child.

He has gone for a routine medical trip to Singapore, said the official, who has organised Mugabes security protection but who is not authorised to speak to the media.

He was due for a check-up but events of the last few weeks made it impossible for him to travel.

The trip means Mugabe will not be in Zimbabwe when ZANU-PF endorses President Emmerson Mnangagwa as its leader and presidential candidate for 2018 elections during a one-day special congress on Friday.

The security official would not say how Mugabe was traveling although the privately owned NewsDay newspaper said he was on a state-owned Air Zimbabwe plane.

Mugabe was granted immunity from prosecution and assured of his safety under his resignation deal, a source of frustration to many Zimbabweans who accused him of looting state coffers and destroying the economy during his time in power.

Source : ( NAN )
While parading some criminals at the Lagos State Police Command on Monday, the Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, made revelations on the harvest of arrests made in the state especially Badoo members.

It was a harvest of arrests yesterday, as Lagos State Police Command paraded 80 suspects, among who were four suspected Badoo cult members that allegedly murdered two pastors in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, Daily Sun reports.

Also paraded were drug dealers from who the police allegedly recovered cocaine with a street value of N270 million.

Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, who paraded the suspects said: Four suspected Badoo members were arrested for murder. Also, 29 suspected armed robbers, 12 notorious cultists, and three suspected kidnappers were arrested within two weeks. Forty arms and assorted ammunition were recovered from the hoodlums.

You recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, during his last visit to Kano State, gave a directive that security agencies should crack down on illicit drug dealers. In view of this directive, the command mobilised its covert operatives to sniff out those who bring these illicit drugs into the country. Our efforts paid off on December 8, based on credible intelligence gathered, that 1 x 20 feet container had some baggage of powdery substance suspected to be hard drugs.

A letter with number CR:3000/LS/VolT was sent to the Forensic Science laboratory centre of Force CIID, Alagbon requesting for a laboratory analysis of the substance. Preliminary test of the substance confirmed the substance to be Bebzoylecgonnine (Cocaine). HPLC analysis confirmed the substance to be cocaine with street value of N270million.

We would collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other relevant security organisations to track those who bring illicit drugs to the country.

I am also happy to announce to you that four Badoo cult members are in the commands net. Based on report from Mr. Oluwaseun Johnson Alaba that his wife, Beatrice Alaba and his son, David, were brutally murdered, while his daughter, Rachael, was grievously injured on the head in the night of November 21.

I visited the scene of crime at Temu Village, Agbowa, Ikorodu. I was at the place, in company of officer in charge of SARS, to conduct scene investigation. We discovered that the assailants used concrete grinding stone to smash the skulls of the deceased persons.

During investigation, Abdulrasaq and Tenimu were arrested in connection with the crime. The Nokia phone and sim card of the deceased, which was stolen from the scene were recovered from the suspects. In my dictionary, there is nothing like Badoo; we see them as ritualists and we will charge them for murder.

Two other Badoo members, who murdered a Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Victor, in Ikorodu are also in my detention. The pastor was murdered at about 1am by four armed men who invaded his house and killed him in cold blood. Two of the hoodlums have been arrested. The phone and sim card of the deceased have been recovered from the suspects. The suspects, Igwe and Awofisibe, have confessed to the killing. Two others have been declared wanted.

One Oriaku has been arrested for selling his two children for N190,000. He was also being interrogated for kidnapping seven-year-old Olabisi. He sold the child to an orphanage home for N120, 000.

The man named two other females as those who bought the child. We have arrested the proprietress of the orphanage home, Adaora and her accomplice, Loveth. They have confessed that they bought the child for N120, 000 and sold him for N500, 000.The child was rescued from Owerri, Imo State.
An Igbo Lady who resides in Ghana is claiming she saw The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu disguising in Ghana.

She claims she saw him at Eddys Pizza in Ghana at about 8:45 pm, yesterday, 11 of December 2017 She says when she saw him, she spoke to him at first, but then he refused to respond to her, not until she spoke Igbo and he responded.

At First, she took to her Facebook wall to write yesterday, after her encounter with Kanu.

She then continued;

She says she regrets not taking pictures, as he refused to speak to her, not until she spoke Igbo;

She was then questioned, if she was 100% certain of her claims;

Then this morning, she took to her wall to write;

I met the Biafra leader Nnamdi kanu at Eddys pizza Gh at about 8:45pm date 11/12/2017. He was surprised i recognized him and didnt want to speak to me at first until i spoke igbo and he responded.

After all the trouble he caused in Nigeria he has guts to eat pizza. How long will you keep hiding? He couldnt even disguise well. Am sorry for those who trusted and believed in him. Rip to those who died for the cause of Biafra. Some persons might doubt me because i have no pictures to show for it.

Nnamdi kanu stop hiding and let your people stop blaming the Nigerian government. Am sorry to say but you are a Coward , a deciver and a betrayal 

-YBL
Vanguard

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt Zonal office, yesterday, disclosed that it has recovered over N2 billion stolen funds within 2017 in Rivers State.

Punch

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, in Abuja, began a subtle move to douse tension generated among members of the Peoples Democratic Party over the outcome of last Saturdays national convention in Abuja.

Thisday

The former chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has spoken on the possible reason for the loss of the chairmanship aspirants from the South-west at the partys national convention.

The Sun

Brent crude oil prices jumped above $65 per barrel after the shutdown of the Forties North Sea pipeline knocked out significant supplies from a market that was already tightening due to OPEC-led production cuts.

Daily Times

The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has distanced itself from an on-line job advert credited to the Commission, saying that it is not recruiting.

Guardian

Former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, yesterday said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed to implement the false and empty promises on which it rode to power.

Leadership

The prevailing hazy weather over major parts of the country has continued to disrupt flight operations, especially in the southern part of the country.

Daily Trust

The candidate of the Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC) in the recent gubernatorial election in Anambra State, Mr Yul Edochie, at the weekend, said they are humbled by the landslide victory of Governor Willie Obiano at the poll.

Tribune

The Federal Government has been called upon to restructure the Nigeria Police Force and put an end to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The Nation

All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu never underrated the importance of governors in the partys nomination process, his Media Office said yesterday.
The diminutive Nigerian comic actor, Chinedu Ikedieze is today celebrating his 4th decade on this earth.

Nollywood actor, Chinedu Ikedieze popularly known as Aki clocks 40 in a grand style and shared new picture with fans and followers.

Aki, shared a new picture on Instagram and wrote;

The World Is a Beautiful Place.

Live and lets live !!

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y to me

Chinedu Ikedieze, MFR, is best known for playing alongside Osita Iheme in most movies after their breakthrough in the movie, Aki na Ukwa.
The governorship candidate of Democratic Peoples Congress in Anambra State, Yul Edochie, has finally opened up on the outcome of the election where Governor Willie Obiano won.

While speaking during the inauguration of the executive council of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie, on Monday, described the outcome of the Anambra Gubernatorial election in which the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano dusted others in all the 21 local government areas of the state, as a humiliation to the other 36 candidates that contested the election.

According to a report by Vanguard, the Nollywood star and who was also a governorship candidate of Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC), in the November 18 poll in Anambra State, said he and other contestants were humiliated on the outcome of the results of the election.

He said: Governor Willie Obiano really humiliated us. He dealt with all of us because I know that it is not easy for a candidate to win in all the 21 local government areas in a state like Anambra. So, we congratulate him and now that the election is over, what remains is for us to support him and his government.

But I did not lose the election per se. I am fulfilled that we represented the voice of the youths in Anambra State. We won the election by getting to the end of the election without surrendering to anybody against all odds and pressure.

I am calling on all of us to support the winner to ensure that the next four years will be better for the entire Anambra people.

Describing Obianos victory as unprecedented, the Nollywood actor, however said he did not regret participating in the exercise. I did not lose the election, I contested to give Nigerian youths a voice.

While describing Obianos victory as unprecedented, the Nollywood actor, however said he did not regret participating in the exercise, adding that he decided to contest to give Nigerian youths a voice.

The movie star charged the new leadership of NANS Zone B, comprising tertiary institutions in the South East and South-South zones, to eschew cultism and related vices.

The political adviser to Governor Obiano, Chinedu Obidigwe,who inaugurated the body urged them to ensure that every tertiary institution in the zone was carried along.
An abducted Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Cyril Essien, has been released from the den of kidnappers after a N350,000 ransom was dropped at a designation point on Edgerton Street in Calabar, Cross River State.

Essien was abducted on Friday from a Catholic Church in Awi, in the Akamkpa Local Government Area of the state, by some gunmen.

He was said to have been released on Sunday after the ransom was paid.

An eyewitness, Okon Ayi, told PUNCH Metro on Monday that Essien was kidnapped shortly after the churchs evening programme by five gunmen who stormed the premises and shot continuously.

It was the sound of gunshots that drew my attention. I looked around and saw armed men. They took the priest away in a waiting vehicle, he said.

A police source disclosed on Monday that the priest was released after the ransom was paid.

He was released on Sunday after the kidnappers got the ransom. They dropped N350,000 in a particular spot on Edgerton Street in Calabar, he said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the kidnap, said the priest had been released.

Ugbo said, The priest was kidnapped in front of the church on Friday and was taken away by five armed. We immediately swung into action when information got to us.

We dispatched our men who rescued the victim.

The PPRO said he was not aware that any ransom was paid to secure the priests release.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has stated that it will be working for the current administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari to blame past administrations for the rate of unemployment in the country.

He called on the Federal Government to do more in creating jobs for the teeming youths in the country.

Saraki also called for closer coordination between the agencies of the Federal Government in charge of youth development and job creation.

He stated that this would ensure that governments policies and programmes on job creation were aligned across the board.

The Senate President said this at a one-day Special Public Hearing on Youth Job Creation and Entrepreneurship held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, on Monday.

Representatives of Civil Society Organisations and ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government were in attendance.

Saraki said, It is futile to point fingers or cast blame on any one administration and/or government programme. Nigerias youths deserve our immediate interest, best thinking and above all, our best efforts to create workable solutions to include their concerns in our national investment framework.

The Senate President noted that it was necessary for the executive, legislature, private sector and civil society organisations to give immediate attention to tackling youth unemployment and developmental crisis facing the country.

He also stated that the primary factors contributing to high youth unemployment were high population growth outpacing economic growth and the fact that the curricula in our schools have not equipped students with appropriate skills for employment; and the lack of vibrant industries to absorb competent graduates.

Saraki noted that the hearing was intended to discuss issues that would inform the Federal Governments budgetary and social policy decisions.
An operative of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS), Ondo State Police Command, Ojelabi Oladele, has been accused of killing the husband of a woman who refused to sleep with him.

According to reports, the officer tortured the husband to death because she refused having sex with him while she was married to the deceased.

The wife, Gbemisola in an interview with Sahara Reporters, said Seun and officer Ojelabi Oladele were friends and that during her marriage to Seun, Ojelabi had asked her for sex and she turned him down.

He persisted in his request and she repeatedly turned him down on the grounds that she is married and not just that, but that she is married to someone who is his friend.

Gbemisola alleged that this did not go down well with Ojelabi who framed her ex-husband up, got him arrested on October 12th and had him tortured to death while in SARS detention.

Ojelabi then dumped Ayoades corpse at the morgue of the Ondo State Specialist Hospital in Akure and lied to attendants that the deceased died as a result of gunshot wound he sustained during a duel with the police.

Speaking to Sahara Reporters, Gbemisola said

I cant just imagine how a friend to my man [Mr. Ayoade] will be asking me for sex. It is very disgusting. Many times he [Mr. Oladele] asked me to go out with him, but I always tell him no and that I cant do it. Because I turned down his offer, he then decided to punish Mr Ayoade by calling him a criminal, hence his arrest and detention at the SARS office. And despite all this, Inspector Oladele is still threatening to deal me just because I refused to allow him to sleep with me. They have now killed my husband in their detention center with cooked-up lies that he was an armed robber who died during a gun duel with some police officers, Gbemisola said

Reacting to her claims, the spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, Femi Joseph, said the case was already being investigated and assured that the officer would face the law if he is found culpable of the allegation.

The Police Commissioner has ordered full-scale investigations into the ongoing case. Although it is an allegation, a panel has been set up, and investigations have begun to unravel the truth of the matter. And if the culprit [officer] is found guilty then he is going to face the prosecution and full wrath of the law, he said

A human rights activist in the state, Adewumi Owolabi, had already taken up the case and petitioned the police intending to investigate his officers properly.

-SR
Senator Isah Misau was granted bail on self-recognition by Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

She, however, ordered that the defendant deposit his passport with the Chief Registrar of the Court and can apply whenever he needs it.

Justice Chikere adjourned the matter until January 21 for hearing.

Misau, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, was arraigned on an amended 10-count bordering on forgery and other related offences.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Saleh Hadi, from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, informed the court of the amended charges filed.

Hadi said the amended charges had been filed and he had affixed seal as ordered by the court on the last adjourned date.

He further applied for the charges to be read to the defendant to enable him to take his plea.

When the charges were read to Misau, he pleaded not guilty to the amended 10 counts preferred against him.

The defence counsel, Uchena Ogbunabo, who held brief for Mr. Paul Erokoro (SAN), immediately prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on liberal terms and on self-recognition.

The request was not opposed by the prosecutor.

News Agency of Nigeria reports that on November 7, the court adjourned Misaus arraignment after an irregularity was pointed out by his counsel.

The counsel had told the judge that the amended 10-count was defective, because there was no seal on it, in line with Order 10, rules 1,2,3 of the Federal High Court.

Source: (NAN)
A suicide bomber on Monday attacked an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Pulka, Borno State, killing three persons and leaving seven others imjured.

Pulka is a town in Gwoza local government of Borno state 135 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

According to sources at the camp, the suicide bomber came to the entrance of the camp at about 11:00 a.m. on Monday morning and blew herself up leading to the death of three persons injuring seven others.

Mondays suicide attack was the first in an IDP camp in the area since its liberation.

Security officials are yet to provide details of the attack or provide an official statement on the incidence.

Source: ( Channels Television )
In November, reports about Bobrisky arrest went viral, with many laughing and mocking the cross-dresser, and self-acclaimed King of Snapchat.

Pictures were quickly shared on Social Media, and trust folks on Social Media to troll him..

Now, heres the thing, Recall in November also, Bobriskys former gateman, Jacob reacted to his ogas arrest and said they threw Bobrisky over the gate, because the gate was locked, after he went to buy cocacola and groundnuts.

In Jacob words, he said;

I was not around when the police came to the house to arrest my Oga. I went to buy coke and groundnut. One of our neighbours told me they beat him up and threw him over the gate because I locked it before I left! My Oga asked me not to talk anymore please leave me alone!

Of course, many people didnt believe Jacob and Now a picture of Bobrisky being thrown over the gate has emerged, and it was shared by Tunde Ednut who wrote;

3 WEEKS AGO WHEN BOBRISKY WAS ARRESTED. I HAD THIS PICTURE EXCLUSIVE TO ME ON THE DAY HE GOT ARRESTED, BUT I DIDNT JUST WANNA POST IT, BUT OH WELL THIS IS IT  This was how he was handcuffed and bundled out his rented personal house. Jacob locked the gate from outside, they had no choice but to bundle him over the fence. He was not allowed to carry his SNAPCHAT FILTER over the fence. He came on social media to lie to us that it was a lie, he was never handcuffed, he was only taken to Abuja for questioning. He should stop lying. TAG YOUR FRIENDS TO SEE THIS. #StopTheLiesBobrisky #SameBlackJeans

Tunde Ednut is reacting to the fact that Bobrisky has been lying about Jacob on Social Media Earlier today, MC Galaxy shared a video of his visit to Jacobs Father in Jos, where he revealed that indeed Jacobs father is ill, and his leg is about to get amputated.

MC Galaxy didnt leave Jos, until he blessed Jacob with N300,000, and promised to pay him the 6-months salary bobrisky is owing him.

-Gistreel
Investment-management firm Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC (HSRE), which has extensive interests in needs-based real estate, including self-storage, has acquired a two-property portfolio in the Nashville market from Mallory Station Self Storage for nearly $38 million. Together, the facilities comprise more than 147,500 rentable square feet. Both are expected to be renamed as US Storage Centers, the operating brand of Westport Properties Inc., according to a press release from Colliers International, the real estate firm that helped broker the deal.

The property at 7102 Bakers Bridge Ave. in Cool Springs, Tenn., comprises 71,338 square feet. It sold for nearly $21.5 million. The facility at 6346 Nolensville Pike in Nolensville, Tenn., comprises 76,168 square feet. It sold for about $16.5 million. The purchase prices easily eclipsed the previous known price per square foot paid for self-storage in Tennessee by more than 120 percent, the release stated.

This transaction is reflective of the evolution that has occurred in recent years propelling self-storage facilities from a relatively undesirable asset class into one of the most sought after commercial real estate investments, said Ashley Compton, national director for the Colliers Self Storage Group, who represented the seller in the transaction and procured the buyer. The sale of the Mallory Station properties establishes a new high-water mark for institutional-quality self-storage in the Southeast.

Colliers International is a global commercial real estate services firm employing more than 16,000 professionals who operate out of 554 offices in 66 countries. The company offers a variety of services for investors, business owners and developers. These include consulting, market research, real estate intermediation for sale and rent, project management, property management, and valuation.

HSRE is a real estate private-equity firm with more than $12.5 billion in assets under management through commingled funds and public-securities products. The funds focus exclusively on the education, healthcare and self-storage segments of the real estate market. Affiliate Harrison Street Securities LLC manages publicly traded real estate securities on behalf of institutional clients and high-net-worth individuals.

Founded in 1985 and based in Irvine, Calif., Westport Properties is a real estate investment company that acquires, develops and operates self-storage facilities as well as provides third-party management services. Its portfolio comprises 8 million rentable square feet in 15 states.
Walter Ray Pelfrey, a 78-year-old Choctaw, Okla., resident who owns self-storage and residential properties in the Oklahoma City metro area, has agreed to pay a total of $800,000 to seven women who accused him of sexual harassment. The plaintiffs, all African-Americans who lived in Pelfreys buildings, filed two separate civil lawsuits against him in federal court. Pelfrey, who is white, denied the allegations but said he agreed to settle after being pressured by his wife, according to the source.

Pelfrey, who owns more than 100 properties, was accused of routinely targeting black women by asking them for sex in lieu of rent. He allegedly evicted some who refused his advances, the source reported. In all, more than 40 women have come forward with accounts of sexual misconduct, according to court documents. A state judge ordered him in 2015 to stop such discriminatory practices.

"He asked me when I was going to give him some of this brown sugar," a former tenant said in a deposition. "He said he didn't want my money, he wanted me." A former property manager said she heard Pelfrey say to tenants several times per week, If you dont have the money to pay, you can always come back here and get up on this poker table, according to court documents.

The Metropolitan Fair Housing Council of Oklahoma Inc., a nonprofit group, filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight women in 2015. Two other women filed a similar but separate suit the same year. Seven of them will split the settlement money equally, according to the source, though its unclear why the other three women are excluded, or if they voluntarily opted out of the settlement to continue legal proceedings.

A jury trial had been set for January.

Pelfrey still faces charges in a separate criminal case in which hes accused of unlawfully disposing the dead body of a 13-year-old girl in a Spencer, Okla., landfill. The girls mother had rented a unit at Scott Street Mini Storage, a facility Pelfrey owns in Del City, Okla. He allegedly told an employee to put the trunk containing the teenagers body into a dumpster and arranged transportation of the dumpster to the landfill. Pelfrey has pleaded not guilty.
The Union Charter Township, Mich., Board of Trustees granted a special-use permit last week that will allow real estate developer Mt. Pleasant Investment Properties LLC to move forward on its self-storage project at 1982 E. Remus Road. The approval comes after township officials and the developer reached a mediation settlement on Nov. 29, following a lawsuit filed in August by Mt. Pleasant.

Mt. Pleasant pursued a legal resolution to its proposal after trustees deadlocked 3-3 in a July vote, denying the application. The settlement requires the self-storage business to limit hours of operation between 4 a.m. and midnight. Mt. Pleasant also agreed to plant rows of trees on the east and west sides of the property to serve as visual buffers, construct a sidewalk, and remove a portion of a sidewalk to make room for road construction.

The dilemma was simply that within that particular area with the zoning, the mini-storage required a special-use permit, township supervisor Ben Gunning told the source. That means it needs special criteria, which has 10 different requirements that we have go through.

The permit was initially recommended for approval in June by the planning commission. Planners limited the length of the storage buildings to 225 feet.
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Breaking EV Stock News: Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Announces Funding to Close on ELMS Assets

BREA, Calif. - November 17, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) ("Mullen" or the "Company"), an emerging electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, announces today receipt of $150 million on Nov. 16, 2022, which will be used in part to close on ELMS assets.

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Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires UK-based Forecasting Innovator Predictive Black To Help SMEs Optimize Cash Management

NEW YORK, NY - November 15, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow (some call SMEs), has acquired Predictive Black Ltd, a UK-based innovator of real-time cash management, financial insights and business wellness for SMEs.

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Further talks will be held later this week as the UK government continues to "press the case" on behalf of Bombardier workers in Northern Ireland, the British Business Secretary has said.

Thousands of Belfast posts hang in the balance if a proposed 300% duty on exports to the US is imposed on the Canadian-owned firms new C-Series jet.

British Business Secretary Greg Clark told MPs the Government was "absolutely determined to send a clear message both to Boeing and to the US administration that this action is unfair, its effects on Belfast are intolerable".

His comments came as DUP MP Gavin Robinson (Belfast East) raised the issue during Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) questions, branding the US tariff situation "egregious".

He asked: "The Secretary of State may know that Unite the Union officials from Belfast Bombardier plant are in Washington and Montreal pressing the case against the egregious US tariff situation.

"Can the Secretary of State advise, is he continuing to engage in this process and working towards a sensible resolution?"

Mr Clark replied: "I certainly am and as he knows, throughout this process weve been absolutely determined to send a clear message both to Boeing and to the US administration that this action is unfair, its effects on Belfast are intolerable.

"I have further conversations later this week to continue to press the case with all of the parties concerned."

Earlier this month, trade unionists said a dispute between US planemaker Boeing and its Canadian rival Bombardier should be referred to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The planes wings are made in Northern Ireland and Unite the Union warned thousands of Northern Ireland jobs could be threatened should sales be badly affected.
Ryanair has failed to have a case over alleged online screen scraping admitted to the fast-track commercial court list, writes Ann O'Loughlin.

Screen scraping involves the copying of data from one website for reutilisation in another without the authority of the website owner. Ryanair has brought a number of such actions over the last 10 years in Ireland, the judge who heads the commercial court, Mr Justice Brian McGovern, was told yesterday.

The judge refused to allow Ryanair have its latest case against a Bucharest-based online travel agency, SC Vola.Ro SRL, to be transferred to the commercial list which means it will now go through the normal High Court list. The judge said it was hard to understand why Ryanair has not progressed some of the other proceedings it had brought over alleged screen scraping.

One set of proceedings, against companies called Billigfluege/Ticket Point Reiseburo and On the Beach Ltd, had gone to the Supreme Court on the question of which jurisdiction the cases should be heard in. The court found, in 2015, it was Ireland and the cases had to go back to the High Court for determination.

Martin Hayden, counsel for Ryanair, argued the difficulty for his client was in trying to get the cases on.

That was why it was seeking that this one be admitted to the fast-track commercial list. While it was not an indictment of anyone, the commercial court was the only division of the High Court capable of dealing with it in good time, he said.

Mr Hayden rejected claims his client had delayed in bringing the case saying the airline first became aware of Vola.Ro in early September. He also said Vola.Ra had deliberately not stated how long it had been offering Ryanair flights.

Cian Ferriter, counsel for Vola.Ro, opposed entry of the case to the commercial court on grounds of delay by Ryanair in bringing the case.

His client has been operating throughout the years since Ryanair started a campaign against a number of similar outlets over alleged screen scraping. There had been a half dozen other similar cases brought by the airline since 2008 and it beggared belief that it was only this year that Ryanair became aware of Vola.Ro, he said.Those other cases are still outstanding and Ryanair had not progressed them, he said.

Mr Justice McGovern said it was a case where he would exercise his discretion not to admit it to the commercial list.

It was hard to understand why other similar cases had not been progressed by Ryanair. He also had to take account of limited court resources and he saw no particular urgency to this case.

Among the orders and declarations Ryanair seeks are injunctions restraining the defendant from using the airlines website in breach of its terms of use and restraining it from infringing its registered trade marks.
Shannon Airport is the only one of the five major airports in the Republic to record an annualised drop in passengers  in its case by 5%  this year, writes Padraig Hoare.

CSO figures show Dublin and Cork Airports grew by 6.3% and 3.2%, respectively, in the first nine months of 2017 compared to the same period last year, while Shannon decreased by 5.2% in the same period. Knock and Kerry grew by almost 2% each.

Dublin accounted for more than 60,500, or 82.5%, of all flights, while Cork handled just over 6,000 or 8.3% of all flights.

A spokesman for Shannon Airport claimed the CSO figures did not take its significant transit business into consideration, which accounted for 9% of its passengers.

This segment of the business has growth 80% year-to-date thanks to additional frequencies from Kuwait Airways. When this is factored in, our total passenger numbers this year will be on a par with 2016, despite some capacity reductions on both Stansted and Manchester, he said.

These reductions are largely as a result of the fall-out from Brexit, the spokesman said.

With sterling now down about 13% against the euro from where it was prior to the Brexit vote, UK passengers are travelling less abroad and this is reflected in the UK visitor numbers as reported by Tourism Ireland and the CSO, he said.

He said overall, Shannon has enjoyed a 25% increase in passenger numbers since separation in 2013, despite a very competitive operating environment.

Regional airports like Shannon were in danger of dwindling away until they become commercially unviable unless a specific strategic fund was put in place to combat Dublins dominance, the chief executive of Limerick Chamber said.

James Ring said Dublin accounting for more than 80% of all flights was clearly a sign that regional imbalance was growing.

If we are serious about regional development and balance, then we have to recognise that it hinges on the success of our airports. Foreign direct investment is massively important for the Shannon region and the airport has always been one of the big selling points. A strategic fund is needed to shore up routes that may be loss-making during some months of the year, he said.

Mr Ring said a model where Frankfurt was the busiest airport but only the fifth biggest city showed the German government took regional development seriously.

Obviously we are not Germany but there are lessons to be learned. If we accept Dublin Airport is going to keep on growing, then the likes of Shannon and Cork will dwindle away until they become commercially unviable, he said.
Convicted drug dealer Brian Rattigan has won an appeal against his conviction for the murder of a 21-year-old man in Dublin.

In 2009, a jury found him guilty of murdering Declan Gavin outside a fast food restaurant in Crumlin Shopping Centre eight years beforehand.
By Ann OLoughlin

The Supreme Court has upheld High Court decisions quashing a penalty points system for fishermen who engage in illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.

While the regulations governing the system were changed in 2016, the State had appealed the High Court orders in relation to challenges by the licensees of two fishing vessels who had faced penalties under 2014 regulations.

Mr Justice Donal ODonnell, on behalf of a five-judge Supreme Court, upheld the High Court decision in the first case which was brought in relation to fair procedures and also upheld the decision in the second case on narrower grounds than the High Court.

The first related to the Cradyden Fishing Company- licensed "Anders Neel" vessel which was boarded by fishery protection officers at Ros a Mhil, Co Galway, in December 2014, when a 126.8 per cent under-recording of a whiting catch was detected.

The second related to the "Tea Rose", licensed to brothers Patrick and Cathal O Sullivan, which was boarded at Castletownbere, Co Cork, on April 7, 2015. Cathal OSullivan, as master of the vessel was later charged at Bantry District Court with under-recording the catch of hake, cod, haddock and pollack.

In both instances, the licencees faced the possibility of having penalty points attached to their licences under 2014 regulations brought in under the Common Fisheries Policy to deter illegal fishing.

This system, administered by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), provides for eventual suspension of fishing licences and ultimately for complete withdrawal of the licence depending on how many points a licensee incurs.

Crayden brought a High Court challenge claiming the SFPA was required to carry out this process in accordance with fair procedures.

The OSullivans brought separate proceedings challenging the entire constitutional basis of the 2014 regulations.

In both cases, heard separately, High Court judges found in favour of Crayden and the OSullivans and against the SFPA, the Minister for Marine and the State.

The defendants appealed and both cases were heard together before the Supreme Court.

In the Crayden appeal, Mr Justice ODonnell he said while the case was technically moot, it was by definition a case of general public importance and should be determined.

The SFPA process, involving initially a determination panel for assignment of penalty points, can be followed by an appeal to an appeals officer if the licensee chooses.

Mr Justice ODonnell said although the 2014 regulations "use the language of appeal" it was apparent there was, in truth, "only one substantive decision making process at least before an independent body".

While the State bodies contended there that fair procedures were accorded under this system, the judge said these were "minimal procedures" which the 2014 regulations provided,, They set up, in effect, a single decision making process with the onus of disproof on the licence holder which "falls short of the requirement of fair procedures".

In the OSullivan case, the judge said the High Court addressed both the substance and procedure of the 2014 regulations.

While, on the surface, since the new 2016 regulations were also introduced by statutory instrument and not primary legislation, they "would appear to share the frailty" of the 2014 regulations, he said.

However, the European regulations (allowing for the introduction of national regulations) did not specify precisely if a member state is to do so by primary legislation or by subordinate legislation or instrument under the European Communities Act, he said.

The matters dealt with in the (Irish) regulations were incidental, supplemental and consequential to the provisions of the European regulations.

Accordingly, he did not consider the that in principle the establishment of penalty point procedures under the 2014 regulations contravened the Constitution and he would therefore allow the States parties appeal in that respect.

However, he upheld the High Court declaration that those regulations were invalid on grounds they did not comply with fair procedures.
Update 1.20pm: The EU's chief Brexit negotiator says it will fully support Ireland throughout its negotiations.

Michel Barnier has spoken to Simon Coveney at a meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers in Brussels today.

They are getting a progress report before phase one of the deal is officially signed off by the European Council on Thursday.

Earlier: Coveney to thank EU countries for support during Brexit talks

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney says he will be using a meeting in Brussels today to thank other EU countries for their support during the Brexit talks.

He is joining his fellow European Foreign Affairs Ministers to hear a progress report from the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

Minister Coveney described the event as "another important step" ahead of Thursday's European Council meeting which is due to sign off on phase 1 of the Brexit process.

He believes the focus now is on the next stage.

He said: "Now I think we can move on and be positive about the phase 2 negotiations and try to get what both Ireland and Britain would like to see - an all encompassing, very ambitious, trade agreement."
As Met Eireann holds a conference today, Gerald Fleming says the welfare of future generations depends on forming the right answers to challenges of changing the weather.

Climate change. We hear about it incessantly  as many have said, its the greatest challenge facing humankind in this 21st century.

So why another symposium on climate change?

And what is the role of Met Eireann in the national debate around this topic?

For a small nation like Ireland, climate change is an issue with very specific and particular challenges.

One the one hand, we join with our partners in the European Union  which has been a global leader in efforts to mitigate climate change  in ambitious plans to decarbonise our economies.

This means figuring out a path to sustainable economic growth while simultaneously we reduce our output of carbon dioxide (CO2), so that levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere stabilise, and eventually decrease.

This is a major challenge for many sectors, but especially transport, energy generation, and agriculture.

On the other hand, it is obvious that other countries around the world are slower to come along this road with Europe.

Not just the US of Donald Trump (where city and state-level initiatives are actually reducing CO2 emissions) but countries in less-developed parts of the world too.

These countries, understandably, aspire to levels of economic growth which we have long enjoyed in western Europe; a growth which we built largely on cheap energy; the exploitation of fossil fuels.

So, while seeking a sustainable model of economic growth which simultaneously reduces our carbon emissions, we must also be realistic and plan for a future in which global levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will continue to rise for some time yet.

This is why Met Eireann has today organised a symposium on Future Weather, Future Challenges. To plan for the future, we need to understand better what climate change will mean for our small nation, perched on the northwest corner of Europe.

How will climate change translate into our experience of weather, and in particular our experience of extreme weather? As we know only too well from recent experience, extreme weather still has the capacity to significantly disrupt our daily activities, our society.

In considering these challenges, we must first of all understand, and be guided by, the best scientific advice available. Meteorology is, by its nature, a truly international endeavour; Met Eireann is actively engaged with a range of European and global scientific bodies.

Met Eireann research scientists contribute to studies whose work is synthesised in the reports of the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Its climatologists keep their finger on the pulse of the Irish climate; tracking the changes by updating the weather statistics monthly and annually.

Its forecasters work with colleagues from across Europe and beyond to predict, and to understand better, the impacts of extreme weather events on our society.

These studies look not just to the global scale, but to the regional and local scales also, extracting an understanding of what our future weather patterns across Ireland will look like through the middle, and to the end, of this 21 st century.

In the first session of the symposium Seamus Walsh, head of climatology with Met Eireann, will set the stage by providing an overview of Irelands changing climate. John Fitzgerald will consider the likely impacts on society from an economic point of view.

We in Ireland have always had an outward view; in particular, our history of missionary work has given us a keen interest in the developing world. Mary Robinson will address these aspects by looking at future weather through the lens of climate justice.

This justice must be considered not only across countries but across generations; are we bequeathing a tarnished environmental inheritance to our children and grandchildren?

For the second session national and international experts will outline the tremendous advances in the science of meteorology over the past few decades; advances which have enabled Met Eireann to issue increasingly accurate forecasts and warnings, such as those for Storm Ophelia and indeed for the snowfall last weekend.

The final session will focus on weather emergencies, including contributions from Gerry Murphy on the new paradigm of impact-based forecasting, and from Derek Hynes of ESB Networks on how they prepare for, and respond to, extreme weather.

Finally, I myself will consider the contribution which meteorology can make across the whole spectrum of emergency management activities.

The scientific and operational work of National Met Services provides an essential underpinning of the fundamental task of Government; to ensure the safety and security of its citizens. This fundamental task must consider the longer-term challenges as well as the shorter-term threats.

Among those citizens are our children who, in just a couple of weeks, will go bed dreaming of Santa Claus. Those children will come to maturity, start their own families, and in turn become grandparents, in a very different climate, with very different weather patterns.

Today we must think about, and plan for, their future. We must ensure that the long-term decisions we make  on infrastructural investment, on economic and social policies, on the organisation of our public services and utilities  build in and incorporate our scientific understanding of what the future Irish weather will be.

We must do this to safeguard the resilience of our society and our economy  the sustainability of our way of life.

While as a people we will always have more immediate problems demanding our attention, we must not lose sight of those longer-term challenges.

While it will be the task of Government to lay out plans to address these challenges, and to make those larger economic decisions, these can only come to full fruition if they have sufficient support and buy-in from the Irish people.

This, in turn, places an obligation on meteorological scientists to describe and explain what is happening to our weather  so that all parties, from governments to individuals, can understand fully the need for these decisions to be taken in a timely manner, and the implications of them.

It is for this reason that Met Eireann has organised the symposium in the Mansion House today  to bring together disparate voices and perspectives, all of whom have a significant contribution to make to understanding the crucial decisions that confront us.

One thing is certain. Our decisions, as a society, in the context of climate change as well as many other environmental challenges, must be grounded in science, must be informed by the best science available.

For that reason, it is vital that Met Eireann continues to deepen its work on understanding our atmosphere, and its interactions with the oceans, the polar ice, the biosphere and the anthrosphere  those parts of our environment that are being modified by human activity.

The task of Met Eireann is to provide guidance on our weather; but now that task encompasses not just our weather for tomorrow, or for next week, but for our future weather, in the next decade, and the next century.

The welfare of our children, and our childrens children, depends on it.

Gerald Fleming is head of forecasting at Met Eireann.
US President Donald Trump has said he is the target of "false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met".

Mr Trump lashed out on Twitter a day after three women who previously accused him of sexual harassment shared their stories on NBCs Megyn Kelly Today.

Trump also lashed out at Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who has called on him to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Ms Gillibrand told CNN yesterday that the allegations of sexual misconduct are credible and numerous and that Mr Trump should resign.

Senator Gillibrand quickly responded to Trump's tweet.

You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office. https://t.co/UbQZqubXZv  Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) December 12, 2017

The women, Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey and Rachel Crooks, urged Congress to investigate Mr Trumps behaviour.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president.

She did not provide the list by late Monday.

The allegations surfaced during last years presidential campaign, but the women raised the issue again on the Kelly show yesterday and at a news conference.

"It was heartbreaking last year," Ms Holvey said.

"Were private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, Eh, we dont care, it hurt."

The former beauty queen claimed that Mr Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006.

Ms Crooks is a former receptionist at Trump Tower and Ms Leeds says she met Trump on a flight.

Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Mr Trump, many after the release of the Access Hollywood tape last October in which Mr Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women.

One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Mr Trumps reality show, The Apprentice, sued, contending that Mr Trumps denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.

AP
More than a thousand marine turtles die every year after becoming entangled in rubbish in the oceans and on beaches, according to research.

The rise in plastic refuse in the ocean and on beaches is killing turtles of all species, with a disproportionate impact on hatchlings and young turtles.

A world-wide survey by the University of Exeter found that 91% of the entangled turtles were found dead.

They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Others that survived were forced to drag discarded rubbish or debris with them.

The survey found turtles are being tangled up in lost fishing nets, plastic twine and nylon fishing line, as well as six-pack rings from canned drinks, plastic packaging straps, plastic balloon string, kite string, plastic packaging and discarded anchor line and seismic cable.

A green turtle that drowned after getting entangled in ghost nets in Uruguay. Pic: Karumbe/PA Wire

Turtles were also discovered entangled in discarded plastic chairs, wooden crates, weather balloons and boat mooring line.

The research sheds light on the true threat of plastic pollution to marine turtles, which other research has shown also eat plastic rubbish and marine creatures caught up in it.

Professor Brendan Godley, the lead author, warned that as plastic pollution increases more turtles are likely to become entangled.

"Plastic rubbish in the oceans, including lost or discarded fishing gear which is not biodegradable, is a major threat to marine turtles," he said.

"We found, based on beach strandings, that more than 1,000 turtles are dying a year after becoming tangled up, but this is almost certainly a gross underestimate.

"Young turtles and hatchings are particularly vulnerable to entanglement. Experts we surveyed found that entanglement in plastic and other pollution could pose a long-term impact on the survival of some turtle populations and is a greater threat to them than oil spills.

A hawksbill turtle whose shell growth is being restricted by the fishing material around its body. Pic: Sea Turtle Association of Japan/PA Wire

"We need to cut the level of plastic waste and purse biodegradable alternatives if we are to tackle this grave threat to turtles welfare."

Turtle mortality from entanglement has increased substantially over the past century, as with marine mammals and birds.

The study found that 84% of the 106 experts surveyed on the Atlantic, Pacific Caribbean, Mediterranean and Indian ocean coasts who responded said they had found turtles tangled in rubbish, including plastic debris and lost or discarded fishing gear.

All species of turtle were found entangled, but olive ridley turtles are the most likely species to get tangled up. The species nests in the hundreds of thousands.

It forages in areas where marine debris can aggregate, and they may also be attracted to feeding on marine rubbish, including discarded fishing tackle.

Most entanglements recorded were in lost or discarded fishing gear known as ghost fishing rope, nets and lines.

Since the 1950s the fishing industry has replaced natural fibres such as cotton, jute and hemp with synthetic plastic materials such as nylon, polyethylene and polypropylene which doesnt biodegrade in water.

A hawksbill turtle that has anthropogenic debris wrapped around its front flipper. Pic: Sea Turtle Association of Japan/PA Wire

Will McCallum, Greenpeace UKs head of oceans, said: "The throwaway plastic we use for just minutes can turn into a floating trap for marine creatures like whales and turtles that lurks in our oceans for centuries.

"If UK ministers are truly feeling inspired after watching Blue Planet 2, then a good place to start would be stopping plastics getting into the ocean by pushing ahead with plans for a deposit return scheme.

"And if chief executives of major companies like Coca-Cola want to avoid being part of the problem then they need to start reducing their plastic footprint without delay."

Paul de Zylva, senior nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth, added: "Its a tragedy that so many turtles die entangled in our plastic.

"If you see carelessly discarded plastic bags, bottles and packaging in the street it is likely that it will get washed or blown into rivers where it then reaches the seas to pose a lasting threat.

"Its time to get drastic with plastic. We can all help by re-using bags, carrying a reusable water bottle and cutting down on plastic packaging."

The findings are published in the journal Endangered Species Research.
US President Donald Trumps attack on British Prime Minister Theresa May on tackling terrorism was about protecting Americans and the whole transatlantic row over his sharing of anti-Muslim videos online was probably misinterpreted, the United States ambassador to the UK has said.

US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, said the US president was not "namby-pamby" in his commitment to dealing with radical Islamist terror and would "take some chances" to achieve his goal.

He said he still expects and hopes Mr Trump will visit the UK in 2018 despite the extraordinary diplomatic flare-up.

Mr Trump was rebuked last month by Mrs May for retweeting a series of inflammatory anti-Muslim videos originally posted online by the deputy leader of the far right Britain First group.

When he hit back in a trademark tweet telling the PM to "focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism" in the UK, he sparked an outcry from MPs who demanded an apology and a cancellation of his planned state visit.

Discussing the row, Mr Johnson told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: "I think a lot of that stuff was probably misinterpreted."

He went on: "I think the way I would look at it and I think the way he looks at it is - security is his number one oath when he took the oath of office, its protecting Americans, its protecting Americans here and the US, thats number one, and thats my number one as well.

"And so if you look at the context of that, thats what hes trying to do.

"Is he perfect and appeasing everybody?"

He added: "Going back to his true feelings and what hes trying to accomplish, he wants to protect Americans and hes doing his best to do that, hes not going to go down the path of a lot of politicians and maybe be namby-pamby about it.

"A lot of that stuff was probably misinterpreted..."



The US Ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, says @realDonaldTrump's tweets attacking Theresa May were about protecting Americans #r4today pic.twitter.com/WycLtQzwjm  BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) December 12, 2017

"I mean hes gonna come out, hes gonna probably take some chances in an effort to do that, to accomplish that security goal.

"Maybe hell ruffle feathers, theres no question that maybe some feathers were ruffled with that."

Asked if he was expecting Mr Trump to visit in the New Year, Mr Johnson said: "Absolutely, I think he will come, I hope he will come."

Labour MP Stella Creasy called for the presidents trip to be cancelled and said she would protest against his visit if it goes ahead by wearing "shocking pink" in solidarity with womens marches in the US.

She told the programme: "Certainly I think we can echo what the protesters have done in America.

"Ill be wearing shocking pink if Donald Trump comes to Britain to show my support for the womens march and recognising that, for goodness sake, this country wouldnt let Martha Stewart in because we said it wasnt conducive to the public good.

"What does Donald Trump have to do? How much damage does he have to do to security, to tension in our communities before our Prime Minister says actually the special relationship means enough for us to say not now."

Labour MP Stella Creasy

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "As the Mayor of London I have previously called on Theresa May to cancel her ill-judged offer of a state visit to President Trump.

"After the latest incident - where President Trump used Twitter to promote a vile, extremist group that exists solely to sow division and hatred in our country - it is clear that any official visit here would not be welcomed.

"London is a beacon of diversity. It is one of our strengths. Many of us love America and Americans but President Trump has on a number of occasions shown his views are inconsistent with the values Londoners hold dear."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted:
Pay restoration, which will be introduced from January 1, are part of a 180m public sector deal hammered out between government and unions earlier this year. The legislation needed to begin to unwind austerity measures is expected to pass through the Seanad later this week.

Separately, Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone will bring the report of the expert technical group on the Tuam site to the Cabinet today and will then publish the groups findings which looked into the former mother and baby home.

The Taoiseach will also brief his colleagues on Brexit talks ahead of travelling to Brussels for an EU summit meeting later this week.

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has ordered a comprehensive review of Irelands relations with Germany in the context of Brexit.

Mr Coveney said Brexit had brought into sharp focus the necessity to ensure that our bilateral and EU relationships are reviewed on an ongoing basis so that they can continue to advance our interests and our goals.

Our relations with Germany are vital to us and all the more so in the context of Brexit, he said. Now, therefore, is a good time to take a close look at our work in Germany to build our relationship for a new era and to ensure that we are in a position to vigorously advance our interests and our goals.

Meanwhile Agriculture Minister Michael Creed will not attend cabinet today as he takes part in EU fisheries negotiations in Brussels, where he will be arguing forcefully against the level of cuts to quotas proposed. Mr Creed expressed concern over proposed cuts around 62% to Irish fish quotas.

He said that while he accepted some cuts were needed to protect the long-term sustainability of stocks, some of the cuts proposed were avoidable taking account of the scientific advice.

He said: We are facing severe cuts to a number of important fish stocks of importance to Ireland such as herring, hake, haddock, whiting and monkfish amongst others. I am concerned that, for some stocks, at least, we can take a more modulated approach.
Both brothers pleaded guilty to the parts they played in the row yesterday at Cork District Court.

William OShea, aged 26, and James OShea, aged 23, both of 15 Boyne Crescent, Mayfield, Cork, pleaded guilty to being drunk and a danger and engaging in threatening behaviour. William OShea also pleaded guilty to obstructing Detective Garda Mark Durcan.

Judge Olann Kelleher imposed fines on both brothers of 100 and 300 on the drunkenness and threatening charges respectively. William OShea was fined 400 for obstruction.

Inspector Adrian Gamble said: On July 17, Detective Garda Mark Durcan was on patrol at Mayfield district and observed two youths fighting on the footpath opposite The Cow Bar.

The two youths were brothers William OShea and James OShea. At the time William OShea appeared to be the main aggressor and was directed to desist from his behaviour. He was intoxicated and unsteady on his feet. He was pulled away by friends. At this stage, his brother James OShea became aggressive trying to get at his brother William and was being held by a male and a female. William OShea continued to be aggressive and use threatening words despite being directed to desist.

James OShea was very intoxicated and unsteady on his feeet and deemed to be a danger to himself and others in his vicinity.

William OShea came back and continued to be aggressive and pushed Det Garda Durcan with both hands into the chest area to get at his brother.

Det Garda Durcan deployed pepper spray on William OShea which did not take immediate effect as he was wearing glasses.

Both brothers were eventually arrested and charged.

Michael Quinlan, defence solicitor, said, They cannot even remember what the whole thing started as.

He [William] apologises [for pushing the detective]. It was due to intoxication. He lashed out. He does not know who he was lashing out at, at the time.
The theory that education protects against Alzheimers has been strengthened by new research from the University of Cambridge, funded by the EU. The study is published in the British Medical Journal.

According to the researchers, an individual with more cognitive reserve - from higher education or intelligence  uses more efficient processing pathways and can withstand more Alzheimers before the initial clinical signs and symptoms emerge.

Lead author Hugh Markus, of the department of clinical neurosciences at Cambridge, said: Many studies have shown that certain risk factors are more common in people with Alzheimers disease, but determining whether these factors actually cause Alzheimers is more difficult.

For example, many studies have shown that the more years spent in full-time education, the lower the risk of Alzheimers. But it is difficult to unravel whether this is an effect of education improving brain function, or whether its the case that people who are more educated tend to come from more wealthy backgrounds and, therefore, have a reduction in other risk factors that cause Alzheimers disease.

Prof Markus led a study to unravel these factors using a technique known as Mendelian randomisation. This involves looking at an individuals DNA and comparing genes associated with environmental risk factors  for example, genes linked to educational attainment or to smoking  and seeing which of these genes are also associated with Alzheimers disease. If a gene is associated with both, then it provides strong evidence that this risk factor causes the onset of the disease.

As part of a project known as CoStream, researchers studied genetic variants that increase the risk of a variety of different environmental risk factors to see if they were more common in 17,000 patients with Alzheimers disease. They found the strongest association with genetic variants that predict higher educational attainment.

This provides further strong evidence that education is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimers disease, says co-author Susanna Larsson, now based at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

It suggests that improving education could have a significant effect on reducing the number of people who suffer from this devastating disease.

Alzheimers disease is the leading cause of dementia. Its chief hallmark is the build of plaques and tangles of misshapen proteins which lead to the gradual death of brain cells, leading to memory loss and disorientation.

The causes of Alzheimers are largely unknown and attempts, to develop drug treatments to halt or reverse its effects, have been disappointing. This has led to increasing interest in whether it is possible to reduce the number of cases of the disease by tackling risk factors that can be modified.

Sharing stories of life with dementia

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland has launched a series of online videos showing people with dementia sharing their life stories in order to combat misconceptions surrounding the condition.

The videos were of people with dementia and their carers that were recently recorded before a live audience at the AlzTalks event at the Cork Arts Theatre.

Dementia advocates Sean Toomey, 82, from Bishopstown, Cork, and Michael Higgins, 62, from Blarney, Co Cork, were among those who spoke about their own experiences of the condition.

Mr Toomey, diagnosed with Alzheimers after a long illness in 2015, offered advice for anyone with a diagnosis.

Joan Toomey, Michael Higgins, Sean Toomey, Helen Rochford Brennan, Catherine Kennedy, Lord Mayor Tony Fitzgerald, Sean Donal OShea, and Jon Hinchliffe at The Alzheimer Society of Irelands AlzTalks event in Cork.

If you have dementia, or your family member does, my advice would be to keep active, stay a part of the local community, he said.

Join an advocate support group and dont be afraid to speak up for yourself. I also believe that its good to be open about having dementia  I always tell people that I have the condition. I dont believe in hiding it away.

Mr Higgins, meanwhile, who was joined on stage by ASIs southern region operations co-ordinator Jon Hinchcliffe, spoke highly about ASIs Bessboro Day Care Centre in Cork which has helped him to come to terms with his diagnosis.

For me, when I first attended Bessboro, it was an outlet for me, because prior to that, when I started getting dementia, I was asking ridiculous questions at home and it very stressful for my family but, by going to Bessboro, it became more clear to me what was happening and I was able to cope better with my diagnosis, he said.

Mr Higgins began singing after his diagnosis and can be found entertaining the others in Bessboro on a daily basis. He performed a wonderful rendition of Michael Bubles Lost on the night.

Other speakers included Helen Rochford Brennan, from Sligo, who shared her insight on living a good life post-diagnosis with appropriate supports and services. Former carers Sean Donal OShea from Co Kerry, and Catherine Kennedy, from Tipperary, recounted their experiences of caring for loved ones with dementia.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland head of advocacy and public affairs, Tina Leonard said: We are very excited to finally launch these videos which detail the very personal stories of each advocate; from those who have dementia and those who have cared for a loved one with dementia. The general public needs to hear about the personal stories of people with dementia and their carers to help bring the subject of dementia, which is often not spoken about in Ireland, into the public domain.
Ross Minihan, a 37-year-old security man, went to the emergency department of UHL on December 17, 2015 after seeing his GP.

He went missing the following day when last seen near the River Shannon. He was known to mental health services in Limerick and had previously been admitted to the acute psychiatric unit at UHL.

When he went to the hospital on December 17, 2015, he was not admitted and allowed home.

Three months later on March 29, 2016, his body was washed up on a West Clare beach.

Now his family are planning to go to the High Court to seek answers as to why the hospital did not take action when handed the GPs letter.

His father, Michael Minihan, a retired CIE worker of Sycamore Avenue, Rathabane, said: After a few hours in the hospital he was not admitted. He came home and went to his room. He was very quiet. The following morning he was not in his room. His body was washed up on the beach the following March. We want to know why he was not admitted. I was in Dublin on the day he went to his GP, December 17 and told him Id go to the hospital the following day. But he wanted to go straight away and went out to the hospital himself.

He was very disturbed at the time and had been in 5B [acute psychiatric wing] some years previously. I have no doubt he would have been alive the following day if he had been admitted.

Ross, who has two young children from a previous relationship, had been residing at the family home.

Solicitor Ronan Hynes said: After he was medically examined he was discharged on the same day. After going home, unfortunately in the middle of the night, it is believed he went into the river. His body was recovered the following March. An inquest recorded an open verdict into Rosss death.

The family feel Ross and they were incredibly let down by the health service. The family want justice for Ross and are taking a High Court case of wrongful death over the failure of the health care provider, the HSE.
The legislation, which also gives officials the power to impose heavy fines, is set to come into force by the end of next year after a string of crises in the health sector.

The Irish Examiner understands that, under a bill to be brought to cabinet this morning by Health Minister Simon Harris, hospitals will be told they must sign up to a licensing system by the end of 2018.

The new laws will give the Health Information Quality Authority (Hiqa) beefed-up powers to investigate both public and private hospitals.

While Hiqa already examines facilities, the fact no hospital licensing system exists means the health watchdog has been limited in what action it can take to address serious problems.

However, under the Government plan, all hospitals will be ordered to apply for licences to operate, which will provide for fines, short-term closures and potentially being shut completely if key standards are not met.

The initial stages of the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill will be signed off on by Cabinet this morning, before being sent to the cross-party Oireachtas health committee and to the Dail and Seanad. And, if the plans are backed by opposition parties, the new system will be in place by the end of 2018.

The Government move  which mirrors previous beefing up of Hiqa powers to inspect and sanction nursing homes  comes after a series of controversies to hit the public and private hospital sectors. These include record hospital waiting lists, excessive trolley counts and the Portlaoise maternity services scandal in the public sector and serious concerns about plastic surgery services in the private sector.

Meanwhile, the much-maligned public hospitals have been largely given the thumbs up in the most extensive patient survey ever undertaken in Ireland.

Minister for Health Simon Harris TD chatting with Sheila OConnor from Patient Focus

However, while 84% of those surveyed reported their inpatient experience as good to very good, no hospital met or was close to reaching the national target of either admitting or discharging 95% of emergency department (ED) attendees within six hours.

That is according to Rachel Flynn, Hiqas programme director for the National Patient Experience Survey, who said just 30% of patients were admitted within the six hour timeframe. In fact, 241 patients waited more than two days  and that was just in May.

Our expectations are that we now expect to have to wait in the ED despite research showing the longer you are there, the poorer the outcome, said Ms Flynn. This is not the norm and we shouldnt expect it.

On a more positive note, 82% of patients said they were always treated with respect and dignity in the ED, and similarly throughout their stay in hospital.

Patients were also largely positive about receiving clear answers from nurses and doctors on the ward but, almost half (49%) said they could not always find a staff member to talk to about their worries and fears.

More than a third said they were not always involved enough in decisions about their care, while thousands said they were not informed about the potential side effects of medications or the danger signals to watch out for after discharge.

Patients made over 21,500 comments in response to three open-ended questions. In total, 13,706 people took part in the survey, which was open to adults who spent more than 24 hours in an acute public hospital in May.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who attended the survey launch, said it provided hard evidence about personal experiences of the Irish health service...warts and all. He said the survey will be expanded next year to include maternity services.

I think, therefore, its only a beginning on a longer journey, a journey to what we all believe in, which is a truly patient-centred health service, said Mr Varadkar.
The lower allocation of teaching time emerged in a study of how school systems here compared with those in other countries.

The Educational Research Centre, an independent statutory body, also found that Ireland is unusual for the high proportion of its schools that are private and faith-based.

For students here, the average amount of time spent learning science is 90 hours during second year of second-level school.

In 56 countries where students took part in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2015, the average tuition time for science was 144 hours. Only Norway and Italy allocated less time than Ireland.

However, results released a year ago showed Irish students rank 10th out of 39 countries. The results of a different international study showed Irish 15-year-olds were sixth-best at science in the EU, and 13th among 35 developed countries.

Although students here are not grouped according to ability for junior cycle science, the ERC found from international data that these students do slightly better on average than those grouped by ability. However, in most other subject areas, there is little or no difference whether or not there is such streaming.

Nearly 90% of Irish students are streamed for second-level maths, double the average in comparison countries. But the opposite is true for science, where the 7% of Irish second-level students streamed is less than a quarter of the 31% international average.

The ERC research paper Shaping Schools compares Ireland on several measures from the TIMSS study, conducted with children in fourth class of primary as well as second-years.

It points out that Irelands education system is unusual for having primary class sizes that are generally larger than those in second-level, as the opposite is the case in most other countries.

Our schools are also generally smaller than elsewhere, with the 303 pupils in the average primary school here being not even half the international average.

The average enrolment of 625 students in Irish second-level schools was just over three-quarters of the 825 of all countries that took part in TIMSS.

ERC researchers Eemer Eivers and Emma Chubb highlight an unusually-high proportion of Irish schools being owned and managed by denominational bodies, usually Catholic bishops or religious orders. This form of private ownership of publicly-funded schools applies to all but 4% of the coutnrys 3,300 primary schools.

Only 45% of Irish second-level students attend schools managed directly or indirectly by a public education authority, compared to 83.5% across all developed countries.
This type of stroke occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen and other nutrients or when damaged cerebral arteries become blocked by a blood clot in the brain.

The finding is published today by the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) in its second report from the National Audit of Hospital Mortality (NAHM).

The report looked at hospital mortality rates for six medical conditions at 44 publicly-funded hospitals.

CUH was the only hospital outside the expected range for deaths from ischaemic stroke.

Cork University Hospital had an SMR (standardised mortality ratio) outside the upper control limit in 2016, meaning that this SMR was higher than could be explained by chance alone, reads the report.

CUH carried out a review to investigate why its mortality rates for ischaemic stroke fell outside the national statistics and found that it was not connected to the quality of care at the hospital.

There was no quality of care deficits identified in this review, CUHs response in the report reads.

The overwhelming finding was that both severity of stroke and presence of severe co-existing disease were significant factors contributing to our higher mortality.

The five other medical conditions that were looked at in the audit report include acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack, heart failure, haemorrhagic stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia.

A key finding showed there has been a 40% reduction in the number of people dying in hospital after being admitted with a heart attack.

There was a 40% reduction in deaths, from the condition, per 100 admissions from 9.3 in 2007 to 5.6 in 2016.

Over the same 10-year period there was also a drop in deaths as a result of heart failure.

There was a reduction of 16% in deaths per 100 admissions from 9.5 in 2007 to 8 in 2016.

For ischaemic stroke, there was a 36% reduction in deaths per 100 admissions from 15.2 in 2007 to 9.8 in 2016.

For COPD, there was a reduction of 22% in deaths per 100 admissions from 4.6 in 2007 to 3.6 in 2016 and for pneumonia, there was a reduction of 20% in deaths per 100 admissions from 13.8 in 2007 to 11.1 in 2016.

There was no significant reduction in deaths from haemorrhagic stroke.

The authors of the report pointed out that it cannot be used to compare hospitals because they each have a different mix of patient profiles and cases.

Margaret Murphy, patient advocate for World Health Organisation, said: The sharing of reviews and learning through the medium of this report is to be welcomed as beneficial for all hospitals while also contributing to relevant improvement in the quality and safety of patient care.

Dr Brian Creedon, NAHM clinical lead, said: Hospitals realise the importance of monitoring mortality data in their hospitals and using this to improve the quality of care they provide to their patients.

NOCA works closely with hospitals and welcomes the commitment shown to shared learning and transparency in this report, he added.
At the survey launch in Dublin yesterday, he said it went beyond the headlines and the political debate to actually talk to people who use the services.

The results presented a different picture to the one we focus on, Mr Harris said.

You see absolutely shortcomings, but you also see the overwhelming majority of people rating their experience in the Irish health service as good or very good and certainly, thats not a normal part of our health discourse in this country.

The survey, conducted by the Health Information and Quality Authority, Hiqa, found 84% of patients rated their experience within our 40 public acute hospitals as good or very good.

It also found that:

More than four in five felt they were always treated with dignity and respect in both the emergency department (ED) and throughout their stay in hospital;

The majority (85%) said they were always given enough privacy when being examined or treated on the ward;

More than nine in 10 felt they received clear answers from doctors and nurses on the ward either always, or sometimes.

The bulk of the 13,700 patients who responded to the survey also said they had confidence and trust in hospital staff. Almost all patients  96%  felt their ward was very clean or fairly clean. And 82% felt staff did everything they could to help control pain.

On the downside:

70% who came through the ED waited longer than the target time of six hours before being admitted to a ward;

Two in five said they did not always have enough time to discuss their care with a doctor;

More than a third (36%) said they were not always involved in decisions about their care.

About half of those surveyed  all adults who spent more than 24 hours in a public acute hospital in May  felt they could not always find a staff member to discuss their fears.

Sheila OConnor, of Patient Focus, the national patient advocacy organisation, said while they were relieved to see that a large number of patients said that they were treated with dignity and respect, the issue of patients feeling they were not involved enough in decisions about their care needed to be addressed.

We know from research that patients who are engaged in their healthcare decisions have better outcomes. We now have the opportunity to hear what the patient is saying and address these issues so that our health service can be improved for the benefit of all, said Ms OConnor.

A number of concerns were raised around discharge. Hiqa said it was clear people did not have very positive experiences of discharge or transfer compared to other stages of care.

Hiqa said patients who are not sufficiently informed about their condition, their medication regime and how to care for themselves at home are at a higher risk of complications and of being admitted to hospital.

Mr Harris acknowledged that the survey identified particular challenges in relation to discharge from hospitals. He said it brought him back to thinking about the need for a statutory home care scheme in this country which we are working on and which we are going to deliver within another two years.

Weve just gone out to public consultation. We need to make sure that when people actually leave the hospital they can go home and they can have support in their home. Its very interesting that that is a significant area of concern that we obviously need to address as we move forward, Mr Harris said.

The survey also found differences in patient experience between hospital groups and people of different age groups. The Saolta Group  taking in Letterkenny University Hospital, Portiuncla, Mayo, Merlin Park, Roscommon, Sligo and University Hospital Galway  emerged as the best performing in terms of care on the ward, examinations, diagnosis, treatment and discharges. The RCSI group, taking in Beaumont, Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda, Connolly, Cavan and Louth County, had the lowest patient scores for the same categories of care.

The Ireland East hospital group had the highest rating for admissions, while the UL hospital group, including University Hospital Limerick, had the lowest score in this area.

In terms of age groups, those under the age of 50 consistently reported more negative experiences of care than older age groups.

Dreadfully long waiting times in our hospitals

Leo Varadkar

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the countrys first national patient survey had highlighted experiences of dissatisfaction in hospitals, including concerns over waiting times, writes Joyce Fegan.

There are also lessons to be learned, he said.

Many pointed out dreadfully long waits for admission from emergency departments, Mr Varadkar said, at the launch of the National Patient Experience Survey.

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) was one of the hospitals where patients had to endure a long waiting time, but management there has already taken steps to improve the situation.

UHL overall scored 7.9 in terms of patient satisfaction but 83% of its patients said they had to wait more than six hours before being admitted to a hospital ward.

Limerick City TD Maurice Quinlivan said UHL was highlighted as a weak spot in the national survey.

The results for our main local hospital, UHL, are of concern as overall results from the patient survey indicate patient experience was below the national average.

These responses are unsurprising as the trolley crisis and bed shortage in UHL is well documented and, unfortunately, shows no signs of improving with 878 people recorded on trolleys last month, he said.

However, management at the hospital said a new emergency department opened at the end of May 2017. This was after the survey was distributed to patients, management said.

The new department has numerous private cubicles and treatment areas and a private end-of-life care area for patients and families.

There are also three projects underway in the hospital to improve waiting times and extra beds are now available with a short stay ward recently opened.

Another hospital that scored badly, was University Hospital Waterford (UHW), which received the lowest rating with a 7.7 mark.

Managment said they are taking steps to improve the patient experience of its emergency department with an acute medical assessment unit for investigation of non-emergency medical presentations being established.

Management said this will lead to reduced demand on the department. A transfer team has also been established to reduce the turn-around time for inpatient beds.

Dr Susan OReilly, CEO of the Dublin Midland Hospital Group (DMHG), which includes seven hospitals such as the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise and St Jamess Hospital, said the survey provided the health service with a baseline of essential data.

This is the first-time patients have been asked about their experiences in such a direct and joined-up way nationally. It provides the management and staff, across our group, with a crucial baseline information dataset from which to develop services and continuously enhance their delivery.

This survey also helps to create and foster an environment, as it should be, where patients are central to shaping our hospital services and how they are rolled-out into the future, Dr OReilly said.

Minister for Health Simon Harris said the survey highlights specific challenges that need to be addressed.

The lowest amount of satisfaction was when it came to being discharged from hospitals, so 60% of people had a good or a very good experience when it came to being discharged or being transferred, said Mr Harris.

Patient concerns to be addressed through action plans

Tony OBrien and Simon Harris

Each of 40 public acute hospitals which took part in a National Patient Experience Survey has devised an action plan that responds directly to patients concerns, write Joyce Fegan and Catherine Shanahan.

Thats according to Tony OBrien, director general of the HSE, who said the survey had given us very specific information as to how each hospital can improve the way it interacts with every patient.

We can learn from this and improve the health service and thats really what this experience survey is about, he said.

The action plans were launched yesterday to tie in with the launch in Dublin of the survey, conducted by health watchdog Hiqa.

The HSE has set up a new governance structure to lead the development of a national plan to improve the quality of care in Irish hospitals.

The overall finding was that patients largely regarded their experience in hospital as positive, with 84% of the 13,700 who took part rating their experience as good or very good.

Rachel Flynn, Hiqa director of health information and standards and programme director for the National Patient Experience Survey, said she believed there was a genuine will to make things happen in the hospital groups.

She said they had given hospitals the heads-up on what patients were saying in relation to them throughout the survey so that they could begin improvements straight away.

A lot of patients had rated answers from doctors very positively, she said, but felt they did not always have enough time with them, or that family members didnt have enough time.

The clear message is that patients want themselves and their families to have more time to talk to doctors and hospital staff, said Ms Flynn.

They also wanted more involvement in making decisions about their care.

We know from research that those involved in and engaged in their care have better outcomes, she said.

These were the types of comments fed back to the hospitals. There were three open-ended questions in the survey, which generated more than 21,500 patient comments, which Ms Flynn said provided an incredibly rich source of data.

Ms Flynn said the survey had been completed in three months and that Hiqa had been determined to get the results out this year to keep it relevant.

The survey extended to adult patients who spent more than 24 hours in a public acute hospital during the month of May.

Health Minister Simon Harris said there were a number of things that need to be fixed in individual hospitals and also at a systems level.

The HSE has now put in place improvement plans for individual hospitals, this includes trying to improve our hospital food.

We now have a team of people working in relation to that.

I, at the Department of Health, am about to conclude a bed capacity review where we identify the bed needs for the health service, not just now, but for the next 30 years. This will finally give us an opportunity to link demographic pressure with bed needs, he said.

Eye and ear hospital scores top rating

The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin received the highest ratings from patients, scoring 9.3 overall, writes Joyce Fegan.

A total of 83% of patients rated their overall experience as very good. This is against a national average of 54%.

Just 2% said they had a bad experience, whereas nationally this stood at 16%.

The highest rating from patients at the eye and ear hospital was in relation to having enough time to discuss their care and treatment with a doctor  94% said they had an adequate amount of time to do this.

In relation to stages of care, patients rated their time on the ward as the best, with 79% saying the experience was very good.

Following closely, at 78%, patients rated their examination and treatment as very good.

Peoples experience of discharge or transfer varied slightly, however, with 60% rating it as very good, 19% as good, and 21% as bad.

A total of 26% of respondents said they were not completely informed about danger signals to watch out for after they went home, and 28% said they were not told how they might expect to feel after an operation in a manner which they could understand.

In terms of food, 17% of patients rated it as fair or poor.

In relation to areas of improvement, 22% of people said they were not always as involved as they wanted to be in decisions about their care.

The eye and ear hospital is now taking steps, with a 2018 implementation date, to improve nutrition and to educate staff on improved communication at discharge.

Waterford hospital gets lowest rating

University Hospital Waterford

University Hospital Waterford (UHW) has received an overall rating of 7.7 from patients, which was the lowest experience rating of the 40 participating hospitals, writes Joyce Fegan.

A total of 75% of patients said they waited more than six hours before being admitted to a ward and 46% said they did not have sufficient time to discuss their care and treatment with a doctor.

Furthermore, 55% of people said that they could not always find someone on the hospital staff to talk to about their worries and fears.

Patients in all hospitals were asked about the various stages of their care from entry to discharge.

In UHW, 45% rated their discharge or transfer as poor and 46% were not fully informed about medication side effects to watch out for.

A total of 55% of patients also said that they did not always receive enough information from the hospital on how to manage their condition after discharge.

The average age of respondents was 62, and 76% of patients had entered UHW on an emergency basis.

Rachel Flynn, Hiqas director of health information and standards and programme director for the National Patient Experience Survey said it was important to point out when interpreting the UHW result that building work was underway at the hospital at the time of the survey.

She said: They were doing construction work in UHW at the time  a lot of patients give out about that. However they [UHW] have lots of areas to improve.

Standards of care varies at Cork hospitals, say patients

By Catherine Shanahan

Cork University Hospital (CUH)

83% of patients said they had a very good or good experience, compared with 84% nationally.

Patients reported positive experiences vis-a-vis information on their condition and the emotional support available when they experienced worries and fears. However, in the emergency department, 76% waited longer than six hours to be admitted. Long delays can have negative consequences for patient health.

The survey also found lack of privacy in the ward and emergency department while patients are being examined or treated.

Food is an area which also requires improvement, including the need for staff to support patients who require assistance at meal times.

Mercy University Hospital (MUH)

89% of patients said they had a good or very good experience, compared to 84% nationally.

The survey found people had confidence and trust in hospital staff and, overall, were treated with respect and dignity. Patients reported a very good standard of cleanliness in wards and bathrooms.

Areas in need of improvement include the emergency department where 81% reported waiting more than six hours to be admitted, while 13 people waited more than 48 hours.

The survey found communication with the patient during the discharge process requires improvement particularly in relation to explaining medication side effects.

South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH)

94% said they had a very good or good experience, compared with 84% nationally.

Staff placed a value on treating patients with respect and dignity and patients were given enough privacy when being examined or treated. Patients said they had confidence and trust in the staff, while many also said they were able to find someone to talk to about their worries and fears.

Discharge or transfer is one stage of care which needs improvement. In particular, communication during the discharge process was lacking in some cases.

Bantry General Hospital

94% said they had a very good or good experience, compared with 84% nationally.

People were treated with respect and dignity during their time in the hospital and also reported positive experiences of physical comfort and pain management. Communication as regards the discharge process is a key area for improvement; many people said they did not receive written or printed information on how to care for themselves at home. A number of patients also said they were not told about medication side effects and danger signals to watch out for after leaving hospital.

They also noted a lack of opportunities to talk to someone about their worries and fears.

Mallow General Hospital

99% said they had a very good or good experience, compared with 84% nationally.

The survey found that, in general, Mallow performed well, achieving scores above the national average for many questions. In particular, they rated highly during the examinations, diagnosis and treatment stage.

The majority reported that they were treated with privacy, respect and dignity and had confidence and trust in hospital staff. People also remarked positively about the standard of cleanliness.

However, people indicated some challenges relating to the discharge process, including a lack of printed communication about what they should or should not do at home.
Judge Olann Kelleher noted from the evidence that the young man had no previous convictions. However, the judge said, He acted the maggot on the night.

The judge said at Cork District Court yesterday that he would leave Bernard ORiordan, of 74 Connolly Park, Cork, without a conviction if he made a contribution of 350 to the Cuanlee family refuge in Cork.

Michael Quinlan, defence solicitor, said that in fairness to the young man the probation report on him was promising.

Judge Kelleher wondered which solicitor was the All-Ireland champion.

Mr Quinlan quipped: It is not me anyway.

Now left without a conviction, ORiordan previously pleaded guilty to having cocaine for his own use on the night, being threatening and abusive, and being intoxicated to such an extent that he was a danger.

Insp Adrian Gamble said the accused came to the attention of security staff at Eclipse nightclub after 2am on June 5, 2016.

Detective Garda John Sheedy arrived and seized a 50 bag of cocaine from the accused.

Mr ORiordan chose to become obstructive and made threats that his uncle was a solicitor and that the gardai and the security staff were all going to lose their jobs, Insp Gamble said.

Insp Gamble went on to say that the defendant kept replying, prove it, to everything Det Garda Sheedy said in the nightclub.

ORiordan then boasted that his uncle was not just a solicitor but was an All-Ireland champion solicitor.

Mr Quinlan stressed that the accused had no previous convictions. He said he demonstrated his remorse by writing a letter of apology to the detective.
Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus.
ISLAND Con will boldly go where no man has gone before with their latest guest announcement.

American TV and film actor, Ethan Phillips, will be welcomed on to the Island in 2018.

Best known as the Talaxian 'Neelix' in Star Trek: Voyager, Ethan appeared throughout the franchise, in Next Generation, First Contact, Enterprise and Of Gods and Men.

The organisers also announced that a new zone will feature at the event.

They wrote online: "With the new Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom released in Summer of 2018, and the IW being one of the richest dinosaur areas in Europe, we are proud to present Dino Zone."

It will include a full dinosaur display with loads of elements including two large interactive dinosaur attractions and there will be baby dinosaurs on show with a full fossil display and real-life dinosaur handlers and rangers.

Island Con returns to Cowes on October 20 and 21 and will be hosted at Cowes Enterprise College.
As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience  the local community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

Close
A WOMAN was taken to hospital after her car flipped on to its roof on the main Calbourne to Freshwater road this morning (Tuesday).

Police were called to the single vehicle accident, which happened on Middle Road, between Calbourne Mill and the first turning for Chessell Pottery, at 6.38am.

A Renault Clio rolled and blocked the road.

The driver, a 26 year old woman, was taken to St Mary's Hospital, Newport, with minor injuries.

The road was closed by the police for a short time while emergency services dealt with the incident, with traffic diverted, but it has since been reopened.

The Island's roads have been a victim of icy conditions this morning, after temperatures plummeted to below freezing point overnight.

There was also an accident in which another Renault Clio slid off the road and came to rest in a hedge, on Brading Down Road.

The accident was reported to the police at 7.24am this morning.

No injuries were reported.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: "We would urge motorists to take extra care during this period of cold weather as the roads are becoming particularly icy."
Winston-Salem police are asking for help with identifying an individual involved in the armed robbery of Coliseum Bingo and Games on November 7.

Shortly before 11 that Tuesday night, officers responded to the business at 2804 University Parkway on a report of an armed robbery. Two suspects with handguns had entered the business and demanded money from employees and patrons, police said. The suspects stole an undisclosed amount of money and fled north on foot from the business.

No one was injured during the incident.

Authorities ask that anyone with information regarding this incident call police at 336-773-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 or en Espanol: (336) 728-3904.
Inmar buys web-based subscription service

Inmar Inc., based in Winston-Salem, announced Monday that it has acquired RASMAS from Noblis Inc., a nonprofit science, technology and strategy organization based in Reston, Va.

Inmar did not disclose a purchase price, but stated that 16 employees will be added to its workforce as a result of the acquisition.

RASMAS is a web-based subscription service that provides notification, distribution, organization and management of product alerts and recalls throughout the healthcare industry.

Inmar has served as the exclusive reseller of RASMAS on behalf of Noblis Inc. for the past eight years.

Fran Daniel

Apple orchestrates deal for Shazam app

SAN FRANCISCO  Apple has bought Shazam, the maker of a song-recognition app that Apples digital assistant Siri has already been using to help people identify the music playing on their iPhones. The companies didnt disclose the price of the acquisition announced Monday, but previous reports placed the value at about $400 million.

Siri began utilizing Shazams technology to answer questions about songs in a 2014 update to the iPhones operating system.

Digital services have been playing an increasingly important role for Apple as the sales of iPhones  the companys main moneymaker  have slowed.

The Associated Press

Bitcoin futures soar amid frenzy over virtual currency

NEW YORK  Wall Street got its first taste of bitcoin on Monday, with the price of the first-ever futures contract for the digital currency jumping 20 percent.

Its a step forward for the bitcoin, which has soared this year despite concerns that the surge of investor interest has transformed it from a new-age currency into just the latest speculative bubble.

One prominent securities regulator warned that people were now taking out second mortgages on their homes to buy bitcoin.

The Associated Press

Zinke, House GOP face criticism over attacks

WASHINGTON  Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and House Republicans have escalated their feud with Patagonia after the outdoor retailer told Americans that President Donald Trump stole your land in his move to shrink two sprawling Utah national monuments.

The dispute pitting the GOP against a private company raised questions about use of taxpayer resources for political criticism and whether Republicans are trying to stop Patagonia sales weeks before the Christmas holiday.

On the day of Trumps announcement about the monuments, the California-based retailer replaced its usual home page last week with a black screen and stark message: The President Stole Your Land. Patagonia filed suit to block the planned reduction to Utahs Bears Ears National Monument.

In a tweet, the House Natural Resources Committee said Patagonia is lying and making the allegation about Trumps plan to sell more products to wealthy elitist urban dwellers from New York to San Francisco.

The Associated Press
Q: As the next section of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway opens, whenever I look at any maps of the project, it seems a little odd that it
President Trump won the election as a populist. He excoriated everyone else in the primaries. His voters loved him for calling out Clinton as "Crooked Hillary."

His campaign was built upon ridiculing the Washington elitists, including a major political media rightly perceived as fawning over Democrats and liberals until those Democrats' or liberals' follies were beyond ignoring.

The insiders recoiled as millions cheered as Trump laid bare every other candidate's weaknesses, including chastising Clinton for aiding and abetting her husband's abuse of women.

When Democratic Sen. Al Franken's physical abuse of women became photographically undeniable, Trump tweeted to the world, "Frankenstein." When House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi circled the Democratic Party wagons around Frankengroper and Democratic Sen. John Conyers, Americans -- including me -- called her out on her partisan hypocrisy as she cried for her Democrats to rally around "due process" while convicting Republican Roy Moore as a "child molester" without any due process.

Since then, two horrible actions for the Republican Party occurred.

First, Pelosi gave in to public pressure to call for Conyers to resign, as multiple accusers (and a paper trail of a settlement to a former aide) came forth.

Then, Trump completely destroyed any moral advantage for the Republicans.

While Alabama Republicans were isolated by the rest of the party in defending Moore, Trump put on his designer muck boots and joined the Alabama swamp.

He endorsed Moore.

Why?

Because, like the Democrats, he would sacrifice truth, honor and respect for political office for the expediency of ensuring votes for his agenda.

It's the same reason the National Organization for Women and other such groups defended Bill Clinton against charges of rape and abuse; Clinton promised to support their political causes.

Trump's hypocrisy is endorsing a man with multiple accusations of predatory behavior, including rolling around in his underwear with a 14-year-old girl while he was in his 30s.

Has Moore been prosecuted? No, and we're not talking about putting anyone in jail or losing their job due to some presumably jilted lover. We're talking about serving in the U.S. Senate, where perverts and abusers have often prowled and sometimes have been forced out when discovered.

Sometimes they're actually reelected, like Fred Richmond of New York, whom Democrats sent back to the U.S. House of Representatives following his arrest for soliciting a 16-year-old boy.

Do voters want ethical representation or do they just want what they want when they want it -- and they want it now?

When it comes to Moore and Republican votes in Congress, there are a lot of Republican voters willing to "go tribal" and defend Moore.

We've all heard and read Moore defenders saying the charges are "40 years old" and "why now?" and "all the women voted for Hillary." (They didn't. Two reportedly voted for Trump.)

Some seem to truly believe all of these women are paid Democratic Party operatives.

Sure, Democratic operatives have openly admitted to fomenting violence at Trump rallies, but it seems quite a stretch to presume all of these women are paid operatives, willing to face conviction of false accusations.

Here's something else Trump has sacrificed for the expediency of a guaranteed vote for his policies. Should Moore be elected to the Senate, Republicans will have a harder time repairing their brand than Democrats. Historically, Republican voters have been less likely to return alleged and accused sexual offenders to Congress and the presidency than Democrats.

That hasn't hurt Democrats in the long run ... or in the short-term, either.

Conyers has already tag-teamed his son to replace him and Minnesota's Democratic governor will simply appoint another Democrat.

And despite Trump's capricious capacity for inventing invectives, I doubt many congressional Republicans would publicly refer to Al Franken as "Frankenstein" during the final weeks leading to his presumed resignation.

It would be no surprise if gavel-wielding Democrats would grandstand for the press in meetings, sessions and hearings acknowledging Roy Moore in the most Pelosi-inspired way, saying, "The chair recognizes the child molester from Alabama."


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Brovarets Andrey Petrovich, Russian Consul General to Da Nang city (2nd from right), welcomes Russian President Putin to join the APEC Economic Leaders Week. (Photo: Russian Consul General to Da Nang city)

Talking with Da Nang newspaper, Brovarets Andrey Petrovich, Russian Consul General to Da Nang city, appreciated Vietnams successful organization of the event, expressing his thanks to the country for supporting the Russian delegation joining the APEC Economic Leaders Week.

He confirmed that Da Nang city had showed its readiness in effective cooperation during the integration of regional leading economies.

The establishment of the APEC Park where APEC member economies statutes are on show is a good idea, he said. We are happy as Yurii Gagarin, the first human in space, contributes to beautifying the Park, which helps link people together and complete cultural exchanges.

Regarding the Russian Consulate Generals preparations for APEC, he stated that the consulate worked closely with agencies in Da Nang city, including security, immigration agencies and the Da Nang International Airport, to ensure the operations of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Before leaving Da Nang, President V. Putin held my hands and thanked me for the considerate preparations for the Russian delegation in successfully joining the APEC Economic Leaders Week, he said, conveying the Russian Presidents saying that Vietnam had done its utmost to facilitate the work and create a friendly atmosphere.

Talking about increasing the cooperation between Russian regions and Da Nang city and Vietnams central localities, Russian Consul General Brovarets Andrey Petrovich said the cooperation should be further promoted based on the comprehensive strategic partnership and traditional friendship between the two countries.

He added that the Russian Consulate General had actively prepared for the establishment of relationships between Russian localities and Da Nang city, noting some outstanding activities between the two sides, including the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Primorye Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Da Nang branch in 2015; the signing of the agreement on developing a joint training curriculum and exchange of lecturers and students between the Far Eastern Federal University and the Da Nang University in 2015; and the signing of a cooperative deal between the Kurgan State University with universities and schools in Da Nang city and Quang Nam province in 2016.

Vietnam has become the first country to sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasia Economic Union, which strengthens the driving force for the exchange of goods between Vietnam and Russia, he added./.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Sonoura Kentaro, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan (Photo: VNA)



He made the remark when receiving Sonoura Kentaro, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan, in Hanoi on December 11th.

He said Vietnam considers the success of Japanese enterprises in the country as its own.

Highlighting the Vietnam - Japan strategic partnership based on mutual trust, the PM lauded smooth cooperation between the two countries state agencies and sectors in implementing agreements sealed by their high-ranking leaders.

He expected to boost the ties to new heights for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific.

He also lauded Japans efforts in promoting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, which is now renamed as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

For his part, Sonoura Kentaro congratulated Vietnam on successfully hosting the APEC Year 2017 and conveyed Japanese PM Shinzo Abes thank-you message for the warm welcome he received while in Vietnam for the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting.

Sonoura underscored 2017 as a historic year in Vietnam - Japan ties, with a series of visits by both sides high-ranking leaders taking place.

Japan wants to stimulate friendship and collaboration with Vietnam in all fields, he stated./.
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
LEXINGTON  Two Coloradans who fled law enforcement in a high-speed chase and then hid for hours in a cornfield in the July heat each were sentenced in Dawson County District Court to serve time in jail.

The suspects were driving a stolen vehicle and sped away after a Nebraska State Patrol trooper attempted to stop them on Interstate 80 near Overton.

According to court records, the driver of the vehicle, Michael Medina, 25, of Denver was sentenced to 200 days in jail for felony theft by receiving stolen property of $1,500-$5,000. He will receive 133 days credit for time already served. He was also sentenced to another 210 days in jail for felony possession of a controlled substance and felony operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest.

The passenger in the vehicle, Patricia Pacheco, 27, also of Denver was sentenced to 200 days in jail for felony possession of a controlled substance, and she will receive 124 days credit for time already served. She was also sentenced to an additional 180 days in jail for misdemeanor obstruction of a peace officer.

The charges stem from a 30-minute pursuit on July 27 that reached 85 mph on rural Dawson County roads.

According to court records, the trooper attempted to make a traffic stop at about 3:30 p.m. near the Overton I-80 interchange. Medina and Pacheco fled north on Road 444 at the Overton interchange and sped down county roads. The State Patrol spiked the vehicles tires at Roads 1353 and 763, southwest of Sumner.

Shortly after, Medina drove through a cornfield and struck a fence at Roads 444 and 764, court records say. Medina and Pacheco then ran from the vehicle and hid in the cornfield.

The pair was spotted later that evening outside the nearby home of Dean and Jean Eberle, Jean said in a July interview with the Hub. After they were spotted, Pacheco and Medina ran off and werent apprehended until about noon the following day, court records say.

@erikadpritchard
KEARNEY  The woman who is challenging incumbent Deb Fischer for her seat in the U.S. Senate said shes good at working with Republicans.

"Im pretty good at building coalitions," said Jane Raybould, a Democrat from Lincoln. She serves on the Lincoln City Council and is a former member of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners where she was the only Democrat.

During a stop in Kearney on Tuesday, Raybould said she wants to bring her business background and commitment to bipartisanship to the U.S. Senate. She said Fischer is vulnerable in her bid for a second six-year term because she voted for Betsy DeVos as federal secretary of education. The vote left Fischer at odds with many of Nebraskas public school educators, Raybould said, because DeVos supports school choice.

In addition, Raybould said Fischers support for Republicans failed attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act reveals her partisanship.

"Amend it, not end it," Raybould said about the ACA, also known as Obamacare. "We need to work together with our wonderful Republican partners to fix the ACA."

Saying shes unafraid of a fight, Raybould also hammered Fischer for supporting the Republican tax reforms, which are forecast to add $1.4 trillion to the national debt.

"My focus will always be on small business and families," Raybould said. "Im concerned about the divisive partisan politics and not getting anything done."

Raybould, 58, and her brother run the grocery business her father started 53 years ago. B&R Stores has 19 locations and employs 2,000 Nebraskans. She is in charge of buildings and equipment and oversees capital investments.

She said shes particularly proud of the Lancaster County Boards work with labor unions and others to reduce the countys pension contributions. Those efforts meant getting the Nebraska Legislature involved and negotiating with several labor unions.

She said her record with the county board proves she can work with Republicans.

Some provisions of the Affordable Care Act ought to be retained, such as mandatory coverage of pre-existing conditions and insurance subsidies for those whose incomes are under a certain threshold, Raybould has said in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald. A bipartisan group of the "smartest and the brightest" should be formed to propose changes to strengthen the ACA.

She said she would look at a single-payer system or allowing people older than 55 to buy into Medicare, but did not endorse any specific changes in health care laws.

Raybould said she would be "fierce" on agricultural issues and would seek a spot on the Senate Agriculture Committee.
HOLDREGE  Eight Nebraska Rural Living artists will be featured at a Downtown Christmas Art Show and Walk organized by Holdrege Young Professionals.

According to a Nebraska Rural Living press release, the event takes place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday in downtown Holdrege. Many downtown businesses will be open, and artists will display their work at several of those businesses. Art will be available to purchase or to just enjoy.

The eight artists who will showcase their work are among 29 artists that were selected through a juried process to be part of Nebraska Rural Livings online art gallery. All of the artists live in Nebraska towns with populations of fewer than 10,000 people.

Participating artists are Michael Peterson of ONeill; Mary Tanner of Hershey; Janice Howell of Cambridge; Jay Gustafson of Long Pine; Sondra Jonson of Cambridge; Garald Horst of Arnold; Kristi Spiegel of Holdrege; Mysti Killough of Holdrege. Participating businesses include Lost Way Brewery, Fourth Ave. Coffee, Hilsabecks Sporting Goods, The 308 Boutique, Stephanies, F. Johnson Building, Mystic Images, Double D Cleaners, Gifts & Things, Dragonfly Beautique, East Ave. Pub, My Fair Ladys Fashions and Generations Memorabilia.
KEARNEY  Residents of this area donated 9,000 gift-filled shoeboxes for children around the world through the Central Nebraska Area Team of Operation Christmas Child.

For many of those children, the shoebox gift will be the first gift they ever receive.

There is still time to pack a shoebox gift online for children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. Shoeboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items and toys go to children in some of the hardest-to-reach countries around the world.

Visit samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a childs age and gender and add a photo and personal note. Or, donate $9 per shoebox gift online through Follow Your Box and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Citizens can also purchase a $25 gift card for a family member or friend so they can participate in Operation Christmas Child.

For more information, call 816-622-8316 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.
BEATRICE, Neb.  A judge will decide whether Joshua Keadles lawyers have a conflict of interest that would prevent them from defending him in the 2010 slaying of a Peru State College student.

The question of a conflict arose because the defense attorneys previously have represented witnesses who could be called to testify in the case.

Keadle faces a charge of first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Tyler Thomas of Omaha.

During a brief hearing Monday, Nemaha District Judge Ricky Schreiner ordered lawyers for Keadle and the state to submit written arguments by Jan. 8. Keadle, an inmate in prison for an unrelated rape conviction, appeared at the hearing under the tight supervision of four sheriffs deputies.

After the hearing, lawyers for the prosecution and defense declined to identify the witnesses in question or to characterize their potential testimony.

Keadles lead attorney is Jeff Pickens with the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy. Keadle is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Doug Warner.

Attorney General Doug Peterson charged Keadle in October, nearly seven years after Thomas disappeared from the small state college campus in southeast Nebraska. The filing of the charge came well after a judge declared Thomas dead, and her family won a symbolic $2.6 billion civil verdict against Keadle.

Despite extensive searches, Thomas remains have not been found. An investigators probable cause affidavit filed in October provided no new information about the potential evidence against Keadle.

Thomas appeared on college security cameras about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2010, walking toward her dorm from an off-campus party.

Keadle told authorities that he offered to give her a ride to Omaha in exchange for a sex act, according to court documents. Afterward, Keadle said, he changed his mind about driving to Omaha and left her near a public boat dock on the Missouri River when she became angry.

News reports about Thomas disappearance prompted a Fremont woman to come forward with rape accusations against Keadle. A jury later convicted him of sexually assaulting the woman when she was a 15-year-old girl and he was a 27-year-old student at Midland University.

Keadle, 36, is at the Tecumseh State Prison, serving 15 to 20 years for the sex assault. He will become eligible for parole in about a year and is scheduled for release in early 2021.
LINCOLN  Nebraska juvenile facilities confined youths alone in their rooms nearly 2,400 times during the past year, according to a report released Monday.

The total included cases where juveniles spent more than a month on room restriction and cases where youngsters were confined so staff could do head counts and training.

The report from Julie Rogers of the Office of Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare was the states first attempt to collect information about room confinement practices in Nebraska.

Confining juveniles alone in their rooms is a concern because research shows that it can exacerbate mental illness and the risk of suicide, and also increase a youths risk to reoffend.

Isolation for a very long time period can be very harmful, Rogers said. National standards agree that juvenile room confinement should be used only as a last resort to ensure safety, be time-limited and be closely monitored.

State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln, who sponsored legislation calling for the report, said the findings make clear that more legislation is needed to address room confinement practices.

The report shows Nebraska facilities are placing far too many kids in room confinement and at too long a duration, she said. These practices are not good for the healing and rehabilitation of our most vulnerable, our youth.

Pansing Brooks introduced her legislation after a report by the ACLU of Nebraska, which found that Nebraska facilities kept youths in room confinement for some of the longest periods in the nation. The report also found that some facilities did not track use of the practice, and that information was limited at others.

Danielle Conrad, executive director of the state ACLU, said the inspector generals report showed that many facilities are out of step with recommendations from mental health experts.

This initial data should shock the conscience of Nebraska policymakers and encourage further bipartisan reform, including the exploration of a total ban on juvenile solitary confinement, she said. When Nebraska kids return to our communities more damaged and more hopeless, no one wins.

According to the new report, seven facilities accounted for the bulk of the confinement cases during the year that ended June 30. All seven house youths convicted of or being held for breaking the law.

The Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility in Omaha, a part of the state prison system, kept young inmates in room confinement for the longest periods. While the facility houses male prisoners age 21 and younger, the report looked at those age 19 and younger.

Confinements at the correctional facility averaged nearly 11 days, but eight cases, involving seven youths, lasted more than 30 days.

Only three cases were concluded within 24 hours, which represents the maximum time that most national standards say youths should be on room confinement, the report said.

The next-longest room confinements were at the Douglas County Youth Center, where youths spent an average of nearly three days on room restriction.

Brad Alexander, superintendent of the Douglas County center, said assaults lead to the vast majority of room restrictions there, while minor rule infractions are dealt with in other ways. Those practices could increase the average because then only more severe infractions result in room restrictions.

Alexander also said that youths on room confinement are not kept in total isolation. They get regular face-to-face visits with mental health professionals and are allowed out of their rooms for individual recreation and school.

The Lancaster County Youth Services Center used room restrictions most frequently.

The county confined youths in their rooms 3.84 times for every 100 days spent at that detention center, a rate more than twice as much as the youth correctional facility or the Douglas County detention center.

The most common reason for room confinement at the Lancaster County center was for administrative purposes, such as staff training, breaks and daily head counts.

Nebraskas two state-run youth treatment and rehabilitation centers used room restrictions less frequently than the Lancaster County detention center, and the average length of room restrictions was less than at the Douglas County detention center.

But the youth rehabilitation centers used room confinement more often and for longer periods than similar facilities across the country, the report said.

The Geneva center for girls used it at a rate of 2.84 times per 100 days for an average of almost 23 hours. The Kearney center for boys used the practice at a rate of 2.32 times per 100 days for an average of 49 hours, 38 minutes.

Rounding out the seven facilities with the highest room confinement use are youth detention centers in northeast Nebraska and in Sarpy County.

In the report, Rogers recommended some changes to reduce the use of room confinement. Among them, she called for facilities to update their policies, develop plans to change practices, maintain sufficient staff and ensure that workers are trained in alternatives to room confinement.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb.  With everyone looking forward to time with their family for the holidays, Ed and Marci Clarkes family got a little bit bigger on Monday.

Ed and Marci, of North Platte, are foster parents through the South Central Behavioral Services foster program. On Monday, the Clarkes formally adopted Danyle, a 13-year-old girl who was placed with them in January.

Ed could not participate in the proceedings in person, however, because he is deployed in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army Reserves. He was present via FaceTime during the adoption at the Lincoln County Courthouse.

Ed and Marci became licensed foster parents a little over a year ago, said Brenda Cook, resource development specialist with South Centrals foster program. The couple has a daughter, Kenedi, but after her birth, Marci could no longer have children.

It was hard for a while, Marci said. We decided after Ed left active duty that we would foster and possibly be able to grow our family through fostering or adopting.

Marci said Danyles sister was also in foster care for a time but returned home. Danyle, however, needed a permanent home.

It took a few weeks after joining the Clarke family, but Danyle started to come out of her shell. When South Central asked if they wanted to adopt Danyle, Ed and Marci said yes.

The Clarkes had known since December 2016 that Ed would be deployed in April.

We decided to go ahead and bring Danyle to our house, Marci said. We talked about a way to go through with the adoption even with him gone. We wanted to go through with it.

They were allowed to sign the adoption papers early, before Ed left.

On Monday, County Judge Kent Turnbull asked Ed via video if he and Marci wanted to bring Danyle into their home as a permanent member of their family.

Ed responded, I do. I wouldnt have it any other way.

From our agencys perspective, its been a cool thing that they welcomed Danyle into their family, Cook said.

Marci said Danyle is already a perfect fit for their family. With Kenedi 8 years old and Danyle turning 14 on Dec. 19, the two get along well  most of the time.

They already fight like siblings with the usual sibling arguments, Marci said. Which is kind of comical because theyve really been that way since Danyle came to us.

Danyle has been ready to finalize the process and have a family so she isnt in limbo anymore, Marci said.

When Turnbull asked Danyle if she was ready to join the Clarke family, she also excitedly said, Yes.

Cook said the Clarkes story brings attention to the need for foster homes in North Platte in a positive way.

Its good to hear a positive story, she said. Especially this time of year.

Danyle is also learning that being in a military family means having family outside her home. She is already developing friendships with some of the soldiers shes met.

With Marcis stepdaughter Maxxie and her spouse, Baylea, joining their household as well as Danyle, Marci said, their family of three has become a family of six.

And who knows, we may get bigger, she added.

With the gift of a new family and new memories to be made, this makes a good Christmas for us, Marci said.
A significantly important proportion of the U.S. American people appear to be morally challenged. Their Democratic Party appears to be persistently obsessed with shooting themselves in their own feet, then questioning why they have trouble getting anywhere, whereas their Republican Party has no such problem.

While hypocrisy might be the sin of all sins (. ... but only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core (Hannah Arnedt, On Revolution) many of the Republican Party disposition are only too eagerly predisposed toward wrapping themselves in the robes of Christ, while parading under the flag of country, then acting totally contrary to the founding principles of both Jesus Christ and country.

They seldom seem troubled by the hypocrisy of it all. Hypocrisy is instead their virtue, rather than the vice of vices.

Democrats on the other hand frequently want to be seen as virtuous and are obsessed with inflicting self-injury to be seen as such; but, are instead rewarded as being only a bunch of free-thinkers freely wandering all over the moral map without direction.

The Republicans simply accept their hypocrisy with pride and satisfaction, while sitting on the sidelines watching the Democrats self-destruct. Alabama might be a moral hog pen, but many of the American people enjoy dealing in pork bellies.

Stu Luttich, Geneva
LEXINGTON  Several pounds of marijuana were allegedly discovered behind subwoofer speakers in the trunk of an Illinois mans vehicle on Interstate 80.

According to the Dawson County jail roster, Andres Heredia, 22, of Orland Park, Ill., is charged in Dawson County on suspicion of felony possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and felony possession of hashish with intent to deliver.

According to a Dawson County Sheriffs Office report, a deputy sheriff stopped Heredia for speeding Saturday at about 3:49 a.m. in the eastbound lane of I-80 about four miles west of Lexington. During the traffic stop, the deputy thought Heredia to be nervous, so he asked to search the vehicle. Heredia allegedly conceded.

The report said the deputy smelled marijuana emanating from a backpack on the front passenger seat floorboard and under subwoofer speakers in the trunk. A dual sub-box with subwoofers allegedly wasnt connected to a stereo, and the deputy found heavy tool marks on the box. Upon unscrewing the subwoofers, the deputy allegedly found several pounds of marijuana and a few ounces of hashish.

@erikadpritchard
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A firefighter walks by rubble on the train crash site in Lac-Megantic, Que., Sunday, July 14, 2013. The three men charged in the Lac-Megantic rail disaster that killed 47 people will not be testifying at their trial. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Bird watchers are flocking to British Columbia's Lower Mainland after a wayward summer tanager was spotted pecking at peanuts on a south Vancouver balcony over the weekend. A juvenile male summer tanager, off course from typically wintering in a range from central Mexico to Brazil, is seen in an undated handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Melissa Hafting, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
The Site C Dam location is seen along the Peace River in Fort St. John, B.C., on April 18, 2017. British Columbia Premier John Horgan will be giving his government's decision on the future of the controversial Site C hydroelectric dam this morning. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Dr. Kyle Sue, a family physician based in Arviat, Nunavut is shown in this undated handout image. A review of scientific literature suggests those who believe `` man flu'' is more intense than the female version have some evidence to back up their views. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO
Rachel Crooks, left, Jessica Leeds, center, and Samantha Holvey attend a news conference, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, in New York to discuss their accusations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump. The women, who first shared their stories before the November 2016 election, called for a congressional investigation into Trump's alleged behavior. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Actor Oscar Isaac, left, and Elvira Lind pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in London, Tuesday, Dec. 12th, 2017. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
PLEASANT PRAIRIE  The village Plan Commission has approved a change to its comprehensive plan to allow a Jewish congregation based in Kenosha to build a future synagogue and learning center.

The project is targeted for a four-acre parcel east of Highway H and south of 68th Street.

Following a public hearing that lasted more than an hour, the commission voted 7-0 to change that portion of the Prairie Lake Neighborhood Plan from a residential to institutional use to include the proposed Chabad of Kenosha Synagogue and Learning Center.

The Bnei Tzedek Chabad congregation currently conducts worship at 6522 87th Ave., and has been in the Kenosha area for more than a century.

According to the plan, a 5,200-square-foot synagogue would be located just east of Highway H and a 3,000-square-foot hospitality building  that would house congregants who choose to observe non-driving requirements on the Sabbath  would be to the southwest of the house of worship.

The facility would also house a kitchen designed to cook or prepare Kosher meals associated with their faith.

Chabads Rabbi Tzali Wilschanski said his congregation is in need of more space to worship and observe practices associated with their Jewish heritage.

The site is expected to be developed in four phases over several years. The prayer hall is expected to hold a maximum of 50 congregants, but the actual number would be smaller. During holidays and special events, the center would entertain about 100 people.

Chabad is in the process of purchasing the property, according to planning documents submitted to the village.

Some residents concerned

The proposal drew opposition from a number of residents whose homes are near 65th Street and Highway H, a busy feeder road into Highway 50.

The proposed synagogue and a residence on the site would be required to share a single access point at Highway H, according to Jean Werbie-Harris, the villages community development director.

The city of Kenosha and the county are currently negotiating a maintenance agreement to allow for the city to install a stop light at the intersection of 88th Ave and 65th Street.

Residents from Kenosha who also live near the site that borders 68th street were also wondering how increased traffic would be addressed.

Leesa Lecanne who lives near the proposed site, said she was not opposed to the synagogue, but was concerned about traffic to her neighborhood and the safety of her four kids. Nash Elementary and Mahone Middle School are among schools nearby. Increased traffic would compromise the character of the neighborhood, she said.

I think its great they want to build it, but not in that area, she said. I really have that strong concern about the traffic.

Robert Kozlowski said he believes building a synagogue would lead to his property values depreciating. He said the proposed building would be in my backyard.

Im not in favor of any part of it, he said.

Others support it

But many others wanted to see the congregation as part of the neighborhood.

Ronald Baum, of Kenosha, said the Chabad emphasizes loving your neighbor as yourself and treating people well.

Baum said the synagogue and learning center would only be a benefit to the neighborhood. He said it would only enhance your property values.

Likewise Marie Jeffords, who lives on Highway H, said she would would be very proud to have a synagogue built in the neighborhood.

I would love to see their community come to this community, she said.

Robert Lindeman said his parents were Holocaust survivors and the Jewish congregations sponsored them and allowed them to become successful residents.

(The helped us) to become business people, to send me to college, to stay in Kenosha for over 60 years, he said. The Jewish community became my family.

Lindeman said he was in real estate for 50 years. He pointed to dozens of businesses on Highway H ranging from convenience stores to lawn mower repair, Kenoshas business park, a local mosque, the municipal airport, a couple of bars, Kenosha County Detention Center and the citys composting site which can be accessed by 99,000 people, he said.

Youre concerned about the 12 people coming to my rabbi on Saturday? he said. This would make him a happy man.
Kenosha teenagers arrested after chase

Three people were charged Monday after being captured following a chase with Pleasant Prairie Police on Friday.

According to the criminal complaint, a Pleasant Prairie Police officer stopped a vehicle on the 10400 block of 88th Avenue at about 3:50 p.m. Friday. After first speaking to an officer, the driver of the vehicle took off, speeding. The officer following saw something thrown from the vehicle. Police later found a handgun where the object was thrown. The gun had been reported stolen in Zion, Ill.

The vehicle pulled off the road in the 8700 block of 88th Avenue and all three occupants ran off.

Malik Dalton, 21, of Kenosha, stopped when an officer told him to. The other two fled and were later found on property owned by We Energies. Police also recovered 18.4 grams of marijuana packaged in individual bags and two digital scales.

Deonte Brantley, 19, of Kenosha, was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, receiving a stolen firearm, attempting to flee, possession with intent to deliver, obstructing police and operating without a valid license.

Dalton and Terrill Thomas, both 19, of Kenosha, were each charged with receiving a stolen firearm and possession with intent to deliver.

Loan office workers allegedly threatened

Angry she had been turned down for a loan, a Racine woman allegedly threatened employees of a Pleasant Prairie business with a gun.

Quiana Bates, 26, was charged Monday with attempted armed robbery and disorderly conduct. She is not in custody and a warrant has been filed for her arrest.

According to the criminal complaint, when Bates was turned down for an auto loan at Loan Max, 4608 75th St., on Oct. 10, she began shouting at employees because they held the title to the car. She allegedly threatened to get a gun, then ran out to her car and grabbed a black handgun.

Employees locked the door and Bates began banging on the door with the handgun. She left, returned five to 10 minutes later, banged on the door with the gun in her waistband, then left again.

Police went to the address she provided and found a vacant house for sale. The incident was captured on security video.

Fox Lake man flees police, is arrested

A Fox Lake, Ill., man was arrested Sunday after he crashed his car while attempting to flee a Kenosha County Sheriffs Department deputy.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle on the 26300 block of Highway 50 at 3:45 p.m. The vehicle fled at speeds of up to 96 mph, turning south on Highway F and driving recklessly before crashing at a curve at Highway F and 272nd Avenue.

The driver and a female passenger then fled on foot before being captured in a backyard on the 27600 block of Silver Lake Road.

Zachary Borys, 21, of Fox Lake, was charged Monday with attempting to flee, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, obstructing police, possession of marijuana and of drug paraphernalia, along with a number of traffic violations. His bond was set at $10,000.
With two weeks left in the annual Red Kettle Campaign, the Salvation Army of Kenosha is continuing to look for holiday season support.

The organization uses the annual campaign to fund its programs in Kenosha County, from its food pantry to youth programs to emergency assistance for families in need.

This year the local arm of the Salvation Army set a fundraising goal of $200,000, aiming to raise enough money to make it through the year without having to curtail assistance programs.

While the campaign is running ahead of last year, spokesman Dustin Beth said they are short of their goal. He said they have raised $77,000 since the Nov. 6 kickoff.

Beth said they are still looking for volunteer bell ringers at their 21 kettle locations.

Staffing locations is key, he said, because sites staffed with bell ringers raise far more in donations on average than those times when kettles are left out on their own.

Those interested can volunteer as individuals or in groups.

More bodies at kettle sites means we can raise more money, which ultimately means we can serve more families, Beth said.

You can sign up online to volunteer as a bell ringer at www.registertoring.com or by calling 262-564-0286.

Direct contributions can be sent by check to The Salvation Army of Kenosha, 3116 75th St., Kenosha, Wis., 53142.
Sometimes, not often, you come across a fascinating book.

99 Lives, Kilkenny Connections, explores the lives of 99 Kilkenny people, many of whom you will not have heard of but who led hugely interesting lives.

There's Billy Walsh from Walkin Street who, after a tough beginning in a pub on Walkin Street and surviving world war II, became one of the leading polo pony trainers in England and in 1985 before he died was presented with a bronze statuette of a polo player and pony by Queen Elizabeth II.

He died in 1992 and in 2007, he was posthumously awarded a lifetime achievement award in the Audi Polo awards.

James Dr McConnell ended up a teacher in Eton and wrote novels, which were very well received in the 1930s and sold well.

Under the name Douglas Rutherford, he became a household name in England.

His life which started on Parliament Street included serving with the British Army in World War II and with counter intelligence.

This fascinating new book has also proven that the author of the Sherlock Holmes books is of Kilkenny extraction.

Arthur Conan Doyle's grandmother was from Kilkenny city.

Her name was Mrs Mary Foley (1837-1920).

And Conan Doyle's mother, also named Mary lived on James's Street, Kilkenny as a very young child before her mother, a widow, was forced to flee to Scotland in 1847.

This was after she had been disinherited by her protestant family who had been 'repulsed' after she had married a catholic who died suddenly of a heart attack leaving Mary to fend for herself and her young family.

She set up a school for governesses in Edinburgh and also took lodgers. One of those was Charles Doyle, who later married Mary's eldest daughter, also named Mary; the mother of Arthur Conan Doyle.

There are many fantastic nuggets of information in this book.

It is something that you could leave down and pick up again.

I will leave you with one of my favourite personalities from the book.

Martin O'Loughlin from Castlewarren left Kilkenny penniless and through good luck and an uncanny knack of locating gold mines , made a fortune in Australia where in 1885, he owned the horse that won the Melbourne Cup.
* Offer presented to Gemalto board on Nov. 28

* Bid represents 42 pct premium on last closing price

* Gemalto's biggest shareholder Bpifrance backs bid -Atos CEO

By Mathieu Rosemain and Cyril Altmeyer

PARIS, Dec 11 (Reuters) - French technology consulting firm Atos offered to buy Gemalto for 4.3 billion euros ($5.06 billion) on Monday to boost its cyber security services as states and big corporations seek to cope with a growing number of attacks on the Internet worldwide.

The bid comes as Gemalto, the world's largest maker of chips found in mobile phones and credit cards, is under pressure after posting four profit warnings in a year and having missed a chance to strengthen its security business through a large acquisition.

The combination would strengthen Atos in the burgeoning so-called Internet of Things (IoT) sector of internet-connected machinery and household devices able to collect and exchange data using embedded sensors and European payment services on top of digital security, it said.

Atos said it delivered an offer to Gemalto's board on Nov. 28.

Shortly after issuing the formal offer, Atos Chief Executive Thierry Breton said he had already received the backing of Gemalto's biggest shareholder, France's state-owned investment bank Bpifrance.

"I've met the main shareholders and Bpi in particular," Breton said in a call with reporters following the announcement of the unsolicited bid for Gemalto.

"Bpi is not only favourable to this operation of European consolidation, but it also authorized me to tell you about it," he added.

Bpifrance holds 8.51 percent of Gemalto's shares, according to the group's last annual report. Gemalto and Bpifrance were not immediately reachable for comment.

STOCK PRESSURED

Gemalto had to postpone to March 2018 the presentation the presentation of its next multiyear strategic plan, after several profit warnings notably caused by slowing demand for credit card chips.

The group's shares have shed 38 percent so far this year compared with an increase of 24 percent for Atos.

Since Breton took the helm of Atos in November 2008, the firm has multiplied its stock price by close to six times, outperforming French rival Capgemini and U.S. companies Accenture and IBM .

Atos' revenue has more than doubled over the period to reach 11.7 billion euros in 2016, after having bought assets from Germany's Siemens , U.S. group Xerox and France-based computer company Bull.

Gemalto had sales of 3.2 billion euros in 2016.

The all-cash bid reflects a price of 46 euros per Gemalto share, representing a 42 percent premium on the group's last closing price, Atos said in a statement.

The bid would be financed by Atos' existing cash resources and debt, the company said without elaborating.

Breton said that two banks had already given their approval for a potential loan.

($1 = 0.8495 euros)

(Editing by G Crosse)
Dec 12 (Reuters) - Transurban Group Ltd said on Tuesday it would raise about A$1.9 billion ($1.43 billion) through an equity offer to fund its West Gate Tunnel Project.

The company said in a statement it would carry out the capital raising at an offer price of A$11.40 per new security in a three for 37 entitlement offer.

The company added that it had closed the contract with the Victorian State Government to build, toll and operate the West Gate Tunnel Project till 2045.

($1 = 1.3287 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Ambar Warrick in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese)
Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Jemima Kelly, Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Newly launched bitcoin futures on Monday suggested that traders expect the cryptocurrencys blistering price gains to slow in the coming months.

Chicago-based derivatives exchange Cboe Global Markets (CBOE.O) launched the futures late on Sunday, marking the first time investors could get exposure to the bitcoin market via a large, regulated exchange.

The one-month bitcoin contract <0#XBT:> opened at 6 p.m. local time (2300 GMT) on Sunday at $15,460. By midday on Monday in New York, it was trading at $17,780, roughly 10 percent above bitcoin's spot price of $16,335 on the Bitstamp exchange BTC=BTSP.

But given bitcoin has almost tripled in value over the past month, and was up more than 10 percent on Monday alone, the futures pricing suggested investors see price increases moderating.

And many traders may be looking for payoffs other than a simple gain in the price of bitcoin, said Hussein Sayed, chief market strategist at FXTM in Dubai.

He noted though that the listing of the futures contract on Cboe and next week on the CME will likely provide at least a temporary arbitrage trading opportunity due to pricing differences.

Sayed added that the arbitrage trading should lead to improved price efficiency and probably less volatility.

After volatility settles down, investors will focus again on price direction, he said.

Bitcoin futures were already offered on some unregulated cryptocurrency exchanges outside the United States, but backers said the U.S. market debut would confer greater legitimacy on the volatile cryptocurrency and encourage its wider use.

The CME Group (CME.O) is expected to launch its futures contract on Dec. 17.

VOLATILITY CONCERNS

Although there are hopes that the futures will draw in new investors, most fund managers at larger asset managers and institutional investors say bitcoin remains too volatile and lacks the fundamentals that give other assets value.

Theres no place for bitcoin in a multi-asset portfolio given the very high volatility, said Robeco Chief Investment Officer Lukas Daalder.

The two-month contract was trading at $17,970 a 10 percent premium over the spot price, while the three-month contract was changing hands at $18,140, a roughly 11 percent premium.

Despite being modest when compared with bitcoins 270 percent increase over the past three months and 230 percent rise in the last two months, those levels still showed a lack of large short positions betting against bitcoin.

Anyone, especially a professional trading outfit, would be crazy to actually short sell this bull market, said Nick Spanos, founder of Bitcoin Center NYC. But just because it doesnt happen on day one doesnt mean it wont in the future.

Bitcoin is up more than 1,500 percent so far in 2017, having started the year at less than $1,000.

MARCH TOWARDS LEGITIMIZATION

As of early afternoon trading in New York, 3,613 one-month contracts had changed hands, meaning around $64.7 million had been notionally traded. That compares with daily trading volumes of more than $21.5 billion across all cryptocurrencies, according to trade website Coinmarketcap.

There had been speculation that the futures launch would trigger more gyrations in the market. But while volatile compared with traditional currencies or assets, the 10 percent rise on Monday was relatively tame for bitcoin.

Bitcoin surged more than 40 percent in 48 hours last week, before tumbling 20 percent in the following 10 hours.

(Bitcoin futures) will speed up the march towards legitimization of an asset class that only a few years ago many law enforcement agencies would have argued had limited legitimate reasons for people to use, said Jo Torode, a financial crime lawyer at Ropes & Gray in London.

The futures are cash-settled contracts, allowing investors exposure without having to hold any of the cryptocurrency.

The futures are based on the auction price of bitcoin in U.S. dollars on the Gemini Exchange, which is owned and operated by virtual currency entrepreneurs and brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

Bitcoins origins have been the subject of much speculation.

It was set up in 2008 by an individual or group calling themselves Satoshi Nakamoto, and was the first digital currency to successfully use cryptography to keep transactions secure and hidden, making traditional financial regulation difficult if not impossible.

Central bankers and critics of the cryptocurrency have been ringing the alarm bells over its surge in price and other risks such as whether the opaque market can be used for money laundering.

It looks remarkably like a bubble forming to me, the Reserve Bank of New Zealands Acting Governor Grant Spencer said on Sunday.

Somebody who invested $1,000 in bitcoin at the start of 2013 would now be sitting on around $1.2 million.

Heightened excitement ahead of the launch of the Cboe futures had given an extra kick to the cryptocurrencys scorching run this year.

The launch has so far received a mixed reception from big U.S. banks and brokerages.

Several online brokerages, including Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW.N) and TD Ameritrade Holding Corp (AMTD.O), did not allow trading of the new futures immediately.

The Financial Times reported on Friday that JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), Citigroup Inc (C.N) would not immediately clear bitcoin trades for clients.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) said on Thursday it was planning to clear such trades for certain clients.

Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak and John McCrank in NEW YORK; Michelle Chen in HONG KONG and Helen Reid in LONDON; Graphics by Ritvik Carvalho in LONDON and Reuters Graphics team; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli
Dec 12 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

- Lloyds Banking Group Plc discussed a merger with a string of banks, including ABN Amro Group NV of the Netherlands, and Deutsche Postbank AG of Germany, before going after its stricken rival HBOS in the autumn of 2008, a court has heard. - City lawyers have said that plans to put the Serious Fraud Office effectively under the control of a new "national economic crime centre" could make it harder to attract a director after Amber Rudd, the British home secretary, said that the government would set up the centre to root out wrongdoing. The Guardian

- The European Union could scrap a divisive scheme that compels member states to accept quotas of refugees, the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, will tell EU leaders at a summit on Thursday. - Ryanair Holdings Plc flights to and from Dublin could be disrupted by strikes over Christmas after pilots based in Ireland voted for industrial action. The Telegraph

- In a highly unusual move, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have joined forces in writing a letter to the U.S. Treasury expressing "significant concerns" about the tax changes "having a major distortive impact on international trade". - The chemicals company Ineos has shut down the North Sea's most important oil and gas pipeline system after discovering a widening crack. The company said it discovered a small crack in the pipeline outside Aberdeen. Sky News

- Parts of the Bank of England could be moved out of its historic base in London and relocated to Birmingham under Labour if it wins the next general election. The move would be designed to strengthen other regions, described in a report commissioned by shadow chancellor John McDonnell as "underweighted in policy decisions". - HSBC Holdings Plc has drawn a line under a scandal that saw it fined $1.9 billion in the U.S. 5 years ago for failing to prevent Mexican drug cartels from laundering hundreds of millions of dollars. The bank said the deferred prosecution agreement entered into with the Department of Justice had expired - lifting the threat of further penalties. The Independent

- Three-quarters of Britain's small and medium-sized businesses are unprepared for the introduction of strict new EU data laws designed to protect people's private information following a number of high profile data breaches, a merchant bank Close Brothers has warned in a survey. (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom Editing by Sandra Maler)
HANOI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0453 GMT.

Dec 12 USD/VND mid-point 22,450 USD/VND interbank 22,710/22,711 USD/VND unofficial 22,815/22,830 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.30/36.52

Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.8-1.1

1 week 0.9-1.3

1 month 2.2-2.5

3 months 4.4-5.0

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom)
Amanda Becker

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday released a one-page analysis of the economic and fiscal impact of a Republican tax overhaul plan that was swiftly criticized by a number of tax experts and attacked as fake math by Democrats.

Treasury said the tax plan would more than pay for itself in 10 years, basing its forecast on a 2.9 percent annual economic growth assumption, a level well above most economists expectations, as well other changes on which the White House has made little progress.

We are pleased to release an analysis demonstrating the revenue impact of the administrations economic agenda, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs (GS.N) banker, said in a statement.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a conservative fiscal watchdog in Washington, said the Mnuchin analysis makes a mockery of dynamic scoring and analysis, referring to methods for forecasting the impact of tax changes on the economy.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the Treasury analysis was nothing more than one page of fake math.

Its clear the White House and Republicans are grasping at straws to prove the unprovable and garner votes for a bill that nearly every single independent analysis has concluded will blow up the deficit and generate almost no additional economic activity to make up for it, he said in a statement.

The sparring over economic forecasts came as Republicans resumed efforts to reconcile two tax-overhaul bills, one approved by the Senate and one by the House of Representatives.

President Donald Trump wants a single tax bill on his desk soon so he can sign it into law before the end of the year, in what would be his first major legislative achievement since taking office in January.

The Republican president will deliver a speech on Wednesday to the American people on how tax reform will lead to a brighter future for them and their families, the White House said in a statement.

Republicans are driving toward approval of a debt-financed package of deep tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy and a mixed bag of results for middle-class Americans.

Although the Republicans see the effort as crucial to their prospects in November 2018s congressional elections, nearly half of Americans oppose the plan, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

DIFFERING PROJECTIONS

The Treasury analysis was meant to help bolster long-standing promises from Republicans, including Mnuchin, that their proposed tax cuts would super-charge an already growing economy and raise more than enough new tax revenue to offset a large federal deficit increase.

Congressional researchers have estimated the Republican plan would add $1.5 trillion to the $20 trillion national debt over 10 years, before any projected positive effects on the economy, or $1 trillion after such effects.

In its analysis, Treasury said its projected 2.9 percent annual growth over the next decade would result not only from tax cuts but a combination of regulatory reform, infrastructure development, and welfare reform as proposed in the administrations Fiscal Year 2018 budget.

The Trump administration sent a budget to Congress earlier this year that lawmakers largely ignored. While the White House has rolled back some regulations, it has made no substantial progress on infrastructure development or welfare changes.

Growth of 2.9 percent would produce $1.8 trillion in new tax revenues over 10 years, more than enough to offset the revenue that the tax plan would lose, the department said.

We acknowledge that some economists predict different growth rates, it added in a statement accompanying its analysis, which focused on the tax plan as approved more than three weeks ago by the Senate Finance Committee.

The full Senate on Dec. 2 approved a somewhat different plan, which would boost gross domestic product by 0.7 percent in 2018 and have little effect on GDP in the decade ahead, said the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank, in a report on Monday.

Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania also issued a report on Monday finding the plan approved by the full Senate would add $1.5 trillion to the national debt over 10 years, even with assumptions favorable to economic growth.

Reporting by Amanda Becker; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney
(Adds details on contract, trading halt of shares and distribution guidance)

Dec 12 (Reuters) - Transurban Group Ltd said on Tuesday it would raise about A$1.9 billion ($1.43 billion) through an equity offer to fund its West Gate Tunnel Project.

The company said in a statement it would carry out the capital raising at an offer price of A$11.40 per new security in a three for 37 entitlement offer.

The company added that it had closed the contract with the Victorian State Government to build, toll and operate the West Gate Tunnel Project till 2045.

The toll road developer had said earlier in the year that Cimic Group's construction arm CPB Contractors and infrastructure developer John Holland had been selected as the preferred constructors for the West Gate Tunnel Project. Cimic said in a separate statement that the contract would generate revenue for CPB of about A$2.49 billion.

The West Gate Tunnel Project is a government initiative to relieve traffic congestion in Melbourne.

Transurban said that the total costs of the project would be about A$5.5 billion, of which the company would contribute A$4.0 billion with the rest to be borne by the state.

Trading in the shares of the company will be halted till the completion of the equity raising.

The company also reaffirmed its distribution guidance of of 56.0 cents per share for fiscal 2018.

($1 = 1.3287 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Ambar Warrick in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese)
(Adds testimony from Korkmaz)

By Brendan Pierson

Dec 11 (Reuters) - A former Turkish police investigator told jurors in a New York court on Monday of fleeing Turkey in 2016 out of fear of retaliation from the government after leading a corruption investigation involving high-ranking officials, taking his evidence with him.

Huseyin Korkmaz, 30, was testifying in Manhattan federal court for U.S. prosecutors in the trial of Mehmet Hakan Atilla, an executive at the majority state-owned Halkbank , who is accused of taking part in a scheme with gold trader Reza Zarrab to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions.

Halkbank has denied involvement with any illegal transactions. Zarrab, a Turkish and Iranian national, has pleaded guilty and testified against Atilla, saying he used fraudulent food and gold transactions to launder money for Iran with the help of Atilla and others.

Atilla has pleaded not guilty.

"I took my wife and my daughter and I left the country that I dearly love," Korkmaz testified. He said he eventually came to the United States with the help of U.S. law enforcement authorities, bringing audio recordings and other evidence from his investigation.

U.S. prosecutors have charged a total of nine people in the case. Only Zarrab, 34, and Atilla, 47, have been arrested by U.S. authorities.

Korkmaz testified on Monday that he began investigating Zarrab in 2012 for smuggling gold and money laundering.

He told the jury that the investigation expanded to encompass government officials including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, and Zafer Caglayan, then finance minister, and former Halkbank general manager Suleyman Aslan.

Korkmaz did not give details about any thread of his investigation that included Erdogan.

Erdogan was never charged and he has called the Turkish investigation a "judicial coup" and has said the U.S. case is politically motivated.

Caglayan and Aslan have not spoken publicly about the case, and Reuters was unable to reach them for comment.

Korkmaz testified that he ordered searches of multiple individuals' homes in December 2013 and that evidence of bribes from Zarrab was found in Aslan's home.

Korkmaz said that he never saw evidence that Atilla had taken bribes.

He testified that soon after the searches, he was reassigned to another unit.

He told the jury that he decided to leave Turkey in 2016 because another prosecutor had requested an order for his arrest and he did not feel safe.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Alden Bentley, Toni Reinhold)
* Exports up 6.6 pct y/y in Oct; imports up 13.1 pct

* Exports up 11.7 pct y/y in Jan-Oct; imports up 8.3 pct

* Jan-Oct trade gap hits $21.95 bln vs $21.75 bln yr ago

(Adds detail, background, comment)

MANILA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The Philippines posted its widest monthly trade deficit on record as imports rose at their fastest pace in five months, but exports rose rapidly as well - a positive sign for one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

The Southeast Asian nation had a trade gap of $2.84 billion in October, wider than the previous record of $2.74 billion posted in May this year, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed on Tuesday.

Imports rose 13.1 percent, driven by hefty purchases of iron and steel, chemicals, electronics, fuels and lubricants, telecommunication equipment and electrical machinery, pointing to strong domestic activity.

Exports grew 6.6 percent in October from a year ago, driven by double-digit gains in six of the top 10 commodities, notably gold, electronic equipment and parts, metal components, mineral products and bananas.

The trade gap has been a cause for concern in financial markets, but the peso was range-bound in Tuesday morning trade, moving between 50.33 and 50.465 against the U.S. dollar, from Monday's close of 50.36.

It remains the worst performing currency in Asia this year, weighed down largely by concerns about the deterioration in the country's current account balance, or external payments position, which includes payments for imports and remittances inflows.

Joey Cuyegkeng, senior economist at ING, said much of the peso's weakness was from June when the market finally realized that the deterioration in the trade balance would lead to a current account deficit after 15 straight years of surpluses.

"This weakness in the external payments position would persist and deteriorate further in 2018 on strong economic growth and rebound in capital equipment imports," he said in a note.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor Espenilla, however, has repeatedly sought to allay concerns about the current account deficit, attributing it to rapid economic growth backed by rising investments.

The domestic economy beat expectations to post growth of 6.9 percent in the third quarter, driven by strong industrial and services output, boosting the government's confidence that this year's 6.5 to 7.5 percent growth target would be met. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz and Karen Lema; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath and Eric Meijer)
LONDON/FRANKFURT, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Global investment banks are vying to work with potential buyers or the French government on the sale of its majority stake in Aeroports de Paris (ADP) , sources close to the matter said, in one of the largest infrastructure deals expected to come to market in 2018.

ADP, which runs Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports outside Paris, is expected to be an early target in President Emmanuel Macron's privatisation drive. The company, 50.63 percent-owned by the French state, may be valued at about 25 billion euros ($29 billion) including debt in a potential deal. According to two sources, the state equity agency has picked Bank of America-Merrill Lynch to manage the privatisation. Another source familiar with the matter said BNP Paribas was working with ADP.

ADP, Bank of America and BNP Paribas all declined to comment on the matter. State holding company APE said it frequently seeks outside advice about its portfolio.

French construction giant Vinci, seen as a likely bidder for the stake, may hire investment banking boutique Lazard to advise it, four sources familiar with the matter said. Vinci and Lazard also declined to comment on the matter. ($1 = 0.8502 euros)

(Reporting by Dasha Afanasieva and Arno Schuetze; Editing by Gareth Jones)
* Chart on BHP lagging peers * BHP hires Barclays, Citi, BAML and GS

By Clara Denina and David French

LONDON/NEW YORK, Dec 12 (Reuters) - BHP , the world's largest miner, has asked four investment banks to help it prepare for either a sale or spin-off of its underperforming U.S. shale oil and gas unit, with a view to taking a decision in early 2018, sources said.

BHP said in August it aimed to sell its unconventional onshore shale assets in the Eagle Ford, Permian, Haynesville and Fayetteville basins, which it acquired at the height of the oil boom and could be valued at more than $10 billion.

It has hired Barclays and Bank of America-Merrill Lynch to assess options for the sale of assets, including whether they would be sold together or separately, as they may appeal to different potential buyers, the sources said.

It has also asked Citi and Goldman Sachs to research the potential spin-off of the unit into a new company, the sources added.

BHP, Citi, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch declined to comment. Barclays and Goldman Sachs did not reply to a request for comment.

Although global oil prices have steadied after sinking to multi-year lows of $27 a barrel in 2016, they remain some 40 percent lower than the $112 highs hit in 2014.

The company is now pursuing two potential exits: a sale of the assets or separation into a standalone company, which is usually a tax-free solution for the parent company.

BHP will keep its conventional assets in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Australia and Trinidad and Tobago. BAD BETS

The miner's entire petroleum division, valued at more than $20 billion, was its second-biggest earner behind iron ore until 2014. But bad bets on U.S. shale and collapsing oil and gas prices turned it into a big drag from 2015. As a result, U.S. activist investor Elliott Advisors, which has built up a 5 percent stake in BHP's London-listed arm, urged the sale of the whole U.S. petroleum business to help boost shareholder value. Hurt by the oil pain plus the woes from a dam disaster in Brazil in late 2015 at a mine it half owns, the miner's share performance this year so far was the weakest compared to major peers Rio Tinto , Glencore and Anglo American . BHP is the biggest by market capitalization of them all.

"Splitting the business into a standalone company would give shares back to shareholders," one of the sources said.

However, they all pointed out that this could be a problem because BHP's shareholders are mostly mining investors who wouldn't want to be holding oil shares.

The company could consider selling some or all of the shares of the newly formed company to the market via a public listing, with the proceeds of such an offering going to BHP shareholders.

This would be the second demerger in three years for the company, which spun off its aluminum, manganese, nickel, silver and coal assets into South32 in 2015.

The mining company will run the sale of its gas-rich Fayetteville field in Arkansas, for which it hired Barclays back in May, separately, one of the sources said. Bankers expect companies like Chevron , Occidental Petroleum , Statoil and Exxon Mobil to be interested in the Permian assets, viewed as the highest quality, while Eagle Ford may be less attractive as a single asset and may need to be sold in parts.

Its Hayensville assets will likely attract interest from private equity buyers, sources added.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BHP lags peers ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Barbara Lewis in London; graphic by Helen Reid; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Israel's markets regulator said on Tuesday bitcoin-based companies would not be included in any indexes on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) but that does not mean they should be banned from trading.

Shmuel Hauser mentioned Natural Resource Holdings , whose shares have soared some 5,000 percent the past few months since it said it would shift its focus from mining for gold and iron to "mining" cryptocurrencies.

It was down 35 percent in Tuesday afternoon trade.

Hauser, the chairman of the Israel Securities Authority (ISA), said in a speech there was a need for a suitable regulatory framework for such instruments given that the global market value of all digital currencies grew in 2017 to $300 billion from $18 billion.

Bitcoin was quoted at $16,390 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange, down 0.5 percent. The world's best-known cryptocurrency hit a record of $17,270 on Monday, registering a near 20-fold increase for the year.

"Bitcoin ... seems to be out of control," Hauser said, noting its price had characteristics of the technology bubble at the beginning of the millennium.

"There isn't any information on supply and demand, and whether anyone is in control of that supply and demand," he said. "That does not mean that bitcoins or alike are not to be considered, but it does mean that it should be examined at the country level by all regulators."

Underscoring the concern, Fantasy Networks , a former gaming firm, this week said it was studying the possibility of operating in the blockchain field -- the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies -- tripling its share price.

"Blockchain is a legitimate technology that will be a part of our lives," said Hauser, who will step down next month after 6-1/2 years as head of the ISA. "We will adopt it and it will enable us to lower costs for investors."

He said there needs to be a re-evaluation of regulatory schemes in financial technologies -- including crowdfunding, robot trading and trading platforms -- since securities laws were enacted years ago.

(Editing by David Evans)
By Dasha Afanasieva

LONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Ardian has agreed to sell its stake in infrastructure assets to existing shareholder pension fund APG, in a deal which values the entire portfolio at more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) the private equity firm told Reuters.

The portfolio is comprised of investments in Italian gas distribution company 2i Rete Gas, French LGV Lisea, Spanish toll road Trados M-45, French rail GSM communications' network Synerail, French renewable energy company Kallista Energy, Italian Renewable energy company 3 New & Partners, French toll road A88 and Italian hospital HISI Legnano.

Ardian declined to say what percentage of the portfolio changed hands or how much APG paid in this transaction. Insurer AXA remains a shareholder in the portfolio with an undisclosed stake.

Paris-based Ardian said it will remain the asset manager and adviser for the portfolio, whose equity value including minority stakes was more than 1 billion euros.

However, the enterprise value of the portfolio, which includes debt, exceeds 10 billion euros, Mathias Burghardt, who is a member of Ardian's executive committee said, adding that all the assets were valued above their net asset value.

The sale is an example of an exit strategy for an infrastructure fund which is tailored to the varied time horizons of different investment funds, signalling the maturing of the relatively new infrastructure investing industry.

"By organising a competitive auction, we have given liquidity to some investors in ten years while allowing others to remain on as shareholders," Burghardt said.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

APG is one of the biggest Dutch pension funds with 467 billion euros in assets under management, while French insurer and fund manager AXA has almost 1.5 trillion euros.

Ardian has assets of $66 billion which it manages or advises on in Europe, North America and Asia and is majority-owned by its employees. The group is in the process of raising an infrastructure fund for assets in the United States. ($1 = 0.8476 euros)

(Reporting by Dasha Afanasieva; editing by Alexander Smith and Jane Merriman)
PRAGUE, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Incoming Czech prime minister Andrej Babis reiterated his opposition to selling off part of state utility CEZ , saying it would be "totally unacceptable" as it would cost taxpayers, consumers and companies, daily Hospodarske Noviny reported.

Selling CEZ's sales and distribution units and keeping its nuclear and possibly coal production in state hands is one of the options the government has debated as a financing model to expand nuclear power plants.

Billionaire businessman Babis came out against a CEZ split before the election in October, in which his ANO party won most votes.

"It is totally unacceptable to sell the sales and distribution part and the state keep production," he told daily Hospodarske Noviny.

CEZ should expand internally, he said.

"CEZ should take Dukovany (nuclear power plant), value it, place it in a 100 percent daughter company and hold a tender for a supplier of the technology and financing," he was quoted as saying in Tuesday's edition of the paper.

Special purpose companies owned by either CEZ or the government are other options for funding new nuclear units.

CEZ, 70 percent owned by the state, has long maintained it could not undertake the multi-billion dollar investment without some form of state support, such as price guarantees.

A lack of government support sank a CEZ tender to build new reactors in 2014.

Czech media have reported possible suppliers that have shown interest in a new project include South Korea's KHNP, China's General Nuclear Power, Russia's Rosatom, France's EDF and ATMEA, a joint venture between Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and France's Areva.

Babis was appointed prime minister last week and his new cabinet is due to take power on Wednesday. Babis's ANO still lacks a majority in parliament and has not found any willing coalition partners, pushing it to seek a minority government that will struggle to win a confidence vote.

However, President Milos Zeman has said he would give Babis a second try at forming a government if he fails to win the confidence vote.

(Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Susan Fenton)
(Clarifies that $650 mln is money allowed under programme, not lending from IMF) ABIDJAN, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Guinea will be allowed $650 million in non-concessional borrowing under a new three-year programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Finance Minister Maladho Kaba told reporters on Tuesday. The IMF said in October, after announcing the programme had received staff-level approval, that the package would go towards supporting Guinea's 2016-20 National Social and Economic Development Plan.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb, editing by Larry King; Writing by Joe Bavier)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
(Clarifies that $650 mln is money allowed under programme, not lending from IMF)

CONAKRY, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Guinea will be allowed $650 million in non-concessional borrowing under a three-year International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, the finance minister said on Tuesday.

The IMF said in October the package would support Guinea's National Social and Economic Development Plan.

"It's historic because it includes a package of $650 million in non-concessional loans complementing other financing," Maladho Kaba told reporters.

Low global commodities prices have hindered development of Guinea's iron ore deposits, some of the world's largest, and its economy has struggled.

Guinea, along with neighbours Liberia and Sierra Leone, was also hit by an Ebola epidemic that peaked in 2014 and killed about 11,300 people.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb, writing by Joe Bavier, editing by Peter Graff, Larry King)
SAO PAULO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Brazil's benchmark Bovespa index led declines among Latin American equities markets on Tuesday, falling more than 1 percent amid persisting uncertainty over the passage of pension reform legislation seen as key to the nation's fiscal health.

Speaking to journalists in Argentina late on Sunday, President Michel Temer said a vote on streamlining Brazil's social security system could be delayed until early 2018 as the government struggles to gather support among lawmakers. On Monday, Carlos Marun, a key lawmaker in Temer's Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, told journalists the government still lacked 40 to 50 votes. An early 2018 vote would fall dangerously close to parliamentary and presidential elections, making approval of the unpopular measure less likely.

"If it's not this year, it will be in the beginning of next year," Temer said, according to a transcript of a news conference.

In separate comments on Tuesday, Rodrigo Maia, the speaker of Brazil's lower house, said he was planning to put the pension bill to a vote next week. He added that it was unclear if the government had the support needed to pass the bill and send it to the nation's senate.

The Bovespa fell more than 1.2 percent in morning trading, but firmed slightly after Maia's comments. By midday the Bovespa was off 1.01 percent, while the nation's real currency was down 0.58 percent.

Among the nation's top performing stocks was private education company Kroton Educacional SA , which rose 2.4 percent after previewing an aggressive expansion plan at an investors' day on Monday. Other markets in Latin America were relatively quiet on Tuesday.

Colombia's peso was the biggest mover on currency markets, dropping 0.58 percent after Standard & Poor's lowered the country's long-term foreign currency rating to BBB- on Monday, citing the its weakened policy flexibility. Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1359 GMT:

Stock indexes daily % YTD %

Latest change change MSCI Emerging Markets 1113,30 -0,6 29,89 MSCI LatAm 2689,37 -1,14 16,22

Brazil Bovespa 72069,55 -1 19,66

Mexico S&P/BVM IPC 47699,04 0,27 4,50 Chile IPSA 5021,79 0,06 20,97

Chile IGPA 25230,67 0,08 21,69

Argentina MerVal 27307,06 0 61,41

Colombia IGBC 11068,78 0 9,29

Venezuela IBC 1289,61 -0,23 -95,93

Currencies daily % YTD %

change change

Latest Brazil real 3,3151 -0,58 -1,99

Mexico peso 19,0900 -0,14 8,66

Chile peso 654,5 0,15 2,48

Colombia peso 3029,56 -0,58 -0,93 Peru sol 3,234 0,00 5,57

Argentina peso (interbank) 17,2100 0,17 -7,76 Argentina peso (parallel) 17,88 0,00 -5,93 (Reporting by Gram Slattery)
BUENOS AIRES, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Trade talks between the European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc are closing on a deal which could come early in the new year, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters on Tuesday.

"We have made good advancement but there's still stock taking today," Malmstrom said. "We see the end of this."

(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Eliana Raszewski, editing by Tom Miles)

(Adds comments from Brazil Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes, recasts first paragraph)

BUENOS AIRES, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Trade talks between the European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc are approaching agreement on a deal on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Buenos Aires, negotiators from both sides said on Tuesday.

The deal could come early in the new year, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters.

"We have made good advancement but there's still stock taking today," Malmstrom said. "We see the end of this."

Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes later told reporters that Mercosur and the European Union have exchanged notes on how far each side is willing to cede ground to reach a free trade deal.

"They asked us how far we could move in their direction and we asked the same. We are waiting for their reaction to our proposal to see if we can conclude the toughest part of the negotiations which is market access," he said.

Nunes said Mercosur is committed to removing tariffs from 90 percent of its trade with the EU.

Resistance by some EU member states, such as Ireland and France, to agricultural imports, has delayed negotiation of the trade pact that seeks to liberalize trade and investment, services and access to public procurement.

Mercosur members Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay have pushed for an improvement on the EU offer of tariff-free imports for 70,000 tonnes a year of beef and 600,000 tonnes of ethanol a year. (Reporting by Eliana Raszewski, Luc Cohen and Anthony Boadle; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
LONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A former technology portfolio manager at BlackRock, William de Gale, will launch a fund with Swiss-based BlueBox Wealth Management with a focus on smaller, less prominent firms.

De Gale was one of the best-performing technology fund managers in the world when he left BlackRock in May after nine years in charge of the BGF World Technology Fund, during which he returned more than 11.4 percent a year.

Apple and the so-called 'FANG' stocks - Facebook , Amazon , Netflix and Google-parent Alphabet - have driven U.S. market gains this year, but de Gale said he would focus the new fund elsewhere.

"I have a bit of an aversion to the really big technology companies. To me, those are the companies that won the last round of disruption," he told Reuters.

Instead, he said he was aiming for "a list of the top-10 stocks where you recognise almost none of the names".

He said technology firms were expanding into new areas, such as a host of fintech firms that were challenging banks.

"You have fintech companies fighting it out to be the best fintech company," he said. "What I'm going to do is own the companies which supply all those fintechs with hardware, semi-conductors, software services and communications equipment."

He said the fund would focus on the next generation of computing that observed the world and acted without relying on human input, such as the technology used in autonomous driving.

BlueBox Chief Executive Luis Viveros told Reuters the fund aimed to launch before the end of the first quarter of 2018 with an initial $25 million in seed capital from about 10 investors, including some of BlueBox's clients.

The fund would target a further $75 million in assets from other professional investors before marketing to retail investors.

De Gale said the fund would target stocks with a minimum market capitalisation of $1 billion, investing in 30 to 40 firms and hold them an average of three to five years.

(Reporting by Simon Jessop; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Investors appear to be ignoring gold at the moment, yet the yellow metal is behaving the same in recent years when it fell in December only to rise in the new year, says Commerzbank. Spot gold Monday fell to a five-month low just above $1,240 an ounce. Investors seem to have no need of security just now, as also reflected in the still-rising stock markets and a VIX index of below 10, Commerzbank says. That said, gold is currently following almost exactly the same trading pattern as it has in recent years. Since 2011, the price has fallen, often sharply, towards the end of the year  the only exception being 2014. At around the time of the Feds December meeting, the gold price has marked either its yearly low or a cyclical low. Afterwards, it has tended to recover noticeably until well into the first half of the following year. Things could be similar this time, too. The bank says there is no obvious reason for weakness in gold during recent months, particularly since this tends to be a seasonally strong period due to physical demand in nations such as India and China.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Commerzbank: Silver ETFs Post Largest Inflow In Two Months

Global exchange-traded-fund silver holdings posted their largest daily inflow in two months Monday, with 95 tonnes going into storage, says Commerzbank. Holdings have now increased by 366 tonnes since the beginning of the month, although the price has fallen. ETFs for precious metals trade like a stock but track the price of the commodity, with metal put into storage to back the shares.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

MKS: Gold Support At $1,240, Then $1,210 To $1,200

The next key chart support for gold is $30 or more below the market, although gold moves are likely to remain muted until the market knows the outcome of a U.S. Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Wednesday, says MKS (Switzerland) S.A. The metal fell nearly to $1,240 Monday, hitting a multi-month low. We continue to expect heavy, albeit muted trade into the FOMC rates decision, with support for the metal initially sitting around $1,240 (Fib retracement of the July-September move), MKS says. Should weakness extend further, we are unlikely to see any major support until $1,200-$1,210. From a resistance standpoint, offers around $1,250 will form a mild barrier to further gains, while major resistance sits at the 200 DMA (day moving average), currently $1,268.
MILAN, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury sold 4.75 billion euros ($5.59 billion) in one-year bills maturing Dec. 14, 2018 at auction on Tuesday. Amount 4.75 bln euros assigned Amount 9.96 bln euros requested Coverage 2.10 ratio Weighted -0.407 average yield Weighted 100.414 average price Settlement Dec. 14, 2017 date Change in -0.012 yield vs previous auction ($1 = 0.8494 euros)

(Reporting by Valentina Za)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
BUENOS AIRES, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The European Union, United States and Japan will issue a joint statement on Tuesday criticizing industrial overcapacity, though it will not directly name China, a major source of concern, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said.

In the opening session of the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Buenos Aires on Monday, the United States and Japan criticized a lack of transparency in some WTO members' trade practices, a thinly veiled swipe at China. Malmstrom said on Tuesday China's subsidizing of its industry, including aluminum and steel, was hurting European workers in a "very, very dramatic" way.

"There's no secret that we think that China is a big sinner here, but there are other countries that are as well," Malmstrom told reporters on the sidelines of a business forum parallel to the WTO event on Tuesday.

Reuters reported the plans for the statement on Monday, citing a source close to the arrangement. (Reporting by Eliana Raszewski and Luc Cohen; Editing by Susan Thomas)
By Sandrine Bradley and Davide Barbuscia

LONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - International banks are supporting the refinancing of a US$3bn loan for Qatar National Bank with nine Asian, US and European banks underwriting the deal, bankers said.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, MUFG, SMBC, Mizuho Bank, United Overseas Bank, Banca Intesa Sanpaolo and Standard Chartered are underwriting the new US$3bn loan, the bankers said.

HSBC and JP Morgan are not underwriters but have lead roles on the deal, two of the bankers said, and the loan is expected to be syndicated to more banks.

The refinancing is expected to pay 25bp-35bp more than the original US$3bn loan, which was agreed in March 2015, the bankers said.

The existing deal paid 81.7bp over Libor all-in, according Thomson Reuters LPC data.

"The deal is going very well," one of the bankers said.

Qatar National Bank did not respond to a request for comment.

BIG TEST

The refinancing is the first significant syndicated loan for a Qatari borrower since Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed travel restrictions on Qatar in June and accused Qatar of backing terrorism -- a charge Doha denies -- and is a major test for lenders' appetite for Qatar risk, the bankers said.

A number of the lead banks have been sounding out the loan market for appetite over the last couple of months, as it was uncertain what effect the travel bans and the resulting heightened political tensions between Qatar and its neighbours would have.

Local banks have already fallen foul of the situation, with UAE banks now unable to lend to Qatari borrowers, but it was unclear whether international banks were also under pressure to take sides in the dispute.

"There was a long period of market sounding to find out what bank appetite was. It was obviously thought there was enough appetite in the market as a result of that sounding," a second banker said.

Barclays and Deutsche Bank are part owned by Qatari International Authority, the sovereign wealth fund, so their involvement in the deal was expected - but the presence of US banks in lead roles is seen as significant.

"Banks don't want to say no to deals because of the political situation. Part of stopping that dynamic is strength in numbers as it gives them comfort, rather than being the lone wolf standing up and saying yes or no," a third banker said.

Last week Yousef al-Jaida, chief executive of the Qatar Financial Centre, said that the government will comfortably be able to raise US$9bn through an international bond issuance next year, so a lucrative bond mandate is also acting as a catalyst for banks to participate on the loan.

"It (taking part in the loan) also helps banks to get a place on the bond," the third banker said.

The original 2015 loan signed with Barclays and HSBC acting as coordinators, and MUFG, Deutsche Bank, Mizuho Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and SMBC acting as initial mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners. It was QNB's biggest syndicated loan to date.

(Additional reporting by Tom Arnold in Dubai; Editing by Christopher Mangham)
YANGON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Business confidence among entrepreneurs in Myanmar dropped "drastically" this year due to unclear economic policy, a survey shows on Tuesday, amid growing frustration over leader Aung San Suu Kyi's management of the fledgling economy.

Suu Kyi has identified economic reform as a key goal to complete Myanmar's democratic transition after decades of isolation under military rule, but the sluggish pace of change has disappointed many in one of the region's poorest countries.

Investors are also wary that Myanmar may face reinstatement of some sanctions over its treatment of its Rohingya minority, further threatening Suu Kyi's promise of a reformist government that would attract much-needed foreign investment.

Myanmar's short-term business confidence dropped to 49 percent in 2017 from 73 percent a year ago, according to a survey by consultancy Roland Berger and the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The study, which reflects views of about 500 local and international business owners in Myanmar, said the "lack of a clear economic policy and plan" is to blame for the drop.

"What the private sector seems to be looking for are much more specific plans, endorsed by the government," said Thomas Klotz, managing partner of Roland Berger in Southeast Asia.

"What is missing so far is the communication of an overall economic transformation roadmap, with clear targets, timeline and quick wins."

The survey was conducted earlier this year before the latest violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state that the United Nations said was "ethnic cleansing", which Klotz said was "likely to have further reduced investor confidence in Myanmar."

Other challenges facing companies in Myanmar include lack of trained staff, unpredictable legislative environment and selective law enforcement, the survey showed.

Reuters exclusively reported on Monday that Myanmar will delay a long-awaited corporate reform that would open the door further to foreign investment, dealing a fresh blow to investor confidence in Suu Kyi's administration. Once one of the strongest economies in Southeast Asia before independence in 1948, Myanmar sank into poverty after decades of central planning and a failed experiment with socialism which involved the nationalization of many of its industries.

Myanmar's ruling generals ceded power to a semi-civilian government in 2011, which embarked on sweeping economic reforms and slowly began loosening their grip on business, but their associates continue to dominate large parts of the economy.

The government last year issued a thin economic policy that many said lacked detail or plans for how to accomplish the goals. In April, Myanmar passed a long-delayed investment law, simplifying procedures and giving foreign investors equal treatment to the locals.

Growth in both foreign investment and gross domestic product have slowed since Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy took office last year after years of junta-era rules.

Myanmar recorded monthly average foreign investment of $739 million so far this year, below levels reported in 2015 under the former military-backed government, according to Roland Berger.

The International Monetary Fund had downgraded Myanmar's gross domestic product growth forecast this year to 6.7 percent from 7 percent.

But Klotz said 88 percent of business owners remained optimistic about Myanmar's long-term outlook thanks to the potential of the market of over 50 million population.

"'More and faster' will hopefully be the motto for the government's economic agenda in 2018," he said.

(Reporting By Yimou Lee; Editing by Kim Coghill)
* Dlamini-Zuma is one of front runners in ANC leadership race

* President Zuma, her ex-husband, has backed her

* She has pledged to tackle racial inequality

* Fierce-tempered doctor worries investors, West

By Alexander Winning

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is a fierce campaigner against racial inequality whose hostility to big business has rattled investors in South Africa. She is also one of two front runners to be the country's next president.

The 68-year-old is vying to succeed her ex-husband, President Jacob Zuma, as leader of the ruling African National Congress at a party vote this weekend, an outcome that would make her favourite for the presidency after a parliamentary election due in 2019. A medical doctor and former chair of the Commission of the African Union, a pan-continental grouping, Dlamini-Zuma has pledged during her campaign to "radically" tackle the racial inequality that persists in South Africa 23 years after the end of white minority rule.

Backers of her main rival, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, say she is peddling populist rhetoric and would rule in the mould of her former husband, whose decade in power has been plagued by corruption scandals. Dlamini-Zuma declined to be interviewed for this story.

The choice between Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa will influence South Africa's economic policy trajectory, as well the country's role in Africa and beyond.

Investors are worried by Dlamini-Zuma's hostility towards international companies, which she says form part of a "white monopoly capital" cabal dominating South Africa's wealth.

"A Dlamini-Zuma victory would signal a sharp rhetorical shift towards more leftist economic policy," said John Ashbourne, an Africa-focused economist at Capital Economics. "A further credit ratings downgrade would be almost inevitable."

Yet Dlamini-Zuma's supporters point to a commitment to changing the lives of South Africa's black majority. Lynne Jones, a psychiatrist and author who lived with Dlamini-Zuma when they were students together in the English city of Bristol in the 1970s, says her determination to fight injustice is rooted in her own personal story.

Jones remembers a day four decades ago when Dlamini-Zuma lay on her bed and wept after being forced to miss her brother's funeral because the apartheid-era security services had hounded her out of South Africa.

"She was fiercely intelligent and determined," said Jones.

"Here was someone who had put their whole life on the line and given up home and family for what they believed. It was eye-opening."

AFRICAN NATIONALIST

The race between Ramaphosa, a unionist-turned-millionaire businessman, and Dlamini-Zuma is too close to call, political analysts say.

Her campaign team told Reuters in written comments it was confident she would be elected ANC leader.

Ramaphosa, who is popular among swathes of the ANC disillusioned with Zuma, is promising to end corruption, boost a flatlining economy and deliver jobs to the poor in a country where more than a quarter of the population is unemployed.

Dlamini-Zuma, by contrast, is an African nationalist and has the support of the influential ANC youth and women's leagues, which both tend to support socialist policies.

Known for her fierce temper and hostility towards the West, she was described in one 2001 U.S. diplomatic cable on WikiLeaks as a "truculent and petulant foreign minister".

Another cable to Washington suggested she could be charming.

"Belying her reputation as fierce and formidable, the Minister was soft spoken and smiling in this meeting - articulate but gentle, candid but warm," Donald Gips, then U.S. ambassador to South Africa, wrote in 2010.

The most common criticism of Dlamini-Zuma is that she is beholden to Zuma and his powerful patronage network. Zuma has publicly endorsed her.

"She is bold and you can't fool her. She is someone you can trust," Zuma told a rally recently.

The couple met in Swaziland in the 1980s, when they were both in the ANC underground. They were married for more than a decade and have four children together.

RELIANCE ON ZUMA

In a rare interview last month, Dlamini-Zuma challenged her opponents to find any evidence of corruption in her long political career.

"I don't loot government coffers. I've never done so, and I will not do so," she told ANN7 television.

But for some senior figures in the ANC, she has not done enough to distance herself from the corruption scandals that have dogged President Zuma.

"She has not said anything on 'state capture'," ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu told Reuters, using a South African term to describe private interests unduly controlling government funds.

Dlamini-Zuma says accusations that she is piggy-backing off Zuma are "insulting" given her career, first as a doctor to ANC leaders fighting apartheid and then as a cabinet minister under every South African president since 1994.

As health minister in Nelson Mandela's cabinet, she laid the foundations for free public healthcare for the poor, took a hard line on smoking and made medicines more accessible.

As foreign minister she fostered friendships with African countries and emerging economies like China, even when this angered the West.

But she also made errors of judgment.

In 1996, Dlamini-Zuma awarded a contract for more than $3 million to a friend for a play, Sarafina II, to raise awareness about AIDS and was later found to have ignored tender rules.

Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said that paled in comparison to recent government malpractice. He said: "14 million rand in the Sarafina scandal now seems like peanuts when compared with the looting under Zuma."

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ GRAPHIC: ANC election in South Africa GRAPHIC: South African economy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Editing by Joe Brock and Giles Elgood)
* Ramaphosa one of front runners in ANC leadership race

* Mandela wanted Ramaphosa as heir, but Mbeki chosen

* Ramaphosa has vowed to tackle corruption, mend economy

* Investor favourite after successful business career

By Alexander Winning

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The nearly man of South African politics, Cyril Ramaphosa, is at last in with a chance of becoming president after being overlooked for years.

Ramaphosa's political abilities have been apparent for decades. Whenever Nelson Mandela needed a breakthrough in talks to end apartheid, he would turn to the then trade union leader with a reputation as a tenacious negotiator.

Using skills honed in pay disputes with mining bosses, Ramaphosa steered those talks to a successful conclusion, allowing Mandela to sweep to power in 1994 as head of the African National Congress.

Mandela wanted Ramaphosa to be his heir but was pressured into picking Thabo Mbeki by a group of ANC leaders who had fought apartheid from exile.

It has taken more than two decades for Ramaphosa, now deputy president, to get another chance to run the country.

The 65-year-old is one of the two favourites to become ANC leader at a party vote this weekend. Whoever wins the ANC race will probably be the country's next president because of the ruling party's electoral dominance. "Ramaphosa's ambition for the presidency has been clear through his whole adult life. He was quite clearly wounded by his marginalisation in the Mbeki period," said Anthony Butler, a politics professor who has written a biography of Ramaphosa.

The choice between Ramaphosa and his main rival for the ANC's top job, former cabinet minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will help determine the pace of reform in South Africa and affect how the country gets on with with foreign powers.

A trained lawyer with an easygoing manner, Ramaphosa has vowed to fight corruption and revitalise an economy which has slowed to a near-standstill under President Jacob Zuma.

That message has gone down well with foreign investors and ANC members who think Zuma's handling of the economy could cost the party dearly in 2019 parliamentary elections.

Dlamini-Zuma, who clashed with Western countries while foreign minister, has promised a radical brand of wealth redistribution which is popular with poorer ANC voters who are angry at racial inequality.

While Ramaphosa, who declined to be interviewed for this story, has backed "radical economic transformation", an ANC plan to tackle inequality, he tends to couch his policy pronouncements in more cautious terms.

Analysts say the race between Ramaphosa and Dlamini-Zuma, who was previously married to President Zuma, is too close to call.

LABOUR LEADER

Unlike Zuma or Dlamini-Zuma, Ramaphosa was not driven into exile for opposing apartheid, which some of the party's more hardline members hold against him.

He fought the injustices of white minority rule from within South Africa, most prominently by defending the rights of black miners as leader of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

A member of the relatively small Venda ethnic group, Ramaphosa was able to overcome divisions that sometimes constrained members of the larger Zulu and Xhosa groups.

A massive miners' strike led by Ramaphosa's NUM in 1987 taught business that "Cyril was a force to be reckoned with," said Michael Spicer, a former executive at Anglo American.

"He has a shrewd understanding of men and power and knows how to get what he wants from a situation," Spicer said.

The importance of Ramaphosa's contribution to the talks to end apartheid is such that commentators have referred to them in two distinct stages: BC and AC, Before Cyril and After Cyril.

Ramaphosa also played an important role in the drafting of South Africa's post-apartheid constitution.

INVESTOR FAVOURITE

After missing out on becoming Mandela's deputy, Ramaphosa withdrew from active political life, switching focus to business.

His investment vehicle Shanduka - Venda for "change" - grew rapidly and acquired stakes in mining firms, mobile operator MTN and McDonald's South African franchise.

Phuti Mahanyele, a former chief executive at Shanduka, recalled that Ramaphosa was a passionate leader who required staff to contribute to charitable projects aimed at improving access to education for the underprivileged.

By the time Ramaphosa sold out of Shanduka in 2014, the firm was worth more than 8 billion rand ($584 million in today's money), making Ramaphosa one of South Africa's 20 richest people.

To his supporters, Ramaphosa's business success makes him well-suited to the task of turning around an economy grappling with 28 percent unemployment and credit rating downgrades.

In the Johannesburg township of Soweto last month, Ramaphosa called for a "new deal" between business and government to spur economic growth.

Pravin Gordhan, a respected former finance minister, told Reuters that if Ramaphosa was elected ANC leader, "the whole narrative about South Africa's economy would change for the better within three months".

Signs that Ramaphosa has done well in the nominations by ANC branches that precede the leadership vote have driven a rally in the rand in recent weeks. But Ramaphosa has his detractors too.

He was a non-executive director at Lonmin when negotiations to halt a violent wildcat strike at its Marikana platinum mine in 2012 ended in police shooting 34 strikers dead.

An inquiry subsequently absolved Ramaphosa of guilt. But some families of the victims still blame him for urging the authorities to intervene.

"My conscience is that I participated in trying to stop further deaths from happening," Ramaphosa said recently about the Marikana deaths.

Others are unconvinced that Ramaphosa, who has been deputy president since 2014, will be as tough on corruption as his campaign rhetoric suggests.

Bantu Holomisa, an opposition politician and former ANC member who worked closely with Ramaphosa in the 1990s, said he was by nature cautious.

"Cyril has been part of the machinery and has not acted on corruption so far," Holomisa said. "It is not clear whether he will if he gets elected." ($1 = 13.6947 rand)

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ GRAPHIC: ANC election in South Africa GRAPHIC: South African economy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Editing by James Macharia and Giles Elgood)
MOSCOW, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Russian business conglomerate Sistema has ceded control of Detsky Mir by selling a 5 percent stake in the country's largest toy retailer for around $56 million.

The transaction was part of a sale of 6.3 percent of Detsky Mir in conjunction with the Russia-China Investment Fund (RCIF), which sold 1.3 percent, the two shareholders said on Tuesday.

They sold 46.5 million shares in the retailer at 90 roubles per share, raising 4.2 billion roubles. Shares in Detsky Mir fell 6.1 percent at the market open to 94.70 roubles.

Sistema and RCIF floated Detsky Mir in February, raising $355 million. Sistema said its remaining stake in Detsky Mir was 47.1 percent, while RCIF's stake falls to 12.7 percent.

Sistema said on Monday it was offering to sell up to 6.3 percent in Detsky Mir and RCIF up to 1.7 percent.

Sistema, which groups the assets of Russian businessman Vladimir Yevtushenkov, is embroiled in a multibillion-dollar legal row with Russia's top oil producer Rosneft . The share sale had nothing to do with the lawsuits, Vedomosti business daily reported on Monday, citing a Sistema representative.

"This transaction increases Detsky Mir's free float and stock liquidity which is expected to help us further unlock the value of the company," Sistema's chief executive officer Mikhail Shamolin said in a statement.

The retailer's free float is expected to be at around 40.2 percent following the offering.

Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited and Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc were joint bookrunners of the share offering. ($1 = 58.8624 roubles)

(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; editing by John Stonestreet)
MOSCOW, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Russian publishing house Prosveshcheniye is ready for an initial public offering when the market improves in which it could list 20-30 percent of its shares, the head of its parent company said on Tuesday.

The company, which said previously it could hold an IPO in 2018-2019, said current market conditions were not favourable for the deal, Vladimir Uzun told reporters.

According to Uzun, Prosveshcheniye is worth around 72 billion roubles ($1.22 billion).

($1 = 58.8124 roubles)

(Reporting by Polina Nikolskaya; writing by Maria Kiselyova; editing by Louise Heavens)
OSLO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - An unofficial committee of Seadrill's unsecured bondholders has submitted a binding alternative proposal for the company's restructuring, two sources familiar with the proposal told Reuters on Tuesday.

Norwegian-born billionaire John Fredriksen and a group of hedge funds proposed on Sept. 12 to invest $1.06 billion via new equity and secured debt to restructure indebted Seadrill, once the largest drilling rig operator by market value. "Total investments (in the alternative plan) are on par with the official restructuring proposal, but it's not a copy paste. It's an improvement for unsecured bondholders," one source said, declining to elaborate.

Seadrill was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.

(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje Solsvik)
LJUBLJANA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Slovenia's state-owned Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) plans to sell 100 percent of its Macedonian pension business NLB Nov Penziski Fond AD Skopje to Slovenian reinsurer Sava Re, the bank said on Tuesday.

It did not disclose the value of the deal but said Macedonia remains one of NLB's strategic markets as NLB continues to own bank NLB Banka AD Skopje there.

"NLB Banka AD Skopje is one of the largest and most important banks in NLB group and ... NLB is going to increase the volume of its operations in the Republic of Macedonia even further," NLB said.

The bank is selling off its non-core business in order to streamline its business and increase profit ahead of privatisation.

Slovenia's government and the European Commission are in talks about a delay the sale of a majority of NLB after Slovenia in June abandoned the plan, saying the expected price, which valued the whole bank at a minumum of 1.1 billion euros, was too low. Slovenia was supposed to sell a majority of NLB by the end of 2017 in exchange for the Commission's approval of state aid to the bank in 2013.

(Reporting By Marja Novak Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
By Julia Payne

LONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Sudan's oil ministry is trying to raise as much as $200 million in prefinancing, including from crude traders, to help it develop one of its biggest oilfield prospects, a ministry official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of DMA's trade and investment forum for Sudan in London, oil ministry adviser Salah Whabi said that exploratory talks had begun with some of the world's top commodity traders.

Major independent traders frequently sign cash-for-crude deals in countries where banks are reluctant to lend due to increased regulation or for fear of falling afoul of U.S. sanctions.

Washington lifted a 20-year old trade sanction on Sudan in October but the east African country is still on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Sudan has suffered both from the sanctions and from the secession of the south in 2011, when it lost three-quarters of its oil output, its main source of foreign currency.

It currently produces about 90,000 barrels per day and has been trying to raise interest in upstream exploration. Major commodity traders Trafigura and Vitol are already among its oil buyers, the official said.

The official said the country is looking to add 15,000 to 20,000 bpd mainly by developing Block 2B. Sudan recently retook control of the oilfield when it decided not to renew the license for the operating consortium including India's ONGC. (Reporting By Julia Payne; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
ZURICH, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The Swiss blue-chip SMI was seen opening 0.2 percent higher at 9,329 points on Tuesday, according to premarket indications by bank Julius Baer . Here are some of the main factors that may affect Swiss stocks:

ZURICH INSURANCE

The insurer has agreed to buy ANZ's OnePath Life insurance businesses for 2.85 billion Australian dollars ($2.14 billion), the latest and largest foray by the Swiss company into the Australian market. For more news, click on COMPANY STATEMENTS * UBS has been enlisted by Spain's bank bailout fund to help sell a 7 percent stake in Bankia. * Kuehne + Nagel said it had opened a regional logistics control centre in Shanghai. * Dufry said it extended its contract for its downtown retail operation in Macao for seven years. * Vaudoise said Renato Morelli, the assistant director and chief operating officer, is leaving the insurance company due to differences over strategy and vision. His responsibilities will be taken over by a committee of directors, the company said. * Elma said it is expecting a significant increase in net profit to around 4 million Swiss francs ($4.03 million), from 2.3 million francs for 2017. * Feintool said Knut Zimmer will be the company's new chief executive officer, replacing Bruno Malinek who is taking an advisory role with companies owned by former Feintool shareholder Thomas Muhr. * Cosmo Pharmaceuticals said the first patient has been randomised in a proof of concept trial of Rifamycin SV in diarrhoea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome. ECONOMY Swiss treasury to top up 2030, 2058 bonds at Wednesday's auction ($1 = 0.9918 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by Zurich newsroom)

Daily Swiss stock market report in German................ All SMI constituent stocks............................ News on major Swiss stock price moves.................. FTSE Eurotop 300 index................................ DJ STOXX index........................................ Top 10 STOXX sectors............................. Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors........................ Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors....................... Top 25 European pct gainers... , losers... Swiss mid-cap index SMI futures Swiss all-share index Market statistics Swiss market digest Sector overview All Swiss news Swiss research news All equity news INTERNET ADDRESSES: Swiss Exchange / Eurex STOXX Ltd SPEED GUIDES: ))

Keywords: MARKETS SWISS STOCKS/
ISTANBUL, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Tuesday.

The lira stood at 3.8385 against the U.S. dollar at 0502 GMT, flat compared with a close of 3.8390 on Monday.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 11.98 percent in spot trade on Monday and dipped to 11.97 percent in Tuesday-dated trade.

The main BIST 100 share index rose 1.14 percent to 109,156.47 points on Monday.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian shares took a breather on Tuesday after three straight sessions of gains, with markets consolidating in the hope an upswing in global growth could outlast a likely hike in U.S. borrowing costs this week. The latest promising news came from China where banks doled out a surprisingly generous dose of credit in November, which could bode well for a pick up in retail sales and industrial output due later in the week. ERDOGAN

President Tayyip Erdogan will make a speech at an awards ceremony of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (0900 GMT).

RUSSIAN S-400 MISSILES

Turkish and Russian officials will meet to finalise Turkey's S-400 surface-to-air missile systems deal in the coming week, Erdogan said on Monday. Turkey has been negotiating with Russia to buy the system for more than a year. Washington and some of its NATO allies see the decision as a snub because the weapons cannot be integrated into the alliance's defences. U.S. TRIAL

A former Turkish police investigator told jurors in a New York court on Monday of fleeing Turkey in 2016 out of fear of retaliation from the government after leading a corruption investigation involving high-ranking officials, taking his evidence with him. TREASURY AUCTIONS

The Treasury will tap a two-year fixed coupon bond maturing on Nov. 13, 2019 and a five-year fixed coupon bond maturing on Aug. 17, 2022.

DRAFT BUDGET IN PARLIAMENT

Parliament's general assembly will continue debate on the draft budget for next year (0800 GMT).

For other related news, double click on:

Turkish politics Turkish equities Turkish money Turkish debt Turkish hot stocks Forex news All emerging market news All Turkish news For real-time quotes, double click on:

Istanbul National-100 stock index , interbank lira trading , lira bond trading (Writing by Daren Butler)
ISTANBUL, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The Turkish Treasury sold a net 156.6 million lira ($40.93 million) in a tap of its two-year benchmark bond at an average compound yield of 13.37 percent on Tuesday, central bank data showed. It also sold a net 644.8 million lira in a tap of its five-year benchmark bond at an average compound yield of 12.81 percent, the data showed. ($1 = 3.8265 liras)

(Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by David Dolan)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
(Adds details, context)

By Tatiana Bautzer and Ana Mano

SAO PAULO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The operator of the Burger King fast-food chain in Brazil, BK Brasil Operacao e Assessoria a Restaurantes SA, is expected to price its initial public offering near the top of the suggested price range, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.

One of the people said the offer is three times oversubscribed at the top of the 14.50 to 18 reais range.

Shareholders and the banks underwriting the IPO will set pricing early on Thursday, the sources added, asking for anonymity because are not allowed to discuss the matter publicly.

Due to the strong investor demand, the deadline for investor orders was brought forward to Wednesday evening from Thursday afternoon, two of the sources said.

If priced at the top of the suggested range, 18 reais per share, BK Brasils IPO would raise 2.26 billion reais ($681 million) with investors, not considering the sale of additional and supplementary allotments of shares.

BK Brasil would raise around 886 million reais in the so-called primary portion of the IPO to fund the expansion of its chain of 623 restaurants in Brazil. The rest would be received by shareholders selling part of their stakes in the secondary portion of the offering. BK Brasil did not immediately comment on the matter. ($1 = 3.3169 reais)

(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer and Ana Mano; Editing by David Gregorio and Susan Thomas)
(Adds details on legislation changes)

BRASILIA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Brazil's Senate on Tuesday gave the green light to extend a preferential customs regime for the oil industry to entice investment, but crimped some key sweeteners, sending the measure to the lower house for final approval.

The so-called Repetro scheme, which suspends import duties on equipment used in oil exploration and production, had to clear the Senate before the Dec 15 expiry date of a presidential order renewing the tax break currently set to expire in 2019.

An amendment to the bill, reducing the extension for certain benefits through 2022 instead of 2040 as previously drafted, however, means it must go back to the lower house for another vote, expected as soon as Wednesday.

(Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Anthony Boadle and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
(Recasts, updates throughout, changes media slug)

VIENNA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A fire following an explosion at Austria's main gas transfer hub on Tuesday has been brought under control, the operator said, but Russian gas flows to Europe plunged, causing prices to soar.

An explosion occurred at the Baumgarten hub around 0745 GMT and a fire broke out, according to a police spokesman, who added that he could not confirm media reports of 60 people injured.

Police said the cause of the explosion was technical.

"A wide area has been sealed off and there are expected to be several injured," the spokesman said.

Operator Gas Connect Austria said the incident should have no effect on gas deliveries to Austria but those to Italy might be reduced.

Baumgarten is an important hub for European gas transit. Natural gas is transported to Baumgarten via Slovakia and Germany along several cross-border pipelines.

Gas flows are then delivered throughout Europe via Austria's transmission network.

Slovakia's main gas transit route to Austria was suspended after the fire at Baumgarten, Slovak pipeline operator Eustream said.

Russia's Gazprom Export said it was working on redirecting gas flows and trying to secure uninterrupted supplies to clients.

Gas prices in Europe soared on concerns about supply.

The Italian wholesale day-ahead price surged 87 percent to 44.50 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh). UK gas for immediate delivery soared 32 percent to 90 pence per therm, a level not seen since 2013.

(Reporting by Francois Murphy, Oleg Vukmanovic, Katya Golubkova, Tatiana Jancarikova; Writing by Nina Chestney; Editing by Dale Hudson)
(Adds Reliance no comment)

MUMBAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - India's Reliance Industries Ltd is holding internal talks about listing its telecoms unit Jio by late 2018 or early 2019, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people it did not identify.

A Reliance spokesman said the article was "speculative", and said the company did not comment on media speculation and rumours as a matter of policy.

Jio has upended India's wireless market with free services initially and later through disruptive pricing since it began operations in September last year.

It has added customers faster than rivals and triggered a price war in the highly competitive market.

Reliance, controlled by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has pumped more than $30 billion into Jio.

Jio, the fourth-biggest player in the sector with 146 million customers as of end-October, reported a loss of 2.71 billion rupees ($42.1 million) for its fiscal second quarter to end-September.

Internal discussions about Jio's listing are at a preliminary stage, Bloomberg said. ($1 = 64.4250 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal and Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Vyas Mohan and Adrian Croft)
(Adds comments from CEO, details)

By Steve Slater and Chris Moore

LONDON, Dec 12 (IFR) - UniCredit has sold down its holding of a 16.2bn portfolio of bad loans to below 20% after agreeing a sale with Italian insurer Generali.

The deal comes almost a year to the day after investment firms Fortress and Pimco agreed to buy half of the portfolio. The Italian bank retained a 49.9% interest in a securitisation vehicle backed by the loans.

UniCredit said on Tuesday it had sold a further 990m of the loans to Generali. The deal was struck at a "slightly higher" price than the original sale, when the loans were sold at around an 87% discount to par.

The bank also agreed to sell a portion of its securitisation exposure to funds managed by King Street Capital Management.

The sale of bad loans were a key part of a restructuring announced in December 2016 by CEO Jean Pierre Mustier. The loan portfolio, dubbed FINO (failure is not an option), originally included 17.7bn of bad loans at face value, but it said earlier this year it had reduced in size to 16.2bn.

There are three securitisations tied to the loans: FINO 1 and FINO 2 are vehicles tied to the loans sold to Fortress, and ONIF is the vehicle for the Pimco loans. Generali is buying 30% of the ONIF notes.

UniCredit said the senior guaranteed tranche of FINO 1 will help establish a liquid asset-backed securities market for Italian non-performing loans, as it will be the first such tranche offered to investors. Banks have been appointed to facilitate the placement of the senior notes. Moody's said Morgan Stanley and UniCredit are the arrangers for FINO 1.

"We see good interest from investors at the right price to buy non-performing loan exposures," Mustier told reporters at the bank's capital markets day in London.

Mustier said UniCredit now wants to reduce its NPLs to 40.3bn by the end of 2019, from 51.3bn now. The new target is 4bn less than the previous goal due to a combination of disposals, repayments, recoveries and write-offs.

The bank plans to reduce NPLs in its non-core bank to 17.2bn, down from 32.5bn at the end of September. The bank wants to run down non-core by the end of 2025.

Mustier's far-reaching restructuring plan unveiled a year ago included a 13bn rights issue, the sale of businesses, axing jobs and shutting branches.

It included reducing UniCredit's stake in online bank Fineco to 35%. Mustier said on Tuesday there was no intention to reduce that again - and the opposite could happen.

"If there is a move on Fineco, it will not be a disposal, it would be an increase," he said, though nothing was imminent.

Mustier said the bank is more likely to sell its holding in rival Mediobanca, however, but only if Mediobanca's share price recovers. UniCredit is Mediobanca's biggest shareholder with an 8.5% stake, worth 720m at current prices.

"Our interest in Mediobanca is a financial investment. When the Mediobanca share price reaches an appropriate level we will see what we do, we are probably a seller. But we are very far away from the appropriate levels," he said.

UniCredit said it was still targeting a 2019 net profit of 4.7bn and a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 12.5%.

Mustier said the bank plans to pay dividends worth 30% of its 2019 profit, up from 20% previously. He also plans to raise the dividend payout ratio to up to 50% after 2019.

(Reporting by Steve Slater and Chris Moore)
(Adds context, comparable international Burger King operators)

By Tatiana Bautzer and Ana Mano

SAO PAULO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The operator of the Burger King fast-food chain in Brazil, BK Brasil Operacao e Assessoria a Restaurantes SA, is expected to price its initial public offering near the top of the suggested price range, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.

One of the sources said the offer is three times oversubscribed at the top of the 14.50 to 18 reais range.

Shareholders and banks underwriting the IPO will set pricing early on Thursday, said the sources, who asked for anonymity because they are not allowed to discuss the matter publicly.

Due to strong investor demand, the deadline for investor orders was made earlier to Wednesday evening from Thursday afternoon, two of the sources said.

BK Brasil did not immediately comment on the matter.

If priced at the top of the suggested range, BK Brasils IPO would raise 2.26 billion reais ($681 million), not considering the sale of additional and supplementary allotments of shares.

BK Brasil would raise around 886 million reais in the so-called primary portion of the IPO to fund the expansion of its chain of 623 restaurants in Brazil. The rest would be received by shareholders selling part of their stakes in the secondary portion of the offering.

Burger King Corp, owner of the chain in the U.S. and controlled by buyout fund 3G Capital Inc, has a 13 percent stake in BK Brasil and is not selling shares in the IPO.

The IPO is being managed by the investment banking units of Itau Unibanco Holding SA , Bank of America Corp , Banco Bradesco SA , Grupo BTG Pactual SA and JPMorgan Chase & Co .

The transaction in Brazil is being closely watched by shareholders of other companies operating Burger King restaurants outside the United States.

Peter Wu, managing partner of private equity firm Cartesian Capital Group LLC, expects the price to be a "relevant comparable" to the IPO of the company operating Burger King restaurants in China.

Cartesian is a shareholder in BK China, which operates 750 restaurants in mainland China.

Burger King's largest franchisee outside the United States, TFI TAB Gida Yatirimlari AS, filed for an IPO in New York in November. TFI TAB, which operates more than 1,820 Burger King restaurants in Turkey, is also a shareholder in BK China. ($1 = 3.3169 reais)

(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer and Ana Mano; Additional reporting by Bruno Federowski in Brasilia; Editing by David Gregorio, Susan Thomas and Jeffrey Benkoe)
(Recasts, adds detail.)

By Katie Paul

RIYADH, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has approved a new round of energy price hikes and a cash handout system for low- and middle-income citizens to offset the impact of the changes, fresh steps in a year-old austerity programme amid low crude prices.

The cabinet approved the "gradual correction of pricing for some energy products", including electricity tariffs, state news agency SPA said on Tuesday.

The kingdom will announce increases in the domestic prices of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel in the first quarter of next year, bringing prices up into line with global benchmarks, the energy ministry said on Tuesday.

The electricity regulator said new tariffs for households and commercial establishments would be applied from Jan. 1. Tariffs for all but the largest residential users will more than triple, albeit from a very low base.

Tariffs would not change for industrial and government users, the regulator said.

The government also approved the outlines for a system of financial allowances to help low- and middle-income households cope with the costs of its economic reforms, which was first announced last year and is set to launch on Dec 21.

In a presentation of the programme, the Citizens Account, labour ministry officials said about 3.7 million households signed up, representing some 13 million total beneficiaries, but that not all would be approved for eligibility.

Ministry officials declined to answer questions on how much the overall programme would cost, how much compensation the beneficiaries would get or what portion of applicants would be approved.

This kingdom first raised the price of 95 octane gasoline to 0.90 riyals ($0.24) per litre from 0.60 riyals in December 2015.

Industry sources told Reuters in March that Saudi Arabia may increase its domestic gasoline prices by 30 percent starting from the summer, but the move was apparently delayed .

Reforms such as fuel price hikes and changes to public- sector salaries and allowances have reduced the disposable incomes of many households.

(Reporting by Katie Paul, Maha El Dahan and Reem Shamseddine; editing by Larry King)
(Adds details on expansion plans, share price, CEO quote, analysts opinion, byline)

By Gabriela Mello

SAO PAULO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Shares in Brazilian homebuilder MRV Engenharia e Participacoes SA shot up more than 5 percent on Tuesday as executives unveiled plans to start construction on 50,000 new home units in 2018, which could generate more than 7 billion reais ($2.1 billion) in sales.

Speaking to analysts and investors, Rafael Menin, co-chief executive officer, said MRV would resume construction of middle-income homes as the country's economic outlook improves.

Among the cities that the company - which is traditionally focused on lower income segments - will examine for middle-class launches are Ribeirao Preto, Campinas, Sao Jose dos Campos and Londrina, all in the country's southeast.

The aggressive expansion plan underscores a real estate rebound taking place in Brazil, after a severe downturn caused by a sharp recession that raised unemployment and a spike in sale cancellations. Smaller homebuilder Construtora Tenda SA announced plans last week to boost land acquisitions by 25 percent in 2018. MRV plans to maintain next year's pace of 50,000 new home launches every year for the next decade. Considering an average value of 150,000 reais per unit, Menin said, the company could take in 7.5 billion reais in 2018 sales revenue.

"Our structure already allows us to launch 50,000 units per year, so 500,000 units in ten years is doable," Menin told investors in Sao Paulo. "There will be demand, and MRV will work to deliver this."

Analysts at Banco Bradesco BBI said MRV, one of Brazil's largest homebuilders, could stand to perform well in lower-middle income segments by taking advantage of economies of scale, via pooling credit and relying on standardized construction patterns, among other techniques.

In the so-called medium-premium segment, geared toward families with an annual income of 60,000 to 120,000 reais, MRV hopes to begin launches in the first or second quarter of next year, Menin said. However, he said that segment was not likely to make up more than 5 percent of next year's sales.

Common shares in MRV shot up 5.4 percent on Tuesday to close at 14.18 reais, extending this years gains to 34.6 percent. Brazil's benchmark Bovespa index was up a more modest 1.4 percent. ($1 = 3.32 reais)

(Reporting by Gabriela Mello; Additional reporting by Flavia Bohone; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Andrew Hay)
(Adds production target for end 2018)

By Julia Payne

LONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Sudan's oil ministry is trying to raise as much as $200 million in prefinancing, including from crude traders, to help develop one of its biggest oilfield prospects, a ministry official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of DMA's trade and investment forum for Sudan in London, oil ministry adviser Salah Whabi said exploratory talks had begun with some of the world's top commodity traders.

Major independent traders frequently sign cash-for-crude deals in countries where banks are reluctant to lend due to increased regulation or for fear of falling foul of U.S. sanctions.

Washington lifted 20-year-old trade sanctions against Sudan in October but the east African country is still on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Sudan has suffered both from the sanctions and from the secession of the south in 2011, when it lost three-quarters of its oil output, its main source of foreign currency.

It currently produces about 90,000 barrels per day and has been trying to raise interest in upstream exploration. Whabi later told the conference that Sudan plans to launch an oil and gas licensing round in 2018. Major commodity traders Trafigura and Vitol are already among its oil buyers, the official said.

The official said Sudan was looking to add 15,000 to 20,000 bpd of output by developing Block 2B.

Sudan's oil minister Abdel-Rahman Osman said the country was aiming to reach 129,000 bpd by the end of next year, the cap it agreed to as part of the OPEC/non-OPEC deal to reduce production to end a global oversupply of crude and prop up the oil price.

Further ahead, Sudan aims to produce about 250,000 bpd.

Sudan recently retook control of the oilfield when it decided not to renew the licence for the operating consortium including India's ONGC. (Reporting By Julia Payne; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Gareth Jones)
(Adds one member of the distribution syndicate)

By Tatiana Bautzer and Ana Mano

SAO PAULO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The operator of the Burger King fast-food chain in Brazil, BK Brasil Operacao e Assessoria a Restaurantes SA, is expected to price its initial public offering near the top of the suggested price range, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.

One of the sources said the offer is three times oversubscribed at the top of the 14.50 to 18 reais range.

Shareholders and banks underwriting the IPO will set pricing early on Thursday, said the sources, who asked for anonymity because they are not allowed to discuss the matter publicly.

Due to strong investor demand, the deadline for investor orders was made earlier to Wednesday evening from Thursday afternoon, two of the sources said.

BK Brasil did not immediately comment on the matter.

If priced at the top of the suggested range, BK Brasils IPO would raise 2.26 billion reais ($681 million), not considering the sale of additional and supplementary allotments of shares.

BK Brasil would raise around 886 million reais in the so-called primary portion of the IPO to fund the expansion of its chain of 623 restaurants in Brazil. The rest would be received by shareholders selling part of their stakes in the secondary portion of the offering.

Burger King Corp , owner of the chain in the United States and controlled by buyout fund 3G Capital Inc, has a 13 percent stake in BK Brasil and is not selling shares in the IPO.

The IPO is being managed by the investment banking units of Itau Unibanco Holding SA , Bank of America Corp , Banco Bradesco SA , Grupo BTG Pactual SA and JPMorgan Chase & Co and by Brazilian broker XP Investimentos CCTVM SA.

The transaction in Brazil is being closely watched by shareholders of other companies operating Burger King restaurants outside the United States.

Peter Wu, managing partner of private equity firm Cartesian Capital Group LLC, expects the price to be a "relevant comparable" to the IPO of the company operating Burger King restaurants in China.

Cartesian is a shareholder in BK China, which operates 750 restaurants in mainland China.

Burger King's largest franchisee outside the United States, TFI TAB Gida Yatirimlari AS, filed for an IPO in New York in November. TFI TAB, which operates more than 1,820 Burger King restaurants in Turkey, is also a shareholder in BK China. ($1 = 3.3169 reais)

(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer and Ana Mano; Additional reporting by Bruno Federowski in Brasilia; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa Shumaker)
Filmmaker Yang Woo-suk talks during the press conference for his newly opening movie "Steel Rain" at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, Monday. /Courtesy of NEW

By Kim Jae-heun







Korean filmmaker Yang Woo-suk, who rose to fame with his recent courtroom drama "The Attorney," revealed another yet-to-become critical movie, "Steel Rain," that's set to hit local theaters tomorrow.







The film is based on an original webtoon of the same name penned by Yang, and stars Jung Woo-sung and Kwak Do-won.







As the popular British predictor Craig Hamilton-Parker has foretold, the film portrays a possible nuclear war scenario on the Korean Peninsula when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is tried for murder by his people during a coup.







Former North Korean spy Eom Chul-woo, played by Jung, brings Kim secretly into South Korea after Kim is fatally wounded by a missile attack and Eom tries to help Kim get surgery here. Coincidentally Eom arrives at a hospital run by the ex-wife of Kwak Chul-woo, South Korean chief of national security, and the two cooperate to conduct a secret mission to prevent the breakout of nuclear war.







Yang started on his wartime story in 2006, when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.







"There has always been a warfare crisis between the North and South but after North Korea's nuclear test in 2006, I thought if war breaks out, it will be a nuclear war," Yang said during a press preview for "Steel Rain" at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, Monday.







"The film also portrays an international political structure formed between allies and their perceptions of the recent North Korean nuclear attack. I also included scenes where South Koreans live so peacefully amid North Korea's nuclear threat as we have become too habituated to it," Yang said.







Yang added he barely infused his perspectives and ideas in the story and referred to most of the possible wartime scenario cases by military experts and historians' studies published and reported in the media.







The filmmaker nodded in response to a question asking if he had heard of Parker's prediction of the fall of Kim's regime by December 2017 or early January next year, but he denied the he reflected the prophecy in the movie.







"Rather than the prediction, a similar case took place 50 years ago during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It's the same now how America is trying to get North Korea denuclearize and South Koreans are taking the same side," Yang said.







"Meanwhile, North Korea is suffering both internal and external pressures. The ruling system back in my grandfather's generation and now are totally different. They have also entered the market economy and things are different there as well. I wrote a scenario based on my imagination backed by real-life events." He also thanked former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, whose disclosure of American secret files Yang used as references while making the film.







The film director hoped the movie could arouse interest and awareness of South Koreans on the ongoing North Korean nuclear issue and bring discussions of the issue to cafes, restaurants and bars.


An installation view of Michael Joo's "Liminus" series at Kukje Gallery / Courtesy of Kukje Gallery



By Kwon Mee-yoo





Michael Joo

Humans breathe and feel every day, even if such things are hard for an outsider to observe. Artist Michael Joo visualizes the concepts into artworks at his solo exhibition "Single Breath Transfer" at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul.

Joo, a Korean-American born in 1966 in Ithaca, New York, is a conceptual artist whose work ranges from sculpture and installation to video art and performance.



He has been engaged lately with the 2016 Anyang Public Art Project and his work was featured in the exhibit "30 Years 1986-2016: As the Moon Waxes and Wanes" at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon in 2016. But this is Joo's first solo exhibition in Korea in 10 years.



The titular work "Single Breath Transfer" explores the energy between inhalation and exhalation. The term is derived from a medical test, but Joo visualized breathing by freezing the moment and casting it into glass.



Joo breathes into paper and plastic bags, captures the shape by freezing it with wax or liquid nitrogen. Then the glass blower breathes into the glass in the initial bag to fill the space, literally transferring the role of breathing.



The delicate forms  some look like layers of rock while others look like a mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion  showcase Joo's interest in the balance between the physical and the ephemeral.



"My breath is transferred to different materials and the conflict in the materials is an ultimate communication," Joo said.

Another group of work attempts to visualize human energy used when committing a sin. In the "7 Sins" series, Joo calculates energy used for committing the seven deadly sins  pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust  and screen-prints the numbers onto paper then adds a glossy surface.





Michael Joo's "Single Breath Transfer (Marshall)" (2017) / Courtesy of Kukje Gallery
Bitcoin medals are seen in this file photo. Bitcoin made its debut on a major exchange, Sunday, a move that is expected to be followed a week later by a rival listing on Chicago Mercantile Exchange. / AFP-Yonhap



Debate rages on but listing adds legitimacy to digital coins



By Kim Jae-kyoung



Bitcoin is back on an upswing as its futures trading has begun in Chicago, and some investors believe this could signal Bitcoin's move toward the mainstream. Despite many warnings of a bubble, investors at home and abroad are still betting on the leading digital currency. The Korea Times interviewed three market experts to get their opinion on the digital coin's listing on the futures exchange and to look at the future course of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. The three were David Drake, chairman of The Soho Loft and LDJ Capital, a New York City-based family office that invests in Bitcoin for clients; Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Asia-Pacific chief economist at Natixis; and Mauro Guillen, director of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. The following discussion has been reconstituted based on separate interviews conducted through phone calls and email from Dec. 4 to Dec. 11. ? ED.



Q: Do you think that the Bitcoin market is in a bubble? If so, do you expect the bubble will burst anytime soon?



David Drake: I don't think the cryptocurrency market is in a bubble. I believe that Bitcoin will continue on an upward spiral. It will become a new asset class and a new tool for payments.



Alicia Garcia-Herrero: In narrow terms, I think it is a bubble since fiat money should not increase its price but it reflects the general interest for blockchain technology.



Mauro Guillen: It has all of the features of a bubble. Bitcoins are limited in their use as payment methods, but they are in high demand because of novelty and anticipation that in the future they might be important. It is not normal for a currency of any kind to gain in value so much so quickly. It is hard to predict the exact timing of when a bubble will burst but I don't think it will take more than a couple of years.



Q: Many people still believe that digital tokens do not function as payment tools and remain as subjects of speculation. Do you think cryptocurrencies should be considered as legitimate currency?



Guillen: Any currency can be used but it has to be trustworthy and convenient. I don't think Bitcoin meets those criteria yet. Bitcoin is an investment in an asset whose value depends on supply and demand. Unlike a bond or a stock, it does not offer a yield. So the whole return depends on the potential capital gain. I think that buying a Bitcoin is a speculative investment, the same way that tulips once were.



Drake: Over 16 U.S. lawsuits are all challenging on what the definition of this asset class is and one thing that is common with all of them is that they do not agree. These are growing pains for a new industry to be set up. Bitcoin was created as an autonomous immutable limited currency and has now evolved into a speculative exchange-traded commodity or currency.



Garcia-Herrero: As you know, cryptocurrencies so far are all private which means there is no central bank which can back the value achieved by the cryptocurrency. This means that such cryptocurrencies are indeed not a payment device but a store of value _ but a volatile store, as there is no guarantor of such value.



Drake: PriceWaterouseCoopers' Hong Kong offices announced that they'd started receiving payments for their accountancy services in Bitcoin. In the next 12 months, all leading services industries will indisputably have to catch up with the mainstream and take cryptocurrency payments.



Q: Bitcoin futures trading has begun on the CBOE exchange in Chicago for the first time. What are the implications of the listing?



Drake: Investors can now hedge against the potential Bitcoin fallout by buying futures against their holdings. I expect a lot of cryptocurrency hedge funds will start using futures to offset some of their investment and potentially to leverage downside exposure with a profit-making strategy.



Guillen: Market participants will now have more information about Bitcoin in terms of what investors believe it is worth now and what it will be worth in the future. It is a way of opening the black box as to what people think Bitcoin is really worth as a store of value, that is, as an asset.



Garcia-Herrero: The listing is a step that adds more legitimacy to Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market. Businesses will be more enabled to accept payments in Bitcoin and hedge against a price drop.



Drake: A lot of people thought there would be a lot of shortening of Bitcoin at the outset but instead Bitcoin has increased in value and we are bullish on Bitcoin.



Guillen: As long as its price is volatile and goes up, it will not be a good option for making payments or for borrowing. Who would want to borrow in Bitcoin, having to make payments with a currency that could be more expensive in the future. Initially, a boost of confidence and hence the price increases. But there is also the issue of volatility. Bitcoin goes up and down by double digit rates. Hopefully the futures market will help stabilize its value.



Garcia-Herrero: My view is that the price may still increase, until another cryptocurrency with greater utility starts to gain attention. This is not to say that there won't be periods of irrational exuberance, as we are now seeing in Bitcoin. Official cryptocurrencies will of course be a major threat although their function will be different _ not for speculation but rather for stability in their function as stores of value.



Q: Bitcoin's introduction at the CBOE has been seen by some as a step towards legitimizing the currency. What's your take on such a view?



Guillen: It is something that lends credibility to the currency. But, once again, Bitcoin today is primarily a security a person can buy. It is not a widely accepted form of payment. It is a security that, unlike bonds or equity shares, does not yield interest or dividends.



Drake: Institutions can finally enter the market with capital from asset managers and registered investment advisors as well as broker-dealers and institutions. In addition this gives Wall Street exposure to the currency and legitimizes it as a new Cryptographic Asset class. It is rare to see a new asset class evolve and the futures have now made this mass-market acceptable by Wall Street



Garcia-Herrero: In a nutshell, it's another door opened for the legitimization of other cryptocurrencies.



Q: China shut down cryptocurrency exchanges, and South Korea is moving to regulate decentralized virtual currencies. What do you think of financial regulators' attempts to control the digital coin market? If regulations are necessary, what kind of measures or guidelines should be introduced?



Guillen: I think that totally forbidding cryptocurrencies is not good, unless there is fraud. It is better to continue experimenting with it, and to encourage innovation. Regulations, though, are necessary to avoid abuses.



Garcia-Herrero: The central bank which is closest to launching an official cryptocurrency is the People's Bank of China (PBOC). This, in my opinion, explains why Korea and China are reacting differently to Bitcoin. PBOC wants to make space and find support for its own official currency and does not want contagion from Bitcoin.

In other words, PBOC does not want its future official cryptocurrency to be compared to Bitcoin, which explains their actions to discourage investment in Bitcoin in China. Avoiding problems with Bitcoin to affect the perception of their future cryptocurrency is thus key for Chinese regulators. Korea, instead, is not pursuing that goal. This means that Bitcoin can be looked at purely as an investment instrument.



Guillen: The most important thing is transparency and truth in advertising. So potential buyers of Bitcoin should be warned about the risks. Also, there needs to be clarity on the treatment of taxes. I think that dealers and storers of Bitcoin should be required to have licenses, just as stock brokers must also have licenses.



Drake: Enforcing the U.S. Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulation through a special taskforce at the SEC, who's hundred person team is guiding it. New regulations are evolving to give this new asset class guidance.



Q: William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said that the U.S. Federal Reserve is beginning to think about establishing its own digital currency. What do you think of such a move?



Garcia-Herrero: As official cryptocurrencies appear, private ones will suffer, particular if their price has increased so much above their original value, which is the case with Bitcoin. In other words, the value of Bitcoin will purely be determined by speculation as more stable currencies with official, central bank back-up appear. If the U.S. Federal Reserve issues an official cryptocurrency, this will be even more true.



David Drake: All the banks are using blockchain to be able to track and perform the audit of all of their transactions. All the banks are in it internally, and for the Federal Reserve, this will allow them more transparency and governance. The blockchain software is indisputably a smart utility at the very least.





Pull quotes



David Drake

"Bitcoin will become a new asset class and a new tool for payments"



Alicia Garcia-Herrero

"The central bank which is closest to launching an official cryptocurrency is the People's Bank of China."



Mauro Guillen

"I think that buying Bitcoin is a speculative investment, the same way that tulips once were."




By Yi Whan-woo



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Japanese government, Tuesday, to open an investigation into allegations that a Korean was beaten and harassed by Japanese prison guards.



The ministry is seeking transfer of Chon Chang-han, 29, in accordance with an international prisoner transfer treaty.



Chon has been in Fuchu Prison in Tokyo since last year, after being arrested, convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment for detonating a time bomb in a public restroom at the Yasukuni Shrine in November 2015.



"The Korean Embassy in Japan strongly demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations during face-to-face meetings with relevant officials from Japan's correctional facility and also by sending letters accordingly," a ministry official said.



The allegations were raised by Chon's mother, who claimed that his son was bitten by a 20 centimeter-long centipede deliberately put into his cell by a Japanese guard while he was asleep.



She also claimed that the guards constantly beat Chon and insulted him by calling him "chosenjin," a contemptuous term for Koreans, when he failed to complete the amount of work required daily.



"When I met my son last week, I could see that he lost half of his body weight. He was beaten so badly that he could not even raise his right arm properly. Yet, he has not been given a single medical treatment, and instead has been verbally bullied and abused dozen of times a day," she said during a press conference in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Tuesday.



The foreign ministry said Chon sought for help in a letter received by the Korean Embassy in Tokyo, Nov. 9 and also when the Korean consul visited him in October.



The Japanese authorities purportedly carried out an investigation twice and denied the allegations, according to the ministry.



"We've been told that they have been giving medical attention to Chon whenever necessary," a ministry official said. "We've visited Chon 18 times, including four this year, to check on his health and other conditions. We'll continue to make efforts to ensure that he is not mistreated by the correctional officers."



Regarding transfer procedures, the foreign ministry said the Ministry of Justice is working on translation and other paperwork after receiving relevant documents from its Japanese counterparts.



In 2015, Chon was arrested on charges of trespassing after igniting a gunpowder-filled metal pipe that damaged the ceiling of a public restroom at the Yasukuni Shrine.



The remains of Class-A war criminals from World War II are enshrined there and it is considered as ground-zero for Japan's unrepentant view of its wartime atrocities in Korea.



In a court hearing, Chon said he believed the Korean media would praise his act.



The Japanese prosecution tried to characterize his crime as terrorism but the court dismissed this argument.


By John Redmond





Writer Jeong Nack Seuk poses with his book "K Parisian, Koreans in Paris" in Seoul. / Courtesy of John Redmond
Realtor Jee Kim

By Jon Dunbar



As the U.S. military continues moving out and construction companies begin drawing up redevelopment plans, foreign residents of Yongsan-gu in central Seoul are likely to notice changes, but realtor Jee Kim advises against panic.



She works for World Real Estate Company providing real estate services for foreigners from around the world, mainly military personnel, corporate employees and embassy personnel.



Her office is in Hannam-dong, just uphill from Soonchunhyang University Hospital and a stone's throw from the recently demolished towers of Hannam Village, a former U.S. military housing compound. A sign over her office window offers services in Pyeongtaek where the U.S. military is relocating, as well as Godeok New Town, a redevelopment project in southeastern Seoul.



Many realtors are following the military south, but Kim, who grew up in Yongsan-gu, continues to serve the area, especially Hannam, Itaewon, Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan, where housing ranges from cheap hillside hovels and affordable walk-ups to luxurious high-rises.



"Actually because of the U.S. army moving out, the price went down for large apartments right now," she told The Korea Times. "Some of the big apartments used to get a lot of money from U.S. army personnel; now they are moving out so homes are empty. It's winter right now so landlords are eager to find new tenants."



But it's not just the U.S. military leaving, as civilian residents face gentrification, rising rent prices and mass redevelopment.



Several of her clients live in areas slated for demolition for the upcoming Hannam New Town, which will stretch from the Itaewon mosque down to the river.



"People who live inside the area mostly don't know about the process," she said. "Some people ask me how it'll proceed. They're anxious, not knowing when they'll move out. But I don't think it'll happen that quickly."



Despite recent alarmist reactions, she points out the plan has been public information for a decade.



"The majority of landlords are pushing it but some of the landlords refused," she said. "It has been delayed, delayed, delayed, so you never know when it'll happen."



The New Town project has also gone through several revisions. The current plan includes smaller 20-pyeong (66-square-meter) apartments, allowing for some economic diversity. Also, while Hannam districts 2 and 3 will be demolished, district 1 will remain. Additionally, Bogwang-ro, a lively street full of restaurants and small businesses cutting through the area, is spared.



"The area where it'll be demolished, the rental price is very low, as low as outside Seoul," she said. "For the tenants who enjoy cheaper prices, it's not good. Once they move out they'll probably have to leave Seoul."



As the affordable housing supply pressurizes, her foreign clients increasingly show interest in other parts of the city, such as Gangnam-gu to the south and Mapo-gu out west.



"A lot of foreigners used to live in the Itaewon area, but now they're scattering to other areas," she said. "In areas other than Yongsan, Mapo, Gangnam, the realtors can't speak English, so they need my help."



But a dispersed foreign community will face new challenges. For one, Yongsan is unique in not requiring huge deposits from foreign renters, who may not bring such huge fortunes to Korea with them, deposits are significantly lower. Landlords there are used to foreign tenants and housing discrimination is less of an issue there.



"If you move away from this side of the city, it's harder to settle down," said Kim, who herself lived in Toronto for 10 years, studying economics at Centennial College and then working as a mortgage agent.



"One hardship for foreign residents is lack of community. They don't know the system. They don't know the people. If they need anything, if they know the community, the people, it would be better. It's the same living in Canada or anywhere else. That's why I think a lot of foreigners live around here, because they have community."




By John Redmond







The Seoul Hiking and Nature group offers an evening hiking tour of central Seoul on Thursday including a visit to a North Korean spy route.







The tour will start along Seoul City Wall, continue through Ihwa Mural Village and finish at the so-called Kim Shin-jo North Korean spy route on Mt. Bugak.







With a distance of six kilometers, the hike takes about two hours, depending on snow and ice.







Kim Shin-jo is one of two survivors of the 31-person team of North Korean commandos sent to assassinate President Park Chung Hee in the Blue House Raid of January 1968.







The group will meet outside exit 6 of Dongdaemun Station at 6:30 p.m. sharp.







Participants are advised to wear comfortable shoes and prepare an extra layer of clothes.







Instruction will be provided on pace, hiking and night photography tips.







The Seoul Hiking and Nature group was founded by Warren Kim in 2009 to help visitors experience Korean culture.







The fee is 5,000 won cash on the day.







Visit facebook.com/seoulhikingnature to RSVP and for future events.






A faster, more advanced terminal will open to welcome visitors on Jan 18. / Courtesy of IIAC



By Jung Min-ho



The smell of paint is still fresh. Lounges and boarding gates have yet to be used. The brand new terminal at Incheon International Airport is now almost set to welcome visitors.



Before its official opening on Jan. 18, journalists were invited to the facility Tuesday to have a glimpse of "air travel for the future in Korea."



"Incheon International Airport has already been considered one of the best airports in the world. T2 is expected to raise its reputation even higher," a Korean Air (KAL) senior official said.



Passengers of KAL and its three partner companies  Air France, Delta Air Lines and KLM  will be the first to enjoy state-of-the-art technology and faster services at the terminal. KAL is especially excited as more than 90 percent of the terminal's users will be its customers.



Compared with the airport's first terminal, one of the noticeable changes is more facilities and more space for premium customers. It has a faster security screening system and more luxurious lounges for first- and business-class customers.



"T2's space for premium customers here is 48 percent bigger than in T1. Except for the airport terminals in the Middle East, this is believed to be the largest space for these customers" the official said. "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has not approved the fast track yet, but we believe it's a good possibility."



Screens show congestion levels of entrances to security screening so that customers can go straight to the least crowded entrance without asking or guessing.



T2 takes advantage of more machines that can help customers get tickets and information on their own. The Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) explains that it will reduce time for the boarding process  up to 20 minutes for each customer, according to the IIAC.



Customers will also be able to find their baggage more quickly with a faster handling system of 420m/min. The design of the baggage carousel is an upward conveyor type, not the downward slope, to prevent damage.



Transportation facilities such as the bus and airport train are in one building, which is right beside the terminal. Thus, passengers do not have to take a long walk to get there once they disembark. Compared with T1, the distance was shortened from 233m to 59m. Also, they can wait inside for the next bus or train as screens show their arrivals.



In addition, T2 has more space in the customer waiting area and more check-in counters for transit passengers.



T2 is expected to absorb about 18 million passengers annually from T1, a win-win situation for both.



Overall, T2 is clearly a more advanced, convenient facility. But it lacks its own character and has few surprises: its design is almost the same as T1's. Critics may say it is a smaller version of T1 but with more machines.




By Kim Hyo-jin







The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) elected Rep. Kim Sung-tae as its new floor leader, Tuesday.







Kim, a confidant of party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo, beat Hong Moon-jong, a loyalist of disgraced former President Park Geun-hye, and Han Sun-kyo, a candidate with no factional ties.







Kim garnered 55 of 108 votes while Hong and Han had 35 and 17 votes each.







Rep. Ham Jin-gyu, Kim's running mate, became the party's chief policymaker.







Kim's victory is expected to consolidate the leadership of Hong, who has vowed to reform the conservative party by weakening the influence of the pro-Park faction.







The three-term lawmaker will be tasked with enhancing the LKP's presence in the National Assembly. Despite the advantage of being the second-largest party, it has failed to reflect its opinion in negotiations with rival parties.







The recent budget talks, in particular, fanned doubts over the party's negotiation skills. With the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the minor opposition People's Party teaming up, the LKP virtually surrendered to their plans for an increase in civil service jobs and a corporate tax hike.







Mindful of the party's weak presence, Kim said in his acceptance speech, "I will step up the fight against the Moon Jae-in government's populist policies."






By Stephen Vines





I really never imagined I would be writing these words  but the plain fact of the matter is that I agree with Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, who says that based on everything he knows he thinks that bitcoin won't work out and is 'not comfortable with it', yet reserves the right to be wrong and concedes that it might after all, come to be a kind of currency.

Bitcoin traders have a very different view of things, causing the value of the cryptocurrency to rise to ever-greater heights, meaning in the past 12 months the price has surged by over 1,700 per cent.

The rabble of drug dealers, arms dealers and conspiracy peddlers, meanwhile, who initially embraced bitcoin, have now been joined by rather-more-respectable investment institutions, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Cboe Futures Exchange, which are introducing bitcoin derivatives, and even JP Morgan Chase is pondering trading futures in the cryptocurrency, despite the fact that Jamie Dimon, its boss has described bitcoin as a fraud'.

When it was launched bitcoin was variously described as being an alternative payment system, then as a store of value and, as the ideologues piled in, we learned that the cryptocurrency provided an alternative to state manipulation of currency values and was somehow a pure market-driven entity.

The changing explanations continue, yet what we really know about bitcoin is still rather minimal.

It may or may not have been invented by someone called Satoshi Nakamoto, or this may just be a pseudonym.

Then there's the question of what bitcoin actually is beyond being a string of computer codes. Apparently embedded in the system are some clever bits of kit that prevent unauthorised issuance of new coins or other forms of fraud  but the exact nature of these safeguards remain a closely guarded secret.

What is definitely known is that bitcoin have no intrinsic value. The same accusation can be made against real currencies whose issuance has long ceased being tied to the gold stocks of the issuer, even though even gold has little more than a perceived value.

The obvious difference, however, is that an identifiable entity stands behind government-issued currencies and their operations are generally transparent. Moreover real currencies are backed by the underlying performance of national economies.

Bitcoin proudly proclaims that it has nothing to do with all this national paraphernalia; on the contrary its advocates celebrating the fact the market and the market alone determines valuations.

Anyone with the slightest knowledge of market bubbles and manias will quickly recognise this proud claim as being typical of previous market bubbles, be they the dot.com frenzy speculating on companies that had yet to make a dollar but promised they would make zillions or the eighteenth century market manias which in essence have their roots in exactly the same place as today's.

The craze for bitcoin most readily brings to mind the great South Sea Bubble of 1720, which as the name of the South Sea Company suggests, was founded to trade-in South America and was furnished with a monopoly to do so.

Given the prevailing state of war, however, there was barely any trade between Britain and this region and so the company took to dealing in government debt in rivalry to the then privately-owned Bank of England.

Like bitcoin, the South Sea Company relied on investor's believing a story, this one entailed the company being able to take over the Bank of England's debt business if enough investors piled in to give them the resources to do so.

Unexplained, but widely accepted, was the myth that somehow the upstart company could extract better returns from government borrowings than the Bank.

The reality was that it could do nothing of the kind and that seems to be the reality behind bitcoin, which operates on a global scale, free of regulation and is free of responsibility to investors.

They in turn almost certainly do not express their hopes in these terms, but are operating on the greater fool principle in the belief that the value of their investment will rise simply because others are prepared to pay more than themselves to buy into this massive scheme.

The possibility exists that bitcoin will not come crashing down and that it will emerge as a global currency  however, I have a feeling in my bones that this cannot be so.

For a start, the current happy state of affairs of a regulation-free environment for bitcoin is most unlikely to be sustainable. Secondly, because trading in bitcoin is so enormously volatile it is a near certainty that a significant fall in prices will trigger a selling panic. As an asset-free entity bitcoin has no bottom line so other than zero, there is no limit to the extent of the price fall.





Stephen Vines runs companies in the food sector and moonlights as a journalist and a broadcaster. Copyright belongs to the South China Morning Post.
By Kang Seung-woo



The science ministry unveiled a plan, Tuesday, to create jobs in the areas of science technology and information and communications technology (ICT) for 260,000 people in the time of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.



To this end, the Ministry of Science and ICT came up with four forwarding strategies and 14 detailed assignments that will drive the plan.



The plan came as the ministry is set to take advantage of those sectors that have higher potential to create jobs than others thanks to the proliferation of open platforms as well as the advent of the fourth major industrial era.



First of all, the government will put top priority on building infrastructure for job creation such as intelligence information-specialized graduate schools and software-focused universities.



"The government will reform and expand local universities' information technology research center (ITRC), which we expect will employ 6,000 by 2022. We will also increase the number of software-focused schools from 20 to 30 by 2019, expected to nurture 20,000 talented students," said a ministry official.



The ministry added that it plans to produce 10 000 cybersecurity experts by 2022 and 800 high-quality human resources in nanotechnology every year, while improving regulations on new industries and services.



When it comes to science technology-based job creation, the government plans to designate five universities, where lab research performances translate into money-making ventures and eventual hiring.



The ministry also said 12,000 jobs will be created by 2022 through its intensive fostering on promising fields such as nano- and bio-technology and localization of research equipment.



In order to create jobs in the ICT industry, the Moon Jae-in administration will focus on nurturing ICT-integrated new industries: artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), big data and cloud, all of which are the key elements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.



It also seeks to commercialize the fifth-generation (5G) network and 10GB of high-internet services by 2019 and 2018, respectively, which it believes will drive employment in derived sectors.



With regard to improving quality and opportunity of jobs, the government is now transferring some irregular employees at 25 state-run institutes to full-time workers.



"As a ministry to lead the nation's innovation amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we will put forth great efforts to contribute to job creations," Minister You Young-min.






By Yoon Sung-won



Korea's first industrial complex dedicated for artificial intelligence (AI)-related businesses will be in Gwangju, according to the metropolitan city administration, Tuesday.



The city plans to spend about 1 trillion won ($916 million) in building the complex. Starting in 2019, it will build a national AI research center and a campus while pushing and encouraging entrepreneurs to start AI-related startups in the next 10 years.



Gwangju Metropolitan City (GMC) expects the complex will be able to foster 1,000 startups in AI and educate and train 5,000 for the sector within the decade.



"The city plans to establish a complex where AI research and development, human resources training and startup incubation support can be found in one place," said Kim Se-hoon, an official at GMC's information and communication technology department.



"The government has earmarked 1 billion won as a preliminary fund in next year's national budget to prepare for a more detailed and effective plan for the project."



According to GMC, the national AI research center will be Korea's top convergence technology research facility aimed at supporting national research projects for core technologies such as AI as well as research and work by private enterprises. It will also help researchers test, verify and standardize the AI systems they have developed.



The AI campus will be an academic institution where experts and students can educate, train and develop themselves in diverse business areas related to AI. It will have an AI education department and a lab for technology, aiming at expanding the horizon of research and development, according to the city administration.



The complex's third goal  establishment of an ecosystem for AI startups  will begin from setting up a support center for new companies in the sector. In particular, a strategy called "Lean Start up," in which any promising idea can become a prototype and be released in the market to check consumer responses. This will help both mid-sized enterprises and new startups strengthen their global competitiveness through expert and international marketing activities, GMC said.



The idea to set up an industrial complex for AI businesses was suggested by Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) President Moon Seung-hyeon in March.



Aiming at fostering Gwangju as the center of AI technologies and industries in Korea, the GIST president maintains that the complex should not just boost education and research but also promote job creation through startups, which is in line with President Moon Jae-in's pledges.


In this March 27, 2008 file photo, the Pentagon is seen in this aerial view in Washington. A Pentagon official tells The Associated Press that transgender people can enlist in the military beginning Jan. 1, despite President Donald Trump's opposition. The new policy reflects growing legal pressure on the issue. Potential transgender recruits will have to overcome a lengthy and strict set of physical, medical and mental conditions that make it possible, although difficult, for them to join the armed services. / AP-Yonhap



Transgender recruits will be allowed to enlist in the military beginning Jan. 1, the Pentagon said Monday, as President Donald Trump's ordered ban suffered another legal setback.



The new policy reflects the difficult hurdles the federal government would have to cross to enforce Trump's demand earlier this year to bar transgender individuals from the military.



Two federal courts already have ruled against the ban and on Monday a federal court judge denied a government request to set aside the January start date for enlistment.



In October, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly barred the Trump administration from proceeding with its plan to exclude transgender people from military service. Part of the effect of the ruling was that the military would be required to allow transgender people to enlist beginning Jan. 1.



The government had asked Kollar-Kotelly to put the Jan. 1 date on hold while they appealed her full ruling but she declined Monday, reaffirming the Jan. 1 start date. Department of Justice spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said Monday evening that the department will ask a federal appeals court to put on hold the Jan. 1 requirement ''as we evaluate next steps.''



Potential transgender recruits will have to overcome a lengthy and strict set of physical, medical and mental conditions that could make it difficult for them to join the armed services.



Maj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, said the enlistment of transgender recruits will begin next month and proceed amid legal battles. The Defense Department also is doing a review, which is expected to carry into 2018.



Eastburn told The Associated Press on Monday that the new guidelines mean the Pentagon can disqualify potential recruits with gender dysphoria, a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition and those who underwent reconstruction. But such recruits are allowed in if a medical provider certifies they've been clinically stable in the preferred sex for 18 months and are free of significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas.



Transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy must be stable on their medication for 18 months.



The requirements make it challenging for a transgender recruit to pass. But they mirror concerns President Barack Obama's administration laid out when the Pentagon initially lifted its ban on transgender service last year.



''Due to the complexity of this new medical standard, trained medical officers will perform a medical prescreen of transgender applicants for military service who otherwise meet all applicable applicant standards,'' Eastburn said.



Aaron Belkin, director of the California-based Palm Center, an independent institute that has conducted research on sexual minorities in the military, said the 18-month timeline is fair.



''It's a good standard because the Pentagon is treating gender dysphoria according to the same standards that are applied to all medical conditions,'' he said.



However, Elaine Donnelly, president for the Center For Military readiness, said Trump ''has every right to review, revise, or repeal his predecessor's military transgender policies, which would detract from mission readiness and combat lethality.'' Court judges, she said, are not qualified to run the military.



The Pentagon move Monday signals the growing sense within the government that authorities are likely to lose the legal fight.



''The controversy will not be about whether you allow transgender enlistees, it's going to be on what terms,'' said Brad Carson, who was deeply involved in the last administration's decisions. ''That's really where the controversy will lie.''



Carson worried, however, that the Defense Department could opt to comply with a deadline on allowing transgender recruits, but ''under such onerous terms that practically there will be none.'' Carson, who worked for Carter as the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel, said requiring 18 months of stability in the preferred sex is a reasonable time.



''It doesn't have any basis in science,'' he said, noting that experts have suggested six months is enough. ''But as a compromise among competing interests and perhaps to err on the side of caution, 18 months was what people came around to. And that's a reasonable position and defensible.''



Sarah McBride, spokeswoman for Human Rights Campaign, praised the court's ruling, saying that it affirms ''there is simply no legitimate reason to forbid willing and able transgender Americans from serving their country." (AP)
Monetary stock in Ukraine in November 2017 increased by 0.3%, to UAH 1.129 trillion, the relevant preliminary data of monetary statistics have been posted on the website of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).

According to the central bank, the corresponding dynamics is due to both the increase in the volume of cash in circulation outside banks by 0.7%, to UAH 310.405 billion, and ending stocks on deposits by 0.2%, to UAH 818.372 billion.

In general, since the beginning of the year money supply has increased by 2.4%.

The loan portfolio of banks in November almost did not change and by the end of the month amounted to UAH 988.368 billion. At the same time, the volume of loans in the national currency increased by 0.7%, to UAH 552.236 billion, while in foreign currency it decreased by 0.8%, to UAH 436.132 billion. The National Bank also specifies that new loans in the national currency were attracted both by the population and businesses.

Since the beginning of the year, the loan portfolio of banks has decreased by 0.9%.

According to the NBU, the cost of hryvnia loans for businesses last month rose by 1.1 percentage points, to 15.3% per annum. Accordingly, the decline since the beginning of the year decreased to 1.4 percentage points.

At the same time, the cost of hryvnia loans for the population in November decreased by 0.8 percentage points, to 28.1% per annum. Accordingly, the decrease since the beginning of the year increased to 2.9 percentage points.

The deposit portfolio of banks in the national currency in November grew by 0.3%, to UAH 450.993 billion, while in foreign currency remained almost unchanged and amounted to UAH 367.379 billion.
The owner and president of DCH Group Oleksandr Yaroslavsky has submitted a package of documents to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) seeking the approval of the acquisition of Prominvestbank (PIB, Kyiv), Deputy NBU Governor Kateryna Rozhkova has said.

"On Friday [December 8] late in the evening the package of documents from Yaroslavsky arrived. Earlier we had only a letter of intent. Several meetings were held. One meeting was held with Yaroslavsky and one with his representatives. We discussed the prospect of the acquisition," Rozhkova said in an interview with the Business Censor publication.

The press service of the central bank told Interfax-Ukraine that on December 8, 2017, a package of documents to buy 99.7151% of shares in PIB was submitted.

The press service did not specify the name of the person who submitted the documents, only saying that this is a citizen of Ukraine.

According to Article 34 of the law on banks and banking operations, the NBU can consider these documents during three months.

As reported, on July 14 the NBU received a letter from the representatives of Yaroslavsky, which expressed the intention to submit to the NBU a package of documents in future to agree on the acquisition of a significant stake in Prominvestbank.

It was also reported that on July 28 the committee on supervision and regulation of banks' activities, oversight (oversight) of payment systems of the National Bank of Ukraine decided to refuse Maksym Mykytas and Pavlo Fuks the acquisition of significant participation in Prominvestbank. The central bank noted the potential buyers had not provided necessary documents to check investors for compliance with the requirements of Ukrainian legislation.
In my previous column (Part I), I summarized the lives of five Civil War veterans who played significant roles in post-Civil War Geneva/Lake Geneva. This column will recount the lives of more Civil War veterans who played important roles in Geneva/Lake Geneva during the post-war years.

Dr. Daniel C. Roundy, born in New York state in 1825, was a prominent physician in Geneva before the Civil War. He was also the superintendent of schools in Geneva. Before the Civil War began, he was one of the founding officers of the Geneva Independents militia company, which, after the war broke out, became Company F of the 4th Wisconsin Infantry. He was compelled to resign his commission on Sept. 10, 1864, because of disability. He returned to Geneva and resumed his practice as a physician.

In 1864, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature. On March 7, 1864, he rejoined the Union Army as the surgeon of the 37th Wisconsin Infantry. He was mustered out on July 27, 1865, and again returned to Geneva to resume his medical practice. He later moved to Chicago where he died at the home of his son on June 23, 1897.

Four members of the Burdick family (the sons of Soloman C. Burdick), who grew up in Geneva, were veterans of the Civil War: Asbury R. Burdick (4th Wisconsin Cavalry), Charles H. Burdick (4th Wisconsin Cavalry), Peleg Burdick (14th Wisconsin Infantry), and William D. Burdick (22nd Wisconsin Infantry). Charles Herbert Burdick was the most prominent of the four Burdicks in post-war Geneva/Lake Geneva.

Charles Herbert Burdick was born in Otsego County, New York, on July 24, 1839. His parents brought him to Geneva in 1843. In 1863, Charles H. Burdick enlisted in Company F of the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry. He was mustered out at the end of the war. In post-war Geneva, he was one of the founders of the Lake Geneva News, a predecessor of the Lake Geneva Regional News. He also served as editor of the Elkhorn Independent and was the Geneva representative of all of the Chicago newspapers. He later sold insurance and real estate.

While in the Union Army, he came down with rheumatism, which plagued him for the rest of his life. He died in Lake Geneva on Feb. 22, 1903, at the age of 63. His son, Hugh A. Burdick, became the Walworth County district attorney, and his grandson, also named Hugh Burdick, was a well known attorney in post-World War II Lake Geneva.

Dr. Benoni O. Reynolds was one of the most significant Civil War veterans in post-war Geneva. Born in Cayuga County, New York, on July 26, 1824, he was the son of John and Nancy Hay Reynolds. His father was a veteran of the War of 1812, and his grandfather was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. When he was 13 years old, he became an apprentice cooper, but did not like the trade so he ran away. He then taught school for two years before beginning to study medicine.

When the Mexican War began in 1848 he enlisted in the U.S. Army, but did not participate in any combat. After the war, he resumed his medical studies at the Rush Medical College in Chicago from which he graduated in 1851. In 1856 he moved to Elkhorn. In 1861 he graduated from the Opthalmic College of Medicine in New York City, and shortly thereafter was commissioned as a surgeon in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry.

He served in the Union Army for almost four years before returning to Elkhorn. In 1866, he moved from Elkhorn to Geneva, where he established a medical practice. He was soon elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature. Eventually he was elected a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. He was a member of the National Medical Association and the National Board of Health and president of the State Medical Association of Wisconsin. His skill as a surgeon was first recognized during his service in the Civil War; he was considered to be an authority on surgical operations.

Reynolds suffered a debilitating stroke in 1893. He died in Lake Geneva on Jan. 19, 1901. His son, Dr. James C. Reynolds, was a well known physician in Lake Geneva, and his grandson, also named Benoni O. Reynolds, was an officer in the U.S. Army in France during World War I.

There were two prominent Civil War veterans in Lake Geneva with the same name, Harris Durkee.

The first Harris Durkee was born in Windsor County, Vermont, in 1825. In 1855, he moved to Wisconsin, living for a few months in Elkhorn before moving to Geneva. After the Civil War began, he enlisted in the 9th Illinois Cavalry. When the war ended, he returned to Geneva, where he became involved in various businesses. In 1878, he purchased the J. P. Forbes coal yard in Geneva and developed it into a thriving concern. He suffered from Brights disease and had a stroke which caused his death on Saturday, May 27, 1893, at the age of 68.

The other Harris Durkee, Harris R. Durkee, was born in Norfolk, New York, on May 17, 1842, and grew up in Norfolk. When the Civil War began, he enlisted in Company H of the 16th New York Infantry, which was known as the Straw Hat regiment. He moved from New York state in 1875 to Geneva, where he owned a butcher shop on Main Street until 1896, when he was appointed to a position at the Wisconsin State Reformatory in Green Bay. Eventually he was appointed as a deputy at the Wisconsin State Prison in Waupun.

Ill health forced him to resign his position in Waupun and move to Minneapolis to live with his daughter. He died in Minneapolis on May 27, 1908, from heart problems that had begun when he was wounded during the Civil War. During the years that he lived in Lake Geneva, he was the city marshal, a deputy sheriff, and the chief of police at the Walworth County Fair.

Dr. Hilton H. Boyce was one of five physicians from Geneva who served in the Union Army. He was born in Augusta, Ontario County, New York, on December 14, 1817. He studied medicine in Aurora, New York, and at a Medical College in Willoughby, Ohio. After initially practicing medicine in Buffalo, New York, he moved to Rochester, Wisconsin, at the age of 30 in 1847. From 1851 to 1856 he lived in California. In 1856 he moved from California to Geneva.

After establishing his medical practice in Geneva, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature. In 1862, he enlisted in the Union Army and became an assistant surgeon in the 11th Wisconsin Infantry. When the war ended, he returned to Geneva and resumed his medical practice. He died of consumption (tuberculosis) nine years later in December 1874. He was a member of Masonic Lodge #44.

His house in Lake Geneva still exists on the north side of the 900 block of Main Street immediately to the west of the Delaney Street Mercantile store. The house was owned during the post-World War II years by the dentist Dr. A.C. Grosspietsch. It is now the antiques and gift shop, My Sister and Me.

Andrew J. Weatherwax was born in Orleans County, New York, on April 24, 1817. He moved from New York state to Darien, Wisconsin, in 1845. In 1849, he moved from Darien to Geneva, where he opened a clothing store on the north side of the 700 block of Main Street. In the fall of 1859, A.J. Weatherwax became a lieutenant in the Geneva Independents, the militia company organized in anticipation of the coming Civil War. In 1861 the Geneva Independents became Company F of the 4th Wisconsin Infantry.

A.J. Weatherwax resigned his commission as a lieutenant in the 4th Wisconsin in June 1862, and resumed running his clothing store in Geneva. He died on Sunday April 20, 1891, of an overdose of laudanum, a powerful opiod that contained opium, morphine, and codeine.

Andrew J. Weatherwaxs son, Monroe J. Weatherwax, enlisted in the 4th Wisconsin Calvary on November 4, 1863, at the age of 17 and served until the end of the war. He returned to Geneva after the war. A little over eight years after he returned to Geneva, he committed suicide in December 1874 by taking an overdose of laudanum, just as his father would do 17 years later. He was only 28 years old. Andrew J. Weatherwax and his son, Monroe J. Weatherwax, are buried side by side in the Pioneer Cemetery.

Ebenezer Davidson was born at Brainards Bridge, Rensalear County, New York, on Sept. 13, 1845. In 1849, his parents brought him to a farm in the village of Geneva. He worked as a farmhand until he enlisted in Company F of the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry in 1863. When he was discharged on May 26, 1866, he returned to Geneva. In 1869 he went to Eureka, Nevada, where he remained for five years before returning to his farm in Geneva, which he worked for the next 12 years until 1886. He then became a partner in the Burton Denison and Davidson feed business, which eventually became part of the Dunn and Douglas Lumber Company. The large red building of the Burton Denison and Davidson feed business on North Street still exists as part of the Dunn Lumber Company.

Ebenezer Davidson was a member of the Walworth County Board of Supervisors, president of the Walworth County Agricultural Society, director of the First National Bank in Lake Geneva, mayor of Lake Geneva for two terms, member of the Methodist Church, member of the Masonic Lodge #44, and commander of the James B. McPherson post #27 of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Ebenezer Davidson died of pneumonia on March 18, 1912, at the age of 66.

There are, of course, many more Civil War veterans who played important roles in Geneva/Lake Geneva during the 19th century. The story of their lives will be told in another column at some point in the future.

Quinn is a Lake Geneva native who is the University Archivist Emeritus at Northwestern University.
Explosion in Baumgarten to result in temporary fall in gas transit across Ukraine via Slovakia

An explosion at a gas hub in Baumgarten (Austria) would result in a temporary decline in gas transit across Ukraine via Slovakia, the press service of public joint-stock company Ukrtransgaz has reported.

"Import of natural gas from Slovakia is in line with the schedule in the daily mode of 22 million cubic meters. A slight decline in gas supply from Hungary is expected. The restriction of gas imports from the EU or its temporary halt would be compensated to Ukrainian consumers thanks to an increase in pumping of gas from Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities," the company said.

Ukrtransgaz said that the company is actively cooperating with European operators, Gazprom and ENTSOG to quickly settle the emergency and stabilize gas transportation to European consumers.

In turn, Slovakian gas transport system operator Eustream said that gas transportation via Baumgarten is temporarily limited, although the other interconnection points of Eustream are not affected and available for gas transmission without limitation.
PRESS RELEASE

Putin Announces Russian Military Withdrawal from Syria

Dec. 11, 2017 (EIRNS)Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the first stop of a whirlwind Middle East tour that would also take him to Egypt and Turkey, announced in Syria that he had issued orders to the Russian Defense Ministry to begin a partial withdrawal of Russian military forces from Syria. He made the announcement at the Hmeymim Airbase, where Russian forces are headquartered and where he met with Syrian President Bashaar Al Assad.

"I order the Defense Ministry and the chief of the General Staff to begin the pullout of the Russian military group to permanent locations,"

Putin told an audience of military personnel.

"Over slightly more than two years, the Russian Armed Forces have routed together with the Syrian army the most combat-capable grouping of international terrorists. In view of this, I have made a decision: most of the Russian military contingent staying in the Syrian Arab Republic is returning home, to Russia. You are coming home with a victory, to your relatives, parents, wives, children, and friends. Your Motherland is waiting for you, my friends. Have a safe trip home and thank you for your service,"

Putin said and then warned: "If terrorists again raise head, we will deliver such strikes on them that they havent seen so far".

"We will never forget about the deaths and losses sustained in the anti-terror fight both here in Syria and in Russia. But this wont force us to fold our hands and retreat. This is not our national characteristic. On the contrary, this memory will give us an additional force to eradicate that absolute evilinternational terrorismno matter under what guise it hides.... "This is what military service is about, this is the main priority of those who dedicate their lives to serving their people,"

he noted.

"Soldiers who serve their country pass the most important test at the battlefield, risking their health and life. By helping the Syrian people preserve their statehood and counter terrorist attacks, you have dealt a devastating blow to those who had openly and brazenly threatened our country,"

the Russian President stressed.

Thanking Putin for aiding Syria, Syrian President Assad said,

"The achievements that have occurred are very significant and very important for us. The meetings issuethe destruction of militants of ISILis crucial for the entire world. We coped with that,"

Assad said.

As for the withdrawal, Lt. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the commander of the Russian Group of Forces in Syria, announced that it would begin almost immediately.

"Upon completion of the operation to defeat the Islamic State in Syrian territory, the military contingent was ordered and has already begun to withdraw forces, including 25 aircraft [23 fixed-wing aircraft and two Ka-52 attack helicopters, according to TASS] and military personnelthe military police force, the commando unit, the field hospital, and the mine-clearing center,"

he said. "The remaining force will be able to cope with its tasks as effectively."
PRESS RELEASE

Putin and El-Sisi Call for Resuming Palestine-Israel Dialogue on All Issues, Including Status of Jerusalem

Dec. 11, 2017 (EIRNS)Today in Cairo, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi discussed development of Russian-Egyptian relations in the political, trade-and-economic, energy, and humanitarian spheres. They also took up the Palestinian issue in the context of the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Putin said,

"Our countries call for promptly resuming direct Palestine-Israel dialogue on all issues, including the status of Jerusalem. There is a need to achieve long-term and fair agreements, which would be in the interest of both parties. And clearly, these agreements should be in line with the decisions previously made by the global community,"

Putin added.

"We regard as counter-productive any steps that anticipate the outcome of the dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israelis," he said after talks with el-Sisi. "We believe that such steps are destabilizing. They by no means settle the situation, but on the contrary provoke the conflict."

The two leaders also agreed to coordinate policy concerning a long term-settlement of the Syria situation. They discussed the situation in Libya, and both called for ensuring stability and security in that country, restoring its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.

Putins previous visit to Egypt took place in February 2015.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and House Republicans have escalated their feud with Patagonia after the outdoor retailer told Americans that President Trump stole your land in his move to shrink two sprawling Utah national monuments.

The dispute pitting the GOP against a private company raised questions about use of taxpayer resources for political criticism and whether Republicans are trying to curtail Patagonia sales weeks before the Christmas holiday.

On the day of Trumps announcement about the monuments last week, the California-based retailer replaced its usual home page with a black screen and stark message: The President Stole Your Land. Patagonia filed suit to block the planned reduction to Utahs Bears Ears National Monument.

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In a tweet, the House Natural Resources Committee said Patagonia is lying and making the allegation about Trumps plan to sell more products to wealthy elitist urban dwellers from New York to San Francisco.

The Republican-led committee also sent out a widely distributed email with the subject line: Patagonia: dont buy it.

A committee spokesman said Monday the email was not urging a boycott of Patagonia but rather was telling consumers, Dont buy the lies about Trumps plan.

Were just telling Patagonia: Stop selling a false narrative, said Parish Braden, a spokesman for the committee.

Patagonias lawsuit, filed in conjunction with a rock climbing advocacy group and other organizations, is among a flurry of lawsuits that have been filed over Trumps move to reduce the size of Bears Ears by nearly 85% and cut in half the land protected in Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

The company said it spent years supporting groups creating other national monuments and directly lobbied for protections at Bears Ears.

Zinke accused Patagonia of lying about Trumps actions and retweeted the committee post on his official account.

In response, former government ethics chief Walter Shaub launched a tweet storm, saying Zinke misused his official position by re-tweeting this wildly inappropriate tweet.

The committee may have violated House rules against advertising for or against a private individual, firm or corporation, Shaub said.

The federal govt officially and publicly calling a company a liar for political reasons is a bizarre and dangerous departure from civic norms. Its also decidedly anti-free market, he tweeted.

The confrontation could be paying off for Patagonia. Teresa Courage, a former Utah resident who now lives in New York, said on the companys Facebook page that she did all her Christmas shopping at Patagonia because of its politics.

It speaks to me about its integrity, she told the Associated Press. Theyre not just following the money.
Westfield Corp., which operates upscale shopping malls in Los Angeles and in dozens of other U.S. cities and in Britain, agreed to be acquired for nearly $16 billion by French commercial real estate giant Unibail-Rodamco, the companies said Tuesday.

The deal underlined how even operators of marquee malls are not immune from the seismic shift occurring in retail, where consumers worldwide are increasingly moving more of their shopping to online sites such as Amazon.com and away from physical stores in malls and elsewhere.

Westfield, based in Australia, owns 35 malls, including its Century City shopping center, which recently completed a $1-billion makeover.

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Westfields other area properties include Topanga & the Village in Canoga Park, Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks, Westfield Culver City, Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia, and malls in Santa Clarita and in the San Diego area.

Unibail-Rodamco operates 69 shopping centers in major European cities including Paris, Madrid, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Munich, Germany, and its developing malls in Brussels and Hamburg, Germany.

The new company will be based in Paris and Amsterdam, with regional headquarters in Los Angeles and London.

The industry is under severe pressure from internet selling and particularly Amazon, said John Colley, a professor at Britains Warwick Business School, in an email. Clearly there are significant savings as the new enterprise will need only one head office, board, systems and functional management.

Hundreds of bricks-and-mortar stores  especially department stores, apparel-heavy outlets and sporting goods stores  already have closed in the United States in the last year as foot traffic has fallen. That has put pressure on mall operators to fill the vacancies, especially for outlets that serve as anchor stores.

That pressure had resulted in Westfields shares falling about 9% this year before the merger announcement, and it has sparked the consolidation trend among mall operators seeking heft and cost efficiencies.

The proposed merger creates a strong and attractive platform for future growth, Unibail-Rodamco Chief Executive Christophe Cuvillier said in a statement.

The deal also is an opportunity for billionaire Frank Lowy, Westfields 87-year-old chairman, to turn over his company in order to cash out a major part of his familys 9.5% ownership in Westfield.

Another major U.S. mall owner, GGP Inc.  whose holdings include the Glendale Galleria  last month received a $14.8-billion takeover bid from the real-estate property company Brookfield Property Partners for the roughly two-thirds of GGP it doesnt already own. GGP has rejected the bid, Bloomberg reported this week.

And New York hedge fund Third Point Ventures disclosed last month that it had acquired a 1.3% stake in Macerich Co., a Santa Monica-based mall operator that owns more than 40 properties nationwide, including Santa Monica Place and the Westside Pavilion.

The hedge fund is run by activist investor Daniel Loeb, who pushes for shake-ups and sales at distressed companies. Macerich had seen its stock decline by almost a quarter this year before the stake was disclosed. Shares have since risen more than 10%.

The worldwide consolidation trend indicates the shopping center industry is definitely coming to a different point in its maturity, said David Gorelick, head of retail in the Americas for real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield.

Institutions that are best in class are looking to acquire other shopping centers in different regions and leveraging their capabilities, Gorelick said.

Shopping center magnate Rick Caruso, who operates the Grove, Americana at Brand and other outdoor retail centers in Los Angeles County, said indoor malls are often too formulaic and losing their appeal.

The indoor mall is dying, he said. Its antiseptic and cold. Smarter stores will no longer be in indoor malls.

He said that the Lowy family recognized the challenges and that is why it decided to sell now, despite Westfields depressed stock price.

Unibail-Rodamco agreed to pay $7.55 in cash and stock for each share of Westfield. The deal was approved by both companies directors but remains subject to approval by the firms shareholders. The merger is expected to close in the first half of next year.

Westfield began in 1959 when Lowy and his partner John Saunders opened a shopping center in Sydney, Australia. The companys Australian and New Zealand holdings were spun off into a separate company in 2014.

Lowy, a Holocaust survivor from Czechoslovakia, has a net worth of $5.9 billion, according to Forbes. He served as Westfields chief executive for more than 50 years before becoming nonexecutive chairman in 2011. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II this month for his contributions to the United Kingdoms economy and for his philanthropy.

Lowy will retire as Westfields chairman after the merger, and his sons Peter and Steven will step down as Westfields co-chief executives. Frank Lowy will become chairman of a newly created advisory board and Peter Lowy, who is based in Los Angeles, will be appointed to the companys ruling supervisory board.

The Lowys already had made substantial investments in Southern California that altered and elevated Westfields retail presence in the face of slumping mall traffic industrywide.

The upgrade at Westfield Century City, an outdoor mall, included more than 200 mostly new shops and restaurants, along with such touches as a VIP service offering private lounges and elevators to stores.

Only about half of the three-level mall is dedicated to fashion, with the other half split between eating and drinking and a range of other uses  such as a gym and a health clinic  that have little to do with shopping.

In the San Fernando Valley, Westfield plans a $1.5-billion project to replace its obsolete Promenade shopping mall at Warner Center with an expansive mixed-used complex with nearly 1,500 residences, shops, two hotels and a concert venue.

The development would be an extension of Westfields $350-million Village at Topanga lifestyle center that opened nearby last year.

And in Arcadia, Westfield Santa Anita has tried to evolve with its neighborhood by steadily bringing in retailers and restaurants that cater to the areas well-heeled Asian community. That effort followed a $20-million face-lift to the mall that was completed in 2014.

Staff writer Jim Puzzanghera contributed to this story.

UPDATES:

5:18 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Los Angeles shopping center developer Rich Caruso.

2:15 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from David Gorelick of Cushman & Wakefield and additional details about the deal and mall-operator consolidation.

11:35 a.m.: This article was updated with details about an activist investors interest in mall operator Macerich and details about Westfields revamping of several Southern California malls.

10:50 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details about the merger, the state of retailing and consolidation among mall owners.

9:25 a.m.: This article was updated to include that the merger is being proposed and still subject to shareholder approval.

8:05 a.m.: This article was updated with additional background about the companies.

This article originally was published at 7 a.m.
For nearly 10 years, Shazam has been something of a one-trick pony. Its app has a single purpose: identify a song thats playing and connect users to a service to download or stream it.

But behind the nifty song-detecting technology lies something that could explain why Apple is buying Shazam for a reported sum of $400 million  its treasure trove of data.

The British company got its start in 2002 by offering a phone service that helped people identify music. Users dialed 2580, held their cellphones to a source of music, and Shazam responded with a text message containing the name of the artist and the title of the song.

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In 2008, the company rolled this feature into an ad-supported app and launched it on the newly created Apple App Store. It started making money from music referrals too. It became and remains one of the most-downloaded apps.

Its longevity puts the company in a unique position, analysts say. Over the years, as technology has advanced, the software that runs Shazam is no longer considered cutting edge, and the tech itself is now easily replicable. But in an industry where apps commonly fizzle out after a few months, Shazam has amassed something valuable to the giants of Silicon Valley: a trove of user data built up over a decade.

The only reason theyve been successful is theyve done it for years, and theyve got a strong install base of customers, said Daniel Ives, head of technology research at GBH Insights. For Apple, its about buying that customer base and data.

Information such as what music customers search for, what theyre buying, and their historic music preferences are very valuable in terms of Apples library of knowledge, Ives said.

Both Apple and Shazam confirmed the acquisition Monday.

We cant imagine a better home for Shazam to enable us to continue innovating and delivering magic for our users, a Shazam spokesman said in a statement.

An Apple spokeswoman, declining to confirm how much the Cupertino company paid for the British service, described the two companies as a natural fit.

We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of todays agreement, the spokeswoman said.

It is unclear whether Shazam will continue to exist as a standalone app once the acquisition is complete, or whether the app will be absorbed into Apple Music.

Snap Inc. and Spotify, which have existing partnerships with Shazam, were reportedly interested in buying the company, but both lost out to Apple, according to TechCrunch, which broke news of the sale. Apple and Shazam declined to comment on what will happen to these partnerships once the deal closes.

Snap, which has a Shazam feature integrated into its camera app, declined to comment. Spotify, which pays Shazam a referral fee every time a listener is directed from Shazam to the Spotify app, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Music has long been a major part of Apples business. Ever since the launch of iTunes in 2001, the company has invested heavily in remaining relevant in the fast-changing music business. It acquired Beats Music and Beats Electronics in 2014 for $3 billion. It launched its own music and video streaming service, Apple Music, two years ago to compete with the likes of Spotify and Pandora.

As consumers come to expect personalized music recommendations and playlists, Shazams user data could give Apple a leg up in understanding and reaching new customers. And while Apple hasnt yet detailed its plans for Shazam, it wouldnt be a stretch to imagine a Shazam app that prioritizes referrals to Apple Music.

The deal is another sign that Apple is taking the battle of the mobile music customers seriously, Ives said.

Theyre putting more fuel in their gasoline tank, Ives said.

tracey.lien@latimes.com

Twitter: @traceylien
You cant go wrong with Bach. Any time. Any place. Performed in just about any cockamamie way.

Bach befits Christmas better than any other composer, although he isnt usually the first to be called upon. Handels ubiquitous Messiah, suited for Easter, is the Grinch who stole Christmas from Bachs Christmas Oratorio. You will have no troubling stumbling upon a performance of the Handel oratorio wherever you find yourself.

But Sunday happened to be a special Bach day. The joyous Christmas Oratorio, which has always taken a backseat to Bachs great tragic Passions (St. Matthew and St. John), received an effervescent performance from the Bach Collegium Japan at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa in the afternoon, leaving just enough time to wend through holiday traffic for an equally rare reading of Bachs motets by the Los Angeles Master Chorale at Walt Disney Concert Hall in the evening.

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In his program note, John Magnum, the president and artistic director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County (which presented the Collegium), calls the Christmas Oratorio the summation of Bachs art as a composer of sacred music. In a booklet note to his latest recording of the motets, the conductor John Eliot Gardiner claims these unaccompanied pieces for chorus constitute the most perfect, and in some ways most hypnotic, set of Bachs works. The two together make for a big day.

In fact, the oratorio is an exercise, quite like nothing else, in unabashed elation. The motets, quite like nothing else originally meant to have a funerary function, are an unlikely exercise in abashed elation.

Elation was to be had Sunday, but curiously, it was the oratorio, as performed by conductor Masaaki Suzuki and his exquisitely trained chorus and orchestra, that proved utterly hypnotic in its quest to reveal the intricate perfection in Bach. Meanwhile, the more sweeping approach to the motets by the Master Chorales new associate conductor, Jenny Wong, meant raising religiosity much closer to her sleeve.

Suzukis Collegium is a special group. It adheres to the rigors of early music performance practice with the ascetic formality of a Noh troupe. Yet Suzuki, with his trademark guru-like flowing white hair, happens to have a lively, even puckish, way about him. The exuberant opening chorus of the oratorio begins with such lines as Shout for joy  abandon hesitation, banish lamentation, begin to sing with  exultation.

That is exactly what Suzuki got the chorus to do. The small period-instrument orchestra lacked nothing for neon-brilliant illumination. Unreliable valveless trumpets were astonishingly reliable. Dull, old wood flutes sparkled. Timpani sent out sparks.

It was hard to sit still. Yet it was impossible not to sit still, because there was all that detail to admire. While holding back nothing, Suzuki also missed nothing.

This isnt a real oratorio but rather a de facto collection of six cantatas, the first three and the final one relating to the Nativity story. The other two are for New Years, and Suzuki left them out to keep the performance to just over two hours. It was a reasonable choice. One can handle only so much superb polish  the gloss of the orchestra, the shimmer of the chorus  at one time. Scene setting was exacting in every application of instrumental color. The chorus captured the harmonic intricacies of chorales with micro-tuned flawlessness. Fugues, unexpectedly, seemed almost danceable.

All the emphasis was on the music. Suzuki let the listener apply the religiosity as desired. This went so far as the soloists (soprano Sherezade Panthaki, countertenor Jay Carter, tenor Zachary Wilder and bass Dominik Worner). All were adequate, with none bringing out much individuality. But part of Bachs greatness, as Suzuki ultimately proved, is that while his music has room to spare for the cult of personality (think Glenn Gould), it just as easily and just as incomparably transcends that cult.

The Master Chorales Wong comes down on the side of religion. In remarks to the audience, she suggested a cosmic hierarchy with God at the top, Bach in the middle, and the rest of us on the bottom.

It was a bold move for Wong to make her debut with the Master Chorale conducting the six motets, which she led from memory. She used a chorus of 48, large enough to make a mighty sound and large enough to muddy up the rich complexity of inner lines.

She added the accompaniment of cello and portative organ (pairs of the instruments when the choir was divided for the polyphonic motets). They could barely be heard, and proved an annoyance, although they probably helped the chorus maintain steadiness in the difficult contrapuntal passages. Still, why not live it up and use Hurricane Mama, the big Disney Hall organ, and add some real color? Its Christmas after all.

Wongs basic approach was for continual grace and beauty, which could lead to blandness but also impressive robust grandeur. Attempts at theater in polyphonic motets didnt work, such as the chorus clumsily moving to the lip of the stage in front of Wong, who continued to enthusiastically conduct to thin air. But she later undid that pomp by achieving a liminal splendor on the words Gute Nacht, bidding a barely audible farewell to sin and pride, the hall lights at that moment effectively lowered.

Elation was the hardest part for Wong, but with the last motet, Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden (Praise the Lord, All Ye Heathen), she did not fear (subject of an earlier motet) letting go. She let the spirit give aid (the subject of another motet), and the results were glorious elation. You really cant go wrong with Bach.

mark.swed@latimes.com

MORE:

An L.A. Phil reminder that but a mile, and fate, separate Disney Hall from skid row

A musical saint and her discontents at the Monday Evening Concerts

ABTs Nutcracker, a new classic worth watching over and over (and over)
The explosion at the Baumgarten gas hub in Austria will not affect gas supplies to Ukrainian consumers, the press office of Naftogaz Ukrainy has told Interfax-Ukraine, quoting company head Andriy Kobolev.

"This year we have pumped significant volumes into Ukrainian gas storage facilities, 15% more than last year. Even in the event of a temporary halt or restriction in gas supplies from Europe, we are able to withdraw more gas from underground storage for Ukrainian consumers," Naftogaz said.

Reports have said transit of Russian gas via Ukraine to Europe along the Uzhgorod corridor could fall by a third on Tuesday due to the explosion at the gas hub in Baumgarten.
As the Thomas fire raged across Ventura County, neighboring Santa Barbara County took to its English language social media accounts targeting its Latino audience to keep them informed on el incendio.

Over the last year, through disaster and crisis, the official county accounts have morphed into a mix of Spanish and English Facebook posts and tweets, said Gina DePinto, the countys communications manager.

Were really moving toward an effort to support our Spanish-speaking audience with information countywide, DePinto said. They should be able to go to a place where they can learn about everything else that we do in English. All the public notices, public information, public health information, what is going on in our county.

When the crisis is over, however, the accounts typically go back to pretty much English only, DePinto said. Next year, the county plans to launch Spanish-language Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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Until we have those Spanish-only channels, during emergencies especially, its critical that we get the information out, DePinto said. Were doing the best we can I guess, until we have Spanish only. For me the question is, why wouldnt we?

The Thomas fire has burned 234,200 acres and is 20% contained as of Tuesday morning. Over the weekend, the fire pushed into Santa Barbara County and destroyed homes.

Since the fire began, social media users in the county have been kept up to speed on evacuation areas, distribution sites for N95 masks, unhealthy air quality in the county and community meetings, in both English and Spanish.

An estimated 45% of the population in Santa Barbara County is Latino, according to census data.

#thomasfire Flareups E of #Santabarbara dont currently pose a threat & is feeding on fuels w/in fire perimeter. Expect similar conditions thru night. @ night fire appears closer than it is. Firefighters remain in place providing structure defense in the affected area. #montecito  Santa Barbara County (@countyofsb) December 12, 2017

#ThomasFire Brotes al este de #SantaBarbara actualmente no representan una amenaza. Espere condiciones similares toda la noche. El incendio parece mas cercano de lo que es. Los bomberos permanecen en su lugar proporcionando defensa estructural en el area afectada.  Santa Barbara County (@countyofsb) December 12, 2017

When winter storms caused flash flooding and mudslides, information was also shared in Spanish, DePinto said. Social media posts in Spanish came again in July during the Alamo fire, which made its way into northern Santa Barbara County.

In an area near Santa Maria and Tepusquet Canyon, which is heavy Hispanic and agriculture, DePinto said. So we used it then.

DePinto said initially she worried that the Spanish-speaking audience wouldnt know to check the accounts.

But its happening, its working, DePinto said.

Users have been retweeting tweets and dozens have shared the Spanish-language Facebook posts.

Gracias por la informacion en espanol #ThomasFire, one user tweeted, thanking the county for the information in Spanish.

One user commented on Facebook: Great job! Thanks so much, I have been sharing both, English and Spanish.

DePinto said there have only been a couple of English speakers who have questioned the use of Spanish. But once they explain the plan to start Spanish-only channels in 2018, users have been understanding, she added.

The countys Twitter account has just over 8,200 followers, and its Facebook account has just over 4,300 likes.

On the main page of the county website, a link to Thomas fire information and updates has also been posted in both English and Spanish.

Ventura County has not appeared to share much on social media, but what they have shared has been in English only.

While Los Angeles County did not send out tweets in Spanish about the Creek fire that began last week, Mayor Eric Garcetti made sure to get out the message to the Spanish-speaking community.

Ill also say words in Spanish for our Spanish media as well, Garcetti said at his first press conference on the fire.

For more California news, follow @brittny_mejia
Ed Lee became mayor as San Francisco emerged from the Great Recession into a boom phase rivaling the Gold Rush that first put the city on the map.

Both supporting and containing the excesses of the tech explosion became a central theme of his seven years as mayor. Lee was an unabashed supporter of bringing jobs and tech companies to San Francisco, which he called the Innovation Capital of the World. He oversaw years of dramatic growth that transformed the citys skyline while also sending real estate values to stratospheric levels.

He also tried  and some say with little success  to tame the boom: higher rents have pushed San Francisco into a housing affordability crisis.

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Lee, 65, died early Tuesday, hours after he collapsed while shopping at a supermarket near his home. The issues that he grappled with remain largely unsolved. And as San Francisco residents grieved the sudden loss of Lee, they were faced with the question of how economic forces in the city would change without him at City Hall.

Lee was able to navigate the political waters in part because he rose to power as a community activist and attorney who fought against unlawful evictions.

Constantly talking about jobs, jobs, jobs, Lee championed what became known as the Twitter tax break, a cut in the citys payroll tax that persuaded tech companies to make home a seedy stretch of Market Street or stay there. By the time of Lees death, San Franciscos new tallest building, Salesforce Tower, which replaced a malodorous bus terminal, symbolized the citys turn in fortunes.

Yet the success in a turbocharged economy led him to focus on housing, housing, housing in his second term. Middle- and working-class tenants have departed San Francisco as property values have risen and as developers have sought to convert rent-controlled apartments into condominiums for the wealthy.

In 2014, Lee unveiled a plan to build or rehabilitate 30,000 housing units by 2020. Just in September, Lee said that more than 17,000 units have been brought online, and of those, 35% are permanently affordable.

There have been disagreements about the mayors approach. He successfully campaigned against tenants rights groups efforts to impose tighter restrictions on short-term housing rental services such as Airbnb. While crediting Lee for working to renovate public housing, Supervisor Aaron Peskin added that the mayor was sometimes more focused on adding market-rate housing instead being laser-focused on affordable housing.

San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides. And its all about land, and you dont have that many land opportunities in San Francisco. So if they all become multimillion-dollar condos, it means, by definition, youre pushing working-class people and poor people out, Peskin said. And he was less enamored of those arguments than one wouldve thought he might be, as a civil rights and housing activist back in the day.

That said, even some of his vocal critics on housing policies said his background as a tenants rights advocate sometimes made him a key ally, such as in efforts to reform or repeal the Ellis Act, the state law that allows owners to evict tenants in rent-controlled units to redevelop the property into condos.

Edwin M. Lee was born on May 5, 1952, and was the son of immigrants.

Lee grew up in a Seattle public housing complex before his father, a cook, and his mother, a garment worker, built a modest home. As a youth helping with deliveries from the family restaurant, he had listened to hostile customers berate his dad with racial slurs.

It was an awakening, Lee told The Times in 2015.  Why do we as people take this? 

After attending Bowdoin College in Maine on a scholarship, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated from the Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley and as a young lawyer, joined the San Francisco Asian Law Caucus. In 1978, he helped organize a rent strike by residents in Chinatowns decrepit Ping Yuen public housing project after a young woman was raped and killed there.

He fought against discrimination, working on the front lines to keep tenants from being evicted, said London Breed, acting mayor and San Francisco supervisor. He was, from the dawn of his career, an advocate for the powerless, a voice for the overlooked.

Lee also was active in supporting garment workers and raising awareness of the slaying of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man whose fatal beating in Detroit by two white unemployed auto workers helped galvanize Asian Americans to fight for civil rights.

In 1988, then-Mayor Art Agnos hired Lee to run a whistleblower program, followed by a stint heading the Human Rights Commission, where he pressed for fair hiring practices for women and minorities. Later, he became public works director and city administrator.

When then-Mayor Gavin Newsom was elected lieutenant governor in 2010, Newsom sought out Lee to replace him as an interim mayor appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Lee resisted.

By then, Lee had gained a reputation as an affable, humble, low-key bureaucrat, known for his chunky mustache and corny jokes. As city administrator, he somehow sidestepped the citys pitched battles between moderate liberals and more left-leaning progressives.

He did not always deliver a soundbite, or carry the room with unspoken charisma. Flash never mattered to him, Breed said.

He said he would serve as interim mayor for only one year, until Newsoms term expired. But later in 2011, he changed his mind and decided to seek a full term. Among those who pushed him to do so were former Mayor Willie Brown, the late Chinatown power broker Rose Pak, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who was said to have persuaded him that San Francisco needed him.

Lee managed to overcome other hurdles in San Francisco. He managed to craft a sweeping law to retrofit about 5,000 earthquake-vulnerable wood-frame apartment buildings in the city, a policy goal that eluded his predecessor.

Lee leaves a legacy as the first Chinese American mayor of San Francisco, home to the oldest Chinatown in the United States. San Francisco was once the center of anti-Chinese sentiment, fostering anti-Chinese riots and attacks on Chinese-owned businesses.

Lees election was a milestone for San Franciscos influential Chinese American population, many of whose ancestors came from China to San Francisco during the Gold Rush era but faced decades of ugly discrimination by both other residents and the government.

This is where the Chinese Exclusion Act emanated  the Bay Area, it came out of San Francisco, Newsom said. To right that wrong, in such a substantive and symbolic way, to have him ascend to this position and to handle himself with such grace and devotion  what an extraordinary thing for the Chinese community to have someone like Ed Lee to break that barrier.

Lee collapsed while shopping with his wife at his local Safeway supermarket Monday night, KTVU-TV reported, quoting an employee at the store who said it was not an unusual time for Lee to be there. The station said the mayor was smiling before he collapsed.

He arrived by ambulance at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center shortly after 10 p.m., said Dr. Susan Ehrlich, the chief executive of the medical center. He was pronounced dead at 1:11 a.m.

There was a deep sadness. I cant even explain, said Rev. Norman Fong, the executive director of the Chinatown Community Development Center, who left a prayer at Lees hospital bed shortly after his death.

Were losing a hero. A Chinatown hero, Fong said.

Lee is survived by his wife, Anita, and his two daughters, Brianna and Tania.

Absolutely heartbroken by Mayor Lee's passing. SF has lost a selfless leader and dedicated public servant whose intellect, integrity, boundless optimism & contagious love elevated our City. Jen and I mourn the loss of a dear friend. Our prayers are with Anita, Brianna and Tania. pic.twitter.com/sNagX55s7F  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 12, 2017

ron.lin@latimes.com

Twitter: @ronlin

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UPDATES:

12:50 a.m., Dec. 13, 2017: This article was updated with Lees date of birth.

8:35 p.m., Dec. 12, 2017: This article has been updated with quotes from Gavin Newsom, Aaron Peskin, London Breed and Norman Fong.

2:20 p.m.: This article was updated with information on how Lee was shopping with his wife at a local Safeway when he collapsed, and details about life-saving efforts at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

12:55 p.m.: This article was updated with information on when a special election will be held to fill the remainder of Lees unexpired term.

9:10 a.m.: This article was updated with context on Lees time as city administrator and the circumstances of his appointment and subsequent election as mayor.

8:15 a.m.: This article was updated with information on the acting mayor, London Breed, and details on Lees first appointment and subsequent election as mayor in 2011.

7:55 a.m.: This article was updated with additional reaction and details of Lees political career.

4:35 a.m.: This article was updated with additional background information.

4:09 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

This article was originally published at 3:50 a.m.
An antiwar sermon at All Saints Church in Pasadena two days before the 2004 presidential election triggered an Internal Revenue Service investigation that threatened the churchs tax-exempt status.

But that hasnt stopped All Saints from taking on contentious issues, as it did on a recent Sunday when the Rev. Mike Kinman preached about sexual assault against women. He also spoke of another hot-button issue: the Republican tax plans.

Tucked within the House version of the tax bill  which still must be reconciled with the separate Senate version  is a proposal that likely would have kept the feds away from All Saints 13 years ago.

The House version significantly weakens the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 law that bars tax-exempt organizations from engaging in political activity. The provision would give churches and other nonprofits much more leeway to endorse candidates.

Whether the provision remains in the tax bill could be known as early as Wednesday, when Republican leaders are expected to unveil a new version that would reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions.

Even if the proposal is removed, other efforts to roll back the Johnson Amendment are underway in Congress.

Despite his churchs history with the IRS, Kinman said the Johnson Amendment should remain.

It is absolutely not my role to tell someone, You should vote for this person as a faith issue, he said. As soon as you identify with one candidate as the church, it is too tempting  frankly, the scriptural term for it is idolatry  to say, Were going to be partisan for this person. And then how do you speak truth to that person?

Nixing the Johnson Amendment is seen as a nod to President Trumps base. Evangelical Christian groups have argued the amendment is an unconstitutional violation of a pastors right to free speech.

We hear from hundreds of pastors across the country fearful of jeopardizing their churches IRS status, said Christiana Holcomb, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian advocacy group that has been at the forefront of trying to overturn it.

But in California  among the nations most religiously diverse states  there is little desire from religious leaders to revoke the amendment.

Many of the states congregations are traditionally conservative, and others are very liberal. Others, like the Catholic church, hew to conservative positions on issues like abortion but strongly support the rights of immigrants in the country illegally.

It is absolutely not my role to tell someone, 'You should vote for this person' as a a faith issue.  Rev. Mike Kinman, All Saints Pasadena

Trumps base is small in California, even among Christians, said Tommy Givens, an assistant professor of New Testament studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.

I expect that a repeal [of the Johnson Amendment] would be greeted broadly in California with widespread concern about the erosion of institutional separation between church and state, Givens said.

Polls show that Catholic voters in 2016 were split between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and Catholics come down on both sides of most issues today, said Father Thomas Rausch, professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University.

Bishops are very reluctant in telling Catholics how to vote, he said. At the same time, that doesnt mean the church doesnt have a political voice, because they certainly can preach about moral and social issues. Theyve been very outspoken on the new tax bill and the need for immigration reform.

"It is absolutely not my role to tell someone, You should vote for this person as a faith issue, said the Rev. Mike Kinman of All Saints Church in Pasadena (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

The Rev. Mark Whitlock, executive director of the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, believes the anti-politicking rule should be repealed because, in churches, theres always been the undercurrent of who we want in office.

Whitlock  who has served as pastor of Christ Our Redeemer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Irvine for two decades  said black churches have long supported candidates they believe will help the disenfranchised.

During the 2008 election, Whitlock said, he stood before his 3,500-member congregation and said, I support Barack Obama.

Most of the crowd cheered. A group of Clinton supporters walked out, furious. Whitlock got calls from Republican members of his congregation and from others worried the church would lose its 501(c)(3) status.

You would have thought I committed a cardinal sin, Whitlock said. I tend not to hold back and take the risk of finding myself in trouble. I am cognizant of the fact theres a law and I have a responsibility as a pastor to be creative. But why not have the opportunity to speak freely?

Trump has vowed to totally destroy the Johnson Amendment since he was on the campaign trail. Changing the law would require an act of Congress.

Doing so is deeply unpopular with the American public.

A recent survey by the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland found that 79% of voters oppose scrapping the Johnson Amendment. The results, released last month, show 71% of Republicans, 88% of Democrats and 78% of independents were against doing so.

People are just so tired of the level of partisan polarization, and the idea that it would creep into yet one more area of their life doesnt sound very appealing, said Steven Kull, director of the Program for Public Consultation.

Bishop Guy Erwin, far right, say a prayer in 2015 with the Los Angeles Council of religious leaders as they hold an interfaith prayer service to honor the memory of those who died during the Watts riots. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

The anti-politicking rule has not been widely enforced. Since 2008, thousands of pastors have participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday, a nationwide, coordinated preaching effort promoted by the Alliance Defending Freedom in which they challenge the ban by getting political in sermons and sending recordings to the IRS. Only one participating church has been investigated, Holcomb said.

Givens, of Fuller Seminary, compared the push to get rid of the Johnson Amendment to the so-called war on Christmas. He said its a superficial move that plays well with conservative Christians who believe their faith is under attack.

Theres a very powerful narrative in conservative Christian parts of the country of losing power, of losing the society that they want, that they think God wants, he said. So I think the Johnson Amendment, like saying merry Christmas, enables the Trump administration and the Republican party to deliver to that sense of nostalgia and sense of loss.

Even now, Givens said, plenty of politicking happens in churches. There are certain issues  like abortion on the right and LGBTQ rights on the left  that congregations take stands on that are linked with certain candidates, Givens said.

There are all sorts of dog whistles that are blown, he said.

Bishop Guy Erwin of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said he fears a repeal of the amendment would result in politicians chasing religious leaders for endorsements.

The job of clergy is to teach the faith, he said. It is not to be power brokers who try to line up the vote for an individual candidate.

Erwin said the church is bound by Christian duty to stand against racism, anti-immigrant prejudice and mistreatment of the poor.

There are all sorts of dog whistles that are blown.  Tommy Givens, assistant professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena

But even that can seem to have political overtones these days, he said. Just after the 2016 election, Erwin said, a Lutheran bishop in Texas said a congregant complained that a sermon on the Beatitudes  Blessed are the poor in spirit...Blessed are the meek  was being preached to make Trump sound bad.

At All Saints Church, activism dates back to the 1940s, when the churchs rector stood in front of trains to protest the internment of Japanese Americans.

The 2004 sermon that prompted the IRS investigation  which did not include an endorsement  included an imagined dialogue between Jesus, Sen. John F. Kerry and President George W. Bush. Jesus chided both for supporting the war in Iraq and speaking so little about the poor.

In 2007, the IRS said it thought the church had tried to influence votes but that officials would not revoke its tax exemption.

Outside the church on a recent Sunday were tables touting the churchs LGBTQ, Middle East and racial justice ministries. An action table each week details a cause and includes forms for writing to elected officials.

Elizabeth Tatum, 52, chatted with church-goers at an action table focusing on the plight of Palestinian children. Tatum, who has attended the church since she was 2 and was present for the controversial 2004 sermon, loves its activist spirit.

But she, too, favors the Johnson Amendment.

You have to have a respect for people with different views, she said. People shouldnt just be sheep blindly following their pastor.

The Rev. Mark Whitlock, pastor of Christ Our Redeemer A.M.E. Church, prays at an Orange County Board Of Supervisors meeting in June. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson
Thousands of Angelenos whose movements, clothing and even relationships were tightly restricted under gang injunctions were released from those court orders this year, marking a dramatic reduction in the use of a crime fighting tool once hailed as an innovative answer to the citys violent street gangs.

The purge of names comes amid growing debate about whether the injunctions still make sense in an era of declining crime and gang activity.

Officials took the actions after a joint audit of the gang injunction rolls was conducted by the Los Angeles city attorneys office and Los Angeles police in 2016.

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These individuals, while once active gang members, no longer pose a threat to the community. Many have steered away from gang life, having grown older and more responsible  while others have left the neighborhood and no longer frequent the limited geographical area that the relevant injunction covers, city attorney spokesman Rob Wilcox said. Still others are in prison, while some have passed away.

The city attorney sent 7,300 letters in 2017 informing people they were no longer subject to gang injunctions, which are civil court orders that can restrict someone from associating with friends, or even family members, in neighborhoods considered to be havens for certain street gangs. Violating the orders can result in arrest.

Since 2000, the city has enforced injunctions against 79 separate gang sets, encompassing roughly 8,900 people, Wilcox said. Now, 82% of those people have been freed from the orders.

The massive cut to the injunction rolls came as civil rights groups and gang reform activists were pushing back against the court orders as unfair and outdated.

Peter Arellano, 22, of Echo Park, was one of thousands freed this year from a court order that restricted aspects of his life. He denies being part of a gang. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times )

In a lawsuit filed last year, the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the citys enforcement of injunctions is unconstitutional. Authorities normally seek an injunction against a gang, rather than an individual, meaning someone can become subject to one of the court orders without being given a chance to disprove his or her alleged gang affiliation in court. Decisions about whom to serve with an injunction are made independently by LAPD investigators and prosecutors.

Critics have long complained that the injunctions are overly broad, claiming that thousands of people were unfairly swept up simply because they knew, or were related to, a gang member. Some also contend the injunctions disproportionately target African Americans and Latinos. Many of those included in the orders have never been convicted of a crime.

Echo Park resident Peter Arellano was named in an injunction in 2015 and had to carefully plan his social life, or risk arrest.

Arellano, 22, denies he has ever been affiliated with a gang. Prior to being served with the injunction, he was arrested twice in incidents that didnt result in charges and pleaded no contest to a vandalism charge. Arellano says he has long been a target of the LAPD because his father was once a member of a neighborhood gang faction.

He was prohibited from associating in public with his father and two of his childhood friends. He couldnt wear a Los Angeles Dodgers jersey, despite living less than a mile from Dodger Stadium, because the teams gear was considered gang paraphernalia under the injunction.

I didnt feel that they could do that to me, or that they could do that to anybody, Arellano said.

The injunctions were born of a time when Bloods, Crips and other nationally known gang factions held sway in Los Angeles and other major cities in the late 1980s and 90s. Law enforcement experts believe the injunctions are integral to neutering a gangs ability to control a neighborhood through intimidation by limiting members from congregating in public and deterring teenagers who might be targeted for recruitment.

The court orders have helped reduce crime in the city, said Steve Gordon, a director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file LAPD officers.

We just dont want them to forget how gang injunctions have been a proven law enforcement tool to help break up gang activity in our neighborhood, said Gordon, a former gang investigator in South L.A. Its something that we need. Its something that has helped us tremendously.

Gordon said he also believes a more focused list of gang members could help the LAPD fight crime more efficiently.

A 2016 audit of the CalGang database found the LAPD to be one of several agencies that had inaccurately placed non-gang members in the catalog.

We can more effectively fight gangs when the list is accurate, Gordon said.

Peter Bibring, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU, said the unprecedented number of removals indicates how little thought the city and LAPD put into deciding who should be subject to an injunction.

It shows how bad the process has been in deciding who to put on the injunctions and how many people were swept up who never should have been on injunctions, he said. These are 7,300 people who have been subjected to indefinite, parole-like restrictions based on the untested decisions of police officers and city attorneys.

Arellano, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, was granted temporary relief from his injunction this year when a judge ruled that the city likely violated his due process rights by obtaining an injunction against him without proving in court that he was a gang member.

Bibring previously said the courts decision likely meant thousands of other people in Arellanos position could successfully have their injunctions overturned.

Wilcox declined to comment on the pending litigation, but said the city and the LAPD began their audit prior to the ACLU filing suit. City officials said the review came about because few people were requesting to be lifted from the injunctions. But critics said that the process is stacked against those who have been labeled gang members.

Authorities rely on several criteria, including employment status, that have nothing to do with gang membership in order to determine whether a person should be removed from an injunction, the ACLU has said.

Still, in court filings, the city attorneys office and the LAPD said they will modify the program to conform to some of the ACLUs criticisms.

Those targeted for an injunction will now have 30 days to challenge the citys determination of their gang status in court before the order becomes enforceable, Wilcox said. Individuals served with injunctions will also be removed from the court orders after five years, unless evidence surfaces that the person is actively engaged in gang or criminal activity, according to Wilcox.

The injunctions can also make life difficult for former gang members trying to turn their lives around, said Kim McGill, executive director of the Youth Justice Coalition, which is a plaintiff in the ACLUs lawsuit.

She recounted the story of a former gang member who was subject to an injunction aimed at gangs operating in the Jordan Downs housing projects in Watts. The man, McGill said, had abandoned gang life and was working at a Toyota dealership in the area. He was not accused of any new criminal activity, but wound up in handcuffs twice due to the injunction.

When you tell an employer more than once that youre being arrested, especially for people who dont know what injunctions are, they are suspicious, she said. He eventually lost what was a living-wage job.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.

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Many homes in the moneyed hills of Montecito and other communities along the southern Santa Barbara County coast are lined with lush ornamental vegetation intended to increase privacy for those living in the homes.

But this type of lush landscaping is also posing a fire risk as the massive Thomas fire swept into the area this week.

Firefighters have so far been able to keep the flames out of the major population centers along the coast. But the conditions on the ground  heavy vegetation, narrow winding roads, steep terrain and homes in close proximity to each other  create a dangerous situation.

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There is a huge risk right now. We have live fire, and a lot of fire, on that front country, said Santa Barbara City Fire Department spokeswoman Amber Anderson. The potential for it to push down into urbanized areas is huge.

Towering eucalyptus trees, whose sap and bark are highly flammable, can be found in the area, Anderson said.

Juniper trees, California pepper trees, and pine trees are also common in the Montecito area. All are flammable.

1 / 73 John Bain and Brandon Baker try to stop a fire from burning a strangers home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 73 A brush fire moving with the wind sends embers all over residential neighborhoods north of Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 73 A family packs up and evacuates as a brush fire gets closer to their home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 73 John Bain and his friends, all from Camarillo, came to help as brush fires move quickly through residential neighborhoods in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 73 Strangers band together to help put out a palm tree on fire and stop it from burning homes. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 73 The Hawaiian Gardens apartments burn in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 7 / 73 Residents help with the fire attack on Buena Vista Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 8 / 73 Residents watch the Thomas fire on Prospect Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 9 / 73 Firefighters are deployed to battle the fire in a Ventura neighborhood. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 73 A chimney is all that stands of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 73 Remnants of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 73 A home burns on a hillside overlooking Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 73 Palms are consumed in the Thomas fire. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 14 / 73 Emma Jacobson, 19, center, gets a hug from a neighbor after her family home was destroyed by fire in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 73 Olivia Jacobson, 16, wipes tears as she looks at her familys home, destroyed by the brush fire on Island View Drive in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 73 Aerial view of the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 73 Noah Alarcon carries a cage with the family cat while evacuating from Casitas Springs. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 18 / 73 Smoke from the Thomas fire crosses over Lake Casitas near Ojai. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 19 / 73 A Ventura County firefighter battles a blaze on Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 73 Ventura County Firefighter Aaron Cohen catches his breath after fighting to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 73 Aerial view of homes burned to the ground in the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) 22 / 73 A home between Via Baja and Foothill Road burns in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 73 Amanda Leon and husband Johnny Leon watch as firefighters fight to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 73 Chino Valley firefighters fight to save a home along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 73 Embers continue to burn at sunset Tuesday in a home on Ridgecrest Court at Scenic Way in the Clearpoint neighborhood of Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles TImes) 26 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 73 Firefighters try to protect homes from the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 73 Edward Aguilar runs through the flames of the Thomas Fire to save his cats at his mobile home along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs in Ventura County. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 73 Jeff Lipscomb, left, Gabriel Lipscomb, 17, center, and Rachel Lipscomb, 11, look for items to recover from their burned home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 73 A traffic collision temporarily clogged lanes on the northbound 101 Freeway between Solimar and Faria Beaches as the Thomas fire burned in the hills. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 73 The Thomas fire burns towards the 101 Freeway and homes between Solimar and Faria Beaches. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 73 Fire personnel keep an eye on the Thomas fire on Toland Road near Santa Paula. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 34 / 73 A train on the Rincon coast passes a burning hillside from the Thomas fire. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 35 / 73 The Thomas fire burns along the 101 Freeway north of Ventura on Wednesday evening. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire in the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 73 A resident cries as the Thomas fire approaches the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 73 Burned palm trees are left standing between the 101 Freeway and Faria Beach as the Thomas fire reaches the Pacific Ocean. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 73 Firefighters battle Thursday to protect the resort city of Ojai from encroaching flames. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 73 Casey Rodriquez helps a friend move belongings after the Thomas Fire destroyed most of an apartment building on North Kalarama in Ventura. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 73 A burnt-out bus near Maripoca Highway. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 73 The Thomas fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 73 A huge plume of smoke rises north of Ventura as seen Sunday afternoon from the Ventura pier, as the Thomas fire threatens parts of Carpenteria and Montecito. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 73 The Thomas Fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai, Calif. on Friday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 73 Residents react as they watch the Thomas Fire burn in the hills above La Conchita at 5 am Thursday moning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 73 Mary McEwen and husband Dan Bellaart prepare to evacuate their home on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito as the Thomas fire burns. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 73 Carpenteria resident Chris Gayner, right, photographs a plane in the hills of Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 73 From left, residents Michael Desjardins, his neighbor Patty Rodriguez, daughter Mikayla, wife Veronica, mother in law Amanda Buzin, and son Mikey keep an eye on the Thomas fire in Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 73 Mary McEwen cheers as she sees fire crews make their way up a hill past her home on Toro Canyon Rd. in Montecito. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 73 Dan Bellaart and wife Mary McEwen comfort each other in the backyard of their home that includes an avocado ranch on 9 acres of land on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito, as the Thomas fire burns in the background. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 73 Carpinteria resident Jay Molnar, 55, mouth and nose protected against the smoke, views flames glowing in the hills above the city on Dec. 11, 2017. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 73 Sacramento firefighters battle a blaze in Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 73 Josh Acosta, superintendent with Fulton Hotshots looks for ways to fight fire consuming a structure threatening two homes high up Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 73 A motorcade passes on tHighway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, who died Thursday morning while battling the Thomas Fire. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 73 Santa Paula City officials, Police and Firefighters salute from a bridge as a motorcade passes on the Santa Paula Freeway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 73 Forest Service crews cut and clear dense brush for contingency lines off of East Camino Cielo in the Santa Ynez Mountains above Montecito and Santa Barbara to help stop the Thomas fire from advancing. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 73 A hotshot crew from Ojai marches towards their assignment to protect structures on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 73 Firefighters monitor the flames Saturday from a staging area near Parma Park in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 73 Flames slowly make their way down a valley behind a home in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 73 Flames whip around power lines as they move through Sycamore Canyon on Saturday, threatening structures in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 73 Smoke billows over Santa Barbara as the Thomas Fire continues to threaten the area on Saturday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 73 Bill Shubin, deputy fire chief of the Santa Rosa Fire Department checks on flames burning near homes north of East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 73 A fire truck pulls responds to fires burning near homes on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 64 / 73 Brian Good, from US Forest Service, leans forward against the wind, and holds up a Kestrel to measure wind speeds up to 50 mph on Gibraltar Road in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 73 A plume of smoke moves south as winds as high as 50 mph blow down Gibraltar Road on the west fork of Cold Spring Trail in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 73 Flames and a big plume of smoke threaten homes on Gibraltar Road near Gibraltar Rock, outside Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 73 The sun rises as fire crews prepare for another day of fighting the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 73 An aircraft makes a water drop over a hot spot up in the mountain range at Gibraltar Rock near Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 73 Humboldt County firefighters Bobby Gray, left, hoses down smoldering flames inside a destroyed home, as Kellee Stoehr, right looks on, after the Thomas Fire burned in Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 73 A home on Park Hill Lane was destroyed by the Thomas fire in Montecito, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 71 / 73 Humboldt County firefighters Lonnie Risling, left, and Jimmy McHaffie, right, spray down smoldering fire underneath the rubble of a home that was destroyed by the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 73 Fire crews help the Behrman family retrieve their familys personal belongings out of their burned home, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 73 In the foreground of the ridges that were burned by the Thomas Fire, Rusty Smith stands outside his home that survived the flames that were kicked up by Saturdays wind event and threatened his home in Flores Flats on Gibraltar Road, near Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Tall and narrow Italian cypress trees are popular in the area, too, because they can offer privacy. Anderson said wooden fences are not popular in Santa Barbara, as homeowners prefer natural vegetation.

That is putting flammable fuel that is ready and willing and wants to burn in between those structures, she said. It makes it very dangerous for firefighters to implant themselves into those neighborhoods to do structure protection.

Montecito has over the last few decades become a favorite spot of celebrities, making it one of the most affluent communities in America. Those who own homes there include Oprah Winfrey, Rob Lowe and Ellen DeGeneres.

The area is highly susceptible to wildfires, which occur every few years. A 2008 fire threatened the community and badly damaged the home of actor Christopher Lloyd, forcing the caretaker to flee for his life.

The city of Santa Barbara bans certain types of vegetation, including cypress, eucalyptus, juniper and pine, from high fire hazard areas. Montecito, which is in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, does not have such restrictions.

The Montecito Fire Protection Districts wildfire protection plan notes that Montecitos age and semirural character pose other problems for firefighters: Some addresses are not clearly visible from the road; street signs are not lighted; tight spaces make turning around difficult for a large convoy of firetrucks.

The 2016 city plan notes that while Montecito is an idyllic and highly desirable place to live and visit, the residents often overlook the fact that the area is highly prone to large wildfires.

The combination of hot and dry Mediterranean climate, highly ignitable vegetation, numerous fire ignitions and human development create significant potential for a major disaster, the plan says.

In 2008, embers from an abandoned bonfire above Montecito were pushed downhill by swift sundowner winds. The conflagration, known as the Tea fire, destroyed 210 homes in Santa Barbara and Montecito.

We dont want the fire anywhere close to Montecito, said Andrew Madsen, a Los Padres National Forest public affairs officer.

The massive value of the homes in the area is not lost on firefighters.

I dont know where you would find more value at risk, Madsen said.

javier.panzar@latimes.com

Twitter: @jpanzar

UPDATES:

6:25 p.m.: This post was updated with background and information about Montecito.

This article was originally published at 2:40 p.m.
Accusations of sexual harassment have roiled the country from Hollywood to Capitol Hill in recent months, toppling politicians, celebrities and other famous figures.

Now they have spurred alarm among Griffith Park community activists, who argue that a Los Angeles city investigation over alleged misconduct has unfairly tarred a local volunteer.

Last week, the Department of Recreation and Parks informed Chris Laib, who sits on volunteer boards that advise the city about Griffith Park and the Greek Theatre, that its investigation found he had engaged in inappropriate behavior toward a city staffer during a community event.

The letter, first reported by the Los Feliz Ledger, did not detail what had happened, but said that the parks department had received complaints from third parties about the incident. Laib said he was informed that the allegations involved hitting a female staffer with a plate on her backside.

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Laib said the staffer had jokingly tried to cut ahead of him in line for breakfast at the event. He said he motioned her away with his plastic plate before they hugged.

I may have tapped her on the hip, not the rear end, he said. We hugged again before we left.

How could that be construed as sexual harassment? Laib asked.

Both the staffer and a member of the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners, who was identified by others as having witnessed the incident, declined to comment Monday.

The parks department spoke to relevant witnesses, including Laib, and reviewed a video as part of its investigation, according to the letter. The letter said his behavior violated a code of conduct that requires park advisory board members to act in a professional manner at all times and treat staff and the public with respect.

It is unclear what action might be taken. Laib, who was appointed to the Greek Theatre Advisory Committee earlier this year by Mayor Eric Garcetti, has not been removed from that or the Griffith Park Advisory Board, according to city officials. In its letter, the parks department stated that the findings would be referred to executive management for their review.

The Department of Recreation and Parks investigated the complaint filed against him, and that investigation has been completed, Garcetti spokesman Alex Comisar said in an email. We have notified the people involved of the findings, and are working with them to determine the best path forward for everyone.

Before the investigation was finished, Laib initially turned in a written letter of resignation from the Greek Theatre Advisory Committee, then decided soon afterward to rescind his resignation.

Laib said he made a reflexive decision to resign after being contacted about the allegation from a senior aide to City Councilman David Ryu. He said he then changed his mind after hearing secondhand that the head of the parks department, Michael Shull, also wanted him off the board of Friends of the Observatory, a nonprofit that supports the city attraction in Griffith Park.

This was used as an opportunity to get rid of me, Laib said, citing his outspoken stands on park issues, including challenging an early proposal to hold Olympic biking events in Griffith Park and opposing the initial selection of Live Nation to run the Greek Theatre three years ago.

Parks department spokeswoman Rose Watson denied that Shull had sought to get Laib removed from Friends of the Observatory, which is not run by the city, and said that the issue at hand is strictly to do with the complaint  and thats it.

Three leading members of the Griffith Park Advisory Board, which provides community input on the operation of Griffith Park, have resigned in protest. In a letter, vice chair Don Seligman called the investigation a reckless and vindictive campaign by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

I have witnessed the besmirching of a stellar reputation of a dear friend  without any due process or formal hearing, Seligman wrote in an email to other board members and city staff, announcing his resignation.

Susan Swan, who had been chair of the group, wrote that she was alternately appalled and horrified. And Kris Sullivan, who was its secretary, called it underhanded treatment.

As they announced they were stepping down, Swan and Sullivan also complained that their concerns about protecting the park from commercialization and misuse were not being properly addressed.

We have been chastened when we speak up and encouraged to be noncontroversial and not to be a watchdog, Sullivan wrote.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlpertReyes
The Los Angeles Police Department said it is investigating allegations that director Roman Polanski in 1975 molested a child when she was 10, even though the case cannot be prosecuted because the statute of limitations has expired.

Josh Rubenstein, the LAPD communications director, said the department is committed to investigating such claims because even if charges cannot be brought, the evidence could aid in the prosecution of other cases.

Over the years, at least six women have accused Polanski of sexually abusing them, with most of them saying the abuse happened when they were minors. Despite the Paris-based directors status as a fugitive and repeated efforts to get him back by prosecutors, he remains active in the film industry and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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The latest LAPD report involves Marianne Barnard, an artist who has accused the director of molesting her during a 1975 photo shot at Will Rogers State Beach after he had her pose naked with a fur coat. Barnard reported the allegation to police in October.

She has also started an online petition to kick Polanski out of the film academy. She said she was emboldened to go public following the allegations against Harvey Weinstein and by the dozens of women who came forward with tales of abuse at the hands of the movie mogul.

Polanski, 84, has denied Bernards accusations and through his representative said he has no knowledge of her.

Because of the statute of limitations in California, child sexual assault cases cannot be prosecuted on incidents that occurred before 1992.

Polanski, who won a directing Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist, remains a fugitive from justice after fleeing the U.S. in 1977 before sentencing in Los Angeles County Superior Court for having anal sex with a 13-year-old girl.

In the transcripts of grand jury testimony in that case, Polanskis victim, Samantha Geimer, said the director had given her some Champagne and a Quaalude and told her to take off her blouse. The 13-year-old said she was afraid of Polanski and repeated informed him she had to go home. She testified that he kissed her and that she told him to stop and to keep away. He pulled off her panties, started to have intercourse with her, then switched to anal sex when she told him she was not on the pill, according to the testimony transcripts.

Polanski was indicted on charges of rape, sodomy and furnishing drugs to a minor. But the victims family asked the district attorneys office to spare her the trauma of testifying at trial. Polanski was offered a deal and pleaded guilty only to unlawful intercourse. He served 42 days in prison, where he underwent diagnostic testing. When he was released before formal sentencing, he fled.

His lawyers and supporters, who include Harvey Weinstein, have said he served his time and shouldnt be the subject of a fugitive warrant. Geimer has publicly supported Polanskis view that he has served his time. He paid her a civil settlement of $500,000 plus interest.

Polanski has managed to avoid U.S. extradition efforts from Switzerland and Poland in recent years.

But he has faced other allegations of sexual abuse. In 2010, Charlotte Lewis accused Polanski of forcing himself on her when she was 16 and auditioning for a role in his movie in 1983. Then in August, a woman identified only as Robin by attorney Gloria Allred told reporters that Polanski sexually victimized her in 1973 when she was 16. She said she was speaking out after so many years of silence because Geimers remarks infuriated her.

In October, Renate Langer, 61, a former German actress, told Swiss police that the Chinatown filmmaker raped her at his mountain chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, when she was 15. The model said she traveled there because the director indicated he was interested in casting her in a movie. Langer brought forth the allegation after Switzerland eliminated its statute of limitations in child sex abuse cases. She said she waited to report the February 1972 incident largely out of concern for her parents, who died recently.

Another actress last month alleged to a British newspaper that Polanski attempted to rape her in a New York hotel in 1970.

Polanski told the Hollywood Reporter earlier this year from a Zurich, Switzerland, film festival: I went to jail. I came back to the United States to do it, people forget about that, or dont even know. I then was locked up here after this festival [in 2009]. So in the sum, I did about four or five times more than what was promised to me.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimes

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He was welcomed to the State Department nearly 11 months ago with polite applause and hopeful anticipation from its diplomatic corps. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson faced the same employees, now demoralized by months of resignations and the Trump administrations tumultuous foreign policy.

For the most part, however, the diplomats who met with Tillerson in a rare town hall in Foggy Bottom were, well, diplomatic, and asked only the most gentle of questions.

Of most interest was Tillersons description of his controversial plan to redesign States bureaucracy. He has been excoriated in foreign policy circles and by both Republicans and Democrats in Congress for willingly accepting draconian budget cuts imposed by the White House, and for a reorganization plan that critics say lacks detail and could undermine American diplomacy.

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Tillerson pushed back on those criticisms Tuesday.

This is all about modernizing the department and making it easier to complete your mission, Tillerson told the assembled diplomats, civil servants and other employees.

Despite speaking for more than an hour about what he saw as the administrations foreign policy challenges and achievements, including North Koreas nuclear program and Russias interference in U.S. elections, it was the more meat-and-potatoes stuff of the departments structure and staffing that the audience cared most about.

The first and largest round of applause came when Tillerson announced he was partially reversing a hiring freeze that he had imposed. Although a broader freeze exists department-wide, he said he is lifting the employment restrictions on spouses or dependents of diplomats dispatched overseas.

For decades, some spouses and dependents, many of them well-qualified, have been hired to perform embassy duties. In reinstating the practice, Tillerson conceded: There is a talent pool we should be using, we should be mining more.

Tillerson has insisted that he has allowed some 2,400 exceptions to the broader hiring freeze, which many diplomats complain has crippled the U.S. mission abroad. But, he added, he does expect to reduce States overall workforce by 8%.

Tillerson said that while he does not plan to close embassies, he envisions a redistribution. London, Paris and Rome might be desirable posts, he said, but those cities might not be where the United States most needs diplomats.

Tillersons appearance at the town hall, along with a later speech at the nonpartisan Atlantic Council and upcoming interviews with congressional committees, are meant to address what his aides acknowledge has been a failure to communicate.

We have to do a better job of communicating broadly, to external and internal audiences, our achievements and vision of the U.S. global position in the world, said the deputy secretary for public diplomacy, Steve Goldstein. Tillerson, he added, is committed to that.

Officials said the foreign service employees needed to see firsthand that their work mattered to Tillerson. Many did not seem particularly impressed. Attendees occasionally applauded, and laughed when Tillerson, asked if he enjoyed his job, replied that hes learning to. Yet the audience remained fairly sober-faced throughout.

Tillerson again marked distance between himself and President Trump on policy, insisting that diplomacy with North Korea still has a chance and soundly criticizing the warfare Russia has waged against U.S. democracy. (Trump has said Tillersons efforts to push Pyongyang toward negotiations were a waste of time, and refuses to concede significant Russian interference in the 2016 election.)

Also in contrast to his boss, Tillerson was more circumspect about what U.S. foreign policy has achieved.

Do we have wins to put on the board? No, Tillerson said. That is not the way diplomacy works.

Still, he seemed determined to continue trying, a suggestion that he thinks he will remain employed as Americas top diplomat in 2018 despite persistent reports that the White House is planning to remove him.

Tillerson announced he will travel to Canada next week, and then to unnamed countries in South America and Africa early next year.

Between those trips, he said, he would head to his Texas ranch for the holidays, saddle up his horse, Blue, and survey the cattle.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter.
A former Florida Atlantic University professor who claimed he was fired in retaliation for blogging that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax lost his bid to get his job back.

Jurors in the federal free speech lawsuit filed by James Tracy took just three hours to reject his claim that the university terminated him for his conspiracy theory blog.

The university said he lost his tenured position because he repeatedly refused to obey reasonable requests from his bosses.

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Tracy, who also harassed the parents of a 6-year-old who was killed in the Sandy Hook shootings, alleged the university was illegally punishing him for his free speech. Thursday is the fifth anniversary of the Newtown, Conn., massacre.

The only question the jury had to answer: Was Tracys blogging a motivating factor in the universitys decision to fire him? To win, Tracy would have had to prove his case by a preponderance of the evidence  meaning it was more likely true than not true.

The eight jurors responded Monday with a unanimous no.

We just tried to stay away from the emotion of the case, and we focused on the evidence, not hearsay or opinions, the jury foreman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The trial, in federal court in West Palm Beach, began Nov. 29 and featured testimony from Tracy and several university officials.

Tracy, 52, a father of four from Boca Raton, Fla., was a communications professor for Florida Atlantic University from 2002 until January 2016. He received tenure in 2008.

The controversy began in late 2012 after Tracy posted conspiracy theories on his Memory Hole blog about whether the Sandy Hook mass shooting  which killed 20 children and six teachers  had really happened. Tracy hinted at a government conspiracy and later contributed a chapter and timeline to the book Nobody Died at Sandy Hook: It Was a FEMA Drill to Promote Gun Control.

The Sun Sentinel reported on Tracys blogging in January 2013, and the story was picked up by national and international media.

The publicity led to widespread criticism and distaste regarding Tracys methods and words, which included writing that the families of the victims  the parents of murdered elementary schoolchildren  were playing a role.

In the following years, Tracy also engaged in a feud with the parents of 6-year-old Noah Pozner, who was killed in the Sandy Hook attack.

University officials say they never censored Tracy or prevented him from expressing his conspiracy theorist opinions. They say he was fired after repeatedly and intentionally refusing to file mandatory disclosure forms that require all professors to reveal outside work and activities that could affect their work or the university.

Tracy said he had no comment after the verdict, but one of his attorneys called reporters presstitutes and yelled fake news at them as he left the courthouse.

Tracys team of attorneys said they plan to appeal U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenbergs pre-trial rulings. Tracys lawsuit sought his reinstatement as a tenured professor and unspecified damages.

G. Joseph Curley, one of the private attorneys who represented the university, said university officials were glad they got to set the record straight after years of controversy.

It always seemed like his priority was the blog  and thats what he was spending his time on, Curley said.

McMahon writes for the Sun-Sentinel.

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Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and the new chief of Homeland Security on Tuesday linked Mondays subway bombing in New York City to what they said were misguided immigration rules, calling for stepped up border security and an end to family reunification policies.

Sessions and Kirstjen M. Nielsen, who was sworn in six days ago to head the nations immigration enforcement agencies, appeared together in Baltimore to call for stricter visa rules and tighter controls on minors crossing the Southwest border, pressing the Trump administration theme that public safety is under siege because of unchecked migration.

The failed suicide bombing attack by Akayed Ullah, a legal immigrant from Bangladesh, showed the dangers of chain migration, said Sessions, who as a U.S. senator from Alabama fought for stricter controls on both legal and illegal immigration. He said Ullahs uncle won a visa lottery, providing a route to legal status for his sister and then Ullah.

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Sessions said chain migration is not a sustainable, commonsensical policy. Instead of giving priority to family members, he said, the U.S. should reserve most immigration slots for a merit system that would give preference to skills and the ability to speak English.

That means welcoming the best and the brightest and turning away the terrorists, gang members and criminals, Sessions said.

We should give priority to those who are likely to thrive here  such as those who speak English already and or are highly skilled  not someone chosen at random or who happens to be somebodys relative, he added.

Family reunification accounts for two-thirds of the people admitted legally to the U.S. each year. Most are the spouses, children or parents of U.S. citizens.

Sessions said the United States should follow Canada and Australia, which admit more people based on job skills than family ties.

In her first news conference as secretary of Homeland Security, Nielsen also focused on the threat of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. She said the violent gangs resurgence illustrates the need for tougher policies on unaccompanied minors and families from Central America. Those migrants are again flowing to the border, although the numbers are still far below the surge that provoked widespread concern in 2014.

Nielsen said about a dozen gang members and associates arrested in New York last year first came to the United States as unaccompanied minors. Three had special immigrant juvenile status, she said, a program that allows young people who have been victims of abuse or neglect to become legal residents.

In return for our generosity, these criminals took advantage of our system and became members of one of the worlds most violent street gangs, said Nielsen, who served as a top deputy for former Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly before he became White House chief of staff. .

Sessions has made MS-13 a special focus since taking office, repeatedly talking about the threat of the gang and linking it to his departments war on so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement agents.

In a speech to police chiefs in Philadelphia in October, Sessions named the gang a priority for a crackdown by the Justice Departments organized crime task forces. He said federal prosecutors might use tax laws to target the gang, comparing the strategy to the takedown of gangster Al Capone.

President Trump also has repeatedly focused on MS-13, blaming its growth on what he called the weak illegal immigration policies of the Obama administration and promising to wipe the gang out.

MS-13 began in Los Angeles and California jails in the 1980s, but established a base in El Salvador after many of its members were arrested and deported in the 1990s. Federal officials say the gang has sent members back to reestablish criminal operations in the U.S.

Sessions and Nielsen each highlighted particularly grisly murders attributed to the gang in Maryland, including a man who was beheaded, had his heart cut out and was buried in a national park on the outskirts of Washington.

These savage criminals are in our communities, and they are a deadly consequence of our unsecured borders and our failed immigration policies, Nielsen said.

joseph.tanfani@latimes.com
ESU loses counterclaim in case to return Ukrtelecom to SPF, to file cassation

Kyiv's business court of appeals rejected the counterclaim of ESU LLC against the ruling of the court of lower instance issued under a claim of the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) seeking to annul an agreement to sell and purchase 92.791% of shares in Ukrtelecom after a privatization tender signed in March 2011.

"ESU disagrees with the decision of the appeal court and will use all procedural opportunities, including the submission of a cassation," the company told Interfax-Ukraine.

ESU said that Ukrtelecom is operating as usual.

As reported, on October 19, 2017, Kyiv's business court decided to terminate the agreement signed in March 2011 after a privatization tender to sell 92.79% stake in Ukrtelecom with ESU LLC under a claim of the SPF and collect $81.9 million of penalty for a failure to meet the investment liabilities.
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration, became the latest of the presidents men (and women) to veer off script and speak, well, candidly. Haley told an interviewer on CBS Face the Nation broadcast Sunday that the women who had accused President Trump of sexual misconduct should be heard, and they should be dealt with. Then after acknowledging that Trumps accusers had been heard from before the election, she added, I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.

Granted, Haley did not say she believed the women. But she didnt try to discredit them. Thats in stark contrast to the president and his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whove said the women lied, the issue had been addressed during the campaign and dismissed by voters, and that was that.

Haley now takes her place next to the handful of other prominent administration officials who have dared to break ranks with the president  or whose private criticisms have gone public. From all appearances, these bursts of candor have not been well received.

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Her remarks are a significant acknowledgment from within the administration that even the presidents conduct is fair game for scrutiny.

For instance, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who reportedly called Trump a moron when speaking privately with several officials, has been marginalized and undermined repeatedly by Trump on his two biggest diplomatic challenges, North Korea and Iran. And Gary Cohn, the White Houses top economist, saw his chances of leading the Federal Reserve evaporate after he called on the administration to more clearly condemn hate groups after Trump repeatedly refused to hold the organizers of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., responsible for the violence that left one person dead.

The more people there are surrounding Trump who can pull him back when he goes off the rails, the better for all of us. Thats a function of not just his appointees willingness to take a moral stand, but also Trumps evidently limited ability to put up with it. After Tillersons last falling out with Trump, one of the rumors circulating in Washington was that the secretary of State would be fired and Haley would replace him. Her interview on Face the Nation no doubt changes that calculus.

Kudos to Haley for speaking up on the issue of sexual misconduct in general and treating it with the seriousness it deserves. In Haleys case, its either courage or calculation; the former governor of South Carolina may believe that showing independence from Trump is good for her future political prospects. Either way, her remarks are a significant acknowledgment from within the administration that even the presidents conduct  albeit his conduct before he ran for office  is fair game for scrutiny.

On Monday, a day after Haley said women have every right to speak up, thats just what a group of women who have accused Trump of varying degrees of sexual misconduct was doing at a news conference in New York. They are demanding an investigation by Congress; unfortunately, Republican leaders there have been largely unwilling to call Trump to account for anything.

Their allegations that Trump kissed and groped them in ways that they neither invited nor wanted had all been aired during last years campaign. More than a dozen women all told stepped forward with accusations when Trump was running for president. He denied them all, and yes, he won the election.

Yet those accusations were lodged in a very different climate from what we are experiencing now. The harsh public reckoning that the revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein unleashed, which spread swiftly through Hollywood and the media industry, is now filtering into politics and forcing the resignations of a growing number of elected officials. Trumps accusers and his denials havent been tested in this new era of justifiable outrage at sexual harassment and zero tolerance.

In recent weeks, Trump has publicly and aggressively supported Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, an accused sexual predator  he has downplayed the allegations against Moore, even when other supporters have not and his own daughter Ivanka has said she has no reason to doubt the victims accounts. Trump insists that he respects and loves women. But with his dismissive attitude toward those who allege sexual harassment, he fails to live up to these claims.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Its troubling enough that the members of the public in California have no access to the discipline and misconduct files of their police and therefore cant know the caliber of officers serving them, or whether a particular handful are unreliable or dangerous on the street or are costing too much in liability settlements.

Whats worse  shockingly so  is that in some jurisdictions (including Los Angeles County) even prosecutors have no such access, even though that information is absolutely essential if defendants are to have fair trials.

Its not getting better. Despite nationwide clamoring for increased police transparency and accountability, court interpretations of California law have put police records more thoroughly out of reach here than in any other state. When Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell tried to send Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey a list of 300 of his deputies who have problematic conduct records, he was sued by the Assn. of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs  the labor union for rank-and-file deputies. In July, the 2nd District Court of Appeal sided with the union.

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Prosecutors must be able to know who they are putting on the witness stand, and whether they have histories of dishonesty or other misconduct.

The ruling now calls into question the practices of agencies in other California counties, including San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and Sacramento, that routinely share the names of problem officers with prosecutors.

The state Supreme Court will hear the case next year and can  and should  overturn the lower court. Prosecutors must be able to know who they are putting on the witness stand, and whether they have histories of dishonesty or other misconduct that call their credibility into question.

More to the point, prosecutors have a constitutional duty under the landmark 1963 case Brady vs. Maryland to inform defendants of information that calls the reliability of prosecution witnesses into question. If they dont have that information themselves, it is exceedingly difficult to fulfill that duty.

Who are L.A. Countys problem deputies, and how did they earn their place on the sheriffs secret Brady list? There was no way of knowing  until now. Times reporters Maya Lau, Ben Poston and Corina Knoll learned the names and went to work uncovering the misdeeds. Thanks to the reporters efforts, we now know that several deputies still serving have been convicted of crimes. Others were reprimanded but escaped prosecution. One faked a search warrant rather than seek one from a judge. One wrote a false report after pepper-spraying an elderly man in the face. One agreed to leave a sergeant out of an arrest report. Others have records of family violence or sexual misconduct with members of the public.

The Times story necessarily raises the question of how it is that deputies with records of lying, falsifying reports and other misconduct could still be serving. The answer lies in part in a civil service process that can overturn the sheriffs decision to fire or discipline a deputy, and thus undermine his authority. The Board of Supervisors ordered changes to the process to ensure that the sheriffs side of the case is adequately presented to the Civil Service Commission, but county employee unions are pushing back.

The power of law enforcement unions lies at the core of California laws and procedures that protect officers, keeping information about their conduct secret from the public and even from prosecutors, no matter how egregious their actions.

Law enforcement is a difficult and dangerous job, and should not be made more difficult and dangerous by unwarranted release of personnel records. But unlike teachers, firefighters or most other public employees, peace officers are empowered by the public to deny people their liberty and, in some cases, their lives, in the name of public safety. They must sacrifice some measure of privacy to ensure that their misconduct is sufficiently discoverable to enable the accused to defend themselves in court, and the public to monitor their actions and curb their conduct when necessary.

Courts that have protected officers from disclosure of their misdeeds have done so to uphold laws adopted by a Legislature that has been too willing to accept law enforcement union contributions and carry water for those unions. Regardless of how the state Supreme Court rules when McDonnells Brady case comes before it next year, it is well past time for lawmakers to show a little independence from law enforcement unions. It is time to let members of the public know a little more about the officers who serve them.

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Petition drive to repeal California gas tax increase temporarily slows down By Patrick McGreevy A motorist prepares to gas up her vehicle in San Rafael, Calif., in 2015. ( (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)) Paid signature-gatherers for a ballot measure that would repeal gas tax increases may be hard to find on the streets of California this week. Organizers say its not a money issue, adding that they needed to briefly halt paid signature-gathering to catch up on collecting petitions from volunteers. The petition drive has so far collected more than 327,800 verified signatures of the 587,407 needed to qualify the measure for the November ballot, according to Dave Gilliard, the political strategist behind the drive. We knew it was popular but the incredible pace is even faster than we expected so we outran the capacity of our verification operation over the Christmas holiday and told our crew managers to slow down so we could catch up, Gilliard said. We will be back up to speed by the end of this week. The gas tax and vehicle fee increases signed by Gov. Jerry Brown are expected to raise $5.2 billion annually for road and bridge repairs and expanded mass transit. The gas tax jumped from 18 cents to 30 cents per gallon on Nov. 1, and vehicle fees of at least $25 kicked in Jan. 1. The gas tax repeal petition is breaking records for both paid and volunteer signatures and were using the next two weeks to catch up on validation of signatures already received, said Carl DeMaio, a former San Diego City Councilman and conservative radio talk-show host. As a grass-roots-funded effort we are also continuously raising funds and volunteer support. We are highly confident well qualify this Initiative for the November 2018 ballot. Facebook

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State pot bureau ready to enforce Californias new marijuana laws as license applications flood in By Patrick McGreevy The state has issued 104 licenses for retail stores to sell marijuana for recreational use in California and 239 other applications for those permits are pending, officials said Tuesday. An official with the state Bureau of Cannabis Control added that the agency is prepared to begin taking enforcement action against pot shops that are not properly licensed. The bureaus enforcement team is ready to respond to any complaints it receives and start doing compliance checks and site visits at any time, said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the bureau. Selling marijuana without a license is a crime punishable by up to six months in county jail and a fine of up to $500. Those convicted of engaging in any marijuana business activity without a license will also be subject to a civil penalty of up to three times the amount of the license fee for each violation. A new report issued Tuesday indicated the bureau has issued 478 temporary licenses to firms to test, distribute and sell medical and recreational marijuana, which began Jan. 1 after voters approved a legalization initiative, Proposition 64, in 2016. Businesses have received 153 licenses to sell marijuana for medical use. Another 1,458 firms have applied for licenses that are still being processed. The state Department of Food and Agriculture has separately issued 207 licenses to marijuana growers. Facebook

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Two possible instances of discrimination reported after California issues drivers licenses to immigrants here illegally By Jazmine Ulloa The California Research Bureau on Tuesday released its first report on incidents of discrimination under a 2015 state law that has provided drivers licenses for hundreds of thousands of immigrants here illegally. Researchers found no complaints have been made against government agencies tasked with enforcing anti-discrimination laws. But two possible instances of discrimination were reported in focus group interviews conducted by Drive California, a coalition of advocates studying the impact of the new law. In one case, a woman in Fresno was told her license was not a valid form of identification at a retail store, though it was unclear whether the incident reflected intentional discrimination or simple ignorance of the license marking, the report states. A MoneyGram clerk in another case denied a license holder the ability to cash a check. The same person was later rejected again at a bank. The state Department of Motor Vehicles has issued 960,000 AB 60 drivers licenses as of Nov. 30. The state research bureau produced the report for the Legislature as part of the new law, which declares discrimination against an AB 60 license holder a violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act. Facebook

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California lawmaker proposes requiring panic buttons for hotel workers in response to widespread sexual harassment By Patrick McGreevy More than half of hotel workers surveyed report being sexually harassed at some point. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) Alarmed by a survey indicating sexual harassment of hotel housekeepers is widespread, a California state lawmaker on Tuesday proposed requiring employers to provide panic button devices to their employees so they can summon help if abused by a guest. The bill to be introduced Wednesday by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) would also require individual hotels to impose a three-year ban on guests who engage in harassment on the property. We want to protect our most vulnerable women workers, hotel maids who are going into rooms alone, from sexual harassment, said Muratsuchi, who co-authored the bill with Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward). The legislation signals that concerns over sexual harassment that dominated the state Legislature last year will continue to be an issue for lawmakers as they begin the new legislative year Wednesday. Harassment allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, comedian Louis C.K. and other high-profile men have involved sexual misconduct in hotel rooms. A survey in July by Unite Here Local 1 found that 49% of female hotel workers in Chicago had experienced a guest answering the door naked or exposing himself. The report titled Hands Off, Pants On, found 58% of hotel workers said they had been sexually harassed by a guest. Californias Unite Here Local 11 has been calling for the action proposed in the legislation. It is the intent of this measure to protect hotel employees from violent assault, including sexual assault, and sexual harassment, and to enable those employees to speak out when they experience harassment on the job, said the introduction to the legislation introduced by Muratsuchi. In addition to requiring hotels to provide panic buttons to employees who work alone in rooms, the bill requires hotels to take written complaints from employees and keep them for five years. Any complaint backed by evidence including a statement given under penalty of perjury would result in a guest being banned from a hotel for three years. Hotels would also be required to post a notice on the inside of hotel room doors warning guests about the consequences of sexual harassment. Updated at 4:10 pm to include comment from Assemblyman Muratsuchi. Facebook

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Money, Republican malaise and Tom Steyer: These are the things to watch for in Californias 2018 statewide elections By Seema Mehta Get ready, California. What had been a behind-the-scenes dash for cash closely watched by few other than political observers is about to burst into public view. Voters this year will decide who will succeed Democrat Jerry Brown as the next governor and whether they will send Sen. Dianne Feinstein back to Washington. Before the June 5 primary, candidates will ramp up their campaigns with messages on television and stuffed into mailboxes. Heres a primer on the states two marquee races. Read More Facebook

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Fickle L.A. County is pivotal in the race for California governor By Phil Willon Home to a quarter of Californias 5.2 million registered voters, Los Angeles County is the biggest prize in Californias 2018 race for governor. For two hometown Democratic candidates especially  former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang of Torrance  doing well in L.A. County is essential if they hope to best the front-runner, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Yet this overwhelmingly Democratic stronghold continually bedevils even the most adept campaigns. Read More Facebook

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A renewed brawl over single-payer healthcare in California is on deck for 2018 By Melanie Mason Carolyn Angela Chen, a registered nurse, gives a free hepatitis A vaccination to Glenn Gardner, 52, at Joshua House Clinic (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) California officials are bracing for healthcare battles in Washington to have a major impact on the states budget and programs. Activists and politicians are planning a showdown over whether or not to establish a single-payer healthcare system in the state. And prescription drug manufacturers are the target of a number of bills meant to target the rising costs of medication. Sound familiar? Turns out the brewing healthcare battles in California in 2018 arent all that different from those from 2017. Heres a primer on the upcoming healthcare agenda in California: Read More Facebook

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How California lawmakers plan to protect the online privacy of consumers in 2018 By Jazmine Ulloa (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) With federal regulation rollbacks and a rise in data breaches, California lawmakers this year are looking for ways to protect consumers and their personal information. Some legislation under consideration could give people more notice and control over what data is collected, without having to pay for privacy or better services. Other bills could provide free credit freezes for consumers and require new privacy features for products that connect to the internet. Read More Facebook

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2018 will see California motorists pay more to the state to repair roads and bridges By Patrick McGreevy The new year brings with it new vehicle fees in California ranging from $25 to $175 depending on the value of your car, but Republican lawmakers are hoping to qualify a ballot measure in November to repeal the higher charges. The fees and a 12-cent increase in Californias gas tax last year are part of a plan by Democrats to raise more than $5.2 billion annually to deal with a backlog of road and bridge repairs. Petitions to qualify a repeal initiative are circulating now. Read More Facebook

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A rent control battle tops the list of California housing issues to watch in 2018 By Liam Dillon A new-home community in Anaheim in 2016 (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) California lawmakers arent wasting any time in tackling one of the most contentious issues in state housing politics this year. On Jan. 11, the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee is set to hold a hearing on legislation that could lead to a dramatic expansion of rent control policies across the state. The debate over rent control could spill over onto the 2018 ballot, where Californians also could see proposals to expand or curtail the property tax restrictions ushered in 40 years ago by Proposition 13. Lawmakers will have to wrestle with how to follow up a package of housing bills that passed last year. The measures provided new funding and regulations designed to encourage homebuilding, but are unlikely to make an appreciable difference in housing costs. Read More Facebook

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Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas is resigning By John Myers Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas abruptly announced his resignation from the California Legislature on Wednesday, citing health reasons. Ridley-Thomas, a Democrat from Los Angeles, informed Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) Tuesday night. The reason for this difficult decision is that I am facing persistent health issues, Ridley-Thomas, 30, said in a written statement on Wednesday. On December 18th, I underwent surgery for the fifth time this year. Although I expect a full recovery, my physicians advise that I will need an extended period of time to recuperate. Earlier this year, Ridley-Thomas was absent from work for more than two weeks. Staff members initially said the absence was a personal leave, then said the time off was due to unspecified medical reasons. His resignation letter on Wednesday offered no additional details. When I resume public life, I intend to remain active in civic affairs, where my passion lies, he said in the statement released by his office. Ridley-Thomas was first elected to the Assembly in a 2013 special election. He is the son of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. Before winning elected office at age 26, the younger Ridley-Thomas worked as an aide for Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price and managed a 2012 Assembly campaign in San Bernardino County. In a statement about his sons decision, Mark Ridley-Thomas said he and his wife more than anyone, have seen him struggle with health challenges this year, and we fully support his decision to step down from the state Legislature so that he can recuperate with complete rest, in accordance with his doctors orders. His solidly Democratic district includes the west Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westwood, Culver City, Crenshaw and Baldwin Hills. He is chairman of the influential Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, which oversees all tax-related legislation. Ridley-Thomas is a proponent of changes in the operation of the state Board of Equalization, though his plan would have allowed the agency to ultimately retain many of its duties. A more substantial shake-up was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in June. Ridley-Thomas was the author of a bill signed into law in October giving the Los Angeles Unified School District the power to preserve some of its existing single-gender schools. He was unsuccessful, though, in an effort to stop local governments from imposing taxes on streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu. Ridley-Thomas departure will require a special election in 2018. He is the fourth Southern California legislator to leave office this year. The election of Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) to Congress also required a special election. The other two lawmakers Assemblymen Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Matt Dababneh (D-Woodland Hills)  stepped down in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct, which both men have denied. A special election to fill Bocanegras seat will be held on April 3, with a potential runoff on June 5. A special election date has not yet been set for Dababnehs seat. My colleagues and I wish Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas all the best going forward as he deals with his health challenges, Rendon said in a statement. The Assembly will continue to assist the residents of the 54th Assembly District until a new assemblymember is seated. This post was updated with comment from Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, as well as more information about special elections. It was originally published at 11:10 a.m. Facebook

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California Senate Democrats are considering some ideas to counter the GOP tax plan By Liam Dillon Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Democrats in the California Senate are planning to write legislation to lessen the effects of the elimination of popular tax breaks in the GOPs overhaul of the federal tax system. To finance broad-based corporate tax cuts and reductions in individual tax rates, the GOP plan caps the deductibility of state and local income and property taxes  a benefit used often in suburban areas of California. The Republican tax scam disproportionately harms California taxpayers, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) said in a statement. Our hard-earned tax dollars should not be subject to double-taxation, especially not to line the pockets of the Trump family, hedge fund managers and private jet owners. De Leon, who also is running for U.S. Senate, said the state Senate is working with law professors at UCLA, UC Davis and the University of Chicago to develop the legislation. Ideas being considered, according to a de Leon spokesman, include: Reducing state personal income taxes through a tax credit program and offsetting that amount through payroll taxes.

Allowing individuals to make voluntary gifts to the state of California, which would be deductible as a charitable donation under federal law. The deduction for the donated amount would replace the state and local tax deduction. Lawmakers return to Sacramento in January.

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L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti admits considering a 2020 bid: I am thinking about this By Seema Mehta Eric Garcetti (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Its no secret Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is interested in running for president. When reporters ask about his intentions, he has used all sorts of ways to deflect, typically by saying hes focused on his day job  for the moment. But speaking in Spanish to a Univision reporter this week, Garcetti edged ever closer to the telltale admission hes actually considering it. I am thinking about this, said Garcetti, who is partly of Mexican heritage but learned Spanish attending private school. The majority of time goes to my work as mayor of Los Angeles, but every [citizen] should think about what our role is in these difficult times, in these dangerous times. Garcetti added that he expects many mayors to run for president, and noted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently visited Iowa, which holds the first presidential nominating contest. Garcetti has long been rumored to be flirting with a White House bid, and he has fueled such speculation by traveling out of state to places such as the early presidential primary state of New Hampshire to campaign for a mayoral candidate. Facebook

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Gov. Brown makes judicial appointments, including attorney who helps train Legislature on anti-sexual-harassment policies .@JerryBrownGov makes two court of appeal and 33 superior court appointments including Lauri Damrell in Sacramento. Damrell, an attorney at Orrick, testified at the Assemblys recent hearing on sexual harassment, outlining the assemblys current prevention efforts.  Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) December 22, 2017 Facebook

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Californias former top cop forms marijuana distribution firm in new age of legalization By Patrick McGreevy Former California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer is going from enforcing laws against marijuana to legally distributing the drug under the states new rules that allow the sale and possession of pot for recreational use. With state-licensed sales of marijuana starting Jan. 1, Lockyer has co-founded a firm, C4 Distro, that will distribute packaged marijuana concentrates and edibles to stores in Los Angeles. He says Californias new regulated system has a chance to be a model for the rest of the country. For me as somebody who was on the law enforcement side for so many years, I saw the inadequacies of the effort to regulate something just by calling it illegal, Lockyer said. I think legalizing will help stabilize and help legitimize this industry and result in better consumer protection and other public benefits. Lockyer, a Democrat who served in the state Assembly and was leader of the state Senate, has co-founded the firm with Eric Spitz, who was chairman and president of the former parent company of the Orange County Register. The businessmen aim to get their products to pot shops in L.A. in late January or early February, Spitz said. Asked if he uses marijuana himself, Lockyer, 76, said, Not in any recent times, but there were college years. He said he sees his involvement in the marijuana industry as a mixture of helping to pay for his kids college tuition and public service to help the new regulations work. This whole industry has to come from the dark side to the light, he said. By focusing on delivery to as many as 700 stores that might open in Los Angeles, C4 Distro hopes to capture a targeted market while other firms distribute statewide. The business has a warehouse in southeast Los Angeles County and is close to applying for a distributors license from the state, Lockyer said. Lockyer served a quarter century in the state Legislature before he was elected as state attorney general in 1999. He left that office in 2007 when he was elected as state treasurer, serving until his retirement from politics in 2015. Before co-leading a group that bought the Register newspaper in 2012, Spitz served as chief financial officer at Narragansett Brewing Company. Spitz left the Registers Freedom Communications in 2016. 2 p.m.: An earlier version of this article mistakenly said Spitz left Freedom Communications in 2015. Facebook

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House passes disaster aid bill with wildfire funding, 18 Californians vote no By Sarah D. Wire (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Eighteen of Californias 53 House members voted no on an $81-billion disaster aid package Thursday, which includes funds for Californias recent wildfires. The 17 Democrats and one Republican voted no on the bill, which passed the House by a 251 to 169 vote. The Senate is not expected to take up the bill until January, when Congress returns from its holiday break. The entire California delegation had recently signed onto a letter asking for the disaster aid. In a speech on the House floor before the vote, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) pleaded with colleagues not to take a political stance on a disaster aid bill. Dont play politics on a vote to give aid to the people of Texas, to the people of Puerto Rico and to the Virgin Islands, to the people of Florida, and to the people of California that are still fighting the fires. Dont play politics on a bill where you hope to maybe stop another. That would be the worst of any politics Ive seen played here, McCarthy said. Here and now, right before Christmas, dont vote against aid for Americans who just lost everything. Several of the Democrats who voted no also voted against the spending bill Thursday, and said that they felt they could not support either because the bills did not include Democratic priorities for the end of the year, including protections for people brought to the country illegally as children. Others said the aid bill doesnt provide enough money for California and doesnt treat Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands fairly in terms of competing for the funds. The 18 representatives voting no were: Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro)

Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles)

Tony Cardenas (D-Los Angeles)

Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park)

Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana)

Anna Eshoo (D-Menlo Park)

Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles)

Ro Khanna (D-Fremont)

Barbara Lee (D-Oakland)

Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove)

Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco)

Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downey)

Linda Sanchez (D-Whittier)

Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough)

Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin)

Norma Torres (D-Pomona)

Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) Facebook

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Three California House members cross party lines on spending bill to keep government open By Sarah D. Wire Three California House members crossed party lines Thursday on a vote to pass a spending bill that will keep the government open until mid-January. Democratic Reps. Jim Costa of Fresno and Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert joined the majority of Republicans to vote for the bill. Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of Alpine joined Democrats to vote against it. The bill, which funds the government through Jan. 19, passed the House 231 to 188, right before representatives left for the holidays. Costa said in a statement that he voted yes because keeping the government open is Congress job, but he called the vote a continuation of the dysfunction in Washington. It further illustrates the damage that results from partisan politics and irresponsible leadership. It is unacceptable that we have to resort to funding the government for weeks at a time because we cannot sit down together  Democrats and Republicans  and negotiate a real budget bill, Costa said. Hunters staff said the congressman was concerned that military spending in the bill was extended for only a short period. He had wanted the spending to be extended until September. Facebook

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Poll points to all-Democrat runoffs in California races for governor and senator By Seema Mehta Californians could see two Democrat-on-Democrat contests in the states premier races in 2018, according to a new poll released Thursday. In the gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom remains the front-runner with the support of 26% of likely voters in a Berkeley IGS poll. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came in second with the backing of 17%. The poll found notable demographic differences in the two mens bases of support. Newsom had strong leads in the Bay Area, where he once served as the mayor of San Francisco, as well as among white voters, liberals and the wealthy. Villaraigosa saw strong backing in Los Angeles County, among Latino voters and among those who earned less than $40,000. Republicans splintered in the race, placing businessman John Cox and Assemblyman Travis Allen in a tie for third place with 9% each. Two other Democrats, state Treasurer John Chiang and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, each won the support of 5% of likely voters. If Republicans fail to consolidate behind a candidate in the June primary, voters will for the first time see no GOP candidate on the November ballot for governor. Its a repeat of what occurred in the 2016 U.S. Senate race, and what is likely to occur again in the 2018 U.S. Senate race if the field does not grow. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has the support of 41% of likely voters in her reelection bid, but her rival, fellow Democrat Kevin de Leon, won the support of 27%, according to the poll. There is no GOP candidate in the race. Feinstein, who has served in the Senate for a quarter-century, has enormous advantages in fundraising, name recognition and support among powerful political groups. However, the poll found that nearly one-third of likely voters said they are undecided or would like to support another candidate. Facebook

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California legislator wants to curb sexual harassment in Hollywood and eating disorders for models By Melanie Mason Fashion models show off the BCBG MAX AZRIA Spring 2016 collection during New York Fashion Week. (Richard Drew / AP) A new proposal by a California assemblyman is taking aim at two of the more criticized phenomena in the entertainment industry: sexual harassment and unhealthy body standards for fashion models. The legislation, by Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), would require the states Occupational Safety and Health Standards to adopt guidelines for fashion models in an attempt to combat the prevalence of eating disorders and excessive thinness in the industry. This is the second time Levine has tried to take on the fashion industry. His similar bill to impose standards on models sputtered in 2016. This time, Levine also is trying to address the prevalence of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry by requiring that talent agencies  which represent actors, performers and other artists  provide training on sexual harassment and how to identify and prevent inappropriate behavior. I believed women who told me their stories of abuse when I introduced legislation to provide workplace protections in the fashion industry in 2016 just like I believe them now, Levine said in a statement. Its time that law reflects societys rejection of sexual harassment in all workplaces, including Hollywood. My bill aims to address the problem before it starts, but also empowers survivors with the tools to report these cases. Facebook

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Local Indivisible group picks Democrat to endorse against Rep. Duncan Hunter By Christine Mai-Duc Ammar Campa-Najjar, 28, is running against Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine). (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) With an already crowded field of contenders hoping to unseat Rep. Duncan Hunter and months to go before the candidate filing deadline, one local activist group has made an early endorsement in the race. Indivisible CA50, made up of activists mostly in San Diego County, announced Thursday that its endorsing Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Democrat and public affairs consultant whos challenging Hunter. The endorsement comes as liberal activists and interest groups all over the state are grappling with whether  and how  to winnow down the dozens of candidates vying for 10 GOP-held seats in California. The group held more than half a dozen endorsement meetings to allow members throughout Hunters district to vote on their preferred candidate. One of the candidates, Pierre Beauregard, dropped out of the race recently and endorsed Campa-Najjar. In a statement Campa-Najjar said in a statement that the nod represents the enthusiasm of hundreds of progressive grassroots activists. Indivisibles national political director Maria Urbina said the endorsement was the first made by any California chapter in the 2018 midterms. Aside from Campa-Najjar, two other Democrats are running for Hunters seat: Josh Butner, a school board trustee and former Navy SEAL, and realtor Patrick Malloy, who ran last year and lost to Hunter by nearly 27 percentage points. Hunter will also face at least two GOP challengers: Shamus Sayed and Andrew Zelt. Hunter is not considered to be particularly vulnerable in next years election, but an investigation into his alleged misuse of campaign funds has caused at least one election handicapper to move his race from solid Republican to the likely Republican column. Facebook

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San Francisco is getting a new mayor and creating a political star. Who will it be? By Mark Z. Barabak San Francisco is the city everyone loves, even if they hate it. The stately Victorians, like a gingerbread dream come to life. The majestic Golden Gate Bridge, standing like heavens portal above the fog. The plucky cable cars, scrabbling up its impossible hillsides. It can almost make you forget the bands of ravaged homeless, the paralyzing traffic, the scent of human waste wafting from sidewalks outside the citys posh eateries and palatial tech headquarters. San Francisco is getting a new mayor, owing to the sudden death of incumbent Ed Lee. All of the grandeur, and all of the grit, accompany the position. To say the race is wide open  Lee having died just about a week ago  is an understatement. Read More Facebook

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein is under pressure over a fix for Dreamers By Sarah D. Wire California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is under pressure from activists and fellow Democrats to withhold support for a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown in exchange for protections for people brought to the country illegally as children. Feinstein said in October that protections for so-called Dreamers are the most important thing we can get done, but the senator known for her moderate bent said this week that she wont try to block the end-of-the-year spending bill over it, and has not offered an explanation. Dreamers this week flooded Feinsteins five California offices and her office on Capitol Hill. Two UCLA students refused to leave her Capitol Hill office after three hours Tuesday and were briefly detained by police. On Wednesday, about a dozen students and parents returned and were asked to leave after about 30 minutes of shouting in her office lobby. Read More Facebook

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The GOP tax plan passed. Now Democrats have another big issue to use in the midterms By Sarah D. Wire As GOP leaders in Congress met behind closed doors to hash out the details of their massive tax overhaul, a group of UC Irvine graduate students met in Rep. Mimi Walters district, fretting about how the plan could cost them money. About 20 miles north, dozens of activists in top hats stood outside Rep. Ed Royces Brea office as they chanted, Shame on you! And up in the Central Valley, protesters gathered outside Rep. Jeff Denhams Modesto office to sing Protest ye dreary congressman  Remember that he voted to take healthcare away. To save himself from taxes now, so you will have to pay. Read More Facebook

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Kevin de Leon to Feinstein: Dont come back to California without forcing a government shutdown over Dream Act By Jazmine Ulloa State Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), left, and Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), right. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) Taking direct criticism to the woman he is attempting to unseat in next years U.S. Senate race, California Senate leader Kevin de Leon on Wednesday urged Democrats to block a year-end spending bill as leverage to pass a Dream Act  clean of GOP demands for increased border security. At a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, De Leon commended Sen. Kamala Harris for pledging to block the measure, saying he could not understand why her colleague Sen. Dianne Feinstein had failed to take a similar stance in pushing for legislation to protect the so-called Dreamers, immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Dreamers make up hundreds of thousands of Sen. Feinsteins constituents, and while talking a good game on Dreamers, when it comes to standing up and supporting them, she is AWOL, said De Leon (D-Los Angeles), who has attempted to position himself to Feinsteins left as he campaigns for her seat. His statements follow days of demonstrations by young protesters at legislators offices in Washington and California. The coalitions of activists have been calling on Democrats to hold up the spending bill, a move that could force a government shutdown. They want to pass Dream Act legislation that would provide protections and a path to citizenship to young people without legal residency in the U.S. At least two young protesters were arrested Tuesday outside of Feinsteins Capitol Hill office, and more demonstrations took place at her offices in Washington and San Francisco on Wednesday. Feinstein, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) have sponsored Dream Act legislation but have not pledged to hold up the spending deal. A separate bipartisan group of senators is advocating punting the issue to January. President Trump has asked Congress to come up with a solution by March. Standing next to De Leon and immigrant rights advocates on Wednesday, state Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) said advocates had to double down the shame on any Democrat who thinks its time to wait on the issue. De Leon said they had made that message clear to Schumer, saying, It is time to find your spine, sir. To Pelosi and Feinstein, he said: Dont come back to California if you havent demonstrated your leadership and your courage to stand up for these young men and women. I can tell you this, De Leon said. If the Republicans were on the other side, they wouldnt hesitate for a nanosecond to shut down the government to move forward what they believe in. Facebook

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12 California Republicans vote to support tax overhaul for a second time; Rohrabacher and Issa say no By Sarah D. Wire The House gave final approval for the GOP tax bill Wednesday, with 12 Republicans in the state delegation again voting in favor of the bill. Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Darrell Issa of Vista voted no. The House and Senate both passed the bill Tuesday, but, because Democrats raised procedural objections that forced the bill to be changed in the Senate, the House had to vote on the bill again Wednesday before sending it to President Trump for his signature. Though many California taxpayers are expected to see an initial income tax cut under the plan, a significant number probably will have higher taxes because of the lost deductions. Analysts also expect the biggest cuts to flow to corporations and the states wealthiest residents. Republicans are expected to head to the White House later Wednesday for a celebration with Trump. No House Democrats, including the 39 from California, supported the bill. Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk) was not present for the second vote, but she voted no on Tuesday. See the Republican votes here: Facebook

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Californias Democratic senators vote no on GOP tax bill Californias @SenKamalaHarris and @SenFeinstein join rest of Democrats in the Senate in voting no on the GOP tax bill, which passed 51-48 along party lines. Sanders, who is an Independent, voted with Democrats.  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 "At a time when wages have stagnated and working Americans are trying to do more with less, this tax plan pulls the rug out from the middle class to give billions to those who already have so much. This is an attack on our values, and Americans deserve better," Harris said.  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 "Californians will be hit especially hard by the cap on the state and local tax deduction, making it more difficult for communities to pay for services that our families rely on, Its no wonder a bill that primarily benefits the wealthy is so unpopular..." Feinstein said  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 Facebook

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GOP tax overhaul passes House with help from a dozen California Republicans By Sarah D. Wire Despite weeks of consternation from some California House Republicans, a dozen of them joined their colleagues to pass an overhaul of the U.S. tax code Tuesday. Two  Reps. Darrell Issa and Dana Rohrabacher  voted against the plan. In the weeks before the vote, Republican Reps. Mimi Walters of Irvine and Steve Knight of Palmdale cited new caps on popular deductions as reasons they were uncertain about whether to vote for the bill. Both worked behind the scenes on changes and ultimately supported the bill, which passed the House on a near party line vote 227-203. Knight said hes satisfied the changes are enough to to turn what would have been a tax increase into a tax cut for his constituents. Read More Facebook

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More than half of Californians oppose GOP tax bill, according to new poll By Sarah D. Wire House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) arrives for a news conference about the tax plan. (Win McNamee / Getty Images) More than half of Californians oppose the GOP tax bill expected to be approved by Congress today, and just 20% believe it will have a positive affect on their families, according to a poll released Monday. Just over half of California voters, 51%, oppose the tax bill, and 30% support it, according to the newest IGS Poll, a survey by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. And the belief falls largely along party lines, with Democrats opposing the bill by a more than 4-to-1 (67% to 15%) margin and Republicans supporting it 3 to 1 (60% to 21%). The House and Senate are expected to vote on the tax bill Tuesday. Californias Republican members of Congress largely support the bill despite some concerns about how cuts to the state and local tax deduction and mortgage interest deduction might affect Californians. Democrats in the delegation oppose it and have said they will use the vote against vulnerable Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections. When asked about the impact they think the bill will have on themselves and their families, just 20% of the polls respondents said they think it will benefit them directly, while 40% foresee a negative impact. About 27% do not expect much of an impact, and 13% said they dont know if theyll be affected. The poll of a random sample of 1,000 registered voters was completed by telephone in English and Spanish from Dec. 7 to 16. Facebook

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A quick look at some of the biggest tax changes for Californians By Sarah D. Wire (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) Congressional Republicans are framing their tax cut bill as a Christmas gift that will give Americans an average tax cut of $2,059. For Californians, especially in the wealthier areas along the coast, the situation isnt as clear-cut. When the measure comes up for a vote in the House on Tuesday morning, its expected to pass along party lines. At least two Republicans say they will join Democrats in the California delegation to oppose the plan because they fear it will hurt their constituents bottom line. Take a quick look at what some of the biggest changes in the tax bill might mean for average Californians. Read More Facebook

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Lawmakers, pot growers say Californias marijuana cultivation rules favor big corporate farms By Patrick McGreevy Californias new rules allowing marijuana cultivation favor large corporate farms despite a promise in Proposition 64 that small growers would be protected, according to a group of state lawmakers and marijuana industry leaders who called Monday for the policy to be changed. The California Department of Food and Agriculture issued emergency rules last month that allow for small and medium-sized farms of up to a quarter acre and one acre, respectively, to get licenses for the first five years. That five-year head start for small farms was promised in Proposition 64, the initiative approved last year by voters that legalized growing and selling marijuana for recreational use. Individuals and businesses can get only one license for a medium-sized farm, but the new rules do not set a limit on how many small-farm licenses can be obtained by one person or business. That could allow a corporation to assemble a 20-acre farm by obtaining 80 licenses for a quarter-acre each, opponents worry. Democratic state Sens. Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Mike McGuire of Healdsburg, Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) and the California Growers Assn. asked for swift action by the state agricultural department to change the rule. This is clearly a broken promise, McGuire said. For two years, every discussion has included a cap on cannabis grows and the Department of Food and Agriculture needs to fix this massive loophole they have created. This last-minute revision rolls out the red carpet for large corporations to crush the livelihood of small family farmers. With cultivation licenses set to take effect next month, the lawmakers also promised legislative hearings on why the rules were drafted to disadvantage small, mom-and-pop farms. California only has one chance to get this right, and it is already on the wrong path with this last-minute change that flies in the face of what the backers of Prop. 64 promised, said Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Assn. This single decision will hand over the California marketplace to multinational corporations and a wealthy few at the expense of thousands of growers who are ready to play by the rules and provide economic opportunity in communities that until recently were criminalized or  at the very least  marginalized. The industry estimates there are about 3,500 independent growers on track to get a state license in the first half of 2018. Allens group estimates that number could grow to as many as 10,000 or 15,000 by the end of 2020, but not if large corporate farms are allowed in early. The agricultural agency issued a response later: A one-acre canopy limit has not been in proposed regulations at any point and was not included in the emergency regulations due to the fact that Proposition 64, the law guiding the process, did not provide authority to include it. However, local jurisdictions may impose that limitation on their own if it meets the needs of their constituents. Updated at 5:10 pm to include comment from agricultural agency. Facebook

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Final tax bill dramatically softens blow to mortgage interest deductions in California By Christine Mai-Duc Last-minute changes to the Republican-led tax overhaul seem to be tailor-made to entice support from California GOP lawmakers, several of whom voted against a previous version passed in the House last month. The House version, passed with the support of all but three California Republicans, had proposed capping the mortgage interest deduction at loans of $500,000 or less. Republicans in high-tax, expensive states had voiced concerns the bill would have major effects in their districts. But the final version of the bill dramatically slashed the percentage of new mortgages that would be affected if the package becomes law. *New mortgages over $500,000 include data through Sept. 2017. New mortgages over $750,000 include data through Oct. 2017. Source: Times analysis of data provided by CoreLogic The particulars of the mortgage interest provision and other popular deductions were major sticking points as House and Senate negotiators hammered out a compromise between the two versions. A previous Times analysis showed that more than half of new mortgages this year in Rep. Dana Rohrabachers coastal Orange County district exceeded the $500,000 cap laid out in the House version. Text of the new bill released Friday outlined a cap of $750,000, which would apply to just under a quarter of new mortgages there through October 2017. Rohrabacher was one of three California Republicans, along with Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) who previously voted against the measure. Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) said she supported the House version after receiving assurances from leaders that the bill would be changed to account for the loss of deductions, The percentage of new mortgages over the cap dropped from 48% to 14%. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), whose district had 1% of mortgages exceeding the $500,000 cap proposed previously, saw that share drop almost to zero; 27 of 7,515 mortgages in his congressional district this year have been for more than $750,000. The House is expected to vote on the final tax bill Tuesday. Facebook

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A major change to Proposition 13 takes its first step toward the 2018 ballot By Liam Dillon A commercial property in San Bernardino County that could face higher property taxes under a proposed ballot measure (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) Proponents of making a dramatic change to Californias landmark Proposition 13 property tax restrictions took their first step to getting a measure on the November 2018 statewide ballot Friday. The change would allow the state to receive more tax dollars from commercial and industrial properties by assessing them at their current market value, an effort known as split roll because existing tax protections on homes would remain in place. Advocates of the measure, including the League of Women Voters of California and community organizing nonprofits California Calls and PICO Network said the change could raise billions of dollars that could be spent on public schools and community colleges. I think the cumulative effects of the unfair tax system have gotten to the point where its created crippling economic impacts on the state, said Melissa Breach, executive director of the League of Women Voters of California. Backers filed their proposed initiative Friday. The attorney generals office will prepare an official title and summary for the measure and it will receive a financial analysis. From there, advocates will decide if they will collect signatures to put the measure on the ballot. Proposition 13 passed in 1978 amid concerns that rising property taxes could force people out of their homes. The ballot measure limited property taxes to 1% of a propertys value at the time of purchase and ensures that the assessed value on which taxes are based can only increase by a maximum of 2% a year  no matter how much a propertys market value goes up. Split-roll measures have been long debated in state politics, but business groups and anti-tax groups have expressed substantial opposition to the idea, arguing that it would cause major harm to the states business climate. Breach said she expected an avalanche of big money against the measure should it go forward, but said that her organization wouldnt get involved without believing it could raise sufficient funding.S For the record 1 p.m., Dec. 18: An earlier version of this post said the split roll ballot measure would allow California to charge higher tax rates on commercial and industrial properties. It would allow the state to assess those properties at current market value, not charge higher rates. Facebook

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Three more women accuse California assemblyman of sexual misconduct By Melanie Mason Assemblyman Matt Dababneh (D-Woodland Hills) (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) A Los Angeles woman has filed a police report alleging Democratic Assemblyman Matt Dababneh had sex with her without consent four years ago, adding new allegations of sexual misconduct to those that led the politician to announce his resignation last week. He says her claims are false. Nancy Miret, 26, told The Times that when she was 22 and a recent college graduate, she spent time with Dababneh over two months in late 2013, primarily at his Encino apartment. At the time, Dababneh was running for Assembly to represent the western San Fernando Valley. They had consensual sex on one occasion, but after that, Miret said she had multiple nonconsensual sexual encounters with Dababneh that left her traumatized. Miret, who now works in commercial real estate, is one of three women interviewed by The Times who have made new allegations concerning Dababnehs behavior. These allegations are false and Im confident that when all the facts are in, it will clearly show that these claims are not true, Dababneh told The Times. Read More Facebook

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San Diego business is first in California to be issued license to sell marijuana for recreational use By Patrick McGreevy A San Diego medical marijuana business is the first firm to be issued a license by the state of California to sell marijuana for recreational use, officials said Thursday. Torrey Holistics received two of the first 20 licenses granted by the state Bureau of Cannabis Control this week to sell or distribute marijuana, although the licenses do not take effect until Jan. 1, according to bureau chief Lori Ajax. An additional 180 firms have applied for licenses but they are being processed. Last week, we officially launched our online licensing system, and today were pleased to issue the first group of temporary licenses to cannabis businesses that fall under the Bureaus jurisdiction, Ajax said in a statement. We plan to issue many more before January 1. The bureau is issuing temporary, four-month licenses to firms initially, but will eventually require firms to undergo background checks and pay a $1,000 application fee for yearlong permits. Tony Hall left a chemical distribution business two years ago to start Torrey Holistics with a friend and classmate at San Diego State. He said he was ecstatic to have the first recreational permit in California. He also obtained a new license to continue selling marijuana for medical uses. We feel fricking great about it, he said Thursday. Its just exciting. This is a once in a multi-generational event, he added, likening it to the end of prohibition. Added Ruthie Edelson, the firms marketing director, We will be open at 7 a.m. on Jan. 1. Last year, voters approved Proposition 64, which makes California one of eight states that allow the growing and sale of marijuana for recreational uses. Facebook

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Conservative activist group files a lawsuit over Los Angeles County inactive voter list By John Myers A Washington-based conservative-leaning activist group filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging Los Angeles County officials are refusing to cancel the registrations of voters who are ineligible to cast a ballot. The legal action by Judicial Watch comes four months after the organization first accused elections officials across the state of maintaining registration lists that are larger than their voting-age population. The lawsuit also names Secretary of State Alex Padilla as a defendant and alleges the voter lists violate the National Voter Registration Act, or NVRA. They dont care about removing ineligible registration, said Robert Popper of Judicial Watch. I think we have a very strong lawsuit. The lawsuit names four Los Angeles County voters as co-plaintiffs and asserts that a countys two lists of voters  the file of active voters and those whose registration has been placed on inactive status  should be combined into a single total. The inactive list includes people who havent cast ballots in recent elections and havent responded to inquiries from elections officials. Though the names on that list are considered voters, they are not counted in official registration reports and are not mailed election material. Popper led an effort earlier this year to estimate the size of each countys voting-age population using the Census Bureaus American Community Survey. He said the surveys five-year average of county populations was then adjusted by focusing just on the estimate of those over the age of 18, and then comparing that with the combined active and inactive voter lists. Popper dismissed any concern that the resulting number might be skewed by the different standards used by counties for the inactive list, which could include names of voters who moved or died and thus be an imperfect guide. I believe that a court is going to accept our numbers, he said. Dean Logan, the registrar of voters in Los Angeles County, said his staffs practices are consistent with federal law. This lawsuit appears to fundamentally interpret the requirements of the NVRA in a manner inconsistent with ensuring voter enfranchisement and appropriate list maintenance, he said. The lawsuit also alleges that Los Angeles elections officials failed to provide Judicial Watch with requested data about the size of the inactive list, and accuses Padilla of failing to address the groups concerns about California not following NVRA rules. In a statement on Thursday, Padilla said county inactive-voter files are not out of compliance with the law. He criticized Judicial Watch for its baseless assertions, bad math, and flawed methodology. Local elections officials have said very few inactive voters show up on election day, and that any who do would be asked to cast a provisional ballot  one that isnt counted unless the voters eligibility is confirmed through additional review. Popper insisted that if the list is never used, theres no reason to keep it. Judicial Watch, which sued for access to Hillary Clintons emails in 2016, alleged that its calculations show 11 California counties with questionable voter registration totals. Facebook

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Voters in California GOP districts may get calls asking them to thank their member of Congress for tax plan By Sarah D. Wire Voters in four key Republican-held congressional districts could get a robocall starting Friday urging them to call and thank their member of Congress for supporting the tax bill. Its a last minute effort by American Action Network, a politically active nonprofit connected with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) that has spent millions to shore up Republican support for the bill. The robocalls include the members office number. The four California members being targeted are Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock, David Valadao of Hanford, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Mimi Walters of Irvine. All four represent districts that backed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and are Democratic targets in 2018. Knight and Walters had been particularly vocal about their concerns with the plan, saying it might raise taxes for their constituents. The final text of the bill is set to be released Friday, with a vote expected early next week. In total, American Action Network plans to place 1 million robocalls in 29 districts nationwide. Facebook

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Merry Christmas Republicans in Congress: Funny or Die video goes after California lawmakers over DACA By Christine Mai-Duc As members of Congress try to pass a controversial tax bill and a measure to keep the federal government funded, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is hitting Republicans hard over another unresolved issue: the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children who could face deportation if lawmakers dont act. Amid negotiations over a long-term spending bill, Democratic leaders have been pushing their GOP colleagues to include a fix for those who were granted temporary protection under President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. President Trump announced an end to the program earlier this year and gave Congress a March deadline to address it. Funny or Die and BOLD PAC released a video Friday featuring comedians skewering GOP members, including two in California, for their inaction. In the video, Oscar Nunez, best known for his role on The Office, calls out Reps. Steve Knight (Palmdale), Ed Royce (Fullerton), Carlos Curbelo (Florida) and John Culberson (Texas), who get to go ahead and celebrate as thousands of Dreamers are banished from the only country theyve ever called home. How many broken promises can fit in a stocking? Nunez asks later. Im asking for a congressman. The political action committee says its spending six figures on the weeklong buy, which will go out nationwide across Funny Or Dies social media channels. They are known for blasting out irreverent, often viral parodies that play to young audiences. The video will also be targeted to constituents in each of the four congressional districts. A separate video released by the ACLU last week also urged members of Congress to strike a deal on DACA. Many California Republicans have remained mum on the issue, particularly those facing tough races in 2018. So far, only Reps. David Valadao (Hanford), Jeff Denham (Turlock) and Mimi Walters (Irvine) have pressured fellow Republicans to come up with a solution before Congress breaks for Christmas. Following Trumps decision, Knight said the issue should receive attention by Congress. Royce, who has taken hard-line stances on immigration in the past, urged his colleagues to provide a permanent, legislative solution that gives certainty to these kids. Neither elaborated on what that solution should be. Facebook

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For a prominent California consumer group and savvy political consultants, documents reveal a close financial relationship By John Myers If theres a clear mantra for Consumer Watchdog, one of Californias most visible and vocal advocacy groups, its that hidden financial relationships shouldnt shape politics and public policy. The Santa Monica-based nonprofit has spent more than three decades reprimanding politicians and interest groups for doing the bidding of those who give them money. Its official motto is expose, confront, change. We are loud, and we speak more of a populist truth than the way people usually talk to each other in Sacramento, said Jamie Court, Consumer Watchdogs president. Read More Facebook

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Regional director resigns from California Democratic Party amid sexual misconduct claims By Jazmine Ulloa A regional director with the California Democratic Party submitted his resignation on Thursday, nearly two weeks after a 23-year-old woman reported that he sexually assaulted her last year, spurring party leaders to seek his ouster. Craig Cheslog served as Region 2 director spanning the East Bay, Napa, Sonoma and the Clearlake areas. In a statement, his lawyer, Mary P. Carey, said she and her client were confident that a full and fair exploration of this matter, undertaken in an appropriate, fact-governed venue, would exonerate Mr. Cheslog. We are prepared, if necessary, to put forward the facts of this matter in just such a venue, she said. Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman and other officials initially called for Cheslogs removal in a Nov. 29 letter to state party secretary Jenny Bach. They said he was seen acting in an inappropriate and sexually aggressive manner toward a member of the party in a public area of the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel, following a Nov. 18 executive board meeting. The level to which this activity advanced made a number of those in attendance uncomfortable, the letter stated. It added that another member reported that Mr. Cheslog raped her at a CDP executive board meeting the previous year. Party officers said the incident occurred during a weekend where the prevention of sexual harassment of women in politics was a dominant theme in the wake of the #metoo movement. Before the meetings conclusion on Sunday, the California Womens Caucus approved a resolution making clear that sexual harassment, bullying and other forms of abuse are grounds to lose endorsements and be stripped of party membership. Maddy Dean, who was not named in the letter, spoke at the meeting about her experiences of sexual harassment in the movie industry, and told the Times that she reported Cheslog. She said she could not provide further details about her allegation as she explores possible legal paths moving forward. This was about protecting other women and in particular other young women, she said of reporting the assault. In his own letter to Bach on Thursday, Cheslog did not acknowledge any wrongdoing. He said he was stepping down to prevent any personal misconduct allegations from creating a distraction with the party at a critical moment in national and state politics. I am confident of the results that would be forthcoming in a fair, fact-based exploration of this matter, he said. Since the report, Cheslog has been fired from his job at Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps families navigate media and technology. He also has stepped down from his position on the Acalanes Union High School District Board of Trustees. The conduct represented a serious violation of both company policy and the way in which our employees are expected to conduct themselves in the community at large, Common Sense spokeswoman Corbie Kiernan said in a statement. We immediately suspended Mr. Cheslog and conducted an investigation. As a result of the investigation, Mr. Cheslogs employment with Common Sense was terminated. 4:05 p.m.: This post was updated with Cheslogs resignation from the school board. Facebook

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Sen. Bob Hertzberg will cooperate with investigation into unwanted hugs By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Bob Hertzberg works at his Senate Chambers desk. He faces an investigation into unwanted hugging (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) State Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) said Thursday he will cooperate with a state investigation into complaints from a former legislator that she was uncomfortable with his repeated hugs after she asked him not to touch her. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon said Thursday that a team of outside attorneys will investigate a complaint by former Assemblywoman Linda Halderman that Hertzberg has made her uncomfortable with hugs that were too close and lasted too long. Hertzberg, well-known for hugging other lawmakers, said he supports having any allegations investigated by the two outside law firms. I just learned of the investigation, and will fully cooperate, he said. The use of an independent third party investigator is essential to improving transparency and trust in the system. Halderman said Thursday she was encouraged that her concerns will be investigated, but said it was disturbing  that attorneys for one of the law firms selected, Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, contributed more than $90,000 in campaign funds to sitting legislators including Hertzberg. Halderman, a surgeon, served in the state Assembly from 2010 through 2012 and said Hertzberg hugged her multiple times even after she asked him to stop because she was uncomfortable. The last incident occurred in a hallway of the Capitol, she claimed. I told him I dont care to be hugged. Dont touch me,  Halderman recalled. He then grabbed me and pinned my arms to my side and used his hands to press my lower back into his groin and he essentially pinned me so I couldnt push off of him to get away the way I ended previous hugs. It was certainly so over the line, she added. Halderman said a current female senator and assemblywoman also have complained about inappropriate hugs from Hertzberg. However, Sen. Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) defended Hertzberg, saying she has known him for many years and he has always acted as a gentleman. I have never felt uncomfortable with him, and have always felt his hugs were a display of affection - which I appreciate, she said. I consider him a dear friend. Updated at 5:30 pm to include comment from Sen. Galgiani. Facebook

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Rep. Maxine Waters asks Justice Department to investigate fake letter tweeted by Republican opponent By Sarah D. Wire (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Rep. Maxine Waters is asking the Justice Department to look into a fake letter posted to Twitter by her Republican challenger that falsely indicated the congresswoman wants to resettle tens of thousand of refugees in her Los Angeles district. The GOP candidate, Omar Navarro, posted the letter on what looks like official House of Representatives letterhead to Twitter on Monday. The letter, which purports to be from the congresswoman, says the congresswoman wants to bring refugees to her congressional district after the 2018 election and perhaps even once I have secured the Speaker of the House position. Navarro accompanied the tweeted letter with a message: According to this document, Maxine Waters wants more terrorists, like the one who bombed NYC, in Californias 43rd District. As Congressman of CAs 43rd District, I will oppose such policies. Its been retweeted more than 680 times. But the letter is a forgery and a fake, her chief of staff, Twaun Samuel, said in a news release. The letter, dated June of this year, also contains several inaccuracies. It references multiple committees and subcommittees Waters does not serve on, and lists an address for a district office that has been closed for nearly a decade. Waters filed a complaint about the tweeted letter with the House general counsel, who forwarded the complaint to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and the fraud section of the Criminal Division for the United States Department of Justice. The complaint states that Waters has not communicated with the letters purported addressee  Teri Williams, who is president and chief operating officer of the Los Angeles-based OneUnited Bank, about any refugee resettlement program. Impersonating a federal official and misusing a federal seal are federal crimes. Navarro, who is backed by big name far-right conservatives, said Thursday that the letter was sent to his campaign through Facebook by a person he didnt know. He said neither the Justice Department or Waters staff has asked him about the letter. I dont know if its real or not, so I put it out there, Navarro said, adding that he believed his followers would help him determine if it is real. It doesnt say that I know. Its according to this document  what, am I supposed to send it to her and get an email back from Maxine? According to this document, Maxine Waters wants more terrorists, like the one who bombed NYC, in Californias 43rd District.

As Congressman of CAs 43rd District, I will oppose such policies. #VoteNavarro2018https://t.co/vO8YUsyPp3 pic.twitter.com/k7ef0H20if  Omar Navarro (@RealOmarNavarro) December 11, 2017 Facebook

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Sen. Tony Mendoza refuses to take a leave of absence amid harassment probe By Patrick McGreevy Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), left, talks earlier this year about a pending bill with Sen. Ted Gaines (R-El Dorado Hills). (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Defying pressure from legislative leadership, state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) refused Thursday to take a leave of absence until an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him is concluded early next year. Mendoza has denied allegations by former employees that he treated three female aides inappropriately, inviting them to hotel stays and asking one to visit his home to work on her resume. I am very disappointed that certain Senate Rules Committee members are apparently asking me to take a leave of absence or resign before any investigation has even begun and without giving me an opportunity to defend myself, Mendoza said in a statement. This is contrary to the very concept of due process, which is a pillar of our American system of fairness and judicial prudence. These actions bypass any process in a rush to judgment. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) earlier Thursday called on Mendoza to take a leave of absence. Mendoza had previously been stripped of his leadership positions, including chairmanship of the Senates committee on banking and insurance. Mendoza questioned statements urging him to step down, saying they leave him concerned about the fairness of the investigation. He also said he has been disappointed that he has been told he cannot publicly address allegations. I was not appointed to the position I hold, but was elected by the voters in my district, he said. I am grateful to the voters in my district and thank them for their trust and their continued support. The Senate owes them an opportunity to hear the truth. I assure them that I will vigorously defend myself to clear my name. Facebook

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State Senate leader asks Sen. Tony Mendoza to take leave of absence amid sexual harassment investigation By Patrick McGreevy (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) State Senate leader Kevin de Leon said Thursday he has strongly suggested that Sen. Tony Mendoza take a leave of absence until the completion of an investigation by outside attorneys into allegations that Mendoza sexually harassed three former aides. Given the severity of the allegations against Senator Mendoza I do not believe he can perform the duties in Sacramento right now while the investigation is being conducted, De Leon told a packed news conference in his Capitol office. I believe Its the right thing to do, its the fair thing to do, to take a leave, he said. The Senate leader also said the outside attorneys have been asked to investigate complaints by former Assemblywoman Linda Halderman that Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) inappropriately hugged her on multiple occasions in a way that made her uncomfortable, even after she asked him to stop. De Leon also announced the hiring of two law firms to handle the Mendoza and Hertzberg investigations, and all future probes of harassment and abuse involving Senate employees. Mendoza, a Democrat from Artesia, did not immediately respond to the request to step aside. De Leon, a Democrat from Los Angeles who had been Mendozas roommate before the allegations were made public, said he made the suggestion to Mendoza in a meeting Thursday morning. If Mendoza refuses to take a leave, the Senate has the power to suspend him without pay, but De Leon said that is not currently under discussion. There is an effort underway to force his expulsion in January when the Legislature returns to Sacramento. Former Mendoza employees have claimed that he gave inappropriate attention to a female fellow and intern, inviting one to his home and hotel and giving the other alcohol in a hotel even though she was underage. Another former female aide told the Sacramento Bee that Mendoza invited her to one-on-one dinners and a weekend at Pebble Beach. Mendoza has denied the allegations. The Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher and Van Dermyden Maddux law firms have been retained for two years, according to Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), who participated in their selection. Have you experienced sexual harassment in government or politics? Tell us your story   In addition, the state is contracting with Weave, a Sacramento crisis-intervention organization for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, to provide counseling and to establish a hotline for Senate employees who are victims of sexual assault. The hotline number is 1-800-729-1443. America is finally reckoning with entrenched inequities in our personal and professional relationships and in workplaces of every type, De Leon said. Nowhere is this reckoning more important than in the halls of power  our political institutions. Facebook

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Watch live: California Senate leader addresses sexual misconduct at state Capitol Facebook

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California state senator pledges to bring back net neutrality rules just as FCC votes to repeal them By Jazmine Ulloa Demonstrators rally in support of net neutrality outside a Verizon store in New York on Dec. 7. (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press) Moments after the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to roll back net neutrality regulations, a state senator pledged to introduce legislation that would preserve open internet protections for consumers in California. Net neutrality is essential to our 21st century democracy, and we need to be sure that people can access websites and information freely and fairly, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said in a statement. If the FCC is going to destroy net neutrality and create a system that favors certain websites just because they can pay more money, California must step in and ensure open internet access. The announcement of the proposal came shortly after the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality in an expected 3-2 party-line vote, with Republicans calling for an end to the utility-like oversight of internet service providers. The Obama-era rules put in February 2015 barred broadband and wireless companies, such at AT&T Inc., Charter Communications Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. from selling faster delivery of certain data, slowing speeds for certain video streams and other content, and discriminating against legal material online. Before the vote, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai argued loosening the regulations would allow the online economy to flourish. FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, one of the the two Democrats on the commission, said the rollback would inhibit the openness that has made the U.S. internet the envy of the world. Supporters of net neutrality are expected to file suit to try to halt the repeal plan. Weiners attempt to institute net neutrality rules in California could have challenges. The FCC order states that allowing state and local governments to adopt their own separate requirements, which could impose a heavier burden on companies, could disrupt the balance between state and federal regulations. The preemption of state and local net neutrality measures is something that could be challenged in court. Amid such legal battles state legislation could face heavy lobbying efforts from internet providers arguing against uneven regulations. A bill by Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park) was shelved last legislative session over similar disputes. It would have enshrined in state law other FCC regulations that were rolled back this year by President Trump and Congress. The Internet privacy rules limited what broadband providers can do with their customers data. The bills defeat capped a behind-the-scenes battle that pitted telecom companies against state internet service providers and brought other bills to a halt in the state Senate as negotiations unfolded over legislation that would have had national significance. UPDATES 7:57 a.m.: This post was updated with additional information about the potential legal case. LA Times reporter Jim Puzzanghera contributed to this report. Facebook

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L.A. County sheriffs office failed to follow policy for issuing concealed weapon permits, audit says By Patrick McGreevy Handguns are displayed at the Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas in 2016. ( (John Locher / Associated Press)) The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has repeatedly failed to follow its own rules for issuing concealed weapon permits, the state auditor concluded in a report released Thursday. L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell disputed some of the key findings of the audit, saying state officials misinterpreted the policy. The department policy requires applicants to provide convincing evidence of a clear and present danger to life or of great bodily harm to get a license, but the audit found the department issued 24 licenses during the last few years without sufficient evidence. Most of the 197 active licenses in L.A. County as of August went to current or former law enforcement officers, judges and prosecutors, the audit found. The lieutenant in charge of reviewing applications told auditors that people in law enforcement satisfy the departments requirements by the nature of their jobs. However, making that decision based solely on the applicants profession both directly contradicts Los Angeless written policy  which specifically states that no position or job classification in itself shall constitute good cause for issuance  and has led the department to treat applicants inequitably based on their occupations, the audit says. McDonnell said the audit identified some legitimate issues, and the department has added a checklist to the application process in order to show requirements have been met. But he disagreed on the reports sweeping conclusion that the department consistently failed to follow its own policies. The LASD policy simply requires that the applicant provide convincing evidence that his or her life or physical safety is threatened, the sheriff said. He said the policy does not require additional documentation of that evidence if sufficient information is provided in the application. Auditors also concluded that Sacramento County issued some licenses without proper documentation and that San Diego Countys renewal process led it to inappropriately renew some licenses. Facebook

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Anti-Issa effort discloses donors: Leo DiCaprio, Jane Fonda, Ted Danson and more By Joshua Stewart A political group that has brought professional political organizers into the campaign against Rep. Darrell Issa has received its most significant contributions to date  from actress Jane Fonda and other celebrities. Fonda gave $100,000 to Flip the 49th! Neighbors in Action, which recently registered as a political committee to get Issa, R-Vista, out of office. Comedian Bill Maher gave $15,000 to the group, a rebuke of a politician who has twice appeared on his talk show. Former California Sen. Barbara Boxer gave $2,500, as did Academy Award recipient Leonardo DiCaprio. Actor Ted Danson gave $1,500. Flip the 49th gave the The San Diego Union-Tribune a list of donors more than a month before its required to disclose them to the Federal Election Commission. Read More Facebook

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California Senate GOP leader: Release Capitol whistleblowers from non-disclosure agreements By Melanie Mason California Senate Republican leader Patricia Bates is wading into the sexual harassment debate that has swept up the Capitol and is calling on her Democratic colleagues to allow whistleblowers to speak out by releasing them from non-disclosure agreements. Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) wrote in a letter to the Democratic legislative leaders  Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount)  that Senate Republicans are calling for the Legislature to allow victims or witnesses who may have signed such agreements to share their experiences publicly. This release from NDAs would empower victims of sexual harassment, create a new atmosphere for resolving sexual harassment or discrimination concerns, increase public awareness and transparency, and ensure that both the Senate and the Assembly fulfill their obligations to the public and their employees for providing a safe and welcoming workplace environment, Bates wrote in the letter, dated Dec. 12. The Republican senator also laid out suggestions to improve the Legislatures handling of sexual harassment complaints, such as jointly convening both houses rules committees  which act as the chambers human resources departments  to have a comprehensive, bicameral and bipartisan review. Bates wrote that the Joint Rules Committee should consider the assigning of an outside entity for assuming responsibility for all issues regarding sexual harassment. She said the California Highway Patrol or an inspector general could serve that function. Bates is currently serving on a panel designated by the Senate Rules Committee to select an outside law firm to investigate sexual harassment complaints. De Leon, in a statement, said he agreed with Bates that sexual harassment is a bipartisan, bicameral problem that requires bipartisan, bicameral solutions. Many of these recommendations we are already pursuing and evaluating in some form and we look forward to working in collaboration with Senator Bates  as we did with the independent selection panel  on additional reforms in the weeks to come, De Leon said. With regard to non-disclosure agreements, De Leon spokesman Jonathan Underland said the Senate is discussing with attorneys and anti-harassment experts about what options are available without violating the privacy rights of past victims. John Casey, a spokesman for Rendon, said the Assembly does not ask for NDAs in settlement agreements. The Speaker agrees with both the Legislative Womens Caucus and the Rules Committee chair that any sexual harassment policy should be both bicameral and bipartisan, Casey said. Facebook

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California plans to send out licenses for pot sales this month  but they wont be effective until Jan. 1 By Patrick McGreevy Patrons shop at Bud and Bloom, a Santa Ana marijuana dispensary, last year. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) California officials said Wednesday they plan to use email before the new year to send out some licenses to sell marijuana to speed up the transition to a regulated market. The licenses will not go into effect until Jan. 1. Proposition 64, which legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational use, required the state to begin issuing licenses by Jan. 1. Because that date is a state holiday, the bureau originally planned to begin sending them out on Jan. 2. That has changed. Much of the date discussion  Jan. 1 versus Jan. 2  was based on whether or not wed be able to be open on a state holiday, said Alex Traverso, a bureau spokesman. The solution to that issue was to issue licenses with an effective date of Jan. 1 since licenses will be issued electronically. That eliminates the need to have the office open on Jan. 1. He said that, as of Wednesday, the bureau has not yet sent out any emails with licenses approved to begin operating Jan. 1. Facebook

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Californias budget director makes last ditch effort to urge GOP members to vote against tax plan By Sarah D. Wire House Republicans hold a news conference after the House passed the GOP tax bill. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) As closed-door negotiations over the final tax bill come to an end, the head of the California Department of Finance is making a last-ditch effort to convince Republicans in the states congressional delegation to vote against the plan. In a letter to the entire delegation Wednesday, Finance Department Director Michael Cohen detailed 10 issues in the current tax proposals about which the state is worried. Some of Cohens concerns may be addressed in the deal that House and Senate leaders said they reached Wednesday morning. Details of the agreement are not yet public. Cohens concerns range from potentially billions less in federal funding available to California to offset the $1.4 trillion the plan is expected to add to the federal deficit, to the environmental effect of ending green energy tax credits. Californias 39 Democratic representatives are expected to oppose the final tax bill, which could come before both chambers of Congress by early next week. Three California Republicans  Reps. Darrell Issa of Vista, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Tom McClintock of Elk Grove  voted against the original House version, and several other California Republicans have indicated they might be willing to vote against the final plan. Cohen specifically pointed to issues that have been raised by the uncertain House members, including the proposal to lower the cap on the mortgage interest deduction, the plan to limit state and local tax deductions and the elimination of a deduction for uninsured personal property damaged in natural disasters such as fires. Facebook

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California lawmakers have fought sexual misconduct on military bases, farms and college campuses. Will they police their own house? By Jazmine Ulloa Over the past decade, California lawmakers have worked to help curb sexual violence in the workplace and other spheres of public life. They have pushed college campuses to keep better track of incident reports, created whistleblower protections for military officers who file claims and established sexual harassment training for farmworkers and janitors. Now, as more than 140 women have come forward in an open letter to denounce a pervasive culture of sexual harassment in the California Legislature, activists and employment lawyers say lawmakers have not held colleagues and staffers to the same standards demanded of those in other fields. Members [of the state Assembly and Senate] are quick at pointing the finger at other folks, said Fiona Ma, a former Democratic assemblywoman from San Francisco who is now running for state treasurer. But they dont want to look inside and fix their own house, air their own dark, dirty laundry. Read More Facebook

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Californias cap-and-trade climate program could generate more than $8 billion by 2027, report says By John Myers Gov. Jerry Brown signs an extension of Californias cap-and-trade program in July. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) Although Californias cap-and-trade program was designed to combat climate change, a new analysis predicts it could also provide significant cash  as much as $8 billion in a decades time  for state and regional programs. The report issued Tuesday by the independent Legislative Analysts Office projects a wide range of revenue generated by the sale of permits for companies to emit greenhouse gases beyond a state-ordered emissions cap. The most recent auction of those emission permits brought in more than $800 million. The analysis warns that annual cap-and-trade revenue beyond 2020 is highly uncertain, and offers a possible range from $2 billion in 2018 to almost $7 billion in 2030  the final year of the program under legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed in July. The estimate of $8.3 billion in 2027 is the high-water mark for any year in the report. Researchers cite a number of factors that make a specific prediction impossible, including future technology that allows industries to cut greenhouse gas emissions easily and thus pass on purchasing emission allowances. While it is clear that there will be additional revenues to the state beyond 2020, the amount that will be generated annually is highly uncertain, the report reads. Money collected from the sale of pollution permits is required to be spent on programs combating climate change. A portion of the money also is earmarked for the states high-speed rail program. The report urges lawmakers to provide oversight for future decisions made by the California Air Resources Board, the agency that has taken the lead on climate change efforts. In particular, the analysts warn that allowing businesses to stockpile too many permits  ones bought at current low prices  could lead to excessive greenhouse gas emissions in future years, potentially even causing the state to miss its annual benchmark as soon as 2024. Facebook

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Vice President Pence meets with California lawmakers about massive fires By Sarah D. Wire Briefed bipartisan group of California reps on the fed response to #CAwildfires. @POTUS approved an emergency declaration last Friday & @forestservice is providing air & ground assets including 1,000 personnel. Together, we will help the people of CA restore, rebuild & recover. pic.twitter.com/zn7QdbCZOQ  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) December 12, 2017 A handful of California representatives discussed the federal response to their states wildfires Tuesday with Vice President Mike Pence. Attending the West Wing meeting were House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and Reps. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), Darrell Issa (R-Vista), Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) and Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara). It was a very bipartisan-spirited meeting. He clearly understood the significance of the fires and the impacts, Brownley said after the meeting. She said Pence offered federal assistance and recognized that recovery was going to be very important and that we want to work together to make sure that we can get the resources needed. President Trump signed an emergency declaration for the Southern California fires last week. Pence visited California this fall to view fire damage in Northern California. He stayed engaged and specifically wanted to make sure that FEMA and the other organizations were continuing to meet or exceed all expectations, Issa said after the meeting. We mostly thanked him for the fact that hes taken a personal interest and his team has been at the heart of the domestic coordination. There was no discussion about reinstating a federal tax deduction for uninsured damage repairs that would end up in the House and Senate tax bills, Brownley said. If you cant deduct uninsured property loss, its devastating. It would be devastating, Brownley said. Facebook

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We must talk about the health aspects of climate change, Schwarzenegger says in Paris By Kim Willsher (Thibault Camus / Associated Press) He showed up at Paris City Hall on Monday on a green bicycle and wearing a green tie to talk climate change with the mayor. But Arnold Schwarzenegger almost didnt make the trip from Los Angeles. One of the wildfires scorching Southern California was threatening his home. Luckily we have extraordinary firefighters, he told a group of officials and journalists. The actor and former governor of California was speaking in Paris as the founder of R20, a nonprofit based in Geneva that aims to help regional, state and local governments reduce their carbon emissions by developing clean energy sources. Read More Facebook

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A special recall election for state Sen. Josh Newman would cost a lot more than waiting for the June primary, state says By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) faces a recall campaign (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) State finance officials said Monday it would cost about $2.67 million for a special election on the recall of state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), but only $931,000 to put his potential recall on the regular June primary ballot, which will also feature races for governor and congressional seats. The savings  and the time it took to complete the financial assessment  could give ammunition to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown to put the recall measure on the primary ballot, possibly improving Newmans chance of staying in office. The higher turnout expected in the primary might benefit Newman as he tries to fend off the Republican recall drive. The financial analysis was a new requirement of a law approved this year by the Democrat-controlled Legislature that has slowed the Newman recall. Brown and legislators now have 30 days to review the election cost report. The deadline for calling a special election was last week, 180 days before the June 5 primary, although state officials have been known to extend such deadlines. In this case, that is unlikely. Carl Demaio, a former San Diego City councilman who is leading the Republican-funded recall, denounced the lengthy new process Monday, but said it will not save Newmans political career. This is about a shameful tactic by Sacramento politicians to keep politicians who break public trust and engage in misconduct in office for as long as possible, he said. Republicans launched the recall after Newman voted with the majority of le
Democrat Doug Jones, who started the Alabama race for U.S. Senate as a massive underdog, swept to victory Tuesday night in a repudiation of scandal-stained Roy Moore. The upset also dealt a serious blow to President Trump.

The narrow victory slices the GOPs already-thin margin in the Senate to a single seat, complicating the partys legislative push and giving Democrats a major boost heading into the 2018 campaign, when control of Congress will be at stake.

The win  which Moore refused to acknowledge  marked the first time a Democrat has captured a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama in a quarter of a century.

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More broadly, it signaled the limits of the nations political tribalism.

In this deeply conservative, overwhelmingly Republican stronghold, the allegations of sexual misconduct Moore faced were enough for many to overcome the reflexive opposition to a party they have long associated with permissiveness and profligacy.

At the end of the day, this entire race has been about dignity and respect, a jubilant Jones told cheering supporters at a rally in downtown Birmingham.

This campaign has been about the rule of law, Jones said. This campaign has been about common courtesy and decency and making sure that everyone in this state, regardless of which ZIP Code you live in, is going to get a fair shake in life.

Moore, for his part, sought to rally his disconsolate supporters.

Its not over, the Republican told them at a gloomy appearance in Montgomery, suggesting a recount might change the result. Its going to take some time.

But he was quickly undercut by his own party.

While we are deeply disappointed in the extremely close U.S. Senate election results  we respect the voting process, said Terry Lathan, head of the Alabama GOP. Now that this race has ended, may this holiday season of peace, love and hope resonate with everyone.

Moore ran up crushing margins in rural counties dominated by evangelical Christians, long the bulwark of his political base.

But Jones drew a robust turnout of African Americans who voted in landslide numbers for the former federal prosecutor. He cut into Moores support among traditionally Republican-voting suburbanites apparently put off by the tawdry allegations of sexual assault and other misconduct.

Jones also benefited from more than 20,000 voters who apparently followed the lead of the states senior Republican senator, Richard C. Shelby, who said he could not abide Moore and wrote in another candidate.

Jones was ahead of Moore by nearly 21,000 votes in incomplete returns.

The race shifted last month, after the Washington Post reported that Moore, 70, had molested a 14-year-old girl when he was a prosecuting attorney in his 30s. Another woman accused him of sexual assaulting her when she was 16, and several others came forward with stories of inappropriate courtship when they were in their teens.

Moore was already a controversial figure, off-putting to many Republicans who cringed at his history of inflammatory statements and defiant actions that twice had him booted from his job as the states chief justice.

Moore strenuously denied the allegations, calling them a plot hatched by a strange-bedfellow coalition of liberal interests and the GOP establishment.

The controversy energized long-suffering Democrats, both here and across the nation.

The party and its allies poured millions of dollars and hundreds of volunteers into the state, eager to seize an early Christmas gift: a U.S. Senate seat in the solidly Republican Deep South.

Im 45, and Ive voted since I was 18, said Chris Barry, who showed up to cast a ballot for Jones at a fire station in Hoover, a heavily Republican suburb outside Birmingham. Hes the best chance weve had since I can remember.

Chris Barry was excited at the prospect of voting for a Democrat with a shot at winning a Senate seat in Alabama for the first time in his adult life. (Mark Z. Barabak / Los Angeles Times )

Some Republican voters backed Moore with admitted concern.

I think any way you look at it, its horrendous, said Craig Gilbert, 59, a corporate pilot. If a man is falsely accused, its horrendous. And if a 32-year-old man was molesting a 14-year-old girl, its horrendous.

You have to kind of keep your fingers crossed, Gilbert said before stepping out of the blustery cold to vote, and hope the truth comes out and well deal with it at that time.

Jones, 63, is a former U.S. attorney who gained fame for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klansmen responsible for the deadly 1963 bombing of Birminghams 16th Street Baptist Church, decades after the attack.

In Washington, Moores defeat was a relief to his prospective GOP colleagues, even as it made their hold on Congress even more tenuous. The controversial judge and his cloud of scandal would have been a fixture in Democratic campaigns across the country, threatening to drag the Republican Partys image down along with him.

There was no such upside, however, for Trump, who initially steered clear of the contest, then leaped in headlong as polls showed Moores support among Republicans holding firm.

He went 0-2, said Jennifer Duffy, an analyst with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, noting the presidents support for interim Sen. Luther Strange, who lost to Moore in Septembers GOP primary. The special election was held to fill the seat vacated when Jeff Sessions resigned to become Trumps attorney general.

Now hell learn the hard lesson that President Obama learned, Duffy said. He doesnt have that much influence on voters when he isnt on the ballot himself.

In a Tuesday night tweet, the president offered a strikingly measured and gracious response.

Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory, he said. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!

Craig Gilbert voted for Republican Roy Moore with fingers crossed. (Mark Z. Barabak / Los Angeles Times )

However, this particular campaign did, to the great relief of many.

The allegations have drawn national attention and considerable disparagement of Alabama, its history, its voters and their judgment. That condescension along with many millions of dollars in negative advertising, robocalls and attack mailers left many feeling picked on and fatigued.

I put the TV on mute, I didnt answer the phone if I didnt recognize the number, and I threw out the mail, said Republican Ann Heitz, a Hoover retiree who declined to give her age or say for whom she voted.

Im tired of people acting like all Alabamians are stupid, she said. But we do have so many politicians who dont deserve our respect. Im disgusted by the whole thing.

Times staff writers Michael Finnegan in Los Angeles and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

mark.barabak@latimes.com

@markzbarabak

ALSO

Trumps troubles with Congress just got worse: Five takeaways from Democrats upset in Alabama

Omarosa Manigault Newman leaving White House

In Florida, Trump attacks credibility of Roy Moore accuser as he rallies support for Alabama Senate hopeful

UPDATES:

9:55 p.m.: This story has updated with the election outcome and other details.

This report was first posted at 12:05 p.m.
The Supreme Court has put off for a year or more a ruling on whether gays and lesbians are protected from job discrimination under the federal civil rights law.

The justices without comment or dissent declined to hear a Georgia womans suit that alleged she was pushed out of her job as a hospital security guard because she is a lesbian.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 says employers may not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion and nationality. And lower courts have split recently over whether the ban on sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation.

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Lawyers for Lambda Legal hoped the high court would hear the case of Jameka K. Evans vs. Georgia Regional Hospital to resolve the dispute and issue a ruling with nationwide impact. But the case had some procedural flaws. Evans filed her original complaint without a lawyer and did not serve papers on the hospital. As a result, the hospital said it would not participate in the case.

Gregory Nevins, director of Lambdas Employment Fairness Project, said Mondays court action was disappointing. The Supreme Court is delaying the inevitable and leaving a split in the circuits that will cause confusion across the country, he said. But this was not a no but a not yet.  He was referring to the courts rule that declining to hear an appeal is not a decision.

But turning away the Evans case almost certainly means the high court will not rule on the issue until 2019.

In April, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled Kimberly Hively could sue her employer under the federal civil rights law for allegedly discriminating against her because she is a lesbian. Her employer, Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, denied discriminating against Hively but announced it does not intend to seek Supreme Court review.

In September, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court in New York heard the case of a skydiving instructor who was fired after telling customers he was gay. Don Zarda was killed in a 2014 diving accident, but his sister and his life partner have carried on the suit in Zarda vs. Altitude Express.

The argument in that case featured not just a split on the law, but a split between two federal agencies. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces the job bias laws, argued for extending the 1964 law to forbid sexual orientation. Meanwhile, the Justice Department led by the Trump administration said the law did not apply to bias claims based on sexual orientation.

Even if the New York court rules this month, the losing side is not likely to appeal until early next year, too late for the Supreme Court to take up the case this term. The justices could agree to hear an appeal in the fall of 2018 and issue a ruling in the first half of 2019.

Major questions before the Supreme Court this fall 

david.savage@latimes.com

On Twitter: DavidGSavage
If Kayla Moore was trying to convince the public that her husband Roy Moore is not an anti-Semite, she hardly could have done a worse job.

Her election eve comment  One of our attorneys is a Jew  became an instant punchline, summing up Republican Roy Moores long history of overt bigotry just hours before polls opened in Alabamas U.S. Senate election.

Whether it was intentional is worthy of debate.

The predictable howls of outrage over Kayla Moores prepared remarks fit the deep-rooted tradition in American politics of stoking voter prejudice in the closing hours of a campaign.

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Its a tactic especially fraught in a state where Moores political base is not all that different from that of George Wallace, the Alabama governor who championed segregation in the 1960s.

Parallels between Moore and Wallace are all but impossible to avoid.

Moores Democratic rival, Doug Jones, is a former U.S. attorney who prosecuted two Ku Klux Klansmen for the killing of four girls in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.

Jones prospect of victory on Tuesday hinges on the support of thousands of African Americans who were still blocked from voting under the Jim Crow culture that Wallace fought to preserve.

Some Democrats say Republican efforts to suppress Alabamas black vote Tuesday could help usher Moore into the Senate. Republicans deny any effort to discourage blacks from voting.

At a rally Monday night in Midland City, Ala., Kayla Moore faulted the news media and critics of her husband for the way theyve characterized his remarks on Jews, African Americans and other minorities.

Fake news would tell you that we dont care for Jews, she told supporters, reading from notes as Roy Moore stood behind her. I tell you all of this because Ive seen it all, so I just want to set the record straight while theyre here.

Kayla Moore, wife of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, accuses media of painting couple as anti-Semitic. pic.twitter.com/Vcczj6pNPv  NBC News (@NBCNews) December 12, 2017

She waved to reporters in the back of the room  many of them from New York and Washington  as the crowd cheered.

One of our attorneys is a Jew, she said with a smirk.

The audience laughed, applauded and whistled, and Roy Moore smiled.

We have very close friends that are Jewish and rabbis, and we also fellowship with them, she said.

Roy Moores recent comment that major Democratic donor George Soros, who is Jewish, was going to hell for his political activities led critics to accuse him of anti-Semitism.

Moore accused Soros of pursuing a liberal sexual agenda, without specifying what he meant by that. He said Soros was going to the same place that people who dont recognize God and morality and accept his salvation are going, and thats not a good place.

His wife also told the crowd that the media was falsely portraying him as opposing the black community.

Yet my husband appointed the very first black marshal to the Alabama Supreme Court, Mr. Willie James, she said. When he first took office as the chief justice many years ago, he brought with him three people from Etowah County. Two were black, and one of them is here tonight.

Kayla Moores remarks were widely condemned on social media.

Lets say you are teaching a class about anti-Semitism, and you dont know how to show your students what anti-Semitism looks like in todays America, Ronald Klain, a former top White House aide under Presidents Obama and Clinton, wrote on Twitter. Kayla Moore has solved your problem.

Hey Kayla Moore, I think I found a page from your speech. #VoteDougJones pic.twitter.com/YRWtIxx0FD  Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) December 12, 2017

Moore and Democrat Doug Jones are vying in Tuesdays election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he was appointed U.S. attorney general.

Moore has called Native Americans and Asians reds and yellows, argued that Muslims are unfit for public office, hailed life in the slavery era as a time when America was great because families were united, and denounced homosexuality as an immoral and detestable crime against nature.

Allegations that Moore sexually assaulted or harassed teenage girls when he was in his 30s have made the Senate contest surprisingly competitive in a state that is heavily Republican. He denies the accusations.

Leave Kayla Moore alone.



She's only 14.  John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) December 12, 2017

Kayla Moore: Fake News will tell you that we dont care for Jews. Well the truth is, Roy goes to Bat Mitzvahs all the time.  Brook Lundy (@brooklundy1) December 12, 2017

This is almost unbelievable. It's a parody of a parody https://t.co/PlYKT5IP8C  Jamie Weinstein (@Jamie_Weinstein) December 12, 2017

Those of you sneering at Kayla Moore for proudly citing her Jewish attorney ought to consider that there are fewer than 10,000 Jews in the entire state of Alabama. Not everyone lives in Brooklyn or West L.A.  Joel B. Pollak (@joelpollak) December 12, 2017

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Twitter: @finneganLAT

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Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III isnt done with his investigation into Russian meddling in last years presidential election, but Republicans increasingly are trying to stack up reasons for the American public to doubt whatever he concludes.

On Tuesday, President Trumps legal team joined a growing chorus of Republicans who want to investigate the prosecutors investigating the White House, calling for another special counsel to examine decisions and personnel at the Department of Justice.

The conflicts of interest here and the impropriety is a very serious concern, Jay Sekulow, one of Trumps personal lawyers, said in an interview. You have to look at all of 2016 and what was going on in the Department of Justice.

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Sekulow cited reports that Bruce G. Ohr, a senior official at the Justice Department, had a previously undisclosed meeting with Fusion GPS, a private research firm that compiled unverified allegations about Trump and his aides in a now-infamous dossier that emerged last year. Ohrs wife apparently worked for the firm, although its unclear if her work overlapped with last years campaign.

The issue was the latest that Trumps supporters have seized upon to paint investigations of the president as partisan in nature. They cite financial contributions to Democrats by some of Muellers team of prosecutors, the transfer of a senior FBI agent who had sent what were said to be anti-Trump texts to a colleague, and other controversies as evidence that the probe is fatally flawed.

At the same time, Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer, suggested Tuesday that the Mueller investigation may be nearing an end. He said the special counsels office has finished all of its interviews with White House officials.

I think were still on a glide path that will not torture the American people well into next year, he said in an interview.

Trumps lawyers were careful not to criticize Mueller himself and said the White House will continue to cooperate with his investigation.

But Sekulow questioned whether research for the dossier, which was funded first by anti-Trump Republicans and subsequently by Democrats, was improperly used to obtain highly classified foreign intelligence surveillance warrants that may have intercepted communications involving some of Trumps campaign aides, a suggestion repeatedly floated by the presidents allies.

The battle over the investigation is almost certain to come up Wednesday when Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein testifies before the House Judiciary Committee. Rosenstein is under particular pressure because he appointed Mueller, directly oversees him and has sole authority to fire him. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation in March because of his own contacts with the Russian ambassador.

Republican criticism of the Mueller probe has mounted steadily in recent weeks, a mix of charges and innuendo that fires up conservative commentators on media outlets like Fox News before ricocheting around Washington and through the halls of Congress.

Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein at an October news conference. (Alex Wong / Getty Images )

Democrats, and some outside critics, say the Republican counterattack aims to discredit Muellers investigation as he pushes deeper into the White House, and perhaps to lay the political groundwork for Trump to order Muellers dismissal. They call the complaints a tactic meant to confuse the public.

The Justice Department cannot simply assign a special counsel to look at things that bother the White House, said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused Trumps lawyers of another attempt to muddy the waters and deflect attention.

The goal is to create such a cloud of distrust and confusion [that] so many people cant see straight anymore, even when the facts are right in front of them, said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University.

Mueller, a Republican who served as FBI director for 12 years, was appointed in May to determine whether anyone in Trumps orbit helped Russia interfere in the presidential campaign or committed other crimes. Four ex-Trump aides have faced criminal charges so far, but none for election-related issues.

Trumps former national security advisor, Michael T. Flynn, and a former campaign foreign policy aide, George Papadopoulos, both pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts with Russian officials.

Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign manager, and Manaforts deputy, Richard Gates, have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering for their foreign business dealings before the campaign.

Follow live coverage of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

Trump has repeatedly denounced the Russia investigation as a witch hunt and a hoax designed to delegitimize his election. The probe clearly grates on him. Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia, he tweeted Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump has great concern about some of the conduct that has taken place in the investigation. Asked if he supports calls for a separate special counsel, she said, Its something we would certainly like to see looked at.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee first called for another special counsel in July, and the chairman, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), reiterated that request Tuesday. He said a second special counsel is needed to investigate everything thats involved with the handling of the election by the FBI.

Sessions, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said hes gotten a number of these calls, from Congress and other places. He said he has ordered a senior attorney to review cases in our office and make a recommendation to me if any additional special counsels are needed.

FBI Director Chris Wray faced a barrage of questions at a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week about Peter Strzok, a senior FBI agent who was transferred off Muellers team in July because he sent what could be considered anti-Trump text messages to a colleague.

Strzok had played a major role in last years FBI investigation of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of State, an issue that badly undermined her presidential bid. The FBI probe didnt result in any criminal charges, much to Republicans chagrin.

Some Republicans say they suspect Strzoks texts werent the only reason he was moved to the FBIs human resources division. Its not against agency rules to have or express a political opinion.

Theres just no way its just anti-Trump text messages that got Peter Strzok  Mr. James Bond super agent  kicked off Muellers team, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), said in an interview.

Democrats said Mueller acted responsibly by ousting an agent whose texts could have suggested a political agenda in a highly sensitive investigation.

I dont know what else you would have wanted [Mueller] to do, said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Mueller did what you would imagine any responsible manager would do.

Ken Gormley, president of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and author of books about the investigations into former Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, said its normal for a White House to push back against a special counsel.

In the heat of battle, virtually every political group is going to try to attack the person who is doing the unpleasant work of investigating their administration, he said.

Indeed, Gormley said, the decibel level here is very low when compared to the attacks on Ken Starr, the independent counsel who led the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky investigations that led to Clintons impeachment in the House. Liberals painted those probes as overtly partisan.

Gormley said Mueller has struck a different tone in his investigation.

Overall, there isnt a sense that theres any credible information that this is some witch hunt that was hatched by Robert Mueller, he said.

Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Joseph Tanfani contributed.

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian

ALSO

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President Trump cited the suspect in the New York subway bombing on Monday as an argument for his crackdown on legal as well as illegal immigration, after the administration said the man entered the country in 2011 on a family immigrant visa.

Todays attempted mass murder attack in New York City  the second terror attack in New York in the last two months  once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people, Trump said in a statement.

Much remained unclear about the background of the suspect, identified by police as Akayed Ullah, 27, who was injured in the apparent suicide bombing attempt. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders asserted that the attack could have been prevented if the U.S. had canceled the ability of American citizens to sponsor relatives for visas, which the president calls chain migration.

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We know that the presidents policy calls for an end to chain migration, which is what this individual came to the United States through, Sanders said. And if his policy had been in place, then that attacker would not have been allowed to come in the country.

Suspect in New York bomb attack said to have been inspired by Islamic States call for Christmas attacks 

U.S. citizens are allowed to sponsor siblings for lawful permanent residency; those siblings, if admitted, can ask to bring their children. Sanders said the suspect was admitted through what is known as an F43 family immigrant visa, a type usually given to the children of siblings of U.S. citizens.

Trump called that policy incompatible with national security.

The explosion was in an underground passage in Midtown Manhattan at the start of the morning commute. The suspect, who was quickly taken into custody, was burned on his hands and abdomen. Three people near the blast sustained minor injuries, authorities said.

Trump also cited the attack in pressing for other policies, including his ban on travel to the United States by people from eight countries. Those nations do not include Bangladesh, which was Ullahs native country, according to an administration official.

Separately, Trump is at odds with Democrats in Congress over whether to protect from deportation hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children. Although he has said he wants to devise protections for the so-called Dreamers, replacing the Obama-era program he is ending, Trump is demanding that any agreement also include measures cracking down on immigration.

It is not the first time that Trump has quickly seized on a terrorist attack, in this country or abroad, to argue for his immigration agenda. Yet the presidents reaction contrasts with his response after violence involving American nationals.

After mass shootings in Las Vegas in October and then at a Texas church in November elicited calls for gun controls, Trump and Sanders said it was too soon to talk policy in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. The president was widely criticized in August when he delayed and equivocated in denouncing white supremacists after deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va. At the time, Trump said that, unlike other politicians, he did not like to weigh in on news events before taking time to learn all the facts.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman
Half a dozen Democratic senators have called on President Trump to resign over sexual misconduct allegations. On Tuesday morning he singled out one of them for attack  New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand  and with a sexually suggestive tweet that immediately provoked new criticism.

Trump wrote that Lightweight Gillibrand would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them).

Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

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Though provocative tweets are commonplace for Trump, this one hit a political nerve given national attention to the topic of sexual harassment of women and renewed scrutiny of the allegations against him by more than a dozen women. Social media and cable television talk shows quickly ignited with bipartisan outrage.

Hours later, Trumps top spokeswoman denied that he implied anything sexual. Only if your mind is in the gutter would you have read it that way, Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

Sanders said Trump was merely talking about how Gillibrand is beholden to those who donate to her election campaigns, calling her a wholly owned subsidiary of her donors.

Theres no way that this is sexist at all, Sanders said.

Gillibrand, who is mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for 2020, hit back at Trump. She said in a tweet that he has brought shame to the presidency and cannot silence her or the women who have described his alleged misconduct. Separately, she told reporters Trumps words were a sexist smear.

At least 16 women came forward before his election to describe Trump forceably kissing or touching them, or purposely walking in on them in dressing rooms, among other allegations. Three of the women called on Monday for a congressional investigation into their claims, in a bid to take advantage of the current climate against sexual misconduct.

Trump described the accounts as false accusations and fabricated stories in another tweet on Tuesday, saying they came from women who I dont know and/or have never met -- a contention some of the women dispute.

Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

Of six Democrats who have said Trump should quit, two are women. Trumps jabs solely at Gillibrand, which came after she tweeted Monday night that he should resign, fit into the presidents longtime pattern of lashing out and belittling his critics.

Katie Packer Beeson, a veteran Republican strategist and Trump opponent, said Trumps tweet was indicative of how he views women and the way he bullies and demeans those who he views as a threat.

Sanders noted that Trump targets men and women alike. Indeed, last year Trump used similar innuendo to denigrate Mitt Romney after the 2012 Republican presidential nominee said then-candidate Trump didnt have the temperament to be president. Trump countered that Romney was begging for his endorsement in 2012, adding, I could have said, Mitt, drop to your knees. He would have dropped to his knees.

Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic strategist, said Trump seems to come undone whenever someone questions his ability to be president.

If it is a woman calling into question if he should be in office, he really comes undone, Marsh said, pointing to Trumps attacks on Hillary Clinton, journalist Megyn Kelly and MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski.

Marsh said Trumps outburst may have had the unintended effects of mobilizing women voters and elevating the national profile of a potential 2020 rival, Gillibrand.

Democratic lawmakers rallied to Gillibrands defense.

Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Do you know who you're picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump. Nevertheless, #shepersisted. https://t.co/mYJtBZfxiu  Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 12, 2017

.@realDonaldTrump: I call on you to issue an apology to @SenGillibrand immediately, take down this tweet, halt your efforts to silence women who speak out, and stop degrading the Office of the Presidency. https://t.co/OU4LFnh5cH  Elijah E. Cummings (@RepCummings) December 12, 2017

It took my breath away and it represents the conduct of a person who is ill-equipped to be the president of the United States, said Rep. Jackie Speier of Hillsborough, who helped get more than 100 House Democrats to sign a letter demanding a House investigation of the allegations against Trump.

He was disgusting. It was clear what he was getting at, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told reporters. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Trumps tweet was a sexist slur that disgraced the office and diminishes the presidency.

Republicans mostly sought to avoid the latest contretemps. Asked whether Congress would investigate allegations against Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, What were in charge of here is the Senate.

Times staff writer Sarah D. Wire in Washington contributed to this report.

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

brian.bennett@latimes.com
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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
Newly created SkyUp to be also involved in low-cost transportation  infrastructure minister

Newly created SkyUp airline will, among other things, be involved in low-cost transportation, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"I am glad that we have fulfilled our promise and on Thursday, December 14, we will announce the establishment of a national airline, SkyUp. I hope that negotiations with another airline will also be successful, and we will probably have two new national airlines," he said.

Earlier Omelyan repeatedly reported about the plans to create a new national carrier in Ukraine. For today, International Airlines of Ukraine (UIA) is the national carrier in the country.

SkyUp LLC was registered in Kyiv in June 2016. Its leader was the well-known aviation expert, who previously worked in a number of airlines, Yevhen Khainatsky.

The founder of SkyUp was ACS-Ukraine LLC belonged to Tetiana Alba and Yuriy Alba, who also own the JoinUp! tour operator.
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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of an ancient giant penguin with a body length of about 5.8 feet that roamed the waters off New Zealand soon after the dinosaurs demise.

Kumimanu biceae, newly described in the journal Nature Communications, is one of the oldest penguin species found yet  and it adds a surprising twist to what researchers thought they knew about penguin evolution.

The K. biceae bones were discovered on a beach in New Zealand many years ago, embedded in rock, so obscured that at first the scientists thought they had belonged to a turtle, said lead author Gerald Mayr, an ornithologist at Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt in Germany.

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They painstakingly cleared rock away from the bones, revealing that the fossil was actually of an enormous penguin  roughly 1 times the size of the emperor penguin, the largest living species today. At about 223 pounds and 5 feet, 9 inches in body length, K. biceae was the size of a human man.

I was amazed at how big it actually was, said Mayr, whose co-authors in New Zealand brought him in to examine the fossil.

K. biceae was dated to 55.5 million to 59.5 million years ago, which puts it in the Paleocene epoch. Back then it was so warm that even Antarctica hosted subtropical waters; in New Zealand, the birds probably dined on fish as they do today, but may have speared them with long beaks.

The strangest thing about these penguins was not just their size, although that is pretty exceptional. What caught researchers eye was how old they were  how early they appeared in the penguin family tree.

There have been plenty of other oversized penguins in the fossil record, but those species came tens of millions of years later, leading many researchers to figure that it probably took time for penguins to evolve into megafaunal species.

This new fossil shows that penguins had grown to enormous proportions very quickly after the dinosaurs were killed off around 66 million years ago. On top of that, K. biceae seems to have more primitive features than those later large penguins, and it appears to have developed into a large species independently of the others.

(While there has been some previous evidence of a penguin species from Antarctica that may even have topped K. biceae, it was not nearly as complete as the New Zealand species and so its difficult to accurately extrapolate its overall size, Mayr said.)

That time frame  penguins ancestors losing flight and gaining the ability to swim, and then getting very, very big, all in about 5 million years  seems really, really fast, the scientists said.

It could potentially mean that the flying ancestors of penguins coexisted with dinosaurs for a good long while before the asteroid wiped them out, though thats just a hypothesis for now, Mayr said. (It should be noted, by the way, that those pre-penguins were themselves descended from dinosaurs.)

The partly prepared skeleton of the giant penguin. The rectangles emphasize the humerus and a bone from the shoulder girdle, which are shown separated from the original bone cluster (G. Mayr/Senckenberg Research Institute )

Aside from the speed with which it seems to have happened, this super-sizing is to be expected, the ornithologist said.

Thats something we see in flightless birds in general, that they tend to become very large once they lose their flight capabilities and once aerodynamic constraints cease to exist, Mayr pointed out.

After all, once you dont have to spend the energy to get airborne, you dont have to watch your weight as closely. (Take ostriches, for example.) And there are certain advantages to going up a few sizes: you can muscle out the competition for food or territory, and you might be much harder for predators to kill.

Its not that surprising that those giant penguins were so large, Mayr said. But its rather surprising that there are no giant penguins any more today.

So what happened to these feathered heavyweights?

That disappearance may have something to do with the rise of marine mammals such as seals and toothed whales, Mayr said. As they began to flourish in the fossil record, those big-boned ocean birds started fading out.

Its unclear whether theres a causal relationship there, and if so, what one would be, Mayr said. Perhaps marine mammals competed with large penguins for food, or (in the case of seals) for breeding grounds. Perhaps they actually hunted the jumbo penguins.

For now, this is just one specimen. Scientists hope to find more of them, especially with their skulls and beaks intact. There were also plenty of smaller penguins that appear to have coexisted with this giant penguin, and its unclear exactly what the relationships were between those species.

We hope there will be future finds, Mayr said. There are many questions.

amina.khan@latimes.com

Follow @aminawrite on Twitter for more science news and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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Kyiv Investment Group (KIG) and Forum Group have withdrawn liquid collateral for UAH 880 million from bank Khreschatyk using the scam of paying credits taken in bank by affiliated structures, the Individuals Deposit Guarantee Fund has said in a press release.

"Only in four days early April 2016 the portfolio of insider loans of the bank narrowed by UAH 880 million, to UAH 2.41 billion," the fund said.

The fund said that the bank carried out several transactions aimed at quick narrowing the credit portfolio of KIG Group seeking to release liquid property from collateral liabilities (property and land parcels).

The scam was also used for the credits of the group of affiliated entities  Forum. The fund said that the bank bought junk securities from these affiliated entities. These entities sent the funds from the sale of the securities to charter capitals of new companies, which in turn, bought claims to credits earlier issued to the above-mentioned affiliated entities from the bank. Thus, the funds for securities were returned to the bank as payment for claims to credits.

One more scam was the following: bank Khreschatyk credited affiliated entities that bought construction equipment from nonresident Alesio Universal S.A. Tortola (British Virgin Islands), the ultimate beneficiary of which is former shareholder in the bank Andriy Ivanov. The total sum of credit funds was $31.3 million. Despite the fact that this was the advance payment, no contract was fulfilled. These transactions were removed from currency oversight.
A Las Vegas man was sentenced Monday to eight years in state prison after pleading guilty to pimping a 16-year-old Utah girl in Costa Mesa.

Brandon Antwan Hunter, 31, appeared in Orange County Superior Court on Monday for a scheduled preliminary hearing but instead pleaded guilty to charges of human trafficking of a minor, pimping a minor, pandering a minor and unlawful sexual intercourse, all felonies, according to court records.

Hunter, who identified himself in jail records as a producer, will be required to register as a sex offender, according to prosecutors.

Costa Mesa police arrested Hunter and Danielle Beniese Bates, 31, also of Las Vegas, on Nov. 24 while responding to a report of a fight at a Motel 6 in the 1400 block of Gisler Avenue, authorities said.

Police said Hunter and Bates were staying in the motel with the girl.

Officers spoke to the 16-year-old and determined that she was being made to prostitute herself and give all her money to Hunter as well as have sexual intercourse with him, according to Roxi Fyad, a spokeswoman for the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Authorities said Hunter and Bates met the girl in Las Vegas last month and took her to Costa Mesa. Prosecutors allege that Bates also worked for Hunter as a prostitute and recruited others for him.

Bates is facing felony counts of human trafficking, pimping a minor and pandering a minor. She pleaded not guilty Nov. 28.

She could face up to 12 years in state prison if convicted.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center of Laguna Beach worked until sunset Monday near the Wedge in Newport Beach to try to free a 30-foot gray whale tangled in a gill net.

The rescuers made several cuts to the net over three hours Monday before the whale swam away and they suspended their effort. On Tuesday, officials asked the public to keep an eye on the water for the whale so they can check on it.

Justin Viezbicke, coordinator of NOAAs Long Beach-based California Stranding Network, said the whale did a fluke-up dive, in which it lifts its tail out of the water before diving deep into the ocean, as it moved away from a rescue boat Monday. The net, which was wrapped around its tail, had restricted the whales movement so severely that it had not been diving that way before.

The change gave Viezbicke an indication that the teams efforts were successful.

When it did that, we couldnt see the big mass of gill net, he said. I think we at least got enough off to allow the net to loosen up as the whale is swimming around.

Paddleboarders first saw the whale off Laguna Beach at about 10:45 a.m. Monday and followed it as it swam to Newport Beach.

The Ocean Explorer, a boat operated by Daveys Locker in Newport Beach, and Ryan Lawler, who owns Newport Coastal Adventure, arrived on the scene after hearing about the whale from a NOAA rescue team member.

Lawler flew his drone to determine how severely the whale was entangled. About 150 feet of line trailed behind it, he said.

It was definitely having trouble swimming, Lawler said.

Netting can cause problems for whales if it isnt removed quickly. Pressure from the net can cause necrosis in some of the tissue, which can result in tail loss, Lawler said.

Also, the effort expended in dragging the additional weight can cause the whale to tire more quickly and impede its ability to find food, he said.

Itll end up starving if it has to carry that weight around unnecessarily, Lawler said.

Gray whales, which have the longest migration of any mammal, usually spend the summer feeding on plankton in chilly Alaskan waters. At this point in the year, the whales usually are migrating to warmer waters off Baja California, experts say.

According to data collected by NOAA, reports of entangled whales are rising. In 2016, 71 cases were reported off Washington, Oregon and California, the highest annual total for the West Coast since the agency began collecting such data in 1982.

The increase likely can be attributed to changes in whale abundance and distribution, shifting patterns in human activities like fishing, and increased reporting from the public, according to NOAA.

To report an entangled whale, call (877) SOS-WHALE (767-9425) or notify the U.S. Coast Guard by boat on Channel 16.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

UPDATES:

2:10 p.m. Dec. 12: This article was updated with additional details.

This article was originally published at 5:20 p.m. Dec. 11
Charles Jenkins, a U.S. Army deserter to North Korea who married a Japanese abductee and lived in Japan after their release, has died. He was 77.

Jenkins was found collapsed outside his home in Sado in northern Japan on Monday and was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, a group representing families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea said Tuesday.

Public broadcaster NHK said he died of heart failure.

Jenkins, of Rich Square, N.C., disappeared in January 1965 while on patrol along the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea. He later called his desertion a mistake that led to decades of deprivation and hardship in the communist country.

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In North Korea, Jenkins met his wife, Hitomi Soga, who had been kidnapped from Japan in 1978, and the couple had two daughters, Mika and Blinda. His wife was allowed to visit Japan in 2002 and stayed. Jenkins and their daughters followed in 2004.

Once in Japan, Jenkins was subject to a U.S. court-martial in 2004 in which he said he deserted because of fear of being sent to fight in Vietnam. He pleaded guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy and was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 25 days in a U.S. military jail in Japan.

Jenkins and his family lived in Sogas hometown of Sado, where he was a popular worker at a local souvenir shop and often could be seen posing for photos with tourists.

Soga is one of at least 13 Japanese citizens who Tokyo says were kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s to teach Japanese culture and language to its spies. North Korea has acknowledged the abductions and allowed Soga and four others to visit Japan in 2002, where they stayed.

Jenkins, in his 2005 autobiography, To Tell the Truth, and at conferences on North Korean human rights, revealed that he had seen other American deserters living with women abducted from elsewhere, including Thailand and Romania.

After settling in Japan, he visited North Carolina to see his mother and sister. But he said he had no plans to move back to the U.S.
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has said that the prosecution will appeal against the decisions of Kyiv's Pechersky court on a restraint measure on ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

"We've presented all the evidence to the court, nevertheless, the judge has decided to let him go. I will refrain from emotions and we will file an appeal," the Prosecutor General said on ICTV on Monday evening.
The first planning conference for the Sea Breeze 2018 international maritime exercise began in Odesa on Monday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Navy Command press service said.

"The purpose of the conference is to develop a scenario, agree on training objectives, decide on the composition of forces to be involved in the exercise," the press service said in a statement released on Monday evening.

The event is being led by the Ukrainian Navy Deputy Commander for combat training, Rear Admiral Oleksiy Neyizhpapa. The U.S. Navy delegation is led by 1st rank Captain Michael Villegas.

"We must consider all the proposals submitted by participants after last year's exercise, which turned out very eventful and fruitful. We need to move forward, optimize the level of interoperability, and improve our results," Neyizhpapa said.

This is the first of three conferences traditionally held during the preparatory period, the press service said.

The Sea Breeze has been held annually since 1997 under the 1993 U.S.-Ukrainian memorandum on mutual understanding and cooperation on defense and military relations between the two countries' defense ministries. The exercise aims to train and boost the Ukrainian Navy's combat readiness bilaterally, but is open to other countries as well.
Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has said that Ukrainian law enforcers are ready to give for international experts records to examine digital audio recordings purportedly between former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, who is fleeing in Russia.

"We are ready to invite foreign experts from the FBI or Scotland Yard to ensure that they, together with our experts, verify the authenticity of these records. I am sure that this is necessary and can be done," the Prosecutor General said on ICTV on Monday evening.

Lutsenko noted that the Prosecutor General's Office is ready to prove that all recorded intercepts are genuine.
Bethlehem Township police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who burgled a medical office this weekend.

Police said at 5 a.m. on Saturday, the man forced his way into the OAA Orthopedic Specialists office at 2901 Emrick Boulevard in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VI.

The man took office supplies and equipment, but did not access computer systems or patient records, according to police.

Anyone who knows the man or has information about him is asked to call police Detective Scott Lipare at 610-814-6414 or email slipare@bethlehemtwp.com.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Parliament could not contact Yanukovych in Feb 2014, his life was not in danger at that time - Yatsenyuk

People's Front Party leader and former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said that the Verkhovna Rada office could not contact the administration of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014, and in this regard Verkhovna Rada Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov started fulfilling the president's duties in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine.

"In accordance with this agreement [the agreement with political parties, pursuant to this agreement, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a legislative act on the restoration of a parliamentary-presidential republic] and a public statement by then President Yanukovych, such an act of legislation was to be signed, but on February 22 all media showed Viktor Yanukovych's interview in which he said: 'I will not sign anything.' Thus, Yanukovych refused to sign this agreement," Yatsenyuk said, while giving testimony in Kyiv's Obolonsky District Court in the Yanukovych treason case on Monday, December 11.

"Despite this, the Verkhovna Rada office, according to my information, tried to contact both Yanukovych and his administration... None of the administration officials, including Yanukovych himself, said where they stayed and whether Yanukovych will return to perform his duties," he added.

According to Yatsenyuk, that is why the Verkhovna Rada, in a constitutional way, "in connection with the president's removal from performing his duties, decided to temporarily assign the president's duties to the Verkhovna Rada chairman."

When asked whether Yanukovych attempted to get into contact with Yatsenyuk in some way February 27, or vice versa, the People's Front leader said: "No, he did not contact me."

When asked whether there were any threats to Yanukovych's life and health at that time, in February-March 2014, which could objectively stipulate the need to leave Ukraine, Yatsenyuk recalled that state protection was granted to the president not only at the time of execution of his powers, but also for life.

"At that time, state protection numbered several hundred people. There was no information about any threat to the life and health of President Yanukovych, and, as far as I know, this is also confirmed by the fact that Viktor Yanukovych personally refused state protection," he said.

As reported, on June 29, 2017, Kyiv's Obolonsky District Court decided to consider criminal proceedings on charges against Yanukovych of high treason and a number of other crimes against the statehood of Ukraine under a special (absentee) procedure.

In the high treason trial, Yanukovych is accused of committing crimes under Part 5, Article 27 (an accomplice in a crime), Part 3, Article 110 (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, which led to loss of life or other grave consequences; it envisages imprisonment for a period of 7 to 12 years), Part 1, Article 111 (high treason; it envisages imprisonment for a period of 10 to 15 years), Part 2, Article 437 (conducting aggressive war or aggressive military operations; it envisages imprisonment for a term of 10 to 15 years) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In February 2014, Yatsenyuk served as a people's deputy, leader of the Batkivschyna faction in the Verkhovna Rada of the seventh convocation. On February 27, he was appointed Ukraine's prime minister.
A 15-year-old was referred to juvenile authorities for an illegal post on SnapChat, according to Lehigh County's district attorney.

The teen posted to the social media site following a fight at 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11, at Southern Lehigh High School in Upper Saucon Township, according to a news release from District Attorney James Martin.

Three students involved in the fight were disciplined by school officials and their cases were referred to Upper Saucon Township police.

A parent noticed the SnapChat post following the fight and alerted authorities, the news release says.

The news release offers no details about what the student posted on SnapChat or why it constituted "unlawful conduct."

"There is no known or suspected threat against Southern Lehigh High School or the students as a result of this incident," Martin said in the release.

Juvenile justice matters are confidential, according to Martin, so he had no further details about the fight, the SnapChat or the discipline.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
A 26-year-old Nazareth man and a 32-year-old Moore Township man were charged with beating and trying to rob a third man, authorities report.

The victim left the American Hotel at 11:45 p.m. Dec. 5, 2017, at 202 S. Main St. in Nazareth believing he would get a ride home with Michael Anthony Rivera, of Nazareth, police said.

They walked to what turned out to be 206 Poplar St., where they got into a vehicle with Christopher Barlip, of Moore Township, police said. Barlip said he forgot something and turned the vehicle around as Rivera, in the passenger seat, began to punch the backseat victim in the face, demanding the victim give up the money in his pockets, police said.

The victim tried to get out of the car, but Barlip grabbed him and pulled him out through a driver's side door and both men repeatedly punched the victim in the face, police said. The men tried to grab money from the victim's pockets, police said.

Rivera was identified by video from the bar and Barlip's cousin at the Poplar Street address identified Barlip, police said. The victim also identified Rivera from a photo lineup, police said.

Barlip said Rivera beat the victim, but Barlip denied taking part, police said. Rivera told investigators that Barlip and the victim argued, possibly over drugs, and the dispute turned physical, police said. Rivera denied taking part in the assault or the robbery, police said.

The victim suffered a broken facial bone, police said.

Barlip was arraigned early Sunday morning before District Judge Antonia Grifo on charges of robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment, records show. Barlip remained Tuesday morning in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Rivera was brought to the prison on Friday and was being held without bail, the Department of Corrections reported. It wasn't immediately clear from records on what warrant Rivera was being held. He faces the same charges as Barlip, but had yet to be arraigned, records show.

Paperwork doesn't list an attorney for either suspect.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Three people are charged with attempted murder for shooting a pizza delivery driver in the face Monday in East Stroudsburg, according to court records.

Richard LaBar (Photo courtesy of LaBar's family)

Carolina Carmona, 30; Israel Zebulun Berrios, 17; and Salvador Roberts Jr., 21; are each charged with attempted homicide, according to online court records. Each is an East Stroudsburg resident, records say.

Pennsylvania State Police at Stroudsburg report a shooting was at 1:28 a.m. Monday.

Police identify the victim as a 58-year-old male. His great-niece identified him as Richard LaBar, a driver for Domino's Pizza.

The shooting was in the 400 block of Normal Street on the east side of East Stroudsburg University's campus, police said. The great-niece, Christine DeKnight, said he was delivering a pizza when he was shot.

LaBar was rushed to a hospital and put on life support after the shooting, DeKnight said. DeKnight set up a fundraising website for LaBar.

"Rick is currently on life support and his family is heartbroken," DeKnight wrote on her site. "He was just an ordinary man just trying to make an honest living, but was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He does not have any health insurance. Any little bit will help him and his family in this very difficult time."

Lambda Iota, an East Stroudsburg sorority, also set up a website to raise money for LaBar's medical bills and holiday-related expenses for his family.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
UPDATE: Cellphone store robbery suspects charged in Palmer killing

Northampton County's district attorney will announce criminal charges Tuesday afternoon in connection with an unsolved homicide.

District Attorney John Morganelli will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. Tuesday to announce the charges, according to a press release from his office. His office is in the Northampton County Government Center, 669 Washington St. Easton.

He didn't release any further details and said he wouldn't take questions until the press conference.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
By Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

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With the cost of health care on the rise in the United States, it stands to reason that health care consumers in the Lehigh Valley are curious about the salaries of doctors and hospital administrators. You might be surprised to learn that most hospitals and physician networks are required to disclose the salaries of some of their highest-paid employees.

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Canva.com photo

Two of the major health networks in the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke's University Health Network, maintain nonprofit status. (Easton Hospital, on the other hand, is a for-profit hospital). Nonprofit hospitals don't pay taxes because the money they make is supposed to be reinvested into the community.

In order to avoid paying taxes, each is required to file an annual 990 form disclosing financial information for public inspection. The most recent forms available are listed on websites such as foundationcenter.org. Hospitals and health networks are required to list up to 20 key employees who earn more than $150,000 and five employees who earn more than $100,000 who are not officers, directors or trustees or key employees.

This transparency allows health care consumers to see how well doctors and administrators are compensated and compare one hospital to another. All the information below came from 990 forms filed for tax year 2014-15, the most recent year available. To give some context, we list the gross receipts received by each hospital in 2014-15 as well as the assets remaining at the end of the year.

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ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL-WARREN, PHILLIPSBURG

Gross receipts: $112 million

End-of-year assets: $110 million

Edward A. Gilkey, vice president of medical affairs, $357,753

Thomas C. McGinley Jr., physician director, $267,997

Raymond S. Buch, physician, $266,518

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Eugene M. Decker, physician, $223,512

Ching-Huey Chu, physician, $203,522

Thomas H. Litz, former officer, $203,210

Alice J. Wilson, vice president of administration, $198,012

Mary J. Siciliano, physician, $197,872

Gail A. Newton, vice president of patient care services, $194,159

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SACRED HEART HOSPITAL, ALLENTOWN

Gross receipts: $114 million

End-of-year assets: $73 million

Andrew Unger, physician, $220,830

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Richard Martin, physician, $210,603

Daniel Collier, physician, $180,997

Nandhini Veereaeaghaven, $169,928

Miguel Ruelas Salgado, physician, $167,061

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SACRED HEART HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, ALLENTOWN



Gross receipts: $23 million

End-of-year assets: $9 million

Gregory Thompson, physician, $513,616

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Tamam Habib, physician, $420,069

Joann Leahy, physician, $414,074

Clarence Holand, physician, $371,546

Vankata Kanthimathinathan, physician, $357,323

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John Nespoli, file photo

SACRED HEART FOUNDATION, ALLENTOWN

Its the charitable and fundraising arm of Sacred Heart Hospital.

Gross receipts: $2.1 million

End-of-year assets: $2.1 million

John Nespoli, president and CEO, $464,099

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Stephen A. Lanshe, vice president and general counsel, $314,385

Angela Long, vice president of nursing, surgical and emergency services, $208,299

John Hrubenak, vice president of operations and business development, $155,258

Valerie Downing, vice president of the foundation, $145,222

Ann Molesevich, vice president of behavioral health, $139,813

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John Kristel (Courtesy photo)

GOOD SHEPHERD REHABILITATION NETWORK, ALLENTOWN

Gross receipts: $96 million

End-of-year assets: $362 million

John Kristel, president and CEO, $610,853

Sandeep Singh, vice president of medical affairs, $356,054

Daniel C. Confalone, former senior vice president and chief financial officer, $327,606

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Samuel A. Miranda Jr., senior vice president and CNO, $263,939

Harold M. Ting, senior vice president of strategic planning, $247,308

Ronald Petula, senior vice president and chief financial officer, $243,942

Laura M. Shaw-Porter, vice president of human resources, $237,475

David F. Lyons, vice president of development, $181,640

Frank J. Hyland, vice president of rehabilitation services, $181,114

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GOOD SHEPHERD REHABILITATION HOSPITAL, ALLENTOWN

Gross receipts: $88 million

End-of-year assets: $57 million

Demetrice Ward Purvis, staff psychiatrist, $298,846

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Rosauro Dalope, medical director of pediatrics, $260,271

Kimberly Kuchinski, program director of pediatric psychiatry, $226,982

Kyle Klitsch, staff psychiatrist, $220,130

James J. Daley, medical director of the amputee program, $200,068

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LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL - POCONO, EAST STROUDSBURG

Gross receipts: $313 million

End-of-year assets: $381 million

Kathleen Kuck, president and CEO (ending in April 2014), $1.7 million

Laszlo Fuzesi, physician, $792,358

Charles Herman, physician, $729,850

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Eric Wilson, physician, $508,328

David Meir-Levi, physician, $484,325

Jose Salazar, physician, $469,874

Jeff Snyder, president and CEO, $447,783

William Cors, vice president of medical affairs, $412,251

Michael A. Wilk, senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer, $360,433

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Paulette Nish, vice president and chief nursing officer, $330,238

Vincent Francesangeli, chief of medical staff, $292,478

Lynn Lansdowne, vice president of human resources, $241,793

Debra Dealessi-Lundburg, vice president of the physician network (ending in February 2015) $240,724

Stephen Cunningham, senior vice president and chief development officer, $239,249

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Richard Anderson (File photo)

ST. LUKE'S UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, FOUNTAIN HILL

Gross receipts: $661 million

End-of-year assets: $1.4 billion

Richard Anderson, president and CEO of St. Lukes Health Network, $1.9 million

Robert P. Zimmel, senior vice president of human resources, $817,234

Joel D. Fagerstrom, executive vice president and chief operating officer, $814,380

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Thomas P. Lichtenwalner, senior vice president of finance, CFO, $652,435

Jeffrey A. Jahre, senior vice president of medical and academic affairs, $637,166

Marc A. Granson, chief of surgery, $623,982

Joseph C. Merola, chief of obstetrics and gynecology, $592,686

Dennis J. Dougherty, president of the rehabilitation corporation, $578,978

Robert L. Wax, senior vice president and general counsel, $517,022

Brian A. Hoey, physician, $511,131

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William S. Hoff, trauma surgeon, $509,621

Carol A. Kuplen, senior vice president and chief nursing officer, $506,320

Robert E. Martin, senior vice president of planning, $471,848

Edward R. Nawrocki, former key employee, $433,047

Frank Ford, president of the Allentown campus, $397,263

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ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL, QUAKERTOWN

Gross receipts: $58 million

End-of-year assets: $37 million

Kathy P. Ramson, vice president of patient services, $165,357

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Kenneth Checkeye, pharmacy manager, $144,212

Robert T. Coleman, pharmacy manager, $129,731

Pamela J. Astl-Reimer, physician assistant, $122,973

Laura B. Hillen, pharmacist, $120,488

James C. Worthington, pharmacist, $116,461

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ST. LUKE'S PHYSICIAN GROUP, FOUNTAIN HILL

Organization representing doctors at more than 90 practice sites throughout the region.

Gross receipts: $239 million

End-of-year assets: $53 million

William G. Delong, orthopedic surgeon, $1.1 million

Nicholas J. Avallone, orthopedic surgeon, $847,461

Patrick J. Brogle, orthopedic surgeon, $844,721

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Dang Hai Zhang, physician, $807,318

Daniel K. ORourke, physician, $803,175

Marian McDonald, director, $542,883

Darius C. Desai, director, $461,094

Michael A. Abgott, director, $350,408

Joann Burke, director, $266,110

William P. Kuehner, director, $149,507

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Ronald Swinfard (File photo)

LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL, SALISBURY TOWNSHIP

Gross receipts: $1.8 billion

End-of-year assets: $1.6 billion

Ronald W. Swinfard, former chief executive officer, $2.4 million

Brian Nester, chief executive officer, $1 million

Thomas V. Whalen, chief medical officer, $887,248

Terry Capuano, chief operating officer, $797,002

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Edward F. ODea, treasurer, $660,544

James Geiger, president of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, $508,404

Harry Lukens, senior vice president and chief information officer, $452,169

Deborah Patrick, senior vice president of human resources, $430,562

Donald Levick, chief medical information officer, $403,772

James A. Rotherham, assistant treasurer, $268,373

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LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL - MUHLENBERG, BETHLEHEM

Gross recepits: $500 million

End-of-year assets: $502 million

Robert X. Murphy Jr., administration, $638,948

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Rhonda Thomas, pharmacy, $155,470

Kayla R. Long, pharmacy, $148,466

Joseph Tomko, pharmacy, $134,837

Jessica Price, pharmacy, $134,574

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LEHIGH VALLEY PHYSICIAN GROUP, BETHLEHEM

This organization of 703 doctors and 389 advanced practice clinicians was established in 1993 as an affiliate of the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

NOTE: While many of the network employees are listed as "board members" on the hospital 990 form, those positions are unpaid. The salaries are for their work as doctors or administrators.

Gross receipts: $453 million

End-of-year-assets: $140 million

Christopher Lycette, neurosurgeon, $1.3 million

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Peter M. Li, neurosurgeon, $1.2 million

Stefano Camici, neurosurgeon, $951,038

Marshall Miles, plastic surgeon, $915,915

Randolph Wojcik, plastic surgeon, $913,907

T. Daniel Harrison, board member, $840,820

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Michael Rossi, president, $780,675

Michael Pasquale, board member, $763,378

Thomas Hutchinson, board member, $645,700

Michael Kaufmann, board member, $530,705

Daniel Brown, board member, $497,077

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David Burnmeister, board member, $478,374

Gregory Brusko, board member, $459,355

Joseph DeFulvio, vice chairman, $458,718

J. Nathan Hagstrom, board member, $427,602

William Miller, board member, $393,017

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Joseph Candio, board member, $379,809

Edward Norris, board member, $378,151

David Richardson, board member, $349,871

Amil Qureshi, board member, $324,780

Mark Wendling, chair, $294,380

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Susan Aloi, former board member, $285,756

Ralph Primelo, secretary, $284,324

John Berzinsky, board member, $266,940

Timothy Friel, board member, $245,834

James Demopoulos Sr., board member, $107,670

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READ MORE

Local college, university employees who earn more than $100K

Lehigh Valley charity and other non-profit employees who earn more than $100K

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
By Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

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The Pennsylvania Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement routinely inspects local restaurants, bars and clubs to make sure they enforce liquor laws. Several Lehigh Valley businesses were cited during sweeps in November.

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The businesses will be called before an administrative law judge, where they face penalties ranging from $50 to $1,000 for minor offenses and up to $5,000 for serious offenses. The judge can potentially suspend or revoke a liquor license or mandate training as a result of a serious citation.

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Tapas on Main was cited Nov. 29 for selling more than 192 ounces of alcoholic beverages to one person for consumption off site on Aug. 3. The restaurant is at 500-504 Main Street in Bethlehem.

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West Side Republican Club of Bethlehem was cited Nov. 20 for having illegal gambling devices or allowing gambling on Aug. 15. The club is at 1207 W. Broad St. in the Lehigh County portion of Bethlehem.

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Alburtis Rod and Gun Club was cited Nov. 20 for failing to submit revenue reports required under the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act. The reports were required Feb. 2 through Sept. 19. The club is at 3818 Gun Club Road in Lower Macungie Township.

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Envy was cited Nov. 15 for allowing a 20-year-old patron inside on Sept. 23, Sept. 24, and other occasions within the past year. The bar is at 215-271 Broadway in Bethlehem.

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Feast-A-Pizza was cited Nov. 15 because its manager did not complete RAMP training within 180 days of board approval of the manager's appointment. The training helps managers understand liquor laws so the business can comply with them. The citation period covers Sept. 27 through Oct. 30. The restaurant is at 2400 Schoenersville Road, Hanover Township, Lehigh County.

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These seven businesses passed a compliance check by the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement on Nov. 30. Each of them correctly declined to sell alcohol to a minor.

The businesses are:

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1231 Blue Moon, 1231 Stekfo Boulevard, Bethlehem

Union Beverage Distributors, 906 Club Ave., Allentown

Neeces Place, 2204 Union Boulevard, Allentown

JSKS 3400 Airport Road, Hanover Township, Lehigh County

Millers Ale House of Allentown, 913 Airport Center Road, Allentown

Gab and Mucks Pub, 1401 Grape Street, Whitehall Township

Rare Hospitality International, 1035 Grape St., Whitehall Township

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These businesses in Schuylkill County passed the compliance check on Nov. 17:

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Lynda Williams, 298 Lincoln Ave., Orwigsburg

Club 18, 110 N. 18th St., Pottsville

58 N. Second St., St. Clair

Martinas Castle, 200 S. Second St., St. Clair

Coal Street Pub and Grub, 22 Coal St., Middleport

Roberto Picone and Cesare Picone, 16. W. Broad St., Tamaqua

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Some businesses an hour or two from the Lehigh Valley were also cited by the Allentown office of the state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement:

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Qun & Wang Inc. was cited Nov. 29 for failing to maintain business records Sept. 13 and Sept. 18. The business is at 219 E. Main St. in Norristown, Montgomery County.

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Luigi was cited Nov. 15 for furnishing alcohol to an 18-year-old on Sept. 9. The restaurant is at 16 Columbia Avenue in Lower Alsace Township, Berks County.

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Logans Roadhouse was cited Nov. 15 for failing to have a manager complete RAMP training between Sept. 14 and Sept. 25. The restaurant is at 65 Wilderness Trail in Tilden Township, Berks County.

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Top of the Barrel was cited Nov. 15 for exchanging malt or brewed beverages with a distributor licensee from Oct. 10, 2015, through Oct. 10, 2017. The restaurant is at 409 E. Broad St. in Tamaqua, Schuylkill County.

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The Doylestown Maennerchor was cited Nov. 15 for selling alcoholic beverages to nonmembers on May 17, May 31, June 28, July 24 and Aug 22. The club is at 40 E. Oakland Ave in Doylestown, Bucks County.

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The Swamp Pike Pub was cited Nov. 6 for furnishing alcoholic beverages to a 19-year-old on Sept. 14. The pub is at 2532 Swamp Pike in New Hanover Township, Montgomery County.

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The Keg Stand was cited Nov. 6 for exchanging malt or brewed beverages with a distributor licensee from Oct. 10, 2015, through Oct. 10, 2017. The bar is at 23 E. Centre St. in Mahony City Borough in Schuylkill County.

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The Orwigsburg Beer Store was cited Nov. 6 for exchanging malt or brewed beverages with a distributor licensee from Oct. 10, 2015, through Oct. 10, 2017. The store is at 298 Lincoln Ave. in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County.

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11 Lehigh Valley bars cited for alleged liquor law violations in early 2017

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
By Rabbi Carl Choper

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that threatens to redefine the concept of religious liberty in America to the point that some people's ability to freely practice religion will be threatened.

A Christian bakery owner in Colorado, Masterpiece Cakeshop, claims he has a First Amendment right to refuse to sell a cake to a gay couple as part of their same-gender marriage celebration, in violation of a Colorado nondiscrimination law and disregarding the religious freedom of its customers. To insist that freedom of religion means the right to hinder someone else's free practice of religion turns the concept of religious liberty on its head.

Let us suppose, for example, there is but one commercially-available banquet hall for rent in an isolated small town, owned and operated by a Christian who believes that his religion is the one true way to life and that all other faiths are a path to death and eternal damnation. Let's also suppose that he believes he must love his neighbor to the point that he cannot do anything to facilitate them walking down these paths.

Now let us suppose in this town there is a small Jewish community, and into that community, a baby boy is born. On the eighth day of that baby's life, the family and its community want to celebrate a bris, a ceremony of entering the Jewish covenant involving the ritual circumcision of the boy, followed by a seudat-mitzvah, a traditionally-mandated banquet meal celebrating the joyous occasion.

The Jewish community would want to rent the only commercially available banquet hall. But in the name of his own religious liberty, the Christian banquet hall owner refuses to rent his hall to the Jewish community, which is effectively prevented from holding its traditionally-mandated banquet. Does the business owner have the right to prevent the small Jewish community from observing their faith?

There have been cases in Pennsylvania in which rape victims have come to emergency rooms only to be denied access to emergency contraception because the hospital disapproved. Suppose there is a Jewish family living in a rural part of Pennsylvania where the only local hospital is a Catholic hospital. Suppose there is some tragedy and a Jewish woman is brought to the emergency room with a condition requiring treatment involving contraception. Catholic teaching and Jewish teaching diverge on this matter. Does the hospital have the right, protected by religious freedom, to prohibit the Jewish patient from following the teachings of her own religion?

In Masterpiece Cakeshop and similar cases, the same-gender couple may understand their own wedding in religious terms -- a religious moment the baker happened to disagree with.

Each of these examples involves one party depriving another of religious liberty in the name of protecting their own religious liberty. In such cases, whose right should be protected?

The Constitution guarantees each American the right to freely practice religion and states the government cannot compel an individual to violate the teachings of his or her own faith without some compelling need. Additionally, though, the state has a Constitutional obligation to provide equal protection of the laws for all persons. The government has a compelling and constitutionally-based reason to uphold equal rights for all its citizens in the public realm. The government cannot allow merchants doing business with the public to serve only those with whom they are in religious agreement.

Just a few decades ago it was common practice for many hotels to refuse service to Jews. Such a practice is illegal today, but it could become legal again if the hotel owner were a Christian who claims it is a violation of religious liberty, based on medieval readings of the New Testament, to be forced to lodge Jews. A legal system under which such religious discrimination was allowed would be failing in its obligation not to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

Is the state, in this case, however, compelling the banquet hall owner to violate his right of religious practice by insisting he must do business with everyone regardless of his own personal religious judgment? No, because the government has not forced the banquet hall owner to be in that business. If he cannot in good conscience run a banquet hall in a manner that allows for the compelling social need that every person must enjoy equal protection of the laws, perhaps he should not be in that business. Or perhaps he should modify his business in some way.

A businessperson who does not feel he can serve people with whom he has deep religious disagreements cannot expect that the larger society will abandon its principles of equal protection of the laws in matters of public accommodation. In a just society, businesses cannot refuse to serve certain customers because of who they are or how they celebrate who they love.

Carl Choper is a community rabbi in Harrisburg and president of Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania.
Greenwich Township police are seeking the public's help after residential burglaries were reported about 10:30 a.m. Monday at two homes on New Village Road.

Police are seeking a white man who is slender and was wearing a black hoodie and jeans. He had a smashed cellphone and was asking for "Johnson." He was driving a silver Toyota with a broken taillight and a spoiler, police said. The car had New Jersey plates that might start with A1.

The man and car were seen on surveillance video, police said.

Anyone with information should call Detective Kyle Lazier at 908-454-1010.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Rathdowney Parish is delighted to welcome back Fr. Liam Lawton for a gala Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 21. This year Liam will bring a full 33 piece orchestra, The Irish Festival Orchestra and it promises to be a magical Christmas Celebration.

In addition to soloists the concert will also feature the Rathdowney Parish Choir and The Creagh Family.

Liam Lawton is an internationally recognised Composer and performer and his music is greatly loved throughout the world. After 9/11 one of Liams early pieces, The Clouds Veil was the most requested song at the many funerals which took place in the New York area as a result of that awful atrocity.

Fr. Lawtons music is steeped in the Celtic tradition and his melodies and lyrics have touched and uplifted people of all age groups throughout the world. Liam was asked recently by the Disney Film company to compose an original song for one of their forthcoming movies.

Liam Lawton travels the length and breadth of Ireland giving Liturgical Music workshops and performing sold out concerts in all of the countrys top music venues. In 2016 he was invited by the Luthern Church in Sweden to compose a piece of music for the visit of Pope Francis to the Scandinavian country. Liam also travelled to Sweden to sing for the pope during the visit.

Liam Lawton has been to Rathdowney on a number of occasions. In 2014 just before Christmas he teamed up with Daniel and Majella ODonnell for a memorable concert in our church. He was also joined by his twin brother Tom and his friend Mary Kennedy from RTE who compered the evening. During our Faithfest in 2016 Liam conducted a Liturgical Music workshop for choirs throughout the diocese and beyond. More recently Liam was the main celebrant at our Pilgrimage celebration in Grogan on August 15th 2017.

This years Gala Christmas Concert is on Thursday 21st of December at 8pm in Holy Trinity Church Rathdowney. Tickets are 30 and are available from Rathdowney Parish Office Tel. 050546282 (0862444594 after hours).
A 26-year-old Laois man forced his way into the home of a 68-year-old man in Mountrath armed with a knife and threatened the man for money in a crime that left the injured party traumatised.

Before the recent sitting of Portlaoise Circuit Court was Stephen Brophy (26), with a previous address listed in Mountrath.

He was charged with a number of offences: assault at the New Road, Mountrath, on November 29, 2016;

Burglary at Castletown Road, Mountrath, between October 31 and November 1, 2016;

Theft of items including a phone, handbags, cash and jewellery from Patrick Street, Mountrath, on November 27, 2016;

And damage to a rear window at a residence at Rushall, Mountrath, between November 19 and November 20, 2016.

Detective Garda JP OBrien gave evidence, along with State prosecutor, Mr Will Fennelly, that on November 29, 2016, a 68-year-old man was returning home to New Road, Mountrath, when he observed the accused close to him. The man returned home and there was a knock on his window, so he went to the door where he encountered the accused.

Brophy forced his way in, with a torch in his left hand and a knife in his right hand, and knocked the injured party to the ground. He held the knife to the injured partys throat and demanded money. The injured party was so traumatised he soiled himself, said Det OBrien.

The injured party had no money and the accused fled the scene. The man suffered a small nick to his cheek and bruising.

The injured party gave a victim impact statement, in which he said the attack had happened the day after his birthday. Since the attack he feels scared and doesnt go out much, saying he feels very traumatised and has to look out the window to check whenever someone calls .

He said he found it very embarrassing wetting himself during the attack and the embarrassment has stayed with him. He said he used to go to the pub to socialise, but now he doesnt go anymore.

Mr Fennelly said the injured party had observed Brophy earlier in the day in a bookmakers shop and knew him. CCTV from the shop was viewed by the gardai and the accused was identified and arrested.

In interview, Brophy said he needed money to try to get a house with his partner. Over the course of interviews at the garda station, he admitted to further offences.

On November 19/20, 2016, the accused entered a house at Rushall and rummaged through it, but nothing was taken.

Between October 31 and November 1, 2016, he entered a house at Castletown Road, after breaking a rear window. Nothing was taken.

On November 27, he stole two handbags from a car at Patrick Street, Mountrath. The property was not recovered.

And on November 28/29, an order was placed with a Chinese restaurant for a delivery in Mountrath. When the delivery man arrived at the location he was approached by two males, one of whom was the accused who had either an iron bar or a knife in his hand. The delivery man was threatened to hand over money, but he refused so the accused grabbed the money and fled the scene.

Brophy had a number of previous convictions, including criminal damage, threatening or abusive behaviour, drunken disorderly, assault causing harm, attempted robbery, and the unauthorised taking of an MPV.

He committed the latest offences while out on bail and went into custody on these matters in December of 2016. He is currently serving a prison sentence on other matters, with a release date of December, 2020.

In response to cross-examining by barrister for the accused, Det OBrien said that when questioned, Brophys first reaction was to tell the gardai to f**k off, however, he then broke down in a fit of crying and told the gardai everything.

Defence said that the accused was homeless at the time and his wife was eight and a half months pregnant, so they were struggling financially.

Taking the witness box, the accused said he wanted to apologise to the victims of his crimes. He said he was in a bad place, and had suffered with problems with heroin in the past, but has been clean of drugs for six years.

After hearing all the evidence, Judge Keenan Johnson said he wanted time to consider before sentencing, and adjourned the matter to December 8.
The U.S. Department of State is closely following the events in Ukraine related to ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, U.S. ambassador to Tbilisi Jan Kelly said.

"First and foremost, I will say that we are closely following this matter, along with the U.S. State Department and my colleague in Ukraine, the ambassador told journalists on Tuesday.

According to him, the main thing in this matter is that a fair legal process should be conducted.

As for the reflection of these events in Georgia, Saakashvili is the former president of Georgia. And it is in our interest to help Georgia move forward, develop and become more successful. We are pleased that Georgia is focused on the future, he said.
A Romanian national directed to pay compensation for a number of theft offences failed to return to court to pay the money as he was arrested that same day on other matters.

Last weeks district court heard that Gavril Anghel (36), with an address at Rossdarragh Glen, Portlaoise, was arrested as he was leaving the court on November 16 last, having been ordered that morning by Judge Catherine Staines to provide compensation in the afternoon.

He was charged that day with a number of offences:

Inspector Ollie Baker gave evidence that on November 25, 2016, the accused went to a store in Laois Shopping Centre where, after confusing the cashier in a scam involving changing banknotes, he stole 168.

On May 26 this year, at Bradshaws on the Stradbally Road in Portlaoise, he took a tool kit valued at 347.

And on July 13 this year, the accused took items from Tesco, Portlaoise, valued at 13.16.

Insp Baker said that the tools from Bradshaws and the stolen groceries from Tesco were recovered, but the third shop was still at a loss of 168.

The accused had previous convictions under the road traffic act.

When the case came before the court in November, Judge Catherine Staines noted that the money had been stolen a year ago and he still had no compensation.

Judge Staines put the matter back to after lunchtime that day, saying that the matter had gone on long enough.

When the case was recalled after lunch, the accused failed to return to court.

In that event, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

When the case returned to court last week, defence, Mr Philip Meagher explained that on the last occasion, as the accused was leaving court he was arrested by Tullamore gardai on other matters.

Mr Meagher said his client now had the 200 to offer as compensation.

He said the accused, a Romanian national with a young family, had fallen on hard times and been out of work.

He was under pressure and had tried to make money through unacceptable ways, said defence.

Judge Catherine Staines said it was a serious matter, but the accused had pleaded guilty and paid compensation.

The judge applied the probation act, telling the accused that if he committed any further offences he could go to prison.
The health service watchdog that found that A&E arrangements at Portlaoise hospital were 'unsustainable' could be given the power to withdraw operating licences and possibly close hospitals.

It is reported that Minister for Health Simon Harris has brought legislation to Cabinet to enshrine patient safety standards for both public and private hospitals within the remit of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

Under the proposed system, all hospitals must apply to the HIQA for a licence and it will be an offence to operate a hospital without one.

RTE reported that the law would also give HIQA the power to cancel a hospital's licence and force its closure if it is not delivering the safest possible service.

HIQA will also be able to attach conditions to a licence and it can order detailed improvement plans to be submitted.

The Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise is probably the most scrutinised hospital in the state. There have been several inquiries and investigations, not least by HIQA.

It spent a year investigating the hospital in the wake of baby deaths at the maternity unit. The investigation was ordered by the Minister for Health. Its subsequent report revealed numerous shortcomings in at local, regional and national management level. it also identified several clinical failings.

In its report published in May 2015, it found that the Emergency Department or A&E was "not clinically sustainable". It said surgical services were not structured to provide safe, acute, and pre-planned surgical care. It said the ICU was "not fit for purpose".

The report made several recommendations one of which was that the HSE come up with a plan for the hospital. The controversial Dublin Midlands Hospital Group downgrade plan is the response to this recommendation.

The DMHG plan recommends removal of A&E, ICU, maternity, paediatrics and most surgery.

This downgrade plan was submitted to Department of Health in December 2016 in the same month as HIQA published a follow up to its 2015 investigation report.

The HIQA progress report acknowledged 'significant progress' had been made but identified fundamental shortcomings.

"However, since the HIQA investigation report published in 2015, the fundamental issue remains unresolved - to function as a model 3 hospital, Portlaoise hospital must be both adequately and sustainably resourced and have the capability through the level of services it can safely provide to manage the full spectrum of patients that may present to be Emergency Department," said HIQA.

"The remaining risks will only be fully addressed through the formulation of enactment of clear strategic plan for the hospital, which is agreed by those with responsibility for the ultimate decision making on the hospital's future," said the report.

The reveiw said: "The HIQA review team believes Portlaoise hospital has now reached a critical juncture".

It retained the view about A&E saying current arrangements around accepting and treating undifferentiated patients who present to Emergency Departments, some of whom may need to go to receive critical care in a different hospital, were "unsustainable within the current service."

The report said that "as a matter of urgency", a clear strategic direction for the hospital that sets out a sustainable model of service must be agreed.
Unconfirmed reports of a bank raid at Bank of Ireland in Newbridge have been scotched by the gardai.

Initial reports suggested that a cash in transit van was reportedly rammed and robbed in an incident on Main Street.

The incident caused long traffic delays through Newbridge this morning, and there was a heavy garda presence in the area.

Eyewitnesses report seeing patrol cars, armed and unmarked units in the town at around 9am. The garda helicopter was also flying over the town at around that time.

The gardai later confirmed that they attended the bank building "in connection with a report of a security alert."

However a spokesperson also said that they left the scene shortly afterwards "as all was in order."

A spokesperson for Bank of Ireland said they could "confirm that no incident took place and business has been operating as usual since mid-morning".

They said that "Gardai were investigating suspicious activity in the Newbridge area this morning which delayed normal opening hours for the bank in Newbridge. We cant comment any further in relation to matters of security."
A major digital investment to be made in Naas which could bring IT jobs to the area.

Enterprise Ireland have approved funding worth 1.9m. the project will be known as the Mid East Regional Innovation think space (MERITS) and the new build project that will cluster Irish and international new technology companies in a collaborative space in Naas .

According to Naas Mayor Rob Power, Kildare County Council will design and build the facility on a section of state owned lands adjacent to the council Headquarters at Aras Cill Dara in Naas.

Naas Mayor Rob Power

Im absolutely thrilled that weve secured the funding for this project. Establishing a Digital Hub in the town not only secures short and long-term employment in the local area but puts Naas on the map internationally as a place to start and grow a digital business," said Cllr. Power.

Mayor Power added: Ten to fourteen years ago the Irish tech sector was a very niche industry confined to Dublin. But as the industry matures so too does the workforce. Where once companies worried about locating in the city centre to attract younger workers, the sector is now witnessing an increasing demand for housing and quality of life for families. Over the next decade, Im confident that Naas can take on any town in the country in this respect - and win.

Kildare County Council is to provide matching funding and it's hoped that the project will pay for itself within three years.
LIMERICK city TD Maurice Quinlivan has said that youth unemployment is far too high and is calling for more investment to be pumped into apprenticeships.

This comes after the release of new figures, showing a major decrease of more than 2,000 in youth unemployment in Limerick.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection recorded a total of 1,229 youths currently in unemployment. In 2012, there were 3,289 youths in unemployment.

Minister Regina ODoherty said that, nationally, there has been a 62% drop in youth unemployment over the past five years.

She stated that she is confident that the Governments Action for Jobs policy will support further reductions in youth unemployment and add to the substantial improvements that have already been seen over the last few years.

Though Deputy Quinlivan welcomes the substantially reduced figures, he said they are far too high.

Many of these young people found themselves unemployed through no fault of their own. Some having graduated secondary school, found they were unable to afford to go onto third level, considering Ireland has the second most expensive third level fees across Europe, and accommodation for college has become unaffordable for most. Others who had the opportunity to take up tertiary education, graduated only to find no job opportunities due to the economic circumstances.

The government must do more to provide these young people with the support they need to get into the workforce, he stated.

Deputy Quinlivan said that Sinn Fein believes investing into apprenticeships will address the youth unemployment problem.

We have set out a five year plan on apprenticeships that aims to substantially increase the number of apprenticeship places and greatly broaden the type of apprenticeship programmes available, to include new areas not previously available such as green technology, hospitality and retail.
THE opening of a new state-of-the art custody suite at Henry Street garda station in Limerick will be of huge benefit to both prisoners and the gardai who are dealing with them.

Thats according to Chief Superintendent David Sheahan who made his comments ahead of the opening of the refurbished facility before Christmas.

Located in the basement area of the garda station, the new custody suite, which cost around 1m to refurbish, includes 12 cells and various ancillary facilities such as six interview rooms, a doctors room, a solicitors room and an exercise yard.

Previously, there were just three interview rooms which were located in a separate upstairs part of the garda station.

The new custody suite, which will cater for around 5,000 prisoners a year, will have a dedicated entrance and reception area meaning those in custody will no longer be brought in via the public office of the garda station.

As part of the works, a new CCTV system, which will record both audio and video, was installed along with panic strips along the corridor walls.

Everything is wired for video, everything is wired for sound so there should be no ambiguity about what happens from the time they (prisoners) enter custody to the time they leave, said Chief Supt Sheahan who added that issues have arisen in the past relating to persons in custody.

Members of the Limerick Joint Policing Committee, last week, visited the refurbished facility which will be the most modern in the country once it opens.

The potential here is really to bring us into the next century in the context of compliance with human rights and legislative provisions, said Chief Supt Sheahan who expects the new custody suite will become a divisional resource once fully operational.

The only time I would expect to see prisoners in Mayorstone or Roxboro Road is when we are oversubscribed here, he told members of the joint policing committee.

Sergeant John Flanagan says the fact that prisoners will no longer have to travel up and down stairs from the public area of the garda station will be a major advantage.

Previously, if you had a very intoxicated person or a very hostile prisoner  bringing him or her down the stairs was extremely dangerous for the person themselves and also for the garda members who had to bring them down, he said.
A LIMERICK councillor has expressed concern about the gritting of a local road, after two minor collisions caused by slippery conditions at a crossroads in the last two days.

An incident this Tuesday morning in Pallaskenry, just 24 hours after another ice-related collision on the same road yesterday morning, prompted Independent Cllr Emmett OBrien to call for gritting on the local road.

For over the last three years I've been requesting the council to grit L1242 from Hegarty's Cross to the Grand Gates, Pallaskenry. While I accept the council will only grit national and regional routes, an exception should be made for this road in view of the high number of students attending Copsewood, 700 pupils, almost 150 agriculture students and primary school kids also, he said.

@LimerickToday @mariaflan another car crash! Have been repeatedly refused by request Council to grit L1242 Hegarty's Cross on N69 to the Grand Gates Pallaskenry. This local road is exceptional with 700 secondary and 150 ag students attending Copsewood & primary school kids also  Cllr Emmett O'Brien (@EmmettOBrienIND) December 12, 2017

The Pallaskenry councillor said that the road is already a slippery surface due to its smooth surface.

The surface of the road is of a regional road standard with an asphalt surface and is highly polished. Even at the best of times, the road is dangerous to use, with high traffic volumes and in some cases high speed. There have been a number of, thankfully non-fatal, crashes on this road over the last number of years, he said.

The council responded that this Local Road is not a route on The Winter Maintenance Plan'.

"Unfortunately, there is no capacity to extend the Maintenance Plan. The response is very disappointing but consistent with what I've been told for the last three years, added Cllr OBrien.
A NEW University of Limerick study has revealed that child involvement in organised crime extends throughout Ireland.

The report has established evidence of the deliberate involvement of children in criminal networks nationally and beyond just the single area it examined in previous research in 2015.

The National Prevalence Study, launched by Minister of State David Stanton, has established that findings from the Lifting a Lid on Greentown research, based on an original single case study design, can be applied nationally. It was undertaken by Dr Catherine Naughton and Dr Sean Redmond, from the UL School of Law.

The original research focused on the activities of children involved in burglary, and drugs for sale and supply offences in Greentown, a real but anonymised locality.

This follow up study involving a survey of Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers across the country, has now given us clear evidence that the profiles of children involved in serious crime, identified in Greentown, are present far more widely, said Dr Redmond.

Importantly the problems highlighted in the Greentown report are not just confined to large urban areas. Children are being groomed into crime by predatory adults and, while relatively small in number, a pattern can been seen across the country.

The research, which was funded by the Department of Justice and Equality, is now informing an expert design team in developing a new intervention programme to help children escape the influence of criminal networks and engage in pro-social activities.

Minister Stanton announced an allocation of 1.2 million secured by the Department of Children and Youth affairs for UL to test the new intervention programme in a local community in Ireland.

He said: "UL is working closely with the Department of Justice and Equality to help reduce the incidences of childrens involvement in gang and organised crime networks in Ireland.

"We know that this problem affects only a minority of children involved in serious and prolific crime such as burglary and illicit drugs sales. However, we also know that many of these children can be trapped in coercive relationships with adult criminals that they find difficult if not impossible to break free from."

Reacting to the study, Dr Geoffrey Shannon, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, said he had "made my concerns clear about the problem of children being groomed by adult criminals in Ireland.

"The work being carried out by the University of Limerick is at the cutting edge in terms of applying the scientific evidence to get to grips with this complex problem. As the Greentown report suggests we need to act simultaneously on targeting adult groomers for attention while at the same time providing safe and realistic options for children to escape these negative influences," he added.
IT looks like passengers using Ryanair services from Shannon Airport will avoid any travel disruption which could come about due to pilots taking strike action.

This Tuesday afternoon, staff Ryanair pilots based in Dublin, who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) announced they would take industrial action over pay, plus terms and conditions of employment.

Staff will go to the gate next Wednesday, December 20, and it has been warned additional strike days could also occur.

But in a strongly worded statement, Ryanair insisted it would face down the actions, and said its pilots in its Shannon base have already agreed pay deals worth 20%.

On this basis, this would rule out the budget carriers pilots based locally from the action.

Ryanair is surprised that IALPA has threatened to disrupt Christmas week travel when IALPAs own numbers confirm that it has the support of less than 28% of Ryanairs over 300 Dublin pilots and when Ryanairs Belfast, Cork and Shannon bases have already agreed these 20% pay deals. While some disruption may occur, Ryanair believes this will largely be confined to a small group of pilots who are working their notice and will shortly leave Ryanair, so they dont care how much upset they cause colleagues or customers, the company's statement read.

As part of a long-held policy, Ryanair has refused to engage with unions, or recognise a new European Employee Representative Council (EERC) that was established to represent Ryanair bases across the continent.

Ryanair said it will deal with any such disruptions "if, or when they arise" and said it wanted to "apologise sincerely" to passengers "for any upset or worry" the threatened action may cause them.

Ryanair operates between Shannon and Londons airports at Gatwick and Stansted, Manchester, Berlin in Germany, Rome in Italy and Kaunas in Lithuania.

On top of this, it also operates Spanish services to Alicante, Barcelona, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Malaga, Mallorca and Tenerife South.
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Russia's hybrid military forces have attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 22 times in the past 24 hours, the press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) headquarters has reported.

"Over the past day, 22 violations of the ceasefire by Russian-terrorist forces were recorded, and no Ukrainian defender was injured as a result of shelling of the enemy," the message posted the page of the ATO headquarters on Facebook on Tuesday morning, reads.

The press centre added that to suppress the enemy fire, in cases when there was a threat to the life and health of Ukrainian troops, the ATO forces returned fire, using weapons that are not prohibited by Minsk agreements.

In the Luhansk sector, the enemy was active near the village of Luhanske after dark. Here, from 21:00 and almost until midnight, the militants were firing every two minutes from 120mm and 82mm mortars on the Ukrainian fortified positions and launched a total of almost one hundred shells. The invaders also employed mortars against the defenders of the villages of Lozove, Krymske and Zaitseve. Moreover, the invaders opened fire from infantry fighting vehicles and infantry weapons on the Ukrainian fortified positions near the villages of Troyitske and Novo-Oleksandrivka.

In the Donetsk sector, Russian occupation forces fired 120mm mortars near the village of Vodiane in the evening hours of Monday, as well as 82mm mortars near the village of Berezove. In addition, the Russian-backed mercenaries violated the ceasefire, shooting from infantry fighting vehicles and small arms near the village of Bohdanivka.
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Russian special services are trying to access the leader of the Movement of New Forces party, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, and his associate, Severin Dangadze, in order to clarify the details of their communication with runaway Ukrainian businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, the prosecutor's office has said.

"One of the options to destabilize the situation in the country could be an attempt by Russian special services assassinate Saakashvili and Dangadze," the prosecutor said on December 11 during a session of the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv, which was choosing a measure of restraint for Saakashvili.

Referring to the main office of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) in Kyiv and Kyiv region, the prosecutor said: "The Russian special services are taking steps to access Saakashvili and Dangadze through their agents in Ukraine in order to clarify the details of conversations between him and Kurchenko and to further identify of Russian citizens who might be involved in documenting the criminal activities of Kurchenko, Saakashvili and Dangadze."

For this reason, the prosecutor asked the court to choose the measure of restraint for Saakashvili in the form of round-the-clock house arrest.

As reported, on December 5, Saakashvili was detained, but his supporters blocked the police van and "freed" him. The politician was placed on the wanted list.

Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said that Saakashvili had received $500,000 from Ukrainian businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, who is hiding in Russia, for his activities in Ukraine and demonstrated an audio recording in support of his words. Saakashvili said that he was not familiar with Kurchenko. His associate, David Sakvarelidze, claimed that the recordings were fake and intended to submit them for foreign examination.

Saakashvili was detained again late on Friday, December 8. The case on Saakashvili was opened pursuant to Part 2, Article 256 of the Criminal Code (assistance to participants of criminal organizations and concealment of their criminal activity), which envisages from five to ten years of imprisonment. After his arrest, he was taken to the SBU's detention center in Kyiv, where he went on a hunger strike.

Early on Monday, December 11, Saakashvili was taken to the building of the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv. Late on December 11, the court refused to grant the motion submitted by the prosecutor's office to choose a measure of round-the-clock house arrest to Saakashvili.
From mid-Aug to mid-Nov 15 civilians killed, 72 more wounded in Donbas - UN mission

The UN monitoring mission on human rights in Ukraine notes a decrease in the number of civilian casualties in Donbas, but notes that 2,500 civilians were killed during the whole period of the conflict.

"OHCHR recorded 87 conflict-related civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine (15 deaths and 72 injuries) between 16 August and 15 November 2017," the 20th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights presented in Kyiv on Tuesday, reads.

The report notes that the number of victims decreased by 48% compared to the previous reporting period (May 16 - August 15, 2017).

Among the main causes of civilian casualties are mines, unexploded ordnance, booby traps and improvised explosive devices, which accounted for 59.8% of the total number of deaths and injuries.

At the same time, at least 2,523 civilians were killed for the entire conflict period (April 14, 2014 to November 15, 2017), of which there are 1,399 men, 837 women, 91 boys, 47 girls, and 149 unidentified people.

In addition, 298 civilians, including 80 children, were killed in the crash of the MH17 flight, July 17, 2014.

In total 7,000-9,000 civilians were injured because of the conflict in the region.

"OHCHR further recommends bring to an end the conflict by adhering to the ceasefire and implementing other obligations undertaken in the Minsk agreements, in particular regarding withdrawal of prohibited weapons and disengagement of forces and hardware," the report reads.

The mission recalls that during the previous reporting period, it was possible to reduce the number of victims, thanks to the "bread truce."
Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has said that he was under pressure to "close his eyes" to the actions of the leader of the New Forces Movement party, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

"I think that now the situation is being ruined solely by the politicization of this case. In recent weeks I have been under enormous pressure to close my eyes to what Saakashvili allows himself. He crosses the border illegally, his supporters beat Ukrainian servicemen, he announces the intention to overthrow the government, he makes a deal with Kurchenko on his own initiative [fugitive businessman Serhiy Kurchenko], who robbed the country for UAH 14 billion and, surely, calls for a change of power ... And now they tell me: just close your eyes, because you just increase the popularity of Saakashvili," he said on 112.Ukraine TV channel on Tuesday.

The Prosecutor General canceled that the state, which does not know how to defend itself against the plans of the Russian Federal Security Service and the actions of the entourage of the fugitive ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, "is doomed to collapse."

"I'm sure that we have an evidentiary basis. If we hadn't, Saakashvili would not constantly flee in from interrogations, but on the contrary, would attend them without flinchin," Lutsenko said.
The UN monitoring mission on human rights in Ukraine notes that the draft law on securing Ukraine's sovereignty over the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (No. 7163) lacks clarity in the issue of regulatory and legal support for the protection of the rights and freedoms of the population of the uncontrolled part of Donbas.

"Although legislation applying to Crimea is mentioned as forming the legal basis for human rights protection in eastern Ukraine, its transposition appears to require adjustments without which the legal certainty requirement may not be satisfied," the 20th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, presented in Kyiv on Tuesday, reads.

OHCHR also has concerns regarding the provision proclaiming blanket non-recognition of acts issued in the territory not under Government control, and urges that, in order to guarantee legal recognition of persons living in these areas, at a minimum that the procedure of recognition of the facts of birth and death occurring in such territories be continued.

"OHCHR takes note of the intention of the legislator to define, in legally binding terms, the conflict in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, it underlines that this position should not be used to impose a narrative - and introduce legal sanctions - restricting the freedom of opinion and expression," the report reads.
Trial of Saakashvili is a marker for peace if there's rule of law in Ukraine  Tymoshenko

Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko has described the situation with former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as "farce trial" and "political reprisal."

"With this kind of judicial reprisal on former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, which is currently taking place in the Pechersky District Court in Kyiv, President Petro Poroshenko, disgraces the whole of Ukraine," Tymoshenko told journalists on Monday, December 11, during a break in the court session on choosing a measure of restraint for Saakashvili.

"This is just a farce trial, which is now going on here. This is an absolutely unprincipled thing, it's a trial without motivation, all things in the case are falsified... With such judicial and prosecutorial reprisals, Poroshenko disgraces not himself, but the whole Ukraine," she said.

Speaking in the court, Tymoshenko asked the judge not to apply any preventive measure against Saakashvili.

"We just need to free the person who is being subjected to such a political outrage today," she said.

According to her, the entire world is watching this trial: "This trial is a marker, a litmus test, whether, after two revolutions in Ukraine, there's rule of law, fair courts, and prosecutors who serve the constitutionIt is not only the case of Saakashvili that is being heard here. The case of Ukraine is being heard here!" Tymoshenko said.
A weeklong strike in Oakland ended Monday night after a mediation session concluded between representatives for the city and its largest union, allowing major services to resume Tuesday morning with city workers back on the job.

Negotiators for the city and the labor group spent eight hours Monday holed up in separate conference rooms in the Marriott Hotel in downtown Oakland, bringing point-by-point contract terms to their go-between, David Weinberg, a former Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service commissioner.

No deal resulted from the first of what could be many mediation sessions, but union leaders said it restored their optimism and faith in the bargaining process.

After seven months of negotiations, some 3,000 members of the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 walked off the job Dec. 5 and picketed outside City Hall, forfeiting a weeks worth of pay to protest what they said were the citys unfair labor practices and bad-faith bargaining.

Although the citys emergency services have been operating, the strike shut down street cleaning, road repairs, libraries, child care centers, senior care centers, building inspections and other city services.

Lawyers for the city filed complaints with the state Public Employment Relations Board alleging the strike was unlawful. On Monday night, Mayor Libby Schaaf said she was pleased the work stoppage was over.

We are so grateful to the Oakland residents for their patience as we have gone through this week without our valuable city services, she said. We are so happy that Oakland is getting back to work.

City Administrator Sabrina Landreth, who was in the mediation session, said the healthy dialogue was respectful, professional and productive. She said the parties reached an agreement around working conditions, but didnt go into details.

Any deal that emerges from mediation, set to resume Monday, will need approval from SEIU members and the City Council.

The striking SEIU workers were joined by 1,000 members of International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, who also gave up their pay. The two groups, and other Oakland employees who refused to cross the picket line, represent well over half the city workforce.

All were expected to return to work Tuesday. Some who work overnight shifts were clocking in at 11 p.m. Monday.

Many employees were returning to steep backlogs of work  but Felipe Cuevas, a heavy-equipment mechanic for the Public Works Department and SEIU chapter president, said the workload was nothing new.

You work overtime until your body cant do it anymore, he said. Then you rest. And then you go back and you do it again as asked. Were so understaffed.

The dispute between SEIU and the city is focused on the second half of a two-year contract, as well as on noneconomic issues, like working conditions and the citys use of temporary part-time employees. The two sides agree on first-year terms, which include giving workers a 4 percent wage increase, retroactive to July 1, when the unions last contract expired.

The citys most recent offer, made Thursday, would guarantee a 1 percent raise in the second year and give an additional 1 percent if certain revenue targets are met.

The SEIU countered with a request for a 4 percent increase in the second year of the contract, with wages increasing by 1 percent in each quarter. The city rejected the proposal Friday and declared an impasse.

The Oakland strike, described as indefinite when it began last week, was different from most walkouts by public-sector unions, which typically have a timetable for returning to work, said Fred Glass, who teaches labor history at City College of San Francisco and previously worked as spokesman for the California Federation of Teachers.

Its a signal that the union is very serious about this. The workers are willing to make a sacrifice, Glass said Monday before the strike was halted. Given the great and growing economic inequality, particularly in the Bay Area, I wouldnt be surprised if we were to see more militant activities by working people attempting to keep up with the cost of living.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
The grueling battle to halt the fire threatening Santa Barbara and celebrity-filled communities along the coast of California is being waged over a vast rolling backcountry stretching inland over steep mountains, through wooded gullies and along inaccessible chaparral-covered cliffs.

Nearly 7,000 firefighters, tanker planes and helicopters pounded the Thomas Fire on Monday after stubborn Santa Ana winds died down, slowing the relentless march of flames through Southern California.

The fire, which was 20 percent contained Monday morning, grew to 231,700 acres and late in the day was burning around Carpinteria and headed toward multimillion-dollar celebrity homes in Montecito. It is the largest and most destructive of six wind-driven fires burning between Santa Barbara and San Diego.

Were sending ground resources everywhere where we can send them in, but if those areas dont have roads we cant send people in there, said Capt. Issac Sanchez of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. Weve got the best firefighters in the country engaged on this fire right now. Our goal is certainly to keep it away from all of these communities, but its an incredibly dynamic fire and we have to deal with a lot of variables.

The Thomas Fire, which started in Ventura County on Dec. 4, is now the fifth-largest wildfire in modern state history. It has forced evacuations of 94,607 people as it has crackled through neighborhoods, woodlands and grasslands, jumping roads and destroying 867 structures.

More than 18,000 homes are being threatened over an area measuring nearly 360 square miles, and flames are licking up against the Los Padres National Forest on three sides. Cal Fire said the estimated damage was just over $48 million so far.

This things a monster, Jason Hodge, a firefighter with the Ventura County Fire Department, said Monday. Right now the thing thats really unique about this fire is just the sheer width of it. Just to drive from one end of the fire (in Fillmore in Ventura County) to the other (in Santa Barbara County) with no traffic takes 45 minutes.

Nearly 2,000 more firefighters from all over California and the western United States, including fire departments in San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda County, Hayward and Fremont, were brought in Sunday to fight the fire, bringing the total to 6,397  one of the largest deployments in California history. One firefighter from Redding broke his leg fighting the fire over the weekend, Cal Fire officials said.

Planes, helicopters and fire crews attacked the northwestern edge of the fire Monday in an attempt to prevent flames from rolling further into Carpinteria and Summerland.

Hodge said six structures in Carpinteria, just 11 miles southeast of Santa Barbara, have been destroyed.

Montecito and Carpinteria are home to such celebrities as talk-show hosts Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey and actors Rob Lowe and Jeff Bridges.

Degeneres tweeted Sunday that she evacuated her pets from the $7.2 million Montecito home she purchased last December.

Everyone in the Montecito area is checking up on each other and helping to get people and animals to safety, Degeneres tweeted. Im proud to be a part of this community. Im sending lots of love and gratitude to the fire department and sheriffs.

Peace be Still, is my prayer tonight, tweeted Winfrey. For all the fires raging thru my community and beyond.

Janet Upton, a deputy director of Cal Fire, said celebrities living in the area have been extremely helpful transmitting fire information to their neighbors.

They just help us try to keep people calm and give validated information, amplifying what public safety officials are saying, Upton said. We appreciate the assist there.

Upton said Lowe and other stars living in the area were also helpful during previous fires, including the Jesusita Fire, which burned 8,733 acres in the Santa Barbara hills in 2009, and the Zaca Fire, which scorched 240,207 acres in the San Rafael Mountains northeast of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County in 2007.

Mandatory evacuations were in place Monday for some Santa Barbara neighborhoods and the community of Montecito, north of Highway 192, and eastern parts of Carpinteria, according to officials in Santa Barbara County. An evacuation shelter was set up at UC Santa Barbaras Recreation Center.

If there was one bright spot Monday, it was how few casualties there have been during the disaster. Only one person has died, a 70-year-old Santa Paula woman killed in a car crash as she attempted to evacuate.

For all the challenges that this fire has presented, Hodge said, the fact that weve had so few injuries and really havent seen the lives lost that this fire has the potential for has kept people in pretty good spirits overall.

A red flag warning was in place for Santa Barbara County through Monday evening, but although the Santa Ana winds had died down, they were expected to continue throughout the week, forecasters said.

Gusts on Monday were forecast to reach up to 30 mph at higher elevations, with gusts up to 20 mph in the valleys, said Matt Mehle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The air mass is still extremely dry, Mehle said. Thats why there is still concern out there. Warm and dry conditions will continue through Thursday.

Tom Rolinski, a senior meteorologist for the U.S. Forest Service, said it is not at all unusual to have offshore winds in December and January, but rarely has he seen it this dry this late in the year.

What is unusual is that we haven't had any significant or meaningful precipitation since last March, Rolinski said. Weve had this in October, but I cant recall  and Ive been here 22 years  when weve had everything come together for a fire siege in December.

There is a slight possibility of rain around Dec. 20, Mehle added.

As the Thomas Fire raged on, firefighters made headway in the battle against four other blazes that sprouted throughout the region last week.

In San Diego County, the Lilac Fire  which has burned 4,100 acres, leveled at least 151 structures and damaged 56 others  was 80 percent contained Monday. Full containment on the blaze was expected by Dec. 21, Cal Fire reported.

The 15,619-acre Creek Fire, which ignited in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles County, was at 95 percent containment. At least 60 residential buildings and 63 outbuildings were destroyed in the fire, and 81 other structures were damaged.

The 6,049-acre Rye Fire in Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County) that started Tuesday was 93 percent contained. Six structures were destroyed and three were damaged.

The 422-acre Skirball Fire, which broke out Wednesday in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, was 85 percent contained. Twelve structures were damaged and six destroyed.

Meanwhile, evacuations were lifted for most of Ventura and Santa Paula, where the Thomas Fire started near Thomas Aquinas College around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 4.

Most school districts throughout Santa Barbara County remained closed Monday, with some, including Santa Barbara Unified, Carpinteria Unified and Montecito Unified, expected to remain closed until after the holiday break.

Last week President Trump declared a federal state of emergency for the second time since wildfires ravaged Northern California in October and killed 44 people, ordering federal assistance to supplement state and local emergency response.

In a visit Saturday to the fire-torn areas, Gov. Jerry Brown called on the federal government to invest more in infrastructure and firefighting capacity.

Peter Fimrite and Sarah Ravani are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com, sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite, @SarRavani
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A San Antonio man who operated websites selling camping and outdoor-sporting gear that racked up hundreds of consumer complaints has landed in the states cross hairs.

Attorney General Ken Paxton last week filed a civil lawsuit against Robert Markum Jr., who has has done business as Outdoors Online and campingingandfishingoutlet.com, alleging he sold counterfeit Yeti products and didnt deliver items to consumers altogether.

Efforts to locate Markum for comment were unsuccessful. The lawsuit lists an address for him on Wilderness Paw in San Antonio, but he apparently no longer lives there.

RELATED: Yeti Coolers sues competitors Axis Cups, Bayou Ice Boxes

Both the OutdoorsOnline.com and campingandfishingoutlet.com websites are no longer in operation, the attorney general said in its lawsuit. A spokeswoman for the attorney general declined to comment. The suit was filed in Bexar County district court.

The Better Business Bureau issued a warning about both websites earlier this year after receiving hundreds of complaints and dozens of negative reviews from consumers in 44 states. The BBB never received a response from the businesses despite multiple phone calls and messages, it said in a statement in January.

Since that statement, BBB regional director Miguel Segura said it received 768 additional complaints about Outdoors Online.

RELATED: After settlement with Yeti, Rtic announces redesigned coolers, tumblers

Some consumers detailed problems they encountered with the websites in sworn statements filed with Paxtons lawsuit.

Lori McGettrick of Washington state said in an August affidavit that she spent $40 for a 30-ounce Yeti cup on campingandfishingoutlet.com. She later returned to buy a 20-ounce Yeti cup for $30.

More than two months after her first order, she said, received a package shipped from China that contained the 30-ounce cup.

After I opened the package and inspected the cup, I was immediately suspicious, she said in her statement. She then compared the cup with a Yeti cup that belonged to a friend. I was certain the cup I had received was not an authentic Yeti, she said.

RELATED: Whataburger releases official YETI Rambler Tumbler

McGettrick requested a refund for both cups but never received a response. I have been unsuccessful in recovering the money from my credit card company, she added.

Yeti Coolers, based in Austin, was alerted to the outdoorsonline.com website and purchased a Yeti-branded 20-ounce pink tumbler. Jeni Zuercher, Yetis global brand protection manager, declared the item counterfeit, according to a declaration she gave in July. She noted the item was of inferior quality and had misspelled labeling and incorrect markings.

A call to the company was not immediately returned.

Paxton sued Markum under the states Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The attorney general is asking the court to impose civil penalties of up to $20,000 for each violation and to issue an order directing Markum to turn over any ill-gotten gains.

RELATED: Yeti puts big dollar signs on bags and buckets

Segura of the BBB said consumers should be be alert for fake websites that target shoppers through advertisements on social media sites. Outdoors Online advertised on Facebook, the lawsuit says.

If youre already looking for an item, they can ping you and start targeting ads to you. Theyll offer a steep discount, he said.

News researcher Misty Harris contributed to this article.

pdanner@express-news.net
Harry is off the market, but the royal books are still on the shelf.

To help pass the time as you await your invitation to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's spring wedding, here are some books to indulge your deepest Anglophilia. Laura Hartmann-Villalta, who teaches English at Georgetown and founded a D.C.-based royal reading meetup group, helped put together this list:

"Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life" (Random House), by Sally Bedell Smith.

Smith's lengthy biography, released in April, tells the story of the longest heir-in-waiting. Prince Charles tends to get a bad rap, not least because of a certain mistress-turned-second wife. Smith delves into the doomed relationship between Charles and Princess Diana, and his love affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. But she does so kindly; Charles emerges as an eccentric and complicated man - funny, warm, sensitive and lonely.

(See also Smith's biographies of Diana and Queen Elizabeth II.)

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"The Diana Chronicles" (Anchor, paperback), by Tina Brown.

More than 20 years after her death, the Princess of Wales remains queen of our hearts. Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair, the New Yorker and the British gossip magazine Tatler, offers plenty of juicy, detail-heavy dirt on Diana. For example, Brown writes that the night before Diana's wedding, the 20-year-old got "sick as a parrot" after eating everything in sight, then hopped on an elderly page's bike and peddled in circles, singing, "I'm going to marry the Prince of Wales tomorrow!" When Brown asked former prime minister Tony Blair if he thought Diana's life signified a "new way to be royal," he replied: "No. Diana taught us a new way to be British."

(See also Andrew Morton's "Diana: Her True Story," which was reissued in June.)

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"William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls" (Hachette), by Katie Nicholl.

Prince Harry's former love Chelsy Davy broke up with him on Facebook by changing her relationship status to "single." Such is the kind of tidbit we glean from Nicholl's 2010 book about the royal brothers. Nicholl, a British columnist, chronicles their lives from childhood through adulthood, including the period after their mother died, and examines their relationship with their father and Camilla Parker-Bowles. Harry emerges as strong, confident and easy-mannered, with a penchant for pranks.

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"The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1: Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen" (1947-1955) (Crown Archetype), by Robert Lacey.

Anyone who tuned in to the first season of Netflix's popular series "The Crown" will recall the scene in Kenya when Elizabeth Mountbatten learns her father, King George VI, has died, and that she'll become queen. Royal biographer Robert Lacey, a historical consultant to the Netflix series, here describes the mother who doubted Elizabeth's marriage, the husband who resented having to sacrifice his career and family name, the uncle who scoffed at her abilities - and of course, the resolve that kept her on top. The book dives deeper into royal history than the show and is visually impressive, illustrated with full-page archival photos.

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"That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor" (St. Martin's Griffin, paperback), by Anne Sebba.

Meghan Markle isn't the first American divorcee to win a Royal's heart. In the 1930s, Wallis Simpson, a divorced socialite, allegedly seduced King Edward VIII, becoming his mistress. He famously abdicated his throne to marry her, and Queen Elizabeth declared her "that woman." Graffiti smeared across England walls read "Down with the American harlot." Sebba's multifaceted biography re-examines the couple's courtship and marriage, relying in part on newly discovered letters Wallis wrote to one of her former husbands. Sebba also provides keen insight on what it meant to be divorced and American in 1936, particularly in England.

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"A Royal Duty" (Putnam), by Paul Burrell.

Some of us marry into the royal family; others join it through the workforce. When Burrell was 8 years old, the working-class boy from a north England mining village was taken to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Smitten, he pledged to work for the royal family one day. Ten years later, he made good, becoming a footman to the queen and then Diana's butler and confidante. His tell-all is full of gossip about Diana's marriage, divorce and "gentleman friends," plus descriptions of royal service - running everywhere so as not to keep Prince Charles waiting; tying dusters around his feet to walk along the state dining-table.

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"The Queen and I" (Penguin), by Sue Townsend.

If you'd rather binge on the royals via wickedly funny fiction, try Townsend's 1992 novel featuring Diana, Charles, Philip, little Harry and William, and even one of the Queen's corgis. When a republican party wins the general election, the monarchy is dismantled and the royal family is sent to a housing estate to live like all the other Brits. How will they cope when their caviar is replaced with boiled eggs? Townsend's tale, since turned into a play, is a charming, clever "what if."

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Haupt is a health editor and a freelance features writer based in Washington, D.C.
Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose

By Joe Biden

Audible Studios. Unabridged, 9 hours

Joe Biden reads his own memoir in his pleasantly husky voice. The book is an affecting account of his son Beau's struggle with brain cancer and his eventual death at 46. During that time, Biden was performing the myriad duties of vice president, aspects of which take up sections of the book, including dealing with the volatile situation in Ukraine. All the while, he was weighing whether to run for president in the 2016 election. He chose not to, partly on Obama's advice - who saw Clinton as the shoo-in Democratic candidate - and partly on the advice of a friend who felt he should not take on the task of campaigning while he and his family were in deep mourning. Still, the title comes from Beau himself who had strongly urged his father to run and told him, "You got to promise me, Dad, that whatever happens, you're going to be all right." Biden says Beau meant he must continue to fulfill his obligations to the wider world, which includes running for the highest office. Though Biden keeps regret about the 2016 election out of his voice, there is a strong sense that he's looking forward to 2020.

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Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder

By Caroline Fraser

Recorded Books. Unabridged, 21-1/2 hours

Caroline Fraser's magnificent biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder sets the author of the "Little House" novels firmly in her historical and ecological context. Fraser moves from the last years of the frontier and the brutal eviction of Native Americans, through the trials of homesteading, on to the drought, dust storms and economic devastation of the Great Depression and beyond to show Wilder's role in shaping the story of the American West. The famous episodes that found fictional form in her novels are examined here, including the rigors of the long winter, plagues of locusts, wildfires and the family's constant migration, the result of the father's refusal to see that "his ambition for a profitable farm was irreconcilable with a love of untrammeled and unpopulated wilderness." The book is also a biography of Wilder's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, a reckless chancer, opportunist and dark begrudger. As a daughter, she was hard work, but as an editor of her mother's books, she was invaluable, and her contributions were crucial to the novels' success, the work of each woman creating "a transcendent whole." Christina Moore reads the book in a warm, engaging, mid-American voice and is notably deft and unobtrusive in altering the cadence of her delivery in distinguishing between general narration and quoted passages.

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Improvement

By Joan Silber

Blackstone Audio. Unabridged, 6 hours

Spanning the 1970s to the near present, Joan Silber's quietly brilliant novel "Improvement" weaves an intricate, zigzagging pattern out of the lives of a dozen people, and six well-chosen narrators provide the voices. The novel begins and ends with Reyna, a young single mother, whose chapters are delivered by the kindly-voiced Cassandra Campbell. From her, we learn of Reyna's boyfriend, who has a get-rich scheme to smuggle cigarettes from Virginia into New York - an endeavor in which Reyna wisely refuses to take part. But her decision has fatal consequences. The multiplicity of voices in this production gives a wonderful aural dimension to the weave of inadvertently interlocked lives.three

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Powers reviews audiobooks for The Washington Post every month.

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WASHINGTON - Choreographer-turned-director Trish Sie traveled to D.C. last week for a screening of "Pitch Perfect 3," the latest installment of the music-and-dance franchise about the demimonde of competitive a cappella. But the visit isn't your typical stop on the press junket so much as a homecoming: Sie grew up in the Friendship Heights neighborhood, and her Washington bona fides include attending National Cathedral School and the Washington School of Ballet.

Alas, her mom and dad couldn't attend her event, even though it's just down the street. "They're in L.A. babysitting the kids," Sie says. "Isn't that irony?"

Sie, who also directed the 2014 dance flick "Step Up: All In," got her big break choreographing videos for the rock band OK Go, which is fronted by her brother Damian Kulash. We caught up with Sie just as she was heading to the screening to chat about her early Fellini-knockoff films, directing a franchise and talking to Al Gore about barn owls.

Q: What was your childhood in Washington like?

A: I don't think I realized how much I loved living in D.C. until I left. I never knew you had to pay to go to museums. I never knew you had to pay to go to the zoo. I was so mobile from an early age because I could take the bus, I could take the subway.

If you had to do a project on insects for your fourth-grade science class, you could go to the Smithsonian and see the world's most incredible collections of insects. I did all of that and thought that's the way the world worked, and it was kind of a cruel shock to move away and discover you don't have that in every city.

Q: Tell me about your relationship with your brother - were you guys collaborating even back when you were kids?

A: Definitely. He's younger than I am, so I had the advantage of being the bossy older sister, and he had the advantage of being cooler way earlier than me. My friend and I would do these really elaborate acts - sort of halfway parody, halfway homage to Milli Vanilli ... my brother would help me with the moves and I would help him and his friends when they were making these short films.

We got the family camcorder, which was the size of this table, and we would run around shooting. They were non-linear to say the least. It would be, like, my brother in a contorted position on the floor ... and I would whip a red silk bedspread off of him and reveal him like a magic trick, and that would be that scene. We thought we were Fellini-esque. Or like someone barfing into a toilet, but it was fake barf and then you'd say the word "Athena" to the camera really slowly.

As we got older, he had a band and I would help choreograph the band and he would help choreograph my dance stuff. We were always close collaborators.

Q: When did you realize you wanted to make a career out of all the stuff you'd been doing just for fun?

A: Really, really late. I went away to college thinking that dance and music were just going to be hobbies, and that I'd get a regular job and do those on the side. But then I realized that I was bad at all the normal stuff. Out of college, I had a receptionist job and failed. I tried to work for a laser-beam company and that failed. I was a terrible employee. I was easily bored and I couldn't focus and I got really lazy.

I started teaching dance part-time and that took off. It seemed effortless compared to sitting at a miserable desk making $7 an hour answering the phone. I built my own studio and was doing choreography for other people and then for OK Go and then shooting and getting recognized as a director. I hate to say it was effortless because of course you work hard, but you get in the flow where you do the thing you're supposed to be doing and you're not fighting so hard.

Q: How did you feel coming to a franchise like "Pitch Perfect" - especially since you were replacing Elizabeth Banks?

A: It was terrifying. The stakes are very high. The "Pitch Perfect" world is so known and established and I am a big fan of the franchise and I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Banks, so knew I had big shoes to fill. I knew it was like, jump in the deep end ... and you're either going to do this well or you're going to fail horribly and it will be end of your career.

Q: So no pressure or anything. How did you get the job?

A: Liz Banks and I went to college together - we didn't know each other then, but we both went to Penn. When they needed to find another director, I know it was important to her to try to find a woman and we have the same company repping us in L.A. so it was not too hard to get that first meeting. Because we have a fair amount in common, we hit it off. Prepping a movie like "Pitch Perfect" is big - there's location scouting, visual effects, rehearsing numbers, staging them, managing a big, big crew; managing a bunch of actors who have been with this franchise for a long time and have strong opinions, also.

My OK Go videos, while they're nothing like "Pitch Perfect," have required that same level of detail. It's a logistical nightmare. It made (Banks and her husband Max, who were producers) feel like I could handle it. There was creative stuff, too, but honestly, I think it was the CEO-ish-ness of it all that made them feel like I could do it.

Q: Are you worried about the reaction from fans who have very specific expectations after two installments?

A: I've had a lot of social media feedback from fans, and I know what some of them want, and some of it you can deliver and some you can't. Look, this franchise exists because of these hardcore fans who just love it and have supported it. So it pains me that some people are going to be disappointed, whether it's they didn't get the love story they wanted or it wasn't good enough or there wasn't enough singing or the song they wanted wasn't in there.

Q: Why do you think it's important to have a female director on this movie?

A: It's important to have more female directors in general, just because we're half the population and so we might as well be half the voices out there. I don't love the idea that certain movies should be directed by women and certain movies should be directed by men because I would hate to be told, "Oh, this is a Formula One movie or a movie about karate, so it needs to be a dude." I wouldn't want anyone telling me that, so I would hate to say, "It's a girl-power movie so it has to be directed by a girl," but obviously we all know the optics of this. It's a franchise that wants to be very empowering to women, and it's a good place to put your money where your mouth is.

Q: Favorite movie musical?

A: Oooh. Probably a Fosse one. I would say "All That Jazz."

Q: OK, weird question: Kristin Gore is your sister-in-law (she's married to Sie's brother). Do you ever run into Al, like, at the Thanksgiving table?

A: Funny you should ask. He's like a normal grandpa guy. He was really engaged with my kids at Thanksgiving. He wanted to talk about what they were reading for school. And we talked about barn owls. We talked about sourdough bread, because my husband's into baking sourdough from scratch. It was just very folksy. If you didn't know he was Al Gore, you wouldn't know he was Al Gore.

Q: So what's next for you?

A: I'm starting to read scripts. I'm writing a script. I'd like to do TV. I'd like to do something where I can mold a world from scratch. The two movies I've done have both been franchise movies, which is awesome because you have a built-in fan base and momentum. But I would really love now to just create something from the ground up.
The New Yorker magazine, one of the media outlets that has led the way in exposing sexual misconduct by prominent men, severed ties with its leading Washington, D.C., reporter, Ryan Lizza, on Monday after what the magazine called "improper sexual contact."

But Lizza vigorously denied the allegation, saying in a statement that the decision to terminate him was "a terrible mistake."

Nevertheless, Lizza became the latest media figure to have allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct. The list includes "Today" show host Matt Lauer, CBS "This Morning" host Charlie Rose, NBC News commentator Mark Halperin, NPR editor Michael Oreskes, public-radio host Tom Ashbrook, New York Times White House reporter Glenn Thrush and Fox News' Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly.

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, a New Yorker spokeswoman said, "The New Yorker recently learned that Ryan Lizza engaged in what we believe was improper sexual conduct. We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza. Due to a request for privacy, we are not commenting further."

The privacy request referred to Lizza's accuser, not to Lizza himself.

Lizza disputed the magazine's determination, saying in a statement, "I am dismayed that the New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate. The New Yorker was unable to cite any company policy that was violated."

He added, "I am sorry to my friends, workplace colleagues, and loved ones for any embarrassment this episode may cause. I love the New Yorker, my home for the last decade, and I have the highest regard for the people who work there. But this decision, which was made hastily and without a full investigation of the relevant facts, was a terrible mistake."

Lizza was apparently the subject of a single complaint about non-consensual behavior, though the behavior in question hasn't been disclosed.

Douglas Wigdor, a veteran New York litigator who said he is representing the woman who accused Lizza, denied the journalist's characterization. "In no way did Mr. Lizza's misconduct constitute a 'respectful relationship' as he has now tried to characterize it," Wigdor said in an emailed statement. "Our client reported Mr. Lizza's actions to ensure that he would be held accountable and in the hope that by coming forward she would help other potential victims."

In addition to writing about the White House for the New Yorker, Lizza is a contributor to CNN, where he analyzes and comments on national politics. Asked for comment, a CNN spokeswoman said, "We have just learned of the New Yorker's decision. Ryan Lizza will not appear on CNN while we look into this matter."

Lizza, who previously wrote for the New Republic magazine, landed perhaps the biggest scoop of his career in July when he published an unexpurgated interview with newly named White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. Scaramucci's profanity-laced remarks about several of his new colleagues, including chief of staff Reince Preibus and chief strategist Steve Bannon led to Scaramucci's firing several days later.

The New Yorker has been one of the leading publications in covering the harassment scandal surrounding Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Lizza was not involved in that coverage.

He also unwittingly became caught up in the news in 2013 when he attempted to sign up for health insurance on Healthcare.gov, the then-new website for Obamacare. He described the experience in a series of tweets, noting at first that he was successful in setting up an account. But then he ran into problems in completing the sign up, mirroring the experience of millions of users, who faced glitches in the site's earliest days.

The Obama White House tweeted out his earliest tweets, however, conveying the false impression that signing up was easy. The administration eventually acknowledged issues with the site, which underwent a multimillion-dollar makeover.
As "The Other Side of Hope" opens, two men are leaving home. One is hiding in a coal compartment on a freighter. The other has just placed his house keys and wedding band on a table in front of an unhappy woman. Both, in a sense, have left everything behind.

Although much of Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's film takes place in the same city - Helsinki - it sometimes seems as if each of these characters occupies a wildly different planet from the other. Khaled (Sherwan Haji), the man from the freighter, is a Syrian refugee seeking asylum in Finland; Wikstrom (Sakari Kuosmanen), a Finnish native, has made a midlife career change by buying a spectacularly failing restaurant.

Upon arriving in the new city, Khaled marches directly to the police station. There, he begins the slog toward freedom, involving a sterile refugee center, lots of interviews and reams of paperwork. Khaled's story plays out like a coolly objective look at the current refugee crisis in Western Europe. Who gets to stay and who must go depends, apparently, on a capricious system: You can't send them all home, but they can't all stay here, either.

Wikstrom's story, for the most part, seems to take place not just in a different movie, but in an entirely different time period, with sets and costumes - and Kaurismaki's directorial choices - all suggesting the 1960s, not today. Wikstrom's life and his restaurant represent Old Finland, where the only choice at lunch is meatballs or sardines. For Khaled, on the other hand, Helsinki is a city of imports: One of the first sounds he hears upon arriving is a street musician singing the blues. Khaled's new life includes encounters with Iraqis, Iranians and Somalis. Wikstrom's world is Finnish to the core.

After the two characters meet - as surely they must - Kaurismaki presents the ensuing clash-and-blend of cultures as representative of Finland's struggle to adapt to a changing world, a struggle that is taking place around the globe. That doesn't mean that every foray into internationalism is a wise one. Wikstrom briefly changes his restaurant to a sushi spot, with unhappy results.

For many, Kaurismaki's style might be the equivalent of Finnish sushi: an acquired taste. His camera, for the most part, is static, as are his actors, who often deliver their lines in a flat affect akin to characters from Yorgos Lanthimos's "The Lobster" and "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." Even at a little over 1 1/2 hours, "The Other Side of Hope" is not a film for the impatient, featuring long stretches of silence and lingering takes of people's largely-still faces.

Still, the audience's sense of waiting for something to happen makes sense in context, paralleling Khaled's and Wikstrom's hopeful anticipation that something - anything - will fall into place and move things along more quickly.

It's refreshing to see a film about the refugee crisis that doesn't rely on cliche, but the fact remains: The mundane is mundane. After all, how many people go to the movies to re-create the experience of negotiating a bureaucracy?

---

Two stars. Unrated. Contains mild violence. In Finnish, English and Arabic with subtitles. 98 minutes.

Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time.
The real number of IDPs from Crimea to the mainland of Ukraine is several times higher than official data, First Deputy Minister of Information Policy Emine Dzhaparova said.

"According to official estimates, there are 27,000 IDPs [from Crimea to the mainland of Ukraine]. We believe that according to unofficial data they are two or three times more," Dzhaparova said during a conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

She noted that in the context of Crimea's annexation, the Russian Federation is unprecedentedly violating human rights on the peninsula, and "the level of repression in Crimea is unprecedented" - forced passportization, searches of Crimean Tatars, their detention and arrests.
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It has taken almost a year and three separate recommendations by City Manager Horacio De Leon, but Kristina Hale has officially been appointed city attorney.

"I'm a lifelong Laredoan, so I feel it's an incredible privilege to be selected," Hale told LMT.

Hale has previously worked for the Texas Attorney General's Office, the Webb County Attorney's Office, and has been an attorney with the City of Laredo for over 10 years.

MORE ON LMTOnline.com: Sen. Zaffirini details 'scary' accident in FB post

She is now Laredo's first female city attorney.

In this new role she plans to bring the number of staff at the City Attorney's Office to the level of other cities comparable to Laredo. The average number of attorneys in the city's office during Hale's tenure is about three, she said, including the municipal court attorney. There are now five attorneys and two vacant spots in the office, and she hopes to seek out one or two more in the next budget cycle.

Hale said her goal is to have attorneys that concentrate in certain subjects, such as real estate, trial litigation, community development and economic development.

There are still a few cases that the city goes to outside counsel to handle. Hale said she would also like to get to the point where all litigation is handled in house.

When then-City Attorney Raul Casso announced he was stepping down on Jan. 1 of this year, Hale was appointed to his position in the interim.

Five months later, at a May 15 meeting, then-City Manager Jesus Olivares was set to make a recommendation for the city's police chief and city attorney positions. However, he announced his retirement at that meeting before he could make the recommendations.

RELATED: Pet rescue groups meet with City Council, create plans for facility

A week later, then-Interim City Manager De Leon said he had interviewed two people for the permanent city attorney position, and recommended Hale for the role. But council was split on the vote. Mayor Pete Saenz would have been tasked with breaking the tie, but abstained, saying he wanted to open up a greater pool of applicants for the position.

Then at a July 17 meeting, De Leon again recommended Hale. Council again split their vote.

At Monday's meeting, De Leon recommended Hale for the third time, and council finally accepted the recommendation, 7-1.

Councilman Alberto Torres was the one dissenting vote. When this issue came up at previous council meetings, he also voted against, saying he wanted to wait until the recommendation came from a permanent city manager. But even now that De Leon holds the position, Torres chose to vote against his recommendation.

"I feel I am one of the few council members that has voted consistently on these issues that have come before us time after time," Torres said. "I have voted against her since the beginning. I respect my colleagues' decision and I wish Ms. Hale the best."

Council members Nelly Vielma and George Altgelt, who are both attorneys, said at the May 22 meeting they were voting against Hale's appointment because they both had cases pending the 406th District Court; the judge of that court is Hale's husband, Oscar "O.J." Hale Jr.

READ MORE: DWI arrests up in 2017 even with launch of Uber, Lyft in Laredo

They both voted for Kristina Hale's appointment the third time around, but neither could be reached for comment. Councilman Rudy Gonzalez had also voted against her appointment in the past, and couldn't be reached for comment either.

During her tenure at the City Attorney's Office, Hale said she has drafted and reviewed hundreds of ordinances, resolutions and motions. And as council for the city's Ethics Ad Hoc Committee, she helped put together the city's Code of Ethics.

In 2007, she was assigned to handle all of the city's public information requests and implemented the open records automated system.

"Since then, in the over 1,500 open record requests received each year, not one complaint filed against the city with the Texas Attorney General has been determined valid," Hale said in an email to LMT.

RELATED: City Council implements tax reinvestment zone for $500M Killam real estate project

And in 2013, Hale helped successfully represent the city before the Texas Supreme Court in the case City of Laredo v. Luis Montano.

She has also been president of the Young Lawyers Association, the Women's Bar Association, the Webb County Bar Association and the International Good Neighbor Council, she told LMT.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
Talks on prisoner swap problematic, those requested by militants not willing to return - Kuchma

Second Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005), who represents Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group for the settlement of the situation in Donbas, has said that negotiations on the exchange of hostages under the "306 for 74" formula is accompanied by a number of problems, including the unwillingness of individuals requested by militants to return to the occupied Donbas.

"I think that there is a date, and the lists are approved - 74 and 306, but when it comes to specific names, then problems begin. We hope that they will be resolved," he told journalists in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Kuchma added that this situation was delicate enough in order to discuss it in detail.

"The president himself [Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko] is overseeing this issue... I would like everyone to get home before the holidays," he added.

According to him, the main problem is that many people from the list requested by representatives of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions do not want to return to the non-government controlled area.

"It starts here that we cannot reach agreement with the opposite side, because they do not want to. However, I think that agreements will definitely be reached," Kuchma said.

He also expressed confidence that it was necessary to solve this issue even by compromise, but not the one that would influence the number of people.

Kuchma also believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin, while agreeing to the prisoner swap, is trying to show that he is in favor of a "diplomatic, peaceful solution to the problems of the occupied territories of Donbas."

As reported, Ukrainian Choice  Right of the People NGO leader Viktor Medvedchuk said on November 23 that it was currently impossible to exchange all prisoners and expected the first stage of the swap to take place according to the "306 for 74" formula.

"The Minsk agreements provide for exchanging prisoners "all for all." There are today 386 persons held in Ukraine sought by the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR/LPR). There are currently 157 persons sought by Ukraine in DPR/LPR, of whom 94 have been confirmed. However, Ukraine cannot carry out the exchange because of legislation. So we can't exchange all these people, while DPR/LPR want to exchange everyone," Medvedchuk told the Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukraine newspaper in an interview.

He added that his appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin was intended to facilitate a proportional exchange, as a first step within the "all for all" framework.

"Therefore, in line with this proposition, which Putin and Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill supported, we are counting on DPR/LPR releasing 74 persons in exchange for 306 persons held in Ukraine," Medvedchuk said.
Bobbi Jo Hart

Ballerinas are not known for their rebelliousness, but the Trocks are no ordinary ballerinas. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, as theyre formally known, are classically trained male dancers who perform in drag and lovingly send up ballet icons from Don Quixote to Balanchine. The documentary Rebels on Pointe goes backstage and beyond the false eyelashes (lots and lots of eyelashes) to reveal the gentlemen inside the divas and authenticate their artistry.

Not that they need legitimizing; these rebels have long since stormed the establishment. What started as a lark in downtown New York in 1974, in the wake of the Stonewall riots, is now a highly respected company thats adored the world over. In 2017, Chase Johnsey was named best male dancer at the National Dance Awards in the United Kingdom  for dancing the female lead in Paquita.
Along for the Ride, a documentary about actor-writer-director Dennis Hopper, is an intermittently interesting footnote to the cultural history of America in the late 1960s and early 70s, specifically the chapter on Hollywood going off the rails. Hopper was a prototype of the eras misunderstood, and sometime misguided, rebels  his fondness for thumbing his nose at the establishment, and for many forms of excess, led eventually to personal and professional crack-ups.

After the release and financial success of Easy Rider in 1969, Hopper was the king of movieland, which went into overdrive trying to seduce that films countercultural audience. Hopper persuaded Universal to fund The Last Movie, a colossally ambitious, odd and chaotic Western that he shot in the Andes and that wound up his undoing. Along for the Ride focuses on the making of The Last Movie, released in 1971, and its effects on Hoppers career.

Much of Along for the Ride is narrated by Satya de la Manitou, for decades one of Hoppers assistants, and an unabashed admirer of his talents. Its an opinion he shares with the films director, Nick Ebeling, for whom this movie is clearly a labor of love. While it makes no attempt to cover up its subjects huge appetite for drugs, booze and sex, the movie is a sympathetic account of a man it portrays as a genius.

After shooting scores of hours of footage in Peru, Hopper and his entourage retreated to the filmmakers place in Taos, where he edited the movie and partied very hard. Universal was extremely unhappy with the results, but Hopper had final cut, so the film was barely released, and quickly disappeared. It was trashed by critics as pretentious and incomprehensible. Hoppers fall in Hollywood was as rapid as his rise, and seemed to only deepen his self-indulgent streak. Manitou describes kidnapping Hopper and driving him to much-needed rehab.

Hopper eventually bounced back, winning positive notices for his performances as Tom Ripley in Wim Wenders The American Friend (1977) and as the drug-addled, deranged Frank Booth in David Lynchs Blue Velvet (1986). (Wenders appears in Along for the Ride to recount a story of fisticuffs between Hopper and co-star Bruno Ganz.) Hopper continued to act, occasionally to high praise, and even landed a few directing gigs. He died of cancer in 2010 at age 73.

Manitou, who clearly shared his old boss penchant for everything countercultural, is an amiable sort and has some very entertaining stories to share. Its impossible not to admire his loyalty to a man who must have been, at times, hellishly difficult to work for.

But in the end, the film seems overly worshipful of its subject, pressing us too hard to admire him as the prototype of the romantically self-destructive artist. You may well leave Along for the Ride simply saddened at the spectacle of wasted talent  sparks of which could still be seen at times in his remaining career. Theres a sense that Hopper was as much a victim of the 60s as one of its creators.

Walter Addiego is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: waddiego@sfchronicle.com.

Along for the Ride

Documentary. Directed by Nick Ebeling. (Not rated. 90 minutes.)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi brings something new to the Star Wars franchise: an exceptional performance.

All Star Wars movies end up being remembered, and this one is going to be remembered for Mark Hamill. Heres an actor who has spent a long time living with Luke Skywalker, being the guy who was in those movies, getting older, getting used to it, rebelling against it, carving out a place inside his head where he can have his own identity. And all of those 40 years of coming to terms with being Luke find their way into this performance.

The movie begins maybe five or 10 minutes after The Force Awakens ended. Rey (Daisy Ridley) has found Luke on a remote rock of a planet, where he has lived like a hermit for long time. The last movie ended with the suggestion that Luke is the heavy artillery, the Jedi master who is about to get into the fight. But The Last Jedi immediately takes a different direction.

Luke isnt interested. He wants no part of any star wars. He may have seemed like a contemplative philosopher at the end of the last episode, but dont let the gray whiskers fool you. Hes a bitter guy, who looks like Rutherford B. Hayes on a three-day drunk, and hes filled with self-loathing, cynicism and regret. He looks like what 40 years can do to a person, and the gung-ho kid of yore is nowhere to be found on that face.

Now Playing: Behind the scenes: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" Video: LucasFilm

Hamill is completely without compromise here. Theres no twinkle peeking out from between the stern words. There are no new lessons for the veteran to learn, because he has already learned them all, and they have led him to this miserable, solitary existence. What a brilliant turn by writer-director Rian Johnson to land Luke Skywalker in such a way, and what a committed piece of acting by Hamill, who gives this everything he has.

As for the rest of the movie, its pretty good, not quite in the same league as The Force Awakens, but an improvement over Rogue One. It has the feel and atmosphere of a Star Wars movie and gets pulses going with a strong opening sequence, in which Poe (Oscar Isaac), who always needs a shave, leads a ragtag group of fighters against a fleet of elite starships.

The Resistance faces steep odds throughout The Last Jedi. Basically, theyre losing the whole time. Still, they have one big advantage over the evil empire, and that comes under the category of faulty construction. Apparently every single device, ship or Death Star created by the Empire operates in a way that, if you just happen to hit one vulnerable spot, the entire thing blows up. Their engineers have just never quite figured a way around that.

The Empires Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) is a large, cadaverous entity with an evil English accent and a long scar on his head that looks like he tried scalp reduction surgery and it just didnt take. His lieutenant is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who is just back from killing his own father, Han Solo. Ren doesnt feel all that great about what he did. He thinks he probably did the right thing, but hes just not sure. In a series of telepathic communications, Rey senses the good within him, even if the audience has no idea what shes seeing.

Now Playing: The official trailer for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Video: LucasFilm

The Last Jedi has lots of moving parts, but the action mainly surrounds a couple of ambivalent men, Ren and Luke, and a couple of determined women, Rey and Gen. Leia, who are trying to save the galaxy. Its good to see Carrie Fisher again, alive through the magic of film. She looks a bit frail, a bit worn down, but then one of the running themes of The Last Jedi is the toll that endless conflict takes on the survivors, who live with the awful knowledge that victories are never final. Fisher is the soul of this series, and its hard to imagine who could ever take her place.

The skillful plotting of The Last Jedi means there are lots of surprises, big and small. Whenever you think you know how things will play out, the movie pulls a reversal. Characters take turns being right and being wrong. Nobody knows everything. Johnson is likewise very smart in knowing when to play up the traditional Star Wars elements and when to spoof them. For example, Domhnall Gleeson plays a starched Empire general, and just when youre sure the movie is descending into accidental parody, Johnson reveals the character as intentionally ludicrous.

As is often the case with Star Wars, a certain battle fatigue begins to set in after two hours, but Johnson possesses an instinct for when he has gone over his limit, and he varies or scales back on the space battles each time he needs to. In any case, it helps that Fisher, Hamill and to an extent Ridley ground the action in deeply wrought emotion.

You dont see many sci-fi action extravaganzas that are about late-middle-aged disappointment, about wondering what its all about and whether any of it was worth it. Its this element that gives The Last Jedi an extra something, a fascinating melancholy undercurrent.

Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. Email: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Starring Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley and Carrie Fisher. Directed by Rian Johnson. (PG-13. 152 minutes.)
As many people set out to accomplish their holiday shopping list, a few stores partnered with the American Lung Association to give them the chance to shop while giving back.

Stores across the Houston area like the Heights Fly High Little Bunny, the nine Charming Charlie locations and Elaine Turner in Rice Village are holding events throughout the week inviting shoppers to spend money on items spanned across the stores with proceeds going to the organization.

From Dec. 11-16, the stores designated a time frame where shoppers can buy items knowing the proceeds will benefit the local Houston office which provides support to Texans living with lung cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other lung diseases.

"We are honored to partner with these retailers to do more for those living with lung disease and their families," said Katie Jones, executive director of the American Lung Associate in Texas - Houston.

Michelle Sampson, development manager with Houston Office of American Lung Association said the idea to hold a weeklong event came from working with past non-profits who practice the same methods.

"We were looking to have a opportunity for people to shop and have a little of something for everyone in order to get the broadest audience that we could," Sampson said.

Fly High Little Bunny, one of two local Houston retail shops participating, was chosen for what Sampson said was based off her own positive experience with the store.

"I though Fly High Little Bunny was great to show the history of our local retailers and because one of my favorite jewelry pieces is a ring I received as a gift from the store over 20 years ago," Sampson said.

Owner, Cody Reaves, established the store with the help of a friend first in 1994 in Montrose before it was named with the unconventional name it holds today, Fly High Little Bunny.

Reaves said the name was only used with his friend and meant the equivalent of, "go get them tiger."

The store prides itself on collecting unique pieces found from traveling the world to fulfilling a costumer's wildest requests.

"We are all about the unique stuff, we appeal to those who want to purchase something they know they won't see on another person again," Reaves said.

He said his participation was to help bring more awareness to lung cancer, a form of cancer the often receives negative backlash.

Participating stores are:

Fly High Little Bunny on Dec. 11 from 5-8 p.m.

Kendra Scott (Rice Village) on Dec. 12 from 5-8 p.m.

Charming Charlie stores (City Center, Cypress, Brazos Town Center, Champions, Conroe, Baybrook, Katy, Pearland and The Woodlands) on December noon-6 p.m.

Michael Kors (First Colony) on Dec. 13 from 5- 8 p.m.

Elaine Turner (Rice Village) on Dec. 14 from 5-8 p.m.

Vera Bradley (First Colony) on Dec. 15 from 5-8 p.m.

Sampson revealed that Elaine Turner intends on being in attendance at the event on Dec. 14.
A former Facebook executive is making waves after he spoke out about his "tremendous guilt" over growing the social network, which he feels has eroded "the core foundations of how people behave by and between each other."

Chamath Palihapitiya began working for Facebook in 2007 and left in 2011 as its vice president for user growth. When he started, he said, there was not much thought given to the long-term negative consequences of developing such a platform.

"I think in the back, deep, deep recesses of our minds, we kind of knew something bad could happen," said Palihapitiya, 41. "But I think the way we defined it was not like this."

That changed as Facebook's popularity exploded, he said. To date, the social network has more than 2 billion monthly users around the world and continues to grow.

But the ability to connect and share information so quickly - as well as the instant gratification people give and receive over their posts - has resulted in some negative consequences, according to Palihapitiya.

"It literally is a point now where I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works. That is truly where we are," he said. "The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works: no civil discourse, no cooperation, misinformation, mistruth. And it's not an American problem. This is not about Russian ads. This is a global problem."

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Facebook has pushed back on the former executive's comments, saying in a statement Tuesday that Palihapitiya has not worked there for more than six years and that it was "a very different company back then."

Palihapitiya, a venture capitalist and part owner of the Golden State Warriors, made his remarks at a talk for Stanford Graduate School of Business students in November. Video of the talk was widely shared again this week after the Verge reported on his comments Monday.

Though he didn't have immediate answers on how to permanently correct the problem, Palihapitiya encouraged students to take a "hard break from some of these tools and the things that you rely on." He added that he has posted on Facebook only a handful of times over the past several years and didn't allow his children to use "this sh-t" either, referring to social media platforms.

"Everybody else has to soul-search a little bit more about what you're willing to do," he said. "Because your behaviors, you don't realize it, but you are being programmed. It was unintentional, but now you gotta decide how much you're willing to give up, how much of your intellectual independence."

The problem is not isolated to Facebook, he said, citing other social-media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. Palihapitiya pointed to a hoax in India that had spread through WhatsApp and led to the lynching of several men who were falsely accused of being child traffickers.

"Bad actors can now manipulate large swaths of people to do anything you want," he told the audience. "And we compound the problem. We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection, because we get rewarded in these short-term signals - hearts, likes, thumbs up - and we conflate that with value and we conflate it with truth. And instead, what it is is fake, brittle popularity that's short-term and leaves you even more, admit it, vacant and empty before you did it . . . Think about that, compounded by 2 billion people."

After leaving Facebook, Palihapitiya went on to found Social Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in education and health-care businesses often neglected by Silicon Valley. In his wide-ranging Stanford talk, he also addressed using money as an instrument of social change. While he noted that Facebook "overwhelmingly does good in the world," Palihapitiya also said one of the ways he has reconciled his guilt over growing the platform has been to invest money in diabetes, education and climate-change research.

As the Verge reported, Palihapitiya joined a chorus of former Facebook investors and employees now expressing regret over their contributions to the company:

In November, early investor Sean Parker said he has become a "conscientious objector" to social media, and that Facebook and others had succeeded by "exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology." A former product manager at the company, Antonio Garcia-Martinez, has said Facebook lies about its ability to influence individuals based on the data it collects on them, and wrote a book, Chaos Monkeys, about his work at the firm.

Most recently, the company was accused of trying to exploit children and eroding their privacy after it launched an app last week called Messenger Kids. Facebook has claimed that it will not display ads on Messenger Kids or use its data for advertising on Facebook.

Facebook has also been criticized heavily for how it regulates - or doesn't regulate - the content and origin of ads on its platform, especially when it came to thousands of Russian ads that were created to influence voters in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. After some initial resistance, the company turned over thousands of Russian ads to Congress this fall.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had mostly downplayed the company's responsibility to monitor and curate its content, saying it is not a media company. Notably, though, at the end of Yom Kippur this year, Zuckerberg posted an apology on his Facebook account "for the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together" and vowed to do better.

In a statement to The Washington Post, a Facebook spokesman said the company is willing to reduce its profits to "make sure the right investments are made."

"When Chamath was at Facebook we were focused on building new social media experiences and growing Facebook around the world," the statement read. " . . . as we have grown, we have realized how our responsibilities have grown too. We take our role very seriously and we are working hard to improve. We've done a lot of work and research with outside experts and academics to understand the effects of our service on well-being, and we're using it to inform our product development."
Hyundai Corporation, Ukrsotsbank and some other Ukrainian banks have suffered from a fraud committed by Company Rona LLC (Ivano-Frankivsk). The total loss is estimated at near $30 million, according to a joint press release of Ukrsotsbank and Hyundai Corporation.

"In particular, Hyundai Corporation saw a loss of $6.6 million and EUR 1.2 million, and Ukrsotsbank - $6 million. State-owned and commercial banks suffered with a loss of $11 million and UAH 110 million," the victims of the fraud said in their press release.

According to the press release, co-founders of Company Rona LLC - Roman Semotiuk, Roman Lytvynets and others - using fraudulent documents received loans in financial institutions in the significant amounts. The essence of the fraudulent scheme was that Rona issued loans and signed international contracts for the supply of goods, and the guarantors for loans were companies that provided as collateral real estate facilities that exist only "on paper" and were registered in the public real estate register using counterfeit documents. When the employees of the bank went to inspect the collateral, the scammers placed a sign with the proper address of the collateral. Nexia DC Appraisal Services in the person of Director Yevhen Lupaka appraised the facilities and provided false information to the customers.

According to the report, the Ivano-Frankivsk region prosecutor's office initiated about 20 criminal cases on fabrication of documents, as well as damage in especially large amounts against the co-founder of Rona company Semotiuk, as well as executives of guarantor companies who provided non-existing facilities as collateral. In October 2017, Semotiuk was notified of suspicion and house arrest was chosen for him by court.

According to the press release, fraudulent activities of Rona directed against the international company Hyundai Corporation and banks, as well as the lack of timely and adequate response from law enforcement agencies significantly worsen the investment attractiveness of Ukraine.

"Today it is extremely important to show real steps to protect investors and the progress in the implementation of law enforcement sector reform for an unbiased and prompt investigation of this situation, including search and seizure of the assets of officials and beneficiaries of Rona LLC and other companies involved in the fraudulent scheme. It is also important to investigate not only actions committed by officials, beneficiaries of Rona LLC and related enterprises, but also the actions of employees of the State Registration Service of Ukraine and judges of the Ivano-Frankivsk city court, participating in the implementation of this fraudulent scheme," the victims said.

Acting Board Chairman of Ukrsotsbank Rostyslav Matiash said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday, along with Hyundai Corporation, four banks suffered from this fraudulent scheme, including Ukrsotsbank, which issued a loan of $6 million to Rona in 2014 with a real estate facility used as collateral. After the bank began working with this loan as a non-performing loan, it turned out that the real estate facility does not exist. The bank filed an application with the law enforcement agencies and expects an early and unbiased investigation of the case, the banker said.

Vice President, Head of the legal department of Hyundai Corporation Yeo Young-Chan said at a press conference that Hyundai Corporation began to supply with polymer raw materials to Rona in 2013. In 2015, Rona, having debt to Hyundai Corporation about $5 million, received a commodity loan for about $3 million. The funds were not returned, and in March this year Hyundai Corporation appealed to law enforcement agencies in Ivano-Frankivsk, but the investigation was not conducted - scammers walked quietly around the city. In August, Hyundai Corporation, with the support of the Korean Ambassador to Ukraine, initiated a meeting with the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, requesting that the case be investigated in an unbiased manner, in particular, by handing it over to the Main Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, which happened few weeks ago.

"This large-scale fraud could not be organized by one company, Rona ... A fair investigation is very important factor for the return of Hyundai Corporation investments in Ukraine," Young-Chan said.
Ed Gillespie, who has been at the forefront of GOP politics for decades, said he wouldn't encourage others to run for office in first interview since losing the heated Virginia governor's race last month.

During an 80-minute apperance on "The Axe Files" podcast with Democratic strategist David Axelrod, Gillespie lamented polarization in politics, the challenges of running with Donald Trump in the White House and how journalists cover campaigns. He lost to Democrat Ralph Northam by nine percentage points in a wave election that also saw significant Democratic gains in the state legislature.

Gillespie said running for governor this year was much more challenging than when he challenged U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in 2014 - and nearly won.

"It's a much more poisonous atmosphere. I don't know if there's causality or correlation, I leave that for others to determine," Gillespie said. "But I could not honestly say to someone I like and think is a halfway decent human being, 'Yeah, you ought to run for office'."

Still, Gillespie said the campaign made him a better person after traveling across the commonwealth meeting Virginians.

Gillespie, 56, told Axelrod that he won't seek elective office again, but was eyeing opportunities in the not-for-profit sector and would help other GOP candidates in Virginia. Before he was a candidate, Gillespie cycled through Republican operative positions - including as chair of the Republican National Committee under George W. Bush, as a lobbyist and as a corporate consultant.

The interview followed Gillespie's first public apperance since the election at a Virginia GOP retreat ,where he praised Republicans for helping drive up turnout.

Here are other take-aways from Gillespie's interview:

WHERE WAS TRUMP?

Trump was the first president since Richard Nixon who didn't campaign for his party's gubernatorial nominee in Virginia.

The Gillespie campaign didn't ask, and the White House didn't offer, Gillespie said. The Republican candidate says he concluded that a rally with Trump would nationalize a race he wanted focused on Virginia issues.

In retrospect, he's not sure if it's possible to run independently from the president.

"It's a tough tight rope to walk," said Gillespie. "And it may not be walkable, to be honest with you."

Ultimately, Vice President Mike Pence rallied with Gillespie in deep-red southwest Virginia, while Trump limited his involvement to tweets and robo-calls.

Gillespie conceded Trump was a factor in the surge of Democratic turnout in November. Trump took the opposite lesson, blasting Gillespie on election night before all the voters were even counted, blaming him for failing to fully embrace Trump.

TROUBLE WITH TWEETS

Gillespie largely avoided criticizing the president during his podcast appearance - but objected to Trump's rhetoric on Confederate statues.

Virginia's memorials to Confederate leaders became a gubernatorial campaign issue after August, when a violent protest by white nationalists in around Charlottesville's Robert E. Lee statue left one dead. Northam said he would advocate for the removal of Confederate monuments. Although Northam later back-tracked, Gillespie seized on those comments for campaign ads.

But he blanched at President Trump's apparent response to his ads: tweeting that Gillespie "might even save our great statues/heritage!"

"I never talked about defending heritage because that's not how I see the issue or view it," said Gillespie. "But when the president tweeted about it himself, he tweeted about heritage and that injected it into the discussion in a way I would not and never did...But that tweet contributed to the, again, it polarized it even more."

While Gillespie's public comments on Confederate statues explored the nuances of the debate and encouraged adding historical context, his campaign ads were typically more blunt.

"I'm for keeping them up, and he's for taking them down," he said in one ad that aired 211 times in the Roanoke market two weeks before election.

CONTROVERSIAL CAMPAIGN ADS

Gillespie faced a firestorm of criticism during the campaign for ads that critics called racially incendiary and misleading.

Several sought to link MS-13 gang violence to Northam's vote against a ban on sanctuary cities, even though Virginia doesn't have sanctuary cities that choose not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. And a final ad push highlighted the case of a sex offender whose his rights were temporarily restored under a sweeping voter rights restoration order that Northam supports. Northam, a pediatrician, responded with an ad that said Gillespie's suggestion that he would tolerate anyone hurting a child "despicable."

Gillespie told Axelrod he ran those ads because message testing suggested it would help him win. But he said they were not the issues he wanted to focus on.

"Are those the issues I would have chosen to run on as opposed to the tax cuts and frankly even the criminal justice reform innovative proposals I put forward?" said Gillespie. "That's where I rather the race have been about, but those weren't what was indicating was going to move numbers and help me win."

Gillespie said his campaign message about Virginia's economy lagging didn't resonate as well in the prosperous D.C. suburbs - which is why he had to focus on public safety to sway votes.

THE PARTY OF MOORE?

Gillespie's interview came a day before Alabama voters cast ballots in a U.S. Senate race that has turned into something of a referendum on the party's future.

GOP candidate Roy Moore is one of the party's most controversial figures after several women said he pursued them while they were teenagers. Moore is opposed by some Republicans in Congress and supported by President Trump.

Gillespie wouldn't say that Moore should be expelled from the Senate if elected, but said the National Republican Senate Committee had the right approach in severing fundraising ties with him. The Republican National Committee resumed its support after Trump endorsed Moore.

"From a political perspective, I don't think the long-term pain would be worth the short-term gain of the seat politically," said Gillespie.

Later in the podcast, Gillespie suggested that the results in Alabama would test the strength of Trump's ability to tap into voter frustrations.

"There's a lot of people who feel like they are not just being disagreed with but they are being disdained," said Gillespie. "People feel like they are being marginalized and demonized for having concerns by an elite that doesnt understand their concerns."
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Syria on Monday as part of a whirlwind Middle Eastern tour. Putin, who also stopped in Egypt and Turkey, met leaders, posed for photo-ops, inked a huge energy deal and, all in all, played the part of an influential international statesman. While President Donald Trump has sparked outrage across the region, Putin played the role of sober and dependable partner.

In Cairo, Putin announced the resumption of direct Russian commercial flights to the country for the first time since a plane bombing there in 2015. Discussions with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi also circled around the signing of a Russian contract for a $30 billion nuclear energy plant as well as a possible agreement for the Russian air force to use Egyptian bases.

In Ankara, Putin met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the eighth time in 2017, further proof of how dramatically relations between the two countries have improved in the year since the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey and the two years since Turkish forces shot down a Russian fighter jet. Erdogan and his allies have slowly come around to accepting that Russia simply outflanked them in Syria and, in any case, are more animated by their current grievances with Washington.

And what about Syria itself? On his first visit to the country since authorizing Russia's 2015 military intervention there, Putin met President Bashar Assad, declared victory over the Islamic State and announced an imminent drawdown of Russian forces. "In two years, the Russian armed forces, together with the Syrian Army have defeated the most combat-capable group of international terrorists," Putin said in a speech at Khmeimim air base near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia. "In connection with this, I have made a decision: A significant part of the Russian military contingent in the Syrian Arab Republic is returning home, to Russia."

There's a healthy amount of skepticism about what that "significant part" may add up to, but the moment still presents Russia a chance to gloat over the efficacy of its engagement in Syria - no matter the number of civilians killed by Russian airstrikes over the past two years. Critics at the time of the intervention, including yours truly, suggested that Moscow was walking into a quagmire. Two years later, however, Putin has demonstrated both that Russia stands by its friends and that it can project power well beyond Eastern Europe.

"As America shrank from its traditional role in the Middle East, Russia expanded its own, making an ostentatious show of fighting Islamist terrorists on behalf of a reluctant Western Christendom," wrote the Atlantic's Julia Ioffe in a recent cover story on Putin's strategy.

By comparison, two successive U.S. administrations have struggled to come up with a coherent Middle East policy. Commentators of various stripes lambaste the Obama administration for turning on the Arab strongmen who were traditional U.S. allies before the pro-democracy uprisings of 2011 and then for not doing enough to unseat Assad as the rebellion in Syria picked up steam.

"The Obama administration, because of its disinterest, opened up a lot of opportunities for Russia," said Paul Salem of the Middle East Institute to me. "And with this current administration, with a president who is effectively pro-Russian, [the Russians] are also doing pretty well."

Paradoxically, Trump - who decries a legacy of U.S. wars in the region - made a big show of launching missiles at a Syrian government airfield after the Assad regime carried out a chemical weapons attack on civilians earlier this year. Since then, however, he has shown little interest in Syria beyond executing the final stages of the Obama-era campaign against the Islamic State, which included the recent recapture of the city of Raqqa. Trump also ended U.S. covert support for Syria's beleaguered "moderate" rebels.

Trump's latest fracas isn't likely to help, either. In Ankara, alongside Erdogan, Putin capitalized on disquiet over Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. He emphasized that Trump's order "doesn't help the Mideast settlement and, just the other way round, destabilizes the already difficult situation in the region."

A Pew survey conducted this year among people in a number of countries in the region found that 64 percent see Russia as more influential in Middle Eastern affairs than compared to a decade ago. That perception may grow in the months to come, with Russia well-poised to benefit. "For many local actors, Russia's increasing presence seems to be more appealing as a source of some balance," wrote Turkish academic Talha Kose in the Daily Sabah, a pro-Erdogan newspaper. "The Trump administration's erratic moves like the recent declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will only accelerate the decline of U.S. influence and pave the way for Moscow."

According to Salem, the Russians are "not interested in a new Cold War, but they will take their opportunities" to expand their influence in the Middle East and play the part of an international power. Their efforts to do so will include exporting arms and civilian nuclear energy - as seen in the mooted deal with Egypt - and cultivating access to potentially huge natural gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean.

Politically, as Trump enters heavy-handedly on one side of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry, Salem says the Russians will "nibble wherever they can, happy to be an effective number two player" in the Middle East in contrast to the chaotic role played by the United States.

"Moscow has a strategy, is executing it through timely and well-considered policies that have successfully strengthened its position not only with Iran but also with our allies and across the entire Middle East," wrote Stephen Blank of the conservative American Foreign Policy Council. But, he added, that's not the case for Washington: "U.S. involvement has degenerated into a series of spasmodic and at best tactical moves and at worst unfocused rage against notional threats even as we resolutely fail to deal with the actual threats to our position and influence."
The fire at the Baumgarten gas hub in Austria has now been extinguished, Gas Connect Austria said in a press release.

An explosion occurred on Tuesday morning before 9:00 a.m. on the grounds of the Baumgarten Natural Gas Station. One person was killed and 18 injured in the accident.

"The plant was shut down in a controlled state and is offline. The cause of the accident remains unclear; we are currently assuming it was a technical fault. Gas Connect Austria is already intensively investigating the potential causes of the incident. Austria's natural gas supply can be covered for the foreseeable future. Transit through Austria to the south and southeast regions is currently negatively impacted. The neighboring pipeline operators were informed immediately, so that they could introduce measures in a timely manner," Gas Connect Austria said.
A San Francisco police officer who shot and killed an unarmed carjacking suspect in San Franciscos Bayview neighborhood on Dec. 1 has been identified.

Christopher Samayoa, a rookie officer who was on his fourth day in the field, shot Keita ONeil, 42, during a police chase through the Alice Griffith public housing complex.

Samayoa was the passenger in a cruiser driven by a field training officer when they got a call about a carjacking in Potrero Hill around 10:30 a.m. ONeil had allegedly shoved a state lottery worker to the ground, grabbed her keys and jumped in her white minivan on the 1800 block of 23rd Street.

Samayoa and his training officer, who has not been identified, caught up to the minivan on Highway 101, then followed it into the Bayview and the housing complex. As ONeil approached Griffith Street, he opened the door of the moving van and jumped out as the officers followed close behind.

ONeils final moments were captured by Samayoas body-worn camera, along with security cameras in the complex. Police officials released the videos during a town hall last week, prompting outrage from many in attendance after it was revealed that ONeil was unarmed.

The footage from Samayoas camera showed that he pulled out his service pistol as his car was still moving and fired a single shot through the glass of his own window at ONeil, who was just a few feet away. ONeil was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

Officials said Samayoa only turned on his body-worn camera after shooting ONeil, an apparent violation of Police Department policy. The Axon cameras have a feature that preserves the previous 30 seconds before they are activated, like a television DVR, though without audio. The training officer never activated his camera, officials said.

Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris said he is representing ONeils mother and has reviewed the footage as part of his investigation. He said the shooting appeared unjustified.

Frankly, its a loss to me how the officer believed his life or anyone elses was in danger, Burris said. When the officer opens fire from inside the vehicle and there is no evidence of a deadly weapon being used (by ONeil), it seems like he overacted and panicked.

Samayoas appointed attorney did not return several phone calls and emails.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee's top Republican said Tuesday that President Donald Trump should "reconsider" and "not proceed" with two nominations for open seats on the federal bench, complicating the administration's efforts to push the picks through the confirmation process.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said he has advised the Trump administration that "they ought to reconsider" Jeff Mateer's nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Mateer has come under fire for comments he made in 2015 defending discrimination and for saying that same-sex marriage would lead to polygamy and that transgender children were part of "Satan's plan," as first reported by CNN.

Grassley added that he "would advise the White House not to proceed" with the nomination of Brett Talley to the federal district court in Alabama, after reports emerged that in 2011 he had defended "the first KKK" on an online message board and had failed to disclose to the Judiciary Committee that his wife is the chief of staff to White House counsel Don McGahn.

"When we had the hearing, the controversy that now surrounds him wasn't brought up," Grassley said of Talley, who testified before the Judiciary Committee in October. The Senate panel approved his nomination last month over the objections of Democrats, who complained that Talley had never tried a case and had been ranked by the American Bar Association as "not qualified" for the federal bench.

Talley is awaiting Senate confirmation. Grassley stressed that it was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's decision whether to put the nomination on the floor for a vote.

But Grassley's critical comments stand in sharp contrast to efforts Senate Republicans have made in recent months to approve Trump's judicial picks, at times even dispensing with the "blue slip" tradition of giving senators from affected states a chance to stymie the confirmation of controversial nominees to the appeals courts.

Grassley's warning about Talley comes as the Senate is poised to confirm another of Trump's nominees who the ABA has determined is "not qualified." The ABA gave Leonard Steven Grasz its lowest ranking, citing concerns about whether he would be able "to separate his role as an advocate from that of a judge." Republicans have accused the ABA of driving a political agenda and are expected to confirm him Tuesday to an open seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, over the objections of Democrats.
RICHMOND, Va. - Opponents of a natural gas pipeline planned across some of Virginia's wildest terrain declared partial victory Tuesday when a state panel delayed enacting water permits for the controversial project.

The State Water Control Board approved permits for the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which is backed by Dominion Energy, but took the unusual step of delaying the effective date until several environmental impact reports are completed.

The action came unexpectedly after a day and a half of tension-filled hearings, leaving supporters and opponents alike scrambling to determine exactly what had happened. The bottom line seemed to be that the project is at least temporarily on hold.

"They cannot start construction until the final erosion and sediment control plans are approved," state Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Bill Hayden said.

Dominion has said it hopes to begin work on the 600-mile pipeline by the end of the year. But Hayden said some of the required reports aren't expected to be completed until March or April.

The Water Control Board had approved a similar project just last week - the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is planned for the far southwest corner of Virginia. Environmentalists and land-rights activists had protested that pipeline during two days of hearings, and came in to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline hearings in greater numbers and with greater fury.

Warned at the outset against loud displays, scores of opponents snapped their fingers to show support for various speakers, or stood and turned their backs against those they disliked. Some speakers made angry personal attacks on board members - "I see through your well-groomed hair and know who you are," one young man rumbled angrily - and on Monday night an opposition group claimed credit for draping an anti-pipeline banner from one board member's house.

The raw emotion of the crowd drew a heavy police presence - more than two dozen state police cruisers lined the parking lot of the suburban community center where the hearings were held, joined by Henrico County police, emergency vehicles and a mobile command center, not to mention plainclothes private security deployed by Dominion.

But it was the sometimes-technical testimony of environmental experts and landowners that seemed to give the board members second thoughts.

The DEQ had recommended approving the permits and then reviewing plans along the way for several specific factors that impact water quality, including stormwater management, erosion control and efforts to monitor a complex limestone geography called karst. That geography features caverns and sinkholes and is extremely sensitive to groundwater disruption.

Speaker after speaker warned the board against approving the permits without better understanding those factors. Tuesday afternoon, just as the board was preparing to take a vote that all the opponents thought was a mere formality, board member Timothy G. Hayes moved that the certification be amended so that it wouldn't go into effect until all those reports are completed.

He said the move was intended so the board could "at least have the opportunity to have one more swing at it if we have to."

Officials from the DEQ scrambled to figure out the impact of such a move. The project's fundamental approval came in October from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If the state doesn't follow up on water permits within a certain period of time, the feds can step in and green-light the project themselves, Hayden said.

But he added that it's not clear what that timeframe is, nor what control the state will really have if it doesn't like the environmental reports.

Even so, pipeline opponents took the outcome as a measure of vindication.

"The board today acknowledged what we've been saying all along, that this process is flawed," said David Sligh, who is retired from DEQ and now works with Wild Virginia. "This is an advance over what we thought we might get today."

A coalition of environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit on Friday against the board's decision on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, but members said Tuesday they needed time to digest the action on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline before deciding what to do next.

As the board shut down the meeting and lines of state troopers began herding the audience out, Sharon Ponton of Nelson County sang out: "People gonna rise like the water," she began, and others joined in, "shut this pipeline down."

The opponents - from large groups such as the Sierra Club and the Southern Environmental Law Center, as well as activists from rural counties and artists and college students - say they are ready to take the fight against both pipelines into the field. In the fall, some groups staged a training camp to practice resistance efforts carried out nationally against projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline in Standing Rock.

"Many people in Virginia are ready to take the next step. We will not allow this pipeline to be built," said Mara Robbins, a member of the Preserve Floyd group from Floyd County. "The next step is direct action. At this point if they exhaust us of legitimate means then we take it into our own hands."
No measures will help protect rights of people in Crimea while it is occupied by Russia - Jemilev

Ukrainian parliamentarian Mustafa Jemilev, who also served as the Ukrainian president's authorized representative for the Crimean Tatar people, has said that not a single mechanism for the protection of human rights is currently working in the Russia-occupied Crimea.

"If we talk about forms and opportunities for the protection of human rights in occupied territories, I can say that this is impossible. No measures will protect people's rights as long as there is occupation. Yesterday we spoke with the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, and we talked about what can be done to protect the rights of people, but it turns out that it's almost impossible," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Jemilev noted that the Russian authorities do not allow independent international organizations to visit the occupied Crimea, but give access to the peninsula only to those "with whom there is an agreement on writing the material that Russia needs."

"If some delegations are allowed to enter [Crimea], this is done only in violation of the Ukrainian legislation. People in Crimea are in despair and are waiting for some action from us," he said.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, in turn, said that the rights of both the Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians were totally violated in the occupied Crimea.

"But our response should be based on diplomatic and economic pressure, based on Ukrainian and international law. In this context, the union of Crimean politicians, the Crimean Prosecutor's Office and Ukrainian human rights organizations is a powerful response to massive human rights violations in the occupied Crimea," he said.
Houston neighborhoods with the most registered sex offenders

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Police added a 49-year-old Houston man to Texas' list of most wanted sex offenders on Tuesday.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said John Wayne Stoneham is a "high-risk" sex offender wanted for violating his parole and failing to comply with the state's sex offender registry.

In 1991, Stoneham was convicted of two counts of burglary of a habitation with intent to commit sexual assault. Police said he broke into the home a 25-year-old woman multiple times. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but released early on parole.

JAIL TIME: Sugar Land woman sentenced for making 'vile' calls to ex-husband's girlfriend

Now Playing: Anchor Isiah Carey with Waller Police Department Detective Sgt. Nanci Anderson and Chief Michael Williams Video: Fox 26 Houston

Authorities said Stoneham has been wanted since May 2017, when he prematurely left a Houston facility designed to help convicts transition back into society. Stoneham lived in the transitional center starting in 2012 as part of his parole requirements.

Stoneham's criminal history also includes indecency/sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl, according to police.

He is described as 5 feet 5 inches, 145 pounds with cut scars near both eyes and on his forehead.

FUGITIVE: Man accused of beating woman and injuring a child wanted by Houston police

Authorities warn that Stoneham should be considered armed and dangerous. Police are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online.

Above: See Houston neighborhoods with the most registered sex offenders.

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.
The Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio on Tuesday distributed nearly $7 million in grants to almost 100 area nonprofits, with dollar amounts ranging from $5,000 to $600,000.

CentroMed received the $600,000 grant, the second largest gift in the foundations history. It will be used to help build a new clinic in a medically undeserved side of the city, on a six-acre site at Ray Ellison Boulevard and Old Pearsall Road. The complex will include a 16,000-square-foot primary care clinic and a 19,000-square-foot fitness center.

ChildSafe, a child-advocacy center that assesses and treats victims of child abuse and neglect, received the third largest grant ever, almost $480,000 to help build its $30 million Salado Creek campus on the citys East Side. It has outgrown its existing center because demand for its services increases each year, according to a news release announcing the annual grant distributions.

Included in the grants was more than $1 million in scholarships for students who are pursuing health-care careers.

Cody Knowlton, CEO of the foundation, said the nonprofits receiving the grants have a proven track record for meeting the needs of the community. And by investing in these organizations with these grants, we are investing in the well-being of San Antonians for years to come.

The 2017 Spirit of Health award was given to the 10-member San Antonio Police Departments Mental Health Detail and Crisis Intervention Training Program, which has helped divert thousands of people struggling with mental health disorders from jail and emergency rooms.

The training program, now seen as a national model, has reduced the need for police to use force in calls involving those with mental illness and has helped to connect people with the mental health services.

What were trying to do is recognize individuals and groups that really exemplify compassion, dedication and the spirit in which we as a foundation help those in greatest need, said Eusebio Diaz, the foundations vice president.

The foundation, established in 2004, seeks to improve the health of the community by fostering and funding clinical, educational, spiritual and scientific endeavors.

To learn more, visit www.bhfsa.org.

mstoeltje@express-news.net
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Olga Hernandez pushed to get insurance business for a company that bribed her to do it, prosecutors said Monday at the opening of a federal trial of the former San Antonio Independent School District trustee.

Hernandez has denied the charges of conspiracy to commit honest service wire fraud and conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes. She resigned from the school board in February after being arrested following her Feb. 15 indictment.

Prosecutors said Hernandez accepted gifts including casino vacations, jewelry, meals and campaign contributions from insurance broker Samuel Mullen, his former employee Joshua Cerna and consultant William Haff, who have all pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged conspiracy.

In exchange for these gifts, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg said, Hernandez advocated and voted for the board to approve health, dental, disability and life insurance contracts that would earn commissions for the Mullen Pension & Benefits Group, and worked to enroll more school district employees in those insurance plans.

The scheme does not work without the defendant, Roomberg said during opening arguments. The contracts may not have been the best available contracts if theyre paid for with bribes and theft of honest services.

Hernandez served on the school board for 11 years after retiring from a 30-year secretarial career in SAISD.

Mullen, Haff and Cerna also worked together to steer insurance contracts in the Edgewood and South San Antonio independent school districts and the now-defunct Bexar Metropolitan Water District, according to the FBI. The school districts and Bexar Mat hired Haff as an independent consultant to provide advice, and he was prohibited from receiving payments by those competing to do business with those entities. The FBI said Mullen bribed Haff more than $83,000 to help win contracts.

Roomberg said Mullen, Haff and Cerna will testify that they conspired with Hernandez to rig the contract decisions at SAISD. He said Haff and Cerna agreed to work as FBI informants after they were caught and had recorded conversations with Hernandez in which they planned her advocacy for Mullens contracts and discussed working around the school districts adversarial risk manager.

During public meetings, Hernandez voted in favor of contracts with three Mullen clients: Colonial Life, Humana and Standard Insurance, Roomberg said. The corporations have no criminal liability, he said.

Prosecutors said Hernandez traveled to Las Vegas in 2012 and 2013 and accepted meals on those trips, valued at $1,200 and $2,000 respectively, in exchange for her support. They also said Hernandez and her husband went with the Mullens on casino trips to Shreveport, Louisiana and Reno, Nevada, with expenses paid that included transportation, lodging and concert tickets.

Mullen paid $670 toward Hernandezs birthday party in 2012, and Cerna gave her a $500 James Avery gift card and $500 in cash three years later, prosecutors said.

The prosecutions first witness, SAISD chief of staff Tiffany Grant, said the school districts bid solicitation form contained a written rule that barred vendors from contact with trustees during the bidding process.

Defense attorney Brandon Lewis said Hernandez and her husband became close friends with Mullen, Cerna and their spouses after meeting often at conferences. Lewis said the meals in Las Vegas were large group affairs that Mullen picked up the tab for and said Hernandez and her husband paid for other aspects of the casino vacations. He admitted Hernandez erred in not reporting some contributions on her campaign finance forms.

Lewis said there was no evidence Hernandez had promised the conspirators anything.

She never agreed to sell her vote, Lewis said. Olga is not corrupt. Thats not who she is.
Over 4,000 Ukrainian enterprises were seized in Crimea, and Ukraine sent an information letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on ten cases of violation of private property rights, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said.

"In the course of the investigation, the Crimean prosecutor's office received information on the seizure of more than 4,000 Ukrainian enterprises on the peninsula. An overall assessment of the losses caused by such actions to the state of Ukraine is determined by the Guild of Appraisers of Ukraine in the preliminary amount of more than a trillion hryvnias," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

According to Lutsenko, all necessary procedures have been carried out in order to recognize this property as arrested, in accordance with Ukrainian legislation.

"Accordingly, any change of its legal status will be prosecuted according to Ukrainian, and later, probably, international laws," he added.

He also said that according to the applications of the victims, UAH 1.6 billion worth of property in Crimea had been arrested.

He also said that in addition to the appropriation of state property by the occupation authorities, applications also come from private owners.

According to the prosecutor general, Ukraine sent an information letter to the International Criminal Court on ten cases of violation of private property rights in Crimea as part of seven criminal proceedings.

"I think that these are two cases - the protection of the rights of the state, as well as private property rights in the temporarily occupied territory will be decisive for the fate of the whole property in the territory of Crimea in the future," Lutsenko said.

According to him, the prosecutor's office will actively cooperate with the ICC office to make this case a priority when considering the situation with violation of human rights in the occupied Crimea.
A two-story home was burned to rubble after it was completely engulfed in fire Monday afternoon on the West Side.

San Antonio Fire Department Battalion Chief Wesley West said the home was fully ablaze when they arrived at about 5 p.m. in the 2100 block of West Travis Street.

There was nothing we could do for the house itself or anyone inside, West said. Our main concern was the structures around it.

A neighbor reached out to the owner who said he was out of town and had been for several weeks, West said.

Now Playing: San Antonio firefighters extinguished a blaze that engulfed a two-story home Monday afternoon in the 2100 block of West Travis Street. Video: Brandpoint

The fire took about 25 minutes to extinguish, firefighters said. The damage was estimated at close to $100,000, West said.

It's pretty dangerous to even go inside, West said.

Firefighters were unable to determine if there were any pets involved.

West said firefighters are working to decide whether to set up an overnight fire watch or bring in heavy equipment to tear through the remains of the structure.

A cause of the fire was not immediately known, firefighters said.

These older homes are all wood, so when they get going ... its just a huge amount of fire, West said.

jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA
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As residents around the country buy their Christmas presents online, they traditionally have to run the risk of having packages sit on their doorsteps for hours - exposed to would-be thieves - before they can pick it up.

That's why one Central Texas police force is allowing its headquarters to be the front porch for its residents.

In December, the Round Rock Police Department kicked off "Operation Front Porch," which allows residents to send their packages to the police department for safekeeping until they can pick it up.

Police Chief Allen Banks said they were thinking of the new approach this year, since thefts tend to spike around the holidays.

RELATED: These areas are hit hardest by theft in San Antonio during the holiday season

"We're thinking outside the box about what we can do to help our community," Banks said. "It helps build trust and partnership."

The idea has not spread beyond a few small police departments around the country. When asked about the initiative, San Antonio Officer Douglas Greene said the idea was "pretty interesting," but that his department had never considered the idea.

San Antonio, like most cities across the country, sees a rise in property crime around the holidays as people leave packages on porches and newly purchased gifts in vehicles.

Greene said the department works with shopping centers across the city and urged shoppers to use caution.

In Round Rock, Banks said if police aren't bogged down with theft reports, they're free to respond to more important calls, which is the intent of the program.

"(Officers) are not having to take calls and report stolen packages this way," Banks said. "If I can keep an officer free on the street to handle priority calls, that's what I want to do. That's our goal."

The records department oversees the program. They accept the packages sent to them and notify the families that they're ready for pickup.

Families are expected to stop by the department within two days of the delivery and once they present their ID with a Round Rock address, they can take their package home.

The program has already been in effect for a week, but some residents are already taking advantage of it. Banks said the department has received one package a day on average.

"I didn't know if it was going to work or not," Banks said. "It's starting to work and we're excited about it."

In fact, Banks said police are already planning to do this next year, but starting the initiative in late November instead, in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

While the initiative is free of charge, police ask that residents donate a new toy for their charity drive, Operation Blue Santa.

Any residents with questions about the program can call 512-218-5500 for more information.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA
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AUSTIN -- As the filing period closed Monday for who's in and who's not as candidates for next year's elections, incumbent Republicans picked up a long string of challengers, most of them Democrats.

Incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has 10 Democrats vying for his job, a recent state record, plus one little-known Republican. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has one Republican and two Democrats who want his job.

Now, the hard part begins -- raising money and boosting name recognition.

Officials with the various campaigns say they expect a frenetic three-month runup to the March 6 primary with a larger-than-usual number of candidates who will be vying for attention and campaign contributions as they scramble to make the cut to make it to November's general election.

"It's going to be an unbelievably difficult fund-raising environment, with 20-25 people running in urban areas and with all the open congressional seats," said Matt Mackowiak, an Austin political consultant who is working on Austin lobbyist Trey Blocker's GOP primary challenge of incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. "People are going to have a much tougher time this year raising money, especially down ballot."

Consultants also said Monday they expect that the way the filings have shaped up with primary battles -- where cash-strapped challengers will have to spend money to get their name out -- much of this season's political cash may be spent in the primary, as a prelude to statewide elections next fall that could cost less than in years past.

Four years ago, campaign finance tallies compiled by the Austin-based watchdog group Texans for Public Justice show that nearly $163.7 million was raised by statewide candidates for the primary and general elections. A whopping $92.5 million was raised by the two top candidates in the governor's race, with Democrat Wendy Davis bringing in more than $47 million and Abbott, who beat her by 20 points, raising nearly $45.5 million.

Abbott is reported to have well over $45 million in his campaign war chest so far, which he is widely expected to spend strategically to help drive turnout for downballot Republicans and GOP legislative candidates.

In the primary, Abbott will face Arlington communications contractor Larry SECEDE Kilgore, whose middle name says much about what his past political platform has focused on.

The Democratic Party primary will feature former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Houston entrepreneur Andrew White, Dallas businessman Jeffrey Payne, San Antonio businessman Tom Wakley, Dallas financial analyst Adrian Ocegueda, Houston electronics businessman Joe Mumford, former Balch Springs mayor Cedric Davis Sr., retired school teacher Grady Yarbrough of Flint, Austin resident James Jolly Clark and Houston businesswoman Dimitra Smith.

Patrick will face former Rockwall councilman Scott Milder in the GOP primary, and retired Kingwood accountant Mike Collier and Fort Worth auto sales manager Michael Cooper will face off in the Democratic primary.

Most consultants and political scientists say the chances are good that the top two Democrats in that primary will end up in a runoff, another election that will cost them money but could help their name ID some against Abbott in the general election -- though likely not enough to win.

Two other incumbent Republican statewide officials face GOP primary opponents.

Land Commissioner George P. Bush will face his predecessor, Jerry Patterson, Decatur land surveyor Davey Edwards and retired school teacher Rick Range of Sherman. The primary winner will run against Austin energy lawyer Miguel Suazo, a Democrat.

In the agriculture commissioner race, the winner of the primary fight between Miller and Blocker will face Democrat Kim Olson, a retired Air Force colonel from Mineral Wells.

Democrats put up candidates for every statewide elected post, except one open seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, an initial tally of filings showed Monday night.

Money matters

"It costs money to win, and a lot of money to win the top of the ticket," said Craig McDonald, director of Texans For Public Justice. "It costs money to get your name and message out there, and doing that is not cheap."

While Bush has around $2.5 million in the bank, Patterson said Monday he plans to raise $500,000 for his primary run -- contrasting the $1.3 million he raised in his unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor in 2014. Patrick raised $16.7 million and won.

"In past years, the Republican primaries have always been where the excitement is, and this year we have the Democratic primary for governor -- with more candidates running than we've seen in many years," said Mark Jones, a political scientist at Houston's Rice University who has followed Texas politics for years. "I'm telling people to watch the March and May elections because after they are over, the die will be set for November, when whichever Republicans get into the general election will probably win."

In all, Democratic Party said that 28 candidates filed for 13 statewide positions, from governor to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and Railroad Commission.

Aside from the fact that Texas is still solidly Republican, he and others predict that Democratic candidates may have trouble raising significant money for statewide and downballot races since much of Democrats' political capital will go to trying to gain control of the U.S. Senate and Congress. "After what happened four years ago with Wendy Davis ... it will look like money wasted to many national donors," Jones said.

In addition, said Paul Hartmon, a retired Houston-area executive and political activist, said that while the party attracted a growing number of challengers, most of them are relatively unknown across the state. Outside of Houston and Dallas, most people don't know who they are -- and still probably won't know after the election."

For their part, Democratic Party officials say they remain hopeful that anti-Trump, anti-incumbency trends in other states will help them create a blue wave that will overtake Republicans in at least some races in other races, including a handful of Texas House seats.

In at least two Texas Senate races and a dozen other House races, the primary fight will be between moderate and conservative wings of the Republican Party -- including Houston's House District 134 in West University Place, where incumbent GOP Rep. Sarah Davis is facing businesswoman Susanna Dokupil, who was endorsed weeks ago by Abbott.

Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey has said he remains confident that GOP candidates will be victorious statewide next November, as they have since 1994. "Regardless of who is chosen as the Democratic nominee, I am confident Texans will continue to choose liberty, opportunity and prosperity by confidently casting their vote for Republicans," he said.

Not surprisingly, Gilberto Hinojosa, said predicted a different outcome.

"A blue wave is rising in the Lone Star State. Texas Democrats are marching, organizing, and stepping up to serve," he said Monday night. "We are so excited to have a conversation about who we are and where we want to go as a party. I'm proud that such an accomplished, diverse set of statewide candidates are dedicating themselves to fight for Texans."

Mike Ward covers state government and politics, including the executive branch, criminal justice and ethics issues, in the Houston Chronicle's Austin Bureau. Send him tips at mike.ward@chron.com and follow him on Twitter @ChronicleMike.
The UN Monitoring Mission for Human Rights in Ukraine recommends that the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada and other government agencies ensure equal access of citizens to pensions and abolish restrictions for internally displaced persons.

"Government, Parliament and other relevant State bodies to eliminate obstacles which prevent Ukrainian citizens from having equal access to pensions regardless of place of residence or IDP registration," the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in its 20th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine presented in Kyiv on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Social Policy should ensure that the protection and support to IDPs extends to all persons who meet the IDP definition, without any discrimination including based on the list of settlements affected by the armed conflict, the report says.

The mission also recommends the Ministry of Social Policy should establish effective cooperation and information exchange processes with all relevant actors engaged in conducting verification and identification procedures in relation to pensions, as well as in home delivery of payments for IDPs receiving pensions and social benefits, to avoid double-verification or any additional burden on vulnerable people;

The mission called on the Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, Ministry of Social Policy and other relevant state bodies to ensure that IDPs with disabilities are provided with adequate accommodations, access to in-home and other services, and means for inclusion in the community.
A fierce fight to protect Dreamers is shaping up in Congress, and the fight for a legislative solution comes down to the next two weeks. Members of Congress, such as Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, who represents the 23rd Congressional District, will have to make a choice: Either pass bipartisan legislation that includes a clean DREAM Act, or vote on a spending bill that funds their deportation.

I know Rep. Hurd has talked a good game on immigration. Hes a member of a Republican working group that is trying to fix our broken immigration system. When it comes to Dreamers and the DREAM Act, hes said, There are 800,000 young men and women who have only known America, and they should have legal status to stay here. I think this is something we can get done.

Rep. Hurd, youre right. Something can be done, but time is quickly running out. You must join with your Republican colleagues and congressional Democrats to pass a clean DREAM Act.

Nationwide, 122 dreamers are losing their DACA status every day. In Hurds district alone, there are 3,000 DACA recipients and 3,700 DACA-eligible young people who face deportation if Congress does not act in time. If these 6,700 young people are deported, his district stands to lose as much as $159 million a year in economic contributions from Dreamers. Statewide, Texas stands to lose $6.2 billion if Congress does nothing. Thats unacceptable.

As a member of the San Antonio City Council, my priority is to serve all of District 4s constituents and help set the city up for success. I cant do that if Dreamers and their families are living with the fear of being torn apart by deportation.

My own district overlaps with Hurds 23rd Congressional District. We both represent Reyna Rosales, a DACA recipient since 2012. Reyna is an entrepreneur, a student and a mother of two American children. She runs a small restaurant near Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, attends Our Lady of Lake University, and raises two young daughters who attend the South San Antonio Independent School District.

Reyna inspires me to consider the resilience of Dreamers: At the age of 8, she was brought to San Antonio and entered school not knowing her undocumented status would determine her trajectory. At 16, she learned that students like her were not eligible for college financial aid, and she dropped out to earn money for the family. She married and began working a minimum wage job to provide for her daughter and younger brothers, whom she cared for when their mother was deported.

After years of living in the shadows, she heard about DACA and studied the eligibility requirements. One requirement is a high school diploma, so she found her school records and began taking classes to earn a GED while working part time at a day care. After years of working tirelessly, Reyna became a DACA recipient and embarked on a journey to pursue her education in social work while running a restaurant.

Her husband, her two daughters and her network of support can attest to her great strength and courage overcoming obstacles. Sadly, her biggest sorrow is not being able to attend her grandmothers and mothers funerals in Mexico. She mourned their loss from hundreds of miles away, knowing her departure could jeopardize her DACA status.

Through adversity, Reyna has pulled herself up by her bootstraps and propelled herself toward opportunity. Except on paper, she is no different from those born in the United States. Shes a mother and an entrepreneur with a distinct American story of struggle and success. Will we be forced to see Reyna torn from her daughters, her studies, her business and the only country she has ever known? Or will we watch her and others continue their success?

Lets give them that chance. Congressman Hurd, please do the right thing and support a vote on a clean DREAM Act before the end of the year.

Rey Saldana represents San Antonio City Council District 4.
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Californias forests are seeing a continued die-off of trees even a year after last years heavy rains ended the states crippling drought.

The U.S. Forest Service announced Monday that 27 million trees died over the past 13 months after five dry years left them severely dehydrated and vulnerable to bark beetle attack.

The unprecedented casualties, which run rampant across the Sierra Nevada as well as parts of the coast, have turned patches of forest into a somber rust color for mile after mile. The mortality is so great in some places that foresters have closed roads and campgrounds for fear of the dried-out, lifeless trees falling on people. Tourists to Yosemite and Sequoia national parks, meanwhile, have been stunned by the unexpectedly grim views.

State officials also worry about dead groves becoming easy tinder for the lethal wildfires that have plagued California in recent years. Efforts to remove hazardous stands have been slow due to the sheer volume of death.

An estimated 129 million trees across some 8.9 million acres have died since 2010, according to the Forest Service.

It is apparent from our survey flights this year that Californias trees have not yet recovered from the drought, said Randy Moore, a forester at the Forest Services Pacific Southwest Region office. The Forest Service will continue to focus on mitigating hazard trees and thinning overly dense forests so they are healthier and better able to survive stressers like this in the future.

Federal foresters alongside state and local land management agencies and state utilities have removed an estimated 860,000 dead trees since the drought began. Crews have prioritized stands near communities and along roads.

As bad as the die-off is, Forest Service records suggest it may be slowing. The death toll over the past year is less than half of 2016s  when more than 60 million trees fell prey to drought and bark beetles.

Last winter brought near record rainfall to many parts of the state, providing welcome relief for many stands.

The upshot of the vast tree loss remains a matter of debate. Some scientists worry that the casualties may mark the beginning of a downward spiral for Californias forests as the changing climate promises longer, more intense droughts. Trees, they say, will eventually be replaced by hardier shrubs and grasslands.

Others, though, say that die-offs are natural to forests. They allow weakened woodlands to be replaced by a sturdier crop of trees and ultimately provide a healthier habitat for a whole host of wildlife.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexaner
Come experience pure Hill Country living at its finest at Canyon Creek Preserve. Located close to the vibrant town of Helotes and near San Antonio, this premier, new large acreage community offers freedom from the noise and bright lights of the city, without leaving any of the conveniences behind. If youve been searching for BIG Hill Country acreage just outside San Antonio with an abundance of wildlife, huge oak trees, a live creek and more, then you owe it to yourself to come explore Canyon Creek Preserve.

Nestled in the beautiful Texas Hill Country near the charming community of Helotes, Canyon Creek Preserve provides the perfect blend of country living and close proximity to the city. Helotes is known to be very family-oriented and was named Bloomberg BusinessWeeks 2013 Best Small Town in Texas to Raise Kids. The area also boasts a low crime rate, great schools, and favorable weather year round! Add to that, low ag-exempt taxes on your property, and theres no better place to call home!

Canyon Creek Preserve is truly in the ideal location, just 15 minutes outside of San Antonio in the premier Northside Independent School District. This beautiful community has some of the biggest and best large acreage bargains in the area  and offers an incredible opportunity to live in the country, but still be close to the city!

This community is a great place to raise your kids, have a weekend getaway or build your retirement home! Many of the current owners are looking to escape the bright lights and noise of the city, and Canyon Creek Preserve has proven to be their oasis in the country, without having to leave all those city conveniences behind. Canyon Creek Preserve will provide you with the perfect blend of country living and close proximity to your job in the city, so you can live in the country, but still work in the city!

The property has many amazing highlights and features, such as:

 10 to 25+ acre tracts

 AG-EXEMPT taxes

 Breathtaking hilltop views

 Live creek and great trees

 Abundant wildlife

 Paved roads, electric, cable, & phone

 Premier Northside Independent School District (ISD)

 Prime location  only 13.6 miles to 1604 in San Antonio

 Build now or build later & choose your own builder

And right now is the perfect time to get in on a large acreage land bargain of your own and save thousands on gorgeous 10 to 25+ acre tracts during their Phase 3 Held Over Land Sale. You can find the homesite of your dreams and enjoy the freedom to choose your own builder to create your new custom home.

Steve Brents, project manager at Canyon Creek Preserve, was excited about the current pace of sales. Our Phase 3 Grand Opening Sale was an overwhelming success. Folks were amazed at the large acreages we had to offer, especially this close to the city. Many of our customers were so pleased they told us they wanted to bring out their friends and family next weekend, so we had to extend the sale to accommodate everyone. Were keeping the same great deals in place, and we still have plenty of gorgeous homesites to show.

So, if youve been in the market for BIG Hill Country acreage with breathtaking hilltop views, great trees, an abundance of wildlife and much more, then you owe it to yourself to come explore Canyon Creek Preserve during the Phase 3 Land Sale. This is a great opportunity to save tens of thousands on your dream homesite! Excellent financing is available, so owning your piece of the American Dream has never been easier or more affordable!

For more information about this community, please call and speak with one of the knowledgable land consultants at (877) 888-7579, or visit their website at www.CanyonCreekTX.com. The Canyon Creek Preserve team is ready to answer all of your questions and help find the homesite that is just perfect for you and your family. Contact them today to learn more!

The team here at Canyon Creek Preserve is more than happy to help out  to walk you through the steps of buying land, and most importantly to help you find that perfect piece of paradise youve been looking for all along, says Steve Brents. Give us a call today  you wont be disappointed.

Open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., (877) 888-7579, www.CanyonCreekTX.com.

Editors Note: This content is made possible by by National Land Partners LLC. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
The European Union heads of state and government, who are meeting in Brussels on December 14-15, will hear reports from French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements on Ukraine.

Shortly after the summit, the leaders are expected to make an official resolution to extend the economic sanctions against Russia, according to papers related to the summit issued in Brussels on Tuesday.

A high-ranking EU official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to journalists in Brussels that the leaders of Germany and France will present this information during a working dinner devoted to the issue of extending the sanctions.

After the summit, the sanctions will be extended on the technical level, the official said.

Another source in the EU Council told Interfax that this will be a six-month extension of existing sanctions, without adding more.

The heads of state and government will take note of the French and German leaders' report, the source said, adding that there is unlikely to be any substantive discussion, since the matter is fairly clear.
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The Primary Health Care Project for Travellers (a project delivered by Longford Community Resources clg and funded by the HSE) hosted the launch of a Traditional The Primary Health Care Project for Travellers (a project delivered by Longford Community Resources clg and funded by the HSE) recently hosted the launch of a Traditional Traveller Barrel Top Wagon built in Longford by a group of local men.

In an era when many of the old skills such as the blacksmith, the thatcher, the tinsmith have all but disappeared this event on Thursday, November 23 was one that showcased and celebrated local craftsmanship at its finest.



The event was officiated by Tony Owens, Coordinator of the project.

Tony gave a brief history of how this project came about and its significance when it came to the health promotion work carried out by the team.



Local priests Fr Tony Gilhooley & Fr James McKiernan blessed the wagon and praised the work and craftsmanship of the project.

This was followed by the cutting of the ribbon and a few words from Michael Nevin, the designer of the wagon.



Michael told the audience how he learned his trade from his father and uncles and remembers the days when they built wagons on the side of the road with nothing other than a bag of hand tools containing not much more than a hammer, a handsaw and some nails.



During the speeches the project was likened to the poem The Forge by Seamus Heaney not just for its links to the olden ways but also as a way of using the creative process as a means of engagement with the harder to reach members of our communities, in this instance Traveller men.



The overall aim of the LCRL Traveller Project is to deliver a health promotion services to a group of people that traditionally are hard to reach and whose health outcomes are still significantly worse off than the general population.

For the staff on the Traveller Project this is what makes engaging in the creative process so important, said John OBrien, Traveller Mens Worker.



Mr O'Brien added, The creative process can come in many forms, not just a beautiful piece of art like the wagon: it can be in the form of sport, entrepreneurship, education, or whatever a person is passionate about. When you engage someone in something they love to do the outcomes are so much more meaningful and sustainable.



Mr OBrien also thanked all the local stakeholders and volunteers on the project, not least Longford Mens Shed who helped with the completion of the project, Longford Vintage Club for storing the wagon over the years, Frankie Ward of Inchboffin Carriages, Fitzgerald Fabrication, Longford Westmeath ETB, LCRL, Longford County Council and Longford Library.

The final round of applause was held for the group of men who built this wagon. They were Michael Nevin, Patrick Stokes, John Nevin, Anthony Nevin, Thomas McDonagh, Tony Owens and Kieran OBrien.



The wagon was on display for one week in Longford Library before being transferred to Longford Vintage Club who will display the wagon at their annual event every June and also at the various road shows they attend each year.

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These have been very difficult years for retail in Longford and in many ways retail is regrettably the forgotten relation in national and local government strategy.

Retail remains the biggest single employer in Longford town with hundreds of jobs across multiple businesses and each and every closure chips away at the fabric of the community.



For my tenure as President of the Chamber I am absolutely committed to reinstating our commitment and resolve to defend and champion local retailers. We have the opportunity to become a bespoke retail destination and several of our retailers have taken massive strides in this direction.

We have anecdotal evidence of people who came to visit St Mels Cathedral from Dublin and elsewhere but continued to come back afterwards because they found shops or boutiques that suited their needs. Its the basis of a formula that we can build on.



We have a compelling retail story to tell and we need to start selling it and equally we need to work with and support our own. It is all too easy to click on the phone and make the order but remember the same product or something similar if not superior is available locally. Id urge everybody over the coming weeks to make an earnest effort to shop locally.



I want to wish all the people of Longford a very happy Christmas but remember for many it will be one of sorrow and for others a time of hardship. So remember those less fortunate this year and especially look out for elderly neighbours.



Ill leave you with our Chamber mantra going forward, Shop Longford and Support Longford this Christmas and into 2018.

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Longford chamber of Commerce joins forces with seven other chambers to demand action on midlands and west of Ireland roads

Fears that proposed Longford rate increases will lead to job losses - Chamber of Commerce organises public meeting for Monday
The role of supervisory boards in establishing the effective corporate governance models in public and private companies cannot be overestimated. The quality of the board and top management of the company always attracts the huge attention of the companys counterparties, such as banks, business partners, investors, customers.

The events of the last two years show that in Ukraine, finally, there have been positive developments in relation to the Supervisory Boards and their members  corporate directors.

On December 5, 2017, representatives of the corporate governance professional community met in Kyiv at the Second International Corporate Directors Forum to share experiences, discuss legislative innovations and consider case studies on the creation and operation of effective supervisory boards. The Corporate Governance Professional Association (CGPA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) become the organizers of the forum for the second time, with the support of the British Embassy in Ukraine and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE).

This year the forum gathered about 200 participants from Ukraine and abroad. Among them were members of the supervisory boards of Ukrainian and foreign companies, representatives of government institutions and CEOs of large and small companies, representatives of investment companies, banks and international organizations involved in the process of establishing and development of corporate governance and the activities of supervisory boards.

At the opening of the event, Oleksandr Okuniev, the Head of the CGPA Management Board, said that, despite the sometimes not very positive trends and the slow implementation of corporate governance reforms in Ukrainian realities, there are shifts and they are visible.

"We need to continue to" sculpt this rock," and not to stop at all," Okuniev concluded his introductory speech.

The Head of IFC Operation in Ukraine Olena Voloshyna addressed to the participants of the Forum with a welcome message, emphasizing the importance of introducing the latest international corporate governance practices in Ukraine to increase the investment attractiveness of Ukrainian companies in the international market. Eric Hontz, CIPE Program Manager, noted the importance of such events as the International Forum of Corporate Directors in Ukraine, which points to positive developments towards the introduction of best practices of corporate governance in Ukrainian companies of the public and private sectors of the economy.

"Ukrainian businesses are forming their own culture of doing business - based on European values, but with its own unique characteristics," Hontz said.

Oleksandr Kohut, GR Director of Kyivstar, emphasized that Kyivstar always strives to support progress in Ukraine in the field of communications, offering the best products that are the most innovative and modern, and in the field of continuous improvement of the business climate in the country, thats why it supports initiatives aimed at improving corporate governance.

Among the experts of the Forum were Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Professor of Commercial and Financial Law at Tilburg University, Vice President of Philips Lighting (the Netherlands); Volodymyr Igonin, Counsel at Vasil Kisil & Partners; Oleksiy Dolgikh, Managing Partner of the Ukrainian office of Boyden Global Executive Search; Yuriy Nikitin, Deputy Head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, Igor Mitiukov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the National Depository of Ukraine.

Members of the Registry Advisory Board of the National Registry of Corporate Directors focused on the current situation, challenges and trends in the work of the supervisory boards in Ukraine. I.Mitiukov noted that the Ukrainian legislative and regulatory framework in the field of corporate governance is too bureaucratic, and also noted that international practice shows movement forward not under the pressure of state regulators, but on the initiative and under the influence of the private sector of the economy. O.Dolgikh raised the issue of the National Registry of Corporate Directors separately in order to allow members of the Registry Advisory Board to express their views and expectations regarding applicants for inclusion in the National Registry of Corporate Directors.

Volodymyr Igonin noted: "Corporate governance in Ukraine is developing. Last year, a well-known international recruiting company conducted a survey of owners and top-managers of Ukrainian corporate governance companies. "Vasil Kisil & Partners" acted as a legal research expert. Yes, last year more than half of respondents either did not understand the values of supervisory boards, or did not believe in the ability of supervisory boards to justify the value of their own maintenance. Over the past year, the situation has changed dramatically for the better. We feel this in communicating with our clients. More and more owners are aware of the importance and value of effective corporate governance. Therefore, such activities as the Corporate Directors Forum are extremely useful, in which participants can share their practical experience with each other."

Erik P.M. Vermeulen shared his own research on the role and activities of the board of directors in the digital era. He noted that self-evaluation is one of the key trends in corporate governance, and it should be paid a lot of attention and it should be conducted "not for the tick." The issue of the participation of artificial intelligence in the work of the supervisory board and how it could contribute to board's effectiveness aroused great interest.

The executives of the NPC Ukrenergo and lawyer from Baker McKenzie shared the experience of corporate governance reform in the state-owned company.

"The permanent changeability of management of Ukrenergo and other similar companies is almost nothing compared to the constant quick changes in the legislation, which it is impossible to manage," Vsevolod Kovalchuk, Acting CEO of the NPC Ukrenergo, said. In response to a question of Andriy Boytsun, Advisor on State Enterprise Reform and Privatization of the Strategic Advisory Group for Supporting Ukrainian Reforms, moderator of the session, about the company's property policy, V.Kovalchuk expressed his own vision: "What company can be considered more state-owned, where many citizens own shares of a company, or the one in which a batch of officials manages the company as if on behalf of all citizens of the state." Andriy Moskalyk, the Senior Associate of the Kyiv Representative Office of Baker McKenzie, noted: "Our experience in working on the corporate governance reform of NPC Ukrenergo as a legal adviser has shown that the most effective is the coordinated work of all involved consultants on both aspects: legal and corporate. In this way, we helped to realize the main objective of the independent supervisory board in a qualitative legal form that would be in line with international practices. As a result, we achieve the key goal for our client - not only the formal compliance of the new management structure with the legislation, but also its real functional benefit, for the greater operational autonomy of the enterprise."

"Where there is a will there is a way. The main thing is to build the right communication and bring information to the relevant professionals," O.Dolgikh said in response to a question on the possibility of finding and selecting candidates for membership in the Supervisory Board of the NPC Ukrenergo, which is in the process of being set up. The peculiarities of the corporate governance reform in state-owned companies and the creation of supervisory boards in them are binding, implementation of laws, as well as the necessity to be clear to international partners, to have the same clear and transparent system of corporate governance.

An interesting experience was the creation of supervisory boards in Ukrainian family-owned companies RedHead Family Corporation and Barcom Corporation. The members of the Supervisory Board of the Barcom Corporation, namely Vladyslav Burda, Founder and President of the RedHead Family Corporation, Founder and President of the FBN-Ukraine, Andriy Fedoriv, Founder of FEDORIV, Mark Iwashko, Co-founder of Horizon Capital, Pavlo Sheremeta, Founder of the Breakthrough Strategy House "PRORYV," Oleksandr Bavorovsky and Oleg Baran, Founders of Barcom, collectively responded to the question about the benefits of a private family company from the introduction of the Supervisory Board to its management structure. Olyana Gordiyenko, the moderator of the session, raised the very relevant question why there is a need for Ukrainian family companies to create supervisory boards, and O.Okuniev continued, asking why some companies have these needs and others do not have, why these models work in some companies, and in others, it is not. V.Burda answered very briefly and accurately: "Only a strong family and a strong owner can attract and engage strong people for cooperation. The willingness to create a Supervisory Board - the body that manages you  need courage and inner maturity, willingness to trust, listen and fulfill."

"It is rarely when a director in the Board represents the interests of the consumer, his wishes, visions, and needs. The business development can very often depend on the behavior of a consumer. I represent consumers' interests in the Board of the Barcom Company,"  A.Fedoriv said, responding to the thesis that consultants should not be invited to a supervisory board. P.Sheremeta noted that the consultants are conducting research, expressing their opinion, receiving payment and not responding to the consequences of implementation, and the supervisory board is a joint decision and joint responsibility. M.Iwashko added that the task of the consultant is to speak and make a decision, and the member of the board should listen and respond.

The forum has given inspiration to people who make every effort to introduce the best practices of corporate governance in Ukraine both in state and in non-state companies.

Organizers: Corporate Governance Professional Association (CGPA) and International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Supported by: The British Embassy in Ukraine and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

Official Sponsor: Kyivstar Company

Official Law Partner: Vasil Kisil & Partners

Official Energy Partner: DTEK Energy Company.

The official HR partner is Boyden.

Partner of the session: Baker McKenzie

Event-provider: Event Envoy.

General TV Partner: First Business Channel. General information partner: RBC-Ukraine. The main news media partner is Interfax-Ukraine. Legal Media Partner: Yuridicheskaya Gazeta. Media Partner: finpost.com.ua. Information partners: Stockworld.com.ua, magazine Strategic Business Review, magazine "FDK," portal OFFSHOREVIEW.EU
An article that recently appeared in the South African news publication Daily Maverick, Intellectual property for the 21st century economy, reminds us that, notwithstanding the increasing homogenisation of IP laws, parts of the developing world are yet to be totally convinced that IP is the best way of ensuring innovation and progress.

The article was written by renowned economist Joseph Stiglitz. He comes right to the point when he says this: 'Developing countries are increasingly pushing back against the intellectual property regime foisted on them by advanced economies over the last 30 years they are right to do so because what matters is not only the production of knowledge, but also that it is used in ways that put the health and well-being of people ahead of corporate profits.'

According to Stiglitz, the pushback is being led by South Africa, India and Brazil, and the focus is medicines. Although South Africa has in the past felt the 'full legal might of the global pharmaceutical industry', it is in the process of finalising an IP policy that expands access to medicines. The South African government 'is right, and other developing and emerging economies should follow in its footsteps.'

Stiglitz is critical of IP: it was wrong to impose a 'one-size-fits-all' policy; the standards imposed by the developed world are not designed to maximise progress and innovation, but rather corporate profits; the institutions and laws protecting knowledge are increasingly inadequate to govern global economic activity, and poorly suited to the needs of developing countries; patents may encourage research, but the sheer number of patents now stifles innovation; much of the research that is taking place is aimed at extending protection rather than creating new products. The IP regime has, says Stiglitz, erected barriers to the use of knowledge, and this is not sustainable.

Stiglitz says that the 21st century economy will differ from that of the 20th century in two major ways  the economic weight of countries like South Africa, Brazil and India will increase, and the economy of ideas, knowledge and information will become increasingly important. Developing countries should be looking at alternatives to patents for financing research, including centralised bodies like national health institutes, tax credits and prizes.

IP owners in the developed world, as well as their advisors, would do well to bear these philosophical differences in mind

Wayne Meiring

Spoor & Fisher Jersey Africa House, Castle Street St Helier, Jersey JE4 9TW Channel Islands Tel: +44 1534 838000 Fax: +44 1534 838001

info@spoor.co.uk

www.spoor.com
In a recent judgment of October 2017, a Division Bench of the Madras High Court in Lifestyle Equities CV v QDSeatoman Designs Pvt. Ltd & Ors has held that IP issues could be subject to arbitration. The fundamental point at dispute was whether and to what extent are IP related rights arbitrable given that they tend to have effect in rem.

The case concerned a commercial agreement between the parties, whereby QDSeatoman Designs Pvt Ltd, and Quintessential Designs India Pvt Ltd (collectively referred to as "QDS") were engaged by Lifestyle Equities for certain creative services, relating to apparel and garments. This obviously covered IP. This agreement contained an arbitration clause. Certain disputes arose between the parties, though the judgment is not entirely clear on the exact details and circumstances.

Lifestyle Equities invoked the arbitration clause in the matter whereas QDS opposed the same on the ground that the disputes involve IP issues and thus, non-arbitrable. Instead, QDS wanted the Court to permit the filing of a civil suit.

In its judgment dated October 13 2017, the Court held that the issue boiled down to whether the issues being raised would result in a judgment / award in rem or in personam; the former is not arbitrable, but the latter is. According to the Court, the distinction between a right in rem and a right in personam is very old and well-defined one  a judgment in personam refers to a judgment against a person, whereas a judgment in rem refers to a judgment against a thing, right or status or condition of property. In the context of IP, the Court held that a patent licence issue may be arbitrable, but validity of the underlying patent may not be arbitrable.

On facts, the Division Bench agreed with the opinion of the Learned Single Judge, which was under appeal, that the fundamental dispute between the parties related to who had the better right of usage vis-a-vis the other and that this was clearly an issue in personam.

Even though the Hon'ble Court concluded that the dispute between the parties was arbitrable, the Arbitral Tribunal so constituted nevertheless had the jurisdiction to decide its own competence and thus, the final decision on the issue would have to be that of the Arbitral Tribunal.

R Parthasarathy

Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan

B6/10 Safdarjung Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Tel: +91 11 41299800

Fax:91 11 41299899

vlakshmi@lakshmisri.com

www.lslaw.in
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China supports the Iraqi government in safeguarding national stability and advancing economic recovery, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi Saturday officially declared the full liberation of Iraq from Islamic State militants, after Iraqi forces recaptured all areas held by the extremist group.

Spokesperson Lu Kang told a news briefing that China congratulated Iraq on its successful anti-terrorism war, noting it marked positive progress in global anti-terrorism cooperation.

"China hopes Iraq can achieve national stability and development at an early date," Lu said.
Many foreign IP owners have observed that in the Philippines there are too many documents required and formalities to be complied with in filing actions for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Generally, technical rules are interpreted liberally. However, in certain instances, for example, to avoid multiplicity of suits, adherence to the procedural rules is necessary, as in the following case.

On September 6 2017, the Supreme Court of the Philippines affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals in the case of Societe des Produits Nestle v Puregold Price Club (GR No. 217194), dismissing Nestle's appeal due to the failure of the latter to comply with the proper execution of the certification against forum shopping. This was an opposition case filed by Nestle on December 5 2008 against Puregold's application for the trademark "COFFEE MATCH" for being confusingly similar with its "COFFEE-MATE" trademark already registered with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). On April 16 2012, the Bureau of Legal Affairs of the IPOPHL dismissed Nestle's opposition and held that (i) Nestle's opposition was defective because the verification and certification of non-forum shopping attached to said opposition did not include a board of directors' resolution or a secretary's certificate that would show the authority of Dennis Jose Barot, Nestle's Regional Intellectual Property Adviser to execute the special power of attorney authorising its Philippine counsel to sign the said certification on behalf of Nestle. Barot's proof of his authority was a power of attorney signed by a Nestle officer whose own authority was not substantiated by a resolution of Nestle's board of directors, or a secretary's certificate attesting to said resolution.

The BLA further held that the term "COFFEE" appearing on both marks is generic or distinctive of the goods, and that the words "MATE" and "MATCH" are visually and aurally different that the consumer cannot mistake one for the other. Nestle appealed to the Office of the Director General, who on February 7 2014, sustained the BLA's decision. Nestle then appealed the ODG's decision to the Court of Appeals, who dismissed the appeal and the subsequent motion for reconsideration outright based on the above procedural lapse.

Nestle appealed the CA decision to the Supreme Court by way of a petition for review, and affirmed the CA's decision. Citing the 2004 case of Development Bank of the Philippines v CA, the Supreme Court held that "the failure to attach a copy of a board resolution proving the authority of the representative to sign the certification against forum shopping was fatal to its petition and was sufficient ground to dismiss since the courts are not expected to take judicial notice of board resolutions or secretary's certificates issued by corporations."



Editha R Hechanova

Hechanova & Co., Inc.

Salustiana D. Ty Tower

104 Paseo de Roxas Avenue

Makati City 1229, Philippines

Tel: (63) 2 812-6561

Fax: (63) 2 888-4290

editharh@hechanova.com.ph

www.hechanova.com.ph
The decree law pertaining to the protection of patent rights was in force between 1995 and 2017. As per to decree law the rules on how to determine the amount of compensation to be paid to an employee in case of full or partial claim on invention was to be regulated by a regulation. However this regulation was never prepared or enacted.

The Industrial Property Law numbered 6769 dated January 10 2017 rules employee invention and compensation matters in detail and finally provides a Regulation on Employee Inventions, Inventions Realized within Higher Education Institutions and Inventions Arisen From Projects Supported by Public Authorities. It regulates the method to determine the amount of compensation of an employee, and was entered into force on September 29 2017.

As per the Regulation, in the case the employer demands a full or partial right on the invention of an employee, a reasonable compensation and an award should be paid to the employee. The regulation provides rules about the methods to calculate the reasonable employee award. The amount of the award that will be paid in addition to the compensation should not be less than net minimum wage.

In principle the amount of compensation shall be determined by the parties via an agreement to be signed between parties, following a full or partial claim. In case of a dispute, especially if the revenue of the invention cannot be determined, compensation can be determined by comparison or as per a determinable profit of enterprise from invention or as per the reasonable amount that employer would pay, if he/she wanted to purchase the invention. In addition, the revenue of the invention can be considered equal to revenue earned from granting a licence or to revenue received from the sale of the invention or to the amount of profit received from the set off of the invention.

An important point is that the IP Law rules that after claiming a right on the work-related invention, the employer cannot refuse paying the inventor's compensation with the argument that the invention is not worth protecting. However in case an invalidation action filed against the patent is accepted by the competent Court, the employee cannot demand for compensation over his invention. The lack of clarity in the second sentence of this provision led some employers to have third parties file invalidation actions against the patent in order to get rid of the employee compensation. However the relevant rule of the Regulation clarified the issue by stating that the period until the finalisation of the invalidation action will be taken into consideration for the calculation of the employee compensation and award. Before the Regulation was enacted, some tactical invalidation actions were filed by some well known pharmaceutical companies in Turkey. All of these actions have become useless thanks to clarifying provisions of the Regulation.



Selin Sinem Erciyas Ozge Atlgan Karakulak

Gun + Partners

Kore Sehitleri Cad. 17

Zincirlikuyu 34394

Istanbul, Turkey

Tel: + (90) (212) 354 00 00

Fax: + (90) (212) 274 20 95

gun@gun.av.tr

gun.av.tr
MARTINSVILLE A total of $116,109 in federal grant funding for agencies or nonprofit groups in the city of Martinsville and Henry and Patrick counties recently was approved by the Virginia Criminal Justice Services Board, according to the Virginia Office of the Governor.

A $19,750 Byrne/Justice Assistance Grant was approved for the Martinsville Police Department. Two grants were approved for the Southside Survivor Response Center Inc: a $12,324 Sexual Assault Services Program grant and a $30,702 VSTOP (Virginia Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution) grant. A $53,333 VSTOP grant was approved for Patrick County. Those figures include any local matches required.

Those grants were part of $6.5 million in federal grant funding to localities, nonprofit organizations and state agencies that Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced recently. The grant funding will help criminal justice agencies and other organizations protect their communities and schools, improve the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system, support critical services for victims of domestic crimes and respond effectively to crimes against women.

Martinsville Police Departments grant application says the funding will be used to offer training titled Evidence-based practices of First-line Supervision in 21st Century Policing.

The project will provide training for first-line law enforcement supervisors with the appropriate skills necessary for supervising officers in the 21st century with an emphasis on community policing. It will be a five-day course conducted by Harry Dolan (retired chief of police of Raleigh, North Carolina), lawyer Matt Dolan and Brian Nanavaty (retired captain from Indianapolis Metro Police Department), all of Dolan Consulting Group. The training will be conducted at New College Institutes building on Baldwin block, and the facility can accommodate up to 300 officers.

The training will be announced and open to every law enforcement agency in Virginia.

Martinsville Police Chief Eddie Cassady said the training will be advertised through police academies.

Any time we can get our officers new and up-to-date training, its just an excellent opportunity to provide service for our citizens, Cassady said.

The Martinsville Police Department received the same grant last year to provide certain types of training.

Patrick Countys VSTOP (Virginia Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution) grant is the second year of funding to provide a VSTOP investigator who receives specialized training in areas of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; who is dedicated to investigating these violent crimes against women; and who works to implement new ideas, policies and procedures that will enhance the services provided to these women.

Investigator Betsy Layman of the Patrick County Sheriffs Office said Linda Martin is the VSTOP investigator in Patrick County.

I think our handling of those cases is much better because we have a VSTOP investigator, Layman said.

With Patrick County being a rural area with a lot of land to cover, sheriffs officers can be stretched pretty thin, with two or three patrol officers per shift, Layman said. Martin can do follow-up for officers and is in constant contact with the commonwealths attorneys office and victim advocates, and can help with such things as temporary housing and mental health resources, Layman said.

Its been great for us, she added.

The Patrick County Commonwealths Attorneys Office and its victim/witness director, Tanya Haynes, were instrumental in obtaining the grant, Layman said.

Warren Rodgers Jr., executive director of Southside Survivor Response Center Inc., said its VSTOP (Virginia Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution) grant will fund a portion of the court advocacy program for victims of domestic violence. That program provides advocacy services in the courtroom, not necessarily legal counsel, but assistance with things like filing a protective order and helping someone know what to expect in the judicial process. That program also provides services including lethality assessment program (a method for law enforcement and other community professionals to identify victims of domestic violence who are at highest risk of being seriously injured or killed by their intimate partners, and immediately connect them to the local domestic violence service program).

The program also, among other things, helps connect victims to services, and it provides training for community members, primarily focusing on working with people affected by domestic violence.

Rodgers said the Sexual Assault Services Program grant will be used for such things as outreach  through publicity helping increase knowledge of sexual assault program services that are provided  and funding the sexual assault portion of the Southside Survivor Response Center hotline.

Rodgers said he hopes anyone being abused will reach out for services. They can reach our hotline at 877-934-3576 or online at ssrcenter.org, he said.

This is a renewal cycle of a three-year grant for both the VSTOP and Sexual Assault Services Program grants, Rodgers said. We are in the middle year, he added.

Paul Collins reports for the Martinsville Bulletin and can be reached at paul.collins@martinsvillebulletin.com.
(Xinhua) 07:28, December 12, 2017

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A China-style major-country diplomacy has taken shape over the past five years through the overseas trips by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The 29 visits to 58 countries and major international and regional organizations across the five continents have helped win Xi the title of "chief diplomat" of China.

The trips have enhanced a leadership role for China in global peace, security, governance and development, and promoted a better understanding worldwide of a Chinese vision and approach that includes win-win cooperation and efforts towards building a community with a shared future for mankind.

WIN-WIN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Xi's first foreign trip since he became Chinese president was to Moscow in March 2013, where he debuted his diplomatic approach.

"To keep up with the times, we cannot have ourselves physically living in the 21st century, but with a mindset belonging to the past, stalled in the old days of colonialism, and constrained by zero-sum Cold War mentality," Xi told an audience at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, while calling for building a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at the core.

Xi's six visits to Russia and more than 20 meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin on various occasions have lifted China-Russia ties to their best in history. The two countries together serve as an anchor for global peace and security.

"I believe that the model of bilateral relations that we have created should become one of the examples of civilized interaction between countries in the 21st century," Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin said.

The principles Xi put forward of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation have helped stabilize China-U.S. relations over White House leadership changes and consequent uncertainties.

Xi's exchanges with U.S. President Donald Trump led to the establishment of new high-level dialogue mechanisms between China and the United States in a bid to promote global peace and security.

China-Europe relations have expanded with each of Xi's tours to the continent. China seeks a partnership with the European Union based on peace, growth, reform and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation. China's excellent relationship with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have largely eased Europeans' worries about China.

During the past five years, half of Xi's overseas visits were dedicated to promoting ties with China's neighbors, including the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism, the updated version of the China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Area, and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, among others.

Meanwhile, cooperation with developing countries in Africa and Latin America has grown, with China's involvement in a number of infrastructure and development projects.

STRENGTHENING MULTILATERALISM

Xi's proposal to build a community with a shared future for mankind is a central pillar of multilateralism. The proposal shines light on China's diplomatic efforts over the past five years concerning individual states and regional and international organizations.

From the UN General Assembly, the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meetings, to the Group of 20 (G20) forum and the BRICS summit which embraces Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Xi has reaffirmed China's commitment to economic globalization, UN-led multilateralism and global peace.

Globalization is falsely blamed for a sluggish global economy, high unemployment, a rise in trade protectionism, populism and isolationism, terrorism, the refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East and the widening gap between rich and poor.

"In the face of both opportunities and challenges of economic globalization, the right thing to do is to seize every opportunity, jointly meet challenges and chart the right course for economic globalization," Xi said in a keynote WEF speech in January.

He listed an innovation-driven growth, open and win-win cooperation, fairer governance as well as balanced and inclusive development as the way forward for the global economy. Multilateralism is the solution for global problems, and China has been a strong pillar of it.

Building a community with a shared future for mankind is embodied in the Belt and Road Initiative Xi proposed in 2013, which is aimed at building trade and infrastructure networks in countries along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

Moreover, the initiative's projects involving new railways, roads, and industrial zones in Asia and Africa are aligned with the development strategies of many countries and are being hashed out with the United Nations 2030 sustainable development goals in mind. The Belt and Road Initiative is perhaps the greatest gift China has ever offered to the world.

"In an increasingly interdependent and integrated world where countries form a community of shared interests, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation are the only viable option," Xi said at the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries during the BRICS summit held in September in Xiamen, China.

"Multilateralism is the solution for the global problems, and China has been a strong pillar of multilateralism," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. His predecessor Ban Ki-moon has called China "an indispensable partner for the UN's agenda."

China's continued support for the Paris climate change accord after the U.S. withdrawal and its significant contributions to UN peacekeeping missions are also among its efforts to make the world a better place.
By Mu Xuequan (Xinhua) 07:32, December 12, 2017

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (2nd L, Front) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin(2nd R) view a military parade in the Russian-run Hmeimim Air Base in the coastal city of Latakia, Syria, on Dec. 11, 2017. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Syria on Monday, the presidential media office reported. During Putin's visit, he ordered his defense minister to prepare for withdrawing the Russian forces, according to the report. (Xinhua/Syrian Presidency)

DAMASCUS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The surprising and rare visit of Russian President Vladimir Putinto Syriaon Monday aimed at boosting coordination between Russia and Syria for the upcoming stage of political solution, analysts say.

On Sunday morning, people woke up to the surprising news of Putin's meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Russian-run Hmeimim airbase in the coastal city of Latakia in northwestern Syria.

Later on, videos and photos of the rare visit, the first visit of Putin to Syria during the six-year war, went online as well.

During the brief visit, Putin met with Assad and inspected the Russian forces there, ordering "significant" withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria.

Still, the Russians will keep their presence in the Hmeimim Air Base in Latakia and the naval base they have for long controlled in the nearby coastal city of Tartus.

However, Putin noted that "if the terrorists raised their heads again, we will deal them a blow they haven't seen before," meaning that his forces will be ready to strike again.

"As for withdrawing the Russian forces, it was expected because their entry to Syria was due to the situation on the ground when the terror groups were controlling large swathes of territories in Syria," Hmaidi Abdullah, a Syrian political analyst and a writer, told Xinhua.

Abdullah noted that "Today there is a recognition that 90 percent of the inhabited Syrian territories are under the government control, meaning that our need today for large numbers of Russian forces is unjustified."

"So the Russian forces came in large numbers to achieve a certain mission and when this mission was largely achieved, there is no need for a large number of Russian forces here," he said.

Abdullah said on the military level, the decision is logical, adding that the political one is more important.

"True that the visit held military meaning, which was about celebrating the victory on the terror groups, but I think that the visit aimed primarily to coordinate stances between the Russian and Syrian sides ahead of Putin's visit to Egyptand Turkey," Abdullah said.

Following his visit to Syria, Putin flew to Egypt, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, during which both sides discussed wide-range thorny issues, including the Syrian one.

On Syria, Sisi said they agreed on supporting the UN-sponsored negotiations to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

Putin said he agreed with Sisi to enhance cooperation to boost a long-term solution in Syria, hailing Egypt's support to Russia's initiative for a national Syrian dialogue.

Also, Putin visited Turkey on the same day, where he met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed the peace process in Syria.

Putin said that almost all territory had been freed in Syria, adding that "in case of the resumption of some terror hotbeds of resistance, we will take effective countermeasures."

As for the political settlement, the Russian president made it clear that the Syrian Constitution would be discussed during the National Dialogue Congress in Sochi scheduled for the beginning of the next year.

Both Russia and Turkey are the guarantors of the de-escalation zones' deal that was implemented in four hot zones in Syria this year.

Maher Ihsan, another political analyst, also said that the visit of Putin to Syria and his meeting with Assad meant to discuss the prospects of the political solution ahead of Putin's visits to the regional powers of Turkey and Egypt.

Ihsan believed that Russia is pinning big hopes on the Sochi meeting on Syria, unlike the currently-underway intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, which is not believed to will produce any solution to the country's long-running conflict.

"That is why Putin came personally to discuss with Assad the next move," Ihsan said.

Putin's visit also comes days after President Assad visited Sochi and met with the Russian leader there.

At the time, the visit was seen as a show of victory after the Syrian army defeated the Islamic State (IS) in their main strongholds in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, where the Russian air power was crucial in defeating IS in that area and almost all of the desert region in eastern Syria.

The Russian forces entered Syria in 2015 to shore up the forces of Assad in their fight against the rebels.

The backing of the Russian forces and air power enabled the Syrian army to retrieve key areas across the country, such as rebel-held areas in Aleppo, the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria as well as the eastern city of Deir al-Zour from the Islamic State.
I have been a life-long Democrat, that is, until the Clinton's and Obama's came along. I voted for the nitwit that we now have in the White House only because he was the lesser of two evils.

Trump has chased me back to the Democrats. Hopefully they can come up with a decent candidate.

The straw that broke the camel's back was when Trump endorsed a sexual predator in the Alabama Senate race. Apparently, Trump's agenda comes before the victims of Roy Moore.



Ernie LaBranche, Springfield
By Andy Metzger

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, DEC. 11, 2017.....Aiming for the construction of 135,000 new housing units by 2025, the Baker administration on Monday heralded $10 million in incentives to encourage cities and towns to promote development within their borders.

Gov. Charlie Baker also proposed legislation that would make it easier for municipalities to change their zoning to promote multifamily developments, reduce their parking requirements, and make other changes to smooth the way for more housing.

The initiatives are modeled on the Green Communities program that rewards cities and towns for taking climate-friendly steps.

Communities that qualify will be able to access capital grants, receive preferential treatment for existing grant programs - including MassWorks and transportation grants - and access $2 million in MassHousing technical assistance grants to help them make progress towards affordable housing goals.

The governor's bill dubbed An Act to Promote Housing Choices would allow cities and towns adopt certain zoning changes by a simple majority vote rather than the existing requirement of a two-thirds vote. The administration on Monday also announced about $1.3 million in grant funding for 37 projects through the Planning Assistance Grant Program, which encourages land conservation, reduced energy consumption and the housing production.

The policy package was crafted to address the boiling hot Bay State housing market, where home prices have risen faster than any other state in the country and Boston rent prices "rank among the highest in the country," according to the administration.

While high housing prices can benefit sellers and landlords, they also force homebuyers and renters to make difficult financial and lifestyle decisions.

"Our growing economy demands a robust and diverse supply of housing to support the Commonwealth's continued growth and success," Baker said in a statement. "This initiative will maximize collaboration between state agencies, support innovation and data-driven policies, and provide municipalities with the user-friendly tools needed to create more housing where it's needed. We look forward to working with the legislature and partnering with cities and towns to deliver much needed housing to regions across Massachusetts, while respecting our long-standing home rule tradition."

The governor plans to speak about the Housing Choice Initiative in Roxbury Monday afternoon alongside Assistant Secretary of Housing and Community Development Chrystal Kornegay, Littleton Town Administrator Keith Bergman and Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

Curtatone is "thrilled" with the new program, he said in a statement, and Littleton's town administrator touted the town's inventory of subsidized housing, which at 12.9 percent exceeds the 10 percent goal under a state law known as 40B.

"Littleton has a strong housing market and its total housing stock has increased by 10 percent since 2010," Bergman said in a statement.

Prior to its formal announcement, the initiative received praise from a bevy of outside organization, including NAIOP the Commercial Real Estate Development Association of Massachusetts, the Conservation Law Foundation, and the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

"Community leaders need resources, tools, incentives and flexibility, and they also need to preserve their decision-making authority, because there are no one-size-fits-all solutions," said Geoff Beckwith, executive director of the municipal association. "We applaud the Governor's Housing Choice Program, because he is standing with cities and towns, and offering resources and tools that are necessary to make real progress together."

Metropolitan Area Planning Council Executive Director Marc Draisen, who supports policies that foster denser residential development, said he was pleased that the administration will grant Housing Choice communities "specific advantages" in grant applications.

"I think these kinds of programs often work if the incentives are significant," Draisen told the News Service. He estimated that about 50 municipalities would qualify today under the program.

"Housing Choice will encourage communities to build more of the homes that we need in walkable and welcoming places," said Andre Leroux, executive director of the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance and spokesman for the Great Neighborhoods campaign. "We are very pleased that the Baker-Polito Administration recognizes the fundamental role that zoning reform plays in solving our housing crisis."

Communities would need to demonstrate recent housing production or a combination of housing production and development-friendly policies to qualify, according to Draisen, who said there would be different standards for rural communities. The Housing Choice Designation is "designed to be simple, flexible and achievable for municipalities," according to the administration.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a former building trades union official who years ago set a goal of 53,000 new housing units in his city by 2030, said the Baker administration's initiative would help Boston and other places around the state.

"Together with the support of the Commonwealth through the new Housing Choice Initiative, cities and towns, including Boston, will have a new set of tools at our disposal to continue delivering more housing for the people we serve," Walsh said in a statement.
Female members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation stood in support of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Tuesday after President Donald Trump suggested on Twitter that the New York Democrat "would do anything" for campaign contributions.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, condemned the president's comments as sexually suggestive and demeaning and stressed that they and other women will not be intimidated by him.

Pointing to the tweet, in which Trump called Gillibrand a "total flunky," Clark argued that women know the president is "'that guy' -- the insecure sexual predator who bullies any woman who dares to hold him accountable."

The Melrose Democrat added that Gillibrand's record of standing up for women "should really terrify" Trump.

Women know Trump is that guy -- the insecure sexual predator who bullies any woman who dares to hold him accountable. Heres what should really terrify him: @SenGillibrand has been standing up for women her whole career. She wont be intimidated and neither will we. https://t.co/rvDtFMIpQ4  Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) December 12, 2017

"She won't be intimidated and neither will we," Clark tweeted.

Warren, meanwhile, accused the president of "trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame" Gillibrand.

Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Do you know who you're picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump. Nevertheless, #shepersisted. https://t.co/mYJtBZfxiu  Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 12, 2017

"Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame Sen. Gillibrand? Do you know who you're picking a fight with? Good luck with that, (Donald Trump.) Nevertheless, she persisted," the Democrat tweeted, alluding to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's remarks after formally silencing her earlier this year.

Trump slammed Gillibrand on Twitter Tuesday after the New York senator called on the president to step down over allegations of sexual misconduct.

"Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!" he posted on the social networking website.

Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

Gillibrand told CNN Monday that she believed the allegations raised against Trump are credible and should be investigated.

"President Trump should resign his position," she said, joining a handful of other Democratic senators who have called for the president to step down.

Three women who have accused Trump of sexual harassment detailed their claims during a Monday appearance on NBC's "Megyn Kelly Today."

Trump denied the allegations on Twitter Tuesday, contending that Democrats are pushing such "fake news" to undermine his presidency.

"Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met," he tweeted. "FAKE NEWS!"

Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

According to Open Secrets, Trump has given Gillibrand $5,850 in campaign contributions. She reportedly met with Trump once in 2010, with Ivanka Trump also attending the meeting, an aide told the Washington Post.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced this week that it will start allowing transgender individuals to enlist in the military next month, despite the Trump Administration's efforts to challenge the policy in federal court.

The Pentagon announced Monday that it would enforce the Jan. 1 court-imposed deadline for processing transgender military applicants as the Department of Justice appeals the ruling.

Under the new guidelines, officials said, the Pentagon can disqualify potential military recruits who have a history of gender dysphoria or of medical treatments associated with gender transition, as well as those who underwent reconstruction surgery.

Such recruits, however, can be allowed to serve if a licensed medical provider certifies they have been stable in their preferred gender for 18 months and are free of "significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."

The Pentagon's announcement came just days after the Trump administration asked a federal judge to temporarily put on hold a portion of the October U.S. District Court ruling that required the military to begin accepting transgender troops on Jan. 1.

U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Brookline, who chairs the congressional Transgender Equality Task Force, touted the department's move.

"Transgender Americans who step forward and bravely defend our nation deserve better than a (president) who doubts them. Today our courts affirmed discrimination does not belong in our military," he tweeted, referencing legal challenges to President Donald Trump's policy of barring transgender people from serving in the military.

Transgender Americans who step forward and bravely defend our nation deserve better than a POTUS who doubts them. Today our courts affirmed discrimination does not belong in our military. https://t.co/aergAmukF6  Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) December 12, 2017

The administration has filed an appeal to District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision, which blocked Trump's policy and set the January enlistment date, to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington.

Officials, in a recent motion, argued that the federal government would be "seriously and irreparably harmed if forced" to implement the requirement to accept transgender recruits by next month.

A Washington state federal court ruled against the president's proposed ban on Monday, marking the third to do so, according to the Associated Press.

Trump announced in a series of late July posts on Twitter that the government would not accept or allow transgender Americans to serve in the U.S. military -- a policy that drew swift criticism from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates.

"After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military," he tweeted. "Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."

The Department of Defense, meanwhile, stated that current transgender service members would be treated with respect as the Pentagon worked through the policy shift -- which came one month after U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis gave military chiefs another six months to review whether allowing transgender individuals to enlist in the military would affect the force's "readiness or lethality."

The National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders sued the federal government in wake of the president's policy change.
Police officers stand guard outside the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, US December 11, 2017 after reports of an explosion. [Photo/Agencies]

A would-be suicide bomber set off part of a homemade explosive device in a subway passage between Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan during Monday's morning rush hour, seriously wounding himself and injuring three others, police said.

The injuries to two commuters and a Port Authority police officer were all non-life threatening, according to the New York Fire Department.

At a news conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio called the blast an attempted terrorist attack, and he said no other devices had been found.

The suspect was identified by police as Akayed Ullah, 27, a Bangladeshi native, who lived in Brooklyn. He was in serious condition at Bellevue Hospital Center.

Ullah acted alone, police said, and the device was reported to have gone off prematurely in the passage just 200 feet from the bus terminal at West 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue  one of the busiest transit hubs in the country  at 7:20 am, authorities said. Two commuters and a Port Authority police officer suffered minor injuries, officials said.

The device was affixed to Ullah's body with Velcro and zip ties, police officials said.

The explosion caused commuter chaos at one of the city's key traffic hubs.

"Our lives revolve around the subway," the mayor said. "The choice of New York is always for a reason, because we are beacons of the world. And we show that a society of many background and many faiths can work."

"The terrorists want to undermine that," he added. "They yearn to attack New York City."

"I'm glad I wasn't there. We were supposed to take a bus out at the time (when the accident happened), so I'm glad we waited," said Monica Gannon, who planned to take the bus back to New Jersey at this morning when the explosion happened. "We are stuck here. Now we are waiting for all this to be over and go back home."

"I was evacuated from the terminal after it (the explosion) happened. It was terrible, and I was so scared when I saw some people running,"said Alicia Carmona.

She said she was evacuated from the terminal after the explosion and to wait outside the bus terminal for about two hours.

Carmona said she planned to pick up her niece at LaGuardia Airport at around 9 am, but now she couldn't make it. "I was thinking to take the subway instead, but the nearby subway stations are closed too."

New York mayor Billl de Blasio (R) looks on as New York governor Andrew Cuomo holds a press conference in the wake of an explosion at the Port Authority in New York City, US December 11, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]
Successfully pitching your app idea to investors and convincing them to fund your startup is not an easy task.

Nevertheless, various strategies exist that can drastically enhance your ability to create a winning pitch deck, effectively establish lines of communication with investors, and deliver persuasive in-person pitches that lead to funding.

In this article, Ill outline best practices for all three stages of pitching investors and share some hands-on examples from working with startups here at Appster.
Republican State Rep. Dan Nordberg of Colorado Springs announced Monday that he will resign his seat to accept an appointment with President Trumps administration. Nordberg will serve as the regional administrator for Region 8 of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

In his new position, Nordberg will oversee SBAs programs in the six states that comprise Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The SBA has an office in every state and 10 regional offices located across the United States. The SBA connects small businesses in all stages of the business lifecycle to resources that provide the capital, counseling and contracting expertise they need to start, grow and expand their business.

Nordberg was elected in 2012 to represent House District 14, consisting of northern Colorado Springs suburbs, and reelected in 2014 and 2016. Since taking office in 2013, he has sat on the House Business Affairs and Labor committee, and served as its ranking member since 2015. Nordberg also previously served as chairman of the Legislative Audit Committee, the body tasked with examining state agencies financial records and reviewing and releasing audit reports and recommendations for special studies.

During his five years in the Legislature, Nordberg established himself as a collaborative leader and champion for small business, a reputation that he believes was at least partly responsible for his appointment to the SBA.

"Im ready and excited to go to work for small business to support and counsel Americas dynamic entrepreneurs," says Nordberg. "This is a tremendous honor and I look forward to joining the SBA team and participating in its great mission to support small business." Nordberg is especially eager to use his position to help small businesses improve their cybersecurity, to work with stakeholders to find solutions to skilled labor shortages, and to provide veterans the resources necessary to transition to jobs after their service in the military.

Before his service in the Legislature, Nordberg worked as district director for U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn. In this capacity, he served as a liaison to Colorados business community as well as federal and state agencies.

Previous to that, Nordberg worked as a legislative aide in Washington, D.C. where he focused on small business, homeland security and financial services issues.

Born and raised in Colorado, Nordberg graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political science. He and his wife Maura, a school psychologist, are the proud parents of three children.

Nordberg stated that his resignation will take effect the beginning of January and that the House District 14 Republican Vacancy Committee will meet on Dec. 21 to appoint his replacement. The person chosen by the committee will be seated before the start of Colorados 2018 legislative session and serve out the remainder of his term.

Reactions to Rep. Nordbergs Appointment:

"Dan Nordbergs leadership skills, effective interpersonal style and depth of knowledge on business policy issues make him uniquely qualified to tackle this role," Gardner said. "He will serve Colorado well and I look forward to working with him to advocate on behalf of Colorados small businesses."-U.S. Senator Cory Gardner

"Ive had the privilege of working with and knowing Dan through his public service in the Colorado General Assembly, and I can say confidently that he possesses both the passion and competency to fill this role with excellence. His colleagues on both sides of the aisle respect and admire him for his even-handedness, honesty and integrity. His policy expertise and sharp intelligence make him a great choice for this appointment."-U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn

"No Member of the House Republican Caucus sponsored more bills into law last session than Rep. Nordberg. Thats a real testament to his quality as a legislator and a person. Well certainly miss his leadership but are excited for him and this great opportunity to serve our country."-Colorado House Minority Leader Patrick Neville

"Ive been incredibly fortunate to work with Representative Nordberg at the State Capitol. He has been an amazing champion on behalf of Colorado businesses and achieved great legislative successes due to his honesty, integrity and ability to work with members on both sides of the aisle. He is the perfect fit for this new opportunity and we look forward to continuing to work with him to protect the needs of Colorado businesses!"-Loren Furman, Senior Vice President, State and Federal Relations, CO Association of Commerce & Industry

Rep. Dan Nordbergs Honors and Awards:

* 2017 Kempe Foundation "Champion for Kids" Award. Recognized for legislative efforts to improve the coordination of child welfare services between the Colorado Department of Human Services and the military.

* 2017 Department of Defense Certificate of Appreciation. Awarded by the Office of Military Community and Family Policy for leadership on public policy changes which positively impact the quality of life for service members and their families residing in Colorado.

* 2016 Jewish Colorado "Legislative Appreciation" Award. Honored for demonstrating leadership on issues of importance to the Jewish community.

* 2016 Independent Bankers of Colorado "Defender of Main Street" Award.

* 2015 Independent Bankers of Colorado "Legislator of the Year" Award. Recognized for ardent support of small business and community banking.

* 2015 University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Legislative Recognition Award. Presented in appreciation for support of higher education priorities in Southern Colorado.

* 2013, 2014, 2016, & 2017 Colorado Civil Justice League "Common Sense in the Courtroom" Award. Presented for efforts to promote tort reform and protect small businesses from frivolous lawsuits.

* 2013 Colorado Springs Business Journal "Rising Star" Award. Nominated by peers and selected based on career accomplishments and commitment to community.

Notable Legislation:

In 2014, Nordberg sponsored HB 14-1003, a Non-Resident Disaster Relief Worker Tax Exemption. That legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper, exempts non-residents from the state income tax if they perform emergency-related work on critical infrastructure that has been affected by a declared state disaster emergency. This was a direct response to some of the major flooding the Front Range had experienced the year before. The measure also provides an exemption to non-resident emergency service workers if they provide emergency service work related to the declared disaster emergency.

In 2015, Nordberg went after the states health insurance marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, calling for an audit of the states agency responsible for administering the federal Affordable Care Act. The audit unearthed what Nordberg and several other legislators called "disturbing discrepancies," including a general finding that the exchange could not "sufficiently ensure that public funds were being spent in accordance with federal requirements." In addition, it was found that $489,000 in "unallowable or unreasonable" payments had been made to vendors and service providers and that there was $31.6 million in contract irregularities. The culmination of his efforts led to the successful passage of SB15-019, legislation which expanded the authority of the state auditor to conduct a full, comprehensive performance audit of Connect for Health Colorado.

In 2015, Nordberg teamed up with Rep. Beth McCann (currently Denver District Attorney) to sponsor HB 15-1078: Report Missing Youth in States Custody. This bill addresses a disturbing trend in human trafficking by ensuring that if a child in foster care goes missing, he or she is immediately reported to law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Because children in foster care are often preyed upon by human traffickers, it is vital they are reported missing at a moments notice to help save them from their captors.

In 2016, Nordberg sponsored SB16-197, the single biggest rewrite of state liquor law since the end of Prohibition, and one that headed off what would have been a hard-fought ballot initiative, with each side planning to spend millions on their respective campaigns. The bill ended up being lauded by both sides of the issue  big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target and little mom and pop liquor stores alike  as a true compromise measure that protected small businesses while also phasing in greater consumer choice in the marketplace.

In 2017, Nordberg sponsored Senate Bill 17-028, known as the Healthy Families and Military Preparedness Act. The bill, which passed the Senate unanimously, passed the House 64 -1 and was signed by the governor, establishes better coordination of child welfare services between the Colorado Department of Human Services and the military. To honor his efforts, the Kempe foundation named Nordberg as their 2017 "Champion for Kids."
Tech giant Apple is setting its eyes on teaching coding to every public school student in one of the biggest and most racially diverse school districts in the nation.

Apple CEO Tim Cook told USA TODAY that the company  which like many top tech firms has faced calls from politicians and activists to take steps to diversify its workforce  in the New Year will partner with Chicago school system officials to teach the coding language Swift in city classrooms and through after-school coding clubs in a school district.

Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/12/12/apple-teach-every-chicago-public-school-student-code/942609001/
A nonprofit organization in the Flathead aims to end homelessness among high school students.

During the holiday season, many groups and organizations cook food or donate clothes to their local homeless shelters. However, Sparrows Nest of Northwest Montana http://sparrowsnestnwmt.org/ has their own unique event each year to help bring awareness to high school homelessness.

http://www.ktvh.com/2017/12/flathead-nonprofit-works-to-end-student-homelessness
Much of the technology found in todays consumer automobiles was originally designed to give race cars a competitive edge. With that in mind, Australian entrepreneur Matt Pearson figured that if theres one way of accelerating the development of flying cars, its to race the things. To that end, his company Alauda is now building what is essentially a human-capable racing drone.

Ben Coxworth

https://newatlas.com/alauda-airspeeder-flying-car/52565/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=ddc37aa119-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-ddc37aa119-92465361
(Global Times) 09:01, December 12, 2017

Anti-missile exercises not targeting third party: expert

China and Russia began their second joint computer-assisted anti-missile drills on Monday as the US and its allies South Korea and Japan simultaneously began joint missile tracking exercises, a coincidence that has raised fears of possible clashes amid the strained situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Chinese experts said that unlike the Sino-Russian drills, which aim at enhancing anti-missile capability to maintain regional stability, the military drills of the US and its allies would escalate tensions and may spark accidentally a conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

China's Defense Ministry said on Monday that the drills carry out the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries on strengthening anti-missile cooperation and would enhance the strategic mutual trust and help jointly deal with regional threats from ballistic and cruise missiles.

China and Russia oppose the development of a global anti-missile system and the cooperation on the anti-missile field would help protect both countries' security as well as the regional strategic balance, according to the ministry.

Japan's maritime Self-Defense Force said that the US, Japan and South Korea would hold two-day missile tracking drills from Monday, which is the sixth drill sharing information on tracking ballistic missiles among the three nations, Reuters reported on Sunday.

The drills of two different groups have sparked speculations that China and Russia have aligned to contain the US and its allies amid strained ties on the Korean Peninsula.

"Partnership is quite different from alliance. China and Russia have maintained the comprehensive strategic partnership for peaceful purposes, and they are equal," a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Monday.

The difference between the two groups' drills is that the China-Russia drills do not target any third party, while the US and its allies have a clear imaginary enemy - North Korea, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the Global Times.

"The alliance of the US, South Korea and Japan would incite North Korea, lead to strong reactions and threaten regional stability," Zhang said.

Aside from targeting North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and its missile tests, the US is also preparing to launch the Strategic Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System in the Asia-Pacific region, Zhang said.

Zhang added that "the US could first integrate the space reconnaissance early warning systems in Japan and South Korea and then the interception system in an effort to enhance the capability of the US BMD system and keep absolute security of the US territory."

Yang Chengjun, a senior military strategist of missile studies from the PLA Rocket Force, said that the joint military drills of the US and its allies could only increase tensions in the region and may accidentally spark a conflict.

Japan's maritime Self-Defense Force did not say whether the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system would be involved in the drills, Reuters reported.

"South Korea may start the reconnaissance system affiliated with the THAAD to check whether it could work properly and collect accurate information on intercepting missiles," Yang said.

China and Russia have expressed opposition to the deployment of THAAD.
A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor from Mali has been practicing medicine in rural China for 17 years, Chinese newspaper Guangzhou Daily reported. According to the newspaper, the man surnamed Diarra has trained more than 5,000 village doctors in southwest China.

To save people is the responsibility of every doctor, and it has nothing to do with nationality, ethnicity, or status, Diarra said, adding that doctors should go to the places where people need them.

The 53-year-old doctor works as a TCM specialist at a hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and he also uses half of his time doing public service in Yunnan.

Born in a family of medicine tradition, Diarra came to China for study in 1984 after graduating from a medical college in his motherland.

Hoping to learn stuff with Chinese characteristics, Diarra chose TCM as his major, saying it is a broad and profound discipline with unique charm.

After learning Chinese in Beijing for one and a half years, Diarra entered Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine for systematic study. He spent almost all of his time on the study of Chinese culture, in a bid to have a better understanding of TCM.

Diarra became the first foreigner in China to acquire doctoral degree of TCM in 1994 and the first foreign post-doctor of TCM in 2015.

Apart from being a qualified student, Diarra has made his own contribution to the promotion of rural medical services.

In 2001, he visited Yunnans Honghe prefecture as a volunteer, a place in extreme lack of medical resources. It was this experience that inspired him to push for the development of rural medical care in China.

Over the past 17 years, Diarra has visited numerous villages and trained more than 5,000 village doctors. To improve his public services, he has settled down in Yunnan. Under his effort, 90% of the six poverty-stricken counties in Honghe prefecture now have their own doctors.

According to Diarra, he will try to promote TCM in Africa. He plans to establish a comprehensive medical center that integrates research, education, and medical services, together with local TCM doctors.
An unmanned aerial vehicle flies during the 4th China Information Technology Expo in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, April 8, 2016. The expo, with the participation of over 1,700 enterprises across the world, opened here Friday. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

The 4th World Internet Conference (WIC) concluded Tuesday in the town of Wuzhen in East China after three days of discussion and exhibitions of cutting-edge internet products. The rapid expansion of the internet in China has become the spotlight of the IT industry domestically and globally, especially in terms of livestream platforms, sharing economy, and drones.

Innovation from China must have been the greatest change in the past five years, said Zhang Lei, founder of Hillhouse Capital Group. The worlds innovation comes from China.

Two months ago, I ordered an Uber in Las Vegas and the driver asked me where to go, said Fu Sheng, CEO of Cheetah Mobile. The driver was excited when I mentioned Live.me was our program. She said she used it to help provide for her three kids as a single mom.

Live.me is the largest third-party mobile livestream platform in the US, with 75 percent of its users overseas. Fu Sheng added, We will make the best Chinese mobile internet products available in the US.

Senior vice-president of EBay, RJ Pittman said, China possesses various kinds of world-leading products. For example, my favorite product, Dajiang, has become an exceptional drone company around the globe, which nevertheless, was started by college students.

Lots of initiatives head out from China to America at a remarkable speed, said Christ ONeill, CEO of Evernote. Didi is another good example.

Allen Blue, the founder of LinkedIn, also expressed his impressiveness over Chinese technology companies. They manage to standardize initiatives within a short period. For example, bike sharing successfully entered 200 cities nationwide within a year and half, along with the online and offline O2O business model and emphasis on technological innovation, adding that this deserves global appreciation.

Cheng Wei, CEO of Didi Chuxing, spoke about predictable changes in the future of the industry. More people will share cabs and spare seats in a car will soon vanish. In the longer term, he assumes that cars will eventually fly to solve traffic problems.

Logistics services in China have handled over 100 million parcels every day since May this year, said Rookie Network President Wan Lin. Twenty million delivery men are need for the 1-billion-parcels-goal. The only solution is to digitalize and integrate all logistical data for further optimization and arrangement.

According to occupational social data, a large volume of AI talents in the US have returned to China, which will impose influence upon Chinas economic and intellectual advantages.

According to Metcalfes Law, a network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users. Chinas enormous population could create an advantageous opportunity, Fu Sheng said, promising a positive AI future in China.
Qiqili Village is situated in the deep mountains in northern China. /CGTN Photo

Nearly every busy street in China's developed cities is crawling with bikes, making the phenomenon seem purely urban. With low fees, the rate at which people repeatedly use the bikes, or the repeat rate, has become the X factor for the business model's profitability.

This makes the experiment, where 20 shared bikes deployed in Qiqili, a backwater county plagued by poverty in north Chinas Shanxi Province, look more charitable than ambitious.

Even the company in question, Mobike, one of the pioneers in the market, found the idea of connecting an impoverished village to the rest of the world with its service a little far-fetched.

It took village officials nearly six months to persuade the bike sharing company to agree to bringing in the shared bikes, which, they believe, could be a boost to local tourism.

Id lost count on how many times they (Mobike) had turned me down, Guo Ruoqiao, the villages chief official, told Shanxi Daily on October 24 when the bikes arrived.

Qiqili Village, located in the remote mountainous area in eastern Shanxi, has a population of less than 700. Eager to strike its name off the provinces list of the poorest places, the village has been attempting to develop local tourism in recent years.

Connecting different newly constructed tourist attractions are renovated roads where Guo is convinced that bike-sharing can fit the bill for potential visitors.

You are welcome to cycle along the bank of the Yellow River," said Guo.

Villagers put some seat covers on the bikes./CGTN Photo

Whether the plan succeeds in drawing tourists remains to be seen, though the villagers adore the idea as well as the orange-colored vehicles, an embodiment of the sharing economy. In stark contrast to what has happened in urban areas where bike vandalism is constantly reported, villagers in Qiqili have taken good care of the bikes.

Some have put hand-sewn seat covers over the bikes, while some volunteer to the wipe the bikes from time to time to keep them clean.

Weve never expected such thing could happen in our village. We must treat them as treasures. In winter, we are not busy with farming," said Guo Chengmei, a local resident.
Keep your eyes on the sun and you will not see the shadows is a traditionally held truth in Australia. But recently the advice was not so well practiced as some Australians were viewing China negatively and refusing to let the summer sun shine in their hearts.

Days earlier, some Australian media fabricated news about Chinas influence and infiltration in Australia, and then some unprincipled Australian politicians, influenced by those reports, claimed that a line should be drawn in Australia-China relations.

Those remarks, which were full of prejudice against China, poisoned the atmosphere between the two countries, and tarnished the foundation of mutual trust and bilateral cooperation.

Some Australian media were so imaginative that they liked to create jaw-dropping reports. For instance, they would like to throw ill-intentioned remarks about China, and claim that China is watching Australia with bad intentions.

In their reports, Chinese students were ill-intentioned to undermine Australia's academic freedom of speech. Chinese businessmen were ill-intentioned to grab Australia's national secrets, and China was ill-intentioned to influence and interfere in Australias domestic politics.

The reports had not only groundlessly criticized the Chinese government, but also maligned overseas Chinese students and overseas Chinese. The racist and hysterical paranoia of the Australian media had tarnished the countrys image as a multicultural society.

Fact is a mirror, in which some Australian medias ridiculousness was truly revealed. The reports, which were full of contradictions and flaws, had incited anger and protests among overseas Chinese in Australia, and were regarded as intolerable among many Australians.

In recent years, many Australian scholars have clarified that the media allegation that China is a destructive force in Australia is untrue. Those ill-intentioned media will not win by law.

In November, the Herald Sun, the highest-circulating newspaper in Australia, published a notice to correct its previous distorted reports about overseas Chinese.

Australian politicians and medias anxiety over China had exposed their speculative attitude in developing foreign relations. The mindset is seen in a recently released foreign affairs white paper.

In the first white paper of its kind ever released after 2003, Australia admits that Chinas sustainable economic development has provided an important opportunity for its development, and Australia is committed to a strong and constructive comprehensive strategic partnership with China and welcomes a bigger role by China in international and regional affairs.

However, the paper also criticizes China for influencing Australias security and putting the country at higher risk. The contradictive remarks seem to reflect that Australia, assuming itself as a strong country, is viewing China as both an important partner and a potential source of danger.

By thinking and doing so, Australia actually is looking for an imaginary enemy for no reason.

A country with darkness deep inside its heart is not able to walk under the sun. The recent attitudes of Australian media and politicians are neither good to bilateral relations nor to the development of Australia itself.

China always follows the important principle of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs when developing relations with other countries.

The principle also works when it comes to Chinas ties with Australia. China has no intention to either interfere in Australias domestic affairs or influence the countrys domestic politics through donations.

If having a just mindset, the Australian side would come to realize that as two important Asia-Pacific countries, China and Australia have no historical grievance or fundamental conflict of interests, and instead, they can be forward-thinking and engage in the building of a long-term stable and expectable partnership.

And that direction is what China has always been endeavoring to bring its relations with Australia to.

The Australian government and media should be realistic in dealing with China, abandon political prejudice against China, and properly handle disputes and sensitive issues through dialogue and exchanges.

That is the only right choice conforming to Australias fundamental interests and the benefit of the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
US, China need to find ways to get along better with each other

On Dec. 9, at the opening ceremony of the Symposium on International Developments and Chinas Diplomacy in 2017, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the sound interactions between the worlds two largest economies and their commitment to win-win cooperation is sending a strong signal to the world and more positive things are to be expected for all parties.

During his speech, Wang Yi said that China has no intention to change or displace the United States, but stressed that the US cannot dictate or impede its development. Noting that the two countries interests are closely tied together and their shared interests far outweigh their differences, Wang reminded that confrontation between the two sides would only result in a lose-lose situation.

Recognizing this, he said that the two countries need to find ways to get along better with each other. China is willing, on the basis of mutual respect, to live peacefully with the American superpower. The US needs to understand and accept a China that is following its own path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, one suited to its own conditions, Wang said.

For both countries, the old-fashioned mentality of zero-sum game and confrontation works no longer. Putting aside differences, seeking common ground, and pursuing win-win cooperation are the only right choice for a bright future, he added.

Yet, despite Chinas benign intentions and the overall positive direction of China-US relations, some argue that war between the two sides is not only possible, but likely, citing the so-called Thucydides Trap, which states that when a rising power threatens to displace a ruling one, the most likely outcome is war.

However, this is just an assumption, and not the law of great powers; even more so, the iron law of international relations. As pointed out, the old way of power politics no longer works. The Western-dominated world order is becoming a global village where all nations must work together and, despite a host of global threats and some disturbing trends, the overall trend is toward a world that is an inseparable community of common destiny.

At the same time, China has neither the intent nor the interest to seek development and security through conflict. China needs long-term peace and stability to continue its development momentum and push forward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The goal of building of a new type of international relations based on win-win cooperation is not meant to challenge to the current order, but to lessen the risk of strategic miscalculation between big powers.

As President Xi Jinping said, there is no Thucydides Trap, only the repeated occurrence of strategic mistakes among major powers. There is no such thing as the so-called Thucydides Trap in the world. But should major countries time and again make the mistakes of strategic miscalculation, they might create such traps for themselves, Xi said. Therefore, China disagrees with the Western argument, but will heed the warning and step up communication and cooperation.

Likewise, the fear that China will replace the US as the new global hegemon is not based on relevant facts, but is related to the ruthless history of the West and its long-standing goal to run the world. As stated on multiple occasions, China will never impose its will on others or become a big bully. China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion, Xi said.

The China-US relationship has come a long way. In todays world, it is difficult for power politics and zero-sum games to continue to dominate the evolution of world affairs. Nowadays, countries face common challenges and all people aspire to peace, which means the era of settling disputes through conflict has long passed. Building a clean and beautiful community of shared future for humankind featuring enduring peace, universal security, common prosperity, and openness and inclusiveness is where the future lies.
At 11:30 on Wednesday, 13 December, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias will meet at the Foreign Ministry with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, who will be carrying out an official visit to Greece.

During their meeting, the two Ministers will focus on the cooperation between the two countries, following Mr. Kotzias visit to Yerevan this past March. Emphasis will be laid on the political consultations between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs regarding issues of mutual interest and on enhancing economic cooperation.

Following their meeting, at about 13:00, the two Ministers will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a mechanism for political consultations, after which they will make joint statements to the press.
Pakistani workers work at the Peshawar-Karachi highway, the largest infrastructure project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. (Xinhua photo)

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will bring major changes to Pakistan, said Muhammad Iqbal Chawla, Dean of Faculty of Arts & Humanities at the University of Punjab, Pakistan, on the 7th World Forum on China Studies held in Shanghai from Dec. 10 to 11.

Chawla said the corridor will not only improve local infrastructure, but also create abundant jobs. In addition, it will expand power supply and promote the development of local agriculture, industry, and services.

Security has been a major concern during the construction of the economic corridor. For instance, as a vital province along the CPEC, Baluchistan has long been suffering from separatism and extremism.

Chawla admitted the existence of unstable political and economic factors in the country, adding that external factors also pose a threat, because some countries in the Indian Ocean and Middle East worry that the economic corridor might infringe upon their interests.

However, he believes that solutions to security issues will be found after the completion of the corridor, since it will boost the local economy and create lots of jobs.

As a result, Pakistan will develop into a completely different country that is free from the threat of terrorism and extremism.

According to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, more than 30,000 Chinese are working in the country. He said security issues threaten the whole region are not exclusive to Pakistan, adding that both governments are closely working together to tackle the problem.

In response to Western criticism on the CPEC, Yao said in an interview with Pakistani media that the project has no hidden agenda and there is nothing to hide.

He explained that the corridor is a bilateral project between Beijing and Islamabad that aims to benefit South Asia and whole world.

Chawla noted at a forum roundtable on Monday that some neighboring countries of Pakistan have been fanning that China will colonize the country, but he believes that Chinas investment will not only benefit Pakistan, but also the whole region.

I believe the whole region would be glad to see India and the US not interfering with our internal affairs and making troubles for the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Chawla told ThePaper.cn.
(Xinhua) 15:49, December 12, 2017

MOSCOW, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russia has begun a partial withdrawal of its troops in Syria under the order of President Vladimir Putin, local media reported on Tuesday.

Putin announced the withdrawal during an unannounced visit to the Hmeymim military airfield in Syria on Monday.

The first withdrawal includes 23 warplanes, two Ka-52 helicopters, and partial military troops composed by contingents, special operation forces, field hospital troops and demining teams, Sergey Surovikin, the commander of Russian forces in Syria, was quoted by Tass news agency as saying.

Surovikin also pointed out that Russia will keep two military bases in Syria, the Hmeymim airbase and the Tartus naval base, which will guarantee stability of Syria in the future.

Local media reported that with the support of the Russian air force, the Syrian army has liberated 98 percent of territory controlled by terrorist groups in the past two years.

With 69 warplane deployed in Syria, Russia spent an average of 156 million rubles (2.6 million U.S. dollars) every day in the war-torn country. Moreover, 40 Russian servicemen died and at least seven pieces of Russian military equipment were destroyed in Syria since September 2015 when Moscow began military operations against terrorist groups in Syria at the request of Damascus, according to the reports.
Buenos Aires (People's Daily) -Plenary sessions for the Eleventh Ministerial Conference (MC11) began yesterday in Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, where trade ministers and senior officials from the highest decision-making body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have gathered to address international trade through December 13.

The MC11 banner theme Strengthening the Multilateral Trading System, will feature discussions and delegation meetings addressing the future of trade among WTO nations.

Multilateral trade system safeguards prosperity and development, said Zhong Shan, Chinas Minister of Commerce during his opening address while emphasizing the importance of a multilateral trade system and promoting a world economy.

Shan pointed out that history has shown how trade is a growth engine that safeguards economic globalization.

Economic globalization is historically an irreversible trend, Shan said, stressing how opening-up policies are essential to prosperity and growth, adding, history has shown how trade is a growth engine that safeguards economic globalization.

Shan referenced Chinese President Xis 2013 Belt and Road initiative designed to foster international cooperation and shared benefits.

Next year China will host its first China Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. It will function as a platform for China to facilitate foreign nation participation and give preference to the developing nations involved.

CIEE is a big step for China to promote economic globalization and open-up its market, said Shan.

Ministers from 44 WTO nations issued joint statements underlining their support for the WTO and reaffirmed the centrality of the rules-based multilateral trading system.

WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo said, It will require that everyone be a champion of the trading system. It will mean that members reticent to lead in the past take up the mantle of leadership. The WTO and the trading system have proven their worth in the past and will do so again in the future. We should all be working to preserve and strengthen this vital resource.
A woman feeds a baby with a bottle in a residential area in Beijing. (Photo: Getty Images)

Lactalis, the worlds third-largest dairy group, has expanded its global recall to China after exporting 6,560 boxes of feared salmonella-contaminated formula to this country, the French brand and health authorities announced on Sunday, following 26 salmonella infection cases among infants in France since early December.

A total of 600 batches of baby formulas are on the worldwide recall list and 40 of which are sold in China under the brand name Celia, said a company spokesman, adding that certain products had flowed into the markets in Zhejiang, Sichuan, Hubei, Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

File photo of Celia baby formula in Chinese market

The company said their international product recall was based on prevention and the feared contaminated products in China were still under inspection.

The issue continues to ferment as a nationwide recall within France was conducted on Dec. 2 when five more affected infants were found last week, whose disease-causing Lactalis milk was found outside the list.

Lactalis said a possible source of the outbreak has been identified in a tower used to dry out the milk at a production site in May. Disinfection and cleaning measures have been put in place at the suspected site in France, reports said.

File photo of Celia dairy company's infant milk factor in Craon, western France. (Photo: VCG)

The company apologized in a statement earlier, saying it is "sincerely sorry for the concern generated by the situation and expresses its compassion and support to the families whose children fell ill."
UPPER THUMB  An organization has filed a complaint against DTE Energy alleging representatives made fraudulent statements to township officials in Lapeer County.

DTE officials, who are persuing wind energy developments in Lapeer County, denied that claim in an email to the Tribune Monday.

The complaint stems from DTEs interest in constructing wind turbines in Burnside, North Branch and Burlington townships.

Kevon Martis, executive director of the Interstate Informed Citizens Coalition (IICC), filed the complaint with the Michigan Public Service Commission on behalf of a North Branch woman last week.

Martis states in the complaint that due to recent political events in Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola counties, wind energy officials are seeking development to regions such as Branch, Midland, Gratiot, Bay and Lapeer counties.

Regarding the proposed development in Lapeer county, local residents and township officials have responded to this proposal by using their rights under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act to regulate wind as they see necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of their residents, Martis letter states.

One of DTEs responses has been to accuse these jurisdictions of attempting to adopt exclusionary zoning, an illegal zoning strategy, he added.

Martis compares DTEs approach to that of NextEra Energy Resources in Tuscola County's Almer Township.

A federal judge sided with the township recently in a suit that NextEra had filed alleging exclusionary zoning on the part of Almer officials.

Huron County Corporate Counsel Stephen Allen said at last weeks county planning commission meeting that NextEra did not meet its burden of proof in the lawsuit.

Martis alludes to the ruling as case law in the complaint he filed on behalf of Traci Martin of North Branch.

He says the judge "resoundingly rejected" NextEra's claims regarding exclusionary zoning and other issues.

Using Judge (Thomas L.) Ludingtons ruling as a guide in the matter of Lapeer County, Martis stated, We know that Lapeer County has electricity and therefore there is no demonstrated need for new generation in Lapeer.

Thus it is essentially impossible to make a claim of exclusionary zoning against proposed generation projects. And Judge Ludingtons ruling makes it clear that uneconomical turbine-to-property line setbacks are also not exclusionary, Martis said.

DTE spokesperson Cindy Hecht released a statement in response to Martis claims.

The claims made in this letter are false, Hecht said. With wind ordinances under discussion in several Lapeer County townships, DTE has provided local officials with examples of wind ordinances that balance respect for private property rights and community well-being.

Hecht said DTE recognizes that many communities have limited experience regarding wind energy.

Based on our experience developing and operating wind energy facilities in Michigan, DTE is committed to helping communities understand how different ordinances can influence potential future wind projects, she said.

DTE representatives have consistently conducted themselves with integrity and respect in meetings and in writing  including when referencing matters regarding community zoning. Since the letter was sent to the MPSC, we will work with the MPSC to address any questions the MPSC may have," Hecht concluded.

The IICC describes itself as a bipartisan non-profit corporation located in Blissfield that represents people living inside Michigans existing and proposed wind energy developments. It has been vocally critical of wind energy development since its inception.

NextEra had proposed turbines in 2016 for Sherman, Sigel and Sand Beach townships in Huron County.

Huron County voters in May rejected the proposed Sherman/Sigel wind overlay district, and voters in Sand Beach Township supported changes to the township's zoning ordinance that placed sound restrictions on turbines.

A DTE proposal to build turbines in northeast Huron County failed by referendum in May as well.
SAND BEACH TOWNSHIP  A family lost everything but escaped harm after a house fire early Monday morning.

According to Harbor Beach Fire Chief John Lermont, firefighters were called to the scene around 12:50 a.m. at 240 N. Klug Road, to find the home fully engulfed in flames. Lermont said the residents of the home, owned by Mike Delpierre, were awakened by the home's smoke alarms.

"They noticed that the smoke alarms were going off in the house," said Lermont. "It probably saved their lives with that  with the smoke alarms. They do work."

Lermont said the homeowners were able to get out safely and call the fire in.

"They got out safely with nothing, just the clothes they had on," he said. "Everything was lost in there."

The home and everything inside was considered a total loss. Lermont estimated the damage amount at around $200,000.

Harbor Beach firefighters received full assists from the Sherman and Sigel township fire departments, along with a tanker assist from Port Hope. A total of 30 firefighters battled the blaze until around 4:30 a.m.

The fire also threatened a nearby garage, which melted some siding on the garage, but was ultimately contained.

The cause of the fire is currently undetermined. There were no injuries reported.
BAD AXE -- The Huron Area Technical Center recently announced its student of the month recipient for November.

Students are selected based on a variety of criteria including: achievement in career technical education, outstanding attendance, enrollment status, CTE related extra-curricular activities, on-the-job-training placements, work experience, and future CTE Program related education and/or employment plans.

Emily Theresa Booms was the student of the month for November.

Booms is the daughter of Brian and Kelly Booms of Harbor Beach. She is a conscientious and goal-driven student who excels in all aspects of the information management systems program, as well as at Harbor Beach High School. Booms strives to obtain as much knowledge as possible with every task she completes, and she always wears a smile while doing so. Booms has multiple options to choose from for the next level of her education. However, she plans to attend Grand Valley State University in the fall of 2018 to major in accounting and minor in information management.

Booms is a member of Harbor Beach High School's National Honor Society where she is the 2017-18 president. She is a member of the Harbor Beach Board Game Club, and she is a four-year honor student. She uses her acquired skills and training in her community by taking part in on-the-job training through the IMS program at the tech center where she performs the duties of an administrative assistant at Narayan Physical Therapy in Bad Axe.

Booms has successfully obtained Microsoft Office Specialist Certifications in the areas of Microsoft word, excel, and powerpoint, and she plans to receive additional certifications in Microsoft Access and Outlook by the end of the school year. Booms is also a member of Michigan Industrial and Technology Education Society (MITES) where as she submits her computer-generated graphic designs to compete against other industrial and technology students across the state of Michigan.

Prior to Christmas break, Booms will receive a certificate of award and be honored during a luncheon at the Main Street Cafe, located inside the Huron Area Technical Center.
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The award ceremony was held at the IWC For the Love of Cinema gala event in the One&Only Royal Mirages Arabian Court during the 14th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The winner, Haifaa al Mansour received a grant of USD 100,000 for her project and an IWC Da Vinci Automatic 36 with a blue dial.



The IWC For the Love of Cinema gala was presented by IWC brand ambassador and TV personality Raya Abirached and TV presenter Wissam Breidy. Among the celebrities attending were IWC brand ambassadors Sonam Kapoor, Sir Patrick Stewart OBE, Tuba Buyukustun and Jessica Kahawaty. Other international and local personalities included French actor Clovis Cornillac, Rym Saidi and Egyptian actress Yousra.

We at IWC consider filmmaking an integral part of cultural creation and an art form which contemplates a wide range of themes central to humanity" said Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. And added "Being storytellers ourselves, we deeply appreciate the creativity, courage and passion that talented filmmakers invest into their work and we are proud to support them with the IWC Filmmaker Award.

The main theme of the gala event was the involvement and achievements of women in cinema and filmmaking. The winning project, Miss Camel by Haifaa Al Mansour, Saudi Arabias first female filmmaker, tells the story of Hayla, a blossoming Saudi teen who will do anything to escape her arranged marriage and fulfil her goal of attending art school outside of Saudi Arabia. While scheming to make her way to the in-person interviews for the art college in a neighbouring Gulf state, Hayla makes a startling discovery at her cousins wedding  she can talk to animals.






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MIDDLETOWN  The community is grappling with the loss of a man who, by all accounts, was a beacon of light and joy  an uncommon individual whose touch, however brief, made a profound impact on those he met.

He turned strangers into friends, said Justin Wilkies mother, Karen Wilkie.

The 30-year-old died early Saturday following a 3 a.m. accident on Interstate 91 in Rocky Hill. He was a passenger in car that crashed into a tractor trailer that was parked on the highway shoulder.

In July, Wilkie joined the Middlesex United Way as developmental director. He was a natural to fundraising, said Executive Director Kevin Wilhelm, his close friend for three years.

It wasnt work. It wasnt a job. Hed say to me, Mom, this is my passion, said his mother, a nurse who recently moved to Middletown from Texas. He used to say to me, If I could change one life at a time, thats all that matters, she recalled.

The kid never stopped smiling. He smiled throughout everything, said his mother, who just settled in to the Thimble Rock Road home her son purchased with an in-law suite.

I used to call him my ray of sunshine. I cant tell you, when he would talk about work, the joy, the joy to know that he was doing something, Karen Wilkie said.

Its hard to overstate the impact Justin had on everyone he touched, Wilhelm said. Just last week, Justin Wilkie was elected to the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Wilhelm said, a rare honor for such a young person.

He was an irreplaceable human being, Wilhelm said.

At the annual meeting, Justin Wilkie took part in the auction for a $25 framed poster: It was some wonderful image that said community on it, Wilhelm said.

Justin Wilkie bid as high as $300, and he ended up losing, Wilhelm said, marveling at the memory.

The poster sold for $350.

I really wanted it, but once I realized I could buy it the next day for $25, I just did. I saved a lot of money. Wilhelm said, with a laugh at the retelling. He was willing to pay $300 because at the moment, he saw himself in that poster.

Growing up in Manchester, the son of a research scientist father, Wilkie was extremely protective of his mother and younger sister Kayla Drake, 27.

It was very scary for me starting high school and he made sure he was always there if I needed him, said Drake, a speech therapist.

Justin Wilkie was very popular in high school, his mother said, and he and his sister hung around with the same young men. Although none of the boys would touch her, Karen Wilkie said, with a laugh.

Drake said she and Wilkie grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of children. It was almost all boys. I used to say, I grew up with a bunch of brothers.

All of the kids we grew up with, I feel like theyve lost a brother, too, Drake said.

Justin Wilkie and his girlfriend Alexis Olechno, who has a 3-year-old son, had plans to be married at Wickham Park in Manchester.

It was more important to Justin Wilkie to purchase a house for Olechno and her boy than an engagement ring, his mother explained.

When Justin Wilkie began working for United Way, it became very important for him to make his home in the community, his mother said.

Patti Anne Vassia, former executive director of Middlesex United Way, was introduced to Justin Wilkie by a Middletown Rotary Club member who wanted Vassia to recruit him.

At the time, Wilkie was a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America, Connecticut Rivers Council.

I was so taken with this young man. From the day we met, we had this instant connection, said Vassia. She became his mentor. He was amazing. We became very close very quickly.

Soon, he was elected to the board.

Justin Wilkie texted Vassia a photo Olechno took of him at Charter Oak Park in Manchester on Thanksgiving Day after they watched the Manchester Road Race together. In it, the young man grins, leaning up against the Manchester Rotary Clubs obelisk engraved with The Rotary International motto, Service Above Self.

When Vassia saw the photo, I said, I always regretted that our Rotary didnt do something visible like that in Middletown.

And his first comeback to that was, Well, what do we have to do to make it happen? He always saw the potential in an idea.

I said, Thats a topic for another day. Enjoy your day, Vassia laughed, recalling their exchange.

Toward the end of every weekly Rotary Club meeting at First & Last Tavern on Main Street, members carry out a tradition by passing around a Happy Dollars basket, said Co-President Cheryl Duey.

Tuesdays meeting was so bittersweet, she said.

I encouraged the group, in Justins memory, to share something that celebrated his life, Duey said.

If you met him, youd never forget him. He was so positive and fun and nice, and had a smile on his face all the time, Duey said. So it was a natural for the club to deem Justin Wilkie the meeting greeter.

Anybody that walked through the door got greeted by Justin and he just put you in a good mood, she said. He just had this spark  he had this light. When people gave their dollars, there were so many comments about his smile, and the light that he had inside that he shared with people, Duey said.

Wilkie evoked strong emotions in many people he met, Wilhelm said, precisely because he always put others first. Rotary membership by younger folks is waning, Wilhelm acknowledged. He was by far the youngest person in the room. He was an anomaly in the room because of his age.

Yet, already, following Tuesdays meeting, two of Wilkies friends committed to joining the club, Duey said, inspired by his commitment.

The club didnt have anyone to help run the Middletown Rotarys participation in the national Amber Alert program, Duey said. Once Justin Wilkie heard that, he immediately signed on, she said.

Its that I can attitude, but its more than I can. Its I will do it. And he always raised his hand to volunteer  always, Vassia said.

We are all grieving from our personal loss of that energy: that bright, shining light of our future, Vassia said. We saw  Kevin, particularly  that this was the person who could follow in his footsteps as he did in mine.

And so theres a picture of the three of us  the past, the present, and the future, Vassia said. It was like the Three Musketeers. Its painful in that way, too, she said. On so many levels.

Managing Editor Cassandra Day can be reached at cassandra.day@hearstmediact.com.
It was back in 1987 that Dec. 4 was designated as National Cookie Day, the day cookie enthusiasts across the United States celebrate this favorite treat. It is celebrated in many ways, including that people get together and each bake a couple of different types of cookies and then mix and match their creations. Cookie swaps also are popular and during them each person brings their already baked cookies in a large enough quantity to swap, sample the treats and exchange with others, and often package them in nicely decorated boxes. Every Dec. 4 bakeries offer free or discounted cookies. For example, Whole Foods offered a 50 percent discount on their in-house bakery cookies.

National Cookie Day could not be celebrated on a better date, as it is the time avid bakers and those once a year bakers dig out their cookie-making gear, those tattered and food-stained recipe cards and clippings, light up the oven and begin their non-stop cookie baking. Of course, with some holiday music playing in the background to add to the mood. The results; fun times with family and friends, and of course, the tantalizing aroma freshly baked cookies.

This year I chose some older cookie cookbooks (mostly out of print, but available used online) from my collection and share a few of my favorite recipes from them. One, a recipe pamphlet published in 1952, Aunt Jennys Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookies and Other All-Time Favorites, features the use of Spry. Some of you might remember Spry, a brand of vegetable shortening founded in 1936. It disappeared from the supermarket shelves in the 1970s. Vegetable shortening can be substituted for Spry. Fans of ginger will enjoy the cookies from the recipe below.

A cookbook I enjoy, Cookies: Food Writers Favorites, is a collection of recipes from food writers and editors across the country who contributed a cookie recipe. Macaroons are a favorite of mine, and so is the flavor combination of chocolate and orange. What could be better? The recipe below for Coconut Chocolate Chippers, submitted by Toni Burks, who was food editor of the Roanoke Times & World News when the book was compiled in 1991, has become a favorite. A batch is actually in the oven as I write this column. Ah, the aroma of them!

The Joy of Cookies, by Sharon Tyler Herbst, published in 1987, will become your go-to cookie book with cookie recipes from all over the world. The what went wrong section is quite helpful. What holiday cookie tray doesnt have something made with rum, or a version of a cookie-ball? Check out the yummy and easy recipe for No-Bake Rum-Raisin Balls below.

I am sure one or all of these will be added to you cookie recipe repertoire. Now, get baking!

Grandmothers Ginger Cookies

From: Aunt Jennys Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookies and Other All-Time Favorites

Note: vegetable shortening has been substituted for Spry

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

 cup buttermilk

1 cup molasses

4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine and beat thoroughly the shortening, sugar, salt cinnamon, ginger and buttermilk. Add the molasses and blend. Sift the flour with the baking soda and then add to the shortening mixture and blend. Measure out level tablespoons of the dough and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten dough by stamping with a flat-bottomed glass. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Makes 6  dozen cookies.

Coconut Chocolate Chippers

From Cookies: Food Writers Favorites

2 eggs

 cup granulated sugar

 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled

2 cups shredded coconut

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1  teaspoons grated orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed, beat eggs until foamy. Gradually add sugar; continue beating until mixture is quite thick and lemon colored. Fold in flour and butter. Stir in coconut, chocolate chips, orange peel and vanilla. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls onto greased and lightly floured baking sheets. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven 10-15 minutes, or until firm to the touch and lightly golden. Let cool slightly on baking sheets, then use a spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Note: These cookies freeze well. Makes 3 to 3 /2 dozen cookies. The headnote says, Chocolate and orange are delicious partners, and theyre showcased nicely in this macaroon-style confection. These cookies are crisp, not soft, and a bit chewy. Dont worry about them baking into irregular shapes. A few lopsided cookies are a good indication that theyre homemade.

No-Bake Rum-Raisin Balls

From The Joy of Cookies

1/3 cup dark rum

1/3 cup rolled oats

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

2/3 cup golden raisins

2/3 cup shredded coconut

 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled

About 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

In a large bowl, combine rum and oats; cover and set aside for an hour. Add all remaining ingredients except granulated sugar; stir until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Roll teaspoons of mixture into 1-inch balls. Place sugar in a small bowl and roll balls in sugar, coating each generously. Store for 24 hours in an airtight container at room temperature before serving. May be stored airtight for 10 days; freeze for longer storage. Makes about 3 dozen. The headnote says, My friend Rhoda Harwood brought me this recipe from Christchurch, New Zealand. Unlike American rum or bourbon balls, these are freighted with raisins and coconut, and dont use ground cookie crumbs as a base. Orange juice can be substituted, but the flavor of the rum is surprisingly subtle. Rum-raisin balls must be made a day in advance to let the flavors mellow and to allow the cookies to firm.

Take the cookie challenge:

1. What cookie was introduced by Nabisco in 1902 and was the first commercial cookie to be mass-produced in the United States?

A. Oreos B. Chips Ahoy C. Fig Newtons D. Animal Crackers

2. The average American eats____ cookies in a lifetime

A. 10,000 B. 35,000 C. 50,000 D. 55,000

3. _____ percent of the cookies baked in American homes each year are chocolate chip.

A. 15 B. 25 C. 50 D. 75

4._____is a Eastern European cookie that is made with a cream cheese flavored dough that is cut into triangles and rolled around a filling to form a crescent

A. Biscotti B. rugalach C. drop cookie D. spritz cookie

5. What cookie was the first cookie associated with Christmas?

A. Thumbprint cookies B. German gingerbread cookies (lebkuchen) C. spice cookies D. Santa Claus cookies

6. The official state cookie of both Massachusetts and Pennsylvania is the _____cookie

A. Peanut butter B. chocolate chip C. macaroon D. sugar

7. In what country are fortune cookies little heard of:

A. United States B. United Kingdom C. China D. Japan

Answers: 1. D 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. B 6. B 7. C

Send us your requests: Which restaurant recipes or other recipes would you like to have? Which food products are you having difficulty finding? Do you have cooking questions? Send them to me.

Contact Stephen Fries, professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, at gw-stephen.fries@gwcc.commnet.edu or Dept. FC, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven, 06510. Include your full name, address and phone number. Due to volume, I might not be able to publish every request. For more, go to stephenfries.com.
ABC/Randy HolmesShinedown has announced a batch of Canadian headlining dates for next year, beginning March 27 in British Columbia. Visit Shinedown.com for ticket info.

Joining Shinedown on the Canadian run will be In This Moment and 10 Years.

Currently, Shinedown frontman Brent Smith and guitarist Zach Myers are touring the U.S. as the acoustic duo Smith & Myers. That outing continues tonight in Nashville.

Along with the Canada dates, Shinedown will be playing a number of U.S. festivals next spring, including Fort Rock and Carolina Rebellion. Additionally, the band is working on their next album, the follow-up to 2015's Threat to Survival.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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Some companies make the most of their decades, centuries even, of experience. In fact, its not so easy to remain at the top of your game for such a long time, weathering the storms of competition, fashion, time, crises of all kinds and even just creative exhaustion.

Lebeau-Courally doesnt have that problem. Not yet. In 2012, the brand was bought by Belgian entrepreneur Joris Ide, who made his name in industrial metalwork. At the same time, he also purchased Julien Coudray 1518 and, more significantly, IMH  Innovations Manufactures Horlogeres  the manufacture that supports them both. The aim was to develop both brands and, at the same time, make the manufacture available to third party brands.

Changing direction

So, how did it work out? Since then, the watch industry has been through a crisis, and not everything proceeded according to plan! Julien Coudray 1518 has been able to manage with its existing stocks, and hasnt needed to produce any more. But that wont be a problem for the future: when the watches go for as much as CHF 450,000 each, one to three sales per year is all it takes to keep the brand ticking over.

And over at IMH, they have focused mainly on Lebeau-Courally, not really exploring any external options. Only Lebeau-Courally has stuck to the script. The newly-minted watch manufacture (via IMH) launched its Phase de Lune, then two years later, its second 100% manufacture micro-rotor calibre.

Moon phase  Lebeau-Courally

More complex than it looks

This piece, the Micro II (micro for the micro-rotor, and II because its the second manufacture calibre) will be available very soon. But the architecture invented by Buren in 1954 isnt just a smaller-sized oscillating weight. There are major technical challenges. Because the micro-rotor is literally at the heart of the movement, the vibrations associated with its lively rotation must be perfectly contained if they are not to interfere with the operation of the calibre.

Whats more, its winding mechanism must be radically optimised if it is to provide the same capacity as a traditional rotor, with a volume three times smaller. Because of this, the micro-rotor is an authentic haute horlogerie achievement. And thats why, despite its apparent simplicity, few watchmakers attempt it. The ones that do are generally those with significant technical expertise: Patek Philippe, Chopard, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, Laurent Ferrier and Panerai, to name just a few.

Micro-Rotor  Lebeau-Courally

Belgo-Swiss craftsmanship

What makes Lebeau-Courally unique is that it has been able to retain in-house two highly specialised crafts, alongside its technical watchmaking capabilities. The first is grand feu enamelling. This art is used in the Phase de Lune models, which have an illustration of the moon itself in grand feu enamel  a world first. Very few watchmakers choose to retain this skill in-house  particularly not a niche brand, for deployment in a single model.

The second in-house metier dart is not practised in Le Locle, and its not Swiss Made. Lebeau-Courally has no reason to be coy about it, however. The engraving is performed in Liege, where the company has its historic roots as a luxury gunsmith. It is there that the company artisans produce the hand engraving you can see on the dials of its Micro II watches. The watches are made in Switzerland, transported to Belgium for engraving, then returned to Le Locle for assembly. Its a unique arrangement in the watchmaking world, and one that will no doubt give rise to more, equally original creations. There are already whispers of a chronograph and a tourbillon to come.
Lexus is teasing the debut of a new luxury crossover concept vehicle for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Toyota's luxury division will reveal its Lexus LF-1 Limitless at its press conference at the Detroit auto show, according to a news release. As expected for these types of announcements, the details from Lexus are very sparse.

According to the release, the LF-1 Limitless is a "flagship crossover that redefines the boundaries of luxury." The crossover concept was designed at the CALTY studio in Southern California. The lone teaser photo provided with the announcement is attached at the top of this page.

As for that photo, it shows some pretty defined design lines, curves and cuts ranging from the LF-1's rear to the middle of the body with its modern taillights.

AutoWeek reports that the CALTY design studio also had its hand on the Lexus LF-LC concept that was debuted in Detroit back in 2012. This would go on to turn into the Lexus LC Coupe.

The 2018 NAIAS opens to the public from Jan. 20 to Jan. 28 at the Cobo Center in Downtown Detroit. Press preview days are scheduled for Jan. 14 to Jan. 16, which is when to check in with MLive for any breaking news or coverage of fresh reveals.

From Lexus last year:
A top PepsiCo executive confirmed to Reuters on Monday, Dec. 12 that the company has reserved 100 of Tesla's new all-electric semi-trucks.

The order is the largest known pre-order of the Tesla semitrailer that the electric car maker's CEO Elon Musk says will "blow your mind clear out of your skull." Mike O'Connell, PepsiCo's senior director of the North American supply chain for Frito Lay, said the company is looking to cut down on fuel cost and its emissions.

In addition to Michigan-based Meijer stores, Reuters notes that PepsiCo joins Walmart, J.B. Hunt Transport and Sysco as big companies in on the pre-order. O'Connell declined to comment on the amount paid to Tesla, but the pre-order down payment has gone from $5,000 to around $20,000.

Tesla has not revealed what the full price of the electric semi-truck will be, but Musk said, according to A.P., that they are "confident that this is a product that's better in every way from a feature standpoint."

The Palo-Alto-based company unveiled its all-electric semi-truck a month ago in mid-November. Tesla says on Twitter that the Semi's drivetrain comes with the guarantee to last 1 million miles, or equal to about 40 trips around the Earth.

Musk has said it is capable of going 500 miles on a single electric charge even while hauling an 80,000-pound load. Production on the semis is expected to begin sometime during 2019.

The semitrailer will come with Tesla's Autopilot system, which is the car maker's driver assistance system that uses sensors, radar and cameras to steer, speed up and slow down a vehicle based on traffic and road conditions. It will also come equipped with a system that doesn't only warn the driver about a lane departure, but one that actively keeps the truck in its lane.
Despite most of the world currently turning a blind eye to the sedan market, Toyota is teasing the introduction of its fifth-generation Avalon at the Detroit auto show in January.

Toyota did not provide any information about the new sedan, other than it will be "style and dynamism, actualized" in a 1:05 p.m. Jan. 15 debut at the North American International Auto Show. The 2019 Toyota Avalon's reveal will be live streamed on the Japanese automaker's website.

The only takeaway from the teaser photo is that it appears Toyota is attempting to inject the Avalon with a little more sporty feel to it. From the defined cuts above the headlight to the stylistic sculpting of the front-end.

As it stands, the 2018 Toyota Avalon sedan carries an MSRP of $33,500. It gets 30 mpg highway and 21 mpg in the city, and comes with a 3.5-liter V6 capable of making 268 horsepower. Last year's edition of the Avalon was available in XLE, XLE Plus, XLE Premium, Limited and Touring.

The 2018 NAIAS opens to the public from Jan. 20 to Jan. 28 at the Cobo Center in Downtown Detroit. Press preview days are scheduled for Jan. 14 to Jan. 16, which is when to check in with MLive for any breaking news or coverage of fresh reveals.

Here is a look at past Avalon designs, courtesy of Toyota:
ANN ARBOR, MI - Hail! Hail! To Michigan, the champions of the college town rankings.

At least according to a list released by the personal finance website Wallethub, which ranked Ann Arbor No. 1 in its 2018 list of the best college towns and cities. The list was created to help prospective college students narrow down their school choices.

It compares more than 400 U.S. cities of varying sizes based on 28 key indicators of academic, social and economic opportunities for students including cost of living, quality of higher education and crime rate.

The home of the University of Michigan received a total score of 59.65, just ahead of Orlando (Central Florida), Rexburg, Idaho (BYU-Idaho), Provo, Utah (BYU) and Austin (Texas).

Ann Arbor's ranking was bolstered by its social environment and academic and economic opportunity ranks, which were 14 and 19, respectively. Social environment examined things such as share of single persons, gender balance, nightlife, festivals, attractions, crime rate and more.

Quality of higher education, unemployment, earning potential and median income of part-time workers and more are included in the academic and economic opportunity category.

Ann Arbor was 260th in the wallet friendliness category, which examined average costs in a variety of areas like pizza, burgers, fitness clubs, apartment complexes and more.

East Lansing, the home of Michigan State University, was ranked 12th thanks in large part to its social environment rank of 33rd.

Other rankings include Mount Pleasant (68

th),

Sterling Heights (78

th

), Grand Rapids (92

nd

), Kalamazoo (156

th

), Ypsilanti (159

th

), Lansing (208

th

), Warren (231

st

), Dearborn (310

th

), Detroit (376

th

) and Flint (382

nd

).

Kalamazoo is noted as having the fifth lowest cost of living for young people while Ypsilanti has the fith lowest brain drain, a metric that metric measures the annual change in the share of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher.
DEXTER, MI - Dexter Community Schools administrators want a tenured teacher and high school counselor dismissed, alleging he mishandled a student's report of being raped and accusing him of other wrongdoing.

The Dexter Schools board of education held a special meeting Monday, Dec. 11, where the trustees authorized Superintendent Chris Timmis to file tenure charges against Craig Rafail. They also approved putting Rafail on leave and he will remain suspended with pay pending the outcome of the tenure case.

"Dexter Community Schools prides itself on always doing what's best for kids," Timmis said in a statement on Monday. "When an employee's actions no longer reflect this philosophy, it is time for that individual to find somewhere else to work. The Board of Education has taken action today to uphold this philosophy."

In order for the district to dismiss a tenured teacher, it must file tenure charges and have the case reviewed by an administrative law judge of Michigan's Tenure Commission. The judge can dismiss, demote or re-instate Rafail, and he can contest the charges.

Rafail has worked at Dexter Schools since 2002, most recently as a counselor at Dexter High School, according to information on the school website and a copy of the tenure charges against Rafail obtained by The Ann Arbor News and MLive.

Rafail was placed on paid disciplinary leave on May 16, according to the tenure charges, while the school district investigated allegations he had failed to report that an underage student told him she had been raped.

The Ann Arbor News and MLive could not reach Rafail or his attorney listed in the tenure charges for comment. The Dexter Education Association president declined to comment on the situation.

A draft of minutes from Monday morning's special board meeting shows Rafail wants to maintain his employment with Dexter Community Schools.

Derrick Jackson, spokesperson for the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, said as of Monday, there is not a criminal investigation of Rafail.

"However, there is an ongoing investigation into the allegations of rape that we have recently been made aware of," Jackson wrote in an email.

Dexter Schools officials accuse Rafail of:

Misconduct and denial of parental rights related to failing to report when a student who was not old enough to consent to sex told Rafail she had been raped. The school district says it assumes the student's claims that she was raped in 2013 and 2014 by older students are true, and leaves it to law enforcement and the court system to determine what happened. Timmis said in the tenure charges the school district first became aware on Feb. 16 that Rafail allegedly failed to report to police, school administrators or the student's parents that the student said she had been raped;

Academic dishonesty related to altering students' course completion records to make it look like they had completed coursework they had not and altering the grades students received on assignments;

Making false statements to school administrators in the course of investigations into how he responded to the student who reportedly told him she had been raped and into his involvement in changing students' course completion statuses.

Maintaining an unprofessional relationship with a student related to Rafail's relationship with the student who reportedly told him she had been raped. Rafail "appeared to exert an inordinate amount of control over her personal life," the tenure charges state.

Falsifying records related to the renewal of his teaching/counseling certification this past spring; and

Uploading pornographic materials to district property when Rafail allegedly backed up the data on his cell phone to his school computer.

"I have considered the totality of Mr. Rafail's history with the District, both positive and negative, and after weighing all factors, must recommend Mr. Rafail's discharge," Timmis wrote in the tenure charge recommendation.

Rafail holds a bachelor's degree in physical education and biology as well as a master's degree in counseling, both from Eastern Michigan University.

He taught adult education for Wayne-Westland schools and then taught physical education at Van Buren Public Schools until he was hired at Dexter Schools in 2002, where he worked as a counselor or teacher at Wylie Elementary School and Dexter High School over the years, according to information on the Dexter Schools website.
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The sad news of Walter Langes death on the morning of the second SIHH day in 2017 shocked the world of watchmaking. Asked at the time how he intended to salute Walter Lange, Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid replied: The best way to honour Walter Lange is to assure the continuity and the ongoing development of the company that he founded  in the way that he would have envisioned it. Now, with the 1815 Homage to Walter Lange, A. Lange & Sohne is proving that a watch is capable of reflecting the in-tention and personality of a founder. The 1815  Homage to Walter Lange  model comes in four different versions. One of them has a black enamel dial and a steel case and will be produced only once.



The 1815  Homage to Walter Lange  timepiece has a stoppable jumping seconds hand that dates back to a 150-year-old invention by Ferdinand Adolph Lange.

1815  Homage to Walter Lange , stainless steel case and black enamel dial  A. Lange & Sohne

The jumping seconds was one of Walter Lange's favourite complications because it embodies the puristic notion of precision watchmaking, while at the same time being a piece of family history. It does not divide the second into a number of steps depending on the balance frequency, but instead treats it as a coherent unit of time. A pusher at 2 oclock starts and stops the sweep seconds hand. The idea dates back to an invention by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in 1867; in an advanced configuration developed by his son Richard, it was granted one of Germanys first patents in 1877. Langes one-second movement with a jumping hand was implemented for the first time in a masterpiece built by his second son, Emil, Walter Langes grandfather.

Overall, more than 300 pocket watches with this function were crafted. Just like the 1815 Homage to Walter Lange, they were endowed with a separate seconds subdial. Buyers included the Leipzig Observatory, Grand Duke Adolph of Luxem-bourg, Ernst Abbe, the owner of Carl Zeiss in Jena, and the eccentric English watchmaker Sir John Bennett.



As a tribute to a very unusual individual who was dedicated to craftsmanship his entire life, the one-off piece is stainless steel is endowed with a black enamel dial that, with the traditional railway-track minute scale and the polished hands, is inspired by the design of historic pocket watches. The newly developed movement has a special calibre designation: L1924. It refers to Walter Langes birth year. Additionally, the first three digits of the reference num-ber 297.078 recall his date of birth, 29 July.



The 40.5-millimetre case of the 1815 Homage to Walter Lange is made of stainless steel, a material that at A. Lange & Sohne has been reserved for only a very few exclusive and special timepieces. As well as this one-off watch, limited editions in yellow gold (27 pieces), white gold (145 pieces) and pink gold (90 pieces). These uncommon numbers are derived from important milestones of the Lange familys history. From 7 December 1845, when Ferdinand Adolph Lange originally established the company, exactly 145 years elapsed until 7 December 1990, the date on which Walter Lange registered Lange Uhren GmbH. Precisely 27 years will have passed between this date and 7 December 2017, the day on which the new model that pays tribute to Walter Lange is being unveiled.



The steel version will be auctioned off for a charitable purpose in 2018. Walter Lange, always noted for his philanthropy, would have approved.
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Richard Orlinski joins the Hublot family, alongside other famous names including Maxime Buchi, Lapo Elkann, Pele, Lang Lang, Bar Refaeli, Usain Bolt and even Dustin Johnson. Inspired by the same attention to detail and driven by the same passion, together, the artist and Hublot have designed the Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski, an original creation, by pushing the boundaries of traditional watchmaking expertise. This is a creation where time becomes a work of art, and where art becomes an expression of time! "The fusion of our two universes  that of Hublot who takes precious materials to create exceptional products, and my own bright world of colour inspired by Pop Art  came about quite spontaneously, almost naturally", said Richard Orlinski.

Richard Orlinski and Ricardo Guadalupe  Hublot

The watch features a brand-new design playing with angles and reflections. Ridges and facets on the watch reflect each other, from the case to the bezel, and from the push buttons to the hands. "Original, bold, intriguing, the Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski is a sculpture which tells the time. Unique, its entire structure is bevelled, shaped by the facets created by the world's bestselling contemporary French artist. Its three-dimensional silhouette meant completely redesigning the construction of the case, whose facets have been extended to all the contours of the bezel", explained Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO.

To celebrate their union, the sculptor and the watch company chose Miami and two special venues right in the heart of the Design District: The Hublot boutique and the Markowicz Fine Art gallery, where the artist's works are on show.

The work

Eager to rise to challenges, Richard creates his sculptures by cutting them like diamonds and he never fails to rise to a challenge. In his hands, the Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph is adorned with its iconic facets, 12 of course, like those that punctuate the dial of a watch! The artist has designed a watch on the frontier of vintage and neo-futurist styles, just like his works inspired by the Pop Art movement. Pointing to the future, the hand of the watch becomes a symbolic metaphor for Richard Orlinski: as it never stops turning, it embodies infinity.

 Hublot

The Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski is available in two brand-new models, each released in a limited edition of 200 pieces: one in titanium and the other in blue ceramic. The watch becomes a 45-mm work of art designed to be worn on the wrist. The Hublot x Richard Orlinski watchs dial has been cast in sapphire crystal, while the case, crown, bezel and push buttons also feature the facets.

The visionary design of Richard Orlinski presented a major challenge for the Hublot Manufacture: the work of Richard Orlinski - a three-dimensional fold in the case  had to be modelled before it was cut from ceramic and titanium. These two materials feature one of the artist's iconic signatures: mirror polishing.

The artist

In 2004, at the age of 38, Richard Orlinski decided to dedicate himself fully to art. Inspired by nature's wildest animals, Richard Orlinski enjoys creating his monumental, brightly coloured sculptures of multi-facetted beasts, bringing them to life in the most unexpected places. From his immense "Wild Kong" gorilla sculpture on the Croisette in Cannes and his crocodiles in the sunshine of the Miami Design District, to his 5-metre-tall bear on the snowy pistes of Courchevel, the artist loves being where people least expect!

Richard Orlinski  Hublot

Through his "Born Wild" concept, Richard Orlinski is trying to turn the animal's negative impulses into a positive emotion. Immersed in the Pop Art culture, the artist revisits the iconic objects which have inspired countless generations. Richard Orlinski mainly likes to work with contemporary materials such as resin and aluminium, but also uses bronze and stone. Nothing stops this visual artist when it comes to creating!

Curious by nature, Richard Orlinski loves expressing his artistic sensibility in various fields: Sculpture, design, music he likes to reach as many people as possible and, above all, provoke an immediate reaction! Since 2015, Richard Orlinski has risen to the top of the ranks of the world's bestselling contemporary French artists. (Source Art Price).
The presidents of Egypt and Russia attended a ceremony on Monday for the inking of a deal to start work on the Dabaa nuclear power plant, with Russia providing funding and technical expertise

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met in Cairo on Monday to attend the signing of an agreement officially launching work on Egypt's first-ever nuclear power plant at Dabaa on the north coast.

The Egyptian president said that both leaders further discussed ways to boost economic ties, including efforts to attract Russian investments to the Egyptian Suez Canal Economic Zone and to establish a Russian free-trade zone.

We have agreed on mandating our ministers to follow up with such issues and resolve any obstacles to the finalizing of projects that would be executed in the near future, in line with the spirit of coordination that has distinguished recent negotiations on constructing the Dabaa nuclear plant, El-Sisi said.

Putin said that "upon the completion of the Dabaa project, Egypt will not only benefit from having a nuclear plant but also from gaining the latest and safest technology of nuclear energy."

Egypt's Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker and Alexi Likhatchev, the Director General of Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, have signed the document to officially commence the project.

The nuclear plant, which will cost up to $21 billion, is expected to be completed by 2028-2029, Rosatom announced on Monday, according to Reuters.

Russia will provide a loan that will cover 85 percent of the construction costs, Likhachyov said.

According to the initial agreement signed by the two countries in 2015, Russia will build four reactors, each producing 1,200 megawatts of electricity, generating a total output of 4,800 megawatts.

The company will service the plants four reactors for 60 years, Likhachyov added.

El-Sisi and Putin held talks at the palace in Heliopolis shortly after the latter arrived in Cairo earlier on Monday.

After the signing ceremony, El-Sisi and Putin announced in the results of their talks on bilateral economic, military and political relations; the war against terrorism; the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt; and regional crises including Palestine, Libya and Syria at the presidential palace in Cairo on Monday afternoon.

Economic and Security Cooperation

Putin said that economic cooperation with Egypt "is taking on new dynamics in trade and economic exchange."

"During the past nine months, economic exchange between both countries have reached more than $4 billion," the Russian president stated.

Putin also said he agreed with the Egyptian president on the necessity of continuing negotiations on the establishing of the free-trade zone between Egypt and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.

On the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt, Putin indicated positive developments in light of the Russian Security Agency report on Egyptian security measures at airports.

"Soon I will be signing a memo on the resumption of air flights to Egypt," the Russian president affirmed.

Russia suspended flights to Egypt in November 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 measures in its airports to meet Russian demands on security, with the aim of restoring Russian visitors to boost its tourism industry.

Russians make up the largest single tourist group in Egypt, contributing to about a fifth of foreign vacationers in the country as of 2015, according to official data.

Cooperation on regional matters

President Putin said he agreed with El-Sisi on the framework of cooperation between both countries in the near future, describing Egypt as the old and trustful partner of Russia in the Middle East and North Africa.

On the Palestinian situation, El-Sisi said that he asserted to Putin the importance of maintaining the legal status of Jerusalem in accordance with international accords, nearly a week after a US decision to recognize Jerusalem as a capital of Israel.

We discussed the dangerous repercussions of such a decision on the security and stability of the region. I asserted to President Putin the importance of not complicating the situation in the region through measures that restrict the chances of peace in the region, he said.

Putin expressed appreciation for the Egyptian role in sponsoring the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas groups.

The Russian president vowed during their discussion for the establishment of direct Palestinian-Israeli talks involving all aspects of the conflict, including the situation of Jerusalem.

El-Sisi also said that the situations in Syria and Libya was on the table, with both presidents discussing ways of ensuring the achievement of a political settlement to both crises as soon as possible.

Regarding Syria, Putin said he demonstrated to President El-Sisi the results of his latest visit and meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Monday.

On Syria, our visions matched on a number of political situations and we agreed to continue our joint work to lessen tensions as a preamble political negotiations, the Egyptian president said.

He added that both sides agreed on supporting negotiations led by the UN envoy to Syria in order to reach a comprehensive political agreement that accomplishes the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and preserves the unity and territorial integrity of the country.

Regarding Libya, El-Sisi said the international community should come together to avoid any political or security vacuum. He also stressed his own countrys support for the political path sponsored by the UN envoy to Libya to end the transitional period and hold parliamentary and presidential elections in the country.

El-Sisi added that Cairo will continue with efforts to unify divided Libyan military institutions.

Combatting Terrorism

El-Sisi also noted that the two countries intended to increase cooperation on fighting terrorism.

Putin pointed out that his country is willing to boost assistance to Egypt in its war against terrorism in the coming period by enhancing military cooperation and the capabilities of the Egyptian Armed Forces.

According to El-Sisi, both leaders agreed on the necessity of countries preventing terrorists from passing through their territory.

I agreed with President Putin on the importance of exchanging information between our involved agencies in combatting terrorism, especially when it comes to the movement of terrorists from politically unstable areas to other countries, President El-Sisi said.

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business Hunt for new SBI MD: Ten SBI Deputy MD to interview for the post The hunt for the fourth State Bank of India (SBI) Managing Director heats up. CNBC-TV18 learns from sources that the government will hold interviews for the post tomorrow.
Century Plyboards is buzzing in trade after Edelweiss initiates coverage on the stock. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Keshav Bhajanka, ED of the company discussed this and more.

Will do better volumes in H2 due to medium density fiberboard (MDF) plant, he said.

MDF capacity of the company is the largest in India at the moment and we are expecting to ramp up the capacity to close to more than 70 percent utilisation, he added.

In laminates, we have been doing a good growth in the first half, in second half our growth keeps on improving. Overall MDF should add about Rs 140-150 crore to our topline. We can look at more than 15 percent growth for FY18 and going forward it is going to increase, said Bhajanka.
Banks are set to refer as many as 23 of the 28 large stressed accounts that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had identified in its second list for insolvency proceedings as the regulators December 13 deadline ends today.

In August, the Reserve Bank had asked banks to either resolve 28 more large stressed accounts by December 13 (which is tomorrow) or refer them to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) by December 31.

These 28 accounts together account for 40 percent of the system wide bad loans or worth around Rs 4 trillion.

Except for Anrak Aluminium, Jayaswal Neco Industries, Soma Enterprises and Jaiprakash Associates, all other accounts are going to the NCLT (for resolution)," a senior banker told PTI.

Some of the large accounts which are likely to go to the NCLT includes Asian Color Coated Ispat, Castex Technologies, Coastal Projects, East Coast Energy, IVRCL, Orchid Pharma, SEL Manufacturing, Uttam Galva Metallic, Uttam Galva Steel, Visa Steel, Essar Projects, Jai Balaji Industries, Monnet Power, Nagarjuna Oil Refinery, Ruchi Soya Industries and Wind World India.

In the case of Anrak Aluminium, the lenders are looking for a one-time settlement, while for Soma Enterprises, the banker said the account is closer to resolution.

For Jaiprakash Associates (its EPC business arm), the lenders are seeking the Reserve Bank approval for a "deep restructuring", another banker said.

The lenders have also sought RBI permission to extend the December 13 deadline for Videocon Industries, where they have huge exposure, said another banker.

"If the RBI gives us some extension for Videocon Industries then it is fine, otherwise it will also have to go to NCLT," said the banker.

"For these accounts there is hardly any traction for us to do it in another 10-15 days," said a senior bank official from a state-run bank.

Till December 13, the lenders have the restructuring option under the S4A, SDR or 5/25 schemes.

Many bankers said though they asked for extension on the December 13 deadline, they don't expect the RBI to oblige. Once these accounts pass the resolution deadline, banks will have to refer them to the NCLT in the next 18 days, that is December 31.

Banks will also have to make a provision of 50 per cent on these account by March 2018.

It can be noted that of the 12 largest accounts that RBI had named in the June list, 11 of them are under NCLT. These 12 accouts were worth a quarter of the over Rs 10 trillion dud loans in the system.
India called on WTO members to find a permanent solution to the public food stockpile issue, saying it concerns survival of 800 million hungry people across the globe.

It also asked them to refrain from raising new issues, especially those which are not linked to trade.

In his 3-minute address at the plenary session of the 11th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) here, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu urged the member countries to reaffirm their commitment to a rule- based multilateral trading system as it would benefit the entire world.

"At MC (Ministerial Conference) 11, we look forward to constructive engagement of the entire WTO membership for taking final decisions in areas where specific mandates were provided at Nairobi... One such issue is the permanent solution for public stockholding for food security purposes. This is a matter of survival for 800 million hungry and undernourished people in the world," he said.

A successful resolution of the food security issue would "fulfil our collective commitment to the global community", he said, adding that "we cannot envisage any negotiated outcome at MC 11, which does not include a permanent solution".

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 the full implementation of food security programme may result in breach of the WTO cap, India has been seeking amendments to the formula for calculating 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 negotiating an agreement for permanent solution at the 11th ministerial meeting, which is under way in Buenos Aires.

Under the Peace Clause, WTO members agreed to refrain from challenging any breach in prescribed 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.

Prabhu further said that while India is proud of its GDP growth rates of recent years, which are the highest among developing economies propelled by innovative economic policies of the government, "we cannot ignore (that) India is home to more than 600 million poor people".

Therefore "we are legitimate demandeurs" for special and differential treatment for developing countries, he said, adding that it is also noteworthy that "many developed countries have benefited from long periods of derogation from GATT rules in the area of agriculture and textiles".

Referring to the attempts being made by some developed nations to place new issues on the negotiating agenda of the WTO, Prabhu held that agreeing to these would be "extremely divisive. Many of these issues are neither trade-related nor have these been discussed in detail".

On the specific issue of e-commerce, he said the gains from the sector must not be confused with gains from negotiating binding rules in this area. "It is for this reason that we support continuation of the 1998 Work Programme with its non-negotiating mandate," he added.

Shifting the priority from DDA (Doha Development Agenda) issues to non-trade issues like Investment Facilitation and MSMEs, for which there is no mandate, is difficult to accept, Prabhu said, outlining India's priorities.

"...let me say that at a time when the global trade environment is extremely fragile, let this Ministerial Conference be an occasion for concluding the unfinished agenda of the Doha Work Programme, and collectively strive to preserve and revitalise the WTO," he stressed.

Referring to the issue of domestic support for agriculture, he said the Agreement on Agriculture provides considerable flexibility to the developed members to provide huge subsidies and further to concentrate these subsidies on a few products.

This asymmetry, he added, was needed to be addressed as a first step in agricultural reform through a post-MC11 work programme without shifting the burden of reduction of agricultural subsidies to developing countries.

As for the services sector, Prabhu said India has engaged constructively with the proponents of the domestic regulation disciplines.

"However, I am apprehensive that the present approach in the negotiations will not lead to any fruitful outcomes at MC11. A work programme for Services... and some elements of India's proposal on Trade Facilitation in Services, including Mode 4, can take the Services agenda forward," he added.

On the fisheries issue, he said an outcome that preserves the policy space for developing countries to support millions who depend on traditional fishing activity as the sole source of livelihood could be worked out at the next ministerial conference.

"India recognises that some progress has been made in the area of fisheries subsidies. We can agree to future work on this issue towards an outcome at MC 12," the minister said.

Stressing that the outcome of the expansion of global trade must be development, Prabhu urged the WTO membership to re-endorse the centrality of development in the trade negotiations without creating new sub-categories of countries.

He also expressed concern over inordinate delay in appointment of new members to the WTO's Appellate Body, saying "we need to collectively and expeditiously resolve this impasse".

The appointment of members to the Appellate Body is being delayed because of the tough attitude adopted by the US administration in filling the vacancies.
Cement

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JK Cement is planning to add up to 8 million tonne per annum (MTPA) capacity in the next five years, taking the total installed capacity to around 18 MTPA for grey cements, said a top company official.

The company is planning to expand to 3.5 to 4 million tonne in brownfield and greenfield projects separately.

The JK Organisation group firm would also invest around Rs 1,200-1,500 crore in brownfield expansion at its Mangrol facility in Rajasthan in the next 24-30 months.

"We are looking, in the next 4-5 years to add at least 7-8 million tonne to our capacity and go from 10.5 MTPA to 18 -19 MTPA," JK Grey Cement Business Head Rajnish Kapur told PTI.

He further said: "Now we are looking at a couple of options which we have in grey cement business. We are looking in terms of brownfield expansion at our existing plants to 3.5 to 4 MTPA."

Besides, the company has a greenfield mining license at Panna, and it is also exploring that, Kapur added.

"This would give us entry into the new market of central India and diversify geographic expansion," he added.

When asked about the investment in the proposed expansion, he said the company is working on the fine details and the proposal has to be vetted by the board.

In 2016-17 fiscal, JK Cement had a revenue of Rs 4,420.71 crore.

"We will be first going in brownfield, which we would target to keep at around Rs 1,200-1,500 crore and then after a couple of years, we would move for (greenfield) expansion," Kapur said.

This capex would happen in 2-2.5 years time.

On funding, he said it would be a combination of internal funding and through debts.

As part of its growth strategy, the company may also consider inorganic growth opportunities.

"If some good opportunity is coming up, then we would keep our options open. We will keep looking and scanning...," he added.

Recently, JK Cements, as part of its CSR activity, hosted the second edition of its social campaign Swachh Ability run, held in Goa, Belgaum, Hubli, Mangaluru and Bengaluru in which 13,000 people participated.
Egypt has condemned a terrorist bomb attack on the New York metro on Monday that left three people injured.



The Egyptian foreign ministry issued a statement expressing Egypts solidarity with the government and people of the United States in the wake of the attack, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.



The ministry said that such terror attacks and what they reflect in terms of extremist ideas and the degradation of human dignity are a blatant violation of laws and human principles."



Egypt reiterated the need for the international community to develop a comprehensive strategy to eliminate terrorism and extremism in order to boost global stability and security.



In Monday's early-morning attack, a man detonated a pipe-bomb in a subway station near Times Square on the island of Manhattan. At least three people were injured the blast, as well as a suspect, who was now in police custody.



New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the explosion an attempted terrorist attack.

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Amit Kolekar

Succession is a very sensitive and complex issue in a multi-diverse society and culture such as ours. A uniform system of inheritance (the legacy of the Portuguese) is only present in the state of Goa, and the rest of the states in India are governed by the law of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 ("Indian Succession Act"), wherein for the first time various customs, beliefs and practices were codified and given the sanction and sanctity of law.

Succession, on the death of a person may follow either: (a) testamentary succession (i.e. a Will), or (b) intestate succession (i.e. without a Will).

A person is considered to have passed away intestate in respect of property (a) which he has not disposed under a Will, or (b) the disposition under the Will is not capable of taking effect (i.e. invalid bequest, illegal bequest etc). Intestacy may either be total intestacy or partial intestacy.

It is generally understood as per the private international law, that intestate succession of a movable property follows the law of domicile of the intestate at the time of his/ her demise, and in case of immovable property, the law of situs (the place to which a property belongs) would apply, no matter where his/her domicile may have been.

Who can stake claim in intestate succession

In cases where there is no Will, or no valid Will, succession follows the intestate succession route as enshrined under the provisions of the Indian Succession Act, however vesting takes effect under personal law, which is different for Hindus (sometimes different for Sikh, Buddhist and Jain), Muslims, Christians and Parsees who inherit the estate of a person dying intestate. In matters of intestate succession, a court may, either issue Letters of Administration or Succession Certificate.

In cases where a person has passed away without making a Will or prepared a Will but the executor either refuses to take responsibility or is incapable or deceased, Letters of Administration is granted by a competent court for distributing the estate of the deceased among the legal heirs. Generally administration of the estate is granted to the legal heir who is entitled to the whole or any portion of the estate of the deceased, or in case of more than one person making such application the court may at its discretion grant it to any one or more of them, or in the absence of any of them, it may be granted to the creditor of the deceased.

A Succession Certificate is a document issued to a person claiming a right with respect of any debt or security, which forms a part of the estate of the deceased (except where the law requires Probate or Letters of Administration).

To simplify, Succession Certificate may be obtained in cases where(a) Probate or letters of administration are not required,(b) When deceased is a Christian(c) Deceased is a Mohammaden,(d) When a deceased is a Hindu who has left a Will, however the Probate is not compulsory,

(e) In case of a joint family property under Hindu Law.

Succession Certificate is only in respect of movables and cannot be obtained for immovable property. Merely obtaining a Succession Certificate does not vest the property absolutely in favour of the holder of the Certificate; but it only gives him the right to distribute the property of deceased under the personal laws of inheritance of the deceased.

As per Hindu Law, intestate succession follows as per Class I heirs, Class II heirs, Agnates and Cognates. This succession is as per the codified law of Hindu Succession and the share of each member is defined according to a pre calculated formula. Succession for Mohammadens is as per the Shariat Laws read with the Indian Succession Act, likewise intestate succession among Parsees and Christians is under the Indian Succession Act.

Consolidating Assets

In the modern day, it is important to have a comprehensive inventory of assets together with an efficient plan to manage and protect them. A person may have assets in the nature of movables such as investments in shares, mutual funds, bonds, stocks, bank balances, other instruments, as well as interest immovable property either as a co-owner, or owner or in any other capacity as may be legally permissible in law. Often times, the security and / or debt may be difficult to ascertain, especially if the person has not kept a proper record.

Consolidation helps to create a proper and complete picture, especially if succession is through the intestate route, or if certain assets are not included under the Will, as the nature of application and grant of either Probate, Letters of Administration, Succession Certificate will depend on the nature of the asset together with its estimated value and the location of the asset.

Movable Assets

Movable Property is generally understood to mean property of every description, except immovable property, and therefore may include assets in the nature of jewellery, cars, bank balances, deposits, units of mutual funds, bonds, stocks etc. Once the assets are consolidated and movable property is ascertained, Letters of Administration or Succession Certificate (as the case may be) may be granted by a court of competent jurisdiction upon satisfactory proof produced by the person claiming a right to such asset. As already highlighted, the general rule for intestate succession to movable assets is that movables follow the domicile of the person at the time of his demise.

Immovable Assets

The definition of an immovable property is generally understood to mean, land, benefits arising out of the land, things attached to the earth and/or permanently fastened to anything attached to the earth but does not include grass or standing timer. Thus land or building or premises form a part of the immovable assets and are generally the bone of contention in cases of disputes arising out of succession (both testate and intestate). Immovable property or assets follow the law of situs, and does not take into consideration the domicile at the time of death.

The personal laws i.e. Hindu succession laws, Shariat laws, succession laws applicable to Christians and Parsees under the Indian Succession Act govern the method and manner in which the immovable asset would devolve for the benefit of the legatees.

In case of immovable assets, only Letters of Administration may be obtained from a competent court as Succession Certificate is only to facilitate collection of a debt on succession and afford protection to parties paying debts to representatives of a deceased intestate.

The effect of nomination in case of immovable property is that, the immovable property (in case of say a flat or apartment in Co-operative Society) does not automatically vest in the name of the nominee to the exclusion of all other legal heirs. The rules of succession are very clear and distinct as the code is self-contained and no other third mode of succession is open for intestate succession to immovable assets.

Conclusion

To briefly summarise, succession (testate or intestate) in India is as per the body of personal laws codified either under specific personal laws or the Indian Succession Act, and generally, in case of intestate succession, the Letters of Administration or Succession Certificate may be obtained for the purpose of administration of the estate of the deceased.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed apprehension about the manner in which Centre moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take control of embattled real estate firm Unitech Ltds board without seeking its permission. It has decided to continue hearing the matter tomorrow and has also sought governments views on how to protect the interests of homebuyers.

The Supreme Court asked the Centre why it did not seek its permission to move NCLT for suspension of the companys directors. It is disturbing to see that the NCLT passed an order when the top court was hearing the Unitech case. It should have taken leave of the apex court before allowing the Centre to take over Unitech Ltd, said the apex court.

Unitech, on its part, argued through its lawyer that NCLT passed a hurried order without hearing it. It said that the Supreme Court had allowed its promoter Sanjay Chandra to negotiate from jail to sell assets to generate funds to pay back buyers and yet the Centre had breached discipline and moved NCLT.

The ministry of corporate affairs has sought time until tomorrow to respond.

Insolvency expert Sumant Batra said, I am not surprised that Supreme Court expressed disappointment but that is more an issue of propriety rather than the legality of government action.

On Monday, the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice AM Khanwilkar agreed to hear on Tuesday the plea on behalf of the embattled civil construction and housing development company Unitech Ltd challenging the recent order of the company law tribunal allowing the Centre to take over its management.

Chief Justice Dipak Misra had observed yesterday that We are more concerned with home buyers (rather than) with the company and fixed deposit holders/investors. Home buyers are not investors.

Unitech in its appeal had said on Monday that, Despite clear directions issued by the SC, the tribunal in complete disregard to the said orders proceeded to pass an order which makes the entire process and monitoring being implemented by the apex court a nullity and renders it impossible for the petitioners (Unitech and its directors) to comply with the SC orders.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Unitech Ltd and its jailed promoters, referred to the recent NCLT order and said the takeover of the management of the company by the Centre would make it difficult for them to deposit Rs 750 crore as directed by the apex court to safeguard the interests of homebuyers.

"How do I comply with the Supreme Court order? My bank accounts have been frozen on November 21," the companys lawyer had said.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), on December 8, had suspended all the eight directors of the realty firm over allegations of mismanagement and siphoning of funds and had authorised the Centre to appoint its 10 nominees on the board. In its petition filed under section 241 of the Companies Act, 2013, the government had requested the tribunal to remove the eight directors and said that the company has over Rs 6,000 crore debt and over 16,000 undelivered units from a total of nearly 70 projects.

The NCLT, in its order, had also said the government must give the name of its nominees by December 20 and restrained Unitech's eight suspended directors from selling their personal and company properties.

The apex court had on October 30 said jailed businessman Chandra will be granted bail only after the real estate group deposited money with its registry by December end. The top court had earlier directed the jail authorities to facilitate Chandra's meeting with his company officials and lawyers so that he could arrange money to refund the home buyers as well as for completing the ongoing housing projects.

Chandra is seeking interim bail from the apex court after the Delhi High Court on August 11 had rejected the plea in a criminal case lodged in 2015 by 158 home buyers of Unitech projectsWild Flower Country and Anthea Project  both located in Gurgaon.
Bull's Eye, CNBC-TV18's popular game show, where market experts come together to dish out trading strategies for you to make your week more exciting and compete with each other to see whose portfolio is the strongest.

Remember these are midcap ideas not just for the day, but stocks that look attractive in the medium-term as well.

This week, Sumeet Jain, Ashish Kyal and Ruchit Jain battle it out for top honours.

Below their top stock picks and analysis:

Sumeet Jain of Destimoney Securities

Buy Aegis Logistics with a stoploss at Rs 263 and target of Rs 295

Buy Gujarat Heavy Chemicals (GHCL) with a stoploss at Rs 293 and target of Rs 318

Buy Lumax Auto Technologies with a stoploss at Rs 677 and target of Rs 722

Buy Thermax with a stoploss at Rs 1197 and target of Rs 1275

Ashish Kyal of Waves Strategy Advisors

Buy ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company with a stoploss at Rs 744 and target of Rs 814

Buy Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Company with a stoploss at Rs 230 and target of Rs 258

Buy JK Paper with a stoploss at Rs 132.50 and target of Rs 146

Buy Tata Global Beverage with a stoploss at Rs 290 and target of Rs 320

Ruchit Jain of Angel Broking

Buy NIIT Technologies with a stoploss at Rs 627 and target of Rs 681

Buy LT Foods with a stoploss at Rs 79.20 and target of Rs 92

Buy Pfizer with a stoploss at Rs 1980 and target of Rs 2175

Buy Natco Pharma with a stoploss at Rs 944 and target of Rs 1045
Vijay Mallya

Vijay Mallya's extradition trial to face fraud and money laundering charges of Rs 9,000 crore in India resumed today, with his defence fielding a legal expert to question the impartiality of India's judicial system and the media.

The 61-year-old was back in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London for day four of the hearing when his barrister, Clare Montgomery, deposed Dr Martin Lau to give his views on the evidence presented by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Indian Supreme Court rulings.

"I hold the Supreme Court in the highest respect but it is equally not disrespectful to indicate that some doubts are voiced about particular patterns [in judgments]," Dr Lau, an expert on South Asian law, told court.

Montgomery also asked him for his views on the impact intense media coverage of the case could have on a trial in India.

"There is an increasing concern in India about media trials," Lau said, claiming that the fairness of any trial of Mallya in India had been cast into doubt.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, asserted that India has a "free and animated press" that was understandably interested in this case, which involves "substantial state funds" going missing.

The CPS also challenged Lau's assertion that based on the 265 witness statements he had reviewed, there was "no direct evidence" of Mallya's involvement in any criminal conspiracy.

Quoting an unnamed study by three academics from Singapore and Hong Kong, Lau raised questions on the neutrality of Supreme Court judges close to retirement.

Lau was also made to comment upon some of the evidence produced by the CBI to back up its case against the liquor baron in an attempt to discredit its admissibility in court.

Reading from Lau's written testimony, Mallya's counsel quoted from an unnamed media report to claim that there had been "coercion" by Special Director Rakesh Asthana and his team over the banks in India to pursue criminal proceedings against her client.

The legal expert, who will continue to give his statement throughout today's hearing, is also being made to elaborate on the application of Indian laws relevant to the case.

Lau claims some of the money laundering allegations against Mallya may fall under a "retrospective application" of the Money Laundering Act because the alleged offences occurred before 2013, when the act was amended in India.

Earlier today, the defence had deposed Margaret Sweeney  the Chief Financial Officer of Force India, Mallyas Formula 1 racing team.

She was run through a series of spread-sheets and figures from her written testimony to establish if money had been taken from Kingfisher Airlines for "no good reason" by Force India and used for some other purposes.

"Absolutely not," was her response, explaining that all payments she was aware of were in relation to a marketing contract between Kingfisher Airlines and the F1 team.

The defence also quoted from an independent media valuation to claim there had been no overpayment by Kingfisher Airlines, as alleged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

"Far from it," said Sweeney, on being asked if Force India was being paid too much.

The CPS cross-examination of Sweeney by barrister Mark Summers focused on payments being routed via an HSBC account in London, which was intended only for operational use of Kingfisher Airlines.

The defence's case rests on trying to prove that the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines' alleged default of around Rs 9,000 crore worth of bank loans was the result of business failure rather than "dishonest" and "fraudulent" activity by its owner.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the businessman is facing a parallel litigation in the Queen's Bench Division of the commercial court in England's High Court of Justice brought by a consortium of Indian banks to freeze his global assets.

The SBI, Bank of Baroda, Corporation Bank, Federal Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of Mysore, UCO Bank, United Bank of India and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt Ltd are listed as applicants of that claim against Mallya and related concerns named as Ladywalk LLP, Rose Capital Ventures Ltd and Orange India Holdings.

Lawyers for Mallya have been granted an extension to respond to that case due to his ongoing extradition trial, expected to conclude on Thursday.

Last week, the defence claimed that a consortium of Indian banks led by SBI had rejected an offer by the liquor baron in early 2016 to pay back nearly 80 per cent of the principle loan amount owed to them.

However, the CPS  arguing on behalf of the Indian government  countered that assertion in its cross- examination, indicating that the reason such a repayment offer would have been rejected was that the banks knew Mallya had the means to pay back the entire amount due.

While the CPS stand is that Mallya did not intend to repay the loans he sought because his airlines demise was inevitable, Montgomery is trying to establish that Kingfisher Airlines was suffering from consequences of a wider global financial crisis around 2009-2010 and that its failure was a result of factors beyond the companys control.

In his cross-examination, Summers had highlighted a particular "washing machine activity" picked up by the government of India that involved sums amounting to around 10 -15 million pounds being funnelled between UB Group companies to wrongly claim obligations of equity infusions into struggling Kingfisher Airlines were being met.

Indian government sources have described its case, being presented by the CPS, as "very strong".

Mallya's legal team had claimed earlier in the trial that the case against him was "politically motivated".

Mallya, who has been based in the UK since March 2016, was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant in April and has been out on bail on a bond worth 650,000 pounds.

If the judge rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UK home secretary must order Mallya's extradition within two months.

However, the case can go through a series of appeals in higher UK courts before arriving at a conclusion.
The head of the world's biggest automaker Volkswagen has issued an unprecedented call to end tax breaks for diesel fuel in Germany, saying the technology must make way for cleaner ways of getting around.

"I'm convinced that we need to question the sense and purpose of these diesel subsidies," Mueller told business daily Handelsblatt Sunday.

"We could more usefully invest the money in environmentally friendly propulsion."

German carmakers like BMW, Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen  with its 12 brands ranging from Audi and Porsche to Skoda and Seat  bet big on diesel in the 1990s, hoping to lower carbon dioxide output compared with petrol and meet greenhouse emissions targets.

They were supported by European governments offering tax breaks on the fuel, which last year amounted to some 7.8 billion euros (USD 9.2 billion) in Germany according to the country's federal environment agency (UBA).

But politics and industry have gradually changed their tune over the past two years, owing in part to VW's 2015 admission that it cheated regulatory tests on 11 million cars worldwide to make them appear to emit fewer harmful nitrogen oxides.

Faced with the prospect of their vehicles being banned from parts of some cities, carmakers have vowed to upgrade older vehicles and offer more battery-electric and hybrid options to consumers.

In recent months, firms like VW, Ford and BMW have offered drivers discounts to trade in older diesels for cars with the latest, less-polluting motors.

Meanwhile, September's biennial International Auto Show (IAA) in Frankfurt brought promises of flotillas of new electric and hybrid models by the mid-2020s from all Germany's biggest names.

Volkswagen alone plans to splash out 34 billion euros by 2022 on developing electric vehicles, saying its entire range will be electric or hybrid by 2030.
Representative Image.

Despite that automation is expected to eat the jobs of millions of Indian workers by 2030, the impact is going to be the least in India among major economies of the world.

In comparison, advanced economies like the US and Japan - which rely heavily on manufacturing - are going to be the most affected.

A McKinsey Global Institute report says that robots will be doing about 9 percent of current works being done by humans by 2030.

However, if the speed of adoption is rapid, this could climb to as much as 19 percent. This will certainly result in loss of jobs but the overall picture is not that gloomy.

The McKinsey report uses the term 'full-time equivalents' or FTEs to denote the work hours lost to automation. Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) are the hours worked by one employee on a full-time basis. The concept is used to convert the hours worked by several part-time employees into the hours worked by full-time employees. So basically, one FTE means work of a full-time employee.

Expansion of Indian economy and automation

The impact of displacement of the work in India will be compensated by the expansion of the economy. India is set to see one of the biggest rises in employment in the world across sectors.

By 2030, India will see a growth in demand for technology professionals, teachers, architects, engineers, doctors, nurses among others. According to the estimation, over 6 million tech jobs will be created in India.

In comparison, the demand for creative artists, teachers, builders, care providers will see a decline in Japan. In other countries like Germany, China, and the US - the demand for repetitive workers like assistants, dishwashers, cleaning- equipment operators, food-preparation workers will see a negative growth.

Source: McKinsey Global Institute report titled 'Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation'.

The impact is lower despite India is expected to continue industrialising as its economy shifts away from agriculture. The report suggests that India is home to the second largest pool of labour associated with technically automatable activities. The number 235 million FTEs is lower only to Chinas 395 million FTEs.

The major reason for this is the rapidly expanding workforce which India enjoys. Indias labour force is expected to grow by 138 million people by 2030, or about 30 percent. India could create enough new jobs to offset automation and employ these new entrants by undertaking the investments in our step-up scenario, says the McKinsey report.

The report argues that automation will come into play more where there is a manufacturing-based economy or higher wages. China and Mexico which have comparatively higher wages than India are likely to see more automation.

Young India to lead the charge

The fact that only 5 percent of India's population is over 65 which will grow to just 8 percent by 2030 - compared to China for which the share stands at 9 percent and 17 percent respectively - is going to boost the growth in GDP as well as help spur the demand of jobs.

A young India means a large number of educators is needed too hence the report projects a 208 percent growth for teaching professionals. Similarly, under-developed infrastructure is going to drive investments from government as well as private players leading to job creation.

Also Read: Young India set to replace China as Asia's superpower

The sector which will see the highest demand for skilled labour is healthcare. Given the shoddy condition of health services and Indias low ranking in various social indicators, the projection does justice with the reality.

Job Switch

The impact of the automation would be mitigated but that does not mean that in future there is no need to be wary of it. The report expects that 3 to 38 million workers may need to switch occupational categories depending on the speed of adoption of automation. Considering, the midpoint adoption scenario, the number will be at the lower end and in case of rapid adoption, at the higher end.

Comparatively, however, in China, this range will be between 12 million and 102 million. Globally, up to 375 million workers may need to switch occupational categories.

So, notwithstanding the adoption rate, India needs to be ready to deal with the impact of automation.
The Delhi Police opposed in the Supreme Court a plea filed by one of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 December 16 gangrape and murder case for review of its verdict upholding the capital punishment awarded to him.

The police told a bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan that submissions advanced by the counsel appearing for convict Mukesh do not make out a case for review of the apex court's judgement.

The apex court had on May 5 upheld the death penalty to the four convicts - Mukesh (29), Pawan (22), Vinay Sharma (23) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31), saying the "brutal, barbaric and diabolic nature" of the crime could create a "tsunami of shock" to destroy a civilised society.

A 23-year-old paramedic student was gang-raped on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012 inside a moving bus in South Delhi by a gang of six persons and severely assaulted before being thrown out naked. She succumbed to her injuries on December 29, 2012, at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

During the hearing, the bench told advocate M L Sharma, appearing for Mukesh, that he has to make out a case for review of the analysis arrived at by the court in its May 5 verdict.

When the council raised the issue of alleged "illegal evidence" against the convict, the bench said, "you had argued all these points and we had rejected it".

"How were the marks of your (Mukesh) teeth found on the leg of the victim," the bench asked.

To this, Sharma alleged that Mukesh was framed by the police and tortured.

When he claimed that the state had bribed the victim, the bench shot back, "no suggestion was given in the evidence on this. You cannot take this ground in review now."

Sharma also raised other issues, including that of dying declaration of the victim and the place of Mukesh's arrest.

Senior counsel Siddharth Luthra, representing the police, countered these submissions and said these issues have already been gone into by the trial court, the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.

Luthra, while taking strong exception to the allegations about bribing the victim, said these issues cannot be raised now. He said Mukesh was formally arrested in Delhi.

The bench concluded hearing the arguments on the review plea filed by Mukesh.

However, advocate A P Singh, who is represening the other three convicts, told the bench that he would soon file review petitions on behalf of Vinay and Pawan.

He said that review plea on behalf of Akshay would be filed in 10 days. The bench listed the matter for hearing on January 22.

Another accused in the case, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail, while a convicted juvenile has come out of the reformation home after serving a three- year term.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has denied before the Delhi High Court that he filed a false affidavit claiming he had not instructed his counsel to use derogatory words against Union Minister Arun Jaitley.

Kejriwal's response came in pursuance to the August 23 notice issued to him by Justice Manmohan on Jaitley's plea seeking action against the chief minister for making a false statement during his cross-examination in a defamation suit against him and five other AAP leaders.

Jaitley, who has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders, had moved a fresh application alleging that the chief minister had falsely denied that he had instructed his then senior lawyer to make derogatory comments. This was opposed by his former counsel Ram Jethmalani two days later.

The high court listed the matter for hearing on April 26.

In his response filed through advocate Anupam Shrivastav, Kejriwal has denied that he has committed any perjury or made any false statement supported by an affidavit under oath.

"It is denied that the Senior Advocate representing the Defendant 1 (Kejriwal) on instructions had used abusive, offensive and per se defamatory words against the applicant/ plaintiff (Jaitley).

"On the contrary the Defendant No.1 had at no time instructed his counsels to use abusive, offensive or defamatory language against the applicant," he said.

The chief minister also submitted that the Bar Council Rules and the Advocates Act 1961 prohibits a senior advocate from taking instructions in any case directly from a client.

"Therefore no utterances of a senior advocate can be attributed to the instructions of the client unless they are received through the Advocate on Record (Instructing Counsel)," he said.

Kejriwal said the union minister's application was "completely baseless" and was filed with the sole motive of "attempting to overawe the judicial process" sought its dismissal with costs.

"It is denied that untrue averments have been made in the pleadings which would amount to committing perjury," he said.

The high court had on August 23 sought Kejriwal's response on the plea seeking that a criminal complaint be lodged against him for allegedly filing a false affidavit that he did not instruct his counsel to use derogatory words against Jaitley.

During the cross examination on May 17, Kejriwal's then counsel Jethmalani had used offensive words against Jaitley.

Jethmalani had categorically stated in court that he had received specific instruction from Kejriwal to use derogatory words against Jaitley.

The application had stated that in an interview to the media on July 26, Jethmalani reiterated his earlier statement that he had instructions from Kejriwal to use the words.

In his application, Jaitley had said that on July 28, Jethmalani had written a letter to Kejriwal. He copied it to the union minister stating he had not received a reply from the chief minister on his July 20 letter.

According to the application, in the July 20 letter to Kejriwal, Jethmalani had said "ask your (Kejriwal) conscience how many times you used the word..."

Seeking strict action against Kejriwal for allegedly stating false facts, Jaitley's counsel had said, "a blatant, false and dishonest statement under oath by such a high functionary must attract severe and stringent punishment."

"Committing perjury before this court by making false averments in pleadings is squarely covered under provisions of section 340 of CrPC and the defendant (Kejriwal) deserves to be punished in accordance with law," it had said.

The high court had on July 26 asked Kejriwal not to put "scandalous" questions to Jaitley during the cross-examination in the defamation suit filed by the Union minister against the chief minister and five others -- Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai.

The first Rs 10 crore defamation suit was filed by Jaitley against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders in 2015. The second Rs 10 crore defamation suit was filed on May 22 this year only against the chief minister.

Jaitley, who denied all the allegations of corruption levelled by the AAP leaders in December 2015, had claimed that they had made "false and defamatory" statements in the case involving the DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.

The cross-examination of Jaitley by Jethmalani on May 17 led to heated exchanges between them.

Kejriwal had on July 24 told the high court that there was no instruction from him to Jethmalani to use objectionable remarks against Jaitley.
Representative image

The government is in talks with Asean countries to extend the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) highway up to Vietnam, a senior official said today.

India and Asean countries are holding consultations on the extension of the 1,360 km IMT highway -- from Moreh in India to Mae-Sot in Thailand -- to Laos, Cambodia and to Vietnam, she said.

"Already some level of discussions have started and...we have also announced certain line of credit for the purpose on certain projects," said Dakshita Das, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

She was speaking at the Asean-India Connectivity Summit, organised here by industry body CII.

"Once we connect, we have a tremendous potential in terms of incremental GDP. Connectivity can generate annually, an estimated USD 70 billion in incremental GDP and 20 million in incremental aggregate employment by 2025," she said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), has 10 member nations -- Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Das said that another area on which the government is working to connect India with South East Asia is the IMT Motor Vehicle Agreement (IMT MVA).

India, Myanmar and Thailand in 2014 commenced negotiations for finalising and implementing the IMT Motor Vehicle Agreement (IMT MVA).

Framework MVAs need to be urgently concluded to utilise the physical road infrastructure on IMT Trilateral Highway and Asean that are central to completing the vision of India-Asean connectivity, Das said.

Yudhvir Singh Malik, Secretary at the ministry, said that the Northeast is the "door to building connectivities along with the Asean countries. I look forward to a day when I can drive my car to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok".

Connecting India with the South eastern countries through a network of road will create jobs, market for crops grown in hilly regions of the Northeast which will also help growers in getting better price for their produce, he said.
Village women stand in a queue to get themselves enrolled for the Unique Identification (UID) database system at Merta district in the desert Indian state of Rajasthan February 22, 2013. In a more ambitious version of programmes that have slashed poverty in Brazil and Mexico, the Indian government has begun to use the UID database, known as Aadhaar, to make direct cash transfers to the poor, in an attempt to cut out frauds who siphon billions of dollars from welfare schemes. Picture taken February 22, 2013. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY POVERTY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTR3EDSU

From triple talaq to rolling out cooking gas for rural families, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focus on women is visible as the 2019 general election nears.

After pushing for ban on triple talaq or triple talaq in India, Modi is now keen to reserve seats for women in the Parliament, a source-based report in the Bloomberg said. Consultations for the same are already underway, the report said.

The government is working on the Women's Reservation Bill, which proposes to reserve one-third of the seats in Parliament. The Bill has been pending for nearly two decades.

Last month, the Centre drew a draft law to make triple talaq 'non-bailable and cognizable' offence with three years in jail and fine.

During the 2014 elections, women had outnumbered men as far as voting is concerned. According to a Pew report, the economy continues to be top priority for voters. In 2014, nearly 83 percent voters said that economy will an important factor while voting.

The report further says that women are more likely to rate several issues as very important, leading with healthcare and reproduction. The report says that 84 percent women voters consider healthcare of primary importance while only 70 percent men think that.

Economic inequality is another major factor for women  64 percent say it is very important compared to just 49 percent men.

The government is focusing more on women-related issues to bring more voters under their umbrella.

Few women-related schemes that have been implemented are:

> Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao - The government's flagship programme 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme was launched in January 2015 to address issues of declining child sex ratio (CSR) and empowerment of women.

India's CSR declined from 976 in 1961 to 918 in 2011 Census. CSR is defined as the number of girls per 1,000 boys in the age group of 0-6 years.

In November this year, the government expanded the scheme to cover all 640 districts in the country.

> Safer cooking fuel for rural families to reduce premature deaths from air pollution.

> Maternity leave - Earlier this year, Modi-led government increased maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for women working at a place with workforce of more than 10 people.

The new law will benefit more than 1.6 billion working women in the country.

> National Policy for Domestic Workers - The Ministry of Labour and Employment is working on a formulation of a policy for domestic workers, of which women comprise nearly 67 percent, the report said.

At the recent Global Entrepreneurship Summit, held in Hyderabad last month, Modi said that "women empowerment is vital for growth and development".

"The theme, 'women first, prosperity for all' makes this edition of GSE stand out. In Indian mythology, women is an incarnation of Shakti- the Goddess of power, we believe women empowerment is vital to our development," Modi said at the Summit, which was also attended by White House advisor Ivanka Trump.

However, the current data from World Economic Forum shows that India's gender gap ranking has fallen 21 places this year on back of lack of literacy, life expectancy and low involvement of politics.
Three Egyptian intercity highways were temporarily closed on Tuesday morning due poor visibility resulting from fog, the General Traffic Authority said.

The Cairo-Alexandria Road, Al-Alamein Road (which connects the former with the North Coast), and the Shubra-Banha freeway (northwest of Cairo) were shut down in the early morning.

Shortly before noon, the authority announced that the roads had been reopened.

However, it urged drivers to reduce their speed and use safety measures, including using their headlights, fog lights and hazard-warning lights, to improve visibility for themselves and vehicles behind them.

Egypt's meteorologists have issued warnings about morning fog in many parts of the country throughout the week, saying that daytime mist will turn to fog sometime after midnight and through the early morning.

Last week, four people were killed and 39 others injured in a multi-vehicle collision on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road as a result of early morning fog,

Temperatures are expected to drop slightly on Wednesday and Thursday, with the capital Cairo and the Nile Delta expecting highs of 21-22 Celsius and lows of 12 degrees C. Egypt's north coasts are predicted to see highs of 21 C and lows of 10-13 C.

The northern part of Upper Egypt will be the coldest, with lows dropping to 7 degrees Celsius.

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Union Minister Satyapal Singh said that "men will not want to marry women who wear jeans". The statement from the Minister of State for Human Resource Development came during a meeting that was held on Sunday at Gorakhpur.

As per a report in Hindustan Times, the minister made the controversial remarks during the concluding ceremony of the foundation day of Maharana Pratap Siksha Parishad (MPSP), the academic venture of Gorakhnath temple.

The meeting was also attended by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was sharing the stage with the minister.

No boy will be ready to marry a girl who comes to the mandap (wedding stage) in jeans, He added that no saint will be revered if he gives up his traditional attire and wears jeans.

The minister, who is also a former Police Commissioner of Mumbai made the comments while speaking about the appropriateness of costumes in Indian culture. Singh, who also released two books, i.e. Bhartiya Sanskriti and 'Gorakshpeeth: Yoga Evam Sant Parampara' alongside the Chief Minister during the occasion.

The minister, with his comments, joins a long list of politicians and institutions that have earlier come under the spotlight for their sexist comments.

Earlier, during the UP Assembly election campaign, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar had commented about Priyanka Gandhis electoral campaign by saying that his party also had 'more women campaigners who were more beautiful than Priyanka Gandhi'.

Another leader, Abu Azmi of Samajwadi Party had grabbed headlines after he blamed women who wore half dress while reacting about the mass molestation that occurred in Bengaluru during last year's New year eve celebrations.
Q16. It is one of the oldest traditional sweet shops in India. It has catered to Mughal emperors, Presidents and Prime Ministers of India. It was founded by Lala Sukh Lal Jain, who had arrived in the walled city of Delhi from Amber. The shop is now run by his descendants. There are a couple of theories about how it got its name. According to one, it was so named by Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar himself, who asked his servants to get sweets from the shop below the bell. What is the name of the shop? (Image: Reuters)

More than 10 lakh foreign tourists visited India in November 2017, a rise of 14.4 per cent over the same period last year, the tourism ministry said in a statement today.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India last month was 10.5 lakh as compared to 8.78 lakh in November 2016 and 8.16 lakh in November 2015.

"The growth rate in FTAs in November 2017 over November 2016 is 14.4 per cent," the statement said.

FTAs during the period between January and November this year were 90.01 lakh, with a growth of 15.6 per cent over the same period the previous year.

Foreign tourist arrivals stood at 77.83 lakh in January- November, 2016, a growth of 9.4 per cent over January- November, 2015.

Most tourists came from Bangladesh (16.77 per cent), followed by the US (14.77 per cent), the UK (10.23 per cent), Russia (4.41 per cent), Canada (4.39 per cent), Australia (3.96 per cent) and Malaysia (3.50 per cent).

With almost 29.76 per cent share of FTAs, the Delhi airport remained the busiest, followed by Mumbai (17.20 per cent), Haridaspur Land Check Post (between Bangladesh and India (8.40 per cent) and Chennai airport (5.78 per cent).

The ministry compiles monthly estimates of FTAs, including those with e-tourist visas, on the basis of their nationality and port. The estimates are based on data received from the Bureau of Immigration (BOI).

November 2017 also saw a substantial rise in the number of tourists arriving on e-visas.

During the month of November, 2017, a total of 2.14 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-tourist visa as compared to 1.37 lakh during the month of November, 2016, registering a growth of 56.2 per cent, the statement said.

From January to November 2017, a total of 14.57 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-tourist visa as compared to 9.17 lakh during January-November 2016, registering a growth of 58.8 per cent.

Tourists from the UK (17.1 per cent), USA (11.6 per cent) and Russian Federation (6.6 per cent) were the top countries availing e-tourist visa facilities during November, 2017.
Unitech | Board submitted resolution proposal before Supreme Court. (Image: unitechgroup.com)

At the turn of the century, realty firm Unitech was a rising star with a high market cap, badge of Indias second largest developer and an additional hold in the telecom business.

After a decade, the rising star finds itself in a quagmire of troubles that could shutter it for good. With its telecom business gone, number of housing projects stalled, legal cases for forgery against promoters, and a heavy debt, the company is headed for a massive fall.

Where Unitech stands now

The loss-incurring Unitechs market value reportedly fell to Rs 1,906.07 crore on December 8, 2017 from Rs 85,236.32 crore on January 8, 2008, when it was still the largest developer in the country.

The company faced its recent setback last week when the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) dismissed Unitechs board on allegations of fund diversion and irregularities in the companys operations and allowed the government to select 10 directors for its board, Mint reported. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, its promoters Sanjay and Ajay Chandra are accused in a forgery case filed by housebuyers of the companys Gurugram project.

The Supreme Court sent both accused to police custody after the prosecution for custodial interrogation. Unitech has to deposit Rs 750 crore by December to get bail for Sanjay. But the company is in a bind as its fund transactions for personal reasons have been stopped by NCLT.

Sanjay was previously arrested in 2011 in connection with the 2G telecom spectrum scandal, an event which led to the beginning of Unitech's downfall.

This case remains unresolved and its verdict may serve yet another blow to the embattled company. A special CBI court is expected to deliver its final judgements on December 21 on the 2G spectrum corruption cases.

The real-estate giants past

By mid-2000s, the real estate sector was seeing high growth and many developers, previously confined to certain cities, expanded their operation to other parts of the country. Unitech was one such developer and massively increased its valuation at this period through landholding. Its land acquisition spree got the company over 14,500 acres.

Unitech reached a peak in 2005 when the government opened up FDI in real estate construction. Unitech was then Indias second largest developer and naturally, foreign investors started taking interest in the firm.

These factors boosted Unitechs market capitalisation and share prices to a new high. As per a report in The Economic Times, the companys share price went up to Rs 13,422.80 with market capitalization of Rs 16,765 crore on May 30, 2006. The share prices were down at Rs 428 on June 21, 2005.

In 2007-2008, Unitech, in a bid to diversify its business, applied for the 2G telecom license and won in the bidding process. It did not want to completely depend on the volatile real estate business.

It entered into a joint venture with Norway-based Telenor Group to create Unitech Wireless Ltd.

But when America witnessed the great recession in 2008, DLF, Unitech  leading builders in India faced its after effects. Unitech, which sold seven million square-feet of space in 2007-2008, sold even less than two million sq-ft space in 2008-2009 following the financial collapse that slowed the whole economy down, as per the book Corporate Finance.

The companys cash flow was severely hurt and servicing debt and meeting other financial liabilities became difficult for the real estate giant.

Before the slowdown struck global economy, Indian real estate developers were buying land at a high price to swiftly acquire them and in turn, selling the developed houses to buyers at exorbitant prices, says the book Marketing Management

With the recession, peoples purchasing capacity went down and unable to sell expensive apartments, Unitech focused on developing low-cost houses. It acquired land for very low prices from villages near to the city for its projects and sold houses for less than Rs 10 lakh in places across Noida and Gurugram.

As of present, media reports suggest that Unitech owes Rs 7,800 crore to over 16,000 homebuyers of its delayed projects. The company also has a heavy debt burden of about Rs 6,700 crore.

The developer was hit again in 2011 by Sanjay Chandras involvement in the 2G spectrum scam. Not only was Chandra arrested and the companys image hurt, it also had to sell off its entire stake in the telecom company to Telenor.

The huge financial obligations have led Unitech to dispose of land and other assets bought through the same debts to retire these debts.

The beleaguered realty firm has sold land parcels in Gurgaon, Noida, Chennai and Hyderabad to boost its cash flow and complete ongoing and delayed projects. Earlier in 2017, Unitech surrendered a big mass of land in Noida to the local development authority as the debt-laden company was unable to clear dues to the tune of about Rs 4,000 crore.
Battle for Gujarat

Campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls officially ended on Tuesday, bringing down the curtains on a memorable round of electioneering replete with drama, barbs and controversy.

Here are the top seven events that stood out during the campaign:

Delay in declaring election date

The Election Commission of India found itself in the opposition's cross hairs when it delayed announcing the date for the Gujarat polls. The watchdog initially said that the results for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh would be declared on December 18 but did not reveal the dates for voting in Gujarat until much later, citing ongoing flood relief efforts in the state.

The Congress alleged that the Election Commission was acting under pressure from the central government as it wanted to announce sops for voters before the model code of conduct kicked in. BJP dismissed Congress's allegations as "absurd" and criticised it for questioning a constitutional authority.

Hardik Patel Sex CDs

The 24-year old leader of the Patidar reservation agitation (Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti) found himself mired in a controversy when a local channel released a video of him with a woman in a hotel room.

Patel accused the ruling BJP of spying on him and making these CDs to weaken his hold on the Patidar community. Commenting on clip, Patel said it was the beginning of dirty politics and the BJP would release many more such "morphed" videos to defame him ahead of polls.

"The BJP wants to retain power by defaming me," he said.

Rahul Gandhi listed as non-Hindu at Somnath Temple

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who visited a number of temples while campaigning in the state, saw himself dragged into a controversy when someone allegedly wrote his name in the column of the visitors book meant for non-Hindus.

The grand old party alleged that the media coordinator had signed on a blank temple register to assist media access, but Gandhis name was subsequently found along with party leader Ahmed Patel in the column meant for non-Hindus.

The BJP went on to question Rahul's religious beliefs, while the Congress stressed that their leader was a devout Hindu.

Mani Shankar Aiyars neech comment on PM Modi

With just days to go before the first phase of polling, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a neech aadmi in a comment reminiscent of his chai wallah jibe directed at Modi ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Modi considered it a casteist remark and railed against the Congress during his campaign speeches.

"Yes, they called me 'Neech' but our value systems are strong. We have nothing to say to such elements. Our answer will come through the ballot box. We have seen enough insults from them. They insulted me when I was CM. They called me 'Maut Ka Saudagar' & wanted to jail me," Modi tweeted.

Congress had to quickly rush into damage control mode and distanced itself from Aiyars comment, eventually suspending him from the party.

Pakistan 'backing' Ahmed Patel as Gujarat CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged at an election rally that former director general of Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, had backed senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel as the next chief minister of Gujarat.

He said Pakistan was trying to intervene inthe Gujarat elections and a meeting was held at Mani Shankar Aiyars house recently which was attended by Pakistans former foreign minister, Pakistan high commissioner, Indias former vice president and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Manmohan said he was 'deeply pained' by the allegations, calling them 'canards'.

The village that boycotted the election

A tiny village called Gajadi in Morbi district with more than a thousand registered voters boycotted the election because of lack of water, road and electricity. Villagers paid no heed to the district administrations effort of persuading them to vote.

"Villagers had announced a few months ago that they will refrain from voting. Their main grievance was about water supply. Though the village is being supplied water through a pipeline, they claimed it was not enough and demanded another pipeline," said Morbi Collector and District Election Officer IK Patel.

The village, though situated in Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under Kalavad constituency of Jamnagar district.
Gujarat Elections 2017: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses an election campaign rally for state assembly election in Jamnagar. (PTI)

Just hours before the bitter and often bizarre election campaign in Gujarat ended on Tuesday, Congress' fresh face Alpesh Thakor stoked another controversy by reportedly saying that imported mushrooms are the secret behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "fair skin".

Speaking at a public meeting Radhanpur constituency of Patan district, the Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader claimed that the prime minster ate mushrooms imported from Taiwan and each of them cost Rs 80,000.

Thakor then went on to say that the prime minister consumes five such mushrooms in a day, thus spending Rs 4 lakh a day on the same.

"He was dark like me but he became fair because of these imported mushrooms," Thakor said. "You cannot have what PM Modi eats because it is not food for the poor. A source told me Modi ji has been eating it (imported mushrooms) since he was the CM (Chief Minister) of Gujarat. I have seen his earlier photos. He was dark like me, but now he has grown fairer."

As the crowd continued to laugh, Thakor said that if a prime minister consumed food worth Rs 4 lakh a day, then his party workers must be spending a lot more.
President-elect of the Congress Rahul Gandhi today took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talking about Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and Japan in the Gujarat elections but avoiding speaking about his home state.

Gandhi also questioned Modi's 'silence' on the company promoted by BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah whose turnover was claimed to have shot up manifold after the BJP came to power at the Centre.

Gandhi, who was declared elected as Congress president today, said Modi was frequently shifting his campaign plank in Gujarat.

He said, first it was the Narmada water, but after farmers started saying it has not reached their fields, Modi changed track and began speaking about OBC issues. When that also did not find favour with people, he went for development issues "but people punctured it", he said.

"Now, Modiji speaks about Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and Japan. Modiji, this is the election about the future of Gujarat. Please say something about Gujarat also," he told a well-attended rally in Tharad in Banaskantha district.

Gandhi was apparently targeting the prime minister over his yesterday's suggestion that Pakistan was trying to influence the Gujarat Assembly polls and that some current and former officials of that country had met at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence a day before Aiyar's 'neech' remark against him.

The Congress leader said, in the last couple of days, the prime minister devoted half his speech to Congress-bashing.

"On one hand he is claiming that he has finished the Congress party in India, and on the other, he devotes half of his time to Congress. The other half of his speech is devoted to Narendra Modiji himself," the 47-year-old leader said.

"Modiji please devote two-three minutes of your speech to (talking about) the future of Gujarat," he said.

He questioned Modi's silence on corruption, as he targeted him over the alleged exponential rise in the turnover of a company owned by Amit Shah's son.

"You listen to his entire speech, corruption is totally missing from it. Jay Amit Shah's company converted Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore in three months but the chowkidar is silent, not a word is coming out of his mouth."

"Narendra Modiji fears Amit Shah, that is the reason he is not saying a word about Jay Shah," he claimed.

Gandhi reaffirmed his promise that the Congress, if voted to power in Gujarat, will waive farm loans within 10 days.

He claimed the NDA government waived Rs 1.30 lakh crore loans of 10 richest people in the country. He said when farmers also ask for a loan waiver, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and the prime minister say it is not their policy.

"Why the loans of farmers are not waived," Gandhi asked, and in the next breath gave the reply "as they do not fly in planes, they do not have big cars, and they do not have suit worth Rs 15 lakh."

Gandhi again alleged there was corruption in the Nano deal between the Gujarat government and the Tatas.

"The Congress allocated Rs 35,000 crore to MNREGA, while the BJP government gave Rs 33,000 crore to the Tata Nano factory. The water from Narmada went to that factory. The factory gets electricity for 24 hours even when you get it only at night," he alleged.

The Congress leader claimed land in villages in and around Mundra were given to the Adani group at the rate of Re 1 per square metre, which the latter sold back to the government at Rs 3,000 for every square metre.

Assailing the government over demonetisation and the GST, he said half the money of common people was "looted" by the note ban and the rest by the "Gabbar Singh Tax".

Addressing a rally in Savli town in Vadodara district, Gandhi also attacked the prime minister on Rafale fighter jet deal.

He said the Congress wanted to bring petrol and diesel under the purview of GST to "prevent excessive profiteering," but the PM refused to accept the demand "because he wanted to benefit his friends who own oil refining companies".

Asking Modi to simplify the GST and shun "rhetoric", Gandhi said the time has come to "correct the 'one nation- seven tax' regime, which gives draconian powers to taxmen".

He said the Central government should support the SME and the informal sectors to create jobs and "not unleash taxmen on them".

Gandhi said the textiles sector, which is the second biggest generator of jobs, is "yearning for correcting the distorted GST structure".

"Water is not available for irrigation in Gujarat...OBCs are also angry with the BJP. The saffron party's claim that Gujarat is a model state has failed to convince the common people," he said.

Referring to Rafale fighter jet deal, Gandhi said, "Modi went to France for signing this deal to benefit his industrialist friend having a huge debt of Rs 45,000 crores on his head. This industrialist does not know anything about war. aircraft and has no experience in making fighter planes."
rahul gandhi narendra modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments against his predecessor Manmohan Singh over a dinner meeting with Pakistani diplomats were unacceptable, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi said here today.

The prime minister had insinuated that Manmohan Singh was colluding with Pakistan in the Gujarat polls. The former premier responded by saying Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" and asked him to apologise to the nation.

"What Modiji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable," Gandhi said at a press conference here today, the final day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

He said the prime minister had refrained from speaking on corruption during the campaign in his home state.

Modi, Gandhi added, had remained silent on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"PM Modiji has not spoken a word about corruption. He is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal," he said.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, when asked the reason behind his frequent temple visits in the poll-bound state.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

The Congress leader also said he was confident that his party would win the elections in the state.

"We are confident that Congress will win in Gujarat," Gandhi said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state. He claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6. This was a day before Aiyar's "neech" jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation against his predecessor Manmohan Singh over the Gujarat polls drew more condemnation today with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar telling him "shame on you" and Congress president -elect Rahul Gandhi calling it unacceptable.

Key BJP ally Shiv Sena also launched a sharp attack on Modi, saying that dragging Pakistan into Gujarat election campaign was an "impious" way of trying to win the polls.

The prime minister at a poll rally in Gujarat on Sunday sought to link a dinner meeting hosted by suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for Pakistan dignitaries and attended by Manmohan Singh among others with the ongoing Assembly polls and a conspiracy against the BJP.

Modi had insinuated that his predecessor had colluded with Pakistan for BJP's defeat at the polls. The former premier responded by saying Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" and asked him to apologise to the nation, a demand rejected by the union government.

Pawar criticised Modi for "deliberately" misconstruing the dinner meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence on December 6 and presenting it as a conspiracy by Pakistan to interfere in the Gujarat polls. The meeting took place a day before Aiyar's "neech aadmi"(lowly person) jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.

"Shame on you, Prime Minister for making such allegations. You have made the allegations against this country's former prime minister and former Defence officials," Pawar, a former Defence minister, said.

"Modi's government has not solved issues of farmers and other issues the country faces, but he is bringing the Pakistan angle as a diversionary tactic for Gujarat elections," Pawar said at a public rally -- 'Halla Bol' -- organised by the Congress and the NCP in Nagpur on issues relating to agrarian crisis.

Modi has demeaned the office of the prime minister, Pawar alleged. Rahul Gandhi hit out at the prime minister for his remarks against Manmohan Singh while addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad on the final day of campaigning for the Assembly polls. "What Modiji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable," he said. In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Shiv Sena said a prime minister is supposed to take action and not level allegations.

"Prime Minister Modi has levelled a serious charge that Pakistan is interfering in Gujarat polls. We can understand the worries of Modi but a PM is supposed to take action and not level allegations.

"Gujarat has become even more important than Kashmir. Until yesterday, Pakistan was interfering in Kashmir and China was interfering in Leh, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," it said.

Nowadays, in all elections, either Pakistan or fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is brought at the forefront, the Sena quipped.

"When sand below the feet starts moving, Pakistan and Dawood chanting begins. It is happening today as well. This is an impious way," it said.

The Sena further said that even in Bihar polls, BJP's national president had brought in Pakistan. Despite he saying that crackers will be burst in Pakistan if Nitish Kumar wins, the latter decimated the BJP, it said.

If the prime minister had all the details of the meet at Aiyar's house and knew the meeting was to undertake anti- national activities, why did he only level allegations and why were all those present at the meeting not arrested and an inquiry conducted, it asked.

"Why are allegations levelled only in election rallies? If an interference from Pakistan is happening, let the Indian Army enter that country and take action, the Sena suggested.

"The country expects Modi to work. How many times will you chant Pakistan's name?"
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Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday it was expanding its cloud computing business in China with a new local partner, aiming to win share in an increasingly crowded and highly regulated market.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) will start offering customer services based out of the northwestern Chinese region of Ningxia in partnership with local firm Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology Co Ltd (NWCD), the U.S. firm said.

"AWS has formed a strategic technology collaboration with NWCD, and NWCD operates and provides services from the AWS China Ningxia Region, in full compliance with Chinese regulations," Amazon said in a statement.

The move comes a month after AWS said it will sell the hardware assets of its Beijing-registered cloud unit for up to 2 billion yuan ($302.06 million) to its partner Beijing Sinnet Technology Co Ltd to comply with new regulations.

China launched strict new regulations in June that require foreign firms to store data locally and outsource hardware elements to local partners.

Cloud services have become a crowded and competitive field in China in recent years, with domestic companies, including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, opening dozens of new data centers in just the past year.

Chinese firms account for roughly 80 percent of total cloud services revenue in China, according to Synergy Research Group.

U.S. companies Amazon, Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp must jump over hurdles to compete, facing new surveillance measures by China and increasing scrutiny of cross-border data transfers.

The infrastructure for the new data centers in Ningxia was built by NWCD affiliates using specifications provided by AWS, an Amazon spokesman told Reuters.

While the AWS services offered in China are similar to services offered elsewhere, they are separated from other regions globally and customers enter agreements with Sinnet and NWCD rather than with AWS, Amazon said.
Sedqi Sobhi's trip to Nicosia follows a visit by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for a tripartite Egypt-Cyprus-Greece summit in November

Egypt's Defense Minister Sedqi Sobhi arrived in Nicosia on Tuesday for an official visit at the invitation of Cypriot Defence Minister Christophoros Fokaides, according to an Egyptian military press release.

Sobhi is scheduled to hold discussions with top Cypriot officials and military commanders, aiming to enhance bilateral military cooperation between the armed forces of the two nations, Egyptian military spokesman Colonel Tamer El-Refaay said.

The visit continues efforts at bilateral military cooperation, which has been growing in recent years. In March 2016, the Cypriot defence minister visited Egypt, signing a military cooperation agreement with his Egyptian counterpart.

In November this year, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi visited Nicosia, meeting with his counterpart Nicos Anastasiades and signing several memorandums of understanding in the fields of security, communication, medicine and business.

El-Sisi said military cooperation between Egypt and Cyprus had been growing since an agreement signed in 2015.

"Terrorism is still a danger that threatens the people of the region and humanity, and requires unified efforts by all countries, because the safety and security of citizens is a human right," El-Sisi said at the time.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was also present at the November meeting, with the three leaders engaging in a tripartite Greek-Cypriot-Egyptian summit, the fifth such event since 2014.

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New York police on Tuesday charged an ISIS-inspired Bangladeshi-origin man with supporting terrorism, a day after he triggered a blast with a crude homemade device at a metro station that injured three people.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device exploded prematurely yesterday between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America's largest bus terminal.

The New York Police Department tweeted that Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

Ullah is reported to be in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burns in the explosion.

Three other people suffered minor wounds in the blast during rush hour.

The suspect was taken into custody after the device partially exploded.

Reports say he used piping, nails, a 9-volt battery and Christmas lights wire to build the device. It was affixed to his body with Velcro straps.

The suspect's home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched.

Ullah acted alone, police said, adding that the explosion was recorded on surveillance video.

According to a law enforcement official, through his comments to investigators, Ullah indicated he was prepared to die. The source also said the suspect was wired up with the self-made device during his entire trip on the subway system.

He had pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN, and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far, though it is being treated as terror-related.
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Tantrums of a woman aboard resulted in a Zurich-bound flight to make an unscheduled stopover in Germany. The passenger got angry after the flight crew refused to serve her any more champagne.

The 44-year-old Swiss woman was flying in Business class from Moscow and asked the crew members to serve her wine repeatedly. The staff obliged first few times but after a point, they refused. The refusal caused her to snap and she started pacing up and down the aircraft and tried to drag an air hostess by the wrist.

When the crew felt that they will not be able to control the situation, the pilots decided to make an emergency landing at Stuttgart Airport. As soon as the plane landed, police escorted the woman off the plane and asked her to pay EUR 5,000 (Rs 3.79 lakh) in fine, reported Russia Today.

The flyers also may have to reimburse the cost incurred by the airline to land the plane which could well be in tune of tens of thousands of Euros.

The authorities said that there was no real danger for the 43 passengers on board the flight.

A few days ago, a plane in the US had to make an emergency landing as the passengers needed a 'bathroom break' . Enroute, the toilets of Boeing 757s toilets ceased functioning, with passengers queuing up and indicating they needed to visit the toilet, the incident report filed by the airlines said. All toilets were full and passengers needed to go really bad, as per the report.
French President Emmanuel Macron has reminded his US counterpart Donald Trump of his responsibility to history over his decision to quit the Paris climate change agreement, in an interview aired on CBS.

Speaking on the eve of the One Planet Summit, two years to the day since 195 nations adopted the climate plan, Macron rejected the idea that Trump could negotiate a fresh deal and termed his withdrawal an "aggressive" maneuver.

The French president said: "I'm sorry to say that, it doesn't fly, so, so sorry but I think it is a big responsibility in front of the history, and I'm pretty sure that my friend President Trump will change his mind in the coming months or years, I do hope."

He added: "It's extremely aggressive to decide on its own just to leave, and no way to push the others to renegotiate because one decided to leave the floor.

"I'm not ready to renegotiate but I'm ready to welcome him if he decides to come back."

Asked about his relationship with the US president, Macron characterised it as "very direct," adding he had been frank about his opposition to Washington recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Two years on from the Paris Agreement, Macron will meet with world leaders today, this time to talk about money.

Without trillions of dollars of investment in clean energy, the pact's goal to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels will remain a pipedream, observers and participants have warned.
Jarrett Coleman goes from school board to statehouse with win in 16th Senate District race
December 12, 2017 U.S. Surrenders On Syria - Resistance Turns Eyes On Israel This New Yorker piece is notable for its arrogant headline, and several false assertions. Those may be necessary to divert from its real message - the U.S. surrender to the realities of Syria: Trump to Let Assad Stay Until 2021, as Putin Declares Victory in Syria [T]he Trump Administration is now prepared to accept President Bashar al-Assads continued rule until Syrias next scheduled Presidential election, in 2021, according to U.S. and European officials. The decision reverses repeated U.S. statements that Assad must step down as part of a peace process.

...

The Trump Administration says it still wants a political process that holds the prospect of Assads departure. But it has concluded that it may take until 2021, when the next election is scheduled, to pull it off.

...

U.S. officials worry that Assad could win the 2021 Syrian election, one way or the other, and remain in power for years to come. The U.S. "lets Assad stay" because there is simply nothing else it can do without waging a large scale war. It has tried everything else - and lost. In 2012 it attempted to assassinate Assad, but he wasn't at the security meeting that the CIA blew up. It send 100,000 Takfiri fighters from all over the world to Syria and shipped in ten-thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition. The global anti-Syrian propaganda campaign in favor of the Takfiris was unprecedented. It tried to build a political opposition and sponsored it with hundreds of millions. It lastly invaded the country and tried to split it by force. It failed on all fronts. The U.S. decision reflects the Administrations limited options, the military reality on the ground, and the success of Syrias Russian, Iranian, and Hezbollah allies in propping up the beleaguered Assad regime.

...

The Syrian opposition groups backed by the United States have been ineffectual. They have squabbled among themselves and split into factions.

...

Diplomatically, Washington has been marginalized by the powerful troika of Russia, Iran, and Turkey, which now dominates the peace process. In 2013 the author of the piece, Robin Wright, presented the Israeli dream of a split up Middle East.

bigger It was a remake of the "Blood Borders" map peddled in 2006 by the neoconservatives Col. Ralph Peters. That gain was an updated version of a map of a "New Middle East" by Bernhard Lewis published in Foreign Affairs. Those maps went into the trash-bin when the U.S. had to leave Iraq. Wrigth's cartographic expression of imperial arrogance will end there too. Wright is heavily wired in Washington. She is part of the *borg* and held/holds positions at the U.S. Institute of Peace (which plans wars), the Wilson Center, Brookings and Carnegie Endowment. That she has now given up on her ludicrous map likely reflects the leading opinions within those institutions. One wonders if the military junta in the White House is on board with this. It continues to dream of keeping Syria and Iraq under its thumb: Col. John Thomas, spokesman for the US Central Command (CENTCOM), said that the international coalition forces would remain in Syria to support the operations of the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces until the conclusion of negotiations on a political solution in Geneva. He added that the US forces would continue to fight terrorist organizations close to al-Qaeda in Syria, including al-Nusra Front, regardless of ISIS presence. Dream on. Yesterday Putin visited Syria. He declared victory and announced that part of the Russian troops in Syria would return home. He made sure that everyone, the U.S., the Turks, the Saudis and the Israelis, understood that the troops would be back in no-time if they try to reignite the war: "If terrorists again raise head, we will deliver such strikes on them that they havent seen so far," Putin told the Russian military. Another member of the Syrian alliance, the Lebanese party Hizbullah, is now refocusing on Israel. Trump's hail-Mary pass of illegally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital came just in time to give new impetus to the resistance: Mr Nasrallah called on the resistance axis  a reference to Hizbollah and its Syrian and Iranian allies and patrons  to devote all its power and time to the Palestinians. I call on all the resistance factions in the region to unite and put one common strategy and practical plan to face this threat, he said. It was Israel that was behind (pdf) the campaign to dismantle Syria and Iraq. It utterly failed and the revenge will be harsh. Hizbullah is better armed and trained than ever. Battle experienced Iraqi and Iranian groups stand ready. The Syrian army is much better trained and equipped than before the war. The Iraqi resistance leader Qais Al Khazali recently visited south-Lebanon and took a look over the border into Israel. He was surveying the new battlefield. Israel's great new alliance with Saudi Arabia has not helped its position. The Salman tyrant and his son are in an insecure position and their great relations with Trump have tanked, allegedly over the issue of Jerusalem. The Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahoo is under pressure at home. The corruption accusation accumulate and his time in office is now limited. Who will replace him? What is the new plan the Zionists will come up with to react to the changed situation? Posted by b on December 12, 2017 at 18:48 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
Egypt Defense Expo (EDEX) will be a first for Egypt and Africa, offering a chance to show off the latest in military systems and manufacturing, officials said at a Monday press conference

Egypts military is set to hold its first defence exhibition  Egypt Defense Expo (EDEX)  in December 2018, the armed forces announced at a press conference on Monday.

The event will take place from 3 to 5 December at the Cairo International Convention Centre, with several major exhibitors and international companies in the fields of weapons, defense and security displaying their products and services.

The event will be the first of its kind in Egypt or any other African nation, and will include high-tech defence systems from around the world, as well as Egyptian-made military hardware, according to the official statement.

The exhibition is being organised in cooperation with Clarion Events, which puts on defence and security events at which high-level government officials and senior military personnel converge.

More than 300 exhibitors are expected to present their systems, with 10,000 visitors expected over three days. There will also be a conferences program attended by senior military figures.

Egypts Minister of Military Production Mohamed El-Assar said the nation's political leadership is supporting the event with a view to ensuring it is prominent among similar events globally. Egypt's military, meanwhile, will provide all the necessary facilities to ensure its success, reflecting the Egyptian military's regional status, he said.

The exhibition will be held every two years, said El-Assar, providing an opportunity to display Egyptian military products, as well as those from foreign, Arab, and African countries, helping to extend markets and exchange viewpoints.

General Tarek Saad Zaghloul, head of the Armed Forces Arming Authority, said the exhibition is a unique monument to defense and military production and an important opportunity for companies and visitors worldwide.

He said that due to Egypts strategic geographical location, the exhibition marks a paradigm shift for the region and neighboring countries, showcasing the latest weapons technologies and associated manufacturing operations.

The general elaborated that due to Egypts policy of sourcing armaments from diverse sources, the exhibition will include a wide range of military products from regional and international companies, promoting good relations between the various participants.

Clarions managing director Tim Porter gave a presentation during the press conference, saying that the exhibition will provide a great opportunity for companies from both Egypt and abroad.

Clarion Ltd is pleased to be given the chance to expand in its field by holding the exhibition in Egypt in 2018. We look forward to executing this important event in cooperation with the Egyptian armed forces, Porter concluded.

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For the second time in six months, the Burke County Board of Education has voted to close an aging school building.

After deciding to shutter 82-year-old Chesterfield Elementary School in June, the board opted to take the same path with 88-year-old Rutherford College Elementary School. The unanimous vote came at a special-called meeting to address the building Monday evening at the Olive Hill Resource Center in Morganton.

The students will be reassigned to Valdese Elementary School for the 2018-19 school year.

The culmination of the decision on Rutherford College came after a more than two-year process where the school system analyzed its oldest buildings and then received two follow-up letters from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction on the state of Rutherford College. Following that departments recommendation, the school system had an extensive study done by architects and engineers from three different firms in August.

The outcome of the inspection was the recommendation of more than $5.5 million in renovations at the school. The report first was presented to the school board during a work session two weeks ago. Since then, the report has been presented to the staffs of Rutherford College and Valdese and to the Rutherford College community at a special public meeting, all last week.

The school system says it receives $2.1 million in capital funds after paying its debt service each year. Those funds are spread to the countys 28 schools and board members say there is no money to undertake the project at Rutherford College, which would have required at least a temporary closure of the building.

With the influx of students from Rutherford College, the school system predicts enrollment of 587 students at Valdese next year against a capacity of 670. That would put Valdese at 87.6 percent capacity. The school system has a goal of maintaining 85 percent capacity for all its schools.

The school system says it will work with Valdese Chief of Police Jack Moss and the North Carolina Department of Transportation to resolve traffic concerns at Valdese, including the possibility of new traffic patterns for buses and cars. The system also will consider the addition of an atrium to the cafeteria at Valdese to accommodate a greater number of lunches being served at the school each day.

The Burke County Board of Commissioners will have the first right of refusal for the Rutherford College school building upon its closure.

For a more extensive story on Mondays meeting and the decision to close Rutherford College, check back on morganton.com Tuesday afternoon or see Wednesdays edition of The News Herald.

Justin Epley can be reached at jepley@morganton.com or 828-432-8943.
Two people were killed and four others injured in the collapse of two buildings in north Cairo's Rod El-Farg district on Tuesday, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

According to Al-Ahram, the buildings collapsed on Monday as the result of the collapse of another five-story building nearby.

The civil-security forces managed to rescue four injured people from the ruins of the two buildings.

However, two other people, a 45-year-old-woman and a five-year-girl, died in the collapse.

Rescue workers are still conducting search-and-rescue efforts in the hope of finding more survivors.

The Rod El-Farag district, once known for its fruit-and-vegetable market, is a crowded area with poor-quality housing.

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There is a no longer the need for widely-deployed Russian military forces in Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered "a significant part" of Moscow's military contingent to start withdrawing from Syria on Monday, declaring their work largely done.

Peskov said Russia would still use targeted air strikes against terrorists in Syria if needed.



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Afghanistan's military plans to launch a major operation to stop the Islamic State (IS) group making inroads into the country's northern provinces, officials said Tuesday, after AFP reported that fighters including French nationals were present there.

"(The) ministry of defence is planning to launch an operation against Daesh in northern provinces of Sari Pul, Faryab and Jowzjan," defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for the Middle Eastern Islamist militant group.

"We know there are foreign fighters among them, but we will eliminate all of them regardless of their nationality," he said, without elaborating further.

On Sunday, AFP reported that French and Algerian fighters, some arriving from Syria, had joined the ranks of IS in northern Afghanistan where the militants have established new bases.

European and Afghan local sources confirmed that French citizens were among the fighters in Darzab district of Jowzjan province, suggesting they may have links to IS-Khorasan Province (IS-K), the group's franchise in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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 out of Syria and Iraq.

"We have reports that more than 40 foreign Daesh fighters, mostly Uzbeks, are present in Darzab and Qushtepa districts. They are there to recruit locals and train them to become fighters," Mohammad Reza Ghafoori, a spokesman for the governor of Jowzjan, told AFP.

"The government is planning to launch an operation to clear the area from them soon," he said, also without giving further details.

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 Islamist militants have since spread north, including in Jowzjan on the border with Uzbekistan, and carried out multiple devastating attacks in the capital Kabul.

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FORT WORTH

Chisholm acquires undeveloped Delaware Basin acreage

Chisholm Energy Holdings announced Thursday that has signed an agreement to acquire undeveloped Delaware Basin acreage from Resource Rock Exploration.

The Fort Worth start-up bought 30,000 net acres in Eddy County, New Mexico, for an undisclosed sum. Chisholm is backed by a $500 million line-of-equity commitment from Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm.

The acreage contains multiple horizontal reservoir targets in the Bone Spring and Wolfcamp formations.

We are pleased to expand our presence in the Delaware Basin with this acquisition, which adds scale and value to our growing platform in the region, said Mark Whitley, Chisholm CEO. We look forward to applying our best-in-class operating capabilities to develop our position and will continue to pursue additional opportunities to deliver value.

Chisholm was formed in 2016. In May 2017, the company closed on its first asset acquisition of acreage located in Eddy and Lea counties from a private seller. The company is currently running three drilling rigs and is producing about 4,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

** ** **

DALLAS

Wolf Midstream Partners Plans New Permian Basin Crude Oil Gathering and Terminal System

Wolf Midstream Partners, a full-service midstream provider, has executed a crude oil gathering and transportation agreement with an independent producer for about 25,000 dedicated gross leasehold acres in the prolific Permian Basin of West Texas.

To support the agreement, and other area producers as needed, Wolf plans to construct about 50 miles of new crude oil gathering pipelines with an expected capacity of 55,000 barrels per day. Additionally, Wolf has established a delivery point near Colorado City and plans to construct terminal facilities, with interconnects into multiple downstream pipelines.

We are excited about this partnership with a seasoned operator and look forward to building out this new system, said Curtis Ewers, Wolf Midstream chief executive officer. The Wolf team has a long and successful history developing midstream solutions that provide producers with creative, reliable service. This new system will solidify our position in the Permian region, where we remain very focused on deploying the necessary capital and developing the infrastructure needed to address our customers long-term and immediate needs.

Construction activities have begun, and Wolf expects the new system to start service in the second quarter of next year.

** ** **

HOUSTON

Enterprise to convert NGL pipeline from Permian Basin to crude oil service

Enterprise Products Partners LP plans to convert one of its natural gas liquids pipelines that transports NGLs from the Permian Basin to the Texas Gulf Coast to crude oil service.

The conversion is expected to be completed in the first half of 2020. This pipeline conversion would provide the partnership with total crude oil pipeline capacity of more than 650,000 barrels per day from the Permian Basin to Enterprises crude oil hub in the Houston area.

Enterprise has three existing NGL pipelines that stretch from the Permian Basin to the Texas Gulf Coast: the Seminole Blue, Seminole Red and Chaparral. The Shin Oak NGL pipeline, which is currently under construction, will be the partnerships fourth NGL pipeline from the Permian Basin to the Texas Gulf Coast. The Shin Oak pipeline is expected to be in service in the second quarter of 2019. The completion of the Shin Oak pipeline provides Enterprise the flexibility to divert NGL volumes from at least one of its existing NGL pipelines onto Shin Oak and repurpose the vacated NGL pipeline to crude oil service. Enterprise is currently evaluating which NGL pipeline(s) to repurpose.

We have had strong demand for crude oil transportation, storage and marine terminal services for crude oil production from the Permian Basin, said A.J. Jim Teague, chief executive officer of the general partner of Enterprise. This repurposing of an NGL pipeline to crude oil service is another example of our system flexibility and the innovation of our employees to respond to customer needs while increasing the distributable cash flow and value of our partnership.

** ** **

DALLAS

Perkins Oil and Gas announces 160 acre Colorado purchase

Perkins Oil and Gas Inc. participated in a government lease auction and successfully purchased 160 gross acres in Lincoln, Colorado. The tract is in township 10S, carries a one-fifth royalty rate and is located on the Niobrara formation.

According to a report by COGA, some analysts estimate the recoverable oil reserves at approximately 2 billion barrels. Liquid natural gas is also found and extracted in this formation.

We are very excited to have acquired this lease which I believe holds a lot of potential. We expect to begin formulating a drilling plan in January of 2018, Perkins CEO Sonny Arandia said in a statement.
The Midland County Commissioners Court on Monday approved two requests related to information technology. Commissioners took action on agreements for printing in libraries as well as the purchase of generators for the county courthouse building.

The court approved agreements for a new printing system that will allow Midland County Public Library users to pay for vouchers at kiosks. The vouchers can be used to print at the Centennial, downtown and law library branches.

Justin Stephenson, project infrastructure administrator for Midland County, said the library currently uses systems that arent connected. He said the new system will use a virtual cloud software that patrons can access from their mobile devices.

Itll basically be one system, and itll be less moving parts, Stephenson said. Itll be savings for the county, as well, because we will be using one copier, one kiosk.

For printing services, the court approved agreements with the electronics company Ricoh, subject to the county attorneys review. Stephenson said the county would pay about $1,370 per month for a 36-month term, and it could have equipment within two or three months.

Stephenson said the county contracts with Ricoh to lease equipment. He thinks the new printing system will lower the costs to library users.

On the library, were actually trying to cut the cost down by unifying the solution, Stephenson said. Were not increasing the costs. Were actually trying to decrease that.

In another vote, commissioners approved the purchase of two generators for the Midland County Courthouse. The equipment cost would be nearly $508,000, according to Stephenson.

He said the courthouse has one generator, and a roll-up generator can be brought in if that one doesnt work. Stephenson said the courthouse generator has had issues in the past.

With the dual-generator set-up, that would just provide a little bit more comfort to know if one generator was to fail, that the other generator will come on, hopefully, he said. When we need these generators, its always in the worst times, whether its ice in the streets or rain.

Stephenson said the courthouse is the countys main data center site and the county could lose information without timely generator restoration. He said plans call for the current courthouse generator to be moved to the Horseshoe Pavilion.

That generator could have problems but the thing about it is, the IT equipments what were really concerned about here, Stephenson said. We have a threshold we have to meet. At the Horseshoe, if it wasnt to come on its not such a big deal.

Stephenson and Tim Harris, Midland County facilities director, told commissioners there could be future requests related to a structure to store the two generators as well as moving the courthouse generator to the Horseshoe.

Voucher update

Also on Monday, the Commissioners Court received a report about the Midland Humane Coalitions county voucher program. Six local veterinary clinics have agreed to participate in the program, which includes vouchers that can be applied toward spaying and neutering services.

Kelly Wright, coalition president, had previously petitioned the county to support the creation of a low-cost spaying and neutering program.

The Commissioners Court in March approved a resolution for the program in partnership with the coalition, according to a previous Reporter-Telegram report. The court approved $50,000 in funding, to be distributed in $10,000 increments, according to the report.

Wright hopes to use the voucher program balance to continue impacting animals in the county.

The county is really a dumping ground for unwanted dogs and cats, she said. Unfortunately, they either become feral, or they go to somebodys house.

To participate in the program, pet owners must be Midland County residents and live outside city limits. Also, the pet must receive or have current vaccinations and a microchip or eartip, according to the Midland Humane Coalition website.

Also at the meeting, commissioners approved:

-appointing Karen Hood, tax assessor, as the Midland County candidate to the Midland Central Appraisal District.

-appointing Roy Geer and Sharon Ziegler to the Midland County Public Library Advisory Board.
A large explosion rocked one of Europe's main gas pipeline hubs on Tuesday, leaving one person dead and stoking concerns about the continent's winter supplies.

Photos and videos on social media showed a huge tower of orange flames visible for miles around roaring out of the Baumgarten facility in eastern Austria.

Police said that the blast at around 8:45 am (0745 GMT) killed one person and left 21 hurt, one of them with serious but not life-threatening injuries who was airlifted to hospital in Vienna.

"I heard a huge explosion and thought at first it was a plane crash," photographer Tomas Hulik, a resident of a village over the border in Slovakia, told AFP.

"Then I saw an immense ball of flame."

Austrian police said the incident at the site, which is responsible for about a tenth of Europe's gas supply, was caused by a "technical" fault and that local authorities had begun an investigation.

Some 200 firefighters took several hours to extinguish the blaze. The heat was so extreme that cars parked at the site partially melted.

Baumgarten, 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Vienna, is Austria's largest reception point for gas, the end-point for a number of pipelines from Russia, Norway and elsewhere.

It receives some 40 billion cubic metres of gas annually and redistributes it onwards to other countries in Europe including to Germany and northern Italy.

Armin Teichert, a spokesman for the site's operator Gas Connect Austria, said that the facility had been evacuated and put into "security mode".

The material damage is "major," Teichert told AFP.

He added that there could be interruptions in supply to Italy and Croatia, but nowhere else.

Italy's government declared a state of emergency for its gas sector and said it would tap its underground reserves to ensure that customers were not affected.

Russian gas giant Gazprom said it was "working on redistribution of gas flows and (doing) its best to secure uninterrupted gas supplies to the clients".

A spokesman for Austrian gas firm OMV, which part-owns Gas Connect Austria, told Bloomberg that getting Baumgarten back to normal "isn't a question of hours, but days".

The incident further spooked European energy markets a day after one of Britain's most important North Sea oil pipelines was closed because of a crack.

Natural gas and power prices jumped in Europe, and Brent crude oil futures rose above $65 a barrel for the first time since June 2015.

A cold snap in Britain and across Europe has also pushed up demand for gas and heating oil in recent days.

Italy declared a state of emergency for its gas sector Tuesday after supplies were disrupted by a deadly blast at one Europe's biggest pipeline hubs in neighbouring Austria.

However, the government said it would balance out the shortage in imports with Italian reserves.

"This morning, the gas flow from Russia was interrupted in Austria following a fire in the network run by operator Gas Connect," the Italian government said in a statement.

"The gas supply to Italian consumers will in any case be ensured by an increased gas supply from national subterranean reserves," the government said.

Authorities "are monitoring the situation with the operators to assess how long it will take for the supplies to start flowing again," it added.

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The representative of the Egyptian side at the Egyptian-Russian Business Council Alaa Amin said that a feasibility study on establishing an Egyptian trade hub in Russia is set to be complete within two months, state-run MENA news agency reported.

The logistical centre, which was first announced by Egypt's Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2016, is to serve as a hub to sell Egyptian products in Russia in parallel with Egyptian exports to the country.

The study with the Russian side will include finding the most suitable geographical site to establish the hub in Russia, as well as its planned area and investment expenses, Amin stated.

"The hub will focus in its first phase on agricultural and food products," he added.

The Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, as well as companies that export to Russia, is set to finance the construction of the hub, which is expected to double Egyptian exports to Russia upon completion by the end of 2018.

During a visit to Cairo on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that economic exchange between the two countries has reached more than $4 billion during the past Nine month.

Putin also said that he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi agree on the necessity of continuing negotiations on the establishing of a free-trade zone between Egypt and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union at the Egyptian Suez Canal Economic Zone.

Egyptian exports to Russia increased to $387.9 million (27.4 percent) year-on-year between January and July of 2017, MENA quoted Egyptian ambassador to Moscow Ehab Nasr as saying during a roundtable held by the Egyptian Businessmen Association on Tuesday.

Russia's exports to Egypt reached $1.978 billion  a 12.2 percent increase  between January and June 2017, compared to $1.763 billion in the same period in 2016.

Wheat made up 33.9 percent of Russian exports to Egypt between January and July at $669.7 million, while petroleum exports made up 12.4 percent of exports at $245.3 million.

Trade between Russia and Egypt increased 32.2 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2017, reaching $3.2 billion, according to Reuters.

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The Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation has signed an agreement with the UK Department for Transport to supply Egypt with 12 bomb detection devices for airports in the country, the company said in a statement as reported by state news agency MENA on Tuesday.

A cooperation agreement was signed between the companys chairman Mohamed Saeed Mahrous and the UK Department for Transports Aviation Security Operations Director Kashif Chaudry.

The devices will be installed at Cairo International Airport as well as other airports across the nation.

These devices will be supplied without the Holding Company bearing any financial burdens, which saves the company around EGP 9 million, the statement said without specifying the source of the funding.

Egypt has been calling for the lifting of the UKs ban on flights to Sharm El-Sheikh. British security officials have been reviewing security procedures at Egyptian airports since the ban was imposed after a Russian commercial airliner crashed in Sinai in 2015, killing all 224 people on board.

The UK Department for Transport recommended in September that the ban be lifted, according to The Telegraph.

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AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse) has expanded its free legal aid for victims of domestic violence into Fort Bend County.

The organization serves clients by appointment at the United Way Fort Bend Center, 12300 Parc Crest Drive, Suite 140, Stafford, and the Fort Bend County Women's Center administration building, 501 E Hwy 90A, Richmond. To get assistance, call 281-207-2312 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or request help online.
Houston-based Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. is selling off nearly 25,000 acres for $245 million in cash, representing nearly a quarter of the land it holds in South Texas Eagle Ford Shale field.

The 24,500 acres being sold had a daily production of 3,400 barrels of oil equivalent a day in the quarter that ended Sept. 30. Nearly two-thirds of that production was oil, the company said in a news release.

Carrizo Oil & Gas Eagle Ford Shale acreage, which was approximately 103,000 acres before the sale, produced 39,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day in the third quarter.

The exploration and production company is not naming the buyer, and Carrizo Oil & Gas will have approximately 78,500 acres in the Eagle Ford Shale after the sale is completed.

Our activity in the Eagle Ford Shale is expected to be focused on the updip volatile oil window of the play, said Carrizo President and CEO S.P. Chip Johnson IV. Given this, we believe it made sense to bring the value of these assets forward and use the proceeds to further strengthen our balance sheet by retiring additional debt.

The company announced in November it had closed the sales of assets in the Utica and Marcellus shale fields. It also announced the sale of its Denver-Julesburg Basin assets.

Johnson said that combined with previous divestitures Carrizo Oil & Gas has raised approximately $530 million.

Other Eagle Ford Shale deals this year include Penn Virginia Corp. purchase of nearly 20,000 acres from Devon Energy in a deal worth $205 million. The sale included 19,600 acres next to land Penn Virginia already held in Lavaca County.

In January, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. announced it would exit the Eagle Ford and sell its acreage to Houstons Sanchez Energy Corp. and Blackstone Group LP in a $2.3 billion deal.

That sale covered 318,000 total acres in Dimmit, Webb, La Salle and Maverick counties, which Sanchez nicknamed Comanche.

Rye Druzin is an energy reporter for the San Antonio Express-News. Read more of his stories here. | rdruzin@express-news.net | Twitter: @druz_journo
Michael Ciaglo/Staff

The recent rally in crude prices could drive U.S. oil production to a record annual average of 10 million barrels a day in 2018, the Energy Department said on Tuesday.

In its monthly forecast, The Energy Information Administration said it expects U.S. crude production to rise by an average of 800,000 barrels a day next year, while Canada, Brazil, Norway, the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan add another 700,000 barrels a day. On top of that, OPEC may boost output by 200,000 barrels a day.
Most of the famed Flying L Hill Country Resort in Bandera County may be headed to foreclosure.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Gargotta in San Antonio on Monday signed an order allowing Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union to proceed with a foreclosure on 291 acres, representing the bulk of the guest ranch that opened 70 years ago.
Troy Hunt has collected a trove of 4.8 billion stolen identity records pulled from the darkest corners of the internet  but he isnt a hacker.

Instead, he uses that repository to help ordinary people navigate the growing scourge of the corporate data breach. All that personal information was originally taken from brand-name services such as LinkedIn, Kickstarter, Dropbox, MySpace and the cheating website Ashley Madison, and later assembled by Hunt.

Working barefoot and in beachwear from his home office on Australias Gold Coast, the amiable security researcher set up his irreverent website, Have I Been Pwned? (POHND), in 2013. Millions of people have since used the free service to see if hackers have liberated their personal details from unwary companies and posted them online.

Along the way, Hunt has become a close student of data breaches and the slipshod security that makes many companies easy prey for attackers. Hes exposed several such thefts himself, in some cases identifying them before the companies themselves did.

An epidemic of pwnage

Pwned  a deliberate misspelling of owned  is slang used by gamers to mean utterly defeated. Its an apt description of what its like to have criminals use your Social Security number, birthdate and other personal details to commit fraud in your name.

Hunt was invited to appear before Congress in late November to help lawmakers wrestle with this growing crisis of consumer data theft. In just the past two years, attackers have stolen sensitive information about hundreds of millions of people from the credit bureau Equifax, popular online services such as Uber and too many other companies to count.

Much of that stolen data flows directly into the black market. Data breaches are another commodity, like heroin, Hunt testified Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Unlikely messenger

Hunts unlikely path from Queenslands Surfers Paradise Beach to what he describes as fancy government things on Capitol Hill has been a running joke since his invitation to testify was announced. Virginia Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith, introducing Hunt to lawmakers, noted that he put on a suit and tie for us when he normally wears jeans and a black T-shirt.

Hunt said he splurged on the brand-new Hugo Boss suit and Australian outback-style boots because he didnt have anything else to wear. He also downloaded an app that instructed him on how to tie his necktie.

Doing my best no really, Im a professional impersonation, he tweeted from the U.S. Capitol steps shortly before the hearing. Did it work?

Once more unto the breach

Of course, this new normal of massive data breaches is no joke. So much personal data has been publicly exposed through both theft and voluntary sharing on social media that its eroded traditional methods for verifying identity, such as usernames, passwords or knowledge-based questions about birthdays or family history.

In late November, Hunt helped discover a 2014 breach of the photo-sharing website Imgur after analyzing data from the hack passed along by one of his sources. Unlike Uber, which hid a recently-disclosed breach of more than 57 million stolen passenger and driver records for a year, Imgur took just 25 hours to go public after Hunt emailed the San Francisco company on Thanksgiving Day.

Troy Hunt was extremely helpful in bringing the data breach to our attention and ensuring the sensitive data was passed to us in a secure manner, Roy Sehgal, Imgurs chief operating officer, said in an email.

Pwn all the things

Hunt originally launched his site as a bit of a curiosity, he said. At the time, he was a software architect at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer; a few years later, he quit to work as an independent information security consultant and instructor.

The researcher was analyzing data breaches floating around the web and noticed that many people were turning up in multiple data breaches. It struck me that this was something they probably didnt know, Hunt said in a phone interview.

People using his site can search on their email address to see whether and where their records have been exposed. Roughly 1.7 million people also subscribe to alerts that sound when their details pop up in newly discovered breaches. The websites user base has grown rapidly as bigger data breaches  some many years old  get attention.

Wearing the white hat

Hunt has credibility and integrity, said U.K.-based security researcher Ian Thornton-Trump, who has used Hunts site to build a system that keeps customer credentials safe from attacks that re-use previously disclosed passwords. Hes resisted urges, and probably significant financial value, to sell out.

Thornton-Trump and other supporters say Hunts usefulness has grown as more people confidentially share publicly exposed data with him, drawn by his reputation as an ethical gatekeeper of sensitive information.

I hope they get a bit of a sense of doing the right thing, Hunt said. I hope theres a sense of social good. They certainly dont get any money out of it.

Hunt warned Congress on Thursday that theres now a perfect storm of data exposure thanks to the growth in online services that are collecting more information than they really need. He also slipped in a suggestion that that the U.S. government, like some of its counterparts elsewhere, should do more to penalize companies that dont disclose their breaches properly.
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Daniel J. Menelly has been named CEO of the DoSeum, putting him at the helm of an organization hes admired since he first visited seven years ago.

The Boston native, who is currently chief science officer of the Rochester Museum & Science Center in New York, steps into his new role Feb. 1.

Its a special opportunity, said Menelly, 53. Im grateful to the leaders that came before me.

Menelly won the position following a national search that took a little more than a year. Between 50 and 100 resumes were vetted by Russell Reynolds Associates, an executive search firm. The DoSeums board looked at around 20 and interviewed about 10 contenders, said board president Suzanne Goudge.

Menelly succeeds Vanessa Lacoss Hurd, who announced her resignation in September of 2016 after eight years with the museum. Hurd, who resigned to devote more time to her family, oversaw a $52 million capital campaign that transformed the San Antonio Childrens Museum  which was based downtown on Houston Street  into the state-of-the-art DoSeum, which opened in 2015.

Julie Huls, who has served as interim CEO since Hurds departure, will stay on board through the end of January.

Menellys resume includes a three-year stint as vice president for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, an Albert Einstein fellowship with the National Science Foundation and a research fellowship with Project Oceanography in Connecticut and more than 10 years experience teaching science at schools in Florida, New York and St. Cloud, France.

He had all the things we were looking for, said Goudge, who has headed the board for two years and has been involved with the DoSeum for five years. Somebody with museum experience, STEM experience and education experience are not usually in the same body, and he just had it. Hes a very engaging, hes very accomplished and just gave us a really good feeling that this was the guy who would take us into the future.

The San Antonio museum has been on Menellys radar since he first visited it during a National Science Teachers Association conference in 2010.

I thought San Antonio was so interesting culturally, and I saw all this excitement, he said.

He visited the childrens museum, and was impressed enough by what he saw to start keeping an eye on it in hopes of one day working there.

When I visit a museum, I look for specific things, like safety and access, but I also was looking at the quality of interaction between the museum team and the guests, he said. And I also spoke to several parents that were there. They come regularly, and I like to see that. I love to see a museum thats really woven into the pattern of life in a city.

In his new role, among the things he wants to continue are the DoSeums programs aimed at teachers.

I consider this to be the golden age of informal learning, he said. Im deeply interested in the kind of learning that happens in museums and in teachers partnering with museums to create new models for classrooms.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
BRIDGEPORT  Republican John Weldon was elected chairman of the city school board on Monday, on a 5-3 vote.

The vote came at an organizational meeting chaired briefly by Mayor Joseph Ganim and despite the urging of several members of the audience to go instead with Democrat Ben Walker.

Walker, they said, would do a better job at bringing a divided board together.

It is important to have a chair to bridge factions, Board member Maria Pereira said in support of Walker. John Weldon doesnt represent that.

People divide themselves, Weldon later said. My job is to encourage everyone to work together.

Weldon was appointed by Ganim in November 2016 to fill a vacancy after the school board wouldnt make the replacement. At the time, a majority of the board was staging a boycott in a failed attempt to get Pereira to resign.

Weldon sat out meetings until fellow Republican Joe Larcheveque was named chair last December. Weldon won a full four-year term last month. Shortly after, he said he was undecided about seeking the chair.

Weldon said he finally determined he had to do his part.

I needed to step up and continue what Larcheveque started. Weldon said.

The new chairman denied he would make any attempt get rid of Schools Superintendent Aresta Johnson, saying he has worked collaboratively with her since she was hired last spring.

Its a vicious thing for anyone, trying to make superintendent think someone is out to get her, Weldon said. That is not case.

Speakers in support of Walker  and by extension, Johnson  included retired Superior Court Judge Carmen Lopez, one-time City Council President Lisa Parziale, as well as Peter Spain and Ernest Newton, both newly elected to the city council.

Newton said he came to the meeting because of rumors he had heard.

Let the superintendent do her job, Newton said. You have an ally in me. You wont have that ally if you mess with Dr. Johnson. Let the rumors cease tonight.

Pereira said later that the Ganim administration is upset with Johnsons attempt to replace the city-run Lighthouse after school and summer program with one developed in partnership with Yale University. Pereira said she believes board members who side with Ganim will work against Johnson.

Weldon said his allegiance lies with the board, district employes and students.

Chris Taylor, a new Republican board member nominated Weldon after getting assurances he did not want to replace Johnson. Taylor said Johnson had his support, but the district finance department, not so much.

Taylor didnt like answers Marlene Siegel, the districts chief financial officer provided to questions he posed about fees collected by outside agencies who manage grants to the district  say for an afterschool program.

Mrs. Siegel, very simple question, Taylor said at one point. Youre an intelligent woman. I dont mean to come off rude or arrogant but whats the fee for fiduciary agents ... what does the board pay?

Siegel said she had never encountered such a situation in the years she has been in the district.

Siegel came to the district in 2012 when Paul Vallas was interim superintendent and is widely credited with helping the district erase a staggering deficit and stay in the black for the past several years despite crippling budget restraints.

Also voting for Weldon as chair, in addition to himself, were Sybil Allen, Jessica Martinez and Hernan Illingworth, all new Democratic board members. Walker, in addition to himself, had Pereira and freshman board member Joe Sokolovic _ who had the backing of both Republicans and the Working Families Party, on his side.

Weldon grew up in Bridgeport, lives in Black Rock and is a field contract manager for the Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority in New York City.

Hernan Illingworth, who is returning to the board after a two year absence, was selected vice chairman, on a 5-3 vote. Jessica Martinez was named secretary on a 6-3 vote.

Board member Dennis Bradley, a Democrat, missed the first two votes.
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RIDGEFIELD  Western Connecticut Health Network, which includes Danbury Hospital, recognized three donors Monday night who have endowed chairs in research and in palliative care.

Dr. Robert Bedoukian, a founding member of the networks Biomedical Research Advisory Board, gave $1 million recently to establish the Bedoukian Endowed Chair in Innovation and Research. Greg Smith and his wife, Meghann, gave what officials described as a substantial seven-figure amount to create The Andrew Cruz Endowed Chair in Palliative Care.

WCHN also honored the memory of Fred Bering, who donated $2 million in 2008 to establish the Fred and Irmi Bering Endowed Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery, which will now be held by Dr. Linus Chuang, who was inducted Monday. Bering died in 2013.

Smith, the president and CEO of Maplewood Senior Living, a Westport-based operator of senior homes, established the palliative chair in memory of a cousin, Andrew Cruz, who died in his 20s in 2008.

There is not enough being done for palliative care, Smith said. I felt obligated to help.

During the last few months of Cruzs life, Smith and Cruzs family learned firsthand how much palliative care means to those suffering from pain and to their families. Danbury Hospital became a second home during that difficult time, said Cruzs father, Philip.

(Cruz) was made comfortable, Smith said. Its unfortunate to think that there are people out there who dont get that care.

The endowment will underwrite a chair to be held by Dr. Damanjeet Chaubey, who was inducted before a packed house at Bernards restaurant Monday, and to help pay for other support staff.

Chaubey said she has two missions: to extend the strong palliative care program at Danbury Hospital to other hospitals and to promote research to better understand palliative care, which is often difficult for physicians, families and insurers to handle, she said.

Smith declined to say how much he was donating.

Its not about me, he said. Its about the legacy of my cousin.

Bedoukian, president of Bedoukian Research in Danbury, a supplier of aroma and flavor ingredients, made his donation because he recognized a gap between what is learned in research and what is practiced in health care, he said.

Joann Petrini, who has been hired as the new chair, is charged with stimulating  new learning and innovation ... and pioneering research

Petrini said her aim is to take great ideas to the front lines of medicine.

Bering, who fled Nazi Germany in 1938, was inspired to donate by his late father, who gave him a note that read, in German, If you should ever find yourself in a position where you have more than you need for yourself, think of those who are less fortunate.

As holder of the Bering chair, Chuang will develop a fellowship program for minimally invasive surgery in gynecology, while researching and standardizing care across the network. He said he hopes to put Danbury and Western Connecticut on the research map, and plans to host a symposium in coming years.

blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
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STAMFORD  The influential government committee that isnt a committee and once met in secret may soon expire.

Comprised of leaders of the Board of Representatives, the group meets with the mayor each month to discuss which matters city government should tackle, even though the board has a Steering Committee charged with that very task.

The group, dubbed Pre-Steering, once gathered behind closed doors, keeping out not only citizens but city representatives who were not leaders. Over the last eight years, representatives challenged Pre-Steering, saying its private decisions drove the Steering Committee.

Board leaders then opened the meetings to the public and all representatives, but its time to do more, said city Rep. J.R. McMullen, R-18. Its time to end them, said McMullen, who made the proposal Monday night along with his colleague, city Rep. Nina Sherwood, D-8.

Things get decided in Pre-Steering and then arent presented at Steering, McMullen said. If a board leader becomes convinced in Pre-Steering that something shouldnt go on the agenda, it would not come up for consideration by Steering. It would just go away.

Pre-Steering allows the mayor sway over the Board of Representatives, Sherwood said.

It gives the executive branch a lot of influence over the legislative branch, she said. The board is supposed to be an autonomous body that performs checks and balances on the executive.

McMullen said some representatives think Pre-Steering has become a platform for the mayor to lobby for what he wants or doesnt want.

The mayor can say, Wed like to do this or were not ready to do that, and the leaders, who are the committee chairs, would come to Steering and not put it on their agendas because the mayor said not to, McMullen said. I dont think thats the mayors place. He is not entitled to participate in the legislative branch.

McMullen said the Pre-Steering meetings, held an hour before the Steering Committee convenes on the second Monday of each month, create confusion.

No one seems to be clear about Pre-Steering. Whos meeting is it? Is it the boards meeting? The mayors meeting? he said. No one really knows whos in charge, the board president or the mayor.

No one even seems to know how the practice started, though it appears to be decades ago. Board leaders have said the meetings allow them to reach compromises with the mayor, debate potential candidates for an appointment, and discuss housekeeping matters, such as whether a law is ready for proposal or a development project ready to be revealed.

City representatives have said that information should be shared with all board members, and that Pre-Steering allows a handful of leaders to privately drive the business of the 40-member board.

Some city representatives began challenging the practice by bringing it before the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission. Board leaders fought back, saying they are not a committee and so are not subject to FOI law.

The challenges were dismissed on technicalities and never decided on their merits.

Then, during David Martins first mayoral run in 2013, he vowed he would not take part in the Pre-Steering meetings unless they were public. After Martin became mayor, the Board of Representatives wrote rules making the meetings public.

Now, in Martins newly won second term, McMullen and Sherwood are proposing eliminating the rule  and the meetings.

Whether the meetings are public or private, the fact remains that the executive branch is exerting influence beyond just addressing the board or any of its committees, which is what the executive is allowed to do by city Charter, Sherwood said.

The committee chairs  the board leaders  can gather information on items that may come before them and bring it to the Steering Committee, so all members can see what the issues are, McMullen said.

The mayor should not be coming in and telling the Board of Representatives what he thinks of things on the Board of Representatives agenda, he said.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com.
A former Lone Star College employee is accusing the North Harris campus of race discrimination.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in the Southern District of Texas, Shelvie Hardin  who said he is the only black maintenance technician in Lone Star Colleges heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration department  said coworkers asked him to pick up trash piles they created as a way to demean him

Afterward, he said, management harassed witnesses and transferred them away from the campus, which increased his workload.

Had plaintiff not been black, he would not have been singled out, subjected to a hostile work environment, disparate treatment or terminated based on his race, the lawsuit reads.

He sued Stephen Head, the Lone Star College Systems chancellor, seeking back pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages, relief and attorneys fees.

Hardins allegations stem from a July 10 exchange in which an independent contractor, who is white, told him to pick up trash from a pile that he himself created as a means to degrade plaintiff based on the fact that he is black. Two other white employees were present.

Later, other employees asked if he had picked up the trash, he said in the suit.

A Lone Star College representative did not respond to written questions Monday afternoon.

Lindsay Ellis writes about higher education for the Chronicle. You can follow her on Twitter and send her tips at lindsay.ellis@chron.com.
Tin foil house structures, Legos, and computer drawings of ways to design and test flood barriers set the scene during Klein ISD's inaugural Day of Design and Water Warriors Innovation Challenge.

More than 275 teams across the district, which included more than 1,500 students from all grade levels, gathered at the Klein ISD Teaching Learning Center and the Multipurpose Center to create and work together on flood-prevention projects.

"This event (includes) real-life experience. A lot of our students have lost or had serious damage to their homes, and we are having to rebuild one of our schools after (Harvey)," Michelle Thompson said, Klein ISD science instructional officer. "As we are re-imagining learning, we want to get more problem-solving, real world (activities). It really is meeting all of our strategic plan and our promise to purpose vision."

Students also created a one-minute video of their prototype that incorporated their reflections. The Klein ISD Water Warriors Innovation Challenge was developed by JASON Learning and STEM Connector. JASON Learning is one of the district's instructional resources. Klein ISD students were challenged with the task of designing prototype flood barriers that can protect the community from flooding.

"Many in the Klein ISD community experienced loss during the floods of 2016 and Hurricane Harvey. We believe this challenge is an opportunity to serve the community as well as to provide a unique, challenging learning opportunity for our students," said Beth Gilleland, executive director for College and Career Pathways. "Water Warriors allows students to be both think critically and become goal oriented problem solvers as they research, plan, and develop solutions to this difficult problem which plagues our city."

Day of Design focused on the thinking process of projects, collaboration, and networking. Google was also involved in the event by creating resources for student learning which include coding and digital learning opportunities.

"It's amazing to hear the verbiage that kids are using and to see how the youngest kids are talking to these industry representatives who are adults," Thompson said. "They are engaged and different teams are working together. It is more than we could have ever hoped for."

Amongst various other groups, partners for the event included PBK Architects, Lone Star College-University Park, Harris County Precinct 4 Flood Control, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -Galveston District.

"The Day of Design is important mainly because with the impact of Hurricane Harvey it is nice to educate the youth of the impact of flooding," Ami Patel said, PBK Architecture representative. "(It) shows the students can have an input in it, whether it is through design or helping other people. The groups proved that they care about their community. I'm really happy that PBK is a part of it because our firm does a lot of school work, so it is nice to see how schools react to that and what they want to do about it."

Community partners were encouraged to engage with students by sparking conversations that required the students to think deeply about their design.

Students explained designs that modeled purifying water systems, underground systems, and water detectors that lift houses up from the ground.

"Our system relies largely on radar-active water. One of our solutions is thirsty concrete, which is concrete and crushed up granite," Arian Aziz said, junior at Klein Forest High School. "It creates a substance that absorbs water at a fast rate. It is cost-effective, durable, longer life-span, and it is an easy system to implement. It is the same process of renovating the roads. Our second solution is once that thirsty concrete has reached its threshold, they have barriers to redirect water into reservoirs."

On Dec. 21, teams will submit their design, and submissions will be reviewed on Jan. 9. Finalists will be trained for presentations on Jan. 12.

While the event is a challenge, and participants hope their teams' design wins, the students are still aware that it is important to brain storm solutions to problems such as flooding, regardless of a prize.

"It's fun to build things, and if this helps the community of Houston, I would really like that. Our project is an underground system," Kristina Tolman said, sixth-grader at Schindewolf Intermediate School. "It's important because destruction like Hurricane Harvey cannot happen again. We need better innovative situations that can save our communities several times."

The final presentations will be showcased on Jan. 19 to an expert panel, which will include representatives from Google, National Weather System, and PBK Architect.

"It's important to work on a project like this because we can save lives and save billions of dollars, and most of all we are helping our community. Helping the people around us is really the goal here," Aziz said. "During Harvey we saw too many people displaced by the flood, too much damage, and too much money go to waste. Harvey really motivated us to think hard, be innovative with what we had, and come up with these solutions."
This will be the first year that wreaths are placed on graves of veterans at Magnolia Cemetery in Katy as part of the national Wreaths Across America Day, said Harry Woodstrom, commander, Katy American Legion Post 164.

He identified participants as including members of Way Out West Community Girl Scouts, the Katy American Legion and its auxiliary, and Katy Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9182 and its auxiliary.

Schmidt Funeral Home is providing a cemetery map and service identifications, said Greg Clock, American Legion Post 164 public relations officer. During a final walkthrough on Dec. 14, the graves will be marked with American flags, he added.

The program will begin at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 16 at the cemetery, 6801 Franz Road, and Woodstrom said as of Dec. 5 that 60 volunteers have signed up to participate. He added that they could always use more volunteers. Visit http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ to volunteer or to donate.

"Last year, we sponsored some wreaths but were not involved in a ceremony," said Woodstrom. "This year we joined the ceremony."

Participating groups raised enough funds to provide wreaths for the graves of military veterans, according to Woodstrom.

The last count of veteran gravesites at the cemetery was 330, but he said there may be a few more since the count was taken and extra wreaths will be available just in case.

Senior Girl Scout Katelyn Nitsche, 15, who attends Seven Lakes High School, organized the program as she works to earn her Gold Award.

Her mother, Sharon Nitsche, said the former commander of the Katy VFW - Lt. Col. (ret) Frank Torres - is her Army friend and his group was the first to support and participate in the project.

"Katelyn is an Army Brat and has lived a military life. She's traveled all over while Mom is on military duty," said Nitsche.

"With the continued support of VFW 9182 and American Legion 164, this first event has spread across Boy Scouts, and other local community groups," she said. "The main purpose of this event is to bring awareness of our veterans and the sacrifices they made protecting our freedom."

Nitsche said a lot is involved. That includes coordinating with the cemetery, registering the cemetery with Wreaths Across America, coordinating with local veterans groups, promoting the event to obtain wreath sponsors and increase community awareness, seeking volunteers and requesting approval for Girl Scouts to support.

"This is something my daughter will do for the next couple of years to establish sustainability," said Nitsche. The Gold Award is a Take Action Project that is sustainable, she explained. "Katelyn's desire is to focus on veterans and connecting our community."

"Volunteers will be responsible to lay a wreath on the gravesite of a veteran and to place a shiny penny on the tombstone," Woodstrom said. He explained that the penny is part of a military tradition that pays respect to an individual and means that someone visited the site.

"Honoring our veterans reminds us of why we're able to live the lives we're living," said Woodstrom. "Why we're free - why we're able to do the things we do. They're responsible. Freedom isn't free. It costs lives. These are the folks that put up their lives."

In addition to the debt of gratitude that citizens owe veterans is the need to remember the veterans' families and to be a friend, brother, sister, son or daughter to the family of that veteran, he added.

According to the website for Wreaths Across America Day, the Magnolia cemetery is one four Houston-area sites participating in the national program.

The other sites listed are: Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston; Grandview Memorial Park & Bethany Cemetery, 8501 Spencer Highway, Pasadena; Woodlawn Funeral Home Cemetery, 1101 Antoine Drive, Houston; and Historic Evergreen Negro Cemetery, Market Street at Lockwood Drive in Houston. Ceremonies also are planned in East Bernard and Hungerford, according to the website.

Woodstrom said, "Members of the community should become involved in community activities. It connects them to their roots and gets them to understand who their neighbors are. If we had more participating in community events, we would have a whole lot less problems in living with one another."

The national Wreaths Across America Day, has wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states, at sea, and abroad, said Clock.
The Katy Independent School District wants to know if students are interested in participating in a junior ROTC program.

Mayde Creek High School is currently the sole district campus that has a junior ROTC program - in their case one that is sponsored by the Navy.

Now the district is exploring whether to expand the military-themed training for students.

"We've been talking about this as a board for many years," said trustee Rebecca Fox. "There has been interest throughout our district to increase it."

Katy ISD deputy superintendent Ken Gregorski is the district's junior ROTC point man. He told board members there's not much chance for another program from the Army, Marine Corps or the Air Force. Those military branches are not accepting any more applications at this point. However, another Naval Junior ROTC program within Katy ISD is a possibility although any new school would be put on a 200 campus waiting list, Gregorski said.

An active junior ROTC program must have at least 100 students participating. Each program also requires at least two military members as instructors - at least one of whom must be a commissioned officer. The Department of Defense will pick up the cost for uniforms and any necessary equipment as well as pay the salary of one of the junior ROTC instructors, who are generally retired from the military.

Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt said he didn't think the district could sustain junior ROTC programs at each high school in the district.

"We're looking at the possibility of putting in maybe one more unit," Hindt said.

To achieve balance, another junior ROTC program would likely be based in a high school south of Interstate 10, officials said.

Gregorski said there is a way for Katy ISD to move up the waiting list with the Navy. It would entail the district establishing a National Defense Cadet Corps chapter - which is similar to junior ROTC but with Katy ISD paying for all the expenses other than curriculum. Also, a NDCC chapter need only 50 members rather than 100 in junior ROTC. It would be, in effect, a tryout before the chapter would be adopted by the military. Both programs focus on traits like citizenship and leadership development, Katy ISD officials said.

"If you put it on for a couple of years, the government will fund the program for us," Gregorski said.

Trustee George Scott said the district should put together a survey to determine whether there is sufficient student interest to pursue at least one more junior ROTC program and track how former students have benefited from their participation.

"I've had an opportunity to speak to a couple of them. They all seem so dedicated and really bright kids," Scott said.
Ed Lee, who was the son of Chinese immigrants and rose to become the first Asian-American mayor of San Francisco in 2011, died early Tuesday after a heart attack.

Former Mayor Willie Brown told the San Francisco Examiner that Lee was shopping at his neighborhood Safeway when he suffered the attack. Lee died just after 1 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, with friends, family and colleagues by his side, the city said.

The 65-year-old Democrat - an affordable-housing advocate who led the city during a time of ballooning rents and explosive real estate prices - was remembered by political leaders as a defender of civil rights. This year, Lee clashed with President Donald Trump over the city's protections of undocumented immigrants.

California Gov. Jerry Brown, D, called Lee "a true champion for working people."

Lee, an activist lawyer before he began working for city agencies, was "one of America's most passionate champions for climate action," former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors President London Breed, who is now acting mayor, said Lee lived "a life of service . . . cut short far too soon."

Speaking at a City Hall news conference Monday morning, she said, "Ed Lee fought against discrimination, working on the front lines to keep tenants from being evicted. He was, from the dawn of his career, an advocate for the powerless, a voice for the overlooked."

The San Francisco Chronicle editorial board remembered Lee as "a mayor who calmed S.F. City Hall."

"For a man who entered City Hall's Room 200 with no particular appetite for the rough and tumble of elective office, Ed Lee proved remarkably adept at navigating and bridging the divisions," the Chronicle said. "He set a temperate tone for a city that desperately needed it."

Under Lee, who became mayor when his predecessor, Gavin Newsom, left to become California's lieutenant governor in January 2011, the city pushed through the 2011 "Twitter tax," which sliced payroll taxes for businesses that relocated to San Francisco's Mid-Market district. The business-friendly policies helped lure tech companies, bringing a wave of new, wealthy residents. Lee spent the rest of his time as mayor trying a variety of measures to make housing affordable for all San Franciscans, as housing costs soared to heights only attainable by the wealthy.

He also accomplished what he referred to as his "legacy project," convincing the NBA's Golden State Warriors to relocate from Oakland to a billion-dollar arena in San Francisco in 2019.

"His love and passion for sports, including the Warriors, defined him as much as his witty humor and engaging personality," the team said in a statement. "We will be eternally grateful for his commitment to the building of Chase Center."

Edwin Mah Lee was born May 5, 1952, to immigrant parents who came to the United States from the Chinese province of Guangdong and settled in Seattle. He told the Northwest Asian Weekly that he was the fifth of six children in a home where both parents worked - his father in local restaurants, his mother doing odd jobs around Seattle. When Lee was 15, his father died of a heart attack, and Lee worked in restaurants to help support his family.

Lee was the first member of his family to attend college and graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1974. Four years later, he received a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, where he also became interested in politics.

Lee worked for the San Francisco Asian Law Caucus, advocating for immigrant rights and affordable housing. He later joined city government, leading the Human Rights Commission and the Department of Public Works, among other agencies.

He was serving as city administrator when he was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to replace Newsom. In a tweet on Tuesday, Newsom said Lee's "intellect, integrity, boundless optimism & contagious love elevated our City."

More than a third of San Francisco's roughly 870,000 residents are Asian, according to census data, and Lee said his election in November 2011 was a stride toward equality. "I am able to make a link to the Asian communities," he told Northwest Asian Weekly. "Being mayor helps them to know that they no longer are second-class citizens."

Before the 2011 election, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that "there are roughly 10,000 Lees in San Francisco, an expected boost for the mayor at the ballot box." Lee won in a crowded field of 16 candidates, then coasted to reelection in 2015.

"Mayor Lee took deep pride in serving as the first Asian-American mayor of San Francisco," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D, who represents San Francisco in Congress. "His greatest source of joy was his beloved family, and our city owes a debt of gratitude to his wife, Anita, and his daughters, Brianna and Tania, for sharing this exceptional, lovely person with us."

Lee became known as one of the most progressive mayors in the United States, who clashed with Trump over San Francisco's designation as a "sanctuary city." Under the policy - one of the most expansive in the country - local police won't cooperate with federal immigration officials in all but the most extreme cases.

In January, an hour after Trump announced a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants, Lee held a news conference at City Hall. "I am here today to say we are still a sanctuary city," he said, according to the Chronicle. "We stand by our sanctuary city because we want everybody to feel safe and utilize the services they deserve, including education and health care . . . It is my obligation to keep our city united, keep it strong . . . Crime doesn't know documentation. Disease doesn't know documentation."

The conservative news outlet Breitbart deemed Lee "somewhat controversial" for the stance, noting that Lee stood by the policy "even after the killing of Kate Steinle by an illegal alien who had been deported five times already and had deliberately moved to the city to avoid deportation again."

TechCrunch said Lee "positioned himself as an advocate to attract and keep tech companies in the city." His aim was not simply to get tech companies to come to San Francisco, TechCrunch said, but to "leverage the wealth of that industry to try to address the city's problems."

Political leaders remembered a leader who had been fighting for San Franciscans for decades.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who served as the city's mayor in the late 1970s and 1980s, called Lee's death "a very sad day for San Francisco and all of us who knew Ed." She said Lee "was an excellent mayor of a great but sometimes challenging city. His equanimity and quiet management style was effective and allowed him to solve problems as they occurred."

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., called Lee "a public servant who tackled every challenge with modesty, civility and hard work. As the son of immigrants who became mayor of one of America's largest cities, Ed broke down barriers and blazed a trail for future generations to follow. And at this inflection moment in our country when some have promoted hatred and division, Mayor Lee has been an outspoken advocate for diversity and inclusion."

Harris added that "when he first ran for mayor, Ed campaigned on the message, 'Ed Lee Gets It Done.' For 65 remarkable years, he did."

Lee's death comes nearly three decades after another San Francisco Mayor, George Moscone, died in office.

Moscone was fatally shot two years into his term, along with San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, by Dan White, a former member of the Board of Supervisors.
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NORWALK  Dozens of people living in an upscale condominium complex were displaced by a fire that tore through the four-story building on Richards Avenue late Monday afternoon.

While officials were hopeful everyone got out of StoneWood Condominium at 100 Richards Ave., many may not be going back soon. It was clear from the damage some people lost everything. Still others were worried about their pets.

No, maam, youre not going to be able to go back in for a while, Norwalk Fire Marshal Broderick Sawyer told Jessica Morales. The Red Cross is here. If you dont want to sit in your car, theres a bus out front. Well give you a hand to get to where you need to, but the Red Cross is going to be putting people up for the night.

Flames raced through the upper floors of a four-story building, sending people out into the cold and bringing in firefighters from as far as Stamford.

Morales, of Stamford, said she had picked up her daughter from her parents place at StoneWood just before 4:30 p.m.

More for you Cause determined in condo blaze

My parents live here. They were baby sitting my daughter, Morales said. I was coming to pick her up and when we were driving out, I saw the flames coming out of the terrace. It was coming right out of the back. It had to be (floor) three because it spread up to four, so I called 911.

Morales afterward sat in her vehicle with her parents and daughter behind the 54-unit complex as more than 50 firefighters from Norwalk, Rowayton, Darien and Stamford battled the blaze for more than two hours.

Everybody got out, I think, were pretty sure, Sawyer said. I cant confirm that, but hopefully.

With clipboard in hand, Sawyer walked from person to person outside the building, taking their names, contact information and accounts of the blaze, and offering each help.

A Norwalk Transit District Wheels bus, made available to those displaced, was parked on Richards Avenue. A neighbor walked the sidewalk, offering Christmas cookies to those living at StoneWood Condomuniums.

An elderly woman was seen being escorted by police away from the complex.

Witness David Dorris said he was at Walmart when he heard emergency vehicles.

I heard the sirens when I got here the whole thing was ablaze, Dorris said.

A Norwalk ladder truck sent water over the center of the building where flames leaped into the air as the roof and parts of the fourth floor collapsed. Water cascaded through the roof of the ground-level parking garage.

Acting Fire Chief Gino Gatto said around 6:30 p.m. that most of the fire was knocked down. He said fire marshals and inspectors were on the scene, but it was too early to determine a preliminary cause of the multi-alarm blaze.

Lukasz Narolski, who lives at StoneWood Condominiums, said he was at work Monday afternoon when his wife called him from their home.

She was putting up the Christmas tree and she had some headphones on and she thought she heard some ringing, Narolski said. She took her headphones off and she heard the fire alarm going off. She looks outside and she sees just smoke billing out.

Narolski said his wife grabbed their two cats, left the building and called 911.

Another woman, who lives on the fourth floor, said she saw smoke billowing from the building as she returned home from work.

I dont care about anything but my little dog in there, the woman said as flames continued to emerge from the roof. That little poor innocent thing is in there.

Firefighters and other emergency responder vehicles filled Richards Avenue, which Norwalk police blocked off at Connecticut Avenue near the Walmart store.

Mayor Harry Rilling, the citys former police chief, stood on Richards Avenue and spoke with police and firefighters.

We know very little right now, Rilling said. We think everybody is out of the building  were pretty sure. The firefighters are out. Theyre knocking down the fire from the top with the automatic ladder and hose.

StoneWood Condominium was built in 2005, according to the Norwalk Tax Assessors Office. Units feature granite countertops, kitchen islands, designer cabinetry, marble baths, stainless steel appliances, private balconies, garage parking and a washer and dryer, according to the StoneWood Condominium website.

Representatives of Imagineers LLC, a Connecticut-based company that manages the complex, were at the scene. The company manages condominium and rental properties, and provides maintenance, remodeling and construction services, according to its website.

Mark Mastropietro, of Crystal Restoration of Connecticut, also stood outside after receiving a call from the property manager. He said Crystal Restoration will be cleaning up the water, smoke and fire damage in the coming days.
A Republican lawmaker key to ongoing talks over how to resolve the legal status of "dreamers" is accusing leaders of a bipartisan House caucus of withholding details of a bipartisan compromise on immigration policy that could lead to a breakthrough in protracted negotiations of a major spending bill.

Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., said Monday that leaders of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus have waited more than two weeks to present a potential compromise to the group of roughly 40 House Democrats and House Republicans.

Curbelo, who represents parts of Miami and all of the Florida Keys, is one the more moderate voices in his Caucus and is leading talks with Democrats on immigration reform. He warned that potential compromises need to be revealed this week if Congress has any hope of passing legislation that would enact permanent legal protections for so-called dreamers, the children of undocumented immigrants - a top Democratic priority - and also make changes in the nation's security plan along the U.S.-Mexico border - a key priority for Republicans.

"This week is pivotal," Curbelo told a group of Latino congressional reporters in a joint interview.

He said that Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., leaders of the Problem Solvers Caucus, "have not presented the compromise to the entire caucus to try to get the votes necessary to proceed. Time is running out."

Spokespeople for Reed and Gottheimer didn't immediately return requests for comment.

Curbelo said that a group of the caucus's members - represented equally by Democrats and Republicans - have been working on a potential compromise for several months on a plan that would merge legal protections for eligible dreamers with changes in border security.

Ar least six bills to address the legal status of dreamers have been introduced this year. Most Democrats say that the Dream Act, a bipartisan bill that would grant legal protections to eligible dreamers, should be passed in conjunction with a year-end spending agreement that could be enacted later this month. Dozens of Democrats in the House and Senate have said they will withhold support for the must-pass spending bill if the fate of dreamers isn't addressed.

Curbelo is one of just two Republicans - Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., is the other - who say they would join Democrats in voting against spending legislation if protections for dreamers aren't enacted by the end of the year.

"I think this week it's possible that we'll see more," he warned.

In response to such threats, House and Senate Republicans have presented several ideas for intensifying enforcement of immigration laws along the southern border and across the country. The plans would provide some funding for construction of a border wall and more money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol to hire thousands of new personnel. But changes to "interior enforcement" in exchange for granting legal status to dreamers are strongly opposed by most Democrats and many moderate Republicans.

Curbelo has introduced a slightly more conservative version of the Dream Act, but admitted to the reporters that he would vote for the Dream Act or more liberal proposals if they ever came up for a vote - an unlikely scenario in the GOP-controlled Congress.

Curbelo said that the compromise being withheld by Problem Solvers leaders has "no interior enforcement. On the legalization side, I moved significantly over to some Dream Act components. It's a very good marriage. There's no wall. There's some 'smart wall' technology, some physical barriers, but very modest. In my view, this should have been out two weeks ago, three weeks ago."

The outlines of the deal as described by Curbelo sound similar to a 2013 bipartisan bill that easily passed the Senate but was never considered by the House.

Asked why he thinks there's a reluctance to unveil the compromise, Curbelo accused colleagues of playing political chicken.

"For me it's easy, but I understand for many colleagues this is the closest they'll ever be to passing a meaningful immigration bill," he said.

"The reason we are where we are on immigration policy in this country is because nothing's ever been good enough and each side has always wanted more. There's that dynamic going on now, too," Curbelo added.

He urged colleagues to take the leap.

"I always tell people, 'Put yourself in the position of one of these young immigrants. Would they be happy with this?' I can assure you that 99 percent of them would be thrilled with our product, if not all of them."
A panel of federal appeals court judges on Monday expressed skepticism over the Trump administration's request to halt a high-profile climate change lawsuit brought by 21 children, which had been scheduled to begin early next year.

An administration attorney asked the three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to effectively dismiss the lawsuit, claiming that the discovery requests in the case were "burdensome" and that litigating the case could distract the executive branch from carrying out "its constitutional duties."

The landmark lawsuit, initially filed in 2015 against the Obama administration, argues that the government's failure to act more aggressively to combat the effects of global warming amounts to a violation of the young plaintiffs' constitutional right to a clean environment. The goal of the lawsuit is to force the U.S. government to scale back its support for fossil fuel extraction and production and to back policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate activists have viewed the case as a unique and potentially effective means to force policymakers in Washington to act, even as President Donald Trump and top administration officials have questioned the science underpinning climate change and have rolled back many measures that President Barack Obama put in place to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In the past two years, the case has survived several legal challenges, and a judge this summer set a trial date for February 2018. But weeks later, a federal appeals court temporarily halted the proceedings after the administration filed a petition seeking a rare legal procedure known as a writ of mandamus. It called for the 9th Circuit to reconsider a decision made by a federal judge last year to allow the climate lawsuit to move to trial.

On Monday, Chief Judge Sidney Thomas and Judge Marsha Berzon appeared skeptical about the government's request to halt the case at this juncture and undermine the lower court's decision, saying it would be an unprecedented and potentially unwarranted decision.

"If we set precedent on this kind of case, there is no logical boundary to it," Thomas told administration attorney Eric Grant, arguing that countless other defendants would seek similar relief.

Although Grant acknowledged that the government was calling for a "drastic and extraordinary remedy," he insisted that it was necessary given the broad claims being made by the plaintiffs and the burdens it would create, such as filling requests for government data going back decades and making numerous public officials available for depositions.

"This court is on a collision course with the executive branch," he said, arguing that the judges "should grant this writ and put an end to this case."

Judge Alex Kozinski, meanwhile, challenged the attorney for the 21 youths behind the case, questioning whether they had adequate legal standing to bring such a complaint. He also raised the question of what would happen if the courts ordered the government to tackle climate change but the White House arrived at scientific conclusions or policy prescriptions at odds with the judges. (Kozinski was accused last week of sexual misconduct.)

"Whose policy prevails?" he asked.

"Hopefully not President Trump's," replied Julia Olson, the attorney for the youths and executive director of Our Children's Trust.

Kozinski also asked how the young plaintiffs were suffering any more than the average American from the effects of climate change.

Olson replied that not only do children suffer disproportionate harm now from environmental problems, but that they would continue to suffer in the future.

"They will live far longer than you," she told Kozinski, noting projections about the consequences of rising sea levels in coming decades. "The significance of the harm, the monumental threat these injuries pose to the plaintiffs, is very distinguishable from the rest of the country."

Ultimately, Olson said, it was up to the courts to act as an "impenetrable bulwark" against abuses of power by the government.

Grant, meanwhile, implored the judges to stop the lawsuit from going any further.

"This case is not like the run-of-the-mill case," he said. "If allowed to go forward, it will offend the separation of powers, particularly where there is no merit to the plaintiffs' claims."
Maryland's legislature is set to start tracking sexual harassment complaints against lawmakers and their staff members, as statehouses across the country confront mounting allegations of sexual misconduct and examine their policies for dealing with them.

The General Assembly plans to update its sexual harassment policy to require the legislature's human resources director to keep track of the number and type of complaints, and how they were resolved. Lawmakers would be briefed on this information every year - but would not be given the identities of the alleged harassers.

The changes are expected to win approval from a legislative policy committee that is meeting Tuesday, said Alexandra Hughes, chief of staff to Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel. The committee sets rules for the General Assembly.

"The speaker and the Senate president have tried to be ahead of the curve and have tried to make sure we have as professional of a workplace as we can," Hughes said. "They felt this is an important step forward."

Currently, Human Resources Director Lori Mathis investigates complaints of inappropriate behavior, but does not track the number of complaints or their outcomes, or report that data to lawmakers.

"Because of the wide array of reporting and resolving mechanisms for alleged incidents of harassment, no agency of the MGA maintains summary statistics of workplace harassment reports or complaints; nor are such summary statistics kept of sexual harassment reports," Mathis told The Washington Post in response to a public-records request.

"All individual cases of harassment, including sexual harassment investigations conducted by the MGA, are personnel matters. No aspect of any personnel file is available under the Public Information Act."

People who say they have been sexually harassed by Maryland lawmakers or employees of the legislature can lodge complaints with the staffs of the presiding officers, Busch and Senate President Thomas "Mike" Miller, D-Calvert, or with the human resources department.

Mathis notifies Busch and Miller when her office receives allegations against lawmakers. Busch and Miller handle any appeals of her findings.

Some cases involving lawmakers may be referred to the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, whose investigative records are kept confidential under state law. Allegations of sexual assault or other suspected criminal conduct would be referred to prosecutors, Mathis said.

Mathis said the General Assembly has not used taxpayer money to settle any claims of workplace harassment.

Such settlements have come under scrutiny in Congress in recent weeks, after reporters unearthed taxpayer-funded payments to accusers of Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., who resigned last week, and Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas.

Harassment allegations have also made waves in state capitals, with accused lawmakers in California, Mississippi, Minnesota and Kentucky giving up their seats.

The Maryland General Assembly's sexual harassment policy was created in the early 1990s, after a former lawmaker's judicial nomination was derailed by women who came forward to allege inappropriate behavior.

Legislative leaders updated the policy last year to clarify that it applied to harassment of transgender individuals and that witnesses to sexual harassment - not just victims - may report it. Officials also designated a male staffer to receive reports of harassment, in addition to a female staffer.

Hughes said the legislature made those changes following the harassment allegations against then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In Virginia, the clerk of the state Senate told The Washington Post last month that she has not received a sexual harassment report since starting her job in 1990. The Virginia House of Delegates investigated a harassment complaint against a staff member in 2012, its human resources director said.
Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro is cashing a blank check. Based on a law passed by the ruling Law & Justice party, in the past two moths he's removed more than two dozen senior judges, including the head of a regional court that was deliberating a case involving his family.

The dismissals, which continue despite an unprecedented European Union probe into potential rule-of-law abuses in Poland, are part of a drive to centralize power in the style of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who's leading an eastern European rebellion against the EU's model of liberal democracy.

Polish lawmakers last week approved a draft law to overhaul the Supreme Court, in part by forcing two fifths of its justices into retirement. Ziobro held on to his job this week in a cabinet shakeup that saw the prime minister replaced. A group that in July helped organize mass protests against the judicial revamp called on Poles to resume demonstrations Tuesday evening.

"A state that creates an environment where judges have grounds to fear is no longer a democracy," said Irena Kaminska, who heads Themis, an association of judges in Poland.

Across eastern Europe, judges and prosecutors are in the line of fire as populist leaders seek to assert control over the judiciary, challenging an EU that's been slow to respond as self-proclaimed "illiberal states" sprouted in Hungary and Poland. A surge in support for radical parties across the continent has added to the urgency, with Germany floating the idea of cutting funding to wayward EU members and European Parliament lawmakers discussing the nuclear option of suspending nations' voting rights.

"All your alarm bells should be going off," said Frank Emmert, a law professor at Indiana University, who compared the situation to President Donald Trump's efforts to extend his influence over U.S. courts. "Leaders are trying to short-circuit the rule of law."

Orban has led the way. Returning to power in 2010, he stripped the Constitutional Court of its mandate to rule in cases affecting the budget, and then retroactively imposed Europe's highest bank levy and snatched billions of euros of private pension funds to shore up the budget. The chief justice of the Supreme Court was ousted, many judges were pushed into retirement and the Constitutional Court was packed with ruling-party appointees. Orban, at the time, said the changes were needed to restore people's faith in the justice system.

The steps, which were carried out while the EU was distracted by the euro crisis, made an impression on Law & Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski in Poland, who proclaimed after losing a 2011 election that "a day will come when we'll succeed, and we'll have another Budapest in Warsaw."

"The working assumption was that Hungary was just an anomaly," said Richard Youngs, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Brussels. "The EU is just waking up and finding that it's now part of a systemic trend."

After winning a 2015 ballot, Kaczynski's party filled the Constitutional Court with allies, revamped regional courts and is now closing in on wresting control of judicial appointments from a panel of judges the ruling party described as a "self-serving clique."

The result is the departure of scores of judges, including the head of the regional court in Krakow, dismissed by Justice Minister Ziobro before a review of a ruling that found doctors not guilty in the death of his father. The ministry said the judge was fired due to poor performance.

Judges in Krakow condemned the dismissals and called on citizens to "defend Poland's constitutional order." Human rights commissioner Adam Bodnar warned that the nation's experiment with democracy is nearing the "point of no return."

In Romania, thousands resumed protests over the weekend, calling on lawmakers to scrap a court revamp that would allow judges and prosecutors to be held accountable for negligence and open to litigation for damages. The lower chamber of parliament approved the legislation late Monday. The changes, which critics say are aimed at hampering anti-corruption efforts, ignited the biggest demonstrations in the Black Sea nation since the fall of the Iron Curtain when they were first floated in January.

The leader of the ruling Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea, wants to decriminalize some corruption and abuse-of-office offenses after a five-year clampdown left hundreds of ruling-party officials imprisoned or facing trial. Dragnea, who's alleged a witch hunt by prosecutors, has himself been convicted for rigging a referendum and faces other charges, including forming an organized-crime group. He denies wrongdoing.

"Changing the legislation in such conditions would totally disturb the judiciary in Romania," Chief Prosecutor Augustin Lazar said. "The desire to control the judiciary is stronger than logic."

The upheaval has set the EU's response mechanisms in motion. On Dec. 7, the European Commission announced it will sue Hungary to stop what it sees as a crackdown on civil society and universities. The same day, the European Parliament started hearings on whether to recommend suspending Hungary's voting rights in the EU. Poland is facing a similar procedure, as well as the EU executive's first ever probe into a member state's democratic order aimed at preventing a repeat of Hungarian developments.

But the EU's response has been slow, and the changes across eastern Europe are happening so fast that they may be impossible to undo.

A Polish senate committee voted at about 2 a.m. in Warsaw on Tuesday to advance the judiciary overhaul, ignoring criticism from the Venice Commission, the advisory body on rule-of-law issues for the Council of Europe, an international human-rights organization of which Poland's government is a member. The Venice Commission said the changes pose a "grave threat" to the independence of "all parts" of the Polish judiciary.

"The more you let problems fester, the more serious they become and the more difficult they are to deal with it down the line," Carnegie's Youngs said.
A long-time Maryville employee announced his resignation to trustees at the last regular meeting of the full Maryville Board.

Public Works Director Patrick Presson will be leaving Maryville with his last day of work being Dec. 15.

Presson, who has worked for the Village for 22 years and has served as the public works director for the last 12 years, will be moving to Virginia Beach, Va.

In a letter to the board, Presson expressed his thanks to the Village.

I have been proud to call Maryville my home and place of employment for over two decades, the resignation letter stated. I wish the entire Village and each of you continued success and will never forget the years, memories and experiences with you. Thank you all again for every opportunity.

Trustees expressed their gratitude for Pressons work in the village.

Trustee Ed Kostyshock said he saved the village lots of money during his employment.

Patrick has literally saved the village hundreds of thousands dollars, Kostyshock said. His ability to look to the future has allowed us to have and maintain a top notch sewer and water plant. We havent had the expensive repairs and construction projects because of his management.

Trustee Rod Schmidt commented that Presson was an outstanding employee of the village.

He bent over backwards to please whatever requests the mayor or the board made. He did it with his head held high whether he agreed or not, Schmidt said. He is a true leader as an employee and a great resident of the Maryville.

Mayor Craig Short agreed, saying Presson will be missed as both an employee and a resident.

He has actively been involved in the community and is a great resident, Short said. Presson served on the Maryville Community Improvement Board, he represented Maryville on the Collinsville Township Board and he was active in the Maryville Kiwanis Club.

He will be missed as a valuable asset to the Maryville Community, not just the Public Works Department, Short said.

Pressons move to the Virginia is due to his wifes promotion.
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It's ironic that the brand name of the rare and expensive organ used at St. Mary Parish in Fannett is Phoenix, The Rev. Jim McClintock said.

"Phoenixes can apparently bounce back from fire, but not flooding," McClintock said, standing beneath the stained glass windows of his church.

The organ is one of only 30 made each year and was shipped in from Canada a few years back, McClintock said. The $50,000 instrument is just one of Tropical Storm Harvey's many casualties.

St. Mary is one of 23 churches in the Diocese of Beaumont that suffered damage during the August storm and one of two receiving a sizeable donation from the Knights

of Columbus to cover the cost of their insurance deductible: $100,000.

The other church is St. Joseph Parish in Port Arthur.

St. Joseph and St. Mary are the two parishes that need the most help, said Philip Chauvin, the emergency management coordinator for the Diocese of Beaumont.

Each organization lost every building on their parish property, Chauvin said.

St. Mary was remodeled after Hurricane Ike in 2008, McClintock said. But now, the congregation is starting over again.

All of the pews, kneelers and choir chairs will need to be replaced, a bill estimated at around $60,000.

The processional cross is chipped and cracking from the moisture.

"It just breaks my heart," McClintock said.

Chauvin, who belongs to the fraternal benefit society Knights of Columbus, reached out to their Supreme Council in New Haven, Connecticut, because the demand here was so great, he said.

"This hurricane required a lot more work," Chauvin said. "The need was more intense than before with (hurricanes) Ike or Rita."

KC donors from all over the world collected $2.5 million for hurricane relief in Texas and Florida following hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

"We collect a dollar, we give a dollar," Chauvin said.

Funds immediately started going toward supplies for parishes and Knights in the impacted areas, he said. But once the water receded, the group turned its attention to parishes, like St. Mary and St. Joseph, that needed aid.

"We're so grateful," McClintock said. "It will help us get our church back to where we were."

For the time being, the parishioners are attending mass at nearby churches.

"That way there's no lost sheep floating around," Chauvin said.

McClintock and The Rev. Kevin Badeaux of St. Joseph have both been living at different rectories.

"I've been driving around to people's houses since we lost our parish office," McClintock said. "People ask me, 'You're not hearing confessions in your car, are you?'"

McClintock hopes that the parish hall will be the first building complete so that the congregation can celebrate Christmas mass at their home church.

"I just want to be celebrate Christmas mass with my people," McClintock said.

The damage is difficult to stomach, but it could be so much worse, McClintock said.

"A church is always more than a building," McClintock said. "It's about the people. The kids, parents, grandparents who come to this place to gather and give thanks. It's about the community."

MGstalter@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/morgGstalt
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Barbara Emmons hears every sound in her Bevil Oaks neighborhood.

Her ears always perk up when cars drive along Riverbend Drive, she said. Since Tropical Storm Harvey, she's been even more alert.

"Everyone back here is worried," said Emmons, 62.

Since the August storm, the retired U.S. Postal Service employee said she has had to chase away potential looters, phony contractors and suspicious cars from her property and her neighbors' empty houses. She said she's not alone in feeling anxious and outraged by those looking to steal from the suffering.

"We've already lost everything," Emmons said. She and her husband have installed a makeshift kitchen on the top floor of their home. It's near the second-story window the pair climbed through when they were evacuated by boat.

The first floor is gutted down to its studs.

Last week, Emmons watched from her front door as a pickup crept into her neighbor's driveway with no headlights on. She called the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

"I don't know how many people we've chased off our property," Emmons said. There have been contractors on their lawn rifling through their belongings and strange men who tried to steal their bottled water, she said.

After dark is "when the creeps come out," according to Emmons.

That's why she's usually packing, carrying her .357 Magnum revolver.

"I will walk outside with a gun in my hand," Emmons said.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesman Marcus McLellan said most post-Harvey thefts have been things like lawn mowers or trailers that were not properly locked up and secured.

"Which is pretty normal for residential burglaries anytime of year," McLellan said.

But for residents who have lost most of their worldly possessions, every theft is just another blow, Angela Brandon said.

Brandon, 23, said thieves stole all four tires off her flooded Nissan Marano and a DVD player tucked in a backseat pocket for her son.

"They couldn't haul it out without the tires," Brandon said when she tried to trade the car in for a replacement. "I couldn't get any kind of FEMA or SBA (Small Business Administration) assistance for that so I got nothing back."

Brandon recently moved out of a rented trailer near Rose City, but not before someone stole the air conditioning unit.

"When there's nobody living on the property or in the trailers down there, I'm not surprised," Brandon said. "I expected it after the storm."

She said she heard stories of people stealing freshly washed clothes right off the line.

Rose City Mayor Bonnie Stephenson said she's been made aware of several thefts in recent weeks. She's asked that their only full-time officer, Marshal Jeff Sasar, take extra caution at night.

Sasar was expecting an influx of people coming to steal lumber, plywood or gypsum wallboard supplies. Luckily, he said it's been pretty quiet around town.

"It's like a ghost town," he said.

There have been a handful of thefts and incidents reported to him or the Orange County Sheriff's Office, but he's mostly just sent away loitering cars or suspicious people digging through trash.

"After dark, you have no business being back there," Sasar said. "There's no point for you to be there at midnight, so we send them along."

Without an officer or a desk to work from, Sasar has been working out of his police truck. The Los Angeles Police Department donated extra uniforms and computers, he said.

Although everyone is worn out and tired, he can still see the resiliency within the "tight-knit bunch" who call Rose City home.

"There's people out there decorating their FEMA trailers with Christmas lights," Sasar said.

The Christmas decorations help bring added cheer to a neighborhood that is often in the dark. Stephenson said streetlights that have been out for months since Harvey make many of the small town's residents uneasy.

Entergy Texas spokesperson Kacee Kirschvink said a crew replaced seven streetlights in Rose City, mostly north of Interstate 10, last week.

There are still streetlights out in parts of Pine Forest and Orange, according to Kirschvink.

Good lighting is key to deterring potential robbers, said Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll.

"If you're not living in your home but you have electricity, work on getting some timers or exterior lighting," Carroll said.

The best piece of advice for creating peace of mind is asking for help from your neighbors, Carroll said.

"Work with your neighbors and ask them to keep an eye on things for you when you're not there," Carroll said. "I have a neighbor across the street that calls whenever there's a car parked in our driveway, even if it was me and my son."

After so many cars were flooded and replaced, officials say it's more difficult to recognize familiar faces and vehicles driving up and down streets.

"We lost all three of our cars and everyone got new ones," Emmons said. "I watch every car. You have to. Even before Harvey I did, but now more than ever, I have to stay vigilant."

Carroll encouraged joining Neighborhood Watch groups and staying in contact with local law enforcement.

"I would rather get 50 of those calls about suspicious people and find out that only one is a burglar," Carroll said. "Because that means people are being alert."

Life is slowly returning to normal for Emmons. She gets to see her 17-month-old granddaughter Addalynn every day and is planning her family's Christmas celebration. Luckily, her decorations were stacked high in the attic and were spared by Harvey.

"This year is all about her," Emmons said of the baby. "We've got a small tree that we will plant in the yard after Christmas to remember this year. But it's not like anyone will forget 2017."

MGstalter@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/morgGstalt
WEST HAVEN  The city faces a potential $6.9 million revenue shortfall this fiscal year as a result of adjusted state revenues related to Connecticuts fiscal problems, Mayor Nancy Rossi and Finance Director Kevin McNabola told the City Council Monday night.

West Haven, which just sold bonds to finance more than $16 million in past deficits  and is barred from doing it again to get out of trouble  also is likely to see a small deficit, estimated at $106,000 as it begins the annual audit, from the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2016.

And because of budget adjustments related to the fact that the state budget wasnt complete at the time that West Haven  and all other Connecticut municipalities  had to adopt a budget, the city and its fire districts will be sending out supplemental automobile tax bills later this month, Rossi and McNabola said.

The supplemental tax bills will be for an additional 7 mills on all motor vehicle tax bills in the independent Center and West Shore districts, including 5 mills for the city and 2 mills for the fire districts.

Thats because the General Assembly ended up adopting a 39-mill cap on motor vehicle taxes, seven mills higher than the 32-mill cap it had last year, McNabola said.

The West Shore Board of Fire Commissioners already has approved its 2-mill increase and the First, or Center, Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners is supposed to meet Tuesday night to vote, he said.

A supplemental increase for the City of West Haven Fire Department  Allingtown, which is part of the city, would require approvals from both the Allingtown Board of Fire Commissioners and the City Council, which isnt possible before the Dec. 15 state deadline. So Allingtown will have to make additional budget cuts to make up the fire districts 2 mills, said McNabola.

Right now, Allingtown is running under budget on its medical claims, he said.

McNabola said that technically the supplemental tax bills are a recalibration and not a tax increase, although he acknowledged that many people will see them as increases.

Im trying to be very transparent. I want the council to be kept apprised of everything that goes on, Rossi  who took office Dec. 3  told the council as she gave members the bad news during a scheduled update on the citys financial outlook.

Im looking for everybodys help here, later urging anyone  either in government or among residents and businesses  if they have any suggestions for ways to improve West Havens fiscal picture.

We have a huge deficit  $6.9 million, Rossi told the council.

McNabola said afterward that, with regard to the estimated shortfall, the city will pick up $2.6 million of that because the way the timing of the deficit bonding worked out, a $2.6 million debt service payment that had been expected to be paid this year wont come until the next fiscal year.

So that would reduce the actual shortfall to about $4 million, he said.

Rossi said she and McNabola had already been to Hartford and had spoken to Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management Ben Barnes about the possibility of participating in the new state bailout program for which currently only West Haven and Hartford would qualify.

That would likely bring in up to $8 million in additional state revenue, a portion of which could go to begin rebuilding a surplus for the city if no additional surprises come in, although it would carry a price: submitting to the new state Muncipal Accountability Review Board, Rossi said.

Because of the execution of the deficit bonding, that immediately put us in Tier 3. We are in the same tier as Hartford, Rossi told the council. If we take the MARB money, and the most we can get right now is $8 million, there is teeth to it.

It is not an advisory board. If is not like the MFAC. It is a completely different thing, she said. They would have to approve our mill rate, per the legislation. They have to approve our budget. They can look at contracts. They can look at all different things.

We can look at this as a good thing right now, as long as they dont want to increase our taxes, as was the case when West Haven ceded control do a different municipal review board in 1991.

I dont have any problem with anyone looking at our budget, to do things differently, she said. Because clearly, when you have this type of shortfall ... you must do things differently  and thatgoing to happen, and its already happening, because we can no longer sustain this.

In response to a question from the councils news finance chairwoman, Louise Martone, D-10, McNabola said the MARB would have the ability to review your budget. If they deem that your budget is not conservative enough or that you have not put enough money into your budget ... they have the ability to request changes.

But he said he didnt thing the board would be likely to get into any kind of line-by-line budget review.

Rossi said that if the city does accept the states help and submit to the board, This is supposed to be a multiple-year deal, although no one can guarantee that, given the states own fiscal situation, the money for it will be there next year.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
The U.S. is ramping up pressure on Saudi Arabia to ease its blockade of Yemen amid fears that the crisis is slipping further into catastrophe and people will lose access to clean drinking water, President Donald Trump's foreign aid chief said.

A Saudi-led coalition's blockade of the Arab world's poorest nation is preventing fuel used to pump water from getting to Yemen's people, Mark Green, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said in an interview. While the Trump administration has courted Saudi Arabia's government and continues to provide support for airstrikes over Yemen, Green's criticism reflects increasing frustration over the course of the conflict.

"We're in a humanitarian catastrophe here, and this is the kind of crisis that does not get better with the passage of time -- it gets much much worse," Green said in his office at USAID's headquarters in Washington. "You're seeing the intensity ratchet up from the highest level of the administration because the crisis is literally getting worse by the hour."

On Tuesday, the U.S. announced an additional $130 million in food aid to help alleviate the Yemen crisis. The United Nations World Food Program will use the money to help feed the country's most vulnerable people, USAID said in a statement.

Green's comments are the latest in a series of remarks by top administration officials, including Trump, demanding that Saudi Arabia ease the blockade. Saudi Arabia's pressure is threatening to cause widespread famine, as the kingdom fights Houthi rebels believed to have backing from Iran. The administration issued at least three statements last week critical of the Saudi approach to the conflict.

At least 14,000 people have been killed or wounded since the Saudi-led offensive began in March 2015. Almost 1 million people have contracted cholera, and 3 million, out of a population of 28 million, are internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

"Ultimately there will have to be a political solution to Yemen," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told staff at the State Department headquarters in Washington on Tuesday. "We are engaged with the Saudis trying to get those ports reopened so we can get assistance delivered."

Last week, Tillerson was more blunt, calling on Saudi Arabia's leaders to "think through the consequences" of their actions and be "a little bit more thoughtful."

"It is well past time for a complete cessation of fighting, allowing humanitarian access, because it is a catastrophe occurring before our eyes," Green, 57, said in the interview on Dec. 8. He said there is no substitute for access to Yemen's ports -- permission that the Saudi government has so far refused to give.

The increasingly dire situation in Yemen comes amid a wave of tumult in the Middle East linked to the broader rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The U.S., like most governments, was taken by surprise last month when Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri flew to Riyadh and abruptly resigned before returning to his country weeks later and withdrawing his resignation. The U.S. has also grow frustrated over a continuing dispute between a Saudi-led bloc and Qatar, which hosts a U.S. military base used in the fight against Islamic State.

The turmoil also comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has staked out a key Middle East role, using his military to bolster Syrian President Bashar Assad and courting allies in Egypt and Turkey. Vice President Mike Pence will travel to the Middle East this month in the wake of Trump's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a decision criticized across the Muslim world.

Green, who's been in his post since August, said his main focus has been what he called the "sheer volume of humanitarian need that we see in the world right now and that nearly all of it's man-made."

In September, he announced a pledge of $575 million to help ease famines in Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria and Somalia. All of those crises have been caused by human conflict.

A former four-term Wisconsin member of Congress and ambassador to Tanzania, Green oversees USAID at a time when the Trump administration has proposed slashing its budget and the funding for some of its highest-profile programs by about 30 percent. The agency has bipartisan support and lawmakers from both parties say those proposed cuts, like ones envisioned for the State Department, are unlikely to succeed.

And while Trump and his staff have championed an "America First" foreign policy that reduces the emphasis on U.S. involvement overseas, Green said he's had "nothing but support from the White House."

"I believe in these development tools and I believe in American leadership," said Green, who led the International Republican Institute before rejoining the government this year. "What I'm trying to do is to show people -- even those who may be skeptics -- we can actually do this, we actually have the ability to make some things better."
Why is California burning? One answer is simple: California always burns.

But this latest inferno - three wildfires eating at the hills in and around Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city - is frightening even for people who are accustomed to big burns. What's more, it follows the state's deadliest fire on record by only a few weeks.

It gets even worse. The recent Sonoma County fires north of San Francisco that left more than 40 people dead, and the current Thomas Fire that has destroyed 800 structures and damaged or threatens more than 18,000 others in the Santa Barbara area, are so bad that they've rendered last year's horrid Blue Cut Fire that wiped out more than 300 homes near San Bernardino a distant memory.

California Gov. Jerry Brown, D, appeared stricken in an address to his state, calling the gargantuan blazes "the new normal" in one sentence and "the new reality" in another, before finally saying: "With climate change, some scientists are saying California is literally burning up."

There is a lot of blame to go around.

Blame the devil. Or more precisely, said Jon Keeley, a research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, the dreaded Diablo winds. Usually, winds in the area "flow from the west, carrying cool, humid air from the [Pacific Ocean] onshore," Keeley wrote in a Monday blog post.

But the hot, dry Diablos reversed course, blowing at 40 miles per hour from the northeast toward the ocean with gusts of up to 75 miles per hour. Winds don't put out fire. They give it a ride and deposit flames all over.

"These hot, dry winds develop from an unusual pattern of high and low pressure cells, and are most prominent in autumn. They follow the normal summer and fall drought that occurs in this Mediterranean-type climate, leading to severe fire weather conditions," Keeley wrote. They've played a role in California's most catastrophic fires, he said, including the 1991 Tunnel Fire in Oakland that left 25 people dead. "The speed of these fires is a major factor leading to the loss of human lives."

Blame county planners and housing developers. Two million homes bump against wildlands in the West, the majority in two states with the highest risk, Washington and California, according to Headwaters Economics, an independent nonprofit group that studies wildfire prevention. People get to live and work in remote locations with beautiful views, but the value of properties at a moderate to high risk of being engulfed is about $500 billion, according to CoreLogic, a company that studies real estate economics, not to mention the risk to people's lives.

"It's a witch's brew," Tom Harbour, the former national fire and aviation director for the Forest Service, said to me for a 2015 story about the challenges his firefighters faced when he sent them to fight fires that are better left alone to burn. "The risk keeps increasing. I'm putting firefighters in harm's way."

Keeley adds a key point here. The explosion of development close to woods increases fire drama. "Nearly all fires in Sonoma County are caused directly or indirectly by people, such as intentional ignitions or power lines igniting fires. Population growth raises the probability of fire igniting under severe weather conditions," he wrote.

Blame the climate. "It never rains in California" is just a saying and a song. It often pours in winter - rain in the southern portion of the state and snow in the northern and central mountains. As a result, foliage blooms in a range of colors in every corner of the Golden State.

Then it dries in the hot summer. Not normal dry, but baked dry, devoid of any moisture. "Plants are happy and growing well in the winter time, and when summer proceeds to the fall they get drier and drier," said Marti Witter, a fire ecologist for the National Park Service's Santa Monica National Recreation Area.

"The amount of water in the plants get lower and lower and lower; it means that they are very dry. When it gets to critical threshold level and a fire comes through, they're very flammable. It happens every year," Witter said.

In August last year, Columbia University's Earth Institute released a study that offered evidence that global warming has contributed to California's drought. The year before, a Stanford University study led by associate professor Noah Diffenbaugh used historical data from the U.S. National Climatic Data Center to conclude that the state will experience more drought as its climate continues to warm.

Dry doesn't begin to describe what California is right now. The state emerged from an unprecedented five-year drought only last year. Consider these recent headlines about what it wrought: "Scientists say California hasn't been this dry in 500 years." "As water runs dry, Californians brace for a new way of life." "California's terrifying climate forecast: It could face droughts nearly every year." "Wild animals in drought-stricken western states are dying for a drink." "Millions of pine trees on hillsides are dead and bone dry."

Like every state, California has a great diversity of plants, including an abundance of dry shrubland called chaparral. Since the addition of housing near wooded landscapes forces firefighters to douse blazes that would normally burn away vegetation in a natural low-intensity fire cycle, new plants grow when it rains and join the old dried-out growth in summers. Together they sit and wait for a potential fire catastrophe.

Also, because humans track and traffic nonnative species from across the world, more fire-resistant grass that's native to California has given way to faster growing and faster burning grasses that don't belong on the landscape. They basically become a fuse that leads flames to dry vegetation, which combusts when the fire reaches them.

"When they catch on fire, they burn beautifully," Witter said. "There's a lot of biomass and . . . that contributes to the spectacular fire you're seeing." He referred to the Thomas Fire that is spreading north from Ventura County into Carpinteria and Montecito, where the rich talk-show celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres own mega-homes.

Blame the Santa Ana winds. "The intensity of the Santa Ana winds is about as extreme as they get," Witter said of the winds that have driven the Thomas Fire into legend as the fifth-largest in California history. Witter kept repeating the word extreme.

"It's definitely extreme. I wouldn't say they're completely unprecedented. We're basically having a firestorm that happened in 1993, 2003, 2007, the Soberanes Fire, Rim Fir and Station Fire. It's certainly an extreme event" on path to break even more records, since the Thomas Fire is only 10 percent contained.

What drought-prone California needs is something it doesn't get consistently enough. "We haven't had rain yet," Witter said. "If we had had a normal October or November rain of a couple inches, that would have put an end to our fire season."
The premier of South Africa's richest province warned the ruling African National Congress will lose its majority and extend an economic slump if it elects the wrong leaders this weekend.

"If it doesn't give South Africa the leadership that will win public confidence, not only is the ANC going to lose 2019 elections, but the country will be in a much longer protracted economic disaster, with deep pain for ordinary people," David Makhura, the premier of Gauteng, said in an interview at Bloomberg's Johannesburg offices on Tuesday. "We have got to get a team of leaders who understand that South Africans are fed up with corruption and also fed up with an economy that is not performing."

While Makhura didn't directly name his preferred candidate, the overwhelming majority of ANC branches in Gauteng, which includes the capital, Pretoria, and the nation's financial hub, Johannesburg, back Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa for party leader. Makhura said he has confidence in the province's choice for leaders.

More than 5,000 ANC delegates, including Makhura, will converge in Johannesburg from Dec. 16 to elect a successor for President Jacob Zuma as leader of the ANC and to be its presidential candidate for the 2019 elections. The party faces a critical moment to regain public and business confidence and pull Africa's most-industrialized economy back from a downturn that has seen unemployment surge to 28 percent and poverty increase, Makhura said.

The majority of Gauteng delegates are pinning their hopes on Ramaphosa to restore confidence in an economy that was downgraded to junk this year amid political and policy uncertainty under Zuma. Former African Union Commission Chairwoman and Zuma's ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, is his main rival.

While Ramaphosa has spoken of the need to stamp out corruption and boost the economy through "inclusive growth," Dlamini-Zuma is supported by senior party officials who propose policies that include expropriating land without compensation and increasing the share of mines that need to be owned by black South Africans. Ramaphosa is preferred by most investors.

While Ramaphosa was endorsed by more branches than Dlamini-Zuma across the country, she may benefit from the support of bigger branches in the mainly rural provinces that will send more than one delegate to the conference.

Makhura said he is confident there were good leaders among those nominated for the ANC's six top positions, but wouldn't rule out the possibility of delegates being paid to vote for certain candidates.

"A conference is a conference, so people may not always vote in accordance to what South Africa needs at the moment," he said. "There are a lot of influences. People may vote according to what is factional politics or buying of votes."

In power since the end of white-majority rule in 1994, the ANC suffered its worst electoral performance in last year's local-government vote when it lost control of Pretoria, Johannesburg and the southern city, Port Elizabeth. The leadership contest has caused deep rifts within the 105-year-old party and weighed on the rand and the nation's bonds. Business confidence fell to the lowest level in three decades.

There is a lot at stake at the weekend's conference as the ANC's own research has shown it will suffer in future elections under Zuma or a Zuma-backed candidate, said Susan Booysen, a professor at the University of Witwatersrand's School of Governance.
Signs prohibiting photography on the shady esplanades of Broadacres have come down, after the city of Houston confirmed that the popular place for photo shoots is in the public right-of-way.

Last week, the Broadacres Homeowners Association, frustrated at what they felt was abuse of the neighborhood greenspace, posted signs making their well-tended esplanades off-limits for those wanting to use it as a backdrop for wedding, engagement, quinceanera or other photos.
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SAN ANTONIO - A two-story home was burned to the ground after it was completely engulfed in fire Monday afternoon on the West Side.

San Antonio Fire Department Battalion Chief Wesley West said the home was fully ablaze when they arrived at about 5 p.m. in the 2100 block of West Travis Street.

Now Playing: San Antonio firefighters extinguished a blaze that engulfed a two-story home Monday afternoon in the 2100 block of West Travis Street. Video: Brandpoint

There was nothing we could do for the house itself or anyone inside," West said. Our main concern was the structures around it.

RELATED: Alleged drunk driver in crash that killed woman held for ICE

A neighbor reached out to the owner who said he was out of town and had been for several weeks, West said.

The fire took about 25 minutes to extinguish, firefighters said. The damage was estimated at close to $100,000, West said.

"It's pretty dangerous to even go inside," West said.

Firefighters were unable to determine if there were any pets involved.

West said firefighters are working to decide whether to set up an overnight fire watch or bring in heavy equipment to tear through the remains of the structure.

A cause of the fire was not immediately known, firefighters said.

"These older homes are all wood, so when they get going ... it's just a huge amount of fire," West said.

jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 WILLIAM LUTHER, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 2 of 3 TOM REEL, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 3 of 3





A consulting firm will lead a statewide outreach and design phase for an Alamo master plan, gathering input to address cares and concerns about the future of the mission and battle site.

PGAV Destinations of St. Louis was chosen from a pool of respondents who submitted proposals through the states procurement process, the Texas General Land Office said in a release Tuesday. It will serve as a contractor under direction from the Land Office, Alamo staff and a master plan committee with representation from the state agency, the city of San Antonio and the nonprofit Alamo Endowment.
AUSTIN  House Speaker Joe Straus, R- San Antonio, was censured by his hometown Republican party late Monday, dealing a symbolic blow to the five-term speaker on his way out of office.

Bexar County GOP precinct chairs voted 77 to 21 to rebuke Straus leadership, claiming he abused his power to block anti-abortion bills and obstruct Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts agenda, among other things, according to members present.

The move ramps up ongoing rifts among moderate and conservative factions of the states Republican party just as the March 6 primary races take shape.

In a statement, Straus spokesman Jason Embry said the speaker will keep supporting Republican legislators who care most about whats good for Texas.

Speaker Straus knew that he would upset some people when he decided to stand on principle and oppose the bathroom bills, but he's very confident that he did the right thing for Texas and his Bexar County constituents, Embry said, referring to measures that would have restricted the public restrooms transgender people can use. Like most Republicans, Joe Straus does not support each of the 266 planks in the Republican Party platform. For example, he believes that Texans should be able to directly elect their U.S. senators. He also supports kindergarten.

If the state Republican Party adopts the resolution, Straus would be the first sitting House member to get censured.

A censure would let the state GOP withhold financial support from Straus or back someone else in the primary. But Straus isnt running for re-election next year and already has a formidable $10 million in campaign cash, which he has indicated he will use to support responsible Republicans in the primary.

Jeff Judson, a Bexar GOP precinct chair who unsuccessfully challenged Straus in the 2016 primary, said the group pursued the censure because of Straus pledge to be active in upcoming elections.

Even though Straus has announced his retirement from the Texas House, he still has at least $10 million in his campaign account, has announced his intentions to continue promoting his liberal views, and could run for office again, Judson said in a written statement. Hopefully those who are tempted to take his money or listen to his voice will understand that he does not represent mainstream Republican views.

But the move provoked frustration from some, including precinct chair Vivian Brown, who called the censure disgusting and afterward resigned as communications director for the Bexar County GOP. Brown warned the party stands to lose major donors for the action.

You had 77 people out of the county of nearly 2 million that voted to censure the speaker, it's hardly a repudiation of him, she said. They are so proud of themselves and all they did was tear down a fellow Republican.

Efforts to publicly rebuff Straus ramped up after a contentious session this year, which pitted Straus against tea party-aligned Republicans advocating policies to restrict transgender bathroom use and let parents use public dollars to finance private education, among others.

Straus, a pro-business Republican who has long championed reforming the states struggling system for funding public schools, often clashed with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Abbott. The pair heaped blame on Straus when the summers special session ended with roughly half of Abbotts agenda left incomplete, including the bathroom bill and a measure curbing local officials authority over property tax increases.

Over the summer more than 50 Republican Party organizations across Texas took votes of no confidence or passed other rebuffs of Straus leadership, according to news reports.

amorris@express-news.net
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Dozens of Texas teachers were investigated and arrested this year for allegedly being involved in inappropriate relationships with students.

At least 6 teachers in the San Antonio-area were accused or found guilty of misconduct with a student in 2017.

During the 2017 fiscal year, the Texas Education Agency opened 302 investigations into improper relationships.

It was at least the seventh year in a row that number has increased.

RELATED: S.A. districts explain how teacher was hired after allegations of inappropriate behavior

Now Playing: An Alabama judge ruled that teachers can have sex with students as long as they're 16 or older. Video: JW Player

Improper relationships, which includes any sexual contact between a teacher and student, have plagued Texas school districts for years, with 1,503 investigations opened since the 2010 fiscal year. A slew of bills were filed to curb the issue during the 85th Legislative Session and Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 7 in May.

The new law, which went into effect Sept. 1, requires principals to report to superintendents if a teacher is terminated or resigns after being accused of an improper relationship with a student. It increases the penalty for superintendents who don't report the misconduct to the TEA and automatically revokes teaching certificates for educators who are required to register as sex offenders.

RELATED: TEA investigations into improper student-teacher relationships jumped 36 percent in past year

Between January 2010 and December 2016, the most recent period for which information was available, 63 San Antonio-area educators had their teaching certificates revoked 24 of them were arrested, according to an Austin American-Statesman database.

Here is a breakdown of investigations:

Fiscal year 2009-2010: 141

Fiscal year 2010-2011: 152

Fiscal year 2011-2012: 156

Fiscal year 2012-2013: 163

Fiscal year 2013-2014: 179

Fiscal year 2014-2015: 188

Fiscal year 2015-2016: 222

Fiscal year 2016-2017: 302

Months before the lawmakers convened in Austin this year, the TEA lamented social media had contributed to the rise in investigations.

RELATED: Kerrville high school teacher accused of having a relationship with student arrested

"Unfortunately, social media has also made it more prevalent," said DeEtta Culbertson, TEA information specialist, in June 2016.

While social media does give educators more access to students, it also helps in reporting such cases, she said.

This year, high-profile cases in the San Antonio-area included a teacher arrested for allegedly driving more than an hour in an effort to have sex with a minor and a librarian accused of allowing a student to feel her breasts while they kissed.

Click through the slideshow to see the cases that made the news this year.

Kelsey Bradshaw is a digital reporter for mySA.com. Read more of her stories here. | kbradshaw@express-news.net | Twitter: @kbrad5
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Seguin police say their local Grinch's small heart grew three sizes on Monday.

Last week, the police department released surveillance video of a man who stole a small Christmas tree from a Seguin Whataburger.

The decorated tree was bought by the Whataburger staff, who paid out of their own pockets to celebrate the holiday season.

RELATED: Video: How the 'Grinch' stole Christmas from a Seguin Whataburger

In a rhyming verse posted Monday, Seguin police said the man returned the tree to the fast food restaurant.

"Just like the Grinch in Whoville that year,

He wound up finding his Christmas cheer.

Our local guy, who stole from Whataburger on a dare,

Returned the short tree, which is actually quite rare."

The man got in touch with police after the video was shared over social media. According to the post, he will perform community service for the petty theft.

Now Playing: "The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please dont ask why. No one quite knows the reason. Seguin PD needs your help. We are in a pinch. Identify this What-A-Burger GRINCH!" Video: Seguin Police Department

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA
The 200-pound Mastiff dog named Zeus is being held on a 10-day quarantine after biting its owner's arm, puncturing an artery, according to San Antonio Animal Care Services.

Police on Sunday told MySA the dog would likely be put down, but Lisa Norwood, public relations and outreach manager for ACS, said officials will consult with the dog's owner about whether or not to euthanize it.
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NEW YORK - Donald Trump sailed past a raft of allegations of sexual misconduct in last year's presidential election.

Now the national #MeToo spotlight is turning back to Trump and his past conduct. Several of his accusers are urging Congress to investigate his behavior, and a number of Democratic lawmakers are demanding his resignation.

With each day seeming to bring new headlines that force men from positions of power, the movement to expose sexual harassment has forced an unwelcome conversation on the White House. In a heated exchange with reporters in the White House briefing room on Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders steadfastly dismissed accusations against the Republican president and suggested the issue had already been litigated in Trump's favor on Election Day.

But to Trump's accusers, the rising #MeToo movement is an occasion to ensure he is at last held accountable.

"It was heartbreaking last year. We're private citizens, and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, 'Eh, we don't care,' it hurt," Samantha Holvey said Monday. The former beauty queen claimed that Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006.

"Let's try round two," she said. "The environment's different. Let's try again."

Holvey was one of four women to make her case against Trump on Monday, both in an NBC interview and then in a news conference.

calls to step down

Rachel Crooks, a former Trump Tower receptionist who said the celebrity businessman kissed her on the mouth in 2006 without consent, called for Congress to "put aside party affiliations and investigate Trump's history of sexual misconduct."

"If they were willing to investigate Sen. Franken, it's only fair that they do the same for Trump," Crooks said.

Al Franken, the Democratic senator from Minnesota, announced last week that he would resign amid an ethics probe into accusations that he sexually harassed several women. Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Trent Franks, R-Ariz., also resigned after misconduct accusations.

But a Capitol Hill investigation into Trump's conduct appears unlikely. The Senate and House Ethics Committees investigate members of Congress, not presidents, and Republican-led committees are not apt to investigate Trump on sexual misconduct unless there is some sort of connection to the ongoing Russia probe.

Nonetheless, several Democratic senators have seized the moment and called for Trump to step down.

"President Trump should resign," New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told CNN on Monday. "These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking."

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley have also called on Trump to resign.

The president's advisers were stunned Sunday when one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration broke with the White House line and said the accusers' voices "should be heard."

"They should be heard, and they should be dealt with," Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in a CBS interview. "And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up."

ire as accusations resurface

Haley's comments infuriated the president, according to two people who are familiar with his views but who spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump has grown increasingly angry in recent days that the accusations against him have resurfaced, telling associates that the charges are false.

Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, many after the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape last October in which Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women. One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Trump's reality show, "The Apprentice," sued, contending that Trump's denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.
Dario Pignatelli

LONDON - Emboldened by President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Benjamin Netanyahu paid the first visit to the European Union headquarters by an Israeli prime minister in 22 years Monday to seek similar endorsement from the 28-nation bloc.

The answer, though, was clear: no.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Wednesday will try to sell the American people on an unpopular Republican tax overhaul that his administration claims will generate a large part of $1.8 trillion in new revenue - a figure that a top Democratic lawmaker dismissed as "fake math."

Trump's pitch will focus on how the GOP tax reform plan will lead to a brighter future for taxpayers and their families, according to spokeswoman Lindsay Walters. House and Senate negotiators are rushing to finalize a bill and deliver the measure to Trump before Christmas.

Trump and Republican leaders in Congress have promoted the massive tax plan by promising the tax cuts will boost the economy. Their idea is that growth sparked by the legislation will let the tax cuts pay for themselves and not balloon the $20 trillion deficit.

Difference of opinion

Public polling shows many Americans are unhappy with the proposal. The House and Senate tax bills combine steep tax cuts for corporations with more modest reductions for individuals.

The administration's rosy estimate of new revenue from the tax plan over 10 years is a lot higher than nonpartisan congressional analysts have projected. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that growth stimulated by the anticipated tax cuts will generate some $408 billion in additional tax revenue over 10 years.

The new Treasury Department analysis says about half the expected increase in economic growth likely will result from tax benefits for corporations. Trump and the Republicans have insisted that businesses will use the tax savings to invest and create new jobs.

According to the Treasury analysis, the other half of new revenue will come from tax reductions for individuals and businesses whose profits are reported on owners' personal income tax returns, as well as from planned administration initiatives such as infrastructure development and a welfare overhaul.

'Page of fake math'

The analysis includes an assumption that tax cuts and other administration policies would cause the economy to expand at a 2.9 percent annual pace over 10 years. Economic growth at that level would, in theory, be enough to keep the national debt from rising.

But most analyses have concluded that the tax overhaul would add at least $1 trillion to budget deficits in the next decade because the analyses foresee significantly less growth resulting from the tax cuts.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the administration's analysis "nothing more than one page of fake math."

"It's clear the White House and Republicans are grasping at straws to prove the unprovable and garner votes for a bill that nearly every single independent analysis has concluded will blow up the deficit and generate almost no additional economic activity to make up for it," Schumer said.
AUSTIN  Texas Education Agency staff members were aware of misconduct allegations when they hired Laurie Kash, an Oregon educator, to lead the state's special education department, text messages provided to the Houston Chronicle show.

TEA says it fired Kash after allegations surfaced in an Oregon civil lawsuit that she covered up the sexual abuse of a 6-year-old special education student.

Had the agency known about the allegation, Kash would not have been hired, the agency has repeatedly said in statements since the allegations were made public in late November.

But text messages provided to the Houston Chronicle between Kash and her supervisor, Justin Porter, show the agency was aware of alleged misconduct in her former school district.

TEA lied to the public when they said they were not aware of the allegations when they hired Laurie, said Kashs attorney, Bill Aleshire, who provided the text messages to the Chronicle.

Asked about the text messages and if the agency stands by its statements that it did not know about the allegations, a TEA spokeswoman sent the Chronicle an earlier release stating that the agency did not know about the allegations.

"These allegations were not disclosed during the hiring process, and if these serious allegations had been disclosed, she would not have been hired, the statement said. The agency has terminated Dr. Kashs employment. Dr. Kash has no business being in charge of special education policy and programming in Texas.

Ill stand by you'

In late July, Kash was in the midst of the hiring process with TEA. Porter, the executive director of special populations, texted her asking if she had a minute to chat.

In an interview with the Chronicle, Kash said Porter asked her about an article he found when he Googled her name. The article contained allegations that Kash had kissed an exchange student living in her home in 2007.

She denied the allegations and told Porter that the state cleared her of any wrongdoing. She said the allegations were all part of a scheme by an employee to get her husband, the superintendent of the Rainier school district, fired.

Kash said in that same conversation she told Porter about the employees that eventually filed the civil lawsuit against her in November. They claim Kash and her husband barred them from reporting an alleged sexual assault against a 6-year-old girl.

In a text message following their phone conversation, Porter says he did a little digging to be able to put book ends to the story for Penny Schwinn, the deputy commissioner for academics.

As far as the agency is concerned, dont give any of it another thought. If it comes up through some other channel after we make the announcement of your hiring, Ill stand by you and well just get through it, another text from Porter reads. Its also possible that it doesnt ever come up, and is a complete non issue."

The texts do not specifically reference the employees or the allegations involved in the November lawsuit.

But in a text message that Porter sent Kash in November when the Texas Tribune published an article about the Oregon lawsuit, Porter raised no concern about the allegation.

"I found out Saturday, Kash responded. "Its that crazy employee I told you about this summer.

Porter didnt reply.

Federal complaint

Aleshire, Kashs attorney, says the text messages prove that the TEA knew of the allegations and that the agency is using the Oregon lawsuit as a cover.

Aleshire believes Kash was fired because she was outspoken about a no-bid, $4 million contract with SPEDx, a tech company that is analyzing the confidential records of students with disabilities.

Kash filed a federal complaint alleging the state improperly awarded the contract to SPEDx. The next day, she was fired.

TEA officials repeatedly have said the department followed all the proper procurement procedures. They say the project is necessary to improve outcomes for special education students in Texas, but some parents and advocacy organizations have raised privacy concerns and question if the money spent on the project could be put to better use.

The Oregon lawsuit was an early Christmas gift to TEA to use as a cover excuse after she complained about the SPEDx contract, Aleshire said. She was fired because of the contract. Thats the plain truth."

Alejandra Matos covers politics, education and immigration policy. Follow her on Twitter. Email tips to alejandra.matos@chron.com
All the conditions were set for a brush fire in the White House briefing room on Monday afternoon: Over the past two weeks, ABC News and then CNN made grand mistakes in their coverage of the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. In both cases, the initial reports suggested scandalous dealings that, upon closer inspection, simply didn't bear out.

The media-White House tension continued over the weekend, after President Donald Trump criticized The Post's David Weigel for a tweet commenting on crowd size for a Trump event in Florida:

".@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!"

Weigel later apologized for the tweet and deleted it from his personal account.

In Monday's briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked whether Trump differentiates between a situation such as Weigel's tweet - a mistake followed by corrective action - and genuine disinformation campaigns of the sort managed by Vladimir Putin's Russia. Sanders responded that Trump was "calling out" a "false accusation," arguing that it reflected "nothing more than an individual trying to put their bias into their reporting." Nor was this an isolated instance, argued Sanders: "A number of outlets have had to retract and change and rewrite and make editor's notes to a number of different stories - some of them with major impacts, including moving markets. This is a big problem, and we think it's something that should be taken seriously."

This thing was just getting started.

Jim Acosta of CNN, a network accused of "fake news" on repeated occasions by the president, strove to make a distinction: "I would just say, Sarah, that journalists make honest mistakes, and that doesn't make them 'fake news.' "

That's a plea that journalists have been making, to little effect, for the year-plus since "fake news" shifted to the center of a national debate on the durability of American politics. Whereas the term started out as a designation for deliberately false stories, it has mutated to a new descriptor of any news report that turns out to be faulty.

In any case, Sanders and Acosta continued jousting:

Sanders: When journalists make honest mistakes, they should own up to them.

Acosta: They do.

Sanders: Sometimes, and a lot of times you don't.

[Crosstalk]

Sanders: I'm sorry, I'm not finished. There's a very big difference between making honest mistakes and purposefully misleading the American people. Something that happens regularly -

[Crosstalk]

Sanders: I'm not done. You cannot say that it's an honest mistake when you're purposely putting out information that you know to be false. Or when you're taking information that hasn't been validated, that hasn't been offered any credibility and that has been continually denied by a number of people including people with direct knowledge of an incident.

[. . .]

Acosta: Can you cite a specific story that you say is intentionally false, that was intentionally put out there to mislead the American people?

Sanders: Sure, the ABC report by Brian Ross, I think that was pretty misleading to the American people, and I think that it's very telling that that individual had to be suspended because of that reporting. I think that shows that the network took it seriously and recognized that it was a problem.

With that, Sanders appeared to allege that Ross's report - a claim that fired national security adviser Michael Flynn was prepared to testify that Trump had directed him to contact Russia during the campaign - was a deliberate exercise in misinformation on the part of ABC News. Though the network did suspend Ross for four weeks, correct the story and apologize for it, it has never gone so far as to say that there was anything purposeful about it. The mere fact that it corrected the story should annul any argument that it was seeking to mislead, but as we've seen, logic doesn't always find a foothold at the White House lectern.

ABC News tells us that it has "nothing to add" in light of Sanders' words.

Perhaps unintentionally, Sanders was leading the briefing room through an exercise over what every major-media editor has been agonizing for the better part of two-and-a-half years. That is, how to view the thousands of falsehoods uttered by President Trump on Twitter, in speeches and in interviews? Are those falsehoods intentional and, thus, lies? Or are they more innocent, serial mistakes? Some outlets have adopted a more liberal standard of presidential mendacity, while others just won't go there.

However high the bar, Trump falls immeasurably short of the standard set by Sanders herself, which is that when people make honest mistakes, they should "own up" to them. Trump simply doesn't do that. Media organizations look like a model of biblical rectitude vis-a-vis that guy.

It takes a lot for media organizations to issue corrections and retractions. They tend to clamber toward any available rationale to avoid the ignominy of a bolded correction. Broad reaction to the recent screw-ups - that they're evidence of "fake news" and a purposeful campaign to deceive - threaten to further suppress this very important activity. If the issuance of corrections is used as evidence of "fake news" intentions, why bother with them?
The Chinese government would like Americans to know that China has no ambitions to replace the United States as the worlds biggest superpower.

Really! They pinkie-swear!

Sure, maybe the United States has turned its back on globalization. Maybe the U.S. government has said it will withdraw from a 195-country pact on climate change. Maybe it has hollowed out its diplomatic corps and retreated from the international promotion of democracy, human rights and other American values.

Likewise maybe, days before President Donald Trump took office, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a major speech portraying China as the worlds new champion of free trade. Maybe China has also been flexing its geopolitical muscle by developing major infrastructure projects across multiple continents.

Xi may have said, at his partys recent national congress, that China has taken a driving seat in international cooperation to respond to climate change and China was now moving closer to center stage.

And perhaps public opinion elsewhere views this sashay to center stage positively. China and the United States are now tied in favorability ratings around the world, with the typical country expressing more confidence in Xi than in Trump to do the right thing, per a recent Pew Research Center survey.

But none of that means China intends to fill the power void created by the United States retrenchment. Oh, no.

Some people merely misinterpret such recent developments as Chinas attempts to dislodge the United States from its unipolar power perch. That is a misunderstanding, a senior Chinese government official told a group of American journalists on a trip sponsored by the Asia Society. China just wants all countries to be equal.

We do not believe that any country should assume leadership in the world, least of all China, he said. China has neither the intention nor the capability to act as a world leader.

Government officials have, in fact, been issuing similar assurances for years, whenever Sino-panic flares up in the United States. One of Chinas central conundrums has been how to peacefully rise without freaking out Americans, particularly since U.S. politicians do adore a good red scare.

But lately, China has especially strong motivation to convince us of its superpowerlessness.

Despite an apparently warm relationship between Trump and Xi, the United States has filed a brief with the World Trade Organization opposing Chinas designation as a market economy, a move Chinese state media calls selfish and protectionist; launched a probe into Chinas alleged aluminum dumping; and announced a halt to bilateral trade talks with Beijing.

A forthcoming Trump administration report is expected to name Chinas economic policy as one of Americas biggest security threats.

And, meanwhile, the U.S. government clearly views China as having sufficient clout to force North Korea to halt its nuclear program  influence the Chinese government would prefer Americans not assume it has.

Of course, a cynic or Sinophobe might hear in Chinas deflections and self-deprecations Deng Xiaopings famous dictum to hide your strength, bide your time.

But many Chinese do see their country as an underdog of sorts, albeit one on the upswing.

While the Chinese economy is now second-largest in the world, that looks significantly less impressive when you adjust for its massive population. Gross domestic product per capita is about $17,000. More than 40 million people still live on less than a dollar a day.

Rising wealth also means that the Chinese public may increasingly view their country as a resurgent power and expect it to start acting like one  that is, to become more assertive in its dealings with big bad American bullies. The Chinese government must walk a fine line between appeasing these nationalistic impulses (hence Xis carefully calibrated center stage line) and simultaneously assuring the United States that it is not a serious rival.

Which explains why this official took pains to let us know his government has no desire to export the so-called China model.

Looking at Washington lately, however, one has to wonder: To the extent that the China model means wielding economic influence without ever nagging anyone about pesky democratic values, maybe this export has already done better than China ever intended.

crampell@washpost.com
The Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour is a movie that should be seen, but not entirely believed. Gary Oldmans alternately fierce and vulnerable Churchill is a triumph of both acting and the cosmeticians art. Just hearing him deliver snippets of Churchills speeches is worth the ticket price.

But the central conceit of the film  that a deflated, defeated Churchill required bucking up by average Brits  is a fiction. Very nearly the opposite was true. The policy of appeasement was broadly popular in Britain during the early to mid-1930s. In 1938, a majority supported Neville Chamberlains deal at Munich (which ceded much of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany in return for  nothing).

It is more accurate to say that Churchill summoned British courage and defiance by his intense idealization of British character. He saw heroic traits in his countrymen that even they, for a time, could not see.

This is not to say that May and June of 1940 werent dark times, even for Churchill. As resistance in France collapsed and Italy seemed destined to enter the war on Germanys side, Churchill asked his chiefs of staff if it were possible to continue the war at all (they gave a conditional yes). The despair implied in that question still startles.

But on June 3, even as British troops were being evacuated at Dunkirk, Churchills private secretary Jock Colville wrote in his diary: Winston is tired of our always being on the defensive and is contemplating raids on the enemy. How wonderful it would be, he writes to (Gen. Hastings) Ismay, if the Germans could be made to wonder where they were going to be struck next instead of forcing us to try to wall in the Island and roof it over.

In the midst of catastrophe, Churchill was dreaming of Normandy (and North Africa, and Italy). Not the thoughts of a defeated man.

Where Darkest Hour shines is in presenting the alarming, inspiring contingency of great events. In the spring of 1940, Europe was being shaken by massive, impersonal, world-historic forces  the apparent failure of liberal democracy and free markets, the rise of communism and fascism, the unleashing of anti-Semitism. Millions marched, line by line, to the Horst Wessel song or the Internationale.

And yet, in saving the remnants of the British Army at Dunkirk, it fell to 665 private British boats (along with 222 British warships) to rescue their country from (likely) capitulation or invasion. The future of freedom was determined by the choices and courage of a few hundred free people.

And, of course, the choices and courage of one man. A New York Times review of Darkest Hour sneered at the movies great man fetish. But is there really any doubt that history would be darker if Churchill had truly lost his nerve, or had died when hit by a car in New York in December of 1931 (he escaped with two cracked ribs and a severe scalp wound)? History can hinge on a single life.

From Churchill, we learn to resist pessimistic extrapolation. May 1940 was terrible, but not permanent. We learn the power of unreasonable optimism  the value of planning for revival in the midst of defeat. We see the possibility of leadership that can not only ride the tide but summon it.

Many of us view this example, not only with appreciation, but with longing. The problem of our time is not only arrogance without accomplishment or swagger without success. These are common enough in politics. Rather, it is the arrival of leadership that survives by feeding resentment, hatred and disorienting flux. Leadership urging us  at angry rallies, in ethnic stereotyping, through religious bigotry  to forget who we really are as a people. Leadership that has ceased to believe in the inclusive, unifying power of American ideals.

But the moment is not permanent. Many are looking for a place to invest their hope. And some leader, we trust, will rise who calls his countrymen to choose decency and civic friendship above the destructive pleasures of hatred and blame. Who can see and summon the best in American character, even if, for the moment, it is hidden.

In the meantime, we shall fight on the beaches.

michaelgerson@washpost.com
Re: Americans dont know fact from fiction, laws of land, Timothy Egan, Other Views, Nov. 29:

Everyone should read this. Part of retaining a functioning democracy is having an educated populace that can make rational decisions, such as whom to vote for and whose ideas make sense.

In this newspaper, when Barack Obama was president, I saw letters claiming that he was destroying the constitution. Obama studied law at Harvard and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago. Whom would I trust more about constitutional matters  Obama or a disgruntled letter-to-the-editor writer?

The fact is, the federal judiciary decides what is constitutional and what isnt. Such cases may be appealed to the Supreme Court. If the court does not take an appealed case, the lower courts ruling stands. It is important to bear in mind that over the years, the courts membership changes. Something that once was constitutional may no longer be and vise versa.

Peoples ignorance of how government works seems to have no bounds. I read that during the 2016 election campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump claimed that Hillary Clinton wanted to abolish the Second Amendment. In fact, no president alone can change the Constitution because such a procedure requires ratification by three-fourths of the states.

The scariest part is that I  having picked up my knowledge from junior and senior high school, and from my father, a reporter  seem to know more about the U.S. Constitution than the current president.

Trump tweets insults at federal judges who make rulings he does not like. The Founding Fathers set up three branches of government: the executive, legislative and judiciary with a system called checks and balances to prevent any one of the three from taking total control.

The founders also made it hard, on purpose, to change the Constitution. We should be glad about this. In countries such as Turkey and Venezuela, strong leaders are giving themselves dictatorial powers, in effect erasing democracy. This cannot happen here, at least not without three-quarters of the states ratifying changes to the Constitution that would allow it.

In 2016, Khizr Khan, the father of a fallen U.S. soldier, offered a copy of the Constitution to then-candidate Trump. He might have done well to accept it.

Thomas L. Arnow has a bachelors degree in chemistry, a masters degree in computer science from UTSA, and a masters and doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
You can see where this is headed, the once bright and shiny democracy going down the drain before the holidays are out. The Russians, special counsel Robert Mueller and his agents, desperate men flipped and singing to save their souls  all may soon be gone, by President Donald Trumps design.

If theres any outrage left in the tank, use it now, because Trump has signaled exactly what hes going to do. First, he had to set some brush fires, impugning the legitimacy of the rule of law  an old dictators trick.

So, before Trump can fire the prosecutor who is hot on the corruption trail of those in the presidents inner circle, he needs a pretext. He could just work his way down the line at the Justice Department, until he found a quisling willing to remove the special counsel. But before he gets to that, he has to delegitimize the whole investigation.

Thus, hes now attacking the FBI, saying the agency is in Tatters and its standing the worst in History. Bashing cops  wasnt that what those Black Lives Matter people did to disrespect Blue Lives?

Trumps lawyer, John Dowd, has been busy clearing out more brush, making the preposterous claim that the president cannot obstruct justice because hes the nations chief law enforcement officer. See, when the president does it, its not a crime. This defense was floated during the two impeachment episodes of the 20th century. The third time will not be a charm. But Trumps team already has gone from there is no collusion or obstruction to, so what? If it happened, its no biggie.

They dont appear to be the least bit troubled by a stunning report from a whistleblower. As Trump was pledging to put America first during his inaugural address, his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was texting a former business associate serving foreign clients. With Trump in, the sanctions against Russia would be ripped up, clearing the way for big money to be made on the inside, according to the report made public Wednesday.

Ignoring that story, Trumps media wing is doing its job. Sean Hannity, at state-run television, went on a vein-popping rant last week against law enforcement, complete with conspiracy charts. He called the federal authorities a team of so-called investigators. As for their boss, he said that Mueller is frankly a disgrace to the American justice system and has put the country on the brink of becoming a banana republic.

Dont forget, this is the same Robert Mueller who won wide bipartisan praise when he was appointed special counsel: a career prosecutor, the longest-serving director of the FBI since J. Edgar Hoover, awarded the Bronze Star for his service as a Marine in Vietnam. Republicans love him. Or they did until he started closing in on Trumps closest associates.

Mueller should be fired, the Russian enablers now claim, because one of his agents said some bad things about Trump. This agent, Peter Strzok, was reassigned over the summer, as soon as his comments came to light. Wow, a G-man has opinions. The cops I know, a couple of long-standing friends, have more opinions than I.

The facts are what matters. And the facts are pointing in a very bad direction for the gang that cant collude straight. Trump has got to be sweating it. He looked punch-drunk at recent public events.

Now that hes a felon from his recent guilty plea, Flynn is cooperating with Mueller. He knows plenty. Trump could pardon him and try to bring him back into the fold. The outrage would be minimal among the Banana Republicans. Sure, they got their tax-relief-for-the-rich bill passed, so they may no longer need Trump after he signs it. But now theyre dreaming of more  cutting Medicare and health care for children, so they have a reason to keep him around.

If Trump fires Mueller, he can start the new year clean. His base will stick with him. Though voters believe, by a nearly 2-1 margin, that Russians interfered with the U.S. election, Republicans do not. Party before country  in the face of a dangerous turn toward authoritarianism, thats all that matters.

Timothy Egan writes a column for the New York Times.
The enrollment deadline for insurance under the Affordable Care Act is Friday, and there are serious concerns that enrollment will fall short of last years numbers.

As of late last week, only 3.6 million Americans had enrolled in individual health insurance for 2018 through exchanges established under the ACA  commonly referred to as Obamacare.

A significant surge in enrollment is necessary in the next few days to match the 2017 enrollment of 12.2 million people.

Directives from the White House are having an adverse effect on enrollment. The Department of Health and Human Services budget to help people enroll was drastically cut. The open enrollment period was reduced from 12 weeks to only six weeks.

Repeated attempts by the Trump administration to repeal and replace Obamacare have proven generally unsuccessful  though a pending tax bill removes the mandate to buy insurance. It doesnt look like any viable alternative plans will be forthcoming soon in any case.

That means there will be more uninsured Americans, and that could have an adverse impact on the insurance markets.

This is more than a partisan issue  its a public health and economic issue. Without health insurance, more people will skip well care visits to their doctors and seek care only when their conditions become severe.

In the end, local taxpayers will foot the cost for the uninsured through funding of public hospitals. Those who do not have insurance tend to use emergency rooms, one of the most expensive health services.

Increasing the number of people signed up for individual health insurance benefits more than the people receiving the services.
Even U.S. military actions off the battlefield protect Americans. This is well known. Less well know is that the military is failing in one key aspect in this regard. It has not been forwarding all its information on criminal convictions of service members  information that would prevent them from buying firearms from sellers required to tap into a federal background check system.

The former airman who recently killed 26 parishioners and wounded 20 others at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs was convicted in 2012 in a military court for assaulting his wife and stepson, fracturing the boys skull. He served a year in prison. However, that information was not forwarded, and he was able to buy four guns, including the semi-automatic rifle he used to such deadly effect at the church.
Thousands of people are wrongly labeled unconscious after severe brain injuries each year. Some have their life support withdrawn; some are sent to nursing homes and left to lay in bed, aware but unable to show it. A fortunate few make it to a Houston rehab hospital, where those with even the worst prognoses get a shot at recovery  and where some families learn loved ones are still ALIVE INSIDE. Click here to read our series.

For over 40 years, our country has grappled with issues of limiting medical treatment in people who are permanently unconscious.

These discussions crystallized around the well known legal battles involving three young women: Karen Ann Quinlan, Nancy Cruzan, and  most recently  Terry Schiavo, all of whom had been in a vegetative state for years. From these cases developed our current legal consensus that it is permissible to withdraw medical treatment in permanently vegetative patients who had previously expressed such a wish.

The vegetative state is a state of complete unconsciousness: There is no awareness, no inner mental life. But recent developments in medicine have reminded us that there can be degrees of consciousness after severe brain injury. Although attention has mostly focused on the vegetative state, far more people who survive such injuries are left in a minimally conscious state. Unlike the vegetative state, patients in the minimally conscious state show subtle signs of awareness even though they remain profoundly incapacitated.

The Houston Chronicle series "Alive Inside" by reporter Mike Hixenbaugh highlights the challenges faced by patients who are minimally conscious: misdiagnosis, inaccurate prognoses and a lack of access to appropriate care. These are issues that can and should be addressed. But even if they are  even if patients are correctly diagnosed and receive the appropriate services  their neurological status might not improve.

In these situations, families of minimally conscious patients will sometimes ask questions about limiting or withdrawing medical treatment, conveying that their loved one "wouldn't want to live like this." But unlike situations involving the vegetative state, there is not a broad consensus to guide families and clinicians in these circumstances. There are no laws and few judicial cases that explicitly address the minimally conscious state. And ethicists are divided as to whether it is permissible to limit or withdraw treatment in someone who is conscious, however minimally.

What is agreed upon is that consciousness matters. However, people have drawn very different conclusions about its implications in these situations. Some have argued that to be minimally conscious is even worse than being in a vegetative state, because the presence of consciousness entails the capacity to suffer, both physically and psychologically. Conversely, others have argued that it should be even harder to limit or withdraw treatment in someone who is conscious, especially since these patients are unable to communicate  or likely even formulate  their wishes.

These and other issues are the same ones that we and the families of the patients we care for wrestle with. Because there has not yet been a larger societal discussion about limiting treatment in the minimally conscious state, medical professionals and families are on our own as we struggle to articulate our concerns and search for answers.

But we are not only patients, family members, and professionals; we are also members of a larger community, shaped by its values and norms. And it is time for our community to explicitly discuss these issues. The goal of this larger conversation is not to come up with the "right" answer; there is no single approach that will apply to all (or even most) cases. And the best decision for any individual patient should be made at the bedside, by those who know and love the patient, taking into account the information offered to them by the patient's physicians.

A broader societal conversation would enrich and enable these bedside discussions by expanding the range of relevant considerations. It is important that this larger discussion not be restricted to just medical professionals and bioethicists but be enlarged to include other voices to ensure that the widest range of perspectives are represented. In the desire to spark such a conversation, a group of national experts with support from the Moody Endowment and UTMB  recently met to discuss these issues; represented were leaders from the fields of medicine, ethics, religion, law, and disability rights.

We hope that our discussions will contribute to the larger conversation and thereby eventually help patients, families, and physicians in these situations  situations that raise some of the deepest questions about human life: What defines us as humans? What makes our lives worth living? Despite the remarkable advances of the last decade, these are questions that can not be answered by science or medicine; they will require the wisdom and love that our entire community brings to them.

Sunil Kothari, M.D., and Katherine O'Brien, Ph.D., direct the Disorders of Consciousness program at TIRR-Memorial Hermann and are faculty in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine.
Sixty-two people cheated death yesterday when a Citiliner cross-border bus they were travelling in caught fire about 40 km along the Beitbridge-Masvingo Road yesterday morning.

Miraculously, none of the passengers were injured in the incident that occurred around 5AM.

Although some passengers alleged they lost luggage in the inferno, a spokesperson for Greyhound bus company that runs Citiliner said all the luggage was saved.

Matabeleland South Police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Loveness Mangena said the bus was travelling from Johannesburg in South Africa heading to Harare.

There were 62 passengers on board. When the bus reached the 246,5 km peg along the Masvingo Beitbridge road, one passenger, who was sitting at the back noticed some smoke coming from the rear side of the bus.

He alerted the driver who stopped the bus and evacuated all the passengers and part of the goods from the bus and trailer, she said.

She said the bus suddenly burst into a ball of fire, before the passengers could offload all the goods.

Assistant Inspector Mangena said property worth hundreds of dollars was destroyed in the fire.

She said no-one was injured although the bus and the trailer were extensively damaged.

The cause of the fire is still under investigations, said Assistant Inspector Mangena.

Recently eight people were killed when a South African registered Toyota Quantum they were travelling in collided with a haulage truck 10km along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo road, near Naude area.

Greyhound representative in Zimbabwe, Mr Thomas Rumhaka, yesterday said the bus was a write off.

We managed to save all the luggage and called another bus to ferry the passengers to Harare. Everyone is safe, some people may want to take advantage and say they lost their luggage in the fire. However, as far as Im concerned, everything was removed from the bus, said Mr Rumhaka from the accident scene.

He said the company was still working on establishing the cause of the fire.

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People First Vice President Munacho Mutezo has said ZANU PF has been destroying Zimbabwe for the last 37 years while addressing MDC Alliance members in Mutare at MDC T office on Saturday.

While addressing hundreds of people Mutezo said, Zanu pf destroyed Zimbabwe. I was also amongst the corrupt government officials but now tasvinura.

Tsvangirai must be the next President of Zimbabwe because he has a vision for Zimbabwe and its people.

We have buried our differences and decided to join the alliance which is led by a visionary leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Peoples First Vice President also demanded Mnangagwa to treat all thieves fairly.

If President Mnangagwa is genuine he must start to deal with corrupt and thieves now. He has to start with himself not only Chipanga and Chombonmk because there is no saint in Zanu pf. Theyre are all thieves. Mnangagwa can not be the President after 2018 but Morgan Tsvangirai.

Meanwhile, Mr Mutezo urged people to go and register to vote now and vote for the Alliances President Dr Richard Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mr Munacho Mutezo is the current Vice President of Peoples First which is led by Brigadier Agrippa Murambara. He was expelled from Zanu Pf in 2015 with Joyce Mujuru.

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OPERATION Restore Legacy was never about former president Robert Mugabe, a senior government official has said.

George Charamba, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Media, Information and Broadcasting Services told the Daily News recently that the military operation was actually meant to salvage Mugabes legacy.

One misconception that must not be there is a failure to interpret the full import of Operation Restore Legacy. Now, people think that the revolving politics post-Mugabe amount to a repudiation of Mugabe the man, the leader, the veteran, the symbol. Handiko kwatiri kuenda (we are not going that way), he said.

The operation was meant to extricate that symbolism in order to restore it so that it could shine large and bright as a beacon for the future. I dont find anything in-between  the notion of an RG University and the evolving politics post-Mugabe, added Charamba, who also doubles as President Emmerson Mnangagwas spokesperson.

When the military took-over government on November 14, retired Major General Sibusiso Mayo who had assumed the role of army spokesperson at the time, said they were only targeting criminals around Mugabe. So far several allies of Mugabe, including former Finance minister Ignatius Chombo and former Zanu PF youth league chairperson, Kudzanai Chipanga, have been arrested on an on an array of charges.

Several others have skipped the countrys borders into self-imposed exile, among them former Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo and ex-Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere.

Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist for 37 years, resigned on November 21, hours after Parliament launched proceedings to impeach him. He had refused to leave office during eight days of uncertainty that began with the military intervention.

Mugabe reportedly got a $10 million exit package and guarantees for his immunity in exchange for his resignation. He is still staying in his Borrowdale mansion, popularly known as the Blue Roof  along with his family.

Since Mugabes inglorious fall, uncertainty trails his familys fortunes. For example, there has been little progress on a number of projects that were at varying levels of implementation.

Questions have particularly been raised regarding the construction of a legacy university being built in Mugabes honour, amid speculation that the massive project to cost $1 billion was not on the priority list of the new administration.

While Charamba declined to delve into the deal surrounding Mugabes retirement, it does appear that notwithstanding his excesses, there is unlikely to be any retribution against him. Mnangagwa will be hard-pressed to complete the legacy university project that he, according to Charamba, conceived long before it was allegedly hijacked by the Generation 40 (G40) faction.

Dropping hints into the last days of Mugabe, Charamba revealed recently that his former boss had become a captive of the G40 faction, now scattered across the world following the military intervention.

We were no longer talking about a life lived, we were, in fact, talking about how that life was being misappropriated for a future political project, changing from retrospective, to being prospective. I am straightening the record. Cabinet adopted it thereby making it a government project, said Charamba about the university project.

Moyo wrote on Twitter recently that the project did not originate from Mnangagwa.

The claim that the RGM University is a Mnangagwa idea is boot-licking idiocy. It was first initiated by the Mugabe family itself led by Amai and assisted by Chombo. First designs were done by Albert Mugabe, said Moyo.

Moyo is now in self-imposed exile along with other G40 kingpins.

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Wicknell Chivayo, the flamboyant businessman known for touting his riches and close ties with former first lady Grace Mugabe, has reportedly been questioned by the authorities over his shady deals with power utility ZESA.

According to NewZimbabwe, the controversial businessman was allegedly picked up by members of the security services in the early hours of Sunday.

Security service sources who spoke on condition they were not named confirmed that he was being held by ZRP Law and Order officers and due to appear in court Monday afternoon.

However, the businessman had shown up at Harare magistrates court by end of business with his lawyer Thabani Mpofu only saying; I have no news for you. What I know is that he is at home.

Chivayo was reportedly picked up in a predawn raid Sunday. Attorney Mpofu was quoted by a local daily confirming that his client had been arrested, adding he was however, not sure whether he had been picked up by the police or the military.

Chivayo was advanced $5 million in controversial circumstances by ZESA subsidiary Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) when his company, Intratek, won the tender for the Gwanda Solar Power Project.

Then energy minister Samuel Undenge allegedly directed ZPC to make the payment before any work had been commenced.

Again, despite receiving the money, critics say no progress was made on the project, resulting in the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) taking over its management.

The ZPC has since announced that the project has been contracted to another entity.

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Newly appointed Minister of State for Masvingo Province Josiah Hungwe has openly said that Zanu-PF will use the Zimbabwe Defence Forces when campaigning in next years harmonised elections. Hungwe who previously served as the Minister of Psychomotor Skills under former president Mugabe told the Masvingo Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting that Zanu-PF would not leave the soldiers when campaigning. Hungwe is quoted by Tell Zimbabwe as saying:

In the Bible, the Kings ruled with the army on their side. Saka patinoenda ku2018 elections musasiya soja. (Zanu PF) Chairman, soja apa imi mberi. (When we campaign in 2018, do not leave the army. We will move side by side with the military).

Hungwe also claimed that the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) General Constantino Chiwenga was in the Bible, as the hero who fights for the people. Said Hungwe

President Mnangagwa with the help of the army managed to dislodge the enemy which has been shutting us out all along. With the help of Gen Chiwenga, all the enemies retreated and we are going to rebuild the Walls of Jerusalem.

Our President Mnangagwa said there will be gnashing of teeth in the end. General Chiwenga varimo muBhaibheri ndivo vaya vanopindira kana vanhu voramba nezvinhu zvevanhu (Gen Chiwenga is there in the Bible and he fights for the people).

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The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) and other security services say they have noted with concern a disturbing trend from a few misguided members of the public, who are engaging in counter-productive acts of vengeful retribution against perceived political elements.

In a joint statement, ZDF director Public Relations Colonel Overson Mugwisi and ZRP spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said, there are individuals and groups who are continuing to organise unsanctioned retribution-related demonstration contrary to the spirit of the new political dispensation.

Members of the public are warned against seeking the services of the ZDF to settle old personal scores taking advantage of the ongoing Operation Restore Legacy. Such cases are clearly a violation of the law, read the statement.

They said there are also some malicious individuals abusing the social media to generate and circulate inflammatory content that potentially causes unnecessary alarm and despondency within the defence and security services with the ultimate objective of disturbing the prevailing peace and stability in the country.

In this regard, members of the public are warned against such acts of political retribution targeting fellow Zimbabweans, they said.

Colonel Mugwisi and Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba said such conduct is prohibited as per His Excellency, the Presidents inaugural speech of 24 November 2017.

They said investigations are underway as information has it that some impostors masquerading as ZDF members are creating some of the video footage that has been circulated on the social media.

Colonel Mugwisi and Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba refuted false social media messages suggesting that the defence forces are planning to raid brothels, food vendors and related illegal ventures, saying the responsibility of law enforcement remains in the hands of the ZRP and local authorities enforcements systems.

The general public is advised to be wary and expect more of these falsehoods peddled by individuals with malicious intentions, they said.

The statement further said members of the defence forces deployed across the country are under strict instructions to remain vigilant and professional in the discharge of their duties during the ongoing operation and beyond.

The public has also been advised to report any untoward or suspicious behaviour by any member of the defence forces and other security services.

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TWO South Africa based men, who had been hired by a South African woman to rob her Zimbabwean ex-boyfriend, were last week nabbed after a tip-off.

The duo was not asked to plead to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery when they appeared before Harare magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta, who remanded them in custody.

Fanuel Machando, 42, of house No. 903 Vilakazi Street, Poortye Vaalrand in Johannesburg and his neighbour, Elliot Ratema, 34, requested the court to proffer them an interpreter conversant with Zulu.

Machando is a Zimbabwean, who originates from Gutu district under Chief Nerupiri.

Their alleged accomplice, Zanele Nkosi, who recently separated with Tichaona Shonhiwa is on the run.

The State represented by Sebastian Mutizirwa is alleging that on November 26 the duo sneaked into Zimbabwe from South Africa armed with a 9mm Star pistol that had erased serial numbers.

The State further alleged that Machando and Ratema wanted to rob Shonhiwa who resides in Vainona as they had been instructed by Nkosi.

When the two arrived in Harare, they sought shelter from a squatter camp in Groombridge where they carried out surveillance on their target.

An informer residing at the camp is alleged to have seen the accuseds firearm in one of their bags and he informed members of the Zimbabwe National Army, who apprehended the two and recovered the pistol.

Their matter will be heard today.

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This weeks podcast episode challenges retailers to be agile and stay ahead of the competition with innovative strategy.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.  In this weeks 99th episode of Convenience Matters, we sat down with Dr. Oliver Schlake, clinical professor at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, to talk about Strategizing Innovation.

During the podcast, Schlake encourages business leaders and students to plan for the future with curiosity and a strong strategy. Planning is way more important than the plan, he says. Its about seeing things beyond your current scope.

To stay ahead of the competition, store owners dont have to try to be the next big thing, looking to make a local impact is a simple way to be relevant and top-of-mind with loyal customers. When we think about disruption, it seems big and global, when theres so much power at looking at the localat what is in front of you, echoes podcast co-host Stephanie Sikorski, of NACS.

Schlake led a well-received 2017 NACS Show education session on a similar topic where he shared two important strategies with attendeesexperimentation and rehearsing the futureto help c-stores of all sizes spot trends on the horizon. Schlake reminds retailers that many in the convenience industry were likely not thinking about the foodservice trend 15 years ago. Today, however, almost every convenience retailer is either in or getting into foodservice.

Each week a new Convenience Matters episode is released. Episodes have been downloaded by listeners in more than 91 countries more than 33,000 times. Dr. Oliver Schlake with Convenience Matters podcasts host Stephanie Sikorski and Donovan Woods.
Three quarters of Americans will give confections to family and friends this holiday season.

WASHINGTON  With the winter holidays in full swing, the National Confectioners Association (NCA) is sharing four fun facts about this prime candy shopping season.

"The winter holidays are a special time in the candy industry," said NCA President and CEO John Downs. "[T]here are dozens of ways Americans celebrate with confectionery this time of year. And behind those special treats are 55,000 confectionery employees in communities across the country working hard to make the treats that Americans will enjoy as part of a happy, balanced lifestyle."

NCA cited four fun facts about how Americans enjoy holiday confections:

1. Teach Children About Balance

Throughout the year, Americans eat candy two or three times per week, averaging about 40 calories per day. A full 90% of parents use the holidays to prioritize setting guidelines and talking to their children about balance. While most report having these conversations year-round, many use the holiday as a conversation starter.

2. Good Things Come with More Information, Options and Support

Earlier this year, global chocolate and candy companies announced a five-year commitment with the Partnership for a Healthier America to provide consumers with more information, options and support as they enjoy their favorite treats. The companies participating include Mars Wrigley Confectionery, Nestle USA, Ferrero, Lindt, Ghirardelli, Russell Stover and Ferrara Candy Company.

3. Americans Share Holiday Treats

More than 3/4 of Americans say they will likely include chocolate and candy in stockings or give confections as gifts to friends and family this holiday season. Foil-wrapped chocolates (36%) and candy canes (22%) top the list of the best candy for stocking stuffers, while peppermints, gumdrop-adorned ginger bread houses and chocolate coins all play a role in important holiday traditions.

4. Americans will spend $1.9B on Winter Holiday Treats

NCA estimates that Americans will spend $1.93 billion on sweet treats. Beyond the industry's 55,000 jobs, this economic boost helps an additional 410,000 Americans employed in candy-supported industries like retail, transportation and agriculture.
Tipperary angling projects have been granted more than 38,000 for two projects that will enhance the fishing experience for Tipperary fishermen.

In Tipperary, the following projects were selected to receive funding:

 River Anner, Co Tipperary - River enhancement and restoration programme on River Anner - Clonmel Tourism CE (32,000)

 Glengoole, Thurles, Co Tipperary - Lough Doire Bhile, Tree planting to improve shelter for anglers in open area - Sliabh Ardagh Rural Development CLG (6,797)

Sean Kyne TD, Minister with responsibility for the Inland Fisheries Sector has welcomed the award of funding, to the value of 2.2m, by Inland Fisheries Ireland to 115 angling development and conservation initiatives as part of its National Strategy for Angling Development, Salmon Conservation Fund and Midlands Fisheries Fund.

The projects, which focus on improving Irelands inland fisheries and sea angling resource, will begin delivery in 2018. In total, applications for over 140 projects were received bringing the overall value of projects applying for funding to above 2.9million.

The 2017 Funding Call was first announced in August 2017 with local groups and individuals including local development associations, tidy towns, angling clubs, local authorities and others invited to apply for funding, with 115 angling development projects being awarded funding to the value of 2.2m.

The scheme is part of Inland Fisheries Irelands National Strategy for Angling Development. The Strategy aims to ensure that Irelands fish stocks and angling infrastructure are protected and enhanced with a view to ensuring a sustainable habitat and delivering the economic, health and recreational benefits they offer to communities across Ireland.

Inland Fisheries Ireland is aiming to grow the angling sectors socio-economic contribution of 836 million per year by an additional 60 million annually through the Strategy. This will be achieved by driving angling participation among domestic and overseas visitors, which in turn is supported by improving access to fishing and developing angling infrastructure.

Suzanne Campion, Head of Business Development at Inland Fisheries Ireland said: The 2017 Funding Call has been inundated with strong project applications and we are delighted to announce the 115 projects which have secured support, following a detailed review process. The first Funding Call was in 2016, but the demand for improvements in angling access and development continues apace. The latest funding call was oversubscribed, confirming that rural communities across Ireland are engaged with angling and recognise the value of the fisheries resource to their local area.

Inland Fisheries Ireland has worked closely with angling clubs, individuals, community groups and chambers of commerce to inform them about the Fund and the overall National Strategy for Angling Development. We hope to empower these stakeholders to improve access to angling in their areas and as a result deliver long term recreational and economic benefit to their communities.

A key element of the National Strategy for Angling Development is to build capability and improve governance across the sector, appointing the aforementioned project animators is a significant step in realising this goal and also addresses the issues and challenges raised by stakeholders at the nationwide funding roadshows earlier this year.

For more information on Inland Fisheries Irelands Funding Call 2017 and the projects receiving funding in this funding call, visit www.fisheriesireland.ie/funding.
Two Tipperary homes are overflowing with Christmas spirit  and sparkly lights!

Now one of them could be crowned Irelands Most Christmassy Home!

The Butler family from Emly and the Power family from Cloneen are among the Top 20 finalists in Energias Irelands Most Christmassy Home 2017 competition.

Its now time to get behind them to help them win!

The national competition to find the best decorated home in Ireland at Christmas time has just entered its final week. Since the competition officially started on Friday 1st December, entries were received from across Ireland. From all the entries, Energia has chosen the Top 20 based on decoration design, use of space, festive spirit and wow factor.

The public are now being asked to choose Irelands Most Christmassy Home 2017 by casting their vote on Energias Facebook page before 10am on Friday, 15th December. Energia will then declare the winner.

This years fantastic prizes are donations of 3,000, 2,000 and 1,000 respectively to the charity of choice of the first, second and third placed houses following the public vote.

Below: The home of Alyson Power, Cloneen

See a Christmas lights display for charity in Kilvemnon!

Based on the entries so far, the top Christmas lighting trends for 2017 are:

1. Santa v Snowmen  these classic Christmas characters are battling it out for the title of most popular outdoor decoration in Ireland. While Santa has driven into a lead, it will be snow problem for Frosty and co to catch up by the weekend.

2. Bling is back  the good times are most definitely back for outdoor Christmas lights displays. This year were seeing bigger and brighter displays at homes around Ireland. Thankfully, if householders use LED lights and Energias 100% green electricity, your Christmas lights can be energy efficient and have a reduced carbon footprint.

3. Edging lights for roof, windows and doors  a particular trend were seeing this year is lights on the roofs, windows and doors of houses that are being decorated. Were seeing a wide variety of styles including solar-powered rope lights, solar-powered string lights and curtain-effect lights.

4. Nativity scenes are re-born  more and more Irish homes are featuring nativity scenes in their outdoor Christmas light displays. Were seeing a wide mix of lights and inflatable cribs and characters so far in 2017.

Live Crib in Tipperary this Christmas!

Amy OShaughnessy, Marketing Acquisitions and Sponsorship Manager, Energia commented Weve been really impressed with the standard of the entries into this years competition and it was tough choosing our Top 20. The public has until 10am on Friday morning to choose Irelands Most Christmassy Home 2017. Dont forget, all of the prize money from this years competition will be donated to the local charities of choice of the winning homes.

Energia is delighted to be helping householders make the smart choice of using our 100% green home energy to light up their homes and raise money for charity.
An 18 years-old Clonmel man went on a crime spree burgling two Clonmel homes, attempting to break into two others and stealing a motorbike last week while on temporary release from prison, a district court heard on Monday.

Judge Terence Finn imposed a nine months prison sentence on Jayden Norris of No. 7 Salisbury Mews, Marlfield after the defendant pleaded guilty at Clonmel District Court to committing these offences in the early hours of last Tuesday, December 5.

The offences included the burglary of No. 5 Brook Crescent, Old Bridge, Clonmel; the unlawful taking of a motorbike at Brook Crescent; the burglary of No. 7 Raheen Court, Clonmel and attempted burglaries of No. 18 and No. 19 Mandeville Place, Wellington St., Clonmel.

Gda. John Downey told the court the incidents happened between 5.30am and 8.30am on December 5. Norris entered No. 7 Raheen Court and stole a television that was later recovered. When he entered No. 5 Brook Crescent, he took a set of keys and stole a motorbike that was also later recovered.

And CCTV footage showed Norris trying to gain entry to Nos. 18 and 19 Mandeville Place by trying their doors. He was unsuccessful.

Gda. Downey added that Norris had 20 previous convictions.

He received a 10-month prison sentence at Clonmel District Court on May 15 in relation to 18 offences ranging from criminal damage, thefts and public order to possession of drugs and the unauthorised taking of a vehicle.

The prison sentence was backdated to March and Norris was granted temporary release from prison in July.

He was due to receive full remission in relation to the prison term on December 28.

Defence solicitor John Joy said Norris apologised to the court for his behaviour and requested Judge Finn to be lenient in imposing sentence.

He explained that his client had a bad start in life and was in foster care from the age of 13.

He unfortunately became involved in drugs and was under the influence of drugs when he committed these offences.

He knew he had to suffer the consequences of his actions and it was his intention to attend in-patient treatment for drug addiction.

He said his client was very good when he was off drugs but went off the rails when he got involved in drugs.

Judge Finn remarked that this description of Norris sounded like a nursery rhyme.

He noted the defendant had a considerable criminal record for one so young.

He was treated favourably in being granted temporary release from prison but he abused this and so he must impose a custodial sentence.

The judge also noted that there wasn't any economic loss to the victims of Norris's crimes last week but he regarded this as a neutral fact.
By IANS

AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flew in a seaplane from the Sabarmati riverfront to Dharoi Dam on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat elections, courting a controversy over a possible breach of security protocol.

The Congress took a dig at Modi's style of pulling the curtain down on his poll campaign with the seaplane journey, terming it a "distraction" from real issues and a "hawa hawai" (gas).

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Modi riding the single-engine seaplane was a security breach as the rule book says that the Prime Minister can only fly in twin or multi-engine aircraft.

But the critcism didn't wobble Modi's flight that came as his roadshow in Ahmedabad scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled.

Waving to a crowd of supporters, Modi took off from the waters near the Sardar Bridge that connects Ahmedabad's old city with the newer parts in the west. A special jetty was built to facilitate the Prime Minister's boarding.

A video clip showed Modi buckled in a seat in the plane. After the plane landed in the pond of Dharoi Dam, Modi travelled to Ambaji Temple by road and prayed there.

Modi said the seaplane journey signified how the BJP was trying to harness waterways in Gujarat.

"Effective use of waterways augurs well for tourism. Places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, our vibrant Northeast, places with many water bodies, big dams, waterways will benefit with usage of sea planes. More tourism also brings greater economic opportunities. Sea plane services can also be helpful during times of medical emergencies. Those needing even quicker access to medical care and those living in remote areas stand to gain a lot," the Prime Minister tweeted.

#WATCH: Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/DeHpQX7UvV  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Modi returned to Ahmedabad by the seaplane in the evening.

John Goulet, the Canadian pilot who flew Modi in the Quest Kodiak 100 turboprop single-engine plane, also called an SUV with wings, told reporters that the Prime Minister had been a "very good passenger".

"It was a very pleasing experience. I gave him a safety briefing. Sea planes are very common in many countries. It should be popular in India also as you have lakes, rivers, coastal areas," Goulet said.

Asked the reason for Modi taking a seaplane, Jagdish Bhavsar, an official of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said: "You can take this gesture of the Prime Minister as our other programmes like the Ro-Ro Ferry Service or the Bullet Train project or the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). You can take this new programme as one of the initiatives of BJP."

Modi's flight comes days after Minister for Shipping and Road Transport Nitin Gadkari took a trial flight off Mumbai waters in Setouchi's 10-seater Kodiak Quest 1000 seaplane.

While the Congress mocked at Modi's style, Abdullah wondered how the top security for the Prime Minister had been relaxed for him to take the seaplane.

How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country. pic.twitter.com/MocJIKh6es  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 12, 2017

Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi said it was "only a distraction over the real issues of Gujarat". "If Modiji wants to fly in a seaplane, there is nothing wrong in it. It is good. But it is only a distraction. What did you do for the people in the 22 years of your rule in Gujarat."

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala termed it "hawa hawai", or an air bubble, as the the ruling BJP "did not understand development".

Tuesday was the last day for campaigning for the elections and all the political campaigning halted at 5 p.m. But door-to-door campaigning was allowed with the party symbol on caps and T-shirts.

The second and final phase of polls on Thursday will see around two crore voters decide the fate of 1,828 candidates fighting for 93 assembly seats.

AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flew in a seaplane from the Sabarmati riverfront to Dharoi Dam on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat elections, courting a controversy over a possible breach of security protocol. The Congress took a dig at Modi's style of pulling the curtain down on his poll campaign with the seaplane journey, terming it a "distraction" from real issues and a "hawa hawai" (gas). Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Modi riding the single-engine seaplane was a security breach as the rule book says that the Prime Minister can only fly in twin or multi-engine aircraft. But the critcism didn't wobble Modi's flight that came as his roadshow in Ahmedabad scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled. Waving to a crowd of supporters, Modi took off from the waters near the Sardar Bridge that connects Ahmedabad's old city with the newer parts in the west. A special jetty was built to facilitate the Prime Minister's boarding. A video clip showed Modi buckled in a seat in the plane. After the plane landed in the pond of Dharoi Dam, Modi travelled to Ambaji Temple by road and prayed there. Modi said the seaplane journey signified how the BJP was trying to harness waterways in Gujarat. "Effective use of waterways augurs well for tourism. Places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, our vibrant Northeast, places with many water bodies, big dams, waterways will benefit with usage of sea planes. More tourism also brings greater economic opportunities. Sea plane services can also be helpful during times of medical emergencies. Those needing even quicker access to medical care and those living in remote areas stand to gain a lot," the Prime Minister tweeted. #WATCH: Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/DeHpQX7UvV  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 Modi returned to Ahmedabad by the seaplane in the evening. John Goulet, the Canadian pilot who flew Modi in the Quest Kodiak 100 turboprop single-engine plane, also called an SUV with wings, told reporters that the Prime Minister had been a "very good passenger". "It was a very pleasing experience. I gave him a safety briefing. Sea planes are very common in many countries. It should be popular in India also as you have lakes, rivers, coastal areas," Goulet said. Asked the reason for Modi taking a seaplane, Jagdish Bhavsar, an official of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said: "You can take this gesture of the Prime Minister as our other programmes like the Ro-Ro Ferry Service or the Bullet Train project or the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). You can take this new programme as one of the initiatives of BJP." Modi's flight comes days after Minister for Shipping and Road Transport Nitin Gadkari took a trial flight off Mumbai waters in Setouchi's 10-seater Kodiak Quest 1000 seaplane. While the Congress mocked at Modi's style, Abdullah wondered how the top security for the Prime Minister had been relaxed for him to take the seaplane. How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country. pic.twitter.com/MocJIKh6es  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 12, 2017 Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi said it was "only a distraction over the real issues of Gujarat". "If Modiji wants to fly in a seaplane, there is nothing wrong in it. It is good. But it is only a distraction. What did you do for the people in the 22 years of your rule in Gujarat." Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala termed it "hawa hawai", or an air bubble, as the the ruling BJP "did not understand development". Tuesday was the last day for campaigning for the elections and all the political campaigning halted at 5 p.m. But door-to-door campaigning was allowed with the party symbol on caps and T-shirts. The second and final phase of polls on Thursday will see around two crore voters decide the fate of 1,828 candidates fighting for 93 assembly seats.
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)
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Automobile major Tata Motors said it would display six new construction and mining commercial vehicles from its 'Construck' range at EXCON-2017, South East Asia's largest construction equipment exhibition, starting here tomorrow.

Speaking to reporters here, Rajesh Kaul, company's sales and marketing head for medium and heavy commercial vehicles, said the six vehicles would be displayed at the five day event. Tata Motors will introduce first of its kind fourth generation Ultimaax suspension system for the HCV heavy-duty tipper range, he said.

"The Ultimaax suspension has been developed jointly by Tata Motors Ltd., along with Hendrickson Inc, a Joint Venture partner of Tata Autocomp Ltd., and a world leader in suspension systems for commercial vehicles," said Kaul.

As many as 928 companies across 21 countries are participating in EXCON-2017. There will be five official international 'Pavilions' from China, Germany, Italy, SouthKorea and the United Kingdom.

The event is being organised by Confederation of Indian Industries with support from the Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturer Association and Builders Association of India.

The event will be inaugurated tomorrow by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises Anant G Geete in the presence of Karnataka Minister for Medium and Heavy Industries R V Deshpande and CEO of NITI Ayog, Amitabh Kant. J Immanuel Mahesh Kumar, General Manager CII, Chennai, said "We expect participation of at least 40,000 visitors during our show."

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Mumbai: India's cotton output is expected to rise 9.3 percent in the year that began in October, a government official said on Tuesday, but production is likely to fall almost 6 percent than industry estimates for 40 million bales, each of 170 kg.

Cotton production could touch 37.7 million bales in the year that began in October, up from 34.5 million bales produced in 2016/17, Kavita Gupta, India's textile commissioner, told a news conference.

Cotton shipments from India, the world's biggest exporter after the United States, are expected at 6.7 million bales in the 2017/18 marketing year, up 15.1 percent from a year earlier, she said.

Earlier, industry officials estimated this year's exports at 7.5 million bales.

Pakistan is likely to emerge as a major buyer of Indian cotton, Gupta said.

A 19 percent jump in the area planted with cotton prompted most industry officials to estimate record production of 40 million bales this year. But a recent pink bollworm infestation has threatened to cut output.

Pink bollworm attacks have cut yields in India's main cotton growing regions of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, Gupta said.

Still, cotton production is likely to be higher than 2016/17, she said.
It seems that our government believes that India, the second most populated country in the world, needs no sex education. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced that it wont let you watch condom ads on television during prime time because the children will get exposed to the indecent and inappropriate content. Yes. We are talking about a country with 1.3 billion population in 2017.

The decision was taken after the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) sought the ministrys suggestions, reportedly after receiving a number of complaints from viewers. The ASCI received letters saying that the content of the advertisements of condoms was meant for adults and should not be aired during prime time.

So, what is our sanskaari Ministry of Information and Broadcastings problem? They are on a mission to save our kids' minds from inappropriate content. Okay, in that case, why do we have advertisements (Not condom) that have sexual undertones?

Well, here are some ads that have already corrupted us over the years. And mind you, the following ads using sexual innuendos to get their products sold have NOTHING to do with sex.

1) Slice

You'll want to grab a mango after this crash course by Katrina Kaif on Aamsutra.

2) Axe

Spray a lot of deodorant on your body and girls from all over the city would be chasing you.

3) Amul Macho

Yeh toh bada toing hai. #YouRemember

4) Dollar Club

Akshay Kumar has something important to say to this fine lady.

5) JK Cement

Did you ever expect a cement ad to make it to this list?

6) Parachute body lotion

Thandi thandi.

7) Moov

Aah se aaha tak.

8) Zatak

Just Zatak her.

9) Wildstone

What's in these deos, man?

10) V-Guard inverter/UPS

Don't ask. Just watch.

11) Aqua White toothpaste

Kaafi corrupted.

12) Zatak talc

Didn't see that coming.

13) Macroman

Condom ads, learn something.

14) Hanes undergarments

No itchy tags.

15) No smoking ad

Sunny Leone, Alok Nath, and Deepak Dobriyal team up to give you an important message.

(h/t @notmanoj / Twitter)
New Delhi: Even as liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi roam free in the UK, the Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the central government over its "attitude" and delay in yet another extradition matter.

"What is this attitude? You don't even bother about the orders of the Supreme Court. We have been virtually extending threats to the officers in the Ministry of External Affairs but you still don't act," said a bench led by Justice Arun Mishra.

The court even questioned the will of the Ministry of External Affairs in getting the fugitives back from the foreign country.

"Somebody has run away, but the government isn't doing anything about it. We have been issuing orders in this case for last eight months but you have done nothing. You should tell us what the undercurrent is. Why are you not acting?" the bench told Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh and senior advocate V Mohana, who appeared for the Centre and the MEA.

The bench also pointed out that different lawyers have been appearing in this matter on different dates but they appear to not have been properly apprised of the developments.

"We think we will now call the secretaries in the MEA. They will be called to court to explain. That seems to be the only way forward now," added the bench.

Responding, ASG Singh regretted lack of adequate assistance and said that he would ensure that specific instructions come from the MEA.

The bench then posted the matter to Friday, making it clear that all formalities relating to extradition in this case should be completed by then.

The matter relates to a businesswoman, Ritika Awasty, who went to UK in January 2016 after obtaining bail and a permission from the top court to travel abroad.

Awasty, a promoter of Bush Foods Overseas Pvt Ltd, had been named as an accused in a case registered in Uttar Pradesh under charges of cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust. She had moved the apex court after the Allahabad High Court refused to quash the FIR against her  not protecting her from arrest.

Awasty, while securing a permission to go abroad, had given an undertaking to come back but she never returned, compelling the court to issue directions to the government to forfeit her assets and also initiate extradition proceedings.

But even the application for extradition has not been settled yet, let alone a formal request be made to UK.

Last month, at a bilateral meeting with British Minister of State for Immigration Brandon Lewis, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju had sought cooperation from Britain for extradition of 13 fugitives, including Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi.
New Delhi: At Aligarh Muslim Universitys Womens College, change towards empowering the women here is taking place one election at a time.

Riding motorbikes in celebration of the election victory  an unthinkable stunt for AMU women  the victorious candidates on Monday promised to take out their fellow students on an outing.

Naba Naseem, a political science student who has been elected as the Women's College students union president, won the election with her promise of seven days outing for students.

Speaking to News18, Naba Naseem said, The moment these women see other women riding motorbikes, it gives them a sense of empowerment. The candidates, who rode the bike, broke many a stereotype and I will take this assertion of empowerment a step forward by starting a campaign to allow a seven-days outing.

Her manifesto talked about a Campaign for 7 days outing and sought support and solidarity from her fellow students who reside in hostels inside the AMU women's college campus.

The manifesto read: Now, this is my last point because it is something we all will have to fight for, together. I have plans to start a campaign through signs and petition for a very fundamental right. We are all 18 years and above and are responsible enough. Im not asking for permission to stay out late, all I am asking for is an outing that is between working hours (9 to 5). The administration says that most of the girls are from families that wont allow them to go out. But, then why should the others suffer?

As of now, undergraduate girls can only go out of the campus on Sundays and that too before 5.00pm. With one day and a few hours at hand, they find themselves hard pressed for time and no leisure. There are only two shopping complexes that the girls usually end up at, Amir Nisha and Center Point.

Zainab Naqvi, an MA student said that many were taken by surprise when a video of the girls on bikes surfaced on social media.

She said, It was a very important move. There was buzz on the main campus as well regarding the Womens College girls riding motorbikes to celebrate the election win. For many years, we have only seen boys doing such stunts during the elections, but this act was both an assertion and empowerment. We are now waiting for a backlash from the conservative elements.

Naqvi, in support of the outing promise, said, This demand is usually dismissed as unnecessary by the AMU students union, the wardens and proctors behave like our in-laws and are always shaming the girls for wanting freedom. But things need to change now.

A faculty member in Womens College, Shadab Bano said, These girls are riding bikes within their campus walls. Instead, they should demand a joint union of AMUSU and Womens College, which was discontinued some time back and take this movement to the main campus too.

Bano will lend support to the demand of girls for Seven day outing campaign.
New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association (IMA), country's largest voluntary organisation of doctors, on Monday, rushed into crisis control on behalf of the private health sector and announced a series of reforms. If legally enforced, the IMA claims these recommendations would strengthen healthcare in both public and private sector.

From preventing overcharging and over investigation, to informing patients of bed availability and options, the correct cost of each service, to even bringing in a transgender policy in line with Supreme Court directives, the IMA's 31-item list ran through a whole gamut of best practices.

There had been mutterings and threats of a strike by Delhi doctors over the Delhi government cancelling the license of Max Hospital's Shalimar Bagh branch, last week.

However, the IMA said on Monday that they didn't want to lose public trust by agitating and, as the big brother in the equation, had told the Delhi Medical Association to stand down.

The Delhi government's action came after doctors at Max Shalimar Bagh wrongly pronounced a newborn dead. This, coupled with Fortis hospital, Gurugram, overcharging the family of a seven-year-old, who died of dengue, by the 700 percent, has put private healthcare in tight corner.

Though the IMA recommendation are not new in nature, the body's president, Dr KK Aggarwal, said that they could stem corruption and malpractice.

For example, doctors should explain why each and every test is necessary to the patient to stop over investigation, the hospital should explain what all wards are available and how much cost of services with each, a team should guide needy patients to services and facilities meant for them. Doctors should give an estimate of treatment that is close to the actuals, plus/minus 10 percent; doctors should not neglect patients or ask them to shift to another hospital once they've taken charge. Importantly, the choice of drugs and devices should rest with the doctors, not the management that might mandate the use of expensive products aimed at getting the hospital a profit.

The IMA asked the government to take responsibility too, by classify all disposable as part of the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) or not, and cap the prices of the former. It called on the state government to take charge of emergency response, and time other subsidise the cost of expensive ICU and emergency facilities in private facilities, or pay for those who couldn't.

The IMA can only bring out recommendations, as a voluntary body it cannot legally enforced any of these measures. Aggarwal said that the IMA was in conversation with the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), and had written to the union health secretary and the Delhi government to take these recommendations on board as part of a mandatory code of ethics.

Dr. Girish Tyagi, registrar with the DMC told News18 that there was a need for transparency. Though he hadn't read through IMA's recommendations, enforcing such measures would fall to the Delhi government which registered hospitals under the State Nursing Home Act.

The DMC, meanwhile has been following its own process against Max, as medical negligence falls under its ambit. As Aggarwal explained to News18, the Delhi government had circumvented government procedure by cancelling the Shalimar Bagh branch's license and shutting down the hospital overnight, leaving both patients and the staff stranded. Hence, the anger in the medical fraternity.

"The government is authorised to check the negligence of a hospital, not of doctors," he said. This is by law, he added, and the government should trust its own system, and have let the DMC investigate whether the whole hospital was at fault or a few doctors. They could have, meanwhile, suspended the IPCU department, pending investigations. The government has not respected the principle of natural justice, said Aggarwal.

Tyagi spoke cautiously about the Delhi government's actions. He called it brave, as it would send a message to all other private hospitals, but extreme as it hurt doctors and patients both. Currently, the DMC has served the hospital a notice and is expecting a reply from Max, and the doctors in question, about the case.
Kochi: The lone accused in the Jisha rape and murder case, a migrant labourer from Assam, was on Tuesday convicted by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court.

Ameerul Islam was convicted on the charges of rape and murder in the case which shook Kerala and was a major issue in the 2016 Assembly elections in the state.

Islam was found guilty under Section 342 of IPC (trespass), 342 (wrongful confinement) , 376 (rape), 376 (a) causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim), and 302 (murder).

The charges against Islam according to the Special Investigation Team were  Section 376 of IPC (punishment for rape), 376A (punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim), 442 (house trespass), 449 (house-trespass in order to commit offence punishable with death), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offense, or giving false information to screen offender), 302 (punishment for murder) and charges on Dalit Atrocities Prevention Act.

The lawyer of the accused, Advocate BA Arun, told News18 that the hearing on quantum will not take place on Wednesday. There would only be arguments tomorrow where we will plead that Islam does not deserve a death penalty. We will fight for life sentence, since he has been convicted now, said Arun.

The prosecution's case was built on circumstantial and material evidence since they could not find direct ones to establish the crime.

Jisha, a 30-year-old Dalit woman, was found murdered at her home in Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, on April 28 last year.

Islam used to work near the victims home. The police had made a case that witnesses had seen Islam near Jishas residence on the day of the murder.

The case has also been built on DNA evidence sample produced by the police that was recovered from the nail chip found from the cloth of the victim. Other DNA evidence were also recovered from the footwear of the accused.

The trial which spanned over two and a half months since the hearing began on April 4, 2017, saw the prosecution examine over 100 witnesses, including 15 migrant labourers, and presented 290 documents and 36 material pieces of evidence.

The case was a major issue during the 2016 Assembly elections in Kerala. The opposition had targeted the UDF government government for having failed to ensure security for women and that the state lacked in providing basic law and order decorum.

The case had also highlighted the need for a stricter monitoring mechanism for migrant labourers. The investigation gained a new direction after the LDF came to power and initiated a fresh probe under ADGP Sandhya.
New Delhi: The government doesnt think condoms, more specifically condom advertisements, are childs play. So, when the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) sought the ministrys suggestions on the explicit sexual content in condom ads, the Information & Broadcasting ministry decided to prohibit television channels from airing any condom advertisements through the day till 10 pm. Why? Because the commercials were indecent and can impact children.

The advisory was met with a lot of criticism. Some even suggested that these ads need to be played more for the children to be made aware of sexually-transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.

Firstly because we are a billion-plus unmanageable population, and second, there is very little access to safe abortion methods in this country, even in urban areas.

Some others called the governments move backward.

A study by the Lancet Global Health has shown that there were a total of 15.6 million (1.56 crore) abortions in India in 2015. This, while the Centre has been putting out only one figure  7 lakhs  every year over the past 15 years. The study also shows that an overwhelming number of women 81%  take medicines at home, instead of going to hospitals.

Author Devdutt Pattanaik, known for writing books on mythology, also criticized the governments move.

We dont mind if children are exposed to gratuitous violence in films and news. But we are terrified if they are exposed to even the slightest suggestion of sex, he tweeted.

Pattanaik, who is currently in Prague, took a picture of himself with the famous statue of the boy with golden penis, also called "Youth", in the background and shared it with his thoughts on the condom ad ban. What kind of weird parenting is this? he asked.

Condoms have been considered to be an evil by successive governments for a while now.

In 2014, Dr Harsh Vardhan, then Union health minister, suggested that AIDS can be prevented with Indian values, not condoms. He was probably taking a cue from Sushma Swaraj, who in 2003, preached abstinence, self-control and single-partner sex for the prevention of AIDS.

Sushma Swaraj was the health minister under the Vajpayee government at the time and she had specifically said that condoms are against the Indian culture, resulting in condom advertisements being taken off from television.

The Pattanaik added that it is quite normal for policymakers to propagate the virtue of celibacy and go against condoms.

Trust people who propagate virtue of violence and celibacy to be against condom that prevents unwanted pregnancies (hence abortion) and protects people from disease. Following the path of Catholic Church, despite hating Christian missionaries ?  Devdutt Pattanaik (@devduttmyth) December 12, 2017

Following the path of the Catholic Church, despite hating Christian missionaries? a tongue-in-cheek Pattanaik asked on Twitter.

It is a well-known fact that the Catholic Church teaching does not allow the use of condoms as means of birth control, arguing that abstinence and monogamy in heterosexual marriage is the best way to stop the spread of AIDS.

In 2012, an Irish hospital denied abortion to Savita Halappanavar, a dentist of Indian origin, even when she was going through a life-threatening miscarriage in the 17th week of her pregnancy. Savita eventually died of severe infections.

Her case went on to become the focus of international debate and protests over Ireland's strict laws on abortion.

For many women in Ireland, Halappanavars death continues to be the symbol of all that hasnt changed in the Catholic countrys attitude towards abortion, no matter how endangered the life of a pregnant woman could be.

The Catholic Churchs argument, over the years has been that artificial birth control devalued the purpose of sexual intercourse and diminished responsibility.

Officially, as Pius XI ruled in 1930, frustrating the procreative act is "an offence against the law of God and nature, and those who indulge in such acts are branded with the guilt of a grave sin".

However, a 2002 US survey revealed that 96% of sexually active Catholic women used birth control.

Earlier this year, the head of the Knights of Malta, an ancient Catholic order, resigned over a dispute with the Vatican about free condoms that had become a battle of wills between the heads of two of the worlds oldest institutions and a test of Pope Franciss authority.

Grand Master Matthew Festing, 67, resigned after the Pope asked him to step down. Grand masters of the institution, which was founded in the 11th century, usually hold their posts for life. Festing and the Vatican were locked in a dispute since early December, when one of the orders top officials, Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, was sacked after the charity distributed condoms as part of a project for the poor.

This is how condoms are seen by the Catholic Church. Sinful, and can result in even sacking of top officials.

Is the change of timing on condom ad and our ministers ideas of wearing the Indian culture instead of condom just a beginning on the same path? Lets hope not.
Mumbai: An FIR has been registered against US biotech major, Monsanto, in Yavatmal district of Maharashtras Vidarbha region after cotton farmers reported big losses because of pink bollworm infestation.

The company, which sells genetically engineered seeds, had sold its products to farmers by claiming that its BT cotton seeds are immune to the wily worm that eats cotton balls, officials said.

The companies deceived not just the farmers, but also the government, a senior government official told CNN-News18.

The agriculture department had written to Maharashtra police, seeking registration of a complaint against Monsanto and five other companies on December 4.

We received complaints from farmers that they faced losses due to pink bollworm. The companies had claimed, and had even advertised that their BT Cotton seeds are resistant to the infestation. The farmers believed in these claims. In the hope that they will get high yields, they cultivated BT cotton. But an inspection by our district level committee found that large-scale pink bollworm infestation has ruined the crop, the letter written to Vadgaon Road police station stated.

The farmers have been deceived and they have had to suffer financial losses. This has caused public outrage against the government. Of course, these companies have deceived the government too. Please register a complaint against them for deceiving the government and the farmers, it further said.

Other companies that have been booked are Ajit seeds private limited, Ankur seeds private limited, Nuziveedu seeds limited, Kaweri seeds company ltd and Rasil seeds pvt limited.

The government also collected seeds from farmers to test for herbicide tolerance. Of the 200 samples sent for testing, only 30 per cent were found positive. However, as the farmers were unable to give information from where they purchased these seeds, the government has not been able to identify the companies involved in this.
Kolkata: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday arrested three drug peddlers in Kolkata for supplying drug candies, jelly candies, lozenges to unsuspecting school and college students.

The investigators also seized a large number of Molly or Ecstasy candies from the accused.

The arrested persons have been taken to the NCB zonal office for further interrogation. According to sources, they three men have even confessed to having supplied these candies to students in Kolkata and its adjoining areas.

On Sunday night, the NCB arrested a popular DJ along with two others.

Speaking to News18, NCB Zonal Director Dilip Kumar Srivastava, said, This is a matter of concern for us as these drug candies are reaching young students. This is an alarming trend and we managed to apprehend the accused early on Tuesday morning.

When asked to elaborate, Srivastava added, These are not normal drug candies but MDMA (3, 4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) Ecstasy candies. It is a synthetic drug, popularly known as Molly, which alters an individuals mood and perception. It works as stimulants and causes hallucination. It also causes an overdrive of energy, pleasure, emotional warmth and a distorted sensory.

The dangerous drug racket affecting school students has become very active in Kolkata over the past few months. The bureau said that a massive operation has been launched to arrest others who could be involved in the racket.

He said, A preliminary inquiry has revealed that these MDMA candies were procured from China through an online portal. We are trying to locate the handler in India and are hopeful that he will be arrested soon.

The officer added that close to 150 candies and 148 LSD blot papers were seized from the possession of these men.

The arrested individuals were identified as DJ Nikhil Lakhwani, Robert Dixon and Henry Lawrence Manna. They will be produced before a city court, while NCB officials will appeal for their custody for further investigation.

According to police, the accused have confessed to their crime and revealed that they procured the drugs from Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. Based on Nikhils interrogation, we managed to get the names of the suppliers, Srivastava said.
New Delhi: A judge is expected to be completely objective and weigh the facts of the case, and only the facts, for the judgment, but a survey of former Supreme Court judges has revealed the extent to which personal opinions and beliefs shape the rulings, even when it is a matter of life and death.

The report, Matters of Judgment, by the Centre for Death Penalty, National Law University of Delhi, shows the background of judge, including their religion, were factors that influenced the choice between death penalty and life imprisonment and delves into the various grounds on which capital punishment is handed out.

A total of 60 former Supreme Court judges were interviewed, including Justices Arijit Pasayat, Ashok Bhan, BN Srikrishna, Jeevan Reddy, MN Venkatachaliah, Swatanter Kumar, Ruma Pal and also late Justice AS Anand.

According to the report, more than half of the judges believed the background of a judge influenced rulings in death row cases. There appeared to be no bright line which distinguished judicial sentencing discretion swiftly slipping into individual judge-centric decisions, it said.

One of the primary basis for granting death sentence is the analysis of the rarest of rare case doctrine, first used in the Bachan Singh case. But understanding of rarest of rare among former judges was determined/dominated by consideration of brutality of the crime, the report said.

The judges also paid little attention to the judicial test requiring that the alternative of life imprisonment be unquestionably foreclosed. During the interviews, only 13 former judges explicitly articulated their understanding of the rarest of rare doctrine.

Another contentious part of death penalty is the reasoning of satisfying collective conscience, which was a subject of debate post the Afzal Guru verdict. The gravity of the crime is something which cannot be described in words. The incident, which resulted in heavy casualties, had shaken the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will only be satisfied if the capital punishment is awarded to the offender, the apex court had said at the time.

However, now in this report, the demands of collective conscience was seen to be a relevant aggravating factor by 11 judges. Death sentences for 41 convicts were confirmed by these 11 judges in cases where collective conscience was invoked whilst confirming death sentences.

The report also stated that more than half the judges knew about the use of torture in our criminal justice system.

Of the 39 former judges who discussed the prevalence of torture in the Indian criminal justice system, 38 believed it to be rampant. Only one former Chief Justice was of the opinion that torture does not happen, said the report.

A few judges were also of the opinion that torture could be justified. Five out of 12 former judges justified torture saying that police resorted to torture because investigating agencies work under strenuous conditions without adequate time and independence to investigate cases, it added.

The judges opinion report also touched upon the section that makes admissions in police custody admissible if it pertained only to facts. The judges knew that it was often abused.

Out of 58 judges, 38 were of the view that investigating agencies abused this provision. When asked about the reliability of recovery evidence under Section 27, a judge who had decided nearly 100 murder cases over his 23 year judicial career in appellate courts, said but now I dont know. if there are any genuine cases any longer under that exception, the report highlighted.

The former SC judges acknowledged the existence of wrongful convictions. Of the 49 judges asked about it, 43 acknowledged the existence of wrongful convictions within our criminal justice system, whilst the remaining six judges denied the possibility, the report said.
London: Vijay Mallya's extradition trial to face fraud and money laundering charges of Rs 9,000 crore in India resumed today, with his defence fielding a legal expert to question the impartiality of India's judicial system and the media.

The 61-year-old was back in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London for day four of the hearing when his barrister, Clare Montgomery, deposed Dr Martin Lau to give his views on the evidence presented by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Indian Supreme Court rulings.

"I hold the Supreme Court in the highest respect but it is equally not disrespectful to indicate that some doubts are voiced about particular patterns [in judgments]," Dr Lau, an expert on South Asian law, told court.

Montgomery also asked him for his views on the impact intense media coverage of the case could have on a trial in India.

"There is an increasing concern in India about media trials," Lau said, claiming that the fairness of any trial of Mallya in India had been cast into doubt.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, asserted that India has a "free and animated press" that was understandably interested in this case, which involves "substantial state funds" going missing.

The CPS also challenged Lau's assertion that based on the 265 witness statements he had reviewed, there was "no direct evidence" of Mallya's involvement in any criminal conspiracy.

Quoting an unnamed study by three academics from Singapore and Hong Kong, Lau raised questions on the neutrality of Supreme Court judges close to retirement.

Lau was also made to comment upon some of the evidence produced by the CBI to back up its case against the liquor baron in an attempt to discredit its admissibility in court.

Reading from Lau's written testimony, Mallya's counsel quoted from an unnamed media report to claim that there had been "coercion" by Special Director Rakesh Asthana and his team over the banks in India to pursue criminal proceedings against her client.

The legal expert, who will continue to give his statement throughout today's hearing, is also being made to elaborate on the application of Indian laws relevant to the case.

Lau claims some of the money laundering allegations against Mallya may fall under a "retrospective application" of the Money Laundering Act because the alleged offences occurred before 2013, when the act was amended in India.

Earlier today, the defence had deposed Margaret Sweeney the Chief Financial Officer of Force India, Mallya s Formula 1 racing team.

She was run through a series of spread-sheets and figures from her written testimony to establish if money had been taken from Kingfisher Airlines for "no good reason" by Force India and used for some other purposes.

"Absolutely not," was her response, explaining that all payments she was aware of were in relation to a marketing contract between Kingfisher Airlines and the F1 team.

The defence also quoted from an independent media valuation to claim there had been no overpayment by Kingfisher Airlines, as alleged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

"Far from it," said Sweeney, on being asked if Force India was being paid too much.

The CPS cross-examination of Sweeney by barrister Mark Summers focused on payments being routed via an HSBC account in London, which was intended only for operational use of Kingfisher Airlines.

The defence's case rests on trying to prove that the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines' alleged default of around Rs 9,000 crore worth of bank loans was the result of business failure rather than "dishonest" and "fraudulent" activity by its owner.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the businessman is facing a parallel litigation in the Queen's Bench Division of the commercial court in England's High Court of Justice brought by a consortium of Indian banks to freeze his global assets.

The SBI, Bank of Baroda, Corporation Bank, Federal Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of Mysore, UCO Bank, United Bank of India and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt Ltd are listed as applicants of that claim against Mallya and related concerns named as Ladywalk LLP, Rose Capital Ventures Ltd and Orange India Holdings.

Lawyers for Mallya have been granted an extension to respond to that case due to his ongoing extradition trial, expected to conclude on Thursday.

Last week, the defence claimed that a consortium of Indian banks led by SBI had rejected an offer by the liquor baron in early 2016 to pay back nearly 80 per cent of the principle loan amount owed to them.

However, the CPS arguing on behalf of the Indian government countered that assertion in its cross- examination, indicating that the reason such a repayment offer would have been rejected was that the banks knew Mallya had the means to pay back the entire amount due.

While the CPS stand is that Mallya did not intend to repay the loans he sought because his airline s demise was inevitable, Montgomery is trying to establish that Kingfisher Airlines was suffering from consequences of a wider global financial crisis around 2009-2010 and that its failure was a result of factors beyond the company s control.

In his cross-examination, Summers had highlighted a particular "washing machine activity" picked up by the government of India that involved sums amounting to around 10 -15 million pounds being funnelled between UB Group companies to wrongly claim obligations of equity infusions into struggling Kingfisher Airlines were being met.

Indian government sources have described its case, being presented by the CPS, as "very strong".

Mallya's legal team had claimed earlier in the trial that the case against him was "politically motivated".

Mallya, who has been based in the UK since March 2016, was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant in April and has been out on bail on a bond worth 650,000 pounds.

If the judge rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UK home secretary must order Mallya's extradition within two months.

However, the case can go through a series of appeals in higher UK courts before arriving at a conclusion.
New Delhi: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it will set up twelve special courts to speed up trials of MPs and MLAs in the country.

Following a nudge by the court, the government has informed a bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the scheme for establishing special court was ready. A total of twelve special courts will be set up across the country to adjudicate 1571 criminal cases pending against lawmakers.

According to data submitted in the Court by NGO Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), affidavits filed by politicians at the time of submitting nomination papers for 2014 general election and Assembly polls had disclosed 1,581 cases were pending against politicians. Ten cases were later dropped due to death of the politicians concerned.

The government, submitting its affidavit on Tuesday, said that at present twelve courts were being set up for one year and further decisions regarding requirement of additional courts will be taken in due course.

It also sought some more time to compile nationwide data on pendency of criminal cases against elected representatives as on date. Quarterly reports will be submitted in the top court, said the affidavit, adding it would also apprise the court as to how many criminal cases have been disposed of in one year.

It was last month when the court had questioned the willingness of the Centre to speed up trials of lawmakers. It had sought a status of the pending cases, apart from their mandate to set up special courts.

It has been hearing a PIL by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, who has emphasised upon decriminalisation of politics and weeding out criminal elements. The SC will now take up the matter on Thursday.
New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has already received 73 applications for the Human Resource Development Ministry's ambitious 20 world class institutions project with a day left for the deadline.

According to sources, 73 varsities including central universities, state universities, private and deemed-to-be universities have applied for the "institutions of eminence" tag. Out of these, six applications have been received under the greenfields category.

The UGC had in September started inviting applications from all institutions that are keen to enter the top 100 of global rankings with the government's assistance. The 90-day deadline expires tomorrow.

The Centre wants to establish a total of 20 "Institutes of Eminence" -- a distinct category of deemed-to-be-universities, supporting them to become "World Class" institutions.

By March-April 2018, 20 (10 each from public and private category) institutions will be accorded the eminence status with a mandate to achieve the world-class status over a period of 10 years.

As per the guidelines issued by the UGC, institutions in the top 50 of the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings or those ranking among top 500 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS University Rankings or Shanghai Ranking Academic Ranking of World Universities were eligible to apply.

New institutions were required to submit a 15-year vision plan to be among the top 500 globally ranked institutions, while existing institutions among the top 500 had to offer a plan to improve their ranking to be among the top 100 in the next 10 years.

A screening committee will go through the applications and select the institutions.
New Delhi: What earlier used to be one of Hollywood's favourite scenes, seaplanes have now found their way in India with Gujarat elections being its first voyage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pulled the curtain down on his election campaign with a journey aboard a seaplane from Sabarmati river to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district.

The first trial flight was, however, taken by Minister for Shipping and Road Transport Nitin Gadkari. The test was carried out with Setouchi's 10-seater Kodiak Quest 1000 seaplane. The minister said there is a lot of potential for seaplanes in India and domestic production could bring down manufacturing costs.

A team comprising members from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been formed to look into the feasibility of operation of seaplanes also known as amphibious flights in India.

The move comes weeks after a meeting between all stakeholders to look into the conditions necessary for seaplanes to function.

Budget carrier SpiceJet has also made its intentions clear of rolling out seaplanes in Mumbai within a year, after a failed attempt by a Juhu-based aviation company around three years ago.

SpiceJet is planning to launch amphibian plane services from Girgaum Chowpatty to Juhu Airport and other places in suburbs.

During peak hours, the time needed to cover the distance comes to around 1.5 hours, though Bandra-Worli sea link has eased the journey a bit in recent years.

With the amphibian planes, the flight time is supposed to come down to around four minutes apart from 10-15 minutes of additional time for security procedures.

A similar attempt through seaplane by Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt Ltd (MEHAIR), which had the backing of the state government, had failed primarily due to permission issues from government agencies.

Single engine seaplanes have earlier operated in Andaman, Kerala and Maharashtra, but faded away due to high maintenance cost and steep cost prices.

SpiceJet had in October signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan's Setouchi Holdings for starting seaplanes in India. The airline management claims the project would be sustained only if it is scaled up to a fleet of 100. The list price of each aircraft stands around $4 million thus, 100 aircrafts will cost $400 million.

The company is exploring ways to seek low-interest loans from Japan similar to the one provided for bullet train which is to connect Mumbai with Ahmedabad.

The single pilot, 10-14 seater amphibian planes have the ability to take-off and land from places where there is no other mode of transport available and would, therefore, come handy in a country like India which has hitherto remained unconnected due to infrastructure challenges.

Seaplanes have the ability to use vast expanses of water as their runway. Primarily the reason why they were handy during the times of the World War 2.
The Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, which features an all-over body exfoliation treatment that uses diamond dust, has been named the world's best hotel spa at the World Spa Awards.

Held in conjunction with the World Travel Awards, which bills itself as the Oscars of the travel world, the world's best spa destinations, resorts and beauty salons were recognized over the weekend at a gala event held at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay hotel in Vietnam.

Along with extravagant diamond dust exfoliation treatments, which purport to leave a velvety touch to smoother, softer skin, The Beverly Wilshire also offers facials for their pint-sized princess guests, as part of the spa's kids' treatment menu.

The 'Princess mini-facial,' for instance, includes a facial cleanse, hydrating treatment, and lip gloss application for little girls, while the 'rock star massage' will loosen up kids' "tired muscles."

Kiddie mani-pedis are also available.

Meanwhile, Morocco was named the world's best overall spa destination for its hammam heritage, where steam rooms play an important part of the local culture and lifestyle, offering exfoliating and massage treatments, and a gathering place to catch up with friends and family.

Morocco beat out other contenders in the category, including California, Dubai, the Maldives and Switzerland.

Here are some of the big winners of the World Spa Awards:

World's Best Hotel Spa 2017: The Spa at Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills (A Four Seasons Hotel) (California)

World's Best Resort Spa 2017: Talise Ottoman Spa at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray (Dubai)

World's Best Wellness Retreat 2017: Mriya Resort & Spa (Russia)

World's Best Beauty Salon 2017: Maison de Joelle Jumeirah, Dubai

World's Best Spa Destination 2017: Morocco

World's Best Eco Spa 2017: CrassulaECO Spa at Cornelia De Luxe Resort

World's Best Male Spa 2017: The Ritz-Carlton Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh

World's Best Medical Spa 2017: Lanserhof Tegernsee

World's Best New Hotel Spa 2017: The Lanesborough Club & Spa at The Lanesborough London, England

World's Best Spa Brand 2017: QMS MediCosmetics
Austrian financial adviser Ernst Eigner is ugly and scary. But only in his 'Krampus' costume with red glowing eyes and horns to frighten naughty children and "evil spirits". His troupe is just one of an estimated 850, with 10,000 members around Austria marauding through towns and villages over the Christmas period in 'Krampuslauf' parades. "We are spreading the tradition of scaring away evil spirits," Eigner told AFP as he donned his outfit before one such event in Schwadorf near Vienna. "Just symbolically though of course," he said, resplendent in his shaggy Roman centurion-cum-zombie costume, animal bones dangling here and there.

It starts off innocently, with Santa -- or rather Saint Nicholas -- giving out sweets. But fear is in the air because soon come his satanic sidekicks, dozens of them. Wave after wave bound in, stomping around a roaring fire that sends sparks into the night sky, clanging cow bells attached to their backs and brandishing whips and blazing red flares. With heavy metal blaring, the several hundred spectators in the market town watch behind safety barriers as the demonic creatures prowl around menacingly, leering at the public. But apart from one tearful little girl, everyone has fun. The monsters high-five with kids as they slope off back to their lair -- actually the local school -- to get changed. "We are trying to make it look brutal but our whips are only made of horse hair," Eigner assures us. "People can hardly feel it if we hit them."

It's a booming trend, with ever more groups springing up to satisfy a seemingly insatiable demand, and not just in Austria but in southern Germany and further afield too. One of Austria's biggest parades, in Schladming south of Salzburg, involves some 800 monsters and attracts 8,000 spectators paying 12-15 euros ($14-18) per adult.

Yet, while it may be inspired by past customs, the phenomenon has moved and evolved far beyond its supposed origins in the remote valleys of the Alps. Head-to-hoof in dark fur with horns, a tail and a lolling red tongue, from the 16th century Krampus traditionally appeared on December 5, the eve of Saint Nicholas Day. "Children would be tested on religious knowledge by Saint Nicholas. He would reward them but couldn't punish them. That was Krampus's job," ethnologist Helga Maria Wolf told AFP. "Even into the 1960s, the pair would visit families on request," she said.

"Perchten" meanwhile, figures of good and evil whose origins are possibly pagan, would emerge in early January or in the carnival season before Lent, the Christian period of fasting. Traditional Perchten processions still exist, such as in Gastein in western Austria where 140 creatures from mythology and legend "drive out winter" every four years. But in recent decades, Krampus and Perchten have merged into hybrids, incorporating other influences from horror movies to heavy metal music, and appearing from early November onward. In Schwadorf there was Death himself and an assortment of witches, monks, red-faced Satans, black angels and other beasts resembling Lord of the Rings orcs.

Every Krampus season however, Austrian newspapers are full of stories about drunken young men dressed up as monsters causing injuries and mayhem. In one such recent event in the town of Voelkermarkt, police were called after at least six people were injured, reportedly after two rival Krampus groups clashed. One therapist near Salzburg, Andrea Hammerer, runs a yearly seminar helping people who are scared to go outdoors at this time of year.

"The sound of the bells goes right to the unconscious," Hammerer told AFP. "We get people to confront their fears, we bring in people dressed up as Krampus." Krampus performers say spectators can be the problem, grabbing their horns and throwing beer to wind them up. Some groups held a demo in Klagenfurt recently to protest against negative media coverage. But a whiff of danger is perhaps also part of the fun.

"There's a nice word for it -- 'angstlust'," the pleasure of fear, Wolf said. "People love rollercoasters for example. There's a kind of comforting frisson about it." "When I was little I was a tiny bit scared," said Lukas, 13, getting ready in Schwadorf to appear in his Krampus disguise. "But then I became one."
Fairy-tale weddings are often accompanied by an earth-shattering price tag, and Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli's nuptials at the Borgo Finocchieto was no exception. An 800-year-old village and boutique property, encompassing several villas which can house dozens and host hundreds, which is rented out wholly, the Borgo recently featured at the number 2 spot on Forbes Magazine's exhaustive list of the world's most expensive holiday resorts. Forget fancy suites, these are entire buildings, settlements and, as mentioned, villages that are built and maintained to cater to every ridiculous demand of their wealthy patrons.

Given that it's difficult to to put a figure to luxury (one man's cottage being another man's palace and all that), we've decided to keep the cap at only those resorts costing more than a modest $100,000 per week (roughly Rs 65 lakhs). Given that these are THE choice vacation venues for the Christmas-New Year period, it's no surprise that sun-soaked locales are preferred to more winter-y, and more traditional, luxury destinations of Paris, Zurich, Vienna and other snow-bound retreats in the north. This means the well-heeled now prefer to flock to the Caribbean and Latin America to bring in Christmas and the new year in swimwear and sandals. Indeed our list comprises only one property in France, while the majority of the remainder are located in and around the Caribbean. Tuscany in Italy, however, walks away with the most properties in the list; as Diane Lane, and more importantly, Anushka and Virat, discovered, everything is better under the Tuscan Sun.

9. Dream Catcher, Park City, Utah - $105,000 per week

8. Villa Casanova, Tuscany, Italy - $116,000 per week

7. Villa Manzu, Papagayo, Costa Rica - $140,000 per week

6. Palmasola, Mexico - $140,000 per week

5. Villa Rockstar, St Barthelemy, Caribbean - $145,000 per week

4. Chalet Edelweiss, France - $145,000 per week

3. Borgo Santo Pietro, Tuscany, Italy - $146,944 per week

2. Borgo Finocchieto, Tuscany, Italy - 147,312 per week

1. Hacienda Santa Ines, Costa Rica - $192,500 a week
Its the last day of Gujarat election campaigning and parties are leaving no stone unturned to dazzle voters and one-up the rival. While PM Narendra Modi took a seaplane ride over Sabarmati river, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the Jagannath Temple and addressed his first press conference as the partys president-elect. The partys OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, meanwhile, accused the PM of splurging on imported mushrooms.

Stay tuned for live updates:

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Ahmedabad: Sanand, which lies 40 kilometres west of Ahmedabad, was nothing more than a sleepy suburban town eight years ago. Today, this town of just over 47,000 residents is the Auto hub of Gujarat. The Tata Nano manufacturing plant built in January 2010 became a symbol of Narendra Modis Gujarat model of growth. The factory has, naturally, not been spared from Rahul Gandhis attacks and is now a poll issue in the Gujarat Assembly elections.

Land from at least half a dozen villages was taken away to construct this Tata Nano plant. Land was taken away for farmers, but for what? I want to ask all of you present here. Have you seen a Tata Nano plying on the streets of Gujarat? Is any work getting done in this factory? Do you know how many cars it produces? Two cars in a day, Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Vadnagar, the Prime Ministers hometown.

The Congress President-elect was picking up reports of the Tata Nanos dwindling sales.

The Tata Nano plant came to Gujarat amidst a major controversy in West Bengal that proved to be one of the reasons behind the fall of the Left Front government.

In 2008, Tata Motors had picked Singur in West Bengal to execute Ratan Tatas dream project. However, the then Left Front government came under fire over land acquisition issues. Mamata Banerjee, then an opposition leader, launched a massive agitation against the proposed Tata plant. Feeling the heat of Banerjees protests, Tata withdrew from West Bengal and that was when Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, entered the fray.

According to one report, Modi had sent a one-word SMS to Ratan Tata saying, Suswagatham (Welcome). The plant was shifted from Singur to Sanand and construction of the factory was completed in 14 months.

The incident gained political dividends for both Mamata and Modi. She cemented her image as a leader of the masses and rode to power with a thumping majority in the next West Bengal Assembly elections, ending 34 years of Communist rule in the state, while Modi became a darling of India Inc. and was seen as a man who meant business when it came to promoting growth.

The Tatas were offered several tax incentives in Gujarat as the state was trying to push itself as the most business-friendly state in India. The Nano plant had a domino effect and was soon followed by Ford, Peugeot, Hitachi and a host of other multinational companies, who also came to Sanand.

Eight years hence, locals and opposition leaders claim the benefits of the much-publicized Tata factory have hardly trickled down to those on the ground  a damning critique of the Gujarat model itself.

Amar Solanki, member of the Ahmedabad District Congress Legal Cell and a Sanand resident, said, When the Tata Nano plant was being built, locals were happy. Modi Ji made tall claims about how this would fuel the growth of Gujarat, especially that of Sanand. But very soon, those claims fell flat. Very few locals got jobs in these plants, while these companies said that Sanands residents dont have the technical expertise to work here.

He added, What makes it worse is the haphazard way in which these plants were constructed. For example, the Nano plant was constructed on a natural exit for rainwater. Now, whenever it rains too much in the monsoon, Sanand experiences terrible water logging. The Nano factory was not only a false promise; it is also a sanitation nightmare for the town.

As a member of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), local BJP leader Dilip Barad was in charge of negotiating with farmers to acquire their land for the plant in 2008.

Barad disputed Solankis claims, The state government was very careful in ensuring that fertile land was not given to the company to construct the plant as was being done in West Bengal. We gave only arid, infertile land to Tata and 1,100 acres were acquired lawfully for them and another 600 acres for the Ford plant. Farmers received their fair share when the land was being acquired. Earlier, those farmers could not earn enough from the arid land. Today, they are crorepatis.

While locals do not reject Barads claims that some farmers did earn a lot by selling their land, they said it did not change the fact that the plant generated little or no employment for the locals.

Pradipsinh Vaghela said, Most people who come to work at the Sanand plants are not even Gujaratis. They come from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. So where are the jobs for the Gujaratis, let alone the people of Sanand? A handful of locals did find jobs, but they got menial, low-paying jobs at these plants. That has led to some conflict between outsiders and locals. There were several small clashes in Sanand. So when Rahul Gandhi says that the plant has not offered much to Gujarat, he is not entirely wrong.
New Delhi: Manmohan Singh was a career bureaucrat and economist drafted into politics by former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao. But the reality of high-pitched political duels was perhaps explained to him by the then opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In the face of unsparing criticism from the Vajpayee-led opposition, Dr. Singh, then the finance minister in Rao Cabinet, was on the verge of quitting. Thats when Rao reached out to Vajpayee and asked him to meet the miffed leader.

Vajpayee met Singh and prevailed upon him not to take the criticism personally as opposition was merely doing its duty by taking the government of the day to task.

Since that day, an otherwise mild mannered Dr. Singh has had his share of duels in the public discourse, both in power and in opposition. But he usually maintains the poise of a seasoned politician.

All that notwithstanding, the repartees, rebuttals and critiques  though seldom  have been equally scathing.

During his decade long tenure as the Prime Minister, Dr Singh spoke less but was all ears to his fellow parliamentarians. One occasion that he did chose to retort was in the run up to 2009 general elections.

Being repeatedly captioned a weak Prime Minister by the then BJP PM candidate LK Advani, Singh replied: Iron man was quick to melt when held to fire during Kargil conflict.

Singhs poetic contest with Sushma Swaraj, the then leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, drew wide media coverage.

Speaking on the motion of thanks to Presidential Address in 2013, Swaraj quoted poet Bashir Badr in her speech: Kuch to majbooriyan rahi hongi, yun to koi bewafa nahin hota, questioning UPA IIs policies.

In response, Singh ended his speech with a fine repartee quoting Mirza Ghalib: Humein hai unse wafa ki umeed, jinhe nahi maloom wafa kya hai.

After the crushing defeat in 2014, Dr. Singh has been regular to Parliament during sessions. But his interventions have been few and far between. But whenever he has spoken, he is heard with attention by even his political opponents.

There was a pin-drop silence in the Rajya Sabha when Dr Singh articulated one of the most scathing critiques of mid-night demonetisation announced by the NDA government.

Once the house was adjourned for lunch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked up to his predecessor to shake hands. Manmohan, the economist, had spoken and sounded a note of caution.
New Delhi: Tuesday marked the end of campaigning for the second and final phase of Gujarat Assembly elections, bring to an end one of the most vicious rounds of campaigning, with the stakes high both for the ruling BJP and an aggressive Congress.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi created waves by taking a seaplane ride from the Sabarmati. He let the pictures do the talking - pictures of him taking off in a sea-plane from the river front, of the plane landing on a pond and then his motorcade driving slowly into the temple town of Ambaji.

Projecting the plane ride as a reflection of development in the state, he urged Gujaratis to vote the BJP into power to soar to new heights, just like the plane. With the Government of India and Government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1+ 1 is not 2 but 11, he wrote on Twitter.

But not everyone was impressed with the Modi show. Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi looked upbeat about his partys chances and dismissed the seaplane ride as a mere diversion.

Earlier today, I travelled on a sea plane from Ahmedabads Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for Indias progress. pic.twitter.com/mkosy9OteJ Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

"If he wants to fly on a seaplane, there is nothing wrong about it. But the issue is not the seaplane...it is the distraction (from the real issues). The question is what has been done for Gujarat in the last 22 years," he told a press conference in Ahmedabad.

He predicted a zabardast victory for the Congress and said the public mood in the state has undergone a radical change, with all sections of the society angry with the BJP.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. Public mood has undergone 'zabardast' change.

"The Congress will win the election....the results will be 'zabardast'," a confident-looking Gandhi said.

Gandhi, whose campaign highlight has been his temple run, ended it by offering prayers at the Jagannath temple.

The day begins with Congress President-Elect Rahul Gandhi seeking Darshan at Shree Jagannathji Temple for Gujarat's Navsarjan. pic.twitter.com/UmKrYxSRMO Congress (@INCIndia) December 12, 2017

Of course, in between the last day road show and temple hopping, there were surround sounds which at times took the campaign on a different tangent. Cultural czars dissected Malik Mohammand Jayasis (whose village Jayas interestingly falls in Amethi) Padmavati in television debates. The sub-text in the election season though remained firmly anchored to Alauddin Khilji.

In the meantime, despite every note of caution sounded by Ashok Gehlot, Mani Shankar Aiyar thought he also needs to be heard in the election season. In the process, the Gandhi loyalist gave enough ammunition to Prime Minister Modi to play the victim card once again.

And finally, as has always been the case, no Gujarat poll is complete without the P-word. After all, the state shares a 96 km estuary with Indias neighbour on the western front.

A reception in Delhi last attended by some former Pakistan diplomats and ministers was raked up by Prime Minister Modi at an election rally. Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, also in attendance at the get-together, wrote a sharp rebuttal.

The war of words continued into the final lap, but all eyes are now on Thursday.

After the first round of voting on December 9 for 89 seats, the remaining 93 constituencies spread across 14 districts of northern and central Gujarat will see balloting to pick a new state Assembly. A total of 851 candidates are in the fray in this round.
New Delhi: Congress, in power or in opposition, knows how to keep secrets. Nothing unusual was evident in the party circles through the precocious spring of 2004. Not even the regulars at Congress President Sonia Gandhis constituency office in Delhi had an inkling of the moves afoot.

The BJP was riding on India Shining, having called for an early election. Journalists at the Congress headquarters would regularly discuss with party leaders whether the Congress tally in the upcoming elections would drop down to a double digit. Some, though in a lighter vein, teased the AICC staff on how the party would find it difficult to pay their salaries after the elections.

One fine Sunday afternoon, the Congress media department called for a press briefing. The conference room was half empty when General Secretary Ambika Soni started to read out the first list of the Congress candidates for the General Elections.

Pratapgarh, Ratna Singh. Sultanpur, Satish Sharma, Soni read out slowly.

Rae Bareilly" she took a pause and added, "Smt. Sonia Gandhi. She continued, triggering a buzz in the room. The Congress President had decided to shift to the constituency once held by her mother-in-law.

Amethi, Soni again took a pause Rahul Gandhi.

Within minutes, the junior reporters who had been deputed on a Sunday to cover a routine press conference were breaking perhaps the biggest political story of the year.

Since that summer of 2004, the year he was drafted into contest from Amethi, Rahul Gandhis elevation to the top Congress post has been the favourite pastime for scribes.

During his decade-long tenure, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was asked this question as many times, perhaps as many times as Priyanka Gandhi was beckoned to lead the party. However, party politics in not newsroom politics. It is serious business. Political parties dont plan or change their strategy in anticipation of weekly TRP ratings. Despite media scepticism and debate, Rahul Gandhis elevation as Congress President was as defined and preordained as that of Akhilesh Yadav.

No doubt, dynasties and their effects on Indian politics is a matter of debate and discussion as it should be in any healthy democracy.

At the same time, dynastic or otherwise, political parties spend decades in preparing their next line of leadership. Its not an event. It is a process. Thus, once settled, parties tend to keep the course.

In the past 13 years that he has been in politics, Rahul Gandhi has seen the highs and the lows. He has led the party to a handsome performance in Uttar Pradesh, winning almost the twice the number of seats as the BJP in 2009 general elections. He has faced a concerted backlash from the partys old guard, afflicted by after-me-deluge syndrome.

Hes seen the entire top leadership of the party wiped out in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh just ahead of 2013 Assembly elections. He has also seen people leaving his public meeting while he was only half way through his speech during the Delhi Assembly elections, the same year. And he has faced what politicians loath to bear  lampoon from his adversaries and people at large.

Despite all of this, Rahul Gandhi has been elected the President of the Indian National Congress, because it had to be so. The Congress held its internal elections in the winter to coincide with the Gujarat polls. Irrespective of the outcome in BJPs own bastion, Sonia Gandhi has decided to hand over the reins to Rahul, just two days ahead of the Gujarat verdict.
Ahmedabad: Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday predicted a zabardast victory for his party in the Gujarat election and said the public mood in the state has undergone a radical change, with all sections of the society angry with the BJP.

Addressing a press conference on the last day of campaigning, he said there was a tremendous undercurrent against the ruling party.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. Public mood has undergone 'zabardast' change.

"The Congress will win the election....the results will be 'zabardast'," a confident-looking Gandhi said.

He also disapproved of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's insinuation that his predecessor Manmohan Singh and other leaders of his party connived with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat Assembly elections, saying it was unacceptable.

Gandhi, addressing his first presser after his elevation, said, in his new job, he would strive to change the nature of political discourse in the country which has become "ugly and nasty".

Replying to a question on Modi's remarks over Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls, Gandhi said, "I have made my stand clear from day one, in words and in action. Modiji is the prime minister of our country. Mani Shankar Aiyar said something and I made it clear that I would not tolerate it. You have seen the action."

"But what Modiji has said about former prime minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable. Manmohan Singhji was also the prime minister of this country, served and made sacrifices for this country," the 47-year-old leader said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

Modi claimed some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6, and a day later Aiyar made the "neech" jibe against him. Aiyar was suspended from the party.

"Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is the prime minister of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him.

"I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger," he noted.

Gandhi said he would like to spread the Congress's ideology in the country that politics should be done through "love". He was replying to question about what will be his priority after taking over the reins of the party.

He said the prime minister refrained from speaking about corruption during the entire campaign. The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, responding to a question.

When his attention was drawn to claims by BJP leaders that he only visited temples in Gujarat, the Congress leader said, "Earlier, I had gone to Kedarnath. Is Kedarnath in Gujarat? This is the BJP's propaganda against me."

Gandhi started his day by offering prayers at the famous Lord Jagannath temple here.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

Asked how will his party give reservation to the Patel community, a section of which is on warpath with the BJP government, breaching the cap of 50 per cent set by the Supreme court, Gandhi said, "The Congress party's manifesto is clear about it."

Gandhi refuted allegations of BJP leaders that Congress was playing caste politics in the elections by enlisting support of caste and community group leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor.

"The Congress wants to take along all sections of Gujarat together as against the BJP which has worked for 10 to 15 industrialists. All sections of society are angry with the BJP and that anger is coming out before this election," he said.
Hyderabad: In another case of politicians misusing power, a Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLA and her bodyguards attacked toll plaza employees at Timmarpur in Karimnagar district on Tuesday after they were made to wait at the toll gate.

The incident took place at the toll plaza in Timmarpur and it has been captured on CCTV.

Sources said there was an argument between the toll plaza employees and the bodyguards of Chhopadindi MLA Shobha. The bodyguards allegedly vandalised the toll plaza.

The police has not registered a complaint as no party has approached them yet.

The TRS legislator blamed the toll plaza employees while demanding a separate lane for MLAs at the toll gate. "Every day this is the problem. We have to wait because of the traffic. This is because they don't have dedicated separate lane for VVIPs. All MLAs face the same problem. So I got down to ask them why the delay. But toll employees started misbehaving with me and my gunman," Shobha told CNN-News18.
As the year 2017 comes to an end, YouTube has announced this year's edition of 'YouTube Rewind', a look back at the entire year's YouTube activities and performances of various contributors to the video platform. With highlights like the 106 year old super chef, new comedy kings, trending beauty hacks, much sought after movie trailers and more, YouTube has also seen several records being created this year by the Indian contributors. Here is a list of top performing content from Indian contributors on YouTube in the year 2017.

Topping the list of creators in 2017, is comedy superstar BB Ki Vines, with over 5 million subscribers, followed by Vidya Vox with 3.7 million subscribers, gaining over 2.5 million subscribers in 2017 alone. Support for local creators continued, with three of this years top 10 trending videos (non-music) going to content creators - BB Ki Vines for Group Study, Amit Bhadana for That Dumb Friend in Every Group and Zakir Khan for Life Main Chahiye Izzat!

2017 also saw some major new records being broken in overall views for movie trailers in India, with Bahubali 2 - The Conclusion, getting over 58 million views, followed by Padmavati with 27 million and Judwa 2 with 23 million. Bollywood Music remains the king of the hill, with Badrinath Ki Dulhania bagging the top two spots for its Title Track with 132 million views and remix of the popular Tamma Tamma Again with 78 million views. Guru Randhawas High Rated Gabru is a close third on the Most Trending Music list, with 75 million.

YouTube has over 225 million Indian smartphone users using YouTube every month, as per the companys stats. India also reached two major YouTube milestone this year, with 200 channels now crossing the one million subscriber mark and three channels achieving 10 million (ZEE, TSeries and ChuChu TV) subscribers, earning themselves the Diamond Button this year. While music, comedy, food/recipes, education and learning continue to grow, health & beauty emerged as the fastest growing vertical of 2017 with many new subcategories growing, including dance, women lifestyle, village-food, web-series, among others.

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New York: Police in Bangladesh are questioning the wife of Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi man U.S. authorities say set off a pipe bomb in a crowded New York City commuter hub, two senior police officials in Bangladesh said on Tuesday.

The two officials, who declined to be identified as they are not permitted to discuss the matter publicly, did not give any detail on the questioning but said the couple have a six-month old baby boy.

"We have found his wife and in-laws in Dhaka. We are interviewing them," one of the police officials told Reuters.

Ullah set off an explosion in an underground pedestrian corridor between New York's Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal at rush hour on Monday, injuring himself and three others in what New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called an attempted terrorist attack.

Authorities in Bangladesh began trying to track down Ullah's family soon after news of the attack broke and they first found a cousin, said a third official, Mahiuddin Mahmud.

"We learned from his cousin that he had a wife and a baby in Bangladesh," Mahmud said.

The cousin, Emdad Ullah, told Reuters that Ullah and his family originally lived the Chittagong region in southern Bangladesh but moved to the capital, Dhaka, years ago.

Ullah had married a Bangladeshi woman about two years ago, and she lived in Dhaka, the cousin said, adding that Ullah had a normal education in Bangladesh before moving to the United States.

Bangladesh's police chief had told Reuters on Monday that 27-year-old Ullah had no criminal record in his home country, which he last visited in September.

Ullah lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn and was a green card holder, said Shameem Ahsan, consul general of Bangladesh in New York.

A U.S. enforcement official familiar with the investigation into Monday's attack said officers had found evidence that Ullah had watched Islamic State propaganda on the internet.

IMMIGRATION REFORM

Bangladesh strongly condemned the attack.

"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice," the government said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said the attack emphasized the need for U.S. immigration reforms.

"America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country," he said in a statement.

The president also criticized the visa program that allowed Ullah to enter the United States in 2011 because he had family members already in the country, saying such family visas are "incompatible with national security."

H.T. Imam, a political adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said he believed the attack would have no "negative impact" on relations with the United States.

"The U.S. government is well informed about the Bangladesh government's attitude regarding terror activities," Imam said.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week handed a victory to Trump by allowing his latest travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries to go into full effect even as legal challenges continue in lower courts.

The ban covers people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen seeking to enter the United States. Trump has said the travel ban is needed to protect the United States from terrorism by Islamist militants.

Bangladesh is not among the countries impacted by the ban.
New York: New York police on Tuersday charged an ISIS-inspired Bangladeshi-origin man with supporting terrorism, a day after he triggered a blast with a crude homemade device at a metro station that injured three people.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device exploded prematurely on Monday between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America's largest bus terminal. The New York Police Department tweeted that Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

Ullah is reported to be in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burns in the explosion. Three other people suffered minor wounds in the blast during rush hour. The suspect was taken into custody after the device partially exploded.

Reports say he used piping, nails, a 9-volt battery and Christmas lights wire to build the device. It was affixed to his body with Velcro straps.

The suspect's home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched.

Ullah acted alone, police said, adding that the explosion was recorded on surveillance video.

According to a law enforcement official, through his comments to investigators, Ullah indicated he was prepared to die. The source also said the suspect was wired up with the self-made device during his entire trip on the subway system. He had pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN, and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far, though it is being treated as terror-related. John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, said Ullah was not on the FBI radar.

"This is an individual who came from Bangladesh, was living here, went through a number of jobs, was not particularly struggling financially or under any known pressure, who was not on our radar at the NYPD, not on the FBI radar, and he's somewhat characteristic of what we've been seeing across the world which is somebody who turns up one day out of the blue," Miller told CBS this morning.

Miller said it is difficult to stop a lone wolf attack. "Where the conspiracy is within the confines of their own mind, and that's a very hard place to get to. When you combine that with the fact that now these [cellphone] devices are encrypted so if you bring it to the manufacturer with a court order, even they've designed it so that they can't open it," Miller said.

Ullah came to the US in 2011 from Bangladesh as part of the family visa. From 2012 to 2015 he had a city taxi driving license. He was currently working for an electric company. "You find yourself increasingly behind the eight ball as the terrorist organisations seize on this and increase the breadth and space of that propaganda that's meant to reach those people who are searching for something," he said. Miller said Ullah raised concerns about would-be terrorists' ability to make devices at home.

"If you look at what he attempted to make that bomb out of and what he attempted to make it into, it didn't function with the force and power that the recipe intended it to. I think what we saw yesterday was something that could have been far, far worse," Miller added.
New York: Donald Trump sailed past a raft of allegations of sexual misconduct in last year's presidential election.

Now the national #MeToo spotlight is turning back to Trump and his past conduct. Several of his accusers are urging Congress to investigate his behaviour, and a number of Democratic lawmakers are demanding his resignation.

With each day seeming to bring new headlines that force men from positions of power, the movement to expose sexual harassment has forced an unwelcome conversation on the White House. In a heated exchange with reporters in the White House briefing room on Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders steadfastly dismissed accusations against the Republican president and suggested the issue had already been litigated in Trump's favor on Election Day.

But to Trump's accusers, the rising #MeToo movement is an occasion to ensure he is at last held accountable.

"It was heartbreaking last year. We're private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, 'Eh, we don't care,' it hurt," Samantha Holvey said Monday. The former beauty queen claimed that Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006.

"Let's try round two," she said. "The environment's different. Let's try again."

Holvey was one of four women to make her case against Trump on Monday, both in an NBC interview and then in a news conference. Rachel Crooks, a former Trump Tower receptionist who said the celebrity businessman kissed her on the mouth in 2006 without consent, called for Congress to "put aside party affiliations and investigate Trump's history of sexual misconduct."

"If they were willing to investigate Sen. Franken, it's only fair that they do the same for Trump," Crooks said.

Franken, the Democratic senator from Minnesota, announced last week that he would resign amid an ethics probe into accusations that he sexually harassed several women. Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Trent Franks, R-Ariz., also resigned after misconduct accusations.

But a Capitol Hill investigation into Trump's conduct appears unlikely. The Senate and House Ethics Committees investigate members of Congress, not presidents, and Republican-led committees are not apt to investigate Trump on sexual misconduct unless there is some sort of connection to the ongoing Russia probe.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Congress shouldn't investigate the allegations against Trump.

"I don't think there's any forum for us to do that," he said. "Just think about how that could be abused."

(L-R) Rachel Crooks, a former receptionist in Trump Tower in 2005, Jessica Leeds and Samantha Holvey, a former Miss North Carolina, exit a news conference for the film "16 Women and Donald Trump" which focuses on women who have publicly accused President Trump of sexual misconduct, in Manhattan, New York, U.S., December 11, 2017. (REUTERS)

Nonetheless, several Democratic senators have seized the moment and called for Trump to step down.

"President Trump should resign," New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told CNN on Monday. "These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking."

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley have also called on Trump to resign.

White House aides have warily watched the movement sweep Capitol Hill, opting to repeat rote denials about allegations against the president. The president's advisers were stunned Sunday when one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration broke with the White House line and said the accusers' voices "should be heard."

"They should be heard, and they should be dealt with," Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in a CBS interview. "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."

Haley's comments infuriated the president, according to two people who are familiar with his views but who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. Trump has grown increasingly angry in recent days that the accusations against him have resurfaced, telling associates that the charges are false and drawing parallels to the accusations facing Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, many after the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape last October in which Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women. One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Trump's reality show, "The Apprentice," sued, contending that Trump's denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.

Jessica Leeds, who appeared at Monday's news conference, recalled sitting on an airplane next to Trump in the 1970s when he began to fondle her.

"All of a sudden, he's all over me. Kissing and groping, groping and kissing," she said. "Nothing was said. It was just this silent groping going on."

Trump denied the allegations during the campaign, and Sanders did the same Monday.

"Look, as the president said himself, he thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward, but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn't determine the course," Sanders said. "And again, the American people knew this and voted for the president. And we feel like we're ready to move forward in that process."

Sanders declined to say whether she believed the accusers or if she herself had been the victim of harassment. She grew impatient with the repeated questions and pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president.

The White House did not provide the list by late Monday.
Sydney: An Australian senator quit parliament on Tuesday over his links with China in a scandal that coincided with Canberra proposing new foreign interference laws that have sparked fierce criticism from Beijing.

Labour opposition politician Sam Dastyari, a one-time high-profile powerbroker, has been under heavy scrutiny over his relationship with a wealthy political donor associated with the Chinese Communist Party.

"Today, after much reflection, I have decided that the best service I can render to the federal parliamentary Labour Party is to not return to the Senate in 2018," he said as pressure for him to go grew.

"Reflecting on the events which led to my decision, I leave knowing that I have always honoured my parliamentary oath, I have always acted with integrity, and I remain a loyal, patriotic Australian."

It recently emerged that he had told billionaire businessman Huang Xiangmo  who has donated to both Labour and the ruling Liberal coalition  that his phone was likely being tapped by spy agencies.

Huang's company last year paid a legal bill for Dastyari.

Reports also said Dastyari had appeared at a media conference alongside Huang, held for Chinese media, where he contradicted Labour's position on the South China Sea issue.

And this week, he was accused of pressuring the party's foreign affairs spokeswoman not to meet a Chinese political activist during a visit to Hong Kong in 2015.

On Monday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made clear Dastyari's position was untenable.

"Dastyari has quite plainly been acting in the interests of another government or another power," he told broadcaster ABC.

The scandal came to a head as Canberra announced wide-ranging reforms to espionage and foreign interference legislation.

The new laws followed an inquiry ordered by Turnbull after media revelations that the nation's spy agency had warned the country's political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billionaires with links to China.

The reports said intelligence agencies had major concerns that China was interfering in Australian institutions and using the political donations system to gain access.

Turnbull last week singled out China as a focus of concern, citing "disturbing reports" about Beijing's influence, drawing an angry response and an official protest.

Beijing said Canberra should "immediately stop making wrong remarks" that would undermine trust and cooperation between the two countries, while attacking local media stories about infiltration as fabricated.
Gaza: Two Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants riding on a motorcycle in Gaza were killed in an explosion on Tuesday which the group implied was caused by an accidental detonation during preparations for an attack.

Israel's military denied accounts by local residents that the militants were killed in an air strike.

Violence along the Israel-Gaza border has flared since U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition last week of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the Israeli military's demolition on Sunday of a cross-border tunnel it said was dug by Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the small coastal enclave.

On Monday, Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted a rocket fired by militants in Gaza. Shortly afterward, Israel responded with tank fire and air strikes targeting positions of Hamas.

In a statement after Tuesday's explosion, Islamic Jihad said: "We mourn the men - 'martyrs of preparation'". The group usually employs the term to refer to casualties caused by the accidental detonation of weapons or explosives used in attacks against Israel.
Moscow: Tweets by US President Donald Trump are viewed in Moscow as his official position and read by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

A prolific user of Twitter before he was elected late last year, Trump has continued to use the social media platform to voice his views on policy and world affairs since moving into the White House.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday it was not his place to comment on Trump's actions, but added: "In any case, everything which is published from his authorised Twitter account is perceived by Moscow as his official statement.

"Naturally, it is reported to Putin along with other information about official statements by politicians," Peskov said, adding that Putin was not a Twitter user himself.

Trump's activity on Twitter have previously cause controversy. His tweets sparked outrage in Britain last month and a sharp rebuke of Prime Minister Theresa May when he retweeted anti Islam videos from a British far-right group.
A supporter holds up a cut-out of a lotus, the election symbol of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a campaign meeting addressed by Modi ahead of Gujarat state assembly election in Kalol on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. (Image: Reuters)
Asked the reason for the Prime Minister taking a seaplane, Jagdish Bhavsar, an official of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said, You can take this gesture of the Prime Minister as our other programmes like the Ro-Ro Ferry Service, or the Bullet Train project or the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). You can take this new programme as one of the initiatives of the BJP." (Image: Kamal Dev/News18)
Snails crawl on the face of a woman during a demonstration of a new beauty treatment at Clinical-Salon in Tokyo. Clinical-Salon began the unique facial which offers a five-minute session with the snails crawling on the face. According to a beautician at the salon, the snail slime is believed to make one's skin supple as well as remove dry and scaly patches. (Image: Reuters)
At its last meeting of 2017, the Campbell County School Board discussed a possible change to the payroll schedule that would cost Campbell County Public Schools money and heard about how the division would stack up to the states updated accreditation requirements.

Michelle McClanahan, chief financial officer for the school system, announced a recommended change in the payroll schedule at the beginning of the meeting. She explained because new employees currently get their first paycheck Sept. 30, school can start no earlier than Aug. 15. This becomes problematic when Aug. 15 moves to later in the week, as it will in 2018, when the 15th will be a Wednesday. In 2019, it will be a Thursday. Tuesday start dates are ideal, so McClanahan recommended changing the payroll schedule so employees get their first pay checks in August. That way, the division has flexibility on its start date.

It would be a one-time, permanent change starts next August, McClanahan said.

But the change going forward doesnt come without a cost  new employees would be eligible for insurance one month earlier, starting Sept. 1. This year, the division hired 120 new employees, she said. If they all elected individual health coverage, the extra month would have cost $80,000.

But Superintendent Robert Johnson described the added month of insurance as an added benefit that would help us in a few smaller cases in recruitment.

Johnson told the board they didnt need to vote on the matter because it was a procedure that was changing.

Also during the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Rob Arnold gave a presentation about Virginias updated accreditation requirements. He pointed out a schools accreditation no longer is based solely on its Standards of Learning test scores. Going forward, schools also will be scored on their progress toward closing achievement gaps, attendance and graduation and dropout rates, as well as a college and career readiness metric that takes into account career-readiness courses and internship opportunities.

In attendance and graduation and dropout rates, Campbell County is in the green section of the new accreditation scale that uses green, yellow and red categories.

In all of those areas, were in really good shape, and we feel really good about it, Arnold said.

The college and career readiness portion will require more work, he said. Many students in Campbell County already participate in programs that could fit within the requirements for this portion of accreditation  for instance, taking career skills-related classes  but the challenge will be getting all of the divisions students involved, especially at the middle-school level where there are fewer existing programs.

The board did not take action on anything related to accreditation at the meeting. Board chair Scott Miller, however, said he felt the updated requirements are a move in the right direction.

The 2017-18 school year will be a transition year for accreditation, and schools will be able to choose which metric they choose to be rated with for that school year, Arnold explained. The new standards will go into effect for all school divisions for the 2018-19 school year.

Monday nights meeting also was the last meeting for Susan Hogg, who represents the Timberlake District, and Roger Akers, who represents the Rustburg District. Hogg was elected to the Campbell County Board of Supervisors, and Akers is retiring after 29 years on the board.
GOVERNMENT has once again warned teachers that it is illegal to offer extra lessons to pupils for a fee. In an interview on the sidelines of a tour of Glen View 2 Primary School in Harare yesterday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima said extra lessons were creating problems in the civil service.



The Zimbabwean civil service has to be rationalised. There has to be equality within it. The issue of extra lessons had two problems. The first one was to unequalise the civil service. Imagine if you went to social welfare and you were asked to pay extra for receiving the service that the social welfare officer is supposed to grant you. Would that be okay?



Extra lessons also had a problem where one cannot have rational civil service with extra lessons. What if teachers then do not teach during the normal time waiting for parents to pay something in order to receive a service that you were supposed to receive from Government anyway?





So the issue of extra lessons had serious problems. It would affect the motivation of the teacher to teach during normal working hours and it disequalised the civil service, he said. Minister Mavima said Government will not allow teachers to be paid for extra lessons.





So we are not going back to a situation where teachers are paid for extra lessons. But we are not saying no to extra lessons per se. What we are saying no to is the payment.





Motivated teachers will request to have space created for them so that they can better teach their students and achieve effectiveness. So it is not necessarily the extra lessons but the payment of extra lessons that removed all rationality in the whole process, he said. Minister Mavima said his Ministry was going ahead with the implementation of the new education curriculum.





We are going to continue with implementation of the new curriculum. In fact this school (Glen View 2) exemplifies this new curriculum  in terms of teaching self-reliance, in terms of teaching heritage, we have seen what is here in terms of the cultural village, ICTs (Information Communication Technologies) among others, he said.





So, we are going ahead but let me add a quick cover to say we have gone through one year of implementation of that new curriculum, obviously there are teething problems to it and it is now time for us to review and see how implementation has gone and we will definitely work on some areas.

Added Minister Mavima: There have been recommendations already especially around issues of tasks, issues of scheduling, issues of making sure that the syllabi that are being offered are age appropriate. So we are going to look at those issues but those are implementation issues. They do not impact on the overall objective of the curriculum and so we will be going ahead with implementation of its overall objective.





Remember we are saying we want critical thinking, problem solving, we want more of the STEAM  Science, Technology, Arts and Mathematics. We cannot go back on that. To go back on that is actually to take us back to the 20th century. We are in the 21st century and our curriculum here in Zimbabwe has to live up to the demands of the 21st century. Herald
Idaho Cops:

Actually, There

Could Be a Threat

to the Community
Apple has bought Shazam, the maker of a song-recognition app that Apple's digital assistant Siri has already been using to help people identify the music playing on their iPhones, the AP reports. The companies didn't disclose the price of the acquisition announced Monday. Technology news site Recode previously reported Apple is paying about $400 million for Shazam, citing three unidentified people familiar with the deal. Apple Inc. issued a statement describing Shazam as a "natural fit" with its services. "We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam," Apple said. The Cupertino, Calif., company declined to say whether Shazam's app will still be available after the deal closes.

Some of Shazam's features conceivably could be blended into Apple's music streaming service. Siri began drawing upon Shazam's technology to answer questions about songs as part of a 2014 update to the iPhone's operating system. The Shazam deal marks Apple's biggest acquisition in music since paying $3 billion for Beats Electronics' line of headphones and music service in 2014. Digital services have been playing an increasingly important role for Apple as the sales of iPhonesthe company's main moneymakerhave slowed. Software and other services generated $30 billion in revenue during Apple's last fiscal year, a 23 percent increase from the previous year. Shazam was founded in 2002 and made one of the first apps for the iPhone.

(Read more Apple stories.)
French President Emmanuel Macron is making good on his plans to turn France into a "second homeland" for American climate scientists who feel unappreciated and underfunded in Donald Trump's America, the Washington Post reports. Six months after Trump announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, a decision Macron at the time called "a mistake for the future of his country and his people and a mistake for the future of the planet, France has announced the winners of the country's first "Make Our Planet Great Again" competition. The 18 scientists, 13 of whom work in the United States, will receive research grants of up to five years.

The competition, funded by the French government, received 1822 applications, nearly two-thirds of them coming from the United States.The grants, totaling millions of euros, will allow the winning scientists to relocate to France for the rest of Trump's term in office, the Guardian reports. If we want to prepare for the changes of tomorrow, we need science, Macron told the winners today in Paris. We will be there to replace US funding of climate research. Next year France will hold a second, bigger competition, this time in conjunction with Germany. Fifty winners will be chosen and the grants will total about $70 million. (Read more paris accord stories.)
Ryan Lizza has joined Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer, and Mark Halperin on the list of big-name journalists who have recently lost their jobs after being accused of sexual misconduct. Today, the New Yorker announced that they had fired their longtime Washington correspondent for engaging in "improper sexual conduct," the Hill reports. In a statement the magazine said, "The New Yorker recently learned that Ryan Lizza engaged in what we believe was improper sexual conduct. We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza." In response, Lizza said he was "dismayed" at the New Yorker's action, saying the magazine had mischaracterized a relationship he had with a woman as "somehow inappropriate" and was "unable to cite any company policy that was violated."

A lawyer for the accuser, Douglas Wigdor, responded to Lizza's defense in a statement, saying, "In no way did Mr. Lizza's misconduct constitute a 'respectful relationship.'" In addition to writing for the New Yorker since 2007, Lizza has also been an on-air contributor to CNN. After news of Lizza's firing broke, the station announced that it had suspended him "while we look into this matter," the USA Today reports. Lizza is perhaps most famous for publishing the long, profanity-fueled tirade that led to the resignation of Anthony Scaramucci from the White House in July. Appearing on a podcast last week, Scaramucci said about Lizza, This guys obviously a very bad actor. Karmas a bitch. Itll come back and bite him. Youll see." (Read more Ryan Lizza stories.)
Donald Trump wants to see Americans back on the moon, the Hill reports. Today, at a White House ceremony marking the anniversary of the last human voyage to the moon, 1972's Apollo 17 mission, Trump gathered with Vice President Mike Pence and two former astronauts, Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt and Buzz Aldrin, to sign a new order directing American efforts to get astronauts back to the moon, and eventually Mars. This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint, we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars and perhaps, someday, to many worlds beyond. This directive will ensure Americas space program once again leads and inspires all of humanity, Trump said.

Pence, who also serves as the National Space Council chairman, said a "renewed American presence on the moon" will enhance national defense, create jobs, and "spur innovation." There was no mention made at the ceremony about funding for completion of the new directive. Meanwhile, Trump's nominee to run NASA has yet to be confirmed, CNN reports. During Senate committee debate last month, both of Florida's senators, Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio, accused the nominee, Oklahoma Rep. Jim Bridenstine, of being too partisan and lacking a science background. "Your recent public service career does not instill the confidence about your leadership skills or ability to bring people together," Nelson said. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
Former US Army soldier Charles Jenkins, who drank a few beers and slipped across the DMZ to defect to North Korea on a January night some 52 years ago, has died in Japan. He was 77. Jenkins, who feared being killed on patrol or being sent to Vietnam, had planned to seek asylum at the Russian embassy and return to the US in a prisoner swap, but he came to bitterly regret the 1965 desertion, the BBC reports. North Korea held him and other Americans prisoner and he endured brutal mistreatment including the removal of a US Army tattoo without anesthetic. Jenkins, who grew up in North Carolina and left school at 15, taught English in North Korea and played American villains in propaganda movies. He married Hitomi Soga, a Japanese citizen kidnapped by North Korea, in 1980.

Soga was allowed to return to Japan in 2002. Two years later, Jenkins and their two daughters joined her in Indonesia before flying to Japan. Jenkins, in uniform, reported for duty at the US Army headquarters in Japan and was sentenced to 25 days in a US military prison in Japan before receiving a dishonorable discharge, the Guardian reports. He spent the rest of his days living in her hometown of Sado in northern Japan, where he worked as a greeter in a local souvenir shop, reports the AP. He collapsed outside his home Monday and died of heart failure. In August, he told the Los Angeles Times that he still worried about what Pyongyang might do to him and his family. "North Korea, give them enough money, you don't know what they'll do," he said. "North Korea wants me dead." (Read more North Korea stories.)
It's unlikely that the first object found to have visited our solar system from interstellar space is carrying a message from aliens, but scientists will listen for one anyway. Beginning Wednesday, the Green Bank telescope in West Virginia will observe the mysterious cigar-shaped 'Oumuamua across four radio transmission bands, from 1 to 12 GHz, as part of the Breakthrough Listen project searching for evidence of alien life, reports the Guardian. 'OumuamuaHawaiian for "a messenger from afar arriving first," per NASAwas first spotted by scientists in Hawaii in October as it sped past Earth at an astronomical stone's throw, per a release. It's now twice as far from Earth as the sun and scheduled to pass through Jupiter's orbit in May 2018, but close enough that the Green Bank telescope can detect even the faintest radio transmissions.

'Oumuamua is estimated to be up to 10 times as long as it is wide, and the press release notes that researchers have theorized that an interstellar spacecraft would be of similar shape, so as to reduce friction and damage from space debris. While project adviser Avi Loeb of Harvard acknowledges "most likely it is of natural origin"it's widely believed to be an asteroidhe says that because of its curious shape, "we would like to check if it has any sign of artificial origin, such as radio emissions." Even if the Green Bank telescope fails to pick up any signal or other suggestion of "extraterrestrial technology," all will not be for naught: The Breakthrough Listen project's work may reveal more about 'Oumuamua's chemistry, including whether it carries signs of water. ('Oumuamua is likely not alone.)
With a conflict on the Korean Peninsula looking increasingly possible, China is reportedly preparing. The country is said to be laying the groundwork for refugee camps for thousands of prospective migrants along Jilin province's border with North Korea, reports the New York Times, citing a document produced by a state-owned telecom company. The China Mobile document describes recent inspections of five planned refugee campsin the cities of Tumen and Hunchun and three villages in Changbai Countyfor the purposes of verifying Internet access there. Though China's government hasn't confirmed the plan, a local businessman tells the Times that temporary housing is already under construction on state-owned land.

The camps were ordered "because the situation on the China-North Korea border has intensified lately," according to the China Mobile document, which was shared last week on microblogging site Weibo before it was deleted, per the Telegraph. In an exchange erased from the official transcript of a press briefing on Monday, a rep for China's Foreign Ministry said he was unaware of any such plan, per the Guardian. But analysts say China would be foolish not to anticipate such future needs, particularly in an area that lies just 60 miles from North Korea's main nuclear test site. The Korean Peninsula is "on the brink of war," a Beijing specialist on North Korea tells the Guardian. "As a major power and a neighboring country, China should make plans for all eventualities." (Read more China stories.)
Social media was supposed to bring everyone closer together, but a former Facebook exec fears it's doing the exact opposite. "I feel tremendous guilt," Chamath Palihapitiya, who used to be the VP of user growth at the social network, said during an appearance in November at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, in a speech just now being widely shared, per the Verge. "I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works." Palihapitiya railed against the "short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops" where people spend their hours vying for "hearts, likes, thumbs-up," and he blamed "bad actors" for manipulating online information. There is "no civil discourse, no cooperation," simply "misinformation [and] mistruth," he noted, per the New York Post.

He confessed he now rarely uses the network he helped growhe's posted just a handful of times over the past seven years. "It's created huge tension with my friends, huge tensions in my social circles," he said. He added that in the back of the minds of all those involved in building Facebook, everyone knew "something bad could happen." Palihapitiya isn't completely sure how to take back control of Facebook, which he still said "overwhelmingly does positive good in the world," so he just tries to manage what he can. "I don't use this s---," he said. And "I can control my kids' decision, which is they're not allowed to use this s---." His suggestion for others after this "soul searching"? Take a "hard break" from social media. "If you feed the beast, the beast will destroy you," he said. The Post has a lightly edited transcript of his take. (Read more social media stories.)
Jimmy Kimmel held his baby son as he returned to his late-night show after a week off for the boy's heart surgery. Kimmel was crying from the first moment of his monologue Monday night as he pleaded with Congress to restore and improve children's health coverage, a cause he has championed since his son Billy was born with a heart defect in April, the AP reports. "I was out last weekbecause this guy had heart surgery. But look he's fine everybody, he may have pooped but he's fine," Kimmel said, per ABC. "Daddy cries on TV but Billy doesn't. Its unbelievable."

Billy needed one surgery just after his birth and had a follow-up operation last week. Kimmel kept up his ardent advocacy Monday night, urging Congress to restore the Children's Health Insurance Program, which has been left unfunded and stuck in a political stalemate since September. He slammed lawmakers for using the program, which covers around 9 million children, some of them with life-threatening conditions, as a "bargaining chip." "I don't know what could be more disgusting than putting a tax cut that mostly goes to the rich ahead of the lives of children," he said. "This is literally a life and death program for American kids."

(Read more Jimmy Kimmel stories.)
Vladimir Putin declared victory in Syria on a surprise visit to the country Monday and announced that he'd ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops. He was joined by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his visit to the Khmeimim air base, which was Putin's first known trip to the country, reports the Washington Post. He said he had ordered the withdrawal of "troop contingents" to their home bases in Russia, though he added that the air base and Russia's naval base in Syria would remain. He also said there would be more strikes "if terrorists raise their head again."

"You are victorious, and you are going home to your families, parents, wives, children, and friends," Putin told Russian pilots. "The fatherland is waiting for you, my friends. Have a safe trip home. I am grateful for your service." Later in the day, the Russian leader visited Cairo and Ankara for talks. Russia's 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war probably preserved Assad's regime, and the BBC's Steve Rosenberg notes that it's probably no coincidence that Assad declared victory and ordered troop withdrawals just a week after announcing that he will stand for re-election. (Read more Syria stories.)
Olympian Oscar Pistorius, in jail for murdering his girlfriend, was bruised in an altercation with another inmate over telephone use, a South African prison spokesman has confirmed. Singabakho Nxumalo of the Department of Correctional Services said Tuesday that Pistorius sustained a minor injury at the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre last week, reports the AP. "It is alleged that he was involved in an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care unit where both offenders are detained," Nxumalo tells the BBC, adding Pistorius had a medical checkup and the incident is being investigated.

AFP cites unconfirmed reports that the fight was spurred by a lengthy call Pistorius had made. The BBC reports the incident took place last Wednesday, some 10 days after his prison sentence was more than doubled to 13 years and five months by South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal in connection with the Valentine's Day 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

(Read more Oscar Pistorius stories.)
It was an eventful weekend for some airline passengers, who had to deal with outbursts over champagneand threats against their lives. First to Sacramento, where a woman was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight that arrived from Portland on Saturday, reports KOIN. Officials say the woman tampered with a smoke detector and lit up in the plane's bathroom. Told to return to her seat, the woman was then seen on a video, shouting, "I will kill everybody on this f------ plane." The man who recorded the video says the women also pushed a flight attendant and had to be physically restrained, per CBS Sacramento.

When the flight landed, Valerie Curbelo, 24, was arrested and charged with making criminal threats. She later blamed "anxiety" for her actions, per CBS. Meanwhile, a 44-year-old Swiss woman aboard a flight from Moscow to Zurich caused an unscheduled stop Saturday when she was denied champagne. The business-class passenger became aggressive when she was told flight attendants would stop filling her glass, reports the AP. The plane eventually had to land in Stuttgart, Germany. The unnamed woman was hit with a nearly $6,000 fine. Officials say the unplanned stop likely cost tens of thousands of dollars more. (This plane had to divert hundreds of miles because flyers had to "go really bad.")
It isn't just talk of "sexual fantasies" and "wet dreams" that allegedly permeates Rep. Blake Farenthold's office. Though the Republican congressman from Texas has denied wrongdoing after paying $84,000 in taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim three years ago, two former aides tell the New York Times that Farenthold "set the tone for off-color jokes and inappropriate banter" that made discussions of women's breasts and male lobbyists' genitals commonplace. Elizabeth Peace, who served as Farenthold's press secretary until March, says she quit partly because of inappropriate sexualized comments, including discussions of strip clubs, photos of male lobbyists' genitals sent to female staffers, and conversations on which female reporters had breast implants.

Per the Houston Chronicle, Peace complained about inappropriate sexualized comments in 2016, the same time another aide complained that female employees were treated "differently" in his office. A rep for Farenthold says a review found no evidence of wrongdoing and employees "took sensitivity and anti-harassment training." Still, Peace says "the behavior never changed," per the Times. An unnamed former aide who describes discussions of breasts also accuses Farenthold of "rude comments" and "acts of aggression or rage." In response, the Texas Tribune notes the four-term congressman faces the toughest re-election fight of his career with Republican Reps. Mia Love of Utah and Barbara Comstock of Virginia demanding he resign. Most Republicans, however, appear to remain in Farenthold's corner. (Read more sexual harassment stories.)
There's plenty of speculation in DC about whether President Trump might fire special counsel Robert Mueller. But Mike Allen of Axios reports on another strategy being explored by the president's legal team: Appoint a second special counsel to investigate Mueller's investigation. The story suggests that Trump's attorneys trust Mueller himself but not others in the Justice Department. For example, they point to a Fox News story Monday detailing how the wife of a Justice Department official named Bruce Ohr worked for the company behind the infamous anti-Trump dossier that emerged during the election. Ohr was recently demoted for concealing his own meetings with the company, Fusion GPS.

"The Department of Justice and FBI cannot ignore the multiple problems that have been created by these obvious conflicts of interests," Trump attorney Jay Sekulow tells Axios.

"These new revelations require the appointment of a special counsel to investigate." It's not clear how likely this is to happen, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions has previously floated the idea of a second special counsel to cover a wide range of GOP concerns. Meanwhile, the Washington Post has a profile of Trump's legal trio: Sekulow (the TV presence), Ty Cobb (a White House attorney), and John Dowd (Trump's personal attorney). They "serve not only as Trump's lawyers but also as his strategists, publicists, therapistsand, based on Dowd's claim that he wrote a controversial presidential tweet, ghostwriters," per the Post. (Read more President Trump stories.)
Animal cruelty cases are always dismal. This one out of New Hampshire is also somewhat bizarre. Christina Fay of Wolfeboro was found guilty Tuesday on 10 animal cruelty charges related to the 84 Great Danes that were seized from her mansion in June. WMUR reports she ran a kennel called De La Sang Monde Great Danes from her 57-acre property, and housed the dogs that she imported, raised, and sold in her home's basement, first floor, and garages. Per the AP, she compared the animals to an art collection and expressed a desire to be the preeminent collector of European Great Danes in America. Fay had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Judge Charles Greenhalgh did state in his ruling that Fay did seem devoted to the dogs.

But an April knee injury reduced her mobility, and a staffing shortage contributed to what Greenhalgh says authorities found: conditions that "[constitute] cruelty. Their cages and living areas were covered with an accumulation of feces and urine days or weeks old. The dogs had to walk in and lay down in the waste covering the floor." The scent of ammonia in the home was so pungent that those who entered had to take regular breaks. The Concord Monitor reports a number of the dogs had had giardia, ear infections, and papilloma virus, and that the illnesses had gone untreated and spread. The dogs have been in the care of the Humane Society. Fay will be sentenced within 30 days, and the fate of the dogs will be determined at that time. (In this case of animal cruelty, the odor was bad; what was inside was worse.)
He prefers the name "Son of Hope" these days, but the serial killer known as "Son of Sam" has been hospitalized for a heart ailment, reports the New York Post. New York state prison officials didn't provide details on the problem, but they said 64-year-old David Berkowitz had been transferred to a hospital outside the Shawagunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill. The Albany Times-Union reports that Berkowitz, who terrorized New York City with a killing spree 40 years ago, was awaiting emergency heart surgery at Albany Medical Center.

Berkowitz killed six people and wounded seven others from 1976 until his capture the following year. He typically shot young women sitting in cars with a .44-caliber revolver, per the AP. Berkowitz has become an evangelical Christian in prison and now says he is "very sorry" for the shootings. At the time, he claimed to be possessed by a demonic dog that belonged to his neighbor, Sam Carr. (That's where he drew his infamous name from.) Berkowitz is next eligible for parole in May. (Read more Son of Sam stories.)
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New Delhi:

On the last day of campaigning for the second round of Gujarat Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a unique sea route from Sabarmati river to reach Dharoi Dam in Patel dominated Mehsana.

Modi on board a seaplane took off from Sabarmati river front in Ahmedbad after authorities denied him permission to hold a road show in the city.

After landing in Mehsana, Modi shall take a road route to visit famous Ambaji temple in Ambaji town to offer prayers.

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi will hold his first press conference in Ahmedabad after being elected as Congress President on Monday.

The second phase of the elections for remaining 93 assembly seats of Gujarat will be held on December 14.

Here are the live updates of Gujarat Assembly polls campaigning:

#A PM Narendra Modi offers prayers in Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha.

#Gujarat: PM Narendra Modi offers prayers in Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha.A pic.twitter.com/RcYxZQHBCV a ANI (@ANI)A December 12, 2017

# I have made it clear I will not tolerate such things, Modi ji is after all the Prime Minister of India, though what all Modi ji said about Dr.Manmohan Singh is also not acceptable: Rahul Gandhi

#A Whenever I went to a temple I just prayed for a 'Sunehra Bhavishya' for the people of Gujarat, a better development here. Is it wrong to go to a temple?: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Ahmedabad.

#A In last 22 years Modi Ji and Rupani ji have initiated only one-sided development here, the one only for 5-10 people. Not everyone has been given their rights: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.A

#A Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.A

#A Gujarat: PM Modi reaches Dharoi Dam via sea plane, will now visit Ambaji temple

Gujarat: PM Modi reaches Dharoi Dam via sea plane, will now visit Ambaji temple pic.twitter.com/EIfdU92iRj a ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

#A A Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam

#WATCH: Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/DeHpQX7UvV a ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

#A Prime Minister Narendra Modi boards sea plane from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to reach Dharoi Dam

#Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi boards sea plane from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/MkbBZTYXFD a ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

#A Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Sabarmati Riverfront

#WATCH LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane https://t.co/eaTMyfEEzf a ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

#A People await PM Modi's arrival, he will be travelling from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam, via sea plane

#A Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad

#Gujarat: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/SoqixFK74a a ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

# PMA Modi will visit famous Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha and offer prayers.

# Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling in a sea plane from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam shortly
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel in a sea-plane from Sabarmati river in the Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country on Tuesday.

His return journey would also be by the same sea-plane.

"Tomorrow for the first time in the history of the country a sea-plane will land on the Sabarmati river. I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back," Modi announced at a poll rally.

"Our party had planned my road show tomorrow. However, the administration has not given permission and I had time so I decided to go to Ambaji in the sea-plane," Modi said.

"We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these sea-planes," Modi said.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said this is for the first time in the history of the country that a sea-plane will land on a water body and that will be the Sabarmati river.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel in the plane from here to Dharoi. He will visit Ambaji temple and come back from Dharoi to Sabarmati in the same plane," Rupani said.

#WATCH LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane https://t.co/eaTMyfEEzf a ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017
Ambaji/Ahmedabad:

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi soared into the clear Ahmedabad sky on a seaplane from the Sabarmati river marking a dramatic end to a gruelling election campaign, the flight created huge waves in Gujarat's politically turbulent waters.

The BJP was quick to hail it as a reflection of "Vikas" ushered in by the party's governments in the state, while the Congress debunked its development claim.

"This is a demonstration of 'Vikas'. The whole world is watching how development has taken a leap from the Sabarmati river," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said.

Congress's president designate Rahul Gandhi was, however, not impressed.

"If he wants to fly on a seaplane, there is nothing wrong about it. But the issue is not the seaplane...it is the distraction (from the real issues). The question is what has been done for Gujarat in the last 22 years," he told a press conference in Ahmedabad.

Modi ended the campaign for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls in style as he took a seaplane ride from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat, and returned after offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple and holding a road show.

He boarded the single-engine seaplane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad west and flew to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district.

Also Read| PM Narendra Modi takes seaplane from Sabarmati; offers prayers at Ambaji

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed it was the first time a seaplane landed on a water body in the country.

Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala mocked Modi's ride and the BJP's claim of it being a reflection of development.

"Vikas ki baatein unko na bhai, kehte hain unko hawa hawai. (They don't like the talk of development. These are people who engage in empty talk)," he tweeted in Hindi, in a parody of the 'Hawa Hawai' song from hit Bollywood flick 'Mr India'.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the Congress for criticising Modi's seaplane ride, and said the previous Congress rule was marked by "choppers scam".

BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said,"The very talk of development hassles them. The people of Gujarat are happy about the bullet train project, but they (the Congress) are 'pareshan' about it."

The ride, however, was a hit among the locals who chanted "Modi! Modi!" as the craft took off from the Sardar Bridge-end on the Sabarmati riverfront, which the BJP dispensation has been flaunting as a manifestation of development under Modi when he was the state's chief minister.

Also Read| Rahul Gandhi predicts 'Zabardast' victory for Congress in Gujarat, says undercurrents against BJP

From Dharoi dam site, the prime minister reached the temple by road after covering a distance of around 50 km. He was greeted by the people of Ambaji town during a roadshow that stretched from the outskirts of the temple town to near the shrine.

The prime minister apparently chose to fly by the seaplane to end his campaign in style after the Ahmedabad district administration yesterday cancelled the roadshows by both Modi and Rahul Gandhi for logistical reasons.

Modi told an election rally yesterday that for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane would land on the Sabarmati river.

Rupani had said it was for the first time in the country's history that a seaplane would land on a water body and that would be the Sabarmati river.

However, Priyanka Chaturvedi, another Congress spokesperson, claimed seaplanes had been flown in the country in the past too. "2010 in Andaman 2015 in Kerala. However let facts never come in the way of BJP and Modi's narrative," she tweeted.
New Delhi :

The recently-inducted Congress leader Alpesh Thakor during an election rally on the last day of second phase campaigning said that the fair complexion secret of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is imported mushrooms from Taiwan.

Thakor, who is contesting from Radhanpur constituency, said, Modiji eats mushroom from Taiwan everyday. Each costs Rs 80,000 and he eats five everyday.

The OBC leader claimed, PM Modi was dark like me but he became fair of imported mushrooms.

Thakor added that he had been wondering how PM Modi become gora chitta like tomatoes. When someone told me that, PM Modi does not eat food eaten by poor. What he eats, poor cannot afford. He further told me Modiji consumes mushrooms worth Rs. 1 crore 20 lakh a month. He eats mushrooms like poor eat roti-dal," added the Congress leader.

Thakor while addressing the rally also claimed that the PM Modi has been consuming the mushrooms since he was chief minister of Gujarat.

Soon after the video was telecasted on news channel, Thakors was ridiculed on social media, imported mushrooms became trending and also triggered a meme war on Twitter with users sharing before and after photographs of many politicians and celebrities.
Nagpur:

Both the Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature were adjourned on Tuesday for the day asA the opposition parties raised slogans against the state government over the farmers' issues.

In the Legislative Council, as soon as the proceedings began for the second day of the winter session, Leader of the Opposition Dhananjay Munde and other members started raising slogans condemning the BJP-led state government for "looting" the farmers. They also sought "relief" for the cultivators.

While shouting the slogans, these members entered the well of the House, after which Council Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar adjourned it for half an hour.

After the business resumed, Leader of the House and minister Chandrakant Patil requested the opposition members to let the House function in a smooth manner saying that yesterday's work was still pending and important issues need to be discussed.

However, when the Question Hour began, the opposition once again rushed to the well of the House and started raising slogans, following which the Upper House was adjourned for the second time for half an hour.

After the proceedings resumed, supplementary demands were tabled amid protests from the opposition and the House was adjourned for the day.

In the state assembly as well, the opposition Congress and NCP created ruckus over the farm loan waiver and the agrarian crisis, due to which it was adjourned for the day by Pro-tem Speaker Yogesh Sagar around noon, after the conclusion of the Question Hour.

When the proceedings of the Lower House began for the day, the leaders of Congress and NCP started raising slogans alleging that the BJP-Shiv Sena-led government had miserably failed to resolve the farmers' issues.

They alleged that the government was not taking timely steps to curb the pink bollworm attack on cotton crop.

Talking to reporters outside the assembly after it was adjourned, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said, "Cotton crop is a major source of income for farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. The losses they incurred due to the worm attack runs into several hundred crores of rupees. The government should announce some compensation to the affected farmers."

Before the proceedings of the Assembly began today, the opposition parties staged a protest outside and shouted slogans against the government.

The opposition has been demanding immediate decisions to end the agrarian crisis in the state.

Meanwhile, the Congress and NCP today held a rally here over the issue of farmers against the BJP-led government at the Centre and in the state.

A

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Beijing:

The Dokalam standoff had put "severe pressure" on India-China ties though the issue was resolved through diplomatic means, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during their meeting in New Delhi.

The bilateral ties went through a serious test after Indian border troops "illegally trespassed" into the Chinese territory in June, Wang told Swaraj on Monday. The Chinese foreign minister was in New Delhi to attend the Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers' meeting.

Although the standoff ended eventually through diplomatic means more than two months later, lessons must be learned and efforts must be made to avoid such an incident in the future, said Wang, whose comments were posted on the Chinese foreign ministry website on Tuesday.

"The standoff put the bilateral relations under severe pressure," he said.

Wang said that the Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial period and the most important thing between the two countries to really cultivate mutual trust.

Leaders from both countries have shared the view that China and India should regard each other's development as opportunities rather than challenges, and China and India are partners rather than rivals, thus the two sides should sincerely implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, Wang noted.

While enhancing strategic communication at all levels, restoring dialogue mechanisms that have been established and deepening pragmatic cooperation in all fields, both sides should also properly manage differences so as to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas, he said.

Wang's visit to New Delhi is the first by a top Chinese official to India after the 73-day Dokalam standoff and after the commencement of the second five-year term of President XiJinping.

The Dokalam standoff ended on August 28 after Chinese troops stopped building a key road close to India's 'chicken neck' corridor. India had objected to the construction highlighting its security concerns.

The road was being built by China in an area also claimed by Bhutan. Besides Swaraj, Wang also called on President Ram Nath Kovind and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

In his meeting with Doval, Wang said China and India should make a correct choice in the development of relations without politicising and complicating issues left over by history.

Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial moment when both sides need to make the right choice on the future of the bilateral relations, Wang was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

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Jammu:

Advising the BJP-RSS to refrain from generating passions and exploiting public sentiments, especially during the Gujarat polls, National Conference (NC) Chief Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the growing trend of dividing the nation on religious lines was detrimental to national interest and such a tendency should be eschewed at all costs.

He also expressed concern over vitiating the ongoing Gujarat Assembly polls on the basis of religion and said it was the saddest development in the Indian polity.

In a statement issued here, Abdullah advised the BJP-RSS to refrain from generating passions and exploiting public sentiments, especially during elections, and said the growing trend of dividing the nation on religious lines was detrimental to national interest and such a tendency should be eschewed at all costs.

He lamented the attempts to provoke the people to fight over mandir-masjid issues just in furtherance of political objectives.

India does not belong to a specific religion, but it is a beautiful vase of flowers of different colours. People of all the faiths have equal rights in a secular India, the former Union minister said.

He added that in the prevailing vicious atmosphere, the NC had a challenging role in keeping the flag of secularism aloft.

Abdullah decried the exploitation of religious sentiments for political and electoral gains, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take a lead in ending this malady in the larger interest of retaining the secular fabric of the country.

(Narendra) Modi is the prime minister of all, irrespective of religious or regional affiliations and this fact should neither be ignored nor undermined, he said, hoping that Modi would not allow himself to get swayed by petty politics.

Addressing the NCs other backward class cell functionaries at the Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister hoped that the prime minister would appreciate the danger communal polarisation posed and said the country should also introspect over the sordid state of its political affairs.

The country of Mahatma Gandhi cannot afford to get fragmented into bits and pieces on the basis of religion to satiate the agendas of a few political outfits, he said.

The NC leader, however, mentioned that nothing better could be expected from the reactionary forces, who were now taking pride in decorating the killer of the Father of the Nation.

Meanwhile, a retired police officer today joined the NC in the presence of Abdullah at the party headquarters.

Abdullah welcomed retired superintendent of police Rishi Dogra into the party-fold and said the NC was a natural choice for all those who wanted to serve the people of Jammu and Kashmir and work towards strengthening the peace and tranquillity of the state.

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New Delhi:

The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on Monday issued an order banning the broadcast of condoms commercials between 6 am in the morning to 10 pm at night.

The ministry has issued a directive following complaints regarding their adverse impact on kids and teenagers.

"All TV channels are hereby advised not to telecast advertisements of condoms which are for a particular age group and could be indecent or inappropriate for viewing by children," the ministry said in its advisory.

The ministry referred to Clause 7 (7) of the cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, to justify its directive, saying it stipulates: "No advertisement which endangers the safety of children or creates in them any interest in unhealthy practices or shows them begging or in an undignified or indecent manner shall be carried in the cable service."

"Any failure will attract action as per provisions of the rules," the ministry said.

Also Read: Govt Condom ads ban wise on censorship; Curtails HIV-AIDS awareness, restricts sex education

NCPCR welcomes ban on condom ads on TV between 6 am-10 pm:

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Tuesday welcomed the order of the government asking television channels not to air condom advertisement between 6 am and 10 pm.

In an advisory to all television channels on Monday, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had asked channels torestrict condom advertisements to late night between 10 pm and 6 am.

"We have received complaints regarding condom advertisements showing inappropriate content. We welcome the decision of the government," NCPCR chairperson Stuti Kacker told PTI. The ministry said that it was brought to its notice that some channels carry advertisements of condoms repeatedly whichare alleged to be indecent, especially for children.

Bipasha and Karan Singh Grover criticised for promoting condom brand:

Earlier this year, Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover teamed up for commercial ad for a condom company.

But, the couple faced many criticisms in promoting this condom brand. Bipasha spoke on such criticism and said, "The idea is to create awareness on the subject; it's the need of the hour. I am doing no wrong by endorsing condoms.

She further added, "It was going to be shot by one of the most trusted photographers and ad-filmmaker in the business, Prasad Naik. So, I knew it would be aesthetically shot. Also, the thought behind the campaign  'give her more' appealed to us.

Even Karan Singh Grover took his Instagram handle to share the ad and wrote, "In a country that has the second largest population in the world.. we still have taboos on just the words sex and condoms but not the actual act. Lets talk more read more and learn more about all the things that can be avoided just by the use of a simple precaution. With condoms you can have planned pregnancies and protected sex which can curb the growth HIV and STD cases. As a couple we believe in this thats why we have thoughtfully endorsed it.

While the first commercial is already running on television, another one will be shot later this month.

It is not hidden from anyone that both Bipasha and Karan are fitness freaks and keeps updating their fans with pictures of them working out together.

Sunny Leone's condom ad taken down by Mankind Pharma following protests:

Following the backlash over the controversial advertisement featuring actor Sunny Leone, Mankind Pharma withdrew the ad and issued a statement which read, The Navratri hoardings campaign was not meant to hurt anyone's sentiments and was immediately withdrawn. We deeply regret any such incident.

The billboards had been put up with the tagline, Aa Navratrie ramo parantu prem thi (This Navratri, play, but with love).

The hoardings were pulled down following protests by a traders body.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) had urged the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani to formulate a code of conduct for brand ambassadors with stringent penal provisions against irresponsible endorsements.

The Confederation quoted the example of Manforce Condoms' advertisement claiming that the company had tried to ride piggyback on the festive sentiment of Navratri to sell its product.

"What is offensive about the advertisement is that it brazenly uses double meanings and innuendos with commercial gains in mind, completely disregarding any sensitivity to the social and cultural fabric without caring for the consequences of such an action on impressionable young minds and at a time when religious fervour is at a high," CAIT had said in the letter.

CAIT had earlier written to Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan seeking a ban on the advertisement.

Failing to counter the protests, Mankind took down the hoardings even though surveys have shown that condom sales do go up 25-50% during Garba season while Navaratri is in full swing in Gujarat, as reported by India TV. Oral contraceptive sales go even higher.

In a country that has the second largest population in the world.. we still have taboos on just the words sex and condoms... but not the actual act. Lets talk more... read more and learn more about all the things that can be avoided just by the use of a simple precaution. With condoms you can have planned pregnancies and protected sex... which can curb the growth HIV and STD cases. As a couple we believe in this thats why we have thoughtfully endorsed it. @bipashabasu @playgardcondoms A post shared by karan singh grover (@iamksgofficial) on Oct 22, 2017 at 3:13am PDT Sunny Leone's condom ad taken down by Mankind Pharma following protests

With PTI Inputs

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New Delhi:

India and Russia are likely to sign a contract soon on sale of Russian S-400 Triumf air defence system, a senior Russian official said, describing discussions on the deal to be at a "very profound stage".

Presently discussions are going on the exact number of S 400 Triumf air defence systems that will be bought by India, according to Viktor N Kladov, director for international cooperation and regional policy of Rostec, a state-owned Russian defence and industrial group.

Asked when will the contract be signed, Kladov said, "As soon as they prepare the contract it will be signed...I cannot give you the time as I don't know but anytime in future because the two teams are working very hard".

"It is being discussed and it is still at a very profound stage. Technical details are being discussed. The two teams are working very hard on negotiations. It is a very sophisticated system, lots of technical details are to be looked into.

"It also includes pricing, training, transfer of technologies, setting up of command and control centers. Even if we supply it now you can't use it as it will take two years to train your personnel only then you can use it," Kladov told PTI.

India had announced in October last year a deal on the Triumf air defence systems from Russia, worth over USD 5 billion and collaborate in making four state-of-the-art frigates besides setting up a joint production facility for making Kamov helicopters.

The deals were announced following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit held in Goa last year.

The S-400 Triumf long-range air defence missile system has the capability to destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km.

India and Russia have been in talks for over a year for the purchase of at least five systems of S-400 that will be a game changer in the region. It is capable of firing three types of missiles, creating a layered defence, and simultaneously engaging 36 targets.

While talking about the India-Russia joint venture contract for production of 200 Kamov 226T helicopters for the Indian armed forces, Kladov said he is hopeful that Russia would start supplying helicopters by the end of 2018, if the contract is signed in the beginning of 2018.

"I hope you (India) start receiving the first batch of helicopters by the end of 2018, if the contract is signed in January-February of 2018. But if the contract is signed at the end of 2018, then you will receive it in 2019. People are asking us when the contract will be signed but it is no longer our business, it is the business of the joint venture team. It is the joint venture team which is looking into it, which is largely controlled by the Indian side," Kladov said.

CEO of Russian Helicopters Andrey Boginisky earlier this month had said the contract for 200 KAMOV 226T is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2018.

Kladov also said that Rostec will participate in the tender exercise of 111 helicopters for the Indian navy and is "hopeful" of winning it.

While speaking on the civil helicopter sector in India, Kladov said the Indian civil helicopter market "is underestimated even as the demand is huge...We have several helicopters to offer for the civil helicopter sector".

He said Russia will start producing MI-17A2 civil helicopters next year and will target the Indian civil helicopter market. Kladov said Russia is willing to cooperate with India in order to develop single engine fighter aircraft with India.

"Russia don't produce single engine fighter aircraft. We have only twin engine aircraft to offer. But if India chooses to develop its own aircraft and if India is looking for an international cooperation to design such an aircraft we are willing to cooperate," he said.

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New Delhi:

A Kerala Sessions Court on Tuesday found the accused labourer, guilty in 30-year-old Jisha rape and murder case which was in focus during the campaign for the Kerala Assembly elections last year.

Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court had on December 6 completed the hearing in the case and pronounced the judgement today.

Muhammed Ameerul Islam, a migrant labourer from Assam and the lone accused in the case, has been charged with brutally raping and murdering the 30-year old woman, a law student, at nearby Perumbavoor on April 28, 2016.

He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules.

As many as 100 witnesses were examined during the trial which commenced in April last. The prosecution has described it as a rarest of rare case.

Islam, who had left Perumbavoor soon after allegedly committing the crime, was arrested from Kancheepuram in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, 50 days after the gruesome incident.

Jisha, a Dalit woman, who hailed from a poor family, was raped and brutally assaulted using sharp-edged weapons before being murdered at her house.

The incident was in focus during the state assembly polls campaign last year with political parties attacking the then Congress-led UDF regime for tardy progress in the probe and failure to nab culprits.

The LDF government, after assuming power on May 25 last year, changed the investigation team and entrusted the probe to ADGP B Sandhya in its first cabinet meeting itself.

More than 100 police personnel had questioned over 1,500 people. Finger prints of over 5,000 people were also examined by the SIT personnel who went through over 20 lakh telephonic conversations before reaching Islam.

Police have said a blood stained footwear found from a canal near the victims house was one of the key evidence in identifying the culprit.

(With PTI Inputs)

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New Delhi:

More than 10 lakh foreign tourists visited India in November 2017, a rise of 14.4 per cent over the same period last year, the tourism ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India last month was 10.5 lakh as compared to 8.78 lakh in November 2016 and 8.16 lakh in November 2015.

"The growth rate in FTAs in November 2017 over November 2016 is 14.4 per cent," the statement said.

FTAs during the period between January and November this year were 90.01 lakh, with a growth of 15.6 per cent over the same period the previous year.

Foreign tourist arrivals stood at 77.83 lakh in January- November, 2016, a growth of 9.4 per cent over January- November, 2015.

Most tourists came from Bangladesh (16.77 per cent), followed by the US (14.77 per cent), the UK (10.23 per cent), Russia (4.41 per cent), Canada (4.39 per cent), Australia (3.96 per cent) and Malaysia (3.50 per cent).With almost 29.76 per cent share of FTAs, the Delhi airport remained the busiest, followed by Mumbai (17.20 per cent), Haridaspur Land Check Post (between Bangladesh and India (8.40 per cent) and Chennai airport (5.78 per cent).

The ministry compiles monthly estimates of FTAs, including those with e-tourist visas, on the basis of their nationality and port. The estimates are based on data received from the Bureau of Immigration (BOI).

November 2017 also saw a substantial rise in the number of tourists arriving on e-visas.

During the month of November, 2017, a total of 2.14 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-tourist visa as compared to 1.37 lakh during the month of November, 2016, registering a growth of 56.2 per cent, the statement said.

From January to November 2017, a total of 14.57 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-tourist visa as compared to 9.17 lakh during January-November 2016, registering a growth of 58.8 per cent.

Tourists from the UK (17.1 per cent), USA (11.6 per cent) and Russian Federation (6.6 per cent) were the top countries availing e-tourist visa facilities during November, 2017.

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New Delhi :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments against his predecessor Manmohan Singh over a dinner meeting with Pakistani diplomats were unacceptable, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi said here today.

The prime minister had insinuated that Manmohan Singh was colluding with Pakistan in the Gujarat polls. The former premier responded by saying Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" and asked him to apologise to the nation.

"What Modiji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable," Gandhi said at a press conference here today, the final day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

He said the prime minister had refrained from speaking on corruption during the campaign in his home state.

Modi, Gandhi added, had remained silent on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"PM Modiji has not spoken a word about corruption. He is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal," he said.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

Also read| Gujarat polls: Modi rides seaplane, offers prayers at Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, when asked the reason behind his frequent temple visits in the poll-bound state.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

The Congress leader also said he was confident that his party would win the elections in the state.

Also read| Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks of Pakistan, China but not Gujarat: Rahul Gandhi

"We are confident that Congress will win in Gujarat," Gandhi said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

He claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6. This was a day before Aiyar's "neech" jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.

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Patna:

The main opposition party in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), on Tuesday deferred the statewide bandh it had called to protest against the sand mining policy of the Nitish Kumar government to December 21. No reason was, however, cited for deferring the bandh.

Yesterday, former deputy chief minister and the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, had announced that the bandh would be observed on December 18.

Incidentally, the counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls will be taken up on December 18. Yadav had announced the date of the bandh at a march taken out by the RJD yesterday to protest the sand mining policy of the NDA government in the state.

The Lalu Prasad-led RJD has been blaming the sand mining policy of the government for a "slump" in construction activities and the resultant loss of jobs among the workers, who were migrating to the other states in search of work.

"A decision has been taken to observe a Bihar bandh on December 21, instead of December 18, as had been announced earlier. We appeal to all the sections of the society to support us as our fight is against a government which is indifferent to the plight of the common people and busy in self-publicity," RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said in a statement.

The RJD march yesterday was dismissed by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who had alleged that Prasad's party was trying to "protect the sand mafia as it funded the party".

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New Delhi:

Russia on Monday pitched for India joining China's One Belt One Road initiative and hoped that New Delhi will find a way out to benefit from the mega connectivity project without sacrificing its position on the issues flagged by it.

In an address at a think tank, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said a sustainable security architecture in the Asia Pacific region cannot be achieved through "bloc arrangement", in a clear signal of Moscow's opposition to the quadrilateral grouping comprising the US, Japan, India and Australia.

Talking about regional issues, the Russian Foreign Minister said that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj "suggested" improving not only India-China ties but also India's relations with Pakistan.

Lavrov, Swaraj and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday held the 15th Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral meeting during which a range of regional and global issues were discussed.

On OBOR, Lavrov said Russia feels the concept is very interesting and needed to be explored in the context of building harmonious relationship for deeper regional trade and investment.

About India's opposition to the project, he said, "the specific problem in this regard should not make everything else conditional for resolving political differences".

Also Read: Russian President Vladimir Putin orders partial troop withdrawal from Syria

India has opposed the OBOR due to its sovereignty concerns over the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). CPEC is part of the OBOR.

Lavrov said almost all the central Asian countries have already signed documents with China for cooperation in the OBOR while Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union concluded economic cooperation agreement with it, indicating that the process is irreversible.

"I am 100 per cent convinced that India has enough very smart diplomats and politicians to find a way which will allow it to benefit from this process and at the same time not to sacrifice your position," the Russian Foreign Minister said.

In a clear reference to the quadrilateral grouping among the US, India, Japan and Australia, he said, "We believe that sustainable security architecture in the Asia Pacific region cannot be achieved through bloc arrangement and is only possible through an open ended collective basis."

Officials of the four countries held their first meeting in Manila last month to give shape to the much talked about quadrilateral alliance to keep the Indo-Pacific region "free and open".

The formation of the bloc is seen as an effort to contain China's growing assertiveness in the resource-rich area.

The Russian Foreign Minister also talked about the need for peaceful settlement of the disputes saying use of force and threatening to use force will not resolve any issue.

Calling India a key partner for Russia, he said further strengthening of ties between the two countries can address numerous problems in the Asia Pacific region.

Also Read | United States: Pipe bomb explodes at Times Square in Manhattan, 3 injured; NYPD arrests Bangladeshi youth

On tackling terrorism, he called for a "truly universal coalition" to act against the terror groups without "any double standards and hidden agenda".

Sounding critical of the role of the US in Afghanistan, Lavrov said every stakeholder including the Taliban and the war-ravaged country's neighbours should be taken on board for brining lasting peace to it.

The Russian Foreign Minister said his country was ready to ensure transfer of technology to manufacture critical military platforms in India in joint venture and co- development projects.

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Nagpur:

Coming down heavily on the prime minister for alleging that his predecessor Manmohan Singh was conspiring with Pakistan for the BJP's defeat in Gujarat, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said today that Narendra Modi should be ashamed of making such "wild allegations" against Singh, whom "no one in the world could point fingers at".

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad also alleged that Modi has stooped to a low level and levelling allegations against the people of his own country.

Pawar, who turned 77 today, addressed 'Jana Akrosh-Halla Bol', a public rally organised by the Congress and the NCP here on the issues of agrarian crisis.

He appealed to the farmers in Maharashtra not to repay any loan or pay dues such as electricity bills to the state government unless it deposits the "much-touted" loan waiver amount into their bank accounts. Azad was also present at the rally.

Pawar criticised Modi for "deliberately" misconstruing a meeting at the residence of suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on December 6 and presenting it as a conspiracy by Pakistan to interfere in the Gujarat assembly polls.

"Shame on you, prime minister, for making such allegations! You have made the allegations against this country's former prime minister (Manmohan Singh) and former defence officials," Pawar, a former defence minister himself, said.

Modi, while speaking at a poll rally in Gujarat on Sunday, had sought to link the dinner meeting hosted by Aiyar for Pakistani dignitaries and attended by Manmohan Singh, among others, with the ongoing Assembly polls and a conspiracy against the BJP.

"Modi is invoking Pakistan and making wild allegations against renowned people to divert the people's attention from his government's failures and trying to get political mileage out of it," Pawar said.

"A different kind of picture is being witnessed in the country today in terms of the attitude of the nation's leadership, which is diverting the attention of the people from important issues," he added.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi just two days back in his speech had raised the suspicion against former PM Manmohan Singh, former Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar and others, alleging that Pakistan was trying to influence the Assembly elections in Gujarat.

"The PM making such kind of wild allegations against former PM Manmohan Singh, at whom no one in the world could point fingers, is very shameful and not in the interest of the country. It is very sad that an attempt is being made by the

PM himself on destroying the tradition of the country," the former Union minister said.

"This attempt to invoke Pakistan was made to divert the people's attention towards the government's failures in addressing the farmers' issues, lack of jobs and other people's issues," Pawar alleged.

"The Modi government has not solved the issues of farmers and other issues the country is facing, but he is bringing the Pakistan angle as a diversionary tactic during the Gujarat elections," Pawar said.

Modi has destroyed the country and belittled the office of the prime minister, Pawar alleged.

In his address, Azad said that since the BJP is losing in Gujarat, the prime minister is blaming his predecessor, former vice-president and former diplomats for conspiring with Pakistan to defeat the BJP in Gujarat.

"The prime minister has stooped so low that he is levelling allegations against the people of his own country," he said.

On the farmers' issues, Pawar said, "Unless the amount of loan waiver is deposited into the bank accounts of the farmers (in Maharashtra), I appeal to the farming community not to repay any dues (to state or cooperative department) or even (pay) electricity bills to the state government."

The Maharashtra government announced a mega agriculture loan waiver of Rs 34,022 crore on June 24 after a state-wide agitation by farmers. On July 9, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said around 36 lakh farmers in the state would have their entire debt waived.

Pawar also asked Fadnavis to "stay away" from "politics of blackmail".

The NCP supremo said, "Maharashtra CM uses the language of blackmail against the Opposition. We respect the mandate of people who chose you to govern. But, if he thinks blackmailing a part of the people's mandate to his government, he should remember that people can oust him from power."

If the government is of no use to its people, they should not cooperate with it, he said.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur ahead of the winter session of the state legislature, which began on Monday, Fadnavis had said, "I have enough evidence against the leaders of the Opposition and I will disclose these at the right time."

Also read: Manmohan asks PM Modi reasons for inviting Pak's ISI to investigate Pathankot attack



On the Centre's promises to farmers, Pawar said that Modi had promised loan waiver to the farmers, but there was no sign of relief to the farmers even after three-and-a-half years.

"The situation is such that people are committing suicide, yet the government's heart is not melting," he said.

"I remember that five years back, during the agrarian crisis, the then PM Manmohan Singh and I had immediately visited Yavatmal and Wardha to understand the problems faced by the farmers. Subsequently, in the next 15 days, Rs 70,000 crore loan waiver was announced by the then government.

"We had announced the loan waiver and had told by what time it would be given to them. Today, the chief minister is telling that they are going to give loan waiver, but they are not giving it," Pawar said.

Azad questioned Modi over the promises he had made to the farmers that the minimum support price (MSP) would include a profit of 50 per cent above the cost of production.

Also read: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley rules out PM Modi apology for targeting Manmohan Singh



"How can a PM of any country make such false promises to its people? How can a PM give false promises to its farmers and not fulfil it? The PM and the BJP, by insulting the farmers, have insulted the nation, which cannot be forgiven," Azad said.

"On the one hand, the farmers in the country are facing an agrarian crisis and committing suicides and on the other hand this government imposes GST and demonetisation, forcing several crore people to stand in queues outside ATMs.

"The PM had promised 10 crore jobs to the youth, but provided just 3 lakh jobs. This was the second lie from you...first giving it to farmers then to the youth. Modi is giving false promises to the farmers and the youth," the Congress veteran said.

Azad also said that Modi hardly remains in office and is only busy in election campaigns and foreign tours.

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New Delhi:

Flipkart on Tuesday announced that it will be hosting the New Pinch Days from December 15and December 17. The bonanza offer comes a day after the Big Shopping Days sale ended.



The freedom sale will offer customers with lucrative discounts on various items like mobile phones including Google Pixel 2, Xiaomi Mi MIX 2, Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G6, and more, laptops, television sets, headphones, tablets, digital camera, power banks, among others.



The E-Commerce giant has also teased an "offer of the year" on Samsung On Nxt 64GB. Besides the deals, the customers will be provided with no-cost EMI options and exchange offers.



Also, HDFC bank debit and credit card users will be getting an additional 10 percent discount on the purchases.



Sale on Mobile Phones and Electronic gadgets:



As the Flipkart's New Pinch Days sale is scheduled to start at 12 am IST on December 15, expect limited quantities of Pixel 2. It is said that Lenovo K8 Plus will be available at Rs. 8,999, down from Rs. 10,999, while Oppo F3 Plus will cost Rs. 17,990 (MRP Rs. 22,990).



Similarly you can grab Honor 9i and Moto X4 4GB RAM at Rs. 17,999 and Rs. 20,999. Moto Z2 Play will be available at Rs. 24,999 (MRP Rs. 27,999) in the sale, Mi MIX 2 at Rs. 32,999 (MRP Rs. 35,999), LG G6 at Rs. 31,990 (MRP Rs. 36,990), and LG V20 at Rs. 24,990 (MRP Rs. 60,000). Samsung Galaxy S7 will be available for purchase at Rs. 24,990 in the Flipkart sale (MRP Rs. 46,000).



However, other offers, deals, and discounts is expected to be revealed in the coming days.



Other electronic appliances such as mobile accessories, laptops, and headphones will receive up to 80 percent of discount.



Apart from this, TVs and home appliances will also get 80 percent discount in addition to exchange offers and no-cost EMIs. Deals and offers on categories such as home appliances, consumer durables, fashion, home & furniture, beauty, sports, books and toys will also be available.



The Big Billion sale commenced on December 7 midnight and which continued till Dec 9 midnight. The Big Billion sale offered lucrative discounts on several products across various categories including the smartphone and tablet section as well.



Flipkart also offered great deals on budget, mid-range as well as budget phone segments. Flipkart is offering massive discounts on iPhones 6s, iPhone 7 and the latest iPhone 8.
Washington :

US President Donald Trump has asked Congress to enact immigration reforms to protect the American people, a day after a blast triggered by an ISIS- inspired Bangladeshi-origin man near a metro station in New York City left four persons injured.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device yesterday prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America's largest bus terminal, police said.

"...(The) attempted mass murder attack in New York City -- the second terror attack in New York in the last two months -- once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people," Trump said.

The suspect reportedly came to the US from Bangladesh some seven years ago on a family visa.

"First and foremost... America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country.The terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security," Trump said.

He added that the suspect had entered the country through "extended-family chain migration," a system the president is seeking to end that allows families to sponsor relatives to come to the United States.

Also Read: Americans on Moon? Donald Trump directs NASA to prepare for future Mars trip

Trump said his executive action to restrict the entry of certain nationals from eight countries, which the Supreme Court recently allowed to take effect, is just one step forward in "securing" the immigration system.

"Congress must end chain migration," he said, listing a slew of measures to improve and secure the immigration system.

"The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America's security and economy has long been clear.I am determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first," Trump said.

Trump said those convicted of engaging in acts of terror deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases.

America should always stand firm against terrorism and extremism, ensuring that our great institutions can address all evil acts of terror, he said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the attack underscored the need for Congress to work with the president on immigration reforms that enhance the national security and public safety.

"We must protect our borders, we must ensure that individuals entering our country are not coming to do harm to our people, and we must move to a merit-based system of immigration," she said.

"Additionally, this attack comes as our coalition continues to make great gains against ISIS. Still, there is more work to be done on the ground in the shrinking ISIS- controlled areas, and the president's plan to annihilate ISIS is moving forward," Sanders said.

She called for destroying the "evil ideology" that is behind ISIS and attacks like the one in New York on Monday.

Also Read: Japan to host joint missile tracking drill amid North Korea threat

"The president has successfully rallied the world behind this cause, and we will not stop until it is accomplished," she asserted.

Noting that the president's policy has called for an end to chain migration and if that had been in place, that would have prevented the individual (from Bangaldesh) from coming to the United States, she said Trump is aggressively going to continue to push forth responsible immigration reform.

"And any chain migration would certainly be a part of that process," she said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Moscow:

President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria during a surprise visit to the war-torn country.

Russia first intervened in the conflict in 2015, staging air strikes in support of its ally Damascus targeting both the Islamic State group and other jihadists as well as rebels fighting government troops.

I order the defence minister and the chief of general staff to start withdrawing the Russian group of troops to their permanent bases, Putin said in a televised speech as he visited Russias Hmeimim airbase in Syria.

I have taken a decision: a significant part of the Russian troop contingent located in Syria is returning home to Russia.

Putin, who was welcomed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said the troops had helped the Syrian army crush the most battle-ready group of international terrorists, apparently referring to the Islamic State group.

Our homeland thanks you, my friends, Putin said. Have a safe trip. I thank you for your service.

Putin and Assad were pictured smiling and shaking hands. Putin made the stopover at the base in Latakia province, a regime stronghold, on his way to Egypt where he arrived later today.

Putin said last month that efforts to end the war were entering a new stage as the focus shifted from military intervention to political reform.

More than 340,000 people have been killed since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against Assads rule that sparked a brutal crackdown.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Severe weather conditions are expected to continue in northern and western Japan through Wednesday.

Weather officials are warning of heavy snow and blizzards mainly on the Sea of Japan coast , and say transportation systems will be affected.

The Meteorological Agency said a cold air mass and a winter pressure pattern are bringing strong winds to coastal areas.

A gust of more than 100 kilometers an hour was recorded in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture, early Tuesday.

Strong winds and snow are expected to continue, as the winter pressure pattern intensifies.

Gusts of up to 126 kilometers per hour are expected in some parts.

Waves could reach as high as 7 meters at sea.
The American husband of a former Japanese abductee has died at the age of 77.

Charles Robert Jenkins deserted to North Korea in 1965 when he was stationed in South Korea with the US army.

During his time there, he married Hitomi Soga who was abducted in 1978.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held talks with then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2002, and the couple was later allowed to return to Japan.

They have lived on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture since 2004.

Jenkins brought the North Korean abduction issue into the international spotlight by revealing that Thai and Romanian women believed to be kidnapped lived in North Korea as the wives of American defectors.

Jenkins attended the first international symposium held on North Korea's human rights issue in 2007 in Bangkok.

He spoke about the conditions in which the abducted Thai woman lived in North Korea.
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Duracell is replacing its CEO with a Connecticut executive who will relocate to the companys executive offices in Chicago, cementing the location as the battery giants de facto head office despite Duracell continuing to list Bethel as its official headquarters.

Thom Lachman is replacing Angelo Pantaleo as Duracell CEO, with Pantaleo having led the company since Berkshire Hathaway acquired Duracell in February 2016 from Procter & Gamble. Pantaleo is shifting to the Berkshire Hathaway-owned Marmon Holdings where he had previously worked, which owns a wide range of businesses ranging from retail merchandising systems to rail cars.
/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES/

Transaction Highlights

Creates a stronger, more diversified restaurant franchisor with a strong balance sheet and highly scalable portfolio of recognized restaurant brands and concepts

$4.10 per Imvescor common share, representing a total consideration of approximately $248 million and a premium of 13.3% to Imvescor shareholders based on an unaffected 10-day volume weighted average price of the common shares of Imvescor on October 26, 2017

per Imvescor common share, representing a total consideration of approximately and a premium of 13.3% to Imvescor shareholders based on an unaffected 10-day volume weighted average price of the common shares of Imvescor on Offers Imvescor shareholders immediate value and the opportunity to participate in future upside through an aggregate consideration of approximately 20% in cash and approximately 80% in MTY common shares

Combined operations of both companies expected to generate approximately $2.9 billion in System Sales and EBITDA expected to be in the range of $125 -130 million, including cost and top-line synergies

in System Sales and EBITDA expected to be in the range of -130 million, including cost and top-line synergies Immediately accretive to MTY cash flow and EBITDA and expected to be accretive to earnings as cost and top line synergies are realized

Unanimous support of the board of directors of both companies; shareholders holding 18% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Imvescor have entered into support and voting agreements

MONTREAL, Dec. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - MTY Food Group Inc. ("MTY" or the "Company") (TSX: MTY) and Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc. ("Imvescor") (TSX: IRG) announced today that they have entered into a definitive combination agreement (the "Agreement") under which a wholly owned subsidiary of MTY will acquire all of the outstanding Imvescor common shares (the "Shares") for $4.10 per Imvescor Share, representing a total consideration of approximately $248 million, subject to customary closing conditions including receipt of regulatory and Imvescor shareholder approvals (the "Transaction").

Under the terms of the Transaction, Imvescor shareholders will receive an aggregate consideration which will consist of approximately 20% in cash and approximately 80% in MTY common shares. The purchase price per Imvescor Share implies a premium of 13.3% to the unaffected 10-day volume weighted average price on October 26, 2017 (the day prior to Imvescor's press release regarding its receipt of a non-binding indication of interest from a third party).

The combination of MTY and Imvescor will create a multi-brand industry leader with a portfolio of over 5,700 stores under 75 brands and approximately $2.9 billion in System Sales with significant runway for growth. MTY like Imvescor, has a scalable multi-brand franchised network, a proven ability to generate high EBITDA margins and maximize EBITDA conversion into free cash flow that will allow the continued investment in the business and pursuit of growth initiatives and acquisition strategy.

Francois-Xavier Seigneur, Chairman of the board of directors of Imvescor said, "Joining forces with MTY creates an opportunity for Imvescor shareholders to realize immediate value and participate in a faster pace of growth, with less risk. Today's Transaction fully recognizes the value of our portfolio of restaurant brands and rewards investors for their patience as we have successfully executed our turnaround strategy."

Mr. Seigneur continued, "The board of directors is unanimous in its recommendation that this Transaction is in the best interests of all shareholders. We reached this conclusion following a detailed review and rigorous process that explored the strategic alternatives available to us. We urge shareholders to join us as owners of a stronger, more diversified company with an established track record of value creation and an exciting future ahead."

Stanley Ma, Chairman of the board of directors, President and Chief Executive Officer of MTY said, "This is an important day in the history of MTY as we add many great brands to MTY's existing portfolio. The combination of the two companies' portfolios and expertise will produce tremendous opportunities for North American growth. Further, Imvescor's suite of full service restaurants will be highly complementary to our existing business and is expected to enable significant top-line synergies for our existing full service restaurant brands as well as for the newly acquired brands. Imvescor's expertise for retail operations combined with MTY significant range of products is expected to produce great opportunities in the future."

Frank Hennessey, Chief Executive Officer of Imvescor said, "This is the natural next step for our company. In an increasingly competitive operating environment, we will be better positioned to invest in our brands and our people as part of a combined company with expanded resources and reach. The Transaction offers shareholders, franchisees, employees and other stakeholders of both companies a significant opportunity for value creation."

Transaction Details

Under the terms of the Transaction, Imvescor shareholders will receive approximately $50 million in cash and the remainder in common shares of MTY, equivalent to $0.8259 in cash and 0.0626 common share of MTY for each Imvescor Share held, such that the aggregate consideration paid to Imvescor shareholders will consist of approximately 20% in cash and approximately 80% in MTY common shares.

In connection with the Transaction, approximately 3.8 million common shares of MTY will be issued based on a reference price of $52.26 consisting of the 10-day volume weighted average price of the common shares of MTY on December 8, 2017, will represent a pro forma ownership of approximately 15% of the outstanding common shares of MTY upon closing of the Transaction. At which time, Imvescor will also have one nominee on MTY's Board of Directors. The Transaction offers Imvescor's Canadian shareholders the opportunity to participate in the combined upside by rolling over their common shares in a tax deferred manner.

MTY has structured the financing of the Transaction consideration in order to maintain a strong and flexible balance sheet and remains committed to pursuing its acquisition strategy. MTY has access to aggregate committed bank facilities from its existing lending syndicate to finance the cash portion of the Transaction consideration. The combined company is expected to continue to generate significant cash flow, providing liquidity to pursue future M&A opportunities and allowing for deleveraging.

Transaction Approvals and Special Meeting of Imvescor Shareholders

The Transaction will be structured as an amalgamation and will be subject to the approval of 66 2/3% of the votes cast by Imvescor shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the special meeting of Imvescor shareholders expected to be held in February 2018 (the "Special Meeting"). In addition to Imvescor shareholder approval, the Transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, approval by the TSX for the listing of MTY common shares to be issued, and certain other customary closing conditions.

The board of directors of Imvescor acting on the unanimous recommendation of its special committee comprised solely of independent directors (the "Special Committee"), has unanimously approved the Transaction and recommends that Imvescor shareholders vote in favour of the Transaction at the Special Meeting of Imvescor shareholders. Certain Imvescor shareholders, including directors and senior officers of Imvescor, representing approximately 18% of the votes, have entered into support and voting agreements pursuant to which they have agreed to vote all of their Imvescor common shares in favour of the Transaction at the Special Meeting (the "Supporting Shareholders").

Supporting Shareholder Eric Shahinian, Camac Partners LLC, said, "As a long-term shareholder of Imvescor, I am pleased to put my full support behind the merger with MTY which surfaces immediate value while preserving future upside. The strategic rationale here is sound and the opportunity for shareholders significant."

The Agreement between Imvescor and MTY provides for a non-solicitation covenant in favour of MTY. A termination fee of $8 million is also payable to MTY in certain circumstances. Closing of the Transaction is expected to occur in the first half of calendar year 2018. There is no assurance the Transaction will be completed as described above or at all, or that the anticipated closing date will materialize.

Further information regarding the Transaction will be contained in a management information circular that Imvescor will prepare, file and mail to Imvescor shareholders in advance of the Special Meeting. Copies of the Agreement and management information circular will be available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Fairness Opinion

The independent financial advisor to Imvescor, Ernst & Young LLP, has provided an opinion that, subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications set out in such opinions, the consideration to be received by Imvescor shareholders in connection with the Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to such shareholders.

Financial and Legal Advisors

GMP Securities L.P. is acting as financial advisor to Imvescor and Ernst & Young LLP is acting as independent financial advisor to the Special Committee of Imvescor. Stikeman Elliott LLP is acting as legal advisor to Imvescor. Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP is acting as legal advisor to MTY.

Conference Call

MTY and Imvescor will host a conference call and will provide slides on December 12, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Participants are invited to access the conference call by dialing 1 (800) 319-4610.

A replay of the conference call will be available shortly after the event by calling toll-free 1 (855) 669-9658 (access code 1957) until January 12, 2018, 23:59 EDT.

NonIFRS Measures

This news release makes reference to certain nonIFRS measures. These measures are not recognized measures under IFRS, do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Rather, these measures are provided as additional information to complement those IFRS measures by providing further understanding of the MTY or Imvescor's results of operations from management's perspective. Accordingly, they should not be considered in isolation nor as a substitute for analysis of MTY or Imvescor's financial information reported under IFRS. MTY or Imvescor use non-IFRS measures including "System Sales" and "EBITDA" to provide investors with supplemental measures of its operating performance and thus highlight trends in its core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS financial measures. MTY and Imvescor also believe that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS measures in the evaluation of issuers. MTY or Imvescor's management also uses non-IFRS measures in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, to prepare annual operating budgets, and to determine components of management compensation.

"System Sales" represents the net sales received from restaurant guests at both corporate and franchise restaurants including take-out and delivery customer orders. System Sales includes sales from both established restaurants as well as new restaurants. MTY and Imvescor's management believes System Sales provides meaningful information to investors regarding the size of MTY's and Imvescor's restaurant networks, the total market share of their brands and the overall financial performance of their brands and restaurant owner bases, which ultimately impacts MTY and Imvescor's consolidated financial performance.

"EBITDA" is defined as net earnings (loss) from continuing operations before net interest expense and other financing charges, losses (gains) on derivative, income taxes, depreciation of property, plant and equipment, amortization of intangible assets, and impairment of assets, net of reversals.

Forward Looking Information

Certain information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking" information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties future expectations and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of MTY, Imvescor or the combined company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and regulation. In particular, this news release contains statements that may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and regulation regarding, without limitation, the completion of the Transaction, the potential closing date of the Transaction and the potential impact of the Transaction on the combined entity's future operations, the suitability of the Transaction for MTY and Imvescor; the effect of the Transaction on Imvescor stakeholders; the expected EBITDA, revenue, system sales and potential growth of the combined entity; potential future acquisition opportunities. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "expect", "believe", "plan" or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements are not facts or guarantees of future performance, but only reflections of estimates and expectations of MTY's and Imvescor's management and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release reflects MTY's and Imvescor's current expectations and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance and speaks only as of the date of this news release. These expectations and assumptions include, but are not limited to: the currency exchange rates used to derive Canadian dollar expectations; market acceptance of the Transaction; the satisfactory fulfilment of all of the conditions precedent to the Transaction; the receipt of all required approvals and consents including regulatory, TSX, shareholder and any other approvals; future results of Imvescor's business and operations meeting or exceeding historical results; the success of the integration of Imvescor's operations and management team with MTY's operations and business; and market acceptance of potential future acquisitions by MTY. While these assumptions and expectations are considered reasonable, a number of factors could cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the expectations and assumptions of MTY and Imvescor, including those discussed in MTY's and Imvescor's public filings available at www.sedar.com and in particular (i) for MTY, in its most recent annual information form under "Risk Factors" and in its management's discussion and analysis for its fiscal year ended November 30, 2016 under "Risk and Uncertainties"; and (ii) for Imvescor, in its most recent annual information form under "Risk Factors" and in its management's discussion and analysis for its fiscal year ended October 30, 2016 under "Risk and Uncertainties".

Risks and uncertainties inherent in the nature of the Transaction include without limitation the failure to receive all required approvals and consents including regulatory, Toronto Stock Exchange, shareholder and any other approvals or to otherwise fulfill all of the conditions precedent to the Transaction, in a timely manner, or at all; significant transaction costs or unknown liabilities; failure to realize the expected benefits of the Transaction; and general economic conditions. Failure to receive all required approvals and consents including regulatory, Toronto Stock Exchange, shareholder and any other approvals or to otherwise fulfill all of the conditions precedent to the Transaction may result in the Transaction not being completed on the proposed terms, or at all. There can be no assurance that the anticipated strategic benefits and operational, competitive and cost synergies resulting from the Transaction will be realized. In addition, if the Transaction is not completed, and Imvescor continues as an independent entity, there are risks that the announcement of the Transaction and the dedication of substantial resources of Imvescor to the completion of the Transaction could have an impact on Imvescor's business and strategic relationships, operating results and businesses generally, and could have a material adverse effect on the current and future operations, financial condition and prospects of Imvescor. Furthermore, the failure of Imvescor to comply with the terms of the Agreement may, in certain circumstances, result in Imvescor being required to pay a fee to MTY, the result of which could have a material adverse effect on Imvescor's financial position and results of operations and its ability to fund growth prospects and current operations.

Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, neither of MTY or Imvescor assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances. The purpose of the forward-looking information contained in this new release is to, inter alia, provide a potential financial outlook of the combined entity and this information may not be appropriate for other purposes. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of applicable securities laws.

No Offer or Solicitation

This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell common shares of Imvescor or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy common shares of MTY.

About MTY Food Group

MTY Food Group Inc. is a Canadian public company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. MTY franchises and operates restaurants worldwide under the following banners: Tiki-Ming, Sukiyaki, La Cremiere, Au Vieux Duluth Express, Carrefour Oriental, Panini Pizza Pasta, Franx Supreme, Croissant Plus, Villa Madina, Cultures, Thai Express, Vanellis, Kim Chi, "TCBY", Sushi Shop, Koya Japan, Vie & Nam, Tandori, O'Burger, Tutti Frutti, Taco Time, Country Style, Buns Master, Valentine, Jugo Juice, Mr. Sub, Koryo Korean Barbeque, Mr. Souvlaki, Sushi Go, Mucho Burrito, Extreme Pita, PurBlendz, ThaiZone, Madisons New York Grill & Bar, Cafe Depot, Muffin Plus, Sushi-Man, Fabrika, Van Houtte, Manchu Wok, Wasabi Grill & Noodle and SenseAsian, Tosto, Big Smoke Burger, Cold Stone Creamery, Blimpie, Surf City Squeeze, The Great Steak & Potato Company, NrGize Lifestyle Cafe, Samurai Sam's Teriyaki Grill, Frullati Cafe & Bakery, Rollerz, Johnnie`s New York Pizzeria, Ranch One, America's Taco Shop, Cereality, Tasti D-Lite, Planet Smoothie, Maui Wowi, Pinkberry, Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill, La Diperie, Steak Frites St-Paul, Giorgio Ristorante, The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro, Houston Avenue Bar & Grill, Industria Pizzeria + Bar, The Counter Custom Bugers, and Built Custom Burgers.

About Imvescor Restaurant Group

Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc. is a dynamic and innovative organization in the family and casual dining restaurant industry. The Company is a franchise and licensing business that operates restaurants in Eastern Canada under five banners: Baton Rouge, operating in Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia in the casual dining segment, Pizza Delight, operating primarily in Atlantic Canada, in the family/mid-scale segment, Scores and Toujours Mikes, operating primarily in Quebec in the family and casual dining segments and the take-out and delivery segments, and Ben & Florentine, operating primarily in Quebec, with individual stores in Ontario and Manitoba, in the breakfast and lunch industry. The Company also licenses to third parties the right to manufacture and sell prepared food products under the Baton Rouge, Pizza Delight, Scores and Toujours Mikes brands.

SOURCE Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc.

For further information: MTY Food Group: Eric Lefebvre, Chief Financial Officer, Tel: 514-336-8885, ext. 288, Email: [email protected]; Imvescor Restaurant Group: Frank Hennessey, Chief Executive Officer, Tel: 514-341-5544, Email: [email protected]; Media: Daniel Granger, 514-840-7990

Related Links

http://www.imvescor.ca


BRIDGEPORT  A police chase of four men in a Honda Accord ended Tuesday morning in New Haven with shredded tires and two arrests.

A man found in the car was later determined to be a victim in the incident, according to a police report.

The incident started when a Honda Accord with four people in it allegedly ran through a stop sign on Harral Avenue, nearly hitting Bridgeport Police cruiser, according to a police report. The officer was on a patrol targeting the nearby Green Homes housing projects targeting an recent increase in street robberies.

He tried to pull over the Honda, but it fled onto Interstate 95 northbound, the report said.

State Police took over the chase in Milford, the report said. Troopers blew out the cars tires by laying spike strips near Exit 41 in New Haven, but the car kept going.

Riding on rims, the Honda got off the highway at Exit 44 and led police half way across the western edge of the city before it stopped in a residential neighborhood on Ella T Grasso Boulevard.

Three suspects bailed and ran through back yards. One got couldnt make it over a fence. Another ran out of breath. A thirdthe suspected drivergot away.

In the car, police found two ski masks and small quantities of drugs2.5 grams of marijuana and 0.5 grams of crack cocaine, the report said. They also found a fourth man in the car, unharmed, who they released after determining that he was a victim of the incidentnot involved in any illegal activity.

Justin Cruz, 28, and Lorenzo Jones, 32, were charged with interfering with police and drug possession, with bond set at $5,000. They also received infractions for possessing less than a half ounce of marijuana.

Police said they believed the vehicle has been used in other robberies in Bridgeport.

A few hours after chase ended the owner of the vehicle turned himself in. Police determined that he wasnt the driver, and released him without charges.

cattanasio@ctpost.com / @viacedar

Staff writer Jessica Learner contributed reporting from New Haven.
NORTH BRANFORD  North Branford Congregational Church and the Connecticut Hospice will offer a Blue Christmas service Monday for those who have experienced loss and are having difficulty feeling joyful during the holidays.

The loss could be that of a family member or friend, a pet, a relationship, a job or even good health, said the Rev. Vance Taylor, pastor of the church.
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WEST HAVEN  Some Board of Education members are getting impatient with Mayor Nancy Rossis failure so far to call an organizational board meeting since the new school board took office Dec. 3.

In the past, mayors generally have called for organizational meetings of both the City Council and the Board of Education, at which new chairmen are elected, on the Monday immediately following Inauguration Sunday.

This year, only the City Council met  although all sides acknowledge that according to the City Charter the mayor has until Dec. 31 to call a meeting.

Rossi said there is no reason why the board  which has a regular meeting scheduled for Monday  cant hold its organizational meeting at the start of that meeting and then move on to its business.

But outgoing Board of Education Chairman Jim Morrissey and fellow Democrat Rosemary Russo, who is said to likely be the new chairwoman, both said that without a chairman, who controls the agenda, the board cannot hold a regular meeting.

No, because the chair sets the agenda, and theres no chair to set the agenda, said Russo. So for a whole month, theres no board meeting.

Right now, since Dec. 4, theres an elected board but theres no board to do anything, Russo said. Theres nine members, but we cant do anything because we dont have a chairman, she said.

Theres no agenda. The board chairman is in charge of that, said Morrissey. How can you have a meeting if you dont have an agenda?

For over 20 years, theyve always held the board meeting and the City Council meeting the night after the inauguration, Morrissey said.

But until now, Weve heard nothing, said Morrissey, who also is the Democratic town chairman  although he worked in the headquarters of former Mayor Ed OBrien to try to keep the Democratic nominee, Rossi, from winning the November election.

Weve heard nothing from the mayors office, he said.

I know it does say in the charter that it can be held anytime in December, but weve got an organization to run  and we are the biggest budget in the city, Morrissey said. If something happens, there are board members but theres no board chairman.

Russo, who acknowledged that she is seeking the chairmanship but said well have to wait and see what happens that night, said Rossi is abiding by the charter. But (holding a meeting) the Monday after inauguration is best practice.

Rossi, who pledged in her inaugural address to work with everyone on all sides to move the city forward, said shes not trying to send anyone a message by the delay. She said she has just been busy coping with issues she got involved with when she took office.

If I was trying to send a message, it would be a New Years Eve meeting, she said.

But I think its unprecedented that a mayor gets in and finds out that the projection is for a multi-million dollar shortfall in the current fiscal year, coming immediately after the city has sold bonds to finance a $16-plus million cumulative deficit for past years.

I dont think anybody can say that the same set of circumstances occurred when any other mayor took office, she said.

She also said that prior to Monday, no one has reached out to me and said, Weve got a lot to do and we cant do it. Can you call this meeting?

Russo said in a letter to the editor of the New Haven Register that with the elected board unable to meet it leaves our students and school system vulnerable. If an emergency were to occur that needed BOE direction or approval, we would be unable to intercede.

I tried to reach Mayor Rossi on two occasions by phone, and my phone calls were not returned, she wrote. The past chairman sent an email, plus had a hard copy hand delivered to her office but also did not receive a response.

I believe this is very wrong and puts our school system in jeopardy, she said. I am dismayed at the mayors apparent lack of interest to communicate with elected officials but also unwilling(ness) to communicate with the citizens of her city.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
SEYMOUR  A Seymour business owner is sending troops who are unable to make it home for the holidays some tasty care packages from the home front.

James Sokol, president/owner of the small business he founded, Saginaw Snacks, LLC and Beef Jerky Rocks! said he knows its important to give back, especially to the men and women of the military who are away from their families.

To help brighten their holidays, Sokol plans to ship some 25 cases of his gourmet beef jerky to the troops serving in the Middle East and beyond.

Sokol had been thinking of different organizations to donate to, but when he received an email from a military mom asking if his company could donate a care package to her son in Iraq, Sokol knew what he had to do.

I said that's it, I'll donate to soldiers serving in the Middle East, said Sokol. Hopefully it will bring a little bit of USA to them while they are overseas. I've been to the Middle East several times and I have never seen beef jerky over there. Not even once.

Sokol founded the company in 2014. It started as a hobby in 1999 after Sokol became fed up with limited flavors and overpriced jerky in just about every store that I walked into, he said.

He perfected the craft of making artisan beef jerky in lots of flavors, ranging from Rockin Honey Apple to Rockin Sriracha, and with encouragement from friends and family, launched his business.

Sokol said hes been fortunate and business is booming, and every time his Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/beefjerkyrocks, gets 100 new followers, he donates a case of beef jerky to a randomly selected address. But this donation will go to troops.

I know what it's like to be away from home, but I can't imagine what (the soldiers) go through being away from home for such long periods of time, and especially during the holidays being away from their family, Sokol added.

Beef jerky is a particularly good snack to send overseas, Sokol noted, as it has a two-year shelf life, travels well, is non-perishable and delicious.

Derby Mayor Richard Dziekan, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and maker of homemade beef jerky himself, applauded what Sokol is doing.

When youre out on your post in the military youre always trying to stay on point, Dziekan said. You need food for the brain, plus, who doesnt like beef jerky? Any care package from home always makes you feel great. Knowing the citizens are thinking about you and appreciate youtheres no better feeling.

U.S. Army veteran Al Yagovane, of Seymour, agreed.

Getting that beef jerky would really be icing on the cake, Yagovane said. Its the perfect size for carrying in your pocket, doesnt need to be heated and is the perfect snack whether its hot or cold outside. Receiving something from the home front is the best.

Former Ansonia Alderman Patrick Henri, who serves as adjutant for Gordon-Visselli American Legion Post 50, expressed similar sentiments.

Just looking at a USA return label on a package received can put a smile upon a service members face, he said. Everyone loves their snacks, especially those which they can carry with them when they are outside the wire. Jerky is tasty, unbreakable and lasts forever so its always good to have on hand. My thanks to the Seymour company on behalf of the Ansonia American Legion Post 50 for taking care of our forward deployed battle-buddies and shipmates.

Sokol plans to make donations to the military an annual event.

Reach correspondent Jean Falbo-Sosnovich at jean.sos@snet.net.
The programme provides strategies to reset the electricity market and make it more efficient by 2020.

The World Bank said it has held a two day consultation with the Federal Government to fast track a $1 billion funding to support the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP).

It said the first meeting held in Abuja in December 2016 with the other in Washington during the 2017 World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings recently.



A statement by the Banks spokesperson in Nigeria, Olufunke Olufon said the Market Reset is to be led by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Agency (NERC) as it needs to have sufficient resources with which to discharge its independent mandate.



The World Bank will continue the preparation of the proposed US$ 1 billion Performance Based Loan (PBL) to support the Programme. The Federal Government and the World Bank Group agreed on the next necessary steps to present the PBL to the World Banks Board of Executive Directors for their consideration, the statement noted.



In his remarks, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said, We believe that the PSRP is the clearest pathway to reform the power sector and its success is contingent on a strict adherence to performance and Programme implementation monitoring which I will continue to give a priority from my office.



The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola in the statement said, The Federal Government is committed to addressing the challenges in the power sector as part of its efforts towards achieving economic recovery and accelerating growth.



The banks Senior Director for Energy and Extractive Industries, Mr Riccardo Puliti said the discussions show strong governments commitment towards steps that will ensure presenting the loan request to banks director for approval.
Renowned human rights organisation, the Global Amnesty Watch, has exonerated the Nigerian Army of complicity in the alleged abuse in Intern...

Renowned human rights organisation, the Global Amnesty Watch, has exonerated the Nigerian Army of complicity in the alleged abuse in Internally Displaced Persons Camps in some parts of the country.

The group said from its findings, the reports of the allegations of rape and sexual harassment of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by the troops in the course of their work at the various camps housing them were false.





Recall that the Nigerian Army Chief, Tukur Buratai and President Buhari, had ordered investigation into alleged misconduct by soldiers at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Bama, Borno state.





Buratai gave the following reports of sexual abuse of female IDPs.





The women had accused some soldiers and members of civilian JTF, a local vigilance group, of demanding sex in exchange for favours.





However, GAW said the development made it to initiate further scrutiny of the claims being made by the IDPS, especially the women folks by deploying its staff and researchers to conduct interviews with survivors of the reported harassment.





The human rights organisation said it also conducted on-site observation and assessment of the camp facilities just to ascertain the authenticity of the claim.





GAW made this known through its Country Representative, Africa Affairs, Helen Adesola at the presentation of field report and practices in Nigerias war against insurgency on Tuesday.





According to the group, some IDPs in the camps entered into sexual relations, sometimes pressured by the need to supplement their constraints resources; where such arrangements end on acrimonious notes it was not unusual for the parties involved to give damaging accounts about each other, including allegations of sexual assault.





The report reads below





There are genuine rape survivors that were able to establish that they were violated against their will in incidents that were frequent and continued for some length of time.





The accounts of rape were tempered the survivors trauma, social stigmatization and ostracization, fear of reprisal, belief that the rapists would not be punished and resignation to fate. These distortions were further amplified, first by the reportage and later by NGOs that intervened remotely without being in touch with the reality on ground.





It was impossible to conclusively establish that the rapes and abuses were carried out by military personnel as it was found that some male IDPs and even camp officials were able to claim military connection to commit such acts.

Some of the approaches to reporting the incidents in the camps, like a recent one by the New York Times, weaponizes rape allegations into something that unscrupulous people can use to blackmail or indict anyone they have issues with.





The New York Times publication amounts to a calculated attempt to denigrate the patriotism and the efforts that Nigerian soldiers have put into the war against terror globally.





The Nigerian military had deployed in the past to several places in and outside the country where they engaged in numerous social responsibility initiatives without being accused by any single perosn of rape.





The patriotic actors in the fight against terror and the troops have been most embarrassed by the allegations that they were engaged in raping the Nigerians they are meant to be protecting especially with the kind of damaging piece by New York Times.

This notwithstanding, authorities need to order a fresh investigation that will do away with the bias that had been created by the way the allegations of rape were published with certain groups unilaterally indicting soldiers even before a proper probe has taken place.





The mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of the survivors and indeed all IDPs in camps must be given higher priority to ensure that there is no repeat of what has been reported. Identifying, apprehending and punishing the real culprits would be a first step to realizing this since our research has cleared the military and its personnel.




The Federal Government said on Monday that it had implemented 16.55 per cent of the capital component of the 2017 budget of Ministry of Transportation.The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Land Transport to defend the 2018 budget proposal of his ministry.The Chairman of the committee, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, urged the ministry to ensure the delivery of standard gauge rail lines and other vital rail infrastructure to Nigerians before 2019.Amaechi said only 10.79 per cent of the N192.2bn capital component of the ministrys budget had been expended.He said, The total capital appropriation for the ministry for 2017 is N192,895,507,321, out of which N31,932,659,318.65 (16.55 per cent) was released to the ministry. The sum of N20,826,771,137.45 has so far been expended as of November this year.In addition, the sum of N528.8m was appropriated for overhead expenditure, out of which N230.5m (43.6 per cent) was released, while N180,514,659.21 (34.1 per cent) has so far been expended.Speaking on the 2018 budget, Amaechi said the Federal government had proposed the completion of the ongoing Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri-Aladja railway project, which commenced 32 years ago.The minister also said the governments counterpart funding required for the new Ibadan-Kano rail and the Nigerian coastal line Lagos-Calabar project had been included in the 2018 budget proposal.We sought and got Mr. Presidents approval to source for financiers for various rail projects for development. Negotiations are ongoing and we may need some contributions, depending on the discussions, he said.Amaechi further said the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria, was focusing on the improvement of its basic infrastructure, increasing its research base and expansion of its training drive.He added, To this end, the institute is planning to acquire state-of-the-art equipment and establish outreach learning centres in four geopolitical zones of the country. It is expected that the institute will eventually be upgraded to a transport technology university that will serve not only Nigeria, but the rest of West Africa.A statement on Monday also quoted Ashafa, representing the Lagos East district, as saying during the budget defence session of the Ministry of Transportation, We must be conscious of the fact that the 2018 appropriation cycle is the most important in the life of this administration. It is on its back that we expect most of the projects that have commenced since 2015 to be delivered to Nigerians.The senator also called for a synergy between the committee and the ministry to ensure a speedy passage of the 2018 budget.He said, This meeting makes it the second that our committee would have with the minister and his team in respect of budget defence in 2017. This is due to no other reason but our commitment towards ensuring an early passage of the 2018 Appropriation Bill into law. I will implore all parties to avoid any actions that will delay the appropriation process.
Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi has revealed why he dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi has revealed why he dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Amaechi said his pursuit for change made him to dump the former ruling party for APC.





Speaking in Lagos, the former Rivers State Governor said he would have done otherwise by staying in PDP and fight for the change, but there was a need to cross over to APC because of his belief in President Muhammadu Buhari.





He said, I moved from PDP to APC because I am tired of what is happening in the party, I have the option to stay because of my position as the Chairman of the Governors then.





I can use my position to fight them (PDP) and get what I want because I believe Nigeria was not going in the right direction by then.





My attention and belief shifted to Buhari which was the viable alternative, I believe in the change mantra because it is the only way to improve on what is on ground.








The ready assumption by some writers and public commentators is that most Nigerians are gullible and have short memories. As such, some o...

The ready assumption by some writers and public commentators is that most Nigerians are gullible and have short memories. As such, some of these self acclaimed political analysts churn out falsehood as facts in an attempt to manipulate the mind of well meaning Nigerians. Sadly, the consequence of keeping quiet to such writers is that, if their lies are allowed to travel far and unaddressed, truth will easily be sacrificed on the altar of lies. With the seeming public hysteria since former Vice President,Alhaji Abubakar Atiku defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the impression has been sold that the act was not only sacrilegious but also unprecedented.A parody of a political prostitute has instead been unleashed through the manipulation of online and mainstream media to give the impression that the man was desperate and consumed by the spirit of inordinate ambition.A desperado for political power! The saddest part of the lynch mob mentality currently on the prowl is that the sudden critics of Alhaji Atiku want to hold him to a different standard, separate from known measures used for others.You will imagine that the former Vice President transformed to a supernatural being the day the decision was made to leave APC for the PDP. Yet, the Wazirin Adamawa, as Atiku is also known is not the first in our recent history to change political parties. Certainly, he is not in the league of those who have contested the presidency more than once. Neither is he in mould of a stiff neck bigot who refused to quit the stage nor concede defeat after losing an election.Unfortunately , the spin masters would want us believe otherwise. So , they ask, how many times would Atiku contest for the presidency? How many political parties would he join before becoming President? Should he not know when to quit or when the ovation has abated? What ideology drives the mans politics? The truth, however is that Atikus name has only been on the ballot paper once. Meaning, he has contested as a candidate in an election only once. That was in 2007, as the flag bearer of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) against the late President Musa YarAdua of PDP.On the other hand, Nigerias history documents an individual that contested as candidate for the Number One position four times before fate smiled on him. He was flagbearer of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and the APC under which platform he won to be president in 2015. Interestingly, when people complained that incumbent President Buhari was being difficult by repeatedly contesting for the presidency, they were reminded that President Abraham Lincoln of America failed more times in his desire before attaining the top position. Even at that, we need not be reminded that each time Buhari was asked to step down for another aspirant to fly the flag of a party,he simply left for another platform to pursue the dream of being President of Nigeria. Needless to say, Buhari never accepted defeat nor congratulated anyone who defeated him in an election but was indirectly associated with post electoral violence. On the other hand, the same Atiku that is being vilified by a section of the media never left any party because he lost the party primaries.He left only when a level playing field was not given to everyone to partake in the exercise. Truth is that, Atiku, the Wazirin Adamawa is respected more as a loyal party man even though he could not be categorised or branded a zealot. Perhaps, we need to refresh our memories on the circumstances that led to Atikus first exit from the PDP. Have we forgotten so soon that he left because of the politics of third term? That he was frustrated to leave after he successfully stopped the undemocratic and illogical third term agenda? Truth is Atiku should be celebrated as one the heroes of our modern democracy. Outside the late Bashorun MKO Abiola and to some extent, the late Shehu Musa YarAdua who paid the supreme sacrifice to ensure the sustenance Nigerian democracy , kudos should also go to Atiku for having played lot of roles for common good of his party and the country at large than advancing self interest.Two instances clearly stand out ;first his role in the PDM /SDP alliance for MKO Abiola and in 2003 he declined a popular prompting for him to contest in the party primaries against his boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Any good watcher of Nigerian politics would understand that in recent times there is no huge difference in both ideologies and conduct of the major political parties. What actually stands out in the end is the personality of the man or woman seeking to be elected into public office.In realistic terms, every other consideration amounts to political deceit and sophistry. By and large, there is no dispute that Atiku, the former Vice President possess intimidating democratic credentials and leadership qualities than most of those who have signified interest to run for the presidency in the past and to a large extent even now. Indeed , this is an unassailable fact we cannot deny. The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head.  Terry Pratchett
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed 15 out of the 18 counts of false assets declaration instituted against the Senate Pr...

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed 15 out of the 18 counts of false assets declaration instituted against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.The three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson unanimously ordered the Senate President to return to the CCT to face trial on three of the counts.Details later
Bishop of Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, Matthew Kukah has said that some ministers working with President Muhammadu Buhari are not happy.Kukah said this in an interview with Abang Mercy, a social media expert.The cleric said those currently in charge of the nation did not envisage that things would take this turn.He said: We must get our people to a point in which they appreciate when the value of their life is depreciating. And that is what is happening to us now.In most part of northern Nigeria for example where children are stunting, when those children turn 30, 40 and they become part of your workforce, their capacity to interpret data, grasp the urgency of development is severely constrained.For me, these are some of the issues and that is why I say Buhari himself is not happy, except a few ministers, but even the ministers themselves are unhappy because they didnt imagine that they would be going through the difficulty that they are going through.If I ask you to point at one department of government that is so upbeat about what people have achieved, I think it will be hard to find out any.Kukah said some of the presidents new friends in the All Progressives Congress (APC) were those he sent to jail while serving as the military head of state in 1984.
The Federal Government on Tuesday completed the process of handing over the State House, Marina to the Lagos State Government.The process which started about 20 years ago was completed with the signing and exchanging of documents between the state government and the Federal Government in Abuja.The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, signed for the state government while the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, signed on behalf of the Federal Government.
Each time we mouth the cliche our heroes past, I wonder if we dig enough into the enormity of sacrifices made and how some of those heroe...

Each time we mouth the cliche our heroes past, I wonder if we dig enough into the enormity of sacrifices made and how some of those heroes moved against established norms of debauchery for which they paid dearly, the supreme price.

Each time I introspect on the events of the 70s, I shudder at the brutal murder of General Murtala Ramat Mohammed.

Dr. Yusuf Bala Usman, a historian of repute in his seminal 1979 book For The Liberation of Nigeria had this to say: Muritala was casual about his security. He distanced himself from imperial grandeur and did not move into the official residence of the Head of State in Dodan Barracks.





But the one that piqued me most is premised on my discovery that Murtala came to understand the essential features of Nigerian society especially the public institutions, and acted on this understanding to change them and make them serve the common people.





Muritala thus constructed a model of contemporary Nigeria and mustered the courage to attempt to change it. General Mohammed established a link between accumulation of wealth and public service. He was murdered while attempting to break that linkage having realized that abuse of public office was central to the chaos, indiscipline, confusion and whole underdevelopment of Nigeria.

Simply put, AN ATTEMPT TO FIGHT CORRUPTION KILLED MURTALA MOHAMMED.





Muritala wont be perfect. He had his issues, ranging from hot temper to risk taking in a bizarrely daring manner. He was tough and described as erratic. But seriously, it is only a positively crazy man that can rule Nigeria. For this Im at home with these weaknesses, and they cannot blight my admiration of him as a genuine Hero.





Fast forward to our era. I cant help being bemused each time I hear Goodluck Jonathan say no Nigerian President can match his achievements. Then Ill check what time of the day it is and wonder if its a weed smoking time. What achievements? Achievement of soiled hands? Achievement of looking the other way while the treasury was being looted? Achievement of alleged exploitation of Nigerias dire security situation to clean out arms deal Budget? Theres no other definition for blood money!





Jonathan is one peculiarly fortunate individual who sprang from obscurity and poverty and leapt into the rare ascendancy of a most coveted office. Despite being a minority, he beat the odds and became President. (whatever minority means in a supposed state with equality)





One would therefore expect him to practically kill himself in pursuit of a well-designed ambitious growth agenda, raise the quality of life of the people and confront corruption and etch his name in gold. I dare say, he would have won his reelection without rigor. Instead, today, he has not just been sent out office, hes struggling in defence of a very dark impression that he allegedly helped himself to some of Nigerias cookie jar.





Worse still, its obvious he fell for the sidekick tricks of his domestic appendage, a civil servant who today is shamefully laying claim to multi million dollars without answering the germane question of what manner of business brought such blessings.





So why is this man always throwing himself into space to defend such an administration full of heaving and sighing.

If youre good, youre good and your work will speak for you. The only thing speaking for past administration is eye popping tales of unprecedented sleaze. Changing this narrative is a tall order.





Because of the circumstances surrounding our ethnic sensibilities, GEJ is already granted immunity. He therefore ought to maintain a stoic silence to earn some respect, not throwing himself every time in the ring in advertising continuum of sheer chicanery.




Nigeria has expressed great concern about the situation in many parts of the Middle East and called for the peaceful resolution of the pr...

Nigeria has expressed great concern about the situation in many parts of the Middle East and called for the peaceful resolution of the protracted conflicts between Israel and Palestinian.Obviously, the current situation does not offer a sustainable solution to the Question of Palestine. Indeed, it is creating despair among the people of Palestine and causing anxiety among the people of Israel, Amb. Olukunle Bamgbose, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has said.He delivered Nigerias statement at the UN General Assembly Debate on Question of Palestine and the Situation in the Middle East. Nigeria calls on all parties to make genuine efforts to find peaceful solutions and to cooperate closely with the UN and its relevant agencies accompanying them to realise this objective.As the international community continues to seek avenues to advance peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, international efforts remain focused on paving the way for Israel and Palestine to return to meaningful negotiations. It is a situation that has reverberation around the region and even beyond.Nigeria believes that achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement of the question of Palestine is imperative for the attainment of durable peace and stability in the Middle East. Nigeria expressed pleasure at the statement by the Quartet envoys of Sept. 28, 2017, which welcomed the efforts of the Palestinians to create the conditions for the Palestinian Authority to assume its responsibilities in Gaza.The Quartet stressed the importance of close and continuing coordination of all efforts to achieve the common goal of the two-state solution in line with UN resolutions and international laws. We also acknowledge the outcome of the Paris Conference held on Jan. 15, 2017, at which 70 countries and international organisations reaffirmed their support for the two-state solution. Nigeria said the international community must remain undaunted in its commitment towards finding lasting and sustainable solutions as the conflict continued to pose a threat to international peace and security.The country also urged all parties to show more commitment to making peace a reality. Nigeria warned that all unilateral actions that have turned hope into confrontation, including settlement activities, violence and inciting violence must stop. Nigeria would like to see a genuine effort on the part of Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to the negotiating table. We believe that there are numerous specific actions that are necessary to foster mutual respect and compromise, build confidence and pave the way for the realisation of the two-state solution. In this regard, Nigeria encourages Israel to take concrete measures to freeze all settlement-related activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.On their part, Palestinian leaders must also signal their readiness to return to the negotiating table by making enhanced efforts to forge unity and deal with militancy and other internal security challenges. Nigeria said it was beyond doubt that neither military might nor militancy would resolve the protracted conflict. We encourage both sides to take concrete steps to return to negotiations on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions, the Quartet road map, the Madrid principles, the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant agreements between them.Nigeria supports the efforts of the international community towards establishing an environment conducive to a return to meaningful negotiations to end the occupation and resolve the long-running conflict. U.S. President Donald Trumps recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital has further heightened tensions between the two nations and in the Middle East.
There were protests in some major cities yesterday  for and against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the police anti-violent cr...

There were protests in some major cities yesterday  for and against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the police anti-violent crimes fighting machine.The unit has been accused of brutality against innocent citizens.A group of people promoting the scrapping of the unit surfaced in the social media recently, using the #EndSARS hashtag.Following the massive campaign, Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris promised to restructure and reposition the unit. Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said to end SARS was to leave the field open for armed robbers to operate freely.In Abuja, Awka, the Anambra State capital, and Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, protests erupted yesterday.In Abuja, the Concerned Men and Women Association of Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), rejected the call for the SARS to be disbanded.The coordinator of the association, Alhaji Sanusi Ajiya, said Nigerians do not support scrapping the unit.Ajiya said instead of calling for the scrapping of the unit, Nigerians should seek its restructuring and monitoring of its activities.The recent campaign in the social media calling for the scrapping of the SARS is not in the interest of Nigerians, he said.But a coalition of civil society groups issued a 21-day ultimatum for the scrapping of the SARS, failing which we will be compelled to resort to other measures to embarrass them (government) into taking action.The #EndSARS coalition which staged a protest at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, also demanded the investigation of various allegations against operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and prosecution of indicted personnel.The convener of the protest, Segun Awosanya said: We demand thorough investigations into complaints filed against SARS officers. We demand that such officers be identified and immediately brought to justice. In some cases, we will provide video and pictorial evidence against officers who have been seen to be involved in such acts of brutality and extortion.We give the authorities 21 days within which to meet these demands, failing which we will be compelled to resort to other measures to embarrass them into taking action.Some protesters also visited the police headquarters in support of SARS activities.Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations) Joshak Habila, who addressed them, said: All allegations against SARS will be investigated, they are being put together by the Force Public Relations Officer. The reason we are doing this is because we believe SARS has something to offer, but anyone found wanting will be taken out of the force.The Police Community Relations Committee has been telling us some of the wrongs we did and today they are saying they wont want SARS to be thrown away. The IG is rebranding SARS. Those that have violated peoples rights or kill wont go unpunished.In Awka, a group of youths staged the peaceful protest to back SARS under the aegis of concerned Anambra citizens and non-indigenesDrawn from various local government areas in the state, they converged on Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government, carrying placards with various inscriptions, such as Removal of SARS, an invitation to kidnapping, robbery; We want crime free Christmas and new year and Let SARS be, among others.The convener and the Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Political Matters, Okafor Emeka, said the protest was to drive home their warning against the consequences of scrapping the unit.He attributed the relative peace in the state to the active and aggressive operations of that arm of the police.Police Community Relations Committee Chair Francis Ezenwankwo, said those calling for the scraping of the unit had selfish and ulterior motives.Ezenwankwo said: We have a system where erring officers are disciplined, including redeployment, training and retraining, to bring out the best from them.Obianos aide, who handed over the letter written to the Commissioner of Police, Garba Umar, pleaded with the IGP to use his good offices to ensure that SARS remains in the state.The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Chris Owolabi, who represented the commissioner of Police, praised the youths for their peaceful conduct.He assured that their message would be delivered to the appropriate authorities.
Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar solidly backed Bukola Sarakis bid to b...

Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar solidly backed Bukola Sarakis bid to be senate president in 2015  despite strong opposition from the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), apparently including President Muhammadu Buhari.

Dogara himself was not supported to be speaker by the party hierarchy, but he braved all opposition  including that from Bola Tinubu, a respected leader of APC  and went on to defeat the favoured Femi Gbajabiamila in a tight contest.





Ahmed Lawan was the choice of the APC leadership for senate president.





Atiku, Dogara and Atiku all moved from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014 after the then-ruling party was internally fractured .





In his biography, A Reed Made Flint, authored by Ovation publisher, Dele Momodu, Dogara provided more insight into the politics that ushered in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in May 2015.





The biography is due for public presentation on December 26, 2017 to mark the 50th birthday of the speaker.





Dogara told the author: There was this particular time we were meeting with our leader in the North-East, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar at his residence. Our governor (Mohammed Abubakar) had come into town and some of our stakeholders in APC Bauchi had gone to see Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Somehow, Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) and one other person walked into that meeting and he did not waste time in pushing his Gbajabiamila agenda forward.





He spoke passionately about the role he had played in APC, the way he had built bridges between the South-West and the North and he appealed to my brothers and sisters who were there, all the political leaders and stake holders of APC from my state to prevail on me to stop this race and support his candidate Femi Gbajabiamila to become Speaker. After he had spoken, he left.





If I dont say this to Alhaji Atiku Abubakars credit I will not be fair to him. It will amount to travesty. At the time when most leaders in the APC were not showing sympathy to our cause, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar came out as one solid voice in support of both the candidature of the now Senate President (Bukola Saraki) and my humble self.





He said the North-East must have a position and it was his duty as a leader from the North-East to support that goal. And more so, because of the religious demography of Nigeria there was the need to have a Northern minority Christian in government as that would help to smoothen religious engagement and relationship in the North and put paid to the insinuation that APC was just a Muslim party.





While Dogara started his speakership on a relatively smooth note, Saraki was charged before the code of conduct tribunal over allegations of false declaration of assets while he was governor of Kwara state from 2003-2007.




Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, has fired yet another shot at former President Goodluck Jonathan. This comes less than a week a...

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, has fired yet another shot at former President Goodluck Jonathan. This comes less than a week after the minister said the time to stop blaming Jonathan had come.

Speaking with NAN in Lagos, Amaechi said former President Olusegun Obasanjo left $65 billion in the excess crude account but it was frittered away.





WHAT IS EXCESS CRUDE ACCOUNT?

It is an account used to save oil revenues above an amount derived from a defined benchmark price. ECA was established in 2004. Its objective is primarily to protect planned budgets against shortfalls due to volatile crude oil prices. It is an account used to save oil revenues above an amount derived from a defined benchmark price. ECA was established in 2004. Its objective is primarily to protect planned budgets against shortfalls due to volatile crude oil prices.





Amaechi said the wastage in the PDP era was alarming.





When Obasanjo was leaving, he left about 65 billion dollars in the excess crude account, but this money was frittered away and we wonder where the money is, he said.





As at then, the price of crude oil during the President Goodluck Jonathans administration hovered around 140 dollars with this, they did not leave anything for the incoming government.





With that kind of money, we should be thinking of connecting Nigeria through rail system. The rail between Ibadan to Kano would have been completed.





Also the rail gauge between Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and Lagos to Calabar, but all the excess crude money was frittered away, we need to ask questions.





Amaechi said his pursuit for change made him to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).





He added that he would have used his position as the then chairman of PDP governors forum to fight the situation but he felt there was a need to cross over to APC because of his belief in President Muhammadu Buhari.





I moved from PDP to APC because I am tired of what is happening in the party, I have the option to stay because of my position as the chairman of the governors then, he said.





I can use my position to fight them (PDP) and get what I want because I believe Nigeria was not going in the right direction by then.





My attention and belief shifted to Buhari which was the viable alternative, I believe in the change mantra because it is the only way to improve on what is on ground.





He has not disappointed because the economy is now back on track and is growing. This is evident in the current prices of food items because its getting lower.





Amaechi said that prices of food would further crash because of the efforts of the government at making the country self-sufficient in food production.





With the change going on, the price will further crash because before this government came in, the price were soaring because we were importing food items, things we can grow here, he said.





Now the policy of government is working which banned the importation of rice, the price is now about N16,000, but before now, we are importing about N3 billion worth of rice.





Before now too, we were importing another N3 billion worth of poultry products, we are importing tomatoes but with the ban, we are now concentrating on our local production.




SPEAKER of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara has foreclosed any possibility of removing a President unless the 1999 Constitutio...

SPEAKER of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara has foreclosed any possibility of removing a President unless the 1999 Constitution is amendedDogara described Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution a satanic verse for making it impossible for the National Assembly to remove the President or Vice President.He spoke yesterday on the topic: Deepening Democracy: Role of the legislature at the Third Public Lecture series of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, where he regretted that with provisions of Section 143, the President can choose the laws to obey without any retribution, forgetting that democracy is a government of laws and not of men.The Speaker, however, noted that the National Assembly has contributed a lot in stabilising and deepening Nigerias constitutional democracy through strengthening of due process and the rule of law.He said democracy cannot thrive without citizens active participation because it is the responsibility of the people to protect democracy and hold leaders accountable.He said: There can be no democracy without the active participation of the citizens. Any country where the government fear the citizens then it is a democracy.The legislature in Nigeria has contributed immensely in deepening the practice of constitutional democracy in Nigeria, especially since the introduction of the 1999 Constitution, in its various functions. If Democracy rests on the Due process and the Rule of Law, it therefore means that our Democracy can only be as deep as the laws upon which it is built.The Speaker noted that the 8th House of Representatives under his leadership as Speaker, has made outstanding contributions to deepening democracy in Nigeria through the faithful implementation of its Legislative Agenda, which will serve as a compass of its legislative activities for four years (2015  2019) to deepen democracy in Nigeria.
Rutgers University students who work minimum wage jobs on campus will start the new year with a big raise -- but some protesters say the pay boost is too stingy.

Minimum wage for student workers will go from $8.44 an hour to $11 an hour, starting Jan. 1, Rutgers President Robert Barchi said in a letter to students Monday.

The 30 percent raise affects more than 13,000 students who work in dining halls, libraries, offices and other facilities on the New Brunswick-Piscataway, Newark and Camden campuses, the president said. Student in the Federal Work Study program will also get the boost in pay.

"Over the last several years, I am proud that we have been able to keep tuition increases at a minimum while simultaneously strengthening our academic profile," Barchi wrote in his letter. "Despite our efforts, more than 13,000 of you still must commit many hours each week to working on our campuses to defray the cost of your education. While holding an on-campus job can offer many benefits, we are cognizant of the delicate balance that you must strike between work and your studies."

The raise, which does not affect non-student workers on campus, comes after months of protests by students calling for Rutgers to boost its minimum wage from $8.44, the state's minimum wage, to $15 an hour.

Mariah Wood, one of the student organizers of the "Fight for Fifteen" movement, said the raise to $11 an hour is not enough for student workers who struggle to pay for rent, food and medical care while paying Rutgers tuition.

"This is only a partial victory," Wood wrote Monday on the group's Facebook page. "Barchi is TERRIFIED of us because we have POWER. He is willing to throw us a bone because he knows we have the ability to make it so he can't pass a budget -- he knows we can shut this university down."

Wood called on students to join a 2:30 p.m. "Fight for Fifteen" demonstration today at the Rutgers Board of Trustees meeting at the Douglass Student Center in New Brunswick.

The Rutgers fight to increase the school's minimum wage is part of a national movement for better pay on college campuses. There have been similar protests from the University of Maryland and Columbia University to San Francisco State University.

The University of Washington is among the schools that have raised their minimum wage to $15 an hour after student protests.

In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Phil Murphy made raising the state's minimum wage to $15 one of his campaign promises. Though the Democrat has not given many specifics on his plan.

"This is as high on the priority list as anything we've got," Murphy said in November, shortly after he was elected to succeed Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

New Jersey's statewide minimum wage is slated to go up 16 cents in January to $8.60 an hour. The minor increase is prompted by an increase in the consumer price index, which is used to set the minimum wage each year.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.
Glassboro Police and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office are investigating a death that occurred near a parking garage on Rowan Boulevard in Glassboro Monday morning.

Rowan University spokesman Joe Cardona said he could not confirm the age or gender of the victim, whose body was found near the parking garage next to Barnes and Noble on Rowan Boulevard. The incident happened around 6 a.m. Cardona also could not confirm whether the person was a student.

"It's being investigated as a suicide," Frank Brown, chief of Glassboro police told NJ Advance Media. "The first thought we have is with the people that were left behind, the family, friends. ... It's just a heartbreaking thing."

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- The defense attorney in the trial of Francis Styles, the Bayonne police officer accused of covering up a brutality case, rested his case Tuesday as the jury heard from the trial's final witnesses.

Four of the five witnesses who testified today, all called by defense attorney Jack Arseneault, are members of the Bayonne Police Department.

The jury also heard from a witness on the adverse affects of pepper spray.

Styles is charged with one count of falsifying records in a federal investigation and one count of misprision of a felony, which is acting to conceal a federal offense, for allegedly omitting the use of force by fellow Police Officer Domenico Lillo in an incident report he authored nearly four years ago.

If convicted, Styles faces up to 20 years in prison on the falsifying records count and three years on the "misprision of a felony'' count.

On Dec. 27, 2013, Styles, Lillo, and James Wade arrested Brandon Walsh, a Bayonne resident who was 25 at the time, at his home on Avenue C. After a scuffle at Walsh's front door, where Lillo pepper-sprayed Walsh in the face, Walsh was led down West 53rd Street.

As the four men were walking down the street, Lillo struck him in the face with a flashlight, knocking out six teeth and causing a cut that required 15 stitches to close.

Lillo pleaded guilty in September 2015 to using excessive force, and, in a unrelated incident, assisting in the filing of a false report to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As part of his plea deal, Lillo testified against Styles last week, telling the jury he fully expected the flashlight to be omitted from the incident report that was authored by Styles.

On Monday, Styles testified on his own behalf and said that the overpowering effects of pepper spray and a blow to the head prevented him from being fully aware of his surroundings on the night of the incident.

The defense attempted to reaffirm that today by calling Dr. Woodhall Stopford, a physician at Duke University Medical Center, to the stand. Stopford's research delves into the effects of pepper spray on crowds during riot control.

During questioning from Arsenault, Stopford explained that pepper spray can have adverse effects for people in the vicinity of the exposure; the spray produces an aerosol that lingers in the air.

On the night of the incident, Lillo has testified that he sprayed Walsh in the face within arms length of Styles and Wade just as a struggle began. Walsh's sister went to the police department shortly after the incident to file a complaint that their whole family had been exposed.

"I've studied what these experiences do ... they cause panic, fear, the inability to focus; you're incapacitated," Stopford told the jury.

Styles on Monday testified that his face was covered in the chemical and he suffered a cut near his hairline and had a bump on his head. Styles said he couldn't recall the specific details of when Walsh was brought to a patrol car because his vision was blurry.

After Stopford's testimony, the defense called a succession of Bayonne police officer before resting its case.

All of the four commented on their recollections of that night.

Sgt. Tim McAuliffe, who responded to the incident as the three officers were in a fight with Walsh, told the jury that he arrived to the scene as the men were falling to the ground. He said his perception was that they fell from the stairs of the house -- matching what was written in the incident report.

He also told the jury he did not see Lillo strike Walsh in the legs with a flashlight while he was on the ground, or in the face while he was being led down West 53rd Street. He testified to seeing blood on the ground on the corner of Avenue C and West 53rd Street.

The defense also called Sgt. Stephanie Burt, a desk lieutenant on the night of the incident; Garret Hoffman, a police officer and vice president of the local PBA; and Jeremy Sullivan, a captain with the department.

Each gave their own memories of the night of the incident while commenting on Styles' character.

Hoffman spoke of a meeting he and the president of the PBA had with Wade, Styles and Lillo once video footage had been discovered; he recalls Lillo having "a look of dread," while adding Styles looked "utterly surprised."

Burt told the jury that, from her recollection of the night, no mention of a flashlight was ever mentioned. She also told the jury that Styles had a reputation of being "very trustworthy."

"I think (Styles) is a great cop, and more importantly a great man. ... I can't say enough about him."

Styles could be seen growing tearful as the witnesses opined on his character.

The jury was adjourned just after noon; U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty meanwhile called the defense and prosecution to his chambers to discuss the judge's charge to the jury. The trial will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m., where closing statements are expected to be given.

Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreymacc. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
Jonathan Perry Works and Brian Edward Walker were arrested Monday, Dec. 11, 2017 after a grand jury indicted them on multiple sex charges. The two men have since resigned from the Southside Police Department. (Etowah County Jail/AL.com)
The top image depicts the Mississippi River, to the right, and the Old River Control Structure and the Sidney Murray Hydroelectric Generating Station (the first of the three arrows in each photo), which manage river flow through smaller, central channels, during normal river flow in 2014. Water flows through the structure and into a larger outflow channel, to the left, which leads to the Atchafalaya River that runs west of and roughly parallel to the Mississippi. The structures were nearly overwhelmed by rising waters during several floods, including one in 2009, shown in the bottom image.Credit: Landsat / Copernicus (top), USDA Farm Service Agency (bottom).
Actor Channing Tatum poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Logan Lucky' in London, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (Photo by Ryan/Invision/AP)(Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
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.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) drags defenders on a fourth quarter run during the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome on Sunday, November 5, 2017. (Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
OMAHA  Several days of strong winds in late October arrived at the wrong time for many farmers who saw their crops shrink as ears of corn fell to the ground in western Iowa and Nebraska.

The extent of the damage varied, but in the hardest hit parts of central Nebraska some farmers reported seeing their yields drop from an estimated 250 bushels an acre before the wind to roughly 190 bushels afterward.

Overall, the Nebraska corn crop is still estimated to be a good one with 1.66 billion bushels, but the Agriculture Departments prediction is down from September when 1.72 billion bushels were forecast. The wind damage will make it harder for many Nebraska farmers who already anticipated a lean year because of the current low commodity prices.

Don Batie estimates hell lose about $100,000 because of the fallen corn on his farm northeast of Lexington, Nebraska.

This was going to be a tough year. Now its going to be even tougher, Batie said. We will not hit breakeven costs on our crops.

In most years, the fall winds stronger than 40 mph might not have caused problems, but wet weather in early October had already delayed the harvest a couple weeks and corn plants had dried quickly in September.

That created perfect conditions for corn ears to fall when the wind moved across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa just before Halloween, said Jennifer Rees, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educator in York County.

Before the winds hit, Brad Morner was expecting to harvest between 240 and 250 bushels of corn per acre from his farm near York, Nebraska, but that quickly dropped to around 200 bushels when the corn fell.

It definitely hurt financially, Morner said. Any profit we were going to be making is lying out there in those fields.

In addition to losing revenue on the corn that fell on the ground, farmers had to find ways to deal with it. If cattle were going to graze on the land, the fallen corn can cause digestive problems if cattle eat too much.

If left in place, the corn could become a weed next year for farmers who might want to plant soybeans in that field as part of their regular rotation.

Morner paid to have the corn raked up and baled in one of his fields, so he could sell it to a feedlot and get it out of the way.

Crop insurance companies that, such as Zurich North Americas RCIS, had to scramble to respond because the ears of corn on the ground had to be counted before cattle grazed on the fields or snow arrived.

RCIS brought in 29 additional adjusters to help its 43 local ones respond to roughly 1,400 claims in eastern Nebraska and about 200 in western Iowa. They had to sift through the corn stubble that combines leave behind with leaf blowers and rakes to find the fallen corn.

You dont see the damage until you are right on top of it, said Rick Frenzen, an RCIS crop adjuster.

Nate Oehlrich, who farms near Richland, Nebraska, said he lost between 10 and 40 bushels an acre.

We were literally losing bushels by the hour. It was heartbreaking, Oehlrich said.

But Oehlrich will get some relief from the damage because he carried wind and hail insurance on his crop. Many farmers forego that coverage because of the higher premiums it requires.

We are very thankful for that, he said.
A key state official says mid-year reductions are possible next session because Iowas revenue growth for the current budget year remains below initial projections.

Department of Management Director David Roederer said Monday the states roughly $7.2 billion budget could be reduced between about $45 million and $90 million when lawmakers return in 2018.

Roederers comments came after the Revenue Estimating Conference, a three-person panel, presented its latest budget forecast. The panelists indicated Iowas economy continues to grow but at a slower rate.

Roederer said Gov. Kim Reynolds will have different options in addressing the expected shortfall, including cuts to department budgets. Previous sluggish growth led lawmakers to reduce agency budgets and borrow from reserves.

Reynolds is expected to present her budget recommendations in January when lawmakers return to Des Moines for the 2018 legislative session.

State Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, said he would be briefed further in the coming days, but noted hed received word of a projected revenue shortfall of $35 million. Thats a considerable drop from the October Revenue Estimating Conference projection of a $133 million shortfall.

We still have the march report to go to finalize it, Dawson said of the budget.

Asked about the difference in Roederers suggested reduction in the budget against the shortfall he mentioned, Dawson said he would be inquiring more into the report but noted the state could work to create a cushion to avoid additional budget trouble.

Regardless, Dawson said the Iowa Legislature will have work to do to close the shortfall when lawmakers return to Des Moines in January.

The advantage is we have this number, so we can work with department heads to look at numbers and capture revenue before they spend it, Dawson said. Just like last year, were going to walk in and do an appropriations bill. Thats what the reality will have to be here.

As the Legislature convenes, both Dawson and Rep. Charlie McConkey, D-Council Bluffs, said they expect lawmakers to look at a variety of tax credits.

Well take a look at tax credits, whats working, whats not, Dawson said, while also noting the body will examine capturing online sales tax revenue. Thatll become part of a larger conversation this session.

McConkey said both houses will look at the tax credits and work to eliminate ones that benefit corporations and other entities without providing a benefit to the state.

Not all of those are bad. They spur the economy, spur job growth. The ones that are working we need to keep, he said, noting the earned income tax credit as one that helps Iowans. That boosts the economy. That helps pay bills. That helps keep people off welfare, helps lift them out of poverty.

 The Associated Press contributed to this report.
OAKLAND  A school bus driver and a student were killed Tuesday morning in a fire on a school bus southeast of here.

The driver was identified as Donnie Hendricks, 74, of Carson, Iowa. The student was identified as Megan Klindt, 16, who lived at the farm where the bus fire occurred. The two weren't able to get off the bus, Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office Lt. Rob Ambrose said.

The call about the fire went out shortly after 7 a.m. Oakland, Carson and Macedonia firefighters were called to fight the blaze. Dispatchers said the bus, from the Riverside Community School District, was in the driveway of a house at 17840 480th St.

Ambrose said a resident of the Klindt house called 911.

The initial call indicated 20 students were on the bus, but Ambrose said only two people were on board. Ambrose said it may have been Hendricks' first stop of the day.

The crash occurred as the bus was backing out of the farm's driveway, Ambrose said. The bus ended up in the ditch on the opposite side of the road.

Firefighters found the bus engulfed in flames when they arrived. Once the fire was contained, the remains of the two people were found on the bus, said Pottawattamie County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Reynolds.

The farm where the fire occurred is off a rural gravel road about six miles east and two miles south of Oakland, which is about 25 miles east of Council Bluffs.

John Ticer, an agent with the Iowa Fire Marshal's Office, said an investigation into what caused the bus to catch fire continues. He said the bus ran on diesel fuel.

Timothy Mitchell, superintendent of the Riverside district, said Riverside "suffered a tragedy when we lost a student and an employee in a school bus accident."

"Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones," he said. "The investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, and we are cooperating with law enforcement as they do their work."

Mitchell said all after-school activities had been canceled for Tuesday and will be rescheduled.

"The entire community of the Riverside Community School District is deeply saddened by the events of this morning," Mitchell said in a prepared statement. "We would like to thank everyone who has offered assistance. Once again, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is impacted by this tragic event."

Law enforcement officers blocked off access to 480th Street. Around 10 a.m., a flatbed tow truck arrived at the farm to take the bus away.

The Riverside school district, which serves Oakland, Carson and Macedonia, is based in Carson, which is about six miles south of Oakland. The district serves 730 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The high school, which serves grades 7-12, is in Oakland.

Garret Loring, 23, of Oakland, who works at the Buck Snort restaurant in town, said he was familiar with Hendricks.

"He's been a driver for a long, long time," Loring said.

Hendricks and his wife, Kathy, were grand marshals of Riverside's homecoming parade this fall. Hendricks is a Carson City Council member who was elected to another term in November. He served a total of 18 years on the council, according to City Clerk Brianne Duede. Duede used the word "shock" to describe how the news has hit the town.

Brittnee Chase, 19, of Oakland, who works at the Barn & Grill in Carson, said Hendricks was her bus driver when she was in school.

"He was a good guy," she said. "He was amazing."

She said Hendricks often could be spotted attending his grandchildren's school events.

Chase also said he was a good customer of hers at the Dairy Queen in Oakland.

"It was always nice to see him come by," she said.

A woman outside Hendricks' home in Carson declined to comment Tuesday, saying it was too soon to speak about him.

The pastor at Carson's United Methodist Church said he was a longtime member of the church.

"We are here for the community," Pastor Brody Tubaugh said. "Donnie was very loved here. We are also praying for the Klindt family."

Bailey Rose, 18, a senior at Riverside, said Klindt "was a fun girl. She always made me laugh."

She described the sophomore as very social and someone always willing to help out.

"If there was a project and you didn't have a partner Megan would be there and offer help," she said.

Rose said Hendricks was a good friend who was a familiar face at Bulldog athletic events. He was known for occasionally doling out treats on the bus.

Rose said students at Riverside are raising funds to purchase flowers and picture frames for the families of Klindt and Hendricks.

"I wish I could have done something, I wish I could have been there and helped with the bus. Right now I'm going to go home and talk to my dad and get together with them to try and do something and think about the good times and not the bad," she said. "I am sorry for the parents in the families who have to deal with the loss I want them to know that I am there for them."

A community prayer vigil will be held Tuesday, Dec. 12, at the Fellowship Church, 18999 U.S. Highway 59, in Oakland. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and a community prayer will be offered at 6:30 p.m. Support will be provided by the ministerial staff of the Fellowship Church and Carson Methodist Church, according to information released by the Riverside school district.

The tragic events from this morning will bring our three Riverside communities even closer together, Matt Bowen, president of the Riverside Board of Education, said Tuesday afternoon in a prepared statement. My continued prayers for the families involved, and the Riverside communities.

The Riverside district did not cancel classes Tuesday. Grief counselors from the Green Hills Area Education Agency were sent to talk with students, said Lane Plugge, chief administrator of the organization.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office, the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa State Fire Marshal will be investigating the fire. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

- Nonpareil reporter Mike Bell, Digital Editor Krystal Sidzyik and News Editor Mike Brownlee, along with Andrew J. Nelson of the BH News Service, contributed to this report.
President Moon Jae-in will pay a state visit to China next week at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. It will be his first visit to Beijing since he took office.

Moon will meet with Xi and major Chinese leaders including Premier Li Keqiang, presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun told reporters. He will stay in Beijing on Dec. 13-15 and visit Chongqing the next day.

"Chongqing has many historic sites including a provisional Korean government building and Hyundai and other Korean companies have offices there," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "The city is also the starting point of Xi's 'One Belt One Road Initiative.'"

Hyundai completed an assembly plant with an annual capacity of 300,000 cars in the city in July this year, just as China's unofficial boycott of Korean goods and services over the THAAD deployment was at its height. It began production in September.


Today and Wednesday should be partly to mostly sunny with highs in the low to upper 40s. Overnight lows will slip into the upper 20s to around 30.

Winds on Wednesday could gust as high as 30 mph, forecasters said.

Barb Mayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley, Nebraska, said a pattern of occasional blustery conditions was due to low pressure systems to the east and high pressure systems to the west, which produce strong winds over eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

The weather service said Thursday through the weekend in the Council Bluffs-Omaha area should be partly to mostly sunny with highs in the upper 30s on Thursday to the upper 40s to around 50 on Friday through Sunday.

Lows will be in the mid-20s to around 30.

No major weather systems coming in this week, said Ryan McPike, a KMTV meteorologist. No snow or ice.

The upcoming forecast according to the weather service:

Today: Increasing clouds, with a high near 42. West northwest wind 5 to 8 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. West wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Breezy, with a southwest wind 7 to 12 mph becoming northwest 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.

Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 39.

Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.
Ullah allegedly exploded the bomb in a tunnel connecting the Port Authority Bus Terminal with the Times Square subway stop. The tunnel and stops were packed with tourists and commuters hustling to their jobs in Manhattan.

Doctors say the injured bystanders suffered ringing in the ears and headaches. Federal and New York City investigators questioned Ullah from his hospital bed and searched his Brooklyn apartment.

Police released pictures of the alleged bomber, lying on the ground in a fetal position. Some of his clothes were blown off and his stomach was blackened.

Twenty-seven year-old Ayayed Ullah, who came to the U.S. from Bangladesh, wounded himself and three bystanders in what Mayor Bill de Blasio calls an attempted terrorist attack. "Thank God the perpetrator dId not achieve his goals," the mayor said.

A would-be terrorist set off a pipe bomb strapped to his chest in a pedestrian tunnel between two of New York City's busiest transportation hubs Monday.

Television pictures show the tunnel filling with smoke while people streamed out of the walkway to safety, not knowing what kind of calamity would greet them outside. Port Authority was shut down for several hours as well as major intersections right in the heart of New York.

"The fear is always present with us, those of us that live in New York," Laura Gonzalez, a New York resident who was in Port Authority Monday told VOA. But Gonzalez said that in New York, people learn "to go to work, to go shopping, to live the life we need to live."

"Crazy people are everywhere, every time, and New York is a big place, and a public place so it is normal I think," Ruben Schwartz, a tourist from Germany, told VOA.

Ullah came to the United States from Bangladesh about seven years ago and was a legal permanent U.S. resident. "The government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, an embassy statement said Monday.

Ullah came to the U.S. to join family members -- something called family chain migration and something President Donald Trump says is "incompatible with national security."

"Congress must end chain migration," a Trump statement said Monday. "The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America's security and economy has long been clear. I'm determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first."

Ullah's alleged motives are unclear. Officials say he may have been inspired by Islamic State. They believe he acted alone.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mondays blast is a sign that Congress must pass tighter restrictions for people who want to immigrate to the United States. "We must protect our borders, we must ensure that individuals entering our country are not coming to do harm to our people, and we must move to a merit-based system of immigration," she said.

This was the second apparent terror attack in New York in the past two months.

An ISIS sympathizer drove a rented truck along a bicycle path in Manhattan in late October, killing eight.


The Lincoln County Commissioners accepted a pair of bids for the Roads Department on Monday.

Roads Superintendent Carla ODell presented formal bids for a new bottom dump trailer and informal bids for new sanders for her department.

Of the two trailer bids, ODell recommended a 2018 Trail King from Nebraska Machinery Co. She also recommended adding an optional airlift rear axle to the bid. The commissioners accepted the bid for a total of $35,536.

Out of three bids for sanders, ODell said, the Buyers SaltDogg had the best statistics. The commissioners accepted the bid for $10,480.

Three informal bids for a new trailer were presented by Scott Moses of the Lincoln County Dive Team. One of these was an H&H model from Kohler Trailer Sales. Moses said the H&H model was a very high quality trailer.

I looked at the one they had on hand out at Kohlers, Moses said. Its the one wed like to use.

The commissioners accepted the bid for $4,495.

The final formal bids came from the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office for four new pickup trucks. After trading in four older models, Sheriff Jerome Kramer said theyd like to accept a bid from Janssen Auto Group. The commissioners accepted for a total of $74,496.

Also Monday, the commissioners held a closed-session meeting regarding pending litigation and conducted the quarterly inspection of the Lincoln County Detention Center.
With everyone looking forward to time with their family for the holidays, Ed and Marci Clarkes family got a little bit bigger on Monday.

Ed and Marci, of North Platte, are foster parents through the South Central Behavioral Services foster program. On Monday, the Clarkes formally adopted Danyle, a 13-year-old girl who was placed with them in January.

Ed could not participate in the proceedings in person, however, because he is deployed in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army Reserves. He was present via FaceTime during the adoption at the Lincoln County Courthouse.

Ed and Marci became licensed foster parents a little over a year ago, said Brenda Cook, resource development specialist with South Centrals foster program. The couple has a daughter, Kenedi, but after her birth, Marci could no longer have children.

It was hard for a while, Marci said. We decided after Ed left active duty that we would foster and possibly be able to grow our family through fostering or adopting.

Marci said Danyles sister was also in foster care for a time but returned home. Danyle, however, needed a permanent home.

It took a few weeks after joining the Clarke family, but Danyle started to come out of her shell. When South Central asked if they wanted to adopt Danyle, Ed and Marci said yes.

The Clarkes had known since December 2016 that Ed would be deployed in April.

We decided to go ahead and bring Danyle to our house, Marci said. We talked about a way to go through with the adoption even with him gone. We wanted to go through with it.

They were allowed to sign the adoption papers early, before Ed left.

On Monday, County Judge Kent Turnbull asked Ed via video if he and Marci wanted to bring Danyle into their home as a permanent member of their family.

Ed responded, I do. I wouldnt have it any other way.

From our agencys perspective, its been a cool thing that they welcomed Danyle into their family, Cook said.

Marci said Danyle is already a perfect fit for their family. With Kenedi 8 years old and Danyle turning 14 on Dec. 19, the two get along well  most of the time.

They already fight like siblings with the usual sibling arguments, Marci said. Which is kind of comical because theyve really been that way since Danyle came to us.

Danyle has been ready to finalize the process and have a family so she isnt in limbo anymore, Marci said.

When Turnbull asked Danyle if she was ready to join the Clarke family, she also excitedly said, Yes.

Cook said the Clarkes story brings attention to the need for foster homes in North Platte in a positive way.

Its good to hear a positive story, she said. Especially this time of year.

Danyle is also learning that being in a military family means having family outside her home. She is already developing friendships with some of the soldiers shes met.

With Marcis stepdaughter Maxxie and her spouse, Baylea, joining their household as well as Danyle, Marci said, their family of three has become a family of six.

And who knows, we may get bigger, she added.

With the gift of a new family and new memories to be made, this makes a good Christmas for us, Marci said.
Protesters clashed with police trying to reclaim disputed religious artifacts from a museum in Catalonia on Monday, in the latest display of tension between Catalan separatists and Spain's central government ahead of a Dec. 21 election.

A monastery in neighboring Aragon region says over 44 of its artifacts were sold illegally to Catalonia in the 1980s and the issue has become a symbol of broader disagreement between opponents and supporters of Catalan independence.

Culture Minister Inigo Mendez de Vigo angered Catalan nationalists in November by using special temporary powers to accept a petition by a judge from Aragon calling for the artifacts to be returned to their previous home, the Monastery of Siena.

The previous month, Madrid took control of Catalonia to quell the crisis over secession and called a snap regional election.
HEBRON  Police Chief Joshua Noel said Tuesday he believes the man arrested Monday in a restaurant robbery is the same person responsible for an armed robbery at a retail store earlier this month.

Noel said he has filed paperwork with the Porter County prosecutor's office seeking two level 3 felony charges for armed robbery against Jeffery John Smar, 47, of Hebron.

Smar was arrested Monday afternoon, less than four hours after he allegedly robbed the Country Kitchen restaurant, 120 N. Main St., at gunpoint.

Noel also said he believes Smar is responsible for the Dec. 1 armed robbery of The Smoke Shop, 52 Nichols St.

Noel also confirmed he is being questioned by Lake County police officials for possible involvement in a series of recent armed robberies there, including in Winfield over the weekend.

"We are pretty confident he is our man," Noel said about Smar.

Smar was identified as a suspect shortly after the restaurant robbery Monday. He was spotted by police walking down a driveway of his residence and taken into custody without incident.

One of the suspect vehicles observed at the scene of a previous armed robbery was seen by detectives in the garage of Smar's residence, according to police.

Noel said the arrest was a "community effort" and that a business was instrumental in allowing police access to surveillance video that helped identify Smar.
CEDAR LAKE  A 20-year-old man accused of entering two homes as the residents slept early Sunday was arrested after he was seen driving in the area, an official said.

Robert McGurk, of Cedar Lake, was charged Monday with felony burglary, residential entry and attempted residential entry and misdemeanor theft, Lake Criminal Court records say. He is being held in Lake County Jail, according to police.

McGurk is accused of entering the homes in the 13400 and 13500 blocks of Cedar Street between 1 and 3 a.m. Sunday.

A homeowner in the 13400 block of Cedar told police he awoke about 1 a.m. and found a man inside his home. The homeowner confronted the man, fought with him and threw him out, Deputy Police Chief Carl Brittingham said.

Police learned the man had entered the home through an unlocked door.

About 3 a.m., police were again dispatched to the 13500 block of Cedar Street after an elderly resident reported she awoke to a man in her living room, Brittingham said.

The woman confronted the man, who told her he wasn't there to hurt her and had entered the wrong house by mistake, police said. The man ran out the front door.

A Schererville K-9 helped track the man, but the trail ended near a home under construction, police said.

Two other homeowners in the area turned over images of the suspect after he approached their homes and was caught on a doorbell ring camera, police said.

Brittingham was returning to the 13400 block of Cedar Street when he saw a man fitting the description of the suspect driving toward the area of the burglaries, he said. He stopped the vehicle and ultimately arrested McGurk, the driver.

McGurk was later identified in a photo lineup by the homeowner he fought with, police said.

Cedar Lake Police Chief David Coulson urged residents to always lock their doors for safety.
CROWN POINT  A report released Monday by the Merrillville Police Department details a previously unnoticed domestic fight involving Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington.

Merrillville police were dispatched for reports of a family fight the night of March 30, 2013, to Washington's home in the 5600 block of Connecticut Street in Merrillville, according to a police report.

Washington told officers he wanted his daughter removed from his home after a physical altercation, the report states. Washington claimed his daughter threw a punch at him, while the woman said Washington put her in a headlock.

Washington had a mark on his forehead, the report states. The woman did not have any apparent injuries, and agreed to leave the home with her child and some clothes.

Neither party was charged in the altercation, according to court records.

The report was obtained from the Merrillville Police Department through a request filed under Indiana's Access to Public Records Act.

Washington, 44, was charged Friday in Lake Criminal Court with five felony charges on allegations he threatened a 23-year-old cousin with a sledgehammer during a two-hour ordeal at his Merrillville home.

The cousin, Kamaria Buckley, told The Times in an interview Friday night she made up those allegations, but the Lake County prosecutor's office is moving forward with charges based on her initial police statement.

Washington was previously convicted of misdemeanor battery for pushing his wife in December 2015.

Another report obtained through the records request details a previously unreported allegation that Washington violated the terms of a protective order issued in his wife's battery case.

Washington allegedly spoke with his 15-year-old daughter April 16, 2016, outside a Family Dollar store in Merrillville, despite a protective order prohibiting Washington from contacting the girl, according to the report.

Washington allegedly chased down his daughter in his vehicle after spotting her with a teenage boy outside the discount store, the report states. He asked about the boy, whom she identified as her boyfriend, and then hugged her.

The interaction left the girl crying and shaking, the affidavit states. She told police Washington was allowed to see her only if it was approved by her therapist.

The daughter told police during the investigation of the mother's battery that Washington was "controlling and manipulative," and he had physically abused her in the past, a police report states.

That was allegedly the third time Washington violated the court's protective order, according to police records.

He also allegedly texted his wife repeatedly after he was charged Dec. 3, 2015, with attacking the wife and his employee at his home in Merrillville.

Those text messages caused prosecutors to file an additional invasion of privacy charge against Washington.

The state also requested a judge revoke his bond because of the unlawful communication, but the judge denied that request.
The Rev. Larry Starett, pastor at the First Baptist Church in Chesterton, said he is planning a moment of silence on Sunday for the shooting v
Police are searching for a Hammond man who allegedly attacked two people with a machete outside a Hammond bar early Saturday morning.

Ryan Christian Turner, 25, has been charged with five felony counts of battery. He is described as a black male, about 6-feet 1-inch tall, weighing 175 pounds.

According to police, just before 2 a.m. Saturday a 26-year-old Hammond woman and 25-year-old Highland man were outside of the Flat Rock Tavern in the 6700 block of Calumet Avenue, when a man, now identified as Turner, approached them and asked a question.

Turner then allegedly pulled out what they described as a machete and began to attack both victims with the weapon before fleeing.

Police tracked Turner using his footprints through the fresh snow, and it led to a nearby home, according to a news release from Lt. Steve Kellogg.

Investigators interviewed witnesses and identified Turner.

Police are actively searching for Turner, who is not in custody at the time.

If anyone has knowledge of his location they should not approach him and call 911 immediately. If there is any additional information, call Detective Sgt. Mike Nemcek at 219-852-2977 or Detective Sgt. Marc Ferry at 219-852-2991.
HAMMOND  The post office has not been delivering to some houses in the 3000 block of Cleveland Street over concern with dog attacks.

"After a letter carrier was bitten by a dog at a home on the block of Cleveland Street in Hammond, the homeowners were asked by the Postal Service to pick up their mail at the Post Office until the carrier was assured the pet has been restrained," said U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Mary K. Dando. "The homeowner's dog, joined by another dog from the household, has continued to run loose in the neighborhood."

She said several neighbors have written letters in support of the postal service because they also felt threatened by the dogs, she said. She indicated the letters will be presented at a Jan. 11 court appearance for the homeowners who have been cited by Hammond Animal Control.

"For the safety of our employees, the decision was made to suspend all delivery to the Cleveland Street block," Dando said.

She said affected customers can and have been picking up their mail at the Hessville post office with proper identification from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

The decision by postal officials has upset some of the patrons who have to travel to the post office to pick up their mail.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. also thought the decision not to deliver mail to customers on the block was "ridiculous" and has begun an investigation into the situation.

He cited what has been referred to as the unofficial postal creed that "neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

"I don't see an exception in there for dogs," McDermott said, noting his mail is delivered by a postal vehicle.

Dando indicated letter carriers within cities usually deliver door-to-door.

U.S. Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo in a release accompanying its annual dog attack city rankings noted that "if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at the Post Office until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner's neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area's Post Office."

There were 6,755 postal employees attacked by dogs nationwide, according to the release, more than 200 more than the year before. Chicago ranked eighth with 46 attacks and Indianapolis ninth with 44 attacks.

Hammond Police spokesman Lt. Steve Kellogg said Hammond Animal Control is investigating the situation. He said an initial complaint was received on Nov. 3 and citations were issued for faulty fence security, with a court appearance set for Jan. 11. He said no other complaints have been received by the animal control division regarding that residence.

Kellogg said if it is an ongoing situation or problem then the police can do something such as pick up the dogs, but he said they had not been notified by postal officials or others of such an issue. He attempted to reach someone at the Hessville Postal Service late Monday, but said they declined to speak with him about the situation. He said he is attempting to contact Indianapolis postal officials about the situation.
A 21-year-old man from rural LaPorte was killed Tuesday when his car slid on a snow-slicked stretch of U.S. 20 into the path of a semi truck in LaPorte County.

The crash happened about 11:30 a.m. near Range Road on a stretch of U.S. 20 that has had a high number of car crashes this year. Jake Eason was pronounced dead at the scene. The semi driver, Thomas Darrus, 54, of Riverside, Illinois, was not injured.

According to police, the number of traffic fatalities countywide this year now stands at 19, with seven* of those happening on U.S. 20 from U.S. 35 near Michigan City to Ind. 2 east of Rolling Prairie.

Center-line rumble strips were installed on that four-lane stretch by the Indiana Department of Transportation in late August in response to the high number of bad traffic crashes.

LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd said in the latest crash, the westbound victim, later identified as Eason, slid on slush-covered pavement into the path of an eastbound semi truck.

"He was killed on impact," Boyd said.

Boyd said the four-lane highway remained open during the investigation and clean-up of the crash site.

A few inches of lake-effect snow had fallen just prior to the crash and conditions were hazardous from that and wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour.

"Dont think you can drive on a day like today at normal highway speeds. That just isnt safe," Boyd said.

Ian Nelson, chief deputy marshal in Westville, said the conditions there were similar, and less than an inch of snow had fallen there by late morning.

"When the wind kicks up, itll start blowing the loose snow around. So far, it hasnt been too terrible," Nelson said.

The result of toxicology screenings for both drivers are pending. However, police believe weather was the primary factor, according to a news release.

*This story has been changed from the original.
The last time South Korea and China failed to issue a joint statement after a summit was in 1994, when President Kim Young-sam was in office and the North Korean nuclear crisis had just erupted.

China is gradually ending an unofficial boycott of Korean goods and services over the THAAD deployment, which it believes is intended to hold its military power in the region in check.

There will also be no joint press conference after the summit.

President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not issue a joint statement after they meet in Beijing on Thursday due to differences over the U.S.' deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery here, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.

Moon is traveling on a state visit at Xis invitation, but China seems reluctant to roll out the full red carpet. The Korean government strove hard to normalize strained ties this year, which marks the 25th anniversary of bilateral relations.

A senior Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters, "No joint statement will be issued as the two countries are not in a position to put forward unified positions on issues" including THAAD.

China apparently wanted to reflect its opposition to the THAAD deployment in the joint statement and called on South Korea to state that it was "aware" of this. But Seoul declined.

"It is not desirable to reflect disagreements about THAAD in the joint statement," the official said. "But a joint statement that does not mention THAAD could cause problems for the Chinese government."

Korea deems the dispute to have been resolved by an Oct. 31 agreement to normalize ties, but Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the state media have been calling on Seoul to stay out of the U.S.-led missile defense system and to refrain from deploying additional THAAD batteries and forging a trilateral military alliance with the U.S. and Japan.

Instead, each side will pass out press releases after the summit.

The two leaders will discuss "ways to improve regional and global peace, security and development including means to peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issue," said another Cheong Wa Dae official.


A Hebron man was arrested Monday afternoon for an armed robbery of the Country Kitchen restaurant, 120 N. Main St., earlier in the day.

Jeffery John Smar, 47 is also suspected in a string of armed robberies in Porter County's Center Township, Hebron and Lake County areas over the last few weeks, according to a news release from Porter County Sheriff Department's Sgt. Jamie Erow.

The restaurant was robbed at 11:46 a.m. Monday.

At about 3:15 p.m. Monday, police were in the process of obtaining a search warrant for his residence in Hebron as Smar had been identified as a possible suspect in the restaurant robbery, according to the release.

While near the residence providing surveillance, Smar was seen walking down the driveway and was taken into custody without incident, Erow said in the release.

He was taken to the sheriff's department for questioning in several robberies. One of the suspect vehicles observed at the scene of a previous armed robbery was seen by detectives in the garage of Smar's residence, the release said.

Smar is being held at the Porter County Jail on initial charges of felony robbery, with charges pending in Lake County as well.
Every year when I flip the calendar to December, I find myself asking, Where did the year go?

December is a good time to take a look back, celebrate successes, thank the folks who helped you along the way and plan for an even better year to come.

Here in our offices, we went back through our calendars to take inventory of our 2017 activities. Im proud of the work of our coalition at the more than 50 events we participated in across the country over the course of the year, starting with our largest ever annual meeting and awards luncheon in February with 300 of our members, partners and friends.

Our office moved to our new location in downtown Crown Point in February, allowing us to more truly live our mission by leaving our vehicles behind to patronize local businesses and services on and around the square. Supporting the local economy while minimizing our carbon footprint is always something to celebrate.

On Valentines Day, we became part of the three-year, seven-state Midwest EVOLVE (Electric Vehicle Opportunities: Learning, eVents, Experience) project aimed at demonstrating the performance and environmental benefits of plug-in electric vehicles. The program allows us to provide even more ride and drive events focused on electric vehicles and to expand our outreach and education on the benefits of electric vehicles.

Midwest EVOLVE enhanced our ride and drive events across the region and around the state that allowed consumers to get behind the wheel and test drive a variety of sustainable transportation options. We are thankful for our partners in the industry who bring vehicles and equipment out to these events and to our members who host them.

We were proud to partner with NIPSCO and Nissan for a group buy program with the all-electric Nissan LEAF that slashed the price of the vehicle by half and added more than 50 of the clean-running vehicles to the Regions roadways. The public and private sector participants in the program  including those who purchased or leased the vehicles  deserve a big hand for that.

South Shore Clean Cities traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with our elected officials on Capitol Hill about energy security and green transportation policies. We attended conferences, seminars and expos in our own backyard and across the country in an effort to learn from others and bring the latest information in the sustainable transportation industry back to the Region.

Our Green Fleet workshops and Webinars, in partnership with the metropolitan planning organizations, the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission and the Michiana Area Council of Governments, provided information and training on a variety of sustainable transportation and energy topics.

We also wrote successful grant applications for our members totaling more than $3 million, which already are putting more sustainable vehicles and equipment to work and helping drive the local economy.

In 2017, this column addressed the issues of Smart Cities, balancing the Regions environmental and industrial needs, environmental literacy, alternative fuel neutrality, energy security, autonomous vehicle policies, sustainable emergency response and the Volkswagen mitigation trust.

We would be remiss if we did not thank our friends at The Times of Northwest Indiana for this column space each month and you, the readers, for your interest.

Who knows what exciting advances may emerge in 2018. Were excited about the possibilities the $41 million Volkswagen mitigation trust can bring to public and private transportation projects and fleets across the state and how that process will unfold.

Were looking forward to again spending time with members and partners at our annual meeting Feb. 20 and other events throughout the year.

More than anything, were hopeful for an even cleaner, greener 2018.

Remember, its never too late to begin your legacy.
The stock market reached record highs in 2017.

In general, our economy has been strong, and many families, including those in the Region, have experienced prosperity. Most of us also know, however, how keenly need continues to be felt in many corners of our communities.

Though this need exists year-round, the holiday season is a time in which we often see more opportunities to give.

Anyone able to spare donations of time, money and food should consider doing so.

The red kettles of the Salvation Army are back in holiday force this year, with volunteers ringing bells and asking for generosity.

The Salvation Army helps our neighbors throughout the year but depends, in large part, on the funds brought in from the holiday kettle drives.

In Lake County alone, Salvation Army annually provides 5,000 instances of emergency assistance, including help with utility bills, rent and mortgages of neighbors in need.

Keep that in mind before ignoring the red kettle bell ringers while shopping for holiday groceries or gifts.

The Lake Area United Way, meanwhile, has adopted a new focus in recent years, channeling its programs and funding to helping the Region's working poor  folks toiling to feed families, often working multiple jobs and still not getting by.

Salvation Army and United Way are just two local organizations where gifts from people like us help folks in our own Northwest Indiana communities.

Various churches and township trustees' offices maintain food banks or soup kitchens. Donations of money and supplies to such organizations also helps.

Adams Radio Group, NIPSCO and the Salvation Army have partnered in the Spread the Warmth program this year, accepting donations for new or gently used clothing for the less fortunate through Dec. 17.

For more information on Salvation Army programs, call 219-838-0380, or visit www.salarmylakecounty.org or www.salvationarmyusa.org, and consider donating.

To donate to the Lake Area United Way's campaign to help working families who struggle to get by, visit lauw.org or call 219-923-2302.

For information on donating to the Porter County United Way, call 219-464-3583. To contribute to United Way of LaPorte County, call 219-210-3534.

Please find it in your hearts to give where you can.
President Moon Jae-in on Monday told Chinese TV that Seoul's decision to let the U.S. deploy a THAAD missile defense battery here was "inevitable" due to the North Korean threat.

Moon vowed that the THAAD does not violate China's military interests. "South Korea will pay extra heed to make sure that THAAD will not go beyond its objectives of defending against the North's nuclear and missile threats and hurt China's security interests," he said.

"The top priority of my visit to China is recovering mutual trust," he added.


Something unprecedented in the history of media repression in Uganda is happening to Pepper Publications Ltd, the publishers of Red Pepper and affiliated media platforms.

Five top executives who dont make editorial decisions on a day-to-day basis are currently in jail, together with three editors.

The executives are; Chief Executive Officer Richard Tusiime, Chief Marketing Officer Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Chief Operations Officer Patrick Mugumya, Chief Finance officer Johnson Musinguzi and Chief Commercial Officer James Mujuni. Managing Editor Ben Byarabaha, News Editor Francis Tumusiime and Deputy News Editor Richard Kintu are also incarcerated.

Over the years, Ugandan journalists have faced criminal charges for doing their work, a reprehensible act to which we will return later. What is without precedent, however, is bringing criminal charges against non-editors. Why, for instance, would an accountant be held criminally liable for editorial decisions, which are made in another department?

This threatens editorial independence within newsrooms as other executives  managing directors, finance managers or advertising managers  could now seek a direct role in making editorial decisions.

They could argue that now that they are at risk of facing criminal charges due to the stories we get published, they would rather participate in making the editorial decisions to mitigate the risk.

This would inevitably lead to more self-censorship and detrimentally affect the quality of our journalism. We consider journalism a public good, and the public interest is best served when the media is free to speak truth to power and probe the dealings of especially public officials.

Public officials who have something to hide and do not want to account to the public will inevitably fear the media and seek to gag it. We are afraid that the State has been slowly but steadily eating into the space for the media to operate freely.

If we keep with the Red Pepper case, the State accuses the media house of publishing information prejudicial to national security, and in so doing disturbing the peace of some top officials including the President. The story in issue was published on November 20, 2017, entitled M7 plotting to overthrow Kagame  Rwanda.

The police speedily acquired what it said is a search warrant from a court of law and proceeded to seal off the premises of Pepper Publications Ltd. Red Pepper, its sister publications and radio stations have been out of operation since November 21 as a result of the raid.

Red Pepper employees who witnessed the police search on the premises say the operatives went about their business with what appeared like malice aforethought, tearing through servers and tampering with the printer in such a way that it would be hard for Red Pepper to be produced again anytime soon. Computers and other gadgets were taken away during the search.

Without prejudice to the cases that have since been brought against Red Pepper managers and editors, we take exception to the manner in which this matter has been handled.

Ordinarily the state should have required the editor, and not every manager at the company, to answer whatever questions they had to raise. And whatever questions the State needed to put to the editor over the matter, there was no need for anyone to be arrested and illegally held in a high security detention centre even beyond the legally permissible 48 hours before being produced in court.

We heavily worry about the range of criminal cases that journalists, artistes and other citizens have faced in the recent past. One such charge is disturbing the peace of an individual. Editors from New Vision, Daily Monitor, Red Pepper and the online platform Investigator have faced this charge in recent months.

On Tuesday this week, an artiste and his producer were charged with disturbing the peace of President Museveni and remanded to Luzira prison.

Take the charge of disturbing the peace of police chief Kale Kayihura, for instance, which has been brought against several editors. If Mr Kayihura is annoyed over a story, he may direct his subordinates to summon the concerned editor for interrogation over disturbing his peace. We find this most absurd.

To add to this are new criminal charges under the Computer Misuse Act, for instance, which also threaten our journalism and the wider freedom of expression of all citizens. In this regard, the charge of offensive communication has come up against a number of people already.

We fear that the gains that came with the striking down by the courts of law of charge of false news and sedition have since been wiped out. Also, criminal defamation remains on our Penal Code despite a ruling by the African Court of Justice that the offense violates freedom of expression as guaranteed in the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

With this background, we argue that the attack on Red Pepper is a direct affront on press freedom. It is an extension of the States efforts to suffocate media. Security operatives have in the recent past roughed up journalists in the course of doing their work, and the Uganda Communications Communication has continued to issue bans against programmes and individuals on radio and television stations, etc.

We note with sadness that our colleagues at Red Pepper did not get salary for the month of November because the company was shut down. They remain unsure whether they will operate again.

This is particularly absurd given the tough economic situation currently obtaining in the country, which has led to runaway unemployment. We insist that the search warrant the police say they acquired did not permit them to shut down Red Pepper.

We are sure the highhanded handling of the Red Pepper issue is meant not just for Red Pepper, but as a warning to other media houses of what may befall them if they publish what those who hold power do not want to be published. This is reprehensible censorship.

We, of course, do not argue that media practitioners cannot break the law. Whoever feels aggrieved by a publication has a number of more civilised ways of handling the issue  by seeking civil remedies on their own.

Journalism must be de-criminalised, but even in instances where a criminal charge may be tenable as it is under our current legal regime  which we feel must change  the due process of the law must be followed.

In light of this, we take particular exception to the courts failure to resolve the bail application by the eight Red Pepper managers, who on Tuesday were sent back to Luzira prison for a further 14 days until December 18.

So we urge the police, the Uganda Communications Communication, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions which sanctions charges and in this case the courts of law to which these matters are eventually referred, to act judiciously.

We also call on President Museveni to jealously guard the little steps that Uganda has made on the democratisation journey over the years.

ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM NETWORK

Uganda Press Freedom Network is a loose grouping of journalists from across all media houses who strive to enhance freedom of the press. The forum was founded in 2016 and currently has 230 journalists from around the country, subscribed.
Democratic Party president general, Norbert Mao and eleven other party members have been arrested as they attempted to march to parliament today.

Police intercepted Mao and his group at Cairo bank along Kampala road this afternoon, a few meters from the DP headquarter offices at City House. The group was marching to Parliament to protest against the proposed scrapping of the presidential age limit.

Norbert Mao was arrested alongside 11 others for attempting to march to Parliament

Others arrested are Ronald Muyini Ssebana, Dr Mayambala Kiwanuka, Robert Mukooza, David Musiiri, Jamie Isiko, Musa Ntege, Richard Nvanungi, Alex Ochaki, Edwardo Kahiigi, Caleb Tumuharwe and Bashir Bisaso.



Luke Owoyesigire, the deputy spokesperson, Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP), has confirmed the arrest.

"We are recording statements from the arrested suspects as we continue with investigations," Owoyesigire told URN.

The 12 are being held on tentative charges of holding an unlawful procession. Detectives handling the case have already contacted the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) with intent of arraigning the suspects in Buganda Road Magistrate's court.

This morning, Mao launched the 'Red ribbon week' intended to mobilise the public against the proceedings in parliament intended to scrap article 102(b), which caps the president's age at between 35 and 75 years.

It was highly anticipated that the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee chaired by the West Budama South MP, Jacob Oboth-Oboth will table its report on the contentious Constitutional Amendment Bill 2017 today.
On September 26, 2017, The World Bank released a report titled Learning to realize Educations Promise 2018.

According to the report, at least 20 per cent of pupils in Primary Two in Uganda can perform a two-digit subtraction, whereas 39 per cent can read a single word of a short sentence. Precisely, 80 per cent and 61 per cent of our children are moving in the dark  when it comes to dealing with basic math and reading!

This is tangential to the memorable motto Taaha Omukuhweeza that is translated in English as to enter the embrace of the light coined by Canon Petero Rwabihurwa, a pioneer educationist and evangelist in Kigezi in the early 1950s.

Indeed, in rural Uganda, lights deem really deep as nearly three quarters of learners in primary three could not solve a two-digit subtraction such as 46-17 and, by primary five, half still could not do so, according to the report. As a parent, citizen and neighbor, this goes to the core of our survival and future competitiveness in a highly-paced world.

The easy, lazy and convenient path is to just do nothing and blame government. Yet, the complexity of education requires all of us to do something to change this situation.

Among others, the World Bank report points to lack of effective teaching as the principal element why learning is not taking place in Ugandas broader education system. The question for stakeholders is: How do we get our children to read and count? How do we reconfigure our education and lessons delivery to achieve effectiveness?

How do we innovate to improve classroom management, stem teacher and pupil absenteeism, inspire accountability and create a generation of curious, agile and high-impact citizenry? How do we move from mere schooling to learning in our education system?

One pathway to answer some of the foregoing questions is to have our pupils get supplementary literacy and numeracy lessons. This is because reading and counting are the two critical prerequisites and base skills that learners require to navigate other subjects.

A weak base in masterly of numeracy and language proficiency have long-term deleterious consequences for learners, workforce and development ambitions of Uganda.

In fact, a challenge for teachers in Uganda  and across the world, and in every kind of school  is that there may be a gap between where their learners are performing and where the national curriculum demands that they should be.

A classroom of learners might, overall, be far behind what the national curriculum demands. Or, a classroom of learners may be far ahead of what the national curriculum demands are. This means that such learners need a bigger challenge.

At Bridge schools Uganda, where I work, deriving from the national curriculum, the Ugandan instructional design team has created lessons that allow teachers to better meet the needs of their learners based on how they are performing.

The accelerated English and Math mentoring helps Bridge pupils achieve learning gains in literacy and numeracy. The basis of the effort is to ensure that the slow learners are supported to catch up with their grade levels, while the faster learners are challenged.

Precisely, Bridge offers extra one or two lessons per day of English instructions and one extra lesson of Mathematics instruction per day.

For example: during their morning English lessons, pupils are practicing vocabulary words such as neighborhood, bicycle, home, tree etc.

However, when the teacher calls on pupils to read aloud and then fill in the blank sentences they just completed  pupils struggle to pronounce each word. They arent reading the sentences fluently because they dont know how to read some of the most frequent, basic words such as the, and, for, here.

Another example: during their morning Math lesson, pupils are practicing problems like 138 + 44. However, when the teacher checks their work, pupils are not answering correctly because they do not know how to regroup or carry numbers over to the next place value.

During the afternoon extra English lesson, pupils in this example would have the opportunity to practice learning both sight words like the, and, for, here and also learn phonics so that they can sound out new words on their own. This instruction is deliberately designed to bridge the gap between how students are performing in English and where the Uganda national curriculum expects them to be.

And during the afternoon extra math, pupils in this example would have the opportunity to practice the simplest form of regrouping  with two-digit and one-digit numbers. The teacher models the difference between 17 + 2 and 17 + 4. Students then get lots of practice at that level so that they can master the concept of regrouping as quickly as possible.

This approach is already delivering amazing results. Bridge has used Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Math Assessment (EGMA) to evaluate its work. We study item-level data on pupils fundamental literacy and numeracy skills to assess learning gains.

Using a Rapid Cycle Measurement of P3 Literacy for Program Improvement, Bridge was able to recognize that Bridge pupils outgained their peers in comparable schools by 5.7 words per minute on Familiar Word Reading and 14.6 words per minute on Passage Fluency across the same period.

They also understood even more of what they read, answering an extra nine percentage points more comprehension questions correctly.

The latest vindication of the foregoing is the outed results of 2017 Kenyan Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE). KCPE is the national primary exit exam and the results determine whether children have the opportunity to continue with their education.

In the exam, Bridge pupils exceeded their peers nationwide by over 10 percentage points with thousands scoring at or above the 250 marks designated as a pass by the Kenyan government.

The foregoing results are in sync with learning gains in Bridge Academies in Liberia captured in recent scientific publications. A stakeholder conversation on accelerated learning approaches for math and English should, therefore, urgently begin.

There is goodwill from government and the minister of education, Janet Museveni, who has consistently emphasised need for schools to focus on learning outcomes. Bridge is keen to continue working with government, parents, faith-founded schools, media and broader stakeholders to deepen its demonstrable, working and results-driven tendency.

The author is the country director, Bridge Schools Uganda.
One of Indias largest coal reserves, the Jharia coalfield, situated in the Dhanbad district of Jharkhand, is the site of one of the longest-burning fires in the world. The area has been burning continuously for over 100 years.

Mining in the Jharia coalfields, which cover over 100 square miles, began in the late 1800s, under British rule. The first detected fire broke out in 1916, but by the 1980s over 70 blazes had sprouted up, and none of them could be contained, let alone extinguished. As they were often deep underground, they were left to smolder in the hope that they would eventually burn out on their own. Unfortunately, a new mining operation in 1973 smothered that hope.

Photo: TripoStories-AB/Wikimedia Commons

That year, Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL), a subsidiary of state-owned Coal India, started a large-scale opencast mining operation as a rapid and more cost-effective method of extraction. Local activist Ashok Agarwal explained to Al Jazeera that this was when the fires took hold, with catastrophic consequences.

The idea was theyll get quick coal and theyll get cheap coal  but there was underground mining already done over here. So there were a lot of galleries  galleries are tunnels which these people make and they extract coal. So the ground of the galleries is always full of small pieces of coal, and that catches fire. When you went in for open-cast mining where already underground mining has been done, you opened up the face of the galleries and then there was free flow of air inside and now youve got a massive fire.

The flow of oxygen into the mining shafts fed the smoldering embers until they became massive flames, some recorded at 60 feet high. Many of the fire started as spontaneous combustion caused by the oxidization of minerals in the exposed coal, but they grew exponentially worse when surface mining operations exposed the embers to oxygen.

Photo: International Accountability Project/Flickr

Experts estimate that over 37 million tons of coal, worth billions of dollars, have been lost to the uncontrolled blazes, with a further 1.4 billion metric tons made inaccessible because of the fires. Despite this, and the woeful carbon emissions caused by the flames, Indias government reportedly intends to increase production in the area. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allegedly made moves toward putting out the fires, but only in the hope of expanding coal production.

Meanwhile, life for the residents of Bhulan Bararee, a nearby village, resembles that of a hellscape. The ground is so hot at places, that walking even in shoes is near impossible. Almost everyone here is ill. Authorities ask the villagers to leave their homes and go. But most people fear loss of livelihood, and hence continue to stay, Mohammad Nasim Ansari, a resident, told YourStory.

The burning coal releases toxic gasses and particles into the air, making it a hazard to breathe. The underground fires have also caused massive sinkholes that have claimed many lives over the years.



Just imagine the emissions that are being produced by these fires, Glenn Stracher, a professor emeritus of geology and physics at East Georgia State College, said to CNBC. I have collected gas samples from different fires, and there are usually 40 to 50 hydrocarbon compounds, and many of them are toxic or carcinogenic. So this stuff is bad, really bad. There are for sure toxins or poisons in these fires, and they certainly exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards

Unfortunately, the Jharia coal fire is only one of the thousands burning worldwide on every continent other than Antarctica. It is a costly and dangerous phenomenon affecting a fuel source that brought about the rapid economic development of the western world.



The emissions caused by these fires are almost impossible to calculate as the flames act erratically, sometimes calming down, sometimes suddenly intensifying. They can also be difficult to contain or extinguish, although some methods, such as pouring sand on the flames or injecting inert gas into the tunnels, can smother parts of the fires. These operations, however, are costly and have had little effect. Experts are skeptical that the fires can ever be fully extinguished as long as they have fuel to burn.
Science and technology progress so fast that something created only a decade ago will most likely feel like an antique to its present-day observers. This, however, is not the case with the ball-shaped houses in the Dutch city of Den Bosch: they resembled the set of a sci-fi movie when they were conceived in 1984 and remain as futuristic-looking to this very day.

Known locally as Bolwoningen, these bulbous homes were created as part of a Dutch experimental housing program launched in 1968. They were designed by artist and sculptor Dries Kreijkamp in the 1970s and the project was completed in 1984 along with another subsidy winner: the famed Kubuswoningen (cube homes) in Rotterdam, designed by Piet Blom. While the program was shut down the same year the Bolwoningen became a reality, this experimental housing complex continues to stand and remains as wow-worthy as the day it took shape.

Photo: Erik Wannee/Wikimedia Commons

Set amid lush vegetation along a picturesque canal, the 50 Bolwoningen resemble a weird cluster of otherworldly mushrooms. The houses sit on cylindrical structures that look like stalks and contain a bit of storage space plus a staircase that takes people to the sphere above. Each home has three floors, the ground level occupied by the bedrooms, the upper floor by the living room and kitchen, and the bathroom inserted in the middle. The homes are very bright thanks to six large round windows and a roof light. The living space is spread over a mere 55 square meters, but the layout and the abundance of light prevent the houses from feeling cramped.

Photo: Velopilger/Wikimedia Commons

Dries Kreijkamp, who passed away three years ago, brought his longtime fascination with spheres to this project and remained a firm believer in the concept for the rest of his life.

The Eskimos really knew what they were doing, with their igloos. And so do African tribes who build round clay huts. The globe-shape is totally self-evident. Its the most organic and natural shape possible. After all, roundness is everywhere: we live on a globe, were born from a globe, he said in one of his interviews. The globe combines the biggest possible volume with the smallest possible surface area, so you need minimum material for it. Its space saving, very ecological and nearly maintenance-free. Need I say more?

Photo: Velopilger/Wikimedia Commons

It wasnt easy bringing this project to life and Kreijkamp was forced to compromise, his concessions including the stalks (which he didnt want) and the materials used. He envisioned polyester, which would have made the globes very light, but fire regulations forced him to go with two cement concrete layers reinforced with fiberglass and insulted with rockwool.

Photo: Velopilger/Wikimedia Commons

The bulbous houses in Den Bosch are all the more striking because of their surroundings. The cube-like constructions in Rotterdam may be better known, but their impact is dulled by the architectural eclecticism of the famous city. The Bolwoningen, on the other hand, reside in a typically suburban neighborhood located in a mid-sized, ordinary Dutch town. This, perhaps, explains why they continue to feel like alien settlements more than three decades after people first set eyes on them.
Thae Yong-ho, the former deputy ambassador to the U.K., has won an award for his humanitarian activities since his defection.

Thae was given the 2017 Human Rights Activist award by the KNA Human Rights Forum and Korean Parliamentary League on International Parliamentarians' Coalition for Asian Human Rights on Monday.

In his acceptance speech, Thae talked about a young North Korean soldier who made a dash across the border last month amid a hail of bullets and said he believes the soldier's desperate act "represents the feelings of all North Koreans."

"What the Kim Jong-un regime is truly afraid of is the growing interest in South Korean culture among North Koreans, and how public sentiment is becoming more independent of the authorities," he said.

Thae also called on the South Korean government to continue addressing the North Korean regime's human rights abuses. Thae added that South Korea should convince China to allow North Koreans to come to South Korea freely.


Bruce Morrison



Morrison Public Affairs Group is working with the Embassy of Ireland related to its effort to help undocumented Irish in the US gain work and travel authorization under "deferred action" immigration status.

The Bethesda-based firm's focus includes a push to gain E-3 work visas for Ireland, similar to the set-up enjoyed by Australia, the only country under the E-3 scheme. Australia gets 10,500 E-3 work visas.

Bruce Morrison, who was a Congressman from Connecticut, proposed meetings on Capitol Hill and tapping into grassroots networks on behalf of the more than 10,000 undocumented Irish.

John Deasy, Ireland's immigration envoy to the US, said in August that the estimate of 50,000 undocumented Irish in the US, the number that is regularly quoted by the media, is greatly overblown.

There are 11M undocumented people, largely Spanish-speakers, in the US.

Morrison PA Group, which doesn't have a formal contract with the Embassy, recommended a monthly fee of $7,500 for four months of work.

In his email exchange with the Embassy, Morrison expressed a willingness to work for a single $7,500 payment to cover drafting of legislation and explaining its content to Hill staffers.

He did warn that "organizing of political pressure, not just the legal aspects of the language," is is the key to success.

Morrison suggested that funding for his firm's drive could be done directly or though a group such as the Ancient Order of Hibernaians or Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers.


Whitney Ertel

Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock has hired Whitney Ertel as VP in the firms national health system practice. Ertel comes to Jarrard from Indianapolis-based IU Health, where she was director of PR and social media. Before that, she was based in London for 10 years, working at agencies including Ketchum, where she was an international practice deputy director, tracking global issues, regulations and consumer trends. Whitney brings our clients great experience from both the complex world of big academic healthcare and from working closely with the national consumer brands healthcare is striving to emulate, said David Jarrard, the firms president and CEO.



Rick French

French/West/Vaughan CEO Rick French was elected to the board of The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation. The Foundations mission is to honor Buddy Holly's music as well as to support his dream to extend musical education. Foundation ambassadors who have participated in TBHEF programs include Bob Dylan, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian May, Don and Phil Everly, Dion, Dave Stewart, Graham Nash, Elvis Costello and many others. To be selected to join The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation board is an honor as well as an important opportunity to help further a very worthwhile cause in his memory, said Mr. French. Buddy has inspired an entire generation of artists to express themselves through music, and Im very proud to contribute to the efforts of the Foundation to keep his legacy alive for generations to come.



Kelsey Nason

Ken Gary

Baretz+Brunelle has promoted managing director Kelsey Nason and chief marketing and business development officer Ken Gary to partner. Nason, who began her career at Goodwin Procter LLP, develops and manages communications and business development strategies for a wide variety of law firm clients. Before coming to Baretz+Brunelle, Gary was vice president and group publisher of ALMs national legal media brands, overseeing the business growth of The National Law Journal, Corporate Counsel Magazine and InsideCounsel. At Baretz+Brunelle, he has been instrumental in the firms entry into the legal technology space. In a joint statement, Baretz+Brunelle partners Spencer Baretz, Cari Brunelle and Jason Milch said Nason and Gary are both forward thinkers who bring dynamic personalities to their work and an unwavering commitment to their clients business goals. The firm has also promoted Poonam Jain to chief operating officer and Sarah Andries to director.
Newly found documents add further proof that the imperial Japanese government forced women into sexual slavery on the Chuuk Islands in the South Pacific in World War II.

Prof. Chung Chin-sung of Seoul National University's Human Rights Center said Monday that the documents were discovered in the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. They include combat logs of the U.S. military, the passenger manifest of the Japanese escort ship Ikino and newspaper cuttings.

The Chuuk Islands served as a key naval base for the imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, and Koreans were forced to labor on the island to build military facilities.

According to the combat logs, 3,483 out of the 14,298 people who returned to Japan from the island at the end of the war were Korean. The Koreans who returned to Japan aboard the escort ship Ikino included 26 sex slaves.

The Korean women were taken to Japan in January 1946. A New York Times report on March 2, 1946 said that 27 sex slaves were sent back to Japan.

The research team said the discovery is the first known record of Korean sex slaves being sent to the Chuuk Islands. Researchers said there were 26 Korean sex slaves on the islands and three children, one of whom appears to have been mistaken for a sex slave by the NYT.

The NYT said the women wished to remain in the U.S., but their request was not accepted. They were apparently afraid that they would be thrown overboard by other Koreans aboard the ship after being accused of collaboration with the Japanese.

Researchers found the names, occupations and home addresses of the 26 Korean women and three children in the passenger manifest. But the identity of only one of the women could be confirmed in a photograph taken by Allied troops.

The woman used the Japanese name Hatokawa Fukujun and was Lee Bok-soon, who died in 2008. Her son identified Lee from the photograph, and a closer look at her family register shows the same Japanese name she was forced to adopt under Japanese rule. The address also matches the one listed in the Japanese records.
A 30-year-old Omaha woman was stabbed in the chest and abdomen early Monday during what apparently was a domestic assault in a southwest Omaha parking lot, police said.

The stabbing was reported about 7 a.m. near 104th and F Streets.

Paramedics considered the woman in critical condition when she was taken by ambulance to Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy. Police later said they did not consider her injuries to be life-threatening.

The stabbing occurred in the parking lot of Quality Pork International.

When police arrived they found the victim inside an office at the business.

Witnesses helped identify a suspect in the stabbing, the womans boyfriend, a 56-year-old Omaha man who fled before police arrived.
In a cozy little nook lined with pillows, behind a makeshift stage that welcomes onlookers to the puppet show, four kindergartners are putting their own twist on a recent lesson.

Equipped with hand puppets and language borrowed from their teachers (Hands up, voices quiet, kindergartner Isabella Cortez-Jimenez instructs her classmates), the children have chosen to use their free time in school to ... play more school.

At Liberty Elementary, and other Omaha schools, kindergartners like Isabella, Alivia Rafiner, Ahmad Rab and Jordyn Davis typically get an hour each day to play school, or get their hands dirty in a tub of green sand, or pretend to run a restaurant that serves plastic roast chickens.

Its part of a movement in Omaha Public Schools led by kindergarten teachers like Luisa Palomo who contend that play is a powerful teaching tool. And it shows the pendulum swinging back to kindergarten classrooms of old that devoted plenty of time to both finger painting and learning shapes.

As the group of children assigns roles  two will be teachers, two will be students  dual-language kindergarten teacher Emma Dobson drops by to observe and interject with a few prompts and questions in Spanish. But she largely leaves them be to flex their imagination.

With the help of a tiger hand puppet named Mr. Francos, Jordyn embarks on his lesson. What happens when you get mad? He asks Ahmad. What if your brother takes one of your toys?

I feel really, really mad and get frustrated and that means I take belly breaths and I do them 100 times, Ahmad answers.

Dobson realizes theyre parroting a recent lesson delivered by a school counselor, but breaking it down into familiar scenarios and using kid-friendly language.

The driving forces behind an OPS initiative called Transforming Kindergarten acknowledge that, yes, kids need to learn their numbers and letters. But exploring the world through purposeful play  while also learning how to share, negotiate and socialize with classmates  is just as important as worksheets and flashcards.

Its not as easy as just putting toys out for them to play, Dobson said. Theres a lot of planning that goes into it.

Other districts have been taking steps to embrace play, too, although not necessarily to the extent of OPS. Some budget time for brain breaks so kids can get their wiggles out between lessons, or introduce new vocabulary to preschoolers as they play with Legos.

Palomo and Dobson are dual-language co-teachers. Two teams of students spend half the day learning English, half the day learning Spanish.

After lunch, their students get a full hour of play, exploring their choice of different stations that have been set up across the classrooms. In Palomos room, theres an easel where kids can paint, tablets where they can play a math game and a cash register with a working calculator and play money.

Can I get one chicken nugget? Juan Genchi Garcia asks Temperance Saldierna, whos at the register. She practices scanning a plastic corn cob and green pepper.

Above a play kitchen set with pots and pans, Dobson displays a food pyramid poster, with nutritional terms in Spanish, to hark back to a recent lesson on healthy eating.

Many of the stations incorporate a math or reading element, Dobson said. After playtime, one little boy shared with the class the miniature book he had created during the hour, listing the things, like candy, that he liked.

The Transforming Kindergarten project began in 2013, as teachers were clamoring for more joy  and autonomy  in their classrooms, Palomo said. Parents, too, in OPS and other schools, have lobbied for more recess time.

There was just a lot of pressure to prepare for first grade, prepare for second grade, she said.

Deborah Wisneski, an early childhood education professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said more schools are trying to restore balance in the classroom  with the understanding that play and academics are not mutually exclusive.

As more schools switched to full-day kindergarten in the 1990s and 2000s and faced stricter accountability measures under No Child Left Behind, some teachers felt constrained to stick to more rigid lesson plans. For kids growing up in poverty, who may arrive in pre-K or kindergarten less prepared than their middle-class peers, there may be even more impetus to get them caught up.

Generally if we see children having deficits in their learning early on, we assume the first thing we need to do is become very restrictive in our teaching, Wisneski said. We kind of deny them the opportunity to use their own brains. But using play is probably the most rigorous and academic thing you can do.

UNO even has a new model play classroom for education majors and teachers in the metro area.

Giving students space to explore their environment and guide their own learning is a core concept in educational philosophies like the Reggio Emilia approach, which originated in Italy, and the Montessori method. Students in Finland  celebrated for its high performance on international tests  tend to start formal schooling later, and early childhood education revolves around free play.

Play is serious work. Theres research behind it, said Donna Dobson, OPSs director of elementary instruction.

And kindergarten teachers are still expected to cram in plenty of core concepts, too. State standards expect kindergartners to read simple words and identify concepts like the setting of a story. They should be able to count to 100 and tell the difference between a triangle and a hexagon.

Outside OPS, Ralston has been working with the Buffett Early Childhood Institute to beef up developmentally appropriate play and expand language acquisition among preschoolers.

If a student is playing in the blocks and theyre building a barn ... youre talking about it and extending their vocabulary using what theyre interested in, said Cecilia Wilken, Ralstons director of elementary education. The teacher can then talk about different animals or the height of it.

In Millard, elementary classrooms involve opportunities for play, and kids get brain breaks to break up sedentary lessons.

OPS kindergarten teachers are encouraged to devote 60 minutes each day to play, in addition to recess. Teachers and paraprofessionals can spend half that time pulling kids who need extra help into small groups and the other half observing and questioning kids at play.

A guidebook developed for teachers lays out what different play stations could look like  a discovery center could include pine cones and plastic dinosaurs and excavation tools. Teachers could introduce kids to new vocabulary words, such as pebbles or artifacts.

A classroom set up to stimulate play should have areas that appeal to different interests and learning styles, Wisneski said. Teachers should follow the lead of their students and make connections between classroom play and real life; if a girl is building with blocks, a teacher could prompt a conversation about the Woodmen Tower or other buildings she sees on her way to school. Laying that groundwork early can pave the way much later for more intensive lessons on physics or architecture.

Palomo said teachers, principals and families are all-in on adding more play.

No principal has ever said Why are you wasting time?  she said. Ive never had a family say Why are you letting them play? I think, as an adult, Id hate to be told you cant laugh, cant smile, cant make mistakes. The kids are so happy.

Correction: The Buffett Early Childhood Institute was misidentified in a previous version of this story.
OAKLAND, Iowa  He was a longtime school bus driver and local city councilman wrapping up his final days behind the wheel before back surgery.

She was a bubbly high schooler who climbed aboard the bus, ready to start the school day at Riverside Junior-Senior High School.

But Tuesday morning took a tragic turn for Donnie Hendricks, 74, and Megan Klindt, 16, who could not escape a fire that engulfed their school bus in rural Pottawattamie County, leaving it a blackened and burnt shell.

News of the deadly fire, which occurred just southeast of Oakland, Iowa, reverberated across the small-town communities of Oakland, Carson and Macedonia, where many residents knew both victims.

Just about everyone in town has come and said their sorrys, said Denton Hendricks, Donnie Hendricks 19-year-old grandson who lives in Carson.

On social media, many posted a photo featuring the bulldog mascot of the Riverside Community School District with a special message: Prayers for Riverside.

About 50 people turned out for a brief prayer service Tuesday night at Fellowship Church near Oakland, where Megans sister worships.

Before she went inside, Kasie Haven of Carson, whose two children previously rode Hendricks bus, said her thoughts swung from relief to sorrow as details became clearer Tuesday morning.

To be honest, at first I prayed to God that my kids werent on the bus, she said. Then she confronted the reality that two people were dead.

Its hard to say all of those things in the same sentence, she said. How can you be so happy, but so sad for somebody else at the same time?

The cause of the fire remains unknown and under investigation by numerous agencies, including the Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office, the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa State Fire Marshal. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are expected arrive today to begin an inquiry.

Timothy Mitchell, the superintendent of the Riverside district, said the district was shaken by the deaths. About 730 students attend schools in the Riverside school district, which serves Oakland, Carson and Macedonia, Iowa.

Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones, he said in a statement. The investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, and we are cooperating with law enforcement as they do their work.

After-school activities were canceled Tuesday, and grief counselors were brought in to tend to students and staff.

The call about the fire went out shortly after 7 a.m. Dispatchers said the bus was in the driveway of a house at 17840 480th St.

Klindt lived at the farm there, which sits among the brown, rolling fields in eastern Pottawattamie County.

Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Lt. Rob Ambrose said Klindts house may have been Hendricks first stop on his bus route. Klindt and the driver were the only ones on the bus. Initially, there were fears that a larger number of children were on the bus  the first emergency call indicated that 20 students were on the bus, but Ambrose said only two people were onboard.

Ambrose said Klindts mother called 911. The girls sister tried to break out windows on the bus.

The fire occurred as the bus was backing out of the farms driveway, Ambrose said. The bus ended up in the ditch on the opposite side of the road, he said.

When firefighters from Oakland, Carson and Macedonia arrived, they found the bus fully engulfed in flames. Klindt and Hendricks werent able to get off the bus.

Once the fire was contained, the remains of the two were found on the bus, said Pottawattamie County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Reynolds.

John Ticer, an agent with the Iowa Fire Marshals Office, said the bus, a 2005 International model, ran on diesel fuel. The fire scorched both the grass and the gravel around it.

The bus had front- and rear-door exits, Ambrose said, as well as two exit hatches on the roof. Its unclear if there were additional window exits. Officials are still trying to determine where on the bus the fire began.

The farm where the fire occurred is off a rural gravel road about 6 miles east and 2 miles south of Oakland, which is about 25 miles east of Council Bluffs.

The loss was felt deeply at the high school, said Bailey Rose, 18, a senior from Oakland, where the high school is.

The mood at school Tuesday was very quiet, she said. Depressed. Teachers were very supportive and telling us if we needed any guidance, we could go out and talk to different people.

Rose said she took a weightlifting class with Klindt last year. She was energetic and caring, and had lots of friends throughout the school.

In their class, Rose said Klindt always would volunteer and say, Ill be your partner if you dont have one. If someone was left out of some activity, Rose said, Klindt would make sure that person was included somehow.

I know its even harder for family members to deal with that kind of loss, she said. Friends are dealing with it hard, but family is dealing with it harder.

Matt Bowen, president of the Riverside school board, offered prayers for the families in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

The tragic events from this morning will bring our three Riverside communities even closer together, he said. My continued prayers for the families involved, and the Riverside communities.

Denton Hendricks said his grandfather, a former truck driver who lived in Carson, had driven buses for Riverside for years.

He didnt need the money or anything, he said. He did it so he didnt have to sit at home all day.

Hendricks was scheduled to undergo back surgery, and today was supposed to be his last day on the job before the procedure, his grandson said.

Hendricks was a regular at his grandsons sporting events and in the pews at Carson United Methodist Church.

We are here for the community, the Rev. Brody Tubaugh said. Donnie was very loved here. We are also praying for the Klindt family.

Hendricks served a total of 18 years on the City Council, according to City Clerk Brianne Duede, and was re-elected in November. Duede used the word shock to describe how the news hit the town.

Hendricks and his wife, Kathy, were grand marshals of Riversides homecoming parade this fall.

He had a deep pride in his community, Denton Hendricks said.

Since 2007, there have been at least 17 fatalities in Iowa involving school buses, according to data from the Iowa Department of Transportation. That number includes deaths of those in other vehicles that were involved in school bus crashes.

World-Herald staff writers Emerson Clarridge and Kevin Cole contributed to this report, which includes material from the World-Herald News Service.
The Bellevue City Council will take a few months to decide on new rules for Bellevue Cemetery.

The council decided Monday to postpone a decision for three months on an ordinance that would have established a new set of rules, including for decorating graves. The council voted to appoint a committee to study rules.

Councilman Pat Shannon said the city was rushing the rules. He urged taking more time. Councilman Jim Moudry questioned a new rule prohibiting guns in the citys cemetery with the exception of military guns for official salutes.

Councilman Don Preister said there was no reason to delay a vote. He said the proposed rules were just cleaning up the language of the regulations.

The vote was 4-2. Moudry, Shannon, John Hansen and Paul Cook voted to appoint a committee and postpone a decision. Preister and Thomas Burns voted no.

Also Monday, the council took steps that could lead to the demolition of a condemned car wash owned by Shannon. The council voted to accept Heimes Corp.s $15,018 bid to demolish the car wash, at 12709 S. 28th Ave.

The council also rejected a resolution, submitted by Shannon, to repeal its July 24 decision to declare the property a public nuisance and demolish it if it wasnt repaired by Aug. 25. The city has moved ahead toward demolition, saying it wasnt repaired. Shannon has been fighting it in court.

At Mondays council meeting, Shannon took part in the discussion about accepting the demolition bid. He asked whether the demolition would include tearing down what he called a brand-new pole sign on the property.

City Administrator Joe Mangiamelli told Shannon he was required to recuse himself from the matter and leave the room. Shannon questioned City Attorney Patrick Sullivan about the pole.

Just for clarification, youre talking about taking down the brand-new pole sign that was just erected, Shannon said.

Sullivan said the pole is part of the bid.

Burns asked whether Shannon was required to leave the chambers. Sullivan told Shannon he must leave the room.

Shannon said he would abstain from voting. Sullivan insisted Shannon leave the room so as not to appear to have influence over the councils decision.

Trust me, when you see the vote, youll know I dont, Shannon said.

He left the room. His fellow council members voted unanimously, 5-0, to accept the bid to demolish his car wash.
President Moon Jae-in will be accompanied by around 260 Korean executives when he visits China from Wednesday, the biggest ever business delegation to accompany a Korean leader abroad.

Business insiders on Monday said a lot of businesspeople wanted to join Moon on his trip as an unofficial Chinese boycott is winding down.

Big names include SK chairman Chey Tae-won, LG vice chairman Koo Bon-joon and Hyundai Motor vice chairman Chung Eui-sun. Samsung is sending Yoon Boo-keun, head of Samsung Electronics home appliance division, because the group's de facto chief in in jail.

The business delegation hope to form some kind of federation with their Chinese counterparts, benchmarking Japanese companies that have established separate channels of communication with Chinese clients when Tokyo-Beijing relations were frayed over a territorial spat.
LINCOLN  A petition drive seeking $1.1 billion worth of property tax relief is expected to kick off in Nebraska next week.

Trent Fellers, executive director of Reform for Nebraskas Future, confirmed Tuesday that he has filed language for an initiative petition drive with the Secretary of States Office.

He said he anticipates launching the drive next week, after the final wording of the petition is set. He said signature-gathering would start immediately.

Were moving forward, Feller said.

But opponents are already lining up, arguing that the proposal would create a budget crisis in the state and could force increases in other taxes.

Taylor Gage, a spokesman for Gov. Pete Ricketts, said the governor supports property tax relief but not the steep increase in state spending that the proposal required.

To pay for this proposal, the proponents would have to pass massive tax increases, cut virtually all state aid to K-12 education or have other unacceptable impacts on priorities Nebraskans care about, he said.

State Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, the Revenue Committee chairman, said he wants a more structured and balanced approach that would cut both income and property taxes.

My hope would be that (the petition) is not the way we address the taxation issues in our state, he said.

If enough valid signatures can be gathered, the property tax petition would put a proposed law before voters at next Novembers general election.

The proposal would provide Nebraskans with income tax credits equal to 50 percent of the property taxes paid to school districts. That would amount to roughly 30 percent of total property taxes.

As written, the credits would be refundable, meaning that people would get a check from the state for the amount by which the new credit exceeded the amount of their income taxes.

State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard said he plans to offer a bill in the coming legislative session that would match the petition language. Lawmakers start the session on Jan. 3.

The bill would give lawmakers a chance to pass the tax proposal before the matter goes to the people, he said. The petition drive would provide an option if the Legislature takes no action.

My thought is it would be a lot simpler if the Legislature could make a decision and pass a law, Erdman said. If its the No. 1 issue in the state, why wouldnt we want to do something about it?

The proposed petition language does not spell out how the state would pay for the new income tax credits.

Erdman said it should be done by cutting state spending and ending business tax incentives, not by increasing any other taxes.

Weve got plenty of places we can make cuts and not affect anybodys services, he said.

Nebraskas general fund budget for the current year is $4.4 billion, of which nearly $1 billion is dedicated to school aid.

Opponents said it is unrealistic to expect lawmakers to make $1.1 billion in state budget cuts without harming education, human services or public safety.

Renee Fry, executive director of the Open Sky Policy Institute, a Lincoln-based think tank, said property tax breaks may sound attractive said the petition presents only half of the picture.

Voters are likely to think twice once they realize what the proposed tax credits would mean in terms of cutting state services and raising income and sales taxes, said Barry Kennedy, executive director of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Nebraska voters rejected previous petitions aimed at relieving property taxes by means of various limits, caps and lids, after campaigns pointing out the possible consequences of those measures.

Property taxes have long been a source of anger and frustration in Nebraska, but demands for relief have grown along with the tax bills on agricultural land in recent years. Valuations on farm and ranch land soared along with prices in the past decade.

Erdman called for an initiative petition after lawmakers adjourned this year without passing any major property tax legislation.

A loose-knit group has been working on the effort since then. Fellers is the point person for the petition drive, as well as heading up Reform for Nebraskas Future, a coalition of agricultural, business and homeowner interests that advocates for easing property taxes.

The new group includes property owners, agricultural organizations and taxpayer groups, he said. He declined to give the name of the new group.

To make the ballot, the group would need to gather more than 83,000 valid signatures of Nebraska voters by early July.
WASHINGTON  Tuesdays Alabama Senate election has sent fissures through the GOP, divisions so strong they drove a top Nebraska Republican to quit her party post.

National Committeewoman Joyce Simmons indicated that her resignation  submitted to Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniels on Friday  was prompted by the RNCs decision to support Republican Roy Moore in the Senate race.

Simmons is not the only Nebraska Republican objecting to Moores candidacy. Both of the states U.S. senators had called for Moore to drop out of the race.

Simmons declined a World-Herald request for an interview, but in a Monday morning email to other Republican officials, she wrote:

I strongly disagree with the recent RNC financial support directed to the Alabama Republican Party for use in the Roy Moore race. There is much I could say about this situation, but I will defer to this weekends comments by Senator Shelby. I will miss so many of you that I knew well; and wish I could have continued my service to the national Republican Party that I used to know well.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., publicly criticized Moore over the weekend, telling CNN that he had already cast his ballot in the special election, writing in an unnamed Republican.

Sexual assault and harassment allegations against Moore involving teenage girls have rocked the Alabama race and split Republicans in other parts of the country.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has stayed away from the race, with its chairman, Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., saying it would never back Moore. At least one Senate Republican donated to Moores Democratic opponent.

The RNC initially backed away from Moore when the stories first broke, but re-engaged in the race after President Donald Trump shrugged off the allegations and supported Moore.

Each party is guided in its fundraising and campaign strategy by a national committee, which also oversees the presidential nominating process and writes the partys platform.

Simmons was elected Nebraska national committeewoman in 2012. She is a retired Valentine orthodontist who served as Cherry County chairman during Sen. Deb Fischers 2012 campaign.

Nebraska Republican National Committeeman J.L. Spray said that when the state partys central committee meets in mid-January it will elect a replacement, who will serve through the 2020 national convention.

Spray declined to comment on Simmons resignation or the Alabama race.

Simmons move drew praise from Sen. Ben Sasse.

It takes guts to admit when your party is a mess, and thats what Joyce did by leaving the RNC today, Sasse said in a statement.

Even before the sexual allegations, Sasse had criticized Moore, specifically taking issue with Moores views on the First Amendment.

Last week Sasse denounced the RNC decision to re-engage in the race and said that if the National Republican Senatorial Committee followed suit, he would stop helping it raise money. At the same time, Sasse also was critical of Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., for making a contribution to Doug Jones, the Democrat running against Moore.

Fischer declined to comment on Simmons resignation.

She didnt contact me about it, Fischer said.

When the allegations against Moore surfaced, Fischer said he should step aside if they were true. She later added that his explanations had been insufficient and that she thought he should indeed step aside.

Asked about the race Monday, Fischer said she stood by her previous statements.

Well see how the election goes tomorrow.
LINCOLN  The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been awarded a contract worth $2.23 million per year to continue training state child welfare workers.

The UNL Center for Children, Families and the Law will provide the training for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

The interdisciplinary center has been training newly hired state workers and offering continuing education and training for existing workers since 1987.

The new award extends the program for three years, with the option of two one-year extensions.

More than 200 workers each year go through the 14-week initial training, which includes four weeks of face-to-face training and time in a simulation house where trainees role-play various scenarios.

Eve Brank, the center director and a UNL associate professor of psychology, said trainees learn to assess safety and well-being, engage positively with family members, develop case plans and goals, understand the effects of trauma on children and deal with on-the-job stress.

HHS officials said the new contract, which was put out to bid earlier this year, will save the state $500,000 a year.
DES MOINES (AP)  Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday said she would keep U.S. Rep. Steve King involved in her gubernatorial campaign while condemning a comment he made on Twitter that criticized diversity.

Reynolds made her comments after Iowa Democrats called on her to drop King as a state co-chair in her campaign after he tweeted Friday, Diversity is not our strength along with an article describing anti-immigration views from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The tweet included a comment that King attributed to Orban that says, Mixing cultures will not lead to a higher quality of life but a lower one.

King later added another tweet: Assimilation has become a dirty word to the multiculturalist Left. Assimilation, not diversity, is our American strength.

Reynolds told reporters during a news conference in Des Moines on Tuesday that she can disagree with the conservative Republican congressman from Iowa even while he remains involved in her campaign. Reynolds pointed out she has multiple people serving in the role, including U.S. Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst.

Im not going to agree with everything that they have to say, and I can certainly make it known when I dont agree with a comment that they made, she said. But I also want to be able to work with them on really important issues for Iowans.

As far as Kings comments, Reynolds said: I dont believe that thats reflective of Iowa values. I believe that diversity has made this state and this country stronger.

Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price criticized Reynolds decision.

By keeping Steve King on her campaign team, Kim Reynolds is sending the message to all Iowans that she thinks his unpatriotic ideology is OK as long as it helps her politically, he said.

A handful of gubernatorial candidates on Tuesday also criticized Reynolds, who is seeking a four-year term as governor next year. She is serving the remaining term of Republican former Gov. Terry Branstad, who stepped down in May to become U.S. ambassador to China.

Reynolds announced King as a state co-chair on Nov. 1, although he had been criticized for previous tweets, including one that said, We cant restore our civilization with somebody elses babies, and offered support for a far-right Dutch politician who opposes immigration. When she appointed King, Reynolds was quoted in a campaign press release as saying he is a strong defender of freedom and our conservative values.
One of the most spectacularly successful ideas in all of behavioral economics is Save More Tomorrow, by which employers ask employees if they would like to give some portion of their future wage increases to their retirement plans.

An equally intriguing but largely untried idea is Give More Tomorrow, by which people take steps to increase their charitable donations  in the future. For nonprofits, employers and individuals, the holiday season would be a terrific time to take advantage of that idea.



Save More Tomorrow plans, pioneered by UCLAs Shlomo Benartzi and the University of Chicagos Richard Thaler, are a response to four findings in behavioral economics.



First, people are loss averse; they dont like to lose what they currently have. Second, people tend to procrastinate. They want to save money  later. (As a young man, Saint Augustine prayed, God give me chastity  only not yet.)



Third, people show present bias. Today and tomorrow really matter; next month, not so much. Fourth, people have self-control problems. They might have trouble coming up with plans to solve problems that they will face in the future.



In terms of retirement planning, these four findings are pretty devastating. They suggest that a lot of us wont save nearly enough. After we stop working, we might find ourselves in big trouble. (Social Security helps, but for many people, it isnt nearly enough.)



Save More Tomorrow plans are specifically designed with the behavioral findings in mind. They ask employees a simple question: Would you like to enroll in a plan that will commit some part of your future salary increases to retirement savings?



A lot of employees say yes. In an early study, almost 80 percent of employees agreed to participate. As a result, their savings increased substantially. All over the U.S., employers are using Save More Tomorrow plans, or variations on them, such as automatic escalation, by which employees contribution rates increase over time. These plans have added billions of dollars to retirement accounts, ensuring that many Americans will have a lot more economic security in their old age.

Could Give More Tomorrow plans have a similar effect?



In 2006, Anna Breman, then a graduate student at the Stockholm School of Economics, explored exactly that question. Her motivation was simple. Many people say that they want to give money to charity, but they are deterred by the same factors that discourage savings. Its not always a lot of fun to make out a check, even to a good cause.



So Breman tested a novel fund-raising strategy  not in the laboratory but in the field. She worked with a very large Swedish charity that helps people in poor countries (for example, by providing farming education in Cambodia to increase self-reliance). To make the test as simple as possible, she restricted herself to monthly donors.



In Bremans experiment, a telemarketing company asked hundreds of donors in Sweden whether they wanted to Give More Now, by immediately increasing their donations. The company asked hundreds of other donors a different question: whether they wanted to Give More Tomorrow, by increasing their donations after a two-month delay.



The results were dramatic. The average increase in donations was 32 percent higher in the Give More Tomorrow group. Moreover, the effect lasted. A full year after the intervention, nearly all of the Give More Tomorrow donors continued their higher donations.



One of Bremans most intriguing claims tells us something about human nature. After making a charitable donation, people get a warm glow  but if they dislike present losses, they might nonetheless refuse to give. The beauty of Give More Tomorrow plans is that they enable people to get the warm glow without incurring those losses.



For the holiday season, Bremans findings suggest a simple strategy for charitable organizations: Ask your regular donors whether they would like to increase their donations  in (say) February 2018. Her findings also suggest that donors might be asked whether they would like to commit to increasing their donations over time - with, say, a specified increase each quarter, or every six months.



Large employers who work with charities, such as United Way, could offer employees options of this kind. It is easy to imagine creative alternatives.



But individuals dont need institutions to start down this path. We could easily take steps, right now, to make or increase our donations at some point in the future.



The main reason to do that, of course, is to help others. But behavioral science offers another reason: Those who give to others enjoy a big boost in happiness. So heres a terrific gift that you can give yourself: Make a commitment today  to give more tomorrow.
The University of Nebraska continues to expand its relationship with the Pentagon through an increasing array of significant military-related research projects.

The latest is a new federal grant to the University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska-Lincoln for research in drugs to treat radiation exposure.

This is one of the largest military-focused grants yet for NU. The project provides $812,000 to NU researchers for the first year, focusing on drugs that would have civilian as well as military use, with the possibility of up to $7.1 million in additional funding.

An added plus from the project is that it is part of stepped-up collaboration between UNL and UNMC, promoted by NU President Hank Bounds and Dr. James Linder, the systems chief strategist.

NUs military research is coordinated through the universitys National Strategic Research Institute, one of only 13 such centers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Since the institute was created in 2012 with U.S. Strategic Command as a central partner, more than 40 NU faculty and 60 students in multiple disciplines have worked on the institutes projects.

Here are some examples of national security- related projects at NU that are being funded through the Pentagon or State Department:

 Cyber-security  specifically, preventing disruptions of cyber infrastructure  is the focus of a project, in coordination with StratCom, involving UNL researchers. Iowa State University also is participating.

 UNMC is continuing its cutting-edge work on treatment and medical training relating to highly infectious diseases such as Ebola. This spring, UNMC worked with federal agencies on mock patient transport drills to hone skills and procedures.

 Transportation specialists at UNL have developed ideas to strengthen military checkpoints.

 Laser technology to detect hidden nuclear materials is the focus of Pentagon-funded research by NU physicists.

 The University of Nebraska at Omaha has done pioneering work in the psychological studies of terrorist networks.

 The NU College of Law has specialization in space law and regulation, and the college has provided the Pentagon with analysis on space-related issues.

 Each year 10 StratCom civilian employees hone their leadership skills and professional competencies through fellowships at UNO.

Our nations universities can provide invaluable research support for Americas security. Its encouraging to see NU play a significant role in these efforts, with StratCom as a central conduit.
Jerusalem doesnt belong solely to Israel, and President Donald Trump recognizing it as the capital of Israel doesnt make it so (Trumps action on Jerusalem sparks fresh anger, Dec. 7 World-Herald). Jerusalem has long been the home of major Muslim, Jewish and Christian shrines.

The status of Jerusalem is a major stumbling block in any efforts to resolve the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its unbelievable that the Trump administration, led by amateur diplomat Jared Kushner, can suggest it is close to achieving peace in the Middle East after stirring up such a volatile issue.

The Palestinians envision East Jerusalem, the location of the Islamic holy sites of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The Israelis have shown little indication they will ever accept a two-state solution.

With the U.S. throwing its weight totally in favor of Israel, there can be no peace in the Holy Land. Although Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opposes violence, many Palestinians view protests as their only recourse against Israels military might and power in the region.

Louise Edge, Papillion
The United States will unveil a new national security strategy Dec. 18 aimed at preserving the world order forged in the aftermath of World War II, despite efforts by powers like Russia and China to tear it down.

White House National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster said the new strategy would rely on "peace through strength" to advance U.S. interests abroad. And he promised that alliances with traditional U.S. allies would play a prominent role in Washington's approach.

"We have to work together harder than ever to ensure that nations uphold the rule of law, respect the sovereignty of their neighbors and support the post-World War II, post-Cold War order of peace, stability and collective security," McMaster said Tuesday, speaking alongside his British counterpart during a speech in Washington.

Despite concerns that President Donald Trump's "America First" campaign might lead to a retreat from the world stage, McMaster said the new strategy would do the opposite, and instead mark the return of a more confident, more determined United States.

"In many ways, we vacated a lot of competitive space in recent years and created opportunities for these revisionist powers," he said, referring to Moscow and Beijing. "You'll see a big emphasis on competitive engagement -- competitive engagement across what we're calling arenas of competition."

Trump administration officials have been working on the much-anticipated national security strategy for months. McMaster said the finished document is centered on four main principles: protecting the U.S. homeland; advancing American prosperity and economic security; a stronger, more capable military; and advancing U.S. influence.

The strategy also highlights several different threats: those from powers like Russia and China, as well as from so-called rogue regimes, such as Iran and North Korea.


Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia:

South African equity-centric hedge funds post double-digit returns in the first 11 months of this year, with Peregrine's Total Equity Hedge Funds up 10.77% year-to-date despite a flight fall of -0.98% during November after their good performance in October.

Long-short equity hedge funds gained 12.17% YTD on asset weighted basis (-0.70% November). The Market Neutral Equity Hedge Funds were the biggest losers in November and were down -2.71% (+3.31% YTD) on asset weighted.

Peregrine said in its monthly report to investors, "Focusing on our primary hedge fund styles, equity long short was down slightly for November (following October's very good return of +5.06%) whilst market neutrals underperformed (while up 2.57% in October)."

It added that the Rand weakened up until around mid-November and this was largely due to concerns over how rating agencies would react following October's disappointing medium-term budget speech which saw the deficit widen to 4.3% of GDP. The mid-month reprieve on the Rand came on the back of dollar weakness following news that several of Trump's election officials were to be questioned as part of the investigation into Russia's interference in the U.S. Presidential election.

In the end, Peregrine said that the Rand was able to recover most of its losses as the rating agencies' decisions turned out to be not as bad as the market had expected, in particular Moody's retained its investment grade on local......................

To view our full article Click here
By: Latham and Watkins, LLP President Macron recently unveiled employment and tax reforms to increase Frances appeal for deal makers. While France ranks highly as an investment destination for private equity firms, complex and inflexible French employment laws have been perceived as a hindrance  perpetuating the belief that France can be an unfriendly jurisdiction for businesses and investors. In our view, these reforms  which focus on employee termination, collective bargaining, and employee consultative bodies  will make doing business in France easier and, coupled with proposed tax reforms, should facilitate an even stronger French dealmaking environment. Collective Bargaining and Employee Termination  Developments and Implications for Private Equity Rules on collective bargaining agreements, a key feature of the French labour market, are changing. Previously, French companies could not change employment terms with workers if such changes were less favourable to employees than the rules set by industry-level agreements. Under the reforms, employers can now agree to company-level deals with unions that will supersede industry-level rules. This allows PE owners more flexibility to tailor agreements that better align with their actual business needs. There is further positive news for PE regarding collective dismissals. Previously, international businesses were forced to demonstrate economic reasons for French redundancies. Yet, crucially, they needed to show problems at international or group, rather than local, level. Under Macrons reforms, companies need only demonstrate economic problems in France. Further, French employers have historically been vulnerable to unlimited damages claims for unfair dismissal. The reforms introduce minimum and maximum damages caps, enhancing certainty and bringing cost foreseeability to terminations. Claims for discrimination, harassment, and overtime pay remain uncapped. These kinds of claims may increase, therefore diminishing the reforms overall effect on labour exposure. However, our overall view is that these changes, which bring unfair dismissal and discrimination claims exposure more in line with the UK, are a positive development. Consultation Requirements  Simplifying the Put Option Process? French employee representative bodies have prior consultation rights that employers must meet before a binding sale or asset purchase agreement is signed. Generally, parties finalise terms and enter into a put option whereby the preferred bidder commits to buy the target on such terms. The seller is not bound to sell, but agrees to an exclusivity undertaking with the buyer. Consultation with employee bodies then begins. Dependent on size, French companies can have multiple employee representative bodies: a works council, health and safety committee, and staff delegates  each with differing requirements and time limits for consultation. The reforms will streamline all employee representative bodies into a single body, named the social and economic committee. Put option and exclusivity undertaking procedures will remain a feature of French deal making, but the changes will facilitate more efficient employee consultation for PE firms, reducing time spent on duplicate meetings and documentation. Tax Reforms  Monitoring Required Sweeping tax reforms may also provide a boost for PE. The French governments 2018 Finance Bill proposes corporation tax rate cuts from 33.3% to 25% by 2022, which may spur further buyout activity. The Finance Bill also proposes abolishing the 3% dividend distribution surtax, which has caused tax leakage from PE transactions. PE firms will also welcome the governments proposal to cancel limitations on the deductibility of interest expenses incurred in respect of the acquisition of participating shareholdings. However, cancellation of the limit may only extend to EU buyers, and is subject to ongoing discussion in parliament. The changes will facilitate more efficient employee consultation for PE firms, reducing time spent on duplicate meetings and documentation. Finally Overall, the labour and tax reforms send a positive signal that France is open for business and keen to attract PE investment.
Not every police agency provides a log of its responses, and few do it with the finesse of the Forest Grove Police Department. Every week, we post the goings on as provided by this community 25 miles west of Portland, not because it's earth-shatteringly important, but because it provides a glimpse into the world of modern small-town policing.

During the week, Forest Grove police officers were engaged in more than 442 activities, both reported and self-initiated.

December 1

* A man called police to report that his vehicle had been stolen from outside a local bar. Officers discovered the vehicle was not stolen, but had been towed due to being illegally parked.

* A caller reported that their holiday light projector had been stolen overnight.

* Officers assisted the driver of a UPS truck after the vehicle died on a busy street. After a quick jump start, holiday deliveries continued without incident.

December 2

* Police received a report of a man repeatedly yelling "Stop!" and "No!" followed by the sound of several crashes coming from within a residence. Officers spoke to the resident, who was upset. He agreed to quiet down.

* A bar employee reported that a rather intoxicated man had fallen while leaving the establishment and struck his head on the ground. A short while later, police received a call from a man claiming he had been assaulted by several unknown men at the same location. No assault had occurred.

December 3

* FGPD requested assistance from Yamhill County deputies in locating a man who was impersonating a state building inspector.

* A man called police to report that his father was allegedly under the influence of drugs and causing a scene at their apartment. Officers contacted the father, who stated he was searching for drugs and money hidden by the son. Officers advised both men to stay away from each other for the evening.

* Police contacted a woman, possibly under the influence, digging in the dirt along a busy road. Officers determined that while her behavior was unusual, the woman was committing no crime.

December 4

* While on patrol, a night shift officer spotted a man known to police to have an outstanding warrant out for his arrest. The man initially ran from the officer, but was ultimately arrested and taken to jail.

* A local convenience store reported that a juvenile had stolen a doughnut and a drink, but had returned shortly after to pay for the goods. Officers advised the youth's parents regarding the incident.

* A caller reported that a suspicious person with a flashlight was looking into their neighbor's car. Officers discovered the suspect was in fact the vehicle's owner.

December 5

* A woman called police after she had lost her phone and another woman picked up when she called the number back. After a little investigation, officers learned that both pre-paid phones had been issued the same phone number.

* Police investigated a threat of a school shooting that had been made by a student. Officers were able to locate the responsible individual and found the threat to not be credible. Police assigned extra patrol at the school for the following day.

* Officers contacted a man seen making a scene and pushing shopping carts into a busy intersection. The man stated he was simply having a bad day and wanted to leave Forest Grove. Officers provided him with a bus pass.

December 6

* A woman called police after a man she had developed a relationship with online had professed his love but was now insisting on her sending him cash, which she promptly, and correctly, determined to be a scam. She was advised to cease contact with the man.

* A caller reported finding a pornographic DVD left near a trash can in a local park.

* FGPD assisted Portland Police and Washington County deputies in locating an individual who had made suicidal statements and was traced to Forest Grove using his phone's GPS. The individual was located and taken to the hospital on a peace officer hold.

December 7

* A caller reported a suspicious individual pacing back and forth along Pacific Avenue. Officers contacted the man, who had a warrant out for his arrest. He was taken to jail.

* Police responded to a location where a man was throwing items out of a car into the street while screaming at a woman inside the vehicle. Officers discovered it was a verbal altercation between a man and his mother. They were advised to cease and desist.

* A bank employee called police after a woman cashed a cashier's check for several thousand dollars that was later determined to be fake. Officers are investigating.
Hanukkah is a good time to celebrate saving a historic Northeast Portland building from the wrecking ball and its hoped-for re-dedication as the Alberta Shul Jewish center.

The forlorn clapboard-sided structure, built in 1907 off a gravel road, was destined to be torn down and replaced with expensive housing, say Jewish community leaders and volunteer members of the Alberta Shul Coalition.

Instead, the group has signed a contract to buy the corner lot at 4550 NE 20th Ave., but needs help raising more of the down payment and to cover the first six months of expenses. The Go Fund Me campaign's goal is $136,000 collected through 2018.

Additional funds of $250,000 will start the process to restore the historic building, and make it more functional, useful and easier for people with mobility issues to access, says coalition member Joanie Levine.

Levine said the group is working with Portland-based nonprofit Revive Community Commons, which turns underutilized historic sacred spaces into community hubs.

"They have a remarkable board with expertise and will assist us on multiple levels," she said.

Alameda Old House History blogger Doug Decker volunteered to research the site and found the house was built when the Alberta business district was booming.

The property was bought in 1914 by Tifereth Israel, an Orthodox Jewish congregation with immigrant members who had escaped discrimination and violence in Russia and Ukraine.

The single-story wood structure with a pitched roof was Tifereth Israel's synagogue until 1952, when the congregation outgrew the 1,000-square-foot building and moved a half mile away into the former Redeemer Lutheran Church.

"This simple little building is a time machine of sorts that can help us appreciate and learn from the past," said Decker. "Restoring this building and interpreting its 110-year history is important because of its close association with multiple chapters" of the Alberta-Vernon neighborhood's story.

The historian deemed the building as having a "direct connection to the earliest days of settlement" when the house, erected two decades after the pioneer-era ended, served as the center of a vibrant Jewish community and then generations of African-American parishioners.

In a controversial move, the Jewish congregation sold the property in 1952 to members of Mt. Sinai, an African American Christian church, despite neighbor's protests. According to the Alberta Shul Coalition, synagogue leaders resisted calls for racial discrimination and declared:

"We regard such pressures as being violative of the principles of Americanism, of Judaism, of Christianity and of common decency...Man has no dearer right than the privilege of worshiping God in his own way."

Bypassing their reluctant real estate agent, they finalized their "moral agreement" with members of Mt. Sinai church.

In 1998, public records show the property was sold to the current owner, who allowed artists and musicians to use the building as a workspace.

The Alberta Shul Coalition's idea is to create, once again, a center for learning, art, prayer, and social justice organizing as well as a place for traditional and alternative religious services.

Information on a Hanukkah party, events and meetings are posted on the Alberta Shul Coalition's Facebook page.

You can let the group know you'd like to help by visiting albertashul.org or filling out this form.

-- Janet Eastman



jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman




Rose City Yarn Crawl has unveiled its tote bags for the 2018 Crawl. Preorder yours here. And while you're at it, preorder some of those adorable RCYC stitch markers, and one of the mystery knit- or crochet-along patterns. The 2018 theme is Waterways, and my money says it's going to be wonderful. The Rose City Yarn Crawl is Friday, March 1 to Sunday, March 4, 2018.

The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, another must for fiber fans, is looking for a logo for its 2018 event. Details below. The festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 22, and Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018.

In January the OFFF Board will begin planning for the 2018 festival. One decision that the board cannot make without... Posted by Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival on Wednesday, December 6, 2017

The Puddletown Knitters Guild is having a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14. (Doors open at 6 for social knitting before the meeting.) This month's speaker will be Anne Huffington-Caroll, a local physical therapist and avid knitter. After her presentation, there will be a show and tell, so please bring a recent finished project. The Guild meets at Multnomah Friends Meeting House, 4312 S.E. Stark St., in Portland.

: Gorgeous new pattern from PDXKnitterati! And it's on sale!

A little incentive for your gift knitting: 15% off Cannon Beach Cowl & Mitts patterns with Rav code BEACHY through... Posted by PDXKnitterati on Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Twisteds Hand Knit Holiday Bazaar - Let Twisted do your holiday knitting for you! Find newly knitted hats & cowls, past shop samples, and other hand knit items. We promise - we wont tell a soul! Posted by Twisted on Monday, December 11, 2017

UPDATE II:

SALE!!! 20-35% off all Needle & Hook sets including Knitters Pride Dreamz, Bamboo, Karbonz, Lykke and Addi Clicks... Posted by Knotty Lamb on Tuesday, December 12, 2017

-- Mary Mooney

mmooney@oregonian.com

503-412-7020; @MaryKnitsPDX
Correction appended

A driver and passenger in the same car were killed Monday in a head-on crash along Oregon 38 east of Reedsport, authorities say.

A 2015 Jeep Cherokee crossed the centerline while heading west near milepost 12 around 7:25 a.m. and crashed into an eastbound 2009 Kia Rio, according to Oregon State Police.

The driver of the Kia, 48-year-old Lisa Oswill of Tigard, and passenger, 21-year-old Carly Williams-Oswill of Wedderburn, were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and passenger in the Jeep were both taken to hospitals with serious injuries that police said are not life threatening.

The Jeep driver was identified as Lacy Santos, 37, and the passenger as Kylee Santos, 15. Both are from Scottsburg. The driver was taken to a hospital in Eugene and the passenger to a hospital in Reedsport, police said.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Police said speed and icy road conditions are being considered as factors in the collision.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey

A previous version of this story included incorrect details about the crash due to a source's error.
Jim Fitterling, president and chief operating officer of The Dow Chemical Co., was recently recognized for advancing societal contributions of engineers.

Fitterling was presented with the AIChE Foundation's Doing a World of Good Medal on Dec. 6 for his "advocacy of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and for his professional and personal commitment to mentorship," according to a Dow press release. Fitterling joined Dow in 1984 and was promoted to his current role in February 2016.

The Economist's Pride and Prejudice 24-hour global conference, New York's "Out on the Street" and PIMCO Pride, have featured Fitterling, and he was also a keynote speaker at Linked-In's gathering of 100 LGBT leaders. He was named a Top 100 Leading LGBTQ+ Executive, ranking third, in The Financial Times.

"We must continue to reach out to students to emphasize the importance of safety in our work while doubling-down on our efforts to develop a more diverse and inclusive workforce for chemical engineers," Fitterling said.

Fitterling was recognized for his dedication to safety in engineering, for his advocacy of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and for his professional and personal commitment to mentorship, the release states.

The Doing a World of Good campaign was established in 2016 by AIChE, the leading organization for chemical engineering professionals.

The campaign is considered one of the most ambitious fundraising programs in the organization's history. AIChE expects to raise $15 million over five years to support chemical engineering professions by promoting safety and ethical practices, education, training, career development, research and innovation.

In his work with AIChE, Fitterling supported the Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative, which focuses on educating the next generation of engineers, engineering faculty and industry leaders. More than 300 academics have taken part in faculty workshops to better equip them to teach process safety through the initiative.
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Imaginea unui esec la granita cu Ucraina. Cum sunt deviate toate TIR-urile din Ucraina prin sate, pe un drum ingust si fara trotuare: Au crapat peretii casei
BLOOMINGTON  A State Farm catastrophe team is assisting policyholders affected by the latest wildfires to hit California in what is becoming a record-breaking wildfire year for that state.

State Farm has already received about 1,050 homeowner claims and 160 auto claims from the Southern California blazes that have placed tens of thousands of people under evacuation orders.

The fire about 75 miles northwest of Los Angeles has become the fifth-largest in the state's history. The Associated Press reported that more than 750 buildings have been destroyed in the fire that is only 15 percent contained after burning nearly 360 square miles of dry brush and timber.

State Farm spokeswoman Missy Dundov said Monday that in addition to the on-the-ground team in California, three Centralized Catastrophe Services operations and Initial Loss Reporting teams are located throughout the United States, working closely with the ground team.

Just a couple months ago, attention was on the northern part of the state as wildfires burned through California's wine country.

Those fires resulted in a total of more than $9 billion in residential, commercial, automobile and other insurance claims as of Dec. 1, according to California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. That's up from $3.3 million in losses that were announced in late October, but Jones told The Associated Press that the number is not expected to rise significantly.

State Farm received about 4,370 homeowner claims totaling $423.4 million and about 1,330 auto claims, totaling $20 million, from those fires, as of Dec. 10, Dundov said.

She said it is difficult to compare this to other wildfires because each wildfire presents its own unique challenges and characteristics.

But Jones told The Associated Press, This represents one of the most devastating series of fires in California's history in terms of insured losses.  And behind those staggering numbers are personal stories of tragedy and loss, and 44 individuals whose lives were lost.

Containment has increased on other major blazes in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties.

This is the new normal, Gov. Jerry Brown said Saturday after viewing damage from the Ventura fire, which has claimed one life.
City officials say they are looking for ways to ease frustration of residents affected by the ongoing closure of Washington Street to accommodate environmental cleanup in the area.
CHENOA  The mayor of Chenoa on Monday defended shooting two wild turkeys that were local celebrities to some Chenoa residents and a nuisance to others.

Residents attending the Chenoa City Council said Chris Wilder explained that he had talked at length with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources about the city's options, and he had obtained permission to deal with the birds. He also told the audience that he discussed the issue with the man, whom he did not identify, who later shot the birds Saturday.

He told the crowd of about 50 people that shooting them was the right decision because several residents had complained about them.

Four wild turkeys had roamed the towns streets for several months, and some residents took to them, Chenoa resident David Cummings said.

During most of the summer and fall, a mother and her three babies were walking around town, he said Monday. Most of the residents liked them. They would take pictures and videos and share them on social media.

In fact, a Facebook page with 150 members, Chenoa Turkeys & Friends, was devoted to the turkeys.

As the turkeys grew older and bigger, though, problems developed, said Cummings.

They would hop up on vehicles and scratch them, and so some people complained to the city, Cummings said. The mayor contacted the Department of Natural Resources and received a Class C nuisance permit that gave city officials some options on ways to remove them from the city.

Officials with DNR did not immediately return messages Monday about the situation.

According to Cummings, a man shot two of the birds with a .40-caliber handgun about 11:20 a.m. Saturday.

Adding to the problem, Cummings said, was the fact that the birds were shot at the intersection of Division and Logan streets, which is in a school zone. While it happened around the time children were leaving a nearby school after a Breakfast with Santa, the mayor told the audience Monday no children were present.

He also told the audience he had asked the shooter not to kill the birds when children were present.

School officials also did not reply Monday to a request for comment.

My main problem is not just the shooting of the turkeys, but that it happened in a busy residential area, in a school zone, Cummings said. The residents werent notified and the kids and their parents were leaving that school.

What happened to the other two turkeys wasn't clear Monday night, but residents believe they are dead.
The defense lawyer for Arthur J. Corry told Judge Scott Drazewski on Monday that the defense has received a plea offer to charges that include attempted murder, home invasion and aggravated battery charges. Jim Martinkus did not disclose details of the plea agreement but said he believes the defendant will accept the offer after he has time to review it.
The EU faces the need to maintain unity in European security policy, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski wrote in the Tuesday edition of the Rzeczpospolita daily.

Waszczykowski, noted that Europe, "faces two strategic challenges in connection with its nearest neighbourhood." It must deal with the effects of Russia's aggressive policy responsible for ongoing and unsolved conflicts, especially in Moldova and Georgia, for aggression against Ukraine and "above all for breaking up the consensus of European countries."

"The situation in the south is the second fundamental challenge for the security of the entire continent," added the minister, pointing to the terrorist threat stemming from Islamic extremism and mass migration that "have shaken the foundations of the European Union."

According to the minister, maintaining unity in European security policy and avoiding fragmentation, which in the long run could bring disastrous effects, is "one of the biggest challenges faced by Europeans."

Minister Waszczykowski stressed that all European countries agree that "OSCE principles form the pillar of European security" and added that it is difficult to imagine peace and international confidence without a true return to those values.

"Waiting for the resumption of a real dialogue about the architecture of European security, we must think about strengthening the North Atlantic Alliance's collective defence," noted the minister. In his opinion, "European security, as regards the eastern direction, must be based on a full scale of defence capabilities, including nuclear deterrence." "Therefore, there is no alternative to NATO, only the alliance, thanks to the US, has the military potential necessary to ensure security in our part of the continent," Waszczykowski wrote. (PAP)

aa/ ej/
Photographer Emily Lipson joined forces with designer/stylist Joe van Overbeek to examine the ways deconstructed fashion mirrors how queers are reshaping society today. By definition, the word "deconstruct" suggests stripping away at standards to unearth hidden truths  an act that's equally radical on the runway as it is on the streets, where the LGBTQ+ community has put forth a focused effort to redefine what's normal.

"In an era of fashion defined by alternative beauty sensibilities, deconstructed clothing finds a new relevancy inside the emerging queer narrative," Lipson and van Overbeek said. "The way these clothes reject the convention of construction, they make the suggestion that untraditional clothes are best suited to an untraditional body. This implication makes the clothes themselves inherently queer, as the form reject the guidelines of the body to such a degree, gender can hardly be considered."

Check out the duo's photo project, below, which highlights the work of rising Chicago-based designers and investigates how seven different models use personal style to deconstruct social norms.

Photography: Emily Lipson

Styling: Joe van Overbeek

Models: Brandy Alexander, Brian Brigantti, Julissa Yasmeen Ramirez, Chris Colton, Cory Walker, Samantha Brown & Magnus Aleksander-Harstrup

Clothing: Maria Beniaris, Olivia Woodward, Alex Magnus, Joe van Overbeek & World Wrong
Art Basel Miami can be a pretty disorienting experience no matter whether you're a seasoned art fair attendee or coming to the festival and all the satellite fairs and parties for the first time. The frenzy of shows, which, in turn, each often have tens -- if not hundreds -- of galleries participating who, in turn, often are showing works by several different artists, is matched by the excess of parties, panels, activations, openings, concerts and more, all leading to a sense of endlessly running around with no final destination -- or rest -- in sight. This year, one of the most interesting pieces at Miami Art Week examined feelings of disorientation and dislocation, specifically through the lens of travel and hotel stays. Es Devlin's Room 2022 at EDITION, a massive, 7,000 square foot installation, explored the ways in which travelers "take part in a heroic act of collective imagination," as Devlin put it in the show's press release. "We all tacitly agree to suspend our disbelief and subscribe to the illusion that the walls between us are soundproof and life proof and that each room is its own isolated world that can be restored to order by invisible magic while we are out."



The show took guests on a journey through a series of hotel tropes (recreated hotel rooms and hotel hallways that also featured sound and light installations) before arriving at a colorful zoetrope and, finally, a spectacular Instagram-worthy maze featuring vaulted elliptical mirrors. While the final maze was a literal embodiment of disorientation and dislocation, the rest of the space -- particularly the uncanny hotel room and hallway recreations -- also spoke to Devlin's aforementioned desire to assess the suspension of disbelief all travelers must engage in. While the piece, which was presented by American Express, was Devlin's first in a hotel, the artist and stage designer (who has created sculptures and set pieces for superstars like Beyonce, Kanye West and Adele as well as pieces for the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House) has often featured hotels in her works, including her 2006 production of Don Giovanni in Vienna, which set the opera in a hotel. We had the chance to chat with Devlin at EDITION to hear more about her intention behind Room 2022 and her surprising revelation about the audience she's actually creating art for.



The zoetrope inside Es Devlin's Room 2022 at EDITION; photo by Getty for American Express



I didn't initially realize just how big the installation is! How long did it take to install?

Three days. There was a wedding in here -- in fact, in the zoetrope of remembered layers of the lives that have gone on in this hotel, we put in a little clip of what we imagine that wedding was that just finished the moment before we started loading in our stuff. So people were getting married, people were having their party -- that energy left the room and a whole ton of people came in during the early hours of Sunday morning and they spent all day Sunday loading and filling this room with stuff and then they built it up on Monday and Tuesday and by Wednesday we were ready. So it was really just two and a half days building.

That's wild. Was this idea of dislocation and suspension of disbelief something you've been thinking about for a while or something you were particularly inspired after having the opportunity to create a site-specific piece inside a hotel?



I've spent twenty years mainly as a stage designer so what I've been doing is making structures, making sculptures, always as an act of translation -- often as a translation of a story or a drama or a piece of music and taking something that is quite abstract and translating it into something that is quite concrete. So that's what I've been doing so I have my 100,000 hours and it got to the point where I feel able to apply that same practice now to other things. So the hotel is something I'd been thinking about for 12 years because I'd been using it as a metaphor in the work; Don Giovanni is a character who famously in the piece sleeps with 1,275 women so [in the 2006 Vienna opera staging] we set it up that he lived in a hotel and every door was a potential life lived and the idea wasn't so much the women but it was more the imagination of who he could be if he was with that woman. So it was like, "What would I be like if I'd married her? What would I be like if I lived with her?" All those parallel lives I could've lived with those untried doors. So that was something I'd been exploring. And actually when I was invited to work here, it just became a fulcrum of all the ideas I'd been thinking about. I could have made any work in that room but the interesting thing is some people that have come through literally thought I used an actual hotel room -- they didn't realize it was built so there's been some fun dislocation.



Can you elaborate more on these ideas of disorientation and dislocation we experience throughout the piece?



I guess what I'm trying to say is there's a combination of disorientation and perfect orientation. When you wake up [in a hotel room], all you know is a line of light [coming through the window shade]. So on the one hand, you don't know anything but in a great way, on the other hand, you know all you need to know. Because you're not clouded with the fragmentary stuff that we're all going to get clouded with later in the day. So just to have a moment of absolute certainty -- and now, as I get older, I really cherish that moment and I lie there for some time. I try to sustain that -- I actively try to sustain the little limbic moment between consciousness and unconsciousness. [Those moments have] also come to me through reading my children's stories when I put them to bed. Because what happens is when I'm often quite tired and I feel the absolute urgency of reading my children a bedtime story every night, often I'm reading them quite boring stories and I get quite bored with the sound of my voice droning on. So I'm reading the story and I'm sort of falling asleep and I know that I'm hungry and I know that I need to eat my dinner because it's only 8 o'clock and my husband is cooking so I lie there and allow myself to just go into this state of pre-dinner sleep. And that's often a very meditative, fantastic space.

What I guess I'm trying to say is, if you take any social structure -- say, a hotel -- [and look at] what it takes for everyone to take part in the system, if any of us really stopped to think about it, if any of us really analyzed it and lay in our beds and drew the line in our own bed through the wall to the next or drew the line of the bath through to the next -- if anyone really stopped to consider it and thought, "Actually, this room isn't mine and of course there's a whole load of people disgusted at my disgusting underwear that they're picking up," I guess what I'm looking at it is to what extent we've absorbed an act of strenuous hard work of suppressing this information. And if we were to un-suppress that and if we were, instead, to have all that effort that we were using into not thinking about this and to take that effort instead and pour it down the throat of the architecture, what could it do? It's that kind of train of thought that I'm on.

The hallway inside Es Devlin's Room 2022 installation at EDITION; photo by Getty for American Express



Thinking of the light as a way to orient yourself makes me wonder whether in other instances we're losing that ability to feel comfortable in our surroundings and find our way without any technology or digital crutches. Are we losing that skill to rely on ourselves and our environments for cues?



There's a book you'd love by Yuval Harari called Homo Deus: [A Brief History of Tomorrow]. His first book is Sapiens and in Homo Deus he hypothesizes that in the future, instead of thinking that humans as a species are always evolving, we might discover that humans are actually the kind of husk or midwife of what has really been evolving all this time, which isn't humans at all but is the information. I feel that quite physically when I'm working on a concert and I see the audience and I realize the audience is actually the telephones and that the arm is attached to the algorithms -- the organic part of them -- because all we are is algorithms anyway and all we are is information in the DNA and [phones] are man-made algorithms. You often feel that [motioning to her arm] that this part's just a chaperone. So that's quite an interesting perspective.



Being in the mirror room and seeing everyone taking photos on their phones you realize that Instagram is the real audience of the installation.



It's this kind of compulsion to share. Often my responses to things are less intellectual than purely visual and when I look at a map of a human brain and when I look at a map of the Internet, I just see that they look the same. If you look at a map of the blood vessels through your hand and you look at a skeleton of a tree, the arterial system is governed by the same equation and all that. Yeah it may be that we're all just working as a collective brain and that information will be the thing that carries forward and we might look back in a few millennia and look at this period as the organic period. It's a terrifying thought but let's smile anyway.

Splash photo: Es Devlin inside the mirrored maze room included in her installation Room 2022 at EDITION; photo by Getty for American Express


Over the weekend, a Tennessee woman's video of her child, Keaton James, emotionally describing being bullied at school went viral. In the video, Keaton tearfully tells his mother and the camera about how kids at school make fun of his appearance, tell him he has no friends, and throw food at him.

This is Keaton Jones, he lives in Knoxville and he has a little something to say about bullying.pic.twitter.com/coyQxFp33V

 Everything TN (@Everything_TN) December 9, 2017

"Just out of curiosity, why do they bully?" Keaton says. "What's the point of it? Why do they find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them? It's not okay."

The original video had racked up 22 million views, and soon celebrities and professional athletes took notice, lending their support to the bullied child.

Keaton, will you've my guest at the Premiere of #InfinityWar too? I think you are about one of the coolest kids I have ever seen! Can't wait to meet you in person, pal. Forget those ignorant kids. One day, very soon, they are going to feel pretty stupid for this. https://t.co/BqJLxu25GN

 Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) December 11, 2017

Please let his mother know that we are trying to reach out. Keaton has some friends on the football team that would love to spend some time with him. https://t.co/tj1ZqDM4KD

 Jarrett Guarantano (@BroadwayJay2) December 9, 2017

@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

Keaton, this is so accurate. Why do people do this? I think your sooo cool Keaton! I wanna be your friend ( but srsly) ur freakin awesome  https://t.co/LD7Q762bL9

 Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebbrown) December 9, 2017

Damn right! Bullies are straight up wack, corny, cowards, chumps, etc, etc! Keaton keep your head up buddy and push forward! You're the best https://t.co/pqDgay77l9

 LeBron James (@KingJames) December 11, 2017

A GoFundMe page called "Stand Up For Keaton" had already pulled in nearly $60,000 in donations, but the man who started it has since put it on hold. Complicating the saccharine sweet story of a bullied child gaining the public's valiant support is the resurfacing of photos of his family holding up Confederate flags and a Facebook post by his mother, Kimberly Jones, published two weeks after Charlottesville in which she tells people to "stop crying" about racism and slavery, TMZ reports.

Concerned with the amount of people sharing the video of #keatonjones, without doing some digging on the internet themselves. I would NEVER condone any form of violence or bullying of any child. But all is not as it appears to be at first glance. pic.twitter.com/IMIoH5KZfN

 Munroe Bergdorf (@MunroeBergdorf) December 11, 2017

In these situations it is important to always look deeper than the surface, rather than jumping on the bandwagon. It seems that Keaton's mother is a proud white supremacist who has been posting racist vitriol on Facebook for some time now.

 Munroe Bergdorf (@MunroeBergdorf) December 11, 2017

Including a post after Charlottesville telling people to "stop crying". Children are like sponges, they absorb their direct surroundings. Allegedly Keaton Jones called a number of his classmates 'niggers' resulting in him getting beaten up.

 Munroe Bergdorf (@MunroeBergdorf) December 11, 2017

Again I stress that this doesn't make it ok, we just need to look a bit deeper than sharing a video that your favourite celebrity told you to get behind...

 Munroe Bergdorf (@MunroeBergdorf) December 11, 2017

*** Please excuse the language *** This is a conversation between pro boxer @JoeSchilling187 and #keatonjones' mother... "What happened to us whites sticking together and helping one an other against the predator". Racism knows no bounds. Always check before you post it guys. pic.twitter.com/2xDHQorQcn

 Munroe Bergdorf (@MunroeBergdorf) December 11, 2017

What. a. mess.

As an alternative, people have started pointing to the stories of other children who've killed themselves after being bullied in school as places people can send their good intentions (and money). The story of Ashawnty Davis, a Colorado fifth grader who hung herself after classmates shared a video of her in a fight on the social media app Musical.ly, has gained more traction as a result:

Where was the public outcry for the death of Ashawnty Davis? This 10 year old hung herself in her closet after being relentlessly bullied. Let's change the conversation and show support for the family of Ashawnty. RIP babygirl. pic.twitter.com/LdV0xwx9Yz

 Munroe Bergdorf (@MunroeBergdorf) December 11, 2017

I have found a GoFundMe for Ashawnty's family. If everyone following me donates 1 or $1 we can raise close to 50,000. Please give what you can. https://t.co/rJSwOdlAJi

 Munroe Bergdorf (@MunroeBergdorf) December 11, 2017

Rihanna also shared the story of California middle schooler Rosalie Avila who also took her own life last week after being bullied by classmates.

This is a good-hearted idea. It's awful how this story didn't get traction and Keaton's did. And how murky Keaton's situation is. And I still feel compassion for him. It's all awful. Thanks for being consistent, 2017! https://t.co/AAUwKplBlD

 Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) December 11, 2017

Images via Twitter


Johnson Meets President Rohani, Discusses Case Of Jailed Iranian-British Woman

12/11/17

Source: RFE/RL

Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson met with Iranian President Hassan Rohani in Tehran on December 10 as he continued efforts to gain the release of a jailed Iranian-British woman. A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said Johnson and Rohani "spoke forthrightly" on several issues, including the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, according to the BBC.



Boris Johnson with President Hassan Rohani in Tehran on December 10



Meanwhile, Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said authorities at the last minute canceled a Tehran court date scheduled for December 10 in which Zaghari-Ratcliffe faced fresh charges of "spreading propaganda."



"Nazanin's case was not held today in the wake of the foreign secretary's visit," Ratcliffe wrote in an e-mail to reporters. "This is undoubtedly a good sign."



Ratcliffe also said Johnson met with members of Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family in Iran and raised the issue of her case in every meeting he had with the Iranians.



Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held since April 2016 for allegedly plotting against Iran's government, which she denies.



The British foreign secretary's spokesman described Johnson's two-day visit -- only the third by a British foreign secretary to Iran since 2003 -- as "worthwhile," adding that "progress in all areas" was agreed.



But Johnson was criticized by Iranian officials for not doing more to build on the nuclear deal Tehran signed in 2015 with world powers in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.



Rohani's office said the Iranian president told Johnson that "relations between the two countries have not matched the potential expected" shortly after the nuclear was signed.



Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, who met with Johnson on December 9, said other European countries have put in "much more effort" to build ties in the aftermath of the nuclear deal.



"You haven't even solved the banking problems of the Iranian Embassy in London," Larijani told Johnson, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.



Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Johnson met December 9 with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to lobby for Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release.



The two men also discussed "the obligations of all parties to implement" the 2015 nuclear accord signed between Iran and six world powers, according to Iran's Foreign Ministry.



The United States has cast doubt on the future of the deal, which provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.



However, the other signatories to the accord --Britain, China, Germany, France, and Russia -- continue to support the agreement.



Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly planning the "soft toppling" of Iran's government while traveling there with her toddler daughter.



Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity that operates independently from the Reuters news agency. She insists she was in Iran on a personal visit. The Thomson Reuters Foundation has also said she was not on assignment while in Iran.



Johnson faced calls to resign last month after saying in Parliament that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been "training journalists" in Iran prior to her arrest last year, comments that critics said could lead to an extended prison sentence for her.



He later apologized and said Zaghari-Ratcliffe was not in Iran in a professional capacity.



Iranian officials have cited Johnson's statement in their effort to bring new propaganda-related charges against Zaghari-Ratcliffe.



Iran has held several foreigners on charges such as espionage, many of them Iranians with dual citizenship.



With reporting by the BBC, Reuters, AP, The Guardian, The New York Times, and AFP
Iran's Security Forces Block Annual Ceremony to Commemorate "Chain Murders" Victims

12/12/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Security forces prevented a gathering near Tehran marking the 19th anniversary of a series of murders and disappearances by the Intelligence Ministry of dissidents in the 1990s known as the "chain murders." The Writers Association of Iran (WAI) issued a statement on December 7, 2017, hours after many of its members and supporters were prevented from entering Imamzadeh Taher Cemetery in Karaj by a prosecutor's order.



# __



"The security agents took a number of WAI board members hostage to stop the gathering from happening," said the statement. "Then the crowd insisted they would not leave until the detainees were freed. Finally, they were let go an hour later."

"Regarding the behavior of the security agents, it is worth noting that unlike in previous years, they did not show up in large numbers with many vehicles but instead resorted to hostage-taking to show they are still afraid of any event marking this anniversary, even in a graveyard," added the statement.



Mohammad Mokhtari (L) and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh





The group was planning to gather around the graves of Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, two intellectuals who were murdered in the fall of 1998.

An investigation by President Mohammad Khatami's reformist government at the time concluded that the murders, part of a chain of killings targeting artists, writers and critics, had been carried out by "rogue elements in the Intelligence Ministry."





Graves of Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh



Security forces also prevented a ceremony intended to honor author and WAI board member Ali Ashraf Darvishian, who died on October 26, 2017.

Artist and human rights activist Parastou Forouhar was allowed to hold a gathering at her family home on November 22 in memory of her parents, politicians Dariush and Parvaneh Forouhar, who were murdered by Intelligence Ministry agents in 1998.

The Intelligence Ministry pressed charges against the Forouhar based on a photo of one of her artworks that created a stir on social media, she told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) in November 2017.
Iran's Supreme Court Upholds Swedish Resident Ahmedreza Djalali's Death Sentence

12/12/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence issued against Iranian-born Swedish resident Ahmadreza Djalali, who has been imprisoned in Tehran since April 2016 after being arrested by the Intelligence Ministry.





@Free_Ahmadreza | #SaveAhmad



Djalali's wife, Vida Mehran-nia, told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that her husband's main lawyer was told the Supreme Court's decision in court on December 5, 2017, but he was denied a physical copy of the ruling. A member of Djalali's defense team, attorney Zeynab Taheri, also confirmed the Supreme Court's ruling to CHRI on December 10.

"Ahmadreza wanted the Supreme Court to review his sentence but the death sentence was upheld very quickly," said Mehran-nia. "I again urge [President Hassan] Rouhani and the judiciary to review my husband's case."

"Don't just rely on the personal views of two interrogators," she said. "Don't play with someone's life like this. Ahmadreza has two children who are 5- and 15-years old."

"My husband wanted to see the ruling to understand why he has been sentenced to death," Mehran-nia told CHRI. "But his objections got nowhere. This time they have again refused to give him a copy of the ruling. His lawyer was only able to read it inside the courtroom."

Djalali, a researcher in disaster medicine, was sentenced to death for "moharebeh" (enmity with God) based on a forced confession on October 21, 2017, by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Abolqasem Salavati.

A non-practicing general medicine physician with a post-doctorate degree in emergency and disaster medicine, Djalai has been accused of spying for Israel. However, in a letter from Evin Prison in Tehran where he is being held, he said he was arrested in April 2016 after refusing to spy for Iran's Intelligence Ministry.

Wrote Djalali: "My answer was NO, and I told them that I am just a scientist, not a spy, and my scientific help to Iran's academic centers comes from my love and commitment to my motherland. If you ask me to do something else such as spying, I would rather stop my cooperation with Iran. They asked me to forget that meeting and the offer, and they assured me that there would not be any problem for me and I should continue my cooperation with Iran's academic centers."

Djalali had previously traveled to Iran by invitation of state organizations, including the Red Crescent.

The Intelligence Ministry arrested him on April 24, 2016, after Djalali entered the country on official invite by Tehran University.

At least 12 dual and foreign nationals are currently imprisoned in Iran after prosecutions that lacked any semblance of due process. In November 2017, Reuters reported that at least 30 dual nationals had been arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) since the signing of the nuclear deal in July 2015.
UN experts do not confirm Iran link to Yemen missiles: Report

12/12/17

Source: Press TV

UN experts, who examined the debris from missiles fired from Yemen at Saudi Arabia earlier in the year, have not confirmed that the projectiles were "Iranian-made" as claimed by the Riyadh regime and the US. The missiles were fired by Yemeni Houthi fighters at the Saudi capital on July 22 and November 4 in retaliation for Riyadh's deadly raids against the country.

#Yemen's triple tragedy: conflict, food crisis and disease outbreaks



22.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance

8.4 million people severely food insecure

979 212 suspected #cholera cases



More info https://t.co/c51jtbfOwn pic.twitter.com/R1bJFDcxQ9  EU Humanitarian Aid (@eu_echo) December 11, 2017

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a confidential report obtained by AFP on Monday that the world body's team, which visited Riyadh last month to scrutinize the alleged evidence, had not yet established a link between them and the Islamic Republic.



Saudi Arabia, which accuses Iran of arming Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement against the kingdom, claims the missiles, which it says were fired at its capital city, had been supplied to Yemeni forces by Iran.



Following the first missile launch, Riyadh also angered the international community and human rights groups by tightening the already crippling siege against Yemen.



Tehran has invariably dismissed having ever armed the movement and any accusation of regional interference for that matter.



On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said, "Whatever happens inside Yemen concerns the Yemeni people and resistance and does not concern the Islamic Republic."



The Houthis have been defending Yemen against a Saudi-led military offensive, which seeks to restore the former Riyadh-allied government. The war has killed some 12,000 people and reduced the country's infrastructure to smithereens since its start in early 2015.

In #Yemen, the continuing blockade of ports is limiting supplies of fuel, food & medicines; dramatically increasing the number of people who need help. Humanitarian Coordinator @jamiemcgoldric8 is calling on parties to facilitate unimpeded aid delivery: https://t.co/s1NO0YlEl5 pic.twitter.com/OBfIebhX37  UNOCHA (@UNOCHA) December 11, 2017

Guterres wrote that UN officials were "still analyzing the information collected and will report back to the [UN] Security Council."



The investigators also examined two drones allegedly recovered in Yemen, but did not confirm a Saudi claim that one of them was "Iranian-made."
Iran's Saipa has exported $1.2 billion in cars: Official

12/12/17

Source: Press TV

Saipa has been exporting vehicles to about 40 markets in recent years, according to an Iranian official.



Iran's Saipa Group



Iran's Saipa Group says it has exported 230,000 vehicles worth 1.2 billion in recent years as the automaker plans to expand sales with new designs and competitive products.



The Tehran-based automaker has mostly been producing budget cars in recent years under license from South Korea and France for Iranian and international customers.



The company exports vehicles to about 40 markets, deputy head for exports and international affairs of the group Mohsen Dastkhosh said on Friday.



"Saipa Group's new plans for designing and producing a competitive product will bring about a boost in exports," IRNA quoted him as saying.



Saipa began production in Iran in 1968 by assembling French automobile manufacturer Citroen's Dyane which went under the name of Jyane in the Middle Eastern country.



Since then, the group has been expanding and currently includes such subsidiaries as Saipa Diesel, Pars Khodro and Zamyad Co.



Iran's auto industry is the Middle East's largest but it is based on assembling foreign brands. Iranian automakers now design, manufacture, and export cars. They also manufacture automotive parts and components and sell their products through dealers in Iran and internationally.



The industry has the full state support and a monopoly on the market which, many critics say, has resulted in a laggard sector with no serious efforts to improve quality despite frequent price hikes. It includes levying hefty customs duties on imports in order to protect the domestic auto industry.



Iranian automakers see total production to hit 1.6 million units in 2017, up from 1.35 million last year and 750,000 in 2014 when the country came under intensified sanctions.



Employees at a Saipa auto plant in Kashan, Iran.

Since the lifting of the sanctions in 2016, the auto sector has drawn perhaps the biggest interest from foreign investors, chiefly the French, who are looking to tap the country's hunger for new cars.



France's Peugeot Citroen and Renault slammed the door on Iran's face after Europe intensified sanctions on the Islamic Republic in 2011. Many experts are now advising caution and call for stronger checks and balances in dealing with the French.



Iran is the Middle East's largest auto market with a population of more than 80 million who are estimated to buy more than 1 million cars in 2017.



The automobile industry is seen as Iran's biggest non-oil sector, accounting for nearly 10% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Iran Khodro and Saipa companies account for more than 90 percent of the total domestic production in Iran.



Officials say the country has the capacity to turn into a hub for production of vehicles in the regional market with a population of 400 million people.
There is no reason why Ghana should not be refining her own bauxite, and Government is putting in place the necessary legislation and infrastructure to establish a bauxite refinery in the next two to three years, Vice President Dr Bawumia has disclosed.



A bill seeking to set up a Bauxite Development Authority to facilitate the establishment of an Integrated Aluminium Industry will be submitted to Parliament early next year after broad consultations, with the private sector expected to play a key role as part of Governments quest to create jobs and foster greater inclusion in national development.



The Vice President made these disclosures when he took part in a panel discussion on the topic The Private Sector and SDGs at the High Level African Roundtable on Mobilizing Support And Accelerating Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) held in Accra on Tuesday December 12, 2017.



Our goal is to have an aluminium refinery in Ghana in the next two to three, years, possibly by 2019. We are going to look at the power and other issues, but there is no reason why we should not be refining our gold or bauxite. There is a clear direction that the President has set, we will go with the Bill to Parliament early next year, and we will move on with the establishment of the refinery.



We already have an aluminium smelter and we have the bauxite mine; we just need the middle thing, which is the refinery, and then we will see value addition to our minerals.



The establishment of the Aluminium industry would be further evidence of Governments resolve to partner the private sector to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and make the life of the ordinary Ghanaian better, Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia indicated.



According to Dr Bawumia, achieving the SDGs would benefit both the private sector, who would have a healthy, skilled work force, and Government which would have fulfilled its obligation to the citizenry to provide a safe, healthy and economically sound environment for growth.



At the end of the day we have to ask the question: what is the opportunity cost of us not achieving the SDGs? We will have a lot of hunger, we will have a lot of poverty, we will have issues with sustainability of the environment, and so on. That picture of what would happen if we dont achieve the SDGs makes it therefore very imperative, and in the interest of the private sector, that we do achieve the SDGs.



Then we would have a more prosperous society, a more educated workforce and a healthier population and these are all necessary brickworks that would make the private sector do very well.



If we achieve the SDGs it would mean that the necessary investments have been made, and those investments present a huge opportunity for private sector participation in national development.



The Vice President acknowledged governments recognition of the crucial role played by the private sector in achieving the SDGs.



The private sector is going to be very key because the type of resources we need to invest in achieving the SDG cannot be provided by the public sector alone; it is just not feasible. The public sector is going to be there as a partner, to make sure that the investment climate is therefore conducive for the private sector to participate.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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R Bindu also said the quality of education in Kerala had not dipped contrary to the opposition's claims.
The Ghana Togo Solidarity Movement is formed to press home the sordid political situation in Togo. Since April 14, 1967 when Gnassingbe Eyadema ascended as President, the country has not seen real citizens participation in governance.



With the demise of Eyadema, many expected a return to the 1992 constitutional order with two terms presidential limit of five years per term but this was never to be.



With the imposition of Faure as president and the subsequent forced endorsement (not elections), he has served two terms and has appropriated a third with no attempt to respect citizens governance.



All peaceful manifestations to drum home the oppression and strangulation have been met with military assault and brutality. In recent times the opposition and allied groups have intensified peaceful demonstrations within the country to compel the end of the Dynastic Rule of 50 years.



The Ghana Togo Solidarity Movement is in full support of the struggling people of Togo and calls for an end to the situation.



The decaying situation is reference to mean the silent killings, the militarisation and the near refugee status that citizens are in.



We, in solidarity call for immediate cessation of the atrocities visited on these citizens whose only crime is to see to a restoration of Democratic governance.



On Saturday December 16, 2017 at 9am, we invite all Freedom, Peace and Justice lovers to a rally at the kawukudi Park in Accra.





Yours faithfully,

Bernard Mornah

Convener

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Bui Power Authority (BPA) has announced its intention to build a 600-kilowatt wind turbine by the end of first quarter next year to augment its energy generation to the country.



Chief Executive of BPA, Fred Oware hinted that the turbine will be positioned at the University of Ghana when completed.



He noted that the turbine will be imported, but currently various technical studies are underway to aid the decision on which country it would be imported from.



Oware made these known to The Finder on the sidelines of BPAs first media encounter.



The meeting with the media was to afford BPA the opportunity to interact with news editors and reporters, as well as brief them on BPAs mandate and vision.



Oware further announced that the authority has finished the testing and commissioning of 250MW switchyard facilities purposely built to evacuate solar power, and adequate funds have been allocated for solar parks to support the programme.



He added the BPA is currently in contractual talks with Sinohydro to ensure that for the next five to 10 years, they will assist BPA carry out major maintenance and procure spare parts for the various components of the Bui generating system.



He noted that this year Bui expanded its focus to renewable energy, which was in line with the Ministry of Energys vision of increasing the renewable energy to about 10% of the countrys energy mix.



This means we should be looking at adding at least 500MW of renewable energy to the countrys energy generation. In this regard, BPA has expanded its switchyard at the Bui generating station to accommodate 250MW of solar-generated power, he mentioned.



He pledged that BPA will be the first hybrid generation company by the end of 2018, combining hydro and solar power generation, adding that the authority intends to train more of its engineers and other staff in pursuing and accomplishing that important task of meeting the Ministry of Energys target for renewable energy generation.



Further to that vision, he said the BPA is prospecting six possible sites for solar power generation in the three northern regions, as well as commencing a 30KV generation from the Tsatsadu Falls in Volta Region.



He reiterated that as part of BPAs mandate to provide renewable energy for the National Interconnected Transmission Systems (NITS), it has charged management to develop a firm foundation to meet the governments objective of achieving at least 10% of the national electricity load of Photovoltaics energy by 2020.

Source: The Finder









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Until January 2017, The Gambia was the most notorious country for press freedom violations in West Africa. For 22 years, the countrys brutal dictator, Yahya Jammeh, subjected journalists and human rights activists in the country to severe abuses including enforced disappearances, torture and extra-judicial killings.



Press freedom conditions in The Gambia are steadily improving since Jammeh fled into exile on January 21, 2017 after suffering an unexpected electoral defeat in the December 1, 2016 polls and compelled by regional forces to relinquish power.



In a recent report assessing the situation in The Gambia a year after Jammehs exit, Vivian Affoah, a senior programme officer at the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) highlighted significant and positive changes to the general freedom of expression environment in the country over the one-year period.



While the press freedom situation in The Gambia over the last one year has been refreshing and inspiring, events in Guinea have been deeply distressing. In what seems like a race to become West Africas next worst violator of media freedoms, President Alpha Condes regime is fast becoming infamous for presiding over several media rights violations.



Just like former President Jammeh, President Conde, 79, has now jumped into the business of personally issuing orders to the Guinean media on what not to publish or broadcast. In what the MFWA referred to as Presidential Censorship, President Conde on November 25, 2017 ordered the Guinean media not to provide coverage for or grant interviews to the Deputy Secretary General of the countrys teachers union, Aboubacar Soumah. The teachers had been on strike for weeks; an action President Conde described as a rebellion by the teachers union.



Ironically, President Conde, who took over as Chairman of the African Union in January 2017, issued his censorship order while addressing the 46th meeting of the International Union of the Francophone Press in the capital, Conakry. The President did not only issue a censorship order. Contained in the order was a threat to shut down any media outlets that will violate the censorship order.



In just two days, the Presidents censorship order was enforced. A popular radio station, BTA FM, located in the city of Labe, 450 km north of Conakry, was shut down. Local gendarmes (a para-military force) stormed the premises of the radio station and shut it down on the instruction of the governor for the Labe region shortly after the station had interviewed the censored teachers union leader.



Journalist Alpha Oumar Fogo, who interviewed the teachers union leader, was together with his colleague, Mamadou Saidou Diallo, taken to the department of national security for interrogation. The two were released after three hours following public agitation.



A day after the closure of BTA FM, 40 leading radio stations in the country, reportedly ceased broadcasting for 24 hours. The action by the radio stations was in solidarity with BTA FM and to protest the Presidential media censorship and the growing culture of repression of freedom of expression in the country.



Prior to the infamous censorship order by President Conde, there had been a series of media rights violations in the country mostly perpetrated by state agencies or officials. On October 30, 2017, the national Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT) disrupted the transmission of Radio Gangan for four days. The action followed rumours that President Conde had died, which was falsely attributed to the station.



In addition to the disruption of its transmission, the radio stations Editor-in-Chief, his deputy and the Commercial Manager, were taken into custody by security forces on accusations of spreading false rumours. The three were released hours later, only for the general manager of the station, Aboubacar Camara, to be arrested and detained by gendarmes the following day.



To add to the wave of violations, gendarmes beat up several journalists from across Conakry who turned up at the offices of the para military group on October 31 to show solidarity with Camara following his arrest. The equipment of many of the affected journalists were also destroyed. Following the incident, a group of journalists associations lodged a complaint at a court in Conakry against the Squadron of the Gendarmerie for the assault on the journalists. The case is yet to be heard.



Three days after Camaras arrest, (November 3), the media regulatory body, Haute Autorite de la Communication (HAC), suspended Espace FM and all its relay outlets across the country for one week. The suspension followed a discussion on the radio station about the poor state of military garrisons in the country.



In connection with the same broadcast, Moussa Moise Sylla, General Manager of Espace TV, who was a discussant on the radio programme, was on November 15, formally charged with divulging military secrets. Judgment for the case has been set for December 25, 2017.



Earlier in August, a journalist with one of the most influential news websites in the country www.aminata.com was attacked by political party supporters while another was unlawfully detained by a police officer who forced him to delete his recordings. The Management of the publication later issued a statement complaining of lack of redress for acts of aggression suffered by its reporters, despite formal complaints to the authorities.



As the violations multiplied, President Alpha Conde came out to express deep concern. But in what turned out as a shock to the media and freedom of expression advocates, the President rather complained that public reactions to the violations were exaggerated. As soon as a journalist is arrested, hell breaks loose, President Conde said. Meanwhile, in the countries considered to be democratic, journalists are arrested every day and nobody says anything. This controversial remark was the prelude to his censorship order on the teachers union leader.



In the first quarter of 2017, the MFWA reported in its quarterly report titled West Africa Free Expression Monitor, five incidents of press freedom violations including a crackdown on student demonstrators resulting in seven deaths, two cases of physical attacks, one incident of arbitrary detention and one incident of interrogation.



The unending spate of press freedom violations has attracted the attention of not only the media community in the country. Civil society is beginning to speak up about the problem. Head of the coalition of civil society organisations in Guinea, Dr. Dassa Koroma, recently condemned the rampant attacks on journalists and other forms of media rights violations and urged the media and civil society community in the country to stand up and defend press freedom.



Guinea, one of Africas poorest countries that was hit by the recent deadly Ebola epidemic, has traditionally had a repressive press freedom environment. In the 2017 edition of the global freedom of the Press index by the US-based media rights group, Freedom House, Guinea and The Gambia were the two countries in West whose press freedom was rated as not free. The Island country of Cape Verde was rated as having a free media environment while the rest of the countries in the region were rated as having a partly free media landscape.



The transitional government which returned Guinea to democracy in 2010 after recent military interventions, passed Law /2010/002/CNT of June 22, 2010 to decriminalise press offenses as well as give citizens a legal right to information with the adoption of a Right to Information Law /2010/ 004/ CNT/.



Hopes were high when President Conde assumed the leadership of Guinea in 2010 after winning in a tightly-contested and contentious election. Conde became the countrys first freely elected leader and promised to strengthen democracy in the country.



On the evidence of the press freedom violations enumerated above, one can say that the Guinean authorities have failed to practically deliver on the good intentions of the transitional administration with regard to press freedom and democratic accountability. Now in his second five-year term, which ends in 2020, President Condes regime is viewed by many as one that has further worsened the state of press freedom in the country.



Over the years, there has been relatively limited press freedom advocacy and media development support initiatives by international organisations in Guinea. The local media advocacy groups in the country have also been quite fragmented and weak.



Guinea has been one of the most troubled countries in the region and obviously one of the countries requiring urgent support for democratic strengthening and consolidation. A stronger, independent media is one of the critical requirements for improving governance in Guinea. It is, therefore, crucial for regional and international media support groups to put Guinea on the front burner for media rights advocacy and media development support ahead of the countrys 2020 elections. Guinea must not be allowed to become a hell for journalism in West Africa.

Source: MFWA









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The UK Department for International Development (DFID) says $32 billion was lost to corruption during the six-year administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The head of DFID Nigeria, Debbie Palmer, disclosed this when she spoke at an event organised by Youngstars Foundation Initiative in commemoration of the 2017 international anti-corruption day.



An independent report estimates that up to $32bn was lost to corruption under the previous government. This is around 15 percent of state resources during the period and could well be an underestimate. So, the estimate is that nearly 16 percent of the previous governments money was lost to corruption. That is a staggering amount of money. And that is money that is to all of you and to your future. That is why we all should care about corruption. Millions of dollars also remain in other jurisdictions tied up in legal challenges.he said

Source: Linda Ikejis blog









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The Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson has written to president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo demanding an official copy of a petition seeking her removal.



She has also written to the Judicial Council acknowledging the invitation to appear before the Committee to preside over her possible impeachment proceedings. She was quick to demand, however, a copy of the petition, as well as the composition of the of the committee, constituted.



In both letters, copies of which have been intercepted by Joy News Monday, Charlotte Osei said she needs the document in order to seek the requisite legal advice on the matter.



Tension has been mounting at the Commission after some workers sent a petition to the president accusing the Electoral Commissioner of some alleged impeachable offences.



The concerned staff claimed Mrs Osei fraudulently cancelled a contract awarded to Superlock Technologies Limited (STL), a company contracted to supply and manage Biometric Voter Registration machines (BVRs) and Biometric Voter Devices (BVDs).



They also alleged she single-handedly renegotiated the same contract with the vendor without the involvement of key members of the Commission, leading to the award of $21,999,592 contract.



Her action contradicted the Public Procurement Act (PPA), they said.



Mrs Osei has maintained the claims are unfounded accusations, blaming her two deputies, Mrs Georgina Opoku-Amankwaah and Amadu Sulley for the petition.



But her denial did not stop the presidency from forwarding a copy of the petition to the Chief Justice as required by law and for possible impeachment proceedings to begin if a prima facie case is established.



On receiving the petition, the Chief Justice wrote to the EC Chair to respond to the allegations contained in the petition, which she did after a prima facie case was established against her.



According to her, after her official response to the allegations, she has neither heard from the Chief Justice nor officially been communicated to, only to receive a summon to appear before a committee that is likely to trigger her impeachment.



That is the basis of her letters to the president and to the Judicial Council



In the letter to the Judicial Service dated December 11, 2017, Mrs Osei complained she had not been given a copy of the alleged petition.



I would respectfully like to make you aware of the following:



(a) I have to this day, not been furnished with a copy of the alleged petition.



(b) I was provided with a statement of the allegations made against me in a letter from Her Ladyship, the Chief Justice in which she also asked me to respond to the allegations.



The letter to the president also demanded a copy of the petition against her.



But the Director of Communication at the Office of the Presidency, Eugene Arhin has asked the EC boss to write to the Chief Justice for a copy of the letter.



It is a straightforward issueif she wants a copy she should get it from the Chief Justice [because] all the documents we have, we forwarded them, he said.



Mr Arhin said president Akufo-Addo sent everything to the CJ in pursuant to Article 146(3) of the 1992 Constitution. "If she is looking for a copy...I think the best place is the CJ office."



Legal practitioner Samson Lardy Anyenini who led the impeachment process of the former Commissioner of CHRAJ said there is very little the presidency could do in such a situation.



He told Evans Mensah the presidency is only a "conveyor belt" which forwards such petitions to the Chief Justice as was done in his case against Lauretta Lamptey.



He was therefore not surprised that the presidency has asked the EC boss to ask the Chief Justice for a copy of the petition.

Source: myjoyonline.com









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Deputy General Secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho has accused President Akufo-Addo of being behind the move to kick out the Electoral Commissioner, Madam Charlotte Osei from office.



According to the NDC Deputy Chief Scribe, President Akufo-Addo and his Vice Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as well as the entire ruling NPP want to manipulate the system to work in their favour in the upcoming District Chief Executive elections in 2019 and the main elections in 2020.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Koku Anyidoho alleged that the NPP want to throw out all the Electoral Commissioners and replace them with their own people; thus, the ruling NPP engineered the petition against the EC Officials.



He explained that the NPP led by Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia prior to the 2016 elections stated their dislike of the EC boss, Madam Charlotte Osei; lying that the voters register is bloated with foreigners.



Akufo-Addo and Bawumia passed bad comments about the EC boss and so the impeachment approach started from them; this is very political coming from the top. They want to manipulate the system and that is why they want EC officials out in order to massage the DCE elections in 2019 and the main elections in 2020. Let them attempt and we are watching them, he alleged.



Nana Akufo-Addo is interested in getting rid of Charlotte Osei, and in opposition they did not hide their dislike for the EC boss.They are not being fair to the EC Chair. NPP made it manifestly clear that they will get rid of Charlotte Osei and this action shows clearly that they are behind her impeachment, he claimed.



He allegedly mentioned again that the removal of some state officials is not only happening in Electoral Commission, but also there are moves to remove the head of Bank of Ghana and the Military Service.



They are not doing this to only EC but to Bank of Ghana and the Military Service. Ken Ofori-Atta has been calling people that he cannot work with them, he wants to be President of Ghana, Koku Anyidoho alleged.



Meanwhile, the Committee empanelled by Chief Justice Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo to probe the allegations of abuse of power and corruption at the Electoral Commission (EC), yesterday met both the petitioners and the respondents.



Both the petitioners and the respondents reported at the scheduled time and each reportedly met the committee, to be chaired by a Supreme Court judge.



The EC workers, who petitioned the president, were represented by two of them with the rest waiting in the wings for the real day for the showdown.



But Koku Anyidoho insisted that President Akufo-Addo is interested in removing Charlotte Osei which is why he accepted the petition against the EC boss, unlike former President Mills who kicked against a petition to remove former Chief Justice Mrs. Georgina Woods.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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Statistical data available to Germany indicates that Ghana, over the last 11 months, is on a strong path to economic recovery and development, visiting German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has observed.



Addressing a joint press conference by the two Presidents held at the foyer of the Flagstaff House after holding bilateral talks, President Steinmeier said the policies of the current government is clearly beginning to impact positively on the economic landscape of the country.



He pledged his countrys continued support in the area of education, small scale enterprise development and renewable energy to ensure that the current economic restoration ongoing in Ghana is sustained.



On his part, President Akufo Addo said Ghana is looking forward to a much deeper relationship with Germany. He welcomed the pledge by the German President for increased assistance to Ghana in the renewable energy sector.



A bilateral reform partnership was signed between Germany and Ghana in the presence of both Heads of State after the two leaders addressed the joint Press Conference.



The reform partnership will focus on channelling resources for the development of the renewable energy sector of Ghana. The Finance Minister of Ghana Ken Ofori Atta signed on behalf of Ghana and the Secretary of State at Ministry of Economic Cooperation of Germany, Friedrich Kitschelt, signed on behalf of Germany.







Source: starrfmonline









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Laura Babcock is shown in a Toronto Police Service handout photo. A jury has begun deliberating the fate of two men accused of killing a young Toronto woman who disappeared more than five years ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Toronto Police Service MANDATORY CREDIT
Ontario Provincial Conservative Leader Patrick Brown speaks with members of his party before the speech from the Throne in Toronto on Monday Sept. 12, 2016. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says her defamation lawsuit against the Opposition leader would end if he simply apologized. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power
Premier John Horgan is joined by Minister of Energy Michelle Mungall after giving the green light on continuing construction on the controversial Site C Dam project during a press conference in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, December 11, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon H. Kim speaks to reporters during a news conference in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Commuters returning to New York City's subway system on Tuesday were met with heightened security a day after a would-be suicide bomber's rush-hour blast failed to cause the bloodshed he intended. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
In general, men are twice as likely to cheat on a spouse than women are. That frequency increases over the lifespan, peaking among the elderly. Among men 18 to 29 who have ever been married, about 1 in 10 is
Michael Hollander, a former programmer in Silicon Valley, is now a lawyer for Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, using his software skills to help clients. Often, he works on coding at his home in South Philadelphia. Read more

Nearly 13 years ago, systems engineer Michael Hollander looked up from his computer screen in Silicon Valley, where he sat writing code for yet another wrinkle in an office communication software suite, and thought to himself: What am I doing here?

Yes, he was earning close to $90,000 a year, living the life in San Francisco with his girlfriend, who became his wife. But looking ahead, all he saw was the same thing: more Java, more Python, catching a code, winter, spring, summer, and fall. "What am I going to be doing 10, 20 years from now? Programming."

He decided to quit, go to law school, and represent the poor and downtrodden.

So guess what Hollander is doing now? Programming  and through it representing the poor and downtrodden.

These days, he's an employment lawyer with Community Legal Services, juggling coding with a full caseload of the working miserable  people not getting paid, people not getting jobs because of criminal records, people not getting unemployment benefits, people facing discrimination and harassment.

Hollander's programming has a different goal now: to create software that makes it easier for chronically underfunded CLS to represent its low-income clients. Satisfying, but not the pay. "I still haven't reached the salary I earned in 2004," when he left Silicon Valley to travel and go to law school.

Even at the University of Virginia's law school, Hollander couldn't resist the programming pull. Interning in a law clinic, he represented pineros, farm workers who plant Christmas trees around the South. They weren't being paid for travel time. Using mapping software, Hollander was able to figure out how much time the workers were owed as they moved among farms.

"In law school, you see that you have a tool, but no one else is using it, but you know it's going to make everything much easier," said Hollander, 38. "It's like you are going camping, and everyone is trying to start a fire with two sticks and you have a lighter in your pocket. It's hard not to pull it out."

In 2011, three years after he was hired at CLS, Hollander created a program that automated expungement petitions. Depending on the person and the offense, expungement removes the conviction from public records.

"Expungement is easy from the lawyer standpoint, and it's extremely rewarding from the client's point of view," he said. The process isn't complicated legally, Hollander said, but the paperwork was so tedious that it was easy to make mistakes.

For Hollander, necessity was the mother of invention. In 2011, he and other volunteer public-interest lawyers operated an expungement clinic at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church. More than 300 people showed up. Hollander ended up with 80 cases to be done after hours.

That's when he made a strategic decision: "Instead of sitting at my dining-room table working on expungements, I sat at my dining-room table and wrote a program" to deal with them. "The alpha version was probably put together with duct tape and chewing gum," but it worked for Hollander, and he was able to polish it over the next year. Now, many other groups in the city are using the "Expungement Generator" software, which is owned by CLS.

Hollander estimated that 35,000 cases have been run through the Generator since 2012.

"Not only have we made the process easy for us, but we've reduced the learning curve," he said. The program pulls a client's criminal record, scans it to see if the offenses are expungeable under Pennsylvania law, and generates a petition for each offense, making it easy for even a novice lawyer. More experienced lawyers check the paperwork.

In 2016, Hollander went on paternity leave. He used his son's nap time to learn new software and develop it to analyze U.S. Department of Labor unemployment-insurance data, the better to advocate for policy changes that make jobless benefits available to more people.

In Philadelphia, a small group of techie lawyers  among them Hollander; Nate Vogel, CLS director of law and technology; and Jonathan Pyle, of Philadelphia Legal Assistance  have also been working on technical/legal software solutions. Helping them is Hack4Impact, a nonprofit tech crew from the University of Pennsylvania.

One program uses smartphone location services to determine when and where workers were actually on the job. Hollander is representing a housekeeper who never got paid overtime when she was house-sitting for her vacationing employers. Using the program, Hollander can determine exactly when she worked and figure out how to get her paid.

Another integrates specialized programs, such as the Expungement Generator, with CLS's client-intake system, allowing the computer to scan public records to see whether a client who, for example, may have sought help paying his Peco bill has other problems, too.

"Maybe the person who came in for energy help couldn't pay their bill because they lost their job because they had a criminal record, which is why their house is in foreclosure," Hollander said. "Maybe if we can expunge their record, they can get a job and a loan modification, and maybe even keep their power from being turned off."
Richard Gordon IV (right), principal of Paul Robeson High School, greets one of his students during a class change while Mayor Kenney visits on Tuesday. Read more

Paul Robeson High School is having a moment.

Richard Gordon IV, the school's energetic principal, was just named the nation's top administrator by an online education journal, hailed for his innovation and hard work.

Mayor Kenney visited the school Tuesday, oohing and aahing over Robeson's myriad partnerships, its 95 percent graduation rate, and the general sense of well-being that permeates the hallways.

"You have a nice school," the mayor said. "People seem happy to be here."

Marquan Thomas, a senior, couldn't help himself. From the back of his science class, he called out to Kenney.

"It's the best public school in Philadelphia!" said Thomas, 17.

Gordon smiled.

"Not bad for a school that wasn't supposed to be here," the principal said.

In 2012, the school was designated for closure, but was spared at the last minute after a passionate group of students and teachers made a case so strong that the School Reform Commission couldn't help but keep it open.

Gordon arrived months later, in 2013. Since then, the stock of the school at 41st and Ludlow Streets in University City has soared. The school's enrollment, though still small, has risen considerably, from 250 to 313. Its climate has improved, and so have its academics  to the point where it was named the city's most improved high school this year. But it still educates mainly students from the neighborhood  kids with mental-health needs and complicated pasts, kids who are interested in poetry and business. Eighty-six percent live in poverty.

Five students apply for each of the 70 seats in its freshman class. Robeson is a citywide admissions school, meaning that children from across the city are eligible to attend. It has some admissions criteria  good grades, attendance, and behavior  but fewer than magnet schools, and Gordon is always willing to work with bright students whose grades don't reflect their ability for one reason or another.

The principal is quick to point to his staff, strong community partners, and most of all his students, as the reasons the school is attracting so much attention.

But it's hard to deny the role of Gordon himself, who knows the name and story of every student  each of whom has his cellphone number.

"My question is always, 'How do you get kids to love the idea of coming to school?'" said Gordon, a former central-office administrator, vice principal at George Washington High School, and principal at Vaux High School. "We're not back in the 1950s and '60s where students do things because you tell them to."

Kady Meite, president of the school's chapter of the National Honor Society, wasn't the strongest student in middle school, she admits  she got a lot of Cs and Ds. Her mom, an immigrant from the Ivory Coast, wanted Meite to go to her neighborhood school, but a friend talked up Robeson, and Meite was intrigued.

Now she's a star there: a senior aiming for Drexel University  where she took a chemistry course last year thanks to a Robeson partnership  a three-sport athlete, and an active participant in other clubs.

"I call Robeson the school of opportunities," said Meite, 17. "And you really can ask anyone here questions  people care about you personally."

Gordon's own backstory informs his interactions. He grew up locally with a hardworking hairdresser mom and a father who was a drug dealer in and out of prison. So when he tells his students that he knows life can be hard, but that he believes in them and they can overcome anything, it carries weight.

The attention coming Gordon's way is welcome, he said, not because it reflects on him but because it lifts the efforts of his staff and students.

"We're an entire community," he said, "coming together for a singular purpose: to build kids for lives of purpose."
When Sara Goldrick-Rab got the call, she knew instantly what she had to do.

The Temple University education policy professor had just learned she won a prestigious award from the University of Louisville for her book Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid and the Betrayal of the American Dream and her research and advocacy on behalf of low-income college students, including those who are hungry and homeless.

The award, announced last month, carries a cash prize  $100,000. She could spend it on a beach house, extravagant trips, or a college fund for her own two children, now 7 and 10.

Instead, Goldrick-Rab decided the money should go to the kinds of students she researches and writes about.

"I felt I had built a career with the help of all of these people who don't have money," she said. "I can only tell their stories because they told them to me."

When her book came out about a year ago, she set up a fund to help college students who run into financial emergencies  the kinds of emergencies that the traditional financial aid system doesn't address  and who need a little help to stay in school. She contributed $15,000 from her speaking fees to go to her "FAST fund," which stands for Faculty And Students Together.

Now, the fund will get a real boost  her $100,000 prize  when she collects the Grawemeyer Award in the spring. She's also challenged others to donate, offering a 3-to-1 match until the prize money is used up.

By last week, donations were rolling in.

"We have raised $21k and I matched it with $63k  keep going!" Goldrick-Rab tweeted Sunday. "I have $100k to spend."

The fund supports students at a handful of colleges, none local, but Goldrick-Rab said with the new infusion of cash she hopes to add Community College of Philadelphia and Temple.

At each college, a faculty member whom Goldrick-Rab has met through her research at her prior employer, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, receives the funds. The faculty then distributes the money to students in need for whatever problem is impeding their education.

"It's a bill to fix a car. It's a water bill. It's the internet being turned off so they can't do their homework," she said.

At one school, the Milwaukee Area Technical College, the fund paid a $300 early childhood licensing fee for a student who wanted to begin work, she said. At another, it paid for a large supply of nutritional energy bars, she said.

At each school, faculty members help to raise more money to support students, she said.

Her goal is to inspire colleges to develop flexible emergency aid programs that respond to students' needs. Although many colleges provide emergency aid, she said she has found that the funds often don't get into students' hands when needed.

Her fund, she said, "cuts out the bureaucracy and puts money in the hands of teachers around the country  the people on the front line of this fight  in order to get emergency dollars to students swiftly."

Colleagues locally and afar have praised her work  and donated.

"She is putting her money where her mouth is in a way that few, if any, people in her position ever do," said Douglas Webber, director of graduate studies and an associate professor in Temple's Department of Economics.

Goldrick-Rab, 40, came to Temple a year and a half ago from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she started and led a research lab that delved into homelessness on campus and other barriers to affording college. She already had a national reputation, and at Temple she quickly brought in multiple research grants totaling more than $6 million, a feat achieved by few Temple professors, especially early on.

In October, she hosted a national conference at Temple, called "#Real College," that drew 400 participants, all brainstorming ways to help students afford college.

"There was a moment at the conference when one of our homeless students stood up and said how many in this audience have experienced homelessness," she said, "and 10 percent of the room stood up, including people I've known for a long time and didn't know they experienced that."

They included experts and policymakers.

At Temple, Goldrick-Rab quickly met students who struggle with the problems she researches.

Like Sarah Levine, 22, a senior neuroscience major from Manahawkin, N.J., who introduced herself shortly after Goldrick-Rab arrived.

"I was the foster child of all of her research," Levine said.

Levine's parents have had financial difficulties that has left her at times struggling to pay for college and get enough to eat. Once, she said, a local grocer caught her swiping an avocado  she was conscious of the need for good nutrition.

Levine, works two jobs  last summer more than 80 hours a week  and is determined to stay in school, said Goldrick-Rab has inspired her.

"She is an amazing mentor and human being and total powerhouse," Levine said. "She listens to students. She listens to what their needs are, instead of just being a researcher with a Ph.D."

Levine accompanied Goldrick-Rab to Washington, D.C., earlier this month for a congressional briefing on hunger in college.

Goldrick-Rab's goal is to eventually drive policy change so that the FAST fund no longer will be needed. She wants to do that by getting more college students access to food stamps (most currently are not eligible) and improving emergency aid funds on campuses.

At the congressional hearing, she told legislators of the severity of the problem.

"The evidence is very clear: Food insecurity is inhibiting college completion," she said. "It's very clear we have a widespread problem."
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A federal judge dealt yet another blow to the Trump administration  which, other than passing an almost universally-hated tax bill, has yet to accomplish anything  on Monday. Last week, the White House asked the federal courts to delay the implementation of an Obama-era order requiring the Pentagon to begin accepting transgender recruits by January 1, 2018; U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the request, citing the vagueness of the administrations reasoning for seeking the delay.

The court will not stay its preliminary injunction pending defendants appeal, Kollar-Kotelly wrote in the decision.

The ruling argued against the Trump camps assertion that the military would be irreparably harmed by having to implement such a significant and complex policy change by New Years Day:

[The declaration] fails to acknowledge the considerable amount of time Defendants have already had to prepare for the implementation of this particular policy. The directive from the Secretary of Defense requiring the military to prepare to begin allowing accession of transgender individuals was issued on June 30, 2016nearly one and a half years ago. For more than a year preceding the summer of 2017, it was the policy and intention of the military that transgender individuals would soon begin to accede. Moreover, the Court issued the preliminary injunction in this case approximately six weeks ago, and since then Defendants have been on notice that they would be required to implement the previously established policy of beginning to accept transgender individuals on January 1, 2018. In other words, with only a brief hiatus, Defendants have had the opportunity to prepare for the accession of transgender individuals into the military for nearly one and a half years.

The judges written decision goes on to state that the declaration submitted by the administration glosses over the fact that considerable work has been done already during this lengthy period and that it uses sweeping and conclusory statements to support [the] assertion that there is an unmanageable amount of work left to do.

Further, the court ruling found that the administrations insistence that the delay would not be harmful to transgender recruits to be unpersuasive.

As the Court has already held, Plaintiffs were being injured every day the Presidential Memorandums directive preventing accession was in force. That directive stigmatizes Plaintiffs as less capable of serving in the military, reduces their stature among their peers and officers, stunts the growth of their careers, and threatens to derail their chosen calling or access to unique educational opportunities. Oct. 30, 2017 Mem. Op. at 73. It also subjects them to a continuing alleged violation of their rights under the Fifth Amendment. Id. Moreover, there is evidence in the record suggesting that if the Accession Directive remains in effect, it would render Plaintiff Regan Kibby ineligible to attend the Naval Academy and prevent Plaintiff Dylan Kohere from enrolling as a cadet in his universitys ROTC program.

Trump originally signed a presidential order not only banning new transgender recruits from joining the military but also kicking out those already serving back in August.

After issuing the directive, President Trump argued on Twitter that the military could not be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Experts calculated that the armed forces typically spend roughly 0.13% of the overall defense budget on the medical services provided to transgender soldiers.

Judge Kollar-Kotelly temporarily blocked Trumps order in October on the grounds of it being unconstitutional.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to the news by saying the administration would comply with the ruling.

As of right now, theyre simply complying with a court order and preparing to implement a previous policy to remain in compliance, she said. The Department of Justice is currently reviewing the legal options to ensure that the presidents directive can be implemented.
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Rachel Maddow explained why Vice President Mike Pence has a world of Russia related problems and how the Trump White House is hanging him out to dry.

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Maddow said, Ill leave you with this, Mike Pence is in trouble. It is possible that the Vice President did nothing wrong, nothing criminal, but he really has been left out in the cold by the White House when it comes to the Michael Flynn story and Michael Flynns guilty plea. The White House is still telling a story about how and why and when Mike Flynn was fired. A story that all defends on this account by and about the vice president that is now disproven. That doesnt make any sense. And they are trying, I guess, to stick with this thing but really do need a new account now of how Michael Flynn was fired and why because the old one can no longer be operative. What had been their operative explanation for why Flynn was fired is the White House was shocked, shocked to learn Mike Flynn had lied to vice president Mike pence about his conversations with the Russian government.

The MSNBC host went on to say, Either, Vice President Mike Pence is totally truthful and everyone lied to him running the transition and all these people that answered to him and lied to him and allow to tell public lies and he doesnt mind that. Never bothered him. Or the Vice President told the same lies to cover up for Flynn that everybody else did, too. In which case, why? Why did he do that? And why did all these other senior members of the White House staff tell lies to cover up what Mike Flynn did when they knew otherwise? Mike Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI. The explanation Flynn was fired is he had to be fire because he lied to the vice president. Thats not true and Robert Muellers investigators are on it like lions on a gazelle.

Pence has a world of Russia problems that no one is talking about because everyone is focused on the Trump family, but Mike Pence was the head of the transition. The Vice President was right in the thick of these conversations. The Trump White House isnt trying to protect Pence, which suggests that if the stuff hits the fan, and Trump has to throw Pence under the bus to save his own skin, hell do it in a heartbeat.

Mike Pence isnt a member of the Trump family, and this makes him the most vulnerable member of the Trump inner circle to being fed to Robert Mueller to save the Republican presidency.
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Roy Moore had hidden from public view until Monday night when he held a rally where his wife attacked Jews, and an old Vietnam buddy bragged about going to a brothel with Moore that had child prostitutes.

First, the child prostitutes:

Moores friend Bill Sailing told the story of how they were tricked into going to a brothel that had child prostitutes in Vietnam, There were certainly pretty girls. And they were girls. They were young. Some were very young.

Sailing said that Moore was shocked by what he saw and said that they should leave, but seriously, the man is accused of child molestation, and THIS is the story that the campaign thought would be great to tell.

It got worse, as Roy Moores wife Kayla started attacking the media for painting them as anti-Semitic:

Kayla Moore, wife of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, accuses media of painting couple as anti-Semitic. pic.twitter.com/Vcczj6pNPv  NBC News (@NBCNews) December 12, 2017

Kayla Moore said, One of our attorneys is a Jew.

If Roy Moore wins the election in Alabama, the Republican Party will be getting exactly what they deserve. Republicans have turned a blind eye toward this sort of behavior for decades. Roy Moore isnt an isolated incident. He and Trump are the faces of the Republican Party, as America is finally getting to see the truth behind the flag-waving family values facade.
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Another prominent man in media is facing professional ramifications for alleged sexual misconduct. The latest is Ryan Lizza, New Yorker magazines Washington correspondent and a contributor to CNN  the former fired Lizza on Monday, the latter suspended him hours later.

The New Yorker recently learned that Ryan Lizza engaged in what we believe was improper sexual conduct. We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza, said a spokesperson in a statement. Due to a request for privacy, we are not commenting further.

Following the magazines decision, a CNN spokesperson told Deadline that Lizza would not be making his usual on-air appearances as the network conducted its own review. We have just learned of the New Yorkers decision, said the spokesperson. Ryan Lizza will not appear on CNN while we look into this matter.

In late October, after explosive reports detailing film producer Harvey Weinsteins decades-long record of sexually harassing and assaulting women in Hollywood broke, an anonymous Shitty Media Men list began circulating the internet. Lizzas name was among those included. The document described his alleged sexual misconduct as Creepy af in the DMs.

Lizza spent a decade working at The New Yorker; he joined CNN in 2012. He made headlines in July after unexpectedly receiving a phone call from Trumps 10-day communications directory, Anthony Scaramucci, and proceeding to publish a story including multiple unhinged, profanity-riddled quotes by Scaramucci.

Lizza released a statement after news of his firing became public. I am dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate, he said. The New Yorker was unable to cite any company policy that was violated.

Heres the statement I just got from Ryan Lizza, the New Yorker writer who was fired over what the magazine today called improper sexual conduct." pic.twitter.com/pYdOVvSyLh  Jim Dalrymple II (@Dalrymple) December 11, 2017

Lizza is just one of many men in the news business to be accused of harassing or assaulting their women peers.

Image: Frontline PBS
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President Putin paid a surprise visit to a Russian military base in Syria on Monday, where he delivered a speech praising his countrys troops and announcing that his government would soon begin withdrawing a significant portion of its soldiers. Though some disagree as to whether the seven-year civil war in Syria is really over, numerous officials, such as UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, and today, Putin, have declared that the conflict has ended and that Assad is the victor.

You are returning with victory to your native homes, to your relatives, parents, wives, children, friends, Putin said in his Monday speech. The motherland is waiting for you. He made sure to add that, though a large number of Russian soldiers are scheduled to leave Syria, his forces were ready to strike at [terrorists] with such blows as they have never seen if they showed any signs of aggression.

Assad, who has thanked Putin for saving Syria on multiple occasions, followed up the Russian leaders address with exuberant approval.

Future generations that will read of this war will not differentiate between the Syrian martyr and the Russian martyr, he said. And the sacrifices of the heroes from both sides was a manifestation of the noblest battle in the confrontation of terrorism. He later added, Thanks a million.

Russia interjected itself into the Syrian Civil War in 2015, at a point when it looked like Assads regime was doomed to crumble. Since then, Assads government has succeeded in defeating of pushing out the vast majority of its enemies.

Putin benefits from an Assad victory in a number of ways, including the influence Russia gains in the Middle East, the popularity boost it gives Putin among his own people, and the billions of dollars in profit Russia makes by selling weapons to Syria. While the Kremlin said last year that it spent roughly $500 million in the Syrian conflict, a 2015 report by Kommersant, a Russian newspaper, estimated that the countrys successful marketing campaign to sell weapons in the Middle Eastern country could result in profits ranging between $6 billion-$7 billion.

While estimates of Syrian casualties vary, all analyses put the death toll in the hundreds of thousands. In March, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the number of dead or missing civilians to total an estimated 465,000. An estimated 13.5 million Syrians have fled the country as refugees to Europe, the United States, Egypt, and other countries.

Regardless of whether Putin helped put him in office, Trump needs to stop fraternizing with a leader who would aid Assad in the massacre hes carried out on the Syrian people.
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Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) will hold a Wednesday 10 AM news conference to announce who he is naming to replace Sen. Al Franken.

Minnesota Gov Dayton will announce Franken's replacement in the Senate tomorrow at 10:00 AM in the state capitol  Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) December 12, 2017

Franken has not officially resigned yet, but his replacement will be officially named tomorrow. For those holding out hope that Franken would reconsider, that door is closing fast.

It has become clear that Dayton wont be naming Rep. Keith Ellison to the seat.

As the StarTribune reported, the leading contender is Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, who has been a close confidante of Dayton since his 2010 election, has emerged as a leading contender, though questions have arisen about whether she would run for the office in 2018 and, if she wins, again for the full six-year term in 2020.

Minnesota is a state with a lot of talented Democrats, so if Smith doesnt run for the full term in 2020, it could lead to a wild and wide open primary. Al Franken isnt going to change his mind, and the announcement from Gov. Dayton means that Franken will not be staying in the Senate.

The Franken era is over, and we will see at 10 AM on Wednesday who the next Senator from Minnesota will be.
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At a news conference calling for an investigation of Trump for sexual misconduct, Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) offered a chilly one-word answer of yes when she was asked if the allegations against Trump were something they could investigate if Democrats won back the House.

Video:

During the news conference, the Democratic women said that Republicans already estabilished the precedent for investigating a president for sexual misconduct when they impeached Bill Clinton, and that under House Rule 10, they have the power to investigate the President for anything.

If Democrats take back the House, Trumps firewall of protection on Russia, his conflicts of interest, Emoluments Clause violations, and the allegations of sexual assault will all be gone. Trump doesnt seem to understand how much protection he is getting from House and Senate Republicans. If that Republican majority vanishes, it is going to be open season on investigating this president.

The collusion with Russia may have put him into office, but it could be a sexual assault investigation that takes him out.
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The Democratic Womens Working Group, an association comprised of the women Democrats serving in the House of Representatives, sent a letter to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Monday demanding that it launch an investigation into sexual assault allegations made against President Trump. Fifty-six women lawmakers signed the request. The group asked that a decision be made within 10 days so that it could then proceed accordingly.

The letter argues that the U.S. public deserves a full inquiry into the truth of these allegations and goes on to recount the presidents track record of being accused of sexual misconduct.

At least 17 women have publicly accused the President of sexual misconduct. Natasha Stoynoff recounted how the President pushed her against a wall and forced his tongue down her throat. Jill Harth described how the President attempted to get up her dress. Kristin Anderson detailed how the President touched her genitals through her underwear. Mariah Billado, Rachel Crooks, Tasha Dixon, Jessica Drake, Cathy Heller, Samantha Holvey, Ninni Laaksonen, Jessica Leeds, Temple Taggart McDowell, Mindy McGillivray, Cassandra Searles, Bridget Sullivan, Karena Virginia, and Summer Zervos also offered alarming accounts.

The letter further points out that Trumps own behavior  bragging about sexually harassing and inappropriately touching women in the leaked Access Hollywood tape, as well as insisting his accusers are liars  only reinforces the need for a thorough review of the allegations.

My colleagues and I are demanding that we not ignore all the women who have come forward to hold President Trump accountable. pic.twitter.com/z0AG47nFBr  Dina Titus (@repdinatitus) December 12, 2017

With numerous men in Congress  including Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, Michigan Rep. John Conyers Jr., and Arizona Rep. Trent Franks  resigning in recent weeks after being accused of sexual misconduct, scrutiny on Trumps own accusations has been revived with new intensity, with many pointing out the ridiculousness of men in much lower positions being held to a higher standard than the president.

In his resignation, Franken couldnt help but point out that a man in a much higher office than that of a senator wasnt facing consequences for the same behavior lawmakers in positions much lower than his were facing.

I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party, he said.

Along with the Democratic Womens Working Groups letter, three other Democratic senators  New Yorks Kirsten Gillibrand, New Jerseys Cory Booker, and Oregons Jeff Merkley  have called on Trump to resign as a response to the allegations against him in the past two days.

The increasing talk of his need to step down clearly has Trump on edge. On Tuesday, he accused Democrats of failing to find evidence he colluded with the Russia in the 2016 election and of reviving the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I dont know and/or have never met as a new strategy to boot him from office. Shortly after, he proceeded to publish a bizarre tweet with sexual undertones attacking Sen. Gillibrand for saying he should resign.
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Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that Democrats and Republicans are close to an agreement on DACA.

Video:

Schumer said on the Senate floor, As Democrats continue to push for desperately needed funding to combat the opioid crisis, improve veterans health care and shore up pension plans, well also be pushing to reauthorize CHIP, the Childrens Health Insurance program, and community health centers. As well as dealing with certain healthcare programs that have expired. We have more to do for the Americans in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands who are still recovering from devastating natural disasters. We are in the process of negotiating with Republicans to provide a significant investment in border security in exchange for DACA. These talks continue to progress, and Im hopeful we can reach an agreement on that issue as well.

An agreememt on DACA would be a big win for Democrats, and another kick in the shin to Trumps efforts to deport every immigrant that he can. Democrats are the minority party in both the House and the Senate. They dont have much power, so it is amazing that they have been able to accomplish what they have in 2017. Their victories are a testement to the superior origanization of the Democrats in the House and Senate when compared to the total chaos on the Republican side of the aisle.

Protecting the DREAMERS will be a big deal, just like getting the Childrens Health Insurance Program renewed and funding for community hospitals will change and save lives. In less than a year, Democrats could be waiting to be sworn as a new Congressional majority in the House and or Senate.

The potential agreement on DACA is just the first piece of what a potential Democratic legislative agenda will look like in January 2019.
She continued, These allegations are credible; they are numerous. Ive heard these womens testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking, an President Trump should resign his position. Whether he will ever hold himself accountable is something you really cant hold your breath for, and so Congress should have hearings, they should do their investigation, they should have appropriate investigations of his behavior an hold him accountable.

President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign, Gillibrand said in an interview with Christiane Amanpour.

Democratic US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says President Donald Trump should resign over allegations of sexual misconduct: "These allegations are credible; they are numerous" https://t.co/7CVniGyFCi pic.twitter.com/gmW0st02wP  CNN (@CNN) December 11, 2017

Trump proceeded to respond with one of his trademark insult-filled tweets. Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump, he wrote. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!

Many were quick to note that Trumps description of Gillibrand as begging and willing to do anything for campaign contributions can be easily interpreted as an insinuation that the senator exchanges sexual favors for political donations.

What is so maddening about the Gillibrand tweet is that women can be smart, work hard, become Senator and STILL get sexual c**p thrown at us. Enough.  Katty Kay (@KattyKayBBC) December 12, 2017

President Trump, this morning, insinuating that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand offered him sexual favors in exchange for campaign contributions, is the most disturbing thing I've ever seen him do. Gillibrand stands for everything that's right in America. #WeLoveYouGillibrand  Ed Krassenstein ???? (@EdKrassen) December 12, 2017

Also ironic: Trumps defense against Gillibrands concerns over sexual harassment allegations is to sexually harass Gillibrand on Twitter.  Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) December 12, 2017

There is NO reason to believe this is anything but another smear by Trump and another attempt to discredit another powerful woman. 2/3  Leah McElrath ???? (@leahmcelrath) December 12, 2017

Gillibrand responded to the attack shortly after, writing, You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office.

Interestingly enough, on Sunday, two male senators, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, also called on the president to resign. Funny how Trump only attacked the woman who suggested the same.
What a whirlwind December can be! These are the weeks where there are more open houses, parties and social gatherings than any other time of the year.

Holiday foods, drinks and music take center stage. It's hard not to jump right into the holiday spirit.

While a drink of some sort might be your first stop, the second is likely the food spread. Laid out among the pates, dips, salsas, chips, and cranberry meatballs, there's sure to be a cheese board  I'll bet on it.

Since it is a popular addition, there are things that a host can do to make it really a standout.

The best assortment of cheeses is at Hy-Vee Northwest, 4221 West Circle Drive (the newest one). By their count, Hy-Vee has more than 200 artisinal cheeses from all over the world.

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While it may seem overwhelming, when you view the cases Karen Lange and Matt Hochmeister are there to guide you, even offering tastes. Lange points out that one of first things to consider are the types  an aged cheese (Vermont cheddar), a soft ripened (Brie, Camembert), a hard (Manchego) and a blue (Stilton, Gorgonzola). Likely you will want one of each, at least.

While you will be familiar with many, both Lange and Hochmeister suggested stepping out and trying some that may be new to you. There are certainly choices. The goal should be to create a palate of interesting flavors, sweet to pungent, sharp to mellow.

Goat cheeses are among the most popular this season and Lange recommends one called Drunken Goat, if you like those cheeses. (I don't.)

Another, and one that they sell the most is Sartori Merlot. This is described as a cheddar/parmesan mix and comes in an assortment of flavors such as citrus, espresso and ginger. There is even a peppermint flavor for the holidays.

Lange also suggests adding one of the spicier cheeses or one of the many herb-flavored, like Boursin.

Fontina, a softer cheese, is also a good addition because it offers a more quiet moment alongside the more pungent and stronger flavors. An aged Gouda is also a good choice. An assortment of five to seven cheeses is a reasonable number.

Something both feel strongly about is including a jam, honey, mustard or chutney alongside the cheeses. Hochmeister suggests a drizzle of honey over a blue. A popular side with a Spanish Manchego is a fruit paste such as quince, though apricot and pear pastes also complement that cheese. Dried fruits such as apricots and pears also bring good flavor to the cheeses, as does a fig jam, which adds a sweet counterpoint to everything on the board. For an additional crunch, Hochmeister suggests Marcona almonds. "They should be on every cheese board," he said.

How much to buy of each cheese? If there are other things to eat, Lange suggests 1-1/2 to 2 ounces per person, otherwise 3 to 4 ounces per person.

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What about crackers? There are many interesting choices, among them flatbreads like Firehook and Minnesota Flats. The thin cracker brand 34 Degrees is also popular. Fresh baquette or artisinal bread slices also work well. A favorite of Lange's is putting cheese on a lemon cookie. "It's a great flavorful combo," she said.

Finally, the best way to make a display is either on a large platter, a board or a piece of slate. Don't crowd them. Have a separate knife for each cheese and it is also a good idea to label each one.

Finally, take them out of the refrigerator an hour before guests arrive to give the cheeses a chance to warm up and bring out their individual flavors.

One last comment: As I was leaving, I was offered a small piece of a chocolate cheese. Disgusting? Not at all. Actually very good. It's a Havarti base and would go well with a peppery wine, like a cabernet. I bought some.

----

Perfect pairings

Wondering what beverages Yule serve with those holiday cheeses? Better not pout  just ornament your tray with these suggestions from Rochester's Ari Kolas:

Bleu Cheese: pairs with port

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In the winter months nothing is better than an aged port. Port and bleu cheese is a classic match from our French and especially English aristocrats. Images of English royalty sipping port from Spain and nibbling bleu cheese from France are prevalent throughout history. Try Taylor Fladgate, one of the most venerable port houses in the world. The Tawny port is a perfect blend of sweet nuttiness that will mesh perfectly with the aged bleu cheese. About $20.

Manchego: pairs with Rioja

Manchego is a classic but not too well-known cheese. Why not go with the classic Spanish wine  Rioja. It is almost always the Tempranillo grape and produces awesome full-bodied wines with earthiness and abundant flavors of leather and dark fruits. Rio Madreis a best buy about $12. One of the best values in the wine world.

Aged cheddar: pairs with malbec

Sharp cheddar cheese screams for a rich malbec from Argentina. The chocolate undertones in the wine will balance the cheese in surprising ways. Try the Tilia Malbec. It is a newer producer from a famous family that was one of the original wine pioneers in Argentina. Tilia came about after the master winemaker sold his interest in the original vineyard. A few years later, his non-compete ran out and he opened Tilia virtually across the street! Best value for $10.99.

But since we live so near Wisconsin and the home of the cheddarheads, we have to talk beer also. Try a full flavored India pale ale. Fulton's Sweet Child of Vine, from downtown Minneapolis, will satisfy your local urges while still helping the cheeseheads to the east. It will feel good!

Brie: pairs with pinot noir

Brie is the go-to party cheese. Everyone loves Brie. The classic party wine is pinot noir. You can't go wrong with a pinot noir. It is rich enough for the wine snob, but easy enough to drink for the novices. The black cherry and earthiness of classic Oregon pinot noir will make the Brie melt in your mouth and create the sensation of richness and smoothness that classic brie is known for. Try Planet Oregonfrom one of my favorite wineries, Floodgate. $20

Goat cheese: pairs with sauvignon blanc

Chevre is the classic French cheese. You have to try a classic French sauvignon blanc. Sancerreis the best example  it is not your typical fruity, citrusy sauvignon blanc. It has more earthy flavors that are understated and really use the terroir to bring the flavors out. It is richly nuanced, just as goat cheese is. Alternate sips and bites and find yourself transported to the Loire Valley. Sancerre is hard to find for under $3 but it is well worth the extravagance once in a while!

Boursin and soft Cheese: pairs with Cotes du Rhone

Cotes du Rhone is a red wine that everyone will love. Not overly tannic, with nice fruit forward flavors, it is the perfect price point of between $10 and $15. A bright red wine, it will not overpower the boursin but rather tease your taste buds to bring out the flavors in both. Remember the wine and cheese should complement one another, not overpower. Try the Mazets Cotes du Rhone, $11.

 Ari Kolas
Five area businesses failed an alcohol compliance check last week, officials said, and sold liquor to underage buyers.

The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office conducted the checks, using people under the age of 21 to try to purchase alcohol at businesses outside the city of Rochester.

According to Capt. Scott Behrns, employees at the Byron American Legion , Strikers Corner in Stewartville, and Buddy's Liquor , Eyota Market and the Hair Shack , all in Eyota, sold to the underage decoy on Dec. 4.

Providing alcohol to a minor is a gross misdemeanor offense in the state of Minnesota.
ADAMS  A 57-year-old Adams man was taken into custody after making "terroristic" comments to an out-of-state hotline, authorities said, prompting two school districts to undergo lockdown Monday.

Law enforcement received a call from another agency in Texas, saying the man had called the crisis hotline and made some comments involving "homicidal ideations," according to Chief Deputy Mark May of the Mower County Sheriff's Office. The individual's number was traced back to Adams.

"The suspect was asking about what happened to people with those ideations, and had made no specific threat about any facility directly," May said. "Eventually, the phone was tracked back here to Adams, and we narrowed it down to a suspect."

Sheriff's deputies attempted to make contact with the suspect, but the calls went to voicemail. Authorities monitored the man's residence in Adams while a search warrant was drafted.

Neighboring schools  LeRoy-Ostrander and Southland Public Schools  were notified.

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"The school was contacted to be on the safe side to protect students and staff in case this person would leave his residence and do something that involved mass casualties," May said.

The schools made the decision to enact the lockdown, he said.

Schools respond to potential threat

Superintendent Jeff Sampson was en route to Southland Public Schools from the LeRoy-Ostrander district about 9:30 a.m. when he received a call from Southland High School that a law enforcement officer had alerted building staff of a general threat made in the area.

"We got some information from law enforcement that had us decide as a precautionary measure to conduct a soft lockdown," Sampson said. "We locked the perimeter doors and continued daily functions. We sent out a message right away that we were going into a soft lockdown."

The security procedure means the perimeter doors are locked and no visitors are allowed to enter the building without a specific reason; all daily activities continue.

Sampson made the decision to place both LeRoy-Ostrander and Southland under soft lockdown. Throughout the day, there was law enforcement presence from the Mower County Sheriff's Office and the Adams Police Department.

"We wanted to be proactive with the safety of staff and students being first priority," Sampson said. "We felt that it was appropriate to take those measures when we didn't know a whole lot of information as the day progressed. Law enforcement was keeping us updated."

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Around 3 p.m. Sampson, updated the district's Facebook page, saying law enforcement recommended holding students in their school buildings until an all-clear was given about 20 minutes later. Buses were sent out on their routes after the all-clear and parents were able to pick up their student from their schools after checking into the office.

"Staffs in both districts and kids did well," Sampson said. "It is never a good thing to go through this, and everyone did what they needed to do and did it well."

Suspect apprehended, past history

The suspect into custody around 3:50 p.m. after he surrendered to law enforcement; his identity wasn't released, pending further investigation.

He remains in custody of the Mower County Sheriff's Office, May said, adding that the man has a history of calling hotlines in the past and making threatening comments.

"We're not sure why he chose those lines, but for some reason he has a past history of doing things like that," May said. "I don't know why he'd call, (maybe he's) trying to get a rise out of these types of crisis lines or for his own gratification.

"We're going to try to see if he wants to talk to us and follow up. There's no other risk to the public."
A Twin Cities attorney representing a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular technician under a deportation order is seeking to have his case reopened after a flight carrying him and 91 other Somali citizens to their home country was re-routed back to the United states after facing logistical problems.

"It gives hopefully some additional time. We always hope for the best, but we are prepared for the worst," said Kimberly Hunter, a Twin Cities immigration attorney representing Mayo Clinic employee Abdoulmalik Ibrahim.

A married father of four children who are U.S. citizens, Ibrahim was detained three months ago by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during one of his regular check-ins. Ibrahim has been under a deportation order since 2004 for entering the U.S. without documentation seeking asylum, but had presumably been under a "protective status" before his detention.

Ibrahim and the other Somali immigrants on the flight are being held at the Krome Detention Center in Miami, after their flight encountered problems in Senegal related to the relief flight crew being "unable to get sufficient crew rest due to issues with their hotel in Dakar," according ICE.

"The aircraft, including the detainees and crew on board, remained parked at the airport to allow the relief crew time to rest. During this time, the aircraft maintained power and air-conditioning, and was stocked with sufficient food and water," the statement added.

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Ultimately, ICE decided to reschedule the mission to Somalia and turned the flight around for the 5,000-mile trip back to the U.S. with all 92 detainees.

Hunter has worked over the last several months to prevent the deportation of five Minnesota Somalis, including Ibrahim. Some of the migrants on the flight have lived in the U.S. for years, if not decades, while on a list for deportation.

IS SOMALIA SAFE FOR MIGRANTS?

For many years, many of the migrants were granted a temporary protection from deportation because of the chaotic conditions in their home country. But that protection has changed under the Trump administration and as Mogadishu appears to be cooperating with American officials to accept more of its citizens back.

Hunter argues that Somalia is still not safe for Somali migrants to return to it. The government collapsed in 1991 and has been riven by civil war and terrorism for years, although conditions have improved in recent years. In October, hundreds of people were killed on the streets of the Mogadishu when two truck bombs exploded.

"We believe (Ibrahim) has a claim to protection," said Hunter, citing the presence of Shabab, a terrorist group that continues to carry out attacks in the country. "Quite honestly, I think the removal of Somalis in general is inhumane."

A Somali leader in the Rochester area said there is little doubt that ICE has stepped up its operations in the area. Ahmed Osman, a program manager for the Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association, said ICE has been more active in the Rochester area than at any time since he moved here two decades ago. Deportations of Somali immigrants used to be isolated cases, usually in the Twin Cities, but within the last six months or so, "the numbers are growing" in Rochester and the Twin Cities.

Osman said not every Somali person who has been detained by ICE is necessarily an object of sympathy in the Somali community. Some have had criminal records and been in and out of jail. They have been a "burden not only to their family but also the community, because they never wanted to take advantage of the opportunities that was given to them," Osman said.

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Osman said some immigrants at risk of detention and deportation have fled the area and are in hiding, so that even their "family don't even know where they are."

Some have been detained by ICE, because they didn't have "any paperwork," Osman said. Some of the families lack the resources to hire lawyers to represent them. After his detention, Ibrahim did not have an attorney with him when he went before a judge at a detention center.

"He had all the odds against him and he lost," Hunter said.

On Monday, ICE issued a statement, rebutting accusations that the detainees on the flight were mistreated in any way.

"No one was injured during the flight, and there were no incidents or altercations that would have caused any injuries on the flight," said ICE spokesman Shaw Neudauer. "Furthermore, there have been no medical claims made to ICE officials at the Krome detention center in Miami.

'I NEED EVERYONE'S HELP'

Last week, before the deportation flight departed, an Owatonna woman, Marissa Abidi, issued a plea to her Facebook friends for help in saving her husband, Mohamed Adbdi, who was also on the plane for Somalia. She said her husband was a Christian whose life would be in danger in the Muslim country.

She posted: "PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY HUSBAND. My husband, Mohamed Abdi, is a good man. We have 4 amazing young children together, who want their dad to come home. On October 5, ICE arrested Mo and has been detained since. They have not allowed us to see him in person and now tomorrow morning he has been ordered to be DEPORTED TO SOMALIA."

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"I need everyone's help," Marissa Abdi said.

Marissa Abdi did not return a request seeking comment. Her Facebook plea has since been taken down.

Osman said many families who have seen family members detained or deported don't see any point in raising a hue and cry through the media.

"What they are saying, there is nothing you can do once they are in the hands of ICE," Osman said. "It's either a lawyer or nothing. It's a done deal."
Members of Rochester's Police Policy Oversight Commission voiced frustration Monday regarding the lack of information following a $1 million settlement with former police Lt. Eli Umpierre.

Commission Chairman W.C. Jordan cited a letter sent by the League of Minnesota Cities in response to questions about the settlement reached in September, which ended with Umpierre leaving the police force after more than 25 years.

"We know no more than we knew before we received the letter," he said. "It's three pages saying: 'We can't say anything.'"

Jordan said such a response lacks the transparency many in the community expect.

As a result, he said, differing accounts are being shared and people want a reliable source of information.

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"When that source doesn't have a comment, it leads to more conversation in the community," he added.

Umpierre's settlement followed a 2016 department complaint against her, which alleged she displayed prejudicial bias and violated police policy. Months later, she filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights alleging she was discriminated against by the department and faced retaliation after reporting suspected bias within the department.

On Monday, Rochester Police Chief Roger Peterson said he brings his own frustrations to the case, but state law keeps personnel information private unless an officer is disciplined. Since the case was settled, Umpierre's files remain closed.

"I do not like being in a position of not being responsive to questions," Peterson told the commission.

"I hope people realize if I was the guy making the decision, in regard to the transparency issue, we'd be doing things differently," he added, noting the potential to change state statute lies with the Legislature.

Rochester resident Vangie Castro said Umpierre has been able to talk about the case, so details have emerged to indicate a lack of consistency exists in the police department when it comes to discipline related to social media comments.

Last month, Umpierre told the Olmsted County Human Rights Commission the complaint against her stemmed from online comments she made regarding policing. In early 2016, Facebook posts by Officer Ben Schlag that were deemed offensive resulted in a 10-day suspension.

In September, following Umpierre's settlement, attorney Jana O'Leary Sullivan of the League of Minnesota Cities said the two cases are different because Umpierre is a lieutenant and her case went beyond social media postings.

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On Monday, Castro said the result jeopardizes trust in the police department.

"We're not getting clear messages," she said. "We're getting a lot of false narratives."

Adding to the public comment, Nora Dooley asked Rochester Assistant City Attorney Michael Spindler-Krage whether the narratives could be replaced by fact if Umpierre consented to having her files released.

"It's one thing for a person to tell their story.  It's another thing to have facts that are being released," said Dooley, who is engaged to Peterson and had served on the Olmsted County Human Rights Commission with Umpierre.

Spindler-Krage said a quick review of state statute didn't reveal an option that would allow Umpierre to agree to the release of her records but he would look deeper.

"I will take a closer look at it and follow up at the next meeting," he said.

Last month, Umpierre said she'd welcome release of the investigation report from the city's case against her and said she believes it was flawed.

"I would beg to have it released publicly," she told the human rights commission.

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The National Weather Service is warning Rochester area residents that possible freezing rain could be on the way.

The service issued a forecast this morning that predicted possible freezing rain beginning in the area after midnight and continuing into Wednesday.

Gusty northwest winds of 30 mph to 40 mph are also expected across Southeast Minnesota by Wednesday afternoon.

The possible freezing rain coupled with the wind and the very cold ground temperatures could make travel on southeastern Minnesota roads treacherous in Wednesday.
MINNEAPOLIS  Tests found no chronic wasting disease in more than 11,000 deer shot by hunters in north-central, central and southeastern Minnesota this fall, the Department of Natural Resources said Monday, giving wildlife managers some confidence that the fatal brain disease has not spread beyond a small pocket in the southeastern corner of the state.

"That's good news," said Lou Cornicelli, the DNR's wildlife research manager.

The DNR ordered the precautionary, mandatory testing in parts of north-central and central Minnesota this fall after the disease was found in captive deer on farms in Crow Wing and Meeker counties. The negative findings in those regions will allow the DNR to scale back the surveillance areas next fall to ones closer to the affected farms.

However, the DNR plans to add a fourth surveillance area for next fall in Winona County, where chronic wasting disease has been found in two captive deer on one farm in recent weeks. Cornicelli said the boundaries and other details haven't been determined.

This fall's testing also found no spread of the disease beyond the state's designated disease-management zone around Preston in southeastern Minnesota, the only part of the state where the disease has been found in wild deer since 2010.

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Tests from that zone found six confirmed cases and one suspected case this fall, but that's down from 11 cases found there last season when the disease reappeared in the state.

Because three of those new cases were found outside the core area where earlier cases showed up, the DNR plans to expand the boundaries for a special late-season deer hunt there next month. The goal is to prevent the disease from becoming established there by bringing down the local deer population as low as possible. The hunt will include Forestville State Park. DNR staffers will take mandatory lymph node samples from deer shot during the hunt.

Chronic wasting disease affects deer, elk and moose. Scientists believe it spreads from animal to animal via proteins called prions that can persist in the environment for years. It's not known to infect people, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hunters should strongly consider having their animals tested from areas where the disease is present. And authorities advise against eating meat from infected animals.
Three of the women who, in the Fall of 2016, accused Donald Trump of sexual assault have publicly called on Congress to investigate their allegations. The women are: Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of kissing her on the lips without consent in 2005; Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of moving his hand up her skirt decades ago; and Samantha Holvey, a former Miss North Carolina, who accused Trump of entering a dressing room to peek at undressed beauty contestants in 2006.

I tend to believe these women. Trump is on tape bragging about conduct similar to that described by Leeds and worse than that described by the other two. (According to some reports, he now questions whether its his voice on the tape. However, during the election he raised no such question. Instead, he called the tape locker room talk and apologized for it).

Its understandable, moreover, that the women want their claims revisited. Recently, the mighty have fallen due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Why not President Trump, they must wonder.

The answer, I think, is that Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Rose, Al Franken, etc. were not elected president (or, in Frankens case, Senator) after allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled against them. Indeed, each assumed the position they were forced or pressured into giving up before they were publicly exposed as sexual harassers.

However, this distinction would not apply to Roy Moore, if he is elected to the Senate tomorrow. Thats why I have said that GOP Senators who are calling him unfit to serve need to explain why the same isnt true of President Trump.

If Moore wins, he should not be investigated, in my opinion. However, the case for investigating the sexual misconduct allegations against him would be stronger than the case for investigating the ones against Trump.

Moore hopes to join the Senate. The Senate has an interest in policing its membership (though I dont think that, in this case, it outweighs the interest of Alabamans in being represented by the Senator of their choice). Trump does not seek membership in the Senate.

This doesnt mean the Senate cant investigate the claims of the three Trump accusers. But it need not do so in the name of consistency and, in my view, shouldnt devote time and resources to investigating old claims of personal misconduct that were raised in the election and considered by the electorate.

The analysis would be different if the offenses to be investigated were impeachable ones. In this case, I dont think they are. The conduct described does not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors as that phrase has been, and should be, understood.

Remember, the articles of impeachment against President Clinton approved by the House cited him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. (An additional article based on his answers to questions from the House Judiciary Committee failed.) There were no charges based on sexual misconduct.

Nikki Haley is right. Trumps accusers should be heard. But not via a Senate investigation.
The New York Times reviews todays Port Authority bombing by Bangladeshi immigrant Akayed Ullah and concludes: Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery.

Im not sure wherein the mystery lies. It seems like a straightforward Islamic terrorist attack of the sort we have seen dozens of times over the years:

On the surface, Akayed Ullah seemed to be an ordinary member of a Bangladeshi enclave in Brooklyn. He often prayed at a mosque in an unassuming brownstone in the Kensington section of the borough, where a few thousand of his countrymen reside But on Monday morning, Mr. Ullah, 27, strapped a pipe bomb to his body and set out to detonate it in a Times Square subway station, the police said, not only causing chaos among crowds of commuters, but also leaving behind a trail of mystery that baffled those who knew him. He was a good guy, said Mohammad Yousuf, a cabdriver who prayed with Mr. Ullah at the mosque. I cant believe he would do anything like this.

Far from being a mystery, this is the story of most Islamic terrorists.

According to several law enforcement officials, Mr. Ullah said he set off the bomb in retaliation for American airstrikes in Syria and elsewhere, targeting members of the Islamic State, or ISIS. He told investigators that he had been radicalized online and had made a number of trips overseas in the past five years, visiting Bangladesh in recent months, one of the officials said.

Typical. What to do about the seemingly endless stream of such attacks? One place to start is our irrational immigration system:

Immigration officials said that Mr. Ullah arrived in the United States from Bangladesh in 2011 on a family immigrant visa and has lived in Brooklyn ever since as a legal permanent resident. According to the terms of his visa, Mr. Ullah was the nephew of an American citizen and benefited from what the officials called extended family chain migration.

So if we admit one person from Bangladesh, he gets to bring over his relatives, and they get to bring over their relatives, apparently ad infinitum. As you might expect, the numbers add up. Earlier today, the White House emailed:

In the last decade, the U.S. has resettled nearly 142,000 Bangladesh nationals on the basis of familial ties that is a population larger than the population of Dayton, Ohio. A significant driver of this influx of family-based immigration is Chain Migration, the process by which foreign nationals permanently resettle within the U.S. and subsequently bring over their foreign relatives, who then have the opportunity to bring over their foreign relatives, until entire extended families are resettled within the country.

Note that the total has gone from 8,508 in 2005 to 18,051 in 2016:

As always, the question is, why are we doing this? How does it benefit the United States to import 142,000 Bangladeshis for no reason other than the fact that they are related to other Bangladeshis? This is an irrational system which the Trump administration, and many Republicans in Congress (but no Democrats, to my knowledge), are trying to end.

Liberals, as usual, are either obtuse or pretending to be obtuse. Thus, at todays press briefing, a Democratic Party reporter challenged Sarah SandersAmericas most long-suffering womanto prove when and where Mr. Ullah became radicalized:

Q Sarah, Im interested in the comment you made about the suspect in New York. Does the White House have any proof that this suspect was radicalized outside of the United States? Hes been a lawful, permanent resident living here for some time. MS. SANDERS: I cant get into any further details on that front at this point. But as we have them available, Ill be happy to let you know. Q But why would his chain migration be an issue unless you were saying that something happened outside the U.S.?

Maybe because chain migration is pointless, and out of 142,000 Bangladeshis there is a good chance that at least one of them will be a terrorist? I dont think you necessarily have to be dumb to be a White House press correspondent, but there are times, apparently, when you have to pretend to be.
Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time. Winston Churchill

Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof. Inscription on the Liberty Bell
Remember that senior Justice Department official demoted last week for concealing his meetings with the men behind the anti-Trump dossier? It turns out that the mans wife worked for Fusion GPS during the 2016 election.

So reports Fox News:

Contacted by Fox News, investigators for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) confirmed that Nellie H. Ohr, wife of the demoted official, Bruce G. Ohr, worked for the opposition research firm last year. The precise nature of Mrs. Ohrs duties  including whether she worked on the dossier  remains unclear but a review of her published works available online reveals Mrs. Ohr has written extensively on Russia-related subjects. HPSCI staff confirmed to Fox News that she was paid by Fusion GPS through the summer and fall of 2016.

Bruce Ohr held secret meetings last year with the founder of Fusion GPS, Glenn Simpson, and with Christopher Steele, the former British spy who compiled the anti-Trump dossier. When Fox News broke that story earlier this month, Ohr lost his position as associate deputy attorney general, though he remains the director of the DOJs Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

News that Ohrs wife worked for Fusion GPS may explain how it came about that her husband met with Simpson and Steele. In that sense, Fox News latest story suggests the answer to a question.

It also raises this one: Did the wife of a high ranking official in the Obama Justice Department work on the anti-Trump dossier? As Fox News noted, Ohr is a Russia expert, and Fusion GPS paid her through the summer and fall of 2016.

Then, theres the question of whether the dossier was used by the DOJ when it applied for the FISA warrant that produced an order allowing the Obama administration to spy on the Trump campaign. Rep. Jim Jordan has surmised that the anti-Trump dossier was dressed up by the FBI, taken to the FISA Court, and presented as a legitimate intelligence document. Jordan suspects that Trump-hating FBI man Peter Strzok did the deed.

The fact that Bruce Ohrs wife worked for Fusion GPS increases the likelihood that the DOJ made use of the dossier in its FISA application. If his wife worked on the dossier, that increases it further. The more connected the dossier was to high level DOJ officials, the greater the chance DOJ used its information, or so it seems to me.

As this commentator says:
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Check the Battery before you buy a mobile.. Is it a Lithium-Ion battery or Zinc based batteryResearchers in California have found a replacement to the Lithium-Ion batteries which are infamous for overheating, bursting into flames and even exploding. A safer, less expensive, smaller and lighter substitution has been explored.Yes! Zinc-based batteries which are also rechargeable, store as much energy as Lithium-Ion batteries and could be used in smartphones, mild hybrid engines, electric vehicles, electric bicycles, and eventually power grid storage. The experts are aggressively exploring a scale-up of this technology and feel that the Zinc based batteries will be ready for the market by the end of 2019.Even the U.S. Navy members are researching alternative technologies to Lithium-Ion batteries. Debra Rolison, Head of the Advanced Electrochemical Materials Section at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., says that the Navy is concerned for the safety of its soldiers. Zinc-based batteries do not pose the same fire risk linked with Lithium-Ion batteries, and can surpass them, making them the go-to global battery for single-use applications,. The Navy researchers are also exploring cathodes other than nickel to use with the Zinc anodes. Silver-Zinc shows much greater power than that of Lithium-Ion Rolison says. It could be of extreme interest to the Navy for submersible applications.Hindustan Zinc is Indias only and worlds leading Zinc-Lead-Silver Producer..
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Shiksha Sambal Program since 2008 has been providing classes in Maths, Science & English in Government Schools . So far, over 50000 rural & tribal students have been benefittedWhen Geeta was born in a farmers house in Bhilwara in Rajasthan, unlike many of the rural families, the parents decided to provide her the best of education. Geeta also had an elder brother, Dheeraj, who was studying in nearby government school in 2nd standard. As the children were growing, the small girl also started showing interest in education. She would keep playing with his brothers books and admire the pictures. When she became eligible for pre-school, she started going to nearby Anganwadi centre.The parents were very happy since both the children were getting educated.The problem started when Dheeraj reached class 10th and wanted to pursue Science. The school had no teacher to teach the subject. Not Just Science, even for Maths and English, teachers were not available. Dheeraj was disheartened. He had two options, either to change his subjects or search for a school outside the city. He was not ready to give up studies. As Dheerajs father was not financially sound, he could not afford sending Dheeraj to another city for schooling. Security and safety was another concern for the family.Like Dheeraj, there were many students who wanted to study Science, Maths and English but they could not find a solution. Not just the boys, many girls of the village wanted to pursue studies further and choose these subjects.Geeta, who was still young had the same fear. She was a brilliant student and wanted to pursue Engineering or Medical Science. But after knowing all this, her dreams were getting shattered. She started losing interest in education.The matter went to elders of the village and they met the Principal of the school. But the Principal showed his inability and could only express regret.Then the solution came from a Business House that was located near their village. One of their representatives met the school Principal. After hearing everything and meeting with the students, the Management of this Business House introduced them to a project for these students. This project would provide trained teachers to the students who would teach them English, Science and Maths subjects throughout the year and year after year which will get the recognition as part of school syllabus. The dreams of all these children were reinstated.The Project was Shiksha Sambal and the Business House was Hindustan Zinc.For a tree to be strong and upright, its roots have to be firm. Similarly, schools are a cornerstone in any students life to cultivate healthy thought processesand groom intellectual abilities.Schools in rural areas have their own challenges in terms of providing education to students. The government has provided schools in rural areas but the point is how well these schools are equipped to provide quality education. Students appearing for Senior Secondary education suffer the most. The teachers are not available for certain subjects and thus either they have to drop those subjects and choose the subjects available in the school or even change the stream of education to get qualified and experienced teachers. It is evenly difficult to convince villagers to send their children to schools, particularly the girls.Government is very keen to provide the best possible facilities in village schools. But they do need the support of people, here, teachers, to run these schools successfully. This is when Corporates and Government should come together for the holistic development of communities by aiding the facilities and financial securities.Shiksha Sambal provides a platform that empowers rural students to pursue their dream of obtaining higher education and joining prestigious institutions to play an important role in development/ progress of the country in future.After the identification of the need of schools in terms of number of qualified teachers, Shiksha Sambal deputed qualified teachers from external sources in respective schools for the students appearing for Board Examination. These teachers are educated youths in nearby villages who were unemployed and struggling to get jobs, in spite of possessing a degree.In 2016, Hindustan Zinc partnered with Vidya Bhawan Society, Udaipur, for effective implementation of this program.Shiksha Sambal believes that conceptual clarity is the foundation of all learning and is essential for doing well in examinations. Such clarity will come through a well-rounded studying approach that includes comprehension, careful observation, classification, conducting experiments, peer group activities and an unending process of enquiry.Languages of children have an important role in building conceptual clarity, learning other languages and cognitive growth. Performance in Mathematics will improve with the understanding of basic mathematical concepts. And the only way to really understand Science and score in it is by conducting experiments on their own. In each case, the programme pitches one point above the cognitive levels of children.Regular orientation and subject-specific workshops are also being organized under Shiksha Sambal wherein it also focuses on conceptual mapping of each chapter of the given subjects and makes plans for systematic interventions with teachers and students. Preparing worksheets that could be used with children is an ongoing process; these materials help in understanding the concepts and in attempting examination questions successfully.Another important component of Shiksha Sambal has been the Summer Learning Camps (SLCs). This year, 7 Summer Camps were organized in 5 districts of Rajasthan for more than 750 rural students who are appearing for 10th standard Board Examination this year. The first residential summer camp was organized last year in Udaipur that saw participation of around 70 rural students. Sighting the success of last years camp, this year, more than 200 students actively participated where about 50% of them were girls from villages around all 7 business locations including Pantnagar. Around 12-15 students from last years camp also participated this year as Captains to aid in managing the current batch.The company has also provided help in building infrastructure like science laboratories, well stocked library, playground, computer laboratory and also classrooms. There are many activities, such as solving worksheets, doing science experiments and using library books to deepen the conceptual understanding of the students.In the recently released Board Exam results for 10th standard, there have been remarkable improvements in several of the Shiksha Sambal schools. Kanpur school (Zawar) which last year had a pass percentage of only 11%, now has a pass percentage of 91% in 2016-17. Similar improvements can be seen in other schools. Putholi (35% to 73%), Padla (32% to 54%), Medta (44% to 64%), Zawar (16% to 36%), Pandoli (37% to 60%), Kashmor (57% to 100%) and Soniyana (45% to 79%).Shiksha Sambal is reaching out to more than 57 schools in 5 districts of Rajasthan - Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Rajsamand, Ajmer and Udaipur benefitting more than 6000 students wherein 150 teachers, 80 Field Instructors (FIs), 50 HZL employees-volunteers and resource persons from Vidya Bhawan Society are engaged in strengthening the quality of education.
Students at Stockton University can take advantage of discounted rates for tuition and housing beginning in summer 2018, the college announced this week after its Board of Trustees meeting.

The meeting also included approval of housing rates, naming of the event room at the new Atlantic City Campus for Fannie Lou Hamer, and selection of a new vice president for student affairs.

Under the discounted summer rate offer, undergraduate students who take at least one class at one of Stocktons satellite instructional sites in Atlantic City, Seaview, Woodbine, Manahawkin and Hammonton will pay $3,278 for three classes, in effect getting one course free. The cost of one four-credit course will be $1,639 for tuition and fees. The summer rate is available to both Stockton students and students attending other colleges.

Additionally, students who reside in the new Atlantic City Campus apartments, scheduled to open in the fall of 2018, will be eligible for a discounted 12-month housing rate, saving a student about $600 over two semesters.

The board also approved 2018-19 housing rates, some of which increased as much as 3 percent over this year. Housing costs per semester will range from $3,027 to $5,700, depending on location and size.

In other business, the board approved a resolution to name the event room at the new Atlantic City Campus Academic Building after civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.

Fannie Lou Hamer made history on the Boardwalk of Atlantic City, Stockton President Harvey Kesselman said. As the new Stockton campus continues to rise, there could be no greater public honor than to recognize Mrs. Hamers contribution to the march toward freedom and social justice than naming the new event room  a place where students, faculty, staff and community will come to learn, reflect and listen to voices of reason  in her honor.

The board also approved Christopher C. Catching as Stocktons new vice president for student affairs. Catching, who will start in February, comes from Southern Connecticut State University, where he is assistant vice president for student affairs. He will replace Thomasa Gonzalez, who is retiring after more than 30 years at Stockton.

Kesselman said Catchings experience in strategic planning and student success programs, and his interest in social justice and inclusion mesh perfectly with Stocktons mission to develop engaged and effective citizens and provide an environment of excellence for a diverse student body.

He understands and represents the values and vision of Stockton, Kesselman said. He is a great fit for us.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  On a recent Friday night, after many students at Stockton University had left campus to start their weekends, a group of more than 20 people met in one of the meeting rooms for a storytelling session.

Refreshments were served, a sign-up sheet was handed out and participants, including students and community members, took their seats to connect through the story slams theme: blind spot.

This was the groups fourth story slam of the year, with this one being spearheaded by Stocktons recently appointed activist in residence, Travis Love.

The position has been utilized in the past to address themes such as womens rights and homelessness. Now Love, who took over the role in September and will hold it until May, is promoting art as activism.

The plan is to connect with community-based organizations to start a dialogue about different issues. He wants to engage with the student body to talk about identity, discuss certain narratives and build a community through art.

Story slams are among many events he plans to organize during his fellowship.

Hopefully I can engage with people who havent gone to a play or participated in a story slam. And hopefully they can expose themselves and be engaged in a way that they havent been before, said Love, of Atlantic City.

Mike Nees co-hosts the story slams with Love. He said he couldnt imagine a better fit than Love for the Stockton post.

Hes done a lot of stuff in Atlantic City with any kind of event you can imagine, Nees said.

Friday nights story slam featured people from North Jersey as well as Stockton students.

Alex DiGiovanni traveled down from Asbury Park on Friday night to attend the story slam. For his story, he discussed the loss of a friend who committed suicide and the power of being present during a friendship.

DiGiovanni said the story slams are important because they bring diverse groups of people together.

No one talks about what theyre going to talk about before they go up, so there are so many points of view, he said. Its a nice way to get out and support the arts because there is so much talent in the county and in Atlantic City.

Belinda Manning, of Pleasantville, has attended every story slam for the last couple of years. On Friday, she talked about how you cant know someone elses struggle unless you listen to them.

As a senior citizen, she said the story slams present multigenerational perspectives.

[Students] are moving into the adult world, and hearing that perspective is insightful for me. Theyre entering from a different place than when I entered in terms of whats happening in the world. So its good to hear their stories, Manning said.

One of those students was Diamond Dawkins, a sophomore at Stockton. She was attending her first story slam after hearing from friends how the event resonated with them.

The Sicklerville resident said she wasnt sure if she would go up on Friday night, but added she was glad such events were offered.

I just think that programs like these really help students because, sometimes, people feel like we dont have these things or places where we can come to discuss things like this, Dawkins said.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
At the darkest time of the year the flame from the Hanukkah candles placed in the menorah bring light into the world, according to Rabbi Avrom Rapoport of Chabad of Ventnor.

Hanukkah begins at sundown Tuesday, Dec. 12, and Jews around the world will celebrate by lighting the first candle in the menorah.

Exchange Club of Ocean City holds anniversary gala: Around Our Town The Exchange Club of Ocean City celebrated 70 years of service to the community at an anniversary gala held at The Flanders Hotel. With men in tuxedos, women in cocktail dresses and the Flanders decked out for the Christmas holiday, it was a festive night.

Rapoport said Hanukkah is a celebration of the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks more than 2,200 years ago. The Syrian Greeks oppressed the Jews and forbade them to practice their religion. A small group called the Maccabees defeated Antiochus IV, and the victory made it possible for Jews to once again practice Judaism.

Linwood Santa is getting on in years, but he's had some work done LINWOOD  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Linwood. The bushes at City Hall are decked in lights, the giant dreidel is in place, and Santa Claus is inside his green enclosure at the intersection of Poplar Avenue and New Road, waving to all who pass.

In Jerusalem the Jews went into a temple to worship that had been desecrated by the Greeks and found only enough kosher oil to last one day. Rapoport explained that it would take eight days for the Jews to get more oil, but by a miracle that one days supply of oil brought light to the temple for eight days.

That is the miracle of Hanukkah, bringing light to the darkness and symbolically bringing freedom to the Jews, he said.

Rabbi David Weis of Beth Israel Synagogue in Northfield said Hanukkah comes at the darkest time of the year with its proximity to the winter solstice.

It behooves us to bring light into the world, he said.

The lighting of the candles is also symbolic of the triumph of light over darkness, goodness over evil, and bringing light to other people through good deeds.

Hanukkah is a family celebration, Weis said.

This welcoming light brings families together to celebrate and traditional foods of Hanukkah commemorate the oil. Most families will enjoy latkes, which are cooked in oil, with applesauce and sour cream and jelly doughnuts that are also cooked in oil, he said.

He said that as a child, his family, like most, had their celebration when they lit the first candle in the menorah, and each day of Hanukkah the menorah got brighter.

By the time we would light the fifth and sixth candle, it warmed my soul and filled the room with a beautiful light, he said.

Family Promise of Cape May holiday gift drive Staff at the Rio Grande branch of the Jersey Shore Federal Credit Union are collecting gifts for a Starfish Angel Tree to benefit Family Promise of Cape May County's Christmas Party to help make Children's Christmas wishes come true, organizers said.

Another tradition of Hanukkah is playing with a dreidel, which is a four-sided top. The Syrian Greeks forbade the Jews from studying the Torah together or practicing their religion, so when the Greeks would arrive, the Jews would hide the Torah and take out their dreidels, spinning them to pretend they were playing rather than studying religion.

Today's dreidels have a Hebrew letter on each of the four sides. The letters stand for the saying Nes gadol haya sham, which means A great miracle occurred here.

We play dreidel to commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah, Rapoport said.

Santa and the missus join families for breakfast at St. Nicholas School in Egg Harbor City Dozens of children and their families gathered for a meal and the opportunity to tell Santa and Mrs. Claus what they want for Christmas at the annual breakfast with Santa Claus Saturday, Dec. 9 at St. Nicholas School in Egg Harbor City. The event was sponsored by the Egg Harbor City Kiwanis Club and Knights of Columbus Council 3500.

Beth Israel Sunday School had students doing Hanukkah projects last weekend. The younger students made Hanukkah gelt, or coins, from chocolate while the older students made Hanukkah cards for their parents and grandparents and menorahs out of Legos that will go home for family celebrations.

Hanukkah continues through Wednesday, Dec. 20. Each night families will gather and light another candle in the menorah to bring light into the world and commemorate the miracle of the oil bringing light for eight days.

A community menorah lighting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12 at Chabad Chai Center at 6605 Atlantic Ave. in Ventnor. All are welcome to attend and learn more about Hanukkah.

For information see chabadac.com or call 609-622-8500.
A 55-year-old Dorothy woman died Monday when the car she was driving left Route 40 and struck several trees in Hamilton Township, police said.

The woman was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Centers Mainland Campus in Galloway Township, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Her name was withheld pending notification of family.

Hamilton Township police were on the scene at 12:15 p.m. at milepost 49.6 on Route 40.

Investigation revealed the womans car was traveling west on Route 40, crossed the center line and sideswiped an eastbound van driven by Emma Fellers, 22, of Egg Harbor Township, police said.

Following the impact, the car continued for about a half-mile on Route 40, then left the road on the westbound side, where it struck several trees at milepost 49.1, police said.

Multiple airbags deployed in the vehicle and the driver was partially entrapped, police said.

She was not wearing a seat belt, police said.

Fellers was uninjured, police said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, police said.

Hamilton Township Rescue, AtlantiCare paramedics, the Mays Landing Fire Company and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service assisted at the scene, police said.
House and Senate Republicans are racing to hammer out a tax cut agreement that blends the House bill passed on Nov. 16 with the Senate version that squeaked through about a week ago with one vote to spare. Failure to compromise is not an option. They must deliver a final bill to the president for signing before Christmas.

The stakes are high economically and politically. For too long, Americas uncompetitive corporate tax rates have suppressed growth and wages, and driven companies to leave the U.S.

If Republicans fail on tax reform, they could lose their grip on Congress in the midterm elections. That would leave President Trump without a legislative partner to push through his pro-growth agenda.

Heres the road map for success: The House should adopt the Senates repeal of the Obamacare penalty, and the Senate should agree to slash corporate taxes as of Jan. 1, 2018, not a year later as the Senate bill currently says.

Senators postponed the corporate tax cut until 2019 in order to pare $127 billion from the cost of tax reform and stay within Senate rules. But economist Arthur Laffer warns that delaying the cut will encourage companies to defer production and income for a year until their profits are taxed at the lower rate. That could tank the economy in 2018, and take the GOP majority in Congress down with it.

A safer bet to keep the cost of the bill within Senate rules is for GOP senators to embrace the Houses proposal for a $1,600 child tax credit, instead of raising it to $2,000. That compromise would cut $150 billion off the cost.

Doubling the child tax credit to $2,000 as the Senate bill does, and paying for it by delaying corporate tax cuts, is a whopping mistake.

Yes, everybody likes kids. But not everyone has them. Only a small segment of the population benefits from that credit, explains economist Larry Kudlow, a chief architect of the Trump tax plan. Everyone will benefit from reducing corporate tax rates immediately. It will create an investment boom. There will be no losers.

What should the House take from the Senates version? According to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, his members are ready to adopt key Senate provisions, including continuing to allow home buyers to deduct interest on up to a $1 million mortgage. The House plan caps it at $500,000 mortgages.

Most important, House members are eager to include the Senates repeal of the Obamacare penalty. Bravo.

Democrats, meanwhile, are claiming that eliminating the penalty  in effect, making Obamacare voluntary  will spell disaster for millions of people with Obamacare plans. Thats demagoguery. People who want to stay in Obamacare wont lose their subsidy or their eligibility.

But abolishing the penalty will be a big tax break for the 6.7 million filers currently getting whacked for not buying Obamacare-compliant insurance.

Removing the penalty may cause Obamacare premiums to rise slightly  the Congressional Budget Office speculates about 10 percent  but most buyers get subsidies that insulate them from premium hikes. Those who dont will finally have the freedom to buy plans without Obamacares costly requirements and save a bundle on insurance.

As the calendar runs out, House and Senate Republicans will have to compromise on a dozen other differences between their tax bills, including the treatment of medical expenses, interest on student loans, the alternative minimum tax and gains on selling stock.

There will be winners and losers with each decision. But on balance, Americans will get to keep more of what they earn. And businesses will be encouraged to invest, grow and hire.

The prima donnas and fence-sitters in Congress who failed to repeal Obamacare should realize that it cant happen again. The nation needs tax cuts now.

Email Betsy McCaughey, a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and a former lieutenant governor of New York State, at betsy@betsymccaughey.com.
TV Landmark is the most authoritative and representative large-scale professional researcher activity in China. Based on a professional, objective and fair evaluation system, it comprehensively combs the competition pattern of the Chinese TV market. In 2017 "TV Landmark" selected "the Most Influential Brands of Provincial TV Stations", "Annual Excellent Provincial TV Stations", "Annual Excellent Shopping Channel", "Annual Radio and TV Character", "Man of the Year" (TV shopping) and other awards, which are an important leading indicator of the TV industry.

Jason Kong, who was awarded "Man of the Year" by TV Landmark, once served as deputy director of Guizhou TV station, president of Jia You Home Shopping Company, managing director of the China Media Capita (CMC), now he serves as the president of GHS. GHS is the leading full media retail platform in China. It is comprised of GHS TV channel, mobile video shopping App, smart TVs and shopping magazines, etc., which provide consumers with high quality global household commodities.

2016 White Paper on China's TV Shopping Industry shows that traditional cable TV is trending downward, the retail market has fierce competition, under the double strike, the total sales of China's TV shopping industry has a slight decline for the first time, while GHS led by Jason Kong as the dark horse bucked the trend, and the annual revenues has increased sharply, and with the fastest growth rate steadily stepping into the top 3.

GHS TV shopping channel has fully covered the Chinese market, with nearly 200 million households, more than 500 million people can watch GHS channel at any time. Meanwhile, GHS launched the first mobile video shopping App in China, displaying the characteristics of commodities with videos, enabling consumers to see products clearly. In the field of smart TVs, GHS has worked with mainstream TV manufacturers including Coocaa, Hisense, Skyworth, TCL, Lenovo, etc, which provide TV shopping programs for consumers who are accustomed to using smart TVs.

GHS has become the first "going global" company in the industry

GHS president Jason Kong said, in response to "The Belt and Road Initiative", actively expanded into overseas markets, it is an important strategic plan for GHS, and it has achieved initial success. On September 2017, GHS announced in Dubai that it has acquired the largest TV shopping company citrussTV in MENA area, which is the first overseas acquisition case in China, and GHS has become the first "going global" company in the industry.

After the acquisition, GHS will promote citrussTV to cover more areas and provide better service for more consumers. At the same time, GHS will also actively develop China's local brand commodities and export overseas. On the other hand, it will introduce high-quality commodities with localized characteristics to the Chinese market, and speed up the two-way exchange of high-quality commodities.

GHS has played a positive role in promoting the quality transformation of China's TV shopping industry. It has great significance for China's TV shopping industry and even China's TV industry. GHS president Jason Kong said, GHS will take the investment of citrussTV as a pilot, and expand the international market in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia under the guidance of the "The Belt and Road Initiative".

It is reported that the series of "Man of the Year" are mainly selected from the media organizations, audiovisual new media, and operation institutions, etc.



Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/617866/Jason_Kong.jpg

SOURCE GHS
Designed by a team of physicians, engineers, and catheter users that met at Stanford University using patient-centered design, CompactCath is a revolutionary compact intermittent urinary catheter for patients looking for a discreet, hygienic, and easy to use solution that fits seamlessly in their everyday life. It comes pre-lubricated with silicone oil, features fire-polished eyelets and non-touch insertion. It also includes a drainage control mechanism and opaque packaging -- giving catheter users more privacy, comfort, hygiene, and control.

"We've received overwhelming support and adoption since launching in the US a little over a year ago," said Naama Stauber Breckler, CEO. "Catheter users love how small and portable the catheter is, how much time they save, and most importantly, how it's been able to simplify their lives. We're thrilled to be able to expand our reach and finally bring CompactCath to users in Europe, who have been waiting a long time for this."

CompactCath is a unisex catheter available in a variety of sizes for use by both pediatrics and adults. Its coiled packaging makes it the only 16" catheter that fits in the pocket or the palm of the hand. Its small, lightweight design eliminates much of the inconvenience or embarrassment while introducing confidence and control to those who self-catheterize.

For further information please visit www.compactcath.com.

About CompactCath

CompactCath is commitment to improving the quality of life for those who suffer from bladder conditions and need to self-catheterize. CompactCath is composed of a multidisciplinary team of physicians, engineers, and MBAs who share a passion for healthcare, design, and comfort. Established in 2012 at Stanford University, CompactCath is driven by the goal to design medical devices that enable those with chronic conditions to lead active, thriving, independent lives.

CompactCath Media Contact:

Carlos Wilson / Tandem Marketing Communications

carloswilson@tandemcomms.com

(845) 242-4440

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618337/CompactCath_Hand.jpg

Related Links

http://www.compactcath.com



SOURCE CompactCath
Prof. Gaspardone, who recently presented 2 studies (The Italian/ Swedish Registry of NobleStitch EL and his Single Center Study of PFO Closure with NobleStitch EL) and has the largest experience in Italy, more than 80 cases, performed the live case on a 37 year old female patient who suffered from migraines with aura and had a previous cerebral infarct due to PFO. The attendees, many who had not seen a NobleStitch EL procedure, provided very positive feedback and significant interest in using the NobleStitch EL.

Roberto Riva, manager of Kardia, stated, "over the last 18 months we have seen strong growth in the market for PFO closure. Initially we rolled out the product to a few of our key centers to develop the market for the NobleStitch and to accumulate Italian data. We have been astonished at the willingness by physicians to start with the product and even more their desire to adopt the NobleStitch as their first choice for PFO closure. The product is so intuitive to both physicians and patients that we see the patients specifically asking for the product over the traditional umbrella devices. In my 20 years in the medical instrument sales I have not had a product like this. Our initial forecasts were conservative and we quickly requested more product from HeartStitch. We are already in 17 centers in Italy, trained more than 24 cardiologists and performed more than 220 procedures. Our new market plan for 2018 with HeartStitch will drive the "Sutures the Future" as we look to cover the remaining PFO centers throughout Italy with the NobleStitch EL and look forward to the release of the HeartStitch Transapical and Mitral devices that our customers are awaiting."

Prof. Gaspardone also commented, "We have worked with the device for 18 months and developed a very simple technique that can be trained and adopted quickly. Personally I have really been impressed by the simplicity of the system and the clinical data, which has demonstrated to me that it is the first choice and the future of PFO closure. This live case demonstrates how simple the procedure has become and the efficacy of the technique. It has and continues to be my first choice and my patients also ask for it. I have an ever-growing waiting list of patients that we will continue to treat with this revolutionary technology."

Dirk Segers, VP of European Sales and Marketing noted, "Italy was our first nationwide expansion in the European Union and is a critical part of our business model. Physicians and patients in Italy have been very responsive to the NobleStitch EL as their first choice for PFO closure. It's intuitive to both physicians and patients who suffer from issues associated with PFO. We did not expect the rapid uptake and adoption of the NobleStitch EL to be so quick. In my career I have not seen such a response to a medical device."

Professor Anthony Nobles, Inventor of the NobleStitch EL and Chairman, CEO and Chief Clinical Officer of HeartStitch which manufactures and distributes the devices, commented, "We are very excited about the performance of Kardia and their sub-distributors throughout Italy as well as the physicians and patients that request our NobleStitch device for PFO closure. We are pleased with the increase demand worldwide since the publication of recent positive trials including the presentation of the NobleStitch data from Italy and Sweden. We look to replicate the success of our Italian experience throughout Europe and then the US."

About PFO Closure

A PFO is a relatively common heart defect characterized by an unsealed tunnel between the right and left atria of the heart. This defect has been known to be present in anywhere between 27%-38% of people. However, in a number of cases, it is benign.

The PFO is formed as a trace of the fetal circulation. When the chambers of a human heart begin to develop, a communication is made between the right and left atria, allowing blood to flow directly from the venous circulation to the arterial circulation, circumventing the non-functioning fetal lungs. Following birth, the pressure differential between the right and left atria changes with newly operational blood flow to the fully functioning lungs. Because of this, the communication eventually closes completely within the first few months.

However, in some patients, the foramen ovale fails to seal and remains "patent". In patients with a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), the communication can reopen under elevated atrial pressure, such as coughing, or straining.

A key issue with PFO is that it gives a pathway for blood clots to pass directly to the arterial circulation without being filtered out by the capillary bed of the lungs. A PFO can also let deoxygenated blood and certain chemicals cross over to the arterial side. The presence of a PFO has been linked to a number of clinical issues, mainly strokes, migraines and chronic fatigue. Developments are being made to solidify the link between PFO and strokes or migraines, and to identify patients that would benefit from PFO closure.

About HeartStitch

HeartStitch Inc. was founded by Prof. Anthony Nobles with the intent of leveraging its technologies in the structural heart marketplace. HeartStitch is focused on innovative suture-based systems for remotely providing suture repair of structural heart defects and other vascular structures.

The HeartStitch TA and HeartStitch MR are FDA cleared for vascular suturing in the United States. HeartStitch manufactures and markets the NobleStitch EL under exclusive license from Nobles Medical technologies II, Inc. NobleStitch EL is FDA cleared for vascular suturing in the United States and CE Marked for cardio-vascular suturing and PFO closure in the European Union and the Republic of Kazakhstan, respectively.

HeartStitch is a registered trademark of HeartStitch Inc.

HeartStitch TA

Covered by or for use under U.S. and international patents including one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 5860990, 6117144, 6245079, 6551331, 6562052, 6733509, 7004952, 7090686, 7803167, 8197497, 8348962, 8469975, 8496676, and 8709020.

HeartStitch MR

Covered by or for use under U.S. and international patents including one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 5860990, 6117144, 6245079, 6551331, 6562052, 6733509, 7004952, 7090686, 7803167, 8197497, 8348962, 8469975, 8496676, 8709020, and 8771296.

For more on HeartStitch visit http://www.heartstitch.com

For more information, please contact shareholder representatives:

USA

Dru Dobbs

P. +1 714 427 6348

F. +1 714 427 6343

ddobbs@HeartStitch.com

In Kazakhstan

Kazbek Aubakirov

P. +7 777 5009005

kaubakirov@HeartStitch.com

About Nobles Medical Technology II

Nobles Medical Technology II, Inc. was founded by Prof. Anthony Nobles with the intent of leveraging its technologies in the PFO, ASD-closure, and cardiovascular-suturing marketplace. The company does business under the name of Nobles Medical II (NMT II). Initial efforts of the company have been focused in Europe on the innovative suture-based PFO closure system for closing the Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), a tunnel between the right and left atria of the heart.

The NobleStitch is approved for PFO Closure and Cardiovascular suturing in the European Union.

The NobleStitch EL is FDA cleared for Vascular and Cardiovascular suturing in the United States. Further information including warnings and precautions can be found in the instructions for use.

NobleStitch EL is distributed worldwide by HeartStitch, Inc. (HeartStitch is a registered trademark of HeartStitch, Inc.).

NobleStitch EL for PFO closure

Covered by or for use under U.S. and international patents including one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 5860990, 6117144, 6245079, 6551331, 6562052, 6733509, 7004952, 7090686, 7803167, 8197497, 8197510, 8246636, 8348962, 8372089, 8469975, 8496676, 8709020, and 9131938.

For more on Nobles Medical Technologies II visit

http://www.noblesmed2.com.

Dru Dobbs

P. +1 714 427 6348

F. +1 714 427 6343

ddobbs@noblesmed2.com

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/569060/HeartStitch_PFO.jpg

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/569059/HeartStitch_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.heartstitch.com



SOURCE HeartStitch Inc.
Event to feature leading-edge developer, teenage software phenom

LAKE MARY, Florida, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) is pleased to announce the initial lineup of world-class speakers for its 2018 International Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With the theme "Connecting the World Through Innovation," the event will emphasize innovation and tackle emerging technology issues and other relevant topics facing organizations and the internal audit profession worldwide.

The annual conference is considered the largest gathering of internal auditors in the world. It will take place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, part of the Dubai World Trade Centre complex, May 6-9, 2018, and feature more than 100 world-renowned speakers, over 70 sessions, and thousands of professionals from around the globe.

Attendees will have access to a number of educational sessions on current and emerging issues and trends, ranging from business sustainability, information security, and governance to risk, fraud, and corruption. It will also present industry best practices in addressing common challenges, as well as knowledge-sharing opportunities.

"The IIA is excited to partner with IIAUnited Arab Emirates, one of our most innovative institutes in one of the world's fastest-growing markets for internal audit and governance, risk and control professionals," said IIA President and CEO Richard Chambers, CIA, QIAL, CGAP, CCSA, CRMA. "The IIA's International Conference showcases the best and brightest in the profession and provides participants with insights, tips, and guidance from an array of thought leaders and industry experts from leading corporations, organizations, and government institutions."

The event will feature internationally known trailblazers, such as:

H.E. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori , the UAE's Minister of Economy, who will examine global issues impacting business.

, the UAE's Minister of Economy, who will examine global issues impacting business. H.E. Mohamed Ali Rashed Alabbar, founder and chairman of Emaar Properties, one of the largest real estate development companies in the world, and a pioneer in positioning Dubai as a world-class city. He will speak on reaching new heights through innovation.

as a world-class city. He will speak on reaching new heights through innovation. Abdullah Al-Rowais , Chief Audit Executive of Etihad Etisalat Co. (Mobily), who will speak on internal audit in action.

, Chief Audit Executive of Etihad Etisalat Co. (Mobily), who will speak on internal audit in action. Tanmay Bakshi , a 14-year-old software-development phenom from Canada who has been programming since the age of 5. Tanmay, a neural network architect and honorary IBM cloud advisor, will discuss open-source development related to information security and technology auditing.

Additional speakers and session details will be announced over the next several weeks.

"We are honored to host such a prestigious and anticipated event," said IIA-UAE CEO Abdulqader Obaid Ali. "It will surely be a program that delves into timely issues impacting the profession, rich with insights for internal auditors at every level."

IIA Global Chairman J. Michael Peppers, CIA, QIAL, CRMA, calls International Conference "a unique platform for internal audit practitioners and leaders to connect, exchange and learn new ideas, and to address key issues on the minds of CEOs and corporate boards worldwide."

For more information about the IIA's 2018 International Conference, please visit https://ic.globaliia.org/program





To register for the event, go to https://ic.globaliia.org/Pages/register.aspx

About The Institute of Internal Auditors

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) is the internal audit profession's most widely recognized advocate, educator, and provider of standards, guidance, and certifications. Established in 1941, The IIA today serves more than 190,000 members from more than 170 countries and territories. The IIA's global headquarters are in Lake Mary, Fla. For more information, visit www.theiia.org.

Related Links

http://www.theiia.org



SOURCE The Institute of Internal Auditors (The IIA)
"A truly globalized company should strategize based on their reading of global trends. We believe that society is moving towards an era of optimal human-machine interaction, and what Midea has to do now is to constantly stay ahead," Fang remarked at the roundtable.

Midea has invested over 20 billion yuan (US$ 3.02 billion) on R&D in the past five years. Midea Kitchen Appliance Division (Midea KA), one of the largest and most successful kitchen solutions provider worldwide, has established three R&D centers in China, the U.S. and Italy to emphasize in-depth general R&D, advanced technology and smart products, and aesthetic design respectively.

With the goal of creating friendly products that can fit seamlessly into any kitchen, Midea is continuously developing innovative technologies for everyday kitchen appliances. One of the successful cases is its steam-cleaning technology, which has changed the way that range hoods are cleaned since the launch in 2012. This technology has enabled the appliance to clean itself through high pressure water suction and high temperature gasification, allowing the steam to clean the inside of the range hood.

Midea then developed the Eagle Eye using smart sensing technology, allowing users to see the degree of turbidity on a screen, achieving the transition from passive alert to active detection and cleaning.

Moreover, the company's revolutionary technologies have made cooking easier than ever. The appliances are supported by an advanced cooking algorithm as well as smart sensing technologies that can detect temperature, humidity and the type of food being prepared. Voice interaction has also been included in some of the kitchen appliances so users can learn the art of cooking on an intelligent platform with ease.

"Centering on man-machine interaction, Midea aims to take the lead in the fields of smart manufacturing, smart home technology, virtual reality (VR), speech interaction and so forth, developing new smart products that will win the approval of customers," noted Coffee Song, Director of Marketing, Overseas Sales Company of Midea KA.

About Midea Kitchen Appliance Division

Midea Kitchen Appliance Division is affiliated to Midea Group, one of the largest household appliance manufacturers in China. Founded in 1968, Midea is one of the world's largest kitchen appliance suppliers with annual sales revenue exceeding US$ 2.7 billion, and is the world's No.1 microwave oven and No.3 dishwasher manufacturer. It operates three production bases and two R&D centers in China in addition to a production base in Belarus and an R&D center in Bologna, Italy.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618537/MIDEA_at_roundtable_at_Fortune_Global_Forum.jpg

SOURCE Midea Kitchen Appliance Division
MOSCOW, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Vnesheconombank, VEB-Innovations and an Indian company SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd with the support of Roscongress Foundation signed an agreement on the terms and conditions to establish a Russian-Indian IT and Innovation Fund with the target size of investors' commitment amounting to USD 200 million.

On the part of Vnesheconombank, the Agreement was signed by the Chairman Sergey Gorkov, on the part of VEB-Innovations - by the Director General Kirill Bulatov, and on the part of SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd - by the Chairman and Managing Director Hemant Kanoria.

The Fund is designed to attract investment in innovative companies focused on the development of cooperation between Russia and India. Particular emphasis will be placed on promising inventions based on a strong scientific and technological base of Russia and India. This will help facilitate an innovative transformation of both economies. The Fund will also help build up trade in Russian and Indian cutting-edge technologies and their transfer to other countries. The parties have already started to identify projects for the Fund's pipeline, which will include projects of Russian innovative companies.

As a next step, the parties will proceed to creating a corporate structure of the Fund, with operating activities scheduled to begin prior to the end of Q2 2018.

Apart from the Fund, VEB and SREI are actively promoting Russian high-technology exports in the Indian market.

"We expect the Russian-Indian Fund to help boost trade and economic cooperation between our two countries. Such platform is of crucial importance as it will facilitate a pipeline of projects and joint assessment and financing of these projects. For many IT companies, the Russian market is not enough for distributing their products. And cooperation with SREI will help them enter the market of India and the Asia-Pacific region," said Vnesheconombank Chairman Sergey Gorkov."

"Information technologies and innovations are very quick processes, and our cooperation is also rapidly evolving. In June, we signed a memorandum of understanding. And next year the Fund will be ready to make the first investment," said SREI Chairman and Managing Director Hemant Kanoria.

SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited (SIFL) is one of the leading independent financial institutions and infrastructure financial conglomerates in India. Founded by the Kanoria brothers in 1989, it specialises on capital markets, including M&A transactions, venture investment and project financing. Total assets under the Group's management is around USD10bn. SREI has been operating in Russia since 2005.

Vnesheconombank (VEB), officially called State Corporation "Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank)" is a national development bank and one of Russia's largest financial institutions. Established in 1924, Vnesheconombank has been operating in compliance with the special Federal Law "On Bank for Development" since 2007. The Bank's supreme governing body is the Supervisory Board headed by Chairman of the Russian Government Dmitry Medvedev. According to the VEB Strategy 2021, Vnesheconombank priority financing areas include high value added manufacturing, infrastructure, non-commodity exports, innovation and the National Technological Initiative (NTI) projects.

Roscongress Foundation - a major organizer of congress and exhibition events

The Roscongress Foundation was founded in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russia's economic potential and strengthening the country's image by organizing conventions, exhibitions, and public events. The Foundation develops substantive content for such events, providing companies and organizations with advice, information, and expert guidance, and offering comprehensive evaluation, analysis, and coverage of the Russian and global economic agendas. It offers administrative services and promotional support for business projects and helps to attract investment, including in the form of public-private partnerships.

Today, its annual programme includes events held from Montevideo to Vladivostok, offering an opportunity to bring together global business leaders, experts, the media, and government officials in one place, creating favourable conditions for dialogue and the promotion of new ideas and projects, and assisting in the creation of social enterprise and charity projects.

SOURCE Vnesheconombank
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
Tokyo, Dec 8 : Bitcoin vale plummeted 12 per cent on Friday after hitting a record high of 2.4 million yen ($21,167) in the first hours of trading in Japan.

Bitcoin reached the high at 8 a.m., on Coincheck, one of the biggest bitcoin exchanges in Japan, and a little bit lower on bitFlyer, another main exchange firm, reports Efe news.

After that the prices tumbled, reaching an intra-day low of 1.6 million yen at 2 p.m., although later it stabilised at around 2 million yen.

The most popular cryptocurrency continues to make new records daily, showing a sustained rise - despite ups and downs - since the beginning of this year, when it was valued at a price 20 times lower than the current one.

The value of bitcoin has doubled in the last two weeks due to futures trading over its price in markets in the US, leading to growing interest among both individual investors and financial firms.

Products related to the virtual currency could also be launched on Tokyo's financial markets from next year, a conglomerate of companies operating in Tokyo has said.

The high volatility in the virtual currency market and the huge influx of investors on Thursday led to the main international exchanges offering very different rates and some of them suffering technical problems temporarily.

Japan was one of the first countries in the world to legalise bitcoin, recognizing it as a mode of payment in April, making it an important investment asset in the third biggest economy worldwide.

Bitcoin is a decentralised virtual currency founded in 2009, and based on "blockchain" technology, which is also used in other cryptocurrencies, in which the material value is based in data encryption.
Beijing, Dec 8 : A 13-year-old Chinese boy has been arrested for allegedly killing his mother and chopping off her head.

The teenager reportedly filmed the murder and sent the video to friends via popular messaging app WeChat. He was arrested several days later after a friend showed the clip to his mother, the BBC reported.

The boy killed his mother after a quarrel at their home in Wenxing town of Sichuan province on Sunday night, reported Radio Free Asia. He then decapitated her and stored her head in a bucket, before disposing it in a drain.

The murder was not discovered until Wednesday, when one of the boy's classmates showed the video clip to a parent who immediately reported it to the police.

The boy was arrested at school.
San Francisco, Dec 9 : Microsoft has released a security patch to fix a flaw in its Windows Malware Protection Engine that, if left untreated, can exploit a memory corruption error in the malware scanning tool and hack your system.

The bug in Malware Protection Engine was discovered by the UK's National Cyber Security Centre. The vulnerability (CVE-2017-11937) can affect systems running Windows 7, 8.1, 10 and Server 2016.

A similar flaw was found by Tavis Ormandy, security researcher for Google's Project Zero, in June this year.

"According to Microsoft, the vulnerability can be triggered when the Malware Protection Engine scans a downloaded file to check for threats," The registrar reported.

In many systems, this happens automatically for all new files.

Microsoft recommends all uses to immediately install the new security patch.

"There are many ways that an attacker could place a specially crafted file in a location that is scanned by the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine. For example, an attacker could use a website to deliver a specially crafted file to the victim's system that is scanned when the website is viewed by the user," the company said in its advisory FAQ.

An attacker could also deliver a specially crafted file via an email message or in an Instant Messenger message that is scanned when the file is opened.

"In addition, an attacker could take advantage of websites that accept or host user-provided content, to upload a specially crafted file to a shared location that is scanned by the Malware Protection Engine running on the hosting server," Microsoft noted.
Agartala, Dec 10 : 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.
Tehran, Dec 11 : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday criticized the policies of US 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 US 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.
Lucknow, Dec 11 : Eminent scientist and 'Father of DNA finger printing in India', Lalji Singh has passed away after suffering a massive heart attack at the Varanasi airport, an official said. Singh was 70.

The former Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Vice Chancellor was on his way to Delhi but complained of severe chest pain at the Lal Bahadur Shastri airport late on Sunday night.

He was rushed to the BHU hospital but could not be saved.

Singh hailed from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh and was the founder of the premier Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad.

He had won international acclaim for his work on tribals in Andaman and Nicobar. He was the director of the CCMB between 1998 to 2009.

He took over as the BHU Vice Chancellor in 2011 and continued till 2014.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has mourned the demise of Singh and has said that in his passing away, the country has lost an eminent scientist and an illustrious teacher.

In a condolence message issued here on Monday, the Chief Minister said that in pursuing studies and excelling despite adverse situations, Lalji Singh reached pinnacle of his stream and has left behind an example for the new generation to emulate.
Tharad (North Gujarat), Dec 11 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday taunted Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking if he was "scared" of BJP national president Amit Shah that he has kept mum on the meteoric rise in the turnover of his son Jay Shah's company.

Addressing election rallies in North Gujarat, Gandhi also wondered that though Modi claims of having rid the country of the Congress he devotes half of his poll speeches on the opposition party and the rest on himself.

"Amit Shah's son Jay Shah turns a mere Rs 50,000 company into Rs 80 crore in a space of just three months, but Modi, who boasts of removing corruption, is afraid of Amit Shah and does not utter a single word," the Congress President-designate said.

"You listen to all his speeches carefully. He no longer speaks of corruption," he said.

Rahul Gandhi also came down on the Prime Minister for "his promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in every citizen's account but not even 15 paise came."

The Gandhi scion reiterated his allegation of "suit-boot ki sarkar", which, according to him, worked for a handful of industrialists.

Without referring to the Prime Minister's allegation of Pakistan's "interference" in Gujarat polls in collusion with Congress, he said, "Elections are in Gujarat and Modiji is talking about Japan, Pakistan and Afghanistan."

Gandhi said the love and affection showered on him by the people of Gujarat in the last three months had created a special bond with him. "You have established a life-long relationship with me and once a relationship is formed, I do not break it. As long as I am alive, in whichever state or village or road I may be, if anyone from Gujarat, any poor or any shopkeeper, calls for me, I will reach within five minutes," he told his audience.

The Congress leader is campaigning in north and central Gujarat for the second phase of polling on December 14 for 93 seats. The first round was held on December 9 for 89 seats.
New Delhi, Dec 11 : The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry on Monday said the Mechi River Bridge, part of India-Nepal connectivity projects, is on track.

"Mechi River Bridge project to be implemented at the Indo-Nepal border is on track. LOI is likely to be issued to the contractor shortly," said the Ministry in a statement after reviewing the project.

"Piprakothi-Raxaul Road (NH57A) - NHAI has received bids for restoration of this highway. Award of contract for repair is likely to be done by the end of this month."

It also said that for the Mirganj Bridge (NH 57A), the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has done a survey and a proposal for temporary bridge strengthening will be formulated in January 2018.

India is mentoring construction of over 600 km of postal roads in the Terai region bordering India. A postal road is designated for the transportation of postal mail.

According to an MoU inked between India and Nepal, the decision was taken after a similar attempt by the Nepal government failed to take off due to the negligence of the contractors in 2010.
Tehran, Dec 12 : Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami has said US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will accelerate the Jewish state's destruction.

Hatami on Monday said Trump's decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem meant that Washington would be to blame for any future conflict in the Middle East, Efe news reported citing state-run news agency IRNA.

"The US measure will double the unity among Muslims and also precipitate the collapse of the Zionist regime," Hatami said, adding that Tehran condemned the unilateral actions taken by the US and Israel.

The Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces, Mohammad Bagheri, warned that Trump's decision was the prelude to a great uprising against Israel, a move that some Palestinian groups have urged.

Iran supports the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and other groups in the region, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, that have fought Israel.
Ankara, Dec 12 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said that plans were underway for a second gathering of Syrian representatives to devise a political solution to the bloody conflict in the Middle Eastern nation.

"We have spoken about Syria. We will gather again as soon as possible in Sochi," Erdogan said on Monday, referring to the Russian Black Sea resort that hosted the first Syrian National Dialogue Congress, Efe news reported.

"Naturally, the focus was made on the situation in the Middle East settlement that has deteriorated dramatically and on the Syrian affairs where our countries are closely cooperating," Putin said during a joint press conference with Erdogan in Ankara.

The Russian President arrived here after brief stops earlier Monday in Damascus and Cairo.

"We are conducting joint work to prepare and convene the Syrian National Dialogue Congress at the beginning of the next year. It is a secret to no one that I spoke about it with President (Bashar) Assad during my today's visit to Syria," Putin said.

He recalled that convening a conference of Syrian leaders was a commitment he, Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made when they met on November 22 in Sochi.

Turning to another aspect of the situation in the Middle East, Erdogan took the opportunity to again criticise US President Donald Trump's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"Israel sees the recent process as an opportunity to intensify its acts of oppression and violence against the Palestinians," the Turkish president said.

Putin seconded the sentiments of his host.

"Both Russia and Turkey believe that the decision of the United States administration to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move its embassy to that city in no way promotes the settlement of the situation in the Middle East. On the contrary, it destabilizes the situation in the region, which is already tense," the Russian leader said.

Erdogan said that he expected this week's special summit in Istanbul of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to generate a "strong message" on the issue of Jerusalem.
Tokyo, Dec 12 : Former US Army soldier Charles Robert Jenkins, who defected to North Korea in the 1960s and later lived in Japan, has died at the age of 77, a media report said on Tuesday.

Originally from North Carolina, Jenkins in January 1965 crossed the barbed-wire fence of the Korean Demilitarised Zone with the aim of avoiding an alleged transfer to Vietnam, Efe quoted a Kyodo news agency report.

During his almost 40 years in North Korea, Jenkins starred in anti-US propaganda films and worked as an English teacher.

In one of those classes, he met his wife Hitomi Soga, one of the Japanese women who were kidnapped by North Korean spies in the 1960s to train the regime's secret agents.

Jenkins married her in 1980 and had two daughters with her.

Soga was released in 2002, shortly after the then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Pyongyang to gather information about the Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea to serve as Japanese teachers for its spies.

Soga returned to Japan along with two abducted couples, whose children, born in North Korea, were finally authorised by the regime to reunite with their parents, following Koizumi's second visit to the North Korean capital two years later.

The return of Jenkins and the two daughters of the couple, Mika and Brinda, was delayed by the ex-soldier's fear of being arrested by US authorities upon arriving in Japan.

Finally, in July 2004, Jenkins arrived in Japan and was tried for desertion by a US military court.

Due to his advanced age, bad health and the time elapsed since the events took place, Jenkins was dishonourably discharged and sentenced to 30 days of confinement at the Yokosuka military prison near Tokyo.

Jenkins said that in the first 15 years in North Korea he "lived like a dog," suffering beatings from the North Korean military.

From December 2004, the family resided on the island of Sado, Soga's hometown.
Kiev, Dec 12 : A district court here in the Ukrainian capital has rejected state prosecutor's request to place former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili under house arrest and released him from custody.

Saakashvili, now a leader of the Ukrainian political party "Movement of New Forces," left the court surrounded by his supporters on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Judge Larysa Tsokol said the court's decision could be appealed by prosecutors within five days.

Saakashvili was detained on December 8 on charges of "aiding members of criminal groups and covering up their criminal activity."

In July, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko revoked Saakashvili's citizenship following allegations that he submitted false information while applying for his Ukrainian passport.

Poroshenko said the charges were not related to Saakashvili's political activities.

On September 10, Saakashvili defiantly crossed into Ukraine from Poland without showing necessary documents to the border guards.

The 49-year-old politician served two terms as Georgia's President from 2004 to 2013. He acquired Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015 and was appointed Governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region.
Washington, Dec 12 : US President Donald Trump authorised the acting NASA administrator Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. to "lead an innovative space exploration programme to send American astronauts back to the moon, and eventually Mars" during a White House signing ceremony.

Standing with retired astronauts including Harrison Schmitt, one of the astronauts on Apollo 17 -- the last piloted mission to the moon, and Vice President Mike Pence, Trump on Monday touted the initiative as the first step in establishing a foundation on the moon for "an eventual mission to Mars and perhaps someday to many worlds beyond", reports CNN.

"The directive I am signing today will refocus America's space programme on human exploration and discovery.

"It marks an important step in returning American astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and use. This time we will not only plan on flag and leave our footprint."

The directive, which came on the 45th anniversary of Apollo 17's landing on the moon, called for collaboration with commercial companies and other nations, but it did not specify when the moon mission would occur or how much it might cost.

During a 2016 campaign event near NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, Trump had pledged to "free NASA from the restriction of serving primarily as a logistical agency for low Earth-orbit activities" and "instead refocus on space exploration", CNN reported.

"Under a Trump administration, Florida and America will lead the way into the stars," he said.

Pence, during the first meeting of the National Space Council in October, said the Trump administration "will return American astronauts to the moon, not only to leave behind footprints and flags, but to build the foundation we need to send Americans to Mars and beyond".

"The moon will be a stepping-stone, a training ground, a venue to strengthen our commercial and international partnerships as we refocus America's space program toward human space exploration."

Trump's announcement essentially revives goals that former President George W. Bush announced in 2004. The resulting NASA programme, Constellation, was to put astronauts on the moon by 2020 but was hobbled by delays and cost overruns, reports The New York Times.

Former President Barack Obama canceled it in 2010 and instead told NASA to focus on reaching an asteroid in the 2020s and then Mars in the 2030s.

The new heavy-lift rocket that NASA is developing for deep-space missions - known as the Space Launch System - could serve as a core component of a moon trip.

But the first uncrewed test of that rocket will not occur until 2019 or 2020, and the first flight carrying astronauts would follow only several years later.
New York, Dec 12 : Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has called on President Donald Trump to resign over allegations of sexual assault, the media reported.

"President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign," the senator told CNN on Monday night.

"These allegations are credible; they are numerous... I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking," said Gillibrand, a leading voice in Congress for combating sexual assault in the military.

If he does not "immediately resign," she said, Congress "should have appropriate investigations of his behaviour and hold him accountable".

Also on Monday, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon also called on Trump to resign in a tweet, encouraging Capitol Hill to investigate.

"These women are right. If @realDonaldTrump won't resign, Congress must investigate allegations by many, many women that he sexually assaulted and harassed them. No one is above the law," he tweeted.

Gillibrand told CNN: "Not only should women be heard, but they should be believed."

On Sunday, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said that Trump's accusers "should be heard".

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to Haley's comments at a news briefing on Monday, where she reiterated that Trump "thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward" but noted that he denies the allegations.
San Francisco, Dec 12 : Announcing its plan to broaden the AI for Earth programme, Microsoft has pledged $50 million over the next five years to put artificial intelligence technology in the hands of those who are working to mitigate climate change.

Microsoft rolled out the AI for Earth programme six months ago with an aim to put the power of artificial intelligence towards tackling environmental challenges.

"At Microsoft, we believe artificial intelligence is a game changer. Our approach as a company is focused on democratising AI so its features and capabilities can be put to use by individuals and organisations around the world to improve real-world outcomes," Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith wrote in a blog post on Monday.

The announcement came on the eve of the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

AI can be very useful in monitoring, modelling and managingthe Earth's natural systems.

Data can speak volumes about the health of our home planet, including the conditions of air, water, land and the well-being of our wildlife.

"But we need technology's help to capture this vast amount of data and convert it into actionable intelligence. AI can be trained to classify raw data from sensors on the ground, in the sky or in space into categories that both humans and computers understand," Smith said.

"Fundamentally, AI can accelerate our ability to observe environmental systems and how they are changing at a global scale, convert the data into useful information and apply that information to take concrete steps to better manage our natural resources," he added.

Over the past six months, Microsoft has awarded over 35 grants in more than 10 countries for access to Microsoft Azure and AI technology.

Microsoft said its AI for Earth could be a force multiplier for groups and individuals who are creating sustainable solutions.

"That's why we're not just putting more resources into this effort, but also coupling this with a long-term commitment to applying AI to grow and scale in four key areas - climate, water, agriculture and biodiversity," Smith said.

Microsoft wants to do it in three ways. First, it plans to expand seed grants around the world to create and test new AI applications.

"We will also provide universities, nongovernmental organisations and others with advanced training to put AI to its best use," Smith said.

Next, Microsoft will identify the projects that show the most promise and make larger investments to help bring them to scale.

"Finally, as these projects advance, we'll identify and pursue opportunities to incorporate new AI advances into platform-level services so that others can use them for their own sustainability initiatives," Smith said.
Washington, Dec 12 : The US has recorded a significant reduction in "irregular migration" from Cuba since the end of a longstanding migration policy in January, the State Department has announced.

From fiscal year 2016 to 2017, apprehensions of Cuban migrants at US ports of entry decreased by 64 per cent, while maritime interdictions of Cuban migrants decreased by 71 per cent, the department revealed on Monday.

The dramatic drop followed the annulment of the "wet-foot/dry-foot" policy in January, a special immigration policy that granted residency to Cubans who arrived in the US without visas, reports Xinhua news agency.

The outdated law, which had been in place for more than 20 years, is one of the Cold War-era policies that persisted despite the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

US and Cuban officials discussed the significant drop of irregular migration in biannual migration talks held in Washington on Monday.

During their talks, the US side also announced it has fulfilled the commitment to issuing a minimum of 20,000 documents to facilitate legal migration in the fiscal year of 2017, a goal set in a bilateral migration accord.

Former US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro announced on December 17, 2014, that the two countries would normalise relations after more than half a century.

The two former Cold War foes re-established diplomatic relations in 2015.
San Francisco, Dec 12 : Google has beaten Facebook to become publishers' main source of external page views over the course of 2017, a new data showed.

Google used to be the main source of referral traffic for web publishers. Then Facebook eclipsed it, ReCode reported late on Monday.

According to digital analytics company Parse.ly, Google sent more traffic than Facebook to publishers -- Facebook sent 25 per cent less traffic to publishers in 2017, while Google increased its traffic by 17 per cent.

In January, Facebook provided nearly 40 per cent of publishers' external traffic which is now down to 26 per cent.

Google, which started the year at 34 per cent, generated 44 per cent of the total traffic.

Parse.ly pointed out a number of factors for this turnaround.

In 2016 Facebook tweaked its algorithm to prioritise posts from friends and family over publishers.

Also, Facebook's "Instant Articles" feature, where the service hosted some publishers' content directly but promised to send more readers to the original site as well, has declined in importance, the analytics company found.

Since users can now publish videos directly on Facebook, this might have affected how many links to web stories publishers put on their Facebook pages.

Google's "accelerated mobile pages" (AMP) feature, which also hosts publishers' content directly on Google's servers, became more important over the year.

AMP stories - typically from news publishers - are surfaced at the top of mobile search results as "Top Stories," which drives clicks.
Washington, Dec 12 : Several women who last year accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct before he was elected the US President have renewed their allegations publicly as they detailed their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by him.

The accusers were among more than a dozen who had initially come forward during the 2016 presidential campaign. They reinvigorated their stories on Megyn Kelly's NBC show on Monday and a subsequent news conference in Manhattan, in which they also called on Congress to investigate their claims, the Washington Post reported.

The women expressed hope that now they would be taken more seriously after a torrent of similar accusations had toppled the careers of powerful men in the news media, business and politics.

"Now it's just like, 'All right let's try Round 2, the environment is different, let's try again'," Samantha Holvey, the former Miss North Carolina 2006, said on the NBC programme. She repeated her charge that Trump ogled her and other women during the pageant.

Holvey was joined by Jessica Leeds, who said Trump groped and kissed her during a flight in the 1970s, and Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of repeatedly kissing her without her consent in 2005.

"This was serial misconduct and perversion on the part of Trump... The only reason I am here today is that this offender is now the President of our country," said Crooks, a former Bayrock Group receptionist.

Lisa Boyne, a fourth accuser, joined the women at a news conference hosted by Brave New Films, a documentary film company.

At least 15 women have come forward with a wide range of accusations against Trump, ranging from sexual harassment to lewd behaviour around women.

In addition to the women at Monday's press conference, Trump's accusers include Temple Taggart, the former Miss Utah USA who accused Trump of kissing her on the lips in 1997; Mindy McGillivray, who accused Trump of grabbing her behind at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2003 and Natasha Stoynoff, who accused Trump of "forcing his tongue" down her throat in 2005.

White House repeated the President's claim that the accusations of sexual misconduct were false and that the women were lying. "The President has... said that these allegations are false," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

"This took place long before he was elected to be President," Sanders said. "And the people of this country at a decisive election supported President Trump... These allegations have been answered through that process."

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, added her name to a list of Democratic lawmakers who called on Trump to resign.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, called on Trump to step down because of a track record of "horrific conduct" with women. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, also urged him to consider resigning.

On Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that women who accuse a man of inappropriate sexual behaviour including Trump "should be heard", CNN reported.

The women appeal came on the eve of a closely fought special US Senate election in Alabama, where Roy Moore, the Republican nominee whom Trump endorsed, is facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, Moore has denied all the allegations and Trump has stood by Moore despite the accusations.
Damascus, Dec 12 : The Syrian opposition has urged Russia to salvage the UN peace talks in Geneva this week by persuading the Syrian government delegation to begin direct face-to-face discussions, the media reported on Tuesday.

Basma Kodami, a leading member of the opposition negotiating team, urged the visiting Russian delegation to show they wanted to capitalise on the end of military operations in Syria by building a lasting peace, reports the Guardian.

The opposition was not seeking President Bashar al-Assad's removal from office as a precondition for talks, she said, but his departure remained its objective.

She said she could not see how Assad could ever be regarded as a legitimate candidate in fresh Presidential elections overseen by the UN.

She said the focus of the talks this week should be on a new Constitution and arrangements for a Presidential election, not Assad's future.

On Monday, the Syrian government delegation returned to Geneva for a meeting with the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura.

It had left the city prematurely last week, claiming there was no point talking to an opposition that demanded Assad's withdrawal, a stance that prompted De Mistura to warn he would judge this week whether any party was seeking to sabotage the process.

It is not clear whether President Vladimir Putin underlined the message when he briefly visited Syria on Monday for a meeting with Assad where he claimed a military victory and announced a partial troop drawdown.
Mumbai, Dec 12 : The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should display guts and attack Pakistan if it was indeed found "interfering" in the ongoing Gujarat elections.

The Sena also urged Modi "to arrest all the people" who attended a dinner at the home of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar where the Pakistan High Commissioner, former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders were present and book them for treason.

"The PM has levelled a serious allegation that Pakistan is interfering in Gujarat polls. We are very concerned if this is true.

"Until now, Pakistan was meddling only in Jammu and Kashmir and China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," said editorials in the party mouthpieces Saamana and Dopahar Ka Saamana.

The editorials asked the Bharatiya Janata Party whether Pakistan was indeed helping to install Congress MP Ahmed Patel as the next Chief Minister of Gujarat.

The BJP ally said it was strange that Modi chose to make such a serious allegation at an election rally in Gujarat instead of taking action against Pakistan.

"Besides, despite having a strong intelligence set-up, the PM said he learnt about the meeting from media reports. This is an equally serious issue. Instead of tossing it at an election meeting, he should order the Indian Army to enter Pakistan and intervene."

The party said Modi's campaign talk exposed the BJP's intellectual bankruptcy because at each election either Pakistan or absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim was dragged.

"For how long will you continue raking up Pakistan's name at every occasion? The country expects you to act. So do it. Otherwise, mere allegations are hurled even by Yashwant Sinha and Nana Patole," the Sena said.
Chennai, Dec 12 : A court in Tamil Nadu's Tirupur district on Tuesday sentenced six people to death in an honour killing.

Of the six, one is the father of the girl, S. Kausalya, whose husband Shankar was murdered in 2016.

The court acquitted Kausalya's mother S. Annalakshmi and two others. The court also sentenced five people to life imprisonment.

Shankar and Kausalya were attacked in March 2016 in Udumalpet, around 540 km from here, after their inter-caste marriage.

The attack was at the behest of Kausalya's father.

The Tamil Nadu Police had charge-sheeted 11 persons in the case.
Lyttelton (New Zealand), Dec 12 : Indian Navy sailboat INSV Tarini left Lyttelton port on Tuesday morning for the next leg of its journey towards Falkland Islands after completing the second leg of its circumnavigation voyage, an official statement said.

Tarini, with its all-women team of Indian Naval officers, had arrived in Lyttelton on November 29.

During their stay in Lyttelton, the team members interacted with a wide range of stakeholders during the welcome reception hosted by the High Commission on November 30. It was attended by about 100 distinguished guests, including members of Parliament, state officials, businessmen, academicians, leaders from Indian community and media persons.

INSV Tarini was open to visitors at Lyttelton Port of Christchurch on December 3. Nearly 200 visitors, from all walks of life, visited the vessel and interacted with the crew.

The crew was also welcomed by the city of Christchurch during the traditional festive march, known as the 'Santa Parade'. More than 200 school children attended a presentation and interaction session with the crew at Prebbleton School on December 5.

The all-women team also visited the Naval Point Yacht Club, Canterbury and Ara Institute, New Zealand, where a presentation on 'Navika Sagar Parikrama' was given to the audience.

The crew visited the traditional Maori cultural centre, 'Rehua Marae', during the port stay and also had a trip to few tourist places near Christchurch, including Hanmer hot springs and the French harbour, Akaroa.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : In a bid to boost their bilateral strategic partnership keeping the Indo-Pacific region in mind and to increase defence cooperation, India and Australia held their inaugural 2+2 Foreign Secretaries and Defence Secretaries Dialogue here on Tuesday.

While Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra participated from the Indian side, Australia was represented by Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Frances Adamson and Secretary of Department of Defence Greg Moriarty.

According to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry, all aspects of bilateral relations with a focus on strategic and defence relations between the two countries were reviewed.

"India and Australia share warm bilateral relations based on shared democratic values and pluralism. There is a growing convergence of strategic perspectives between the two countries," the statement said.

"Both sides agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large."

With the changing global scenario, Australia has come to look at India as a potential partner in promoting regional security and stability and this led the bilateral relationship to be elevated to a Strategic Partnership, including adoption of a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation in 2009.

During the visit of then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot to India in 2014, a civil nuclear cooperation agreement was signed by the two countries.

During that visit, the two sides also agreed to extend defence cooperation to cover research, development and industry engagement.

India's trade in goods and services with Australia was approximately $15.6 billion in 2016.

The two countries are also currently discussing a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) which will provide greater market access to exporters of goods and services.

According Tuesday's External Affairs Ministry statement, Australian Foreign Secretary Adamson is also scheduled to meet meeting Secretary (East) Preeti Saran and Secretary (Economic Relations) Vijay Gokhale in the ministry during the course of the visit.

Defence Secretary Moriarty also met Chief of Staff Committee and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and visited Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre in New Delhi.
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 : After mounting a spirited campaign in Gujarat, Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday declared that his party has taken the BJP head on and is confident of forming its government in the state.

"The BJP has been cornered. BJP's model of development has been hollow and the people of Gujarat has understood this. They have claimed to have done a lot in 22 years but are not able to tell the people what they have done," he told the media as the campaign for the second and last phase of the elections wound up.

"After the first phase voting in the state (December 9), we are confident that we are going to form the government here. After 22 years Congress has stood on its own feet. Now Congress is speaking by standing in front of the BJP and challenging it," he said.

"The BJP did not stick to its position on the claim of development. Even in his last election meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi either spoke against Congress and or about himself. Earlier, he used to say we will die fighting corruption. But he did not utter the word in his entire campaign after we raised the scam in the Rafale deal and the alleged spike in Jay Shah's business fortunes. They shifted their position as the campaign progressed," he said.

The second and final phase of the Gujarat Assembly election is slated on Thursday. The results will be out on December 18.

Asked how a Congress government will fulfil the election promises, Gandhi said "Whatever decision we will take, we will do so after talking to the people. We will not take unilateral decisions. If your intention is good you can do anything. Our record is there. We don't talk in the air. We have done in the past too by waiving the farm loans of Rs 75,000 crore (during UPA I)," he said.

He questioned Modi's record on implementation of poll promises saying he had promised to put Rs 15 lakh in the account of each individual and to provide two crore jobs every year but failed to deliver.

He alleged that the BJP's rule of Gujarat had only helped a few.

"In the last 22 years, Modiji and (Chief Minister Vijay) Rupaniji have initiated only one-sided development here, the one only for five to 10 people. Not everyone has been given their due."

Gandhi said elections are won on narrative and on issues. "One who maintains the narrative wins the elections. They (BJP) have not been able to maintain the narrative," he claimed.

Rahul Gandhi said his party has changed itself in the state.

He made it clear that no nasty or filthy language will be tolerated against the Prime Minister

"I have cleared my position through my words and also through action. The way Mani Shankar Aiyar attacked Prime Minister, I am not going to tolerate such comments against the post of Prime Minister. And you all saw the action," Gandhi said.

Slamming Modi for his barbs against his predecessor, the Congress leader said, "What the Prime Minister said about Manmohan Singhji is also not acceptable. He was Prime Minister of the country and has done a lot for it."

He also said that as Congress President his priorities will be to change the nature of the politics. "Politics should not be ugly and nasty. There is a lot of anger in politics these days, but politics should be carried with love," he said.

Asked about Modi attacking him in public rallies, Gandhi said that he will not use any such words for the Prime Minister.

"Modiji always keeps on screaming against political opponents. He even used a lot of words for me. But I am not going to use any filthy language against him because he is the Prime Minister," he said.

Gandhi also described the seaplane ride of Modi as a trick to distract the attention of the people from the real issues.

"If Modiji is travelling in seaplane then there is nothing wrong in it. But it is a distraction. The real question is what has he done for Gujarat in last 22 years?" Gandhi asked.
Brisbane, Dec 12 : Queensland's re-elected Labor Party Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to veto a federal loan to Indian conglomerate Adani Enterprises' A$16.5-billion Carmichael coal project in Galilee Basin, a media report said.

In one of her first acts after she was officially sworn in on Tuesday morning, Palaszczuk has followed through on the shock announcement she made during the election campaign to block a A$900 million loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to the Indian conglomerate to build a common-user rail line in the basin, The Australian reported.

"My government provides formal notification for the Commonwealth that financial assistance should not be provided to Adani for the North Galilee Basin Rail Project," Palaszczuk's letter to Prime Minister Turnbull reads.

"As such, the government is exercising its veto right under section 13(4) of the Investment Facility Mandate in response to the Adani loan application."

An Adani spokesman said the company was still committed to Queensland despite the veto, and insisted the Queensland government was still supportive of its Carmichael coal mine proposal for the Galilee Basin.

"We congratulate Premier Palaszczuk on her government's election and look forward to working closely and cooperatively with the state and federal governments and regulatory authorities as we get on with the job of making all of our projects a reality," the spokesman said.

"Adani Australia currently employs over 800 people and has invested over $3.3 billion in Queensland, which is one of the biggest investments by an Indian company in Australia.

"We would not be investing our time, money and energy in this manner if our projects were not viable and if we were not serious about delivering our projects which will ultimately generate more than 10,000 direct & indirect jobs across all of our projects.

"The projects are viewed in a positive light by the Queensland Government and considered as critical infrastructure investments. The projects continue to retain the support of the Queensland Government.

"Adani Australia will now fully consider and adjust to the constraints the veto of NAIF (Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility) funding brings. Adani Australia is 100 per cent committed to Queensland, we have a strong regional Queensland presence. This will not change," it said.

The contentious loan was for a rail line connecting the Carmichael coal mine to the Abbot Point coal terminal, and related mining project.

In response to Palaszczuk's letter to Turnbull, Northern Australia Minister Matt Canavan said the Queensland government had "chosen to stand in the way of North Queensland jobs as its first official act".

"It was the Palaszczuk Government that first asked last year that the NAIF consider a loan to the Adani Galilee rail project in a letter from the now-sidelined former Treasurer Curtis Pitt," Senator Canavan said.

"But what the Queensland Premier has failed to say today is whether she intends to block all investment in the Galilee Basin.

"The people of regional Queensland deserve to know which jobs will be next on Labor's hit list.

"I hope the Adani project proceeds because there are 800 people whose current jobs depend on it, and thousands of future jobs hang in the balance. If Adani does proceed it will be in spite of Queensland Labor not because of it."

Under the constitution, the federal government funding must be facilitated by the state government to the private company.

Palaszczuk said newly appointed Treasurer Jackie Trad, the state's Deputy Premier, would write to federal Northern Australia Minister Matt Canavan to provide the same advice.

During the campaign, the Integrity Commissioner wrote to Palaszczuk and said she should not make any decisions about any NAIF applications, because of a conflict of interest created by Palaszczuk's partner working on Adani's NAIF application, the Australian reported.

However, she said she would veto the loan. Palaszczuk has not said what she would do for other NAIF projects, such as Aurizon's application to build a rail line in the Galilee Basin.

Despite scepticism that its Carmichael mine was not viable, Adani said it had been verified by independent third parties to be in the lowest cost quartile of the cost of production in the global cost curve for seaborne thermal coal.

The decision to veto the loan has been criticised by the federal coalition government, which says it will put the entire multibillion-dollar project in jeopardy.
Sabarimala (Kerala), Dec 12 : Kerala's famed Sabarimala temple received Rs 101 crore (more than $15 million) in collections in the first 25 days of the ongoing two-month festival, an official said on Tuesday.

The Travancore Devaswom Board, the body that runs the temple affairs, said the collections in the same period last season stood at Rs 86 crore. The festival this year began on November 16.

It said the major collections come from sale of 'aravana' (payasam) where it went up from Rs 37 crore to Rs 44 crore, while at the offering box, it rose from Rs 27 crore to Rs 35 crore this season.

The board authorities said the collections will further go up as it's during the second half of the festival -- especially during the first and second week of the new year -- that pilgrims arrive in large numbers before the temple closes in the third week of January.

Situated on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats at an altitude of 914 metres above sea level, Sabarimala temple is four km uphill from Pamba in Pathanamthitta district, which is around 100 km from the capital city.

The temple, which bars the entry of women who have attained puberty, is accessible only on foot from Pamba.
Imphal, Dec 12 : The Manipur government and the people on Tuesday marked the Women's War Day and paid homage to the women activists who had launched a crusade against the oppressive British administration in 1939.

Every December 12 is observed as the Women's War Day in the state to remember the brave women who fought the then rulers to stop rice exports.

The main function to mark the 78th anniversary of the revolt was held by the government at the women's war memorial complex here where Chief Minister N. Biren Singh paid tributes to the women fighters.

Several organisations also observed the day by organising women races, free medical camps and seminars.

"There is a new policy of the Central government for the northeast. Taking advantage of it a durable peace and permanent settlement should be brought about. The womenfolk should extend full cooperation to it," Singh said.

"We should be watchful of the attempt to divide us. The brave women could also contribute meaningfully to the government attempt to bring the people of the hills and valley closer."

Women participated in races at different places like Singjamei, Tera, and Imphal city. There were also races for women vendors in the city which were flagged off by Manipur Speaker Yumnam Khemchand.

Amid shortage of rice in 1939, the women demanded that its export be stopped. But when Maharaja Churachand Singh and the British officials turned a deaf ear to their demands, the women vendors from the main market in Imphal took to the streets.

A total of 21 women sustained bayonet injuries when a vain attempt was made to disperse them.
Ranchi, Dec 12 : The Jharkhand government on Tuesday gave 174.84 acres of acquired land to Adani Power Ltd to set up a 1600 MW power plant in the state.

Jharkhand Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma handed over the documents of the land to Adani Power CEO Rajesh Jha at the state secretariat. The company needs 970 acres to set up the plant in Godda district.

"This power plant will generate 10,000 jobs and the state will get an investment of Rs 1,500 crore. The process of acquiring the rest of the land will be completed soon," said the Chief Secretary.

CEO Rajesh Jha said: "This plant will be 100 per cent pollution free. The land has been acquired as per the wishes of the landowners.

"Jharkhand will get 25 per cent of the total capacity of the power plant and Godda will be on the global map after the plant becomes functional."
Guwahati, Dec 12 : A day after the anti-talk faction of Ulfa shot dead a father and his son, the Assam Police chief on Tuesday said the help of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland will be sought to take on the insurgent outfit if needed.

"Operations have already been intensified against the militants and we have already arrested three persons for their suspected role in the killings. The Ulfa faction is targeting only soft targets to make their presence felt," Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay said.

"If needed, we are going to seek help from police in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Three persons have been nabbed and we are trying to ascertain the reason behind the killing," he said.

The terrorists shot dead Anteswar Mahanta and his son Karun in Simaluguri village in Tinsukia district on Monday evening.

The United Liberation Front of Asom on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the murders and said the victims were spying for the Army.

The Ulfa faction along the NSCN (K) has intensified its extortion drives in areas along the Assam-Arunachal border.
Kolkata, Dec 12 : A day after three persons were held for possession and circulation of hasish here, two more persons have been arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials on Tuesday in connection with drug peddling in various parties and colleges in the city.

According to NCB's city unit, large quantity of illegal acid blots and candies with drugs like LSD and Ecstacy (MDMA) were seized from them.

"Two more persons named Jerome Watson and Nilay Ghosh has been arrested today for allegedly being involved in supplying illegal drugs in various city parties and to college students. Both are associated with the DJ we arrested yesterday. They bought these drugs through some dark websites," NCB Kolkata Zone Director Dilip Kumar Srivastava told reporters.

"Ghosh is a kingpin of drug peddlers in Kolkata and Watson worked as a event manager and had connection with prominent party and event organising agencies in the city," he said.

Srivastava said the peddlers admitted supplying the drugs to a number of prominent engineering and management colleges in the city.

"They said there are several consumers in certain city-based colleges. Also some students are working as local suppliers in those institutions. We will start drug awareness programmes in those colleges immediately to save the students from this practice," he added.

The NCB team on Monday arrested Henry Lawrence Manna and Robert Dixon and seized nearly 2.5 kg hashish from them. Nikhil Lakhwani, DJ of a prominent central Kolkata club, was also arrested for his involvement in the racket.
Nagpur, Dec 12 : After 37 years, veteran politician and National Congress Party President Sharad Pawar hit the streets on his 77th birthday on Tuesday, leading a massive 'Jan Aakrosh Halla Bol' procession, jointly with Congress and other parties, against the BJP-Shiv Sena government.

The procession, led by an ailing Pawar - who recently underwent a toe surgery - started from Dhanwate National College grounds to the Maharashtra Legislature which has currently assembled here for the Winter Session in the state's second capital.

The procession saw the participation of top Congress leaders like former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, state Congress President Ashok Chavan, and others from the Congress and the NCP, besides over 200,000 farmers and party workers from entire Vidarbha region of eastern Maharashtra, NCP state spokesperson Nawab Malik said.

"In 1980, Pawar had led a similar procession on bicycle from Jalgaon to Nagpur to fight for farmers issues. This time, it's a commemoration of that procession for the cause of farmers who are being denied justice under the present Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena at the centre and in Maharashtra," Malik told IANS.

Later, Azad, Pawar and other senior leaders from the their parties, besides other smaller or regional parties like Samajwadi Party, Peasants & Workers Party, Republican Party of India, et al, addressed the gathering near the legislature building.

Tuesday's procession-cum-rally is part of the ongoing agitation launched by the NCP on December 1, in different parts of the state intended to "condemn and awaken the sleeping state government on its various unfulfilled promises" for the people of Maharashtra.

These include the Minimum Support Price for farmers for agriculture produce, the disbursement of the farm loans waiver package announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in June, and other issues, he added.
Kolkata, Dec 12 : West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury on Tuesday hailed the new party President Rahul Gandhi as a "sagacious and dynamic leader" and claimed he would play a pivotal role in new political dynamics in the country.

"Our beloved Rahul Gandhi is now Cong President, will certainly instill confidence into the minds of Cong workers.he is a sagacious and dynamic leader, he will be playing a pivotal and catalytic role in forging a new political dynamics with distinctive narratives," Chowdhury said in a tweet.

State Congress activists on Tuesday observed 'Bijay Dibas' at the WBPCC headquarters Bidhan Bhavan to celebrate Rahul Gandhi's ascension to the post.

Condemning the brutal killing of Bengali labourer Afrajul in Rajasthan earlier this month, Chowdhury demanded that the case's trial be transferred from Rajasthan to Bengal. He also asked the state government to open liaison offices in states where people from Bengal go in search of jobs.

Criticising Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claims that her party workers would not say indecent things even if they are provoked by other parties, the Congress leader said Banerjee herself is heavily involved in foul-mouthing others.

"She herself is a pioneer in foul-mouthing others. Her party leaders have mastered this habit from her. Maybe Banerjee has felt that the party needs to be more civilised. Hence she is trying to change the stance," Chowdhury added.
Vienna, Dec 12 : At least one person was killed and 18 persons were injured in an explosion at a natural gas plant in Austria on Tuesday, officials said.

The gas plant, belonging to the Austrian international oil and gas company OMV, erupted in flames at around 9 a.m. in the municipality of Baumgarten an der March, located 40 km to the east of Vienna, Efe news reported.

The regional police for Lower Austria said on Twitter that the situation was under control although firefighters were still working to extinguish the conflagration. The police said the cause of the explosion had been a technical failure.
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 : The BJP on Tuesday alleged that Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi has been "telling lies" to the public of Gujarat but has no answers to their questions.

"The Congress has promised reservation to the Patidars. But will Rahul Gandhi tell us what is the road map for the same? The BJP has sympathy with the Patidars, but to be sympathetic to a cause is one thing, and constitutional bounds another," Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here at a press conference.

Raising questions over Rahul Gandhi's visits to various temples in Gujarat, Prasad alleged that it was motivated by political considerations more than religious dedication.

"Rahul Gandhi has been going to temples in Gujarat. But during the Uttar Pradesh elections, did he ever visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya or the Krishna temple in Mathura?" Prasad said.

"Also, the Congress should make its stand clear on the Ram Temple issue. Should a Ram Temple be built in Ayodhya or not," he added.

Prasad also questioned the propriety of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meeting a Pakistani delegation at Mani Shankar Aiyar's place.

He said the Narendra Modi government is going to bring a stringent law against the practice of triple talaq or instant divorce prevalent among Muslims.

"This matter was brought to the Supreme Court during the UPA tenure but the Manmohan Singh government did not file a response in the court. But we took a stand on the issue," the Minister said.

"Rahul Gandhi has been saying in his speeches that the BJP is not talking of development in Gujarat. We have all the data that shows the development done in the state during the last 22 years. My request to Rahul Gandhi is just that he should stop telling lies, more so now as he has been elected the President of the Congress party," Prasad said.
Paris, Dec 12 : French President Emmanuel Macron has said he believes US President Donald Trump will bring Washington back into the Paris deal on combating climate change.

But Macron said in an interview to CBS News on Monday that he will not agree to Trump's demand that America's terms should be negotiated.

The French President, on the eve of a climate summit he arranged in Paris, condemned the manner in which the US had signed an international deal, then withdrawn from it.

"The US did sign the Paris agreement. It's extremely aggressive to decide on its own just to leave and no way to push the others to renegotiate because one decided to leave the floor. I'm sorry to say that. It doesn't fly," said Macron.

Macron told CBS he was not willing to be accused by future generations of understanding the extent of the climate problem but doing too little to solve it.

Scientists were waiting to see whether Tuesday's summit of 50 senior ministers and Prime Ministers will achieve its aim of giving a boost to the current sluggish progress on cutting emissions, the BBC reported.

The important announcements to be made on key financial issues included raising cash to give poor countries clean energy, stopping development banks lending for new coal plants and insisting that firms disclose any fossil fuel assets that might be devalued if governments clamp down on emissions.

On being asked, the French President called his relationship with his US counterpart "very direct" and said that he was frank about his opposition to Washington recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Dubai, Dec 12 : Former US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday warned there might be an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Shia militia Hezbollah in 2018.

He made the remarks at the one-day annual Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai, Xinhua news agency reported.

"As Hezbollah had helped the Syrian regime defeat the Islamic State (IS) group, this might encourage the militia to step up attacks on Israel," said Gates, who served under US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Israel in return might feel that Hezbollah has become a problem to deal with, he added.

Hezbollah has been supporting the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against the IS and other militia groups in Syria by sending fighters and weapons.

In 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war and have since exchanged sporadic fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Gates said he expects the tension to rise between Shia Iran and Saudi-led Sunni Arab states "as Iran continues in trying to increase its influence and meddling across the Middle East".
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The NGT on Tuesday directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to submit by Wednesday a detailed report regarding Phase II of the Yamuna river revitalization project "Maily Se Nirmal Yamuna".

A National Green Tribunal (NGT) bench headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar told the officials to apprise the tribunal about the number of drains opening into the river as well as waste dumped into it in Delhi.

The green court also sought information on the number of sewage treatment plants (STPs) proposed to be set up under this phase to treat effluents dumped into the river by drains at Shahdara, Barapulla and other places.

The tribunal had earlier given orders pertaining to Phase I to finalize sites and financial issues between the DJB and the NGMC.

Under Phase I, 14 STPs were to be set up along the Nazafgarh and Delhi Gate drains. Two major STPs under Phase I were proposed to treat about 67 per cent of pollutants flowing into the river.

The tribunal said it will monitor work of the next phase. "We are not talking about 33 per cent pollutants flowing into the river," the bench said.

The NGT told NGMC and others to ensure the presence of their top officials on Wednesday in the court.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress party of spreading unimaginable lies about Gujarat and about him "personally" and said the people of the state would give a "fitting reply" to the "negativity" of the opposition.

In a series of tweets the Prime Minister also said that victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future.

"The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, Gujarat's growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined. It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition," he said.

The Prime Minister said with BJP governments in Gujarat and at the Centre, together they will take the state to new heights.

"With the Government of India and Government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1+1 is not 2 but 11 and together we will take Gujarat to new heights," he said.

Modi also said that no Gujarati will let go of a golden opportunity for development of the youth and coming generations.

"Victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future. I am devoting my life for the betterment of crores of people of Gujarat and India. Have been fortunate to always get your blessings. I am sure you will continue to bless us in these elections too by voting for BJP," the Prime Minister said.

He urged the people to vote in record numbers and called upon them to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state.

"Campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 ends. After three and a half years, I got the honour to travel across the length and breadth of Gujarat to seek the blessings of the people. During my travels across Gujarat, the level of affection I have received from the people is unparalleled in my 40 years of public life. This affection gives me strength and motivates me to devote all my time for India's development," he said.

Modi has addressed over 30 rallies in Gujarat. Polling is scheduled for the second phase on December 14.

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.

The counting of votes will take place on December 18.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : A five-year-old petitioner approached the NGT on Tuesday complaining of noise pollution from Delhi Metro's operations.

The petition of Samriddhi Goswami, concerning the situation in north Delhi's Rohini area, prompted the green court to direct the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to strictly adhere to the environment norms by complying with the prescribed limits.

Disposing of the matter, the bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to ensure no noise pollution is caused in its activities, including construction and operation.

Samriddhi had earlier made several failed attempts of complaining against the noise pollution caused by Metro operations.

In her petition, she sought shifting of Rohini Sector 18-19 metro station to a suitable alternate site as the noise levels were found to be above 85 decibels.

The girl, in her plea filed through advocates Salik Shafique and Rahul Khurana, has also sought installation of a sound barrier around the metro station.

She also sought compensation for causing trauma due to noise pollution during the construction and trial phase of the station.

The petition referred to the 2011 Environment Impact Assessment Report of metro stations which states that the noise pollution may not pose health risk but can lead to sleep disorders, stress, high blood pressure and anxiety.
Agartala, Dec 12 : Ahead of the February Tripura Assembly polls, the Left Front government on Tuesday announced 24 months of maternity leave to its women employees -- for the first two children.

The weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, took the decision, Information and Finance Minister Bhanulal Saha told the media. He said women employees can take the leave in one go or intermittently till the child turns 18.
Chandigarh, Dec 12 : Raj Chouhan, Deputy Speaker of Canada's British Columbia Legislative Assembly, on Tuesday called upon Punjab Speaker Rana K.P. Singh here and discussed the possibility of establishing a partnership agreement between the two assemblies.

He also conveyed congratulations to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on behalf of British Columbia Premier John Horgan for winning the elections early this year.

During the half an hour interaction, Chouhan, legislator from Burnaby-Edmonds in Vancouver, handed over a draft partnership agreement to his counterparts besides discussing various issues being faced by both houses, a Punjab government statement said.

He also conveyed that the Speaker and the Clerk of Legislative assembly of British Columbia would like to visit Chandigarh to meet Rana K.P. Singh to finalise the agreement.

Chouhan said Horgan is interested in strengthening the bilateral ties, trade relations and cultural relations between the two states.

Welcoming Chouhan, the Punjab Speaker said it was a matter of pride that Punjabis like him attained height in various fields at Canada.

He said the initiative taken by the British Columbia Speaker would be a learning experience for both states as legislatures of the both states can learn many things from each other.
Beijing, Dec 12 : At his meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the military stand-off in Doklam had put a "severe" strain on bilateral ties.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday released a statement detailing what Wang told Sushma Swaraj during their bilateral meet in New Delhi where the Chinese leader attended the Russia, India and China trilateral meet.

According to the statement, Wang also said that lessons should be learned from Doklam crisis so that it does not happen again even though the crisis was resolved peacefully.

"The viciousness caused by the cross-border infiltration of the Indian border guards put bilateral relations under severe pressure.

"The matter was finally settled peacefully through diplomatic means, reflecting the maturing of bilateral relations. However, lessons should be learned and (it) should not happen again," Wang was quoted as saying.

"In 2017, relations between China and India have maintained their momentum of development as a whole. Both sides have made efforts in this regard, but they are not very satisfactory," the Foreign Minister said.

The armies of both countries were locked in a 73-day stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of Sino-Indian border over the building of a road by the Chinese military in the area that is claimed by Bhutan.

Indian troops stalled the work citing the disputed status of Doklam and its proximity to its key artery in the northeast. The crisis was resolved on August 28 after both the armies retreated from the point of the face-off.

It was Wang's first visit to India since the Doklam crisis.

"The leaders of the two countries pointed out that both China and India should regard each other as partners rather than adversaries."

Wang said that Sino-India relations were at a crucial period and the most important thing between them should be to cultivate mutual trust.

"With mutual trust, the specific problems are expected to be resolved on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual accommodation.

"Without mutual trust, individual problems will continue to overflow and erode the overall situation of bilateral relations.

"To this end, both sides should strengthen strategic communication at all levels, restore the established dialogue mechanism, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields and at the same time control the existing differences and safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas.

"If China and India speak with one voice, the world will listen. I hope this day will come soon," Wang was quoted as saying.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Ahead of Gujarat's second phase elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said that 100 per cent deployment of VVPAT machines in the state has "bolstered the voters confidence" in the electoral process.

It added that "strict adherence to ECI's stringent security and administrative protocols" leaves no room for any possibility of electoral malpractices.

"The ECI has put in place robust administrative safeguards and security protocols for use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for the second phase of polls in Gujarat," the poll panel said.

During the first phase of polling in the state on December 9, more than 100 complaints of EVMs and VVPATs malfunctioning came from different places. Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia alleged that EVMs in Porbandar were linked with Bluetooth devices and being manipulated.

However, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Gujarat B.B. Swain dismissed the complaint as having "no merit in it".

The opposition has voiced doubts over EVMs' credibility, especially after the BJP swept the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections earlier this year.

On Tuesday, the EC said that thanks to "strict adherence" to its security and administrative protocols, there was "no room for any possibility of electoral malpractices during the first phase of polling on December 9".

It said that only a "miniscule percentage of technical glitches" in the EVMs and VVPATs were reported, which were "immediately addressed by replacing the machines".

"During the first phase of polling, only 0.75 per cent of Ballot Units, 0.75 per cent of Control Units and 2.8 per cent of VVPATs developed technical glitches such as broken/stuck buttons, no display etc," the EC said.

The poll panel reiterated that it has put in place an "elaborate framework of administrative system, security protocols and procedural checks-and-balances" in Gujarat, which prevent any possible misuse of EVMs or VVPATs.

It said that on the poll day of second phase, a mock poll by casting at least 50 votes will be conducted at every polling station by the Presiding Officer in the presence of the polling agents one hour before start of actual poll.

After the mock poll, Presiding Officer will ascertain the result in the Control Unit, count the VVPAT paper slips in the presence of the polling agents and confirm that the results tally for each candidate.
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flew in a seaplane from the Sabarmati riverfront to Dharoi Dam on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat elections, courting a controversy over a possible breach of security protocol.

The Congress took a dig at Modi's style of pulling the curtain down on his poll campaign with the seaplane journey, terming it a "distraction" from real issues and a "hawa hawai" (gas).

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Modi riding the single-engine seaplane was a security breach as the rule book says that the Prime Minister can only fly in twin or multi-engine aircraft.

But the critcism didn't wobble Modi's flight that came as his roadshow in Ahmedabad scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled.

Waving to a crowd of supporters, Modi took off from the waters near the Sardar Bridge that connects Ahmedabad's old city with the newer parts in the west. A special jetty was built to facilitate the Prime Minister's boarding.

A video clip showed Modi buckled in a seat in the plane. After the plane landed in the pond of Dharoi Dam, Modi travelled to Ambaji Temple by road and prayed there.

Modi said the seaplane journey signified how the BJP was trying to harness waterways in Gujarat.

"Effective use of waterways augurs well for tourism. Places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, our vibrant Northeast, places with many water bodies, big dams, waterways will benefit with usage of sea planes. More tourism also brings greater economic opportunities.

"Sea plane services can also be helpful during times of medical emergencies. Those needing even quicker access to medical care and those living in remote areas stand to gain a lot," the Prime Minister tweeted.

He returned to Ahmedabad by the seaplane in the evening.

John Goulet, the Canadian pilot who flew Modi in the Quest Kodiak 100 turboprop single-engine plane, also called an SUV with wings, told reporters that the Prime Minister had been a "very good passenger".

"It was a very pleasing experience. I gave him a safety briefing. Sea planes are very common in many countries. It should be popular in India also as you have lakes, rivers, coastal areas," Goulet said.

Asked the reason for Modi taking a seaplane, Jagdish Bhavsar, an official of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said: "You can take this gesture of the Prime Minister as our other programmes like the Ro-Ro Ferry Service or the Bullet Train project or the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). You can take this new programme as one of the initiatives of BJP."

Modi's flight comes days after Minister for Shipping and Road Transport Nitin Gadkari took a trial flight off Mumbai waters in Setouchi's 10-seater Kodiak Quest 1000 seaplane.

While the Congress mocked at Modi's style, Abdullah wondered how the top security for the Prime Minister had been relaxed for him to take the seaplane.

"How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country," he tweeted.

Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi said it was "only a distraction over the real issues of Gujarat". "If Modiji wants to fly in a seaplane, there is nothing wrong in it. It is good. But it is only a distraction. What did you do for the people in the 22 years of your rule in Gujarat."

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala termed it "hawa hawai", or an air bubble, as the the ruling BJP "did not understand development".

Tuesday was the last day for campaigning for the elections and all the political campaigning halted at 5 p.m. But door-to-door campaigning was allowed with the party symbol on caps and T-shirts.

The second and final phase of polls on Thursday will see around two crore voters decide the fate of 1,828 candidates fighting for 93 assembly seats.
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 : Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked if visiting temples was forbidden, adding he felt very nice about it and prayed for the golden future of Gujarat.

"Is going to temples forbidden?" Gandhi asked when a reporter questioned him at a press conference here about his visit to temples in Gujarat during campaigning ahead of the assembly elections.

"We took out a yatra this time... whichever temple I went to, I prayed for the golden future of Gujarat... so that the state's youth and farmers have a bright future."

Asked why he visited temples in Gujarat only, the Congress leader retorted: "Don't you remember I had gone to Kedarnath? Is Kedarnath in Gujarat?"

"If you remember, I visited Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand as well... I keep going... the BJP says I don't go to temples... go and find out in Uttarakhand, I had gone to temples there."

Gandhi said that normally the party holds public meetings during campaigning. However, he said, this time we held a 'yatra' or roadshow/march.

He then asked Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala how many kilometres the yatra covered.

"During the yatra, wherever I could, I went. And I felt nice... very nice," he added.
Gandhinagar, Dec 12 : Campaigning for the second and final phase of Gujarat Assembly elections on Thursday ended on Tuesday evening after one of the most vicious round of attacks, with the stakes high both for the ruling BJP and an aggressive Congress.

After the first round of voting on December 9 for 89 seats, the remaining 93 constituencies spread across 14 rpt 14 districts of northern and central Gujarat will see balloting to pick a new state Assembly.

A total of 851 candidates are in the fray, with the BJP determined to continue its 22-year-long rule and the Congress equally confident of coming to power. Over two crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.

From Tuesday evening, political parties confined themselves to door-to-door campaigning.

The districts which will see polling on Thursday include Banaskantha, Patan, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Panchmahal, Dahod, Kheda, Anand, Vadodara and Chhota Udepur.

The maximum number of 33 candidates are in Mehsana seat. This includes Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel. There are only two candidates in Jhalod.

Gujarat's financial capital Ahmedabad accounts for 16 seats, out of which the BJP holds 14. The Congress is hoping to change this scenario.

On the last day of campaigning on Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said his party was confident of dislodging the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew by a seaplane from the Sabarmati riverfront to Dharoi dam, sparking a row.

Thursday's polling will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. There are a total of 25,319 polling booths and 2,22,96,867 voters are registered on the electoral rolls.

Of the 851 candidates, the BJP has fielded 93, the Congress 91, the NCP 28 and the Bahujan Samaj Party 75. The AAP has put up eight candidates. There are also some 350 independents.
Panaji, Dec 12 : The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday reserved its order while hearing a petition filed by Tehelka's former editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal, who has been charged with the alleged rape of a junior colleague at a resort here in 2013.

Without specifying a date, Justice Nutan Sardesai reserved her order after hearing arguments by special public prosecutor Sarvesh Lotlikar who pleaded for the trial to begin.

Defence lawyers Aman Lekhi and Pramodkumar Dubey argued that the footage obtained from CCTV cameras at the five star hotel showed that the accusations against Tejpal were false, citing lack of distress in the body language of the victim, as she, along with Tejpal, stepped out of the elevator, where the offence is alleged to have taken place.

Tejpal faces charges under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code -- endorsed by the court -- while an additional Section 354 (b) (criminal assault with intent to disrobe) had been added.

The former editor-in-chief of the magazine has been accused of sexually assaulting a junior female colleague in the elevator of a hotel in north Goa during an event in November 2013. Tejpal was subsequently arrested but is now out on bail.

Earlier on Tuesday, defence lawyers also dismissed as "hearsay" accounts of friends and family members of the victim, who she had informed after the alleged rape by Tejpal. They argued that while rape was a "heinous crime", slandering the reputation of a married man with two children by false allegation was "equally important".

Lekhi also showed the camera footage to the judge and termed the victim's body language at the time "natural evidence" in Tejpal's favour.

In response, the prosecution requested the court to allow the trial to begin at the earliest.

"Let the victim come to explain her conduct. Precisely for that, I appeal that a trial should take place. It is far fetched to discount her statement at this stage," Lotlikar said.

On December 6, the Supreme Court asked the additional District and Sessions court in north Goa to go ahead with the trial, even as Tejpal's lawyers had appealed to the high court seeking stay on the same.
Kathmandu, Dec 12 : CPN-UML Chairman K.P. Sharma Oli, seen as close to China, is set to become Prime Minister of Nepal again with the Left alliance completing a clean sweep in the country's first elections to the provincial and federal assemblies.

The pro-India ruling Nepali Congress (NC), which faced its biggest electoral debacle ever, is set to sit in the opposition.

Oli, whose party and the CPN (Maoist Centre) won a resounding victory, has said he would duly respect the opposition and take it along.

According to the Election Commission on Tuesday, the country's leftist alliance won 113 seats in Nepal's Parliament, while the NC won just 21 seats.

The leftist alliance was also leading in six out of seven newly-created provincial assemblies mandated in a new Constitution, which was officially adopted in 2015.

Oli's campaign has called for the extension of the Chinese railway network into Nepal and implementation of hydroelectric, airport and other infrastructure projects to create jobs.

He briefly served as Premier from October 2015 to August 2016 but lost his seat when the Maoists dropped out of a coalition government and Oli faced pressure to resign as leader of a minority government.

According to officials, CPN (Maoist Centre) chief and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is likely to support Oli's candidature for the Prime Minister's post while he would take the reins of the unified party. Oli won from Jhapa-5 with 57,139 votes, defeating Nepali Congress' Khagaraj Adhikari who secured 28,297 votes.

The Election Commission is likely to count propositional representation votes by December 15 and submit the final election results to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

Oli and Prachanda addressed victory rallies in their constituencies in Jhapa and Chitwan, respectively. They will return to Kathmandu on Wednesday to discuss formation of the new government. The country will get a new Prime Minister within the first week of January next year.

Oli said the new government would take the opposition along and work with it, giving it the due respect. "We have seen in the pastA victory often tends to make parties arrogant... I would like to assureA we ourselves have gone through such oppressions to arrive where we are today," the Himalayan Times reported.

"We know where it hurts," he said.

The country's Parliament is composed of 275 seats, 110 of which are allocated on a proportional representation basis. There are also 550 seats across the seven provincial assemblies.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who also serves as chairman of Nepali Congress, won his seat from a constituency in western Nepal, but most senior leaders of his party were trounced in the polls.

Ram Sharan Mahat, a former Finance Minister of the Nepali Congress, said the party had suffered losses due to votes being less spread out.

"In earlier elections, votes had been divided among three main parties. But, after their alliance, it became a race between the two," said Mahat. "Our party made several missteps in choosing candidates and presenting an image during the campaign," he said.

The elections, held in two phases on November 26 and December 7, capped the country's 11-year transition from monarchy to federal democracy.
Dhaka, Dec 12 : Bangladesh Police detained the wife and in-laws of New York's 'attempted suicide bomber' Akayed Ullah for questioning in Dhaka, the media reported.

The counterterrorism unit detained the three on Tuesday afternoon from Zigatala's Moneshwar Road.

"The three have been brought in for questioning," Counterterrorism Unit Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam told bdnews24.com.

Akayed's wife Jannatul Ferdous and their six-month-old child live with her parents at a home on Moneshwar Road.

Akayed, 27, who hails from Chittagong, has lived in the US for seven years. US police officials say he started as a cab driver and then became an electrician at a real estate company after 2015.

New York City police detained Akayed after he had injured himself after detonating a pipe bomb at the crowded Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. He was later admitted to hospital.

US police officials say the bomb was tied to his body.

They claim Akayed had been inspired by Islamic State propaganda.

Bangladesh police began searching for Akayed's family after his identity was confirmed.

An official from the counterterrorism unit said they found the address of Akayed's in-laws on Tuesday afternoon.

Akayed's father-in-law Zulfikar Haider, mother-in-law Mahfuza Akhtar and their children rented the house.

The Bangladesh embassy in Washington DC reiterated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government's 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism.

"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice," the embassy said in a statement.

"Government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'Zero Tolerance' against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including Monday morning's incident in New York City."

Akayed is said to be in serious condition at Bellevue Hospital Center.

The local media have published a photo of the bearded suspect lying on the ground with burn injuries on his belly.

New York Post reported quoting sources in the police that the suspect had wires attached to him and a 5-inch metal pipe bomb and battery pack strapped to his midsection.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Eleven communities residing in Sikkim on Tuesday met DONER Minister Jitendra Singh, demanding they be given the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and also representation in the state assembly, reservations in jobs and exemption from income tax.

The communities include Rai, Mangar, Gurung, Thami, Bhujel, Jogi, Sanyasi, Giri, Newar, Khas (Bhawn and Chettri) and Dewan (Yakha).

"They also gave a presentation on the history, geography and other matters related to the state of Sikkim and their communities in particular," said a Development Of North Eastern Region Ministry statement.

According to the Ministry, Singh informed the community that the memorandum submitted by them will be taken up with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Thiruvananthapuram, December 12 : CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has kicked up a row with his acerbic jibe the other day at Rahul Gandhis election as the national president of the congress party.

Addressing party workers the other day at a function, Mr. Balakrishnan had said that congress had become a nominated party and that the congress party would not have a president in the future should women in the Nehru-Gandhi family stop giving birth.

Besides leaders of the congress party, social media users have also hit out at the CPI(M) state secretary over his comments.

Congress Kerala unit general secretary P Suresh Babu has called for Mr. Balakrishnan to tender an apology, charging that his comments were derogatory to women.

Kodiyeris comments were immature and unbecoming of a CPI(M) state secretary, Mr. Babu said.

Young congress legislator V T Balram put up a post on social media hitting back at Kodiyeri.

The national president of the congress party did not need the certificate of the state secretary of a small party, Balram quipped.

Congress MLA K Muraleedharan also waded into the controversy and hit back with equally imprudent remarks, casting aspersions on the character of Mr. Balakrishnan and his family.

Trolls on social media, as is the wont, have thrown shade at Mr. Balakrishnan via funny memes and by harking back to gaffes made in the past by the CPI(M) leader.

Among content being widely shared on social media platforms to mock at Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is a photo of his misspelling Police as Pollice on a board at the police headquarters during a function when he was the state home minister.
Kabul, Dec 12 : Afghanistan's security forces on Tuesday captured a key Taliban commander and killed two other militants in Kunduz province, an Army official said.

The security forces also injured three other militants in the ambush, said Afghan Army spokesperson Abdul Khalil.

"Acting upon intelligence report, the security forces attacked Taliban militants on motorbikes in Kunduz province, killing two rebels on the spot and injuring three others," Khalil told Xinhua news agency.

The Taliban has not commented on the incident yet.
Jammu, Dec 12 : National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday questioned the Narendra Modi-led government's "neutrality" towards the US decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"Like United Kingdom, France and other countries, New Delhi should have taken a position over the disputed status of Jerusalem," he said and criticized US President Donald Trump's "illogical decision".

Addressing party workers in Udhampur, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister also announced that his party would contest the next assembly election alone, and was confident of a massive mandate on its own given the support of the people.

"We won't have alliance with any party," he said.

Abdullah also said that: "Immediately after forming government, the NC will bring legislation in the first assembly session with regard to regional autonomy."

Abdullah lambasted the BJP for what he called dividing the nation on religion and said this dispensation has negated the vision of freedom fighters who gave sacrifices to free India from the shackles of British.

"At that point of time, the freedom stalwarts did not think in terms of Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs, but their paramount mission was to seek freedom for India, the abode of all faiths," he said, adding that "the divisive forces have trampled the spirit of freedom".

He, however, exuded confidence that "this gloomy era will be over soon and the day will come when the India of Mahatma Gandhi will be again retrieved".

He also came down heavily on the RSS, alleging that during the freedom struggle its top brass praised the British and now its ranks were honouring the killer of the Father of Nation.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday said that it will launch six new frequencies to cater to the surge in demand.

According to the airline, new seasonal flights will be effective from December 22, 2017 and will continue till February 5, 2018.

"The airline will operate the new daily direct flights on the Chennai-Kochi, Chennai-Kolkata and Kolkata-Port Blair routes. SpiceJet will deploy its Boeing 737-800 aircraft on these sectors," the airline said in a statement.

"Leisure travel sees a seasonal surge during the winter months owing to the favourable climatic conditions and kick start of the holiday season. These new flights announced by SpiceJet will provide tourists with additional choices and thus enhance their convenience."
Bhubaneswar, Dec 12 : The Odisha government has spent more than Rs 26.55 crore towards airfare of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other ministers in three years, the state assembly was told on Tuesday.

In a a written reply to BJP member Dilip Ray, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha said this expense for the period 2015-17 included travel within the state and outside.

A sum of Rs 8.43 crore was spent in 2015, Rs 11.14 crore in 2016 and Rs 6.97 crore in 2017, he added.

During the last three years, Patnaik had used a helicopter on 104 occasions for travel inside the state as compared to 45 times by his colleagues.

Arukh said the Chief Minister had undertaken flights outside Odisha on 11 occasions in the three years while one minister undertook air travel outside the state only once.

Earlier in September, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India had rapped the state government for misusing a helicopter meant for anti-Maoists operations for ferrying Ministers and VIPs.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi was welcomed by party leaders and workers amidst much fanfare and gusto at his residence at 12 Tughlak Lane, a day after he was elected party chief.

Delhi Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Maken, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and party workers and leaders from Delhi and Karnataka were present as he returned, bringing to an end a three-month election campaign in Gujarat.

The 47-year-old Rahul will formally take over the reins of the party on December 16, two days before the counting of votes for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, the outcome of which could be a trendsetter ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a plea by death row convict Mukesh Singh seeking review of the top court judgment upholding his death sentence in December 16, 2012 Delhi gangrape case.

The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice R. Banumathi and Justice Ashok Bhushan reserved the verdict as advocate Manohar Lal Sharma cited procedural lapses committed by police in the course of the investigation and raised doubts about the DNA report.

Sharma also said that his client was tortured even when the trial was on.

The bench rejected Sharma's submission that even the top court had doubted the DNA report in the course of the hearing of the appeals against Delhi High Court verdict upholding the death sentence.

"We never said (that). We maintained a strict silence (in the course of the hearing of the appeals). You are not correct in saying that any one of us on the bench doubted the veracity of the DNA report," Chief Justice Misra said brushing aside his submission.

Senior counsel Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the Delhi government, told the court that all the submissions made before the court do not call for the review of the May 5 verdict as all these submissions have already been considered and rejected by the trial court, the High Court and the Supreme Court.

Rebutting the submission that Mukesh was tortured even when the trial was on, Luthra told the court that during the period of trial, he was in judicial custody and the investigating officer had no access to him.

"If you have a right and you consciously did not choose to exercise it, then you can't later use it to castigate the trial court, High Court and other forums," he said.

The top court by its May 5 verdict had upheld the death sentence of Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur.

The four were convicted for raping and assaulting the 23-year-old paramedical student inside a moving bus on December 16, 2012 which led to her death due to internal injuries 13 days later in a Singapore hospital.

The rapists, six in all, pounced on the young woman who had boarded the bus with her boyfriend to go home after seeing a movie.

After committing the crime, they dumped both on the side of a road. Some onlookers alerted police. The sheer brutality of the crime led to nationwide revulsion -- and street protests.

A fifth accused, Ram Singh, committed suicide in the Tihar Central Jail here. The sixth, a juvenile, who was accused of ripping apart the woman's intestines, was sent to a correction home and has been released after serving his probation period.

The court permitted the lawyer for other three death row convicts - Gupta, Sharma and Thakur - to file their plea for the review as it it directed the next hearing on January 29.
Bengaluru, Dec 12 : Software major Infosys' back office arm on Tuesday said it would offer business process management expertise in finance, accounting and procurement domains on Tradeshift's cloud-based platform.

"Our partnership with Tradeshift will enable clients to digitise their source-to-pay and other supply chain processes," said the IT major in a statement here.

As the world's largest business network, Tradeshift connects about 8 lakh buyers and suppliers in countries across the world over on its platform.

The platform will also reduce costs, improve agility and process efficiency. Customers can take advantage of early payment discounts, remove manual paper-based processes, build custom applications and help meet their digital transformation objectives.

Infosys will first deploy the platform with clients in North America, followed by Europe, the Middle East, Africa and China.

"In a disruptive environment, platform-based 'Business Process As a Service' models have become integral to the Business Process Management industry," said Infosys BPO Chief Executive Anantha Radhakrishnan in the statement.

Tradeshift Vice-President John Sibley said the partnership with Infosys would provide transparency and value proposition to suppliers and buyers alike in the source to pay lifecycle.

"We will combine Infosys' process expertise with our B2B commerce platform," he said.
Shillong, Dec 12 : A five-member team of the Election Commission will be arriving here on Wednesday on a two-day visit to take stock of the preparedness for the 2018 state assembly elections, an official said on Tuesday.

The team headed by Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar will hold a series of meetings with police and state election officials besides high-ups.

Nodal officers of various departments will give presentations on election preparedness before the Election Commission team, said Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor.

The Election Commission officials will also meet leaders of various political parties.

Kharkongor said the officials of the Election Commission will review the poll preparedness with the Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police along with Divisional Commissioners.

Meghalaya is likely to go to the polls in February-March next year to elect a new 60-member assembly.

The Congress has been ruling the state for the second consecutive term.
Shillong, Dec 12 : Accusing the BJP-led Central government of promoting the RSS ideology, Meghalaya's opposition Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) on Tuesday demanded that the state be included under the special provision of the Constitution's Article 371.

Kickstarting its election campaign here, the HSPDP also castigated the BJP's move to introduce the Uniform Civil Code to fulfill the RSS agenda to make India a "Hindu Rashtra".

"India is known as country of unity in diversity, but the BJP wants to turn it into unity in uniformity. They are even planning to scrap Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and the aim of the BJP government at the centre is to have one religion in the country," said HSPDP supremo Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit.

Harping on the need to include Meghalaya under the special provisions of Article 371, similar to Article 371 A and Article 371 G being accorded to Nagaland and Mizoram respectively, he said that Meghalaya too needed to be brought under special provisions of the Constitution to protect the political-socio-economic interest of its indigenous people.

Addressingparty supporters from across the Khasi-Jaintia Hill region in eastern part of the state, he lamented that even after 45 years of statehood, Meghalaya was lagging behind in socio-economic sphere and asked people to oust the ruling Congress and prevent other national parties from ruling the state.

Basaiawmoit said that the HSPDP had stitched a pre-poll alliance with the United Democratic Party to pave way for the regional parties to form the new government.

Elections to the 60-member Meghalaya assembly is scheduled to be held on February-March 2018.
Bengaluru, Dec 12 : Global aerospace major Boeing would make aircraft components and subsystems at a new facility it would soon set up on the city's outskirts, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"The state government on Monday approved Boeing's proposal to set up an engineering and technology facility with electronics and avionics manufacturing and assembly at an investment of Rs 1,152 crore," Karnataka Udyog Mitra Managing Director B.K. Shivakumar told IANS here.

The facility will be built in 41.7 acres of land the American firm has been allotted in the Aerospace Park at Devanahalli, about 40km from the city, and adjacent to the Bengaluru international airport.

"When commissioned, the Boeing facility will provide 2,300 direct jobs and many more indirect or associative jobs," said Shivakumar.

The aerospace behemoth, which makes various types of aircraft for civil and military operations worldwide, has a global research and development centre in the city since a decade.

The high-level high committee of the state Industry Department also approved the proposal of CDC Development India Ltd to set up a Technology Innovation International Park in the hi-tech, defence and aerospace Park at a cost of Rs 740 crore, with an initial job potential for 25 high-skilled techies.

"CDC has been allotted 100 acres of land in the Aerospace Park to build its tech park," said Shivakumar.

Universal Builders has been allotted 21.3 acres of land in the hardware park area of the aerospace park at a cost of Rs 525 crore for a housing project.

The committee has also cleared the Indian Coast Guard's proposal to set up a training centre at Mangaluru, about 350km from here, at an investment of Rs 1,010 crore.

"The training centre will be built in 160 acres of land in the New Mangaluru Port Trust at Panambur and will create 250 direct jobs," added Shivakumar.
New York, Dec 13 : The man who faces terror charges over Monday's bus terminal bombing in New York posted a warning to US President Donald Trump just before the attack.

"Trump you failed to protect your nation," the Facebook post read. The post by Akayed Ullah was revealed in charges filed by federal prosecutors on Tuesday, BBC reported.

They say the 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant carried out the bombing in support of the Islamic State group.

He wounded himself and three others in Monday morning's attack.

Ullah is accused of blowing up a crude device strapped to his body in an underpass at Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal during the rush hour.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) tweeted that he was facing state charges including criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

The federal charges, announced later on Tuesday, include providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a public place.

Ullah told investigators he had made the bomb at home using materials that included Christmas lights wire, prosecutors say. The device was affixed to his body with Velcro straps.

He admitted doing "it for the Islamic State" and was motivated by US air strikes on IS targets, according to the federal complaint filed by prosecutors.

The suspect's home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched. Police believe he acted alone. Ullah emigrated to the US on a family visa in 2011 from Chittagong in Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi government says he had no criminal record in the country, which he last visited in September. The visit lasted about six weeks.

Ullah's wife did not join him in the US. She and other family members are now being questioned to try to understand how he was radicalised.

US President Donald Trump has said Monday's attack, which followed a terror attack in Manhattan in October that killed eight people, "highlights the urgent need... to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people".

"America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country," Trump added.
Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S., and is projected to surpass Chicago for the No. 3 spot in the next ten years. This is such an exciting time to do business in Houston, and we're thrilled to be a part of that amazing growth.

AcctTwo, a leading consulting firm and provider of cloud-based financial management solutions and managed accounting services, announced that the firm has been ranked the 11th fastest growing private company in Houston, according to the Houston Business Journal's Fast 100. This list is comprised of companies across multiple industries who have shown outstanding revenue growth between 2014 and 2016.

With customers in more than 40 states nationwide as well as a growing international presence, and with employees in Houston, Dallas, and Austin, AcctTwo has built a presence and focus that goes well beyond Houston and Texas. The firm's headquarters and its roots, however, are firmly part of the Houston community.

AcctTwo provides on-demand financial management software, Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software, and Managed Accounting Services (MAS) for midmarket companies and nonprofits. The firm has particular expertise in the Energy and Industrial, Nonprofit and Faith-Based, and Software industries, all of which are very well represented in the Houston area.

"We're so excited to make the Fast 100 for the third consecutive year," said Marcus Wagner, Founder and CEO of AcctTwo. "I'm very proud of the continued growth and focus on customer success that our team has managed over the past six years. Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S., and is projected to surpass Chicago for the No. 3 spot in the next ten years. This is such an exciting time to do business in Houston, and we're thrilled to be a part of that amazing growth!"

To read the Houston Business Journal's post announcing the Fast 100, and to see the other companies on the list, click here.

If you have any questions about how Intacct's best-in-class ERP solutions or AcctTwo's Managed Accounting Services can add strategic value to your organization, please visit the contact page to start the conversation.

About AcctTwo:

AcctTwo is a leading consulting firm and reseller of cloud-based accounting, ERP, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), and Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software. Our sophisticated systems solve the issues growing middle market companies and nonprofit organizations face today. AcctTwo also provides Managed Accounting Services (MAS), allowing clients to focus on the core competencies of their business. We provide the people, processes, technology, and office facilities to perform these functions, while allowing clients to collaborate interactively through an on-line portal.

AcctTwo is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.accttwo.com or call 713-744-8400.

Contacts:

Peter Wagner

Director of Marketing

AcctTwo

Cell: 512.415.6846

Email: pwagner(at)accttwo.com
Students and educators from around the world gathered to discuss emerging trichology issues and aspects. Partnering with Dr. Christiano and her outstanding research team was the ideal way to share knowledge, and create awareness of the cutting-edge technology, tools and treatments available.

The US Trichology Institute (USTI), the worlds largest trichology training provider, has wrapped-up a groundbreaking trichology training event that was delivered in partnership with Columbia University Medical Center; world renowned for hair loss research, led by Angela M. Christiano, PhD.

The historic collaboration, which took place on October 17, 2017 at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, brought together students and educators from around the world to discuss emerging trichology issues and aspects. Trichology is a paramedical field, which bridges the gap between dermatology and cosmetology, and focuses on the scientific study of hair and scalp disorders.

Approximately 70-80 percent of all hair loss sufferers ask their Cosmetologist for help, before ever seeing a doctor; yet most are left feeling powerless and often frustrated  and thats were trichology training comes in, commented William C. Blatter, Chairman of the USTI, and President of HLCC, the global leader in hair rejuvenation. Partnering with Dr. Christiano and her outstanding research team was the ideal way to share knowledge, and create awareness of the cutting-edge technology, tools and treatments available to them. We are grateful to Columbia University Medical Center for hosting such an unprecedented educational event, and look forward to more partnership opportunities in the future.

It was a wonderful educational opportunity for our research fellows in the Alopecia Areata Center for Research Translation to interact directly with a broad range of hair specialists and trichologists, who are often the first to encounter patients with alopecia, commented Dr. Christiano, who is the Richard and Mildred Rhodebeck Professor of Dermatology and Professor of Genetics & Development, respectively, at Columbia University Medical Center. It was especially enlightening for us to hear from them about their experiences with patients, not only at the time of diagnosis, but all throughout their hair loss experience  especially when all treatments have failed. Our team was tremendously motivated by the exchange of knowledge and experiences shared during the research day.

I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this historic collaboration between USTI and the Columbia University research team, commented Dr. Ayyaz Shah, a USTI Board Member and triple board-certified dermatologist in Orlando, FL. We look forward to a long and progressive partnership with Dr. Christiano and her colleagues, and are excited to be working with them again next year.

About the US Trichology Institute

The US Trichology Institute (USTI) is the largest provider of trichology training in the world, and the only trichology program certified by the American Medical Certification Association. The institute offers four levels of trichology training in more than 20 cities across the U.S. and Caribbean, as well as online. USTI educators combine a collaboration of industry experts including top hair loss researchers, dermatologists, hair transplant surgeons, naturopaths, wellness doctors, trichologists, and ethnic/textured hair experts. Learn more at http://ustrichology.org

Media Contact

Alissa Bellard

US Trichology Institute

admissions(at)ustrichology.org

518-389-6202
Andrew Yu, Modos Co-founder and CTO stated, Mobile App security is the highest priority at Modo. Weve always considered it to be the cornerstone of our platform, so that our customers can depend on our software to transform their digital workplace by implementing powerful mobile app solutions."

Modo Labs was awarded a contract to supply the mobile app solution to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC). FLETC provides training to more than 90 federal partner agencies that protect the homeland, as well as law enforcement agencies that span state, local, tribal, and international students. FLETC operates law enforcement training academies at four locations in the United States, conducting multiple training courses annually, and provides training to the four International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEAs).

Modo Workplace from Modo, the global leader in enterprise-scale mobile apps for the workplace, enables companies and government agencies to combine information into one centralized, mobile app that delivers employees the critical information they need -- in one location, anytime, anywhere. The platform also empowers staff to easily manage the app functionality, training information, and communications, by delegating ongoing app updates to subject matter experts, and eliminating the need for specialized IT, programmers, or custom app development contractors.

The platforms app security for government agency customers is ensured through a hosting partnership with AWS GovCloud. Andrew Yu, Modos Co-founder and CTO stated, Mobile App security is the highest priority at Modo. Weve always considered it to be the cornerstone of our platform, so that our customers can depend on our software to transform their digital workplace by implementing powerful mobile app solutions, while protecting their organizations information assets and user privacy with advanced security technology.

The platform also provides insights into user behaviors to further develop the app with Modo Analyze. From search terms to average time spent within a specific section of the app, Modo customers are equipped to make data-driven decisions that will intelligently evolve their users experiences, delivering long-term value.

About Modo: Trusted by hundreds of companies, institutions and hospitals in over 30 countries, Modo Labs offers an enterprise-scale mobile engagement and communication platform that allows customers to quickly and easily create institutional or corporate apps that engage recruits, employees, candidates, students, faculty, and alumni. By using Modo, our customers quickly unlock innovation and digitally transform their organizations, by harnessing the domain skills of any person in their Company or University, no matter their technical skill set.
Cone Health, a private, not-for-profit, health care network based in Greensboro, North Carolina has partnered with Babyscripts, the first mobile clinical tool to allow OB/GYNs to remotely monitor their pregnant patients progress and health, to develop a way to monitor gestational diabetes remotely. With almost 10 percent of women developing diabetes during pregnancy, the project promises to give momsand their doctorspeace of mind.

Cone Health will be the first to monitor diabetic women using the Babyscripts program. Around 100 patients of the Center for Womens Healthcare will have the option to sign up for remote monitoring. Patients will use the Babyscripts app to input and transmit blood sugar values from their glucometers. The Babyscripts system will relay blood sugars in real time to the Cone Health clinical team, allowing for more prompt interventions if problems arise.

What makes this really special is that the woman knows that her blood sugar levels are being monitored every time she tests them, says Kelly Leggett, MD, Center for Womens Healthcare, Cone Health. I no longer have to wait until her next appointment to review blood sugar levels. I can review the values at any point and can modify the treatment immediately. The pilot program will focus on expectant mothers who have a history of diabetes or have developed gestational diabetes.

The new product by Babyscripts was created with Cone Health as a way to deliver pregnancy care that focuses solely on individual patient needs. The Babyscripts diabetes platform will be piloted in February 2018.

The Babyscripts diabetes platform was created with physicians and patients in mind and will provide patients with:

 Daily reminders to report sugar levels through the mobile application

 Real-time feedback to providers on changes in patient blood sugar

 In-app education and counseling for diabetes

 More timely and increased data monitoring for providers

Precision Prenatal Care is a new way of delivering pregnancy care that addresses every type of potential risk and situation that can arise during pregnancy and postpartum that is specific to each patient, says Juan Pablo Segura, Co-founder of Babyscripts. It is with this in mind that we have developed an enhanced product that will address patients specific needs in diabetes and therefore will have the greatest impact in delivering our goal of eliminating preterm births by the year 2027.

Babyscripts is a virtual care platform for obstetrics that allows OBGYNs to deliver better prenatal care. The platform is powered by a suite of mobile apps that drive better patient decision making, internet-connected devices for remote monitoring, and a host of population health tools to give providers access to patient data in real time. When using these tools, patients experience increased engagement and satisfaction, while OBGYNs are able to identify patient risk more quickly, improve clinic workflow, and see more patients.

1. Desisto, Carla L., et al. Prevalence Estimates of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the United States, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 20072010. Preventing Chronic Disease, vol. 11, 19 June 2014, doi:10.5888/pcd11.130415.

Cone Health is committed to being a national leader in quality, service and cost. The Network for Exceptional Care consists of The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Alamance Regional Medical Center, Wesley Long Hospital, Womens Hospital, Annie Penn Hospital, Cone Health Behavioral Health Hospital, LeBauer HealthCare, MedCenter High Point, MedCenter Kernersville, MedCenter Mebane, and various outpatient clinics and programs. More than 11,000 exceptional people provide exceptional care to the people of Guilford, Alamance, Rockingham, Forsyth, Caswell and Randolph counties.

Babyscripts is a new model for prenatal care that is transforming the way expectant mothers use technology to work with their OBGYN practice. Its the first mobile, clinical solution to provide remote monitoring of an obstetricians patient population while directly improving patient satisfaction and practice reimbursement.
Susan and Jim Germany, owners of Eye On Your Home Hendersonville. Susan and Jim have the vision and commitment I have been seeking. Thats what makes this first franchise sale so exciting.

Eye On Your Home, the nations FIRST second home property management franchise company, announces the sale of its first licensed franchise. Susan and Jim Germany of Hendersonville, North Carolina, will oversee an Eye On Your Home Franchise territory that includes the Hendersonville/Flat Rock/Laurel Park /Etowah areas of Western North Carolina.

Susan and Jim operated a floor cleaning and restoration business in Arizona. They closed it to follow their dreams of living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. More than 15 years ago Jim had the notion of starting a business that tapped into the opportunity to support second homes. When we met Melissa Rulli, and she shared her franchise opportunity, we knew this was just what we were looking for, Jim said. "We realized that this dream and opportunity could be a reality and come alive."

Eye On Your Home is a property management company for homes in North Carolina and soon nationwide. Their Home Watch, Concierge Services, Estate Management, Real Estate Maintenance and Cleaning Services offer support to owners of vacant homes.

Melissa Rulli, owner and founder of the Eye On Your Home franchise opportunity, is very selective in choosing the right people for franchise representatives. My brand and core values are at stake selling to the wrong fit, she said. I am committed to finding franchisees that respect and understand the value of a mentor/protege relationship, yet have the ability to run their own business. Susan and Jim have the vision and commitment I have been seeking. Thats what makes this first franchise sale so exciting.

What does an Eye On Your Home franchise bring to the table for the franchisee? First, you are granted the right to own and operate an Eye On Your Home business for five years, plus an additional five year renewal option, Melissa said.

Other franchisee benefits include:



The right to use Eye On Your Home trademarks and successfully proven operating methods

Enrollment in a top-notch training program

The benefit of our experience, saving you thousands of dollars

One-on-one instruction from an Eye On Your Home business that is already in successful operation

A ground floor opportunity with the first franchise company in the second home management business

A complete Eye On Your Home operations manual

Assistance in planning your marketing approach

Proprietary contracts, marketing, and operational methods

Ongoing support and assistance

Eye On Your Home has territories available throughout the country. I need franchisees all over the USA to support the abundance of niche owners that want the core values that Eye On Your Home represents, Melissa said. This niche market has very little support. The few mom and pop operations that try to serve the market do not have the same broad support for emergencies, maintenance, concierge and even remodels. There is nothing that Eye On Your Home cannot facilitate for a client. Our Motto is What can we do to make your life easier? We take the stress and burden of owning a second home off the owners shoulders, so they can show up, turn the key, and enjoy. The same is true for our franchisees. We deliver a tried and true turnkey business, along with the support you need to be successful.

A great fit for an Eye On Your Home franchisee is someone who has the following skillsets: task management abilities, macro vision, networking strengths, business know-how, strong communication skills, creativity, tenacity, innovation and a can-do mentality. You do not need a real estate license to do this work, since it does not handle sales or tenancy.

For service and support for a second home property in the Hendersonville/Flat Rock/Laurel Park/Etowah areas, contact Eye On Your Home Hendersonville, Susan and Jim Germany, 828-393-5898, or email SGermany(at)EyeOnYourHome(dot)net.

To learn more about this exciting opportunity to be a part of the FIRST Second home property management franchise company, getting in on the ground floor with your own franchise, please contact Melissa Rulli at 828-707-1116, MR(at)EyeOnYourHome(dot)net, or visit the website.
"This award is quite an honor for me"

Dwayne Adams of Centerville, OH has been honored with a recognition featured in The Wall Street Journal of 2017 Top Five Star Wealth Managers in Cincinnati.

Centerville, OH November 30, 2017

Announcing a special recognition appearing in the November 30th edition of the Wall Street Journal. Dwayne Adams was selected for the following honor:

2017 Top Five Star Wealth Manager in Cincinnati

Dwayne Adams commented on the recognition: This is quite an honor for me. The fact that I have been featured in the Wall Street Journal in a selection of 2017 Top Five Star Wealth Managers in Cincinnati, signals that my constant effort to deliver excellent work has been acknowledged. It is gratifying to be recognized in this way.

Dwayne Adams is President and founder of Adams Wealth Management Group and has worked extensively in the field of financial planning since 1994. He focuses on Wealth Management, Retirement Planning and Estate Planning. He specializes in working with retirees and their special needs such as tax planning, investment planning, retirement planning and innovative estate planning strategies.

The award is based on 10 objective criteria associated with providing quality services to clients such as credentials, experience, and assets under management amount other factors. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of 2017 Five Star Wealth Managers.

For more information on Dwayne Adams please call 866-513-2099 or visit Adams Wealth Management Group at http://www.adamswealth.com

Contact Info:

Dwayne Adams

Phone 937-433-6500

Email address: dadams(at)adamswealth.com

This award is not indicative of the financial services professionals future performance. Working with any financial service professional is no guarantee as to future investment success nor is there any guarantee that the selected financial service professional will be awarded this accomplishment by this or any other publication in the future.

Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial. A Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC.
The REMM Group awarded Top 25 Best Places to Work in Multifamily Ranking top in Southern California for Best Places to Work in Multifamily will attract outstanding talent, who otherwise might not consider a boutique company.

The best place to work in multifamily in Southern California is The REMM Group according to the Best Places to Work Multifamily contest for 2018. The REMM Group ranked 13th in the nation and are the top-ranked Southern California company. In the competitive world of Multifamily Management attracting top talent and providing an engaging culture is critical to success.

The application and examination process was conducted by Best Companies Group. The top 25 companies were honored at the Multifamily Leadership Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona on November 15th.

Todays talent judge companies by more than the compensation package, they want to be valued, engaged and supported by their team and management. This contest allows us to see how well we are doing in relationship to our peers, said Sara D'Elia, CEO of The REMM Group, Ranking 13th in the nation will attract top applicants to our company.

To be included in the ranking, real estate management companies competed in a rigorous assessment process. Each companys policies and procedures were evaluated along with the results of confidential employee surveys. The surveys accessed eight areas of the business:



Leadership and Planning

Corporate Culture and Communication

Role Satisfaction

Work Environment

Relationship with Supervisor

Training and Development

Pay and Benefits

Overall Engagement.

An extensive Gallop poll found that businesses with a critical mass of engaged employees outperformed their competition in customer ratings, profitability and productivity. Engaged employees are more efficient, better problem solvers and are more easily retained by the employer. They help lower operating costs while achieving higher resident satisfaction.

We are continually seeking ways to improve the experience of our residents. Having satisfied, well-trained, engaged employees is one important key to providing residents with a great experience. We work hard to create that culture here. It is gratifying to see that our efforts have made us one of the best places to work in multifamily, said D'Elia.

The Best Companies Group employee survey found that the Southern California management company had an overall employee satisfaction rating of 95%. When asked if they would recommend working at The REMM Group to a friend, 99% said they would. Ninety-nine percent also said they would recommend the management company's services to a friend.

About the REMM Group

The REMM Group was awarded Accredited Real Estate Management Organization (AMO) of the Year for 2017 by IREM OC. Orange County Business Journal identified them as one of the countys fastest growing small businesses for 2016 and 2017. They provide property management for industrial, office, retail, mixed-use and multifamily properties. The REMM Group's corporate office is located at 15991 Red Hill Ave. Ste. 200 Tustin, CA 92780.

For additional information on the news that is subject of this release, contact Sara DElia at (714) 974-1010 x213, sdelia(at)remmgroup(dot)com, or visit http://www.remmgroup.com.
Oklahoma County joins the Oklahoma Purchasing Group

Today, Oklahoma County announces it has joined the Oklahoma Purchasing Group, an e-Procurement solution from BidNet, to help simplify their purchasing process and make it easier for their vendors to access and compete for bids and RFPs. Oklahoma County invites all potential vendors to register online with the Oklahoma Purchasing Group to access its upcoming solicitations by visiting http://www.bidnetdirect.com/oklahoma.

As a member agency of the Oklahoma Purchasing Group, Oklahoma County joins a community of participating local government agencies located throughout Oklahoma, including nearby Tulsa County and Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County. The Oklahoma Purchasing Group offers a way for Oklahoma County to collaborate with like minded public purchasing professionals in the area in order to share resources and attract local vendors.

Vendors looking to do business with Oklahoma County and other nearby government agencies are encouraged to register at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/oklahoma. In addition to a centralized location for regional public bids, benefits of registering with the Oklahoma Purchasing Group include:



24-hour access to local government opportunities

Bid alerts customized to the vendors products or services

Reliable and timely delivery of notifications, addendums and documents

Notification of Term Contract Expiration

By joining the regional purchasing group, Oklahoma County also benefits from BidNets e-procurement technology, which includes bid and vendor management, bid document distribution, and tracking of all activity throughout the procurement process.

About the Oklahoma Purchasing Group:

Oklahoma Purchasing Group is a part of BidNets regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies. With years of input from procurement professionals, BidNet specifically developed the bid system to fill the need for a robust bid and supplier management solution for local government agencies. BidNet runs regional purchasing groups throughout the country used by nearly 1,200 local government agencies. To learn more about the features and modules available to government agencies, please visit http://www.SourceSuite.com.
Shortlisted for Best Insurance Brokerage Provider It is a great honor to be recognized as a finalist, which represents the trust our clients have placed in us.

The Myerson Agency, a premier wealth and legacy planning company based in Los Angeles, has been shortlisted for the Family Wealth Report Awards.

Showcasing best of breed providers in the global private banking, wealth management and trusted advisor communities, the awards were designed to recognize companies, teams and individuals, which the prestigious panel of judges deemed to have demonstrated innovation and excellence during 2017.

Commenting on the firms shortlisting, Richard Myerson, President and CEO of The Myerson Agency said, "We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for these esteemed awards. It is a great honor to be recognized as a finalist, which represents the trust our clients have placed in us.

ClearView Financial Medias Chief Executive and Publisher of Family Wealth Report, Stephen Harris, was first to extend his congratulations to the shortlisted firms. He said, The firms who have been shortlisted in these awards are all worthy competitors, and I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations. These awards are judged solely on the basis of entrants submissions and their response to a number of specific questions, which had to be answered focusing on the client experience, not quantitative performance metrics. That is a unique, and I believe, compelling feature. These awards will recognize the very best operators in the private client industry, with independence, integrity and genuine insight the watchwords of the judging processsuch that the awards truly reflect excellence in wealth management. Our aim is to make these annual Awards one of the brightest and keenly contested highlights in the wealth management calendar.

Winners will be announced at a gala awards dinner, which will be held in New York on March 8, 2018 at the Mandarin Oriental.

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About The Myerson Agency

Founded in 1994 and based in Los Angeles, CA, The Myerson Agency offers wealth, legacy, and insurance solutions. The Myerson Agency engineers specially designed life insurance products, primarily aimed at tax reduction, wealth preservation and wealth accumulation objectives for ultra-affluent, high income, closely held business owner, and wealthy international citizen clients. To learn more, visit myersonagency.com. Life InsuranceIntelligently Engineered. 

About ClearView Financial Media Ltd (ClearView)

ClearView Financial Media was founded by Chief Executive, Stephen Harris in 2004, to provide high quality need to know information for the discerning private client community. London-based, but with a truly global focus, ClearView publishes the Family Wealth Report group of newswires, along with research reports and newsletters, while also running a pan-global thought-leadership events program. With teams based in New York, London, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa and Malaysia, the company is one of the fastest-growing media groups serving the financial services sector.
Attorney Bradley Hofland We are dedicated to understanding our clients needs and putting together and implementing a plan of action to reach their goals. Our business is predicated on helping clients reach their goals. Past News Releases RSS

Bradley Hofland, founder and managing partner of Hofland & Tomsheck Attorneys and Counselors at Law, was recently recognized by the American Institute of Legal Counsel as one of the Top 10 Family Lawyers in Nevada. I appreciated the recognition from our clients. The Top 10 Family Lawyers award evidences our pride and commitment to our clients, said Hofland, who is also a recipient of the Wiley W. Manuel Pro Bono Service Award. We are dedicated to understanding our clients needs and putting together and implementing a plan of action to reach their goals. Our business is predicated on helping clients reach their goals.

Hofland has dedicated more than a decade to the representation of individuals, families and businesses in the Western United States, specifically the greater Las Vegas area. He has served as lead counsel on thousands of cases in the Federal, District and Family Courts in Clark County, Nevada, and all over the State of California, specializing in complex civil and family law litigation.

Furthermore, Hofland has litigated thousands of family law cases involving divorce, child custody, spousal and child support and adoption. He is a highly sought after advocate on behalf of individuals and families, and is often asked to represent the interests of other lawyers, and even former judges, when they need an experienced and effective advocate on their personal family law cases.

Mr. Hofland is a consummate professional who I have been referring cases to for years, said client Robert D. Subsequently, I was in need of his services in a child custody matter. With Mr. Hoflands abundance of knowledge and experience at my side I was able to address my issue clearly with the court and received the best result possible.

About Hofland & Tomsheck Attorneys and Counselors at Law

Attorneys Bradley Hofland and Josh Tomsheck combine extensive experience with a commitment to meeting and exceeding clients expectations. Practice areas of Hofland & Tomsheck Attorneys and Counselors at Law include family law, personal injury, civil litigation, corporate formation, probate law, real estate litigation and wills and trusts. For more information, please call (702) 895-6760, or visit http://www.hoflandlaw.com. The law office is located at 228 S. 4th Street, 1st Floor, Las Vegas, NV 89101.

About the NALA

The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALAs mission is to promote a business relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. The information and content in this article are not in conjunction with the views of the NALA. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.
This was a big year for our company, added Healy. HEG celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2017, so receiving local and national honors for our workplace is especially meaningful..."

Higher Ed Growth (HEG), a full-service marketing agency specializing in post-secondary education, has been named as a Best Place to Work in Phoenix by the Phoenix Business Journal. Determined entirely by employee feedback, HEG was ranked No. 21 amongst Arizona businesses with up to 49 team members. This is the companys third consecutive year on the prestigious list.

We are honored to be named a top Phoenix workplace again, said Frank Healy, President and CEO of HEG. HEG places great emphasis on employee happiness, engagement and growth. To us, employee feedback is the greatest  and most important  marker of our companys success. Were extremely proud that our employees have placed us on the list of the Valleys best workplaces for the third year in a row.

In addition to being featured as a best workplace in the local market, HEG was recently named a 2017 Best Workplace in America by Inc. magazine. Of the 200 companies selected nationwide, the agency was one of five companies in Arizona and one of three in the Education sector honored.

This was a big year for our company, added Healy. HEG celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2017, so receiving local and national honors for our workplace is especially meaningful. From the very beginning, we put a great deal of thought into the kind of company we wanted to create for our employees. Such nominations show that we continue to cultivate a rewarding and inclusive workplace  a place where every employee has a seat at the table.

The agency offers such best-in-class healthcare and company programs as LGBT partner benefits, generous maternity and paternity leave, profit-sharing and 401k company match plans. Its health and wellness initiatives include nutritious office snacks and subsidized gym memberships. Other office perks: flexible schedules  especially for volunteerism  generous vacation time, workplace pet policy, and a casual dress code.

More than 100 Arizona companies were honored at the Phoenix Business Journals 2017 Best Places to Work awards luncheon on Dec. 7, 2017 at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa. Established in 2003, the awards program recognizes local organizations that offer rewarding work environments. Through a third-party administered survey, employees provide direct feedback about a variety of criteria including team effectiveness, leadership, benefits, and workplace culture.

About Higher Ed Growth

Higher Ed Growth (HEG) is a full-service marketing agency specializing in post-secondary education. HEG uses proprietary technology to deliver targeted enrollment leads to for-profit and non-profit education clients. In addition to lead generation, HEG offers Master Vendor services, white label software solutions, inquiry management and compliance monitoring  with the ultimate goal of boosting enrollment and retention numbers for clients. HEG was named one of the Best Places to Work in 2015, 2016 and 2017 by Phoenix Business Journal. The company was also featured as an Inc. magazine Best Workplace 2017 and on its list of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
G2M Research, an analyst firm covering the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) marketplace, today released the results of its recent survey on the need for Intelligence storage for applications with large data sets. The survey, sponsored by NGD Systems, was conducted across 112 respondents from organizations involved in Big Data, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The purpose of the study was to gauge whether the movement of large data sets across existing processing and storage architectures negatively impacts the cost and usability of the data by applications. The results of the survey show that existing compute and storage architectures adversely impact the performance and cost of these applications, and that new architectures are needed if these applications are to continue to scale in size and capabilities.

Datasets for applications such as Big Data, AI/ML, and IoT continue to grow at an exponential rate, said Mike Heumann, Managing Partner, G2M Research. Our research study shows that the majority of users in these application spaces are very concerned about how this growth will impact their ability to use these applications over the next 12 months. The majority of these end-users also believe that new approaches like processing data within storage devices will be necessary to overcome existing data movement bottlenecks.

The movement of very large data stores is increasingly critical for real-time analytics in a variety of applications. However, this data movement is not without cost or impact. The key findings of the survey include the following:

1. 52% of respondents consider the movement of large data stores between storage systems, storage devices, and servers will be a significant problem for their organization either today or within the next 12 months.

2. 92% of respondents expect that data movement will adversely impact their organization, with 62% responding that it will impact server, networking, or storage costs, 48% saying it will impact application performance, and 29% saying it will limit the way data can be used.

3. Over 79% of respondents believe that current processing/storage architectures will not be able to handle the amount of data in their industry in the next 5 years.

4. 64% of respondents believe that processing or preprocessing data inside storage systems/devices could help solve the data movement problem.

G2M Research has produced a report and infographic summarizing the data from the survey, which is available at http://g2minc.com/research.

As the capacity of SSD drives and the number of SSDs within servers continue to increase, moving the data out of these drives into the CPUs will be become exponentially harder and more cumbersome said Nader Salessi, President and CEO of NGD Systems. The G2M Research survey clearly illustrates the issues that large data sets present to application architects for Big Data, IoT, and AI/ML, among others. In-situ processing like that of the NGD Systems Catalina 2 SSD provide a compelling alternative to moving large amounts of data between storage systems, storage devices, and servers/CPU complexes.

One of the most promising concepts to address the storage-CPU bottleneck is the use of in-situ processing within storage devices. In-situ processing revolutionizes the deployment of a variety of applications that today require huge clusters of expensive multi-socket servers with large amounts of RAM. By significantly reducing the amount of data that has to be moved between storage systems/devices and servers/CPUs/GPUs, in-situ processing within NVMe flash solid-state drives (SSDs) can significantly reduce network size/complexity, CPU/GPU workload, and power consumption for applications utilizing high number of IOs.

NGDs Catalina II NVMe SSD enables the capability of in-situ processing, and is the first product to help reset the CPU/GPU-storage gap and improve the data center TCOs. NGDs NVMe SSDs also has the industrys highest capacities and lowest power per TB (W/TB).

About NGD Systems

Founded in 2013 with offices in Irvine, Calif., NGD Systems (formerly NxGnData) is a venture-funded company focused on the design and manufacture of a new generation of intelligent SSD solutions. NGD Systems SSD controllers use proprietary Elastic FTL and Advanced LDPC Engines to provide industry leading capacity scalability and storage intelligence. The company is led by an executive team that helped drive and shape the flash storage industry, with decades in leadership positions with storage companies such as Western Digital, STEC, and Memtech. Learn more about us and our products at http://www.ngdsystems.com.

About G2M Research

G2M Research provides targeted industry reports that provide market sizing, ecosystem mapping and market analysis to deliver comprehensive views of marketplaces and technologies. In addition to providing standardized analysis, G2M Research also performs customized research for companies in a variety of markets. G2M Research is a part of G2M Communications, Incorporated. For more information, visit http://www.g2minc.com/research.

Media Contacts

G2M Research:

kimber@smithfidler.com

1 (775) 298 5260

NGD Systems:

PR@ngdsystems.com

1 (949) 870 9148
Logo Takemeback.to Why was December 31st, 1969 the most searched date in 2017 ?

Why do December 31st, 1969 and February 26th, 1979 rank among the 8 most searched historical dates in 2017?

A recent research published by Takemeback.to reveals some fascinating insights about the most searched historical dates in 2017.

December 31st, 1969

Has a phone ever crashed or a computer ever went a bit bonkers? Suddenly e-mails or texts are sent dated December 31st, 1969. No, it is not a weird time travel phenomenon. It is much more likely that the computer operating system called, Unix is downloaded on the device. It was created in November 1969 but did not officially launch until January 1st, 1970. Basically, that is when the system was born and started recording time. So when a device is reset or there is a glitch, it will reset in some areas, the clock being one of them.

What that has to do with December 31st, 1969. It is because of the western hemisphere. Unix was actually created in Greenwich, England. So while it was January 1st, 1970 at the time, in the western hemisphere it was still December 31st, 1969. Just a day behind.

February 26th, 1979

On August 21st, 2017 a solar eclipse passed over the United States. It made history due to its rare occurrence for people on earth. Even more rare for those living in the United States. The last time a solar eclipse passed over the USA was February 26th, 1979. Which is one reason why this date it spiked in popularity recently!

July 23rd, 1991

Nelson Mandela died on December 5th, 2013. In a very strange occurrence, a book was published on October 1st, 1991 claiming Nelson Mandela had died on July 23rd, 1991. A little more than a year after he had been released from prison. What was so strange about this occurrence is it was written in a South African education book. With this, it brought plenty of controversies. Whatever the reason, the major controversy that followed was dubbed the Mandela Effect.

June 7th, 1958

When a celebrity dies, past news, music, and all sorts of information about the person spike on the internet. One celebrity death in the year of 2016 generated a lot of traffic for the icon Prince. Prince was born on June 7th, 1958 and became known for his style and wide vocal range. Some of his most famous work includes, When Doves Cry, Kiss, Lets Go Crazy, Cream, and Purple Rain. He released 40 studio albums with well over 100 hits.

July 7th, 1977

At first, the date probably doesnt ring any bells, but looking a bit closer this date is lucky, 7/7/77. While there were no major historical events that took place, these sort of dates are very popular for weddings, engagements, sales, and other sorts of events. Which is probably why it is frequently searched. Many people had scheduled important events that are still precious to them today.

September 9th, 1999

The most popular birthdate is not in November or even October. Actually, the most popular birthdate is September 9. This is probably one reason why it is such a popular search. Everyone is interested to know more about the day they were born. It is also another date with the abbreviation 9/9/99. Like July 7, 1977, these dates are popular for weddings and engagements.

August 16th, 1977

This date is most likely linked to the death of Elvis Presley. Born January 8, 1935, he became known as one of the great American rock musicians of all time. He had a bad boy attitude and a number of hits that made all the young girls back then swoon. Not only was he an accomplished musician but he starred in many movies, often featuring his top hits.

September 11th, 2001

No reminder needed of this date. But a new generation who may be just learning about the terrorist attack are looking to learn more. On September 11th, 2001 the Islamic terrorist group, Al-Qaeda, hijacked a series of airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Centers. Two other planes were hijacked, one crashed into the ground that was headed for another US landmark, the other crashed into the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people were killed and over 6,000 injured. This sparked a war with Afghanistan. It is without a doubt one of the worst attack in modern history or even American history.
The Compli staff is working closely with the Cal Poly faculty to create a bonded winery on campus and offer compliance internships to students.

Compli is now part of the curriculum at Cal Polys Wine and Viticulture Department  preparing students and supporting the California wine industry with hands-on education and internship opportunities in the discipline of beverage alcohol compliance. The Compli staff is working closely with the Cal Poly faculty to create a bonded winery on campus and offer compliance internships to students.

Compli founder and CEO, Rachel Dumas Rey has been highly invested in the project and partnership with Cal Poly. Cal Poly is helping the wine industry grow by supplying highly qualified graduates to work in California wineries and in companies like Compli, which makes the industry stronger and more competitive globally, says Dumas Rey.

Dumas Rey and the team at Compli are assisting the Cal Polys Wine and Viticulture Department as it prepares to build a bonded winery at the San Luis Obispo campus. With a licensed winery on campus and Complis internship program, Cal Poly will be able to provide more Learn by Doing experiences for students, preparing students to directly enter the industry upon graduation. Students will learn how to run a wine business from end to end, including all compliance functions.

The Compli internship offers experience and mentorship to students who are producing and selling Cal Poly wines to provide them expertise in:



All aspects of production, labeling, and tax reporting compliance

Comply with regulations, licensing, and tax requirements in California

Compliance regulations and processes outside of California for sales to wholesalers and DTC channels

About Compli

Established in 1997, Compli has earned a reputation as the most trusted group of compliance professionals in the beverage alcohol industry. Known throughout the country as the industry leader in beverage compliance, Compli has served more than 3,000 wineries, distilleries, breweries, wholesalers, and importers.

About Cal Polys College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The universitys College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (http://www.cafes.calpoly.edu) is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Polys Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.
Nashville MTA This is a transformative time for the transit industry, and our team is grateful to have the opportunity to lend our experience and technology to advance Nashville MTAs progressive transportation agenda.

DemandTrans and Nashville MTA have signed an agreement to provide technology and support to improve and convert existing MTA vehicles to a realtime, demandresponsive service model. Solutions will include ADA eligible vehicles as well as TNCs and taxi services. This is a transformative time for the transit industry, and our team is grateful to have the opportunity to lend our experience and technology to advance Nashville MTAs progressive transportation agenda. says DemandTrans Chairman John E. Michel. There is so much we can do through combining new technology and business models to deliver optimal services to meet evolving needs.

DemandTrans is working closely with the MTA to provide solutions for both ADA eligible and general public transit, such as:



Seamless, intermodal/multimodal trip planning integration across multiple modes of travel (the Switch MaaS application)

Improved access to existing demand responsive services (TNCs, taxi services, and others) for nonbanked individuals, individuals

without access to smart phones, and individuals with mobilityrelated or cognitive disabilities.



Organizing partnerships between the agency and mobilityondemand service/technology providers, that align with FTA guidelines and are based on lessons learned to similar pilots throughout the US.

Solutions to convert existing MTA vehicles to realtime, demandresponsive services (for specific geographic zones, paratransit services, and hybrid fixed/flexible services).

Were looking forward to tracking how the range of MOD solutions we are implementing will provide additional transportation options to all customers while connecting more homes and businesses to the broader transit network. says Nashville MTA Director of Service Quality Dan Freudberg. Helping riders to move smarter and more easily through accessible public transportation options is something we are excited to see. This partnership is an important step in helping us bring that vision to life for those living in, working in, and visiting Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Dr. Charlotte Frei, project manager for DemandTrans adds We see a trend of increasing customer expectations across all industries, and understanding those behavioral changes is at the heart of demand responsive service planning and implementation. We are also working to ensure that any who wish to participate in MOD- as an operator or customer, including those with special needs  are included.

About DemandTrans: The Company is passionate about creating products and services that enhance the mobility experience so transit operators, clients and customers alike can work and ride smarter. For over two decades, their team has been instrumental in delivering award-winning, advanced technology and software applications to solve challenging problems in the transit industry. From operations management, resource scheduling, predictive modeling, transportation logistics or smart city solutions, the company works with clients in the U.S. and abroad to design and deliver intelligent transit technology to help make Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) a reality in any city, of any size
"Our mission is to build the brand and direct off-premise business of our restaurant partners by delivering a great experience to customers when, how and where they want," Brad Duea, CEO of Revolution.

The Board of Directors of Restaurant Revolution Technologies, Inc. (Revolution) has appointed Brad Duea as its permanent CEO. Brad began working with Revolution in June 2017 as a strategic advisor. In July, the Board appointed Brad Interim CEO. Now, Brad joins Revolution as its permanent CEO and will be joining the companys board of directors. Brad joins Revolution at a critical period as the restaurant industry continues through a massive paradigm shift in addressing off-premise opportunities (takeout, delivery and catering) which have become the single biggest area of growth potential for restaurants.

Brad has spent his career applying technology to delight customers by creating new experiences for consumers. Brad has been at the forefront of the digital and mobile revolution, building and motivating teams across the globe in dynamic segments, including digital music, digital media software, mobile devices and services and smart consumer electronics. Most recently, Brad served as Managing Director / General Manager of the Americas-Pacific business unit for Sonos, Inc., the wireless speaker company, where he was responsible for well over $500 million in revenue. Prior to that, Brad was SVP, Marketing for T-Mobile USA. Brad was the senior marketing executive responsible for all product management, including the sourcing, positioning and delivery of over $5 billion in value added services, devices and accessories. Prior to joining T-Mobile USA, Brad served as President of Napster, Inc., the pioneer in digital music, which Best Buy, Inc. acquired in 2008. Under Brads leadership, Napsters total revenue increased from less than $12 million to well over $120 million, including an increase of international revenues from zero to over $20 million with a 2,500% increase in subscribers. Prior to Napster, Brad served as VP of Worldwide Business Development and Worldwide OEM Sales for Roxio, Inc., the digital media software company with market-leading applications Creator and Toast. Prior to joining Roxio, Brad was VP of Corporate Development for PeopleSupport, Inc., a leading provider of integrated e-customer relationship management solutions, and a corporate lawyer with OMelveny & Myers LLP.

Its a very exciting time to be leading the Revolution team as the restaurant industry is experiencing a transformation as leading restaurants embrace the off-premise growth opportunity, especially online and mobile ordering and delivery, Duea said. Our mission is to build the brand and direct off-premise business of our restaurant partners by delivering a great experience to customers when, how and where they want. We have a renewed focus on product innovation, as evidenced by the latest version of our Order One omni-channel ordering platform. We combine this high technology with high touch services, enabling us to deliver the best customer experience to the guests of our restaurant partners.

Immediately upon his arrival, Brad instituted a new strategic vision: to grow the brands and business of Revolution restaurant partners by making dining and meals more convenient for customers. With Revolutions new vision in place, the company embarked on a renewed pursuit of deeper and more rapid technological innovation. Brad has also helped reinvigorate Revolutions merchant-first mentality, focusing on strengthening the business of its restaurant partners by delivery a great experience to customers.

We are pleased to have Brad join and lead our talented team and move Revolution in a new and exciting direction. Brad is a dynamic leader and talented executive. Brads strategic leadership, action-oriented approach, energy and natural enthusiasm are the perfect complement for our organization, said Michael Dicks, Chairman of the Board. We feel blessed to have Brad at the helm leading the charge and solidifying Revolution as THE off-premise partner for restaurants.

About Restaurant Revolution Technologies

Restaurant Revolution Technologies, Inc. (Revolution) is a SaaS (software as a service) company and is the off-premise partner for restaurants. Revolution licenses its powerful, omni-channel ordering software platform, called Order One, to restaurant partners across North America. In addition to licensing software, Revolution also provides related services, such as live phone support, real time order monitoring and issue resolution, delivery enablement through leading national delivery providers, data capture and analytics and demand creation. Revolution and its Order One platform enables customers of its restaurant partners to easily order meals from any channelonline, mobile, voice, chat--and have them conveniently delivered or made available for takeout. Visit us online at: http://www.rrtusa.com
"We are thrilled to have accomplished this again in 2017 and grateful to receive this recognition, -Jason Gottschalk

The Village at RockvilleA National Lutheran Community ranks number four in the state of Maryland out of 203 senior care providers, and number two out of 33 providers in Montgomery County.

We are incredibly proud to be listed as fourth in the State of Maryland and second in Montgomery County, Executive Director Jason Gottschalk said. We are thrilled to have accomplished this again in 2017 and grateful to receive this recognition.

According to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygienes (DHMH) Office of Health Care Quality, the Pay for Performance (P4P) rankings assesses several criteria. These criteria include surveys, staffing levels, and quality metrics, weighted as a percentage of the P4P overall composite score.

The Maryland Health Care Commission Family Satisfaction Survey comprises 40 percent, along with staffing levels and staff stability accounting for another 40 percent; Minimum Data Set (MDS) Quality Indicators are 16 percent and employing an infection control professional and staff immunizations account for two percent each.

The P4P program was created from the Maryland Senate Bill 101 in 2007 that authorized DHMH to initiate assessments on certain continuing care retirement communities and facilities in Maryland, based on non-Medicare patient days of service, in order to provide reimbursement cuts to those communities/facilities in the Medicaid program.

About The Village at Rockville

The Village at RockvilleA National Lutheran Community in Rockville, Md., is a CCRC (continuing care retirement community) that offers independent living, myPotential short-term and outpatient rehabilitation, respite, long-term nursing care, hospice, assisted living and memory support. The Village at Rockville is currently expanding to include Glenmere, a luxury independent living apartment building featuring a wellness center and state-of-the-art indoor aquatics center. To learn more visit http://www.thevillageatrockville.org

About National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS)

Based in Rockville, Md., NLCS is a not-for-profit, faith-based ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americas (ELCA) Delaware-Maryland, Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and Virginia Synods, serving people of all beliefs. With more than 125-years experience, NLCS honors, inspires and supports opportunity and choice to seniors through retirement communities and services in Maryland and Virginia. Other communities and services sponsored by National Lutheran include The Village at Rockville in Rockville, Md., The Legacy at North Augusta in Staunton, Va., The Village at Orchard Ridge and myPotential at Home in Winchester, Va., and The Village at Providence Point in Annapolis, Md., subject to Maryland Department of Aging approval. For more information, visit http://www.nationallutheran.org

###
A trio of the nations top C-level marketing executives have joined Chief Outsiders, at a time when mid-market businesses are clamoring for the insights of creative, experienced chief marketing officers to foster growth in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Jeff Frank, Ian Gomar and Mark Shuster bring a combined total of nearly a century of senior-level marketing experience to Chief Outsiders, one of the nations fastest growing management consulting firms providing on-demand or fractional Chief Marketing Officers to mid-sized and growth-oriented companies. The addition of Frank, Gomar, and Shuster, along with four CMOs in other areas of the country, reflects Chief Outsiders unprecedented growth, particularly among private equity-backed firms.

All three CMOs are immediately available for fractional engagements with any company looking to grow.

Jeff, Ian and Mark are the epitome of what clients look for when they contact Chief Outsiders  experienced, at-the-ready, senior-level talent, with the transformative insights to make an immediate impact for mid-market businesses, and a toolkit of strategies that foster real, valuable and measurable results, said Slade Kobran, Managing Partner of Chief Outsiders Northeast Team. Im excited to have them on the team.

Jeff Frank  an accomplished marketing executive with more than a quarter century of experience in technology, software and professional services focused on healthcare  brings with him a track record of building high-performance marketing teams. He consistently drives innovation and process improvements that produce marketing ROI on the order of 15 to 25 times the investment.

Franks contributions during his most recent turn, as VP of Marketing at Nuance Communications, produced more than $197 million in new pipeline and $137 million in marketing-sourced revenue in 2016. He produced similar results for Cerner Corporation, Lawson Software and Stream Global Services, where his contributions led to increased brand awareness, improved efficiency, and greater profitability.

Ian Gomar has spent more than 30 years leading some of the some of the worlds most recognizable names in fashion and retailing through an inflection point in their business. His expertise in brand management and e-commerce is equaled by his seeming proclivity for knowing exactly what strategies to implement in a turnaround situation.

Recently, as Chief Marketing and E-Commerce Officer for Sears Holdings, Gomar achieved double-digit operating profit growth for two straight years in the fitness category for Sears and Kmart, reversing five years of prior declines. Returns to fiscal health also resulted from his intervention while leading retailing operations for shoe manufacturer Steve Madden and European womens ready-to-wear retail and wholesale apparel and accessories brand Olsen Fashion.

Mark Shuster is a consumer marketing expert with more than 30 years experience building natural/organics, premium lifestyle and wellness brands. Throughout his career hes brought growth, to new and existing brands, though leveraging his diverse skills in brand management, product marketing, strategic planning, new product development, licensing and International.

As the Senior VP of Marketing at Timex, Shuster launched more than 300 products at the venerable watchmaker, generating more than $100 million in sales. He tripled WellPet revenues through new product launches, channel expansion and implementation of an integrated marketing plan focused on driving consumer demand. These initiatives resulted in 10x return for investors with company sale.

About Chief Outsiders

Chief Outsiders, LLC is a nationwide "Executives-as-a-Service" firm, with more than 60 part-time, or fractional, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) engaged from coast-to-coast. Unlike other strategic marketing and management consulting firms, each CMO has held the position of VP Marketing or higher at one or more operating companies. Chief Outsiders have served on the executive team of over 500 client companies to drive growth strategy and execution plans for a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive.

Because of its market-based growth plans, quality of leadership, and experienced team, Chief Outsiders has been recognized for the past four years by Inc. Magazine as one of the 5,000 fastest growing privately held companies in the US, and was recognized in the Houston Business Journal's Fast 100. Chief Outsiders CEO Art Saxby and Principal Pete Hayes are the co-authors of The Growth Gears: Using a Market-Based Framework to Drive Business Success, an Amazon #1 best-seller for business owners and CEOs. For additional information about the companies who trust Chief Outsiders as their premier source for business growth acceleration, click here.

Contact: Sterling Wilkinson, SWilkinson(at)ChiefOutsiders(dot)com
Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula Valley Wine Country Team and Toys for Tots Marines It was great to see all of the support of community leaders and businesses

The newly renovated Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula Valley Wine Country recently celebrated its grand re-opening. The festivities included an official ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by an upscale reception.

Toys for Tots Marines were on call for the occasion to help raise money for children in need this Christmas season. Newly appointed Director of Sales, Kristin Frame excitedly explained, Attendees and community members were able to buy a toy for $10 to donate to the cause. We had incredible results. It is such a great feeling to give back to the community.

Guests participated in guided tours of the beautiful new meeting rooms, modernized two-room suites, outdoor courtyard patio and pool. The attendees upon conclusion of the tour were taken to the beautifully updated Champagne Ballroom where they were greeted with a live band playing soft Jazz music and were invited to indulge in beverages, a succulent brisket carving station, creative delightful desserts, raffle and prizes.

Victor Morgenroth, General Manager stated, It was great to see all of the support of community leaders and businesses. We were very appreciative of having several of our local Temecula Valley wineries -Wilson Creek, Oak Mountain and Bel Vino - present pouring their Wine to our attendees as well as Refuge a local brewery. He went on to say, the staff really worked hard throughout the hotels renovation process and overcame many difficult obstacles to successfully service our guests so to be able to celebrate with them this incredible accomplishment is a great moment.

The extensive renovation channels modern sophistication and encompasses fresh, innovative enhancements and technology, states Victor. Our 176 two-room suite updates include new beds, sleek fixtures and furnishings, modern carpet, secure window treatments, bright lighting, new appliances and revitalized bathrooms including the vanities.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula Valley Wine Country is the only Hilton branded full service hotel in the Temecula Valley. Guests enjoy beautiful two-room suites, a free made-to-order breakfast, free Wi-Fi and complimentary drinks and snacks during the evening reception. Travelers can unwind at the largest salt water outdoor pool in the valley and guests are welcome to enjoy the convenience of poolside service from the restaurant and bar. The hotel is less than less than 45 minutes from San Diego and a short drive from Palm Springs, Orange County and many other popular Beach Cities. To learn more about the hotel visit, http://www.estemecula.com. Windsor Capital Group, Inc. owns and manages the Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula Valley Wine Country and is based in Santa Monica, CA.

ABOUT EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON

Embassy Suites by Hilton, one of Hiltons 14 market-leading brands, is dedicated to delivering what matters most to travelers. The full service, upscale brand offers two-room suites, free made-to-order breakfast and a nightly two-hour reception with complimentary drinks and snacks. Both leisure and business travelers looking for a relaxed, yet sophisticated experience will feel right at home with brand-standard amenities like inviting atriums and complimentary 24-hour business and fitness centers. Embassy Suites by Hilton has 238 hotels with 48 in the pipeline. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount that cant be found anywhere else, free standard Wi-Fi and digital amenities like digital check-in with room selection and Digital Key (select locations) available exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors app. For more information, visit http://www.embassysuites.com or news.embassysuites.com. Connect online with Embassy Suites by Hilton at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ABOUT WINDSOR CAPITAL GROUP

Windsor Capital Group is a hotel management and development company that owns and operates full-service, focused, upscale branded hotels throughout the United States, with the Embassy Suites and Marriott flags. It also runs Windsor Management Services, a top-performing hotel management company that customizes hotel management services to meet the needs of the properties.

Windsor Management Services is an award winning, comprehensive hospitality management organization that operates full-service, upscale hotel properties throughout the United States. With more than 30 years of experience to call on, Windsor Management Services is known for unmatched results for its owners and unparalleled service for its guests delivered with a personal connection.

For more information visit http://www.WindsorManagementServices.com or http://www.WCGHotels.com. Contact is Paul Francisco, Chief Operating Officer at 310-566-1100
In addition to faster payment, Esker has enabled real-time information exchanges, which has considerably improved invoice handling and our supplier relationships

Esker, a worldwide leader in document process automation solutions and pioneer in cloud computing, today announced its joint effort with Getlink, formerly the Eurotunnel Group, a major player in European transport, to automate its supplier invoices. Thanks to Eskers cloud-based Accounts Payable solution, the 15 companies that make up the group now have a single solution thats integrated with their SAP system and compatible with French-British languages, currencies and legislation. As a result, Getlink now processes supplier invoices twice as fast, has improved process visibility and traceability, and reduced the number of reminders and outstanding invoices.

Getlinks eight-person accounting team, distributed between France and the United Kingdom, manually processes 60,000 annual invoices (e.g., services, inventory, overhead, taxes, etc.). Due to multiple companies, languages, currencies and intra-community value-added tax (VAT) management, the companys accounts payable (AP) process is very complex.

We were primarily looking for one AP solution for all our subsidiaries that seamlessly integrated with SAP, said Audrey Willot, accounting director at Getlink. Eskers cloud-based solution offers us more flexibility and is compatible with multiple languages and international legislation. Other key criteria in our decision-making process included purchase order (PO) and non-PO invoice processing, mobility, and the assurance that an effective and reliable audit trail was in place.

Favorable supplier response

During solution implementation, Getlink received encouraging responses from its suppliers. Automated invoice sending and processing led to shorter payment times and improved follow-up. Previously, only 15 percent of suppliers sent their invoices in PDF format. Now, over half send invoices electronically and the number is expected to reach 70 percent in the coming months.

Our suppliers are key players in the process and they quickly understood the benefits of our automation project, said Willot. In addition to faster payment, Esker has enabled real-time information exchanges, which has considerably improved invoice handling and our supplier relationships.

Benefits of AP automation

Deployed in only a few months across the entire group, Eskers solution is used by more than 600 Getlink employees and the company has achieved exceptional results, including:



Accelerated invoice processing time, which previously took two to three hours for one person to process, is now processed in just 60 minutes

Improved visibility and tracking with invoice information now fully visible and accessible to accountants, requesters and receivers  facilitating follow-up in the absence of a team member

Automated reminders enable easier invoice tracking and payment

Ability to handle a variety of invoices (e.g., services, stocks, overhead, PO and non-PO, etc.)

Compliance with the regulations in terms of a reliable audit trail

Monitor team performance thanks to customizable dashboards and metrics (e.g., volume of transactions processed, number of invoices in validation, breakdown by pole, etc.)

Improved international and multi-company management

Reduced invoice approval time with on-the-go review and approval capabilities, thanks to Eskers mobile application Esker Anywhere

Our AP process requires many approvals, and thanks to Esker, we have seen important improvements in this regard, said Willcot. Now we can share the invoice image in real time with all stakeholders, significantly cutting down on time and energy which was previously spent circulating invoice duplicates. Our process is much more fluid and transparent both for our teams and our suppliers.

About Getlink

Getlink, formerly the Eurotunnel Group, based in Paris, manages the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between Great Britain and France and operates the vehicle and freight shuttle services. Getink operates the cross-Channel Fixed Link, which is the fastest, safest and most environmentally friendly way of crossing the Strait of Dover. The rolling motorway, the busiest in the world, sees 25 percent of the trade between the U.K. and continental Europe pass through it. In 23 years, nearly 400 million travelers have used the Tunnel. Getlink also operates a rail freight business through its Europorte subsidiary, which offers a wide range of integrated rail freight services and operates an electrical interconnector through its subsidiary, ElecLink.

About Esker

Esker is a worldwide leader in cloud-based document process automation software. Esker solutions, including the acquisition of the TermSync accounts receivable solution in 2015, help organizations of all sizes to improve efficiencies, accuracy, visibility and costs associated with business processes. Esker provides on-demand and on-premises software to automate accounts payable, order processing, accounts receivable, purchasing and more.

Founded in 1985, Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2016, Esker generated 66 million euros in total sales revenue. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit http://www.esker.com. Follow Esker on Twitter @EskerInc and join the conversation on the Esker blog at blog.esker.com.
National Housing Tides Index Infographic - December 2017 Only three of the markets tracked by Housing Tides showed a yearly decline in rent prices. Instead, annual rent growth topped 5% in 29 markets, with prices rising as much as 17.4% in Riverside, CA, 16.1% in Atlanta, GA and 15.6% in Salt Lake City, UT.

This week marks the release of the December Housing Tides Report, featuring an update to the Housing Tides Index, an objective and sophisticated approach to quantifying and comparing the health of U.S. housing markets.

Understanding the health of a housing market and its relationship to other top markets requires an aggregated, comprehensive view of the industry. The Housing Tides Index provides a succinct monthly measure of market health across the top 41 U.S. markets. Referencing 18 market indicators ranging from unemployment rates and housing permits to rental vacancy and mortgage foreclosure rates, the Tides Index helps users understand exposure at a deeper level than is currently possible.



Job growth continues to outpace tepid housing construction across the U.S., with 2.97M net new jobs added but only 1.23M housing permits approved for the year ending September 2017. This is at odds with recently-released demographic data which show only 652k new households formed in 2016. The slow rate of household formation suggests that a large portion of the newly-employed workers have delayed forming new independent households. Analysis from the Pew Research Center showed 15% of 25- to 35-year-old Millennials currently living with their parents, and the National Association of Realtors estimates the first-time homebuyer share at 34%, below the historical average of 39%. These trends signal pent-up housing demand that is not translating to purchase activity, but should provide a supportive environment for housing moving forward.

U.S. rent prices continue to ease, with the median rent for a two-bedroom unit falling to $1,520 in October. Nationally, prices are down 5% in the last year, but the story is different at the metropolitan level. Only three of the markets tracked by Housing Tides showed a yearly decline in rent prices. Instead, annual rent growth topped 5% in 29 markets, with prices rising as much as 17.4% in Riverside, CA, 16.1% in Atlanta, GA and 15.6% in Salt Lake City, UT.

As many expected, U.S. mortgage delinquency spiked in September following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey across the South. The share of loans 30 or more days past due increased to 4.4% after totaling 3.93% in August. Black Knight noted that there is historical precedent for a September rise in mortgage delinquency; the delinquency rate increased month-over-month in September 2015 and 2016, but by a much smaller margin than this year. Unsurprisingly, Florida and Texas were affected the most by the recent surge, with the delinquency rate increasing from 3.9% to 6.7% in Florida and from 5.3% to 6.9% in Texas.

The U.S. unemployment rate fell again in October, dipping below 4% for the first time since December 2000. At the same time, the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that per-capita income increased to $49.2k in 2016, up 1.6% from 2015. Jointly, strong hiring trends and increased compensation have led to the most-optimistic consumer outlook since late 2000, with the Consumer Confidence Index edging up to 129.5.

Please reference the attached graph to view the Ten Healthiest U.S. Housing Markets - December, 2017.

Click here to view the complete Housing Tides Index of the top 41 U.S. markets.

Media Exclusive. Housing Tides Media Monthly Pulse.

Subscribe to our email service exclusively created for media which delivers an updated infographic depicting the latest monthly Housing Tides Index, the complete Index as it appears in the Housing Tides Report, and a brief executive summary. All content can be shared in print and digital publications, with attribution to the Housing Tides Report.

Members of the media can subscribe to the Housing Tides Media Monthly Pulse here.

About Housing Tides

Housing Tides (Tides) is the only monthly report that provides a comprehensive measure and aggregated understanding of the health of the U.S. housing and home building industry. Designed to take the guesswork out of the vast amount of forecasting information published about this sector, Tides is a sophisticated report that delivers city-specific, updated information when market conditions change. It is the only report that uses natural language processing and machine learning to correctly understand and synthesize large volumes of data, making it more comprehensive, balanced, and reliable than any other report of its kind. For further information, please visit housingtides.com and connect on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Housing Tides is proudly partnered with IBM Watson.
The future of HR is about humans, not resourcesand it's clear that we have reached an inflection point where the pace of change in the industry is accelerating.

Announcing the launch of HR Transform  a new event focused on the tech-driven transformation of work, covering the implications for the modern enterprise and for the human resources function itself. HR Transform will bring together founders of HR-focused startups, investors funding those startups and executives driving the People Strategy for their organizations.

Over one thousand attendees from the Fortune 1000 to top funded HR Tech startups will benefit from more than 150 speakers participating in panels, keynotes, roundtables and demos.

While technology has fundamentally changed work and the workplace, it has also fundamentally changed how businesses deploy the most valuable asset: their people. said Caribou Honig, Chairman and Co-Founder of HR Transform. Were designing the event to ensure HR practitioners and the C-suite learn whats coming around the corner by meeting the people who are building & funding whats next. This event will ensure entrepreneurs and innovators of all backgrounds receive the visibility they deserve.

A snapshot of speakers includes: Dennis Mortensen, CEO & Founder, x.ai; Diane Vavrasek, VP of HR, Jet.com | Walmart.com; Toby Hervey, Founder and CEO, Bravely; Jessica Lin, General Partner, Work-Bench; Sjoerd Gehring, VP of Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience; Johnson & Johnson; Paul Hsiao, General Partner, Canvas Ventures; Tal Gilbert, CEO, Vitality Group; Amy Stoldt, VP, People, Peloton Cycle. Full list of speakers here: hrt2018.com/speakers

"The future of HR is about humans, not resourcesand it's clear that we have reached an inflection point where the pace of change in the industry is accelerating. As an entrepreneur with a passion for unlocking the potential of both technology and talent, I'm thrilled to be speaking at HR Transform and can't wait to connect with all of the amazing entrepreneurs and investors involved. Kathryn Minshew, Founder & CEO of The Muse.

HR has one of the highest potentials for innovation, which is why Plug and Play is building out an HR innovation platform through our Enterprise 2.0 model. Were excited to partner with HR Transform to energize the global investment and HR community and to communicate the power HR has to completely reimagine what work means in every enterprise. Saeed Amidi, CEO, Plug and Play Tech Center.

Registration for HR Transform is now open with early pricing available through February 2, 2018. Learn more at hrt2018.com/register

About HR Transform

HR Transform is brought to you by the same team that created InsureTech Connect, the largest global gathering of insurtech startups, investors, and industry executives. HR Transform will offer unparalleled access to a comprehensive gathering of entrepreneurs, investors and HR executives from both enterprise and mid-market companies. Founded by Jay Weintraub and Caribou Honig in 2017, HR Transform will be held April 4-5 at The Mirage in Las Vegas.
YOTEL Boston dormakaba is a service focused access control global leader that combines innovative solutions and professional services. YOTEL is a perfect example of a global hotel company that provides best-in-class technology to its equally international guests.

dormakaba, one of the top three companies in the global market for access and security solutions, announced YOTEL Boston installed its BLE-ready Saflok Quantum RFID electronic locks. YOTEL Boston is the third YOTEL property to trust dormakaba for guestroom locks. dormakaba manufactures the SaflokTM and Ilco electronic door locks and provides installation and service for its systems. The 326- cabin YOTEL Boston is situated in the heart of Seaport, Bostons Innovation District and within sight of Boston Harbor. Click here for information on electronic door locks from dormakaba.

dormakaba has been a partner of YOTEL for many years beginning with deployment of access control systems and locks in our first YOTELAIR at London Gatwick Airport 10 years ago, said David Manning, YOTEL HQ IT Programme Manager. YOTEL also uses dormakaba electronic locks at its New York City property and expects to complete installation of dormakaba locks in YOTEL San Francisco hotel in early 2018. All dormakaba RFID locks manufactured today are compatible with IOS and Android smart devices for wider adoption.

dormakaba Vice President Stephen Pollack said, dormakaba is a service focused access control global leader that combines innovative solutions and professional services. YOTEL is a perfect example of a global hotel company that provides best-in-class technology to its equally international guests. dormakaba understands the requirements of domestic and international hospitality operators. Its full-range of perimeter access products augment hotel locking systems and manage elevator, parking, common areas, and back-of-house access. dormakaba maintains a large number of professional service offices across North America and globally, Pollack said. If operators require a fast intervention, dormakaba has product specialists from the closest service branches around the world ready to respond.

Thousands of properties trust dormakaba to provide the security of property data and a quality guest experience. dormakabas mobile access platform is a secure, open platform that adapts to the business goals and marketing needs of hoteliers while it enhances the guest experience. All dormakaba RFID locks manufactured today are compatible with IOS and Android smart devices for wider adoption.

About dormakaba

dormakaba is one of the top three companies in the global market for access and security solutions. With strong brands such as Dorma and Kaba in our portfolio, we are a single source for products, solutions, and services related to doors and secure access to buildings and rooms. With around 16,000 employees and numerous cooperation partners, we are active in over 130 countries. dormakaba is headquartered in Rumlang (Zurich/Switzerland) and generates an annual turnover of over CHF 2 billion. Click here for information on electronic door locks from dormakaba.

SIX Swiss Exchange: DOKA (formerly: KABN / KABNE) Further information at http://www.dormakaba.com

About YOTEL

Inspired by the luxury of first class travel and uncompromisingly designed around guests, YOTEL takes the essential elements of luxury hotels into smaller, smart spaces and deliver a sense of community with areas for co-working, social gatherings and exercise. Premium Cabins include YOTELs signature adjustable SmartBed with rejuvenating monsoon rain showers and a Technowall with adjustable mood lighting and smart TVs, multi power points and easy connectivity. YOTEL operates four airport hotels under the YOTELAIR brand in London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris, Charles de Gaulle airports; and three city hotels in New York, Boston and Singapore. YOTEL is expanding rapidly with new hotels under development globally, including a YOTELAIR in Singapore Changi Airport and new city hotels in San Francisco, London Clerkenwell, Dubai, Edinburgh, Miami and Amsterdam. YOTELs major shareholders include the Al-Bahar Group, IFA Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Capital Group, United Investment Portugal and Kuwait Real Estate Company (AQARAT).

For more information or to book a stay at YOTEL New York, Boston, Singapore, San Francisco or YOTELAIR properties at London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle visit: http://www.YOTEL.com
Daniel Schotland - COO, Linqia There is a clear opportunity for Linqia to establish the dominant leadership position as the influencer marketing platform that delivers true business value through AI, best-in-class performance, and award winning service.

Linqia, a leader in performance content marketing technology, today announced the appointment of Daniel Schotland as Chief Operating Officer. Schotland joins Linqia from TubeMogul, where he led the global ad operations, client service and account management teams. He brings nearly 20 years of experience leading advertising and marketing technology companies to Linqia, which he will leverage to accelerate growth for the company.

As Chief Operating Officer, Daniel is responsible for setting the go-to-market strategy and leading all revenue generating functions for the business, including sales, marketing and customer operations. He will have a strong focus on expanding into new markets while maintaining the companys high rate of customer satisfaction and repeatability.

Influencer marketing is a $6 billion global market and it is rapidly growing, said Daniel Schotland, Chief Operating Officer for Linqia. There is a clear opportunity for Linqia to establish the dominant leadership position as the influencer marketing platform that delivers true business value through AI, best-in-class performance, and award winning service. I look forward to leveraging my experience working for high-growth companies to exponentially scale Linqias success.

As Chief Client Officer for TubeMogul, Schotland was responsible for the companys global ad operations and led the client service and account management teams. He was also an instrumental member of the team that led the company through its IPO and subsequent acquisition by Adobe. Prior to TubeMogul, Daniel spent ten years at Experian CheetahMail, where he served as the VP of Business Development and VP of Client Services. Daniel started his career as a consultant for Deloitte Consulting and holds a BS in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

Our customers are our lifeline, said Nader Alizadeh, Co-founder and CEO of Linqia. The addition of Daniel will help us to continue to deliver unparallelled customer experiences for both brands and influencers. Daniel's experience in media and measurement will ensure that our customers can maximize the ROI of influencer marketing while tapping into the power of influencer content to drive greater performance from their other digital programs.

About Linqia

Linqia combines the science and accountability of online media with award-winning service to deliver guaranteed influencer marketing results for our clients. Our AI-driven platform and team of experts are leading the transformation of influencer marketing into a scalable media channel. Linqia Performance Platform also serves as a social content lab, where marketers can organically test and amplify the best performing influencer content to drive greater ROI from their paid, owned and earned media.

Founded in 2012, Linqia works with over 300 leading national brands including Kimberly-Clark, McDonalds, NBC, Nestle, Unilever, Viacom, and Walmart. Linqia is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with offices in New York, Chicago, and Bentonville.
PresenceLearning The leaders and staff at these educational organizations, including Barstow Unified School District, have shown remarkable commitment and vision by embracing a new way to serve students with special needs."

PresenceLearning, the leading telehealth network of live, online special education related service providers, recently named Barstow Unified School District in Barstow, CA as a winner of its 4th annual Awards of Excellence. The awards recognized 12 educational organizations nationwide for their outstanding organizational leadership, teamwork, and improved outcomes in helping students with special needs succeed. This is the second consecutive year that the district has won this award.

The district first implemented live, online speech-language therapy using the PresenceLearning network of online providers five years ago to relieve high caseloads and reduce the time its onsite speech-language pathologists (SLPs) spent traveling from school to school. In the initial year, PresenceLearning was successfully used with approximately 15 students with special needs from one elementary school, in addition to one student on home hospital. Today, PresenceLearning is being used with 140 students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Throughout the years, PresenceLearning has helped an increasing number of our students make great progress on their Individual Education Programs while freeing up valuable time for our onsite SLPs, said Joni James, Director II of Pupil Services at Barstow Unified School District. Our longstanding partnership has been such a collaborative, positive experience, and has enabled us to help drive student outcomes and deliver services that we may have otherwise struggled to provide.

The district plans to further expand its partnership with PresenceLearning during the 2018-19 school year to include online psychoeducational assessments. School psychologists from PresenceLearning will deliver Woodcock-Johnson IV Cognitive and Achievement batteries created by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to students online using its secure, web-based platform.

Our school psychologists are currently administering psychoeducational assessments to our students, but it is a very time consuming process, said James. PresenceLearning will allow us to more efficiently and effectively deliver these assessments to identify our students cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

The 12 PresenceLearning Awards of Excellence winners were selected based on positive student progress and engagement, strong organizational leadership, informed parental support, and standout partnership and collaboration during the 2016-17 school year. Each winner will receive a plaque and their story will be featured on PresenceLearnings website.

The leaders and staff at these educational organizations, including Barstow Unified School District, have shown remarkable commitment and vision by embracing a new way to serve students with special needs, said Clay Whitehead, CEO and co-founder of PresenceLearning. Their dedication enables students to make significant progress on their goals in a supportive environment and we are honored to recognize them for their leadership.

About PresenceLearning

PresenceLearning (http://www.presencelearning.com) is the leading telehealth network of providers of clinical services and assessments to educational organizations. The PresenceLearning care network has provided over one million sessions of live, online speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral interventions and mental health services, diagnostic services and assessments, and early childhood services for children with special needs.
DocLink allows companies to better serve their customers, employees, and vendors by enabling them to go paperless, which should be the first step in a companys digital transformation.

Altec Products, Inc., a leader in enterprise document management and workflow solutions, announced today their sponsorship at The Knaster Technology Groups Conference. The one-day event is being held Thursday, December 14th at the Microsoft offices in Denver, CO.

At the conference, Altec will be exhibiting and presenting its industry-leading document management solution DocLink to The Knaster Technology Groups customers. DocLink allows companies to digitally transform how their businesses operate and fully utilize and enhance their ERP solutions to go paperless in any department  accounts payable, accounts receivable, human resources, legal, or across the entire enterprise. Furthermore, DocLink streamlines any business process and provides improved visibility and control to the entire document lifecycle. Offering a secure, single repository to store, search, retrieve and send all documents, DocLink effectively eliminates the need to file paper documents while improving organizational efficiency and reducing costs associated with human errors.

Partner events such as this provide Altec with an excellent opportunity to share with Dynamics customers the tangible business impacts DocLink can provide, said Scott Hall, Northwest Sales Director for Altec. DocLink allows companies to better serve their customers, employees, and vendors by enabling them to go paperless, which should be the first step in a companys digital transformation. Having the ability to create, access and approve documents anywhere, on any device, is the ultimate goal in streamlining business operations as it provides greater visibility and easier access to supporting documentation that will help improve financial reporting and decision making.

About Altec

Altec is a leading provider of integrated document management and workflow solutions. Its flagship product, DocLink, enables companies to capture, archive, workflow, and route any document for any process, anywhere. Connecting data for thousands of customers globally, Altec also enjoys strong, collaborative partnerships with ERP solution providers such as Epicor, Microsoft, Sage, AmTech, Key2Act, and SAP B1 to provide the most comprehensive enterprise document management solution. Learn more at http://www.altec-inc.com.
Kadan Homecare, a provider of quality home care to Atlanta area families for more than 34 years, today announced that it has received both the 2017 Best of Home Care  Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice Awards from Home Care Pulse. These awards are granted only to top-ranking home care providers, and are based on client and caregiver satisfaction scores gathered by Home Care Pulse. Kadan continues to be ranked among a small handful of home care providers across the country that have demonstrated the ability to provide an exceptional working experience for employees and the highest quality care to clients.

We want to congratulate Kadan on receiving both the Best of Home Care  Provider of Choice Award and the Best of Home Care  Employer of Choice Award, said Aaron Marcum, CEO and founder of Home Care Pulse. Since these awards are based on real, unfiltered feedback from clients and caregivers, Kadan has proven their dedication to providing a great work environment and solid training for employees, while maintaining their focus on client satisfaction. We are pleased to recognize their dedication to efforts in fostering quality professionalism and expertise in home care.

Kadan collaborated with Home Care Pulse to gather feedback from clients and caregivers via live phone interviews each month. Because Home Care Pulse is an independent, third-party company, they are able to collect honest and unbiased feedback.

Our goal is to build a team of happy, qualified caregivers to provide outstanding care for our clients, said Linda Kadan, founder and CEO of Kadan Homecare. We are honored to be recognized as both a provider and employer of choice again this year because it underscores our commitment to offering excellent in-home care while maintaining a professional environment where caregivers want to work.

About Kadan Homecare

Kadan Homecare is a 34-year old, family owned home healthcare agency that provides companion and personal care, as well as skilled nursing, to help support families with short and long-term needs. Kadans comprehensive C.A.R.E. Transitions program enhances post-discharge monitoring to help minimize hospital readmissions. Kadan currently provides caregiver services ranging from post hospitalization and respite relief to hospice assistance for families spanning 16 metropolitan Atlanta counties. For more information about Kadan, please visit http://www.kadan.org or call 770-396-8997.

About Home Care Pulse

Home Care Pulse is the industry's leading firm in satisfaction research and quality assurance. On behalf of home care businesses across North America, Home Care Pulse gathers unbiased satisfaction ratings from clients and caregivers and detailed feedback to ensure the best in-home care possible can be provided. Powerful online reports allow businesses to identify needs and take action to reduce increase satisfaction, reduce caregiver turnover, and address client needs. For more information, please call Home Care Pulse at (877) 307-8573 or visit homecarepulse.com.
The fundraiser with the Greater Houston Community Foundation is our way of continuing to give back to the community that is responsible for our success.

Discount Power (Texas), a Houston-based retail electricity provider, today announced that for every new customer that enrolls through any channel between December 13, 2017  December 31, 2017 the company will donate $5 to the Greater Houston Community Foundations Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. There is no cap on the amount Discount Power will donate. This fundraiser is an extension of an earlier relief initiative launched in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The company created a matching program through the American Red Cross to assist those affected.

As we approach the end of 2017, we stop to reflect on recent events that have shaped our city, said Neville Ravji, Discount Powers Chief Executive Officer. Through the hardships brought by Hurricane Harvey, Houston has come together. As a company, we want to launch a positive fundraiser to close out the year and bring relief to those still impacted in the aftermath.

The company has experienced significant growth and enrollment rates this past year. Discount Power was named the fastest growing private company in Houston for 2017 by the Houston Business Journal.

The end of the year has always been a time of significant new customer enrollments and we would like to utilize this momentum to contribute to the citys ongoing recovery, said Ravji. The fundraiser with the Greater Houston Community Foundation is our way of continuing to give back to the community that is responsible for our success.

The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, set up by Houstons Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, provides immediate and long-term relief efforts in Harris County and Houston. To date, the fund has raised over $105 million.

The Foundation is overwhelmed by the support we have received for the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, and we applaud Discount Power for taking an active role in advocating for this cause, said Stephanie Blair, Greater Houston Community Foundations Senior Philanthropic Services Manager.

If interested in signing up for Discount Power, please visit http://www.discountpowertx.com.

About Discount Power

Discount Power is a retail electric provider based in Houston, Texas. The team at Discount Power has been involved in all the business elements of the energy market since the beginning of retail deregulation in Texas and has served hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial customers. The company was ranked in the top 100 of Inc. Magazines Fastest Growing Private Companies in America in 2016 and 2017 and the fastest growing retail energy provider in the country in both years. It was recognized as the Fastest Growing Private Company in Houston for 2017 by the Houston Business Journal. It won the Pinnacle Award for 2017 from the Houston Better Business Bureau. For more information, visit http://www.discountpowertx.com.
Fiix announces appointment of new board member

Fiix is pleased to announce the appointment of Peg Hunter (MBA, ICD.D) to its Board of Directors. Ms. Hunters appointment was effective October 19, 2017, and deepens Fiixs commitment to good governance with a more independent board.

Ms. Hunter, who currently sits on the Board of Directors of Kal Tire, and formerly served on the advisory board of HomeStars.com, brings vital enterprise experience and perspective to Fiix.

In addition to guiding business growth and brand strategy as a senior executive with some of Canadas most prominent retailers, Ms. Hunter is a veteran in the digital space, having presided over digital transformation of The Home Depot Canada as VP Marketing & GM e-commerce. Her roles as VP Marketing & Merchandising at Grand & Toy and Divisional VP & General Merchandise Manager of Canadian Tire bring added enterprise-level perspective as Fiix continues to disrupt the maintenance market with its innovative multi-tenant cloud-based solution.

We are thrilled to welcome Peg Hunter to the board of Fiix. Her record as a business leader and her extensive experience in enterprise are critical additions as Fiix continues to focus on scaling our enterprise capabilities and disrupting the enterprise maintenance and asset management market, says Marc Castel, CEO of Fiix.

Fiix is occupying a unique space in the Canadian tech landscape and delivering an exciting solution to enterprise customers in the rapidly growing maintenance and asset management market. I am excited to serve on the companys board as Fiix continues on its growth trajectory, says Ms. Hunter.

About Fiix

Fiix Inc creates easy-to-use, intelligent maintenance management software that empowers businesses to organize their maintenance departments and turn data into actionable insights. Its innovative multi-tenant cloud-based CMMS mobilizes the maintenance workforce with an unparalleled mobile experience and seamlessly interfaces with enterprise software to connect your entire organizationrevolutionizing how thousands of companies worldwide schedule, organize, and track maintenance.

Learn more, at http://www.fiixsoftware.com.
Raj Bhangoo, Senior Business Development Manager Boston, Gilbane Building Company Rajs ability to collaboratively work with project teams and his ability to add value during the development process is an asset that serves his clients well, noted Andrew Maher with Anchor Line Partners of Boston.

Gilbane Building Company is pleased to welcome back Raj Bhangoo as Senior Business Development Manager based in its Boston office.

Raj has over 13 years of business development experience and previously worked in the Boston office for the Interiors Group from 2004 to 2014, securing key projects with the Boston Red Sox, Google and State Street Bank. Most recently, Raj was the Director of Marketing and Business Development for Callahan Construction Managers in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Raj is a graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management of Technology and a Master of Science in Construction Management.

Raj has developed a strong network and relationships within the Boston market that he will utilize to lead Gilbanes Business Development efforts within the Massachusetts market. Rajs ability to collaboratively work with project teams and his ability to add value during the development process is an asset that serves his clients well, noted Andrew Maher with Anchor Line Partners of Boston.

Rajs reputation, industry knowledge and extensive background in developing business are tremendous assets for Gilbane, said Michael Kennedy, Vice President and Senior Director of Business Development. Rajs professionalism and ability to build on his strong network of relationships in the developer and commercial broker marketplace in Boston supports our strategic business goals. We are pleased to have Raj rejoin the Gilbane team in Boston.

About Gilbane Building Company

Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services  from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services  for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has 48 office locations around the world.

Gilbane has been a leading Boston construction firm since 1946, serving commercial, institutional, and public clients in the Commonwealth including Google, Reebok, the University of Massachusetts, Genzyme, Fidelity Investments, Wentworth Institute of Technology, City of Boston-Boston Public Schools and Bank of America. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com/boston
...to be ranked among greats such as Marc Benioff of SalesForce and Tim Cook of Apple is out of this world.

Jive Communications announced today that they ranked in the top 20 on both USA Todays and Business Insiders Best Places to Work and Top CEOs list for large companies. The list was derived from Comparablya compensation, culture, and career-monitoring website. Ranked six out of 50, John Pope of Jive Communications is the highest-ranked private company CEO. Jive also ranked number 20 out of 50 on USA Todays list of Best Places to Work, number 21 out of 50 on their list of Best Managers at Large Companies, and number 24 out of 50 on Forbes list of Best Companies for Women.

The lists determined the best-ranked companies and CEOs using anonymous and public employee ratings on Comparably.com. Honorees are separated by large (500 or more employees) and small-to-midsize (less than 500 employees) companies. Other award recipients ranked alongside Jive include SalesForce, HubSpot, Intuit, LinkedIn, and Microsoft.

To be rated as a top CEO by my employees is perhaps the greatest honor I can receive, said John Pope, CEO of Jive Communications. And to be ranked among greats such as Marc Benioff of SalesForce and Tim Cook of Apple is out of this world. Im so proud of the whole Jive team and how far weve come. As we continue to grow as a company, I hope we can remain a great place where our employees love to work.

The CEOs included in Comparablys annual Best CEOs list were the highest-rated leaders across thousands of CEOs, said Jason Nazar, CEO of Comparably. Most notably, this award came directly from the contribution of the CEOs own employeesacross multiple dimensions, from a diverse talent pool of various departments, genders, and backgrounds. Its an honor to be included in the 2017 Best CEOs list, and reflective of the great teams and company cultures these leaders have helped to foster.

About Jive Communications

Jive provides cloud-based phone systems and Unified Communications services. Jives customers include high-growth businesses and public sector institutions needing a scalable platform that is more flexible and cost-effective than their existing legacy systems. Jives cloud architecture offers an integrated, seamless experience that provides richer context and creates more efficient connections between co-workers and clients. Jives cloud delivery model ensures that each organization always has the latest technology, features, and applicationsmaking Jive the last phone system youll ever need.

About Comparably

Comparably is a compensation, culture, and career monitoring website that aims to provide the most accurate and comprehensive data, to understand employees' true values and needs to make work better.
With the recent purchase of our low-time Spanish Mirage F1Ms and our South African Cheetahs, we now have the ability to deliver supersonic, modernized, and truly threat representative 4th generation capabilities at a very affordable price point.

Draken International, a global leader in advanced adversary air services, has announced the acquisition of twelve South African Atlas Cheetah fighter aircraft, reinforcing the companys focus on providing advanced capabilities to its clients. As the demand for increased capacity of adversary resources continues to soar throughout the Department of Defense (DoD) and globally, Drakens new Cheetah jets will provide the USAF, USN, and USMC an advanced radar-equipped supersonic platform to train against.

Viewed as a major achievement for the South African Defense Industry, Denel Aeronautics, the aircraft design authority, remains committed to the expeditious transfer and complete regeneration of nine Cheetah C models (single-seat) and three D models (two-seaters) to ensure Drakens fleet achieves operational status by mid-2018. In addition to the procurement of the Cheetah fleet, Draken and Denel have created a partnership that will include follow-on service support to help ensure performance reliability.

Draken is currently the only commercial air services provider supporting the DoD with 4th generation capabilities. The companys A-4 Skyhawks equipped with APG-66 radars, and L-159 Honey Badgers with GRIFO-L radars, have proven to be highly effective adversaries for the USAF, ANG, USMC and international partners. Supplementing the Draken fleet with these 4th generation Cheetahs will offer customers an extremely capable yet highly cost-effective platform. The twelve Cheetahs are complemented by Drakens recent acquisition of 22 modernized radar-equipped Spanish Mirage F1Ms.

Drakens core competency is its ability to acquire and operate affordable, supportable, credible and capable fighter aircraft. Draken also remains dedicated to tracking and evaluating aircraft globally with proven success operating fleets of aircraft that include the A-4 Skyhawk, L-159 Honey Badger and Aermacchi MB-339. With both the newly acquired Cheetahs and the Mirage F1Ms modernized in the 1990s, these highly capable platforms were selected over early model F-16s and non-modernized Mirage F1s based upon their true 4th generation capabilities. Developed as a variant of the Mirage III, the Mach 2.2 Cheetahs are equipped with radars, radar warning receivers, and other advanced avionics. The Cheetahs also have an average of 500 hours on each airframe and are considerably younger than many of the F-16s, F-15s and F/A-18s they will challenge in the Red Air capacity.

Sean Gustafson, VP of Business Development at Draken stated, Our customers within the USAF, USN, and USMC have asked Draken to evolve our capabilities in order to simulate the 4th generation adversaries the United States may have to face in the future. While our extensive fleet of A-4K Skyhawk and L-159 Honey Badgers are modernized with sophisticated radars and sensor suites, its a challenge to deliver modern enemy capabilities at a low price point, which is a fundamental requirement for our industry. However, with the recent purchase of our low-time Spanish Mirage F1Ms and our South African Cheetahs, we now have the ability to deliver supersonic, modernized, and truly threat representative 4th generation capabilities at a very affordable price point.

The demand for capable adversary aircraft within the DoD continues to exceed expectations and Draken is working diligently to meet that demand. Along with the procurement of 22 modernized Mirage F1Ms and F1Bs, the Cheetah will be offered for various contracts within the USAF, USN, USMC, and US-partnered militaries. Draken remains a pioneer in the ADAIR service industry providing essential training to all military services. As Drakens current contracts evolve to handle additional requirements, so will the company's ability to provide enhanced support for combat readiness training.

Gustafson further stated, As the leader in the commercial air service industry, not only by the number of operational aircraft, but by the number of contracts and total annual flight hours, Draken will continue to raise the bar for all to strive for. Capacity and capability are the dominant themes for the ADAIR business driven by the contractual requirements of our customers. As the only provider of Red Air for the USAF, including the weapons school and Red Flag, Draken is committed to delivering extensive capacity in order to manage a majority of the enormous ADAIR demand throughout the entire DoD. This is why we have purchased the A-4, L-159, Mirage F1M, and now the Cheetah, the first truly 4th generation platform in the industry.

Draken is committed to providing US and allied fighter pilots the most advanced live air training solution by investing and expanding the largest, most advanced fleet of tactical fighter aircraft in the industry. Their entire organization, including ownership, management, pilots, and maintenance personnel will continue to provide the best service available globally.

About Draken International

Draken International is the worlds largest operator of ex-military aircraft. The company is based out of Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, FL. The organization sets a new standard in airborne adversary support, flight training, threat simulation, electronic warfare support, aerial refueling, research, testing, as well as other missions uniquely suited to their fleet of aircraft. With over 100 tactical fighter aircraft incorporating modern 4th generation capabilities, the company is uniquely positioned to answer the growing global demand for commercial air services. Draken employs world class, military trained fighter pilots including USAF Weapons School Instructors, Fighter Weapons School Graduates, TOP GUN Instructors, Air Liaison Officers, and FAC-A Instructors. For additional information, visit http://www.drakenintl.com.
This weeks minigrid summit in Nigeria has reinforced that Nigeria is one of the premier places in the world for off-grid electrification said Stephen Doig, Managing Director, Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (SEED) Program, Rocky Mountain Institute.

The joint analysis found that developing off-grid alternatives to complement the grid creates a $9.2B/year (N3.2T) market opportunity for minigrids and solar home systems that will save $4.4B/year (N1.5B) for Nigerian homes and businesses.

These findings were discussed at the five-day Upscaling Minigrids for Low Cost and Timely Access to Electricity Services summit successfully hosted by the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in conjunction with the World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), Climate Investment Funds (CIF), and UK Department for International Development (DFID). The high-level forum was designed to push action on scaling up minigrids to help countries reach universal energy access by 2030, and was the fourth in a series of successful events on minigrids organized by the global community in the past two years. This is the first time this event was held in West Africa and was a clear indication of the commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria to supporting investment in off-grid electrification initiatives and the vast investment opportunities in Nigeria for the development of minigrids and roll out of solar home systems which have a combined potential market of $9.2 billion annually.

Getting off-grid solutions to scale and commercial viability in Nigeria has the potential to unlock an enormous market opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa, across 350 million people in countries with smaller demand and/or less-robust economies. A common barrier to minigrid market growth is investors viewing the market as being too risky, therefore gaining access to project financing is rare and the market rate debt is expensive. However, at the event it was clear that many stakeholders agree Nigeria is positioned well to not only address market barriers, but also to showcase to other nations that minigrids are commercially viable.

The event brought together more than 600 global participants from over 50 countries which included country governments, global organizations, the private sector, academia, NGOs, media, and others to discuss ways to facilitate investment in the sector as well as accelerate the deployment of minigrid systems. It aims at interlocking with ongoing minigrids, upscaling initiatives globally as well as ongoing activities in Nigeria. The summit ended with a site visit to 37.8 kW Bisanti solar minigrid, constructed by GVE Projects Limited in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) located in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria.

I see only opportunities in Nigeria and not challenges and policies have been developed to help entrepreneurs fast track energy access for underserved populations, said Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing. He also commended the instrumental partnership of the World Bank in developing the power sector and the Rural Electrification Agency for developing data to help private developers reach the communities they need.

The aim of Rural Electrification Agency is to roll out 10,000 minigrids rapidly to support underserved communities in Nigeria and with the current regulatory landscape, Nigeria is the best market to do minigrids. said Damilola Ogunbiyi, Managing Director, Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency. The off-grid will be treated as importantly as the on-grid in Nigeria.. She immensely thanked the World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Institute for their incredible support and partnership.

In Nigeria, 80 million people lack access to electricity and millions suffer from unreliable service. The World Bank and the Government of Nigeria are working together to make mini grids a viable solution to bridge a large share of the electrification gap in the country, said Mr. Mac Cosgrove-Davies, Global Lead Energy, Access, World Bank. Rural Electrification Agency will be the implementing agency for the fund.

This weeks minigrid summit in Nigeria has reinforced that Nigeria is one of the premier places in the world for off-grid electrification said Stephen Doig, Managing Director, Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (SEED) Program, Rocky Mountain Institute. The large revenue opportunity, supportive government, and dynamic entrepreneurial environment unite to make Nigeria the ideal location to bring these technologies to scale, prove viable business models, meet the needs of millions of people, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

It is one of the most engaged and richly packed events organized ever in West Africa, said Mr. Ifeanyi Odoh, Regional Sales Manager, Solar Business, Anglophone West Africa, Schneider Electric.

Our joy has no bound because the mini grid solar light will help our children to read books at night, lighting the community at night and use of our refrigerators, television as well as so many other things Said Alhaji Usman Abdulsalam, Sarkin Masaran Nupe, Head of Bisanti Community, Niger State.

About The Rural Electrification Agency

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) was set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) with the primary objective of increasing electricity access to rural and underserved communities and has developed an off-grid electrification strategy to support mini grids and other off grid solutions to support the Federal Governments policy of incremental growth.

More information on REA can be found at http://www.rea.gov.ng or follow us on Twitter @realREANigeria and Facebook: RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AGENCY

About ESMAP

ESMAP is a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank Group (WBG), anchored in the Energy & Extractives Global Practice in Washington, DC. As a long-standing partnership between the WBG and bilateral partners, ESMAP helps low- and middle-income countries reduce poverty and boost growth through environmentally sustainable energy solutions. ESMAPs analytical and advisory services are fully integrated within the WBGs country policy dialogue and lending programs in the energy sector.

About Rocky Mountain Institute

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)an independent nonprofit founded in 1982transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing

Media Enquiries, Please Contact:

REA

Ayang Ogbe, Director of Promotions (Information and Outreach), +24348092292277, ogbe.ayang(at)rea.gov.ng

Abubakar Ahmed, Head Public Affairs, +2348023135224,

ahmed.abubakar(at)rea.gov.ng

WORLD BANK

Nansia Constantinou, Communications Officer, +1 (202) 458-5008,

nconstantinou(at)worldbankgroup.org

Olufunke Modupe Olufon, Senior Communications Officer, +234-7035830641,

+234-8149921055, oolufon(at)worldbank.org

RMI

Nick Steel, Senior Associate, Media Relations, +1 347-574-0887, nsteel(at)rmi.org
There is a growing groundswell of retailers that are not only reimagining what it means to be a retailer, but also how they can embrace data and technology to better meet the needs of todays consumers," said Jose Gomes.

dunnhumby, a leading customer data science company, is launching today The Prophets of Aisle Six, an online reality show about innovation in the food retail industry. The online series will tour North America and speak with some of the worlds greatest brands exploring what the biggest challenges facing retailers today and how they are using customer data science to meet those challenges. dunnhumby is partnering with Retail Leader, a retail media outlet for top managers in the retail food and allied industries, to distribute the first food retail series. The Prophets of Aisle Six will debut today at 9:00 a.m. Central Time on Retail Leaders website at https://retailleader.com/retail-innovation-focus-new-reality-video-series. Once aired, each episode will also be available upon demand.

We are pleased to partner with dunnhumby to highlight innovation in retail. We believe this will be an important video series for top executives and managers to learn from in the retail food and allied industries, said Mike Troy, Editor in Chief of Retail Leader.

In the series kick off, Jose Gomes, Managing Director of North America for dunnhumby, travels to Sacramento to visit with executives from Raleys Supermarkets, a prominent grocery chain with more than 120 locations in California and Nevada, to learn more about the companys unique mission to help customers make more healthy eating decisions. Raleys top executives Michael Teel, Owner and CEO, and Keith Knopf, President and COO, also discuss with Gomes how the grocer is leveraging customer data science to make the companys mission come alive in a way that is both effective and sustainable.

So much of the last year has focused on the gloom and doom of some of the changes occurring in the retail market, said Gomes. There is a growing groundswell of retailers that are not only reimagining what it means to be a retailer, but also how they can embrace data and technology to better meet the needs of todays consumers. I am excited to have the opportunity to meet with a diverse range of retailers and showcase how they are addressing key challenges to propel their businesses further.

The second episode will find Gomes in Cleveland meeting with Jeff and Tom Heinen, co-presidents of Heinens Grocery Stores, a family-owned and operated regional supermarket chain in Northeast Ohio and Chicago. Heinens is using customer data science to help create the shopping experiences customers want with the products they value to satisfy their needs, and earn long-term loyalty.

About dunnhumby

dunnhumby is a leading customer data science company. We analyze data and apply insights from nearly one billion shoppers across the globe to create personalized customer experiences in digital, mobile, and retail environments. Our strategic process, proprietary insights, and multichannel media capabilities build loyalty with customers to drive competitive advantage and sustained growth for clients. dunnhumby employs nearly 2,000 experts in offices throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas and works with a prestigious group of companies including Whole Foods Market, Tesco, Monoprix, Raleys, Meijer, Michael Kors, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and PepsiCo. Learn more at http://www.dunnhumby.com.
LLUCH physician, Dr. Albert Kheradpour enjoys a moment of laughter while treating a patient at Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital. Our medical staff, nurses and other experts dedicate themselves to giving nothing but the best care for our mothers, babies and children, restoring them to health and happiness.

For the first time, Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital(LLUCH) has been named a Top Childrens Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, a designation that highlights its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality.

Download VNR here.

LLUCH is the only childrens hospital in the western United States to earn the coveted 2017 designation.

Announced Thursday, Dec. 7, the Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive. The Top Hospital designation is awarded by The Leapfrog Group, an independent hospital watchdog organization.

More video here.

Among the roughly 350 childrens hospitals in the country, LLUCH was one of only 10 hospitals to receive the Top Childrens distinction.

Scott Perryman, MBA, senior vice president/administrator of LLUCH, attributes this recognition to the medical professionals at LLUCH that dedicate their lives every day to their patients.

At Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital, our medical staff, nurses and other experts dedicate themselves to giving nothing but the best care for our mothers, babies and children, restoring them to health and happiness, Perryman said.

Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, maternity care and the hospitals capacity to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each years Top Hospital Methodology.

Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog congratulated LLUCH in a statement to all the top hospitals.

This demonstrates extraordinary dedication to patients and the local community, Binder said. The entire staff and board deserve praise for putting quality first and achieving results.

The LLUCH medical team comprises more than 100 pediatricians, pediatric surgeons, and sub-specialists to treat everything from broken bones to disabilities and life-threatening diseases. LLUCH also has more than 1,200 nurses, child life specialists and other staff who are dedicated to the health and healing of children. Together they provide a family-focused environment backed by state-of-the-art care.

To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must submit a Leapfrog Hospital Survey. The selection of Top Hospitals 2017 is based on surveys from nearly 1,900 hospitals. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2017 Top Hospitals, visit - http://www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.
The new Grove City, PA Busy Beaver store opening in early 2018 will be similar to the Ashtabula, Ohio Busy Beaver store pictured here. Were excited about our continued expansion plans for Busy Beaver during the next year across the entire region. Starting with Grove City, well be pleased to offer local residents and businesses a customer-friendly store experience that addresses the needs of DIYers and supports local contractors.

Pittsburgh-based Busy Beaver plans to open five new home improvement centers throughout the tri-state region in 2018. Its Grove City, Pennsylvania location is set to open in March and a Greenville, Pennsylvania store will open in May. Additional locations will be announced the first quarter in 2018.

At 50,000 square feet, the Grove City location will be larger than the 35,000-square foot average of its other 18 stores. The home improvement center will feature an expanded seasonal department, an indoor lumber yard, a new farm and ranch department, and a designated contractor service center.

The Grove City store will be located at 11 Pine Grove Square, Grove City, PA 16127, and will hire approximately 20 full-time and 10 to 15 part-time employees. Interested candidates are encouraged to visit http://busybeaver.com/careers to complete an application online. Busy Beaver will conduct hiring events in the area starting in January. Further details about employment opportunities and features of the Greenville location will be announced during the first quarter.

Were excited about our continued expansion plans for Busy Beaver during the next year across the entire region. Starting with Grove City, well be pleased to offer local residents and businesses a customer-friendly store experience that addresses the needs of DIYers and supports local contractors, said Joe Kallen, chief executive officer, Busy Beaver.

Were looking to hire enthusiastic employees who will be committed to providing the legendary customer service we emphasize across all our locations. As with all our stores, we want customers served by our new locations to know they can count on finding what they need, and getting friendly, expert help, every time they visit.

For more details, visit http://www.busybeaver.com/.

About Busy Beaver:

Busy Beaver was founded in 1962 with three lumber yards located in Clairton, Verona and

Carnegie, PA. The company quickly expanded and began opening full-line home improvement centers throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Currently, Busy Beaver operates 18 stores in three states, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia; and employs more than 350 people. As of September 2013, Busy Beaver has been operating under new, local ownership. The company is committed to providing legendary customer service and a customer-centric in-store experience at each of its neighborhood home improvement centers.
Anupam Govil (Partner, Avasant), who was part of the advisory committee of OCC 2017, moderated the panel discussion titled Outsourcing Trends for the Next Decade: Opportunities for the Caribbean. The Caribbean is in a unique position to provide scalable digital talent to key buyer markets.

The Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) in association with the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the European Union hosted the first-ever pan-Caribbean outsourcing conference on December 6, 2017 at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Titled Outsource to the Caribbean Conference 2017 (OCC 2017), the conference focused on the theme of Leveraging the Caribbean for Nearshore Outsourcing Services. Avasant was a key consulting partner in the organization of the event, providing critical advisory inputs and networking support to draw the major investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and business process outsourcing (BPO) service providers and buyers operating in the Caribbean region and elsewhere to attend the event.

The inaugural OCC 2017 was a first of its kind outsourcing conference focused on bringing the spotlight to the BPO industry in the Caribbean. The event drew discussions on a range of topics, such as new digital developments and trends shaping the future of the outsourcing industry, challenges facing nearshore destinations, and the potential of the Caribbean to successfully leverage new technologies and outsource services to major buyer markets across the world. The event also highlighted several outsourcing success stories from the Caribbean, which reiterated the Caribbeans rising profile in the global BPO industry and the significance of the sector to the economic growth of the region.

Anupam Govil (Partner, Avasant), who was part of the advisory committee of OCC 2017, moderated the first panel discussion of the conference on the theme of Outsourcing Trends for the Next Decade: Opportunities for the Caribbean. The panelists included prominent industry thought leaders, namely, Peter Ryan (Principal, Ryan Strategic Advisory), Kirk Laughlin (Managing Director, Nearshore Americas), Chris Lord (Global Head, Digital Growth Strategy HGS) and Ann Harts (Executive Vice President, Site Selection & Incentives).

Mr. Govil led the discussion by highlighting the transformative trends and technologies driving the global BPO sector. Some of the key trends driving developments in the outsourcing industry are: rise in demand for robotic process automation (RPA) based services, increasing uptake of digital services  i.e. services that enable enterprise digitalization, continuing interest among international buyers to invest in Global In-house Centers (GICs), rapid adoption of cloud services and virtual centers, and growth in consumerization within major industry verticals, Mr. Govil explained. He also emphasized the trend of Offshore Whiplash which is changing the business dynamics within the industry. This trend is evidenced by the saturation of availability of skilled labor, rise in wages, and growing nationalism and offshore fatigue driving greater re-shoring and near-shoring of services.

Mr. Govil added, Changes in the global outsourcing services environment is creating new opportunities and challenges for Caribbean destinations. The Caribbean is in a unique position to provide scalable digital talent to key buyer markets, establish GICs and virtual centers, deliver digital services at competitive costs and quality, and offer consumer-focused omni-channel services owed to a savvy labor force. However, there are some challenges that need to be overcome to reap the full benefits of the potential opportunities that are available to the region. These include the need for greater and faster adoption of newer technologies (such as automation, cloud and artificial intelligence) by stakeholders in the BPO ecosystem, increased regional competition for nearshore services, inadequate digital maturity hindering the ability of service providers to scale and go-to-market faster, and challenges in developing a sustainable pool of trained labor attuned to the new developments in the industry.

The other panelists highlighted some of the key BPO sub-sectors that the Caribbean is well placed to deliver, such as collection services, transaction processing, technical support services, human resource services, legal process outsourcing (LPO), Finance and Accounting (F&A) and healthcare services. They also emphasized the need for governments in the region to prioritize the development of capacity development programs and provision digitally-enabled investment entry mechanisms, which can simplify the investment process and reduce the lead time for operationalizing new investments in the region.

The event saw a couple of other invigorating panel discussions on Caribbean Talent and Caribbean Success Stories  both showcasing the potential and readiness of the region to capitalize on the new industry developments and deliver high value BPO services. OCC 2017 also facilitated several business-to-business (B2B) meetings between participating service providers, buyers and IPAs, enabling many new partnerships, potential business agreements and growth opportunities for stakeholders in the public and private sector.

The inaugural session of OCC 2017 was successful in creating much needed international visibility for the BPO sector in the Caribbean region, educating public sector stakeholders on the optimal conditions necessary for attracting new investments to the region and emphasizing the need for service providers in the region to quickly adopt and integrate newer technologies like RPA and artificial intelligence into their service delivery. The event is expected to create great dividends for the BPO sector and the overall economic growth of the Caribbean region.

About Avasant

Avasant is a leading management consulting firm focused on translating the power of technology into realizable business strategies for the worlds largest corporations. Specializing in digital and IT transformation, sourcing advisory, global strategy and governance services, Avasant prides itself on delivering high-value engagements through industry-focused innovation and flexible client-based solutions.

Our seasoned professionals have an average of 20 years of industry-honed expertise, having conducted 1000+ engagements in over 50 countries. Avasants next generation consulting and advisory methods have made it the top-ranked firm in its class, with recognition from numerous organizations, including: Vault, NOA, IAOP, and Wall Street Journal.

Avasants engagement in the global market has inspired a strong commitment to community and purpose. Avasant Foundation supports technology and skill development programs to create employment opportunities for youth across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.

For more information, visit https://www.avasant.com.

Follow news, photos and video on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/avasant, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/avasantllc, and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/avasant.
This recognition is the icing on the cake of what has been a truly amazing year, said Alex Terry, CEO of Conversica.

Conversica, the leader in conversational AI for business, has been honored with inclusion in the prestigious CB Insights AI 100 list, a select group of the 100 most promising artificial intelligence companies in the world. Conversica was chosen after a rigorous qualitative and quantitative assessment of more than 1,650 nominated companies. CB Insights CEO and co-founder Anand Sanwal will reveal the full list of AI 100 companies at the A-ha! conference this week in San Francisco.

This is just the most recent nod the company has receivedConversica is a Gartner Cool Vendor, was named to the San Francisco Business Times Fast 100, has recently won the Salesforce Dreamforce Demo Jam, is a Red Herring Global 100 award winner and has been in included in the Inc. 5000 for two years running.

This recognition is the icing on the cake of what has been a truly amazing year, said Alex Terry, CEO of Conversica. As the only provider of AI-driven lead engagement software for marketing and sales organizations, we're productizing and commercializing artificial intelligence in a way that others can only talk about. Our offering is used by more than 1,000 companies worldwide, and were seeing accelerated growth year over year. Were very excited about applying conversational AI to solve important business problems, and its wonderful to see that others are excited about it, too.

Conversica automates and improves routine business conversations using virtual assistants powered by artificial intelligence. The companys flagship AI Sales Assistant engages every lead in a human conversation to qualify more of them for the sales team, freeing humans to spend more time closing business.

The AI 100 recognition caps a year of notable milestones for the company, including:



Increasing annual recurring revenue by 50%, with sales to new customers and significant expansions in existing accounts

Growing the customer base to over 1,200 companies, adding customers in a variety of industries such as technology, financial services and education; new customers include Box, New Relic, Microsoft, Northwestern Mutual, Embraer, Salsa Labs and Avalara

Releasing significant new AI capabilitiesincluding new AI assistants, new communication channels, new assistant languages, new reporting capabilities, and meeting scheduling capabilitiesand processing nearly 300 million messages through the companys conversational AI platform

Expanding its executive management team with the addition of Dr. Sid J. Reddy as Chief Scientist, Brian Kaminski as Chief Customer Officer, and Victor Belfor as Senior Vice President of Business Development

Adding important new employees in engineering, data science, operations, customer success and sales, growing the company to over 170 people

The CB Insights research team selected the AI 100 companies after examining company-submitted data and each companys Mosaic Score. The Mosaic Score, based on CB Insights National Science Foundation-funded algorithm, measures the overall health and growth potential of private companies. Through this evidence-based, statistically-driven approach, the Mosaic Score can help predict a companys momentum, market health and financial viability.

For more information on Conversicas award-winning solutions:

Watch a short introductory video

Read success stories from customers

Attend a live demo and Q&A session

About Conversica

Conversica is the leader in conversational AI for business and the only provider of AI-driven lead engagement software for marketing and sales organizations. The flagship Conversica AI Sales Assistant helps companies find and secure customers more quickly and efficiently by automatically contacting, engaging, qualifying and following up with leads via natural, two-way conversations. Used by more than 1,000 companies worldwide, Conversicas sales assistants are built on a proven AI platform integrating natural language processing (NLP), natural language generation (NLG), and machine learning (ML) capabilities and engage prospects over multiple communication channels and in multiple languages. Recognized by Gartner as a Cool Vendor, Conversica is a portfolio company of Providence Equity, Kennet Partners and Toba Capital and is headquartered in Foster City, California.

To learn more, visit conversica.com and follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Set in the tumultuous period of Guam history, between the Spanish-American War and World War II, the lives and loves of three Chamorro women unfold amid the changes and challenges around them in C. Sablan Gaults book, A Mansion on the Moon (published by Xlibris in November of 2015) which is up for a new marketing campaign.

Sixteen-year old Amanda falls for a navy seaman who leaves her with a child. Her daughter Sylvia grows up an illegitimate orphan. Yet she finds happiness with Tino Camacho, who loves her despite her scandalous background. Life teaches their daughter, the level-headed Vivian Camacho, that falling for an American navy man is futile, like reaching for the moon.

Cultural and racial prejudices increase the distance. Vivian avoids such futility until the handsome Philip Avery, an up-and-coming naval engineer, enters her life as an upstairs tenant newly assigned to Guam. Vivian falls in love with him but knows nothing can come of it. Philip is from a different world, one of wealth, rank and privilege. Vivian is a simple island girl who lives under naval government rule. Philip is a man well beyond her reach. He is as distant from her world as the moon; he is the mansion there. Philip falls in love also, but his career comes first. Both deny their feelings for each other; their love cannot be. But love knows no distance, sees no differences.

An excerpt from the book reads:

She was lost in thought about New York mansions and Florida bungalows, and how Philip was from a world so different and so far removed from her own. His wonderful eyes had already seen such wonders while hers probably never would. She didnt think she would ever see a real mansion, let alone live in one in her lifetime, nor would she ever see New York or Florida. For her, those places were as far away as the moon.

A Mansion on the Moon

By C. Sablan Gault

Hardcover | 6x9in | 276 pages | ISBN 9781514427040

Softcover | 6x9in | 276 pages | ISBN 9781514427057

E-Book | 276 pages | ISBN 9781514427064

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

C. Sablan Gault was born in Guam, the daughter of a navy chief. She holds a bachelors degree in anthropology and began her writing career in advertising. She studied journalism and worked as a newspaper reporter, feature writer and columnist. She then served as press secretary to a Guam governor, to a legislator and to Guams delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. She also worked as a writer and researcher for a Guam political status education commission. She and her husband, David, a Vietnam-era Seabee, live in Agana Heights, originally called Tutujan. They have three children and six grandchildren.

Xlibris Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider created in 1997 by authors, for authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibris.com or call 1-888-795-4274 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisPub on Twitter for the latest news.
Price drops on calls to Kenya on Jamhuri on TelephoneKenya.com, plus Facebook Christmas prizes starting December 13, 2017.

TelephoneKenya.com, the website that has been serving Kenyans worldwide for years, drops the rates to call Kenya on December 12, Jamhuri Day 2017. The new rates on Independence Day will be 30% more economical. Besides the festive rate to call landlines and mobiles in Kenya from anywhere in the world, TelephoneKenya.com Facebook community gives away Jamhuri and Christmas gifts between December 12-15, 2017: https://www.facebook.com/telephonekenya/

On December 12, Kenyans living abroad receive 30% discount on their calls to family and friends in Kenya, between 12 am and 11:59 Kenya time.



Calls to landlines in Kenya drop from 9.9 /min to 6.9 /min on December 12, 2017.

Calls to cellular phones in Kenya drop from 11.9 /min to 7.9 /min.

Calls to Airtel cellular phones in Kenya drop from 22.9 /min to 15.9 /min.

Free international balance to call Kenya is also available all week in the Kenyan Facebook community. On December 12, Kenyans can enter a contest about the Kenyan spirit, whose prize is $10 Voice Credit, which means up to 101 international minutes to call Kenya. But Voice Credit balance with TelephoneKenya.com can also be used to call other destinations, besides Kenya. More details are available on the website.

3 more Facebook contests are running on the same TelephoneKenya.com Facebook page the same week, to bring Kenyan expats free credit for Christmas. Those who follow the page will be notified of each contest. They are easy and fun, and the winner of each challenge will be randomly picked the day after each round: https://www.facebook.com/telephonekenya/

Voice Credit prizes, and Voice Credit on TelephoneKenya.com in general, never expire. It can be used any time necessary. And there are two ways to call using the Voice Credit balance:



Smartphone users have a free-to-install app, called KeepCalling. This is available on AppStore and Google Play.

Those who prefer calling without any WiFi, 3G or 4G, can use the access number in their area, just like when using calling cards, except that rates are much lower and there is no need to shop it offline.

Those who do not have an account at this point on TelephoneKenya.com, can try the service for $2. They will automatically get a PIN on their first order, and they will be able to use it to call people in Kenya 30% cheaper on December 2017, on Independence Day.

TelephoneKenya.com also offers international mobile credit transfers to Kenya, besides Voice Credit. The service is called Mobile Recharge and it facilitates mobile credit top up of cellular phones in Kenya, that are subscribed to: Safaricom, Airtel and Orange Kenya.

TelephoneKenya.com is a website serving the Kenyans living and working away from their motherland in the USA, Canada, Australia, Asia and Europe. It is a brand of KeepCalling, a global telecommunications company registered in 2002 in USA, who launched International Homesickness Day for the first time in history in 2016. Presently, KeepCalling provides its services to hundreds of thousands of consumers , with a focus on customer satisfaction. KeepCalling was listed by Inc 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in the USA for 5 consecutive years.
With the desire to spread Gods love to all, Marie Stevens offers a collection of prose and poetry in Waiting Still: Gods Glance (published by AuthorHouse). According to Stevens, it is a book of imagery, gentle persuasion, touching, encouraging, new life love and desire, not only by each and all, but God himself.

The words in the book describe God through ones own eyes and existing relationships. Stevens also shares that turmoil happening in society, such as natural, personal and community disasters may be addressed in the book.

It is fresh and new. A new approach to a God for all men, women and children no matter who you might be, or where you are! You are loved and its free for the asking. Just call out His name or seek Him in the silence of your heart. He is there, Stevens declares.

An excerpt from the poem, Did You See?:

Who it is who sees?

Sees the candle lit,

Lit only by He.

Change the bearer of light

Light the candle

Let all see!

May it always be

Waiting Still: Gods Glance

By Marie Stevens

Softcover | 8.5x11in | 46 pages | ISBN 9781546206552

E-Book | 46 pages | ISBN 9781546206569

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Past life experiences in social/societal research and a career in law enforcement have prepared Marie Stevens in teaching and guiding instructing others. A woman of faith and daily devotion to the Lord now continues through her poetry and stories to assist and guide.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrated 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011.For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.
Insilico Medicine selected as the Top 100 Global Artificial Intelligence companies for 2018 by CB Insights

CB Insights today named Insilico Medicine to the prestigious AI 100, a select group of promising private companies working on groundbreaking artificial intelligence technology. CB Insights CEO and co-founder Anand Sanwal will reveal the full list of the second annual AI 100 companies at the A-ha! conference in San Francisco.

"Last year's AI 100 enjoyed amazing success in the year since earning this recognition. 55 of them went onto raise additional funding nearing $2B and 5 were acquired. This year's list was culled from 1000+ applications and looks even more impressive. These are companies using artificial intelligence in industries from drug discovery and cybersecurity to robotics and legal tech. I'm happy that CB Insights is able to shine a light on the founders and companies that will revolutionize these industries and look forward to seeing what they do in 2018 and beyond." said CB Insights CEO Anand Sanwal.

The CB Insights research team selected the AI 100 companies based on criteria, examining company-submitted data and the companys Mosaic Score. The Mosaic Score, based on CB Insights National Science Foundation-funded algorithm, measures the overall health and growth potential of private companies. Through this evidence-based, statistically-driven approach, the Mosaic Score can help predict a companys momentum, market health and financial viability.

In 2014 Insilico Medicine made a bet on the deep learning technology and since then established over 250 industry and academic collaborations in both drug discovery and biomarker development and we became an innovation driver for the pharmaceutical industry. We are very happy to be recognized as one of the top 100 global AI companies by CB Insights, one of the top industry analysts, said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, the CEO of Insilico Medicine, Inc

In May 2017 Insilico Medicine was named top 5 AI companies for social impact by Nvidia. It pioneered the application of the generative adversarial networks (GANs) and reinforcement learning to generation of new molecular structures with the specific set of characteristics. It also pioneered using age as the main feature for multi-modal multi-omics data integration, biomarker development, target identification and transfer learning.

In 2014 we just got our signaling pathway perturbation analysis algorithms to work very well after several years of hard work and got venture capital to develop them further. We even got some freedom and the tools to focus on our primary interest - aging research. So the idea of refocusing the company into deep learning, which was very new back then was met with some internal resistance. But nowadays we probably have one of the most efficient and productive DL teams in the world. We are hiring through hackathons and competitions in the many countries, where the DL talent is not overpriced and bridge the gap between the DL scientists, biologists and medicinal chemists very quickly. We also perform literature reviews at least twice a week to ensure that we incorporate all of the latest advances in DL into our models. We are happy to see that this hard work is recognized by CB Insights. said Alex Aliper, president of Europe, Insilico Medicine, Inc.

Insilico Medicine was the first company to apply deep generative adversarial networks (GANs) to the generation of new molecular structures with specified parameters and published seminal papers in Oncotarget and Molecular Pharmaceutics. Another paper published in Molecular Pharmaceutics in 2016 and demonstrated the proof of concept of the application of deep neural networks for predicting the therapeutic class of the molecule using the transcriptional response data, received the American Chemical Society Editors' Choice Award. One of the recent papers published in November 2017 described the application of the next-generation AI and blockchain technologies to return the control over personal data back to the individual.

About CB Insights

Our team builds technology that helps corporations guess less and win more. We aggregate and analyze terabytes of data and use machine learning, algorithms and data visualization to help corporations replace the three Gs (Google searches, gut instinct and guys with MBAs) so they can answer massive strategic questions using probability not punditry.

Contact:

Farrah Kim, Senior Public Relations & Communications Manager

fkim(at)cbinsights.com

212-292-3148

For more information about the AI 100, visit:

https://www.cbinsights.com/research-ai-100

About Insilico Medicine, Inc

Insilico Medicine, Inc. is an artificial intelligence company located at the Emerging Technology Centers at the Johns Hopkins University Eastern campus in Baltimore, with R&D resources in Belgium, Russia, and the UK sourced through hackathons and competitions.

The company utilizes advances in genomics, big-data analysis, and deep learning for in silico drug discovery and drug repurposing for aging and age-related diseases. The company is pursuing internal drug discovery programs in cancer, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, diabetes, sarcopenia, and aging.

Through its Pharma.AI division, Insilico provides advanced machine learning services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and skin care companies, foundations and national governments globally. In 2017, NVIDIA selected Insilico Medicine as one of the Top 5 AI companies in its potential for social impact. http://www.insilico.com

Contact:

Qingsong Zhu, PhD

zhu(at)pharma.ai
We are now able to get a detailed look inside the heart to help us diagnose an arrhythmia and determine the best course of action to successfully manage and treat our patients, said Dr. Raul Jimenez, a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at Florida Hospital North Pinellas.

Florida Hospital North Pinellas is the first facility in northern Pinellas county to install the EnSite Precision cardiac mapping system, a next-generation platform designed to provide automation, flexibility and accuracy for diagnostic mapping used in ablation procedures to treat patients with abnormal heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmias). The first patient case utilizing this new system occurred on October 23, and Dr. Raul Jimenez performed two cases on December 11 with zero fluoroscopic radiation exposure to the patient.

When physicians use catheter ablation to treat cardiac arrhythmias, several long, flexible tubes with wires - called catheters - are inserted into the heart. Diagnostic catheters record and map electrical information from the heart and the Abbott EnSite Precision cardiac mapping system provides highly detailed anatomical models and maps to enable diagnosis of a wide range of arrhythmias, guide therapy and expand procedural options. Ablation catheters deliver radiofrequency energy. The heat from the catheter creates a lesion or scar on the tissue where the abnormal heartbeats originate. As a result, this tissue is no longer capable of conducting or sustaining the arrhythmia.

The cardiac mapping system technology is revolutionary and is a great benefit to the patients of Florida Hospital North Pinellas, said Dr. Raul Jimenez, a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at Florida Hospital North Pinellas. We are now able to get a detailed look inside the heart to help us diagnose an arrhythmia and determine the best course of action to successfully manage and treat our patients.

One of the distinctive features of the EnSite Precision cardiac mapping system is that it uses intelligent automation tools, which are designed to enable faster and more accurate high density maps allowing tailored treatment for a variety of cardiac arrhythmias, including complex cases. The ability to create rapid high-resolution models, speeds up mapping time and minimizes fluoroscopic radiation exposure for both the patient and the clinicians.

Florida Hospital North Pinellas is committed to providing the best cardiovascular care available for our neighbors in Pinellas and Pasco counties. The hospital staffs highly qualified, board-certified electrophysiologists and cardiologistsincluding expert cardiologists specializing in interventional cardiology. In addition, the hospital is an Accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI, which demonstrates a high level of expertise in treating chest pain cases. The hospital has also been nationally recognized and awarded for cardiovascular care including the 2017 Womens Choice Award - Americas Best Hospitals Heart Care and the 2017 Get With The Guidelines- Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus Award by the American Heart Association.

About Florida Hospital North Pinellas

Florida Hospital North Pinellas, located in Tarpon Springs, is a 168-bed, full-service hospital specializing in cardiovascular medicine, emergency medicine, orthopedics, wound healing, sleep medicine, womens care, and general surgery including minimally invasive and robotic-assisted procedures. Florida Hospital North Pinellas has been nationally recognized by the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association, The Joint Commission, and The Leapfrog Group, for excellence in providing quality patient care. Florida Hospital North Pinellas serves both the Pinellas and Pasco communities of West Central Florida. Part of the Adventist Health System, Florida Hospital is a leading health network comprised of 26 hospitals throughout the state. For more information, visit http://www.FHNorthPinellas.com.
IllusionPhotograph founder Beatrice Pitocco has announced the recent launch of her online gallery for photography prints and more. Her online community allows for people seeking positive art for their homes or their businesses to add a unique stamp to their spaces that helps to create the perfect atmosphere. Finding unique photography can be a challenge, but youre sure to find plenty to love at IllusionPhotograph.

A note from Beatrice mentions that Life is Illusion. In truth what we see is often what we want to see. Reality is blurred and each one of us seeks to find the mystery in the mundane. It was on such a journey that IllusionPhotograph.com was born. Art and creativity are what differentiate humans from other beings; it is our divine knowledge to see beyond sight, and express ourselves through words, paintings, or photography that distinguishes us from each other. What you see, and what you feel, is unique. The seer is always seeing what is in their own hearts.

IllusionPhotograph.com is an online platform/portal that showcases unique works of art and seeks out artists who have a story to tell. Founder Beatrice Pitocco, has always had a passion for creativity and her photography, all of which is captured with an iPhone, is digitally enhanced to bring forth color. Bright colors often bring out the beauty that already exists. In a world that can be dark and dreary, Beatrices photos strive to capture the colorful world as she sees it.

Aviva Levy is one of IllusionPhotographs first Featured Artists. Asked to describe herself, Aviva says, I dont have the best of everything--I just try to make the best of everything. To appreciate the unknown moments of beautiful, awestruck silence and wonder. The intangible. Her Lady in Waiting is a prime example of awestruck silence and wonder, come to life, in artform.

Another current Featured Artist is Rolando Diaz, a Cuban American artist. Diaz believes that art is an expression of life. Everything we see, feel, touch, smell, and hear, in one way or another becomes part of the images expressed on canvas. IllusionPhotograph.com is proud to showcase Mr. Diazs Peace Painting, a 30x40 Original Oil Painting.

IllusionPhotograph offers photography in any medium you might prefer--images printed on canvas, framed prints, and wall art are all popular, as are mugs, towels, throw pillows, and iPhone cases. IllusionPhotograph.com also proudly supports Living Heart Peru, a charity that helps to develop self-sustaining agriculture, health, and education initiatives in remote, impoverished highland communities above Perus Sacred Valley. With a goal of bringing light and art and poetry and as Aviva put it, the intangible back into life, Illusion Photograph strives to make a difference for people in Peru.

About IlusionPhotograph

IllusionPhotograph strives to make it easy for people to buy photography, regardless of the medium they are searching for. With a variety of fine art photos for sale on their website and a revolving selection of Featured Artists, IllusionPhotograph.com is the perfect place if youre looking for art for home decor, hotel rooms, restaurants, and more. Their mission is to bring an element of positivity to the world and highlight other unique photographers with the same goal.
Lymphoma Research Foundation Annual Luncheon The Annual Luncheon raises critical funds and awareness that enables the Lymphoma Research Foundation to advance lymphoma research to improve patient care, and provide exceptional education to empower patients and caregivers to make the most informed decisions about their care. - Gladys Cook

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF)  the nations largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services  will host its Annual Luncheon on February 5, 2018 at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida. Neiman Marcus Boca Raton will once again serve as this years fashion partner, presenting spring 2018 trends. Marc Jacobs Beauty will serve as the luxury cosmetics partner, featuring an onsite boutique and complimentary makeovers for attendees.

Since its inception in 2007, the Annual Luncheon has raised more than $1.3 million in support of LRFs mission, and providing hope to the nearly 6,000 Floridians who are diagnosed with lymphoma each year.

The Lymphoma Research Foundations Annual Luncheon has an incredible reputation throughout the community, and we are very excited to continue our ongoing collaboration with LRF in 2018, said Lauren Johnson, Regional Public Relations Manager  Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach for Neiman Marcus. We are thrilled to support the important mission of our partners at LRF.

Ann S. LaCasce, MD, MMSc, Director, Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare Hematology-Medical Oncology Fellowship Program, Senior Physician, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Member of the Lymphoma Research Foundations Scientific Advisory Board, will deliver this years keynote address, providing updates on lymphoma research and treatment options. Judy Bronsteen, Gladys Cook, Toby Cooperman, Elisabeth Dalfen, Joan Hauser, Gloria Klein, Ellen Liebman and Mitzi Oreman will serve as co-chairs of this years event.

The hope that the Annual Luncheon provides to the greater lymphoma community is immeasurable, said Gladys Cook, Annual Luncheon Co-Chair. The Annual Luncheon raises critical funds and awareness that enables the Lymphoma Research Foundation to advance lymphoma research to improve patient care, and provide exceptional education to empower patients and caregivers to make the most informed decisions about their care.

All those interested are invited to attend the Lymphoma Research Foundations Annual Luncheon, which begins at 10:30 am at St. Andrews Country Club. Individual tickets for the luncheon start at $125 each. For more information about the Annual Luncheon and/or to purchase tickets, please contact Amy Savage, Senior Manager of Distinguished Events at (646) 465-9101 or asavage@lymphoma.org.

About the Lymphoma Research Foundation

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nations largest non-profit organization devoted to funding innovative research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services. To date, LRF has awarded more than $60 million in lymphoma-specific research. For additional information on LRFs research, education and services, visit lymphoma.org.

###
MLK Breakfast Minnesota

David Oyelowo, award-winning actor known for his critically acclaimed role in Selma, will serve as keynote speaker at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday breakfast on Monday, January 15, 2018 at the newly renovated Minneapolis Armory at 7:00 a.m. CST.

Organized in partnership by General Mills and UNCF (United Negro College Fund), the events theme is Building Bridges for a Bold Dream and celebrates achieving justice through empathy, understanding and actionable change. In remembrance of the 1948 graduate of HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Morehouse College, proceeds from the event will help deserving area students get to and through college and provide resources to UNCF-member institutions.

Were thrilled to have Mr. Oyelowo share his experience embodying and paying tribute to Dr. King through his masterful performance in Selma, said Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF and fellow Morehouse HBCU alum. This is an especially powerful year for the event, as it marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Kings tragic assassination. We honor his sacrifices when we teach the next generation about the act of giving back. By serving our communities, we build bridges to a better future for us all.

The annual holiday breakfast began when UNCF and General Mills joined together to host a community celebration to honor the legacy of Dr. King. What started with 800 guests in 1991 has grown so large that it reached capacity seating at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The event is now hosted at the Minneapolis Armory. Past speakers have included former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Rev. Joseph Lowery, the late Yolanda King, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman, Donna Brazile, Vernon Jordan and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

With the help of the community, including the Corporate Community Service Coalition, an organization made up of 100 volunteer employees from 14 Minnesota companies, the MLK holiday breakfast continues to inspire change in the world and honor those individuals whose footprint uplifts the community. This years Lifetime Legend award honoree is Adair Mosley, interim president and chief executive officer at Pillsbury United Communities. Mr. Mosley has played a key leadership role in the development of North Market, a new kind of grocery store that provides access to nutritious food, health care services, and community wellness education in North Minneapolis.

To purchase tickets, which are $50, or for more information on the 28th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday breakfast, please visit: MLKBreakfast.com.

The event will be broadcast live on Twin Cities Public Television at 8 a.m. CST.

About UNCF

UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 21 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.

About General Mills

General Mills is a leading global food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its brands include Cheerios, Annie's, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills generated fiscal 2017 consolidated net sales of US $15.6 billion, as well as another US $1.0 billion from its proportionate share of joint-venture net sales.
Sandra brings 20 years of corporate experience to our board. We are delighted to have her expertise in reputation management and communications to support our strategic direction.

Sandra Kingsberry James of DuPont has been elected to the Delaware College of Art and Design Board of Trustees. She will serve a term through Jan. 30, 2020.

Sandra brings 20 years of corporate experience to our board, said trustee chairman Thomas J. Shopa. We are delighted to have her expertise in reputation management and communications to support our strategic direction.

James currently serves as Corporate Communications and Global Public Affairs Manager at DuPont, where she has had responsibility for corporate media relations through the historic $150 billion merger with Dow. Previously, James led global public affairs for one of the companys businesses and its iconic brands, including Kevlar, Nomex and Tyvek. In that role, she was responsible for integrated marketing activities, media relations, issues and crisis communications, and thought leadership.

For six years, James was principal in her own public affairs consultancy. She served clients in both the corporate and non-profit arenas, drawing on nearly a decade of experience in leading global public affairs groups in the pharmaceutical industry.

James holds a bachelor of arts degree in marketing communications from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and also studied communications at Syracuse University. In addition to her role with DCAD, she has served as an advisory board member for the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway. The Philadelphia native resides in Delaware with her husband and two children.

James joins DCAD at an exciting time as the College celebrates its 20th anniversary and anticipates naming its next president in early 2018. A committee of trustees, staff and community members is working with a search firm to identify finalists for the position.

For more information, contact Susan Coulby, DCAD communications director, at 302-622-8000, ext. 106, or scoulby(at)dcad(dot)edu.

The Delaware College of Art and Design is Delawares first and only professional art and design institution as well as one of the only two-year art and design colleges in the United States. DCAD is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The College offers the associate of fine arts degree in six majors  animation, fine arts, graphic design, illustration, interior design and photography  and prepares students to transfer as third-year students into bachelor of fine arts degree programs. The Delaware College of Art and Design is located at 600 N. Market St. and has served as an anchor institution in the revitalization of downtown Wilmington, Del., for more than 20 years. For further details, visit http://www.dcad.edu.
Winning the Five Star Professional Rising Star Real Estate Agent award is a true honor. The fact its based on peer and client evaluations is so meaningful. It says Im exceeding my clients expectations and Im respected by my colleagues. I couldnt ask for anything more.

Five Star Professional is pleased to announce Michele Alyea, Baird & Warner, has been chosen as one of Chicagos Rising Star Real Estate Agents for 2017.

Five Star Professional partnered with Chicago magazine to recognize a select group of Chicago-area real estate professionals who, in only a short period of time as agents, have performed at a high level with strong client satisfaction. Michele Alyea is featured, along with other award winners, in a special section of the October issue.

Winning the Five Star Professional Rising Star Real Estate Agent award is a true honor. The fact its based on peer and client evaluations is so meaningful. It says Im exceeding my clients expectations and Im respected by my colleagues. I couldnt ask for anything more, said Michele Alyea of Baird & Warner.

As part of the Rising Star Real Estate Agent award program, agents are measured using an objective, in-depth research methodology with significant focus on customer feedback, sales volume and overall satisfaction.

Rising Star Real Estate Agent award winners are agents to watch. Based on their impressive sales volume, transactions and client service they show tremendous potential to excel in the profession for years to come, says Jonathan Wesser, Research Director, Five Star Professional.

See Michele Alyeas online profile here!

Ive been in sales and sales training for over 20 years. I became a realtor because I love everything about a home, client relations and sales. So I joined all three forces for what I consider my dream career. The rest is history! said Michele Alyea.

Now entering its 15th year, Five Star Professional conducts in-depth, market-specific research in more than 45 markets across North America to identify premium service professionals.

Five Star Professional contacts recent homebuyers and seasoned real estate professionals to identify Rising Star award candidates who are strong performers, provide superior customer service and embody professional excellence. Candidates are also evaluated on objective criteria such as experience, production levels and disciplinary and complaint history.

Real estate agents do not pay a fee to be considered or awarded. For more information, visit http://www.fivestarprofessional.com.
It is important not to underestimate the dangers of adware. Today, most security professionals dismiss adware and consider it to be a low security risk compared to the other security issues. And attackers are aware of this practice said Amit Serper of Cybereason.

Cybereason, creators of the leading cybersecurity data analytics platform including endpoint detection and response, next-generation antivirus, and active monitoring services, today announced that Amit Serper, the companys Principal Security Researcher, discovered a new, invasive OSX.Pirrit adware variant targeting Mac OS X that enables cyber criminals to take full control of a users Mac computer.

This newest OSX.Pirrit version has infected tens of thousands of Mac computers around the world. Typical adware campaigns enable the attackers to flood a persons computer with ads. However, OSX.Pirrit not only bombards Macs with adware, it spies on users and runs with the highest user privileges.

To download the copy of Serpers research, visit:

https://www.cybereason.com/blog/targetingedge-mac-os-x-pirrit-malware-adware-still-active

This is the third chapter of the OSX.Pirrit saga, and this variant is by far the most invasive and dangerous. Infected users will find it extremely difficult to uninstall the program because it is either masked as an Apple update (which the vast majority of users will click on thinking it is legitimate) or as part of the Apple configuration system. In very rare instances, the infected user will be able to uninstall the adware, said Serper.

Over the past two years, Serper spent significant time analyzing OSX.Pirrit adware. His first OSX.Pirrit discovery in April 2016 provided details on how the adware had the potential to carry out malicious activity and how it contained practices borrowed from traditional malware. Several months later in July 2016, Serper disclosed additional information on OSX.Pirrit including the name of TargetingEdge, the company behind OSX.Pirrits creation.

It is extremely important not to underestimate the dangers of adware. Today, most security professionals dismiss adware and consider these programs low security risks compared to the other security issues they face. Attackers are aware of this practice. They add components or use components already embedded in the adware to use them in a way thats analogous to malware, added Serper.

In June 2017, Serper was the first security researcher in the world to discover a cyber vaccine for the NotPetya ransomware, an attack that caused more than $1 billion in losses and damages to corporations around the globe. In October 2017, Serper was the first to discover a vaccine for the equally nasty Bad Rabbit ransomware that spread around the world, causing massive productivity losses equaling hundreds of millions of dollars to many corporations.

About Cybereason

Cybereason, creators of the leading cybersecurity data analytics platform, gives the advantage back to the defender through a completely new approach to cybersecurity. Cybereason offers endpoint detection and response (EDR), next-generation antivirus (NGAV), and active monitoring services, all powered by its proprietary data analytics platform. The Cybereason suite of products provides unmatched visibility, increases analyst efficiency and effectiveness, and reduces security risk. Cybereason is privately held, having raised $189 million from top-tier VCs, and is headquartered in Boston, with offices in London, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.

Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/

Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Media Contact:

Bill Keeler

Director, Public Relations

Cybereason

bill.keeler(at)cybereason(dot)com

(929) 259-3261
Our Dole Caregiver Fellows, like Amber, are working tirelessly to secure their right to be involved, and we are thrilled to see Congress recognizing this urgent need and taking steps to truly integrate the caregiver. - Senator Elizabeth Dole

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation celebrates the passage of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a critical provision in support of military and veteran caregivers. The Foundation recognizes the contributions of Amber Oldfield, Dole Caregiver Fellow from South Dakota as the inspiration for this provision.

The provision requires each secretary of a military department to take appropriate action to determine if members of the armed forces undergoing pre-separation counseling require and have identified a caregiver. The secretary and department will then ensure that the caregiver is permitted to participate in appropriate sessions of the members pre-separation counseling and is connected to assistance and support services available through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other sources.

Amber Oldfield is a caregiver for her husband, an Army veteran living with invisible wounds. A vocal advocate for both her husband and fellow military caregivers, Amber shared her experience with Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), who wrote this provision with Amber in mind.

It is vital that caregivers be included in the transition process. When a service member transitions out of the military, he or she is often lost in a new and complicated system, and for a caregiver, helping your veteran navigate this system without having been involved from the beginning is incredibly daunting, said Amber. I am so grateful to Senator Rounds, his staff, and the work of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in getting this provision included in the NDAA. If a caregiver is involved from the beginning, were going to see fewer veterans slip through the cracks, and fewer families struggling from the stress.

The research is clear: veterans have the best chance to recover and thrive when they have a strong, well-supported caregiver. However, far too often the caregiver is excluded from many aspects of their veterans care, and left without resources to connect with VA and other military caregivers. The NDAA provision is an important step towards inclusion for our nations 5.5 million hidden heroesspouses, mothers, dads, and friends of wounded, ill, or injured veterans and service members.

Integrating the caregiver in the first stages of a veterans separation from the military will vastly improve outcomes for veterans and for caregivers, said Senator Elizabeth Dole, Founder of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. Our Dole Caregiver Fellows, like Amber, are working tirelessly to secure their right to be involved, and we are thrilled to see Congress recognizing this urgent need and taking steps to truly integrate the caregiver.

###

About Elizabeth Dole Foundation

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the preeminent organization empowering, supporting, and honoring our nations 5.5 million military caregivers  the spouses, parents, family members, and friends who care for Americas wounded, ill or injured veterans at home. Founded by Senator Elizabeth Dole in 2012, the Foundation adopts a comprehensive approach in its support and advocacy, working with leaders in the public, private, nonprofit, and faith communities to recognize military caregivers service and promote their well-being. Learn more about the Elizabeth Dole Foundation at http://www.elizabethdolefoundation.org.

The Hidden Heroes Campaign, an initiative of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, brings vital attention to the untold stories of military caregivers and provides a safe, secure place where caregivers can meet and access carefully vetted resources at HiddenHeroes.org. Another aspect of the Campaign, Hidden Heroes Cities, is an effort to galvanize local leaders across America to identify military caregivers in their communities and the local resources to support them. To date, 110 cities from San Antonio to New York, from Washington, DC to San Diego have signed on. Learn more about Hidden Heroes at http://www.hiddenheroes.org.
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Saudi Arabia Plans to Raise Fuel Prices by 80% in January

AUTHOR: publics.bg



 Michael Coghlan, flickr.com



Saudi Arabia plans to raise domestic gasoline and jet fuel prices in January, part of a program to gradually eliminate energy subsidies as the kingdom seeks to overhaul its economy and balance the budget, Bloomberg reported.

Gasoline prices are set to increase by about 80 percent, while jet fuel prices will be raised to international levels in one go. Gasoline and other fuels such as diesel, kerosene and heavy fuel oil, will see incremental price increases over several years.

Excluding jet fuel, prices wont reach international levels until 2023 at the earliest, and potentially by 2025. Electricity tariffs wont be increased directly, but will rise gradually with other energy prices, the person said. The Finance Ministry, which oversees the subsidy reform program, did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Bloomberg.

The new plan represents a slower timeline for the removal of subsidies as the government tries to offset the impact of the measures on a struggling economy. Authorities first reduced subsidies in December 2015 after years of debate as oil prices plummeted. Officials later said they would eliminate them entirely by 2020, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans Vision 2030 plan for the post-oil era.

The worlds biggest oil exporter is struggling to cope with low prices and spending cuts aimed to reducing a budget deficit that reached about 15 percent of gross domestic product in 2015. The economy contracted in the first two quarters this year, Bloomberg reminded.

Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said in an interview in October that prices of some subsidized domestic energy products will rise to international levels later than previously seen. Authorities will not rush to balance the budget by 2019 to avoid hurting growth, he said. Next years budget will be announced on 19 December.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development will on Tuesday announce the details of a cash transfer program, known as the Citizens Account, according to state television, Bloomberg informed. Officials have said that the payments, intended to compensate low- and middle-income Saudis for austerity measures, will begin before the next round of subsidy cuts.
 So far, both plans have attracted plenty of criticism.

 Career site Zippia broke down how the Senate tax plan could affect take-home pay in 2018 for people in various occupations.

 Business Insider homed in on how the plan could affect physicians.

Take-home pay is set to rise slightly under both tax plans put forward by congressional Republicans.

Career site Zippia provided Business Insider with data breaking down how different occupations fare under the Senate's tax plan.

Business Insider's Elena Holodny reported Americans "making around $200,000 to $500,000 would benefit less so from the proposed changes to the tax brackets and deductions." That also happens to be the income range many physicians fall within.

Business Insider specifically looked at how medical doctors fared under the new tax plan. The estimated federal tax savings below are for a single, childless taxpayer who claims the standard deduction.

Here's a look at how medical doctors, from pediatricians to anesthesiologists, could see their taxes change next year if the Senate's tax plan becomes law:

Pediatricians

Average salary: $184,240

Current tax: $41,657

Tax under the Senate plan: $36,856

Percent tax cut: 11.5%

Psychiatrists

Average salary: $200,220

Current tax: $46,131

Tax under the Senate plan: $41,970

Percent tax cut: 9.0%

Family and general practitioners

Average salary: $200,810

Current tax: $46,297

Tax under the Senate plan: $42,159

Percent tax cut: 8.9%

General internists

Average salary: $201,840

Current tax: $46,585

Tax under the Senate plan: $42,488

Percent tax cut: 8.8%

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons

Average salary: $232,870

Current tax: $56,814

Tax under the Senate plan: $53,044

Percent tax cut: 6.6%

Obstetricians and gynecologists

Average salary: $234,310

Current tax: $57,290

Tax under the Senate plan: $53,548

Percent tax cut: 6.5%

Anesthesiologists

Average salary: $269,600

Current tax: $68,935

Tax under the Senate plan: $65,900
Curb RecordsDylan Scott could become a daddy most anytime now, as he and his wife Blair await the arrival of their first little one.

Even though his first #1, My Girl, was inspired by his high school sweetheart, who became his bride, the Louisiana native is, in fact, expecting a boy.

We'll have a baby at Christmas, which is going to be crazy Dylan tells ABC Radio. We've got a name picked out, not a middle name. [Were] still working on that.

I had the perfect name, Dylan adds. I wanted to name him Beaux. B-E-A-U-X. I just thought that'd be awesome.

Blair, however, didnt share Dylans enthusiasm.

She said it was too country, he laughs. I was like, 'Babe, do you realize where we're from? Like, that's the way we grew up. We're country. This is how it is.' But she won. There's no battling her on a name, you know. So, she gets what she wants.



Dylans first holiday EP, Merry Christmas, is new this season. Hooked, his follow-up to My Girl, just broke into the top 40.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
#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...
LONDON  Falling unemployment has been a bright spot in a bleak picture for the economy since the Brexit vote, but pessimism about hiring staff is growing.

A new poll of 2,102 employers found a net balance of just 4% UK employers plan to hire rather than cut staff in the first quarter of 2018, the lowest figure in five years. That figure fell furthest in London to 0%, blamed on the capital's prospects after leaving the EU, and to 3% in south-east England.

The survey was conducted by employment agency ManpowerGroup Solutions, and it is used by the Bank of England to track hiring sentiment. It comes ahead of official jobs figures on Wednesday.

"This makes for a pretty bleak midwinter considering it comes at a time when Brexit talks are on a knife-edge," said James Hick, managing director of ManpowerGroup Solutions, in an emailed statement.

He said the country was "starting to see tangible signs of London's pre-eminence fading with the capital reporting its weakest outlook in four years."

ManpowerGroup also said there were signs of growing skills shortages in some sectors, including for freight lorry drivers, with 52,000 vacancies in the transport industry.
All eyes are on Alabama today as voters went to the polls to elect the nation's next US senator.

The high-stakes, deeply controversial race is coming to a close as voters decide between Democrat Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor, and Republican Roy Moore, a twice-ousted former Alabama Supreme Court justice who's facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls.

Once reliably Republican in a deep-red state, the Alabama Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions is now up for grabs, and the results of the election will have significant consequences in a barely Republican-majority Senate.

Polling has been all over the place, with recent Fox News numbers showing Jones with a 10-point lead, and an Emerson College survey showing Moore up by nine points. While the discrepancies between the two well-regarded polls may be due to differing methodologies, the confusing results also indicate how uncertain the outcome of the election remains.

Zac McCrary, a Democratic pollster based in Alabama, argues that the election will hinge on how high turnout is among black voters and younger Alabamians and whether Jones is able to win traditionally Republican voters turned off by Moore.

Black voters

In order for Jones to pull off a win, the state will have to see higher-than-normal turnout among black voters. Jones will need to carry the four major urban counties by very wide margins  in the upper 60s and 70s, McCrarcy predicts.

But voting rights advocates argue that Alabama's strict voting laws, which does not allow for same-day voter registration, preregistration for teens, or no-fault absentee ballots, purposely suppress the state's black vote.

"It's harder to vote in Alabama than just about anywhere else, a dynamic that should tend toward cooling the turnout of people who've only been allowed to vote in the state for 50 years," Vann Newkirk II wrote in The Atlantic.

Maximizing black voter turnout  including in large rural swaths of the state  will be key.

Suburban Republicans

Moore has traditionally not been as popular among well-educated, higher-income Republican voters than other GOP candidates, and may well find fewer supporters than ever in suburban white communities on Tuesday.

McCrary pointed out that Moore underperformed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Shelby County, a deep-red suburb of Birmingham, by 14 points in 2012. But Jones will still need to win a significantly greater percentage of these voters than Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton did in 2016.

"This county is really ground zero for finding Bush/Romney style Republicans who will vote for Jones," he wrote in a Tuesday Medium post.

College students and young voters

Moore is deeply unpopular among young voters, including young Republicans. (While the state Republican Party has stood by Moore, the Young Republican Federation of Alabama retracted their support last month).

Jones will need to pick up votes among traditionally conservative college student voters in Tuscaloosa County, the home of Alabama University, and Lee County, the seat of Auburn University.

Moores home turf: Etowah county
Sen. Rand Paul announced Tuesday that he will reject any government funding legislation in the coming weeks.

Current funding, in the form of a short-term extension passed on Thursday, will expire December 22. Without new funding passed before that date, the federal government would enter a partial shutdown.

Paul argued in a video on Twitter that any funding legislation would likely result in a continued increase of the federal deficit. The Kentucky Republican said the current pace of debt accumulation is unsustainable, arguing there should be significant spending cuts to get the debt under control.

"I cannot in good conscience vote to add more to the already massive $20 trillion debt," Paul said. "I promised Kentucky to vote against reckless deficit spending and I will do just that. Count me as a 'no' on any budget-busting spending bill."

Paul is among a core group of conservatives in the House and Senate that have opposed the funding legislation due to avowed concerns about the federal debt.

Leaders from the Republican and Democratic leadership are attempting to hash out a deal, focused on defense spending and other legislative priorities like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program.

In a follow-up tweet, Paul suggested he would still support the Republican tax bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Paul voted for the initial Senate version of the bill. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the TCJA would add roughly $1 trillion to the federal deficit even when factoring in increased economic growth from the bill.

But Paul tweeted that the tax bill would decrease the size of the federal government, which in his eyes makes it worthwhile.
Kayla Moore, the wife of the embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore, responded to allegations of anti-Semitism during a final campaign rally on Monday night.

"Fake news would tell you that we don't care for Jews. One of our attorneys is a Jew," the candidate's wife said. Also addressing her husband's wistful remarks about the era of slavery in the US, Moore said, "We have many friends who are black."

Watch the moment below:

Allies of President Donald Trump turned out Monday night in support of Roy Moore, the Republican US Senate candidate in Alabama, as voters prepared to head to the polls Tuesday in a race that has garnered international attention.

The "Drain the Swamp" rally featured remarks from Trump's former White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and David Clarke, the former sheriff of Wisconsin's Milwaukee County who was a prominent, yet controversial, fixture during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

The event was both a morale-building exercise for Moore's staunchest supporters  Alabama voters miffed with the national news media's coverage of the Senate race  and a group castigation of Moore's critics, both Republican and Democratic.

"There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better," Bannon told the crowd after calling out Republicans who had denounced Moore recently including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; the senior Alabama senator, Richard Shelby; Condoleezza Rice; and "little Bobby Corker," the senator from Tennessee.
Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old Brooklyn resident who attempted to carry out a suicide attack at New York City's busiest transit hub, chose the location because of its Christmas-themed posters, The New York Times reported on Monday.

The explosion went off in the passageway linking the Port Authority and Times Square subway stations in midtown Manhattan. Numerous reports indicated that the bomb may have exploded prematurely, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Ullah "did not achieve his ultimate goals."

According to former NYPD commission Bill Bratton and multiple media reports, Ullah is believed to have been inspired by the terrorist group ISIS. And according to CNN, Ullah told investigators he detonated the pipe bomb in retaliation for Israel's actions in Gaza.

Ullah was taken to a hospital for treatment for his injuries, which the police said included burns to his hands and abdomen. The police said just three other people were injured in the attack and that the injuries were not life-threatening.

Sources told the New York Post that the suspect told investigators he made the explosive device at the electrical company.

The Times reported that the police found Ullah with an intact explosive device, which it said they stripped him to remove. The Joint Terrorism Task Force is reportedly still investigating the attack and Ullah's motives.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson laid out what seemed to be a new approach toward North Korea on Tuesday, pledging to continue diplomatic efforts with the rogue state "until the first bomb drops" and stating that he is open to talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions.

"I will continue our diplomatic efforts until the first bomb drops," Tillerson told the audience at an event at the Atlantic Council.

During a question and answer session with former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, Tillerson said he would be willing to sit down to talk with the North Koreans with no preconditions in order to get a process started.

"We're ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk, and we're ready to have the first meeting without precondition," Tillerson told Hadley. "Let's just meet. We can talk about the weather if you want ... But can we at least sit down and see each other face to face, and then we can lay out a map, a roadmap, of what we might be willing to work towards."

Tillerson confirmed that North Korea giving up its nuclear arsenal was crucial to any future deal. But in a pivot from a tenant of President Donald Trump's policy towards the country, the US' top diplomat said he would be willing to come to the table without such a promise from the North Koreans.

"It's not realistic to say we're only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your program, and the president is really realistic about that as well."

Tillerson said that he would only push for the North Koreans to refrain from testing missiles during the course of the negotiations.

Tillerson went on to elaborate on the Trump administration's diplomatic goals in the Korean Peninsula.

"We do not seek regime change, we do not seek regime collapse, we do not seek an accelerated unification of the Korean Peninsula, we do not seek a reason to send our forces north of the demilitarized zone," Tillerson said. "Our only objective is to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula."

Trump and Kim have been trading barbs and personal insults for months, with Kim even sentencing Trump to death. Trump has also publicly admonished Tillerson for his diplomatic efforts in a tweet written in October.

"I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump wrote, using a nickname for Kim.
As interest in bitcoin soars, a senior Facebook executive is joining the board of Coinbase, a startup that helps consumers trade and store the cryptocurrency.

David Marcus, who heads up Facebook Messenger, is joining the digital currency exchange's board of directors, Coinbase announced Tuesday. Marcus has some experience in the digital payments space; before joining Facebook, he was the president of PayPal.

In a blog post, Brian Armstrong, Coinbase's CEO, said he was "pleased" to have Marcus join the company.

His "experience will add breadth and depth to the Coinbase board and will help the leadership team as the company focuses on becoming the most popular and safest place to buy and sell digital currencies," Armstrong said.

In the same blog post, Marcus said he'd been keeping a close eye on cryptocurrencies since 2012 and was excited about how Coinbase was popularizing their use.

"Im convinced that what the company is working on has the potential to materially change the lives of people around the world, and Im looking forward to working with Coinbase and its leadership team to help make this vision a reality," he said.

Luring Marcus to its board is a big win for Coinbase. Arguably, he will be the company's highest-profile director, sitting alongside Andreessen Horowitz's Chris Dixon and Fred Wilson from Union Square Ventures.

Bitcoin's skyrocketing price may be good business for Coinbase, but it has some observers worrying about the effects of a potential crash, amid reports that some people are taking out mortgages to buy into the digital currency.
The gesture was part of the Company's community outreach programme under its Corporate Social Responsibility.

James Town is a fishing community where the company has established its biggest facility called the Lavender Hill and Mudor Faecal Treatment Plant.

The facility has the capacity to treat about 80 percent of liquid waste generated in Accra.

Packaged announced

The Managing Director of SSGL, Mr Haidar Said, made the announcement at the company's annual Thanksgiving ceremony held last Friday.

The event, which brought together all the staff and management of the company, was to thank God for his goodness to the company

Held at the Mckeown Assembly of the Church of Pentecost at Korle Gonno, the three-hour programme was on the theme Give thanks to God for He is good.

Mr Said expressed the company gratitude to the people of James Town for their various contribution since the Lavender Hill and Mudor Faecal Treatment Plant begun operation.

Whiles we are thanking God for his blessings, we also want to show appreciation to the people of James Town for their assistance to the SSGL, he said.

Mr Said noted apart from the payment of the tuition fees of the students, the company had done a lot for the community since it started operating in the area.

SSGL contribution

Briefing the media about some of the things the company had done, the Business Development and Communications Manager of SSGL, Ms Lola Asiseh Ashitey, said the Company had given employment to hundreds of youth from James Town.

We have professionals like engineers, accountants and even the unskilled people given jobs at SSGL, she said.

Ms Ashitey said the company intended to further engage more of the youth in various projects that would soon be rolled out.

That, she said, was a way to assist the youth to improve their well-being, adding that "once they are engaged, they will have a means of income", Ms Ashitey added
According to reports, the policemen, led by Inspector Oladele Ojelabi arrested the victim as well as others on Tuesday October 17, 2017.

This was perceived as an act of intimidation by Ojelabi who had displayed a lustful interest in the wife of the deceased identified as Mrs. Gbemisola Okoro.

The latter who is also a police officer had repeatedly turned down the advances of the inspector, insisting that she was married with children. But this only encouraged a determined Ojelabi to take drastic measures.

Through an act of bullying, Ademilola, a hairdresser apprehended at her shop in Oke-Aro located in Ondo, led the SARS operatives to the resident of Okoro and the deceased. In a chat with the Daily Post News, she insisted the policemen failed to state her offence yet found herself at the state police command in Akure.

The SARS officers didnt release me until 8am the following day but refused to release others.

As I was trying to secure their release, I met Inspector Ojelabi who promised to help me and had sexual intercourse with me, Ademilola told the Daily Post News of her encounter.

Mr. Femi Joseph, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Ondo State Command confirmed reports concerning the incident. This was following pressures from the family of the deceased who urged the state commissioner to look into the matter.

The PPRO maintained that the officer concerned Ojelabi is still only a suspect until proven guilty. He assured that the police inspector will face penalties if found guilty of the allegations.

Ongoing protests against SARS

Meanwhile, in Lagos, Abuja and Warri,protesters have taken to the streets to state their concern over the excesses of some officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The marchers carried placards with various disapproving inscriptions that expresses dissatisfaction over the abusive behaviour of SARS operatives who have appeared in online videos where they were seen assaulting civilians.
According to Accra-based Citi FM, the retrenchment is expected to affect the majority of its miners at the Tarkwa mine.

Goldfields Ghanas Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs David Johnson who confirmed the retrenchment exercise explained that the mining model of the firm has changed from owner mining operation to contractor operations.

READ ALSO: Second Deputy BoG Governor resigns

He explained further that it will operate at a loss if it goes on with its previous model.

We are changing our business model from an owner binder to the contract binder, previously Goldfields acquired and maintained the mining fleets. Now what we are doing right now in 2017, our mining fleet has changed and will need to be replaced now looking at the types of mines that we have which is five to six years of active mining, if we were to pump that money into fleet replacement we will not actually be able to recruit that money back because we are talking of a huge capital investment here.

So now we have to look at our options. You have a contracted miner on the side who has fleets already and that is new and can be more efficient so that has actually influenced decision, the fact that we have an engine mining fleet and also a relatively limited life supply, he added.

READ ALSO: Finance Minister buys Kantanka car

This is the second time in three years the mining firm has embarked on such a massive retrenchment exercise.

In 2014 it laid off about 400 of its workforce over similar concerns.

According to Johnson, the retrenchment will affect a number of its departments.

Our mining department and our HME which is the Heavy Mining Equipment provides that we maintain our fleet, those aspects of our business are being given to our contractors.
The judge, Worlanyo Kotuku, explained that the prosecution should have come with a written application rather than the oral one they adopted.

The prosecution led by senior state attorneys Evelyn Kilson prayed the court to discharge the six due to the lack of substantial evidence to prosecute them.

Captain Maxwell Mahama of the 5 Battalion of Infantry at Burma Camp in Accra who was on detachment duties at Diaso in the Central Region was lynched to death by the youth of the town.

The officer was on operational duties at the Alaska C&G Mining Company at Amenase Forest, near Diaso in the Central Region.
Speaking on Accra FM, Amaliba said he is shocked that some public figures who would have criticised the NDC if they did the same thing are quiet.

These are the worrying signals. How can you drag somebody to your committee without giving the person a copy of the document and everybody is keeping quiet?

What has the woman done? She has declared election results in your favour and so what again do they want from her that they are using the process to harass her?

Where are the CDDs? Where are the Occupy Ghanas? If it were to be the NDC government all these people would be speaking by now. Where is Emile Short? Where is Professor Martey? This country will burn and we will see where all of us will be and so they should continue doing it.

In his estimation, the current government is harassing the EC Chairperson.

Background

Some workers of the EC petitioned the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, asking for investigations into allegations of fraud and financial malfeasance against the Chair of the election management body.

They are also demanding her removal over allegations that she terminated a contract with STL and unilaterally renegotiated a contract with a vendor of the EC for $21,999,592 without informing her deputies or other commissioners.

The Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo has empanelled a committee to look into the alleged abuse of power and corruption scandal that has rocked the Electoral Commission.

READ ALSO: Finance Minister buys Kantanka car

The petition was subsequently forwarded to the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, as required by law, to establish a prima facie case based on which impeachment proceedings would commence against the EC chair.

The Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo also empanelled a committee to look into the alleged abuse of power and corruption scandal that has rocked the Electoral Commission, the Daily Guide newspaper reports.

She appeared before the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court on Monday, December 11, after the President forwarded a petition by Forson Ampofoh and Godsway Dzado, both drivers at the EC office for her impeachment in relation to alleged corruption and mismanagement.
The letter, signed by the British, French, German, Italian and Spanish finance ministers, warned that "certain less conventional international tax provisions could contravene" tax treaties and could have "a major distortive impact on international trade".

US Republicans in the House and Senate are working to come up with a final unified version of the reform that President Donald Trump can sign before the end of the year.

Both versions call for slashing taxes for corporations and business partnerships while eliminating many deductions for individuals.

"While the establishment of a modern, competitive and robust tax system is one of the essential pillars of a state's sovereignty, it is important that the US government's rights over domestic tax policy be exercised in a way that adheres with international obligations to which it has signed up," the letter said.

Germany's Finance Minister Peter Altmaier, Britain's Philip Hammond, France's Bruno Le Maire, Italy's Pier Carlo Padoan and Spain's Cristobal Montoro told US Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin they remain "confident that you will find a wise and well-balanced compromise in your mission to create a modern and robust new US tax code".

The United States is Europe's biggest trade and investment partner.

A US Treasury spokesperson responded by saying: "We appreciate the views of the finance ministers. We are closely working with Congress as they finalize the legislation through the conference process."

Last Tuesday the 28 EU finance ministers, meeting in Brussels, has a preliminary discussion on the subject at France's request.
Electoral authorities have not yet declared a winner from the election, despite full results and a partial recount showing a slight lead for Hernandez, 49.

International observers have expressed reservations with "irregularities" in the election, while Amnesty International has slammed "dangerous and illegal" tactics to silence anti-Hernandez dissent.

Initial results pointed to a victory for Nasralla, a 64-year-old former TV presenter with little political experience. But a much-interrupted and extraordinarily slow count by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal then reversed the trend to suggest an advantage for Hernandez.

Security forces extinguished burning tires that had been set up across roads in the capital by protesters backing Nasralla's Alliance Against the Dictatorship coalition.

In other parts of the country, protesters blocked some zones despite police and army action.

"The people are defending the popular will," one opposition lawmaker, Jari Dixon, told AFP on the eastern outskirts of the capital Tegucigalpa.

"Nasralla won the elections but they want to declare illegal candidate Juan Orlando Hernandez the winner," he said.

The opposition stresses that the constitution bars re-election for Honduras's presidents. Hernandez's rightwing National Party says a 2015 ruling by the country's supreme court voided that rule.

Road blocks were reported in Tegucigalpa, and in the north, west and south of the small Central American nation of 10 million people.

In the southern province of Choluteca, there was a report of soldiers firing at a television crew's vehicle, but no one was wounded.

Amnesty International has said at least 14 people have died in post-election violence. Officials have spoken of only three deaths: that of a 19-year-old woman, whose killing allegedly by police was being investigated; and of two police officers on patrol.

The opposition has demanded a full vote recount supervised by independent foreign observers.
"In the course of today's work we finally agreed a credit agreement which I hope, and I emphasise this, will be signed in the nearest time," Putin said, but at no point did he mention the S-400 deal directly.

"We see a considerable perspective to widen cooperation in the military technical sphere," he added during his visit to Ankara.

The purchase of the surface-to-air missile defence batteries, Ankara's most significant deal with a non-NATO supplier, comes with Turkey in the throes of a crisis in relations with several Western states.

There are also worries in the West, including in the US, over the missile system's technical compatibility with the alliance's equipment.

The Pentagon previously said that "generally it's a good idea" for NATO allies to buy inter-operable equipment.

Putin was in Ankara after a sprint across the Middle East and North Africa region.

He began with a surprise first visit to Syria to meet President Bashar al-Assad at a Russian airbase before meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, two of Ankara's prime foes in recent years.
Updating parliament on the terms of the financial settlement, rights of European citizens and the Irish border after Brexit, May drew plaudits from all sides of her Conservative party.

"We are going to leave but we are going to do so in a smooth and orderly way" she told MPs, to cheers.

"That's my mission. That is this government's mission. And on Friday we took a big step towards achieving it."

Despite praising her efforts, a number of Conservative MPs raised concerns about the money Britain would pay as it leaves the bloc, estimated at 35 billion to 39 billion (40-45 billion euros, $47-52 billion).

May said the settlement was "fair" and stressed Britain would honour its commitments.

But she added: "This offer is on the table in the context of us agreeing the partnership for the future... If we don't agree that partnership, then this offer is off the table."

Brexit Secretary David Davis prompted alarm in Dublin and Brussels on Sunday by appearing to pull away from guarantees made in the deal over the Irish border.

But May made clear that "it is right that we ensure no new barriers are put in place" between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.

She repeated the EU's mantra that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed", but said the agreement had created a "new optimism" in the talks.

'Give and take'

Some have viewed the guarantees on the Irish border as a move towards a softer break with Brussels.

The deal holds out the prospect of Britain remaining aligned with some of the rules of the EU's single market and customs union if no new bilateral trade deal is reached.

May said this was a "fall-back option of last resort" and confirmed once again that Britain as a whole would be leaving the EU's single market and the customs union.

Mindful of the ability of hardline eurosceptic Conservatives to disrupt her minority government, the prime minister emphasised there had been "give and take" on both sides.

Speaking after chairing a meeting of her cabinet ministers, many of whom are divided on Britain's future outside the EU, she insisted: "This is not about a hard or a soft Brexit."

She added: "This is good news for people who voted Leave, who were worried we were so bogged down in tortuous negotiations it was never going to happen.

"And it is good news for people who voted Remain, who were worried we were going to crash out without a deal."

Leading Brexit supporter Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative party leader, said the agreement was "not ideal" but "simply gets us through the first round".

Uncertainty over deal

However, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused May of having "scraped through" with an agreement that remained unclear, and accused cabinet ministers of contradicting themselves.

Davis said Monday that his suggestion that the Irish border deal was "more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing" had been "twisted".

Joe McHugh, the Irish government's chief whip, had said it would be "bizarre" to agree a deal and not uphold it.

European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas confirmed the agreement was not yet legally enforceable, but said it should be viewed as a "deal between gentlemen".

"It is a clear understanding that it is fully backed and endorsed by the UK government," he said.
Rachel Crooks, who claims the real estate magnate forcibly kissed her on the mouth after she introduced herself to him at Trump Tower in 2005, urged lawmakers to "put aside their party affiliations and investigate Mr. Trump's history of sexual misconduct."

"I want to believe that as Americans we can put aside our political inclinations and admit that some things in fact do transcend politics," she told a forum in New York, where she appeared alongside fellow accusers Jessica Leeds and Samantha Holvey.

Leeds said the accusations that have surfaced in the wake of the allegations against disgraced Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein was evidence that some sexual predators were now being held accountable.

"But we are not holding our president accountable for what he is and who he is," she told the forum.

Crooks voiced hope "that we will hold Mr Trump to the same standard of Harvey Weinstein and the other men who were held accountable for their reprehensible behavior."

Leeds says she was groped by Trump on a commercial flight, while Holvey alleges Trump behaved inappropriately when she was a contestant in his Miss USA pageant, by coming backstage as she and others were in states of undress.

The White House swiftly dismissed as "false" the claims by the three women, who also appeared on national television NBC earlier Monday to share their stories more than a year after they first came forward.

"These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year's campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory," a White House spokesperson said.
It's common for New York City to come to mind when you think of New Year's Eve celebrations.

It's the most popular city for travelers to ring in the New Year, according to travel price comparison site Expedia, and the longtime host of one of the biggest New Year countdown parties in America, right in Times Square.

But as an already expensive destination, airfare and accommodations in New York City are even pricier during the holidays.

Luckily, a fun New Year's Eve getaway doesn't have to cost you a fortune.

In fact, you can travel to cities like Los Angeles and Seattle  and even tropical destinations like the Bahamas  for under $400 round trip.

If you book between November 26 and December 5, you can save an average of $600 on airfare and hotels, according to data from Expedia. If your travel plans are flexible  as in you don't have to be back in the office on January 2  you may be able to save even more.

Since there's still time to choose a destination, check out Expedia's list of the 10 best places to visit for New Year's Eve where round-trip airfare is less than $400.

All flight prices are based on average airfare with a departure date of either December 30 or 31. Expedia also provided the average cost of a hotel on New Year's Eve for each location based on New Year's 2017.

10. Los Angeles

Average round trip-ticket: $377

Average daily hotel rate: $219

9. Mexico City

Average round-trip ticket: $372

Average daily hotel rate: $96

8. Nassau

Average round-trip ticket: $369

Average daily hotel rate: $329

7. Fort Lauderdale

Average round trip-ticket: $362

Average daily hotel rate: $226

6. San Francisco

Average round trip-ticket: $361

Average daily hotel rate: $244

5. Tampa

Average round trip-ticket: $347

Average daily hotel rate: $161

3. (TIE) Denver

Average round trip-ticket: $342

Average daily hotel rate: $204

3. (TIE) Phoenix

Average round trip-ticket: $342

Average daily hotel rate: $123

2. Salt Lake City

Average round trip-ticket: $341

Average daily hotel rate: $124

1. Seattle

Average round trip-ticket: $309
Crossover SUVs are the hottest segment in the car business right now, and an especially appealing subset of the segment is small utility vehicles.

These are the new entry points to brands; it used to be that small sedans were the starter cars. But increasingly that's not the case, and the market may never reverse the trend.

Luxury and near-luxury brands are both jumping in. BMW has the X1 as its entry-level crossover, and Buick has the Encore. This isn't going to be an apples-to-apples comparison, by the way.

The Bimmer is a true luxury brand, while Buick resides below Cadillac in the General Motors hierarchy.

But the two vehicles, separated by price  more than $10,000, in fact  can be usefully compared.

They both provide good utility and have about the same amount of passenger and cargo space. What's more, they both come equipped with a nice lineup of tech features and can even be compared in terms of how they drive.

The biggest difference is really one of impressions and expectations. The BMW is supposed to be the small-crossover version of the "ultimate driving machine."

The Buick, on the other hand, needs to bring younger buyers into the brand and not deviate too much from what makes a Buick a Buick: quietness, composure, and low-key style.

So what we ultimately have here is a pair of vehicles equally burdened by their respective automotive DNA. The BMW, for example, needs to satisfy the person behind the wheel. The Buick needs to soothe the driver. The BMW has to carry a certain amount of design weight  this crossover needs to fit into the BMW family, which includes the X3 and the X5.

The Buick has to exude some of the Tri-Shield's unforced elegance and country-club vibe without coming off as stuffy. Buick has done yeoman work in the last decade changing the idea that its cars are strictly for the retirement community demographic.

So the two crossovers are easier to compare than it appears.

And there might even be a surprise or two about the one we liked better.

Here's the X1. Specifically, the 2016 X1 xDrive28i, priced at about $44,000 and nicely equipped. I tested and reviewed the crossover late last year. Base price is roughly $10,000 less.

Read the review here.

And here's the 2017 Encore. My tester was the Sport Touring trim level, and it tipped the costs scales at just over $31,000, with several thousand bucks worth of options. Base price? $27,000.

You have to give it to the Bimmer when it comes to styling: in "Alpine White" it's very sharp, and it lacks for none of the usual BMW design cues, including the famous kidney grille.

The Encore is notably more blocky, but guess what? It's actually a German car  in Europe it's sold as the Opel Mokka. Well, it's sort of a German car. It's bolted together in South Korea and Spain. The X1 is properly assembled in Germany.

The X1 started out life as a wagon, and it retains that flavor, whereas the Encore is more of a purpose-built crossover.

So the X1 resembles a BMW sedan that has been turned into a crossover, while the Encore looks more like a shrink-rayed SUV. If it resembles a Chevy Trax to your eye, that's because the vehicles share a GM platform.

Both crossovers come in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants. The AWD Encore was appreciated in the winter weather of suburban NJ. The BMW didn't need to face that test.

Step inside, though, and this is where the X1 starts to slip. It just doesn't feel like you've tucked yourself into a BMW driver's cockpit. Also, the overall impression is far more plasticky than with other Bimmers.

Believe it or not, the Encore's interior has a more premium feel. The seats aren't all-leather, as with the X1 (they're a leatherette-and-cloth combo), but otherwise, the cabin is attractively composed.

The back seats in the X1...

...are about the same as the Buick. Not exactly roomy, but better than some "cute utes" we've sampled recently.

In the X1, an 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission (with a manual mode) communicates well with the X1's 2.0-liter inline turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which makes 228 horsepower and can zip the X1 from 0 to 60 mph in a shade over six seconds. The "Sport" mode really peps things up.

With the Buick, we have a 1.4-liter turbo, making 153 horsepower, piped through a 6-speed automatic with a manual mode. You'll note that both crossovers have a good old-fashioned P-R-N-D shifter, not one of those newfangled, perplexing joysticks.

We have to give the engine to the X1. It has a lot more horsepower and comes off as more responsive then the Encore's. The Buick is about two second slower to 60 mph. You can also feel the 1.4-liter turbo straining, while the X1's bigger four-banger pumps up the power with less effort.

The Encore does maintain Buick's reputation for quiet, however, isolating you from the engine noise.

Plus, you have to ask yourself if the X1's beefier powerplant is worth the extra $12,000.

Handling-wise, the X1 actually disappoints, as one expects it to do that BMW thing and road like their now tomorrow. The Encore surprises on the front, punching above its weight. I was delighted by how darty and quick it felt at lower speeds, and while the BMW's steering is acceptable, the Buick's was better than expected.

Cargo capacity ...

... was pretty much a tie.

Infotainment wasn't a tie. BMW's iDrive system is vastly improved, and it provides all the needed functions, from navigation to Bluetooth integration to good-quality audio and a modest central screen but ...

... Buick's touchscreen IntelliLink interface is miles better  among the best in the business. The Bose audio system is superb, the infotainment setup does everything the X1's does, but it adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the combination of OnStar with 4G LTE Wifi connectivity makes this category an easy win for the Encore.

The BMW Bavarian-flag badge is lovely ...

... but so is the Buick Tri-Shield.

So, you've probably guessed what the verdict is by now ...

... the Buick takes it!

The Encore is quite the overachiever. It can't match the X1 for power or driving, but then again, it's a Buick and not a Bimmer. And while the X1 doesn't perfectly translate the ultimate driving machine into a small package, the Encore is Buick enough to trace a line back through its brand legacy.

The Buick also feels more premium inside, while the X1 gives off a vaguely compromised vibe, even though the materials are on their face of a higher quality. In terms of hauling capability, it's a draw, although when fully loaded down the Encore is going to feel very slow, due to the more than 50 horsepower gap between it and the X1.

Both crossovers are up to snuff with safety features and driver-assist technologies, but neither is advanced as some other, more expensive and larger vehicles.

Resale and trade-in value, for what it's worth, is likely to be higher for the BMW.

The Encore's infotainment and connectivity package pretty well blows the BMW's away, and that will matter far more to many buyers than the 0-60 mph time. IntelliLink plus OnStar plus 4G LTE is just an unbeatable combination.

The Encore's 26 mpg city/31 highway/28 combined beats the X1's 22/32/25, but not by enough to make much of a difference. In fact, if you're looking for a reason to go with the BMW and aren't troubled by the extra costs, the superior performance joined to the decent MPGs is a definite selling point.

The bottom line is that in the X1 and the Encore we have two compelling, contemporary crossovers.

But in the end, the X1 is less good at being a small BMW SUV than the Encore is at being a small Buick SUV. There isn't enough going for the BMW behind the wheel to justify the substantial price gap. The choice comes down to taste. If you like your cars with luxury badges, the BMW is your baby.

But if you're willing to give the Buick a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Bravo Buick Encore!
Two soldiers were killed in the same area on Saturday, the sources told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to talk to the media.

A military officer in Maiduguri said Sunday's ambush happened when troops were on patrol between the villages of Nyeneri and Falawani.

"The terrorists came in huge numbers and attacked the convoy using IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and gun trucks," he added.

A member of the civilian self-defence force gave a similar account and death toll, and said the jihadists made off with weapons before reinforcements arrived.

He added: "Two soldiers died on Saturday when the six vehicles they travelling in came under heavy attack from Boko Haram near Bulaburin (village)," said the militia source.

The attacks came days after the military replaced the officer leading troops fighting Boko Haram following a surge in attacks, including against military outposts.

The army maintains the redeployment of Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru was routine, and the officer himself said suggestions he was sacked are "far from the truth".

He said in his farewell speech to troops on Monday that his move was "a normal exercise" and his redeployment to army headquarters in Abuja was a "call to higher responsibility".

Meanwhile, hundreds of people displaced by the violence deserted a makeshift camp in Birimari village, in the Nganzai district of Borno, some 80 km north of Maiduguri.

Troops had been sent to the village, which is the birthplace of Borno state governor Kashim Shettima, two years ago but soldiers were withdrawn last week, locals said.

One of the displaced, Idrissa Karim, fled with others to Gajiram, the district headquarters, as fears spread of a possible attack.

A bus driver who plies the route from the garrison town of Monguno to Maiduguri, which passes through Birimari and Gajiram, confirmed the displaced people had moved on.

"The IDPs (internally displaced persons) were packing their tents and few belongings from the camp at Birimari and heading to Gajiram for fear of Boko Haram attack after soldiers left the village," the driver said.
Despite President Donald Trump's apparent overarching focus on Iran and North Korea during his first year in office, those countries apparently share their space at the top of the president's national security agenda.

The president's National Security Council "has been told that Venezuela is one of Donald Trump's top three priorities. Iran and North Korea being the other two," Mark Feierstein, who was the National Security Council's senior director for the Western Hemisphere during the Obama administration, said during a panel discussion at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas in New York on Tuesday.

Trump has struck a more aggressive posture toward Venezuela than his predecessor, sometimes to the detriment of the effort to build consensus against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In August, Trump said the US had "many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option, if necessary."

The remark was greeted with dismay in Latin America  as Maduro harped on it to rally support  and left US diplomats scrambling to allay concerns in the region. However, Feierstein said, administration staffers anticipated such a comment, though it was not clear in what form it would come.

But, he said of the military option, "that's not serious. That's not on the table."

While many governments in Latin America and around the world have criticized the Maduro government, countries in the region haven't taken much action and EU measures have been limited. Venezuela's domestic political opposition has also made little headway  stymied by pressure from Maduro as well as by its own internal divisions.

The Trump administration has a policy goal for Venezuela, according to Feierstein, but is split on how to pursue it.

"What they're trying to achieve is pretty basic. It's a peaceful, democratic transition. They are at loss about how to achieve that, like the rest of us," he said. "But there is a division. The question is who 'they' is. There is division within the administration between the NSC and the State Department."

"The NSC is not enthusiastic about the negotiations in Santo Domingo," Feierstein added, referring to negotiations between the Maduro government and opposition leaders taking place in the Dominican Republic.

However, he said, the "State Department, at least at the most senior levels, is more supportive" of those talks.

The Trump administration leveled several rounds of sanctions against dozens of Venezuelan officials in late July and early August, calling Maduro a "dictator" and directing sanctions against him specifically.

Over the summer, officials within the State Department succeeded in reducing the severity of some of those sanctions, arguing that harsher measures would imperial ongoing dialogue between the government and opposition.

However, those in the White House and on the National Security Council pushing for "strong and swift" action eventually won out  leading to broader financial sanctions against the Maduro government and Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA.
Akayed Ullah, the man accused of detonating a makeshift bomb in a busy underground passageway in New York City on Monday, faces federal charges of supporting a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The federal complaint says that on the morning of the attack, Ullah, a 27-year-old Brooklyn resident originally from Bangladesh, posted a Facebook message saying, "Trump you failed to protect your nation."

The attack occurred in a narrow passageway connecting the Times Square and Port Authority subway stations in Manhattan at about 7:30 a.m. local time, according to the police. The explosion injured just three people in addition to Ullah, who was found lying on the ground at the scene and arrested.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday also charged Ullah with bombing a place of public use, destroying property by means of fire of explosives, and using a destructive device during a violent crime.

Ullah told investigators in an interview from the Bellevue Hospital that he constructed the bomb and carried out the attack on behalf of the terrorist group ISIS, according to the complaint. Investigators said Ullah also posted another statement to Facebook before the attack that he "believed would be understood by members and supporters of ISIS to convey that Ullah carried out the attack in the name of ISIS."

Police officers also found a passport in Ullah's apartment that contained the handwritten message "O AMERICA, DIE IN YOUR RAGE," the complaint said.

Investigators believe Ullah was first radicalized around 2014 and began conducting internet research on how to build improvised explosive devices roughly one year ago. The complaint said Ullah viewed pro-ISIS materials online and watched a video instructing supporters to carry out attacks in their homeland if they were unable to travel overseas to join the terrorist group.

The complaint accuses Ullah of carrying out the attack "to terrorize as many people as possible," alleging that he chose to attack on a Monday in hopes of more people being present on a workday.
Tarana Burke: Donald Trump has proven to be the kind of person who you can't reason with, and who you can't have a logical conversation with, and who I can't imagine having a heart-to-heart conversation thinking that I would change something specifically about this person.

None of the evidence that I've seen in the last year shows me that that would be even worth my time. So I don't know that I would sit down and have a conversation with him. Just to have him not change.

I'm interested in talking to people and dealing with people who are set and ready for change and action. Who get it. And who are looking for solutions. And I don't think that he's one of those people.

A lot of people started off this year feeling a sense of hopelessness, because we had a president in our office who was self-admitted to be a sexual predator. Somebody who said out of their own mouth that they described in detail how they go about violating women.

As a woman, as an American citizen, that is disheartening to know that the person who is the leader of your country thinks like that and operates like that. And we've gone from that to the Women's March, to now this #MeToo moment, and several things in between. In ways I think that it has emboldened women and empowered us to step up and amplify our voices even louder.
Politicians who are veterans of the US armed forces have long touted their military records, or their connections to the military during campaigns for public office. Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is no exception.

But Moore received some criticism on Monday when he applied an allegory that combined military procedure with a politically divisive topic related to some troops currently serving in the armed forces.

"I know we do not need transgender in our military," Moore said during a campaign rally in Alabama, according to the Associated Press. "If I'm in a foxhole, I don't want to know whether this guy next to me is wondering if he's a woman or a man."

The polarizing discussion over whether transgender people should be allowed to openly enlist in the US military has been a point of contention for some conservatives since President Donald Trump proposed a policy change on the matter in July. Moore, a West Point graduate and Vietnam War veteran, has vehemently opposed transgender rights during his campaign.

But the term "foxhole" is not only interpreted as a literal defensive fighting position. It also invokes the intimate experience of bonds forged between servicemembers in the midst of battle  be it during the snow-covered Battle of the Bulge in World War II, or in the backdrop of picturesque views from Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Veterans and lawmakers came out to condemn Moore's remarks. Some of them pointed out the damaging sexual-harassment allegations that surfaced last month.

"Id rather be in a foxhole with the brave trans men and women already serving overseas than in Congress with a pedophile," Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a former infantry Marine Corps officer and Iraq War veteran, tweeted.

"You won't be in a foxhole. I might be, though, and if I am, I don't want to have to worry my daughter might get molested by a US Senator while I'm gone," David Dixon, a US Army armor officer and Iraq War veteran, said on Twitter.

Other veterans took issue with the exclusionary nature of Moore's sentiments, which may contrast with certain aspects of warfare and military readiness.

"This is not a thing anyone who ever served in a foxhole has worried about," Brandon Friedman, a former Housing and Urban Development official and US Army officer tweeted.

"In the Marine Corps, politics don't matter. Your color doesn't matter," Lee Busby, a Republican write-in candidate in the Alabama Senate race and a former colonel in the US Marine Corps, tweeted. "You fight for the Marine in that foxhole next to you because you love them and would do anything for them. Alabama is no different to me. I am willing to fight and claw for every single person in this state," Busby said.

In Vietnam, the troops Moore commanded derisively nicknamed him "Captain America," according to a 2005 report from the Atlantic. Reporter Joshua Green wrote for the publication at the time that Moore "was so much disliked that he feared being killed by his own troops, and slept on a bed of sandbags so that he couldn't be fragged by a grenade rolled under his bed."

One of Moore's former professors, also a Vietnam War veteran, reportedly said veterans told him that Moore, while on the ground in Vietnam, wanted to be saluted for his rank; a tradition that, while normal by military standards, is discouraged while in an active war zone.

"When you go to Vietnam as an officer, you dont ask anybody to salute you, because the Viet Cong would shoot officers," Guy Martin, former adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of law, told The New Yorker in October.

"Youve heard this a million times in training," Martin continued. "Theres nothing more telling about a persons capability and character and base intelligence. Its crazy."

While the US Defense Department previously concluded, after a yearlong study, that allowing transgender people to enlist and serve openly would have a minimal impact on military readiness and cost, Moore has been unwavering in his opposition.

"To say that President Trump cannot prohibit transgenderism in the military is a clear example of judicial activism," Moore reportedly wrote in a statement in October, following a federal judge's decision to partially block Trump's transgender ban. "Even the United States Supreme Court has never declared transgenderism to be a right under the Constitution," Moore said.

At an October campaign rally, Moore said, "We don't need transgender bathrooms and we don't need transgender military and we don't need a weaker military ... We need to go back to what this country is about."

Moores views struck a nerve with veterans

"Roy Moore  This is me in a real foxhole," a widely known Twitter user who goes by the alias "Red T Raccoon" tweeted on Sunday morning with an accompanying photo. "I didn't care who was next to me as long as they had the American flag on their uniform. Bigotry has no place in the military and especially the Senate," the man, a former combat medic, who is now a veterans advocate, said.

Business Insider viewed the man's US Army service records and independently verified his identity following an interview Monday night. He has asked to remain anonymous.

"A bullet or [improvised explosive device] does the same damage to anyone," the man told Business Insider. "We all did what we had to do to survive and we all just wanted to go home. Sexuality or gender identity had nothing to do with those goals."

"I treated good men and women in the field that never made it home," he continued. "He has no right to question their service to our country," the man said of Moore.

Following his tweet, photos of uniformed servicemembers  some of whom tweeted messages endorsing Jones  began to circulate:

@RedTRaccoon @jclark5788 I#emo#... @ Life is no way to treat an animal.

@RedTRaccoon Yep, I agree 1... @ Rick Williams

@RedTRaccoon @cshall6 This ... @ Alan Sandoval

@RedTRaccoon Alabama vet fo... @ Juniper Breeze
Amazon has almost 11,000 open job openings listed on its website, which is a stupefying number of employees to be hiring by just about any standards.

Roughly one-third of those jobs, about 3,503, are located at the company's Seattle headquarters.

But that actually represents a big drop-off in Amazon's hiring in its hometown, reports the Seattle Times. The Times found that as recently as June, the company was still looking to hire about 9,000 for its Seattle headquarters and that the current number of job openings in Seattle is the lowest since 2014.

What's more, a few employees told The Seattle Times' Matt Day that some departments are being asked to endure some austerity. This includes hiring freezes or hiring postponements in some departments; in one case, cutbacks in travel spending and in other cases reorganizations of teams to reduce redundant jobs or layers of management, Day reports.

As Amazon looks for a city for its second headquarters  with nearly 240 cities bidding for the honor to host Amazon's second headquarters  the company may be putting the brakes on growth at its main base of operations for now.

Cult of frugality

Amazon has always had a culture of penny pinching. In fact, "frugality" is literally one of the company's "Leadership Principals." So the latest hiring trends may simply be part of the company's ongoing efforts to shave costs.

Amazon tells us, "We are constantly evaluating hiring needs to ensure we're dedicating resources efficiently and effectively, so it's common for there to be fluctuations in headcount as we grow at different rates across businesses."

Nearly half of the company's current job listings, almost 5,300 jobs, are for its fast-growing cloud computing business Amazon Web Services.

And it's worth noting that Amazon has been on an unprecedented hiring binge for years and in 2017 its employee base swelled an astounding 77% from the end of June to the end of September. This was largely, but not completely, due to the acquisition of Whole Foods. The retail giant now employs 541,900 people, up from 382,400 last quarter and 306,800 a year ago. It is one of only two companies in the nation to employ over half a million people. (The other is Walmart.)
A new housing project called Hope on Alvarado aims to address this issue.

Local architecture firm

The Hope on Alvarado building will be located in Westlake, a neighborhood in northwest LA. Construction on the 84-unit complex, developed by Aedis Real Estate Group, will begin in 2018.

The primary building material will be shipping containers, which will serve as the apartment units.

The five-story building will contain studio and and one-bedroom apartments, ranging from 400 to 480 square feet. Here's what the minimalist interiors will look like.

Every resident will have their own bike parking space and access to a central courtyard. The staff on the ground-floor will also offer support services to tenants.

KTGY Architecture + Planning is known for their affordable housing projects. This is an affordable residential building completed by the firm in 2014 in Santa Monica, California.

Source:

Hope on Alvarado is one of several shipping container buildings that aims to offer housing to the homeless in the LA area. In early 2017, a 16-unit shipping container building opened in Orange County.

Source:
Prime minister Theresa May will be advised to sue Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other tech firms who don't delete abusive content, according to a report from The Times.

Abusive could mean racist, sexist, terrorist, and other hateful posts.

The government's ethics watchdog is due to publish a report on Wednesday making the recommendations. Its suggestion for new laws would, in a major shift, begin treating the US web giants more like publishers. Conventionally, Facebook and Google have argued they are just platforms and not responsible for the content hosted on their sites in the way normal publishers are.

The report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life doesn't specify particular sanctions, but recommends legislation that could mean prosecution for firms that don't obey the rules.

The report is part of an inquiry into intimidation of MPs during elections, much of which takes place on social media. Chair Lord Bew previously said: "There is a degree of frustration in our committee about whats actually been done, given the vast resources of these companies, to protect the integrity of our democracy. We are less than hugely impressed by what they have done."

May has already proposed sterner rules for web firms, particularly when it comes to taking down terrorist content.

The committee report follow aggressive investigations by the press into the kind of content Twitter, Facebook, and Google are willing to put up with. A Tuesday report in The Sun found "hundreds" of Twitter users use the site to talk about their sexual urges towards children.

The Sun examined accounts that describe themselves as "non-offending" and "anti-contact"  terms used by self-confessed paedophiles who say they have never harmed children. The newspaper found some accounts of the talking about children, though it did not seem to find any examples of anything illegal or explicit. A Twitter source told the newspaper the information had been handed to the police, and that police had not requested further data.
Looking at him now, it is quite hard to imagine a time when he was not this polished but that time actually existed.

The founder of The Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) recently shared his grass to grace story on Instagram.

From Grass to Grace

Via his account, he revealed how things were in the beginning while thanking his wife, Modele Fatoyinbo, for standing by him through those tough times.

He also thanked the Methodist Church in Nigeria for honouring him with an Honorific Award for Evangelism.

Pastor Biodun wrote, Babe, we walked the streets of Ilorin together looking for people to preach the gospel to. We didnt have any car, I had just one trouser, we didnt have technology or finance to increase our reach, there were holes in your shoes.

We had to do it one person per time. Im fully aware that God will reward us for our labour, but I am also thankful to the Methodist Church in Nigeria for presenting us with this Honorific Award for Evangelism! We havent lost that same passion and we never will! We are ever committed to winning souls for Christ!

Thank you, Modele for always standing with me and running with me and running with the vision! Im blessed to have you!

If Pastor Fatoyinbo can do it, we all can.

ALSO READ: Pastor Fatoyinbo throws All White yacht party in Dubai

COZA

Pastor Fatoyinbo's may have started small in 1999 but it is definitely a long way from there.

Now, COZA is a megachurch with a huge following, which makes the pastor one of the most remarkable Men of God from 1960 till now.

The church has five branches, one in Ilorin, Abuja, a Lagos branch, a Port Harcourt branch and another in Dubai.
Pulse recommended some Universities for those who wish to study Law in Nigerian Universities based on the recommendations of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, NIALS in 2013.

However, if you are a prospective UTME candidate and you aspire to become a medical practitioner, this piece is for you.

Medicine and Surgery is one of the most sought-after courses in Nigeria and whoever wants to study the course must know which school offers it better.

The aim of this is not to rate the schools mentioned in the list or to reduce those not mentioned. But, these schools are only recommended because they have standard, pedigree and infrastructure. They are considered the most patronised medical schools in the country because of these qualities.

ALSO READ:

Besides, they do not have issues with accreditation, which is a very important factor. Choosing one of these schools guarantees that you'll graduate at the right time as long as there are no union issues like ASUU strike.

An institution can run a medical school and still battle with accreditation problems. For instance, it took University of Abuja 12 years to get its medical faculty accredited. While Ekiti State University College of Medicine, EKSUCOM is still having issues with accreditation.

The College of Medicine was established in 2001, began operation in 2009 but the school has not graduated its pioneer students since inception.

This explains why as a prospective medical student, you should consider schools with full accreditation while filling your UTME forms.

So, if you wish to study Medicine and Surgery at any Nigerian University, consider these 10 Universities with reputable Teaching Hospitals.

These Universities are:

University Of Ibadan (UI)

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)

University Of Lagos (UNILAG)

University of Ilorin (UNILORIN)

Lagos State University (LASU)

University of Benin (UNIBEN)

Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma (AAU Ekpoma)

Niger Delta University (NDU)

University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN)

Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU)
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He made the announcement via his Instagram on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, where a picture of him and the recipient was displayed.

The MC whose real names are Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. aims at using the charity organization to "empower underprivileged youth to be strong citizens and citizens of the world." The Common Ground Foundation which also has a book club targets building the capacity of young people through "leadership development & empowerment, educational development, creative expression."

Common, who doubles as an actor is known for his pro-black activism which borders on preaching about the dignity of the people of colour. This is evident in many of his songs which focus on themes of anti-slavery and segregation of the black community in America.

ALSO READ: Viral video of exuberant white youth resisting police arrest stirs emotion in black America

His intense interest and support for his race has seen him feature in movies portraying the challenges of the blacks in a white dominated America. His role in the movie "Selma" saw him play the character of civil rights activist, James Bevel.

The rapper is also one of the voices against the killing of black people by white cops in America. He posted a recent video via Instagram which showed the encounter between a white policeman and a belligerent youth. It was an emotional scene for most of the black people in America as many believed that the officer in question will have shot the youngster if he was black.
From aftermath of an alleged copyright infringement case to cases of sexual harassment, 2017 didn't fall short of controversial moments.

In no particular order, check out those moments.

1. Cases of sexual harassment in Nollywood

In November, an Instagram user posted an allegation that Yoruba actorYomi Fabiyi harassed her sexually over nine years ago.

According to the woman named Eniola Omoshalewa Eunice, Fabiyi demanded for a sexual favour in exchange for a role in a movie.

Fabiyi denied the allegation, describing the accusations as a "pull him down by all mean syndrome," and placed a bounty on Eunice.

Also in November, an aspiring Nollywood actress accused popular Yoruba actor Yemi Solade of demanding for sex in exchange for a movie role.

According to the accuser Lawal Dolapo, the actor had invited her to a guest house after she shared her interest in acting with him.

She said that after she questioned the location and described him as a father to her, the actor said I know my children, and you are not one. If you want a role, then come

Solade responded, accusing bloggers of paying Dolapo, and threatening lawsuit.

2. Gideon Okeke vs Chinwetalu Agu

In January, Gideon Okeke came under attack for challenging the National Film Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to censor Chiwetalu Agu's 'vulgar slangs' on screen.

His comment started a conversation on censorship, and in a series of tweets, his colleague Chioma Chukwuka reacted, stating that the new generation of actors have no morals.

While Gideon didnt have Chukwuka and a majority of the Twittersphere on his side, he had Tony One Week, who also condemned Agu's vulgarity and expressed his disappointment at Chukwuka.

Chiwetalu Agu reacted to the drama,saying that he had never heard the name 'Gideon Okeke.'

3. When TBoss failed to recite the national anthem

During a truth and dare game on Big Brother Naija show, things took a bad turn when Debie-Rise dared TBoss to recite the first and second verses of the Nigerian National Anthem.

TBoss struggled for a moment, and after she failed to recite it, she called Debie-Rise a "wicked person" for asking her to recite something she'd learnt in another language and hadn't sung in years.

Days later, she started another controversial conversation on social media after she said she wasn't in the house for the money, could spend 25 million in a week, and had wealthy men with private jets hitting on her.

ALSO READ: TBOSS EXPLAINS THE BIG BROTHER NAIJA NATIONAL ANTHEM DRAMA

4. Chude Jideonwo versus Charles Novia

In June, the co-founder of Red Africa, Chude Jideonwu, started a conversation on social media after he subtly describedCharles Novia and the movies produced in the 90s and 2000s as 'mediocre.'

"Without the 'mediocrity' of a Charles Novia, we wouldn't have arrived at the brilliance of a Kemi Adetiba, Jideonwu tweeted.

Novia, who isn't one to shy away from social media disputes, took to Twitter to react to Chude's comments, listing his accomplishments as a filmmaker.

The tweets from Novia and Chude, as expected, elicited reactions from filmmakers, actors and followers.

5. Cancelled "Okafor's Law" premiere

"Okafor's Law," which was scheduled to premiere on March 24, 2017, at IMAX Cinema, Lekki Phase 1, was halted after Oboli, Dioni Visions and Filmone Distribution were served an injunction to stop the premiere and nationwide release of the movie.

The complaint was filed by Raconteur Productions and came after a Canada-based writer, Jude Idada, accused Omoni Oboli of stealing his story and idea for the movie.

6. TTT's extra marital affair on Big Brother Naija

Housemates such as TTT made the 2017 Big Brother Naija one of the most interesting and engaging seasons yet.

During his stay in the house, TTT who is married with kids was romantically involved with fellow housemate Bisola, who he lied to about his marital status.

He told the housemates that that all his family members were dead, and severally referred to his daughter as his god-daughter.

After one of the weekly house parties, TTT and Bisola spent time under the covers in an intimate position that elicited reactions on Twitter.

After his eviction, TTT said he kept his marriage a secret becausehe didn't want the public to vote for him out of pity, but for his talent.

7. Kemen's disqualification from Big Brother Naija show

On Saturday, March 4, 2017, a video of Kemen touching TBoss while she slept went viral.

After a private disciplinary session with Biggie,Kemen was disqualified from the Big Brother Naija show for touching

her without her consent.

The controversial event led to heated conversations, dividing viewers into 'Team Kemen' and 'Team TBoss.'

While some condemned Kemen's actions, others implied that TBoss had given him the 'green light' and therefore got what she deserved.
This is according to The Cable News who reported that the officers concerned were transferred from various state commands over the weekend.

A source who spoke to the media company disclosed that the operatives were detained in different cells and their families and lawyers have been restricted from getting in touch with them.

The suspects, who are all male, are now being held at various detention cells of the Federal SARS at Guzape District Abuja.

Since their arrival in Abuja, their family members and lawyers have not been allowed to see them based on an order from above, The Cable gathered from the source.

According to reports, the police on the orders of its Inspector General Ibrahim Idris has given the go-ahead for a prompt punishment of SARS operatives who have acted against protocols. This is in response to protests made by Nigerians calling for an end to the police department due to the involvement of its officials in acts of intimidation against civilians.

ALSO READ: More tension in Ondo as SARS operative allegedly kills man

States such as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos, Delta and Rivers saw a crowd of disgruntled people protest with placards expressing a disapproval concerning the continuance of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad which has failed to live up to the purpose of its creation.
The group said from its findings, the reports of the allegations of sexual harassment of the IDPs by the troops in the course of their work at the various camps housing them were false.

Recall that Nigeria's Army Chief of Staff [COAS], Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, had ordered a thorough investigation into alleged misconduct by soldiers at the IDPs camp in Bama, Borno State following the allegations.

Gen. Buratai orders came following reports of sexual abuse of female IDPs by soldiers and other security officials.

The women had reportedly accused some soldiers and members of civilian JTF, a local vigilante group, of demanding sex in exchange for favours.

However, GAW said the development made it initiate further scrutiny of the claims being made by the IDPS, especially the women, by deploying its staff and researchers to conduct interviews with survivors of the reported harassments.

The human rights organisation said it also conducted on-site observation and assessment of the camp facilities to ascertain the authenticity of the claims.

GAW made its revelation known through its Country Representative, Africa Affairs, Helen Adesola, at the presentation of field report and practices in Nigeria's war against insurgency on Tuesday, December 12, 2017.

According to the group, some IDPs in the camps entered into sexual relations, sometimes pressured by the need to supplement their constraints resources and where such arrangements ended on acrimonious notes, it was not unusual for the parties involved to give damaging accounts about each other, including allegations of sexual assault.

The report reads below:

There are genuine rape survivors that were able to establish that they were violated against their will in incidents that were frequent and continued for some length of time.

The accounts of rape were tempered the survivors' trauma, social stigmatization and ostracization, fear of reprisal, belief that the rapists would not be punished and resignation to fate.

These distortions were further amplified, first by the reportage and later by NGOs that intervened remotely without being in touch with the reality on the ground.

It was impossible to conclusively establish that the rapes and abuses were carried out by military personnel as it was found that some male IDPs and even camp officials were able to claim 'military connection' to commit such acts.

Some of the approaches to reporting the incidents in the camps, like a recent one by the New York Times, weaponizes rape allegations into something that unscrupulous people can use to blackmail or indict anyone they have issues with.

The New York Times publication amounts to a calculated attempt to denigrate the patriotism and the efforts that Nigerian soldiers have put into the war against terror globally.

The Nigerian military had deployed in the past to several places in and outside the country where they engaged in numerous social responsibility initiatives without being accused by any single person of rape.

The patriotic actors in the fight against terror and the troops have been most embarrassed by the allegations that they were engaged in raping the Nigerians they are meant to be protecting, especially with the kind of damaging piece by New York Times.

This notwithstanding, authorities need to order a fresh investigation that will do away with the bias that had been created by the way the allegations of rape were published with certain groups unilaterally indicting soldiers even before a proper probe has taken place.

The mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of the survivors and indeed all IDPs in camps must be given higher priority to ensure that there is no repeat of what has been reported.

Identifying, apprehending and punishing the real culprits would be a first step to realizing this since our research has cleared the military and its personnel.
With many narrating tales of serial abuse, torture, extortion and brutality, others have been revealing how the officers had summarily eliminated many Nigerians indiscriminately.

The latest Nigerian to expose the SARS is an aggrieved widow who alleged that her husband was framed up and tortured to death by one of the officers in Ondo State because she refused to sleep with him.

The woman, Gbemisola Ayoade who spoke to Sahara Reporters on her travails, said the said SARS operative identified as Inspector Ojelabi Oladele attached to the Ondo State Police Command, tortured and killed her 37-year-old husband, Seun Ayoade, because she constantly rejected his love advances.

Narrating her ordeal to Sahara Reporters, Gbemisola said Inspector Oladele who incidentally was her late husband's friend, had pestered her to have sex with him and when she refused to give in, he framed up her husband for a crime he did not commit, arrest him and locked him up where he was tortured to death.

Gbemisola who accused Inspector Oladele of extra-judicial killing of her husband, said that though he was close friends with her husband, Oladele kept disturbing her for sex and even threatened to harm her and the deceased if she refused to give in to him.

She said she repeatedly turned him down on the grounds that she was married and not just that, but that she was married to someone who was his friend.

Gbemisola alleged that as this did not go down well with the SARS officer, he framed up her husband, got him arrested on October 12, 2017, and had him tortured to death while in SARS detention.

Inspector Ojelabi then dumped Ayoades corpse at the morgue of the Ondo State Specialist Hospital in Akure and lied to attendants that the deceased died as a result of a gunshot wound he sustained during a duel with the police.

"I can't just imagine how a friend to my man will be asking me for sex," Gbemisola began.

Continuing, the bitter Gbemisola said:

"It is very disgusting. On many occasions, Inspector Oladele asked me to go out with him, but I always tell him no' and that I couldn't do it.

Because I turned down his offer, he then decided to punish Ayoade by calling him a criminal, hence his arrest and detention at the SARS office.

And despite all this, Inspector Oladele is still threatening to deal me just because I refused to allow him to sleep with me. They have now killed my husband in their detention centre with cooked-up lies that he was an armed robber who died during a gun duel with some police officers.

Reacting to Gbemisola's claims, the Ondo State Police Command spokesperson, Femi Joseph, said the case was already being investigated and assured that the officer would face the law if he is found culpable of the allegation.

"The Police Commissioner has ordered full-scale investigations into the ongoing case. Although it is an allegation, a panel has been set up and investigations have begun to unravel the truth of the matter.

And if the culprit [officer] is found guilty then he is going to face the prosecution and full wrath of the law," he said
The initiative to train the pilots was in accordance with the vision of the current leadership of the Nigerian Army under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai in transforming and enhancing its operations and efficiency of its personnel.

In a statement released by the Nigerian Army spokesman, the commissioning ceremony was one of the series of focal events lined up for the on-going 2017 Chief of Army Staff [COAS] Annual Conference which held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

At the commissioning, President Buhari commended the feat achieved by the Nigerian Army, saying it was evident that the nations Armed Forces have moved to the next level.

Represented by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin who doubled as the Special Guest of Honour, the President said:

The nation appreciates the enormous sacrifices of our gallant officers and men. We also pray for the repose of the souls of our soldiers whom we have lost in the course of enthroning sustainable peace in the country."

President Buhari further implored Nigerian leaders at all levels to embrace the wind of change blowing across the country as he appreciated the professional conduct of the officers and prodded them to continue the patronage of Nigerias local products and services.

Speaking earlier, the COAS, Lt. Gen. Buratai said the commencement of the training of aviation corps for the Army was an initiative conceived in accordance with the vision of the current leadership of the Nigerian Army in transforming and enhancing its operations and efficiency of its personnel.

This vision of the Nigerian Army, he hinted, was tailored to materialize using its own platforms, noting that the Army is being repositioned to double its achievements in the year 2018.

He had explained that the Nigerian Army will not relent in the training of its personnel for efficient service delivery and be opened to reforms that would continue to position the institution for maximum performance.

Gen. Buratai intimated that the essence of the Aviation Corps is to enhance the fighting capabilities of troops, especially for its counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast and across the country.

The Army pilots have undergone a two-year intensive training at the Nigerian Army Aviation School, qualifying them to fly warplanes.

The 10 pilots commissioned by the Nigerian Army Aviation Corps include Capt. E Collins, Capt. OM Banwo, Capt. K.A Ofodile, Capt. JU Ibelu, Capt. OS Arifo, Capt. EO Alpere, Capt. YA Haruna, Capt. FM Shehu, Lt. P Kajako and Lt. JO Uddin.
Twitter was popping and Instagram was on fire as usual. We had bants, epic clap backs, scandals and societal issues that fed our eyes throughout the entire year.

Unfortunately, we just have to narrow it down to just seven. I am sure these ten moments would give you enough memories of what went down on social media this year.

1) Tithing

There was nothing bigger than the issue of tithing on social media this year. Pushed by one man, Daddy Freeze, the OAP challenged Pentecostal pastors on the issue of tithing. Daddy Freeze expressed that it was a concept to milk poor churchgoers. Nigerian pastors and Christians did not take this claim lightly and blasted Daddy Freeze online. The controversy also sparked an online discussion on tithing which is still ongoing.

2) Loose Talk podcast featuring M.I

This was a hot moment on social media in 2017. The Loose Talk podcast featuring M.I and Loose Kanon was a huge moment in Nigeria's music and media culture. After vehemently reacting to an open letter written to him on Pulse, M.I showed up for the Loose Talk podcast and had an honest, brutal and raw conversation with the hosts. The podcast trended for a whole week and opened a new chapter of how artists relate to journalists. Epic.

3) Keep The Change Bae

Hands down this had to be one of the top moments on social media. The hashtag #KeepTheChange went on for days and sparked a conversation about expectations.

A young Ibadan based man by the name of Ayodeji Pablo decided to air a young lady out who went out on a date with him but rejected his romantic gestures. He blasted her for allowing him to spend on her and turning him down later. The babe later calculated all that he spent and gave him the money with extra change with the hashtag #keepthechange. It was an epic clap back and the young man in question still ridiculed for it till today.

4) EFCC Twitter account

The EFCC Twitter account is arguably the top social media account of the year. The boring Twitter account of the EFCC sparked into life early 2017. EFCC started tweeting bants, jokes and epic clap backs. The account was a must follow for many people on Twitter who wanted to laugh their heads off. The EFCC Twitter account was hot for months. Later in the year, it was revealed that Nigerian rapper F Shaw was behind the lively and humorous account.

5) #HurtBae

This hashtag represents all the tweets about cheating, infidelity and holding on to toxic love, topics that are mainstays on our timelines.

In February 2017, a video was released of a woman asking her ex why he cheated on her several times. It was a moving discussion of betrayal and love. The video quickly went viral in many countries and was tweeted about for many weeks.

6) Abuja Babes

What's Twitter without the usual sex scandal and washing dirty linens in public. The capital city of Abuja hit by this Twitter scandal of two former besties now turned enemies. In the mother of all thread, the two women aired out ugly and past sins including short men, sleeping with married men and pastors as well as 'juju'. It was a terrible look for Abuja Twitter peeps who before this scandal saw themselves as drama free.

7) Mainland vs Island

The ongoing battle between the two divides in Lagos entered well into 2017. The usually funny bants between Islanders and Mainlanders turned a bit ugly during the rainy season of 2017. On one really rainy Saturday, mainlanders made fun of the Islanders as photos of the flood on Lagos Island trended on social media.
From selling out on pieces (for those with R-T-W lines) to creating unique looks that went viral, these ones had a good run.

These brands had a great outing from being spotted on various celebrities, becoming even more popular amongst the stylish crowd, style enthusiasts with their pieces spotted fab all year round in showstopping styles.

These ones- in no particular order- definitely made the news in 2017.

Tubo was a favourite in 2017. A lot of her designs rocked the body of celebrities and high profile style enthusiasts, creating custom looks that got a lot of attention and media rotations. She had an impressive run.

2. Fablane By Derin

Fablane by Derin had a good run in 2017, the brand's pieces were seen a lot on top celebrities, their pieces made rounds on social media and the FBD brand was just in everyone's face - in a good way- their R-T-W line sold out at the store launch earlier this year and before November, the brand had so many orders to processed it closed for the year!

Toju Foyeh came through creating a lot of avant-gard-ish bridal looks this year. The brand pushed the envelopes and came up with daring designs that were easily spotted around. custom bridal creations pushed TF to the fore for 2017.

ALSO READ:7 Nigerian brands with pretty pieces for ladies this holiday

2017 was again the year for Style Temple, apart from still being the one behind top looks this year, the Abuja based womenswear brand launched their Spring R-T-W line which was raved few months ago.

5. Lanre Da Silva Ajayi

LDA didn't take a backseat in 2017, the brand's pieces were spotted on more celebrities and a lot of their custom pieces got major mentions this year.

6. Fashpa

Rolling out a premium line and a ready-to-wear line with bold must haves, Fashpa didn't take a back seat this season, the brand came with surprises and definitely delivered on great designs especially with their new range; MEL by Fashpa.

7. Lisa Folawiyo

Lisa Folawiyo's pieces were spotted a lot on celebrities and style enthusiasts all over this season.

Mai Atafo Inspired pieces came strong for 2017 with top male and female donning creations from the foremost designer. He made a lot of show stopping bridal looks for high profile clients as well. He launched his #followmaiheart campaign just recently, he was sported on major runways as well this year. He sure had a great run.

9. April by Kunbi

April By Kunbi had a creative outing in 2017, the brand especially catered to brides creating showstopping custom made pieces for clients.

10. Orange Culture
It involves flying a light aircraft commonly crafted with an aluminum, carbon fiber, or stainless steel frame with a sailcloth to create a wing.

The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing. Flight is maintained by the suspension lines, the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the outside.

Its a lifelong sport that is exhilarating and something that everyone should try at least once!

Here are five of the very best places to go paragliding in Africa. Add them to your adventure travel bucket list!

1. South Africa

If youre into paragliding or hang gliding, South Africa has a real treat in store for you. For them, the sky is the limit!

In the countrys hot interior, amazing thermals help many paragliders and hang gliders to record-breaking distance flights, particularly in the Northern Cape province.

You can head to the coastal Eastern Province, KwaZulu-Natal or Western Cape, or inland to Mpumalanga province for a fantastic experience.

2. Ghana

The Ghana Paragliding Festival has become an integral part of the annual Easter celebrations in Ghana. The festival attracts both Ghanaians and foreigners alike for more than 3 days of spectacular aerial fun, ceremony and music.

The festival also helps the local community by raising donations to aid community development efforts. The efforts of several pilots over the years, with the help of the Cloudbase Foundation, has raised enough funding to donate to a local orphanage in Kwahu.

3. Uganda

Although Uganda has just one paragliding operator, it's totally worth it!

Take a trip to Uganda and go paragliding with Fly Mami Afrika. Located in Mount Wanale in the Eastern Province of Uganda. The company also uses proceeds to build a school in the rural community. Talk about paragliding for a humanitarian goal.

ALSO READ: 5 amazing tourist attractions in Northern Nigeria

4. Morocco

Let the wind set you free in South Morocco.

Located 20 minutes from the small Berber village of Mirleft, South Morocco, adventurers can go paragliding on a ridge set back 2 km from the coast which boasts not only ridge soaring, but thermal flying too.

The venue is a purpose-built launch and top landing site.

5. Mauritius

Paragliding in Mauritius offers you a breathtaking bird's eye view of the beautiful lagoon and beaches of Mauritius, making it one of the best things to do during your vacation in Mauritius.
It's a big problem, since most men don't have any symptoms that can even alert them that they have itthough in some cases, it can cause issues like pain peeing or discharge from your urethra.

Not only are more and more guys becoming infected, but the infection might be growing more difficult to treat, too. A new reportpublished in Emerging Infectious Diseases shows that the threat of severe, antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is looming closer. In Canada, a woman was diagnosed with gonorrhea resistant to the antibiotic ceftriaxone, one of the last remaining drugs used to treat the disease.

This comes on the heels of a warning from the World Health Organization in July, referencing data from 77 countries suggesting that the STD is developing resistance to the antibiotics used to treat it.

This Canada case is not the first time a ceftriaxone-resistant strain was diagnosed, but its the first time doctors have seen it in North America. Before this case, it was confirmed only five other times, in countries like Japan, France, Spain, and Australia.

When the scientists examined the molecular makeup of the bug, they noticed some key similarities to the strain seen in Japan in 2015, which suggests a possible international spread of the ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhea, the researchers write in the report.

Currently, the recommended treatment for gonorrhea is a combination of two antibiotics: an oral dose of azithromycin, and an injection of ceftriaxone. Scientists have been monitoring the STI's developing resistance to azithromycin for years: In fact, according to a report the CDC released in 2016, cases of gonorrhea resistant to azithromycin increased by more than 300 percent from 2013 to 2014.

Plus, gonorrhea had previously become resistant to a long list of antibiotics, including penicillin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones.

It is unclear how long the combination therapy of azithromycin and ceftriaxone will be effective if the increases in resistance persist, said Gail Bolan, M.D, director of CDCs Division of STD Prevention in a statement regarding that 2016 report. We need to push forward on multiple fronts to ensure we can continue offering successful treatment to those who need it.
The photos in the gallery above alongside their love story below show just how magical and breathtaking love is when the time is right.

Congratulations to the on-screen Nurse and her boo from Pulse Weddings._____________

Love Story

"It still hasnt dawned on me that Im married to a man whom I met just exactly a year ago.

"My name came up when he (@ambroseamara) was talking to about top actresses in Nollywood for his movie to be shot in Lagos.

"Ambrose contacted me via email and we had a professional conversation about the making of the movie. That first email led to a phone call during which we had more professional discussion.

"We continued to have frequent communication and I unbelievably saw myself falling for him.

"I did my best to hide my feelings little did I realise that he had fallen in love with me from the first time he watched one of my movies - "Adaora The Smart Girl."

"He also tried to hide his feelings for me but couldnt hold on for long. He finally expressed his feelings for me; I was so happy to hear the sweet words he told me.

"I tried to play tough but I was overwhelmed by love. We met a couple of months later in Lagos where we worked on the movie together (I as producer and him as the director).
The three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson unanimously ordered the Senate President back to the tribunal where he had previously won in June.

The panel ruled that the prosecution was able to establish a prima facie case against Saraki in three of the 18 charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2015.

When he resumes the trial at the CCT, the Senate President will enter defence for counts 4, 5 and 6 in relation to his alleged failure to declare some houses he acquired in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Saraki's previous trial

Saraki had been charged by the EFCC in 2015 for false assets declaration when he was Kwara state governor.

The Senate President was cleared of all charges by the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal citing the prosecution's failure to prove the allegations.

FG's appeal

The Federal Government filed the 11 grounds notice of appeal after the tribunal dismissed the government's case against the former governor on June 14.

The notice of appeal considered the acquittal as an overruling of previous decisions by the Court of Appeal in respect to the Senate President's trial, calling it, "unwarranted, unreasonable and against the weight of evidence".

The notice was signed by lead prosecuting counsel Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), and an Assistant Chief State Counsel in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Pius Akutah who said the tribunal's decision was wrong in its consideration of the case.
The presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina in a statement in Abuja said Buhari made the appeal in a submission to the One Planet summit in Paris, France.

The summit with the theme Climate Change Financing, was being attended by over 60 heads of state and governments, as well as representatives of non-governmental and private organisations.

President Buhari told participants of the summit that Nigeria could not implement its Nationally Determined Contributions without adequate financial, technical and capacity building support from developed countries.

He added that since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, we have been strengthening our national efforts toward implementing the accord and the Marrakech Call for Action.

He said Nigeria had already ratified the Paris Agreement in May 2017 but that the countrys Nationally Determined Contributions to reduce emission by 20 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2030 could not be attained alone.

According to him, the country is not under illusion of the challenges it is facing, having just come out of recession.

The President added that Nigeria recognises that ensuring sustainable funding is a major constraint in efforts to implement the Nationally Determined Contributions.

Critical mass of financial resources beyond what we can provide from our national resources will be required to effectively respond to climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges.

On steps Nigeria took to meet its national goal in this respect, he said the country had embraced the issuance of green bond as innovative and alternative source of projects funding that would help to reduce emissions and provide robust climate infrastructure.

He explained that such infrastructure included renewable energy, low carbon transport, water infrastructure and sustainable agriculture in line with the Paris Agreement.

In furtherance of efforts to deliver the countrys pledges, the President said government was tightening existing governance structure in Nigeria for more effective implementation of climate change activities.

According to him, this will include additional responsibilities that will followthe adoption of all-encompassing climate change treaty.

He noted that government is actively promoting technologies and practices such as sustainable land management, climate resilient agriculture, water efficiency, clean energy and skills for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, among others.

He, however, noted that sustaining these efforts would also require external support.

The measures required, he said, included accelerating Research and Development on facilitating Access to Climate Friendly Technologies through technology pooling and collective approach to financing Research and Development."

Others, according to him, include regulating restrictive practices in licencing agreements and anti-competitive uses of Intellectual Property and International Declaration on Climate Technologies.

He said in Nigeria, we are looking at insurance-based proposals to deal with loss, damage and adaptation to the poor, vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups.

Risk mitigation through insurance must benefit those groups who currently have negligible access to any form of indemnity coverage.

Vulnerable groups will also benefit from new technologies and ways to make insurance schemes affordable, including long term premium support.

The president acknowledged the fact that the adverse impacts of climate change such as temperature rise; erratic rainfall, sand storms, desertification, low agricultural yields, drying up of water bodies like Lake Chad, gully erosion and constant flooding were a daily reality in Nigeria.

He, therefore, admitted that highly vulnerable communities lacked the capacity to cope.

He said Nigeria would require external assistance in long term solution for source of clean power, which could be achieved through private investments to create economic competitiveness for industrialisation.

He added that job creation and agriculture programmes throughout the country as well as inclusion of Nigeria in Climate Regional Programmes, especially strong financial support to planned project for the replenishment of Lake Chad were highly necessary.

The President said long term solution would ensure sustained livelihood for rural and urban communities, and permanently address the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism and terrorism, and stem illegal migration, especially of youths abroad.

In acknowledging that external support must be sustained on long term basis, Buhari emphasised that the changes that Nigeria and other developing countries need to make cannot be undertaken overnight.

He said fundamental restructuring of the economy was required, adding that in this process, technology will be a powerful tool to simultaneously address climate change and advance development.

ALSO READ:Top 10 quotes in Nigerian politics in 2017

The President said he looked up to developed countries to jointly take a leading role in mobilising support for this action plan on addressing the challenges of climate change within the framework of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

In their remarks, the three co-chairmen of the plenary session stressed the imperative of global comprehensive and speedy action, including private sector financing against the devastating impact of climate change.

The co-chairmen are the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, and French President, Emmanuel Macron.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN), reports that Counsel to the commission, Mr. Sunday Bamise, told the panel that all the witnesses called by the panel appeared except the former governor, who is now the Minister for Steel and Minerals Resources Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

He said Mr. Dapo Kolawole, the Commissioner for Finance, under the Fayemi administration, as well as CASA Consult Limited also snubbed the panel.

Bamise said having heard from the witnesses, he urged the commission to close the public hearing so as to write and submit its report to the State Governor, Mr Ayo Fayose, who set up the commission.

The Chairman of the commission, Justice Silas Oyewole (rtd) declared the proceedings at the commission of inquiry closed.

NAN recalls that only last week, a High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti affirmed the legality of the judicial commission of inquiry, saying the Ekiti State Governor has powers to run affairs of his state and that he has exclusive rights to set up commissions of inquiry without the prompting of the House of Assembly and that he properly so acted.

Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, who delivered the judgment in the suit filed by Dr. Fayemi against the commission of inquiry, said Governor Fayose acted pursuant to Section 2 (1) of the Commission Inquiry Law Cap C10Laws of Ekiti State.
In a coordinated #EndSARS rally that took place in cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri, Ibadan, Akwa, Makurdi, Jos, Kaduna and Owerri, on Monday, December 11, 2017, hundreds of Nigerians took to the streets to protest against the alleged brutality of the unit, and asked the government to scrap it.

While speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, December 12, Falana said scrapping the unit is not as simple as many make it sound because the unit is very important to combating violent crimes in the country.

He said, "The Nigerian neo-colonial state cannot afford to scrap SARS, it is not possible. We have an increasing wave of armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism, and other serious violent crimes which the regular police personnel have not been trained to curb or combat, therefore you are going to have SARS but it has to be totally overhauled.

"As it is constituted, it's partly illegal under a democratic dispensation. Under the constitution, the duty of maintaining internal security, law and order in Nigeria is vested exclusively on the police. SARS is constituted by armed troops, soldiers and police personnel all over the country.

"Every state government maintains the SARS in the country and they have not bothered to find out what is this body doing in terms of law enforcement, combating armed robbery and other violent crimes, and performance in terms of respecting the rights of the Nigerian people."

Before the protests on Monday, the wave of social media outrage against SARS resulted in the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, ordering for a reorganisation of the unit on Monday, December 4.

Echoing the concerns of many Nigerians about the effectiveness of the reform, Falana said there's more to be done to see significant change in the conduct of officers.

He advised that reform must start from the training of recruits in the police college and that officers must be well-equipped to fight crime.

He said, "If you're going to reform, you must remove the soldiers in SARS and retrain the police among them. You re-orientate them because they still behave as if we're under a military dictatorship because SARS is a legacy of military dictatorship.

"You have to start from the police college. When you recruit a policeman/woman, you start by dehumanising him/her. The first thing if you recruit a young man, you shave the head to the skull in the police college. If it's a woman, she cannot makeup and cannot marry until after three years.

"So you have such dehumanising practices in the police force, so you have to start from the police college, because no police college seriously teaches human rights.

"So when a police recruit graduates, he wants to have it back on the society that has dehumanised him/her, and that's what happens in our country.

"It's not a training that'll be limited to operations, you have to start from the college; and when you graduate, you must equip the police personnel with the necessary tools to combat crime and that's not going on yet.

"I must commend the IGP, Ibrahim Idris, because this is the first time that the Nigeria Police Force has admitted that SARS has to be reformed.

"But instead of promising a reform, all I'm asking for is full and religious compliance with the provisions of the administration of Criminal Justice Act."

SARS 'reorganisation'

Under the new reform, state Commissioners of Police are now the overall heads of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad nationwide, meaning the unit now operates in the State and Zonal Commands with immediate effect.

The IGP also ordered for all SARS personnel nationwide to undergo a new training program to be organized in collaboration with some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Local and International NGOs, and other Human Rights Organizations.

ALSO READ: Nigeria has a SARS problem that needs to go away

Counter-protesters support SARS
The minister said this on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, while defending the 2018 budget at the Senate, Tribune Online reports.

Mohammed said it is not that government is deliberately withholding releases to fund the 2017 budget or starving us. It is because we do not have enough money to do that.

When budgets are made, they are made based on certain assumptions and if you are not able to get enough to meet your assumptions, there will be poor release.

At least, there is an improvement in different sectors like the Nigeria Customs Service, while the price of crude oil is getting better. There is also more peace in the Niger Delta. So we can produce more.

Lai Mohammed contradicts Finance minister

Lai Mohammeds statement contradicts that of the minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, who told some French investors on Monday, December 11, 2017, that the Federal Government has N1.2 trillion to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government for implementation of capital projects contained in the 2017 budget.
Udoma said this in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Akpandem James, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The minister said this when he received the delegation of French businessmen, accompanied by the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gauer.

A 30-man delegation, comprising investors in the oil and gas, energy, manufacturing, banking and logistics sectors, came to Nigeria to explore possible areas of investment.

He said that Nigeria had also focused on expanding the productive base of the economy; the country was always open for business.

Udoma, however, appreciated the increasing interest in Nigeria by both domestic and foreign investors.

He assured that the government was determined to continue with the various initiatives to improve the business climate as set out in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

He said that as a way of monitoring the progress of the countrys reforms, government set a target of moving 20 places up in 2017 on the World Bank Ease-of-Doing-Business rankings.

We are happy to report that in the World Banks latest rankings, released in October 2017, the country moved up 24 places  a remarkable achievement.

Nigeria has also been recognised as one of the 10 top reforming countries in the world.

Udoma told his guest that a lot of opportunities existed for investment, especially in agriculture, manufacturing, oil and gas, power, rail, mining and shipping, among others.

He explained that the fall in crude oil price experienced at the inception of the administration was a wake-up call for the diversification of the countrys economy.

The governments response to this was the development of an ambitious four-year plan to dramatically turn around the economic direction of the country.

This Plan  ERGP  is aimed at increasing the productivity of the Nigerian economy by encouraging private sector investment.

He told the delegation that the government was committed to achieving the objectives of the plan and getting the economy back on the path of diversified, sustained and inclusive growth.

The minister also encouraged the delegation to participate in the Malaysian style labs, one of the strategies being adopted by government to speedily achieve some of the core objectives of the plan.

He said the aim of the focused labs was to increase both local and foreign direct investments which would ultimately translate to more jobs.

In addition, he invited the delegation to key into the ERGP to invest in Nigeria and take advantage of the opportunities that the country currently had.

Earlier, the leader of the French delegation, Movement des Enterprises de France (MEDEF), Philippe Lebonne, said that MEDEF was the largest French Business Confederation and the largest employer of labour in France.

Lebonne said that MEDEF had an estimate of 750,000 firms, 90 per cent of which was made up of small and medium scale enterprises.
Amaechialso alleged that the $65billion which was left by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, was wasted by GEJs government.

The minister said When Obasanjo was leaving, he left about 65 billion dollars in the Excess Crude Account, but this money was frittered away and we wonder where the money is.

As at then, the price of crude oil during the president Goodluck Jonathans administration hovered around 140 dollars with this, they did not leave anything for the incoming government.

With that kind of money, we should be thinking of connecting Nigeria through rail system. The rail between Ibadan to Kano would have been completed.

Also the rail gauge between Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and Lagos to Calabar, but all the excess crude money was frittered away, we need to ask questions.

GEJ failed Igbos

Rotimi Amaechi had earlier alleged that former President Goodluck Jonathan did not do anything to develop the South-East region.
It's hardly a new revelation that security operatives in charge of camps have been carrying out several alleged acts of sexual abuse on young girls and women they've been sworn to protect.

It's a topic that's reared its ugly head over and over again with hardly any tangible solution to end the abominable acts.

According to a recent report by the New York Times (NYT), it's a practice that continues with even more stories of woes told by helpless victims who are mostly widows and unaccompanied orphans.

Widespread rape of girls in IDP camps

Before she was unfortunate enough to be taken to an IDP camp in Maiduguri, 14-year-old Falmata had been kidnapped by Boko Haram from her home when she was only a primary school pupil.

For the next three years, she was married off to a string of militants and had already lost a baby few days after birth before she even became a teenager. After a fortuitous escape, she ran into soldiers who took her to the Dalori Camp in Maiduguri.

The same day after her arrival in the camp that was supposed to be her refuge from years of awful abuse, she was raped by two soldiers only hours apart.

"They did it one after another. I'm not even sure those two knew about each other," she said.

After two gruelling months of being raped by different security officers, Falmata fled again for her dear life in search of her family in Maiduguri, lonely and penniless.

"I felt it would continue forever," she said.

Contrary to what the top brass of the army and other security agencies in charge at IDP camps would like to make you believe, Falmata's case is not an isolated one.

In a camp called Teachers Village, security operatives have fashioned out a well-known system to target girls and women to sexually abuse.

According to residents in the camp, young women were selected to cook for them; afterwards, the operatives insisted that they bathe themselves in the officers' quarters while they watched with leering eyes and sordid intentions.

18-year-old Hadiza revealed that she'd been raped by a soldier after she was instructed to serve water to four security officers in their room. Three of the officers had left the room just in time for the last one to drag her into a separate room and rape her.

Despite sweeping the episode under the rug and trying to keep a low profile, Hadiza claims that other soldiers marked her out and she was raped as many as 20 times in the camp.

"Once they identified you as a girl they wanted to have sex with, they would hardly leave you alone a single day," Hadiza said.

The widespread rape of young girls in Teachers Village was so well-known that people began showing up at the gates to look for missing relatives. Hadiza was found by her relatives and taken away from the camp.

Another unnamed 13-year-old girl claimed she had to flee from a camp in Maiduguri because security operatives, old enough to be her father, had raped her about 10 times.

Previous reports of rape in IDP camps

In a damning report released in July 2016, Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented many cases of women and underage girls being sexually assaulted in seven different camps in Maiduguri.

One of the victims, a 17-year-old girl, was raped by a policeman, and according to her, he threatened to kill her when she told him she was pregnant.

Another 16-year-old girl from Baga that spoke to HRW said she was drugged and raped by a vigilante group member after she rejected his sexual advances. Months later when she gave birth to his baby, he ran away from the camp.

Their stories almost match with that of several other women who were taken advantage of by authority figures and abandoned to their fates afterwards, even worse off than when they ran to the camps for sanctuary.

Most of the victims were exploited with promises of food or other basic necessities in exchange for sex.

Boko Haram menace

Since the insurgency of the terrorist group escalated after a 2009 crackdown by the military, Boko Haram, chiefly under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, has been responsible for the death of over 20,000 people and the displacement of more than 2.5 million scattered across IDP camps across the country and its neighbours.

According to the NYT report, the United Nations (UN) estimates that at least 7,000 women and girls have been victims of Boko Haram's sexual violence.

However, soldiers, police officers, camp officials, and members of civilian vigilante groups have been equally just as responsible for a spate of sexual violence against victims.

Reaction from authorities

Despite a half-hearted admission of the problem and several promises to thoroughly investigate the allegations of sexual abuse of female victims in IDP camps, not enough has been done to rectify the situation.

In November 2016, Borno State's Commissioner of Police, Damian Chukwu, deployed 100 female police officers to the Maiduguri camps "to dig out true happenings in the camps regarding the allegations."

In December 2016, two policemen, three soldiers, one prison official, one Air Force personnel, a staff of Borno Ministry for Agriculture and two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) were arrested for alleged abuse of IDPs.

Despite these arrests, the number of female officers deployed to these camps seems sparse especially considering there are hundreds of thousands of IDPs in dozens of camps in Borno and neighbouring states.

Chukwu had also constituted a committee, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), with Divisional Police Officers (DPO) and other senior officers, to take over the daily running of the camps.

NYT reports that according to some aid groups and the police, this has resulted in the decline of the number of complaints. However, stories of sexual abuse carried out by security operatives continue to linger.

Solving the problem

The situation in camps is worsened by the short supply of food, water and other basic amenities that people in positions of power use to exploit their victims.

The government has to do more to protect helpless young girls and women from falling prey to the wiles of security officers who are prone to being predators of the vulnerable.
Mr Philip Ayuba, Commandant of the Corps, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Minna.

The task force will liaise with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to track movement of petroleum products meant for the state from loading points to final destinations, Ayuba said.

He said that the 10-man task force was headed by ASP Peter Doma and Alhaji Abdullahi Jankara of the DPR Minna office.

He said that the task force was charged with the responsibility to return to normal distribution and sales of the product at government controlled price in the state.

It said that the task force would monitor and ensure effective dispensing of petroleum products by all selling outlets in and outside the metropolis.

He explained that the committee would ensure all products made to the state were not diverted to black markets.

Any marketer found hoarding or diverting the product to black market would be sanctioned, he added.

He also used the opportunity to warn all service stations to desist from hoarding the product as anyone found wanting would be sanctioned.

Meanwhile, queues for petrol have resurfaced in Minna metropolis and its environs, creating hardship for motorists and commuters.

A NAN correspondent reports that the queues, which started on Monday, is becoming unbearable for motorists in the state.

Some of the filling stations operated by Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria have increased the pump price of a litre from N150 to N160.

At the NNPC mega stations and other filling stations by major marketers, the queues are longer, as they maintain the official price of N145 per litre.

A four-litre gallon of the product in the black market cost N1,200 in Minna while in Bosso and Paiko local government areas, it costs N1,500
The commands Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Ebere Amaraizu, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Enugu.

Amaraizu said that the foundation-laying ceremony would be performed by the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Mohammed Danmallam on Wednesday.

He said the foundation-laying ceremony for the proposed multi-purpose secretariat would be held at the commands headquarters, Enugu.

The spokesman said: the ultra modern multi-purpose secretariat when completed will have a modern conference hall equipped with relevant tools for media briefings.

The secretariat will also have offices for regular meetings and interface with relevant stakeholders as well as an office for members of the PCRC.
Speaking on a radio programme on Raypower, Pedro stated that putting courtrooms inside prison premises will only amount to an expensive adhoc exercise that will not solve the perennial problem of prison congestion.

Building a courtroom inside the prison will not solve the problem of prison congestion. It will simply amount to an adhoc exercise. What happens thereafter? Rather than do that, the judiciary should put all criminal trials on a fast-track mode, Pedro said.

However, he suggested that other approaches such as putting all criminal trials on fast-track mode and devolution of powers to allow state build and manage prisons should be urgently considered.

"With due respect to Mr. President, prison congestion been a scandal is no longer news to anyone. My take on this matter is that the role of the judiciary is secondary. The other arms of government has the primary responsibility in decongesting the prisons.

Take the National Assembly for example. Since the National Assembly have been working against devolution of power to the state in the ongoing constitutional amendment, by which issues such Prison and the congestion of the prisons will come under the concurrent legislative list in the Constitution," he said.

Continuing, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said: "I suggest that the National Assembly consider delegation of duties to the State in the Constitutional amendment However pending when that happens, it should consider amendment of the Prison Act to make conceded some powers to the States to establish and maintain state prisons particularly for offenders of state offences.

ALSO READ: Dambazau says 70 % of inmates are awaiting trial

Pending when constitutional amendment comes, that will go a long way in the management of the prisons. The same thing should also goes for the Police Act. If the Police Act can be amended, to ensure that the commissioner of police or even AIG in a state is subject to the control of the Attorney General of the State as far as the administration of criminal justice is concerned.

"Imagine a matter pending in court and you are told that the Investigating Police Officer, IPO has been transferred to somewhere in the North while the officer is to testify in a matter in Lagos. How does that officer get to Lagos? So before any police officer involved in an ongoing matter is posted out of the state, the Attorney-General of that state must give a clearance that he has no pending matter in court before the officer is posted out because this is another factor responsible for delays in the administration of justice."

The idea of adjournment of criminal trial for more than a week or one month while the defendant is in custody should be outlawed. If after 30 days of arraignment and the prosecution is not ready to proceed with the trial, the court should be allowed to set the defendant free with the exception of cases for murder, treason and other heinous crimes," he said.
As a Nigerian, when you think you've seen it all, the cosmic political director laughs in your face, hands someone his beer and drags you back into the ring for another round.

2017 was a very eventful year in Nigerian politics, with at least half of its political actors serving us with a range of contentious, comical and controversial moments.

Here are some of the most noteworthy moments of Nigerian politics in 2017:

1. Buhari's medical trips

It's unsurprising that the country's commander-in-chief is its most prominent actor, and President Muhammadu Buhari did not fail to be the centre of attention for most of the year, half of it for the wrong reasons.

The president's two high profile trips to London to treat an undisclosed illness didn't help his stock much as it sent more than a few tongues wagging.

His absence resulted in Vice President Yemi Osinbajo celebrating a milestone 100 days as Acting President.

The president spent 154 days out of the country treating himself while remaining completely silent about the nature of his illness.

When he came back from his second trip that took 103 days, he assured Nigerians of the country's ironclad unity and rebuked social media comments that crossed the national red line.

Great times Mr President. More in 2018, please.

2. Senate vs Presidency

Part of the effects of President Buhari's absence from the seat of power for almost half of the year was a festering of hostilities between the executive and legislature that finally exploded in July.

After a perceived slight against their relevance by then-Acting President Osinbajo, lawmakers decided to stop considering or confirming any federal appointments sent to the parliament until they were made to feel important again.

This is because Osinbajo had stated that executive appointments did not require legislative approval based on Section 171 of the Nigerian constitution.

The Senate had been at odds with the presidency after it rejected the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but the presidency still kept him on as acting chairman.

The tension eased after President Buhari's return in August, but Magu is still acting chairman.

Guess you can't win it all.

3. Ajekun Iya

Senator Dino Melaye has controversies as many as the exotic cars in the fleet that he parades on social media.

Unwilling to be outdone, the lawmaker representing Kogi West senatorial district was involved in two separate high profile controversies this year.

One of such controversies which brought his academic qualifications into question resulted in one of 2017's truly viral moment.

In a bid to rub his apparent vindication in the face of his nosy enemies, Melaye made a video where he broke into a song and dance that became a constant feature on social media for weeks.

The 'music video' was so successful that the Senator sort of made a music tour out of it, singing it with a band in his native Kogi, and all way to the Notting Hill Carnival in London where he was booed and called a thief by an unappreciative crowd.

4. Saraki's Acquittal

President Buhari's anti-corruption war remains without a notable conviction and this has created a huge PR problem for its image.

At some point, Senate President Bukola Saraki appeared to be the first potential scapegoat that'll help the administration issue a warning shot to corrupt government officials.

After accusations from the EFCC, the former governor of Kwara State was charged to court in 2015 with 13 counts of false declarations of assets when he was governor.

In defiance, the Senate President filed a no-case submission before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on May 26, 2017 saying all evidence presented by the prosecution lacks merit.

The tribunal dismissed the case against Saraki in a ruling on June 14, 2017, due to the failure of the prosecution to prove he had a case to answer.

The ruling didn't go down well with the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay, who publicly criticised the judgement and even sort of admitted that he tried to influence the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal.

Even though the Federal Government has tabled a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, Saraki appears to have won 2017 already.

(Update (Plot Twist): On Tuesday, December 12, the Court of Appeal in Abuja asked Sarakito return to the CCT to face trial on three of the counts he was acquitted for.) Oh well.

5. Atiku's dumping of APC for PDP

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been a mainstay in Nigerian politics ever since he served as deputy to former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.

After the relationship between the two soured over their contrasting ambitions, Atiku has been trying his best to rule the country from the highest political seat of the presidency.

As a candidate for Action Congress (AC), he lost the 2007 presidential election to the late former President Umaru Yar'Adua before rejoining the People's Democratic Party (PDP) only to lose the party's primary election for the 2011 presidential election to the eventual winner, Goodluck Jonathan.

Undeterred, he joined the All Progressives' Congress (APC) in the run-up to the 2015 presidential election before losing the party's ticket to another eventual winner, President Buhari.

While resigning from the APC on November 24, Atiku accused President Buhari of neglecting him and condemned the APC for "instituting a regime of a draconian clampdown on all forms of democracy".

In a live Facebook video message on December 3, as expected, the former Vice President officially declared his return to the PDP.

The buy-back clause is strong with this one.

6. Mama Taraba's rebellion

Before Atiku's resignation, he already secured a very high profile endorsement from the unlikeliest place: a serving minister in President Buhari's cabinet.

Back in September, as part of a delegation paying a courtesy visit to Atiku, Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, declared her support for the former Vice President to become Nigeria's president in 2019.

The former Taraba state gubernatorial candidate said, "Your excellency, our father the next president come 2019, God willing. In your presence are your people, your supporters who will continue supporting you till forever."

In a BBC Hausa interview that followed shortly after her endorsement of Atiku, she made a very bold promise, saying she was ready to put her money where her mouth is and quit Buhari's government if he makes her choose between him and Atiku.

She said, "Let me tell you today that if Baba said he is going to contest in 2019, I swear to Allah, I will go before him and kneel and tell him that 'Baba I am grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve your government as a minister but Baba just like you know I will support only Atiku because he is my godfather' if Atiku said he is going to contest."

The minister even went one step further to dare a dismissal from the president for her comments, saying he is not naive enough to sack her.

"Baba is not a madman like those calling for my sack," she boasted.

Her comments didn't go down well with the party's leadership and Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, even revealed that the minister never voted for President Buhari during the party's primary election and has never subscribed to his vision.

While many called for her resignation or dismissal, the minister is still serving in the president's cabinet, refusing to comment on Atiku's resignation and what it means for her.

7. PDP vs PDP

For 16 years, the PDP was the law in Nigeria. The party won election after election without breaking much of a sweat.

When the party lost the 2015 presidential election to the APC, it couldn't decide how to be a viable opposition party, so it started fighting itself.

The party broke into factions in 2016 after its National Working Committee (NWC) chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, refused to step down for Ahmed Makarfi as acting chairman.

The protracted court battle that ensued wasn't resolved until July 12, 2017, when a five-man panel of the Supreme Court reached a unanimous decision that installed Makarfi as the party's interim leader before Uche Secondus was elected its chairman during the recent national convention.

8. MainaGate

The country's most high profile controversy happened at a time when public confidence in President Buhari's anti-corruption campaign was starting to erode.

While Nigerians slept, former chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms (PTTPR), Abdulrasheed Maina, was recalled and promoted to head the Ministry of Interior's human resource department, despite pending corruption charges against him.

This was after he was dismissed by the Federal Civil Service Commission in 2013 following a recommendation by the Office of the Head of Service.

In 2015, Maina was charged alongside former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited before a Federal High Court on a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence through the award of fraudulent biometric contracts.

After he was declared wanted over an alleged N2 billion pension fraud, he fled abroad to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), evading the capture of the EFCC.

The most astonishing part of the scandal is the involvement of top officials of President Buhari's administration.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji; and Head of Service, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, have been reported to be instrumental to the process of Maina's recall.

The scandal has also beamed the spotlight on the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura and acting EFCC chairman, Magu.

Despite a runaway Maina claiming the president himself had consented to his reinstatement, all the top officials that have been dragged before a House of Representatives adhoc committee investigating the issue have employed the Shaggy defense: "It wasn't me".

9. Baru vs Kachikwu

Before the overpowering shadow of Maina loomed large over Nigeria's political landscape, there was another corruption spectre that reigned supreme.

On October 3, a letter that was meant for the president's eyes only emerged in the one place it wasn't meant for: the internet.

In the letter, The Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, expressed his frustration with the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Maikanti Baru to President Buhari.

In the letter dated August 30, the minister urged the president to take urgent actions on matters ranging from alleged illegal practices to insubordination.

Kachikwu said he had suffered "disrespectful and humiliating conducts" from Baru and accused the NNPC boss of bypassing procedures in the award of oil contracts without a review by the NNPC board which he chaired.

In a response issued by the NNPC, it said the minister's claims were baseless and that contracts are not necessarily supposed to be reviewed by the NNPC board, but by the NNPC Tenders Board, the president in his capacity as the Minister of Petroleum, or the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The statement also laid out the processes involved in reviewing the award of a contract by the NNPC, as well as list the procedures involved in the award of contracts specifically mentioned in Kachikwu's letter.

The NNPC review led to another unpleasant revelation that indicated two oil deals were signed by President Buhari while he was away on medical vacation in London.

Media reports indicated that President Buhari approved at least two separate oil contracts worth billions on July 10 and July 31 while Osinbajo was Acting President and should have been the one to make the approvals.

Even though Kachikwu and Baru were all smiles when they finally met in Abuja at the Nigerian Economic Summit on October 10, the scandal did not reach a satisfying conclusion until MainaGate swept us all off our feet.

10. IPOB vs Army

Armed with a radio channel and the privilege of residing in a foreign country, Nnamdi Kanu, dragged separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), into mainstream Nigerian consciousness.

When he was arrested by the DSS for the crime of treason in 2015, many thought his end was near.

However, the year was 2017 when the powder keg really exploded.

After he was granted bail based on health reasons in April, Kanu brazenly violated the terms of his bail on several occasions without getting arrested.

Everything came to a head in September when his group became embroiled in public clashes with soldiers of the Nigerian Army.

The eventful week started with an alleged September 10 invasion of Kanu's father's compound in Afaraukwu, Umuahia by soldiers who also allegedly shot at IPOB members who formed a human shield to keep them out.

The army denied the claims and said the soldiers had been attacked with stones while passing through the residence in a new armoured carrier.

However, Kanu claimed the army was lying and accused them of trying to incite the group into arming themselves to deliberately provoke a war.

A war did break out that week as separate clashes happened in Aba and Umuahia with civil unrest claiming a few lives.

Since the army allegedly invaded Kanu's house again on September 14, he has not been seen in public and has missed two court appearances.

The activities of the group were also proscribed and it was branded a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government.
Speaker of the house of representatives, Yakubu Dogara, reportedly made this known in his yet to be released biography, A Reed Made Flint, authored by Ovation publisher, Dele Momodu.

TheCable reports that Dogara disclosed that Atiku solidly backed Bukola Sarakis bid to be senate president in 2015  despite strong opposition from the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including President Muhammadu Buhari.

If I dont say this to Alhaji Atiku Abubakars credit I will not be fair to him. It will amount to travesty. At the time when most leaders in the APC were not showing sympathy to our cause, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar came out as one solid voice in support of both the candidature of the now Senate President (Bukola Saraki) and my humble self," Dogara was quoted.

ALSO READ: Tinubu begged me to step down for Gbajabiamila in his bedroom - Speaker

Tinubu's role

Just as it was in his case against Femi Gbajabiamila, Dogara reeled out Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu's role when he had met Atiku in a meeting in Bauchi.

Dogara said: There was this particular time we were meeting with our leader in the North-East, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar at his residence. Our governor (Mohammed Abubakar) had come into town and some of our stakeholders in APC Bauchi had gone to see Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Somehow, Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) and one other person walked into that meeting and he did not waste time in pushing his Gbajabiamila agenda forward.

He spoke passionately about the role he had played in APC, the way he had built bridges between the South-West and the North and he appealed to my brothers and sisters who were there, all the political leaders and stake holders of APC from my state to prevail on me to stop this race and support his candidate Femi Gbajabiamila to become Speaker. After he had spoken, he left."

Atiku's stand

While revealing all the politicking that transpired in 2015 after the emergence of the All Progressive Congress, Dogara also took time to narrate Atiku's stand in the whole power tussle.

He said: He said the North-East must have a position and it was his duty as a leader from the North-East to support that goal. And more so, because of the religious demography of Nigeria there was the need to have a Northern minority Christian in government as that would help to smoothen religious engagement and relationship in the North and put paid to the insinuation that APC was just a Muslim party.

ALSO READ: 6 Reasons why ex-VP left the APC

In November 2017, Atiku quit the ruling party and days after returned to the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, which recently held its national convention.

Atiku had complained of neglect by the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration as well as the APC after assisting the party to emerge tops in 2015.
Ever since his inauguration on January 20, President Trump has been spinning from controversy to controversy, unable to stop himself from being a laughingstock to the world for most of it.

Here are seven controversies Trump has entertained the world with (and sometimes filled it with dread):

1. 3 million illegal voters claim

Even though Trump won the 2016 election and became the US president as a result, he had less popular votes than his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Despite scoring 62,984,825 votes, almost 3 million less than Clinton's 65,853,516, Trump won the election through the electoral college system.

Rather than take his victory and run with it, Trump wasn't content with not a victory that wasn't flawless.

To explain the reason for his popular votes loss to Clinton, the president started peddling claims that more than three million people had illegally voted for his closest challenger.

Despite the dismissal of the claim by electoral experts, Trump spent a good chunk of his first month in office repeating the claim on his Twitter account and during his public rallies.

2. Obama wire "tapp"

Before his inauguration as president and after he was sworn in, Trump's Twitter account has been a platform for most of his wildest controversial moments.

In a series of tweets early in March, the president accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of illegally wiretapping Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Despite the Senate Intelligence Committee, House Intelligence Committee, and then-FBI director James Comey discrediting the claim, President Trump never apologised for his comments.

3. Comey firing

Since before his January inauguration, Trump has been bedevilled with allegations of collusion with the Russian government of Vladimir Putin to win the election.

At the helm of the investigation into those allegations was the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the leadership of James Comey.

When Trump suddenly fired Comey in May, it kicked up a furore because it was considered to be a deliberate act by the president to slow down or kill the investigation and obstruct justice in the process

Even though Trump initially claimed that the firing was as a result of a recommendation by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he later admitted that he had already decided to fire Comey because of his handling of the Russia investigations.

The heat on Trump intensified after Comey revealed that the president had asked him to "let go" of potential charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn who is a key player in the Russia investigations.

4. Muslim Travel Ban

President Trump undoubtedly rode to the White House partly on a wave of his very public anti-immigration stance.

Mexicans and other immigrants were frequent targets of his outrageous remarks during the campaign for the seat.

This is why it didn't come as a shock when the president signed an executive order in January immediately barring entry into the US for the citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

An emergency injunction against the ban by a federal judge in New York set into motion months of amendments and further injunctions against the ban.

Even though a third amendment of the bill was recently passed by the US Supreme Court, scenes of protesters at airports across the country in January remain one of the high points of 2017.

5. Shutting down DACA

In what was considered to be a continuation of his aggressive anti-immigrant stance and contempt for Obama-era policies, Trump stirred, even more, controversy when he put an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in September.

The policy shielded nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors, and had either entered or remained in the country illegally, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and to be eligible for a work permit.

Even though the full implementation of the rescission was delayed till March 2018 to give Congress time to negotiate a policy solution, over a hundred recipients lose their status each day and can no longer legally work in the U.S.

Democrats and some Republicans, including Senator John McCain and Senator Jeff Flake, criticised the decision and hundreds of recipients marched in protest.

6. Rocket Man

Donald Trump is no stranger to addressing people he considers his political rivals by nicknames that he somewhat coins for them.

With gems like Lying Ted (Ted Cruz), Pocahontas (Elizabeth Warren), Crazy Bernie (Bernie Sanders), Al Frankenstien (Al Franken), Little Marco (Marco Rubio), Cryin' Chuck (Chuck Schumer) and, of course, Crooked Hillary (Hillary Clinton), Trump has never been shy to tag others with ridiculous names.

However, when the US President got on the podium to address world leaders at the 2017 United Nations General Assembly, he still managed to shock many people.

While speaking about the ongoing nuclear standoff with North Korean President Kim Jong Un, Trump referred to his adversary as "Rocket Man" in what was considered a provocative act by the often unhinged leader of the free world.

He never shied away from it and has been using the nickname ever since in what the White House has described as a "President Trump original".

7. Jerusalem decision

With the disputed status of Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians having spanned over decades, the United States had positioned itself as the primary mediator between both parties.

By moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognising it as the Israeli capital in December, Trump appears to have broken with that traditional neutrality and showed support for Israel's position.

Trump's decision has been cited by many as a dangerous move that'll lead to violence in the Arab world or an end to the peace process.
"After years of negotiations, 33 families have signed the terms of the agreement with Airbus," Gabriela Ristow told AFP.

Airbus has agreed to pay the compensation "without delay," Ristow said.

The accident on July 17, 2007, involved a TAM airline Airbus A320, flying from Porto Alegre to Sao Paulo. After landing, the plane ran into a building, killing all 187 aboard and 12 people on the ground.

An investigation concluded in 2009 that the cause of the accident was human error and technical problems.

In a statement, Airbus said it "confirms to have entered into settlements with victims relatives."
The two protagonists in the race, Moore and Democrat Doug Jones, headlined competing rallies where they implored their supporters to march to the polls and vote Tuesday, on perhaps the most closely watched US election day of 2017.

"Everyone in this state -- and most of the people in this nation -- are watching this election," Moore told a few hundred people at his first public campaign event in six days, as he blasted the outside influence on the race.

The election appeared headed to the wire in this conservative bastion and unexpected battleground, where energized Democrats pulled out the stops, recruiting Barack Obama to rally support for the party's standardbearer.

"This one's serious. You can't sit it out," the former president says in a robocall ahead of Tuesday's special election. "So get out and vote, Alabama."

Trump has put out a call of his own, telling residents that "I need Alabama to go vote for Roy Moore."

Until recently it had been unimaginable for a Republican to lose a statewide election in Alabama, which Trump carried handily and which has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1992.

But Moore's candidacy turned toxic for the Republican Party after The Washington Post published an investigative account including accusations by women who claim he sexually molested or pursued them when they were in their teens and he was a state attorney in his thirties.

One of the women says she was 14 when Moore molested her. Moore, now 70, denies the allegations.

Some in the Republican establishment have sought to distance themselves from Moore. But with Republicans clinging to a razor thin Senate majority, Trump -- who himself was infamously caught on tape boasting about groping women -- has given Moore his political blessing.

'They're coming for you'

The latest survey by Fox News put the Democrat Jones ahead by 10 points, although a new Emerson poll has Moore ahead by nearly that much. The two are competing to replace Jeff Sessions, who become US attorney general.

Moore was a controversial figure even before the latest allegations against him: twice elected chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court, he was twice dismissed from the post, first in 2003 for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments statue from the court house.

In 2016, he defied the US Supreme Court by refusing to apply its decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

It's a pragmatic alliance between the US president's economic populism and Moore's religious activism.

Stephen Bannon, the former White House strategist who proclaimed himself the guardian of the Trump revolution, appeared alongside Moore at a final "Drain the Swamp rally," where Moore's team had installed fake alligators in a makeshift swamp.

"They're coming for you," he warned the crowd, speaking of establishment lawmakers in Washington. "They're trying to shut you up."

Until Monday Moore had been nearly invisible this past week apart from his flood of TV campaign ads, perhaps to avoid the swirling controversy about his past.

State before party

For the Republican majority in Washington, the election is a loser in every way. Should Moore prevail, party leaders fear being soiled by association. Should he lose, their thin Senate majority of 52 out of 100 seats will shrink to 51, allowing Trump virtually no room for maneuver.

Yet if Moore wins, it could spell campaign gold for Democrats heading into next year's mid-term elections, admits Senate Republican Lindsey Graham.

"Roy Moore will be the gift that keeps on giving for Democrats," Graham told CNN.

Jones, 63, is a former federal prosecutor known for having convicted two Ku Klux Klan members for bombing a black church in Birmingham, killing four African-American girls.

To win, he will need to mobilize the Democratic base, including the black community that Obama targeted with his robocall.

"This election is going to be one of the most significant in our state's history," Jones told a cheering crowd in Birmingham.

"It is time that we put our decency, our state, before a political party."

A Jones victory would likely need crossover votes from Republicans. But his support for abortion rights is anathema to many conservatives, who may choose to write in another candidate aside from the two on the ballot.
Photos showed a huge tower of orange flame visible for miles around roaring out of the Baumgarten facility some 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Vienna near the Slovak border.

"An explosion occurred at 8:45 am (0745 GMT), followed by a fire," police spokesman Edmund Tragschitz told AFP.

He later put the number of people hurt, including one seriously as well as those with minor injuries, at around 60.

But Red Cross spokeswoman Sonja Kellner told the Austria Press Agency that one person had been killed and 18 were injured, one of them seriously who has since been airlifted to hospital in Vienna.

"I heard a huge explosion and thought at first it was a plane crash," photographer Thomas Hulik, a resident of a nearby village in Slovakia, told AFP.

"Then I saw an immense ball of flame," he said.

Armin Teichert, a spokesman for the site's operator Gas Connect Austria, said that the site had been evacuated and that the facility had been put into "security mode".

The material damage is "major," Teichert told AFP.

Police said on social media that people should avoid the area.

Media reports said that more than 200 fire fighters from several brigades in the surrounding area were called in to help, as well as a number of air ambulances.

Lower Austria state police said on Twitter that the situation was "under control".

"Fire services are currently engaged in putting out the fire following the explosion. Emergency services are treating the wounded," the statement said.

An AFP journalist nearby said that by late morning the flames had been extinguished but there was still a huge cloud of smoke over the site.

Other photos showed the heat from the blast was so extreme that cars parked at the site partially melted.

'Technical' cause

Police added that the cause of the incident was a "technical" one and the local authorities had begun an investigation.

The Baumgarten site is Austria's largest reception point for gas, the end-point for a number of pipelines bringing it in from Russia, Norway and elsewhere.

It receives some 40 billion cubic metres of gas annually and redistributes it elsewhere in Europe including to Germany and northern Italy.

Teichert, the Gas Connect Austria spokesman, said that there could be interruptions in supply to Italy and Croatia, but not to elsewhere.

Russian gas giant Gazprom, which relies on the Baumgarten site to send gas to clients around Europe said in a statement that it was aware of the incident.
Aberouz, who was not on a terrorism watchlist but was known to be radicalised, was arrested in the western Paris suburb of Les Mureaux. He was charged with being an accomplice to murder in connection with a terrorist act and remanded in custody.

His brother has already been charged with providing logistical assistance to Abballa, whose chilling attack -- one in a string of assaults in France since January 2015 -- caused shock in police ranks.

Abballa stabbed police captain Jean-Baptiste Salvaing to death outside his home in Magnanville, 60 kilometres west of Paris, and then slit the throat of his companion Jessica Schneider in front of the couple's three-year-old son.

In a Facebook Live video from the scene, he called for further terror attacks.

Aberouz was already investigated over a foiled attack by a group of female jihadists who tried to set set fire to a car containing gas canisters near Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in September 2016.

Charged with failing to report that plot, he spent four months in preventive custody before being released in January.

Investigators believe that a notorious French IS member, Rachid Kassim, directed both attacks from the Middle East, using the encrypted Telegram app.
The murdered student was found dead in a pool of blood in her home in Perumbavoor town on April 28, 2016, with nearly 30 stab wounds and bite marks on her severely disfigured corpse.

Muhammed Ameerul Islam was convicted by a district court in Kerala over the brutal attack, which drew comparisons with the high-profile gang-rape and murder of a Delhi student in 2012.

"The court found him guilty of rape, murder and trespass," B. A. Aloor, Islam's lawyer told AFP.

He said Islam would be sentenced Wednesday, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.

The court was told Islam's crime was the "rarest of the rare" -- an expression reserved in Indian courts for crimes that result in capital punishment.

The woman, a member of India's lowest Dalit caste who was studying to become a lawyer, lived with her mother who was not at home when the murder took place.

Police took nearly two months to identify a suspect, generating widespread criticism by women's rights activists who accused investigators of bungling the case.

The prosecution described the crime as unprovoked but some media reports say the attack was motivated by revenge over a disagreement.

The level of brutality in the attack sent shockwaves through India and was quickly compared to the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student on a moving bus in New Delhi in 2012.

That crime shone a spotlight on the rising levels of violence against women in India, sparked mass protests and led to an overhaul of rape laws that increased penalties for offenders and accelerated trials through courts.
Resham Chaudhary won the seat from Kailali in western Nepal by a landslide, securing more than double the votes of his closest rival, according to results from the election commission.

Chaudhary has been in hiding since 2015 when he was accused of masterminding an attack in which eight police officers and a toddler were killed.

"He is in our wanted list and we can arrest him even though he has been elected as a member of parliament, if we find him," said police spokesman Manoj Neupane.

Chaudhary was a key figure in violent protests that erupted in 2015 over a contentious new constitution.

Ethnic minority groups from across Nepal's southern lowlands took to the streets demanding changes to the charter, which they say leaves them politically marginalised.

Around 50 people died in clashes between protesters and police that led to a blockade of the border with India and a crippling shortage of goods in landlocked Nepal.

Chaudhary has previously denied masterminding the attack on police, which he described as a "people's uprising".

But a parliamentary committee concluded the killings were premeditated, and a Human Rights Watch investigation found some protesters appeared to have come prepared for violence.

The protest movements have lost momentum in recent years and many of their leaders have joined political parties.

During his campaign, Chaudhary never once emerged from hiding. Instead he recorded a series of audio and video speeches that his supporters played on laptops at crowded rallies, according to local media.

This is not the first time a man on the police's wanted list has ended up in Nepal's parliament.

Shortly after being elected to parliament in 2013, Sanjay Sah was arrested for his role in a deadly bombing the year before. He is still in jail.

Votes are still being counted following landmark national and provincial elections, which mark the end of the country's tumultuous transition from monarchy to democracy 11 years after the end of a brutal civil war.
Two burning objects had been thrown at chapel, located at a Jewish cemetery, in Sweden's third largest city of Malmo, the Jewish assembly said in a statement on Monday.

Malmo police spokesman Lars Forstell told AFP that the incident is being investigated "as an attempted arson" and that the motive is unclear.

No serious damage has been done to the building and no one was hurt.

But the Jewish assembly in Malmo said it sees the incident as "extremely serious".

"We strongly emphasise that we can never accept being subjected to threats and attacks," it said in the statement.

Swedish police have tightened security near Jewish sites across the nation following a fire attack on a synagogue in the second largest city of Gothenburg on late Saturday.

The synagogue did not catch fire and no one was hurt. Police have detained three men on suspicion of attempted arson.

US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital drew international condemnations and sparked angry protests in the Middle East.
"In the past when we went through this sort of crisis, you had leaders who had the courage and the vision to want to take action, to understand that they needed to work with others," he said.

At a time of growing US isolationism -- Trump has announced plans to leave the Paris climate deal agreed two years ago on this day -- Annan urged leaders to cooperate better on fighting terrorism, migration and global warming.

"Today, leaders are going in the wrong direction," he said. "Leaders are withdrawing."

He expressed particular concern over escalating tensions with North Korea, warning: "One miscalculation, one mistake and we are all victims".

"It may not be a deliberate decision to start a nuclear war," he added, adding that inflammatory rhetoric -- without mentioning Trump or North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un by name -- was not helping.

Ban, who like Annan spoke to AFP as part of The Elders group of senior statesmen and women, blasted Trump's climate stance as "politically short-sighted and misguided".

"The richest and most powerful country" in the world is disengaging from a historic deal that "even countries like Syria" have signed, Ban said.

"We are seeing more and more troubles and conflicts still continuing, because of the lack of global commitment and global vision," he added.

Step forward, Macron?

Lakhdar Brahimi, the former UN Syria envoy who joined the interview with former Irish president Mary Robinson and Norway's first female premier Gro Harlem Brundtland, said Europe could step into the bigger global role vacated by Trump -- at least in the Middle East.

French President Emmanuel Macron in particular, he suggested, appears willing to shoulder more responsibility: this week's climate talks are his latest bid to play a lead role in global affairs.

"I think Europe certainly has a role and a capacity to play a role, and the important leaders in Europe. Definitely one of them is President Macron," Brahimi told AFP.

The United States has "absolutely" disqualified itself as a broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, he added.

"They have now announced with this statement 'We are not going to mediate anymore'. And the thing is, I think someone should step in because this problem is not going to go away."

As a new round of peace talks gets under way in Geneva this week, Brahimi -- who like Annan quit as the UN's Syria envoy in frustration over years of deadlock -- said he hoped this time things might be different.

"I think we have come now much closer to the realisation that indeed there is no military solution. There is some hope there," he said.
Political action "will not be enough if we do not update and reset the global finance architecture and make all development low-emission, resilient, and sustainable," UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said.

"We see some movement... but climate consideration must now be part of all private sector decisions," she said.

After the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 to cheers and champagne, helped over the finish line by then US president Barack Obama, his successor Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the process, withdrawing political support and finance.

Money has long been a sore point in the UN climate process, with developing nations insisting on financial assistance to help them make the costly move to less-polluting energy sources, and to shore up defences against climate change-induced superstorms, mega-droughts and land-gobbling sea level rise.

Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax", announced in June that the United States would pull out of the Paris pact, which had taken nearly 200 nations more than two decades to negotiate.

The US is the only country to reject the agreement.

Trump has also asked Congress to slash the climate research budgets of federal agencies -- threatening a loss of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.

The Trump administration would also not fulfil US climate finance commitments, including an outstanding $2 billion out of $3 billion it had pledged towards the Green Climate Fund.

"The missing piece of the jigsaw is the funding to help the worlds poorer countries access clean energy so they dont follow the fossil fuel-powered path of the rich world," said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid, which represents poor country interests at the UN climate forum.

'Don't worry'

"This is the missing piece that the One Planet Summit needs to begin to put into place."

In the absence of former climate champion Obama, American businesses, regions and local government leaders have reiterated their commitment to decarbonisation.

"It doesn't matter that Donald Trump backed out of the Paris Agreement, because the private sector didn't drop out, the public sector didn't drop out, universities didn't drop out, no one dropped out," former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, now the face of the R20 network of sub-national climate actors, said in Paris.

"Don't worry about any of that, we are the subnational level, we're going to pick up the slack," he said.

On the eve of the summit, the heads of many of world's space agencies proposed the creation of a space climate observatory to pool acquired data to share with scientists around the globe, according to a declaration they adopted at their meeting in Paris.

Among the leaders in attendance at Tuesday's summit will be UN chief Antonio Guterres, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto, Theresa May of Britain, Spain's Mariano Rajoy, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Trump was not invited to Tuesday's gathering, and the US -- the world's biggest historical emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gases -- will be represented by an embassy official.

Also absent will be the leaders of major polluters China, India, Brazil, Russia and Canada, as well as Germany's Angela Merkel among EU members.

Rich nations pledged in 2009 to muster $100 billion per year in climate finance for developing nations from 2020.

On 2015 trends, total public financing would reach about $67 billion by that date, according to a report of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Members of news organizations and at least one lawmaker drew attention to the case of Emilio Gutierrez, who arrived in the United States a decade ago after reporting on abuses by Mexican military authorities.

"I am terrorized to set foot in Mexico, I don't ever want to go back to Mexico," he said during the call.

Gutierrez, who was presented with the National Press Club Press Freedom Award earlier this year, was detained last week after an immigration panel denied his appeal for political asylum.

John Donnelly, a member of the press club's press freedom team, said the organization is urging the release of the 64-year-old Gutierrez.

"He came here after credibly perceiving that his life was in danger there because of his reporting," Donnelly told the news conference.

After his reporting on military abuses, Donnelly said, "he learned he was on a hit list, that's why he left Mexico."

US Congressman Don Beyer joined calls for the release by the office of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.

"Mr. Gutierrez is a well-known journalist who faces a clear and present danger should he return to Mexico. I implore @ICEgov to reconsider its decision to deport him," Beyer said in a tweet.

The media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders also urged authorities to grant Gutierrez asylum.

"Emilio should be granted asylum. A return to Mexico, which is structurally violent and where journalists are regularly targeted, is out of the question for him," said Emmanuel Colombie, director of the group's Latin American region.

According to RSF, 11 journalists were killed in Mexico in 2017, making it the second deadliest country for members of the media, after Syria.
Following Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to move the embassy there, Erdogan has levelled a string of accusations against Israel and the US, in his usual strident style.

Among other things he said Israel was a "terrorist state" that kills Palestinian children, adding that the US had "become a partner to this bloodshed".

Such sentiments echo those held by many among Erdogan's traditional voter base of Sunni Muslims in Turkey. His statements have also galvanised his popularity among some Muslims in the Arab world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Erdogan, saying he was "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".

Erdogan, who considers himself a fervent supporter of the Palestinians, will hold a summit of leaders of Muslim countries on Wednesday, which he claimed will mark a "turning point" in the response to Washington's decision.

Traditional heavyweights of the Middle East like Saudi Arabia and Egypt have condemned the move, but without announcing any concrete measures of their own.

'Serious risk'

Erdogan, who comes from a conservative Islamist background, frequently criticises Israel and does not conceal his support for the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, listed as a terrorist organisation by the US, Israel and several countries around the world.

His statements have been "consistent with the prevailing feelings among his own followers inside Turkey", said Marc Pierini, visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe and former EU ambassador to Turkey.

But Erdogan's escalation comes as Turkey and Israel are working to normalise ties since last year after a near-break in relations triggered by Israel's storming of a Gaza-bound ship in 2010 which left 10 Turkish activists dead.

"Given the Israeli reaction to these statements, there is indeed a serious risk for Turkey-Israel normalisation. I think this is a risk that both sides are ready to take," Pierini said.

According to Aaron Stein, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Centre, Erdogan is already thinking about elections scheduled for November 2019 when he is expected to run for a new term as president with boosted powers under an executive presidency approved in an April referendum.

By taking a firm stand against the Jerusalem move, it is "part of his broader effort to paint himself as the protector of oppressed Muslims around the world," Stein added.

"The two sides don't like each other, but are not standing in the way of normal economic relations. I think this is likely to continue, given Erdogan's political calculations and Netanyahu's own legal and political problems," he added.

'Domestic considerations prevail'

Sinan Ulgen, chairman of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy and visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, believes that Erdogan's rhetoric on Jerusalem more broadly reflects a shift in Turkey's foreign policy approach since the arrival of the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2002.

"Traditionally, Turkey was able, in its diplomatic practice, to operate more in isolation from domestic political considerations," Ulgen said.

"This has changed under AKP rule so that Turkey finds itself at almost another extreme where most foreign policy decisions are driven by domestic calculations."

Ulgen said that it was from this perspective that Turkey's efforts to lead the campaign against the US move should be read.

Erdogan "believes that there is public support at home to justify this more aggressive rhetoric against Israel", even if it risks provoking a new diplomatic crisis, Ulgen said.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - When a deadly avian flu outbreak threatened the nations poultry industry in 2015, Purdue Universitys Patricia Wakenell was at the forefront of efforts to contain the spread of the disease. That critical initiative, along with many other accomplishments throughout her career, contributed to Wakenell being honored with the 2017 Frederick L. Hovde Award of Excellence in Educational Service to Rural People of Indiana.

Wakenell, an associate professor of avian diagnostics in Purdues College of Veterinary Medicine, also is widely recognized locally and nationally for leading initiatives to minimize the threat of disease transmission associated with backyard poultry - the practice of homeowners raising chickens, turkeys and geese on their property.

The role she played in the 2015-16 avian influenza outbreak was key in helping irradiate a potentially devastating disease that had the potential to threaten the economic vitality of the poultry industry in southern Indiana, said Willie M. Reed, dean of Purdues College of Veterinary Medicine.

Wakenell has worked closely with the Indiana State Poultry Association and the Board of Animal Health to help small poultry producers boost production while teaching them about practices that prevent avian-related diseases. Through those educational initiatives, Wakenell also helped prevent the transmission of salmonella and other poultry-related diseases from small producers to the commercial poultry industry, which contributes $4.25 billion to Indianas economy.

Through her dedication, Dr. Wakenell has stayed at the forefront of the challenges facing the poultry industry, said Karen Plaut, interim dean for the Purdue College of Agriculture. She exemplifies the spirit of the Hovde Award, which honors those who provide exceptional service to the people of rural Indiana. Her impact on the viability of the poultry industry is evident both locally and nationally.

Wakenell also was recognized for encouraging veterinary students and residents to pursue studies in poultry medicine. She established the Purdue Veterinary Poultry Medicine program, a fully endowed teaching program in poultry medicine, after securing a donor. The program, which emphasizes active poultry medicine practice, resulted in an unprecedented number of Purdue students studying poultry medicine. The boost in veterinarians with knowledge of poultry medicine addressed a significant field expertise gap, especially in the midst of the growing popularity of backyard poultry.

The residency program provides training in all major areas of an active poultry medicine practice, including farm visits and diagnostic pathology. It also incorporates a training curriculum designed to lead to board certification in the American College of Veterinary Pathologists or the American College of Poultry Veterinarians.

Dr. Wakenells work in the field of poultry production has been exemplary, Reed said. Not only has she made a significant impact on the poultry industry, she has provided outstanding mentorship to veterinary students and residents interested in pursuing careers in poultry medicine.

Wakenell, who also serves as the co-head of avian diagnostics at the Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory, joined the Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty in 2008 as associate professor of poultry pathology. She had previously served the California poultry industry in her role as an associate professor of veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis.

The Hovde Award is sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau Inc. It was established in honor of Frederick L. Hovde, Purdues seventh president, who served from 1946 to 1971. The award winners receive a monetary prize and a plaque.

Writer: Shari Finnell, 765-494-2722, sfinnell@purdue.edu

Source: Ruth Ann Weiderhaft, weiderhaft@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;

Shari Finnell, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, sfinnell@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO at NU-Q, commended the students for this exploration and examination of an important international humanitarian crisis that they will study and report on first hand. As media and communication professionals, they are using their skills to give voice to the voiceless through research, inquiry, and investigation, he said.

The students research project is being funded through an Undergraduate Research Grant, which is a competitive program administered by Northwesterns Office of Undergraduate Research in Evanston. The grant is awarded to students who have presented proposals for independent study. All recipients are required to present their research to the Northwestern community.

The Rohingya crisis is a timely and global issue that requires attention, said Moosa. Most of the focus by international media is on getting refugees out of Myanmar to a safer country. However, we are interested in exploring what happens to them once they reach these new countries and whether they are they able to live normal lives there? Do they ever really get resettled?

In addition to researching the resettlement of refugees, Moosa and Abbas will also research how well the refugees have been able to integrate into Malaysian society despite not having a legal status in the country.

Refugees suffer a lot of psychological and physical trauma, said Abbas. We want to learn how they attempt to create a new normal life and whether they have been successful at doing so, she added.

NU-Q students can apply for several different types of funding, including undergraduate language grants to travel and study a foreign language, grants for independent study, and/or to participate in international workshops and conferences. The NU-Q Research Office regularly discusses research interests and opportunities with students and provides them with various services to facilitate the research process, help them apply for grants, and provide funding to attend research conferences.

Previous student research projects investigated a variety of social and political issues ranging from bonded labor in Pakistan, to identifying trends in the local science community in Qatar.

Research skills are an indispensable part of an undergraduate education at NU-Q, Dennis said. Our home campus in Evanston is one of the leading research universities in the world, and NU-Q is committed to continuing that tradition by encouraging students to engage in intellectual inquiry and research across a variety of disciplines.
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Russian prosecutors seek to block websites of 11 undesirable organizations

MOSCOW, December 12 (RAPSI)  The Prosecutor Generals Office has asked Russias media watchdog Roskomnadzor to restrict access to websites of 11 organizations designated as undesirable, the press-service of Roskomnadzor stated on Tuesday.

The Open Russia website has been already blocked, according to the organizations statement published on its Twitter account.

These organizations include: the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the Open Society Foundation (Soros Foundation), the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation, U.S. Russia Foundation, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Media Development Investment Fund, Inc., the International Republican Institute (IRI), Otkrytaya Rossia (Great Britain), Open Russia Civic Movement (Great Britain), Institute of Modern Russia (United States), Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (Romania).

In October, the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow dismissed an appeal filed by Otkrytaya Rossia demanding to remove it from the list.

In April, Russias Justice Ministry added Otkrytaya Rossia, Open Russia Civic Movement and the Institute of Modern Russia (IMR) located in the U.S. and founded by former Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, to the list of "undesirable organizations". The decision was made upon the request of the Prosecutor Generals Office.

According to prosecutors, these organizations implement special programs and projects aimed to discredit election results in Russia and recognize them as illegitimate. The Prosecutor Generals Office believes that undesirable foreign organizations create conditions for protest rallies and destabilization of political climate in Russia.

The law stipulating that foreign NGOs can be put on "undesirable organizations" list if they are believed to be a threat to the Constitution, defense or security, came into effect on June 3, 2015. These organizations are to be prohibited from working and from circulating information materials in Russia, and their offices and branches are to be closed.

A decision to declare a foreign or international NGO an undesirable organization can be made or reversed by the Prosecutor General or his deputies, based on consultations with the Foreign Ministry. The Justice Ministry is authorized to compile and publish a list of non-grata organizations.

On March 28, 2017, President Vladimir Putin signed a law prohibiting "undesirable" NGOs from creating Russian legal entities.
Russian businessmans sentence for hostage taking becomes final

MOSCOW, December 12 (RAPSI, Nikolay Merkulov)  The Supreme Court of Russia on Tuesday upheld a 12-year prison sentence given to businessman Aram Petrosyan for taking hostages and threating to trigger an explosion in a Moscow bank, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

The sentence therefore came into legal force.

In September, the Moscow District Military Court convicted and sentenced Petrosyan.

Medical examination has found that Petrosyan is suffering from psychological disorder not requiring compulsory treatment, but affecting his ability to take independent decisions, his lawyer Stanislav Maltsev told RAPSI earlier.

According to investigators, on the evening of August 24, 2016, Petrosyan entered a branch of Citibank at Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street in central Moscow, where he took four people hostages. He threatened to trigger explosion of an object resembling a bomb. After several hours, he released all hostages and surrendered. The bomb that he threatened to explode turned out to be a hoax.

The Investigative Committee stated that Petrosyan wanted to bring attention to his problem and did not want to kill anyone.

Before capture of hostages, a video has been released on the Internet, featuring a man resembling the one who took hostages. Video message was published under the name of Aram Petrosyan. In particular, he said that on August 24 he is going to commit "violation of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation". He said that he intends to commit a crime because of bankruptcy, which, according to him, turned into epidemic in Russia.

He demanded Russian authorities to create a body that would deal with the issue of bankruptcy.
MOSCOW, December 12 (RAPSI)  A criminal case launched against Temirlan Eskerkhanov, convicted of the murder of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, over contempt towards an investigator has been forwarded to the Basmanny District Court of Moscow for hearing, lawyer Anna Byurchiyeva has told RAPSI.

Prosecutors have approved indictment in the case, according to the attorney. The hearing date has not been set yet.

Eskerkhanov is charged with contempt of court expressed in an insult to the litigants.

The case was initiated because of Eskerkhanovs words heard by jurors. One of the words insulted the investigator; however, an expert evaluation has found no insult in the convicts speech, Byurchieva told RAPSI earlier.

In October, the sentence passed on murderers of Nemtsov took effect. The Moscow District Military Court gave the defendants prison terms varying from 11 to 20 years on July 13. The court ruled in accordance with the will of the jury panel founding all defendants guilty. Zaur Dadayev, Nemtsovs first-hand killer was sentenced to 20 years. Anzor Gubashev was sentenced to 19 years, Shadid Gubashev to 16 years, Temirlan Eskerkhanov to 14 years and Khamzat Bakhayev to 11 years. All defendants will serve their time in a high-security penal colony. The court fined defendants 100,000 rubles (about $1,700). Shadid and Anzor Gubashev, Eskerkhanov and Bakhayev were also subjected to additional restriction of freedom for two years.

In late June, jurors found all the defendants guilty of involvement in the politicians murder and illegal trafficking in firearms and ammunition. According to the verdict, they did not deserve leniency.

The jury panel stated that one of defendants, Dadayev, conspired with others, was stalking and collecting data on Nemtsov, prepared murder and killed the politician himself, shooting his victim at least six times from an unidentified gun.

Boris Nemtsov, 55, a prominent opposition politician, who held a number of high-ranking posts in the Russian government in the 1990s and in the 2000s joined the opposition, was shot down in the center of Moscow as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin on the night of February 28, 2015.

Investigators believe that the conspirators had thoroughly prepared to commit this crime and spied on the victim.

Ruslan Mukhudinov, a former officer in Chechen Interior Ministry, is believed to be a mastermind of the murder. He was placed on the international wanted list in November 2015. Beslan Shavanov, who allegedly was also implicated in the crime, reportedly killed himself when police tried to arrest him.

Criminal prosecution of Shavanov was dismissed because of his death. Investigation into Mukhudinov is underway.
Ombudsman Moskalkova to apply for pardon of ex-student convicted of attempt to join ISIS

MOSCOW REGION, December 12 (RAPSI) - Russias High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova will lodge a motion for pardoning Varvara Karaulova (Alexandra Ivanova), a former student of the Moscow State University sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for attempting to join the Islamic State militants in Syria, the ombudsman told RAPSI on Tuesday.

Moskalkova said that she is going to begin the work on this matter before the year is out.

On Monday, lawyer Sergey Badamshin told RAPSI that Karaulova had forwarded a request to Moskalkova seeking her assistance in petitioning for pardon.

In December 2016, the Moscow District Military Court found that Karaulova decided to participate in activities of the Islamic State terrorist group, also called ISIS, an organization banned in Russia. The court noted that she shared organization's ideology. Karaulova was given a 4.5-year prison term.

On March 22, the Russian Supreme Court upheld the sentence.

The second-year student of the Moscow State Universitys Faculty of Philosophy decided to join ISIS, an organization banned in Russia, and secretly started off for Istanbul on May 27, 2015.

Karaulova, who later changed her name to Alexandra Ivanova, was arrested on June 4, 2015, near Turkey's border with Syria along with 13 other Russian citizens when attempting to cross into the territory occupied by Islamic State terrorists.

In October 2015, she was put in jail. She pleaded not guilty.

In October 2016, Karaulova was expelled from the university.
Ex-deputy financial director of VIM Airlines arrested in absentia

MOSCOW, December 12 (RAPSI)  The Basmanny District Court of Moscow has issued an arrest warrant for former first deputy chief financial officer of VIM Airlines Alevtina Kalashnikova in absentia as part of a case on abuse of office, the courts spokesperson Yunona Tsareva has told RAPSI.

Earlier, the court ordered arrest of VIM Airlines owner Rashid Mursekayev in absentia. The man was put on the international wanted list on charges of abuse of authority, Russias Investigative Committees press-service reported Tuesday.

According to investigators, Mursekayev and Kalashnikova fled Russia to hide from investigative authorities. VIM Airlines CEO and chief accountant, Alexander Kochnev and Yekaterina Panteleyeva, are also listed as the defendants in the case. They are to stay under house arrest until February 28, 2018.

Investigators believe that in between 2015 and 2017 the defendants abused their office positions to buy overpriced aviation fuel from companies controlled by Mursekayev.

In addition, managers of VIM Airlines issued fake financial statements in order to hide their losses, estimated at 2.5 billion rubles (about $42.5 million). Four companies were recognized as victims in the criminal case, allegedly they lost 782 million rubles (about $13.2 million) from actions of VIM Airlines managers.

On October 17, a criminal case was launched over premeditated bankruptcy of VIM Airlines.

Investigators claim certain top managers and owners of the air carrier intentionally made losing bargains in 2016 and 2017 including those aimed at siphoning of assets abroad. The deals led to enormous financial outlay and undoubtedly resulted in the companys failure to pay debts to creditors in full.

Earlier, probe was opened into VIM Airlines employees over alleged embezzlement. According to investigators, employees of the VIM Airlines continued to sell tickets to clients despite being aware that the airline was not able to transfer passengers because there were not enough funds to buy fuel. Investigators believe that the employees embezzled more than one million rubles ($17,000).

In late September, the Investigative Committee official representative Svetlana Petrenko told RAPSI that investigative authorities took measures to recover damage caused by employees of the airline as part of the notorious embezzlement case.
VIM Airlines owner placed on international wanted list

MOSCOW, December 12 (RAPSI)  Owner of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev has been placed on the international wanted list in a criminal case over abuse of office, the Investigative Committees press-service stated on Tuesday.

According to investigators, Mursekayev and the airlines chief financial officer Alevtina Kalashnikova fled Russia to hide from investigative authorities, which, in turn, seek arrest in absentia for the defendants. VIM Airlines CEO and chief accountant, Alexander Kochnev and Yekaterina Panteleyeva, are also listed as the defendants in the case. They are to stay under house arrest until February 28, 2018.

Investigators believe that in between 2015 and 2017 the defendants abused their office positions to buy overpriced aviation fuel from companies controlled by Mursekayev.

In addition, managers of VIM Airlines issued fake financial statements in order to hide their losses, estimated at 2.5 billion rubles (about $42.5 million). Four companies were recognized as victims in the criminal case, allegedly they lost 782 million rubles (about $13.2 million) from actions of VIM Airlines managers.

On October 17, a criminal case was launched over premeditated bankruptcy of VIM Airlines.

Investigators claim certain top managers and owners of the air carrier intentionally made losing bargains in 2016 and 2017 including those aimed at siphoning of assets abroad. The deals led to enormous financial outlay and undoubtedly resulted in the companys failure to pay debts to creditors in full.

Earlier, probe was opened into VIM Airlines employees over alleged embezzlement. According to investigators, employees of the VIM Airlines continued to sell tickets to clients despite being aware that the airline was not able to transfer passengers because there were not enough funds to buy fuel. Investigators believe that the employees embezzled more than one million rubles ($17,000).

In late September, the Investigative Committee official representative Svetlana Petrenko told RAPSI that investigative authorities took measures to recover damage caused by employees of the airline as part of the notorious embezzlement case.
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Indian IT giants are outstanding companies with great management teams, but they have been held hostage by their past success.

They seem to be unwilling to invest enough for the future, concerned as they are about short-term margins and stock prices.

The problem may be more with these companies' investor base, says Akash Prakash.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

The Chinese internet sector has been an amazing success story.

From virtually nothing, China is now at the cutting edge, with the largest number of internet users globally (at 700 million more than the US, EU, and Japan combined) and the most pervasive adoption of digital and e-commerce business models.

The country leads the US, in percentage of advertising which is online, penetration of e-commerce and more broadly, usage and time spent online.

In 2017, on Singles Day (November 11) Alibaba recorded sales of over $25 billion (50 per cent growth), more than three times what American consumers spent on Black Friday.

Alipay processed 1.48 billion transaction in a matter of 24 hours. No other company in the world is even close to handling this scale on a single day!

Alibaba now handles both directly and indirectly nearly 5 per cent of Chinese gross domestic product (GDP), compared to only about 0.5 per cent of US GDP by Amazon.

Over the past 10 years, in China, online gaming has grown 24 times, online advertising 48 times, and e-commerce by over 150 times.

The stocks have also been unbelievable wealth creators.

Just looking at the top three Chinese internet companies (Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu), their market capitalisation has grown from only $10 billion just 10 years ago to $1 trillion today.

Alibaba and Tencent are now among the 10 most-valuable companies in the world.

This market capitalisation does not even include the value of giants like JD.com, Ctrip and many others.

This is incredible wealth creation. It has made the fortunes and reputation of numerous investors be it SoftBank or Naspers.

In the broader digital world there are only two superpowers, China and the US.

Of all the unicorns (private companies with a valuation of over $1 billion) 40 per cent are Chinese companies and 40 per cent are US companies.

The rest of the world only accounts for about 20 per cent.

If we look at the top 10 publicly listed technology companies by market capitalisation all of them are either American or Chinese, the only exception is Samsung of South Korea.

In India, the Google of India is Google and the Facebook of India is Facebook. We have kept the sector open, and it is thus dominated by the global giants.



In China, partly due to language but mostly due to government policy, they have ensured that homegrown players dominate.

E-commerce and digital have also generated millions of jobs in China.

From simple logistics and warehousing to delivery infrastructure, millions are employed serving the online consumer.

Given that China had never fully built out its retail footprint, we have had limited retail job losses, unlike in the US.

E-commerce in China has been more about adding new jobs than replacing existing retail positions.

All the Chinese giants are now spreading their wings, both geographically and product-wise.

Baidu is a leader in artificial intelligence and autonomous car technology, Tencent is trying to take WeChat global, and along with Alibaba entering video, financial services and allied fields.

All three have numerous investments across the digital ecosystem both in China and globally.

The question may logically be asked as to why this type of growth and wealth creation has not happened in the Indian internet eco-system?

Firstly, we are at least a decade behind China across all the relevant metrics of internet usage, broadband penetration, and purchasing power.

Given all the wealth created in China in the last 10 years, this may still be what lies ahead for the Indian internet players.

Secondly, in India, the Google of India is Google and the Facebook of India is Facebook. We have kept the sector open, and it is thus dominated by the global giants.

In China, partly due to language but mostly due to government policy, they have ensured that homegrown players dominate.

How smart was it for India to allow unencumbered entry? Debatable?

Even our so-called homegrown players are almost entirely funded by foreign capital.

If foreign capital is going to get the upside, how does it matter whether it is a US-based hedge fund or Amazon?

When these businesses were being set up we, frankly, did not have large enough domestic pools of risk capital.

How many investors in India even today are willing to fund a business plan with built-in losses in the billions for a decade?

If you just block the entry of the big boys, reserving the space for local players, you restrict competition at the cost of the consumer.

It is very difficult to ensure financial upside through market capitalisation is captured locally.

The reality is that irrespective of the nationality of the capital provider, given the nature of most of these online businesses, jobs and economic activity are fully captured within the country and that is the most important fact.

What is probably true is that as a country we could have bargained domestic market access for specific infrastructure investment commitments from some of these global internet giants.

Ask Alphabet to fund rural Wifi connectivity or Amazon to set up a cold chain, for example.

I dont think anyone had the foresight years ago to truly understand how big Chinese internet would become, the inability of the US players to be involved, and therefore, the attractiveness of India.

No time for complacency: These new technologies will disrupt, create value, and for India, our tech giants are the only hope we have of gaining even a toehold in these new fields.

Another related issue is the inability or unwillingness of the Indian IT giants to invest in leading-edge technologies.

Unlike in China, we are not seeing any of the Indian technology giants commit to try becoming a world leader in, for example, artificial intelligence or data analytics.

The Indian companies have the cash flows and talent to do so but have been seemingly unwilling to dilute margins or lack the innovation mindset.

The fact is that as recently as June 2013, the market capitalisation of the top Indian IT companies was the same as the top Chinese internet players.

Today the Chinese top three have a market capitalisation of $1 trillion and the Indian three (TCS, Infosys and Wipro) $140 billion.

Even in their core business of IT services, perception remains that the big Indian players have not invested enough in building capabilities in the SMAC (social media, mobility, analytics, and cloud) space.

Growth for these companies has slowed to mid single digits, as they are not winning their share in the new digital service lines.

I dont blame the Indian giants. These are outstanding companies with great management teams, but they have been held hostage by their past success.

They seem to be unwilling to invest enough for the future, concerned as they are about short-term margins and stock prices.

The problem may be more with these companies' investor base.

If your investors or boards are not going to let you invest enough for the future, and hit your shares whenever margins dip, can one blame only the management teams? Investors need to look at themselves and the boards of the top Indian IT giants.

Who is making the long term versus short term trade off? Do these companies really need to sit on billions of dollars of cash? Is buying back stock the only use of this cash?

Buybacks help in the short term, but a successful foray into one of these new technologies can create disproportionate value.

Why cannot an Indian tech company invest serious money into AI?

We need investors and boards who will both be supportive as well as push our companies to fight for leadership in certain niche areas of the new technologies.

No time for complacency: These new technologies will disrupt, create value, and for India, our tech giants are the only hope we have of gaining even a toehold in these new fields.

Akash Prakash is with Amansa Capital. Views are his own.
Indias sovereign debt is much lower than that of other emerging economies like Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa.

Indias stock of external debt declined for the first-time since 2001-02, to $471.9 billion at the end of March 2017, according to the Reserve Bank of Indias December 2017 Bulletin.

The countrys external debt (medium to long-term) declined to 20.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of March 2017, from 23.5 per cent at the end of March 2016. In March 1991, external debt was 28.7 per cent of GDP.

The main reason for contraction in non-resident deposits, says the report, was the lumpy redemption of FCNR(B) - Foreign Currency Non-Repatriable (bank) - deposits raised by lenders under a special swap-window scheme introduced during September to November 2013.

The report states the US dollar depreciation in relation to the Indian rupee over the past few cycles caused a valuation loss of $1.5 billion, which restricted the decline in external debt to $13.1 billion.

The share of rupee-denominated debt rose to 33.6 per cent at the end of March 2018, from 11.6 per cent in end March 2000.

Despite the stock of commercial borrowings declining to 36.7 per cent of external debt, it continues to represent the largest component, followed by NRI (non-resident Indian) deposits (24.8 per cent) and short-term trade credit (18.3 per cent).

Since 1991, successive governments have gradually opened up the countrys capital markets, expanding the stock of external debt from $83.8 billion in 1991 to $471.9 billion at end-March 2017.

Despite a massive increase in the quantum of external debt, the debt-to-GDP ratio has remained stable, declining from 37.3 per cent in 1992 to around 16.8 per cent by end March 2006.

At the end of March 2017, the countrys debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 20.2 per cent as throughout the early 2000s, the pace of expansion of the domestic economy in nominal terms was outpaced by the expansion of external debt demand.

This means that the pace at which domestics institutions were borrowing from abroad was greater than the rate of domestic growth.

The share of government debt (external borrowings by public sector/sovereign debt) declined to 20 per cent at the end of March 2017 from 48 per cent in 2000, while the private sectors share (excluding the financial sector) has increased to 23 per cent at the end of March 2017 from 13 per cent in 1998.

The financial sector increased its share of external debt from 22 per cent in March 1998 to 32 per cent by end-March 2017.

The majority of external debt, Indians pursue, continues to be in the form of loans, followed by currency and deposits.

Indias sovereign debt is much lower than that of other emerging economies like Argentina (59 per cent), Indonesia (49 per cent), Mexico (45 per cent), the Philippines (41 per cent), and South Africa (39 per cent).

Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Turbocharged with technology is becoming the Holy Grail of retail.

Indrajit Gupta reports.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Last month, Kishore Biyani set the cat among the pigeons by unveiling an audacious blueprint -- Retail 3.0.

The Future Group czar's vision is to create 10,000 small stores by 2022 that would be turbocharged with technology -- shopping assistants, ordering apps, in-store sensors, digital coupons, voice-activated ordering, self-check outs options, et al -- to offer a seamless physical and virtual experience to the customer.

In many ways, this is becoming the Holy Grail of retail.

Alibaba has been experimenting with a model, which it calls New Retail, for the past 18 months at its Huma supermarket stores in China.

Walmart's blended commerce business is starting to rev up.

Back home, Reliance Jio is getting ready to partner with its retail business in a similar fashion.

German retailer Metro AG began experimenting with deploying all the emerging technologies at its model Metro Future Store, just outside Dusseldorf. (In 2004, I was part of a visiting delegation of global journalists that was taken to see what was then described as the future of shopping).

This vision of a technology-enabled commerce is compelling. Not just because it makes the process of buying and selling more efficient, but also because of a tiny instrument that dominates our lives: The smartphone.

Retailers believe that the smartphone presents a perfect gateway to engage and offer exciting new shopping options for customers.

The moot point: Will customers in India embrace this revolution?

And more importantly, can old-style retailers dramatically transform themselves from within to serve customers in new, innovative ways?

Like everything in life, it will be a mixed bag.

None of these new digital shopping methods are rocket science for the tech-savvy new generation of consumers. The real challenge will be for retailers to become more nimble and agile, and disrupt their own ways of working.

And there's one other critical issue: Technology is at best an enabler. And too much of it can confuse, unnecessarily complicate lives, and also become intrusive -- something that most techies sometimes miss.

At the best of times, all that customers look for is the right assortment being available whenever they need it and at the right price.

So just how much of technology should one chose to deploy, especially when customers are looking for simple conveniences while buying everyday groceries is worth mulling over.

Real-time data:

Customer data was available with a time lag. And most retailers took decisions based on past data. Digital has now made it theoretically possible to collapse that decision-making and make it almost real-time. And in many ways, machine learning led.

Significant investments are required to build real-time data management capabilities. And it is sometimes easy to be seduced by powerful tech evangelists such as Google and Facebook. But is there a proven business case to do that?

The jury is still out on that.

Democratisation of data:

Today's digital technologies allows one to strip away management layers and carry the signals from the customer directly to key decision makers, without old-style MIS folks getting in the way. It is a fundamental disruption.

And it needs both loads of data scientists who can make sense of the data, identify patterns and also, line managers who are trained to act quickly based on what they see.

Telecom executives have had access to rich data for years. And, yet done very little with it so far.

Creating a sense-and-respond culture will take some effort.

Digital champions:

Expecting everyone, especially those in their 40s and 50s, to change with the times is hard. That's why the Future Group has injected a few lightening rods, in social media and in data sciences. These champions have been given the freedom to form teams, hiring relevant talent and find partners from outside along with a bunch of change-ready insiders.

And the change, especially in the way it manages social media, has been palpable. And demonstrable results then provide a good momentum for change, helping the large pool of sceptics from within to join the bandwagon.

Digital natives:

The average age of shoppers in India will continue to fall. And who is best placed to understand what a 21-year-old college kid is looking for?

Here, too, the Future Group has understood this dynamic well. It has build a cadre of young brand owners, hired fresh from campus and put them in charge.

These young folks have a far better handle on the kind of merchandise and or even social media engagement that will appeal to their cohort of singles. And it is quite different from what today's 30-year-olds seek.

Resetting expectations:

Tracking customer preferences and generating rich profiles sometimes gives the impression that every customer need can be meet. There is, however, a cost to serve. And retailers need to be careful of setting the right expectations so that they can consistently serve customers.

That's where creating a home-delivery model within a 2-km radius in its easy day store is a sensible approach.

The search for a new, yet sustainable, Retail 3.0 model has begun.

The writer is co-founder at Founding Fuel.
'For the Congress, the family is the final court of appeal.'

'If there is no family, all leaders are equal.'

'If all leaders are equal, anyone can lead the Congress.'

'So every time the family has stayed in the background, the Congress has split,' points out Aditi Phadnis.



Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Rahul Gandhi is set to become Congress president, a post that was once occupied by his father, mother, grandmother, grandfather and great-grandfather.

All his relatives were strong-minded individuals who left their own mark on the Congress party and the direction it took.

Shehzad Poonawalla has raked up a controversy about family and dynasty that is unlikely to fly within the Congress. Here is why.

Rahul Gandhi has had phases of obsessions about the way the Congress should look.

First, it was all about internal democracy. More of it.

So the organisation was told that it must hold primaries where the people who get the most votes of party workers would be selected as party candidates. But that didn't really work.

Many of those who won the primaries were children of Congressmen. As second or third generation Congressmen they enjoyed loyalty and extended patronage so losing the primaries was like losing the family title.

And those who did win those elections lost the real election.

So the project to make the Congress look less like a Mother and Child party was put off. More like abandoned. The party hasn't really revisited that.

Witness the decision to name Tarun Gogoi the chief minister of Assam before the assembly elections: It was in protest against promotion of his family by Gogoi that a man like Himanta Biswa Sarma left the Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

And thinking firmly in the box, last year the Maharashtra Congress, on its Facebook page, welcomed image manager Prashant Kishor's suggestion that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra play a greater role in Congress politics!

This is tacit acknowledgement that Rahul Gandhi's leadership may have been underwhelming but that the alternative must come from within the family.

The past tells us about the present.

Wake up a Congressman in the middle of the night and ask him why he tolerates a regency. His unguarded, spontaneous response will be: 'The family has made sacrifices for India that no one else has.'

The answer to this comes from Congress critics. The Bharatiya Janata Party says: 'Our party is also a family. We too have sacrificed: The founder of the Jana Sangh, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, was assassinated; Deendayal Upadhyaya was killed. Do you hear of anyone from the family of these leaders making a claim to head the BJP just because they are related to them?'

But the fact is, for the Congress, the family is the final court of appeal, the first among unequals.

If there is no family, all leaders are equal. If all leaders are equal, anyone can lead the Congress.

So every time the family has stayed in the background, the Congress has split.

The breakaway group calling itself the 'real' Congress has split further: Whether it was the Congress-S formed in the aftermath of the Emergency that broke away to call itself the Samanantar Congress in Maharashtra under Sharad Pawar's leadership in the late 1970s; or the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress launched in 1986 by Pranab Mukherjee after Indira Gandhi's assassination when he mistakenly thought the party had become a republican animal and would prefer him over Rajiv Gandhi as prime minister; or the Congress in Tamil Nadu, which split in 1996 when Sonia Gandhi was still in mourning (she formally joined the party only in 1997) and P V Narasimha Rao was running things along with Sitaram Kesri as party president.

True, there were other reasons for the split -- but ultimately an Indira Gandhi loyalist like G K Moopanar broke away from the Congress because the family was not a compulsion.

A rebellion against Narasimha Rao in 1994 was led by N D Tewari and Arjun Singh and called itself the All India Indira Congress. But the 'convention' held by the party kept waiting and waiting for 10 Janpath to endorse it -- and when the message from 10 Janpath came it was that Soniaji would never bless a faction of the Congress: So that was a non-starter.

This then leads us to the somewhat unsettling conclusion that one of the most important political forces in the world's most populous democracy will always be run by one family.

And only that family has the power to divest itself of that responsibility which it does not seem to be inclined to do at present.
'I served the Indian Army and I am an ex-serviceman.'

'I look at this as a battle I am fighting after I left the army.'

'I will not leave till I get her back as my daughter Akhila, and I believe it will happen one day.'



IMAGE: Akhila Ashokan aka Hadiya has been directed by the Supreme Court to continue her studies at the Sivaraj Homeopathy Medical College. Photograph: Sivaram V/Reuters

Ever since his only daughter Akhila Ashokan vanished from the Sivaraj Homeopathy College in Salem in Tamil Nadu where she was a final year student studying to be a homeopathy doctor, it has been a never-ending battle for former soldier Ashokan.

When his daughter resurfaced as Hadiya after converting to Islam, Ashokan approached the courts to win her back.

As the Kerala high court asked Hadiya to return to her parents, a man appeared on the scene claiming to be Hadiya's husband.

The case moved from the high court to the Supreme Court. The 24 year old is back in the Salem college to continue her studies as Akhila Ashokan, but there is no end to her father's agony.

Ashokan narrates his story to Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.

I come from a very poor, large, family of eight children with only my father working as the earning member.

I was the eldest in my family of five sisters and three brothers, and we lived in Vaikom, a small town near Kottayam where my father was a toddy tapper.

With so many mouths to feed and so many children to send to school, life was very tough during our childhood.

There was nobody at home to guide us about studies; my parents were more concerned about having enough food to feed all the children. In a way, I am happy that I could study up to the 10th standard.



IMAGE: Former Indian Army soldier K M Ashokan speaks to the media. Photograph: Kind courtesy K M Ashokan

In 1979, at the age of 19, I joined the Indian Army as a driver. Those days, to get a job in the army was considered very prestigious and I was delighted at my good fortune.

I could work in places like Pathankot, Leh, Jammu, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, etc. My job was to transport people, ammunition and food to all those who were in the border areas.

In 1996, I took retirement from the army. My plan was to start some business in my home town. I got some retirement benefits from the army which I saved judiciously. I was not one to waste a single paisa. After all, we grew up knowing what poverty was. Till last year, another brother of mine also worked in the army.

As a school student, I was a committed Communist. During those days, the Communist party was identified as one that worked for the poor and the downtrodden.

I was also an atheist who fought with those who said there was God. That was a very vulnerable age when you believed what the leaders asked us to follow. Youngsters like us did not have the maturity to think beyond their words.

When they (Communist leaders) promised us a Socialist State where everybody would be equal, we blindly believed them. Those were the utopian ideas injected in the minds of young minds then.

When one became old and mature, one started thinking, and got the maturity to question them. So, it is quite different today; I have a lot of clarity in my thoughts.

As I grew older, perhaps after a decade of service in the army, I got the ability to think and that was when I realised Communism did not follow an ideology that was practical and could not be implemented in totality.

I started feeling that way when I saw Communist rule was a miserable failure not only in India but all over the world. The Communists of yesteryear were ready to even lay down their lives for people, but today, there is no difference between a Communist leader and a non-Communist leader; all are interested in their own welfare only.

It was after I left the army in 1996 that I started thinking more about God. Today, I am a different man; I don't believe in Communism and I believe in God.

In fact, I am getting closer and closer to God.

I feel it is a natural course for any human being to believe in the Universe and the creator, and to me, it is an unseen force, and I call that force, God.

In 1990, I got married after marrying off my five sisters. My daughter Akhila was born in 1992.

I had decided then itself that we would have only one child as I had experienced the difficulties a large family faced. I have seen my parents struggle to raise eight children.

My desire was to provide everything to our only child, all that we were denied as children.

We brought up our little one giving her everything, from attention to love to all material comforts.

But something went wrong and I do not know what it is.



IMAGE: Akhila Ashokan aka Hadiya accompanied by police officers and court officials. Photograph: PTI

She was such a quiet and docile girl that all of us, when I say all of us, I mean all the people who knew her till now, are alarmed to see the way she talks now.

The kind of anger, animosity and hostility she displays was never a part of her personality.

In fact, she was such a model child in our neighbourhood that all other parents wanted their children to be like her.

They used to tell their children: 'Look at Akhila and be like her.' Even now, none of them can believe that she has undergone such a transformation.

She was an average child, never excelled in studies, but I always felt that if she worked harder, she would have performed well. Anyway, I have no complaints about that.

As she had less marks in the 10th standard, I had to give some donation to get her admission in a good school for Plus 2. I wanted to give her the best in life.

In Plus 2 also, she didn't fare that well. When all her friends got admission in good institutions, she was sad and was crying all the time which I couldn't bear to see.

Then her uncle told me she could study homeopathy in Salem. We went there and paid quite a lot of money to get her admission in the college.

Money never mattered to me in front of my daughter's tears.

When I look back, I feel that was one of the worst decisions we took in our life.

We lost her only because we sent her there.

Her mother is so religious and spiritual that temples are her second home. Akhila always accompanied her mother.

I was of the opinion that my wife was too spiritual which both my daughter and I didn't agree with.

We used to tell her not to spend all the waking hours with God, but our words had no effect on her.

Then I realised if it gave my wife peace and happiness, let her do what she wanted.



IMAGE: Akhila Ashokan aka Hadiya and her father K M Ashokan after the Kerala high court sent her back to stay with her parents.

I do not know how to explain the bond I had with my daughter.

There were no secrets between us and there was no topic we didn't discuss.

I trusted my daughter so much that I believed she would not keep any secrets from me.

I also trusted her opinion so much that her opinion became mine.

I trusted her so much that I even gave her the ATM card for my salary account.

Like friends, we used to tease each other and crack jokes.

She would ask me how many lovers did you have when you were young? That was the kind of relationship we had.

A month after she joined college, she came home and refused to go back. She was very homesick and missed us a lot. We had to persuade her a lot to go back.

Some of her friends told her how fortunate she was to have a father like me who was ready to spend so much money for her education, and that she should not squander the chance. So, she went back reluctantly.

She constantly complained about the food that was served at the hostel so when she wanted to rent a house with some friends, I agreed. I went to Salem to help them find a house. That was another mistake I made.

The college authorities told us parents that we were letting them stay outside at our own risk, and that they would not take any responsibility for their behaviour.

When I look back, I feel I should not have allowed her to stay outside.

On the 3rd of January 2016, she was going back to Salem and I left her at the railway station.



IMAGE: Akhila Ashokan aka Hadiya at the Sivaraj Homeopathy Medical College. Photograph: PTI Photo

After a few days, some of her friends called me and informed me that she had converted to Islam and had not come to college for many days.

I rushed to Salem, but couldn't find her anywhere. Then I got the information that she was at Perunthalmanna and we rushed there.

As we were going there by car, we were told that she had run away from there too.

After we reached Perunthalmanna, I filed an FIR at the police station there against Abubacker, the father of the two girls who stayed with her in the rented house. I know the girls and the man were behind my daughter converting to Islam.

I stayed put at Perunthalmanna, but when I found that there was no progress in finding my daughter, I came back.

That was when I was advised to file a habeas corpus petition, and that was when she was presented in court.

In court, she said she didn't want to go with her parents and she wanted to study Islam.

On hearing this, her mother fainted in court. Akhila was so brainwashed against us that the scene did not melt her heart.

As she was an adult, the court agreed with her decision, and she went back.

I do not know how these people brainwash young minds. I just couldn't believe when my daughter who was so attached to me said she didn't want to stay with us.

These people are so vicious that they can turn youngsters against their own parents.

I still do not know what they did to turn her against me, her father with whom she was so close.

Still, I called her almost every day.

I was extremely worried when news of some youngsters from Kerala going to Syria to fight the war. One day, I asked her, 'Are you not going to Syria? So many from there are going to Syria.'

Do you know what her answer was? She told me, 'Achha (Father), I am also planning to go to Syria to rear goats. But my friend asked me not to go now. She asked me to finish house surgeoncy and then go to Syria.'

I had no recording facility on my phone so I couldn't record this conversation.

When I told my advocate about this, he asked me to visit him the very next day. There, I put my sim in his phone, called her again, made her say the same things again very casually and recorded the entire conversation.

With this recording in hand, I filed a habeas corpus petition again. On the 19th of December 2016, the court ordered them to present her and send her back with her parents on the 21st.



IMAGE: Shafin Jahan, who claims to be Akhila/Hadiya's husband, seen after appearing in the Supreme Court.

Suddenly, on the 21st, entered a man claiming to be her husband. Till then, we had not even heard about any marriage or husband.

I would say again that it was not a love marriage; it was an 'arrangement' marriage.

What they told the court was we parents also were present at the wedding!

The court understood the truth and ordered to send her to another hostel. Because of the evidence we had, the Kerala high court ordered her to come home with us.

At home, she never spoke to us, and made a lot of drama like going on hunger strike three times. But I refused to go where she was.

Then, this newly appeared husband went to the Supreme Court and the court asked her to go back to college and finish her studies.

You should understand that the Supreme Court did not contradict what the high court said.

I am happy with the verdict because I don't want a terrorist in my house. I am a man who served the Indian Army and the country.

What she says these days are not her words; those are the words of those people; they are just using her and making her say whatever they want.

She is just dancing to their tunes; she has surrendered herself to them completely.

She is not just brain washed; they have her brain in their hands.

I would say that the Indian media has not presented the real truth to the people; they are presenting something else to cater to vested interests.

You hear the voices of only those who are behind the whole incident. What you saw till now was a trial by the media and some so-called activists.

I do not know why they are bothered about my daughter. There is a mother in Trivandrum who lost her daughter to people like this, but nobody is interested in helping her find her daughter.

Why are the media and the activists after my daughter who was asked to be with her parents by the high court?

So many secularists have entered the scene in support of these people. I want to ask all the secularists whether they would like to send their children to be terrorists.

Why can't these secularists convert and fight in Syria or Yemen?

Why don't they leave poor fathers like me? When they attack me, I have no other choice but go to court.

All my neighbours understand my pain, the pain a poor father goes through, and they are all with me.

I am confident that the court will take a good decision in the end.

I served the Indian Army and I am an ex-serviceman.

I look at this as a battle I am fighting after I left the army.

I will not leave till I get her back as my daughter Akhila, and I believe it will happen one day.

Many people ask me why I continue to fight. I am fighting because I want people to be aware of what is happening in our country.

My satisfaction comes from the fact that I am able to make many fathers and mothers of this country aware.

I don't want any more Akhilas to become Hadiyas!
Gandhi said that he is frequently visiting temples in Gujarat for the well-being of the people of the state.

IMAGE: Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Photograph: PTI Photo

There is "tremendous undercurrent" against the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi claimed on Tuesday, and predicted a victory for his party in the assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference on the last day of campaigning for the second phase of the poll on December 14, he claimed "public mood" had undergone a radical change with all sections of society angry with the ruling party.

He also disapproved of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's insinuation that his predecessor Manmohan Singh and other leaders of his party connived with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat assembly elections, saying it was unacceptable.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is zabardast (tremendous) undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. Public mood has undergone zabardast change.

"The Congress will win the election....the results will be zabardast," a confident-looking Gandhi said.

Gandhi, addressing his first presser after his elevation, said, in his new job, he would strive to change the nature of political discourse in the country which has become "ugly and nasty".

He questioned Modi's silence on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, a charge the Gandhi scion raked up repeatedly at the hustings, and alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

News portal The Wire had claimed some time ago that the turnover of a company owned by Jay Shah jumped manifold after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

IMAGE: Rahul Gandhi offered prayers at the Shri Jagannathji Temple in Ahmedabad. Photograph: PTI Photo

Replying to a question on Modi's remarks over Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls, Gandhi said, "I have made my stand clear from day one, in words and in action. Modiji is the prime minister of our country. Mani Shankar Aiyar said something and I made it clear that I would not tolerate it. You have seen the action."

"But what Modiji has said about former prime minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable. Manmohan Singhji was also the prime minister of this country, served and made sacrifices for this country," the 47-year-old leader said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

Modi claimed some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6, and a day later Aiyar made the "neech" jibe against him. Aiyar was suspended from the party.

"Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is the prime minister of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him.

"I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger," he noted.

Gandhi said he would like to spread the Congress's ideology in the country that politics should be done through "love". He was replying to question about what will be his priority after taking over the reins of the party.

He said the prime minister refrained from speaking about corruption during the entire campaign.

IMAGE: Rahul also said that Modi had remained silent on allegations against Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shahs son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal. Photograph: PTI Photo

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, responding to a question.

When his attention was drawn to claims by BJP leaders that he only visited temples in Gujarat, the Congress leader said, "Earlier, I had gone to Kedarnath. Is Kedarnath in Gujarat? This is the BJP's propaganda against me."

Gandhi started his day by offering prayers at the famous Lord Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

Asked how will his party give reservation to the Patel community, a section of which is on warpath with the BJP government, breaching the cap of 50 per cent set by the Supreme court, Gandhi said, "The Congress party's manifesto is clear about it."

Gandhi refuted allegations of BJP leaders that Congress was playing caste politics in the elections by enlisting support of caste and community group leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor.

"The Congress wants to take along all sections of Gujarat together as against the BJP which has worked for 10 to 15 industrialists. All sections of society are angry with the BJP and that anger is coming out before this election," he said.
New York police on Tuesday charged an Islamic State-inspired Bangladeshi-origin man with supporting terrorism, a day after he triggered a blast with a crude homemade device at a metro station that injured three people.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device exploded prematurely on Monday between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America's largest bus terminal.

The New York Police Department tweeted that Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

Ullah is reported to be in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burns in the explosion. Three other people suffered minor wounds in the blast during rush hour.

The suspect was taken into custody after the device partially exploded.

Reports say he used piping, nails, a 9-volt battery and Christmas lights wire to build the device. It was affixed to his body with Velcro straps.

The suspect's home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched.

Ullah acted alone, police said, adding that the explosion was recorded on surveillance video.

According to a law enforcement official, through his comments to investigators, Ullah indicated he was prepared to die. The source also said the suspect was wired up with the self-made device during his entire trip on the subway system.

He had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN, and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far, though it is being treated as terror-related.

John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner for intelligence and counter-terrorism, said Ullah was not on the FBI radar.

"This is an individual who came from Bangladesh, was living here, went through a number of jobs, was not particularly struggling financially or under any known pressure, who was not on our radar at the NYPD, not on the FBI radar, and he's somewhat characteristic of what we've been seeing across the world which is somebody who turns up one day out of the blue," Miller told CBS.

Miller said it is difficult to stop a lone wolf attack.

"Where the conspiracy is within the confines of their own mind, and that's a very hard place to get to. When you combine that with the fact that now these (cellphone) devices are encrypted so if you bring it to the manufacturer with a court order, even they've designed it so that they can't open it," Miller said.

Ullah came to the US in 2011 from Bangladesh as part of the family visa. From 2012 to 2015 he had a city taxi driving license. He was currently working for an electric company.

Ullah told investigative officers that he made the explosive devise at his work place, which as per some media reports was an electric company.

"You find yourself increasingly behind the eight ball as the terrorist organisations seize on this and increase the breadth and space of that propaganda that's meant to reach those people who are searching for something," Miller said.

Miller said Ullah raised concerns about would-be terrorists' ability to make devices at home.

"If you look at what he attempted to make that bomb out of and what he attempted to make it into, it didn't function with the force and power that the recipe intended it to. I think what we saw yesterday was something that could have been far, far worse," Miller added.

According to The New York Times, he chose the location of subway because of its Christmas-themed posters, recalling strikes in Europe against Christmas markets, and set off his bomb in retaliation for US airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and elsewhere, several law enforcement officials said.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the attempted terrorist attack by an immigrant is a failure of logic and sound policy not to adopt a merit-based immigration system.

"The President (Donald Trump) has asked Congress to work with him on ending the diversity lottery and chain migration. He has proposed switching to a merit-based system of immigration similar to the Canadian and Australian systems.

"That means welcoming the best and the brightest and turning away not only terrorists but gang members, fraudsters, drunk drivers and child abusers. Such a merit-based system would make us safer and welcome individuals who would be best able to assimilate and flourish in our country," he said.

'NY bomber had no criminal record in Bangladesh' Akayed Ullah had no criminal record back home, a police official said, even as Dhaka vowed "zero tolerance" against terrorism. "Passports to one is issued after verifying his or her past records and the suspect named for the New York attack had no criminal record," the official said. Ullah, who moved to the US seven years ago, has an address in Brooklyn, an area with most residents from Bangladesh. He had entered the US through "extended-family chain migration," a system President Donald Trump is seeking to end that allows families to sponsor relatives to come to the US. He last visited Bangladesh in September, Dhaka Tribune reported. The Bangladesh embassy in Washington condemned the attack in New York reiterating its "zero tolerance" stance against terrorism. "Government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including yesterday's incident in New York City," the embassy said in a statement shortly it became known that the attacker was of Bangladeshi-origin. "A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice," it added. Bangladesh has been waging a war against homegrown extremism in the wake of numerous attacks by radical groups in recent years. On July 1, terrorists stormed a Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed. An Indian girl was among those killed in Bangladesh's worst terror attack claimed by the Islamic State group. The secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to root out extremism but says international radical groups do not operate inside Bangladesh. -- Anisur Rahman/PTI

IMAGE: Police officers stand outside the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal after reports of an explosion. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters
The prime minister took the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat polls.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi soared into the clear Ahmedabad sky on a seaplane from the Sabarmati river marking a dramatic end to a gruelling election campaign, the flight created huge waves in Gujarat's politically turbulent waters.

The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to hail it as a reflection of "vikas" ushered in by the party's governments in the state, while the Congress debunked its development claim.

"This is a demonstration of vikas. The whole world is watching how development has taken a leap from the Sabarmati river," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said.

Congress's president designate Rahul Gandhi was, however, not impressed.

"If he wants to fly on a seaplane, there is nothing wrong about it. But the issue is not the seaplane...it is the distraction (from the real issues). The question is what has been done for Gujarat in the last 22 years," he told a press conference in Ahmedabad.

Modi ended the campaign for the second phase of Gujarat assembly polls in style as he took a seaplane ride from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat, and returned after offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple and holding a road show.

He boarded the single-engine seaplane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad west and flew to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed it was the first time a seaplane landed on a water body in the country.

Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala mocked Modi's ride and the BJP's claim of it being a reflection of development.

"Vikas ki baatein unko na bhai, kehte hain unko hawa hawai. (They don't like the talk of development. These are people who engage in empty talk)," he tweeted in Hindi, in a parody of the Hawa Hawai song from hit Bollywood flick Mr India.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the Congress for criticising Modi's seaplane ride, and said the previous Congress rule was marked by "choppers scam".

BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said,"The very talk of development hassles them. The people of Gujarat are happy about the bullet train project, but they (the Congress) are pareshan about it."

The ride, however, was a hit among the locals who chanted "Modi! Modi!" as the craft took off from the Sardar Bridge-end on the Sabarmati riverfront, which the BJP dispensation has been flaunting as a manifestation of development under Modi when he was the state's chief minister.

From Dharoi dam site, the prime minister reached the temple by road after covering a distance of around 50 km. He was greeted by the people of Ambaji town during a roadshow that stretched from the outskirts of the temple town to near the shrine.

The prime minister apparently chose to fly by the seaplane to end his campaign in style after the Ahmedabad district administration yesterday cancelled the roadshows by both Modi and Rahul Gandhi for logistical reasons.

Modi told an election rally on Monday that for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane would land on the Sabarmati river.

Rupani had said it was for the first time in the country's history that a seaplane would land on a water body and that would be the Sabarmati river.

However, Priyanka Chaturvedi, another Congress spokesperson, claimed seaplanes had been flown in the country in the past too. "2010 in Andaman 2015 in Kerala. However let facts never come in the way of BJP and Modi's narrative," she tweeted.

Seaplane pilot defines PM as a good passenger John Goulet, the pilot of the sea-plane, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew, described him as a good passenger and termed it a historic moment. Goulet said: "It was a very pleasing experience. I gave him (Modi) safety briefing. He is a very good passenger. Seaplanes are very common in many countries. It should be popular in India also as you have lakes, rivers and the coastal areas. Captain John Goulet is a Canadian pilot and the President of Goulet Aviation Services. He has over 40 years of experience in international commercial aviation and subject matter expert. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday called Modi's seaplane journey a 'big revolution' in the field of transport. He further informed that within three months, the central government would formulate its rules and regulations and start seaplanes' transport in different states of India by mid-2018. -- ANI

Photographs: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI Photo
In the 25 odd days that he has appeared before CBI Special Judge Jayendra Chandrasen Jagdale, you have experienced the entire range of emotions just observing him.

Everything from pity to irritation. To bafflement. And shock.

You have scoured his face, gazed into his eyes, watched his expressions and body language, searching vigilantly for motives.

And come away no wiser.

Who is Shyamvar Rai? Does anybody know?

Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

The show will soon be over for Shyamvar Pinturam Rai in Courtroom 51 at the city civil and sessions court, south Mumbai.

The erstwhile Mukerjeas' driver and approver in this case, has another two, maximum three days of appearances for cross-examination by the defence and then he will once again be cooling his heels in the Thane jail, north of Mumbai, as the Sheena Bora murder trial moves ahead examining other witnesses.

As you peer anew Monday, December 11 into Rai's inscrutable face -- framed by neatly combed and parted, perhaps dyed, dark brown hair, his age indeterminable -- you realise he is probably the most puzzling man you might have come across.

Indrani Mukerjea, Accused 1, might take second prize.

In the 25 odd days that he has appeared before CBI Special Judge Jayendra Chandrasen Jagdale, in that wooden three foot by three foot witness box, sometimes sitting on a very basic stool, you have experienced the entire range of emotions just observing him.

Everything from pity to irritation. To bafflement. And shock.

You have scoured his face, minutely, gazed into his eyes, watched his expressions and body language, searching vigilantly for motives. And understanding. Looking for both honesty and dishonesty. And come away no wiser.

Who is Shyamvar Rai? Does anybody know?

As Niranjan Mundargi -- Accused No 2 Sanjeev Khanna's trial lawyer -- started up his second day of cross questioning, Rai's responses treaded the usual, much travelled, split personality route.

Either they could be suspiciously precise. Or they lost all their exactness.

Monday, December 11, was proving, at critical junctures, to be that rather-too-precise a day for lawyers to conquer at points.

"Ten to 15 minutes," Rai, who was wearing grey and khaki, insisted stubbornly.

Several times over, Mundargi, who has a neat, scientific method to his questioning and a winning manner, ventured to meticulously re-check with the former driver if he had got his time estimates of distances down right.

The lawyer was careful to preface all his questions with mildly exaggerated assurances about his belief in the depth of Rai's driving and navigation knowledge.

But nope, Rai was adamant that it took just 10 to 15 minutes to get from Worli in south central Mumbai to Linking Road, Bandra, north west Mumbai, a distance of about 11 km, even after traffic hour had begun.

Mundargi: "Doesn't it take 30 to 40 minutes to go from Worli via the Sea Link to Linking Road?"

Judge Jagdale intervening: "Kitee vasta? (What time?, in Marathi)"

Mundargi: "5.30."

Judge Jagdale: "Am? pm?"

Mundargi: "Pm."

Rai, sticking to his guns: "Sea Link se jayenge toh 10, 15 minute lagega (If you go by the Bandra-Worli Sea Link it takes 10, 15 minutes)," he repeated.

This answer was vital because the driver had asserted in his initial testimony to the court in August that Sanjeev had joined Indrani on the day of Sheena's murder at Bandra.

Sanjeev, it was known to this court, had checked into his hotel in Worli before apparently catching a cab to Bandra. It would, eventually, no doubt, be Mundargi's effort to show that Rai's timing for Sanjeev's appearance in Bandra could not be feasible unless "he is Spiderman" as one lawyer commented, given he was checking into the Worli hotel and depositing his luggage in his room less than 15 minutes before.

The incorrect correlation of timings might be the subject of the next hearing on Wednesday, December 13.

The court learned a good deal about the topography and the layout of the roads around Vakola, where Rai lived in north west Mumbai; around Bandra's Linking Road, which was near the scene of the alleged crime; and around Worli, where Indrani lived with Peter Mukerjea, Accused No 4 at the Marlow building.

And Rai heard, for the first time, the term peak hour.

Mundargi: "Aap peak hour samjhte hai? (Do you know what peak hour is?)"

Rai: "Nahin. Hindi mein kya bolte hai? (No. How do you say it in Hindi?)"

By common consensus among the lawyers the word traffic ki bheed baar was chosen and used henceforth.

Mundargi then went into a long explanation, checking at the same time if Rai was aware, of how traffic moved in Mumbai and the time taken each way during peak hours.

Rai inserted, pointedly and knowingly, each time, that the amount of bheed bhar depended on the time of day.

And any question to him about the time taken to go anywhere was begun, with the somber preamble, from him, that it depended on when the person was planning to travel.

Mundargi, whom Rai seems to react mildly better to, explored all the landmarks and access points to and from his home in Mosambi Tabela near Datta Mandir, which is not far from the Santa Cruz East suburban railway station.

He walked Rai past the shops, banks, idli joints, nullahs and small bridges of the area where the driver once lived (and where his wife Sharada apparently still lives, supporting herself and their children Ashish and Shraddha, doing domestic work -- washing dishes and floors -- in nearby flats and occasionally visiting her ex-driver husband in court away from the public eye).

Rai was a reluctant, unenthusiastic companion to Mundargi's eager-beaver sightseeing of Vakola, and beyond, for the benefit of the court.

He professed to not know if there were any banks in the gully (lane) just beyond his home (though he has two bank accounts).

He vaguely knew there was a building that could house a South Indian food "hotel" near the station closest to his living quarters.

Of course, the former driver had never seen any police vans posted in strategically places in his neighbourhood.

Questions about where nullahs led had Rai commenting with unwitting humour: "Ganda nullah toh hai! Kahan se nikalta hai nahin maloom (Yes, it is a ditch of dirty water! But where it emerges from I don't know)."

Or when asked about the location of the nearest mangroves: 'Keechar mein kabhi gaye nahin (I have never been in the muck)."

And when it came to crossing from the east to the west of his locality, he acknowledged it involved crossing the railway tracks but said there were many ways to cross the "pattri."

Rai lapsed quietly into the philosophical, alleviating the discussion from the mundane, almost like he was providing an alternate message: "Insaan jaise jaane chahte hai ja sakte. Pattri ke neeche. Uska marjee hai jahan se jaana (A human being can go whatever way he likes to. He can go below the tracks. It is his wish how wants to go)."

From Vakola, Mundargi attempted to metaphorically, before the judge, walk hand in hand with the mistrustful Rai probably towards Khar.

Rai was having nothing of it.

Disdainfully he denied knowing many of the finer details of the pathways from his home towards the western suburbs of the city, as if he was more in the habit of using a helicopter to get around.

Mundargi persisted in his persuasive, sweet-talking tone, pointing out the landscape along the way.

The advocate's objective and ploy in taking Rai for a tour of his home turf was pretty evident although he never really underlined his purpose.

If Rai had indeed spent "do se chaar ghante ke beech mein (somewhere between 2 and 4 hours)", as he told the court earlier, walking, in August 2015, from his home to Khar to dispose of the country-made pistol and cartridges, that he declared were allegedly foisted on him by Indrani, then any of these routes were the ones he could have gone by.

Further, it took the sight of a police constable in faraway Khar, north west Mumbai, for Rai to take off running -- the dash that led to his arrest on the evening of August 21 -- but he never saw the Vakola police station detachments that Mundargi claimed were invariably posted closer to his home.

Nor did Rai think of dropping the katta into any of the nullahs or thickets of mangroves that existed a hop, skip and jump from his home, instead preferring the further and possibly more upmarket jhaar of Khar to rid himself of an unlicensed weapon.

During the Mundargi-conducted guided tour, especially tailored for Rai, of the National College area of Bandra -- from where Rai, Indrani, and alleged accomplice Sanjeev, picked up her late daughter Sheena Bora at around 6 on the evening she was allegedly murdered in April 2012 -- the lawyer pointed out to Rai all the hectic activity that goes on both sides of the road in that neighbourhood and the judge agreed.

Mundargi asked without giving reasons: "On the footpath next to National College aren't there many sandwich, juice stalls etc? And across the road from there aren't there many chappal ka dukaan (footwear stores)?" And from there onwards he said it was shops and shops. Everyone agreed.

Rai's relationship with Mekhail -- Sheena's brother and Indrani's son -- was once more called into question on Monday.

Mundargi: "Between January and May you and Mekhail made 203 calls. Aap bataa sakte hai ki kya baatein karte the? (Can you tell us what you spoke about?)"

Rai: "Yaad nahin (Don't remember)."

Then there was also the little matter of Rai receiving a call when he was parked outside National College on the day of the murder.

Mundargi read out a number: "Kya ye baat sahi hai ki April 24 shaam ko 5.42 ko aap ko yeh number se call aaya? (Is it true to say that on the evening of April 24 2012 you got a call in the evening from this number at 5.42?)"

Rai: "Number yaad nahin (Don't remember the number)."

Mundargi: "April 24 at 5.42 and 17 seconds?"

Rai: "Aaya hoga yaad nahin (Must have come I don't remember)."

Mundargi then checked with Rai if he had called back the same number at 6.07 pm and 13 seconds.

Rai prevaricated and Mundargi said the number belonged to Indrani's secretary at INX Media, Kajal Sharma.

Rai: "Phone aaya hoga kahan par aaya hoga nahin maloom (The call must have come ,but where it came I don't remember)."

When this call came, Mundargi added, Sanjeev had not yet reached Bandra.

Frustrating for Mundargi was getting Rai to offer details of his trip to Delhi and then Mumbai and Kolkata on Indrani's behalf.

Rai said he stayed overnight in Delhi with a fellow company employee from INX, a peon named Sunil. But he could not describe the area, building or what kind of building or house or "jhopdi Sunil lived in.

Pathos, manufactured or real, reached its height in this courtroom with Mundargi's Monday questioning of Rai on the seriousness of various crimes and their matching punishment.

Since Rai could not comprehend what he was asking, Mundargi approached it from several sides, changing his tack.

He asked Rai why he had been so scared of being caught for a possession of a pistol.

Then he asked if he knew the difference in the quantum of punishment between murder and possession of an illegal weapon.

Rai: "Padha nahin hai sazaa ka kitab" {I have not read the book on law)."

Mundargi: "Maloom hai ki jab aadmi khoon kar deta hai to uska sazaa haath mein pistol rakhne ka sazaa se zyada hai? (Do you know that the sentence for murder is more than for possession of an illegal weapon?)"

Rai shaking his head and giving Mundargi a half smile: "Nahin (No)."

The lawyer then inquired of Rai if the police had done any, what he politely termed, "zabardasti (coercion)" with him and they had forced him to tell lies.

Mundargi: "Zabani de rahe ho. Police aur CBI ke kehene ke mutabeeq se bol rahe ho (You are on oath. Are you saying what the police and CBI told you to say?)

Rai: "Swayam (My own)."

CBI Special Prosecutor Bharat Badami admiringly: "Swayam! From the heart."

Judge Jagdale smiling: "Dramatic."

Badami: "He has said it from the aatma (soul)."

Defence lawyer Anup Mishra, also smiling: "We have to check whether he has a soul."

When Monday's session ended early, at Mundargi's request, because he needed time to do a little more research, although Judge Jagdale was willing to continue, it was determined that the next court date, Wednesday, would be Mundargi's last with Rai and then lawyer Shrikant Shivade would take over for two days, most likely on Peter's behalf.

The logic for such a short examination of Rai, by Sanjeev's lawyers Mundargi and Shreyansh Mithare, rested on the fact that Sanjeev, accusation-wise, was "sailing in the same boat as Indrani" and so her lawyer Sudeep Pasbola's "cross" of Rai had already covered 80 per cent of the bases.

Further, Sanjeev's role in the crime was limited to just two dates -- April 24 and April 25, 2012 -- and there were almost no eyewitnesses to question.

Rai was whisked off to the Thane jail as soon as the hearing ended.

Peter and Indrani, again in bright white, lingered talking with their lawyers.

Peter had lunch with his younger sister from Bengaluru, Shangon Das Gupta.

Sanjeev, who looked worried and haggard, was surrounded supportively by his brother and cousin and lawyers, working on what must go into Mundargi's final day of cross examination of Rai on Wednesday.

Indeed his brother had primed Mundargi several times during the hearing, running across the room to whisper suggestions in the lawyer's ear.

After the accused threesome departed, their battery of lawyers, assistants and interns hung around chatting, bantering and dissecting the day's session.

Conversation ensued on Rai's now famously peculiar pattern of memory loss.

Monday's proceedings, for instance, uncovered that he could remember details of some roads and not others he had travelled on daily, but yet he remembered that lipstick had been applied to Sheena's corpse.

He remembers ki lipstick lagaya! Selfie liya unke saath kya."
Russia: Falsified "evidence" helped convictions?

Publisher Forum 18 Author Victoria Arnold Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Russia: Falsified "evidence" helped convictions?, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f93484.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Apparently falsified testimonies may have helped jail two Russian Muslim prisoners of conscience, Forum 18 has been told. A representative of publishers who formerly published Russian translations of theologian Said Nursi's works has, without success, appealed to the General Prosecutor's Office to investigate.
Russia: Three more Muslim prisoners of conscience

Publisher Forum 18 Author Victoria Arnold Publication Date 8 December 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Russia: Three more Muslim prisoners of conscience, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f93a94.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Three Muslim prisoners of conscience have been jailed, one for four years for organising meetings to study Said Nursi's works, and the other two for three years each. A Danish Jehovah's Witness prisoner of conscience has had his Russian detention extended.
U.S. Bombing of Afghan Drug Labs Won't Crush the Taliban

Publisher International Crisis Group (ICG) Author Borhan Osman Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as International Crisis Group (ICG), U.S. Bombing of Afghan Drug Labs Won't Crush the Taliban, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f94754.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

On 21 November, the U.S. military began major airstrikes against what it described as Taliban drug labs in the north of Helmand province of Afghanistan. Yet a coercive counter-narcotics campaign will solve neither the country's poppy boom nor the Taliban's profiting from it, which has long depended to an extraordinary extent on very local dynamics.

It is no secret that the Taliban bankrolls its operations in part by drug money, with estimates of its annual share of the multi-billion-dollar illicit drug economy ranging from tens to a few hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars. The staggering 87 per cent increase in Afghanistan's opium production in 2017, as reported by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) this month, also means more profits for the Taliban.

But it would be naive to say the Taliban is fighting because conflict helps it gain control over the profits of the drug trade, or that Afghanistan's drug production boom is because of the Taliban. The criminal economy thrives on weak state institutions, systemic corruption and poverty, while the insurgency represents, fundamentally, a political challenge. These are separate phenomena with distinct histories and different solutions.

The Taliban's involvement in the opium economy today is in stark contrast to its complete proscription of narcotics as un-Islamic in the past. Ironically, its willingness now to earn from the opium trade is part of its broader evolution that includes increasing pragmatism and the relaxing of some of its religious puritanism and cultural conservatism.

In summer 2000, when the Taliban ruled most of Afghanistan, the movement's late leader Mullah Omar issued a decree banning opium production and trade before the poppy cultivation season began. Even though this was not a formal fatwa, or religious ruling, stunned U.S. and UN officials reported from Afghanistan in the spring of 2001 that the Taliban had almost totally eliminated the cultivation of opium in the areas under its control. That year, Afghanistan's opium production hit rock bottom, in stark contrast to the preceding two decades, when the country had been one of the world's largest suppliers of illicit drugs. The UN described the ban as "one of the most remarkable successes ever" in the fight against narcotics.

The key to the ban's successful implementation was its religious justification, I have heard repeatedly during field work among Afghan farmers and Taliban officials who followed the eradication campaign in the east and south of the country, where opium cultivation was most widespread. For years, clerics had debated the religious status of drug production and trading, and half-heartedly attempted a gradual prohibition. Sceptics within the Taliban deemed the absence of a conclusive ruling on the issue as insufficient to deprive impoverished people of their major source of livelihood. But in the end, the Taliban built consensus among local community leaders that since the use of any addictive drug was haram, or forbidden in Islamic law, so were activities that brought drugs into use, including the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics.

Mullah Omar's effective prohibition in 2000 came amid growing pressure on the Taliban regime from the international community. Yet, those who worked closely with him are adamant that he was not driven by external pressure or the desire to earn international recognition, like some other Taliban leaders. His intense personal conviction tilted the balance on the drugs issue, as it did on other controversial decisions that followed, including the destruction of the Buddha statues of Bamiyan and the Taliban's refusal to deport Osama Bin Laden. In any event, the Taliban felt its successful ban on drugs was unappreciated by the international community.

Opium cultivation resumed as soon as the Taliban regime fell. When the movement returned in the form of insurgency in 2003 in the opium heartland, it was limited in scale and could raise funds to sustain itself by capitalising on the anxiety about a long-term U.S. presence among Afghanistan's neighbours and anti-Americanism in the Persian Gulf countries. As the insurgency grew larger, it needed more funds. The Taliban had to mobilize revenues domestically, including from poppy production, especially after the drawdown of international troops and the strengthening of the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 diverted the attention of its Gulf-based backers. Local commanders who took control of territories where opium production and trade were booming could not resist the lucrative business.

The decision to use poppy money to advance jihad is endorsed by some prominent Taliban clerics. Some argue that circumstances, specifically the "American occupation", make it permissible, since defeating the greater evil requires embracing the lesser evil of drug money. Another rationalisation is that since the Taliban does not officially rule the country, it has neither the responsibility nor the ability to stop drug production or trading, which cuts across government and insurgency-controlled areas. If it cannot be stopped totally, the argument goes, why should the Taliban deny people under its control a profitable livelihood and risk losing support for its jihad. Also at work is a tacit logic that these drugs mainly harm infidels, and as long as infidels occupy Afghanistan or support the occupation, the Taliban need not care about their lives.

Despite these justifications, the Taliban's embrace of the drug trade is limited both horizontally, with a small minority secretly involved in it, and vertically, since the involvement is mainly taxing, rather than running or controlling the trade. A small number of commanders in major opium hubs are involved in all stages of the drug trade. But there is no systemic involvement. The group is not the only player in this business, narcotics are not the Taliban's institutionalized business, and without drug money, the movement would not fall apart.

The bulk of the Taliban - fighters, and commanders in non-poppy growing areas as well as leaders who do not deal with finances - are in the dark about the movement's relationship to drugs. No one asks how the fighting is funded, and the finance chiefs and those who collect drug-related incomes try to keep the opium returns secret, since involvement with drugs is still ideologically unacceptable for many members. The rank and file dismiss as lies reports about Taliban participation in the drug trade that appear in Afghan and international media and in propaganda by the Islamic State group.

Nevertheless, the Taliban profits from the drug trade and in doing so opens itself to the charge of being profit-driven, rather than motivated by a political vision. Some Taliban leaders understand the negative impression this creates in the international arena. In November last year, the Taliban's political emissaries in Qatar sent a message to the international community through independent Afghan political activists: if the government imposes a ban on drugs in its own areas, they said, the Taliban would return to a complete prohibition.

Aerial bombing is a deadly new turn in coercive counter-narcotics operations. U.S. officials have hailed it as an effective element of the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia, part of a multi-pronged approach in fighting the insurgency. They claim the airstrikes have already had an impact on the Taliban, something that is difficult to measure on ground independently. It is also unlikely to weaken the Taliban financially, not least because its sources of funding are so diverse. The bombing campaign is much more likely to benefit the movement in other ways. This is because most drug labs being targeted are the primary livelihood of ordinary people, and are usually located in populated areas. Destroying them with no provision for alternative sources of income, and the probable killing of civilians in the process, will increase popular support for the Taliban. Accounts from areas affected by the bombing already indicate the airstrikes have mainly hurt civilians and their livelihoods rather than the Taliban.

The aerial bombing is also not going to help neutralise Afghanistan's opium boom. Soaring opium production is largely a symptom of rampant corruption on the state side, and the failure of the Afghan government and its international backers to give farmers viable new ways of earning a living. Corrupt government officials and pro-state elite have long participated in the opium economy on a greater scale than any non-state actor.

The transformative reforms needed to tackle these challenges can only come through resolving the insurgency, which in turn can only be resolved through a political settlement. Dismissing the Taliban as a drug-running, criminal enterprise is not the answer. The group stands for a cause that has a popular resonance in non-marginal segments of society, and it is these genuine constituencies and popular roots that account for its continued survival, not the opium boom.
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
What one of the deadliest ever attacks on UN peacekeepers means for Congo

Publisher IRIN Author Samuel Oakford Publication Date 8 December 2017 Cite as IRIN, What one of the deadliest ever attacks on UN peacekeepers means for Congo, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f960f4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

At least 14 UN peacekeepers were killed and more than 50 wounded when armed men attacked their base in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN mission, known as MONUSCO, said on Friday.

The attack on the troops in Semuliki, in North Kivu's Beni region, began at dusk on Thursday and lasted several hours.

At least 12 of the peacekeepers killed were Tanzanian soldiers. Five Congolese soldiers were also killed, and the Congolese army put the number of rebel deaths at 72. UN officials said the toll could still rise as some peacekeepers were still missing and others gravely injured.

UN officials said it was likely that the attack was perpetrated by members of the shadowy Allied Democratic Forces, which has been active in the area for years. The ADF, which originated in Uganda, has not claimed responsibility.

Peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the UN would "get to the bottom of this".

The Tanzanian troops were part of the UN's Force Intervention Brigade - the specialised contingent authorised in 2013 by the Security Council to target and disarm rebel groups in the country.

Lacroix said the incident was a response "to our increasingly robust posture in that region". The Tanzanian unit is believed to be among the UN's most effective troops in the region.

Ian Sinclair, director of the United Nations Operations and Crisis Centre, said the attack was the third aimed at Tanzanian soldiers in the same area over the past several months.

Who did it?

Sinclair said the base is situated on the "fringes" of the forest and positioned to obstruct routes used by groups, including the ADF, into the Beni area.

But analyst Christoph Vogel believes it is too early to draw firm conclusions that the ADF, an Islamist rebel group, was responsible for this attack.

Over the past 15 years, the ADF's main military camps have been in the Rwenzori Mountains and in the Semuliki Valley. It is a highly secretive organisation with strong historical ties to other armed groups in the area and local customary chiefs.

They are known to cooperate with other local militia and there is also enough evidence to suggest that some attacks attributed to the ADF in the past were in fact conducted by the Congolese army.

"It's quite possible that the ADF is involved but there is no proof," concluded Vogel. "It's absolutely possible that the ADF teamed up with other militia or more mysterious actors."

Attacks in the region are often attributed to "suspected ADF rebels" with little in the way of proof.

Recent incidents include the killing of 26 civilians a few weeks ago, which led to the closure of the main road back to the city of Beni. In late October, the Congolese commander in Beni survived an ambush when a rocket hit his jeep, killing another soldier.

The shock of this attack, though, is the scale of it, involving scores of heavily armed attackers and lasting several hours.

It will have significant humanitarian repercussions in a region where mounting violence involving several armed groups and the Congolese army has displaced a million people in the first half of this year, on top of 922,000 in 2016.

As a result of the ongoing fighting, Congo was declared a Level 3 emergency by the UN in October, its highest level of crisis.

"The immediate impact [of this attack] is that MONUSCO will turn inwards," said Vogel. "There will be less patrolling, and less armed escorts available to humanitarians who rely on them to help provide access."

The attack is likely the second deadliest ever on UN blue helmets - the highest toll since 26 Pakistani peacekeepers were killed in Somalia in 1993. Last year, that many peacekeepers were killed across all UN operations.

"This is the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime."

There is a perception that the changing nature of peacekeeping, epitomised by the offensive-minded Force Intervention Brigade, has increased the risks for blue helmets.

They are increasingly deployed in situations where there is no peace to keep, serving in areas where violent extremist groups operate, and where they are expected to "take sides". UN peacekeepers are also mandated to execute more ambitious tasks, including the protection of civilians.

Are operations becoming deadlier?

But the evidence suggests that overall UN fatalities are not substantively on the rise.

Between 1948 and 2015, 3,561 peacekeepers lost their lives - although combat accounted for just 923 of those fatalities: accident and illness both being the more likely cause of death.

Before this incident, since the beginning of this year, 67 peacekeepers had died.

Historically, the heaviest death tolls as a result of combat action had been the 1960 UN Operation in Congo, the UN's mission in Somalia, and the 39-year-long UN's deployment in Lebanon.

But in recent times, Mali stands out. There have been 140 deaths since the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, was established in 2013 - by far the UN's riskiest current deployment.

MONUSCO, however, is the UN's largest peacekeeping mission, both in terms of personnel and cost. In March, the Security Council voted to drop the mission's troop ceiling from 19,815 to 16,215 soldiers.

(Addditional reporting by IRIN Africa Editor Obi Anyadike in Nairobi)
African cities  time for urgent reform

Publisher IRIN Author Obi Anyadike Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as IRIN, African cities  time for urgent reform, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f96f34.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Africa is urbanising at an incredible rate, but its cities are not delivering the opportunities and better lives such dynamism deserves. Instead, slums are expanding, trapping their inhabitants in poverty and neglect.

It doesn't have to be this way. African cities can reform if the right policies and institutions are in place and supported.

Over the next 20 years the total number of city dwellers across Africa will increase from around 400 million to more than 1.26 billion, according to UN Habitat. Lagos, for example, has surged from five million inhabitants in 1980 to around 20 million today - making it already one of the world's 10 mega-cities.

People move to urban centres because that's where the income-earning opportunities are. That concentrated energy and potential should be what African cities need to catapult up the developmental ladder.

Instead, the reality is urbanisation without economic growth, which translates into infrastructural decay and deprivation: more slums, and less security, happiness, and wellbeing.

Take Mukuru, across a busy highway in Nairobi's industrial area. More than 100,000 families are packed onto the privately owned land: a concentration of 10x10-foot rented shacks without water or toilet facilities, and a constant fear of eviction.

Sanitation is a horrendous problem. The unpaved rutted roads become cloying, waterlogged traps when it rains, and the heavily polluted river is prone to flooding.

Mukuru is right next to the city's factories, automechanics, and spare parts dealerships, but there's little employment here.

Community activist and filmmaker Julius Wainana estimates that out of every 10 friends, just two or three - those lucky enough to have made the right connections - have jobs.

"The others live with their mums, or wait for something to come up that lasts them a day or two [each month]," he told IRIN. Crime, alcohol, and drug abuse are inevitable problems, reinforcing the negative perceptions of the area.

Three problems

According to World Bank urban specialist Somik Lall, African cities share three features that frustrate their development.

They are crowded "but not economically dense". That means low investment in infrastructure, business, and affordable housing. It's an urbanisation of people, not capital.

Asian cities have ploughed double the rate of investment into roads, sewerage, policing, and healthcare than African countries have achieved over the past four decades.

African cities are also disconnected. They are collections of small, fragmented neighbourhoods poorly served by unreliable transportation.

New development expands the margins of the cities, but poor roads makes commuting a test of resolve, reducing workers' access to job opportunities.

African cities are also costly, both for residents and businesses. Lall argues this is a consequence of being inward-looking rather than export-orientated.

Low growth means urban-dwellers pay a third more for food than other low- and middle-income regions of the world, and through the nose for most other goods and services as well.

The degree to which private business has to be self-sufficient "in terms of providing the power, transport, and security services that local and national authorities should, is often not fully understood," a Zimbabwean research team points out. This drives up their costs and reduces profitability.

The size of the informal economy far outstrips the formal sector, allowing people to scrape a living. Places like Mukuru are bustling with trade and artisanal services. But although the informal economy employs on average 60 percent of the urban workforce, it accounts for less than one quarter of economic growth, according to the Zimbabwean researchers.

The informal economy is a survival strategy. It disguises unemployment, essentially acting as a safety net. It typically doesn't generate the public revenue required to address the needs of cities, and as a result the authorities tend to either ignore it, or periodically crackdown on its activities.

Disaster risks

African cities are difficult to administer. They are dependent on government subsidies and often seemingly unwilling to change, typically ringfenced by archaic laws and vested interests.

They are also among the most vulnerable in the world to disasters and the risks compounded by climate change.

Informal settlements are usually in the most hazardous parts of the city such as steep hillslopes or floodplains, and these residents "are less likely to be served by risk-reducing infrastructure", notes a briefing by Urban Africa: Risk Knowledge.

Rural-urban migration is not just to capital cities. Almost half of Africa's urban population - and a fifth of the total population - live in "small" urban centres or secondary cities.

Here the provision of public services like water and sanitation is usually worse, and the municipal authorities even weaker, magnifying disaster risks.

But despite the discouraging scale of the problems faced, there are many examples of cities trying to come to grips with their challenges.

Big dreams in Lagos

For decades Lagos was a byword for dysfunction and crime. But in 1999 it began a process of reform that dramatically widened the tax base and triggered a surge of Dubai-style development described as some of the most promising and forward-looking urban planning in Africa.

But the Lagos experience is not easily replicable. Firstly, the city has entrenched wealth. Secondly, it was an opposition stronghold with a history of progressive politics.

The response of the state's political leadership to ruling party threats was to solidify its grip by making good on promises to its well-educated and informed voters.

Tax revenues were needed to implement those reforms, with a willingness by Lagosians to pay predicated on evidence of service delivery - creating a virtuous circle.

According to analyst Nic Cheeseman, there were specific conditions needed for the state leadership to pursue its "mega-city ambitions". These included political stability that allowed them to plan for the long term, and the appreciation that the reforms were a "feasible way to protect their interests".

The result, however, is a city of even starker contrasts. Lagos is home to some 10,000 dollar-millionaires, while around two thirds of its citizens live in slums. The beachfront developments for the super-rich have been at the expense of the ultra-poor, their communities bulldozed, their rights ignored.

Nairobi's approach

Nairobi city council is trying a different approach in Mukuru. In August it declared the 647 acres of land divided among 230 different owners a Special Planning Area, providing a legal basis for the council to act.

A Mukuru Integrated Development Plan is being prepared over the next two years. Based on the input of the community, the hope is that it will be "comprehensive and ambitious", suggests the UK-based Economic Institute for Environment and Development.

Nicera Kimani heads the Young Women's Initiative, a movement to empower women in informal settlements across the city. Kimani is working with the community in Mukuru to make sure their views are canvassed and heard. She's concerned there could be pushback from the landowners and distrusts the politicians who traditionally use the poor as vote banks but told IRIN: "There is light at the end of the tunnel".

It's a view shared by Wainana, the filmmaker activist, who nodded. "The community has to be involved, and it will take a few years, but I can see a better future."
EU: act to end Turkey's abuse of criminal justice system against journalists and writers

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 7 December 2017 Cite as Article 19, EU: act to end Turkey's abuse of criminal justice system against journalists and writers, 7 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f99184.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

We call on the European Union and Member States to do more to end the ongoing abuse of Turkey's criminal legal proceedings against journalists, writers and human rights defenders. EU institutions and States must work actively to end abusive emergency measures that impinge on human rights and advocate to protect space for civil society and human rights defenders. We urge EU actors and Member States to put these concerns to the fore front of dialogues and agreements with Turkey.

PEN International, PEN Belgium/Flanders, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Article 19, the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Index on Censorship, the Global Editors Network (GEN), American PEN, Danish PEN, English PEN, Norwegian PEN, Wales PEN Cymru, Reporters without Borders (RSF), and the South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), welcome the opportunity to deliver this statement. From our collective findings we have developed four specific requests to the European Union (EU), its institutions including the European Parliament, and its Member States:

First, we call on the EU, its Institutions and its Member States to implement the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression and EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and to live up to these commitments.

In the context of Turkey this means doing more to end the indiscriminate abuse of criminal legal proceedings against journalists and writers; calling more actively for an end to abusive state of emergency measures that impinge on human rights; and, advocating against restrictive legislation shrinking the space for civil society and human rights defenders. These concerns should be put front and centre. Not only featuring in political dialogues and high level visits, these issues must play a more prominent role when revisiting economic, trade and other agreements between the EU, its Member States and Turkey. Further, we believe the EU and its Member States should be more active when it comes to monitoring and condemning human rights violations.

Second, civil society is under attack in Turkey, and the space for civil society actors and human rights defenders is shrinking. Beyond the immediate impact on activists who are judicially or otherwise persecuted, the Turkish authorities' actions are also having a chilling effect on actors who up until now have escaped the crackdown. We call on the EU and its Member States to continue and expand its support to Turkish civil society, both politically and financially.

Third, it is our view that Turkey has been abusing INTERPOL's Red Notice system to attempt to extend internationally its persecution of journalists, writers and others for having exercised peacefully their right to freedom of expression and opinion. The number of Red Notice requests emanating from Turkey has dramatically increased, and while under INTERPOL's Constitution human rights must be respected in its operations and interventions of a political character are strictly prohibited, we believe that Turkey has been abusing the system in pursuit of nefarious political objectives.

We call on the EU and its Member States to:

Refrain from carrying out arrests on the basis of Red Notices coming from Turkey when there are serious concerns that they may be abusive; and,

Make use of their influence within INTERPOL to push for reforms of the INTERPOL system, including strengthening preventative checks before Red Notices are circulated, strengthening its appeals system, and compensating victims of abusive Red Notices.

Finally, considering the many fair trial violations we have observed throughout our trial monitoring and the many other human rights violations committed by the Turkish authorities since the state of emergency was declared, the role of the European Court of Human Rights in ensuring justice for victims has become ever more important. This is especially important at a time when the Council of Europe's human rights system is under pressure from actions - or lack thereof - of both EU and non-EU Member States. Even withstanding the political and financial restraints placed on the Council of Europe, it appears too deferential towards Turkey.

We therefore call on the EU and its Member States to:

Use their influence within the Council of Europe and urge them to be less deferential towards Turkey; and

Play a positive and guiding role with a view to implementing and strengthening the EU's and the Council of Europe's shared commitments to democracy and human rights.

As international civil society actors, we are ready to contribute our expertise to constructive efforts by the EU and its Member States to support persecuted journalists and writers in Turkey and to improve the situation for freedom of expression in the country.

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Burma: Rohingya Return Deal Bad for Refugees

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Burma: Rohingya Return Deal Bad for Refugees, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f9aed4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

An agreement by Bangladesh and Burma to begin returning Rohingya refugees to Burma by January 23, 2018, creates an impossible timetable for safe and voluntary returns and should be shelved, Human Rights Watch today said in a letter to the two governments. International donors, who would be needed to fund the massive repatriation effort, should insist that Burma and Bangladesh invite the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to join in drafting a new tripartite agreement that ensures adherence to international standards.

Since late August 2017, more than 645,000 ethnic Rohingya have fled a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Burma's security forces and sought asylum in Bangladesh. Human Rights Watch has interviewed more than 200 of the refugees. Many said that they wish to eventually return home, but that they do not believe it is safe to return to Burma for the foreseeable future and until their security, land, and livelihoods can be ensured.

"Burma has yet to end its military abuses against the Rohingya, let alone create conditions that would allow them to return home safely," said Bill Frelick, refugee rights director at Human Rights Watch. "This agreement looks more like a public relations effort by Burma to quickly close this ugly chapter than a serious effort to restore the rights of Rohingya and allow them to voluntarily return in safety and dignity."

Related Content

On November 23, Bangladesh and Burma signed an "Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State" on behalf of "residents of Rakhine State" who crossed from Burma into Bangladesh after October 9, 2016 and August 25, 2017. The agreement makes no reference to the cause of most of the forced displacement: a campaign of killings, widespread rape, and mass arson carried out by Burmese security forces that amounted to crimes against humanity. The agreement also fails to identify the displaced either as Rohingya or as refugees.

Voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity as required by international law will not be feasible until the Burmese government demonstrates its willingness and ability to ensure full respect for returnees' human rights, equal access to nationality, and security, Human Rights Watch said.

The agreement expresses Burma's commitment to "take necessary measures to halt the outflow of Myanmar residents to Bangladesh" - which raises grave concerns since everyone has a right to flee persecution in their own country. The agreement also makes no direct reference to nonrefoulement, the principle of international refugee law that prohibits the forcible return of refugees to places where their lives or freedom would be threatened. And the agreement restricts returnees' freedom of movement to Rakhine State in "conformity with existing laws and regulations," many of which discriminate against the Rohingya.

Several Burmese officials have spoken about putting Rohingya in "camps." This would be an unacceptable approach to their return as camps set up after previous anti-Rohingya violence have led to de facto detention and segregation.

While the agreement says that Bangladesh will immediately seek assistance from UNHCR to carry out safe and voluntary returns, Burma agrees only "that the services of the UNHCR could be drawn upon as needed and at the appropriate time."

"After the widespread atrocities, safe and voluntary return of Rohingya will require international monitors on the ground in Burma," Frelick said. "This means a central role for the UNHCR, the only UN agency with a statutory mandate to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of refugees."

Given the critical flaws in the agreement, Burma and Bangladesh should invite UNHCR to join in the drafting of a new tripartite agreement, Human Rights Watch said. This should include some existing provisions, such as encouraging refugees "to return voluntarily and safely to their own households and original places of residence or to a safe and secure place nearest to it or their choice." The current agreement also commits Burma "to see that the returnees will not be settled in temporary places for a long time."

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Honduras: Guarantee Credibility of Elections, Protect Free Expression

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Honduras: Guarantee Credibility of Elections, Protect Free Expression, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f9cb34.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Honduran authorities should take immediate action to ensure the credibility of the country's general elections on November 26, 2017, and should respect the right to peaceful protest, Human Rights Watch said today.

International observers reported irregularities in the election process, casting serious doubt on the legitimacy of the elections. After allegations that results had been manipulated, protests erupted and authorities decreed a state of emergency. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Honduras reported that they received information that as many as 11 people died during the protests.

"Respect for human rights is central to democracy," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "That not only means that all votes should be counted correctly, but also that the Honduran authorities need to guarantee the right to peaceful protest."

The participation of sitting President Juan Orlando Hernandez in the elections was controversial, since the Honduran Constitution forbids a second term. However, congressmen from Hernandez' National Party challenged this prohibition before the Supreme Court, claiming, among other issues, that the term limit violated international human rights standards.

They relied on a provision in the American Convention on Human Rights that says that political rights can "only" be limited under very specific circumstances. It was a far-fetched interpretation, since the clause was designed in 1969 to prevent abusive governments from arbitrarily barring opposition candidates, not to impede constitutional term limits designed to prevent the rise of autocrats, Human Rights Watch said. However, the Supreme Court agreed with them, and Hernandez was allowed to run for a second term.

The day after the election, Honduras' Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced that with more than half of the votes counted, the opposition candidate, Salvador Nasralla, had a five-point lead over Hernandez. But final results were delayed and two days later, after a several-hour outage of the tribunal's computer system, the trend reversed. On December 4, more than a week after the elections, the tribunal announced that Hernandez had received 1.6 percent more votes than Nasralla.

There are strong indications of election fraud in Honduras, and the claims need to be investigated and the voter's will respected.

Jose Miguel Vivanco

Americas director

Also on December 4, international observers from the Organization of American States said that they had found such serious "irregularities, mistakes and systemic problems" in the election process that they could not certify its fairness.

Because of the suspicions of irregularities, Nasralla demanded a recount - supported by the OAS and the European Union observation missions. On December 5, Hernandez said at a news conference that he would accept a recount and the following day, signed an agreement with the OAS to that end. Nasralla has not agreed. On December 7, he indicated that his party demands a complete recount, conducted by international officials instead of the tribunal. On December 10, the tribunal finalized a partial recount. The issue remains unresolved.

Protests, some accompanied by reports of looting, erupted throughout the country on November 29, following reports of irregularities in tallying votes. On December 1, authorities established a 10-day state of emergency, ordering a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and authorizing the involvement of the armed forces. The OAS General Secretariat called this suspension of constitutional rights "disproportionate."

On December 4, one special police unit stated that it had refused to break up public demonstrations and announced a strike. On December 6, the curfew was lifted in 8 of Honduras' 18 regions. In the next days, the curfew was lifted in six other regions. In the areas where it was still in force, it would apply from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The authorities can and should act to prevent violence and looting, but they need to guarantee the right to freedom of assembly without unnecessary or disproportionate force, Human Rights Watch said.

"There are strong indications of election fraud in Honduras, and the claims need to be investigated and the voter's will respected," Vivanco said. "At the same time, Honduran authorities need to maintain the right to freedom of assembly and refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force."

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Cite as

UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Principles and Guidelines, supported by practical guidance, on the human rights protection of migrants in vulnerable situations, February 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f9d2d4.html [accessed 17 November 2022]
UN Security Council Meeting a Chance to Act on Myanmar

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 12 December 2017 Other Languages / Attachments Joint Appeal to the UN Security Council to Act on Myanmar's Rohingya Crisis Cite as Human Rights Watch, UN Security Council Meeting a Chance to Act on Myanmar, 12 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f9e3c4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations Security Council should take prompt, concerted, and effective international action to respond to Myanmar's Rohingya crisis, Human Rights Watch and 80 other nongovernmental organizations said today in a joint appeal to the council.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, and the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, are scheduled to brief the 15-member Security Council on December 12, 2017. No outcome was expected from the council's discussion.

The 81 humanitarian, faith-based, and human rights organizations stated in their joint appeal that "Condemnations have not resulted in Myanmar's government ending its abuses or holding those responsible to account." Characterizing Myanmar security force atrocities against the ethnic Rohingya population as "crimes against humanity," the coalition urged the Security Council to explore all avenues for justice and accountability, including through international courts.

The coalition also called on the Security Council to impose an arms embargo against Myanmar's military and targeted sanctions against Myanmar military officers responsible for crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations.

"If the pledge to 'never again' allow atrocities means anything, the Security Council cannot delay action any longer," the coalition said.

Below, please find the full text of the appeal.

Joint Appeal to the UN Security Council to Act on Myanmar's Rohingya Crisis

In advance of the United Nations Security Council's December 12 meeting on the situation in Myanmar, we, a global coalition of 81 human rights, faith-based and humanitarian organizations, urgently call on the Council to take immediate action to address the campaign of ethnic cleansing and mass atrocity crimes, including crimes against humanity, committed against the ethnic Rohingya population by Myanmar's security forces in northern Rakhine State, as well as the continuing restrictions on humanitarian assistance throughout the state since October 2016.

Words of condemnation by the UN, including the Security Council's Presidential Statement on November 6 and the UN General Assembly's Third Committee's adoption of a resolution on Myanmar, have not resulted in Myanmar's government ending its abuses or holding those responsible to account. It is time for prompt, concerted and effective international action.

Myanmar authorities are still heavily restricting access to northern Rakhine State for most international humanitarian organizations, human rights monitors, and independent media. Most of Myanmar's Rohingya population, estimated at more than one million, have been forced to flee to Bangladesh as refugees. Despite a bilateral agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh, there are insufficient guarantees that return at this time can be informed, safe and voluntary, that requirements for documentation of prior residence will not be used as a pretext to reject legitimate returns, that temporary holding centers will not become semi-permanent internment camps and that returnees will have the same rights of movement, access to livelihoods and health and education services as other residents of Rakhine State. The UN Fact-Finding Mission, which is tasked with preparing a report on abuses nationwide, has thus far been prevented from gaining access to the country.

Over 646,000 Rohingya have been made refugees since August 25, when Myanmar security forces launched "clearance operations" in response to armed attacks on security posts by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Refugee testimonies provide overwhelming evidence of Myanmar military-led atrocities during these operations, and a similar campaign that had begun in October 2016. The crimes against humanity perpetrated against the Rohingya include massacres and other unlawful killings, widespread rape and other sexual violence, looting, deportation and mass arson of hundreds of Rohingya villages. The violence also displaced tens of thousands of people from other ethnic minorities. Rohingya who remain in Myanmar continue to face severe food insecurity and threats in addition to systematic violations of their rights to a nationality, freedom of movement, and access to healthcare, education, and livelihood opportunities.

The Myanmar government has the primary responsibility to protect its diverse population without discrimination and regardless of ethnicity, religion or citizenship status. But, the civilian and military leadership of Myanmar, including the military's Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, refuse to even acknowledge the serious human rights violations against the Rohingya and continue to deny any wrongdoing by state security forces in Rakhine State while ignoring decades of institutionalized discrimination against the Rohingya community.

We urge the Security Council to immediately impose an arms embargo against Myanmar's military that covers the direct and indirect supply, sale or transfer, including transit and trans-shipment of all weapons, munitions, and other military and security equipment, as well as the provision of training and other military and security assistance. The Security Council should also place targeted sanctions on senior officers responsible for crimes against humanity or other serious human rights violations. Financial sanctions should target senior officers who ordered criminal acts or are liable as a matter of command responsibility. The Security Council should explore all avenues for justice and accountability, including through international courts.

If the pledge to "never again" allow atrocities means anything, the Security Council cannot delay action any longer.

Signatories

ALTSEAN-Burma

African Life Center

Ameinu

American Jewish World Service

Amnesty International

Arab American Bar Association

Association Suisse Birmanie

Burma Action Ireland

Burma Campaign UK

Burma Human Rights Network

Burma Task Force

Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

Carl Wilkens Fellowship

Center for Development of International Law

Center for Justice & Accountability

Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP-Liberia)

Darfur Women's Action Group

David Rockefeller Fund

Emgage Action

Entrepreneurs du Monde

Equal Rights Trust

European Rohingya Council

Fortify Rights

Foundation for Ethnic Understanding

Franciscan Action Network

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Genocide Watch

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

Global Justice Center

Global Network of Women Peacebuilders

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict - Southeast Asia (GPPAC-SEA)

Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition

Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College

Human Rights First

Human Rights Now

Human Rights Watch

Humanity United Action

Info Birmanie

Initiatives for International Dialogue

Interfaith Center of New York

International Campaign for the Rohingya

International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect ICR2P

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

Investors Against Genocide

Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights

Jewish Alliance of Concern over Burma (JACOB)

Jewish World Watch

Law @theMargins

Majlis Ashura - The Islamic Leadership Council of New York

Medecins du Monde

Middle East and North Africa Partnership for Preventing of Armed Conflict (MENAPPAC)

Muslim Bar Association of New York

Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

Muslin Social Justice Initiative (MSJI)

National Lawyer's Guild - International

Network of Spiritual Progressives

Partners Relief & Development

Pax Christi Metro New York

Permanent Peace Movement (PPM)

Physicians for Human Rights

Rabbinical Assembly

Refugee Center Online

Refugees International

Rohingya Community Ireland

Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus

Save the Children

Society for Threatened Peoples - Germany

STAND Canada

Stanley Foundation

Stop Genocide Now

Swedish Burma Committee

Syrian Network for Human Rights

T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

The Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights

The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies

Turning Point for Women and Children

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

United Nations Association - Sweden

Viet Tan

World Federalist Movement - Canada

World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP)

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Brazil: Reject Abortion Ban

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 12 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Brazil: Reject Abortion Ban, 12 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f9f3b4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Brazilian lawmakers should reject a dangerous constitutional amendment that would prohibit abortion in all circumstances, Human Rights Watch said today. The proposed amendment would ban abortion even for pregnancies resulting from rape, or when the life of the woman is in danger.

The proposed abortion ban is part of a constitutional amendment being considered on December 12, 2017, by a special congressional committee of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies. The committee approved the amendment in November, in a controversial vote, with 18 men voting yes and 1 woman voting no. The committee could vote on the final text of the proposed amendment on December 12 before it goes to the full Chamber of Deputies for a vote. To become law and amend the Constitution, the legislation would need a super majority - or three-fifths of votes - in both houses of Congress, and the president's signature.

"A total abortion ban would have devastating consequences for women and girls in Brazil," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "Under this cruel amendment, even women and girls pregnant as a result of rape and those with life-threatening complications would be forced to either continue their pregnancies against their will or risk imprisonment and other health dangers, including death, by having clandestine abortions."

Abortion is legal in Brazil only in cases of rape, when necessary to save a woman's life, or when the fetus suffers from anencephaly, a fatal congenital brain disorder. Women and girls who terminate pregnancies under any other circumstances face up to three years in prison. According to some media reports, in 2014 alone, at least 33 women were arrested for abortion, seven of whom were reported by doctors after they went to hospitals in need of post-abortion care.

Human Rights Watch documented the consequences of Brazil's restrictions on abortion in a July report on the impact of the Zika outbreak. Some doctors interviewed for the report said they had treated women and girls in the past year who had used to caustic acid or other unsafe methods to try to induce abortion. One 23-year-old woman who was raped as an adolescent and had heavy bleeding after a clandestine abortion told Human Rights Watch: "I didn't have a lot of information I bled a lot." More than 900 women have died from unsafe abortion in Brazil since 2005, according to Health Ministry data.

Brazil's restrictions on abortion are incompatible with its human rights obligations. The criminalization of abortion in Brazil negatively affects many human rights, including women's rights to life, health, nondiscrimination and equality, privacy, and to be free from torture and from cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment. International human rights treaties require governments to respect women's reproductive and other human rights. Authoritative interpretations of these treaties by United Nations experts call for the removal of criminal penalties for abortion.

"Brazil's existing restrictions on access to abortion already endanger women and girls," Vivanco said. "The proposed amendment would make the dire situation for reproductive rights in Brazil even worse."

There was notable progress on expanding access to reproductive rights in Latin America during 2017, Human Rights Watch said. Chile ended its longstanding total abortion ban, and decriminalized abortion if the life of the pregnant woman is at risk, if the pregnancy is the result of rape, or if the fetus will not survive outside the womb. On December 6, lawmakers in Bolivia voted to ease abortion restrictions by allowing adolescent girls to access abortion through the first eight weeks of pregnancy.

Two cases pending before the Supreme Court in Brazil could decriminalize abortion in certain circumstances. One case argues that pregnant women infected with Zika virus should have access to abortion. The other seeks to decriminalize abortion on any grounds through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Human Rights Watch has filed amicus briefs in both cases.

In late November, Rebeca Mendes Silva Leite, a 30-year-old woman from Sao Paulo, petitioned Brazil's Supreme Court for permission to legally terminate an unplanned pregnancy. Justice Rosa Weber denied the request for procedural reasons, but did not rule on its merits. After the decision, Rebeca traveled to Colombia, where she had a legal abortion.

Several other Latin American countries - Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, Haiti, and Honduras - still ban abortion completely. In a 2017 investigation, Human Rights Watch found that Nicaragua's total abortion ban has not stopped abortion, but has made it more unsafe. Research around the world shows that when governments restrict abortion, women still have abortions - they just have more dangerous ones. According to a UN report, the average unsafe abortion rate was more than four times greater in countries with restrictive abortion policies in 2011 than in countries with liberal abortion policies.

"The members of the Congressional committee should reject the dangerous abortion ban," Vivanco said. "Brazilian women and girls desperately need greater access to reproductive choice, not to have what little choice there is available to them whittled away further."

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Thailand: Politician Faces Baseless Sedition Charges

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 12 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Thailand: Politician Faces Baseless Sedition Charges, 12 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2f9fba4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Thai military authorities have accused a political party official of committing sedition and computer crimes for posting commentary critical of the junta on her Facebook page, Human Rights Watch said today. Sunisa Lertpakawat, the Pheu Thai Party spokeswoman, was ordered to report to the Police Technology Crime Suppression Division to hear the charges against her on December 13, 2017.

"Bringing sedition and computer crime charges against a politician for criticism on Facebook shows the Thai junta's growing contempt for fundamental freedoms," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "The authorities should drop the case against Sunisa immediately."

On December 6, the legal officer for the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) lodged a complaint with the police, accusing Sunisa of violating the Computer-Related Crime Act (CCA) and harming national security by distributing distorted or false information through the internet. The junta also accused Sunisa of committing sedition, alleging that her Facebook posts were not honest criticisms and caused public disaffection with the government.

The complaint stated that the legal action concerned the following messages on Sunisa's Facebook page:



-November 22, criticizing the junta for failing to provide credible explanations about the death of an army cadet who allegedly died as a result of corporal punishment at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (AFAPS);

-December 3, criticizing the government's budget allocation that fails to prioritize the public health service and relies on voluntary donations from the public to fill in missing budgetary support for state hospitals; and

-December 4, criticizing Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha for welcoming a rock music star to the Government House while harshly treating people who suffered from government policies, such as the dispersal of coal-fired power plant protesters on November 27 in Songkhla province.

General Prayuth's repeated public promises to restore democratic rule and the government's recent adoption of a so-called "national human rights agenda" have not eased the Thai military's repressive rule, Human Rights Watch said. The junta's record on freedom of expression has been particularly poor because Thai authorities have repeatedly harassed and prosecuted people for their speech, writings, and internet postings critical of military rule.

The junta has frequently treated people who express dissenting views, mock General Prayuth, or show support for the deposed governments of Thaksin Shinawatra and Yingluck Shinawatra as posing a threat to national security. Since the May 2014 military coup, the authorities have prosecuted at least 40 people under the draconian sedition statute, article 116 of the Criminal Code, which carries up to a seven-year prison sentence.

The government has also considered posting critical commentary online about the government and military rule as an offense under article 14 of Thailand's Computer-Related Crime Act (CCA) regarding "distorted" and "false" information, with violators facing up to five years in prison.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee, the independent expert body that monitors compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Thailand has ratified, stated in a general comment on freedom of expression in July 2011 that:



[T]he mere fact that forms of expression are considered to be insulting to a public figure is not sufficient to justify the imposition of penalties.  Moreover, all public figures, including those exercising the highest political authority such as heads of state and government, are legitimately subject to criticism and political opposition. Accordingly, the Committee expresses concern regarding laws on such matters as  disrespect for authority,  and the protection of the honor of public officials. [Governments] should not prohibit criticism of institutions, such as the army or the administration.

"Thailand's generals become more firmly entrenched in power with each passing year at the expense of the Thai people's rights," Adams said. "Pressure from concerned governments is needed for the junta to end repression, restore respect for basic rights, and return to democratic civilian rule."

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Afghanistan: Crossing the Border to Call Home

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Author Samiullah Saihoon Publication Date 11 December 2017 Reference ARR 584 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Afghanistan: Crossing the Border to Call Home, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fa4384.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Residents in districts of Badakhshan that border Tajikistan say that they are forced to use expensive Tajik mobile phone services due to Afghanistan's poor telecommunications infrastructure.

In the past, this was only a minor inconvenience, since Tajik SIM cards and phone credit were affordable and easily available at the frequent joint markets held along the border.

In recent months, however, fears that insurgents and drug smugglers were exploiting the phone networks have led the Tajik authorities to clamp down on the provision of SIM cards. They blocked their old network and introduced a registering and recording process, which means new SIM cards and credit are hard to get hold of.

"Prior to Tajikistan's security concerns, we used to buy each SIM card for 70 Afghani, (one US dollar) but Tajikistan deactivated our previous SIMs and now each card costs 500 Afghani (seven dollars)," said Munnir Ahmed Wafa, a resident of the border district of Maimay.

"In the past, we could obtain Tajik SIM cards easily," agreed Parwinah, a resident of Khwahan district who had travelled to Faizabad for medical treatment. "We either bought the SIM cards from the joint border market, or bought them from traders from Tajikistan, but now we have to buy SIM cards for 500 Afghani and pay another 500 Afghanis to be registered with Tajikistan's telecom networks."

The affected districts of Maimay, Shekay, Nusay, Kuf Ab, Sheghnan and Khwahan all border the Amu Darya river which demarcates Afghanistan from Tajikistan. The area has a total population of 180,000, and according to interviews with the governors of these districts, nearly 55,000 residents are using Tajik SIM cards.

"Our people have to deal with this lack of telecommunication services," said Maimay district governor Kambiz Qorbani . "There is only one active cell tower, belonging to the MTN telecommunications network, located in the centre of our district. Residents of the villages walk two of three hours on foot to come to an area under network coverage just to make a call."

He said that the lack of telecom services was a problem that had been shared repeatedly with the local government as well as the ministry of communications and information technology in Kabul, but no action had been taken.

Many residents of these districts who travel to study or work in Faizabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan, say that they are unable to keep in touch with their families back home. .

Nafisa, a university student originally from one of Badakhshan's border districts, said that calling an Afghan number using a Tajik SIM card - and vice versa - cost 25 Afghanis a minute, making the service unaffordable.

"I have been in Fayzabad for two years and have not been able to talk to my parents at all due to the lack of access to [domestic] telecommunication services and the high cost of Tajikistan's networks," she said.

Complicating the matter further is the fact that using these frequencies is banned under Afghan law. Article thirty-seven of the Telecommunications Regulatory Law states, "No one can use radio frequencies or frequency generator devices in the country, unless he has obtained the operating license or exemption certificate from the ministry of Communication, Information and Technology or ATRA [the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority]."

In theory, failure to comply with these regulations could lead to a prison term of up to three months and a fine of between 5,000 and more than 100,000 Afghani.

Mir Ghulam Hashim Saee, director of Badakhshan's department of foreign affairs, agreed that many people on the Afghan side of the border chose to use Tajikistan's frequency, "although this is basically an illegal act".

What was particularly concerning, said Badakhshan deputy governor Gul Muhammad Baidar, was that these cellular frequencies played a key role in drug trafficking and insurgent violence.

"It's very easy for drug dealers and insurgent groups use telecommunications services, because the networks are not controlled by the Afghan government," he said.

Baidar also said that the local government had shared the issue of Tajik frequencies being exploited within Afghanistan with the ministry of communication, information and technology, but no action had yet been taken.

IWPR contacted the ministry of communications, information and technology as well as the ATRA regarding the issue of cross-border frequency, but both agencies declined to comment.

Ghulam Rabbani Haidari, director of Badakhshan's communications department, said the communications ministry was in talks with the Tajik government about blocking the frequencies.

He said that cell towers belonging to the Salaam and MTN companies had been activated in some border areas, and efforts were underway to expand coverage to all parts of the border districts.

"We have about four antennas at four sites in the border districts, and we are trying to make telecommunication services available to the public," he said.

He said that the mountainous and sometimes impassable geography of these districts made it extremely hard to provide services.

Nevertheless, there is some hope for local mobile phone users. Some networks promise to expand their coverage to the border districts over the coming year.

Abdul Qadir Afghan, head of marketing at the Afghan Wireless Communication Company in the north-east zone, said that they were extending their services in the near future.

"The reason why we have not been able to overcome this challenge, was an issue of equipment and of surveying the areas that needed coverage," he said. "This problem has now been fixed, and we will cover the border districts next year."

This report was produced under IWPR's Supporting Investigative Reporting in Local Media and Strengthening Civil Society across Afghanistan initiative, funded by the British Embassy Kabul.

Copyright notice:  Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Afghanistan: The Maternity Hospital Delivering Hope

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Publication Date 5 December 2017 Citation / Document Symbol ARR 583 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Afghanistan: The Maternity Hospital Delivering Hope, 5 December 2017, ARR 583, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fa6404.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Resident of Khost say that cultural sensitivity and high numbers of local staff have been key to the success of a maternity hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in the southeastern province.

MSF opened the maternity hospital more than six years ago in an effort to address high rates of maternal mortality. Despite serious security issues - the hospital was forced to close for eight months following an attack in April 2012 - the unit has gone on to prove hugely successful, now delivering an average of 60 babies a day.

Mothers who have recently given birth at the NGO's hospital said that they had received superb care free of charge.

"The recent birth of my baby girl went so well," said Gul Rahima (not her real name), a 37-year-old mother-of-seven.

"There are experienced doctors working at the hospital and everything was free of charge. Their work is a huge help to poor families."

Her husband Akhtar Mohammad, 41, added, "Not only is the treatment free but the hospital also allows families to stay for one night and provides a free meal as well.

"If we had gone to a private hospital we'd have been charged too much for medicine. You can be asked to pay 100 Afghani (1.5 US dollars) for medicine that should cost 10 Afghani, and no one questions this."

MSF set up its hospital in the city of Khost in March 2012. Staff hoped to raise the level of healthcare in the province without duplicating existing services provided by Khost's public hospital located just outside the city.

Initial confidence in the plan faltered when seven people were injured in an explosion within the hospital compound just six weeks after it opened.

The attack forced the facility's closure until December that year, with MSF using the time to strengthen its support from political and religious leaders in the city in the hope of preventing a repeat of the incident.

The hospital - with more than 400 national staff and around a dozen international workers - now has 68 maternity beds and 22 neonatal beds, as well as a surgical team dealing with more complicated deliveries.

In addition, MSF staff this year began supporting health centres in five other locations within the province. Staff at clinics in the districts of Gurbuz, Nadir Shah Kot, Sabari, Tani and Lakan aim to reduce the number of patients heading to Khost city for normal deliveries, thereby allowing hospital colleagues to focus on assisting with more complicated births.

Khost's director of public health, Gul Mohmmaddin Mohammadi, said, "Though there are no official figures, in previous years our department was informed about the deaths of many children and mothers in childbirth each month. For many months now, we have received no such reports."

Zahra Jalal, head of the provincial women's department, said, "MSF have been careful to observe Afghan culture and values and this has been much appreciated.

"For instance, some people in the province used to think that only foreigners worked at the hospital and avoided using it because of this. But now they realise MSF has addressed this and almost all the workers are Afghans."

She added, "Many women who have graduated in nursing and midwifery are now working at the hospital. Even illiterate housewives have found jobs there. The reputation of the staff is known to be so good that patients are sometimes brought from Paktia province for treatment."

MSF figures show the number of deliveries at the hospital has increased by 40 per cent in just two years, from 15,204 in 2014 to 21,335 in 2016.

In December last year, the number of deliveries reached 1,905, an average of more than 60 per day. A marked increase has also been seen in the numbers of newborns admitted to the neonatology unit. Some 1,746 babies were admitted in 2016, a 15 per cent increase on 2015.

Speaking to IWPR, Qudratulllah, a tribal elder from Lakno village in Khost city, said he believed MSF's satellite clinics had proved more successful than many of the bigger, multi-million dollar reconstruction projects in the province.

His remote area had lacked the infrastructure to allow women in labour to always access the medical help they needed, he explained.

"Sometimes heavy rains and flooding blocked roads meaning some women were forced to give birth in cars while they waited for the route to clear," he said.

"Now though we have a clinic right in the center of Lakno so we don't have these difficulties anymore."

Khost activist Jamal Tani also praised the work of MSF's more remote clinics.

"We're really pleased with the quality of the healthcare and local people support these services as they're sensitive to the cultural values of Afghanistan," he said.

"We have consulted and monitored their activities and offered advice where needed."

There are still serious healthcare deficiencies in Khost, particularly in the more mountainous regions. Musakhel district in the far north of Khost is one such area that medics still struggle to reach. Snow, flooding, poor roads and armed robbers has made access very difficult.

Haidar Gul, a tribal elder from the area, said, "We've asked public health officials and MSF to open clinics in two remote areas of the district.

"They promised us they would but it hasn't happened yet. We're hoping they're able to as soon as possible."

Ahmadullah Safi, a spokesman for MSF in Afghanistan, said, "Maternity care in the province remains our top priority."

This report was produced under IWPR's Supporting Investigative Reporting in Local Media and Strengthening Civil Society across Afghanistan initiative, funded by the British Embassy Kabul.

Copyright notice:  Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Honduras: Government deploys dangerous and illegal tactics to silence population

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 8 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Honduras: Government deploys dangerous and illegal tactics to silence population, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fa68a4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Honduran government is deploying dangerous and illegal tactics to silence any dissenting voices in the aftermath of one of the country's worst political crisis in a decade, including preventing lawyers and human rights activists from visiting detained demonstrators, Amnesty International said after a visit to the country following contested presidential elections on 26 November.

"Honduras seems to be on a very dangerous free fall where ordinary people are the victims of reckless and selfish political games," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

"Evidence shows that there is no space for people in Honduras to express their opinions. When they do, they come face to face with the full force of the government's repressive apparatus."

"Halting all use of illegitimate or excessive force against protesters by security forces, ending arbitrary detentions, and investigating all instances of human rights violations would be a good start to undo some of the many wrongs we have documented in recent days."

An Amnesty International delegation visited the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, to meet with human rights activists and victims of human rights violations following the crisis and state of exception that unfolded after the Presidential election on 26 November. Amnesty's experts also met with members of the National Police and the office of the Ombudsman.

During their visit, the organization's delegates documented a plethora of human rights violations against protesters and other people.

Violence against protesters

At least 14 people died, most of them from bullet wounds, and dozens were injured in the context of largely peaceful demonstrations since the elections on Sunday 26 December, according to information provided to Amnesty International by both human rights defenders and public servants.

On 1 December, authorities imposed a curfew that many believe increases risks to people's integrity and life.

One human rights defender told Amnesty International that severe harassment and beatings by security forces during demonstrations have been common in Honduras over the past few days and the situation has become more dangerous for everybody walking on the streets.

Security forces used tear gas, chased and arrested protesters. In some instances, they used firearms against them. Levels of violence are comparable to those that followed the 2009 coup.

Only one police officer has been brought before a judge for firing an arm against a protestor, according to information provided to Amnesty International by the National Police.

Human rights violations under the curfew

During the curfew imposed by the Honduran authorities on 1 December, security forces operated with the greatest impunity.

Raul Antonio Triminio, a 39-year-old builder from Tegucigalpa, was killed during the night of 3 December 2017. His family told Amnesty International that he was peacefully demonstrating outside his house when military police personnel arrived, shot out the street lights and then shot him directly in the face. His relatives could not immediately assist him, since they were too afraid of going out and facing potential attacks by police. One of his sisters said: "They should have arrested him, not shot him. He wasn't doing anything wrong  we only want justice."

Military police appear to be implicated in several cases of human rights violations in the context of the demonstrations and during the curfew.

Amnesty International researchers also documented the case of a young man who was attacked by military police in Tegucigalpa as he was trying to put his motorcycle into his home on the night of 3 December.

According to eye witnesses, the police did not warn him or try to arrest him. They simply hit him until he lost consciousness. He was hospitalized for days and is still in a serious health condition.

The family told Amnesty International's researchers that when his siblings tried to assist him, the military police agents pointed their guns at them and told them not to report the case, since they knew where they lived and could come back? to kill them.

In both instances, relatives had to call the National Police to take the victims to the hospital, unable and afraid to do this themselves.

The curfew is affecting every aspect of people's daily lives. Many people have to constantly change their schedules while others loose work hours or are prevented from visiting friends and family. If they fail to leave the streets by the time the curfew starts, they face the risk of not being able to return home or face violence on the streets.

People arrested for breaching the curfew are held in police stations until the end of the curfew, at 5 am. During that time, they are deprived of legal assistance, since lawyers or human rights defenders cannot breach the curfew to visit them or to file legal proceedings on their behalf.

The curfew, which has been amended twice in terms of its time and geographical reach since initially issued, does not follow international law provisions and seems too broad to handle limited cases of violence.

If the government is to further extend this measure, it should sufficiently and adequately argue its necessity and follow all required constitutional and international procedures, including by sending official notifications to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States and to the United Nations.

Either way, effective safeguards should be urgently? put in place to prevent more human rights violations and all alleged human rights violations should be properly investigated and prosecuted.

Background Information

On 26 November 2017 presidential elections were held in Honduras.

In the early morning of 27 November, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Tribunal Supremo Electoral, TSE) published an initial indication of results, based on the revision of 57 percent of the votes, which indicated that the opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla had a five-point lead against the current president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez.

Both candidates declared themselves winners. According to the preliminary report from the Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States in Honduras, published following the elections, "the system of publication of the results, available to the public online, was not updated [following the first announcement from the TSE] on 27 November. Upon review, the Mission observed how the difference between the candidates narrowed down".

On the afternoon of 29 November, the TSE published official data that current president Juan Orlando Hernandez was leading the election's results.

Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world, with high rates of murder and insecurity. There is a high level of mistrust of institutions, fueled by the fact that impunity prevails in the majority of crimes, and by repeated signs of corruption or the involvement of state forces in criminal activities.

Human rights defenders are particularly exposed to violence. Honduras is one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America for human rights defenders, especially for defenders of land and the environment.

As a result of the coup of 28 June 2009, during which various states of exception and curfews were approved, serious human rights violations at the hands of Honduran security forces were reported.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
El Salvador: Court fails to release woman unfairly jailed after suffering a stillbirth

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 8 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, El Salvador: Court fails to release woman unfairly jailed after suffering a stillbirth, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fa7304.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

A court's decision to postpone the hearing of a woman forced to spend a decade behind bars after having a stillbirth in El Salvador is an outrageous and careless act, Amnesty International said.

"Teodora has waited 10 years to be before the court that sent her to prison for a stillbirth in 2007, but the judges were not ready to make the decision to undo this utter injustice," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

"Instead of punishing Teodora for being a woman, authorities in El Salvador must urgently take a hard look at their outrageous anti-abortion law and take immediate steps to repeal it."

Teodora suffered a stillbirth in 2007, after the rapid onset of serious pain while she was at work. Police arrested her as she lay in a pool of blood. She was later sentenced to 30 years for 'aggravated homicide' under El Salvador's total ban on abortion.

Her case was reviewed by the court today, but it decided to postpone the decision until Wednesday, December 13.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Lesotho: Trial of soldiers for shooting newspaper editor offers hope of justice

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 12 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Lesotho: Trial of soldiers for shooting newspaper editor offers hope of justice, 12 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fa7ac4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The trial of five members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) for the attempted murder of journalist, Lloyd Mutungamiri, is a welcome first step towards justice said Amnesty International today, ahead of the first hearing on 13 December.

The editor of the Lesotho Times suffered near fatal gunshot wounds after being attacked outside his home in Maseru on 9 July 2016. The shooting followed his newspaper's publication of an article two weeks earlier, alleging that the outgoing LDF head, Tlali Kamoli, was to receive an exit package of approximately US$3.5 million.

"This trial needs to send a clear message that the targeting of journalists will no longer be tolerated in Lesotho. The press must be allowed to do their job without living in constant fear of reprisals," said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for Southern Africa.

"Lloyd Mutungamiri's world has been turned upside down since the shooting. He was forced to abandon his job and flee the country."

Lloyd Mutungamiri was shot two times and left in a critical condition after one of the bullets shattered his lower jaw, requiring him to undergo extensive facial surgery. A brigadier and four soldiers will stand trial for the attack.

On 24 June 2016, the day after the Tlali Kamoli article was published, Lloyd Mutungamiri and Lesotho Times reporter, Keiso Mohloboli, were interrogated by police and members of the LDF about what had been published, before being released. Following this, Lloyd Mutungamiri and Lesotho Times owner Basildon Peta were interrogated on 5 July, four days before the shooting.

"Our hope is that, through a fair, independent and impartial trial, justice is served and journalists can carry out their work in a safe environment," said Deprose Muchena.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Chavez-Vilchez and Others v Raad van bestuur van de Sociale verzekeringsbank and Others

Publisher European Union: Court of Justice of the European Union Publication Date 10 May 2017 Citation / Document Symbol C133/15 Cite as European Union: Court of Justice of the European Union, Chavez-Vilchez and Others v Raad van bestuur van de Sociale verzekeringsbank and Others, 10 May 2017, C133/15, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fabc84.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Grand Chamber)

10 May 2017 ( )

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Union citizenship - Article 20 TFEU - Access to social assistance and child benefit conditional on right of residence in a Member State - Third-country national responsible for the primary day-to-day care of her minor child, a national of that Member State - Obligation on the third-country national to establish that the other parent, a national of that Member State, is not capable of caring for the child - Refusal of residence possibly obliging the child to leave the territory of the Member State, or the territory of the European Union)

In Case C133/15,

REQUEST for a preliminary ruling under Article 267 TFEU from the Centrale Raad van Beroep (Higher Administrative Court, Netherlands), made by decision of 16 March 2015, received at the Court on 18 March 2015, in the proceedings

H.C. Chavez-Vilchez,

P. Pinas,

U. Nikolic,

X.V. Garcia Perez,

J. Uwituze,

I.O. Enowassam,

A.E. Guerrero Chavez,

Y.R. L. Wip

v

Raad van bestuur van de Sociale verzekeringsbank,

College van burgemeester en wethouders van de gemeente Arnhem,

College van burgemeester en wethouders van de gemeente 's-Gravenhage,

College van burgemeester en wethouders van de gemeente 's-Hertogenbosch,

College van burgemeester en wethouders van de gemeente Amsterdam,

College van burgemeester en wethouders van de gemeente Rijswijk,

College van burgemeester en wethouders van de gemeente Rotterdam,

THE COURT (Grand Chamber),

composed of K. Lenaerts, President, A. Tizzano, Vice-President, R. Silva de Lapuerta, M. Ilesic, J.L. da Cruz Vilaca, E. Juhasz, M. Berger, A. Prechal and E. Regan, Presidents of Chambers, A. Rosas (Rapporteur), C. Toader, M. Safjan, D. Svaby, E. Jarasiunas and C.G. Fernlund, Judges,

Advocate General: M. Szpunar,

Registrar: C. Stromholm, Administrator,

having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 10 May 2016,

after considering the observations submitted on behalf of:

- Ms Guerrero Chavez, Ms Enowassam, Ms Uwituze, Ms Garcia Perez, Ms Nikolic, Ms Pinas and Ms Chavez-Vilchez, by E. Cerezo-Weijsenfeld, J. Kruseman, S. Cakici-Reinders and W. Fischer, advocaten,

- Ms Wip, by H. de Roo and T. Weterings, advocaten,

- the Netherlands Government, by C.S. Schillemans and K. Bulterman, acting as Agents,

- the Belgian Government, by C. Pochet, M. Jacobs and S. Vanrie, acting as Agents,

- the Danish Government, by C. Thorning, M. Lyshj and M. Wolff, acting as Agents,

- the French Government, by R. Coesme, acting as Agent,

- the Lithuanian Government, by R. Krasuckaite and V. Cepaite, acting as Agents,

- the Polish Government, by B. Majczyna, acting as Agent,

- the United Kingdom Government, by V. Kaye, C. Crane and M. Holt, acting as Agents, and by D. Blundell and B. Lask, Barristers,

- the Norwegian Government, by I. Jansen and K. Moen, acting as Agents,

- the European Commission, by D. Maidani, C. Tufvesson and G. Wils, acting as Agents,

after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 8 September 2016,

gives the following

Judgment

1 This request for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Article 20 TFEU.

2 The request has been made in proceedings between, on the one hand, Ms H.C. Chavez-Vilchez and seven other third-country nationals, who are each mothers of one or more minor children who are of Netherlands nationality and for whose primary day-to-day care they are responsible, and, on the other, the competent Netherlands authorities, concerning the refusal of their applications for social assistance and child benefit, on the ground that they did not have a right of residence in the Netherlands.

Legal context

European Union law

3 Article 2 of Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, amending Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 and repealing Directives 64/221/EEC, 68/360/EEC, 72/194/EEC, 73/148/EEC, 75/34/EEC, 75/35/EEC, 90/364/EEC, 90/365/EEC and 93/96/EEC (OJ 2004 L 158, p. 77, and corrigenda OJ 2004 L 229, p. 35, and OJ 2005 L 197, p. 34), headed 'Definitions', states:

'For the purpose of this Directive:

(1) "Union citizen" means any person having the nationality of a Member State;

(2) "Family member" means:



(d) the dependent direct relatives in the ascending line and those of the spouse or partner as defined in point (b);

(3) "Host Member State" means the Member State to which a Union citizen moves in order to exercise his/her right of free movement and residence.'

4 Article 3(1) of that directive, that article being headed 'Beneficiaries', provides:

'This Directive shall apply to all Union citizens who move to or reside in a Member State other than that of which they are a national, and to their family members as defined in point 2 of Article 2 who accompany or join them.'

5 Article 5 of Directive 2004/38, headed 'Right of entry', states:

'1. Without prejudice to the provisions on travel documents applicable to national border controls, Member States shall grant Union citizens leave to enter their territory with a valid identity card or passport and shall grant family members who are not nationals of a Member State leave to enter their territory with a valid passport.

No entry visa or equivalent formality may be imposed on Union citizens.

2. Family members who are not nationals of a Member State shall only be required to have an entry visa in accordance with [Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 of 15 March 2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement (OJ 2001 L 81, p. 1)] or, where appropriate, with national law. For the purposes of this Directive, possession of the valid residence card referred to in Article 10 shall exempt such family members from the visa requirement.

Member States shall grant such persons every facility to obtain the necessary visas. Such visas shall be issued free of charge as soon as possible and on the basis of an accelerated procedure.

'

6 Article 7(1) and (2) of that directive read as follows:

'1. All Union citizens shall have the right of residence on the territory of another Member State for a period of longer than three months if they:

(a) are workers or self-employed persons in the host Member State; or

(b) have sufficient resources for themselves and their family members not to become a burden on the social assistance system of the host Member State during their period of residence and have comprehensive sickness insurance cover in the host Member State; or

(c) - 

- have comprehensive sickness insurance cover in the host Member State and assure the relevant national authority, by means of a declaration or by such equivalent means as they may choose, that they have sufficient resources for themselves and their family members not to become a burden on the social assistance system of the host Member State during their period of residence; or

(d) are family members accompanying or joining a Union citizen who satisfies the conditions referred to in points (a), (b) or (c).

2. The right of residence provided for in paragraph 1 shall extend to family members who are not nationals of a Member State, accompanying or joining the Union citizen in the host Member State, provided that such Union citizen satisfies the conditions referred to in paragraph 1(a), (b) or (c).'

Netherlands law

7 Article 1 of the Vreemdelingenwet 2000 (Law on Foreign Nationals of 2000), in the version applicable at the material time ('the Law on Foreign Nationals'), provides:

'For the purposes of the present Law and of the provisions adopted on the basis thereof:



(e) Community nationals shall mean:

1 nationals of the Member States of the European Union who, under the Treaty establishing the European Community, have the right to enter and reside on the territory of another Member State;

2 the family members of those persons referred to in paragraph 1 who are nationals of a third State and who, on the basis of a decision taken in application of the EC Treaty, are entitled to enter and reside on the territory of a Member State;

'

8 Article 8 of that Law provides:

'A foreign national is lawfully resident in the Netherlands only:



(e) by virtue of his status as a Community national, so long as the person resides in the Netherlands on the basis of arrangements established under the Treaty establishing the European Community or the Agreement on the European Economic Area;

(f) if, pending the decision on an application for a residence permit,  the present law, a provision adopted on the basis of the latter or a court order provides that the deportation of the foreign national should be deferred until a decision has been taken on the application;

(g) if, pending the decision on an application for a residence permit  or on the extension of the period of validity of a residence permit  or an amendment thereof, the present law, a provision adopted on the basis of the latter or a court order provides that the deportation of the applicant should be deferred until a decision has been taken on the application;

(h) if, pending the decision on an application for administrative or judicial review, the present law, a provision adopted on the basis of the latter or a court order provides that the deportation of the applicant should be deferred until a decision has been taken on the application for review.'

9 Article 10 of the Law on Foreign Nationals provides:

'1. A foreign national who is not lawfully resident may not claim entitlement to benefits and allowances awarded by decision of an administrative authority. The previous sentence shall apply mutatis mutandis to exemptions or licences issued pursuant to a law or a general administrative measure.

2. Paragraph 1 may be derogated from if the claim relates to education, the provision of emergency medical care, the prevention of situations that would jeopardise public health, or the provision of legal assistance to the foreign national.

3. The granting of a claim does not confer a right to lawful residence.'

10 The Vreemdelingencirculaire 2000 (the Circular of 2000 on Foreign Nationals), in the version applicable at the material time ('the Circular on Foreign Nationals'), consists of a number of guidelines issued by the Staatssecretaris van Veiligheid en Justitie (the Secretary of State for Security and Justice, Netherlands). That circular is accessible to all and anyone may rely on those guidelines. In assessing applications for residence permits, the competent national authority, in this case the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (the Immigration and Naturalisation Service; 'the IND') is required to comply with those guidelines. It may depart from them only if it provides reasons for so doing and in exceptional cases that were not considered when the guidelines were drawn up.

11 Section B, point 2.2 of the Circular on Foreign Nationals states:

'A foreign national is lawfully resident under the [Law on Foreign Nationals] if all the following conditions are met:

- the foreign national has a minor child who has Netherlands nationality;

- that child is dependent on the foreign national and lives with that foreign national; and

- that child would, if the right of residence were withheld from the foreign national, be obliged to follow the foreign national and leave the territory of the European Union.

The IND shall in any event not assume that the child [whose father or mother is a foreign national] is obliged to follow [the foreign national parent] and leave the territory of the European Union if the child has another parent who is lawfully resident under the [Law on Foreign Nationals] or who has Netherlands nationality, and that parent is in fact able to care for the child.

The IND shall in any event assume that the other parent is in fact able to care for the child if:

- the other parent has custody of the child, or is still able to obtain custody of the child; and

- the other parent can make use of help and support services related to the care and education of the child offered by public authorities or by social organisations. The IND shall understand that to include the provision of a benefit from public funds to which all Netherlands nationals in the Netherlands are in principle entitled.

The IND shall in any event assume that the other parent is not in fact able to care for the child if that parent:

- is in detention; or

- shows that custody of the child cannot be awarded to him/her.'

12 Pursuant to the Wet Werk en Bijstand (Law on Work and Social Assistance; 'Law on social assistance') and the Algemene Kinderbijslagwet (General Law on Child Benefit; 'Law on child benefit'), parents who are third-country nationals must be lawfully resident in the Netherlands and therefore qualify for a right of residence in order to be entitled to claim social assistance and child benefit.

13 On 1 July 1998 the Wet tot wijziging van de Vreemdelingenwet en enige andere wetten teneinde de aanspraak van vreemdelingen jegens bestuursorganen op verstrekkingen, voorzieningen, uitkeringen, ontheffingen en vergunningen te koppelen aan het rechtmatig verblijf van de vreemdeling in Nederland (Law to amend the Law on Foreign Nationals and other laws in order to link the claim of foreign nationals against administrative bodies in respect of provisions, facilities, benefits, exemptions and permits to the lawful residence of the foreign national in the Netherlands) of 26 March 1998 (Stb. 1998, No 203) entered into force. For foreign nationals other than nationals of a Member State of the European Union, that law introduced, into the social assistance legislation, the requirement to obtain from the competent authority a residence permit in order to be treated in the same way as a Netherlands national, and, into the legislation on child benefit, the equivalent requirement in order to be regarded as an insured person.

14 An application for a residence permit is to be submitted to the IND. The IND makes the decision on a right of residence on behalf of the Secretary of State for Security and Justice.

15 Applications for child benefit under the Law on child benefit are to be submitted to the Sociale verzekeringsbank (Social Insurance Fund, Netherlands; 'the SvB').

16 Applications for social assistance under the Law on social assistance must be submitted to the College of Aldermen of the municipality where the person concerned lives.

17 Article 11 of the Law on social assistance provides:

'1. Every Netherlands national residing in the Netherlands whose circumstances there are or threaten to become such that he/she does not have the resources to meet essential subsistence costs, is entitled to social assistance from the authorities.

2. A foreign national living in the Netherlands and lawfully resident there pursuant to the introductory sentence to Article 8 and Article 8(a) to (e) and (l) of the [Law on Foreign Nationals], shall be treated in the same way as a Netherlands national referred to in Article 11(1), with the exception of cases referred to in Article 24(2) of [Directive 2004/38].

'

18 Article 16 of the Law on social assistance provides:

'1. Notwithstanding this section, the College [of Aldermen] may, having regard to all the circumstances, provide assistance to a person who is not entitled to assistance if very urgent reasons so require.

2. The first paragraph does not apply to any foreign nationals other than those referred to in Article 11(2) and (3).'

19 Article 6 of the Law on child benefit provides:

'1. Insured persons for the purpose of the present provisions are:

(a) residents;

(b) non-residents subject to income tax in respect of salaried occupational activities carried out in the Netherlands.

2. Foreign nationals who are not lawfully resident in the Netherlands for the purposes of the introductory sentence to Article 8 and Article 8(a) to (e) and (1) of the [Law on Foreign Nationals] are not to be regarded as insured persons.'

The disputes in the main proceedings and the questions referred for a preliminary ruling

20 The eight disputes in the main proceedings relate to applications for social assistance (bijstandsuitkering) and child benefit (kinderbijslag), submitted to the competent Netherlands authorities, pursuant to, respectively, the Law on social assistance and the Law on child benefit, by third-country nationals who are each mothers of one or more children of Netherlands nationality, whose fathers are also of Netherlands nationality. Those children have all been acknowledged by their fathers but live mainly with their mothers.

21 Ms Chavez-Vilchez, a Venezuelan national, came to the Netherlands in 2007 or 2008 on a tourist visa. Her relationship with a Netherlands national led, on 30 March 2009, to the birth of a child who has Netherlands nationality. The parents and the child lived in Germany until June 2011, when Ms Chavez-Vilchez and her child were compelled to leave the family home. They went to the emergency refuge in the municipality of Arnhem (Netherlands) and stayed there for some time. Ms Chavez-Vilchez has since then been responsible for the care of her child and has stated that the child's father does not contribute to the child's support or upbringing.

22 Ms Pinas, a national of Surinam, had been from 2004 the holder of a residence permit in the Netherlands; that permit was withdrawn in 2006. She lives in Almere (Netherlands) and is the mother of four children. One of the children, born on 23 December 2009 from a relationship with a Netherlands national, accordingly has Netherlands nationality. Ms Pinas and the father have joint custody with respect to that child but they live apart, and the father does not contribute to the child's support. The two parents remain in contact but there is no agreement on access rights. On 17 May 2011, Ms Pinas and her children were granted a residence permit for a fixed period. Consequently, child benefit was granted as from the third quarter of 2011.

23 Ms Nikolic came to the Netherlands in 2003 from the former Yugoslavia. Since she has no identity papers, her nationality is unclear. Her application for a residence permit was rejected in 2009. On 26 January 2010 her relationship with a Netherlands national led to the birth of a child, who has Netherlands nationality. Ms Nikolic lives in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and has custody of the child. Both live in a community refuge. Ms Nikolic has stated that she and the father of her child cannot live together, because he has been placed in a young persons' institution within which he is in a supported accommodation scheme.

24 Ms Garcia Perez, a Nicaraguan national, came to the Netherlands in 2001 or 2002 from Costa Rica, accompanied by a Netherlands national. Their relationship led to the birth on 9 April 2008 of a child, who has Netherlands nationality. Ms Garcia Perez lives in Haarlem (Netherlands) in a community refuge. She has custody of her child; the father does not contribute to the child's support, and his present whereabouts are unknown.

25 Ms Uwituze, a Rwandan national, gave birth on 12 December 2011 to a child who, like her father, has Netherlands nationality. The father does not contribute towards the child's support or upbringing. He has stated that he neither wishes to nor is able to care for the child. Ms Uwituze lives with her child in 's Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) in a community refuge.

26 Ms Wip, a national of Surinam, has given birth to two children, on 25 November 2009 and 23 November 2012. Like their father, the children have Netherlands nationality. The parents are separated but the father maintains contact with the children several times a week. He receives social assistance and child benefit. He does not contribute to the support of the children and does no more than transfer the child benefit to Ms Wip. In the material period, Ms Wip was living in Amsterdam.

27 Ms Enowassam, a national of Cameroon, came to the Netherlands in 1999. Her relationship with a Netherlands national led to the birth, on 2 May 2008, of a child who has Netherlands nationality. The parents have joint custody of their child but live apart. The child is registered as living at the address of her father, but lives in fact with her mother, who lives in emergency reception facilities in The Hague (Netherlands). The child stays three week-ends a month with her father and sometimes spends holidays with him. The father pays EUR 200 a month in child support. He also receives child benefit which he transfers to Ms Enowassam. The father is in full-time work, and has stated that, for that reason, he is not able to care for the child.

28 Ms Guerrero Chavez, a Venezuelan national, arrived in the Netherlands on 24 October 2007 and then returned to Venezuela on 2 November 2009. She came back to the Netherlands in January 2011 and is living in Schiedam (Netherlands). Her relationship with a Netherlands national led to the birth, on 31 March 2011, of a child who has Netherlands nationality. Ms Guerrero Chavez is separated from the father of her child. The father has almost daily contact with the child but is unwilling to take care of the child, and makes a limited contribution to costs of support. Ms Guerrero Chavez takes day-to-day care of the child and has custody of the child.

29 In each of the disputes in the main proceedings, the applications for social assistance and child benefit made by the parties concerned were rejected by the competent authorities on the ground that, since the parties did not have a right of residence, they did not, under the national legislation, have any right to receive such assistance and benefits.

30 Over the periods, covering the years from 2010 to 2013, in which the applicants in the main proceedings sought to obtain social assistance and child benefit, none of them were the holders of a residence permit in the Netherlands. While some of them, pending a decision on an application for a residence permit, were nonetheless staying legally in the Netherlands, others were staying there illegally, although no steps had been taken to remove the latter from the Netherlands. Last, the applicants in the main proceedings were not permitted to work.

31 After actions brought to challenge the decisions refusing them entitlement to the assistance and benefits applied for were dismissed by judgments of the national courts of first instance, the applicants in the main proceedings brought appeals against those judgments before the Centrale Raad van Beroep (Higher Administrative Court, Netherlands).

32 The referring court seeks to ascertain whether the applicants in the main proceedings, who are all nationals of third countries, may, as mothers of a child who is a Union citizen, derive a right of residence under Article 20 TFEU in the circumstances specific to each individual case. The referring court considers that, in that event, the individuals concerned could rely on the provisions of the Law on social assistance and the Law on child benefit that allow foreign nationals who are staying lawfully in the Netherlands to be treated as Netherlands nationals, and to be entitled, where appropriate, to receive social assistance or child benefit under that legislation; that entitlement not being subject to a requirement that the IND decide to grant them a residence permit or a document certifying that they are staying legally.

33 In the opinion of the referring court, it is apparent from the judgments of 8 March 2011, Ruiz Zambrano (C34/09, EU:C:2011:124), and of 15 November 2011, Dereci and Others (C256/11, EU:C:2011:734), that the applicants in the main proceedings would acquire under Article 20 TFEU a right of residence in the Netherlands, derived from the right of residence of their children, who are Union citizens, provided that those children are in a situation such as that described in those judgments. It is necessary, in each of the disputes in the main proceedings, to determine whether the circumstances are such that those children would be obliged, in practice, to leave the territory of the European Union if the right of residence was refused to their mothers.

34 The referring court seeks to ascertain, in those circumstances, what importance is to be given, in the light of the Court's case-law, to the fact that the father, a Union citizen, is staying in the Netherlands or in the European Union, as a whole.

35 The referring court states, further, that it is the task of the administrative bodies responsible for the application of the Law on social assistance and the Law on child benefit and of the courts with jurisdiction to make an independent assessment of whether a parent who is a third-country national may, in the light of the Court's case-law relating to Article 20 TFEU, rely on that provision in order to qualify for a right of residence. Those administrative bodies, namely the Colleges of Aldermen and the SvB, are obliged, on the basis of the information provided to them by the persons concerned and such additional information as might have to be provided, if necessary, to carry out, in cooperation with the IND, an examination in order to determine whether a right of residence in the Netherlands can be obtained under Article 20 TFEU.

36 In that regard, the referring court states that, in practice, various administrative bodies interpret the judgments of 8 March 2011, Ruiz Zambrano (C34/09, EU:C:2011:124), and of 15 November 2011, Dereci and Others (C256/11, EU:C:2011:734), restrictively and hold that the case-law enshrined in those judgments is applicable only in situations where the father is not, on the basis of objective criteria, in a position to care for the child because he is, for example, in prison, confined to an institution or hospitalised, or even dead. Other than in such situations, it is for the third-country national parent to establish a plausible case that the father is incapable of caring for the child, even with the possible assistance of third parties. According to the referring court, such rules stem from the guidelines in the Circular on Foreign Nationals.

37 The referring court adds that, in each of the disputes in the main proceedings, the Colleges of Aldermen concerned, the SvB and the IND considered the following factors to be irrelevant: the fact that it was the mother, a third-country national, and not the father, a Union citizen, who was responsible for the primary day-to-day care of the child; the nature of contact between the child and his or her father; the extent to which the father contributed to the support and upbringing of the child, even whether the father was willing to take care of the child. The fact that the father had no rights of custody with respect to the child was also not considered to be relevant where no plausible case had been made that rights of custody could not be awarded to him. The referring court seeks to ascertain whether the case-law of the Court should be subject to such restrictive interpretation.

38 If the Court were to consider, in each of the cases in the main proceedings, that the mere fact that the child is dependent on his or her mother for daily support is not a criterion that is determinative of the issue of whether the child is dependent on his or her mother to such an extent that the child would, in practice, be obliged to leave the territory of the European Union if a right of residence were refused to the mother, the referring court asks what other circumstances of those cases might be relevant to that issue.

39 In those circumstances the Centrale Raad van Beroep (Higher Administrative Court) decided to stay proceedings and refer to the Court the following questions for a preliminary ruling:

'1. Must Article 20 TFEU be interpreted as precluding a Member State from depriving a third-country national who is responsible for the day-to-day and primary care of his/her minor child, who is a national of that Member State, of the right of residence in that Member State?

2. In answering that question, is it relevant that it is that parent on whom the child is entirely dependent, legally, financial and/or emotionally and, furthermore, that it cannot be excluded that the other parent, who is a national of the Member State, might in fact be able to care for the child?

3. In that case, should the parent/third-country national have to make a plausible case that the other parent is not able to assume responsibility for the care of the child, so that the child would be obliged to leave the territory of the European Union if the parent/third-country national is denied a right of residence?'

Consideration of the questions referred

Preliminary observations

40 As a preliminary point, it should be noted that the situations at issue in the main proceedings reveal, in addition to some common features, a number of particular features which must be taken into consideration.

41 Admittedly, as stated in paragraph 30 of this judgment, each of the situations at issue in the main proceedings concerns a third-country national who, over the periods relevant to the rejection of applications for child benefit or social assistance: was staying in the Netherlands without holding a residence permit; was the mother of at least one minor child of Netherlands nationality who lived with her; was responsible for the primary day-to-day care of that child, and was separated from the father of the child, the father also being of Netherlands nationality and acknowledging the child as his.

42 However, the situations at issue in the main proceedings reveal differences, with respect to the relationships between the parents and the children in terms of custody and contributions to costs of support, the situations of the mothers in terms of their right to stay within the territory of the European Union, and the situations of the minor children themselves.

43 First, as regards the relationships between the parents and the children, it is apparent from the order for reference that contact between the children and their fathers was, variously, frequent, seldom or even non-existent. Thus, in one case, the father could not be traced, and in another the father was in a supported accommodation scheme. In three cases, the father was contributing to maintenance costs for the child, while, in five other cases, no contribution was made. Whereas in two out of the eight cases the parents shared custody, in the six other cases the primary day-to-day care of the child was the responsibility of the mother alone. Last, in half of the cases, the child was living with the mother in an emergency refuge.

44 As regards, second, the situation of the applicants in the main proceedings in terms of their right to stay within the territory of the European Union, it has to be noted that a residence permit has, in the interim, been granted to two of them.

45 Accordingly, at the hearing, the representatives of Ms Wip and Ms Chavez-Vilchez and the Netherlands Government stated that those two persons can now be described as residing lawfully. Ms Wip has obtained a residence permit in Belgium, where she lives and works with her daughter. Ms Chavez-Vilchez was, in April 2015, issued with a residence permit in the Netherlands, on the basis of Article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, signed in Rome on 4 November 1950, and she is working in Belgium.

46 Third, as regards the situation of the minor children themselves, it must be stated that the child of Ms Chavez-Vilchez lived in Germany with her parents until June 2011 before returning to the Netherlands with her mother, who then submitted an application for child benefit to the Netherlands authorities.

47 On the other hand, the minor children of the other seven applicants in the main proceedings never exercised their right of free movement before or during the period relevant to the applications for social assistance or child benefit at issue in the main proceedings, and they have resided since birth in the Member State of which they are nationals.

48 As the Court has consistently held, even though, formally, the referring court has limited its questions to the interpretation of Article 20 TFEU alone, such a situation does not prevent the Court from providing the referring court with all the elements of interpretation of EU law which may be of assistance in adjudicating on the cases before it, whether or not that court has specifically referred to them in its questions (see, to that effect, judgments of 5 May 2011, McCarthy, C434/09, EU:C:2011:277, paragraph 24; of 19 September 2013, Betriu Montull, C5/12, EU:C:2013:571, paragraph 41; and of 10 October 2013, Alokpa and Moudoulou, C86/12, EU:C:2013:645, paragraph 20).

49 In this case, it is appropriate to analyse, first, the situation of the child of Ms Chavez-Vilchez and of Ms Chavez-Vilchez herself in the light of Article 21 TFEU and of Directive 2004/38, whose objective is to facilitate the exercise of the primary and individual right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, a right which is conferred directly on Union citizens by Article 21(1) TFEU and whose objective is in particular to reinforce that right (see, to that effect, judgments of 5 May 2011, McCarthy, C434/09, EU:C:2011:277, paragraph 28, and of 12 March 2014, O. and B., C456/12, EU:C:2014:135, paragraph 35) and, second, the respective situations of the children of the other applicants in the main proceedings, who have always resided with their mothers before and during the period relevant to the applications for social assistance or child benefit at issue in the main proceedings, in the Member State of which they are nationals, and the situations of those applicants themselves, from the perspective of Article 20 TFEU.

50 As regards the child of Ms Chavez-Vilchez, that child exercised her freedom of movement before an application was made, by her mother, for benefits in the Netherlands for periods between 7 July 2011 and the end of March 2012, since the child stayed, until June 2011, with her parents in Germany, the Member State where her father lives and works, before returning, in the company of her mother, to the Netherlands, the Member State of which she is a national.

51 As stated by the Netherlands Government at the hearing, although Ms Chavez-Vilchez has, subsequently, obtained a residence permit in the Netherlands, the referring court considers that an examination of her situation and that of her child with respect to the law on EU citizenship remains necessary, since the grant of that residence permit post-dated the periods that are relevant to the applications for the benefits at issue in the main proceedings.

52 As regards the existence of a derived right of residence, based on Article 21(1) TFEU and Directive 2004/38, the Court has held that that directive confers rights of entry into and residence in a Member State not on all third-country nationals, but solely on those who are a 'family member', within the meaning of point 2 of Article 2 of that directive, of a Union citizen who has exercised his right of freedom of movement by settling in a Member State other than the Member State of which he is a national (judgments of 15 November 2011, Dereci and Others, C256/11, EU:C:2011:734, paragraph 56; of 6 December 2012, O and Others, C356/11 and C357/11, EU:C:2012:776, paragraph 41; and of 18 December 2014, McCarthy and Others, C202/13, EU:C:2014:2450, paragraph 36).

53 The Court has, moreover, held that Directive 2004/38 is only applicable to the conditions governing whether a Union citizen can enter and stay in Member States other than that of which he is a national. Directive 2004/38 does not therefore confer a derived right of residence on third-country nationals who are family members of a Union citizen in the Member State of which that citizen is a national (see, to that effect, judgment of 12 March 2014, S. and G., C457/12, EU:C:2014:136, paragraph 34).

54 However, the Court has held that, when a Union citizen returns to the Member State of which he is a national, the conditions for granting a derived right of residence, based on Article 21(1) TFEU, to a third-country national who is a family member of that Union citizen and with whom that citizen has resided, solely by virtue of his being a Union citizen, in the host Member State, those conditions should not, in principle, be more strict than those provided for by Directive 2004/38 for the grant of such a right of residence to a third-country national who is a family member of a Union citizen in a case where that citizen has exercised his right of freedom of movement by becoming established in a Member State other than the Member State of which he is a national (see, to that effect, judgment of 12 March 2014, O. and B., C456/12, EU:C:2014:135, paragraph 50).

55 Even though Directive 2004/38 does not cover such a return, it should be applied, by analogy, in respect of the conditions that it lays down for the residence of a Union citizen in a Member State other than that of which he is a national, given that in both cases it is the Union citizen who is the reference person if it is to be possible for a derived right of residence to be granted to a third-country national who is a family member of that Union citizen (judgment of 12 March 2014, O. and B., C456/12, EU:C:2014:135, paragraph 50).

56 It is for the referring court to assess whether the conditions laid down by Directive 2004/38, in particular in Articles 5 to 7 thereof, which govern entry into and residence in the territory of Member States, were satisfied in the period relevant to the refusal of the applications for benefits, so that Ms Chavez-Vilchez could rely on a derived right of residence based on Article 21 TFEU and on Directive 2004/38.

57 If not, it would then be appropriate to examine the situation of the child, a Union citizen, and the child's mother, a third-country national, in the light of Article 20 TFEU.

58 As regards the children of Ms Wip, who were living with their mother in the Netherlands when Ms Wip sought social assistance for the months of October and November 2012, it was stated, at the hearing, that they now reside with their mother in Belgium, where she has obtained a residence permit and is in employment. Since the period in which those children exercised their freedom of movement and freedom to reside as Union citizens in a Member State other than that of which they are nationals and in which their mother obtained a residence permit in that other Member State post-dates the period relevant to the dispute in the main proceedings, it remains necessary to assess whether their mother could have been entitled, for the period under consideration, to a derived right of residence under Article 20 TFEU.

The first and second questions referred

59 By the first and second questions referred, which can be examined together, the referring court seeks, in essence, to ascertain whether Article 20 TFEU must be interpreted as precluding a Member State from refusing a right of residence in its territory to a parent, a third-country national, who is responsible for the primary day-to-day care of a child who is a national of that Member State, when it cannot be excluded that the other parent, who is also a national of that Member State, might be able to take charge of the primary day-to-day care of the child. The referring court seeks to ascertain whether the fact that the child is not entirely dependent, legally, financially or emotionally, on the third-country national is relevant to that issue.

60 In accordance with the Court's settled case-law, the children concerned in the disputes in the main proceedings may, as nationals of a Member State, rely on the rights pertaining to their status as Union citizens conferred on them by Article 20 TFEU, including against the Member State of which they are nationals (see, to that effect, judgments of 5 May 2011, McCarthy, C434/09, EU:C:2011:277, paragraph 48; of 15 November 2011, Dereci and Others, C256/11, EU:C:2011:734, paragraph 63; and of 6 December 2012, O and Others, C356/11 and C357/11, EU:C:2012:776, paragraphs 43 and 44).

61 The Court has held that Article 20 TFEU precludes national measures, including decisions refusing a right of residence to the family members of a Union citizen, which have the effect of depriving Union citizens of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights conferred by virtue of their status (judgments of 8 March 2011, Ruiz Zambrano, C34/09, EU:C:2011:124, paragraph 42, and of 6 December 2012, O and Others, C356/11 and C357/11, EU:C:2012:776, paragraph 45).

62 On the other hand, the Treaty provisions on citizenship of the Union do not confer any autonomous right on third-country nationals. Any rights conferred on third-country nationals are not autonomous rights of those nationals but rights derived from those enjoyed by a Union citizen. The purpose and justification of those derived rights are based on the fact that a refusal to allow them would be such as to interfere, in particular, with a Union citizen's freedom of movement (judgments of 13 September 2016, Rendon Marin, C165/14, EU:C:2016:675, paragraphs 72 and 73, and of 13 September 2016, CS, C304/14, EU:C:2016:674, paragraphs 27 and 28 and the case-law cited).

63 In this connection, the Court has already held that there are very specific situations in which, despite the fact that secondary law on the right of residence of third-country nationals does not apply and the Union citizen concerned has not made use of his freedom of movement, a right of residence must nevertheless be granted to a third-country national who is a family member of that Union citizen, since the effectiveness of Union citizenship would otherwise be undermined, if, as a consequence of refusal of such a right, that citizen would be obliged in practice to leave the territory of the European Union as a whole, thus depriving him of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights conferred by that status (see, to that effect, judgments of 8 March 2011, Ruiz Zambrano, C34/09, EU:C:2011:124, paragraphs 43 and 44; of 15 November 2011, Dereci and Others, C256/11, EU:C:2011:734, paragraphs 66 and 67; of 13 September 2016, Rendon Marin, C165/14, EU:C:2016:675, paragraph 74; and of 13 September 2016, CS, C304/14, EU:C:2016:674, paragraph 29).

64 The situations referred to in the preceding paragraph have the common feature that, although they are governed by legislation which falls, a priori, within the competence of the Member States, namely legislation on the right of entry and residence of third-country nationals outside the scope of provisions of EU secondary legislation, which provide for the grant of such a right under certain conditions, those situations nonetheless have an intrinsic connection with the freedom of movement and residence of a Union citizen, which precludes the right of entry and residence from being refused to those nationals in the Member State of residence of that citizen, in order to avoid interference with that freedom (judgments of 13 September 2016, Rendon Marin, C165/14, EU:C:2016:675, paragraph 75, and of 13 September 2016, CS, C304/14, EU:C:2016:674, paragraph 30 and the case-law cited).

65 In this case, if it were to be established, that being a matter for the referring court, that a refusal to allow residence to the third-country nationals at issue in the main proceedings would have the effect that the parties concerned would have to leave the territory of the European Union, the consequence might be a restriction on the rights conferred on their children by their status as Union citizens, in particular the right of residence, since those children might be compelled to accompany their mothers and therefore to leave the territory of the European Union, as a whole. In the event that the mothers were obliged to leave the territory of the European Union, their children would thus be deprived of genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights conferred on them by their status as Union citizens (see, to that effect, judgment of 13 September 2016, Rendon Marin, C165/14, EU:C:2016:675, paragraph 78 and the case-law cited).

66 The Netherlands Government maintains, however, that the mere fact that a third-country national parent undertakes the day-to-day care of the child and is the person on whom that child is in fact dependent, legally, financially or emotionally, even in part, does not permit the automatic conclusion that a child who is a Union citizen would be compelled to leave the territory of the European Union if a right of residence were refused to that third-country national. The presence, in the territory of the Member State of which that child is a national or in the territory of the Union, as a whole, of the other parent, who is himself a Union citizen and is capable of caring for the child, is, according to the Netherlands Government, a significant factor in that assessment.

67 The Netherlands Government also states that, in certain circumstances, the competent national authorities assume that the parent who is a Union citizen is unfit or unable to care for the child. That applies where that parent is dead or cannot be traced; where that parent has been imprisoned, confined to an institution or admitted to hospital for long-term treatment; where, according to objective sources, such as a statement from the police or youth assistance services, that parent is shown to be incapable of caring for the child, and, last, where an application by that parent to obtain custody, even jointly, has been dismissed by the courts.

68 In that regard, it must be recalled that, in the judgment of 6 December 2012, O and Others (C356/11 and C357/11, EU:C:2012:776, paragraphs 51 and 56), the Court held that factors of relevance, for the purposes of determining whether a refusal to grant a right of residence to a third-country national parent of a child who is a Union citizen means that that child is deprived of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights conferred on him by that status, include the question of who has custody of the child and whether that child is legally, financially or emotionally dependent on the third-country national parent.

69 As regards the second factor, the Court has stated that it is the relationship of dependency between the Union citizen who is a minor and the third country national who is refused a right of residence that is liable to jeopardise the effectiveness of Union citizenship, since it is that dependency that would lead to the Union citizen being obliged, in practice, to leave not only the territory of the Member State of which he is a national but also that of the European Union as a whole, as a consequence of such a refusal (see, to that effect, judgments of 8 March 2011, Ruiz Zambrano, C34/09, EU:C:2011:124, paragraphs 43 and 45; of 15 November 2011, Dereci and Others, C256/11, EU:C:2011:734, paragraphs 65 to 67; and of 6 December 2012, O and Others, C356/11 and C357/11, EU:C:2012:776, paragraph 56).

70 In this case, in order to assess the risk that a particular child, who is a Union citizen, might be compelled to leave the territory of the European Union and thereby be deprived of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights conferred on him by Article 20 TFEU if the child's third-country national parent were to be refused a right of residence in the Member State concerned, it is important to determine, in each case at issue in the main proceedings, which parent is the primary carer of the child and whether there is in fact a relationship of dependency between the child and the third-country national parent. As part of that assessment, the competent authorities must take account of the right to respect for family life, as stated in Article 7 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, that article requiring to be read in conjunction with the obligation to take into consideration the best interests of the child, recognised in Article 24(2) of that charter.

71 For the purposes of such an assessment, the fact that the other parent, a Union citizen, is actually able and willing to assume sole responsibility for the primary day-to-day care of the child is a relevant factor, but it is not in itself a sufficient ground for a conclusion that there is not, between the third-country national parent and the child, such a relationship of dependency that the child would be compelled to leave the territory of the European Union if a right of residence were refused to that third-country national. In reaching such a conclusion, account must be taken, in the best interests of the child concerned, of all the specific circumstances, including the age of the child, the child's physical and emotional development, the extent of his emotional ties both to the Union citizen parent and to the third-country national parent, and the risks which separation from the latter might entail for that child's equilibrium.

72 In the light of the foregoing, the answer to the first and second questions is that Article 20 TFEU must be interpreted as meaning that for the purposes of assessing whether a child who is a Union citizen would be compelled to leave the territory of the European Union as a whole and thereby deprived of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights conferred on him by that article if the child's third-country national parent were refused a right of residence in the Member State concerned, the fact that the other parent, who is a Union citizen, is actually able and willing to assume sole responsibility for the primary day-to-day care of the child is a relevant factor, but it is not in itself a sufficient ground for a conclusion that there is not, between the third-country national parent and the child, such a relationship of dependency that the child would indeed be so compelled were there to be such a refusal of a right of residence. Such an assessment must take into account, in the best interests of the child concerned, all the specific circumstances, including the age of the child, the child's physical and emotional development, the extent of his emotional ties both to the Union citizen parent and to the third-country national parent, and the risks which separation from the latter might entail for the child's equilibrium.

Consideration of the third question referred

73 By the third question submitted for a preliminary ruling, the referring court seeks in essence to ascertain whether Article 20 TFEU must be interpreted as precluding a Member State from providing that the right of residence in its territory of a third-country national, who is a parent of a minor child that is a national of that Member State, and for whose primary day-to-day care that parent is responsible, is subject to the condition that the third country national must establish that the other parent, who is a national of that same Member State, is not in a position to provide the primary day-to-day care of the child.

74 According to the Netherlands Government, pursuant to the general rule that a party who seeks to rely on certain rights must establish that those rights are applicable to his situation, a rule that is accepted in EU law (see, to that effect, judgments of 8 May 2013, Alarape and Tijani, C529/11, EU:C:2013:290, paragraph 38, and of 16 January 2014, Reyes, C423/12, EU:C:2014:16, paragraphs 25 to 27), the burden of proof of the existence of a right of residence under Article 20 TFEU lies on the applicants in the main proceedings. It is for them to demonstrate that, because of objective impediments that prevent the Union citizen parent from actually caring for the child, the child is dependent on the third-country national parent to such an extent that the consequence of refusing to grant that third-country national a right of residence would be that the child would be obliged, in practice, to leave the territory of the European Union.

75 In that regard, it must be stated that, in the event that a third-country national, the parent of a minor child who is a national of a Member State and for whose primary day-to-day care that parent is responsible, seeks to obtain from the competent authorities of that Member State recognition of a derived right of residence based on Article 20 TFEU, it is for that third-country national to provide evidence on the basis of which it can be assessed whether the conditions governing the application of that article are satisfied, in particular, evidence that a decision to refuse a right of residence to the third-country national parent would deprive the child of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights attached to his or her status as a Union citizen by obliging the child to leave the territory of the European Union, as a whole.

76 However, as stated by the European Commission, while it is, as a general rule, for the third-country national parent to provide evidence to prove that he or she has a right of residence under Article 20 TFEU, in particular evidence that, if residence were to be refused, the child would be obliged to leave the territory of the European Union, the fact remains that, when undertaking the assessment of the conditions required in order for the third-country national to be able to qualify for such a right of residence, the competent national authorities must ensure that the application of national legislation on the burden of proof such as that at issue in the disputes in the main proceedings does not undermine the effectiveness of Article 20 TFEU.

77 Accordingly, the application of such national legislation on the burden of proof does not relieve the authorities of the Member State concerned of the obligation to undertake, on the basis of the evidence provided by the third-country national, the necessary inquiries to determine where the parent who is a national of that Member State resides and to examine, first, whether that parent is, or is not, actually able and willing to assume sole responsibility for the primary day-to-day care of the child, and, second, whether there is, or is not, such a relationship of dependency between the child and the third-country national parent that a decision to refuse the right of residence to the latter would deprive the child of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights attached to his or her status as a Union citizen by obliging the child to leave the territory of the European Union, as a whole.

78 In the light of the foregoing, the answer to the third question is that Article 20 TFEU must be interpreted as not precluding a Member State from providing that the right of residence in its territory of a third-country national, who is a parent of a minor child that is a national of that Member State and who is responsible for the primary day-to-day care of that child, is subject to the requirement that the third-country national must provide evidence to prove that a refusal of a right of residence to the third-country national parent would deprive the child of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights pertaining to the child's status as a Union citizen, by obliging the child to leave the territory of the European Union, as a whole. It is however for the competent authorities of the Member State concerned to undertake, on the basis of the evidence provided by the third-country national, the necessary enquiries in order to be able to assess, in the light of all the specific circumstances, whether a refusal would have such consequences.

Costs

79 Since these proceedings are, for the parties to the main proceedings, a step in the action pending before the national court, the decision on costs is a matter for that court. Costs incurred in submitting observations to the Court, other than the costs of those parties, are not recoverable.

On those grounds, the Court (Grand Chamber) hereby rules:

1. Article 20 TFEU must be interpreted as meaning that for the purposes of assessing whether a child who is a citizen of the European Union would be compelled to leave the territory of the European Union as a whole and thereby deprived of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights conferred on him by that article if the child's third-country national parent were refused a right of residence in the Member State concerned, the fact that the other parent, who is a Union citizen, is actually able and willing to assume sole responsibility for the primary day-to-day care of the child is a relevant factor, but it is not in itself a sufficient ground for a conclusion that there is not, between the third-country national parent and the child, such a relationship of dependency that the child would indeed be so compelled were there to be such a refusal of a right of residence. Such an assessment must take into account, in the best interests of the child concerned, all the specific circumstances, including the age of the child, the child's physical and emotional development, the extent of his emotional ties both to the Union citizen parent and to the third-country national parent, and the risks which separation from the latter might entail for the child's equilibrium.

2. Article 20 TFEU must be interpreted as not precluding a Member State from providing that the right of residence in its territory of a third-country national, who is a parent of a minor child that is a national of that Member State and who is responsible for the primary day-to-day care of that child, is subject to the requirement that the third-country national must provide evidence to prove that a refusal of a right of residence to the third-country national parent would deprive the child of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights pertaining to the child's status as a Union citizen, by obliging the child to leave the territory of the European Union, as a whole. It is however for the competent authorities of the Member State concerned to undertake, on the basis of the evidence provided by the third-country national, the necessary enquiries in order to be able to assess, in the light of all the specific circumstances, whether a refusal would have such consequences.

[Signatures]

Copyright notice: Cour de justice des Communautes europeennes L-2925 Luxembourg. Telephone switchboard: (352) 4303.1; fax: (352) 4303.2600
UNHCR welcomes Djibouti's new refugee laws

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the coming into force of new Refugee Laws in Djibouti that streamlines refugee status determination procedures and grants more opportunities for their socio-economic integration.

The new laws come into effect as Djibouti's president Ismail Omar Guelleh signed two decrees on Thursday 7 December. The newly introduced laws also facilitate better access to social services like healthcare, education, and employment opportunities.

The new developments are part of the Presidential pledges made at last year's Leaders' Summit, following the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in September 2016. The changes are also part of Djibouti's application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), outlined in the Declaration, which aims to enhance refugee self-reliance and inclusion alongside more support for communities hosting refugees.

Previously, refugees' access to healthcare was primarily assured through international non-governmental organizations, while job opportunities were restricted to the informal sector where they worked as domestic help, fishers, restaurant staff, or labourers.

This development follows an agreement between the Government and UNHCR in August this year to provide quality education to all refugee children by including them into the national system.

Djibouti is also hosting a regional conference this week on improving education for refugees in alignment with the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).

Having a long history of hosting refugees, the country currently hosts over 27,000, mostly from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and more recently from Yemen.

END
Title Greece: Law 4332, Amendment of the provisions of the Greek Nationality Code  Amendment of Law 4521/2014 to transpose to Greek law Directive 2011/98/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council "on a single application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and on a common set of rights for third- country workers legally residing in a Member State" and Directive 2014/36/EU "on the conditions of entry and stay of third-country nationals for the purpose of employment as seasonal workers" and other provisions

Publisher National Authorities

Publication Date 9 July 2015

Country Greece

Cite as Greece: Law 4332, Amendment of the provisions of the Greek Nationality Code  Amendment of Law 4521/2014 to transpose to Greek law Directive 2011/98/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council "on a single application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and on a common set of rights for third- country workers legally residing in a Member State" and Directive 2014/36/EU "on the conditions of entry and stay of third-country nationals for the purpose of employment as seasonal workers" and other provisions [Greece], 9 July 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fb5064.html [accessed 17 November 2022]
H.A.H. v. S.A.A. and Others

Publisher Ireland: Supreme Court Publication Date 12 December 2017 Cite as Ireland: Supreme Court, H.A.H. v. S.A.A. and Others, 12 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fb7814.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

THE SUPREME COURT

FAMILY LAW

IN THE MATTER OF THE FAMILY LAW ACT, 1995

[Supreme Court Appeal No. 128/2011; 130/2011; 135/2011]



Denham C.J.

O'Donnell J.

Clarke J.

MacMenamin J.

Laffoy J.

Charleton J.

O'Malley J.

BETWEEN:

H.A.H. (APPLICANT)



AND

S.A.A. (RESPONDENT)



AND

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (1ST NOTICE PARTY)



AND BY ORDER OF THE COURT

S.A.H. (2ND NOTICE PARTY)



JUDGMENT of Ms. Justice O'Malley delivered the 15th day of June 2017.

Introduction

1. In this case this Court is asked, apparently for the first time, to give full consideration to the legal consequences within this State of a polygamous marriage entered into in another country. The appellant ("the husband") has contracted marriage with two women, in a manner permissible according to the law of the State of their domicile. In form, what is sought is a declaration pursuant to s.29 of the Family Law Act, 1995 that the husband's marriage to the respondent S.A.A. ("the first wife") was valid on the date of its inception on the 3rd January, 1975. However, the case raises questions going well beyond what might appear to be the technical proofs for such a declaration. There is no doubt but that the marriage was valid in terms of compliance with the law of the State in which it took place. That does not of itself resolve the real issue between the parties, which is whether the marriage has the effect in Irish law of conferring on the parties to it the rights rising from the status of husband and wife. The question for the Court to determine is, essentially, whether Irish law either requires or prohibits the recognition of either or both of the appellant's two marriages. This involves the application of the rules relating to the conflict of laws and, in particular, the nature of Irish public policy in relation to polygamous marriages.

2. The basic rule for the recognition of a foreign marriage is that Irish law will recognise a marriage contracted in a foreign country which complies with the laws of that country, the lex loci celebrationis, unless it conflicts with fundamental requirements relating to validity based on the domicile of the parties or public policy in our law, in particular capacity to marry.

3. Public policy is in general a matter for the Oireachtas. However, the recognition of foreign marriages has rarely been the subject of legislation in this State (one example is the Lourdes Marriages Act 1972, enacted to validate marriages that took place between Irish couples in Lourdes without regard to the requirements of French law) and any issue in relation thereto has historically fallen to the courts to determine in accordance with the rules of private international law. It should be emphasised from the outset that, while this Court must deal with the questions raised in this case, and will have to attempt to discern Irish public policy in so doing, that fact in no way interferes with the right of the legislature to enact such measures on the issue as it sees fit subject only to the requirements of the Constitution.

4. It must also be acknowledged from the outset that almost any decision in this difficult area, touching as it does upon fundamental aspects of people's lives, is likely to reach a conclusion that is capable of causing distress and indeed unfairness to some private individuals and their families. That is a result of the fact that legal systems around the world differ greatly in the manner in which they regulate, or attempt to regulate, human relationships. There is not at present a universal consensus on the nature of marital relationships or how they should be regulated, and any national legal system that is called upon to make a judgment as to what marital arrangement it will or will not accept must determine the matter in accordance with its own rules. Those rules, in this jurisdiction, are currently found in the body of common law principles known as private international law or conflicts of laws.



Background

5. The husband is a recognised refugee and naturalised Irish citizen, who is originally from the Lebanon. While domiciled there he contracted two marriages - the first in 1975 and the second in 1988. The husband has a subsisting relationship with each wife and there are children of both marriages.

6. All of the parties are Lebanese Muslims and there is no doubt but that both marriage ceremonies were valid under Lebanese law, in regard to both formalities and the capacity of the parties. The evidence in this respect was that under Lebanese law and Shari'ah a Lebanese Muslim man may marry up to four women.

7. The husband came to Ireland as an asylum seeker in 1998. He was recognised as a refugee in 2000 and on that basis became entitled under the Refugee Act 1996 to apply to the Mister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to be joined by members of his family including his "spouse". The husband applied initially in respect of the second notice party S.A.H. ("the second wife"), who is the wife of the 1988 marriage. She was admitted to the State in 2001 with a number of minor children, expressly on the basis that she was the wife of the husband. She is now an Irish citizen. In these proceedings she has supported the claim of the first wife to be recognised as such, while also maintaining her own claim that she is validly married.

8. In 2002 the husband was granted Irish citizenship. In the same year he made an application to have the first wife admitted to the State. The explanation for this later application is that she had been unable to travel earlier.

9. The question about the first marriage arises in its current form because the Minister refused to admit the first wife into the State under the terms of the Refugee Act 1996. The husband then instituted judicial review proceedings to quash that refusal. The application for a declaration under the Family Law Act 1995 was made as a result of a compromise agreed in 2005 between the parties in those proceedings.

10. After the commencement of the current court application, but before it was heard in the High Court, the first wife arrived in Ireland as an asylum seeker. There is no finding of any subterfuge concerning either her existence, the status claimed for her by the husband, or the intention that she should follow him here. She has been in the State since 2006 and although her asylum application was ultimately unsuccessful she has been granted permission to remain. Counsel for the Attorney General has told the Court that it is unlikely that any step would be taken to remove her at this stage, no matter what the outcome of these proceedings. However, the issue of her status is clearly not moot.

11. There are children of each marriage resident in the State, some of whom are recognised refugees while others were admitted on the basis of family reunification.

12. The Attorney General takes the position, notwithstanding the decision of the Minister to admit the second wife as the spouse of the husband, and notwithstanding that it was the Minister's proposal in the settlement of the judicial review proceedings that caused the husband to seek a declaration as to the validity of the first marriage, that neither marriage should be recognised. She accepts that the marriages were valid under the law of the jurisdiction in which they were contracted, which was the law of the parties' domicile, and that the parties had capacity under that law. The marriages would therefore qualify for recognition under standard principles of private international law unless that result is prohibited by considerations of public policy. The Attorney General contends that Irish public policy is opposed to the attachment of legal consequence in this State to polygamous marriages. That is so, it is argued, whether a marriage is actually polygamous (that is where more than one marriage has been entered into) or merely potentially polygamous (that is where there is only one spouse but the relevant legal system would permit subsequent marriages). However, in the course of the hearing of this appeal it seemed to be conceded that a more nuanced position might be adopted in relation to potentially polygamous marriages.



The nature of the proceedings

13. The Refugee Act 1996 confers an entitlement on a recognised refugee to be joined by family members, including the spouse of the refugee. The Act requires, in the case of a spouse, that the marriage be subsisting as of the date of the application. The statutory procedure for dealing with such an application involves its referral by the Minister to what was at the relevant time the office of the Refugee Appeals Commissioner. It is the function of the Commissioner to investigate the application and make a report to the Minister on the relationship between the refugee concerned and the person the subject of the application. If the Minister is then satisfied that the person is a member of the refugee's family, he or she will grant permission to the person to enter and reside in the State.

14. Section 29 of the Family Law Act 1995 provides for the making, on the application of a spouse or any other person with sufficient interest, of one or more of a range of five declarations in relation to a marriage. These are:- that the marriage was at its inception a valid marriage; that the marriage subsisted on a specified date; that the marriage did not subsist on a specified date; that a divorce, annulment or separation obtained abroad is entitled to recognition in the State; and/or that such divorce, annulment or separation is not entitled to recognition.

15. A declaration under the section may be granted only if one or both of the spouses concerned is domiciled in the State, or ordinarily resident for at least a year, as of the date of the application. If granted, the declaration is binding on the parties and, if the Attorney General is added as a party, on the State.

16. There appears to have been something of a practice on the part of the Minster for Justice, at one time, to refer applicants for family reunification to this procedure in cases where it appeared to the Minister that the person concerned was not a "spouse" under Irish law. It was made clear in Hamza v. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform [2013] IESC 9 and Hassan v. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform [2013] IESC 8 that this was inappropriate. It is for the Minister to decide, under the family reunification provisions, whether an applicant was married to the person he or she wishes admitted as a spouse, and it is not open to the Minister to decline that question by suggesting that a declaration be sought from the courts. Furthermore, as Cooke J. pointed out in Hamza, it is clear that the s.29 procedure, while it might on occasion resolve doubts, is not normally apt for the purpose of dealing with family reunification issues. Amongst other considerations, Cooke J. pointed out that the section is directed at resolving disputed issues in the case of parties with an established connection with the State, and that the Circuit Court (being the court dealing with most of the applications under the section) lacked the inquisitorial competence or investigative function available to the Minister under the family reunification process set out in the Refugee Act.

17. On the appeals in those cases this Court agreed with the analysis of Cooke J., and it may be noted that all of the parties to this litigation, including the Attorney General, now also agree.



The High Court judgment

18. The application under the Family Law Act was refused in the High Court (Dunne J. - see H.A.H. v. S.A.A. [2010] IEHC 497). After a careful analysis of the Irish and English common law authorities, as well as European Union law and case law on the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the trial judge concluded that to interpret the word "marriage" as including polygamous marriage was simply not compatible with the Irish constitutional understanding of marriage. To hold otherwise, she considered, would be to re-write the understanding of marriage in this jurisdiction. The basic concept of marriage as enshrined in the 1937 Constitution had, she accepted, remained unchanged, despite the removal of the prohibition of divorce. On that basis, it was not possible to grant a declaration that the marriage was valid in the eyes of Irish law.

19. It is of relevance to note that in the High Court the Attorney General placed reliance on the decision of Dunne J. in Zappone and Gilligan v. The Revenue Commissioners & Ors. [2008] 2 I.R. 417. The plaintiffs in that case were two women who had married in Canada. At that time Canada had legislated for same-sex marriage but Ireland had not, and the issue was whether the marriage could be recognised here. Dunne J. observed that marriage was understood under the 1937 Constitution to be confined to persons of the opposite sex, and held that, despite significant changes to the institution of marriage since that date, Articles 41 and 42 could not be read as relating to a same-sex union.

20. The trial judge, having referred to Zappone, quoted the following passage from the judgment of Hamilton C.J. in T.F. v. Ireland [1995] 1 I.R. 321:

"As to how marriage should be defined, the Court adopts the definition given by Costello J. in Murray v. Ireland [1985] I.R. 532 at p. 535:-

'the Constitution makes clear that the concept and nature of marriage, which it enshrines, are derived from the Christian notion of partnership based on an irrevocable personal consent, given by both spouses which establishes a unique and very special lifelong relationship.'

And in N. v. K. [1985] I.R. 733, McCarthy J. said in his judgment at p.754:-

'Marriage is a civil contract which creates reciprocating rights and duties between the parties but, further, establishes a status which affects both the parties to the contract and the community as a whole.'

One of the reciprocating rights and duties is obviously that of cohabitation. It is an important element in marriage that the spouses live together. The unique and special relationship referred to by Costello J. could not be developed otherwise."

21. Reference was also made to the view of Murray J. (as he then was) in D.T. v. C.T. [2003] 1 ILRM 321, where the following passage commences at p. 374:

"marriage itself remains a solemn contract of partnership entered into between man and woman with a special status recognised in the Constitution. It is one which is entered into in principle for life. It is not entered into for a determinate period. The moment a man and woman marry, their bond acquires a legal status. The relationship once formed, the law steps in and holds the parties to certain obligations and liabilities. Even where a marriage is dissolved by judicial decree the laws of many if not most states require that the divorced spouses continue to respect and fulfil certain obligations deriving from their dissolved marriage for their mutual protection and welfare, usually of a financial nature.

The life-long commitment which marriage in principle entails means that there is a mutuality of an intimate relationship in which singular aspirations in the life of each partner are adapted to mutual life goals. They adapt their lives to live and work together for the mutual welfare of their family which usually, but by no means necessarily so, involves the birth and rearing of children. Husband and wife having mutual duties and responsibilities for the welfare of each other and the marriage, will, throughout the marriage, make private decisions as to the role each of them will play in the support of the marriage, the achievement of their goals and their lifestyle. These decisions are likely to have an effect on their way of life even after the eventuality of a divorce, such as the capacity of one of them at that stage to establish an independent and secure way of life."

22. In discussing the nature of Irish public policy, Dunne J. observed that the factors influencing the decisions of the English courts, derived from the requirements of running a commonwealth and empire, were not of particular relevance here. She considered that public policy in this jurisdiction was informed by the Constitution, legislation and, to an important extent, Irish culture and tradition, while noting that Ireland had become an increasingly multi-cultural and pluralist country. The changes to the institution of marriage brought about, for example, by the introduction of divorce had not altered the basic meaning and constitutional understanding of "marriage" as set out in T.F. and in D.T. v. C.T. That meaning was not compatible with polygamous marriage.



Submissions in the appeal

23. One argument made on behalf of the appellant can, I think, be dealt with fairly briefly. Counsel has submitted that in determining the reach of public policy in this area the Court must have regard to the overall scope and architecture of the Constitution, and that is certainly correct. It is argued, in reliance on Nottinghamshire County Council v. B. [2013] 4 I.R. 662 and Balmer v. The Minister for Justice and Equality [2016] IESC 25, that the Constitution does not purport to regulate transactions that occur outside the jurisdiction. Foreign marriages, the argument goes, are not intended to be subject to the same rules as marriages within the State.

24. The difficulty with this submission is that the analysis of the Court in both Nottinghamshire and Balmer was concerned with events that were to happen outside the jurisdiction, under the applicable law of another State. The contention, unsuccessful in each case, was that the Court could refuse to make the parties concerned amenable to that other State because the Irish Constitution applied different standards to such events and would not produce the same result as the foreign jurisdiction. The appellants are correct in arguing that this Court concluded that the Constitution did not purport to apply its rules to other jurisdictions. However, I cannot see that it is of great relevance to the issue in the instant case. The appellants claim that the first wife has a legal right under Irish law, on foot of her status as a wife of the husband, to enter and reside in the State. The ruling of the Court will therefore determine a question of personal status for the purpose of the law of, and within, this State. That is manifestly a matter for the application of national law, which in this case means the application of conflict of law rules including the question of public policy.

25. On the main issue counsel has made a carefully limited argument. It is not suggested that either the appellant or the first wife has any constitutional right to have the marriage recognised as valid. It is further accepted that it is open to the legislature to prohibit such marriages within the State; to define the circumstances in which marriages may be recognised; and to define the rights to be enjoyed by the parties in this State including the right to family reunification. The submission, primarily, is that the Constitution does not require that recognition be refused. Further, it is argued that it is not sufficient for refusal that this is a form of marriage not permitted here - it is submitted that a refusal to recognise it, in circumstances where it is acceptable in large parts of the world, would require a finding that by Irish standards it is "egregious". Thus, it is accepted that coerced marriages or marriages which could be equated with slavery would not be recognised here, but it is contended that the form of marriage into which the individuals in this case have entered is not of that nature.

26. Counsel for the first wife submits that since a marriage need not, in the context of private international law, be recognised for all purposes of the national law, it is not necessary for her to come within a constitutional definition of marriage. It is sufficient for her to establish that she is a wife for the purposes of family reunification. He stresses the fact that the declaration sought relates only to the date of inception of the marriage.

27. Counsel for the Attorney General submits that for reasons of public policy neither marriage could be recognised under Irish law, and argues that the Court is bound to so find by precedent and by the Constitution. He stands over the definition of marriage set out in Hyde v. Hyde [1866] LR 1 P. & D. 130, and accepts that the logic of his argument is that all of the parties are free, so far as Irish law is concerned, to remarry (unless an Irish court adopted the analysis of Baindail v. Baindail [1946] P. 122, and held that a polygamous marriage was recognisable to the extent that it was an impediment to marriage here); that they do not enjoy succession rights; and that the children are all non-marital.

28. Originally, counsel for the Attorney General did not accept any distinction between actually and potentially polygamous marriages, arguing that potentially polygamous marriages were not intended by the parties to be monogamous and therefore could not be recognised by the Constitution. It was submitted that it was not open to this Court to develop public policy by accepting the English line of authority to the effect that a potentially polygamous marriage could be converted into a monogamous one by, for example, a change of domicile. In any event, it was argued, those authorities had no relevance to the instant case. However, by the end of the hearing a somewhat more nuanced approach appeared to be taken.

29. It seems that in practice many State Departments and agencies will treat as monogamous and therefore valid a potentially polygamous marriage where the parties are resident here and in a de facto monogamous relationship. (In summarising the argument here, I am avoiding the use of terminology with technical legal meanings such as "domicile" or "habitual residence". The point is that the State appears to take a pragmatic approach to couples who are resident here for long enough to have dealings with it).



Common law authorities on recognition of polygamous marriages

30. Generations of lawyers are familiar with the words of Lord Penzance in Hyde v Hyde [1866] LR 1 P. & D. 130:

"I conceive that marriage, as understood in Christendom, may for this purpose be defined as the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others."

31. However, it is necessary to look at the context of those words, as well as at the consequences. The matter before the court was a petition by a husband for a dissolution of his marriage on grounds of adultery. The couple had been married according to the rites of the Mormon Church in Utah, which permitted polygamy. The husband had subsequently left Utah and the Mormon faith, and the wife had then divorced him in Utah and remarried. This was the "adultery" complained of by the husband. The question Lord Penzance was posing and answering was whether there had been a marriage in the sense understood in the Matrimonial Court of England, so that the parties could be considered "husband" and "wife" in the sense used in the Divorce Act.

32. The definition cited above was seen as giving the essential elements and invariable features of the institution of marriage as seen in Christendom. It was accepted that in many countries of the world people did not live or cohabit together upon these terms. The judgment continues:

"In such parts the men take to themselves several women, whom they jealously guard from the rest of the world, and whose number is limited only by considerations of material means. But the status of these women in no way resembles that of the Christian 'wife'. In some parts they are slaves, in others perhaps not; in none do they stand, as in Christendom, upon the same level with the man under whose protection they live. There are, no doubt, in these countries laws adapted to this state of things - laws which regulate the duties and define the obligations of men and women standing to each other in these relations. In may be, and probably is, the case that the women there pass by some word or name which corresponds with our word 'wife'. But there is no magic in a name; and, if the relation there existing between men and women is not the relation which in Christendom we recognise and intend by the words 'husband' or 'wife', but another and altogether different relation, the use of a common term to express these two separate relations will not make them one and the same, though it may tend to confuse them to a superficial observer."

33. Lord Penzance said that it was obvious that the matrimonial law of England was adapted to Christian marriage and was wholly inapplicable to polygamy. The remedies provided by the law corresponded to the rights and duties created by the marriage contract, and could not be applied to a contract of such a different nature which did not confer those rights and duties. There was no law in England adjusted to the requirements of a polygamous marriage. He expressed doubts as to whether, in any event, it would be fitting for English courts

"to enforce the duties (even if we knew them) which belong to a system so utterly at variance with the Christian conception of marriage, and so revolting to the ideas we entertain of the social position to be accorded to the weaker sex."

34. It had been submitted on behalf of the petitioner that English matrimonial law could be applied to the first of a series of polygamous marriages, treating subsequent unions as void. Lord Penzance rejected this on the basis that it would be impossible, and unjust, for the courts to enforce the duties of marriage in favour of a first wife where the husband had done what his marriage contract allowed and taken a second wife. The compact of a polygamous marriage did not carry with it the duties which it was the role of English marriage law to enforce. In this regard he referred specifically to the action for restitution of conjugal rights and to the right of a wife to judicial separation and alimony in the event of marital offences on the part of the husband.

35. The petition was therefore rejected. However, in his final remarks Lord Penzance made it clear that he was dealing only with the question of whether relief could be obtained under the matrimonial law, and not with issues such as succession, legitimacy or the rights of third parties.

36. Hyde v. Hyde was approved by Haugh J. in Griffith v. Griffith [1944] I.R. 35 and appears to have been widely accepted in this State as embodying the definition of marriage in Irish law. It was referred to in Shatter's Family Law (3rd ed., 1986) as the "classic" legal definition of marriage. It appears to have been accepted also as encapsulating Irish public policy on the issue of polygamy. So, for example, in Conlon v. Mohamed [1989] ILRM 523 (considered below) the Supreme Court dealt in one sentence with the question whether a couple who had entered a potentially polygamous marriage could be recognised as married.

37. However, it is worth noting that in England the potential scope of Hyde v. Hyde as an authority was considerably reduced over the years before the matter was eventually made the subject of legislation in 1972 in the Matrimonial Proceedings (Polygamous Marriages) Act. For example, in 1930 the English Court of Appeal reversed a High Court decision that a Russian marriage, dissoluble more or less at will on the registration of a declaration, could not be recognised as a marriage under English Law. The High Court judge had considered that the ease with which divorce could be obtained caused the marriage to fall outside the description of marriage as a "union for life". The Court of Appeal took the view that the essential element was that the parties intended the union to last for life unless dissolved in the manner provided by law (Nachimson v. Nachimson [1930] P. 217).

38. In Baindail v. Baindail [1946] P. 122 an Englishman who had acquired an Indian domicile married an Indian woman according to Hindu rites. The marriage was potentially polygamous but was valid according to the law of British India. He subsequently married an Englishwoman in England. When she discovered the earlier marriage she petitioned for a decree of nullity. The Court of Appeal held that the marriage in India must be recognised as a valid marriage and as an effective bar to any subsequent marriage in England. Again, as in Hyde v. Hyde, the Court made it clear that the decision was not to be taken as determining the status of the marriage for all purposes and in every context. It did not, for example, have "the slightest bearing" on the question whether the husband had committed bigamy.

39. There are a number of cases where the English courts have recognised a marriage that was initially potentially polygamous but had been "converted" into a monogamous marriage by some external event such as the introduction of a prohibition on polygamy into the law of the country of domicile (Parkasho v. Singh [1967] 1 All E.R. 737); the birth of a child where the right of the husband to take a second wife arose only in the event of childlessness for a period of ten years (Cheni v. Cheni [1965] P. 85); or the acquisition by the spouses of a domicile in a monogamous country (Ali v. Ali [1966] 2 W.L.R. 620).

40. It is apparent from reading many of the English authorities that the judges were considerably influenced by the fact that they frequently had to deal with cases arising from the travels of British subjects in Britain's colonial possessions. In general the British Empire did not seek to eradicate local customs and religions, and it was therefore necessary to take a pragmatic approach to the rules applicable to marriages.

41. According to the 2012 edition of Dicey, Morris & Collins on The Conflict of Laws (Sweet & Maxwell, 15th ed.) polygamous marriages are now recognised under English law for most purposes. The English rules of private international law will recognise a marriage celebrated in a foreign country under a system of law permitting polygamy.



Conflicts of laws and public policy

42. Considerations of public policy play, on the one hand, a central role in the common law rules on the resolution of conflicts of laws and yet, in certain respects, a lesser one than they might in purely domestic litigation.

43. The centrality of the role arises from the fact that public policy considerations may result in the refusal of a court to apply what would otherwise be the appropriate legal rule. In Dicey, Morris & Collins this aspect is described in Rule 2:

"The English courts will not enforce or recognise a right, power, capacity, disability or legal relationship arising under the law of a foreign country, if the enforcement or recognition of such right, power, capacity, disability or legal relationship would be inconsistent with the fundamental policy of English law".

44. In the Irish context this was explained in the following passage by Kingsmill Moore J. in Buchanan Ltd v. McVey [1954] I.R. 89, at p. 106:

"In deciding cases between private persons in which there is present such a foreign element as would ordinarily induce the application of the principles of a foreign law, Courts have always exercised the right to reject such law on the ground that it conflicted with public policy or affronted the accepted morality of the domestic forum. Contracts valid according to what would normally be considered the 'proper law' of the contract will not be enforced if in the view of the Court, they are tainted with immorality of one kind or another. Delicts committed abroad are not actionable here unless they are torts by our law. Slavery or any other status involving penal or privative disabilities is not recognised."

45. However, the authors of Dicey, Morris & Collins state clearly that the doctrine of public policy must, when applied in the field of the conflict of laws, be kept within proper limits since otherwise "the whole basis of the system is liable to be frustrated." It should be invoked only "in clear cases in which the harm to the public is substantially incontestable, and does not depend upon the idiosyncratic inferences of a few judicial minds" (citing Fender v. St John-Mildmay [1938] A.C. 1).

46. In Cheni v. Cheni Lord Simon observed that, in deciding whether or not public policy required a court to refuse to apply what would otherwise be the appropriate foreign rule of law, recourse should be had to "common sense, good manners and a reasonable degree of tolerance".

47. Similarly, in Mayo-Perrott v. Mayo-Perrott [1958] I.R. 336 O'Daly J. referred to the 5th edition of Cheshire's Private International Law as observing that the conception of public policy is, or should be, narrower and more limited in private international law than in internal law.

"A transaction that is valid by its lex causae, he says, should not be nullified on this ground unless its enforcement would offend some moral, social or economic principle so sacrosanct in English eyes as to require its maintenance at all costs and without exception."

48. Baindail v. Baindail is a good example of the application in English law of public policy considerations. The Court of Appeal was clear that the question of validity depended on context. At p. 128 Lord Greene M.R. said:

"[I]t seems to me that the matter rests in this way: the courts of this country do for some purposes give effect to the law of the domicile as affixing or imposing a particular status on a given person. It would be wrong to say that for all purposes the law of the domicile is necessarily conclusive as to capacity arising from status. There are some things which the courts of this country will not allow a person in this country to do whatever status with its consequent capacity or incapacity the law of his domicile may give him. The case of slavery, of course, is an obvious case. The status of slavery would not be recognised here, and a variety of other things involved in status will not be recognised here

The practical question in this case appears to be: Will the courts of this country, in deciding upon the validity of this English marriage, give effect to the status possessed by the respondent? That question we have to decide with due regard to common sense and some attention to reasonable policyI think it is certainly a matter to bear in mind that the prospect of an English court saying that it will not regard the status of marriage conferred by a Hindu ceremony would be a curious one when very little more than a mile away the Privy Council might be sitting and coming to a precisely opposite conclusion as to the validity of such a marriage on an Indian appeal. I do not think that we can disregard that circumstance. We have to apply the law in a state of affairs in which this question of the validity of Hindu marriages is necessarily of very great practical importance in the everyday running of our Commonwealth and Empire."

49. The judgment goes on to consider the practical implications for the parties, and in particular the availability or otherwise of rights such as consortium or divorce in each of the two countries, if the marriage was not recognised.

50. Considerations of Irish public policy were crucial to the outcome of Mayo-Perrott. The plaintiff in that case had obtained a decree for a divorce in the English High Court. She sought judgment in this State, where her former husband was residing, in respect of unpaid legal costs. It was argued successfully on his behalf that the order was unenforceable as being contrary to public policy. The judgments of the Supreme Court proceed on the basis that the constitutional prohibition on divorce, as it stood at that time, necessitated the stance that Irish law would not give active assistance to the process of divorce in another State by entertaining a suit for the costs. However, the constitutional provisions did not mean that Irish law would not recognise, as it had under the law pre-dating the Constitution, the change in status brought about by a divorce granted in a country where the parties were domiciled. Policy issues were also relevant to that conclusion. Discussing this aspect Kingsmill Moore J. said (at p. 347):

"A contrary view would lead to strange and perplexing results. If married persons domiciled in England were divorced and remarried the remarriages would be valid in England and the children of the remarriages legitimate; but if the remarried persons came to Ireland they would be subject to prosecution for bigamy and their children would rank as illegitimate. Even more strange, if the original spouses deserted their spouses of the second marriage, came together again and had further children, those children would be legitimate in Ireland and illegitimate in England."

51. Later in his judgment Kingsmill Moore J. referred to the fact that the established law avoided the "anomalous, if not scandalous" state of affairs whereby legitimacy and criminality "could be decided by a flight over St. George's Channel".

52. O'Daly J. considered that criteria referred to by Cheshire were met, in that the enforcement of the costs of a divorce decree would clearly offend against a moral principle asserted by the Constitution, with particular reference to the pledge to guard with special care the institution of marriage.

53. Maguire J. noted that the case did not raise any specific question of status, legitimacy, remarriage, bigamy or personal rights or rights of property of either of the parties. Such questions, he felt, could only be decided on facts calling for their decision if and when they arose. On the facts, he considered that it was "clearly repugnant" to the laws of Ireland that the decree of dissolution as a whole could be implemented in this State, and that it was not possible to sever the terms of the judgment. Similarly, Maguire C.J. considered that the Constitution denied any validity to the decree in this State.

54. It may be noted that some commentators have criticised the deployment of public policy in this area. For example, in an article entitled "Rationality and cultural pluralism in the non-recognition of foreign marriages" (2000) 49(3) I.C.L.Q. 643, Murphy suggests, firstly, that there is "a capacity for the mask of 'public policy' to be seen as judicial cultural imperialism rather than as adherence to some widely accepted social value or norm." Secondly, he suggests that the term conceals a series of particular concerns, only some of which are relevant to the adjudicative process. He argues that the denial of recognition to a bigamous marriage "disguises the fact that it is the preservation of the institution of monogamy within the country of recognition that is at stake".



The Irish authorities on polygamous marriage

Conlon v. Mohamed

55. None of the small number of Irish authorities relevant to the instant case involved a public policy analysis of the status of polygamous marriages. In Conlon v. Mohamed [1989] I.L.R.M. 523 an Irishwoman had gone through an Islamic marriage ceremony with a South African citizen in South Africa. According to the evidence in the High Court, the marriage would not have been recognised under South African law because (i) it took place in a mosque; (ii) it took place by proxy, with the wife being represented by a male friend; and (iii) it was interracial. The couple later had a private ceremony at which they exchanged rings. They then lived together in Ireland in a house owned by the plaintiff but subsequently fell out. The issue before the court was whether she was entitled to an order for possession of the house, in circumstances where the defendant argued that it was the marital home. Since the marriage had not been in accordance with the law of South Africa, he was forced into the position of arguing that it was a valid common law marriage (the definition of which is not relevant to the instant case). The High Court judge concluded it was not, on the basis that it was potentially polygamous. He stated a case to the Supreme Court on the question whether he was correct.

56. According to the High Court judgment, both parties accepted that the marriage was potentially polygamous. At the hearing of the case stated, the defendant appears to have attempted to challenge this as an incorrect inference in law. The Supreme Court held that it was bound by the finding. Having done so, the judgment of Finlay C.J. went on to answer the question asked by the High Court as follows:

"It has not been contested that a polygamous marriage cannot be recognised in our law as a valid marriage.

That conclusion answers the precise question put in the case stated by the learned trial judge to this Court and is, in my view, the only matter necessary for decision for this Court and was the grounds on which the court had already answered the question posed in the affirmative.

I would like to refer to certain other matters which have arisen on the hearing of this case. They include the precise standing and limits of a common law marriage in our law; the proper principles to be applied in our law to the question of the validity of a marriage contracted outside Ireland by a person domiciled in Ireland, having regard to the lex loci celebrationis, and questions of public policy which would arise in our law concerning the prohibition under local law of inter-racial marriages.

Since none of these issues is necessary for the answering of the questions raised by the learned High Court judge, I do not consider it appropriate to express a view on them."

57. It is apparent that the principal debate in the High Court was about whether or not there had been a valid "common law" marriage, and that neither that Court nor the Supreme Court, therefore, found it necessary to address any submission in relation to polygamy. It may be noted that in any event the wife, who was domiciled in Ireland, would not have had capacity to enter into a polygamous marriage and the marriage would have to have been deemed invalid on that ground alone. I think that it must be assumed from the passage quoted that, given that the relationship in question was certainly monogamous, the Court must have implicitly adopted Lord Penzance's view that potentially polygamous marriages were to be considered to be in the same category as actually polygamous marriages. However, there was no analysis of this aspect.

58. Conlon v. Mohamed was cited in the judgments of this Court in the relatively recent cases of Hassan v. Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Hamza v. Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The issue of polygamy was not central to either - the cases concerned, respectively, the validity of a religious marriage and a marriage by proxy - and the question of public policy did not require full analysis. Both cases were initially heard in the High Court by Cooke J., who expressed the opinion that the decision in Conlon v. Mohamed

"ought not be taken as a dictum that a potentially polygamous marriage can never be recognised as valid in Irish law as a general proposition".

He stated his own view as being that

"a foreign marriage validly solemnised in accordance with the lex loci may be recognisable as valid in Irish law, even if it was potentially polygamous according to that law, provided neither party was domiciled in Ireland at the time and neither has also been married to a second spouse, either then or since."

59. However, it must be noted that in the Supreme Court, having set out the rule for the recognition of foreign marriages referred to in paragraph 2 above, Fennelly J. observed that in Conlon v. Mohamed the basis for the decision had been that Irish law would not recognise a polygamous marriage.



Irish public policy and polygamy

60. As I said at the start of this judgment, public policy is primarily a matter for the Oireachtas, not least because it is better placed than the courts to weigh up and balance the relevant competing considerations. Subject to constitutional considerations, the courts are bound to give effect to policy choices made by the Oireachtas. However, since this Court must embark on the exercise in this case, it is useful to spell out the factors which, in my view, should contribute to a decision made on public policy grounds.

61. Clearly, an Irish court seeking to discern Irish public policy on a given issue must give primacy to any applicable constitutional principles. In this regard, it may be noted that in Hassan Fennelly J. said that when the word "marriage" is included without definition in a statute, it must be given a constitutional interpretation. If the Constitution lays down a clear rule that will be the end of the matter. However, it has to be remembered that the rules of private international law are themselves part of the body of laws carried over by Article 50 of the Constitution. The application of the common law rules of private international law frequently means that the laws of foreign legal systems must be given legal effect in this jurisdiction, even where that leads to a result that would otherwise be contrary to national law.

62. Similarly, if a provision of European Union law extends to a given question of law that will be decisive, except in so far as any relevant legislation provides for an exception in respect of national public policy or "ordre public".

63. Because of the importance of public policy in the determination of a dispute involving conflicts of laws, it seems to me that the binding force normally accorded to previous decisions of this Court may have to be regarded as weaker in this area. This is because public policy, by its nature, changes over time. The relevant legal and factual context can both alter, necessitating recognition of new public policy considerations. Older propositions once taken as axiomatic become more doubtful. As an obvious example, the fact that the Constitution was amended in 1996 to permit the introduction of divorce legislation in this State must, I think, mean that it would no longer be considered necessarily contrary to public policy to enforce an order for costs originating in a foreign divorce as in Mayo-Perrott. That judgment has, I consider, lost its status as a binding precedent. However, the more recent a decision in this area of law is, the more likely it is to be persuasive since it is more likely to reflect public policy.

64. The policy of the State as manifested in legislation on related areas, especially where recently enacted, is a highly relevant indicator of policy. Some of the more significant statutory provisions are summarised below.

65. It is also legitimate in my view to have some regard to international instruments to which the State is a party, even where they have not been incorporated into domestic law. Although not legally enforceable in this jurisdiction, such instruments may serve to some extent as statements of Irish public policy.

66. Finally, as with any question of policy, it is necessary for the Court to have regard to the practical consequences of its decisions. As noted already, judges are not the best-placed branch of the State to assess policy considerations. For this purpose I propose to give some consideration to current practices on the part of the executive. These do not have decisive effect on any given issue but may cast light on the practical issues.



The Constitution

67. The original version of Article 41 read as follows:



Article 41 - The Family

1 1 The State recognises the Family as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law.

2 The State, therefore, guarantees to protect the Family in its constitution and authority, as the necessary basis of social order and as indispensable to the welfare of the Nation and the State.

2 1 In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.

2 The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged be economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.

3 1 The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of Marriage, on which the Family is founded, and to protect it against attack.

2 No law shall be enacted providing for the grant of a dissolution of marriage.

3 No person whose marriage has been dissolved under the civil law of any other State but is a subsisting valid marriage under the law for the time being in force within the jurisdiction of the Government and Parliament established by this Constitution shall be capable of contracting a valid marriage within that jurisdiction during the lifetime of the other party to the marriage so dissolved.

68. Article 41.3.2 was removed by the Fifteenth Amendment, 1995 and replaced by a provision permitting legislation providing for the dissolution of a marriage in certain specified circumstances.

69. The Thirty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution, 2015 introduced a new sub-Article 4 to Article 41 that reads in full as follows:

"Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex".



Article 40.1

70. Article 40.1 reads as follows:

1. All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law.

This shall not be held to mean that the State shall not in its enactments have due regard to differences of capacity, physical and moral, and of social function.

71. Article 40.1 must be read harmoniously with Article 41, and must therefore be seen as embedding the principle of equality before the law into the legal institution of marriage. As an example, in C.M. v. T.M. (No.2) [1990] 2 I.R. 52 the High Court (Barr J.) held that the common law rule that a wife's domicile depended on that of her husband was repugnant to the Constitution, declaring it to be

"a relic of matrimonial female bondage which was swept away by principles of equality before the law and equal rights in marriage as between men and women which are enshrined in the Constitution".

72. In so ruling Barr J. relied in particular on Article 40.1 and 40.3. This judgment was approved by this Court in J.W. v. J.W. [1993] 2 I.R. 476 in which Hederman J. said:

"Although the married state could be regarded as a social function for the purposes of the second paragraph of Article 40, s. 1, it is equally so for both spouses and there can be no sex discrimination between equals. The former judge-invented rule of dependent domicile of a wife discriminated against, (or distinguished between the spouses) on the grounds of sex only. In the second paragraph of Article 40, s.1 a distinction on the grounds of social function is reserved by the Constitution to 'enactments'. A common law rule does not so qualify."

73. Egan J. said:

"In my opinion, the so-called dependency rule in relation to married women quite clearly resulted in married women not being held equal with single women or with men, whether married or single, and this inequality had nothing to do with differences of capacity, physical or moral, or social function. There is nothing whatever in Article 41 which could or ought to disentitle a married woman to the equality which is guaranteed to her by Article 40."

74. In a similar vein, Blayney J. referred to the judgment of Walsh J. in Quinn's Supermarket Ltd v Attorney General [1972] I.R. 1 and continued:

"In the light of this statement of the manner in which Article 40, s.1 should be interpreted, I have no doubt that if the rule were still in force a married woman would not be held equal before the law. She would be in a position of inequality firstly by comparison with her husband, and secondly by comparison with women who are not married. As between the married woman and her husband, he would retain the independent domicile which he enjoyed before his marriage while his wife would lose the independent domicile which she had previously enjoyed. Furthermore her independent domicile previously enjoyed would become converted by law into a domicile dependent on that of her husband. So the law would clearly be giving unequal prominence or importance to the husband by providing that it was his domicile which would be the common domicile of the couple throughout their marriage

The inequality inherent in the rule is not simply theoretical. It can give rise to practical difficulties for a married woman."

75. The passage cited from Quinn's Supermarket is at p. 13 of that judgment and reads as follows:

"The provisions of Article 40, s.1, of the Constitution were discussed in the decision of this Court in The State (Nicolaou) v. An Bord Uchtala [1966] I.R. 567. As was there decided, this provision is not a guarantee of absolute equality for all citizens in all circumstances but it is a guarantee of equality as human persons and (as the Irish text of the Constitution makes quite clear) is a guarantee related to their dignity as human beings and a guarantee against any inequalities grounded upon an assumption, or indeed a belief, that some individual or individuals or classes of individuals, by reason of their human attributes or their ethnic or racial, social or religious background, are to be treated as the inferior or superior of other individuals in the community. This list does not pretend to be complete; but it is merely intended to illustrate the view that this guarantee refers to human persons for what they are in themselves rather than to any lawful activities, trades or pursuits which they may engage in or follow."



Public policy in legislation

76. Section 2(2) of the Civil Registration Act 2004 provides that there is an impediment to a marriage under the Act if, inter alia, one of the parties is, or both are, already married.

77. Bigamy is an indictable offence under the Offences Against the Person Act, 1861.

78. In the area of family law, certain reliefs such as barring orders (under the Domestic Violence Act 1996) or lump sum maintenance payments under the Family Law (Maintenance of Spouses and Children) Act 1995 are more readily available to spouses than to non-married persons.

79. Unmarried fathers have until recently had very limited rights in respect of their children under Irish law. Guardianship rights have been enhanced under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, in circumstances where specified minimum periods of cohabitation are established. Otherwise, a father's rights are dependent on agreement with the mother or the making of a court order appointing him a guardian.

80. Part 15 of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 confers rights on qualifying cohabitants as against each other in relation to matters such as maintenance and provision out of an estate. A qualifying cohabitant is "one of two adults.who live together as a couple in an intimate and committed relationship".

81. Cohabiting couples also have certain rights similar to those of married couples under the Social Welfare code. This system works on the basis of classifying one person as the primary claimant and the other as the "qualified adult". However, the rights are not as extensive as those of married couples - for example, in the event of the death of the primary claimant a qualified adult will not receive a widow's or widower's pension.

82. The policy of the Refugee Act 1996, in which this case has its origin, is to favour family reunification for refugees. Spouses and children of refugees are to be admitted to the State, and to enjoy the same rights as the refugee. This is in keeping with the State's adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees and Protocols thereto.



The executive

83. At the request of the Court, the Attorney General has answered a number of questions as to the attitude of State authorities in various contexts to issues arising from polygamous marriages.

84. Two questions specifically concerned the status of spouses in actually or potentially polygamous marriages for the purposes of family reunification. It appears that at the time when the second wife was admitted in 2001, the practice of the Minister was to admit the spouse in respect of whom the first application (in point of time) was made. It was believed that the refugee in question was entitled to choose which wife he wanted to join him. The marriage was thereafter treated as monogamous. However, this policy has changed "in light of the nature of applications being received and judgments of the Courts". The attitude now would be that neither wife would be admitted, because neither would be recognised as a spouse. Admission would also be refused to a spouse from a marriage that was actually polygamous at any time in the past, even if it is now monogamous in practice as the result of, for example, divorce.

85. If the refugee has only one spouse, it seems to be assumed that he has lost the capacity to further marry by acquiring a domicile of choice in the State. The spouse will therefore be admitted.

86. For the purposes of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 the Revenue Commissioners consider marriage to be a union between two individuals, neither of whom was already married at the time of the marriage. In general, where two individuals opt to be jointly assessed, the Revenue will assume that they are validly married unless there is reason for doubt. A second marriage would not be recognised as valid.

87. The Department of Social Protection takes the approach, in effect, of assuming that couples are validly married unless there is reason to believe otherwise. It does not concern itself with the marital status of a child's parents, or whether a father has legal guardianship rights, but makes payments in respect of a dependent child to the parent with whom the child resides.

88. This Department has not, to date, had to deal with an actually polygamous marriage but the assumption is that the second marriage would not be recognised.



Public policy - other sources

European Union Law

89. There is no instrument of European Union law binding on the State on this issue. Ireland, along with the United Kingdom and Denmark, did not adopt the Directive on Family Reunification (2003/86/EC). However, it is worth noting that while the Directive emphasises the importance of family reunification as a means of facilitating sociocultural stability and economic and social cohesion, it explicitly accepts that restrictive measures are justified in the case of polygamous households. This is for the purpose of compliance with the values and principles recognised by Member States, in particular with respect to the rights of women and children. Article 4.4 provides that if a sponsor has one spouse living with him in a Member State, the Member State "shall not" authorise the family reunification of a further spouse.



The European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

90. By virtue of s. 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003, a court interpreting and applying any statutory provision or rule of law is required, in so far as is possible and subject to the rules of law relating to such interpretation and application, to do so in a manner compatible with the State's obligations under the provisions of the Convention and certain of the Protocols thereto. Article 8(1) of the Convention guarantees a right to respect for one's private and family life. Article 8(2) prohibits interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is necessary in a democratic society for, inter alia, the protection of morals or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

91. In R.B. v. United Kingdom (Application No. 19628/92) the complaint made by the applicant was that the British immigration authorities had refused to grant her mother permission to join her and her father in the United Kingdom. The reason for the refusal was that the father had entered into two marriages and one wife had already been admitted. The relevant legislation specifically prevented the admission of more than one foreign wife. The applicant alleged that her right to respect for her family life had been infringed.

92. The Commission accepted in principle the argument that the refusal of entry amounted to an interference with the right under Article 8. It then examined the purpose of the UK legislation and concluded that its aim was to prevent the formation of polygamous households, the practice of polygamy being unacceptable to the majority of people living in the United Kingdom. The objective of the legislation, therefore, appeared to the Commission to be the preservation of the Christian based monogamous culture dominant in that country. Having regard to the margin of appreciation available to Contracting States in the field of immigration policy, the Commission considered that a State could not be required to give full recognition to polygamous marriages which were in conflict with its own legal order. It noted that bigamy had been a criminal offence in the United Kingdom for centuries. In the circumstances of the case the Commission found that the family life factors in the case did not outweigh the legitimate considerations of an immigration policy that rejected polygamy and was designed to maintain the United Kingdom's cultural identity in this respect. The interference with the applicant's rights was therefore in accordance with law and justified as being necessary in a democratic society for the protection of morals and the rights and freedoms of others. The complaint was held to be manifestly ill-founded.

93. Article 5 of Protocol 7 of the Convention (which takes effect as if it were an additional article in the Convention, and is covered by s. 2 of the Act of 2003) provides as follows:

"Spouses shall enjoy equality of rights and responsibilities of a private law character between them, and in their relations with their children, as to marriage, during marriage, and in the event of its dissolution. This Article shall not prevent States from taking such measures as are necessary in the interests of the children."



The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

94. Under Article 3 of this Covenant, to which the State is a signatory, the State Parties undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights set forth in the Covenant. Article 23.4 requires States to take appropriate steps to ensure equality of rights and responsibilities of spouses as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.



The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women

95. In 1985 Ireland signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women ("CEDAW"). By virtue of Article 5, State Parties are obliged to take all appropriate measures to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes. Article 15 requires States to accord to women equality with men before the law and a legal capacity identical to that of men. Article 16 requires inter alia the elimination of discrimination in all matters relating to marriage and family relations, and in particular to ensure that men and women have the same right to enter into marriage, to freely choose a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free and full consent.



Discussion

96. As stated earlier, the basic rule in relation to a foreign marriage is that it will be recognised here if it complied with the relevant foreign law, subject to the exception that it will not be recognised if it offends against the public policy of this State.

97. In my view Hyde v. Hyde can no longer be considered as defining marriage for the purposes of Irish law. That judgment, delivered 160 years ago, was based on a principle (the identification of legal marriage with Christian marriage) and on policy considerations (the difficulty of applying the then matrimonial law remedies to a potentially polygamous marriage) which cannot be said to fit into the current constitutional or legislative landscape. The term "Christendom" is itself rather old-fashioned, but whether or not it would be appropriate to describe Ireland as a Christian State is not the issue - the question before us is a matter of law. The assumptions that underlie the decision in Hyde v. Hyde, and the constituent elements of its definition of marriage, have been cut away to the extent that it serves no useful purpose.

98. For the same reason, it seems to me that some of the more recent authorities from the 1980s and 1990s have been overtaken by the amendments to the Constitution. The combination of the introduction of no-fault divorce and, in particular, the amendment of the Constitution providing for the introduction of same-sex marriage have resulted in a legal institution of marriage that cannot be described in terms of traditional Christian doctrine.

99. This does not mean that the concept of marriage no longer has a legal meaning, or that the legal meaning is a concept flexible enough to accommodate any variation no matter how different to the traditional model. Despite the factual reality that many couples do not choose to marry, marriage remains a central feature of Irish life for the majority. The constitutional pledge to guard the institution of marriage with special care remains in place and must be accorded full respect.

100. The Thirty-fourth Amendment, when introducing the right to same-sex marriage, clearly did not create a separate version of marriage for same-sex couples. It is also clear that it did not create a new version of marriage for all couples. It enabled the inclusion of same-sex couples into an already existing structure. Looking at the plain wording, the amendment achieved this on the basis of a core assumption that a marriage, before and after the amendment, is a union between two people.

101. In my view the defining characteristic of marriage as envisaged by the Constitution in this era is that it entails the voluntary entry into mutual personal and legal commitments on the basis of an equal partnership between two persons, both of whom possess capacity to enter into such commitments, in accordance with the requirements laid down by law. (This is not a case in which questions of voluntariness and capacity, which might in the case of some foreign marriages raise issues of approbation or retrospective consent, need consideration). All of the remedies for marital breakdown, and all of the legal consequences of the status of marriage in the fields of taxation, social welfare and succession law flow from that equality and mutuality of commitment.

102. If that view of marriage is correct, then that is the model to be guarded, as the Constitution requires, with special care. The question then is whether that obligation compels the courts to refuse recognition to either potentially or actually polygamous marriages.

103. The arguments of principle and policy against granting recognition to a potentially polygamous marriage, as set out in Hyde v. Hyde, have obviously lost most, if not all, of their relevance in the modern era. Apart from the religious aspect (which, as I have said, I consider to be no longer a primary characteristic of the Irish legal institution of marriage), Lord Penzance's focus in this regard was very much on the practicalities and the difficulties of applying English forms of matrimonial relief to such marriages. But modern family law legislation has created an entirely different structure of remedies, with far less emphasis on the establishment of fault (as described by the concept of "marital offences") and far greater emphasis on dealing on a just basis with the consequences of marital breakdown. The action for restitution of conjugal rights, which enabled a spouse to obtain a court order directing the other spouse to return to the marital home, was abolished by the Family Law Act 1988 and had been a dead letter long before that. There is now no question of compelling a person, by court order, to continue to live within a marriage that has broken down. The right to leave the home and seek alimony in the event of proven misconduct has been replaced by no-fault remedies, including a right to divorce based primarily on the fact of separation.

104. Under the rules of private international law, recognition of a marriage entered into in compliance with a foreign legal system should be refused only if refusal is required for the protection of the values and principles represented in our public policy. The question then is whether it is "substantially incontestable" (Dicey, Morris and Collins) that discernible harm would be caused to the public; or that a threat would be posed to the institution of marriage as contemplated by the Constitution, such as would require the refusal of recognition to potentially or actually polygamous marriages.

105. In my view there is no such harm or threat in the case of a couple living in this State in a monogamous relationship, arising purely out of the fact that they married under a system of law that permits polygamy. There is no principle at stake here, no damage to the core values of our constitutional concept of marriage, that could be said to require the withholding of recognition. Nor can I see that there is any practical difficulty in applying the current range of legislation, either civil or criminal, to a couple living in the State in a marriage that is de facto monogamous. Indeed, it seems apparent that State agencies in practice treat such marriages as valid save where doubts arise.

106. On the other hand, it seems likely that there are significant practical policy disadvantages in denying recognition to such marriages. According to the last census figures there are over 60,000 Muslims living in the State. It can be presumed that a significant proportion of this population is made up of married couples, and that many of the marriages took place under a law that permits polygamy. There are likely to be other persons here who may have contracted marriages under a customary or personal law that permits polygamy, but who live monogamously. However, going by the responses to the Court's questions from the State authorities, it does not appear that there are many instances of actually polygamous households in this State. In those circumstances, it seems to me that a refusal to recognise the validity of potentially polygamous marriages that are de facto monogamous would be likely to cause distress, disruption and confusion amongst a significant number of people living in the Irish community. I cannot see that there is a corresponding gain in terms of the protection of marriage.

107. Apart from the rights of spouses as against each other in terms of family law, there are potential issues in respect of parental rights and in respect of succession, taxation and social welfare entitlements. There is no good reason to leave couples in these circumstances in doubt as to their right of access to the full range of rights available to married people generally. Importantly, in the area of immigration, to refuse admission to a spouse simply because the marriage was potentially polygamous would damage the policy of family reunification with the aim of successful integration into the State.

108. The suggestion was made in the course of the hearing that perhaps a potentially polygamous marriage could be converted into a monogamous marriage by the acquisition of a domicile of choice within the State. The Attorney General has in fact, in the course of this appeal, argued both sides of the question whether the Court could adopt such a view. However, I would not consider this to be a particularly satisfactory or clear cut solution. Firstly, it would be futile in the case of a couple where one spouse is here and the other seeks admission. Secondly, while it may be that many immigrant couples have acquired a domicile of choice, but many may not. In many cases it will be unclear at any given point in time. Whether they have or have not acquired a domicile here, I can see no reason in principle or policy to distinguish between their legal rights in this fashion. Such a distinction is likely to lead only to further litigation between individuals and the State, or indeed between family members, without in any way advancing the protection of the institution of marriage.

109. I would therefore consider that a marriage that is potentially polygamous only is capable of being recognised as legally valid in this State. If that is so, it seems to follow, for the same policy reasons, that it should be recognised as of the date of inception.

110. The next question, then, is whether the recognition afforded to a potentially polygamous marriage should be withdrawn if the husband contracts a further marriage.

111. In my view it should not. Quite apart from an uneasiness with the notion that a legal status attached to one person can be lost retrospectively through the actions of another person rather than through a legal process, the logic of the preceding discussion would lead to the conclusion that the position of the first marriage remains as it was - that is, that it did not and does not present a threat to the Irish institution of marriage. The withdrawal of recognition would interfere unnecessarily with the rights of at least some of the individuals concerned and would go further than necessary for the protection of the institution of marriage. It is not required by public policy.

112. That is sufficient, strictly speaking, to dispose of the question before the Court. I would grant a declaration, as sought, that the marriage between H.A.H. and S.A.A. was valid as of the date of its inception. However, as I said earlier, the issues raised in the case go somewhat further and I think it necessary to express a view on the status of the second marriage. Counsel for the second wife (who, it will be remembered, was admitted to the State and is now a citizen) has submitted that Irish law should recognise actually polygamous marriages and that she is validly married to the husband.

113. Having regard to the model of marriage now provided for in the Constitution, and its essential characteristics, it seems to me to be clear that the institution of polygamy as such is not contemplated by the Constitution. The Thirty-fourth amendment puts the question of the constitutional definition beyond doubt - marriage, as far as the Constitution is concerned, must in all cases be seen as a union between two people.

114. Reading Article 41 in conjunction with Article 40.1 leads to the same conclusion. If all persons are to be considered as equal before the law pertaining to marriage, and if marriage is a partnership based on equality of rights, mutual commitments and mutual respect, there is no room for a version of marriage which, by its structure, allows the husband to have more than one spouse. To give legal recognition to such a structure would be to give legal effect to discrimination and subordination in a relationship where the principle of equality should hold sway. This would be so as between men and women - it would also have the anomalous effect of introducing a new discrimination against same-sex couples who, obviously, would never have the legal capacity to enter into polygamous marriages. Recognition of such marriages would also be contrary to the principles of the international instruments discussed above.

115. I therefore consider that recognition of an actually polygamous marriage would be contrary to a fundamental constitutional principle and therefore contrary to public policy.

116. I form this opinion as a matter of Irish law, but it is also consistent with the international commitments made by the State as referred to above. I would therefore take the view that any second or subsequent marriage entered into while the marriage to a first wife is in being cannot be recognised as valid in Irish law.

117. It is necessary to stress that the view expressed in this judgment does not compel the State or its agents to deny all legal effect to polygamous marriages in all contexts. There is no particular reason why a marriage should not be given recognition for certain purposes, as has been done in many instances in the courts of the United Kingdom. This also appears to be the case in the United States of America (see the Second Restatement of Conflict of Laws, 1971 s.284), where the parties to an actually polygamous marriage may be denied the right to cohabit in a State without prejudice to the possibility of recognition of the legitimacy of the children and the economic interests of the spouses.

118. In the area of immigration, which is where this litigation has its roots, it may well be desirable to have some regard to the reality of familial bonds. I note that it is the policy of the Department of Justice, when considering an application for family reunification in respect of the children of a refugee, to disregard the marital status of a child's parents. That is in my view entirely correct. I would simply add that there is probably scope, having regard to the powers of the Minister, for a discretionary approach to the question whether the mother of a child should be admitted even where she is not recognised as a wife of the applicant. However, I stress again that these are policy matters which are, primarily, for the Oireachtas to consider.



Conclusion

119. The Court is asked in this case to address a difficult human situation, but, as in all cases, its task is to identify and state the law.

120. The rules of private international law require the State to recognise a marriage validly contracted under a foreign system of law unless such recognition is prohibited by our public policy. In my view, for the reasons set out in this judgment, the Constitution and Irish public policy clearly envisage a marriage as being a union between two people, based on the principles of equality and mutual commitment. There is therefore no bar to the recognition of a marriage that is in fact monogamous, where the only objection is that the system of law under which the couple married would permit more than one marriage. Recognition should be afforded as of the date of inception of the marriage, and should not be withdrawn in the event of a second or subsequent marriage by the husband. I would therefore allow this appeal and grant the declaration sought - that is, that the marriage of the husband with the first wife was valid as of the date of its inception.

121. In this judgment I have also expressed the view that Irish law does not recognise the validity of a second or subsequent marriage while the first marriage is in being. However, this does not necessarily mean that such a marriage can never have legal consequences.

122. The conclusions reached in the judgment must be read as being subject to the right of the Oireachtas to consider and legislate for issues of public policy, subject to and in conformity with the Constitution.
Recalling Algiers attack, Secretary-General says, 2007 bombing 'hit heart of the UN'

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Recalling Algiers attack, Secretary-General says, 2007 bombing 'hit heart of the UN', 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fc8b64.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

In a message commemorating the 2007 bombing of the United Nations offices in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed the Organization's continuing support to combat terrorism and violent extremism.

"These terrorists hit Algeria, but they also hit the UN in the heart. It was the entire staff of the Organization who was touched, who felt this pain," said the Secretary-General, in a message in French.

"Unfortunately, these attacks are only increasing and we are now targeted around the world, while we are here to support the most vulnerable populations," he highlighted.

Seventeen staff members from several UN humanitarian and development agencies were killed on 11 December 2007 when a car bomb ripped through the offices. A number of Algerians were also killed and over one hundred injured.

"We will not forget them. We will not forget the pain of those who remain, who must survive after such trauma and continue their lives, broken homes and interrupted dreams," he added in his message, expressing his deepest sympathies and support.

Also in the message the Secretary-General expressed his full solidarity with the people and the Government of Algeria in their efforts to fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

"The United Nations will always be at your side," he said.
UN aid official in Yemen urges lifting of blockade, says millions a 'step away from famine'

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN aid official in Yemen urges lifting of blockade, says millions a 'step away from famine', 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fc8fb4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The continuing blockade of ports in Yemen must be lifted, a senior United Nations humanitarian official today urged, calling for greater access to more than eight million people on the verge of famine.

Speaking from Sana'a, Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen said that "the lives of millions of people, including 8.4 million Yemenis who are a step away from famine, hinge on our ability to continue our operations and to provide health, safe water, food, shelter and nutrition support."

He called on all groups involved in the conflict to "fully facilitate sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access, as required by international humanitarian law."

Mr. McGoldrick said this means lifting of restrictions on Yemen's Red Sea ports and Sana'a airport, which continue to delay aid from entering the country and hindering the availability of food and fuel.

He also urged parties to the conflict to ensure protection for aid workers and facilities, process visas and not interfere unnecessarily in the work of aid organizations.

The UN aid official also warned about renewed violence along the western coast of the country and other parts of Yemen.

"I am greatly alarmed at reports of hospitals being damaged, populations being impeded from fleeing to safe areas and killings and arbitrary detentions reportedly being carried out in Sana'a," said Mr. McGoldrick.

In the statement, the official warned that fresh violence would "only lead to further devastation" for the 22 million people in need.

He said that a political solution is the only means to put an end to the suffering, and reiterated his called on any countries with influence to step up their engagement to protect civilians and put an end to this conflict.

"As stated by the UN Secretary-General, it is in the interest of everybody to stop this war," he said echoing Antonio Guterres's comments in recent weeks.
Security tensions may have deepened rights violations in DPRK, Security Council told

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Security tensions may have deepened rights violations in DPRK, Security Council told, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fc9554.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

People's rights are reportedly violated in "almost every aspect" of their lives in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations human rights chief warned Monday, stressing that security tensions on the Korean Peninsula should not negate concerns about the situation of ordinary people there.

"I regret that it is impossible for me to point to any significant improvement in the human rights situation [] Indeed, security tensions seem to have deepened the extremely serious human rights violations endured by the DPRK's 25 million people," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein told the Security Council via video link from Paris.

He said that while his Office (OHCHR) struggles to paint the complete picture of the situation due to the lack of access to the DPRK, "escapees have reported to us extremely widespread violations of rights in almost every aspect of people's lives."

Those violations include widespread torture in detention centres, where it is used to extract information or confessions from people suspected of such activities as planning to leave the country or communicating with the outside world. Detainees work in mines or infrastructure projects in conditions of severe deprivation.

Moreover, there is absolute secrecy about people detained in the five political prison camps which are also reportedly operational, Mr. Zeid said, noting that OHCHR's interviews with persons who have left the DPRK indicate that fear of being sent to these facilities is a powerful instrument of control.

Repatriated escapees are routinely subjected to multiple forms of torture and ill-treatment at detention centres, including beatings, forced labour, deprivation of food and healthcare and sexual violence. Women are subjected to invasive body searches that may amount to rape under international law.

Mr. Zeid also said that no progress has been made regarding cases of international abductions and enforced disappearances of foreign nationals.

"The people of the DPRK also face severe violations of their economic, social and cultural rights," Mr. Zeid said, noting that they face chronic food insecurity, and pervasive corruption that is forcing even very poor people to frequently pay hefty bribes to enable their children to pursue primary or higher education, to engage in private business, and access healthcare.

Mr. Zeid said sanctions imposed by the Security Council on the DPRK may be adversely affecting the humanitarian assistance provided by UN agencies and others, which is literally a lifeline for some 13 million acutely vulnerable individuals in the country, asking the 15-member body to conduct an assessment of the human rights impact of sanctions, and minimize their adverse humanitarian consequences.

Above all, every effort must be made to ensure the Government of the DPRK makes urgent changes to the country's laws and policies, to enable greater freedom and access to fundamental services and goods.

OHCHR is strengthening monitoring efforts by recruiting criminal law experts and establishing a repository of cases to be used in future prosecutions.

While there is debate whether it is adequate for the Council to discuss human rights issues, today's meeting was OHCHR's fourth briefing to the Council on the DPRK in as many years.

Also briefing the Council was Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca, who recalled that in response to the accelerated nuclear and ballistic missile testing by the DPRK, the Council has strengthened its DPRK sanctions regime with three additional resolutions since the last briefing.

Citing the possibility that sanctions may have a detrimental impact on livelihoods and medical care, he encouraged all international and non-governmental organizations who are facing operational challenges to use the established process to inform or seek the necessary guidance or exemption from the DPRK sanctions regime.

This will help to remove ambiguity and provide reassurance for the relevant entities and partners to facilitate the work of such organizations in the DPRK, he said, urging the sanction's regime to continue to expeditiously review these requests.

Mr. Jenca also urged all Member States to support the lifesaving activities in the country, as some $114 million are required to address the critical humanitarian needs in the DPRK.

He also called on financial institutions to exercise their corporate social responsibility and provide the lifesaving banking services for humanitarian organizations in the country. The channel would be sent to the Security Council for approval.
UN honours 14 peacekeepers killed in eastern DR Congo

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN honours 14 peacekeepers killed in eastern DR Congo, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fc9cb4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Monday paid tribute to the Tanzanian peacekeepers killed on 7 December in the worst attack on UN 'blue helmets' in recent history.

At the ceremony in the north-east city of Beni, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC, David Gressly, encouraged the mission's military, police and civilian staff to continue their efforts to implement the operation's mandate, including the protection of civilians.

We are determined to continue our work, the Deputy Special Representative stressed.

What is important now is to stay engaged [...] to protect civilians, especially towards Kamango, Mr. Gressly told UN Radio Okapi referring to the road which passes by one of the UN peacekeeping base enroute to Kamango, on the eastern border of DRC and Uganda.

The bodies of the 14 blue helmets were repatriated to Tanzania later Monday. News reports suggest that the bodies were ceremoniously received in Dar es Salaam by Tanzanian defense and military officials.

In the wake of the incident, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council condemned the deadly attack, with the UN chief expressing his outrage and utter heartbreak.

These deliberate attacks against United Nations peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime, said Mr. Guterres, urging the DRC authorities to investigate the incident and quickly bring the perpetrators to justice.

There must be no impunity for such aggression, here or anywhere else, he added.

Late Thursday night, a UN Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) Company Operating Base at Semuliki in Beni territory, in DRC's restive North Kivu province, was attacked by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) elements, resulting in protracted fighting between the suspected armed group elements and MONUSCO and Armed Forces of the DRC, known by the French acronym, FARDC.

According to the UN Operations and Crisis Centre (UNOCC), MONUSCO said on Sunday that 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed, 44 others were wounded and one peacekeeper remains missing. Earlier reports of 15 peacekeepers killed reflected uncertainty in accounting for personnel. Similarly, of three soldiers who were initially reported missing, two have since returned and one peacekeeper remains missing.
Violence shuts schools, deprives children of medical care in Syria's East Ghouta, warns UNICEF

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 11 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Violence shuts schools, deprives children of medical care in Syria's East Ghouta, warns UNICEF, 11 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fcbf14.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Eastern Ghouta, about 10 kilometres outside the Syrian capital, Damascus, and one of the remaining besieged areas in the Middle Eastern country, 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.

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.

On the last United Nations inter-agency aid convoy to Nashabieh town in eastern 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 eastern 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 Mr. Equiza. Now is the time for all sides to do the right thing and to stop the violence.

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.

Violence has been escalating across Damascus and eastern 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.
DR Congo: Over a dozen UN peacekeepers killed in worst attack on 'blue helmets' in recent history

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 10 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, DR Congo: Over a dozen UN peacekeepers killed in worst attack on 'blue helmets' in recent history, 10 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fcd3a4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

At least 14 United Nations 'blue helmets' in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been killed and many more injured, in what the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in recent history.

Late Thursday, a MONUSCO (the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC) Company Operating Base at Semuliki in Beni territory, North Kivu, was attacked by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) elements, resulting in protracted fighting between the suspected armed group elements and MONUSCO and Armed Forces of the DRC, known by the French acronym, FARDC.

According to the UN Operations and Crisis Centre (UNOCC), MONUSCO advised on Sunday that 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed, 44 others were wounded and one peacekeeper remains missing. Earlier reports of 15 peacekeepers killed reflected uncertainty in accounting for personnel. Similarly, of three soldiers who were initially reported missing, two have since returned and only one peacekeeper remains missing.

These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, adding: I condemn this attack unequivocally.

Further, calling on the DRC authorities to investigate the incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice, the UN chief stressed: There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else.

In his remarks, he also said that the attack is another indication of the challenges faced by UN peacekeeping operations around the world and acknowledged the sacrifices made by troop contributing countries in the service of global peace.

These brave women and men are putting their lives on the line every day across the world to serve peace and to protect civilians, he noted, offering condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and a speedy recovery to those injured.

All of the peacekeeping troops killed in the brutal attack which reportedly lasted some three hours were from Tanzania. In addition, three members of the contingent are reported to be missing in action.

According to UNOCC Director Ian Sinclair, initial figures indicate that 53 peacekeepers been injured, of whom three critically, but the numbers could rise.

Members of the FARDC have also been killed and injured in the attack but numbers are yet to be confirmed, Mr. Sinclair told reporters at a news briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York.

Our reinforcements have arrived on the scene and a search is ongoing for the missing soldiers, he said, noted that the wounded have been evacuated from the area, among whom some have been further evacuated to more advanced medical facilities in Goma, DRC.

Further medical evacuation is possible for seriously injured, he added.

Also Friday, in a strongly worded statement, the UN Security Council condemned the attack.

There can be no impunity for such acts, stressed the 15-member Council, calling upon the Government of the DRC to ensure that the perpetrators of such attacks are swiftly brought to justice.

In the statement, the Security Council also reiterated their full support to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC and to MONUSCO to fully implement their mandate.

The volatile North Kivu region, located in eastern DRC, has witnessed a number of attacks on UN peacekeeping forces. In October, two UN 'blue helmets' were killed and another 18 were injured their base was attacked by the ADF armed group.
Not enough being done to shield civilians from violence in Somalia  UN report

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 10 December 2017 Related Document(s) Protection of Civilians: Building the Foundation for Peace, Security and Human Rights in Somalia Cite as UN News Service, Not enough being done to shield civilians from violence in Somalia  UN report, 10 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fce7b4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The armed conflict in Somalia continues to exact a heavy toll on civilians, damaging infrastructure and livelihoods, displacing millions of people, and impeding access to humanitarian relief for communities in need, according to a United Nations report launched today in the country's capital, Mogadishu.

Ultimately, civilians are paying the price for failure to resolve Somalia's conflicts through political means, said the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Michael Keating. And parties to the conflict are simply not doing enough to shield civilians from the violence. This is shameful.

The report  Protection of Civilians: Building the Foundation for Peace, Security and Human Rights in Somalia  covers the period from 1 January 2016 to 14 October 2017, and was produced by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), which Mr. Keating also heads.

During this reporting period, UNSOM documented a total of 2,078 civilian deaths and 2,507 injuries, with 60 per cent of the casualties attributed to Al Shabaab militants, 13 per cent to clan militias, 11 per cent to State actors, including the army and the police, four per cent to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), and 12 per cent to unidentified or undetermined attackers.

Civilians were the victims of unlawful attacks  by being directly targeted and through the use of indiscriminate bomb and suicide attacks  by non-State groups. Such attacks, which are prohibited under international human rights and humanitarian laws, are, in most cases, likely to constitute war crimes, and it is imperative that perpetrators are identified and held accountable, the report notes.

The worst incident on a single day was the twin bomb blasts in Mogadishu on 14 October, attributed to Al-Shabaab by Somali government officials and in which at least 512 people are officially recorded to have died as of 1 December, along with 316 injured. The attack received widespread condemnation, including from UNSOM and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

This barbaric act was the deadliest attack with an improved explosive device in Somalia's history and surely one of the worst ever on the continent, if not the world, said Special Representative Keating at the report's launch. Sadly, its impact will be felt for a long time.

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 states.

Casualties attributed to State actors and AMISOM

It goes on to note that the number of casualties attributed to the Somali National Army and Police, as well as to AMISOM, was significantly smaller than those attributed to Al Shabaab militants.

Nevertheless, 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 in which anti-government elements continue to operate, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.

While achieving the balance between human rights and security is challenging, he added, the respect of human rights and the protection of civilians are essential as the foundation of a strong, legitimate State that works for the benefit of all its people.

Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency routinely disregards international human rights law when carrying out arrests and detentions, according to the report, which adds that journalists and people suspected of belonging to Al Shabaab are often detained without charge.

The report also flags that information on the conditions of people living under Al Shabaab control is scant. Verifying human rights violations and abuses in those areas remains problematic due to the lack of access and fear of reprisals.

Somalia has been plagued by armed violence for decades, as well as poverty, marginalization, natural hazards, insecurity and political instability. UNSOM is working with the East African country's authorities to support national reconciliation, provide strategic and policy advice on various aspects of peacebuilding and state-building, monitor and report on the human rights situation, and help coordinate the efforts of the international community.
UN political chief, DPRK officials agree Korean Peninsula faces 'most tense and dangerous' situation

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 9 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN political chief, DPRK officials agree Korean Peninsula faces 'most tense and dangerous' situation, 9 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fcf1b4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

In their meetings this week, the United Nations political chief and senior officials of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) shared the view that the Korean Peninsula faces the most tense and dangerous peace and security situation in the world.

According to a note to correspondents issued by the UN Spokesman's office, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman visited the East Asian country from 5 to 8 December 2017, and exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula with Foreign Affairs Minister Ri Yong Ho and Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Pak Myong Guk.

The note said they agreed that the current situation is the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world today.

During the visit, Mr. Feltman noted the urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict, underlining that the international community is committed to the achievement of a peaceful solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Mr. Feltman also emphasized the need for the full implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions, and stressed that there can only be a diplomatic solution to the situation, achieved through a process of sincere dialogue.

Mr. 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 tumour 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.
Peaceful conduct of elections 'historic moment' for Nepal, says UN chief

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 9 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Peaceful conduct of elections 'historic moment' for Nepal, says UN chief, 9 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fcf8f4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the holding of the two-phased State and Federal elections in Nepal and congratulated its people for the peaceful conduct of the polls.

"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 Mr. 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.
Security Council considers measures to support regional force in the Sahel

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 8 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council considers measures to support regional force in the Sahel, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fd00f4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations Security Council today adopted a resolution clarifying the ways in which the international community, including the UN mission Mali - known by its French acronym MINUSMA - is expected to provide support to a multi-country joint military force conducting counter-terrorist operations in the Sahel.

The Force conjointe du G5 Sahel (FC-G5S) was established by the Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger - the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) - to jointly combat terrorism and transnational organized crime in the region.

In the resolution adopted today, the 15-member Security Council welcomed progress achieved in the operationalization of the FC-G5S and underlined the need for FC-G5S operations to be conducted in full compliance with international law, including international humanitarian, human rights and refugee laws, as applicable.

The Council further stressed the need to ensure that the gender perspective is taken into account in implementing all aspects of the strategic concept of FC-G5S operations, including by ensuring that gender analysis and women's participation are integrated into assessments, planning and operations.

Also in the resolution, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to take appropriate steps to conclude a technical agreement between the UN, the European Union (EU) and G5 Sahel States, to provide specified operational and logistical support through MINUSMA to the FC-G5S.

The support provided pursuant to the technical agreement should "be conducted at the discretion of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and Head of MINUSMA, in close consultation with the Force Commander, and without affecting MINUSMA's capacity to implement its mandate and strategic priorities, and be restricted to the areas of operations of MINUSMA where such support is compatible with its current level of capacities," added the resolution.

Also in the resolution, the Council expressed its deep concern over the "persistent delays" in the full implementation of key provisions of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali and renewed its "urgent call" on the Government of Mali and the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to take immediate and concrete action to fully and expeditiously deliver on their remaining obligations under the Agreement.
UN agency begins assisting thousands of West African migrants to leave Libya

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 8 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN agency begins assisting thousands of West African migrants to leave Libya, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fd07d4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations migration agency and the Government of Niger welcomed the first 504 people from Libya to Niger, kicking off a voluntary mass evacuation of nearly 4,000 migrants.

"After the discussions at the [African Union-European Union] summit in Abidjan, the government has demonstrated its commitment to making this evacuation a priority and a reality," Alberto Preato, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism (MRRM) Programme Manager, declared on Friday.

Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Niger with the Embassy of Niger in Libya, and under the initiative of President of Niger Mahamadou Issoufou and Prime Minister Brigi Rafini, the migrants registered for voluntary return at Niger Embassy in Tripoli.

On Wednesday, the first of eight charter flights carrying 504 migrants, including women and young children, arrived at the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey.

IOM is providing technical and logistic support for the registration, profiling, reception and onward transportation of the returning migrants, under the MRRM financed by the European Union.

"The success of the operation is a stepping stone in strengthening the partnership between IOM and the Government of Niger," said Mr. Preato.

The migrants were received by the Ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Health and Humanitarian Action, along with more than 50 IOM staff - including from operations, protection, medical, logistics, finance, reintegration and communication - and other senior officials.

In addition to welcoming the returnees, IOM registered, profiled, provided them with food and water, and facilitated transportation to their villages of origin.

The UN migration agency and Niger are also exploring possibilities for the socio-economic reintegration of migrants arriving in the weeks ahead.

After the successful reception of the first charter last night, Niger's Foreign Minister officially confirmed plans for seven additional charters - carrying 500 migrants each, one per day, from Wednesday onwards - to transport the total 3,850 Nigerian migrants now registered in Tripoli.

Mohamed Bazoum, Niger's Minister of Interior praised in his speech the fruitful partnership with IOM, and complimented the Organization for making possible the dignified return of Nigerien migrants under the best possible conditions.

The teams left the airport early Thursday morning, ensuring that all 504 returning migrants were on their way home. IOM staff is fully prepared to welcome the second charter due Friday.

Moreover, in close collaboration with IOM staff in Libya, the mission in Niger is preparing to receive additional groups of migrants now in detention centres across Libya.

Meanwhile, IOM staff in Agadez are now assisting the 10th convoy of migrants arriving from Algeria as they prepare themselves for possible mass evacuations of stranded migrants from its northern borders.

"IOM is proud to be part of this operation and to be able to bring back hope to those who had long lost it," Mr. Preato concluded.
Gaza: UN official releases funds to enable life-saving aid programmes in enclave

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 8 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Gaza: UN official releases funds to enable life-saving aid programmes in enclave, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fd1073.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

A senior United Nations aid and development official in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) today released $2.2 million to support health, food and livelihood programmes in the Gaza Strip.

According to a news release by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the allocation authorized Friday by Robert Piper, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities, will also enable essential and life-saving child and maternal health interventions, including the provision of incubators and phototherapy equipment to neonatal intensive care units and intensive care units in Gaza hospitals.

"With each day that passes without improvement, hopes diminish and frustrations rise. We must summon the resources and political will to bring change to Gaza," said Mr. Piper in the news release.

"In spite of political movement towards Palestinian reconciliation in recent months, most of the measures adopted by the Palestinian Authority since March 2017, which triggered the latest deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, are yet to be reversed," he added.

The resources from the oPt Humanitarian Fund, will enable the most vulnerable families in the Gaza Strip to immediately access fresh and nutritious local food through the provision of six-month fresh food vouchers for families falling below the deep poverty line, with insufficient or no access to means of assistance and with limited capacity to meet their households' basic food needs.

It will also support livelihoods and improved food security of farmers to overcome the electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip, through provision of solar power systems and agricultural supplies.

The allocation comes in the context of an overall deterioration in conditions in the Gaza Strip this year following the worsening of an electricity crisis that has left Gaza's nearly two million - already suffering from 10 years of Israeli blockade and internal Palestinian divisions - with an average of only four to six hours of electricity per day, severely disrupting daily life and the provision of basic services, the news release added.

The oPt Humanitarian Fund is an emergency pooled fund that supports the delivery of strategic humanitarian assistance to address priority needs, while retaining the flexibility to respond unforeseen emergencies or events. It is a pooled funding mechanism, operated from donations from the Governments of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
UN Middle East envoy warns of 'risk of violent escalation' after US decision on Jerusalem

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 8 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN Middle East envoy warns of 'risk of violent escalation' after US decision on Jerusalem, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fd3944.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Wednesday's decision by United States President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been widely welcomed in Israel but it has also caused much anger among Palestinians and anxiety across the Middle East and beyond, the United Nations envoy on the region's peace process told a special Security Council meeting on Friday.

I am particularly concerned about the potential risk of a violent escalation, said Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov, briefing the 15-member Council via video-link.

He told the Council that for both Israelis and Palestinians, Jerusalem is and will always remain an integral part of their national identity. Moreover, for billions of people, it serves as a symbol and a cornerstone of their Christian, Jewish or Muslim faith. That is why it remains one of the most sensitive places in the world.

[Yet] there is a serious risk [] that this will spark a chain of unilateral actions, which can only undermine the achievement of our shared goal, Mr. Mladenov warned.

Since the US announcement, widespread demonstrations and violent clashes have occurred between Palestinian protestors and Israel Security Forces throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza.

According to the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN's relief wing, at least one Palestinian was killed and more than 140 injured.

Protests have also been reported in other Arab cities and villages within Israel, as well in cities around the region and beyond, from Lebanon and Jordan to Malaysia and Bangladesh.

Noting the symbolic, religious and emotional charge that Jerusalem holds for people across the world, Mr. Mladenov called on all political, religious and community leaders to refrain from provocative action and rhetoric that could lead to escalation; and I call on all to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue.

On 7 December, six rockets were reportedly fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. All but one landed short, without causing damage or injury. Israel Defense Forces responded by shelling a Hamas military installation in the Strip and bombing another from the air, causing damage but no injuries.

It is now more important than ever that we preserve the prospects for peace. It will be ordinary Israelis and Palestinians  their families, their children  who will ultimately have to live with the human costs and the suffering caused by further violence, stated the UN Special Coordinator, noting that will be critical in the coming days that leaders demonstrate their wisdom and make all efforts to reduce the rhetoric, prevent incitement and rein in radical elements.

Also in his briefing, Mr. Mladenov stressed that the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN are committed to supporting Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations to achieve a lasting and just peace for both peoples.

This is the only way to achieve the legitimate national aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians, he noted, recalling the statement made by the Secretary-General on Wednesday following the announcement concerning Jerusalem by President Trump.

In this moment of great anxiety, I want to make it clear: there is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B, said Mr. Guterres, speaking to the press at UN Headquarters in New York.
Libya's wretched web of collusion

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 12 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Libya's wretched web of collusion, 12 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fdcee4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

"In prison they would hit us often," said Ousman who spent five months in a Tripoli detention centre in 2016. "They killed many boys. I saw many people dying in prison, either because they fell sick or were beaten."

Ousman is just one of hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants who have braved the journey across Africa to Libya and just one of tens of thousands who have ended up caught in a complex web of abuse and extortion.

Refugees and migrants are routinely exposed to human rights violations committed by Libyan officials and security forces and abuses at the hands of armed groups and criminal gangs, who are often working in close co-operation and to mutual financial advantage. In a lawless country, refugees and migrants have become a resource to be exploited - a commodity around which an entire industry has grown, as the shocking footage of an apparent slave auction aired by CNN last month highlighted. From the reaction of world leaders to that grainy footage one would be forgiven for thinking that this story is a new one and that the problem is one of Africa's own making. But nothing could be further from the truth.

The European Union (EU), its member states - and Italy in particular - have pursued their own goal of restricting the flow of refugees and migrants across the Mediterranean, with little thought, or seeming care, for the consequences for those trapped in Libya as a result. They have entered into a string of co-operation agreements with Libyan authorities responsible for grave human rights violations, in particular the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) and the General Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM).

On the face of it, these deals drawn up to increase their capacity to tackle smugglers, carry out search and rescue operations and prevent irregular departures have been successful. The number of arrivals in Italy fell by 67% between July and November 7 2017, compared with the same period in the previous year, and deaths at sea have reduced commensurately. But EU countries should not feign shock or outrage when the human cost of these deals is laid bare.

EU and Italian officials cannot plausibly claim to be unaware of the grave violations being committed by some of the detention officials and LCG agents with whom they are so assiduously co-operating. Nor can they credibly claim to have insisted on key rights protection mechanisms and guarantees from their Libyan counterparts. They are, as a result, complicit in these abuses and in breach of their own human rights obligations.

The criminalization of irregular entry under Libyan law, coupled with the absence of any legislation or practical infrastructure for the protection of asylum seekers and victims of trafficking, has resulted in mass, arbitrary and indefinite detention becoming the primary migration management system in the country.

Refugees and migrants intercepted by the LCG are sent to DCIM detention centres where they endure horrific treatment. Up to 20,000 people currently remain contained in these overcrowded, unsanitary detention centres. Migrants and refugees we interviewed described abuse they had been subjected to or they had witnessed, including arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, extortion, and unlawful killings, at the hands of the authorities, traffickers, armed groups and militias alike.

Migrants and refugees are caught in a soul-destroying cycle of exploitation to which collusion between guards, smugglers and the LCG consigns them. Guards at the detention centres torture them to extort money. If they are able to pay they are released. They can also be passed onto smugglers who can secure their departure from Libya in cooperation with the Libyan Coast Guard. Agreements between the LCG and smugglers are signalled by markings on boats that allow them to pass through Libyan waters without interception, and the Coast Guard has also been known to escort boats out to international waters.

The actions of European countries are leading to increasing numbers of people being stopped or intercepted. In so doing, European governments, and Italy in particular, are breaching their own international obligations and becoming complicit in the violations committed by the Libyan authorities they are sponsoring and cooperating with.

Bakary, a Gambian man, was stopped at sea by the LCG and detained in the Zawiya detention centre, northern Libya in December 2016. "The police gave me the number of a Gambian man, said if you want to pay to leave you can call him, he will help," he said. "In the centre they don't give food, they beat me with a rubber hose, because they want money to release me. I still have scars".

Ultimately the misery of refugees and migrants in Libya is a by-product of wider economic and political trends on the African continent and bigger flaws in Europe's migration policies. In the absence of adequate safe, legal routes into Europe and, in light of the low prospect of being returned if found not to have a claim to protection, irregular journeys will continue to be seen both as the only choice and, ultimately, a rational choice by the ambitious and the persecuted.

This play of forces can only be addressed by increasing the number of safe and legal avenues of entry to - and return from - European countries. It cannot sustainably and conscionably be addressed by enlisting the services of corrupt and abusive actors in transit countries to interrupt routes mid-way, without regard for how they do it, or the impact on those trapped as a result.

There are no quick fixes to this complex crisis but it is essential that the aims and nature of European cooperation with Libya is rethought, to end this unconscionable collusion in human suffering.

This article was first published here by Al Jazeera.

Click here for a copy of Amnesty International's report, Libya's Dark Web of Collusion

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Iran: Upholding academic's death sentence in secret shows utter contempt for right to life

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 12 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Iran: Upholding academic's death sentence in secret shows utter contempt for right to life, 12 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fde1d4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Iranian Supreme Court has run roughshod over the rule of law by upholding the death sentence of Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-born Swedish resident and specialist in emergency medicine, through a secret and hasty process and without allowing any defence submission, Amnesty International revealed today.

Ahmadreza Djalali's lawyers learned on Saturday 9 December that Branch 1 of the Supreme Court had considered and upheld his death sentence in a summary manner without granting them an opportunity to file their defence submissions.

"This is not only a shocking assault on the right to a fair trial but is also in utter disregard for Ahmadreza Djalali's right to life. It is appalling that the Iranian authorities have deliberately denied Ahmadreza Djalali the right to a meaningful review of his conviction and sentence," said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"The Iranian authorities must immediately quash Ahmadreza Djalali's death sentence, and grant him the right to present a meaningful appeal against his conviction before the highest court. Failing to do so will be an irreversible injustice."

Since early November, Ahmadreza Djalali's lawyers had repeatedly contacted the Supreme Court to find out which branch his appeal petition had been allocated so they could present their submissions.

The established practice in Iran is for lawyers to be informed of the branch where the appeal will be considered before submitting the relevant documentation and arguments. Ahmadreza Djalali's lawyers said they were consistently told by court clerks that the case had not yet been allocated for consideration and that they should wait. As a result, the sudden news of the Supreme Court's decision came as a shock.

Ahmadreza Djalali, was on a business trip to Iran when he was arrested in April 2016. He was held in Evin prison by Ministry of Intelligence officials for seven months, three of them in solitary confinement. He has said that during this period he did not have access to a lawyer and was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment to "confess" to being a spy.

No investigation into his allegations of torture and other ill-treatment is known to have taken place.

In October 2017, he was convicted of "spreading corruption on earth" for spying and sentenced to death after a grossly unfair trial. His lawyers have said that the trial court relied primarily on evidence obtained under duress and produced no evidence to substantiate the allegation that he was anything other than an academic peacefully pursuing his profession.

In a letter written from inside Tehran's Evin prison in August 2017, Ahmadreza Djalali said he was held solely in reprisal for his refusal to use his scholastic and work ties in European academic and other institutions to spy for Iran.

International human rights bodies have consistently held that it is a violation of the right to life to pass a death sentence after criminal proceedings that violate fair trial guarantees. Moreover, under international law, the only category of crimes for which the death penalty may be allowed is "the most serious crimes", which, as interpreted by international bodies, means only crimes involving intentional killing.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner. The death penalty is a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
BURLINGTON/HARWINTON  The annual Region 10 Toy Drive continues through Tuesday, Dec. 19. Residents can bring a new, unwrapped toy(s) to the main office of one of the Region 10 schools. Donated toys will be distributed to approximately 30 different agencies in the State of Connecticut. State Police Troop L in Litchfield will pick up the toys Dec. 19 for distribution. Region 10s 2016 Toy Drive collected 2,627 toys.

Har-Bur Middle School collection drives

HARWINTON Har-Bur Middle School Spanish teacher Jean Satmaria has a pen-pal program with her 8th grade students and elementary students at Hanover Elementary in Meriden, many who are ESL. After speaking with a teacher there, she learned that they have a lot of students now from Puerto Rico who are in need of items such as hats, gloves and scarves. Jean has started collecting smaller winter-wear items for those students and will be bringing them to Meriden the week of Dec. 15.

Kids In the Middle and our Coordinated School Health Team are collecting winter-wear as well for the Torrington Salvation Army until Tuesday, dec. 19. They will donate smaller items to Satmarias collection as needed the week before the school collection ends. The Salvation Army is sending representatives to HBMS to pick up the rest of the winter-wear on Dec. 19. Any donations are welcome.

For information, call Stephanie Cowger, Communications Specialist for Region 10, at 860-673-2538, ext. 10200.

Christmas for Children Toy Drive continues

TORRINGTON  The Torrington Firefighters Association Local 1567 annual Christmas for Children Toy Drive has begun. Members welcome donations of new unwrapped toys and gifts for children from the age of infant to 18 years old: toys, clothing, electronics, video games, movies, bicycles, art supplies, board games, gift cards, and monetary donations. Checks can be made out to Christmas for Children. Donations can be dropped off at Torrington Fire Headquarters, located at 111 Water Street.

All toys and gifts will be distributed to FISH, Friendly Hands, and Torrington Youth Services. Any questions, contact Brian Parks at 860-294-1407, Elliott Bickford at 860-485-4713 or Torrington Fire Headquarters at 860-496-5936.

Lecture on Gerrymandering offered in January

LITCHFIELD  The Litchfield Historical Society and the League of Women Voters of Litchfield County invite residents to a discussion about gerrymandering-the manipulation of district boundaries. Historian John Dasher will be presenting this talk at the Historical Society on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m. Dasher will lead a discussion about how gerrymandering came about, its evolving use over the years, and its development as a political tool. This is a timely talk because Connecticuts ten-year census period is wrapping up and there might be a redrawing of voting district lines.

This program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Space is limited and registration is required. To register, call 8600567-4501 or email registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org. For more information about this or other programs, please visit www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

5th Kent Gingerbread Fest has begun

KENT  Kent will once again be the scene for one of the largest Gingerbread Festivals in Connecticut. Dozens of gingerbread creations will be revealed in participating shops in Kent through December. Sponsored by the Kent Chamber of Commerce, Kent Barns and JP Gifford Market & Catering. The whole town will take part in this sugary sweet celebration. Everyone is invited to follow the Gingerbread Walk through town to view imaginative and ingenious gingerbread delights. Visitors can enjoy the displays as they navigate the gingerbread map and solve the new riddle the Ginger Girls have cooked up this year. At the end, we need you to vote for your favorite creations. Displays are guaranteed to delight all ages. In addition to gingerbread displays, Kent will have special holiday events every weekend. Visit kentct.com or call 860-592-0061.

Church to hold Sunday services at community center

BARKHAMSTED  While area churches are preparing for Advent and the coming Christmas season, the First Congregational Church of Barkhamsted will hold its Sunday services at 10 a.m. at the Barkhamsted Community Center located next to the Town Garage at Barkhamsted, 33 New Hartford Road, Pleasant Valley. There is ample parking off Rte. 44. A traditional coffee hour follows the church service. For information, visit www.barkhamstedfirstchurch.org. All are welcome and all services are free. For more information call Rev. Susan Wyman at 860-379-7300. Messages to the church phone are no longer answered promptly, only once a week so it is best to call the pastor.

Audubons Christmas Bird Count is Sunday

Sunday is the annual 24 hour Audubon Christmas Bird Count with birdwatchers all over the country tracking the flock formations as well as migrations of birds. Called the Trixie Strauss event, the local count area is a 15 mile circle, centered at the Hotchkiss School and including Sharon, Salisbury, Falls Village, Amenia and the Northeast. All counts are recorded and reported and are Important indicators of changing habits as well as climate affects. Search on Google for information on the event in surrounding areas. The Sharon Audubon Society is located on Cornwall Bridge Road in Sharon. The center and their shop are opened Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. Membership or a gift from the shop might check off someone on your holiday shopping list. For information,call 860-364-0520.

Note: The Ct. Audubon Society will begin a 3-year bird project, The Atlas Project, produced by the University of CT and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. An army of volunteers will be assisting with the effort with the biggest and most important bird research project ever. Results of this study will help make better conservation decisions and justifications for protection of key locations. Because of climate change, some species are moving out while others are moving in. This is also an important indicator of changes that affect everyone due to climate change and can assist with decisions made by municipalities, state regulators, and planners. If you are interested in volunteering call 860-364-0520.
A Cambodian voter drops a ballot in a ballot box during commune/sangkat council elections in an electoral district in the town of Takhmao in southeastern Cambodia's Kandal province, June 4, 2017.

The European Union on Tuesday said it is suspending financial assistance to Cambodias National Election Committee, citing the dissolution of the main opposition party by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen ahead of general elections next year.

The EU stressed that because the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has been arbitrarily excluded, the general elections in July 2018 cannot be seen as legitimate.

On Nov. 16, Cambodias Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the CNRP be dissolved for its part in plotting a coup against the government. The move banned 118 party officials from politics for five years and essentially eliminated any competition to Hun Sen.

The EU said it was glad to support the electoral process that led to Cambodias commune/sangkat (villages) council elections on June 4, which it said were widely recognized as having been professionally run by the NEC and having reached high standards of transparency and credibility.

Since then, however, a series of actions has been taken by the authorities against the main opposition party the EUs brief statement said.

The decisions to dissolve the CNRP, and the subsequent reallocation of its National Assembly and commune/sangkat seats to other parties denies the choice of those who voted for the party in the elections of 2013 and 2017, it said.

Som Sorida, deputy secretary-general of the NEC, which oversees national elections in Cambodia, responded to the announcement by pointing out that the committee has already budgeted enough funds, materials, and human resources to prepare for both Senate and National Assembly elections next year, and that the government has already approved the spending packages.

He told the government-linked Fresh News that China, a staunch supporter of Hun Sens government, will serve as the main provider of assistance to the NEC should it encounter any financial difficulties in the run-up to the vote.

The amount of funding provided by the EU ahead of the elections is insignificant, he said, adding that the bloc provided only U.S. $5 million for the commune council elections earlier this year. The EU had pledged U.S. $12 million for election preparations for this year and 2018.

George Edgar, EU ambassador to Cambodia, said during International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10 that respect for human rights and democratic principles are considered key elements of cooperation agreements between the EU and Cambodia.

Cambodian political analyst Meas Ny said the EUs decision indicates its dissatisfaction with the political crackdown by the Cambodian government.

With no funding for election monitoring from the EU, the 2018 elections will be vulnerable to irregularities, and the independence of the NEC will be called into question, he said.

Any government formed after such an election will not be legitimately honored in the international arena, Meas Ny told RFAs Khmer Service. Hence, this will make the [government] severely dependent upon China.

Once the ruling CPP is totally dependent upon China, the partys popularity will wane, he said.

Smith weighs in

In a related development, Rhona Smith, United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, called on Monday for the restoration of multiparty democracy and the assurance of freedom for civil society and the media to operate in the country.

Smith expressed concern about the dissolution of the CNRP and warned that restricting Cambodians voices could ultimately threaten the stability in Cambodia.

"This has denied a significant portion of the population of their right to take part in public affairs through their freely chosen representatives," Smith said in a statement.

She noted that CNRP leader Kem Sokha, who was arrested in September for allegedly collaborating with the U.S. to overthrow the CPP, remains in prison, while several other CNRP members have fled the country because of intimidation by authorities and pressure to switch their party affiliation to the CPP.

The government has also silenced independent media outlets critical of it and restricted the activities of international and domestic NGOs.

With general elections due in July 2018, I call on the government to restore the space for any Cambodians to exercise the right to stand for election without fear or intimidation, Smith said.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) walks toward to the Cambodia-Vietnam border during the 40th anniversary of his decision to defect from the Khmer Rouge army and cross into Vietnam, in central Cambodia's Tboung Khmum province, June 21, 2107. Credit: AFP Army neutrality

Hun Sen on Monday reaffirmed that his armed forces would definitely protect his government and said that there is no army neutrality principle for his government or the state in response to remarks by former CNRP leader Sam Rainsy, who recently encouraged soldiers to stop listening to the prime minister and to commanders orders to shoot and kill innocent civilians.

Sam Rainsy was CNRP president until went into exile in November 2015 in the face of arrest warrants issued by courts beholden to Hun Sen.

We must make it clear that the armys neutrality does not exist in relation to the state, political parties, and civil society, Hun Sen told attendees at the inauguration of a training school for military espionage and intelligence professionals on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The [armys] neutrality only exists equally among political parties taking part in democratic elections, he said. Yet, when it comes to the violation of state laws, the army will stay on the side of the state to protect the state, and such [illegal] activities will never be allowed to occur.

In July, Cambodian political analyst Ros Ravuth warned that if a national army aligns itself politically, it will forfeit its neutrality, and such action could prompt a military coup if an opposition party wins future elections.

Color revolutions

Hun Sen went on to say that army neutrality will not exist for any political party that stages a color revolution to try to overthrow his government. He accused the West of trying to stage such an event in Cambodia.

Color revolutions refer to a series of popular movements that used nonviolent protests under colored banners to topple governments in countries of the former Soviet Union during the 2000s.

Hun Sen, who has made previous speeches about suppressing those who would like to start a color revolution aimed at toppling his administration, also said that in countries where the revolutions have occurred, efforts were made to ensure armys neutrality so that the overthrow would be successful.

Some political analysts say Hun Sens accusations against the West are nonsense and are only a pretext by the ruling party to show to voters that the prime minister is a good leader who has successfully prevented a color revolution from occurring in Cambodia.

Political analyst Lao Mong Hay called Hun Sens comments about a color revolution groundless, and said that he is using them as a pretext to crack down on those who oppose him.

He also noted that there is no existing law that stipulates that the army will not be allowed to take a stance of neutrality. Instead, the law requires the army to remain neutral when performing its duties and prohibits it from engaging in activities that directly benefit or oppose any political parties or candidates.

The issue is that our commander-in-chief and commanders of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces are members of the [ruling] party, and most of them serve as senior members, he told RFA.

Because Hun Sen serves as CPP president and a member of the National Assembly, he must suspend his role as commander-in-chief to serve civilian affairs, Lao Mong Hay said.

In genuinely democratic countries that uphold the rule of law, the powers of the government are determined by law, and the head of government cannot do anything according to his own will, he said.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
The Tiananmen Mothers victims group on Tuesday mourned the passing of another elderly parent of a young person killed by the People's Liberation Army in 1989, as the now-dwindling group continues to call for justice.



Wang Fandi, a retired university professor, was cremated at the Babaoshan crematorium in a funeral ceremony on Tuesday morning local time after succumbing to a prolonged illness, his wife Zhang Xianling told RFA.



Wang never found out whether his 19-year-old son Wang Nan died instantly after being shot on a street to the south of Tiananmen Square during the June 4, 1989 crackdown, or whether soldiers prevented an ambulance from taking him for emergency treatment, as one contemporary account suggests.



Zhang, a founder member of the Tiananmen Mothers, said her husband had been a staunch supporter of her activism for more than 20 years.



"Naturally, he wanted to see some kind of redress, but he is gone now, and there has been no resolution," she said. "This is a matter of great regret."



"It was mostly I who did the Tiananmen Mothers work, but he always supported me, and told me to take care of my health, as it these things always take a very long time," she said. "He told me to put my own health first."



Zhang said Wang hadn't been totally pessimistic, in spite of their petitioning the ruling Chinese Communist Party for nearly three decades for compensation, clarification, and an apology to victims'

families, to no avail.



"He said that our country was constantly changing and evolving, and he always held out the hope that things would improve," she said. "He said we should evaluate the situation and pick the right time to try to change things."



Targeted for harassment



Wang's passing comes after the sudden death in 2015 of Jiang Peikun, husband of Tiananmen Mothers founder and former spokeswoman Ding Zilin.



Ding, 80, was a retired associate professor of philosophy at Beijing's prestigious Renmin University when the couple's 17-year-old son Jiang Jielan died in the crackdown.



The group is frequently targeted for surveillance, harassment, and suppression as they have pressed for a reappraisal of the 1989 protests, the pursuit of those responsible, and compensation for the victims' families.



Group spokeswoman You Weijie told RFA on Tuesday that Wang Fandi had been a staunch supporter.



"He put most of his energy into his career, but he also supported Zhang and our group's attempts to pursue justice and to uphold our dignity," You said.



Some of the Tiananmen Mothers were allowed by the authorities to place a floral tribute to Wang at the cremation ceremony without interference, she said.



"I think one of the main reasons for this was that a lot of Wang Fandi's students were there. They all wanted to attend the funeral," You said.



Mourning forbidden



Beijing forbids any show of public mourning for those who died on the night of June 3-4, while high-ranking leaders, often pressed by foreign journalists, have repeated their view that the party's verdict of "political turmoil" is accurate, and that the debate is closed.



There is no definitive figure for the number of people who died when People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops entered the capital in tanks, raking bystanders and buildings alike with automatic weapons fire, although estimates range from the hundreds to the thousands.



The crackdown brought down late premier Zhao Ziyang, whose attitude to the students was judged to be too liberal, and sparked several years of arrests and compulsory political studies sessions the length and breadth of China.



Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hubei have detained a man with nearly 200,000 followers on social media after he accused local government officials of corruption in a tweet.

Luo Lanqing was detained at a hotel in the Fancheng district of Hubei's Xiangyang city on Dec. 7, the police said in a statement.

"Luo was a suspect on the run, in an investigation being conducted by Daye city police," the statement said. "He has now been taken back to Daye by them."

Luo's account on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo was last updated at around 7 p.m. on Dec. 7. His last tweet read: "I call on the Hubei provincial authorities to pay attention to the fact that Deng Qijia, an official with the Liurenba township government in Daye city, has been reported by local people for corruption."

He said Deng had been reported to the disciplinary branch of the ruling Chinese Communist Party three years earlier, but that there had been no movement on the investigation.

"Perhaps there's a bit of laziness or deliberate protection going on here?" Luo wrote in the tweet, which has since been deleted.

A source close to Luo told RFA on Tuesday that no legal documents have yet been issued in connection with his detention.

"We don't know what Luo Lanqing's situation is right now, because we've had no update whatsoever," the source said. "The police won't say what's happening, and they won't let anyone visit him. There has been no official notification of arrest, nothing."

An official who answered the phone at the Fancheng district police department declined to comment.

"A lot of people get detained every day, and I don't know anything about this person you're talking about," the official said. "I'm just the duty officer, and I don't know the details of this matter."

Calls to the Daye municipal police department rang unanswered during office hours on Tuesday.



Trumped-up charges

The source said he didn't believe that Luo had tried to evade capture, however.

"If he was on the run, would he be sending out tweets every day, as opposed to hiding?" the source said. "These are trumped-up charges so they can detain him for speaking out on behalf of ordinary people."

"Perhaps the government thought he had become a little too outspoken lately," the source said.

Fellow social media user Dai Kejian said Luo is no stranger to online activism, and had been forced to stay away from lodged a complaint about China Jinjiu, a fortified winemaker, over environmental pollution in his hometown.

Dai said Luo had already consulted him on hiring a defense lawyer, during a recent trip to the southwestern city of Kunming.

"China Jinjiu is in his hometown, and the pollution affected his hometown, so he reported them," he said. "It's possible that the company is in cahoots with the local police; part of the local elite, and that this is their revenge."

An employee who answered the phone at China Jinjiu on Tuesday said they had never heard of Luo.

Activists say China has an exemplary set of environmental protection laws, but that environmental officials lack the power to impose it on powerful vested interests at the local level.

Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Monasteries in Tibet and across Tibetan-populated regions of China observed the death anniversary of one of Tibetan Buddhisms most important teachers on Tuesday, drawing crowds in large numbers under the watchful eye of Chinese police, Tibetan sources said.



The gathering, called Ganden Ngachoe, commemorates the passing of Tsongkhapa, the fourteenth-century founder of Tibets largest Buddhist school, the Gelugpa, and is traditionally celebrated with displays of lamps and offerings presented to the community of monks.



Speaking to RFAs Tibetan Service, a Tibetan living in Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county in northwestern Chinas Qinghai province said that large numbers of devotees had gathered at Rongwo monastery to make offerings and prostrate themselves in devotion in a circuit around the temples.



As evening approached, those taking part offered not only butter lamps inside and outside the temples, but also electric lights inside the prayer halls, a practice that is becoming more and more popular in observance of Tsongkhapas day, he said.



At Labrang monastery in Gansu provinces Sangchu (Xiahe) county, the day was observed in a similar way, with monks performing rituals and prayers and many in the lay community abstaining from the consumption of meat, a local source said.



Some also freed animals from slaughterhouses or sat in meditation, reciting prayers, RFAs source said.



Chinese armed police normally stationed in the area kept a watch on the gathering, but showed no sign of threatening behavior or of cracking down, he said.



Devotees in Tibets regional capital Lhasa meanwhile visited important area monasteries and the citys central Jokhang cathedral in tightly packed lines to offer lamps and ceremonial scarves, Tibetan sources said.



Public assemblies at monasteries in Tibetan regions of China have greatly increased in size in recent years, observers and participants say, as tens of thousands of Tibetans gather to assert their national and cultural identity in the face of Chinese domination.



Chinese security forces, fearful of sudden protests by Tibetans opposed to Beijings rule, often monitor and sometimes close down events involving large crowds, sources say.



Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Benpa Topgyal. Written in English by Richard Finney.
An ethnic Uyghur woman jailed for attempting to flee the country has died due to complications from a medical condition that was left untreated while in detention, according to her husband, who said that authorities illegally detained his wife after she applied for a passport.



Hayrigul, 42, was arrested in January in the municipality of Tianjin where she had lived since relocating from Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture, in northwest Chinas Xinjiang region, a decade earlier, her husband Zhang Long recently told RFAs Uyghur Service.



Zhang, who is an ethnic Hui Muslim, said his wife first came under the scrutiny of authorities in 2015 after the two of them traveled to her home village of Bozeriq in Maralbeshi (Bachu) countys Siriqbuya (Selibuya) township to apply for a passport from the county governmenta standard procedure amid tighter restrictions facing Uyghurs who hope to travel abroad.



We went to her hometown to apply for a passport for her  [and] after applying we returned to Tianjin, he said.



At the end of December 2015, I received a phone call from the Maralbeshi county police station saying that the passport was being processed and would be ready soon, but requesting that we go to our nearest police station [in Tianjin] for her fingerprints to be taken.



Hayrigul had her photograph, fingerprints, and blood samples taken by policealso a routine collection of data that is digitized and stored on a chip in Chinese biometric passportsand Zhang sent the information to the station in Maralbeshi for processing.



On Jan. 19, 2016, my wife was suddenly arrested in Tianjin, Zhang said, adding that he later learned that several of her family members had also been detained, including her brother Emet Omer, who ran a restaurant in neighboring Hebei provinces Cangzhou city and was taken into custody two weeks earlier.



He said many Uyghurs who sell kebabs in Tianjin had recently been accused of planning to leave the country illegally and that authorities claimed my wife helped them by interpreting for them over the telephone.



She was just a housewife, but she was arrested for the same reason as her brother was accusedattempting to flee overseas, he added.



According to Zhang, many Uyghurs were arrested around the same time as Hayrigul, though most were later released.



I believe that around four people were punished, he said.



Zhang noted that his wifes home township was the site of a violent incident in November 2013, when Chinese authorities gunned down nine Uyghur youths who attacked a police station and bludgeoned to death two auxiliary policemen, as well as one on April 21 of the same year, when 21 people were killed in clashes between Uyghurs and security forces.



But he and Hayrigul had moved with her daughter from her first marriage to Tianjin shortly after their wedding in 2007, while Hayriguls mother, one of her sisters, and her brother had joined them soon after, Zhang said, adding that the family had no link to the incidents that took place six years later.



Hayrigul, who at the time of her arrest suffered from severe stomach pains, was transferred to a detention facility in Xinjiangs capital Urumqi three days later.



Within weeks, Hayriguls condition had worsened, and on Feb. 18 an official with the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau told Zhang to pick up his wife and bring her home for medical treatment, without specifying what was wrong with her.



The People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region soon diagnosed Hayrigul with stomach cancer and, after six months of treatment, she succumbed to the disease. Her body was sent to Tianjin, where she was buried.



Zhang said that he has since petitioned the Tianjin Peoples Court, the Intermediate Peoples Court, and the Supreme Peoples Court in the capital Beijing, over what he called the illegal detention of his wife and neglect during her incarceration that led to her death, but has yet to receive a response.



Telephone calls to Xinjiangs head office of the Criminal Investigation Department and the Shi Cheng police substation in Tianjinthe couples local stationwent unanswered this week. An officer on duty at the Seriqbuya police station hung up the phone when an RFA reporter requested information about Hayriguls case.



Anti-terrorism law



Ilshat Hassan, the president of Washington-based exile group Uyghur American Association (UAA), called Hayriguls case a real illustration of how Uyghurs are victimized under a December 2015 anti-terrorism law that bans the dissemination of images or information regarding terrorist activities and authorizes operations by security forces beyond China's borders.



In Chinese law there are too many vague conceptsfor example, terror and combating terror were never clearly defined under the anti-terrorism law, he said.



It is so broad that the normal practice of religion can be defined as terrorism, so any Muslim can become a target. We can see this from the tragic fate of Hayrigul.



Until Chinas government abandons such laws and establishes an independent judicial system, he said, cases such as Hayriguls will continue to occur.



The vagueness of the law causes the illegality of the lawin this case, we can see that it led to illegal entrapment, Hassan said.



Different people interpret the law in different ways and use it to their advantage, he added.



In Hayriguls case, the Chinese government used this law against her simply because she was Uyghur. Therefore she was considered to be a threat and was arrested. In the end, to avoid letting it happen in prison, she was released to go home and die.



Observers have said the anti-terrorism law could be used to target peaceful dissent and religious activities among ethnic minorities in China, particularly among the Uyghur ethnic group.



China regularly conducts strike hard campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material.



While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009.



Reported by Jilil Kashgary for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by RFAs Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
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A Powhatan County father was justified in fatally shooting an armed man whom he considered his son when he attacked the fathers biological son Sept. 11 inside the familys auto repair business, a multijurisdictional grand jury investigating the death has determined.

Dana Travis Richter feared for the life of his son, Travis Dana Richter, when he shot and killed Dana Travis Burdick, 35, after Burdick entered the familys business in the 3700 block of Anderson Highway and pummeled the victim before holding a knife to his throat, the grand jury determined in ruling the death a justifiable killing.

Richters choice to use deadly force to protect one son but kill another is clearly tragic and a decision no parent would wish to make, the grand jury said in its report. However, it cannot be said that that choice was unreasonable based on the events as they unfolded.

As a result, we the members of the grand jury do hereby find that Dana Richter did reasonably respond to an overact (sic) of violence taken by Dana Burdick against a family member and that force used by Dana Richter to repel the assault against (Travis Richter) was not unreasonable based on the totality of the circumstances facing him at the time, the grand jury added.

Consequently, the panel concluded there was no probable cause to indict Dana Richter, 54, for the death of Burdick, and they ruled the killing to be a justifiable homicide.

Burdick was known to the Richters and considered in some regards to be part of their family.

Dana Richter told authorities that Burdicks mother had advised him years ago that he was Burdicks father, a claim that was never confirmed, said Powhatan Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Robert Cerullo.

Dana Richter did not believe the claim and didnt allow Burdick to take his last name. But Richter told police that he treated Burdick like a son over the years and tried to keep him on the straight and narrow, Cerullo said.

But I dont know whether hes my (biological) son or not, Richter told authorities, according to Cerullo.

The grand jury that ruled in the case was formed earlier this year to serve the counties of Powhatan, Amelia, Goochland and Prince Edward counties.

The fatal shooting occurred about 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 11.

According to Cerullos summary of evidence, the shooting stemmed from a domestic situation involving Burdick and Travis Richter and a woman that both men had once been seeing. The woman was Burdicks fiancee, but Travis Richter also had a romantic relationship with the woman, which enraged Burdick, Cerullo said.

Burdick flew into a rage and basically told everybody he could that Im going to kill Travis,  Cerullo said. He sent text messages to Richters father that said, if I see him again Im going to kill him  all sorts of threats.

The father, however, did not take the threats too seriously until the evening of Sept. 11, when Burdick, under the influence of alcohol, drove his motorcycle to the Richter family business.

Upon arriving, Burdick forced his way inside and assaulted the father, as his son hid in a rear storage room behind a locked door, Cerullo said.

But Burdick kicked in the door and attacked Travis Richter. Burdick assaulted him with his motorcycle helmet, (punched) him multiple times about the head and face (and bit) him on the chin and (strangled) him about the neck, according to the grand jurys report.

While continuing to assault Richter, Burdick held him on the round with a knife to his throat, the report says.

At that point, Dana Richter shot Burdick, who had three prior assault convictions, in the chest with a .380-caliber handgun, killing him, according to the grand jurys report.

An autopsy performed on Burdick showed significant bruising on his hands, which were consistent with blunt-force trauma likely caused by repetitive strikes with a closed fist to a hard or semi-hard object, the grand jury report says.

Burdicks blood alcohol content was reported at 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit to drive.

Burdick was carrying multiple weapons at the time of the incident, including two fixed-blade knives, a folding knife, two pairs of brass knuckles, a padlock with a bandanna wrapped around it and a can of pepper spray, according to the grand jurys report.

All of these weapons were either partially concealed or entirely concealed and readily accessible to (Burdick), the grand jury said.
Police detectives are asking the public to help them identify a man suspected in an attempted robbery and shooting in South Richmond last week.

At about 1 a.m. on Dec. 5, a man tried to rob another male near the intersection of Ruffin Road and Columbia Street just east of Jefferson Davis Highway.

After the suspect brandished a handgun, the victim ran away but was shot by the suspect, authorities said. The suspect then fled the scene. The victim was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not deemed life-threatening.

Detectives released images of a man they believe is the suspect. The images were captured at a nearby convenience store a few minutes before the shooting.

The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 20-30 years of age, 6 feet tall and weighing around 145 pounds. He has a tattoo on his forehead and a teardrop tattoo near his right eye. He may be driving a dark-colored sedan, possibly a Ford Taurus or Mercury Sable.
A prosecutor said Monday that a Beaverdam woman charged with murdering her boyfriend once told the victim in a text message he was pathetic and that he was going to get what he deserved.

Shari L. Skipper, the chief deputy commonwealths attorney for Hanover, cited that text message as she opened her case against Stephanie Tinsley in Hanover Circuit Court.

Tinsley, 30, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Glen Todd McMillan Jr. He was 31 when he was killed on Jan. 20 at the couples home at 16205 Trainham Road in rural Beaverdam in western Hanover.

Skipper said that when police arrived, they found McMillan lying in a pool of blood. He had suffered several gunshot wounds, including in the back, the prosecutor said.

Skipper said the defendant made contradictory statements to investigators. For example, she told police McMillan had been drinking but ultimately no alcohol was found in his system, the prosecutor said.

The couple had been arguing for weeks about money and because Tinsley said McMillan, a recovering heroin addict, had started to use the drug again, Skipper said.

Craig Cooley, Tinsleys attorney, said his client was in an abusive relationship with the victim and that she used a handgun to protect herself.

Cooley said that on the day of the shooting, McMillan threatened his client, telling her he would smear her guts all over her parents yard before he killed them. The defense attorney also said McMillan had threatened to take pliers and pull out Tinsleys teeth one by one.

She saw the demon-like look in his face, Cooley said.

When the couple would argue, it would generally be about drugs, the defense attorney said. On the day of the shooting, Cooley said, McMillan became enraged during an argument where the defense attorney said Tinsley confronted her boyfriend about his drug use.

The defense attorney said that at one point, McMillan pulled a desk in front of his client to keep her from leaving an upstairs room. Tinsley, who got her gun during the argument, was able to get down the stairs and was trying to flee the home, Cooley said.

Shes trying to get out, and he grabs her, Cooley said.

The defense attorney said the first shot struck the victim in the chest and that subsequent shots struck him as he was spinning around as Tinsley shot in rapid succession. Cooley said a piece of the defendants blond hair was in McMillans palm when he was found by police.

The defense attorney said his client reported the shooting to police in a 911 call.

The prosecutor scoffed at Cooleys contention that she was trying to protect herself during the shooting.

The defendant has woven a tale that she acted in self-defense, Skipper said. That is simply not true.

Courtney Doyle, one of McMillans friends, testified that just before the fatal shooting on Jan. 20, he heard the victim yell, Stop! Stop! Stop right before the line went dead. Doyle said he tried to call his friend back, but he could not reach him. He said he heard about what happened from media coverage and reached out to authorities to tell them what he knew.

Cooley asked Doyle if his friend had told him that morning that he was going to put a bullet in Tinsley, but Doyle said McMillan did not say that.
OAKLAND, Iowa  Two people were killed Tuesday morning in a fire on a school bus southeast of here.

The call about the fire went out shortly after 7 a.m. Oakland, Carson and Macedonia firefighters were called to assist. Dispatchers said the bus, from the Riverside Community School District, was in the driveway of a house at 17840 480th St.

The initial call indicated 20 students were on the bus. Subsequent calls indicated one or two people did not make it off the bus, said Pottawattamie County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Reynolds.

A dispatcher said the bus driver couldn't be reached.

Firefighters found the bus engulfed in flames when they arrived. Once the fire was contained, the remains of two people were found on the bus, Reynolds said.

The address is to a farm off a rural gravel road. Law enforcement officers have blocked off access to 480th Street.

The farm where the bus fire occurred is six miles east and two miles south of Oakland, which is about 25 miles east of Council Bluffs.

The Riverside school district, which serves Oakland, Carson and Macedonia, Iowa, is based in Carson, which is about six miles south of Oakland. The district serves 730 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The high school, which serves grades 7-12, is in Oakland.

One of two ambulances that were at the scene left the farm around 9 a.m.
One of the best-known prayers in the English language might need an update for the sake of theological clarity, Pope Francis recently suggested in an interview.

The words in the Lord's Prayer that ask, "Lead us not into temptation," can cause confusion, Francis said. To make it clear that God would not lead anybody toward sin, the pope suggested a better translation of the Greek prayer from the New Testament would be something along the lines of, "Do not let us fall into temptation."

Any change to the text of the Mass in the Catholic Church takes lengthy deliberations. Francis' comments won't lead to a change in what churchgoers recite this Sunday.

But there's precedent for the sort of change he suggested: The Catholic Church in France switched its liturgy on Sunday from "Ne nous soumets pas a la tentation" (roughly "Don't expose us to temptation") to an updated version, "Ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation" (meaning "Don't let us enter into temptation.")

Christians who have been taught the Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father prayer, from the time they were children reacted with surprise to the news of the pope's comments. On social media, many reacted with comments such as, "Leave the Lord's Prayer alone!"

The prayer comes from the book of Matthew, in which Jesus teaches his followers, "This, then, is how you should pray," then recites the now-famous words.

Francis spoke about the prayer in an interview with Marco Pozza, a prison chaplain in Padua, on the channel TV2000 that is owned by Italian bishops. Pozza said that people sometimes ask him, "Father Marco, how can God ever lead us into temptation?"

The pope replied that the translation is "not good."

"It's not about letting me fall into temptation. It's I, the one who falls, not Him pushing me toward temptation," Francis said, miming the gesture of pushing someone, "so as to then see how I fall. No, well, a father won't do that. A father will immediately help you pick yourself up. Satan's the one leading you into temptation. That's Satan's task."

Michael Dauphinais, the chair of the theology department at Ave Maria University, said he has discussed the same confusion with his students about the meaning of this key prayer. "It's certainly important to understand that God is not ever going to lead us into temptation, that our Lord permits evils and sufferings to occur, but he does not ever lead us into sin," he said.

He said Pope Francis is "a good pastor" to have realized that his flock may be misunderstanding the words.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  Charlottesville has denied a special-event permit application for a Unite the Right anniversary rally and four other demonstrations in the summer.

In an email sent shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, city spokeswoman Miriam Dickler said the city is denying the five applications for events in and around Emancipation Park, where the white nationalist rally took place Aug. 12.

According to official notices signed by City Manager Maurice Jones, the city is denying the applications for Aug. 11-12, a weekend, due to public safety concerns.

The proposed demonstration or special event presents a danger to public safety and it cannot be accommodated within a reasonable allocation of city funds and/or police resources, the notices say.

On Nov. 27, rally organizer and pro-white activist Jason Kessler submitted his application for the event, which he described in his application as a rally against civil rights abuse. The application also says the anniversary rally is intended to memorialize the sacrifices made by political dissidents at his rally earlier this year.

Within days, several other people, including Charlottesville City Councilor Bob Fenwick and University of Virginia professor Walt Heinecke, filed their own applications for events in Emancipation Park. Heinecke and Brian Lambert, an ally of Kesslers, submitted dueling applications to reserve Justice and McGuffey parks.

The city denied those permit applications for the same reasons Kesslers was rejected.

On his Twitter account and in a statement to NBC29, Kessler said he plans to file a lawsuit against the city.

The decision is bogus and should be reversed in court, his statement to NBC29 says. Were going to be suing Charlottesville for this (and) many other civil rights violations early next year.

The Unite the Right rally in August brought an uncontrollable mass of battle-ready white nationalists and counterprotesters who brawled downtown throughout the morning on Aug. 12. The event was shut down by noon when authorities declared an unlawful assembly.

A recent third-party review of the event, as well as a state report, found that despite recognizing the strong likelihood of violence, city and state officials were ill-prepared for the rally. The third-party report, which the city hired former U.S. attorney Tim Heaphy to conduct, asserted that local and state officers were ordered to not intervene in the fighting that roiled Market Street.

The report claims Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas intentionally let some of the fighting take place so that an unlawful assembly could be declared. Thomas, who retained an attorney after the report, has denied those claims.
In his first major interview since losing Virginias governors race, Republican Ed Gillespie said hes done with running for public office and wouldnt encourage anyone he cares about to enter the poisonous atmosphere of electoral politics.

Gillespie didnt explicitly blame President Donald Trump for his loss in a wide-ranging interview this week with David Axelrod, the former adviser to President Barack Obama who is now the director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago. But Gillespie, a member of the institutes board, who narrowly lost a 2014 run against U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., said Trump was a big factor in the turnout surge that carried Democrats to wide victories in all three statewide races and major gains in the House of Delegates.

The atmosphere is definitely different in 17 than it was in 14. Theres no two ways about it. It is a much more poisonous atmosphere, Gillespie said in the episode of Axelrods The Axe Files interview series. I dont know if theres causality or correlation. Ill leave that for others to determine. But I could not honestly say to someone that I like and think is a halfway decent human being, Yeah, you ought to run for office.

Gillespie, a political consultant and former chairman of the Republican National Committee who lost the Nov. 7 gubernatorial election to Gov.-elect Ralph Northam by 9 percentage points, expanded on his recent criticism of the media. The press is obsessed with Trump, he said, and the national media zeroed in on Trump-like issues such as Confederate statues with little understanding of how most Virginians feel about them.

Now were selling clicks, Gillespie said. And it has a very debilitating and I think cynical and corrosive effect on the ability to have an actual conversation.

He acknowledged that Trump has probably contributed to increased political polarization. He pointed to Trumps tweets about the Virginia race, saying Trump talked about Confederate statues in a more inflammatory way than Gillespies campaign did.

I never talked about defending heritage because thats not how I see the issue or view it. And I see the Confederate flag a whole different way than these statues. And by the way, so do most Virginians, Gillespie said. But when the president tweeted about it himself, he tweeted about heritage. And that injected it into the discussion in a way I would not and never did.

Axelrod pressed Gillespie on his campaigns decision to deploy hard-hitting ads that critics called racially tinged and misleading. The campaign used photos of heavily tattooed Latino men meant to represent the gang MS-13 to attack Northams vote in the state Senate against a bill that would have banned hypothetical sanctuary cities.

In the closing weeks of the race, Gillespie spotlighted the case of a pedophile to criticize Northams support for Gov. Terry McAuliffes expansive approach to restoring felons voting rights, an approach Gillespie said he supported generally but with added restrictions on those who commit particularly heinous crimes.

Suggesting the ads may have spectacularly backfired, Axelrod asked Gillespie if he regretted the way he conducted his campaign and repeated a past Gillespie quote about the importance of authenticity during a campaign.

The best thing in politics is to run as who you are on the things that you believe in and win. The worst thing in politics is to run as who youre not on things you dont believe in and lose, Axelrod said, repeating a line from Gillespies 2006 book Winning Right: Campaign Politics and Conservative Policies.

Gillespie said he took no positions he didnt believe in, but he said he emphasized issues, particularly the public safety concerns of suburban women, that his data suggested would move numbers. He said he wouldve preferred to focus on his proposals to cut taxes and reform the criminal justice system, but those werent the issues that he thought could produce a win.

Clearly it didnt work. Did it create a backlash? I dont think so. But I dont know, Gillespie said. I suspect no matter what ads we ran, that those votes were coming.

Gillespie also weighed in on the special election happening Tuesday in Alabama, saying he couldnt bring himself to support Republican Roy Moore, the U.S. Senate candidate who has been accused of pursuing sexual relationships with teenage girls while in his 30s.

As a person, I could not vote for him, Gillespie said. From a political perspective, I dont think the long-term pain would be worth the short-term gain of the seat, politically.

Speculating on his own future, Gillespie said hell explore opportunities in the nonprofit sector and may chip in to help Virginia Republicans with congressional races next year and state Senate races in 2019.

As for Northam, Gillespie called his former opponent a good man and said he hopes hell be a good governor.
E.W. Jackson loves the "tone of patriotism" set by President Donald Trump.

But for the Trump agenda to succeed, he said Tuesday, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., needs to go.

Jackson stopped by the Richmond Times-Dispatch during a visit to the capital city to meet with pastors and visit the Fairfield Court public housing community a day after announcing his run in the GOP primary for Senate. Jackson - his party's unsuccessful 2013 nominee for lieutenant governor - said he wants to help pass the Trump agenda and is the only GOP candidate who can beat Kaine because he'll assemble a coalition of evangelicals, veterans and African-American voters.

"I agree with the president's agenda and I want to see his agenda implemented," Jackson said, singling out his support for tax cuts and higher military spending. "We're still the best place in the world for people to live. We've got a lot to be grateful for. A lot to be proud of. We don't need to tear each other apart with hatred. And I think the president has set the right tone even though it's difficult for him because there are people who certainly hate him."

And, Jackson said, he wants a Virginia that reflects Judeo-Christian values. "We see that slipping away."

Jackson, 65, is pastor of The Called - Exodus Faith Ministries in Chesapeake. He's known for his socially conservative views on issues like gay rights, and in the past denounced gays as "very sick people" and "perverted."

But it's 2017 now, and E.W. Jackson said he regrets his past tenor.

"I regret using any words that hurt people or that make people think I hate them, or that make people think I look down on them," he said.

So while his Christian faith means he opposes legal same-sex marriage, "I am going to endeavor in this campaign to express that in a way that calls attention to my faith, where appropriate, without implying some sort of hostility against gay people or transgender people. Because I don't believe that. And that's one of the many lessons I've learned."

He also noted that some of his past statements were "said not in the context of a campaign but on Christian radio where I'm speaking as a pastor and minister to Christians."

Were he to see someone bullying a gay or transgender person, he would step in "and physically fight for them," Jackson said.

As a boy, Jackson got into different kinds of fights. He was raised in foster care and by age 10, growing up in Chester, Pa., he said, he was in a gang that engaged in "violent fights" with neighborhood boys.

His life changed after his father, a Roosevelt Democrat and welder with a sixth-grade education, took custody of him and imposed strict rules, he said.

"The only thing that kept me away from that kind of stuff was a dad who said 'No, you're not going to be a part of it.' "

Jackson eventually went to Harvard Law School , worked in talk radio and been a pastor since around 1980, the time he and his wife began their switch from Democrat to Republican because they felt the Democratic Party was incompatible with Christianity.

The Republican platform "was more consistent with my values. The focus on family. The acknowledgement of God. The idea of personal responsibility.

"I'm conservative because I was raised by a proud black man who had very strong conservative values," Jackson said. "He took the world as he found it, and he understood that you're not owed anything in life. You have to earn your way."

The youth center at Jackson's church is named for his father, William Jackson, who died in 2002.

In October, the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University found Trump's approval at 33 percent in Virginia. Last year, Virginia was the only Southern state that the Clinton-Kaine ticket carried. This year, Democrats swept the state's 10 most populous cities and counties as they clobbered Republicans in contests for state offices and state House of Delegates.

Yet Jackson said he's the only GOP candidate with any chance of beating Kaine in the November 2018 general election, in which Kaine is seeking a second term as senator.

Evangelicals

"Evangelicals play a major role in Virginia electoral politics, and the problem is, they have often felt ...that they don't have a candidate," Jackson said. "That there's nobody who represents their values. So they're not excited."

"If they were to vote in the numbers that we need them to vote in, I think they would present an unstoppable political force."

Jackson, a Vietnam-era veteran who did not serve in combat, said he also hopes to attract veterans' votes. And he will make a special appeal to blacks, he said.

"I really am convinced that we may be on the cusp of a major shift in the black vote," he said. "I have a private-sector plan for ending the cycle of poverty in America's inner-cities, in Virginia's inner-cities, and I'm going to be taking that message aggressively into the inner-cities of Virginia and to the black community. So I'm hoping to draw an unprecedented number of black votes and minority votes, more than perhaps any Republican has in the recent history of our state."

Vernon Robinson, who ran a super PAC called the National Draft E.W. Jackson for Senate Committee, said Democrats' support for abortion rights and opposition to school choice makes them vulnerable in the black community - but Republicans generally don't try to go after the black vote.

"The problem is that the Republican brand is destroyed in the black community," Robinson said during an interview Saturday at the Republican Party of Virginia's annual retreat in Bath County.

Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University and an evangelical leader in Virginia, last week endorsed GOP candidate Corey Stewart for the Senate nomination.

"I think he made a premature decision," said Jackson, who spoke to Falwell after the endorsement. "He made clear that ... his endorsement of Corey Stewart is not opposition to E.W. Jackson."

In addition to Jackson and Stewart - a local government leader from Prince William County who nearly beat Ed Gillespie in this year's GOP primary for governor - state Del. Nicholas J. Freitas, R-Culpeper, and Ivan Raiklin of Fairfax County are running in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate.

Jackson announced his campaign Monday on the John Fredericks radio show. In response to a question, and citing no evidence, he suggested that Stewart had ties to Muslim extremists.

Jackson declined to go into more detail Tuesday, saying he's known Stewart for five years and considers him a friend. "It wasn't meant to be an attack," he said. The real test will be how voters respond to the candidates' positions on issues, he said.

One issue where Jackson and Stewart align is their support for Roy Moore, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Alabama, who has been under fire following a series of allegations that he sought sexual relationships with teenage girls while he was in his 30s.

Stewart flew to Alabama on Sunday to campaign for Moore.

Jackson said if he lived in Alabama he'd vote for him.

"The allegations against him ... I don't think they are all credible. I think they're somewhat questionable," Jackson said. "And they're so old. I mean, my goodness gracious, how far back do you go?

"The statute of limitations runs out on trying to hold things against people unless they've committed a felony. I mean, killed somebody or something. But trying to go back and dissect people's backgrounds and all of that, I just think it's not fair to a human being."
CHARLOTTESVILLE  Prosecutors say they have filed a motion to downgrade the charge against an African-American man who was beaten in a Charlottesville parking garage after the failed Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally.

DeAndre Harris, 20, of Suffolk has been accused of felony unlawful wounding. Charlottesville Commonwealths Attorney Dave Chapman confirmed Monday that he is asking the General District Court to amend that charge to misdemeanor assault and battery. He declined further comment.

I cannot comment in detail about my motion to amend the charge against Mr. Harris without going into the specifics of his case to a degree that could impact his right to fair trial, Chapman said.

Harris was charged in an alleged assault that occurred near the Market Street parking garage in the chaos after the white nationalist rally in Emancipation Park was deemed an unlawful assembly. That assault reportedly preceded Harris being attacked by a swarm of people in the garage.

Harris said the beating led to him receiving a concussion, a broken ulna, a scalp wound that required eight staples to close, cuts across his eyebrow, a chipped tooth and abrasions on his knees and elbows.

The victim of the alleged attack went to a magistrate Oct. 9 to file the charges against Harris. At the time the warrant was issued, Charlottesville police said officers confirmed with the magistrate that they had previously heard the alleged victims evidence and created a police report. No charges were instigated by police, however.

Harris turned himself in to police shortly after the charges were filed and was released on unsecured bond. He was scheduled for a Dec. 14 hearing in district court, but that has been continued until Jan. 10.

Harold Ray Crews, North Carolina chairman of neo-Confederate group the League of the South, filed the charges against Harris. League officials said at the time the warrant was issued that they had grown sick of waiting for police to act on evidence it had turned over.

Three men face charges in Harris beating: Alex Michael Ramos, 33, of Jackson, Ga.; Daniel Patrick Borden, 18, of Mason, Ohio; and Jacob Scott Goodwin, 22, of Ward, Ark.

Ramos and Borden are charged with felonious assault, and Goodwin is charged with malicious wounding. All three will be in court Thursday for hearings.

Citing intense public interest, the hearings have been moved to the Charlottesville Circuit Court building to accommodate more people. An order signed by General District Judge Robert H. Downer Jr. bans from the courtroom any electronic devices, backpacks, purses, bags of any type and anything the police deem  unsafe or potentially disruptive.

It appearing to the court that the cases on the docket scheduled for 1 p.m. ... involve many victims and witnesses and are the subject of intense media coverage and public interest, the court finds it necessary for the orderly administration of the docket that a special order be entered, Downer wrote in an order filed Thursday.

The order gives police the authority to limit the number of spectators in the courtroom and to prohibit re-entry to anyone who leaves during the hearings. It also prohibits outbursts and authorizes police to remove anyone who disturbs the proceedings.
WASHINGTON

The Pentagon and the welfare state have been locked in brutal combat for decades, and the Pentagon has gotten clobbered. Protecting the country was once the first obligation of government. No more. Welfare programs  Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, and other benefits  dwarf defense spending. As a result, we have become more vulnerable.

Here is the assessment of Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense specialist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute:

The United States now fields a military that could not meet even the requirements of a benign Clinton-era world. The services have watched their relative overmatch and capacity decline in almost every domain of warfare ... for nearly two decades. As rival nation-states have accelerated their force development, the Department of Defense has stalled out, creating a dangerous window of relative military advantage for potential foes. ... While the United States continues to field the best military personnel in the world, policymakers have asked them to do too much with too little for too long.

Politically, the vaunted military-industrial complex has been no match for the welfare states personal handouts. There has been a historic transformation. In the 1950s and 1960s, defense spending often accounted for half of the federal budget and equaled 8 to 10 percent of gross domestic product (the economy). In 2016, defense spending was 3 percent of GDP and 15 percent of the federal budget, according to the Office of Management and Budget. Meanwhile, welfare programs  called human resources by the OMB  accounted for 15 percent of GDP and 73 percent of federal spending.

(A note for policy wonks: Some military spending occurs outside the Defense Department, but including this spending would not much change trends or conclusions.)

There are many telltale signs that defense spending, though now exceeding $600 billion annually, is being squeezed. A new study by Todd Harrison and Seamus Daniels of the Center for Strategic & International Studies reports the following:

For FY (fiscal year) 2015, the Armys active duty end strength reached the lowest level since the end of World War II.

The Army has noted in Congressional testimony that two-thirds of its Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) are not at an acceptable level of readiness because of personnel shortages, maintenance backlogs and insufficient training.

From its peak in FY 1987 to the trough in FY 2015, the Navys ship count fell by more than half.

The total aircraft inventory of the Air Force declined by 44 percent from its peak in FY 1986 to FY 2016.

Sizable increases in defense spending seem warranted to compensate for past underfunding and to confront new challenges. China and Russia loom as potential adversaries; North Korea could become a global menace; the Middle East remains a cauldron of conflict; global terrorism survives; and new forms of warfare  cyberattacks, drones, and space-based conflict  demand new responses.

Proposals abound. The plan of AEIs Eaglen would, among other things, increase the Armys number of active-duty soldiers from 476,000 to 519,000; raise the number of Navy ships from 275 to 339 by 2025; expand the Air Forces inventory of planes to 6,391 by 2022, up from 5,465; and accelerate research and procurement.

Sen. John McCain and Rep. Mac Thornberry  the chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services committees  have endorsed a similar proposal. So has the Trump administration, though with less detail. The problem is not policy; its politics.

Eaglens plan would cost $672 billion more than existing law over the next five years. Will Congress vote to spend that money? If so, will it be financed through higher taxes (seems dubious, given Republicans misplaced zest for tax cuts); reductions in other government programs (also dubious  if cuts were popular, theyd already have been adopted); or borrowing (the easiest alternative, but embarrassing)? Present congressional budget negotiations for FY 2018 focus on a smaller increase in defense outlays.

Defense spending is increasingly a political orphan. Republicans are wedded to tax cuts. Democrats are addicted to welfare spending, mislabeled as entitlements.

What these political preferences share in common is that they provide immediate political gratification for large constituencies: lower taxes or higher benefits. By contrast, defense spending confers smaller benefits on smaller constituencies, mainly workers at military bases and government contractors.

In the competition for scarce public funds, the military-industrial complex is at a distinct disadvantage with the welfare state, an essential and permanent part of our social fabric. No one is going to dismantle it. But the favoritism toward the welfare state weakens the military. It is time to recognize and rectify this bias because it poses a fundamental threat to our collective well-being.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
The tacky leg lamp from A Christmas Story must be one of the most famous and beloved props in American movie history. And it seems to have made the move from screen to stage without losing a bit of its appeal.

Witness the audience response when The Old Man lifts the lamp from its packing crate in Mill Mountain Theatres current stage version of the 1983 film: sighs of recognition followed by affectionate laughter followed by rousing applause.

Countless Americans have found a home in their hearts for the story of Ralphie Parker, and Mill Mountains lively and well-tuned production does nothing to diminish the love. Ralphie, his quirky family and the other Norman Rockwellian folks of 1940s small-town Indiana are all there to be seen and adored and chuckled at all over again. You can count on the pink bunny pajamas and poor Flicks misadventure with the frozen lamppost, too.

A Christmas Story is based on the writings of the late humorist Jean Shepherd and was adapted for stage by Philip Grecian.

Ralphie, you likely will recall, covets an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.

Youll shoot your eye out, warns his mother, but his dads tantalyzing silence on the subject telegraphs what awaits on Christmas morning.

Dad  the Old Man  is a creative cusser and an inveterate contest enterer. In fact, the leg lamp is his major award from a contest.

Mom is horrified by the garish thing and does her best to hide it from neighbors and passers-by. Shes kind of a mid-20th century housewife type with pluck. Ralphies younger brother, Randy, is the familys final member. He abides behind the sofa or inside various cabinets, does pig impressions on demand and struggles with bladder control.

Ralphie is a more or less normal American pre-teen. He endures English class, hangs with his pals Flick and Schwartz and shares their terror of the local bully, one Scut Farkas. And, of course, he campaigns hard for the Red Ryder BB gun.

Ralphie is nicely played by Sawyer Mullins. Hes one of a dozen pre-teens in the show, many of them veterans of other Mill Mountain productions. His buddies Flick and Schwartz are played by Jacob Snead and Griffin Shaver, respectively. Graham Roudebush plays Scut Farkas. Beckett Socha plays Randy.

Timothy Booth appears as the adult Ralph, who narrates the tale with humor and winning expressiveness. Booth is a Virginia Tech grad and professional actor who returns to Mill Mountain after 26 years. He also plays the bit parts of a Christmas tree salesman and Red Ryder himself.

Julia VanderVeen, in her first Mill Mountain appearance, portrays the mother. Mill Mountain returnee Scott Watson is The Old Man. Both are professional actors.

Jorie Janeway, another pro, displays exceptional comic chops as the excitable teacher, Miss Shields. Her appearance with VanderVeen as witches is a highlight of the show. So is her swooning response to a near-literate student essay.

Travis Kendrick directs the show, assisted by Christopher Castanho. Among other talents, they bring out the best in child actors. Most of the kids in the show have taken part in the theaters conservatory program, and it shows in their precocious performances.

The impressive set is by Jimmy Ray Ward.

Here are the others in the shows youth ensemble: Parker Addison, Mariah Eakin, Mia Gearhart, Madalene Long, Caroline Moledor, James Moledor and Quinn Roudebush.
Virginias Medicaid program began mailing letters Tuesday to pregnant women and parents of children to inform them that funding for their health insurance will run out soon if Congress fails to re-enact the Childrens Health Insurance Program.

Virginia uses the federal CHIP funding to operate its FAMIS program, which provides health coverage to nearly 68,500 children and more than 1,100 pregnant women.

The letter notes that CHIP has had strong support in Congress for 20 years. Funding for the program lapsed in September.

We are hopeful that Congress will once again provide the funding to continue this program. However, because Congress has not acted yet, we need to let you know that there is a chance the FAMIS programs may have to shut down, the letter said.

About a third of the states, including Virginia, anticipate running out of federal funding by Jan. 31, according to a review by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

It is truly shameful that gridlock and dysfunction in Congress have left nearly 70,000 Virginians who depend on the FAMIS program hanging in limbo, Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a news release. After delaying these notifications to give Congress as much time to act as possible, Virginia has a responsibility to these families to inform them of the possibility that their coverage could lapse so they can be as prepared as possible to explore alternatives.

The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services said it would send a second letter in January if Congress fails to renew the program, informing families of when their benefits will end and of any other programs for which they might qualify.

The letter also suggests they schedule doctor and dentist appointments before the end of January.
More than one-third of Virginia children are not ready for kindergarten, according to a new legislative study that says the true scope of the problem isnt known because less than half of the states school divisions participate in the assessment of critical skills to determine childrens readiness for kindergarten classes.

The report to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on Monday suggested that the General Assembly consider requiring all school divisions to participate in the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program over the next three years.

The program assesses the abilities of children to enter school with the social skills, self-regulation, literacy and math ability necessary to succeed in the classroom.

You dont know what you dont know, said Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Caroline, the chairman of the bicameral legislative commission.

House Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, said he will introduce legislation this year to carry out the reports findings, including concerns over the lack of data to assess how many children need help and what kind of assistance would benefit them most.

It will be a structured, multiyear approach, Jones said.

The new study cited a three-year-old assessment, based on a representative sample of children across the state, that found that 34 percent were not fully ready to enter kindergarten, primarily because they lack the social skills and ability to regulate their own behavior.

While skills such as literacy are important for success, children find it difficult to learn in kindergarten and subsequent grades if they lack the ability to sit still, listen to their teacher, regulate their emotions, or have constructive and positive interactions with other students, the study states.

However, only 63 of Virginias 132 school divisions participate in the kindergarten readiness program, so the study says it lacks more recent assessments of childrens preparedness for the school room.

Without statewide participation, it is not possible to know whether each child is ready, or in what domains each child needs to improve to be successful in kindergarten, the study states.

Emily Griffey, policy director at Voices for Virginias Children, said a literacy-based screening tool her organization uses offers another way of assessing childrens readiness for kindergarten, but she welcomed the findings of the sweeping JLARC study and its recommendations.

These are good low-cost, high-impact ways we can make a difference, Griffey said.

The study examines the effectiveness of the 34 programs Virginia administrators use to improve childrens chances of success in school, but JLARC staff said the state is hampered by lack of consistent funding to carry out some programs and inability to adequately assess the quality of others.

The Virginia Preschool Initiative serves more than 18,000 at-risk children at a cost of more than $110 million in state lottery and local matching funds.

However, JLARC staff estimates that as many as 5,000 children in 53 school divisions who are eligible for the program arent able to participate, either because the locality lacks money for its share of the funding or the school space for preschool instruction.

Thousands of children each year, largely due to funding constraints, arent being served by the program, said Justin Brown, associate director of JLARC who supervised the project team.

The preschool initiative has demonstrably improved the literacy of children entering preschool, compared to children enrolled in the federal Head Start program or not receiving any prekindergarten instruction, the study says. But the state cannot ensure that children in the program are receiving high-quality instruction, especially in the crucial interaction with teachers.

The report suggests that the General Assembly find money to help the Department of Education monitor the program more effectively and require classroom assessments of teacher effectiveness at least once every two years.

The study also generally gives high marks to seven home-visiting programs that aid thousands of expecting mothers and families in addressing risky behavior and improving the odds for children to succeed in the classroom.

Participants often have better outcomes than those who do not participate, both nationwide and in Virginia, the report states.

But the programs suffer from lack of administrative support and reliable funding, the study concludes.

The funding for home visiting programs in Virginia is unstable and difficult to predict each year, and this instability hinders the ability of the programs to operate consistently and strategically over time.

The report also examines a child care subsidy program, primarily federally funded, that in recent years has begun to address the importance of quality care in helping children at critical stages of brain development that could determine later success or failure.

The staff suggests the option of creating a pilot program through the Department of Social Services to provide higher reimbursement rates to child care providers who demonstrate higher quality care.

One other option suggested by the JLARC staff would be to repeal a state tax deduction for child care that the report found to be minimally effective in helping families pay for quality care. The estimated savings of more than $27 million would help the state pay for improvements to the early childhood education programs it administers.

Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, bridled at the idea.

The tax credit youd do away with has helped a lot of families, Howell said.

However, Jones welcomed the option.

The budget is about choices, he told the commission.
Roanoke police have taken a man into custody following a standoff.

Officers went to a house on North Avenue Northeast about 5:30 p.m. to check on a man after receiving information he was threatening to hurt himself, police spokesman Scott Leamon said.

At one point, the man exited the house to the porch and had what appeared to be a gun, but he went back inside, Leamon said. It's unknown if the man fired any shots during the incident.

By about 10 p.m., police were able to take the man into custody. Officers did not fire any shots, Leamon said.

The man was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.

No one else was inside the house on North Avenue, which is on the east side of East Gate Park.
RICHMOND, Va. - A Richmond-area family has done it again: won $50,000 on the ABC reality show The Great Christmas Light Fight.

The Phifer family on Asbury Court in western Henrico County took home the grand prize on Monday nights episode, making this the second year in a row that a Richmond-area family has won big on the show.

Last year, Al and Esther Thompson at 9716 Wendhurst Drive in Glen Allen took home a trophy.

This year, it was the Phifers time to shine in the national spotlight.

Its cool, homeowner Bobby Phifer said. It would be a whole lot cooler if Mom was here to see it.

Phifer has been decorating Asbury Court for over 40 years. He started decorating his moms house when he was a kid, then bought the house next door and started decorating that too. He estimates that together, the two houses have close to 1.5 million lights.

His mom, Rose Phifer, died in the spring. But Bobby promised to continue lighting her house in her memory.

This is what Mom would have wanted, Phifer said about appearing on the show. She would want everybody to know about her house. Shed want everybody to come out to enjoy it and the lights. So thats what we did.

Phifer said he wasnt expecting to win on the show this year, especially considering that another local family won last year.

Were not big jumping-up-and-down-people, Phifer said. We had convinced ourselves we werent going to win. We were more like, Wow, really? We won?

Judge Taniya Nayak arrived with a TV crew to film the house in October. On Monday nights episode of the holiday series, the Phifers competed against three other neighboring houses across the U.S.

We had a lot of deer-in-the-headlights moments when we didnt know what to do or how to react or were too tired to react, Phifers wife, Bobbie, said of the taping. But the crew made it fun.

Bobby Phifer said he thinks their houses won because of our overall size, both houses side by side. Taniya is into DIY projects and making things yourself. We take a lot of things that arent typical Christmas decorations and put them in the yard.

Like a railroad crossing light and a room filled with holiday dolls.

She was really impressed with our 70-foot trees wrapped in lights. She said, Nobody does the whole tree. From the littlest thing to the biggest thing, she was impressed that we didnt leave anything out.

She was also impressed by the familys commitment to decorating for over 40 years, according to Phifer.

As for the $50,000 grand prize, Phifer said that the family plans to pay off bills and to cover the insurance on his moms house for another year.

We will be decorating both houses for another year, Phifer promised.

He hopes his son eventually will buy his mothers house to keep the double tacky light tradition on Asbury Court going.

Hes also hoping to take a little getaway vacation with his wife.

Weve never had a honeymoon, Phifer said. Were always out here with the lights.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  Charlottesville has denied a special-event permit application for a Unite the Right anniversary rally and four other demonstrations next summer.

In an email sent shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, city spokeswoman Miriam Dickler said the city is denying the five different applications for events in and around Emancipation Park, where the white nationalist rally took place Aug. 12.

According to official notices signed by City Manager Maurice Jones, the city is denying the applications for Aug. 11 and 12, 2018, a weekend, due to public safety concerns.

The proposed demonstration or special event presents a danger to public safety and it cannot be accommodated within a reasonable allocation of city funds and/or police resources, the notices say.

On Nov. 27, rally organizer and pro-white activist Jason Kessler submitted his application for the event, which he described in his application as a rally against civil rights abuse.  The application also says the anniversary rally is intended to memorialize the sacrifices made by political dissidents at his rally earlier this year.

Within days, several other people, including Charlottesville City Councilor Bob Fenwick and University of Virginia professor Walt Heinecke, filed their own applications for events in Emancipation Park. Heinecke and Brian Lambert, an ally of Kesslers, submitted dueling applications to reserve Justice and McGuffey parks.

The city denied those permit applications for the same reasons Kesslers was rejected.

On his Twitter account and in a statement to NBC29, Kessler said he plans to file a lawsuit against the city.

The decision is bogus and should be reversed in court, his statement to NBC29 says. Were going to be suing Charlottesville for this [and] many other civil rights violations early next year.

The Unite the Right rally in August brought an uncontrollable mass of battle-ready white nationalists and counter-protesters who brawled downtown throughout the morning on Aug. 12. The event was shut down by noon when authorities declared an unlawful assembly.

A recent third-party review of the event, as well as a state report, found that city and state officials, despite recognizing the strong likelihood of violence, were ill-prepared for the rally. The third-party report, which the city hired former U.S. attorney Tim Heaphy to conduct, asserted that local and state officers were ordered to not intervene in the fighting that roiled Market Street.

The report claims Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas intentionally let some of the fighting take place so that an unlawful assembly could be declared. Thomas, who retained an attorney in the wake of the report, has denied those claims.

In the hours after the event was canceled, a car plowed into a crowd near the Downtown Mall, killing 32-year-old counter-protester Heather Heyer and injuring approximately 35 others. A 20-year-old Ohio man who was an attendee of the Unite the Right rally, James Alex Fields Jr., is facing a second-degree murder charge in the car attack. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
The Richmond City Council on Monday rejected a proposal to request the Virginia General Assembly grant the city authority to remove the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue.

The council rebuffed the proposal, put forth by 9th District Councilman Michael Jones, with six members opposed. A majority of council members said after an hourlong public hearing that they would not support Jones plan because Richmond Mayor Levar Stoneys Monument Avenue Commission had not finished its public engagement process and rendered its recommendations.

In remarks before the hearing and the council vote, Jones made a passionate plea to his colleagues to support his proposal and do what he said was morally right by asking the state to give the council the authority to control its own destiny on the issue.

To do anything to (the monuments)  whether youre adding or taking away  were still going to need the General Assemblys approval, Jones said. As a locality, I think we should have that right to say what it is we want to do.

Ellen F. Robertson, the 6th District councilwoman, voted for Jones proposal. Cynthia I. Newbille, the councils vice president, abstained.

The vote came after an hourlong public hearing that saw 23 speakers weigh in on the proposal and the larger discussion of the future of the monuments to Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart and Stonewall Jackson; the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis; and oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury, who served as a Confederate naval commander.

Ten people opposed the request. They argued that the monuments were historically and culturally relevant and that removing them would hurt tourism in the city or squander an opportunity for education or reconciliation.

If I lived in any other city, I would 100 percent agree with you, said Ned Ruffin, who said he did not support the proposal. He added later: I do think we have an incredibly unique opportunity to add context, to teach folks about what was wrong and what can be right.

On the other side, 13 speakers who supported Jones proposal and the removal or relocation of the monuments maintained that the statues were symbols of white supremacy that stood as an insult to many who call Richmond home, and could not be reinterpreted in a way that would change that.

Earlier it was mentioned we should have pride in our history; I cannot explain to a black child why they should take pride in that statue being there, said LeSean Greene. I cannot find it in me to have a reason to say that You should be proud of that statue.

Jones introduced the proposal in September. In it, he wrote that a white nationalist rally held in Charlottesville in August demonstrates that memorials to historical figures associated with the Confederate States of America such as these five statues on Monument Avenue continue to inspire racial division.

He presented the request of the General Assembly as an alternate path the council could take on monument removal, rather than deferring to Stoneys Monument Avenue Commission. He also said in August that he was intent on getting his fellow council members on the record on the matter.

Many council members were skeptical of the proposal from the start, saying the council had other priorities to focus on.

Jones countered Monday, saying the city could walk and chew gum at the same time, balancing its consideration of the future of the monuments with its discussions of public education, crime prevention and neighborhood revitalization.

Others said they wanted to hear Stoneys commissions findings, and echoed that point Monday, lobbying Jones to continue the proposal until the panel wraps up its work.

Weve yet to conclude what our next best steps are, said 1st District representative Andreas Addison, who serves on the commission.

Newbille, the 7th District representative, said delaying a vote would allow for a broader conversation with citizens about what she called a polarizing issue.

I want to hear the full continuum of options, Newbille said.

Stoney appointed the 10-person commission in July, tasking it with prescribing how the city could add context to the Confederate monuments. After Charlottesville, Stoney later expanded his charge to the commission to include a consideration of removal or relocation.

Last month, the commission members decided to hold meetings with community groups interested in the issue at their request. Those meetings will take place beginning in January, and the commission will make recommendations to Stoney in May.

The city has little latitude to remove the monuments, according to a legal opinion from City Attorney Allen Jackson sent to council members in September. Beyond the charter provision Jones wanted to change, a 1997 amendment to state law forbids localities from removing war memorials.

In October, a judge ruled that the law protects Charlottesvilles Lee statue, which the citys council had voted to remove, triggering a lawsuit from a pro-statue group that includes pro-Confederates. Richmond could face similar court battles if it chooses to pursue statue removal, unless state lawmakers change the rule.
Virginia's Medicaid program is mailing letters to more than 68,000 families today, warning them that their children's health insurance might end on Jan. 31, as Congress has continuously failed to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, since September.

The state uses CHIP funds to pay for FAMIS, or Family Access to Medical Insurance Security. That program not only covers thousands of low-income children, according to the most recently available figures, but over 1,100 pregnant women as well.

"For 20 years CHIP has had the strong support of Congress and has been renewed many times," the letters being sent to families today reads. "We are hopeful that Congress will once again provide the funding to continue this program. However, because Congress has not acted yet, we need to let you know that there is a chance the FAMIS programs may have to shut down."

The Department of Medical Assistance Services, or DMAS, has done its best to avoid sending letters. Originally meant to be sent on the first of the month to give families at least 60 days notice, it was delayed in hopes that Congress would re-fund CHIP through the continuing resolution it passed to keep the government open on Dec. 8. That did not happen.

The initial deadline to reauthorize CHIP was Sept. 30, at the end of the fiscal year, and states have been running on leftover funds since then.

"It is truly shameful that gridlock and dysfunction in Congress have left nearly 70,000 Virginians who depend on the FAMIS program hanging in limbo," Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a news release.

While families must be notified with plenty of time to find another insurance option, if one is available to them, the Department of Medical Assistance Serivces' deputy director, Linda Nablo, has expressed concerns that sending the letter would cause confusion for families, especially if Congress does end up re-funding CHIP before Jan. 31, as she hopes.

The letter expresses the same hope.

"We are hopeful that Congress will act soon and the FAMIS programs will continue to help thousands of families like yours," it states. "However, if Congress does not renew federal funds for CHIP in time, you will get another letter in January telling you when FAMIS benefits will end."

It also states that a follow-up letter will be sent if Congress does indeed reauthorize CHIP.

(This story will be updated throughout the day.)
Prior to the commencement, the World Diamond Council (WDC) led bilateral meetings with members of the KP family including the Chair, some of the 81 KP member countries and the Civil Society Coalition. It also conducted its third Observers Forum to discuss mutual interests among industry, the Civil Society Coalition (CSC) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The WDC is led by Acting-President Stephane Fischler and Executive Director Marie-Chantal Kaninda. They are supported by nearly a dozen engaged KP Task Force members from industry, including those from ALROSA, Antwerp World Diamond Centre, Chow Tai Fook, De Beers, Rio Tinto, Rubel & Menache, Signet Jewelers, the US Jewelry Council and the World Federation of Diamond Bourses.

In the meetings, the WDC talked at length about the importance of reform in order to continue the KPs mission to deliver the duty of care owed to communities and consumers with respect to conflict-free diamonds. The WDC focused specifically on three areas outlined below and discussions were generally well received by all bilateral partners.

The need to broaden the scope of the KP definition of conflict diamonds. As part of that discussion, the topic of systematic violence within the definition arose as an example of a progressive step.

The need to establish a permanent secretariat with a location to be determined based on international best practice, built on the success of the Administrative Support Mechanism (ASM) that was established four years ago.

The implementation and enforcement of the KPCS minimum requirements should be strengthened by standardizing the peer review mechanism.

In addition to the bilateral meetings, WDC members also participated in productive discussions within the various KP working groups. These groups draw on the collective experience and capabilities of Participants (i.e., governments) and Observers (i.e., industry and civil society), with each focusing on specific and crucial elements to progress the work of the KPCS.

WDC is a member of the following Working Groups: the Working Group on Monitoring (WGM); Working Group on Statistics (WGS); Working Group on Artisanal and Alluvial Production (WGAAP); the Committee on Participation and Chairmanship (CPC); and the Committee on Rules and Procedures (CRP). In addition, WDC Chairs the Working Group of Diamond Experts (WGDE). More information about the Working Groups can be found at the recently updated www.worlddiamondcouncil.org. The working group and committee meetings will run through Wednesday, December 13, which includes a special forum on artisanal mining and sustainable development; sustainability reporting; and Blockchain technology. The Plenary closes Thursday, December 14.

Of the proceedings to date, Stephane Fischler, Acting President of the WDC, said, I am encouraged by the open dialogue and discussions we have had so far, but we should not underestimate the complexity of what lies ahead. Reaching consensus among such a large and diverse group is never easy. A successful outcome on KP reform will require patience, openness and compromise. As the voice of industry in this process, the WDC is fully committed and we remain confident that together we will reach this goal.

Fischler added, I am grateful for the support of the organizations who have made the commitment to the WDC, especially our engaged KP Task Force members. As an official KP Observer, we actively engage in order to influence change and contribute to greater transparency and accountability within the diamond industry to ensure consumer confidence. For example, the WDC System of Warranties (SoW) extends the assurance of the KP from rough to polished diamonds, covering the entire diamond value chain.




Bonjour

Jai lhabitude de voyager seule et de respecter les coutumes locales.

Jai passe 15 jours au Sri lanka en Avril et jy suis retournee presque 2 mois cet ete.

En Avril sur mon 1er trajet en bus, un homme assis 2 sieges devant moi na cesse de me regarder pendant les 5heures du trajet en se lechant les levres Ce geste je lai vu repete par dautres hommes et il est totalement irrespectueux. Je ne compte pas le nombre de fois ou a peine dit bonjour jai eu droit a Tu es mariee?.

Dans le bus pour Sigyria jai voulu payer a plusieurs a reprises, le gars na pas voulu, je descends du bus il a voulu me faire payer une sommes completement hallucinante, je lui ai tendu la somme correspondante au tari reel en lui disant que cetait ca ou ca se reglerait devant la police. Et je suis partie.

Jetais ensuite avec une amie, on negocie un tuk tuk a 3500 roupies avec le gars de lhotel, arrivees a destination le chauffeur du tuk tuk nous demande 4500 roupies. On a refuse net, mon amie a insulte et hurle sur le gars de lhotel au telephone.

A Tangalle, un homme se masturbait dans la rue en nous interpellant!

Cet ete je suis restee dans la meme ville presque tout mon sejour. Je fais connaissance avec un groupe dhommes travaillant dans un hotel et dautres pecheurs, qui se disent tous celibs, dehors de tot le matin a 23h voir plus, fumant et buvant a profusion. Jai appris a mon retour quils etaient quasiment tous maries avec enfants. Jai ete tres decue vu ce que jai pu partager avec eux pendant presque 2 mois.

Jai eu une relation avec un homme me promettant quil etait celibataire, jai recu apres avoir publie des photos de nous sur facebook des messages de certains de ses contacts me disant quil etait marie et 2 enfants, chose quil a continue a nier pendant plusieurs jours. Nous avions prevu de nous revoir, il me parlait de vivre ensemble Tout le monde dans le quartier savait que nous etions ensemble, il ne sen cachait pas et vivait a 3 minutes de mon hotel, et toutes les personnes que jai cotoye avec lui mentaient egalement. Pourtant il ny a jamais eu de ma part aucun cadeau ou argent donne. Tout simplement le divorce nexiste la bas que si les 2 sont daccord et comme une femme divorcee ne peut jamais trouver un homme qui acceptera de vivre avec elle donc elles refusent systematiquement. Les hommes font donc leur nouvelle vie tout en restant maries. Il est boudhiste, tres croyant, ma demande de laccompagner au temple

A Kandy pendant Perehara jai eu droit a une main aux fesses, jai pas reussi a voir qui cetait mais ma main etait prete a partir. Je precise que je suis toujours en pantalon large ou robe aux chevilles, pas de decollete et je me baigne en tee shirt/short.

Sur la plage alors que jetais assise, habillee, un homme est venu sassoir a 50 cm de moi puis il sest colle a moi en demandant a son pote de prendre une photo, je me suis ecartee, il a insiste, je lui ai explique que non il navait pas interet a prendre de photos, que ce quil faisait etait tres irrespectueux.

Voila quelques anecdotes de ce que jai pu vivre, et il y en a dautres. Je suis sur plusieurs pages facebook de voyageurs et des femmes ayant ete en Inde et au Sri lanka affirment que les hommes sont plus lourds au Sri lanka

A cote de ca il a des personnes tres agreables mais ils sont toujours interesses, rien nest gratuit et spontane. Jai discute avec un couple de francais installe la bas depuis 10 ans et ils ont entendu de tout, des femmes qui ont tout perdu en se mariant avec un sri lanka a un couple ayant achete une maison sur un terrain qui ne pouvait etre vendu

Cest un pays magnifique pour lavariete des paysages, les relations amicales resteront superficielles et il faut toujours etre sur le qui vive mais jy retournerai.
It took Conrail maintenance-of-way forces less than three days to repair heavy damage to its Lehigh Line, a busy main line used by New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line (RVL) passenger trains and CSX and Norfolk Southern freights, following the derailment of a 141-car CSX mixed freight late on the afternoon of Dec. 8.

NJT service was operating with only minor delays on Monday morning. Conrail crews worked over the weekend during a snowstorm to repair the damage as well as stage NJT equipment in preparation for the Monday morning inbound rush.

Conrail Shared Assets Operations owns, maintains and dispatches the Conrail Lehigh Line, which runs from Port Reading Junction in Manville, N.J., to Oak Island Yard in Newark. At Manville, the Conrail Lehigh Line connects to CSXs Trenton Subdivision.

The line shares track with NJTs Raritan Valley Line between Newark and Aldene Junction, in Roselle Park. The derailment occurred southwest of Union, N.J., in a mostly industrial area. The CSX train was headed east toward Selkirk, N.Y. There were no casualties.

NJ Transit is grateful that Conrail was able to complete the necessary repairs over the weekend in time to restore regular weekday service for our customers for their Monday morning commutes, said Executive Director Steven H. Santoro.

Conrail, working closely with NJT, was able to move four NJT RVL trainsets consisting of MultiLevel equipment to where they are normally staged for weekday morning service. Only one NJT inbound RVL train was not operated on Monday morning, due to speed restrictions following track work.

The full schedule was expected to be back in service on Tuesday. Conrails National Docks Clearance Project, a joint venture with NS and the New Jersey DOT completed in 2010 to accommodate double-stack trains, made the moves possible for the extra-height MultiLevels.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Railroad Administration have not released any preliminary information as to the derailments cause. However, it appears to be a broken stock rail on a turnout that had recently been inspected with a defect detector car.

The rail break most likely occurred when a westbound loaded trash train passed over the turnout just prior to the eastbound train that derailed. The break was in the web of the rail and not clean-through, so track circuit continuity wasnt compromised. The rail finally broke and separated completely after the locomotives hauling the CSX train had passed over it.

The CSX train derailed in two spots throughout the 141-car consist, a length that is not unusual for freights on this line, going back at least as far as Big Conrail. There were three locomotives on the head end; they and the first car separated from the consist. Two cuts of empties that had been placed in the consist between loaded cars during train makeup derailed and jackknifed from run-in caused by the loaded cars behind them. Run-in that derails empty cars is not so much a factor of train length as it is train makeup.

The GAO (Government Accountability Office), the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, recently launched an investigation into the safety of increasingly long freight trains operated by Class I railroads to boost profitability, Reuters reported a few days before the accident.

Train length is currently unregulated. Any push to add rules would likely face stiff industry opposition because railroads use longer trains to boost margins through the better use of fuel, locomotive power and railcars without having to add extra crew, Reuters noted. In addition to the GAO study, the FRA has beefed up its presence at CSX rail yards, according to CSX employees and SMART Union Chairman Dale Barnett, citing conversations with FRA inspectors.

An FRA spokesperson declined to characterize concerns over CSX train length, but said any appearance of increased inspections is due partly to safety complaints and a spike in railroad accidents or incidents, Reuters said, citing accidents involving long trains that are currently under investigation by the NTSB and the FRA. The GAO will launch its study on safety and other impacts of longer trains in February. The action was prompted by a Nov. 7 letter, seen by Reuters, from U.S. Representatives Peter DeFazio [of Oregon] and Michael Capuano [of Massachusetts], both Democratic members of the House Transportation Committee. DeFazio said his office has received complaints over safety and traffic jams at rail crossings.

CSX told investors in October its freight trains have increased more than 400 feet to 6,833 feet on average since March, when CEO Hunter Harrison launched his Precision Scheduled Railroading operating plan.
Japan will on Wednesday release October figures for core machine orders, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

Core machine orders are expected to rise 2.7 percent on month and fall 3.9 percent on year following the 8.1 percent monthly decline and the 3.5 percent yearly drop.

Australia will see October numbers for new home sales and December data for the consumer confidence index from Westpac.

In September, new home sales sank 6.1 percent on month. In November, the consumer confidence index lost 1.7 percent to a score of 99.7.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Zurich Insurance Group AG (ZURVY) announced Monday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire ANZ's life insurance businesses, OnePath Life, in Australia for A$2.85 billion or $2.14 billion.

The transaction price comprises A$1 billion of upfront reinsurance commissions, expected to be paid subject to regulatory approval in May 2018 with the remaining balance paid on completion.

Both parties expect the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, to be completed by the end of 2018.

As part of the transaction, Zurich will enter into a 20-year distribution agreement with ANZ in Australia to distribute life insurance products through bank channels. Under this agreement, Zurich will have access to ANZ's 6 million customers which are served through the bank's more than 680 branches and over 2,300 ATMs, as well as digital distribution channels.

Zurich will have an approximately 19 percent share of the Australian retail life insurance market, positioning it as the market's largest retail life insurer.

The acquisition is earnings accretive from day one, and will increase return on equity, cash remittance targets and shareholder returns. The acquisition is expected to contribute to Zurich's profitability from day one, generating strong cash flows which will support future dividend growth.

In view of earnings benefits, Zurich expects to raise its current BOPAT ROE target by 50 basis points by 2019. The transaction is also expected to increase the level of overall cash remittances over the 2017-2019 planning period by A$300 million or $225 million.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
French shares drifted lower in cautious trade on Tuesday as a two-day meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve gets underway later today, with investors expecting the U.S. central bank to hike rates by 25 basis points and maintain expectations of three hikes in 2018.

Other major central banks, including the European Central Bank, Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank will announce their policy decisions on Thursday.

The benchmark CAC 40 was down 18 points or 0.33 percent at 5,369 in late opening deals after losing 0.2 percent in the previous session.

IT services group Atos jumped 5 percent after making a formal proposal to acquire Gemalto for a total consideration of approximately 4.3 billion euros. Gemalto shares surged 33 percent in Amsterdam.

Energy management firm Schneider Electric was little changed. The company reiterated its target of 3 percent to 6 percent average organic revenue growth across the economic cycle, with Digital acting as a key driver.

Oil and gas firm Total SA rose over 1 percent as Brent crude hit a more than two-year high after the closure of a major North Sea pipeline for repair.

In economic releases, French payroll employment growth slowed in the third quarter, statistical office Insee said.

Net payroll job creation reached 44,500 in the third quarter, while employment increased 0.2 percent after 0.4 percent growth in the previous quarter.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
As many as 253 (14 per cent) candidates in the fray in Gujarat assembly polls have declared criminal cases against them, with three candidates facing charges related to murder, 17 related to attempt to murder, and four related to rape, an ADR-Gujarat Election Watch report said on Monday.

Non-profit Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) along with Gujarat Election Watch has prepared a report by analysing information furnished by 1,815 of the 1,828 candidates.

In 2012 Gujarat elections, out of 1,283 candidates analysed, 222 (17 per cent) had declared criminal cases against themselves, the report said.

"As many as 154 (8 per cent) candidates have declared serious criminal cases, including ones related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women. In 2012 Gujarat assembly elections, 92 (7 per cent) candidates had declared serious criminal cases against themselves," it said.

It said seven candidates have declared cases related to kidnapping.

Among major parties, 46 (25 per cent) out of 181 candidates are from Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), 56 (32 per cent) out of 176 candidates from Congress, 17 (12 per cent) out of 138 candidates from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), 9 (16 per cent) out of 57 candidates from Nationalist Congress Party, 4 (14 per cent) out of 28 candidates from Aam Aadmi Party, and 65 (8 per cent) out of 791 independent candidates analysed have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

Out of the 1,815 candidates, 418 (23 per cent) are multi-millionaires and among the major parties 147 (81 per cent) out of 181 candidates are from BJP, 129(73 per cent) out of 176 candidates from Congress, 5 (4 per cent) out of 138 candidates from BSP, and 11(39 per cent) out of 28 candidates from AAP, the report said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress party of spreading unimaginable lies about Gujarat and about him "personally" and said the people of the state would give a "fitting reply" to the "negativity" of the opposition.

In a series of tweets the Prime Minister also said that victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future.



"The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, Gujarat's growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined. It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition," he said.



The Prime Minister said with BJP governments in Gujarat and at the Centre, together they will take the state to new heights.



"With the Government of India and Government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1+1 is not 2 but 11 and together we will take Gujarat to new heights," he said.



Modi also said that no Gujarati will let go of a golden opportunity for development of the youth and coming generations.



"Victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future. I am devoting my life for the betterment of crores of people of Gujarat and India. Have been fortunate to always get your blessings. I am sure you will continue to bless us in these elections too by voting for BJP," the Prime Minister said.





He urged the people to vote in record numbers and called upon them to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state.



"Campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 ends. After three and a half years, I got the honour to travel across the length and breadth of Gujarat to seek the blessings of the people. During my travels across Gujarat, the level of affection I have received from the people is unparalleled in my 40 years of public life. This affection gives me strength and motivates me to devote all my time for India's development," he said.



Modi has addressed over 30 rallies in Gujarat. Polling is scheduled for the second phase on December 14.



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.



The counting of votes will take place on December 18.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flew by a seaplane from the Sabarmati river here to Dharoi in Mehsana district on the last day of the election campaign in Gujarat.

The Bharatiya Janata Party said it was "the first-ever flight by a seaplane in the country".

"Gujarat witnesses a seaplane takeoff from the Sabarmati riverfront. I will fly to Dharoi Dam via a seaplane and then pray at Ambaji," Modi said in a tweet.

In the evening, Modi will fly back to Ahmedabad by the same plane.

The Ahmedabad administration on Monday refused permission both for Modi's and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's roadshows in the city.

Modi drew the attention of the people towards the development work done by the BJP, which has ruled Gujarat since 1995.

He tweeted: "With air, roads and rail connectivity, our government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians.

"The transformation across Gujarat is for everyone to see. Sadly, Congress' notion of development is making a quick buck and that is why they are unable to see any change for the better," he added.

The BJP is seeking a fifth straight term in the state, whose second and final phase of polling for Assembly elections will be held on Thursday. The first phase took place on December 9.

The vote count is due on December 18.
A sessions court in Kerala on Tuesday found Ameerul Islam, a migrant labourer from Assam, guilty of the rape and murder of a young law student in 2016 in Ernakulam.

The special Ernakulam Principal Sessions court will announce the quantum of punishment on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old woman was found murdered in her house near here on April 28, 2016. Her mother, Rajeshwari, who works as a casual labourer, discovered her body.

The murder had taken place a month before the assembly elections, and the opposition had attacked the then Oommen Chandy government over the state of women's safety in Kerala.

The trial in the case lasted 80 days and the chargesheet runs into more than 1,500 pages.

The police cracked the case after conducting a successful DNA test to nail the accused. Trial in the case was conducted in-camera.

The mother, who was present in the court to hear the trial, told the media before the verdict that she wanted her daughter's killer to be hanged to death.

"I'm very happy with the verdict. I'm thankful to all who helped solve the case," she said later.

On the first day after Pinarayi Vijayan took over as Chief Minister in May 2016, the then state police chief was removed. Vijayan directed new police chief Loknath Behra to expedite the probe.

At the end of the probe, it was found that the first probe team appointed by the outgoing Chandy government had done a clean job for the subsequent team to go forward and record the arrest of the Assam native.

Counsel for the accused Aloor, told the media that this is the worst day for an innocent to be charged with murder and rape.

"We will now wait to hear the sentence and take appropriate action," said Aloor.

The weak link in the case according to Aloor is that the police have solely banked on circumstantial evidence.
Several women who last year accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct before he was elected the US President have renewed their allegations publicly as they detailed their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by him.

The accusers were among more than a dozen who had initially come forward during the 2016 presidential campaign. They reinvigorated their stories on Megyn Kelly's NBC show on Monday and a subsequent news conference in Manhattan, in which they also called on Congress to investigate their claims, the Washington Post reported.

The women expressed hope that now they would be taken more seriously after a torrent of similar accusations had toppled the careers of powerful men in the news media, business and politics.

"Now it's just like, 'All right let's try Round 2, the environment is different, let's try again'," Samantha Holvey, the former Miss North Carolina 2006, said on the NBC programme. She repeated her charge that Trump ogled her and other women during the pageant.

Holvey was joined by Jessica Leeds, who said Trump groped and kissed her during a flight in the 1970s, and Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of repeatedly kissing her without her consent in 2005.

"This was serial misconduct and perversion on the part of Trump... The only reason I am here today is that this offender is now the President of our country," said Crooks, a former Bayrock Group receptionist.

Lisa Boyne, a fourth accuser, joined the women at a news conference hosted by Brave New Films, a documentary film company.

At least 15 women have come forward with a wide range of accusations against Trump, ranging from sexual harassment to lewd behaviour around women.

In addition to the women at Monday's press conference, Trump's accusers include Temple Taggart, the former Miss Utah USA who accused Trump of kissing her on the lips in 1997; Mindy McGillivray, who accused Trump of grabbing her behind at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2003 and Natasha Stoynoff, who accused Trump of "forcing his tongue" down her throat in 2005.

White House repeated the President's claim that the accusations of sexual misconduct were false and that the women were lying. "The President has... said that these allegations are false," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

"This took place long before he was elected to be President," Sanders said. "And the people of this country at a decisive election supported President Trump... These allegations have been answered through that process."

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, added her name to a list of Democratic lawmakers who called on Trump to resign.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, called on Trump to step down because of a track record of "horrific conduct" with women. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, also urged him to consider resigning.

On Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that women who accuse a man of inappropriate sexual behaviour including Trump "should be heard", CNN reported.

The women appeal came on the eve of a closely fought special US Senate election in Alabama, where Roy Moore, the Republican nominee whom Trump endorsed, is facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct,

Moore has denied all the allegations and Trump has stood by Moore despite the accusations.

_

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Dear Editor,

If someone has the same thought that I have that Samoa is heading to the wrong direction then this discussion could be a helpful message for that person. Samoa really needs help right now and therefore right now is the good chance and the right time to start figuring out what our beliefs are and why we believe our beliefs in order to change the direction of Samoa to a better one.

Remember, there is no point of having all our beliefs sorted and ready, if the right process to deliver it is not followed. So it is very important to follow the right process because it is the only way to handle the wrong direction.

The first step to start with is humility and patience but not arrogance and anger. The next step involves studies and researches to support our beliefs. Studies and researches is the crucial part of the process because the working and not working of what is needed to be achieved is relying on studies and researches.

It is not going to work when things are starting with arrogance and anger. It is not going to work when insults and attacks are used to express the messages.

It is not going to work when Anonymous and Ghostwriters are used to relay the messages and it is not going to work either when information from hacking is used to support the messages.

The meaning of all those things is hypocrisy. Calling people and other government officials as liars, corrupt and with other different names but the situations of anonymous and ghostwriters are used for those insults and attacks. There is no care and hope in those things.

I do respect the opinions from the anonymous and ghostwriters on the social media because I believe that the information regarding corruption and nepotism in government they have been floating on the social media are facts. However, they have to remember that the other biggest problem of the government especially the leadership that we are dealing with right now is hypocrisy.

Telling everyone in Samoa and promising to Samoa the Transparency and Accountability but they didnt deliver it. They went the opposite way and they are still going in the opposite way. When Afualo Dr. Wood Salele proposed a corruption tribunal to solve serious crimes of corruption, they slammed it and said that there are enough laws to deal with corruption.

Since that time until now, no one knows what those laws are, no one has been brought to justice, no one has been prosecuted, no one has been arrested and they are still obstructing access to the information of crimes of corruption.

Apart from those ones, there is more. They are still acting as if the establishment and the contents of the law for leasing out Customary Lands are okay but the truth is according to the right process or the proper process that should be followed, it is not okay.

Did each member in Parliament collect all opinions of sao and matai of each village in their constituencies including the opinions of sao and matai who are living overseas? Did the government departments responsible with that responsibility do the same thing?

O le tulafono i fanua faaleaganuu ua latou faia ma le faaletatau, e pei o le lesitalaina o fanua faaleaganuu mo le faanofolisiina. E amata lava i le faavevesi ma le faamalepeina ai o aiga ae lei taitai ona oo ane lena o isi aafiaga matuia o lo o mulimuli mai.

We understand that when we make our plans we have to look at two important things; the opportunity and fear. If we focus only on fear, we might miss out of the opportunity.

If we focus only on the opportunity, we might lose everything we have. The government was looking only at the opportunity because that was the reason why the government established the law without taking proper consultation. The countrys view based on the law that is already established is focusing on both things; opportunity and fear but mostly fear.

That is the main reason why our people challenged the government on social media. Also, that is the main reason of the Protest March (Mau March) on 16/12/2017.

The cause of all those things is because of not following of the right process. Proper consultation comes first and then the establishment. We can all agree together with the opportunity without fear when the right process was followed in the beginning. However, the government is still denying its mistake regarding that situation. The alteration to the Constitution of Samoa is the other hypocrisy.

The Constitution of Samoa was re-modified with the new amendment of Christianity to become as the Official Religion of Samoa. After making that amendment in just a little while they impose tax on Church Ministers earnings.

So, for our friends under anonymous and ghostwriters, we already understand where their hearts are; they love our country so much. However, the using of anonymous and ghostwriters do not work according to the reasons as explained above and according to our objective.

In addition, the outcome of hypocrisy is the other side of this situation that should also be taken into consideration. We can tell from the governments desperation and the governments strange leadership that the leaders were also struggling for a very long time because of hypocrisy.

The result of hypocrisy we have been noticing for a long time now is that the leaders have been facing lots of criticisms and oppositions from the public because people are not benefit from hypocrisy. How can Samoa benefits from intentional and provable double standards, contradictions and lies.

Therefore in my humble view, the right step to deal with the problems of the leadership is engaging in discussions with real identity, humility and patience. Also, if our objective is to have Samoa heading to a better direction, we must consider the effective manners such as humility, patience and respect. We can arrive successfully to our objective if we follow the right process.

So there is no need for us to wait for another time but right now is the right time to start thinking about our beliefs. Search for facts, evidences and authenticity. As a reminder, there is no point of just having beliefs without communicating them to our people and should be communicating in the right way. Also, it is not enough if we explain to our people just our beliefs.

So before we communicate anything about our beliefs, we have to figure out first why we believe our beliefs. Maybe we are sharing together the same belief of successful if the Transparency, Accountability and promises are always delivering by following of the right processes. Maybe we are sharing together the belief of fast development through simplicity by valuing responsibilities.

That is, be responsible only for serving of the right leadership and the right justice when people commit offences such as corruption and cover-up. Dont left them behind but deal with them immediately. And, maybe we can all agree together about what is not working for leadership for finding a better direction for Samoa. That is, it is not working when the authority of the government is used in the wrong way in order to manipulate our countrys right, possession and foundation.

To communicate those vital informations to our people, we must consider effective manners as mentioned above such as humility, patience and respect. Communicate care and hope. That is the kind of care and the kind of relationship that our country is hoping for. To prove care and hope to our country, we must carry out two important things at the same time.

Follow the right process in pursuing of our objective and support our government to the best we can no matter what. Always remember that there is no perfect person on earth except Christ. If we think that we are perfect or better than others, we certainly ended up in producing of no care and no hope.

The Protest March (Mau March) that is planning for 16/12/2017, is a good example of care and hope. The organizers should be acknowledged for following of the right process. The Spoke Person of the S.S.I.G has put in tremendous amount of effort for the purpose of having Samoa heading to a better direction. Poo fea lava e iai le Isaraelu i lenei lalolagi, e susue a lona faamalama i Ierusalema.

E le mafaia foi e le Malo ma ana tulafono ona faia se tulaga e taofia ai le sootaga o tagata Samoa o lo o alala i atunuu i fafo ma a latou measina ma meatotino i Samoa. The Spoke Persons opinions about the law, finances and the economy are still available on the social media under the real identity or the real name. The reaction (positive / negative) from every side in relation to those informations confirms the authenticity and reliability of that effort. However, that effort to the Spoke Person was not enough and hence, the Protest March (Mau March) on 16/12/2017.

Lau Susuga i le Faatonu, o lea ua folau mai i atunuu mamao tama fanau a Samoa e tusa ai ma le Savali o le Mau po o le Solo tetee ona o measina ma meatotino po o fanua faaleaganuu ua aafia, ma e iu lava ina magoto atu ai i lima o tagata ese i le lumanai, ona o tulafono papau tele a le tatou Malo e saili seleni ai aua le tamaoaiga o le atunuu. Ua talafeagai lelei lava le Savali ma lona taimi.

Ia ao alo atu tama fanau a Samoa i le faamoemoe, ia aua lava nei popole i le taliaina ma le le taliaina. O le tulaga sili ona taua o le auai i le faamoemoe, e iloa ai e le atunuu le tulaga o lo o iai loto ma finagalo. E le alo tamala le atunuu i le latou tapuaiga mo lea faamoemoe. Aua nei popole i se toatele, e lei maua ni tala lelei ma ni manuia i se toatele. Ia aua foi nei popole tele i le itu tau seleni.

E le gata foi i lea, ia aua foi nei popole i mea taumafa (meaai ma vai inu). E alofagia i le ala le Savali. E leo lagona lava foi se leo faalauaitele o nai faifeau i le tulafono i fanaua, ae talitonu le agaga ma le mafaufau o lo o faia pea le latou pito laau o le tapuai ma tuu atu i tapuaiga ma talosaga Samoa ma lona Malo, atoa ai ma mea uma o lo o tutupu ina ia manuia.

Amata mai lava i Afioga Patele ma Patele, o le paia ma le mamalu i Tamaitai Sa. O le paia foi ma le mamalu i Susuga i Faafegaiga, o Ao o Faalupega po o Auauna foi a le Atua ma Faletua, atoa ai ma Aufaigaluega eseese a le Atua i soo se Fata Faitaulaga. E le gata i lea, o lo o faavailolo foi le tapuaiga mamalu a nai isi Tapuaiga ma Talitonuga eseese ua ou le maua uma o latou suafa.

Faamanuia tele le Atua i le Savali ma lana feau aemaise foi le fofoga o le taitai tautua, le Susuga ia Faleauto Simi Maua Taua.

Faia ma lou faaaloalo tele lava i lau Susuga i le Faatonu.

Faafetai,

Nanai Malonuu Lealaiauloto Nofoaiga.
If life is tough, you have to be tougher.

And for people who dont have formal jobs, that means doing more with fertile land that is available in Samoa.

So says Taulamago Simone, 48, from the village of Leauvaa.

Mr. Simonei is a father of five children. He admits that he is among many people who are struggling with the cost of living but nothing will change if he just complains about it.

The cost of living here in Samoa as we know is really expensive, and the only way I can say to cope with it is going back and work our plantation, he said.

One thing I know that is contributing to the high cost of living here in Samoa is because we tend to import so many goods from overseas and that is why its expensive.

Even though the Chinese businesses are here on our shores, I dont see any difference that much with their prices and the local businesses here now.

Mr. Simone said three of his children are already working while the other two are in School.

So they provide money while I provide food from the plantation because Samoa today is all about money.

Mr. Simone also mentioned why we need money even though we have food from our plantation.

Money is for everything here in Samoa, and thats the truth.

Even though we have three people working, but I tell you that when a family obligation like funeral is in the same time kids school fees deadline, things will not be the same.

Money is needed for so much stuff, paying the bills, family obligations, supporting church as well as village councils items.

Mr. Simone also added that this is why its good to go back to the plantation and work.

Not only the plantation will be able to help in food and money, but it will get you out of the pressure from struggling to find money.
Dear Editor

Re: P.M. quiet on budget for Samoa Airways

The P.M. says Polynesian Airlines have secured a lease for a 737 from Icelandair and also says Samoa Airways intends to expand its fleet to a bigger and faster jet in the future.

Is Polynesian Airlines going to compete with our new carrier Samoa Airways or is he referring to the same company?

If Polynesian Airlines is a Samoan government entity why spend hundreds of thousands on re-branding instead of reviving our National Carrier.

On the Icelandair website its fleet only consists of 25 Boeing 757-200, 1 Boeing 757-300, 4 Boeing 767-300, but no 737-800 aircraft.

It is stated on Icelandair website that its new fleet of 9 Boeing 737 MAX 8 AND 7 Boeing 737 MAX 9 Aircraft will join its fleet over the course of 2018 to 2021.

So I wonder where did Icelandair leased its 737-800 to lease to the Samoan government.

So I dug a bit deeper and I found that the Samoan government actually leased the 737-800 from an Italian Airline Neos - https://en.wikipedia.org/wi....

So which company is the aircraft leased from, is it Icelandair or Neos? This is surely going to cost a lot and even more so since its a wet lease. A wet lease is a leasing arrangement whereby one airline (the lessor in this case Icelandair) provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance, and insurance (A.C.M.I.) to another airline (the lessee in this case Samoa Airways), which pays by hours operated.

I wouldve thought it better to go with a wet lease from Fiji Airways and help each other out (Pacific nations). Anyway I hope it all works out for Samoa Airways and not another expensive failure like Ansett, Polynesian, Poly Blue, Virgin Blue.

O. Sole
The President of Ole Siosiomaga Society Inc. and customary land advocate, Fiu Mataese Elisara, is adamant.

Contrary to assurances from the government, he warns that customary lands are not safe under the Lands and Titles Registration Act (L.T.R.A.) 2008.

The law needs to be repealed, Fiu told the Samoa Observer.

There are so many loopholes and we will eventually lose our rights to our communal land.

Fius comments come days away from a peaceful protest march being organised by Samoa Solidarity International on Saturday.

The protesters plan to use the opportunity to voice their concerns about the threat of alienating customary lands.

Fiu said it is relatively important for members of the public to attend the March.

I have huge concerns about Samoa and the dangers of these land reforms targeting customary lands. It is why the public need to heed the call to join in on the March slated for this coming Saturday.

The protest march is set to begin from Vaisigano at 10am and proceed towards Mulinuu.

According to Fiu, aside from the March this Saturday, there will be another March scheduled for when Parliament resumes its work on 19 December 2017.

This is to address the members of Parliament and submit formally to the Speaker of the House the concerns on the L.T.R.A. 2008 and related legislations.

Fiu told the Samoa Observer the same concerns raised by members of S.S.I. have been addressed with the Customary Land Advisory Commission.

He says it has been a month and yet there is still no response of their past correspondence on the issues of customary lands and L.T.R.A. 2008 concerns.

Despite requests to share documents and in particular the draft Bill on land reform, they have continued to ignore the requests, he said.

According to Fiu, members of the public need to be aware of the context and background in the retrospective attempts and ongoing processes that poses a threat to Samoas customary lands.

Last weekend, Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, reassured Samoa that customary lands are not under any legal threat.

He said recent questions asked of the Attorney Generals Office about the alienation customary land under freehold land legislation are ill advised.

I respectfully pose this question: what customary land has been legally converted to freehold land and/or 'sold off', since the enactment of the Lands Title Registration Act 2008? (L.T.R.A.). The answer is none, Lemalu said.

That is because it is a legal impossibility.

Lemalu pointed out that the Act deals only with freehold land. It can never be utilised to interfere at all with customary land rights that are protected in the Constitution, he said.

According to Lemalu, the L.T.R.A. was introduced to help protect and increase clarity for transaction for freehold land only.

I emphasise that it actually therefore states in its own body in section 9 as follows:

Section 9(4) and (5) of the LTRA:

(4) No provision of this Act may be construed or applied to:

i) permit or imply the alienation of customary land in a manner prohibited by Article 102 of the Constitution; or

ii) permit or deem ownership in any customary land to vest in a person otherwise than as determined under any law dealing with the determination of title to customary land.

(5) Nothing in this Act permits the exercise of any power or affects any interest in customary land that could have been applied by law prior to the commencement of this Act.
The conviction against former Deputy Prime Minister, Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo, has been quashed.

The decision was handed down by Supreme Court Justice Mata Keli Tuatagaloa this week.

Fonotoe, who is a Member of Parliament, was represented by lawyer, Leafa Donald Kerslake.

The decision from Justice Tuatagaloa brings the longstanding matter involving the veteran Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.) politician to an end.

The appeal against sentence is upheld, the ruling says.

The sentence imposed is quashed and the appellant is discharged without conviction.

The full decision with reasons will be made avaible on Friday 15 December, 2017.

In 2014, District Court Judge, Vaepule Vaemoa Va'ai, convicted Fonotoe on a charge of inciting or encouraging the obstruction of a Police officer from executing his/her duty.

Fonotoe immediately appealed the decision, arguing that there were errors in the facts of law and inconsistencies in the evidence presented.

The charges and conviction stemmed from an incident on Beach road on the night of Friday 4 October, 2013, where Fonotoe was alleged to have obstructed Police work.

Efforts to get comments from Fonotoe or his lawyer were unsuccessful.

The Samoa Observer was told Fonotoe is out of the country.
The Ministry of Revenue has the discretion on what action to take in cases of irregularities they find  including cases of smuggling.

That is the response from Prime Minister, Tuialepa Sailele Malielegaoi, when he was asked for a comment about why a recent case where a container was confiscated by Customs has not been referred to Court.

The Samoa Observer put it to the Prime Minister that the government is setting a bad example by not referring the matter to the Court.

When you think about it, if the accused is charged and arrested, what will happen to the money that needs to be paid back? Tuilaepa responded.

So thats the thing you have to think about, whether to arrest the accused and what next?

There will always be those people who will smuggle stuff in, no matter what penalties put in place there are those people who will continue to smuggle stuff in, but the most important thing to do is to recover the loss.

Tuilaepa did not have the figures on how much the government recovered.

The case in question involves a local furniture store whose container was confiscated by Customs Officers in September 2017.

At the time, Minister of Revenue and Customs, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, told the Samoa Observer the container was allegedly smuggled into the country using falsified documents.

The Samoa Observer emailed Leiataualesa Komisi Koria who represented the owner of the company for a comment.

He has not responded.

According to the Minister at the time, when the Ministry became suspicious, they demanded further information from the company.

They were never provided by the local business and then we had to step in and to confiscate the containers, Tialavea said at the time.

By the time we got to the containers there was only one left and we took 2,300 soda cases. We confiscated the shipment from a Chinese Store.

During the Prime Ministers weekly press conference, Tuilaepa pointed out the government is more into recovering of funds rather than taking cases to Court.

I remember when I first started, it was a huge amount taken from within the Ministry of Finance, he said.

I gave the person the ultimatum that if the money is not paid within a week, he will be criminally charged and this will go on his record and he will never get another job in his life.

When the time came, the money was paid and his services was terminated from the government.

There are cases that we use our discretion. Keep in mind that if it becomes a criminal matter, there will also be costs.

Tuilaepa gave another example of a case that came out of New Zealand.

An employee took money and was charged in New Zealand. During the case, the family of the employee asked for a certain time period to gather funds to pay back what was stolen.

The A.G. came to me and I said to recover the money and leave it at that.

Minister Tialavea declined to comment.
Aga Reef Resort in Lalomanu, Aleipata, was recognised during the World Boutique Hotel Awards held in London, England, last month.

The Resort was named Australasias Best Relaxation Retreat chosen from 600 nominees from 80 countries.

Managing Director, Vaatuitui Apete Meredith told the Samoa Observer that the Founders, shareholders, management and team are proud of the achievement.

According to the World Boutique Hotel Awards website, their nominee hotels are evaluated personally by a member of their judging team.

This is to ensure that all winners are capable of transporting their guests into a novel world through the history of the location, its culture and its own stylistic flair.

Our Award winners service will be intuitive, their environment intimate and the experience priceless.

Aga Resort is no stranger to winning international awards.

The four-star boutique resort has been receiving Awards for Excellence since it opened for business in April 2013, including an Excellence Award from Samoa Tourism for the Best Guest Service in meet and greet transfer service.

The resort continues to provide an experience of luxury, tranquility and natural beauty. Every year, various popular online travel agents and tourism organisations give out their annual excellence awards in recognition of accommodation partners achievements as honoured by guests.

The rating is usually measured by overall guest review score.

Aga Reef Resort has consistently received high scores.

The award is only given to properties that have reached a score of eight or higher, that is not less than 80 percent of responses achieving high levels of satisfaction.

Aga Reef Resort consistently strives to deliver the best service to our guests. These awards are an acknowledgement and endorsement of the hard work by the Aga team at the resort, which includes grounds, housekeeping, security, restaurant and bar, kitchen and office staff, said Vaatuitui.

Vaatuitui acknowledges Gods guidance and all the supporters of the Resort.

On behalf of our matriarch, shareholders, management and team at Aga Reef Resort, we say faafetai tele to the Government of Samoa, D.B.S. Bank and guests/visitors to Aga for your continued support, he said.
The Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Papaliitele Niko Lee Hang, is back in the country from an important mission in London last week.

Minister Papalii led Samoas delegation to the International Maritime Organisation (I.M.O.) 30th General Assembly where he signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (M.O.C.) with the I.M.O.

The Secretary-General of I.M.O, Ki Tack Lim, signed with the Minister. The agreement will allow I.M.O. to conduct an I.M.O. Member States Audit Scheme (I.M.S.A.S.) audit for Samoa in May 2018.

The mandatory audit for all Member States aims to determine the extent and status by which member states such as Samoa have implemented, and given full and complete effect to their obligations and responsibilities contained under specific I.M.O. treaty instruments.

The mandatory I.M.O. instruments included in the scope of the Scheme are safety of life at sea (S.O.L.A.S. 1974 and its 1988 Protocol); prevention of pollution from ships (M.A.R.P.O.L); standards of training, certification and watch-keeping for seafarers (S.T.C.W 1978); load lines (LL 66 and its 1988 Protocol); tonnage measurement of ships (Tonnage 1969); and regulations for preventing collisions at sea (C.O.L.R.E.G 1972).

It is reasonably expected that the audit scheme will bring about many benefits, a statement from the Minister said.

These are not limited to identifying where capacity-building activities is most needed (for example, the provision of technical assistance by I.M.O. to Member States), areas which require conformance in enacting appropriate legislation, areas which require the implementation and enforcement of the applicable laws and regulations by Samoa Maritime Sector, and control and monitoring mechanism of the survey and certification processes including seafarers by the Member States.

The lessons which will be learnt from this audit could provide benefits that could be widely shared.

Moreover, the results of the audits could be systematically fed back into the regulatory process at IMO to help make measurable improvements in the effective international regulatory framework of shipping.
After many years of living in the U.S.A. with frequent trips back to Samoa, Tapu Tai and Lynne Ah-Hi finally decided to retire back to Tapus ancestral home of Auala.

They have built their home in a small lagoon across the road from the extended family home.

Over the past eight years, they have been active in protecting the reserve out the front of their home in an effort to grow the coral and sea life in Auala lagoon and Asau harbor again.

Tapu along with other matai of the village declared a fishing ban within the reserve.

Tapu remembers a time when the bay around the Asau and Auala area was flourishing with sea life.

But over-fishing, pollutants, and lack of awareness about sustainable fishing have almost depleted it of many fish species.

Back in the old days, you didnt have to go outside the reef to catch fish, these days youd be lucky to find anything in the bay, he said.

Our Faipule said they needed to grow turtle beach in Asau. They want to have more coral growing in there but he needs to talk to his village to see if they can leave it alone.

Tapu said it was vital that people were educated on sustainable fishing.

Leave the reserve, do not touch the sea. Let them grow, when theres enough of it, its got to go somewhere and itll start reproducing. Rather than just slice a little bit of it to get the guts and then put it back in the sea where it can recover, people just cut the whole thing in half and kill it.

Tapu and Lynn actively patrol the reserve in front of their home and there have been times when Tapu has had to go out on his boat to warn fishermen who are fishing within the reserve.

I mean sometimes Im sleeping and I wake up in the middle of the night and some people are fishing right down in the lagoon with their flashlights, said Tapu.

They are literally waiting until I go to sleep. The ban is meant to be widespread and includes my own family members. Even when my mother wanted some sea, I have never gone down there or allowed anyone to go pick some sea from the reserve  I would send them to Salelologa to get the sea for her.

They have also found it difficult to get a response from the Fisheries Department about replacing the reserve markers to clearly show the boundaries so that people are clearly aware of the restricted areas.

Weve asked the fisheries department to come and replace the markers for the reserve because they have all floated away and they wont come and replace them. We have 18 species in that reserve that need to be protected in order to flourish, said Lynne.

Looking at projects that would help to grow the coral reef and provide some kind of employment for an area that desperately needs it, Tapu is looking into growing green lip mussels within their reserve area which if all goes to plan, will help revitalize the reserve area in front of Auala up to Asau harbor.

Our goal for the village of Auala is to curtail the deadly exodus of our most ambitious people who are forced to leave the village because of the absence of sustainable jobs here, he said.

Tapu reminisces about Asau arbours glory days in the 1970s when the lumber industry provided jobs for anyone in the area willing to work and shared his desire to see the area flourish again.

He planned to write to their Faipule about dredging the channel and establishing new facilities at the wharf for water and fuel to attract fishing and yachting tourism.
A concerned parent of a student attending St. Marys College has questioned the overall results of the Year 9 level at the school.

This follows the schools prize giving list published in the Samoa Observer where only the overall results in each level were published including Year 9.

The article shows first place awarded to Lupeoaunuu Vaai, second place went to Vardia A. Caffarelli and third place awarded to Pekina Maualaivao. This placing was questioned by the parent.

How come Pekina Maualaivao came third in the overall level but she came third in Year 9 Taema, the parent told the Samoa Observer. My daughter came second in Year 9 Taema, but what shocked me is that she does not have a placing in the Year 9 level. Yet the student who came third in her class got a placing in the overall Year 9 level.

I went to the college and sat down with Sister Pelenatete Peni where she admitted it was their mistake. I am not happy because how come they could make such mistake? she said.

St. Marys College Principal, Sister Pelenatete Peni said it was the printing of certificates that caused the problem.

No one was able to capture the mistake. I admitted to the parent that the mistake was on us and I sincerely apologized to the parent and the daughter, she said.

In our records, Gataiamanu Vaai Ah Him should be 3rd in the overall level of Year 9, second was Vardia Caffarelli and 1st place was Lupeoaunuu Vaai.

In our records it clearly identified that Gataiamanu Vaai should be third in overall for Year 9 level, but not the student who came third in year 9 Taema.

The parent of Pekina Maualaivao already returned the certificate and we have already apologised to the parent and she also understands the situation.

We already re-printed the certificate for Gataiamanu Vaai Ah Him and have contacted the mother by phone but there was no answer.

In the meantime, the certificate hasnt been picked and it is still with us, says Sister Pelenatete Stowers.

The parent said such incidents should not be happening.

I would love to see my daughters name on the list of overall awards for Year 9 level as well.
Photo: Front Row Row: Samuelu Puleiata, Faleolo Levaomana Leo , H.E. David Nicholson , Gill Dowson, Kirsty Naish, Verity Smith, Norma Matautia, Solomona Taualofai.

Back Row: Reupena Leasuleasu, David Graham, Deputy High Commisoner, Mike Walsh, Kalameli Ah Mu, John Marsh, Lagi Natanielu, Damian Buckley.

International Volunteer Day last Monday was an opportunity to celebrate the many millions of people around the world who give their time and skills, both at home and overseas.

New Zealands Volunteer Service Abroad (V.S.A.) has been sending Kiwi volunteers to Samoa since 1963  longer than any other country in which V.S.A. works.

While the first volunteers, 53 years ago, were most likely to be teachers, today V.S.A sends volunteers focused on promoting economic development and building local capacity in the agricultural, small business and tourism sectors, as supported by the New Zealand Aid Programme and other partnerships.

V.S.A volunteers in Samoa celebrated International Volunteer Day at the New Zealand High Commission Residence, Letava, hosted by New Zealand High Commissioner to Samoa, David Nicholson, Deputy High Commissioner, Mike Walsh, First Secretary, Verity Smith, and Development Programme Coordinator, Kalameli Ah Mu.

In his welcoming speech, Mr. Nicholson, thanked the volunteers for making the life changing decision to volunteer, and for bringing their skills and expertise to assist with the development of Samoa.

The thing I like about the V.S.A. programme is that you dont come to Samoa to just do the work; you come to help build the capacity of the staff at your host organisation so they are able to do the work when your time as a volunteer is complete, he said.

V.S.A C.E.O., Stephen Goodman, said, What has struck me, since I joined V.S.A. this year, is the sense of service to others that is common to volunteers.

The UNs theme for International Volunteer Day this year is Volunteers act first. Here. Everywhere. This celebrates the idea of volunteers as first responders and of course, if and when there is a disaster, volunteers will find what needs to be done. But volunteers work every day to make communities more resilient, so they can deal better with disaster before it comes. They are there long after the humanitarian urgency has passed.

Volunteers have created indelible ties between the two countries, as hundreds of former volunteers to Samoa have found themselves with a new family with whom theyve kept in touch for decades.

The concept of volunteering is doing something for a cause greater than oneself. This comes so naturally to people in Samoa  which is why I love this paradise, said Kirsty Naish, who is volunteering with the Small Business Enterprise Centre.

David Graham, volunteering with Kolene Tikeri at Samoa Water Authority, adds: The life experiences, skills, understanding and friendships you get from volunteering certainly match, and probably exceed, the contribution you make. Its a privilege to do it.

Gill Dowson, volunteering at Loto Taumafai Society for People with Disabilities, echoes this, saying: In NZ we have a concept called Ako, in which teaching and learning are the same thing. If we teach we are also learning and if we learn we are also teaching.

My year in Samoa volunteering with Loto Taumafai has been all about Ako. I came to volunteer my professional skills and knowledge but I have learnt so much; so much about myself, my profession and what it means in the Samoan context and so much about beautiful Samoa.

Damian Buckley, volunteering with the Savaii Coconut Farmers Association, says: The role of the volunteer is multi-dimensional. The personal growth and satisfaction that we get from volunteering to support a distant community is huge.
A new platform has been created for young entrepreneurs and business owners, with the aim of empowering them to drive the business community in the future.

This platform is called the Young Entrepreneurs Chamber (Y.E.C.) launched last Friday at Hotel Elisa.

The Y.E.C. is a collaboration between the Samoa Chamber of Commerce, International Labour Organization (I.L.O.) and the Pacific Youth Council.

Samoa is the fourth Pacific Island nation to establish this forum following Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The President of Samoa Chamber, Tuala Pat Leota, said the Y.E.C. belongs to young people and they will determine the future of the organisation.

To the members of the Young Entrepreneurs Chamber  this forum is yours, he said.

The direction and vision for this forum comes from you  I encourage you to make use of this platform and capacity building opportunity. The Samoa Chamber of Commerce is always here to provide assistance and support when needed.

The Chamber will also connect the Y.E.C. to International Junior of Chamber of Commerce network and Angels Foundations and programmes, to achieve the forums ultimate objective of providing opportunity and capacity building for youth entrepreneurs.

Representatives from the International Labour Organization (I.L.O.) were also present at the launch  I.L.O. Senior Specialist for Employers Activities, Miaw Tiang Tang, presented on behalf of I.L.O.

Ms. Tang acknowledged that the forum be driven from the young members of the Samoa Chamber of Commerce. The technical assistance provided by I.L.O. is to support Y.E.C. activities and provide a national platform for young entrepreneurs to advocate for policy change to incentivize youth business start-up and expansion.

Interim President of Y.E.C, Rosa Tapusoa, of Capital Partsright, expressed her gratitude to the Samoa Chamber of Commerce, I.L.O. and P.Y.C. for their efforts in establishing Y.E.C.

As an active member of the Samoa Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Tapusoa supports having this platform to bring young entrepreneurs together to promote entrepreneurship and address the issue youth unemployment.

The Interim Vice President for the Y.E.C. is Nalei Paul, the General Manager for H & H Holdings.
Following the success of an early-stage trial of its drug for Huntingtons disease, Ionis Pharmaceuticals has earned a $45 million license fee from Roche, its commercial partner.

Roche now assumes the lead in developing the drug, Ionis-HTTRx, Carlsbad-based Ionis said Monday. If successful, it would be the first effective treatment for Huntingtons, an invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease. However, that wont be known for a number of years.

The placebo-controlled trial not only gave evidence of safety, but signs the drug is doing what it is supposed to do, said C. Frank Bennett, senior vice president of research at Ionis.

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A mutant protein called huntingtin causes the disease. The abnormal protein gradually destroys neurons, causing movement difficulties, along with cognitive and psychiatric disorders. The effects take many years to appear, depending on the severity of the mutation.

The Ionis drug is designed to inhibit production of this protein, which is expected to relieve symptoms. This has been demonstrated in animal models of the disease with the help of scientists including Don Cleveland, a University of California San Diego researcher.

Like all Ionis drugs, Ionis-HTTRx works at the genetic level, by blocking or altering how instructions encoded in DNA are translated into proteins.

Those given the drug experienced a reduction in the mutant huntingtin, Bennett said. Most importantly, the effect was dose-dependent, meaning that the larger the dose, the greater the decline.

The trial, called Phase 1/2a, wasnt designed to measure any potential clinical benefit, Bennett said. Thats because there were too few patients in each of the five dosing groups to get statistically significant evidence of benefit. Also, the drug was only given for four months.

The results set the stage for larger clinical trials designed to show benefit, said Jeff Carroll, an assistant professor in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program at Western Washington University. Carroll posted his comments on HD Buzz, a blog about Huntingtons disease.

First, we have to conduct a trial with sufficient numbers of people, and a long enough treatment, to impact the course of HD symptoms, Carroll wrote. The success of this first trial sets the stage for a larger study in hundreds of HD patients, as soon as possible.

Bennett said Roche now assumes responsibility for these future steps.

The hope is that theyll start this study sometime next year, Bennett said. Generally a study of that magnitude would take three or so years to run and get the data from it. So were probably a number of years out from having the definitive data showing that the drug has an impact on the disease.

Related reading

Designer DNA drugs approach a potential watershed moment

Pope Francis meets with Huntingtons patients, including University of San Diego scholar

Sweet recognition  and major cash  for three San Diego scientists with Breakthrough Prize

Huntingtons disease reversed -- in animal models -- with Isis drug

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020
The deal is far from final, but San Diego-based Sempra Energy cleared another hurdle Tuesday in its bid to complete the largest acquisition in company history.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order authorizing Sempras acquisition of Oncor, the largest transmission and distribution utility in Texas, based in Dallas.

The OK was largely expected but nonetheless crucial in wrapping up a $9.45 billion deal that will greatly expand Sempras reach into the two biggest energy states in the country  California and Texas.

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Weve made good progress in the regulatory review process for our transaction to acquire a majority stake in Oncor, said Dennis Arriola, Sempra executive vice president of corporate strategy and external affairs. FERCs approval is another positive step forward.

Getting approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Texas still looms, however.

The commission is in the process of reviewing the Sempra-Oncor deal, with a decision expected by early April.

Oncor, with a customer base of 10 million in the Lone Star State, is considered a valuable asset but its parent company, Energy Futures Holdings, declared bankruptcy in 2014.

That complicated two earlier bids, with Texas utilities commissioners turning down two offers  one from Hunt Consolidated in 2016 and another by NextEra Energy earlier this year.

Famed businessman Warren Buffets company, Berkshire Hathaway, followed with a $9 billion offer but in August Sempra swooped in with its $9.45 billion bid, giving the deal an enterprise value of about $18.8 billion, including debt. Sempra has received financing commitments from RBC Capital Markets and Morgan Stanley to help fund the merger.

Eager to close the deal, Sempra officials in October streamlined some of the financing details to make it more attractive to commissioners.

In late October, one of the Texas utility commissioners expressed concerns about Sempras application.

Under the terms of the deal, Sempra will acquire Energy Future Holdings and its 80 percent ownership stake in Oncor. Energy Future Holdings ran aground due to low natural gas prices that made company debt unsustainable.

But Oncor, described by one analyst as a jewel asset, posted a $431 million profit in 2016 and earned similar returns in three years prior.

Oncor is a well-managed, top-tier utility, operating in one of the strongest U.S. growth markets, Debra Reed, Sempra CEO said in September after a judge in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware approved the merger agreement. We believe it will be an excellent strategic fit with our portfolio of utility and energy infrastructure businesses, while opening up a new avenue for our long-term growth.

Sempra executives have promised to keep Oncor in Dallas and maintain the independence of Oncors board of directors.

In addition to getting the OK from the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, the deal also needs final approval in federal bankruptcy court, among other approvals and closing conditions.

Update: On Dec. 14, Sempra and Oncor executives announced what they called a significant step forward in the negotiations.

The two companies reached a settlement agreement with several key stakeholders involved in the deal  including the staff at the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Office of Public Utility Counsel, the Steering Committee of Cities Served by Oncor and the Texas Industrial Energy Consumers.

The parties to the agreement will ask the PUCT to approve the acquisition, saying the deal is in the public interest and meets Texas statutory standards.

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rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski
Bad economic times may be coming, an economic forecast panel learned last week.

The downturn will be short and San Diego will suffer less.

Housing is a growing problem, especially for military families.

Employees want hotel-like services at the workplaces.

San Diego will get over the departure of the Chargers and a possible sale of Qualcomm

A national recession is coming but it will be relatively brief and affect San Diego County less drastically than other areas.

That was the headline prediction at last weeks 30th annual economic forecast forum, sponsored by the local chapter of the Institute for Real Estate Management.

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It came from Sean Karafin, vice president of public policy and economic research at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, who cautioned the crowd of about 200 at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar hotel that economic predictions are notoriously unreliable.

He did not say when a recession might occur and noted that Gov. Jerry Brown annually warns of an economic downturn when he issues his annual budgets.

Were going to have a recession, he said. Is there something driving it like a bursting of the housing bubble? Probably not. If we have a recession, it wont be like the last one. Most likely well recovery relatively quickly.

He said San Diegos three-legged stool economy of the military, tourism and innovation industries should allow San Diego to weather any downturn.

Were very well insulated against it compared to other areas of the country, he said.

Kerafin clarified his views Tuesday that local growth will likely be more moderate in 2018 than 2017.

I do agree that we are hitting a plateau, he said.

Of San Diegos main economic drivers, he said hospitality is the one most likely to feel a dip, since the other two will continue to benefit from federal grants and budget support through any recession.

It is one of our strengths, he said. If we had a recession nationally, it would be reflected more likely in hospitality than the other two.

Hotels inspire workplace designs

Ironically, the speakers focused on hotel design as a model for making commercial real estate more successful in the years ahead.

Greg Strangman, chief creative officer at the Live Work Play Group that develops hotels, restaurants and housing, said consumers, especially millennial-aged workers, dont crave large guest rooms  theyd rather check in, drop off their luggage and head for the bar.

Jim Chatfield, senior vice president for property management at JMI Realty, agreed: I think room service and the minibar are going away.

Kevin Heinly, managing director of the local Gensler architectural firm, said office park developers are adopting hospitality elements in their projects.

Were doing barber shops and microbreweries in suburban office parks, he said. Were seeing more demand for personalized services in the workplace.

Housing concerns, especially for military

Another trend that dominated the discussion was housing.

Karafin said chamber members uniformly express worry about where their workers will live, given San Diegos high prices and low vacancy rates.

He said long-term assessments pointed to San Diegos needing 160,000 new housing units between 2010 and 2020.

Were on pace to hit 50 percent of that as a region, he said. That means itll get a lot worse.

Terry Magee, a career Navy fighter pilot, defense industry manager and now member of the San Diego Military Advisory Council, said the military is also worried about housing in San Diego, where it expects to add 15,000 active duty personnel to the 110,000 currently by 2025.

Affordable housing is the No. 1 challenge to the military, he said.

But the solution is not more military construction but rather more public-private partnerships.

Magee said the Navy is seeking long-term leasing agreements with landlords to house the military in private developments with occupancy and rents guaranteed through the militarys housing allowance programs.

He also said the Pentagon is considering redeveloping its 60-acre SPAWAR complex next to Old Town, a step could result in both new office space for the secretive research-and-development unit and new housing.

Qualcomm takeover a worry

The forum also addressed the impact if Qualcomm is acquired by Singapore-based Broadcom. Karafin said any downsizing and selloff would be regretted locally but the companys highly educated workforce likely would find new jobs at other firms or start their own companies

Its huge driver for us and it would be a shame if that were to come to fruition, said Lynn LaChapelle, managing director at the Jones Lang LaSalle brokerage who oversees capital market transactions at the local office.

Karafin also discounted any significant economic impact on the loss of the Chargers, with Strangman chiming in, Its a bummer theyre gone, it should not have happened, but we are more than one team.

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roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley
San Diego start-ups on the hunt for venture capital now have another option to pitch locally without traveling to Silicon Valley or elsewhere.

Anzu Partners said last week it has closed a new $128.4 million fund that invests in new industrial technologies and opened an office in San Diego headed by managing partner David Michael.

The key reason Anzu opened a four-person office is Michael, who attended high school locally, moved back to San Diego a few years ago after a 35 year career in international consulting, including running Boston Consulting Groups China and Emerging Markets business.

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We think there are a lot of vibrant companies being developed in San Diego and Southern California, said Michael. And there is great talent coming out of places like UC San Diego.

Anzu has already invested in two San Diego companies. It participated along with Illumina Ventures and others in a $10 million funding round for NanoCellect Biomedical, which has licensed cell-sorting technology from UC San Diego to build desk-top devices for use in biomedical research and personalized medicine.

Anzu also was among the investors that backed Banyan Biomarkers, run by former Gen-Probe Chief Executive Hank Nordhoff. Tapping funding from the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health, Banyan has developed a blood test for diagnosing traumatic brain injury, replacing CAT scans.

Anzu, which also has offices in Washington, D.C., Boston and Tampa, has 11 companies so far in its portfolio. It typically invests in relatively early stage companies, many of them university spin-outs, said Michael.

We dont fund science projects, said Michael. We are looking for companies where the technology has already been well developed, typically through university research, and where the company needs help in productization and commercialization.

Anzu focuses on start-up technology companies in manufacturing, monitoring, measurement, modeling and materials, said Michael. That includes 3-D printing/ additive manufacturing, sensors, advanced materials/nanomaterials, biometrics and biologics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. It typically invests $3 million to $6 million per deal.

There are several corporate and stand-alone venture funds with offices in San Diego, including Qualcomm Ventures, Avalon Ventures and Correlation Ventures, among others. But the number of local VCs is relatively small compared with Silicon Valley, Boston and other start-up hotbeds, which some San Diego entrepreneurs say makes it harder to raise money.

Anzu Partners clearly sees the value of the innovations being developed within San Diegos vibrant tech community, said Mike Krenn, head of the San Diego Venture Group.

Anzus San Diego office is headed by Michael and Greg Pope, also a former Boston Consulting Group principal. It also includes Jimmy Kan, a Ph.D. and former Qualcomm research engineer; and Hunter Brown, a Georgia Tech engineer who worked in advance research and the U.S. Navys Spawar unit. Carl Eibl, a long-time San Diego venture capitalist, also has joined part-time.

Business

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973
A nonprofit that advocates for mobile home residents in Santee is working to make the holidays a little happier for seniors living in one of the 12 mobile home parks in the city.

Bud Rabaya, president of Santee Mobilehome Owners Action Committee Inc., and other committee members have been collecting items for the last several months to be given next week as part of a SMOAC Elves initiative.

The group is still accepting items through the weekend with deliveries to begin Dec. 18.

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We have learned that many seniors in their homes have no family and, more significantly, no visitors, Rabaya said. Many of the seniors in the parks do not have anyone to celebrate the holidays with.

Rabaya said that starting this weekend, the elf volunteers will bring the recipients their gifts to remind the seniors that they are not forgotten.

The volunteers are putting together care packages for the seniors, who earlier this year filled out a wish list of items they wanted for the holidays.

Rabaya said that some of the most requested items for women were scented shower gel, body lotion, red and pink lipstick, eye shadow, cologne and dusting powder. Men requested lotion and body wash, as well as cologne.

Other items seniors asked for included socks, blankets, towels, household cleaning items, gift cards, puzzles, coloring books and crayons, colored pencils, pet food, word puzzles, and games like chess and checkers.

SMOAC volunteers will also be visiting seniors living at the County of San Diego-run Edgemoor Hospital and Stanford Court Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Santee.

Rabaya said every senior will be getting a holiday ornament, personalized card, blanket and socks.

Rabaya said those who want to help or contribute items can contact him at SMOAC92071@gmail.com or call him at (619) 919-8061.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
As strong winds finally died down and evacuation orders lifted, many North County residents affected by the Lilac fire returned to their homes Monday and breathed sighs of relief.

For others, a new ordeal was just beginning.

Our heads are just spinning, said Terry Hajny, who held Sherpa, her Chihuahua, in her arms after signing up for help from the Red Cross and other agencies at the countys assistance center set up for local fire victims at the Vista branch library.

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Hajny and her husband, George, were looking for answers. What can we do? Where can we go? her husband asked.

The couple was among more than 65 families who lost their homes to the Lilac fire over the weekend and had checked in by noon Monday at the Vista library.

Until Thursday, they lived in one of the more than 60 homes that burned in the Rancho Monserate Country Club, near where the fire ignited in Bonsall just west of Interstate 15. The 4,100-acre blaze destroyed 157 structures and damaged 64 others, according to the latest information from Cal Fire.

By Monday night, firefighters had the blaze 90 percent surrounded.

We had a line of 40 or 50 people here when we opened, said Erin McCann, a disaster program specialist for the Red Cross, who was at the library Monday. Its been slammed from the moment we opened.

The Red Cross had about 18 employees at the center to help people assess their personal needs and the damage to their property. Out in the parking lot, the agency distributed food, water, snacks, shovels, rakes and screened boxes for sifting through the rubble at the fire sites. Also available were blue plastic bins containing leather work gloves, paper masks, trash bags and tarps.

Inside the center, San Diego County employees assisted fire victims with services such as property records, animal care, crisis counseling, public health and more. Along with the Red Cross, representatives from other nonprofits including the Salvation Army and the Vista Community Clinic were there, along with several large insurance companies.

Salome Corona threw her arms around a man in a Salvation Army uniform to express her relief after learning her family was eligible for a housing voucher.

We have insurance  but right now we are paying everything out of our pockets, she said, and many of those costs arent covered by insurance.

Her family had lived in their house on West Lilac Road in Bonsall since 1987, she said. We lost everything. We grew up there so its really hard.

Her brother, Johnny Corona, was on the roof hosing it down when he saw the flames coming.

In less than five minutes, it was there, he said. I grabbed my paperwork and my savings. My dad grabbed one of the cats, the indoor cat. The outdoor cat took off, but one of the neighbors saw him yesterday, so we think hes OK.

Deciding what to take was the hardest part of fleeing the fire, several people said.

You wake up and wonder, Why didnt I take that, and that ... said George Hajny. I honestly thought Id be back there in a couple hours.

The assistance center at the Vista library, 700 Eucalyptus Ave., will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily this week or as long as needed, a county official said.

In Fallbrook, Chamber of Commerce CEO Lila MacDonald said the small community of about 55,000 was pulling together in the wake of the fire.

People who were not in evacuated areas opened their homes to people who were being evacuated, said MacDonald, who had to leave her own home on Friday. She and her son and dogs spent the night at a friends house.

MacDonald said many people look at the Chamber of Commerce as the town center of the unincorporated community, and she and others on the staff worked without electricity until Sunday night, updating the website with information about evacuation centers and school closures through smart phones.

She said she got word to evacuate while at lunch on Friday, and she rushed to pick up her son at school, where she found a crowd of other parents doing the same.

McDonald said she and many residents in the tightly knit town probably personally know many of the people who lost homes in the fire. Returning on Sunday to her own home, she said, she felt gratitude for what she still had while knowing what others had lost.

If the worse thing I had to do was throw out my food from the refrigerator, I feel Im incredibly blessed, she said.

Fallbrook resident Lynn Williams said she spent the night in three different shelters after leaving her home Thursday.

She was alerted about the mandatory evacuations on her phone that day while in Temecula. Rushing home and fighting traffic to rescue her cat, she grabbed some things she couldnt leave behind, including one item that is still painful to talk about.

My boyfriends ashes, she said, choking back tears. He died last year.

She headed back to Temecula to seek shelter on the first night, and said she found it unorganized. A shelter in Murrieta the next night was more organized, and Williams said she was impressed that the mayor stopped by to see it.

She said she found the shelter at Palomar College crowded and dark, and she was eager to get home when she heard the evacuation order had been lifted.

Some thrift stores in Fallbrook, including the Angel Shop, are opening their doors to fire victims to help them get their lives back on track.

They just get what they want, said Marilyn Wertz, director of the day at the shop. A lady was just in here. She wanted a pair of shoes and a hat to wear to sift through the remains of her home. I think shes still in shock.

The store also gave away 14 pairs of jeans, 11 shirts and boots with steel toes to a woman who gathered the items for jockeys and horse groomers who had lost their possessions in the fire, she said.

John and Ruthie Harris were among the people who had lost their mobile homes in the fire. On Monday, Ruthie said she plans to have her home back in the same spot at Rancho Monserate Country Club this time next year.

Its been very difficult, she said. Weve lost everything. But most things can be replaced.

The county Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution Monday to waive permit fees for people who lost homes and other structures in the fire and plan to rebuild.

Residents with damaged property can have it reassessed, and the reduced value will remain in effect until the property is rebuilt or repaired, county authorities said.

The Lilac fire started about 11:30 a.m. Thursday along the west side of Interstate 15 just south of state Route 76. It spread rapidly until the strong Santa Ana winds began to die down early Friday morning, allowing firefighters to get the upper hand.

All evacuation orders were lifted by 4 p.m. Sunday. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

Nearly all San Diego Gas & Electric customers who went without power for days were back online by Monday evening, officials with the utility said.

Some school districts that had shut down while the fires burned last week remained closed Monday but were expected to reopen Tuesday. Bonsall Unified School District will remain closed Tuesday, according to the county Office of Education.

Unusually warm and dry weather is expected to continue the rest of this week.

Staff writers Rob Nikolewski and David Hernandez contributed to this report.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
Charles McCaleb hasnt slept much since the raging Thomas fire chased him out of his Ojai Valley home about a week ago.

In the early morning hours, he refreshes fire and weather websites for the latest on the blazes behavior and spread. During the day, he volunteers, doling out masks to evacuees from behind a table off Highway 192 in Montecito.

His voice is gravelly from days of exposure to toxic air, his nerves rattled by the seemingly endless firefight.

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Its not like someone pointing a gun at you scared, said McCaleb, 70. Its more of a controlled fright where you know whats happening.

Anxiety was high for residents of Santa Barbara County, where the Thomas fire, driven by gusty winds and bone-dry air, rampaged over the weekend, destroying more homes, forcing tens of thousands more people to flee and threatening the coastal enclaves that are a defining feature of Californias landscape.

The spread of the flames slowed Monday as winds calmed and the fire reached areas that had burned about a decade ago, reducing the available fuel. The blaze grew by only about 1,000 acres, compared with the more than 50,000 Sunday, when it chewed through steep slopes and canyons that havent burned for decades. By Monday evening, firefighters had the massive wildfire 20% contained.

Its a good sign, Ventura County Fire Engineer Steve Swindle said of the 231,700-acre fires slower growth. It gives us some hope.

Firefighters were focusing efforts on keeping flames from damaging hillside homes in Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria. The fire is burning above those towns, along a ridgetop in the Santa Ynez mountains.

Authorities said Monday night that the fire was flanking, or moving slowly side to side along the ridgeline. But forecasters fear so-called sundowner winds could pour over the ridgetop from the interior valley and blow the fire down the hill into coastal neighborhoods.

A gray haze hung over Montecito, where stores and gas stations in the evacuation zone north of Highway 192 were closed and only a scattering of residents stayed behind. Fire crews went door-to-door looking for holdouts and water sources, such as homes with pools or wells they could draw from should the Thomas fire bear down on the city. Others watched for flying embers that could ignite spot fires.

Roger Raines, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and his platoon were assessing the vulnerability of about 50 multimillion-dollar Montecito estates connected by a tangle of narrow, winding tree-lined roads barely wide enough for the trucks assigned to protect them. Residents who fled left their front gates wide open for easy access.

Raines sat in his truck at Park Lane and East Mountain Drive, just outside the open field his team had designated as a safety zone to regroup should things turn for the worst. Their success would depend on the wind, which forecasters said could gust downhill at up to 25 mph after dark.

His crew was new to the Thomas fire, but they had been fighting flames for a week  first in Bel-Air, where the Skirball fire scorched more than 400 acres, then Murrieta, battling the smaller Liberty fire.

This is our first shift here, he said. But weve been running for a week.

Just two months ago, Raines was in Napa County fighting the devastating wine country fires that claimed more than 40 lives.

Its December, Raines said. This doesnt happen in December.

1 / 73 John Bain and Brandon Baker try to stop a fire from burning a strangers home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 73 A brush fire moving with the wind sends embers all over residential neighborhoods north of Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 73 A family packs up and evacuates as a brush fire gets closer to their home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 73 John Bain and his friends, all from Camarillo, came to help as brush fires move quickly through residential neighborhoods in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 73 Strangers band together to help put out a palm tree on fire and stop it from burning homes. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 73 The Hawaiian Gardens apartments burn in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 7 / 73 Residents help with the fire attack on Buena Vista Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 8 / 73 Residents watch the Thomas fire on Prospect Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 9 / 73 Firefighters are deployed to battle the fire in a Ventura neighborhood. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 73 A chimney is all that stands of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 73 Remnants of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 73 A home burns on a hillside overlooking Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 73 Palms are consumed in the Thomas fire. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 14 / 73 Emma Jacobson, 19, center, gets a hug from a neighbor after her family home was destroyed by fire in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 73 Olivia Jacobson, 16, wipes tears as she looks at her familys home, destroyed by the brush fire on Island View Drive in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 73 Aerial view of the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 73 Noah Alarcon carries a cage with the family cat while evacuating from Casitas Springs. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 18 / 73 Smoke from the Thomas fire crosses over Lake Casitas near Ojai. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 19 / 73 A Ventura County firefighter battles a blaze on Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 73 Ventura County Firefighter Aaron Cohen catches his breath after fighting to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 73 Aerial view of homes burned to the ground in the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) 22 / 73 A home between Via Baja and Foothill Road burns in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 73 Amanda Leon and husband Johnny Leon watch as firefighters fight to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 73 Chino Valley firefighters fight to save a home along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 73 Embers continue to burn at sunset Tuesday in a home on Ridgecrest Court at Scenic Way in the Clearpoint neighborhood of Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles TImes) 26 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 73 Firefighters try to protect homes from the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 73 Edward Aguilar runs through the flames of the Thomas Fire to save his cats at his mobile home along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs in Ventura County. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 73 Jeff Lipscomb, left, Gabriel Lipscomb, 17, center, and Rachel Lipscomb, 11, look for items to recover from their burned home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 73 A traffic collision temporarily clogged lanes on the northbound 101 Freeway between Solimar and Faria Beaches as the Thomas fire burned in the hills. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 73 The Thomas fire burns towards the 101 Freeway and homes between Solimar and Faria Beaches. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 73 Fire personnel keep an eye on the Thomas fire on Toland Road near Santa Paula. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 34 / 73 A train on the Rincon coast passes a burning hillside from the Thomas fire. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 35 / 73 The Thomas fire burns along the 101 Freeway north of Ventura on Wednesday evening. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire in the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 73 A resident cries as the Thomas fire approaches the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 73 Burned palm trees are left standing between the 101 Freeway and Faria Beach as the Thomas fire reaches the Pacific Ocean. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 73 Firefighters battle Thursday to protect the resort city of Ojai from encroaching flames. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 73 Casey Rodriquez helps a friend move belongings after the Thomas Fire destroyed most of an apartment building on North Kalarama in Ventura. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 73 A burnt-out bus near Maripoca Highway. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 73 The Thomas fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 73 A huge plume of smoke rises north of Ventura as seen Sunday afternoon from the Ventura pier, as the Thomas fire threatens parts of Carpenteria and Montecito. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 73 The Thomas Fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai, Calif. on Friday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 73 Residents react as they watch the Thomas Fire burn in the hills above La Conchita at 5 am Thursday moning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 73 Mary McEwen and husband Dan Bellaart prepare to evacuate their home on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito as the Thomas fire burns. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 73 Carpenteria resident Chris Gayner, right, photographs a plane in the hills of Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 73 From left, residents Michael Desjardins, his neighbor Patty Rodriguez, daughter Mikayla, wife Veronica, mother in law Amanda Buzin, and son Mikey keep an eye on the Thomas fire in Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 73 Mary McEwen cheers as she sees fire crews make their way up a hill past her home on Toro Canyon Rd. in Montecito. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 73 Dan Bellaart and wife Mary McEwen comfort each other in the backyard of their home that includes an avocado ranch on 9 acres of land on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito, as the Thomas fire burns in the background. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 73 Carpinteria resident Jay Molnar, 55, mouth and nose protected against the smoke, views flames glowing in the hills above the city on Dec. 11, 2017. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 73 Sacramento firefighters battle a blaze in Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 73 Josh Acosta, superintendent with Fulton Hotshots looks for ways to fight fire consuming a structure threatening two homes high up Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 73 A motorcade passes on tHighway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, who died Thursday morning while battling the Thomas Fire. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 73 Santa Paula City officials, Police and Firefighters salute from a bridge as a motorcade passes on the Santa Paula Freeway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 73 Forest Service crews cut and clear dense brush for contingency lines off of East Camino Cielo in the Santa Ynez Mountains above Montecito and Santa Barbara to help stop the Thomas fire from advancing. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 73 A hotshot crew from Ojai marches towards their assignment to protect structures on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 73 Firefighters monitor the flames Saturday from a staging area near Parma Park in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 73 Flames slowly make their way down a valley behind a home in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 73 Flames whip around power lines as they move through Sycamore Canyon on Saturday, threatening structures in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 73 Smoke billows over Santa Barbara as the Thomas Fire continues to threaten the area on Saturday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 73 Bill Shubin, deputy fire chief of the Santa Rosa Fire Department checks on flames burning near homes north of East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 73 A fire truck pulls responds to fires burning near homes on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 64 / 73 Brian Good, from US Forest Service, leans forward against the wind, and holds up a Kestrel to measure wind speeds up to 50 mph on Gibraltar Road in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 73 A plume of smoke moves south as winds as high as 50 mph blow down Gibraltar Road on the west fork of Cold Spring Trail in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 73 Flames and a big plume of smoke threaten homes on Gibraltar Road near Gibraltar Rock, outside Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 73 The sun rises as fire crews prepare for another day of fighting the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 73 An aircraft makes a water drop over a hot spot up in the mountain range at Gibraltar Rock near Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 73 Humboldt County firefighters Bobby Gray, left, hoses down smoldering flames inside a destroyed home, as Kellee Stoehr, right looks on, after the Thomas Fire burned in Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 73 A home on Park Hill Lane was destroyed by the Thomas fire in Montecito, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 71 / 73 Humboldt County firefighters Lonnie Risling, left, and Jimmy McHaffie, right, spray down smoldering fire underneath the rubble of a home that was destroyed by the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 73 Fire crews help the Behrman family retrieve their familys personal belongings out of their burned home, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 73 In the foreground of the ridges that were burned by the Thomas Fire, Rusty Smith stands outside his home that survived the flames that were kicked up by Saturdays wind event and threatened his home in Flores Flats on Gibraltar Road, near Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Some 20 miles west, as the Thomas fire closed in on Carpinteria, dozens of people crowded an evacuation center opened at UC Santa Barbara. Men, women and children had been trickling in since 2:30 a.m. They slept in cots sprinkled across the university gym floor. A father played pingpong with his son nearby.

Meanwhile, ash and silence blanketed the beach community of Summerland. The quaint eateries, coffee shops and wine shops along Lillie Drive were closed or empty. Residents walked their dogs and checked the daily fire map posted on a board outside the fire station.

Up along State Route 192, Laurent Pellerin wore a surgical mask as he packed his red Audi station wagon with winter clothes and snow chains.

The 48-year-old home decor store manager was getting ready to drive his family to Chicago for a new job when the fire closed in on his cottage near Toro Canyon over the weekend. Now they are leaving, unsure if their home will survive after they go.

It is surreal, he said. We are leaving the fires and rushing to get the snow chains for winter.

About 7,000 firefighters from 11 western states have poured into Ventura and Santa Barbara counties to try to contain the Thomas fire. Firefighting efforts have cost about $48 million.

In the last week, helicopter crews alone have dumped 1.7 million gallons of water on the blaze. Thats enough water to fill roughly 70 backyard pools.

While Mondays slow growth left firefighters hopeful, a red flag warning, indicating extreme fire danger, was extended in the region.

Our vigilance in this is still equally as high, Ventura County Fires Swindle said.

Serna and Panzar reported from Montecito, Tchekmedyian from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

javier.panzar@latimes.com

ALSO

Winds, terrain and fuel: Why the Thomas fire has been difficult to contain

Woman accused of looting home affected by San Diego wildfire

The inferno that wont die: How the Thomas fire became a monster
Flames as tall as a high-rise galloping up and down mountainsides. Coastal communities shrouded in smoke. Armies of firefighters on the defensive with little hope of corralling a wildfire that refuses to quit.

The scene from this months Thomas fire is all too familiar in the Los Padres National Forest, where jagged ridges and steep canyons of chaparral have been tinder for some of the states biggest wildfires.

In the course of a week, the Thomas exploded into the fifth-largest wildfire in the states modern record. At 231,700 acres Monday evening, it ranked just behind 2007s Zaca fire (No. 4) and ahead of 1932s Matilija blaze (No. 6). They all have chewed their way across the Los Padres above Santa Barbara, where an utter sense of remoteness reigns an hours drive from some of Californias priciest real estate.

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But the very qualities that make its wilderness a beacon for hikers and the dramatic backdrop to Santa Barbara also make it a firefighters nightmare. The mountain ranges run east-west  in line with dry winds from the interior. Deep canyons crease country that is twisted and folded by natures forces. There are few places where fire crews can take a stand.

Its really steep, said Tim Chavez, a battalion chief and fire behavior analyst with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The ridges dont go anywhere. Theres no place where you can put a dozer on it and connect it to anything.

A big percentage of firefighting success is being in the right place with the right resources when the fire squats and doesnt move for a couple of days and you can jump on it. This fire has not done that, Chavez added. Its on the move north, east, west.

In such difficult terrain, Cal Fire officials said they basically have no way to get crews on the ground to directly attack the western front of the Thomas fire.

Instead, crews drove out of the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Monday and headed to the residential streets in the south-facing foothills of Carpinteria, where they set up defensive positions and waited in case the Thomas came to them.

Driven by winds, topography and fuel, the fire Sunday grew by a whopping 61,000 acres, the most it has burned in a single day since Dec. 5, when it charred 63,046 acres.

As of Monday, federal, state and local fire agencies had spent more than $38 million battling the Thomas, which was 20% contained and had destroyed more than 600 homes, most of them in the Ventura area.

The winds, which can carry embers more than a mile and start spot fires well ahead of the flame front, picked up Saturday night and Sunday morning. They also changed direction, blowing from the east rather than the northeast.

Humidity levels are stuck at withering levels, sucking the moisture out of dense stands of chaparral that can stoke flames like coal shoveled into a furnace.

Two months into the rainy season, the rains that would normally start to green up the scrublands have yet to arrive. The moisture level of live plants hit minimum in October and stayed there, said Forest Service meteorologist Tom Rolinski.

He expects that the winds in Ventura County and eastern Santa Barbara County will continue to blow for several more days. And though humidity levels are expected to rise at the end of the week, it wont be by much.

Unless you believe in miracles, I dont see [the fire] slowing down until we get some moister air, Chavez said. The most hope is that maybe by the 20th, we have some weather coming. And thats a long ways off.

The flames have gnawed at the edges of the Sespe and Matilija wilderness areas and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. But as of Monday morning had not made much headway into those remote areas, said Andrew Madsen, a Los Padres forest public affairs officer.

Air tankers laid retardant lines and cleared old fuel breaks to keep the blaze out of the condor sanctuary and away from a nest with a fledgling chick.

Stopping a wildfire in these lands is not easy. The Zaca started July 4, 2007, when ranch hands were fixing a water pipe on private land, sending sparks into the brush. It took two months to fully contain the 240,000-acre blaze, and pockets continued to burn until November.

But while the Zaca had a couple of explosive days, its growth was much slower than the Thomas because winds were not much of a factor.

Winds did drive the Matilija, which raged through the backcountry north of where the Thomas is now burning.

High Wind Carries Embers Across Sespe, declared the headline of a Los Angeles Times story that described a 100-mile fire front.

Firefighters used mule packs to get equipment into the backcountry. One horse, top-heavy with its load, fell 1,500 feet down a rocky cliff, according to the Sept. 17, 1932, article.

How you can help fire victims in Southern California 

Four days earlier, the paper ran a piece by A.L. Spellmeyer, an expert on the wilds in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where the great forest and brush fire is raging.

In a colorful testament to the regions remoteness, the storys headline declared: Part of Weird and Mysterious Region Being Swept by Great Fire Has Never Been Trod by White Men and Holds Relics of Antiquity.

With the exception of a few trails and a few creeks and valleys, Spellmeyer wrote, it is a country claimed by the brush.

Jeff Kuyper, executive director of the nonprofit Los Padres ForestWatch, briefly returned Monday to his Santa Barbara office, which was closed because of the Thomas fire. The city was so smoky that Kuyper wore a face mask as he worked at his desk.

It looks like a very desolate landscape in the areas that the fire has passed through, he said in a telephone interview. But the whole ecosystem is already at work in terms of resprouting and regenerating and pulling together the energy it needs for the new shoots.

A decade after the Zaca fire, he added, the fire-adapted chaparral has rebounded to the extent that in some areas, You wouldnt know a fire had burned there.

Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this report.

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

Twitter: @boxall

ALSO

The inferno that wont die: How the Thomas fire became a monster

Here are maps showing all the major fires in Southern California

Living hour by hour as the Thomas fire approaches Montecito
A San Diego man who led a double life was sentenced Monday to life in federal prison for luring his wealthy secret boyfriend to a Mexican roadside and killing him for his estate, according to court files.

A federal jury in San Diego convicted David Enrique Meza, 27, in May of foreign domestic violence resulting in murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice in the death of Jake Clyde Merendino, who was killed in the early morning hours of May 2, 2015.

Prosecutors said Meza lured the 51-year-old Merendino to the side of the road near Rosarito in Baja California, and stabbed him 24 times, gutting him and slashing his neck twice. Merendino  a 310-plus-pound, 6-foot-4-inch tall man  was then dragged to a cliff and pushed over the edge.

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Authorities said Meza had a girlfriend, who became pregnant, but led a double life of a porn actor and prostitute, and advertised on escort websites for gay men.

Meza and Merendino met through such a website in 2013.

The wealthy Texas man answered Mezas online ad, and paid Meza $100 to visit his Pacific Beach hotel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Ciaffa said during his closing arguments at trial.

Prosecutors said the two men dated long distance, and the older man was smitten. Meza wrote I love you in emails, and Merendino eventually gave him lavish gifts, including two cars  one worth $45,000  as well as a motorcycle, trips, clothing and cash, prosecutors said.

Merendino did not know about Mezas then-girlfriend in San Diego, who was expecting Mezas baby in June 2015. But Merendino was moving to Rosarito, buying a luxury condo and hoping Meza would live with him.

The condo deal closed on May 1. That night, the two men checked in to a Mexico resort to celebrate, but Meza left later for the U.S. on his motorcycle.

About 1 a.m. on May 2, Meza called Merendino, saying his bike had broken down on a roadside and asking for help. Merendino left the resort, prosecutors said.

Roughly two hours later, Mexican police found Merendinos 2008 Range Rover parked off the side of the road, according to court documents. A trail of blood led to the edge of a cliff. Merendinos body was at the bottom, according to court documents.

No physical evidence tied Meza to the slaying scene.

According to prosecutors, Meza was the beneficiary if Merendino were to die. Eleven days after the slaying, Meza sent Meredinos one-page handwritten will to a Texas probate court. He was arrested more than seven months after the killing.

Prosecutors argued that Meza targeted Merendino, preyed upon him, groomed him, and then slaughtered him, Ciaffa said in his sentencing memorandum.

Defense attorneys asked the judge to sentence Meza to a term of no more than 25 years and to take into account the horrendous abuse he suffered as a child. Meza grew up in Ensenada, where as a young boy he was molested by relatives, beaten and neglected, according to defense attorney Reuben Cahns sentencing memo.

Taylor Langston, Mezas then-girlfriend whom he later married, was sentenced to one year and nine months in federal prison for her role in covering up the killing.

Staff writer Kristina Davis contributed to this story.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
The city of San Diego has been considering the formation of a government-run alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric to help meet its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy by 2035.

Now, SDG&E has said the city doesnt have to abandon the investor-owned utility to go all green  but it wants the city to embrace its competing proposal before Mayor Kevin Faulconer leaves office.

On Friday, the city released SDG&Es official plan to rival whats known as Community Choice Aggregation. The proposal included a requirement that the city issue a formal decision by the first quarter of 2019 about whether to pursue the utilitys blueprint.

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The mayors office dismissed the idea that the utility had any say in when an endorsement would be made to the City Council, if at all.

There will be no deadline imposed by anyone outside of the city, said spokesman Greg Block. Selecting a renewable power program is a major decision that could fundamentally shift how San Diegans receive and pay for energy. The mayor will make a recommendation to the city council when he believes there is enough information to make a fully informed decision based on a thorough analysis of both proposals.

Under community choice, a utility still operates the poles and wires needed to deliver energy, but elected officials control the buying and selling of power for their jurisdiction. Ratepayers are automatically enrolled when the program launches but can opt-out if they prefer the utilitys rates.

Municipalities throughout California have taken increasing interest in community choice as a way to aggressively adopt green power and create competition with monopolistic utilities. State regulators have said the program could account for nearly 70 percent of all electrical sales in the state by 2020, up from roughly 5 percent today.

Under SDG&Es plan, the utility would work with the city to design a program that offers ratepayers increasingly more green energy up to 100 percent within the next two decades.

The utility already has a similar but significantly smaller program called EcoChoice, which caps how many people can enroll in 50 percent and 100 percent green-energy plans. Under these types of programs, customer can pay more on their monthly electrical bills to have SDG&E purchase additional renewable power on their behalf.

Under what the utility has called Expanded EcoChoice the City Council and mayor would have discretion on whether ratepayers in the city are automatically enrolled, such as with community choice, or whether they would have to first opt in to participate.

The distinction could prove important as officials attempt to dramatically green up electrical usage throughout the city.

The utilitys offering has a serious lack of details, said Nicole Capretz, executive director of the San Diego-based Climate Action Campaign and the loudest supporter of community choice in the county.

This is not a serious proposal, much less a viable, vetted or feasible plan, she said. Its just another delay tactic to deny San Diegans choice and keep us tethered to an outdated monopoly ...

The Clear the Air Coalition, which pairs lobbyists paid by the shareholders of SDG&Es parent company Sempra Energy with some of the regions most powerful groups, from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce to the Downtown San Diego Partnership to the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, welcomed the utilitys plan. The group has expressed concerns about the potential for higher rates under community choice.

It shows there is a path for the city to achieve its 100 percent renewable goal and meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a partnership with SDG&E that would generate jobs and provide the city with local influence over energy choices, said coalition spokesman Tony Manolatos. But the details are going to matter. The coalition looks forward to learning more.

If the utilitys proposal wins out over community choice, the electrical company said it will build or contract with new renewable energy projects within San Diego and Imperial counties at the citys request.

Our proposal recommends a flexible procurement approach that would give the city more local control to choose an energy portfolio based on a host of factors, including greenhouse-gas reductions, cost, timelines, reliability and project locations, said SDG&E spokeswoman Helen Gao.

The city completed this summer a feasibility study of community choice that found the program has the potential to deliver cheaper rates than SDG&Es current service, while providing as much as 50 percent renewable energy by 2023 and 80 percent by 2027.

The city said it will also conduct a similar cost study for the utilitys plan.

SDG&Es proposal estimated that an average residential customer could pay roughly $1 more on their monthly electrical bill to receive 57 percent renewable power by 2025, and roughly $8 more for 100 percent green power by 2035.

However, the utility cautioned that those figures were rough estimates and additional costs could be borne by ratepayers based on a number of factors, such as the fluctuating price of electricity.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
President Trump, who previously announced plans to pull the United States out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, was not invited to a summit of world and business leaders in the French capital this week to address global warming, but his presence loomed large.

The 2015 accord was front and center at the summit Tuesday aimed at giving the agreement a boost and the financing to combat global warming. Nations and business leaders pledged their commitment to the accord without Trump.

On Tuesday, top international figures lined up to describe Trumps decision as wrongheaded and playing politics with the planet.

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Donald Trump may have pulled out of Paris, but not the American people, former U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry added.

Kerry said many Americans remain absolutely committed to the Paris accord. He said 38 states have legislation pushing renewable energy and 90 major American cities support the agreement.

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also criticized Trump, saying the president had taken a politically shortsighted, economically irresponsible and scientifically wrong decision.

Others, including business leader Michael Bloomberg and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, insisted the world would shift to cleaner energy and reduce emissions whether Trump and his administration agreed or not.

Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, said environmentalists should be grateful to Trump for providing a rallying cry for action on climate change. He said Americas Pledge, the private-sector coalition that promised to honor goals set at the 2015 conference, now represents half of the U.S. economy.

More than 50 heads of state and government are taking part in the summit.

Financial pledges need to flow faster through a more streamlined system and make a difference on the ground, said Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, whose island nation is threatened by rising sea levels.

The One Planet Summit was organized two years after representatives from nearly 200 countries met in the French capital and pledged to take action to reduce greenhouse gases, reduce dependency on fossil fuels and tackle pollution.

The agreement involved voluntary commitments that were to be reviewed every five years. Trump says the deal is bad for the country and jobs and has embarked on a slow withdrawal from now until 2020, when it is set to become the only country not signed on to the accord.

The European Commission  representing European Union states  announced $10.56 billion in climate change funding to give the Paris accord a boost.

There was also a flurry of pledges from companies promising to abandon fossil fuels and local governments signing up for more ambitious goals on cutting emissions.

The World Bank promised to phase out most of its finance for oil and gas by 2019 and announced it would join forces with the Global Covenant of Mayors to provide $4.5 billion for cities to adapt to the challenges of climate change.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, one of the worlds wealthiest people, said his philanthropic foundation would pledge $300 million to help poor farmers in developing countries protect themselves from the devastation expected from climate change over the next three years.

After Trump announced he was pulling the U.S. out of the Paris agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to Make Our Planet Great Again in a campaign playing on Trumps election promise to make America great again.

On Monday, Macron awarded 18 climate scientists, most of them based in the U.S., multimillion-euro grants to relocate to France for the rest of Trumps term. The Make Our Planet Great Again grants are part of Macrons efforts to counter Trump on the climate change front. Macron announced a contest for the projects in June, hours after Trump declared he would withdraw the U.S. from the climate accord.

Climate Action Tracker, an independent group of research bodies, said that there had been a significant improvement on climate action globally, despite Americas rollbacks, but that Trumps withdrawal had led to a significant deterioration in the effects of commitments to the Paris agreement. It warned that of the 32 countries responsible for about 80% of greenhouse gas emissions, 24 had set insufficient targets, and the majority of them would not achieve even those.

Tuesdays summit was hosted by the U.N., the World Bank and Macron.

Were in the process of losing the battle, Macron told those gathered. Were not going quickly enough and thats the drama. In 50, 60,100 years from now there will be leaders from 10 or 15 countries that will no longer be with us, they will have disappeared along with their populations.

Willsher is a special correspondent.
San Diego City Council members on Monday approved a halfway house that city officials consider crucial to fighting chronic homelessness in the region, over the objections of neighbors.

The $13 million project will transform a rundown motel just east of Imperial Beach into an 84-bed drug treatment center for homeless people who have a history of repeatedly committing low-level, non-violent crimes.

The councils 8-1 approval came despite complaints from several South Bay community leaders that the conversion would bring danger to the area, hurt the economy and deprive low-income people of cheap lodging near the beach.

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The mayors of Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach and Coronado all oppose locating the halfway house at the chosen site and have asked the California Coastal Commission to block the citys plans.

Councilman David Alvarez, who cast the lone no vote, predicted the commission would block the project based on requirements that low-cost coastal lodging be preserved as much as possible in California.

San Diego officials say the halfway house will be a giant step forward for a highly praised program that gives chronic offenders a chance to get off the streets permanently, instead of clogging the justice system and taking police away from other priorities.

The three-year-old program  called San Diego Misdemeanant At-Risk Track, or SMART  allows police and deputy city attorneys to give non-violent offenders a viable choice other than jail time. It has 10 beds, so the additional 84 beds will dramatically expand the opportunity to offer housing and comprehensive drug treatment to chronic offenders, City Attorney Mara Elliott said.

The SMART program helps our most vulnerable citizens get off the streets and into a safe environment where they can get their lives back on track, Elliott told the council.

Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman told the council the program is a lasting solution that benefits not only participants but all city residents, by reducing crime and freeing up police for higher priorities.

A spokesman for Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the program, which was recently awarded a $3 million state grant based on its early success, is critical to city efforts to solve its homelessness crisis.

Critics say the project would hurt tourism by eliminating scarce low-cost lodging, bring criminals into the area and thwart efforts to upgrade the Highway 75 corridor economically and aesthetically.

It would transform a Super 8 motel built in 1987 at 1788 Palm Avenue, just east of Imperial Beach in the Egger Highlands area of Nestor.

The area is undergoing a boom of new restaurants and housing developments fueled by a large Navy project under construction on the Silver Strand.

Cindy Gomper-Graves, chief executive of the South County Economic Development Council, said the city is trying to put a good project in the wrong location, contending the halfway house could stymie momentum.

San Diego Councilman Chris Ward called the concerns overblown, noting that similar transitional housing projects elsewhere in San Diego have operated without problems or complaints from the surrounding community.

City officials also say the Super 8 motel isnt playing a key role in boosting the image of the area because its a haven for crime and prostitution.

Councilman Alvarez agreed the motel is not ideal for families, but emphasized that many still stay there because low-cost lodging is so scarce in the area.

Dr. Matthew Dickson, whose medical practice is nearby, said eliminating the motel is a mistake.

By taking this away, we are taking away our citizens ability to find affordable housing near our beaches, he said. It takes away the regular Joes chance to come to the beach and stay in affordable fashion.

Coastal commission officials have raised such concerns about the project, but it hasnt been formally presented yet to the commission and some have questioned whether the commission has jurisdiction over such city land-use decisions.

City officials said the halfway house could open as soon as October if renovations go smoothly. The city bought the motel from a private owner in June.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
San Diego arson investigators are looking into a string of five fires intentionally set in alleys in Ocean Beach that caused more than $120,000 in damage.

So far, police have no description of the person or persons who set the fires between Thursday and Monday, said police Sgt. Rick Pechin, who is assigned to the Metro Arson Strike Team.

Especially troubling is the fact that fires were set during the recent red flag fire warnings, when the risk of fire in the county was extreme because of Santa Ana winds and low humidity.

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All the fires were started at night, when debris was ignited and the flames spread to nearby property, with one of the blazes causing an estimated $100,000 in damage. The two most recent fires were set early Monday about 14 minutes apart.

We are asking everyone in the Ocean Beach area to keep vigilant, to keep their eyes open, said Pechin. These are happening in alleyways.

If any residents have video surveillance cameras set up in alleys or if they saw anything related to the fires, they are asked to call the arson investigators at (619) 236-6815 or San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Fires believed to be part of the series include:

A fire reported Thursday around 7 p.m. in an alley on Orchard Avenue near Santa Barbara Street that caused about $1,000 in damage to an older-model motor home.

A fire reported Thursday around 9:50 p.m. in an alley on Newport Avenue near Venice Street that spread to a utility trailer, motorcycle and the back of a home, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage.

A fire that damaged a canvas car canopy in an alley off Newport Avenue near Santa Barbara Street. Police said the damage was reported Saturday but the fire may have been set Thursday or Friday. The damage estimate was $1,000.

A fire reported Monday around 2:10 a.m. in an alley on Santa Cruz Avenue near Santa Barbara Street. That blaze spread into a yard and a compost bin in a backyard and caused an estimated $4,000 in damage.

A fire reported Monday around 2:20 a.m. in an alley on Muir Avenue near Guizot Street. That fire was set between a trailer and an outbuilding and ignited a tree and a nearby motor home. It caused $15,000 in damage.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
The man who was shot and killed by police after he broke into a Point Loma home and threatened officers with a knife on Sunday had arrived in San Diego just a day earlier, investigators said.

The shooting happened in the house on Trieste Drive near Santa Barbara Street about 6:10 a.m.

Police were sent to the area after a woman call 911 about a man who had banged on her front door and windows demanding a knife so he could kill himself, San Diego homicide Lt. Mike Holden said.

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Officers arrived and found a man, identified Monday as 24-year-old Kyle Zahacefski, in the front yard of a house across the street. He began throwing bricks at officers, and struck a patrol car, Holden said.

Zahacefski ran into the home behind him and broke in through a sliding glass door. Officers found him inside with a knife at his throat, the lieutenant said.

They repeatedly asked the man to drop the knife, but he pointed it at the officers and quickly walked toward them, Holden said.

Two officers, one who was armed with an AR-15 rifle and the other with a less-lethal beanbag round shotgun, fired at Zahacefski.

He was struck by at least one rifle round and died. Holden said the man was from Colchester, Conn., and had arrived in San Diego on Saturday.

Its unclear why he traveled here.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
The military family has been part of the fabric of our nation since the Revolutionary War. Since the earliest days of the nation, the service and sacrifice of military members has, by necessity, involved the service and sacrifice of the members of their families. Yet this week as we celebrated Veterans Day, and even as our country continues to make great strides in recognizing the service of our military, a crisis has continued to grow for young active duty and veteran families, a crisis which greatly impacts San Diego.

Bluntly put, younger military families in the lower ranks are continuing to battle to survive financially to meet basic food and other needs. Adm. William Owens summed up the situation succinctly when he was vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We cannot expect service members to lay their lives on the line when back home their families have to rely on food stamps to make ends meet, he said. Stunningly, Adm. Owens made that statement way back in 1994, two decades ago.

Today, approximately 10 percent of our nations military members are stationed in San Diego County. If you do the math, that comes out to about 117,000 active duty military, and of those, 85,000 are considered to be junior enlisted, those in the lower six pay grades, E1-E6. Half these young military enlisted members in San Diego are married and have children. They have families to support and lives to live. Of those junior enlisted members stationed in San Diego, 50,000 are considered low income by HUD. Thirty thousand rely on assistance for food regularly.

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A survey made public in September by the San Diego-based Feed America food bank confirmed that 27 percent of the food banks clients in the San Diego region are military, a number that has been growing in recent years. The organization distributes food monthly at Camp Pendleton to military families. For a young military family of three or four trying to make ends meet on a base salary that can sometimes be as low as $26,000 a year, the realities of the statistics hit home every day.

These are people serving our country. They did not come here for the weather, they were sent here to protect us and our great nation. They are based in a region where the cost of living is 30 percent higher and housing rates are almost double the national average. These military families, even when practicing the best financial habits, consistently live on the verge of financial crisis.

Many predict there will be further downsizing, budget cuts and benefits cuts to our defense budget that will only compound this problem. And this does not even begin to address the issue of the rising number of young enlisted families who find themselves discharged from the military on short notice and suddenly thrust as civilians into a San Diego economy. It is estimated that as many as 1 million service members will be discharged over the next five years, thousands here in San Diego.

This week, as we salute our military, both veteran and active duty, its time to acknowledge this silent San Diego crisis within our militarys lowest enlisted ranks, the youngest families having the toughest time making ends meet.

Our community needs to come together, individuals, small businesses, major corporations and government, to turn the tide on how we care for our military families in San Diego. Acting to end this decades-old crisis involving so many young military families in San Diego will honor all who serve our nation. Indeed, taking action to help these families may be the best way of all to show we really mean it when we say, Thank you for your service.
Thank you, firefighters.

Say it again. Put it on a sign in your yard. Send it in a note to your local fire department.

Say it, however you can, especially to the ones who have fought  and continue to fight  the wildfires that have burned recklessly across Southern California for days.

In just the last week, as many as 8,500 firefighters at a time have worked to save homes, humans and horses from fires in San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The Thomas fire, which started in Ventura County and ferociously spread to Santa Barbara County, brought more than 6,000 firefighters into a battle that will rage for some time.

That fire is officially the fifth largest wildfire in modern California history.

In San Diego Countys biggest blaze, the Lilac fire, which started on Thursday near Bonsall and prompted evacuations in Vista and Oceanside, 1,659 total personnel were still working to contain it on Monday.

The fire has injured at least three firefighters, including one who popped a separated shoulder back into place and returned to the fight shortly afterward.

Residents in Bonsall showed their appreciation by putting up a thank you sign for passing firefighters to see.

A thank you sign to firefighters is in front of Fire Garden Metalworks on North River Road in Bonsall. (Howard Lipin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Elsewhere in California, and even across the country, people took to social media to show love and support for firefighters. That included Ellen DeGeneres, who said her own home is threatened.

The San Diego Union-Tribunes editorial cartoonist Steve Breen drew this image in a show of support for local firefighters.

Here are some more images that show what firefighters have done across Southern California in recent days.

Firefighters move away from a burning house after discovering downed live power lines, as the Thomas wildfire continues to burn in Carpinteria on Dec. 10, 2017. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

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. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)

Exhausted firefighters have their first rest in over 20 hours since starting to fight the Lilac Fire, December 8, 2017, in Bonsall. (ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

Firefighters battle flames from a Santa Ana wind-driven brush fire called the Thomas Fire in Santa Paula on Dec. 4, 2017. (REUTERS/Gene Blevins/File Photo)

Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway on Dec. 7, 2017 north of Ventura. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Firefighters jump a fence to try and save a burning home from the Lilac Fire, a fast moving wild fire, came through Bonsall, Dec. 7, 2017. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

A firefighter sets a backfire to make progress against the Thomas Fire before the winds return with the daylight near Lake Casitas on Dec. 9, 2017 near Ojai. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Firefighter Nicholas Spanheimer attacks a burning tree with an axe to knock the burning part off before hosing it as he and fellow crew members of Cal Fire Engine 2472 do mop up work after the Lilac fire in Bonsall on Friday night. (HAYNE PALMOUR IV/SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE)

Firefighters work to save a home from an encroaching fire during the Lilac fire in Bonsall on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017. (SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images)

A firefighter douses a smoldering pile of wood chips and mulch, sparked by a wildfire Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Firefighters walk to the fire line at the Lilac fire in Bonsall on Dec. 7, 2017. (SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images)

Firefighters put out a wildfire burning in an orchard Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Santa Paula. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Firefighter Simon Garcia, of Heartland Fire Dept., gets a hug from a woman who did not give her name after she arrived to find her house was intact in the Rancho Monserate Country Club, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Thank you, firefighters.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin

ALSO

Editorial: Wildfire is a threat we must all address in San Diego County

San Diego fires nearly contained, but smoke lingers. What you should know
Less than a year after leaving public office, former President Barack Obama hasnt disappeared from public life.

Since turning the White House over to President Donald Trump on Jan. 19, Obama has been in the news at least 12 separate times. On Monday, his name popped up again after his most recent push for Americans to sign up for Obamacare before Fridays deadline.

In addition to promoting calls like that, Obama has given speeches, made robocalls for political allies, pushed for Obamacare sign-ups and posted one of the most re-tweeted tweets of all time.

Where else has Obama stepped back into the public spotlight? Lets review.

Feb. 28: The Obamas sign record-making book deal

Penguin Random House said it had signed a two-book deal with Michelle and Barack Obama that reportedly was "a record sum for US presidential memoirs." The sum was not made public, but the Financial Times reported that an auction among book publishers surpassed $60 million.

March 23: Obamas 11th-hour appeal to save Obamacare

On the eve of one of several House Republican efforts to pass legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, the former president offered his first public statement since leaving office in a late effort to sway public opinion.

April 24: Obama makes first post-White House appearance

After laying low for most of the time after leaving office, Obama made his first public appearance at the University of Chicago where he spoke on a panel on community organizing and civic engagement.

May 9: Obama addresses climate change

Obama traveled to Italy where he spoke on climate change and its impacts on access to food worldwide.

June 6: Trubama

Obama traveled to Montreal where he and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a dinner together that was well documented, and their budding bromance was christened Trubama.

Aug. 12: Obama reacts to violent aftermath of Charlottesville, Virginia

Following a white supremacist rally that turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia, where one woman was killed and other people were injured, Obama quoted Nelson Mandela in a tweet that went on to become the most liked tweet ever and the fourth most re-tweeted in history behind the No. 1 tweet A man needs his Nuggs.

Oct. 19: Obama hits campaign trail in Virginia and New Jersey

Obama held campaign rallies for two Democratic gubernatorial candidates, one in New Jersey and one in Virginia.

Nov. 1: Obamas first push for Obamacare sign-ups

Nov. 1 marked the first day of open enrollment for Obamacare and the former president appeared in a commercial video to promote sign-ups. Need a pep talk first? @BarackObama has you covered, he said.

Nov. 8: Obama shows up for jury duty

Obama grabbed headlines on Nov. 8 when he reported to jury duty at a downtown Chicago courthouse. That same day, he was dismissed.

Dec. 5: Obama slams Trumps decision to cancel Paris agreement

Obama avoided calling Trump by name but, at a speech in Chicago, the former president criticized the decision to cancel a critical climate change agreement known as the Paris Climate Accord.

Obviously were in an unusual time when the United States is now the only nation on Earth that does not belong to the Paris agreement. And thats a difficult position to defend, Obama said.

Dec. 11: Obama records robocall for Alabama Democratic candidate

Obama even jumped into the national conversation surrounding Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican candidate who ahead of a U.S. Senate election has been accused of  and adamantly denies  decades-old sexual misconduct by women who say he pursued them when he was in his 30s and they were teenagers, including one woman who told The Washington Post she was 14 and Moore was 32 when he touched her sexually.

In a robocall meant to reach voters Monday, the day before the special election, Obama urged people to reject Moore and vote for Doug Jones, the Democratic candidate.

Have some thoughts to share?

Join me in a conversation: Shoot me a private email with your thoughts or ideas on a different approach to this story. As always, you can also send us a tweet.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez

Read The Conversation on Flipboard.
Holiday preparations can be trying, but they can also be hilarious. Youll love our vintage covers of Christmas capers.

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Humor is like a magic trick. To succeed, it needs to look effortless, and the devices used to make it must work invisibly. Comedy is often found in the unexpected, a contrast between the serious and the frivolous or the modern and the old-fashioned. Or it may be discovered in the all-too-familiar. Such is the case here with Richard Sargents portrayal of a dad who is about to be vanquished by his Christmas Eve wrapping project. Sargent, who referred to himself as king of the pregnant pause, tended to de-emphasize an illustrations background, drawing full attention to his subject matter.

Whatever our age, we never lose our inner child, particularly at Christmas. Russian-born Constantin Alajalov specialized in illustrations gently pointing out human frailty. While a youth in St. Petersbug, his life was disrupted by the Russian Revolution. For years he survived by painting propaganda murals and posters, but he managed to defect, first to Turkey and finally to the United States. He quickly found success in America as a muralist. His magazine careerwas launched when a friend suggested he send some paintings to The New Yorker. To his surprise, they were accepted and used as covers. He would eventually complete 74 lighthearted covers for the Post.

Rockwell went to extraordinary lengths to create verisimilitude. Here, instead of working in the studio, he set up his easel in Chicagos Marshall Fields department store even though all we see of it is the back of a sales counter. The store happily provided the setting and toys for the scene, but the artist felt the picture needed more dolls, so he went out and purchased a number of them. He reported the Post editors that he owned more dolls than any other 53-year-old-kid.

As the camera became ubiquitous, the new tradition of the family Christmas card was taking hold. But its not always so easy getting everyone to cooperate. Sewell was widely known for his skill in capturing average Americans  and children in particular  with humor and affection.

We were delighted a few years ago to receive an email from Betsy Norfleet with information about the creation of this iconic 1951 cover. Betsy told us that it was her mother, Betty, who portrays the housewife directing her harried real-life husband, George. As the story goes, George was not only brutally scratched by the needles but also threw his back out posing in the scrunched-up position for house on end.

Dutch-born Prins turns this over into a vivid story that umps off the page like a movie sequence. Notice his clever evocation of the passage of time in the differing differing degrees of light shining (or not shining) through the kitchen window. This sweetly humorous illustration also has a wistful quality: All those weeks of preparation  the buying of gifts, the careful wrapping  then suddenly were left with a roomful of shredded paper.

The outdoors beckons, and there beneath the tree are some keen skates that would be great to take to the pond. Unfortunately, this young man has some work to do. It may prove to be a long afternoon, with just two letters written and five more to go.

These illustrations and many others are featured in the Posts Special Collectors Edition, Norman Rockwell: Christmas in America. This edition can be ordered here.
Learn how MCA acquired Frank Sinatraeven though he was under contract to someone elsein a deal that was fantastic even for show business.

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Early talent spotters dismissed Frank Sinatra as a skinny, funny looking guy, not noticing how he always made the girls in the audience swoon. As David G. Wittels points out in his 1946 article in the Post, The smart boys apparently chalked him off as one of those freaks, riding briefly on the popularity of a band.

Slowly, however, they started to catch on. Wittels writes:

Emanuel (Manny) Sacks, vice-president in charge of talent for the Columbia Recording Corporationheard Sinatra in California in 1940 and then watched the reaction of the audience when Sinatra sang with Dorseys band in the Earle Theater in Philadelphia in 1941. Sacks somewhat resembles Sinatra, and on that day he was wearing a bow tie. When he left the theater, scores of young girls, screaming,  Frankie! Frankie!  almost literally tore his clothes off.

Wittels story details how the music giant MCA missed The Voice the first time around, but didnt make that same mistake twice, using hardball tactics to lure him from another agency.

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Sinatra, who had been making $150 a week, was soon making $1 million a year.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/11/2017 -- A new research report highlighting the developments in the infrastructure market in Romania has been added to the comprehensive repository of Market Research Hub (MRH). The report titled "Infrastructure Construction Market in Romania: Market Size, Growth and Forecast Analytics to 2021" offers detailed analysis and insights on the key factors impacting the infrastructure construction market in Romania. The report includes both historic and future projections on the Romanian infrastructure construction market.



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/12/2017 -- WiseGuyReports published new report, titled "Kazakhstan's Mining Fiscal Regime"



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Continental establishes endowed chair at UofSC

$2 million grant creates professor position in operations and supply chain management

The University of South Carolina announced a new endowed chair position at the Darla Moore School of Business Monday (Dec. 11). The endowed chair will be funded by a $2 million grant.

Continental Tire executives and Carolina alumni Todd Pearce and George Jurch helped announce the Continental Endowed Chair in Global Supply Chain Management and Management Science. Pictured L-R are Manoj Maholtra, Pearce, Peter Brews, Jurch and Harris Pastides.

University President Harris Pastides announced the Continental Endowed Chair in Global Supply Chain Management and Management Science during the Fall 2017 Industry Summit of the Operations and Supply Chain Center, held at the universitys Alumni Center.

The role of the research university is not symbolic. We actively provide the workforce for emerging economies, Pastides says. In announcing the establishment of the Continental endowed chair we reaffirm not only this essential role but also the importance that corporate partnerships, like Continental, play in creating an impactful program that benefits the employers of our state and nation. We are most appreciative of this generous grant.

The endowed chair will support the growing demand for teaching and research in operations and supply chain. The position will begin as early as 2020 following a national search.

The addition of an endowed chair is invaluable to any academic institution, and the Moore School is gratified to add the Continental endowed chair to its educational portfolio, Moore School dean Peter Brews says. This new chair is notable because it supports faculty leadership in both research and practice, in line with the world-class researchers and teachers that sustain the top-ranked Global Supply Chain and Operations Program at the school. Continentals investment will ensure the school both maintains and extends its excellence in global supply chain and operations management, to the benefit of students studying at the school and the businesses that employ them.

Continental began working with the center in 2013 when seeking input on where to locate a warehouse for its tire business. Since then, Continental and the center have worked on a number of projects together, with students seeing their analysis implemented by the company.

Collaboration between our business and education communities is critical as South Carolina seeks to remain an ideal destination for industry, Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt says. This partnership between Continental Tire and the University of South Carolina is a great step in that direction, and I congratulate these two organizations for utilizing such a forward-thinking strategy.

The Operations and Supply Chain Center was formed in 2005 to help companies improve performance and provide students with real-world experience and application of operations management skills learned in the classroom. A driver of South Carolinas $32 billion logistics industry, the Moore School center has completed 235 student and faculty-led projects that have saved partner companies upward of $200 million.

At Continental, we saw the center as a cutting-edge educational program that would benefit both students and the company, says Todd Pearce, vice president of controlling for the passenger and light truck business unit at Continental Tire the Americas.

Pearce, who earned his International Master of Business Administration degree in 1997, serves as the chairman for the centers advisory board, alongside other corporate partners with global and regional operations.

The center enables the very best students from a top supply chain program to partner with world class companies to solve real business problems, Pearce said. Continental decided to endow the Continental chair because we believe in the cutting-edge research this professor will do and in the mission of the Operations and Supply Chain Center.

Endowed chairs are established to attract and retain outstanding faculty who have distinguished themselves through teaching, research, scholarship and outreach.

George Jurch, general counsel for Continental the Americas, a leader of three global legal expert teams and a graduate of the university (88 B.S., 93 MBA, 93 J.D.) said the endowed chair reflects Continentals commitment to the Palmetto State.

Todays announcement strengthens our commitment to South Carolina and to the University of South Carolina. We look forward to our continued partnership and to welcoming the Continental endowed chair soon.

The Continental chair will further bolster the Moore Schools national profile. The program has ascended in the Gartner global supply rankings, currently at No. 7 and No. 15, respectively for undergraduate and graduate education. Since 2008, more than 850 students have earned industry-certified Lean Six-Sigma Green Belts, a prestigious professional accreditation that distinguishes Moore School graduates from others entering the workforce.

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[SAO PAULO] Trees growing in floodplains surrounding the Amazon river emit up to 20 million tonnes of methane gas (CH 4 ) to the atmosphere every year, a study in Nature has estimated.

Methane is one of the three most potent greenhouse gases and traps up to 34 times more heat compared with carbon dioxide.

The amount calculated in the study is similar to emissions from the Arctic tundra, or emissions from all oceans combined, or the total volume of methane emitted from wild animals and termites globally, the authors point out.

Still, the amount of methane emitted from Amazon trees is just half that emitted by humans, according to the authors  whether in the form of emissions from landfills, the meat industry, or burning fossil fuels.

These trees act as chimneys, funnelling the methane produced in the submerged soil into the atmosphere, Luciana Vanni Gatti

The researchers argue that although they result from a natural process, these emissions may also be responding to environmental change, such as the building of dams across the Amazon basin. A separate study has reported that 140 hydroelectric dams are in operation or under construction along the Amazon basin, and another 288 are planned for the coming years.

We do not know the consequences for emissions of such [construction] activity, stresses Vincent Gauci, from the Open University and the studys main author. However, any changes to the dynamic hydrology of these systems could alter the function of these trees in unpredictable ways.

Geographer Evlyn Moraes Novo, from Inpes Remote Sensing Division, says the findings are surprising and give a more complete picture of the sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the Amazon region.

This could be used in global models designed to predict how environmental change can have a knock-on effect on the tropical wetland methane source, says Evlyn, who was not involved in the study.

The findings are based on measurements of methane emissions taken from 2,300 trees spread across a number of locations surrounding the rivers Negro, Solimoes, Amazonas and Tapajos  where the water level can flood trees by up to 10 metres.

The research was carried out in 2013 and 2014 by scientists from the Open University in the UK, in collaboration with atmospheric scientists from the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (Ipen) in Brazil, and other institutions including the universities of Leeds in the UK, Linkoping in Sweden and British Columbia in Canada.



Ribera amazonica (Foto: Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre, SERFOR, Peru).

The researchers used gas chambers placed around tree trunks to estimate fluctuations in emissions at a small scale. They also measured methane with an aircraft flying across the entire Amazon basin in order to also calculate emissions at a large scale.

By analysing the measurements collectively, they found that trees growing in wetland areas of the Amazon subject to seasonal flooding emit 21.2 million tonnes of methane gas to the atmosphere every year.

These trees act as chimneys, funnelling the methane produced in the submerged soil into the atmosphere, chemist Luciana Vanni Gatti, from the National Institute for Space Researchs Laboratory of Greenhouse Gases (Inpe) and one of the studys authors, tells SciDev.Net. They are the source of the largest diffusive emissions ever recorded in wetlands.

Biologist Luana Basso, from Paulista University in Brazil, who carried out the research whilst a doctoral student at Ipen, adds that it is important to understand where this gas comes from in both natural ecosystems and from human activity.

The study published in Nature is the result of projects funded by FAPESP, one of the donors of SciDev.Net.

This article was produced by SciDev.Nets Latin American & Caribbean desk.
The UK Policy Exchange has just published a report on the subject, suggesting the level of harm that could be done with a few snips of the shears on the sea floor to international communications, which contrary to popular opinion, overwhelmingly rely on fibre optic cabling rather than satellites for their heavy lifting of data.

The report hints at the activities of Russian submarines lurking around the routes of the undersea communication cables and stresses the vulnerabilities of the remote locations where these vital arteries come ashore. It is suggested that insufficient attention has been given to the defence of these cables, although quite what can be done to defend them against submersibles with sharp shears remains unspecified.

While this new menace might be occupying the thoughts of military strategists, mariners probably would say that such has been the level of obstruction on the seabeds there are far fewer places where they might safely drop an anchor. Submarine cables are carefully marked on the charts and once they were sufficiently rare to be regarded as a remote risk of fouling ones anchor. Today in many places where there is heavy surface traffic, a positive cats cradle of cabling and pipelines lurk on or just below the seabed, a real cause of concern to shipping.

Cable ships were once rare beasts, today there are dozens of them, connecting up all the wind turbines and joining up to the nearest shore side electricity grid. Oil and gas pipelines litter the seabed along with the growing amount of associated sub-sea equipment which lives permanently below. This is in addition to the precious communication links of fibre-optic cabling that carries our commerce (and probably this very article from my word processor), around the world.

These cables are indeed well-marked, they are supposed to be buried in trenches by ploughs when they are in water shallow enough to see them harmed by a stray trawl warp or loose anchor, but they are still vulnerable to the effect of tides and currents and our shifting underwater sands which sometimes strip away the overburden of rock and leave the cable or pipeline exposed. But there are just so many of them. Ships will often anchor in extremis, in bad weather or because they have suffered an engine breakdown. It is not unknown for them to drag their anchor and when it is weighed, to damage the cable or pipeline.

A few years ago I was aboard a cable repair ship that had returned from a months intensive work after a ship had run through the Dover Strait and Southern North Sea with an anchor dragging along the sea bottom after it had paid out, all unknown to those aboard, in very heavy weather. Several cables were damaged in that single incident. Lawyers like to refer to the celebrated case of the Marion, which in 1977 dropped an anchor off the River Tees on top of a vital gas pipeline and, because of her ill-corrected charts, was found liable for a colossal sum, with owners unable to limit their liability.

So as this huge network of underwater obstructions spreads around our sustainable sources of power generation and even more communication cables are laid, the risk of damage increases. Maybe the authorities should be worrying about hostile powers and their grapnels and shears. There is probably a better case for being rather more sensible about where cables are laid, bearing in mind the regular passage of merchant ships and the activities of fishermen, who also share the seas.
Press Release

December 11, 2017 Legarda Hails PH Credit Rating Upgrade from Fitch Senator Loren Legarda today congratulated the Administration's economic team as she welcomed the investment upgrade of the Philippines' Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) from its 2013 rating of "BBB-" to "BBB" issued by the credit rating agency Fitch Ratings. The new rating provides the country with a "stable" outlook, which means that the "upside and downside risks to the rating are balanced." Fitch Ratings cited the Philippines' strong macroeconomic performance, solid domestic demand and inflows of foreign direct investment, and consistent fiscal policies geared towards a sustained decline in the gross general government debt (GGGD) ratio, among others, as key rating drivers for the investment upgrade. "The Philippines' investment upgrade is a product of prudent governance and our steadfast commitment to protect and improve the living conditions of our fellow Filipinos. I laud the efforts of both the public and private sector, especially the President and his economic team, in achieving this credit ratings status," said Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committees on Finance, Foreign Relations, and Climate Change. "The challenge really before us is to translate this positive outlook into actual actions, projects, and programs that will truly impact the poorest of our poor. May this good news serve as an inspiration for us to serve more, especially those whom we need to lift out of poverty," Legarda added. According to the Department of Finance, the average GDP growth of the Philippines accelerated from 5.2% from 2003-2012--the period before the Philippines acquired an investment status--to 6.5% from 2013-2016. Moreover, for the first three quarters of this year, the economy grew to 6.7%, which the Duterte administration targets to grow by 6.5 to 7.5% this year, and 7 to 8% annually from 2018-2022. Legarda said that Fitch Ratings, meanwhile, forecasts GDP growth of 6.8% in 2018 and 2019, which would maintain the Philippines' place among the fastest-growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region primarily because of the government's "Build Build Build" infrastructure development agenda to spend between $160 billion and $170 billion on infrastructure projects nationwide until 2022. Moreover, Fitch Ratings also expects the Philippines' fiscal profile to improve as a result of the government's Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) initiative, which is targeted to be signed into law before the year ends. The first package is estimated by the credit rating agency to boost government revenues in the amount equivalent to 0.5 to 0.8% of the country's GDP in 2018. "Moving forward, there is no other option for us but to sustain this level and strive to achieve a higher investment status. Our efforts through the 'Build, Build, Build' infrastructure development agenda and the TRAIN initiative are major efforts that will certainly usher in more growth for the Philippines," Legarda said. "We also need to remember that all these efforts should be contextualized in the service of the millions of Filipinos. We cannot truly achieve real lasting growth if marginalized and vulnerable communities are not included in this development path. The more we invest in all of our people, the greater we transform our country," Legarda concluded.
Sen. Joel Villanueva's manifestation on reso granting highest civil award for the late Sen. Miriam Santiago

Mr. President, this representation manifests my strongest support for this resolution as a fitting tribute to Asia's Iron Lady, former Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

This representation believes that Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was a "rock star" - isang rock star na nagbigay inspirasyon at impluwensiya sa mamamayang Pilipino na tumayo at magsalita para sa kapakanan ng bayan, at huwag matakot na ipaglaban ang katotohanan, katarungan at katwiran.

I was a first termer and the youngest member of the House of Representatives when I first met Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. From that moment until today, I've realized how much my political life, my advocacies and attributes as a public official was hugely influenced by MDS.

MDS dedicated her life to public service. Her unique sense of humor and witticisms have earned her a lot of fans from the millenials, while her bold and moral leadership have been legendary in all three branches of the government, but especially in the halls of this august Chamber. Her fearlessness has also earned her the respect and admiration of friends and enemies alike.

Makakakita pa kaya tayo ulit ng isang Miriam Defensor-Santiago sa ating lifetime?

Truly, Senator Defensor-Santiago deserves the attention and respect of the highest legislative office of the land. Indeed, her life is one that is well lived, and is a testament that one's life can be used to reach the impossible, despite its brevity.

Maraming salamat po.
Press Release

December 11, 2017 Villanueva bill exempting fresh grads from paying gov't fees moves to Senate plenary Senator Joel Villanueva on Monday sponsored Senate Bill No. 1629 or the "First-time Jobseekers Assistance Act" under Committee Report No. 191 which exempts fresh graduates from paying government fees and charges on documents needed for their job application. First-time jobseekers include fresh graduates, students who have taken leaves of absence and those who are not engaged in employment or education. The measure, which the senator dubbed as "Kontra-Tambay" bill, aims to address the uncertainty being faced by fresh graduates on their school-to-work transition, and to shoulder the cost of fees and charges in acquiring government documents. According to a study conducted by the Asian Development Bank entitled, "Are Filipino Youth Off to a Good Start?", the school-to-work transition for many young Filipinos is associated with change, waiting, and uncertainty. Villanueva, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development, further shared that it usually takes a high school leaver up to 3 years to find a first job while it takes a college graduate 1 year to find a first job. The ADB study also said that regulations and restrictions on employment arrangements is one of the strong factors influencing their school-to-work transition. "Kontra-tambay ang panukalang batas na ito dahil kahit papaano, mapapabilis ang paghihintay ng mga fresh grad na dumating iyong swerte o tamang pagkakataon sa kanila," Villanueva said during his sponsorship speech. The senator further cited some of the pre-employment documents a fresh graduate needs which include: (1) Police Clearance Certificate; (2) NBI Clearance (3) Barangay Clearance; (4) Medical Certificate; (5) Birth and/or Marriage Certificate; (6) Tax Identification Number; and (7) Other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers for first-time jobseekers. Villanueva noted that fees and charges for the said documents may cost up to P2,000. This does not include other expenses for food, fare, printing, and appropriate clothing for job interviews. "Nililinaw po natin na ang pagtatanggal ng mga bayarin ay para lamang sa mga kababayan nating hindi pa nagkaroon ng trabaho o unang beses pa lang na mag-a-apply ng trabaho. Mr. President, sa pagsusuri natin, mabigat po ang bayaring ito sa mga first-time jobseekers na financially dependent pa sa kanilang mga magulang o nakakatatandang kapatid o kamag-anak na kumikita na," the senator explained. The proposal does not include though the fees for passport application, driver's license, and PRC license as these identifications are not usually required by employers. Also, the proposed exemption shall only be availed of one time during the one-year period from date of graduation or date that the first-time jobseeker left school. The bill, if passed into law, would greatly benefit around 600,000 fresh graduates annually. According to Jobstreet's 2017 Fresh Graduates Report, the average salaries of ten highest paying jobs for fresh graduates - legal services, healthcare, journalism, information technology, banking services, among others amount to P21,936. In the BPO sector, an employee who earns as much as P234,000 annually pays tax amounting to P7,900. The senator said this amount would already recoup the charges and fees the government would shoulder should the proposal be passed into law. "Kung magkakatrabaho po kaagad ang ating mga kabataan at hindi sila tambay, makikibabang po ang lahat, lalo na ang kanilang pamilya na umaasa sa kanila, at mas sisigla pa ang ating ekonomiya," Villanueva said.
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The video rolls with that familiar Hitchcockian soundtrack, and there is the backside of Kim Novak as she steps from a luxury sedan and gracefully walks toward the Legion of Honor.

But this is not Vertigo. This is VertiGhost, a clever video installation that employs exact re-creations of the San Francisco scenes from that famous 1958 film to explore questions of double and hidden identity.

Multiple media artist Lynn Hershman Leeson hired a film crew of 15 or 20, plus three models to play the Novak role, to create VertiGhost. The original San Francisco locations were shot with the same angles and lighting used by Alfred Hitchcock. The result is spooky in how precise it is.

Spookier still is the setting for Leesons installation. It opens Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Legion of Honor in the same gallery that Hitchcock used for the scene in which Novak sits on a bench and studies a mysterious painting called Portrait of Carlotta.

The only thing about VertiGhost that is not a reproduction from Vertigo is that bench. It was used in the filming and is a permanent fixture in Gallery Six  where Vertigo was shot and VertiGhost is on view.

The exhibit is about not knowing the truth in something, says Leeson, 76, who watched all 129 minutes of Vertigo several times in her research. The film is all about copies and fakes. Only the ghosts of the truth knows what the truth is. Once the truth is told then the ghosts can rest.

VertiGhost comes 50 years after Vertigo and was a commission by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The only stipulation was that the artwork reference the Legion of Honor or the de Young Museum, or both.

Leeson dissected 35 scenes from Vertigo, reshot them and sliced them into 10- or 15-second film clips. The location shoots  the Palace of Fine Arts, Fort Point, the streets of Nob Hill and the Brocklebank Apartments  turned some heads.

Yuliya Slepukhina, a former model from Ukraine, was one of the women who portrayed Novak for VertiGhost, and people wanted (her) autograph because she looked just like her, Leeson says.

If Leeson just wanted a Novak look-alike, she would have stayed with Slepukhina, but she wanted a more nuanced portrayal. So from scene to scene, Novaks character switches from a blonde to a brunette portrayed by curator Natasha Boas, to a black Kim Novak portrayed by Nkechi Emeruwa, a Nigerian immigrant who once studied American behavior patterns by watching movies such as Vertigo.

In on-camera interviews, the three Kims give their interpretations of the character. Then comes the real Kim, Novak herself, giving her interpretations in a recent interview with the British Film Institute.

The subplot of Vertigo about the mysterious Portrait of Carlotta is paralleled in VertiGhost with the story of a mysterious Modigliani painting in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Thought to be fake, it was eventually determined to be real. That story is told by museums curator Elise Effmann Clifford, the only person on camera not channeling Novak.

The film lasts about 15 minutes, with a score composed and recorded by George Freedland. There is also a viewer participation aspect.

A person sitting on the Novak bench can either face a wall where VertiGhost is screened or turn around and face a remade Portrait of Carlotta. Her eyes have been replaced by cameras, which will then project the viewer from a black box within the gallery and make the viewer part of the story.

When people come and sit down on the gallery, they are imitating Kim Novak, too, Leeson says. The whole piece is about how we really cant tell what is fake and what is authentic.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF Instagram: @sfchronicle_art

VertiGhost: 15-minute multimedia installation. 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through March 25. Opens Saturday, Dec. 16. $15. Legion of Honor, 100 34th Ave. S.F. (415) 750-3600. www.famsf.org

Watch the opening 30 seconds of VertiGhost: http://bit.ly/VertiGhost
A fire fueled by high winds destroyed two homes and damaged six others in the Oakland hills Monday night and into early Tuesday after apparently starting in an empty residence under construction and quickly spreading across dry hillsides, prompting evacuations, officials said.

The fire ignited around 11 p.m. Monday at a home being constructed in the 6800 block of Snake Road in the Montclair neighborhood, according to the Oakland Fire Department.

Multiple homes and hillsides on fire upon arrival, embers raining down all over, the first firefighters to arrive reported.

Strong winds rapidly spread the fire, said Battalion Chief Dino Torres of the Oakland Fire Department. About 50 homes were evacuated.

It looked like it was just raining fire when we got here, Torres said from the scene. The quick actions of the residents in noticing that there was a fire in the area and calling 911 got us up here quick. It worked our butts off.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the cause of the fire was under investigation. An arson investigator was on the scene, along with the Red Cross.

One of the destroyed homes was a two-story structure under construction that Torres described as sticks and frames. The other destroyed home was next door, and the six damaged homes were nearby.

Dry winds on Monday night were gusting up to 30 mph, he said, causing the fire to spread quickly.

About 50 houses along Colton Boulevard, Asilomar Circle, Armour Drive and Heartwood Drive were evacuated.

Around 6:30 a.m., Torres said the fire was 99 percent under control, but smoky conditions persisted in the area.

We might be out here all day, Torres said, adding that firefighters would remain on guard for hot spots and flareups.

Phillip Kim, his wife and two sons, 12 and 14, were fast asleep when they were jolted awake by the sound of an explosion.

Kim, 50, who lives three lots away from where the fire started, jumped out of bed. Before long, he said, a neighbor was banging on his door, yelling, Theres a fire.

When I came out, it was raining embers, Kim said. It was raining embers and it was falling everywhere on my property, which is mostly wood. The wood planks in the walkway and the roof caught fire. It was harrowing.

He ushered his wife and kids into their car and told them to drive to safety. He raced back into the house to grab important documents and his computer.

I unplugged my desktop computer and dragged it into my car. If my computer burned, I wouldve lost a lot. Things like our wedding album, all the photo albums, they wouldve been lost, Kim said.

While embers fell all around him, Kim loaded his car. He said one ember fell on his head, scorching a small part of his scalp, and one fell onto his fleece garment and burned a hole in it.

There was a huge plume of fire. The brush on the hill was on fire. My neighbors garbage can was just lit up, Kim said.

He met up with his family at a friends house and kept neighbors informed with texts. About 2 a.m., Kim returned home to check the damage.

I didnt know whether my house was going to be standing or not because, when I left, my roof was on fire, Kim said. It was very agonizing.

To his relief, his home was OK, with only minor exterior damage.

It was a tremendous relief, and I felt such tremendous gratitude for Oakland firefighters, Kim said.

Kim and his family have lived in the Oakland hills since 2001. And he said hes constantly reminded of the devastating Oakland hills firestorm of 1991 that killed 25 people and wiped out nearly 3,500 homes. He said his neighborhood holds annual brush clearings and he periodically trims a large cypress tree in his front yard.

We always live with the concern. Living in a house thats made primarily of wood and watching what happened in Santa Rosa and in Southern California, it just takes a moment to lose everything, he said referring to the deadly Wine Country fires in the North Bay in October and the multiple wildfires currently sweeping across areas from Santa Barbara to north San Diego County.

Im very grateful all my family members were safe and my neighbors are safe, Kim said.

Not far away, Arthur Yamashita, 64, was awakened by a neighbor pounding on the door of his home near Drake Drive and Snake Road.

He was out of breath and told us there was a fire, Yamashita said.

Yamashita, who lives with his wife and two sons, stumbled outside. He and his neighbors filled the street, watching the blaze and listening to updates on the radio.

You could see the smoke and the red glow, said Yamashita, who has lived in the home for 25 years. It was pretty unnerving. Everybody was standing outside.

Yamashita returned inside to pack clothes and documents. But the fire was contained by firefighters, and Yamashita and his family stayed put.

Nearby on Snake Road, Leigh Ann Pincus awoke around midnight in her home and watched towering flames chew through a house under construction down the street.

I heard a woosh or something and I woke up, Pincus said. The whole back of the house is glass and all I could see was an orange glow.

Pincus, 49, and her husband, who moved to Oakland from Florida six months ago, began frantically gathering up medication, passports and their two dogs. They loaded the car and sprayed water outside the house.

Nearby residents were running up and down the street in the predawn dark warning their neighbors about the blaze, Pincus said.

I was terrified, said Pincus. We heard all about the 1991 Oakland fire, and I thought there is no way its not going to burn the house down. The fire was so big.

Sarah Ravani, Cynthia Dizikes and Steve Rubenstein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com, cdizikes@sfchronicle.com and srubenstein@

sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani and @cdizikes and @SteveRubeSF
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As scandals pile up, harassment lawsuits are on track to reach their highest level in recent years.

More than 3,500 federal civil lawsuits related to harassment in the workplace have been filed so far this year, an increase over 2016, according to Lex Machina, a Menlo Park analytics firm that tracks litigation. Federal data show that the number of sex-based-harassment complaints filed in 2016 increased from the prior year.

This year has pushed the issue into the spotlight, as accusations have brought down prominent politicians and entertainers, including state Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D-Encino (Los Angeles County); U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.; interviewer Charlie Rose; and  perhaps most dramatically  movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

When women who have experienced their own harassment see that there are consequences to these other harassers in a higher-profile setting, they are more willing to come forward because they think something can be done about it now, said Lisa Klerman, who teaches at the USC Gould School of Law.

The Lex Machina data cover federal civil lawsuits related to all types of harassment in the workplace  not just sexual harassment.

Brian Howard, Lex Machinas legal data scientist, said scrutiny of Uber and its treatment of women probably had more impact than the Weinstein scandal, which may not yet be reflected in the data.

In February, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler wrote about her experience working at the ride-hailing company. She said she had been propositioned for sex by her manager and cited other instances of discriminatory treatment of women, with inadequate action taken by the human resources department. Her blog post sparked an internal investigation at Uber, which now has a new CEO who has emphasized that the company culture must change.

The political climate may also play a role, analysts said. During last years presidential campaign, Donald Trump, then the Republican nominee, called Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton a nasty woman, and a 2005 recording revealed Trump boasting about grabbing women by their private parts. At least 19 women have accused Trump of inappropriate behavior.

Feelings have continued to run high since the election.

We have had two presidential candidates who seemed to magnify the polarization of the nation and to bring out the worst in the electorate, Klerman said. Some of those sentiments and feelings that each side had appear to have played a role in increased workplace harassment.

The number of sex-based-harassment complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that tracks such charges, rose slightly to 12,860 in fiscal 2016, the latest numbers available. These complaints, which are not lawsuits but can serve as preludes to lawsuits, are the first step for people who seek action against harassment they say they experienced in their workplaces because of their sex. Sex-based harassment is a broad term that includes taunting people for their sexual orientation or for pregnancy, as well as sexual harassment, which includes as unwanted touching and inappropriately requesting sexual favors.

Klerman expects the number of sex-based-harassment complaints to continue to rise in 2018.

In order to bring a lawsuit alleging that an employer violated part of the Civil Rights Act  which includes some sexual-discrimination complaints  people are first required to file a complaint with the EEOC.

The higher number of sex-based-harassment complaints filed to the EEOC could reflect that more gay and transgender people, as well as men as a whole, are filing complaints, experts said. And some experts cautioned not to read too much into the data on lawsuits and complaints.

Its too soon to see a correlation, said Robin Runge, a lecturer at the George Washington University Law School.

Indeed, the EEOC says the number of sexual-harassment complaints, a subset of sex-based harassment, declined slightly to 6,718 in its fiscal 2017, which ended Sept. 30. News of the Weinstein scandal broke in October, so subsequent complaints were not reflected in the EEOC data.

In California, 4,822 employment complaints of sexual harassment were filed in 2015, an increase of 12 percent from 2014, according to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. People need to seek the states permission in order to sue under a state law that allows people to sue for more money than federal law does.

Some, but not all, complaints counted in the states data are sent to the EEOC.

Data from the EEOC, the state and Lex Machina represent just a portion of the harassment that can take place in workplaces. Many complaints to human resources departments across the country do not get reported to the state or federal government or end up in lawsuits.

Businesses and law firms that offer sexual-harassment training said they are seeing increased interest from companies. In California, employers with at least 50 staffers are required to offer sexual-harassment training to supervisors. But Runge says workplaces need to do more to fix a culture that supported and protected those who engaged in sexual misconduct, and that goes beyond sexual-harassment training.

In 2015, former Google employee Kelly Ellis tweeted that she left the Mountain View company because she experienced harassment by higher-level male leaders, including a man who made an inappropriate sexual remark to her. Googles human resources department asked Ellis if she wanted to change departments and didnt discuss transferring the man she accused of misconduct, according to Ellis attorney, James Finberg.

The default position (of some human resources departments) is that we dont know if that person is telling the truth, Ellis said. Instead, people in that position should assume they are telling the truth until you find evidence that they are not said Ellis, who did not file a complaint with EEOC.

Google said that male manager is no longer with the company and declined further comment. The man Ellis accused of harassment did not respond to a request for comment sent through LinkedIn.

Ellis said that because promotions are sometimes based on peer reviews, people are less likely to come forward with harassment complaints if they fear they will get a bad review as a result.

In September, she and other women sued Google for pay discrimination, and a judge this month asked their lawyer to file an amended complaint. Google has denied the company has an issue with pay equity.

We work really hard to create a great workplace for everyone, and to give everyone the chance to thrive here, Google spokeswoman Gina Scigliano said in a statement. If we ever see individual discrepancies or problems, we work to fix them.

After Ellis tweeted about the harassment, she said she received rape threats from strangers online. She believes if she were to have tweeted about it today, the response would have been different.

I am happy that this is finally getting the attention this needs, that more people and companies seem to be taking the issue more seriously, and they need to act when these situations come to light, said Ellis, who now works as a software engineer at MailChimp. On the other hand, its kind of frustrating when it happened to me, when it happened to a lot of people, there wasnt a movement.

Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thewendylee
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Mayor Ed Lee once admitted he didnt know how to work his Apple Watch, but his desire to learn more about technology led him to become an outspoken voice for the citys burgeoning startups and to step up on local and national stages to address tech issues ranging from Airbnb to drones.

With Lees sudden death Tuesday morning, a city full of fledgling startups and major tech companies no longer has a political leader who often sat on stage at tech conferences with far more famous CEOs  or stepped aside at community events to talk to a young, scrappy entrepreneur hoping to found a new business in the city.

Lee fostered a city where entrepreneurs from around the world dream of starting their businesses. Though that influx of wealth came with its own issues  crowded streets, steep housing prices, pervasive homelessness  Lee strove to balance his role as an advocate for the industry with his background as a community activist.

He became mayor in 2011 at a key time when we were emerging from the recession and he signaled to the tech community that they had a place in San Francisco, said Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a business advocacy group.

He asked me questions about why startups would want to locate to San Francisco, and how we were involved in the community, Sasha Orloff, founder of startup LendUp, recalled of an encounter with Lee in 2012. It was very collaborative. You could tell he very much cared about wanting to attract people to the city (who) would also have involvement and engagement in the city.

Lee was one of the longest-serving mayors in San Francisco, overseeing a period of unprecedented growth. He was strongly supported by the tech community  including the likes of angel investor Ron Conway, who founded sf.citi and saw Lee as a key political ally.

He cared so deeply about the city and its people, about jobs and opportunity for young people, Conway wrote in an email to The Chronicle. Every time I saw Ed, I always asked him, Hows the greatest mayor in America? 

In an attempt to lure startups to San Francisco and keep them from fleeing to the Peninsula or South Bay, Lee created a tax incentive program for large companies in 2012.

This program  dubbed the Twitter tax break  was championed by the tech community, as it helped companies avoid millions in city taxes that would otherwise have been levied on their stock options. The program also drew ire from his critics who said the breaks pandered to venture-backed startups at the expense of small businesses and city residents.

But when startup founders like Jiyan Wei of BuildZoom went to the mayors office for help, they said they were well taken care of. Wei said his company is currently in a legal fight with another city office and recently asked the mayors office for help.

Lees director of business development pointed out that the mayors office was trying to cultivate an environment that was friendly to entrepreneurs, Wei said. From a companys perspective who has made a decision to pay high square-footage costs in San Francisco, that meant a lot.

Lee did not always see eye to eye with technologists. Serving on the Federal Aviation Administrations Drone Advisory Committee, Lee advocated for giving local cities control over their airspace. He sent a letter Nov. 8 to committee Chairman Brian Krzanich, who is also CEO of Intel, blasting the group for a lack of transparency and poor management and for recommending policies that favored the drone industry over local governments and the public.

As news broke of Lees death early Tuesday, well-known entrepreneurs and investors were quick to mourn the loss.

Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, said in a tweet that Lee was one of the nicest and kindest leaders he has ever known, recalling a lunch he had with him where he asked Salesforce to focus on improving public schools.

When Lee visited PayPal co-founder Max Levchins new company, Affirm, in 2015, the employees had a lot of questions: How can we get more housing? What about the public schools? What about homelessness?

He didnt have all the answers, he said during an interview with Fox Business, where he sat in a suit and tie next to Levchin, who wore a hoodie.

Levchin told The Chronicle Tuesday that he remembered Lee as being inquisitive and curious about what he could do to better employees lives. While PayPal was founded in Palo Alto, Levchin started his next two companies in San Francisco.

Political and business leaders said whoever succeeds Lee as mayor  whether its London Breed, now acting mayor, or hopefuls like Mark Leno or David Chiu  needs to show the same curiosity and interest in learning about the tech scene.

Even though the people in City Hall have varying views about this or that technology issue, I do believe theres a very broad consensus that it is a good thing that San Francisco is the innovation capital of the world, and it is in our interests in keeping that status, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a former city supervisor. You cant be mayor of San Francisco and ignore the technology sector.

Lee wrestled with tech shuttle buses that clogged neighborhood streets. The rise of ride-hailing and homes-as-hotels  trends that birthed highly valued San Francisco startups like Uber, Lyft and Airbnb, but also raised important regulatory questions for their hometown  came on his watch. Recently, he was also working on a plan to create neighborhood drop-off points for Uber and Lyft, and pursuing an ambitious initiative to build a citywide municipal Internet network with Supervisor Mark Farrell.

Wiener said Lee probably wasnt as immersed in tech before becoming mayor, but like Lee, his successor will have to become just as passionate.

If youre not already passionate about innovation, theres no faster way than to become mayor of San Francisco, he said.

Trisha Thadani, Benny Evangelista and Carolyn Said are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com, bevangelista@sfchronicle.com, csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani, @ChronicleBenny, @csaid
Southern California Edison, the electric utility that serves Ventura County and many of the Los Angeles suburbs, says state investigators may be looking into whether the companys equipment helped start this months devastating wildfires.

Edison said last week that based on where the fires began, it is unlikely that the companys power lines could have sparked them.

But in a news release Monday, the utility said state investigators are now looking at other possible ignition points for the fires  places where Edisons equipment could have played a role.

The investigations now include locations beyond those identified last week as the apparent origin of these fires, the release said. SCE believes the investigations now include the possible role of its facilities.

Edison is the second major California utility company facing scrutiny in this years record-setting wildfire season.

Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, are already trying to determine whether power lines owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. helped start Octobers Wine Country wildfires, which killed 44 people. The investigation may stretch into next year, but many North Bay homeowners, including former San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan, have filed suit against PG&E.

Cal Fire has not announced a cause of any of the blazes that have ravaged the state over the fall. But all of them, in both Northern and Southern California, started during fierce windstorms. The state has a history of wildfires caused by strong gusts blowing trees into power lines, toppling poles or causing lines to sway and arc in the wind.

The California Public Utilities Commission, which oversees utility companies, also is looking into whether Southern California electric and telecommunications utilities had properly maintained their equipment in the fire zones, according the commission.

The regulatory agency opened a similar probe of the Wine Country fires in October, telling PG&E and telecommunications companies to preserve any equipment they found damaged by the flames. The commission will examine whether the utilities properly maintained their equipment  as in the Southern California fires  but will defer to Cal Fire on determining the exact cause of each fire.

California utility companies can be held financially liable for wildfire damage linked to their equipment even if they followed all applicable safety regulations, such as keeping tree branches at least 4 feet away from most rural electricity lines. Stock in Southern California Edisons parent company, Edison International, closed Tuesday at $68.58, down 6 percent from $72.98 Monday.

The Thomas Fire, the largest of the Southern California blazes and now the fifth-largest in state history, remained just 20 percent contained Tuesday afternoon, more than a week after it began. It has burned more than 360 square miles, destroyed 680 homes and spread from Ventura County to Santa Barbara County.

After burning into downtown Ventura and surrounding the mountain enclave of Ojai, the fire on Tuesday neared seaside Montecito, whose residents include such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges, Drew Barrymore and Rob Lowe. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.

Edison has deployed more than 600 workers to respond to the fires, which over the course of the past week have knocked out power to more than 85,000 customers. Workers have replaced more than 300 utility poles damaged or destroyed by the flames.

With the Santa Ana winds still raking the area, Edison has also taken a step it previously shunned, preemptively shutting down power lines in an area deemed to face particularly high fire risk. The utility cut off electricity to the mountainous Idyllwild area of rural Riverside County on Thursday and Friday.

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

David R. Baker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dbaker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DavidBakerSF
There are folks who like to watch CNN and there are folks who like to watch Fox News. And, says Stephen Cook, thats probably what led to the new television policy posted at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center:

A core part of the mission of the JCC is to be a welcoming place where members and guests feel comfortable regardless of, among other things, their political views. A recent increase in member conflicts resulting from news channels being aired on the fitness floor has forced the Center to re-evaluate our use of these TVs. Effective immediately, the public TVs over the weight lifting area will no longer be programmed to air news stations. Members wishing to view news stations can do so on the personal TVs on the cardio machines or stream the news on a personal tablet or phone. We appreciate your cooperation.

Iris Lax, director of marketing and strategic projects, said the change had been made after staffers reported unrest among the news watchers. At issue was not only differing opinions about politics, but also that children could watch the big TVs. As to how the new policy has worked, people seem to be happy with it. They still have access to all the channels on their personal screens, where they can select the channels they want.

 Theresa Brandner, sailor and medical equipment executive, has been elected commodore of the 90-year-old St. Francis Yacht Club. The first woman ever to hold the position, Brandner defeated an opponent whod been moving up the ladder toward the post, usually a sure shot for achieving it. An election for commodore hadnt been contested in more than 20 years, notes The Chronicles Carl Nolte, man about the Bay Area.

Overtly, club members are saying little about the election. But everybody is trying to look forward to a healing process, one longtime members description of the current state of things, says a lot. Brandner takes office on Jan. 9.

At the 9th Street Cafe in Berkeley, Miltiades Mandros overheard a group of people having a workshop about how to teach empowerment workshops.

During intermission at the Dec. 5 San Francisco Opera performance of Girls of the Golden West, composer John Adams, Grants for the Arts czarina Kary Schulman, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Deborah Cullinan and Jon Moscone, the San Francisco Symphonys Mark Hanson, Terri Winston of the Womens Audio Mission and artist Bill Fontana were among those gathered to honor John and Helen Meyer of Meyer Sound. A mayoral citation proclaimed Dec. 7 (which is John Meyers birthday) John and Helen Meyer Day, and made note of the companys collaboration to benefit arts groups all around the Bay Area, as well as its philanthropy. Furthermore, said the citation, Meyer Sound designs and manufactures all products locally with a company philosophy that values the intertwining of creative thinking, old fashioned craftsmanship and entrepreneurial technology.

It was Thanksgiving week in Marin when Mill Valley police were summoned, reports Doreen Malin. According to a report from Marinscope: Police were called about a 50-ish man walking in downtown Mill Valley. Citizen told police the man kicked a traffic cone and clearly doesnt belong in Mill Valley.

Art historian/curator Natasha Boas is relishing in filling the role of Judy in Lynn Hershman Leesons VertiGost, a Vertigo-based film at the Legion of Honor. Judy is the character who was played by Kim Novak in the Alfred Hitchcock movie. As a high school student, Boas fantasized about Carlotta when she worked as an intern at the Legion; eventually, she was married there, too.

And artist Brian McMullen has sent a fascinating holiday catalog of things Ive made in 2017, including a $10 life-size photocopier selfie, which he describes as: The whole 38-year-old body, placed part by part on a photocopier and rendered page by page at actual size (11 inches by 17 inches, spiral bound). These 22 images were made in March, he says, and, in case youre worried about the Anthony Weiner factor, are rated PG. The artist/vendor can be reached at brianmcmullen@hotmail.com.

Dire Warnings Gazette: The holiday season can be extremely hard for addicts and their families, says Rehab.com, which claims to offer unbiased and transparent information on rehab facilities, and says it is known as the Expedia for rehab.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

Move all the way forward. There is no personal space at Disneyland.

Disneyland staffer to visitors, overheard at Haunted Mansion by Howard Baldwin
NEW YORK  A man inspired by the Islamic State group set off a crude pipe bomb strapped to his body Monday in a crowded subway corridor near Times Square, injuring the man, slightly wounding three others and sending New York commuters fleeing in terror through the smoky passageway.

Surveillance cameras captured the man moving casually through the crowded walkway when the bomb went off at 7:20 a.m. amid a plume of white smoke, which cleared to show the man sprawled on the ground and commuters scattering to get away. Investigators said it was not clear if he set the bomb off intentionally or prematurely.

This was an attempted terrorist attack, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.

The suspect, who was identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, was being treated at a hospital for burns to his hands and abdomen. The others who were injured suffered ringing in the ears and headaches.

Law enforcement officials said Ullah was inspired by the Islamic State group but apparently did not have any direct contact with the militants and probably acted alone. Gov. Andrew Cuomo later told the NY1 cable channel that the suspect went online to learn how to make a bomb.

We have no evidence at this time that there were any secondary devices or it was part of a larger plan, Cuomo said.

Authorities said the bomb was a low-tech explosive device attached to the man with Velcro and plastic ties. They were investigating how it was made.

Ullah, who lives in Brooklyn, came to the U.S. from Bangladesh almost seven years ago and had been licensed to drive a livery cab between 2012 and 2015, according to law enforcement officials and NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. He was speaking with investigators from his hospital bed, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Ullah arrived in the U.S. in 2011 on an F-4 visa, a preferential visa available for those with family in the U.S. who are citizens, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said.

Investigators were searching Ullahs apartment, interviewing witnesses and relatives and looking for surveillance footage that may show his movements in the moments before the attack.

Ullah lived with his father, mother and brother in a residential area of Brooklyn with a large Bangladeshi community, neighbors said. The home was just off a shopping strip  a red two-story brick building.

Alan Butrico owns the house next door and a locksmith business two doors down. Its very weird, he said. You never know who your neighbors are.

The explosion, which happened in an underground passageway under 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues, triggered a massive emergency response by police and firefighters both above and below ground, tangling subway and bus service at the nearby Port Authority bus terminal. Its the citys busiest subway station and a major transit hub, with 64 million subway riders passing through every year.

Everything around Times Square was shut down, halting what would ordinarily be a bustling rush hour at the Crossroads of the World.

Colleen Long is an Associated Press writer.
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A triathlete. A mechanic. A city council member.

The massive Thomas Fire, which on Monday was threatening communities in Santa Barbara County after destroying more than 800 structures, was also producing everyday heroes who found ways to become integral to their neighbors.

Among them was Matt Organista of Carpinteria.

The 28-year-old was at a Santa Barbara hospital with his wife, Sarah, and their newborn when the lights flickered on the night of Dec. 5. His daughter, Eden Mae, was on the mend from breathing difficulties that had followed her birth.

All these alarms kept going off, with the baby next to us, and we think its her alarms so we panic, said Organista.

The sound actually came from hospital alarms triggered by power outages linked to the Thomas Fire. And after Organista and his family returned home, he hit the road to help residents in neighboring Ventura County, where the blaze ignited.

As the triathlete started driving, he noticed an orange glow moving through mountains toward coastal La Conchita, five miles south of Carpinteria. He slammed on his brakes and changed direction.

Now Playing: Firefighters from Southland agencies remained in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties on Monday to assist in efforts to contain what has grown into the fifth largest wildfire in modern California history, authorities said. Video: FoxLA

The embers were getting tossed everywhere, so we were in the bushes putting out the embers, Organista said. We were in poison oak for three hours, and all these embers were going everywhere.

Thats when Organista posted a Facebook video showing the destruction. Soon, as residents evacuated, requests for more updates flowed into his account.

People started messaging me, he said. Is this house OK? Can you go check on my mom?

He tried to respond to every request he received, vowing to stay behind even as his own home was placed under mandatory evacuation for a night.

I went out in my underwear (at night) in the middle of the street and thought, Oh, my god, our whole town is going to burn, Organista said.

He posted videos on Facebook nearly every hour to update Carpinteria, a community of nearly 14,000 people.

Before long, he teamed up with Ruben Clark, a Ventura resident who owns an auto repair shop in Carpinteria and, critically, drives a large truck.

Clark had been helping residents of Ventura and Ojai hurriedly leave their homes as the fire advanced. Now he made his way to Carpinteria, where he had lived for three decades.

I was getting calls probably from as early as 7 a.m. to as late as midnight, said Clark, 32, whos been helping people every day since the fire broke out. Id go to bed and people would call me to say, I need your help, and Id be like, All right, Ill be right there.

Clark hauled trailers and moved clothing, boxes of photos and heirlooms.

Also hard at work was Gregg Carty, a former mayor and current City Council member in Carpinteria.

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.

He drove to Shepard Mesa Road on Friday night as firefighters knocked down flames that came close to the homes. He talked people into leaving, helped them pack bags and handed out masks for the smoke.

I stayed up all night that night. People will risk their lives to save their homes, and you have to convince them that its not worth it. Your life is more important, Carty said.

One key role he played was as a comforter, he said, consoling people as they left their homes behind.

On Monday, Carty sat in his car in the parking lot of a local grocery store, checking to see whether anyone needed a face mask, ready to jump out and hand them one from the pile he had in his car.

Carty, Clark and Organista never evacuated  and they say their work isnt done.

Everybody here watches out for each other. The whole community is like family, Carty said. Its one of those things that you dont think will ever happen, but it does. Disasters are unpredictable: They can happen to anybody, anytime.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
One of the great  and quite irksome  anomalies of California is that while its economy is largely driven by Silicon Valleys digital innovation, its state government in Sacramento, just 100 miles northeast, has abysmally failed to use that technology effectively.

It literally would take every bit of this space to even briefly list the many information technology disasters that have occurred  projects that promised more bang for the taxpayers buck but not only vastly exceeded their cost estimates but also failed to work as promised and, in some cases, had to be abandoned altogether, wasting billions of dollars.

The problem children have ranged from a bollixed up case management system for the courts to a project called FI$Cal, aimed at centralizing and managing state finances.

Successive governors and the Legislature, which appropriated the funds on those promises of efficiency, have not been as diligent as they should have been in demanding better results.

Their attitude has been, as Gov. Jerry Brown once said of a highly troubled public-works project, S happens.

Finally, however, the Legislature grew tired of the list of failures and two years ago created something called the Statewide Project Management Office that was supposed to police state agency efforts to design, build and use IT and make them fulfill their grandiose promises.

It was, in effect, supposed to make the Department of Technology, itself an earlier stab at cleaning up the states IT mess, do its job.

Never mind.

Last Thursday, the Legislatures budget analyst, Mac Taylor, issued a report on how well the new agency has been working, and its not looking good.

In essence, Taylors staff found the PMO, as its called, selected low-hanging fruit  the projects likely to progress smoothly  to test its potential. While they seemed to work, the Brown administration has made a couple of changes in the oversight process that could severely limit expansion of the PMO to the larger, more complex IT projects that need help the most.

First, Taylor reported, the state Department of Technology basically folded the PMO into its management structure, rather than have it be an independent watchdog, creating what he called a potential conflict of interest.

Secondly, a policy change significantly reduces the number and complexity of IT projects eligible for PMO services. That means the big projects would likely escape PMO purview, which would be, of course, a recipe for continued IT failure.

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 appears that the parochial interests of bureaucracies in protecting their turf, not sharing information and not exposing themselves to outside scrutiny, has prevailed, at least so far.

This is not a new syndrome, of course. Its what public agencies routinely do. But one of the Legislatures functions, albeit one lacking political sex appeal, is to counter that tendency by creating and maintaining watchdogs such as Taylors office, such as the state auditor (which has also been highly critical of IT calamities) and the Project Management Office.

We recommend that the Legislature express intent in statute that it expects the PMO to operate independently and serve in the best interests of the projects, Taylor concluded. This would ease sponsoring departments concerns of inappropriate and unnecessary information sharing between the PMO and [Department of Technology] oversight and cultivate an open pathway of communication between the PMO and sponsoring departments.

Well see if, as Taylor recommends, the Legislature gets involved again.

Dan Walters is a columnist for CALmatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.
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Mayor Ed Lee, the citys first Asian American mayor and the man who presided over San Franciscos transformation during the recent tech boom, died early Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack. He was 65.

Lee collapsed while shopping at the Safeway grocery store on Monterey Boulevard near his Glen Park home at about 10 p.m. Monday and was taken by ambulance to San Francisco General Hospital. He died at 1:11 a.m., surrounded by friends and family.

The mayors office released a brief statement early Tuesday morning confirming Lees death, stating in part: Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Anita, his two daughters, Brianna and Tania, and his family. Flags at City Hall were lowered to half staff.

News of Lees unexpected death shocked and saddened city officials, many of whom respected the moderate mayor even when he was their political adversary.

I am utterly and totally grief stricken, said Supervisor Malia Cohen, who wept as she spoke Tuesday morning. My heart breaks for (Lees wife) Anita and the mayors daughters. The entire city family is grieving right now. Its a very stressful and difficult time. Well get through it together. Im in shock, its still hard for me to believe. I was just with him on Saturday.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin was crying as well remembering Lee.

Even though he didnt support me when I ran for supervisor a couple years ago, he was somebody who was a brother who I admired, not only as the first Chinese American mayor in San Francisco but as somebody who loved the community and was fun to hang out with, Peskin said.

Several of Lees family members, including his wife and two daughters, returned to the mayors home in a quiet Glen Park cul-de-sac about 11 a.m. Lees wife walked quickly into the house, wearing sunglasses and looking down. One of Lees daughters, Tania, would only say, We just need some time before entering the house.

Now Playing: Mayor Ed Lee, 1952-2017 Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Lee, known for his friendly and often jokey personality and his focus on details and political consensus, was the 43rd mayor of San Francisco and the first Chinese American to lead the city. Board of Supervisors President London Breed became acting mayor, effective immediately.

At a mid-morning news conference in the City Hall rotunda, Breed, joined by City Attorney Dennis Herrera, shared her thoughts on Lees passing.

Ed was not a politician. He did not always deliver the best sound bite or carry the room with unspoken charisma, Breed said. Flash never mattered to him. Disagreements never deterred him. He was humble and determined, no matter the job he held.

What mattered most to him always was helping his fellow San Franciscans. ... Opponents may have disagreed with him on policy, but everyone agrees, our mayor was a good man with a good heart.

Lee was city administrator in January 2011 when the Board of Supervisors appointed him to replace Mayor Gavin Newsom, who had been elected the states lieutenant governor.

Newsom, who is acting governor while Gov. Jerry Brown attends a climate change summit in Paris, ordered flags flown at half staff at all state buildings.

San Francisco has lost a selfless leader, a dedicated servant to the public, and a tireless bearer of equalitys torch, Newsom said. His intellect, unshakable integrity, boundless optimism and contagious love for San Francisco elevated the city to greater heights. He steered San Francisco with an unshakable hand, an indomitable spirit, and a great sense of humor.

Lee initially said he wasnt interested in being mayor, but relented and took the job after a public campaign led by Chinese American civic leaders  the slogan was Run, Ed, Run! He said he wasnt interested in a full term, but after solid job reviews and months of urging from former Mayor Willie Brown, now a Chronicle columnist, the late Chinatown power broker Rose Pak and, ultimately, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Lee changed his mind.

Ed was an excellent mayor of a great but sometimes challenging city, Feinstein said in a statement Tuesday. His equanimity and quiet management style was effective and allowed him to solve problems as they occurred. My heart and thoughts are with Eds family and friends and the city I love.

Lee won election to a full term in November 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. An early accomplishments was 2011s Twitter tax, which cut payroll taxes for six years on a sketchy stretch of Market Street and lured thousands of tech jobs and workers to the city. While Mid-Market has since been partially redeveloped with new offices and hotels, the overarching effect of the tax cut was to draw startups and established tech companies to the city, which now has one of the lower unemployment rates in the country.

The move, though, drew backlash from city housing advocates. Many blame the citys exploding rents, housing shortage and persistent homeless crisis on the tech boom.

Lee recently focused his offices efforts on the homelessness problem, opening Homeless Navigation Centers  shelters that allow people to move in their partners, pets and belongings and which offer expanded service  and last year creating a new city Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

The departments first director, Jeff Kositsky, said: Im shocked and saddened and heartbroken.

He sometimes drove me crazy, but in all the good ways. We would be walking down the street together, hed see someone experiencing homelessness, hed want to know why and what we could do, Kositsky said. He would call or text me when he found someone. I was always happy to work with a man who cared so deeply about every person he saw struggling.

The Board of Supervisors now will appoint a new mayor if its members can get to six votes. If no candidate gets that majority support, Breed would continue to serve as mayor until a special election is held in June 2018. The next regularly scheduled mayoral election is in 2019.

I just feel so deeply sad, Supervisor Hillary Ronen said. There were often times I disagreed with Ed Lee politically, but he served the city for 40 years. Im glad I had a chance to work with him for the past year on homelessness.

One of the biggest surprises since I became supervisor was how well I worked with Ed Lee tackling homelessness in my district. I had the pleasure of watching him work in the Navigation Centers and I saw how deeply he cared, she said.

Supervisor Katy Tang, who was appointed by the mayor in 2013 and then elected later that year, called Lees death tragic.

Given the history of everything hes done leading up to becoming to mayor, he was so genuine about what he wanted to do for the city, she said. I just hope well be able to follow up on the many priorities that we collectively had.

Gov. Jerry Brown called Lee a true champion for working people, who epitomized the California spirit. Hell truly be missed, Brown said.

Members of Congress with strong ties to San Francisco also expressed their condolences after learning of Lees death.

Throughout my career, I was proud to work with Ed as he served in five different city departments under four different mayors, said California Sen. Kamala Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney. As United States senator, I partnered with him to protect immigrant communities and advocate for critical infrastructure projects in the Bay Area. No matter the issue, you could count on Mayor Lee to show up  probably in his unassuming Chevy Volt  and fight for his city.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco called Lee a dear friend and extraordinary leader.

As mayor, he served with exceptional dignity and great effectiveness, Pelosi said. His values-based, pragmatic leadership was invaluable in leading the city into strong economic expansion and continuing San Franciscos role as a model for the nation.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Lee was born in Seattle, the fourth of six children of immigrant parents, and grew up in housing projects. His father was a cook, his mother a seamstress. He won a scholarship to Bowdoin College in Maine and then went to UC Berkeley Law School. He met his wife, Anita, in 1974 when he was studying in her native Hong Kong, where she was his Mandarin tutor.

Before he worked for the city, Lee fought it. As a law student and intern at the Asian Law Caucus in 1978, he represented residents of the Ping Yuen public housing complex, who were angry over unsafe and unsanitary conditions, in the first tenant rent strike against the San Francisco Housing Authority.

Lee threatened to use whatever avenues we have to make the Housing Authority responsible to the tenants. The Housing Authority finally agreed to provide security.

He went on to a distinguished career as a civil rights attorney, often representing low-income tenants. In 1989, Lee represented Asian and female firefighters who joined others in successfully suing the city for discrimination at the Fire Department.

He was a great mayor and a great leader. More important he was a great family man, San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. It was an honor to work for him. He passed away way too young. Im still in disbelief.

Hayes-White, the citys first female fire chief, said her professional relationship with the mayor dates back to the early 1990s, and he would often remind her about about his efforts to diversify the department.

San Francisco police Chief Bill Scott, who Lee appointed one year ago, said the city lost a great leader Tuesday.

Mayor Ed Lee cared deeply about our City, the safety of its people and the well-being of the men and women of the San Francisco Police Department, Scott said.

District Attorney George Gascon called Lees death an unspeakable loss.

Today San Franciscans lost a lifelong public servant who was deeply committed to making our city a better place for everyone, from every walk of life, he said.

In 1991, under then-Mayor Art Agnos, Lee became director of the citys Human Rights Commission, where he spearheaded policies to increase the hiring of minority-owned businesses as city contractors. When Brown became mayor, Lee asked for the job of city purchasing director.

Once you are on the inside, then its my turn to actually change the practices of the inside, Lee told The Chronicle in 2015. Why arent local businesses bidding on city projects? Why arent we taking advantage of the citys expending $1 billion a year of peoples taxes and creating an economic engine that employs local folks from our neighborhood. Thats where, in my mind, came an advancement of civil rights. A lot of people thought I just decided to become a bureaucrat.

Lee spent two decades working for the city, eventually becoming director of public works and city administrator, overseeing multiple departments.

His rise to the top political position in the city was a testament to the power wielded by Chinatown and the citys Asian American community. Many Chinese American residents saw Lee as one of their own during his initial run for office.

Lees political capital in Chinatown, though, began to diminish as housing woes increased. Before her death last year, Pak openly criticized the mayor she once worked to get into office. But even as they criticized him, many Chinatown community leaders still supported the mayor, turning out for public events and maintaining personal friendships with him.

He was one of us  one of our guys made it to mayor, said Norman Fong, director of the Chinatown Community Development Center. That in itself is something to celebrate.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Sophie Haigney contributed to this report.

Rachel Swan and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com, esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan @EvanSernoffsky
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So many San Francisco street corners have one: the homeless person who sits there all day long for months or years, becoming part of the landscape.

At 16th and Mission streets, just outside the Burger King, the neighborhood fixture has long been Alice. The woman, who told me she was 62 one day and 65 another, has slept in the fast food restaurants entryway for at least three years, her belongings piled high in shopping carts and stuffed into suitcases spread all around her.

The citys homeless outreach workers have tried many times to persuade her to move inside, and every time she has declined. She always tells them her brother or aunt or other relative is coming that afternoon to help her, but no family member comes.

On a recent afternoon, when she was asked what year it is, she answered 2006. She pulls out her hair when shes agitated, which is often. She said that when her back pain is really bad, she cant walk and other homeless people have to carry her to nearby bushes to relieve herself.

And yet  in the name of compassion  city officials cannot compel her to move inside, where she would be warm, and have a bed and bathroom.

Under California law, mentally ill people have the right to decline all help unless they pose an imminent danger to themselves or others or have become gravely disabled, such as not being able to feed themselves. Only then can they be held for up to 72 hours in a psychiatric ward before being released unless a judge rules they can be held longer.

Under the states separate Lauras Law, family members and others can petition a judge to compel a mentally ill person with a violent history or tendencies to get outpatient treatment, but the law doesnt compel a mentally ill homeless person to move inside.

In theory, the current laws give mentally ill people the power to determine their own fates. But the status quo is also leaving people like Alice on the streets in the cold to get sicker and less functional. Its hard to find the humanity in that.

City officials are increasingly calling for a change in the conservatorship laws, which would require action in Sacramento. I told Mayor Ed Lee about Alice and asked whether its really compassionate to let her sleep outside, deteriorating.

Youre describing a situation where people are not making good decisions for themselves, and they have deep mental illness, Lee said. I dont think we have strong enough conservatorship programs.

Lee could get unlikely support in seeking to change state law from one of the most progressive members of the Board of Supervisors: Hillary Ronen. She began noticing Alice during her Wednesday morning cleanups of the 16th Street BART Station plazas to highlight the unsanitary conditions there. Shes tried repeatedly to persuade Alice to move inside, but has been rebuffed.

Ronen said shes touring the citys mental health facilities and will call for a hearing early next year to understand how the mental health system works and what stronger conservatorship programs would look like.

I want to look at the entire system and understand how it works, she said. This is so sad  I just cant believe it.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the Coalition on Homelessness, opposes stronger conservatorship laws and said whats really needed is more investment in psychiatric street outreach and other mental health services.

Barbara Garcia, director of the citys Department of Public Health, said its a complicated balancing act to respect peoples civil rights but also ensure they get the treatment they need. She said she wants the Superior Court to open up conservatorship hearings to the public so judges can hear from people besides just the mentally ill person and lawyers for both sides.

The judges dont get to hear from the public thats being impacted, Garcia said. The judges dont get to hear from the providers who are trying to provide help.

Jeff Kositsky, the director of the citys Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, also supports changes to the conservatorship programs. Hes been trying to convince a mentally ill homeless man in his neighborhood to accept help for three years and hasnt made progress.

Its a really complicated issue, but I think we have to come up with a better idea, Kositsky said. Not to figure out how to take away peoples rights, but how to better serve people who are not accepting services that would really benefit them.

I do know what does work, which is loving and compassionate and persistent outreach and building relationships with people, he continued. In most cases, that eventually works.

That was the case with Alice  almost.

A volunteer in Ronens office began her own personal outreach mission with Alice. Anne Gallagher, a retired teacher of severely emotionally disturbed kids, began visiting her most days, imploring her to accept help. Gallagher estimates she asked Alice to move inside 60 times and was brushed off 60 times.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The women did form a bond, though. Gallagher brought Alice a jacket, a cushion, tea and shrimp fried rice from the nearby Chinese restaurant. Alice started calling Gallagher her best friend.

If I dont go, shes like, Where were you? Gallagher said. You cant wake up in the middle of the night hearing the rain and not think of her.

I visited Alice twice with Ronen and told Alice I was a journalist with The Chronicle. She said once she didnt want to move inside because she didnt want to give up her massive amount of belongings. The second time, she said her aunt was coming later to help her.

She said she moved from the Philippines as a 20-year-old, newly married to an American man. She said they never had children and later divorced. She said shes been homeless for 10 years and sleeping outside Burger King for three months. The restaurants assistant manager said shes been sleeping in the entryway the entire three years hes worked there, leaving a mess for the staff to clean up every morning.

On the morning of Nov. 29, Ronen and Gallagher sensed an opportunity. Many of Alices belongings had disappeared overnight, and the women thought the loss might help prompt her to accept a bed.

If you move inside, we can protect all your stuff, Ronen told her. Youre not safe out here.

Ronen called Garcia, who found a respite bed for Alice and transportation to get her there, the supervisor said. Still, Alice refused. Finally, hours later, Alice said she would sleep at a drop-in center. She did go there and slept in a chair for many nights, continuing to refuse to move into a bed.

Gallagher visited her friend there regularly. She went again on Monday morning, but Alice was gone. Shed left the day before. Gallagher went to Burger King, but Alice wasnt there either. They were still looking for her late Monday.
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Its hard to overstate the ideological and personal chasms that pervaded San Francisco City Hall when Ed Lee became interim mayor in January 2011. Lee, the highly capable city administrator with no burning political ambition, was the perfect candidate for a tumultuous time.

Within months, the atmosphere had calmed. The mayor who liked to talk about collaboration and the San Francisco family was setting a tone of, well, collaboration and consensus. His early and repeated pledge not to run for a full term made him less of a target than his rising-star predecessor, Gavin Newsom, whose election as the states lieutenant governor created the vacancy.

But beneath the calm were the pounding drums of temptation, Run, Ed, Run, with former Mayor Willie Brown and Chinatown power broker Rose Pak stirring the call.

In August 2011, he changed his mind, and won handily in November. He then breezed to re-election for another four years in 2015.

There is a tendency to describe the self-effacing mayor with a ready laugh as low key and moderate, but his goals were undeniably big. The city underwent a remarkable housing boom during his tenure, and he embarked on an aggressive effort to attack the issue that proved overwhelming to his predecessors: homelessness. He set up a new structure to streamline and intensify the citys efforts, introduced innovations to help homeless people with mental health issues and other barriers to self sufficiency, recruited private-sector assistance, and poured tens of millions more into the endeavor to reduce the deprivation on the streets.

He deserves great credit for taking on the citys most intractable challenge.

Lee also helped lead a successful campaign to raise the citys minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018. He was a steadfast defender of San Franciscos sanctuary city protections for undocumented immigrants, even as they came under attack by conservative commentators and politicians such as Donald Trump.

As mayor, Lees commitment to business development and common sense sometimes put him at odds with the progressive factions, such as when he promoted a tax break for Twitter to move into a long moribund stretch of Mid-Market Street, or when he moved to try to oust newly elected leftist Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi after a domestic violence conviction.

Lee came into office as the city and its government were still reeling from the effects of the Great Recession. In relatively short order, prosperity blossomed in awe-inspiring ways that filled city coffers but generated different pangs of anxiety about evictions, housing costs, traffic and threats to the diversity and cultural richness of San Francisco. Lee positioned himself as a font of equilibrium who recognized the benefits and drawbacks of the boom.

Those who knew Lee only as a pragmatic mayor might not be aware that his origins in public life were of an activist lawyer who sued San Francisco police and fire departments for civil rights violations, as well as the Housing Authority for unsafe conditions. He represented 200 residents of the Ping Yuen housing project during a 1978 rent strike in Chinatown that was called after the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman in a stairwell.

There was ever the element of fire and conscience in the mayor with the outward equanimity.

He was truly the accidental mayor, said Dale Minami, a San Francisco lawyer with his own rich history of civil rights work. He started his career fighting the city, then ended up serving it. He meant a lot to Asian Pacific Americans as the first mayor of Asian descent with a progressive background as a tenants attorney.

As the son of poor immigrants, he personified the American dream with a twist  he never wanted to be mayor but walked backwards into the job.

Lee has often called the new Golden State Warriors arena at Mission Bay his legacy project. But that is only the tangible ornament. History will note that he was San Franciscos first Asian American mayor. For a man who entered City Halls Room 200 with no particular appetite for the rough and tumble of elective office, Ed Lee proved remarkably adept at navigating and bridging the divisions.

He set a temperate tone for a city that desperately needed it.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
This years legislative breakthrough on housing has yet to stem the tide of depressing dispatches from Californias shelter shortage, from spreading homelessness and a deadly hepatitis outbreak to ever-rising prices and stagnant supply. But at the heart of the crisis, a much-needed glimmer of hope can be discerned.

Mountain View and its most famous resident, Google, are on the brink of agreeing on a plan to add up to nearly 10,000 homes to one of the suburbs bearing the brunt of Silicon Valleys imbalance between jobs and housing. Gabriel Metcalf, who heads the regional urban-planning think tank SPUR, called it a really big opportunity to add housing ... at the epicenter of job creation.

If Mountain Views City Council approves the project in a vote expected Tuesday, it would expand its housing capacity by a remarkable 30 percent, with 70 percent of the development expected to be studio or one-bedroom units and up to 20 percent considered affordable. It would mark a heartening departure for a ruinously anti-development region as both an employer and a city accept responsibility for addressing the housing crisis.

We have a lot of communities saying no, a lot of NIMBY-ism, and this is the opposite, said Pilar Lorenzana, deputy director of the Silicon Valley housing advocacy group SV@Home, using the acronym for not in my backyard. Im really hopeful that this is something well see from other employers. I hope this will set a template.

The project hasnt come this far without a struggle. The question of residential development in the North Bayshore area dominated the local election in 2014, which saw pro-housing candidates prevail. Even so, in June, continuing opposition led some council members to propose dramatically reducing the planned housing. And in September, a Google representative caused further turmoil by suggesting the homes were contingent on more office space even though the plan already allows for 3.6 million square feet.

Google soon disavowed that demand and reiterated its commitment to 9,850 housing units. Mayor Ken Rosenberg, one of the pro-housing council members elected three years ago, said he believes Tuesdays vote will reflect the citys prevailing, progressive YIMBY-ism  yes in my backyard  and hopes it will put pressure on other communities, like Cupertino and Palo Alto, to rethink their long-held strategy of not approving housing.

Mountain Views plan would provide enough housing to make this corporate expansion the vanishingly rare one that does not deepen the crisis, noted SV@Homes Lorenzana, who was also sanguine about the coming vote. After years of planning, as she put it, Its time to build the homes. Its just time.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
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She was the native San Franciscan raised in the housing projects who had somehow escaped the violent fates that befell family and friends and was climbing the ranks at City Hall.

Now London Breed is the citys acting mayor.

As president of the Board of Supervisors, Breed was the legal successor to Mayor Ed Lee, who suffered a heart attack while grocery shopping late Monday night and died early Tuesday morning. Breed, 43, could serve as acting mayor until a June 2018 election. The supervisors could also name her interim mayor or choose another candidate.

It seems more likely that Breed, who has led the Board of Supervisors since 2015, will be confirmed as interim mayor by her colleagues in spite of the political discord between moderate liberals like Breed and the more progressive supervisors. If the supervisors take no action, Breed would remain acting mayor.

Prior to the mayors unexpected death, it was widely speculated that Breed would be among a handful of mayoral hopefuls running to replace the termed-out Lee in 2020. Although the list of potential candidates is long, only Mark Leno, a former state legislator and city supervisor, has announced his candidacy.

Now, instead of preparing for a 2019 election, hopefuls have only weeks to decide whether to fight for the job in this summers primary election.

Now Playing: SF Mayor London Breed addresses the media at City Hall on Tuesday, December 12, in the wake of Ed Lee's death. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Its an extraordinarily fluid situation, political analyst Jim Ross said. Breed already has the job. Now she has to get confirmed. And then she has to decide if she wants to run for mayor in June. Moving forward, someone will really have the power to shape the direction the city is headed.

Probably the first constituent to greet Breed as acting mayor was her houseguest, Errol Hall. The 79-year-old is staying in Breeds two-bedroom apartment in the lower Haight.

Congratulations. Im the first to address you as Madame Mayor, he said to her Tuesday morning. He added, Shell be an excellent mayor. She knows the city. She knows the government. Shes smart as a whip.

Breed acts out of a deep sense of service and justice, and commitment to the people she grew up with in some of the citys worst public housing, according to interviews with more than a dozen of her friends, colleagues and adversaries.

She grew up about half a mile from City Hall in a housing project that was later razed by the city. She often speaks in public about growing up poor and surrounded by violence. Her brother is in prison and her younger sister died of a drug overdose. At a recent toy drive, she spoke about how her only childhood Christmas gifts were school clothes until the Fire Department started its toy-collection efforts.

She was larger than life in the projects, said Lateefah Simon, who serves on the BART Board of Directors and grew up with Breed. There, she was known as Big Pauls sister, Queen B and a homegirl from the Fillmore.

When Breed, after graduating from San Franciscos Galileo High School, got into UC Davis  where she earned a bachelors degree before receiving her masters degree in public administration at the University of San Francisco  Simon said no one was surprised.

I was in the juvenile justice system and didnt have any friends going to college, Simon said. I was like, London is going to Davis? I cried, I was so happy for her. She has been a shining light for so many girls in our neighborhood of what is possible.

London has to walk down the street every day in front of generations of people who knew her and her grandmother. Her accountability is the fact that she was a kid playing double dutch on the sidewalk here. She feels that deeply.

Now Playing: Mayor Ed Lee, 1952-2017 Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Friends and critics describe Breed as brash and bold  the kind of woman who was raised by a strict grandmother. But Breeds style nearly cost her her early political career. During her 2012 supervisorial race, Breed posted an expletive-laden diatribe that cost her the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

She lost control of her temper, said Breeds longtime campaign manager, Maggie Muir. As a campaign, we had to figure out how to deal with it. There was a divide between those who felt like it was awful and those who appreciated it. Thats London. She says what she thinks.

Her frank style has historically been polarizing, ruffling both colleagues and opponents, though she has tempered her public rants and channeled the brashness into enforcing parliamentary procedure at board meetings.

I expect that she will work in her own direction, period, said former Supervisor John Avalos, who frequently clashed with Breed. Its important to be open about what the different possibilities are here, even in regards to London. Anyone who is in that position has a tremendous opportunity to create a vision for the city.

It would have been difficult to predict such a change in political fortune months ago when Breed was challenged from the left for re-election. Her district, which includes the Haight-Ashbury, Hayes Valley, Fillmore and Western Addition neighborhoods, has traditionally been one of the most liberal in San Francisco. Frustrations among voters focused on issues like the scarcity of affordable housing and a perception that City Halls moderate wing, Breed included, caters to tech companies and gentrifiers.

She won with 52 percent of the vote, but the same issues that made the race competitive will follow whoever fills Lees office.

If Breed is ultimately elected mayor, her path will be akin to how Feinstein became acting mayor in December 1978 after the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Feinstein was elected by voters the following year.

Lee himself was named acting mayor by the Board of Supervisors before he was elected by voters in November 2011. He was named to the position upon the recommendation of then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, who left office in January 2011 after being elected Californias lieutenant governor.

Breed will mark a change from the mild-mannered Lee.

Ed was always very understated, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who served on the board with Breed. He had a real personality, but it often didnt come out in public. London has a much bigger personality. Shes very effusive and warm. Theyre very different people.

Breed has historically prioritized public housing and other issues concentrated in her district, drawing criticisms from some that her policy interests are too myopic.

She got her start in politics working as an intern for the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services under former Mayor Willie Brown, now a Chronicle columnist. She worked for Browns campaign and was later hired at the Treasure Island Development Authority.

For a decade, she ran the African American Art & Culture Complex, a city-funded but privately managed cultural center, overseeing millions of dollars in renovations. She was widely credited with helping turn the complex around.

During Breeds stint at the development authority, she met Debbie Mesloh, a longtime political operative and former adviser to now-U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

London doesnt have time to waste, Mesloh said. She assumes others dont either. She wants to get stuff done in the time she has. Shes a strong, strong person. I think we need that as a city. And shes San Franciscan to the core.

San Francisco Chronicle Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and staff writer Sam Whiting contributed to this report.
Multiple wildfires continue to burn throughout Southern California, the largest of which had burned nearly 800 structures and charred 230,500 acres as of Monday.

The Thomas Fire started in Ventura County a week ago and is now the fifth largest blaze in modern California history. It was only 15 percent contained on Monday as it charged north towards Santa Barbara County.
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San Francisco residents mourned the tragic and sudden passing of Mayor Ed Lee on Tuesday, placing notes, candles and flowers on the steps of City Hall.

One of the first memorials to appear was assembled by Evie, age 3 and 3/4, and it caught the eye of many.

Evie left a note (obviously written by an adult) reading, "I love you, Mayor Lee. I loved having you as mayor." Her message included a drawing of a heart surrounded by a rainbow of colored lines all wrapped in a circle.

Evie included a Jesus candle and a bouquet of roses.

Several, including the director of the city's Department of Homelessness Jeff Kositzky, shared images of the touching commemoration to the mayor.

By Tuesday afternoon, more flowers and several flags were piled up in front of City Hall.

Now Playing: In San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee's 2014 State of the City address, Lee touched on some of the biggest challenges facing San Francisco today: diversity, growth, tolerance and equity. (Archive footage: SF Mayor's Office) Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Flags across San Francisco were lowered to half-staff Tuesday to honor the mayor and many also took images of the flags at City Hall and Civic Center and posted them as tributes to the mayor on Twitter.

Lee died just after 1 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital surrounded by family and friends after collapsing suddenly at a supermarket. He was 65 years old.

London Breed is serving as acting mayor after Lee's tragic death.

The Board of Supervisors may now vote to make Breed the temporary mayor or choose another candidate, according to the SF Chronicle.
For the second time in a month, a San Bernardino, Calif.area home has been "ice-bombed," presumably by an aircraft passing overhead.

Claudell Curry and his wife, Odell, who live in the Southern California city, were watching television Sunday night in their living room when they were startled by an ear-splitting crash.

"This horrendous boom and our house just shook and trembled," Curry told CBS Los Angeles.

Curry looked around the house to see if he could find out what happened. While passing his bedroom, he glimpsed pieces of drywall and insulation on the bed. And something else: large chunks of ice.

"Snow white, just ice, and heavy. Each piece was like iron," he told the station.

Above the bed, he could see the sky through a hole in the ceiling.

The only thing that could have caused such damage is ice falling from an airplane, Curry believes.

Now Playing: A family in Chino, California found itself dealing with a rather unusual case of home damage after large chunks ice broke through a bathroom ceiling and landed in the bathtub. Video: GeoBeats

About a month ago, the same thing happened to a San Bernardino County home, only instead of the bedroom, the ice debris crashed through the roof and a bathroom ceiling.

"I'm wondering what's going on, don't know what's happening. But once I kind of settled down a little bit and saw the ice, I immediately think it had to fall from the sky," the homeowner, Brandon Blanchard, told KABC on Nov. 7. "What's in the sky? Airplanes."

As in the case of the Curry home, the ice was clear, not blue.

There have been reports of blue ice  waste from an aircraft's lavatory  possibly falling from planes and hitting buildings or leaving craters in the ground, but the FAA says such incidents are exceedingly rare. Pilots of today's jets cannot eject toilet contents, the agency says, but blue ice could result from a mechanical failure, such as a leak.

Whatever the cause, Claudell Curry thinks "something needs to be done about this."

"Someone could get killed and we came close to it," he said.
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Ed Lee wasnt born in San Francisco, but that didnt matter to the large Chinese community that adopted him as a native son.

He was one of us, Norman Fong, director of the Chinatown Community Development Center, said Tuesday. One of our guys made it to mayor.

Lee became known in the Chinatown community in the 1970s as the civil rights lawyer who pushed residents of the Ping Yuen public housing complex to speak up and fight to improve conditions. He became a perennial volunteer behind the scenes at the Chinese New Year celebrations and then  as the citys first Asian American mayor  moved front and center, boisterously and with a characteristic giggle, wishing the community a gung hay fat choy.

He symbolized a coming of age of Chinese Americans, Asian Americans in San Francisco, said Assemblyman Phil Ting. He really represented Asian Americans and Chinese Americans being accepted into City Hall.

Now Playing: Mayor Ed Lee, 1952-2017 Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Despite San Franciscos historically large Asian American population  currently comprising more than 35 percent of 860,000 residents  politics in San Francisco was long dominated by white men, with Willie Brown and Dianne Feinstein the exceptions. For years, the Asian American community sought a seat at the table in City Hall, and Lee was the fruition of so many years of work, Ting said.

At times, the Chinese community judged Lee harshly, especially after his 2015 appointment of a Nob Hill activist, Julie Christensen, to Chinatowns supervisor seat. That decision prompted a vocal rebuke from Chinatown power broker Rose Pak, who had helped propel Lee into the mayors office.

But regardless of the criticism, the Chinese American community largely remained supportive of Lee.

The fact that he was the first Chinese American mayor gave me a huge sense of pride, and it was something to look up to, said Brandon Jew, owner and chef of Mr. Jius on Waverly Place. Chinese Americans dont often get seen as leaders, and it felt like something for the city to be proud of.

Lees parents came from a rural village in Taishan and settled in Seattle, where the family lived in public housing, a background that drove him to want to improve the conditions at Ping Yuen, which included a rent strike in 1978.

One of his first priorities as mayor was to renovate 3,480 units of public housing in 28 buildings for low-income residents, including Ping Yuen apartments.

On Tuesday afternoon, as ongoing construction took place at Ping Yuen, several residents said they were grateful to Lee for pushing to renovate public housing projects and considered him one of their own.

He liked to help the lower-income people, said Paul Yuen, a retired salesman who has lived in Ping Yuen for 10 years. Hes really a good man.

He will always be known for his ardent protection of affordable housing in Chinatown, said Bettie Louie, who owns a number of shops and restaurants on Grant Avenue. Our community has just lost one of its heroes and a strong advocate.

Lees story was the stereotypical American dream. His family was so poor that he and his siblings would scavenge items to give as Christmas presents, including an old shoe  just one old shoe, his daughter recounted in 2011. When Lee was a high school student, his father died of a heart attack, and he took on a job, washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant, to earn money for his family.

He proved to Asian Americans that you can rise to the top, said George Chen, owner of China Live restaurant. And he got young kids here to take civic leadership seriously as a career.

Lee never seemed to lose that aw-shucks allure, said Jenny Zhao, 37.

Ive seen him walking around Chinatown a few times, she said. He wasnt like those people who get high up and then ignore where they came from.

He reveled in his sponsorship of the annual Chinatown Ping Pong Tournament, gleefully taking on all challengers.

But he was also just a working guy, said Steven Lee, a local entrepreneur who helped reopen the iconic Sam Wos restaurant in Chinatown, with the support of Lee.

Hes not a politician, Steven Lee said, unable to use the past tense. We were just going to have a conversation with the mayor about whats going to happen in (Chinatown) in the next two years.

The entrepreneur said you could tell what kind of person someone is by the car they come in  and the mayor would pull up in an electric Chevrolet Volt.

Hes just such a nice guy, Steven Lee said. His legacy is hes trying to do the best he can for everybody.

Jill Tucker, Annie Ma and Wendy Lee are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, ama@sfchronicle.com, wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker @anniema15 @thewendylee
Uber has settled a second lawsuit filed by a woman who was raped by her Uber driver in Delhi, India, and who alleged Uber executives pried into her confidential medical records.

A court filing last week said the plaintiff, identified only as Jane Doe, had reached a settlement with former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and Eric Alexander, the companys former president of business in Asia Pacific, through private mediation. The filing said the case is expected to be dismissed in January. The womans lawsuit also named Emil Michael, former Uber senior vice president for business, as a defendant, but he was not mentioned as part of the settlement.

Uber fired Alexander in June, the same month that Michael left the company and Kalanick was ousted as CEO.

Recode reported that Alexander carried around the womans records for many months, and showed them to other Uber executives, including Kalanick and Michael.

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.

Uber declined to comment, beyond confirming that a settlement has been reached and that it expects the case to be dismissed in January.

Energy

Stem startup enters Japan

Battery startup Stem Inc. of Millbrae is deploying a network of energy storage systems in Japan with Mitsui & Co. Ltd., marking its first foray into Asian markets. The companies, which gained an endorsement from Japans Ministry of Energy, Trade and Infrastructure, will install a virtual power plant made up initially of aggregated storage systems that will supply 750 kilowatt-hours of capacity to the grid.

The projects designed to help even out the fluctuations in solar and wind power in Japan as the country works to deregulate its electricity markets and ramp up renewables. Stem already has battery systems in California, Hawaii, Texas, and New York.

Employment

Fewer jobs,

but more hired

U.S. employers posted slightly fewer job openings in October than the previous month, but the number of people being hired improved.

The Labor Department said Monday that nearly 6 million jobs were available at the end of October, down from 6.18 million in September. Manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and the information sector advertised fewer jobs  an indicator of their possible intentions in the coming months.

The leveling off of openings in recent months suggest a more moderate pace of hiring ahead, said Sarah House, an economist with the bank Wells Fargo.

But total hires rose 4.4 percent to 5.55 million. This indicates that even if employers are seeking fewer workers that theyre still looking to add staff. It also indicates that employers shook off a slowdown caused by hurricanes earlier this year. Leading sources of increased hiring came from restaurants and hotels, the health care sector, manufacturers and financial services.

For every job opening, there is now the equivalent of 1.1 unemployed job seekers, the lowest ratio on record for data that go back to 2001.

The government said last week that employers added a net total of 244,000 jobs in October and 228,000 in November. The unemployment rate stayed at 4.1 percent.

Chronicle News Services
Pricey digs

Whats the most expensive office address in the country? Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, the epicenter of the venture capital industry, according to a study by commercial real estate firm JLL. The street has topped the list for several years running. And in a sign that the center of gravity in San Francisco has traveled south of Market, Mission Street continued as the citys most expensive location, thanks to a rush of development anchored by the new Salesforce tower.

Tweetstorms ahead

Twitter announced Tuesday that its adding a tool that makes it easy to thread tweets together, giving users more space for thoughtful commentary, unhinged rants and everything in between. The move builds on the companys recent decision to abandon its traditional 140-character count for 280. A cautionary tale: Marc Andreessen , the tech investor, became famous for his tweetstorms  and then deleted all of his tweets last year, saying he was taking a Twitter break. Storm carefully, people.

Internet of creeps

A South Carolina man has been arrested after a woman who rented an apartment from him using Airbnb found a hidden camera. Greenville police reportedly arrested 35-year-old Cesar Adan Mendez Fuentes late last week. A 26-year-old woman from Calhoun, Ga., said she found a hidden camera in an alarm clock in the bedroom. Airbnb said cameras are never allowed in the bathrooms and bedrooms that members of its community offer for rent and that the person in question has been banned permanently from the service.

From staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle
One of two victims found shot in the parking lot of a Target store in Emeryville this month died, prompting prosecutors to consider bringing a murder charge against the sole suspect attested in the incident, police said.

Eondre Bolton, 19, one of two people critically injured in the Dec. 4 shooting, died at a hospital Sunday, police said. The other victim, whose name was not released, remains hospitalized but is no longer in critical condition, police said.
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An unidentified woman sitting at the foot of the rickety staircase of the Ghost Ship warehouse instructed party guests to stay upstairs as fire consumed the building, a former resident of the artist collective testified Tuesday.

This is the will of the spirits of the forest, she chanted, according to Michael Russell, 28, who lived in the Oakland warehouse for 10 months before it burned a year ago, killing 36 people. Many of those who died were trapped by thick smoke on the second floor of the building, according to the fire investigation completed in March.

The woman was sitting in a wicker chair just outside Russells Airstream trailer, which was parked inside the ground level of the warehouse, not far from the buildings entrance, Russell said during a preliminary hearing in Alameda County Superior Court. She was screaming that everyone should remain upstairs, where they would be safe, he said.

It was honestly like a horror movie, Russell said. She was saying, Theres a fire! Dont come down here!

Now Playing: Two witnesses at the preliminary hearing for Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Derick Almena and creative director Max Harris described the structure in Oakland's Fruitvale district where 36 people perished in a fire last year as a death trap. Video: KTVU

Russell said he didnt recognize the woman, whose face was partially obscured by smoke, but he remembered she wore a red beanie and green dress.

Outside court, Russell told The Chronicle he wasnt sure whether the mystery woman survived the inferno. He didnt see her outside after he escaped.

The startling revelation  Russell said he hadnt shared the information with anyone other than investigators  followed other new disclosures made Tuesday from the witness stand during the preliminary hearing against defendants Derick Almena, 47, and Max Harris, 27, each facing 36 counts of manslaughter.

Almena was the primary lease holder and founder of the artist collective, and Harris was considered the creative director. The warehouse had no permits to be used for an event space or residential use.

Russell testified that a fight apparently broke out around the time and place the fire sparked. And a pathway through the middle of the first floor was blocked off  before the party began  by a piano bench and tied-shut saloon-style doors. Russell said he didnt know who put the obstruction in place, but it was common practice during parties to keep out riffraff.

Russell, a graphic designer and computer technician, lived in a small trailer at the base of the warehouses front staircase, which he said had uneven spacing between steps, made of reclaimed wood.

The night of Dec. 2, 2016, Russell testified, he invited a date to the electronic music party at the warehouse. When she arrived, he gave her a tour of the collective, first going up the makeshift front staircase by his trailer, through the dance area of the second floor, then back down a different staircase at the rear of the warehouse.

They made their way through the hallway that cut through the ground floor and had to duck under the saloon doors, which were roped closed, and maneuvered around an adjacent piano bench.

As the pair headed toward his trailer to watch a movie, Russell said, he heard what sounded like a scuffle breaking out toward the back of the warehouse. The fire started in that vicinity  the northwest area of the first floor  according to the incidents cause-and-origin report.

Someones going to handle this, Russell said he remembered thinking. But as he and his date made their way through the hallway, the sounds from the fight grew more and more intense.

It sounded vicious, he added. It almost sounded like a straight-up fist fight.

Back in his trailer, Russell said he heard a voice he didnt recognize yell, Fire! He thought at first it might have been a prank.

He grabbed a few belongings, then peeked back outside his trailer, where a living room area with leather couches and wicker chairs was located.

The woman sitting in one kept saying, This is the will of the spirits of the forest, Russell said. But it wasnt clear whether her chanting or directions to remain upstairs had an effect on people trying to escape the smoke. Russell said he did not remember seeing anyone trying to descend the staircase during the bizarre encounter, but acknowleged he couldnt see the top portion.

Some survivors previously told The Chronicle that several party guests had tried to go down the narrow staircase but climbed back up when they felt the heat and smoke emanating from the ground floor.

As Russell and his date ran to the entrance, Russell said he heard Harris yelling, This is the exit! This is the exit! Harris had been working as a bouncer and doorman through the event. Almena was in a hotel with his family.

Russell said Almena asked him to sign a quasi-legal contract a few months after moving in, promising to be awesome, be clean and make art.

Tyler Smith, an attorney representing Harris, said Russells testimony was huge for his clients defense. The woman who instructed guests to remain upstairs could act as an intervening cause of negligence, he said.

What was stopping them from coming down? The government is trying to point to the rickety stairs, Smith said outside court. But the womans words may have dissuaded partygoers from descending and thus provide a different explanation, he said.

At the end of the preliminary hearing this week or next, Judge Jeffrey Horner will decide whether the prosecution has enough evidence against Almena and Harris to go to trial.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
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San Francisco was a sea of red on Saturday  save for one noir-inspired Santa who sent some costumed revelers into hysterics with her all-gray getup.

Christine Noel bucked the crimson trend during San Francisco's annual SantaCon pub crawl this weekend. She covered herself in shades of gray.

Many inebriated Santas thought they'd gone temporarily colorblind, the 35-year-old beauty blogger said. Some did a double take. Then there was the man tripping on hallucinogenic mushrooms.

"He was just staring and staring," Noel said.

See Noel's costume in the above gallery. And no  the images are not photoshopped.

Story continues below.

Now Playing: Thousands of Santas took part in San Francisco's Santa Con Video: KTVU

The holidays are all about tradition  decorating the tree, building snowmen, getting drunk with hundreds of people dressed like jolly old Saint Nick. The latter tradition started in San Francisco in 1994, before spreading to other global cities.

About 15 years into its San Francisco tenure, SantaCon was graced by its first so-called "Desaturated Santa." Referring to herself as "Brody S." when speaking to reporters, the gray Santa made a splash at the 2009 and 2010 events. She was never seen again, at least not in her infamous grayscale uniform.

Inspired by Brody S., Noel decided to give her costume a 2017 twist  heavy white contouring. The effect is disarmingly surreal  as if Noel was torn from a projection of "It's a Wonderful Life." A gray wig and contacts completed the look.

The makeup took about 1.5 hours to apply, Noel said, but returning to technicolor was no small ordeal.

"I had to scrub," she said.

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.
When she visited San Francisco's Castro neighborhood Sunday, Danica Roem was greeted first by a stampede of scantily-clad Santas  and then by a swarm of smiling fans.

Roem made headlines last month when she won a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, making her the first openly transgender person to be elected to the state's legislature. She attended a fundraising event Sunday afternoon in Beaux, a bar just around the corner from the famous Castro Theater. There, the 33-year-old Virginia native shook hands and snapped selfies with her Californian supporters, many of whom identify somewhere in the LGBT initialism themselves.

Roem was in San Francisco to give the keynote address at an event held by Emerge California, a group that aims to help Democratic women run for office.

"Women have a different worldview, and our voices need to be heard at the table too  and that goes for all women," she said.

Roem's opponent in November was incumbent Robert G. Marshall, a conservative who introduced a "bathroom bill" that, had it passed, would have required transgender students to use the restroom corresponding with the gender on their birth certificate. Marshall refused to debate Roem and referred to her with masculine pronouns.

Though she didn't shy away from the topic of her gender  she still ties her long hair up with a rainbow bandanna  Roem's campaign focused more intensely on fixing local problems. She said she drew on her experience as an investigative reporter in developing her platform, which focused on jobs, education and the repair of one badly congested central highway.

Now Playing: Roem, one of the first openly transgender elected officials, campaigned on the promise of improving quality of life for her voters. "Champion the things that are near and dear to you, and go win." Video: Cheddar TV

Would-be candidates, she said, should start by figuring out what issues are most important to their constituents. It's advice right out of Public Policy 101, but "it's hard to go wrong when you go hyper-local, whether you're running in a liberal or conservative area."

"If you're in SF, and you're in the heart of liberal America and your roads suck and your transportation sucks, if you're in charge, you're not going to have a job very long," she said. "You've got to take care of that stuff too, because liberals and conservatives alike get stuck in traffic."

Roem knows this doesn't make for good theatrics, and has unapologetically admitted to wanting to "make government boring again." A recent New York Times profile called her "really, really boring." Even one of her San Francisco supporters, Jordan Davis, said Roem was showing transgender people "we can be boring policy wonks too."

"There's a certain irony," said Jeff Sheehy, District 8 supervisor, who met with Roem in the Castro. "She's a lightning rod for social issues but her campaign (focused) on the bread and butter issues that matter to Virginians."

Still, it's hard to make the case that she's entirely uninteresting. In addition to her political work, Roem is a stepmother, a vegetarian, and a self-proclaimed "metalhead." Asked about Cab Ride Home, the thrash metal band she sings in, she lamented that while it was fun while it lasted, the band would soon need to plan a farewell show.

Though she has yet to be sworn in, Roem has already started taking calls from her new constituents. She said most are surprised to hear back from her so quickly.

"Thats what I'm signed up to do  (bringing) that responsiveness back to people and not having ulterior motives for it," she said. "I don't want to run for for president. I don't want to run for federal office. I just want to do a good job in state legislature. That's it."
The Go-Gos are getting the Broadway treatment. Their extensive music catalog will form the basis for a new musical called Head Over Heels, which is set to premiere in San Francisco at the Curran Theatre in April for a limited run before heading to New York City.

Head Over Heels, which premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival last year, has a lot going for it, including two Tony Award winners at the helm. Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Idiot) will be directing a book by Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q).
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  National political leaders made last-ditch efforts to woo voters in the Alabama Senate race Monday, as the candidates made their final arguments in a pivotal special election that has attracted more than $41 million in spending.

Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden recorded robo-calls for Democrat Doug Jones, while President Trump recorded an appeal for Republican Roy Moore.

If Alabama elects liberal Democrat Doug Jones, all of our progress will be stopped cold, Trump said in his message.

The stakes were high for both parties, as the outcome will likely set the stage for the 2018 midterm elections. A win in the deep south for Democrats, the first in an Alabama Senate race since 1992, would be a rebuke to Trump and his former adviser Steve Bannon, who have promoted Moore over the objections of establishment Republicans.

The victory would lend credibility to Democratic efforts to regain control of the Senate.

The Democratic path to a Senate majority in 2018 involves a miracle somewhere, said Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. And we may be on the cusp of a Democratic miracle in Alabama.

A win for Moore, by contrast, would weaken the hand of mainstream Republicans, who have struggled to broaden the appeal of the partys brand heading into the midterms. Moore, a former state Supreme Court judge, has campaigned on a platform of opposing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Meanwhile, a Republican National Committeewoman from Nebraska, Joyce Simmons, announced that she has resigned her post in protest of her partys continued support of Moore, who has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers and Moore was in his 30s. I strongly disagree with the recent RNC financial support directed to the Alabama Republican Party for use in the Roy Moore race, Simmons said in an email to party leaders.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill expects only about 25 percent of eligible voters to cast a ballot in the special election, making the race difficult to predict. Three new polls released Monday showed dramatically different results, based on different projections of who would vote.

An automated poll from Emerson College showed Moore with a nine-point advantage, while a poll from Fox News showed Jones with a 10-point advantage. A Monmouth University Poll showed the race about even.

Sean Sullivan and Michael Scherer are Washington Post writers.
The San Francisco district attorneys office has cleared law enforcement officers of potential criminal charges in two fatal shootings in the city, a nonfatal shooting and the jail suicide of a man who despite being arrested on the Golden Gate Bridge wasnt put on suicide watch.

In announcing their decisions this week, prosecutors released details of investigations into the incidents that date as far back as July 2015.

The first shooting was Oct. 15, 2015, when authorities said 27-year-old Herbert Omar Benitez left the citys Main Library near City Hall and started smashing bottles at a nearby construction site.

San Francisco police Sgt. Joseph McCloskey tried to detain Benitez, who allegedly wrestled his gun away from him. A second police sergeant at the scene, Michael Koniaris, shot Benitez twice and killed him during the struggle as Benitez pointed the gun at McCloskeys head, investigators found.

The sergeant acted in defense of another individual, the district attorneys office said.

On Nov. 11, 2015, 25-year-old Javier Lopez Garcia robbed a San Bruno sporting goods store, drove to San Francisco and ascended to the sixth floor of a construction site near the St. Lukes hospital campus in the Mission District, where he pointed a rifle toward a crowded street below, investigators said.

Several city officers responded to the scene and commanded him to drop the weapon, officials said. Lopez Garcia instead allegedly turned the gun toward police, prompting three officers to open fire, killing him.

Lopez Garcia had told several people he was suicidal and recorded videos on his cell phone saying the same thing, investigators found. The district attorneys office said the officers acted in self-defense and the defense of others.

Nearly a year later, officers with the San Mateo County Vehicle Theft Task Force shot and wounded Notorious Dickerson on Oct. 25, 2016.

Task force members had located a stolen Honda on Montana Street in San Franciscos Ocean View neighborhood and set up surveillance to see who would get into the car, officials said. Dickerson allegedly hopped into the car, and officers tried to box him in. But instead of surrendering, police said Dickerson rammed officers, prompting several to open fire.

Dickerson was hit in the torso with multiple gunshots. He was treated at a hospital and later arrested.

The district attorneys office said it declined to file charges against officers because we cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that their actions were not reasonably taken in defense of themselves and others.

Charges were also ruled out in the July 28, 2015, death of chef Alberto Carlos Petrolino, 50, who authorities said used a torn bedsheet to commit suicide in a shower stall at San Francisco County Jail, which is run by the Sheriffs Department.

Petrolino had been taken into custody three days earlier by a California Highway Patrol officer on the Golden Gate Bridge after his girlfriend called 911, saying he had implied he was going to to jump off the span.

Petrolino denied he was suicidal when the CHP arrested him on two misdemeanor warrants, and the officer said he did not believe he had cause to detain Petrolino for a mental health evaluation, the district attorneys office said. The office said Petrolino denied being suicidal in two screenings by nurses at the jail before he was booked.

Petrolinos family later sued the CHP and the Sheriffs Department for not putting him on suicide watch or giving him psychiatric treatment.

The district attorneys office said in a statement, Because Mr. Petrolinos death stemmed from a suicide by self-inflicted hanging and there is no allegation or evidence of any type of use of force or other criminal conduct at all in this matter, (the office) has closed its investigation and concluded that criminal charges are unwarranted.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
Now Playing: London Breed will act as mayor, potentially stepping into the role until June of 2018 following the unexpected death of Mayor Ed Lee. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

London Breed addressed San Franciscan's for the first time as acting mayor Tuesday morning after the sudden death of Mayor Ed Lee.

Breed, a native San Franciscan, became mayor of San Francisco early Tuesday morning. She was scheduled spoke to the public at 10:30 a.m., as can be seen in the video above.
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Mayor Ed Lee, the citys first Asian American mayor and the man who presided over San Franciscos transformation during the recent tech boom, died early Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack. He was 65.

Lee collapsed while shopping at the Safeway grocery store on Monterey Boulevard near his Glen Park home at about 10 p.m. Monday and was taken by ambulance to San Francisco General Hospital. He died at 1:11 a.m., surrounded by friends and family.

The mayors office released a brief statement early Tuesday morning confirming Lees death, stating in part: Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Anita, his two daughters, Brianna and Tania, and his family. Flags at City Hall were lowered to half staff.

News of Lees unexpected death shocked and saddened city officials, many of whom respected the moderate mayor even when he was their political adversary.

I am utterly and totally grief stricken, said Supervisor Malia Cohen, who wept as she spoke Tuesday morning. My heart breaks for (Lees wife) Anita and the mayors daughters. The entire city family is grieving right now. Its a very stressful and difficult time. Well get through it together. Im in shock, its still hard for me to believe. I was just with him on Saturday.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin was crying as well remembering Lee.

Even though he didnt support me when I ran for supervisor a couple years ago, he was somebody who was a brother who I admired, not only as the first Chinese American mayor in San Francisco but as somebody who loved the community and was fun to hang out with, Peskin said.

Several of Lees family members, including his wife and two daughters, returned to the mayors home in a quiet Glen Park cul-de-sac about 11 a.m. Lees wife walked quickly into the house, wearing sunglasses and looking down. One of Lees daughters, Tania, would only say, We just need some time before entering the house.

Now Playing: Mayor Ed Lee, 1952-2017 Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Lee, known for his friendly and often jokey personality and his focus on details and political consensus, was the 43rd mayor of San Francisco and the first Chinese American to lead the city. Board of Supervisors President London Breed became acting mayor, effective immediately.

At a mid-morning news conference in the City Hall rotunda, Breed, joined by City Attorney Dennis Herrera, shared her thoughts on Lees passing.

Ed was not a politician. He did not always deliver the best sound bite or carry the room with unspoken charisma, Breed said. Flash never mattered to him. Disagreements never deterred him. He was humble and determined, no matter the job he held.

What mattered most to him always was helping his fellow San Franciscans. ... Opponents may have disagreed with him on policy, but everyone agrees, our mayor was a good man with a good heart.

Lee was city administrator in January 2011 when the Board of Supervisors appointed him to replace Mayor Gavin Newsom, who had been elected the states lieutenant governor.

Newsom, who is acting governor while Gov. Jerry Brown attends a climate change summit in Paris, ordered flags flown at half staff at all state buildings.

San Francisco has lost a selfless leader, a dedicated servant to the public, and a tireless bearer of equalitys torch, Newsom said. His intellect, unshakable integrity, boundless optimism and contagious love for San Francisco elevated the city to greater heights. He steered San Francisco with an unshakable hand, an indomitable spirit, and a great sense of humor.

Lee initially said he wasnt interested in being mayor, but relented and took the job after a public campaign led by Chinese American civic leaders  the slogan was Run, Ed, Run! He said he wasnt interested in a full term, but after solid job reviews and months of urging from former Mayor Willie Brown, now a Chronicle columnist, the late Chinatown power broker Rose Pak and, ultimately, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Lee changed his mind.

Ed was an excellent mayor of a great but sometimes challenging city, Feinstein said in a statement Tuesday. His equanimity and quiet management style was effective and allowed him to solve problems as they occurred. My heart and thoughts are with Eds family and friends and the city I love.

Lee won election to a full term in November 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. An early accomplishments was 2011s Twitter tax, which cut payroll taxes for six years on a sketchy stretch of Market Street and lured thousands of tech jobs and workers to the city. While Mid-Market has since been partially redeveloped with new offices and hotels, the overarching effect of the tax cut was to draw startups and established tech companies to the city, which now has one of the lower unemployment rates in the country.

The move, though, drew backlash from city housing advocates. Many blame the citys exploding rents, housing shortage and persistent homeless crisis on the tech boom.

Lee recently focused his offices efforts on the homelessness problem, opening Homeless Navigation Centers  shelters that allow people to move in their partners, pets and belongings and which offer expanded service  and last year creating a new city Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

The departments first director, Jeff Kositsky, said: Im shocked and saddened and heartbroken.

He sometimes drove me crazy, but in all the good ways. We would be walking down the street together, hed see someone experiencing homelessness, hed want to know why and what we could do, Kositsky said. He would call or text me when he found someone. I was always happy to work with a man who cared so deeply about every person he saw struggling.

The Board of Supervisors now will appoint a new mayor if its members can get to six votes. If no candidate gets that majority support, Breed would continue to serve as mayor until a special election is held in June 2018. The next regularly scheduled mayoral election is in 2019.

I just feel so deeply sad, Supervisor Hillary Ronen said. There were often times I disagreed with Ed Lee politically, but he served the city for 40 years. Im glad I had a chance to work with him for the past year on homelessness.

One of the biggest surprises since I became supervisor was how well I worked with Ed Lee tackling homelessness in my district. I had the pleasure of watching him work in the Navigation Centers and I saw how deeply he cared, she said.

Supervisor Katy Tang, who was appointed by the mayor in 2013 and then elected later that year, called Lees death tragic.

Given the history of everything hes done leading up to becoming to mayor, he was so genuine about what he wanted to do for the city, she said. I just hope well be able to follow up on the many priorities that we collectively had.

Gov. Jerry Brown called Lee a true champion for working people, who epitomized the California spirit. Hell truly be missed, Brown said.

Members of Congress with strong ties to San Francisco also expressed their condolences after learning of Lees death.

Throughout my career, I was proud to work with Ed as he served in five different city departments under four different mayors, said California Sen. Kamala Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney. As United States senator, I partnered with him to protect immigrant communities and advocate for critical infrastructure projects in the Bay Area. No matter the issue, you could count on Mayor Lee to show up  probably in his unassuming Chevy Volt  and fight for his city.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco called Lee a dear friend and extraordinary leader.

As mayor, he served with exceptional dignity and great effectiveness, Pelosi said. His values-based, pragmatic leadership was invaluable in leading the city into strong economic expansion and continuing San Franciscos role as a model for the nation.

Lee was born in Seattle, the fourth of six children of immigrant parents, and grew up in housing projects. His father was a cook, his mother a seamstress. He won a scholarship to Bowdoin College in Maine and then went to UC Berkeley Law School. He met his wife, Anita, in 1974 when he was studying in her native Hong Kong, where she was his Mandarin tutor.

Before he worked for the city, Lee fought it. As a law student and intern at the Asian Law Caucus in 1978, he represented residents of the Ping Yuen public housing complex, who were angry over unsafe and unsanitary conditions, in the first tenant rent strike against the San Francisco Housing Authority.

Lee threatened to use whatever avenues we have to make the Housing Authority responsible to the tenants. The Housing Authority finally agreed to provide security.

He went on to a distinguished career as a civil rights attorney, often representing low-income tenants. In 1989, Lee represented Asian and female firefighters who joined others in successfully suing the city for discrimination at the Fire Department.

He was a great mayor and a great leader. More important he was a great family man, San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. It was an honor to work for him. He passed away way too young. Im still in disbelief.

Hayes-White, the citys first female fire chief, said her professional relationship with the mayor dates back to the early 1990s, and he would often remind her about about his efforts to diversify the department.

San Francisco police Chief Bill Scott, who Lee appointed one year ago, said the city lost a great leader Tuesday.

Mayor Ed Lee cared deeply about our City, the safety of its people and the well-being of the men and women of the San Francisco Police Department, Scott said.

District Attorney George Gascon called Lees death an unspeakable loss.

Today San Franciscans lost a lifelong public servant who was deeply committed to making our city a better place for everyone, from every walk of life, he said.

In 1991, under then-Mayor Art Agnos, Lee became director of the citys Human Rights Commission, where he spearheaded policies to increase the hiring of minority-owned businesses as city contractors. When Brown became mayor, Lee asked for the job of city purchasing director.

Once you are on the inside, then its my turn to actually change the practices of the inside, Lee told The Chronicle in 2015. Why arent local businesses bidding on city projects? Why arent we taking advantage of the citys expending $1 billion a year of peoples taxes and creating an economic engine that employs local folks from our neighborhood. Thats where, in my mind, came an advancement of civil rights. A lot of people thought I just decided to become a bureaucrat.

Lee spent two decades working for the city, eventually becoming director of public works and city administrator, overseeing multiple departments.

His rise to the top political position in the city was a testament to the power wielded by Chinatown and the citys Asian American community. Many Chinese American residents saw Lee as one of their own during his initial run for office.

Lees political capital in Chinatown, though, began to diminish as housing woes increased. Before her death last year, Pak openly criticized the mayor she once worked to get into office. But even as they criticized him, many Chinatown community leaders still supported the mayor, turning out for public events and maintaining personal friendships with him.

He was one of us  one of our guys made it to mayor, said Norman Fong, director of the Chinatown Community Development Center. That in itself is something to celebrate.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Sophie Haigney contributed to this report.

Rachel Swan and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com, esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan @EvanSernoffsky
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NEW YORK - A would-be suicide bomber detonated a pipe bomb strapped to his body in the heart of Manhattan's busiest subway corridor, rending the early Monday commute with a blast that reverberated up through the city's sidewalks, caused transit chaos and terrified thousands of travelers who fled headlong through tunnels choked with smoke.

He chose the location because of its Christmas-themed posters, recalling strikes in Europe against Christmas markets, he told investigators, and set off his bomb in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and elsewhere, several law enforcement officials said.

But his makeshift weapon sputtered. The attacker himself was the only one seriously injured.

A suspect, identified by police as Akayed Ullah, 27, an immigrant from Bangladesh who lived in Brooklyn, was in police custody. He suffered burns to his hands and abdomen, and was at Bellevue Hospital Center, according to Daniel A. Nigro, commissioner of the New York Fire Department. Three other people had minor injuries, he said.

The attack, at 7:20 a.m., occurred in a long pedestrian walkway connecting the Eighth Avenue, Seventh Avenue and Broadway subway lines. Walking among the commuters trudging beneath Times Square was a man in a hooded sweatshirt. Then a deafening boom - from him - and then smoke.

Then everyone ran.

Ullah had attached the pipe bomb to himself with a "combination of Velcro and zip ties," said James P. O'Neill, commissioner of the New York Police Department.

The secure fastening may have indicated that Ullah entered the subway intending to carry out a suicide bombing.

At a news conference on Eighth Avenue just outside the Port Authority, police displayed a picture of Ullah that appeared to have been taken inside the subway walkway after the blast. In it, he is curled in a fetal position; his exposed stomach is blackened.

Ullah acted alone, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, adding that no other devices had been found.

"Our lives revolve around the subway," the mayor said. "The choice of New York is always for a reason, because we are a beacon to the world. And we actually show that a society of many faiths and many backgrounds can work."

"The terrorists want to undermine that," he added. "They yearn to attack New York City."
Jim Norrena/Playwrights Foundation

Youve probably heard by now that the Bay Area is one of the countrys most dynamic and prolific metropolitan areas for the creation of new plays. But if you havent yet climbed aboard that train, Playwrights Foundations FlashPlays! offers one of the most efficient ways to introduce yourself to a swath of the regions playwrights.

More than 40 local writers contribute micro plays (shorts lasting approximately 1 minute each) that together offer a multifaceted look at San Francisco in 2017. The idea of FlashPlays! says artistic director Amy Mueller in a statement, is to create a theatrical composite of our beloved city in short flashes of insight, recognition, revelation, anger, despair and ebullience that reflect us here in this moment.
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Today marks substantial completion of Oakland International's renovated and expanded International Arrivals Building (IAB). The $45 million Terminal 1 upgrade includes 13,000 sq. ft. of additional space incorporating a new baggage carousel and an expanded passenger primary processing room  all creating a dramatically improved customer experience for arriving international travelers at OAK.

With international passenger traffic up 134% in the last two years, the expansion of OAK's IAB allows the airport to better accommodate growing demand and increasing passenger levels arriving from Mexico and Europe.

In 2017, both Norwegian Air and LEVEL began service to Barcelona, British Airways began service to London Gatwick, and Southwest began service to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Norwegian will begin nonstop service to Paris and Rome in coming months.

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

Passengers have complained loudly about long waits and dated facilities, especially when more than one flight arrives at the same time due to delays or other scheduling irregularities. The new facility should help fix that.

Upgrades to OAK's new IAB facility include:

14 passenger processing booths

16 Automated Passport Control units,

2 Global Entry kiosks

2 new bag re-claim carousels, replacing the old unit.

More modern, expansive, clean designwith passenger circulation space doubled

New and updated restroom facilities, seismic upgrades and building systems infrastructure upgrades.

New lighting, flooring, finishes, expansive windows and skylights

Reconfigured offices for Customs and Border Protection services.

OAK's Terminal 1 (which accommodates all non-Southwest Air flights) was constructed in 1962, and houses the International Arrivals Building (IAB). Before to today's opening, international arrival operations had been limited to one widebody aircraft (300 passengers) at a time. With the expanded facility in operation, two widebody aircraft can be processed simultaneously, with a processing capacity of over 600 passengers per hour.

OAK now has 14 international destinations and over 60 total: London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Terceira (Azores), Guadalajara, Mexico City, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Morelia and Leon.

Have you flown to or from an international destination from Oakland lately? How was your experience? Please leave your comments below.

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.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Warriors guard Nick Young was diagnosed with a concussion after leaving Monday nights 111-104 win over Portland in the third quarter.

Midway through the third, Young was inadvertently hit in the head by Jordan Bell and crumpled to the floor. He didnt not return after heading to the locker room after the next possession.
TOKYO  Charles Jenkins, a U.S. Army deserter to North Korea who married a Japanese abductee and lived in Japan after their release, has died. He was 77.

Jenkins was found collapsed outside his home in Sado in northern Japan on Monday and was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead, a group representing families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea said Tuesday.

Public broadcaster NHK said he died of heart failure.

Jenkins, of Rich Square, N.C., disappeared in January 1965 while on patrol along the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea. He later called his desertion a mistake that led to decades of deprivation and hardship in the communist country.

In North Korea, Jenkins met his wife Hitomi Soga, who had been kidnapped from Japan in 1978, and the couple had two daughters, Mika and Blinda. His wife was allowed to visit Japan in 2002 and stayed. Jenkins and their daughters followed in 2004.

Once in Japan, Jenkins was subject to a U.S. court-martial in 2004 in which he said he deserted because of fear of being sent to fight in Vietnam. He pleaded guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy and was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 25 days in a U.S. military jail in Japan.

Jenkins and his family lived in Sogas hometown of Sado, where he was a popular worker at a local souvenir shop and could often be seen posing for photos with tourists.

Soga is one of at least 13 Japanese citizens who Tokyo says were kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s to teach Japanese culture and language to its spies. North Korea has acknowledged the abductions and allowed Soga and four others to visit Japan in 2002, where they stayed.

Jenkins, in his 2005 autobiography To Tell the Truth and at conferences on North Korean human rights, revealed that he had seen other American deserters living with women abducted from elsewhere including Thailand and Romania.

After settling in Japan, he visited North Carolina to see his mother and sister.

Mari Yamaguchi is an Associated Press writer.
RIO DE JANEIRO  One night about a year ago, Leandro Mota Generoso was sleeping on a street in downtown Rio de Janeiro when he felt something jagged strike his face.

Somebody  he didnt see the person, but believes it was a resident in the neighborhood  had slashed his nose with broken glass from a Vodka bottle. He awoke in a pool of blood.

I cant sleep at night anymore, said Generoso, 23, who has been homeless since the grandfather who was raising him died five years ago. To many people, we are rats, garbage or whatever thing.

A year after Rio de Janeiro hosted the Olympic Games, a grinding economic crisis has led to an influx of thousands of homeless people, creating a climate of tension that city officials are scrambling to address.

Warm temperatures and miles of beaches have long made Brazils most famous city a place with a large street population. But city officials say its more than tripled in the past few years, to an estimated 15,000 people.

While many U.S. cities have experienced sharp increases in people living outdoors thanks to rising housing prices amid a recovering economy, in Rio the driving factors have been fallout from Brazils worst recession in decades and long-standing inequalities.

Rio de Janeiro is facing the worst possible scenario when it comes to the homeless, said Pedro Fernandes, the citys secretary of social assistance and human rights. We have never had such a large number in the streets.

Tensions have been steadily increasing, particularly in affluent and touristy neighborhoods where residents and businesses are frustrated with the throngs of people sleeping on the streets. In August, a residential building in the iconic Copacabana neighborhood installed sprinklers below its awnings to rouse unwanted campers below. The city later forced the sprinklers to be removed.

People in several affluent neighborhoods post messages on community Facebook groups urging police to act and imploring neighbors not to feed the homeless.

In some cases, violence has erupted. Forty-year-old Fernanda Rodrigues dos Santos was fatally shot in the chest while sleeping in the street in Copacabana in October. Police say 24-year-old Rodrigo Gomes Rodrigues, a medical student who lives in the neighborhood, has confessed to the killing. Police say he and a friend argued earlier in the night with another homeless person, went to get a gun and returned looking for revenge.

The city has launched an initiative to spruce up shelters and persuade more homeless people to use them. Many shun shelters because they often have strict rules and, by the citys own acknowledgment, have fallen into disrepair, with infestations of bugs and filthy bathrooms.

While some of the nearly 2,200 beds in shelters go empty each night, successfully persuading more homeless people to use them could create its own problems, as there are vastly more potential users than space for them. Given that reality, the city is also working to help migrants return to their home states, and in some cases even other countries.

Peter Prengaman is an Associated Press writer.
1 Drone strike: A U.S. military drone strike on a vehicle carrying explosives in Somalia has removed an imminent threat to the people of Mogadishu by the al-Shabab extremist group, the U.S. Africa Command said Tuesday. The air strike was carried out Tuesday about 40 miles southwest of Somalias capital, the U.S. statement said, adding that no civilians were killed. Al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa, often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu including hotels, military checkpoints and the presidential palace.

2 Muslim leaders meet: Leaders and high-ranking officials of Muslim countries will meet Wednesday in Istanbul for an extraordinary summit to discuss repercussions from the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation session aims to produce a unified Islamic position. The umbrella organization of 57 members called President Trumps statement last week an illegal decision and a serious escalation. The holy citys status is at the heart of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and significant for Palestinians and Muslims worldwide. Most countries around the world have not recognized Israels 1967 annexation of East Jerusalem. Under a long-standing international consensus, the fate of the city is to be determined in negotiations.
PARIS  The global climate summit in Paris was designed to bypass Donald Trump, but the U.S. president ended up playing a starring role.

Trump became the unwitting villain as world leaders, investors and other Americans assailed him Tuesday for rejecting the Paris climate accord.

To emphasize their point  and prevent others from following his lead  they announced more than $1 billion in investments to make it easier for countries and industries to give up oil and coal.

French President Emmanuel Macron used the summit to seize the global spotlight, capitalizing on Trumps isolationist policies and German Chancellor Angela Merkels domestic weakness to position himself as the worlds moral compass on climate change.

Were not moving fast enough, Macron said, warning that the 2015 Paris climate accord is fragile.

Its time to act and move faster and win this battle against climate change, he said, basking in the attention after gathering more than 50 world leaders and others in Paris.

Bill Gates, Richard Branson and other energy executives and investment fund leaders announced a dozen international projects emerging from the summit that will inject money into efforts to curb climate change.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim won rousing applause when he announced that his agency would stop financing oil and gas projects in two years.

The summit, co-hosted by the United Nations, the World Bank and Macron, was held on the second anniversary of the Paris climate accord, which was ratified by 170 countries. More than 50 heads of state and government took part.

Trump wasnt invited, but he was ubiquitous.

One by one, officials including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, billionaire Michael Bloomberg and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry insisted the world will shift to cleaner fuels and reduce emissions regardless of whether the Trump administration pitches in.

Central to the summit was countering Trumps main argument that the 2015 Paris accord on reducing global emissions would hurt U.S. business.

Macron, a 39-year-old former investment banker, argues that the big businesses and successful economies of the future will be making and using renewable energy instead of oil.

The projects announced Tuesday include a program for eight U.S. states to develop electric vehicles, an investment fund for the hurricane-hit Caribbean and money from Gates foundation to help farmers adapt to climate change and develop low-carbon technology.

The projects also aim to speed up the end of the combustion engine to reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming.

California Gov. Jerry Brown argued against Trumps plans to resurrect coal mining and said its time for President Trump to join the rest of the world, not oppose it on climate change.

Thomas Adamson and Philippe Sotto are Associated Press writers.
MOSCOW  Before he was killed by a sniper in Syria at age 23, Ivan Slyshkin wrote a poignant message on social media to his fiancee: We will see each other soon  and I will hold you as tight as I possibly can.

But Slyshkins name wont be found among the Russian Defense Ministrys official casualties in the fight against Islamic State extremists.

Thats because the young man who left his hometown of Ozyorsk in the Ural mountains was one of thousands of Russians deployed to Syria by a shadowy, private military contractor known as Wagner, which the government doesnt talk about.

Slyshkins gravestone depicts him holding a machine gun, according to a local news website Znak.com that sent a reporter to his March 2 funeral in Ozyorsk, where friends said he joined Wagner to earn money to pay for his wedding.

He was in Wagners group, his friend Andrei Zotov said, adding that Slyshkin was killed as the security forces were advancing on the Al-Shayer oil field north of Palmyra.

There are many good guys there. He volunteered to join the company, Zotov said. Like many Russian fighters, he wanted to solve his money issues.

The St. Petersburg-based website Fontanka reported that about 3,000 Russians under contract to the Wagner group have fought in Syria since 2015, months before Russias two-year military campaign helped to turn the tide of the civil war in favor of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a longtime Moscow ally.

When Putin went to a Russian air base in Syria on Monday and told Russian troops that you are coming back home with victory, he did not mention the private contractors. Russian troops are expected to remain in Syria for years while the contractors are likely to stay to guard lucrative oil and gas fields under a contract between the Syrian government and another Russian company allegedly linked to a businessman known as Putins chef for his close ties to the Kremlin.

Proxy fighters like Slyshkin have played a key role in Syria. In addition to augmenting troops officially sent by Moscow, their secret deployment has helped keep the official Russian death toll low as Putin seeks re-election next year.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said 41 of its troops have died in Syria. But according to Fontanka, 73 private contractors have been killed there. Another investigative group, Conflict Intelligence Team, put the number of private contractor deaths at 101.

The Kremlin and the Defense Ministry have stonewalled questions about Russians fighting in Syria in a private capacity. Private contractors have been used by countries like the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan for years; Russian law forbids the hiring of mercenaries or working as one.

But Russia has used such proxies before  in the conflict to help pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014. One Russian commander boasted of working alongside Russian troops who said they were on vacation while fighting in Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry has refused to say how many of its troops are in Syria, although one estimate based on absentee ballots cast in the Russian parliamentary election last year indicated 4,300 personnel were deployed there. That number probably rose this year because Moscow sent Russian military police to patrol deescalation zones.

The Russian people are not very enthused by the idea of an empire that would involve their boys coming home in body bags. Theres clearly a lack enthusiasm for this conflict, said Mark Galeotti, senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations in Prague.

By having this military company Wagner, they can have a force they can actually deploy ... but when people die, it doesnt have to be announced, Galeotti said.

Fontanka, which is respected for its independent reporting, has obtained what it described as Wagners spreadsheets and recruitment forms that indicate thousands of Russians have fought in Syria.

Nataliya Vasilyeva is an Associated Press writer.
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Moana New Zealand, the iwi-owned company that holds a half stake in Sealord Group, posted a little-changed full-year profit as improved returns from ready-to-eat products and aquaculture was offset by a weaker performance in fin fish and lobster.

Profit was $19.27 million in the 12 months ended Sept. 30 from $19.4 million a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said. It didn't immediately provide a revenue figure. It will pay a dividend of $9.7 million, which it said was a record payout, from $8.2 million a year earlier.

Moana is owned by Aotearoa Fisheries, whose shares, in turn, are held by iwi and Te Ohu Kaimoana Trustee.

Earnings from its ready-to-eat business were $3 million more than expected while its aquaculture operations "were another standout, producing strong results with production up, along with an upturn in sales of premium grades," said chief executive Carl Carrington. "That was balanced out by a downturn in profits from lobster and fin fish, which have been affected by a softening in pricing for these products in the Chinese market, and reductions in harvest," he said.

The figures reflected "good results from Sealord in operational performances both at sea and onshore processing" and the Hoki season "produced strong operational and sales results," he said. The company didn't provide further financial details.

(BusinessDesk)

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Rangatira Investments has taken a 50 percent stake in specialist cookie retailer Mrs Higgins, and will help bankroll a new manufacturing plant due to open in February as well as further expansion.

"Rangatira has a history of investing in family-owned businesses that are looking for another growth spurt, so it was quite a good fit for us," chair David Pilkington told BusinessDesk. He declined to say how much it had paid for the stake.

Mrs Higgins chief executive Markus Hasler also declined to say how much they had sold the stake for but said the offer from Rangatira had "looked quite attractive" as they would be able to "pump quite a lot of money into the business and that would help us expand a lot faster."

Pilkington said the existing owners, Markus and Bronwyn Hasler - who will retain the other 50 percent - had "a good base business and plans for growth." They were in the process of expanding into a new factory and were looking to raise capital, he said.

"It was an ideal opportunity for someone like Rangatira who can provide that capital and help the Hasler's execute what seems to be a pretty sound business strategy," he said.

The plant, located in West Auckland, will allow Mrs Higgins to meet demand for existing products within New Zealand, diversify its product range and expand into Australian and Asian markets. As well as cookies, Mrs Higgins makes slices, slabs, brownies and ready to bake cookie dough, Bliss bites and Christmas treats, among other bakery products.

The company has seven franchise stores and two licensed stores in New Zealand that represent about 10 percent of the total business, said Hasler. It supplies service stations and supermarkets, among other venues and has 90 plus percent share in the vending machine market. It currently exports to Shanghai and Australia and is looking to beef up sales into both those markets as well as enter other Asian markets, said Hasler.

"Our new plant is export-geared. We have all the right certifications," he said.

Rangatira Investments has $230 million of assets under management, most of which is allocated to investments in mid-market New Zealand businesses. Of its shareholders, 66 percent are charitable organisations. Its portfolio includes Hellers, Polynesian Spa and Rainbow's End.

(BusinessDesk)

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ERoad is in a trading halt as it looks to raise at least $18 million through a placement and a share purchase plan to fund an upgrade of its back-end systems amid a push into North America.

The company said it wants to raise at least $14 million through a placement of new shares and at least $4 million through the share placement plan. The placement will be conducted today through a bookbuild run by First NZ Capital Securities, while the terms of the share purchase plan will be announced in more detail in early 2018, though ERoad said it would mean New Zealand registered shareholders would have the opportunity to pay the lower of the placement price or a discount to the share price at the time.

ERoad's largest shareholder, NMC Trustees, which holds 26 percent of the firm, will also sell about $5 million alongside the planned placement. The company's chief executive Steven Newman has an indirect interest in the shares held by NMC but "remains fully committed to the ERoad business, and will remain a significant shareholder following the placement", the firm said. Newman will indirectly hold more than 21.5 percent of the company's shares through NMC after the sale. That sale will run concurrently to the placement.

The firm will use $4.5 million to upgrade customer support systems and as working capital for inventory growth, while $5 million will be used to replace non-bank lender funding "to simplify ERoads funding structure and operational activities", it said. The remaining $8.5 million will be used to "develop and expand disruptive product offerings as well as building a digital ecosystem to better collect and analyse transport data and potential inorganic growth."

In late November, ERoad said it had asked FNZC to undertake a strategic review of its North American business to see how it can drive faster growth. The Auckland-based company reported a net loss of $3.6 million, or 6.03 cents per share, in the six months ended Sept. 30, compared to a loss of $241,000, or 0.4 cents, a year earlier. That was largely due to a 57 percent jump in operating costs to $16.9 million as it spent more acquiring customers in the US which ERoad sees as its major engine of growth.

Today, ERoad said it expects revenue of between $46.9 million and $47.6 million in the 2018 financial year, and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of between $12.8 million and $13.3 million. In the first half, it had revenue of $20.9 million and ebitda of $4 million.

In an investment presentation accompanying the capital raise announcement, ERoad said it is seeing ongoing growth in New Zealand and Australia, and increasing momentum in North American unit sales. It said revenue in the second half of FY18 will be predominantly driven by growth in new contracted units, recognition of additional revenue for units sold partway through the prior period, and increased recurring revenue per unit at $54 per month.

As at Sept. 30, the firm had $33.4 million total debt capacity, from which it had drawn down $18.1 million, but it said that any significant non-unit capital expenditure requires additional funding as most of its debt facilities are provided against the future contracted income of its rental units.

ERoad shares last traded at $3.30, and have gained 106 percent this year.

(BusinessDesk)

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Jin Yuan Finance, an Auckland-based foreign exchange trader, will face civil charges under anti-money laundering law in the Auckland High Court.

The FX trader, whose sole director and shareholder is Auckland-based Yuan Yuan, was issued a formal warning by the Department of Internal Affairs over its lack of anti-money laundering processes back in 2015. At the time, DIA said Jin Yuan had advised it was committed to rectifying its areas of non-compliance, and warned it would continue to monitor the business and take further action if appropriate.

Today, DIA said it has filed the civil proceedings, the third since the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering Financing of Terrorism Act first came into effect in 2013, not because Jin Yuan Finance is alleged to have been involved in money laundering or the financing of terrorism. Rather, it alleges that Jin Yuan Finance Limited failed to meet legal requirements involving customer due diligence, account monitoring, record keeping, the reporting of suspicious transactions, and failed to establish, implement and maintain an effective anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism programme.

"The department is committed to detecting and deterring potential money laundering and terrorism financing; its role is to ensure certain financial institutions, including money remitters, meet their obligations under the AML/CFT Act," DIA said. "The obligations require these businesses to have robust processes in place to protect them from misuse. When a financial institution continues to fail in meeting their obligations under the AML/CFT Act the department can and will take action."

Monitoring of businesses' compliance with the act is split between the Reserve Bank, which is responsible for registered banks, life insurers and non-bank deposit takers; the Financial Markets Authority, which supervises issuers of securities, licensed supervisors, fund managers, brokers and custodians, financial advisers, derivatives issuers, DIMS providers and peer-to-peer lending and equity crowd funding service providers; and DIA, which covers casinos, money changers and remitters, and any other reporting entities not covered by the central bank or FMA.

(BusinessDesk)

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Soupman's chief financial officer is heading to prison.

Robert N. Bertrand, 62, an executive with Soupman Inc., the Staten Island-based company which licenses the names and recipes of Al Yeganeh, the real-life "Soup Nazi" character from the classic "Seinfeld" TV series, has pleaded guilty to a tax-evasion scheme, said authorities.

Bertrand, a Connecticut resident, admitted he short-changed the government of nearly $600,000 in tax revenue during his appearance in Brooklyn federal court Monday, according to court records.

Bertrand will be sentenced in April.

In May, he was charged under a 20-count indictment with failure to pay Medicare, Social Security and federal income taxes, said Bridget M. Rohde, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James D. Robnett, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Division, New York Field Office.

Bertrand only plead guilty to the first count of the indictment as part of the plea deal.

He will also pay $78,518.18 in restitution, the amount he personally benefited from, officials said, according to the New York Post.

He could be sentenced to 22-34 months in prison, said the Post report.

Between 2010 and 2014, Bertrand paid Soupman workers on the side in unreported cash amounts and compensated certain employees with large, unreported stock awards, officials said.

Soupman's unreported cash and stock compensation totaled more than $2.8 million, resulting in a loss of about $594,000 in tax revenue, said authorities.

Bertrand never reported that employee compensation to the IRS and didn't pay Medicare, Social Security and federal income taxes on the cash payments or the stock awards, said authorities.

Bertrand failed to do so despite an external auditor warning him in 2012 those payments should be reported to the IRS, officials said.

"As alleged, the United States was fleeced out of more than half-a-million dollars through the defendant's corporate misdeeds," said Rohde in a statement in May. "Tax crimes like those alleged in the indictment hurt every American citizen."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.--A firefighter suffered minor injuries Monday evening responding to a home on Lighthouse Hill, according to a FDNY spokesman.

The fire originated in the basement of the two-story house at 273 Lighthouse Avenue, which according to a FDNY source on scene was undergoing renovations.

The injured firefighter was transported to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, the spokesman said.

No civilians were injured, according to authorities.

About a dozen units responded at about 4:38 p.m. to the two-story house at 273 Lighthouse Avenue, where smoke and flames damaged the basement and first floor, the spokesman said.

Multiple fire trucks remained on scene, along with a sanitation truck for debris, at about 6:15 p.m.

Drivers were blocked from accessing the 200 block of Lighthouse Avenue, as a man who lives on the block said he had been waiting a half-hour in his car, unable to park on the wooded road and unable to get home.
Justice Judith N. McMahon in the target of the latest lawsuit filed by courthouse whistleblower Michael Pulizotto.

By FRANK DONNELLY, fdonnelly@siadvance.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The whistleblower who secretly recorded his conversations with several Staten Island judges and court personnel, opened a second legal front on Tuesday, suing the borough's former administrative judge, state court officials and others in Manhattan federal court alleging they bullied and harassed him while running the Staten Island Courthouse as a "fiefdom for their own personal and political gain."

The $2.9 million suit filed by Michael Pulizotto, the former chief clerk of state Supreme Court, St. George, alleges Justice Judith N. McMahon; Ronald P. Younkins, the executive director of the state Office of Court Administration (OCA); the New York State Court Officers Association, and several others relied on "direct and indirect coercion, intimidation and threats" to achieve their objectives while trampling on his and other individuals' Constitutional rights.

Specifically, the defendants hushed up a discrimination complaint made by an African-American female court officer and adopted a "hear no evil, see no evil approach" to "official corruption and misconduct in the courthouse," which included Justice McMahon overstepping her authority on multiple occasions to aid her spouse, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, alleges a civil complaint.

In addition, Pulizotto, who is openly gay, was threatened with termination and the exposition of a "false secret" claiming he had committed "a civil form of sexual misconduct" with at least one subordinate, if he didn't toe the line, the complaint alleges.

Don't Edit

Controversial attorney Richard Luthmann is representing Pulizotto.

Justice McMahon further ordered Pulizotto to petition and raise money for her husband's successful campaign in 2015 in exchange for his continued employment, the complaint alleges.

'RUBBER ROOM'

Adding insult to injury, Pulizotto, in September, was transferred in a "blatant demotion" to a menial post at OCA's Manhattan headquarters, said his complaint.

The position, he maintains, is equivalent to the so-called "rubber room" where teachers, under investigation by the city Department of Education, were placed and did virtually no work during the day.

"It's very clear there was a broken system under Judge McMahon," said Richard Luthmann, Pulizotto's lawyer. "All the allegations are against Judge McMahon in her administrative capacity, and it goes to the OCA hierarchy, as well."

There were "systemic administrative problems with the Richmond County Courthouse under the administration of Judge Judith McMahon," Luthmann said.

John P. Connors' Jr., a lawyer for Justice McMahon, fired back, calling Pulizotto's complaint "frivolous," and saying she denies its "baseless" allegations.

"As an example, paragraph 33 claims that Judge McMahon exercised 'wholesale control over all grand jury matters,'" said Connors. "The evidence of the 'wholesale control' is a conversation taped by Mr. Pulizotto in which Judge McMahon, at the request of Mr. Pulizotto, asked the district attorney about the location of a door to the grand jury [room].

"Judge McMahon looks forward to this and all other claims against her being dismissed."

Don't Edit

A spokesman for District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, above, dismissed the suit as "the claims of a disgruntled and bitter ex-exmployee."

A spokesman for District Attorney McMahon dismissed Pulizotto's federal suit as "the claims of a disgruntled and bitter ex-employee."

"This lawsuit is just another desperate attempt to tarnish the reputations of the D.A. and Judge McMahon," the spokesman said in a statement. "OCA has stated publicly that it has closed its investigation of Pulizotto's wild assertions against the judge. She now oversees the trial and mediation parts in the prestigious Manhattan Supreme Court and Pulizotto, in his own words, sits in a rubber room."

The court officers' association declined comment on the federal suit.

PREVIOUS SUIT VS. UNION HEAD

Pulizotto's suit comes on the heels of a $25-million slander lawsuit he filed in October in Manhattan state Supreme Court against Dennis Quirk, the president of the New York State Court Officers Association.

While that suit only names Quirk as a defendant, it also targets the McMahons.

Don't Edit

Pulizotto reiterates a number of claims in the federal suit first brought up in the state suit.

In particular, he alleges the judge kept a hand in criminal matters, despite relinquishing those reins when her husband ran for office.

Justice McMahon, who had been administrative judge for criminal and civil matters on Staten Island, stopped overseeing criminal matters in mid-2015 to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. She remained administrative judge for civil matters.

Don't Edit

Pulizotto secretly recorded conversations with Justice McMahon and other court officials.

Pulizotto, who secretly tape-recorded numerous conversations with Justice McMahon, alleges she wanted "complex" criminal cases diverted away from two judges whom prosecutors complained were too "defense-oriented" and "meddled" in cases assigned to a narcotics part in state Supreme Court, St. George.

She also tried to influence one of the judges to declare a mistrial in a case in which a jury ultimately acquitted a defendant, both lawsuits allege.

OTHER TAPED CONVERSATIONS

Besides Justice McMahon, Pulizotto tape-recorded and wrote notes of his conversations with Quirk and other court personnel over a period of more than two years beginning in July 2015, shortly after he was appointed chief court clerk on Staten Island. He said those conversations were "legally" recorded.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Pulizotto turned over the tapes and other documents to OCA months ago.

Lucian Chalfen, an OCA spokesman, said last month the agency's inspector general had closed its investigation and compiled a report.

Chalfen declined further comment on the report or its contents.

Chalfen also declined comment Tuesday on the federal lawsuit, saying OCA had not been served the legal papers.

Don't Edit

Pulizotto's suit comes on the heels of a $25-million slander lawsuit he filed in October in Manhattan state Supreme Court against Dennis Quirk, above, the president of the New York State Court Officers Association

Pulizotto and his lawyers have also discussed his complaints with federal prosecutors, the federal complaint alleges.

That statement could not immediately be confirmed.

END-RUN TO MCMAHONS?

Some critics had dismissed the slander suit against Quirk as an end-run to try to get at the McMahons.

Quirk, the state suit alleges, "has a strong political connection with" the McMahons.

Don't Edit

Quirk has moved to dismiss it, alleging it contains a confusing jumble of legally unsubstantiated allegations.

Quirk also seeks sanctions against Luthmann, Pulizotto's controversial lawyer, alleging the attorney "engaged in dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation in violation of Code of Professional Responsibility" by altering a verification document he submitted to the court.

Luthmann has denied the allegations.

Luthmann, meanwhile, is being investigated by a special prosecutor at District Attorney McMahon's request regarding allegations of criminal impersonation, forgery and falsifying business records in an unrelated matter.

Besides monetary damages, Pulizotto seeks reinstatement as chief clerk of state Supreme Court, St. George, and the appointment of a federal monitor to Staten Island courts and OCA "where applicable."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A convicted sex offender who allegedly absconded from Florida was arrested by police on Staten Island.

Rene Munoz, 57, is being held in Rikers Island after his initial appearance in Criminal Court, according to public records.

Munoz was arrested at his home on Winter Avenue in New Brighton on Dec. 4 at about 10 a.m., according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

He is charged as a fugitive from another state and is expected to be extradited to Hillsborough County, Fla. on a warrant issued on Nov. 14, 2015, according to police.

Munoz allegedly failed to register as a sex offender at some point following a conviction in September 2012 of possessing a photo or picture showing sexual performance by a child, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation and public records.

The suspect is due back in Criminal Court on Friday.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Residents of a low-lying section of Richmond are concerned about their new neighbors -- a group of beavers.

The animals, possibly numbering four, have built a lodge near Richmond Creek, and a dam over the water. The blockage has caused flooding to an area that already had drainage problems.

"It was never a lake before," said resident Joe Palladino, who noted that Oct. 29 was the first time he saw the area "flood out extensively."

He's counted at least 100 trees that have been felled by the animals as well.

"Neighbors and I are all concerned about the number of beavers and the damage they are creating," Palladino explained.

The creek is part of the Bluebelt system on Staten Island -- a series of streams, ponds and wetlands designed to effectively manage storm water by providing a natural "sponge."

Residents say they've reported their concerns to the city Department of Environmental Protection and employees have come to clear the dams. On a recent weekday, the DEP cleared a 2-foot hole. By 6:30 a.m. the next morning, the opening was completely closed with not a trickle of water flowing.

"These beavers are really good architects," said Dr. Franklin Caldera, who lives on nearby St. Andrews Road and walks the trails in the woods frequently.

The beaver is the New York state animal and an adult can grow to anywhere between 40 and 100 pounds, according to Wikipedia. They are also known for their ability to topple large trees using nothing but their uniquely adapted incisor teeth and powerful lower jaw muscles.

"We've seen the effects of their handiwork," said Palladino.

The DEP has also placed wire cages around some of the bigger trees to try to keep the animals away from them and is reportedly working on the necessary permits and paperwork for other solutions.

"Not that we want to get rid of the beavers," Palladino said, "but we just want them to be controlled."

BEAVER FACTS



Scientific name: Castor canadensis

Diet: Herbivores

Life span in the wild: Up to 24 years

Weight: Generally 45 to 50 pounds, although beavers weighing over 100 pounds have been recorded.

Tail size: 7.75 to 12 inches

Fun facts: The beaver became the official New York state animal in 1975. According to National Geographic, they are second only to humans in their ability to alter and manipulate their surroundings.

Having as problem? Contact the Department of Environmental Conservation. Beaver dams and dens are protected and it is illegal to disturb them without written permission from the DEC. Find out more about nuisance beavers at dec.ny.gov/animals/6992.html.

Sources: Wikipedia, National Geographic, N.Y. State Library, N.Y. State DEC.
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The children had dragged their mattresses into the "extremely messy" living room. Do you know more about out-of-home care in Canberra or child, youth and family services? Contact steven.trask@fairfaxmedia.com.au In the same letter, the lawyer highlighted concerns about the children's safety in such an environment. "This letter is not intended as a 'finger pointing' exercise," they wrote. "However it is important to make [it] clear... there are real concerns about the children's safety in the current placement."

Three days later, the Legal Aid lawyer also wrote to the ACT's Public Advocate seeking help to clean-up the conditions inside the property. "As you will be aware, I hold concerns about the children's current placement with Premier Youthworks," the letter read. "Please advise whether you have, or intend to attend the property and what, if any, involvement the Public Advocate will have in addressing concerns around housing for the children." Pictures from inside the property showed clothes strewn across the room, a mattress without sheets on the floor and a large hole in a wall covered by graffiti. The ACT Public Advocate Jodie Griffiths-Cook has regular meetings with Premier Youthworks to monitor the care of children in residential homes.

She said her office had not received any complaints about the company. "Premier Youthworks staff engage positively with this process and have been responsive to concerns when raised," she said. "For example, in early 2017 the Public Advocate became aware that a couple of properties had been damaged and needed repair. "My office raised these concerns with management staff in Premier Youthworks, who took action to respond to the concerns in a timely manner." The ACT government's Community Services Directorate also said Premier Youthworks had been quick to address concerns brought to their attention.

"As with any organisation there have been from time to time concerns raised about individual matters," a spokesman for the Community Services Directorate said. "Premier Youthworks has been responsive in working with government to resolve matters as they arise and in June 2017 received the highest level of accreditation of five years from the Children's Guardian in New South Wales." Premier Youthworks operates 15 residential care homes as part of the ACT Together consortium, which is funded by the ACT government and led by the Barnardos charity. A Premier spokesman declined to answer any questions about the company's operations in the ACT, instead referring them on to Barnardos. The Community Services Directorate pays Barnardos and Premier Youthworks to perform their own regular property inspections, with results then forwarded on the government.

"There are specific safeguards relevant to the monitoring of quality of houses used for therapeutic residential care," a directorate spokesman said. "These include a specific requirement in the service funding agreement with Barnardos to inspect properties and to do so against agreed standards." All Premier Youthworks properties are visited by an Official Visitor each month, and the Community Services Directorate performed scheduled inspections twice a year, the spokesman added. A spokeswoman for Barnardos said all residential care homes were operated under a strict "quality assurance program" of weekly and monthly inspections. "This is backed by a series of therapeutic house standards audits every four months, overseen by senior management from Barnardos Australia and Premier Youthworks, with audit reports provided to the ACT government," the spokeswoman said.

Barnardos declined to say how much Premier Youthworks was paid under the consortium arrangement, but did say it received $600,000 every year to cover rent and property maintenance. Tender documents showed Premier Youthworks received more than $13 million in ACT government contracts between 2013 and 2016. The Barnardos spokeswoman said property damage could be a result of "challenging behaviours" displayed by children in care. "Damage is always repaired as a priority," she said. "For some children, destruction of property isn't a one-off instance, hence timely repair is vital in order to maintain a home-like environment."

The spokeswoman also said the conditions illustrated in the photos obtained by Fairfax Media had been addressed as a priority at the time. "Our skilled staff responded appropriately to the critical incident with the following priorities in mind," she said. "Safety of the child or young person, safety of the staff, clean-up [and] property repair." Barnardos also declined to say how many allegations of reportable conduct had been made about Premier Youthworks employees in the past year. "There were some allegations in both regions in 2016-17, however none of these allegations were substantiated in either NSW or the ACT," the spokeswoman said.

"All matters were documented and reported to the relevant government agency and the ombudsman in both NSW and the ACT." The reportable conduct scheme covers allegations of child abuse or misconduct towards children, according to the ACT Ombudsman's website. The ACT Together consortium was launched by the ACT government in December 2015. The consortium is led by Barnardos and also includes OzChild, Relationships Australia, the Australian Childhood Foundation and Premier Youthworks. A Community Services Directorate spokesman said all organisations delivering out of home care in the ACT were assessed by the directorate's human services regulator.
We're in for another warm one with a predicted top of 34 degrees. Sun protection is recommended from 8.30am to 5.10pm with a predicted extreme UV Index. Remember to slip, slop, slap!

A joint investigation between The Canberra Times and The Newcastle Herald has found some of the ACT's most vulnerable children were living in a squalid care home with broken walls, blood on the door and smashed glass in the kitchen.

The property was run by Premier Youthworks, a for-profit venture that provides out-of-home care to around 30 children in the ACT.

The conditions inside one home were so bad they prompted a Legal Aid ACT worker to write to the ACT government in April this year after visiting a Premier Youthworks property in Canberra.

Steve Trask has more here.

ACT NAPLAN data released
The source said the drive for revenue was having a "profound negative impact on the care and experiences that the young people get". Do you know more about out-of-home care in Canberra or child, youth and family services? Contact steven.trask@fairfaxmedia.com.au But a company spokesperson hit back at the allegations. "We absolutely reject this and question the motives of whoever is making such statements," the spokesman said. Managing director Lisa Glen - who founded Premier Youthworks 16 years ago - agreed to an interview with Fairfax Media at the company's headquarters in Cardiff, NSW.

She defended the quality of care received by the children and said the criticism amounted to the isolated concerns of a small number of disgruntled former employees. "If I wanted to do it to be rich, I would have chosen a much easier business," said Ms Glen, who remains the company's sole director and shareholder. "I would have worked at Dusk and put nice candles on the shelves. Like this is tough, it's really really tough  people can sit back and say that, but they can come and walk in my shoes for a little while." Premier Youthworks received more than $44 million in taxpayer funding between 2013, shared across 15 residential care homes in the ACT and 20 in the Newcastle region. Children and teenagers are grouped together in Premier homes when they are unable to live with their families, often because the government has decided they are at risk of abuse or neglect.

The NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) has been tendering for new residential care contracts, due to begin in 2018, and sources said Premier Youthworks was in the frame to renew or potentially grow the number of children in its care. Following the Four Corners broadcast, FACS launched a review of the company, which is understood to have concluded in October. But the department has refused to publicly release its findings or comment on what action, if any, has been taken as a result. "A range of matters are being followed up with Premier Youthworks in the course of contract management," a FACS spokesperson said. Ms Glen would not be drawn on what ground had been covered by the review, but admitted it had highlighted the need for more "transparency".

"It wasn't about us holding things back, we just need more transparency in our reporting because, again, we're different to other agencies within the sector," Ms Glen said. She also said FACS was now "fully understanding" of controversial leasing arrangements surrounding a number of Premier's group homes in Newcastle. Twelve of the homes are personally owned by Ms Glen and leased back to Premier Youthworks through a series of trusts linked to her super fund. Taxpayers foot the bill for the rents paid by Premier Youthworks to Ms Glen, which are in some cases well above market rates. Ms Glen denied she was charging the taxpayer exorbitant amounts and defended the arrangements as "common practice" within the sector. There was good reason for the inflated rents, she argued.

"They are not normal rentals. There's modifications that are made and there's the upkeep of them," she said. "What people don't really understand is that each of these houses is a big risk to me as well." Additionally, Ms Glen is a director of Beam Wellbeing, a separate psychological services provider based at Cardiff. When asked whether she benefited financially every time Premier referred one of its children to Beam for counselling, Ms Glen denied that was true. However she admitted she had "stepped away" from dealings between the two organisations. "I'm not part of any of the negotiations. So if the people that are looking after the clients here don't believe that Beam's the best provider, so be it, they go to another person," she said.
Canberra's year 9 students have flatlined in the NAPLAN numeracy test over the past decade while the rest of Australia improved.

In line with the rest of the nation, ACT year 9 reading results also showed little change between the first NAPLAN test in 2008 and the 2017 testing period, as federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham declared stagnant results "should act as a wake-up call that some changes are required".

The ACT has not recorded large gains in the year 9 numeracy test over 10 years. Credit:Andrew Taylor

Fewer ACT years three and nine students sitting this year's reading and numeracy tests achieved the minimum standard or better compared to last year.

However, the figures for each were still at or above average, with 94 per cent or more achieving the baseline on each domain.
The renewable energy investor emerged as one of the largest initial public offerings this year having raised more than $200 million at $1.50 a share.

McKew, who famously knocked off John Howard as the member for Bennelong in the Kevin07 election, has surfaced this week as a non executive director for New Energy Solar, which invests in large scale solar power plants.

The battle for the federal seat of Bennelong has taken the spotlight from its former incumbent, ex ABC star Maxine McKew , and her sunny new career.

It listed last week and has managed to keep its head above the $1.50 a share paid by new investors like McKew who picked up 66,666 units in the float plus options to buy more.

News main focus is on opportunities in the US and Australian markets, but given the farcical energy policy in Australia most of its funds have gone to into US assets.

And given the Labor links, is it any wonder that the prospectus was cautious, to say the least, about Malcolm Turnbulls ingenious National Electricity Guarantee (NEG) scheme.

While many of the details of the NEG are still to be defined, it is anticipated that it will support the ongoing development of renewable energy generation.

Her chairman is public service veteran Jeffrey Whalan whose last government post was running Centrelink.
One of Australias largest landlords has put on hold plans to install 100,000 solar panels across 40 hectares of rooftops in its shopping centres and industrial estates because of uncertainty surrounding the Turnbull governments energy policy.

ASX-listed office, retail and industrial behemoth GPT has parked plans to roll out 30 megawatts of solar capacity over dozens of rooftops in its property portfolio over the next three years.

The massive solar pipeline would have leapfrogged GPT into pole position as one of the countrys largest rooftop solar operators and generated about 15 percent of the electricity used to run the groups entire managed portfolio.

Solar panels on GPT's Casuarina Square shopping centre in Darwin.

GPT national manager for energy and environment Steve Ford said energy policy uncertainty had upended GPTs large-scale renewable energy plans which were underpinned by a board-directed goal of achieving zero carbon emissions from its operations by 2030.
A Fishermans Bend high-rise project proposed by local developer R.Corporation has been given the green light after the developer took planning minister Richard Wynne to the tribunal.

The 37 and 40 storey twin-tower apartment and hotel project was approved this week after a negotiated settlement with the state government.

R.Corporation took on Wynne at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after his department failed to determine the project with the statutory required number of days.

An artist's impression of the plan for 253-273 Normanby Rd, South Melbourne. Credit:Plus Architecture

Wynne said the negotiated outcome had improved the initial proposal by making sure 30 per cent of the projects apartments were three-bedroom dwellings and minimising overshadowing of the nearby Fennell Reserve.
Dry conditions in winter and spring, followed by severe frosts in cropping districts in south-eastern Australia, have combined to slash crops, farm incomes and agricultural export earnings in fiscal 2018.

Australia's wheat crop, forecast to be just over 20 million tonnes, is on track to be the lowest in a decade.

Australia's wheat crop is tipped to be the smallest in a decade. Credit:Erin Jonasson

The fall in incomes for some farmers  particularly grain producers  coincides with rising fuel and electricity prices and means a large number of farmers will have less cash to spend in regional areas.

Dry conditions hit grain farmers in all grain-growing states this year, but had a particularly harsh impact on growers in New South Wales and Queensland who were also hit with above-average temperatures.
AWE is currently trading at around a 10 per cent premium to the implied Mineral Resources bid, which suggests to us that the market is positioning for either a higher bid from CERCG, an upwardly revised bid from Mineral Resources, or a possible third bidder, Mr Wilson said. Despite likely capital gains tax rollover relief for eligible investors, we think a cash bid at a similar price to an implied scrip bid should be preferred by shareholders and the AWE board. A source close to AWE said an offer above 80 would make a potential bidder much better placed to gain AWEs board endorsement. Mr Barbarczy said shareholders currently had no preferred bid, but said CERCGs cash offer, compared to Mineral Resources scrip proposal, provided more certainty. The scrip offer would have to be at a premium to be accepted, he said.

Ellerston Capital, AWEs largest shareholder, was unavailable for comment. While Beach Energy, the 50:50 joint venture partner with AWE in the Waitsia gas project, has remained quiet, some in the market believes it may soon make its own bid to wrest control of Waitsia. I wouldnt be surprised if [Beach] got into the action, the bidding isnt done yet, Mr Barbarczy said. But a source familiar with Beach Energy said it was unlikely the company would make another major acquisition just months after its $1.585 billion purchase of Lattice Energy.

Beach has just acquired Lattice and is going through the integration of it, so its focus would be on this at the moment, the source said. Why AWE? What makes AWE such an attractive takeover target? One word: Waitsia.

The Waitsia gas project is one of the largest onshore gas discoveries in Australia in the last 30 years, and it has the potential to expand its current proven and probable reserves well beyond its current levels. In its third-quarter results, the group had already lifted its proven and probable reserves by a quarter, to 228 petajoules of gas. An independent review in November lifted this figure by 78 per cent to 811 petajoules. CERCG withdrew its offer before AWEs board was able to finish its assessment of the proposal. Credit:AP This review also lifted AWE's 3P reserves  that is proven, probable and possible  to 1219.6 petajoules.

''TheWaitsiaStage 2 development project is planned to deliver 100 terajoules a day for at least 10 years," AWE chief executive David Biggs said. This is equivalent to production rates of more than a petajoule a fortnight. CERCG believes this figure could be even higher. CERCG Australia acknowledges that the Waitsia gas field, and its increasing proved and probable reserves and future development, has the potential to return value to AWE shareholders in the longer term, it said. It is for this reason that CERCG Australia is prepared to pay such a substantial premium for AWE.

AWE also recorded a 156 per cent increase in production year-on-year at its Waitsia Stage 1 project. Suffice to say, Western Australia need gas, and theres lots of it in this project, Mr Barbarczy said. Access to this project was the main driver for similar, and eventually rejected, takeover bids from private equity firm Lone Star Funds and Senex Energy. In May last year, it rejected an unsolicited $421 million cash takeover proposal from Lone Star Funds, and in 2013 knocked back Senexs cash-and-share offer. Full control of the asset has been hotly contested since Origin announced its intention to divest a 50 per cent holding of the project through its spin-off Lattice Energy, which was eventually acquired by Beach Energy.
Australia's dock workers' union has been "outsourcing" the manning of an illegal waterfront picket line to other powerful leaders in the wider trade union movement, a judge has found.

As the two-week union blockade continues preventing hundreds of freight trucks from accessing a Melbourne's wharf, Supreme Court Justice Michael McDonald on Tuesday made extremely rare orders identifying the head of Victoria's Trades Hall as a "representative" of all the picketers there, and banning him from blocking the gates or organising others to do so.

Union members descended on Webb Dock on Friday. Credit:AAP

The picket line has been in force at the docks since two weeks ago after the stevedore, Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), axed a casual wharf employee who had been leading a union campaign in the workplace. The company said the man had been identified in an audit to be ineligible for a security clearance required to work there. The union said he had been targeted as part of a "union-busting" strategy.

The Supreme Court has previously ordered the Maritime Union of Australia to not go within 100 metres of the terminal access gates and to lift the illegal picket line. But the around-the-clock blockade has remained, and is being referred to as a "peaceful community protest" by supporters in the wider trade union movement.
The No Land Tax Party and its leader, Peter Jones, have been fined $80,890 for failing to pay staff who handed out how-to-vote cards in the 2015 NSW election.

Federal Circuit Court judge Tom Altobelli said the party's submission that its non-payment of the promised $30 an hour had little impact on the workers was "inconsistent with the evidence before the court from the workers themselves, and regrettably arrogant.

Peter Jones, who was secretary and lead Upper House candidate for the No Land Tax Party at the 2015 state poll, was fined $13,315 in the Federal Circuit Court.

Mr Jones, who was secretary and lead Upper House candidate for the No Land Tax Party at the 2015 state poll, was fined $13,315 in the Federal Circuit Court. The party was fined $67,575.
The only downside to Sam Dastyari's decision to step down as a Senator is it may have come too late to give federal Labor the boost it needs to seize Bennelong off the Liberals at this weekend's by-election.

If he had jumped or been pushed last week that may have created enough space for the affair to stop being a major distraction to Kristina Keneally's bid to wrest the seat, once famously lost to Labor by John Howard in 2007, from John Alexander.

That is no longer the case. And, given Ms Keneally is now being touted as a possible replacement for Mr Dastyari in the Senate in the event she does not get up in Bennelong, it is actually the worst of both worlds. It is never a good look to go into an election campaign waving a highly visible "plan B" at the voters.

Mr Dastyari's belated departure also highlights a serious lack of leadership by Bill Shorten.
For me, one of the most significant economic developments of this year was realising how pessimistic many of our youth have become about their prospects of ever landing a decent full-time job.

To be sure, some degree of frustration on their part is understandable. Although it's true we avoided a severe recession following the global financial crisis of 2008, it's equally true that, until recently, employment growth has been weaker than usual in the years since then.

Illustration: Simon Letch

And the burden of this weaker growth has fallen disproportionately on young people leaving education to look for their first full-time job.

What's less understandable is the way older, and supposedly more knowledgeable, people have sought to demonstrate how with-it and future-focused they are by spreading wildly exaggerated predictions about how many jobs will be taken by robots, scaring the pants off our youth and convincing them they're doomed to a life of "precarious employment" in the "gig economy".
The clock has been ticking on Sam Dastyari for six months, ever since a joint Fairfax Media-ABC investigation revealed startling new details of the "soft power" exerted over our political system by China's Communist Party. If Senator Dastyari had dealt with his role in the promulgation of Chinese influence openly and contritely, he might have survived.

In fact, as subsequent reporting in this newspaper revealed, he was digging himself into a deeper hole. While dissimulating in public regarding his support for China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, in private he was reaching out to the Chinese billionaire whose patronage got him into trouble in the first place. Senator Dastyari said yesterday he was resigning in support of "Labor values", when in reality he had betrayed the trust of those who elected him.

Sam Dastyari is quitting the Australian Parliament. Credit:Janie Barrett

Of course, all the reporting since June has had a more profound impact than ending the career of an errant right-wing Labor power-broker. The biggest effect of these cascading revelations came in the form of the comprehensive new laws unveiled by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week, designed to curb foreign interference in Australia's political process. Those laws will ban political donations by foreigners, create a registry for those who lobby for foreign governments, and introduce a new offence of seeking to maliciously or covertly influence our politics.

The worst thing that can be said about these measures is that they are overdue. In the US, the Logan Act, which makes it unlawful for anybody but the president to conduct foreign relations, and which looks like it may ensnare several former advisers to the current holder of that office, has been the law since 1799. Russian interference in last year's US presidential election reignited the debate there, and similar issues are percolating in Europe, as globalisation and digital connectivity create new opportunities, but also new risks. And yes, here in our region, it is inevitable the astonishing rise of China  as an economic and military super-power, but not as a democracy  would urgently thrust those same issues forward.
When oBikes were fished out of the Yarra River, the Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) threatened the controversial share bike scheme with fines of more than $3000. When a Coolaroo company washed chemicals into a stormwater drain, it got a fine of $7929. And when someone gets caught flicking a cigarette butt out the window this summer, they can expect to cough up $317.

So when Victorian power stations dump 15,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution into the sky, contributing to climate change, what's the penalty?

An oBike left on Spencer Street in June. Credit:Mark Fuller

Zero. The EPA lets them get away with it scot free. When it comes to the biggest environmental challenge we've ever faced  climate change  our environmental watchdog is snoozing on the job.

This should have changed when the Andrews government introduced a $162 million reform package designed to bring the EPA into the 21st century. The reforms include strengthening the Environment Protection Act to put the onus on polluters to prevent harm, giving the EPA greater powers to prosecute with increased penalties, and creating a new Chief Environmental Scientist position. So far, so good.
In 1978, the economic historian Charles P Kindleberger wrote in his book Manics, Panics and Crashes: "There is nothing so disturbing to one's well-being and judgment as to see a friend get rich."

"It had gone up by so much at that point anyway that I thought, to be honest, it's just free money," he says. "I might as well spend a bit of it."

In early October, he found himself chatting with some tech whizkids in the office, who explained some of the vagaries of Bitcoin. Convinced, he invested $7000. Barely two months on, he has almost trebled his money - even after buying a last-minute flight to Cancun for a friend's 30th birthday last month, which he paid for using some of his profits.

For Ryan Davies, it started through gossiping with work colleagues. The 24-year-old, who works as a project manager for IBM in London, had heard about Bitcoin, but, like most of us, only held a vague understanding of how the digital currency actually works.

The Winklevoss twins: Bitcoin billionaires.

What, then, to make of a new currency that can allow a 20-year-old to retire on the profits without ever having left his bedroom?

Once disregarded as a plaything for nerds and criminals, Bitcoin has upended the financial world order and rocketed into the mainstream. At the time of writing, one Bitcoin is worth more than $22,000. By the time you read this, that figure may have shot up even further. Last week, the cryptocurrency's rise in value surpassed that of 17th-century "tulip mania", and is on course to create the largest financial bubble in history. Unless, in the meantime, that bubble has already burst.

As many of Bitcoin's early backers are being made into millionaires, most are left wondering what on earth a cryptocurrency is and whether or not it is something they should be ploughing their savings into. The answer to the latter question, warns Dominic Frisby, author of Bitcoin, the Future of Money, is that it's already too late. "I'm afraid people have missed out on what has probably been the greatest moneymaking opportunity any of us will ever see in our lifetime," he says. "However, now it is a speculative mania. Momentum is such that it could still go a lot higher, but recognise this for what it is: a mania."

Bitcoin was first released in 2009 by an individual purporting to be called Satoshi Nakamoto, whose identity has never been revealed. Described as a peer-to-peer financial system free of the meddling of banks or any public institution, it became the currency of the so-called Dark Web - an easy, untraceable way of trading weapons, drugs and laundering cash online.
5. The Wet Tropics of Queensland. These rainforests were added in 1988. However, Cooloolas river and estuary has been nominated for World Heritage Listing since 2010. John Sinclair believes a push to add North Stradboke and Moreton islands should not delay Cooloolas application. It would be nice if those islands met the World Heritage List criteria, but Cooloola has been overdue for 25 years, he said. Cooloola is already on the interim list and if they need to add Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island together it would slow down the nomination of Cooloola for at least another four or five years, he said.

Mr Sinclair said Cooloola should be added first, as part of the Great Sandy Region, near Fraser Island. It has met all the criteria and it is due to come up now, he said. I think we should list Cooloola and add the others later. North Stradbroke Island. Credit:Redlands City Council Mr Sinclair said he worried that the impacts of sand mining over 50 years may impact on North Stradbrokes ability to claim a pristine environment.

One of the biggest elements is integrity and poor old Straddie has been mauled over for half a century by sand mining, he said. And it is not in the same pristine shape that it once was. Mr Sinclair said North Stradbroke Island tourism would benefit from having the island World Heritage Listed, but suggested an application for its cultural value may be stronger. The Quandamooka people are the Indigenous custodians of Moreton Bay. They call North Stradbroke Island "Minjerribah" and Moreton Island "Moorgumpin", meaning "place of sandhills". Sandhills on Moreton Island.

Cameron Costello, chief executive of the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation confirmed Indigenous people were being helped by Griffith University and the University of Queensland to have the two islands included on the World Heritage List. Mr Costello said Deputy Premier and new Treasurer Jackie Trad had recently written and offered Queensland Treasury support for an application for World Heritage Listing to be prepared. The first step that we have been pushing for is to assess the values so we are all really clear that the islands meet the standards, he said. The Deputy Premiers promise was to provide funding to get that process moving. The Quandamooka people say they have evidence of 20,000 years of continual settlement and scientific evaluation of the significant marine and ecological values of the two sand islands.

Moreton Bay is home or visited by 14 marine mammals, including dugongs, eight species of dolphin and five species of whale, while both islands have perch lakes and wet and dry sclerophyll forests. Six of the worlds seven turtles live in Moreton Bay, which is home to 154 fish species and 143 coral species. If the area is World Heritage Listed, it would not impact on local landowners or businesses, but would help tourism and help applications for funding, Mr Costello said. And now the dust has settled after the election, we will be looking at how we progress that, he said. Quandamooka woman and Algester Labor MP Leeanne Enoch has this week been appointed as Queenslands new Environment Minister.
A great white shark: Senate report looks into the myths around shark bites. Credit:Paul Johnston A spokeswoman for Niall Blair, NSW's Minister for Primary Industries, said the state now deployed only SMART drum lines, with range from Ballina in the north to Narrawallee on the south coast. "To date we are actively tracking 245 great white, 10 tiger and 42 bull sharks," she said. "SMART drum lines are complementing our meshing programs," she said. "However, we will continue to compare the results of both technologies to make sure we can make decisions about the best protections." Mark Furner, Queensland's new fisheries minister, said the Palaszczuk government remained "steadfast in its support for the Queensland Shark Control Program as it has undoubtedly saved lives".

"That is why it is so highly valued and why it will continue," Mr Furner said. "While we continue to monitor emerging technology, the safety of swimmers is paramount." Step forward Lisa Mondy, who was bitten by a shark seven years ago near Port Stephens, supported the recommendations calling for the removal of nets but queried the efficacy of SMART drum lines. These devices more precisely lure target sharks  such as great whites, bulls and tigers  and allow the animals to be tagged and released. . "It's a step towards something better but I think there's going to be better ways," Ms Mondy said.

"As much as killing or moving sharks seems like it could be helping, there's not really any evidence to say that it is," she said, adding that people "making informed choices about when we're going into the water and where is a much better way of managing to keep safe from sharks". David Woods, a former Ballina fisherman, predicted more fatal shark bites in the future and "it will be more dangerous to swim in the ocean than drive a car on the road" if white sharks were not taken off the endangered species list. "Instead of seeing one every 12 months or six months you're seeing one every second day," Woods said. Dissenting views Coalition senators provided additional comments to the report, saying public safety in the water was "paramount".

They "largely support[ed] the use of non-lethal and deterrent measures where such measures are proven to be as effective as existing measures". They also strongly rejected the Greens' view that nets and drum lines didn't make beaches safe. They noted there had been only one death during the past half-century at the 85-odd protected beaches in NSW and Queensland. Labor senators, meanwhile, backed most of the report's 20 recommendations while noting it was "unfeasible to place a blanket restriction" on the federal environment minister for the next two yearsmore. Still, they dubbed the proposal of the former Liberal government in Western Australia for a shark cull as "absurd". The Greens, though, were disappointed that the report failed to call for an immediate removal of all shark nets while noted the "political difficultly" of such a step. The report also highlighted the role of the media. Coverage of deaths from shark attacks "greatly exceeds" that given to most other cause of fatalities or injury, it says.
Growing tension between the Chinese and Australian governments over allegations of undue political influence has filtered into coverage of the Bennelong byelection in Chinese-Australian media, potentially hurting the Liberal Party's chances in Saturday's knife-edge poll.

As attacks by the Coalition on Sam Dastyari over his association with Chinese government-linked donors ramped up over the past few days, the People's Daily, a major Chinese state-controlled outlet, took a hard line against the Australian government, publishing an opinion piece on Monday decrying the debate as racist and urging the government and media to "discard their political biases and prejudices."

After that piece was published, the tone of coverage of the byelection rapidly began to change in Australian-based Chinese media. That coverage may prove crucial in the election on Saturday, as Bennelong has the highest percentage of Chinese-Australians of any seat in the country.

Hours after the People's Daily piece ran, Sydney Today, one of Sydney's largest online Chinese media outlets, described Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as "standing at the front line of anti-Chinese sentiment".
Bill Shorten has blamed the Liberal Party for promoting the idea of Kristina Keneally seeking to enter the Senate.

Tuesday's resignation of Sam Dastyari from the Senate has opened up a casual vacancy which NSW Labor will need to fill.

Ms Keneally is contesting this weekend's byelection in the NSW seat of Bennelong, but has been mentioned since the announcement as a possible replacement for Senator Dastyari.
Embattled Labor senator Sam Dastyari has quit Parliament after a series of revelations about his links to Chinese Communist Party-aligned interests in Australia.

The 34-year-old senator and powerful former boss of NSW Labor announced on Tuesday he had decided to resign from the Senate.

His resignation caps off a damaging fortnight for Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, and could pave the way for former NSW premier Kristina Keneally to enter the Senate should she lose the Bennelong byelection on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Labor's Sam Dastyari quit the Senate over revelations about his links to Chinese Community Party-aligned interests in Australia.

As Dastyari packs up his belongings in a cardboard box and heads for the door, he has plenty of company in the Senate's class of 2016.

Less than 18 months ago, Australians went to the polls and elected 76 senators as part of the double dissolution federal election. Since then, no less than 13 senators have quit the upper house, or about 17 per cent of those elected in mid-2016.

Just months after the federal election, Labor powerbroker Stephen Conroy surprised everyone (his colleagues included) by resigning late one night. Even though he had just been re-elected for another six years, Mr Conroy said family reasons were behind his decision to quit. Apart from West Australian Liberal Chris Back, who left the Senate in mid-2017 (also naming family reasons) and Nick Xenophon, who recently quit to run in the South Australian state election, none of the other senators (officially) left of their own volition.
Labor senator Sam Dastyari's unprecedented resignation has thrown Chinese political influence into the heart of the crucial Bennelong byelection and could help put a brake on Beijing's covert activities in Australian politics.

Senator Dastyari on Tuesday became the first Australian MP ever to resign from Parliament because of questions about his links to a foreign power at the expense of Australia's interests.

Just a few days out from the Bennelong poll, which will be critical to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's future, both major parties signalled they would hammer the issue. The seat has a high proportion of Chinese-Australian voters and Labor has signalled it will continue accusing the government over overblown "China-phobia" in its attacks.

The resignation has also thrown up the possibility that Labor's star candidate for the Sydney seat, former NSW premier Kristina Keneally, could have a fall-back option if she loses on Saturday by filling the Senate vacancy.
One year before the Weinstein allegations and the #MeToo phenomenon, political journalist Karen Middleton wrote an article about sexual harassment in Australian politics. It was not so much a personal account of her own experiences as a description of an entrenched culture in Canberra's hothouse of politicians and journalists.

If her description of this culture is still accurate, politicians, and the profession supposed to hold them to account, are living in a culture that normalises criminal behaviour. Institutionalised sexism goes some way to explaining the measurably low priority given by parliament to systemic issues of male violence, female poverty and unequal representation.

Half the women currently working in media have experienced sexual harassment, bulling and intimidation. Credit:Ingrid Kurtz

One of the many incidents Middleton described occurred when she was 21 years old and had just started working in the press gallery. An MP with "an octopus reputation" found her, as he thought, alone in an office.

She wrote: "Remarking that he had not met the newest member of the bureau, the MP quickly stepped into the minuscule room and started running his hand up my stockings, with a sleazy 'And who have we here?'
Mr Brechney took to Instagram on Tuesday afternoon to confirm he and Mr Henshall have "set a date - Saturday March 2018!!!!"

Now, the couple have announced they will be tying the knot at Mardi Gras next year.

Moments after the same-sex marriage survey result was announced, James Brechney turned to his partner Stuart Henshall at Sydney Prince Alfred Park and asked him to marry him in a proposal that went on to make headlines .

"We're going to say 'I Do' as we cross over the site of the rainbow crossing at Taylor Square on our Mardi Gras float," Brechney wrote.

Mr Brechney told the Herald he and Mr Henshall were excited to get married on their own float, currently dubbed "Breko and Stu, the Wedding".

"We absolutely adore Mardi Gras - I have flown four floats myself - so it will be an electric and magical time for both of us," Mr Brechney said.

"Not only is Taylor Square the heart of gay Sydney, but I run a Facebook page called DIY Rainbow which we started when the government tore up the rainbow crossing.

"We chalked our first rainbow after that and have been campaigning for marriage quality on that page for around four years. It's a beautiful 'full-circle' moment."
An Irish tourist missing in Sydney has been found after being missing for almost two days.

25-year-old Craig Lambe was found by a friend in Coogee about 8.30pm on Wednesday.

Mr Lambe was last seen wearing denim shorts and a black backpack.

Police thanked the public for their assistance, having released details of his disappearance on Tuesday in a public appeal for help.

Police said at the time that Lambe was last seen leaving his home on Middle Street, Kingsford, about 12.30pm on Monday, but had not made contact with friends and family or returned home since.
The 10 Australian suburbs with the largest proportion of male same-sex couples living together are all clustered within a few kilometres of Sydney's Central Station.

Topping the list was Darlinghurst, where almost one in five couples living together are men in same-sex relationships, followed by Elizabeth Bay, Surry Hills, Potts Point and Redfern.

Suburbs with the highest proportion of female same-sex couples were a little more dispersed. Seven inner-Sydney neighbourhoods were among the top 10, but the list was rounded out by Mayfield East in Newcastle, Daylesford in central Victoria and Ethelton in suburban Adelaide.
Sydney Trains boss Howard Collins admits more services on the city's rail network makes it harder to recover after a major incident but says reverting to the old timetable would leave commuters standing outside large stations due to surging demand.

Following severe disruptions to trains during the evening peak on Monday, Labor and the rail union blamed Sydney's new rail timetable for the "chaotic meltdown", which occurred almost 12 hours after a fatality on tracks at Wentworthville in Sydney's west caused a ripple effect across the network.

Mr Collins said the timing of the fatality in the morning peak and on two major rail corridors  the T1 Western and Blue Mountains lines  would have caused disruptions to services throughout the day even under the old timetable.

"It was a difficult situation to recover from. It was wrong place, wrong time," he said.
A lady lost her life to a man who should never have then been driving, and this driver simply ignores court orders as he drove again just four weeks after being disqualified by the court, he said in 2015. Accordingly the recommendation I make is the issue of a new mid-range driving offence be referred to the Attorney-General to consider changing the law to introduce a new mid-range driving offence between the existing Dangerous Driving offence, and the Driving without Due Care and Attention offence. Two years later, on October 25, Mr OConnell made the same recommendation, well aware the Queensland government was reforming its driving laws. This year, he investigated the March 2016 death of Jo-Anne Peter Fuller in a road accident. The car she was driving was struck head-on in Hervey Bay when a car driven by a "tired" driver, whose licence had also been disqualified, crossed the centre line of a main road.

Mr OConnells investigation found the other driver had been out to nightclubs the night before, had his last alcoholic drink at 2am, went to bed about 4am and got up at 10am to drive. The driver told police at the scene he was feeling "dozy, tired and hazy. No doubt many consider that a person who drives whilst their licence is suspended warrants a higher penalty than a person who holds a valid drivers licence at the time that an incident such as this one occurs, Mr O'Connell said. For the second time in two years, Mr O'Connell recommended the Queensland government introduce a third charge  reckless driving. Whilst it is pleasing to see that the government has announced an increase in certain penalties, it remains that that is only part of the whole issue, he said.

In view of all the circumstances of the matter - particularly the admissions of the driver made at an interview of being tired before the crash occurred and only getting to bed at 4am, a more serious charge of reckless driving - if that new offence was available - would certainly have been a viable option, and may very well have been proven. The [Queensland Police Service] felt that their prosecutorial options were limited due to the absence of a mid-range offence such as reckless driving. A Queensland coroner has twice recommended a new charge of reckless driving be introduced into Queensland. Credit:Max Mason-Hubers The Queensland government instead proposes an extra category of the lesser charge of careless driving with a degree of aggravation, where the maximum fine is $20,184. A person convicted could face two years' jail and losing their licence for at at least six months.

In 1997, 13-year-old Lisa Jensen walked out onto a zebra crossing while on family school holidays at Golden Beach, Caloundra, where she was struck by a car. She and her brother were off to get fish and chips. The initial impact killed me, my heart stopped, Ms Jensen said. The doctors told my parents if I survived, I would not be able to talk. The driver received a suspended jail sentence and lost his licence for 18 months. Ms Jensen was in a coma for 22 days in the Royal Brisbane Hospital, recovered from serious brain injuries, before learning to speak again, completing two degrees to become a science teacher.
It is now 100 per cent official - Queensland has a new government and its 18 ministers have been sworn in.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's team of nine men and nine women were sworn in at Government House on Tuesday morning, and five assistant ministers were welcomed.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (left) and Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad embrace during the swearing-in ceremony at Government House. Credit:AAP

Governor Paul de Jersey presided over the ceremony, which ran for more than an hour, before a crowd including Ms Palaszczk's parents - former minister Henry Palaszczuk and her mother Lorelle - federal MP Milton Dick, Police Commissioner Ian Stewart and outgoing state secretary Evan Moorhead.

Deputy Premier and freshly minted Treasurer Jackie Trad was among those to enthusiastically declare she would "well and truly serve the people of Queensland" while reciting her lines.
The death of a man at a Gold Coast park on Tuesday morning appears to be non-suspicious, police say.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman said indications from the scene where the body was found suggest the man's death was not suspicious.
Re-elected Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to veto an almost $1 billion concessional loan for the Adani mine.

After being sworn in on Tuesday, Ms Palaszczuk tweeted a photo of her letter to Mr Turnbull, fulfilling a promise she made during the election campaign to put a stop to the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility loan on her first day.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has written to the Prime Minister to veto the NAIF loan for Adani's rail line. Credit:AAP Image/ Dan Peled

"My government provides formal notification to the Commonwealth that financial assistance should not be provided to Adani for the North Galilee Basin Rail Project," she wrote.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad will also alert federal Resources and Northern Australia Minister and the NAIF to the Queensland government's position.
A woman has successfully sued a Gold Coast skin cancer doctor more than $40,000 after he inappropriately massaged her breasts and buttocks during an medical examination.

Rene Gomez, aged in his late 60s, was referred to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2015 accused of professional misconduct during a full body examination of the then-60-year-old woman.

The woman was awarded more than $40,000 in damages. Credit:Edwina Pickles

His registration was suspended for six months and he was banned from treating any female patients for the duration of his registration after he admitted to professional misconduct in relation to two incidents  one involving the 60-year-old woman and another incident in 2007 when a 39-year-old woman was asked to bend over a chair in her underwear and stand on her tiptoes during an examination.

The 60-year-old woman filed a statement of claim to the District Court on September 2016 and said the doctor "massaged" her breast and buttocks and "stroked her inner thighs" during the 2007 examination.
Insolvent trading continues to rise, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's annual report into corporate insolvencies published on Tuesday.

ASIC's overview is based on 8425 administrators' reports lodged between July 2016 and July 2017, of which 63 per cent included evidence of alleged insolvent trading.

This compares with 61 per cent of reports in 2015-16 and 58 per cent in 2014-15.

Significant concern
Aged 62, Jill Gallagher has lived long enough to have had her sense of the world shaped by some of the sorriest historical aspects of Victoria's treatment of Aboriginal people.

As a child she accompanied her mother all over the state as she chased seasonal work picking vegetables on farms, one of few lines of employment Aboriginal people were permitted to do.

Jill Gallagher has been named Victorian Treaty Advancement Commissioner. Credit:Jason South

And she has an early memory, painful still, of her mother being asked to leave the whites-only Warrnambool hotel.

It was Australia in the early 1960s, before Aboriginal people had been recognised in the constitution or been given the right to vote.
Melbourne Express, Wednesday, December 13, 2017

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The Victorian government is setting up an independent authority to clamp down on the use of undocumented and underpaid labour-hire workers across the state and has increased calls for a national labour hire scheme.

Under laws to be introduced to Parliament on Wednesday, only a person who is "fit and proper" will be able to operate a labour hire firm, and only licensed labour hire firms will be able to get work.

Fruit farms in Victoria's North have sub-contracted workers, many Malaysian, working illegally under shocking conditions. Rowi bin Ahmad was one. Credit:Penny Stephens

A newly established body, the Labour Hire Licensing Authority, will oversee the licensing scheme.

It will have the power to fine those providing labour hire services without a licence or entering into an arrangement for labour hire with an unlicensed provider more than $126,000 per individual, or more than $500,000 per body corporate.
Gisborne, Kyneton, Woodend and other Macedon Ranges villages are getting new planning controls as the state government tries to stop them turning into suburbs of Melbourne.

The state government will introduce new legislation on Wednesday aimed at containing development in the area, which has experienced huge growth in recent years due to its proximity to the city.

New boundaries will be introduced for the townships of Gisborne, Kyneton, Romsey, Riddells Creek, Lancefield and Woodend as part of a localised planning statement for the region.

The state government says the legislation will ensure development doesn't encroach on valued natural and rural landscapes.
Surfers and school children have been evacuated from a beach south of Perth twice in the past week after a Surf Life Saving WA drone spotted two sharks within 100 metres of swimmers.

SLSWA general manager Chris Peck said the drones were introduced at five popular Perth beaches two weeks ago as part of a new strategy to protect beach goers.

The two sharks were spotted at Secret Harbour by drone on Monday and December 4.

"Our drone patrol at Secret Harbour during a routine patrol has picked up a shark off the back of a break on Monday morning," Mr Peck said.
Bangkok: Police have arrested an Australian Hells Angels member and bar owner over an attempt to smuggle millions of dollars worth of crystal methamphetamines into a Thai port.

Luke Joshua Cook, 34, was arrested at Bangkok's international airport with his Thai wife only days after a crackdown on other members of the outlawed motor cycle gang in the Thai seaside city of Pattaya.

Australian Luke Cook and his Thai wife Kanyarat Wechapitak. Credit:Narcotics Suppression Bureau

Police allege that Cook and his wife Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, bought 500 kilograms of the drug from a Chinese supplier in international waters on June 22.

They allege the couple dropped the drugs into the sea and escaped as their boat was about to be intercepted by a Thai patrol ship off the Thai coast.
Beijing: Chinese businesses are concerned that "anti-China" sentiment in Australia will put investments at risk or block Chinese energy deals, it has been reported.

However tourism to Australia is unlikely to be hit over the peak Australian summer season, as tours are already fully booked.

Chinese tourists are not expected to stop coming this summer as a result of tension in the relationship. Credit:Alamy

Chinese state-owned company China Energy Reserve and Chemicals Group has bid $463 million for Australian natural gas company AWE, but is facing resistance from AWE which has pointed out the Chinese offer would require approval by the Foreign Investment Review Board. On Monday, a rival bid was made by Australian company Mineral Resources.

Northern China is facing an acute natural gas shortage this winter, in the wake of coal bans for heating to combat air pollution. Australia is the second largest exporter of liquified natural gas and was expected to become the largest within a year.
Paris: Emmanuel Macron plans to award multi-year grants for several US-based scientists to relocate to France, his office said on the eve of a climate summit hosted by the French President to raise finances to counter global warming.

Macron unveiled the "Make our Planet Great Again" grants after President Donald Trump in June said he was pulling the US out of an international accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that was brokered in Paris in 2015.

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and US President Donald Trump in Paris in July. Credit:AP

Macron repeatedly tried to persuade the American leader to reverse his decision. In a statement, the Elysee Palace said 13 of the initial 18 grants will be awarded to scientists based in the United States.

"You will now settle in, develop projects, enrich French, European research, because we've decided to give even bigger resources and to fully recognise what you are doing," Macron said in a speech at Station F, a start-up incubator in Paris.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, following their talks in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday. Credit:ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO The trip to Turkey was the last scheduled for the day, with the agenda focused on political talks to end the war in Syria and the sale of an advanced Russian S-400 air missile defence system to Ankara, something that Russia has in the past refused to do. The session will be the eighth time Putin and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have met this year, and lately they have been getting together every two weeks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, following their meeting in Ankara, Turkey, also on Monday. Credit:AP Russia has taken full advantage of the US reluctance to engage in various Middle East conflicts, especially Syria, to reconstruct relations with various capitals such as Cairo, which expelled the Soviets in the early 1970s after years of close military cooperation.

Although Putin is assured of victory in the 2018 presidential election in March, he is seeking a record turnout and a record level of support, according to reports in the Russian news media. At each stop, there was some accomplishment or friendship to trumpet. To do that, he needs both to generate excitement in a lackluster campaign and at least appear focused on domestic issues, according to various analysts, even if he personally seems far more animated when discussing foreign policy than fixing roads. Hence, he wants to significantly reduce the Russian role in Syria before campaigning begins in earnest in February. "People are not that much concerned about Syria, it is a faraway land that people do not know much about," said Konstantin von Eggert, a political analyst and talk show host on independent television. If Russians think about it at all, he and other analysts said, they typically wonder why the Kremlin is spending money in a region long peopled by savages bent on killing one another. In Syria, Putin repeated that Russian forces had defeated the threat from Islamic militants that they had come to confront two years ago, although many believe that the real purpose was to shore up Assad, at the time Russia's last ally in the region.

"In two years, the Russian armed forces, together with the Syrian army have defeated the most combat-capable group of international terrorists," Putin said in a speech at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria. "In connection with this, I have made a decision: A significant part of the Russian military contingent in the Syrian Arab Republic is returning home, to Russia." As usual, Putin left himself plenty of wiggle room by saying that "a significant part" of the troops would come home. He also noted that Russia established a permanent presence, with the Hemeimeem base and an expanded naval station at Tartus, Syria. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, was even more equivocal, saying that there was no specific timetable for the withdrawal. "It is clear that it is not a matter of a day," he said. Some analysts said that Putin's visit and announcement of the withdrawal could be seen in part as an effort to pressure Assad, who up to now has shown remarkable willingness to defy Russia's stated goal of a substantive political process despite his deep reliance on Russian power.

Russia has not only propped up Assad's beleaguered army, but has also helped push international peace talks away from an earlier consensus that Assad step down before any transition could be negotiated. But Moscow does not want to indefinitely support a weakened Syrian state with questionable legitimacy. Russia has lost hundreds of military personnel in the fighting, and is spending heavily on the war effort and on propping up the government. And Putin is eager to declare victory, not only militarily but to cement his leadership of an international diplomatic effort that he sees as crowning Russia's return to the world stage as an equal to the United States. Syrian opposition negotiators taking part in the United Nations-led talks in Geneva broadly welcomed Putin's troop withdrawal order. "It will help us, it's good, we are very positive," said Hind Kabawat, a member of the opposition negotiating team. They expressed the hope that Russia was now ready to use whatever leverage it had with Assad to press for compromises that would inject momentum into the Geneva talks. Other analysts noted that if nothing of substance happened in Geneva, or on the Syrian battlefield, then Putin's announcement of a troop withdrawal would have had more to do with Russia's domestic politics than with Syria.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a Central Committee meeting on Tuesday, December 12, 2017. USM Board members will be present.

The continuation of the urgent Central Committee meeting which was adjourned on November 28, and again on December 5, 2017 is scheduled for 10.00 hrs in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is:

Discussion with USM Board members to discuss their feedback on the motives for the closure of this esteemed establishment (IS/142/2017-2018 dated November 22, 2017)

(This meeting was requested by MP T.E. Heyliger, MP F.A. Meyers, MP S.M. Bijlani, MP P.F.M. Geerlings, MP S.A. Wescot-Williams, MP C.M.M. Connor, MP T.E. Leonard and MP C.E. Brownbill)

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.com and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten.
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STAMFORD  In the past 15 years working in health care communications, Tory Cenaj has chronicled many of the trends shaping the industry. Her new project focuses on what could be another breakthrough.

Cenaj is the founder and publisher of Blockchain in Healthcare Today, an online journal set to debut next month. The launch of the publication reflects her faith in the potential of technology she thinks could transform the health care industry by ushering in more data security and producing major savings.

I feel that the Affordable Care Act has become the fuel thats propelling a very necessary and required change in the marketplace today, Cenaj said in an interview last week at her home office in the citys Shippan section. If you couple that with health technology innovation, we know can break the chains of status quo and really both elevate and move the marketplace and health care as weve known it into a completely new realm and frontier.

Blockchain represents a shared or decentralized network of computers, functioning as a digital ledger for accounting and other record keeping, Cenaj said. She sees it as an ideal platform for protecting health care data and allowing patients to easily share their information with providers.

Its secure, because it cant be edited or tampered with, Cenaj said. Its not paper based, so it winds up saving time and money, reducing errors and effort and energy. You can put a stamp on a transaction and know it cant be tampered with. Theres also no middleman. The applications in health care alone are mind-boggling.

It complements another online publication, Telehealth and Medicine Today, which Cenaj launched last year. Both are in the portfolio of her Partners in Digital Health firm.

More Information For more information on Blockchain in Healthcare Today, visit: https://blockchainhealthcaretoday.com/index.php/journal See More Collapse

In a milestone for the publication, BHTY announced late last month the hiring of its first editor in chief, Dr. John Halamka. He is a professor at Harvard Medical School, chief information officer of the Beth Israel Deaconess System in the Boston area and an emergency physician.

Cenaj did not know Halamka, but she was impressed by a Harvard Business Review article on blockchain that he co-authored and then reached out to him.

A team of other health care and blockchain experts will join Halamka on the journals editorial board. The same group will also serve as peer reviewers of articles submitted.

BHTY is accepting submissions until Dec. 29 for the inaugural issue. After the first edition, the journal will post accepted articles on an ongoing basis on its website, which is free. Advertising and sponsorships are supporting BHTY.

Online journals play an important role in the development and evolution of the technology, said David Noble, a professor in the University of Connecticut business school, who recently launched a blockchain-focused company. They provide a place for the interested parties to learn and share their knowledge. Adoption of technology becomes much easier when there is a place to discuss the industry specific issues that arise.

In addition to the new publication, Cenaj aims to launch next year a global health citizenry initiative, which would likely include a conference.

Theres something really unique about collaborating and sharing, Cenaj said. I really do believe that is how you change a paradigm.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
STAMFORD  The just-elected Board of Representatives  with a youngest-ever president, a bevy of freshman members and a faction who ran as reformers  will set new courses when it gets to work next month.

The boards Steering Committee Monday laid out a January agenda that includes proposals to make government more transparent by ending the practice of leaders-only meetings with the mayor, and allowing all representatives to participate in closed committee discussions.

Representatives will seek a solution for the traffic-congested intersection at the bottom of Palmers Hill, and consider once again distributing I Voted stickers on Election Day.

They also will consider Mayor David Martins request to reappoint all of his cabinet members for his second four-year term  Director of Operations Ernie Orgera, Director of Administration Michael Handler, Director of Legal Affairs Kathryn Emmett, and Director of Public Safety, Health & Welfare Ted Jankowski.

In a break from past practice, Martin on Monday addressed the Steering Committee rather than a gathering that came to be known over the years as Pre-Steering, when board leaders and the mayor held a private discussion an hour before the committee convened.

Pre-Steering has been controversial all of this decade, when representatives tried to challenge it before the state Freedom of Information Commission, saying board leaders were working out the agenda privately with the mayor and bringing it to Steering to be rubber-stamped.

When Martin began his first term in 2013, he demanded that Pre-Steering meetings be open to the public and all representatives. He now thinks the meetings should be eliminated, according to a statement he made to the Steering Committee Monday evening.

After some very preliminary discussions with your new president, I suggested or he suggested or we both suggested that, rather than having Pre-Steering meetings, that I come in for a short while and address some transcending issues  or other things that may be important to you that are going on that Id simply like to announce or ask or answer any questions about, Martin told committee members.

The boards Legislative & Rules Committee will consider the proposal to end the Pre-Steering meetings on Dec. 21 and will then make a recommendation to the full board, which will decide.

The Steering Committee voted to send another matter to Legislative & Rules  a proposal to allow all representatives, regardless of whether they are a member of a particular committee, to take part in that committees meetings, including closed-door discussions called executive sessions.

State Freedom of Information law allows elected officials to leave public meetings to discuss some issues in private, such as drafts of certain documents, personnel matters, and pending litigation.

City Rep. J.R. McMullen, R-18, a co-sponsor of the proposal, has challenged committees exclusion of representatives who are not members.

Weve had situations where people who went into executive session had all the information and the people who were not permitted in executive session didnt get the information and then were expected to vote based on partial information, McMullen said. Everybody should be casting their votes based on the same information.

Besides the push for more transparent government, representatives voted to take up the problem of perennial traffic congestion at the foot of Palmers Hill Road, where it intersects Stillwater Road and, farther up the hill, at Westover Road.

Two new representatives, Anzelmo Graziosi and Eric Morson, both Democrats from District 13, want to review the possibility for a traffic circle to ease the backups. The boards Transportation Committee will take up the discussion at its Dec. 28 meeting.

Representative also will consider an honorary resolution submitted by the mayor to reinstate distribution of I Voted stickers to citizens who go to the polls on Election Day. Despite nationwide popularity, voting stickers have not been handed out in Stamford since 2004, when a poll worker stuck one on the lapel of a mans faux suede jacket.

The man, Robert Bonoff, said the sticker left a mark when he removed it, and sued the city for $106 to replace the jacket. The registrars office has since no longer provided stickers and poll workers were directed not to hand them out.

Last year, a grassroots group raised money for stickers and brought them to polling places, re-kindling residents enthusiasm for them. Across America, voters take selfies with their stickers and post the photos online. Studies have shown that stickers help get more people to the polls.

Stamford voters last month elected 14 newcomers to the 40-member Board of Representatives, including eight from Reform Stamford, a faction of Democrats who ran on a platform of fixing an entrenched political system that upholds the status quo.

Democrats outnumber Republicans 32-8 on the board, which elected 31-year-old Stamford native Matthew Quinones, a Democrat from District 16, as president. Quinones is the youngest president in modern board history, members have said.

The board met this month to select committee chairs. It will begin deliberating city ordinances, setting policies and fees, and other matters at its Jan. 2 meeting at 8 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com.
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."
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Scottsbluff City Attorney Kent Hadenfelt said he believed that Meininger was referring to Nebraska statute 19-646, which sets out the city managers powers and duties: The powers and duties of the city manager shall be (1) to see that the laws and ordinances are enforced, (2) to appoint and remove all heads of departments and all subordinate officers and employees in the departments in both the classified and unclassified service, which appointments shall be upon merit and fitness alone, and in the classified service all appointments and removals shall be subject to the civil service provisions of the Civil Service Act, (3) to exercise control over all departments and divisions thereof that may be created by the council, (4) to attend all meetings of the council with the right to take part in the discussion but not to vote, (5) to recommend to the council for adoption such measures as he or she may deem necessary or expedient, (6) to prepare the annual budget and keep the council fully advised as to the financial condition and needs of the city, and (7) to perform such other duties as may be required of him or her by sections 19-601 to 19-648 or by ordinance or resolution of the council.
Nebraskans pay too much in property taxes. According to the Tax Foundation, Nebraskans pay the seventh highest property taxes in the nation. Nebraskans pay 1.65 percent of their homes value in property taxes every year. The best state in the country for property taxes is Hawaii, where homeowners pay only 0.28 percent of their homes value. Most importantly, though, we pay more in property taxes than any of our neighboring states. In Wyoming, for example, homeowners pay only 0.51 percent and in Colorado homeowners pay only 0.59 percent.

Nebraskans pay too much in combined state and local taxes as well! According to John R. Bartle, Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraskas combined state and local revenues collected per capita continue to be higher than the national average as well as higher than all the other states in the West North Central region of the country.

So, why are property taxes in Nebraska so high? I have long maintained that Nebraska does not have a revenue problem; instead, we have a spending problem. So, the primary culprit is how we spend our hard-earned taxpayer dollars.

One of the items we spend a lot of money on is education. Among the 50 states, Nebraska ranks 17th in the nation in per pupil spending, according to the website, Governing. In 2014 (the latest year with statistics) Nebraska spent $11,726 per pupil in K-12 education. By way of comparison, Utah spent only $6,500 per pupil. Most importantly, though, Nebraskas per pupil spending was higher than in all of our neighboring states, except Wyoming. South Dakota, for example, spent only $8,881 per pupil and Colorado spent only $8,985 per pupil. Nebraskas K-12 public schools are over reliant upon property taxes, receiving 49 percent of their funding from property taxes compared to the national average of only 29 percent. Worst in the State is the Adams Central School District, which receives 83 percent of its funding from property taxes.

Another reason our property taxes are so high is due to tax increment financing (TIF). When TIF monies are abused for economic development, the result is lost revenues appropriated for local expenses. Property taxes collected from TIF financed properties are often designated for non-local expenditures, and the result is that other property owners have to make up the difference in lost revenues.

Another reason our property taxes are out of control is due to too many tax exemptions. For instance, estimates for the Nebraska Advantage Act show that by the end of 2017 businesses will have received $295,000,000 in tax credits, while in 2018 they will receive $358,000,000. For the year 2020 estimates for tax credits from the Nebraska Advantage Act are projected to reach $500,000,000. Without a way to measure the results of these kinds of tax credits, the burden may soon become unbearable for the State.

Some businesses simply abuse their tax exemptions. Perhaps, the worst case of abusing a property tax exemption came when Goodwill Omaha claimed an exemption as a non-profit business while paying their executives six figure salaries but subjecting their disabled workers to sub-minimum pay. Because Goodwill Omaha was able to get away with claiming non-profit status, last year the city of Omaha lost somewhere between $300,000 - $400,000 in property tax revenues.

For these reasons, and more, in January I will introduce the 50/50 plan as a bill for property tax relief. The 50/50 plan will allow property owners to receive half of that portion of their property taxes which go to fund public education as a credit or refund on their Nebraska State income tax return. The Liberal approach for how to pay for the 50/50 will be to raise your sales taxes and income taxes, but the conservative approach will be to make cuts in the States budget. When you consider that Nebraska has 629.6 full-time government employees for every 10,000 people compared to the national average of only 537.6, it is not difficult to imagine ways we can pay for the 50/50 plan without having to raise your income taxes or sales taxes.

Merry Christmas.
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Agriculture remains a key driver of Iredell Countys economy, so we were encouraged when we learned that North Carolinas junior U.S. senator, Thom Tillis, was planning a visit here Monday to address a critical issue on Capitol Hill that will directly impact many local farmers.
By Michael Boyd, jr. STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD While Ste. Genevieve County residents voted no to Amendment 3, the rest of the Show-Me State said yes to legalize marijuana, passing the measure on Tuesday (Nov. 8), according to unofficial results from the 2022 midterm elections. Missouri now is one of the 21 states, along with Washington,
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Anheuser-Busch will add "best consumed by" dates on the labels of all the craft beer brands it has acquired over the years, put solar panels on brewery facilities and offer more educational programs to build its customer base.

The brewer announced the new initiative, named "Elevate," on Tuesday.

The effort is designed in part to help the industry attract wine and spirits drinkers, Felipe Szpigel, president of A-B's High End division, said in a call with reporters. Under "Elevate," A-B plans to add programs on pairing beer and food, among other topics.

The High End division includes imports and 11 craft breweries A-B has acquired since 2011, including Goose Island, Blue Point Brewing Company, 10 Barrel Brewing, Elysian Brewing Company, Golden Road Brewing and Wicked Weed Brewing.

Best consumed by date coding will be added next year on all craft beer brands A-B has acquired to let consumers know when the beer is freshest, Szpigel said in the call. "It's about building an even better future for our industry," Szpigel said. "Ideally, this inspires other brewers and other players in the industry to do this as well."

Another component of the initiative includes plans to offer at least $2 million for craft breweries acquired by A-B to donate to charitable groups in their communities.

All of A-B's acquired craft breweries will also have solar panels installed to power their facilities by 2020, the brewer said, as part of a commitment to shift to 100 percent solar and wind renewable electricity and reduce water usage by 20 percent.

The announcement comes amid criticism of A-B following its acquisitions. The Brewers Association, a Colorado-based industry trade group, recently rolled out a logo for craft beer labels. The Brewers Association defines craft brewers as independent, traditional brewers that produce 6 million barrels of beer annually or less.

In October, the Brewers Association launched a tongue-in-cheek takeover campaign to try to buy A-B as a means to raise awareness among consumers to help distinguish small and financially independent craft brewers from big brewers.
St. Louis native and musician Ryan Koenig, a member of Pokey LaFarges band, is recovering after getting hit by a car in Charleston, South Carolina last week.

As of late this morning, more than $25,000 had been raised through a crowdfunding website, and LaFarge posted his thanks on his Facebook page Sunday.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers, your kind words too. We miss this bearded beauty. Were playing Tipitina's In NOLA tonight. Ryan loves New Orleans. So were gonna kick some ass for him.

In an earlier post, LaFarge said Koenig was in stable condition and recovering after getting hit by a vehicle on the sidewalk but was not able to continue to tour with the band.

Koenig travels with several different performers and performs hillbilly-inspired tunes as Lonesome Cowboy Ryan, when hes not on tour, according to his website.

Ryan has recorded and performed on harmonica, guitar, guit-jo, banjo, dobro, fiddle, mandolin, washboard, bass, bones, and jug--just to name a few, according to the site. His ability to change instruments at a moment's notice thrills audiences wherever he goes. In addition to his skill as an instrumentalist, Ryan sings in a highly distinctive tenor voice, and is a prolific songwriter.
BELLEVILLE  An Air Force general says he has lost confidence in a commander at Scott Air Force Base and relieved him of his command.

In a news release, Lieutenant General Giovanni Tuck says he relieved Colonel John Howard of command of the 375th Air Mobility Wing on Monday and that Colonel W. Chris Buschur had taken over.

The release said Tuck had "lost confidence in Howard's leadership and ability to continue serving in command" but did not explain why.

The Belleville News-Democrat reached Howard by phone on Monday night but Howard told the paper he was asked not to comment.

Howard was scheduled to speak at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's fall commencement on Saturday but a university spokesman says the school was notified that the base will send another colonel.
Most areas of New Zealand are now in Restricted or Prohibited Fire Seasons, following the extremely hot, dry and windy start to summer.

Make sure you go to checkitsalright.nz to check the fire season in your area, says Rob Goldring, National Advisor Fire Risk Management, Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

"This year is shaping up to be much drier than previous years and with the La Nina conditions forecast, it is only going to get hotter and drier.

"We have already had some quite significant vegetation fires, much earlier in the fire season than usual. It is really important that people abide by the Fire Season rules. The rules are there for a reason: to keep people and property safe from fire."

"The whole East Coast of the South Island, and the Lower North Island from South Taranaki, across to Hawkes Bay and down to Wellington and the Wairarapa are particularly dry.

"We are likely to have to increase fire season restrictions further in these areas before Christmas."

A Prohibited Fire Season means there is a total ban on the lighting of any fires in open air.

A Restricted Fire Season means a permit is required to light a fire in open air. You commit an offence if you knowingly or recklessly light, or allow another person to light, a fire in open air in an area that is in a Restricted Fire Season unless under a permit issued by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

Any permits issued during a Restricted Fire Season are suspended if Fire and Emergency declares a Prohibited Fire Season, or prohibits fire in open air in the area.

Gas cookers or gas barbeques do not require a fire permit in a Restricted fire season. For cultural fires (hangi, umu) please apply for a permit and discuss with a Rural Fire Officer.

Please also note, all Public Conservation Land administered by the Department of Conservation is in a Year round/365 Day Restricted Fire Season.

Key fire safety tips include:

- Make sure your property has good access for firetrucks, and to water supplies.

- Have a well-practiced escape plan so everyone knows what to do if there is a fire.

- Call 111 immediately if you see any smoke.

- Maintain a defendable area free of vegetation around your home

- Store firewood in a cool dry place, not next to your home. It will dry out with the sun and heat and ignite easily.

- Dispose of cigarettes safely, do not throw them out the car window.

- Be vigilant when carrying out activities with machinery, that causes sparks and ignite a fire.

Dampen down the surrounding area beforehand, and undertake the activity first thing in the morning when it is coolest.

Remember to check the fire season at www.checkitsalright.nz as these activities may be fully prohibited due to the high risk of them starting a fire.

Use our fire safety checklist to help make sure your property is safe from vegetation fire this summer https://fireandemergency.nz/assets/Documents/Files/Is-your-property-safe-from-fire.PDF
The derelict barge that has been a fixture in Hunters Creek for decades, is going to be removed.

The BOP Regional Councils decision states the cost is not to exceed $400,000, with the work to be funded and undertaken in the next Long Term Plan.

Meanwhile, harbourmaster Peter Buell will move the ski poles to exclude the barge from the water ski area.

The budget for removing the barge is $400,000 which will be included in the 2018/2028 Long Term Plan.

The barge sank in its current position in 1970 or 1971 while it was being towed to a position further up Hunters Creek, according to the history related to the regional Council.

It first came to the Bay of Plenty in the late 1960s when Harbour Transport bought it after it was used in the construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge extension project.

But the barges actual history dates to WW II. It was built in the US during the war constructed of riveted steel and concrete.

It was towed to Japan at the end of the war where it was used in the re-build. History doesnt relate when it arrived in New Zealand.

During Harbour Transports ownership the barge was used to move machinery and equipment around Tauranga Harbour and to Matakana Island. It leaked like a sieve, and was patched up multiple times using rapid set concrete.

John McGill, who worked for Harbour Transport during the 1960s and 1970s told the regional council that Neill Cropper and Company bought the barge to store explosives in 1970 or 1971, and had a structure made from double concrete block walls and a very heavy explosion proof concrete roof strengthened by pre-stressed steel beams built on top of it.

When they tried to move the barge, the combination of the weight of the new structure and the holes in the hull meant it was too heavy to float. They used large pumps to keep up with the water leaking in and towed it up Hunters Creek, where it sank.

The barge broke its back sometime afterwards. The then Bay of Plenty Harbour Board used the barge for storing detonators during the blasting of the Tanea Shelf.

Since the mid-1980s there have been a number of assessments of disposal options for the derelict, but they were never followed through, primarily due to cost.

The barge is identified as an emerging risk in the regional councils Key Risk Register. The decision to remove the barge is the only one of the available options that completely eliminates the potential risks to the public and Councils reputation, says the report.

The regional council is stuck with it. It inherited the problem when it became the successor to the harbour board in 1989 - and there is no clear pathway or evidence to assign responsibility to persons or organisations who had historical involvement with this barge.
The Western Bay of Plenty District Councils water supplies come from underground sources to give residents security and safety of drinking water supply, says Kelvin Hill, the council Utilities Manager.

Bore water generally speaking is safer due to the fact it isnt interfered with or contaminated by airborne debris, animals or people.

We also have Public Health Risk Management Plans for our water sources (Ministry of Health approved). These documents have undergone extensive reviews and are now nationally called water safety plans.

Kelvin is responding to question from SunLive following the release of the Government inquiry into the 2016 Havelock North water poisoning that saw 5500 people become ill from drinking contaminated water.

The illness may have contributed to three deaths, and 45 people were hospitalised.

The outbreak was traced to two shallow bores on the outskirts of Havelock North. After some heavy rain, contaminated water flowed from a paddock into a pond 90m from the extraction point.

Kelvin says WBOPDC sources its drinking water from nine secure groundwater bore fields and one surface water supply. We use groundwater bores because the water tends to be safer  theres no access from air, people or animals.

This enabled us to achieve a more consistent quality of water and reliability of supply. It also allows council to increase its capacity to meet future demand and to improve reliability of supply in drought conditions.

A number of WBOPDC bore heads are located within horticultural or agricultural land.

However, strict guidelines around design and protection of such an asset has been adhered to during construction. Each site has undergone a strict audit to ensure such design conditions continue to be met.

For example, there is an exclusion zone around the bore heads using security type fencing, as well as ensuring all surface water drains away from the bore heads. This makes sure there is protection in place at all times.

Samples of water are routinely taken from pipes throughout the district and tested in a laboratory  on average this happens on a weekly basis.

We monitor the results to ensure all drinking water fits the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards. Council works with a drinking water assessor from the Ministry of Health to ensure we achieve this every time.

To ensure the safety of each bore field and treatment plant each has a water safety plan to make sure the underground water supplies are protected from becoming contaminated and that the treated water isnt contaminated on the way to your tap.

Raw water collects different minerals and naturally occurring pollutants, so council treats it to make sure its safe to drink and use.

The raw water council gets from its underground bores is already of a very high quality and generally requires very little treatment. To make it safe to drink a number of processes are used.

Filtration removes particles such as manganese, iron, clay, silt and other organic matter from bore water.

Disinfection kills bacteria and other harmful micro-organisms by adding very small amounts of chlorine or through ultra-violet radiation and pH treatment/balance adjusts acidity/alkalinity of water to a neutral level pH which gives water a better taste.

This is necessary because council water is taken from bores and hasnt had time to complete a full natural purification process.

Regular sampling and testing is carried out to ensure water meets NZ Drinking Water Standards set by the Ministry of Health.

Kelvin says there have been no water borne illnesses that council is aware of in the past 12 months.

We have, however, had two instances (March and August) in the Eastern Supply zone, where higher pH levels were discovered in our water supplies. In both cases this was caused by a section of water main line that had not been active for a period of time being brought back on line without adequate flushing.

This led to a body of water with higher than normal pH entering the main system affecting some properties. A high pH level means the water is more alkaline than it should be and the main concern about this is that it can cause skin irritation in some people.

Council supplies metered drinking water to 15,700 properties (about 34,000 people) across the Western Bay District through a complex network of reticulation.

The 2013 Census had the Western Bay at a population of 43,692 which is slightly above 20,000 households.

Those people not on council water manage their own on-site supply by bore, rainwater tanks or pumping from streams, rivers, lakes. 

Council is happy to provide any educational literature on the benefits of having a treated water supply. While the consumer has the choice of what water supply they wish to use, it is important that they understand the potential health risks, says Kelvin.

Overview of water network in the Western Bay:

Three supply zones  East, Central and West

Nine bore fields

10 water treatment plants

24 reservoir and tank sites

24 booster pump stations

About 660km of pipes

One surface supply in the Te Puke Bush area.
Alex Maloney and Molly Meech continued their dominance in the 49erFX at Sail Sydney, with seemingly their biggest worry keeping out of the way of ferries chugging up and down Sydney harbour.

The pair have won five of the six races in the small fleet, with their only blemish a second today behind the other Kiwi combination of Erica Dawson and Kate Stewart.

Maloney and Meech have opened up an eight-point gap on Australias Amelia Stabback and Ella Clark in second halfway through the four-day regatta, with Dawson and Stewart a further three points adrift in fourth.

"It was another glamour day for sailing on Sydney harbour with 12-14 knots," Maloney said. "We had a pretty good day. The second race was exciting, ending in a photo finish with the other Kiwi girls. Its really fun when its that close going to a reach finish in a skiff.

"Molly and I are working well together. Were just keeping things simple, avoiding ferries and having fun. We are getting off the line well and feel like we have good speed in these conditions so we can control our tactics and sail our own race.

"The plan from here is to keep pushing the start line. And laugh a lot."

Josh Porebski and Trent Rippey were the big movers of the trio of Kiwi boats in the 49er, moving up to second on the back of a third and two seconds. Theyre now only one point behind Australias Joel Turner and David Gilmour.

Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie, who led after the first day, are still in contention only six points off the lead in fourth overall.

"Were pretty happy with how things are going," Porebski said. "Hopefully were still within touch of the top of the podium at the end of the week.

"Its been pretty challenging. Its been super shifty and the main thing is trying to stay in phase with the shifts and pressure because there are some big holes out there."

The 49ers have also had their issues with the Manly ferry.

"The race committee postponed the start a couple of times," Porebski said, "and yesterday one ferry came right through the course and we had to gybe out of the way. Its classic Sydney."

Sam Meech lost his lead in the Laser, dropping to fifth overall, but can expect to jump back into contention when the discard for the worst result kicks in. The Olympic silver medallist was one of a number of competitors to be black flagged for being over the start line in the first race of the day (fellow Kiwis Andrew McKenzie and George Gautrey and Olympic champion Tom Burton were also deemed over) but backed it up with his third second placing of the regatta in the days final race.

Tom Saunders is the best placed of the Kiwis in second after recording a first and fourth in his two races. Hes only two points adrift of Australias Matthew Wearn in first.

Similar weather is expected in Sydney tomorrow.

Results and standings after the second day of Sail Sydney today:

49erFX (6 boats)

1st Alex Maloney / Molly Meech (NZL) 1 1 1 1 (2) 1 - 5 points 2nd: Amelia Stabback / Ella Clark (AUS) (5) 3 2 2 3 3 - 13 pts 3rd: Tess Lloyd / Harry Mighell (AUS) 2 2 (5) 5 4 2 - 15 pts

4th Erica Dawson / Kate Stewart (NZL) 4 (5) 3 4 1 4 - 16 pts

49er (19 boats)

1st: Joel Turner / David Gilmour (AUS) (6) 3 4 1 3 1 - 12 pts 2nd: Josh Porebski / Trent Rippey (NZL) (8) 4 2 3 2 2 - 13 pts 3rd: Will Phillips / Sam Phillips (AUS) 2 1 5 (7) 5 3 - 16 pts

4th: Isaac McHardie / William McKenzie (NZL) 3 2 1 (9) 7 5 - 18 pts 6th Logan Dunning Beck / Oscar Gunn (NZL) 1 8 (20 DSQ) 2 6 4 - 21 pts

Laser (24 boats)

1st: Matthew Wearn (AUS) 1 6 3 1 - 11 pts 2nd: Tom Saunders (NZL) 4 4 1 4 - 13 pts 3rd: Luke Elliott (AUS) 5 1 2 7 - 15 pts

5th: Sam Meech (NZL) 2 2 25BFD 2 - 31 pts 10th: Andrew McKenzie (NZL) 10 5 25BFD 3 - 43 pts 15th: George Gautrey (NZL) 11 10 25BFD 14 - 60 pts 16th: Matthew Kempkers (NZL) 19 13 10 18 - 60 pts
Premier Wynne suing Brown for defamationCanadian PressPublished:December 11, 2017Updated:December 11, 2017 4:10 PM ESTPremier Kathleen Wynne addresses questions from the public during a town hall meeting in Toronto on Monday, November 20, 2017. Wynne says Johnson Electric will invest more than $350 million in new equipment and capacity in Ontario, which she says is expected to create 326 new jobs.Christopher Katsarov / THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO  Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is suing the Opposition leader for defamation.A spokeswoman for Wynne says a statement of claim was filed on Monday in order for the premier to be able to continue with her case against Patrick Brown.Wynnes lawyer first demanded in a letter in September that Brown withdraw comments he made a day before the premier testified as a witness at a trial in Sudbury involving two provincial Liberals facing Election Act bribery charges.Brown had told reporters he hoped Wynne would give answers about the scandal maybe when she stands trial and went on to describe her as a sitting premier, sitting in trial.Brown refused to apologize for the statements both after the initial lawyers letter and following a libel notice in October.Wynnes spokeswoman says this case can be resolved with an apology from Brown, but if he continues to refuse to apologize the premier will be able to continue the legal action.
Flu season has arrived earlier than it did last year  just in time for the holidays  and health officials are concerned that this season could bring a severe outbreak.

Dr. Karen Shelton, the health director for the Mt. Rogers Health District, said Thursday marked a change in the presence of influenza across the commonwealth. The number of cases took flus designation from sporadic outbreaks to widespread. For a widespread declaration, Shelton said, at least half the districts in the commonwealth have to confirm the presence of flu through hospital emergency room records.

The widespread presence of flu, she said, has been declared three weeks earlier than it was in 2016. Last year, flu remained widespread for 16 weeks, or through the beginning of April.

Regionally, Shelton said, not all the numbers are in regarding flu, but some increase in cases has been observed.

Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA), which includes Smyth County Community Hospital, also noted that flu cases are increasing in the region.

MedExpress Urgent Care, which has 19 offices in Virginia, including one in Marion and another in Bluefield, Va., reported seeing higher-than-usual rates of flu-like illnesses, especially in Virginia. MedExpress also noted that its 2017-2018 influenza-like-illness (ILI) rates are higher than they have been during the same time period of the past four flu seasons (15 percent in 2017-2018 compared to 11-13 percent in previous years).

As well, MedExpress noted that it has practices in 18 states. Of those 250 centers, its Virginia locations are experiencing the highest rates of ILI.

Shelton explained that ILI are those with a fever, cough and sore throat without any other defined illness.

Shelton noted flu and ILI seem especially prevalent in Northern Virginia now, but she and MSHA officials urged everyone to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting a flu vaccine and using common-sense preventative measures such as hand washing and covering coughs. To protect others, the health director also advised those who do become sick with a fever and cough to stay at home until at least 24 hours after the fever ends without the use of fever-reducing medication. She advised bed rest with drinking plenty of fluids for those who do get sick. She encouraged those individuals with other medical problems to see a physician. Doctors, she said, may prescribe anti-viral medication for those with higher-risk conditions.

MSHA officials joined Shelton in urging people to get flu vaccines.

Flu is a very serious illness, and it is crucial that everyone is protected, said Jamie Swift, director of infection prevention for MSHA. Every year, we see hospitalizations and deaths from the flu here in our region. This flu season, there have already been five pediatric deaths in the U.S. due to flu. We want to do everything we can to prevent serious complications like this, and widespread vaccination is the best way to do that.

A vaccination is recommended for everyone over six months old, especially pregnant women, the elderly, and those with a weakened immune system.

Flu season typically begins in October and runs through March. Since Oct. 1, Mountain States hospitals have recorded 80 positive flu cases.

Were expecting a fairly severe flu season, said Swift. Its still early to make a specific prediction, but all indications point to high flu activity, so its important that people start getting their flu vaccine now.

While Shelton also said its too soon to tell about the flu season and the vaccines effectiveness, she did note that theres concern over reports from Australia, which is now at the end of its flu season, about a severe outbreak.

MedExpress pointed to a Nov. 29 perspective published by The New England Journal of Medicine that began: As clinicians in the United States prepare for the start of another influenza season, experts have been watching the Southern Hemisphere winter for hints of what might be in store for us in the North. Reports from Australia have caused mounting concern, with record-high numbers of laboratory-confirmed influenza notifications and outbreaks and higher-than-average numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.

The vaccines effectiveness was limited in Australia, only being about 10 percent effective against Influenza A (H3N2), which was the predominate virus experienced there.

While so far the vaccine has seemed to be effective here, Shelton said, even if it doesnt stop an individual from getting the flu, it does ease the severity and length of the bout.

I highly recommend the vaccine, Shelton said, noting that all the health district offices still have plenty of the vaccine available.

A common myth is that the flu shot can give you the flu, said Swift. That is absolutely false. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. Instead, the flu vaccine acts by allowing your immune system to create the ability to fight the flu in case you are exposed. When your immune system kicks into gear making antibodies, your bodys natural response can involve fatigue, soreness and even mild fever. This is your immune system doing its job, and should only last a day or so. Most people have no reaction at all, other than mild soreness in the arm where the shot was administered.

To help make the flu shot experience easier, officials advise that individuals can take Tylenol or ibuprofen if they experience mild side effects from the vaccine, which typically last a day or two.
Host Stephen LeDrew fired from CP24Joe WarmingtonPublished:December 11, 2017Updated:December 11, 2017 8:25 PM ESTToronto mayoral candidate and former president of the Liberal Party Stephen LeDrew arrives at City Halll to file his papers to run for mayor.Alex Urosevic, Toronto SunStephen LeDrew was so sure he would be back on his popular CP24 Live at Noon show he had two special guests lined up for the day of his return following a one-week suspension.TTC boss Andy Byford and former foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay were booked. LeDrew had his coloured glasses and bow tie picked out.The comeback didnt happen. Instead, the former Toronto mayoral candidate said he was called into an office where people were snarling at me. It turns out the suspension for his appearance on Tucker Carlsons FOX News program is not the only punishment.I was fired! said LeDrew. Fired for cause for violating our competition clause. Merry Christmas.Stephen LeDrew speaks to the Toronto Sun editorial board. (Stan Behal/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network)The one-time Liberal Party of Canadas president found himself in trouble for a Dec. 1 appearance on Carlsons show where he defended a 15-letter acronym LGGBDTTTIQQAAPP being used in schools to protect against bullying.LeDrew defended it to a skeptical Carlson but, he said, Bell Media decided to admonish him for going on a competitors show without prior permission.LeDrew, a lawyer, said he was asked to sign a letter of apology that would allow him back on the air Dec. 8.I was worried the wording of the letter would not let me talk to law society events or the kids at Ryerson, but I was going to sign it because I wanted to get back on, he said.But after pushing his comeback date to Dec. 11, he was kept from the studio when he arrived.I was later ushered out and not allowed to go and get my coat, he said. I guess I shouldnt have giggled when CTV news told me that Fox was its competition.LeDrew, who wished he could have said goodbye to his terrific colleagues, said he was also told he should not have done media interviews following his suspension.Bell has not commented other than to say Stephen LeDrew is no longer with Bell Media.It is disappointing because as a viewer and occasional guest, I think Stephen was very good at his job. He did it with professionalism, style and flare for seven years.If there was a story in Toronto, LeDrew was the place on TV where viewers and newsmakers would go. That he could be dismissed over this seems over the top. How are characters and free thinkers to work in this kind of environment? TV and radio needs to be edgy and controversial instead of rigid and politically correct.LeDrew doesnt believe this was because of his fish or fowl, frick of frack answer to explaining the definition of what a two spirited person is but more about appearing without clearance and that I talked with the press.Ironic, he was talking about free speech on the show.They just want everybody under their thumb, said LeDrew. I am OK. It just means I will be able to spend more time with my family over the holidays.But after that, LeDrew said he will be available to do commentary.This is a serious time in our country, he said. I will still talk about important issues.Just not on CP24.at least he wasnt fired for molesting his coworkers and guests.
A metaphorical story has taken Matthew Leatherwood on quite a journey.

Eight years have passed since Leatherwood woke up with the story idea until its fruition as a childrens book.

That book is called The Perfect Stone.

This month, the author along with the books illustrator, Daryl Wills, will have a book signing and coordinating event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 16 at Keene Memorial Library in Fremont. The public is invited.

Daryl and I will both be there, Leatherwood said. We have a little exercise with the kids. They get to choose a stone and decide to keep or get rid of it.

He also will read the book and will be available to talk about it.

The Perfect Stone is the story of a boy who spends a lifetime collecting stones, then tossing them aside to find the next prettier, shinier stone.

As he grows into a man, he finds himself imprisoned in a wall of stones hes cast aside during his obsessive search for the perfect one.

So will he find his way out, one stone at a time?

Leatherwood describes the book as a metaphorical fable.

The perfect stone could represent a better job, relationship or house.

Leatherwood isnt saying that people shouldnt better themselves, but theres a basic message behind the story about always looking for the next bigger, better, prettier thing and not finding satisfaction in what one has.

Youll imprison yourself if youre constantly looking for the next prettier, shinier thing, Leatherwood said.

The back cover of Leatherwoods book also states: While theres beauty in every step we take, if we spend all our time seeking perfection, we may miss the beauty of the path itself.

Leatherwood compares the picture book to that of Shel Silversteins The Giving Tree.

He said his book is a simple story that can be read to children ages 3 to 5, but most kids dont grasp the message until theyre older.

Leatherwood said parents also enjoy the book adding:

What were finding  especially in some of the readings at the libraries where weve been  is that at the end of the book the parents say, Oh my gosh. Wow. Thats a really important message for kids and grownups both.

There is a Spanish version of the book. Theres also a coloring book of The Perfect Stone.

Like his book, Leatherwoods own life journey has been quite a trek.

Originally from Greenwood, he graduated from Ashland-Greenwood High School and later from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1983.

Leatherwood said he was a project manager for a contractor and went to Texas for a job.

One thing led to another and I ended up staying. I joined the Dallas Fire Department and was there for 23 years before I retired last October in 2016, he said. The first 11 years of my career, I rode an ambulance that was at that time one of the three busiest ambulances in the country. That first 11 years, I made somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000, plus or minus a thousand, EMS-related calls just on the ambulance. That doesnt count the time I was on the engine.

Leatherwood said he wasnt someone who dreamed of becoming a firefighter.

It was a great career, he said. I loved it. I wouldnt change a minute of it, but that wasnt what defined me.

Instead, Leatherwood said he is a writer and a photographer. He noted that theres no great story behind The Perfect Stone.

I just woke up with the story in my head one morning, said Leatherwood, who is a blogger. I went right from bed to my computer and blogged the story.

A graphic designer read the blog and contacted Leatherwood, suggesting he turn the piece into a childrens book and offered to illustrate it.

That was almost eight years ago.

The two met over coffee, but a year later the illustrations werent drawn.

We parted amicably, said Leatherwood, adding that he then posted the need for an illustrator on Facebook.

A man who had gone to high school with Leatherwood contacted him and sent samples.

They were exactly what I had always envisioned, Leatherwood said.

That illustrator was Daryl Wills, also an Ashland High School graduate.

Three years later, Wills was about half finished with the illustrations when another friend encouraged Leatherwood to submit the manuscript to a publisher.

So Leatherwood did.

The first publisher printed another of Leatherwoods books called Raising the Curtain and was ready to print The Perfect Stone, when it went bankrupt, he said.

The men went with another non-traditional publisher, but that didnt work well.

So they self-published The Perfect Stone, which is available on Amazon.

On Dec. 19, the men will visit the English classes at Ashland High School to talk about various topics including, the use of metaphors in writing, the publishing process and motivation.

Leatherwood said hes really looking forward to coming to Fremont.

Thats a great library, he said.

He believes parents and kids will enjoy the presentation.

Its fun, Leatherwood said. Were relaxed and not stuffy and we want people to come and have a good time and walk away with a great message.
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Every year Keene Memorial Library hosts its annual Summer Reading Program which aims to get people of all ages reading throughout the summer months.

In 2017, the program was again successful at encouraging reading as a total of 226 children, 25 teens and 64 adults signed up for the event held from May through August.

Now, for the first time ever, Keene is participating in another reading program that aims to get people reading throughout the month of January.

Keene will be participating in the inaugural Beanstack Winter Reading Challenge, which challenges close to 100 libraries all over the country to meet a collective goal of reading at least one million minutes and 50,000 books during the month.

This is actually the first Winter Reading Challenge ever, Librarian No. 2 Laura England Biggs said. Mark Cuban, one of the sharks on Shark Tank approached Beanstack and decided to sponsor the challenge.

If the collective goal of reading at least one million minutes and 50,000 books is reached, Cuban has pledged to donate $25,000 to First Book and $10,000 for top-performing libraries to use for their community programs.

Growing up, my mom used to give me a quarter for every book I read, Cuban said in a released statement. Through reading programs libraries run with Beanstack, they are providing these kinds of incentives for readers throughout the community. I love the idea that we will encourage readers through a shared, ambitious goal, and that the prize for everyone will be to pay if forward to an awesome organization focused on literacy and access to books.

First Book is a non-profit social enterprise that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to children in need.

Participating libraries, including Keene, will use Beanstack which is a software platform that facilitates reading programs for schools and libraries by making it easy to track the amount time and books read. Keene also uses the Beanstack platform during the annual Summer Reading Program.

We are just very excited about this first Winter Reading Challenge and hope everyone signs up and participates with us, England Biggs said.

According to England Biggs, the goal locally is for participants to read 69,750 minutes throughout the month of January.

Currently Keene has a total of 29 registrants for the challenge and hopes to reach a total of 150 readers.

Although the program is geared toward getting children to read, parents and people of all ages are encouraged to participate.

We just like to inspire people to read 15 minutes a day because we find that that keeps kids interested in reading, England Biggs said. If they see their parents reading they start to see it as important and they start to read, and reading really is one of the cornerstones to school success.

According to England Biggs, even parents with children who cannot yet read on their own can participate in the challenge.

If they want to register a kid they are reading too, like a child who is 6 months old, they can do that, she said. They can read to the child, and log the minutes for the child, but then they are also doing reading so they can log the minutes for themselves as well.

The program runs from January 1-31st and those interested in participating can sign up throughout the month. To register, interested participants are encouraged to visit keen.beanstack.org or visit the library.

If they have any questions they can stop by the library, we have a computer set up that is designated for that and we can help them through it, England Biggs said.
Social media has become a big part of our daily lives, but one former Facebook executive warns that it's also ripping apart the fabric of society.

It's easier nowadays to keep in touch with friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and family, see how others are doing and share bits of each other's lives on social media. It's convenient and often times a pleasant distraction, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows.

Social Media Is Ripping Society Apart

Facebook and other social networks have a variety of benefits and perks, but they also come with their fair share of disadvantages and negative effects. Several studies have already highlighted the negative impact of social media and a former Facebook executive now agrees that it's gone too far.

Chamath Palihapitiya, former Facebook vice president of user growth, recently gave a speech at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, as The Verge first reported. While he did not deny the benefits of social media, he did note that he feels "tremendous guilt" about Facebook and the impact it's been having on society.

In his speech, Palihapitiya said that he helped create tools that "are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works."

Misinformation, Mistruth, And Extremes

"The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we've created are destroying how society works," Palihapitiya pointed out, talking about online interactions based on likes, hearts, and other such reactions. People have hundreds or thousands of "friends" on social media, but no real connection. "No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth," he added, pointing out that it's a global issue and it's not just about the Russian ads.

Palihapitiya advised people, not just Americans, to take a serious break from social media because it's in the detriment of society and inter-human relationships and, in some cases, it pushes things to the extreme.

The former Facebook exec mentioned a tragic situation in India, where seven innocent people were lynched because of fake messages circulating on WhatsApp about some kidnappings.

Palihapitiya added that this could become even more extreme if the wrong people can manipulate many others to do what they want. He notes that while Facebook does a lot of good in the world, he tries to use it as little as possible and he doesn't let his kids use it at all.

Other former Facebook employees have previously spoken out about the negative impact of Facebook and other social networks, at a time when fake news, online abuse, hoaxes, and hate speech are on the rise. Palihapitiya doesn't say that it's all bad, but he does recommend limited use.

Check out his speech in the video below.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
President Donald Trump wants to send the country's astronauts back to the moon. Then once that's done, Trump wants them to aim for Mars next.

Trump vowed on Monday, Dec. 11, that the United States will remain a leader in space exploration.

"We are the leader and we're going to stay the leader, and we're going to increase it many fold," he said in signing Space Policy Directive 1, which sets NASA up for a moon mission with an eye on going to Mars afterward.

The Space Race

Trump's statements come at a time when countries have largely stopped trying to further explore what's out there. Before the first astronauts landed on the moon in July 1969, there was this potent and frenzied "space race" occurring between countries who wanted to get to the moon first. But years after Apollo 11 finally landed, interest in space exploration had dwindled. Until now, humans have not ventured out farther.

China's Lunar Exploration Program

China, on the other hand, is seemingly laying the groundwork for its own space exploration. In June, China's space official said it was setting up "preliminary" preparations to send an astronaut to the moon, which is part of China's ambitious lunar mission.

What It Takes To Get To The Moon  And Mars

Going to the moon is easy. As Time points out, a lunar mission is easy to assemble: just get funding, a trained crew, a rocket and spacecraft, and launch. Not to mention that it's already been done before. Multiple times, in fact. But the trick is all that other stuff that comes before the exploration part. That includes securing money, and making sure the rocket and spacecraft are good to go.

Especially money. In March, Trump held a signing ceremony to call for a bump in NASA's budget to $19.5 billion. That seems extremely huge, yet not really.

In 1966, NASA received a budget of $5.9 billion, which when adjusted to 2017 dollars is a whopping $45.7 billion. That allowance represented 4.41 percent of the total federal budget; now, NASA's current share is merely 0.4 percent. So Trump wants NASA to go to the moon, and then Mars? Provide sufficient funds to execute both trips.

NASA said initial funding for Trump's new policy would be included in its budget request for 2019.

"Imagine the possibility waiting in those big beautiful stars if we dare to dream big. That's what our country is doing again, we're dreaming big," said Trump.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SpaceX is scheduled to deliver a 4,800-pound package of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station with a reused Falcon 9 rocket and a refurbished Dragon spacecraft.

The ISS already received a delivery from SpaceX before, but this event is significant because it's the first time the aerospace manufacturer is going to carry out the task only with reused components.

'Flight-Proven' Falcon 9, Dragon Capsule To Deliver

Originally, the California-based company was going to launch the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft at 11:46 a.m. ET or 8:46 a.m. PT on Dec. 12, Tuesday, from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Now it's aiming for a Dec. 13 launch instead to take extra measures to increase the chances of a successful launch.

Now targeting Dec. 13 for launch of CRS-13 from SLC-40 to allow for additional time for pre-launch ground systems checks.  SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 12, 2017

On the return of the booster and cargo, they're planned to land somewhere in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.

The Falcon 9 rocket (pictured above) in question first went into space to deliver a cargo to the ISS in June (CRS-11 mission), while the Dragon capsule made its first trip to the space station in April 2015 (CRS-6 mission).

Making things more interesting is that the launch pad will also be reused. Back in September 2016, SpaceX attempted to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40, but it was met with a disaster when the booster exploded and destroyed its payload the Amos-6 satellite. Not only that, but the Florida launch site was also severely damaged by the incident. Now the pad has been repaired and improved to handle rocket launches more frequently.

Rocket and spacecraft for CRS-13 are flight-proven. Falcon 9s first stage previously launched SpaceXs eleventh resupply mission for @NASA, and Dragon flew to the @Space_Station in support of our sixth cargo resupply mission. pic.twitter.com/RY4F2TrWO2  SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 6, 2017

How To Watch SpaceX's 17th Delivery Mission

Both NASA and SpaceX will hold webcasts so that the public can witness the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft's launch.

"This mission marks the first time SpaceX is flying both a flight-proven Falcon 9 and a flight-proven Dragon spacecraft. Falcon 9's first stage previously supported the CRS-11 mission in June 2017 and the Dragon spacecraft previously supported the CRS-6 mission in April 2015," SpaceX said.

The livestream will also be available below:

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Two men were sentenced to spend time in prison by Judge John Samson Monday morning in Dodge County District Court.

Anthony M. Huff, 51, of Texarkana, Texas, was sentenced to spend back-to-back consecutive terms of 18 to 48 months in prison for making terroristic threats against his ex-girlfriend, a Class IV felony, Dodge County Attorney Oliver Glass said.

Huff was arrested and charged in June 2013, and after posting bail, fled the state of Nebraska until a warrant eventually brought him back; concluding the proceedings.

Huff was charged under the old state statute for a Class IV felony, which has no presumption of probation and allows for a sentence of 20 months to five years in prison. The new state statute for a Class IV felony has the presumption of probation, a maximum prison sentence of two years and nine to 12 months of post-release supervision.

Huffs 2013 arrest stemmed from the defendant threatening his then-girlfriend with bodily harm, and causing her to feel terrified and constantly fearing for her safety, an arrest affidavit shows.

Det. Joyce Henke of the Fremont Police Department reviewed several threatening recorded voice messages coming from Huff directed at the victim, and on June 3, 2013, Huff arrived unannounced at the victims home to possibly carry out his threats of harm, court records show.

Glass said that Huff had been charged with domestic assault twice for hurting the same victim in the case for which he is now serving prison time.

In other District Court news:

Marco J. Valadez, 27, was sentenced to 6-10 years in prison for driving under the influence of alcohol fourth-offense enhanced by refusal, one year in prison for third-degree assault, a Class I misdemeanor; two years for theft by receiving and a 15-year-long license revocation.

Valadez was arrested in early February 2017 after leading deputies of the Dodge County Sheriffs Office on a chase inside of a vehicle stolen from Colfax County.

The chase lead into Cuming County, where Colfax County deputies ultimately deployed spike strips which lead the vehicle stopping, court records show.

After exiting the vehicle, the defendant refused to comply with officers and was subsequently Tased several times. Once Valadez was handcuffed, law enforcement noticed he showed signs of impairment as he continued slurring his speech and acting in an unruly manner.

A subsequent Datamaster breath test revealed that Valadez had a blood alcohol content of .268.
There was never a question in Addie Schiemanns mind that she would find a way to get back in the swimming pool.
The Fremont City Council during its Tuesday evening meeting is preparing to consider City Attorney Paul Paynes resignation and to enter into an inter-local agreement with Dodge County enabling the city to retain County attorney Oliver Glass for temporary legal services.

The resignation came Dec. 6, a City of Fremont Staff report says.

Ward 2 Councilmember Susan Jacobus said through a Dec. 6 Facebook post that the Fremont City Council and City of Fremont employees were notified via email, and that the possibility of Payne resigning was not known prior to it occurring.

Upon completion of a Joint Separation Agreement with Payne, The Dodge County Board of Supervisors is granting the City of Fremont permission to use Glass for temporary legal counsel at a fee of $6,500 monthly; which Council could approve Tuesday.

Payne took over the position of City Attorney in January 2011 after being appointed by the Fremont City Council Dec. 27, 2011. Prior to accepting the Fremont position, Payne spent four years serving as deputy county attorney in Gage County, and also spent a year in private practice handling civil disputes and serving as a criminal defense attorney.

Payne, whose starting salary was $81,464, was selected for the position from a pool of six finalists. Payne earned his law degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law in 2006.
GONZALES  A state district judge warned attorneys for a former Ascension Parish sheriff's detective accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl while on the job that they are running out of time to finish a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Judge Jason Verdigets, of the 23rd Judicial District Court, told lawyers for William Lanoux on Monday that he would move back the date one more time to accept pleas or, if no deal is reached, send the case to trial.

"At some point, we've got to move it," Verdigets said.

Former sheriff's detective William Lanoux, 32, has been charged on counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and malfeasance in office.

Deputies arrested him in June 2016 over allegations he picked up the teen in his sheriff's SUV and had sex with the girl in the vehicle on June 13, 2016. They stopped after he heard sheriff's dispatchers report on a teen who ran away from a location near where he had picked her up.

Ascension officers graphic testimony offers more details in alleged rape of 14-year-old by deputy GONZALES  An Ascension Parish sheriffs detective was having sex with a 14-year-old girl in the back of his sheriffs sport-utility vehicle 

Sheriff Jeff Wiley fired Lanoux, 39116 Balmoral Drive, Prairieville, the next day. Lanoux has pleaded not guilty to the charges, maintaining he believed the girl was 18 at the time and that the sex was consensual.

Lanoux and the girl had set up the rendezvous through a social media application in which the girl listed her age at 18, according to court testimony last year.

Ascension sheriff: Online conversation ended in deputys arrest in rape of 14-year-old GONZALES  A former Ascension Parish sheriffs detective arrested Tuesday on allegations he had sex with a 14-year-old runaway will remain in 

Lanoux, who was present in court Monday, is free on bail.

Verdigets granted the continuance Monday until Feb. 15 after defense attorney Jarrett Ambeau told him the two sides are "very close" to reaching a deal.

Assistant District Attorney Joni Buquoi told Verdigets that defense attorneys rejected an offer to drop the malfeasance count and have Lanoux plead guilty to a count of carnal knowledge of a juvenile with a one-year prison sentence. Lanoux also would have had to register as a sex offender for 15 years.

In a later interview, Ambeau maintained that deal was not rejected but the two sides are working on the details.
The next redrawing of Louisiana's legislative and congressional districts won't come around until 2021, but the issue could play a major role in Louisiana's 2019 state elections and has drawn interest from both major parties on a national level.

"The RNC has Louisiana circled for 2019," said Bo Staples, executive director of the Louisiana Republican Party. The Republican National Committee officials "plan on putting resources in the state to ensure that both chambers remain in Republican control."

That means keeping control of the redistricting process. Though the process varies from state to state, in Louisiana, the Legislature draws congressional and state legislative districts. Redistricting is the RNC's primary motivation for pushing resources here, Staples said.

Separately, the Republican Governors Association is expected to put significant effort into the 2019 governor's race in an attempt to unseat Gov. John Bel Edwards, the only Democrat serving as governor in the Deep South. In Louisiana, the governor has the authority to veto district lines drawn by the Legislature.

Republicans spent years developing their grip on state capitols across the country. Today, the party controls both legislative chambers in 32 states, including Louisiana.

Many credit that statehouse dominance for the GOP's ability to capture control of the U.S. House shortly after redistricting in 2011 and to maintain it since then.

On the national scene, Democrats led by former president Barack Obama and former attorney general Eric Holder are organizing under the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Republicans have launched the National Republican Redistricting Trust to counter the Democratic effort.

In Louisiana, a nonpartisan, grass-roots effort has been launched to call for changes to the redistricting process in Louisiana to make the process more independent. Fair Districts Louisiana will join LSU's Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs in hosting a Jan. 19 bipartisan summit on the issue.

While redistricting wasn't the main topic, it was discussed during a recent meeting of the Louisiana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

New Orleans state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, who also chairs the state Democratic Party, said redistricting is one of her top priorities for the state.

Peterson, who testified at the commission hearing in her capacity as a state party leader, mentioned that in her role as chair of the state Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, which wields significant influence over the process, she plans to hold hearings across Louisiana to gather input from the public and draw attention to the fact that redistricting looms.

It's unclear when those hearings may take place or whether Peterson's dual capacity would raise objections. Staples said he had not heard that hearings were planned and declined to comment on them.

Peterson recalled that early in her legislative tenure, when she was approached during redistricting and asked, "What would you like your district to look like?" she believed the primary objective behind that approach was to make it easier for lawmakers to win re-election.

"That is not going to help the people of Louisiana, and that's not going to help us as a state," she said.

Peterson said she believes that the most recent redrawing put as many minorities as possible into some districts and left other districts with few minorities, creating fewer competitive districts.

"Redistricting can get contentious," Staples noted, but he added that districts became more partisan on both sides during the last round.

He said that can be good for parties because they have to devote fewer resources when there are fewer competitive races.

"That could also speak to why things have gotten more partisan," he said. "Red districts are getting redder, and blue districts are getting bluer."
NELIGH  This towns love for Sydney Loofe could be seen Monday on telephone poles, street lights, stop signs, mailboxes and tree trunks.

Neligh residents over the last month wrapped green ribbons  signifying awareness of missing children  from end to end in her hometown on the Elkhorn River.

Posters bearing her picture held window space in a few storefronts on Main Street alongside wreaths marking the holiday season.

A week ago Monday, the 24-year-old Lincoln womans body was found more than 120 miles from here, southeast of Clay Center. Law enforcement had been searching for her in and around Wilber, where she was last seen on Nov. 15.

The parking lot outside Grace Lutheran Church, in the community of 1,500, filled up an hour before Loofes memorial service Monday morning.

Cars lined the blocks around the church just off the main thoroughfare in Neligh and stretched past Neligh-Oakdale High School, where Loofes father, George, is the principal. Some cars had the words Find Sydney still written in window paint.

Overcast skies hung over the church that squeezed in a crowd that at one point stretched from the doors to the street.

Among those in attendance was Paige Folkers, Sydney Loofes cousin from Osmond, who traveled from Washington state to remember the woman she called genuine, dry-witted, hard-working and strong.

I feel like if you knew her, you knew all of her, Folkers said Friday in a phone interview.

Loofe was the cousin who kept the room light with her thick sarcasm, Folkers said.

Growing up, Folkers spent many summers with Loofe and her siblings at vacation Bible school, playing at the creek and getting into trouble, she said.

One time Folkers rode a scooter being pulled by a jump rope affixed to Sydney Loofes bike.

Inevitably, Folkers crashed during the downhill excursion and scraped her stomach on the street.

Thats when Sydney came to her aid, she recalls.

I was in so much pain and she just scooped me up and took me up the hill to my aunt, Folkers said.

Folkers wont forget the other time when Sydney Loofe successfully dislodged a candy MacKenzie Loofe, her sister, was choking on, she said.

Sydney Loofe amazed her family with her successful Heimlich manuveur, her cousin said.

The two kept up as much as they could living apart as adults in different parts of the country, Folkers said.

They commented on each others posts and photo stories on social media, she said.

Two weeks before Loofe was reported missing, they talked on the phone, and Folkers tried to convince her cousin to come visit her and her husband in Washington.

An outdoors enthusiast, Loofe would have loved exploring the Mount Rainier area where Folkers made her home, she said.

Folkers thought maybe a trip there could persuade the dedicated Menards worker to look to the Pacific Northwest as she pondered her next career opportunity, she said.

One of Loofes best qualities, her cousin said, was her loyalty.

Loofe valued living a responsible life and was committed to working hard like her parents taught her, Folkers said.

Loofes north Lincoln Menards coworkers who wanted to attend the service in Neligh were allowed the day off.

When Folkers was last home for Thanksgiving, her cousin had been missing for more than a week.

Folkers and her brother passed out dozens of posters at tailgates around Memorial Stadium Nov. 24 and found a community ready to spread the word.

I feel really blessed to be part of a family that cares so much, Folkers said.

Loofe is survived by her parents, George and Susie, her brother, Levi Loofe, and her sister, MacKenzie Loofe, along with her grandmother, Betty Johnson, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins, according to her obituary.

Authorities on Monday had not released the cause of Loofes death or further details about her disappearance, but two people of interest in the case remained in custody in the Saline County jail pending unrelated federal charges.

Back in Neligh, a northerly wind whipped the green ribbons hanging from placards in the front yards of homes on the south side of town.

Along with her physical description and directions to contact authorities, the placard said Believe and included a phrase Loofe had tattooed on her right arm.

Everything will be wonderful someday.
Our Views: Gov. Blanco's courage, tenacity will serve her well in fight against cancer
I was wandering around Kitchen Witch, the exquisitely unusual vintage culinary bookstore off Bayou Road. I wasnt looking for a particular book (though, of course, I left with one anyway).

Instead I was looking for answers. With another holiday season upon us, and the perennial tide of new cookbooks with it, what makes one particular title stand out as the right pick?

Proprietors Debbie Lindsey and Philipe LaMancusa have seen every reason under the sun as people search through their kaleidoscopic shop.

Some people are collectors and want a rare find. Plenty are trying to reunite with books lost in floods, divorces and other calamities.

Theyve seen people who simply want old books as decor, and others who burst into tears upon spotting an important book from their past. When it comes to second-hand books, some are even fixated on the inscriptions left behind by previous owners.

The decision matrix on a cookbook gift mixes the universal and peculiar, which seems fitting where the topics of books, food and New Orleans intersect.

Over the years, Ive adopted my own approach, and it starts in my kitchen cabinet. I look for inspiration to the books stacked there at arms reach, the ones with creased spines, dog-eared pages and further recipe clippings tucked between their covers.

Through time and frequent use, these are books that are imbued with my own stories. Giving another copy as a gift is not exactly like passing along an heirloom, but the personal connection does add a different value to the gift.

Books like this dont have to be vintage, but they tend to have a few years on them, and maybe some sauce stains.

A few examples from my own shelf:

La Bouche Creole, by Leon Soniat Jr., the late New Orleans food columnist, first published in 1981. A friend recommended this book when I was new to New Orleans, after I showed my appreciation for the gumbo she prepared from its pages by ladling up a third helping. I read it cover to cover and got an education on calas and daube glace, chicken bonne femme and gumbo zherbes. Just as valuable are the intimate tales of old New Orleans that Soniat weaves between the recipes, the stories of his memere (or grandmother) and his mother in the kitchen and at the market. Its a primer on how much of the famous food of our city runs through family.

Real Cajun, local chef Donald Links first cookbook from 2009. Its a romp through regional Acadiana cooking, not restaurant cooking, and much of it is food for gatherings and celebrations. Its jambalaya recipe is now such a part of my effort to feed Endymion crowds at my house each Mardi Gras, I should probably just mark the page with a doubloon. When Ive gifted this book, its to people who love to host.

Cajun Men Cook, published in 1994 by the Beaver Club of Lafayette, a civic group. It belongs to the spiral bound school of community cookbooks, and I turn to it as much for anthropology as instruction. Compiled by Louisiana outdoorsmen, it assumes access to game (the teal and oyster gumbo), makes no bones in calling for canned soup (for Shockleys crawfish dip) and includes tips for homemade hooch, like cherry bounce and corn meal wine. I received this book as a gift after giving a talk to the Beaver Club during my own book tour some years back, and whenever I break it out, its a reminder of those times rambling around Louisiana.

Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzens vegetarian classic from 1977. As a child, this book always seemed to be open when my mother was cooking for guests. She gave an updated edition to my (predominantly vegetarian) wife on the Christmas before we married. It is a source of endless meatless dishes for family gatherings now, and even in its distinct hand-lettered font, I find a link to the first kitchen I knew.

If a new cookbook is calling you, get it. If someone on your gift list has already dropped hints about a certain new release, then thats the gift of gift advice, wrapped in a bow.

But when your own stories are between the pages youre giving something more than a product. And if one day your recipient cooks for you from it, the circle will be complete.

Kitchen Witch

1452 N. Broad St., (504) 528-8382
Zoning board rules Sidney Torres New Orleans property on Rampart Street is an event hall, not a church

Sidney Torres' Rampart Street property an event hall, not a church, zoning board says
The group Take 'Em Down NOLA on Thursday renewed its call to eliminate more monuments celebrating slave owners and Confederate officials in Ne
The Australian National University will seek accreditation from the Australian Breastfeeding Association as part of its bid to become the world's top institution for gender equity.

The university will also develop a breastfeeding policy across campus and ensure that parenting facilities are considered when new buildings are designed. New parents who return to work will be made aware of the university's flexible hours policy.

Supporting Breastfeeding at ANU project leader Andrea Butler chats to Mel Collings, an ANU childcare educational leader, about the program. Credit:Karleen Minney

The commitments were made on Monday after authors of an audit into breastfeeding facilities handed the ANU's executive a suite of recommendations, including that the university buy a pool of bar fridges and make available more change tables.

Andrea Butler, who worked on this year's audit, said she wanted everyone to have the positive experience she had in returning to work while breastfeeding, when she was given her own office with blinds and a bar fridge.
Forget your standard 12-pack of holiday cards from the newsagency - there are only two words to describe Canberra man Tish Karunarathna's personalised Christmas cards: NEXT. LEVEL.

In past years he's rescued a mermaid from Lake Burley Griffin, turned Hippo Bar into a winter Christmas cabin and once attempted a recreation of Prince's iconic Purple Rain album cover.

'It's not photoshopped': Karunarathna's 2015 photo, taken at Hippo Bar, featured real German Shepherd Levi. Credit:Rohan Thomson

This year, he's dressed as the big man himself, packing a helicopter to deliver Christmas presents to the children of the world (ably assisted by two beautiful flight staff).

And all this from a man who doesn't even celebrate Christmas.
When Carol Raut moved into Bellerive, a retirement village in Woden in 2013, she chose the location because of how the sun warmed the building in the mornings.

But Ms Raut said a proposal by developers Geocon for a high-rise mixed-use precinct development opposite the village would overshadow it. The development would be a marker building for Woden.

The Woden Town Centre. Credit:Graham Tidy

In a new report on Woden, the Assembly's Standing Committee on Planning and Urban Renewal proposes restricting the height of marker buildings. Marker buildings are those that visually signify a town centre.

Ms Raut said residents were mainly concerned about the overshadowing and the scale of the development.
The ACT Court of Appeal on Monday dismissed disgraced criminal lawyer Stephen Stubbs' appeal over his convictions for fraud.

Stubbs, 64, was last year tried and found guilty by a jury of 14 counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception.

The crimes concerned legal work Stubbs had performed for a client, Alexander Duffy, who was accused of involvement in a murder plot.

Stubbs was the man's solicitor.

Over the course of 2008 and 2009, Stubbs took some $3000 from Legal Aid ACT, and nearly $26,000 from Mr Duffy's mother for work on his defence.
When Tom Frame graduated from UNSW Canberra with a PhD 25 years ago, he questioned why his mother wanted to buy him a graduation gown, certain it would get one wear.

But in "an unexpected blessing of a magnitude you really don't have an entitlement to hope for", the historian's 28-year-old daughter, Kelly, will graduate from UNSW Canberra with a PhD in English on Wednesday while wearing his robes.

Tom Frame and daughter Kelly Frame. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

"It's the best thing that's happened all year. It's wonderful," Professor Frame, an academic at UNSW Canberra, said.

"I would never have imagined other than when she enrolled that something like this might happen, and here of all places."
The $170 billion franchise industry needs the blowtorch put on it. "There are suicides, marriage breakdowns and bankruptcies. There is a huge problem in the franchise sector and we need to have a proper inquiry to fix it," Nationals senator John Williams says.

Senator Williams wants a parliamentary inquiry into the sector next year. "Clearly there are small businesses being done over and going broke," he says.

Over the years, there have been a number of inquiries into the sector, but they clearly haven't worked. There is a franchising code of conduct and the ACCC is the regulator.

But given the number of franchisees suffering, there's a lot that isn't working.
Over the past year or so, Google and Facebook's dominance of the internet has moved from being a niche concern among journalists and media industry executives, to a mainstream issue.

Politicians around the world are worried about the manipulation of these platforms by purveyors of fake news, hate speech and other unseemly content.

Regulators (including our own competition watchdog) are worried about the impact the digital duopoly - which is expected to capture all the growth in global ad spending next year - is having on adjacent industries.

This is one prism through which to view a recent charm offensive by Google to publishers - including a landmark deal with Fairfax Media (publisher of The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age), announced on Tuesday.
Sir Frank Lowy's almost 57-year reign as a shopping centre czar is about to come to an end after Europe's largest listed commercial property company agreed to buy his Westfield Corp in a $32.8 billion deal.

The boards of Westfield and Unibail-Rodamco have unanimously recommended the deal.

Frank Lowy, pictured with son Steven, and then business partner John Saunders built up their Westfield shopping centre empire from scratch in Australia in the 1960s. Credit:Louise Kennerley

"The transaction announced today is the culmination of the strategic journey Westfield has been on since its 2014 restructure," Sir Frank said.

Speaking via teleconference from the Milan room in Westfield headquarters in London, Sir Frank said this was the second most important day in Westfields history.
This year the Santa rally doesnt come from the North Pole  its a Hungarian-Israeli-Australian with a British knighthood.

Nothing like Sir Frank Lowy dropping $22 billion into the local market to light up the ASX.

Not that the Lowy family itself is splurging that much, but their decision to accept the $32.76 billion bid for Westfield effectively does something very much like that.

Frank Lowy at Westfield Bondi Junction. Credit:Louie Douvis

Its all ready reckoning at present, but if Westfield is about 70 per cent locally held, theres $22 billion looking for an alternative home, never mind tax details.
The Sam Dastyari saga has done undue damage to the Chinese-Australian community. While it has raised some much-needed questions about political donations and foreign interference, the biggest issue for me is the impact it has had on Chinese-Australians, whose loyalty to Australia has been called into doubt.

Dastyari's judgment and Huang Xiangmo's actions have resulted in the Australian public perceiving Chinese-Australians as agents of the Chinese Communist Party wanting to exert influence in Australian politics.

This impression isn't helped by the lack of knowledge of Chinese culture, history and heritage outside of China that has been on display. Journalists and politicians commenting on these issues tend to paint China and the Chinese-Australian community with one brush. What is never made clear in media reporting and the public domain is the diversity within the Chinese-Australian community.

Chinese-Australians don't just come from Mainland China. They hail from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, East Timor, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and many more. Not to mention the early arrivals during the gold rush era in the 1850s. And the most relevant point of all in this ongoing saga  not all Chinese-Australians have links to the CCP. In fact, very few do.
Ironically, the manner and timing of Sam Dastyari's departure has achieved some important things his ongoing presence in the Senate had compromised.

First, by yielding to what in the end was unbearable political pressure, he has reinforced to Beijing, and to its wealthy business and political surrogates here, that Australia will safeguard its sovereignty as jealously as does China.

Second, via his high profile rise and fall, the 34-year-old wunderkind has provided a brutal human lesson. Politicians seen to be influenced by a foreign power will be of no durable value to that government because their credibility will evaporate, and their sponsors exposed and neutralised.

And third, despite being personally crushed, Dastyari has departed without rancour thus salvaging some honour  given his pitiable circumstances. He did this by rejecting (for the record) doubts over his Australian patriotism, reaffirming his commitment to the ALP, and thanking the leadership that had persevered with him.
New chief executive Chris Parker admits the uncertainty staff faced about its operations in Armidale, and its performance, had caused unrest among other factors.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has battled through 2017 as it grappled with an order by Nationals leader and deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce to move to the northern NSW city in his New England electorate, while staff losses compounded its instability.

A clearer picture of the pesticides authority's future in Armidale has soothed unrest among staff, its new boss says, amid calls for the government to release a review into its problems.

He said nerves had settled "significantly" after he was able to give its 190 staff a clearer picture of the authority's future, particularly its plans for remote working for some employees, and its business model in the New England city.

The agency had told employees of its emerging plans as they made the decision whether to move or find other work, Dr Parker said.

"I think the transparency is really important to my staff," he said.

The agency is seeking expressions of interest for a three-month trial of flexible working that, for some, might convert to a permanent long-distance arrangement that will keep them employed at the pesticides authority.

It expects some positions, including specialised scientific roles, will be suited to remote working while others more involved with clients will likely be rooted in its Armidale office.
Four men will spend at least three years behind bars after they used taxis to operate a "sophisticated" cocaine delivery service across Sydney.

Omer Arab, Khaled Dib, Mohamed Dib and Ihsan Salma ran the drug syndicate over "an extended period of time" before they were finally caught in a police sting in late 2015, according to agreed facts tendered to the District Court in Sydney.

Detectives speak to one of the men after he was arrested in November 2015. Credit:NSW Police

The men delivered cocaine over a wide geographical area, from the northern beaches to Cronulla and as far west as Penrith, using the fake names Sam, Mick, Simon and Ray.

In a phone call intercepted by police, Khaled Dib told an unknown female customer: "We go everywhere babe".
Two friends have been jailed for at least 16 years for the Valentine's Day stabbing murder of a man who was chased through backyards in western Sydney.

Wade Martinez, 24, and Jake Tortell, 21, were found guilty in April of the 2015 murder of George Garmo, 20, who was found dead in the driveway of a home in Bossley Park.

In the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, Acting Justice Jane Mathews found there had been animosity between Martinez and the victim, but that Tortell was the stabber.

On the evening of his death, Mr Garmo and his partner had just happened to walk past the house of people the two friends had been visiting.
The state government has quietly shelved plans to overhaul race hate laws to crack down on violent extremists, in a move condemned by the Labor Opposition and community leaders who pushed for change.

World-first laws criminalising serious racial vilification coupled with a threat of violence, or inciting others to violence, were introduced in NSW in 1989 but have not resulted in a single prosecution.

From left: International Coptic Union vice-president Hany Gayed, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Vic Alhadeff, the Chinese Australian Forum's Tony Pang and Imam Wessam Charkawi of the Australian National Imams Council are members of the Keep NSW Safe coalition. Credit:Edwina Pickles

The laws are bedevilled with procedural difficulties, including a requirement that the Attorney-General consent to a prosecution, and have lower maximum sentences than similar offences. It has led prosecutors to rely on other offences in race hate cases, such as encouraging riot and affray.

The government had promised to fix the laws in 2015 after the Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to lay race hate charges against Ismail al-Wahwah, the Sydney-based leader of fringe political group Hizb-ut Tahrir, over two speeches calling for a "jihad against the Jews".
A lawyer for a former Solomon Islands flight attendant convicted of child grooming offences has lashed out at Queensland police, saying their treatment of his client "smacks of entrapment".

Samuel Terrence Rova on Tuesday avoided jail time after being sentenced in the Brisbane Magistrates Court for chatting to an undercover officer he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

The man was arrested at Brisbane International Airport in July 2017 after five lengthy conversations on adult dating website with a girl he knew was underage. Credit:Paul Miller

But his lawyer Bruce Peters slammed the behaviour of investigators.

"It is just what I would call, on behalf of the Queensland Police, a misogynist wet dream," Mr Peters said.
Mr Krebs is also notorious for identifying the authors of malicious software, and the creators of spam lists, who often live in Eastern Europe, and make billions of dollars from their activities. While his ability to penetrate the underbelly of the internet has earned him much respect from his journalist peers and computer security experts, who see him as doing what he does for the greater good, the hackers he's unmasked don't always see it this way. Take, for instance, the time he was "SWATted", which involves deceiving an emergency service (such as Triple-Zero) into sending an emergency service response team to another person's address based on the false reporting of a serious emergency, such as a bomb threat. In Mr Kreb's case, 19-year-old American Eric Taylor, better known by his hacker alias "Cosmo the God", was among several men involved in making a false report to Mr Kreb's local police department in 2013 about a supposed hostage situation at Mr Kreb's home in the US. The police pointed semi-automatic guns at Mr Kreb and handcuffed him before realising it was a hoax, even though he had warned them that it was likely to occur at some point.

Taylor was later sentenced to three year's probation. On a separate occasion, Sergey Vovnenko  aka "Fly", "Flycracker", and "MUXACC1"  hatched a plot to have heroin sent to Mr Kreb's home and to have one of his other hacker friends call the police when the drugs arrived. Fortunately for Mr Krebs, he foiled Fly's plot to get him arrested for drug possession after he secretly gained access to the exclusive online forum the hacker ran, where he learned of the heroin plot and told law enforcement in advance. Sergey 'Fly' Covnenko had this floral arrangement delivered to Brian Krebs' home, along with a note threatening his wife. Credit:KrebsOnSecurity Mr Vovnenko was sentenced to 41 months in prison for unrelated cybercrime charges. Already, Mr Krebs has had to move house once.

"I spend a lot of money getting off the grid," he says. "In the US it means basically buying a house in cash under somebody else's name, putting all the utilities in someone else's name, and paying everything in cash. It's a big pain in the ass. "Location privacy in the US is extremely expensive." He adds: "I feel for the people who actually occupy [my former] residence. I didn't tell the criminals where I moved to. Maybe they think I still live there?" Rather than securing their systems, Mr Krebs complains that companies tend to look at breaches as a public relations problem with no long-term bearing on their reputation. This is partly to do with consumers not voting with their feet when breaches occur to companies they use, he says.

"We should be afraid of all these entities that hold all this sensitive data and yet don't answer to the people whose data they hold," he says. "Because they have almost no incentive to do security." Asked whether uncovering criminals was worth it at the end of the day, particularly when he has to deal with the constant pranks, Mr Krebs replied that he believed it was. "The more I can do to keep people from wasting my time, the more time I have to focus on the work that I want to do that generates the results that I am looking for," he says. His advice for consumers to stay safe online? 1) If you didn't go looking for it, don't install it.
A woman allegedly enslaved by a Melbourne couple was at times beaten with a frozen chicken, had boiling water thrown on her legs and hot tea splashed in her face, a court has been told.

Kandasamy and Kumuthini Kannan have each been charged with possessing a slave between July 2007 and July 2015, exercising ownership over a slave, and harbouring an unlawful non-citizen.

Kumuthini Kannan leaves court on Monday.

On Tuesday, the Kannans faced day two of a five-day pre-trial committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to determine if their case will go to trial.

During the hearing, the woman said she was told to stay silent at family gatherings and temple visits or risk being beaten.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.



The first half of the hearing that determines whether Cardinal George Pell will stand trial on historical sex offences will be closed to the public, when his alleged victims give evidence over a period of up to 10 days.

Prosecutors have booked a remote witness facility  a video link that allows complainants alleging sexual abuse to give evidence from a location outside the court room  for the first two weeks of Cardinal Pell's committal hearing, Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday.

The committal hearing, which will determine whether Cardinal Pell stands trial, is due to start on March 5 and run for four weeks.
Gabrielle Catan and Simon Tate have been devastated by death of their son Louis. Credit:Simon Schluter Irene Fisher, the patient services assistant who was responsible for serving breakfast at the ward on the day of Louis' death, said that a whiteboard which normally detailed food allergies did not have Louis listed on it. Mrs Fisher said she had instead been verbally told about the allergies by a nurse when she began her shift. Simon Tate and Gabrielle Catan want to see changes to anaphylaxis management at Frankston Hospital. Credit:Simon Schluter Louis was admitted to Frankston Hospital on October 22, 2015, after coming home from school with laboured breathing.

His mother said she had left the hospital early the next morning to let her son sleep, with firm instructions for the nurse about what he should eat when he woke up. "I told her that the safest food for him for breakfast was Weet-Bix, because it is widely available, and soy milk and if he needed anything else, maybe fruit," Ms Catan said. "I really thought about the safest, simplest food that he could have that was readily available." However when Ms Catan called the hospital to check on her son later that morning she was told that he had complained of a tingling sensation in his mouth after eating breakfast. Hours later he was dead  his heart had stopped after doctors administered anaesthetic to help him breathe.

Mrs Fisher has confirmed that she had supplied Louis with Weet-Bix, soy milk and a glass of water, but also revealed that she had also prepared him toast with packets of jam and butter. The veteran hospital worker said she had walked into his room with the toast but found it filled with doctors. Under questioning, she said she never would have given him the toast and butter without checking with the nurse first. Mrs Fisher said later in the day she was asked to supply the soy milk that had been in the ward fridge to someone at the hospital, but could not remember who that person was. "They wanted the milk to be analysed, that's what they said."

However Ms Catan said when they had met with the hospital the following year she had asked why the breakfast had not been retained for testing. "We were just told 'Oh, we didn't know that it would go so wrong and he would die," she said. Helen Hutchins, a ward nurse, said a new computer system has since been introduced at the hospital, where details about patient's allergies can be listed. In an emotional statement before the inquest began, Louis' father said the family strongly believed the death should have never happened, and that there were failures in the medical treatment he received after eating the breakfast. "He was in hospital, at a place where he should have been safe. Yet despite us providing clear and concise communications about his food allergies, he died," Mr Tate said.
A group of Hoddle Street business owners are furious they found out via the media that the road would close for eight days next month.

One of Melbourne's most congested roads, Hoddle Street will be closed in both directions from the Eastern Freeway to Victoria Parade between 12:30am Sunday, January 7 to 11:30pm Sunday, January 14.

Construction crews will work continuously through that period to capitalise on the quieter traffic at that time of year.

Wells Trenfield, director of Jasper's Coffee, which operates out of a unit at the rear of a building on Hoddle Street said the shut down, which he heard about via the media, "will completely close our business".
The husband of Karen Ristevski has been charged with the murder of his wife.

Borce Ristevski has been charged with one count of murder. The 53-year-old was arrested at 7.20am today by the Missing Persons Squad.

He will face Melbourne Magistrates Court this morning.

It is understood police were advised at least a month ago there was sufficient evidence to charge.
A professional poker player accused of being the architect of a $76 million fraud has been attacked with a tomahawk at a property in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

Bill Jordanou, 58, was left with a fractured jaw, broken nose and damaged eardrum following the vicious assault on November 26.

Bill Jordanou leaves Melbourne Magistrates Court in May 2014. Credit:Joe Armao

A witness recalled the "thud" when Mr Jordanou was hit in the face with the butt of a tomahawk.

The assault followed a dispute over the sale of a blue Holden commodore that had been transferred with an outstanding debt owed by the previous owners of the vehicle.
A Victorian truck mechanics business is facing charges over a fatal crash in the state's north-east that claimed the lives of three people, including a four-year-old boy.

A BP petrol tanker detached from a truck at Staghorn Flat, about 20 kilometres south of Wodonga, in August 2014, hitting two cars and killing two women and the boy.

Police and emergency services at the Staghorn Flat crash scene in August 2014. Credit:Kylie Esler

WorkSafe on Tuesday filed charges in the Wodonga Magistrates Court against local business Heavy Mechanics Pty Ltd for failing to ensure a person was not exposed to risk, with the matter scheduled for a committal hearing in March.

The charges come in the same week two major truck accidents resulted in injuries and traffic chaos on one of Melbourne's busiest arterial roads.
On the left hand foyer wall of the Victoria Police Centre is a carefully crafted Honour Board that holds the name of hundreds of police who displayed extraordinary bravery as sworn officers.

The subtext is these officers went above and beyond what is expected of them for it is often said the first rule of law enforcement is to come home alive.

Police subdue the suspect at Flinders Street on Grand Final Day Credit:Fabian Wright

But now the rules have changed. In a force-wide memo sent on Monday to police and Protective Service Officers, they were informed that they are now expected to be heroes.

Under the new rules of engagement, the first police on scene (often young constables not long out of the Academy) may be asked to engage terrorists and, if needed, use deadly force.
A former cellmate of notorious Sydney criminal Neddy Smith has angrily rejected a former detective's claims that he offered to provide police with information about Smith having murdered prominent Perth brothel owner Shirley Finn in 1975.

Kevin Parker appeared at the coronial inquest into Finn's murder to reject former police officer James Boland's evidence, saying it was "bulls*** and lies".

Shirley Finn was found shot dead in her car in 1975. Credit:Facebook

Former police officer Laurie Tyler also told the inquest that he saw Sydney crime boss Abe Saffron and corrupt cop and convicted killer Roger Rogerson drinking with WA detectives around the time Finn was murdered, including Bernie Johnson, head of the vice squad, and Mick Reed, who was in charge of the Finn investigation.

More to come.
Lethal drum lines and shark nets across Australia should be immediately phased out and other states should follow in WA's steps to subsidise personal shark deterrent devices, an Australian senate inquiry has found.

The Environment and Communications References Senate Committee into Shark Mitigation and Deterrent Measures, which held two of its public hearings in Perth - one just three days after a fatal shark attack in Esperance - has tabled a list of 20 recommendations to improve ocean safety.

An Australian senate inquiry into shark mitigation has recommended drum lines and shark nets be phased out. Credit:iStock

The WA state government's approach to shark mitigation was largely vindicated through the report, with the inquiry recommending New South Wales and Queensland cease the use of lethal drum lines and shark nets near its beaches.

The report also recommended other states take WA's lead and provide a rebate scheme for ocean users to purchase independently verified personal shark deterrent devices, such as the Shark Shield.
A building has been evacuated in Perth while fire crews investigate a possible blaze.

The alarm was raised just after 3pm with smoke billowing from a transformer room inside the building.

Fire crews outside the St Georges Terrace building. Credit:9 News Perth

At this stage emergency crews have not found the source of the fire.

Police are assisting at the scene with nearby roads blocked while investigations are under way.
Criminals as young as 10 who burgle Perth homes often come from disadvantaged and chaotic families, according to research.

A study by Edith Cowan University of 87 juveniles facing WA's Children's Court found 77 per cent have a family member who has run foul of the law, while 38 per cent had a relative imprisoned at some point.

Seventy-seven per cent of juveniles facing WA's Children's Court have a family member who has run foul of the law.

Researchers interviewed young people ranging in age from 10 to 17, most of whom said they committed their first crime at 12.

Only 16 per cent live with both parents while 10 per cent were in foster care or child protection, with many children exposed to domestic violence, drugs and alcohol abuse.
Four local police officers say they tackled the man who had just detonated a bomb in a New York City subway corridor as he tried to reach for his phone, fearing he might use it to detonate another device.

As smoke filled the underground pedestrian walkway that connected the Port Authority and Times Square subway stations during peak hour on Monday in Midtown Manhattan, four Port Authority Police Department officers ran towards the danger.

Akayed Ullah, a disgruntled Bangladeshi immigrant who had made a low-tech pipe bomb in his Brooklyn apartment, managed to detonate the chemical component yet the pipe failed to shatter.

It was enough to make a loud explosion, sending commuters in the busy walkway beneath 42nd Street and 8th Avenue scrambling for the exits.
Salcombe Distilling launches sherried gift-pack

Salcombe Distilling Company has launched a limited edition gift set featuring cask aged Finisterre gin alongside Bodegas Tradicion 12 Years Old Fino sherry.

A collaboration between Bodegas Tradicion and Salcombe Distilling Co based in South Devon. The brand partnership is inspired by the famous nineteenth century trading routes of the Salcombe Fruit Schooners.

Aged in the same cask from which the accompanying Fino was drawn, this limited-edition Finisterre gin, derives its name from the Spanish finis terre meaning end of the earth.

Founder Angus Lugsdin says: We are honoured to work with the prestigious Bodegas Tradicion to create a limited batch of 825 bottles of cask aged gin. The fresh citrus notes are tempered through the cask ageing process which takes approximately three months, creating wonderful candied citrus aromas and moreish saline notes from the aged Fino. The result is a complex yet sophisticated gin with great character and depth of flavour. 

Lorenzo Garcia-Iglesias, general manager of Bodegas Tradicion comments: We share the same passion and dynamism as Salcombe Distilling Co. to only create exceptional produce, so were delighted they selected one of our beautiful casks in which to age their fantastic gin and our Fino sherry to be included in their gift set. Our Fino is produced exclusively from the Palomino Fino grape and has been aged in an American oak cask for at least 12 years, far longer than most Finos and sets the standard against which all other Finos are judged.

Co-founder Howard Davies from Salcombe Distilling Co, continues: Weve always been curious about cask aged gin and are thrilled with this extraordinary product. Delicious served on its own over ice, mixed with a premium tonic or soda water or our perfect serve is in a Martini married with the delectable Fino in place of the more traditional vermouth.

Salcombe Distilling Co. cask aged Finisterre (46% ABV, 70cl) gin gift set with Fino Sherry (95) is available to buy nationwide from independent retailers, farm shops, delicatessens, directly at the distillery in Salcombe and online from the Salcombe Gin website www.salcombegin.com.

8 December 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
Hearne school administrators were optimistic in explaining the district's mixed STAAR scores Monday night, even if they had a small audience.

School board members convened for a mandatory public hearing to walk residents through the state's annual performance report on the district and to field questions, though no one signed up to speak. Few parents attended, and only two board members showed up for the hearing.

The other school board members were unable to make it due to health issues and scheduling conflicts, the superintendent said. Without a quorum of four, the subsequent board meeting had to be rescheduled for Thursday.

The presentation on the district's standing touched on the district's 2016-2017 STAAR scores and accountability rating. For the third year in a row, Hearne schools overall earned an "improvement required" accountability rating, suggesting that the district is one step closer to oversight by a state-appointed board of monitors.

According to the Texas Education Agency, districts with three consecutive years of substandard accountability ratings are given a "probation" accreditation status, a rank below the "warned" accreditation status the district earned last year after two consecutive years of substandard accountability ratings.

Four consecutive school years of a substandard academic accountability rating results in the state revoking a school district's accreditation status. Districts that have their accreditation revoked will have their school board replaced by a board of TEA-appointed managers. The STAAR scores students earn this school year will weigh into the district's next accountability rating.

The STAAR scores students earned last year, however, give the district pointers on how to improve, said Delic Loyde, a consultant hired by the district, to the few in attendance Monday.

While the high school earned a "meets requirement" rating, the other two campuses had substandard ratings, which earned the district an overall "improvement required" rating. Looking at the STAAR passing rates in 2016 versus 2017, the results are mixed, though Loyde said there are two obvious points of concentration.

"Pretty much everyone in the state is working on reading and math," she said. "And we showed that we had great gains in reading and math, but we also want to continue to make great gains in the subject."

On math STAAR tests, every grade level -- particularly third and sixth grades -- had a higher passing rate, with one notable exception. At the high school level, 13 percent fewer students passed. On reading tests, scores fluctuated a few percentage points above or below what they were the previous year in every grade except third and fourth. Sixteen percent more third-graders passed in 2017 than the previous year, and 11 percent fewer fourth-graders passed than in the previous year.

On science STAAR tests, a lower percentage of students passed in elementary and high school grades that took the exam, while a higher percentage of middle schoolers passed compared to last year. On social studies tests, a lower percentage of middle schoolers passed compared to last year, while at the high school level, one percent more students passed.

Superintendent Adrain Johnson said after the presentation that the best way to understand where the district is at is to compare the passing rate of a class over the years. For example, he said, when measuring progress of the fourth-grade class, it's better to compare its passing rate with the passing rate that class achieved as third-graders.

"We're kind of looking in the rear-view mirror. ... Typically you think about needing three to five years to turn campuses around," he said. "You probably don't have that much time because of how long the district or some of the campuses have been ['improvement required']."

For now, Loyde said the district is focusing on making sure each class level is learning all of the topics the state expects students to know. She said this was key in the high school earning a "meets requirement" rating.

"We know it works," she said.
The spirit of Randy Wilson permeated The Theatre Company on Sunday night as the local community theater dedicated its stage to its late artistic director.

The dedication was part of a fundraiser to complete BCS to Broadway and Back, the Randy Wilson story, a documentary on his life. A short version of the documentary was screened twice Sunday night, and audience members were invited to fund efforts to complete the documentary, hopefully by next summer. The audience laughed and applauded and no doubt shed a few tears seeing interviews with Wilson conducted in the weeks before his death on Nov. 26, 2016, shortly before an evening performance of Sweeney Todd, the last musical he directed.

Roger Pine, board president of The Theatre Company and frequent actor on stage, announced the naming of the stage between the two showings of the documentary short. A sign proclaiming the Randy Wilson Stage was unveiled outside the entrance to the theater.

Wilson spent his formative years in Bryan, graduated from Baylor University and moved to New York to seek a place on Broadway. He participated in several national tours and starred on Broadway as Annas and, later, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Returning to Bryan, Wilson became artistic director of 'magination Station, which later morphed into The Theatre Company. Over 23 years, Wilson directed some 150 musicals, starring in several. Along the way, he discovered, inspired and nurtured hundreds of actors, many of whom never had performed on stage before.

Among them was College Station's Thomas Sadoski, who went on to star on Broadway, in films and, now, television in The Newsroom and the current CBS hit sitcom Life in Pieces. Sadoski is featured in the Wilson documentary, recalling how much Wilson influenced him.

Wilson also was a playwright, penning Heart of the Valley about the founding of the city of Bryan and Taking Liberty, based on the life of Aaron Burr.

Theatre Company veterans James Cho and Cynthia Bradford are the people behind BCS to Broadway and Back, the Randy Wilson story. Cho is starring in The Theatre Company's production of She Loves Me, which has four more performances this weekend. Bradford is music director.

After listening to Wilson's stories of his life in theater, Bradford decided three years ago to collect the stories into a book. Cho later joined her in deciding to make a documentary on Wilson's life. The pair plan to conduct more interviews and visit the places Wilson frequented in New York.

For more information or to make a donation, go to bcsbroadwayfilm@gmail.com.
Three incumbents running for re-election in local races will face contested primaries next March, according to the Texas Secretary of State's Office.

The state's filing deadline passed at 6 p.m. Monday, finalizing the candidates running for local, state and federal office in 2018.

District 14 Rep. John Raney, Precinct 4 County Commissioner Irma Cauley and Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Tommy Munoz -- all seated elected officials -- will face contested primaries on March 6.

Raney will face three other Republicans in his party's primary: Sarah Laningham, a conservative local businesswoman endorsed by the Texas Right to Life; Rick Davis, a defense attorney and former judge for the 272nd District Court and County-Court-at-Law No. 2; and Jeston Texeira, a 22-year-old Texas A&M class of 2017 graduate whose Twitter account describes his platform as "God, guns, and the Constitution."

The Democratic candidates for House District 14 are Alex Vidal and Josh Wilkinson.

Cauley, former executive director of the Girl's Club of Brazos County and juvenile probation officer and Precinct 4's county commissioner since 2009, will face Tommy Anderson in the Democratic primary, the winner of which will go on to face Republican Timothy Delasandro in the November election.

In a press release issued Monday, Delasandro pledged to "hold the line on property tax increases" and described himself as a "strong advocate for our rural areas."

Tommy A. Munoz, who has been Precinct 2's Justice of the Peace since 2007, faces three Republican challengers: Mark Taplette; Robert "Robby" James Jr., a Brazos County sheriff's deputy who unsuccessfully ran against Munoz in a runoff in 2014; and Terrence Nunn, a 24-year police officer and Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran. There are no Democratic candidates running for the seat.

Below are some of the remaining candidates for next year's local, state and federal elections.

TX-17

Rep. Bill Flores is running for re-election as U.S. representative for District 17. Flores -- running for his fifth term -- is the sole Republican running for the seat; Rick Kennedy and Dale Mantey are running as Democrats.

Kennedy, an Austin-area resident who moved to central Texas in 2006 from Massachusetts, and Mantey, a Rockdale native, both place an emphasis on modernizing the district's economy. Mantey notes the importance of bringing high-tech energy jobs to the district, while Kennedy's website notes that, "we must bring the technology, energy and manufacturing jobs of the future to central Texas and train our workforce to be prepared to fill them."

District 5 state senator

Charles Schwertner, a former member of the Texas House and District 5 state senator since 2013, does not face a Republican challenger in his party's primary. Glen "Grumpy" Williams, Meg Walsh and Brian E. Cronin will face off in the Democratic primary.

District 12 state representative

Kyle Kacal, District 12 state representative since 2012, will not have a Republican challenger in his party's primary in March. He will face either Marianne Arnold or Chris Miller, the two Democratic candidates, in the November general election.

Judges

85th District Court Judge Kyle Hawthorne and 361st District Court Judge Steve Smith will run unopposed in their respective races, as will County Judge Duane Peters, County Court-at-Law Judge No. 1 Amanda S. Matzke and Court-at-Law Judge No. 2 Jim Locke.

District clerk

Six Republican candidates have filed for the district clerk position that has been occupied by Marc Hamlin since 1994: Billy Hart, Gabriel Garcia, Krystal Kelly, Melissa L. Bouis, Rudy Schultz and Margaret Meece. There is no Democratic candidate.

County clerk and treasurer

Karen McQueen, Brazos County clerk, has filed for re-election. She is running unopposed.

Laura Taylor Davis, county treasurer, will run unopposed in her re-election next year.

County commissioners

Precinct 4 Commissioner Irma Cauley will have a Democratic challenger next March and a Republican opponent next November. Precinct 2 Commissioner Sammy Catalena will run unopposed for re-election.

Justices of the Peace

Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Rick Hill is the only JP running unopposed for his seat. Precinct 4 JP Louis Garcia will face one of three Democratic challengers in the November general election. Manuel Aguilar, Darrell Booker and Celina Vasquez will compete against each other in the March primary for Garcia's seat.

Tommy Munoz, Precinct 2 JP, faces three Republican challengers as he runs for re-election: Mark Taplette, Robert "Robby" James Jr. and Terrence Nunn.

Four Republicans will run for the seat vacated by Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Michael P. McCleary, who told The Eagle on Monday he would not run for re-election. Joshua Benn, Justin Lopez, Kenny Elliott and Sue Elliott will all compete in the Republican primary in March. No Democrat filed for the position.

Constables

Precinct 1 Constable Jeff Reeves, Precinct 2 Constable Donald Joe Lampo, Precinct 3 Constable J.P. Ingram and Precinct 4 Constable Isaac Butler Jr. will run unopposed.
Update: The name of the driver killed in Saturday's wreck has been released. Maria Palomares, 63, died at CHI St. Joseph hospital.

A two-car accident that killed a 63-year-old Bryan woman over the weekend remained under investigation by College Station police late Sunday. The accident happened at about 12:45 p.m. Saturday in the 900 block of University Drive, not far from the Texas A&M campus.

The woman who died was driving west on University Drive turning left into a parking lot when her car was hit by an eastbound vehicle, according to police, who added that the woman's vehicle rolled several times and hit a tree. The passenger in the woman's car and both occupants of the other vehicle were taken to the College Station Medical Center.

The extent of their injuries was not known Sunday. The woman was pronounced dead at CHI St. Joseph hospital in Bryan.The name of the driver killed was not released pending notification of family. Police said she was not wearing a seat belt.
January 1, 1934 - December 10, 2017

A faithful and generous woman, Leta Mae (Scott) Capps, 83, of Bryan, TX, passed away peacefully Sunday, December 10, 2017.

She was born January 1, 1934 to Pat Wayne and Mary Katherine (Motter) Scott of Oklahoma City, OK. A time to receive family and friends will be held Wednesday, December 13, 2017 from 4-7PM, a service to honor the life of Leta Mae Capps will be held Thursday, December 14, 2017 at 1PM at Callaway-Jones Funeral and Cremation Center of Bryan, TX.

Leta attended Central State College of Oklahoma where she earned a Bachelors degree in education. It was during her time here that she caught the eye of her beloved husband Edward Frank Capps. The two were married June 1, 1954 in the Central University Chapel and together they shared almost 52 years of marriage. Leta and Frank were blessed with two sons, Kenneth Wayne Capps and Keith William Capps.

For many years Leta taught as a first grade teacher, her love for educating and nurturing her students was always obvious. She taught in both Bryan ISD and A&M Consolidated ISD until her retirement in 1989.

Leta was a very kind and social person, she loved to be around her family and friends. She brought a very special spontaneity to her home and always filled it with her brightness. Her love and devotion to her husband and two boys was something to be envied. Her belief in Jesus Christ was fundamental in her life, her church and the social network it provided were so very important to her. She had many life-long friendships that began at Central Christian Church and First Christian Church.

Leta was very fond of traveling. She especially loved an Alaskan Cruise and trips to Hawaii and Switzerland with Frank. She enjoyed bird watching, collecting Longaberger Baskets, and her pets. Her greatest joys however, were her two sons and the grandchildren they gave her.

Leta is preceded in death by her adored husband, Edward Frank Capps. Those left behind, missing her most, are her sons, Kenneth and wife Connie Capps, Keith and wife, Jane Capps; grandchildren, Marisa and husband Marty O'Brien, Nicholas and wife Carrie Capps, Julia Capps, Stephen, Rachael, David, Michael and Benjamin Capps; great-grandchildren, Audrey, Anderson, and Madeline O'Brien; and sister, Ina Rae (Scott) Peck.

Share Condolences at CallawayJones.com
Without a doubt, the Masterpiece Cakeshop case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court is about much more than cake.

Colorado baker Jack Phillips refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple, claiming that using his artistic talents in such a way would go against his religious beliefs. It is a complicated case that mixes the highly volatile issues of religious freedom, creative expression, free speech and discrimination.

But regardless of how well the mixture is blended, the end result is bigotry.

Religion long has been used to mask intolerance. It provides bigots a higher ground for justifying their disdain for those who they perceive to be different. In this case, religious intolerance was the driving force behind this discriminatory act, though it has been dressed up to appear to be something more complex.

Some have called the case a sequel to the racial discrimination that helped spark the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Indeed, discrimination based on sexual orientation is as egregious as that based on race. Both are unfair, hurtful and illegal. But that is where the comparisons should end.

When Phillips refused to take their order, the couple could have walked out of the Masterpiece Cakeshop and gone to another bakery that would have been more than happy to create a lovely cake for their wedding reception. They should not have been forced to do so, but they had the option.

African Americans never had such options in the 1960s. Racial discrimination was systemic and pervasive across the South.

When a black teenager was denied the right to sit at the counter and order a milkshake at a drugstore, he couldnt just go to another drugstore down the street. None of the drugstores would serve him.

On family road trips, parents had to equip the car with a bucket because businesses along the way would not allow blacks to use the toilet.

It was nearly impossible to find a white-owned restaurant anywhere in the South that allowed African Americans to walk in through the front door, sit down at a table and have a meal.

The gay rights movement largely is patterned after the racial civil rights movement. Theres nothing wrong with that. But the lessons of Martin Luther King Jr. and other martyrs of the 1960s cant be learned without first understanding history.

Since the cake case was argued before the justices last week, some gay rights advocates have drawn parallels to a federal racial discrimination case from 1964. A waitress at the Piggie Park drive-in in Columbia, South Carolina, refused to serve two customers when she approached their car and saw that they were black.

The owner of the drive-in claimed that he had the right to deny service to blacks because of his religious belief opposing any integration of the races whatsoever.

The U.S. District Court disagreed, ruling that while the owner had a constitutional right to espouse his religious beliefs, he did not have the right to practice them in disregard of the constitutional rights of other citizens.

The Supreme Courts only role was to award fees to lawyers for the African Americans. But the justices added a footnote to its unanimous opinion. They called the religious freedom argument patently frivolous.

The same should apply to the cake case. But the two cases are not parallel.

Religion was used as a basis for discrimination long before the 1960s. Religion helped to fuel the slave trade and the subsequent dehumanization of blacks on Southern plantations. The Bible, as interpreted by slave traders and slave masters, equated Africans with sin because of their dark skin color. Black was considered evil and unchristian.

Religion was used to justify the Ku Klux Klan. And in the 1960s, it was used as a tool to condemn African Americans to a life of inadequate education, lack of economic opportunity and the inability to participate in the Democratic process by casting a vote.

Civil rights leaders of the 1960s learned early on that they must choose their battles carefully, selecting issues that would have a far-reaching impact on the future of America, in particular its black citizens. In this cake case, a victory would force a bigot to bake a cake for gay couples, even when it is unlikely that any gay couple would choose to enlist the services of a bigot. The key word here is choose.

The gay couple in this case has every right to stand up for their rights. Many of us stand solidly behind them in their quest to fight bigotry.

But comparing the cake case to racial discrimination is unfair to the countless Americans who devoted their lives to fighting racial injustice more than a half-century ago. And it minimizes the far-reaching civil rights battles that lie ahead for the gay community. From spousal benefits in the workplace to the right for transgender people to use public facilities, the fight never will end.

Gay rights groups must tackle these obstacles head-on. But they must do it without standing on the backs of African Americans who never had the chance to choose another restaurant.

Dahleen Glanton writes for the Chicago Tribune.
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NORWALK  In lieu of suing seven apartment complexes suspected of racial discrimination, the city instead offered in October to train the operators to comply with fair housing laws.

The plan appears to be unraveling.

Fair Housing Officer Margaret K. Suib reported at a meeting Monday that the lawyer who began representing most of the properties had stopped coordinating about participating in the training.

Before the press conference was when I was still hearing from them. After the press conference  She trailed off. Hes not communicating. And my guess is no ones going to participate, but thats just a guess.

When the Fair Housing Advisory Commission sent a black couple and a white couple with similar credentials to ask about units at 10 apartment buildings in largely white Norwalk neighborhoods, they received markedly different treatment.

Seven out of the 10 apartment complexes tested in the pilot study showed signs of discrimination that warranted further investigation, such as abbreviated tours and different offers.

It does raise a red flag for us that we want to make sure that we do further testing, Mayor Harry Rilling said when he presented the results at a press conference in October.

On Monday afternoon, the Fair Housing Advisory Commission went over its budget request for the 2018-19 year, which suggested the possible scale of future studies. It requested $40,000 for the tests  which could fund a study four times the size of the pilot. (In 2015, the commission sought $93,550, but instead was given $10,000 for a pilot study). In addition, the budget asked for $5,000 to train staff at the apartment complexes that had fared poorly in the pilot tests.

While Rilling and Jeffrey Ingraham, chairman of the Fair Housing Advisory Commission, noted that usually lawsuits are filed when housing discrimination is found in testing (a recent case in New York ended with a $620,000 award to the plaintiffs), the city did not pursue litigation and did not release the names of the apartments study. Instead, the city reached out to work with the apartments by providing them training.

One complex was just sold to new owners; representatives from the other apartments had met with city officials to discuss the findings in the fall. In October, Rilling characterized the representatives as as surprised, disappointed and willing to cooperate. He was not able to be reached for comment regarding any change in behavior.

At the meeting, commissioners sounded perplexed about the lack of response.

Commissioner Nancy Burke said, Maybe they figured it was a 

A flash in the pan, filled in Suib.

Ingraham nodded. The heat is off, so.

But Suib emphasized that the heat is not off. Its yet to be seen whether the budget for the additional tests will be approved. But the Norwalk Fair Housing Advisory Commission is not the only group in Connecticut that conducts tests.

When theres subsequent testing, if the properties are not participating in training and they were found to be discriminating, that fact would certainly be used against them in that case, Suib said.

Other increases from last year include a 20 percent increase in Suibs salary (which she argued puts it more in line with with the salaries of other officials who had previously earned similar figures and is partially offset by a decrease in her fringe benefits), a $200 increase in the budget for seminars and funds for a new computer.

Reporting contributed by Robert Koch.
The Grand Island Northwest school board is inviting representatives from the Adams Central school district and First National Bank to its Jan. 8 meeting to get advice on how Northwest might create a consolidated 6-8 middle school.

In other action at Monday nights meeting, the district is moving away from the stucture of six people elected to the school board and two advisory board members elected from a specific part of Grand Island.

The tradition grew out of a 20-year annextion agreement signed between the Northwest School District and Grand Island Public Schools. That contract expired in 2004, but Northwest has continued the practice of having two people elected as advisory board members.

Thats now about to change, it appears.

The Northwest board has been discussing the possibility of restructuring the configuration of the school buildings in the district since spring 2016, when it hired DLR to study the physical condition of it four K-8 schools and Northwest High School. Part of DLRs job was just to examine the buildings to see what work was needed to keep the schools in good operating shape.

But DLR was assigned an even larger task of coming up with different scenarios on consolidating schools within the Northwest school district to make for more efficiency.

This fall, the board has been focused on one specific area of suggested consolidation  creating a single 6-8 middle school for the district.

However, there was absolutely no consensus on how that can be accomplished, with some people arguing there is no way for the Northwest school district to have a successful bond election with the current economic climate. Some people seemed to strongly favor a stand-alone middle school, while others seemed to want a middle school incorporated into the existing structure at Northwest High School.

That is why the Northwest school board wants to talk to Adams Central officials, who were able to win approval of a $19.7 million bond issue May 2016 that is replacing three smaller elementary school sites in the Adams Central school district.

Northwest patron Dan Leiser told the board on Monday evening that he does not believe a Northwest school district bond issue can be successful. Leiser said farmers must spend at least $686 per acre to raise corn.

Leiser pointed to a recent closing price of $3.01 per bushel. If a farmer raises 186 bushels of corn per acre, he is earning just over $559 per acre, which is operating at a loss.

Even if a farmer raises 220 bushels per acre, he is earning just over $662 per acres, which means he is still operating at a loss, Leiser said. He said he does not think a bond issue can pass because farmers are a majority of voters in the Northwest school district.

Northwest Jerry Wiese said he can support a consolidated 6-8 middle school, calling the middle school concept a great idea. However, Wiese said he and fellow agricultural producers cannot get behind a bond issue.

Were just building a new building on this site to provide a school for kids from another (school district), Wiese said. Following the city annexation of land west of Highway 281, he pointed out, people who built new homes in that area knew that their residences were within the city of Grand Island, which meant they also were part of the Grand Island school district.

Those people were originally allowed to send their children to Northwest school district through the 20-year annexation contract.

In more recent years, Wiese said, those parents could send their children to Northwest because of the state option enrollment law. Now, Wiese said, they all assume just because they live there, theyre going to come here (Northwest High School) no matter what. Times have changed. Its very expensive to come here now and its getting to the point where we cant afford to let them come here any more.

Wiese said the high school has about 45 district students per grade. If the high school and middle school were downsized to 100 students per grade, he said, that would create a mix of about 45 district students to 55 option enrollment students.

It would be very efficient for the district, said Wiese, who added that potentially could lower the tax levy below 70 cents per hundred dollars of property value.

Northwests 9-12 enrollment at the start of the current school year was 745.

Three letters were read on behalf of patrons who could not attend Mondays meeting.

The letter for Nate and Stephanie Balcom said Northwest middle school students are not getting all the educational opportunities that middle school students get in adjacent school districts. Their letter did not specifically state that the middle school should be stand-alone building versus being placed within the existing high school. The letter did propose the middle school should be on the high school property.

Randy and Janie Muhs Jankovitz wrote a letter supported building a consolidated middle school. So did Stacy and Aaron Scholz, who specifically advocated a free-standing, 6-8 middle school for Northwest.

Also during the public comment time, Randy Stueven of Grand Island objected to Northwests practice of electing two advisory board members. He also objected to limiting those advisory board members to the annexation area created west of Highway 281 by the contract signed by the Northwest and Grand Island school district.

On Monday, the board decided that it wants to appoint a person to fill the unexpired term of Scott Eriksen, who is resigning because he now lives in a home outside the annexation area.

The board also said the appointed advisory board members did not have to be confined to specific boundaries, such as the old annexation area that largely includes the school attendance areas for Shoemaker and Engleman elementary schools and Westridge Middle School. Stueven, however, said that change should be part of school district policy.
The Grand Island City Council will be informed of the citys street improvement projects for 2018 and beyond at its meeting Tuesday night.

The City Council will have a public hearing on, and consider approving a resolution for, the One and Six Year Street Improvement Plan. At its Dec. 6 meeting, the Regional Planning Commission held a public hearing and voted to recommend approval of the plan before forwarding it to the City Council for its final OK.

In her council memo, Streets Superintendent Shannon Callahan said the One and Six Year Street Improvement Plan consists of transportation projects in the Capital Improvement Program. She added the plan is state-mandated in order for the city to receive about $5 million in state gas tax funds every year.

Callahan said the street projects in the One and Six Year Street Improvement Plan are prioritized based on a number of factors  including availability of funds, condition of the street, traffic counts, eligibility of state/federal funds, redevelopment patterns and public input.

In an interview with The Independent last week in advance of the Regional Planning Commission meeting, Public Works Director John Collins said the street improvement projects scheduled for 2018 include:

-- The Highway 281 project underway by the Nebraska Department of Roads.

-- The Stolley Park Road reconfiguration.

-- Work on the Sycamore Street underpass.

-- Improvements to 13th Street from North Road to Diers Avenue.

-- Improvements to Old Potash Highway.

These projects are critical to keep traffic moving through the city, Collins said. On 13th Street, we are redoing the intersection with North Road. Based on projections, we need to do that with all of the intersections along North Road to keep things moving. That one came to the top of the list, primarily due to the new 911 center and fire station being relocated there.

The 13th Street project would also include improvements to drainage and enhanced pedestrian access with sidewalk and drainage additions.

Collins said the city has looked at making improvements to the Sycamore Street underpass for about six years. According to information in the City Council agenda, the bridge deck and abutment would be replaced, abutment walls patched and sealed, drainage added, and pumps reconstructed.

The construction is expected to begin in 2018 and be completed some time in 2019.

Collins said the city has looked at improving Old Potash Highway since 2012, and that it rose to the top of the citys list of projects so it could get funded this year. The work would include widening and reconfiguring Old Potash Highway, and making signal and geometric improvements to the north and south of the project corridor.

Projects listed in the six-year street improvement plan include improvements to the Highway 281 street lighting from Stolley Park Road to the Highway 20 interchange, improvements to the Five Points intersection, Highway 30 realignment and Highway 2 resurfacing.

In other action, the City Council will:

-- Elect a president. The current president is Councilman Vaughn Minton.

-- Hold a public hearing on, and consider approving, the annual report by the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation and Citizen Advisory Review Committee on the Economic Development Program Plan.

 Consider approval of funding for the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation.

The Grand Island City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
The Nebraska State Patrol said an Omaha man arrested early Saturday morning in Hamilton County was carrying a firearm, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine.

Ronald V. Mitchell Jr., 28, was arrested just before 1 a.m. near mile marker 336 on Interstate 80. Mitchell was driving a 2001 Honda Accord that was stopped for speeding.

During the stop, troopers conducted a search of the vehicle, leading to the discovery of a firearm, 6.8 ounces of marijuana, 29.9 grams of cocaine and 6.4 grams of methamphetamine.

In addition to possession of marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine, Mitchell was arrested for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and driving under suspension.

As of Monday, Mitchell was being held in the Hamilton County Jail.
Police/Sheriff

Anyone with information about any crime in the state may call the Grand Island-Hall County Crime Stoppers, (308) 381-8822. Callers will remain anonymous.

A reward of up to $1,000 will be paid after law enforcement agencies have determined the seriousness of the crime and the usefulness of the information.

Inmate custody status can be obtained by calling the VINE hotline at (877) NE 4 VINE or by visiting www.vinelink.com. Information is available 24 hours a day.

If you see a crime happening, call the Grand Island-Hall County Emergency Center  911.

Grand Island Police

The following felonies were reported:

 Halona Bearkiller was arrested for first-offense shoplifting, possession of a controlled substance (meth-filled syringes) and possession of drug paraphernalia (a glass meth pipe) Saturday night at Walmart, 2250 N. Diers Ave.

 Antonio Lopez was arrested for third-degree sexual assault assault of a child Saturday. The complainant was a 13-year-old female.

 After executing a search warrant, the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force arrested Jesse Reynek and Jennifer McCarthy Friday at 1216 W. Sixth St. Reynek was arrested for possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. McCarthy was arrested for third-degree assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer.

 David Marienau reported his gray 2009 Honda Civic stolen from 2004 N. Wheeler Friday night. The vehicle was recovered.

 Timothy Worsley was arrested for strangulation and third-degree domestic assault early Sunday morning at 523 Meves Ave. The complainant was Elizabeth Perez.

 Jose Rivas Mejia reported that his gray 2004 Mazda 3 was stolen Sunday evening from 621 W. Louise. The vehicle was recovered.

 Floridalma Escalante reported Sunday that all the money in her checking and savings account had been taken. The investigation is ongoing.

 Vision Comm Affordable Storage, 416 Ramada Road, reported an attempted burglary took place between Oct. 1 and Dec. 10.

Hall County Sheriff

Law enforcement arrested nine people on warrants in 11 cases. There were 96 calls for service.

For more information visit www.hallcountyne.gov and click on the sheriff link.

 A female juvenile reported that a sexual assault took place in southern Hall County in 2008.

Court report

Hall County District Court

 Pamela P. Johnson, 52, Grand Island, had her probation revoked (original offense driving while revoked from DUI/refusal). For both the revocation and a crime of possession of a controlled substance, her sentence is 90 days in jail with credit for 20 days served, license revoked 15 years, four years probation and required to pay $1,200 probation fee.

Hall County Court

 Timothy J. Worsley, 27, Grand Island, was charged with strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, both on Sunday. Preliminary hearing set for 11 a.m. Jan. 23.

 Jesse J. Reynek, 18, Grand Island, was charged with delivery, dispensing, distribution, manufacture or possession of a controlled substance  Schedule 1, 2, 3 and possession or use of drug paraphernalia, both on Friday. Preliminary hearing set for 10 a.m. Jan. 23.

 Halona S. Bearkiller, 20, homeless, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession or use of drug paraphernalia, both on Saturday. Preliminary hearing set for 9 a.m. Jan. 11.

 Antonio N. Lopez, 63, Grand Island, was charged with third-degree sexual assault of a child and first-offense criminal child enticement, both on Saturday. Preliminary hearing set for 9 a.m. Jan. 8.

 Rigoberto Mendoza-Lopez, 28, Grand Island, was charged with first-offense criminal impersonation, first-offense DUI-breath and having no operators license/non-waiverable, all on Saturday. Preliminary hearing set for 11 a.m. Jan. 8.

 Jonathan Rodriguez-Ramirez, 23, Grand Island, was charged with strangulation on Nov. 23. Arraignment set for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 13.

 Eduardo Acosta, 22, Grand Island, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of 1 oz. or less of marijuana, first offense, and possession or use of drug paraphernalia, all on Nov. 23. Arraignment set for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 13.

 Nicole L. Carter, 39, Grand Island, was charged with possessing a controlled substance on Nov. 25. Arraignment set for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 13.

 Jennifer M. McCarthy, 31, Grand Island, was charged with obstructing a peace officer, first-offense resisting arrest and assaulting an officer using a motor vehicle, all on Friday. Preliminary hearing set for 11 a.m. Jan. 16.

 Gina Padilla, 37, Grand Island, assault  threatening another in a menacing manner, $100 fine, 12 months probatin, $300 probation fee.

Driving Under the Influence: Nyakuic B. Whan, 19, Kearney, enhanced DUI, $500 fine, seven days in jail, drivers license revoked one year. Also guilty of minor in possessionunder 19, first offense, seven days in jail, and possession or use of drug paraphernalia, $100 fine; Cassandra L. Quickbear, 26, Grand Island, DUI-blood, first offense, $500 fine, seven days in jail with seven days credit, drivers license revoked six months; Daniel W. Leggott, 24, Grand Island, DUI-breath, first offense, $500 fine, six months probation, drivers license revoked 60 days. Also guilty possession of marijuana, 1 oz. or less, first offense, $300 fine; Stephen D. Price, 26, Grand Island, second-offense DUI, $500 fine, 30 days in jail, drivers license revoked 18 months. Also guilty of no proof of insurance, five days in jail; Adam K. Vetter, 24, Red Cloud, DUI-breath, first offense, $500 fine, six months probation, drivers license revoked 60 days.
Last month the Pro Ecclessia et Pontifice medal was conferred upon Edwardsville native Charles Thatcher by no less than Pope Francis himself.

It is considered the highest medal a layperson in the Roman Catholic Church can receive.

For Thatcher, who attended St. Boniface Catholic School and went on to graduate from Edwardsville High School, it was the culmination of a career devoted to playing, composing and teaching sacred music.

His musical precocity had begun to manifest itself as early as seventh grade when he began playing the organ accompaniment for masses at St. Boniface Catholic Church.

It was not surprising to me, said a niece of Thatchers, Debbie Vuagniaux. He has devoted his whole life to making music and helping others, and if there is anyone who is deserving, its him.

Vuagniaux, who lives in Edwardsville, learned of the papal honor from her aunt, Irene Thatcher Mann. Mann and her husband had traveled to Florida to attend the Nov. 4 award ceremony at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, in Winter Park. Afterward, she emailed photos of the ceremony to relatives, as well as the link to the video, Vuagniaux said.

Thatchers musical training appears to have kicked into high gear when he attended Illinois Wesleyan University, where, in 1976, he received a B.S. in Music. A year later he moved to Cologne, Germany, where he studied organ and church music for three years. On his return to the U.S. - in the mid-80s - Thatcher went to Indiana to study at St. Meinrad School of Theology.

By 1990, Thatcher had landed in Winter Park, where he would spend two more decades as Associate Director of Music at St. Margaret Mary. Then, in 2011, he was hired as Director of Music for the Diocese of Orlando and St. James Cathedral.

During that tenure he helped organize and lead two choir pilgrimages to sing for Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. He has become a sought after leader of Gregorian chant, and in his teaching has helped students to resurrect the beauty of chant in liturgical celebrations, wrote Rev. John Noonan, Bishop of the Orlando Diocese, in a letter written to Pope Francis on June 16, 2017. The letter was Noonans formal nomination of Charles Thatcher for the Pro Ecclesia et Pontific medal.

Noonan lauded Thatchers devotion to sacred music and choral direction which lead to participation in the celebration of Mass and also bring heaven to earth because of the simplicity and beauty of his ministry.

Thatcher, Noonan noted, is someone whose faith is ever present and does not start with work on Monday morning or end after the celebration of Mass on Sunday.

The request was made with Thatchers Sept. 1 retirement in mind.

But even in retirement, Noonan added, Thatcher will be continuing to compose music, play the organ, and assist with churchs music ministry as needed.

I prayerfully ask that you discern Mr. Charles Shephard Thatcher for papal honor, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross, as he retires, Noonan wrote. I can think of no other more worthy of this honor.

Those prayers were answered recently when the medal, a pin, and a certificate (inscribed in Latin) arrived in the mail from Vatican City. The medal is cast in gold and inscribed with Pro Ecclesia on the left arm of the cross and Et Pontifice on the right.

Vuagniaux recalls that her uncle had a hand in helping the city of Philadelphia roll out the red carpet for Pope Francis when he visited the city on Sep. 26, 2015.

Thatcher penned an arrangement of Hail Holy Queen! that was chosen and sung as the opening hymn.
Mike Windle/WireImageThe Cure will be celebrating their 40th anniversary with a special show at London's Hyde Park on July 7. Visit TheCure.com for ticket info.

Also performing at the concert will be a variety of bands influenced by The Cure, including Interpol, Editors, Goldfrapp, Ride, Slowdive and The Twilight Sad. Even more artists are yet to be announced.

The Cure formed in 1976, and released their first single in 1978. The band was a seminal act in the post-punk and new wave scenes of the '80s.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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Linkedin Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 07:56 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cfbd05 1 Opinion #commentary,Indonesian-politics,setya-novanto,#SetyaNovanto,eID-graft-case,#eIDgraftcase,KPK,#KPK,2019-presidential-election,#2019-elections,Jokowi,#Jokowi Free

Quoting powerful Indonesians as the basis of his argument, a politically wellconnected friend insisted that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had committed a suicidal blunder with its defiant act of detaining the nearly untouchable Setya Novanto for his alleged involvement in the US$170-million e-ID card graft case.

The political costs will be too expensive, because the chairman of the Golkar Party and the speaker of the House of Representatives will drag down as many people as possible, including the KPK commissioners.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo will also suffer a severe blow because he may lose Golkars support in the 2019 presidential election. Jokowis re-election bid is by all means, in great danger.

The implications will be horrifying for the nation, especially ahead of the 2019 elections, the friend told me in a recent conversation.

I nodded deeply because I do respect his intellectual capacity, his personal integrity and because, I admit, he is smarter than me. However, I disagreed with him. For me, the e-ID case should be categorized as a crime against humanity, because it has affected millions of Indonesians. Until now, they do not know when they can get their required document, making them prone to the deprivation of public services.

Therefore, anyone found guilty of playing a role in the scam deserves the maximum punishment.

However, the simple mind of a vegetable vendor convinced me of a different perspective. He said it was easy to understand Indonesian politics; the 2019 presidential race is not about justice or law enforcement; it is about how much  no more, no less.

The small-scale trader believed the Setya case would have little impact, if any, on the countrys politics.

The presidential election will entirely depend on this, he said, while rubbing his thumb and index finger together in the universal gesture for money.

The same rule would apply in the June 2018 regional elections, he said.

Regional head candidates are elected not just because of their impressive track records, but because of how much money they distribute to the people and political parties.

Believe it or not, my highly educated friend insisted that Setya remained powerful and could spread danger despite his imminent trial in the e-ID card graft.

The latest example is Setyas letter, which unilaterally names Aziz Syamsuddin the new House speaker. Previously, while avoiding KPK arrest, Setya appointed party secretary-general Idrus Marham as acting party chairman.

The Golkar elite  which are preparing an extraordinary congress to officially unseat Setya  and House leaders are debating Setyas controversial decisions.

Without conducting any academic research, it is very easy to conclude that millions of Indonesians are stunned by Setyas soap opera-like escape from the KPKs clutches. When it is so easy for a wealthy politician like him to dictate the party elite and the House, it would not be difficult for him to imprison people he dislikes.

Let me get back to the trader. In his analysis, only politicians who possess large amounts of money and receive backing from super-rich supporters can challenge Jokowi in the 2019 election. He then gave me a shortlist of prominent figures who could potentially contend Jokowi.

In the last few months, reputable and little-known pollsters announced their prediction of the most likely candidates to run against Jokowi. Many scholars have also shared their analysis about the course of the presidential race.

They all concluded that whoever bids to challenge Jokowi would face a very tough road. Although, they also provided leeway as an excuse if their calculations turned out to be wrong.

To convince the public of the reliability of their predictions, they conducted regular surveys to measure the electability and popularity ratings of Jokowi and his potential contenders. It has been common for political parties and candidates contesting public posts to hire pollsters to conduct periodical surveys as part of a strategy to win.

More surveys will be released ahead of the simultaneous regional elections next June, and the concurrent legislative and presidential elections in April 2019.

All pollsters have so far been of the opinion that the loser of the 2014 presidential election, Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, will try to avenge his defeat in 2019. Prabowo himself has indicated his bid for a sweet revenge.

Meanwhile, my other colleague insisted that the 2019 race would be a far different landscape from the 2014 battle for Prabowo. Now, Prabowo is finding difficulties in maximizing his financial resources due to a business slowdown, which also affects his diehard supporters. He may turn to crowd-funding, but the amount raised would not be significant.

Other names touted as Jokowis challenger include Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, who last Saturday transferred the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief post to Air Chief Marsal Hadi Tjahjanto. Many have anticipated Gatots political ambition, either as a presidential or vice presidential candidate, when he retires next March.

Gatot, however, will face more daunting challenges than Prabowo. Apart from financial resources, support from political parties remain elusive for Gatot.

What about Jokowi? As the incumbent, he gains an upper-hand over his contenders.

And what about the impact of Setyas fall from grace on Jokowi? I am leaning closer to my colleagues assessment: Jokowi will definitely need Golkar, but whether the new party boss will pledge loyalty to the President, as Setya did, remains a question.

As my friend, the vegetable seller, said: It all depends on money.
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Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 07:44 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cfbcb4 4 Editorial #Editorial,setya-novanto,#SetyaNovanto,KPK,#KPK,eID-graft-case,#eIDgraftcase,corruption-case,corruption-eradication-commission Free

If the Corruption Court hears on Wednesday the indictment of House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto in connection with the e-ID card project, the nation can expect to watch the trial of the century, not only because of the amount of money involved, but also the big names to which Setya will lead the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The KPK is accusing Setya of enriching himself and others, and abusing his power as leader of the Golkar faction in the House in connection with the national program, which investigators believe incurred to Rp 2.3 trillion in losses to the state.

The KPK has named Setya a suspect for the second time after losing a pretrial battle in September and has detained him for fear he would destroy evidence. Setya, who is also the Golkar chairman, is resisting his prosecution. But when state prosecutors formally arraign him on Wednesday, his fight will be irrelevant, according to the Criminal Procedure Code.

Defendants in the high-profile graft case have testified against Setya in their respective trials, saying that the Golkar politician was a key player behind the embezzlement of state money. Graft convict and former Democratic Party treasurer who is allegedly the whistle blower in the e-ID card corruption case, Muhammad Nazaruddin, told the KPK that Setya arranged tender winners and beneficiaries by marking up the national project.

The Corruption Court has found former Home Ministry officials Irman and Sugiharto guilty in the case and sentenced them to seven and five years in prison, respectively, and is now trying entrepreneur Andi Agustinus, a business partner of Setya. The KPK has accepted Andis bid to act as a justice collaborator to disclose Setyas role in the e-ID case.

The KPK will not rely on such a confession, but on incriminating evidence to convince the panel of judges to convict Setya. All the evidence will be unveiled, including the flow of money, which according to KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah, went to politicians and Home Ministry officials.

There have been questions about the goal of the KPKs move against Setya, who in the past managed to slip through the antigraft bodys fingers in a number of corruption cases. Setyas trial comes on the heels of a political year when Golkar badly needs a credible leader to regain public trust or crumble. The party is the first to have shown support for President Joko Jokowi Widodos reelection in 2019.

To rebuff allegations about certain political motives behind Setyas prosecution, the KPK investigation into the e-ID card case should not end with him. For sure, Setya does not want to go down alone. Therefore, the KPK should take measures against people Setya may name at his trial.

There is a risk Setyas trial will open Pandoras box, which the KPK has to deal with if it is truly committed to eradicating corruption. The past graft trial of a political party leader or elite, however, used to stop at him or her, with the KPK unable or reluctant to link the case to the parties.
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Linkedin APP Sinar Mas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Wed, December 13, 2017

Indonesian Economics Scholars Association (ISEI) members have paid a visit to Asia Pulp & Paper Sinar Mas (APP Sinar Mas) operational area in Jambi to interact with farmers who joined the companys empowerment program called Desa Makmur Peduli Api (Fire-free and prosperous village; DMPA) that is focused on helping locals to create prosperous residents who are aware of the importance of preventing forest fires.

The visit took place on Dec. 10 in the Dataran Kempas village, the Tanjung Jabur Barat regency in Jambi. In attendance were Tanjung Jabur Barat Regent Safrial, ISEI chairman Muliaman Hadad, ISEI Jakarta chapter chairman Halim Alamsyah, ISEI general secretary Aviliani as well as other ISEI members.

At the end of 2015, APP Sinar Mas introduced its DMPA program, which is a refinement of various community empowerment programs it has implemented previously. The program is an integrated initiative aimed at empowering locals -- including the companys local suppliers -- who live in the companys concession areas to run their own independent businesses to earn a living. Agroforestry -- a science that integrates various cultivation methods for maximum outcome -- has been the core of the empowerment program.

Muliaman said the companys initiative was a breakthrough effort to develop collaboration between corporations and local people.

APP Sinar Mas is working together with residents living in its concession areas to not just leverage the economic value of their activities, but also to empower them with skills. It has been a really great model [for such partnerships]. I think the government has recognized this partnership model as an applicable one, Muliaman added.

. (./.)

APP Sinar Mas director Suhendra Wiriadinata, meanwhile, said the program combined economic empowerment education with environmental conservation skills. The local residents learnt skills about fruit, vegetables and food crop cultivation, as well as husbandry, fisheries and food processing techniques to fulfill their daily nutritional needs or for them to set up their own agribusinesses through the program, Suhendra added.

He said the company would support the programs participants by supporting the downstream and upstream aspects of their businesses -- including machine procurement, supervision, seed provision as well as consultations on marketing techniques.

Currently, Dataran Kempas village residents have started to manufacture their own fertilizer, cultivate their own red ginger and even breed their own lambs independently through a number of farmer working groups, thanks to the skills they have acquired through the program.

Red ginger cultivation in the village, for example, has been organized by the Mekar Jaya Female Farmers Working Group, comprising 130 housewives living there. The working group receives around Rp 50 million (US$350,000) in assistance for seed procurement to cultivate their own red ginger with a production capacity amounting to more than seven tons per year, with an estimated annual income of Rp 180 million.

Currently, the working group has already planted red ginger in around 5,000 polybags, with a target of planting it in 20,000 polybags. One polybag is estimated to be able to produce one kilogram of red ginger.

. (./.)

We want to produce red ginger because it has numerous health benefits. Furthermore, it is also easy to plant and not too difficult to cultivate, Mekar Jaya Female Farmers Working Group head Rita Ayuwandari said.

Besides that, the plant cultivation program also takes care of horticultural plants, including various vegetables and fruit, on a land spanning 0.5 hectare, with an estimated annual income of Rp 66.8 million.

Through the working group, local farmers have also been able in producing their own fertilizer, using palm oil waste or cow manure as the main components. Local fertilizer producers production capacity amounts to 1,000 tons per month, with an estimated annual income of Rp 1 billion.

The working groups tilapia fish breeding program is run by 30 local residents, with a production capacity of 30,000 tilapia. The lamb breeding program, meanwhile, is run by 31 local residents, with a target of breeding 54 lambs per year, with an estimated annual income of Rp 118 million.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 13:37 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d14216 1 Lifestyle bullying,Celebrities,Twitter,victim,Keaton-Jones Free

Actors, athletes, musicians and other celebrity personalities are sending love and support on Twitter to Tennessee student Keaton Jones, whose mother shared a video relating his heartbreaking story of bullying on Facebook.

This is Keaton Jones, he lives in Knoxville and he has a little something to say about bullying.pic.twitter.com/coyQxFp33V  Everything TN (@Everything_TN) December 9, 2017

In the video, Jones is sitting in the car because he is afraid to go to lunch among his schoolmates.

They make fun of my nose. They call me ugly. They say I have no friends, he tells his mother as he begins to cry.

The video begins with Jones questioning why bullying happens at all, but ends with a hopeful message for other victims of bullying: I dont like that they do it to me. And I, for sure, dont like that they do it to other people, 'cause its not okay! People that are different, dont need to be criticized about it. Its not their fault.

In her post, his mother Kimberly Jones encouraged parents to talk to their children about bullying.

Read also: Bullying in childhood can have long-lasting effect on health

As reported by the Huffington Post, the video on Kimberly Jones Facebook page has gone viral, receiving over 18 million views. Incidentally, it caught the attention of celebrities, who have since reached out on Twitter to send Keaton messages of hope and encouragement. Actors Chris Evans, Millie Bobby Brown and Patricia Arquette are among the big names who have taken to the social media platform in a mass show of support.

Stay strong, Keaton. Dont let them make you turn cold, Evans tweeted on Sunday. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year?

Stay strong, Keaton. Dont let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year? https://t.co/s1QwCQ3toi  Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 10, 2017

Jones has also been invited as Hailee Steinfields date to the Pitch Perfect 3 premiere, while Tennessee Titans Delanie Walker invited the Jones family to a game against Jacksonville on New Years Eve.

Hi @Lakyn_Jones, could you pass this message along to Keaton?  pic.twitter.com/3l8P4fKAqW  Hailee Steinfeld (@HaileeSteinfeld) December 10, 2017

@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

Principal Greg Clay of Horace Maynard Middle School, where Keaton is a student, said to the Knoxville News Sentinel: Im sorry its like this. We all sympathize with Keaton and were doing everything we can to make sure it never happens again. Everybody saw the video and it was horrible. We dont want anyone to feel like that. Keatons a good kid. Well take care of him. (afr/kes)
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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 09:38 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d00abf 1 Art & Culture human-rights,human-rights-abuse,#humanrights,#HumanRightsAbuse,theatrical-play Free

Victims of sexual and systematic violence are called survivors for a reason, because, unlike us, they have to endure their past horrors every single day and live through them.



What these survivors have had to face may be too much for most of us to handle, as evidenced during a recent theatrical show about their struggles. Members of the audience shivered and wept as they heard horrific stories about sexual abuse and systematic violence from those who had experienced them first-hand.



The show was called Ode Tusuk Konde (An Ode of Hair-pin Clip), and despite its modest plot, powerfully gave voice to the pain and struggles of women and children who have experienced sexual abuse and systematic violence.



Staged in Goethe Haus, Menteng, Central Jakarta last Sunday, Ode told the story of Kampung Jugun  a small, remote village that provided protection for women and children marginalized by society after becoming victims of violence.



The play, which was initiated by the Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Womens Association for Justice (LBH Apik), began with narration of horrific, a real-life stories about sexual abuse and violence, told by the survivors themselves.



I had hot water poured on me by my boss. One day, he tried to hang me upside-down. He blamed me when his mother died, even though she had been sick for a long time, said Villager A, played by a former abused maid N.



Other stories included a woman who was gang-raped and then abandoned by her shamed family; a wife who was cheated on by her husband, who then decided he wanted a polygamous marriage; and a mother who found her own daughter raped by her husband.



Nonetheless, sorrow was not at the center of the plays atmosphere, as in the last half of the show, the village women supported a girl named Kembang in her search for a hairclip so she could be a Ronggeng dancer.



Kembang, played by domestic violence victim IP, eventually met a hermit who handed her a hairclip  a symbol of respect and support for women.



The play itself was initiated in order to raise awareness in Indonesian society about the perspectives of victims, said Veni Siregar, LBH Apik director.



We are aware that legal protection is only one part of the healing process. For society to hear and acknowledge the perspectives of the victims is an aspiration of those who have suffered, Veni said.



Acceptance, support and a nurturing attitude are all important to help the healing process for victims.



For two and a half months, LBH Apik teamed up with various institutions, like alternative media website konde.co, the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and trauma-counseling foundation Yayasan Pulih, to conduct the musical play, she said.



It was decided that the performance would be held as the peak event of the 16 Days of Activism to Eliminate Violence Against Women, she added.



The 16 Days of Activism to Eliminate Violence Against Women, a global campaign to unite people across the world to end this epidemic, concluded on Dec. 10, which was also Human Rights Day.



The play was also intended to help survivors cope with their trauma, added Agus Tian, the plays director, who has previously worked on a similar performance with maids who had been abused by their bosses.



We want to use theater as medium for healing. [] The play was [based on] their [the survivors] real lives, Agus said. We sewed pieces of their experiences into the play.



During the occasion, IP, who now feels strong enough to be interviewed by journalists, admitted the process that went into creating the play had brought back memories of the trauma and fear she felt from her separated husband, who had also taken her daughter away.



But I believe life must go on and that God will give me strength, she said.



I am thankful to have participated in the play because I had the chance to meet many other survivors and share stories with them about how we try to heal in different ways.
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Linkedin Sri Wahyuni (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 12:38 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d0f879 1 Art & Culture movies,#movies,local-movie,Tengkorak,UGM,sci-fi Free

Tengkorak (Skull), a science fiction movie produced by Gadjah Mada University (UGM)s vocational school, has been nominated for the Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror feature award at the 2018 Cinequest Film and VR Festival, to be held in San Jose, Silicon Valley, California, in March next year.

The announcement was made on Monday by the schools dean, Wikan Sakarinto, who is also the producer of Tengkorak, and the film's director, scriptwriter and actor, Yusron Fuadi.

Wikan said he received the news three days prior, informing him that Tengkorak had passed the festivals official selection phase and thus was invited to hold a world premiere at the 2018 Cinequest along with several other selected movies from across the globe.

Its really a source of pride for us, especially because according to USA Today, Cinequest is the best film festival in the US, Wikan told journalists at UGM on Monday.

He said that some of the worlds greatest film stars had received best actor awards from the festival, including Jacky Chan and Harrison Ford.

Thousands of people, he said, are expected to come to the festival, which will also be attended by world-class figures in the film industry.

Read also: UGM delighted to be Asia's 85th best

What makes us proud and grateful is that we started making this film from zero, from scratch, said Wikan, adding that the movie was funded by the crews own salaries as civil servants, which was why it took more than three years to finish.

The films director, Yusron, said principal photography for Tengkorak started in early October 2014, and the final scene was shot only a few weeks ago.

He said the films crew members were mostly lecturers and students of the schools computer and information system diploma study program. The animation and visual effects were also conducted in-house by both the students and lecturers.

[Everything] was done here [at UGM], Yusron said.

Filming took place mostly across Yogyakarta four regencies, including on the peak of Mount Merapi, one of the worlds most active volcanoes, located in Sleman regency.

Other locations included Mount Bromo in East Java and Singapore.

Read also: Indonesian movie project wins three awards at Southeast Asian Film Financing

Also playing as actors in the film are UGM rector Panut Mulyono, who plays as himself, a number of deans and professors of the university, local actors and actresses from Yogyakarta and Central Java, as well as the people of Gunungkidul and Bantul regencies in Yogyakarta.

This may be the first Indonesian film officially claimed by its producer as science fiction, a genre that is very rarely produced in the country, Yusron said.

The film, according to Wikan, tells about the discovery of a giant skull measuring 2 kilometers in height, following a major earthquake in Yogyakarta in 2006 that flattens a hill, where the skull is discovered.

The story goes from 2006 to 2020, describing the global chaos and conflict caused by the discovery. A UGM student accidentally stumbles across the secrets of the skull, making her the target of a manhunt by various parties of different interests.

The film previously won a special award at the 2017 Jogja Asian Film Festival.

As the world premiere will be held at the 2018 Cinequest in March, hopefully Indonesian audiences will be able to enjoy Tengkorak afterwards, Wikan said. (kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 21:06 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d2ac2b 1 City anies-baswedan,mass-organizations,FPI,Forkabi Free

Members of several mass organizations went to City Hall on Tuesday to meet Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, claiming they had been invited to join him for lunch.

Islam Defenders Front (FPI) member Irfan Fauzi, who was part of the group, said FPI had received a lunch invitation from the governor that was scheduled for 12 p.m. at City Hall.

However, as the men waited in front of Balai Agung (Great Hall), they were approached by Eliazar Hutapea, head of the mass organization division at the citys agency for the National and Political Unity Office (Kesbangpol), who informed them the lunch meeting was canceled and would be rescheduled as Anies had been invited to meet President Joko Jokowi Widodo.

We had informed them of the cancellation earlier, but the members were disappointed with the explanation, Eliazer said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Majid and his entourage from FPI left City Hall while Eliazer was explaining the reason for the cancellation.

Also seen at City Hall were members of the Betawi People's Communication Forum (Forkabi), Trikora and Berkarya Party.

Mass organizations were believed to have played a significant role in helping Anies win the gubernatorial election in April.

Separately, Anies said he was unaware of the scheduled lunch on Tuesday.

Ill check it later; I just learned about it, he told reporters.

Anies later said the lunch meeting had been rescheduled to Wednesday evening. (wnd)
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands  Tue, December 12, 2017 18:00 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d239fd 1 National APINDO,Batam,RiauIslands,Riau-Islands,minimum-wage,efficiency,layoffs Free

Industrial players in Batam, Riau Islands, are considering using robots to increase production cost efficiency as the monthly city minimum wage (UMK) for workers has continued to increase.

The advisory council head for the Riau Islands chapter of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), Abidin Hasibuan, said Batam's UMK for 2018 was high, even higher than the minimum wage in Johor Baru, Malaysia.

Last month, Riau Islands governor Nurdin Basirun decided the UMK next year would be Rp 3.52 million (US$246.63 ), or 8.7 percent higher than the previous year.

We are taking careful steps to anticipate the impact of such a high minimum wage, he said recently.

Abidin further said the skyrocketing minimum wage had forced the electronic manufacturing industry in Batam to use robots instead of manual labor to increase their production cost efficiency.

Abidin, who is also the president director of cellphone manufacturing company Satnusa Persada, said it would unfortunately lead to massive layoffs, said

This is the only thing they can do to manage their production costs and make it more efficient, as the minimum wage [in Batam] is too high, he added.

One robot can replace one line of a production process, which usually consists of seven to 10 workers, said factory worker Arnold Novi.

Simon Ng, the general manager of electronic manufacturer Honfoong Plastic Industries, said his company now employed only 450 workers, whereas in 2001, it had 3,400 employees.

The problem [in Batam] is that the minimum wage increases every year, but it is not balanced with increases in the productivity of workers, he said. (nmn/ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 11:37 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d0ad9f 1 Business BCA,AirAsia,cooperation,agreement Free

Private lender Bank Central Asia (BCA) and low-cost carrier Indonesia AirAsia X have signed on Monday a B2B digital service cooperation agreement, under which the bank will allow AirAsia's travel agents to use its Klik Bisnis BCA cash management service.

BCA president director Jahja Setiaatmadja and Indonesia AirAsia X CEO Dendy Kurniawan signed the agreement on Monday in Jakarta.

The carrier's travel agents can deposit funds through the service, as long as they have an internet connection.

People nowadays prefer a service which is practical and time-saving. We've seen the trend in all industries, including the travel industry. We have a commitment to help industry players gain access to practical, convenient and efficient financial solutions, Jahja told reporters following Monday's signing.

Jahja said the bank had so far allocated Rp 3 trillion in capital expenditure this year to developing the Klik Bisnis BCA. I think its important to follow the market trend, he added.

Dendy also expressed his optimism that the agreement would benefit the two companies mutually.

As a digital-based carrier, AirAsia strongly believes in the excellence of technology to improve our services for our customers. So, we hope that the deal can expand our partnership with travel agents, he said.

More than 80,000 companies currently use Klik Bisnis BCA to conduct their businesses' financial activities, including private carrier Sriwijaya Air. (fny/bbn)

Topics : BCA AirAsia cooperation agreement
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Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 15:26 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d18f34 1 National BioFarma,Bio-Farma,diphtheria,outbreak,vaccine,vaccines,infectious-diseases Free

State-owned vaccine manufacturer Bio Farma has temporarily stopped its diphtheria vaccine exports to focus on vaccine distribution to fulfill domestic demand as Indonesia strives to contain an outbreak of the infectious disease.

Bio Farma corporate communication spokesperson Bambang Heriyanto said in a statement on Tuesday that the companys decision to suspend the exportation of diphtheria vaccines was taken to ensure the availability of supply of the vaccine at home.

Bambang said Bio Farma guaranteed the availability of diphtheria vaccines needed to prevent people from contracting the bacterial infection as well as diphtheria serum for patients already infected with the disease.

Our product has passed tight quality control measures, Bambang said.

The Health Ministry and local health agencies have planned to expand diphtheria vaccination campaigns through Outbreak Response Immunization (ORI) after it was revealed that 20 of the country's 34 provinces had faced diphtheria outbreaks this year.

From January to November alone, 591 people were infected with diphtheria, 30 of whom died, according to the ministry. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (AFP) New York, United States  Tue, December 12, 2017 07:30 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cfba42 2 Business Bitcoin,cryptocurrency,investors,securities,Cboe-Futures-Exchange,Chicago-Mercantile-Exchange,futures,trading Free

Bitcoin experienced some big swings but finished higher in its debut on a major exchange Monday, while a leading US securities regulator warned investors about the risks of cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin futures for January delivery finished at $18,850.00 near 2115 GMT on its first full day of trading, a bit below session peaks but soaring well past the $15,000 initial price when Cboe launched the platform on Sunday night.

The Cboe launch marked the first opportunity for professional traders to invest in bitcoin on a traditional platform and is expected to be followed in a week by a rival listing on Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Still, in a sign of the unease generated by meteoric rise of the digital currency, the top US securities regulator Monday cautioned investors on the risks of cryptocurrencies and "initial coin offerings," a major fundraising tool of new currencies.

"Investors should understand that to date no initial coin offerings have been registered with the SEC," said Jay Clayton, chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. "If any person today tells you otherwise, be especially wary."

"I encourage Main Street investors to be open to these opportunities, but to ask good questions, demand clear answers and apply good common sense when doing so," Clayton warned.

Many major banks stayed out of the Cboe trading and have generally kept their distance from bitcoin, the most prominent of a plethora of emerging cryptocurrencies.

Cboe chief Ed Tilly called on critics of the virtual currency to express their skepticism in the market.

"Whether it's a fraud, whether it's a bubble, whether it's legitimate... you will be able to express all of those thoughts in a transparent market place," Tilly told AFP in an interview several hours after the trading launch.

Bitcoin's Cboe debut, while largely uneventful, once again showcased its penchant for volatility as the exchange was forced to suspend trading twice due to major price swings. But Tilly said that indicates the exchange was operating as intended.

The exchange set a policy requiring such halts due to major price moves, for example requiring a five-minute suspension due to a 20 percent move.

"So we hit those barriers on price movements and we did halt according to plans," Tilly said. "All things operated as they should."

- 'Digital gold' arrives -

Bitcoin's breakthrough is the latest in a spectacular run for the online money dubbed "digital gold" by its advocates, which began life in 2009 as a bit of encrypted software supposedly written by an unknown coder with a Japanese-sounding name.

What began as the preserve of computer nerds and financial experts has gained a broader following among those seeking alternatives to traditional investments, and now can be used to pay for a pint in a London pub or a manicure, as well as to invest in startup ventures, and its valued has soared in recent weeks.

Investor interest has also risen in other digital currencies, such as ethereum, ripple and litecoin, which employ the same "blockchain" software foundation as bitcoin.

"The level of interest is unbelievable," said Timothy Enneking, founder and the primary Principal of Crypto Asset Management, an asset and fund management company that created a digital currency index.

"We get dozens of people contacting us each day to know how to invest in cryptocurrencies and we don't even do any marketing."

Fidelity Labs, part of the giant Fidelity Investments, has been active in bitcoin for four years, said managing director Hadley Stern.

"It really started with our executive team starting to see what was going on in bitcoin," Stern said.

"And then we became very interested in the underlying blockchain technology. The root of it was this transformational ability to transfer value from software to software alone."

But investors are also mindful pitfalls given the Wild West nature of the market. Regulators have increasing scrutiny of initial coin offerings (ICOs), a key fundraising tool for cryptocurrency fundraising.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday halted the ICO by blockchain-based food review service Munchee, that had been seeking $15 million, after concluding that the company was attempting to sell securities without the required registration.

The SEC last week shut down another ICO, charging fraud against Dominic Lacroix, a Canadian with a history of securities law violations, and his company PlexCorps, charging the company that took millions from investors, "falsely promising" a speedy, 13-fold profit.

"For the amount of bullishness surrounding cryptoassets, there appears to be an equal amount of doubt surrounding the vast majority of ICOs," said Canaccord analyst Michael Graham. (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (AFP) Ankara, Turkey  Tue, December 12, 2017 09:00 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cfe794 2 World Recep-Tayyip-Erdogan,Vladimir-Putin,Russia,Turkey,Jerusalem,DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,Israel Free

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin warned on Monday that Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel risks escalating tension in an already tense region.

Trump's decision and his plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem sparked violence in Jerusalem, with a fifth day of protests in the Middle East.

"Both Russia and Turkey believe that the decision... does not help regulating the situation in the Middle East but instead destabilizes the already complicated atmosphere," Putin said during a press conference in Ankara.

"It can derail the Israel-Palestine peace process," he warned after his meeting with Erdogan following lightning visits to Syria and Egypt earlier on Monday.

Erdogan said that he and Putin had taken a similar approach on the issue as he accused Israel of continuing to "add fuel to the flames".

"Israel is using this as an opportunity to further increase the pressure and violence against Palestinians," he added.

Putin earlier in Cairo stressed the importance of "the immediate resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks over all disputed issues, including the status of Jerusalem".

- 'Partner to bloodshed' -

The Turkish head of state bitterly opposes Trump's decision and has sought to mobilize the Muslim world against it, calling a summit of Islamic countries on December 13 in Istanbul.

Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, said the "struggle" of Muslims would not end until there is an independent Palestinian state.

"They will never be able to clean the blood," he said in a speech in Ankara.

"With this recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it (the United States) has become a partner to this bloodshed. We do not recognise this decision, we will not," he added.

Turkey had high hopes for bilateral relations under the Trump presidency, but ties have frayed with rows over the Syria conflict, a New York legal case and now Jerusalem.

Erdogan said that the current "vandalism and cruelty" in Jerusalem would not last. "Those who think they own Jerusalem today will not find trees to hide behind," he said.

- 'Turning point' -

Trump's move has ignited protests across the Islamic world and deadly violence in the Palestinian territories.

Erdogan said Wednesday's summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul would be a "turning point" on the issue.

Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had traded verbal blows at the weekend, with the Turkish leader describing Israel as a "terrorist state" that kills children.

Hours later Netanyahu hit back, during a visit to Paris, calling his Turkish counterpart a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers and supports terrorists.

Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel's storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties.

The two sides have since stepped up cooperation, particularly in energy, but Erdogan has repeatedly been critical of Israeli policy. (**)
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Linkedin Mike Smith (AFP) Jerusalem  Tue, December 12, 2017 08:00 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cfd04e 2 World Jerusalem,DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,Middle-East,Israel,Palestine,BenjaminNetanyahu,Vladimir-Putin,Recep-Tayyip-Erdogan,Turkey,Russia,EU Free

The Middle East saw a fifth day of protests on Monday over US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, while further global condemnation followed the deeply controversial move.

While tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met EU foreign ministers in Brussels, declaring that the move he has lauded as historic "makes peace possible".

He also said he expected "all or most" European countries would follow the United States -- but the 28-nation bloc's foreign policy head Federica Mogherini gave him a stern rebuff, telling him to "keep his expectations for others".

In Cairo, Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced Trump's decision as "destabilizing" while calling for a resumption of long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks.

And after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara later Monday, Putin said the Trump declaration could "derail" peace efforts.

At a joint press conference, Erdogan said he and Putin had taken a similar approach on the issue, while accusing Israel of continuing to "add fuel to the flames".

Erdogan has been perhaps the most outspoken of global leaders in warning about the consequences of Trump's move.

Earlier Monday he said in a speech in Ankara that Washington was a "partner to bloodshed".

Hezbollah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006, organized a demonstration in Beirut in which tens of thousands of people chanted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!"

In Tehran, hundreds of diehard Iranian conservatives rallied against Israel and said Trump had hastened its demise by his decision.

In Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

"We came here against Trump's decision and we want to send a message that Jerusalem is and will stay our capital, and we will stay to defend it," one protester in a black ski mask told AFP.

There were also low-level clashes in Hebron and the Gaza Strip.

About 27 Palestinians were wounded by live fire or rubber bullets throughout the day, the Red Crescent said.

Palestinian demonstrations have declined in number and intensity since reaching a peak on Friday, but there are concerns they will again increase later this week.

Late Monday, at least two rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, with one intercepted by Israel's missile defense system.

In response, Israel's army said it hit Hamas military positions in the strip with tank and aircraft fire.

There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side.

Four Palestinians have been killed so far in clashes or Israeli air strikes in response to rocket fire from Gaza, and hundreds have been wounded.

- 'Walking away' -

Tens of thousands of people have protested in Middle Eastern and Muslim nations.

Palestinian leaders are outraged by Trump's move, but they also face difficult choices in how to respond since they rely on US aid and would like to salvage the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict.

President Mahmud Abbas will refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region later this month, Palestinian officials say, a move that led Washington to accuse Abbas of "walking away" from a chance to discuss peace.

Abbas on Monday met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a key US ally in the region, ahead of a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday.

Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said Sisi reaffirmed Cairo's "firm" position on the need to maintain the legal and historical status of Jerusalem and support for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Netanyahu, who has been dogged by corruption investigations against him at home, has lauded Trump's declaration.

On Monday, he was in Brussels as part of a two-day trip to Europe after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris the previous day, on visits planned before Trump's move.

Macron urged Netanyahu to "show courage" and take measures to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, including freezing settlement construction in the West Bank.

But Netanyahu, who heads what is seen as the most rightwing government in Israeli history, showed no sign of obliging, instead blaming the Palestinians for stalled peace efforts.

Monday's parley with EU foreign ministers was the first such meeting with an Israeli premier in 22 years, and came after the bloc's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini warned that Trump's move could take the situation "backwards to even darker times".

Netanyahu later said he told the ministers to "stop spoiling the Palestinians -- tell them clearly".

"I think that the Palestinians need to be brought back to earth, to reality," he said.

Mogherini said the "worst thing that can happen now is an escalation of tensions, of violence", and restated the EU's position that a two-state solution with Jerusalem as capital for both Israelis and Palestinians was the only sustainable way to resolve the conflict.

- Global condemnation -

Trump's Jerusalem declaration upended decades of precedent and broke with international consensus, drawing global condemnation.

Jerusalem's status is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel sees the entire city as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

Trump noted in his decision that Jerusalem's final status would have to be decided in negotiations between the two sides, but the Palestinians are not convinced.

Many analysts have questioned how a fair peace process could be possible after such a major concession was made without seeming to demand anything in return.

Jerusalem is home to sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and the Arab and Muslim world has seen the US move as an affront. (**)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar  Tue, December 12 2017

Two foreign prisoners escaped from Kerobokan Penitentiary in Bali, on Monday.

Drug suspect Chrishan Beasley, 32, from the United States, along with another US prisoner, Paul Anthony Hoffman, 57, an inmate serving 20 months imprisonment for robbery, reportedly escaped by jumping the prison wall.

Kerobokan prison guard Tonny Nainggolan told The Jakarta Post that Hoffman was caught soon after he jumped the wall.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 18:51 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d2760f 1 City revenue,e-parking,tax Free

In a bid to boost tax revenue next year, the city administration is set to oblige all business buildings in Jakarta to implement electronic parking systems, an official from the city's Levy and Tax Board (BPRD) has said.

The chairwoman of the technology and information unit of the board, Dewi Mustika Tafal, said the system would be trialed at Ciputral Mall in West Jakarta and Plaza Central in South Jakarta.

"We're planning to trial the policy at two locations first. The policy will be implemented at all buildings in stages in 2018," Dewi said on Tuesday as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

Dewi said currently two banks, Bank DKI and Bank Mandiri, had supported the program.

Next year, the city administration would engage more banks to join the program, she said.

The city administration expects to obtain Rp 38.12 trillion (US$2.8 billion) in tax revenue next year with Rp 685 billion coming from parking fees. (cal)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 20:40 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d2a211 1 National #Haj,haj-fund,MK,judicial-review,#Constitutional-Court,Constitutional-Court,haj,#haj-fund,#judicial-review Free

The Constitutional Court (MK) rejected on Tuesday a judicial review request challenging the government's power to invest haj funds.

Filed by lawyer Muhammad Sholeh in August, the petition contended a 2014 law that regulates haj fund management over fears of misuse.

"We reject the plaintiff's request," chief justice Arief Hidayat said, reading out the ruling.

Sholeh set out three main arguments in his petition, including that the government did not ask his permission to invest his haj down payment and that the government could inflate the down payment, so that it would have a larger pool of funds to invest.

According to Sholeh, he would bear the loss if the government's investments performed poorly.

The court rejected all three arguments, saying the petition had "no legal basis."

"One of the government's duties is to facilitate its Muslim citizens who want to go on the haj," said justice Anwar Usman. "In conducting that duty, the government needs to create legislation, so that it can provide the best service possible."

As long as the legislation was passed by duly elected lawmakers, he continued, it is considered part of a contract between the people and the government. This means that the government was not required to ask permission from haj participants to invest their down payments.

The court said that there was no evidence that losses would be passed down to the haj participants, while gains from the investments would be used to further improve government haj services. (kmt/ipa)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 16:48 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d21a81 1 City floods,MRT,LRT,anies-baswedan Free

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan blamed Mondays floods on several city thoroughfares like Jl. Rasuna Said and Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta on transportation development projects.

"I have communicated and directly checked the scenes. The problem is that parts of the small canals are obstructed by ongoing projects like MRT, LRT, and so on," Anies said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com, referring to the Mass Rapid Transit and Light Rail Transit projects.

Anies asked his officials to pay attention to the waterways. Several thoroughfares like Jl. Rasuna Said and Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. Sudirman were reportedly inundated by up to 50 centimeters of water.

He promised to take firm action against developers.

Earlier, Jakarta Water Resources Agency head Teguh Hendarwan said he had sent letters to the managers of the MRT and LRT to ensure that their projects did not hamper the waterways.

"The sidewalk developments also play a role in this matter," Teguh said. (wnd)
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Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara  Tue, December 12, 2017 18:34 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d272cb 1 National violence,violence-against-children,ViolenceAgainstChildren,violence-against-women,Oxfam,East-Nusa-Tenggara Free

A group of NGOs has called for greater efforts to stop rampant violence against women and children in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), after recording 119 of such cases from 2013 to 2016.

These 119 cases include gang rapes and sexual assaults, in which 93 percent of the victims were children under 18.

Most perpetrators are close with or known by the victims; 56 percent are family members, while 26 percent are boyfriends, said Timor Adil and Setara Consortium coordinator Ansi Rihi Daha, citing data from the Womens Legal Aid Foundation (LBH APIK), which had long assisted victims of violence in seeking justice.

According to the foundation, the number only represented cases reported to the authorities. It believes many cases of violence against children and women are left unreported.

Ansi said that in 2017, seven NGOs  namely LBH APIK, CIS Timor, Suara Sanggar Perempuan (SSP), Yabiku, Lopo Belajar Gender, Koalisi Perempuan NTT and Bengkel Appek, all part of the Timor Adil and Setara Consortium  held a 16-day campaign to celebrate International Anti Violence Against Women Day.

This consortium is a power that works to reduce violence against children and women in NTT by preventing and resolving the crime, Ansi said, adding that the campaign was supported by worldwide development organization Oxfam.

Oxfams gender justice partner coordinator, Juliana Ndolu, said Indonesia had hosted the campaign every year since 2003, including in NTT, as a part of efforts to eradicate violence against women. (nmn/ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 18:24 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d2558f 1 National F-16,#AirForce,Air-Force,#F-16,Jet-fighters,#jet-fighters Free

Four F-16 jet fighters granted to Indonesia by the United States have arrived at the Iswahjudi Air Force Base in Magetan, East Java, on Tuesday, while two others are grounded in Hawaii.



The aircraft are part of a total of 24 aircraft the US government has promised to Indonesia. The latest arrival brings to 22 the number of planes delivered so far, significantly strenghtening  at least in numbers  the fleet of Indonesias Air Force.



The four aircraft of the type F-16C, which has improved avionics and weaponry systems than previous versions of the F-16, departed from the US on Monday and made a stop in Guam, Hawaii, before landing at Iswahjudi on Tuesday, as reported by kompas.com.



Initially, six such aircraft had been scheduled to arrive in Indonesia, said Iswahjudi commander First Marshal Samsul Rizal, but only four planes had landed on schedule.



"Two of the planes suffered engine trouble after landing in Hawaii; the two aircraft need to undergo repair work," Samsul said, as quoted by kompas.com.



Some of the 24 aircraft will be stationed at Squadron 3 at Iswahjudi and some at Squadron 16 at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force base in Pekanbaru, Riau. (ipa)
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Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura, Papua  Tue, December 12, 2017 18:30 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d259bd 1 Politics Papua,Mimika,2018-regional-election,unrest,elections,regional-elections,Bawaslu,#2018RegionalElections Free

Papua and Mimika have been categorized as two among 171 regions participating in the 2018 regional elections that are most prone to security disruptions.

In the provincial election category, Papua is considered the most vulnerable, followed by Maluku and West Kalimantan, said Papua Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) head Peggy Wattimena in Jayapura on Tuesday.

In the regency election category, Mimika is the most vulnerable regency, followed by Paniai and Jayawijaya. Both are in Papua province, she went on.

Friets Edward Siregar, from the Bawaslu headquarters in Jakarta, said three indicators had been used to measure the vulnerability level of a region in the 2018 election.

They are the condition of contestation in those regions, the implementation of elections in the previous years and voter participation in previous elections, he said.

The vulnerability is closely related to whether candidates had prioritized programs or just highlighted ethnic sentiments in their campaigns in the previous elections, to whether the election organizers had violated ethics and to whether the elections were marred with turmoil," he added.

Friets further said in the 2017 regional elections, out of a total 11 participating regencies and municipalities, only one region had no dispute that had to be settled at the Constitutional Court.

Unrest in last years elections resulted in 11 deaths, 77 injured victims, and the several offices being burned down.

Meanwhile, the Papua Police categorized four regions in the Pegunungan Tengah region, namely Puncak, Deiyai, Paniai and Mimika, as most prone to turmoil in 2018 because many armed groups reside in those areas. (nmn/ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 17:39 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d230f7 1 National #Christmas,New-Year-Celebration,#NewYear,#Police,#security,terrorism,traffic-congestion,#Terrorism,#TrafficCongestion,police,Christmas Free

The National Police are beefing up measures to anticipate terrorist threats and traffic congestion ahead of Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.

While police have detected "no terrorist threat so far," according to National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian, who was quoted by kompas.com, they remain on alert following security threats ahead of Christmas Eve last year.



"We are working to ensure that we do not miss anything," Tito said on Tuesday.

Just days before Christmas last year, the police's counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, thwarted a suicide bomb plot in Banten. In the operation, the team shot dead three people suspected to have been preparing a suicide bomb attack in Jakarta.



Christmas celebrations passed peacefully in 2015, but only two weeks into 2016, suicide bombers and gunmen killed four people in an attack in Jakarta's crowded Thamrin area.



Ahead of this year's festivities, more than 141,000 security personnel, including some 85,000 police officers and around 15,000 Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel, will be deployed to secure venues where crowds are expected to gather in large numbers across the country.



The measures were aimed at maintaining security while at the same time preventing traffic congestion, said Adj. Comr. Subono from the Traffic Police, as reported by tempo.co.



Some of the personnel is set to be deployed to the Jakarta-Tangerang-Merak toll road, the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, the exit of the Pejagan toll road, the exit of East Brebes toll road and the Jagorawi toll road. (ami/ipa)
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Linkedin Catherine Triomphe (AFP) New York, United States  Tue, December 12, 2017 07:07 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cfaaac 2 World terror-attack,terrorism,new-york,New-York-City,bombing,bomb,Bangladesh,DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,explosion Free

A 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh detonated a homemade pipe bomb strapped to his body in a crowded New York subway passage during the morning rush hour Monday, injuring three people and putting the city on edge just six weeks after a deadly truck attack.

Akayed Ullah told police investigators he wanted to avenge US airstrikes on the Islamic State group and was also inspired by Christmas terror plots in Europe, and chose the location for his attack by the Christmas posters on the subway walls, US media reported.

His bomb failed to detonate properly, leaving him the only one seriously injured in the incident.

President Donald Trump used the attack to call for tougher US immigration rules, saying the current "lax" policy "allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country."

"Today's attempted mass murder attack in New York City -- the second terror attack in New York in the last two months -- once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people," Trump said in a statement.

- Bomb only partially detonated -

The blast took place in the subway station at the Port Authority bus terminal, not far from the city's iconic Times Square, sparking commuter panic and travel disruptions.

A closed-circuit security video showed commuters scattering as the bomb exploded and one body -- that of the bomber -- on the ground after the smoke cleared.

Authorities attributed the minimal damage from the simple device attached to Ullah's chest to a malfunction.

The explosion left him with several burns to his torso and hands, and he was sent to a hospital in "serious" condition.

The other three injured people suffered ringing in the ears, headaches and other minor complaints, and there was no significant damage to the subway structure.

"Fortunately for us, the bomb partially detonated," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "It did not fully have the effect that he was hoping for."

Cuomo said Ullah was not part of a "sophisticated network," but appeared to have been "influenced" by the Islamic State or other extremist groups.

- Christmas attacks threat -

The attack came as the Christmas-New Year holiday season was moving into high gear, underscoring the possible threat that lone actors inspired by Islamic State or Al-Qaeda pose to festive crowds.

In Berlin last year, an IS-inspired Tunisian refugee drove a large truck into a crowd at a Christmas market, killing 12.

Islamic State supporters have made online threats and urged sympathizers to conduct attacks on Western targets during the holiday season.

New York was rocked on October 31, the Halloween holiday, when an immigrant from Uzbekistan drove a rented truck down a busy bike and pedestrian path, killing eight people and injuring 12.

In November, the US State Department issued an alert for travelers to Europe during the holiday season, reminding them of the Berlin attack as well as the assault on a New Years Eve party in an Istanbul nightclub last year that left 39 people dead.

"US citizens should exercise caution at holiday festivals and events," the State Department warned.

"Extremists continue to focus on tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls and local government facilities as viable targets."

Cuomo said the latest bombing underscored that New York is a perennial target, 16 years after the 9/11 attacks.

"This is New York. The reality is that we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom," he said.

A bomb in a subway station "is in many ways one of our worst nightmares," Cuomo said.

- Trump demands tighter immigration -

The White House quickly turned the attack into a justification for its crackdown on immigration, which has seen the Trump administration slash refugee arrivals, block travelers from six Muslim-majority countries, and press for tighter restrictions on all those seeking to legally move to the United States.

Sayfullo Saipov, the Halloween attacker, had entered the country in 2101 under the "Diversity Immigrant Visa" program, by which the United States has sought to widen the sources of immigrants.

Ullah arrived seven years ago as the member of a family already in the United States, under what is known as "chain immigration."

Trump has called to eliminate both programs and move to a merit-based immigration policy. (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 10:49 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d05d68 1 Politics National-Police,TNI,Indonesian-Military,Hadi-Tjahjanto,Tito-Karnavian Free

National Police chief Gen.Tito Karnavian, accompanied by several high-ranking police officers visited newly inaugurated Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto on Monday, in an apparent gesture of cooperation and support.

During their meeting at the TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, the two leaders stressed the importance of solidarity between their institutions in securing the nation.

Lets continue our good relationship, said Hadi during a banquet held on Monday afternoon in the hall of Soedirman Building.

The new commander hoped the National Police chiefs visit was not merely ceremonial, and that they would meet again soon.

He expected that military-police solidarity could be established at all levels, not just among the upper echelons of the two institutions.

Congratulating the new TNI Commander on his inauguration, Tito said the National Police force was committed to supporting Hadis leadership in strengthening the professional capacity of the Armed Forces.

Tito added that the military and the police were only two institutions that distanced themselves from the elections to maintain neutrality. As long as the two institutions were in unity, the nation's security could be assured, he said.

For the police, the military is a key partner," Tito said.

He hoped for stronger cooperation between the TNI and the National Police in securing events in the near future, such as the 2018 regional elections and 2019 general elections, as well as in mutually supporting their institutional duties. (ami/ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 12, 2017 15:08 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d17646 1 News bali,tourism,travel,Australia Free

Bali remains a popular destination among travelers from Australia despite recent concerns related to the eruption of Mount Agung, an Indonesian tourism official in Melbourne has said, with some even calling the island destination their second home.

According to a tempo.co report, Emil Hardy Ridwan, the Visit Indonesia Tourism Officer (VITO) country manager based in Melbourne, Australia, said Bali was one of the top destinations among visitors from the neighboring country.

"Australia is still an exceptional Indonesian tourism market, because 90 percent of Australian [overseas] travel is to Bali," Emil said in Melbourne on Monday, as quoted by

He added that the top three destinations among Australian travelers included New Zealand and the United States. The majority of trips to New Zealand, he said, were taken to visit family or relatives.

Read also: Indonesia set to attract more tourists from Western Australia

"So, for tourism, Bali is still a favorite destination," Emil said.

He added that the closure of Ngurah Rai International Airport in late November because of the Mt Agung eruption was not a concern among Australian travelers.

"They didn't worry, especially young, independent travelers, although many travelers in the family segment are holding back and are not traveling to Bali temporarily," Emil said.

Emil said demand remained high, even after Melbourne-based airline Jetstar increased its flights to Denpasar from seven to twelve times a week. He added that Australia had a huge market potential that must be maintained.

Emil said Indonesia aimed to welcome 1.8 million Australian visitors before the yearend. (liz/kes)

Topics : bali tourism travel Australia
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Linkedin Kyunghee Park, Yudith Ho and Harry Suhartono (Bloomberg)  Tue, December 12, 2017 16:28 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d1beed 2 News bali,Mount-Agung,tourism,#tourism,Christmas Free

Imran Ameer booked tickets to spend 10 days on the beaches of Lombok, near Bali, with his pregnant wife and 17-month-old daughter. Then Mount Agung in eastern Bali erupted, forcing the 28-year-old from Melbourne to scrap that plan.

Hes not alone. With a possibility of the volcano erupting again any time, scores of hotel rooms and flights to Bali have been left empty into the year end, casting doubt on one of the resort-islands busiest seasons.

Five numbers show whats at stake:

4.5

Tourism is important not just for Bali but also for Indonesias economy. The nations tourism revenue -- much of which is generated on the resort island -- accounted for 4.5 percent of gross domestic product last year, figures from the Tourism Ministry show.

The ministry says its maintaining its projections for the contribution to rise to 5.5 percent this year and 6.5 percent in 2018.

25

About 25 percent of hotel rooms in Bali are currently occupied, compared with as much as 80 percent in December last year, according to Tjok Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, chairman of Balis association of hotels and restaurants. The islands tourism industry loses about 250 billion rupiah ($18 million) a day as a result of hotel room and other cancellations, Sukawati said.

Read also: Volcanic eruptions no match for cockfighting, Bali-style

70

Tourism in Bali -- named the worlds top travel destination by TripAdvisor Inc. this year -- directly and indirectly accounts for about 70 percent of the islands income, according to the tourism board.

300

Indonesian flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia canceled more than 300 flights because of closures at Balis Ngurah Rai International Airport and the Lombok International Airport after the volcanic eruptions. Services to Bali account for 30 percent of the airlines daily total.

1,000,000

Garuda lost about $1 million a day when the airports were shut, according to estimates by Shukor Yusof, founder of Endau Analytics, an aviation consulting firm. Shukor estimated that PT Lion Mentari Airlines, Indonesias biggest airline, lost about $500,000 a day.

Almost a million people had been expected to visit Bali in December and January combined, said Anak Agung Gede Yuniartha Putra, the chief of Balis tourism office. Now, expectations are for no less than half the earlier projection. About 70 percent of Balis income comes either directly or indirectly from tourism, according to the tourism board.

 With assistance by Karlis Salna, Rieka Rahadiana, Tassia Sipahutar, and Shamim Adam
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) The Hague, Netherlands  Tue, December 12, 2017 13:36 1801 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2d13212 2 News Airport,snow,Amsterdam Free

Snow wreaked havoc in the low-lying Netherlands on Monday, briefly closing down Eindhoven airport, shutting schools and leading to transport chaos with hundreds of flights and trains cancelled or delayed.

The rare winter show may have delighted children, who once again set off in search of any slope on their sledges, but it proved a headache elsewhere as the National Weather Centre (KNMI) issued its highest code red warning.

Schiphol airport, just outside Amsterdam, was forced to cancel 430 flights already by early afternoon -- about a third of all of flights in or out of one of Europe's top five busiest air hubs, and many others faced long delays.

"We are de-icing the planes for their safety and we have snow crews out trying to keep the runways clear and remove the snow, but they can't keep up," Schiphol spokesman Paul Weber told AFP.

"People should keep in touch, look at the website, and find out how to reach us as the trains are having difficulty," he said, warning that even though most of the snow was supposed to melt by Tuesday there would likely still be flight delays.

Eindhoven airport, the country's second biggest, said just after midday on Twitter that "due to wintry weather conditions, the runway is currently closed."

It reopened about three hours later, but some flights were still being diverted or cancelled.

Read also: Heavy snow causes travel mayhem in northern Europe

Passengers flying out of Rotterdam The Hague airport were also faced by late Monday with delays and cancellations.

The Dutch road safety association ANWB reported roads were clogged around 18:30 pm with 1,385 kilometres of traffic jams reported around the country due to the icy conditions.

The snow arrived in The Netherlands early Sunday, and by late Monday the weather centre had extended its code red warning across virtually the whole of the country, to include also the northern regions including Friesland and the city of Groningen.

It warned "of wide-spread icy conditions" while in the west the snowfall would be accompanied by "a powerful and strong northeast wind" which could cause snow drifts.

For those who struggled into work on Monday, the national railway NS had but one message. "Go home as early as possible to avoid travel problems."

"Travellers should take into account that there will be longer travel times," it warned on its website, adding it was running a reduced service.

Bus services in many cities including The Hague, Amsterdam and Utrecht were also halted by early evening, after many had trouble navigating the slippery roads.

Topics : Airport snow Amsterdam
Film-maker Danny Boyle and graffiti artist Banksy have made an alternative nativity for BBC Two.

Slumdog Millionaire director Boyle travelled to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, where Banksy opened the hotel with the worst view in the world earlier this year, to make the hour-long film.

Anonymous artist Banksy decided to stage an Alternativity in the least Christmassy place on Earth.

He asked Boyle, the Oscar-winning film director who was also the mastermind behind the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, to help him stage the nativity.

A Banksy signature on a mural (Ben Birchall/PA)

Boyle travels to the occupied Palestinian territories to create a spectacular show from scratch in the car park of Banksys hotel, the BBC said.

Shot over six weeks, this enthralling documentary follows the action as Danny overcomes the many restrictions to assemble a cast and crew, meeting local children, theatrical performers and a great many donkeys along the way.

BBC Two controller Patrick Holland said: It is brilliant for BBC Two to be working with Danny Boyle, Banksy and the creative team who together are making this alternative nativity.

It promises to be a challenging and provocative exploration of a story that speaks to young and old alike.

The Alternativity will air on Sunday December 17 at 9pm.
Rosina Kostiani is HR Advisor at BP having joined the company in September 2013 through the Group HR Graduate Programme.

She completed a postgraduate diploma at Nottingham Trent University and is a CIPD-qualified HR Professional. Before that, she studied for her Bachelors in Greece/Iceland and Masters in the Netherlands.

We spoke to Rosina to find out more about what its like working in Human Resources and how to break into the field.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I enjoy travelling, finding out about other cultures and learning foreign languages. I have worked in eight different countries in a broad range of organisations, from small start-ups and NGOs to Fortune 500 companies. Interesting fact: I have a degree in Icelandic!

I am passionate about Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), which is both about perceiving difference and valuing it. I specialised in D&I during my Masters and that was the focus of my CIPD applied research as well  I was later shortlisted for WeAreTheCitys Rising Star Award in the HR & Recruitment category, and I can say that it was an honour to be part of a group of such talented female role models across different industries and professions.

What does your current role involve?

I am an HR Advisor within BPs Upstream segment, supporting three different client groups  Technology, IT&S (Information Technology & Services) and Reservoir Development. My role covers the full HR generalist portfolio for my functions and regions, championing all aspects of people management and supporting the different Leadership Teams in setting and delivering the strategy and people agenda.

When I first joined BP, I worked in the Reward Centre of Excellence, supporting the global Individual Performance Management system and processes, Reward education initiatives, and Global Reward Policy. I was also involved in setting up the companys HR portal including review of the user experience and content management.

After that, I rotated into Castrol, where I was in a global HR Advisor role looking after the Supply Chain and Health and Safety functions. In that role, I had the opportunity to work on Talent & Capability programmes, implement change initiatives and also support our Safety agenda.

HR is not usually associated with being exciting  lots of students might think its a bit dry. What would you say to that?

I think its quite the opposite. Its incredible to understand how different things impact people, how people impact the business outcome and the influence that HR can have on that. That was the main motivator when I started thinking about HR as a potential career. Having worked in BP and seen that in a broader scale, I find HR even more fascinating. It touches every aspect of an organisation, and its a very broad discipline so it offers a dynamic and varied career.

Why did you decide to join BPs Graduate Programme?

I was looking for a structured graduate programme that allowed for rotations, as you usually do not have the opportunity to experience different specialisms as a junior entry-level employee. I felt it was important to have a broader exposure and see the types of roles that exist before making a decision that could determine my career path. Also, I wanted to complete the CIPD HR professional qualification and BP was supportive of that. There was a robust internal development offer in place as well.

What made me choose BP over other programmes I received offers for was the interactions I had with the graduate recruitment team. I could see that they truly lived the values that the company conveyed, which is not always a given. I felt that this was the kind of culture that I wanted to work in and that it would enable me to be productive whilst bringing my full self to work. 4.5 years later, I am still very happy with that decision.

What advice do you have for graduates who might be thinking of applying to BP?

Students may think that BP only recruits Chemistry and Engineering graduates, but its not the case.

There is a very broad range of positions and opportunities, and I would invite you to have a look. There is lot of information on BPs career website on our Values & Behaviours, and for me it is important to look at those and consider whether they resonate with you (hint: you might be asked about them!)

So my advice would be: JUST APPLY!

Applications for BPs HR graduate scheme are now open. Click here to apply.
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LONDON and SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StaffConnect, provider of the award winning enterprise mobile employee engagement platform, today announced that Nice-Pak International Ltd., the worlds most innovative wet wipe manufacturer, has deployed its StaffConnect platform to optimize employee communications, in order to eliminate cross-departmental boundaries, streamline job functions, improve productivity, and consequently improve end customer satisfaction, while also building greater job satisfaction and a winning team atmosphere.



In Europe alone, Nice-Pak International produces over 670 million packs of wet wipes each year and employs over 950 people across its three facilities in the UK and Germany. Employee engagement has long been a priority for Nice-Pak, as demonstrated by its above industry-average tenure of service, with 57 percent of its employees having more than 10 years of service. Consequently, Nice-Pak has been honored by the Top Employers Institute for four years running, for the conditions that it has created for its people. However, like many successful organizations, it has experienced growing pains and was keen to maintain its standards as a leading employer.

Customer service has always been a top priority for Nice-Pak. However, as the company has grown its workforce has become ever more geographically distributed, as well as internally distributed  its team being made-up of those working at a desk and those working on the manufacturing floor. Key to customer service is being able to identify and contact the ideal person to see to a customers needs. However, due to the companys explosive growth, many employees were not familiar with each other or each others responsibilities, which in turn impacted productivity and customer service. An intranet was employed, but proved to be impractical and ineffective due to the fact that it was inaccessible to those working most/all of their day on the factory floor. The intranet was then enhanced with communication screens and notice boards, but again, Nice-Pak recognized that even when combined, these methods had limited reach.

Nice-Pak then turned to the StaffConnect mobile app platform  easily and securely accessible by every employee from their smart device  as the ideal solution for breaking down barriers, and for maximizing reach, communication and engagement across its entire workforce. Co-driven by the Marketing and HR functions, Phase 1 launch is focused on outreach to employees, and includes deployment of the following key features:

News: Broadcasting company news and important announcements directly to all employees

Broadcasting company news and important announcements directly to all employees Library: Providing access to important company documents, manuals, guides and other corporate collateral

Providing access to important company documents, manuals, guides and other corporate collateral Directory: Providing access to employee profiles and contact information

Providing access to employee profiles and contact information Tickertape: Highlighting important news and announcements directly to the app home screen with a scrolling tickertape

Highlighting important news and announcements directly to the app home screen with a scrolling tickertape Events: Detailed promotion of company events, with the ability to link to relevant event information and registration

Upon completion of a successful Phase 1, Phase 2 of the StaffConnect deployment will focus on providing employees with the ideal platform for two-way communication  the employees will be able to receive information, as well as individually communicate and share information. During Phase 2, features such as: Communities will be employed, encouraging employees to share updates, images and videos, as well as comment on posts; and Chat, for instant and secure individual and group inter-company communications, as well as other key features.

StaffConnect will help us to achieve our key internal goals which include increasing job satisfaction and maximizing productivity, said Ian Anderson, Marketing Director, Nice-Pak International Ltd. This will be accomplished by maximizing awareness of structure, roles and responsibilities, across our multi-site operation, while making all reference materials easily searchable and accessible by all employees, regardless of geography or job function. In turn, not only will our employees reach their full potential and maximum job satisfaction, but this in turn will translate to superior customer outcomes.

Nice-Paks history of dedication to employee satisfaction is exemplary and award winning. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with a leading employer that truly values their workforce and that we passed their rigorous requirements review with flying colors, said Geraldine Osman, Vice President of Marketing, StaffConnect. The StaffConnect mobile app platform will enable Nice-Pak to deliver an enhanced employee experience, providing the resources for each employee to grow and reach their full potential, and to know they are important and valued  after all, actions speak louder than words.

Tweet this: Nice-Pak International Deploys @StaffConnectApp Mobile App Platform to Drive #EmployeeEngagement Transformation https://www.staffconnectapp.com/latest/press-releases/ #JobSatisfaction #MaximizeProductivity #CustomerSatisfaction

About Nice-Pak

Founded in New York in 1957, Nice-Pak products Inc. has expanded rapidly over the past three decades. In 1987, Nice-Pak International Limited was established in the UK with the aim of developing wet wipe markets in Europe. 30 years later, its business continues to thrive. Its product offerings are designed for the family and home; and includes baby wipes, cosmetic wipes, moist toilet tissue and household cleaning wipes. To learn more, please visit: http://www.nice-pak.co.uk/.

About StaffConnect

StaffConnect delivers the award winning mobile employee engagement platform. The StaffConnect solution transforms the employee experience by enabling large enterprises to connect, communicate and engage their entire workforce, especially remote, non-desk employees. The customer-branded mobile app gives employees a voice - with access to company and user-generated content to increase loyalty and productivity. The cloud-hosted platform empowers employers to target that content, with analytics, to deepen engagement with everyone. From offices in London and San Francisco, StaffConnects platform and domain expertise are supporting large businesses around the world to inspire their workforces to deliver better performance, improved customer experiences and greater shareholder value. For further information, please visit: www.staffconnectapp.com.

Media Resources (logos, screenshots, etc.): https://goo.gl/2CMbNz

PR Contacts:

Sabrina Sanchez

The Ventana Group for StaffConnect

(925) 785-3014

ssanchez@theventanagroup.com

Nicole Gorman

The Ventana Group for StaffConnect

(508) 397-0131

ngorman@theventanagroup.com


Pittsburgh, PA, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Confluence, the global leader in investment data management automation for regulatory, financial and investor reporting, has been awarded Best Use of the Agile Methodology at the 2017 American Financial Technical Awards (AFTAs), hosted by Waters magazine and WatersTechnology.com.

This marks the second year in a row that Confluence has won the award. Last year, Confluence took home the inaugural award in the category, now given annually to the third-party technology vendor that best illustrates its adoption and use of the Agile development methodology to deliver regular software updates to a capital markets firm.

Confluence employs Agile to deliver value to stakeholders at a repeatable, reliable and rapid pace, with Scrum implementation used across product development teams and strategically aligned with the firms corporate values of integrity, imagination, discipline and service. Frequent software releases allow Confluence to deliver results incrementally as colleagues and clients do not have to wait until the completion of a project to realize value. For example, products such as Confluences SaaS-based applications are released monthly, a rarity in the industry. Agile practices such as sprint reviews, market validation and usability sessions with stakeholders are considered paramount to the success of its offering to clients.

Were excited to have won this award, two years running, said Chris Evans, SVP and Chief Technology Officer at Confluence. "Everyone at Confluence is committed to providing our clients with the best possible products and services, and our implementation of the Agile methodology is inseparable from that goal. Our project management and development teams should be very proud of this prestigious recognition, earned through hard work, innovation and collaboration.

Awarded to end-users and vendors, the AFTAs recognize excellence in the deployment and management of financial technology within the asset management and investment banking communities. Winners of the 2017 Awards were announced on December 4 during a ceremony in New York.

About Confluence

As a global leader in data-driven solutions for efficiency and control, Confluence solves tough data management and automation challenges for the asset management industry, including performance reporting, regulatory reporting, investor communications and fund expense management. Confluence solutions enable asset managers and third-party administrators to consolidate and leverage data across business operations which results in lower costs, reduced risk, decreased reporting turnaround times and the scalability to automate more processes without additional resources. The platform features solutions to support a wide array of fund types  including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, institutional portfolios and UCITS funds.

Eight of the top 10 global service providers license Confluence products and eight of the top 10 global asset managers have business processes automated through Confluence.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Confluence serves the international fund industry with locations in Brussels, Dublin, Ho Chi Minh City, London, Luxembourg and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.confluence.com.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/df04b0bc-10ed-44bf-8557-f43bb6252698

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ce6310d5-d76d-41e5-a82c-89e451dd5c15
The BNP Paribas Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with the Agropolis Foundation, and under the auspices of the French ministry of Higher education, Research and Innovation, today announced the creation of One Planet Fellowship, a $15 million 5-year programme.





Funded on an equal basis by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the BNP Paribas Foundation, this philanthropic programmes objective is to support 600 African and European researchers working to help Africa adapt to climate change. It also aims to bolster the African and European scientific community working in this field.





The agreement was announced during the One Planet Summit in Paris on 12 December 2017, by Bill Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair and Trustee and BNP Paribas CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafe, in the presence of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Director, Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg in attendance.





One Planet Fellows will collaborate in research and higher education projects that aim to advance agriculture and climate change issues, funded by the Agropolis Foundation over a five-year period with a budget of 5M.

PARIS, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The continent is likely to suffer serious consequences, such as prolonged periods of drought and lower crop yields. Given the urgency of the situation and the anticipated long-term impacts on the environment, it is vital to promote the development of relevant policies at the local level today. Such policies can only be drawn up on the basis of solid scientific knowledge.

The BNP Paribas Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, respectively committed to the fight against climate change and eradicating extreme poverty, are therefore launching today the One Planet Fellowship. The purpose of this philanthropic effort, which will be run by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), is to provide additional resources to African research and support the work of the next generation of scientists who will have to deal with a new set of challenges

One Planet Fellowship will on the one hand help to finance the research carried out by African scientists into climate change adaptation, focusing particularly on issues that small farmers will have to cope with, and on the other hand help to strengthen the capabilities of the African and European science communities through training programmes combining mentoring, study trips and networking opportunities for young researchers.

The One Planet Fellowship, which enjoys the official patronage of the President of France, has a total budget of $15 million, funded on an equal basis by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the BNP Paribas Foundation.

Undertaking research into climate change adaptation enables us to gain a better understanding of the current and future risks and identify the best solutions to address them. I firmly believe that in the research field, sharing knowledge and working together are key to finding more effective solutions to climate change issues. explained BNP Paribas CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafe.

The foundation is delighted to support the creation of the One Planet Fellowship program, said Nick Austin, Ph.D., director of Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We believe its critical to nurture a new generation of climate scientists, particularly African scientists, who can build on existing agricultural research and innovations to deliver new climate adaptation solutions to help smallholder farmers and their families in the decades to come.

Building an African and European scientific community that stands together with rigour and commitment to fight against climate change and adapt agriculture is both a human and a scientific challenge. It calls for all people of good will to join and prepare our common future, explained Pascal Kosuth, Director of the Agropolis Foundation.

Mobilising 600 African and European scientists to work on Africas adaptation to climate change

120 African researchers will be selected on the basis of their climate change adaptation research projects. Each of them will receive a joint mentoring  from a scientist in Africa and in Europe - which will involve a period of several months working in a laboratory in Europe. In turn, they will then mentor two young researchers, one from an African institution and one from Europe. The programme will involve a total of 600 scientists over a period of five years.

In addition, these researchers will interact with projects, funded by the Agropolis Foundation, addressing climate change-related problems faced by agriculture.

In France, the researchers will be hosted in Montpellier by the Agropolis Foundation, which, together with its partners, constitutes a world-class scientific community of 2,700 researchers and teachers specialising in the fields of agriculture, food science, biodiversity and the environment. Funding members and partners include the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the French National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), the French Research Institute for Development (IRD), Montpellier SupAgro (French National Institute of Higher Education in Agricultural Sciences), the University of Montpellier and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), all engaged in Montpellier University of Excellence (MUSE).

This new programme represents an additional step in the ongoing efforts made by the BNP Paribas Foundation to support research into ways and means of combating climate change. These targeted efforts started with the creation in 2010 of the Climate Initiative, a philanthropy programme with a budget of 6 million over three years (2017, 2018, 2019), and which provides backing to climate research projects following a careful process of selection by scientists reputed in their fields of research. Today the Climate Initiative is providing financial support to eight projects involving 178 researchers, engineers and academics from 73 universities and research institutes working on issues ranging from the study of past climates to the current impact of climate change on coral reefs.

One Planet Fellows will collaborate in research and higher education projects that aim to advance agriculture and climate change issues, funded by Agropolis Fondation over a five-year period with a budget of 5M.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all peopleespecially those with the fewest resourceshave access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

About the Agropolis Foundation

The Agropolis Foundation promotes and supports high-level research and higher education in agricultural sciences and sustainable development. Emanation of the world-class Montpellier scientific community it connects it with an international network of over 400 foreign partner institutions, including the AWARD program presented above. In the past 10 years the Agropolis Foundation has granted 40 million to scientific projects on cultivated plant diversity, biology and breeding, crop protection, sustainable agriculture and food systems, agro-ecological transition, adaptation to climate change, food processing and quality, socio-economics and public policies.

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 74 countries, with more than 192,000 employees, including more than 146,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets and International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors. The Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the European leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail-banking model in Mediterranean countries, in Turkey, in Eastern Europe and a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Institutional Banking and International Financial Services activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific.

About the BNP Paribas Foundation

Under the oversight of the Foundation of France, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been a major player in corporate philanthropy for 30 years. It is also encouraging and contributing to the BNP Paribas philanthropic policy growth in all parts of the world wherever the Bank operates. The BNP Paribas Foundations activities are aimed at multidisciplinary philanthropy, supporting innovative projects dedicated to culture, social inclusion and the environment. It pays close attention to the quality of its commitment to its partners through a long-term commitment. Since 1984, over 300 cultural projects, 40 research programs and a thousand social and educational initiatives have earned its support in France and around the world.

fondation@bnpparibas.com // @FondationBNPP // Facebook Fondation BNP Paribas

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Press Contact

Gates Media  media@gatesfoundation.org

BNP Paribas Press Contacts

Julia Boyce  julia.boyce@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 43 16 82 04

Coralie France-Savin  coralie.francesavin@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 40 14 94 89

Renato Martinelli  renato.martinelli@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 58 16 84 99

Claire Helleputte  claire.helleputte@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 55 77 89 63

Agropolis Foundation Press Contact

Oliver Oliveros  oliveros@agropolis.fr +33 (0)6 70 39 18 39
THUNDER BAY, Ontario, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mexican Gold Corp. (the Company or Mexican Gold) (TSX-V:MEX) (OTCMKTS:SRXLF) (FRA:4QW1) has intersected significant mineralization in four recently completed holes to test the dike contact mineralized zones at the Las Minas property. All holes returned wide intervals of high-grade mineralization, including 7.18 grams/ tonne gold equivalent (g/t Au Eq) (2.00 g/t Au, 13.13 g/t Ag, 3.05% Cu) over 14.0 metres in hole LM-17-ED-41.



Additionally, exploration drilling at the Cinco Senores zone successfully extended the known flat-lying mineralized skarn zone outlined by previous drilling to 220 metres on trend.

Highlights from diamond drilling at El Dorado dike contact zones include :

Diamond drill hole LM -17 - ED - 41

7.18 g/t Au Eq (2.00 g/t Au, 13.13 g/t Ag, 3.05% Cu) over 14.0 metres

within 3.53 g/t Au Eq (1.03 g/t Au, 6.42 g/t Ag, 1.46% Cu) over 38.0 metres

Diamond drill hole LM - 17 - ED - 42

5.16 g/t Au Eq (2.85 g/t Au, 4.85 g/t Ag, 1.37% Cu) over 22.0 metres

within 3.69 g/t Au Eq (1.71 g/t Au, 3.78 g/t Ag, 1.17% Cu) over 44.0 m

Diamond drill hole LM - 17 - ED - 43

3.63 g/t Au Eq (0.82 g/t Au, 7.14 g/t Ag, 1.65% Cu) over 18.0 metres

within 2.76 g/t Au Eq (0.72 g/t Au, 6.16 g/t Ag, 1.19% Cu) over 30.0 metres

Diamond drill hole LM - 17 - ED - 22A

4.53 g/t Au Eq (1.56 g/t Au, 8.28 g/t Ag, 1.74% Cu) over 14.0 metres

including 12.34 g/t (4.20 g/t Au, 23.55 g/t Ag, 4.77% Cu) over 4.0 metres

within 3.21 g/t Au Eq (1.14 g/t Au, 6.07 g/t Ag, 1.21% Cu) over 22.0 metres

Summary

The dike contact mineralization occurs as vertical zones on both sides of a 70 metre wide dike. The grade of the two zones is significantly higher than the initial resource estimate grade. The mineralized intercepts range from 44 metres in recent drilling to 54 meters in high- grade hole L.M-17-ED -40  see press release November 14, 2017. The west contact zone extends for approximately 360 metres on strike, and both zones remaining open for further expansion see Figure 1 Dike Contact Zones Drill Hole Locations.

Selected drill results are included in Table 1 Dike Contact Zones Drill results.

For a map of drill collars and traces for the Dike Contact Zone drilling see Figure 1 Dike Contact Zone Drill Hole Locations.

Table 1 Dike Contact Zones Drill Results

Dike Contact Zones Drill Results Hole ID (Az./Dip)

(degrees) From

(m) To (m) Intercept

(m) Au (g/t) Ag

(g/t) Cu % Au Eq (g/t) Comments WEST DIKE CONTACT ZONE LM-17-ED- 41 (2600/-750) 62.6 76.6 14.0 2.00 13.13 3.05 7.18 within 48.6 84.6 38.0 1.03 6.42 1.46 3.52 LM -17-ED-42 (2600/-45 0) 41.0 63.0 22.0 2.85 4.85 1.37 5.16 within 39.0 83.0 44.0 1.71 3.78 1.17 3.69 LM-17-JB 22A (2150 /-450) 56.3 60.3 4.0 4.20 23.55 4.77 12.34 within 56.3 70.3 14.0 1.56 8.28 1.74 4.53 within 38.3 60.3 22.0 1.14 6.07 1.21 3.21 Within 38.3 74.3 36.0 0.86 4.51 0.93 2.45 EAST DIKE CONTACT ZONE LM- 17-ED-43 (950/-450) 56.9 74.9 18.0 0.82 7.14 1.65 3.63 within 52.9 82.9 30.0 0.72 6.16 1.19 2.76

Brian Robertson, President and CEO, commented, We are very excited about the results for dike contact drilling and the high-grade intercept at Cinco Senores. The long intervals of high- grade mineralization continue to significantly increase both the tonnage and grade of the initial resource estimate for the El Dorado/Juan Bran zone. And drilling at the Cinco Senores zone has successfully extended the mineralization to 120 metres along trend, indicating the high potential of significant tonnage at this parallel zone.

Figure 1 Dike Contact Zones Drill Hole Locations

To view Figure 1, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cff72253-b21a-4d08-91d8-e9ec5be50548

Highlights from diamond drilling at Cinco Senores zone include:

Diamond drill hole LM-17-CS-08

4.47 g/t Au Eq (1.58 g/t Au, 13.85 g/t Ag, 1.65% Cu) over 4.0 metres

within 2.23 g/t Au Eq (0.81 g/t Au, 6.73 g/t Ag, 0.81% Cu) over 18.0 metres

Diamond drill hole LM-17-CS-05

1.81 g/t Au Eq (0.84 g/t Au, 7.60 g/t Ag, 0.52% Cu) over 3.60 metres

Summary

Diamond drill holes LM-17-CS-05, 08 and 09 all intersected the known mineralized zone at the projected sill contact for the Eldorado/Juan Bran zone. Hole LM-CS-08, which was drilled on trend, generated one of the strongest intersection so far at Cinco Senores. Hole CS-09, located to the south, intersected a narrow, zinc-rich magnetite skarn on the contact. Hole CS-05, also located to the south, intersected part of a known gold-bearing, pyrite stringer zone at the bottom of the hole, 17 metres below the contact.

Diamond drill holes LM-17-CS-10 and LM-17-CS-11 intersected a generally barren dike intrusive, although one of the isolated, random, two metre samples in hole LM-17-CS-11 graded 1.17 g/t Au Eq right at the projected zone position, suggesting proximity of the mineralized zone outside of the dike. Newly processed plots from the recent magnetic survey, which incorporates East-West lines, show the presence of north-trending dikes in the area of these holes.

Selected drill results are included in Table 1 below.

For a map of drill collars and traces for the Cinco Senores zone drilling see Figure 2 Cinco Senores Drill Hole Locations.

Cinco Senores Exploration Drilling Results Hole ID (Az./Dip)

(degrees) From

(m) To (m) Intercept

(m) Au (g/t) Ag

(g/t) Cu % Au Eq (g/t) Comments LM-17-CS -05(3050 /-450) 124.5 128.1 3.60 0.84 7.60 0.52 1.81 LM-17-CS - 08 (00 /-450) 87.7 91.7 4.00 1.58 13.85 1.65 4.47 within 87.7 105.7 18.0 0.81 6.73 0.81 2.23

Figure 2 Cinco Senores Drill Hole Locations

To view Figure 2, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/03574772-bea7-4bd3-855c-aa306424d010

The true widths of mineralization for the dike contact zones and Cinco Senores are estimated to be approximately 70 to 75 % of core widths Additional information is required to determine the true width of the mineralization intersected in hole LM-17-ED-41.



Assays are uncut, length  weighted average values.

Gold equivalent (Au Eq) calculations use metal prices of US $1250/oz. for gold, US $18.00/oz. for silver and US $3.00 /lb. for copper. No adjustments have been made for potential relative differences in metal recoveries.



Au Eq g/t = Au g/t + [(Ag g/t x 0.014) + (Cu% x1.64)]



About Las Minas

The Las Minas Project hosts near-surface gold  silver and copper skarn mineralization and highgrade gold - silver epithermal vein deposits. The project is comprised of six mineral concessions covering approximately 1,616 hectares (3,995 acres), with several small scale, past-producing mines and a number of untested targets.

The district is host to a large gold, silver and copper skarn system that has a production history that extends back to the Aztec era. The Las Minas diorite intrusive measures approximately 10 kilometres in diameter and underlies the Las Minas concessions. The mineralization controls and association with magnetite appear to be similar to the Guerrero Gold belt, which is the site of the Los Filos and Morelos gold deposits.

Information Regarding NI-43-101 Initial Mineral Resource Estimate

In 2017, the Company reported an initial mineral resource estimate of 304,000 gold equivalent ounces (Au Eq ozs) contained within 4,970,000 tonnes grading 1.90 g/t Au Eq (0.92 g/t Au, 0.59% Cu. 4.37 g/t Ag) in a Measured and Indicated category for the Eldorado/ Juan Bran and Santa Cruz zones , with an additional Inferred Resource of 719,000 Au Eq ozs contained within 10,304,000 tonnes grading 2.17 g/t Au Eq.( 1.08 g/t Au, 0.66 % Cu, 3.99 g/t Ag) (reported in the Companys news release dated August 1, 2017 and the 43-101 report titled NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate Las Minas  Gold  Copper Project, John T, Boyd Company , Mining and Geological Consultants , Denver , Colorado, USA , Report No 3830.001 dated September, 2017 , prepared by John J. Read, P. Geo., Q.P. and Sam J. Shoemaker Jr., Registered Member S.M.E, Q.P.) The report is available on SEDAR.

The El Dorado / Juan Bran and Santa Cruz zones remain open for expansion and comprise two of eight known mineralized zones at the Las Minas property.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Sonny Bernales, P. Geo., a registered Professional Geoscientist in the Province of British Columbia and a qualified person as defined by NI 43101. Mr. Bernales is responsible for logistics and supervision of all exploration activity conducted by Mexican Gold on the property.

The Company has implemented and adheres to a strict Quality Assurance/Quality Control program which includes inserting mineralized standards and blanks into the sample stream, about 1 for every 10 samples. The standards and blanks were obtained from CDN Resource Laboratories Ltd. of Langley, BC, Canada. Each sample bag is properly sealed and kept in a secured, restricted storage place prior to shipping to the lab. Samples are shipped directly by Mexican Gold or picked-up by the lab vehicle with chain of custody/sample submittal signed and dated. The Company sends its samples to SGS Mineral Services (ISO/IEC 17025) at Durango, Mexico, an accredited and independent laboratory..

About Mexican Gold Corp.

Mexican Gold Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration company committed to building long-term value through ongoing discoveries and strategic acquisitions of prospective precious metals deposits in Mexico. Mexican Gold is exploring the Las Minas Project, which is located in the core of the Las Minas district in the Veracruz State, Mexico. s host to one of the largest under-explored skarn systems known in Mexico.

For more information, please contact:

Brian E. Robertson, P. Eng., President & CEO

Phone: 807-474-4270 or 807-251-1816

Fax: 807-474-4272

E-mail: info@mexicangold.ca

Website at www.mexicangold.ca

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements about the magnitude or quality of mineral deposits, anticipated advancement of mineral properties or programs, future operations, results of exploration, prospects, commodity and precious metals prices, future work programs, anticipated financial and operational results, capital expenditures and objectives and the completion and timing of mineral resource estimates. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including the risks identified in the Company's disclosure documents available at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla., Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Ruggero M. Santilli, Chief Scientist of Thunder Energies Corporation, a publicly traded company with stock symbol (OTC:TNRG), announces the confirmation of the directionality of the neutron source and the delivery of the first production unit to a European customer in accordance with our announced release (http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/06/05/1008093/0/en/Thunder-Energies-Receives-Down-Payment-on-Equipment-Producing-a-Directional-Neutron-Flux-and-Predicts-Profitability-for-its-Construction.html).

Dr. Santilli states: "As part of the delivery process, our European customer sent to our facilities in Florida a scientist with a neutron detector for produced Advacam (www.advacam.com) specifically produced to detect low energy (thermal) neutrons in both their numbers per seconds and their energy for the conduction of comprehensive verification of the various functions and components of our Directional Neuron Source (patent pending) prior to its delivery. These tests confirmed in full the directionality of our neutron source in the sense of producing on demand a flux in the desired direction of neutrons synthesized from the hydrogen gas. The same tests confirmed that the produced neutrons do indeed have low energy of the order of a few KeV. Finally, the tests confirmed that our directional neutron source can produce on demand the desired number of neutrons, from a few neutrons per seconds to tens of thousands of neutrons per seconds, with the desired energy from a few KeV to a few hundred KeV (http://thunder-energies.com/docs/dns1-info.pdf).



An image accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fb5bbcf5-e878-45a2-a04a-1b20a2c65d8c

The verification of these features is important for the various applications of our Directional Neutron Source. As an example, the scanning of suitcases in an airport for possible concealed nuclear weapons requires a small flux of low energy neutrinos and cannot be done for safety with high energy neutrinos. A similar situation occurs for scanning the walls of mines for the presence and concentration of precious elements, while the scanning of deep welds in military naval construction requires a high flux of high energy neutrinos (http://www.thunder-energies.com/index.php/ct-menu-item-18/11-articles/19-article-10).

Forward Looking Statements

The information provided in this presentation is covered by patent applications and other intellectual rights owed by Thunder Energies Corporation that hereby authorize their use without consultation provided authorization for any desired scientific research. Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Dr. Ruggero M. Santilli

Chief Scientist

Thunder Energies Corporation
A day after a group of French tourists were assaulted in Uttar Pradeshs Mirzapur, five more accused were arrested on Monday and sent to prison, taking to eight the total number of people arrested for the crime.

A local court sent the accused to 14 days judicial custody.

A senior Mirzapur police official that Varanasi resident Riya Dutta had come to visit Lakhania Dari along with her family members and some foreigner friends on Sunday when a group of youngsters from Varanasi misbehaved with them. When the family resisted, they were assaulted and beaten up.

The police official further said that when the foreign tourists, still seated in the car, came out and tried to restore calm, they were also assaulted but sustained no injuries. Officials also said that the statement of the French nationals that they were not beaten up has been video recorded and preserved for future probe.

A probe has also been ordered by the district police as to where were the PAC troopers and local policemen at the time of the incident as they should have been there at the tourist spot. Additional SP, A.K. Singh will conduct the enquiry.
The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre, Aam Aadmi Party government in the national capital, Delhi Police, and civic bodies to work together in the fight to curb crime against women.

A division bench of Justice S. Ravindra Bhat and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva asked authorities to coordinate on lighting up dark areas and installing CCTVs in vulnerable locations in Delhi.

The bench directed that lights at dark spots in the city  once identified by police, other civic agencies, or the public  must be repaired or replaced within 72 hours and directed for the setting up of nodal agency, which will also map the areas which had dark spots.

The court also questioned the government for not acting on its 2015 direction to install closed-circuit television at 44 spots identified as vulnerable for crime against women during a crime-mapping exercise.

It gave the Delhi government eight weeks to procure and install CCTVs and said this task should be one of its top priorities.

The government informed the court that it was in the process of procuring 1.4 lakh CCTVs for installation across the city.

The court also asked the police to give a time frame for setting up CCTVs in 192 police stations and 42 chowkis, along with the locations where the CCTVs would be installed inside the police station.

It made it clear that all the CCTVs, including those being installed by the Delhi government, should have recording facility with a storage capacity of minimum 30 days.

During the hearing, the bench expressed anguish over recent spate of child rapes in Delhi.

How do we prevent this? the bench asked four senior Delhi Police officers of the ranks of Special Commissioner and Joint Commissioners present in the courtroom.

The Delhi Police said it was making concerted efforts to curb such crime against women and children, adding: We are also visiting schools and sensitising students.

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, however, said that police stations in Delhi were running with half the sanctioned strength of staff.

The Centre said that a high-level committee was examining the issue of augmenting Delhi Police strength.

The police said all vacancies up to December 2017 have been taken care of in the recruitment process initiated for 7,300 posts.

The court was hearing a petition initiated by it to improve women safety in the capital after the December 16, 2012, gang rape of a young woman in a moving bus.
In 2016, India became the first country outside the leading five  US, Russia, France, UK and China  to announce a nuclear-powered submarine.

In a book that is just on the stands, A K Anand, former director, Reactor Projects Group of Indias Department of Atomic Energy, describes the story of how this achievement became possible. And along the way, he relates much history and politics of the growth of submarines, worldwide, since Jules Vernes imagination of the submersible Nautilus in the novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.

The submersible, in naval warfare, had the obvious advantage of being invisible. It was hence the dream of naval forces to be able to sneak undetected, up to enemy ships and destroy them by attack at their most vulnerable, in the hull. The difficulty, of course, was the technology and the propulsion, under water, without access to air that people and machines breathe.

The best answer was to drive the craft with electricity and batteries. As batteries had limited capacity and needed to be charged, the craft had to carry a diesel generator. And the craft had to come up to the surface for the diesel engine to run. Another way was to use a snorkel, like a diver uses, to take in air for the engine while the submarine stayed submerged. This had physical problems, of course, apart from water splashing into the snorkel pipe. And any method involved some exposure and detection, which would be followed by attack with depth charges.

An improvement was the Air Independent Propulsion technology, first developed by the German, Hellmuth Walter, using hydrogen peroxide as the fuel that did not need air to burn. When H2O2 burns, it produces superheated steam, which can drive a turbine, and it gives off oxygen, which is useful for the crew. The method, however, had the danger of explosion, Anand explains in the book. Other technologies were the diesel or other engines with oxygen sources, like liquid oxygen, fuel cells or high capacity batteries. All of those, however, generally fell short of requirements and could not mature.

It was with the development of nuclear power that a picture of vast, pollution-free and air independent, electricity for cities and industry and to power sea-going vessels came into view. In the case of submarines, there was the possibility of staying submerged for months on end and being able to use power freely, to attain high speeds.

In the book, Submarine Propulsions  Muscle Power to Nuclear, Anand describes the build-up, starting from 16th century manual contraptions, to the design of nuclear power for submarines. While the initial efforts in the US, after discovery of nuclear fission in 1939, were diverted to the production of the bomb during the war, the effort was resumed in the 1950s, in the US and then, USSR. Over the decades since, only five countries have developed functioning nuclear powered submarines, and in 2016, India became the sixth.

The technology bristles with challenges. Unlike a land-based nuclear power plant, where there is ample space, the nuclear installation within a submarine needs to be compact and yet able to use enough nuclear fuel to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. And then, with the crew in close proximity, the nuclear plant has to be shielded to protect the crew from radiation.

The principle of the nuclear reactor is that when the nucleus of U235  a form of the uranium atom  is struck by a stray neutron, it splits into two more efficient parts and the packing energy that is saved is given off as heat. The break-up also creates a pair of neutrons, which can then set off other fission reactions, leading to a chain. Humongous heat is generated, to be drawn off by a coolant, and the process can be controlled by placing barriers between segments of uranium fuel. The heat drawn off by the coolant is used to generate steam, which drives a turbine, to generate electricity. The electricity then drives the propellers and the pumps that power the submarine.

While design to contain these systems within the confines of the submarine is challenging, the nuclear reactor itself needs features that are not found in regular reactors. The submarine reactor also does not have the facility of using natural uranium as fuel. Natural uranium has only a small percentage of U235, the kind that participates in nuclear fission. All the land based nuclear plants in India, except at Tarapur and Kudankulam, use natural uranium. This is not suitable for the submarine reactor, which needs enriched uranium, where the U235 has been concentrated. While India imports partly enriched fuel for reactors which need it under special arrangements, India has developed her own facility for enrichment of uranium for the submarine application.  Any new fuel geometry needs a lot of development work, so was it for PRP/Arihant, says Anand in a communication.

A conventional submarine would have only the battery and motor and a diesel generator. The nuclear sub needs the electric motor, a steam driven generator and then the nuclear reactor with its controls and circulation system. A conventional nuclear plant is spread over an acre of land but there is probably no place that is more cramped than inside a submarine.

Such technical constraints, along with the need for safety and to contain radiation, make the design and construction of a nuclear power-pack for the submarine a task that calls for sophisticated capability. The know-how, naturally, is not available off the shelf and needs to be developed by each country on its own.

India launched an audacious nuclear energy programme right after Independence. While India now has a robust nuclear industry, with a large number of indigenous reactors in action, the development of the nuclear submarine signifies very high technological attainment. Anand also describes the international resistance to share information and raw materials with India, especially since the country has not signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (on the grounds that it was discriminatory). And again, after the underground test that India carried out at Pokaran.

Anands book is a study and a first-hand account of what it takes for a team of essentially first-generation scientists and engineers of the Department of Atomic Energy, working with engineers of the Indian Navy, to discover and master a technology held close by countries that were more advanced by orders of magnitude. Anand reveals the working of the assorted talent that the department possesses in different areas of technology, the systems, method of assurance of safety and quality, and the synergy that developed with naval engineers. They enabled the mastery, in a few short years after they had the political go-ahead, of the complexities of a new technology in an unfamiliar setting.

On the one hand, the book describes the growth of the idea of the submarine itself and then of nuclear power. It also delves into the development of underwater nuclear propulsion, essentially a military application and hence not for sharing. And then it brings out the different challenges of the fuel, the design of systems, transfer of energy, the container, that the team faced and then the vision and confidence of the political leadership that allowed the team to give its best.

The book is a personal story, at once a historical narrative of the conquest of the underwater medium and a tribute to the organisation and the role of many individuals, dedicated, inspired and human.

(The writer can be contacted at [email protected])
At his meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the military stand-off in Doklam had put a severe strain on bilateral ties.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday released a statement detailing what Wang told Sushma Swaraj during their bilateral meet in New Delhi where the Chinese leader attended the Russia, India and China trilateral meet.

According to the statement, Wang also said that lessons should be learned from Doklam crisis so that it does not happen again even though the crisis was resolved peacefully.

The viciousness caused by the cross-border infiltration of the Indian border guards put bilateral relations under severe pressure.

The matter was finally settled peacefully through diplomatic means, reflecting the maturing of bilateral relations. However, lessons should be learned and (it) should not happen again, Wang was quoted as saying.

In 2017, relations between China and India have maintained their momentum of development as a whole. Both sides have made efforts in this regard, but they are not very satisfactory, the Foreign Minister said.

The armies of both countries were locked in a 73-day stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of Sino-Indian border over the building of a road by the Chinese military in the area that is claimed by Bhutan.

Indian troops stalled the work citing the disputed status of Doklam and its proximity to its key artery in the northeast. The crisis was resolved on August 28 after both the armies retreated from the point of the face-off.

It was Wangs first visit to India since the Doklam crisis.

The leaders of the two countries pointed out that both China and India should regard each other as partners rather than adversaries.

Wang said that Sino-India relations were at a crucial period and the most important thing between them should be to cultivate mutual trust.

With mutual trust, the specific problems are expected to be resolved on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual accommodation.

Without mutual trust, individual problems will continue to overflow and erode the overall situation of bilateral relations.

To this end, both sides should strengthen strategic communication at all levels, restore the established dialogue mechanism, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields and at the same time control the existing differences and safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas.

If China and India speak with one voice, the world will listen. I hope this day will come soon, Wang was quoted as saying.
The Government on Monday took on former premier Manmohan Singh over his meeting with Pakistani diplomats by questioning its context shortly after he demanded an apology from his successor Narendra Modi for insinuating that he colluded with Islamabad in the Gujarat polls.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley ruled out an apology from the prime minister and accused Singh of defying the national line and demanded to know the context, relevance and necessity of attending a dinner hosted by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for a visiting Pakistani dignitary at his home here last week that was attended by Pakistani diplomats among others.

Jaitleys remarks came after a rare row between a sitting and a former premier broke out with Manmohan Singh accusing his successor of setting a dangerous precedent and asking his apology.

Launching a sharp counteroffensive, Singh attacked Modi over what he called the prime ministers ill-thought transgression and rejected his charge as innuendos and falsehoods.

In uncharacteristically strong words, a usually reticent Singh crossed swords with his predecessor to say the Gujarat polls was never raised by anyone present at the dinner and that the discussion was confined to India-Pakistan ties.

Terming the meeting as political misadventure, Jaitley wanted Singh and Congress party to explain the context of attending the dinner.

He said the national policy, which the main opposition party is also expected to follow, is that terror and talks cannot go hand-in-hand.

Is the main opposition party not part of the State? he asked.

Jaitley stated if anyone defies the national line, he should be prepared to answer questions.

It is a political misadventure, it has a political cost, he said.

Jaitley addressed a press conference hours after Singh asked the prime minister to apologise to the nation for setting a dangerous precedent.

In reponse to Singhs demand for apology, Jaitley said people who have violated national policy of talks and terror not going hand in hand should apologise.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat yesterday, Modi sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state. The second and final phase of Assembly polls in Gujarat is to be held on December 14.

Modi claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyars house over dinner on December 6. This was a day before Aiyars neech jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.

Singh issued a statement today, listing those who attended the dinner hosted in honour of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

He said besides himself and former vice president Hamid Ansari, others present at the dinner were the Pakistan High Commissioner, Natwar Singh, K S Bajpai, Ajai Shukla, Sharad Sabharwal, Gen Deepak Kapoor, TCA Raghavan, Satinder K Lambah, M K Bhadrakumar, CR Gharekhan, Prem Shankar Jha, Salman Haider and Rahul Khushwant Singh.

None of them could be accused of indulging in any anti- national activities, he said.

Lambah, a former diplomat, was quoted as having said he does not comment on private dinners. He, however, said there was just a general discussion on Indo-Pak relations.

Gharekhan, another former diplomat said, said the invitees were talking about the relations between India and Pakistan.

But nobody, if I recall.I am hundred per cent sure that, not a single person, talked about Gujarat elections or anything about the present situation or for that matter, the present situation in Pakistan, he told NDTV.

It was only about India-Pakistan relation, we didnt talk about any kind of politics.

Gen. Kapoor, a former Army Chief, was quoted as having said that Gujarat elections were never discussed at the dinner meeting.

Manmohan Singh said he did not discuss the Gujarat Assembly elections with anyone at the dinner meeting.

I sincerely hope that Prime Minister will show the maturity and gravitas expected of the high office he holds instead of concentrating his energy solely on erroneously conceived brownie points.

I sincerely hope that he will apologize to the Nation for his ill thought transgression to restore the dignity of the office he occupies, he said.

Singh said he was deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points by the prime minister in what he said was a lost cause in Gujarat.

Fearing imminent defeat in Gujarat, desperation of Prime Minister to hurl every abuse and latch on to every straw is palpable. Sadly and regrettably, Sh. Modi is setting a dangerous precedent by his insatiable desire to tarnish every constitutional office, including that of a former Prime Minister and Army Chief, he alleged.

The Congress Party, Singh said, needs no sermons on nationalism from a party and prime minister, whose compromised track record on fighting terrorism is well known, while reminding Modi of his uninvited visit to Pakistan after terrorist attacks in Udhampur and Gurdaspur.

Let him also tell the country the reason for inviting the infamous ISI of Pakistan to our strategic Air Base in Pathankot to investigate a terror attack that emanated from Pakistan, he said.
Despite the police denying permission for roadshows to political parties due to law and order guidelines issued by the Election Commission, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel took out a rally in Ahmedabad on Monday.

All along the rally route, Hardik targeted the PM on the issue of linking the Gujarat elections to the meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyars home and then to Pakistan. Hardik termed it an utter lie and said that the BJP was rattled by the probability of an election loss and is retorting to fabricated stories to save the sinking ship.

Patidar leader, covering a distance of about 1500-km from Bopal via Naranpura, Ghatlodia to Nikol, also targeted the BJP of ignoring the main state-related issues of unemployment and future of the youth and instead of talking of issues relating to Ram Mandir, Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir. He requested the people to come together and fight the current government, which he said was an arrogant one and needed to be taught a lesson.

Hardik in Nikol broached the issue of involving Pakistan to Gujarat elections and said, What has Pakistan to do with Gujarat elections? People who talked about development have again gone back to talk about Ram Mandir, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, but did you see them talk about development?

The Patidar leader also targeted the BJP leaders of talking about only irrelevant issues at election rallies like the Hindu-Muslim issues, India-Pakistan issues. Why dont they talk about the problems people face due to GST implementation and issues related to youth? What are they doing to generate new jobs for the unemployed? he said.

Touching the emotional chord with the gathered Patidar youth, he said that Modi did not visit homes of those killed during the reservation agitation nor has said anything on how he could help the Patidar youth and improve their future.

He requested his supporters to vote against the current government to ensure a good future of the young generation.

The final phase of the election is on December 14 and the counting will take place on December 18.
National Conference(NC) President and MP Farooq Abdullah on Monday said that his party will not have electoral alliance with any party in the next assembly election and after coming to power would grant autonomy to all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

We wont have alliance with any party, National Conference President said while addressing NC activists at Udhampur, adding that a stable, strong and people friendly government is the answer to problems facing Jammu and Kashmir.

Immediately after forming government, National Conference will bring legislation in the first assembly session with regard to regional autonomy, he said and added that this will empower every segment of society and every region and sub-region politically and economically.

Dr Farooq Abdullah lambasted the BJP for dividing the nation on religion and said this dispensation has negated the vision of freedom fighters who gave sacrifices to free India from the shackles of British. At that point of time, the freedom stalwarts did not think in terms of Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs but their paramount mission was to seek freedom for India, the abode of all faiths, he said, adding that the divisive forces have trampled the spirit of freedom. He, however, exuded confidence that this gloomy era will be over soon and the day will come when the India of Mahatma Gandhi will be retrieved again.

Coming down heavily on the RSS, National Conference President said during the freedom struggle its top brass praised the British and now its ranks were honouring the killer of Father of Nation. During 1975 emergency, he said the RSS supported Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, according to a book penned by Mr Rajeshwar Rao, and said that the support was in lieu of forced family planning of Muslims during those horrendous days.

Dr Farooq Abdullah also questioned the neutrality of the BJP led NDA Government over the US acknowledgement of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Like United Kingdom, France and other countries, New Delhi should have taken a position over the disputed status of Jerusalem, he said and assailed the US President Donald Trump for his illogical decision.

The National Conference President also referred to the circumstances leading to safe passage of terrorists at Kandhar during the tenure of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee as Prime Minister and said the situation has now taken such a turn that Indias pleas in the United Nations over declaration of Maulana Azhar as a global terrorist is being vetoed by China.
Urging his brothers and sisters of to vote in record numbers in the second phase of polling on December 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his hectic campaigning for the Gujarat polls on Tuesday by offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple in Mehsana.

In what was a clear display of the Gujarat model of development, on the last day of campaigning, Modi took off in a seaplane from the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and landed at Dharoi Dam, about 180 km away, from where he headed to the temple.

I urge my sisters and brothers of Gujarat to vote in record numbers on the 14th. I call upon the people of Gujarat to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state, Modi said.

I am devoting my life for the betterment of crores of people of Gujarat and India. Have been fortunate to always get your blessings. I am sure you will continue to bless us in these elections too by voting for BJP, he said.

In an indirect attack on the opposition which questioned Modis development model in the state, the Prime Minister said no Gujarati will let go off a golden opportunity of development of the youth and coming generations.

The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, Gujarats growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined, he said.

It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition, he added.

He also stressed said BJP should return to power in the state for a strong rapport with the Centre.

With the Government of India and Government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. We will take Gujarat to new heights, he said.

Tuesday was the last day for campaigning for the elections and all the political campaigning halted at 5 pm.

Door-to-door campaigning will be allowed wearing the party symbol on caps and T-shirts.

The second phase polls on Thursday will see around two crore voters decide the fate of 1,828 candidates fighting for 93 assembly seats.
SWARTHMORE, Pa., Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC), local elected officials and area residents gathered yesterday for the grand opening of Headstrong Foundations Nicks House located at 200 S. Chester Road in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.



The grand opening gave attendees the opportunity to tour Nicks House, while learning more about the Headstrong Foundation and its mission. Throughout 2017, NRCC Locals 173 and 164 helped to construct Nicks House, a place of comfort for families who have a child battling cancer and undergoing out-of-town treatment. To date, the Foundation has helped nearly 14,750 patients and their families.

During the construction phase, 50 Union Carpenters volunteered their time to renovate a 120-year-old building, including: framing; sheet rocking; drywall; door installation; and ceiling grids. Local 173 Council Representative Thomas Breslin worked closely with the staff at Headstrong Foundation and Carpenters who volunteered their time for the project.

Headstrong Foundations Nicks House is an organization built to help families in need, said Breslin. I am proud that the Carpenters Union received the opportunity to help with the construction of the building, while playing a small role in impacting the lives of children battling cancer.

Cheryl Colleluori, President of Headstrong Foundation, was delighted to work with a group of Carpenters who donated their time to an organization close to her heart. Colleluori is the mother of Nick, who lost his battle to childhood cancer at the age of 19.

Im speechless, said Colleluori. They took a 120-year-old building and transformed it into something great. They put a high level of detail into the building and I am thankful for their help.

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: northeastcarpenters.org & follow us on social: Facebook: facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; Twitter: @nrccarpenters; or Instagram: @northeastcarpenters

Contact: Tony Bianchini

Phone: 609-402-1730
Curtains came down on Tuesday evening on the month-long bitter campaign for the Gujarat Assembly elections with a press conference by Congress president-designate Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi creating a spectacle for the electronic media by riding a seaplane from the Sabarmati river and back.

Permissions for planned roadshows by both Modi and Gandhi in Ahmedabad were denied by police on security and traffic considerations. The second and final phase of polling is on Thursday.

Around the time Rahul Gandhi was to address his first press conference as his partys president-elect, Modi drew large crowds at the Sabarmati riverfront from where the seaplane took off for Dharoi dam, about 150 kilometres northeast of the city.

Commentaries in the local electronic media, alongside visuals of Modis seaplane ride, claimed that the unique flight disproves opposition Congress narrative that Gujarat has not seen much development in the 22 years of the Bharatiya Janata Party rule.

Answering a question at the press conference, Gandhi called Modis seaplane ride as a political distraction. Nothing wrong in a seaplane ride. It is, in fact, a good thing. But its a political distraction, said Gandhi. But the real question is what has the BJP done in 22 years, he added.

Indicating signs of maturity, Rahul said in answer to another question: Modiji is our political opponent, but he is also the Prime Minister of the country. He uses much foul language against me, but I will not use any bad language for him.

On his task as the new president of the Congress, Gandhi said he would strengthen the party and try to change the nature of political discourse in the country. Congress ideology would be spread all over the country with love, he added.

Gandhi said it is for the first time that all communities like Patels, Dalits, shopkeepers, small traders, tribals and farmers are on the warpath against the BJP government in the state.

And, again for the first time, the Congress is contesting the Assembly elections in a focused and united manner, said the Congress leader.

But the BJP has constantly changed its election narrative from development to casteism, to Hindutva, to Pakistan and finally remarks on former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

The way Narendra Modi has talked about Manmohan Singh, it is not acceptable. Meanwhile, I have made my position clear about Mani Shankar Aiyars comment. Modi is the Prime Minister of our country and it is not acceptable to talk about the PM like that, Rahul added.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modis conspiracy with Pakistan remark against his predecessor Manmohan Singh creates ripples, the Left and JD(U) called the development worrisome and not proper in a democracy.

They said the prime minister should take action based on evidence if there was any seriousness in his allegations, and not raise the same in Gujarat poll campaign.

He is dragging Pakistan into a domestic pollif he is serious, he should have taken up the issue with the Congress.

As the head of the government, he could have taken appropriate action. Instead of that, he is making it a poll issue. I think it is not proper in democracy, senior CPI leader D Raja said.

The CPI(M) general secretary said the details as revealed by Modi were shocking.

Will the prime minister of the country act? he asked.

JD(U) leader Pavan Varma said Modi should be talking about governance in Gujarat than such issues.

But instead, he starts talking about Pakistan interfering in Gujarat. (What he said) has to be based more on evidence than what (Congress leader) Mani Shankar Aiyar had said, he said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat yesterday, Modi suggested that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

He claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyars house on December 6 to discuss the matter.

It was also a day before Aiyars neech jibe against Modi that led to the formers suspension from Congress.
Western diplomats posted in New Delhi are puzzled. Several months ago, embassies of countries of the European Union received an invitation from the Gujarat government asking them to send representatives to visit the state during the assembly election as observers of the poll process. It was supposed to be an invitation to watch Indian democracy in action. The hidden message was a ringside view of a demonstration of strength in Narendra Modis home state.

Suddenly, a little over a week before the first phase of polling, the embassies were de-invited, as one diplomatic source put it. In other words, the invitation to observe the Gujarat elections at close quarters was withdrawn abruptly without any explanation.

The cancellation has naturally set off speculation in view of reports and opinion polls suggesting that the BJP may not do as well as expected. In fact, one opinion poll has shown the BJP and Congress in a dead heat, which means the result could go either way.

So, is the BJP worried about its performance on Modi-Shahs home turf? Possibly. Otherwise why would the powers-that-be in Gujarat fight shy of foreign observers monitoring the ongoing polls?

Intrigued by this development, at least two European countries have decided to send a team of diplomats at their own expense to check out the mood in Gujarat. They will be filing their reports to their home governments as the poll process moves ahead.

MEA in a tizzy

The controversy created by army chief General Bipin Rawat on Indias 2015 operations in Myanmar has both the army and foreign office in a tizzy. At a book release function recently, Rawat spoke in detail about the operations in which the Indian army had crossed into Myanmar territory to flush out militants who had killed 15 Indian soldiers. Rawat described it as a message to militants hiding in other countries.

Apparently, the foreign office is upset that the chiefs comments could damage Indias relations with Myanmar. Indian diplomats had worked hard to repair the ties after the 2015 operations. They are worried that the chiefs remarks could undo their hard work. It is said that the foreign office has conveyed its concerns to the defence ministry and to the army.

The rap from the foreign office has put army circles on the defensive. On behalf of the chief, army sources have been telling media persons that the chief didnt reveal any secrets about the Myanmar operations. They claim that whatever Rawat said was contained in the book that was released at the function. The book was written by former journalist and defence expert Nitin Gokhale.

The army seems to have a way of putting its foot in its mouth. While defending the chief, it has been putting out the story that Gokhales book containing details of the Myanmar operations was vetted and cleared by the National Security Advisors office. In other words, the army chiefs comments were authorized at the highest level, so to speak.

Rawats defenders have blurred the lines between a journalistic account of a sensitive operation and an official statement. Unlike a journalist, when the army chief speaks, he talks on behalf of the government.

Poll predicament

The Gujarat poll campaign has taken its toll of Narendra Modis official duties. And the biggest victim has been the armed forces which the BJP claims to venerate for their nationalistic service to the country.

This year, Modi skipped the functions to mark Air Force day in October and Navy Day in December. Both times, he was away in Gujarat campaigning for the assembly elections.

Defence forces are taught not to reveal their feelings but the absence of the PM was noticed by the men in uniform who attended the receptions to mark what are red-letter days for the air force and the navy.

PMs have traditionally made it a point never to miss these receptions hosted by the defence chiefs. And defence officers look forward to shaking hands with the PM and getting photographed.

But for politicians, fighting an election is the same as fighting a war is for the defence forces. Modi is clear about his priorities.

Wires under fire

Two leading news agencies are under fire from the government for crossing red lines drawn by officials. One of these agencies, which specialises in foreign office coverage, has been knocked off the media list of the ministry of external affairs.

Consequently, this agency is no longer invited to official and unofficial briefings or media receptions. It does not receive press releases via Whats App either. It has been completely shut out.

The other agency has been warned that government subscriptions to its wire services will be terminated. This means a huge loss in revenue for the agency which is now in a flap. If the government goes through with its threat, the agency could well be forced to suspend operations for some time. The pressure is intense although well wishers are trying to bring about a compromise.
Simmering tensions in the Supreme Court appear to have boiled over ~ and the nation risks being impoverished in the process. The decision of the respected Senior Advocate, Mr Rajeev Dhavan, to withdraw from court practice after being humiliated by their Lordships must shake the confidence of people in perhaps the last institution that had retained its reputation for maintaining a dignified balance in the conduct of its important affairs. It would be silly to run away with the idea that Mr Dhavans action resulted only from some sharp comments from the Chief Justice of India ~ for the last month or so sections of the Bench and the Bar have been at loggerheads on more issues than one.

The language used has been palpably unparliamentary, one noted lawyer staged an unbecoming walk-out, others have virtually threatened to do likewise and the Bench has paid back in kind. Comparisons are notoriously unpleasant, yet it would be craven not to recognise the potential for judicial discourse to degenerate to the level of contemporary political diatribe ~ although no political angle can be perceived in these unflattering developments. Alas, all this at a time when the political leadership makes little secret of its desire to cut the judiciary down to size.

It is not far-fetched to suspect that the ministerial assault on the judicial system has eroded some of the traditional and customary aura of their Lordships, which has resulted in some lawyers speaking disrespectfully in court. Now we have a case of who will bell the cat ~ but if neither Bench nor Bar display the statesmanship to retrieve the situation the price the people will have to pay could be unbearable. The situation is as disconcerting as that.

Little point would be served by attempting to evaluate who was right and who was wrong. The court was rightly upset by lawyers raising their voices, but was it necessary for it to describe that as atrocious and to ask how long it would tolerate lawyers arguing in a manner not in tune with Constitutional language. And certainly hurtful was the Chief Justices saying, Unfortunately, a small group of Senior Counsel (Mr Dhavan has been designated one for over two decades) think they can raise their voices.

But they must understand that raising voices will not be tolerated. Raising voices only shows their inadequacy, incompetence and that they are not fit to be Seniors. In its long and glorious history, the apex court must surely have witnessed acute differences of opinion and reading of the law, but it would not easy to draw parallels with what transpired over recent days. Institutions are only as pristine as the people who man them, their failures are essentially human. Whatever has happened to the judicial hallmarks of sobriety and restraint?
The Ministry of External Affairs on 8 December 2017 welcomed the decision of the Wassenaar Arrangement to admit India as the 42nd member of the organisation, which aims to regulate trade and use of dual-use technology. Following admission into the club, India will get access to high technology, which will help address the demands of Indian space and defence sectors. It will also boost New Delhis chances of joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

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) with 42 participating states including many former Coordinating Committee members for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) countries.

The Wassenaar Arrangement was established 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 destabilising accumulations.

Participating states seek, through their national policies, to ensure that transfers of these items do not contribute to the development or enhancement of military capabilities, which undermine these goals, and are not diverted to support such capabilities.

It is the successor to the Cold War-era COCOM, and was established on 12 July 1996, in Wassenaar, the Netherlands. The Wassenaar Arrangement is considerably less strict than COCOM, focusing primarily on the transparency of national export control regimes and not granting veto power to individual members over organizational decisions. A Secretariat for administering the agreement is located in Vienna. Like COCOM, however, it is not a treaty, and therefore is not legally binding.

Every six months member countries exchange information on deliveries of conventional arms to non-Wassenaar members that fall under eight broad weapons categories ~ battle tanks, armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), large-calibre artillery, military aircraft, military helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems, and small arms and light weapons.

The Peoples Republic of China and Israel are not members, but they have aligned their export controls with Wassenaar lists, and are significant arms exporters. The Arrangement is open on a global and non-discriminatory basis to prospective adherents that comply with the agreed criteria. Admission of new members requires the consensus of all members.

India joined as the 42nd participating state on 7 December 2017. Wassenaar Arrangement participating states reviewed the progress of a number of current membership applications and agreed at the plenary meeting to admit India which will become the Arrangements participating state as soon as the necessary procedural arrangements for joining the Arrangement are completed, the grouping official said in a statement. Indias application was supported by Russia, USA, France and Germany.

The Plenary meeting of the WA held on 6 -7 December 2017 in Vienna, Austria, has decided to admit India. The necessary procedural arrangements for Indias admission will be completed shortly, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said at his weekly briefing.

On the scope of the Arrangement, he said, Indias membership is expected to facilitate high technology tie-ups with Indian industry and ease access to high-tech items for our defence and space programmes. While membership of the Arrangement would not automatically entail any preferential treatment from other Arrangement-members, it would create the grounds for realignment of India in the export control policy framework of other Arrangement members, including eligibility for certain licensing exceptions. Membership in the Arrangement has been part of Indias quest for membership in the export control organisations.

Russia had expressed optimism about Indias membership in the Wassenaar Arrangement. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov had said earlier that Russian support for Indian membership in the organisation will help bilateral ties, and added, This is an example and reflection of Russias unwavering support to Indias membership of international nuclear control regimes.

With its admission to the Arrangement, India has reached another important milestone in its decade-long efforts to join multilateral export control regimes. Its entry as the WA member follows its admission as a full member of the Missile Transfer Control Regime (MTCR) in June last year. It will enhance Indias non-proliferation credentials although it is not a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It will enable India to acquire critical technologies too.

Importantly, it is expected to strengthen Indias case for admission to the NSG. And finally, one of the Wassenaar Arrangements aims is to prevent critical technologies from falling into the hands of terrorist groups. As a country that has major concerns regarding state-sponsored terrorist groups, India can take the lead in strengthening the Wassenaar Arrangements hands in blocking the proliferation of technologies to terrorists.

Indias approach to multilateral export control regimes has undergone a huge change over the years. For several decades, it preferred to stay out of these regimes, as it perceived them as discriminatory. Its approach began changing in the wake of its signing of the India-US nuclear deal. With the door to trade in nuclear energy opening up, it realised the value of being a part of these regimes. Most of the suppliers of high-end dual-use technologies are members and if it wanted access to such technology, it would need to be part of such groupings. Consequently, India began seeking membership of these regimes. With its admission to the MTCR, India was able to sell the BrahMos missiles to countries like Vietnam.

So far, it has been admitted into the MTCR and the Wassenaar Arrangement. It is yet to secure entry to the Australia Group, which restricts trade in materials used to make chemical and biological weapons, and the NSG, which controls export of nuclear material and technology.

China has been blocking Indias entry to the NSG and is likely to continue to do so. India could use its membership in the MTCR and the Wassenaar Arrangement as a bargaining chip to get China, which is not a part of these two regimes, to endorse Indias entry to the NSG. This will not be easy but India should step up its diplomatic efforts to get China to rethink its obstructionist approach.

What is most striking about Indias NSG membership saga is not New Delhis persistent failure to make headway on one of the current governments central foreign policy priorities, but the extent and durability of Chinas uneasiness at allowing India a seat at the table. Beijings recalcitrance on the question of NSG membership for India is a clear signal that India is and remains a major nuclear challenger to China ~ at least where global recognition of the two countries non-proliferation credentials is concerned.

China may agree on the give-and-take principle to get access to MTCR and Wassenaar Arrangement with Indias help if it allows India to get membership of NSG without becoming a spoilsport.

(The writer is retired Professor of International Trade. He may be reached at [email protected])
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said that plans were underway for a second gathering of Syrian representatives to devise a political solution to the bloody conflict in the Middle Eastern nation.

We have spoken about Syria. We will gather again as soon as possible in Sochi, Erdogan said on Monday, referring to the Russian Black Sea resort that hosted the first Syrian National Dialogue Congress, Efe news reported.

Naturally, the focus was made on the situation in the Middle East settlement that has deteriorated dramatically and on the Syrian affairs where our countries are closely cooperating, Putin said during a joint press conference with Erdogan in Ankara.

The Russian President arrived here after brief stops earlier Monday in Damascus and Cairo.

We are conducting joint work to prepare and convene the Syrian National Dialogue Congress at the beginning of the next year. It is a secret to no one that I spoke about it with President (Bashar) Assad during my todays visit to Syria, Putin said.

He recalled that convening a conference of Syrian leaders was a commitment he, Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made when they met on November 22 in Sochi.

Turning to another aspect of the situation in the Middle East, Erdogan took the opportunity to again criticise US President Donald Trumps decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Israel sees the recent process as an opportunity to intensify its acts of oppression and violence against the Palestinians, the Turkish president said.

Putin seconded the sentiments of his host.

Both Russia and Turkey believe that the decision of the United States administration to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and move its embassy to that city in no way promotes the settlement of the situation in the Middle East. On the contrary, it destabilizes the situation in the region, which is already tense, the Russian leader said.

Erdogan said that he expected this weeks special summit in Istanbul of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to generate a strong message on the issue of Jerusalem.
MONTREAL, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of OneCap Investment Corporation ("OneCap or the Corporation") (TSX VENTURE:OIC) has approved the granting of options for 1,960,000 common shares of the Corporation to the Directors, Officers and consultants of the Corporation, in accordance with its stock option plan. The options vest immediately, are exercisable at $0.15 per option and have a term of 2 years.



About OneCap

OneCap is a mineral exploration company with its exploration activity focused in Colombia. It has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Las Marias gold property subject to cash payments and exploration expenditures over a 5-year period ending in 2021.

Rejean Gosselin, President and CEO : Tel: 514.303.0950

E-mail: rgminero@gmail.com

The information set forth in this press release includes certain forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on assumptions exposed to major risks and uncertainties. Although OneCap deems the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, the Corporation cannot provide any guarantee as to the materialization of the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements. The Corporation expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Release.




Unscrupulous elements are misusing the name of Government of India, deplored the ministry of petroleum and renewable energy.

It has discovered fake ads in newspapers for appointment of petrol dealers under the scheme of Jawahar Rojgar Yojana, and these were found to have collected substantial amount from applicants.

Petrol pumps and gas agencies have always been lucrative and ministers have in the past used their discretion to allot them on priority basis, bringing notoriety to the government. The Modi government clarified it does not advertise ads for allotment of petrol pump under the scheme  Jawahar Rojgar Yojana, and pointed out that only oil marketing companies issue advertisements for appointment of dealers, government said in a press release alleging that unscrupulous persons were misusing the name of the ministry.

The petroleum ministry emphasised that Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation based on their feasibility study, identify the location and place ads for the appointment of dealers, under a given selection guidelines.

The ministry clarified that neither the government nor the oil companies placed these ads, and warned the public from responding to them. Sources said that the government would trace the details of people who placed the ads, and will take action in accordance with the law.
The Centre has imposed restrictions on advertising condoms on television, saying ads would only be allowed late at night as they could be inappropriate viewing for children.

The ministry of information and broadcasting said condom advertisements will now be allowed only between 10 pm and 6 am to avoid exposing children to such material and to comply with government rules.

The ministry told all television channels in an advisory not to telecast the advertisements of condoms, which are for a particular age group and could be indecent/inappropriate for viewing by children.

The government said its decision was based on rules stating that no advertisements which endanger the safety of children or create in them any interest in unhealthy practices should be allowed. It also cited regulations that prohibit indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes.

Talking openly about sex and contraception is still largely taboo in India. Conservative social norms mean many men and women are still embarrassed to shop for condoms, whose usage remains low in rural areas of the country.

The Indian government provides free condoms under its community-based AIDS prevention programme, but several brandsincluding Durex condoms of Britains Reckitt Benckiserare widely available, with some endorsed by Bollywood actors.

In September, an Indian condom maker was forced to withdraw a new advertisement promoting the use of the prophylactic ahead of a major Hindu festival, local media reported.
Patidar leader Hardik Patel's meeting in Nikol in Ahmedabad, held parallel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to a gathering at Sabarmati Riverfront in the same district, clocked 52,800 Facebook Live views on Monday night.

This is just an example of the young leader's popularity, but there is more to it than meets the eye.

A crowd of nearly 50,000 was waiting patiently for the firebrand leader even as he made way to the eastern part of the city after holding a mega rally for which he was not granted a permission. The rally had witnessed a stone pelting incident between Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti workers and BJP workers at Bapunagar, which has a large number of Patidars and diamond cutting and polishing units, forcing police to resort to lathicharge.

Earlier, the rally passed through, with an overwhelming response, Ghatlodia and Naranpura, considered BJP bastions where former chief minister Anandiben Patel and BJP president Amit Shah have large following.

Hardik has taken a big chance, for in all probability, say sources, an FIR could be filed against him for taking out a rally without permission. In Surat too, an FIR was filed against him for violating conditions of the permission given for a public meeting.

However, the response Hardik got on the penultimate day of the election campaign for the second phase of elections has made the BJP sit up and notice. Out of the 93 seats for which polling will take place on December 14, a large number of them are urban seats, which are the BJP's stronghold. A response like this to Hardik is a cause of concern whether or not it translates into votes for the Congress.

Not only did Hardik appeal the gathering, which comprised of Patels and other sections of the society, to at least once throw the BJP out of power, he also administered them a pledge. I know you do not like the other party (the Congress), but at least throw the BJP out in 2017 and it is okay if you bring them back to power in 2022, he said.

With torches of mobiles on, the gathering pledged that they would not vote for the BJP this time. The gathering took the pledge in the name of 14 Patidar youths who died in 2015 and in the name of goddesses Umiya and Khodal who they worship.

As Hardik spoke, the gathering repeated that on December 18 they would give the result by defeating the arrogant (the BJP) and making six crore Gujaratis victorious.

Earlier, he said this was the time to unite and show the power of six crore Gujaratis. Hardik said he did not know what the outcome would be on December 18 but he was ready to go behind the bars should the BJP come to power. I am ready to go behind the bars for 14 years, he said.

He even took on Modi for dragging Pakistan to election meetings. What has Pakistan got to do with elections in Gujarat, Hardik asked, adding that there was a limit to telling lies.

Hardik also spoke about the rising prices of essential commodities and made a special mention of bottled gas. We were told that subsidy would be given on bottled gas. They did give but priced the bottled gas at Rs 1,000 per bottle, he said.

The Patidars have been demanding reservation under the OBC category, which the state government has declined saying as per Supreme Court guidelines, quota cannot exceed 49 per cent. The Congress has spoken about giving maximum reservation to those not falling under the OBC by introducing a bill. While Hardik has accepted the formula, some of his aides have reservation with what has been offered by the Congress.
Ending his months-long campaigning in Gujarat, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence in Ahmedabad on Tuesday that the Congress would win the polls. The Gandhi scion, who is slated to officially take over party chief post on December 16, termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seaplane flight as a political distraction.

Modi on Tuesday took off from Sabarmati Riverfront in a seaplane to Dharoi Dam and from there he went by road to Ambaji temple in North Gujarat. The BJP has claimed that this is for the first time that seaplane has landed on Indian waters.

Addressing his first press conference after being elected Congress president, Rahul said the issue is about Gujarat. If Modiji wants to go in a seaplane, it is good, a good decision. (But) It's a distraction. The main question is that what has been done for the youth in the last 22 years. Are there doctors in hospitals? Yes or no? You have to spend Rs 15 lakh in colleges. Yes or no? Are there 30 lakh unemployed youth in Gujarat? Yes or no? Have you discussed Jay Shah, Amit Shah and Rafale deal? Yes or no? These are the issues of Gujarat, he said.

Rahul has asked 14 questions to Modi through his official twitter page during his election campaign in Gujarat.

Our main argument has been that in the last 22 years, Modiji and Vijay Rupani have done one sided development and people have not got what they should have got. This is what people have told us, he held.

Rahul said that the Congress would take Gujarat forward in a balanced manner. We have spoken about interest waiver for farmers, Sardar Patel Health Card, getting nurses and doctors in hospitals, he said.

Rs 1.30 crore of 10 people have been waived, but when farmers talk about loan waiver, you (BJP) say it is not in your policy, said Rahul.

The Congress leader said that no decision would be taken without consulting people. He said that in the last three to four months, Congress has attempted to give vision to Gujarat and take people of all sections of the society together. Yes, it is a different thing that Patidars, dalits and tribals are angry. Patidars are asking why Modiji did not come to us when our men were killed. Similar, questions are being raised by the dalits. You supported a few corporates, he said.

Rahul, however, preferred not to answer the question on how Patidars would be given reservation. After saying that it was in their manifesto, he passed on the question to Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki to answer the finer details.

He asked people to compare the minimum support prices of crops during the UPA rule and the BJP rule.

Rahul said that this time around even the BJP people are saying that the Congress is fighting the elections unitedly. The elections are won on narratives, issues. The one who maintains the narratives wins the election. BJP has not been able to build a narrative, he said.

He alleged that BJP has not been able to maintain its own position. The prime minister has been talking either about Congress or himself, he said, alleging that after Jay Shah's name and Rafale deal came up, he (Modi) has stopped talking about corruption.

Alleging that there is hollowness in the BJP, Rahul said Modi and the ruling party are scared of a discussion on Jay Shah and Rafale deal and hence the winter session has not begun so far.

Claiming that there was a severe undercurrent in Gujarat, Rahul said that the result would be terrific. He said that all communities are angry with the state government.

Congress party has understood its strength in 22 years and has stood up against the BJP, he said.

Replying to a question, Rahul mentioned about action taken against Mani Shankar Aiyar for the latter's remarks on Modi. I have said I will not tolerate this and you have seen the action, he said. What Modiji spoke about Manmohan Singhji is also not acceptable. He was also the PM of India. He worked for India, said Rahul.

Rahul took on his critics about his visits to temples. He said that wherever he has gone to the temple, he has talked about the golden future for the youth and the farmers. Is going to the temples barred, he asked.

He said that as Congress president, his priority is to strengthen the party organisation. We have taken a big step in Gujarat and you will see it in election, he said. Rahul said that he wanted to change the nature of the political discourse; thoughts had become ugly, nasty; there is a lot of anger. I want to spread in the country the Congress ideology and the nature of work. Politics should happen with love. Modiji is our political opponent. He says a lot of wrong things about me. He is the Prime Minister of India and I will not speak any wrong word against him, he said.

Rahul said that during these few months, Gujarat had given him lots of love, which he would not forget. You just need to call me and I will be there, he said.

The police did not give permission to Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi for roadshows in Ahmedabad on the last day of campaigning on Tuesday. While Modi went to Ambaji in a seaplane, Rahul visited the famous Lord Jagganath Temple in Ahmedabad and later met the media. Before leaving for New Delhi from Ahmedabad airport, he also met family members of a martyr, whose daughter was pulled up by police when she had gone to make a representation during one of the meetings addressed by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ambassador John Bolton announced today that he will endorse Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley for U.S. Senate. Hawley is vying to become the Republican candidate to unseat incumbent Claire McCaskill. In addition to the endorsement, the John Bolton PAC will make a $10,000 contribution to Hawleys campaign.

Josh Hawley is a constitutional lawyer who has fought for cases at the Supreme Court and won, said Ambassador Bolton. Hell take that same fight to the U.S. Senate, where I know he will vote and advocate for a stronger national security and an America-first foreign policy. His experience as Missouris Attorney General is needed in Washington, where he will serve the people of Missouri and our country well. I am proud to endorse his bid for the U.S. Senate.

Statement from AG Josh Hawley:

It is an honor to receive an endorsement from Ambassador Bolton. An expert in foreign policy, he understands the many threats posed to America by radical Islam, North Korea, and Iranthreats that too many in Washington have idly let metastasize for more than a decade. American greatness begins with security and stability, and I am grateful for the Ambassadors support.

With this announcement, Ambassador Bolton has endorsed 21 candidates for U.S. Congress and his PAC has contributed a collective $205,000 to candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, which is the most contributed by a leadership PAC in 2017. For the 2016 elections, the John Bolton PAC contributed a total of $680,000 and endorsed 94 candidates, making it the most active leadership PAC in the country, and earning the PAC numerous industry awards.

About John Bolton PAC (www.boltonpac.com): The John Bolton PAC was founded by former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John R. Bolton to raise the importance of American national security in federal elections. The PAC will support and contribute to candidates who are committed to restoring strong American economic and national security policies that secure America's interests in a challenging world.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e9fcf9d5-9807-4216-b788-04e41096cebe
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is quite chuffed about his landing on the Sabarmati river on a seaplane. He tweeted: Earlier today, I travelled on a seaplane from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for India's progress. But, did the flight violate regulations set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation?

The DGCA websites sole air safety circular (ASC) on VIP air travel is dated 2002. The link is dead, and an explanation is given: ASC 02 of 2002 - Travel by helicopter by VIP protectees - confirmation of coordinates of take off /landing place. (Cancelled - information contained in ASC 2 of 2014).

ASC 2 of 2014, issued on March 24, 2014, says that the instructions are being issued to safeguard VIPs, SPG-protected persons and other important persons of eminence in public life [who] use air travel frequently for electioneering and other purposes.... In the second paragraph, it points out that these instructions [had been] violated time and again and safety was jeopardised. So, the ASC stresses that the instructions are being repeated "so that the same are followed meticulously for ensuring safe operation of small aircraft/helicopters.

Clause 2.4.2 of the ASC says that Type of aircraft/helicopter for carriage of VIPs shall be in accordance with Air Safety Circular 2 of 1981 and MHA guidelines. And, clause 1.1 of ASC 2 of 1981 describes the criteria for VIP aircraft: Twin-engined aircraft with good operational capability, reliability, and easy maintainability characteristics should be used.

The prime minister flew in on a single-engine Kodiak 100, registered (No. N181KQ) in Salt Lake City, US. A lone Pratt & Whitney engine powers the 10-seater, fixed-wing amphibian.

The controversial AgustaWestland helicopter deal was being considered by the UPA government for this one reasontwin engines.
RK Nagar Assembly constituency in northern Chennai has the sea on one side. Fortunately, the Ockhi cyclone that lashed the coastal areas of southern Tamil Nadu did not reach RK Nagar. However, a political cyclone is now sweeping the constituency where an assembly by-election is to be held for the seat rendered vacant by the demise of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, who left behind an eventful era in Tamil Nadu politics.

The main contestantsAIADMK, AIADMK rebel and the DMKmake the fight a three-way battle. The BJP nominee as well as Independents, too, are in the fray. The polling is to be held on December 21 and the result will be declared on December 24.

New strategies in fresh scenario

The RK Nagar by-election should have been held six months ago. The election was cancelled two days before the polling after it was found that the voters were given money in huge quantities. The chief contestants now were in the fray then also, but the friends have turned foes.

E. Madhusoodanan, who was the candidate of the AIADMKs O. Paneerselvam faction, is now the official candidate of the party. T.T.V. Dhinakaran, who had sided with the ruling AIADMK then, is at present a rebel candidate. Chief Minister Edappali K. Palaniswamy and his cabinet colleagues, who had actively campaigned for T.T.V. Dhinakaran in April, are now bent upon ensuring Dhinakarans defeat. Maruthu Ganesh of the DMK has not undergone any change. The BJP has fielded Karu Nagarajan. There are a total of 59 candidates.

Madhusoodanan, who was a minister in the first Jayalalithaa cabinet, had represented RK Nagar constituency in 1991. Maruthu Ganesh is the DMKs regional leader. His mother was a corporation councillor earlier. Both Madhusoodanan and Maruthu Ganesh hail from RK Nagar . Dinakaran is leaving no stone unturned in his attempt to re-establish the prominence of the Mannargudi clan. Votes of the Nadars and the Telugus are crucial to this end.

The RK Nagar constituency is generally in favour of the AIADMK though the Congress and the DMK have won there two times each. After the constituency came into being, AIADMK candidates have won seven times. Jayalalithaa won there twice. Her winning margin was about 40,000 votes in the election held in 2016.

Apart from vote statistics, there are two other factors also in favour of the AIADMK: one, the tendency of Tamil Nadu to vote for the ruling party, and, two, regaining of the partys two-leaf symbol recently. A considerable section of the electorate even now votes for the symbol. However, if there are two factors in favour of the AIADMK, there are a hundred factors against it.

They include the not so smooth relation between Palaniswamy and Panneerselvam camps; Dhinkakaran's aggressive campaign with his pressure cooker symbol, and the general feeling that the present state government is a failure.

BJP, the common enemy

In the last assembly elections, the BJP got less than 3,000 votes in RK Nagar. Even then, the opposition parties considered the BJP as their common enemy. All the opposition parties fear that the BJP is trying to get a foothold in Tamil Nadu by using the AIADMK government as a proxy, aided by the central government. It was the anti-BJP sentiment that prompted the opposition parties to form a rainbow alliance and support the DMK candidate. In short, the opposition parties target is actually the BJP even as it battles the AIADMK.

The CPI(M), CPI, VCK, and Vaikos MDMK have announced their support to the DMK. Vaiko, who had left the DMK alleging that M.Karunanidhi was giving excessive prominence to son M.K. Stalin, is again joining hands with the party after a decade. Though the PMK, actor Vijayakants DMDK, Sarathkumars Samathwa Makkal Kakshi and the TMC are not contesting in the by-election, they have not yet publicly announced support to the DMK.

There is a feeling in general, even within the DMK, that Stalin has failed to exploit the political crisis following Jayalalithaas demise. More questions will be raised against Stalins leadership if the DMK is beaten in RK Nagar despite the facts that many actors are in favour of the party. A Delhi court is scheduled to announce its verdict on the 2G spectrum case on December 21, the same day on which the by-election will be held. That the defendants in the case include former minister A. Raja and Karunanidhi daughter and MP Kanimozhi is a matter of concern for the DMK.

Though the ruling party generally wins Tamil Nadu by-elections, the political map of the state has changed when that scenario changed. The AIADMK had won the Dindigul by-election in 1973, when the DMK was in power. This was the AIADMKs first electoral victory. Thereafter, the AIADMK rewrote the political history of Tamil Nadu. The whole state is keenly watching whether such a game-changing event will happen in RK Nagar. December 24, the day the results will come out, also marks the death anniversary of MGR. Whatever be the outcome, the fate of the AIADMK, founded by MGR, will be decided on that date.

This article was originally published in the Malayala Manorama on December 12, 2017
Campaigning drew to a close on Tuesday evening for the second phase of assembly elections in Gujarat. Voting for 93 seats will be held on Thursday. Elections were held on 89 seats on December 9. Results will be declared on December 18.

The high pitch campaign, over the last few months, witnessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi, top BJP and Congress leaders touring the length and breadth of the state to address public meetings.

The last day on Tuesday saw Modi taking off in a seaplane from Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam and then going by road to Ambaji to have darshan of Goddess Amba. He returned to Ahmedabad by seaplane. Rahul visited Lord Jagannath temple and thereafter met the press.

Patidar stir leader Hardik Patel addressed public meetings in Rupal, near Gandhinagar and Vadodara, a BJP bastion.

The campaign saw Modi playing a victim card a number of times. He sought to remind the public how the Congress party had targetted him over his humble background as tea seller. He also played up the neech remark by Mani Shankar Aiyar, even after the latter was suspended from Congress.

In the last couple of days, he even brought in the angle of Pakistan by alleging that the neighbouring country wants to make Congress leader Ahmed Patel the chief minister of Gujarat. Pakistan has, however, denied the allegation outright.

Rahul on the other hand has asked 14 questions to Modi on development through his twitter handle. In his public speeches, Rahul has spoken about the problems faced due to demonetisation and GST, and also repeatedly highlighted money given to TATA NANO plant by the state government.

Both the arch rivals have played soft Hindutva during the campaigns with both Modi and Rahul visiting temples quite often. Neither the Congress nor the BJP have spoken about the Muslims.

The 2017 assembly election is a prestige issue for the BJP, which has been in power for the last 22 years. The party has set a target of winning 150 plus seats out of the total 182 seats. The highest number of seats won by a party in the state was in 1985. The Congress had won 149 seats that time under former chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki

The results are expected to have a bearing at the national level as elections to several states are fast approaching ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2019. It will also test BJP president Amit Shah's credentials as campaign manager. Modi has taken the poll on to himself.

If the BJP lose or make through with a slender margin, it is feared that rumblings could begin within the party.

In the event of Congress performing well, it will increase Rahul's stature and acceptance at the national level.
Almost a week after the mysterious death of 21-year-old Paresh Mesta in Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district, fear grips the coastal district as communal passions are soaring high and violent protests are spreading from Honnavar to Kumta and Sirsi towns. Even as these towns are on the boil, and peace and safety have become the first casualty, the political blamegame by both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP has raised suspicion that both parties are hoping to cash in on the polarisation in the upcoming assembly election in the state.

Paresh Mesta

Protest marches, stone pelting and arson, despite the prohibitory orders, have compelled the police to use teargas shells, lathicharge and firing in the air to disperse the mob. On Thursday, the mobs set ablaze the Western IGP Hemant Nimbalkar's vehicle.

The trigger for the communal clash was an altercation that followed a minor road accident last Wednesday. But two days later, the situation became tense after the locals found the blackened body of Mesta, who had gone missing after Wednesdays clashes, floating in a lake near the Shani temple.

The incident has set off outrage across the state, and protests in the coastal belt with the Sangh Parivar and the BJP alleging foul play. The social media was abuzz with horrifying details of alleged torture and mutilation of Mesta's body. The BJP, too, raised questions over the exact cause of death and sought explanation from the government to the bad state in which the body was recovered.

The local police suspected Paresh might have fallen into the lake and drowned while escaping from the mob. However, Paresh's father Kamalakar and relatives suspected foul play, and said Paresh could not have drowned as he was an expert swimmer.

Paresh was at the Shani temple which was being attacked. Despite prohibitory orders, stones and shoes were hurled at the temple. CCTV footage shows uniformed police personnel standing still when the mob armed with weapons came to the temple, claimed BJP MP from Udupi-Chikmaglur Shobha Karandlaje.

Interestingly, on Monday evening, the state government came up with the autopsy report of Mesta and also a questionnaire (with answers) revealing a few details on the nature of injury. IGP Western Range Hemant Nimbalkar, who released a questionnaire along with replies by Dr Shankar M. Bakkannavar, associate professor, department of forensic medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, categorically denied that any assault or torture had taken place.

However, protests led by pro-Hindu organisations turned violent the following day, as they rejected the report and demanded to know why the government was in a hurry to prove it was not a murder, especially when the postmortem report was still pending.

In his report, Dr Bakkannavar has stated there was no external or internal injury, no torture and no strangulation or haemorrhage, except for two injuries caused by blunt force and there are no evidences of injuries caused by weapons, too. The blackening of the face is due to putrefaction (decay) while the tattoo mark on right forearm depicting Shivaji and Maratha written in Hindi was intact, he added.

The report has ruled out torture by use of hot water or any chemical and castration, as alleged by BJP leaders. However, a crucial observation that a blackish semi-solid material was found in Paresh's oral cavity, trachea and lungs, strongly hints at the possibility of a homicide, argue some experts.

On Tuesday, senior BJP leaders led by BJP MP Shobha Karadlaje took out a protest rally in the state capital and submitted a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala seeking an NIA probe. The BJP alleged that the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka was going soft on SDPI and PFI, which are guilty of killing pro-Hindu activists in the state.

Home Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy said specific questions had been answered by the doctors to dispel the lies being circulated on social media. He also warned of strict action against rumour mongering.

The postmortem report will take 15 days and to dispel lies being circulated by the BJP and the social media, we decided to get specific answers to a set of 19 questions from the doctors who conducted the autopsy. This is to counter the BP which released graphic details of how Mesta was killed. They also highlighted that the deceased belongs to Mogaveera (fishermen) community and falsely claimed that the tattoo on his hand was ripped off (as it had Hey Ram). This proves BJP is playing politics and trying to polarise the votes in an election year. Why do they call themselves Hindu and not by the name of their organisation like BJP or Sri Rama Sene? Are we Congressmen not Hindus? We are well prepared to maintain law and order in the state, said Reddy.

Accusing the BJP of playing the communal card in an election year, Reddy said, First they created ruckus in Hunsur last week during Hanuma Jayanti, which coincided with Eid celebrations. But all 174 taluks celebrated the Jayanti peacefully, expect Hunsur. Now, the BJP is disturbing peace in Uttara Kannada. They have got instructions from their national president (Amit Shah) to disturb peace. This was admitted by Mysuru MP Pratap Simha and senior leader Eshwarappa on the social media, mocked Reddy, making references to the videos of Simha and Eshwarappa, where the leaders are seen exhorting partymen to go aggressive in an election year. The videos have gone viral.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dubbed the incident as another mischief of the Sangh Parivar, even as the BJP accused Siddaramaiah of minority appeasement. Siddaramaiah is responsible for the clashes. He has emboldened Jihadi elements by supporting SDPI and PFI in the state, said BJP leader C.T. Ravi.

JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy blamed the national parties of playing politics and demanded that peace be restored in the state.
In a bid to keep their user base engaged, Google is constantly adding new experiences to Pixel phones to make sure they keep getting better over time.

From VR-imbibed stickers to an advanced version of Google Assistant, here are a few highlights from the recent weeks that will make you love your Pixel phone even more:

1. Augmented Reality Stickers

This week, Google brings AR Stickers to Pixel to add virtual characters and playful emojis directly into photos and videos to bring users favorite moments to life.

Users can team up with Star Wars: The Last Jedi characters like BB-8 and R2-D2, or even stage fun moments with Eleven  the Demogorgon, and other characters from Netflixs Stranger Things.

Use Foodmoji stickers to make it clear that youre feeling hungry, 3D Text for when you really want to title your life, or shoot a celebratory video at a New Years party complete with animated AR balloons, cake, and champagne.

To explore this, open up the camera app, switch to AR Stickers mode, choose a sticker pack, and drop them into the scene. Users can move, resize and rotate the stickers, and they even interact with other characters in the scene. And the pictures and videos captured are ideal for sharing with friends on social media.

AR Stickers are rolling out over the coming days to all Pixel phones running Android 8.1 Oreo. Google will release more AR Sticker packs in the future.

2. Google Lens

Google recently introduced Google Lens in the Google Assistant on Pixel so users can learn more about the world around them. If walking past a landmark in a new city or discover a painting in a museum, just open up the Assistant on Pixel and tap the Lens button (or simply squeeze the sides of your Pixel 2 phone) to get more information about what user is looking at in real time.

And with Google Lens in Google Photos, users can now copy important informationlike a Wi-Fi password, gift card code, or recipefrom a photo and then paste it somewhere else (into a field on a web page, an email, or text message for example).

3. Updated Google Assistant

There are new features on Google Assistant on Pixel too. Now users can broadcast their voice from Pixel to the Google Home devices around their house. And the Assistant now speaks new languages, including Spanish and Italian.

4. Android Oreo

Google recently rolled out Android Oreo 8.1, which makes it even faster and easier to get stuff done on Pixel. SmartSelect recognises text when long pressed, highlights the relevant word(s), and then recommends a next logical step via a suggested app, like taking users to Maps if copy an address.

This feature is powered by Google machine learning, and it can recognise addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and more.

Another useful feature in Oreo 8.1 for Pixel users is the Wi-Fi speed labels, which show how fast the nearby networks are.

Google is expected to rollout more such features in the coming months, the company revealed.
Several women who last year accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct before he was elected the US President have renewed their allegations publicly as they detailed their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by him.



The accusers were among more than a dozen who had initially come forward during the 2016 presidential campaign. They reinvigorated their stories on Megyn Kelly's NBC show on December 11 and a subsequent news conference in Manhattan, in which they also called on Congress to investigate their claims, the media reported.



The women expressed hope that now they would be taken more seriously after a torrent of similar accusations had toppled the careers of powerful men in the news media, business and politics.



"Now it's just like, 'All right let's try Round 2, the environment is different, let's try again'," Samantha Holvey, the former Miss North Carolina 2006, said on the NBC programme. She repeated her charge that Trump ogled her and other women during the pageant.



Holvey was joined by Jessica Leeds, who said Trump groped and kissed her during a flight in the 1970s, and Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of repeatedly kissing her without her consent in 2005.



"This was serial misconduct and perversion on the part of Trump... The only reason I am here today is that this offender is now the President of our country," said Crooks, a former Bayrock Group receptionist.



Lisa Boyne, a fourth accuser, joined the women at a news conference hosted by Brave New Films, a documentary film company.



At least 15 women have come forward with a wide range of accusations against Trump, ranging from sexual harassment to lewd behaviour around women.



In addition to the women at the press conference on December 11, Trump's accusers include Temple Taggart, the former Miss Utah USA who accused Trump of kissing her on the lips in 1997; Mindy McGillivray, who accused Trump of grabbing her behind at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2003 and Natasha Stoynoff, who accused Trump of "forcing his tongue" down her throat in 2005.



White House repeated the President's claim that the accusations of sexual misconduct were false and that the women were lying. "The President has... said that these allegations are false," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.



"This took place long before he was elected to be President," Sanders said. "And the people of this country at a decisive election supported President Trump... These allegations have been answered through that process."



Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, added her name to a list of Democratic lawmakers who called on Trump to resign.



Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, called on Trump to step down because of a track record of "horrific conduct" with women. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, also urged him to consider resigning.



On Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that women who accuse a man of inappropriate sexual behaviour including Trump "should be heard", the media reported.



The women appeal came on the eve of a closely fought special US Senate election in Alabama, where Roy Moore, the Republican nominee whom Trump endorsed, is facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct,



Moore has denied all the allegations and Trump has stood by Moore despite the accusations.
The jibes and punches were coming thick and fast from both sides. Some sharp and well aimed. Others ugly and below the belt. But then, this is a no-holds-barred contest. And surprisingly for Gujarat, an almost evenly matched slugfest.

So, when Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, during his whirlwind campaign in the state, saw magicians hired by the BJP canvassing for votes, he quipped, Ek jadugar kya kam tha ke BJP aur jadugaro ko laai hai? (Was one magician not enough that the BJP has roped in more?).

Rahul was, of course, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And, perhaps he was right. The BJP, facing its most daunting electoral challenge in Gujarat in 22 years, does not need other magicians. Its magician is already in Gujarat and, like always, has been using his sleight of hand to slight the Hand.

On November 27, for instance, campaigning at Jasdan, about 50km from Rajkot, Modi said: Chawala e tamari gaddi lai lidhi. Shu vaarsa ma lakhayeli hati? (A tea vendor took away your throne. Was it hereditary?). The front rows of the modest gathering started chanting his name. Modi resumed: They [the Congress] keep sending me messages that they will make me sell tea again. I said I will sell tea again, but wont sell the nation.

A few days later, at Morbi town in Saurashtra, Modi told the audience about the time when Indira Gandhi had visited the region in 1979, with a hanky over her nose.

On December 5, at a rally in Dhandhuka, he said: Kapil Sibal, a Congress MP, argued the Babri Masjid case in the Supreme Court yesterday. He can argue in court, but is it right for him to ask for postponement of the hearing till 2019? Why is he linking elections with Ram Mandir?

Jayeshbhai Parmar says there is nothing worthwhile in Modis development claims | Janak Bhat

On several other occasions, the former Gujarat chief minister has bashed the Congress, even comparing Rahuls imminent elevation as party president to the dynastic succession among Mughal rulers. I congratulate the Congress on their Aurangzeb Raj, he remarked, the sarcasm as evident as his confidence.

As a seasoned campaigner, Modi knows the tricks. He will roar in anger, make jibes with glee, mute himself for azan and, if need be, shed a few tears.

As Gujarat elects 182 MLAs to its assembly, on December 9 and 14, the BJPs fortunes depend on Modi, as well as his foot soldiers, who are expected to mobilise voters at the booth level.

The BJPs eleventh hour appeal would be based on Gujarati pride. The BJP cadres have already gone into overdrive, spreading the rhetoric. The countrys prime minister is a Gujarati, they say, as is the BJP president. If they lose, Gujarat loses.

They are also telling voters that a BJP loss could put the jobs of Modi and Shah in jeopardy, as many Hindi-speaking party MPs could call for their heads. If the party doesnt keep its promises, they could punish it in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, they offer.

Moreover, the BJP has been selling the idea that having the same government at both the state and the Centre would benefit Gujarat. It has also been playing up the fact that the BJP defeated the Congress in the civic polls in Rahuls constituency of Amethi, in Uttar Pradesh.

It is simple. If the BJP wins, it is Modis victory. If it loses, or concedes a lot of ground, it will be Modis loss, a loss of face. Though BJP president Amit Shah set his men a target of 150 seats, even he would know that his ask is farfetched. After all, no party has ever crossed the 150 mark. The best result was in 1985, when chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki, a Congress veteran, managed 149. Even in 2002, when Gujarat was highly polarised after the Godhra riots, the BJP won only 127 seats, the highest in its history.

It is 2017 now, and the issues are more varied. The Congress is witnessing a resurgence, especially after party leader Ahmed Patels victory in the Rajya Sabha elections. A major boost to the party is its alliance with three young, influential leadersPatidar Anamat Andolan Samiti convener Hardik Patel, OBC leader Alpesh Thakore and dalit leader Jignesh Mevani. The Congress also has a tie-up with Chhotubhai Vasava, a strong tribal leader from south Gujarat.

Disconnect, discontent: Bhavesh Sapra, 23, says there are no government jobs in the state | Janak Bhat

Another thorn in Modis side is the growing popularity of Rahul. He has struck a chord with the Gujarati voter and, if the Congress wins, he could become a threat to Modi at the Centre.

Interestingly, a recent survey gives the BJP and the Congress 43 per cent vote share each. Though the BJP still has an edge of about 10 to 15 seats, its support, at least according to surveys, has weakened over the past few months.

All this has to be playing on Modis mind.

Perhaps thats why, at the Jasdan rally, Modi talked at length about his pet topicdevelopment. He said he had sat on a fast to get approval for the Narmada dam, and had brought Narmada waters to the region through a project called SAUNI (Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation).

However, barely a kilometre from Modis podium, Dinesh Kukadia, 30, is still waiting for the water. We havent got the benefit of the SAUNI project the prime minster is talking about. The pipeline has been laid at a different place and it does not benefit our village, he said, adding that if they get the Narmada waters, their income could increase threefold. A majority of the farmers in his village, dependent on rains for irrigation, grow only one crop a year. Kukadia, who owns 2.8 acres, said that the minimum support price for cotton and groundnut was not enough; he wanted a price that would reflect the effort put into growing the crops.

Another nearby resident Jayeshbhai Parmar, 27, came to the Modi rally with great excitement, but said he found nothing worthwhile in Modis claims of development. There has been no development for the middle class. Only the business class has progressed, he said. Parmar, a diamond polisher, earns Rs 8,000 a month and his father, who does odd jobs, earns around Rs 6,000 a month. Together, they feed a family of six. Holding his three-year-old son in his arms, he said: The prime minister talks about housing schemes, but what we have experienced is that the names of only those associated with the BJP come out [of the lot].

Hopes and promises: Mukesh Bavaliya is yet to receive a bicycle the government had promised him months ago | Janak Bhat

In June, at a programme in Rajkot, Mukesh Bavaliya, 27, was named as one of the disabled people who would receive free government aid. Bavaliya, who came to listen to Modi in Jasdan, told THE WEEK that, on that day in June, it had poured heavily and they were told to return to their village. We were also told that the appliances would reach us, he said. I have not got the bicycle and there is no response to the phone calls I make.

Bhupat Makwana, who accompanied Bavaliya to Rajkot, said: It can be an administrative hitch; the prime minister gives a lot of importance to divyangs (differently abled).

Perhaps to address such grievances, the state government had recently announced schemes and benefits to the tune of Rs 11,000 crore. Had they done development works earlier, such announcements would not have become necessary, said Bhavesh Sapra, 23, who makes bangle boxes.

Though the government recently promised more jobs, Sapras educationhe is a 12th passmight make him ineligible for a government job. But, otherwise also, where are the government jobs? he asked.

Though the state government often highlights its development statistics, the human development indices leave much to be desired, said Hemant Shah, an Ahmedabad-based economist and professor. Quoting government figures, he said that, in 2007, 16.30 lakh children enrolled in class 1. In 2017, however, only 11.80 lakh children appeared for the class 10 examination. Where have the remaining 4.50 lakh children gone in Vibrant Gujarat? he asked. In health care, quoting the National Family Health Survey of 2015-16, he said: In 2015-16, only 50.4 per cent children in the age group of 12 to 23 months were totally immunised.

The only development, according to him, was the 24-hour supply of single-phase electricity to rural areas. Though the BJP diverted a chunk from the farm sector to provide electricity to the villages, it has been done, he said.

Dinesh Kukadia says he has not got any benefits of the Narmada project | Janak Bhat

As for the highly debated financial movesdemonetisation and the Goods and Services TaxModi himself knew that there would be backlash. A new shoe bites. We have the capacity to understand the questions and effect the changes, he said in Jasdan. The new shoe did bite, and has refused to let go. In the electorally important Surat, for instance, textile traders and those in the diamond industry have been hit hard. How this translates into votes, or lack of them, remains to be seen.

Modi, however, can rest assured that a certain segment of the electoratethe Modi bhaktswould always jump to his defence. Basic time is needed [to implement GST], said Prashant Pillai, a Malayali who works in Ahmedabad. For example, you cant expect a child to be out of mothers womb in three months. Change does not happen overnight. I see Modi as one of us. He is one of us up there.

In the anecdote about Indira Gandhi, Modi had said that the RSS workers in the area did not cover their noses. Soon, however, there were reports saying that Indira did cover her nose, but it was because she had gone there in the aftermath of a severe flood, which had left many dead bodies in its wake. A picture of the incident showed RSS workers also covering their noses. Maybe this [Modis speech] was required for political reasons. Everybody is not perfect and a saint, said Samir Pandit, a programme manager at a multinational company. He said that he accepted Modi even with his imperfections.

The Congress is aware that it cannot change the mindset of such voters. It is, therefore, banking heavily on its new allies. In fact, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the party was on the finish line and hoped to cross it with the support of the voters.

Though nobody has predicted a Congress win, the tension in the BJP camp is palpable. Modi has been fast and furious, making regular two-day visits to address public meetings. On each day, he addresses three to four meetings. In each meeting, he covers four to five assembly segments, said Bharat Pandya, state BJP spokesperson. The plan, said party sources, was to cover all the 182 assembly segments. Pandya was confident, saying that the Congress had no issues to raise and that, after the recent revision in rates, GST had become a non-issue in Gujarat.

Recent developments, however, suggest otherwise. Almost the entire Union cabinet is in Gujarat and Amit Shah has not returned to Delhi after Diwali. Apart from addressing public meetings, Shah has brainstormed behind closed doors, chalking out strategies till the night before the nominations for the second phase were to be filed, on November 27.

Given the discontent among the Patidars and the OBCs, it was difficult for the BJP to strike a balance. So much so that several party leaders, who were told that they would contest, were denied tickets at the last moment. A source close to Narhari Amin, who had switched to the BJP from the Congress a few years ago, told THE WEEK that Amit Shah had called him late on November 26 to tell him that he would not be given a ticket. Apparently, this was despite Modi and Shah having earlier promised him the spot. Former minister of state for home Gordhan Zadafia, a Patidar leader, met with the same fate. The source said that the leaders were told that if they were given tickets, there would be a rebellion within the party.

However, despite such efforts, 24 BJP members have rebelled, opting to contest as independents. They have been suspended.

Also, this time, the BJP is keen on playing it safe with candidates. A few years ago, in the local elections, Modi had put up new candidates in five municipal corporations, and yet the BJP had won with a thumping majority, said a BJP leader. Not this time. In fact, the BJP has not even dared to experiment in two of its safest seatsManjalpur and Sayajiganjboth in Vadodara. Interestingly, Modi had won the Lok Sabha election from Vadodara.

Modi can do anything to ensure that the Congress does not win, said sociologist Gaurang Jani. A Congress win would mean that the BJP will have trouble in the form of Rahul Gandhi at the national level. Moreover, if the BJP loses Gujarat, intra-party rumbling would increase, which could affect the results of several upcoming state elections.

Modi, however, knows the pulse of the people. They say a true magician never reveals his secret. Who knows, maybe Modi has some more tricks up his sleeve.
A statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar watches over Periyakulam junction, in Tamil Nadu's Theni district. Music blares from huge speakers as men in lungi sip tea at Rosie Canteen, the most popular tea shop here. Framed pictures of former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa adorn a wall of the shop, but no one wants to discuss politics. A wary waiter said, This is our OPS ayyas canteen. He is a nice man who came up through hard work. OPS is Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who was chief minister of Tamil Nadu three times.

Sipping strong tea, truck driver Pachaimuthu Pandi, 51, points at the locked building next to Rosie Canteen. Dust lies thick on the front steps. No one has gone inside in a long time. The owner's name is inscribed in Tamil: Ottakara Thevar. This is the ancestral house of OPS. His father lived here, and sometimes lent money to lorry drivers like me, said Pandi. The gate has been locked for, maybe, 10 years now. Local residents said Thevar died a lonely man, after contracting leprosy.

The extended family now lives in Thenkarai, a locality within Periyakulam town. Locals point out 10 houses there; all owned by the OPS family, they say. A small, porched house70 South Agraharamis where OPS stays on official visits. He lives mostly in Chennai now. His sons have a separate, palatial home here.

According to the declaration of assets submitted to the Election Commission of India in 2016, OPS has moveable assets worth Rs 8.6 lakh and immovable properties worth Rs 33.20 lakh. His total liabilities stand at Rs 25 lakh, and total assets at Rs 1.53 crore. The only dependent listed is his wife, P. Vijayalakshmi, who owns 200gm of gold worth Rs 5 lakh, moveable property worth Rs 26.32 lakh, 27 acres of agricultural land and a house (2,063sqft).

Incidentally, OPS's 2006 affidavit before the election commission mentions an acre of agricultural land by way of inheritance. Ottakara Thevar's property was partitioned on June 27, 1994, among his three sons and wife. OPS got 4.60 acres of punja land, of which he sold 3.60 acres to local resident Ravindran Pothiraj Naicker on July 15, 1996. But, this remaining acre does not appear in affidavits filed in 2011 and 2016.

While OPS's wealth has not grown, his relatives have prospered. His critics say much of his wealth is parked in the names of his children and brothers. Law does not require him to mention their wealth in his affidavit, as they are not dependant on him. Said Thanga Tamil Selvan, MLA from Andipatti: He is a zamindar, but no property has been registered in his name.

Pages from "Sekar Reddy diary" showing alleged payments to OPS Ramesh, 'Advo' Kasi and Periyavar Pages from "Sekar Reddy diary" showing alleged payments to OPS Ramesh, 'Advo' Kasi and Periyavar Pages from "Sekar Reddy diary" showing alleged payments to OPS Ramesh, 'Advo' Kasi and Periyavar Pages from "Sekar Reddy diary" showing alleged payments to OPS Ramesh, 'Advo' Kasi and Periyavar Pages from "Sekar Reddy diary" showing alleged payments to OPS Ramesh, 'Advo' Kasi and Periyavar Pages from "Sekar Reddy diary" showing alleged payments to OPS Ramesh, 'Advo' Kasi and Periyavar

OPSs ancestors had migrated from Srivilliputhur village, near Madurai, to Periyakulam. There are no records of the family owning land in Theni district 25 years ago. In 1996, when he ran for the Periyakulam municipal council, OPS declared an acre agriculture land, a tea shop and 25 sovereigns. His house, valued at Rs 7.61 lakh, was owned by Vijayalakshmi.

Documents with THE WEEK show that the OPS family now owns 131 acres of agricultural land in Theni district. His sons, O.P. Raveendranath Kumar and V.P. Jayapradeep, have extensive corporate investments. Vijayalakshmi now owns 32 acres. OPSs son-in-law Kasirajan was the advocate for Tamil Nadu government housing board, which handled the states housing and land projects. And, until recently, Kasirajans father, Chellapandian, was additional advocate general at the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court.

OPSs brothersO. Raja aka Ramasamy, O. Balamurgan and O. Shanmugha Sundaram aka Sundarhave significant land holdings in Theni district. Sundar reportedly ran away in his teens, and returned only after OPS became a minister.

While probing the story behind OPSs assets, THE WEEK received what are reportedly pages of the infamous Sekar Reddy diary. J. Sekar Reddy, sand mining baron and industrialist, was a partner of SRS Mining Company. He was arrested on December 8, 2016, after the CBI seized Rs 33.6 crore in 2,000-rupee notes. But, recently, the case suffered a setback as the RBI failed to provide serial numbers of notes supplied to banks immediately after demonetisation.

Reddy is said to have made regular payments to bureaucrats and politicians and recorded them in the diary. The Income Tax department confirmed that there was a diary and that information from it was used to trace tax evaders.

A source said OPS is codenamed Periyavar (senior) in the diary. The pages available with THE WEEK list payments made between June and November 2016. The list shows nine alleged payments to the OPS family, under three heads: Periyavar, OPS Ramesh and Advo Kasi. The source said Ramesh was OPSs personal secretary and nephew.

Maximum payments are to OPS Ramesh: Rs 1.5 crore (June 22), Rs 50 lakh (July 14), Rs 25 lakh (July 20), Rs 3.7 lakh (October 28) and Rs 20 lakh (October 31). Almost Rs 2.49 crore, in total. Advo Kasi has one entry: Rs 1 crore (August 31). There are three entries for OPS: Periyavar (Rs 25 lakh on November 16), Periyavar/Ramesh (Rs 3.5 crore on August 31) and OPS adv for November (Rs 3.7 lakh on October 28). Almost Rs 3.79 crore, in total.

While the diary pages could not be verified, THE WEEK set off to find out what could be.

First investment: The tea shop that Panneerselvam and his friend started. What was P.V. Canteen is now Rosie Canteen, and is owned by Panneerselvams brother | Bhanu Prakash Chandra

PECHIMUTHU TO PANNEERSELVAM

In the late 1980s, the three sons of Ottakara Thevar wanted to go beyond their fathers money-lending business. OPS and bosom pal Vijayan set up a tea shop, P.V. Canteen. The seed money of Rs 20,000 was loaned by City Union Banks Periyakulam branch. Balamurugan borrowed the money, and OPS was guarantor. After they defaulted, the bank filed a case for recovery. Around this time, OPS changed his given name from Pechimuthu to Panneerselvam. The loan was paid in 2003.

P.V. Canteen was later run by his younger brother Raja. The canteens name was changed after his daughter Rosie died young. Later, Vijayan set up Relax Canteen across the road from Rosie Canteen. While running the tea shop, OPS doubled as a real estate broker.

A close relative of OPS recalled him shuttling on a Bajaj M80, brokering land deals. Rs 2,000 was considered a decent commission then, the relative said. I remember him taking commission from lyricist Vairamuthu, for a 12-acre coconut grove in Pullakkapatti, near Periyakulam, the relative said.

In 1996, all this changed. Two things happenedOPS became chairman of Periyakulam Municipality, and he met T.T.V. Dhinakaran, a nephew of Jayalalithaas companion Sasikala. Dhinakaran introduced him to Jayalalithaa. In 2001, just five years later, she picked him to warm the chief ministers seat when she was convicted in the Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation (TANSI) land deal. This is when his political graph started climbing.

OPS is an opportunist, said A. Shankar, who blogs on AIADMK inner-party affairs. He is not a popular leader. During his recent six-month-long faction fight with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, he could not win over any MLA to his side, which had 12 MLAs. After calling Palaniswami government corrupt, he joined the same government. Which means he is also not above corruption.

Diary, and more: (Left sheet) Page from the Sekar Reddy diary, showing alleged payments to Panneerselvam; (right sheet) page from Vani Fabrics annual report, showing Panneerselvams sons (3 &4) as directors.

DISPROPORTIONATE ASSETS CASE QUASHED

In 2006, when the DMK came to power, a case of disproportionate assets was filed against OPS. He had the case quashed, something that even Jayalalithaa could not do. According to the charge-sheet filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in 2006, his assets were 374 per cent more than his income. The charge-sheet named him as primary accused, followed by his wife Vijayalakshmi, brothers Raja and Balamurugan and their wives, Sasikalavathy and Latha Maheshwari. His sons Raveendranath and Jayapradeep, who was then a minor, were not named.

As per the charge-sheet, before 2001, OPSs assets stood at Rs 17 lakh. In 2006, it was Rs 1.67 crore. According to records, his expenses came to Rs 67.82 lakh, while his income was only Rs 46.05 lakh. The charge-sheet said that the excess expenditure and the value of assets acquired between 2001 and 2006 stood at Rs 1.72 crore.

Rajasenthur Pandian, senior advocate in the Madras High Court, said, The story of how OPS got himself out of the case is very interesting. If Jayalalithaa had followed in his footsteps, she, too, would not have been convicted in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.

In 2009, when the DA case was pending in the Theni chief judicial magistrates court, OPS filed a petition under Section 173(8) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), requesting the court to ask the police to reinvestigate the case. As the prosecution could not convince the magistrate otherwise, he ordered a reinvestigation. Meanwhile, special courts were set up to hear cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the DVAC wing in Madurai proceeded with the case there, with the same charge-sheet.

OPS and the other accused then approached the special court saying the Theni court had ordered a reinvestigation. A senior officer in the DVAC, who was part of the case, said, As the special court did not accept this argument, they filed another petition in the High Court in Madurai saying that the case cannot have a territorial jurisdiction. They got it transferred to the Sivaganga court. Here, in 2012, OPS was acquitted citing insufficient evidence. He was then finance minister.

Pandian said: An accused cannot file a petition under Section 173(8), even if he is innocent. He can only file a discharge petition. That, too, in the concerned court. Here, the petition was filed in one court and the transfer order was issued by the High Court, while the case was pending in the special court. He approached the court for reinvestigation after the court had held 13 hearings. This again is not possible under law.

OPS was represented in court by Chellapandian. DVAC officials said OPS would have been convicted if the case had proceeded to a logical end. While they also agree that Raveendranath and Jayapradeep have considerable assets, they did not comment on why they were not included in the charge-sheet.

Selvan, the MLA, said the acquittal was as a shot in the arm for OPS. He moved to Bodinayakanur constituency, as Periyakulam was reserved in 2011, he said. Around this time Sasikalas family fell out of favour with Jayalalithaa, and Dhinakaran, too, was forced to keep a low profile. It all helped OPS.

All is not well: One of the controversial wells, formerly owned by Panneerselvams wife | Bhanu Prakash Chandra

THE GIANT WELLS

A muddy lane connects four giant wells to the Periyakulam-Lakshmipuram road. The lane meanders for 4km along the banks of the Varattaru, a river originating from the Agamalai and Sorlamalai hills. The river was bone-dry when THE WEEK visited the site.

You hear the pumps before you see the wells, and, at first sight, the wells look more like ponds. Water from the wells is sold, and is also used to irrigate the farm owned by the OPS family. Villagers had been protesting the wells, as the water table in the area had been falling sharply.

The village committee proposed crowdfunding to buy the land from Vijayalakshmi, OPSs wife. The flashpoint was a 60-day protest which began on June 20. It ended on August 21, the day OPS became deputy chief minister. On that day, A. Subburaj, a close associate of OPS, donated the land to Lakshmipuram panchayat.

Only the wells were gifted; Subburaj continues to own surrounding land. A local source said that to distance herself from the controversy, Vijayalakshmi transferred the land to Subburaj on July 12, 2017. But, Subburaj insisted there was no foul play. I sold the land to Vijayalakshmi in 2002, and bought it back in 2017, he said. There is no dispute at all. Even before 2004, OPS used to own 52 acres in the same Thamaraikulam area. We were not close those days, but now he is a close friend.

The villagers told THE WEEK that they wanted the land, too, and not just the wells. We were all working hard to raise Rs 6 crore to buy the entire 40 acres, which contains the wells, said A. Rangasami, 68, who had begun the fight by filing RTI applications with the revenue department. Legally, he said, a bore well should be dug at least 200m away from a river. The four wells dug by the OPS family are just 50m away from the river bank, he said.

At one point, Subburaj and wife Uma Maheshwari held at least 100 of the 131 acres owned by the OPS family. Local residents say Subburaj has benefited from his loyalty to OPS. His Madurai-based Paapa builders was incorporated on December 16, 2010, with a share capital of Rs 1 crore. The company has grown by leaps and bounds.

I am into construction, Subburaj said. This is my own company, with my wife and I as directors. We deal in public works, highways and railways. OPS is a friend, but his children are not part of my company. The last line is not entirely true. (Incidentally, OPS was PWD and highways minister from 2011 to 2016.)

Subburaj, Raveendranath and Jayapradeep are partners in Global Home Realties, Theni. OPSs sons have invested close to Rs 10 crore, and hold 45 per cent each of the company, while Subburaj holds the remaining 10 per cent. Reportedly, Global Home Realties has bought 150 acres near Renuka School in Lakshmipuram, Theni, for a construction project. The loan for the project came from an old friendCity Union Bank, Theni.

Another land dispute in which OPS is said to have had a hand is the transfer of 99 acres of government land to Bojaraj Textile Mills, Theni. Sources said that an OPS loyalist picked up the land at half the market price.

SONS, AND THEIR COMPANIES

Critics of OPS often point at the business empire of his sons, to highlight the fact that the familys wealth has not grown organically. A decade ago, the sons made their first major investmentJayawant Enterprises, a partnership firm dealing in scrap paper. The second investment was a spinning mill near Tirupur. Their adviser in the business was Rajaguru Naidu, an AIADMK leader from Theni. Sources said Naidu introduced them to Harichandran and Gnanasekaran, who were in the spinning and textile yarn business.

The sons became directors of the following companies owned by V. Harichandran and V. Gnanasekaran, and, over time, made substantial investments (in brackets): Vani Fabrics Pvt Ltd (Rs 12 crore), Vani Spinners Pvt Ltd (Rs 15 crore) and Vani Textiles Pvt Ltd (Rs 8 crore). As per registrar of companies (RoC) documents, the sons hold 16.67 per cent each of Vani Fabrics.

Another of their investments is in Xllent Marineline Pvt Ltd, a marine transport company with registered offices in Raheja Towers on Chennais arterial Anna Salai. Its other offices are in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Singapore. The company, which used to hire shipping containers, now owns more than 500 of these. It also has sister concerns like Xllent Cargo Transport, a port logistics firm.

Xllent Marineline has eight shareholders/directors. OPSs sons became directors on August 17, 2016one month before Jayalalithaa was hospitalised. The sons hold 16.5 per cent each of the company. One of the remaining six directors, Rajendhran Dharani, is a known associate of Raveendranath.

Family affairs: The OPS family, with Jayalalithaa (centre) in 2014. (From left) Keerthiga and Jayapradeep, with their daughter; OPS, Raveendranath and Ananthi with their children; Vijayalakshmi; OPSs daughter Kavitha and husband Kasirajan, with their children.

Other alleged investments in partnership firms are as follows: Both are partners in HSV Corporation Solar, Tirupur, and have invested Rs 5 crore. Harichandran of Vani Fabrics is also a partner here, so is Senthilkumar, another friend of OPSs sons. Raveendranath is a director of Willownet Exim Pvt Ltd at Rainbow Arcade, Pondy Bazaar, Chennai, and has invested Rs 50 lakh. Both sons are partners in Jayawant Enterprises, R.A. Puram, Chennai, and they have invested Rs 50 lakh. The same R.A. Puram address is home to another investmentMatrix Media Designs Pvt Ltd. The sons are directors in the firm, and have invested Rs 75 lakh. Reportedly, the total investment by the sons in these nine companies amounts to Rs 57.75 crore. Sources say they are now looking for investment opportunities in Malaysia and Indonesia.

THE WEEK sent detailed questionnaires to OPS and his sons, at least 60 days before running this story. But, they have not responded.

CARDAMOM CONNECTION

Bodinayakanur is a hub of cardamom trade, and the OPS family reportedly controls the market. Said S. Rajasekaran, 42, who runs a law foundation in Theni, OPS is not directly involved in cardamom trade. But the market is controlled by his benamis. Even the opposition party leaders are with him. Rajasekarans RTI applications revealed discrepancies in the cardamom trade, and he filed a writ petition in the High Court in Madurai, seeking a detailed investigation.

A. Rangasami | Bhanu Prakash Chandra

It is like a mafia here in Bodi, Rajasekaran said. There are at least 67 dealers who trade in different grades of cardamom. They secure licences in the names of daily labourers who work for them. The government lost Rs 26 crore between July and December 2013, after a commercial tax officer cleared a licence for a traders dead driver. I have sued Vimal Traders, its owner Maalai Saravanan and commercial tax officer Chellaiah for benami transactions. Rajasekaran said his fight against the corrupt traders had come to naught as they had OPSs tacit support.

When OPS was chief minister in 2014-15, commercial tax on cardamom was slashed to 2 per cent, from 5 per cent. The reduction in tax rates has cost the government at least Rs 3,000 crore in the past two years, said an official in the commercial tax department. But, in response to an RTI application, the commercial taxes department said, The question of revenue loss does not arise, as it is a governments policy decision. Export of cardamom is zero-rated. Hence, no revenue is derived from it.

A senior IAS officer said that the change in tax rates for yarn and cardamom was not cleared by Jayalalithaa. This was when Madam was very upset because of the Bengaluru court conviction, the officer said. We used to give policy decisions for her approval and she would approve it with a pencil mark. For mobile phones there was a pencil mark. But, surprisingly, the tax reduction for cardamom, yarn and mobile phones came in the same government order.

THE TRUST, AND DEATHS

The Ottakara Thevar Educational Trust has as its trustees Raja, wife Sasikalavathy, son Amarnath, one of the sisters of OPS and one other member of the extended family. The trust owns 12 acres, with school buildings, worth around Rs 15 crore. Sources said the trust owns much more land. Many OPS loyalists blame Raja and death of a priest for OPS falling out of Jayalalithaas favour in 2016.

S. Nagamuthu, a dalit priest at the Kailasanathar temple in Thenkarai, Theni district, committed suicide in 2012. THE WEEK has a copy of his suicide note, which says Raja and a few others humiliated him by denying him entry into the temple. The temple is on a hill, near a farmhouse owned by Venkatesh, brother of Subburaj, the builder.

Raja killed my son, said Subbuthai Subburaj, 60, Nagamuthus mother. It is a very old temple, and the surroundings were like a forest earlier. My son found it in around 2002, and started prayers there. This was when OPS became chief minister. The family believed that the temple had brought them good luck. Till 2007, they helped him develop it. But, when my son found a cave with hidden treasure [near the temple], Raja and his henchmen started harassing him. They wanted to take over the temple.

Nagamuthus family is fighting a case against Raja in the High Court in Madurai. In February 2015, the court ordered the police to investigate Raja and four others in the case. OPS was then chief minister. Citing this, Nagamuthus father, Subburaj, sought a CBI inquiry into the case. The case is pending in court.

Another case at Rajas doorstep is that of a missing man, Kalaivanan. Last February, his wife K. Mahapriya filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court in Madurai saying she feared someone had murdered Kalaivanan when she was away in Tuticorin. Kalaivanan had gone missing on February 2, 2016. We suspect OPS and Raja, she said.

Kalaivanan was working for Vishnu Motors, an Allinagaram-based company owned by Sannasi and his son Vicky. My husband was assaulted by Sannasi and his son Vicky, who are close to OPS, she said.

Mahapriya said the local police did not investigate the case, despite several complaints. Now the case is with the crime branch of the crime investigation department [CB-CID], she said. But, I wonder how it will proceed, as OPS is deputy chief minister.

The faction led by Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) recently won the right to use AIADMKs two leaves symbol in the R.K. Nagar bypoll. And, the Sasikala camp was hit by multiple Income Tax raids. Dhinakaran said that the raids were selective. If someone has to be raided, he said, it is EPS and OPS.
CARSON CITY, Nev., Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Del Toro Silver Corp. (Del Toro or the Company) is pleased to announce that on December 8, 2017 it renewed the Asset Sale Agreement with Bowerman Holdings LLC to acquire up to 75% of the historic Discovery Day gold property in Siskiyou County, California. As consideration for the renewal, the Company paid $25,000 to Trinity Alps Resources, Inc., the parent company of Bowerman Holdings LLC. The agreement extends the closing of the transaction until June 1, 2018 and provides for three additional 90-day extensions.



The Discovery Day Gold Property is located near the town of Forks of Salmon, approximately 65 miles southwest of Yreka, California. The claim block consists of 48 unpatented BLM mining claims, controlling the prolific Knownothing Mining District and approximately 950 acres of USFS land. Historical records of the Knownothing district state the presence of high-grade gold ore deposits in at least 6 major, well-defined, quartz veins. Gold ore has been produced over a vertical distance of 1500 ft. Potential exists for 40 to 50 ore shoots per vein system (with ore grading 1+ opt Au and local high-grade pockets containing 10 to 30+ opt Au).

According to Del Toro CFO Patrick Fagen The Company has always targeted this historical property to include in its portfolio of high-grade, near-term production gold mines. We are very pleased to once again have it under contract as we continue with our re-listing and re-branding efforts.

For further information, please contact Patrick Fagen at 530-416-0266.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the possibility of any future production at the Discovery Day property.

Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with mineral exploration. We are not in control of metals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate.
Mountain View, CA, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WSO2 today announced a new case study examining how Australian Catholic University (ACU) is using WSO2 middleware to provide students with single sign-on (SSO) to apps on its disparate systems, whether from their computers or mobile devices.



The backend system that powers ACUs student portal relies on WSO2 Enterprise Service Bus (WSO2 ESB) for integration and Ellucian Ethos Identity, an identity and access management (IAM) solution for higher education built on WSO2 Identity Server. Through the portal and backend services, students now have a personalized hub for seamlessly accessing event, schedule, announcement and course information from ACUs various systems. The full case study can be read here.

The Need for a Seamless User Experience

Since its inception, ACU has employed a number of different systems to perform various functions in the university, such as scheduling classes and exams and managing course registration. For years, students had to access these systems through separate interfaces, each having its own login. As a result, students found it difficult to keep track of the relevant information they needed to go about their day-to-day life on campus.

The new case study from WSO2 examines how ACU has created a centralized student portal powered by WSO2 integration and IAM technology to provide a consolidated view of everything that is important for a students day-to-day university life. It first outlines the key factors in selecting WSO2 technology and how the solution was architected. The case study then discusses the benefits ACU has realized, including higher user adoption and increased student engagement. It concludes by presenting ACUs plans to use the WSO2-powered backend platform as the basis for delivering other services quickly and cost effectively that respond to business needs.

ACU Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology Niranjan Prabhu said, As part of ACU IT transformation, we are enabling foundation blocks for the digital and innovation capabilities of the University. This enterprise integration platform is one of the critical components in the transformed IT ecosystem.

ACU Application Delivery Manager Vijesh Makanji explained, We strategically invested in this WSO2-based technical foundation not just for the portal but also to support other digital transformation use cases that may arise in the future as we keep pace with rapid changes in technology, stay ahead of competing universities, and provide a first-class user experience to our student community.

ACU understands the need for agility in providing value-added digital services for students and staff, alike, and it has been at the forefront in developing a solution with the flexibility to adapt to its future demands, said WSO2 Vice President of Solutions Architecture Asanka Abeysinghe. We are excited by the success of ACU in using our WSO2 ESB and WSO2 Identity Server technology to create the backend system driving its centralized student portal, which will serve as the stepping stone toward meeting its broader digital transformation agenda.

About ACU

Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public institution within the Australian higher education sector. Established in 1991 following the amalgamation of four institutions with origins in the mid-1800s, ACU supports more than 34,000 students and more than 2,500 staff across seven campuses in three states.

ACU is a publicly funded university, open to students of all beliefs, and teaches within the Catholic intellectual tradition. ACU students learn to think critically and be guided by social justice principles. They are inspired to create an impact through empathy: bringing about change in their community, profession and industry. All students have the opportunity to study at the Universitys newest centre in Rome. To learn more visit http://www.acu.edu.au.

About WSO2

WSO2 uniquely increases the agility of digital businesses and enterprises engaging in a digital transformation. It offers the only completely integrated enterprise platform that enables businesses to build, integrate, manage, secure and analyze their APIs, applications, and Web serviceson-premises, in the cloud, on mobile devices, and across the Internet of Things. Leading enterprise customers worldwide rely on WSO2s award-winning 100% open source platform and its robust performance and governance for their mission-critical applications. Today, these businesses represent nearly every sector: health, financial, retail, logistics, manufacturing, travel, technology, telecom and more. Visit http://wso2.com to learn more, or check out the WSO2 community on the WSO2 Blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

###
JOHANNESBURG  The mission from the onset was not to participate, but to compete and win and they did just that.



Royal Swaziland Police Choir and His Majestys Correctional Services Choir did the country proud and they brought home prize money amounting to E205 000. This was last Sunday night during the Old Mutual Choral Music Festival finals, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the Standard Bank arena.



His Majestys Correctional Services Choir scooped second position in the Large Section category and this saw them winning a sum of E90 000.



In this category, the choir competed with nine other choirs.

On the other hand Royal Swaziland Police Choir scooped the first position in the Large Indigenous Section category. In this category, the choristers performed their own choice traditional pieces.



The Police Choir made the country proud as it scooped the first position in the indigenous section taking home a sum of E75 000.

Both choirs were also given a participation fee of E20 000 each.

In the large category section, His Majestys Correctional Services choir competed with seven other choirs.

Joy



These included Sounds of Joy, North West University Choir, NWU Serenades, Free State Choristers, Western Chorale, Zwelisha Adult Choir and Kopano Choristers.



The competition in this category was tight as all the 11 choirs tried their best to impress the adjudicators. Through the different traditional dancing and singing displayed by almost all the choirs, it was not clear at first who the winner would be as all the choirs were at their best.
Surrey, BC, Canada, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

(Dec 12, 2017) In a time when House and Senate dont always agree  it is refreshing that both groups voted yes to federal legislation to develop a framework for providing proper palliative services to all Canadians who require them.

Dr. David Henderson, President of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (CSPCP), said: Passage of Bill C-277, An Act providing for the Development of a Framework on Palliative Care in Canada, signals recognition of the urgent need to ensure that all Canadians have access to high quality palliative care.

The bill received Royal Assent today after being passed by the House of Commons this spring and by the Senate of Canada last week. The legislation was the result of a private members bill brought forward by Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Sarnia-Lambton Marilyn Gladu. It is highly unusual for private members bills to become law, especially when proposed by an Opposition MP.

This is how Parliament ought to be, addressing needs of Canadians and doing it in a way whereby we work together and come up with a better solution, said Ms. Gladu during third reading of the bill this spring.

Canadians need palliative care, she said. It is hard to know how much palliative care is really available because the data is not that good. At least 70% of Canadians have no access to palliative care. We do not have enough palliative care physicians. Certainly from a cost perspective, palliative care done in different ways, by home care, by paramedics, can reduce the cost from $1,100 a day in a hospital down to $200 for hospice or $100 a day or less a day by paramedics. There is an opportunity to get more with our health dollars.

With the legislation now in place, Dr. Henderson said the CSPCP will be recommending the development of a small team to bring key national organizations together to make recommendations on implementation. We will need to partner with the provinces to make real national changes that can improve palliative care for all Canadians, he said. The provinces and territories are responsible for health care delivery and I believe this issue can show our country how our provincial, territorial and federal governments can come together for the sake of all Canadians to put in place a robust palliative care system. We are talking about a health issue we all face, dying and death. Every Canadian has a right to a good death.

Under the terms of the legislation, the federal government now has six months to begin the process of working with provincial and territorial governments and with palliative care providers to develop the framework to give Canadians access to palliative care, through hospitals, home care, long-term care facilities and residential hospices. The federal Minister of Health must prepare a report setting out the framework on palliative care and present it to Parliament within one year.

Under the terms of the legislation, the framework must:

define palliative care;

identify the palliative care training and education needs of palliative health care providers;

identify measures to support palliative caregivers;

collect research and data on palliative care;

identify measures to facilitate a consistent access to palliative care across Canada; and

evaluate the advisability of amending the Canada Health Act to include palliative care services.

While recognizing the importance of having the legislation in place, Dr. Henderson pointed out work has already been completed on the type of framework envisaged by the legislation.

The national framework, entitled The Way Forward, was developed through an extensive multi-year, federally-funded project conducted by the Quality End of Life Care Coalition of Canada (QELCCC).

The principles in the framework have not changed and they have been repeatedly endorsed by many organizations including our own, Dr. Henderson said. What we need now is a nimble, effective structure to implement what experts have already agreed to nationally.

The CSPCP provided concrete steps for implementing The Way Forward in a November 2016 report: How to Improve Palliative Care in Canada: Call to Action for Federal, Provincial, Territorial, Regional, and Local Decision Makers. The Palliative Care Matters national consensus report from December 2016 outlined similar recommendations.

The CSPCP had supported Gladus private members bill since its introduction through presentations before committees of both the House of Commons and Senate.

BOARD MEMBERS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS

Dr. David Henderson, President, CSPCP (Truro, NS)

drjdavidhenderson@gmail.com



Dr. Stephanie Connidis (Halifax, NS)

stephanieconnidis@yahoo.ca

Dr. Anne Boyle (Hamilton, ON)

aboyle@stjosham.on.ca

Dr. Leonie Herx (Calgary, AB)

lmherx@ucalgary.ca

Dr. Pippa Hawley (Vancouver, BC)

phawley@bccancer.bc.ca

About the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians

The Vision of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians is to promote access to palliative care for all Canadians, through advocacy, partnerships, research, and physician education. Our membership consists of approximately 500 palliative care physicians and physicians with a special interest in palliative care -- including regional and local program leaders, educators, residency directors, clinicians, and palliative care residents.

www.cspcp.ca

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/93dc7259-2afe-4be2-a8bf-5ee17b142c96
Democracy is both: the procedure and the content. It is a periodically revisited, fine-calibrated social contract that ties all horizontal and vertical segments of society. Although sometimes slow, tedious and consuming, this is still a truly comprehensive, just and sustainable way to build on its past, live the presence and pursuit the future of a nation. Following the known lines of professor Anis H. Bajrektarevic on ties that bind, hereby is the fresh take from one of the largest democracies of the world  that of Republic of Indonesia.





By Endy Bayuni

The late Soeharto has become something of a poster boy for leadership as the nation searches for a president who can effectively deliver the goods.

Photos of the smiling president, who ruled Indonesia between 1966-1998, appear everywhere, with the caption in Javanese piye kabare, isih penak jamanku, tho? (How are you, better in my era, wasnt it?), a reminder that for some, life was so much better then. The Soeharto posters and memes have been going viral since the 2014 election and are still circulating now.

Soeharto was a dictator, there is no doubt about it, though his supporters would claim that he was a noble one. But the point of the poster is that Indonesia had a leader who delivered the goods, something that no other president since then has been able to match, so his supporters claim.

Soeharto, who ruled with an iron fist, did deliver justice, security and welfare, but it is debatable whether his successors have fared better or worse. Ruling the country for 32 years, he was bound to have delivered something, while his successors have been subject to periodic democratic elections and limited to ruling for no more than two five-year terms.

The bigger question, and this was one of the topics discussed at the recent Bali Civil Society and Media Forum, is whether democracy can deliver justice, security and welfare to the people, all the people.

Indonesia, now a democracy for nearly 20 years, albeit a struggling one, makes a good case study to answer this question, by comparing the ability of the two political systems in bringing greater prosperity to the people.

The track record of Indonesia since 1998 has not been bad, although perhaps underappreciated.

The economy has improved significantly, in terms of overall GDP and per-capita-income growth, and the government today provides many services such as free health care, 12-year compulsory free education and cash assistance for the poor. Indonesia is today the 16th-largest economy in the world, and many predict that it will be in the top 10 by 2025 and top five by 2040.

We have a growing middle class, reflected by the number cellphones, cars and motorcycles, and a growing appetite for holidays, both at home or abroad.

And there is freedom, all kinds of freedom, something that distinguishes todays era from that of Soehartos. Why then, do some people still feel that they miss Soeharto?

Perhaps they dont really miss him, but they miss the certainty, the swift way decisions were made and the security he provided. They miss the effectiveness and efficiency that an authoritarian regime can deliver.

Democracy, unfortunately, is almost anything but.

Decisions are made through an arduous and cumbersome process, and the government is often mired in stagnation. Every single major decision has to undergo the democratic processes, meaning noisy public debates and endless deliberation by legislators.

We also have legislators who are good at grandstanding but ineffective in producing laws that reflect the aspirations of the people. In many ways, Soehartos regime produced some better laws because they did not go through the lengthy debates we see today.

On security, Indonesia faces challenges in ensuring protection for people who are attacked or persecuted because of their faith, race, sexual orientation or even ideological leanings.

The attacks on the Shia and Ahmadiyya followers, the forced closures of places of worship, the recent attacks against people because of their leftist ideological leanings, and the return of anti-Chinese sentiments, reflect that freedom and the protection of freedom have been denied to some.

Soeharto would not have tolerated any of this, but then, he would not have tolerated a lot of other things, including dissent and differences of opinion.

Populism, the hallmark of democracy and one way of getting elected, also means leaders addressing only popular issues but avoiding more fundamental problems.

These failings of democracy in Indonesia may have revived our memory of the good old days of Soeharto (while forgetting the worse aspects of his regime), but they should not be used as a pretext for a return to authoritarianism.

Democracy in Indonesia is still a work in progress. We have been in this game for only 20 years, and it still has not been able to ensure justice, security and welfare for all.

Democracy, as the popular saying goes, is the worst form of government, except for all the others. The alternative, an authoritarian regime, may be swift and efficient. But if authoritarianism comes at the cost of our freedom, an absence of checks and balances and endemic corruption, then yes, give us democracy any time.

We just have to work harder, through the democratic process, to fix these problems. We have to have faith in democracy.

The writer, editor-in-chief of The Jakarta Post, took part in the Bali Civil Society and Media Forum, organized by the Institute for Peace and Democracy and the Press Council, on Dec.5-6.




The United States-led international coalition fighting Islamic State estimates that fewer than 3,000 fighters belonging to the hardline Sunni militant group remain in Iraq and Syria, its spokesman said on Tuesday.

Islamic State\s self-proclaimed caliphate has crumbled this year in Syria and Iraq, with the group losing the cities of Mosul, Raqqa and swathes of other territory.

"Current estimates are that there are less than 3,000 #Daesh fighters left  they still remain a threat, but we will continue to support our partner forces to defeat them," U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon tweeted, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Dillon\s tweet was part of his responses to an online question and answer session in which he also said the coalition had trained 125,000 members of Iraqi security forces, 22,000 of which were Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

SOURCE: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON  U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's war of words with President Donald Trump escalated Tuesday, when he assailed her on Twitter as a ''lightweight'' who would ''do anything for'' campaign contributions.

But political observers suggest that the combat could demonstrate the extent to which Gillibrand has become a heavyweight, especially on the issue of sexual misconduct.

Trump's tweet came a day after Gillibrand and other Democratic lawmakers said the president should resign due to what she termed "credible'' and "numerous" accusations of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1970s. If he does not quit, Gillibrand said, Congress should conduct bipartisan hearings into the allegations.

As is his style, Trump responded with a blistering morning Tweet: ''Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked  USED!''

Gillibrand took to the same platform to respond to Trump: ''You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office.''

At a news conference several hours later, Gillibrand said she viewed Trump's attack as "a sexist smear. ... It's not going to silence the numbers of women out there speaking out every day since (Trump's) inauguration about things they disagree with.''

Veteran Gillibrand watchers said the Trump-Gillibrand exchange only burnishes Gillibrand's credentials among Democratic voters in New York who she'll appeal to as she seeks re-election in 2018  and potentially elsewhere if she harbors presidential ambitions in 2020 or beyond.

''For a Democrat, to be attacked by Donald Trump is a medal of honor,'' said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. ''It is something you will wear forever in primaries and general elections, whatever you're running for. You will get you a lot of votes just because voters know Donald Trump hates you.''

Gillibrand is not expected to have serious GOP competition for her Senate seat. Roll Call, a publication focused on the intricacies of Capitol Hill, cast Tuesday's Twitter war as a "possible 2020 preview."

Gillibrand's allies quickly joined New York's junior senator on the ramparts.

Former Hillary Clinton campaign official Patti Solis Doyle quoted Trump's suggestion that Gillibrand would "do anything" for campaign donations: "What does that mean, @realDonaldTrump?! You, a man, accused by more than a dozen credible women of assault and harassment, (have) the audacity make this vile, disgusting implication. SHAME!"

''Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Do you know who you're picking a fight with? Good luck with that,'' Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted at the president.

The charges of sexual assault against Trump gained prominence during the 2016 campaign when an ''Access Hollywood'' recording revealed him using vulgar language to brag about his pursuit of women, including descriptions of groping. But the recent spate of accusations that have brought down famous men like entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein have cast a new light on Trump's conduct.

White House Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied Trump's tweet was sexist.

''Only if your mind was in the gutter would you have read it that way,'' Sanders said at the regular White House briefing. ''It's obviously talking about political partisan games that people often play, and the broken system that (Trump)'s talked about repeatedly." Others noted that Trump's Twitter feed offered examples of him using similar phrasing to attack male politicians.

Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook, criticized the Twitter exchange but declined to assign a greater share of blame to either participant.

''It is entirely unproductive and doesn't advance the public good on either part,'' he said. ''I think tweeting generally is not a good way to conduct public policy, on either part.''

Gillibrand, 51, has turned sexual assault in the military and on campus into signature issues. ''She has street cred" on the subject, Sabato said.

A week ago, her statement that Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken should resign amid a growing chorus of sexual-abuse allegations led to numerous other Democrats also calling on the former "Saturday Night Live" writer and player to quit.

Franken announced a day later he would vacate his Senate seat.
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Albany

David Berkowitz, the serial killer who terrorized New York City in the 1970s and dubbed himself Son of Sam, is being treated at Albany Medical Center Hospital for a heart ailment, sources have confirmed.

News that Berkowitz was awaiting emergency heart surgery in Albany on Monday was first reported in the New York Post. Berkowitz, who has been in prison since 1978, is an inmate at the Shawagunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, Ulster County.

A statement from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said, Inmate Berkowitz has been transferred to an outside hospital and remains in the custody of the Shawangunk Correctional Facility. DOCCS cannot comment on an inmates specific medical condition.

The only hospital in Albany with a secured facility for treating inmates is Albany Med.

Berkowitz killed six people and wounded seven others with a .44 caliber revolver between 1976 and 1977. His killing spree was highly publicized in the press, as he taunted police with messages and eluded a manhunt for months.

Most of his victims were women, usually with long, dark brown hair. He also targeted couples in cars.

While the press had dubbed him the .44 Caliber Killer, Berkowitz referred to himself as Son of Sam in letters left near the bodies of two victims. He claimed to have been obeying the orders of a demon that took the form of a dog belonging to his neighbor Sam.

In an interview with CBS News in August, 40 years after his arrest, Berkowitz said the shootings were "a break from reality, thought I was doing something to appease the devil. I'm sorry for it."

A website touted as The Official Website of David Berkowitz former Son of Sam was created by supporters under the name AriseandShine.org. The site includes interviews with him and some of his own writings, in which he claims to have found Jesus Christ in 1987 and has apologized to his victims. He has started a Christian outreach ministry in the prison and is known to his supporters as the Son of Hope, according to the website.

Berkowitz is serving 25 years to life for each of the six murders. His next parole hearing is set for May.
Albany

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli has prevailed in a two-year effort to get fossil fuel titan ExxonMobil to study how efforts to reduce man-made climate change might affect the company's business prospects.

The company agreed to a shareholder proposal first sought by DiNapoli and the Church of England in December 2015, and which the company initially tried to scuttle by blocking a vote by its shareholders, a move that was rejected by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2016.

In May 2016, a vote was held at the company's annual meeting, with 38 percent of shareholders voting in favor of it.

DiNapoli and the Church of England refiled the proposal this year. Another vote was held in May 2017 , when nearly two-thirds of votes supported having the company analyze the fiscal implications of climate change regulations being proposed under the Paris Accord, an international voluntary agreement to limit global temperature increases to no more than 2 degrees Celsius.

"ExxonMobil's adoption of greater climate analysis is a win for shareholders and for the company's ability to manage risk," said DiNapoli. "Climate change is one of the greatest threats to our pension fund's long-term value. Exxon's decision demonstrates that investors have the power to hold corporations accountable and to compel them to address our very real climate-related concerns."

DiNapoli said the state will "continue to monitor Exxon's response to climate change as we urge the company, and others in the energy sector, to find ways that they can adapt to the growing lower carbon economy."

In a one-page letter written to DiNapoli on Monday, Exxon Vice President Jeffrey Woodbury said the company decided to do the analysis after seeking "input from a number of parties, such as the proponents and major shareholders."

He said the report "will include energy demand sensitivities, implications of two degree Celsius scenarios, and positioning for a lower-carbon future. The risk of climate change is an important matter and one that requires thoughtful and objective engagement across society. Thank you for your ongoing engagement on this subject and we look forward to further discussions on this as well as other matters."
Watervliet

U.S. Army Gen. Gus Perna, the man responsible for feeding, clothing and equipping every soldier in the Army, was at the Watervliet Arsenal on Monday.

And he came away impressed.

"It's a great honor to be here at the Watervliet Arsenal," Perna said after a tour of the facility, which dates back to 1813 and is the Army's only cannon factory. "To come here and see the actual workforce do the work that contributes to our readiness ... is incredibly important."

Now Playing: Four-star United States Army General Gustave Perna who serves as Commander of the United States Army Material Command, tours the Watervliet Arsenal. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) Video: Times Union

Perna is one of just 11 active-duty four star generals in the Army, which has nearly a half-million soldiers.

Perna is a New Jersey native who assumed his current post in September 2016 and is based at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.

On Monday, he answered questions about everything from tensions on the Korean peninsula to federal budget talks in Congress.

And he addressed the future of the Arsenal Business & Technology Partnership, the nonprofit economic development group located at the arsenal that was told last month that it would have to leave to give the Army more room for a $40 million expansion. It was recently given a six-month extension pending the outcome of a workload study.

Perna said he appreciated all that the partnership had done bringing private sector businesses onto the arsenal property over the past two decades. He also said the arsenal is growing quickly, and so the issue has to be looked at carefully. The arsenal, which employs 560 civilian cannon makers, needs to hire 200 additional workers to meet all of its production needs after an influx of orders from the Department of Defense.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., recently urged the new Secretary of the Army to give the Arsenal Business & Technology Partnership more time before the Army makes its final decision.

The partnership oversees 15 companies with about 120 employees at the arsenal. Perna said he authorized the six-month extension of the contract between the Army and the partnership, which has a handful of its own employees.

"The capability that that brings... is a powerful partnership," Perna said. "So recently we just extended that contract for six months because I wanted to be able to see the capabilities it brings. I wanted to understand what this group of people does, how they were matching skills to (the arsenal's) capability. So I approved the extension for six months and will continue to work with them as we determine how to maximize the use of the institution."

Perna said that the arsenal and its weapons-making duties was the most important consideration right now.

"We're garnering greater workload, and we're producing greater capability for our Army. So that's our No. 1 priority. The best equipment for our Army," Perna said. "And so as we look at the workload plan for future years, we see an increase, which means steady work for our workforce.

"This group of people we have are remarkable artisans. They don't walk into this arsenal and begin manufacturing cannons, tubes that will go on our tanks, our artillery pieces or individual mortars by accident," he said. "They're trained, they're highly skilled, and their effectiveness has a direct correlation to our safety and our readiness and our ability to execute missions. "
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Lake George

An icy blast of winter at Lake George expected to last at least through Christmas may be the start of the lake's best defense against an invasive clam that has defied man-made eradication efforts.

Since Asian clams turned up near Million Dollar Beach in 2010, the tiny mollusks have spread to 23 places, and now occupy a total of more than 100 acres along the lake's sandy, shallow bottom.

Breeding quickly, the clams form dense colonies that sometimes number in the thousands per square foot. While laying down large underwater mats failed to stem the clams' advance, the creatures may have a weakness  cold winter water and ice on the lake can kill at least some of them.

"When we do our annual clam surveys each year, we find a lot more dead clams after the years when there was ice on the lake," said Patrick Dowd, communications director for the not-for-profit Lake George Association. "We we are hoping a cold, icy winter."

Thriving in sunlit, shallow, sandy lake bottoms, the mollusks the size of fingernail pose a major threat to the lake's legendary clear water, which drives vibrant tourism, boating and recreational fishing industries.

The species breeds quickly and can clog beaches with sharp-edged shells. Large colonies also can foul beach water because their excretions help fuel massive algae blooms.

Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Darrin Freshwater Institute in Bolton Landing have been studying the impact of water temperate and lake ice for several years, said Sandra Nierzicki-Bauer, executive director.

Conclusions are still not clear-cut, she said. "We are looking at a number of factors, including water temperature, ice thickness and ice duration. This is not easy, at least experimentally ... we don't have the magic combination yet."

Other research into a tiny predatory aquatic worm that appears to prey on the Asian clam is ongoing, said Nierzicki-Bauer. But questions remain on what potential impacts, if any, that the worms have on native clams and mussels.

So the use of such creatures, called chaetogasters, as a biological control on the invasives remains uncertain, she said.

Clams are now found as far south as the Million Dollar Beach in Lake George village and as far north as Glenburnie in Putnam, Washington County. The newest infestations were found in Tea Island Bay, Cramer Point, Braley Point in Bolton, and the Lake George Club. Most known infestations are in the more developed southern part of the lake, south of the narrows.

With the mat-based eradication efforts costing about $80,000, it appears such efforts "are costprohibitive and logistically beyond the current ability to successfully manage," according to an annual report by the Lake George Park Commission.

"At this time, there have not been any significant recreational or environmental impacts from this species in Lake George, although populations have been expanding throughout the lake and the future remains unclear," the report added.

Asian clams have caused major problems in Lake Tahoe, on the California-Nevada border, where colonies on the lake bottom cover several hundred acres. A program attempting to eradicate clams from that lake using underwater mats was ended in 2014 as costs rose while the clams continued to spread.

Lake George may get a start on making ice this month, as winter weather is expected to continue around the lake through at least Dec. 26, according to extended forecasts, with daytime high temperatures expected above freezing on just one day, Dec. 19.

However, relying on winter during an era of ongoing man-made climate change in the fight against the clam is far from a sure bet. Strong winters and lake ice are become less common on the lake, according to records dating back more than a century.

Between 1900 and 1989, the lake failed to freeze over just once, in 1919. During those decades, the lake averaged about 82 days of ice each winter, with the record low of 50 days set in 1932.

Since 1990, the lake has failed to freeze over 10 times, and averaged just 52 days of ice each winter.

During the winter of 2017, the lake was frozen for just 13 days in February  a record low for a year with at least some ice. The lake did not freeze at all in 2016, 2013, and 2012, as well as in 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1995, and 1991.
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Agriculture groups in New York are urging Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to investigate the anticipated Bayer-Monsanto merger, saying that it would hurt farmers and the state's agriculture industry.

The German chemical company Bayer is planning to take over seed and weed-killer giant Monsanto in a $66 billion deal that would create one of the world's largest agriculture conglomerates. The acquisition will likely be completed early next year and is among a series of major agribusiness mergers announced over the last few years.

"We believe that this merger will have devastating impacts on New York, and we request that the New York Attorney General join the antitrust investigations of the merger," five organizations wrote in a 10-page letter sent to Schneiderman's office in July. The letter was shared with reporters last week. "The New York Attorney General can play an important role in protecting the farmers, consumers, and economy of New York and the rest of the nation by joining the investigating federal agency and State Attorney Generals."

The organizations include Friends of Earth, the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Down to Earth Markets, Regional Farm and Food Project and Doan Honey farm in Hamlin. The name of the association was spelled incorrectly in the letter.

They say that the merger would decrease competition in the seed and agrochemical markets, further concentrate power in an already consolidated market and raise seed prices for farmers already affected by falling crop prices while simultaneously limiting their seed choices. They also worry that lack of competition would reduce innovation.

The groups hope to meet with the attorney general's office to discuss the merger.

"We have to realize that this is going to change the face of agriculture," said Liz Bawden, president of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. "Innovation is going to be stagnated from this ... It's a very scary road to go down."

Further consolidation of power is also detrimental to family-owned farms, which make up a big portion of New York's farms, Bawden said. Both conventional and organic farmers also want to know what their neighbors and colleagues are planting in terms of genetically modified crops, she said. Monsanto is the largest global supplier of genetically modified seeds.

"Monopolies are never good for family farms, which are struggling," Bawden said. "A large corporation that can set its own policies and its own prices and doesn't have really any competition is worrisome."

The merger could also affect consumers.

"It is highly improbable the merging parties can clearly demonstrate that the merger will lead to significant efficiencies," the organizations wrote in the letter. "In fact, history shows us that it is likely that the merger will continue to trend of increasing prices for consumers."

Beyond facing higher prices, consumers could have fewer options at the grocery store, said Jim Doan, owner of Doan's Honey Farm in Hamlin. Because they would be beholden to the prices set by the company, which could choose which seeds to promote, farmers wouldn't be able to develop as many varieties of crops, he said.

"It's a big deal," Doan said. "It's more than disturbing."

miszler@timesunion.com  518-454-5018  @madisoniszler
Think of all of the people in your neighborhood who make life easier every day.

You wouldn't want to load up your own garbage and bring it to the dump, drive to the post office to pick up every package or...heaven forbid...teach your own children.
ALBANY  Anti-poverty activists are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto a bill that would allow students at for-profit colleges to get the same kind of tuition assistance being offered to their non-profit counterparts.

They argue the bill, passed in the waning days of this year's legislative session and now on Cuomo's desk, doesnt weed out the significant number of for-profit colleges that are on a federal watch list of institutions whose graduates are struggling to pay back their loans.

This bill only does one thing: It helps for-profit schools, said Yan Cao, a fellow at the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank.

A federal test developed by the Department of Education under former President Barack Obama tracks students graduating from for-profit schools and tries to determine if they have a realistic chance of paying off their student debt, given their incomes and loan totals after graduating.

Many do not appear to be on track, said Johnson Tyler, a lawyer for the South Brooklyn Legal Services organization who represents graduates in financial trouble with their loans.

More for you For-profit colleges want in on tuition-discount program

"There's no limitation in the bill that says (the schools) have to pass this federal test," said Kirsten Keefe, senior attorney at the Empire Justice Center.

The bill to include for-profit colleges in the tuition plan is sponsored by two Bronx lawmakers, Democratic Assemblyman Victor Pichardo and Sen. Jeffrey Klein, who leads the Independent Democratic Conference.

The measure was passed after last springs budget agreement in which the lawmakers and Cuomo agreed to spend $19 million on an Enhanced Tuition Award program.

Representatives of non-profit private colleges and universities said they were being undercut by Cuomos Excelsior Scholarship program, which augmented existing state and federal programs in order to give low-income students "free tuition" at state schools.

The Enhanced Tuition Award program didnt include the for-profit private colleges.

In the Capital Region, for-profit organizations include Bryant & Stratton College as well as Mildred Elley.

The federal watch list was developed as part of a "Gainful Employment" program that tried to match education programs and incomes. Schools that consistently perform poorly were supposed to lose federal funding.

That may change, however: Under President Donald Trump, federal education officials are looking at dropping the watch list as part of its move toward a more free-market approach to education, said Tyler.

Pichardo said he realizes that some of the for-profit schools have poor track records. There are always some bad apples, he said. But that shouldnt mean the entire tuition enhancement plan should be dropped, he said.

"Undergrads who attend New York State's proprietary colleges, which are degree-granting institutions certified by the Board of Regents like CUNY, SUNY or any other non-profit institution, deserve financial aid parity," Klein's spokeswoman Candice Giove said. "The 40,000 students who attend them each year face the same struggles as any other student."

Its about equality, said Donna Gurnett, president of the state Association of Proprietary Colleges.

Several Bryant & Stratton programs ended up on the federal watch list. Michael A. Gutierrez, the school's Albany market director, said it made a successful appeal of that designation. "This is not the first time data from the U.S. Department of Education was wrong, as they have a history of inaccurate data with (student loan) default rates," Gutierrez said.

And Faith Takes, chairwoman of Mildred Elley, noted that their student default rates are below the national average. Both Bryant & Stratton and Mildred Elley had some programs in the January listing.

Still, critics like Tyler say they see students who have taken costly courses offered by for-profit colleges only to learn there are few jobs open to them.

Giove noted that the bill would not aid certificate-granting schools that teach such skills, and said it was unfair to lump certified proprietary schools with less reputable operations.

The bill is likely to be discussed during a legislative hearing on higher education scheduled for Tuesday.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
ALBANY  A jury has found a Guilderland man guilty of raping a college student in her University at Albany dorm in the early morning of Oct. 23, 2016.

Franklin Casatelli faces up to 40 years in prison after being convicted of felony rape, burglary and criminal trespass charges.
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hALBANY  Edward "Ted" Mero told police he would arrest himself for the murder of Shelby Countermine if he was in their position, a video played at his double-murder trial revealed Monday.

"What would you do if you were me?" an investigator asked Mero during the May 21, 2015 interrogation at State Police headquarters in Latham.

"I'd put me in handcuffs," Mero replied.

Asked why he would say that, Mero responded: "You think I'm lying to you. I was the last one to see her alive. She was found on water department property."

Mero also said: "Right now, the way it looks, I'm looking pretty good for it."

Mero, 30, denied having anything to do with the killing, but also said at one point, "I don't think I killed her."

At another point, he said: " I don't think I did anything wrong. In my mind, I haven't done anything wrong."

Mero is on trial in Albany County Court charged with the murders of Countermine on Dec. 3, 2014 and his roommate Megan Cunningham, 23, who died Jan. 27, 2013 in a fire in the home she shared with Mero on Arcadia Avenue in Albany.

The video was played during the testimony of State Police Investigator Robert Martin, who along with Coeymans police Investigator Jason Albert interviewed Mero one week after the body of the Countermine, 23, was found in a remote section of Coeymans.

A jogger discovered the remains by a water pipeline used by the Albany Water Department, where Mero worked and which he told police was accessible to only a "handful" of people. Mero acknowledges that on the day Countermine disappeared, he was with her at his parents home in Albany where they were supposed to have a five-hour prostitution "date."

He said he kicked Countermine out of the house and threatened to call the police on her because he said she was snorting drugs off a photo of his grandmother.

Mero told police he had "no idea" how the body of Shelby Countermine turned up in the remote woods of Coeymans, where he grew up.

But Mero had some theories about what could have happened to her.

"Maybe she got picked up by somebody that lives out that way after she left my house," Mero told Martin and Albert. "Or maybe she took a bus somewhere and got picked up by somebody else. I don't know exactly. Something happened where she met up with someone who lived out there that knows that area pretty well and tried to dump the body out there."

When police asked Mero if he had any questions, he quickly had one.

"Am I on the top of the suspect list?" he asked. "My first question. Are there any other suspects you're looking at or am I the only one right now?"

One of the investigators responded: "I'll say, she was last seen at your house, OK, and she turned up on property owned by your employer."

The trial continues at 10:30 a.m. Martin is still testifying.
ALBANY  While responding to a call of an overdose in the parking lot of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany firefighters saw one of the three individuals presumed to have overdosed crash his sedan into a Coca-Cola truck.

"While en route to (the overdose call), the fire department observed a crash at Grove and New Scotland," Albany Police public information officer Steve Smith said Monday evening.
ALBANY  New York's education policymakers are asking for an extra $1.6 billion in state aid for schools next year, even as the state is facing a projected budget deficit of more than $4 billion.

Supporters say the request, which amounts to a 6.3 percent increase over last year's funding, is more than fair when taking into account the rising needs of students statewide and growth in fixed costs to school districts for health care, pensions and salaries.

"New York's students deserve the best education possible and our state aid request and legislative proposals will ensure schools continue to improve and better prepare our children while also acknowledging the state's fiscal realities," said state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia.

The Regents last year requested a $2.1 billion increase in school aid, and got $1.1 billion. The year before that, they requested a $2.4 billion increase. But this year, the state faces an unprecedented unique set of challenges. In addition to a projected budget deficit, experts say the proposed federal tax plan and potential for more than $1 billion in lost federal health care subsidies could have a devastating impact on New York.

State education officials said the request helps fulfill a longstanding promise to fully fund schools and emphasizes high-return initiatives, like early childhood education, that would help save the state money in the long run.

Outsiders say the request is yet another example of an education bureaucracy that's out of touch with fiscal realities.

"The $1.6 billion is reasonable by the Regents' standards, but it's still a half billion dollars more than the projected level that the state for now can afford," said E.J. McMahon, research director of the Empire Center for Public Policy, a fiscally conservative think tank based in Albany. "And if the gap gets worse, the first place any governor turns to fill it is school aid."

The plan

Should schools receive the extra $1.6 billion next year, the Regents are asking that $1.25 billion of it go toward foundation aid  an aid category and formula enacted in 2007 to better allocate aid to the students and districts that need it the most. Ten years later, school districts say they are still owed $4.2 billion under the formula.

Under the Regents plan, all districts that are still owed money would see a uniform percentage increase in foundation aid next school year. But even those that have received the full funding under the formula up would see a minimal increase to account for the rise in fixed costs districts are facing statewide, officials said.

Other aid requests include $314 million to reimburse districts for costs associated with construction, transportation, BOCES and special education; $25 million for career and technical education programs; and $20 million to put the state on a path toward universal prekindergarten.

According to an analysis by the state's major education organizations, an extra $1.5 billion in state aid is needed next year just to maintain existing programs and services.

Nevertheless, the state's education leaders try to be strategic with their requests each year  prioritizing the initiatives they believe are the most crucial and have the best shot at getting funded, while also making the case for returns down the road.



Such was the case with this year's requests for early childhood programming.

The Regents recently formed a blue ribbon committee to look at early childhood issues amid the debate over inappropriate testing of the state's youngest students. On Monday, that committee presented the board with nine recommendations worth $37 million it believes would put the state on a path toward transforming care and education for children, starting from birth to age 8, when most children enter third grade.

That's a critical year. Students who aren't reading at grade level by the end of third grade are unlikely ever to read at grade level and are at greater risk of academic failure, dropping out of school, delinquency later in life and diminished economic prospects throughout their lifetime, research has found.

The committee also pointed to research showing that for every dollar spent during these years, the state can expect to see a return of more than $7 down the road through reduced expenditures on special education, public assistance and the criminal justice system.

Among their requests: a $20 million proposal to expand prekindergarten from 65 percent of New York children who are currently being served to 75 percent, starting with the highest-need children; and $700,000 to begin implementing a screening process for children that would examine vision, hearing, physical and dental health, speech and language skills, fine and gross motor skills, and social, emotional and cognitive development.

Several of these programs, like the latter, would work in concert with other state agencies, including the Department of Health.
ALBANY  It's as close to an awards show as the state Capitol gets: Local government and business officials from around New York will be on hand at the Albany Capital Center on Wednesday at 11 a.m. for the announcement of the annual Regional Economic Development Council competition.

Ten regions statewide compete for the money in the process, which was launched by Gov. Andrew Cuomo after he took office in 2011.

This year's $800 million race for state grants and tax credits will decide whether or not support will be allocated to dozens of projects proposed by the Capital Region's council, including redevelopment of the old Starlite Theater property in Colonie and the Palace Theatre's proposed renovation and expansion, which was on the wish list in 2016 as well.

The council  made up of local business, nonprofit, education and government leaders  submitted requests for $21 million in funding in its 2017 application, half of what was awarded through the council process last year when it was selected as one of the "top priority" regions for awards.

The biggest request locally is for $5 million to help redevelop 58 acres around the old Starlite Theater property on Route 9R in Latham. Rotterdam-based Galesi Group is proposing a two-phase development of houses, apartments, offices and retail. The developer has presented some of its initial plans to the Colonie Planning Board. The $5 million in state money would go toward a $46.5 million portion of the project. The theater, not used since the late 1990s, was torn down in 2012.

Capital Region Regional Economic Development Council 2017 requests $5 million Galesi Group development at old Starlite Theater property in Latham

$2.9 million Re4orm Architecture, rehab of former Breslaw's Department Store, Schenectady

$2.9 million Hudson Valley Community College, Lang Technical Building expansion

$2.5 million Palace Theatre renovation and expansion

$2.4 million University at Albany, renovation of the Schuyler Building (old Albany High School)

$1.8 million South Island Apartment project in Green Island See More Collapse

The Palace Theatre is asking for $2.5 million to assist in paying for the first phase of its $65 million project. The request is less than the $4.2 million it unsuccessfully requested through the council process last year. The state grant would go toward a $29 million first phase that would increase accessibility for disabled patrons, provide stage updates and add a loading dock.

The other large requests include $2.9 million to renovate an old downtown Schenectady Breslaw's Department Store for use by Schenectady County Community College's culinary arts program. Last year, Re4orm Architecture, the lead developer on the project, was awarded $2.3 million through the council to rehab buildings in the same area on lower State Street.

UAlbany is also requesting $2.4 million to assist in renovation of the former Albany High School building to be used as its engineering school. UAlbany said it is also seeking $9.6 million in other state funding for the project.






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The man who escaped Clinton Correctional Facility in June 2015 has launched a hunger strike to protest his move from one upstate prison to another, the New York Post reports.

The convicted cop killer who famously escaped from an upstate prison in 2015 hates his new digs at Attica so much so that he's gone on a hunger strike, sources told The Post.

David Sweat, 37, was transferred to the infamous facility on Nov. 17 from another maximum security lockup in the Finger Lakes region  then stopped eating six days later, according to a petition prison officials planned to file Friday.

Attica officials are worried the already-slim inmate could die if his hunger strike continues and are seeking a judicial order allowing him to be fed through a tube.

"Mr. Sweat has refused all solid food," the petition says.

"Mr. Sweat is drinking fluids, but he is not drinking a sufficient amount of fluids to maintain his overall health."

The defiant cop killer has said he's "not happy" at Attica, and wants to be transferred back to the prison he came from, Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus, according to the documents.

Read the full Post story here.

State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesman Thomas Mailey declined to comment Monday evening, citing Sweat's medical privacy.

Sweat was one of the two prisoners who broke out of Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6, 2015, and triggered a nearly monthlong manhunt in the region around the Dannemora prison.

Richard Matt, 49, who escaped from the prison with Sweat, was shot and killed by border patrol agents June 26 in a deserted part of neighboring Franklin County.

Sweat was shot and captured by a state trooper two days later while he ran near the Canadian border. He pleaded guilty to escape charges months later.

In November, David Sweat was moved from the Five Points maximum security prison in Romulus, where he was serving a life sentence, to Attica, another max.

"Based on biannual reviews, which include looking at concerns like an inmate's behavior, allegiances with other inmates that could become disruptive or over-familiarity with a facility, there are approximately 5,000 inmate transfers from one prison to another every month," Mailey said at the time.

Sweat was in special isolated housing at Five Points, according to Times Union archives.

Sweat was already serving life in prison without parole for murdering a Broome County sheriff's deputy in 2002 following the burglary of a Pennsylvania gun shop before he escaped prison in 2015.
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Literary classics "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Escape from Alcatraz," which tell the fake and true stories of men escaping from prison, were not included in a massive list of books banned in Texas prisons.

The list, obtained by the Dallas Morning News, has stunned the literary world for how arbitrary it seems.

While books like "Where's Waldo? Santa Spectacular" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" were banned, Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" was not.

WHAT MADE THE LIST: It's Banned Books Week. Which books are challenged or banned most often?

Some of the criteria used in banning books was whether it contains details on manufacturing explosives or weapons or it contains sexual imagery. Books with a binding or cover that could be used to smuggle in contraband were also banned.

"Material that a reasonable person would construe as written solely for the purpose of communicating information designed to achieve the breakdown of prisons through offender disruption" were also banned, stated the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's policies.

James LaRue, the director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association (ALA), felt the list was a disservice to Texas' prison population.

Now Playing: Central Coast libraries are celebrating "Banned Books Week" by encouraging the right to read books that people have demanded be removed from shelves at one point or another. Last year, the books with the most requests to be banned included LGBT characters or content. Video: KSBW

"The common denominator of people in prisons is illiteracy," LaRue told Chron.com Thursday morning. "The problem isn't that they're reading too much. By withholding these books in an arbitrary fashion, they are discouraging people from reading which is the one thing to get a person out of jail and to stay out of jail."

Since 2010, the ALA has been working to raise awareness around lists banning books in U.S. prisons. In a proclamation titled "Prisoners Right to Read," the ALA believes that the suppression of ideas does not prepare inmates for life outside prison.

This perspective was also shared by Anthony Graves, a death row exoneree now living in Houston.

"It's basically up to the administration which books they want to ban," he said. "It think this is just another form of punishment because they get to pick and choose what books they let in."

He agreed that books offering maps or detailed descriptions of how to escape should be banned.

Graves, who spent 18 years behind bars before charges were dropped in 2010, recently penned a book himself, due to be released in January.

Making sure his death row memoir, "Infinite Hope," would be allowed inside the system was one of his considerations in writing it.

"I made sure that it wasn't very controversial, that it was just the truth," he said. "The truth should never be banned."

To read the Houston Chronicle's complete story, visit here.

Fernando Alfonso III is a digital reporter at Chron.com. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on twitter at @fernalfonso. If you also like surreal GIFs and Polaroids, go here and here.


Former Miss Ireland and Tipperary native Aoife Walsh will swap the catwalk for the dance floor this January after it was announced she would be one of 13 celebs signing up to RTE show Dancing with the Stars.

Straight off the catwalk and on to the dance floor, it's model and former Miss Ireland, Aoife Walsh!



Get on those dancing shoes, @aoiferosewalsh! #DWTSIrl pic.twitter.com/cQYkkSSxI3  DWTS Ireland (@DWTSIRL) December 8, 2017

The Clonmel born model, who was crowned Miss Ireland in 2013, will be back on Irish shores for the competition following a move to NYC earlier this year where she will battle it out against fellow celebs including Marty Morrissey, Bernard O'Shea and Maia Dunphy.

However the catwalk star revealed on 2FM yesterday that her training had hit a roadblock after she broke her toe getting out of bed, admitting she had stalled on my rehearsals for now.

She said that while she might be a few weeks behind the other contestants in terms of her dance training she hopes to make up for it in double time over the festive period.

Growing up Aoife was a member of Clonmel Majorettes and showed off her Irish Dancing skills on the world stage during the Miss World final where she completed a routine from River Dance.
Nenagh Hospital received an impressive score of 91 per cent in the first ever National Patient Experience Survey.

The inaugural survey which was lead by Hiqa in partnership with the HSE and the Department of Health.

The NPE Survey asked every patient who had spent at least one night in an acute hospital during May 2017 for their feedback through 61 detailed questions and UL Hospitals, of which Nenagh is a member, achieved a response rate of 52 per cent, well above the target of 40 per cent.

A total of 104 patients were eligible to be surveyed at Nenagh, with an overall response rate of 49 per cent.

Responses to the questionnaire at Nenagh Hospital included 94 pr cent saying they had confidence in the hospital staff treating them, with; 6 per cent saying sometimes.

Asked if they felt they were treated with respect and dignity while in the hospital, 96 per cent said always and 4 per cent said sometimes.

Some 79 per cent said that they were always given enough privacy when on the ward, with 17 per cent replying sometimes and 4 per cent saying they weren't.

In relation to cleanliness, 90 per cent said that they ward or hospital room was clean, with 10 per cent replying fairly.

However, 77 per cent rsponded thattoilets and bathrooms were very clean 77, with 21 per cent sayig they were fairly clean.

Asked if they thought that the hospital staff did everything they could to help control your pain, 67 per cent said yes definitely; 10 per cent said yes to some extent, and 23 per cent did not.

ULH Group said that the results clearly show opportunities for improvement in Nenagh around communicating with patients and families; discharge planning; meals and mealtimes and more.

Cathrina Ryan, operational director of nursing, Nenagh Hospital, said: I am delighted with the response rate from our Nenagh patients. It is fantastic to receive such positive feedback and of course we will take on board our areas for improvement and develop quality improvement plans and action as necessary. Feedback is always welcome as it assists us in developing our services and highlights all the positive aspects that we can continue to build on.
The daughter of Nenagh woman Marion Kelly who died suddenly 12 days ago, has said that it seems to her that what the HSE and the drug company CSL Behring are doing to Alpha 1 sufferers is "inhumane".

Grandmother Marion, 53, had been on a drug trial for Respreeza for 11 years until last September when the drug was stopped following a dispute between the company and the HSE over who should pay for its administration.

Now Aideen Kelly, Marion's daughter, told the Claire Byrne Show on RTE 1 television this Monday that at the end of September the drug company agreed to give the drug six months for free, but there was a dispute. They said they weren't going to pay for its administration, that was up to the HSE to fund that for them.

"But it never came about. Two people have now died. It doesn't take a genius to work out this drug was helping them," said Aideen.

Another Alpha-1 sufferer, Anne Cassidy from Donegal, has also died since the trial was ended.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, is a genetic condition that attacks the liver and lungs.

She told the programme that her mother could still possibly still be alive if they had just let them have this drug.

"It seems to be so inhumane what they are doing to these people. It ultimately feels to me that they just let her die. The cost of administration for six months was only 6,000, 6,000 to keep my mum alive. Her life wasn't worth that to them. They are more than just numbers in a file. They are human beings. They don't deserve to be treated like this," she said.

Aideen outlined her mother's medical history, saying that when she was in her late 30s, Marion was hospitalised in Nenagh a couple of times and they just thought it was chest infections.

She was then diagnosed with Alpha 1 and was in and out of hospital. She needed help with dressing and showers.

"I took over being her full time carer. She had no quality of life. She was offered the chance to start the clinical trials. She was offered the drug for free and they paid for the administration of the drug. As the trial progressed, she wasn't deteriorating as fast. She would actually come with me to do the grocery shopping, which was something she hadn't been able to do before. She was in and out of hospital maybe once every two years instead of six or seven times per year," said Aideen.

She said that following her mother's death, while they were heartbroken they were "so angry that she had to die" and wasn't given the fighting chance that she deserved.

"That will stay with me for the rest of my life that she felt there was a price tag on her head and that her life wasn't worth this. That is so frustrating. If these people could just see, these are real live people and they don't deserve to suffer," said Aideen.

Ms Kelly said that if she ever had the opportunity to sit down with Minister for Health Simon Harris, and explain in detail what she saw, what she had to see, there was no way they let someone suffer.

"While we are are grieving, we need to fight for the remaining 19 people. She would not have wanted her death to have been in vain," said Aideen.

She said she did not want to go into too much detail about how her mother suffered in her final days because she am conscious there were still 19 people fighting for this treatment, "but it was horrific what our family had to suffer".



Defending their actions, Prof Michael Barry, clinical director for the National Centre of Pharmacoeconomics, said while the Respreeza had a benefit, not on all aspects, including quality of life, they (the company) were looking for 81,000 or 37m over five years.

"The question is it worth the money and the conclusion is no. There is nothing to stop the company coming into the HSE tomorrow and reducing its prices. and potentially turning a no into a yes," he said.

Prof Barry said that the they had assessed the drug and while it did work somewhat, and it did have a positive benefit on CT scanning, it did not prolong your life.

Marion Kelly had been granted the drug by Behring under a compassionate scheme, and Prof Barry said he was not so sure compassion was the word to use for such schemes, "and I have a problem with such schemes".

Prof Barry said it was important to point out that the HSE had nothing to do with compassionate schemes.

Following Marion's death, a spokesperson for the HSE told the Tipperary Star that the HSE will cover the cost of administering the drug to those who were on the original Respreeza trial for a transition period of six months.
Following the announcement of 4m to develop the former Lisheen Mines site outside Thurles, Nenagh's Cllr Seamus Morris has asked Tipperary County Council for details of its taskforce to find a replacement for COTY, which is scheduled to begin closure in the new year.

The global giant announced last March that it was winding down its Nenagh operations from next January with the loss of over 200 jobs.

The clock is ticking on the closure of this building and the workers are facing a very uncertain future, said Cllr Morris.

The Independent councillor has previously raised issues around enlisting the workforce in any such taskforce, saying it was imperative that their experience be utilised.

The recent announcement of funding for the Lisheen Mines site shows how the taskforce has been all inclusive in taking advice from the local community and ex workers of the site, he said.

Cllr Morris said he was reiterating his previous request for the taskforce to call a meeting with the workforce who have vast experience in the beauty product industry.

They are vital in terms of finding a replacement industry for this very important site, he said.

Cllr Morris has asked the council to supply him with information on the current make up of the taskforce, how many times it has met, what is its remit, and when is the next meeting.

He has also requested to know what time line the council is working towards.
Community and local development groups from across Tipperary attended a seminar on promoting social inclusion in communities on Wednesday 6th December in Croom, Co. Limerick.

Hosted by Pobal, who work on behalf of Government to support communities, the seminar was an opportunity for community groups to reflect on future challenges to address social exclusion and poverty in a local and regional context.

Over 85 representatives from community groups throughout Munster attended the seminar. Speakers included Denis Leamy, Pobal CEO; Anne Kavanagh Paul Partnership Limerick CEO; and Dr Chris McInerney, Department of Politics and Public Administration UL.

The seminar discussed the vital role the sector plays in enabling inclusive communities in a changed and diverse environment. Operating in an evolving regulatory landscape, the need to deepen capacity and governance within the sector emerged, with recognition of the support needed to achieve this aim. The importance of co-ordination within the sector, at local, regional and national level, to avoid duplication of effort and intervention is the responsibility of all those working in the sector.

An insight into what an inclusive community looks like was provided by Anne Kavanagh, CEO Paul Partnership in Limerick, who discussed inclusive communities being well planned, accessible, good quality accommodation, to the services that should be available nearby  education, social supports, retail, recreation, and the issue of safety, the infrastructure, political landscape and opportunities available to those in the community.

Looking at the wider challenges for the state, Dr Chris McInerney of the Department of Politics and Administration in UL, discussed the need for active policies and resources to support community work and community development to achieve the ideal of inclusive communities.

Speaking at the event, Denis Leamy Pobal CEO said, communities are at the centre of what Pobal was set up to do so we are delighted to be out meeting so many local groups through our Regional Seminar events. In 2016 we held a conference, Creating an Inclusive Labour Market and these regional events are a follow on to this, exploring the current context and experience of the community and voluntary sector in promoting social inclusion. I want to thank all those that attended our seminar in Limerick, it was fantastic to see so many community groups come together to share their knowledge and passion for the sector and the community in which they work so hard.

A number of Pobal Regional Seminars will take place over the coming months.
Achieving equality and fairness in schools is the top priority for young people according to a vote at the Dail na nOg, the countrys national youth parliament, held on Wednesday 6th December in Croke Park.

Some 200 delegates, aged 12-17, were elected to the event and represent the young people involved in 31 Comhairle na nOg youth councils across the country.

They spent the day at the national youth parliament discussing the theme of Equality: In All Fairness in their everyday lives under five topic headings: school; home/community; online activity; public services and sport/leisure.

Delegates voted that Equality in schools is to be the top priority of the representative body of Comhairle na nOg nationally  its National Executive. The areas identified for change by the young people included gender equality, religious equality in schools, subject choice, uniform policy, school facilities and teacher student relationships.

One young person from each Comhairle is elected to the National Executive for a term of two years. The incoming 2017 - 2019 National Executive will work on the topic of School as they have mandated by their peers at todays vote. They will work directly with and be supported by officials from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Justice and Equality to implement the changes recommended by the young people.

Comhairle na nOg (www.comhairlenanog.ie) are child and youth councils in the 31 local authority areas of the country, which give children and young people a voice in the development of local services and policies. They are the recognised national structure for participation by children and young people in local decision-making, supported by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA).
[December 12, 2017] Belt & Road Brand Expo 2017 in Shanghai comes to a successful close

SHANGHAI, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Better Life and Beyond"-themed Belt & Road Brand Expo 2017 came to a successful close at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on December 10, 2017. As the first edition of the event, the 10,000-square-meter exhibition assembled under one roof over 160 companies from 26 countries and regions, among them the host country, China, as well as Australia, Croatia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey. Exhibitors from around the world showcased their best products, technologies and cultural artifacts in the food and beverage, cosmetics and skin care, handicrafts, home improvement, jewelry and gems, fashion and accessories, lifestyle, tourism and culture, as well as investment and trade sectors. The upcoming China International Import Expo in 2018 was announced at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in May 2017, further evidencing China's determination to continue its efforts in opening up its market to the world. Recently rolled-out policies are providing companies with investment and trade support as well as creating a friendly legal business environment that assists them in expanding on their globalization efforts. All of these actions are aligned with the guidelines of the Chinese government's One Belt, One Road Initiative. At the same time, the high level of engagement among professional buyers as well as by general visitors at the event reflected the new momentum in China's liberalization of trade. The Iran exhibition zone had on display hand-knitted Persian carpets, a handicraft dated back to as long as 260 years ago. In addition to carpets on display with lifelike images woven into the pattern reflecting the superior level of skill, Iranian companies also provided customized carpets, frames and cushions that meet the differing preferences of home owners, renters and decorators. Several Iranian exhibitors who attended a Chinese exhibition for the first time were deeply impressed by the huge market and high purchasing power of China's consumers. They quickly became cognizant of the vast potential behind the business opportunity and the enhanced access to the favorable business environment in China by participating in the event. High-end fine hand-knitted carpets that are well suited to enhance the decor of a Chinese home were on display, while affordable middle-end machine-made carpets attracted much attention from professional buyers. During the expo, the Iranian exhibitors showcased Persian culture as well as the country's centuries-old handicraft art with the aim of providing Chinese consumers with access to products embodying Iran's culture. Attendees had an opportunity to enjoy the aroma of Ceylon black tea from Sri Lanka. The island country's exhibitors said the popularity of Ceylon tea among Chinese consumers has continued to increase over last few years. Show visitors were provided an opportunity to sample the many flavors of the black tea. The exhibitors observed a strong preference for the tea among Shanghai-based visitors and, as a result, plan to focus on expanding their presence in Shanghai. An exhibitr from the island nation who engages primarily in Sri Lankan cotton products noted that it was his first visit to Shanghai, however, the positive feedback the exhibitor received during the three-day exhibition made him feel that he had found an exciting new market for his products. Consequently, he plans to open an online store working with one of the cross-border e-commerce firms, targeting the local Shanghai market. Sri Lankan sapphires showcased at a booth, despite the booth's non-prominent location, still drew an immense crowd and attention.



Pakistan-based companies displayed their handicraft and jade creations that feature the country's national colors. An exhibitor from the South Asian country said their presence at the event allowed Shanghainese shoppers to gain direct access to Pakistani specialty products, while his hand-made rosewood furniture on display received many positive comments from buyers and visitors passing by the booth. He said that he believes the One Belt, One Road initiative is sure to create more business opportunities for companies in Pakistan. Russian exhibitors said they made contacts with more than 30 trading partners during the expo. They showcased Russian ice cream, biscuits and puffed grains, all of which drew the attention of visitors. The Russian exhibitors explained that the event served as a networking platform that helps them expand into the Chinese market. They plan to build a showroom in Shanghai, where they will showcase Russia's specialty products as well as products that have a Russian cultural basis.

A cigar agent from the Dominican Republic said the event gave visitors an opportunity learn about Shanghai-based companies specializing in the promotion of the cigar culture. Leading Dominican cigar masters were invited to put on an on-site cigar rolling performance, drawing the attention of many visitors and helping promote the culture that has grown up around the cigar. The event also proved successful for exhibitors from Kazakhstan as they were able to establish connections with leading Chinese e-commerce firms, including JD.com and Suning.cn. They said they plan to work with these Chinese firms to open online stores with the goal of introducing organic and green products from the Central Asian country into the Chinese market. At the Poland exhibition zone, the exhibits that attracted the most attention were those displaying chrysophoron and beeswax, known in the Eastern European country as "living gems". In addition to being presented with a dizzying array of accessories, visitors were given an opportunity to get a close look at the country's signature products. The Polish exhibitors said they experienced better-than-expected outcomes and plan to attend future editions of the event, adding that they would come regardless of whether subsequent events are held in Shanghai or elsewhere in China. Exhibitors from Mauritius provided visitors an opportunity to taste their specialty rums, a product that has been proving to be an online sensation. An executive from a participating Mauritius-based company said, even as he first entered the business at quite a young age, he had already become aware of the enthusiasm that Chinese shoppers has expressed about Mauritian rums and was confident about his expansion into China. Exquisite thangkas were on display at the Nepal exhibition zone. Skilled painters delivered an on-site drawing performance with natural mineral pigments of different colors, leaving a deep impression on attendees. Additionally, the on-site wood carving performance and the showcase of Buddha sound bowls were events that drew large crowds. Attendees expressed their interest in the Kopi Luwak or civet coffee displayed at the Indonesia exhibition zone, while giving high praise to the preservative-free seven-layer honey cakes made primarily from honey and walnuts after tasting them in the area reserved for exhibitors from the Czech Republic. The exhibitors who had established online stores on Taobao.com, China's leading online marketplace for retailers, saw the traffic to their store skyrocket as a result of their presence at the expo. Roses from Ecuador, among other little-known products displayed at the exhibition, gave attendees a chance to get a real and authentic sense of the culture, customs and lifestyles that define each of the 26 countries participating in the event. Chinese companies were the main exhibitors in the enterprise pavilions, with product displays from companies located in Ordos (Inner Mongolia), Huzhou (Zhejiang Province), Hong Kong and Taiwan being featured. Bright Food Group and its subsidiary Shanghai Tangjiu Group, Shanghai Yimin Commercial Group, Liangyou Group, Bright Dairy & Food and Shanghai Maling Aquarius each had exhibits. The Shanghai Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives teamed up with the city's time-honored brands to showcase their products. In the role of both traders and exhibitors, they sought opportunities in terms of networking, exchanges and partnerships with companies participating in the event. During the expo, a comprehensive series of concurrent events were held, including 12 forums and promotional conferences, several of which were hosted by consul generals, commercial attaches and other official representatives of countries with a presence in Shanghai, with a focus on investment and trade, tourism and culture as well as education in the folkloric traditions of each of the participating countries. The planned events included nearly 50 business matching sessions, attended by leading supermarket brands, including Bailian Group, RT-Mart, Auchan, Metro, JD.com, Suning.cn and Yhd.com, as well as several other leading Chinese e-commerce companies. Some sessions featured exotic performances that delivered an education in the tea and incense ceremonies that prevailed during the Han Dynasty. A few specialized events focused on scenario-based and "hands-on" experiences with many of the products on display throughout the expo. The three-day event brought together companies from across the world with the aim of leveraging the opportunities created by the One Belt, One Road Initiative as well as building an international platform for China and countries targeted by the Initiative where they could display their high-quality specialty products, engage in cultural exchanges with other participating countries at the event as well as generally promote trade exchanges and other forms of cooperation. Future editions of the event will be committed to showcasing branding products from a wider range of countries and providing visitors with an even more diverse set of exotic experiences. In addition to helping Chinese companies expand beyond the home market and introducing products from around the world, the event shares the vision of the One Belt, One Road initiative while responding to the expectation among Chinese consumers for an enhanced standard of living. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/belt--road-brand-expo-2017-in-shanghai-comes-to-a-successful-close-300569944.html SOURCE Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd.

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[December 12, 2017] Ceres Nanosciences Announces Plans for Significant Growth in Prince William County, Virginia

Ceres Nanosciences (Ceres) is pleased to announce its recent expansion in Prince William County, Virginia. Following a successful fundraising round in 2017, Ceres has rapidly expanded both its staff and its facilities to accommodate the growing demand for the novel Nanotrap particle platform across the life sciences industry. The Nanotrap particle provides enhanced sample processing capabilities to new and existing diagnostic tests for some of the most challenging diseases and conditions, such as Lyme disease, respiratory diseases, emerging infectious diseases and cancer detection, as well as for improved health and wellness monitoring. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005956/en/ Ceres Nano Announces Growth Plans in PWC (Photo: Business Wire) As part of this expansion, Ceres is graduating from the Prince William Science Accelerator and moving into 9,100 square feet of renovated commercial wet lab and office space at 9460 Innovation Drive, Manassas, Virginia. This space is being configured to meet the requirements for commercial-scale production of Nanotrap particles within a quality-controlled manufacturing facility. Additionally, Ceres is outfitting a portion of the space to house one or more life-sciences industry collaborators with the goal of attracting more emerging biotechnology companies into the growing life sciences community at Innovation Park in Prince William County. "This marks a major milestone for Ceres," noted Ceres' CEO, Ross Dunlap. "With over 20 peer-reviewed publications and 14 issued patents we have been very successful in validating our technology's performance through extensive research and development work at the Prince William Science Accelerator. Now we're moving into a commercial-scale production facility that will allow us to be a solutions supplier to global diagnostic companies and major clinical reference labs." Ceres applied for and was a recipient of a $50,000 Economic Development Opportunity Fund (EDOF) grant to assist in the expansion of commercial wet lab space in Prince William County. "This is a great story of an entrepreneural team working persistently to build world class technology and facilities in Prince William County," said Corey A. Stewart, Chairman, Prince William Board of County Supervisors.



Ceres' new lab space is strategically located in the heart of Innovation Park, in Prince William County, directly adjacent to George Mason University's (Mason) Science and Technology Campus and many other biotechnology companies and collaborators. "I am extremely pleased that the public private partnership with Ceres Nanosciences has provided such promising results so quickly. These breakthroughs are critical to the health and wellbeing of many, and also showcase Innovation Park as a leader in life sciences research," said Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, Prince William Board of County Supervisors. Want more Prince William County? Check out our latest video, sign-up for newsletters or visit us at: www.PWCEconDev.org or @PWCDED.

About Ceres Nanosciences, Inc. Ceres Nanosciences is a privately held company, located in Prince William County, Virginia, focused on the development of research and diagnostic products using its unique and proprietary Nanotrap particle technology. The Nanotrap particle technology provides powerful biomarker capture and biofluid sample processing capabilities for a wide array of diagnostic applications and sample handling needs. The Nanotrap particle technology was invented at George Mason University and developed under funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With support from the NIH, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, Ceres is focused on incorporating this technology into a range of innovative diagnostic products. Learn more at www.ceresnano.com. Press Contact:

Ross M. Dunlap

Ceres Nanosciences, Inc

1.800.615.0418 ext. 202

[email protected] About the Prince William Science Accelerator Located in the heart of Prince William County's Science and Technology hub at Innovation Park, the Prince William Science Accelerator is a premier life sciences incubation facility, which features 9 fully built out, commercially available wet labs - the only public-private commercially available wet lab space in Northern Virginia. Competitive lease rates, flexible terms, the availability of location incentives as well as a full complement of amenities are just some of the reasons why the Science Accelerator is an ideal option particularly for small and growing life sciences companies. NOTES TO EDITORS: Located less than 20 miles from the nation's capital, Prince William County encompasses a total area of 348 square miles.

75% of Northern Virginia's 1.5 million workers live within a 30-minute one-way commute to the center of Prince William County during rush hour.

Prince William County provides access to an outstanding talent pool of highly-skilled, culturally diverse labor; 44% of the workforce has a college degree.

Prince William County carries a AAA bond rating from all three of the major credit ratings agencies (Fitch, Moody's and S&P). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005956/en/

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[December 12, 2017] The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada Asks Canadians to Help Grant Their 25,000th Wish

The NBA's Miami Heat among first to don the new King Jay apparel line in honour of young wisher. TORONTO, Dec. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - For the second year in a row, The Children's Wish Foundation has partnered with Mosaic, a North American marketing agency, this time to grant their 25,000th wish for a young teen named Jayden. From that wish, King Jay apparel was born, a line of clothing whose sale this holiday season will help grant the next 25,000 wishes. A former athlete, 18-year-old Jayden Strauss of Edmonton recently faced his toughest opponent yet: Stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma. While sadly losing his battle with cancer, his memory lives on, partly because of the wish he made. Originally, all he wished for was a pair of custom created sneakers, but after being delighted with the new "fire on his feet," it was the fire in his fight that inspired King Jay: an apparel line in Jayden's memory. Surrounded by his family, Jayden passed away on November 14th but hoped his apparel would be his "most grand goodbye." Designed to unite us all, each piece is emblazoned with one of four graphic shoelace designs. With all proceeds going to Children's Wish, King Jay will help grant more wishes for more courageous kids. "We're asking people to join the kingdom by purchasing a piece of King Jay apparel and help us grant the next 25,000 wishes for Canadian children diagnsed with a life-threatening illness like Jayden," says Lyanne Goulin, National Director, Wish Granting, The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada.



This unique collaboration has already been seen on the likes of the Miami Heat, and will be available to the public starting December 5th, just in time to warm the hearts of Canadians this holiday season. To join the kingdom and purchase King Jay apparel in support of Children's Wish, please visit kingjay.org

Instagram: @childrenswishfoundation

Twitter: @Childrens_wish

Facebook: Children's Wish Foundation of Canada

To download additional photo assets, please click here. About The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada:

The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada is the largest all Canadian wish granting charity dedicated to granting wishes to Canadian children between the ages of 3 and 17 who are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. For more than 30 years, Children's Wish has worked tirelessly to grant heartfelt wishes for 25,000 children and their families. This year, Children's Wish is enjoying the largest wish granting year yet, and expects to grant nearly 1,200 new wishes across the country with the help of volunteers and generous donors; that is approximately three wishes each and every day, all year long. Each wish is the child's most heartfelt wish, and carefully structured to meet the particular needs of the child and their family. Already this year, we are experiencing unprecedented increases of wish referrals through our strong medical community relationships for our wishes granted to children with life-threatening illnesses. Now more than ever, we are encouraging Canadians to donate and support The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada to help us continue to grant the next most heartfelt wish. Children's Wish is a national charity with chapters in every province and territory. For more information, visit our website at www.childrenswish.ca. About Mosaic

Recently named one of the top 25 marketing agencies in the world by Ad Age, Mosaic is a global leader in experiential, retail, shopper and content marketing. We design dynamic, shareable experiences at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds that are rooted in emotion and delivered through human interaction, giving our audience a story to tell and a feeling to cherish. We connect brands with consumers through People as Media  our one-to-one approach to delivering deeper engagement along the path to advocacy. From events to retail connections to video content creation, distribution and amplification, we use the power of dialogue to change minds, drive purchase and create belief, inspiring people to become the authentic voice of the brands they love. Mosaic is the marketing arm of Acosta, a leading full-service sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry. Credits:

Client: The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada

Lyanne Goulin, National Director, Wish Granting

Rea Ganesh, National Director, Development Agency: Mosaic

Jess Willis, Group Creative Director

Brad Van Schaik, Creative Director

Sasha Newton, Associate Creative Director

Chris Langer, Design Director

Brian Flaman, Account Director SOURCE Mosaic Sales Solutions

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[December 12, 2017] Generation Energy Council Created to Give Shape to Canada's Energy Future

OTTAWA, Dec. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - Transforming how our society makes, moves and uses energy will help define Canada's future, while creating good, middle-class jobs and a sustainable environment for coming generations. Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, today announced the creation of a diverse,14-member Generation Energy Council to provide recommendations on how Canada can prepare for a reliable, affordable, low-carbon economy in the future. The Council's work will be informed by the takeaways from October's ground-breaking two-day Generation Energy Forum in Winnipeg, which was the culmination of a six-month engagement with more than 380,000 people through online participation, in-person panels, workshops and the Citizen Dialogues on Canada's Energy Future run by Simon Fraser University. The Forum brought together more than 600 experts, industry representatives, traditional and emerging energy sectors, academics, and Indigenous and community leaders from across the country and around the globe to discuss Canada's energy future. The Generation Energy Council will be co-chaired by Merran Smith, a fellow at Simon Fraser University and Executive Director of Clean Energy Canada, and Linda Coady, Chief Sustainability Officer at Enbridge. They will be joined by: Peter Tertzakian , Chief Energy Economist and Executive Director, ARC Financial Corporation

, Chief Energy Economist and Executive Director, ARC Financial Corporation Annette Verschuren , Chair and CEO of NRStor Inc.

, Chair and CEO of NRStor Inc. Julia Langer , CEO, The Atmospheric Fund

, CEO, The Atmospheric Fund Leah Nelson Guay , founder and CEO of First Nations Power Authority of Saskatchewan

, founder and CEO of First Nations Power Authority of Richard Nerysoo , Chair, Gwich'in Council International

, Chair, Gwich'in Council International Aisha Bukhari , engineer and social entrepreneur at Toronto -based MaRS

, engineer and social entrepreneur at -based MaRS Jane McDonald , Managing Director, International Institute on Sustainable Development

, Managing Director, International Institute on Sustainable Development David Collyer , energy consultant and past President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers

, energy consultant and past President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Louis Tremblay , President and Co-founder of AddEnergie

, President and Co-founder of AddEnergie Elise Proulx, Vice-President of Communications and Government Affairs, Hydro-Quebec

Colleen Giroux-Schmidt , Senior Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Innergex Renewable Energy Inc.

, Senior Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. Philippe Dunsky , President of Dunsky Energy Consulting The Council will develop a series of recommendations inspired by these four questions: What should Canada's energy future look like over the long term?

energy future look like over the long term? What generational goals should we strive to achieve?

What principles should guide us?

What are the potential pathways and guideposts along the way? In addition to the feedback from the Forum, the Council will be informed by the public input gathered over the last six months as well as global energy analyses to develop its report for the Minister. The report's recommendations will inform the Government as it develops an energy policy that ensures meaningful engagement with Indigenous peoples; aligns with Canada's Paris Agreement commitments and the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change; and complements the work being done by the provinces and territories, building on the shared priorities identified at the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Meeting at the Forum. Quotes "One of the clear messages that emerged from Generation Energy is that Canadians want a thriving, low-carbon economy. They want us to be a leader in clean technology. And they want an energy system that provides economic opportunities for Canadians without harming the environment. The Generation Energy Council now has the important task of synthesizing all of the feedback received through the process and distilling it into recommendations that will help to define Canada's energy future." Jim Carr

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan). NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.news.gc.ca.



Backgrounder Generation Energy Council Biographies

Merran Smith (Co-chair) Merran is a fellow at Simon Fraser University and the founder and executive director of Clean Energy Canada, a leading think tank advancing clean energy and climate solutions. For most of her career, she has worked to unite industry, government and civil society organizations to solve pressing social and ecological challenges. Merran is a Canadian representative on the International Clean Energy Ambassador Corps and has recently been appointed co-chair of the B.C. government's Climate Solutions and Clean Growth Advisory Council. She has received numerous leadership distinctions, including the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from Clean Energy B.C. Linda Coady (Co-chair) Linda Coady is Enbridge's Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). She leads the company's public reporting and disclosure on its social and environmental performance and advises Enbridge's Senior Management and Board on the implementation of the company's Climate Policy and other strategies related to sustainable development challenges and opportunities. Prior to joining Enbridge in 2013, Ms. Coady was Vice-President of Sustainability for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. She is also a former Vice-President, Pacific Region, for World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF) and a former Vice-President, Environment, for Weyerhaeuser in British Columbia. Peter Tertzakian Peter Tertzakian is an economist, investment strategist, author and public speaker. He is Chief Energy Economist and Executive Director at ARC Financial Corporation, an energy-focused private equity firm. With over 25 years in the energy industry and finance industry, Peter is responsible for strategic investment research. His two books, A Thousand Barrels a Second and The End of Energy Obesity, both examine the transformation of the global energy sector through economic, environmental and geopolitical pressures. His background in geophysics, economics and finance has established him as an internationally recognized expert in energy matters. Annette Verschuren In July 2012, Annette oversaw the creation of NRStor Inc. as Chair and CEO. Her company opened the first commercial grid-connected energy storage flywheel installation in Canada. She has been an influencer of policy and worked to create a market for advanced energy storage in Ontario. She has served as president of The Home Depot Canada and Asia she and as president and co-owner of Michaels of Canada. She was recently appointed to the NAFTA Council to advise the Minister of International Trade on NAFTA negotiations. In 2011, Annette received the country's highest civilian honour as an Officer of The Order of Canada for her contribution to the retail industry and corporate social responsibility. Julia Langer Julia has held senior leadership positions in the environmental sector for nearly 30 years, managing campaigns and organizations, defining strategy and policy, and inspiring public and private action to address air pollution and climate change. Julia leads The Atmospheric Fund, which advances urban solutions to climate and air pollution, and, with support from TAF's Investment Committee, oversees the fiscal integrity of TAF's endowment. Leah Nelson Guay Leah founded and served as the past Chief Executive Officer of First Nations Power Authority  a non-profit developed to bring Indigenous Communities into the renewable energy sector though capacity building, investment, training and new business opportunities. FNPA has a membership of over 100 organizations and was most recently successful in securing government-based renewable energy contracts for projects with capital value in excess of $150 million. Leah is a KPMG alumna and, prior to FNPA, supported entrepreneurs in innovation, commercialization, skill development and new venture creation. Leah currently advises in renewable energy, Indigenous economic development and entrepreneurship. Richard Nerysoo A veteran political leader in the Dene Nation and the Government of the Northwest Territories, Richard made history in 1983 when he became the first Indigenous person to become Premier of the Northwest Territories. Between 1996 and 2000, Richard was President of the Gwich'in Tribal Council and was charged with the management and implementation of the historic Gwich'in Land Claims Agreement. He has also chaired the Gwich'in Council International, a non-profit collective striving toward securing environmental protection. Aisha Bukhari Aisha Bukhari is a Senior Manager at the Advanced Energy Centre at MaRS Discovery District. She has a background in engineering, business and social entrepreneurship. She is passionate about clean energy, innovation and social justice. Aisha spent the formative part of her career at Toronto Hydro, where she worked in both engineering and business development roles. She is a co-founder of an EdTech startup, Attollo Social Enterprise. She also serves on the advisory committee for Women in Renewable Energy, a non-profit organization. Jane McDonald Jane McDonald is the Managing Director of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), an independent think tank that champions sustainable solutions to the world's most pressing problems in over 70 countries. Jane has 15 years of experience working on climate and energy issues in both the public and private sectors. She was the Executive Director of Smart Prosperity, a negotiator for the Canadian delegation to the UN climate negotiations, and a broker for investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald. Before joining IISD, Jane served as Policy Director for Canada's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. David Collyer David Collyer is past President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), a position he held from 2008 until 2014. Prior to being President of CAPP, David was President and Country Chair for Shell in Canada. During his 30 year career with Shell, he held a broad range of technical, business, marketing and senior leadership roles in the oil and gas industry. He currently provides consulting services related to the Canadian energy sector and serves on a number of not-for-profit and corporate boards. Louis Tremblay Louis Tremblay is the President and Cofounder of AddEnergie. Under his leadership, the company has become the leading smart charging solution provider and network operator in Canada, with more than 4,500 charging stations nationwide. As a precursor to electric transportation in Canada, Louis and his team have deployed the FLO network, the largest charging stations network in Canada. They have also concluded an agreement with Hydro-Quebec, giving AddEnergie exclusive rights for supplying and managing Hydro-Quebec's public charging stations network, the Electric Circuit. Elise Proulx Elise Proulx was appointed Vice President  Communications and Government Affairs at Hydro-Quebec in January 2017. In this capacity, she is in charge of internal and external communications, public and government affairs, marketing and community relations. A seasoned manager with more than 20 years of experience, Elise joined Hydro-Quebec in 2013 as Director  Communications. She sits on the boards of the Canadian Electricity Association, Montreal International and the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal. Colleen Giroux-Schmidt Colleen Giroux-Schmidt brings over a decade and a half of experience in B.C. and Canadian resource development with an extensive knowledge of the renewable energy sector. As Senior Director  Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs for Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. her focus is on working with various stakeholders, including all levels of government, First Nations and communities, to increase renewable energy opportunities to help the jurisdictions Innergex works with in meeting their climate change goals. Philippe Dunsky Philippe is the President of Dunsky Energy Consulting, a leading North American clean energy advisory. Based in Montreal, he brings over 25 years of experience supporting governments and utilities in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable mobility. Philippe is also Vice-Chair of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance and serves on the Quebec government's Climate Change Advisory Council. SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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[December 11, 2017] Southern California Edison Responds to Area Fires

Multiple wind-driven wildfires moving through Southern California are affecting customers and electric service in Southern California Edison's (News - Alert) service territory. Prior to the fires, based on forecasted winds and red flag warnings, SCE mobilized a full emergency response team, pre-staged critical field personnel and implemented measures to mitigate impacts of high winds and potential fires. Driven by public safety concerns for customers in extremely high-wind areas, these measures included a preventative power shutoff to the Idyllwild area in Riverside County for portions of the period from December 7th through December 8th. The Thomas fire has significantly affected customers in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and is continuing to threaten the transmission lines in the area. The fire has intermittently interrupted service for the Santa Barbara area, at times leaving more than 85,000 customers without service. SCE is coordinating its emergency efforts with federal, state, county and local officials. SCE crews are continuing to monitor the situation and have developed contingency plans that include the use of temporary generators and re-routing of power. Restoration of equipment is important in order to restore and maintain service for customers. Restoration of SCE equipment damaged by the Liberty fire is complete. Restoration of equipment damaged in the Rye and Creek fires is targeted for completion by December 12th, contingent on fire and weather conditions. Where safe, restoration is ongoing in the Thomas fire area, although this fire remains largely uncontained. All restoration work is being conducted in close coordination with fire agencies and other first responders to ensure public and employee safety. SCE teams will continue to assess damage and make repairs when safe to do so. SCE personnel have completed damage assessments in a majority of the Thomas fire areas where access has been granted and in all of the areas impacted by the Creek and Rye fires. More than 600 SCE workers have been deployed on the wildfires, including those repairing fire-damaged equipment (including damaged poles, wires and insulators), setting poles, installing lectrical equipment and stringing wire to restore power to customers as quickly and safely as possible. As of today, in the areas that have been inspected, crews have replaced over 300 of the more than 500 poles that were destroyed, while damage assessment continues in the Thomas fire area. The company continues conducting inspections on the ground and using aerial resources.



Edison International is supporting customers impacted by the fires through a $250,000 donation to the Southern California Wildfire Fund through the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. In addition, the company has provided a $40,000 grant to United Way Ventura County for local support of its outreach to fire victims. SCE is working with known medically sensitive customers in the areas impacted by the fires, including providing temporary generators and other support for critical care customer without power. The company also continues to work with affected customers to offer flexible payment arrangements or bill forgiveness depending upon the situation. The causes of the wildfires are being investigated by CAL FIRE, other fire agencies and the California Public Utilities Commission. The investigations now include locations beyond those identified last week as the apparent origin of these fires. SCE believes the investigations now include the possible role of its facilities. SCE continues to cooperate with the investigations. The wildfire investigations may take a considerable amount of time to complete. SCE will provide updated information as circumstances warrant.

Safety around Power during Outages Stay away from downed wires. If you see a wire down, call 911.

If you are using generators, do not run them inside your home. There is a danger of carbon monoxide poisoning from generators used indoors. Plug appliances directly into the generator, do not plug the generator into the 220v line, as this could cause backfeed which could electrocute crews working on the lines.

Stay away from crews working in or around lines or vehicles. They are working as quickly as possible and they should not be distracted from this dangerous work. About Southern California Edison An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving a population of approximately 15 million via 5 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California. Safe Harbor Statement for Investors Statements contained in this press release about the wildfires, and other statements that are not purely historical, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations; however, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from current expectations. Important factors that could cause different results include the impact of the Thomas fire, the Creek fire and the other wildfires, including the timing and outcome of the investigations by CAL FIRE and the California Public Utilities Commission and whether SCE will be liable for and able to recover costs relating to the wildfires not covered by insurance. Other important factors are discussed in Southern California Edison's Form 10-K, most recent Form 10-Q, and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on our website: www.edisoninvestor.com. Edison International and Southern California Edison Company have no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether due to new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006278/en/

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[December 11, 2017] Industrial Communication Market Analysis And Forecast (2016-2026): Shares, Size And Strategies Of Key Players

Global Industrial Communication Market: Overview The rapid developments in the field of science and technology are expected to aid the expansion of the global industrial communication market over the forecast period. Industrial communication systems allow us to integrate data networks that are highly futuristic.







Read Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/industrial-communication-market.html The report includes key information about the major trends, restraints, growth drivers, and opportunities in the global industrial communication market. The market forecasts, supply and demand ratio, Porters five force analysis, value chain analysis, and key segments of the market are discussed in the report. The report also reveals the prominent recent developments in the competitive landscape, the market shares held by the major firms, and the business strategies adopted by them.



Global Industrial Communication Market: Trends and Opportunities Increasing adoption of IoT, growing need for interconnectivity between various devices and sharing of data, necessity of increasing safety and productivity are some of the key growth drivers of the global industrial communication market. The increased adoption of the IoT is likely to make considerable changes in the way different products are manufactured, developed, transported, and distributed. Growing number of end-user industries such as aerospace, transportation and automotive, defense, paper, cement, electrical and electronics, energy and power, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, food and beverages, mining, glass, fabrication or engineering, water and wastewater, and chemicals and fertilizers will benefit the market for industrial communication.





The key communication protocols such as industrial Ethernet, wireless communication, and Fieldbus can be the major segments of the industrial communication market. Of these, the Fieldbus protocol appears to present significant prospects, owing to its widespread adoption in key process industries. Fieldbus has a strong hold particularly in the emerging economies such as India, Japan, and China. It is likely to present extensive opportunities as they are able to integrate with wireless devices, increasing the level of efficiency.



Besides Fieldbus, Ethernet is also expected to witness an upsurge in demand as it is steadily becoming popular due to its better performance outputs when compared to other systems. This can be attributed to the enhanced bandwidth capacity, increased network coverage, and increased transmission efficiency. The increasing deployment of this protocol in the industrial robot market is also responsible for the promised growth of this segment.



The wireless protocol segment might also undergo tremendous growth during the forecast period, displaying a favorable CAGR. Increased usage of standardized wireless technologies such as Bluetooth technology and wireless WLAN will contribute towards growth.



Request Report Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19847 Global Industrial Communication Market: Regional Outlook Based on geography, the global market for industrial communication can be segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and the Rest of the World. The countries of Asia Pacific, being some of the major global producers of consumer electronics, are expected to drive the demand for industrial communication. Also, emerging economies such as India, China, and Japan have become hubs for large scale automotive production, boosting the growth further.



Companies Mentioned in the Report The major companies operating in the global Emerson Electric Company, Texas Instruments Incorporated, General Electric, Schneider Electric SE, TE Connectivity Ltd, Infineon Technologies AG, Siemens AG, and Rockwell Automation, Inc. Several market players are concentrating their energies on product development through increased investments in research and development activities.



The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.



About 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.



TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.



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[December 11, 2017] Comprehensive Health Services Announces Keith Rigdon as Program Director

Comprehensive Health Services proudly announces the promotion of Keith Rigdon to Program Director. In this Senior Executive role, Keith will lead all efforts related to our portfolio of business with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He will also continue to serve as Program Coordinator for our HHS Shelter Care contract. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006019/en/ Comprehensive Health Services Announces Keith Rigdon as Program Director (Photo: Business Wire) With more than 20+ years of leadership and medical management experience, Keith's skills include strategic and operational planning combined with a results-oriented management style and a strong leadership emphasis in human resources and customer service. Keith has extensive experience as an Operational Leader of large programs. This experience extends across multiple U.S. Government agencies including contractor leadership on projects with HHS and the Department of State (DOS). For HHS, he served as Site Director for the department's largest Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) shelter facility where he managed resources to support over 2,500 children. hile with the DOS, he oversaw a $1 Billion medical contract in support of deployed State Department contractors in Iraq. Keith also served in the U.S. Army as a Medical Services Corps Officer both in the United States and overseas, where he was a leader of large medical organizations. His commercial experience includes his time with Comprehensive Health Services as well as Hospital Corporation of America, where he ran a $30 Million portfolio of their healthcare business.



Keith has a Master's degree in Human Resource Management from Central Michigan University and Bachelor's degree in Economics from Western Kentucky University. He is also a graduate of the School of Advanced Military Studies and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. About Comprehensive Health Services

Founded in 1975, Comprehensive Health Services is one of the nation's largest and most experienced providers of workforce medical services. We partner with Fortune 1000 companies and the U.S. Government to solve the highly complex, large-scale health care challenges they face by implementing and managing cost-effective, customized medical programs for large and dispersed workforces. Our technology-driven, flexible health care solutions are capable of providing tailored services to ensure employers can meet the medical needs and compliance issues of their employees anywhere in the world. For more information, please visit www.chsmedical.com. For news and updates, follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @CHSMedical, LinkedIn, or like us on Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006019/en/

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[December 11, 2017] Impact Biomedicines Presents Analysis at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting Suggesting that Fedratinib Did Not Increase Wernicke Encephalopathy Risk in Phase 2 and 3 Myelofibrosis Clinical Trials

Impact Biomedicines today presented a case review on fedratinib, a selective oral small molecule JAK2 kinase inhibitor that is being developed for the treatment of myelofibrosis (MF) and polycythemia vera (PV), in a poster session at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, taking place on December 9-12, 2017 in Atlanta, GA. The poster titled "Case Series of Potential Wernicke Encephalopathy in Patients treated with Fedratinib," demonstrated that patients treated with fedratinib in clinical trials did not experience a decrease in thiamine levels, and the prevalence of Wernicke Encephalopathy (WE) in the trials was less than originally perceived for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. "Wernicke encephalopathy is a preventable and treatable condition that can be associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms due to splenomegaly-related malnutrition and neurological symptoms, and is sometimes difficult to diagnose due to comorbidities in these patients," said Dr. Catriona Jamieson, Interim Chief Medical Officer of Impact Biomedicines. "After in-depth analysis of the fedratinib data, we were able to determine that there was only 1 clear case of WE and that occurred in a significantly malnourished and debilitated patient." Concurrently, Dr. Jamieson serves as Professor of Medicine and Chief of Regenerative Medicine, Deputy Director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center, Co-leader of the Hematologic Malignancies Program, and Director of Stem Cell Research at the Moores UC San Diego Cancer Center. Results presented in the poster included a retrospective analysis of clinical reports showing that thiamine levels and MRI results from the 8 subjects suspected to have WE clearly supported a diagnosis of WE in only 1 of 877 treated subjects. The diagnsed patient entered the fedratinib clinical trial with >10% weight loss and had preceding protracted nausea and vomiting, suggesting this as a contributing factor to malnutrition and thiamine deficiency. This patient was treated with IV thiamine and WE was considered resolved 2 months later.



"The retrospective identification of suspected Wernicke encephalopathy was the major impediment to fedratinib clinical development in 2013," said Dr. John Hood, Chief Executive Officer of Impact Biomedicines. "Our extensive case review has shown us that fedratinib does not inhibit thiamine uptake. Furthermore, there are data to suggest WE is a condition already associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms, and can be treated with thiamine and prevented with proper nutrition. This discovery enables us to move forward with getting fedratinib into the hands of patients who need it." In JAKARTA-1, a completed international Phase 3 pivotal trial for the treatment of myelofibrosis, fedratinib met its primary and secondary endpoints by reducing spleen size in 47% of patients by =35% at 24 weeks (p<0.0001) and improving symptom score in 36% of patients by =50% at 24 weeks (p< 0.0001)1. Comparable responses were seen in patients with normal or low platelet counts and thrombocytopenia was similar between placebo and the target dose of 400mg. In JAKARTA-2, a study in patients who were unresponsive to all other available therapies, including patients who were either Jakafi (ruxolitinib) resistant or intolerant, fedratinib showed similar activity2. In that study, 55% of patients who had failed or were intolerant to ruxolitinib experienced a spleen size reduction of =35% with fedratinib. Notably, responses were noted in 63% of patients intolerant to ruxolitinib and 61% of patients who had lost ruxolitinib response. Currently, ruxolitinib is the only drug approved by the FDA to treat patients with MF and PV. The most common adverse events for fedratinib were hematological (anemia) and gastrointestinal (nausea, diarrhea and vomiting). The results of these trials have been published in leading peer-reviewed journals.

The poster can be accessed via the "presentations and publications" section of the Impact website. About Impact Biomedicines

Impact Biomedicines is pioneering the development of life changing treatments for patients with complex cancers. The Company's pipeline is centered around fedratinib, a potent and highly selective oral small molecule, JAK2 kinase inhibitor that is being developed initially for the treatment of myelofibrosis (MF) and polycythemia vera (PV). 1 Pardanani A, Harrison CN, Cortes JE, et al. Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study (JAKARTA) of the JAK2-selective inhibitor fedratinib (SAR302503) in patients with myelofibrosis (MF) Blood. 2013;122(21):393. 2 Harrison CN, Schaap N, Vannucchi AM, et al. Janus kinase-2 inhibitor fedratinib in patients with myelofibrosis previously treated with ruxolitinib (JAKARTA-2): a single-arm, open-label, non-randomised, phase 2, multicentre study. Lancet Haematol. 2017 Jul;4(7):e317-e324. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006257/en/

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[December 11, 2017] Civitas Solutions, Inc. Announces Date of Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Civitas Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CIVI) announced today that it will conduct its 2018 annual meeting of stockholders on Friday, March 9, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time at its headquarters located at 313 Congress St., Boston, Massachusetts. The record date for determination of the Civitas stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting is January 10, 2018 (the "Record Date"). The proxy statement containing additional meeting details and admission procedures is expectd to be available no later than January 26, 2018 to stockholders of record as of the Record Date.



About Civitas Civitas Solutions, Inc. is the leading national provider of home- and community-based health and human services to must-serve individuals with intellectual, developmental, physical or behavioral disabilities and other special needs. Since its founding in 1980, it has evolved from a single residential program to a diversified national network offering an array of quality services in 36 states.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006287/en/

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[December 11, 2017] AHF Hollywood Wellness Center Now Open Full Time, Welcomes Lonnie Calvin, NP

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lonnie Calvin, NP to head its newest Wellness Center in Los Angeles, located at 1811 N. Western Ave. Calvin, a Stanford-educated licensed nurse practitioner who previously worked for Mission Hospice in Los Angeles County, officially begins her position today. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006309/en/ AHF's Wellness Center at 1811 N. Western Ave. in Los Angeles will provide free screenings for STDs, HIV on Monday through Friday, 12:00 noon to 9:00 p.m. (Photo: Business Wire) As AHF's largest Wellness Center west of the Mississippi River, the clinic is dedicated to AHF co-founder and AIDS activist Chris Brownlie and will offer free, confidential screenings for HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and provide linkage to medical care. Also known as the "Western on Wellness" Center, the clinic will be open for walk-ins on Monday to Friday, from 12 - 9PM. Current services at the Wellness Center in the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Doctor's Tower, located at 1300 N. Vermont Ave. Suite 407 will remain the same on Thursday and Friday evenings, 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM, and Saturday 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM.



AHF Wellness Centers are designed to make testing and treatment for STDs accessible, convenient, and affordable, as well as to encourage regular sexual health screenings for all sexually active people. Services offered include free HIV testing as well as free screening and treatment for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. "We are so excited to have Lonnie join our team and bring her years of experience to AHF to help us expand our capacity to offer STD and HIV screenings for sexually active adults in a convenient, confidential environment," said Albert Ruiz, director of AHF's Wellness Center Programs.

AHF operates 21 Wellness Centers in the District of Columbia and eight states, including Florida, California, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington. For more information about Wellness Center services and locations, please visit www.freestdcheck.org. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 841,000 individuals in 39 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) and Instagram: @aidshealthcare View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171211006309/en/

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[December 11, 2017] Dynamic Communities Announces GPUG Amplify Conference to Educate Business Leaders Using Dynamics GP

TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dynamic Communities, the supporting organization behind the official user group for Microsoft Dynamics GP (GPUG) announces GPUG Amplify to be held March 19-21, 2018 at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Chicago, IL. GPUG Amplify is the only conference for top-level and mid-level managers utilizing Microsoft Dynamics GP to gather with fellow business leaders and Microsoft leaders to network and exchange knowledge on how to best maximize Dynamics GP performance to achieve business success. Attendees will have access to: Earn CPE credits and learn from product experts via three learning tracks: Reporting, Functional, and Executive Leadership

Intimate networking opportunities with top Dynamics GP resources, including session presenters, other business leaders, ISV vendors and the Microsoft Dynamics GP Support team

Discover innovations via numerous independent software vendors (ISVs) showcasing their latest solutions and creative capabilities "To stay a modern leader, it'simportant to be innovative and strive to learn more about your craft. I am excited to announce GPUG Amplify; a spring conference exclusively featuring Dynamics GP content for business leaders," said GPUG General Manager Bob McAdam. "GPUG Amplify is also being held in the Midwest - the GP stronghold of the world - at a brand new hotel: The Marriott Marquis Chicago. Attend GPUG Amplify this spring to improve your leadership qualities and bring back countless new ideas for practical application."



Recommended job roles include anyone with managerial responsibilities, such as: Decision-Makers

Executives

Controllers & IT Directors

AP/AR Managers Attendees can save money by registering through the Early Bird registration deadline on January 24. To register, visit: www.gpugamplify.com.

Partner Exchange for Dynamics Partners

Dynamics Partners are also invited to attend the Partner Exchange on Monday, March 19th, prior to GPUG Amplify. This one-day event is jam-packed with new sales and marketing sessions, along with thought leadership and business development best practices. Learn more at www.gpugamplify.com/pricing. About Dynamic Communities

Dynamic Communities is a business management organization that develops and supports technology-centric user groups  providing necessary resources and business operations such as staff, systems and event production. Dynamic Communities fosters the development, growth and engagement of volunteer-driven user groups that provide hubs for like-minded technology users to exchange knowledge on how to best maximize product performance. www.dynamiccommunities.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dynamic-communities-announces-gpug-amplify-conference-to-educate-business-leaders-using-dynamics-gp-300569773.html SOURCE Dynamic Communities

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[December 11, 2017] Planning for the Future: PLM Success for Centric Software and YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP

CAMPBELL, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Centric Software is delighted to announce the release of a success story about its customer, YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP (YNAP). For YNAP, selecting a PLM solution was about a single, actionable version of the truth for production. "We needed a holistic view of production. We hoped that having the right PLM would help us to manage the entire lifecycle of a product from prototype to production, check the gap between the initial budget we have for each brand and the real cost of goods ordered, track the cost of samples, and communicate with suppliers using one standard format and platform," explained Marco Gallo, Product Developer at YNAP. "We felt that Centric Software provided the best tool for our specific requirements." Read full story to learn more. YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP (www.ynap.com) YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP is the world's leading online luxury fashion retailer. The Group is a global company with Anglo-Italian roots, the result of a game-changing merger, which brought YOOX GROUP and THE NET-A-PORTER GROUP together in October 2015; the two companies had revolutionized the luxury fashion industry since their birth in 200.



YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP is a unique business with an unrivalled offering including multi-brand in-season online stores NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, and multi-brand off-season online stores YOOX and THE OUTNET, as well as numerous ONLINE FLAGSHIP STORES, all "Powered by YNAP". Through a joint venture established in 2012, YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP has partnered with Kering to manage the ONLINE FLAGSHIP STORES of several of the French group's luxury brands. In 2016, YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP joined forces with Symphony, an entity controlled by Mohamed Alabbar's family, to establish a ground-breaking joint venture to create the Middle East's undisputed leader for online luxury retail.

Uniquely positioned in the high growth online luxury sector, YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP has an unrivalled client base of more than 2.9 million high-spending customers, 29 million monthly unique visitors worldwide and combined 2016 net revenues of EUR1.9 billion. The Group has offices and operations in the United States, Europe, Japan, Mainland China and Hong Kong and delivers to more than 180 countries around the world. YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange as YNAP. Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com) From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in trend capitals around the world, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) is a visual, fully digital collection of boards for touch-based devices like iPad, iPhone and large-scale, touch-screen televisions. Centric VIP transforms decision making and automates execution to truly collapse time to market and distance to trend. Centric's flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, business planning, quality, and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB packages extended PLM including innovative technology and key industry learnings tailored for small businesses. Centric Software has received multiple industry awards, including the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM in 2016 and Frost & Sullivan's Global Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM Product Differentiation Excellence Award in 2012. Red Herring named Centric to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015, and 2016. Centric is a registered trademark of Centric Software. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. SOURCE Centric Software

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[December 12, 2017] The Second Edition of TechBhubaneswar Conference Held in Bhubaneswar on December 10

BHUBANESWAR, India, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- - Mindfire Solutions hosted the second edition of the first ever technical conference in Eastern India - 13 eminent speakers and 650 selected attendees came together to discuss futuristic digital technologies and emerging technological trends Mindfire Solutions has been organizing TechBhubaneswar - the first technical conference in Eastern India - with the aim to build a thriving technical community in the city of Bhubaneswar since 2016. The globally respected custom software services company hosted the second edition of TechBhubaneswar yesterday at Hotel Mayfair Convention, Bhubaneswar. The technical conference consisted of sessions by 13 eminent speakers, carefully chosen after scanning 57 speaker proposals and 650 attendees who were selected after scanning about 1300 attendee registration requests. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618486/Mindfire_Solutions_Logo.jpg )



The single-day tech conference comprised of 12 sessions, 3 technical tracks, and a panel discussion. The event commenced with the welcome speech delivered by Mr Chinmoy Panda, CEO & Founder at Mindfire Solutions. Mr Panda's keynote speech focused on the initiatives taken by Mindfire Solutions to build a technical community in Bhubaneswar. To quote from Mr Panda's keynote speech, "As a group we observed something was missing in Bhubaneswar - a neutral conference focused on learning, knowledge and getting everyone together. It is with this purpose of community that we organized TechBhubaneswr for the first time last year. The enthusiastic participation further inspired us to organize the second edition this year, and it has been astounding. We hope to continue this for years to come, and TechBhubaneswar will be seen in future as one of many steps that made Bhubaneswar a technology hot-spot."



The keynote session was conducted by Mr Manoj Choudhary, Founder of Inverted Rainbows Technologies. The topic helped attendees to understand the basics, usage, and application of a futuristic and disruptive technology - Artificial Intelligence (AI). The organizers of TechBhubaneswar made it easier for participants to attend relevant sessions by organizing the individual sessions into three tracks - Software Testing, Futuristic Technologies and Open Source & Cloud. Most of these individual sessions were conducted by Founders, CEOs, and CTOs of tech companies and start-ups. The sessions on software testing covered test automation re-invention, top security vulnerabilities, latest security testing methodologies, and common software testing issues and challenges. In the Futuristic technologies track, Mr Ritesh Modi spoke on 'BlockChain and Etherum - The Disruptive Force', Ms Pooja Baraskar presented on 'Commercial Internet of Things' and Miss Diksha Deo, the Founder and CEO of Incubsense, who spoke on the topic 'Transform Business and Enterprise with Hololens and Mixed Reality'. The sessions on open source and cloud technologies covered 'Actor based programming', and 'Commonly used design patterns in projects', along with Mr Dhananjay Kumar's presentation on 'Object Prototypes in JavaScript'.

Within a short span of time, Bhubaneswar has emerged as a smart city and a robust IT hub. But the IT professionals working in Bhubaneswar often look for opportunities to connect and interact with tech experts and industry leaders. Mindfire Solutions helped IT professionals to discuss cutting edge technologies and emerging technological trends with experts by hosting TechBhubaneswar 2.0. Mindfire Solutions will definitely expand the tech conference in 2018 to expand and strengthen the Bhubaneswar-based tech community. The initiative taken by Mindfire Solutions will definitely encourage other players to organize more technical conferences in Eastern India. To get details about the technical sessions, speakers and topics, event photographs, please check TechBhubaneswar Facebook page. About Mindfire Solutions: Mindfire Solutions is an 18+ year old, globally respected Custom Software Services company which serves 400+ SMB clients in U.S., UK, Australia, Asia and Europe. Currently Mindfire has 700+ employees in its advanced development centres at Noida and Bhubaneswar. Mindfire provides custom application development, outsourced product development, custom migration services and QA testing services to its esteemed clients. For More Information, please visit Mindfire Solutions' website: http://www.mindfiresolutions.com/

Media Contact:

Debendra Nandi

Brand Manager, Mindfire Solutions

Email: [email protected]

Contact: +91-98612-88125





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[December 12, 2017] 6d Technologies: Digitalizing Subscriber Registration Across African Markets

BANGALORE, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 6d Technologies' Engrafi solution has enabled renowned telecom operators across Africa to simplify, streamline and secure their subscriber registration process 6d Technologies, a pioneer in the telecom technology sector is significantly contributing to the progress of the telecom players in various markets, globally. Their ingenious solutions and platforms enable operators to adhere to the strict laws pertaining to subscriber safety and anti-fraud enforced by the concerned regulatory bodies in the respective countries. Most countries in the African subcontinent rely on manual subscriber registration process that often leads to fraud, jeopardizing data security and leading to errors in data accumulation in the form of collecting and maintaining customer records and other data sources. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618488/6d_Technologies_Logo.jpg ) The deployment of Engrafi across African countries like Chad, Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania and Angola with renowned operators has enabled them to successfully manage and enhance its user-friendly interface. Engrafi facilitates for a quick and convenient subscriber registration process bringing in great customer delight. In some cases, they have the capability to allow subscribers to register themselves with quick digitalized forms, ensuring authentic verification of the user, thereby reducingthe chances of identity fraud and compliance abuse. Because Engrafi can be seamlessly deployed, network operators can be alleviated of any other functions and focus only on increasing their customer base.



"There is no doubt that constant reforms from regulatory bodies are drafted to ensure safety and security, operators face various challenges in collecting KYC information from the existing as well as new subscribers. Intuitive interfaces, fraud handling, ensuring data authenticity and tight timelines are other challenges faced by the operators. Our product 'Engrafi' - Subscriber Registration Solution, addresses all these challenges and brings digitalized, easy, quick and user-friendly solution , which enhances customer experience," asserts Kenil Paul, Vice President at 6d Technologies. Registration of subscribers becomes difficult in developing countries and rural areas where there is no proper internet connectivity for the field agents/dealers/retailers. Online registration and validations seem objectively problematic leading to losing out on prospective customers. To mitigate this, 6d's Engrafi platform enables collection of user information in case of low or no internet connectivity, allowing operators to manage transactions in offline mode and further process them when the connection is restored.

6d's Engrafi has enabled reduction in the acquisition cost by cutting down the distribution process, cost of material handling and reducing costs on maintenance for various clients across the globe. To read the full article: http://6dtech.co.in/customer-touch-points/subscribersim-registration/. About Engrafi: 6d's Engrafi is a fully digitalized, robust and efficient solution for subscriber registration coupled with flexible and user-friendly GUI features. It also comes with capabilities such as just-in-time SIM activation that simplifies, streamlines and secures the registration process by submitting the documents with a simple device like a smart phone or a tablet to collect, capture, store and register the subscriber regardless of their location. About 6d Technologies: 6d Technologies offer solutions to help organizations meet changing demands of the modern age customers. It serves clients in 50+ countries across five continents with an employee arsenal of over 600+ across the globe. The organization's clientele basket includes some of the major telecom leaders across the globe.

Marketing and communication contact:

Name: Anshul Singh

Phone: +91-7838088003

Email: [email protected]





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[December 12, 2017] Cloud Connect China to be Held in Two Cities in 2018

SHANGHAI, Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As new technologies like cloud computing, big data, AI and so forth are promoting enterprises'construction of informatization, Cloud Connect China, one of the most influential events in cloud computing industry hosted by UBM in China, will be upgraded in 2018 after the successful conclusion of the 5th edition in 2017 with the debut of Interop - one of the max events in global networking market for more than 30 years. To enhance the participation of end-user enterprises and to optimize the cloud strategy and practices in a thorough way, Interop & Cloud Connect China 2018 will be held twice a year in two cities for the first time with one in May in Shanghai and the other in September in Zhengzhou, still in the form of conferences and an expo. Five Years' Success with High Reputation Cloud Connect China was introduced into Chinese market by UBM China since 2013 in the form of conference and expo, supervised under Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization. It was projected to be a great comprehensive communication platform gathering cloud suppliers, developers and end users together. About ten internationally well-known cloud computing enterprises exhibited and thousands of professional audience assembled. Latest Information about the applications of cloud computing in popular fields and development trend were shared through the event. In 2017, Interop & Cloud Connect China was successfully held on September 5-7 at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, which had attracted hundreds of enterprises of cloud computing, cybersecurity, networking, etc and C-level leaders of IT department from end-user industries. 3257 people presented and 63 IT professionals delivered speeches on technological topics. And most participants spoke highly of the simultaneous activities such as "The 4th Top Cloud Connect Awards Ceremony", "Enterprise CIO Forum", "Matchmaking Event", etc. May in Shanghai and September in Zhengzhou Interop & Cloud Connect China 2018 is set to focus on industry application and matchmaking with the linkage of partners in both southern and northern China. Domestic and overseas IT leaders will come together and share deep interpretations with end users on the technology needs of Internet and the difficulties accompanying. Many key technological topics will be discussed throughout the event like loud computing, big data, Internet of Things, cybersecurity and AI, etc.



It'll be a new beginning that Interop & Cloud Connect China 2018 to be held in Shanghai International Convention Center on May 9-11. There will be many simultaneous forums on industry application through the event to cater for audience from end-user industries such as finance, medicine, education, etc. The forums are aimed at realizing the productive matchmaking between upstream and downstream enterprises by putting emphases on the needs of industry informatization and providing practice studies of good solutions and diversified application topics and demonstrations of cloud computing technologies and products. What's more, based on the characteristics of industries in Henan province and with the strong support of provincial government, Interop & Cloud Connect China will take place in Zhengzhou International Convention Center for the first time on September 27-29.

Zhengzhou, an important central city in Chinese middle-area, is far ahead of other Chinese cities in multimodel transport, cross-border E-commerce, storage and distribution. In 2018, In order to bring benefits to multimodal transport and cross-border E-companies in Zhengzhou, during Interop & Cloud Connect China 2018, topics to be discussed will include construction of big data centers in Zhengzhou and the development of logistics intelligentize and the whole flow solutions and application cases will be demonstrated. One-stop Service - A Bridge between Upstream and Downstream Interop & Cloud Connect China 2018 will be an incomparable one-stop platform for IT suppliers to demonstrate their brands and images through showcasing products and technologies at the booth or delivering speeches at the workshop, keynote or other tracks and so forth, which will also be an accelerator of companies'enlargement of their influence on target markets. Now, opportunities of showing up at Interop & Cloud Connect China 2018 are open to IT suppliers specializing in cloud computing, big data, networking, etc. Apply for getting a booth or sponsorship now and enjoy early bird treatment. In the meantime, the advisory board of Interop & Cloud Connect China 2018 is accepting speech proposals for the Shanghai event held on May 9-11. All experts in cloud computing industry or related downstream industries are welcomed to submit proposals before January 19 and grab the chance of being one of the international speakers to share insights about technology revolution, trends and application cases with thousands of attendees. Click here to learn more details about "Call for Submission": http://www.cloudconnectevent.cn/en-us/Call-for-Submission More information about Interop & Cloud Connect China 2018: http://www.cloudconnectevent.cn/en-us/index Learn all forms of booths or sponsorship: http://www.cloudconnectevent.cn/en-us/Sponsorship-Opportunities About Interop & Cloud Connect Organized by UBM Tech, Cloud Connect was firstly held in U.S Silicon Valley and crowned as one of the Top 10 Global Cloud Computing Events. Interop, one of the max events in global networking market, has been successfully held by UBM for consecutive 30 years. It is held twice a year in Las Vegas and Tokyo, being focused on specialized technology fields such as datacentre, cloud storage service, high-speed network data exchange, wireless and mobile, virtual information service, data unified communication, information security, venture management, business application of high-speed network, etc. Contact sales for customized exhibiting plan: Ms. Kico Wang

(86-21) 6157 7241

[email protected] Mr. Alex Sun

(86-21) 6157 3948

[email protected] Mr. Derren Gong

(86-21) 6157 7250

[email protected] Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20171212/2011967-1-a

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20171212/2011967-1-b SOURCE UBM China

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[December 12, 2017] Planview extends work and resource management platform into Lean and Agile with acquisition of LeanKit

"Enterprise Kanban for Engineers" solution fuels Lean-Agile scaling, embraces broader world of work, and advances portfolio management capabilities AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Planview establishes a firm foothold in Lean and Agile with its acquisition of LeanKit. The addition of LeanKit's "Enterprise Kanban for Engineers" solution advances Planview's work and resource management (WRM) vision of supporting all the ways organizations work, ensuring they can plan and scale more effectively to deliver customer value faster. By combining enterprise-class Kanban with powerful workflow and collaboration capabilities, LeanKit helps those in application development, DevOps, and IT operations leverage Lean principles and scale agility across the enterprise. LeanKit's solution furthers Planview's ability to serve engineers and technical professionals at the heart of the digital transformation movement that is disrupting many industries. In addition, for manufacturing and product engineering organizations, LeanKit provides the opportunity to extend Lean principles to the domain of engineering and design, advancing Planview's "business PLM" vision. "In today's hypercompetitive, digitally driven environment, more and more companies are looking to leverage Lean and Agile to increase their ability to innovate," said Greg Gilmore, CEO of Planview. "By joining Planview and LeanKit together, we're committing to helping our customers execute better and build process excellence that will advance all their wor and resource management capabilities."



"Planview and LeanKit share a common vision of providing our enterprise customers with best-in-class, scalable solutions that enable them to run better and faster," said Jon Terry, co-founder and co-CEO of LeanKit. "We are excited to join the Planview family and together deliver top-performing work and resource management solutions to the enterprise market," said Tim Mulron, co-CEO of LeanKit. "The necessity of work and resource management for organizations requires them to structure and streamline their tasks, activities, projects, and portfolios in a methodical manner, but also support Lean- and Agile-based approaches," said Mark Smith, CEO and chief research officer at Ventana Research. "Planview's acquisition of LeanKit and its innovation in enterprise Kanban provides Planview the ability to deliver on the value of work and resource management and elevate beyond traditional project-based processes."

As more companies adopt Agile work methodologies to innovate and evolve at a faster rate, they are also embracing Lean principles to support their digital transformations. The integration of LeanKit into Planview's broader portfolio of WRM solutions allows customers to not only optimize work and resources, but also enables the continuous improvement, cultural change, and strategic execution required for successful transformation. On Nov. 7, Planview launched a new era of work and resource management with the announcement of Planview Enterprise One  the first enterprise solution designed to unify a broad set of work and resource management domains to help break down organizational silos, bring teams together, and accelerate the strategy-to-delivery process. Planview Enterprise One goes beyond point solutions for project portfolio management, enterprise architecture, and collaborative work management, and now with the addition of LeanKit to Planview's WRM platform, Lean-Agile to orchestrate strategic execution enterprise-wide across all work and resources. About Planview

As the global leader in work and resource management, Planview makes it easier for all organizations to achieve their business goals. We provide the industry's most comprehensive solutions designed for strategic planning, portfolio and resource management, product innovation, capability and technology management, Lean and Agile delivery, and collaborative work management. Our solutions span every class of work, resource, and organization to address the varying needs of diverse and distributed teams, departments, and enterprises. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Planview's more than 700 employees serve 5,000 customers worldwide through a culture of innovative technology leadership, deep market expertise, and highly engaged communities. For more information, visit www.planview.com. About LeanKit

Founded in 2009, LeanKit is the leading enterprise Kanban tool, helping organizations visualize work, optimize processes, and deliver value faster. More than 50,000 teams of all types  including software development, IT operations, DevOps, and their extended value streams  rely on LeanKit every day to apply Lean-Agile principles to their work. For more information, visit www.leankit.com. Planview

Jane Kovacs

[email protected]

+1 512 596 4582 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/617559/Planview_WRM_Platform.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/466379/Planview_Logo.jpg

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[December 12, 2017] Rasilient Systems Protects the Louvre Museum with Forensic-Grade Video Surveillance

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Louvre in Abu Dhabi demands the highest level of security to protect the priceless masterpieces that are housed within. With hundreds of surveillance cameras covering 8,000 square meters of exhibitions, Louvre's essential requirements are security, performance and reliability. Rasilient provides the surveillance video storage system solution capable of meeting and exceeding Louvre's requirements while offering unmatched data integrity and storage reliability, as well as scalability to accommodate future growth. The Louvre's surveillance system includes 2.5 petabytes of storage using Rasilient's fully redundant PS5000 series storage systems. Based on Rasilient's No Frame Dop (NFD) technologies, the Louvre system will enjoy video recording with no recording gaps. Every single camera frame is processed and recorded. In addition, Rasilient's Proactive technology also monitors the health of every disc drive inside the Louvre system to enable cloning right before an actual drive failure. The Louvre system protects against any unrecoverable data loss caused by simultaneous multi-drive failures. Proactive also enables scheduled service rather than reactive emergency service calls, thereby enabling the Louvre museum to cut its operating expenses. The Louvre's storage system also has a highly scalable architecture. This makes sure every dollar invested by the Louvre is protected against obsolescence. As the museum's surveillance needs change, more storage space and processing power can be added independently to the existing storage system to accommodate the new environment.



If your company requires the ultimate video surveillance protection, please contact our sales team at [email protected]. To learn more about Rasilient's contribution to Louvre Abu Dhabi, please here http://rasilient.com/the-making-of-the-louvre-abu-dhabi/.

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[December 12, 2017] Apple and Chicago Join Forces to Bring Coding Opportunities to City's Students

Apple (News - Alert) today announced that it is working with the city of Chicago to bring coding opportunities to Chicago's nearly 500,000 students through a citywide expansion of Apple's Everyone Can Code program. The initiative in Chicago was designed in collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, local businesses and non-profit organizations. Together, Apple and local organizations are helping expand opportunities for students to build the skills they need to pursue careers in the app economy by becoming proficient in Swift (News - Alert), Apple's easy-to-learn programming language that empowers anyone to create world-class apps. "At Apple we believe coding is an essential skill, so we've designed Everyone Can Code to give everyone the power to learn, write and teach coding," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We're thrilled to be working with our friends and partners in the great city of Chicago on this initiative. Together with Mayor Emanuel, Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges, we look forward to helping students learn Swift and build the skills they need to thrive in today's workplace." Starting this spring, Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago will expand Everyone Can Code curriculum and materials to reach students citywide. For the first time, City Colleges of Chicago will offer the innovative App Development with Swift curriculum, helping students build skills around coding and app development. Chicago Public Schools will also offer new Swift Coding Clubs, which bring coding education to after-school programs. Swift Coding Clubs guide students through key coding concepts, introduce them to Swift and walk them through an app design and prototyping project. Apple and local businesses, including GE Transportation, IBM (News - Alert), Jellyvision, Lextech, McDonald's, Rush University Medical Center, Ulta Beauty and United Airlineswill add volunteer opportunities for their Chicago-based employees to help support students. Additionally, 1871, One Summer Chicago and other Chicago-based businesses will offer more than 100 internships to high school and college students who have completed the Everyone Can Code curriculum.



"Coding is not just a critical skill in today's economy, it is another outlet for students to expand their horizons and explore their creativity," said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "Everyone Can Code is an incredible opportunity for young people across Chicago to learn the language of the future, sharpen their minds and develop the skill sets needed to compete and win in the 21st century." "Everyone Can Code gives students opportunities to learn new skills and develop a strong foundation in STEM to prepare them for a successful future in the 21st-century economy," said Dr. Janice K. Jackson, acting Chief Executive Officer at Chicago Public Schools. "This initiative introduces coding curriculum that develops core skills, creativity, collaboration and problem solving, which will help lay the groundwork for a successful future."

Apple provides learning experiences for coding in all Apple Stores. New App Development Design sessions also premiered at Apple Michigan Avenue this fall. Everyone Can Code is a program designed by Apple to help everyone learn how to code, creating opportunities for all students and preparing them for the workforce. The comprehensive program includes a range of free resources, from helping students explore basic coding concepts to building fully functional apps. Swift is Apple's powerful and intuitive programming language that gives developers the freedom and capabilities they need to create the next generation of cutting-edge software. Popular apps including Airbnb, KAYAK, TripAdvisor, Venmo and Yelp (News - Alert) are all created with Swift. The app economy has generated more than 1.5 million jobs in the US and more than 64,000 jobs in Illinois alone. The demand for coding skills continues to grow, with more than 500,000 programming and coding positions available in the US as of August 2017. Since the launch of the App Store in 2008, US app developers have earned over $16 billion in App Store sales. Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone (News - Alert), iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple's four software platforms - iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS - provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple's more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it. NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.  2017 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Swift and App Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005450/en/

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[December 12, 2017] WePower to use BlockEx for ICO

LONDON, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WePower, a blockchain-based green energy trading platform, is set to use BlockEx to facilitate its ICO

BlockEx is a Digital Asset Exchange Platform (DAxP). As part of its mission to offer the best digital assets to its traders, it is launching the BlockEx ICO Market. This will help companies to launch their ICOs, which will then be hosted exclusively on the platform. BlockEx provides a flow of highly vetted ICOs to traders, and everyone in its marketplace will have passed KYC and AML. BlockEx prides itself on bringing the regulatory framework and good governance of traditional financial institutions to the ICO landscape (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/608924/BlockEx_Logo.jpg ) One of the high quality ICOs available on BlockEx is WePower. As BlockEx cleans up the ICO landscape, WePower is making energy cleaner. Instead of waiting for institutional change, WePower is creating an energy revolution from the ground up. WePower enables renewable energy producers to raise cpital by issuing their own energy tokens. These tokens represent energy they commit to produce and deliver. Energy producers will be able to raise funds from households and investors directly by selling energy tokens.





WePower is particularly important right now, as concerns for the environment increase, and funding for new renewable energy projects decrease. Banks have started requesting increased equity on these projects. The equity to debt ratio has gone from 20:80 to 50:50. Investment has plunged 23% year-on-year. Into this environment comes WePower. It enables a more grassroots approach to funding renewable energy projects.



WePower is integrated with the energy grid and wholesale energy markets. WePower has already secured necessary partnerships with key industry players, so can start energy trading immediately. They also have an impressive team. Their CTO Kaspar Kaarlep led the first nationwide smart grid and smart metering systems implementation in Estonia. Blockchain development is led by Jon Matonis (founding partner of Bitcoin Foundation) and their token economy is structured with the help of Eyal Hertzog (chief product architect of the Bancor Protocol).

WePower will be launching the WPR token. This token stores value and ensures liquidity. Energy producers on the WePower platform donate part of the energy they produce to WPR token holders. Token holders can use this energy, or sell it. WPR tokens constantly accrue energy, meaning they accumulate real value.

BlockEx will provide technical infrastructure to buy WPR tokens using BTC, ETH and fiat. Participants can also get tokens direct from WePower using ETH. About BlockEx BlockEx's Digital Asset Exchange Platform (DAxP) is an institutional grade exchange with blockchain asset origination, dematerialisation and life-cycle management tools. Offices are in London, Bulgaria, Taiwan and Israel. For more information, visit https://www.blockex.com/



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[December 12, 2017] Digital Domain's Original VR Creation "Micro Giants" To Be Featured at Sundance Film Festival

For the first time, an original creation from China will be featured at the film festival, helping to showcase Chinese VR technology on the international stage HONG KONG, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Domain Holdings Limited (the "Company" or "Digital Domain"; stock code: 547), one of the largest and most innovative providers of visual effects and virtual reality (VR) experiences, announced today that its original VR creation "Micro Giants" is to be featured at the New Frontier exhibition of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in recognition of the exceptional creativity made possible by advanced VR technology. "Micro Giants" beat numerous independent AI, VR or MR entries to become the only original creation from China to be featured at the New Frontier exhibition. This is also the first original creation from Digital Domain's Greater China team to receive an international honor. Digital Domain continues to be honored by the Sundance Film Institute, as the studio was featured by New Frontier in 2015 for the production of "Evolution of Verse," directed by Chris Milk. "Micro Giants" tells an immersive narrative about animals and plants in a micro-ecosystem through vivid details and an exquisite design. For a film that is entirely created by a diverse Greater China team within the global studio to be solely featured at the New Frontier exhibition of the Sundance Film Festival indicates that VR accomplishments from around the world are winning international recognition. Digital Domain continues to leverage its strong background in the visual effects community and proprietary access to innovative immersive technologies to boost the development of their regional locations to create quality VR content for consumers worldwide. Mr. Daniel Seah, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Domain, commented, "We thank the organizers of the film festival for giving us this opportunity. To be recognized shows off Digital Domain's VR strength and creativity, but also helps to showcase the accomplishments of the Chinese VR community. I'm thrilled to see that Digital Domain can showcase more regional talent on the international stage with an original VR reation like 'Micro Giants'."



"As another original IP for Digital Domain, 'Micro Giants' has fully demonstrated our top artistic creativity and advanced VR technology," Mr. Seah went on to say. "Since we entered the VR market, Digital Domain has expanded from only B2B to achieve remarkable results in B2C. As 'Micro Giants' receives this international honor, we're even more confident of, and holding higher expectations for, the future of our VR business." Mr. Yifu Zhou, Micro Giants Director and Creative Director at Digital Domain Greater China, said, "We've been trying to make today's films more viable and more diverse through VR. 'Micro Giants' is completely produced through CG, using 360-degree animation to unveil the secret world in forests and under grasses as vividly as it can be. This is made possible by the clever artistic conceptualization and extraordinary skills of our team. I'm very pleased to see that this creation can be recognized by the Sundance Film Festival. This not only is encouraging to Digital Domain's Greater China team, but also will further inspire the enthusiasm of Chinese artists around the world for VR creation."

Digital Domain boasts a world-class VR creation team. Mr. Yifu Zhou, who is the Director of "Micro Giants" and currently Creative Director at Digital Domain Greater China, joined Digital Domain in 2013, responsible for the development and production of the company's original contents. Mr. Zhou and his team began to venture into the VR field in 2016. They were involved in projects like the production of TFBOYS' VR music video "The Big Dreamer", the live broadcast of Faye Wong's "Moments Live" concert using VR special effects, and the VR extra of the film "Legend of the Naga Pearls". With very high artistic attainments and content quality, they set the bar for VR creation in the Greater China region. Previously, Mr. Zhou was in Digital Domain's Los Angeles studio working on visual effects for blockbusters such as the Disney film "Maleficent" as well as commercials for Nissan and Nike. Mr. Zhou also worked together with Marvel Comics founder Mr. Stan Lee to create Superhero content, obtaining rich experience in the industry. In China, Digital Domain aims to develop and execute innovative VR consumer experiences with VR theaters. In addition to featuring Digital Domain original creations, the VR theaters also will showcase VR content and games from partners, presenting consumers with a wide range of VR experiences. Micro Giants will be shown in Digital Domain's VR theaters soon. About Digital Domain Holdings Limited Digital Domain creates transportive experiences that entertain, inform and inspire. The company is a pioneer in many fields, including visual effects, livestreaming landmark events in 360-degree virtual reality, building situational awareness applications, creating "virtual humans" for use in films and live events, and developing interactive content. A creative force in visual effects and media applications, Digital Domain and its predecessor entities have brought artistry and technology to hundreds of motion pictures, commercials, video games, music videos and virtual reality experiences. Its groundbreaking visual effects appear in films such as "Titanic," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and blockbusters "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Beauty and the Beast." Staff artists have won more than 100 major awards, including Academy Awards, Clios, BAFTA awards and Cannes Lions. Digital Domain has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Portland, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei and Hyderabad. Digital Domain Holdings Limited is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 547). Digital Domain Holdings Limited: www.ddhl.com

Digital Domain: www.digitaldomain.com Greater China Press Contact:

Carrie Chu

[email protected]

+852 3150 8528 North America Press Contact:

Allison Citino

[email protected]

+1-(310) 314-2833 Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20171212/2013101-1 SOURCE Digital Domain Holdings Ltd.

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[December 12, 2017] Simplilearn Launches Courses in New Age Digital Domains Namely - Machine Learning, Digital and Social Selling and Blockchain

BANGALORE, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Simplilearn, the digital economy training company, has launched three new age courses in Machine Learning, Digital and Social Selling and Blockchain. Through these new courses, Simplilearn is positioned to help professionals and enterprises stay relevant with the latest skill sets relevant for the digital age. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/535442/Simplilearn_Logo.jpg ) "Businsses today are at the crux of digital transformation, and the adoption of newer technologies is disrupting the way companies function. As we witness the rapid pace of change brought about by this digital transformation, we continue to help our students and enterprises adapt to the demands of the digital age by gaining new skills. Our exciting new courses were developed to meet the growing need for digital skills across enterprises and to create new career opportunities for our students," says Anand Narayanan, Chief Product Officer at Simplilearn.



The new Machine Learning course was developed in response to the rapidly growing Machine Learning market. According to a research by Markets and Markets, the spending on machine learning technologies and applications is expected to grow from USD 1.03 billion in 2016 to USD 8.81 billion by 2022, a compound annual growth rate of 44.1 percent. The course is offered through an instructor-led classroom model with hands-on application of algorithms in machine learning. The course is designed for aspiring data scientists and machine learning engineers. The Digital and Social Selling course is designed to help professionals and enterprises leverage advanced digital tools and techniques to drive faster conversions and generate higher returns. Students get hands-on exposure to modern CRM and sales intelligence tools. This course is ideal for sales and marketing professionals.

Blockchain technology is used to manage digital currency assets worldwide. Simplilearn's Blockchain course provides a deep understanding of blockchain technology, including the emerging trends in Blockchain innovation. This course is designed for web developers and those who need to understand Bitcoin transactions. About Simplilearn Simplilearn's mission is to help professionals around the world acquire the skills they need to succeed in today's digital economy. The company provides online training in disciplines such as Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Project Management, Digital Marketing, Data Science and other emerging technologies. Based in San Francisco, California and Bangalore, India, Simplilearn has helped more than 500,000 professionals and companies across 150+ countries get trained, acquire certifications and upskill employees. Its training courses are designed and updated by renowned industry experts. Simplilearn's blended learning approach combines online classes, instructor-led live virtual classrooms, relevant hands-on projects, and 24/7 teaching assistance. Leading global training organizations have recognized Simplilearn as an official provider of certification training and the company has been named the 8th most influential education brand in the world by LinkedIn. To learn more, go to https://www.simplilearn.com.

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[December 12, 2017] Honor Confirms Expansion to Southeast Asia Smartphone Market

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Honor, a young, innovative, and trend-setting brand under the Huawei Group, today introduced the Honor 7X, the latest member from its X-series range, to Malaysia, opening the new chapter of Honor's global journey into Southeast Asia. More about Honor and its SEA plan Honor is a smartphone brand originally established by Huawei Group in 2013. While after only a few years of its birth, it is already setting record in China as well as international markets. During Singles' Day Sales in China, which just ended one month ago, Honor generated over RMB4.02 billion (approximately US$605 million) revenue on China's largest e-commerce platform. It has also become the top 1 online smartphone brand in China, according to the market research firm Sino. Moreover, Honor has already established its footprints in various developed regions ahead of its main rivals, including the Western Europe, the Nordics, Eastern Europe, and North America. "Honor is a trend-setting brand born for digital natives, all the products made by us are aiming to be pioneers in three key areas: new technology offering, aesthetics design, and the accessibility for young generation," said George Zhao, President of Honor. "I'm thrilled to announce that we are now officially landing ourselves in Southeast Asia, which will be our strategic markets in coming years. With the debut of Honor 7X in Malaysia, it is just the very beginning of our journey to Southeast Asia. In the near future, we aim to bring Honor closer to our fans in other key markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Singapore and so on."



Kuala Lumpur today, Honor has announced a series of strategic partnerships with key industry players, including DJI, the market leader in easy-to-fly drones and aerial photography systems; IGG, a renowned video game developer and publisher; Grab, the technology company that offers ride-hailing and logistics services through its app in Southeast Asian nations; and Mobile Legend, one of the most popular mobile games in Southeast Asia . "Honor is committed to setting up close engagement with our audience - the young generation and the ones who are young at heart, in their language and at their preferences, not just invest heavily in advertising or costly sponsorships," added George Zhao, "all the partnerships we initiated are designed to fit into young people's lifestyle, so as to offer them the best product and brand experience. We are determined to bring the best of Honor's brand DNA to Southeast Asian markets soon."

About Honor 7X Stunning FullView Display Featuring a stunning FullView Display and a 5.93-inch edge-to-edge, bezel-less screen design, Honor 7X provides outstanding display quality with a super-high screen-to-body ratio (18:9), allowing mobile gamers to see more when in the midst of the action. Professional Photography The dual-lens 16MP + 2MP rear camera captures people and scenes in the highest definition. With Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) and the latest algorithms, it enables focusing in as fast as 0.18 second. Other premium features with great accessibility The device also packs a range of other superior features, including a powerful octa-core Kirin 659 and graphics processing unit (GPU), together with a solid 3,340 mAh battery life. Honor 7X promises high price-performance value with an uncompromising commitment to product quality at RM1,099, and will be available for purchase in Malaysia from December 22. About Honor Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, "For the Brave", the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers. For more information, please visit Honor online at www.hihonor.com or follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/honorglobal/

https://twitter.com/Honorglobal

https://www.instagram.com/honorglobal/

https://www.youtube.com/honorglobal For media enquiries, please contact: Burson-Marsteller Hong Kong Reed Li

+852 2963 6719

[email protected]

Alice Du

+852 2963 6767

[email protected] SOURCE Honor

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[December 12, 2017] nFusz Inc. and WFN1 News Corp Ink Strategic Partnership Deal

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- nFusz, Inc. (OTCQB:FUSZ), the Hollywood-based digital technology company, has entered into a strategic partnership with WFN1 News Corp, producer of iHeartRadios popular CEO Money - Americas Business Show, hosted by Michael Yorba, and heard on Talk Radio 1190 AM in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX and online at www.wfn1.com. The cross-promotional, advertising, and revenue share deal provides WFN1 and its clients with access to nFuszs proprietary notifiCRM interactive video marketing technology, for enhanced promotion and sponsorship opportunities. In return, nFusz will gain brand visibility and guaranteed business media coverage through ongoing radio spots and online ads. In addition, nFusz CEO Rory J. Cutaia will be featured every Wednesday, at 3pm ET/12pm PT, on his own segment called nFusz Insights, in which Mr. Cutaia and Michael Yorba will discuss current trends in marketing, sales, and lead generation through interactive video.

An interactive video accompanying this press release is available here. This partnership will enhance our bottom lne by increasing our exposure to WFN1s listener base and impressive client/investor network, stated Mr. Cutaia



WFN1s CEO and Host of CEO Money, Michael Yorba, added, the relationship with nFusz is the missing link in WFN1s mission to becoming a next-level media company. We are very excited to be working with a company that is poised to disrupt the $38 billion-dollar CRM industry. About nFusz, Inc.

nFusz, Inc. (OTCQB:FUSZ) is a Hollywood-based digital tech company. Our proprietary next generation interactive video technology is the core of our new broadcast and cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products. We offer subscription-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM), sales lead generation, and social engagement software on mobile and desktop platforms for sales-based organizations, consumer brands, and artists seeking greater levels of engagement and higher conversion rates. Our software platform can accommodate any size campaign or sales organization, and its enterprise-class scalability meets the needs of today's global organizations. Our service is built around our proprietary Video-First notifi technology, which places interactive video front and center in all customer and prospect communications. With our flagship product, notifiCRM, we've re-invented what a CRM, lead-gen tool should be in today's video-centric business and social environment. Now watch for our live broadcast interactive video platform that will redefine what engagement means in consumer video consumption. For more information on nFusz, Inc., visit www.nFusz.com. About WFN1 News Corp WFN1 & CEO Money is about focusing on businesses, people and stories that reflect positive financial outcomes. Discovering new and interesting companies and industries is very fascinating and can be very rewarding to investors. Timely, innovative and productive ideas steadily spring from CEOs and business leaders with a desire to be linked to the investing publics awareness. WFN1 can offer this very unique business forum with a win-win proposition that promotes growth in our economies and encourages prosperity through investor participation. CONTACT INFORMATION Please address media inquiries to: [email protected]

855.250.2300, extension 30 Please address advertising inquiries to: [email protected]

855.250.2300, extension 30 Please address investor inquiries to: [email protected]

855.250.2300, extension 3

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[December 12, 2017] Consumer Alert: Illinois Consumers Must File Claims By July 12, 2018 In $36 Million Settlement Over Fixed Prices For CRT Screens

CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced that Illinois consumers have until July 12, 2018, to claim money they may have overpaid on purchases of TVs and monitors that contain cathode ray tubes (CRTs) as part of $36 million in settlements with manufacturers. The settlements stem from Madigan's lawsuit against major technology companies alleging the companies illegally conspired to fix the prices for CRTs used in TVs and monitors. Madigan's lawsuit alleged that the price-fixing conspiracy caused the prices for the products containing CRTs to rise significantly higher than the amounts Illinois consumers would have paid if prices had been set through normal competition. The settlements were entered with Hitachi, LG, Philips and Samsung. "These companies illegally conspired to fix prices for CRTs," Madigan said. "I encourage any Illinois consumers or business who bought a television or monitor containing these CRTs to file claims to recover the money they are owed." Illinois consumers who purchased TVs or monitors with CRTs from March 1, 1995 to Nov. 25, 2007 may be eligible for payment under the settlement. The settlemen provides payment for any person or business that purchased CRT televisions or monitors for personal use and not for resale while residing in Illinois. The maximum amount eligible consumers can potentially recover is $20 for a CRT television and $60 for a CRT monitor. Individual recovery amounts will depend on the number of claims submitted per device and the total recovery.



Consumers and other claimants must submit a claim form to receive payment. Claim forms can be filed online at www.illinoiscrtsettlement.com. The deadline to file claims is July 12, 2018. More information about the settlement is available by visiting www.illinoiscrtsettlement.com or by calling 1-866-652-8226. Claims can also be submitted via mail to: CRT Illinois Claims

c/o KCC Class Action Services

P.O. Box 404041

Louisville, KY 40233-4041

Eligible businesses and individual consumers can choose not to participate in the settlement and the ongoing lawsuit against two remaining CRT manufacturers, Toshiba and Panasonic, and some of their affiliates. The deadline to opt-out is March 12, 2018. Any request to opt out must be mailed to: Illinois CRT Indirect Exclusions

c/o KCC Class Action Services

P.O. Box 404041

Louisville, KY 40233-4041 Payments from the settlement are subject to the court's final approval of the settlement. Assistant Attorneys General Blake Harrop, Elizabeth Maxeiner and Angelina Whitfield are handling the case for Madigan's Antitrust Bureau. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consumer-alert-illinois-consumers-must-file-claims-by-july-12-2018-in-36-million-settlement-over-fixed-prices-for-crt-screens-300569807.html SOURCE Illinois Attorney General

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[December 12, 2017] Glance Announces Speaking Spot at Blockchain Davos Conference

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GET:CN) is pleased to announce that it will be attending and speaking on a panel at the inaugural Blockchain Davos event to be held in Davos, Switzerland January 23 - 26, 2018. Glance will also be a sponsor of the event.

Each year in January, the top global leaders gather in Davos from every country and sector to collaborate on developing shared initiatives to improve the condition of our world. Led by 2017s blockchain boom and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Blockchain Davos is a gathering to build partnerships for a decentralized future. Blockchain Davos is an exclusive invite only conference for attendees. The event is timed to coincide with the annual World Economic Forum, which is also being held in Davos. Glance is attending the event to raise awareness of its upcoming cryptocurrency and to make further inroads into the worldwide cryptocurrency and blockchain community. Glances planned cryptocurrency is a rewards based token that will be granted as rewards to users of the Glance Pay mobile payment app every time they spend on the Glance Pay mobile payment network, whether they have paid with the new cryptocurrency or via other payment methods. This strategy is intended to support rapid adoption of the cryptocurrency to a broad range of consumers, although the app will also be marketed to crypto users in leading urban centers. Glance also intends to apply elements of its anti-fraud technology to this cryptocurrency to reduce the risk associated with converting traditional currencies to and from cryptocurrencies. This conference will allow Glance to highlight the functionality from its previously announced purchase of the Blockimpact platform, which is a complete end-to-end cryptocurrency blockchain solution including the following features: Biometric ID

Blockchain Distributed Ledger Technology Digital messaging / group chat (with functionality similar to Whatsapp)

Financial wallet

Open application program interface (API)

Crypto/token/fiat wallet (which allows seamless conversion between currencies)

Reward system

Encrypted cyber security

In-app support system

Document sharing

Social network features

Peer to Peer marketplace functionality



Clarification As a clarification of Glances news release dated Dec 07, 2017: Fatburger Canada entered into an agreement with the intent to develop one store for a test trial of Glances technology.

About Glance Technologies Inc. Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that revolutionizes how smartphone users choose where to dine, order goods and services, make payments, access digital receipts, redeem digital deals, earn great rewards & interact with merchants. Glance is building a valuable network of merchants and consumers, and offers targeted in-app marketing, geo targeted digital coupons, customer feedback, in-merchant messaging and custom automated rewards programs. The Glance Pay mobile payment system consists of proprietary technology, which includes user apps available for free downloads in IOS (Apple) and Android formats, merchant manager apps, a large scale technology hosting environment with sophisticated anti-fraud technology and lightning fast payment processing. Glance Pay has entered into significant licensing agreements to access the cannabis, fitness and wellness, foreign student and tourist markets through Cannapay Financial Inc., Active Pay Distribution Inc. and Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc. Glance Pay is currently developing a rewards based cryptocurrency to be integrated into its platform. For more information about Glance, please go to www.glance.tech . For more information, contact: Christina Rao

Vice President, Investor Relations

(604) 723-7480

[email protected] Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward- looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward- looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Glance's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. In particular, Glance may not be successful in building its planned cryptocurrency or there may not be sufficient support for the cryptocurrency to make it a success.

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[December 12, 2017] iNACOL Webinar Presents What Learners Need to Thrive in a Changing World: Building Richer Definitions of Student Success

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, January 10, 2018 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) will host a Leadership webinar to explore ways to build richer definitions of student success in K-12 personalized learning models. What skills do students need to thrive in a world of change? Enabling students to develop 21st-century competencies requires a thorough reimagining of the goals, processes, and structures that define our schools. Join this webinar to explore the MyWays Student Success Framework, which shares research and practical tools to help school leaders and communities develop broader, deeper competencies for student success. This framework is organized around four essential questions: Why the urgency to change? What are the profound new realities and challenges facing today's high school graduates that our schools must address now?

What are the richer, deeper definitions of 21 st -century success that we should explicitly redesign our schools to develop among our students, given the rapidly evolving society and fast-changing economy they are entering?

-century success that we should explicitly redesign our schools to develop among our students, given the rapidly evolving society and fast-changing economy they are entering? How can designs for learning and the organizations of schools directly support students' attainment of a richer, deeper definition of success?

How do we gauge students' progress in developing these competencies? How can we measure and articulate our school's overall perfrmance, beyond proficiency in math and English language arts?



Susan Patrick said, "Education leaders and educators across the country are reframing and transforming K-12 education to ensure that students are building the skills they'll need to succeed. They are working with their communities to develop richer, deeper, more meaningful definitions of student success that give students the skills and dispositions to flourish in a rapidly changing world." This webinar is free to attend  participants are invited to register here for final details and login information.

Webinar Title: What Learners Need to Thrive in a Changing World: Building Richer Definitions of Student Success Presenters: Andy Calkins , Director, Next Generation Learning Challenges

, Director, Next Generation Learning Challenges Ellen Hume-Howard , Executive Director, New Hampshire Learning Initiative

, Executive Director, New Hampshire Learning Initiative Scott Frauenheim , President, Distinctive Schools

, President, Distinctive Schools Jennifer Ferrari , Vice President, Distinctive Schools About iNACOL The mission of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) is to drive the transformation of education systems and accelerate the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning for all. iNACOL is a non-profit organization focusing on research, developing policy for student-centered education to ensure equity and access, developing quality standards for emerging learning models using competency-based, blended and online education, and supporting the ongoing professional development of school and district leaders for new learning models. Visit our website, like us on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on twitter. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inacol-webinar-presents-what-learners-need-to-thrive-in-a-changing-world-building-richer-definitions-of-student-success-300570060.html SOURCE International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)

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[December 12, 2017] Four Points Technology, LLC is named RSA US Federal Partner of the Year

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Four Points Technology, LLC, has been named the RSA US Federal Partner of the Year for 2017.

"As a Platinum partner with RSA and working together in the US Federal market since 2009, we are honored to be recognized as their US Federal Partner of the Year. With Cybersecurity at the forefront of many agencies initiatives, this partnership continues to help our customers identify and mitigate their ongoing threats," stated David Gilchrist, Chief Executive Officer at Four Points Technology. About Four Points Technology





www.4points.com Contact :

Denise L. Harrison

[email protected]

703-657-6108

Four Points Technology, LLC.





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[December 12, 2017] GlobalFit and The Charge Group Join Forces

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GlobalFit -- GlobalFit, a leading health and wellness technology company that accelerates wellness program engagement, and the Charge Group, a leading provider of insurance-funded nutrition programs, announced a partnership today. With this partnership, clients of both organizations will now benefit from an expanded suite of services including GlobalFit's leading wellness reimbursement platform and the nation's largest gym and studio network along with Charge's best-in-class onsite employee nutrition counseling. "Good nutrition is an essential part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combining Charge's onsite employee nutrition counseling with GlobalFit's gym and studio network and reimbursement platform is an innovative combination, and a unique offering for our clients, as we collectively work to build a healthier population and reduce healthcare costs," said GlobalFit's President and CEO, Tony Frick. "The Charge team is excited about our new partnership with GlobalFit," said Mike McGrath, CEO and Founder of The Charge Grup. "This partnership will enable both organizations to deliver market differentiated solutions and bring additional value to our clients, and is also evidence of both organization's continued commitment to innovation and solving our national healthcare crisis."



About GlobalFit:

GlobalFit's health and wellness technology solutions accelerate wellness program engagement, leading to improved population health. With over 25 years in the corporate wellness space, GlobalFit connects wellness with rewards through its GlobalFit Rewards and Gym Network 360 platforms. Over 70 million people have access to GlobalFit solutions as part of their work site wellness program or health plan. GlobalFit Rewards is an innovative reimbursement platform that combines gym reimbursement, real time gym check-in, wearable integration, and activity tracking to deliver maximum engagement in a simple, flexible, cloud-based solution. GlobalFit's Gym Network 360 platform offers a comprehensive suite of programs and products with a focus on the essential components of wellness: exercise, eating, and education. Gym Network 360 participants gain access to exclusive pricing with some of the biggest brands in nutrition, fitness, and wellness.

About Charge:

The Charge Group provides an insurer reimbursed, workplace health and nutrition program for companies in the Mid-Atlantic region. Founded in 2015, The Charge Group is one of the fastest growing health and wellness companies in the Greater Philadelphia Area by offering a simple solution for companies looking to provide value at the workplace. The best part, many insurance carriers provide the "Charge" workplace health program at no out of pocket cost to the employer or its employees. Media Contact:

GlobalFit

Merideth Harrington, 215-320-4238

www.globalfit.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/globalfit-and-the-charge-group-join-forces-300569653.html SOURCE GlobalFit

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[December 12, 2017] CSC Announces 2017 eRecording All-Star Award Winners

CSC (News - Alert) has announced the 2017 winners of its annual eRecording All-Star Awards. Now in their fifth year, the eRecording All-Star Awards honor the work of government offices and document submitters that have implemented and championed the use of electronic document recording technology. "We are pleased to honor these organizations with the CSC eRecording All-Star Awards. Each recorder and submitter is a leading example of industry participants who recognize the benefits of streamlining recording processes through our eRecording services," says Kevin Kinderman, director of eRecording Solutions at CSC. "Our secure solutions reduce rejections, expedite accounting processes, and speed up recording times. CSC is committed to supporting our customers in their efforts to operate more efficiently and cost effectively on behalf of their clients." The 2017 recording office winners are: CSC Infinity Award - Jackson County, OR and Kaufman County, TX

The Infinity Award recognizes a recording office that has a long and established history of eRecording documents while serving as a model office. CSC Catalyst Award - Summit County, OH and Town of Fairfield, CT

The Catalyst Award recognizes a recording office that has implemented eRecording and is encouraging submitters to adopt the process as well. CSC Launch Award - Bannock County, ID

The Launch Award recognizes a recording office that has made tremendous advancements in implementing eRecording technology within a short time frame. CSC Partnership Award - Worcester South, MA

The Partnership Award recognizes a recording office that has smoothly integrated our comprehensive eRecording solutions and is a trusted partner as well. The 2017 submitter winners are: CSC Infinity Award - Kilpatrick Townend & Stockton LLP





CSC Catalyst Award - Bradley Moreau Title

The Catalyst Award recognizes a submitter that has championed the eRecording process and is encouraging other submitters and recorders to adopt the process as well.

CSC Launch Award - Nassau Educators Federal Credit Union and Security Service Federal Credit Union

The Launch Award recognizes a new submitter that has made tremendous advancements in implementing eRecording technology within a short time frame. CSC Partnership Award - 4Tier Software, LLC

The Partnership Award recognizes a submitter that has smoothly integrated our comprehensive eRecording solutions and is a trusted partner as well. "CSC was the first company to electronically record mortgage documents in the United States, and we are proud to work with such forward-thinking recording partners and government records officials," says Mark Rosser, vice president for CSC. "Their commitment to eRecording is unparalleled, and it is our great privilege to honor them with these awards." A committee of CSC management and operations staff selects the winners on an annual basis; each will receive commemorative trophies to honor their accomplishments. Interested clerks and recorders can subscribe to the eRecording blog at erecording.com/blog to be notified of the 2018 award deadlines. Document submitters interested in learning more about the benefits of electronic recording should visit www.erecording.com for more information. About CSC CSC is the world's leading provider of business, legal, tax, and digital brand services to companies around the globe. From keeping your business in compliance and streamlining operations, to protecting and promoting your brand online, we use our expertise and personal approach to help your business run smoother. We are the business behind business. We are the trusted partner for 90% of the Fortune 500, more than 65% of the Best Global Brands (Interbrand), nearly 10,000 law firms, and more than 3,000 financial organizations. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, since 1899, we have offices throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. We are a global company capable of doing business wherever our clients are-and we accomplish that by employing experts in every business we serve. Learn more at cscglobal.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005773/en/

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[December 12, 2017] CRIM is part of one of the world's top 100 R&D projects of 2017!

MONTREAL, Dec. 12, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The ESGF initiative was recently selected as one of the top 100 research and development projets of 2017 by the R&D 100 Awards. ESGF (Earth System Grid Federation) is a concerted development effort in climate and Earth System science that brings together several major partners such as NASA and various research centres in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, including CRIM. Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards program, an integral part of the R&D Magazine brand, identifies and celebrates the top 100 revolutionary technologies developed on the planet in all fields, whether industrial, academic or governmental. This year's winners were announced by R&D Magazine during the 55th R&D 100 Awards gala held in Orlando in November 2017. ESGF is the first decentralized database in climate and earth sciences. This cyberinfrastructure built upon open source software provides each user with access to results and modls produced by research teams around the world. ESGF currently serves 25,000 users and manages more than five petabytes (5,000 terabytes) of geospatial and geophysical data. ESGF is both a data and knowledge sharing system and a network that promotes and facilitates partnerships between researchers around the world with complementary expertise or interests.



Over the years, CRIM's expertise in IT and geospatial analysis has enabled it to contribute to several projects related to Earth observation and climate science. For example, the PAVICS project, led by Ouranos in collaboration with CRIM, led to the creation of an open research platform that provides rapid access for the analysis and visualization of climate and scientific information. Since 2016, CRIM has been working to increase the number of Canadian partners and researchers in the ESGF network, and has contributed to it by sharing the results of several of its projects, including the PAVICS platform and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) testbeds.

The award presented to ESGF underscores the importance of developing information exchange networks in research areas that impact all regions of the world. About CRIM: CRIM is an applied research and expertise centre in information technology, dedicated to making organizations more effective and competitive through the development of innovative technology and the transfer of leading edge know-how, while contributing to scientific advancement. CRIM is a non-profit organization whose neutrality and strong network make it an indispensable resource. Its work is in line with the policies and strategies of its major financial partner, the ministere de l'Economie, de la Science et de l'Innovation. The PAVICS project is funded by CANARIE, Ouranos and CRIM. SOURCE Centre de recherche Informatique de Montreal (CRIM)

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[December 12, 2017] Therap Announces National Conference in Omaha, Nebraska Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2018

OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Therap's National Conference will be held in Omaha, Nebraska and is scheduled to take place from January 30-February 1, 2018. The conference will be held at the Embassy Suites Omaha-La Vista Hotel & Conference Center. The conference provides an opportunity for Therap users from across the nation to meet up and share their knowledge and experiences using Therap's Disability software. This is an additional opportunity to see what is new in Therap and what lies ahead.



The conference will include How-To sessions that demonstrate how to use specific modules and fulfill specific processes on Therap. Simultaneous tracks are available for beginner, intermediate and advanced users. Discussion and brainstorming sessions will be hosted by Therap staff where attendees will focus on functionality, user insight, solutions to common issues, State regulations and the latest discussions in the intellectual and developmental disability field. This year's conference will howcase over 200 user presentations where users will be presenting about their experiences implementing Therap and share their knowledge about best practices. Presentations include live demonstrations, case studies, recommendations and more.This year, presentation topics include family member and self advocate access to Therap, utilizing Therap mobile application on Android and iOS, understanding Therap data better, conducting staff trainings thought the Therap Training Academy and Training Management System module, staying compliant with regulatory agencies and more.



Visit the conference page for more information at https://www.therapservices.net/therap-national-conference-2018/ About Therap

Therap Services provides secure, web-based documentation, communication and electronic billing services to over 4000 intellectual disability providers across the United States. Therap's solution is used in HCBS Waiver, ICF/IID, LTSS and other services to document residential and community based supports, employment supports, case management, incident reporting, staff training and electronic billing claim submissions directly to Medicaid. Learn more at www.TherapServices.net. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/therap-announces-national-conference-in-omaha-nebraska-jan-30--feb-1-2018-300569838.html SOURCE Therap Services

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[December 12, 2017] Vonage Names Dharmesh Shah Vice President of Inside Sales

HOLMDEL, N.J., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage (NYSE: VG) has appointed Dharmesh Shah Vice President of Inside Sales. In this newly-created role, Mr. Shah is responsible for driving worldwide inside sales to support Vonage's growing global presence as a business cloud communications leader. Mr. Shah reports to Kenny Wyatt, Chief Revenue Officer. "We are thrilled to welcome Dharmesh to the Vonage Sales team," said Mr. Wyatt. "His experience in building and leading winning Inside Sales organizations will be a tremendous addition to Vonage as the Company continues to accelerate its sales growth and momentum in the mid-market and enterprise segments." With oversight of the Inbound, Outbound, and Inside Sales teams, Mr. Shah will scale and grow this channel with an emphasis on enhancing operational performance throughout the sales funnel, from lead to close. Mr. Shah brings more than 17 years of technology sales, marketing, business development and entrepreneurial success to Vonage. With a deep understanding of Inside Sales best practices in the software, telecommunications and managed cloud services space, he has expert knowledge of products and services integral to Vonage's solutions for mid-market and enterprise businesses, including integratd unified communications and SD-WAN.



Most recently, Mr. Shah served as Vice President, Inside Sales at Earthlink, where he spearheaded the launch of a high growth enterprise Inside Sales structure by leading its strategy and cultural transformation. Prior to Earthlink, he served as National Director of Inside Sales for mindSHIFT Technologies, a managed IT infrastructure and cloud services provider, where he managed a team of Inside Sales associates across multiple locations covering 29 markets. "I am excited to join Vonage at a pivotal time in its transformation into a business communications leader to help fuel the Company's continued growth," said Mr. Shah. "It is an honor to be a part of the Company's continued transformation into a leading, global business communications provider. I am looking forward to working with this dynamic and standout team of sales professionals."

About Vonage

Vonage (NYSE: VG) is a leading provider of business cloud communications. Vonage transforms the way people work and businesses operate through a portfolio of cloud-based communications solutions that enable internal collaboration among employees, while also keeping companies closely connected with their customers, across any mode of communication, on any device. Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform, provides tools for voice, messaging and phone verification services, allowing developers to embed contextual, programmable communications into mobile apps, websites and business systems. Nexmo enables enterprises to easily communicate relevant information to their customers in real time, anywhere in the world, through text messaging, chat, social media and voice. Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Israel. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc. (vg-a) View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vonage-names-dharmesh-shah-vice-president-of-inside-sales-300570105.html SOURCE Vonage

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[December 12, 2017] BioCorRx Announces Distribution Deal with CereCare, LLC for the BioCorRx Recovery Program

ANAHEIM, CA, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BICX) (the Company), a developer and provider of advanced solutions in the treatment of alcohol and opioid addiction, today announced that CereCare, LLC, a company focused on facilitating the provisioning of leading edge treatment solutions to those suffering from substance use disorders and other brain related conditions, is going to become a strategic partner for the BioCorRx Recovery Program. As part of the agreement, CereCare and its principal backers will pay an upfront fee of $100,000 and receive restricted shares in BioCorRx plus performance-based options for reaching certain milestones. CereCare will have exclusive distributorship rights for the BioCorRx Program in Nevada, subject to certain performance criteria." style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">BioCorRx Inc. (BICX) (the Company), a developer and provider of advanced solutions in the treatment of alcohol and opioid addiction, today announced that CereCare, LLC, a company focused on facilitating the provisioning of leading edge treatment solutions to those suffering from substance use disorders and other brain related conditions, is going to become a strategic partner for the BioCorRx Recovery Program. As part of the agreement, CereCare and its principal backers will pay an upfront fee of $100,000 and receive restricted shares in BioCorRx plus performance-based options for reaching certain milestones. CereCare will have exclusive distributorship rights for the BioCorRx Program in Nevada, subject to certain performance criteria. CereCare establishes and operates medical clinics under its CereCare  Center of Excellence brand that focuses on treating alcohol and opiate addictions, as well as other substance use disorders. CereCare operates clinics in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, California and Reno, Nevada with plans to open additional locations in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, California, as well as upstate New York and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. CereCare will offer the BioCorRx Recovery Program in these clinics. Brady Granier, CEO, President, and Director of BioCorRx, stated, We have been working with CereCare since we announced the Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center would be the first clinic offering our program to the Hispanic market in Los Angeles, California. We believe CereCare is the perfect partner to become an authorized distributor of our program because they have seen the positiv results of our program on patients, and we also feel that they have the resources and experience to take this to another level. We will be supporting them in rolling out our program into their clinics and look forward to building out a successful partnership.



Walter Marting, Managing Member of CereCare, stated, We are pleased to be a strategic partner for the BioCorRx Recovery Program. We believe that the combination of BioCorRx Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and the naltrexone implant is the best treatment modality for people who have opioid or alcohol use disorders. We are also in discussions with two major hospital groups and several large self-insured groups about offering this comprehensive treatment and recovery program to their patient and employee populations and covering the costs associated with the program. Our partners within CereCare have deep experience in the health care insurance and re-insurance industries and in establishing Centers of Excellence.

About CereCare, LLC" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">About CereCare, LLC CereCare, LLC is a Nevada corporation focused on facilitating the provisioning of leading edge treatment solutions to those suffering from substance use disorders and other brain related conditions. The company has teamed with leading scientists nation-wide to develop these treatment modalities, which uniquely focus on dysfunctional brain conditions and the pathways to treating these brain diseases. About BioCorRx BICX) is an addiction treatment company offering a unique approach to the treatment of substance abuse addiction. The BioCorRx Recovery Program, a non-addictive, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program, consists of two main components. The first component of the program consists of an outpatient implant procedure performed by a licensed physician. The implant delivers the non-addictive medicine, naltrexone, an opioid antagonist that can significantly reduce physical cravings for alcohol and opioids. The second component of the program developed by BioCorRx Inc. is a one-on-one counseling program specifically tailored for the treatment of alcoholism and other substance abuse addictions for those receiving long-term naltrexone treatment. The Company also has an R&D subsidiary, BioCorRx Pharmaceuticals, which is currently developing injectable and implantable naltrexone products for potential future regulatory approval. For more information on BICX, visit www.BioCorRx.com." style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">BioCorRx Inc. (BICX) is an addiction treatment company offering a unique approach to the treatment of substance abuse addiction. The BioCorRx Recovery Program, a non-addictive, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program, consists of two main components. The first component of the program consists of an outpatient implant procedure performed by a licensed physician. The implant delivers the non-addictive medicine, naltrexone, an opioid antagonist that can significantly reduce physical cravings for alcohol and opioids. The second component of the program developed by BioCorRx Inc. is a one-on-one counseling program specifically tailored for the treatment of alcoholism and other substance abuse addictions for those receiving long-term naltrexone treatment. The Company also has an R&D subsidiary, BioCorRx Pharmaceuticals, which is currently developing injectable and implantable naltrexone products for potential future regulatory approval. For more information on BICX, visit www.BioCorRx.com. Safe Harbor Statement" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Safe Harbor Statement The information in this release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "estimate," "become," "plan," "will," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties. Although the Company believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. BioCorRx Inc. [email protected] 714-462-4880 Investor Relations: Crescendo Communications, LLC (212) 671-1020 x304 [email protected]

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[December 12, 2017] KnowBe4 Offers Employees a "Second Chance" to Make Smarter Security Decisions

Tampa Bay, FL, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KnowBe4, provider of the worlds most popular security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, announced the release of a new tool to further promote smarter employee security decisions, Second Chance. The product is a lightweight client application for Windows that monitors when a user clicks on links within Outlook or email attachments like Office files and PDFs and gives the user a moment to review the link they have clicked before continuing to their destination, giving them a second chance. Second Chance works from the KnowBe4 console







We are excited to make this Second Chance available to organizations and give IT admins deeper insight into which links users are clicking and which they are abandoning, along with how many times they click, said Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 CEO. This will help deterine where additional training may be required and help IT keep security top of mind with organization employees.



Second Chance is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible to the end user, there are no additional system tray processes or interfaces. It's simply a prompt that is raised only when needed to keep the user aware and thinking about what they just clicked on. Second Chance also allows the admin to add additional do not prompt URLs in addition to those automatically not prompted like the organizations internal domains.

KnowBe4 has given careful thought to which domains are included in the do not prompt list provided. Anything that has been weaponized, even if a healthy site, is not included. IT Admins do all management of Second Chance via the KnowBe4 web console. From the console the admin can see the activity based upon both User and Device views. Additionally, the admin can set their own list of "no prompt" domains for sites that shouldn't prompt the user. For more information or to download a copy of Second Chance, visit: https://info.knowbe4.com/second-chance-tool. For information on KnowBe4, visit https://www.knowbe4.com Requirements: Windows 7 (32 bit or 64 bit) and higher, Outlook 2007 and higher About KnowBe4 KnowBe4, provider of the worlds most popular integrated new-school security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 14,000 organizations worldwide. Founded by data- and IT-security expert Stu Sjouwerman, with backing from Elephant Partners and Goldman Sachs Growth Equity, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness of ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to security awareness training. Kevin Mitnick, internationally recognized computer-security expert and KnowBe4s Chief Hacking Officer, helped design KnowBe4s training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Thousands of organizations leverage KnowBe4 to train their workforce to make smarter security decisions and create a human firewall as an effective last line of defense. KnowBe4 is ranked #231 on the 2017 Inc. 500 list, #70 on Deloittes 2017 Technology Fast 500 and #6 in Cybersecurity Ventures Cybersecurity 500. KnowBe4 is headquartered in Tampa Bay, Florida with European offices in London and Amsterdam. For more info, visit http://www.knowbe4.com and follow Stu on Twitter at @StuAllard.



Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cf1ea348-a229-4b8e-8a1f-34f0b9ae815d Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0a9b9172-c082-466f-a60b-e65e30d7af4b Kathy Wattman KnowBe4 7274749950 [email protected]

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[December 12, 2017] Massachusetts to Pioneer Next Generation Healthcare Innovation Ecosystem to Better Serve Patients

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MIT's Center for Biomedical Innovation announced today its New Drug Development Paradigms (NEWDIGS) Initiative will pilot a next generation healthcare innovation ecosystem designed to deliver more value from new medicines to patients faster, in ways that work for all parties. The Learning Ecosystems for Accelerating Patient-Centered and Sustainable Innovation Project (LEAPS) focuses on connecting knowledge generation across the siloes of drug development (R&D) and delivery (patient care) through platform clinical trials linked with a real-world evidence "Learning Engine." The first pilot in LEAPS will leverage Massachusetts as a statewide testbed. "While pharmaceutical R&D is a global enterprise, the value of new medicines is assessed and driven locally. This has always been true in other countries, but is increasingly the case in the US," said Gigi Hirsch, M.D., Executive Director of the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation and the NEWDIGS Initiative. "Our goal is to integrate a number of emerging but fragmented policy, process, and technology innovations into a system that works better for everyone, and especially for patients." LEAPS will leverage proven NEWDIGS methods and tools for collaborative systems engineering involving patients, providers, payers, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, information technology firms, regulators, payers, public health officials, and academic researchers.



"It is critically important that we align priorities in pharmaceutical drug development with unmet public health needs," said Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. "By engaging the entire health care systems and its key stakeholders, this pilot project has the potential to serve as a model for person-centered health care and break down barriers that currently exist when linking patients with timely, essential treatments." LEAPS project design will launch in January 2018. Target diseases under consideration or the pilot are rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, and opioid addiction. Objectives, beyond improving patient outcomes, include:



Enhancing the value of the growing array of disparate data and evidence from electronic medical records and insurance claims to mobile apps and longitudinal patient/disease registries.

Accelerating healthcare insights from data analytics tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain technologies.

Establish community hospitals and clinics as key elements of the broader innovation ecosystem. "Massachusetts is uniquely suited to serve as the testbed for this pilot project, which offers an exciting opportunity to better serve patients by connecting the unparalleled strengths of the state's biocluster, world renowned provider systems, and payers, who play an increasingly important role in access to new products," said Robert K. Coughlin, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio). Current NEWDIGS collaborative members GSK, Merck, and Sanofi are providing the $500K start-up funding, with other corporate and nonprofit members contributing in-kind resources.

"We look forward to building on the work we have done with the NEWDIGS collaborative to design and pilot a next generation biomedical innovation system in Massachusetts. Done well, we believe this effort can help transform the way new therapies are developed and delivered and serve as a model to replicate in other states, and for other diseases," said Susan Shiff, PhD, MBA, Senior Vice President and Head of the Center for Observational and Real World Evidence (CORE) at Merck. Elements of the strategic vision for LEAPS will be explored in the Next Wave Forum (http://nextwaveforum.org), hosted by NEWDIGS on December 12-13, 2017 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The event includes keynote speakers Janet Woodcock (FDA), Hans-Georg Eichler (European Medicines Agency), Trent Haywood (Blue Cross Blue Shield), Donald Berwick (former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and Institute for Healthcare Improvement); and MIT's Alex "Sandy" Pentland, Jonathan Gruber, and Michael Cusumano. Further details on MIT NEWDIGS LEAPS are available at https://newdigs.mit.edu/. Contact

MIT NEWDIGS

Eric Norman

[email protected]

617-733-3540 About MIT NEWDIGS

MIT NEW Drug Development ParadIGmS (NEWDIGS) is an international "think and do tank" dedicated to delivering more value faster to patients, in ways that work for all stakeholders. NEWDIGS designs, evaluates, and initiates advancements that are too complex and cross-cutting to be addressed by a single organization or market sector. Its members include global leaders from patient advocacy, payer organizations, biopharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies, clinical care, academic research, and investment firms. For more information, visit http://newdigs.mit.edu. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/massachusetts-to-pioneer-next-generation-healthcare-innovation-ecosystem-to-better-serve-patients-300570164.html SOURCE MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation

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[December 12, 2017] FleishmanHillard Appoints New Global Managing Director, Technology

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Planning for the continued growth of its largest sector, FleishmanHillard (FH) has elevated Sophie Scott to the role of global managing director, technology. Scott was previously a senior partner and managing director of technology and strategy for the U.K. and EMEA. In this new role she will lead the agency's integrated approach to growing its technology sector on a global basis. "Sophie's experiences guiding some of the most dynamic technology organizations across the globe make her an excellent choice for this critical role for our firm," said J.J. Carter, FleishmanHillard chief operating officer and president, Americas. "The velocity of disruption taking place today requires us to anticipate and respond with clear communications  often in an instant. Sophie's proven track record leading global teams to achieve this for our clients strengthens our ability to deliver the best work in the industry. We are thrilled she has taken on this next adventure and we expect our teams will thrive under her leadership." In her new position, Scott will lead the continuous development of the firm's technology sector offering, which represents clients in a wide range of industries: from consumer electronics to cloud computing, e-commerce to security, and telecoms to wearables. She will also be responsible for attracting and developing top talent to support the agency's robust roster of global technology brands across B2B, B2C and B2G. "This is a big moment in the industry, and I'm honored to be provided with this oportunity," Scott said. "We see huge potential in the traditional B2B tech space and have also seen significant growth and future opportunities when we combine forces with our other leading practices and sectors, such as healthcare, consumer products and services, financial and professional services, and, of course, social and innovation. The global team is best in class and I look forward to working closely with colleagues across FH in this next chapter for our sector."



FleishmanHillard is bringing fresh thinking to clients that are being impacted by technological shifts in their industries, and the growing need for businesses in every sector to position themselves as innovative and digitally driven to survive and thrive. From inspiring non-tech clients to tell their stories at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to helping brands boldly reposition their companies as software and innovation leaders, the agency's deep experience is helping spur ideas in tech and non-tech companies alike. Scott also sees opportunities in booming tech markets like Asia, where the agency has deep experience and relationships with some of the world's biggest global, Asia-headquartered tech brands.

Scott has been with FleishmanHillard for nearly 15 years executing award winning work. The tech practice in the U.K. tripled under her leadership, and Scott helped launch BlueCurrent, a FleishmanHillard brand, in the U.K. Before joining FH, she worked for Lewis PR's London office. About FleishmanHillard

FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard was named Agency of the Year at the 2017 North American Excellence Awards; 2017 ICCO Network of the Year for the Americas and EMEA; PRWeek's Best Places to Work 2017; PR News' Best Places to Work in PR 2016-2017; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality for 2018; PR Awards Asia 2017 Greater China Agency of the Year; and NAFE's "Top 50 Companies for Executive Women" for 2010-2017. The firm's award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has more than 80 offices in 30 countries, plus affiliates in 43 countries. About Omnicom Public Relations Group

Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fleishmanhillard-appoints-new-global-managing-director-technology-300570165.html SOURCE FleishmanHillard

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[December 12, 2017] IHI Kicks Off 2017 National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care

When patients and their clinical teams work as partners, it's more than a nice idea. There's a greater likelihood of better outcomes for patients and greater satisfaction for health care providers, many of whom have been suffering high rates of burnout in recent years. Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) President and CEO, Derek Feeley, chose this theme today to open up the 2017 IHI National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care. Feeley addressed nearly 5,500 health care professionals, health leaders, students, patient advocates, and community improvers. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005943/en/ At IHI's National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care (Dec. 10-13, 2017), IHI President & CEO, Derek Feeley, Dr. Rana Awdish, and Tiffany Christensen discuss why true partnership between patients and clinicians has the potential to significantly change the face of health care. (Photo: Business Wire) Feeley remarked: "As health care professionals experience burnout at increasingly higher rates, and medical errors continue to occur, it is critical that we achieve true partnership between patients and clinicians." He shared with attendees the concept of mutuality, a term that describes efforts to create a win-win situation built on a foundation of trust. Applied to health care, Feeley said, mutuality can form the basis for the optimal doctor-patient relationship, in which each participant is fully engaged and brings unique strengths and resources to the relationship. Feeley shared the podium with Dr. Rana Awdish, Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension program and the Medical Director of Care Experience for Henry Ford (News - Alert) Health System, and Tiffany Christensen, Vice President for Experience Innovation at The Beryl Institute. First in brief individual presentations, and then in a conversation moderated by Feeley, Dr. Awdish and Ms. Christensen offered insights as health care professionals who have experienced lengthy and difficult journeys as patients. In that role, neither woman felt she had agency or anything close to mutuality with her providers. Feeley, Awdish, and Christensen join a chorus of improvers who want to take patient-centered care, which focuses on involving partnering with clinicians.



IHI, known as a leader in health and health care improvement worldwide, convened this year's four-day event (December 10-13, 2017) to showcase new approaches in the US, Canada, and beyond that are resulting in better care and better health for patients and populations. Key to making progress is a much greater focus on reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health care treatment and outcomes; creating community partnerships that extend beyond the walls of the health care system to address more upstream social determinants of health such as poor housing and lack of employment; and tapping into the talents and knowledge of patients to co-create new models of care. At this 29th IHI annual gathering, the impact that federal and state policies can have on access to care for millions of Americans is very much on the minds of Forum attendees, as is the impact of innovation on the health care delivery side. "Signal or Noise? Navigating Health Care Policy in 2018" is the title of a session taking place today that will focus on what to anticipate in the year ahead with legislative and regulatory challenges to current federal health care law, vulnerable patient populations potentially losing health insurance, and unclear commitments to continued funding of value-driven transformation initiatives. Moderated by NEJM Catalyst Editorial Director, Edward Prewitt, the panel discussion will feature IHI President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Don Berwick; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina President and CEO and Former CMS Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality, Patrick H. Conway; Vanderbilt University Health Policy Professor and Chair, Melinda Buntin; and President and CEO of Hawaii Pacific Health, Raymond P. Vara, Jr.

Journalists interested in tuning in to a livestream of the session should email: [email protected]. Ensuring Health Systems are Age-Friendly US Census data show that the population aged 65 and older is expected to nearly double during the next 40 years, which will significantly increase the demand for safe, effective, and patient-centered health care services for older adults. In a Learning Lab yesterday, Forum attendees heard about the "4M" model - What Matters, Medication, Mobility, and Mentation - for creating age-friendly health systems. Developed through a partnership between IHI, The John A. Hartford Foundation, the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), the model is the cornerstone of an Age-Friendly Health System initiative that's currently testing new care designs in five health systems. The work will expand in 2018, laying the groundwork for a campaign to spread the 4M model to 20 percent of US hospitals and health systems by 2020. A Spotlight on Safety As showcased during a number of Forum sessions, health care organizations in the US and elsewhere have made considerable progress reducing incidents of harm to patients. Yet the results of a recent poll conducted by the IHI/NPSF Lucian Leape Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago show there is more work to be done. The survey found that 21 percent of Americans reported personal experience with medical errors, and also revealed that errors related to diagnosis and patient-provider communications in outpatient settings are the most commonly reported. This aligns with other research in this area and confirms that in order to maintain gains and close further gaps in care, health care delivery needs to move to a "systems of safety" approach - anchored in reliability, continuous learning, and a systems outlook that encompasses and connects multiple care settings. Following on the May 2017 IHI/NPSF merger and a Call to Action for health care leaders and policymakers to initiate a coordinated public health response to improve patient safety, IHI will be looking more closely at challenges such as the need for measures to assess safety and harm across the continuum of care in ways that are most meaningful to patients and clinicians. About the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)

IHI is a leader in health and health care improvement worldwide. For more than 25 years, IHI has partnered with visionaries, leaders, and frontline practitioners around the globe to spark bold, inventive ways to improve the health of individuals and populations. Recognized as an innovator, convener, trustworthy partner, and driver of results, IHI is the first place to turn for expertise, help, and encouragement for anyone, anywhere who wants to change health and health care profoundly for the better. Learn more at ihi.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005943/en/

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The off-road tracked wheelchair stolen from a local veteran last week was found and returned over the weekend.

The trailer containing retired Army Lt. Col. Tim Gardipee's TrackChair, a motorized wheelchair with tank-like treads for better outdoor mobility, was stolen outside his apartment sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

A Facebook post by the Missoula Police Department detailing the theft and asking the community to be on the lookout received nearly 3,000 shares and hundreds of comments over the weekend before the trailer was found Sunday morning.

"I loved the overwhelming response from thousands and thousands of people," Gardipee said. "It went nationwide."

According to police, someone called them after seeing the trailer abandoned around the Evaro Hill area. Gardipee, who received the trailer through the Wounded Warrior project, was thankful his property was found and still in good condition.

"You can hike the trails, but I can't," Gardipee said. "I have to use the rough terrain wheelchair."

The specially designed wheelchairs are not cheap, with prices ranging above $9,000 depending of the specifications of the model. TrackChairs can be customized to meet the needs of the user, from headlights to mountable gun racks and more.

Gardipee, who retired from the military in 2013, was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq in 2008. After the theft, he is taking extra security precautions, and considering the purchase of cameras and wheel-locks for the trailer.

When asked if he had any word for whomever took his property, Gardipee replied, "Your days are numbered because the sheriffs are going to get you soon. That was a very low thing to do."

Missoula County Undersheriff Rich Maricelli said Monday that an investigation continues.
[December 12, 2017] Channel Factory Wins Cynopsis Digital Model D Award and Ranks Among Los Angeles Business Journal's Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2017

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Channel Factory, the leading marketing analytics solution for YouTube and social video advertising, is celebrating two recognitions this month, from Cynopsis Digital and the Los Angeles Business Journal. The company's IQ technology was awarded the Cynopsis Digital Model D award for Best Video Digital Ad Platform. Channel Factory was also featured in Los Angeles Business Journal's annual list of 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies. Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards

Honored as the Best Video Digital Ad Platform, Channel Factory's unique ad-tech platform, IQ, provides a streamlined and integrated solution for video and influencer marketing. The award recognizes the top video ad management and measurement platform that offers advertisers the ability to reach and engage with consumers across platforms and devices. The 5th annual Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards recognize those in online video content and advertising who are at the forefront of this new industry, elevating it with their state-of-the-art contributions to branded content, technology, ad campaigns and original content. Los Angeles Business Journal's Fastest Growing Private Companies List

Los Angeles Business Journal's annual list of fastest growing private companies this year as well, coming in at #56. The list recognizes 100 of the fastest growing private companies in the Los Angeles County based on three-year growth.



"We are extremely honored to receive both of these recognitions from Cynopsis Digital and the LA Business Journal," said Tony Chen, CEO and founder of Channel Factory. "This has been a pivotal year for Channel Factory as our platform has proven itself to be indispensable for both content creators and brand advertisers attempting to navigate the ongoing brand safety crisis on YouTube." Channel Factory also ranked on this year's Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest growing private companies in America for the third consecutive year. Today, Channel Factory continues to disrupt the YouTube ecosystem by providing alignment to both advertisers and creators through transparency and data.

About Channel Factory

Channel Factory is the leading marketing analytics solution for YouTube and social video advertising. The company's unique database and software, IQ, sets the industry standard for insights and tools that matter to both advertisers and creators. Channel Factory provides a streamlined and transparent solution when it comes to unique creator insights, brand safety, content aligned targeting, and predictive analytics. In addition to a client list of over 300 Marquee Brands, Channel Factory is partnered with 85 agencies worldwide. Founded in 2010, Channel Factory is based in Los Angeles with offices in Chicago, New York, Kharkiv, and London. For more information, visit www.channelfactory.com. PR contact:

Zella Panossian

Illume PR for Channel Factory

[email protected]

310.452.4446 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/channel-factory-wins-cynopsis-digital-model-d-award-and-ranks-among-los-angeles-business-journals-fastest-growing-private-companies-in-2017-300569981.html SOURCE Channel Factory

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[December 12, 2017] Regulators sign an agreement with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission

MONTREAL, Dec. 12, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The securities regulatory authorities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan (participating jurisdictions) today announced a co-operation agreement with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). This agreement will allow the participating jurisdictions and the ASIC to exchange information on fintech trends and development, and efficiently refer innovative businesses seeking to enter the others' markets. The agreement extends the work of the CSA Regulatory Sandbox Initiative and the ASIC Innovation Hub. These innovation functions provide a controlled environment for businesses to develop and test innovative solutions that promote efficiency and consumer choices in the financial sector. "This co-operation agreement with the ASIC is in addition to the one we recently signed with the Abu Dhabi Global Market Financial Services Regulatory Authority," said Louis Morisset, CSA Chair and President and CEO of the Autorite des marches financiers. "This agreement marks new positive steps for the CSA, which already leads the Sandbox initiative to help innovative businesses seeking to operate across Canada." The co-operation agreement is subject to the domestic laws and regulations of each authority and does not modify or supersede any applicable laws or regulatory requirements in force in, or applicable to, any such authority's respective jurisdiction. The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada's provinces and territories, co-ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.







For more information:

Sylvain Theberge Hilary McMeekin Autorite des marches financiers Alberta Securities Commission 514-940-2176 403-592-8186



Alison Walker Jason (Jay) Booth British Columbia Securities Commission The Manitoba Securities Commission 604-899-6713 204-945-1660



Erin King David Harrison Financial and Consumer Services Nova Scotia Securities Commission Commission, New Brunswick 902-424-8586 506-643-7045





Shannon McMillan

Financial and Consumer Affairs

Authority of Saskatchewan

306-798-4160



SOURCE Autorite des marches financiers

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[December 12, 2017] Municipalities to receive funding for 72 infrastructure initiatives across Canada

OTTAWA, Dec. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Jenny Gerbasi, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) today announced funding for 72 initiatives in communities across Canada through three funding programs: the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP), the Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP), and the Green Municipal Fund (GMF). Improving Canada's infrastructure lays  in large part  in the hands of the municipalities. Communities across the country want to be sure they are investing their infrastructure money wisely, and that they are aware of and ready to adapt to the potential effects of climate change as they make local infrastructure investment decisions. The projects announced today demonstrate the work being done on these fronts in municipalities large and small. For example, through Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, communities such as City of Coquitlam, British Columbia are studying new and emerging technologies to harvest and store sources of renewable energy in order to reduce corporate emissions. And in Quebec, the City of Gatineau is carrying out a climate change adaptation feasibility study which will strategically increase the quality and quantity of vegetation and open green spaces. These types of projects are crucial as communities tackle climate change and its environmental impacts. The Municipal Asset Management Program is helping Canadian municipalities make informed decisions on infrastructure investment based on sound asset management practices. For example, the Town of Smoky Lake, Alberta is completing an inventory and collecting data on the condition of their community's buildings, and using this information to create a 10-year plan for their infrastructure assets. Richibucto, New Brunswick is identifying and filling data gaps through data collection to help them create an asset management plan for the community's assets. Through the Green Municipal Fund, communities are not only improving the environment around them, they are maximizing municipal resources and improving the lives of their citizens. For example, the City of Kingston is completing a feasibility study on the complete restoration of a vacant former factory to establish a new multi-use commercial property designed to high environmental standards. This innovative redevelopment aims to inspire other projects and led to the revitalization of a neighbourhood. MCIP, MAMP, and GMF are delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada. Quotes "Helping Canadian municipalities make informed decisions on infrastructure investment based on sound asset management practices will make infrastructure dollars go further and will benefit Canadians for years to come. The Government of Canada is thrilled to make important investments in green infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help prepare communities for the challenges that result from climate change and help build healthy, liveable, cleaner more sustainable communities."

- The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities "I'm proud of the leadership being demonstrated by municipalities across the country. Local leaders are embarking on some of the most innovative solutions to address the impacts of climate change and reduce greenhouse gases. At the same time, they are taking steps to strengthen decision-making on infrastructure spending, which has a major impact on the day-to-day lives of their residents. Continuing to support this on-the-ground expertise is vital to building the Canada we want."

- Jenny Gerbasi, FCM President Quick facts The Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program is a five-year, $75-million program designed to encourage Canadian municipalities to better prepare for and adapt to the new realities of climate change as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

program designed to encourage Canadian municipalities to better prepare for and adapt to the new realities of climate change as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Municipal Asset Management Program is a five-year, $50-million program designed to help Canadian municipalities strengthen infrastructure investment decisions based on sound asset management practices.

program designed to help Canadian municipalities strengthen infrastructure investment decisions based on sound asset management practices. The Green Municipal Fund, is a $550-million program designed to support initiatives that demonstrate innovative solutions or approaches to a municipal environmental issue, and that can generate new lessons and models for municipalities of all sizes and types in all regions of Canada .

program designed to support initiatives that demonstrate innovative solutions or approaches to a municipal environmental issue, and that can generate new lessons and models for municipalities of all sizes and types in all regions of . The Government of Canada recently launched the Smart Cities Challenge which encourages all Canadian communities to use data and connected technologies to solve pressing issues and improve the lives of their residents. This friendly competition will help bring big ideas to life, and find solutions that achieve real and positive outcomes for Canadians. Related product Backgrounder Municipalities to receive funding for 72 infrastructure initiatives across Canada A list of new initiatives approved for 72 initiatives in communities across Canada through three funding programs: the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP), the Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP), and the Green Municipal Fund (GMF). These programs are delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada. The following 72 initiatives in 71 communities have been approved for funding amounting to just over $5.3 million. Approved plans, studies and pilot projects







Program Project title Project type Sector Lead municipality Board approved funding amount GMF The Bailey Broom Factory Redevelopment Project Feasibility study Brownfields City of Kingston, Ontario and RAW Factory Inc. $174,800 GMF Midland Bay Landing Feasibility study Brownfields Town of Midland, Ontario $136,100











MAMP 2017-2019 Road (Pavement) Data Collection Program n/a Data collection and reporting City of St. Albert, Alberta $46,000 MAMP Training in AM through Infrastructure Asset Management (IAM) and consultation for AM Strategy, Framework and Road Map. n/a Multiple County of Lethbridge, Alberta $50,000 MAMP Lac Ste. Anne County Asset Management Program n/a Multiple Lac Ste. Anne County, Alberta $50,000 MAMP Asset Management Program and Capacity Building in Carstairs n/a Multiple Town of Carstairs, Alberta $36,000 MAMP Infrastructure Assessment - Municipal Buildings n/a Multiple Town of Smoky Lake, Alberta $50,000 MAMP Infrastructure Assessment and 10-year Capital Plan (Sanitary, Storm, Water) n/a Data collection and reporting Town of Westlock, Alberta $50,000 MAMP Cowichan Valley Regional District Condition Assessments and Data Clean-up n/a Data collection and reporting Cowichan Valley Regional District, British Columbia $48,000 MAMP Building Capacity through the development of an AM Implementation Plan and AM Investment Plan n/a Asset management plans, policy and strategy Town of Comox, British Columbia $32,000 MAMP Town of Sidney Pavement Condition Assessment n/a Data collection and reporting Town of Sidney, British Columbia $21,520 MAMP Advancing AM Planning and Decision-Making Maturity at the City of Brandon n/a Asset management plans, policy and strategy City of Brandon, Manitoba $50,000 MAMP Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Town of Bouctouche, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP Capital Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Town of Richibucto, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP Asset Management Capacity Building in Sackville n/a Multiple Town of Sackville, New Brunswick $48,000 MAMP Town of Sussex  Development of an Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Town of Sussex, New Brunswick $49,400 MAMP Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Village of Cap-Pele, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP Capital Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Village of Dorchester, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP Capital Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Village of Port Elgin, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP Capital Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Village of Riverside-Albert, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Village of Saint-Antoine, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Village of Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP Capital Asset Management Plan n/a Multiple Village of Salisbury, New Brunswick $50,000 MAMP City of Dryden Mobile Sensing Roads Assessment and GIS Based Software Analytics Platform n/a Multiple City of Dryden, Ontario $47,054 MAMP Asset Management Plan (Remaining Classes) n/a Multiple Haldimand County, Ontario $28,000 MAMP Phase II - Technology investment to improve municipal efficiency n/a Data collection and reporting Municipality of Arran-Elderslie, Ontario $27,563 MAMP Town of Red Lake Mobile Sensing Roads Assessment and GIS Based Software Analytics Platform n/a Multiple Municipality of Red Lake, Ontario $29,235 MAMP Asset Management Development in Shuniah n/a Asset management system assessments Municipality of Shuniah, Ontario $17,600 MAMP St. Charles Perpetual Asset Management Implementation Project n/a Multiple Municipality of St. Charles, Ontario $35,200 MAMP Asset Management Tools & Capacity Building in Erin n/a Multiple Town of Erin, Ontario $50,000 MAMP Asset Data Collection & Condition Assessments n/a Multiple Town of Halton Hills, Ontario $50,000 MAMP Asset Management Program Development in Hearst n/a Training and organizational development Town of Hearst, Ontario $47,072 MAMP Town of NEMI Asset Management Program Development n/a Multiple Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, Ontario $35,360 MAMP Asset Management Capacity Building in Central Frontenac n/a Multiple Township of Central Frontenac, Ontario $50,000 MAMP Asset Management Program Development in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen n/a Multiple Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Ontario $49,600 MAMP Developing an Asset Management Program in Mattawan n/a Multiple Township of Mattawan, Ontario $12,640 MAMP Asset Management Program Development in South-West Oxford n/a Multiple Township of South-West Oxford, Ontario $46,200 MAMP Developing Asset Management Strategies and Capacity in Springwater n/a Asset management plans, policy and strategy Township of Springwater, Ontario $50,000 MAMP LG Asset Management Revitalization 2017/18 n/a Multiple United Counties of Leeds & Grenville, Ontario $50,000 MAMP The City of Swift Current Infrastructure Gap Assessment Project n/a Data collection and reporting City of Swift Current, Saskatchewan $50,000 MAMP RM of Enniskillen Development of Asset Management Plans n/a Asset management plans, policy and strategy Rural Municipality of Enniskillen No. 3, Saskatchewan $20,000 MAMP RM of Frenchman Butte No. 501 Strategic and Capital Asset Management Planning n/a Multiple Rural Municipality of Frenchman Butte No. 501, Saskatchewan $34,800 MAMP RM of Lost River's Asset Management Training n/a Training and organizational development Rural Municipality of Lost River No. 313, Saskatchewan $2,880 MAMP RM of Saltcoats No. 213 Asset Management Plan Development n/a Asset management plans, policy and strategy Rural Municipality of Saltcoats No. 213, Saskatchewan $25,200 MAMP Town of Allan Asset Management Training n/a Training and organizational development Town of Allan, Saskatchewan $3,760 MAMP Town of Norquay's Asset Management Plan n/a Asset management plans, policy and strategy Town of Norquay, Saskatchewan $13,600 MAMP Town of Oxbow Development of Asset Management Plans n/a Asset management plans, policy and strategy Town of Oxbow, Saskatchewan $21,200 MAMP Village of Glen Ewen Development of Asset Management Plans n/a Asset management plans, policy and strategy Village of Glen Ewen, Saskatchewan $13,600











MCIP Landfill Gas Collection System Feasibility study Waste City of Lethbridge, Alberta $101,200 MCIP Stormwater Management Master Plan for the Town of Stony Plain Plan Climate change adaptation Town of Stony Plain, Alberta $175,000 MCIP Sea Level Rise: City of Campbell River Plan Climate change adaptation City of Campbell River, British Columbia $175,000 MCIP City of Chilliwack Feasibility Study of Biogas Use at the Wastewater Treatment Facility Feasibility study Water City of Chilliwack, British Columbia $80,000 MCIP Corporate and Community Renewable Energy + Demand Management Study Feasibility study Energy City of Coquitlam, British Columbia $140,000 MCIP City of Nanaimo Climate Change Resiliency Strategy Plan Climate change adaptation City of Nanaimo, British Columbia $175,000 MCIP Climate and Asset Management Network - Township of Langley Parks Level of Service (LOS) Plan Multi-sector Township of Langley, British Columbia $89,200 MCIP Planning for the Future: Climate Change Adaptation, Drought & Disaster Management in the Pembina Valley Plan Climate change adaptation Municipality of Rhineland, Manitoba and Pembina Valley Water Cooperative Inc. $115,900 MCIP Aquifer Capability and Groundwater Vulnerability Delineation and Mapping, RM of Springfield Plan Climate change adaptation Rural Municipality of Springfield, Manitoba $46,400 MCIP City of Moncton Neighborhood Flood Mitigation Study Feasibility study Climate change adaptation City of Moncton, New Brunswick $175,000 MCIP Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Plan Plan Climate change adaptation City of Barrie, Ontario $72,080 MCIP City of Kawartha Lakes Healthy Environment Plan Plan Energy City of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario $175,000. MCIP Evaluating the Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Innovations at Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plant - City of London Feasibility study Water City of London, Ontario $57,200 MCIP Integrated Water Resource Evaluation Tool Feasibility study Water City of Toronto, Ontario $133,800 MCIP Toronto Resilience Strategy Plan Climate change adaptation City of Toronto, Ontario and Waterfront Toronto $170,800 MCIP smartBlu: Automated Real-time Internet of Things Blue Roof Rain Harvesting Systems for the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Sector for Flood and Drought Resilience and Adaptation Feasibility study Climate change adaptation Region of Peel, Ontario and Credit Valley Conservation Authority $157,040 MCIP Ajax Climate Change Adaptation Initiative Operational study Climate change adaptation Town of Ajax, Ontario $175,000 MCIP Application of the Composite Correction Program to improve Climate Change resiliency of the Town of Bancroft's wastewater system Operational study Climate change adaptation Town of Bancroft, Ontario $163,700 MCIP Water/Wastewater Plant Resiliency Plan Plan Climate change adaptation Town of Carleton Place, Ontario $168,000 MCIP Nottawasaga Valley Integrated Watershed Management Plan Plan Climate change adaptation Town of Innisfil, Ontario and Nottawasaga Valley $168,000 MCIP Newmarket Energy Efficiency Retrofit (NEER) Program Feasibility study Energy Town of Newmarket, Ontario $90,000 MCIP Oakville's Energy and Resiliency Plan (OERP) Plan Energy Town of Oakville, Ontario $125,000 MCIP Project Aire Ou-vert Feasibility study Climate change adaptation City of Gatineau, Quebec and Conseil regional de l'environnement et du developpement durable de l'Outaouais $174,700 MCIP Saskatchewan Municipal Climate Change Local Action Planning Initative Plan Energy Village of Zenon Park, Saskatchewan and Eco-Ouest $158,100

Source: FCM Associated links Municipal Asset Management Program

Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program

Green Municipal Fund

FCM Funding

Government of Canada's $180 billion+ infrastructure plan

Federal infrastructure investments since 2002

Smart Cities Challenge Twitter: @INFC_eng

Infrastructure Canada SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

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[December 12, 2017] Digerati Technologies, Inc. Comments on Recent Market Activity

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digerati Technologies, Inc. (Digerati or the Company) (OTCQB:DTGI), announced today that OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTC Markets) informed the Company on December 8, 2017 of certain promotional activities concerning Digerati and its common stock traded on the OTCQB Marketplace. The Company was unaware of the promotional activity until informed by OTC Markets and is unaware of the full nature and content of this promotional activity, the responsible parties, or the extent of the dissemination.

Digerati, its officers, directors and, to the Company's knowledge, its controlling shareholders (i.e., shareholders owning 10% or more of the Company's securities) have not, directly or indirectly, authorized or been involved in any way (including payment to a third-party) with the creation or distribution of promotional materials of any kind with respect to the Company or its securities. Since January 1, 2015, the Company has not issued any shares at a discount from market on the date of issuance or any options, warrants or convertible securities allowing exercise or conversion at a discount from the market on the date of issuance. Certain officers received stock in lieu of cash compensation on January 05, 2017 and June 29, 2017 under the Companys 2015 Equity Compensation Plan filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC). Except for compensation grants, neither the Companys officers, directors nor controlling shareholders have sold or purchased the Company's securities within the past two years.



"The Company has reported on and provided disclosure of legitimate and ongoing corporate activity in its regular press releases and filings with the SEC. Management encourages those interested in the Company and its securities to rely solely on this information," stated Arthur L. Smith, CEO of Digerati. Digerati has engaged The Eversull Group and Alta Waterford for investor relations, and Corporate Communications Center, Inc. for maintaining an investor database and distribution of Company press releases, and Worldwide Financial Marketing, Inc. for financial public relations. Other than these firms, the Company has not engaged or authorized any person to provide marketing services, investor relations services, public relations services, or other related services.

Digerati is a publicly-traded holding company, with a track record of launching and managing successful subsidiary operations, and is a multi-year recipient of Deloittes Fast500 and Fast50 Awards, for recognition as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America. Through its subsidiary, Shift8 Networks, the Company is meeting the global needs of businesses seeking simple, flexible, efficient, and cost-effective communication solutions, including fully-hosted IP/PBX, VoIP transport, SIP trunking, and customized VoIP services, all delivered Only in the Cloud on its carrier grade network. Former subsidiaries include ATSI Communications, Inc., an international telecommunications operator serving emerging markets throughout Mexico and Latin America, and GlobalSCAPE, Inc., an Internet software company specializing in secure file transfer through its popular utility, CuteFTP. Other subsidiaries included a global VoIP carrier and oilfield service businesses operating in the Bakken Shale. For more information, please visit www.digerati-inc.com. Contact: Jack Eversull

The Eversull Group

(972) 571-1624

(214) 469-2361 fax

[email protected]

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[December 12, 2017] HealthWarehouse.com Settles Litigation with Its Former Law Firm

HealthWarehouse.com, Inc. (OTC Pink:HEWA), a Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPPS) accredited online pharmacy licensed and/or authorized to sell in all 50 states serving consumers who pay out of pocket for their prescriptions, announced today that the final payment was made to dismiss the previously disclosed lawsuit filed by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, its former law firm. The payment of the settlement in the amount of $950,000 was funded through the combination of cash balances, proceeds from a discounted warrant offering and a $400,000 bridge loan provided by Melrose Capital Advisors, LLC. "By resolving this final legacy cost and litigation, we can move the Company forward and focus our efforts on supporting our rapid revenue growth and providing unmatched service to our new and existing customers," said Joseph Peters, interim President & CEO of HealthWarehouse.com. "The settlement is a significant achievement relative to our corporate goal to reduce liabilities and strengthen our balance sheet." About HealthWarehouse.com

HealthWarehouse.com, Inc. (OTC: HEWA) is an online pharmacy based in Florence, Kentucky, licensed and/or authorized to sell and deliver prescriptions in all 50 United States of America and the Districtof Columbia focusing on the out-of-pocket prescription drug market, a market that is expected to continue to grow. The Company sells directly to individual consumers who purchase prescription medications and OTC products over the Internet. HealthWarehouse.com is currently one of 55 Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Websites ("VIPPS") accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy ("NABP"). Visit HealthWarehouse.com online at http://www.HealthWarehouse.com.



Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement may contain "forward looking statements" as defined in federal securities laws including but not limited to Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which statements are based on our current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the beliefs, expectations and future plans and strategies of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in forward looking statements or in management's expectations. Important factors which could cause or contribute to actual results being materially and adversely different from those described or implied by forward looking statements include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, access to sufficient capital to fund our business and our growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, cyber-attacks, access to sufficient inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212006325/en/

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WORKERS AT A NONPROFIT KANSAS CITY LGBT OUTPOST DOCUMENT A CAR ROBBERY TARGETING THEIR ORGANIZATION!!!

Eyewitness says man on crutches stole woman's car in midtown KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Samantha Ruggles said a man on crutches stole her car. The theft happened around 2:45 p.m. Sunday. Ruggles pulled up to the back door of her workplace, the Kansas City Center for Inclusion, at 39th and Main Street and ran inside to unload a few boxes.

Over the past week there has been a crime spree impacting denizens of Kansas City's LGBT community and a growing debate as to motive.Remember that some LGBT activists fear thatThe latest update . . .Take a look:The debate . . .Are these crimes of opportunity or the actions of criminals targeting members of the LGBT community along the Main Street Corridor???Sadly, there is no argument that crime along this dangerous section of Kansas City continues to rise.Developing . . .
Nelson-Atkins tweeted: Today is our 84th birthday! The museum opened December 11, 1933 . . . The estates of William Rockhill Nelson & Mary McAfee Atkins specified the creation of an arts hub in Kansas City.

Final note for posting today and a tribute to one of Kansas City's most iconic spaces . . .For many denizens of the local arts scene, this place is the pinnacle of local culture and class . . . However, in the era of Prez Trump, the Internets put everything up for debate.Long, long ago the shuttlecocks earned just a bit of push back before the MSM pretty much demanded public appreciation of the installations.However,and isn't quite as beloved as the rest of the campus.Either way, the place continues to move forward despite constant critics, rising crime in the surrounding neighborhood and the overall decline of public appreciation for nearly everything outside of their mobile phones.Developing . . .
Show-Me No Cash For Kansas City Streets

MoDOT sees continued challenge with current transportation funding Missouri Department of Transportation's budgetary shortfalls have been no secret over the last several years, with attempts at tax increases turned down by voters and creative planning processes for additional revenue on the table. However, MoDOT area engineer Matt Killion told members of the Grandview and South Kansas City Chambers of Commerce last Friday that they're making the most of their current funds.

Deadly JoCo Blaze Today

Man killed in Overland Park apartment complex fire Monday Authorities in Overland Park are investigating the cause of a fatal fire Monday afternoon. Overland Park and Lenexa Fire crews were called to the Overland Towers apartment complex in the 8500 block of Farley around 2 p.m. A fire was located in an apartment on the 2nd floor of that building.

Kansas #MeToo Allegation

Woman says Kansas official offered her job for sex A top administrator of disability services in Kansas is accused of pressuring for sex from a woman employed by a Topeka company under his regulatory control, sending her a graphic masturbation video and proposing she could swap sex with him for a supervisory job in state government.The Topeka Capital-Journal confirmed through interviews and documents evidence indicating Brandt Haehn subjected the woman to months of sexual harassment in 2016 by sending her provocative messages and pornographic

71 Stays Losing Cash

TDD raised thousands, spent zilch on U.S. Highway 71 improvements - Kansas City Business Journal A report from Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway shows that a transportation development district formed in 2010 to improve the U.S. Highway 71 corridor raised thousands through an additional 1-cent sales tax but resulted in none of the planned highway and bridge improvements.

Coach Talks Challenges Ahead

Andy Reid reflects on Raiders, talks Chargers After beating Oakland on Sunday, the Chiefs focus on a "red hot" Los Angeles Chargers team this week. Andy Reid visited with the media Monday to discuss the cha...

Nasty Rock Chalk #MeToo Charges

Lawrence man charged with rape, arrested on KU campus LAWRENCE, Mo. -- A 19-year-old Lawrence man has been charged in Johnson County with rape. Terrance Redmond, who lives on the University of Kansas campus, is accused of forcing himself upon a woman he had previously dated even though she says she told him 'no.'

The Afternoon Wait

Traffic Alert: Rollover crash causes shutdown of I-35 at Pennway Street KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Traffic is backed up after a crash caused a vehicle to flip over the concrete barrier on Interstate 35 Monday afternoon. The crash happened around 3 p.m. on I-35 near Pennway Street. Witnesses saw a silver 4-door vehicle upside down in the roadway and a portion of the concrete center barrier dislodged.

Top stories for our local discourse that mostly focus on Kansas City metro crime, traffic and tragedy. Read more:And this is thefor tonight . . .
Kansas City Country Club Plaza Old School Luxury Or Certain Demise???

NorthPoint's Country Club Plaza facility will offer luxury senior living - Kansas City Business Journal NorthPoint Development released details Monday regarding the high-end senior-living facility it in its recently acquired Two Brush Creek office building, which is immediately east of the Country Club Plaza at 2 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. The few facility, to be called Stonecrest at the Plaza, will be the eighth facility in the Riverside-based development company's senior-living portfolio.

Beloved Doggie Attacked

Cass County K-9 stabbed during foot chase A Cass County Sheriff's K-9 was stabbed Monday evening during a foot pursuit, authorities said. Cass County deputies were called to Highway 291 and South Commercial Street, near the Walmart, to help search for a Harrisonville man who fled authorities. The Sheriff's Office said K-9 Officer Champ was stabbed after running into a field after the suspect.

Tragic Crash In KCK Even Worse

Three people die after van flips onto KCK tracks, gets hit by oncoming train KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Three people died and one other person was critically injured after a van went straight through a T-stop in KCK, flipping directly into the path of an oncoming train. Police responding to the scene found two men dead and had first responders take a man and a woman, both critically injured, to a nearby hospital.

#New Airport Chatter

Edgemoor invites Kansas residents to meeting to share what they want to see at new KCI OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- As Kansas City residents give their input for what they want out of a new airport, Kansas residents are about to have their say. Edgemoor representatives will be meeting with the public at 6 p.m. at the KU Edwards Campus off of 126th and Quivira in Overland Park, Kan.

End Of An Era In JoCo

John's Space Age Donuts, 50-year-old Overland Park landmark, closing next week Photo by Chase Castor The Russians finally won, I guess: John's Space Age Donuts, maker of delicious fried dough since the Cold War, closes permanently in a few days. Owner John Taylor Jr. tells the Shawnee Mission Post today that "sometime next week," the last apple fritter will be dropped in the last bag and sent home with the last customer.

Meth Town High Class Holidays

At Independence's Vaile Mansion, Visitors Have Themselves A Scandalous Victorian Christmas The hulking, richly ornate Vaile Mansion, designed by famed architect Asa Beebe Cross, sits alone on a postage stamp of its former grounds in a mostly working-class residential neighborhood in Independence. It looks more like a rip in time and space than a wonderland of Victorian Christmas cheer.

Kansas City Fanboys Confused

The Kansas City Chiefs are (sort of) back on track With the win over the Oakland Raiders, the Chiefs are kinda-sorta back on track to meet their preseason expectations. Remember that comic strip ? For me, it was the comic I would usually gloss over on my way to Calvin and Hobbes reprints, Fox Trot jokes that I mostly understood, or a particularly-irreverent Pearls Before Swine storyline.

Right now we celebrate hottie Leanna and a mostly disastrous day in Kansas City. Checkit:And this is thefor right now . . .
Today's Lesson In Kansas City Neighborhood Push Back

Neighbors call new Center High School bus lot a nuisance Neighbors say a new school bus lot on the Center High School property right next to their backyards has disrupted their peace and quiet. Center School District leaders are in ongoing negotiations to fix the problem with possibly a new fence.

Dead-Tree Snail Mail Celebration

These homeowners get their mail from the Dark Side Jason Hurst, of Kansas City, made a mailbox shaped like an AT-AT Imperial walker from the "Star Wars" movies. He said he built the metal mailbox several years ago after a drunk driver damaged his previous traditional mailbox. He plans to see the new movie, "The Last Jedi," which opens in theaters this week.

Midtown Kansas City Hype Checked

Beloved 'Kansas City I'm So in Love' mural in Crossroads gets partially painted over KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There's a visual void to fill in one metro neighborhood after a popular Kansas City mural was partially painted over. People who frequent the popular Crossroads Arts District might have noticed the "Kansas City I'm So in Love" mural has been partially painted over and the neighboring angel wings are completely covered.

Fixing Kansas For Youngsters

New DCF Leader Prioritizes Accountability In Kansas Child Welfare System The new secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families has come in promising a thorough review of the agency, staffing changes and more accountability following allegations and outrage about problems in the state's foster care system. Gina Meier-Hummel, who started the job Dec.

JoCo Burning Sensation

Johnson County firefighters prepare for possible call west to California A brushfire on a windy day was quickly quashed by Johnson County fire District number one fire crews.

Hottieis seen here wearing the 2-million Victoria's Secret fantasy bra whilst we return to reality with this quick look at all of the Kansas City MSM news links this morning . . .Checkit:is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . .
MANY TKC BLOG COMMUNITY DENIZENS DECRY PROBATION AGAINST AN ATTACKER IN A BRUTAL BEAT DOWN TARGETING A SPECIAL NEEDS PERSON WHILST ANTI-WHITE AND ANTI-TRUMP RHETORIC WAS ESPOUSED!!!

"You covered this kidnapping and assault earlier this year so I think it deserves more attention. One of the members of the gang who attacked a mentally challenged person was recently let go on probation. It's beyond explanation that such a dangerous individual could be placed back on the streets but we see the same thing here in Kansas City - Jackson County in particular. When the prosector's office does take a big case and earn a conviction, criminals are let back on the street in days. In KC the judges are off the hook when it comes to crime because they have political connections to keep their jobs. What's worse is that we don't see any consequences for hate crimes that are committed by black people. A double standard exists. If the situation was reversed there would be a national outrage but in this case the story is largely forgotten. I hope you offer some follow-up coverage because this case isn't just about Chicago. This same kind of thing is happening everywhere in our country and it's a big part of the reason the KC murder rate is so high."









Is there a double standard in this case???





Was the sentencing unfair?





How does this impact KCMO???

More than a half-dozen readers have requested this story and want to consider its local implications.And so . . .Here's the comment that was most reasonable amid the slew of outrage sent this way . . .Check background links offering more deets about the latest development in this case:As always, even if we disagree we want to consider thoughtful arguments and and well-reasoned debate . . . We encourage our blog community to articulate their responses and offer their pithy reactions.You decide . . .
The Museum designed by J. Mousis, was built in 1889 in order to house the excavation finds from the site

The Archaeological Museum of Eleusis, invites you to a journey to the past of Eleusis, one of the five sacred cities of Ancient Greece.

The Museum designed by J. Mousis, was built in 1889 in order to house the excavation finds from the site. The westernmost, sixth room is a later addition.

Discover the findings of its main collection that is exhibited in six thematic rooms and the courtyard., including the Protoattic amphora (650 B.C.) with a scene of the blinding of Polyphemos on its neck and the legend of Perseas and Medusa on the body, the Headless statue of the goddess Demeter (5th century B.C.), from the workshop of the sculptor Agorakritos, the Headless statue of Asklepios, (4th century B.C.), as well as contain pottery and other small finds from the sanctuary and the cemeteries of ancient Eleusis (from Prehistoric Times to the late Roman Period).

Dont miss the chance to explore the ancient history of Eleusis, the industrial city of Attica, which has been nominated host city for the European Capital of Culture in 2021, combining its precious cultural heritage with its current cultural production.

Source: visitgreece.gr

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Tkoletsis License: CC-BY-SA
Tensions between the two communities , Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, have been going on for years but their cooperation has also been extensive enabling tourism on the island to thrive

A few days after his controversial statements about Greece  Turkey relations during his official visit to Athens, the Turkish president made another provocative statement about the Cyprus reunification process.

Turkish-Cypriots are joint owners of the divided island of Cyprus, Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted in an interview, insisting negotiations will fail if they are treated otherwise.

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 Greek weekly newspaper To Vima.

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, after 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 state of around 300,000 people in the north, recognized only by Ankara.

The Greek Cypriots have a serious problem as regards power sharing they still see Cyprus as a Greek island, Erdogan was quoted as claiming.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Source: greekreporter.com
The attraction of foreign direct investments is critical for the recovery of Greece's stricken economy and further promotion of its promising tourist industry

The government wants to secure a fair price in the tender to sell a 66% stake in state-controlled natural gas grid DESFA which will reflect the real dynamics of their assets, Energy Minister George Stathakis said at an event marking 10 years since the foundation of the company.

"DESFA is ready to make the big leap that will enable it to play a leading role in the shaping of Greece's energy profile as part of the wider European energy strategy," he noted.

"A new era which, in cooperation with the new manager, will become a central player for the Southeast European region by expanding its activities and networks within the Southern Corridor and the Balkan Vertical Corridor," he concluded.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Source: ANA-MPA
A 27-year-old man was in custody on Monday after detonating an explosive device on the New York City subway during the morning commute.



The suspect, Akayed Ullah, was one of four people injured in the explosion, which occurred at about 7.20am in a passageway near 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, in midtown Manhattan near Times Square, reported the Guardian citing the New York City police.



None of the injuries were life-threatening.



At a midtown press conference, New York police commissioner James ONeill said the suspect had an improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body.



He sustained burns to his hands and torso while the other three people suffered ringing ears and headaches.



"Terrorists won't win," Mayor Bill de Blasio said after a blast at the Port Authority terminal in Manhattan during the morning rush hour on Monday, reported BBC.



Mayor De Blasio said nearby subway stations were evacuated, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal shut down.



Police and fire crews blocked off the streets near the New York Port Authority in New York City, the report added.
CNBC, a leading global business and financial news network, has unveiled plans for a Middle East headquarters in the heart of Abu Dhabi, UAE.



The network will begin broadcasting from a new studio at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi, in the first quarter of 2018.



The network plans to anchor one of its daily global business news programmes from its new Abu Dhabi base at ADGM, while establishing a stronger editorial presence across the region. Expansion of both the CNBC feature franchise Access Middle East and the networks regional event coverage are also planned.  TradeArabia News Service
CAE, a leading civil and defence aviation training company, will provide operating services to the Oman Aviation Academy following the recent signing of a service-level agreement with the Omani Authority for Partnership, said a report.



The agreement was signed by Dr. Dhafir Awadh Al Shanfari, chief executive officer of OAPFD, on behalf of Oman Aviation Academy, and Ian Bell, vice president and general manager, Middle East/Asia Pacific, CAE, said a report in the Times of Oman.



Under the agreement terms, CAE will provide operating services of the highest international standards to the OAA, and in accordance with the requirements of Oman Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In addition to these, CAE will provide full aviation training programmes to qualify Omani nationals as ground and flight instructors.



CAE will support the sultanate and other regional operators in the training and supply of pilots, for both the civil and military sectors. CAEs defence and security business unit will oversee the service-level agreement, and partner with the CAE Oxford Aviation Academy to deliver the ab initio pilot training programme, the report said.



The training programme will include comprehensive ground school academic training, as well as high-quality flying instruction, delivered in accordance with national aviation authority requirements.



Oman Aviation Academy will start receiving the first batch of students in the first quarter of 2018, in cooperation with Sultan Qaboos University and Oman Air.
DECATUR  Elementary students in the Central A&M School District will move to the district's middle school building starting in 2019 under plans approved by the school board Monday.

The board voted unanimously to close Bond Elementary, citing high maintenance costs and declining enrollment across the district. Officials have estimated the move will save about $300,000.

"The whole key here is sustainability," Superintendent DeAnn Heck said. "We just don't have the enrollment to sustain keeping that whole school open."

Under the proposal, first announced last month by Heck and the school board, students would be moved to Central A&M Middle School, which will undergo renovations. Both buildings are located in Assumption.

"This (vote) is the first step in this process," Heck said. "This is what we see going forward."

No parents or residents addressed the board before the vote, which was taken without debate among board members. The district hosted meetings on Dec. 3 and 4 to discuss the proposal with interested residents.

"We answered a lot of questions during those nights," Heck said.

Officials announced the proposal in a letter posted Nov. 9 on the school district's website. It said the school, built in 1960, needs $1.7 million in asbestos abatement, security, life safety and other state-mandated improvements.

The number of students at the school's two Moweaqua buildings, Gregory Intermediate and Central A&M High School, would not change, and bus routes would remain the same, officials have said.

Heck has said the number of students in the district has fallen by 40 percent since Assumption and Moweaqua consolidated 25 years ago, with most of the decrease occurring in the 1990s.

"With the loss of certain employers and jobs in the area, it's taken a toll on enrollment in the area," she said.

Looking forward to the changes coming to the district, Heck said she hopes the enrollment numbers will start to rebound as the area's job market begins to stabilize.

"I hope that we can hold on to that momentum," she said.

Heck said the board will begin looking for contractors for the renovation of Central A&M Middle School next month and choose one in February. The contractor proposals will be made available for district families to view, she said.
To celebrate the opening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Tourism Ireland has launched a physical billboard in to space to announce Ireland as a truly out of this world destination.



The tourist board poster was launched in to space by weather balloon, hitting peak altitudes above Earths surface of more than 33km (20miles), with a message to Visit Ireland.



Much of the new Star Wars film has been shot in Ireland, including Skellig Michael on the South West coast, which appears as Luke Skywalkers hide-out in the new film.



With dramatic ocean views and jagged rocks emerging from the sea, Skellig Michael (which means Michaels rock in the sea), is a popular destination for Star Wars fans, who flock to the island to witness one of the most incredible set locations in the film franchise. Film spots across key locations in Ireland featured in the latest Star Wars film including areas in Cork, Kerry, Clare and Donegal. - TradeArabia News Service


A delegation from the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), headed by Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, chief executive officer of BTEA, is participating in the Second World Tourism Organization and Unesco Conference on Tourism and Culture being held in Oman from December 11 to 12.



"The kingdom of Bahrain aims to focus its efforts on positioning the kingdom on the map of international tourism destinations. We are very keen to promote the kingdom as a distinct tourist destination, backed by a strong tourism infrastructure that is suitable for all tourism sectors," said Shaikh Khaled during a panel discussion held during the event.



The panel discussion aimed to exchange various ideas and experiences related to sustainable tourism development. It also discussed the policies and frameworks of governance necessary to promote sustainable development models and the importance of tourism and economic development goals as a factor in achieving peace and prosperity.



"There is an underlying importance in developing a cooperative framework for tourism aimed towards the sustainable development plan. Hence, Bahrain launched a tourism identity aimed at developing the tourism sector in order to increase its contribution to the local economy by attracting various tourism groups including business and family tourism," he added.



Shaikh Khaled also revealed the latest tourism statistics for the third quarter of 2017 stating that "the number of arrivals in the kingdom between January and September 2017 reached to 9.7 million compared to 9.3 million last year, an annual increase of 4.3 per cent."



The conference aimed to review ways of building and strengthening partnerships between the tourism and cultural sectors within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan, reflecting the outcome of the first World Conference on Tourism and Culture held in February 2015 in Cambodia.



The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority earlier this year was appointed as a member of the Executive Board of the World Tourism Organization and Unesco for the period 2018-2021, as a result of its efforts to develop the local tourism sector in the Middle East. - TradeArabia News Service
Theres an App for That

This is part 4 in the series NYFIX: Past, Present and Future

The buy-side trader must fend for himself these days.

In an age of reduced commission spend and fewer financial and personnel resources, institutional traders need to manage more of their trading workflows  from pre- to post-trade  on their own. And they need readily available solutions at the tip of their fingers  or on their desktop/mobile platforms at the click of a mouse or swipe. For more complex trades and settlement, the sell-side remains the preferred way to go, but for everyday run-of-the-mill trading, the onus to execute and process trades and analyze strategies, its the institutional traders responsibility.

So, how can the buy-side best leverage its existing technology and time to complete his daily tasks?

Enter NYFIX. Already on his desktop as his order and execution management system pathway, NYFIX is more than just connectivity. As already highlighted in previous articles, it also can assist in his post-trade and clearing needs, but that is not all. Even more complex applications are at his fingertips via the NYFIX portal. The Portal is an application-based traders storefront akin to the Apple store, and with its own apps, explained ULLINK's Global Head of Business Development, Philippe Carre, in a conversation with Traders Magazine.

The NYFIX portal was our way to create an online platform where we can deliver more solutions to the buy-side and empower them, Carre began. We have vastly increased the tools that we offer to the buy-side when dealing with brokers, and the market in general. We've been strategizing our platform to let the buy-side do more and more via the NYFIX Portal. since they are already on the NYFIX system, this evolution allows us to offer the buy-side a larger universe of services.

So, how does NYFIX Portal work? As with other App Stores, those already on the NYFIX system can simply access the portal via online login and view upwards of 12 different apps a buy-side trader could use.

We provide our own services through that portal, Carre began. We've made available, online, a number of services that already existed. We've repackaged them and re-purposed them as apps to make their use very easy.

So, what kinds of apps are available? There are both NYFIX-branded and third party vendor apps to choose from. For example, there is NYFIX TCA which provides access to TCA reports produced by LiquidMetrix. Then there is NYFIX MONITORING, an app that provides traders, compliance and support people with a comprehensive view of orders, with powerful filtering and navigation features. Yet another is NYFIX RECON, which looks to help traders minimize risk by reconciling their executions against brokers or exchange dropcopy feeds.

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The multi-award winning Royal Cliff Hotels Group celebrates being named Outstanding Convention Hotel  Thailand for the third time by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) during the prestigious 11th Thailand Tourism Awards.



(TRAVPR.COM) THAILAND - December 12th, 2017 - Bangkok, Thailand - The multi-award winning Royal Cliff Hotels Group celebrates being named Outstanding Convention Hotel  Thailand for the third time by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) during the prestigious 11th Thailand Tourism Awards.

Having a long and admirable record of hosting some significant events in the region, this recognition reflects Royal Cliffs position as a premier meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition destination. With a remarkable synchronized portfolio of services and facilities, it has won over 215 international and domestic awards to date and has pioneered environment-friendly initiatives. These celebrated recognitions authenticate the high standards and principles of hospitality and service that the group aims for which include continually exceeding guests expectations and optimizing customer satisfaction.

The 11th Thailand Tourism Awards 2017 also known as the Kinnaree Awards recognizes Royal Cliffs effort in elevating the standards of Thailands tourism industry as it prepares to compete globally for the many years to come. The TAT initiated the biannual awards project in 1996, as it believes that the Awards signify quality and excellence in tourism and hospitality operations and it seeks to promote responsible management among tourism entrepreneurs, ultimately leading to sustainable tourism.

Situated on a 64-acre private parkland estate overlooking the stunning Gulf of Thailand, the Royal Cliff Hotels Group operates four award-winning hotels providing guests from home and abroad with the ultimate experience. It has continued to receive a number of awards and accolades in recognition of its excellence from local and international organizations. Book your stay directly and get the best price guaranteed along with value-added optional extras that will enhance your hotel experience by visiting www.royalcliff.com, contacting Reservations at (+66) 38 250 421 ext. 2824 or emailing: reservations@royalcliff.com.

For more information on the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, please visit www.royalcliff.com.

###


Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : AWARD-WINNING EXEC ELEVATED AT COMFORT SUITES PARADISE ISLAND Industry: Hotels

As Director of Sales, Strachan assumes the position previously held by Shantillya Sands, who was promoted to Assistant General Manager in September 2016



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - December 12th, 2017 For Immediate Release Source: Comfort Suites Paradise Island

Contact: Greta Andzenge, Marketplace Excellence + 1 201 861-2056 greta@marketplaceexcellence.com

Yasmine Mills-Strachan AWARD-WINNING EXEC ELEVATED AT COMFORT SUITES PARADISE ISLAND

PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas (December 12, 2017) - Comfort Suites Paradise Island has promoted Yasmine Mills-Strachan as its Director of Sales.



Strachan's career in hospitality began in 2000 at SuperClubs Breezes Bahamas, where she mastered various responsibilities, ranging from retail, front office, sales and weddings. In 2012, she was recruited by the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort as a Catering and Convention Services Manager, where the native Bahamian said her passion for events and groups "blossomed".



Strachan joined the Comfort Suites Paradise Island team in May 2014 as Sales Manager in the Sales and Marketing Department. Her ability to work productively with all types of individuals ensured a seamless assimilation into the Comfort Suites team, and led to her recognition as Manager of the Year at the all-suite property in December 2015.

Promoted to Assistant Director of Sales in April 2016, Strachan was tapped to serve as Director of Sales in 2017. In the role, Strachan is responsible for growing the local and international market, while maintaining excellent working relationships between Comfort Suites Paradise Island and tour operators.



In addition to managing local public relations for the hotel, Strachan will continue to drive marketing efforts for the hotel, which is home to Crusoe's Restaurant and Bar.



Strachan earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Hospitality Operations and a Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism Management from the College of The Bahamas. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Nova Southeastern University.



She is a member of the Pilot Club of Nassau, and her hobbies include the discovery of new travel, culture and cuisine.



As Director of Sales, Strachan assumes the position previously held by Shantillya Sands, who was promoted to Assistant General Manager in September 2016.



"Having such exemplary sales and management professionals in leadership positions at Comfort Suites Paradise Island strengthens our efforts to attract and serve our valued clientele," said William Naughton, Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of the hotel. For more information about Comfort Suites Paradise Island, visit www.comfortsuitespi.com , send an email to info@comfortsuitespi.com or call + 1 242 363-3680 About Comfort Suites Paradise Island Comfort Suites Paradise Island is an all-suite Bahamas hotel located in Nassau, Paradise Island. The hotel provides affordable accommodations and complete access to all amenities at the famed Atlantis Resort. Comfort Suites Paradise Island features 223 renovated junior suites that include flat screen cable televisions and free wireless internet access, plus complimentary full American buffet breakfast daily. For further information about one of the most family-friendly, affordable Bahamas hotels on Paradise Island, visit www.comfortsuitespi.com ENDS ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release :



CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Greta Andzenge Company: Marketplace Excellence Corporation Phone: + 1 201 861-2056 Email: greta@marketplaceexcellence.com Web: www.comfortsuitespi.com PRESS RELEASE TAGS MEDIA GALLERY Visit Our Site


Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : LAURENT A. VOIVENEL - SVP MEA & INDIA FOR SWISS-BELHOTEL INTERNATIONAL - SPEAKS AT YAS ISLAND CONFERENCE ON FUTURE OF MICE IN GCC Industry: Events

Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India,



(TRAVPR.COM) UAE - December 12th, 2017 - Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India, Swiss-Belhotel International, participated today in a panel discussion on Developing and Promoting a Lucrative MICE Destination at the YAS Island Conference held in Abu Dhabi. Others on the panel included Filippo Sona, Director-Head of Hotels  MENA Region, Colliers International, Ajay Bhojwani, Managing Director, MCI Middle East, and Nick McElwee, Sales and Marketing Director, ADMM / Yas Marina Circuit.



Highlighting the significance of the MICE segment, Laurent stated, MICE is a highly promising niche within tourism. Therefore, MICE should be the core of any business tourism strategy pursued by policymakers.



Laurent believes, Our approach to MICE has to be different than other industry segments and key to that is coming up with new ideas and curated packages. What is needed here is to recognise the changing way in which the world is conducting business as well as identify the trends which are influencing global economies. Excellence, innovation, personalization, flexibility, originality, competitive pricing and value-added packages are the key to succeed in this demanding segment.



The regional Events and MICE business has reportedly been witnessing a growth rate of 5.5 per cent annually in meeting attendance since 2000, led notably by the UAE market, followed by Saudi Arabia and Oman. Dubai is host to almost 27 per cent of all events staged in the region. Abu Dhabi, on the other hand, generates USD 700 million from its MICE sector and is forecasted to grow at an annual rate of 7 per cent to reach USD 1.4 billion by 2020.



Laurent stressed, The UAE is one of the safest destinations in the world and has set a great example in that direction. Geographically too it enjoys a strategic location between the East and West with over 2/3 of the world's population living within 8 hours flight from Dubai and 1/3 lives within 4 hours. The developments in terms of infrastructure, connectivity and facilities taking shape for Dubai Expo 2020 will further boost its global and regional positioning as a MICE destination.



For further information visit http://www.swiss-belhotel.com



For media contact:

Hina Bakht

Vice President

MPJ (Marketing Pro-Junction)

Mob: +971 50 697 5146

Email: h.bakht@mpj-pr.com

http://www.mpj-pr.com



About Swiss-Belhotel International

Swiss-Belhotel International currently manages a portfolio of more than 145* hotels, resorts and projects located in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Georgia, Tanzania and Turkey. Awarded Indonesia's Leading Global Hotel Chain for six consecutive years, Swiss-Belhotel International is one of the world's fastest-growing international hotel and hospitality management groups. The Group provides comprehensive and highly professional development and management services in all aspects of hotel, resort and serviced residences. Offices are located in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia, China, Europe, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. www.swiss-behotel.com

*Numbers may fluctuate ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release :



CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Hina Bakht Company: Marketing Pro Junction Phone: +971 50 697 5146 Email: pressrelease@mpj-pr.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS
Satinder Pal Singh

Zirakpur, December 12

As many as 13 students have been reportedly affiliated with chickenpox at Madarsa Syed Aadm, near Banur village, raising fear of an epidemic in the locality here. Sources said all children in the grip of the disease were in the age group of 6-12 years.

The Health Department said as per the survey and case history, the first case of chickenpox was reported on November 11. The child was sent back to his native place in Saharanpur.

A team of the Health Department after screening the students on Monday found that 13 students out of 41 enrolled in the madarsa were infected with the disease. The affected students have been identified as six-year-old Nahid, Wasif (8), Naseem (11), Tarshif (10), Muzakikin (8), Zurbrin (7), Tanish (7), Abu Zar (12), Zahir (12), Aarif (12), Saif (8), Mohd Aarif (7) and Musharif (7).

A teacher from the madarsa took them to the Civil Hospital, Banur, and came to know that the students were suffering from chickenpox. The hospital authorities soon informed the Civil Surgeon at Mohali and then the information was passed on to the district epidemiologist, who reached the area with a rapid response team.

Madarsa principal Mohammad Shahzad said, All affected students were discharged from the Civil Hospital after getting supportive treatment and have been shifted to a separate room as a precautionary measure.

Harpreet Oberoi, SMO, Banur, said, The children had complained of redness, itchy rashes on the skin spreading to almost everywhere on the body. But no case of high fever was reported following which they were discharged after the treatment.

Rita Bhardwaj, Civil Surgeon, Mohali, told The Tribune that she had sent a team comprising district epidemiologists and health workers to the school.

Meanwhile, a four-year-old girl from Peer Muchalla reportedly suffering from chickenpox was brought to the CHC Dhakoli on Tuesday. Sources said the girl had complained of rashes with fever.
Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 11

Chandigarh and Bangkok got air connectivity today with Air India starting a direct flight to the popular tourist destination.

The flight 336 took off from the Chandigarh airport at 2 pm carrying 122 passengers, including two in the business class. Over 40 seats remained vacant in the 162-seater A320, which has a seating capacity of 150 passengers in economy class and 12 in business class.

The five-hour flight, which will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, will depart from the Chandigarh international airport at 2 pm and reach Bangkok at 8.15 pm (Bangkok local time). From Bangkok, it will depart for Chandigarh at 5.40 am (Bangkok local time) and reach here at 9.20 am IST.

In the maiden flight from Bangkok to Chandigarh, 40 passengers arrived this morning. It is the third international flight from the Chandigarh airport. IndiGo and Air India subsidiary Air India Express are operating flights to Dubai and Sharjah since last year.

Pankaj Kumar, Executive Director (Sales and Marketing), Air India, said, The Chandigarh-Bangkok flight will be a success and offers better connectivity to passengers from tricity and the nearby cities in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. This market has potential and once the demand increases, we shall consider increasing the frequency of the flight.

He added that tourists from Thailands capital could visit places like Amritsar and Shimla. The idea is to save time at a convenient fare so that demand picks up in future, he said.

Isra Stapanaseth, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi, said Thailand remained a popular destination for tourists from India, especially from the northern region. In 2016, 1.07 million Indian tourists visited Thailand and from January-September this year, the number has risen to 1.2 million, which represents an increase of over 16 per cent.

The flight will save time and money for travellers from cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Dehradun, Manali and others. Lately, many travellers have been visiting Pattaya, Ko Samui and Phuket too for weddings, honeymoon and even business. We want to promote tourism and cultural ties for leisure and corporate travellers.

Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) CEO Suneel Dutt said at present, 27 flights were operating at the airport, including the three international flights.

He said, The runway repair at the airport would take a few months to complete. The length of the runway is being extended from 9000 feet to 10,400 feet. After resurfacing, we will be able to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft and then connect to more international destinations in the US, Canada and Europe.

On whether any new flight coming up in the near future, he said, It is a commercial decision of an airline to start a new flight, adding that the possibility of a new flight was likely by next winter.

SPEAKING OUT

"We had been waiting for this flight since it was announced. Earlier, we had to travel to Delhi and take a connecting flight to Bangkok. The direct flight will be convenient and save passengers from the tricity the hassle of going to Delhi first. More destinations like London, Paris and Amsterdam should be connected to the city in future." Naresh Verma, city resident

"After the flight was announced over two months ago, we immediately made a plan to visit Pattaya. We were eagerly waiting to board and travel by the maiden flight." Dinesh Kumar, businessmen from Ludhiana

"The flight will be good for tourists and working professionals who routinely travel to Bangkok for business purposes. I travel to Thailand for business/leisure trip every three months. Taking a connecting flight is cumbersome, especially if one of the flights is delayed." Vishal Sharma, regional head, Lifestyle International, Chandigarh

"I travel to Thailand for business purposes. Earlier, I used to take a connecting flight from Kolkata or Delhi. A direct flight will save me time and cost, since I had to stay one night at another metro city. A lot of Punjabis are studying abroad and Chandigarh should be connected to countries like the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand." Kulwant Singh, city resident

"The flight will be convenient and cut travel time and cost." Dr SC Rokha, frequent flyer
Hasan Suroor, London-based commentator

Hasan Suroor, London-based commentator

Ali A. Rizvi is a US-based Pakistani writer, and he has just published a book, The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason, an extremely dispiriting account of what he calls the insular and "dogmatic" Muslim mind which he says led him to lose his own faith. Reading it, I thought of Indian Muslims and the popular narrative that they are different from their peers elsewhere. Just days ago, a friend (a fellow Muslim) chided me for lumping Indian Muslims with other Muslims.

Look how sensibly they have dealt with the threats from the Sangh Parivar. They have remained calm and refused to be provoked. Isn't that a proof of their moderation? Let me tell you, if there's renaissance in Islam, it would be led by Indian Muslims, he claimed.

True, Muslims have mostly not risen to the RSS bait and refrained from reacting emotionally. They have resigned to their new de facto second class status and gone into a shell hoping against hope for achhe din to return. Or, what in retrospect seem like achhe din compared to the daily humiliation they have been subjected to post 2014. But this pragmatic approach is driven by nothing more than a combination of fear, a sense of helplessness, and simple survival instinct. To read some profound meaning into it and present it as a sign of Muslim moderation is to make virtue of necessity. What they're doing is what non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries have always done to stay safe. Which is to keep a low profile, acknowledge their minority (read inferior) status and the humiliations it brings, and carry on  quietly focussing on education, jobs and other bread-and-butter issues.

My issue with Muslims is that they have come to this sensible strategy 70 years too late. They should have got a measure of their vulnerability right after Independence and chosen a more pragmatic course rather than the path they took under a short-sighted leadership. It was breathtaking naivete to assume that after all that had happened  Partition, et al  it was going to remain business as usual. Personal assurances and constitutional guarantees are one thing and the hard political realities are quite another as they have since discovered. Yet, they fell for a constitutional fairytale in which they would not only have a place on the high table but also be entitled to extra helping as a minority group.

The Muslim leadership opted for a strategy that was bound at some stage to produce a Hindu backlash. That it did not happen earlier was because for a long time there was a solid liberal Hindu core but it got eroded over the years  not least because many liberal Hindus lost patience with a community that seemed to have a chip on its shoulder about its minority status. As far back as the 1980s, the ill-judged Muslim campaign over the Shah Bano case prompted Justice Krishna Iyer (the ultimate liberal Hindu) to warn Muslim fundamentalists that their tactics risked waking up the sleeping Hindu giant ....from its slumber. Well, the Hindu giant has woken up  and with a vengeance.

This is not to say that in a contra-factual scenario, the giant would not have woken up one day. After all, there are far right Hindu nationalist forces which define themselves through their hostility towards Muslims and whose very raison detre depends on mobilising Hindus against a common enemy to capture power. What Muslims did was to make their task easier and in effect play into their hands by constantly harping on issues around Muslim religious and cultural identity. And invoking faith related sensitivities to demand mostly bogus concessions. To compound things, the Congress party, chasing Muslim votes, colluded with the worst of regressive community leaders to push their self-serving agenda. It was like throwing red meat to hungry wolves. And, the metaphorical wolves (the RSS and mates) seized on it to step up their propaganda about Muslim appeasement and pseudo-secularism.

So, the current sensible strategy is a legacy of the lessons learnt in 1992 when Babri Masjid was demolished. Which were reinforced by what happened in Gujarat in 2002. But what really persuaded Muslims to accept that India had changed and they must learn to come to terms with it was the election as PM of an unabashed Hindu nationalist and Islamophobe in 2014 and the campaign of terror against Muslims he has allowed to flourish, creating insecurity among Muslims. They have even taken to concealing their religious identity for fear of being targeted. The idea that this practical common sense is the result of some new enlightenment is as self-serving as the previous assumptions about their special status. It was a fantasy.

As for the Indian Muslims' capacity to lead an Islamic renaissance, there's no doubt that they are among the world's most moderate Muslims but they're also among the least educated, and most economically backward. All of which makes them extremely vulnerable to external radical influences. So far, they have been able to resist them because of their grounding in a liberal and culturally diverse ethos. But when that ethos is sought to be banished in the name of "Hindu pride" and Muslims find themselves excluded from the mainstream discourse and disenfranchised as part of a Hindu-India project, it will make them more vulnerable to radicalisation.

While the future of 180 million Indian Muslims is surely a matter of deep concern, the bigger question is: where is India headed with an agenda that is set to reduce the idea of Hinduism to Ali Rizvi's description of Islam -- and India to a replica of Pakistan and Afghanistan?
Nayantara Sahgal

Nayantara Sahgal

THE 25th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid has reminded us once again that India is a bruised, battered and bleeding democracy. In the past three years, the countrys multi-cultural inheritance has been torn to shreds. Indians have been partitioned into Hindus and Others, and Hinduism has been replaced by a martial creed called Hindutva, invented by Savarkar and now put into practice by the RSS, whose government is waging war on Indians outside the Hindu fold and on those within it who oppose its ideology.

The destruction of a 16th century mosque that was a famous landmark gave notice that Hindu fundamentalism was on the warpath. By rewarding some of its ringleaders with high posts, the BJP gave its blessing to this act. An ideology that had been rejected by Indians since its inception in the 1920s  when Indians chose to follow Mahatma Gandhi instead in the epic non-violent fight for freedom from British rule, and afterwards to stay staunchly secular  now governs us. We are told this is a new India and so it is.

It is now a country in which being different  in belief or lifestyle  is punishable, and one in which Muslim means enemy. The word is out that Muslim numbers must be reduced and the ominous impact of this statement is visible on the streets. We have seen defenceless Indians of the Muslim faith beaten and lynched in public view. But blood sport is not confined to Muslims. Well-known Hindu writers have been killed by gun-toting vigilantes and their murderers have been left free to kill again. We have heard important figures and supporters of the ruling party publicly sanction the murder or mutilation of anyone who disagrees with its mindset or criticises its leader. The past three years have stamped this new outlook on a civilisation that has since ancient times been defined by its historic openness to differences of religion and opinion.

Hatred of the Other has now been carried to ridiculous extremes, cutting centuries of Indias medieval history out of textbooks in BJP-ruled states because Muslim rule is an intolerable insult to Hindutva pride. Jawaharlal Nehrus name and contribution has similarly been obliterated from our modern history, in this case because the secular democratic foundation he and his distinguished colleagues laid for independent India has been a resounding success  acclaimed as a great achievement across the world  and remains the main obstacle to Hindutvas project of establishing a Hindu rashtra. Mahatma Gandhi, disposed of by a Hindutva fanatics bullets in 1948, has now been resurrected on roadside hoardings and newspaper advertisements alongside Narendra Modi as though they subscribed to the same political, social and human values. The men who admire Nathuram Godse did not realise that killing Gandhi would not be the end of him and that the dead Gandhi would live on in the hearts and minds of the Indian people. They have therefore come to terms with the political necessity  indeed the vote-getting necessity  of keeping Gandhi in the public eye alongside themselves until they think they can do without him.

In the war on dissent, ferocious attacks continue to be launched on the creative imagination. The makers of films, books and works of art that displease the powers that be have met with a fury that is quite remarkable for its ignorance of the subjects it is attacking and the priceless value of art in all its forms to society. And now even the judiciary is no longer safe from assault. Recently Judge BH Loya, who was hearing a case in which a powerful ruling politician was one of the main accused, died a sudden inexplicable death.

Yet the many and manifold measures taken to frighten and silence Indians have not silenced them. Protest is too weak a word to describe the growing outrage that Indians feel, and are expressing all over the country individually and in the mass, through marches, rallies, petitions, and eloquent articles directed against state-sponsored terrorism, or the organised violence let loose on dissenting citizens to which the state turns a blind eye, or against unacceptable policies. The section of the Press that has remained independent of pressures and coercion tells us the tide is turning. It is obvious that Indians, long accustomed to speaking their minds, refuse to be gagged. Nor will they allow the variety and richness of their many-splendoured civilisation to be trashed, or their constitutional right to live, eat, worship, love and marry as they choose be snatched from them. The bugle against Hindutva, its crimes and its fantasies, has sounded loud and clear.

Ultimately a democracy makes its choice of government through elections. But in a damaged democracy the election process on which we have so far depended as the final deciding factor, also appears to have been damaged, as was clear when the Opposition demanded a check on EVMs, and paper trails to show results. The fact that EVMs have been discarded by European democracies as being unreliable should give us good reason to reconsider their use. Meanwhile, there is reason to worry about their misuse. After the UP election a worker from an all-Muslim locality in UP reported to a businessman I know that not a single vote from that booth had gone to the BJP, yet the results showed it had won all votes. Two Independents told me that each of them had voted for himself, but both these showed up as BJP wins. These are facts based on knowledge, and may be the tips of the iceberg in view of the doubts that have risen among analysts about the sweeping nature of the civic poll results in UP. Electoral fraud is well-known in instances here and elsewhere, but the kind and extent of the fraud, whether it operates through money, bribes, threats  or through electoral machines  depends on how much is at stake.

The newly formed Nazi party in Germany gave fraud a colourful new twist when it called the burning in 1933 of the Reichstag a Communist plot to occupy Germany, though the convicted arsonist was a Dutchman who had acted on his own. The lust for power dreams up its own solutions. In Germany the communist plot scare was an invention that was crucial to establishing Nazi dictatorship. Here in India, winning UP with its 80 seats in Parliament is crucial to any party seeking to amend the Constitution, as the BJP must now do to attain the numbers it will need in Parliament to declare India a Hindu rashtra under an amended Constitution, and/or to bring in a presidential in place of a parliamentary government. The stakes are high. The freeness and fairness of elections is at risk in this age of advanced technology, as the issue of alleged Russian interference in the US presidential election raging abroad tells us. When nothing in this new India is as it once was, it remains for Indians committed to democracy to remain vigilant about its workings, including, and especially, in the electoral system upon which the political future depends.

The writer is an eminent novelist
THE unthinkable has happened in Nepal, from the vantage of South Blocks muscular diplomacy. A united Left has comprehensively defeated a Nepali Congress-led alliance in both federal and provincial elections. If the Doval Doctrine has suffered a setback it is in Nepal. Khadga Prasad Oli, who crossed swords with the Indian security establishment, will head a bloc enjoying two-thirds majority; the same gentleman who inked a trade treaty with China, recalled his Ambassador in India, traded insults with New Delhi at the UN and withstood a two-month informal blockade from India. However, India can still do business with Oli provided it acknowledges and internalises the primary lesson from the recent geopolitical changes: no large country can overshadow a small nation.

Indias overt desire to control Nepals destiny will create a pushback; however, neither is Nepal sliding into Chinas camp. Its modern founder Prithvi Narain Shah had set the historical context for equidistance in the conduct of Nepals foreign policy by describing it as yam between two boulders. And Olis China visit was not a recent manifestation of Nepals desire to play the China card; upset over India providing safe sanctuary to NC insurgents, King Mahendra had visited Beijing in 1961  when Sino-Indian ties were going downhill  and got the Mt Everest along with a border treaty. At the same time, the ruling Left will be conscious of loss in political capital if it gets too close to China: the opposition can as adroitly utilise anti-Chinaism as a tool as the Maoists have employed anti-Indianism.

This is the time to lay out some unusual diplomatic strategies. The natural inclination in the South Block will be to re-enact the familiar rites and symbols: ensuring Oli makes his first visit as PM to India. Instead India needs to unleash the charm of the Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. It is time we appreciate that Nepal needs to be courted and understood rather than dictated. Nepal has seen how the world operates  it is among the first five in the GDP to remittance ratio  and would not like to tolerate the affectations of a big brother.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

The Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR) wants the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to investigate the brutal rape and murder of a six-year-old girl at Uklana in Hisar to be headed by a senior woman IPS officer or the matter be handed over to the CBI.

Jyoti Bainda, Chairperson of the HSCPCR, today said that she had taken up the matter with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar as well as the DGP.

It has come to the notice of the commission that an SIT headed by a DSP has been constituted to investigate the rape and murder of the six-year-old girl at Uklana. However, no results have come out so far. Keeping in view the seriousness of the matter, the commission desires that a senior woman IPS officer should head the SIT for better results or the probe be handed over to the CBI, said Jyoti Baindas identical letters written to the Chief Ministers office and the DGP.

A six-year-old girl was abducted from her house at Uklana in Hisar on Saturday and her brutalised body was recovered the next day.

Investigations so far have revealed that she was raped before she was brutally murdered after torturing her by inserting a wood into her body.
Tribune News Service

Karnal, December 12

The Health Department has so far terminated the services of as many as 335 NHM employees and also issued them the termination orders today. Meanwhile, scores of employees continued their strike and staged a dharna in-front of the office of the civil surgeon here today. They protested by beating utensils and raised slogans against the state government.

We have so far terminated the services of as many as 335 employees out of the total 506. The termination orders have also been issued to them, said Yogesh Sharma, civil surgeon.

We have also arranged drivers from other departments for the smooth operation of the referral transport services, he added.

Gopal Sharma, a protesting employee, said it was unfortunate that instead of accepting our long pending demand of implementation of service rules and seventh pay commission, the state government had terminated the services of NHM employees. He said they would continue to protest till the fulfilment of their demands.

Workers protest

Jhajjar: Sacked National Health Mission (NHM) employees organised a protest demonstration and burnt an effigy of Health Minister Anil Vij near Shri Ram Sharma Park here today.

The protesters said they would continue with their agitation until their demands were met. Though Section 144 was in force on the Civil Hospital premises, the protesters defied the prohibitory orders to hold the demonstration.

242 sacked in Rohtak

Rohtak: The health authorities have dismissed 242 NHM employees for dereliction of duty. Civil surgeon Dr Deepa Jakhar said notices were issued to striking workers on December 8.

However, as they did not join duty within 72 hours, the services of 242 NHM employees have been terminated, she asserted.
PONTIAC  A nurse who claimed she was fired from a Dwight nursing home after she reported alleged abuse has been awarded $5.2 million by a Livingston County jury.

Katrina Wesemann was employed as a licensed practical nurse at Heritage Health in Dwight in October 2012 when she was fired by her employer, Bloomington-based Heritage Enterprises Inc., which operates 54 long-term facilities, including 53 in Illinois.

Wesemann alleged she was fired because she refused to follow orders from the facility's director of nursing "to 'drop a pill' or double-dose agitated residents with anti-anxiety medications and refused to delete or omit records of suspicious injuries on residents," according to a statement from Timothy J. Coffey, one of Wesemann's lawyers.

The verdict included past wages and benefits and $5 million in punitive damages for the nurse who worked at the facility for about 19 months. The jury deliberated about two hours before returning its verdict last week during an eight-day trial before Judge Robert Travers.

However, A. Clay Cox, corporate counsel for Heritage Enterprises, said in a written statement to The Pantagraph on Monday, "We at Heritage Enterprises Inc. are deeply disappointed in the verdict delivered in the case of Wesemann v. Heritage Manor-Dwight, LLC.

"We have disputed and continue to dispute and deny the assertions of the plaintiff in this matter," Cox's statement continued. "We fully intend to exercise all available legal remedies to contest this result. Until the legal process concludes, we will have no further comment."

Coffey said the verdict "sent a powerful message to Heritage Enterprises with the $5 million punitive damage award. Such awards are intended to punish and deter when evidence of willful and wanton misconduct is presented."

The Naperville lawyer was part of a legal team that included Loevy and Loevy and Amanda S. Yarusso, of Chicago.

The jury sided with the former worker on all three counts brought under Illinois whistleblower laws that protect employees from retaliation for reporting improper conduct at nursing homes and other regulated industries.

Wesemann's lawyers alleged that her firing was in retaliation for a call she made to the corporate hotline to report the accusations involving her supervisor.

Wesemann now works as a managing nurse for another long-term care facility, according to her lawyer.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

Questions are being raised over the state governments recent announcement to cancel the lease of Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, as the land provided to the hospital by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is on freehold basis and not on lease.

A copy of the allotment letter dated December 17, 2004, issued in favour of Fortis Heart and Multi-Specialty Hospital, Mohali, shows that the plot was allotted on freehold basis and not on lease. The 11.5-acre plot in Sector 44, Gurugram, was allotted to the hospital for Rs 19.77 crore at Rs 3,552 per square yard.

Harinder Dhingra, an RTI activist from Gurugram, who had obtained the copy under the Right to Information Act, alleged today that the government was merely trying to gain public sympathy by announcing cancellation of the lease deed.

If the state government is really interested in taking action against Fortis, it should resume the plot as it is authorised under the law to do so, he said.

Clause 10 of the allotment letter states, In the event of breach of any other condition of transfer, the Estate Officer may resume the land under provisions of Section 17 of the HUDA Act.

Dhingra alleged that the inquiry conducted by the Health Department had clearly pointed out that the hospital was not providing free or subsidised treatment to EWS patients, a condition mandatory under the terms of allotment.

When contacted, Health Minister Anil Vij said the government had written to HUDA for cancellation of lease, but in case allotment was on freehold basis, action would be taken accordingly.

It had been learnt that the state governments announcement of removing the hospital from its panel was also factually incorrect since the hospital was not on the panel in the first place.

I have been informed that Fortis hospital, Mohali, is on the state government panel, but the same is not true in case of Fortis institute, Gurugram, Vij said.

On December 7, he ordered removal of Fortis institute, Gurugram, from the state government panel in the wake of death of a seven-year-old girl during treatment, for which parents were charged Rs 16 lakh. He had said on the basis of the report of an investigation team constituted under the Additional Director General, Dr Rajiv Vadhera, directions had been issued to register an FIR against the hospital and cancel the licence of its blood bank.
Jammu, December 12

Advising the BJP-RSS to refrain from generating passions and exploiting public sentiments, NC chief Farooq Abdullah said the growing trend of dividing the nation on religious lines was detrimental to national interest.

He also expressed concern over vitiating the ongoing Gujarat Assembly polls on the basis of religion and said it was the saddest development in the Indian polity.

In a statement issued here on Monday, Abdullah advised the BJP-RSS to refrain from generating passions and exploiting public sentiments, especially during elections, saying the growing trend of dividing the nation on religious lines was detrimental to national interest and such a tendency should be eschewed at all costs.

The National Conference (NC) chief lamented the attempts to provoke the people to fight over mandir-masjid issues just in furtherance of political objectives.

India does not belong to a specific religion, but it is a beautiful vase of flowers of different colours. People of all the faiths have equal rights in a secular India, the former Union minister said.

He added that in the prevailing vicious atmosphere, the NC had a challenging role in keeping the flag of secularism aloft.

Abdullah decried the exploitation of religious sentiments for political and electoral gains, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take a lead in ending this malady in the larger interest of retaining the secular fabric of the country.

(Narendra) Modi is the prime minister of all, irrespective of religious or regional affiliations and this fact should neither be ignored nor undermined, he said, hoping that Modi would not allow himself to get swayed by petty politics.

Addressing the NCs other backward class cell functionaries at the Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister hoped the Prime Minister would appreciate the danger communal polarisation posed and said the country should also introspect over the sordid state of its political affairs.

The country of Mahatma Gandhi cannot afford to get fragmented into bits and pieces on the basis of religion to satiate the agendas of a few political outfits, he said.

The NC leader, however, mentioned that nothing better could be expected from the reactionary forces, who were now taking pride in decorating the killer of the Father of the Nation.

Meanwhile, a retired police officer on Monday joined the NC in the presence of Abdullah at the party headquarters.

Abdullah welcomed retired superintendent of police Rishi Dogra into the party fold saying the NC was a natural choice for all those who wanted to serve the people of Jammu and Kashmir and work towards strengthening the peace and tranquillity of the state. PTI
Employability remains a major concern for students passing out from colleges in India as they need to be doing a lot more to set themselves up for a job after college. According to the India Skills Report 2018 as many as 63 per cent of students have done at least one internship in the past 12 months, but 73 per cent of those internships were unpaid and 86 per cent did not result in a job offer.

The report found that only 44 per cent of students apply to between one and five jobs at a time wherein students should apply for as many jobs that match their profile without fail for the first three months. It also reveals the lack of networking opportunity while students are in college. Almost 87 per cent of students said they wished their schools offered more networking opportunities where alumni handheld students about the day-to-day realities of a job or crafting an attractive resume or simply guide them on preparing for interviews. A whopping 78 per cent students did not attend conferences, industry events and business or start-up meet ups in their areas of interest while in colleges.

The study further revealed that while 92 per cent students use Facebook and 63 per cent are regularly on YouTube, only 26 per cent use LinkedIn account or they access regularly. 62 per cent of college graduates turn first to an employer's website or Job boards.

Over 5000 higher education campuses participated in one of the largest employability survey conducted by global employability assessment provider Wheebox in association with industry bodies and organisations leaders like All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE), United Nations Development Program(UNDP), Association of Indian Universities(AIU), Confederation of Indian Industry(CII), Pearson Education and HR Tech Company PeopleStrong.

This year the report emphasizes on Future Skills and Future Jobs for Indian ecosystem in its 5thAnnual report on talent demand and supply. India Skills Report 2018 will be published in January in New Delhi.
Sumit Paul

Sumit Paul

WHILE pursuing an MPhil degree on the stylistics of Mirza Ghalibs Persian poetry in 1999, I hit a cul de sac because its well-nigh impossible to get hold of Ghalibs Persian poetry, especially ghazals, because he destroyed much of his poetry, for his contemporaries and critics found it unintelligible.

Frustrated, I wrote to the Director of India House, London, and professors at Tehran, Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard, but to no avail. Finally, a British professor of Persian and Central Asian Studies at Leeds University suggested that I approach a retired General of the Pakistan army, presumably the direct descendant of Ghalib.

I didnt expect any help from a Pakistani General, yet I wrote to him. Assuming that all sub-continental army officers were more at home with English, I wrote to him in fractured English.

After a fortnight, I received a parcel from Karachi. When I opened it, I found a handwritten letter in flawless Urdu and photo-copies of Ghalibs 43 rarest Persian nazms and ghazals. That was enough for my research. I was on cloud nine and immediately wrote a letter of thanks, this time in chaste Urdu!

His reply was prompt. We began to correspond regularly. The General was a fascinating man. Despite his crisp British accent and impeccable English, he chose to converse and correspond with me in Urdu. He was an alumnus of Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (UK). His superlative Urdu had no influence of Punjabi or any Pakistani dialect. From his immaculate Urdu, I could make out how good his great-grandfathers (Ghalib) Urdu was!

In 2006, I went to Pakistan to deliver a lecture on Allama Iqbals Persian poetry at Lahore University. The General came to meet me from Karachi. The chain-smoker General was an absorbing raconteur. He was simplicity personified and very approachable.

I liked his disarming honesty when he laughingly told me over a glass of Scotch that just two Sikhs defeated us in two wars in 1965 and 1971. But Im happy for them as both were my dear friends. The two Sikhs were Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh, the chief architect of Indias victory over Pakistan in 1965, and Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora, the then GOC-in-C of the Eastern Headquarters when Pakistan got a drubbing in 1971.

Its aptly said true soldiers are gentlemen to the core  just like my late General friend from Pakistan who harboured no ill-will and was all praise for his Indian counterparts and their bravery.

His last words still echo in my memory: Im happy for them as both were my dear friends.

General, I remember you with fondness and utmost esteem.
New Delhi, December 11

The Congress on Monday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to former Vice-President Hamid Ansari and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for insinuating that they were colluding with Pakistan to defeat the BJP in the Gujarat Assembly elections.

Read

Perceiving a clear defeat in Gujarat, the Prime Minister was frustrated and using foul language to rouse sympathy for himself, Congress leader Anand Sharma said here, a day after Modi accused the party and elements in Pakistan of working together to defeat the BJP.

The Congress was reacting to Modis charge in a public meeting on Sunday in Gujarat that Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyars neech remark came after a dinner at his house the previous day attended by former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, its current High Commissioner in India besides Ansari and Singh, among others.

Today Prime Minister, in his frustration and perceiving a clear defeat, wants to divert the attention of people. PM should take his words back and to maintain the dignity of his post, should apologise.

If he has any such information, then its a very serious matter... The country will not accept wrong means being employed by the ruling party to win the elections. We have full faith that the Gujarat electorate is intelligent and mature enough to understand the tactics behind yesterdays address (by Modi) and will answer them in the second phase, Sharma told the media.

He said nothing could be more absurd than what the Prime Minister had said on Sunday.

It is expected of the Prime Minister to be dignified in his discourse, to always remember that he holds a high office and he should not level accusations, cast aspersions on those who have held high constitutional offices and have served India with dedication and commitment.

Sharma said Modis insinuations against the former Vice-President of India and former Prime Minister of doing something improper is highly irresponsible, improper and condemnable. The Prime Minister, he said, must remember that mere attending a social function in which high dignitaries were present... It was not a secret meeting, in which former Chief of the Indian Army, India former High Commissioner to Pakistan, eminent journalists, they all were present.

The Prime Minister is giving it a sinister and sensational twist. The Prime Minister should restore the dignity of political discourse, and apologise to the former Vice-President and former PM.

It is clear that he has done so with the intent to confuse and mislead the people of Gujarat ... to whip up emotions and to polarise. There cannot be any other explanation and there cannot be anything more reprehensible than what he has done.

Referring to Modis charge that Congress leaders were colluding with Pakistan, Sharma said, It is outrageous. He should know that Congress led the freedom struggle in which the ancestors of the party that Modi belongs to had opposed the Indian freedom struggle. They had sided with the British and had opposed Mahatma Gandhis Quit India Movement ... He is heir of such a group. Sharma said that Modi has time and again brought down the political discourse to such a low, which is anything but dignified.

Why doesnt he talk about progress, the countrys economy? He is the Prime Minister, is given to making tall claims, why doesnt he talk about farmers today? Why doesnt he talk about employment, the future of youth? What is their agenda, on what basis are they fighting the polls? he asked.

His own speeches, their partys foul language... The PM is trying to rouse sympathy for himself by trying to show to the people that he has been wronged. It is he who has wronged the people.  IANS
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12

Ticked off by the Supreme Court for its lackadaisical approach on the issue of weeding out criminals from politics, the Centre has proposed to set up 12 Special Courts to expeditiously decide criminal cases pending against lawmakers in terms of its March 10, 2014 order.

In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Centre has proposed a scheme under which these special courts will be set up to decide criminal cases against lawmakers within a year. To start with, these courts would be for a year.

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An amount of Rs. 7.8 crore has been earmarked for the purpose after taking account the revised pay scales of judges in accordance with the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. The estimated cost of setting up one Special Court has been calculated to be Rs 65 lakh. The scheme would be subject to minor changes after consultation with states, it added.

According to an estimate, one special court can dispose 165 cases in a year. Trials in states with less than 65 cases can be completed in the existing fast-track courts, the affidavit suggested.

The affidavit has been filed in response to the top courts November 1 direction asking the Centre to consider setting up special courts to exclusively try cases against lawmakers facing criminal charges.

Seeking to de-criminalise politics, a bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi had asked the government come up with a scheme for constituting and funding such courts on the lines of Fast Track Courts (FTCs) which were set up by the Centre for a period of five years and extended further.

Seized of a PIL filed by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking lifetime ban on contesting of polls by convicted politicians, the top court had asked the government to spell out the amount of money that can be earmarked for special courts.

The bench  which had given six weeks to the Centre to submit the scheme  is likely to hear the matter on December 13.

The bench had earlier pointed out criminal cases against many politicians remained pending for more than 20 years allowing them to complete four terms in Parliament or state assemblies. In such a situation, demanding ban on them towards the fag end of their political career may not achieve the desired objective, it had indicated.

The order had come after the top court was informed that 1,581 lawmakers had criminal cases pending against them at the time of filing nominations in 2014. It sought to know how many of these cases had been disposed of by now and what was the outcome in terms of acquittal or conviction.

But in its affidavit, the Centre said there was no government agency that kept track of the number of disposed of cases, much less the total number of pending cases. According to Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the number has come down to 1,571, on account of death and resignation of lawmakers.

A report by the NGO  which analyses affidavits filed by candidates at the time of filing of nominations  said 188 Lok Sabha MPs and 44 Rajya Sabha MPs have criminal cases pending against them.

The number of legislators having criminal cases pending against them in various states is: Maharashtra (160), Uttar Pradesh (143), Bihar (141), West Bengal (107), Kerala (87), Andhra Pradesh (84), Tamil Nadu (75), Karnataka (73), Madhya Pradesh (70) and Telangana (67).
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

The victims of the infamous Dabwali fire tragedy would be getting a further assistance of Rs 3.32 crore ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the incident, the worst of its kind that had left 442 people dead and around 150 scarred for life.

A court in Dabwali town of Sirsa has directed the DAV School Management Committee  the tragedy had occurred during the annual function of the local DAV school  to pay the interest amount it had been withholding latest by December 22.

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Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Ritu passed the order yesterday on an execution petition moved by the Dabwali Fire Victims Association, which has been fighting for justice to the victim families since the incident occurred on December 23, 1995.

Around 1,500 persons had gathered for the function at a marriage palace, when a synthetic tent caught fire due to a short-circuit, leading to a stampede and the 442 casualties, among them over 150 children.

Association president Vinod Bansal said compensation claims had been submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court-appointed TP Garg Commission on behalf of 405 deceased and 88 injured persons.

In November 2009, the High Court had ordered a compensation of Rs 34.14 crore to the victims, 45 per cent of which was to be paid by the Haryana Government and the rest by the DAV School Management Committee.

While the government immediately paid the money, the school committee moved the Supreme Court, where it was directed to first deposit Rs 10 crore with the court.

In 2013, the apex court rejected the DAV committees special leave petition and it was directed to make the rest of the payment to the victims. While the committee paid the principal amount, it withheld the interest.

The school again contested the victims petition for interest in the lower court, district court, High Court and up to the Supreme Court where the interest was reduced from 10 per cent, as demanded by the victims, to 6 per cent.

On the basis of apex court order, the victims had moved the Dabwali court by filing an execution petition for the recovery of Rs 3.32 crore (interest), said Bansal.
Islamabad, December 11

Pakistan on Monday said Indias politicians should not drag the country into its domestic politics during campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls.

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India should stop dragging Pakistan into its electoral debate and win victories on own strength rather than fabricated conspiracies, which are utterly baseless and irresponsible, Pakistans Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said on Twitter.

Read

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday claimed at an election rally that there was an attempt by Pakistan to interfere in the Gujarat polls.

India should stop dragging Pakistan into its electoral debate and win victories on own strength rather than fabricated conspiracies, which are utterly baseless and irresponsible.  Dr Mohammad Faisal (@ForeignOfficePk) December 11, 2017

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 chief minister of Gujarat.

Modi alleged that Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had held a meeting at his house which was attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, a former Indian vice-president, Pakistans High Commissioner in India, and a former Pakistani foreign minister.

On one hand, Pakistan Armys former DG is interfering in Gujarats election; and on the other, Pakistani people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyars house. After that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Dont you think such events raise doubts? the Prime Minister had said while addressing a poll rally in Gujarat. PTI
Patna, December 12

A junior enginner, employed with the irrigation department in Bihar, has been shot dead by unidentified persons in Saran district while he was on his way home in the state capital, police said on Tuesday.

"Veermani Kumar, who was posted at Hajipur in the adjoining district of Vaishali, was shot dead in Sonepur police station area late last night. Kumar lived in Kurji locality of Patna and he was returning home when unidentified assailants fired at his car. He received bullet injuries in his chest", Superintendent of Police, Saran, Harkishor Rai, told PTI over phone.

A police party rushed to the spot and took the engineer to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, the SP said.

Rai claimed that investigations have revealed that the engineer was involved in a property dispute and a case had been lodged in this connection at a police staion in Patna.

"We suspect that those with whom Kumar was involved in the dispute, are behind the murder," the SP said.

"As of now, we are not disclosing the identity of the suspects since they may become alert and try to escape. We are hopeful of arresting them soon. The manner in which the murder took place showed that the killers were familiar with the route the engineer took for commuting to and from his place of work", the SP said.

A country-made pistol was used in the killing and the possibility of the masterminds having hired contract killers cannot be ruled out, he said. PTI
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, December 12



A gang of thieves who broke into the Bank of Barodas branch at Juinagar in Navi Mumbai last month and made off with more than 11 kilograms of gold were inspired by a similar burglary at Punjab National Banks branch at Haryana, police said.

Interrogation of ten persons arrested from different parts of the country so far have revealed that they had studied the heist at PNBs branch at Sonepat, Haryana, in 2014.

Gold and other valuables worth crores of rupees were stolen in that incident, police said.

According to Navi Mumbai police officials, one of the masterminds behind the Navi Mumbai heist, Hajid Ali Mirza Ali Baig, who was out on bail in a different case had heard of the Sonepat heist from other criminals while still in jail.

On his release, Baig studied videos on the bank robbery posted on YouTube and other websites and thought of the plan to carry out a similar heist in Mumbai as well.

After searching for several months, Baig chose the Bank of Barodas branch at Juinagar since a shop was available for rent a few doors away, a police officer from the Navi Mumbai police said.

Baigs associate, Gona Bachchan Prasad, rented the store and began digging under the foundation in August this year, according to the officer.

Aware of the mobile phone surveillance practices of the police, the gang had left behind their mobile phones at different locations while they dug under the buildings foundation night after night, police said.

During this time, the gang communicated with each other using Chinese-made walkie talkies.

The gang may have escaped scot-free but for the negligence of one of its members who called up a sex-worker while escaping from the scene of crime, according to a police officer.

Scrutiny of mobile phone dump data from the vicinity of the bank revealed that the call was made to a number in Jalgaon in Maharashtra.

Interrogation of the woman who owned the phone revealed that the caller was her regular customer and

was hiding somewhere outside Mumbai.

Shortly afterwards most of the gang members, including one woman, were arrested and half the stolen booty recovered.

We are still on the lookout for four persons, the police official said.




Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, December 12

A gang of thieves that broke into the Bank of Barodas branch at Juinagar in Navi Mumbai last month and made off with more than 11 kg gold was inspired by a similar burglary at Punjab National Banks branch in Haryana, the police said.

Interrogation of 10 persons arrested from different parts of the country so far has revealed that they had studied the heist at PNBs branch at Sonepat in 2014. Gold and other valuables worth crores were stolen in that incident, the police said.

According to Navi Mumbai police officials, one of the masterminds behind the Navi Mumbai heist, Hajid Ali Mirza Ali Baig, who was out on bail in a different case had heard of the Sonepat heist from other criminals while in jail. On his release, Baig studied videos on the bank robbery posted on YouTube and other websites and thought of a plan to carry out a similar heist in Mumbai.

Baig chose the Bank of Barodas branch at Juinagar since a shop was available for rent a few doors away, a police officer said. Baigs associate, Gona Bachchan Prasad, rented the store and began digging under the foundation in August.

Aware of the mobile phone surveillance practice of the police, the gang left behind their phones at different locations while they undertook digging every night. During this time, the gang communicated using Chinese walkie talkies.

The gang may have gone scot-free but for the negligence of one of its members who called up a sex-worker, while escaping from the scene of crime. Scrutiny of mobile phone dump data from the vicinity of the bank revealed that the call was made to a number in Jalgaon in Maharashtra. Interrogation of the woman who owned the phone revealed that the caller was her regular customer and was hiding somewhere outside Mumbai.
Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12

India and Australia on Tuesday reviewed all aspects of bilateral ties during the inaugural 2+2 dialogue and agreed that a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific is in the long-term interests of all countries in the region.

Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra held the dialogue with their Australian counterparts Frances Adamson and Greg Moriarty.

While India already has a 2+2 dialogue with Japan, it has also agreed to start a two-by-two ministerial dialogue to enhance peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region.

Significantly, the inaugural Indo-Aus dialogue comes barely a month after the two countries along with the US and Japan, discussed cooperation amid evolving security scenario in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been aggressively expanding its military presence.

The focus of the talks remained on bilateral strategic and defence relations. Developments in the Indo-Pacific with Chinas rise, Indias prominent role in Australias first White Paper on Foreign Policy in 14 years, the road ahead for revived quadrilateral dialogue were part of discussions.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a formal release said, There is a growing convergence of strategic perspectives between the two countries. Both sides agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large.

The 2+2 dialogue format was first proposed by then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott during his 2014 India visit.

Over the past few months, both countries have seen increased partnership with recent navy to navy talks as well as a maritime bilateral security dialogue.

The two foreign secretaries will be joined by the Japanese foreign secretary for fourth round of trilateral talks on Wednesday.

In a recent interview to The Tribune, Australian High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu speaking on the trilateral said, This is very productive with real meeting of the minds like the quadrilateral. Our three countries work together extremely well. We share our perspectives on current issues so North Korea will definitely be on the agenda.

Joint Secretaries of India, Australia, Japan and the US were part of the revived quadrilateral security dialogue in Manila last month.

Questions remain if Canberra will now get the go ahead to join the Malabar exercise. India holds the annual naval exercise with the US and Japan in the Bay of Bengal.

Australian Defence Secretary Moriarty met Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba. Moriarty also visited Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre in New Delhi.
Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12

India and Australia today held the inaugural 2+2 talks with Foreign and Defence Secretaries from both sides focusing on bilateral strategic and defence relations. Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra held the dialogue with their counterparts Frances Adamson and Greg Moriarty.

Developments in the Indo-Pacific with Chinas rise, Indias prominent role in Australias first White Paper on Foreign Policy in 14 years, the road ahead for the revived Quadrilateral dialogue were part of discussions.

The External Affairs Ministry said, There is a growing convergence of strategic perspectives between the two countries. Both sides agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large.

The 2+2 dialogue format was first proposed by then Australian PM Tony Abbott during his 2014 India visit. Over the past few months, both countries have seen increased partnership. Navy-to-navy talks as well as a maritime bilateral security dialogues were held recently.

The two foreign secretaries will be joined by the Japanese Foreign Secretary for fourth round of trilateral talks on Wednesday. Speaking on the trilateral talks, Australian High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu had said, This is a very productive meeting with real meeting of the minds like the Quadrilateral. The three countries work together extremely well and share the perspective on current issues.
Ahmedabad/Ambaji, December 12

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew in a seaplane from the Sabarmati river to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district and then travelled by road to Banaskantha district to offer prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple on Monday, the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls.

Modi boarded the single-engine seaplane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country, to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat.

A special jetty was constructed to facilitate the prime ministers boarding from the river.

From Dharoi Dam, he reached the temple by road after covering a distance of around 50 km.

On reaching the temple town, he greeted the people, who had gathered on the roadsides leading to the shrine in large numbers to have a glimpse of the prime minister, and waved at them.

At the temple, Modi performed puja of Goddess Amba Mata and took blessings from priests.

He spent around 15 minutes in the temple before returning to Dharoi Dam, from where he would leave for Ahmedabad by the seaplane.

Today is the last day of campaigning for the second and final phase of voting which will take place on December 14, covering the remaining 93 Assembly seats. The first phase of polling, covering 89 seats, took place on December 9.  PTI
Nagpur, December 12

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar today asked farmers in Maharashtra not to pay outstanding loan or dues like electricity bills to the government unless it deposits the much-touted loan-waiver amount in their bank accounts.

Speaking at a public rally Halla Bol  organised by the Congress and the NCP here on the issues of agrarian crisis, Pawar said if the government was of no use to people, people should not cooperate with it.

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Unless the loan-waiver amount is deposited in their bank accounts, I appeal to the farming community not to pay any dues or even electricity bills to the state government, said the former Union Agriculture Minister, who turned 77 today.

The Maharashtra Government had announced a mega agri-loan waiver of Rs 34,022 crore on June 24 after a state-wide agitation by farmers. On July 9, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said around 36 lakh farmers would have their entire debt waived.

Pawar asked Fadnavis to stay away from blackmail politics.  PTI
Ahmedabad, December 12

There is a tremendous undercurrent against the BJP in Gujarat, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi claimed on Tuesday, and predicted a zabardast victory for his party in the Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference on the last day of campaigning for the second phase of the poll on December 14, he claimed public mood had undergone a radical change with all sections of society angry with the ruling party.

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He also disapproved of Prime Minister Narendra Modis insinuation that his predecessor Manmohan Singh and other leaders of his party connived with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat Assembly elections, saying it was unacceptable.

It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...about farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....all are angry. Public mood has undergone zabardast change.

The Congress will win the election....the results will be zabardast, a confident-looking Gandhi said.

Gandhi, addressing his first presser after his elevation, said, in his new job, he would strive to change the nature of political discourse in the country which has become ugly and nasty.

He questioned Modis silence on allegations against BJP president Amit Shahs son Jay Shah, a charge the Gandhi scion raked up repeatedly at the hustings, and alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

News portal The Wire had claimed some time ago that the turnover of a company owned by Jay Shah jumped manifold after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

Replying to a question on Modis remarks over Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls, Gandhi said, I have made my stand clear from day one, in words and in action. Modiji is the prime minister of our country. Mani Shankar Aiyar said something and I made it clear that I would not tolerate it. You have seen the action.

But what Modiji has said about former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable. Manmohan Singhji was also the prime minister of this country, served and made sacrifices for this country, the 47-year-old leader said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

Modi claimed some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyars house over dinner on December 6, and a day later Aiyar made the neech jibe against him. Aiyar was suspended from the party.

Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is the prime minister of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him.

I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger, he noted.

Gandhi said he would like to spread the Congress ideology in the country that politics should be done through love. He was replying to question about what will be his priority after taking over the reins of the party.  PTI
Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, December 12

The vociferous campaigning in 93 constituencies across 14 districts of north and central Gujarat, which go to the polls in the second and final phase of the Assembly elections on Thursday, came to an end today. In the first phase, polling was held in 89 constituencies on December 9.

As many as 851 candidates, including 350 Independents, are in the fray, with 2.22 crore people eligible to vote. Re-polling will also take place at six booths in four constituencies, two each in the Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions.

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Prominent among those in the fray are Deputy CM Nitin Patel (Mehsana) and Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja (Vatva). Two young leaders who led agitations against the BJP government in the run-up to the elections  OBC Manch convener Alpesh Thakor, contesting on the Congress ticket from Radhanpur, and Dalit face Jignesh Mevani, contesting as an Independent with Congress support from Vadgam  will also figure in the polling.

This years campaigning was perhaps the longest in the history of the state with both parties scheduling trips of senior leaders almost three months in advance. It was also one of the most acrimonious. Being the home state of both PM Narendra Modi and BJP national chief Amit Shah, the polls are being seen as the semi-final before the 2019 General Election. The main Opposition Congress has also pulled out all stops with the hope that BJPs defeat in Gujarat could pave the way for its return to power in Delhi. While the BJP campaign was spearheaded by Modi, Shah and senior leaders, for the Congress it was almost single-handedly managed by president-elect Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress this time confined its campaign to targeting the Modi government over its performance and the Gujarat model of development, while Modi, who started his campaign with development as the central issue, indulged in Congress bashing and invoked his usual theme of Gujarat pride.

Rahul, however, refrained from making any personal attack on any BJP leader except repeatedly highlighting the case of Amit Shahs businessman son Jay Shah.

The last day of campaigning saw both Modi and Rahul visiting temples. While Rahul visited the Lord Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad, Modi took blessings at Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha.

The first phase of polling saw 66.75 per cent turnout, 5 per cent lower than in 2012. In the 182-member House, the BJP had won 115 seats and the Congress 61 in 2012.
Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Ahmedabad/Vadodra, Dec 12

Swarming with labourers, Thakarnagar in Ahmedabad is a cacophony of mixed Gujarati dialects early in the morning. Daily wagers from all over the state fill up the entire place as more continue to pour in.

They say jobs are hard to come by in the post-GST regime as the construction sector is going through a slowdown and getting hired is purely dependent on chance. Rising unemployment is a big issue this election.

On an average, we get hired for a fortnight in a month. The post-GST era may have hit traders hard but it has taken from us whatever was left of our meager incomes. Some days we earn, other days we sleep on empty stomachs, says Ketan Dabi of Kheda village, accusing the BJP of being anti-poor.

An angry Babubhai Kanji from Veeramgaum on the outskirts of the city, interjects, Rs 100 we earned during the Congress rule held greater value than the Rs 1,000 we earn today. At least daily labour had the peace of mind then. Now, there is no guarantee of sleeping stomach-full. We have been rendered useless.

The migration from villages into cities is at an all-time high as the unemployed youths look for a better life. The cities, too, are beginning to feel the pressure of this influx as spaces get eaten up by pavement dwellers.

When we dont get two square meals a day, we can ill-afford renting a room. So, we sleep in the open, barely eke out an existence but it is still better than being in the village where we have nothing to do. Our families have got left behind and our dignity stands compromised, rues Jaswant of Khedas Sipri village. He is one of the many to arrive at Odhavs labour chowk in the hope of getting hired for the day.

In Vadodras Makarpura, the labour chowk, Somatalav, makes for a similar picture  a crowd waiting to be hired.

As youths move out of villages in search of greener pastures, the buses ferry them to unknown far-off cities. At the Dahod bus stand, matriculate Anil is awaiting a bus to Surat. He is relocating with his family of 10. In villages of this tribal district, agriculture is a seasonal activity and getting jobs is near impossible.

We couldnt be bothered about any election. It will not give us food to survive. Moving out may be a tough call but earning nothing is tougher. This was our only option, he says, admitting he has no clue of any election taking place.

As these villagers leave behind village life, elections and political parties are the last thing on their minds. The worry of earning to feed the many mouths in the family weighs heavy. A government will come to power with or without them but their family wont survive if the much-needed money doesnt come.
London, December 12

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Tuesday tore into the evidence provided by a political expert deposed by Vijay Mallyas defence, claiming that he had relied on flawed material to discredit Indian investigation agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Mallyas extradition trial opened today on day five at Westminster Magistrates' Court here with Lawrence Saez, a professor in the Department of Politics at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS) in London, taking the stand.

Saez gave his expert opinion on the Indian political system as part of which he called into question the impartiality of the CBI and the appointment of its special director, Rakesh Asthana, in particular.

Mallya's counsel Clare Montgomery took Saez through his written statement, which relied on a past Supreme Court of India ruling to describe the CBI as a "caged parrot speaking in its master's voice" and also memoirs of past CBI directors which detailed ways in which their investigation could be "interfered with".

CPS barrister Mark Summers, arguing on behalf of Indian government, took him to task on this aspect, stressing that the 1997 Supreme Court judgement he had quoted from had resulted in the creation of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which has "independent oversight over the CBI".

"The commission does not feature anywhere in your report evaluating CBI's independence," Summers rebuked, also pointing to the annual report of the Indian Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, which describes the CBI as a trustworthy "premier investigation agency" of the country.

He sought to discredit Saez's views in their entirety for not taking into account such sources and instead relying heavily on Indian press reports, including those claiming the appointment of Asthana as CBI special director was politically motivated.

"You make a broad attack on the CBI and raise serious allegations about the character and professional integrity of its director, Asthana. People take experts like you seriously and would assume that you would not regurgitate press reports while evaluating your information," Summers said.

Summers referred to a Supreme Court order dated November 28 which had ruled that Asthana's appointment as CBI special director "suffers from no illegality" and that the news reports in the Indian media which had raised doubts about its legality were "factually incorrect".

Saez insisted that though the court had "exonerated" Asthana, he stood by his view that there remain "serious issues regarding the independence of the CBI as a whole" and that he had only relied on news reports from highly regarded newspapers in India.

As part of his witness statement, he claimed that 61-year-old Mallya is being "unfairly persecuted on account of his high profile corporate persona" and being "unfairly targeted" by political parties trying to lobby for political gains against each other.

"He is a prominent businessman and my contention is that both the BJP and Congress used this case for their own political gains to blame each other," Saez said.

His witness statement will be followed by the second-half of the cross-examination of Paul Rex, the banking expert deposed by Mallya's defence team last week.

The trial, which opened on December 4, is aimed at laying out a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya, who has been based in the UK since March 2016.

It will also seek to prove that there are no "bars to extradition" and that Mallya is assured a fair trial in India over his erstwhile airline's alleged default of over Rs 9,000 crore in loans from a consortium of Indian banks.

The defence is going through a series of expert witness statements to establish that there are no grounds to force the UK-based tycoon to return to India to face allegations of fraud involving his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

On Monday, Judge Emma Arbuthnot had directed the CPS to clearly lay out its case in its closing submissions because she feels "very uncertain" about how the Indian banks are involved in the wider case of "conspiracy" involving Mallya.

Both sides are expected to wrap up proceedings on Thursday, with tomorrow marked as a non-sitting day.

Mallya's barrister, Clare Montgomery, has requested the judge for a short hearing after both sides hand in their written closing submissions to present brief oral submissions.

Earlier, on day four of the trial yesterday, Mallya's defence had raised a question mark over the impartiality of India's judicial system and the media.

The CPS had dismissed this assertion, saying that the accused would have "legal remedies" at his disposal in India.

While the CPS stand is that Mallya did not intend to repay the loans he sought because his airline's demise was inevitable, Montgomery is trying to establish that Kingfisher Airlines was suffering from consequences of a wider global financial crisis.

Mallya's legal team has also claimed that the case against him is "politically motivated".

He was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant in April this year and has been out on bail on a bond worth 650,000 pounds.

Chief Magistrate Arbuthnot will present her ruling within a timeframe she sets out at the end of the trial. If she rules in favour of the Indian government, the UK home secretary will have to sign Mallya's extradition order within two months.

Both sides are expected to have the chance to appeal in higher courts in the UK against the Chief Magistrate's verdict.  PTI
Ahmedabad, December 12

Scheduled roadshows of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President-designate Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat here on Tuesday have been cancelled with the police refusing permission on the grounds of security and traffic congestion.

Both the principal opponents in the Gujarat Assembly elections had organised massive roadshows by their key campaigners on the last day of electioneering for the second phase of polling for 93 out of 182 seats on December 14.

Polling for the rest of the 89 seats was held on December 9.

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Ahmedabad Police Commissioner AK Singh said the request for permission for the roadshows had been rejected because of security concerns and the likely inconvenience to public.

The BJP had planned a 35 km day-long roadshow by Modi to take him through all 16 constituencies in the city.

The Congress had also organised a similar event though through a different route.

While Gandhis programme was still being firmed up late on Monday night, the BJP, too, announced around 10 pm that Modi would be taking a special sea-plane from the Sabarmati river and travel to the famous pilgrimage Ambaji Temple by road after landing on the Dharoi dam waters in North Gujarat.

The Prime Minister would return to Ahmedabad around 2.30 pm by the same route, though it was not announced if he would conduct any more public meetings in the city or anywhere else in central and north Gujarat where the second phase of polling is to take place. IANS
Ahmedabad, December 12

PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday flew in a seaplane from the Sabarmati riverfront to Dharoi Dam on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat elections, courting a controversy over a possible breach of security protocol.

The Congress attacked Modis style of pulling the curtain down on his campaign, terming the seaplane journey a "distraction" from real issues and a "hawa hawai" (gas).

J&K ex-CM Omar Abdullah said Modi riding the single-engine seaplane was a security breach as the rule book says the PM can only fly in twin or multi-engine aircraft. But the critcism didn't wobble Modi's flight that came as his roadshow in Ahmedabad scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled.

Modi said the seaplane journey signified how the BJP was trying to harness waterways in Gujarat.  IANS
New Delhi, December 11

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Monday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for spinning unsubstantiated and unbelievable stories against political opponents.

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Sinhas comments came a day after Modi said Congress leaders met the Pakistani High Commissioner here.

Sir! Just to win elections anyhow, and that too at the fag end of the process, is it a must to come up with and endorse new, unsubstantiated and unbelievable stories everyday against political opponents?

Dont drag us into your domestic politics, win on own strength, Pak tells India

Pak interference: Apologise to Manmohan, Ansari, Cong tells Modi

Pak interfering in Gujarat polls: PM

Apologise to nation for spreading canards, Manmohan Singh tells Modi

Now linking them to Pakistan High Commissioner and Generals?! Incredible! Sinha said in a tweet.

Modi on Sunday had accused a group of Congress leaders of meeting the Pakistan High Commissioner at Mani Shankar Aiyars residence before the latter called him (Modi) neech.

Addressing an election rally at Sanand, Modi said the meeting at Aiyars residence was also attended by former Indian vice-president Hamid Ansari and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Sinha also advised the Prime Minister to stop communalising the atmosphere and return to the promises that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made in the 2014 General Election.

Sir! Instead of new twists and turns, stories and cover ups, lets go straight to the promises that we made, regarding housing, development, employment of youth, health, Vikas model.

Lets stop communalising the atmosphere and go back to healthy politics and healthy elections. Jai Hind!, the BJP MP from Patna Sahib said in another tweet.

Sinha, a former union minister has been vocal against the policies of the Modi government, especially demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax. IANS
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12

For the first time in many years, Rahul Gandhi has been as visible on campaign trail as he has been in Gujarat, home state of PM Narendra Modi.

As the canvassing for the high-stake poll wrapped up today, one thing was clear  Rahul would have to take ownership for the result, notwithstanding its nature. His personal confidence was there for everyone to see in Ahmadabad today when he declared that the Gujarat election result would be stunning. But party insiders are keeping fingers crossed for the simple reason that for at least this one election they put all their eggs in one basket  that of Rahul.

Barring ex-PM Manmohan Singh, who made a few appearances in Gujarat and cornered the PM on GST and demonetisation, other veterans were nearly invisible. It was Rahul who steered the aggressive three-month campaign in the state single handedly taking on the PM and flagging gaps in his Gujarat development model.

Congress tallest Gujarat leader, Ahmed Patel, remained low profile and was in the news mainly when the PM attacked him, insinuating that he was Congress pick for the states chief ministerial candidate.

Patel had recently embarrassed the BJP by bagging a RS seat from Gujarat in the face of tremendous political odds. But the powerful political adviser to outgoing Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Patel, was curiously in the shadows in Gujarat campaign as was Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, another star campaigner in the Congress list of 40.

Sonia did not step out and allowed her son to take the lead. Seniors say Rahuls dominance in Gujarat is a sign of his leadership.
New Delhi, December 12

The Congress on Tuesday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking a seaplane for campaigning in Gujarat, terming it "Hawa Hawai" and added that the ruling BJP did not understand development.

"They did not understand development. It is called Hawa Hawai," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet referring to a hit song of Hindi movie "Mr. India".

Surjewala's remarks came after the Prime Minister flew by a seaplane from the Sabarmati river front in Ahmedabad to about 180 km Dharoi in Mehsana district on the last day of the election campaign in Gujarat.

The Ahmedabad administration has refused permission both for Modi's and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's roadshows in the city.

Modi drew the attention of the people towards the development work done by the BJP, which has ruled Gujarat since 1995. He tweeted: "With air, roads and rail connectivity, our government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians."

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference head Omar Abdullah, posting a picture of the seaplane waiting at the jetty, wondered how the top security for the Prime Minister had been relaxed for him to take the seaplane.

"How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country," he tweeted.

IANS
Tinsukia (Assam), December 12

Three suspected United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) (ULFA-I) cadre dressed in army fatigues have shot dead a Village Defence Force (VDF) president and his son in Simaluguri area of the district.

Simaluguri Village Defence Force (VDF) president Anteswar Mahanta and his son W. Mahanta were killed on Monday after they were dragged out of their house and were shot dead by AK-47.

We reached the spot as soon as we received the information and we have started the investigation. The attack was carried out with an AK-47 whereby it seems that there are suspected ULFA militants behind the incident, District Superintendent of Police (SP) Mugdhajyoti Mahanta told ANI.

Further details are awaited.

Earlier on Saturday, one ULFA cadre was arrested here by Dangri Kumar Army Camp of Dao Division.

The said cadre, identified as Abhay Deka, was involved in the Dillighat firing incident in November 2015.  ANI.
New Delhi, December 12

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that claimed the lives of an estimated 8,000 people in Delhi and around the country were not spontaneous as has been made out but were government-orchestrated, says a scathing new book on the four days of mayhem, adding its time the world took note of the killings, as it did of the slaughter of a similar number of Bosnian Muslims in 1994.

The book titled 1984  Indias Guilty Secret, written by Pav Singh, was released recently.

At the time, the authorities projected the violence as a spontaneous reaction to the tragic loss of a much-loved Prime Minister. But evidence points to a government-orchestrated genocidal massacre unleashed by politicians  with the trail leading up to the very heart of the dynastic Gandhi family  and covered up with the help of the police, judiciary and sections of the media, the author claims.

It is believed that key players in the then Congress government used the increasingly volatile situation in Punjab to blur the perception of the Sikh community in the eyes of their fellow citizens, writes Pav Singh, a member of the Magazines and Books Industrial Council of Britains National Union of Journalists.  IANS

HC reserves order on Sajjans bail

New Delhi: The Delhi HC on Tuesday reserved its order on a plea by the SIT probing anti-Sikh riots cases, seeking to cancel the anticipatory bail granted to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar. Justice Anu Malhotra heard the arguments of the counsels for the SIT, Kumar and riot victims, and said it would pass an order. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, appearing for the SIT, argued the trial courts order of granting anticipatory bail to the leader was perverse. PTI
Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 12

With three days remaining for canvassing for the December 17 civic body elections, it has largely remained a low-key affair in Jalandhar, Patiala and Amritsar.

None of the main leaders of the major parties  the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)  has so far turned up for campaigning.

The campaigning will conclude on Friday and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has not visited any of the three cities even once. As for Congress MLAs, they are campaigning for select candidates.

A case in point is councillors-turned-MLAs Rajinder Beri of Jalandhar Central and Sushil Rinku of Jalandhar West. They are confined to wards from where their wives are contesting. Barring Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh, the other three Jalandhar city MLAs are first-timers.

On Capt Amarinders plan of touring any of the three cities, his media adviser Raveen Thukral said, These are civic polls, which have to be contested at the local level only.

State BJP president Vijay Sampla, who hails from Jalandhar, has not campaigned here even once so far.

In Amritsar, the situation is similar. District BJP president Rajesh Honey said, We had Avinash Rai Khanna here for some programmes. Most other leaders have not been able to make it owing to less time and rain.

Congress MLA from Amritsar West Raj Kumar Verka said, We (local leaders) are campaigning ourselves in the wards of our constituencies.

In Patiala, the campaign is being largely handled by Capt Amarinders wife Preneet Kaur and Patiala Rural MLA Brahm Mohindra.

Former BJP minister Manoranjan Kalia said, As the ruling party is not going full throttle, other parties, too, have not come out strongly. Everyone is fighting individually.

This, however, was not the case in previous MC elections. When I became a councillor in 1991, then BJP president LK Advani had campaigned in Jalandhar. One or two prominent leaders kept visiting wards. Since the Congress has been a non-performer in nine months of assuming power, its leaders cannot go to the public and seek votes for party candidates, Kalia added.

SAD Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia said, When the SAD-BJP alliance was in power, then CM Parkash Singh Badal always campaigned in the MC elections. Unlike this time, it was never an individual contest.

State AAP convener Bhagwant Mann and co-convener Aman Arora are expected to visit Jalandhar tomorrow for the campaigning.
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 12

The Punjab State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights today directed the Bathinda SSP to re-investigate the alleged torture of a 12-year-old boy at the Kotwali police station last week. It has also ordered the setting up of a board comprising senior doctors to conduct the victims medical examination again.

Child rights panel chairman Sukesh Kalia said he had also called for regular counselling of the victim. The panel has asked the Bathinda DEO to make arrangements for the resumption of the boys education.

He said any decision on invoking the POCSO Act would be taken once the medical report was received. He said the commission had recorded statements of police officials and now they were examining them. Earlier, SP (Investigation) Swaran Singh Khanna along with Inspector Devinder Singh, former SHO of the Kotwali police station, and ASI Rajbir Singh appeared before the commission and recorded their statements in the case.

However, ASI Kulwinder Singh, who was booked by the Bathinda police in the case, didnt reach the commissions office. Two doctors of the Bathinda Civil Hospital were also called by the commission and they recorded their statements about the medico-legal report of the boy. Victims mother Amandeep Kaur also reached there and sought registration of a case against the SHO and the ASI.

She demanded that they be also booked under the POCSO Act and the SC/ST Act. ASI Kulwinder Singh and shopkeeper Devinder Kumar, who didnt appear in front of the commission today, will be summoned again.
Mane Gevorgyan

Armenian start-up Breedge is a platform by which employers can find suitable interns, i.e. potential employees.

The team members got acquainted during the Startup Boost Weekend organized by the Armenian-Russian Slavonic University in Yerevan and the EPIC Incubator in March of this year.The event was held at the university.

The Startup Weekend allows students with different skills to form a team within 54 hours and present a new start-up idea.

Start-up co-founder Vahan Melkonyan told Hetq that they got together and came up with the idea within one day, since its necessity was felt both by the mentors and the students. Breedge won the Startup Boost Weekend and was given the opportunity to develop its business model in the EPIC Incubator.

Liana Hakobyan, co-founder of the start-up, notes that according to widespread opinion many start-ups fail because they create something thats not needed. They decided to spend greater time on research to understand whether their product would find consumers in the marketplace.This is what they observed.

After graduating from university, students looking for a job are required to have work experience, but they find it difficult to gain experience relevant to their profession and interests while studying. Companies also have a hard time finding student interns.

Breedge has spent last six months researching the market, and managed to help over 45 companies (including Vineti, Benivo, Chessify, SmartGateVC, Pixomatic and EarlyOne) to hire more than 80 students as interns at the same time. Getting positive feedback, they decided to make things easier and create a website for that.

Now, everything is done via the Breedges Facebook page, but soon a user-friendly and simple website will be ready. Students will register there. Instead of submitting standard CVs, they will fill in information thats really needed by companies to make a decision on hiring. Students will also be asked to take a game/test so that their skills and personalityare made clear for the companies.

Employers will also be able to add comprehensive information on the company, so that the system can suggest the most appropriate candidates for their consideration.

The system will allow employersto find interns, selecting them according to skills, interests, and experience. There will be different announcements for students on the website. Either students will find appropriate companies and send an invitation to cooperate with them, or the other way round. If an invitation is accepted by the other party, then its followed by the next stage, for example - an interview.

Thus, Breedge solves some important issues. First, there are many new professions that didnt exist, for example, five years ago, but whose demand is now great in the market. Also, since many employers find it difficult to find people with the right skills, companies prefer to accept interns, teach them, and hire them afterwards. Using Breedge, they will be able to easily find young people who have the required basis,that can be interns parallel to studying and later on become main employees.

Second, companies now publish job announcements through other platforms, and must wait a few weeks for applicants and interviews. With Breedge, this can be done within a day. The choice will be easier, targeted, coordinated and will not require a long time.

Third, Breedge restores student-company relationships with a new approach. This platform allows companies to receive analytical information about their most preferred professions, and what students think about their companys culture. This data will help companies review and improve their work style.

Fourth, students will receive targeted announcements that relate to their interests and abilities.

Now, Breedge targets students and start-ups, business departments of companies, and small IT companies. Hiring companies are the only ones paying for the service. The fee will depend on the number of students who become interns and, later, employees.

Breedge participates in a pre-qualification program of the Armenian Startup Academy. Thanks to that cooperation, a Student Internship Fair was recently organized at Hero House, a special place recently opened for start-ups in Yerevan.

Twelve start-ups got acquainted with more than 75 students participating in the event.Twenty students were interviewed and five were hired by these start-ups.

Given the success of the program, seeing the interns theyve promoted go on to land permanent jobs, the Breedge team feels inspired to develop the idea.

Photos: Nare Gevorgyan
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, December 12

It is unfortunate that during the dharnas by SAD-BJP workers against the highhandedness of the Congress government, the commuters have to face inconvenience, said Vijay Sampla, state BJP president, while interacting with the media at Amloh today.

Apologising for hassles to the public, he said the protests were necessitated to save the democracy and expose the misdeeds of the government.

He was here to canvass for party candidates contesting the Amloh civic elections.

Sampla demanded an inquiry by a sitting high court judge in the cases registered against the SAD-BJP leaders and workers. He said: By rejecting the nomination papers of Opposition candidates, the government has already conceded its defeat. We have already met the Governor and complained against the atrocities committed by the Congress government against our activists.
THERE will be general satisfaction in this province as in the Jammu and Kashmir State that the Syndicate of the Punjab University has recommend to the Senate that the Degree of Doctor of laws honoris cousa be conferred on His Highness Major General Maharaja Sir Partap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir. His Highness is not only a generous patron of Sanskrit and other learning in his State, but is also running two colleges affiliated to the Punjab University, the Prince of Wales College, Jammu, and the Sri Pratap College at Srinagar. Nor have his Highness educational benefactions been limited to his own State.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 12

The charge sheet against the 14 accused in the kidney racket case has been submitted at the CJM court. The kidney racket, which was being run on the premises of Dental Medical College, was unearthed on September 11.

The special investigation team probing the case took more than 90 days to prepare and submit the charge sheet at the CJM court. The police have arrested 14 accused in the case, including Amit Raut, the kingpin of the racket. His son, Akshay, is still absconding.

The 16-page charge sheet contains statements of 63 witnesses, including four donors of West Bengal and Gujarat.
New York, December 12

New York police on Tuesday charged an ISIS-inspired Bangladeshi-origin man with supporting terrorism, a day after he triggered a blast with a crude homemade device at a metro station that injured three people.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device exploded prematurely yesterday between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is Americas largest bus terminal.

The New York Police Department tweeted that Ullah was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a terroristic threat.

Ullah is reported to be in a serious condition in hospital after suffering burns in the explosion.

Three other people suffered minor wounds in the blast during rush hour.

The suspect was taken into custody after the device partially exploded.

Reports say he used piping, nails, a 9-volt battery and Christmas lights wire to build the device. It was affixed to his body with Velcro straps.

The suspects home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched.

Ullah acted alone, police said, adding that the explosion was recorded on surveillance video.

According to a law enforcement official, through his comments to investigators, Ullah indicated he was prepared to die. The source also said the suspect was wired up with the self-made device during his entire trip on the subway system.

He had pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN, and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far, though it is being treated as terror-related.  PTI
Washington, December 12

US President Donald Trump has asked Congress to enact immigration reforms to protect Americans, a day after a blast triggered by an ISIS- inspired Bangladeshi-origin man near a metro station in New York City left four persons injured. Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device yesterday prematurely exploded near Port Authority, police said.

...(The) attempted mass murder attack in New York City, the second terror attack in New York in the last two months once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people, Trump said.

First and foremost... America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country. The terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security, Trump said.

He said the terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on Americas security and economy has long been clear.  PTI

Cops question suspects spouse in dhaka

Dhaka: Police in Bangladesh are questioning the wife of Akayed Ullah. We have found his wife and in-laws in Dhaka. We are interviewing them, one of the police officials said. Authorities in Bangladesh began trying to track down Ullahs family soon after news of the attack broke and they first found a cousin, said a third official, Mahiuddin Mahmud. We learned from his cousin that he had a wife and a baby in Bangladesh, Mahmud said. The Bangladesh police had said on Monday Ullah had no criminal record in his home country, he last visited in September. Reuters
Seoul/Beijing, December 12

Curbing North Korea's nuclear ambitions will top South Korean President Moon Jae-in's agenda in Beijing during a visit this week aimed at breaking the ice after a furious row over Seoul's deployment of a US anti-missile system.

While both South Korea and China share the goal of getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and stop testing increasingly sophisticated long-range missiles, the two have not seen eye-to-eye on how to achieve this.

China has been particularly angered at the deployment of US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying its powerful radar can see far into China and will do nothing to ease tension with North Korea.

At his third meeting this year with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in Beijing, Moon is expected to reaffirm South Korea's agreement with China in late October that they would normalise exchanges and move past the dispute over THAAD, which froze trade and business exchanges between the two.

The THAAD disagreement had dented South Korea's economic growth, especially its tourism industry, as group tours from China came to a halt while charter flights from South Korea were cancelled.

While China still objects to THAAD, it has said it understands South Korea's decision to deploy it.

In an interview with Chinese state television shown late on Monday, Moon said THAAD's presence was inevitable due to the looming North Korean threat but assured it would not be used against China.

"South Korea will be extremely careful from here on out that the THAAD system is not invasive of China's security. South Korea has received promises from the United States multiple times regarding this," Moon said.

Joint efforts by China and South Korea could have "good results" if they work together to bring North Korea to the negotiating table, he added.

North Korea has shown little sign it wants to engage in formal talks, with its state media citing leader Kim Jong Un as saying on Tuesday North Korea should develop and manufacture more diverse weapons to "completely overpower the enemy".

Kim was addressing a rare munitions conference on Monday to laud the North's latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

North Korea last month test-launched what it called its most advanced ICBM in defiance of international sanctions and condemnation as it presses on with its mission to create a nuclear-tipped missile that can hit the United States.

Speaking over the weekend, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Moon had chosen to have "friendly cooperation" with China, and China was willing to work with South Korea to bring peace and stability to the Korean peninsula.

During his first visit to China since taking office in May this year, Moon is expected to get bilateral economic exchanges back on track. According to South Korean media, Moon will be accompanied by the biggest business entourage ever with more than 220 businesses taking part in the four-day visit.

Reuters
Washington: President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a new space policy directing NASA to send American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972 and eventually to Mars, as he asserted that the US will stay the leader in space exploration. This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint, we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars. And perhaps, someday, to many worlds beyond, Trump said. PTI

Feminism Merriam-Websters word of year

New York: Feminism is Merriam-Websters word of the year for 2017 for being the top lookup throughout the year, amid a spike in reports of sexual assault and harassment in the news. Feminism is defined as the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes and organised activity on behalf of womens rights and interests, according to merriam-webster.com. Surreal was word of the year last year. PTI

China auto giant to end petrol vehicle sales

Beijing: One of Chinas largest state-owned automakers has said it will phase out sales of all petrol vehicles by 2025, as Beijing considers taking all fuel-burning cars off the countrys roads. Beijing Automotive Group Co (BAIC) chairman Xu Heyi said the company will phase out sales of conventional cars in Beijing by 2020 and nationwide by 2025. AFP

Navys all-women sailing team leaves NZ

Lyttelton (New Zealand): Indian Navy sailboat INSV Tarini left Lyttelton port on Tuesday morning for the next leg of its journey towards Falkland Islands after completing the second leg of its circumnavigation voyage. Tarini, with its all-women team of Indian naval officers, had arrived in Lyttelton on November 29. IANS
Tokyo, December 12

A US soldier who deserted to North Korea more than half a century ago, but who was eventually allowed to leave the secretive state, has died in Japan aged 77. One of the Cold Wars strangest dramas began in 1965 when Charles Robert Jenkins, then a 24-year-old army sergeant nicknamed Scooter from tiny Rich Square in North Carolina, disappeared one January night while on patrol near the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas.

At an emotional court martial in Japan in 2004, Jenkins who had never gone to high school said he deserted to avoid hazardous duty in South Korea and escape combat in Vietnam. He drank 10 beers, took his men on patrol and told them to wait while he checked the road below. He then walked towards North Korea, holding a rifle with a white t-shirt tied around it.

In North Korea, he taught English to soldiers and portrayed an evil US spy in a propaganda film.  PTI
New York, December 12

A group of women who have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment and assault have detailed their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by the US President, the media reported.

This was serial misconduct and perversion on the part of Trump. Unfortunately, this behaviour isnt rare in our society, and people of all backgrounds can be victims. The only reason I am here today is that this offender is now the President of our country, Rachel Crooks, a former Bayrock Group receptionist who accused the President of kissing her on the mouth without her consent in 2005, said at a press conference on Monday.

Samantha Holvey, the former Miss North Carolina 2006 who has accused Trump of inspecting beauty pageant contestants, and Jessica Leeds, who accused the President of grabbing her chest and attempting to move his hand up her skirt on a flight, also appeared with Crooks at the conference, reports CNN.

Brave New Films, a production company that released a film on the women who have accused Trump of sexual assault, hosted the event.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

At least 15 women have come forward with a wide range of accusations against Trump, ranging from sexual harassment and sexual assault to lewd behaviour around women.

In addition to the women at Mondays press conference, Trumps accusers include Temple Taggart, the former Miss Utah USA who accused Trump of kissing her on the lips in 1997; Mindy McGillivray, who accused Trump of grabbing her behind at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2003; and Natasha Stoynoff, who accused Trump of forcing his tongue down her throat during a photo shoot at Mar-a-Lago in 2005.

Crooks called on Congress to put aside party affiliations and investigate Trumps history of sexual misconduct, reports CNN.

In an objective setting, without question, a person with this record would have entered the graveyard of political aspirations, never to return...Yet here we are with that man as President. Leeds added that while some areas of society were being held accountable for unwanted behaviour...We are not holding our President accountable for what he is and who he is.

On Monday night, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that the allegations took place long before he was elected president and that Trump has addressed these accusations directly and denied all of these allegations.

Sanders also claimed that eyewitnesses have backed up Trumps denials.

The President has denied these allegations, as have eyewitnesses.

Several reports have shown those eyewitnesses also back up the Presidents claim in this process and again, the American people knew this and voted for the President and we feel like we are ready to move forward in that process.

On Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said women who accused a man of inappropriate sexual behaviour including Trump should be heard, CNN reported.

The renewed focus on Trumps accusers comes as Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore fights to win a Republican seat, despite accusations that he pursued relationships with teenagers, including molesting a 14-year-old and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old when he was in his 30s.

Moore has denied all the allegations and Trump has stood by Moore despite the accusations. IANS
Defendants in one of the three Sasna Dzrer trials underway in Yerevan declared in court today that the charges levied against them (the July 2016 armed seizure of a Yerevan police station and hostage taking) were incorrect and unacceptable.

Aram Hakobyan, one of the defendants, told the court that they should be charged with extreme patriotism, arguing that they didnt revolt against the state, but rather they wanted to make the point that Armenia doesnt have a legitimate government.

Dont confuse the government with the state, Hakobyan declared, addressing Judge Artur Ohanyan. The government has seized the state. You can imprison the body, but never the mind and soul.

Tigran Manukyan, one of the eleven defendants, said he had done the right thing and has no regrets. We launched a revolt against state traitors, he told the court.

Vardan Geravetyan described the prosecutions charge that Sasna Dzrer members broke into a banks ATM machine and stole cash as ludicrous. What were we supposed to do with that money? Play the lottery? he asked.

When Judge Ohanyan reprimanded defense attorney Lousineh Sahakyan for interrupting State Prosecutor Artur Chakhoyan, saying Dont exploit the fact youre a woman in the belief the court will not respond to you, a shouting match erupted between the judge and defense attorneys.

Judge Ohanyan was forced to declare an intermission.

Afterwards, Ohanyan said that the court would first examine the written testimony provided in the case, followed by the testimony of eyewitnesses and damaged parties. Material evidence and the testimony of defendants would be examined later.

Judge Artur Ohanyan is presiding over the trial of Aram Manukyan, Tatul Tamrazyan, Tigran Manukyan, Sergey Kyureghyan, Toros Torosyan, Gevorg Iritsyan, Hovhannes Harutyunyan, Arayik Hakobyan, Martiros Hakopyan, Aram Hakobyan and Vardan Geravetyan.
A little over five months after two criminal justice reform state questions took effect in Oklahoma, a group of legislators, attorneys, advocates and clients of pretrial and post-incarceration programs met Monday to discuss what the next steps should be to reduce the states prison population and encourage re-entry into the workforce.

The Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, a nonprofit that operates Tulsa Countys alternative courts program, hosted a 90-minute forum with the Tulsa Regional Chamber at its downtown office ahead of the Legislatures second special session, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 18.

Oklahoma remains the No. 1 state in incarceration of women and is second only to Louisiana in total imprisonment statistics, but those at Mondays forum noted that Oklahoma will soon overtake Louisiana unless the Legislature collaborates to create meaningful change.

The forum outlined five priority bills that organizers want passed during the next full legislative session.

The system is set up for people to fail, and that needs to be addressed, said Tulsa County Drug Court graduate Adam King, a panelist at the forum. He said there is a revolving door of incarceration at jail and prisons, which creates barriers for housing, employment and other needs.

State Question 780, which took effect July 1, reclassified simple drug possession as a misdemeanor and increased the monetary threshold for some property crimes to be considered felonies. State Question 781 is designed to have the savings associated with SQ 780 go toward expanding rehabilitation programs, and attendees on all sides of the issue appeared to agree that such programs need more funding.

Tulsa Re-Entry One Stop alumnus Jeffrey Poston, another forum panelist, told the crowd that the agency  also operated by the Community Service Council  gave him the skills to earn a welding job.

The One Stop program provides training and assists with employment for people recently released from prison or involved in some way with the court system.

The people that have been involved in the justice system and are now employed  theyre hard workers, Poston said. They want to gain not only acceptance into mainstream society but also be able to gain material things that come with working and being successful.

Tammy Westcott, director of the Community Service Councils Tulsa County COURTS program, told the audience that prison bars and jail bars will not fix mental illness, and they will not fix addiction.

Westcott helps operate Tulsa Countys drug, veterans and mental health courts, which help people facing incarceration for nonviolent offenses avoid prison.

Alternative court practices in Oklahoma have become controversial following investigations by Reveal, a project of the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting, which found serious safety risks and certification problems with organizations that use labor from people in such programs.

One of those groups, Christian Alcoholics and Addicts in Recovery  or CAAIR  is the subject of a class-action lawsuit following information released through Reveals work, and the Community Service Council has said it would review its use of CAAIR.

But panelist King, who went on to obtain a masters degree in social work from the University of Oklahoma, credited Tulsas Drug Court with educating him about the costs of addiction and inspiring him to remain sober.

That was the first thing I ever graduated, King said. I didnt even graduate high school. I dropped out. And so to walk across that stage and get that certificate  that was the first time in my life I felt like, You can complete something. You did it. And that boosted my self-esteem a lot to know that if I commit to something I can do it.

Special Judge Dawn Moody, a former Drug Court judge, said the new laws passage has also shown her the need for new programming specific to those facing misdemeanor drug charges.

Moody said her experience indicates that drug possession counts, whether misdemeanors or felonies, often co-exist with felony property crime charges, which puts many of those struggling with addiction or mental health in similar positions as they would have been before SQs 780 and 781 took effect.

Westcott commented on efforts to have defendants choose to participate in alternative courts.

It is not a black and white choice, she said. These people are addicts. Their judgment, reason and logic isnt even working.

She also called for revamped screening of potential candidates for such programs to ensure that they are placed in one that is the best fit for their needs.

Poston said going through the Tulsa Re-Entry One Stop program turned his life around.

Im out. Im doing good. Im employed, Poston said. But there are people who are getting arrested right this minute, and theyre going to need these programs.

Not only is it going to help them; its going to help the general population, too, since they wont have to worry about those people committing crimes anymore.
Correction: This story originally incorrectly reported that Gina Kepler was with her husband, Shannon Kepler, when Jeremey Lake was fatally shot. The story has been corrected.

Former Tulsa Police Officer Shannon Kepler has been transferred to a state prison, where he will undergo an evaluation that determines how he will serve his 15-year sentence for manslaughter in the shooting death of his daughters boyfriend.

Kepler, 57, left the Tulsa Jail around 6:20 a.m. Monday and arrived later in the day at the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center, the first stop for men sentenced to incarceration in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections system.

Keplers updated location appeared on the DOCs inmate lookup website Tuesday morning, but DOC spokesman Matt Elliott told the Tulsa World that Keplers permanent assignment will be kept out of the database in the same way it is for Daniel Holtzclaw, a former Oklahoma City police officer convicted of multiple sex crimes while on duty.

Kepler was in a single cell at the medical unit for the duration of his Tulsa Jail stay, but its not clear whether he will be housed the same way during his prison term.

The DOC said at the time of Holtzclaws intake that his location would be concealed for security reasons. However, former Tulsa County reserve deputy Robert Bates facility assignments were not withheld from the public during his imprisonment from May 2016 to his release in October.

Jurors on Oct. 18 found Kepler guilty of manslaughter in the heat of passion, a lesser-included offense to the original charge of first-degree murder. Off duty at the time, Kepler shot 19-year-old Jeremey Lake outside the house of the teens aunt in the 200 block of North Maybelle Avenue on Aug. 5, 2014.

District Judge Sharon Holmes upheld the jurys recommendations of 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on Nov. 20.

Kepler is appealing his convictions and sentences for the manslaughter count and two related misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct with a firearm. The latter two convictions came in 2016.

Defense attorney Richard OCarroll contends his client did not have a fair trial, at least in part because of Holmes putting her thumb on the scale in the states favor when she made various pretrial rulings about the admissibility of evidence.

Lake had just begun dating Keplers daughter, Lisa Kepler, when he was slain. They had recently met at the nearby Day Center for the Homeless, where the Kepler family had dropped her off amid issues in their home.

Shannon Kepler was a 24-year Tulsa Police Department veteran who worked at the Tulsa Police Academy at the time of the shooting. He retired from the TPD later in 2014.

His wife, Gina, who was also a TPD officer, was arrested on an accessory complaint but was never charged. She no longer works for the department.

Kepler was tried for murder four times after three of his trials ended in Holmes declaring mistrials due to hung juries, though the first jury returned guilty verdicts for misdemeanor firearms charges.

Holmes allowed jurors in Keplers third and fourth trials to consider first-degree manslaughter as a lesser-included offense. The fourth jurys foreperson told the World that jurors believed the situation was a crime of passion rather than a killing in cold blood.

During those trials, District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler and Assistant District Attorney Kevin Gray argued that Kepler violated TPD protocol when he used the departments investigative tools to obtain information about Lake. The information included Lakes address, which allowed Kepler to drive to his home to initiate an altercation, shoot him and flee the scene without calling for help, the prosecutors said.

Kepler testified in his own defense four times, saying he went to the house because he was worried for his daughters safety.

Kepler said he shot Lake in self-defense after seeing that he had a firearm. However, all officers involved in the investigation and witnesses to the altercation said they did not see a gun on or near Lakes body.

Unless his appeal is successful, Kepler must serve at least 85 percent of his manslaughter sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.
Update: This story has been updated to reflect a statement Kirk Humphreys issued late Monday.

The University of Oklahoma sought to distance itself Monday from Regent Kirk Humphreys televised remarks equating gay men to pedophiles.

OU President David Boren and regents Chairman Clayton Bennett both issued statements disavowing Humphreys statement. Late Monday, Humphreys issued a statement apologizing for his "lack of clarity" regarding his beliefs.

Boren, who is retiring next year, said Humphreys was speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the university or me. I do not share his views on this matter.

Later in the day, Bennett released a statement that read, in part: The Board disagrees with the recent public statements made by Regent Kirk Humphreys regarding homosexuality and we reiterate our commitment to fairness and inclusion throughout the University community.

Humphreys, a former Oklahoma City mayor, is scheduled to chair the OU regents beginning next July.

Humphreys remarks were made during the KFOR program Flashpoint, aired Sunday, during which Humphreys, state Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, and host Kevin Ogle discussed the pending resignation of U.S. Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota and accusations of sexual improprieties against Franken and other public figures.

When Virgin said she was pleased that her party had essentially expelled Franken and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., because of inappropriate behavior, Humphreys said, And yet you defend Barney Frank.

Frank, a former congressman from Massachusetts, is openly gay.

Asked by Ogle and Virgin to explain why he brought Frank into the conversation, Humphreys said, Barney Frank is  homosexuality, is it right or wrong? Its not relative. Theres a right and wrong.

If (everythings) OK, then its OK for everybody and its OK for men to sleep with little boys, Humphreys said.

Virgin said it was wrong to equate gay men like Frank with people who force or try to force themselves on others.

Humphreys then turned the discussion to former President Bill Clinton, who earlier had been singled out as an example of a Democrat whom the party did not reject because of his sexual behavior.

Oklahomas two largest LGBTQ organizations condemned Humphreys statement.

Tulsa-based Oklahomans for Equality said it was appalled by Humphreys remark and encouraged the public to contact the OU regents, who have a regularly scheduled board meeting in Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

Noting that Humphreys is slated to lead the OU regents in 2018-19, the organization said that as such, he will play a large role in selecting the universitys next president. Oklahomans for Equality does not believe that someone with such repugnant beliefs should hold such a leadership position at an institution of higher learning charged with shaping the futures of thousands of Oklahoma young people, many of whom are LGBTQ.

Some LGBTQ activists and allies plan to attend Tuesdays regents meeting to urge that Humphreys be removed from the board, and Oklahomans for Equality is staging a protest outside the OU-Tulsa campus at 41st Street and Yale Avenue from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Freedom Oklahoma, based in Oklahoma City, said it wanted Humphreys removed from the board if he didnt apologize and said it will picket a real estate project being developed by Humphreys and his family.

Boren, in his statement, said, The university strongly reaffirms and takes great pride in its commitment to a welcoming, diverse and inclusive community which respects people of all backgrounds. We value and respect all members of our university family.

Gov. Mary Fallin, who appointed Humphreys to the board, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

But Monday evening, Humphreys issued a statement to The Oklahoman, saying his televised comments had been misinterpreted but that he stands by his beliefs on homosexuality.

I regret that my comments on FlashPoint regarding homosexuality were not clear and led some people to believe that I was equating homosexuality with pedophilia. That was not my intention or desire. I apologize for my lack of clarity and realize this has resulted in a strong reaction by some and has hurt peoples feelings.

He continued: For clarification, my moral stance about homosexuality is that it is against the teachings of scripture. Although I know this upsets some people, it is my belief. In America we have the right to believe as we choose and to freely express that belief.

For those that I have hurt, Im sorry. For those who do not share my beliefs, I will defend your right to have a deeply held belief even if yours is different than mine.
OMAHA, Neb. - Your computer locks up, and an authoritative warning pops up on the screen.

The warning offers a solution with a toll-free number to call. You cant make the warning box disappear.

So you dial the number, and a purported tech support person asks to take over your screen so he can diagnose the problem. Sure, you say, lets get this over with.

He makes a few clicks on your computer, your screen shows a flurry of activity and he says hes diagnosed the problem: You have a virus, and your personal data is compromised.

He says he can download a fix, authorized by a well-known software brand, and itll take about a half-hour. Only $500. Just tell me your credit card number, please. The explanation sounds logical, and the technician is patient, courteous and seems competent.

But before you pay, it just might hit you: Is this the real deal?

Sadly, no.

Its another computer scam, this one growing in popularity because it plays on your computers tendency to malfunction, your faith in friendly tech support folk and your desire to return to a computer-normal status.

It almost happened to Sally Komrofske of Omaha. A blinking alert box froze her screen when she clicked a read more line on Facebook, the Better Business Bureau said Monday.

She called a number and talked to a man who said he was from a Microsoft company called MicraTech. She gave him remote access to her computer, and he said her computer had a virus, fixable for $200 for one years tech support, $300 for three years and $500 for five years.

Komrofke hung up, saying she had to talk to her son-in-law first. She ended up paying $88 to a local technician to remove some software from her computer and reported the incident to the Omaha BBB.

Nationally, consumers have reported more than $13 million in losses through such scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which estimates the true figure is at least 10 times higher because so few people bother to report their losses.

Jim Hegarty, president and CEO of the Omaha BBB, said many victims dont realize they have been scammed, instead believing that the scammers actually fixed genuine problems with their computers.

Now theyve got these bad guys roaming around in their computers, Hegarty said. Its a nasty situation.

After the initial encounter, the fraud may continue. If the scammer loaded software that can read your computers innards, your bank account and other vital information may become easy pickings.

Scammers sometimes call again and try to arrange other payments or refunds, ending up trying to get the victims bank account information to pull out more money.

Instead of pop-up warnings, some victims are hooked when they respond to unsolicited phone calls saying that viruses have been detected on their computers.

A new study of whats now called the Tech Support Scam by the Better Business Bureau, made public Monday, shows people between 18 and 34 are more likely to fall victim to the scam than other age groups, possibly because they may be more active computer users.

Microsoft, a name often dropped by the online thieves, is fielding 12,000 complaints a month. The scammers may claim they are authorized to fix Apple computers, too.

They arent.

The warning screen sometimes causes the computers window to freeze so the warning cant be removed without restarting the computer. The messages may warn against shutting the computer down, saying its data would be destroyed. Some alerts have audio voice messages or noises.

The Better Business Bureau said coordination by law enforcement agencies and tougher laws in the United States and India  where many of the scams originate  could help stop such scams. Anyone with an Internet connection is at risk, the BBB said.

The BBB said search engine software companies should set standards for advertising tech support links. Microsoft, for example, has taken steps to stop pop-up viruses.

Some arrests have been reported in England and India, and a federal court ordered an Alabama company to pay $2.1 million in damages, although most of that was later suspended.

Criminal charges were filed in Illinois against a company that stole $25 million from an estimated 40,000 consumers, the BBB said.

Courtney Gregoire, assistant general counsel with Microsofts digital crimes unit, said the company is working with computer manufacturers to stop tech support fraud.

The BBB said the India connection stems from the fact that U.S. companies outsourced customer service operations by opening legitimate call centers there. Skills learned at call centers are being turned sometimes toward fraud, the BBB said.

Besides the FTC, consumers file complaints with the BBB, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, state attorneys general, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the FBI.

The BBB had 7,000 complaints in the past two years; the Federal Trade Commission estimates it will have 44,000 calls about the scam this year. In the United Kingdom, more than 34,000 complaints were lodged over the past year.

Idaho had the highest number of complaints per capita, followed by Hawaii, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alaska, Ohio and Washington, the BBB said. About equal numbers of men and women report such scams.
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It was the Armenia of the 1990s, or as locals recall - the cold and dark years.

Following the countrys independence, the whole nation was left with no electricity, no heat, no hope. Across Armenia,people were digging up their vineyards and growing wheat instead of grapes.The country has just declared its independence, war raged in Karabakh, and Turkey had imposed an economic blockade. People simply had to grow wheat to survive.

Everyone except Varazdat Pap. He was among the few growing indigenous grape vines in the village of Areni in Vayots Dzor Province.

The history of Varazdat Paps vineyard began 15 years ago. The future vineyard was a plot of bare land bare soil and had no irrigation. Nevertheless, he furiously got to work; to grow grapes, produce wine, and launch his own winery. Everyone in the village was pretty sure I wouldn't succeed, says Varazdat Pap, laughing. But years of hard work, patience, and passion for wine turned out to be the key to my success.

The family roots of the 68-year-old winemaker, whose skin is tanned because of working in the vineyards for years, go back to the historic Armenian city of Nakhichevan, currently located in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

His ancestors had produced wine for decades and were among the first to introduce the distinct flavors of Armenian wine to the European market. Today, Varazdat Pap feels honored to continue his family tradition and revive the indigenous grape varieties in his small vineyard.

The Armenian communities of Areni, Rind, and Alashkert are the only three villages in the world that cultivate the Areni noir grape and produce wine from it.Varazdat Pap explains that the exceptional sweetness of the grapes is not just due to the high-quality ofthe seeds, but rather several environmental factors, including Armenias high altitude, clean water,climate, and soil.

Varazdat Pap is proud to be one of the carriers of the 6,000-year-old Armenian wine culture. A trace of a smile appears on his wrinkled face when he starts talking about the worlds oldest preserved winery located in the village of Areni.

He recalls that some of the indigenous grape varieties were lost during the years of Soviet Union when viticulture suffered because Armenian winemakers were forced to prioritize the production of cognac. However, he still believes that Armenia has the potential to be recognized on the map among some of the highly esteemed wine producing countries in the world.The renaissance of winemaking has already started in Armenia; we just need to constantly remind ourselves that wine culture is part of our DNA and is deeply rootedin our history, he says.

Varazdat Pap explains that viticulture is one of the most time-consuming yet rewarding industries in agriculture because it requires extensive manual labor during the whole year. His sunken eyes, silver hair, hands covered with dark veins and blotched with sun-spots are the witness of Varazdat Paps life of toil. I always say that I have 2,003 children: three sons and 2,000 grape vines, notes Varazdat Pap.

He believes that a plant is like a child and needs love and attention to thrive.

The preparations for cultivation start in early February and last until late October when the aroma profiles of a grape are ripe and strong enough.The timing of the harvest is vital because the sweetness of the grape guarantees the complex, balanced, and complete taste of the wine.

During the pressing process, Varazdat Pap separates the grape pit from the fruit, which has intense flavors and can change the taste of the wine. But even when the wine is ready, the winemakers job is still not finished, he says.

Wine storage is yet another complicated process, which requires specific conditions, including constant temperature, light, and humidity. If any of those criteria are not fulfilled, the level of acidity can easily increase, and the wine will turn sour. The longer the wine is stored in oak barrels,the quicker it loses its intended flavors,and the cheaperthe price becomes. According to Varazdat Pap, two years is the perfect aging time for Areni wine, and once it is bottled, the aging process stops.

For the past three years, Varazdat Pap has been working on his own wine brand, which he launched last year and named Luiza, after his wife. Without revealing the secret of the silky texture and perfectly balanced taste of the wine, he tells me that it combines five different grapes and is the result of a complicated process. A good winemaker has to be like an experienced cook, have a special approach towards the making process,he adds.

As Varazdat Pap opens the doors of the warehouse, the harmonious flavors of the wine seep through my nostrils.

The winemaker explains the sensation. Taking just one sip, the complex aromas of the wine explode in my mouth, and I simply forget all the daily struggles of my life. The result is worth the struggle.

Lusine Sargsyan is a senior student majoring in the English and Communications BA Program at the American University of Armenia. She wants to pursue a legal career and contributeto improving the protection of human rights in Armenia. Most importantly, Lusine is passionate about writingthe individual success stories of Armenians.
A Rohingya father carries his children through a paddy field near the Anjuman Para crossing point on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.  UNHCR/Roger Arnold

GENEVA  One year on from the world pledging to work together to improve its response to refugee situations, the tragedy of forced displacement remains a global challenge which must be overcome, the head of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, declared today.

Opening a key meeting in Geneva on a new global compact for refugees, Filippo Grandi noted that throughout the world people were still having to flee their homes, victims of a collective failure by the international community to prevent and resolve conflicts.

While conflict and violence continue to force people to abandon their homes, those same failures of international cooperation that we observed continue to block access to solutions and in different ways to undermine international protection elsewhere. The result, for all of us to see, is State-by-State responses, as opposed to cooperative ones, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said.

Towards a global compact on refugees (Michelle Hoffman, producer / Alexandre St-Denis, editor)

"There are many challenges, that we are all familiar with. It would be easy, in such a climate, to say its impossible  but we cannot, and we have chosen to confront these challenges, and to take these up," he added.

Grandi was delivering the opening address to the High Commissioners 10th Dialogue on Protection Challenges, which takes place from 12-13 December.

The meeting will primarily take stock of the results of consultations that have taken place since 193 member states of the United Nations in 2016 adopted the New York Declaration committing members to better share responsibility for the worlds refugees and support the communities that host them in a global compact. This included drawing up a Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).

"The New York Declaration emerged from the Syria refugee crisis  or rather the failure to address some of the challenges of this crisis. But the challenges go well beyond the Syria refugee situation  this is a global problem," Grandi told the opening session.

Calling for the compact to change the way the international community engages with refugee issues, Grandi maintains that a failure of international cooperation has undermined protection for those fleeing conflict and persecution in the form of closed borders, restricted access, and the politicization of refugee and migration issues.

"We want to propose a global compact on refugees which can help to overcome some of these failures, and serve as a concrete, usable instrument for international cooperation, rooted in practical, operational engagement. It can and must stand on its own, even if or when political attention waxes and wanes," he added.

Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees during High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges.  UNHCR/Jean-Marc Ferre

"The New York Declaration gave UNHCR... a very important responsibility: to make those commitments practical, predictable and sustainable; and to distance them from  and avoid making them hostage to  volatile politics. This is fundamentally what the global compact hopes to achieve," he declared. "It should consist of a set of workable measures, but also be a rallying point, a point of reference for refugee protection."

Grandi said the New York Declaration was a milestone giving refugee situations high political visibility and commitment and an important reaffirmation of fundamental humanitarian values.

"We want the global compact to chart a different course."

"At a time when multilateralism is under great pressure, and often neglected, put aside and criticized as inefficient, we want the global compact on refugees to chart a different course  through concrete engagement, but also cooperation based on shared values.

He termed the five thematic discussions, held between July and November 2017, as positive, forward-looking and full of ideas and concluded by saying:

"I hope that we will not forget the fundamental objective of the global compact on refugees  to have a real impact on peoples lives. This includes citizens of host communities who sacrifice so much to host refugees; as well as refugees so that they can contribute and not be a burden on host communities  so that both refugees and host communities remain strong and resilient in adversity, until solutions are found."

See also: Saplings take root and transform lives in Tanzania

Some 500 representatives from governments, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, academics, international organisations and financial institutions, and refugee youth delegates from around the world are expected to attend the talks.

Uganda was the first country that decided to apply the CRRF once the New York Declaration was adopted. Addressing the forum in Geneva, Deputy Permanent Representative Benedict Lawrence Lukwiya highlighted how its refugee policy has endured the pressure of a continuing influx of more than 1 million refugees.

This is because the government recognized early enough the need to go beyond refugee protection and emergency relief, to begin to address the longer-term development needs. Secondly the government also recognized that the humanitarian response also needs to be supported if we are to ensure effective delivery and concrete results in subsequent areas of our refugee hosting responsibilities.

Ugandas refugee coordination model and refugee response plan focused on solutions right from the onset of the refugee influx as well as life-saving interventions and environmental protection. Success in these areas is being supported by the policy of integrated service delivery support for host communities and inclusion of refugees in government planning.

Lukwiya concluded with an appeal to all donors and stakeholders to follow through on their pledges to begin to fulfil the burden sharing objectives that we have set ourselves in the New York Declaration. And this should also include third country resettlement opportunities for refugees in Uganda.

The global compact on refugees will build on the existing international framework for refugee protection, including the 1951 Refugee Convention, and aims to share more equitably the responsibility for hosting the worlds refugees and to help them rebuild their lives.

It will set out concrete steps to be taken by governments and others to ensure communities hosting refugees get the timely support they need, that refugees are better included in host communities (with access to health, education, livelihoods), and that solutions to the plight of refugees are sought from the start of a refugee situation.

UNHCR will begin formal consultations on the compact with governments and other stakeholders in February 2018. The High Commissioner will propose a compact to the UN General Assembly towards the end of 2018.
Nassau, The Bahamas  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, applauds the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas for its leadership role hosting the second meeting of the Caribbean Migration Consultations (CMC), a regional platform developed to address common challenges related to increasing flows of refugees and migrants arriving in the region.

Close cooperation among the countries of the Caribbean is the key to addressing flows of refugees and migrants in ways that are safe and humane, and the Caribbean region is setting standards for other parts of the world in its approach to this issue, said Matthew Reynolds, UNHCR Regional Representative for the United States and the Caribbean.

At the two-day meeting on December 5-6, delegations from 18 countries, CARICOM, the CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration discussed developments in the region related to refugee protection and statelessness.

Country delegates described the progress made over the last year, including good practices in developing refugee legislation and standard operating procedures, alternatives to immigration detention, the integration of refugees into host communities, and the development of innovative approaches among diverse stakeholders to respond to large-scale forced displacement. UNHCR presented a Checklist for a Comprehensive Asylum System, and provided an overview of identity management and registration mechanisms.

The Government of The Bahamas was delighted to be given the opportunity to host the second CMC, said Jewel Major, Chief Counsel at the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs. To be a leader in this discussion regionally is a privilege and we hope to continue to provide leadership that motivates and stimulates our region, said Major.

Consistent with global trends, a rising number of people fleeing life-threatening violence and persecution have sought protection in the Caribbean in recent years. The registered population of refugees and asylum-seekers in the region has risen by more than 50 percent from January 2017 to November 2017, underscoring the urgency for governments to develop coordinated policies that effectively address new challenges, such as forced displacement as a result of natural disasters.

The countries and communities that receive and host refugees are the mainstays of the international protection regime, and their generosity is truly remarkable, said UNHCRs Reynolds.

Following the commitments made in the Brazil Plan of Action, a regional protection framework for the Caribbean and Latin America, Caribbean countries established the CMC in 2016 as a State-led process to promote consistent approaches towards mixed migration.

All States participating in this years meeting agreed that their active engagement in this regional forum presented an important achievement and that cooperation was essential to address the challenge of refugee protection and mixed migration.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

In Washington, DC: Gary Seidman, [email protected], +202 461 2346
Children from Yemen staying at the temporary transit centre in the Al-Rahma orphanage in Obock.  UNHCR/Marie-Claire Sowinetz

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the coming into force of new Refugee Laws in Djibouti that streamline refugee status determination procedures and grants more opportunities for their socio-economic integration.

The new laws come into effect as Djiboutis president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, signed two decrees on Thursday 7 December. The newly introduced laws also facilitate better access to social services like healthcare, education, and employment opportunities.

The new developments are part of the presidential pledges made at last years Leaders Summit, following the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in September 2016. The changes are also part of Djiboutis application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), outlined in the Declaration, which aims to enhance refugee self-reliance and inclusion alongside more support for communities hosting refugees.

Previously, refugees access to healthcare was primarily assured through international non-governmental organizations, while job opportunities were restricted to the informal sector where they worked as domestic help, fishers, restaurant staff, or labourers.

This development follows an agreement between the Government and UNHCR in August this year to provide quality education to all refugee children by including them into the national system.

Djibouti is also hosting a regional conference this week on improving education for refugees in alignment with the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).

Having a long history of hosting refugees, the country currently hosts over 27,000, mostly from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and more recently from Yemen.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
The Syria crisis has been going on for seven years. 5.3 million people are displaced beyond Syrias borders. Another seven million internally displaced people (IDPs) are displaced [inside Syria]. There is unprecedented destruction - over 500,000 people killed, towns decimated. More than 200 armed groups are fighting in the country. We know of the proxy war, we know of the struggle over Syria, we know its due political importance, we know of the peace negotiations that have been taking place relentlessly during the last six years. Yet, Syria remains, uncontestably, the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time.



Seven million inside plus 5.3 million outside - thats more than 12 million people [displaced]. Another 10 million who stayed put in Syria, [they] did not leave their homes but they are cut off. They are cut off from livelihoods, from services, education, health, separated from relatives, friends and they are in need of humanitarian assistance. The whole nation is in need of humanitarian assistance. The damage that has happened in Syria and to the Syrian people who are the victims of this war  there are no clear winners, but the losers are very clear. [They are] the people of Syria; The children, the women, the vulnerable, the sick, the frail.



Half of the displaced children are not going to school. Many of those displaced inside Syria have also lost many academic years. We have, no doubt a lost generation. I hope that the international community will support this appeal.



The appeal is for 2018 and 2019. It is an umbrella, a mechanism, a facility called the 3RP  the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan. We have 270 partners  there are NGOs, UN agencies  WFP, UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, UNRWA, ILO and others who have been relentlessly and diligently supporting the refugees and the host communities in the surrounding countries and beyond.



We have four million [people] in host communities that have generously opened their doors, their villages and towns, their services and accepted 85 per cent of the 5.3 million refugees. 85 per cent of Syrian refugees in the five surrounding countries  Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt  they live with the host communities in towns and villages in this region. Only 15 per cent live in camps. So you can imagine the impact on the host communities who have endured by having such a big number in their homes for so long.



80 per cent of refugees who are now in Jordan live below the poverty line. The 1.2 million who live in Lebanon  about 71 per cent of them live below the poverty line. A lot of them are indebted. They live in horrible living conditions. Theyve been ping-ponged from one residential area to another because they cannot pay their rent. They are being evicted.



The [Syrian refugee] children are not going to school. Only 53 per cent are going, 47 per cent are facing a truly dark future because they lost their education opportunities.



Health, education, income generation and social protection and protection  physical or otherwise  are the top priorities of the international response to the Syrian refugee crisis.



Food is one acute issue. In 2015 there was an acute shortage of these services because the appeal did not get as much traction from donors and what happened is  the Syrian refugees started to move from the surrounding countries and far abroad and we had that, what I called then, the Great March, when one million people walked out through Turkey and then through the Balkan route up to Austria and the rest of the West and Northern Europe.



This year, 2017, has been a very tough year as far as funding. The money has been coming late and the response by the agencies  NGOs or the UN  was also limited. We curtailed and curtailed assistance. The situation is not improving. The situation is becoming more difficult and problems are compounded as people remain in displacement. We are urging the international community and the donors in particular [for support] for many reasons  the vast number of refugees that we have in the region, the geo-political status of this region, the risks that the population of 5.3 million people can bring to an area, a small region already as volatile as it is. If there is no assistance  we have experience of 2015  we should not repeat that. We should meet the [humanitarian] needs of this refugee population in a timely manner and as soon as possible.



Questions from journalists



Q: You said youve had a tough year regarding funding. How bad was it? What makes you believe that the funding for this appeal will be better for 2018?



Amin Awad: Thank you. Only about 53 per cent of the total appeal of USD4.8 billion was received this year. That basically left us well short of our objectives in all sectors and had we had the money that we asked for, we would not have had the shortage of places for children to sit in the classrooms. Nor would we have had such ups and downs; Breakdowns of the food pipeline, and many of the refugees would have not been in debt; n or would they be living in such horrible conditions.



Question: What gives you any hope or belief that now you would have a more forthcoming response from governments and countries?



Amin Awad: Governments in the region  they have been generous. This has been an unprecedented generosity that we have seen. I think, burden and responsibility-sharing is needed here to provide burden and responsibility-sharing for countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt who opened their doors. These are the biggest donors, these are the real donors. They provided the space, the international protection, they protected these people, they harboured them, they opened the bellies of their towns where they live and I think this is 110 per cent of the job.



Now, the material assistance is left to the donors and the international community to really match what these countries have done. And that is not coming through. We have to be prepared for the consequences.



Question: Following up on that, where is it [funding] not coming through? Your major donors are the United States, the European Union and these countries and so forth, I dont think that the Arab countries are particularly generous in the past? Has this changed and have you seen contributions falling down from your traditional big donors, like the United States and maybe also the EU?



Amin Awad: From the outset I would like to say I am very grateful to the generosity of donors. These contributions are made on a voluntary basis, there are no binding rules. If you look back at the last six years, I dont think the international community collectively in solidarity stayed the course. Our appeals are very clear, its to the whole international community: There is US$25 billion, that is the bill that the UN and international community puts out almost every year. If you look at the last 2 years, $23 billion to $25 billion. Then if you look at Syria, yes, the Syria situation we are at 53 percent. If you look at other countries in Africa, I am afraid it is nine per cent, 11 per cent, 13 per cent.



If you walk into the camps of refugees in Africa at sunset around five or six oclock you hear children, below the age of five crying. Why? Because they are going to bed hungry. Funding is not coming, the system has to be fixed, somehow. Now talking about the Arab donors and others and the Western donors, yes, they have been staying the course, they have been delivering on pledges, not equally, some are, some are not. It depends from one year to another, maybe they have other priorities in other parts of the world, other sectors, but the Arab world, when you look at Kuwait one, Kuwait two and three, 1.3 billion was generously paid by Kuwait alone and others and we are trying as much as possible to encourage donors, potential donors, traditional donors or new and make sure that we have a good solid beginning for each appeal we launch.



Question: You mentioned something which you were unable to do because of the lack of money. But were there programmes which you actually had to cut that were operating but you no longer had the money in order to support them?



Amin Awad: Yes, in many areas: In health, in education, in food, in community services, in protection in shelter, in winterization. For example, we are supposed to provide for 3.4 million refugees during winter time. As of 11 December we had received only about 50 per cent of that funding. We are not able to provide stoves, we are not able to deliver kerosene, we are not able to deliver enough thermal blankets, and we are not able to winterize tents, we are not able to drain rainwater and snow from camps, we are not able to do engineering work to insulate some of the buildings, people are sitting in cold and open buildings. If you look at indications why we are at 50 per cent. 47 per cent of the children are out (school), there are not enough classrooms.



We are not supporting the governments in Lebanon or Jordan or Iraq to put more classes, to put more teachers, to open their systems which are stretched. The health sector is also stretched and the generosity of the neighbouring countries really saved the day but yet host communities and refugees are not getting the healthcare that they should get. These are just a few examples. Refugees are not living in luxury, they are living in horrible daily survival and not to talk about the psychological stress that they go through, day in and day out. They feel and some of them tell us that every time they wake up they look at a very dark future because they face the unknown.



Question: You say you are having difficulties with funding for hosting countries. Turkey has the largest number of Syrian refugees worldwide  3.3 million. Turkish authorities said last week that they spent so far US$30 billion for the refugees. Do you have any specific plans for Syrian refugees in Turkey?



Amin Awad: Turkey received 3.3 million refugees. All of them live, except five to ten per cent, in camps. They all live in towns and villages throughout the 81 provinces of Turkey. The figure that you quote, the figure that I heard that Turkey recorded that they have contributed is US$30 billion since the influx of the Syrian refugees six or seven years ago.



Yet, I think, the refugees in Turkey  despite the generosity of the Turkish government  I wont say they are living in luxury. About 55 per cent are going to school, the others are not. Despite the good programmes that were put in place to employ Syrian refugees and open the [labour] market for them  a lot of them remain unemployed because of the economic challenges.



But, overall I think, the most important thing for us when it comes to talking about the neighbouring countries in particular and Turkey is not an exemption  the most important thing is that they opened their doors, they offered a place of protection, of refuge, and that is for us is more valuable than anything else. But, of course, the material assistance and the wellbeing of refugees and the day to day life is very important.



Question: Regarding the borders  Lebanon closed the border, Turkey, Iraq and so forth. That seems to be a big problem. What are you going to do about that?



Amin Awad: Borders are managed. In some instances are closed. Many of these countries cite security, cite economic crises, internal upheaval, xenophobia, tensions and all of that is happening. But some refugees are still coming. Lebanon, we should just mention, is still accepting vulnerable cases, medical cases, so is Turkey. Not only that borders are closed  we are even seeing refoulement, were seeing expulsion, people sent back. And our job is to force, demarche these countries in the region to do better than they did before and keep their borders open. And the same applies, as a matter of fact, to the rest of the continent.



END
A displaced Syrian family living in a collective shelter in an unfinished building in Sahnaya, rural Damascus, Syria.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

AMMAN, Jordan  United Nations agencies and humanitarian NGO partners launched a US$4.4 billion funding appeal today, designed to provide vital support in the coming year to more than five million refugees from Syria and the vulnerable communities hosting them in neighbouring countries.

With no end in sight to the fighting in Syria after nearly seven years of brutal conflict, the conditions faced by 5.4 million refugees across the region are increasingly desperate. The overwhelming majority live below the poverty line, often struggling with food insecurity, substandard accommodation and rising debt.

Of the refugees assessed to be most in need, some 70 per cent are women and children. More than 40 per cent of the 1.7 million Syrian refugee children across the region remain out of school.

Refugees are not living in luxury  they are living in horrible daily survival. Every day they wake up they are looking at a very dark future.

The 2018 Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) will target US$2.62 billion towards meeting the most urgent basic needs of refugees, such as water and sanitation, food security, health and education.

UNHCR and partners seek US$4.4 billion to aid Syrian refugees (Michelle Hoffman, producer / Alexandre St-Denis, camera)

A further US$1.78 billion will be used to support 3.9 million vulnerable people from local communities in the five main hosting countries  Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. The crisis has impacted economic growth in these countries, resulting in high unemployment - particularly among young people - and placing further strain on already limited resources.

Launching the funding appeal at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, UNHCR Director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau Amin Awad said it was vital for the international community to continue its support for the worlds largest refugee crisis.

Refugees are not living in luxury  they are living in horrible daily survival. Every day they wake up they are looking at a very dark future, Awad said.

The reality is that daily life is a struggle for Syrian refugees, and host countries continue to provide a global public good. The international community must not lose sight of them nor the continued need to shoulder their burden.
(Dec. 12, 2017) -- Seven colleges at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) have received a boost to help students succeed. The UTSA Office of Information Technology (OIT) awarded approximately $150,000 in grants to the colleges through its Academic Support Solutions Fund. The awards, which range from $5,000 to $15,000, will help subsidize the costs of initiatives to empower student success at the Main and Downtown Campuses.

The OIT Academic Support Solutions Fund is maintained by the Automated Services and Student Access charge and is designed to provide UTSA colleges with financial assistance for projects aimed at improving student life at the university. This mandatory student fee helps ensure the upkeep of the technology infrastructure and electronic resources.

Last summer, OIT extended a call for proposals (CFPs) by way of its Faculty Advisory Committee. The committee members distributed the CFPs throughout their respective colleges to provide interested faculty and staff an opportunity to receive support for student-centered projects that aligned with at least one of the themes outlined in the UTSA strategic plan.

This is our second year utilizing a call for proposals process, said Vanessa Hammler Kenon, assistant vice provost for Information Technology. We are always happy to assist in whatever way possible to ensure UTSA students succeed.

OIT received more than 20 proposals from several departments, nearly doubling the number of proposals submitted last year and reflecting OITs effort to increase faculty collaboration. Out of the proposals submitted, 15 were selected to receive funding, based on a unanimous decision of the Faculty Advisory sub-committee.

I continue to be amazed at the knowledge base of our UTSA students, said Kenon. The insight they bring to the process when they sit down with OIT staff to review the proposals is remarkable.

In addition to providing students with cutting-edge technology, the awarded projects will further equip them with the technological, critical thinking skills and experiential learning needed to succeed.

Some of the awarded projects will enable UTSA students to gain experience in mobile app creation and familiarize them with innovative technology such as smartboards and drawing tablets, which are widely utilized at peer institutions and in today's workforce.

I think it is a great idea to make these funds available for small student-focused projects which support UTSAs vision, said Dan Smolenski, UTSA computer science computing manager. The OIT Academic Support Solutions Fund is a good way for the faculty and staff that work closely with students and know their needs to get projects funded, which directly supports the students. This in-turn helps to increase our retention and graduation rates.

The seven colleges and their awarded projects include:

College of Architecture, Construction, and Planning

Building Performance Measurement and Multi-Layer Mixed-Reality Visualization Equipment

College of Business

Return on Student Investment

College of Education and Human Development

Mobile Apps: Acquiring the Skills and Dispositions for 21st Century Learning and Teaching

College of Engineering

Development of Technological Corrosion and Materials Test Site for Student Advancement

Advancing Computing Resources for Deep Learning Education and Research in Brain Computer Interface

College of Liberal and Fine Arts

Psychology Doctoral Computing Resources Refresh

UTSA Goes UN: Empowering Our Students to Become Global Citizen

Upgrading Technology in the Graduate Anthropology Lab: Part 2

Developing a Digital Studio by Increasing the Availability of Interactive Technology (Smart Boards, Drawing Tablets, Software) to Prioritize Student Marketability)

Expansive Possibilities: Exploring the Digital Humanities through The Black Speculative Arts Digital Archive

College of Public Policy

Upgrading Computing Infrastructure for Public Policy Excellence

College of Sciences


Clark County, Nevada leaders have officially launched an initiative to become a certified ACT Work Ready Community. The goal is to ensure employee skills match employer needs while helping local educators prepare students for success in the workforce.

ACT Work Ready Communities empower states, regions and counties with data, process and tools that drive economic growth. Participants leverage the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) to measure and close the skills gap while building common frameworks that link, align and match their workforce development efforts.

Please click this link to support Clark County becoming a Work Ready Community.

Video On What It Means To Be A Work Ready Community

httpvh://youtu.be/cKhpRy6hTLk
Vietnam Bank of Social Policies provide microcredit to poor families in Binh Thuan province

The time of hardship is over

Binh Thuan province is famous for its vast array of natural landmarks, including Mui Ne-Phan Thiet, Ke Ga, Phu Quy Island or Cau Island. The province, despite being blessed with natural wonders, remains an impoverished place where residents struggle to make ends meet.

Nguyen Chin and Le Thi Que in Tan Tien ward, Lagi district are one example. They recalled their first year of marriage, when the only tool they had was an axe which they used for logging, building furniture, and even building their first home. The only land that they owned was sold to them at a low cost by a family member, who took pity on their hardship.

The couple borrowed VND5 million ($220) of microcredit in 2007, which they invested in a dragon fruit field. Chin and Que later received an additional VND20 million ($882) to increase their plantation from 500 to 1,000 trees. The field then started to bring profit for the couple, who went on to raise a couple of cows.

The loan we got from Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) has paved the way for us to be where we are now. Thanks to the dragon fruit and the cows, we have been able to send three children to college. Our children also received loans from VBSP and has since graduated and got stable jobs, said Que, beaming with pride.

A similar miracle happened to Pham Tan Dong, who resides in Tan Phuoc ward, Lagi district. Dong is a handicapped man from an impoverished background, but this setback has never stopped him from fulfilling his dreams. He borrowed VND20 million ($882) from VBSP in 2007 to buy a cow and a cart. Dong and his wife could then cover basic expenses thanks to their wage from menial labour, but the couple aspired for a better future.

We switched to prawn farming to escape poverty. We were armed with the VND50-million ($2,205) credit from VBSP, which allowed us to produce our first batch of prawns. Day after day, the farm started to bring profit, and nowadays we can earn up to VND50 million ($2,205) every year from three batches, said Dong, smiling from ear to ear.

Farmers in Binh Thuan province

Impressive results

Pham Anh Duc, director at the Binh Thuan branch of VBSP, said that the branch has VND2.2 trillion ($97 million) of operating capital, growing by 21 per cent every year. Outstanding loans grew in both quantity and quality: 14 programmes have dispatched VND2.22 trillion ($98 million) of capital so far to 100,000 poor families in the province.

Between 2011 and 2015, the number of poor families has dropped from 9 per cent to only 2.5 per cent. More importantly, we have paved the way for 259,000 poor families to escape poverty, find a new way to earn money, and set up their own business. About 66,000 people have found jobs and 74,000 students have been sent to school with our help, said Duc.

Duc emphasised that poor families in Binh Thuan province make very good use of their capital, as bad debt takes up merely 0.3 per cent of outstanding loans. This is particularly impressive for a province like Binh Thuan, which is frequently ravaged by natural disasters and climate change effects, he added.

We have collaborated with local authorities to solve non-performing loans. It also helps us a lot that residents have shown great responsibility in repayment, the official noted.

Towards a better and stronger future

National Assembly member Bui Sy Loi said that microfinance is an important part of Vietnams quest to combat poverty. Over the years, microfinance has helped thousands of poor and ethnic families to access capital and improve their livelihood, thus transforming the face of the entire region.

However, Loi still expressed concern that VBSP may not be able to provide sufficient credit for everyone, especially as the demand for low-rate loans is increasing in far-lying areas. According to Central Institute of Economic Management and international organisations, such as the World Bank, most families in rural Vietnam still depend on non-official loans.

Specifically, half of the rural residents are having at least one loan, 20.7 per cent of which comes from official sources, while 30 per cent is from non-official sources, such as family members, friends or loan sharks.

As a result, VBSP still needs to co-operate with relevant authorities to continue its role as the official provider of microcredit in Vietnam. This is a crucial part of moving Vietnam forward, alleviating poverty in the country and improving the lives of millions of Vietnamese people.
Photo source AFP

Bitcoin futures for January delivery finished at US$18,850.00 near 2115 GMT on its first full day of trading, a bit below session peaks but soaring well past the US$15,000 initial price when Cboe launched the platform on Sunday night.

The Cboe launch marked the first opportunity for professional traders to invest in bitcoin on a traditional platform and is expected to be followed in a week by a rival listing on Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Still, in a sign of the unease generated by meteoric rise of the digital currency, the top US securities regulator Monday cautioned investors on the risks of cryptocurrencies and "initial coin offerings," a major fundraising tool of new currencies.

"Investors should understand that to date no initial coin offerings have been registered with the SEC," said Jay Clayton, chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. "If any person today tells you otherwise, be especially wary."

"I encourage Main Street investors to be open to these opportunities, but to ask good questions, demand clear answers and apply good common sense when doing so," Clayton warned.

Many major banks stayed out of the Cboe trading and have generally kept their distance from bitcoin, the most prominent of a plethora of emerging cryptocurrencies.

Cboe chief Ed Tilly called on critics of the virtual currency to express their skepticism in the market.

"Whether it's a fraud, whether it's a bubble, whether it's legitimate ... you will be able to express all of those thoughts in a transparent market place," Tilly told AFP in an interview several hours after the trading launch.

Bitcoin's Cboe debut, while largely uneventful, once again showcased its penchant for volatility as the exchange was forced to suspend trading twice due to major price swings. But Tilly said that indicates the exchange was operating as intended.

The exchange set a policy requiring such halts due to major price moves, for example requiring a five-minute suspension due to a 20 per cent move.

"So we hit those barriers on price movements and we did halt according to plans," Tilly said. "All things operated as they should."

'DIGITAL GOLD' ARRIVES

Bitcoin's breakthrough is the latest in a spectacular run for the online money dubbed "digital gold" by its advocates, which began life in 2009 as a bit of encrypted software supposedly written by an unknown coder with a Japanese-sounding name.

What began as the preserve of computer nerds and financial experts has gained a broader following among those seeking alternatives to traditional investments, and now can be used to pay for a pint in a London pub or a manicure, as well as to invest in startup ventures, and its valued has soared in recent weeks.

Investor interest has also risen in other digital currencies, such as ethereum, ripple and litecoin, which employ the same "blockchain" software foundation as bitcoin.

"The level of interest is unbelievable," said Timothy Enneking, founder and the primary Principal of Crypto Asset Management, an asset and fund management company that created a digital currency index.

"We get dozens of people contacting us each day to know how to invest in cryptocurrencies and we don't even do any marketing."

Fidelity Labs, part of the giant Fidelity Investments, has been active in bitcoin for four years, said managing director Hadley Stern.

"It really started with our executive team starting to see what was going on in bitcoin," Stern said.

"And then we became very interested in the underlying blockchain technology. The root of it was this transformational ability to transfer value from software to software alone."

But investors are also mindful pitfalls given the Wild West nature of the market. Regulators have increasing scrutiny of initial coin offerings (ICOs), a key fundraising tool for cryptocurrency fundraising.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday halted the ICO by blockchain-based food review service Munchee, that had been seeking US$15 million, after concluding that the company was attempting to sell securities without the required registration.

The SEC last week shut down another ICO, charging fraud against Dominic Lacroix, a Canadian with a history of securities law violations, and his company PlexCorps, charging the company that took millions from investors, "falsely promising" a speedy, 13-fold profit.

"For the amount of bullishness surrounding cryptoassets, there appears to be an equal amount of doubt surrounding the vast majority of ICOs," said Canaccord analyst Michael Graham.
Booking.com is not exempt from taxes, as previously claimed by the company

This was the conclusion of the Binh Thuan Department of Taxation, answering the proposal of Saigon Mui Ne Resort asking its partner Booking.com to either pay tax or the tax department to refund Saigon Mui Nes taxes paid instead of Booking.com, according to newswire Vnexpress.

According to Le Thi Ai Lien, representative of Saigon Mui Ne, the company signed a co-operation contract with the Booking.com international booking site. According to regulations, Booking.com will have to deduct a part of its benefits (including profit from business activities in Vietnam) for Saigon Mui Ne so that Saigon Mui Ne can pay corporate income tax (CIT). However, Booking.com refused, claiming it was exempt, based on the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Vietnam and the Netherlands.

Regarding Saigon Mui Ne, Booking.coms refusal to deduct a part of its benefits for CIT to Saigon Mui Ne will impact the companys revenue. Due to the available listed prices, the company cannot increase the price of its tours to offset this loss. On the other hand, if the company remains insistent that Booking.com pay for CIT, the partner will cancel their contract, creating a larger loss in revenue for the company.

Lien said that according to regulations, international booking sites are exempted from CIT and value-added tax (VAT) in case they do not have representative offices or permanent establishments in Vietnam. However, Booking.com currently has permanent establishments in Vietnam, thus, it has to pay CIT instead of Saigon Mui Ne.

Saigon Mui Ne submitted the file, including the contract and the permanent establishment certificate of Booking.com in Vietnam, to the Binh Thuan Department of Taxation to ask the department to refund the CIT that Saigon Mui Ne paid.

After receiving and then reviewing the file, the tax department concluded that Booking.com is not exempt from tax because it has two permanent establishments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Cao Anh Tuan, deputy general director of the General Department of Taxation, agreed with the conclusion. Tuan stated that online booking sites, including Booking, Agoda, and Hotels.com, among others, have been popping up left and right in recent years through co-operation with domestic tourism and hotel enterprises. These booking sites acquire massive benefits but have yet to pay taxes, vexing domestic enterprises.

Previously, in late January 2017, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) asked booking sites that allow tourists to book hotel rooms in Vietnam to calculate and pay VAT and CIT.

Targeted websites include Agoda, Traveloka, Booking, and Expedia. Specifically, the CIT rate is 5 per cent of the total revenue. VAT is calculated on the added value that the companies, called the foreign contractor by the ministry, make.

MoF directed Vietnamese hotels to sign contracts with the foreign booking sites, specifying that they will declare and pay tax on behalf of foreign contractors and deduct the amount from subsequent payments they make to the foreign contractors.

In case the guest pays for the room directly to the Vietnamese hotels and hostels, then the Vietnamese sides pay commission to the foreign contractor and will have to declare and pay this tax.

In case the guest pays the foreign contractor, then the foreign contractor pays the hotels, keeping the commission, and the Vietnamese side will have to notify the foreign contractor of their tax obligation and declare and pay tax on behalf of the foreign contractor.

The ministry asked that local tax departments push accommodation providers in their localities to pay the tax on the foreign contractors commission. If they encounter any difficulties in the process, they should notify the ministry to receive guidance.
This was the department's largest catch of Facebook tax evasion so far

According to newswire Vnexpress, Le Thi Thu Huong, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Taxation, said that after reviewing the tax declaration of the woman, the tax department found a difference of VND400 billion between the revenue she declared for tax payment and her real income.

The cosmetics seller agreed to clear the payment. Therefore, she did not face charges of tax evasion, but was only asked to pay a total of VND9.1 billion ($400,715), including fines for wrong tax declaration, late payment fees, and the tax arrears.

Huong stated that the tax department collected arrears from a number of people and organisations who have online trading activities on Facebook, however, this was the tax arrears with the largest value to date.

Previously, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Taxation said it has also asked two businesses that have income from online sales to pay taxes of a collective VND8.7 billion ($383,260), comprising VND7.5 billion ($330,396) in value-added tax and VND1.2 billion ($52,863) in corporate income tax.

Besides, District 9 tax authorities have also requested another cosmetics seller to pay VND1.7 billion ($74,890) in fines and back taxes for a similar violation.

Ealier in June, after discovering that some online businesses have very sophisticated ways of tax evasion, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Taxation sent invitations to merchants who sell goods and services through Facebook, asking them to file and pay tax after their activities.

Talking to newswire Vnexpress, Nguyen Nam Binh, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Taxation said, We only want to know whether their business is for the long term, whether they have declared tax. If it is a long-term business activity and they have not declared their tax, we will ask them to do so.

He added that only businesses that have revenues over VND100 million ($4,400) a year have to pay tax. The branches at different districts are responsible for enforcing this rule. However, according to the Binh Thanh branch, no individual or organisation came forward to work with them.

A representative of the tax department said that the department will continue to review the online trading activities via Facebook for other people and organisations and start proceedings against violators of the tax code.
The US will soon allow the importation of mangoes from Vietnam, raising the number of fruit exported to the US to six

The US Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it will soon allow the importation of fresh mango from Vietnam into the continental US, effective December 29, 2017.

This means that Vietnam will be able to raise the number of its fruit exported to the US to six, in addition to the existing dragonfruit, rambutan, lychee, longan, and star apples.

After analysing the potential plant pest risks, APHIS scientists determined that mangoes from Vietnam can be safely imported under a systems approach, said an APHIS announcement.

The systems approach is a raft of solutions taken by growers, packers, and shippers that, in combination, minimise pest risks before importation into the US. In this case, the systems approach for Vietnamese mangoes includes orchard or packinghouse requirements, irradiation treatment, and port of entry inspection, to protect against the introduction of plant pests and diseases.

APHIS also requires the mangoes to be imported in commercial shipments and accompanied by phytosanitary certificates verifying the fruit was produced under these conditions. The certificates are required to also

include an additional declaration stating the fruit was inspected and found free of bacterial black spots.

According to an expert from the Department of Crop Production under Vietnams Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), American permission for the import followed a pledge to open the door wider to Vietnamese agricultural products, including fruit, made by US President Donald Trump.

In a joint statement released during the visit, the two nations welcomed new access for Vietnamese star apples into the US, and committed to seeking resolution of remaining agricultural trade issues with respect to catfish, shrimp, and mangoes.

More than two months ago, APHIS decided to allow Vietnam to export its star apples to the US. Vietnam is the first nation to get permission from the US to export this type of fruit to its market. Exports will begin this month.

The four types of fruit Vietnam has successfully exported into the US, namely dragonfruit, rambutan, lychee, and longan, have also been exported to some European markets.

Vietnam is currently registering more than 10 types of fruit to export to the US with APHIS.

A rise in Vietnams fruit exports to the US is very important to Vietnams agricultural product image globally and will benefit hundreds of thousands of farmers. It will make it much easier for Vietnam to boost its agricultural products worldwide, because if we meet strict requirements from the US, we can meet requirements from many other foreign markets, the MARD expert said.

According to MARD, in this years first 11 months, Vietnam hit an export turnover of $3.2 billion in exporting fruit and vegetables  up 43.1 per cent year-on-year, of which more than $2.8 billion stem from exports to China alone, which is expected to use over $3 billion this year importing these goods from Vietnam. It is expected that Vietnam will earn an export turnover of over $3.5 billion from fruit and vegetables this year.
Nguyen Nha Ngoc Tram Anh, chief operations officer of Hanwha Life Vietnam, accepted the Top 10 Sustainable Businesses 2017 award

The sustainability review and business rating report is a prestigious annual initiative commissioned by VCCI and the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD).

The report and related event aim to pay tribute to the 100 businesses with the best track record of sustainable development practices. Before being listed, Hanwha Life Vietnam went through serious and demanding assessment based on the corporate sustainability index (CSI), which was designed to measure businesses through three key criteriaeconomic, social, and environmental influence.

Being present in Vietnam for over eight years, Hanwha Life Vietnam has quickly established itself as one of the industrys fastest growing businesses. In the span of the last five years (2012-2017), new policy revenue growth was recorded at 41 per cent, 10 per cent higher than the industry average. In addition, second year policy retention consistently remains over 70 per cent.

Hanwha Life Vietnam has completed installing 100 customer service outlets in mid-August, 2017, four months earlier than planned. By mid-October, the company reached another milestone by crossing the VND500 billion ($22.01 million) revenue mark, VND150 billion ($6.6 million) higher than its earnings in the same period of 2016. In the first nine months of this year alone, the company recruited 19,000 new financial consultants.

Hanwha Life Vietnam has been investing intensively in systems, technology, and applications to upgrade service quality, putting in operation a call centre in a bid to become the life insurance firm offering the best customer care services.

The company has also diversified its product lines by unveiling the new Hanwha LifeHealth is Gold, an all-encompassing health insurance and user fee support product with coverage spanning the whole world.

Not just making general contributions to the local economy, Hanwha Life Vietnam has been a close companion of the Vietnamese people through its pragmatic community activities.

On November 28, in co-operation with Child Fund from Korea and Child Fund Vietnam, the company handed over VND2 billion ($88,000) to the health center of Lang Ngam commune, Ngan Son district, Bac Kan province. This is the third health center to receive a Hanwha Life Vietnam gift dedicated to northern mountainous provinces. The company previously presented similar gifts to two other communal health centers in Hoa Binh province.

Also in 2017, in co-operation with the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Protection of Poor Patients, Hanwha Life Vietnam handed out more than 9,500 health insurance cards worth nearly VND2 billion ($88,000) in total.

Before that, in just three years (2014-2016), poor people from 14 provinces and cities all over the country received more than 27,260 health insurance cards worth an estimated VND6.3 billion ($277,423) from the firm. Additoinally, Hanwha Life is also involved in various projects building homes of love, schools, and health centers, providing nearly VND22 billion ($968,779) in sponsorship funds.

I hope that Hanwha Life Vietnam's efforts will improve the day-by-day living of Vietnamese people. Moving forward, we will be working on many more projects that benefit local communities as a way of saying we are here to stay with the people and the country of Vietnam, said Back Jong Kook, chairman cum CEO of Hanwha Life Vietnam.
Netanyahu's visit to Brussels comes after he met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday. (Photo: AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)

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 said its position remained that Jerusalem should be a capital for both Israelis and Palestinians.

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," he 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.

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".

Mogherini said the EU - 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.

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".

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 condemning Trump's statement, but not "the rockets fired at Israel or the terrible incitement against it".

"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.

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.

Tens of thousands have also protested in Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia.

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.
Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City is a great addition to the brand's international line-up

In partnership with SonKim Land, Oakwood Asia Pacific opened its first property in the Vietnamese financial hubs District 3 nearly one year ago.

Over the last year, Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City has attracted both long- and short-term renters, with multiple returning guests who visit the city often.

We are delighted to have an Oakwood-branded property in this historic location of Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam is an important destination for us, especially as Ho Chi Minh City is among Southeast Asias most alluring cities, said Miquel Angel P. Martorell, general manager of Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City.

We have seen a rising demand for international-standard and expertly managed properties and know Oakwood will be a great addition to the market. As more travellers to the city come to know the Oakwood brand and appreciate the benefits of the home-away-from-home environment, we will continue to grow our portfolio to meet global demands, he added.

Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City boasts 68 fully-furnished serviced apartments, ranging from studios to one- and two-bedroom units. Residents and guests enjoy a calm oasis with a wading pool with lounge seating, gym, residents lounge, and cafe. These facilities are typical of the Oakwood Apartments brand, which promises a cost-effective, fuss-free stay.

Inspired by Saigonese architecture of the 1950s to 1970s, the propertys interior well reflects the citys vibrant history.

Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City further provides guests with a comfortable home environment that enables them to set their own schedules and enjoy day-to-day activities. Services and facilities include a 24-hour concierge and front-desk services, business services, and a high-speed internet connection.

Conveniently located along the edge of the historic Cu Xa Do Thanh area of District 3 and District 1 in the heart of the central business district, Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City counts a number of museums, boutique shops, local eateries, and seasoned tailors as its neighbours.

Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City is the companys 32nd Oakwood-branded property across 17 cities in Asia.
The F-class gas turbine Siemens will install at the new power plant in Libya

Under these contracts, the German industrial conglomerate will build a 650MW open cycle power plant in Misrata, equipped with two F-class gas turbines, and a 690MW open cycle power plant in Tripoli West, equipped with four Eclass gas turbines.

The total volume of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts, including long-term service agreements, is in the range of EUR700 million ($825 million).

Libya needs a reliable and affordable power supply to set the stage for a prosperous and promising future for the Libyan people, said Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens AG.

As a trusted partner, Siemens will provide Libya with innovative and sustainable infrastructure solutions that are essential for the economic development of the country and its people, Kaeser added.

Siemens has been supporting Libya with technology and expertise since the 1950s.

Around 30 per cent of Libyas installed power generation capacity is based on Siemens technology that delivers electricity for two million people, said Willi Meixner, CEO of Siemens Power and Gas Division.

After completion, the power plants in Misrata and Tripoli West will help the country to solve the on-going challenges caused by frequent and unpredictable power cuts, he added.
Police stand in a closed-off underground walkway near the site of a pipe bomb explosion in New York City. (John Moore/Getty Images/AFP)

Akayed Ullah told police investigators he wanted to avenge US airstrikes on the Islamic State group and was also inspired by Christmas terror plots in Europe, and chose the location for his attack by the Christmas posters on the subway walls, US media reported.

His bomb failed to detonate properly, leaving him the only one seriously injured in the incident.

President Donald Trump used the attack to call for tougher US immigration rules, saying the current "lax" policy "allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country."

"Today's attempted mass murder attack in New York City - the second terror attack in New York in the last two months - once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people," Trump said in a statement.

BOMB ONLY PARTIALLY DETONATED

The blast took place in the subway station at the Port Authority bus terminal, not far from the city's iconic Times Square, sparking commuter panic and travel disruptions.

A closed-circuit security video showed commuters scattering as the bomb exploded and one body - that of the bomber - on the ground after the smoke cleared.

Authorities attributed the minimal damage from the simple device attached to Ullah's chest to a malfunction.

The explosion left him with several burns to his torso and hands, and he was sent to a hospital in "serious" condition.

The other three injured people suffered ringing in the ears, headaches and other minor complaints, and there was no significant damage to the subway structure.

"Fortunately for us, the bomb partially detonated," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "It did not fully have the effect that he was hoping for."

Cuomo said Ullah was not part of a "sophisticated network," but appeared to have been "influenced" by the Islamic State or other extremist groups.

CHRISTMAS ATTACKS THREAT

The attack came as the Christmas-New Year holiday season was moving into high gear, underscoring the possible threat that lone actors inspired by Islamic State or Al-Qaeda pose to festive crowds.

In Berlin last year, an IS-inspired Tunisian refugee drove a large truck into a crowd at a Christmas market, killing 12.

Islamic State supporters have made online threats and urged sympathisers to conduct attacks on Western targets during the holiday season.

New York was rocked on Oct 31, the Halloween holiday, when an immigrant from Uzbekistan drove a rented truck down a busy bike and pedestrian path, killing eight people and injuring 12.

In November, the US State Department issued an alert for travelers to Europe during the holiday season, reminding them of the Berlin attack as well as the assault on a New Years Eve party in an Istanbul nightclub last year that left 39 people dead.

"US citizens should exercise caution at holiday festivals and events," the State Department warned.

"Extremists continue to focus on tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls and local government facilities as viable targets."

Cuomo said the latest bombing underscored that New York is a perennial target, 16 years after the 9/11 attacks.

"This is New York. The reality is that we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom," he said.

A bomb in a subway station "is in many ways one of our worst nightmares," Cuomo said.

TRUMP DEMANDS TIGHTER IMMIGRATION

The White House quickly turned the attack into a justification for its crackdown on immigration, which has seen the Trump administration slash refugee arrivals, block travelers from six Muslim-majority countries, and press for tighter restrictions on all those seeking to legally move to the United States.

Sayfullo Saipov, the Halloween attacker, had entered the country in 2101 under the "Diversity Immigrant Visa" program, by which the United States has sought to widen the sources of immigrants.

Ullah arrived seven years ago as the member of a family already in the United States, under what is known as "chain immigration."

Trump has called to eliminate both programs and move to a merit-based immigration policy.
Thai Beverage aspires to be a major shareholder at Sabeco

On midnight Tuesday, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoIT) has released the name of the sole bidder that registered to buy more than 25 per cent of Sabeco, commonly known as Saigon Beer. This investor is identified on the website as Vietnam Beverage Company Limited.

Vietnam Beverage, just established in Vietnam in October, is a subsidiary of Thai Beverage, a major beer brand owned by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi. The legal representative of Vietnam Beverage is Michael Chye Hin Fah, board member at Vietnam Dairy Products JSC (Vinamilk) and executive vice president at F&N, another entity controlled by Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi.

Back in early 2014, Sirivadhanabhakdi has already expressed his strong interest in Sabeco, which is Vietnams largest brewery with 41 per cent of market share. A controlling stake in Sabeco will help Sirivadhanabhakdi gain a quick competitive edge in Vietnams lucrative beer market, where ThaiBev remains a newcomer.

The Sabeco stake sale will take place on December 18 at Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, in which 54 per cent of the state-owned shares will be offered to external investors. Prices start at VND320,000 ($14.09), which means MoIT expects to earn at least $5 billion from the sale.

Due to the foreign ownership limit that stands at 49 per cent, overseas investors are allowed to buy at most 39 per cent of Sabecos shares in this sale. The remaining 10 per cent already belongs to the Dutch beer group Heineken and other smaller investors.

Several breweries around the world have previously announced their intention to join the stake sale, including San Miguel, Heineken, SABMiller, Asahi and Kirin. However, according to the latest update, only Thai Beverage registered to buy more than 25 per cent of the offered shares.

After the sale, MoIT will retain a 36-per-cent stake. According to MoIT officials, this level of control will allow the government to remain influential at Vietnams number-one brewery.

Sabecos shares closed at VND293,000 ($12.92) on Monday, falling from its peak at VND339,000 ($14.95) on November 29.
Thirteen students in Bac Ninh Province fell from the second floor and were wounded after a school balcony collapsed on Monday afternoon.- Photo baogiaothong.vn

The incident occurred at Van Mon elementary school in Yen Phong District, when a pair of fifth-graders accidentally hit the degraded balcony railing during break time, causing it to fall apart. Thirteen students then fell to the ground along with debris from the balcony.

Six with the most severe injuries were rushed to the Viet Nam-Germany Hospital in Ha Noi, while five students were taken to the provincial Bac Ninh Hospital and another two to Yen Phong District Hospital.

Local authorities and the school representatives visited the injured students at the hospitals and provided them VN89 million (US$3,950) in total to help with the treatment.

The Van Mon elementary school was built in 1995, and has become seriously degraded.
Marnix Zwart, co-founder and CPO of GoBear

There are also financial technology (fintech) companies eagerly seeking to disrupt or help to strengthen traditional financial institutions route to market. GoBear is among the latter. The Singapore-based fintech company is Asias first and only metasearch engine for insurance and banking products, which provides users a comparison platform that is unbiased, free, and easy to use.

GoBear helps business partners to present their products to potential customers in the most engaging way possible, and in turn enhances their conversion rate and lead value. On the occasion of GoBears first anniversary of Vietnamese operations, Marnix Zwart, co-founder and chief product officer, discusses with VIR the companys promising business outlook in the country.

GoBear was the first metasearch engine for financial products available in Vietnam and has been in operation in the country for a full year. What were the key milestones during this year?

Vietnam is our 6th market to offer personalised financial products comparison, and we are happy with our pace of growth here. Despite being the groups youngest market, GoBear Vietnam has demonstrated consistent development in a number of business criteria throughout the past year. Notably, since our official launch in Vietnam in early December 2016, we have achieved nearly one million users on the website www.gobear.com/vn. The increasing traffic we see on GoBear Vietnam proves the genuine confidence users have in our comparison services.

During our first year in Vietnam, we have also successfully launched three different products, with the comparison of credit cards, personal loans, and travel insurance. Additionally, GoBear now has a handful of educational campaigns in collaboration with our new business partners. Our key priority is now to broaden the variety of the products on the GoBear Vietnam platform as we continuously look to enhance the seamless user experience, with advanced search and filter options to help users find the best products.

What plans does GoBear Vietnam have for 2018? Are there any particular pressure points that you want to focus on?

GoBear is a global brand in the making and we are very focused on being local to serve customers in each of our key markets in the best way. In Vietnam, it is important for us to offer the best comparison services put together by a team of Vietnamese specialists. It is our belief to focus any expansion plan around the community in which we operate.

In 2018, GoBear Vietnam will focus to add life and health insurances on the insurance comparison site, alongside travel insurance. Unlike other forms of general insurance, the search for the right health insurance plan requires more consideration, especially when the needs of more than one person in the family have to be taken into account. To lessen that burden, GoBear will be the first metasearch engine in Vietnam to offer a free comparison of health insurance policies, and users will be able to find a range of insurance plans that match their specific needs in just a few clicks.

We are also looking forward to adding home loans and car insurance to our comparison platform in Vietnam as well.

What can you share about the prospective new business partnerships being formed to fuel the companys growth target?

We have already been collaborating with many well-known financial institutions in Vietnam and I am very happy to see that GoBear is becoming a popular brand in the local technology and financial services sector. The increasing attention and inquiry from the insurance and banking industry for GoBear proves that our presence is bringing positivity to the market.

However, we are very critical in our partner selection process. Although the more the merrier, we only look for partners who share our vision and mission of bringing the best financial products to Vietnamese consumers. We have a list of potential partners to work with in 2018 ready in the pipeline, and I hope that GoBear will eventually become the fintech partner-of-choice for financial institutions in Vietnam.
The decree will make sure less buyers get their fingers burnt

Among the big projects to be launched is An Khanh New City Developments sale of its first phase this quarter. The mega $2 billion project is developed by South Koreas Posco E&C and Vietnams Vinaconex, located in Hanois Hoai Duc district, along the Thang Long Boulevard.

Scheduled for completion in 2013, the city is expected to supply 6,440 apartments, equivalent to 392,319 square metres of accommodation, enough for 30,000 people.

Even though Hoa Phat Group, the investor in a more than 1,000 apartment Mandarin Garden in Cau Giay districts Tran Duy Hung road, refused to release its launching time, real estate experts predicted the project would be soon launched.

At the beginning of this month the CT7D, located in Le Van Luong street and invested by Nam Cuong Group and the FLC Landmark Tower of FLC Group will also be launched, with a total of 200 units and prices ranging from VND23 million ($1,200) to VND28 million ($1,470) per square metre.

In Gia Lam district, over the Red River, the second lot of Rung Co Residentials belonging to the Eco Park is also being launched, with around 1,500 apartment units.

In addition, Victoria Van Phu, Star City, Diamond Tower and Song Da City View will also add apartments to the mix.

Real estate consultant CBRE Vietnam expected that there would be 3,000 units in Hanoi launched this quarter, compared to 1,950 units in the third quarter. There were more than 4,600 units launched in the second quarter.

This decline, according to CBRE Vietnam, could be due to the Decree 71, effective on August 8, 2010 providing guidance on the Housing Law, which caps the proportion of units sold via capital contribution contracts at 20 per cent with the remaining 80 per cent sold on transaction floors.

This decree, CBRE Vietnam said, had put a pressure on developers with low financial capabilities and enhanced market transparency.

However, CBRE Vietnam executive director Richard Leech said new project launches would continue trending towards more affordable options.

With the opening and improvement of major infrastructure routes, the capitals western and southern districts are attracting new residents with easier access for commuting into the core urban districts, Leech said.

He said that the Decree 71 was expected to benefit the market by enhancing transparency, placing pressures on developers with low financial capabilities, lessening the threat of price bubbles and limiting speculative forces.

Tran Nhu Trung, Savills Vietnam associate director, said the Decree 71 had showed off its advantages to clearly regulate five types of mobilising capital investment. However, Trung said the procedures to implement Decree 71 were still complicated and wasted customers time and energy.

The more simple it [decree] regulates, the more it is practical in the real life, Trung said.
The tie-up between Mobile World and Tran Anh Digital will have an impact on the structure of the retail market for electronic and IT products. - Photo genk.vn

Mobile World is planning to acquire 100 per cent stake in Tran Anh Digital World to form an economic concentration activity under the management of the competition authority.

The tie-up between the two companies will have an impact on the structure of the retail market for electronic and IT products as they are the two largest retailers, with Tran Anh Digital owning 39 electronic outlets in the north and Mobile World having over 1,500 stores nationwide.

Mobile World has three major brands -- The Gioi Di Dong, Dien May Xanh and Bach Hoa Xanh.

Following the takeover, Tran Anh Digital will become a subsidiary of Mobile World, and they are expected to exercise a bigger market power after the acquisition.

After appraising the acquisition document and collecting opinions of similar businesses in the market, the Competition and Consumer Protection Department said the increase in their market power is not significant as the market share of Mobile World before and after the acquisition is defined at over 30 per cent for IT products, still being the dominant business in the sector.

Based on the combined market share of the relevant market, the economic concentration between Mobile World and Tran Anh Digital in the form of a business acquisition is not prohibited under Article 18 of the Competition Law, the department said in a message on Monday.

According to Article 18 of the 2004 Competition Law, an economic concentration is prohibited if the combined market share of the enterprises participating in this activity is more than 50 per cent in the relevant market, except in case of an exemption".

The department said it will continue to oversee the competitive activities of Mobile World in the retail market for household electronic devices and IT products to timely detect any abuse of its dominant position in accordance with the Competition Law.

At the shareholders meeting on August 28, Mobile Worlds shareholders agreed with the companys plan of putting aside VN2.5 trillion (US$110 million) for M&A activities, targeting electronics and pharmaceutical retailing businesses.

Detailed information of the M&A between Mobile World and Tran Anh Digital, such as value or share swap ratio, is yet to be released. However, in late September, two senior executives of Mobile World joined Tran Anh Digitals managing board.

On December 11, Mobile World said its board of managers approved the plan of issuing 6.7 million shares, equivalent to 2.18 per cent of its outstanding shares, to fewer than 10 investors in a private placement.

The shares, expected before the year-end, are being offered at a minimum price of VN90,000 per share and maximum price of VND110,000.

The new share issue is speculated to be designed to sell to Tran Anh Digitals senior stakeholders.

In addition, Mobile World will issue over 9.22 million shares in an employee stock ownership plan to its employees, which will have restricted transferring for four years.

Shares of Mobile World (code MWG on the HCM Stock Exchange) were traded at some VND128,000 per share, while Tran Anh Digitals shares were valued at VND33,000 per share on Mondays trade.
Apple is scheduling a complete phase-out of music downloads from the iTunes Store by early 2019, per sources at the company.



Apple is aggressively scheduling a phase-out of music downloads from the iTunes Store, according to multiple sources tied into the platform or working at the company itself. The termination has been in motion since 2016, when sources first tipped the story to Digital Music News.



At that stage, the plan was to sunset music downloads within 2 years. Now, plummeting download sales may be creating pressure to make good on that aggressive schedule. More and more, [downloads] are legacy, one source told DMN over the weekend. That part is obvious.



Apple has told DMN that no such phase-out plan exists. One source has repeatedly insisted that the plan not only exists, but that it is on schedule, or even ahead of the original schedule.



Throughout the discussions, sources have demanded complete confidentiality. Phone conversations or personal email accounts were preferred, largely to avoid corporate monitoring of communications.



The current timetable calls for a complete termination by 2019, shortly after the 2018 Christmas season.



Importantly, that gives Apple two more Christmas seasons to operate. The plan minimizes disruptions among buyers, with a transition slated for a post-holiday, slower period in 2019.



The phase-out strategy also includes a clever transition towards Apple Music, the companys streaming platform, according to one source close to the transition. According to details shared, the company would migrate a users iTunes download collection towards a brand-new Apple Music account.



Then, as part of a three-month transitionary trial account, a users entire collection would be migrated into streaming equivalents. All previous playlists and details would also be translated.



Downloads unavailable as streams would be grayed out, pending future licensing. But you can always go back and listen to the downloads, they always will work, another source noted. Over time, more stuff becomes licensed and the grayed out collection becomes de minimis.



But the key difference is that users wont have access to purchase music downloads within the iTunes Store. That road will be closed, the source noted.



Word of the transition is happening as music downloads continue to collapse.



The move may be driven by data. According to details shared by Nielsen, paid downloads are crashing in 2017. During the first six months of the year, track downloads collapsed 24.1% in the US, while digital albums slipped 19.9%. Both formats are likely to drop 30% or more in 2018, eventually winnowing away to something negligible.



Concerns of iTunes Bloatware.



All of that is raising concerns about an overloaded iTunes, especially among Apple engineers who are increasingly frustrated with the platform. One source noted that iTunes has become a big mess, while another pointed to recurring bloatware problems that are affecting customers.



Pulling out lower-performing formats, especially music downloads, helps to solve the issue.



And then, theres Spotify.



Also informing the phase-out is a meteoric Spotify. Despite numerous entrenched advantages, Apple Music remains heavily behind the Swedish leader. At last count, Spotify had more than double the amount of Apple Music subscribers. Spotify counts 60 million paying subscribers, while Apple Music has yet to just reached 30 million.



And Spotifys broader numbers are dwarfing those of Apple. Just recently, Spotify reported a userbase of 140 million active users. Apple, preferring a paid-only platform, has a far smaller audience size.



Separately, Spotify is moving towards a high-profile Wall Street entry. And, totally overshadowing Apple Musics ambitious efforts to overtake streaming.



That may be causing serious frustrations within Apple.



Just recently, Apple Music chief Jimmy Iovine splashed salt on Spotifys success, discrediting the companys business model and vulnerability.



If tomorrow morning Amazon says, Why dont we try $7.99 for music? Woah, guess what happens?



The streaming business is not a great business. Its fine with the big companies: Amazon, Apple, Google Of course its a small piece of their business, very cool, but Spotify is the only standalone, right? So they have to figure out a way to show the road to making this a real business.



Sounds scary. But the reality is that Amazon Music is already sharply discounted. In fact, Amazons Prime-bundled streaming music plan is effectively free, yet Spotify clearly remains the market leader.



That could be forcing some soul-searching at Apple, with product clarification a healthy strategic step. Indeed, Steve Jobs was notorious for pushing consumers into the future, even before they were ready for it.



These days, innovators like Spotify are doing the pushing. All of which makes it increasingly difficult for Apple to remain in the past.

Quote :
Enhance Your Productivity: 4 Ways to Get Things Done With Time to Spare

Productivity is a big asset when it comes to work. While keeping a consistent and healthy routine can help us fit in all the things we need and want to do, there are many stumbling blocks that can throw us off schedule, shattering our productivity. We might try to get
In the 19th century, the British government were undecided as to where they should settle Israel  either in what is now Uganda, in Argentina or in Palestine. In fact, Argentina was at that time controlled by the United Kingdom and, on the initiative of French baron Maurice de Hirsch, had become a land of refuge for Jews who were fleeing the pogroms in central Europe.

In the 20th century, after the military coup dEtat against democratically elected President General Juan Peron, a current of antisemitism developed within the armed forces. A brochure was distributed accusing the new State of Israel of preparing an invasion of Patagonia, the  Andinia Plan .

It has become apparent today that even though the Argentinian extreme right had exaggerated the facts in the 1970s, there was indeed a project for implantation (and not invasion) in Patagonia.

Everything changed with the Falklands War in 1982. At that time, the Argentinian military junta attempted to recuperate the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which from their point of view had been occupied by the British for a century and a half. The UNO recognised the legitimacy of the Argentinian claim, but the Security Council condemned the use of force to recover these territories. The stakes are considerable, since the territorial waters of these archipelagos offer access to all the riches of the Antarctic continent.

At the end of this war, which cost more than a thousand lives (official British figures are largely understated), London imposed a particularly severe Peace Treaty on Buenos Aires - Argentinian armed forces are limited to their most simple expression. Above all, the control of their Southern and Antarctic air space is confiscated for the profit of the Royal Air Force, and they are obliged to inform the United Kingdom about all their operations.

In 1992 and 1994, two particularly devastating, murderous and mysterious attacks successively destroyed the Israeli embassy and the headquarters of the Israeli association AMIA. The first attack took place when the station chiefs of Israeli Intelligence had just left the building. The second occurred in the context of joint Egypt-Argentinian research for the development of Condor ballistic missiles. In the same period, the main Condor factory exploded, and the sons of Presidents Carlos Menem and Hafez el-Assad died accidentally. The various enquiries gave rise to a succession of manipulations.

After having blamed Syria, prosecutor Alberto Nisman turned on Iran, whom he accused of having ordered the two attacks, and Hezbollah, who he claimed had carried them out. The ex- Peronist President Cristina Kirchner was accused of having negotiated the end of the legal proceedings against Iran in exchange for advantageous oil prices. Prosecutor Nisman was found dead at his home, and President Kirchner was found guilty of high treason. However, last week, a coup de theatre destroyed everything we though we knew  the United States FBI handed over DNA analyses which attest to the absence of the presumed terrorist among the victims, and the presence of a body which has never been identified. 25 years later, we know nothing more about these attacks.

In the 21st century, benefitting from the advantages offered them by the Falklands War Treaty, the United Kingdom and Israel are now setting up a new project Patagonia.

British billionaire Joe Lewis has acquired immense territories in the South of Argentina and even neighbouring Chile. His properties cover areas several times larger than the State of Israel. They are situated in Tierra del Fuego, at the extreme Southern point of the continent. In particular, they surround the Lago Escondido, which effectively denies access to the entire region, despite a legal injunction.

The billionaire has built a private airport with a two kilometre landing strip, in order to be able to receive civil and military aircraft.

Since the Falklands War, the Israeli army has been organising  holiday camps  (sic) in Patagonia for its soldiers. Between 8,000 and 10,000 of them now come every year to spend two weeks on Joe Lewis land.

While in the 1970s, the Argentinian army noted the construction of 25,000 empty houses, which gave rise to the myth of the Andinia Plan, hundreds of thousands have been built today.

It is impossible to verify the state of the construction work, since these are private lands, and Google Earth has neutralised the satellite photographs of the area, just as it does with NATOs military installations.

Neighbouring Chile has handed over a submarine base to Israel. Tunnels have been dug in order to survive the polar winter.

The Mapuche Indians who inhabit both Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia were surprised to learn that the Resistencia Ancestral Mapuche (RAM) had been reactivated in London. This is a mysterious organisation which fights for independence. First accused of being an old association recuperated by the Argentinian secret services, the RAM is today considered by the left as a legitimate secessionist movement, but by the Mapuche leaders as an initiative financed by George Soros.

On 15 November 2017, the Navy lost all contact with the submarine ARA San Juan, which was finally declared lost at sea. It was one of the TR 1700 class diesel-electric submarines which were the flagships of the reduced Argentinian army. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) has announced that it has recorded an unusual acoustic phenomenon in the Atlantic, close to the area from which the San Juan sent its last signal. The government finally admitted that the submarine was on a non-specified  secret mission , of which London had been informed. The USA began a search, while the Russian Navy deployed a drone capable of exploring the ocean to a depth of 6,000 metres, but found nothing. The San Juan probably exploded. The Argentinian Press is convinced that the submarine had either collided with a mine, or was destroyed by an enemy torpedo.

It is impossible for the moment to determine if Israel is engaged in a programme for the exploitation of Antarctica, or if it is building a rear base in case of defeat in Palestine.
Photo: Jennifer Lourie/Getty Images

Sylvester Stallone is no longer directing Creed 2, according to Deadline. Filmmaker Steven Caple Jr. will step in to direct the Creed sequel, starring Stallone and Michael B. Jordan. MGM and Warner Bros. made the announcement Monday. The character of Adonis Creed reflects this generation and its challenges, Stallone said. I believe its important for the director to also be a part of this generation like I was in mine, to make the story as relatable as possible. Stallone added that hes confident that [Caple Jr.] and Michael B. Jordan will hit it out of the park!

Stallone was previously attached to direct and produce the sequel, announcing it on his Instagram in October. Per Variety, Stallone just considered directing Creed 2, but after talking it over with Jordan and the execs, they made the decision to find another director. Caple  whose first feature The Land debuted at Sundance in 2016, most recently wrote HBOs Emmett Till mini-series, produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z  will direct from an original script written by Stallone and Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker. Creed 2 is expected November 21, 2018.
Floribama Shore Home Sweet Home to Me Season 1 Episode 4 Editors Rating 3 stars * * * Photo: MTV

What if you took Jersey Shore, switched up the accents, transported the whole production to the Gulf Coast, and made everything and everyone just a little bit sadder, but just as wasted? The reality-TV scientists at MTV have set out to find the answer to that question, in the most rigorous laboratory conditions possible. This is Floribama Shore.

When they arent aggressively partying in their shared summer house in Panama City Beach, Florida, the eight castmates are technically employed, with jobs in beach service, setting up chairs and umbrellas on the sand. But relatively little of Floribama Shore takes place in the daytime, so the show feels like it exists in a surreal, tequila-and-blue-Gatorade-soaked world of forever night.

Were already a few episodes in, so Ill start you off with a quick introduction to the residents. All in their early 20s, they let their freak flags fly, say a prayer before every meal, fight at least one-third of all strangers they encounter, and share so many disarming, deeply personal secrets about themselves that I have come to refer to this show, in my head, as Drunk Feelings Club. Chi-chis up  lets go! (Chi-chis, as you will learn within 90 seconds of Floribama Shore, are boobs.)

Nilsa: A 23-year-old divorcee whose ex-husband cheated on her not long after she suffered a miscarriage. She wants you to know that all her plastic surgery hasnt made her any less real. Snooki in stature, Angelina-slash-Sammi in personality.

Gus: Imagine Zac Efron going Method for a role. A big flirt who wants to get married pretty much immediately. Was kicked out at 17. Was once homeless. Has the tallest hair in the house. Thinks he has the best hair in the house.

Candace: Actually has the best hair in the house. Specializes in delivering surprisingly effective impromptu inspirational speeches to drunk people, as when she encouraged Nilsa to be the bitch you are.

Jeremiah: He was home-schooled, which you should expect to hear about a lot. He is frequently shirtless and his head is, uncannily, the same exact size as each of his deltoids.

Kirk: A sensitive and loyal Atlanta transplant. If I had to peg him for a Jersey Shore cast member, Id say this is our Vinny. Like Gus, Kirk has been homeless.

Aimee: Her dream job is trophy wife. Before she came on the show, Aimees boyfriend of a decade cheated on her with her cousin and got somebody pregnant. She cooked taco soup that made everybody in the house violently ill.

Codi: The archetypal southern boy. Works at an old people bar. You wouldnt guess this by looking at him, but believe me when I tell you that more so than anyone else on this television program, Codi is a messy bitch who lives for drama.

Kortni: I recognize Floribama Shore may be a tough sell, but please, if for no other reason, watch it for Kortni. On the very first night in the house, she got so drunk she peed not even in her own bed, but Candaces. Lest you think that was an embarrassing one-time lapse in judgment, she later proceeded to climb inside a garbage can on the beach to pee, in broad daylight, while theoretically at work. She fights like a giraffe hooked up to a car battery.

After a day of fighting along gender lines over whether or not the boys should have saved the last of the chicken for the girls (you had to be there), the housemates were reunited and their bonds reinforced when a seemingly unhinged woman, like a drunk angel in disguise, attacked them at a dollar-beer dive. The bar fight was an improbably heartwarming development, and not the worst premise Ive ever heard for a corporate team-building idea.

What stage-five clinger was to Jersey Shore, barnacle is to Floribama Shore. Nilsa  who, not for nothing, had a crush on Jeremiah  is annoyed that Jeremiahs new sex friend Kayla Jo has been hanging out with them so much. Shes not even paying rent! (Are any of them paying rent?) To be fair, Kathy Ho is indeed a little annoying, delivering a late-night, unsolicited anti-smoking lecture in front of Aimee, who is smoking. Nilsa is channeling her dislike for her unwanted guest through aggressive hospitality, offering her everything she can think of: juice, snacks, condoms, and most importantly a slice of frozen pizza, which Kayla Jo accepts but fails to eat. As she gets in her cab home, she asks Jeremiah to throw it out so Nilsa wont see. Of course, Gods own true dummy Jeremiah leaves the pizza, smushed in a paper plate, on their coat rack, where Nilsa immediately discovers it and is thrilled to have a reason to be offended. Call Kayla! she demands. This is her pizza!

The next day, everyone drives to Kortnis family home. She only just moved out  this is the longest shes ever been away. The gang meets her sweet, gentle, nondrinker mother, whos eager to show off scrapbooks full of her toddler-aged daughter perched on the potty. (And not on anybodys bed.) Kortni reminds me more of their pet parrot than her mom: striking, profoundly unpredictable, and quick to bite. While theyre visiting Chez Kortni, Aimee shares that the nearest high school to her 45-person hometown was 35 minutes away, so she dropped out. We also learn that Gus previously tried to join the military, but disqualified when he broke his arm. He plans to attend Florida State in the fall. Good for you, Gus!

Back at the house, Kortni mentions to Nilsa that Kayla Jo told her that shes a Wiccan. A full-on witch hunt ensues, with Nilsa screaming and dashing up to her room in pursuit of her Jesus candle. Of course, this is insane; the only reason to fear a Wicca practitioner is if you have a severe sage allergy. Codi plots to see if he can trick Kayla Jo into touching his rosary beads. I told you he was a messy bitch who lives for drama.

Jeremiah soon calls a family meeting to address the chatter about Kayla Jo, which quickly devolves into a shouting match between him and Nilsa. After he tells her to kiss his ass, she yells at him about how he was raised, which for Jeremiah  who is hyperprotective of his family  apparently introduces doubts about how she was raised. The Kayla Jo thing is not about religion, she insists. Some of Nilsas best friends are Muslim, whatever! Somehow, Gus gets involved, and before you can say all the power of Manon, he is crying at the very suggestion that he would disrespect women.

Out at Ms. Newbys that night, Nilsa offers Jeremiah a sincere apology. There may be a moratorium on Kayla Jo jokes (Kayla Jo-kes?), but all is not well in Panama City Beach. Amid an intense Jenga game, a stranger in a trucker hat calls Gus a faggot. Security manages to separate them, but once Candace hears whats happened, she takes it upon herself to confront Farmer Slur and knock the hat off his head. When he makes the mistake of calling her little girl in response, Kirk punches him, setting off a collective flurry of limbs  theres Aimee! theres Kortni!  that I momentarily believed must have been CGI. See you next week!
Still from The Phantom Menace. Photo: Lucasfilm

In the lead-up to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we look back at the first Jedi (narratively speaking) with a series of stories about the much-beloved and never-disparaged prequel trilogy.

There is precious little that makes my experience and enjoyment of Star Wars special. I like the films everyone likes, and am ambivalent about the other ones. I thought The Force Awakens was fun, if derivative. Ive dabbled in various spinoff-media products, but have never been anything resembling a completist. I have standard-issue opinions about the mythologys politics (the Rebel Alliances multiculturalism is nice, the Jedi concept is troublingly aristocratic, Jar Jar Binks is a racist abomination, and so on). All of that said, I do have one take so hot that its been searing a hole in my brain for nearly 20 years. Okay, deep breath. Im ready.

The midi-chlorians arent that bad.

Indeed, Id even go so far as to say theyre fascinating, albeit not necessarily in the way they were intended to be. This stance puts me into a tiny minority. Ever since George Lucas first introduced the world to these tiny organisms in 1999s Star Wars: Episode I  The Phantom Menace, theyve been one of the leading bugaboos for prequel skeptics. In that film, we learn about them from noble Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Perhaps I should just let the dear, departed Qui-Gon explain them to you as he does to wee Anakin Skywalker, after the latter has learned that he possesses an abnormally high midi-chlorian count:

ANAKIN: I heard Master Yoda talking about midi-chlorians. Ive been wondering: What are midi-chlorians?

QUI-GON: Midi-chlorians are a microscopic life-form that resides within all living cells.

ANAKIN: They live inside me?

QUI-GON: Inside your cells, yes. And we are symbionts with them.

ANAKIN: Symbionts?

QUI-GON: Life-forms living together for mutual advantage. Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force. When you learn to quiet your mind, youll hear them speaking to you.

This felt like a radical change from the conception wed previously had of the mysterious Jedi-powering entity known as the Force. In the original trilogy, it had been described in more ethereal terms. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together, an aged Obi-Wan told Anakins son Luke. As Yoda put it in the movie after that one, Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us.

For decades, that was about it, as far as explanations of the Force went. Then, all of a sudden, per the first prequel, it seemed that Force abilities were caused by little bugs in your bloodstream. To make matters worse, Qui-Gon at one point suggests that Anakins mom may have been impregnated by midi-chlorians. Ersatz God had been abruptly trumped by garbage science in the eyes of dejected fanpeople.

One word ruined Star Wars for me, and probably for a generation of fans, too, wrote Evan Narcisse in Time, still ticked off more than a decade after the movies release. That word wasnt Jar Jar or Watto. It wasnt a character. It was midi-chlorians. With that one word, the mechanisms of the Force became less spiritual and more scientific. Major bummer. Another luminary of the geek commentariat, Charlie Jane Anders, called them a clumsy retcon that screws up an explanation we already had. Lost and The Leftovers co-creator Damon Lindelof railed against them while describing why he didnt want to get into the science of Losts island: I feel like you have to be very careful about entering into midi-chlorian territory, he said. Never once did anyone ever say to me or did it occur to me to say, What is the Force, exactly? Trawl message boards and youll find blunter assessments: As a user of the Ars Technica forum put it, Star Wars - the force is a mystical energy = fantasy. Star Wars - the force is caused by mitichlorians [sic] = fuck you.

Okay, so, first off: Yes, the Star Wars mythos would have been just fine, if not better, if it lacked the handful of bits in the prequel flicks that talk about midi-chlorians. There wasnt anything wrong with the way the story had presented the Force previously. Im not going to say the critters were a net positive for the franchise. Writers have struggled with them in canonical and quasi-canonical Star Wars spinoff stories ever since: There was a tale having to do with mapping the Jedi genome; an in-universe manual talked about how rock creatures without organic cells might interact with midi-chlorians; and some dude named Darth Tenebrous created things called maxi-chlorians, about which the less is said, the better. All of that could go out the window and we would, for the most part, be better for it.

But we live in a world with midi-chlorians, and its one where people are altogether too angry about them. That anger comes from a pair of misconceptions. For one thing, just because midi-chlorians exist doesnt mean the compellingly airy-fairy nature of the Force goes away. Look at what Qui-Gon says: They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force. That in no way means midi-chlorians are the Force, just that they help connect us to it. The Force is still vaguely defined, allowing you to map whatever meaning you want onto it  it just so happens that there might be little creatures that help us become more sensitive to it, and some people have more of them than others. Ask yourself: How different is it from our other notions of the Jedi? It had already been established that theyre people who are somehow born with greater sensitivity to the Force, meaning we already accepted the idea of the Force as a birthright reserved for a chosen few, fundamentally different from the rest of us. Is it that big of a leap to say that their differences show up in biology, too?

This idea that midi-chlorians are a kind of baseline prerequisite, but not anywhere near the full explanation of the mystical nature of the Force, has recently become the canonical method of sewing them into the Star Wars legendarium with as few seams as possible. Theyve been addressed and explained most prominently in a pair of 2014 episodes of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In Voices and Destiny, Yoda grapples with questions about the nature of life and death, specifically as they relate to the soul. What makes up a persons essence, and what happens to it after the body is felled?

He is visited by the disembodied voice of long-dead Qui-Gon (shockingly, Liam Neeson returned for the performance), who tells him that the Force has two components: the Living Force and the Cosmic Force. Living beings generate the Living Force, which in turn powers the wellspring that is the Cosmic Force, he tells the little green Jedi Master. All energy from the Living Force, from all things that have ever lived, feeds into the Cosmic Force, binding everything and communicating to us through the midi-chlorians. Later, Yoda travels to a planet where the midi-chlorians first emerged. Some ghosts appear before him and talk about how the midi-chlorians are what connects the Living Force and the Cosmic Force and that when a living thing dies, all is removed; life passes from the Living Force into the Cosmic Force and becomes one with it. Doesnt that leave the Force, itself, as something sufficiently metaphysical?

Yodas journey in Clone Wars also brings us to the second misconception that bedevils midi-chlorian haters: the belief that the Jedi have any idea what theyre talking about. He goes on his quest because he realizes that, even after 900-odd years of existence, theres still a wealth of information that he doesnt grasp. The Republic-era Jedi Order is certain that there is no life after death, but Yoda discovers that there is. Whos to say the Jedi arent wrong about, well, everything?

If you look at the prequels from that perspective, they become far more engaging than if you assume these self-confident men (and they are usually men) have all the answers. Its not that big of a stretch, to be honest. Take, for example, the prophecy of the Chosen One. Qui-Gon believes that young Anakins destiny was foretold by ancient Jedi who predicted the advent of a person who would bring balance to the Force. The audience is supposed to have enormous respect for Qui-Gon, but Jesus, given the whole Anakin turning into Darth Vader and committing genocide thing, was he wrong about that. Or think about the Jedis participation in the Clone Wars. These supposedly wise analysts of the world became unwitting warriors in the service of the Sith Lord Palpatine, helping to throw the entire Galaxy into bloody mayhem. If theyre so smart, howd they miss that?

Same goes for midi-chlorians, in one possible interpretation. Maybe midi-chlorians are as stupid an explanation of the Force as their real-world critics say they are. What if high midi-chlorian counts had a loose correlation to Force sensitivity, but werent actual causes of it, and the Jedi just misinterpreted their data? What if this was something like medieval doctors rambling on for centuries about humors and leeches  a faux-scientific delusion that was wholeheartedly embraced by a guild of people who loved to preach their own greatness to the hoi polloi? Perhaps the Jedi had thunk themselves into utter stupidity on an array of matters. Midi-chlorians were just one manifestation of their high-minded idiocy. From that point of view, the prequels are a tragedy about well-intentioned intellectuals whose myopic condescension led them onto a path of war and self-immolation.

Which leads us to my personal fan theory about these loathed microorganisms. Youll note that Obi-Wan and Yoda dont tell Luke  the first of the new Jedi, who presumably should have as many facts as possible if hes going to start up the old traditions again  anything about midi-chlorians. You may think thats because Lucas hadnt come up with his dumb idea yet when he made the first Star Wars picture. Oddly enough, youd be wrong. According to J.W. Rinzlers The Making of Star Wars, Lucas saw them as part of the mythos as early as 1977. It is said that certain creatures are born with a higher awareness of the Force than humans, the progenitor wrote in a guide on the rules of the universe. Their brains are different; they have more midi-chlorians in their cells. He didnt feel there was enough time to effectively explain the organisms in the original trilogy, but he had them in the back of his mind. So how do we explain the fact that Lukes trainers dont mention them?

I like to think its because they realized in their old age that midi-chlorians arent worth worrying about. Yoda and Obi-Wan had decades to ponder the nature of the Force and refine their conception of it down to its essence. Maybe, in looking back on the downfall of the Jedi, they realized that hewing too closely to specific explanations of the Force was a fools errand, a pseudo-intellectual distraction from whats really important: spiritual contemplation and selfless deeds. As such, they may have thought Luke had the opportunity to build a future Jedi Order that wouldnt repeat their mistakes. Like their decision to hide Leias familial relationship to him, they felt that Luke was better off without certain tidbits  and, unlike their dissembling about his sister, this was a worthwhile sin of omission. A condescending one, yes, but hey, old Jedi habits die hard.

In making that choice, we can see Obi-Wan and Yoda doing what we all have to do with Star Wars: choose what works and ignore the rest of it. To say midi-chlorians ruined the franchise for you is to avoid the fact that you have to turn a blind eye to a ton of Star Wars stuff in order to enjoy the good parts. Even in the original trilogy, the writing and acting is often stilted and wooden. There are way too many coincidences and plot holes to make for a sensical plot. The heroes are, arguably, uncompromising terrorists. And so on and so on. But none of that really matters. As is true of the midi-chlorians, you either forget that those problems exist, or you engage with them in a constructive way. This is how one teaches a Jedi  or enjoys flawed fiction. Even in a Galaxy far, far away, its okay if your fave is problematic.
One of Waco Independent School Districts top administrators will be leaving at the end of this month, Waco ISD spokesperson Kyle DeBeer said Monday.

Dana Pate, the districts special education director, will officially retire at the end of the calendar year, but her last day will be Dec. 19, as the district heads into its two-week winter break between semesters, he said. She has been with the district for about five years, she said.

Pates departure has nothing to do with the recent scrutiny her department has faced across the local, state and federal levels, she said. Pate has actually been considering retirement for the past four years, but a recent meeting at Region 12s Education Service Center about the states teacher retirement system and a desire to spend more time with family made the decision final, she said.

You get to an age where your focus of whats important changes, and Im there. Im almost 60 and its just time, Pate said. I prayed about it, thought about it. Its just right.

Throughout the last year, Waco ISDs special education department has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights because of alleged retaliation claims by a district employee and the possibility of misidentifying Hispanic children with dyslexia.

The Texas Education Agency has also recently considered reprimanding the district because of its low performance scores on state exams for special education students, causing Superintendent. A. Marcus Nelson to call for the department to make major improvements going forward.

But the districts been actively working to address the issues, and Pate said she doesnt know of any districts special education department that hasnt faced some sort of scrutiny at some point.

This is not new to me. This is what special education directors do, and its always anticipated in the job, Pate said. Its just unfortunate this happened at the time Im about to retire.

She said the department has made major changes since she started.

Pates biggest accomplishment was addressing discipline disproportionality, after Waco ISD was reprimanded by the TEA in 2014 for placing black students in the districts alternative education program at a rate higher than other groups, she said.

She brought in Trudy Bender, the districts behavior intervention coordinator, and trained educators in restorative discipline procedures to ensure the problem does not arise again, Pate said. Because of this, the district is no longer disproportionate and the TEA is no longer scrutinizing the issue in Waco ISD, Bender said in October.

The last three years, that rate has come down and come down, and this year were below the threshold and the TEA is no longer looking at that for our district, Bender said at the time. We still have disproportionality in some areas, but in terms of out-of-school suspension rates with students of color and students of disabilities, weve reduced that below the threshold the TEA sets.

Thats a huge accomplishment for a district that was once just sending students to the alternative education program without using best practices for discipline intervention, Pate said.

Until Pates replacement is hired, the special education department will operate under an interim director, DeBeer said. The interim director is yet to be named, and the full-time job has already been posted online, he said.

The district hopes to have a new full-time director named by not long after officials start looking at the applicant pool after the next 30 days, he said. The positions salary starts at $81,016, according to the online job posting.

With her last day fast approaching, Pate said she looks forward to spending more time with her two grandchildren and traveling while shes still young enough and healthy enough to do so, she said with a laugh.

And as for the person who comes behind her, she offered this advice: First and foremost, you have to have a compassion for the children we serve. Always remember behind every child there is a family, and that family needs our support, that family needs our advocacy and that family needs us to never give up because these children can accomplish great things.
Baylor Universitys petition to protect about 6,200 current and former students privacy regarding records related to sex or sexual conduct generally since 2003 has been denied, according to a Monday ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The denial comes about a month after the university filed the petition to block a ruling made by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman as part of an ongoing Title IX lawsuit filed by 10 former students. The ruling ordered Baylor to produce several years of student medical and counseling records and followed another ruling by Pitman for Baylor to produce all records related to the Pepper Hamilton LLP investigation, which examined how the school responded to reports of sexual violence.

Baylor appreciates the courts consideration of the universitys mandamus petition, stated Lori Fogleman, the assistant vice president of media communications at Baylor, in an email to the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday morning. Our ongoing objective has been to protect the confidential medical, counseling and student conduct records of students who were not involved in the Plaintiffs cases. We will continue to comply with the trial courts orders regarding discovery.

Its unclear when current and former students will receive letters in the mail from the college, alerting them to the release of the documents.

In Baylors appeal of the judges orders, officials alleged Pitmans rulings were a clear abuse of discretion regarding the possibility of more than 47,300 documents, including 32,000 FERPA-protected (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) records, the universitys filing stated.

The university asked for the court to delay the discovery of the records, limit the discovery of the records to summary information, or delay the discovery pending an appeal about the validity of the plaintiffs heightened risk reasoning behind the demand for the records.

The heightened risk was described as follows, according to a plaintiffs filing:

Even prior to their initial reports of sexual assault, Baylors discriminatory practices in handling reports of sexual assault  discouraging victims from reporting their assaults and failing to investigate their claims or punish their assailants  constituted a policy of intentional discrimination that substantially increased plaintiffs risk of being sexually assaulted.

At the time of his ruling, Pitman called the records indisputably important, to the claims of the 10 women suing Baylor who were allegedly denied educational opportunities after their assaults.

Waco attorney Jim Dunnam, who represents the plaintiffs, stated in an email Tuesday morning he was pleased, though not surprised, by the circuit courts decision.

Weve said all along that the trial judge has been thoughtful, well-reasoned and fair, Dunnam wrote. Its pretty disgusting, Baylors almost weekly misinformation to the public claiming to help victims and be transparent, when all they do in court is the exact opposite.

Dunnam initially called Baylors efforts to block the judges orders a made-up issue.

Were not trying to reveal student identity or identifying information, Dunnam said in November when Baylor filed the appeal to block the release of the records. As the judge showed by his order on Monday morning, were not getting that information. Our response on Monday suggested that Baylor redact identifying information.

At the time, he pointed toward a deposition by former Baylor Title IX investigator Gabrielle Lyons, who said she encountered 100 rape cases in one year.

Its clear that Baylor will do anything to conceal the magnitude of the sexual assault crisis thats been going on for years, he said at the time.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) is encouraging landowners to invest in trees this year.

The Natural Resources Districts Conservation Tree Program assists property owners with windbreaks and many other benefits every year. Hundreds of thousands of tree-seedlings are planted across Nebras-ka with the help of the NRDs every year.

Since the NRDs creation in 1972, landowners have planted more than 96 million trees and shrubs across the state 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, Jim Bendfeldt, presi-dent of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts said. 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 Natural Resources Districts administer their own tree program. Available species and tree and shrub options may differ from district to district depending on what grows well in different are-as of the state. NRD staff is available to assist landowners in determining the right trees are planted in the right place.

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. Contact your local Natural Resources District to put your tree orders in today. You can go to nrdnet.org or nrdtrees.org to see the selection of trees and shrubs being offered.
Racine County will be joining a lawsuit filed by dozens of Wisconsin counties against pharmaceutical companies, pending County Board approval.

Back in early November, 28 counties announced they would join a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and Endo Health Solutions for possible deceptive and fraudulent marketing relating to the addictive nature of the prescription drugs they manufacture.

Racine County Corporation Counsel Michael Lanzdorf said the county has been contemplating joining the lawsuit since early October but administration wanted to talk to the Racine County Sheriffs Office, the medical examiner, Human Services Department, emergency management director and the District Attorneys Office.

These are all departments that have something to do with opioids, Lanzdorf said. Through this lawsuit they would be trying to identify any sort of costs or expenses incurred by Racine County in addressing the opioid epidemic.

Lanzdorf said officials have discussed with those departments the potential implications of county involvement in such a lawsuit.

The primary thing we wanted to explain to them is if we were to join this lawsuit, it could very easily settle early on; it could also result in a lengthy discovery process where the pharmaceutical drug-makers may send discovery requests to the county, asking us to produce information or to document where these costs come from, Lanzdorf said. It could result in significant staff time. But weve addressed that with various departments and almost uniformly have been met with support.

Holding manufacturers accountable

Lanzdorf said: The common refrain that we heard is that its really not about recovery, its about holding these manufacturers responsible for their role in creating the opioid epidemic.

The firms in charge of litigating this suit are von Briesen and Roper SC, Crueger Dickinson LLC and Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC.

The county has put forth a resolution that had its first reading at the County Board meeting on Tuesday and its possible that the board could pass the resolution as early as Dec. 19.

If the County Board were to authorize Racine County to pursue these claims, the next step would be engagement of these law firms, Lanzdorf said.

If the county does join the lawsuit, it could be several years of litigation before a settlement is reached.

Its not unheard of for a court to request that the parties come to the table for mediation for settlement discussion, the parties could do that on their own, Lanzdorf said. These are companies with deep pockets, surely, so its entirely possible that they would deny these allegations and defend against them all the way through trial.

With continued efforts by the Sheriffs Office to investigate opioid-related crimes, the District Attorneys Office prosecuting those crimes and aggressive education by county officials about the potential harms of opioids, Lanzdorf said this lawsuit is just one among many measures that have been taken or that are under consideration by the county to confront this opioid epidemic.
ANZ Bank couldn't justify investing the sums needed to turn its wealth business into a potential market leader  a realisation that ultimately led to the lender offloading its life insurance arm for $2.85 billion to Swiss giant Zurich.

ANZ became the latest bank to retreat from wealth management on Tuesday, announcing the end of an asset sale process that will free up billions in capital, which analysts expect will be returned to shareholders through a share buyback.

As part of the deal, Zurich would get access to ANZ's 6 million customers through a 20-year distribution agreement to sell life insurance. Credit:Wayne Taylor

After entering life insurance in 2002 and then expanding further in 2009, ANZ's focus is now on distributing the product rather than holding the risk. The deal includes a 20-year agreement to distribute Zurich policies via its retail network and advisers.

The sale means the bank is now on track to effectively quit wealth management, aside from its own financial adviser employees, after also selling its financial planning and superannuation businesses to IOOF in October.
Fairfax Media has become the first traditional media company to form an advertising partnership with search giant Google in a deal aimed at stemming the decline in digital advertising that is hurting news organisations around the world.

In a politically significant deal management believe could be a breakthrough for the publisher of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Fairfax will in effect outsource of the job of booking some digital advertisements that appear on its websites to Googles automated system.

Fairfaxs managing director of Australian Metro Publishing, Chris Janz, said the partnership was about playing to the strengths of Fairfax and not trying to be everything to everyone. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

While many media companies have battled the disruptive influence of US technology giants such as Google and Facebook, Fairfaxs managing director of Australian publishing, Chris Janz, said partnership would allow both companies to concentrate on their respective strengths.

It is important Fairfax doesnt try to be everything to everyone, he said.
In a perverse way, Labor Senator Sam Dastyari has done Australia a favour. Not that anyone wants to thank him for selling the national interest to a Chinese billionaire with opaque ties to the Communist Party of China. But for providing such a clear-cut case study in how easy and cheap it is for a foreign power to extend its reach covertly into Australia's Parliament.

China's President Xi Jinping calls the party's global foreign influence program one of its "magic weapons" in shaping other countries' politics to suit China.

But there wasn't much magic, just naked greed, in the way Dastyari took Huang Xiangmo's money in return for preaching China's righteousness in taking disputed territory from its neighbours. Australia's policy was wrong, his own party's policy was wrong, and Beijing was right, according to Dastyari.

It's also proved to be a clear-cut case in how pathetic a major political party can be in dealing with such subversion of the national interest. Even after Dastyari's been exposed and shamed, Labor leader Bill Shorten has kept him on as one of its 26 senators. Twice. He's still there, still collecting his $203,000 annual basic salary, plus his 15 per cent superannuation, car and other taxpayer-funded entitlements worth tens of thousands of dollars more. This simply shows how a political leader can shamelessly put his party's institutional interests above the nation's. The political parties cannot be trusted to cleanse themselves.
On the streets of Bennelong, brutal local politics have collided with international affairs as candidates embarked on the last week of campaigning for the seat that might save or imperil Malcolm Turnbull's slender governing majority.

At an Ultra Tune outlet in the dark bowels of the Macquarie Centre, the Liberal Party's candidate John Alexander was joined by the federal treasurer Scott Morrison and his NSW counterpart, Dominic Perrottet. The three of them peered under the hood of a tired-looking Honda hatchback and muttered to one another awkwardly about the importance of small business tax breaks before a phalanx of cameras.

John Alexander and Scott Morrison at the Ultra Tune at the Macquarie Centre on Monday. Credit:Nick Moir

At the same moment, Labor's Kristina Keneally was standing by a noisy main road in front of Meadowbank TAFE with Senator Doug Cameron where they talked to reporters about the importance of public education and Mr Alexander's alleged cowardice in refusing to debate Ms Keneally.

But the issue that dominated the day was China, and more particularly, whether or not the Liberal Party's allegations that the Chinese government is exercising undue influence over Australian politics might offend enough Chinese-Australians in the electorate to cost Mr Alexander the seat. According to the 2016 census 21 per cent of people in Bennelong have Chinese ancestry compared with 3.9 per cent nationally.
Adriana Lima had an abrupt about-face on Monday. The Brazilian model, who has donned the angel wings for Victoria's Secret since 1999 when she was just 18, posted a lengthy manifesto to her Instagram account, denouncing the lingerie giant as "an empty cause" that was "not physically [or] mentally healthy."

She also unfollowed Victoria's Secret on Instagram.

Model Adriana Lima at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in Shanghai in November. Credit:AP Photo/Andy Wong

Lima, who has 11 million followers on Instagram, and is arguably the most high profile of all the angels, is in many ways the embodiment of the brand. So devoted was she to the cause, she once walked the VS runway just two months after giving birth. If she keeps her word, she stands to lose an enormous amount of money.

But Lima, 36, claims that a comment from a friend about feeling "unhappy with her body" made her examine her own motivations regarding modelling, and the demands the job places on her, and she then decided to turn down a "sexy video" that would have been broadcast over Instagram.
Yoga may hold a key to ageing well, suggests a growing body of research into its potential benefits for body and mind - benefits that include reducing heart rate and blood pressure, relieving anxiety and depression, and easing back pain. One recent study even raised the possibility of positive changes in biological markers of ageing and stress in people who do yoga.

So it's no surprise that the number of yoga practitioners in the United States has more than doubled to 36.7 million over the last decade, with health benefits the main reason people practice, according to the Yoga in America Study conducted last year on behalf of Yoga Journal and the Yoga Alliance.

Along with the upsurge of interest in yoga has been an upsurge in injuries, particularly among older practitioners. Credit:Stocksy

While yoga enthusiasts are often pictured as young and bendy, the reality, according to the Yoga in America study, is that 17 per cent are in their 50s and 21 per cent are age 60 and older.

Along with this upsurge of interest has been an upsurge in injuries, particularly among older practitioners. "Participants aged 65 years and older have a greater rate of injury from practicing yoga when compared with other age groups," researchers wrote last year in a study of nearly 30,000 yoga-related injuries seen in U.S. hospital emergency departments from 2001 to 2014.
Australia's top medical colleges are demanding the Turnbull government to immediately provide care and treatment to the asylum seekers and refugees recently kicked out of the decommissioned Manus Island detention centre and likely experiencing trauma.

The presidents of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, have sent a letter to Immigration Minister Peter Dutton expressing their concern for the health of hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers recently transferred to new transit centres on the island.

It follows the release of footage showing the asylum seekers being threatened and intimidated by locals since being removed from the now-defunct detention centre.

"Our concerns involve their immediate health care access and living conditions; their ongoing health and wellbeing; and the impacts on Lorengau General Hospital and the Manusian community," the letter reads.
A Canning Vale man accused of being involved in a youth brawl outside Canning Vale McDonald's linked to the death of a teenage boy has been charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The 35-year-old man was arrested on Monday night and has been refused bail.

Two teenagers were reportedly stabbed outside McDonalds during the violence. Credit:Nine News Perth

He will appear in Armadale Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The man is the second person charged in relation to a string of violent incidents in Canning Vale on Thursday after a school fight between two males from different schools "went horribly wrong", according to police.
An elderly man has been rushed to hospital after being crushed by his own car in Mount Pleasant on Monday evening.

The man, aged in his 80s, parked his Mercedes behind an apartment block on a slight slope.

The man was trapped for around half-an-hour. Credit:Hannah Barry

When he exited the vehicle, the car reportedly rolled backwards, knocking him over and pinning him to the ground.

9 News Perth reporter Scott Cunningham said it took firefighters around half-an-hour to move the two-tonne vehicle off the man.
More than 80 WA public school teachers have lodged compensation claims with the government's insurer in 2017 after falling victim to assault in the workplace.

The statistics come just days after a 'school fight gone horribly wrong' led to the death of a teenager, with State School Teachers' Union of WA president Pat Byrne claiming school violence was a "growing concern" for teachers.

"What happened last week is a particularly bad example," she said.

"Over the past couple of years we've seen a refusal by students to actually go to class when the bell goes off, it's a defiance when they're asked to do something, it's sometimes a violent response if in fact a teacher lays down an expectation and the student doesn't want to do it."
Washington: President Donald Trump directed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to send American astronauts back to the moon and eventually to Mars, shifting the agency's mission from the study of Earth.

"This is a giant step toward that inspiring future and toward reclaiming America's proud destiny in space," Trump said on Monday at a White House ceremony, where he signed the new NASA directive. "And space has to do with so many other applications, including a military application. So we are the leader and we're going to stay the leader and we're going to increase it many fold."

Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement that the new policy reflects recommendations from the National Space Council, a White House advisory panel Trump appointed earlier in the year. The White House didn't provide details about how NASA's work to return to the moon would be funded, or whether any current programs would be cut.

"This is the first step in a very long process," John Logsdon, founder and former director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, said in an interview. "The crucial next step is: Is there money for returning to the moon in the budget? It's been 45 years since we've been to the moon, and a lot of people have a lot of ideas."
New York: Three women who have accused US President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct have called for a congressional investigation into his behaviour amid a wave of similar accusations against prominent men in Hollywood, the media and politics.

Over the past two years, more than a dozen women have accused Trump of making unwanted sexual advances against them years before he entered politics.

Three of his accusers, Jessica Leeds, Rachel Crooks, and Samantha Holvey said at a news conference on Monday that the accusations warranted new consideration given the broader discussion of sexual harassment in US society.

Brave New Films, a non-profit filmmaker, produced a video featuring 16 of Trump's accusers and organised the news conference in New York on Monday. In the film, women accused Trump of kissing them without permission, grabbing their private parts, putting his hand up their skirts, or making other unwanted advances.
Indonesian police are hunting for a US citizen who escaped on Monday from Bali's overcrowded Kerobokan prison by cutting through steel bars in a ceiling, the jail's second breakout of foreign inmates this year.

The Kerobokan prison, about 10 km from the main tourist beaches in the Kuta area, often holds foreigners facing drug-related charges.

The Kerobokan prison in Bali was home to Schapelle Corby for more than 12 years. Credit:Amilia Rosa

Cristian Beasley, who was a suspect in crimes related to narcotics but had not been sentenced, escaped just after 4am on Monday, Badung Police chief Yudith Satria Hananta said.

"It is thought that the prisoner escaped ... by cutting through the steel bars above the ceiling," he said in a statement, without giving details of how Beasley escaped without being detected.
Under the sponsorship of China Customs, and with the support of Fiji Customs and the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building for the Asia/Pacific region (ROCB A/P), a WCO Sub-Regional Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for Oceania Members was held in Suva, Fiji from 4 to 8 December 2017.

Fifteen officers from five countries within the region (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu) benefitted from financial support provided by the China Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF/China), and successfully completed the Workshop.

WCO tools, such as the Risk Management Compendium, the WCO IPR Model Legislation, and implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) were the main topics covered during the Workshop. Cooperation with the private sector and the specific challenges in the region were also discussed.

Participants shared the current IPR border enforcement situation in their respective countries and the challenges that they face, which gave rise to discussions on the regions specific needs.

The theoretical discussions were put into practice during a field exercise at the DHL premises: a consignment was selected and inspected by the team of participants, resulting in the discovery of IPR infringing goods as well as undeclared goods.

On the last day of the Workshop, participants gave presentations on the lessons learned during the field exercise and discussed the way forward. The Workshop helped them to identify existing gaps within their current IPR enforcement systems and ways to overcome the gaps.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Dec. 11, 2017 | MURRAY, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 11, 2017 | 07:52 PM | MURRAY, KY

A fugitive on the "10 Most Wanted List" in Texas has been arrested in Murray.



On Monday, Murray Police and the U.S. Marshals Service learned that 35-year-old Herman Henry Fox might be in town. After several hours of surveillance at a home, Fox arrived and was arrested without incident.



Fox was wanted in Texas for human trafficking, compelling prostitution by force or threat, and possession of marijuana, with a total bond on charges of over $1 million.



He was charged by Murray Police for being a fugitive from justice. This charge will hold Fox in jail until an extradition hearing can be held.



Kentucky State Police assisted in the investigation.







Original Story:

A major arrest of a fugitive has taken place in Murray.



West Kentucky Star has learned from multiple sources that U.S. Marshals, in conjunction with the Murray Police Department and Kentucky State Police made the arrest in downtown Murray.



The suspect was wanted in multiple states, but the exact nature of the charges is not known at this time.



West Kentucky Star is continuing to investigate, and will update this story as soon as more information is learned.
The states ethics and elections commissions defended their staff Tuesday against Attorney General Brad Schimels report on a leak investigation stemming from a now-shuttered investigation into Gov. Scott Walkers 2012 recall campaign.

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission criticized the report for omissions and inaccuracies and called on Schimel to acknowledge that ethics staff cooperated.

Schimel responded that a letter from ethics commission officials doesnt list a specific error and accused commission chairman David Halbrooks of having a conflict in the matter because he was granted immunity in the John Doe investigation.

Meanwhile the state Elections Commission defended its administrator and a staff member against a call for their termination, while saying it will ask Walker for permission to hire an outside lawyer to represent them in matters related to Schimels report.

Nothing in that report has caused us to question our support of interim administrator Michael Haas, chairman Mark Thomsen said.

Schimel investigated the leak of documents to the Guardian U.S., which published a report in September 2016 revealing previously secret details about Walkers effort to raise millions of dollars for the Wisconsin Club for Growth during the 2011 and 2012 recall elections.

Schimels investigation didnt identify who leaked the records to the Guardian and didnt recommend criminal charges. But he concluded a crime occurred and that nine individuals who worked on the John Doe investigation, including Elections Commission lawyer Nathan Judnic, be held in contempt of court.

Schimels report revealed a previously unknown investigation into whether Republican aides were campaigning during taxpayer-funded work time. The investigation included millions of pages of subpoenaed email records from Republicans in what Schimel described as the weaponizing of the states former ethics and elections agency by partisans in furtherance of political goals.

But in a letter to Schimel, Halbrooks and Ethics Commission vice-chairwoman Katie McCallum cast doubt on a key piece of evidence Schimel used to support that claim.

They wrote that folders containing thousands of private emails from Wisconsin Republicans marked opposition research were not created by an employee of the Government Accountability Board  the predecessor to the separate ethics and elections commissions. Rather, they said the folders were labeled that way before the GAB took possession of them  which Haas told reporters Tuesday was the explanation given to Schimel, but not reflected in his report.

The emails in the folder included private email exchanges between Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, and her daughter that included personal health information. Schimel reported that Vukmir was one of 35 Republicans and the only elected official whose entire personal email account had been subpoenaed, but its unclear when or why.

Schimel said Tuesday the folders were created on a GAB hard drive on April 10, 2012, after the documents and emails found within the folders were subpoenaed by the Milwaukee District Attorneys office as part of the first John Doe investigation into Walkers Milwaukee County office, which resulted in six felony convictions.

Shane Falk, one of the former GAB staff recommended for discipline, said Tuesday in an interview GAB investigators didnt change the names of files they received and DOJ should be able to trace who set up the folder.

The implied inappropriate conduct has no place in this matter, as he admits he has no explanation for this, Falk said. To suggest that there can only be an inappropriate explanation is irresponsible.

Lawyer requested

Halbrooks, appointed by a Democrat, and McCallum, appointed by a Republican, took issue with the report characterizing commission employees Brian Bell and David Buerger as being uncooperative in locating records and for invoking their Fifth Amendment right to counsel.

Halbrooks and McCallum said after DOJ asked in June to interview Bell and Buerger individually, the bipartisan commission requested that the two employees have a lawyer. Walkers office appointed a lawyer on July 6 and they were interviewed later.

They also raised concerns that the report gives the appearance that the Ethics Commission and its staff did not comply with DOJs record requests.

Our staff promptly provided all requested records based on each successive search criteria DOJ identified, they wrote. We immediately notified DOJ when potentially responsive records were located.

Schimel responded that the commission turned over records in five separate batches between February and November and that the commissions level of cooperation is explained fully in the report, and the commission has not identified any inaccurate statements in the report.

Bell and Buerger, who were not involved in the John Doe investigation but handled related records, were not among those Schimel recommended for discipline, but Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, called for their termination  in part based on the Fifth Amendment reference in the DOJ report.

Halbrooks and McCallum objected to Schimel questioning why no member of the Ethics Commission reported a crime when the Guardian published its report. They noted no one at the Ethics Commission was privy to the sealed John Doe records so none of us were able to identify that a crime had occurred at the time.

They also objected to the report mixing up a description of the records security practices under the former GAB with those under the Ethics Commission, which has since put in place measures to ensure records are properly checked in and out.

Make no mistake, the security deficiencies that previously existed under the GAB have been resolved, they wrote. We can immediately identify any attempt to obtain and leak confidential information in the future.

Court shuts down investigation

The Wisconsin Supreme Court shut down the John Doe investigation in 2015, saying the underlying legal theory that coordination between Walkers campaign and a tax-exempt independent group was illegal had no merit. It also took custody of all related records.

Republicans angered by the John Doe investigation dismantled the nonpartisan GAB in 2015, creating separate bipartisan ethics and elections commissions.

Schimels investigation faulted John Doe special prosecutor Francis Schmitz and former GAB staff Judnic, Falk, Kevin Kennedy, Jonathan Becker and Molly Nagappala, for their review of records after a John Doe judge quashed several subpoenas or their handling of the records after the state Supreme Court ordered all records be turned over to it.

Nass also called for the termination of Judnic and Haas, who was involved in drafting some court responses as part of the John Doe investigation.

Schimel recommended Falk be referred to the Wisconsin Court Systems Office of Lawyer Regulation for discipline. Schimel suspects Falks hard drive of containing the records leaked to The Guardian. Falk gave the drive to Judnic, who gave all of Falks records to Buerger, who put them in a locked filing cabinet but didnt catalog them. Falks hard drive still hasnt been located.
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By The Associated Press

Dec. 11, 2017 | FRANKFORT, KY

By The Associated Press Dec. 11, 2017 | 05:15 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

Kentucky's Republican governor has acknowledged for the first time he might not call a special session of the state legislature to overhaul one of the country's worst funded public pension systems.



Matt Bevin has said repeatedly he would call a special session of the state legislature before the end of the year to address the pension issue. But his proposal has received significant opposition from state employees and even members of his own political party. Last week, 47 Republican House members signed a letter asking him not to call a special session this year.



Monday, Bevin told reporters there is still a chance he could call the legislature back to Frankfort next week to vote on the bill. But he said lawmakers could take up the issue during the session scheduled to begin Jan. 2.


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How does a lowly critic, late to the party by a

Long way, dropped in the middle of a

Grade-A, runaway mega-hit, well-praised by other crits

and better wits, repeatedly

Protect from being swayed, repeating what they say?

Hamiton, it's fair to say, presents us critics with a conundrum. When it opens next week, it's our job to meet it head on, and yet its hard to think of any piece of theatre  certainly any new piece of theatre  with quite such a cemented or well-documented reputation.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical is a masterpiece already. It's been crowned as such so many times, it's hard to argue anything else. The New York Times critic Ben Brantley advised us to sell a kid to see it. Stephen Sondheim called it "a breakthrough". Michelle Obama rates it as the best piece of art she's ever seen. Hip hop pioneer Black Thought of The Roots, who produced The Hamilton Mixtape, recalled "trying to improve on perfection". Between them, that lot cover most bases. It's fair to say they know what they're talking about. Hamilton's quality is hardly in doubt.

Hamilton has already blown us all away

That's not to mean we can't like it, but, really I don't need any of them to tell me what I think about Hamilton. There may be critics out there that haven't spent the last year or so listening to it on repeat, but I'm not one of them. Several tracks wound up on my most played Spotify playlist this month. They've bored their way into my brain. Were I any sort of a rapper (reader, I'm not), I might be word perfect by now. In short, I know what I'm going into next week. Unless they've been dropped under a rock in a forgotten spot these last four years, everyone does. Hamilton's already blown us all away.

And it's been analysed almost to death. Last year, some 176 New York Times articles mentioned the musical  one every other day, on average. Commentators have registered its impact on musical theatre, picked apart its post-racial politics, analysed the intricacies of its lyrics and heralded its historical significance. Read the Wall Street Journal's breakdown. Read Professor Sarah Churchwell's account. Read The New Yorker's take on its politics.

I've spent the last fortnight poring over the so-called Hamiltome  Jeremy McCarter's epic piece of embedded criticism, Hamilton: the Revolution. Over 300-odd pages, it tells the story of Hamilton's creation, profiles its cast members and creative team and unpicks its various component parts  all alongside Lin-Manuel's own annotated lyrics.

If Hamilton's quality isn't in question, what are we even writing reviews for?

For the Hamilton obsessive, it's an extraordinary, encyclopaedic read; the equivalent of taking a microscope to the show. It flags every nod to Sondheim or Tupac, Gilbert and Sullivan or Busta Rhymes. McCarter makes clear all the multiplicities in Miranda's wordplay, the internal rhymes that give his raps their rhythms and the motifs that recur through his core. Frankly, you finish the book in awe, marvelling at Miranda's many talents  the complexity of his lyrics, the intricacy of his songwriting and the efficacy of his storytelling, not to mention the contributions of his core collaborative team.

Back to next week  to borrow one of Burr's lines  We all know what we know. Hamilton's pretty good. It much goes without saying.

Hence, the critical conundrum. If Hamilton's quality isn't in question, if it's a known-commodity, if everything's already been said, what are we even writing reviews for?

Well, a few things. The first, self-evident though it sounds, is to report on the British premiere  a very specific cultural event. This is the first Hamilton to have left the nation he helped found and it's our job to ask how the show stacks up without the same underpinnings of national identity.

Will London take it to heart in the same way?

We Brits aren't taught Hamilton in our school history lessons. His face doesn't stare back at us out of bank notes. If we know his life story in any detail at all, chances are it's because we've been listening to our Lin. This isn't, in short, our nation myth and its revisions and radical gestures (casting in particular) won't necessarily register in quite the same way. More specifically, Hamilton's a New York show to its core: "The greatest city in the world," so its sings. Will London take it to heart in the same way? We might be able to watch Hamilton in wonder, but will we feel it in the same way? Will it resonate as it did with Americans?

Really, it's all about the room where it happens. No matter how many times one's listened to the cast album, no matter how word-perfect one sings the songs, there's no knowing what Hamilton really is without watching it live. We might know what it looks like  those iconic cream breeches and blue cavalier coats  but we don't know how it moves. I'm not just talking about Thomas Kail's direction and Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography  the forces that animate Hamilton onstage  but about its emotional impact. I want to know how Hamilton's heart beats; what it feels like to sit with that story for three or so hours as it plays out onstage.

One passage in the Hamiltome drove that home. As the show moves into its Broadway home, the Richard Rodgers Theater, McCarter describes a new addition: two vast subwoofer bass speakers that shake the auditorium when unleashed. You won't get that from playing the cast album at home.

That, really, is all there is to criticism. It's our job, as writers, to take you there and give a sense of what it is to share a space with a show. Hamilton's no different in that regard. We'll tell the story of tonight.
Saying he was concerned it could lead to more alcohol-fueled violence, Mayor Paul Soglin on Monday vetoed a liquor license for a Taco Bell Cantina on State Street and expressed opposition to fast-food restaurants serving alcohol at all.

I see little public value in issuing a liquor license to Taco Bell and enormous costs to the people of our community and, in turn, to city government, Soglin said at a Monday afternoon news conference. If the license was associated with something of value  a new hotel, a fine restaurant  thatd be another thing.

Soglin has been consistent in his call to end issuing licenses for new taverns in the State Street area, citing the costs of alcohol-related problems and his concern about declining retail along the pedestrian mall. He also said he is emphatically against fast-food chains attempting to serve alcohol anywhere in the city.

I really believe that we can preserve the character of this community and this city in terms of having quality retail, Soglin said. Im not ready to concede that brick-and-mortar retail is dead.

During a Dec. 5 meeting, the City Council on a voice vote overwhelmingly approved a license for a Taco Bell Cantina to sell wine and beer at 534 State St.

Ald. Paul Skidmore, 9th District, voted against the license based on the location and alcohol-fueled problems surrounding it. Soglin was out of town for that meeting, but he had expressed his objections to the license in a memo.

It takes 14 of 20 council votes to override a mayoral veto. Council president Marsha Rummel said the veto is likely to be challenged and she expected there would be enough votes to overturn it.

In a letter Monday explaining his veto, Soglin suggested that perhaps we should take this matter of the issuance of liquor licenses to public referendum. He did not elaborate during the news conference.

Pat Eulberg, a representative for the company franchising the Taco Bell Cantina, said he had just heard about Soglins decision Monday afternoon. While he declined to comment on the veto, Eulberg said he respects the local government process for how restaurants are licensed.

He noted the restaurant still plans on opening around Christmas regardless of whether it has a liquor license by then.

Taco Bell Cantinas typically have a different decor than regular Taco Bells, are located in urban business districts and serve alcohol. In Madison, the restaurant will serve burritos and tacos into the early morning hours, but the license would not allow beer and wine sales after 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays or past 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

At the Dec. 5 meeting, Eulberg said he believes the company has done enough to address safety concerns by installing 17 security cameras and scanners for identification cards, as well as by training employees. The State Street location would become the ninth Taco Bell Cantina in the United States.

Soglin said the city has spent more than $20 million to beautify and enhance State Street and the Capitol Square, and that such an investment makes sense to attract retail shoppers during the day and on weekends but makes no sense for an area populated by taverns.

The mayor said public safety is the citys first priority, with the recently adopted Police Department budget the largest for the agency on record.

Despite a significant drop in homicides in the past four months, the police department is still stretched and responding to too many violent incidents on Friday and Saturday nights, Soglin said.

The police, he said, have special units operating in the 500 block of State Street, the 400 block of Frances Street and the 600 block of University Avenue. The situation is so dangerous that there were times when officers couldnt apprehend dangerous individuals because of alcohol-fueled crowds, he said.

Soglin said it has been a miracle that we have not had a homicide in that area.

The cost of patrols in the hours around bar time is exorbitant, he said. Adding more liquor outlets to this area, even if that particular outlet like the Taco Bell were to close early, makes no sense.

The Taco Bell Cantina license, Soglin said, is just the beginning. Most U.S. fast-food chains are working on rolling out liquor-based establishments in the next decade, with some doing so in stages with beer and wine followed by full liquor, he said.
. To do so, first type the original number into the text box. Then click on the "Scientific Notation" option located at the top of the floating window. Finally, click on the "Standard" button found beneath the text box to display your result. This program is useful for scientists and engineers working with decimal-based numbers. It provides easy access to those who need to convert those numbers into more compact forms without having to do heavy math calculations first.

Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers. It is used in physics, chemistry and other fields where large numbers are common. Those numbers are written as a power of 10 followed by a number with an exponent. For example, 1,000,000 (one million) is written as 1  103. The exponent shows how many zeros are after the first digit. For example, 1,000,001 is written as 1  102. Scientific notation is a useful tool for making calculations easier. You can use it to write down very big or very small numbers in one step instead of writing out both the large and small numbers separately. You can also use it to express large or small numbers in terms of other units like centimeters or millimeters.

Scientific notation solver is an online tool that can be used to convert any number into scientific notation. Simply enter any number to the left of the decimal point and it will automatically convert it into a scientific notation equivalent. This web tool can be very helpful when you need to convert a large number into scientific notation. However, please note that this online tool can only convert numbers that are in scientific format. For example, it cannot convert a non-scientific number like "1,085" into a scientific notation equivalent. It is also important to keep in mind that this web tool only works when converting numbers from one particular format to another. For example, if you want to change a non-scientific number like "1,085" into standard format, then you will have to use another online tool like NumberFormatting.com.
MINNEAPOLIS  These are good times for Minnesota. Unemployment is low. The states credit rating is high. And the average median household income is above average. That all adds up to Minnesota being the best-run state in the nation, according to a study by the website 24/7 Wall Street.

The Gopher State beat out Utah for the top spot in the annual survey which uses economic indicators, budget allocations and balance sheets as well as a range of social measures to rank how well each state is run. Ranking third through fifth were Iowa, Oregon and Washington.

Minnesota ranked as the 10th best-run state back in 2012 and has inched up in the rankings each year, coming in at No. 1 this year after its runner-up finish in 2016.

North Dakota, which had a five-year streak as the best-run state, fell to 7th, hurt by falling oil prices.

Wisconsin ranked 20th, with the states well-funded pension system earning praise.

Minnesota had the 13th lowest unemployment rate in 2016 at 3.9 percent, the study said, but recent figures from Bureau of Labor Statistics found that had dropped to 3.3 percent in October 2017. That is the lowest unemployment rate since 2000. Employers have added more than 290,000 jobs since 2011, according to Gov. Mark Daytons office.

Meanwhile wages have risen over the past five years. The median household income of $65,599 in Minnesota is about $8,000 more than the median income nationwide, the study said.

Poverty rates were the 6th lowest in the country, according to 24/7 Wall Street.

While taxes are high  the state brings in about $4,400 a year per resident in taxes ranking as the fifth highest in the nation  that has created a strong tax base. A strong economy and good fiscal management has allowed the state to save more money than most other states, with 10 percent of its annual budget put in a rainy-day fund. The study also found the state has a nearly perfect credit rating from Moodys and a stable long-term outlook.

This administration has worked hard to make state government work better for the people of Minnesota, and we are not done yet, said Gov. Mark Dayton. Next session, I will urge the Legislature to work with me to protect the long-term fiscal stability of our state. I know we can deliver even better services, and better value for the people of Minnesota.

A recent study by Minnesota Public Radio found that 60 percent of Minnesotans believe they get a good value for the taxes they pay. More than 80 percent said theyre more hopeful than fearful about what lies ahead for Minnesota.

Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama and Pennsylvania were ranked as the five worst-run states by the study.

Minnesota taxes are high  the state brings in about $4,400 a year per resident, ranking as the fifth highest in the U.S.
A Winona mans rezoning request will move on to City Council to hopefully rectify several decades of city oversight.

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended Monday that Scott Messengers property at 1150 Gilmore Ave. be rezoned for neighborhood business rather than residential, which it currently is.

The building has been used as an office for various businesses, including real estate, pain management and insurance since the late 1960s, but managed to never be rezoned for those uses.

All of its uses would have been possible with a conditional-use permit, but one was never issued, and would all be allowed under the business zoning that is being sought.

The 5,000 square-foot area is across Gilmore Avenue from other areas zoned for businesses, and otherwise is surrounded by residential properties.

Messenger, who has owned the building since 1980, recently found out when trying to sell it that despite its use as a commercial building, and being taxed as a commercial building, it was not supposed to be and was not transferable.

Messenger said he requested the change to make it more sellable at the recommendation of a real estate agent.

Prior to appearing at the Planning Commission, the question was before the Board of Adjustment and was tabled due to confusion over whether that group would be better off adding a specific allowable use (in that case a potential corner store or small grocery) or if it should be rezoned for general business.

City planner Carlos Espinosa said that propertys longtime uses and the changing nature of the neighborhood made it an appropriate change.

Essentially its being proposed to be used for the same type of uses that have been occurring, Espinosa said.
Submit an event for Around Town by emailing calendar information to bnr-news@wiscnews.com at least three business days before the event date. For a complete listing of calendar events for the next week, visit baraboonewsrepublic.com.

Today

Hospice training: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., SSM Health at Home, training session, SSM Health Hospice House (formerly known as St. Clare Hospice House), 915 12th St., Baraboo. Volunteers are needed in both administrative and patient-interactive areas. For more information or to register for training, call 1-877-356-4514 or email volunteers@hhuvns.org or visit ssmhealthathomewi.com.

Chocolate sale: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friends of Sauk Prairie Healthcare, 260 26th St., Prairie du Sac. Pauls Chocolates fundraiser. Samples will be available. Twenty percent of sales will be donated. Proceeds will support health care scholarships and resources for our hospital and clinics.

Veterans coffee: 10 a.m. to noon, Madison College, Room 114, 300 Alexander Ave., Reedsburg. All veterans are invited for coffee and conversation.

Craft fair: 1-7 p.m., Sauk Prairie Area Food Pantry, former Sauk Prairie Harley Davidson location, 836 Phillips Blvd., Sauk City. Third annual Holiday Shop with bake sale, specialty foods and about 40 vendors and crafters.

Wednesday

Senior luncheon: 11 a.m., City of Baraboo Parks and Recreation Department, Baraboo Civic Center, gym, 124 Second St., Baraboo. The 33rd annual Senior Holiday Luncheon at noon with school choirs at 11 a.m. Cost is $10. For tickets or more information, call 355-2760 or email parkrec@cityofbaraboo.com.

Blood drive: noon to 5 p.m., Weston National Honor Society and BloodCenter of Wisconsin, school gym, E2511 Highway S, Cazenovia. 13, 2017. Students who are 16 years of age or older may donate with parent-guardian permission. Permission and sign-up slips are located in the Weston High School office. For more information or to make an appointment, call Kay Amborn at 608-986-2151, ext. 230.

Grazing event: 2-3 p.m., Sauk County Conservation, Plannning, and Zoning, Yankes Echo-Y Farm, S7909 Skyview Road, Loganville. Grazing Stockpiled Forages and Out-Wintering Cattle will be presented.

Meeting: 3 p.m., SSM Health St. Clare Hospital, 707 14th St., Baraboo. Better Breathers Club will hold a discussion on tips for staying healthy during the holidays, energy conservation and managing lung disease with co-occurring conditions.

Thursday

Author visit: 6 p.m., La Valle Public Library, 101 W. Main St., La Valle. Darcy Miller will discuss her book, Roll, about competitive pigeon rolling. Meet her birds, Crow and Squirrel. For more information, call 608-985-7323.

Pottery painting: 6-8 p.m. River Arts, River Arts on Water Studio, 590 Water St, Prairie du Sac. A selection of ceramic pottery pieces will be provided, $15-$70, for students to paint. Guidance, color options and surface ideas, along with reference materials and samples will be provided. Fee is $15. For more information or to check availability, email Kristina at kcoopman@riverartsinc.org, call 608-643-5215 or visit riverartsinc.org.

Court program: 6:30 p.m., Baraboo Public Library, 230 Fourth Ave., Baraboo. Primer on the Criminal Court System in Wisconsin with Appellate Judge Brian Blanchard, District IV, Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He will present a non-partisan program about Wisconsins criminal court system. For more information, call 608-356-6166.

Live theater: 7 p.m., Baraboo High School, Universtity of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County, R.G. Brown Theatre, 1006 Connie Road., Baraboo. Our Town will be performed. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, available at Corner Drug, and the school office.

Friday

Senior coffee hour: 9-11 a.m., Friday Senior Coffee Hour, Baraboo Area Senior Center, 124 Second St. Room 24, Baraboo. Gourmet coffee hour, light refreshments and fellowship free of charge. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Chair yoga: 10:10-11 a.m., Baraboo Area Senior Center, 124 Second St., Room 21, Baraboo. Instructor Tatsiana ONeil will lead the group in stretches while seated. Cost is $1 per class. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Blood drive: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., American Red Cross, St Pauls Lutheran Church, 727 8th St., Baraboo. To make an appointment or for more information, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org.

Live music: noon, Baraboo Public Library, 230 Fourth Ave., Baraboo. An Interlude of Seasonal Music presented by Zach Ott and Gretchen Roltgen performing holiday piano music arranged for one piano, four hands. This program is free. For more information, call 608-356-6166.

Live theater: 7 p.m., Baraboo High School, Universtity of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County, R.G. Brown Theatre, 1006 Connie Road., Baraboo. Our Town will be performed. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, available at Corner Drug, and the school office.

Open stage: 7:30 p.m., The Village Booksmith, 526 Oak St., Baraboo. Mostly Musical Toast of the Town Open Stage will take place with host Ron Frye. All acts, musical or otherwise, are welcome to the stage. For more information, call 608-355-1001 or visit villagebooksmith.com.

Saturday

Craft fair: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sauk Prairie Area Food Pantry, former Sauk Prairie Harley-Davidson location, 836 Phillips Blvd., Sauk City. Third annual Holiday Shop with bake sale, specialty foods and about 40 vendors and crafters.

Senior luncheon: 11 a.m., City of Baraboo Parks and Recreation Department, Baraboo Civic Center, 124 Second St., Baraboo. 33rd Annual Senior Holiday Luncheon for those age 55 and older will feature holiday music performed by area school choirs and lunch for $10 per person. Tickets must be purchased in advance and paid for in person at the Parks and Recreation Department Office located in Room 17 at the civic center. For more information, call 608-355-2760 or email parkrec@cityofbaraboo.com.

Christmas party: 1 p.m., Baraboo Elks Lodge 688, Al. Ringling Mansion, ballroom, 209 5th Ave. Baraboo. The 100th annual kids Santa will provide a gift stocking to attending children.

Santa: 1-5 p.m., Parkview Bed & Breakfast, 211 N. Park St., Reedsburg. Milk & Cookies with Santa and photo for $5, additional for horse-drawn wagon rides. A limited number of tickets are available at the Reedsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 240 Railroad St.

Live theater: 2 and 7:30 p.m., Baraboo High School, Universtity of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County, R.G. Brown Theatre, 1006 Connie Road., Baraboo. Our Town will be performed. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, available at Corner Drug, and the school office.

Sunday

Fundraiser: 8 a.m to noon, Reedsburg Knights of Columbus, Sacred Heart School gym, 545 N. Oak St., Reedsburg. Brunch to support the Reedsburg Area Food Pantry; menu includes French toast, hash brown potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausages, sliced ham, applesauce, donuts and beverages. Tickets are $7 adults, $3 ages 4-10. Free-will donations accepted. Open to the public.

Christmas event: 7 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church, 309 Water St., Sauk City. Annual Christmas Program with Jan Housley presenting a monologue entitled Marys First Christmas, with childrens Christmas pageant. For more information, call 608-643-2101 or visit saukprairiecalvary.com.

Monday

Sewing repairs: 9-10 a.m., Baraboo Area Senior Center, 124 Second St., Room 24, Baraboo. Senior sewing repairs and alterations will be offered by Teena Castle. Fees will vary depending on the specific project. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Senior potluck luncheon: noon to 1 p.m., Baraboo Area Senior Center, 124 Second St., Room 24, Baraboo. Pianist Nick Kelly will play Christmas carols during the Senior Christmas Party. There is no cost, but bring a side dish to pass. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Blood drive: noon to 5:30 p.m., American Red Cross, GraceWay Church, 65 13th St., Prairie du Sac. To make an appointment or for more information, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org.

Blood drive: 1-6 p.m., American Red Cross, La Valle Fire Department, 101 W. Main St., La Valle. To make an appointment or for more information, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org.

Student art exhibit: 3:30-6 p.m., River Arts Center Gallery, 105 Ninth St., Prairie du Sac. Art exhibit and free public reception for Sauk Prairie middle school and high school students. Money received will help fund the art program. This exhibit runs through Jan. 13 and is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on school days. For more information, visit riverartsinc.org or call 608-643-5215.

Caroling concert: 6:30 p.m., Baraboo Public Library, 230 Fourth Ave., Baraboo. Village Voices Caroling Concert with hot chocolate and cookies and a chance to sing-a-long at this free event. For more information, call 608-356-6166

Electors meeting: 7 p.m., School District of Reedsburg, Webb Middle School, 707 N. Webb Ave., Reedsburg. Public meeting of the electors where district residents can vote (approve or not) on the purchase of a specific piece of property to build the new school. For more information, call Tom Benson, district administrator, at 608-524-2016 ext. 2006 or email referendum@rsd.k12.wi.us.
JUNEAU  A 26-year-old Juneau woman was found guilty on Monday of biting a police officer while being placed under arrest for breaking into Sidelines Tap, 111 S. Main St., Mayville, last summer.

Anna C. Smith entered no contest pleas to a felony count of battery to law enforcement officer, and misdemeanor counts of resisting an officer and criminal damage to property. A felony count of burglary was dismissed and read into the record.

According to the criminal complaint, Mayville Police were dispatched to Sidelines Tap at 3:35 a.m. on July 14 for a burglary in progress. Two women, who matched the description of the suspects, were seen walking across the street from the bar. The officer asked the women for identification, but they both claimed they did not have any with them, and said they did not feel they had to tell the officer their names.

Smith started walking away from the officer on South Main Street, according to the criminal complaint. The officer told Smith she was going to be detained until she was identified and he put a handcuff on her wrist. Smith began trying to break the officers grip. The other suspect left while the officer was struggling with Smith.

During the struggle, Smith bit the officers arm. The officer used pepper spray to stop Smith from biting him. A Horicon officer also arrived and emergency medical service was called to observe Smith. The Horicon officer then went to look for the second suspect.

The witness who contacted police said both the women were in the bar earlier that night. The witness showed officers a window that was damaged and said she saw the two women climbing through the window on cameras that were in the building. The witness could see the two attempting to break in the building on the cameras as she phoned police.

A sentencing hearing in the case will be held on Feb. 16.
FOND DU LAC  The family of a young Fond du Lac girl who was killed on Halloween night more than four decades ago is trying to stop her killer from being let out of prison.

Lisa Ann French was 9 years old when she kissed her parents goodbye and ran out of the house to trick-or-treat in Fond du Lac in 1973. She never returned home. Her body was found a few days later in a garbage bag that had been tossed in a field.

An autopsy found the cause of death to be asphyxiation. A pathologist said the girl, who was sexually assaulted, died from shock.

A neighbor, Gerald Miles Turner Jr., was convicted of killing her.

She used to play with Geralds baby, Lisas younger sister, Susan De Pauw, said. He lived with his girlfriend then and Lisa used to push the baby in a stroller down the street.

Turner is due to be released from Racine Correctional Institution on Feb. 7, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Lisas mother, Maryann Gehring, launched an online petition to keep the 68-year-old Turner behind bars.

Halloween marked the 44th anniversary of Lisas death, and to this day, I feel in my heart he will commit another violent sex crime if he is released, Gehring wrote in the petition. Turners current and prior actions indicate that he is still a dangerous person and should not be released.

Turner, who was 25 years old at the time of the trial, was originally sentenced to 38 years in prison for second-degree murder, enticing a child for immoral purposes and acts of sexual perversion.

Turner has been released from prison twice, but was sent back to prison for another 15 years in 2003 for parole violations after pornographic images were found on his computer. He is currently being evaluated to see if he could be held under a civil commitment as a sexually violent person.
Suspicious activity  Friday at 1:13 p.m., a man reported seeing two people walk into an apartment in the 600 block of North Spring Street. One person was holding a large knife.

Accident  Friday at 1:27 p.m., there was a vehicle accident near Beaver Dam Community Hospital, 707 S. University Ave.

Traffic  Friday at 3:55 p.m., someone told police that a boy and a girl were throwing rocks at cars in the 200 block of Madison Street.

Disorderly conduct  Friday at 4:05 p.m., a man reported that his son was being bullied on his way home from school near the Gould Street and Wayland Street intersection.

Accident  Saturday at 6:25 a.m., a woman reported that a vehicle slid down the street near the Curie Street and Birchwood Street intersection and got stuck near a street sign pole.

Accident  Saturday at 9:12 a.m., someone reported that a car rear-ended another car near the Mackie Street and Center Street intersection.

Accident  Saturday 9:20 a.m., someone told police that a car rear-ended another car near the Fourth Street and Spring Street intersection.

Accident  Saturday at 10:30 a.m., there was a two-car accident involving two women near the DeClark Street and Burnett Street intersection.

Accident  Saturday at 12:12 p.m., a woman reported that someone left a note on her car after bumping into it near Walmart Supercenter, 120 Frances Lane.

Hit-and-run  Saturday at 1:05 p.m., someone in the 100 block of Frances Lane told police that a car was hit and the other car then drove away.

Hit-and-run  Saturday at 4:48 p.m., two men were involved in a hit-and-run near the Henry Street and South University Avenue intersection. One man was cited with unsafe backing, operating a vehicle after suspension and no insurance.

Disorderly conduct  Saturday at 8:28 p.m., two children rang a doorbell and then threw snowballs at a house in the 900 block of South Lincoln Avenue.

Shots fired  Sunday at 5:05 a.m., a woman reported hearing gunshots while leaving work in the 300 block of Jefferson Street.

Drugs  Sunday at 3:28 p.m., someone told police that the odor of marijuana was present in the 100 block of South Center Street.

Traffic  Sunday at 5:09 p.m., a man requested extra patrol near the Lakeshore Terrace and Lakeshore Drive intersection because cars were driving through the snow, sliding around corners, making laps around the block and driving onto lawns.

Retail theft  Sunday at 5:15 p.m., a man was cited with disorderly conduct and retail theft at Fleet Farm, 1815 N. Spring St.

Disorderly conduct  Sunday at 8:48 p.m., a man reported that a woman broke his TV in the 100 block of Lakecrest Drive. The woman was cited with domestic disorderly conduct and intoxication.

Drugs  Monday at 12:40 a.m., someone at Kwik Trip, 2006 N. Spring St., told police that drugs were left at the store.

Suspicious activity  Monday at 3:17 a.m., someone in the 200 block of Industrial Drive told police that someone tried to open a door.

Theft  Monday at 1:45 p.m., a man told police that a stack of wood valued at $300 was stolen in the 100 block of Cleveland Street.

Theft Monday at 4:11 p.m., a woman reported that a man was let into her house and took a TV and speakers in the 100 block of South Center Street.

Disorderly conduct  Monday at 4:25 p.m., someone reported seeing a father grabbing a boy by the neck and choking him in the 100 block of Frances Lane.

Drugs  Monday at 6:55 p.m., someone in the 100 block of South Spring Street told police that he/she could smell the scent of marijuana.

Animal  Monday at 7:40 p.m., someone reported being bitten by a dog in the 300 block of Jackson Street.

Burglary  Monday at 9 p.m., a man in the 100 block of Lakecrest Drive told police about a possible break-in. Nothing was missing or damaged and there were no signs of forced entry.

Fire  Monday at 9:29 p.m., police responded to multiple fire alarms in the 100 block of East Maple Avenue. Someone burnt popcorn.

Fire  Tuesday at 2:47 a.m., police responded to a carbon monoxide alarm in the 400 block of Grove Street.
The city of Columbus joined leaders across Wisconsin in designating Dec. 11 as Dark Store Day to draw attention to legislation designed to close the dark store loophole.

As big box retail chains and single tenant commercial properties use these strategies to significantly reduce their property taxes, other taxpayers, mainly homeowners, will see their property taxes increase as they shoulder more of the tax levy. The Columbus City Council and local leaders statewide are calling on state legislators to stop this unfair tax shift by scheduling a vote in January on Senate Bill 291 (reversing the Walgreens decision) and Senate Bill 292 (closing the dark store loophole).

Last week, the city of Columbus approved our 2018 annual budget, said Michael Thom, Columbus Mayor. City officials invest considerable time and effort to ensure that our budget is fair and equitable for our taxpayers.

The dark store loophole is not fair since average homeowners are not permitted to compare value of their homes to an uninhabitable house at half the value.

I join all my colleagues who serve as local officials to urge the Wisconsin State Legislature to pass the Dark Store and Walgreens reversal bills, said City Administrator Patrick Vander Sanden. These bills have lots of support. People are beginning to realize what will happen if the loophole is not closed.

SB 291 closes a gap in Wisconsins property assessment laws that allow single tenant commercial properties, like Walgreens and CVS, to argue that the value of their property is not what it appears to be. As a result of a 2008 Supreme Court ruling, chain drug stores have been paying taxes on their properties in Wisconsin at half their actual fair market selling price; a discount unavailable to residential and owner-occupied commercial properties.

SB 292 nullifies a related but different tax avoidance tactic. National big box retail chains and other commercial property owners are challenging their assessed values using the Dark Store Strategy to argue that their thriving businesses must be assessed for tax purposes as though they were a vacant, boarded up property. The Indiana legislature and Michigan courts have recently invalidated the dark store theory in those states. Adoption of SB 292 would make it clear that the Dark Store loophole is closed in Wisconsin.

The potential property tax loss that would create an increase for other taxpayers in our community if the dark store strategy and Walgreens decision if fully implemented for 2017 is $42,333 in tax dollars, said Kim Manley, Columbus Finance Director.

At their Dec. 5 meeting, Thom and members of the Columbus City Council reiterated their call for the Dark Store Bills to be passed. Earlier this year, they approved Resolution 12-17: A Resolution Asking our State Legislators to Support Closure of Loopholes that Shift Greater Property Tax Burden from Commercial Property Owners to Residential Homeowners. Resolution 12-17 was then submitted to State Senator Scott Fitzgerald and State Representative John Jagler for their review.

Columbus City officials are asking taxpayers to join them by contacting their elected representatives in Madison, to take action on the legislation and close the loophole.
A St. Croix Falls man who intervened in a fight between a mother and her son, repeatedly shooting the man with an air gun, will serve no additional jail time after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge in Columbia County Circuit Court on Monday.

Erik Hedberg, 43, appeared before Judge James Miller facing charges of first-degree reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct with a dangerous weapon from an incident at a residence in Wauona Trail in Portage in June 2016.

Hedberg reached a plea agreement that resulted in a sentence of the 60 days jail he already served after his arrest, along with $705 in fines and court costs.

Defense attorney Mark Frank said Hedberg was in a relationship with Patricia Copus at the time of the altercation between Copus and her son, Skylar Bardell, whom Frank described as 23 years old and 6 feet tall.

Mr. Bardell has a history of violence and Mr. Hedberg didnt think that this physical altercation looked like it was going fairly and he then got involved, Frank said. He certainly understands it was a mistake to introduce the BB gun into the altercation. He was coming to the aid of Ms. Copus.

Frank noted that Hedberg had prior misdemeanors in Texas, but they were essentially non-violent things like a bad check. When Hedberg was asked by the judge if he had anything to say, he replied, Sorry for being in the middle of a mother-and-son altercation and I wont do it again.

Following the incident, Copus was charged with felony counts of strangulation and reckless endangerment, with a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. She is scheduled for a jury trial starting Feb. 1.

Hedberg appeared from Columbia County Jail, where he is in custody after being arrested in connection to two incidents in November. On Nov. 8, Hedberg is accused of driving Copus and another of her sons, Austan Bardell, 19, during a road-rage incident. He allegedly followed another vehicle to a Dekorra McDonalds, where he blocked the vehicle in its parking spot and a fight ensued.

Less than two weeks after that, Hedberg and Copus were charged with operating a vehicle without consent when a dump truck on Interstate-90 hit a guard rail and then stopped in the middle of the highway. The truck, Copus and Hedberg were located at the Arlington All-Stop Mobil.

Hedberg is being held on $750 cash bond in both the road-rage case and the dump-truck case. He is scheduled to appear in court next for a Jan. 11 preliminary hearing.
Before accepting money from the Wisconsin Arts Board for a mural in the new Health and Human Services Building, the Columbia County Boards Executive Committee wants a few more details as to what county officials are expected to do in return for the $3,720 grant.

Corporation Counsel Joseph Ruf told the committee on Monday that the grant is a relatively small one. It would pay for about one-third of the $10,000 cost for the scenic on-the-wall painting depicting a river, fall foliage and other images designed to be soothing for HHS clients.

But the boilerplate language of the contract required to accept the grant, he said, has raised some concern.

The main concern, Ruf said, is the lack of specificity as to the requirement for signage to acknowledge the arts boards contribution.

Committee Member James Foley of the town of Leeds noted that the contract language doesnt specify whether one simple, unobtrusive sign would be sufficient.

Much more signage than that might detract from the character of the new two-story building at 111 E. Mullett St., on the southeast side of the Portage Canal.

The County Boards Ad Hoc Building Committee has previously approved the mural, and the countys share of the cost, $6,280, would be paid for out of the $45.51 million that the county authorized borrowing for its biggest building project in history.

Plans call for selected Columbia County high school students to aid in painting the autumnal river scene on a second-story wall. At the most recent Ad Hoc Building Committee meeting on Nov. 30, Supervisor Barry Pufahl of Pardeeville, chairman of the County Boards Judiciary Committee, suggested that work on the mural be delayed until the countys court-related offices have moved out of their temporary location in the HHS building, sometime in May.

The Executive Committees immediate concern, however, was what Ruf called the one-size-fits-all language of the contract that county officials must sign if they want to receive the Wisconsin Arts Board grant.

In addition to signage, the standard contract also addresses responsibility for publicity, printing and other expenditures that Ruf said would be more applicable to the performing arts, or to a limited-run visual art show.

Committee member Mary Cupery of the town of Fort Winnebago said she wondered whether the arts board would even bother with checking on whether the terms of the contract are enforced to their satisfaction.

Do you really think theyd come here and even look? she asked.

County Board Chairman Vern Gove of Portage said hed like some firmer information as to the countys obligations before recommending County Board adoption of a resolution accepting the grant.

The Executive Committee unanimously agreed to direct Gove to contact the Wisconsin Arts Board for more specific information, especially of its signage requirements. With that information in hand, the committee plans to meet before the County Board meeting scheduled for Dec. 20, and decide on a recommendation for the full County Board.

In other business, the Executive Committee affirmed, unanimously and with no discussion, a recommendation to release $160,000 from the countys contingency fund to cover a 1 percent across-the-board wage increase in 2018 for most county employees.

Dec. 1, the County Boards Human Resources Committee voted 3-2 to release the money, with opponents citing concern about the countys recent practice of balancing its budget with reserves.

If the County Board approves the money transfer, the across-the-board increases would affect all county employees except sworn deputies in the Columbia County Sheriffs Office. Deputies up to the rank of sergeant have their compensation set by collective bargaining. The $160,000 would cover raises for all affected departments except the Highway Department and the Columbia Health Care Center; each of those entities would fund the raises from money theyve already set aside in their budgets.
Rev. Kenneth W. West, 84, of Reedsburg, went home to be with the Lord whom he served faithfully on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017.

Ken was born in DeKalb, Illinois, on March 3, 1933, the third child of Conrad and Hazel West. He always enjoyed giving his birthdate of 3-3-33 and said he was born at 3 a.m. Ken grew up on a dairy farm in Maple Park, Illinois, and graduated from Maple Park High School. He went on to graduate from Augsburg University in Minneapolis, and Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul. He graduated and was ordained into the ministry in 1959. He served his first parish in Dazey/Rogers, North Dakota. His second Call was to Seneca, Illinois. In 1970, he moved to Marinette, and became the administrator and CEO of Northland Lutheran Retirement Community, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Northland grew from a nursing home to include independent living apartments, assisted living, and individual retirement homes. Ken retired from this ministry in 1996.

While at Augsburg, Ken met Barbara Hartz, a nursing student. They were united in marriage in 1956, and they became proud parents to Marcia Britain, Linda (Ken) Olson, Cindy (Jay) Krueger, and David (Pam) West. Barb and Ken were married for 45 years. Barb preceded him in death in March 2001.

Kens sister, Norma Smith, introduced him to her dear friend, Shirley Carlson, whose late husband was also an ELCA pastor. On Dec. 28, 2002, Ken and Shirley were united in marriage in LaPorte, Indiana. They built a new home in Reedsburg, and began their married life there. Shirleys three children, Natalie (Gary) Bloomquist, Jonathan Carlson, and Kristine (Jerry) Harlow were blessed with a loving, caring step-father. Shirleys three grandchildren together with Kens 12 grandchildren made for a lot of birthdays to remember. Then there were 13 great-grandchildren added to the family.

Ken loved the Lord, and he loved people. He would talk to anyone he met wherever he was. He loved landscaping and spent many happy hours planning, planting, and maintaining. His lawn was his pride and joy. St. John Lutheran Church received many hours of landscaping love from Ken. Ken served as the interim administrator at the Sauk County Health Care Center for nine months during their search for a new administrator in 2006. He enjoyed getting back into his former line of work and making lasting relationships with many of the staff there. In 2012, Ken and Shirley became residents of Ridgeview Heights Independent Living in Reedsburg and enjoyed the friendship and fellowship of their neighbors.

Ken was an active member of St. John Lutheran Church, using his talents wherever they were needed. He was a member of the Sauk County Republican Party and knocked on many doors during political campaigns, enjoying meeting and talking with lots of Reedsburg residents.

In addition to his wife, Barbara, Ken was preceded in death by his parents; a newborn sister; an infant brother, Norman; his sister, Evelyn; and his brothers-in-law, Jerry Smith and Amorin Olson.

Ken is survived by his wife, Shirley; seven children; 15 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren; sister Norma Smith; one niece and one nephew; sisters-in-law, Elody Olson, and Nancy Johnson; brother-in-law John Hartz; and many cousins and other extended family.

The family would like to extend special thanks to Dr. Christopher Wenninger who cared for Ken both physically and spiritually over the years. Thanks also to the Mayo Clinic Medical Oncology department and Dr. Hubbard. We are grateful to the staff of Reedsburg Area Medical Center, especially the chemo nursing staff, Maggie, Marsha and Dana; also to his care team during his last days. Much appreciation also goes to Agrace Hospice for loving care given to both Ken and his family during his final journey.

We will gather to celebrate Kens life lived in service to his Lord and Savior at 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, at St. John Ev. Lutheran Church, Reedsburg, with Pastor David Glesne officiating. Visitation will be held starting at 11 a.m. until the time of the service Monday at the church.

Memorial gifts may be designated to St. John Lutheran Church, Reedsburg; the Reedsburg Area Medical Center Foundation; the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; or Agrace Hospice Care.

Farber Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Its been a challenging and somewhat stressful few months for students, staff and administration with the switch to a trimester schedule format at Sauk Prairie High School. In general, the sentiment is positive, albeit with a few kinks yet to be worked out as the first trimester comes to an end.

I think overall its been a good transition with a lot of positive results, said Sauk Prairie High School Principal Chad Harnisch. I think we have accomplished many of the things we wanted to. The days seem less hectic with fewer transitions. And statistics have shown those transitions are a time where the majority of bad things happen, such as discipline issues and loss of instructional time.

Harnisch said the longer class periods are proving so far to create active and engaged learning from students, and have pushed teachers to look deeper into how they teach.

Thats going to take time because its new to our teachers, Harnisch said.

He said administrators also had the goal of reducing the number of classes students had, while also reducing the number of students a teacher had.

At any one time it used to be that a student would have between seven and eight classes depending on if they had a study hall or not, Harnisch said. Now they have four or five. And before the transition, teachers would have between 100-150 students, whereas now they have between 80-120. So weve been able to reduce that as well.

Key district personnel previously visited several school districts with trimester models, and studied and asked questions about schedules prior to making the switch.

The high school staff spent the majority of its professional development time during the 2016-17 school year preparing on how to best use longer instructional blocks. And during the summer, staff had both required and elective professional development on the trimester transition. The staff continues to discuss whats going well, whats not, and provides teachers with the time to share ideas, Harnisch said.

Even with all the preparation, Harnisch said not every challenge can be accounted for. There are a few elements he said he is monitoring, such as whether or not the new schedule has an impact on a students overall academic performance.

Its very preliminary, but so far it looks like the percentage of students who were previously receiving As and Bs went up, while the percentage of those (who got lower grades) went down, Harnisch said. So it does seem positive as grades are concerned so far. I am also interested to see what, if any impact the new schedule will have on other things, like the ACT testing.

Harnisch said he will be closely monitoring other things such as attendance and discipline referrals. If my hypothesis is right, our discipline referrals should decrease, he said.

Other areas Harnisch isnt quite ready to give up on yet is the 10:30 a.m. lunch period. We are monitoring the early lunch, he said. There are some creative, outside the box things we could do to address it, but within the normal realm of what we could do we had to decide between a 10:30-11 a.m. lunch or a 1-1:30 a.m. lunch for one of the two lunch periods. We picked the earlier one with the belief that many teenagers dont eat breakfast anyway. But we will see how its doing and make a decision around spring break time.

The topic of the early lunch period did come up when students were asked to weigh-in on the first trimester.

Cam Manning, 16, a junior, has the 10:30 a.m. lunch and doesnt like it.

I havent been eating as much during the day because at 10:30 a.m. Im not hungry yet, Manning said. We dont really get a break in between classes, so I wasnt eating much during the day.

Yeah, the 10:30 a.m. lunch is not very good, said Rayce Raschka, 17, a senior.

Manning said teachers were trying to figure out how long certain units would take to complete, given they had more time in class now to teach. I think its just going to be a time thing and the teachers getting used to teaching in the new format, Manning said. And exams. Finals need to be worked out a little, but it will probably get better with time.

Raschka said in some classes, teachers were still figuring out how to fill the time. In others, he said hed appreciate a five minute break given the longer instructional time.

It would be nice to have a small, five minute break in the middle just to stand up, walk around and stretch, Raschka said.

Rachel Barsness, 17, a senior, said while she didnt personally experience much trouble, she heard from other students that finals were crazy.

I think it was hard for both the teachers and the students, Barsness said. Theres really no one to blame for that, we are all just used to having the same schedule for so long. There are going to be some bumps.

Overall, the students said they felt the first trimester went well despite those bumps.

Having less homework was a common sentiment, and many reported their day seemed less stressful.

I like it. Its more focused on learning, Manning said of the new schedule. I feel like I have a lot more time in class and have less homework, because we are covering more in class that might otherwise be assigned as homework. And last year when we had all periods, we were just jumping into one class after another. It took more time to get into the mindset for the class.

For the most part, I enjoy the new schedule, said Logan King, 16, a junior. Its great in the classes where the teachers understand the time change and design their class for transitions and do things to keep us engaged. Some teachers arent as good at that yet, which leads to long, boring class periods. 

Jeff Wright, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Sauk Prairie School District, said hes heard mostly positive comments, but admits there are things yet to be worked out.

Ive talked with some parents who feel their student that struggled with academics in the past are finding it easier because they have more time on a subject and with teachers, Wright said. I know from my colleagues and the teaching staff its been a difficult year so far because virtually every class has been redesigned to fit a new schedule. Thats hard to do whether it is your second year in teaching or your 22nd.

Both Wright and Harnisch said they are also watching how time gaps in between trimesters could affect a students academic performance.

For instance, I might take Spanish 1 at the beginning of my freshman year and not start Spanish 2 until the second semester of my sophomore year, Wright said. We dont know yet what effect that will have on retention and learning. On one hand if I have more time in a class I might learn Spanish 1 more richly. Or having the long time in between courses could have a negative impact.

Wright said overall, he believes the district is doing what it set out to do, which is create a less frenzied day and better learning environment for Sauk Prairie High School students.
John Van Wie and Bruce Rodger acted as very generous Santa Clauses Friday  visiting several nonprofit organizations in the Dells to hand them substantial donations.

Van Wie and Rodger are on the board of the Gregory Van Wie Foundation along with attorney John Mitby.

Gregory Van Wie died in 1996 at the age of 46 of an aggressive brain tumor. John Van Wie said that before Greg died he met with Mitby to set up the foundation. He made sure all his ducks were in a row, Van Wie. Gregs father, Charles, put the eggs in the basket, John said.

The foundation continues to have an income from businesses and property it owns. One of the properties, Coldwater Canyon, is leased to Dells Boat Tours which conducts its Ghost Boat tour there. It is also used for wedding and other events.

Greg appointed John, his favorite cousin, and Bruce Rodger, his best friend, to be foundation directors along with Mitby. Greg had lived with both John and Bruce for a time when he was ill. John said before his illness, Greg was vibrant, active and loved life. He was content to stay in the community. He continues to live today through the legacy of the foundation, John said.

The foundation since it was formed has given away millions, John said. This year, the foundation will give away about $215,000.

This years donations include the following:

$35,000 to the cardiac rehabilitation unit at the Dells Clinic for new equipment.

$15,000 to the Columbia County Veterans Office for flag holders for veterans graves in Columbia County cemeteries. John noted that the government no longer provides the holders. The funds will also move a monument listing veterans names from World War II from its current site in a park to a space in front of the new county administration building next to the Portage Canal.

$2,800 to the Dells American Legion for new flags for lamp posts along Broadway.

$5,000 to the youth wrestling program.

$25,000 for the Happy Kids network (formerly FITS) for its program to buy clothing and toys for disadvantaged children at Christmas and to send food home on weekends children who get free lunches at school.

$35,000 for the Adams County Historical Society so it can put an elevator for handicapped access to the second floor of its museum in Friendship. It will be an external elevator.

$20,000 to Kids Ranch. See related story

And $50,000 to the Friends of the H.H. Bennett Studio. See related story.

Over the years, the Foundation has made substantial donations to Easter Seals Camp Wawbeek. At the camp off Highway 13 in Wisconsin Dells, John said the foundation donated the funds to build a girls dormitory and a new dining hall.
I also find it ironic that our elected officials including more than 24 Democratic Senators and one Republican Senator to push Senator Al Franken, D, to resign due to allegations of Sexual harassment. I agree he should resign, but the irony of his case is Senator Lisa Murkowski, R. of Alaska. She has nothing to say about the admitted sexual harasser in the Oval Office and is fully in line with her Republican Party in advocating for the election of Roy Moore, R.Alabama, to the U.S. Senate, who is also under an array of allegations including a possibility of assault of a minor, that is pedophilia. And who was removed from a judgeship in Alabama Two times.
As the court allows Delhi Police to conduct a narco analysis test on Aaftab Amin Poonawalla, who is accused of killing 27-year-old Shraddha Walkar, we raise these questions: Is this an open & shut case? How can the police plug any loopholes? What will ensure speedy justice for Shraddha? Watch as panelists debate.
Is it Cameroons turn to be suspended from US trade pact with Africa?

Cameroon has been a member of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) initiative since it was launched in 2000.

AGOA is a preferential trade programme which allows a set of eligible products from designated African countries into the US market.

Its main objective is to promote economic development through increased trade and investment between the US and sub-Saharan Africa. Cameroon has benefited a great deal. In 2015, it made USD$133 million in overall export trade. Cameroons main exports to the US include petroleum, cocoa, rubber, timber, and coffee, while its main imports from the US include machinery, vehicles and chemicals.

But AGOA is not just a trade pact. Its also a way of promoting democracy. It comes with strict eligibility criteria which require that countries maintain the rule of law. Countries must also commit to political pluralism, the right to due process, fair trial, and equal protection under the law. They must also cooperate in international efforts to eliminate human rights violations.

The AGOA legislation empowers the American president annually to determine which countries are still eligible for its benefits. If he determines that a country is not making progress towards meeting the criteria he can decide to suspend it from the agreement.

The history of AGOA is replete with cases of ejections and re-admissions. These have often been based on human rights and democracy related issues. For instance, in 2016 former US President Barack Obama ejected Burundi from the AGOA family.

He did this on grounds that the country had failed to establish the rule of law. His reasons included the continuing crackdown on opposition members, assassinations, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and torture.

South Sudan and The Gambia have also had their memberships terminated. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Swaziland too. Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cote dIvoire were ejected and re-admitted after making efforts to strengthen the rule of law.

So far Cameroon has had a stellar record. But given recent developments questions are being asked about whether or not it should still benefit from the scheme.

Troubles in Cameroon

Over the past year Cameroon has been engulfed in a crisis that has pitted the Anglophone part of the country against the central government whose policies are decried to favour its Francophone regions. The Anglophone regions to the west are former British mandated territories, while the Francophone regions in the east are former French mandated territories.

The unrest began in October 2016 with a protest against the overwhelming use of French in a country where French and English have equal status under the constitution.

What began as a disagreement over the use of language in courts and in the design of school curricula has slowly became a political battle for Anglophone secession. The calls for secession have been met with brutal repression by state security forces. Whenever the state and the secessionists have clashed state agents have used excessive force.

Multiple human rights abuses have been committed against unarmed civilian populations including killings, mass arrests and detention. Some pro-Anglophone Cameroonians have sought refuge in neighbouring Nigeria while others have been arrested and detained pending prosecution.

In January, the government shut down the internet in some Anglophone regions. The shutdown, which lasted for more than three months, was condemned as a violation of international human rights.

Because of this crisis one could rightly question whether Cameroon is still eligible for the AGOA trade benefits. Cameroon is not alone. Mauritania also faces ejection from the trade agreement for human rights abuses. The issue of modern-day slavery in Mauritania, which was once expelled before being re-admitted, has raised questionsabout its continued AGOA membership.

Eligibility in question

In October US Trade Representatives Joseph Lighthizer announced new efforts to ensure that all countries receiving US trade benefits met the eligibility criteria.

By creating a more proactive process to assess eligibility the US will ensure that nonperforming countries are excluded from trade preferences. Although Lighthizer was referring to Americas Generalised System of Preferences  which is a different US preferential trade arrangement  it is likely that the review will also be applied to AGOA countries.

When it comes to Cameroon, the international community has called for dialogue before any action is taken. Opposition leaders are demanding the inclusion of all political and civil society stakeholders regardless of their religious beliefs or political opinions, including those who aspire for a return to federalism. Federalism was abolished in 1972 and replaced by a unitary state.

The Cameroonian government has shown its readiness to engage in talks with every stakeholder except the separatists who have been implicated in the November killings of four soldiers in the North-West region, and another four in the South-West region.

Current events have given the Cameroon government an opportunity to address issues of decentralisation which have remained dormant since the promulgation of the 1996 constitution. The constitution was supposed to grant a certain level of autonomy to local governments. Twenty years down the road decentralisation has remained a dead letter. This is why the latest separatist calls have taken root.

Dialogue is needed not only to end the brutal repression of the secessionist movement, but also to address the latent causes of the crisis. If the dialogue doesnt take place Cameroons AGOA membership may be just another casualty of the ongoing Anglophone crisis.

Regis Simo, Senior Researcher at Mandela Institute, University of the Witwatersrand. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Five soldiers are reported missing after avalanches hit two Army posts on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir today.

By India Today Web Desk: Three Army jawans posted in Baktore Nani in Gurez have gone missing after the area was hit by a snow avalanche and two from Nowgam sector of Kupwara district. Since Sunday night, the area has been experiencing heavy snowfall that has reached almost five feet above the ground.

Confirming the incident, an official said that at least three soldiers from 36 Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army have gone missing and efforts are on to trace them.

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Pertinently, this year in January at least 22 Army soldiers died due to snow furry in Gurez and Sonmarg areas of North Kashmir.

Rescue operations are underway.

(With inputs from Ashraf Wani)

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As many as 30 dogs were found dead in a van. The owner was taking them to a dog show when the dogs suffocated in the van and died of heat stroke.

By India Today Web Desk: As many as 30 dogs died in a tragic incident which happened in the Philippines.

The dogs succumbed to heat stroke while they were being transported to a dog show in a closed van.

Local authorities said that the owner may now face up to 90 years in jail along with a hefty fine of $1,49,000 (Rs 96,00,000 approximately), according to an RT report.

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THE SAD DEATH OF DOGS

The dog owner from Philippines loaded around 40 dogs into the van which lacked ventilation. The owner was transporting them to the Beagle Fanciers Club Dog Show in Marikina City on December 2.

When the van reached the venue, the dogs were found keeled over. Several attempts were made to revive them but 30 dogs died of heat stoke and suffocation.

DISTURBING

When people came to know about the heart-breaking incident, they shared several photos and videos of the dead dogs lying in cages. Some dogs were flat out on the floor as the rescuers tried to revive them.

Facebook user Penny Cham shared a post describing the incident.

Only a few were in luck and survived the horrible incident.

Penny Cham also shared a video.

"By posting this video it is my hope that I can prevent another tragedy like this from happening again," Penny Cham, who got the video from "a concerned PCCI (canine club) member", wrote on Facebook.

The canine club issued a statement condemning the incident and suspended the owner on December 6.

On Tuesday, local senator Francis Pangilinan said the club's measures are "sorely lacking amid the tragic fate suffered by the dogs".

The senator said that the owner, who has reportedly since vanished and is nowhere to be found, had violated the Amended Animal Welfare Act and, if found guilty of 30 dogs' deaths, "that would be 30 counts, with maximum penalties of up to 90 years' imprisonment and/or $149,000) fine."

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The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Haryana government to submit a detailed report on the case of the deceased seven-year-old whose parents were charged Rs 16 lakhs by Fortis Hospital for dengue treatment.

Seven year old Adya Singh died in September after suffering from dengue for some 15 days. Source: Facebook

By Manjeet Sehgal: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has demanded a detailed report on the dengue death case, where the parents of a deceased seven-year-old girl accused Gurgaon's Fortis Hospital of footing them an outrageous bill.

Seven year old Adya Singh, who was infected with dengue, is said to have died due to negligence in the Fortis Hospital in September this year.

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Soon after her death, her family was given a medical bill of up to Rs 16 lakhs, which which included charges of 2700 gloves, 660 syringes, etc. used during her 15-day dengue treatment.

Hearing this, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had expressed dismay previously, wondering aloud about the extravagant charged levied by private hospitals for treating dengue.

Resuming the hearing of the case, the court directed the Haryana government to submit a detailed report on Adya's treatment from the day she was admitted to Fortis Hospital and till she was discharged.

The Haryana government had indeed submitted a report previously, but the court was not seem satisfied with it and asked for a more detailed one.

The court has also sought reply from the Haryana government for not naming the hospital management in the FIR, and why the names of those found guilty during the probe were not mentioned in the FIR.

The court will resume the hearing of the case on January 18.

ANOTHER CONTROVERSY

Meanwhile, the FIR registered at Sushant Lok police station in Gurgaon for this case has kicked off a whole new controversy.

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij has shot a letter to Chief Minster Manohar Lal Khattar asking why the names of the Fortis Hospital management were not included in the FIR.

Despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court directions, the state government hesitated to make Fortis Hospital management responsible for the lapses pointed out by a three-member panel.

The health department has already issued a show-cause notice to the Fortis Hospital management to cancel its blood bank licence. A case to cancel the land lease signed between Haryana and Fortis is also underway.

The Health department has also written to the Indian Medical Association to cancel the membership of Fortis Hospital.

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All 9 MLAs of Agra boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected city Mayor Naveen Jain, claiming that they had been humiliated in the presence of Dy. Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma.

By Siraj Qureshi: The faction-fight between two opposing groups of partymen in the BJP came out in the open on Tuesday, when all 9 MLAs of Agra boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected city Mayor Naveen Jain, claiming that they had been humiliated in the presence of Dy. Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma.

The swearing-in ceremony of the Agra Municipal Corporation had been organized at the Agra College grounds today, in which all elected corporators and public representatives had been invited. However, when the MLAs reached the ceremony ground, they were allegedly asked to clear the stage and sit below, with the rest of the public. Angered by such treatment meted out to them in the presence of Dy. CM Dinesh Sharma, all 9 MLAs walked out of the swearing-in ceremony.

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Interestingly, the Agra MP Ram Shankar Katheriya remained seated on the dais while the MLAs were being asked to vacate the dais and sit below. It is being alleged that since Katheriya was instrumental in securing Jain's mayoral ticket, he was given special honour at the ceremony while the rest of the elected representatives were subjected to humiliation.

The Bahujan Samaj Party corporators also refused to participate in the ceremony claiming that such elaborate ceremonies were a waste of public money and this was simply another attempt of the Mayor Naveen Jain at self-aggrandisation.

Later, addressing the assembled corporators, Dy. CM Dinesh Sharma said that Naveen Jain is not just the mayor of the BJP, but he has been elected by people from all over Agra and from all castes and religions. He expressed hope that Jain will continue to work for the betterment of Agra as he had promised in his campaign. He said that Agra is a tourist city and just like the Taj Mahal, the entire city should be pristine and clean.

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By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Hinduja Group flagship firm Ashok Leyland today opened its West African headquarters in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

The facility will serve as a central location for the Francophone region.

"The inauguration of this facility is a big-step towards offering specialised after-sales solutions to our customers in Ivory Coast and crafting trust for our brand," Ashok Leyland President (Global Sales and Distribution) Rajive Saharia said in a statement.

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The facility houses the regional marketing office, spare parts warehouse, training centre and 12 fully-equipped workshop bays.

The company also unveiled four products: Captain, Boss, Hawk and Mitr, in the market.

"With comprehensive plans for the West African region and an instrumental partnership with the government of Ivory Coast, Ashok Leyland is all set to consolidate its efforts towards making Ivory Coast a central automotive hub for West Africa," Saharia said.

On the launch of four new products, he added: "The new line-up of vehicles is going to develop the logistic network of the country, he added. Connectivity is going to change isolated local markets to major national markets." PTI MSS ADI MKJ

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Akkuyu construction formally starts

12 December 2017

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Turkey has formally launched construction of its first nuclear power plant with the pouring of concrete for the sub-base foundation of the nuclear island. A ceremony held at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant site to mark the launch on 10 December, followed the issuance of a limited construction permit.

Likhachov and Donmez launch the start of construction (Image: Rosatom)

The event was attended by Alexey Likhachov, director general of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and Fatih Donmez, Turkey's first deputy minister of energy and natural resources.

According to a Rosatom statement, Likhachov said the Akkuyu project represented the start of 100 years of cooperation in nuclear power between Russia and Turkey.

JSC Akkuyu Nuklear, the Russian-owned company responsible for the project, expects to receive a construction licence in March, after which first safety-related concrete for the plant will be laid. This will be the official start of the Akkuyu plant's construction, Rosatom said.

Excavation of the foundation pit for the base plate of the reactor building of unit 1 at the plant was completed on 2 December, Rosatom said. This work was carried out by a Turkish company and completed on schedule, it added.

In addition to construction work on the site, environmental monitoring activities are continuing, including those for seismic and meteorological parameters, groundwater and the marine environment. All work on the construction of plant is being carried out in accordance with Turkish legislation and with the direct participation and coordination of TAEK, Rosatom said.

The project offers significant opportunities for Turkish suppliers, it said, with about 35-40% of all construction work, with a value of $6-8 billion, to be conducted by them. More than 350 Turkish companies have applied for inclusion in the list of potential suppliers, and the first of them have already received orders for the preparation of the plants infrastructure, Rosatom said. To date, the total number of personnel on the site is more than 300 people, of which 90% are Turks.

The project is based on an inter-governmental agreement signed between Russia and Turkey in May 2010. In October 2011, JSC Akkuyu Nuclear received a site licence and in November 2013 its site report received approval.

In December 2014, Turkey's Ministry of Environment and Urban Development approved the project's environmental impact assessment for the project and in February this year the site parameters were agreed.

In March, the project company submitted its application for a construction license and in October it received a limited building permit, which is the first step in this process Rosatom said. It was awarded a 49-year electricity generation licence in June.

JSC Akkuyu Nuklear was established in 2010 to implement the Akkuyu nuclear power plant construction project in Mersin Province, in southern Turkey. The plant will have an installed capacity of 4800 MWe and be of the VVER-1200 design.

Russia commissioned the first VVER-1200 plant - Novovoronezh II-1 in the Voronezh Region of Russia in August last year.

The Akkuyu nuclear power plant will generate about 35 TWh of electricity each year and will be in operation for at least 60 years.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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High support for nuclear among Polish citizens

12 December 2017

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Around two-thirds of Poles believe the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country is a good way to combat climate change, according to a survey commissioned by the Polish Energy Ministry. A similar proportion support the construction of power reactors to increase the country's energy security.

The poll, conducted last month by ASM-Centrum Bada i Analiz Rynku, shows that 59% of respondents are in favour of constructing nuclear power plants in Poland. A quarter of those questioned said they strongly supported the construction of reactors. A total of 2000 people aged 15-75 were questioned in the survey.

On the siting of nuclear power plants, 42% of respondents said they would agree with them being built in the area in which they live.

According to the ministry, 76% of respondents said the Polish state should participate in any project to construct a nuclear power plant, while the same proportion think the state should help finance such a project.

The poll showed that 65% considered nuclear energy a low-emissions source of energy that can help address climate change. Also, 67% of respondents favour the construction of nuclear power plants to strengthen Poland's energy security.

Public opinion polls have been carried out on behalf of the ministry since 2012. "Over the past six years, an upward trend has been observed for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland," the ministry noted.

The International Energy Agency said in January that nuclear power could play a significant role in Poland's energy supply, enabling the country to boost its electricity generation capacity from clean energy sources while strengthening its energy security.

Poland's nuclear power programme, which was approved in 2014, foresees two nuclear power plants with 6000 MWe of capacity, with the first one commissioned in 2022. The IEA said, however, that the timeline set out in this previously approved programme, with a final investment decision this year and the first unit operational in 2024, "is no longer attainable", and a revised schedule is expected soon.

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by World Nuclear News

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Restructuring changes Inkai ownership

12 December 2017

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A restructuring of the Inkai joint venture (JV Inkai) between Cameco and KazAtomProm has closed and will take effect on 1 January, the companies announced yesterday. The restructuring will see KazAtomProm increase its share in the joint venture, which owns and operates the Inkai in-situ leach uranium project in southern Kazakhstan, to 60%.

Pirmatov (on the left) and Gitzel (right) signed the documents on the restructure at a ceremony in London (Image: KazAtomProm)



The restructuring, announced in May 2016, has now obtained all required government approvals, including an amendment to JV Inkai's existing Resource Use Contract with the Kazakh government. The amendment gives JV Inkai the right to increase production to 10.4 million pounds U3O8 (4000 tU) per year, from the currently licensed 5.2 million pounds. It also allows JV Inkai to produce from blocks 1, 2 and 3 to 2045: current lease terms are to 2024 for block 1 and 2030 for blocks 2 and 3. The current boundaries of the blocks are also adjusted to match the production profile agreed for JV Inkai to 2045.

Cameco's interest in JV Inkai, currently 60%, will reduce to 40% from 1 January, when a new governance framework for the joint venture protecting the rights of Cameco as a minority owner will come into effect.

"This agreement is positive for Cameco as it secures our access to a large, low-cost production source through 2045," Tim Gitzel, Cameco president and CEO, said. Production decisions would depend on market conditions and the terms of the Resource Use Contract, he added.

KazAtomProm CEO Galymzhan Pirmatov said the two companies had enjoyed a successful working relationship for many years.

"I am confident that the agreement between our companies will give new impetus to Kazakh-Canadian cooperation in the nuclear sphere. Increasing our participation share in Inkai will allow us to further develop this key asset together," he said.

The amendment to the Resource Use Contract and the ownership adjustment results in material changes to Cameco's mineral reserves and resources for Inkai, the company said. Cameco's share of Inkai's total 269.6 million pounds of proven and probable reserves as of 1 January will be 107.9 million pounds, reflecting its 40% share. Cameco's current interest in production from JV Inkai is 57.5% based on previous agreements with KazAtomProm.

Compared to mineral reserves reported as of 31 December 2016, Cameco's share of JV Inkai mineral reserves increases by about 62 million pounds, the company said. Measured and indicated mineral resources decrease by nearly 68 million pounds and inferred mineral resources decrease by nearly 56 million pounds. Cameco will detail the changes in a new NI 43-101 technical report for JV Inkai to be filed within 45 days.

The two companies have also completed a feasibility study to evaluate the design, construction and operation of a uranium refinery in Kazakhstan with the capacity to produce 6000 tU annually as uranium trioxide. A formal joint decision has not yet been made as to whether the refinery will be built, they said. In the event of a joint decision to construct the refinery, further adjustments to Cameco and KazAtomProm's ownership interests in JV Inkai will be made.

Cameco and KazAtomProm - the world's top two uranium producers, between them accounting for 39% of world production in 2015 - have recently announced plans to cut output.

KazAtomProm announced on 4 December that it will reduce planned uranium production by 20% for a period of three years beginning in January, to better align output with demand. Cameco on 8 November announcement of a ten-month temporary suspension of production from the McArthur River mining and Key Lake milling operations in northern Saskatchewan by the end of January due to continued uranium price weakness.

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A ruby is a beautiful pink or red colored gemstone whose quality is determined by its clarity, color, carat, and cut. The most valuable and brightest shade of red ruby is called pigeon blood or blood-red ruby, which commands a high premium over other rubies of same quality, like the ones produced in Burma. Rubies are produced in numerous countries, but rubies from Burma stand out, as Burma has been the main source for more than a century. In 2005, global ruby production increased by 10,000 kg from the 5000 kg of rubies produced in 1995. Although Burma produces high-quality rubies, the United States imports the majority of its rubies from Thailand.

The Top 6 Exporters of Rubies to the United States

Thailand

From 1996 to 2006 the United States imported about 25,964,842 carats of uncut ruby from Thailand. Thailand is famous for being the home of many uncut gemstones, with ruby topping the list. In the United States, the average value for Thailand ruby is $20 per carat; therefore, the amount of ruby imported from Thailand is worth over $519 million.

India

The best quality rubies are mined in on barren land in India's Karur region. Neighboring towns like Paramatti and Kangayam also have numerous ruby mines. Rubies mined in Madiken are lighter and of high quality. The United States imported about 15,651,789 carats of ruby from India. The average market value for ruby from India is $4 per carat, which means that the country earned over $62 million from the United States.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong has been one of the top sources of ruby imports in the United States and Thailand for years. The United States imported about 2,336,332 carats of ruby from Hong Kong between 1995 and 2005. The cost value of rubies from the Hong Kong is $34 per carat.

Switzerland

The amount of rubies imported by the United States from Switzerland has been increasing gradually in recent years. In fact, about 9.6% of rubies in 2016 came from Switzerland. Valued at $459 per carat, the rubies from Switzerland are the best quality and the most expensive rubies in the world. The United States imported 417,674 carats of rubies from Switzerland, which earned the country over $191 million.

Germany

Rubies from Germany are the third most expensive rubies in the world, after Switzerland and Burma. Rubies from Germany are valued at $50 per carat, and the United States is a major importer. The United States imported about 352,801 carats from Germany, valued at $17.6 million.

Burma

The city of Mogok in Burma has been a primary source of high quality rubies for centuries. In fact, during the early 1900s Burma became the world's largest producer after rubies were discovered in the Mong Hsu mines. Before importation of gemstones from Burma was banned in 2003, the United States was a major importer of rubies from Burma. The United States imported 112,304 carats of rubies from Burma, which have a value of $331 per carat.

Uses of Rubies

Rubies are a famous gemstone used extensively in jewelry. Rubies can be used in earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Jewelry designers add rubies to many rings and pendants as centerpieces. Rubies can be secondary stones, which help complement other gemstones like diamonds.
A tugboat or simply a tug is a seas vessel that moves other seas vessels by either pushing or tugging them. There are two types of vessels that are moved by tugs: large vessels that should not move by themselves either in a crowded harbor or narrow canals, and those that cannot move such as ships with technical problems, barges, among others. Tugboats are extremely powerful for ships their size and may be used for other reasons than tugging boats like breaking ice, acting as salvage vessels, and firefighting. Tugboats are also known as floating docks or pusher crafts.

The Globes Top Exporters of Tugboats

According to the Product Complexity Index (PCI), tugboats rank 938th in the list of the most complex goods and are 624th in the most traded merchandise ranking. Statistics show that the top exporters of tugboats come from two continents in the world; Asia and Europe. India is the top exporter with total exports totaling figures of up to $814 million. China is second with exports worth $459 million, Russia is third with $276 million, Spain is fourth with exports totaling $134 million, and Turkey is last with its tugboats exports value totaling $115 million. From these, the combined value of tugboat exports from these strong economies is nearly close to the $2 billion mark.

Analysis of the above values show that there is a huge disparity between the top exporter, India, and the other four countries that complete the top five. Compared to the closest competitor, China, India exports tugboats whose worth is almost twice that of China. To put this data into further perspective, India exports at least seven times as much as the last country, Turkey. A similar disparity is seen between China and the other countries. China has almost as twice export as Russia and almost four times as much as the last country, Turkey.

India, the 18th biggest economy on the planet, exported goods worth $256 billion in the year 2016. Of the total exports, tugboats contributed a share of 0.3%. The worlds largest export economy, China, exported a total of $2.06 trillion with tugboats contributing a measly 0.022%. Total exports in the third country, Russia, were $282 billion. Tugboats had an approximate percentage share of 0.09%. For Spain, exports were worth $275 billion with tugboats contributing 0.049%. The last country, Turkey had total exports reaching $139 billion. Tugboats in Turkey contributed only 0.083%. Out of these figures, it is clear that the exports of tugboats is more important to Indias economy than any other country in the top five.

Other Notable Countries

Out of the top five where Indias total exports account for 35% of global tugboat exports, other notable contributors are Netherlands with 3.2%, Romania 2.6%, Japan with 4.8%, Malaysia with 2.1%, and Hong Kong with a share of 1.4%. Africa is the last continent in the ranking of total worth of tugboats exported among all the continents. Asia is the top exporter with a share of 73% followed by Europe with 26% share of the global tugboats exports.
Australia is both a continent and a country. It is located to the south of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, in the southeast part of the Indian Ocean. New Zealand lies to its east, and most of the Indian Ocean lies to its west. Antarctica can be found to Australias south. The Australian continent consists of the mainland, as well as the island of Tasmania, which lies to the south of mainland, across the Bass Strait. It also includes many smaller islands, such as Kangaroo Island, Christmas Island, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Australia is the worlds smallest continent, though it is also the sixth-largest country in the world. The total land area of Australia is 7,682,300 sq. km.

What Makes Australia A Continent?

7 continents of the world.

Defining a continent can be tricky. In fact, there is even disagreement on how many continents there are in the world. For example, many people in Russia, the rest of Eastern Europe, and Japan consider Europe and Asia to be one continent, known as Eurasia. In some countries, North and South America are considered one continent, while Europe and Asia are divided. There are even some who believe that Europe, Asia, and Africa should be considered one united continent because they are all joined together by land. The most prevailing view, however, is that there are seven continents in the world, and one of them is Australia.

There is also a widely accepted view of what a continent is. This view defines a continent as a large, continuous, distinct landmass, preferably separated by a vast expanse of water. This definition is problematic because many of todays continents are not separated by vast expanses of water. In fact, all the continents are connected by land to at least one other continent, with one exception: Australia. Australia is surrounded by vast expanses of water on all sides. Thus, one could argue that it meets the prevailing definition of a continent better than most other continents.

What Makes Australia A Country?

In addition to being a continent, Australia is also a country, which is officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia. The country was officially created in 1901, when the British Parliament allowed the six separate British colonies on the continent to unite into one dominion. From then on, Australia governed its own domestic affairs, though its foreign policy was still determined by the British government, as Australia was a dominion of the British Empire. In 1931, however, the British government approved what was known as the Statute of Westminster, which gave Australia and the other dominions of the British Empire control over foreign policy, though this law was not formally adopted by Australia until 1942. Thus, Australia became a fully sovereign country.

Administrative Divisions

States and territories of Australia.

Todays Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy, which means that the British monarch is the head of state, but serves only a ceremonial function, whereas the real power lies in the hands of the Australian people and their elected representatives. Australia is structured as a federation, similar to how the United States is structured. The Australian federation consists of six entities known as states, and ten other entities known as territories. The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. These states have certain powers delegated to them under the Australian constitution, while other powers are the exclusive domain of the countrys federal government, based in the Australian capital, Canberra.

In contrast, the territories either have varying degrees of autonomy, or are under the direct control of the federal government. The two mainland territories, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where Canberra is located, and the Northern Territory have been given limited self-governing powers by the federal government. The website of the Australian federal government notes that these two territories are treated very much as if they were states because of their sizeable populations. Another territory, Norfolk Island, used to have self-governing powers, but these were largely taken away by the federal government in 2015. Australias eight other territories are under the direct control of the federal government.

Federal Government

Inside House of Representatives, the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia in Canberra, Australia.

The federal government of Australia has an executive branch led by a Prime Minister, who heads a cabinet. The legislative branch of Australias government is known as the parliament. It is a bicameral legislature, which means that it has two legislative organs or houses. The lower house is known as the House of Representatives. The upper house is known as the Senate. Like the U.S. House of Representatives, the Australian counterpart is structured on a representation by population model, which means that the more populous areas of the country have more representatives than less populated areas. The Australian senate also resembles the US Senate. Each Australian state elects 12 senators, while the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Region elect two each. In addition, the Australian judicial branch operates very much like the federal judiciary in the US. The High Court of Australia is the equivalent of the US Supreme Court. The state governments of Australia largely parallel the structure of the federal government. Thus, they have their own executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Economy

Australian dollars.

As a sovereign state, Australia not only has its own government, but its own economy as well. This includes its own currency, the Australian dollar. The economy of Australia, valued at about 1.323 trillion U.S. dollars, is the 13th largest in the world, and one of the wealthiest in the Asia-Pacific region. Australias economy has also been rated the 3rd freest economy in the world, according to the 2021 Index of Economic Freedom. Moreover, Australia has free trade agreements with 15 different countries, including the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

National Identity

Aboriginal Australians man dancing traditional dance during Australia Day celebrations.In 2016 Australian CensusEditorial credit: ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com

What else makes Australia a country? Its people, of course. More than 25 million people call Australia home. Often nicknamed, The Land Down Under, because of its location in the worlds southern hemisphere, Australia has a national identity all its own. This identity is often popularized in movies and TV, but there is a lot more to it than what appears on the big or small screen. Australians are often known for having egalitarian views, meaning that they are very supportive of concepts like universal healthcare and publicly-funded education. Australians are also very diverse, with a variety of different population groups ranging from the indigenous Aborigine groups that lived in the country thousands of years before any Europeans arrived, to growing numbers of Asians and Africans. Thus, Australia is a lot more than kangaroos, boomerangs, and Fosters beer.
Peru is a country in South America. Ecuador and Colombia border Peru to the north, while on the eastern side of Peru is Brazil and on the southern side is Chile. The Pacific Ocean is located on the western side of Peru. In 2015, the population of Peru was approximately 31.2 million. The countrys capital is Lima.

Geography of Peru

Peru covers an area of approximately 1,285,216 square kilometers. The Andes Mountains are the most dominant landmark in the country. The mountains run parallel to the coastline bordering the Pacific Ocean. Most of the rivers in the country have their sources in the Andes Mountains. The longest rivers in the country are the Uyacali, the Urubamba, the Mantaro, the Putumayo, and the Amazon Rivers. The highest peak of the country, Huascaran, is approximately 22,205 feet above the sea level. The largest lake in South America, Lake Titicaca, is located in between Peru and Bolivia. The western coastal regions of Peru are mostly flat. The western coastal regions are mostly arid except for a few areas with valleys and seasonal rivers. The Selva region, which is mostly considered as the jungle region, is a wide area covered by the Amazon Rainforest that stretches to the eastern side of the region.

Climate

Peru experiences diverse climatic conditions. The extreme conditions are experienced due to the different topographies in the country. The western coastal regions of the country, which are low lying plains, experience hot and dry climate. The Andes region receives an ample amount of rainfall during the summer season. The temperatures of the Andes region decrease with increasing altitude, up to the highest peak of the mountain. The Peruvian Amazon region receives heavy rainfall on most of the months. However, the south region of the Amazon forest experiences extremely cold winters and seasonal rainfall.

Government of Peru

The government of Peru is set under a unitary system, whereby the central government is the supreme authority in the country. The politics takes place in the context of representative parliamentary democracy state with a multi-party system. The president, who is elected after every five years, serves as the head of state. The prime minister, who serves as the head of government in Peru, is appointed by the president. After his appointment, the prime minister is expected to form the government.

Peru Is In South America

Peru is located in the western region of South America. After gaining independence from Spain in 1824, Peru was recognized as a sovereign state in South America. It thereafter joined organizations that deal with issues concerning South American countries. Being a member of South American organizations, other than its geographical location in South America, is proof enough to the location of the country. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is one of the South American Organization that Peru is a member. The UN recognizes Peru to be one of the 12 countries in South America. Furthermore, Peru hosts a number of notable South American sites such as the vast Amazon forest, Lake Titicaca, and the Andes Mountains.
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According to Ireland property portal Daft.ie, three-bed homes in Ireland near the new Luas cross-city stops saw their values increase by 15% over the last year, compared to a 6% increase in similar homes near other rail stations.Commuters living on the Dublin coastline pay on average the most for a property, with homes close to the Sandymount DART averaging 784,000.Properties near DART stations are among the most expensive with Lansdowne Road (737k), Sydney Parade (706k) and Dalkey (699k) accounting for four of the top five most expensive stations to live by, on the new maps produced by Daft.ie.On the Luas, homes close to Beechwood on the green line command the highest average asking prices (727k), while those living in the city centre pay most on the Luas red line with properties near the Spencer Dock stop averaging 597,000.Daft.ie also analyzed the average asking prices for each stop on the new Luas cross-city line, which opened on Saturday. Properties close to the new Dawson, Trinity and Westmoreland stops came out on top, with average asking prices of 519,000.Commenting on the figures, Ronan Lyons, economist at Trinity College Dublin said, "It is well known that transport infrastructure can have a big impact on property values. Over the last 20 years, Ireland has added lots of new infrastructure, including motorways and the DART. How these investments pay for themselves is, of course, a different question. One option increasingly considered elsewhere is value capture - in other words, where the taxpayer brings about an increase in wealth by paying for new infrastructure, it shares in part of that new wealth. The opening of the cross-city Luas has clearly added value in the areas newly served by light rail: three-bed homes near the new Luas stations saw their values increase by 15% over the last year, compared to a 6% increase in similar homes near other rail stations. Whether the taxpayer gets some payback, however, is down to the Government."The figures shown are average asking prices for 3 bed properties controlling for time, size and type for each of the stations on the Luas & DART lines. The sample of properties for sale comes from the period between January and November 2017.Commenting on the data, Martin Clancy from Daft.ie said, "Convenience and affordability are two key concerns for pretty much everyone who lives and works in Dublin. This map gives a great overview of property prices across the capital and is a fantastic visual reference for anyone who is considering buying or selling close to the Luas or DART."
A new study says exposure to air pollution during pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects in children.

By Asian News International: A new study adds to growing evidence that exposure to air pollution before conception or even during the first month during pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects in children.

Although the increased risk is modest, the potential impact on a population basis is noteworthy because all pregnant women have some amount of exposure.

"The most susceptible time of exposure appears to be the one month before and after conception," says Emily DeFranco, senior author of the study.

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"Public health efforts should continue to highlight the importance of minimizing population-level exposure to harmful particulate matter in the air."

Also Read: Air pollution can also impact a child's brain development, says UNICEF

Dr. DeFranco and her colleagues examined fine particulate matter, which is a significant health hazard because these tiny particles can deposit deep into the lower airways and air sacs within the lungs and enter the circulatory system.

Fine particulate matter is a mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets that get into the air and, once inhaled, can negatively affect many aspects of a person's health.

To conduct the study, the researchers used birth certificate data from the Ohio Department of Health and particulate matter data from the US Environmental Protection Agency's 57 monitoring stations throughout Ohio.

Also Read: Delhi government issues health advisory over pollution

They linked the geographic coordinates of the mother's residence for each birth with the nearest monitoring station and calculated average exposures. They then estimated the association between abnormalities at birth and the mother's exposure to increased levels of fine particulate matter in the air during pregnancy.

Dr. DeFranco says there are inherent limitations of observational studies such as this but that it provides a good foundation on which future studies can build. Birth defects affect three percent of all births in the United States.

The study has been published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

--- ENDS ---
Praise for Wrexhams excellent track record in supporting refugees as plans to resettle 10 Syrian families given go ahead

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Dec 12th, 2017

Plans to resettle a further 10 Syrian refugee families received unanimous backing from councillors this morning  with praise for support locally for the scheme already.

A report present to members of the Executive Board today outlined the plans to continue the councils support for the Syrian Refugee Relocation Scheme .

The Home Office funded scheme provides support to local authorities in finding accommodation for refugees fleeing Syria.

In May 2016 members of the Executive Board unanimously gave their support to the scheme, approving plans to house five Syrian refugee families in Wrexham. A second report presented to the board later that year for a further five families, was also backed unanimously by councillors.

So far eight families  totalling 36 people  have relocated to Wrexham so far, with plans to identify and welcome a further two families by the end of the financial year. The families allocated to Wrexham so far from two parents with two children to two parents with four children.

Today members of the Executive Board unanimously supported a recommendation to welcome and house another 10 families, in principle, to Wrexham.

Speaking at this mornings Executive Board, Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, said he was grateful to the people of Wrexham for the support given to the scheme to date.

Cllr Jones continued: This has been a really good story for people coming from the most desperate condition of war, famine and refugees in Syria.

It has been a success because all agencies in partnership, health service, local communities and council staff have worked tirelessly to welcome refugees into our communities. All have felt welcome and very grateful for support given.

Now feel on basis of success achieved to date, it would right to extend scheme for a further five families in 2018/19 and 19/20. 10 families, five in each ensuing two years.

The scheme fully funding by the Home Office and the work done to date has been welcomed by all concerned. It is subject to have agreement from partners and they are listed, we call on multi-agencies to bring in support to enable the scheme to be a success.

He added: It is a small contribution Wrexham is making for 6.5 million displaced refugees, families and young children. I am proud to move the recommendation.

The report was seconded by Cllr David A Bithell, who noted that Wrexham has an excellent track record in supporting refugees.

Questions were asked about how individual councillors can support those who are resettled in their wards, with Cllr Mike Davies drawing upon his own personal experience meeting the families who have been housed across Wrexham.

Cllr Davies said: We are all aware of what is going on in this particular situation. Ive been close on a ground level, Ive met all these families as part of my work, my normal job is in the fire service.

When families arrive and are given a home, within the first couple of days they have a home visit, we always have a member of the British Red Cross and a translator. Some of the stories you hear are quite tragic.

There are a couple of things Id like to suggest. I know all members are aware of where they will be located, theyre not told when. Might be useful on a couple of occasions they are given a date to visit the local councillor, if they wish they might want to come in. I dont know if you could put something in place so that could be facilitated.

A similar question was asked by Cllr Tina Mannering, who queried: I wondered what our responsibilities as local councillors are for refugees would be and how that would fit into the community?

Cllr Jones: What we will do is ensure all the refugees who come here have access to their local councillors contact details, it will then to give them an opportunity to contact their local member if they wish and the role of the local member will be explained. I will ensure that is passed on.

He added: As local councillors we represent the whole of the community, so if someone comes to live in our community, we are their representative. Thats why I said I will take on board the suggestion that we ensure all refugees have the contact details of their councillor and the role they fulfil, because coming from a different culture, they may have difficulty in understanding what we do.

Once somebody is living in our ward, we have a duty to represent them and I will make sure those details are made available to them.

The report received unanimous backing from members of the Executive Board.
On Monday morning, an explosive device detonated in the New York Citys Port Authority-42nd Street subway station shortly after 7:00 a.m., just after rush hour had begun. According to police, the device was hidden on the person of a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant worker, Akayed Ullah, who has lived in Brooklyn for seven years.

The device, apparently a home-made pipe bomb strapped to Ullahs body, went off, perhaps prematurely, in a pedestrian walkway that connects two subway lines. The area is one of the busiest in the city, particularly during rush hour.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal, the most active bus terminal in the United States, only one floor up, was shut down, as were the two subway stations that the passage connected. Several train lines going into the Times Square area were redirected or skipped the area altogether. Three people were moderately injured and Ullah sustained life-threatening burns and abrasions, and is currently in serious condition at Bellevue Hospital.

According to media reports, an unidentified police source said that, [Ullah] did make a statement providing the basis for his motive. The source noted that Ullah told the police that he read the ISIS online magazine Inspire and that he found instructions for making the bomb online. CNN has reported that he was motivated by recent Israeli actions in Gaza.

This is the second recent attack that has been attributed to terrorism by home-spun followers of ISIS. On October 31, Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbek immigrant, killed eight people after he ran a rented truck into pedestrians on a pathway on Manhattans West Side. As with numerous other participants in terror attacks, Saipov was, to some degree, already known to the intelligence authorities.

In a press conference later in the morning, Democratic New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, however, was quick to blame the internet for the incident, remarking on the garbage and vileness as well as instructions for making bombs that can be found online.

Later in the day Cuomo told the media that Ullah was a lone wolf and not part of a terrorist network. He again emphasized the role of the internet in the attack: Theyre not people who come from overseas. They live here, theyre disgruntled, they go to the internet.

The Democratic mayor of the city, Bill de Blasio, told a morning press briefing that the police had secured the citys transit hubs and that New Yorkers should be reassured when you see those long guns [of the NYPD].

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokesperson, used the occasion to reaffirm President Donald Trumps opposition to chain migration, the policy that gives immigration preference to family members of those already with legal immigrant status in the US. This is the policy that reportedly enabled Ullah to enter the United States in 2011.

The investigation into the bombing is now being handled by the Joint Terrorism Taskforce (JTT), comprised of FBI agents and NYPD detectives. Police closed off a block near Ullahs residence in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn, and placed the entire area under surveillance, including the use of a police helicopter. The JTT is reportedly questioning Ullahs family.

The explosion was occasion for a surge in police and military presence in Manhattan.

One observer told the WSWS that a huge number of police vehicles, including heavily armored vehicles had entered Manhattan from the Midtown Tunnel that connects the island with Queens in the hour after the explosion. The number of police was a show of force well out of proportion to the seriousness of the incident, though not far beyond the usual presence of heavily armed men and women and military hardware that is now a part of daily life in the countrys largest city.
Congress leader's comments come a few days after Mani Shankar Aiyar called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "neech aadmi".

By India Today Web Desk: Newly-inducted Congress leader Alpesh Thakor today said that imported mushrooms have helped Narendra Modi get a "fair" complexion.

Addressing a rally in Gujarat on the last day of the election campaign for the second phase, OBC leader Thakor said, "Modi ji eats mushrooms from Taiwan and one mushroom costs Rs 80,000 and he eats five mushrooms everyday".

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"He was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms," said Thakor as quoted by news agency ANI.

Thakor is contesting from Radhanpur constituency in Patan district of Gujarat.

Alpesh said that someone told him that "Modi saab jo khate hain woh aap nahi khaa sakte... kyunki woh gaaribon ka khaana nahi hai... woh to mushroom khaate hain.. tum log joh khaate ho woh unko aacha nahi lagta, woh joh khaate hain woh toh Taiwan se aata hai... uske ek mushroom ki keemat Rs 80,000 hai (The poor cannot afford what Modi eats. The Prime Minister eats mushrooms imported from Taiwan, and each piece costs Rs 80,000) ".

#WATCH Modi Ji eats mushrooms from Taiwan, one mushroom costs Rs 80 thousand & he eats 5 mushrooms a day. He was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms: Alpesh Thakor, activist & Congress leader #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/jh5QPN27SD- ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Thakor claimed that Modi has been eating these mushrooms since he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

"Woh mere jitne kale the, itne gore kaise ho gaye... lal tamatar jaise, jo PM har roz 4 lakh ke mushroom kha jaate hai, unko yeh roti-chawal accha nahi lagega, woh toh sab dikhawa hai (He was dark like me but has now become fair... A Prime Minister who eats mushrooms worth Rs 4 lakh everyday will never like dal-chawal. This is a farce)," the 40-year-old OBC leader said.

Alpesh Thakor then said, "Socho uske (Prime Minister) karyakarta kitne karodon rupaiye khaa jaate honge (Just imagine the level of corruption among his party workers)."

Thakor's comments come a few days after Mani Shankar Aiyar called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "neech aadmi".

Watch: Voters say farmers' distress, unemployment, minority welfare key poll issues

--- ENDS ---
So precarious is Prime Minister Theresa Mays position that the ruling class is seriously considering its response to a collapse of the Conservative government and the possibility of a snap election.

Attention centres on whether a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn offers a route out of the potentially catastrophic impact of Britains exit from the European Union.

The still unfolding debacle of Britains negotiations with the EU makes clear that the deep divisions within the Tory party over Brexit cannot be sustained indefinitely. The hardline Brexit wing is manoeuvring over who will replace MayDavid Davis, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove or Jacob Rees-Moggwhile 20 Remain MPs have written to May attacking them for being highly irresponsible.

What holds the party together is primarily fear that a general election will follow Mays downfall and the Tories could lose, with reports of an 8 percent swing to Labour since Junes general election.

In these circumstances, Corbyns leadership team has spent months persuading ruling circles that Labour can be trusted to take the reins of statecentred on Shadow Chancellor John McDonnells tea offensive meetings with business leaders, bankers and hedge fund managers in the City of London.

McDonnell has stressed that the anti-austerity rhetoric that won Corbyn popular support denotes only minimal reforms that are more than made up for by plans to encourage investment and aid business.

Ultimately, Labours acceptability as an alternative government hangs on whether it offers a means of either reversing Brexit, or at least guaranteeing a soft Brexit with continued access to the Single European Market and Customs Union. This month, after meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Corbyn suggested for the first time that Labour might support holding a second referendum on Brexit if a satisfactory agreement with the EU is not reached. Weve not made any decision on a second referendum What weve said is that we would respect the result of the first referendum, he said.

However, opinion in financial and business circles remains deeply divided over whether Labour can be trusted to replace the Tories.

Corbyns anti-austerity rhetoric is anathema to the financial oligarchynot primarily because of the policies formally advanced, but because Labour can only come to power through a political shift to the left among workers and young people. Having done so, will Labour be able to play the same role as Syriza did in Greecepromising austerity only then to impose it, or will the expectations raised among millions breech the political firewall of a Corbyn government?

A report by Morgan Stanley on the European Economic Outlook warns that it is now likely Britain will have a general election in 2018, but a Corbyn government is a greater threat to the UK economy than a hard Brexit.

From a UK investor perspective, we believe that the domestic political situation is at least as significant as Brexit, given the fragile state of the current government and the perceived risks of an incoming Labour administration that could potentially embark on a radical change in policy direction, the report declared.

The CME Groups What to Expect from a Prime Minister Corbyn says that a Labour government could lead to a nightmare scenario for the pound.

Writing in the Spectator, financial analyst Merryn Somerset Webb warns, It is, Im afraid, time to prepare your personal finances for a Corbyn government. The collapse of Mays well-meaning but inept government and replacement by a neo-socialist Labour government is now a high enough risk that not to prepare for it would be reckless.

This means the rich taking steps to avoid rising income tax and getting rid of your buy-to-let investments because socialism has a long history of loathing landlords, etc.

The Financial Times asks, Can business learn to live with a hard-left Labour? It cites warnings from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) that plans to nationalise the rail, energy and water industries and the Royal Mail would send investors running for the hills.

Another FT article, Money managers nervous over prospect of PM Corbyn, quotes Bobby Vedral, a banker partner at Goldman Sachs, declaring that a Corbyn win would make the UK like Cuba without the sunshine, and Edi Truell, a private equity investor, who has already taken his entire 250m family fortune out of the UK and moved it to Switzerland.

Corbyns response to such attacks was to issue a video via Twitter in which he said, Bankers like Morgan Stanley should not run our country but they think they do So when they say were a threat, theyre right: Were a threat to a damaging and failed system that is rigged for the few.

Corbyns Twitter video elicited another slew of hostile coverage, but other commentators have cautioned against an overreaction, insisting that he and McDonnell will reveal their true pro-business colours when in office. What is needed, they say, is engagement with Labour so that it can be carefully politically engineered to better meet the demands of business.

To this end James Moore, chief business commentator for the Independent, stresses that Corbyns beat down of Morgan should be taken with a large pinch of salt: Lines of communication need to be opened It would be helpful for the country, not just Labour

There are those within business circles who already accept the need for such an approach. On November 29, the Evening Standard wrote of Labours rapid progress within the corporate world, citing Ibrahim Dogus, Labours 2017 candidate for the Cities of London and Westminster constituency, who explained, The business community is making preparations for a Labour government. They are sensible so want to be part of the conversation when Labour drafts policy.

The previously cited FT articles acknowledge that with both backing a softer Brexit, there may be room for rapprochement quoting Ann Pettifor, an economics advisor to McDonnell, who adds, You just have to look at past Labour governments. The party is prepared to work with business and the City of London.

Dean Turner, of UBS Wealth Management, states his belief that investors have exaggerated the threat posed by Corbyn, saying a government led by the Labour leader would not turn Britain into Venezuela overnight. His colleague, Karan Sejpal, adds of Corbyn, His rhetoric has softened as he has become more probable as a prime minister.

The nature of the debate being played out in Britains media points both to the real character and political function of a Corbyn Labour government, should it come to power.

From the standpoint of a defence of the social and economic interests of the working class and the young people whose hopes they have aroused, Corbyn and McDonnells gaseous leftism counts for nothing.

McDonnell claims that he has carried out war-gaming over what to do if the financial speculators provoke a run on the pound in the event Labour forms a government. At the same time, however, Corbyns preaching of a new politicssupposedly combining progressive social reform with an orientation to the Citydisarms the working class at a time when it must prepare to wage actual political warfare against a ruthless capitalist class and for socialism.

Labour in office would function as the conscious and willing defender of the interests of British imperialism. It will betray its promises to working people of social and economic change, just as surely as its historical and international counterparts and pave the way for yet more savage attacks on living standards, democratic rights and a steeper descent into militarism and war.
The Grenfell Fire Forum held at the Maxilla Social Club in North Kensington took place two days prior to procedural hearings beginning Monday of the official inquiry under Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

Attending were local-residents as well as workers from Camden, Westminster and other London boroughs.

World Socialist Web Site British editor Robert Stevens explained that with the six-month anniversary of the fire on December 14, the official final death toll is 71 people, and over 70 others injured.

This number is disputed but, as Stevens explained, whether it is the Metropolitan Polices fatality figure or a larger figure, the Socialist Equality Party has described the fire as social murder. Grenfell residents were placed in a situation by the authorities where the terrible consequences of what could happen to them were known.

Stevens asked, Six months on what has happened to the survivors and their families? Out of the 208 households that needed rehousing after the fire, 118 will still be in emergency accommodation or with friends over the Christmas period. These include 29 families with children. Grenfell United, which represents the families, said a further 48 households have accepted permanent housing offers but have not yet moved in and are currently still in temporary homes. So in total 166 households will still be in temporary housing at Christmas.

The same hostility of the ruling elite to the needs of the population that led to the fire has determined their response ever since.

Kensington and Chelsea Councilin the face of mounting public angersaid all would be housed within three weeks. Then they said it would be by Christmas and now it is by June next year. By then families who saw their loved ones suffer and die will have been homeless for a year.

A state cover-up was mounted immediately. To this day, the police criminal investigation into the fire has not resulted in a single person being arrested, let alone charged.

The government inquiry is part of the same cover-up said Stevens, explaining that Moore-Bick has no powers to prosecute anyone. Moreover, the terms of the inquiry specifically rule out any evaluation of issues of a social, economic and political nature.

We reported this week on the very important step by the Grenfell families to challenge the remit of this anti-democratic inquiry. They are demanding that Prime Minister Theresa May appoint a panel of trusted peoplewith decision-making powersto work alongside Moore-Bick. They also demand that legal representatives of the families have access to all evidence presented from the outset, and be allowed to question witnesses at their discretion and on the day.

Stevens stressed, Everything has confirmed that class oppression and exploitation is the central issue raised by the Grenfell tragedy.

The inferno happened in London, one of the richest cities in the world, and in Londons richest constituency. The victims burned to death because they were working class in a society in which the only people deemed to matter are the super-rich.

What took place was the predictable result of four decades of deregulation by successive Conservative and Labour governments and their local representatives, he added. The loss of life at Grenfell was a horrifying example of the devastation that capitalism has wrought on generations of working people.

There have been countless statements by local people blaming Grenfell on the treatment of the poor and the working class. This is recognition by many that class is the fundamental dividing line in society. Its not gender, or ethnicity or anything else, it is class.

Stevens said it is vital that workers and young people organise independently of all the main parties to fight for their intereststhe right to housing, to education, to health care. Labour was just as much responsible for social cleansing as the Tories. Earlier in the week, the Labour council in the London borough of Haringey voted through the latest stage of its 2 billion privatisation programme, which involves the demolition of seven working class estates.

The vote only went through because Labour councillors who are supporters of party leader Jeremy Corbyn agreed to stay away. They would rather remain in the Labour Party than oppose a policy of social cleansing.

One of those attending the forum, Kerdesan, lives locally and witnessed the fire along with her children. Her son had pointed at the tower during the fire and said, Thats my friends house. Are they dead in there? Theyre burning.

Three years old and they are telling you that, she said. After the fire, no one from the council came to ask how she and her children were coping.

Even after Grenfell the council is still trying to move social housing residents out of the borough, telling them there are plenty of properties elsewhere. Its been six months since the tragedy and nothing has been done by the authorities to help the bereaved, survivors and local community: Leading figures in the council responsible for Grenfell at the time should be arrested, including former council leader Nick Paget-Brown and the ex-head of housing, Laura Johnson.

Two residents from the Chalcots estate in Camden attended. Michelle told the meeting that one family from Grenfell has been rehoused into one of the Chalcots tower blocks, even though they were cited as being unsafe following the tragedy. The family were put into a one bedroom flat on the 16th floor despite having lots of kids. Michelle added, Apparently she [the mother] is terrified going into the lift. Out of all the tower blocks in the whole of London, they put them in one of those that were evacuated and still have remedial work going on.

Michelle spoke of the ongoing struggle residents have had with the Labour-run council over the unsafe tower blocks in which they live. It was only now, months later, that flammable cladding has been removed from tower blocks on the estate. Even so, some of the towers will still have some cladding left on over Christmas.

In June, without warning, the council decided to evacuate thousands of people from the Chalcots tower blocks after advice from the fire services as they were fire hazards. The experience was traumatic, with some people screaming and crying. At least in one case, Michelle said, parents were not allowed back into the building to get their children.

Michelles husband, Paul, explained that sealant strips on the firedoors had only been fixed up to the 8th floor and despite this the work was signed off as complete enough for people to move back in.

Through his own research, Paul said that he found out subsequently that in the case of Lakanal House fire, the lack of such strips was one of four prosecutable counts cited. If Camden Council was prosecuted over this under corporate manslaughter legislation, all that would result would be a very large fine for the council with ordinary people ultimately footing the bill.
Last month the Japanese public was shocked by the discovery of nine brutally-mutilated corpses in an apartment in suburban Tokyo in what was described as the worst case of serial killing in recent years. A 27-year-old youth, Takahiro Shiraishi, has admitted guilt after being named as the prime suspect.

The murders, labelled the Zama killings after the Tokyo suburb, have been portrayed as an isolated and inexplicable episode. Whatever Shiraishis exact motivations, this gruesome crime reflects the social disaffection and political alienation felt by broad layers of Japanese youth.

The bodies of the victims found in Shiraishis apartment were dismembered and stuffed in ice coolers, toolboxes, and rubbish bags. The strong stench was noticed by neighbours, who notified municipal authorities. However, it was only when a brother of one of the victims discovered Internet exchanges between Shiraishi and his sister that the police arrested him.

Shiraishi has been charged with first-degree murder as well as destruction of evidence. His alleged victims included eight women and a man, all aged between 15 and 26 years old. By his admission, starting in August this year, he apparently contacted youth who had expressed a desire to end their own lives on so-called suicide pages on Twitter. He offered to assist their suicide, along with the promise that they could die together in a suicide pact. Upon arriving at his apartment, the victims were murdered and their belongings and money stolen.

Shiraishi has reportedly expressed no other motivation than theft. If the allegations are true, he is deeply troubled with scant regard for human life. Prior to the killings, Shiraishi had no criminal record, and was described by family and neighbours as a quiet, unassuming young man. After graduating high school, he worked casual jobs at a grocery store but then became a recruiter for a local brothel.

In its reporting, the Japanese media has been quick to focus solely on the grisly nature of the murders, sensationalizing every detail and ignoring any broader examination of the social causes of this tragedy. The only measure proposed thus far is to restrict access of Japanese youths to the suicide websites and greater censorship.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshishide Suga rapidly announced that the government would clamp down on websites propagating suicide content. Seiko Noda, minister of internal affairs and communications emphasised that efforts would be made to close any supposed loopholes in Internet regulations allowing such web sites to exist.

Amid the media outrage over web sites promoting suicidality, the question is never raised: Why are so many Japanese youth seeking to commit suicide?

Suicide in Japan is a serious social problem. Even though recent years have seen a decrease in the rate, the country still recorded over 21,000 cases of suicide in 2016. By population, Japan has the sixth highest suicide rate in the world.

Suicide is the number one cause of death for children and youth, with surveys revealing that roughly a quarter of high school students have suffered from severe depression and thought about suicide at one point in their lives.

Japanese media abounds with articles on individuals committing suicide due to overwork, succumbing to incredible pressures in the academic and schooling system, and serious difficulties for young people in finding friends and romantic partners.

While the idea of an honourable suicide stemming from feudal times still has a cultural sway, it is completely inadequate to explain the suicide rate. The persistently high rates of depression and suicide are a reflection of widespread social despair, hopelessness and alienation from society at large.

The descriptions of Shiraishis victims are quite telling. They came from diverse backgrounds, ranging from private high school students to a divorced single mother, government public servants to casual labourers.

Deep social alienation is also expressed in the rising numbers of hikikomoriyoung people who adopt a reclusive life and in the most extreme cases refuse to leave their rooms. An estimated half million youth are categorised as hikikomori. They are generally ignored by the media or treated as mentally ill. For many, however, it is a reaction to a sick society that they want no part of.

The social stresses are only compounded by the lack of assistance. For those in need, public mental health services, which have always been limited, have become increasingly stretched in recent years by budget cuts and increased demand.

The most acute expression of a diseased society are crimes such as the Zama killings, which contrary to the media, are not an isolated incidents. Since the early 1990s, there have been an increasing number of similarly random and gruesome murder cases, often involving young people with clear psychological disturbances.

* A month prior to the Zama murders, a 32 year old man was arrested for killing his wife and five children by setting fire to their apartment, without any apparent reason.

* Just last year a young disability-care worker killed 19 and wounded 26 disabled patients in a knife attack. In admitting to the crime, he said he wanted to free people of the burdens of their disabilities.

* In 2008, a young man drove a truck into a crowd in downtown Tokyo, killing eight people. When questioned, he expressed feelings of worthlessness and suicidality.

The rise of the various symptoms of social distress and political alienation correspond with the onset of the long period of Japans economic stagnation that has given rise to an end of lifelong employment and widespread casualisation, lower wages and greater economic insecurity, and a deepening gulf between rich and poor.

The entire political establishment from the right-wing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government of Shinzo Abe to the various opposition parties is committed to the agenda of austerity at home and support for the US-led war drive against North Korea and China. The bleak future facing young people not only in Japan is undoubtedly contributing to the various symptoms of social diseasefrom suicide to violent crime.

The author recommends:

Random killing in Tokyo points to deepening social crisis in Japan

[23 June 2008]

Knife attack in Japan leaves 19 disabled people dead

[27 July 2016]
Art historian Linda Nochlin died of cancer October 29 at the age of 86. Best known today perhaps for the provocative essay Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? published in ArtNews in 1971, Nochlin wrote a number of valuable and insightful works on the art of the 19th century in particular. Later, she played a seminal role in establishing a feminist approach to art history through her influential career as a writer, scholar, professor and curator for the better part of five decades.

In her books Realism (1971), Gustave Courbet: A Study of Style and Society (1976) and even The Politics of Vision (1991) to a considerable extent, Nochlin examined the historical and material context of works of art with an eye to the nexus of artistic form and politics, with special regard to the changing class relations of the various periods.

Born Linda Natalie Weinberg in Brooklyn, New York on January 20, 1931, Nochlin grew up as an only child in a left-leaning, wealthy Jewish family. Her father Jules Weinberg made his fortune in the familys newspaper delivery business, and her mother Elka Weinberg nee Heller surrounded her daughter with art, culture, and material privilege. Like many secular Jews of the period, financial success was not incompatible with radical, even Communist sympathies.

I thought all radicals were rich, she told interviewer Richard Candida Smith in April 1998, All the radicals I knew were wealthy Jews who lived either in Westchester or Brooklyn or the Upper West Side, and they were highly interested in politics. Many of them were [Communist] Party members, some were even Trotskyites, others were just left-wing Democrats.  I mean, [Franklin D.] Roosevelt was as far right as people were willing to go. (The Feminist Turn in the Social History of Art: Linda Nochlin, 2000)

Receiving her B.A. from Vassar College in Philosophy in 1951, and an M.A. in English Literature from Columbia University in 1952, she was attracted to the work of French painter Gustave Courbet (18191877) who became the subject of her 1963 doctoral dissertation at New York Universitys Institute of Fine Arts, where she studied with renowned art historian Walter Friedlaender. According to The ArtBook (2000), she began her dissertation during the McCarthy period, she had been a philosophy major, she was steeped in the political ideas of seventeenth-century literature and she chose Courbet, she now says, because she liked his politics.

She sought an artist to study who challenged the status quo in both artistic form and content. Courbet, the self-proclaimed proudest and most arrogant man in France fit the bill. His Realist manifesto (1855) proclaimed To know in order to do, that was my idea. To be in a position to translate the customs, the ideas, the appearance of my time, according to my own estimation; to be not only a painter, but a man as well; in short, to create living artthis is my goal.

Courbets materialist approachin contrast to the idealism of the preceding Romantic and Neoclassical schoolswas influenced in no small part by the theories of utopian socialism shared by his friend and co-thinker, the philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. The latter championed the burgeoning workers movement, the writings of Karl Marx, and to a greater extent, the perspective of Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin. Appreciating Courbets dedication to producing art that was of its times, with its emphasis on observation of the objective and, in particular, class character of social reality, Nochlin was also decidedly of her times in contradictory ways.

Her Realism is an intriguing work that sets out to isolate the peculiar implications of Realism, considered as an historical, stylistic movement or direction in the arts. In the opening essay, The Nature of Realism, she observes, for example, that A new and broadened notion of history, accompanying a radical alteration of the sense of time, was central to the Realist outlook. Furthermore, new democratic ideas stimulated a wider historical approach. Ordinary peoplemerchants, workers and peasantsin their everyday functions, began to appear on a stage formerly reserved exclusively for kings, nobles, diplomats and heroes.

The insistence on the connection between history and experienced fact, Nochlin writes, is characteristic of the Realist outlook. As Flaubert pointed out in a letter of 1854: The leading characteristic of our century is its historical sense. This is why we have to confine ourselves to relating the facts. A true understanding and representation of both past and present was now seen to depend on a scrupulous examination of the evidence, free from any conventional, accepted moral or metaphysical evaluation.. . . Applying this attitude to art, Courbet declared in 1861 that painting is an essentially concrete art and can only consist of the presentation of real and existing things. It is a completely physical language, the words of which consist of all visible objects; an object which is abstract, not visible, non-existent, is not within the realm of painting.

And later, she points out: A new demand for democracy in art, accompanying the demand for political and social democracy, opened up a whole new realm of subjects hitherto unnoticed or considered unworthy of pictorial or literary representation. While the poor might always have been with us, they had hardly been granted a fair share of serious artistic attention before the advent of Realismnor had the middle classes, who were now the dominant force in society.

Nochlins essay, Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?, may well have been motivated by her own conversion to feminism in 1969, but it also contains arguments that are unobjectionable. In her essay, she argues essentially that feminists and others should stop trying to mythologize past artists or claim that world-historical female talents have been suppressed and turn their attention to the fact that there have been no great female painters in particular for social and institutional reasons.

It is clearly not because women are incapable of greatness. Art, Nochlin writes, is not a free, autonomous activity of a super-endowed individual. She refers instead to the total situation of art making, both in terms of the development of the art maker and in the nature and quality of the work of art itself, which occur in a social situation, are integral elements of this social structure, and are mediated and determined by specific and definable social institutions. Thus Nochlin argues that the answer to why there have been no great women artists lies not in the nature of individual genius or the lack of it, but in the nature of given social institutions and what they forbid or encourage in various classes or groups of individuals.

The essay, however, does not conclude with a radical indictment of class society, but merely a moral appeal for women to face up to the reality of their history and of their present situation, without making excuses or puffing mediocrity.

Nochlin could be a sensitive analyst of artistic trends and an insightful observer of the social process, especially astute, as noted, in her analysis of 19th century Realism from a historical and materialist point of view. However, her application of this philosophical method steered well clear of its practical, political implications. Her version of leftism, informed to a degree by Marxism, was susceptible to the pressures and problems of the postwar period.

Under the impact of Americas economic boom and the McCarthyite witch-hunting of suspected communists in the 1950swhich intimidated and destroyed the careers of many leftists, including one of Nochlins unclesas well as the ongoing betrayals and disorientation sowed by the Communist Party, radical politics in the 1960s progressively abandoned the working class in favor of the struggles of oppressed groups as defined by gender, race, and nationalitynot class. The so-called First Wave of the Womens Liberation movement originated among more affluent middle and upper class women seeking equal pay, reproductive rights, freedom from sexual harassment, and the redress of a host of discriminatory conditions.

Nochlin was very much of this milieu. Dismayed to discover that her students at Vassar in the 1960s, then still an elite all-womens college, were interested in knitting and playing bridge, Nochlin describes her awakening upon being handed a stack of feminist pamphlets by a friend. From there she organized the first class in Women and Art at Vassar College in 1969. In 1971, as we pointed out, she threw down the gauntlet, as it were, in Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?

Nochlins embrace of gender politics led her to quite wrongheaded conclusions about contemporary art and society. She played an active role in establishing Second Wave feminism with its focus on institutional sexism and racism as a central component of academic discourse. She embraced fellow academic Edward Saids Orientalism (1978), which simplistically reduced Western arts depiction of the Middle East to the needs of imperialism, and otherwise through her writings promulgated the identity politics that has developed such a stranglehold on arts and culture.

Nochlin increasingly, in essays such as Women, Art and Power (1988), conformed to the retrograde requirements of postmodernism and feminism, and indeed helped shape them. Gone was the concrete historical analysis, at least in regard to the present. She now spoke quite ahistorically and abstractly about men in general and their apparent malevolent desire to control women, in passages like these:

Yet what I am really interested in are the operations of power on the level of ideology, operations which manifest themselves in a much more diffuse, more absolute, yet paradoxically, more elusive sense, in what might be called the discourses of gender difference. I refer, of course, to the ways in which representations of women in art are founded upon and serve to reproduce indisputably accepted assumptions held by society in general, artists in particular, and some artists more than others, about men's power over, superiority to, difference from, and necessary control of women, assumptions which are manifested in the visual structures as well as the thematic choices of the pictures in question.

The patriarchy, male-controlled discourse, male-defined terms, the male fetishist and references to Michel Foucault make their unfortunate and frequent appearance. This is not the concrete reality of capitalist social relations, but a worldand a cultural and academic worldwhich is dominated by male power and, often unconscious, patriarchal attitudes. In fact, this complaint about the cultural and academic world suggests the striving for privileges that lies at the heart of so much of identity politics, also indicated in another passage where Nochlin complains that women are in similarly powerless or marginalized positions within the operational structure of the art world itself: patient catalogers rather than directors of museums; graduate students or junior faculty members rather than tenured professors and heads of departments; passive consumers rather than active creators of the art that is shown at major exhibitions.

In any event, as late as her Politics of Vision, Nochlin could still offer illuminating comments on the art of the past. Her essay, Van Gogh, Renouard, and the Weavers Crisis in Lyons, sheds fascinating light on van Goghs indirect connection to the labor and socialist movement of the time.

It is also worth noting that in her extended 1998 interview with Richard Candida Smith, Nochlin noted her legitimate pride in her early work, Realism: And that I think is one of the best things I have ever done. I still stand by that.

She commented in 1998 about the general state of the world: When I think about whats going on in the political world and the commodity world and the capitalist world and the economic world, I think this is a pretty chilling moment, in many ways. Pretty chilling. People are comfortable, they are buying stuff, they are doing their own thing, but something terrible is happening. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, theres not too much articulated complaint that anyone can hear. There should be.

In her academic career, Nochlin taught at Yale University, the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Vassar College, and finally at New York University Institute of Fine Arts where she was the Lila Acheson Wallace Professor Emerita of Modern Art, until retiring in 2013.

Reputed to be an indefatigably erudite yet engaging speaker with a sharp wit and unabashed sense of style, Nochlin was friends with numerous artists, including Philip Pearlstein and Alice Neel, both of whom painted her portrait, as well as a mentor to younger generations of women artists and feminist critics. She also co-curated several museum exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum: Women Artists: 1550-1950 (1976), Courbet Reconsidered (1988) and most recently Global Feminisms for the opening of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum in 2007.

Even after her cancer diagnosis, she continued writing. At the time of her death, she was finalizing Misere: Representations of Misery in 19th-Century Art, to be published in March 2018. Perhaps seeking a connection to todays conditions, in this final collection of her essays Nochlin will likely bring further insight into her area of expertise: the work of Charles Dickens, Frederick Engels, Thomas Carlyle and Victor Hugo, as well as the painters Theodore Gericault and Courbet, all examined in the context of the Irish famine of 1847 and the effects of the Industrial Revolution.
Last week the Oakland, California Board of Education revealed its latest plan to impose mid-year budget cuts on the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), which serves 50,100 students. OUSD is already largely in a state of disrepair due to decades of austerity measures enacted by the Democratic Party-controlled state government.

At the board meeting, Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell outlined $9 million in cuts, presenting this as a downward revision from the $15.1 million proposed at the end of November. However, $2 million of the reduction is simply a result of fudging the numbers by not including $1.6 million in already unfilled teacher vacancies and $0.4 million in unspecified "fall revision adjustments."

The cuts will affect numerous district-wide central office departments and every school in the district, with $4.2 million coming from the 87 district-run schools (excluding the 35 district-authorized charter schools), and $4.8 million coming from the central office.

These cuts follow $14 million in mid-year budget cuts approved by the board last January, which were followed by further cuts of $22.6 million in the 2017-18 school year budget. If the proposed $9 million cuts are approved at the board meeting on Wednesday, the total amount cut from OUSD's budget in the past year will be a devastating $45.6 million.

The district says implementing the cuts is the only way it can prevent state receivership, following an August report by the state-run Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, which concluded that the district has lost control of its spending. In 2003, OUSD was forced to go through state receivership and take out a $100 million loan from the state, the largest ever given to a California school district, out of which they still owe $40 million. The amount needed to stave off another receivership, however, is only $1.2 million, not $9 million.

While the crisis is ultimately bound up with federal and state policies, the school board and former Superintendent Antwan Wilson (now chancellor of the Washington, DC School district) are no doubt guilty of squandering vast sums of public monies. At the behest of Wilson, the school board approved dramatic over-spending on 75 non-budgeted positions and an expansion of highly paid administrator positions district-wide. At the same time, OUSD spent only $6.8 million on books and school supplies, despite an allocated budget of $20.1 million.

There is deep opposition to further cuts. Over 300 people from a cross section of Oakland's largely working-class population attended last week's school board meeting and dozens of speakers, including students of all grade levels, teachers, support staff and parents, denounced the cuts and demanded the right to high quality education.

Eduardo, a Castlemont High School student, proclaimed, "I find it absurd you're advocating cutting additional resources when we didn't get what was promised in the first place." Alana Corpuz, a parent, declared, "There already isn't any art at the school. We just lost a physical ed teacher. We're about to lose another P.E. teacher. There are no extra-curricular activities."

The meeting exposed the cynical and dishonest character of the school board members and superintendent, who are intimately connected to the Democratic Party and speak for powerful financial interests that hold the schools bonds and are pushing for the privatization of public education.

The board changed the meeting's location at the last minute to a room that seated only 60 people. Then, as people took to the mic to denounce them, the board members paid more attention to their cell phones than the speakers, as one of the speakers noted. In an effort to intimidate and silence opponents, six police officers and four security guards manned the elevator, stairway, and entrance to the room, and repeatedly consulted with board President James Harris and Superintendent Johnson-Trammell.

During their tenure, Harris and board member Jumoke Hinton Hodge have both been instrumental in promoting charter schools in Oakland, which has one of the highest concentrations of charter schools in the US. In the 2016 school board elections, two pro-charter groups backed by billionaires, including Michael Bloomberg, donated a combined $225,000 to Harris and $113,000 to Hodge.

Since Harris was first elected in 2013, enrollment is OUSD has grown by 5.9 percent. All of this growth has gone toward charter schools, where enrollment has risen by 28.5 percent, while enrollment at traditional public schools has declined by 0.4 percent. This has served to drain resources from the traditional public schools and exacerbate the budget crisis, which in turn is being used to justify the diversion of money to for-profit school schemes.

Far from more budget cuts, the schools in Oakland require a large increase in funding to meet pressing social needs. California has an overall poverty rate of 25 percent while some neighborhoods of Oakland are nearly double that. In South Central Oakland, 47 percent of young children live in poverty. The number of homeless students in the district has more than doubled from 400 in 2015 to 901 in 2017, mostly driven by the soaring housing costs in the San Francisco Bay area.

Oakland schools are further confronted with the broader crisis facing immigrants. District wide, just over half of all students speak a language other than English at home, with a third speaking Spanish and the rest speaking 53 other native tongues. In addition to the language difficulties this presents, students have to deal with police harassment and the threat of deportation for friends and families.

A study by the University of Southern California estimated that across Alameda County 6 percent of residents were undocumented immigrants, but in East Oakland that rate soars to 17 percent. While Oakland is a so-called sanctuary city, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has carried out raids and high-profile deportations.

The opposition to the school cuts is part of a growing political radicalization in the area. In response to the election of Trump, thousands of high school and middle school students walked out in protest. Currently 3,000 city workers are continuing a week-long strike after suffering years of cuts and furloughs. Since June 30, 2017, Oakland teachers have been working without a contract as negotiations drag on and working conditions deteriorate.

The crisis confronting OUSD is only going to get worse as more money is drained out of public education to pay for the Trump tax cut legislation, which threats to drain $63 billion from California public school funding over the next 10 years.

Oakland Education Association (OEA) has done nothing to oppose the budget cuts and boosted illusions that appeals to the school board. During the state receivership in 2003, the OEA negotiated pay and benefit cuts. Oakland teachers are currently working without a contract and whatever agreement they reach after the budget cuts are voted on will only further undermine the jobs, living standards and working conditions of the districts 2,317 teachers and 1,845 support staff.

The unions are allied with the Democratic Party, which under the Obama administration spearheaded the drive for corporate-backed school reform and deliberately starved states and school districts of money even as it handed over trillions to Wall Street and the Pentagon. On the state level, Governor Brown, who first took office in 2011, continued the attack on education former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger escalated after the 2008 crash.

Between 2008 and 2013, the two had cut $18 billion from education and 32,000 full-time teachers in the state had been laid off. Throughout his term, Brown has pushed for two main education policies: pension reform to cut the benefits given to public school teachers; and the expansion of charter schools.

In March 2016, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was the keynote speaker at a $250-a-person election fundraiser for Great Oakland (GO) Public Schoolsbacked by San Francisco-based venture capitalist and philanthropist Arthur Rock, the Walton Foundation and other public education opponentsthat funded school board candidates pushing charters and other pro-corporate policies in the Oakland Unified School District.
On Saturday, December 9, Ivan Bridgewater III, a 41-year-old electrician, was killed in an industrial accident at Fords Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP) in Louisville. The company has denied initial police reports that the skilled worker was electrocuted and the incident is under investigation by Kentucky authorities.

Bridgewater, who lived in nearby Seymour, Indiana, leaves behind his wife of five years, Megan, their two-year-old son and other family members. In a Facebook post Monday, the workers father, Ivan Bridgewater II, wrote, I am preparing to leave in a few hours, to go north from Florida, and bury my son in Seymour, Indiana He was a kind and gentle soul, and I was very proud of him.

In his first post, the father wrote, Parents should never outlive their children. The pain is too great to bear.

The sudden death of a worker in the United States is an all too common occurrence. Little more than a week before, on December 1, 31-year-old contract worker Yesenia Espinoza was struck by a falling 24-inch pipe and killed while working on a construction project at an ExxonMobil refinery in Beaumont, Texas, 84 miles northeast of Houston. Two small children now have no mother. As in so many cases, family and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to pay for funeral expenses and help support the children.

Nearly 5,000 US workers die in workplace accidents every year. In addition, an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 workers die annually from occupational diseases. Taken together, on any given day, 150 workers die in America from hazardous working conditions.

This is the reality behind the dizzying stock market rise, the multi-billion-dollar fortunes of CEOs like Amazons Jeff Bezos, and the boasts of the Trump administration and the media of a booming economy and full employment.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will release its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries with figures for 2016 later this month. Its most recent report found a total of 4,836 fatal workplace injuries in 2015, up from 4,821 in 2014 and the highest number since 2008.

In addition, the BLS reported, there were nearly 3.7 million non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses in 2016. These, however, are notoriously underreported. The true toll, according to the AFL-CIO, is estimated at 7.4 million to 11.1 million injuries and illnesses each year.

The highest death tolls in 2015 were in construction (937); transportation and warehousing (765); and agriculture, fishing and forestry (570). Fatalities among immigrant workers rose to 903, the highest number since 2007. The death toll among self-employed contractors was 829, accounting for 17 percent of all workplace fatalities. Among workers 65 and older, increasingly forced by economic conditions to labor past traditional retirement age, the toll was 650.

These bare indices of industrial carnage are only a pale reflection of the miserable conditions facing workers in the final years of the Obama administration.

These figures do not include deaths resulting from addiction to pain-killing medicines, largely due to workplace injuries, lack of access to treatment, lack of health insurance and the anxiety and depression caused by job loss and low wages.

A recent study by the Akron Beacon Journal on the overdose deaths of 12,723 Ohioans between 2010 and 2016 noted: Multiple studies in the past 60 years have linked jobs that require little education and lots of physical labor to shorter life spans. But in Ohio over the past seven years, its wanting relief from their agonyoften by seeking or sharing pain pillsthat has likely sent hundreds of laborers to an early grave.

The occupations with the highest levels of opioid deaths, the newspaper reported, were construction and manufacturing, where employment fell 11 percent and 36 percent, respectively, between 2000 and 2015, and wages plummeted 16 percent between 2006 and 2010.

The tragic death on October 20 of 21-year-old Jacoby Hennings, a temporary part-time employee at Fords Woodhaven Stamping plant just outside of Detroit, has brought to light the growing phenomenon of workplace suicides, particularly in the auto industry, with its rising proportion of temporary employees who work for half the wages of senior full-time workers and are without any job protection.

The trade unions are fully complicit in the spread of such barbaric working conditions. Any worker in a United Auto Workers (UAW) plant will tell you that the union reps function as an arm of management, cracking the whip to enforce speedup and compel workers to accept hazardous conditions. Two-tier wages, the swelling ranks of super-exploited part-time and temporary workers, forced overtime and 10-hour shiftsnone of this would have been possible without the collaboration of the corporatist unions.

While the Republicans promote self-policing by corporations, the Democrats rely on the unions to suppress working class opposition to the bosses.

Unions such as the UAW and United Steelworkers have established health and safety partnerships with the employers and federal and state agencies, leading to fewer factory inspections and even lower fines. Based on the lie that the corporatist unions represent the workers interests, these schemes have been used to conceal health and safety violations and whitewash the companies.

Even prior to the Trump administration, federal and state occupational safety agencies did little more than issue wrist-slap fines to companies guilty of criminal negligence or worse. In Michigan, for example, out of 322 cases since 2004 where someone died and the state agency found violations, the median total penalty was only $2,800. State law makes it virtually impossible for survivors to file civil suits against employers, workers compensation laws make it difficult for relatives to collect benefits, and spouses are cut off when they remarry. Families are lucky to get funeral costs.

The Trump administration, which is preparing a $1.5 trillion tax giveaway to the rich, has appointed industry frontmen to lead occupational safety and environmental agencies, repealed rules requiring employers to keep accurate injury records, and enacted an executive order requiring that for every new workplace rule, two existing safeguards be eliminated.

In August, the web site of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) removed its running list of workers killed on the job from near the top of its home page. It now hides fatality reports on an internal page on its web site, and only reports deaths for which it has issued a citationmeaning the deaths of hundreds of workers go unreported.

Anger over unsafe working conditions led to a near walkout by Fiat Chrysler workers on December 2 at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, after workers fell ill from unexplained fumes. A walkout was prevented by UAW officials, who backed managements threats to discipline workers if they took any action. The incident was not even covered by the local media, while the UAW and corporate management denied that it ever happened.

The daily sacrifice of workers lives and limbs for corporate profit hardly rates a mention by the media or either of the two big business parties. The Democratic Party is preoccupied with the concerns of upper-middle class women in the #MeToo movement and promotes the filthy, absurd fiction of white male privilege.

The grim reality in factories and workplaces, ignored by the official opinion-makers, is fueling immense social discontent, which will, sooner rather than later, erupt into massive class struggles. These struggles must be informed with the conscious aim of putting an end to the source of the industrial slaughterhousecapitalism.
Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to Syria Monday, delivering a laudatory speech to Russian troops at the Hmeimim air base in the countrys coastal province of Latakia and meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad.

Russia intervened in Syria at Assads request beginning two and a half years ago, providing air support and other aid that proved critical in reversing the gains made by Al Qaeda-linked rebels that had been armed and financed by the CIA, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Sunni Gulf oil monarchies.

Putins visit came just days after he and the Russian Defense Ministry had declared a complete victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has been routed from all major Syrian cities, reduced to a few pockets along the Euphrates River in eastern Deir Ezzor province.

Putin said he had ordered the military to withdraw a significant part of the Russian military contingent from Syria. At the same time, Moscow has made it clear that it will hold onto the Hmeimim air base, which has been the command and control center for Russias military operations in the country since the fall of 2015, as well as the Russian naval base at Syrias Mediterranean port city of Tartus.

Putin declared in his address to the Russian troops, If the terrorists raise their heads again, we will strike them with blows, the likes of which they have never seen.

The plan for Putin to land in Syria was kept secret until after his plane had touched down. Coming barely three months before Russias presidential election, in which Putin is running for another six-year term, the Russian presidents speech had a mission accomplished theme, aimed at promoting his image as a defender of Russias national interests on the world stage.

His claims that Russias intervention had secured Syrias sovereignty and brought the bloody war begun in 2011 to an end, however, are undoubtedly premature.

In addition to residual Russian forces remaining in Syria, the US has recently acknowledged its deployment of fully 2,000 troops in the country, while indicating it has no intention of withdrawing them, despite the Syrian governments denunciations of the American intervention as an illegal aggression. Documents released by the Turkish government indicate that the Pentagon has set up at least a dozen bases on Syrian territory.

The Pentagon responded to Putins announcement with open skepticism, while making clear it would not follow Moscows lead in terms of troop withdrawals.

Russian comments about removal of their forces do not often correspond with actual troop reductions, and do not affect US priorities in Syria, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway said.

The spokesman added that US troops would continue to operate in Syria in support of local forces on the ground to complete the military defeat of ISIS and stabilize liberated territory, in turn allowing for displaced Syrians and refugees to return.

This marks the second time that Putin has announced a withdrawal of Russian forces. In March of 2016, the Russian president declared that Moscows mission in Syria had been on the whole accomplished, making it possible to pull out the main part of Russias military force in the country. However, Russias intervention intensified in the subsequent months, particularly in the fight to defeat Islamist rebel forces in eastern Aleppo.

The US and Western corporate media waged a propaganda campaign denouncing Russia for the civilian casualties caused by its bombing campaign, while Washington denounced Moscow for striking targets that it described as the anti-government opposition, consisting for the most part of the CIA-backed rebels operating in alliance with the Syrian affiliate of Al Qaeda.

As the United States ramped up its own air war on both sides of the Syrian-Iraqi border, leading to a far greater number of deaths, the medias concern for civilian casualties rapidly dissipated.

While both Moscow and Washington claim that their respective interventions in Syria are aimed at combating terrorism, and ISIS in particular, the reality is that they have pursued different and diametrically opposed aims. In the case of US imperialism, the goal from 2011 to the present has been regime change directed at imposing a US puppet government in Damascus and strategically weakening the regional influence of Syrias two main allies, Iran and Russia.

The attempt to achieve this objective through the promotion, funding and arming of rebels dominated by the al-Nusra Front, Syrias Al Qaeda affiliate, and related Islamist militias such as ISIS, resulted in a debacle.

Subsequently, Washington has steadily escalated its direct military involvement in the country on the pretext of backing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a proxy force comprised almost entirely of the YPG, the Syrian Kurdish militia, in a war against ISIS. However, as has recently been revealed by both the BBC and the former chief spokesman of the SDF, the Pentagon and its proxies have repeatedly organized the evacuation of ISIS forces from besieged cities in order to turn them against the advance of Syrian government troops.

The aim of Moscows intervention has been to prop up its principal Arab ally in the Middle East. A major concern was the prospect of Assads overthrow and the imposition of a US puppet government leading to a deal providing Qatar access to Syrian territory for a gas pipeline directed toward Western Europe. Assad had rejected the Qatari monarchys demands for such an agreement, which would undermine the profit interests of Gazprom, Russias largest corporation, and the ruling capitalist oligarchs that Putin represents.

Russia also justifiably feared that the overthrow of the Assad regime would result in Syria becoming a base for Al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters drawn from Russias Caucasus region to launch a campaign, backed by the CIA, to destabilize and ultimately dismember the Russian Federation.

Despite this undeniable defensive element to Moscows intervention in Syria, which was launched under conditions of a concerted campaign by the US and its NATO allies to militarily encircle and subjugate Russia, it has provided no progressive solution to the crisis wracking Syria or any way forward for the Syrian working class and oppressed.

The character of Russias intervention in the region was underscored by the two subsequent legs of Putins Middle East trip, which saw him touch down in Cairo for talks with the Egyptian dictator Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and then Ankara for a meeting with Turkeys autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Moscow has reportedly reached an agreement with the Sisi regime allowing Russian warplanes to use Egyptian bases, further antagonizing Washington. While in Cairo, Putin signed an agreement for Russia to build Egypts first nuclear power plant.

In Turkey, meanwhile, Erdogan announced that the visit would be followed by the final negotiations for Ankaras purchase of a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system . The plan to deploy this system, which would not be integrated into NATOs air defense network, has further escalated tensions between Turkey and its erstwhile Western allies.

As the ostensible aim of both sidesthe defeat of ISISis being realized, the threat of a direct confrontation in Syria between the worlds two major nuclear powers grows ever more acute. In recent weeks, the US and Russian militaries have traded charges of provocations by each others warplanes over the Euphrates River valley, with the Pentagon warning that they could result in the shoot-down of a Russian jet.

This threat was issued against the backdrop of an increasingly dangerous escalation of nuclear tensions between Washington and Moscow. Last Friday, the US State Department issued a statement marking the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) in which it said that the Trump administration is pursuing economic and military measures intended to induce Moscow to comply with the terms of the agreement.

The statement went on to make clear that Washington is prepared to invoke alleged Russian violations as a pretext for scrapping the treaty altogether and embarking on a path leading to a nuclear confrontation. The Pentagon, the State Department warned, is conducting a review of military concepts and options, including options for conventional, ground-launched, intermediate-range missile systems, which would enable the United States to defend ourselves and our allies.
Striking railway employees in Sri Lanka have rejected the governments invocation of draconian essential services regulations to ban a national stoppage, which has entered its sixth day.

More than 5,000 workers, including engine drivers, station masters, guards, supervisory officers, signal officers, controllers and ticket inspectors are participating in the action. As a result of the strike, daily train trips have fallen from 350 to between 20 and 30.

The Railway Engine Drivers Union began the strike at midnight on Wednesday. Other unions, including the Railway Station Masters Union, the Train Controllers Union, and the Railway Guards Union, joined the stoppage the next day. The unions have put forward limited demands for pay increases through the rectification of salary anomalies related to grades.

President Maithripala Sirisena issued a gazette notification at midnight on Friday invoking the essential services regulations, which provide the government with the power to ban strikes in key industries. The move followed the failure of backroom discussions between Secretary to the President Austin Fernando and leaders of the Engine Drivers Union.

Following the gazette notification, Fernando said the Railway Department would take steps to break the strike, including sackings and other repressive means.

Transport and civil aviation minister Nimal Siripala de Silva likewise told the media on Friday that all workers who failed to report for duty would be deprived of wages.

Yesterday, the general manager of Sri Lanka Railways, M. S. Abeywickrama, said workers participating in the strike today would be considered to have vacated their job and would be effectively sacked.

Under the guise of providing security to trains and commuters, the government has mobilized police against the strike. This is another expression of the fear of the Sirisena government over mounting social and political opposition from the working class.

Over recent months, the government has faced a series of protests and strikes at ports and in the petroleum, electricity and oil sectors. Students have demonstrated throughout this year against the further privatization of higher education. In July, Sirisena imposed an essential services order against striking workers at the Petroleum Corporation and deployed the army against them.

In a bid to break the current strike, the Railway Department has hired retired staff and others to operate trains.

Pro-government unions, such as the Assistant Engine Drivers Union, are openly assisting these efforts. That unions general secretary, Dhanushka Perera, declared on Saturday that the strike was illegal. He appealed to the government to intervene against it.

To legitimise their attack on the strike, the government has insinuated that it is a conspiracy organised by its political opponents. The presidents secretary menacingly stated that the government was investigating whether there was a hidden hand behind the strike.

Dinamina, a newspaper that functions as a virtual government mouthpiece, likewise wrote on Friday that the strikes and demonstrations coming one after the other, shows that there is an effort to inconvenience the government. The paper declared that there could be political influence and interference behind it.

In reality, the unions called the stoppage in a bid to contain growing anger among workers over low wages and poor conditions.

Over the past months, a number of unions in different industries have called token strikes, which they have either ended within days, or called off altogether at the request of the government. In every instance, the unions have promoted the fraud that impotent appeals to the government will create better pay and conditions for workers.

The rail unions are openly appealing to the government to strike a sell-out deal against the workers they falsely claim to represent.

After talks with the government again failed yesterday, Lal Ariyarathne, the convener of the Railway Supervisory Officers Union, complained that the unions were not asking a pound of flesh. He lamented that appeals to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had been rejected.

At a joint press conference of all striking unions yesterday evening, Indika Dodamgoda, president of the Engine Drivers Union, declared they would not be intimidated by threats. In the same breath, however, Dodamgoda appealed to Sirisena and Wickremesinghe, and stated that the union was prepared to stop the strike if a reasonable solution was proposed by the government.

In other words, the unions are seeking to suppress the stoppage, and prevent it from becoming a focal point for a broader movement of the working class.

In doing so, the unions are aiding the governments implementation of austerity measures dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which include reducing the fiscal deficit from the 2014 figure of 7 percent of GDP, to 3.5 percent, through spending and wage cuts.

The government has stated that the Railway Department suffered losses of 11 billion rupees ($US71 million) in 2014 and 7.7 billion rupees in 2015. These claims are being used to promote the privatisation and cost-cutting of the railways and other transport services.

In Sri Lanka, public transport, including railway and bus services, once provided a cheap means for workers and the poor to travel. Any loss was subsidised by the government as a welfare measure. Now the government is determined to make railway workers and passengers bear the burden.

Transforming the railways into a profitable enterprise is to lay the basis for their sale to private owners and operators. The national budget passed by parliament last week includes privatisation measures under the guise of establishing public-private ownership.

The government views the railway strike as a threat to this broader onslaught against the working class. For this reason, all workers must defend the railway employees from the governments attacks.

The strike underscores the need for a break with the corporatised unions, which are committed to enforcing the dictates of the government and big business. Independent rank-and-file committees are needed to coordinate a unified political and industrial struggle of the entire working class.

Above all, the austerity agenda of the government and the capitalist class demonstrates the necessity for a workers government that would implement socialist policies. These include placing transport and other social necessities, along with the corporations and the banks, under public ownership and the democratic control of the working class.
Three recent reports highlight the severity of the breakdown in infrastructure and persistent underfunding of the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the largest mass transit system in the US, and its inability to serve the needs of society.

The first report, issued by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer last month, explains the serious neglect to New York Citys bus system.

The aging fleet, according to the report, provides slow and unreliable service on routes that no longer match commuting patterns. New York City buses move at an average rate of 7.4 miles per hour, the slowest amongst the 17 largest bus companies in the country. The buses spend slightly over half of their time in motion, and the rest of the time stopped at lights, and in bus stops collecting fares. In addition, there are only 104 dedicated miles of bus lanes along the citys 6,000 miles of roadway. This is far less than many other major cities worldwide.

With over two million riders daily, the citys buses carry more passengers than the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North commuter rail, the PATH subway, which connects New York City and New Jersey, and New Jersey Transit combined. Because of the bus systems unreliability and slowness, however, there has been a steep drop in ridership with 100 million fewer bus passenger trips in 2016 than 2008.

The largest decline has taken place in Manhattan, a sixteen percent drop since 2011, where there are, however inadequate, subway alternatives.

However, for many workers in the other four boroughs, buses are the only means of public transportation to get to and from work and school, and it is lower-income riders in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx especially, who suffer disproportionately from the systems failures. The average income for bus riders is $28,455 compared to $40,000 for subway riders.

Moreover, planning for bus routes has not considered changing travel patterns in recent years when more workplaces in the city have increasingly been outside of Manhattan and are now often service-sector jobs, which operate over a wider span of hours throughout the day and night than office and manufacturing businesses.

A second report, Financial Outlook for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, issued last month by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, warned that if new funding for the massive New York Metropolitan Transit Authority is not found, the authority may have to raise fares and tolls more quickly than planned to stop and reverse a deterioration of the transit system.

The MTA, a state agency, is the United States largest mass transit system, servicing nearly a third of the countrys commuters. The system includes the New York City bus and subway system, the Long Island Railroad, the Metro-North railroad, and nine bridges and tunnels.

The report follows a summer of discontent by millions of New York commuters who found themselves facing significant delays and derailments of trains in the subway and on the commuter rails. Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo was forced to declare, with few tangible results, a state of emergency at the end of the June.

The report notes that by 2016, the average distance that a subway traveled before breaking down had fallen to 112,000 miles, the worst figure since 2001. The report noted that a third of the subway cars are now more than 30 years old and about 40 percent of the signals are more than 50 years old. More than one-third of the 201 tunnel emergency ventilation plants are more than 50 years old and have never been rehabilitated and over half the tunnels are not protected by ventilation.

Two of the four tunnels that were severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 have still not been repaired.

Although the transit agency has spent more than $120 billion since its first capital improvement program in 1982, the funding has not kept up with the need. While the MTA has an $836 million action plan for infrastructure improves, the city and state have not agreed on how to pay for it and the agency has been drawing on its monetary reserves.

The DiNapoli report concluded that recurring costs for maintenance could exceed $300 million annually. This would force an unscheduled fare and toll increase of about 4 percent, in addition to the two fare and toll hikes of 4 percent already scheduled for 2019 and then for 2021. Recent studies have shown than over a million regular subway riders cannot afford the present fares.

The MTA is counting on the federal government to finance almost one-quarter of its next capital improvement program, but the report recognizes that, considering President Trumps proposal to eliminate the funding of the next phase of the construction of the Second Ave subway in Manhattan, this projection is uncertain.

Finally, a third report last month in the New York Times highlighted the persistent underfunding of the MTA over several decades. New York City has reduced its contributions to the authority to about one fourth of what it was in 1990. New York State has not increased its funding to the agency even though ridership has increased, and the State budget has grown to $90 billion from $45 billion in the 1990s. Under former Republican Governor George Pataki, from 1995 to 2006, the state eliminated subsidies for the MTA including those for the capital improvement work.

Due to a lack of federal, state and city funding, the MTA has accumulated mountains of debt, from which bond underwriters have made millions of dollars in refinancing fees. According to state legislation records, the MTA had to pay $328 million in bond issuance fees over the last 15 years.

The annual debt service of $2.6 billion makes up 16 percent of the authoritys budget and is projected to grow to 22 percent, or $3.5 billion, by 2023. Even before taking into consideration the 2020-2024 capital improvement budget, the total outstanding debt is projected to reach $42.6 billion.

Due to the 2008 financial crises, the MTA lost 75 percent of its income from real estate transfer taxes and its revenue dropped by about $1 billion, and the authority was forced to eliminate 40 types of necessary maintenance.

The Times piece, significantly, blames MTA workers wages and benefits, which, it claims, are taking funds away from other parts of the budget.

That this heralds a ferocious attack on transit workers can be seen in the hiring of Andy Byford to run the NYC bus and subway system. As head of the Toronto transit system, Byford pushed to establish one-person train operation, among other anti-worker measures. In New York City, the transit authoritys own drive for one-person train operation has been a source of conflict with the workers for years. With the assistance of Transit Workers Union Local 100, the MTA has been able to eliminate conductor positions in several subway lines.
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature

The United States

Oakland, California city workers strike reaches one-week mark

A strike by 3,000 city workers in Oakland, California continued over the weekend and marched towards the end of its first week as the unions and city negotiators prepared for a Monday, December 11 mediated session. Last Friday, the city declared an impasse as the union rejected its last offer, which called for a four percent raise in the first year of a new contract followed by a one percent raise in year two that is linked to the city meeting certain revenue goals.

The strike involves various city workers including librarians, parking enforcement officers, sewer workers and street cleaners comprising a total of some 2,000 workers represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and another 1,000 technical and administrative workers who are members of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21. Meanwhile, another 1,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are honoring picket lines.

The unions and city are agreed upon the first year four percent salary hike, but not on the contracts second year wage proposal. Workers are also protesting on behalf of part-time workers who receive no benefits under conditions where some have been working for up to 20 years with the city. As one worker told Bay Area News Group, The rent is going up but the pay isnt. More buildings are going up but we cant afford to live in any of them.

The city has defended its hard line stand, citing a projected $100 million budget shortfall for Oaklands 2019-20 fiscal year.

Washington state home healthcare workers strike over wages and staffing

Healthcare workers at Providence Hospice and Home Care in Everett, Washington ended a three-day strike December 8 and returned to work without a contract. Some 230 nurses, physical therapists and home health aides who care for 900 patients have been in negotiations for over a year seeking higher wages, lower caseloads and better working conditions.

The union reports that Providence pays lower wages than other healthcare organizations, which is reflected in the fact that 50 workers have quit the home care company in the past twelve months. Workers want to reduce the 24/7 on-call hours and improve staffing levels. One worker cited a situation where a patient saw six different nurses over a two-week period.

Latin America

Protests by state workers in Argentina over government labor policies

State workers, pensioners and social organizations held protest actions across Argentina on December 6. The mobilization, called by the State Workers Association (ATE) and the Workers Central of Argentina (CTA) in coordination with a 24-hour strike, protested a number of labor laws being promoted by the administration of Mauricio Macri and being debated in the national legislature.

Chief among these are the raising of the retirement age, the cutting of the end-of-year bonus, privatization of state services and the erosion of full-time permanent labor through flexibilization of labor laws, which also makes organizing efforts more difficult. Already, 108,000 state workers have been laid off since Macri took office in 2015.

In addition, according to a telsurtv.net report, The administration eliminated energy and gas subsidies, resulting in a 500 percent price increase for electricity and a 300 percent jump for natural gas. Public transportation costs are up 100 percent in some areas.

In the city of Parana, marchers stopped at the Social Security office, the headquarters of the Municipality of Parana and the House of Government to denounce the policies. In Buenos Aires, protesters marched from the Congress to the Plaza de Mayo, the site of vigils held by mothers of young activists disappeared during the 1976-1981 Videla dictatorship. At the various gatherings, union officials fostered illusions that the conservative congress would be swayed by the protests to reject the anti-worker legislation.

Students, teachers protest layoffs at Brazilian private college

Students and teachers in Sao Paulo held protests last week against Brazilian private college operator Estacio Participacoes following the companys December 6 report of its plans to fire around 1,200 professors. The firm, which employs over 10,000 academic professionals, claims that the soon-to-be-sacked professors are being paid above market rates. As for the timing, it says that Brazilian law requires that firings occur only within a very restricted window.

So far, Estacio has filed layoff paperwork for close to 500 teachers in Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto and Belo Horizante. The CSB union counters that layoffs have to be negotiated with the union. CSB lawyers unsuccessfully filed a motion in a Brasilia court December 7 to stop the firings.

Job security and salaries in the teaching profession in both the public and private sectors in Brazil have been steadily eroded in recent years, with salaries paid in installments at some public universities and intermittent scheduling at private institutions.

The Rio de Janeiro teachers union called for protests on December 8 and 11, and is considering a strike for the beginning of the year.

Bolivian doctors remain on strike after talks break down

Doctors in Bolivia continued the strike they began November 23 following the failure of the sixth in a series of talks with Health Ministry representatives on December 7. The doctors had walked out to protest the enactment of Supreme Decree 3385, which created the Social Security Investigation and Control Authority, and Article 205 of the Penal Code System, governing malpractice penalties.

Health Ministry officials claim that the investigative powers are necessary to protect patients and that the strike is being prolonged by radicals, who are putting their patients at risk. The Ombudsman of Bolivia, Juan Carlos Ballivan, announced that he would present a legal complaint against the doctors to restrict their right to strike. We believe that life must be safeguarded, the health of the citizenry; all are called to guarantee the right to life, he told reporters.

In response to criticisms, the doctors announced that they would treat emergency cases during the strike. La Paz Medical College president Luis Larrea noted that municipalities and departmental governments already have investigative and disciplinary measures in effect, and added that the doctors are still open to dialogue.

On December 6, private sector anesthesiologists in Tarija held a 24-hour strike in support of the doctors, with a spokesperson declaring, Theres no interest on the part of the government in resolving these laws that are detrimental to doctors, so nothing remains other than to radicalize the pressure measures. The next day, medical workers at the Rengel Womens Clinic and the Child Jesus Clinic in La Paz announced that they were joining the strike.

Colombian firefighters strike to demand overdue pay and to protest deficient equipment

Firefighters at the Puerto Berrio Station in the Colombian department of Antioquia held a meeting last week and determined to go on strike until their demands are met. On December 7, they stuck a sign on the outside of the station that read: In case of fire, call the mayor.

The firefighters have not been paid for four months, since the present municipal administration has not transferred the resources that by law it should transfer to the institution, firefighters commander Nelson Boada told reporters. In addition, There are three vehicles but we cant use them because they are in a bad state and none of them has up-to-date documents; to attend to an emergency like that would be irresponsible.

In recent emergencies, the smoke eaters have had to depend on police to help them. Volunteers have had to ride their own motorcycles to get to the fires. Boada concluded that at this moment we demand that the administration comes because we already have gone to them lots of times and we havent been listened to.

Honduran doctors, nurses strike over salary, contract issues

Doctors at hospitals and clinics in the Honduran public health system, a part of the Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS) remain on the strike they began November 20 over salary demands, as well as for better benefits for retired doctors and mechanisms for bidding on positions. Emergency and critical services have remained in operation.

The doctors have waited over five years for a promised raise without receiving it. Nonetheless, authorities claim that the demand of from 9,000 to 10,000 lempiras (US$382 to 425) is excessive. The Secretary of Labor and Social Security has threatened to fire the doctors if they continue their strike.

In Tegucigalpa, IHSS doctors and nurses in the Abajo barrio struck on December 7 to demand compliance with their collective contract. Nurses who have worked for over a decade have not obtained official designations or appointments. The walkout followed one at an IHSS facility in La Granja in Comayaguela, next to Tegucigalpa, also over delayed payments of salaries and a raise.

Canada

Talks underway between Unifor and First Student

Negotiations are underway between Unifor and First Student on a contract covering school bus drivers in Bowmanville, Kincardine, Port Elgin, Wiarton and Owen Sound regions.

The drivers were in a legal strike position as of December 10, but there is no sign that Unifor plans a walkout. The union and management have set bargaining dates extending into January 2018. There has been no strike notice given, nor has Unifor conducted a strike vote.

Unifor called off a threatened strike by 260 school bus drivers in the Scarborough and Durham Region outside Toronto after the union reached a last minute deal with First Student on November 30. A walkout could have potentially impacted 10,000 students at 28 schools.

The main issue was unpaid hours drivers must work travelling from home to the first pickup point or for performing maintenance. According to Unifor when unpaid work time is factored in, school bus drivers earn less than the minimum wage.
Congress leader Alpesh Thakor believes a once dark-complexioned Narendra Modi became fair by eating mushrooms that cost Rs 80,000 apiece. Twitter cannot stop going nuts over his remark.

By India Today Web Desk: New Congress leader Alpesh Thakor seems to be in a pickle for his latest remark about PM Modi eating mushrooms to get a lighter skin tone.

Sounding as cool as a cucumber at an election rally in Gujarat today, OBC leader Thakor said that a once dark-complexioned Narendra Modi became fair by eating these mushrooms that cost Rs 80,000 apiece.

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"He was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms," said Thakor at the rally. "Modi ji eats mushrooms from Taiwan and one mushroom costs Rs 80,000 and he eats five mushrooms everyday".

Adding to the mushroom theory, Thakor also compared Modi to tomatoes, saying that the prime minister began looking like "lal tamatar" by eating mushrooms worth Rs 4 lakh daily.

While Thakor tried to sound like he was spilling the beans on Modi, people on social media are going bananas over his comment.

Here are some peachy jokes that are making rounds on Twitter at the moment:

Pic 1: @ArvindKejriwal before eating imported mushroom Pic 2: Sadji after eating imported mushrooms (as well as samosas and thaalis) pic.twitter.com/mnpmA4luBM- Aditya Tiwari (@adt007ad) December 12, 2017

Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs: #AlpeshThakore Imported Mushroom version??? pic.twitter.com/rRwwMzOZqr- Why So Silly (@silly_why) December 12, 2017

This mushroom effect is unbelievable ?? pic.twitter.com/CXSjnSwL2N- Battle4Delhi! (@Battle4Delhi) December 12, 2017

When you can't afford Gore hone wale Mushroom ??? pic.twitter.com/2fM4ITr6Z5- ? ?? ?? (@metho_mehaniyo) December 12, 2017

--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Ever since the news of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's wedding broke out last night, netizens haven't stopped gushing over how happy the couple looks.

The rumour mills that had been churning for over a week, regarding the couple planning to get married in Italy, saw an end when the couple announced their union on social media, and posted adorable pictures from their fairytale wedding.

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While we haven't been able to get over how mesmerising Anushka looked in her blush-pink wedding lehenga by ace-designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, there's this little detail that we couldn't help but notice.

Also Read: Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee talks about designing Anushka-Virat's wedding clothes

Clad in a serene-looking lehenga with birds and butterflies hand-embroidered on it, Anushka looked dreamy, and so was her choice of matching jewellery by Sabyasachi.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/sabyasachiofficial

While the studded jewellery was simply graceful and on-point, we realised that a similar pair of jhumkas, like Anushka's, was worn by another celebrity very recently. The celebrity in question is Deepika Padukone.

Recently, Deepika made an elegant appearance at the Reliance Jio Filmfare Marathi Awards, in a classy saree by Sabyasachi, and accessorised it with just the same pair of jhumkas as Anushka.

Picture courtesy: Pinterest Picture courtesy: Pinterest

Pictures courtesy: Pinterest; Instagram/rjstutee

In an industry that has celebs constantly tussling to stand out with their ensembles and looks, we commend Anushka for settling with whatever pleased her eye, regardless of who wore it before her.

--- ENDS ---
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Monday night, the crews from the City of Tallahassee who went to St. Croix returned home in frigid temperatures to warm embraces.

It was a very different Thanksgiving for the 11 City crew members who deployed to St. Croix on Nov. 21.

In place of family time around the dinner table, they were installing poles and stringing wire as they worked 14-hour days, seven days a week to help restore power in the U.S. Virgin Islands following the destructive 2017 hurricane season.

Our Tallahassee crews helped make great progress on the electric system repairs our fellow Americans in the Caribbean so badly need, Mayor Andrew Gillum said. The process of recovery is far from over, and our crews will continue to work until the job is done. Im proud of their professionalism and willingness to help  showing why our utility crews are the best in the nation.

A second city team has been deployed to the island to help during the holiday season. The team will once again join crews from Ocala, Ft. Pierce and Homestead as part of a mutual aid agreement coordinated under the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA).

Crews and equipment from 200 municipal electric utilities in 26 states and Canada rushed to Floridas aid following Hurricane Irma. We were happy to pay it forward and coordinate mutual aid for our neighbors in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which was devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and still without power, said Amy Zubaly, Florida Municipal Electric Association Executive Director. We appreciate the crews from around the state, including the City of Tallahassee electric utility, who left their families and homes during the Thanksgiving holiday to help those in need.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Authorities have euthanized a dog after the Tallahassee man accused of kicking, choking and slamming it to the ground repeatedly was arrested for animal cruelty.

Hubert Christopher Maxwell, 27, was booked into the Leon County Detention Center on Saturday on a $10,000 bond for the third-degree felony of animal cruelty or neglect. He remained there Tuesday morning.

Maxwell picked up the male pit bull mix by the collar and choked it, a former roommate of his told the City of Tallahassee Animal Control in a phone call Nov. 4, 2016, and then slammed it onto the floor.

After kicking the dog, Maxwell put his foot across its neck. Afterward the dog was unable to use its legs properly, the Tallahassee Police Department investigator wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

Surgeries and physical therapy for the dog would not have left the animal with "normal, pain-free mobility," said Lt. Jeff Doyle, an animal control supervisor with the City of Tallahassee.

Doyle said the dog's behavior also presented a problem as it had become "over-stimulated with people, making him difficult to handle, and aggressive towards other dogs both in one-on-one meetings and in a group situation with other dogs."

The dog was "humanely euthanized" because of his extensive medical issues and concern that it would be unable to be rehabilitated given its temperament, Doyle wrote in response to a media inquiry.

The dog's medical problems were extensive, Doye said, listing them:

severe multiple fractures to both hips

fracture to his right femur

a skull fracture

a skin infection

covered in fleas

an ear infection

emaciation

severe anemia

patella luxation in right knee

soft tissue injury in his right elbow

The roommate said he had moved out of the residence with Maxwell because Maxwell was dangerous. TPD records revealed that the former roomate filed a battery report about Maxwell with TPD on Nov. 2, 2017, but no arrest was made for that case.

On Nov. 4, 2016, an animal control officer and a Leon County Sheriff's Office deputy went to Maxwell's residence to investigate the former roommate's report. As Maxwell stood in the doorway, one of two dogs that came out of the home was limping.

Both dogs were his, Maxwell said, and the dog was limping because he had disciplined it for peeing and pooping in the house.

Asked for more detailed information, Maxwell told the officers that about two weeks earlier he had grabbed the dog, threw it down into the it's waste, and then threw it out of the house onto the ground.

The animal control officer requested that the LCSO conduct a criminal animal cruelty investigation, but none took place, records indicated, the court document shows.

Documentation from a veterinarian showed that Maxwell followed the animal control officer's directions to have both dogs given rabies vaccinations. The veterinarian noted nothing about the injured dog.

On May 26, 2017, the animal control officer returned to Maxwell's house in responding to Maxwell's call of a stray dog in the backyard of his residence. She recognized the dog from the 2016 incident.

The severely emaciated dog "was barely able to walk with lameness in his back legs," and "his head appeared swollen as if he had been a victim of head trauma," the court document said.

The animal control officer later confirmed with the former roommate that the dog Maxwell called a stray was the dog Maxwell had "disciplined" in 2016. She also found a Facebook page with Maxwell and the two dogs.

On May 26, 2017, a veterinarian found that the flea-infested dog had suffered lameness in the rear legs, muscle atrophy on the head, numerous spots of hair loss and dermatitis, and severe hip fractures that appeared to be a few months old.

By June 7, 2017, the dog had shown marked improvement while under a veterinarian's care but still walked with lameness in its rear legs and hips.

On Nov. 15, 2017, a county court judge signed a warrant for Maxwell's arrest, court documents show. At that time, Maxwell, a former track and field star at the University of South Carolina, was teaching English in Xian, China, his Facebook page said.

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Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Following Hurricane Irma, more than 7,500 complaints were placed with Floridas price gouging hotline complaining about inflated prices on water, gas, hotels, and more.

The state has now reached its first price-gouging settlement following the September storm.

Attorney General Pam Bondis office has announced a $25,000 settlement with Miami Princess Hotel, after an investigation showed that room rates increased by up to 138 percent in the days following Irma. The typical pre-storm rate had been 95 dollars for a single room and 100 bucks for a double room.

In addition to the settlement, Bondi has also confirmed that ten more businesses, mostly hotels and gas stations, are also under active investigation for illegally inflating prices following the storm.

Bondi says that number is likely to increase in the coming weeks, and reaching final settlements will take time.

We have to go back at least a month prior to the state of emergency and show that their prices were grossly inflated during a state of emergency," said Bondi. "So, unless they are going to voluntarily comply and admit that they were wrong, we have to issue subpoenas.

Customers who stayed at the Miami Princess Hotel during the time in question are eligible for a refund if they file a complaint by early January.

We are going to get them in line, sadly, before the next hurricane hits in a year from now," said Bondi. "As I said, we are still settling cases from Matthew, so its nonstop.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A former Sabal Palm Elementary principal has filed a lawsuit alleging that the Leon County School Board retaliated against her after she reported unlawful and discriminatory employment practices.

Ann T. Johnson, who asked the Leon County Circuit Court for a jury trial, filed a charge of discrimination with the Florida Commission on Human Relations and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Her suit, which seeks $15,000 in damages, maintains that the school system treats black teachers and white teachers differently in deciding which teachers to retain.

Johnson's lawsuit said that since the 59-year-old African American was hired by the school system in December 1981 she had had an "exemplary" and award-winning career there and received positive performance evaluations.

She held positions that included teacher, department head, assistant principal and, beginning in, 2006, principal.

She retired in May 2016, alleging in the suit that she was forced to do so because of a continuing hostile environment "based on her race and her reporting of discriminatory practices."

Sabal Palm has a high rate of poverty among its students, her lawsuit said. It said while Johnson was principal, Sabal Palm earned a "B" school grade for four years and a "C" for three years.

Through her time there, the lawsuit says that Johnson made the board aware about a number of concerns regarding administrative concerns at Sabal Palms. According to the lawsuit, all of her concerns were dismissed.

Johnson said that in May 2013 she attended a staff meeting with three school district employees who are white and was told to fire all of Sabal Palm's non-tenured teachers.

She said she was given a copy of a test that had been given in December of 2012 or January of 2013 that was the basis for firing the teachers.

However, Johnson's lawsuit said that she was told to retain some of those teachers whose students had performed equally poorly on the same test and that all of those teachers were white.

At the time, Johnson expressed concern about the treatment of black teachers and white teachers in evaluating which could keep their jobs.

Not long after that, Johnson was removed from the duties as principal and reassigned to be a K-12 coordinator for Leon County Schools, a position her suit described as a two-step demotion.

Another employee, a white male, was brought in as principal of Sabal Palm. The lawsuit says that the school's grade dropped the year the new principal came in.

The lawsuit asserts that during that time, Johnson saw other Leon County Schools employees engage in discriminatory evaluations of black teachers. When she continued to express her concerns, the suit says that some employees retaliated, subjecting her to a hostile work environment.

The suit says that the hositlity led Johnson to retire in May 2016.

School district spokesman Chris Petley said "we do not comment on open litigation."

"I am unaware if we have officially been served yet," he said. "The three individuals named in the suit have retired and are no longer with our district."

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Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The man arrested in July for his involvement in a shooting that hurt a 17-month-old baby is scheduled to be in a Leon County Court room this Tuesday morning.

Police arrested Radale Tyson in July for the shooting at the Sunrise Place Apartments.

He faces a number of charges, including four counts of attempted first-degree murder.

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Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
MADISON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Madison County Sheriffs Office is seeking the help of the public to locate a missing/endangered juvenile.

Investigators say Izyziah Joy Harding secretly left the Madison County Youth Ranch by climbing through a window and has not been seen or heard from since Saturday, December 2.

Deputies say Harding is a black 17-year-old girl and is originally from the Sanford, Florida area. Harding is five feet tall and between 90 and 100 pounds.

Reports say Harding's hair is shaved on the sides, and back with brown and blonde extensions added to the top of her head that are approximately shoulder length.

She regularly wears big tribal type earrings.

Madison County Youth Ranch is a Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) program that helps children develop healthy relationships and a strong work ethic.

The Madison County Sheriffs Office is requesting that any person that may have seen Izyziah Joy Harding or has additional information as to her whereabouts to please notify the Madison County Sheriffs Office at 850-973-4001 or their nearest Law Enforcement Agency.
TIFT CO., GA (WALB) - Tift County High School will welcome 2,000 students back to campus next fall.

That's because the campus is getting more than 600 freshmen.

Right now, the campus serves 10th through 12th grade students only, but with the school realignment system happening, this campus will serve all four years of students.

Now, the high school is nearly complete in its first phase of its new addition.

A wing was added along the side of the campus that faces New River Church Road.

It's more than 100,000 square feet and will have many new classrooms.

Some of these classrooms will start being used next semester.

Stacey Beckham, Director of Communications for Tift County Schools, said the project costs $21.4 billion.

"We're going to have a busy several months and the summer is extremely busy when phase two wraps up. And we're going to be able to move furniture, and books and other resources over next year," said Beckham.

Phase two of the project begins in 2018.

This phase includes adding more classrooms and an additional gym.

The target completion date for the project is April 2018.

Copyright 2017 WALB. All rights reserved.

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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for additional local news and hourly updates.

Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
Tax evaders are seeking to Bitcoin Exchanges to hide black money. In cryptocurrency, noone knows who the real owner is.

By Virendrasingh Ghunawat:

Has leakage of Panama and Paradise Papers encouraged tax evaders to put their unaccounted money in Bitcoins all over the world?

Today, no other currency in the world is making these many headlines as the cryptocurrency. A single Bitcoin is costing around USD 18000, a whopping Rs 11 lakh, making it one of the costliest currencies in the virtual world.

Technologists and experts have various reasons to analyse the fluctuation , but in India Vijay Mukhi, one of the pioneers of the Indian IT industry, has claimed that Bitcoin Exchanges (especially in tax haven countries) are becoming a "new platform for concealing black money of high networth individuals (HNIs), businessmen and criminals who evade taxes."

For years Mukhi has been one of the first to teach emerging technologies in India, with more than 80 technical and non-technical books written under his names. Off late, Mukhi has penned down a 900-page voluminous book on Bitcoins titled, 'The undocumented internals of the Bitcoin and Ethereum Blockchains', available on Internet.

While talking exclusively with Indiatoday.in, Mukhi said, "Bitcoin is the biggest ponzy scheme of the Universe." He has warned the Central Government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for stopping the flow of black money which is going into Bitcoins in large numbers.

"Earlier, all unaccounted money was going into purchasing gold or properties or both, leaving behind a paper trail. But if one puts money in cryptocurrency, then nobody knows who the real owner is. Hence, Bitcoin is the easiest way to evades taxes", Mukhi said.

According to available data:

In April 2013, price of one Bitcoin was Rs 7,304.

The same Bitcoin jumped to Rs 6,26,400 in November 2017.

And now, in December 2017, the price of the same cryptocurrency touched Rs 11,00,000, a whopping increase of almost 9000 per cent in last four years.

Zebpay claims to have 50 per cent market share of entire Bitcoin Exchange space in India. Data shared by Zebpay to Indiatoday.in gives some interesting aspects of Bitcoins in India.

As per the data:

The Bitcoin industry is adding about two lakh users every month in India

Currently, there are around two million users, pan-India

The industry volume is about Rs 2000 crore, a month

Total trade in India for Bitcoin goes from approximately Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore, annually

Globally, Bitcoin in particular, the trade volume goes from an approximate Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore per day

With such returns, Bitcoin has emerged as a new attraction among global investors.

Mukhi has reasoned two factors: One is the effect of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetization process the world-over and two, the impact of Panama and Paradise Papers expose.

Mukhi said, "When Modi implemented demonetization, nobody realized that we were among the top ten in the world to catalyze these changes. World-over, the rich and criminal started thinking what would happen if The United States (US) stopped using Dollar as its legal tender. What about Europe? That's the reason money started flowing into cryptocurrency and valuation had no limits."

He continued, "When (the news about) Panama Papers came out, nobody took it seriously. But when Paradise Papers got exposed, tax evaders got scared that if they have cash or money in bank account in any offshore island, it would be easily trailed. So, if one analysed the sequence of events, the price of Bitcoin suddenly increased in last 2-3 months."

But, Zebpay thinks the other way around. While talking to Indiatoday.in, Sandip Goenka, co-founder, Zebpay claimed to have followed complete KYC norms strictly.

"Every single person buying or selling Bitcoin on its exchange has to provide identification details such as Aadhar or Pan Card. Bitcoin is not illegal as per the existing laws. Moreover, Zebpay is also a registered entity under the Registrar of Companies (RoC) and a self-regulator, operated only by bank accounts," Goenka said.

Why are prices increasing suddenly? Goenka explained, "Bitcoin is precious and limited in supply. There would be only 21 million Bitcoin to exist. Right now, 17 million are in circulation. So, as the demand of Bitcoin in each and every country going up, the prices would increase."

Mukhi has suggested the government to not ban the cryptocurrency as it may go underground, and still remain operational. "In fact, the central government should implement demonetization 2.0 to stop the flow of black money moving towards Bitcoin," Mukhi concluded.

However, Indian exchanges are assuring complete transparency and support to investigators, if any suspect comes under radar.

But in between is the investor, for whom it is a very speculative and an unregulated market. Money should be invested in Bitcoin only after knowing the technology and risk involved, rather than depending on money power in hand.

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Robert Rubio, store sales manager for Habitat for Humanity Restore, right, visits with Vance Kegley, a volunteer for the organization for more than 15 years, after receiving the Employee of the Year award during at the Golden Hammer Awards presentation at Habitat for Humanity Restore in Yakima, Wash. on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (SHAWN GUST/Yakima Herald-Republic)
Volunteers help distribute food at the Second Harvest-Beef Counts mobile food bank in Ellensburg in 2016.
Its where the agricultural arts of animal husbandry and cheese creation merge. It is also a real example of the forever case being made for urban and rural bridges to be made. In the case of Katie Justman and Ben Gotschall, it is a business match made in milk and cheese heaven based out of Branched Oak Dairy near Raymond, Neb. That is where their dreams of producing fresh, local food products for customers across Nebraska are playing out in real life. What they are doing is so inspiring to me! Its building community, producing nutritious and delicious food and bringing more people onto the land. Heres some of their story.

Justman is from mid-town Omaha and became interested in local food when she started working for Open Harvest (a co-op grocery store in Lincoln offering locally-grown foods to customers). Today, Justman has her own LLC called Justman Dairy that is her creamery endeavor. She explained the cheese making process all starts with high quality milk from Gotschalls Jersey cows. She makes both raw milk cheese and pasteurized cheeses. Her cheeses are far-ranging, everything from Quark (an Eastern European soft cheese) to raw milk Gouda and Ulysses (a cheese invented by a friend who lives in Ulysses, Neb.). Her Monterey Jack cheese is rubbed with local honey as a preservative and Garland is an Alpine-style cheese that is named after Garland, Neb. Justman explained that most of her clientele is wholesale; however, she also does do some retail at her old stomping grounds, Open Harvest in Lincoln.

Gotschalls road to dairy herdsman started when he was nine years old. That is when his parents, Jerry and Kathy, told him it was time to start helping in the milk barn on the farm and dairy south of Atkinson, Neb. in Holt County. Dad said if I helped milk cows for a year I could pick any one of the heifer calves that I wanted to start my own herd. So, I milked for that year and when I was 10 I picked a calf. We only had one jersey cow and I picked her because I really liked her. That is when I started breeding jersey cattle and doing more research, he explained.

On the farm, Gotschall learned about both dairy cows and beef cattle. He then went on to achieve an English degree from Wesleyan and a Masters Degree in Poetry as well. My herd paid my way through college. That was the only way I could afford to go to Wesleyan.

Gotschall never relinquished his love for dairying, even when he taught at the collegiate level at the University of Idaho, When I came back to Nebraska (Wesleyan) to teach, I took a job at Branched Oak Farm as a herdsman. I lived on the farm and milked the cows and drove to Lincoln to teach.

Today, Gotschalls wife Tammy Austin and their baby, Charlotte, keep busy managing the land they lease from Branched Oak Farm where they produce the milk that Justman uses. Gotschall also produces some of his own products to sell including raw milk, pasteurized milk, butter, cream and clarified butter (ghee) that is a high-heat cooking oil made from butter. He also makes Dunlop cheddar and a skim milk farmers cheese called svelte.

Gotschall said, Everything we do is about responding to the needs and desires of our community. From the chefs in a restaurant to our neighbors down the road, that sort of community-supported agriculture can happen anywhere in the country. It does not need to be near the states largest cities as long as there is that real connection between the people consuming and producing the food.

The face of agriculture is changing every day. Cheers to these young entrepreneurs for making their dreams come true from the land so we can enjoy the bounty they produce. There is so much opportunity for more dreaming, community-building, homegrown businesses and families to return to our rural landscapes and enrich Nebraska in a multitude of ways. Lets support them!

Learn more about Justmans cheese at www.branchedoakcreamery.com. Learn more about Gotschalls endeavors at: www.holtcreekjerseys.com and www.daveyroadranch.com
The official party, organised for wives of the younger army officers, caused outrage. The Major General had sensual cutouts and a bed with handcuffs installed at the 'party venue'

By Ajit Kumar Dubey: Acting tough against indecent behaviour by a senior officer who organised a ladies meeting on the honeymoon theme, the Army has shunted out the officer from the Pune-based Army Institute of Technology (AIT).

Earlier this year, the Major General-ranked officer had organised a ladies' meeting based on honeymoon theme where the wives of young officers studying in AIT were invited to take part. After pictures of the meeting went viral on social media groups in the Army, they came in for severe criticism from officers who were agitated over such events being organised officially by a senior officer in the force.

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"When the matter reached the Army chief, he took it very seriously and the officer has now been shunted out from his office in AIT and sent to a formation in Chhattisgarh," an Army source told Mail Today.

Sources said the officer had tried to make the ladies party look raunchy by placing beds in the middle of the hall with handcuffs placed on them. Also put up at the venue were sexy cutouts of women, which sources say are totally against the traditions of the force where women are treated with utmost respect.

The young officers whose wives had attended the party had also expressed anguish over the party's theme to their top brass, the sources said.

"The Army chief's instructions have been very clear that while dealing with cases of moral turpitude and corruption, no mercy should be shown towards personnel, and officers and jawans should be treated alike," the source said.

In recent times, the force has been very harsh in cases of moral turpitude as a Flag officer was shunted out for stealing the affections of a brother officer's wife while a Major General is facing court martial in Ambala for trying to violate the modesty of a lady officer much younger than him in age and rank.

Sources said the Chief's belief is that even if in cases of moral turpitude where the relationships are consensual, they will not be allowed as it is felt that the force is like a big family and showing leniency in such cases may affect its moral fabric.

A Lieutenant Colonel was also dismissed from service for having an affair with the 19-year-old daughter of a fellow officer after he was found guilty of the offence.

Before General Rawat took over in January this year, a number of allegations of corruption in promotions and postings would crop up every now and then, but now the system is in the process of being made more transparent. The chief, sources said, has made it clear that corruption would not be tolerated.

Band, Baaja, Baraat: Best of images from Virat-Anushka wedding in Tuscany

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Living Section

Yuma, Arizona - Whether you are shopping for Christmas or Hanukkah you may want to visit Tiffany's Web site this year, suggests the Association of Mature American Citizens.

They may have just what you are looking for; items such as a ball of yarn that will set you back a mere $9,000. Actually it is a ball of sterling silver that looks like yarn only shinier. Too pricey? They also have a $300 yo-yo that is also made of silver and a gold plated sippy straw that sells for $350 that are bound to please the most discerning children on your list. The nation's premier purveyor of luxury goods calls their collection Everyday Objects.
Stiri pe aceeasi tema

- President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday welcomed, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in Bucharest, Jose Antonio Hernandez Perez-Solorzano, who presented his letters of credence, with the two high officials reconfirming on the same occasion both parties' commitment

- President Klaus Iohannis will welcome, on Thursday, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis, on the occasion of the latter's official visit to Romania, informs the Presidential Administration. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste

- President Klaus Iohannis has convened the meeting of the Supreme Council for the Country's Defense (CSAT), which will take place on Tuesday, starting at 14:00, at the Cotroceni Palace, a release by the Presidential Administration from 11 October reads, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu cele

- President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday welcomed visiting Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, with military honours. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro  Help your friends know

- President Klaus Iohannis participated on Tuesday in a videoconference with European Council President Charles Michel and a group of European leaders as a preparation stage for the meetings to take place on Thursday and Friday in Prague. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste

- President Klaus Iohannis will lead the Romanian delegation that will participate in the high-level segment of the 77th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, on Tuesday and Wednesday, in New York, the Presidential Administration informs. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri.

- President Klaus Iohannis signed, on Tuesday, the Condolence Book opened in memory of Queen Elizabeth II at the residence of the ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Romania, the Presidential Administration announced. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri.

- President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday will sign the condolence book opened in memory of Queen Elizabeth II at the residence of the ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Romania, the Presidential Administration announced. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri.
Experts say genetic engineering to produce even more virulent strains of microbes or germs is another scientific breakthrough that North Korea might have been trying.

By Santosh Chaubey: "Microbes by ton", that is how a Washington Post story describes the bioweapons threat from North Korea, the rogue regime that has recently acquired Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) and has declared itself a nuclear power after claimed detonation of a hydrogen bomb.

But, if the assessments of US and Asian intelligence officials are true, as the Washington Post and stories on the subject in the global media quote, then a whole new chapter in North Korean threat to the world is about to begin, in extension of its regular warnings of launching nuclear attacks.

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"North Korea is moving steadily to acquire the essential machinery that could potentially be used for an advanced bioweapons program, from factories that can produce microbes by the ton, to laboratories specializing in genetic modification," the Post story writes.

There have long been speculation about North Korea developing weapons of biological warfare, after the country established in 1980s a biological weapons programme under Kim Il-Sung, current dictator Kim Jong-un's father, but it never went beyond pathogens like smallpox and anthrax and even now there is no hard evidence to prove it.

But, the way North Korea is moving these days, sending its scientists abroad to study advanced microbiology and acquiring machinery used that can be used to produce biological weapons at large scale, analysts say "North Korea could quickly surge into industrial-scale production of biological pathogens if it chooses to do so."

And the most horrible part of it, the intelligence agencies spying on North Korea may not find if North Korea actually has started producing biological weapons at military scale as they suspect North Korea is using civilian factories to conceal its programme. "If it started tomorrow we might not know it, unless we're lucky enough to have an informant who happens to be in just the right place," the Post story writes quoting an official.

Experts say genetic engineering to produce even more virulent strains of microbes or germs is another scientific breakthrough that North Korea might have been trying. According to a study, North Korea's Biological Weapons Program, released in October by Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, North Korean and Chinese scientists jointly published a research paper in 2016 on producing new species of bacteria through genetic engineering.

Though the research paper writes that it is "it is highly unlikely that the typing of these genomes will provide know-how for biological weapons development effort," the Post story says it is evidence of North Korea's ambition to acquire cutting edge genetic and microbiological sciences. The ambition raises a valid doubt that it may be used to create even more potent germs, especially when North Korea's proven ability and credentials to carry out such advanced scientific research have been limited so far. Attempts to produce such super-germs is not new and met with mixed success during the cold war era.

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An analysis by Amplyfi, an artificial intelligence company, on North Korean efforts to acquire advanced genetic and biotech capabilities, in fact, has shown that search on topics like "gene expression" and "nucleic acid sequence" from North Korea has gone up voluminously in the last two years.

The Post report writes quoting Amplyfi co-founder Chris Ganje "There are worrying indicators of unintended support and it is obvious that the international community and larger institutions need to be cautious in providing seemingly benign academic scientific education and training to North Korea," as to circumvent international monitoring, North Korea is trying to gain technological insights from academic institutions, NGOs and private organizations.

South Korea has warned in past that it may launch biological attack thorough its special operations forces (SOF), a Rand Corporation paper, The Challenge of North Korean Biological Weapons, says.

The paper that details submission before the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the United States House of Representatives in October 2013 writes, "Indeed, North Korea special forces are a likely means for delivering North Korean biological weapons. North Korea has some 200,000 special forces, a small fraction of which could deliver devastating biological attacks against South Korea, Japan, and even the United States."

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AHMEDABAD: There is "tremendous undercurrent" against the BJP in Gujarat, Congress president- elect Rahul Gandhi claimed today, and predicted a victory for his party in the Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference on the last day of campaigning for the second phase of the poll on December 14, he claimed "public mood" had undergone a radical change with all sections of society angry with the ruling party.

He also disapproved of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's insinuation that his predecessor Manmohan Singh and other leaders of his party connived with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat Assembly elections, saying it was unacceptable.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modiji has not spoken about corruption...About farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers....All are angry. Public mood has undergone 'zabardast' change.

"The Congress will win the election....The results will be 'zabardast'," a confident-looking Gandhi said.

Gandhi, addressing his first presser after his elevation, said, in his new job, he would strive to change the nature of political discourse in the country which has become "ugly and nasty".

He questioned Modi's silence on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, a charge the Gandhi scion raked up repeatedly at the hustings, and alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

News portal 'The Wire' had claimed some time ago that the turnover of a company owned by Jay Shah jumped manifold after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

Replying to a question on Modi's remarks over Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls, Gandhi said, "I have made my stand clear from day one, in words and in action. Modiji is the prime minister of our country. Mani Shankar Aiyar said something and I made it clear that I would not tolerate it. You have seen the action."

"But what Modiji has said about former prime minister Manmohan Singh is not acceptable. Manmohan Singhji was also the prime minister of this country, served and made sacrifices for this country," the 47-year-old leader said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

Modi claimed some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6, and a day later Aiyar made the "neech" jibe against him. Aiyar was suspended from the party.

"Narendra Modiji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is the prime minister of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him.

"I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger," he noted.

Gandhi said he would like to spread the Congress's ideology in the country that politics should be done through "love". He was replying to question about what will be his priority after taking over the reins of the party.

He said the prime minister refrained from speaking about corruption during the entire campaign.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, responding to a question.

When his attention was drawn to claims by BJP leaders that he only visited temples in Gujarat, the Congress leader said, "Earlier, I had gone to Kedarnath. Is Kedarnath in Gujarat? This is the BJP's propaganda against me."

Gandhi started his day by offering prayers at the famous Lord Jagannath temple here.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

Asked how will his party give reservation to the Patel community, a section of which is on warpath with the BJP government, breaching the cap of 50 per cent set by the Supreme court, Gandhi said, "The Congress party's manifesto is clear about it."

Gandhi refuted allegations of BJP leaders that Congress was playing caste politics in the elections by enlisting support of caste and community group leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor.

"The Congress wants to take along all sections of Gujarat together as against the BJP which has worked for 10 to 15 industrialists. All sections of society are angry with the BJP and that anger is coming out before this election," he said.
WASHINGTON: White House on Monday denied all allegations of sexual harassment and assault against US President Donald Trump.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the Trump administration has 'multiple reports' of eyewitness accounts that can prove their stand. The women were making "false claims", added the White House.

A month before 2016 presidential election, the three women Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey, and Rachel Crooks alleged Trump of groping, forcibly kissing and humiliating them.

The incident surfaced as part of the #MeToo spree. The two-word hashtag was vehement used by women on social media across the world to denounce sexual assault and harassment. Using the hashtag they started revealing incidents of sexual assault and harassment that they came across.

Jessica Leeds, one among the trio, had claimed that the US President purportedly groped and kissed her on an aeroplane in the 1970s.

Countering the claims, a British man named Anthony Gilberthorpe had defended Trump ahead of US election. He had said that he was present on the flight with Leeds and Trump and that he did not find anything inappropriate.
UNITED NATIONS: UN officials who examined debris from missiles fired at Saudi Arabia from Yemen have not confirmed that they were Iranian-made but are still analyzing the information, according to a confidential report obtained by AFP on Monday.

Saudi Arabia and the United States have accused Iran of supplying weapons to Yemen`s Huthi rebels who fired a missile intercepted near Riyadh airport on November 4.

Weapons supplies to the Huthis would be in violation of a UN arms embargo on Yemen and of a ban on weapons sales by Iran.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that the missiles fired on July 22 and November 4 both had a diameter that was "consistent" with a Scud missile. The Qiam-1 is a variant of the Scud missile.



Guterres said "the missiles had similar structural and manufacturing features which suggest a common origin", according to the report sent to the council on Friday.

He cautioned that UN officials were still "carefully reviewing all the information and material available," but offered no firm conclusions.

A separate team of UN experts who inspected the missile fragments during a visit to Riyadh last month found a possible link to an Iranian manufacturer, the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group which is on the UN sanctions blacklist.

The experts who report to the sanctions committee found a component marked by a logo similar to that of the banned group, which is a subsidiary of the Iranian Aerospace Industries Organization.

In his report, Guterres said officials had seen the logo but again said they were still analysing the information.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley has called for international action against Iran over the missile attacks from Yemen against Saudi Arabia, which Riyadh has described as a "direct aggression".

Iran has repeatedly denied that it is arming the Huthis.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Huthis imposed a blockade of Yemen`s air and sea ports and borders after the missile was fired at Riyadh, citing concerns that weapons were being smuggled into Yemen.

During a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia, UN officials also examined two drones recovered in Yemen but did not confirm a Saudi claim that one of them was Iranian-made.

Guterres also raised violations of a travel ban by senior Iranian military commander, Major General Qasem Soleimani, to Iraq and Syria.
Columbia: A US federal judge Monday cleared the way for transgender people to join the military from January 1, denying a request from President Donald Trump`s administration to delay the move.

The ruling will be seen as a blow to Trump, who in July sent out three tweets saying that transgender troops could not serve "in any capacity," citing "tremendous" medical costs and disruption.

Those messages, later followed by a formal White House memorandum, set off a roar of protest -- with several service members and rights groups quick to sue. Already two federal courts have ruled against Trump`s proposed ban.

Under a new policy first announced when Barack Obama was still in power, the Pentagon was supposed to start accepting transgender recruits on July 1 this year, but Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis pushed that back by six months to January 1 pending further review.

Then last week, the Justice Department asked a federal court to further delay the January start date while the legal battle plays out.

But US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled Monday that the government had not shown it would be "irreparably harmed" if the military begins to accept transgender men and women on January 1.

Government lawyers cited Lernes Hebert, an acting deputy assistant secretary of defense, as saying that meeting the January deadline would "impose extraordinary burdens on the department and the military services" because "there are considerable requirements associated with implementing this significant and complex policy change."

Kollar-Kotelly said she was not convinced.

In her ruling, she wrote that the government had failed "to acknowledge the considerable amount of time defendants have already had to prepare for the implementation of this particular policy."

"Defendants have had the opportunity to prepare for the accession of transgender individuals into the military for nearly one and a half years," the judge wrote.Pentagon spokesman Major David Eastburn said the military was "planning to prepare" for transgender people to enter the military from January 1, in accordance with federal court rulings.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders referred questions on the matter back to the Pentagon and the Justice Department.

The Palm Center think tank, which focuses on sexual minorities in the military, said the Pentagon is ready to implement the new policy, noting that it had been doing the ground work for two years.

"That is longer than the preparation the military had for repeal of `Don`t Ask, Don`t Tell,` and accession of openly gay Americans," the center`s director Aaron Belkin said in a statement.

The number of transgender troops among America`s 1.3 million active duty service members is small, with estimates topping out at 15,000.

Trump`s July tweets caught observers and many in the military off guard, coming with little apparent coordination with the Pentagon.

The president`s policy shift meant that transgender troops who were encouraged to come out under one administration suddenly faced getting booted under another -- opening up a legal quagmire for the Pentagon.

Several senior military officials voiced unease over the policy shift, and the head of the Coast Guard said he would not "break faith" with transgender personnel.

Trump has said he did the Pentagon a "great favor" by banning transgender troops, saying the issue had been "complicated" and "confusing" for the military.
BEIJING: Emphasising on India-China bilateral ties, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday said that the strategic interests of the neighbouring countries outweigh differences and "partial fractions".

Tackling Doklam standoff through diplomacy denotes good neighbourliness between the two countries.

"We have handled the issue of cross-border incursions by the Indian border troops into China's Donglang (Dokalam) area through diplomatic measures," PTI quoted Wang as saying.

Wang's statement came ahead of his visit to India to attend the Russia-India-China (RIC) foreign ministers' meeting which was scheduled to be held in New Delhi.

The Foreign Minister said China always values good neighbourliness and friendship with India as "we are each other's big neighbours and ancient civilisations".

Wang further said, "Through diplomatic means, the Indian side withdrew its equipment and personnel which reflected the value and importance of China-India relations and demonstrated sincerity and responsibility of maintaining regional peace and stability."

"China and India have far greater shared strategic interests than differences, and far greater needs for cooperation than partial friction," he added.

(With PTI inputs)
KARACHI: A Pakistani woman gave birth to a baby girl on board a Multan-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The cabin crew had rushed to the aid of the family as the woman went into labour mid-air on flight PK716, which was en-route from Madina to Multan.

She later gave birth to a healthy baby girl. And on request of her parents, the crew named her Jannat.

She opened her eyes to the blue skies! PIA made a new friend today, the airlines tweeted. Our extremely competent and efficient crew delivered a healthy baby girl mid-flight, it said.

The airline also tweeted the pictures of the crew holding the baby.

Miracles happen everyday and we had our little miracle today onboard our flight PK 716 from Madinah to Multan. A beautiful baby girl was born! We congratulate the proud parents on the new arrival and a big kudos to our cabin crew for their amazing emergency response. #PIA pic.twitter.com/RPo8wyFvvE December 12, 2017

The identity of the woman was not immediately known.

In June this year, another woman had given birth to a baby boy mid-air after she went into premature labour on a Jet Airways flight from Dammam in Saudi Arabia to Kochi.

The flight had to be diverted to Mumbai for the emergency.

Thanks to the prompt actions of the cabin crew and a trained paramedic onboard, the baby was born healthy before the Boeing 737 landed in Mumbai.
PATNA: The main opposition party in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), today deferred the statewide bandh it had called to protest against the sand mining policy of the Nitish Kumar government to December 21.

No reason was, however, cited for deferring the bandh.

Yesterday, former deputy chief minister and the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, had announced that the bandh would be observed on December 18.

Incidentally, the counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls will be taken up on December 18.

Yadav had announced the date of the bandh at a march taken out by the RJD yesterday to protest the sand mining policy of the NDA government in the state.

The Lalu Prasad-led RJD has been blaming the sand mining policy of the government for a "slump" in construction activities and the resultant loss of jobs among the workers, who were migrating to the other states in search of work.

"A decision has been taken to observe a Bihar bandh on December 21, instead of December 18, as had been announced earlier. We appeal to all the sections of the society to support us as our fight is against a government which is indifferent to the plight of the common people and busy in self-publicity," RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said in a statement.

The RJD march yesterday was dismissed by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who had alleged that Prasad's party was trying to "protect the sand mafia as it funded the party".
Chennai: Driven by mounting debts, a small-scale retail textile unit owner allegedly killed his wife, two minor children and his mother before attempting suicide at their home at suburban Pammal.

Damodaran slit the throats of his victims one after the other before trying to cut his neck himself, police said.

He was rushed to a hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.

Damodaran's wife was 37 years old, the son was aged eight years,his daughter was five and his mother was in her sixties.

"Damodaran had borrowed loans running to lakhs of Rupees from his brother-in-law Raja and was depressed that he could not repay it," Police Deputy Commissioner (St Thomas Mount) M S Muthusamy told reporters.

After a preliminary probe, the police official ruled out usury or any other motive

He said Damodaran's brother-in-law did not demand repayment of loan and in fact continued to render all help and support.

Damodoran was still depressed, more so by losses he sufered in his business.

To a question, Muthusamy told PTI, "Damodaran is out of danger now. We have booked a case of murder against him."

He said Damodaran rang up Raja before slitting his throat and told him he was going to commit suicide.

Raja and other relatives rushed to the house and found all of them lying in a pool of blood.

Damodaran also left behind a suicide note, in which he described his debt burden and expressed regret for what he had done, police said.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar: Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, stars likely to play their last WC
By PTI: Chandigarh, Dec 12 (PTI) The deputy speaker of Canadas British Columbia Legislative Assembly today called on the speaker of Punjab Assembly to explore the possibility of establishing a partnership agreement between the legislative assemblies of the two sides.

Raj Chouhan, the MLA from Burnaby-Edmonds in Vancouver, handed over a draft partnership agreement or mutual arrangement to Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh besides discussing various issues being faced by both the houses, an official statement said.

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Chouhan also expressed desire to visit Chandigarh to meet Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to finalise the partnership agreement, it said.

Conveying congratulations to Amarinder Singh on behalf of Premier of British Columbia John Horgan, he said the latter has expressed hope that the development of Punjab would witness a boost under formers leadership.

Chouhan said Horgan is also interested in strengthening the bilateral ties, trade relations and cultural relations between British Columbia and Punjab.

Rana K P Singh said, "Legislatures of the both states can learn many things from each other".

He said he will examine the draft agreement offered by Chouhan to move ahead in this direction. PTI VSD DPB AQS

--- ENDS ---
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday again asked the Centre to place before it the guidelines regarding provisions of security to a person apprehending threat to his life.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar allowed the submission of central government standing counsel Sanjeev Narula seeking time to place before the court the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs in this regard.

The court was hearing a plea by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashish Khetan alleging death threat from right-wing outfits.

The Centre's counsel told the court that they were working on it.

The court asked the Centre to place before its stand on the issue in four weeks and listed the matter on January 25.

Earlier too, the court had asked the Centre to place before it the guidelines and procedures adopted when a citizen complains of having received threats to his life.

During the hearing, Delhi Police counsel Gautam Narayan told the bench that the personal security officer provided to Khetan would not be made available to him round the clock.

Earlier, Khetan's counsel had claimed that the PSO stayed with him from 8 AM to 8 PM only and takes off on Sundays.

Khetan has also sought framing of guidelines to be adopted by the probe agencies to deal with such complaints.

The Supreme Court had earlier refused to interfere in the matter and transferred the plea to the high court.

The AAP leader's counsel had said neither the police, nor its chief had responded to his complaint despite Khetan holding the rank of a cabinet minister. Nobody has given him a hearing, he had said.

"All I am asking is that these threats should be investigated. Such threats are coming due to the atmosphere nowadays," the petition has said.

Khetan had moved the apex court on May 24 and sought protection alleging threats. He had said that on May 9, he had received a threat letter written in Hindi at his office stating that his death was imminent.

"The language and content of this letter is similar to the threatening article published by Sanatan Prabhat against Narendra Dabholkar, both before and after he was killed.

"The threat is a chilling reminder of the growing confidence of the anti-national and fascist forces who want to exterminate all dissenting voices," the plea has alleged.

Khetan, who is the vice chairman of the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi, had sought a ban on right-wing organisation, Sanatan Sanstha, and a CBI probe monitored by the court into the alleged death threat.
AHMEDABAD: Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi will on Tuesday hold a press conference here, ahead of the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections.

The press meet is scheduled to be held at 1 pm.

On Monday, Rahul was elected unopposed as the new Congress President, taking over the reins from his mother Sonia Gandhi who was at the helm of the party affairs for 19 years.

With Rahul Gandhi in a spree of addressing rallies in poll-bound Gujarat, the grand old party is attempting an electoral revival.

The 47-year-old will be the fifth Congress president post-independence and sixth pre-independence, after he takes over as the president on December 16.

With the end of the first phase of polling on Saturday, over 68 percent turnout was recorded for 89 Assembly seats in the state.

Scheduled on December 14, the second phase of voting for the high-stakes election will be held for the remaining 93 seats.

Gujarat has 182 assembly constituencies. The counting of votes will take place on December 18.
Denied permission for a roadshow in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took the sea-route to reach out to voters in Gujarat, which votes in the second phase of Assembly elections on Thursday.

The Prime Minister boarded the sea-plane at Sabarmati riverfront to go to Dharoi Dham.

As it happened: PM Narendra Modi's sea-plane ride in Gujarat

The sea-plane took off from the Sabarmati riverfront and then flew above a flyover to go to Dharoi Dham in Mehsana district, nearly 150 km from Ahmedabad.

#WATCH: Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/DeHpQX7UvV  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

This came on the last day of campaign for Gujarat Assembly elections.

After landing, PM Modi is slated to proceed by road to the revered Ambaji Temple in North Gujarat, which goes to the polls on Thursday. He will end his month-long high-decibel campaign for Gujarat assembly elections by addressing a rally in Mehsana.

#Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi boards sea plane from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/MkbBZTYXFD  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Both PM Modi and Congress party president-elect Rahul Gandhi were denied permission hold roadshows in Ahmedabad by the district authorities citing sensitivity of some areas and traffic conditions. The Ahmedabad police had denied the permission citing law and order issues.

"Request by BJP and Congress for conducting PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi's roadshow tomorrow (Tuesday), turned down by police due to security, law and order reasons and to avoid public inconvenience," Anup Kumar Singh, Police Commissioner Ahmedabad had told ANI.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had requested the permission to hold the roadshow from Dharnidhar Derasar to Bapunagar, Congress had asked premission to hold its rodashow from Jagannath Mandir to Memko Char Rasta.
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Assembly Election Results: Acharya Dr. Nimaben Bhaveshbhai of BJP wins from Kachchh's Bhuj.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED RESULT

Gujarat polls were held in two phases on December 9 and 14.

Bhuj assembly constituency is one of the 182 assembly constituency of Gujarat. It is located in Kachchh District.

The constituency had 253 polling stations.
AHMEDABAD: Choryasi in Surat district is one of the 182 constituencies in Gujarat.

The constituency will have 441 polling stations.

In 2012 assembly polls, BJP candidate Hitesh Patel won the seat with 90089 votes.

Gujarat went to polls in two phases on December 9 and 14.

A total of 50.25 lakh electorate, including 19 lakh women and 14 transgenders, will decide the fate of candidates. The poll process in the state started on November 14 with the issue of the gazette notification for the first phase.
AHMEDABAD: Baraiya Bhikhabhai Ravajibhai of BJP wins from Palitana in Bhavnagar district.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED RESULT

Palitana is one of the 182 assembly constituencies in the state.

A total of 240 polling stations were set up for the polling.

Gujarat polls were held on December 9 and 14.
AHMEDABAD: Varachha Road in Surat district is one of the 182 constituencies in Gujarat.

The constituency will have 197 polling stations.

In 2012 assembly polls, BJP candidate Kishorbhai Shivabhai Kanani won the seat with 68529 votes.

Gujarat went to polls in two phases on December 9 and 14.

The votes will be counted on December 18, the same day as Himachal Pradesh, where elections were held on November 9.

A total of 50.25 lakh electorate, including 19 lakh women and 14 transgenders, will decide the fate of candidates. The poll process in the state started on November 14 with the issue of the gazette notification for the first phase.
AHMEDABAD: Vyara in Tapi district is one of the 182 constituencies in Gujarat

The constituency will have 258 polling stations.

In 2012 assembly polls, Congress candidate Punabhai Dhedabhai Gamit won the seat with 73138 votes.

Gujarat went to polls in two phases on December 9 and 14.

A total of 50.25 lakh electorate, including 19 lakh women and 14 transgenders, will decide the fate of candidates. The poll process in the state started on November 14 with the issue of the gazette notification for the first phase.
AHMEDABAD: The campaigning for the second and final phase of Gujarat Assembly elections 2017 ended on Tuesday. The BJP is making a bid for a fifth term while the Congress is attempting an electoral revival in the high-stakes elections.

The first phase of polling for 89 constituencies was held on December 9 and the second phase of polling for the remaining 93 constituencies will take place on December 14.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed more than 20 rallies across Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi spent days, addressing a number of meetings.

BJP president Amit Shah, the chief poll strategist of the saffron party, also addressed a number of rallies, mainly targeting the Congress and Gandhi.

The BJP had also drafted Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, besides Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the campaigning.

The Congress fielded former prime minister Manmohan Singh and prominent leaders such as P Chidambaram, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot to canvass for votes.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Tuesday ordered a repolling in six booths, where the first phase polling was held on December 9. The repolls will be held on December 14.

Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat B.B. Swain said the poll panel has cancelled the results stored in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in six booths in four constituencies of the first phase of elections.

The presiding officers of these booths had forgotten to wipe out the mock drill poll results necessitating the re-election.

These are Dhunda and Manpar booths in Jam Jodhpur assembly constituency, Bandharda and Gangda in Una constituency, Chorwad in Nizar constituency and Chanod colony, Chanod in Umargaon constituency, both the latter are Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituencies.

"The reasons for cancelling these booth results is that the Presiding Officers (PO) had forgotten to wipe and delete the existing mock poll drill in their EVMs. We have initiated necessary actions against these lax officials," Swain told the IANS.

The repolls will be held along with the second phase elections for the remaining 93 seats of the 182 seat state assembly. The counting will take place along with Himachal Pradesh on December 18.

(With agency inputs)
Ahmedabad: Hours after being denied permission by the authorities to conduct a roadshow in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will now be landing on the Sabarmati river in a sea-plane at 9.30 am on Tuesday.

After landing, he will go to the Dharoi dam and offer prayers at Ambaji Temple.

The PM took to Twitter yesterday to announce his schedule for Gujarat.

Tomorrow at 9:30 AM I will travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane. After that will offer prayers to Maa Amba at Ambaji. With air, roads & rail connectivity, our Government is making efforts for harnessing waterways. All this is for 125 crore Indians!  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2017

The Prime Minister was speaking of a sea-plane, which he said, would fly for the first time in India.

"The Congress can't even imagine development work like this," he said.

He added that as many as 106 such water-ways had been planned in the country.

Minutes later, at 10 pm, BJP national president Amit Shah called a one-line press conference at the BJP`s specially created election media centre to make the same announcement.

"This is a scheduled event which will happen on time at 9.30 am on Tuesday,'' he said.

''Since administration asked not to conduct roadshow of PM Modi on 12th, hell go to Ambaji Mata temple tomorrow. Itll be done uniquely. To promote Gujarat tourism, hell take off in a sea-plane from Sabarmati riverfront, land in Dharoi dams pond and will go to the temple by road, he added.

Referring to PM Modis visit, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that this is for the first time in the history of the country that a sea-plane will land on a water body and that will be the Sabarmati river.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel in the plane from here to Dharoi. He will visit Ambaji temple and come back from Dharoi to Sabarmati in the same plane, Rupani stated.

Earlier in the day, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner AK Singh had denied permission to both Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi, citing reasons of traffic congestion and some main markets and old city areas, which are communally sensitive and have narrow roads, falling on the routes of their scheduled roadshows.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday defended his government's flagship initiatives and said India has made remarkable strides and the world is realising it.

Accusing the Congress of trying to derail Gujarat's development journey, he said the party made huge money in the name of 'vikas' (development).

He attacked the Congress for saying that the Gujarat's development model has failed and the people were fooled to believe it worked.

Modi said Gujarat has two development engines: One in Gandhinagar and the other in Delhi.

The Swachh Bharat Mission and the Pragati Initiative, he said, have helped the ordinary citizens more than the rich in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)
If you think banning condom ads during sanskaari time is futile, you're not the only one.

By India Today Web Desk: On Monday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting restricted airing of condom advertisements on television, after repeated complaints. The advertisements will now be shown only between 10 PM and 6 AM.

According to the ministry, it was observed "that some channels carry advertisements of condoms repeatedly which are alleged to be indecent especially for children".

advertisement

But, people on social media think otherwise. Most of them believe it is futile and mindless to ban these advertisements as they promote practice of safe sex.

While some accepeted the new rule with arms wide open, some trolled the ministry ruthlessly.

Here's all that went down on social media:

No condom ad on TV from 6am to 10pm because kids watch TV at that time If your kid watches so much TV maybe you needed that condom in the 1st place- Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) December 12, 2017

Happy to not have condom ads between 6pm and 10pm if you actually told our kids about condoms everyday from 8am till 3pm in school. Deal?- Vir Das (@thevirdas) December 12, 2017

Condom ads are the same as Katrina Kaif trying to eat the fuck out of a mango for a soft drink ad or a deodorant perpetrating bullshit about women's sexual responses. If guidelines have to be issued, they should be on type of content. Not the brand or product.- Cattywampuss. (@meownologue) December 12, 2017

Smriti Irani banned condom ads on TV between 6 pm to 10 pm. This is why Tulsis family was huge.- Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) December 12, 2017

Life is a strange cycle. If you're the type of adult who is so uptight, they are offended by condom ads, you're probably not going to get to use the product much. Or maybe because you don't get to use the product...you're offended by condom ads. #ThisJoke #Calmdown- Vir Das (@thevirdas) December 12, 2017

Condom ads banned within certain hours. Logically, I wonder what else be regulated? Preposterous! Viewers are discriminating and have the right to choose. Respect them.- Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) December 12, 2017

Ban condom ads totally because why teach children about safe sex when they can grow up and sexually transmit sanskar approved by Deendayal Upadhyaya to others.- Sayantan Ghosh (@sayantansunnyg) December 12, 2017

Can the centre do something about these vulgar condom ads during prime time on TL?! ??https://t.co/kWIzvyjeNp- Shan (@klpe) December 12, 2017

No condom ads between 6 and 10 pm in India but Ajay Devgan can sell paan masala in that time bracket. What a great lesson for our kids in a country with an uncontrolled population!- Anuradha Santhanam (@anumccartney) December 12, 2017

Indian I&B ministry says no to condom TVCs from 6 am to 10 pm. Obvious decision by people in power who think safe sex awareness compromises morality- Debarati Majumder (@debarati_m) December 12, 2017

--- ENDS ---

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AHMEDABAD: Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, the Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called the usage of seaplane for campaigning a 'distraction' from the main issues of Gujarat.

While addressing a press meet in Ahmedabad, Rahul continued to slam PM Modi over not mentioning issues like corruption and farmers in his rallies in poll-bound Gujarat.

PM Modi flew on Tuesday morning in a sea-plane from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls.

PM Modi boarded the single-engine plane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country.

The plane landed at Dharoi Dam reservoir in Mehsana.

From Dharoi, the PM proceeded to Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha district via road.

Taking a jibe at PM Modi, Gandhi added that the Prime Minister had remained silent on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"PM Modi ji has not spoken a word about corruption. He is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal," he said.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

Rahul defended himself saying, "Whenever I went to a temple I just prayed for a 'sunehra bhavishya' for the people of Gujarat, a better development here. Is it wrong to go to a temple?"

The Congress leader also said he was confident that his party would win the elections in the state. "We are confident that Congress will win in Gujarat," Gandhi said.

Remaining parts of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, are slated to go for polls on December 14.The first phase of polling took place on December 9 and recorded a voter turnout of 68 percent.

Counting of votes will take place on December 18.

The Congress is eyeing to dethrone the BJP government in the state.The last Congress government in Gujarat was led by Chhabildas Mehta from February 17, 1994, to March 13, 1995.

(With PTI inputs)
Gandhinagar: Taking a jibe at Narendra Modi, Gujarat Congress OBC leader, Alpesh Thakor, said on Tuesday that the Prime Minister was a 'dark-skinned person', but become 'fair' as he eats imported mushrooms worth Rs four lakh every day.

Speaking at a rally in Gujarat, Thakor said, "Someone told me that what Modi ji eats, you can't eat because it's not poor people's food. So I asked what such food does he eat? He said he eats mushrooms. I asked what was wrong in that, mushrooms are widely available. He said that he doesn't like the ones we eat, the ones he eats are from Taiwan and the cost of one mushroom is Rs 80,000. He eats five of them every day."

He went on to say that "it's been going on ever since Modi was the CM of Gujarat" and added, "I saw his (PM Modi's) photo of 35 years ago, he was as dark as me, now how is he so fair. A PM who can eat mushrooms worth four lakhs every day, mushrooms worth one crore twenty lakhs every month, won't like regular meals."

#WATCH Modi Ji eats mushrooms from Taiwan, one mushroom costs Rs 80 thousand & he eats 5 mushrooms a day. He was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms: Alpesh Thakor, activist & Congress leader #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/jh5QPN27SD  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Thakor is the founder of the OSS (OBC, SC and ST) Ekta March. He joined the Congress officially on 23 October 2017.

Reacting to Thakor's remarks, Jammu and Kashmir MLA Omar Abdullah tweeted:

Any imported mushrooms to give me a nice tan? Im already fair without mushrooms. https://t.co/4NLQ7hWvEI  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 12, 2017

Meanwhile, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi too took a dig at PM Modi on Tuesday saying that flying in a sea-plane was good but is a distraction as well.

"There is nothing wrong if Prime Minister Modi wants to fly in the sea-plane, it`s a good thing. But it`s a distraction. The main question is what did he do for the people in the last 22 years?" asked Rahul, while addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar.

The statement by Gandhi was made after PM Modi travelled from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via seaplane.

Remaining parts of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, are slated to go for polls on December 14. The first phase of polling took place on December 9 and recorded a voter turnout of 68 percent.

Counting of votes will take place on December 18.

The last Congress government in Gujarat was led by Chhabildas Mehta from February 17, 1994, to March 13, 1995.

(With Agency inputs)
Amid attacks and counter-attacks, there are also sea of promises being made by political leaders in Gujarat, which votes for the second phase of Assembly elections on December 14. The latest bunch of promises come from Congress party president-elect Rahul Gandhi, who has aggressively campaigned in the Gujarat polls.

Taking to Twitter on Monday evening, the Congress leader made several promises pertaining to the education sector that the party would fulfil if it is voted to power.

One of the promises made by the Gandhi scion is that the students would be provided free laptops and poor students would be given aid to complete their education.

His tweet said, Students will get free laptops, we will also reduce the cost of education in schools and colleges, financial aid will be given to poor students, and the number of teachers will also go up. We will make studies easier and wont let education be auctioned.

   #___



   

-    

    

    

  ,    



     

       Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 11, 2017

This comes a day after the Congress leader, who is slated to officially take over as party president on December 16, said that nothing could stop his party from winning the Gujarat Assembly elections.

"Congress is going to win in Gujarat. No one can stop that from happening. People of Gujarat have made up their mind," he said, claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had no plans for the development of the state.

"They (BJP) say the Congress has disappeared from Gujarat, but why 50 percent of the PM's speeches are on the party and rest on himself? He has no plan for the people of Gujarat," he said.

Rahul Gandhi also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talking about Pakistan, China and Japan in Gujarat elections and not talking about the issues concerning the state.

He also alleged that PM Modi was frequently shifting his campaign plank in Gujarat.

"First it was the Narmada water, but after farmers started saying it has not reached their fields, PM Modi changed track and began speaking about OBC issues. When that also did not find favour with people, he went for development issues but people punctured it", he said.

"Now, Modi ji speaks about Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and Japan. Modi ji, this is the election about the future of Gujarat. Please say something about Gujarat also," he told a rally in Tharad in Banaskantha district.

Gandhi was apparently targeting the PM over his yesterday's suggestion that Pakistan was trying to influence the Gujarat Assembly polls and that some current and former officials of that country had met Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence a day before 'neech' remark against him.
Banaskanth: Gujarat Congress OBC leader Alpesh Thakor has claimed that the complexion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned fair because he eats mushrooms imported from Taiwan that costs Rs 80,000 per piece.

"Someone told me that you can't eat what Modi ji eats, because it's not a food for the poor," Thakor said addressing an election gathering in Gujarat and continued the anecdote, saying he was told that the Prime Minister eats mushrooms that come from Taiwan.

"One mushroom costs Rs 80,000, and he eats five mushrooms a day. That is why I wonder how he turned so fair. He was as dark as me," Thakor added.

#WATCH Modi Ji eats mushrooms from Taiwan, one mushroom costs Rs 80 thousand & he eats 5 mushrooms a day. He was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms: Alpesh Thakor, activist & Congress leader #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/jh5QPN27SD  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Soon hashtag #importedmushroom started trending on Twitter, with many posting 'before and after' memes on social media.

Here are some of them:

Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs: #AlpeshThakore Imported Mushroom version pic.twitter.com/rRwwMzOZqr  Why So Silly (@silly_why) December 12, 2017

Before and after eating imported mushroom. Vote for congress. pic.twitter.com/TnNXV2ZDsU  Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) December 12, 2017

Pic 1: @ArvindKejriwal before eating imported mushroom



Pic 2: Sadji after eating imported mushrooms (as well as samosas and thaalis) pic.twitter.com/mnpmA4luBM  Aditya Tiwari (@adt007ad) December 12, 2017

1. Normal imported Mushroom.

2. Imported Mushroom on seeing Ashutosh. pic.twitter.com/ii93st6kfk  The Skin Doctor (@theskindoctor13) December 12, 2017

Deshi Mushroom vs Imported Mushroom pic.twitter.com/EwS1mtVKDW  Prakash Sawant (@Prakash_Sawant) December 12, 2017

Thakor also alleged that the same person told him that PM Modi has been eating those mushrooms since he became the CM of Gujarat, in 2001.

"The Prime Minister who eats mushrooms worth Rs 1.20 crore in a month, you can imagine how many crores of money his workers must be eating up," he added.

Thakore formed a front from the OBC community, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities and called it the OSS Ekta Manch. Thereafter he joined hands with the Congress.

Ajay Devgn before and after eating imported Mushroom... pic.twitter.com/ax43BmhfFs  Randheer Thakur (@India_Se_Hu) December 12, 2017

This mushroom effect is unbelievable pic.twitter.com/CXSjnSwL2N  Battle4Delhi! (@Battle4Delhi) December 12, 2017

Meanwhile, the curtains came down on Tuesday on campaigning for the second phase of polling in Gujarat.

The second and final phase of elections will see 93 Assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

The first phase of voting for the 182-member Assembly, held on December 9, covered 89 seats.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: With temperature nosediving to freezing levels, China is reportedly looking to take full advantage of the weather to gain an upper-hand in the dispute Doklam region. Reports suggest that close to 1800 soldiers of the People's Liberation Army have reached the area and are stationed just 200 meters away from the Doka La area.

According to sources, heavy troop movement has been observed in areas surrounding Doklam and the PLA may even attempt to take over posts vacated by Bhutanese Army due to cold conditions. While barracks and satellite towers have also been constructed, close to 406 tents have also been brought in as mobile shelters. PLA soldiers have also put up the Chinese flag in several areas of the Sinche-La Doka La.

Sources also reveal that approach roads are being widened in what appears as an effort to further mobilise troops and - possibly - heavy armoured machinery. Defence experts in India regard this has aggressive posturing by PLA. "China's position in Chumbi Valley is weak because India dominates here. To deal with this weakness, China wants to establish itself on the right shoulder of Chumbi Valley. This would be dangerous for Bhutan and also for India in the times to come," says Major General (Retd) PK Sehgal.

Doklam first made headlines this year after the two Asian giants were engaged in a stand-off from June 16 to August 28 in the area. New Delhi and Beijing were engaged in the standoff in the Doklam area after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while the 'Dragon' claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Bhutan also claims the Doklam area to be its part.

New Delhi and Beijing eventually agreed to pull back their troops towards the end of August ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China for the G20 Summit.
BEIJING: The Dokalam standoff had put "severe pressure" on India-China ties though the issue was resolved through diplomatic means, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during their meeting in New Delhi.

The bilateral ties went through a serious test after Indian border troops "illegally trespassed" into the Chinese territory in June, Wang told Swaraj yesterday.

The Chinese foreign minister was in New Delhi to attend the Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers' meeting.

Although the standoff ended eventually through diplomatic means more than two months later, lessons must be learned and efforts must be made to avoid such an incident in the future, said Wang, whose comments were posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website today.

"The standoff put the bilateral relations under severe pressure," he said.

Wang said that the Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial period and the most important thing between the two countries is to really cultivate mutual trust.

Leaders from both countries have shared the view that China and India should regard each other's development as opportunities rather than challenges, and China and India are partners rather than rivals, thus the two sides should sincerely implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, Wang noted.

While enhancing strategic communication at all levels, restoring dialogue mechanisms that have been established and deepening pragmatic cooperation in all fields, both sides should also properly manage differences so as to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas, he said.

Wang's visit to New Delhi is the first by a top Chinese official to India after the 73-day Dokalam standoff and after the commencement of the second five-year term of President Xi Jinping.

The Dokalam standoff ended on August 28 after Chinese troops stopped building a key road close to India?s 'Chicken Neck' corridor. India had objected to the construction highlighting its security concerns. The road was being built by China in an area also claimed by Bhutan.

Besides Swaraj, Wang also called on President Ram Nath Kovind and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

In his meeting with Doval, Wang said China and India should make correct choice in development of relations without politicising and complicating issues left over by history.

Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial moment when both sides need to make right choice on the future of the bilateral relations, Wang was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news
New Delhi: As the curtains came down on Tuesday on campaigning for the second phase of polling in Gujarat, PM Narendra Modi slammed the Opposition for spreading lies about the states' development.

He also said that his life was devoted for the betterment of crores of people of Gujarat and India.

"Campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections 2017 ends. After three and a half years, I got the honour to travel across the length and breadth of Gujarat to seek the blessings of the people. During my travels across Gujarat, the level of affection I have received from the people is unparalleled in my 40 years of public life. This affection gives me strength and motivates me to devote all my time for Indias development," PM Modi posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 ends. After three and a half years, I got the honour to travel across the length and breadth of Gujarat to seek the blessings of the people.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

During my travels across Gujarat, the level of affection I have received from the people is unparalleled in my 40 years of public life. This affection gives me strength and motivates me to devote all my time for Indias development.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

In another post, he said, "I urge my sisters and brothers of Gujarat to vote in record numbers on the 14th. I call upon the people of Gujarat to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state. The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, Gujarats growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined. It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition."

I urge my sisters and brothers of Gujarat to vote in record numbers on the 14th. I call upon the people of Gujarat to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, Gujarats growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined. It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

PM Modi further tweeted, "With the government of India and government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1+ 1 is not 2 but 11 and together we will take Gujarat to new heights. No Gujarati will let go off a golden opportunity of development of our youth and coming generations. The victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future. I am devoting my life for the betterment of crores of people of Gujarat and India. Have been fortunate to always get your blessings. I am sure you will continue to bless us in these elections too by voting for BJP."

With the Government of India and Government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1+ 1 is not 2 but 11 and together we will take Gujarat to new heights.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

No Gujarati will let go off a golden opportunity of development of our youth and coming generations. Victory of BJP is a guarantee for a bright future.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

I am devoting my life for the betterment of crores of people of Gujarat and India. Have been fortunate to always get your blessings. I am sure you will continue to bless us in these elections too by voting for BJP.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

The second and final phase of elections, for which the open campaigning ended at 5 pm on Tuesday, will see 93 Assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

The first phase of voting for the 182-member House held on December 9, covered 89 seats. A total of 851 candidates are in the fray for the second phase, where 2.22 crore people are eligible to vote.

The last day of campaigning on Tuesday saw both PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi visiting temples. While Gandhi paid a visit to the famous Lord Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad, the PM took blessings at the famous Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha.

Thanks to the blessings of Amba Maa and the Janta Darshan, which is akin to Ishwar Darshan, across Gujarat, I derive renewed strength to work for India. My determination to work towards Indias transformation got fresh vigour. pic.twitter.com/JvAGyAjBbM December 12, 2017

Earlier today, I travelled on a sea plane from Ahmedabads Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for Indias progress. pic.twitter.com/mkosy9OteJ  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

Effective use of waterways augurs well for tourism. Places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, our vibrant North East, places with many water bodies, big dams, waterways will benefit with usage of sea planes. More tourism also brings greater economic opportunities. pic.twitter.com/BuIqRAupYs  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

Several senior leaders from both the BJP and the Congress also campaigned extensively for their candidates in major parts of north and central Gujarat.

The Gujarat contest is being seen as a prestige battle for PM Modi in his home state, where a reinvigorated Congress has sewed up a broad social coalition with prominent Patidar, OBC, and Dalit leaders in its bid to unseat the BJP in power for over two decades.

In the 2012 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 115 seats, while the Congress bagged 61.

(With PTI inputs)
Ahmedabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back at Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, saying the Congress leader has been misleading Patidar youth, who have been agitating for reservation in government jobs and educational institutes.

"Congress had no roadmap for the future of Gujarat. Also, Rahul did not have any reply when the question was asked on the Patidar reservation," Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference.

He further presented a fact check to counter charge 47-year old Congress leader, who had levelled on the BJP over the issue of development in the state.

"Rahul Gandhi was repeatedly lying to the people of Gujarat over the issue of development and had been using fake numbers to defame BJP," he added.

Prasad's reply came after Rahul held his first press conference after being elected as the party president, where he questioned the BJP's contribution towards the development of Gujarat in the last 22 years.

Talking about Rahul's umpteen visits to temples in Gujarat, the BJP leader asked, "We have seen Rahul's Shiv bhakti. But what about Ram bhakti?

The #Congress Party looted the country by giving false hopes of development. pic.twitter.com/KNJuKIzI66  Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) December 12, 2017

#RahulGandhi failed to answer the question on reservation to the Patidaars. He does not have any roadmap for that. pic.twitter.com/qpLrqShQpQ  Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) December 12, 2017

Undercurrent against BJP in Gujarat, Congress will win, says Rahul

Earlier on Tuesday, Rahul said that there was 'tremendous undercurrent' against the BJP in Gujarat and predicted a victory for the Congress in the Assembly elections.

He claimed that the 'public mood' had undergone a radical change with all sections of society angry with the ruling party.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modi ji has not spoken about corruption, about farmers. There is tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers. All are angry. The Congress will win the elections," Rahul said.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Am I not allowed to visit temples? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," he said, responding to a question.

When his attention was drawn to claims by BJP leaders that he only visited temples in Gujarat, the Rahul maintained, "Earlier, I had gone to Kedarnath. Is Kedarnath in Gujarat? This is the BJP's propaganda against me."

Asked how will his party give reservation to the Patel community, a section of which is on warpath with the BJP government, breaching the cap of 50 percent set by the Supreme court, he said, "The Congress party's manifesto is clear about it."

Rahul refuted allegations of BJP leaders that Congress was playing caste politics in the elections by enlisting support of caste and community group leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor.

"The Congress wants to take along all sections of Gujarat together as against the BJP which has worked for 10 to 15 industrialists. All sections of society are angry with the BJP and that anger is coming out before this election," he said.

The second and final phase of elections will see 93 Assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

The first phase of voting for the 182-member Assembly, held on December 9, covered 89 seats.

(With ANI and PTI inputs)
Ahmedabad: Exuding confidence, Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that there was "tremendous undercurrent" against the BJP in Gujarat. He also predicted a "zabardast" (great) victory for his party in the Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference on the last day of campaigning on Tuesday for the second phase of the poll on December 14, he claimed, "public mood" had undergone a radical change with all sections of society angry with the ruling party.

"It is for the first time in an election that Modi ji has not spoken about corruption. About farmers. There is (zabardast) tremendous undercurrent (against the BJP). Be it Patidars, OBCs, Dalits, farmers, all are angry. The public mood has undergone change. The Congress will win the election. The results will be zabardast," he said.

Replying to a question on PM Modi's remarks over Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls, Gandhi said, "I have made my stand clear from day one, in words and in action. Modi ji is the Prime Minister of our country. Mani Shankar Aiyar said something and I made it clear that I would not tolerate it. You have seen the action."

"But what Modi ji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable. Manmohan Singh ji was also the PM of this country, served and made sacrifices for this country," the 47-year-old leader said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, PM Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the Assembly polls in the state.

PM Modi claimed some current and former Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6, and a day later Aiyar made the "neech" jibe against him. Aiyar was suspended from the party.

"Narendra Modi ji is my political opponent. He speaks many wrong things about me. But as he is the PM of the country, not a single bad word will come out of my mouth for him. I want to change the political discourse. It has become ugly, it has become nasty. The atmosphere is filled with anger," he noted.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"Am I not allowed to visit temples? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," he said, responding to a question.

When his attention was drawn to claims by BJP leaders that he only visited temples in Gujarat, Rahul said, "Earlier, I had gone to Kedarnath. Is Kedarnath in Gujarat? This is the BJP's propaganda against me."

He started his day on Tuesday by offering prayers at the famous Lord Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad.

Taking a jibe at PM Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Rahul said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

Asked how will his party give reservation to the Patel community, a section of which is on warpath with the BJP government, breaching the cap of 50 percent set by the Supreme court, he maintained, "The Congress party's manifesto is clear about it."

Gandhi refuted allegations of BJP leaders that Congress was playing caste politics in the elections by enlisting the support of caste and community group leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor.

"The Congress wants to take along all sections of Gujarat together as against the BJP which has worked for 10 to 15 industrialists. All sections of society are angry with the BJP and that anger is coming out before this election," he said.

The second and final phase of elections will see 93 Assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

The first phase of voting for the 182-member Assembly held on December 9, covered 89 seats.

The Gujarat contest is being seen as a prestige battle for PM Modi in his home state, where a reinvigorated Congress has sewed up a broad social coalition with prominent Patidar, OBC, and Dalit leaders in its bid to unseat the BJP in power for over two decades.

In the 2012 Gujarat Assembly polls, the BJP had won 115 seats, while the Congress bagged 61.

(With PTI inputs)
Noted poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who sparked a controversy by equating former prime minister Manmohan Singh with god, has now clarified on his remark. Taking to Twitter, the former Rajya Sabha MP said that he did not equate the two but merely questioned by God was not held accountable for the happenings around.

Hitting out at his critics, Akhtar tweeted, I wonder if people really misunderstand or choose to do so. Criticising the concept of an omnipotent God I had pointed out that we blame humans like our ex PM for bad administration but never the God while the whole world is in a chaos and mismanagement.

During his address at Jashn-e-Rekhta event in the national capital recently, Akhtar had sparked a row saying that the way the world in functioning despite God being there, it can be believed that Singh is a better administrator than God.

Speaking on a lighter note, Akhtar had said that he doesnt believe in the existence of God, and if God was there it was a matter of shame considering how the world was functioning.

We say that several scams took place during the tenure of Manmohan Singh. But think about it, he had some allies, he had his own boss as well, and he had other compulsions as well. But he still managed to run his government. And here when we believe that God exists, the world is functioning in such manner. Then trust me, Manmohan Singh is a better administration than God, Akhtar had said.
By PTI: By Aditi Khanna

London, Dec 12 (PTI) The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) today tore into the evidence provided by a political expert deposed by Vijay Mallyas defence, claiming that he had relied on flawed material to discredit Indian investigation agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Mallyas extradition trial opened today on day five at Westminster Magistrates Court here with Lawrence Saez, a professor in the Department of Politics at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS) in London, taking the stand.

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Saez gave his expert opinion on the Indian political system as part of which he called into question the impartiality of the CBI and the appointment of its special director, Rakesh Asthana, in particular.

Mallyas counsel Clare Montgomery took Saez through his written statement, which relied on a past Supreme Court of India ruling to describe the CBI as a "caged parrot speaking in its master?s voice" and also memoirs of past CBI directors which detailed ways in which their investigation could be "interfered with".

CPS barrister Mark Summers, arguing on behalf of Indian government, took him to task on this aspect, stressing that the 1997 Supreme Court judgement he had quoted from had resulted in the creation of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which has "independent oversight over the CBI".

"The commission does not feature anywhere in your report evaluating CBI?s independence," Summers rebuked, also pointing to the annual report of the Indian Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, which describes the CBI as a trustworthy "premier investigation agency" of the country.

He sought to discredit Saezs views in their entirety for not taking into account such sources and instead relying heavily on Indian press reports, including those claiming the appointment of Asthana as CBI special director was politically motivated.

"You make a broad attack on the CBI and raise serious allegations about the character and professional integrity of its director, Asthana. People take experts like you seriously and would assume that you would not regurgitate press reports while evaluating your information," Summers said.

Summers referred to a Supreme Court order dated November 28 which had ruled that Asthanas appointment as CBI special director "suffers from no illegality" and that the news reports in the Indian media which had raised doubts about its legality were "factually incorrect".

Saez insisted that though the court had "exonerated" Asthana, he stood by his view that there remain "serious issues regarding the independence of the CBI as a whole" and that he had only relied on news reports from highly regarded newspapers in India.

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As part of his witness statement, he claimed that 61- year-old Mallya is being "unfairly persecuted on account of his high profile corporate persona" and being "unfairly targeted" by political parties trying to lobby for political gains against each other.

"He is a prominent businessman and my contention is that both the BJP and Congress used this case for their own political gains to blame each other," Saez said.

His witness statement will be followed by the second-half of the cross-examination of Paul Rex, the banking expert deposed by Mallyas defence team last week.

The trial, which opened on December 4, is aimed at laying out a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya, who has been based in the UK since March 2016.

It will also seek to prove that there are no "bars to extradition" and that Mallya is assured a fair trial in India over his erstwhile airlines alleged default of over Rs 9,000 crore in loans from a consortium of Indian banks.

The defence is going through a series of expert witness statements to establish that there are no grounds to force the UK-based tycoon to return to India to face allegations of fraud involving his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

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On Monday, Judge Emma Arbuthnot had directed the CPS to clearly lay out its case in its closing submissions because she feels "very uncertain" about how the Indian banks are involved in the wider case of "conspiracy" involving Mallya.

Both sides are expected to wrap up proceedings on Thursday, with tomorrow marked as a non-sitting day.

Mallyas barrister, Clare Montgomery, has requested the judge for a short hearing after both sides hand in their written closing submissions to present brief oral submissions.

Earlier, on day four of the trial yesterday, Mallyas defence had raised a question mark over the impartiality of Indias judicial system and the media.

The CPS had dismissed this assertion, saying that the accused would have "legal remedies" at his disposal in India.

While the CPS stand is that Mallya did not intend to repay the loans he sought because his airline?s demise was inevitable, Montgomery is trying to establish that Kingfisher Airlines was suffering from consequences of a wider global financial crisis.

Mallyas legal team has also claimed that the case against him is "politically motivated".

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He was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant in April this year and has been out on bail on a bond worth 650,000 pounds.

Chief Magistrate Arbuthnot will present her ruling within a timeframe she sets out at the end of the trial. If she rules in favour of the Indian government, the UK home secretary will have to sign Mallya?s extradition order within two months.

Both sides are expected to have the chance to appeal in higher courts in the UK against the Chief Magistrates verdict. PTI AK ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Heavy rainfall across parts of north India has brought down the mercury, further intensifying the cold weather conditions.

According to the Met department, Western disturbances have caused a heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan and triggered snowfall in the Kashmir Valley.

The severe cold conditions and reducing visibility has led to cancellation of several trains in the national capital and delayed the flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here, according to ANI.

27 trains delayed, one rescheduled and 15 cancelled due to operational reasons/decreased visibility in #Delhi  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Pir Panjal range in J&K continues to receive snowfall forcing the authorities to close the Mughal road for traffic. Residents have light fire in order to battle cold wave conditions in J&K's Rajouri sector.

Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir: Pir Panjal range continues to receive snowfall, Mughal road closed for traffic. People light fire to battle cold wave pic.twitter.com/F8xk6goJdJ  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

A month-long dry spell in Jammu and Kashmir ended with the Valley receiving fresh snowfall on Monday while the plains were lashed by heavy rain, leading to a rise in minimum temperature at most places across the Ladakh region.

Gulmarg, the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir, recorded 15 cm (about six inches) of fresh snowfall till 8:30 am on Monday morning. Light snowfall was also recorded at the other famous health resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir.

Delhi-NCR too received overnight rainfall due to western disturbances. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier predicted light showers between Monday and Wednesday in the national capital.

The IMD, in its weather forecast, had said that the light shower may not help in bringing down the pollution level in the Delhi-NCR regions.

The air quality in the National Capital Region was overall "very poor" on Monday with "severe plus" in certain areas of the national capital.

An IMD official said that the situation will not improve even after a drizzle due to high pollution levels in the Delhi and the NCR.

The light showers will not be enough to provide clean air, especially in the long run.

"The rain intensity is very less. Drizzle increases air moisture, thereby leading to drop in minimum temperature. The overall effect of that is that air pollutants do not disperse. Unless there is good rain, air quality will remain very poor," EPCA member Usmaan Naseem was quoted as saying by IANS.

''Cloudy weather would prevail over Delhi NCR for the next 24 hours, with chances of on and off rainfall. These rains will be instrumental in bringing down the mercury, intensifying the winter chill,'' the MeT department said.

Meanwhile, rain and hailstorm lashed different parts of Rajasthan on Monday, bringing down the temperature further.

According to the MeT department, Jaisalmer saw a drop of 12 degrees due to rainfall.

Western disturbances over North Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir are changing the weather conditions in Rajasthan, it said.
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday questioned Narendra Modi's decision to fly in a single-engine seaplane and asked why security guidelines were relaxed for the Prime Minister.

Hours after being denied permission by the authorities to conduct a roadshow in Ahmedabad, PM Modi flew to Dharoi dam in a seaplane and offered prayers at the Ambaji Temple. The BJP said it was the first "the first-ever flight by a seaplane in the country".

#WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd from a #seaplane at Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/JkxdZg0Y9X  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Abdullah however appeared taken aback at the decision to have the country's Prime Minister in a single-engine seaplane and said that VVIPs are not permitted to fly in such aircrafts.

How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country. pic.twitter.com/MocJIKh6es  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 12, 2017

He also questioned the decision to have a foreign pilot flying the seaplane when such tasks are usually carried out by Indian Air Force pilots.

PM Modi though seemed unfazed and later in the day, was also seen standing on the side-step of his heavily-armoured car while it was moving as part of a convoy - waving to followers - en route to Ambaji Temple.

#WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his way to Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/48gE1EAQ0q  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

VVIP security has been a matter hotly debated - especially with certain reports previously alleging that Congress President Rahul Gandhi has often given his security cordon the slip.
New Delhi: Vodafone India has introduced free roaming benefit on Super Plan for its prepaid customers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Under the plan, Vodafone is offering unlimited calling on roaming and 1GB per day 2G internet for 28 days at just Rs 176.



This Vodafone Offer is available at all Vodafone Stores, Mini stores and multi brand retail outlets across MP and Chhattisgarh.



Mohit Narula, Business Head  Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Vodafone India, said, It is our constant endeavor to bring simple, hassle-free offerings for our customers and to ensure that they enjoy unlimited calling with their families and friends even while they are on roaming. We are delighted to introduce Vodafone SuperPlan that offers unlimited free calling while on roaming across India. Also, you get 1 GB 2G internet per day for 28 days at just Rs 176. Adding more value to this offer recharge with My Vodafone App and get benefit of 5% cashback.
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should display guts and attack Pakistan if it was indeed found "interfering" in the ongoing Gujarat elections.



The Sena also urged Modi "to arrest all the people" who attended a dinner at the home of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar where the Pakistan High Commissioner, former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders were present and book them for treason.



"The PM has levelled a serious allegation that Pakistan is interfering in Gujarat polls. We are very concerned if this is true.



"Until now, Pakistan was meddling only in Jammu and Kashmir and China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," said editorials in the party mouthpieces Saamana and Dopahar Ka Saamana.



The editorials asked the Bharatiya Janata Party whether Pakistan was indeed helping to install Congress MP Ahmed Patel as the next Chief Minister of Gujarat.



The BJP ally said it was strange that Modi chose to make such a serious allegation at an election rally in Gujarat instead of taking action against Pakistan.



"Besides, despite having a strong intelligence set-up, the PM said he learnt about the meeting from media reports. This is an equally serious issue. Instead of tossing it at an election meeting, he should order the Indian Army to enter Pakistan and intervene."



The party said Modi`s campaign talk exposed the BJP`s intellectual bankruptcy because at each election either Pakistan or absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim was dragged.



"For how long will you continue raking up Pakistan`s name at every occasion? The country expects you to act. So do it. Otherwise, mere allegations are hurled even by Yashwant Sinha and Nana Patole," the Sena said.


NAGPUR: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday asked farmers in Maharashtra not to pay outstanding loan or dues like electricity bills to the government unless it deposits the "much-touted" loan waiver amount into their bank accounts.

Speaking at a public rally -- 'Halla Bol' -- organised by the Congress and the NCP here on the issues of agrarian crisis, Pawar said if the government is "of no use to people", then people should not cooperate with it.

"Unless the loan waiver amount is deposited into the bank accounts of farmers, I appeal to the farming community not to pay any dues or even electricity bills to the state government," the former Union agriculture minister, who turned 77 today, said.

The Maharashtra government had announced a mega agri loan waiver of Rs 34,022 crore on June 24 after a state-wide agitation by farmers. On July 9, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said around 36 lakh farmers in the state will have their entire debt waived.

Pawar asked Fadnavis to "stay away" from "blackmail politics".

"The Maharashtra chief minister uses the language of blackmailing the opposition. We respect the mandate of the people who chose you to govern," Pawar asserted.

"But if he thinks blackmailing is a part of people's mandate to his government, then he should remember that people can oust him from power."

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur ahead of the winter session of state legislature, which began on Monday, Fadnavis had said, "I have enough evidence against the leaders of opposition and I will disclose it at the right time."

Pawar also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "deliberately" misconstruing a meeting at the residence of suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on December 6 and presenting it as a conspiracy by Pakistan to interfere in the Gujarat polls.

"Shame on you Prime Minister for making such allegations! You have made the allegations against this country's former prime minister (Manmohan Singh) and former defence officials," Pawar, a former defence minister himself, said.

"The Modi government has not solved issues of farmers and other issues the country faces, but he is bringing the Pakistan angle as a diversionary tactic during the Gujarat elections," Pawar said.

Modi has destroyed the country and belittled the office of the prime minister, Pawar claimed.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed dissappointment over Centre's decision to approach company law tribunal National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) over the Unitech case.

SC said that the Centre should have taken prior permission from the apex court when it was already dealing with the case. Centre has sought time till Wednesday to respond to it.

The Supreme Court was hearing the appeal of Unitech Limited challenging the recent order of the company law tribunal allowing the Centre to take over its management.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, considered the request of Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that one more day be given to him to seek instruction from the concerned authorities on the appeal of Unitech against the order of the NCLT.

The bench took note of the submissions of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the realty firm, that the Tribunal passed an interim order without hearing the company and its directors who are in jail.

Unitech said that SC had given time to Sanjay Chandra to negotiate from jail to sell assets to generate money for refund to home buyers and yet Centre breached discipline to go before NCLT.

The NCLT , on December 8, had suspended all the eight directors of the realty firm over allegations of mismanagement and siphoning of funds and had authorised the Centre to appoint its 10 nominees on the board.

The NCLT order had come after the Centre moved the panel with a view to protect the interest of nearly 20,000 home buyers.
ALIGARH: The election results for the student body of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) have on Monday been declared.

Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani has been named the president of the students' union.

A resident of Bihar, Usmani, told ANI, "At present, the situation of the country we are dealing with, we are standing together to fight in a democratic way."

The vice president's post has been grabbed by a Kashmiri student, Sajad Subhan Rather. Rather is a History PhD student.

"We will create pressure on the government by raising voice on the issue of mob lynching. My success is not merely mine but it is the success of all the students of AMU. I want to see each and every citizen to reach new heights in their lives," Rather said.

Mohammad Fahad, an Agro-business student, has been elected to the secretary's post.

It was a tripartite battle for the post of president between BDS student Mashkur Ahmed Usmani, research student Abu Bakr and BALLB student Ajay Singh, who is the grandson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Thakur Dalveer Singh. Mashkur hails from Bihar while Abu Bakr is from Azamgarh.

The contenders for the vice president posts were M Com student Faisal Nadim, PhD student Vaseel K, M Tech student Rao Faraz Varis, MFC student Vikrant Johari and PhD students Sajjad Subhaan Rather and Ejaz Ahmed.

Of the total electorate of 18,188, as many as 5005 belonged to the engineering faculty while 3196 were from the social science department.
Beijing: A young Chinese climbing enthusiast`s fatal fall from a skyscraper while making a selfie video on a $15,000 "rooftopping" dare has spurred warnings by state media against the perils of livestreaming.

Wu Yongning plunged to his death from a 62-storey building in central China on November 8, the day he stopped posting videos of his skyscraper exploits on Weibo, China`s equivalent of Twitter.

A month later, his girlfriend confirmed the death of the 26-year old in a Weibo post.

Wu, who had more than 60,000 followers of his Weibo account, was looking to win a prize of 100,000 yuan ($15,110) for a filmed stunt atop Huayuan Hua Centre in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, media said over the weekend.

His death was a reminder of the need for stronger supervision of livestreaming apps, the official China Daily said on Tuesday.

"Some of them try to hype things up with obscene and dangerous things, and their purpose is to attract more eyeballs and make a profit," it said in a commentary.

Tens of thousands of Chinese post videos of themselves in a bid for stardom on the livestreaming scene, whose popularity has grown rapidly, particularly in the e-commerce, social networking and gaming sectors.

Wu, who used to post videos of himself scaling tall buildings with no safety equipment, hoped to use the prize to pay his mother`s medical bills, the Changsha Evening News said.

It was unclear which livestreaming platform Wu intended to post on.

"There should be a bottom line for livestreaming platforms, and supervision should leave no loopholes," ran a comment in the online edition of the People`s Daily.

Wu`s videos on his Weibo microblog had attracted several million views each.

($1=6.6180 Chinese yuan renminbi)
NEW YORK: A Bangladeshi national planned terror attack which took place near Times Square on Monday.

The explosion happened around 7:20 am, in an underground tunnel linking the Port Authority Bus Terminal to Times Square. The underground tunnel is a major thoroughfare for workers during the morning rush hour.

The attacker has been identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, who was carrying a suspected pipe bomb that malfunctioned and exploded prematurely, leaving him and three others injured.

CNN quoted Police Commissioner James O'Neil as saying that "the suspect's name is Akayed Ullah, who is 27 years old. He suffered burns and other wounds and is currently in the hospital. Preliminary investigation at the scene indicates that this male was wearing an improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body. He intentionally detonated that device. "

The authorities have termed the incident as a planned terror attack.

The police have confirmed that apart from the suspect, three other people have suffered non- life-threatening injuries. The residents have also been advised to avoid the area.

"This was an attempted terrorist attack, "CNN quoted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as saying.

The CNN quoted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as saying that the suspect had an "effectively low-tech device" on him this morning at Port Authority.

President Donald Trump was briefed on the explosion in New York City, said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said there are "no credible and specific threats against New York at this time" but added that there will be an increased police presence across New York today.

An eyewitness Francisco Ramirez told CNN that he heard two explosions as he was exiting a bus about 7:45 a.m. ET, even though he was wearing headphones.

"From what I saw it sounded like it came from the subway, but I'm just guessing," he said. "It was two distinct explosions seconds from each other. As I was making my way toward the outside, I kept getting shoved by cops and there were cops at every entrance blocking and there was police and SWAT everywhere. It was scary. It was just a lot of chaos but I didn't see any injuries," Ramirez told CNN.

Earlier, the New York Police Department had confirmed the news of explosion on Twitter.

"The NYPD is responding to reports of an explosion of unknown origin at 42nd Street and 8th Ave, #Manhattan. The A, C and E line are being evacuated at this time. Info is preliminary, more when available," it tweeted.

The incident happened just days after President Trump sparked demonstrations across the world by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital city

It is notable that one of the largest demonstrations took place in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Panama: Roberto Borge, a former Mexican state governor wanted for corruption and detained in Panama, has failed in a bid to halt extradition proceedings, Panama`s Supreme Court said on Monday.

It was deemed there were no legal obstacles for Borge, who used to run southern Quintana Roo state, to be sent back to his home country to face justice, the court said in a statement.

"The extradition of Mr Borge will depend on the presidency of the republic" of Panama, it said, noting that no further appeals were possible.

Panama`s foreign ministry said in September that extradition had been approved.

Borge, 37, was arrested June 4 in Panama when he tried to board a flight to Paris.

He stands accused in Mexico of selling state-owned real estate at one percent of its market value, as well as money laundering.

He governed Quintana Roo, which features many of Mexico`s most famous Caribbean beaches, from 2011 to 2016 for the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

The party, which has governed Mexico for 76 of the past 88 years, has been mired in a series of corruption scandals involving its governors, five of whom are in jail in Mexico or elsewhere.

Borge faces charges of corruption, fraud, money-laundering or involvement in organized crime.
In an incident which happened in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, a cop was shot at by a fearless criminal as the policeman tried to pin him down.

By Tanseem Haider: A few criminals in Delhi are running amok having no fear of law, police or punishment.

When the cops in the Capital were chasing a few suspected criminals, one of them shot at a policeman showing no sense of trepidation.

The shot fired at the police injured constable Satveer Singh and the policeman was admitted to a hospital.

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The incident happened at Vasant Kunj in New Delhi.

On Sunday, a constable and a head constable were trying to catch the suspected criminals when one of them shot at Satveer. The goons escaped taking advantage of the fallen policeman.

THE INCIDENT

Constable Satveer Singh and head constable Subhash Masudpur were patrolling the area at around 6 pm.

They soon realised that two men were up to something no good. The two suspects were in a rush to be somewhere.

Satveer and Subhash tried to chase them down. Satveer even caught one of the goons from behind and it was then when one suspected criminal shot him in the shoulder.

There are three gas agencies near the site of the incident.

The people working in on of the agencies are of the view that the suspects had the intention to rob one of the agencies.

A case has been registered in the Vasant Kunj Police Station and injured Satveer Singh is undergoing treatment at the Trauma Center of AIIMS.

The suspected criminals are still at large.

--- ENDS ---
Moscow: There is a no longer the need for widely-deployed Russian military forces in Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered "a significant part" of Moscow`s military contingent to start withdrawing from Syria on Monday, declaring their work largely done.

Peskov said Russia would still use targeted air strikes against terrorists in Syria if needed.
TEHRAN: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Iran's southeastern province of Kerman on Tuesday, the Iranian seismological centre reported, though media reported minimal damage.

A woman was taken to hospital for injuries in the town of Ravar, and old houses in six villages were damaged, Fars news agency quoted the country's emergency services chief as saying an hour after the quake.

It struck at 12:13 pm (0843 GMT) with the epicentre near the town of Hejdak, some 50 kilometres north of the provincial capital of Kerman and about 800 kilometres from Tehran.

It was measured as magnitude 5.9 by the US Geological Survey and several smaller aftershocks were reported.

Schools were closed in some areas of the province, ISNA news agency reported.

Iran sits on several faultlines, and today's quake comes less than a day after a 6.0-magnitude tremor struck the western province of Kermanshah along the border with Iraq.

On November 12, Kermanshah was hit by a major 7.3- magnitude quake that killed 620 people according to the latest toll provided yesterday by Tasnim news agency.

Iran's worst quake in recent years struck near the city of Bam in 2003, which saw the ancient city decimated by a 6.6 -magnitude tremor that killed at least 31,000 people.

In 1990, a 7.4-magnitude quake in northern Iran killed 40,000 people, injured 300,000 and left half a million homeless, reducing dozens of towns and nearly 2,000 villages to rubble.

Iran has experienced at least two other major disasters in recent years -- one in 2005 that killed more than 600 people and another in 2012 that left some 300 dead.
DHAKA: Bangladesh police scrambled Tuesday for details about alleged New York subway bomber Akayed Ullah, but uncovered few early leads that might shed light on what might have driven him to try and kill commuters with a homemade bomb.

US police say the 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh set off a crude bomb strapped to his body in a crowded New York subway passage on Monday but the device failed to detonate properly, leaving him the only one seriously harmed.

Ullah told police investigators he wanted to avenge US airstrikes on the Islamic State group and was also inspired by Christmas terror plots in Europe, US media reported.

Bangladesh police are investigating whether Ullah was radicalised in his Muslim-majority homeland, where foreigners have been among those targeted in deadly assaults claimed by the IS group and Al Qaeda.

"So far, his name is not on our wide-range list of radicalised persons or members of terror groups, both from Bangladesh and outside," senior counter terrorism police officer Sanwar Hossain told AFP.

"We are trying to gather more details," he said.

US authorities say Ullah migrated seven years ago as the member of a family already living there under what is known as "chain immigration".

But a police spokeswoman in Bangladesh said preliminary investigations suggested the family left "17 or 18 years ago".

Bangladesh authorities are unclear exactly when Ullah left, but speculated he could have been shuttling back and forth between the two countries.

"Maybe he was 10 or 11 years old (when the family left for the US)," police spokeswoman Sahely Ferdous told AFP, adding Ullah`s "development of thinking" likely took place there.

Bangladesh police said Ullah`s family hailed from Sandwip, an island off the coast of the southern port city of Chittagong but his father had left for the capital Dhaka some 30 years ago.A friend of the family told AFP that Ullah married two years ago, but did not take his wife to the US.

"His wife lives in Hazaribagh neighbourhood in Dhaka, where the family lived for the last three decades, and where his father ran a grocery shop. They were married in 2015," Sazzad Hossain Mukul, a friend of Ullah`s mother, told AFP.

He said Ullah visited Bangladesh in September, and spent a month with his wife.

Police confirmed the date of his last visit, but could not say whether Ullah was married.

"We are questioning one of his relatives for more information," Chittagong police chief Noor-e-Alam Mina told AFP. Ullah was born in Dhaka and spent at least his early years in the capital, Mina added.

The impoverished riverine nation of 160 million has been waging a war against homegrown extremism in the wake of numerous attacks by radical groups in recent years.

In July last year militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages, including 18 foreigners, in an assault claimed by the IS.

Security forces have shot dead more than 70 alleged militants in a fierce crackdown since the cafe carnage.

Bangladesh last month arrested an alleged militant from Ansarullah Bangla Team, a homegrown extremist group with links to Al Qaeda, over the 2015 murder of a prominent Bangladesh-origin American blogger in Dhaka.

The secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to root out extremism but says international radical groups do not operate inside Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh embassy in Washington DC condemned the New York bomb attack and restated Bangladesh`s "zero tolerance" approach to extremism.

"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice," the embassy said in a statement.
LONDON: A woman whose 'dangerous' dog attacked a group of 12 children in a park has been jailed for four years and banned from keeping dogs for life, British media reported on Tuesday.

The Staffordshire bull terrier bit the children when it escaped from a house in Blyth in May last year, the BBC reported.

At Newcastle Crown Court last month, Claire Neal, 38, of Blyth, admitted owning a dog that was dangerously out of control.

She was jailed for four years and banned from keeping dogs for life, the Metro reported.

Judge Sarah Mallet told Neal: "That dog had, on two previous occasions, bitten children. An order had been made you should have the dog destroyed.

"You ignored that order and made no improvements in arrangements to prevent the dog from injuring others," the judge said.

Neal had initially denied the charge, claiming the dog called Marley, belonged to the courts as there was already a destruction order on the animal after an earlier attack. But, she later changed her plea.

Following the latest attack, the hearing was told how a teenage girl had found Marley in the street as she was playing with friends.

She decided to take the dog home in order for her mother to contact the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

But, as they passed the park in Burns Avenue, the dog got out of control and attacked the children, leaving them needing hospital treatment for puncture wounds.

Neighbours nearby rushed from their homes to help and later managed to tie Marley up.

The dog has since been destroyed.

Police Constable Craig Arkley, of Northumbria Police, said: "This was an extremely frightening incident for the children who were injured when the dog ran amok in a Blyth park last year.

He said the incident has been very upsetting for the large number of families involved and the wider Blyth community who were also concerned about what had happened.

"Perhaps most upsetting of all is the knowledge that this could have been avoided if the dog had been properly restrained and not allowed to get into the park area where children were playing," the police official said.

Dog attacks in England increased by 76 per cent in 10 years and appear to be still rising rapidly in frequency and severity, according to British Health & Social Care Information Centre data, released in 2015.
By PTI: victims in private hospitals

(Eds: Recasting intro and adding more details)

New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The Delhi government has proposed to bear the cost of treatment of victims of motor accidents, fire incidents and acid attacks that take place on the citys roads at private hospitals under a new scheme.

According to the government, there is no upper cap on the expenses to be borne by the city administration. The scheme was approved at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, today.

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It will now be sent to Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal for his approval.

At a press conference here, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that irrespective of domicile of the victims, free medical treatment will be provided to them in case of burns, motor accidents and acid attacks on Delhis roads.

"The move is aimed at saving lives of such people during the golden hour after accidents on Delhis roads, be it road accident, fire and acid attacks," Jain told reporters here.

Most people attempt to take road accident victims to a government hospital even if a private hospital in nearby, thereby denying treatment within the Golden Hour, he said.

After the approval of the scheme by the Cabinet, Kejriwal said, "Every life counts. Every life is important for us. If an accident victim receives best medical care immediately, many lives cud be saved (sic)."

Giving details about the scheme, Jain said the Cabinet has approved the scheme for victims of three types of accidents - motor accidents, acid attacks and fire incidents.

The health minister said that the Delhi government would bear the treatment cost of such people in both its own and private hospitals.

Jain claimed that 8,000 accidents occur on Delhi roads every year, affecting 15,000-20,000 people, and about 1,600 people die every year due to road accidents.

In January this year, the AAP government approved another Good Samaritan Policy under which monetary incentive of Rs 2,000 and appreciation certificate would be given to people who help road accident victims in the national capital.

Talking about the scheme, Jain said that this scheme and newly-approved road accident scheme would be launched together soon after the the Lt Governor gives his nod for the latter. PTI BUN KND SMN

--- ENDS ---
December 7, 2017

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani have both condemned US President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. Their condemnations were to be expected. However, they did not offer a window into how Iran would likely respond to such a move. At moments like these, it is helpful to study the reaction of influential analysts, who will write and speak with more details.

Saadollah Zaeri, an analyst who often writes for hard-line Kayhan newspaper and is believed to be linked ideologically to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), wrote that Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital has certain advantages. This situation in reality under these conditions makes Irans work in forming a resistance front with a focus on defending Palestine easier, Zaeri wrote in Tasnim News Agency.

One of the biggest groups that Iran has helped form in the Middle East is the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, presented a similar analysis as Zaeri. America has made clear what it has always hidden, Qassem said of Trumps move on Jerusalem. Now, the option of resistance must be supported at various levels. He continued, South Lebanon was freed through resistance, and it became clear that Israel can be defeated.

Fars News Agency published a list of Palestinian condemnations in reaction to Trumps decision on Jerusalem. The first two groups on the list were Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two groups Iran has supported militarily. Although Iran had a falling out with Hamas over differences involving the civil war in Syria, Iran has maintained contact with the group. In their statements, Hamas and Islamic Jihad both echoed similar statements by Iranian officials saying that the move has removed any doubt about US impartiality regarding the Israel-Palestine issue. Ahmad Al Mudallal, a member of Islamic Jihad, which has stronger ties to Iran than Hamas, called on the Palestinian Authority to end peace negotiations being mediated by the United States, saying, America cannot establish peace in the world because it is the cause of instability in the region.

Iran has had success in setting up armed groups throughout the Middle East, particularly in Syria and Iraq, in recent years. Irans support for Palestinian groups, however, dates back to the early days of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has continued to varying degrees since.

The idea of resistance is often in reference to American and Israeli hegemony and their regional allies. It still has a strong resonance with conservatives and hard-liners, particularly the IRGC, which favors countering US influence rather than compromising. For instance, neither Rouhani, Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement referenced resistance in their condemnations of Trumps decision.

There was also heavy social media reaction. Many Iranians joined Arab users with the Arabic-language hashtag Jerusalem is ours and Quds. Javan Online, which is linked to the IRGC, headlined an article Trump has opened the doors of hell to Israel. The article, which contained world reactions to Trump's announcement, began, A Middle East after Daesh [Islamic State] apparently will not see calm.
Award-winning documentary filmmaker and fine-art photographer Miguel Gandert shows his work highlighting his mestizaje heritage, and the fusion and tension of the relationship between Spanish Colonial and Native Cultures of the Americas. Runs through 12/29.

Querer means to want, to desire, to be in a place, with its people. In folk terminology, querencia is such a place, the center space of desire, the root of belonging and yearning to belong, that vicinity where you first beheld the light. Querencia, in collective terms, is homeland. ~Enrique Lamadrid, Nuevo Mexico Profundo

Miguel Gandert tells stories. He tells stories of his homeland, New Mexico (and beyond), its people and the cultural practices that distinguish communities from each other while simultaneously revealing their kinship. You will have to form your own words, however. Ganderts stories are told through penetrating, black and white photos. A primary focus of his work is his own mestizaje heritage and the fusion and tension of the relationship between Spanish Colonial and Native Cultures of the Americas.

Miguel Gandert, a native of Espanola, NM, is an award-winning documentary and fine-art photographer and filmmaker. His photographs have been shown in galleries and museums throughout the world and are in numerous public collections including the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the National Museum of American History and Art at the Smithsonian.

Querencia: Rituals of the Rio Arriba opens Friday, October 6 at the New Mexico Humanities Council, 4115 Silver Ave SE, Albuquerque. An artists reception will be 6:00 pm  8:00 pm with an artist's discussion at 7:00 pm. The exhibit closes December 29, 2017.
The Art of Christmas: New Mexico Style

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!)
Bangladesh signed a $150 million financing agreement with the World Bank to modernize trade related infrastructure, systems and procedures in order to boost Bangladeshs regional connectivity and trade with India, Bhutan and Nepal.



Bangladesh inked a $150 million financing agreement with the World Bank last week to modernize trade related infrastructure, systems and procedures in order to boost the south Asian countrys regional connectivity and trade with India, Bhutan and Nepal.

The Bangladesh Regional Connectivity Project 1 will develop and improve the four land ports of Bhomra, Sheola, Ramgarh and Benapole, the World Bank said.

These improvements will help Bangladesh increase trade and freight volumes, and decrease truck clearance time at border posts, according to the World Bank.

The project will also establish a national single window, allowing traders to submit all import, export and transit information required by Customs and other regulatory agencies via a single electronic gateway.

In addition, the project will pilot activities to help eliminate bottlenecks faced by women in trade and business. To bring more women traders into formal trade networks and global value chains, the project will pilot skills development programs and analyze and eventually develop specific infrastructure, logistics and transport services for women, the World Bank said.

The credit comes from World Banks concessional lending arm, the International Development Association. The credits are interest-free and repayable in 38 years, including a six-year grace period, and carry a service charge of 0.75 percent, the World Bank said.

Bangladesh has enormous potential to increase trade with its neighbors, particularly India, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal Qimiao Fan said. Currently, its trade with India is only less than half of its current potential.

Bangladesh has doubled its world market share in exports between 1995 and 2012, and more than doubled in value in the last five years. But, the potential is much higher, Government of Bangladesh Secretary, Economic Relations Division Kazi Shofiqul Azam said. Geographically, Bangladesh can play an important role in regional trade and logistics networks, and as a transit country in South Asia. The project will help Bangladesh take advantage of its strategic location to increase exports and lower import costs.
The construction of a massive Hindu temple in Robbinsville, N.J., located roughly equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia, is underpinned by a long and winding containerized supply chain.



Driving down a nondescript grass- and tree-lined four-lane highway in the middle of New Jersey, theres little indication that an immense spiritual complex sits a few hundred feet away. Its not until you take a turn off that highway that the size and scope of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and the supporting complex around it comes into view.

Situated in Robbinsville, N.J., the mandira Hindu place of worshipitself is a modern architectural marvel. The interior structure is more than four stories high and is composed of 13,499 individual carved stone pieces, the vast majority of which are Italian marble.

The mandir is impossibly ornate, with virtually every square inch adorned with intricate carvings or inlaid stones, all done by craftspeople in India. The mandapthe building that houses the mandirisnt too shabby either, standing 55 feet tall with an imposing decorative gate that is studded with 235 peacocks. The cultural complex is designed to honor Indian culture, heritage and values as a tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the founder of the Swaminarayan philosophy who led spiritual and social reforms throughout India.

Marble Marvel. The New Jersey mandir is merely one of a number of such edifices built by Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a worldwide religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism.

The organization has constructed some of the biggest Hindu temples in the world, most notably the Akshardham complex outside the Indian capital of New Delhi, which was completed in 2007, and another in the western state of the Gujarat, where BAPS is headquartered.

From a logistics perspective, the construction of the Robbinsville temple, located roughly equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia, was in and of itself a significant undertaking. Sourcing the materials used for the mandir, contracting the artisanal work done on those materials, and transporting them to their eventual destination required true global supply chain management.

And that management is far from over. Although construction on the mandir and protective mandap began in 2010 and was completed in 2014, BAPS is still in the process of building a visitor center and exhibition hall, a youth activity center, and the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham Mahamandir, a nearly 15-story temple that will be the tallest of its kind in the world.

The mahamandir is intended to represent 10,000 years of Indian culture and evoke Indias ancient architecture. Among the highlights are 13 spires, called shikhars, and a red stone colonnade.

An estimated 4.7 million hours of work by craftsmen and volunteers was required to build the temple with roughly 68,000 cubic feet (about 11.6 million pounds) of Italian Carrara marble.

There is a spirit of volunteerism that pervades the entire project, BAPS said in a statement to American Shipper. This mandir has been built on the dedication and sacrifice of countless volunteers who contributed their time and resources in differing forms.

An estimated 4.7 million hours of work by craftsmen and volunteers was required to the build the temple with roughly 68,000 cubic feet (about 11.6 million pounds) of Italian Carrara marble.

Artisan Employment. The marble was shipped by container from multiple Italian ports to the Port of Mundra in the Gujarat region of western India. Limestone sourced from Bulgaria was shipped via the Greek Port of Thessaloniki, also to Mundra. From Mundra, the raw stone was moved by truck from the port to the neighboring state of Rajasthan.

In a number of small villages in Rajasthan, artisans carved the stone to roughly 90 percent completion before the individual pieces were packaged, palletized, trucked back to Mundra, consolidated into containers, and shipped to the Port of New York and New Jersey. The containers were offloaded at three different terminals in the port and once again placed on trucks to be brought to the Robbinsville site.

Once they arrived, the stone pieces were labeled and numbered in sequence in such a way as to make it easier to construct the mandir, kind of like putting together a giant ornate three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

In all, each piece of stone traveled roughly 9,300 miles to reach its destination.

The stones were finished on site and assembled by local artisans and companies that donated time and resources to the project. BAPS volunteers were heavily involved throughout the process, both directly and in supporting roles.



The inside of the BAPS mandir

(or temple) in Robbinsville,

N.J., contains thousands of

pieces of intricately carved

marble and inlaid stone.

According to BAPS, the organizations goal isnt just to build inspiring spiritual edifices, but to provide employment to artisans in India that have seen demand for their craft diminish. The supply chain that enabled stones from Europe to move to New Jersey via India made that possible, the organization said.

And this already massive project is not even halfway completed. The large mahamandir is expected to be completed over the next five to seven years.

The BAPS mandir is a spiritual sight to behold. But as with all modern marvels, modest or massive, theres a supply chain behind it all.


The new policy exhibits the difficult hurdles the federal government would have to go through in order to enforce Trump's demand to bar transgender individuals from the military.

By AP, India Today Web Desk: As President Donald Trump's ordered ban suffered more legal setbacks, the Pentagon on Monday said that beginning January 1, 2018, transgender recruits will be allowed to enlist in the military.

Three federal courts ruled against the ban, including one in Washington state on Monday.

The new policy exhibits the difficult hurdles the federal government would have to go through in order to enforce Trump's demand to bar transgender individuals from the military.

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In October, the Trump administration was barred from proceeding with its plan to exclude transgender people from military service. Part of the effect of the ruling was that the military would be required to allow transgender people to enlist beginning January 1.

The government had asked Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to put the January 1 date on hold while they appealed her full ruling but she declined Monday, reaffirming the January 1 start date.

The Department of Justice is now asking a federal appeals court to intervene and put the January 1 requirement on hold.

Potential transgender recruits will have to overcome a lengthy and strict set of physical, medical and mental conditions that could make it difficult for them to join the armed services.

Maj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, said the enlistment of transgender recruits will begin next month and proceed amid legal battles. The Defense Department also is doing a review, which is expected to carry into 2018.

Eastburn told The Associated Press on Monday that the new guidelines mean the Pentagon can disqualify potential recruits with gender dysphoria, a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition and those who underwent reconstruction. But such recruits are allowed in if a medical provider certifies they've been clinically stable in their preferred sex for 18 months and are free of significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas.

Transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy must be stable on their medication for 18 months.

The requirements make it challenging for a transgender recruit to pass. But they mirror concerns President Barack Obama's administration laid out when the Pentagon initially lifted its ban on transgender service last year.

"Due to the complexity of this new medical standard, trained medical officers will perform a medical prescreen of transgender applicants for military service who otherwise meet all applicable applicant standards," Eastburn said.

Aaron Belkin, director of the California-based Palm Center, an independent institute that has conducted research on sexual minorities in the military, said the 18-month timeline is fair.

"It's a good standard because the Pentagon is treating gender dysphoria according to the same standards that are applied to all medical conditions," he said.

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However, Elaine Donnelly, president for the Center For Military readiness, said Trump "has every right to review, revise, or repeal his predecessor's military transgender policies, which would detract from mission readiness and combat lethality." Court judges, she said, are not qualified to run the military.

The Pentagon move Monday signals the growing sense within the government that authorities are likely to lose the legal fight.

"The controversy will not be about whether you allow transgender enlistees, it's going to be on what terms," said Brad Carson, who was deeply involved in the last administration's decisions.

"That's really where the controversy will lie."

Carson worried, however, that the Defense Department could opt to comply with a deadline on allowing transgender recruits, but "under such onerous terms that practically there will be none." Carson, who worked for Carter as the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel, said requiring 18 months of stability in the preferred sex is a reasonable time.

"It doesn't have any basis in science," he said, noting that experts have suggested six months is enough. "But as a compromise among competing interests and perhaps to err on the side of caution, 18 months was what people came around to. And that's a reasonable position and defensible."

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Sarah McBride, spokeswoman for Human Rights Campaign, praised the court's ruling, saying that it affirms "there is simply no legitimate reason to forbid willing and able transgender Americans from serving their country."

(With agency inputs)

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenia aims at having its firm place in the religious tourism world market. The steps on this path have intensified in the recent period.

Mekhak Apresyan  First Vice President of the State Tourism Committee, told Armenpress that Pope Francis 2016 visit to Armenia greatly contributed to this process.

Of course, before the Popes visit Armenia was taking steps on this path. Previously we also had discussions with the concerned sides, including with the participation of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Pope Francis visit was already an additional impetus, and his message Pilgrimage to the first Christian country was a guidance, Mekhak Apresyan said.

Armenia has great potential for development of religious tourism, there are numerous preconditions which can position Armenia in the world market as a favorable, attractive country for pilgrimage. The works on this direction intensified, the State Tourism Committee had additional discussions with the concerned sides, involving also the private sector, it also developed the program of Development and promotion strategy of pilgrimage to the first Christian country tourism result. At the moment the program is being discussed in the Armenian government.

The discussions were being held on developing a concrete tourism result and properly presenting it in the international market. There are different initiatives to work with various partners in several platforms. At the moment these issues are also being discussed with the international specialized structures, he said.

Mekhak Apresyan noted that here there is a great potential, Armenia has huge historical-cultural heritage. Thus, its necessary to develop concrete tourism destinations, select the churches and monasteries to include in them. According to Apresyan, these tour packages should not include just visits to churches, monasteries. These visits should be accompanied by different events.

The official stated that there is a great demand in the international market for religious tourism, and Armenia can play a great role in this field.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Ramil Safarov, the Azerbaijani serviceman infamous for the horrendous murder of Armenian serviceman Gurgen Margaryan while the latter was sleeping, has been promoted to a higher military rank.

According to Azerbaijani media reports, Safarov has been promoted to Lt. Colonel from Major.

During a NATO training seminar in Budapest in 2004, Safarov broke into Margaryan's room at night and axed him to death while Margaryan was asleep.

After a long lasting court proceeding, the Azerbaijani officer was convicted to serve a life sentence, without the possibility of parole for 30 years. The Hungarian court numerously stated that Safarovs extradition to Azerbaijan was impossible, but in 2012, Safarov was extradited. Upon arriving to Azerbaijan, President Aliyev immediately pardoned the murderer and promoted to a higher military rank. The murderer was even given eight years of back pay.

On the same day, Armenia severed diplomatic relations with Hungary.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The signing of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the European Union is a very good event both for Armenia, the EU and its member states, German Ambassador to Armenia Bernhard Matthias Kiesler told Armenpress.

According to him, this is a very important signal for foreign investors to see in what path Armenia moves on.

Now its necessary to start the implementation stage, we need to see what we can do in different spheres, the Ambassador said.

Asked how he will assess Armenias multi-vector policy, in particular, in the directions of the Eurasian Economic Union and the EU, the Ambassador said: I have never understood this previously raised issue. Everything is good. I think, there is a field where the cooperation with one of the partners will be good, and there is a field where again the cooperation with the other will also be on a good path. As I said, we first of all need to implement this agreement, and its important also for the ordinary citizens to benefit from this. We say that this agreement is based on reforms, and thus, now we need to direct the actions to the respective spheres, the diplomat noted.

He assessed the Armenian-German relations as excellent, and as for the economic relations in particular, he stated that still works need to be done.

As a trade partner of Armenia Germany is fourth, and the third among countries exporting products to Armenia. You know that Armenia is a small market, somehow isolated, but I believe that there is a potential for a deeper cooperation, Matthias Kiesler said, adding that the main fields for development of cooperation are agriculture, tourism and information technologies.

He said the German companies in general have a tendency of long-term mutually beneficial partnership, and a lot of works are needed to properly organize this so that it will be easy for an investor to start any business.

Syuzi Muradyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. A 21 year old soldier of the Artsakh military has died after being accidentally shot by a fellow soldier.

The soldier, identified as Narek Adibekyan, was shot and killed in the evening of December 11 while on duty in a northern military base of Artsakh.

The defense ministry of the country said an investigation has been launched into the incident.

The ministry also released a statement extending condolences to the family of the killed soldier.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. No country is allowed to threaten or slander the peoples representatives of another nation, Armenias Ambassador to Mexico Ara Ayvazyan said in an interview to El Universal, commenting on official Bakus hysteria regarding the visit of Mexican lawmakers to Artsakh.

The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is not a land dispute, its about preventing another genocide: what the Turks couldnt do to the Armenians is what the Azerbaijanis wanted to do to the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia will never allow this tragedy to happen because Armenia is the guardian of prevention and punishment of genocide on the international stage. Generating hysteria from the visit of the deputies is aimed towards one single objective: to avoid similar trips, yet it will have the opposite effect of what they intend, the Armenian Ambassador said.

Ara Ayvazyan clarified that Mexican MPs visited Artsakh with their own resources to see first-hand the situation in Nagorno Karabakh. We didnt expect the pronunciation of any statement pro-Armenia or against Azerbaijan, and we wanted them to see first-hand what this is all about, he said.

The Ambassador assured that the visit of Mexican deputies to Artsakh was a gesture of political courage, stating that they are neither the first nor the last deputies to visit Nagorno Karabakh.

The Ambassador informed that he met with president of the Lower house of the Mexican parliament. I wont say what we talked about, but was very satisfied, he said, adding that he once again was convinced that Mexicos position on this issue is balanced.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Canadian Parliament Tony Clement urged the countrys government to condemn the Azerbaijani violence against Artsakh, reports Armenpress.

In his remarks on the occasion of the Human Rights Day, the lawmaker said although there are many examples of human rights abuses that deserve to be highlighted, but added that he wants to specifically emphasize the current human right situation in the Republic of Artsakh or Nagorno Karabakh as a result of the Azerbaijani atrocities.

I visited the region this summer with One Free World International and observed first-hand the conflict there and the horrific human rights abuses inflicted upon people who ultimately only wish to live in peace. We met with mothers who have lost sons in the conflict. I was on the site of some scenes of unspeakable horror, he said.

The Canadian MP stated that his only wish is to see Artsakh peaceful and prosperous where people can live side by side with their neighbors, including Azerbaijan.

He reminded that the OSCE deals with the NK conflict settlement issue, and Canada is also a member of that organization. I urge the Canadian government to condemn the human rights abuses in the region and work with the OSCE to prevent the further escalation of the conflict, Tony Clement said.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a budget support loan worth 40 million USD for implementation of public efficiency and implement of financial markets programs, reports Armenpress.

The Armenian Parliament is discussing the issue on ratifying the loan agreement between Armenia and the ADB.

Deputy finance minister Armen Hayrapetyan said the loan will contribute to ensuring a financial stability in 2018 since these funds are already included in the 2018 state budget program.

The deputy minister stated the the reforms made before the signing of the loan agreement were directed towards the public efficiency and improvement of financial markets, as a result of which it is expected that the management of fiscal risks of the state debt will be strengthened.

He clarified that the budget support loans have better terms, than the private loans. This loan is worth 40 million USD. It is provided for 15 years, three years of which are privileged, he noted.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Investigation has launched to clarify the details of the death of soldier Narek Adibekyan, the Investigative Committee told Armenpress.

According to preliminary information, Narek Adibekyan has died after being accidentally shot by a fellow soldier in the evening of December 11 while on duty in a northern military base of Artsakh.

Criminal case has been launched into the incident.

The fellow soldier has been arrested in suspicion of killing soldier Narek Adibekyan.

Investigation continues.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. President Serzh Sargsyan on December 12 held a farewell meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Armenia Sorin Vasile, press service of the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The President thanked the Ambassador for the efforts made on strengthening the Armenian-Romanian relations during his tenure and wished success in his further activities.

Serzh Sargsyan said Armenia always attached importance to deepening the cooperation and relations with Romania based on the centuries-old friendship between the two peoples. The President stated with satisfaction that over the last years Armenia and Romania have significantly increased the level of mutual understanding on political issues which, according to him, is important in terms of deepening and strengthening the relations between the two countries. The Armenian President thanked the Romanian people and the leadership for the caring attitude towards the Armenian community, as well as the Armenian historical-cultural heritage in Romania.

In his turn the Romanian Ambassador said the mission in Armenia was a great honor for him, stating that during this period he acquired many friends, greater experience and knowledge on Armenia and the Armenian people with millennium-old history. The Ambassador assured that he leaves Armenia with great impressions and will remain the friend of the Armenian people and Armenia.


YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The clashes of the past days in Palestine are far from the Armenian districts, Hakob Sevan  chairman of the Armenian National Committee of Jerusalem, told Armenpress, adding that there have been clashes between the Palestinians and the Israeli police.

The situation today is calm, people in Jerusalem live their normal lives. In the evening protests are being held in some places. I would like to state that there is no change in general, the Israeli forces continue controlling the situation, and I cannot say what developments can happen. This issue exists for several decades, people are used to these ups and downs. For us this is a normal situation, we got used to this, perhaps, there is a strike for one-two days, but the usual course of live is being restored again. As for the position of the Armenian community, I want to state that we have good relations with both sides, he said.

Nearly 1500 Armenians live in Jerusalem. They are engaged in different spheres, many of them run their own business, work at hotels, financial organizations and etc.

US President Donald Trump on December 6 announced recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This announcement was followed by protests as a result of which more than 1000 people have been affected. The Palestinians protest Trumps decision.
Development of ties in 2017 not satisfactory, cross-border trespassing of the Indian border guards was a serious test of bilateral relations, says Chinese Foreign Minister.

By Ananth Krishnan: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in blunt remarks told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday that the Doklam incident 'severely tested' relations and 'lessons should be learned'.

Wang also said the development of ties in 2017 "was not very satisfactory", adding that "the cross-border trespassing of the Indian border guards was a serious test of bilateral relations".

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"The matter was finally settled peacefully through diplomatic means... but the lessons should be learned and such incidents should be avoided," Wang said, according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

His visit to Delhi for the Russia India China (RIC) meet is the first high level one from China after the 72 day standoff which ended on August 28.

Wang referred directly to Doklam and called to "strengthen strategic communication at all levels, restore the established dialogue mechanisms, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and at the same time control the existing differences and safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas."

He didn't say which mechanisms needed to be restored but both sides didn't hold scheduled defence exercises this year.

Wang said both sides should also regard the other as "opportunities rather than challenges and as partners rather than as adversaries."

"Relations are at a crucial period and the most important thing is to build mutual trust. With mutual trust, the specific problems can be resolved on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual accommodation. Without mutual trust, individual problems will continue to grow and erode the overall situation of bilateral relations," Wang said.

ALSO WATCH | India, China agree to disengage on Doklam ending two-and-a-half-month-long standoff

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan visited the defense ministry on December 12, the government told Armenpress.

The PM watched the exhibition organized only for the members of the military-industrial commission, got acquainted with the exhibits of military equipment and armament created or developed in Armenia over the past two years.

Thereafter, the session of commission was held in the ministry led by the PM during which the 2018 program of research and experimental-engineering works were discussed.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Armenia in October 2018 on the sidelines of the Francophonie summit, French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacote said at a press conference, reports Armenpress.

Traditionally, the French President will participate in the Francophonie summit which this time will be held in Armenia. This will be officially confirmed during 2018, but, we, of course, are already working to organize the visit of the French President, the Ambassador said, adding that a busy year is expected to Armenia in 2018.

Jonathan Lacote said his desire is to further deepen the Armenian-French ties. The Armenian-French political relations are excellent, and I would like to develop them in two more spheres. These are the educational, university fields, and the economic field where there is a great potential for trade and investment, he said.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has released the judgment for the Sargsyan vs. Azerbaijan case on December 12.

The ECHR ruled that Azerbaijan must pay 5000 Euros, plus any tax that may be chargeable, in respect of pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage, as well as 30,000, plus any tax that may be chargeable to them, in respect of costs and expenses, to Vladimir Sargsyan and Tsovinar Sargsyan within three months.

Sargsyan filed a lawsuit to the ECHR in 2006 against being exiled from his own residence and the destruction of his home, violation of his right for property, violation of his right for private and family life, the destruction of several Armenian cemeteries in Azerbaijan, forced deportations of Armenians from their homes, discriminations based on national and religious backgrounds, and facts of violence against Armenians, and the inaction of the government.

Armenia was a third party at the hearings, and Azerbaijan was the respondent.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian community of Turkey is awaiting a response from the interior ministry for a long time regarding the organizational issue of the election of the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul. The ministry hasnt yet responded to the request of the patriarchate, which was presented through the Istanbul Governors Office.

Garo Paylan, the ethnic Armenian MP of Turkey, has raised the issue in the parliament, by addressing a written appeal to the interior minister, Agos reports.

Paylan stressed that according to media reports, the Istanbul Governor has said that Turkey doesnt recognize Garegin Bekchian as locum tenens and wants a new election between the other two bishops.

Interference of this kind by the state into the patriarchal election and protracting the process for this long has become a reason of concern in the community, the MP said.

He demanded a response from the minister on the basis for interference, and whether or not there really is interference, as stated by the governor.

In addition, he seeks to clarify the reason for delaying the process for so long.
YEREVAN, 12 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 12 December, USD exchange rate is down by 0.64 drams to 484.11 drams. EUR exchange rate is down by 1.33 drams to 570.43 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is up by 0.04 drams to 8.23 drams. GBP exchange rate is down by 2.06 drams to 646.00 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price is down by 80.21 drams to 19411.26 drams. Silver price is down by 0.17 drams to 246.46 drams. Platinum price is down by 142.87 drams to 13759.01 drams.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Hundreds of people are arrested in Azerbaijan who are suspected of cooperation with the special services of Armenia, ARMENPRESS reports Azerbaijani meydan.tv informs.

New details have been published by Azerbaijani news outlets over the scandalous case launched in May regarding the spying for Armenia. Hundreds of people have been interrogated in the region of Aghdam being suspected in cooperation with Armenian special services. Dozens of servicemen have been arrested and interrogated, as well as one shepherd and civilians who are charged with state treason.

A former officer of the Azerbaijani army told in the sidelines of the investigation that a shepherd and his sheep are involved in the case. According to the source, the incident took place in Aghdam region, near the contact line.

Early in the morning we suddenly heard someone was captured at the watch post. But it wasn't a soldier. Instead it was a shepherd who told us he was grazing his sheep. We reported it to our commander."

According to the soldier, the commander took one sheep, and then told the soldiers to leave the shepherd and the rest of the sheep alone.

The soldiers argued with the commander. They said the Armenian border watchers could see where the sheep traveled, and they would know there were no land mines in those spots. They told the commander he was endangering all his soldiers.

The other side (Armenian soldiers) watch us just like we do. Its simple: if there is a mine, either the sheep or the shepherd himself will be blown up. The Armenians are not going to shoot the shepherd. He and the sheep are giving them good information.

Accusations of cooperating with the enemy were reported to a commander in a nearby military unit, and quickly an investigation began. It expanded from the original incident as hundreds of soldiers and citizens were held and interrogated. Some have been released; others are still awaiting trial on treason charges.

A local government official says rumors of treason spread quickly. Imagine that you wake up in the morning, and you start hearing that a lot of your neighbors are working for Armenians," the official said. "You start to suspect everyone. The local people were horrified by these stories. People that you used to know for a long time, the people that you see everyday, accused of working for Armenia.

The official said that in addition to soldiers, shepherds, taxi drivers and even prostitutes were arrested. Some of these civilians remain in jail along with some of the soldiers, awaiting trial on treason charges.

"A lot of people were arrested," the official said. One person who was accused, Mehman Huseynov, was beaten to death by interrogators. His relatives wanted to bury him next to his father. But villagers protested, so he was buried outside the cemetery.
SAN DIEGODavid Enrique Meza, a former gay performer who used the name Francisco, on Monday learned his fate following his conviction of the murder of his wealthy Texas Boyfriend.

The 27-year-old Meza was sentenced to life in prison for what the judge called heinous actions and an inhumane, depraved act.

Authorities said in May 2015 Meza slit the throat of his boyfriend, 52-year-old Texas retiree Jake Clyde Merendino, then proceeded to stab him 24 times before eventually dumping his body in a ravine near a highway outside of Rosario Beach, Mexico. Prosecutors presented evidence that Meza and his girlfriend planned the murder shortly after Merendino named Meza the heir of his estate. Meza was found guilty by a federal jury on May 2, 2017, the two-year anniversary of Merendinos death. He was convicted of one count of interstate or foreign domestic violence resulting in murder, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

At post time, it was not clear in which federal prison Meza will be incarcerated.

As Francisco, Meza performed for Sean Cody. He also performed for other studios and sites using the name Mario Romo.
VALENCIA, Calif.2017 represented a year of growth and change for United Consortium. Continuing down its established reorganization path, the company announced today that it will be consolidating its U.S. distribution network.

As of January 1, 2018, wholesale distribution of the manufacturers brands System JO and DONA will be reduced to four partners: East Coast News, Nalpac, National Video Supply and Williams Trading.

Although this was an extremely difficult decision, we know its the correct move for our customers, explains Michael Woolard, CEO. Since my start with United Consortium, the overriding goal has been to continually improve support for our retailers. This shift to narrow our distribution will allow us to focus more energy on stores than ever before.

Considering a wide range of criteria, the companys believes its narrowed selection of distributors represents the optimum balance for the U.S. market. As part of the consolidation, the remaining Preferred Partners will work with United Consortium to keep retailers stocked and supported with educational and marketing materials. The company plans to release further details of its Preferred Partner program in the coming weeks.

Weve all worked very hard to position our System JO and DONA brands as leaders in the adult industry, Woolard continues. Our commitment to this market is stronger than ever, and our Preferred Partners are 100% aligned with our mission.

Retailers seeking distributor information can contact the United Consortium at [email protected] or its Preferred Partners directly using this contact information:

East Coast News: [email protected]

Nalpac: [email protected]

National Video Supply: [email protected]

Williams Trading: [email protected]
LOS ANGELESWarm Inc., the company bringing heat-based intimacy enhancers to the pleasure product market, launched an affiliate program on their website at ExperienceWarm.com just in time for the busy holiday season.

Warm Incs affiliate program is hosted by Enlistly and is offering affiliate partners 17 percent commission on all sales generated through the affiliate platform. Founders Janine and LJ want to support the different facets of the industry who utilize manufacturer affiliate programs. Interested parties are invited to spread the word about Warm, one of the most distinct pleasure products of 2017 to their follower base and on their respective platforms.

Networking has been one of our favorite ways to promote Warm and the unique, sensual experience it can create for users. Expanding our presence to affiliates helps us reach a captive audience and raise brand awareness all while continuing to expand our Warm reach to customers educating themselves about how to have the best sex, sex life and pleasure possible. It was very important to us that our affiliate program not only has a great payout but also great affiliate tools and banners to support those who join, said Janine, co-founder of Warm Inc.

Warm Incs new affiliate program offers five distinct Warm Enlistly banner ads, including three holiday-specific versions and a simple dashboard, custom affiliate URLs, in-app messaging and easy auto-pay Enlisty is known for.

Warm is ready to heat up your customers holiday shopping and give you a hot commission.

To sign-up, visit here.

Follow the Heat @ExperienceWarm on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updated product news, events and more.
QUEBEC CITYImLive has partnered with CPA network CrakRevenue for a once-in-lifetime chance to win a trip to Cyprus.

From December 15th, 2017 to January 31, 2018, affiliates who successfully generate at least 20 sales with the website will be entered into a drawing to potentially win the free trip.

To kick sales into gear, starting next Friday (December 15), affiliates who promote ImLive will receive a huge payout bump of $165 PPS for every ImLive sale that they generate.

In 2018, it was our goal to give an unforgettable prize to one lucky affiliate, said Arnaud Guilon, cam business manager at CrakRevenue. Its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to a beautiful country and meet the team behind one of the most beloved cam sites in Europe. We are more than happy to work with ImLive. I know for a fact that many of our affiliates are pumped by this promotion."

Learn more about this promotion here.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today urged his Nigerian counterpart to consider import of agri commodities such as wheat, rice, maize, cotton, pepper and fresh grapes.

In a meeting with Nigerias Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh, Singh also called on the African country to take advantage of the line of credit extended to it and training programmes for agriculture and the allied sector.

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"Nigeria is Indias largest trading partner in Africa. There is tremendous potential for further expanding this volume. Nigeria may consider importing fresh grapes, pepper, wheat, maize, rice and cotton," Singh was quoted as saying in the release issued by the agriculture ministry.

While appreciating Nigeria for encouraging Indian firms to explore opportunities in its agriculture sector -- both as investors and agri-service providers -- the minister said India is keen to share its rich agricultural experience. According to Singh, India recently increased training slots under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme to 310 from 200 annually for Nigeria, which also include short-term training programmes in agriculture and allied sectors. About USD 10 billion concessional loan extended to African nations in 2015, the minister exhorted his Nigerian counterpart to take benefit of the line of credit. "India would be glad to contribute to the Nigerian governments priorities in agriculture and allied sectors," he added. PTI LUX ARD

--- ENDS ---
PENNSAUKEN, N.J.Williams Trading Co. has Preferred Partner status with United Consortium for the System JO and Dona by JO brands.

Williams Trading has a long-term legacy of supporting System JO for more than 15 years.

Our mutual partner goals are to deliver the highest level of customer support for the United Consortium brands with in stock fulfillment, free e-learning support, and same day shipment. We are honored to be selected as one of the four preferred partners in the United States, said Robert Pyne Jr., president and CEO.

Williams Trading offers the complete line of products including all stimulants, lubricants, body, hygiene and massage products.

These fast selling System JO and DONA collections are supported by our knowledgeable sales staff for all brick and mortar adult channels including a comprehensive drop shipment program, said Richard Pyne, vice president of e-commerce sales.

To better serve existing and new System JO dealers, Williams Trading Co is offering a white glove on-board service (credit card and COD accounts only) for all brick-and-mortar accounts. This service allows a new customer to be set up in one business day, and ready for wholesale shipment. We support our dealers with our world-class 24-hour order fulfillment service with same day turnaround for all orders placed by 11 p.m. EST. For more, contact [email protected].
PepsiCo UK has set up a vans sales operation to distribute Walkers snack products to independent retailers and foodservice operators.

The new operation will provide a direct-to-store service, with Walkers-branded vans delivering products to outlets nationwide. The venture will bring new job opportunities for the business and the company has urged van sales representatives to apply for the roles.

The move follows wholesaler Palmer & Harvey entering administration last month, and PepsiCo said the new service would help support retailers who relied on direct-to-store deliveries.

The wholesale market is experiencing a significant amount of change and our focus is to ensure that our customers needs are being met in the absence of the important direct-to-store service previously provided by Palmer & Harvey, said PepsiCo UKs vice-president of impulse sales Huseyin Tulpar.

By establishing our own van sales delivery operation, we can quickly replace that service and ensure our retail customers are getting the direct-to-store service and the continuity of supply they require. It is part of our long-standing commitment to the Impulse market and to supporting local retailers.

PepsiCo added it is in discussions with a third party to provide warehousing and depot services to support its van operation.
Premium loyalty schemes, top-quality staff and click & collect have been flagged up as key foodservice trends for the coming year.

Market and business analysis firm The NPD Group has identified five trends that it believes will shape the 57bn category in 2018.

The foodservice industry has demonstrated its creativity for years, and many of the trends we see shaping the sector hinge on continuing to be innovative, on seeing opportunities and responding well, said NPD Group foodservice director Cyril Lavenant.

The trends highlighted by the analysts are:

Click & Collect

Click & collect through smartphones will transform the way foodservice operators and consumers interact, according to NPD, which added this could reduce waiting times for consumers and help operators serve more people per hour. It will also enable operators to increase sales and profits, and gather better customer data that can be used to create personalised offers.

During peak periods, increased traffic will call for improvements in restaurant efficiency, particularly in order fulfilment, reported NPD. Click & collect customers will want to benefit from an express lane experience, so restaurant layouts may need reconfiguring and staff might need special training. Operators can use click & collect to drive traffic outside peak hours.

Investing in the best staff

Staff can play a vital role in growing an emotional connection between consumers and a foodservice brand, said NPD, advising that foodservice operators invest in the best staff and provide the best training.

Winners will be the companies that nurture, train and retain staff, added the firm. Operators that hire great people will really stand out."

Making VIP status the norm

Customers expect more than simple discounts and freebies from a loyalty scheme, and the next step will be tiered and personalised foodservice loyalty. NPD said loyalty schemes should target valuable customers with Premium, VIP-only, Exclusive or Private offers.

Operators offering a simple yet fresh loyalty scheme that rewards the most valuable customer on a regular basis will be the winners. Delivering the occasional, disruptive surprise will help drive short-term share gains and generate buzz and brand warmth.

Avoiding broken brand promises

A brand should never over-promise and under-deliver, advised NPD Group, adding that foodservice operators should ensure product quality, service, support and marketing was in line with what they were promising consumers.

Dont allow your customers restaurant experience to be marred by long wait times, poor staff training or a poor supply chain, said the firm. The foodservice industry is intensely competitive and its all too easy to lose repeat business. Theres also the danger that consumers take to social media to complain about their experience.

Sharing a recommendation

Consumers love recommendations for places to eat or drink, and what to order when they choose an outlet.

Staff members who offer authentic recommendations will build meaningful rapport with customers, suggested NPD, while technology and customer data can help to tailor menu suggestions.
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?

Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.

Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
Photo by Bobby Tony 25th Infantry Division 1968

"Richard, (my husband), never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam other than he had been shot by a sniper. However, he had a rather grainy, 8 x 10 black & white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann Margaret with Bob Hope in the background that was one of his treasures.

This is most likely not the original picture.

A few years ago, Ann Margaret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo so he arrived at the bookstore at 12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing. When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot, and disappeared behind a parking garage.



Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book and no memorabilia would be permitted. Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home.



Ann Margaret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as 2nd in line, it was soon Richard's turn. He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo. When he did, there were many shouts from the employees that she would not sign it. Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it".



She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from VietNam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for "my gentlemen". With that, she pulled Richard across the table and planted a big kiss on him.



She then made quite a to do about the bravery of the young men she met over the years, how much she admired them, and how much she appreciated them. There weren't too many dry eyes among those close enough to hear. She then posed for pictures and acted as if he was the only one there.



Later at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army", he said.



Richard, like many others, came home to people who spit on him and shouted ugly things at him. That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet.



I'll never forget Ann Margaret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband. I now make it a point to say Thank You to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces.



Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.



If you'd like to pass on this story, feel free to do so. Perhaps it will help others to become aware of how important it is to acknowledge the contribution our service people make."

Ann Margret was one of the head liners along with Rosey Grier. She was born in Sweden in 1941. Her father immigrated to the US in 1942. Ann and her mother moved to the United States in 1946 and they joined her father. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1949.I took this picture of Bob Hope during the 1968 performance. I had less than 60 days left in country. I had some 8 MM film as well but it was lost along with the negatives I took at this show.There is a story told about Ann that I believe to be true. While I don't always believe what Snopes confirms or debunks, this could be one case where they are correct. Snopes Here is a six minute partial clip of the show from December 1968.The entire Bob Hope USO tours DVD is available at Time/Life. Please excuse the choppy editing. The jokes in this clip were much appreciated by the GIs. Please remember that there are still soldiers all over the world who are not able to be with their loved ones this Christmas Season.I have a standing joke that I have overused every Christmas since 1968.

Posted by one of Ann's Gentlemen from Vietnam
North Carolina lacks a blanket security disclosure policy that covers all state agencies

State agencies reported a record 250 data breaches, identity information thefts, and unauthorized disclosures of personal records in their custody in 2017.But as public concerns about computer hacks, electronic system vulnerabilities, and personal data mismanagement mount, the question is whether state agencies notify victims in a timely manner or can delay alerts because of ambiguity in state law requiring disclosureIn one of the most recent incidents, the state Department of Health and Human Services discovered a data breach Sept. 27 but didn't announce it until late on the afternoon of Nov. 24, when public attention largely centered on Black Friday shopping.The agency issued a press release saying personal records of some 6,000 people were improperly disclosed, and those affected would get letters.A spreadsheet containing personal information was sent in error to a vendor in an unencrypted email. The spreadsheet included names, Social Security numbers, and test results for about 6,000 people who underwent routine drug screenings for employment, intern, and volunteer opportunities at DHHS, the release said.state Rep. Donnie Lambeth, R-Forsyth, said when asked for comment about the time lag in alerting victims. Lambeth is a co-chairman of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, and said lawmakers should get an update during a committee meeting Tuesday.DHHS spokesman Cobey Culton told Carolina Journal DHHS took immediate stepsAn investigation was launched, arrangements were made to notify those affected, and notification letters and media release were prepared.Culton said notification letters were mailed "without unreasonable delay," after those steps were taken, and the Attorney General's Office was notified as required by law.Who was responsible, how the blunder occurred, and whether personnel action was taken haven't been revealed.Culton said.Protecting the privacy and security of job applicants is a top priority, he said. DHHS has reviewed proper procedures with employees and continues to review its internal processes to ensure data is handled correctly to help avoid a future occurrence.DHHS also is exploring additional technical controls to help facilitate employees' use of encryption when emailing sensitive information, Culton said.Data security experts have a range of beliefs on what top priorities to pursue when a data breach occurs. Many believe prompt notification of victims is vital.Robert Ellis Smith of Providence, Rhode Island, is publisher of Privacy Journal and a nationally recognized data security expert. He advocates swift notification.Smith told CJ. Tardy notification can allow insiders to manipulate or improperly use information and prevent consumers from protecting themselves in a timely way.Smith said states have different notification requirements.States with hard-and-fast deadlines usually specify a 90-day deadline. Indiana and Connecticut both require reasonably prompt notification, and their attorneys general have said 90 days is excessive, Smith said..Smith said. The more information that is known, the more useful notifications are to the recipients.North Carolina has no blanket security policy for data breaches that covers all state agencies, said Margaret Bizzell, a spokeswoman at the N.C. Department of Information Technology. But the department establishes standards for information technology security in all executive branch agencies and monitors compliance.She declined to say whether DHHS taking two months to inform victims was reasonable.The DHHS data release isn't considered a security breach because there was no intrusion into the state's systems where illegal use of the personal information occurred or is reasonably likely to occur, Bizzell said. It was classified as an unauthorized disclosure of information.Bizzell said state and federal laws vary on what is required to be reported, and that can depend on the type of data involved.The Department of Information Technology provides assistance as needed to state agencies in performing forensics and data recovery when an incident occurs. The department works with agencies to develop strategies to thwart future occurrences, Bizzell said.Bill Holmes, another Department of Information Technology spokesman, said the department tracks data incidents attributed to malware, information disclosure, theft/loss, system compromise, account compromise, and web defacements.The number of incidents spiked from 144 in 2016 to 250 this year. They had been lower - 51 in 2015, 30 in 2014, and 44 in 2013.Holmes said. What must be reported as a security incident was clarified and expanded. For example, Ransomware and account compromises would not have been reported previously.
President Donald J. Trump has signed a space policy directive instructing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to pursue manned extraterrestrial exploration. President Trump will enact the unanimously endorsed recommendations of the National Space Council to change the course of U.S. human spaceflight exploration.o On June 30, 2017, President Trump revived the National Space Council for the first time in 24 years. Space Policy Directive - 1 instructs NASA to return American astronauts to the moon. At its inaugural October meeting, the National Space Council unanimously agreed to lead commercial and international partners above and beyond previous U.S. space policy:o Return United States astronauts to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization; ando Pursue human exploration of Mars and the broader solar system. The Trump Administration will take full advantage of new space technology to improve U.S. space capabilities.By refocusing our space program on feasible goals, President Trump will create incentives for private industry that spur 21st century space capabilities. The Moon is of interest to international partners and is within reach of America's private space industry.o The United States will work with other nations and private industry to return astronauts to the Moon, developing the technology and means for manned exploration of Mars and other destinations in our solar system. Under the new Space Policy Directive, the United States will help drive the burgeoning domestic space industry, bring new knowledge from the cosmos, and spur incredible technology.We are no longer the undisputed leader in human space exploration. On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon, making "one giant leap for mankind." Apollo 17 was the last manned mission to the Moon, launched 45 years ago on December 7, 1972.o America, the only country to successfully send manned missions to the Moon, has sent 12 astronauts to walk on the Moon. In July 2011, the United States retired the Space Shuttle program, three decades after it began.o From 1981 to 2011, the five Space Shuttles flew 135 missions into space. After the Space Shuttle was retired, the United States has been forced to rely on Russian rockets, at the cost of $70 million per seat. In the coming years the United States will launch astronauts on an American-made rocket and crew system, the Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle, and multiple American companies will provide the Pentagon with American engines and rockets to launch national security payloads.White House 
By PTI: village

Tinsukia (Assam), Dec 11 (PTI) The president of a local village defence party (VDP) and his son were shot dead by unidentified miscreants tonight at Bordumsa in upper Assams Tinsukia district, official sources said.

District Superintendent of Police (SP) Mugdha Jyoti Mahanta has confirmed the incident.

The gunmen opened fire at Hunjan Simalguri Village under the Bordumsa police station, seriously injuring Anteshwar Mahanta (45) and his son Karun Mahanta (23), police sources said.

advertisement

Both Anteswar and Karun succumbed to their injuries while they were being taken to a hospital, they added.

Karun was a former president of the Kakopathar Regional Students Union, the sources said.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has condemned the incident.

"In a democratic society, no such high-handedness will be tolerated as the government is prepared to deal with such inhumane killings with an iron fist," he said in a statement.

The chief minister has also asked the police to identify the assailants of the father-son duo and take stern action against them.

Following a direction from Sonowal, top police officials of the state had rushed to the village, the statement said. PTI CORR ESB RC

--- ENDS ---
Why are so many Alabamians voting for Roy Moore, even after nine women say he sexually assaulted or pursued them when they were teenagers? They believe the women were paid to do so. They believe it is a "George Soros assassination plan." They believe it was OK because Moore didn't undress the teenage girls. They believe it's the fault of both Moore *and* the 14-year-old girl. They believe the women have questionable reputations. They believe Moore must be trusted until he's criminally convicted. They believe Moore must be forgiven because Christians forgive. They believe that "forty years ago in Alabama, there's a lot of mommas and daddies that would be thrilled that their 14-year-old was getting hit on by a district attorney."

YouTube description:
Saudi Arabia is planning to open up movie theaters by March, ending a 35-year ban on cinemas. The goal will be to have 2,000 movie screens over the next 12 years, according to the Guardian.

Saudi Arabia isn't undergoing a full westernization, even as women are preparing to drive in 2018. Walls dividing men and women are expected to be built in the theaters.

Eager Saudis have been able to stream movies by bypassing government censors, along with viewing flicks on satellite TV. But an increase in Saudi movie makers can lead to an incredible exchange of differing ideasI hope.

Image: jakman1/Pixabay
Oliver Schmidt, the general manager of Volkswagen's Michigan environmental and engineering office, is going to jail for his role in Dieselgate, the company's criminal conspiracy to trick regulators about the emissions from their diesel cars, allowing them to emit lethal levels of NOx on roads all over the world.

Schmidt is going to jail for seven years, the maximum sentence allowable under law. He pleaded guilty and wrote a statement confessing his "bad decisions." Seven other VW execs face charges, and six of those are "at large."

Schmidt's guilty plea reduced his potential prison sentence from 169 years to seven years.





Volkswagen anticipates record deliveries of its cars in 2017, and its US head has declared, "We're back."



Schmidt was in charge of the company's environmental and engineering office in Auburn Hills, Michigan, until February 2015, where he oversaw emissions issues. He returned to Germany the same month where he was told about the existence of the software. According to Schmidt's guilty plea, later that year he conspired with other executives to avoid disclosing "intentional cheating" by the automaker in a bid to seek regulatory approval for its model 2016 VW 2 liter diesels.

VW executive gets seven years for U.S. emissions fraud [Nick Carey/Reuters]





(via Naked Capitalism)

(Image: William Warby, CC-BY)
At this press conference a panel of women shared "firsthand accounts of sexual misconduct by Donald Trump and demand an investigation by Congress." Watch the video here.

In the meantime, "More than 50 female Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives called on Monday for a congressional investigation into allegations by various women of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump, who has denied the accusations."
How to Ask a Girl Out

Trying to Get Her to Go Out With You? Read This First

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Where to Find Dates Online:

Approaching a woman to ask her out on a date is nerve-wracking for the most steely-nerved among us. There's the potential for embarrassment and rejection, and that's enough to put most of us off the prospect altogether. Unfortunately, like trips to the dentist, it's something that has to be done. Putting yourself out there is a risk, but there's no other way to find that sweet, sweet reward.

And as your father was probably fond of saying: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you want to go on dates, you are going to have to run the gauntlet at some point in your life.

You can't guarantee success, of course, but there are certain strategies that you can employ to maximize your chances of getting a "yes" when you ask someone out on a date. Whether you're face-to-face or over text/on an app, it's all about the approach (and standing out in a cute, not creepy, way). Below, you'll find a few simple steps to give you the best possible chance of landing a date with the girl of your dreams.

1. Do Some Basic Due Diligence to See If She's Even Available

When asking someone out, this is the first box you must check.

If the woman you're hoping to go on a date with isn't even single, you're going to be shot down pretty quickly, and that's a waste of time for everyone (although, not bad practice!). It's not always possible to find out ahead of time whether or not she's single, especially if she's a stranger in a bar, but if it's someone you know through friends or someone who is obviously single since you matched on an app, that's a clear sign she's interested in dating.

That being said, she might not necessarily be interested in dating you. Yes, like mentioned above, matching on an app at least means she likes you at first glance  but feel it out. If the conversation goes stale fast, it might not be a perfect match. Approach with caution, be the class act gentleman you are, and just see where things go.

2. Gauge Her Level of Interest

It's possible to get some idea of how well things will go for you before you've so much as spoken a word. It's best not to go in cold when asking a girl out, so spend some time gauging her level of interest ahead of time by paying attention to her body language and nonverbal cues.

Have you spoken to her before and, if so, how well did the interaction go? What was your level of rapport like? Does she make sustained eye contact with you and touch you in a playful way? These can all be indications that she's interested in you on some level, so try to pay attention to these details before you make your approach.

3. Make Sure the Scene Is Conducive to Success

When you decide to approach the girl you've picked, the setting needs to be conducive to success. It can be embarrassing, for example, to ask a woman out if her friends or family are around and within earshot, and likewise if she's busy doing daily activities like commuting or shopping for groceries. It's likely she won't want to be disturbed in this case, and you're more likely to get an annoyed "no thanks" when you ask in inconvenient settings.

The ideal setting is going to depend somewhat on how well you already know this girl and where you tend to run into her most often (through a circle of friends versus occasionally bumping into her at your local bar, let's say). Try to be conscious of asking her out in an environment where romantic advances are likely to be welcome.

If you make her feel comfortable and be respectful, she's much more likely to want to spend more time with you.

4. Look Your Best

This is a basic step, but one that men sometimes slip up on. You will drastically increase your odds of success in-person if you have a fresh haircut, clipped fingernails and smelling good. Consider your outfit, too; there's no need to be wearing a three piece suit, but make sure you are tidily dressed.

Despite your initial thoughts, how you look is not merely a superficial consideration. In fact, looking your best gives an indication of your level of self-respect and attention to detail, and these are important cues that women will be picking up on. Again, you don't need to be dressed like the nines and looking like a male model at all times.

The point here? Be fresh, clean and radiating self-respect.

5. Approach With Confidence

We know it's not always easy, but if you're approaching a girl with fiddling hands and eyes darting nervously around the place, you're not going to have as much luck asking her out as if you stroll up confidently and with open body language and strong posture. If you struggle in this area, the "fake it 'til you make it" maxim applies.

Asking someone out is usually at least a little bit awkward on both sides, so it doesn't need to be a perfectly seamless interaction, but try to have a level of good-faith humor if the conversation gets a bit bumpy. Basically, try to talk to women with the same ease with which you'd speak to your colleagues or friends, but with a more flirty tone.

And if you're asking them out on an app or over text, well, use that to your advantage. Pace yourself, don't use words you're unfamiliar with and don't beat around the bush. Sure, instead of watching their facial reactions, you're forced to wait for a response that may never come at all, but that's just a part of the dating game.

You can only do so much, and if one person isn't right for you, it's on to the next one.

6. Have a Basic Script Ready

There's no need to have every single line you're going to say polished and rehearsed, but it's a good idea to have a basic idea of what your approach will be ahead of time. Make a mental note of how you're going to open, what you'll say in the interim and how you are going to phrase asking her out.

Be straightforward and polite with your intentions clear. There's no point darting around the fact that you're looking for a date, so just use straightforward language rather than fumbling over incomplete sentences that don't make sense. That way, there's less room for confusion, and more of a chance you'll receive a positive response.

7. Have a Follow-Up Idea to Your Initial Plan

Let's say she says "yes" when you ask her out on a date. Congratulations! That's the ideal result, but now, you're going to need to think about what to say next. If you're left stuttering once she asks what you'll do on the actual date, it'll be clear that you've given it no consideration.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Going on a First Date

Dinner or drinks at a nice bar are a pretty safe fallback option, but avoid saying something like, "I don't know, what do you want to do?" It makes you look flaky, indecisive and puts the work on her to think of an idea even though you're the one who has requested the date.

Propose an activity and set a time, and let the rest play out naturally. Sure, you can interact before the first date, but expect a lot of that initial conversation to take place on the date itself.

8. Be Chill About Rejection

Fingers crossed it doesn't get to this point, but rejection is a normal (and healthy) part of asking women out on dates. If she's not into the idea of going out with you for whatever reason, you're going to have to take it on the chin.

Don't pester her or repeatedly ask like a three-year-old who's been told he can't have a friend over or play with his toys. Flash her a smile, say something polite and low-key, and walk away. Try not to take rejection too personally, either  it happens to everyone, and there's a good chance it's not about you. The more relaxed you are about dealing with it, the less it seems like a terrible, self-esteem-crushing fate when it does occur.

None of these steps are rocket science, but they will help the interaction to go as smoothly as possible and maximize your chances of landing a date. Remember, it's a numbers game, so don't give up after your first rejection.

She's out there, it might just take some time to find her.

BONUS: Try Online Dating

Not all dates stem from asking someone out in person, and while a lot of the above tips apply to online dating too, they don't get you much closer to asking someone out online. Here are the top AskMen picks for dating sites you should try:

Zoosk

AskMen Recommends: You may not have heard of it before, but Zoosk is sort of the little engine that could of online dating. With the highest ratings of any site in AskMen's online dating reviews, Zoosk is our top pick if you're looking for the best site out there. Well-designed, easy to use and packed with singles, it's a solid option no matter what you're looking for.

Check out Zoosk

Match

AskMen Recommends: If you're the type of person who gravitates towards name brands, consider Match. The well-known dating site has been around since the '90s, making it perhaps the most successful dating site of all time. And far from being stuck in the past, Match has evolved with the times, offering you a great, modern online dating experience.

Check out Match

Coffee Meets Bagel

AskMen Recommends: Coffee Meets Bagel is very reward-driven, giving you a limited number of matches each day, based first on the mutual friends you share on Facebook with the number of matches increasing each consecutive day you log on. The concept of matching people based on mutual friends isn't new, but because of how the dating platform is designed, it simply works well  as in, without being creepy or overly forward. And with the limited pool you're offered, it means you're not throwing around right swipes on whim. Quality over quantity is their game, and it's one that's fun to play.

Check out Coffee Meets Bagel

EliteSingles

AskMen Recommends: If you're looking for someone serious to get serious with, EliteSingles might be the option for you. The site bills itself as being for ambitious and successful people, so if you're, say, a doctor or a lawyer looking for someone like you to settle down with, this might be just what the doctor (heh) ordered.

Check out EliteSingles

Bumble

AskMen Recommends: Bumble helps to take the stress off gents as it's the ladies who have to make the first move. That saves you the trouble of crafting the perfect opening message that could ultimately get ignored. Bumble has also built formidable user base with over 50 million registered users, with estimates that nearly half are female. In other words?The app is your dating oyster.

Check out Bumble

You Might Also Dig:

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This is an article that was deleted from Huffington Post without explanation after a long time contributor submitted it.

Here is the Deep State at work.

A lesson of the 2016 campaign was that growing numbers of Americans are fed up with three decades of neoliberal policies that have fabulously enriched the top tier of Americans and debased a huge majority of the citizenry. The population has likewise grown tired of the elites senseless wars to expand their own interests, which these insiders try to conflate with the entire countrys interests.

Americas bipartisan rulers are threatened by popular discontent from both left and right. They were alarmed by the Bernie Sanders insurgency and by Donald Trumps victory, even if Trump is now betraying the discontented masses who voted for him by advancing tax and health insurance plans designed to further crush them and benefit the wealthy.



He is obviously not a Trump fan but his criticism of both sides sounds pretty accurate.

Ive pitched numerous news stories critical of U.S. foreign policy to a major American newspaper that were rejected or changed in the editorial process. One example is the declassified Defense Intelligence Agency document of August 2012 that accurately predicted the rise of the Islamic State two years later.

The document, which I confirmed with a Pentagon spokesman, said the U.S. and its Turkish, European and Gulf Arab allies, were supporting the establishment of a Salafist principality in eastern Syria to put pressure on the Syrian government, but the document warned that this Salafist base could turn into an Islamic State.

But such a story would undermine the U.S. governments war on terrorism narrative by revealing that the U.S.-backed strategy actually was risking the expansion of the jihadists foothold in Syria. The story was twice rejected by my editors and has received attention almost entirely  if not exclusively  on much-smaller independent news Web sites.

Again, he is a left winger but so was the guy who originally published the Deep State argument on Bill Moyers site.

The concerns may be distorted by the writers own bias but the reality is that we are all threatened.

Much of this spreading global hysteria and intensifying censorship traces back to Russia-gate. Yet, it remains remarkable that the corporate media has failed so far to prove any significant Russian interference in the U.S. election at all. Nor have the intelligence agencies, Congressional investigations and special prosecutor Robert Mueller. His criminal charges so far have been for financial crimes and lying to federal authorities on topics unrelated to any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians to hack Democratic emails.

Its a long article and marred a bit by the writers left wing bias but it is worth reading.

More Deep State News.

In an otherwise well-buried interview between former interim CIA Director Mike Morell, (the temp director following Petraeus ouster used during initial Benghazi cover), theres an admission by Morell about the politicized Deep State Intelligence leadership targeting candidate Donald Trump.

What this interview tells CTH is that the Intelligence Community, writ large, is on the precipice of massive institutional change -perhaps high level firings of remaining mid level operators and management- and those who participated in the historic politicization are now attempting to shape an explanation.

The CIA was participating in Hillarys campaign.
MONDAY, Dec. 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Admelog (insulin lispro), a short-acting form of insulin, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat people with either type of diabetes, for patients aged three years and older.

It's the first drug approved as a "follow-up" product based on an abbreviated new process dubbed 505(b)(2), the agency said Monday in a news release.

A new drug approved this way relies on the agency's finding that "a previously approved drug is safe and effective, or on published literature to support the safety and/or effectiveness of the proposed product, if such reliance is scientifically justified," the FDA said.

The abbreviated process "can reduce development costs, so products can be offered at a lower price to patients," the agency explained.

"In the coming months, we'll be taking additional policy steps to help to make sure patients continue to benefit from improved access to lower cost, safe and effective alternatives to brand-name drugs though the agency's abbreviated pathways," said FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb.

Admelog was approved under the new process in part due to its similarity to the diabetes drug Humalog, the agency said. Admelog itself was evaluated in clinical trials involving about 1,000 people.

The most common side effects included hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), itching and rash. A less common but more serious adverse reaction could include life-threatening allergic reaction, including anaphylaxis, the FDA said.

Admelog should not be used by people with hypoglycemia, or by people who are "hypersensitive" to the drug's active ingredient insulin lispro, the agency warned. And people at risk of too much blood potassium (hyperkalemia) should be monitored carefully while taking Admelog.

Short-acting insulin products are typically given just before meals to help control blood sugar after a person eats. This type of drug is more likely to be used by a person with type 1 diabetes than a person with type 2, the agency said.

More than 30 million people in the United States have diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The chronic disease is triggered by the body's inability to produce or process the sugar-regulating hormone insulin. Complications could include heart disease, blindness, and nerve and kidney damage.

Admelog is produced by the French firm Sanofi-Aventis, whose U.S. headquarters is based in Chattanooga, Tenn.

More information

Visit the FDA to learn more.
TUESDAY, Dec. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A full moon may spell extra danger for motorcyclists, a new study suggests.

Momentary distractions are a common cause of crashes. Because a full moon can be a major distraction and occurs about 12 times a year, researchers decided to investigate whether full moons might be linked to more motorcyclists' deaths.

"Glancing at the full moon takes the motorcyclist's gaze off the road, which could result in a loss of control," explained study author Donald Redelmeier, a professor at the University of Toronto's department of medicine.

The average motorcycle ride is more dangerous than a drunk driver with no seatbelt traveling the same distance, he added.

"Because of this, we recommend riders and drivers orient their attention, ignore distractions, and continuously monitor their dynamic surroundings," he said.

In the study, the researchers analyzed data on just over 13,000 fatal motorcycle crashes that occurred in the United States from 1975 to 2014. Of those, 4,494 occurred on 494 nights with a full moon and 8,535 on 988 nights without a full moon.

That worked out to 9.1 fatal crashes on nights with a full moon and 8.6 fatal crashes on nights when the moon wasn't full. For every two full moon nights, there was one additional fatal crash, according to the report, published Dec. 11 in the BMJ.

"While these figures might seem low on the surface, they are quite significant," Redelmeier said. "All of these deaths could have been prevented completely by [a] small difference in behavior."

Data from Canada, Great Britain and Australia revealed similar patterns, according to Redelmeirer and colleague Eldar Shafir, from Princeton University.

The typical victim was a middle-aged man riding a street bike with a large engine in a rural area. Most suffered a head-on crash, and less than half were wearing a helmet, the researchers found.

The risk was greatest on a supermoon night. That's when a full moon appears larger and brighter than a regular full moon. There were 703 fatal crashes on 65 supermoon nights, or 10.8 per supermoon night. For every supermoon night, there were about two additional deaths.

Because this is an observational study, no firm conclusions can be made about cause and effect, the researchers noted. They also did not take into account other distractions or traffic hazards.

However, they said their findings highlight the need for constant attention when riding a motorcycle, and the need for extra care when riding during a full moon.

"Additional strategies while riding might include wearing a helmet, activating headlights, scanning the road surface for defects, respecting the weather, being wary of left-turning vehicles, obeying traffic laws and forgoing stunts," Redelmeirer said in news releases from Princeton and the BMJ.

Each year, nearly 5,000 people die in motorcycle accidents in the United States. These fatal accidents account for one in seven of all road traffic deaths and $6 billion to $12 billion in costs to society, according to the study.

More information

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more on motorcycle safety.
TUESDAY, Dec. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Stubbornness and optimism may be keys to a long life, a new study suggests.

Researchers hunting for clues to longevity focused on nine remote villages in the Cilento region of southern Italy. There, hundreds of residents are older than 90.

The study zeroed in on 29 of them, who ranged in age from 90 to 101.

While these elders had poorer physical health than younger family members, they had better mental well-being, according to the study.

"There have been a number of studies on very old adults, but they have mostly focused on genetics, rather than their mental health or personalities," said senior author Dr. Dilip Jeste.

Jeste is a professor of psychiatry and neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

"The main themes that emerged from our study, and appear to be the unique features associated with better mental health of this rural population, were positivity, work ethic, stubbornness and a strong bond with family, religion and land," Jeste said in a university news release.

Love of the land was particularly apparent.

"The group's love of their land is a common theme and gives them a purpose in life. Most of them are still working in their homes and on the land. They think, 'This is my life and I'm not going to give it up,' " said study first author Anna Scelzo. She's a mental health worker in Chiavarese, Italy.

The researchers also found that the very old adults had significant self-confidence and decision-making skills compared to folks in their 50s, 60s and 70s.

"This paradox of aging supports the notion that well-being and wisdom increase with aging, even though physical health is failing," Jeste said.

The researchers plan to continue following the participants.

"Studying the strategies of exceptionally long-lived and lived-well individuals, who not just survive but also thrive and flourish, enhances our understanding of health and functional capacities in all age groups," Jeste said.

The study was published Dec. 12 in the journal International Psychogeriatrics.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about longevity.
15th Meeting of RIC Foreign Ministers held in New Delhi

Published: December 11, 2017

15th trilateral meeting of the Russia-India-China (RIC) foreign ministers was held in New Delhi. It was held between Indias External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi.

Key Facts

The discussions of meeting focused on regional security, issues affecting Asia-Pacific region, counter-terror efforts and coordination at regional and multilateral forums. The ministers reiterated importance trilateral format as platform to foster closer dialogue and practical cooperation in identified areas

The ministers released joint communique after meeting. They agreed to strengthen the trilateral dialogue for consultation and coordination on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

International and regional peace: They held that cooperation is conducive to maintaining international and regional peace, stability and promoting global economic growth and prosperity. They stressed for establishment of just and equitable international order based on international law and mutual respect, fairness and justice. They held that various crises in the world should be resolved in accordance with the international law.

Terrorism: The three nations also condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed that all acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable irrespective of their motivations, committed wherever and by whomsoever.

Arms Race: They called for prevention of arms race in outer space for maintaining international peace and security. Russia and China reiterated that they welcome Indias participation in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

RIC Forum

It is a trilateral grouping of Russia, India and China that has met annually since 2002. In recent years, it has functioned as complement to other frameworks involving three countries and including Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2017

Topics: Arms Race  International  National  New Delhi  RIC Forum  Russia-India-China  Terrorism

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A 20-year-old girl was kept under observation by Fortis Noida for four hours before she died. Her father was charged over Rs one lakh following which he raised the issue with the Chief Medical Officer of Gautam Buddh Nagar.

By Ilma Hasan: In what seems like another healthcare gaffe, a hospital in Noida handed over a bill amounting to more than a lakh, to the father of the deceased girl.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Gautam Buddh Nagar has ordered an inquiry after Fortis Hospital in Noida charged a massive amount reaching over of Rs one lakh for keeping a 20-year-old woman under observation for four hours.

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On November 21, patient Shweta who was a resident of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, was brought in at around 1 am and her case was being handled by the neurology department of the hopsital.

Fortis Hospital, Noida, conducted several medical tests and many samples were taken. Shweta was kept under observation for four hours.

The 20-year-old passed away at around 5.20 am. After she passed away, her father who is a farmer, was handed over the bill of Rs 1,02,673.

From the copy of the bill, it becomes evident that Shweta's father had deposited Rs 10,000 and a balance of Rs 92,673 was due when he received the bill.

Photo Courtesy: Ilma Hasan Photo Courtesy: Ilma Hasan

"My daughter died and for just four hours, they charged over Rs one lakh. I cannot afford it and I hope that the concerned authority takes a note of this," said Juginder Singh the father of the deceased girl.

Singh alleged that when he told the hospital staff that he will raise this issue before the concerned authorities, they offered him a sum of around Rs 20,000 to keep mum.

Hospitals in India have been on some strange spree of goofing up with lives and money of people lately.

Be it the case of the deceased seven-year-old whose parents were charged Rs 16 lakh for dengue treatment by Fortis Hospital in Gurgaon or the Max Hospital in Shalimar Bhagh, New Delhi, which declared a living baby dead, the incidents continue to rake up and reek of shame and irresponsibility when it comes to healthcare in India.

--- ENDS ---
 



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On Thursday 7 December, the 15th ECPM General Assembly took place in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Our President and ECPM MEP Branislav Skripek welcomed all who were present at our General Assembly. He thanked all the members and staff for their efforts in the last year. He paid special attention to our General Director Guido van Beusekom who sadly will be leaving us. Van Beusekom has built ECPM from the ground up in the last eleven years. "ECPM is now a steady European political party. We could not be more relevant today. With 2018 in sight, we are heading towards the 2019 European Parliament elections. Turbulent times are ahead but we are preparing well. ECPM will always strive to be vocal, creative, transparent and reliable." Furthermore, Skripek congratulated ECPM MEP Van Dalen  with whom he has recently been to Pakistan for the case of Asia Bibi - with his newly elected position as vice-chair of ECR.

Several new members were welcomed during the General Assembly. One of them is our newest member party Alleanza Bidla from Malta. Ivan Grech Mintoff introduced the member party and expressed his gladness to be part of ECPM. He shortly presented the situation in Malta, especially the destabilizing political situation in Libya that is affecting Malta to a great extent. Alleanza Bidla is working towards creating a bridge to solve the problems between Malta and Libya. Four new individual members were welcomed as well: Maltan MP Edwin Vassallo, MP Marek Krajci from Slovakia and Romanian MPs Luminita Jivan and Robert-Ionatan Sighiartau.

A report of the activities of the Advisory Council during 2017 was given by its vice president Wijbren Jongsma. After the financial report by ECPM General Director Guido van Beusekom, Maria van Oost gave a presentation on the new rules for European political parties, followed by the introduction of the resolutions that were submitted to the General Assembly. The resolution of ECPYouth on youth involvement in the Brexit negotiations, presented by their board member Blazej Duber, was accepted with some amendments and only one abstention. The full text of the resolution will be made available on our website soon.

ECPM Board Member and Moldovan MP Valeriu Ghiletchi (Member of the Council of Europe) presented his activities in the Council of Europe regarding the report on "Protecting the rights of parents and children belonging to religious minorities", and shared with the members that he is working on a report for the rights of pregnant women that are working abroad. ECPM MEP Kazimierz Ujazdowski also shared his activities in the European Parliament. ECPM's Director for European Affairs Leo van Doesburg did so as well, sharing that he participated in several meetings throughout Europe and one in Israel, where he promoted ECPM and has made new and interesting contacts.

The General Assembly was then concluded by two short presentations by Sallux. Firstly, Rob Nijhof presented the new Sallux publication "Political wisdom" followed by a short presentation of Arleen Westerhof. Thanking all the participants for their presence, Skripek announced that our next and 16th General Assembly will take place in Slovakia on the 11th and 12th of May.
Carles Puigdemont in Bruges on November 25. Delmi Alvarez (Delmi Alvarez)

Josep Maria Matamala never leaves Carles Puigdemonts side. Jami, as he is known to friends, is a businessman and a founding member of the Girona branch of Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC, one half of the CiU federation that ruled Catalonia for decades until its breakup over the independence issue).

He is also a close friend of the ousted Catalan premier who dropped everything he was doing in order to be with Puigdemont in what both men consider to be a state of exile. With his imposing build and taciturn personality, Matamala is like Puigdemonts shadow: he is always a few steps ahead of his friend, quietly coordinating the latters movements in Belgium and keeping a close eye on his surroundings.

On November 2, at the precise time when Spains High Court, the Audiencia Nacional, had summoned Puigdemont for a hearing over his role in the independence drive, the Catalan politician was sitting inside a cafe near the European Parliament, having a private conversation with Matamala.

In the six weeks that he has been in Belgium, Puigdemont has not once been inside European Commission or European Parliament buildings

Matamala is one of the few people allowed inside Puigdemonts inner circle. The communications service of the self-denominated Office of the Legitimate Government of Catalonia keeps a selection of media outlets informed about Puigdemonts public events. EL PAIS is not one of them.

Ramon Tremosa, an MEP for the European Democratic Party of Catalonia (PDeCAT, the new name for CDC) and one of the people who is closest to Puigdemont in Belgium, says that there is a lot of concern about his safety. Concern about his physical and legal safety, specifies Tremosas assistant, Aleix Sarri. Puigdemont says he has been harassed by television reporters from Spains private network La Sexta. And on November 14, Antena 3 sent journalists on a search of the Belgian commune of Uccle after getting wind that the Catalan politician was hiding out there.

There are constant leaks regarding Puigdemonts alleged whereabouts. After living like nomads for a few weeks, he and the four regional ministers who fled with him have settled down in separate residences. The only official information regarding their locations is the fact that former health chief Toni Comin lives in Leuven and that he goes for regular strolls in the city center, as three Catalan social education students who are currently living there recently confirmed inside a bar called Fiere Margriet: Weve had our picture taken with him and we greet him if we see him on the street.

A pro-independence rally in Brussels. EFE

Any public appearances by Puigdemont, Comin, Clara Ponsati, Meritxell Serret or Lluis Puig always take place in different locations and are announced on very short notice. So it was with the news conference last Wednesday to discuss the Spanish Supreme Courts decision to withdraw the European arrest warrant against them.

Later that day, inside the same venue  Hotel President Park in Brussels  there was a political rally by Junts Per Catalunya, the separatist platform headed by Puigdemont that is running in the December 21 elections in Catalonia. The rally was attended by supporters who had arrived in Belgium from Catalonia to attend the Thursday demonstration in Brussels European neighborhood.

Wednesday was a good example of how misinformation is used to avoid unwanted media attention: following the news conference at President Park, Puigdemonts aides assured EL PAIS that they still didnt know the venue for the afternoon event, even though it took place inside the same hotel and included a fundraising dinner. One attendant said that he paid 500 to share a table with Puigdemont and Mas.

There are constant leaks regarding Puigdemonts alleged whereabouts

At all times, Puigdemont was protected by Matamala and by several members of the Catalan police, the Mossos dEsquadra, who are officially on vacation in Belgium. One of these officers is Lluis Escola Miquel, who helped the ousted premier get out of Spain following the central governments application of Article 155, which involved sacking the entire regional government and calling early elections to find a new, law-abiding set of officials.

Another key individual is Joan Maria Pique, Puigdemonts communications coordinator. Pique was previously the press chief for former Catalan premier Artur Mas, and became known for coming down hard on the media. Sources at PDeCAT said that Pique is back on the front lines: The initial stages of their stay in Belgium were chaos, and somebody was needed to come in here and put things in order.

Puigdemont and his ministers personal security is being handled by the Belgian Interior Ministrys Crisis Center. Local officers are routinely dispatched to watch over Puigdemonts public appearances. A center spokesman said that his agency is in charge of guaranteeing the safety of 3,000 foreign dignitaries annually. This center is also responsible for coordinating security measures for Mr Puigdemont and the other members of the Catalan government.

A key political support is the nationalist party New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), whose president, Bart De Wever, is the mayor of Antwerp. In November, De Wever published an English-language essay about the evolution of Flemish nationalism that was filled with comparisons with the history of Catalan nationalism. The N-VA says that events in Catalonia have placed self-determination and nationalism on the front lines of the political debate.

Mark Demesmaeker is an MEP for the N-VA and one of the Flemish nationalist leaders who has been in closest contact with Puigdemont. His office inside the European Parliament is decorated with posters supporting the release of separatist leaders, a flag of the Basque Country, a portrait of Irish nationalist hero Michael Collins, and Tibetan flags.

We the Flemish sympathize with the oppressed because for centuries we ourselves have been an occupied nation, he said.

Demesmaeker confirmed that his party is providing logistical and organizational support to Puigdemonts team when required. Demesmaeker and Tremosa are among a group of around 26 MEPs who support the Catalan politician and who had lunch with him recently at Hotel Leopold.

But the N-VA denies making any contributions, either in the form of cash, housing or transportation, to the Catalan group. Details about who is financing the latters stay in Belgium remain a mystery.

Cabinet meetings

Every Tuesday, the group holds a legitimate government cabinet meeting in a secret location. The rest of the time, they keep busy with activities relating to their former positions: Comin, the former health chief, has met with the medical union Medicos de Cataluna; Serret, who headed the agriculture department, has visited the Agribex fair.

Puigdemont has also met with several media outlets and groups at Hotel Vintage in Brussels, and at Tervueren Park.

People who are familiar with the Catalan politicians routines said that outside of Brussels, they tend to stay within Flemish territory because they are in sync with Flemish society. While Demersmaeker agreed that there might be more sympathy for Puigdemont in Flanders, Belgians as a whole believe that (Spain) wants to imprison them for their ideas, and this kind of thing cannot take place in Europe.

Yet in the six weeks that he has been in Belgium, Puigdemont has not once been inside European Commission or European Parliament buildings, reflecting EU institutions rejection of unilateral secession. But the European Parliament is considered international territory outside Belgian jurisdiction, and now that the European arrest warrant has been lifted, Puigdemont may try to take his crusade within the walls of the EUs legislative body.

English version by Susana Urra.
All men are at risk of developing prostate issues. Getty

Every single man at some point in his life is at risk of developing prostate issues. Because all men have a prostate, all men in your life  whether it is your grandfather, father, brother, husband, son, or boyfriend  have the chance of having to face a diagnosis of a prostate problem.

The walnut-sized prostate gland is tucked away inside a mans body where it resides in front of the rectum between the bladder and penis. Weighing around 1 ounce (28 grams), the prostate surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. The prostates purpose is to secrete fluid that nourishes and protects sperm, making it a vital part of the proper functioning of the male reproductive system. It is during ejaculation when the prostate contracts, squirting its fluid into the urethra as the millions of sperm speedily travel down to their destination.

Like any part of the human body, the prostate gland can develop certain problems over the course of a mans life. But there are three prostate issues that are more likely to cause problems in which a man will need to seek the advice and expertise of a urologist. These three issues most likely to affect the prostate gland are the following:

1. Prostatitis

Affecting men of all ages, prostatitis or inflammation of the prostate, is a painful condition for which more than two million men seek help every year from their doctor. Symptoms of prostatitis can include the following:

Burning or painful urination

Urgent need to urinate

Trouble voiding

Difficult or painful ejaculation

Pain in the area between the scrotum and rectum known as the perineum

Lower back pain

There are four types of prostatitis:

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS)

Chronic bacterial prostatitis

Acute (sudden) bacterial prostatitis

Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis

Examination of a mans symptoms will help a doctor determine which type of prostatitis he is suffering from. It is not completely understood what causes prostatitis but the condition is usually caused by common strains of bacteria. One way an infection may start is by bacteria getting into the prostate when infected urine flows backwards from the urethra. Antibiotics are used to treat this problem, but if the bacteria are not completely eliminated with antibiotics, then prostatitis may recur or be more difficult to treat.

Other possible causes of prostatitis include:

Recent placement of a catheter or another instrument in the urethra

An abnormality found in the urinary tract

A recent bladder infection

Treating prostatitis usually involves taking an antibiotic along with anti-inflammatory drugs, pain medications, or muscle relaxants. Other treatment methods might include hot baths or a heating pad to ease pain or, in rare cases, surgery on either the urethra or prostate.

2. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)

One of the most common conditions affecting a mans prostate is benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. This condition is an enlargement of the prostate that puts pressure on the urethra making it difficult to urinate, along with other associated symptoms.

This condition becomes more prevalent as a man ages with the risk of BPH increasing each year after a man turns 40. By age 60, more than half of all men will have BPH and by age 85, about 90% of men have this condition.

Most of the signs and symptoms of BPH are urinary related. As the prostate enlarges, this puts pressure on the urethra, reducing the flow of urine. This can result in various symptoms, such as:

Urinary urgency

Frequent urination

Dripping and leaking after urination

Straining to urinate

Waking up during the night to urinate

A weak or slow urinary stream

Incomplete emptying of the bladder

A urinary stream that starts and stops

Not every man who has BPH will necessarily know this is the case, as only about 30% of men with the condition will have noticeable symptoms. The causes of BPH are not known or understood. What is known, however, is that it mainly occurs in older men. There appears to be an association with the hormone testosterone as BPH does not develop in men whose testicles were removed before puberty. Therefore, researchers believe that factors related to aging and the testicles may cause BPH.

BPH is generally confirmed through urinalysis, PSA blood testing, and a rectal exam. There is also a BPH Symptom Score Index developed by the American Urological Association (AUA) that will rate BPH from mild to severe based on urinary symptoms.

Because BPH progresses rather slowly over a number of years, the decision to treat the condition depends on the severity of the symptoms. Mild cases of BPH may not need any treatment whatsoever.

The main treatments for BPH include:

3. Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer consists of the uncontrolled growth of cells within the prostate gland. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) approximately 14% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2010-12 data. This cancer is considered a fairly common one for men with estimates for 2017 predicting 161,360 new cases will be diagnosed while an estimated 26,730 men are predicted to die from the disease.

However, if prostate cancer is discovered in its early stages, it has a 98.9% survival rate as reported from the NCI. The best defense is to have a game plan of a good offense when it comes to prostate cancer. Men need to have yearly exams to assess what is going on with their prostate. A simple rectal exam, which takes less than a minute, and a yearly PSA blood test starting at age 40 are good screening tools urologists use to detect any changes in the prostate gland. Not getting screened is unwise as a man will be missing his opportunity to catch any changes before its too late.

Treating prostate cancer depends on the staging and aggressiveness at the time of diagnosis. If prostate cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, one option a man and his doctor may decide on is active surveillance. This is the decision not to treat prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis based on the mans age, health condition and the rate of growth of the cancer.

However, if test results show a mans prostate cancer to be aggressive, there are several methods of therapy to consider, all depending again on each individual mans prostate cancer, the expected rate of growth, staging and other factors. The doctor may decide to choose one type of therapy or a combination to beat back the cancer. His choices range from the da Vinci prostatectomy, radiation therapy, Cyberknife SBRT procedure, IMRT procedure, seed implant procedure, or hormone therapy.

Dr. Samadi is a board-certified urologic oncologist trained in open and traditional and laparoscopic surgery and is an expert in robotic prostate surgery. He is chairman of urology, chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. He is a medical contributor for the Fox News Channel's Medical A-Team. Follow Dr. Samadi on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, SamadiMD.com, davidsamadiwiki, davidsamadibio and Facebook.
By PTI: A (Eds: Recasts intro)

Kochi, Dec 11 (PTI) Gold biscuits and bars valued at over Rs 48 lakh were today seized in separate cases at two airports in Kerala, customs officials said.

Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said here that gold biscuits worth over Rs 30 lakh were recovered from the toilet of an aircraft at Thiruvananthapuram international airport.

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Officers of Customs Preventive Unit, Thiruvananthapuram, recovered 1049.58 gm of gold from Air India Flight No IX 540 which arrived from Dubai.

He said officials had information that some passengers coming from Dubai by the flight would be attempting to smuggle gold into India by concealing it inside the planes toilet.

A detailed search resulted in the recovery of a black coloured pouch from a tissue paper tray in the rear right toilet of the aircraft.

On opening the pouch, a packet wrapped with black insulation tape was seen inside which 09-gold biscuits each weighing 116.20 gm (total 1049.58gms) were concealed.

The seized gold biscuits are of foreign origin with 24 carat purity and valued at Rs.30,85,765, he said.

In the other case, Officers of Air Intelligence Unit, Air Customs, Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, seized five gold bars, totally weighing 583.2 gm, from a passenger who arrived at Kochi from Dubai byIndigo Flight 6E 068 at 4.30 pm. A The officers intercepted the passenger, a native of Kozhikode, at the exit gate of the arrival hall, Kumar said, adding, the gold bars were concealed in his rectum.

The market value of the bars is Rs 17,20,440. PTI TGB BN BN

--- ENDS ---
In February 2013, the independence process was still in its early stages of development, but the Catalan premier at the time, Artur Mas, was already feeling the heat. During a short first tenure that began in late 2010, he had slashed the health and education budgets with support from the regional branch of the Popular Party (PP). Faced with widespread criticism, he called elections for November 2012, two years ahead of time, and announced a referendum on independence. The ball was now rolling.

A Civil Guard raid on CDC headquarters in 2015. m. Minocri

By then, a string of corruption cases involving Mass own Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) party had begun to reach the courts.

The Palau case, involving large-scale embezzlement by managers of Barcelonas landmark concert hall Palau de la Musica, produced solid evidence that CDC had taken 6.6 million in illegal commissions in exchange for public works contracts during the last government of Jordi Pujol (1999-2003), who is considered the founding father of Catalanism.

In 2013, Mas brought together prosecutors, judges and high-ranking officials to fight corruption for the sake of the independence push

And the ITV case involved Jordi Pujols son Oriol, who was also the number-two official at CDC. This summer, Oriol Pujol was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for taking bribes and for influence peddling. And then there was the investigation into a foundation that may have been used to channel private donations to CDC.

So in February 2013, Mas brought together prosecutors, judges and high-ranking officials at a brainstorming session to fight corruption for the sake of the independence push. We are at a very delicate juncture from the viewpoint of the economy and the national process, said Mas. Now more than ever, we need a perception that things work well here, and that people here behave honestly.

Nearly five years after that gathering, the promises of regeneration have yet to produce any results. Mas was prosecuted over the non-binding referendum of November 9, 2014 (the predecessor to the one held on October 1 of this year) and convicted of disobedience. And CDC responded to new corruption cases by reinventing itself as the European Democratic Party of Catalonia (PDeCAT), under which it ran in the 2015 elections in tandem with the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), securing a narrow victory.

Dont look back

Among non-secessionist parties, the most commonly held view is that Mas and CDC  a party that had not pushed for independence in all its decades in power  suddenly embraced the secessionist project as a form of political survival.

On one hand, social indignation over the budget cuts was so intense that in 2011, Mas and several other regional deputies had to be flown into the assembly in a helicopter to avoid the angry crowds surrounding the building.

On the other hand, CDC had to do something about the tide of corruption cases tarnishing its image.

Former Catalan premier Artur Mas. Albert Garcia

They covered up corruption with a great big estelada flag, says Ines Arrimadas, head of Ciudadanos, a center-right unionist party that polls show could be the most-voted force at the upcoming December 21 election.

We have heard things like Espanya ens roba [Spain robs us], the fateful phrase that they have used to conceal how much was being stolen in Catalonia with the three, four and five percent [commissions], she adds.

Secessionists, for their part, feel that Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is using the independence push as a cover for the corruption cases affecting his own Popular Party (PP). By fighting against Catalan independence, they argue, the central government is distracting people from other issues.

In any case, corruption cases have continued to emerge throughout the independence push. In the summer of 2014, there was the three-percent case, involving alleged bribes taken by CDC for awarding public works contracts  the amount of the bribe was said to be roughly three percent of the value of the contract.

Social indignation over cuts was so intense that regional deputies had to be flown into the assembly in a helicopter to avoid angry crowds

And then there was the confession by Jordi Pujol regarding a fortune stashed away in Andorra; he claimed it was a family inheritance, but investigators suspected a different origin.

But all of these cases have been swept under the rug of independence. There is barely any public debate going on about how to fight corruption anymore, and if the issue does come up at rallies, it is merely as a weapon to be used against ones rival.

The ousted premier Carles Puigdemont illustrated this position recently during a video link from Brussels, where he has been living since late October after fleeing Spain to avoid action by the courts over the illegal independence declaration.

Puigdemont said that Catalans have a memory, unlike the PPs hard drives, alluding to a case involving former PP party treasurer Luis Barcenas.

But Puigdemont was careful to avoid mentioning all the cases affecting his own CDC party (now rebranded PDeCAT). Neither he nor his team seem to remember the partys old promises to improve government transparency to avoid new corruption cases. This is no longer a priority  not even now that the courts are about to reach a verdict in the Palau case, which might prove for the first time that CDC engaged in illegal party financing.

Meanwhile, other parties are tiptoeing around the issue. Marta Rovira, the number two official at the Catalan Republican Left (ERC)  which, like Ciudadanos, is at the top of voter intention polls  has merely mentioned the need for a republic without corruption. And ERC official Toni Castella has asked honest people who used to vote for CDC to now vote for ERC.

Neither the anti-capitalist CUP nor Catalunya en Comu-Podem have made a big deal of the fight against corruption

Meanwhile, the head of the Catalan Socialists, Miquel Iceta, says that he will be an honest president: Not just because I wont steal, but also because I wont deceive Catalans.

To the left of the political spectrum, neither the anti-capitalist CUP nor Catalunya en Comu-Podem have made a big deal of the fight against corruption at their rallies. Even so, their platforms have more specific proposals than other parties.

CUP wants a republic with zero corruption, for illicit enrichment to be incorporated into the Criminal Code, and more resources for the police and judiciary. Meanwhile, the Catalan branch of Podemos and its associates want to bar companies that have subsidiaries in tax havens from doing business with public agencies.

For its part, the PP has merely pledged to conduct a clean and loyal government and to refrain from including candidates under court investigation on its ticket.

English version by Susana Urra.
With the regional elections in Catalonia just around the corner, Spains security chiefs are well aware that their focus must be on the internet. While the Catalan police force, the Mossos dEsquadra, will be in charge of ensuring the smooth running of the December 21 vote on the ground, Spanish authorities are very concerned about the possible effects of fake news stories, bots, and hackers , all of which could influence the campaign and the vote itself.

An Anonymous protester in Madrid. Luis Sevillano

They could flood the internet with fake news, create alarm, influence the participation, attack websites, try to interfere with the counting center to slow down the vote count..., explains one of these security chiefs about the possible threats, for which the government has been working on several contingency plans.

If this interfering has taken place in the past, it could be repeated again now

High-ranking state security chief

Spains National Cryptology Center (CCN), security firm Internet Incide and the National Center for Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity (CNPIC)  which reports to the secretary of state for security  will be the key organisms for prevention, control and reaction in the face of these potential threats. We are aware that during the entire phase ahead of the [independence] process, in particular on October 1 [the day that the illegal referendum took place], and since then, there has been a series of groups and international collectives with powerful hackers, such as Anonymous and Julian Assange, that have collaborated with the independence process, explains a high-ranking state security chief. If this interference has taken place in the past, it could be repeated again now.

A number of state security chiefs agree that avoiding a cyberattack is practically impossible, but that detecting it, reacting and nimbly repairing the damage, as well as learning how to protect against another one, is the key priority right now.

A cyberattack against a data center could slow down the vote count and generate doubts about the results

During the October 1 vote in Catalonia  which had been suspended and declared illegal by the Constitutional Court  officers from the Civil Guard worked to dismantle the digital infrastructure that had been put in place by the regional government to support the referendum, but work to react to or prevent cyberattacks did not take place, the same sources admit.

Here are the areas in which the authorities are working:

Fake news. Work is being done to create a fast-response system to combat hoaxes being distributed over the internet by bots in an attempt to spread disinformation and destabilize the campaign. In this respect the media plays a fundamental role by not multiplying their effect, the experts warn. They [media outlets] can verify, cross-reference and clarify whether a news story is false so that it is not spread. Fake news stories have a clear objective and are chosen to cause a specific effect, such as boosting participation on the pro-independence side or abstention by the pro-Constitution side, or generating confrontation between parties. It has been verified that the bots from some of these collectives that have already interfered in the process are very powerful and count on complex and very expensive support capable of reaching all of the population that is connected to the internet, the same sources explain.

False alarms or controversies. Another way of interfering in or altering the campaign is via the creation of conflicts or tensions, in a way that the entire electoral process is questioned, for example. This could be by falsifying polls or surveys related to voter intention, for example.

Data center. A cyberattack against a data center could slow down the vote count and generate doubts about the results. The aim will be to protect against this as far as is possible in order to maintain the speed of the count achieved up until now in regional and national elections.

English version by Simon Hunter.
Text in which the author defends ideas and reaches conclusions based on his / her interpretation of facts and data

Workers unload a truck with the disputed treasures after the arrival of the Civil Guard. Albert Garcia

The clash over the return of medieval artworks, originally from the Monastery of Santa Maria de Sijena in the region of Aragon, is a perfect and clear-cut example of how the Catalan independence movement manipulates history to paint itself as the victim. Lets look at the facts:

The nuns, who belonged to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, lived in the monastery in Villanueva de Sijena until 1970. But even though they had left, their religious order continued to sell valuable artworks from the monastery to the Catalan regional government, making bulk sales in 1983, 1992 and 1994. For years, the works were left in Catalan museums, given that up until 1995, when the diocese of Barbastro-Monzon was created, the monastery and other parish churches in western Aragon belonged to the diocese of Lleida in Catalonia.

We would have equally rejected this argument if authorities in Salamanca had used it to defend their claim to the Salamanca Papers

But in 1997, it was recognized that the transaction had failed to comply with the legal requisite to inform the Ministry of Culture and the regional government of Aragon, as required by existing laws on historic and artistic heritage. Local authorities and the Aragon regional government then began legal proceedings that ended in 2015 with an adverse ruling for the buyers of the artworks.

The nuns had sold tombs, paintings  even the doors. Fifty-one pieces were initially returned from the Catalan National Art Museum (MNAC), but another 44 (two have gone missing) remained in the Lleida Diocese Museum. The Catalan regional government argues that the works inside the MNAC were not catalogued or protected under Catalan heritage laws, unlike those from Lleida. The Catalan government, claiming the two should be judged separately, planned to appeal to the Supreme Court.

But on November 30 the High Court of Huesca province upheld the 2015 decision which ordered that the works be returned, rejecting the appeal from the Catalan regional government and the MNAC, and arguing that the sales contract was void and that the monastery (and its objects)  which were catalogued as a national monument in 1923  were indivisible. A judge then ruled for the works to be handed over by December 11  a process that authorities are currently carrying out.

The nuns had sold tombs, paintings  even the doors of the place

Meanwhile, the Sijena convent has been sublet to a French religious order, which is developing chalets in the area.

Given this history, Aragons claim is legitimate and straightforward  and the Catalan government is bound to comply with the court ruling. The treasure from Sijena was never taken away from Catalonia, but rather taken away from Aragon with the help of the Lleida diocese, the Vatican and the Catalan regional government. Cultural heritage cannot be built on illegalities and conflict between communities in a democratic country, nor on childish sentiments that dont hold water in a rational world, but rather on a base of legality and basic respect for common sense.

Separatists are now trying, in the middle of the campaign for the regional elections, to revive the umpteenth narrative of victimization which has characterized their discourse since the Spanish government activated Article 155 of the Constitution. We would have equally rejected this argument if authorities in Salamanca had used it to defend their claim to the Salamanca Papers, a set of over 300,000 documents confiscated from Catalonia after the Civil War and stored for decades in Salamanca. But just as the Salamanca Papers were rightly returned to Catalonia, the treasure of Sijena must be rightly returned to Aragon. It is such an obvious conclusion that trying to rationalize it any other way would sound suspicious.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
On Tuesday, December 13, the 60-day period President Donald Trump set for Congress to address the Iran nuclear deal is expiring, without any visible action by U.S. lawmakers.

On October 13, Trump in a tough speech on Iran, refused to certify Tehrans compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and threw the ball to the U.S. Congress, asking lawmakers to set firm trigger points related to Iran's nuclear- and ballistic-missile programs, the crossing of which would immediately and automatically reimpose sanctions against Iran.

Republicans, who control both houses of Congress, have not come up with the trigger points Trump requested, which leaves the administrations Iran policy in uncertainty.

The Washington Times quotes congressional aides as saying that lawmakers still have time to come up with something before another mandated 90 -day Iran certification deadline comes up in January.

But given the fact that the holiday season is upon Washington and Congress will be in recess, it will not be easy to act in time.

In his October speech, Trump threatened that unless Congress and European allies come up with fixes to the Iran nuclear deal and address its missile program, he might pull out of the agreement altogether.

Although some European leaders, such as Frances Emmanuel Macron have raised the issue of Irans missiles and its interventionist behavior in the Middle east, but generally Europe has stood by the 2015 agreement.

Congressional and European inaction will put president Trump in a difficult situation in January. If he does not act, his tough position on Iran will be nothing more than words. If he acts unilaterally to scrap the deal, the U.S. might lose support from allies.

But the supporters of the nuclear deal also find themselves in a difficult position. If they support Trump, they might help violate the deal and if they oppose making any changes, they might risk a total U.S. pull-out or serious violations of the agreement by imposition of new sanctions.

According to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (Inara) Congress enacted when the nuclear deal was made, the U.S. president must certify every 90 days that Iran is honoring the agreement.

President Trump did certify Irans compliance twice since becoming president, but refused to do so in October, arguing that Irans missile program and its interventionist policies in the region violate the spirit, if not the letter of the agreement.

Senior administration officials, such as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have expressed hopes that the nuclear deal will be saved and the U.S. will not face diplomatic problems in Europe and more tensions in the Middle East.

Republican senators Bob Corker and Tom Cotton were working in October with the White house to find a way to amend Inara, so the president did not have to re-certify the deal every 60 days and also tighten the nuclear deal, addressing Trumps concerns.

But the Financial Times quotes congressional aides, administration officials and diplomats that efforts to introduce draft legislation to amend Inara so far have not made any progress. Apparently, no negotiations are taking place to prepare legislation.

Meanwhile, with president Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, Iran has found an opportunity to ramp-up its anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli rhetoric, offering full support to Palestinians and some militant groups in Gaza.

Irans ally, President Vladimir Putin of Russia toured the region on October 11, making a surprise visit to Syria and an official visit to Egypt. Putin appeared to be filling the vacuum left by the U.S. or trying to carve out a larger space for Russian influence in the region.
Irans Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of an Iranian-Swedish scholar, Ahmadreza Jalali, his wife told Radio Farda.

We were informed of the ruling on Saturday without receiving a copy of the written verdict," said Vida Mehran Nia.

Jalali (or Djalali), a resident of Sweden since 2009, is a physician and researcher focused on crisis management affiliated with the Karolinska Institute near Stockholm. While on an official academic visit hosted by Tehran University, Jalali was accused of collaboration with a hostile government and arrested in April 2016. Since then, he has been kept behind bars at Tehrans notorious prison, Evin.

Jalali was tried by a notorious Judge, Abolqassem Salavati in a Revolutionary Court and sentenced to death for corruption on Earth on October 21. Salavati is well-known for issuing harsh sentences, especially in political cases.

Tehran Prosecutor-General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on October 24 that Jalali had numerous sessions with more than eight Israeli Mossad officers and had allegedly transferred information on military sites and Irans Atomic Energy Organization activities, as well as other sensitive data, to Mossad in exchange for money and a residential permit in Sweden.

In an open letter to Irans permanent representative to the UN, 74 Nobel laureates condemned the illegal and unjust verdict against Jalali, insisting he had been sentenced for refusing to collaborate with Iranian security apparatuses.

Amnesty International (AI) also emphasized that Jalali has been under pressure to sign documents, admitting that he had collaborated with a 'hostile government.'"

When Jalali refused, he was threatened with being charged with waging a war against God, which is punishable by death in Iran, AI noted, adding, There has been no evidence showing Jalai has ever had any activity outside the academic domain.

Sweden has condemned the sentence and said it had brought the matter up at high-level meetings with Iranian representatives in Stockholm and Tehran.

"We condemn the use of the death penalty in all its forms. The death penalty is an inhuman, cruel, and irreversible punishment that has no place in modern law," Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said in an emailed comment.

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), with whom Jalai is also affiliated, warned on its website that he was due to be executed in two weeks.

Jalalis family and colleagues initially kept news of the arrest under wraps in an attempt to prevent the situation from escalating but have spoken out following the issuance of the death penalty.

The VUB announced the news on their website, insisting Jalali had received neither a trial nor access to a lawyer.

The universitys rector, Caroline Pauwels, announced, A scientist performing important humanitarian work gets sentenced without public trial and is looking at the death penalty.

This is an outrageous violation of universal human rights, against which we should react decisively.

The head of VUB's Research Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Ives Hubloue, told Science, "Jalali is not interested in politics. We don't believe he would do anything at all (against the Iranian government). We don't believe he did anything wrong. Let him go. Let him do his work. We need him."

Hubloue told the publication he believed Jalalis arrest was related to his international contacts at the university, some of whom are from countries hostile to Iran, such as Israel. But he maintained the contacts were solely scientific.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

Trend:

The OSCE is expected to monitor the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia near Azerbaijans Qazakh district on December 13, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Dec. 12.

The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, said the ministry.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by Andrzej Kasprzyk, ambassador and the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, as well as Ognjen Jovic, who is field assistant of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative.

On the Armenian side, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Ghenadie Petrica, Simon Tiller and Mikhail Olaru.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

Trend:

A serviceman of the Armenian army shot dead fellow soldier, Narek Marzpetuni Adibekyan (1996).

The incident occurred in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia.

An investigation was launched into the case.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.12

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and family members have visited the Alley of Honors to commemorate national leader Heydar Aliyev as December 12 marks the 14th anniversary of the death of the architect and founder of the independent Azerbaijan, world-renowned politician and national leader of the Azerbaijani people.

Parliamentarians, ministers, committee chairs, company heads, public figures also visited the Alley of Honors.

President Ilham Aliyev laid a wreath at the national leader's grave.

The state anthem of Azerbaijan was played.

President Ilham Aliyev and family members put flowers at the grave of the national leader`s wife, outstanding ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva.

Flowers were also put at the graves of prominent statesman Aziz Aliyev and professor Tamerlan Aliyev.

Among those in attendance at the commemorative ceremony were Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov, head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and other officials.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The negotiations on the new Azerbaijan-EU agreement may last until the end of 2018, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev told reporters in Baku Dec. 12.

He said there is progress in negotiations.

"A video conference will be held on December 15, he said. Energy, ecology and other spheres will be discussed. The remaining issues may be discussed in January and February 2018. I think that the negotiations on the new agreement will complete by late 2018.

The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016.

The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.

The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The government is in talks with Asean countries to extend the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) highway up to Vietnam, a senior official said today.

India and Asean countries are holding consultations on the extension of the 1,360 km IMT highway -- from Moreh in India to Mae-Sot in Thailand -- to Laos, Cambodia and to Vietnam, she said.

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"Already some level of discussions have started and...we have also announced certain line of credit for the purpose on certain projects," said Dakshita Das, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

She was speaking at the Asean-India Connectivity Summit, organised here by industry body CII.

"Once we connect, we have a tremendous potential in terms of incremental GDP. Connectivity can generate annually, an estimated USD 70 billion in incremental GDP and 20Amillion in incremental aggregate employment by 2025," she said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), has 10 member nations -- Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Das said that another area on which the government is working to connect India with South East Asia is the IMT Motor Vehicle Agreement (IMT MVA).

India, Myanmar and Thailand in 2014 commenced negotiations for finalising and implementing the IMT Motor Vehicle Agreement (IMT MVA).

Framework MVAs need to be urgently concluded to utilise the physical road infrastructure on IMT Trilateral Highway and Asean that are central to completing the vision of India-Asean connectivity, Das said.

Yudhvir Singh Malik, Secretary at the ministry, said that the Northeast is the "door to building connectivities along with the Asean countries. I look forward to a day when I can drive my car to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok".

Connecting India with the South eastern countries through a network of road will create jobs, market for crops grown in hilly regions of the Northeast which will also help growers in getting better price for their produce, he said. PTI ABI SA

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Heydar Aliyev is one of the greatest leaders of the Turkic world, Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral told reporters on Dec.12.

The diplomat stressed that national leader Heydar Aliyev began to build the future of the country when Azerbaijan was still part of the USSR.

In the most difficult time, after Azerbaijan gained independence, Aliyev headed the country, Ozoral said.

December 12 marks the 14th anniversary of the death world-renowned politician and national leader of the Azerbaijani people.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Maksim Tsurkov, Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

All issues on the aviation agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU will be resolved in early 2018, Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev told reporters in Baku Dec. 12.

The agreement wasnt signed during the Brussels summit, since one or two issues remained unresolved, he said.

These issues may be resolved in January-February 2018, Mammad-Guliyev said. The EU wants to send a delegation to Azerbaijan.

Earlier, Kestutis Jankauskas, head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan, said the EU hopes to initial the aviation agreement with Azerbaijan in the second half of January 2018.

Creation of a common aviation area is an initiative of the European Commission and aims to open and integrate aviation markets. This will lead to new opportunities for consumers and operators, and, most importantly, to high standards in terms of flight safety as well as air traffic management.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.12

Trend:

First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has today met with Deputy Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Dimitri Kerkentzes.

Mrs. Aliyeva recalled that a reception was held in November in Paris to introduce Baku`s bid to host Expo 2025, and noted with pleasure that Azerbaijan has been successfully cooperating with the Bureau International des Expositions in recent years.

Noting that Azerbaijan successfully participated in several international exhibitions, Mrs.Aliyeva emphasized the support of Kerkentzes for holding these exhibitions.

Saying that Baku is bidding to host Expo 2025, the first vice-president stressed the country's experience in this area. She noted that Baku has successfully hosted several international events in recent years. Holding these events at the excellent level shows that our country can also make achievements in Expo 2025," she said.

Mrs. Aliyeva said that Baku`s bid to host Expo 2025 is supported by both government bodies, private organizations and residents. Mrs. Aliyeva underlined that theme Developing human capital, building a better future, which Azerbaijan proposed for the exhibition, is important to the world.

Noting that Kerkentzes visited Azerbaijan for the first time, Mrs.Aliyeva expressed confidence that his proposals and recommendations on Expo 2025 will be very beneficial for the country. She pointed out that next year Azerbaijan will receive an evaluation mission and present its report on the work done, and added that the visit of the deputy secretary general of the Bureau International des Expositions to the country is of great importance in this regard.

Expressing his pleasure to be in Azerbaijan, Kerkentzes said the support of the Azerbaijani government, including First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for the events related to Baku`s bid to host Expo 2025 testifies to the country's attaching importance to this project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

Trend:

The 11th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Military-Technical Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia is taking place in Baku, the press service of Azerbaijans Defense Ministry reported Dec. 12.

Before the beginning of the plenary session, its participants paid tribute to Azerbaijans national leader Heydar Aliyev.

During the two-day meeting, the parties will review the current state of military-technical cooperation and discuss main activity directions for 2018.

Following the meeting, a protocol will be signed.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

The British Airways plane, that made emergency landing in the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, is ready for take-off.

British Airways Boeing-777 plane, flying from Mumbai to London, made an emergency landing in Baku Dec. 11 evening due to the smoke in the cabin. The flight included 135 passengers and 17 crew members.

The airline has not yet made a decision to fly, the Heydar Aliyev International Airport told Trend Dec. 12.

"The passengers are still in the transit zone of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the airport said. The passengers were provided with everything necessary, including food and drinks. The crew should rest. Afterwards, the plane will continue on its way.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

Passengers of the British Airways plane that made an emergency landing in the Heydar Aliyev International Airport have been sent to London on another plane of the airline, a source in the airport told Trend Dec. 12.

A Boeing 777 plane, en route from Mumbai to London, made an emergency landing in Baku Dec. 11 evening due to smoke in the cabin. Some 135 passengers and 17 crew members were on board the plane.

Boeing 777 will leave Baku when its crew is ready, according to the source.
Southeast Asias internet economy, spanning online travel to ride-hailing, will reach $50 billion this year, putting it on a solid trajectory to grow fourfold by 2025, according to a joint research report by Google and Temasek Holdings Pte, Bloomberg reports.

As more consumers buy airline tickets and book hotels through smartphones, the regions online travel market expanded from $19.1 billion in 2015 to $26.6 billion in 2017, according to a report the two companies released Tuesday. The research covered four key sectors of the internet economy: travel, media, ride-hailing and e-commerce.

Online shopping and ride-hailing have come into focus as Grab, Uber Technologies Inc. and Go-Jek capture consumer preferences with evolving business models. Of the $12 billion of capital invested in Southeast Asian internet companies since 2016, $9 billion was raised by its unicorns, or startups with more than $1 billion valuations. The region, which includes Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, raised just $1 billion in 2015.

This shows how global and regional investors have favored the largest and most established internet companies, the report said.

The growth is being driven by a surging number of new smartphone users. Southeast Asia will have 330 million monthly active internet users by the end of 2017 - equivalent to the size of the U.S. population -- after adding more than 70 million users since 2015.

E-commerce sales of new goods will reach $10.9 billion in gross merchandise value in 2017, almost double their level in 2015, according to the report.

Southeast Asias ride-hailing market, which is fiercely contested by Grab, Uber and Go-Jek, is expected to double from 2015 to $5.1 billion in 2017, before reaching $20.1 billion in 2025.

Millions of users transact and play on their platforms on a daily basis, giving them a head start as they aim to build digital payment services accepted by online and offline merchants, the report said.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 12

By Diana Aliyeva  Trend:

In 2018, 34.7 trillion sums are planned to be allocated from the state budget to finance the social sphere in Uzbekistan.

This was announced at a meeting of the Uzbek government , which discussed the draft state budget for the next year.

The 2018- state budget stipulates allocation of funds for the implementation of the state programs, for which it is proposed to direct more than 8.5 trillion sums.

Also, it is planned to direct 815 billion soums, or almost three times more than in 2017, for the construction of 14 objects, reconstruction of 256 objects,overhaul of 157 facilities and equipping pre-school educational establishments.

To develop the material and technical base of 48 higher educational institutions, it is envisaged to allocate 559.1 billion sums, or 1.5 times more than in 2017.

For the construction, reconstruction and overhaul of 296 medical institutions, 753.6 billion soums were allocated.

Some 915.4 billion soums, which is 2.5 times more than in 2017, is planned to be used to increase the availability of medicine and medical devices for health care institutions, primarily family clinics, emergency medical services.

Fifty billion soums from the state budget will be spent on equipping of medical institutions, first of all, rural medical stations and polyclinics with the necessary screening diagnostic and medical equipment.

To implement the Program for improving the system of collection, storage, utilization and processing of solid household waste for 2017-2021, 163.2 billion sums will be allocated through the newly formed state unitary enterprises "Toza khudud".

For the implementation of the program for the development and modernization of water supply and sanitation systems, funds worth 584.7 billion sums will be allocated through the Clean Drinking Water Fund.

At the same time, it is planned to direct 469.2 billion sums to transport and communication projects and 568.6 billion sums - implementation of programs for the development of social infrastructure in the regions .

For the first time the state budget is proposed to be approved with a surplus of 0.02 percent of GDP.

The rate for December 11, 2017 is 8093 UZS / USD.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Kazakhstan plans to increase the volume of grain exports by end of 2017.

"We plan to export about 9.1 million tons of grain and flour in 2017. This is 400,000 tons more than in the previous year," said Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Kazkahstan Nurzhan Altayev at a meeting of the parliament, Kazakh media outlets reported.

In December, Kazakhstan plans to export 1.3 million tons of grain and flour. The country intends to use 16,500 freight cars (11,940 grain trucks and 4,776 covered wagons).

"Currently, tariffs of Kazakhstan railways are fixed at the level of 9,000 tenge per wagon per day. We will subsidize grain transportation within Kazakhstan to increase the competitiveness of export of Kazakh grain from January 1. Nearly 9.7 billion tenge is allocated for this purpose," the deputy minister said.

(Exchange rate for 12.12.2017: $1 - 335 tenge)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

The fourth meeting of the Kazakh-British intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation was held in London.

Delegations were headed by the Minister of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Zhenis Kasymbek and the UK Minister of International Trade Mark Garnier, said the press service of the Ministry for Investment and Development of Kazakhstan.

Following the meeting, the parties signed 1 intergovernmental and 2 commercial agreements in innovations and technologies.

The sides also reviewed the implementation of the agreements reached during the third meeting of the commission in London in November 2016.

The officials also highlighted prospective areas of cooperation between the countries - innovations and technologies, subsoil use, vocational education, nuclear power, and PPP (public-private partnership) projects.

In addition, Kasymbek had a number of bilateral meetings with the leaders of British companies.
By PTI: (Eds: With additional details)

New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The Supreme Court today said the company law tribunal should have taken its leave before allowing the Centre to take over the management of embattled realty firm Unitech Limited, as it was seized of the matter.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud asked the Centre why it had not taken the apex courts permission to move the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for suspension of Unitechs directors and their substitution by government nominees.

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"The leave of this court, which is seized of the matter, should have been taken by the NCLT," the bench observed, adding, "we are only asking that we are seized of the matter and the NCLT is passing the order".

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, sought time till tomorrow to seek instruction from the concerned authorities on the appeal of Unitech Limited against the order of the NCLT.

The court granted time and fixed the pleas, including the fresh appeal filed by Unitech against the NCLT order, for hearing tomorrow.

Senior lawyers Mukul Rohatgi and Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the real estate firm and its promoters, said the apex court had given time to Unitech chief Sanjay Chandra to negotiate from jail to sell assets to generate Rs 750 crore for refunding money to home buyers but, in the mean time, the Centre has approached the NCLT.

Rohatgi alleged that the NCLT did not issue notice to the firm and its directors and passed the interim order, which was virtually a final order, and allowed the Centre to take over the firm.

"I have serious apprehension about the manner in which the petition was filed and entertained by the NCLT despite the fact that the Supreme Court was seized of the matter," he said, adding "no judicial tribunal can pass such an order".

Earlier, the apex court had agreed to hear today the appeal of Unitech Limited challenging the NCLT order allowing the Centre to take over its management.

The NCLT, on December 8, had suspended all the eight directors of the realty firm over allegations of mismanagement and siphoning of funds and had authorised the Centre to appoint its 10 nominees on the board.

The NCLT order had come after the Centre moved the panel with a view to protect the interests of nearly 20,000 home buyers.

Unitech alleged that the takeover of the management of the company by the Centre would make it difficult for them to deposit Rs 750 crore as directed by the apex court to safeguard the interests of homebuyers.

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Sanjay Chandra, head of the embattled real estate group, was asked on October 30 by the apex court to deposit Rs 750 crore with it by December end for the sake of the homebuyers.

The apex court had on October 30 said jailed businessman Chandra will be granted bail only after the real estate group deposited money with its registry by December end.

Chandras lawyer had told the apex court that he has been required to be produced in various courts, consumer forum and commissions on a regular basis which hampered his endeavour to arrange money and hence, the production warrants issued against him by various judicial bodies be stayed for 15 days.

He had also said that the accused be allowed to appear in courts through his lawyers. The plea was declined.

The apex court had also clarified that its earlier order directing all courts below not to take any coercive action against the accused for the time being would also be made applicable on all forums including state and national consumer commissions.

The top court had earlier directed the jail authorities to facilitate Chandras meeting with his company officials and lawyers so that he could arrange money to refund the home buyers as well as for completing the ongoing housing projects.

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It had said if any proceedings were pending against Chandra and the company, those may continue and the final order be passed but no coercive steps be taken to execute those orders.

Chandra is seeking interim bail from the apex court after the Delhi High Court on August 11 had rejected the plea in a criminal case lodged in 2015 by 158 home buyers of Unitech projects -- Wild Flower Country and Anthea Project -- situated in Gurugram. PTI SJK ABA MNL RKS ARC

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Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 12

By Diana Aliyeva  Trend:

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan has hosted a meeting of the Expert Council on Transport and Logistics.

At the meeting, it was noted that the share of motor transport accounts for more than 53.4 percent of Uzbekistans total cargo turnover and more than 95 percent of total cargo transport in the country.

The participants of the meeting voiced problems and obstacles that adversely affect the development of the transportation sphere in Uzbekistan.

It was noted that the pace of renewal of vehicles greatly lags behind the dynamics of economic growth in Uzbekistan. One-third of the countrys truck fleet consists of outdated vehicles.

It was also noted that high tax rates are one of the reasons for tax evasion by international carriers, even when using preferential taxation regimes.

A representative of the association of international freight forwarders of Uzbekistan spoke about excessive bureaucracy in drafting direct contracts between the international freight forwarding company and Uzbekistan Railways JSC for the provision of international transportation services.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.11

By Nigar Guliyeva  Trend:

In early January 2018, the Board of Directors of the World Bank (WB) will consider issuing a loan for the introduction of energy-saving technologies in Uzbekistan, the Uzbek ecponomy ministry reported.

The ministry reported that the WB has already gave permission to prepare additional funding in the amount of $200 million for the implementation of the project to increase the energy efficiency of Uzbekistan's industrial enterprises.

The additional credit line for the introduction of energy-saving technologies in industrial production is stipulated in the presidential decree "On measures to further expand financial cooperation with the World Bank."

The document approved a plan of measures for the implementation of investment projects with the participation of the World Bank in 2016-2020.

The project to increase the energy efficiency of industrial enterprises in Uzbekistan is implemented with the participation of the International Development Association (IDA).

Experts forecast that Uzbekistan will consume 71.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity by 2020.

This is a quarter more than today's figure of 57.5 billion kilowatt hours, and it notes a significant growth since 2000, when the electricity consumption in Uzbekistan was estimated at 46.8 billion kilowatt hours.

Currently, the WB supports the implementation of 16 projects worth about $2 billion in Uzbekistan. These projects cover priority sectors such as agriculture and water management, energy, transport, health, education, urban development, water supply and sanitation.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.12

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

If Italy had the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), it wouldnt declare a state of emergency, said Italian Industry Minister Carlo Calenda.

Italy will declare a state of emergency for its energy supplies following an explosion at Austrias main gas pipeline hub, Reuters reported citing Calenda as saying.

Calenda said the incident in Austria revealed Italy had a serious supply problem and underlined the need to develop TAP.

If we had had the TAP, we would not have to declare a state of emergency, Calenda told reporters.

TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south.

TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Huseyn Valiyev  Trend:

Baku Telephone Communication LLC has announced a tender for technical support services for hardware and software platforms, said a message posted on the website of the State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Rights Protection of Azerbaijan.

For more information, please call: (+99407) 201-18-27

Contact person: Farhad Zahidov

Tender participation fee is 1,500 manats.

Tender proposals in envelopes with a 2-percent bank guarantee must be submitted no later than 15:00 (GMT +4) Feb. 7, 2018 to: Uzeyir Hajibayov Str., 48, Baku, Azerbaijan.

The envelopes will be opened at 15:00 on Feb. 9, 2018 at the abovementioned address.

(1.7 manats = $1 on Dec. 12)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Nigar Guliyeva  Trend:

A direct flight is planned to be opened between Kazakhstan and Singapore in 2019.

The Kazakh Ambassador to Singapore with concurrent accreditation to Australia and New Zealand, Ussen Suleimen, announced about this at a briefing in the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan on Dec.11.

The diplomat noted that on Jan. 1, 2019, it is planned to open a direct flight between Kazakhstan and Singapore.

"Therefore, we want to quickly hold a bilateral business forum and conclude an agreement on visa-free regime (up to 30 days), which will encourage more people to fly here," he said.

The ambassador further added that there is a better option for air travel.

"Uzbekistan Airways perform a flight on the route Tashkent-Singapore-Kuala Lumpur-Tashkent. We can make Astana-Kuala Lumpur-Singapore or direct flight, he said.

He also mentioned that Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev will pay a visit to Singapore in the first half of 2018.

Besides, the Kazakhstan-Singapore Business Forum is planned to be held during the visit. A number of documents related to the bilateral cooperation are expected to be signed there.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 12

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:

"UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia: 10 years of cooperation with Central Asia for the sake of peace and prosperity of the region" international conference was held in Ashgabat, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The event was held on the occasion of the decade since the opening of this center in the Turkmen capital.

Opening remarks to the participants of the conference were made by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov.

Meredov said the opening of this center with the support of all the states of the region once again confirmed the unity of the course of the world community for creating conditions for cooperation of the countries of Central Asia with the UN and other international organizations.

A plenary session entitled "Preventive diplomacy in action: world experience, interaction of regional organizations and UN structures" was held within the framework of the event.

It was also noted that in the ten years since its establishment, the Ashgabat Center has become "an excellent platform for regional dialogue on the management of common resources, as well as for cooperation in combating terrorism and militant extremism, organized crime, drugs and trafficking in human beings."
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 12

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov has met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin in Ashgabat, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message.

The participants of the meeting noted that the Turkmen-Russian partnership is of strategic nature, and this is confirmed by regular meetings and negotiations at the highest level, including within major events of international significance.

During the conversation, the sides made proposals regarding further development of bilateral cooperation. The parties paid special attention to the implementation of the agreements at a high level.

The sides noted the progressive and constructive nature of cooperation between the countries, based on the principles of strategic partnership, mutual understanding and trust, the message said.

In the context of development of trade and economic relations, an important role is assigned to the Turkmen-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, according to the message.

The parties paid special attention to cooperation in the energy and communication spheres.

In late November, a resolution was adopted on ratification of the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Turkmenistan and Russia during the next meeting of Turkmenistans parliament.

The agreement on strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and Russia was signed following the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Ashgabat in early October. The two countries outlined an action plan for the development of economic partnership.

Banking and financial sector, support for export-import operations and joint foreign economic projects were named priority areas of cooperation.

About 190 companies with Russian capital operate in Turkmenistan.

Under a production sharing agreement (PSA), the Areti International Group has been conducting work in the Turkmen section of the Caspian Sea since 2009.

Meanwhile, Russias Gazprom PJSC, a traditional trade partner of Turkmenistan, completely stopped the purchase of the countrys gas in 2016.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 12

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend

Turkmen officials have met with Director of the Political Department of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Scott Seward Smith in Ashgabat, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message.

The sides drew attention to the importance of regional cooperation and practical steps to implement large-scale projects in energy, transport and communications sectors in Afghanistan.

Methods of cooperation in security, ensuring stability and peaceful settlement of conflicts in Afghanistan were considered during the meeting.

Turkmenistan has a long border with Afghanistan. Afghanistan is involved in a number of interregional projects, including the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 12

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend

Turkmenistan declared December 12 a day off in connection with the 22nd anniversary of the Day of Neutrality.

I heartily congratulate you on the International Day of Neutrality, which is celebrated for the first time this year by independent neutral Turkmenistan together with the world community, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said in his greetings to his compatriots.

December 12 marks the anniversary of the permanent neutral status of Turkmenistan. On this day in 1995, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan. In addition, on the initiative of Turkmenistan, the UN General Assembly this year proclaimed December 12 the International Neutrality Day.

Turkmenistan follows the principles of a neutral legal status and, according to its military doctrine, it adheres to the policy of defense sufficiency, the key-note of which is the refusal to participate in any military-political blocs.
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.
Jaitley's remarks came after a rare row took place after Singh accused Modi of setting a "dangerous precedent" and asking his apology.

By PTI, India Today Web Desk, Press Trust of India: On Monday, the Government shot back at Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had demanded an apology from his successor Narendra Modi for insinuating that he colluded with Islamabad in the Gujarat polls, by questioning the context of his meeting with Pakistani diplomats.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley ruled out an apology from the prime minister and accused Singh of defying the national line.

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He also demanded to know the context, relevance and necessity of attending a dinner hosted by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for Pakistani dignitary at his home here last week that was attended by Pakistani diplomats among others.

Jaitley's remarks came after a rare row took place after Manmohan Singh accused PM Modi of setting a "dangerous precedent" and asking his apology.

Launching a sharp counteroffensive, Singh attacked Modi over what he called the prime minister's "ill-thought transgression" and rejected his charge as "innuendos and falsehoods".

In uncharacteristically strong words, a usually reticent Singh crossed swords with his predecessor to say the Gujarat polls was never raised by anyone present at the dinner and that the discussion was confined to India-Pakistan ties. Terming the meeting as "political misadventure", Jaitley wanted Singh and Congress party to explain the context of attending the dinner.

He said the national policy, which the main opposition party is also expected to follow, is that terror and talks cannot go hand-in-hand.

"Is the main opposition party not part of the State?" he asked.

Jaitley stated if anyone defies the national line, he should be prepared to answer questions.

"It is a political misadventure, it has a political cost," he said.

Jaitley addressed a press conference hours after Singh asked the prime minister to apologise to the nation for setting a "dangerous precedent".

In response to Singh's demand for apology, Jaitley said people who have violated national policy of talks and terror not going hand in hand should apologise.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat yesterday, Modi sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state. The second and final phase of Assembly polls in Gujarat is to be held on December 14.

Modi claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6. This was a day before Aiyar's "neech" jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.

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Singh issued a statement today, listing those who attended the dinner hosted in honour of former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

He said besides himself and Former Vice President Hamid Ansari, others present at the dinner were the Pakistan High Commissioner, Natwar Singh, K S Bajpai, Ajai Shukla, Sharad Sabharwal, General Deepak Kapoor, TCA Raghavan, Satinder K Lambah, M K Bhadrakumar, CR Gharekhan, Prem Shankar Jha, Salman Haider and Rahul Khushwant Singh.

"None of them could be accused of indulging in any anti-national activities," he said.

Lambah, a former diplomat, was quoted as having said he does not comment on private dinners. He, however, said there was just a general discussion on Indo-Pak relations .

Gharekhan, another former diplomat said, the invitees were talking about the relations between India and Pakistan.

"But nobody, if I recall. I am hundred per cent sure that, not a single person, talked about Gujarat elections or anything about the present situation or for that matter, the present situation in Pakistan," he told a news channel.

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"It was only about India-Pakistan relation, We didn't talk about any kind of politics."

General Kapoor, a former Army Chief, was quoted as having said that Gujarat elections were never discussed at the dinner meeting.

Manmohan Singh said he did not discuss the Gujarat Assembly elections with anyone at the dinner meeting.

"I sincerely hope that Prime Minister will show the maturity and gravitas expected of the high office he holds instead of concentrating his energy solely on erroneously conceived brownie points.

"I sincerely hope that he will apologize to the Nation for his ill thought transgression to restore the dignity of the office he occupies," he said.

Singh said he was "deeply pained and anguished" by the "falsehood and canards" being spread to score political points by the prime minister in what he said was a "lost cause" in Gujarat.

"Fearing imminent defeat in Gujarat, desperation of Prime Minister to hurl every abuse and latch on to every straw is palpable. Sadly and regrettably, Sh. Modi is setting a dangerous precedent by his insatiable desire to tarnish every constitutional office, including that of a former Prime Minister and Army Chief," he alleged.

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The Congress Party, Singh said, needs no sermons on "nationalism" from a party and prime minister, whose "compromised" track record on fighting terrorism is well known, while reminding Modi of his "uninvited" visit to Pakistan after terrorist attacks in Udhampur and Gurdaspur.

"Let him also tell the country the reason for inviting the infamous ISI of Pakistan to our strategic Air Base in Pathankot to investigate a terror attack that emanated from Pakistan," he said.

Watch the video | Manmohan: Modi tarnishing PM's office by spreading falsehood

--- ENDS ---
Tehran, Iran, December 12

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

The fact that in its proposed budget bill for the next fiscal year the Iranian government has put oil incomes at a lower level than last years is because of mega-policy to wean the country from oil, a senior official with the Management and Planning Organization told Trend December 12.

The official also said such policy was decided upon the levels above the government.

While in the budget bill for the current fiscal year (March 2017-March 2018) oil revenues were put at 1.14 quadrillion rials ($1 - 42,000 rials), this has dropped to 1.01 quadrillion in the next years, he noted.

He said that besides this fact, the bill envisions ways for the government to use other financial sources for developmental projects instead of petrodollars.

The government decision to put the next years oil revenues lower than the one of the current year, has been the subject of curiosity because while last year the oil price was put at $50 per barrel, this year it was put at $55.

In the meantime, the countrys oil output remains at the same level as last years, while the price of Iranian crude has gained almost $10 per barrel, now standing at above $60.

According to the official, Irans oil revenues in rial will be significantly more than last years, since the government has also put the US dollar rate higher than last years.

While this years budget bill put the USD at 33,500 rials, next years budget bill has put it at 35,000 rials.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

Iranian Ambassador to Baku Javad Jahangirzadeh has said that meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on the issue of Jerusalem is expected to benefit the Muslim community.

Saying the Islamic Republic has clearly announced its stance regarding the issue of Palestine, the envoy added that it is the right of the nation of Palestine to live in its motherland.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will convene tomorrow in Istanbul to discuss US President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the steps that will be taken by leaders from the Muslim world.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Irans police seized over 2.2 tons of various drugs from smugglers in the country's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

The police forces seized 2,222 kilograms of hashish and 70 kilograms of opium from drug-traffickers near Iranshahr city, the police commander of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Brigadier General Mohammad Ghanbari said, the official website of Irans police reported Dec. 12.

The police forces also seized an AK-47, Ghanbari said, adding that the smugglers left the drug consignment and escaped.

The narcotics were destined for central Iran, the police commander said.

Irans police have seized over 400 tons of various drugs during the first half of the current fiscal year (March 20-Sept. 22), which indicates a rise by 11 percent year on year, according to the latest statistics of Iran Drug Control Headquarters.

The country sits on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Persian Gulf states. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of common border with Afghanistan, over which 74 percent of opium is smuggled.

The fight against drug trafficking annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates.

According to the statistics, there are about two million drug users in Iran.
Tehran, Iran, December 10

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

The Iranian government is devising incentives to turn some 5 million Iranian expatriates into marketers in the tourism sector.

The announcement was made by Vice President for Cultural Heritage, Handicraft, and Tourism Ali Asqar Moonesan during a press conference, Trend correspondent reported from the event December 10.

According to Moonesan, the government incentive will come in the form of free flight tickets for Iranian expatriates who bring a minimum of five tourists to Iran.

He said the plan has already interested many expatriates who have started referring for further details to start cooperation with the government.

Moonesan also suggested that in the budget plan for the following fiscal year (to start March 21), the government has almost tripled tolls on exiting the country.

The triple increase in the tolls is probably concerned with reducing outflow of currency from the country as well as increasing tourism incomes to fund tourism infrastructure.

According to Moonesan, the budget plan increases the share of his respective department from the exit tolls from 100,000 rials to 400,000 rials per exit, amounting to about 1.6 trillion rials (each USD worth about 420,000 rials in the free market) per year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

An Iranian IRGC member was killed in a landmine explosion in a rural area near Irans border with Iraq Dec. 12 morning.

Reportedly, IRGC members were laying a road in the border region, when the landmine remaining from Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) exploded.

Another IRGC member was injured in the incident, Ali-Akbar Akbari, Governor of Salas-e Babajani town in Kermanshah province said, IRNA news agency reported.

Earlier in October, explosion of a landmine, left from Iran-Iraq war, in the same region claimed the life of a member of an Iranian demining group and injured another.

Iran is one of the countries with the most unexploded landmines, which kill and injure dozens every year.

According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, there were 46 deaths and 76 injuries from landmines in Iran in 2012. Seven of the casualties were children.

Land areas in Iranian provinces of Ilam (1,700 hectares), Khuzestan (1.3 million hectares), Kermanshah (691,000 hectares), Western Azerbaijan (59,000 hectares) and Kurdistan (1,480 hectares) were mined during the war. It was assumed that after the war, around 16 million mines could still remain in these areas.
Curbing North Koreas nuclear ambitions will top South Korean President Moon Jae-ins agenda in Beijing during a visit this week aimed at breaking the ice after a furious row over Seouls deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, Reuters reports.

While both South Korea and China share the goal of getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and stop testing increasingly sophisticated long-range missiles, the two have not seen eye-to-eye on how to achieve this.

China has been particularly angered at the deployment of U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying its powerful radar can see far into China and will do nothing to ease tension with North Korea.

At his third meeting this year with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in Beijing, Moon is expected to reaffirm South Koreas agreement with China in late October that they would normalise exchanges and move past the dispute over THAAD, which froze trade and business exchanges between the two.

The THAAD disagreement had dented South Koreas economic growth, especially its tourism industry, as group tours from China came to a halt while charter flights from South Korea were cancelled.

While China still objects to THAAD, it has said it understands South Koreas decision to deploy it.

In an interview with Chinese state television shown late on Monday, Moon said THAADs presence was inevitable due to the looming North Korean threat but assured it would not be used against China.

South Korea will be extremely careful from here on out that the THAAD system is not invasive of Chinas security. South Korea has received promises from the United States multiple times regarding this, Moon said.
North Korea's leadership has cracked down further on human rights as tensions have escalated over its nuclear missile tests, including beefing up restrictions on movements and making "horrific" prison conditions more severe, the U.N. rights chief said Monday, CBS NEWS reports.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein told the Security Council that the international security crisis sparked by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's military actions "is inseparable from concerns about the human rights situation of the ordinary people in the country."

A chronic lack of food, partly due to resources which are diverted to the military, has made humanitarian aid provided by the U.N. and others "literally a lifeline for some 13 million acutely vulnerable individuals," he said.

Zeid urged the Security Council to assess the human rights impact of sanctions  including controls over international banking transfers  that have slowed aid deliveries and to minimize the humanitarian consequences.

This was the fourth year the Security Council has discussed human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, the country's official name. As in previous years, the meeting only went ahead after a procedural vote in the 15-member council where at least nine nations are required to support having the session.

On Monday, the human rights meeting was approved by 10 council members and opposed by Russia and China, with Egypt and Ethiopia abstaining. China's deputy U.N. Ambassador Wu Haitao, whose country is the DPRK's closest ally, said the meeting would be "counterproductive" at a time of heightened tensions.

North Korea's response was, unsurprisingly, angry and swift, reports CBS News' Pamela Falk. A statement that was sent to CBS News from Kim Jong Un's U.N. mission reads in part: "We strongly condemn the meeting as a desperate act of the hostile forces which lost the political and military confrontation with the DPRK that has openly risen to the position of nuclear weapon state," adding that the Council's "despicable plot cannot frighten the DPRK."

The human rights meeting and furious North Korean response come two days after U.N. Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman returned to New York from Pyongyang after meeting with high-level representatives of the government, hoping to restart a dialogue. Feltman said he told the North Koreans of "the urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict."

North Korea's latest ballistic missile test demonstrated that it can threaten the U.S. mainland, and there is growing concern that the DPRK will soon be able to put a nuclear warhead on its missiles. President Donald Trump has vowed to stop the North Koreans from reaching such capability, increasing the possibility of conflict.

"Indeed, the context of military tensions seems to have deepened the extremely serious human rights violations endured by the DPRK's 25 million people," the U.N. high commissioner for human rights said.
Drivers and commuters have faced difficult journeys in icy conditions across parts of the UK, following another night of sub-zero temperatures, BBC reports.

The Met Office has extended yellow warnings for snow and ice until 11:00 GMT and the AA warned driving could be "hazardous".

Hundreds of schools are remaining closed for a second day.

A low of -13C (9F) was recorded on Monday night in Shawbury, Shropshire - the coldest night of the year so far.

The Met Office's warning covers Wales, parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and much of England - including the Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, London, the South East, East, South West, the North East and North West.

It said: "There will probably be icy stretches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths with some injuries possible from slips and falls.

"Some roads and railways are likely to be affected with some journey times taking longer."

BBC Weather's Carol Kirkwood warned it would be a cold start to the day, with many areas seeing frost, lying snow, ice and freezing fog.

AA president Edmund King said: "We expect Tuesday to be extremely busy as temperatures plummet overnight, causing even more hazardous conditions on already wet and slippery roads."

It had its busiest day of the year on Monday, with about 25,000 calls from motorists.

More than 350 schools in the West Midlands and more than 300 schools in Wales have said they are not opening.

On Monday, more than 1,000 schools were closed - about 600 of which were in Wales.
At least five Army jawans have been reported missing after an avalanche hit Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora and Nowgam this morning. All of them were on duty. The avalanche, triggered by fresh snowfall, struck a forward post in Gurez sector in Bandipora, NDTV reports.

"The avalanche hit an Army post at Baktoor near the Line of Control in Gurez sector during the intervening night," a police official said. He confirmed three soldiers went missing after the avalanche. Another two soldiers have been missing in Nowgam.

The army said rescue operations are underway, but heavy snowfall in the area is proving to be a huge challenge. "Efforts are on to trace the missing soldiers but continuous snowfall is hampering the rescue and search efforts," he added.

The Valley has remained cut off from the rest of the country after it received fresh snowfall today. Flight operations at the Srinagar airport were suspended and all major highways, including the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway have been closed for traffic.
The man who faces terror charges over Monday's bus terminal bombing in New York posted a warning to President Donald trump just before the attack, BBC reports.

"Trump you failed to protect your nation," it read. The post by Akayed Ullah was revealed in charges filed by federal prosecutors on Tuesday.

They say the 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant carried out the bombing in support of the Islamic State group.

He wounded himself and three others in Monday morning's attack.

Mr Ullah is accused of blowing up a crude device strapped to his body in an underpass at Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal during the rush hour.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) tweeted that he was facing state charges including criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making a "terroristic threat".

The federal charges, announced later on Tuesday, include providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a public place.
EC orders re-election in six booths on Thursday as their presiding officers forgot to wipe out the mock drill results from EVMs.

By India Today Web Desk: On Tuesday, the Election Commission ordered repolling in six booths, where first phase polling was held on December 9, said officials.

Re-election was necessitated as the presiding officers of these booths had forgotten to wipe out the mock drill poll results necessitating the re-election.The re-polling is scheduled for December 14, Thursday.

Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat B.B. Swain said the poll panel has cancelled the results stored in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in six booths in four constituencies of the first phase of elections.

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The six booths are- Dhunda and Manpar booths in Jam Jodhpur assembly constituency, Bandharda and Gangda in Una constituency, Chorwad in Nizar constituency and Chanod colony, Chanod in Umargaon constituency, both the latter are Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituencies.

"The reasons for cancelling these booth results are that the Presiding Officers (PO) had forgotten to wipe and delete the existing mock poll drill in their EVMs. We have initiated necessary actions against these lax officials," said Swain.

All the voters of these booths, the concerned officials and political parties have been informed about this change.

The re-polls will be held along with the second phase elections for the remaining 93 seats of the 182 seat state assembly. The counting will take place along with Himachal Pradesh on December 18.

--- ENDS ---
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday that Washington is "ready to talk" with North Korea at any time but only when the regime is willing to make a "different choice" on its nuclear weapons program, Yonhap News reports.

"(We are) ready to talk anytime they'd like to talk, but they have to come to the table with a view they want to make a different choice," he told a forum here.

Tensions have escalated in the wake of North Korea's latest test of an intercontinental ballistic missile it claims is capable of delivering a nuclear weapon to all parts of the U.S.

"In the meantime, our military preparedness is strong," Tillerson noted.

The top diplomat said he will continue diplomatic efforts with North Korea "until the first bomb drops" and is confident he will be successful.

If necessary, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will take action and he will also be successful, Tillerson added.
An explosion in the Somali capital killed a television journalist late on Monday, witnesses and security sources say, Voice of America reported.

Mohamed Ibrahim Gabow was killed in an explosion from a device fitted to his car, a security official told VOA's Somali service. Gabow was a news anchor for Kalsan TV, a satellite television channel watched in many parts of Somalia.

Osman Abdullahi Gure, a television manager at Kalsan TV, said Gabow was traveling in his car in Mogadishu's Wadajir district when the explosion occurred.

He was badly injured, he died soon after. He was one of our best journalists, Gure said.

His friend at Kalsan TV, Ismail Haji Abdalla, told VOA that he spoke to Gabow last night and was expecting to meet him Monday night at a coffee shop in the Wadajir district for a chat.

He was friendly, a quiet person who did not say much to people, says Abdalla, a producer at Kalsan TV.

Mohamed Ibrahim Gabow is the the fifth journalist killed in Somalia this year. Among those previously killed was freelance cameraman Ali Nur Siad, 31, who died in the massive truck bomb explosion that hit Mogadishu in October while on assignment for VOA.

Siad was working with VOA Somali reporter Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, who was among those wounded in the attack.

Somalia is one of the most dangerous places in the world for reporters. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 28 journalists have been murdered in Somalia since 2005.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Ankara and Baghdad will discuss the presence of the Turkish military contingent in Iraq near the town of Bashiqa, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, the countrys media reported Dec. 12.

Cavusoglu noted that the presence of the Turkish military in Iraq is not directed against the country, since the military base in Iraq was created at the request of the countrys authorities.

The Turkish military contingent is in Iraq to fight the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, said Cavusoglu.

Earlier, the Iraqi parliament adopted a resolution expressing protest against the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces in the Bashiqa area near Mosul city. Iraqi MPs demanded that the countrys government take the necessary legal and diplomatic measures as well as reconsider economic relations between Iraq and Turkey.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Security systems are being installed at the third airport in Istanbul, Turkish media reported on Dec.12.

Reportedly, surveillance cameras are being installed along the perimeter of the airport. The work is also underway to install radars for flight control systems.

The third airport is being built near the Lake Terkos in northern Istanbul. The first phase of the airport will be commissioned on Oct. 29, 2018. After commissioning, the number of flight destinations in Turkey will increase from 282 to 350. The new airport will annually serve about 200 million passengers.

Meanwhile, the construction of the first runway of the new airport continues. According to the airports construction project, the second runway will be 4.1 kilometers long and 60 meters wide.

Currently, construction and assembling work is underway to build 28 bridges and a hydrometeorological tower at the airport. More than 31,000 employees are involved in construction.

About 300 passenger and service elevators will be installed at Istanbuls third airport.

"AIRPORT CITY", which will include a network of shops, logistics and exhibition centers, will be also built at the new airport. Limak-Kolin-Cengiz-MaPa-Kalyon consortium of companies won the tender for construction of the airport.

Turkey's Ziraat Bankasi allocated 1.54 billion euros for the airport's construction, while Halkbank and Vakifbank - 1 billion euros, Denizbank - 500 million euros, Garanti and Finansbank - 300 million euros each.

The first airport in Turkey was built in 1912 and was used for military purposes.

For the first time the Istanbul airport was opened for international flights in 1953 and in 1985 it was renamed in honor of founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, December 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

As part of special operations in the Istanbul police, 22,987 people were dismissed from the force, for reportedly having ties with the Fethullah Gulen movement, the Istanbul main security department said in a message on December 12.

Following the 2016 military coup attempt in Turkey, the investigation revealed the Fethullah Gulen movement supporters inside the Istanbul police.

Turkish authorities are accusing Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the US, of supporting the attempted coup.

The message from the police said that all those, dismissed from the police force had direct contacts with representatives of the Gulen movement, the message said.

On July 15, 2016, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country as a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed.

More than 250 people were killed during the attempted coup.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 12, 2017 - 19:50 | All, Feature

Japanese online services firm GMO Internet Inc. said Tuesday it will begin paying part of its employees' paychecks in bitcoin next year to promote the cryptocurrency.

Starting in March, the company's 4,000-plus domestic workers will be given the option to receive up to 100,000 yen ($880) of their monthly pay in bitcoin. GMO Internet earlier this year set up a virtual currency trading service, and has announced plans to begin bitcoin "mining," or obtaining the decentralized digital currency by using powerful computers and special software, in January.

(Getty)

Japan's labor code stipulates that businesses must pay employees in a recognized currency such as the yen.

GMO Internet said the move is in accordance with the law because any payments in bitcoin would be consensual, with a chosen amount to be deducted from paychecks and put toward purchasing bitcoin.

The cryptocurrency, which last week leaped above 2 million yen for the first time on a major Japanese exchange, is seeing a rise in popularity in Japan, with an increasing number of retailers accepting it as a form of payment.
Unhappiness about a pregnancy or birth has been associated with negative health outcomes for mothers and babies. Yet, unhappiness about a pregnancy or birth has been understudied, particularly among sexual minority (non-heterosexual) women. George Mason University's Dr. Lisa Lindley and her colleagues at the University of South Carolina published findings of their new study in Perspectives on Reproductive and Sexual Health, "Sexual Orientation Concordance And (Un)Happiness About Births."

As Lindley explains, "To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of birth happiness by sexual orientation discordance across sexual orientation measures using a nationally representative sample of women of reproductive age. Previous research has focused exclusively on heterosexual women, or assumed that the women were heterosexual."

Lindley and colleagues examined birth happiness among women by sexual orientation discordance using data from the 2006-2015 National Survey of Family Growth. Birth intention, male partnership context (marital/relationship status, wanting to have a child with the father, and father's feeling about the pregnancy), and sociodemographic covariates (race/ethnicity, mother's education, household income, etc.) were included to determine whether they mediated the relationship between birth happiness and sexual orientation discordance. Sexual orientation was measured using the combination of sexual identity, sexual attraction, and sexual behavior variables. Sexual orientation "concordance" was defined as consistency across these three dimensions. For example, a woman who identified as lesbian, reported only same sex attractions, and engaged only in same-sex behaviors would be considered "concordant," while a woman who identified as heterosexual but reported same-sex attractions or behaviors would be considered "discordant."

Heterosexual-discordant women were of particular interest in this study as they are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors and have unintended pregnancies than their heterosexual-concordant counterparts. Consistent with their previous research, Lindley and colleagues also found that heterosexual-discordant women were significantly less happy about their births than heterosexual-concordant women. The fact that births were less likely to be intended and that relationships with male partners were less favorable for births among heterosexual-discordant women partially explained this association.

Lindley pointed out that other factors likely contributed to birth unhappiness among heterosexual-discordant women but were not assessed in the National Survey of Family Growth. According to Lindley, "heteronormative expectations for women, including the pressure to be in a relationship with a man and to have children, may have contributed to their birth unhappiness. This would be especially true if heterosexual-discordant women preferred to be in a relationship with a woman and/or did not want to have a child, or if they had a child to conceal their same-sex attractions and behavior."

Additionally, the survey did not ask women about their pregnancy happiness, or their partner's favorability about the pregnancy, but rather assessed their happiness/favorability about the birth. Thus, the researchers were unable to compare happiness levels by sexual orientation discordance for pregnancies that did not end in birth (i.e., ended in miscarriage or abortion).

Despite strong evidence of risky sexual behaviors, unintended pregnancies, and unhappiness about births occurring among sexual minority women, particularly among heterosexual-discordant women, these concerns are simply not being addressed. Lindley and colleagues point to a gaping hole in the research literature about how best to reach and educate sexual minority women and how best to tailor services and programs for them. They strongly suggest additional efforts in these areas to identify best practices.

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WASHINGTON (Dec. 11, 2017)--A comprehensive assessment of cheetah populations in southern Africa supported by the National Geographic Society reveals the dire state of one of the planet's most iconic big cats. In a study published today in the open-access journal PeerJ, researchers present evidence that low cheetah population estimates in southern Africa and population decline support a call to list the cheetah as "Endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

With partial support from the National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative, an international team of 17 researchers, led by Florian Weise of the Claws Conservancy and Varsha Vijay of Duke University, analyzed more than two million collared cheetah observations from a long-term study by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research and another 20,000 cheetah observations from the research community and the general public. Their findings show that free-ranging cheetahs were present across approximately 789,700 square kilometers in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe between 2010 and 2016.

"This collaborative, multiyear effort sounds the alarm about the state of cheetah populations in southern Africa, shining a light on the imperative need to protect these majestic predators," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, National Geographic Society. "The National Geographic Society is proud to support such a comprehensive assessment and similar efforts aimed at safeguarding our most precious species, their habitats and the planet we call home."

The study estimates only 3,577 adult cheetahs exist in this extensive area, which is larger than France, and a majority (55 percent) of individuals are found within only two habitats. This estimate is 19 percent lower than the IUCN's current assessment, supporting the call for the uplisting of cheetahs from "Vulnerable" to "Endangered."

A novel aspect of the research was the use of observations from the general public. "For a highly photogenic species like the cheetah, using crowd-sourced photographs and videos taken by tourists is an innovative and cost-effective approach, especially in well-visited protected areas," said Weise.

"This is the area with the largest population of free-ranging cheetahs left on Earth. Knowing how many cheetahs there are and where they occur is crucial for developing suitable conservation management plans for the species," added Vijay.

The study not only estimated the number of cheetahs in areas with confirmed sightings, but also identified places where it is possible for cheetahs to live but where they have not been recently observed. The authors used information about cheetah habitat and human and livestock densities to identify an area of possible cheetah presence almost as large as the confirmed cheetah range.

"To better understand this rare and elusive species, we need to complement the monitoring of confirmed populations with the investigation of possible cheetah habitat," said Vijay.

This study also confirmed that the status of cheetahs on privately owned land is a pressing conservation issue. The researchers found that only 18.4 percent of cheetah range is within internationally recognized protected areas. Namibia exemplifies this, with much of cheetah distribution overlapping with areas of livestock and game production.

Interviews with some farmers who share their land with cheetahs showed that nearly half of those surveyed consider cheetahs a source of conflict (49.7 percent), while only a minority of farmers (26.5 percent) actively persecute (e.g., kill or trap) the species. Using population models informed by persecution data, the study found that even a few farmers persecuting animals can cause population declines, especially when reproductive conditions are not optimal.

"The future of the cheetah relies heavily on working with farmers who host these big cats on their lands, bearing the heaviest cost of coexistence," said Weise.

The authors conclude that the results of this study strongly support the recent call, led by the Range Wide Conservation Program for Cheetah and African Wild Dogs' team at the Zoological Society of London, for the IUCN to uplist the cheetah from Vulnerable status to Endangered. This step would create awareness about the cheetah's precarious situation and open more avenues to fund conservation and population monitoring efforts. Besides giving direction to further research, the authors provided an example of effective collaboration and transparent information sharing.

"By working together and reaching out to the public for assistance, conservationists can chart the way forward to help secure the future of the cheetah," said Dr. Stuart L. Pimm, Doris Duke Chair of Conservation Ecology at Duke University and senior author of the study.

###

This study is the result of a collaborative, multiyear effort by 13 grantees and researchers from the National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative: Florian J. Weise, Varsha Vijay, Andrew P. Jacobson, Rebecca Schoonover, Rosemary Groom, Jane Horgan, Rebecca Klein, Kelly Marnewick, Gus Mills, Esther van der Meer, Vincent van der Merwe, Rudie J. van Vuuren and Stuart L. Pimm. The Big Cats Initiative is a long-term commitment by the National Geographic Society to halt the decline of big cats in the wild through assessment activities, on-the-ground conservation projects and education.

Derek Keeping of the University of Alberta, Glyn Maude of Kalahari Research and Conservation and Jorg Melzheimer and Bettina Wachter of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research are co-authors of the paper.

Images:

For access to additional National Geographic press-approved cheetah imagery, please contact ckingwoo@ngs.org.

01: Photo by Stephanie Periquet

Early morning, a female cheetah (HNP002) uses a high vantage point to look for potential prey.

02: Photo by Stephanie Periquet

Three grown up cheetahs accompanied by their mother (out of the frame) enjoy one of the few open grassland area in Hwange. This photo was taken in 2011 and since then, they have been monitored by the Cheetah Conservation Project Zimbabwe (led by Dr. E. van der Meer) and the young female on the left (HNP013) had had three litters of her own.

03: Photo by Stephanie Periquet

An adult male cheetah (HNP010) walks through the tall grass of Kennedy vlei in Hwange National Park.

04: Photo by Christiaan Winterbach

Adult cheetah scanning the plains of Mababe depression in northern Botswana.

05: Photo by Florian J Weise

Free-ranging male cheetahs checking their surrounds as they cross between farmland properties in central Namibia. Livestock and game farmlands support the majority of wild cheetahs in southern Africa and cheetah home ranges span across multiple properties.

Full Media Pack including image: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a7ZzSufDS7F0vo3WveWMJfjw5ZDQJAga

EMBARGOED until Monday, Dec. 11: 7 am EST; 12 midday UK local time (i.e. the date of publication)

PDF of this Press Release: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a7ZzSufDS7F0vo3WveWMJfjw5ZDQJAga

Link to the Published Version of the article (quote this link in your story - the link will ONLY work after the embargo lifts): https://peerj.com/articles/4096/

Citation to the article: Weise et al. (2017), The distribution and numbers of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in southern Africa. PeerJ 5:e4096; DOI 10.7717/peerj.4096

About the National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a leading nonprofit that invests in bold people and transformative ideas in the fields of exploration, scientific research, storytelling and education. Through our grants and programs, we aspire to create a community of change, advancing key insights about our planet and probing some of the most pressing scientific questions of our time while ensuring that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global understanding. Our goal is measurable impact: furthering exploration and educating people around the world to inspire solutions for the greater good. For more information, visit http://www.nationalgeographic.org.

About PeerJ

PeerJ is an Open Access publisher of two peer-reviewed journals and a preprint server. PeerJ's mission is to help the world efficiently publish its knowledge. All works published by PeerJ are Open Access and published using a Creative Commons license (CC-BY 4.0). PeerJ is based in San Diego, CA and the UK and can be accessed at peerj.com/

PeerJ is the peer-reviewed journal for Biology, Medicine and Environmental Sciences. PeerJ has recently added 15 areas in environmental science subject areas, including Natural Resource Management, Climate Change Biology, and Environmental Impacts. peerj.com/environmental-sciences

PeerJ has an Editorial Board of over 1,900 respected academics, including 5 Nobel Laureates. PeerJ was the recipient of the 2013 ALPSP Award for Publishing Innovation. PeerJ Media Resources (including logos) can be found at: peerj.com/about/press

Media Contacts

For the authors: Farley Fitzgerald, National Geographic Society, ffitzgerald@ngs.org

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Scientists at the universities of Kent and Bristol have built a miniature scaffold inside bacteria that can be used to bolster cellular productivity, with implications for the next generation of biofuel production.

Scientists at the universities of Kent and Bristol have built a miniature scaffold inside bacteria that can be used to bolster cellular productivity, with implications for the next generation of biofuel production.

Because there is a growing need for agricultural or renewable production of biofuels and other commodity chemicals to move away from fossil fuels, scientists have long sought to enhance the internal organisation of bacteria and improve the efficiency of the cells for making nutrients, pharmaceuticals and chemicals.

The research team, led by Professor Martin Warren at Kent's School of Biosciences, working with professors Dek Woolfson and Paul Verkade at Bristol, found they could make nano-tubes that generated a scaffold inside bacteria.

With as many as a thousand tubes fitting into each cell, the tubular scaffold can be used to increase the bacteria's efficiency to make commodities and provide the foundation for a new era of cellular protein engineering.

The researchers designed protein molecules and developed techniques to allow E. coli to make long tubes that contain a coupling device to which other specific components can be attached. A production line of enzymes could then be arranged along the tubes, generating efficient internal factories for the coordinated production of important chemicals.

Uitilising a form of molecular velcro to hold the components together, the team added one part of the fastener to the tube-forming protein and the other to specific enzymes to show that the enzymes can attach to the tubes.

By applying this new technology to enzymes required for the production of ethanol - an important biofuel - the researchers were able to increase alcohol production by over 200%.

This Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded collaborative project between the University of Kent, University College London and the University of Bristol entitled Engineered synthetic scaffolds for organizing proteins within the bacterial cytoplasm is now published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

###

https://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/

For further information or interview requests contact Sandy Fleming at the University of Kent Press Office.

Tel: 01227 823581/01634 888879

Email: S.Fleming@kent.ac.uk

News releases can also be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/news

University of Kent on Twitter: http://twitter.com/UniKent Note to editors

Established in 1965, the University of Kent - the UK's European university - now has almost 20,000 students across campuses or study centres at Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome.

It has been ranked 22nd in the Guardian University Guide 2018 and 25th in the Complete University Guide 2018, and in June 2017 was awarded a gold rating, the highest, in the UK Government's Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2015-16, it is in the top 10% of the world's leading universities for international outlook and 66th in its table of the most international universities in the world. The THE also ranked the University as 20th in its 'Table of Tables' 2016.

Kent is ranked 17th in the UK for research intensity (REF 2014). It has world-leading research in all subjects and 97% of its research is deemed by the REF to be of international quality.

In the National Student Survey 2016, Kent achieved the fourth highest score for overall student satisfaction, out of all publicly funded, multi-faculty universities.

Along with the universities of East Anglia and Essex, Kent is a member of the Eastern Arc Research Consortium (http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/partnerships/eastern-arc.html).

The University is worth 0.7 billion to the economy of the south east and supports more than 7,800 jobs in the region. Student off-campus spend contributes 293.3m and 2,532 full-time-equivalent jobs to those totals.

Kent has received two Queen's Anniversary prizes for Higher and Further Education.
Election Commission has sought to reassure voters that it is conducting free and fair election in Gujarat.

By India Today: The Election Commission of India (EC) has sought to bolster the confidence of the voters ahead of the second phase of polling scheduled for December 14 and claimed that it has put in place an elaborate framework of administrative system, security protocols and procedural checks-and-balances in Gujarat.

The Election Commission's reassurance comes after reports of malfunctioning of some Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) and also rumours regarding Bluetooth signals allegedly emanating at a booth during the first phase of polling for Gujarat Assembly election on December 9. The poll watchdog had immediately rejected such rumours about Bluetooth signals.

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The commission said it has put in place robust administrative safeguards and security protocols for use of EVMs and VVPATs for the second phase of polls in Gujarat to be held on December 14.

According to the EC, 100 per cent deployment of VVPATs at all polling stations bolsters confidence of voters in free and fair elections.

"Strict adherence to EC's stringent security and administrative protocols leaves no room for any possibility of electoral malpractices," it added.

In an official statement, the commission has said these measures prevent any possible misuse of EVMs and VVPATs or procedural lapses in their use during polls.

"These safeguards are being implemented by EC, in total transparently, with the active and documented involvement of political parties, candidates and their representatives at every stage, so as to build their confidence on efficacy and reliability of EVMs and VVPATs. All these functions and procedures are implemented through the District Election Officers (DEOs), Returning Officers (ROs), Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) and other election related officers concerned, who are on deemed deputation to the EC and are under its superintendence, direction and control," it said.

The commission claimed that due to strict adherence to EC's robust security and administrative protocols, there was no room for any possibility of electoral malpractices during the first phase of polling.

In the first phase, 66.75 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in 89 of the 182 constituencies.

It admitted that a "miniscule percentage of technical glitches" (broken or stuck buttons, no display and the likes) in the EVMs and VVPATs were reported. However, these were immediately addressed by replacing the machines for smooth conduct of polls.

"During the first phase of polling, only 0.75 phase of Ballot Units (BUs), 0.75 per cent of Control Units (CUs) and 2.8 per cent of VVPATs developed technical glitches. With 100 per cent deployment of VVPATs at all polling stations, voters felt confident and reassured about the transparency and fairness of the electoral process," it said.

According to the Election Commission, Gujarat has 50,128 polling stations, excluding auxiliary polling stations, for which 81,860 Ballot Units, 66,358 Control Units and 71,564 VVPATs have been deployed. These translate into a more than adequate reserve of 63 per cent BUs, 32 per cent CUs and 43 per cent VVPATs for the actual polls.

Voting will take place on 25,515 polling stations for elections on 93 constituencies in the second phase of polling. The commission has deployed 40, 027 BUs, 32,633 CUs and 35,061 VVPATs, which effectively provide a reserve of 57 per BUs, 28 per cent CUs and 37 per cent VVPATs for the actual polls.

--- ENDS ---

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Monopoly is an evil word for regulators and customers, but for investors it should fill their eyes with dollar signs. Monopoly-like power, which regulators generally define as a company having at least 70% of market share, gives companies pricing power that generally leads to high margins and fat profits, which in turn are shared with investors through dividends and share buybacks. That makes monopolies particularly appealing for investors.

Below, three of our investors share their top choice for a high-yield stock with a virtual monopoly. See why they recommend Enbridge (NYSE: ENB), Enable Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: ENBL), and Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM).

A Monopoly board with a number of pieces on it

Image source: Hasbro.

The oil pipeline king

Matt DiLallo (Enbridge): Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge operates the longest and most complex oil transport system in North America. Each day about 2.8 million barrels of oil flows through its vast pipeline network, which accounts for about 28% of the crude produced in the continent. Further, it transports 28% of America's total oil imports, including 64% of those inbound from Canada. That makes it a virtual monopoly on U.S. oil imports from Canada.

While both the U.S. and Canada regulate the fees it charges shippers to transport oil across these lines, Enbridge makes a fortune off its oil pipeline business each year. Through the third quarter of this year, the oil pipeline giant has generated more than 3.8 billion Canadian dollars ($3 billion) of free cash flow, with about half of that money coming from its oil pipeline network. Meanwhile, Enbridge sends about two-thirds of its cash flow back to investors each quarter in support of its high-yielding 4.8% dividend.

The company uses the rest of its excess cash, and money from other sources, to build and buy additional cash-generating pipelines and energy infrastructure assets. In fact, the company currently has CA$31 billion ($24 billion) of expansion projects under construction, which should enter service over the next few years. Those projects support the company's belief that it can grow its already high-yielding dividend by 10% per year through 2020, making it an excellent income stock to consider holding for the long term.

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Strategically located midstream operator

Maxx Chatsko (Enable Midstream Partners LP): The "shale revolution" has plucked a handful of energy basins in the United States out of relative obscurity and put them squarely on the map of investors. The SCOOP and STACK plays in Oklahoma (which are actually geographic regions rather than resource-rich geologic formations) may never be household names, but their regional importance cannot be understated. That alone makes Enable Midstream Partners LP, the dominant owner of pipelines and processing capacity in the plays, worth a closer look.

The midstream operator owns 1.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of processing capacity in the region -- twice that of the next closest competitor -- and is about to add another 0.4 Bcf/d of capacity by mid-2018. That will give Enable Midstream Partners LP roughly the same capacity as the next three players combined. To go along with its unmatched processing capacity, the company owns 28 active rigs in the two Oklahoman plays, which is again the top position in the region.

The company's SCOOP and STACK infrastructure has greatly helped crude oil producers profitably rid themselves of gas in the liquids-rich plays, which is made even easier by the midstream operator's integrated portfolio of assets. In addition to gathering pipelines and processing stations, Enable Midstream Partners LP owns 10,000 miles of pipelines in the Southeast, including links to fast-growing urban centers and all-important liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals.

The strategic location and expansion have made the company comfortably profitable with a relatively clean balance sheet, consistent operating cash flows, and an 8.6% annual yield. However, the stock price has remained volatile in 2017 because one of its parents, the gas and electric utility CenterPoint Energy, has remained undecided about whether or not to sell its major position in the company. Regardless of how the situation shakes out, the fee-based midstream operator seems well-positioned for the new age of American energy.

A top brand with an addictive product

Jeremy Bowman (Philip Morris International): Tobacco stocks have historically been among the most reliable dividend payers on the market as the addictive nature of the products and the small number of brands that dominate the market have allowed cigarette makers to reap boatloads of profits. Philip Morris International is no different.

Spun off from Altria (NYSE: MO) in 2008, Philip Morris International is the parent of Marlboro, the world's most valuable cigarette brand, outside of the U.S. Considering that smoking rates remain higher internationally than in the U.S., that would seem to put PMI in a better position than its domestic sister company. In major markets like Indonesia and Russia, Philip Morris' market share is in the 30% range.

Philip Morris has generated a profit margin of 25.7% over the last four quarters and pays a dividend yield of 4%.

The company has also raised its dividend payout in every year since it was spun off from Altria. Including its days as a combined company, Philip Morris has hiked its dividend annually for nearly 50 years, making it a Dividend Aristocrat.

Finally, Philip Morris also appears to have a leading position in e-cigarettes with its IQOS technology and could be on the verge of a big win if the device gains approval for use in the U.S. as a reduced-risk tobacco product.

With its international control of the world's most popular cigarette brand, and a strong position in e-cigarettes, Philip Morris should continue to be a strong dividend payer for years to come.

More From The Motley Fool

Jeremy Bowman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Matthew DiLallo owns shares of Enbridge. Maxx Chatsko has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Enbridge and Hasbro. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
(Reuters) - Amgen Inc said on Monday a final analysis of late-stage trial data showed that its Kyprolis combined with two other drugs helped blood cancer patients live longer. Kyprolis when used with two standard of care drugs, dexamethasone and Celgene Corp's Revlimid, reduced the risk of death by 21 percent and extended survival by 7.9 months, compared with patients treated with the two drugs alone, the company said. The study, ASPIRE, tested Kyprolis, chemically known as carfilzomib, in multiple myeloma patients whose cancer had relapsed following prior treatment or did not respond to treatment. "The data support the early use of carfilzomib as an effective therapy at first relapse, regardless of prior treatment with Velcade or transplant," Keith Stewart, principal investigator on the study said, referring to Takeda Pharmaceutical Co's cancer treatment. Amgen said it had filed with the U.S. FDA requesting to include the new overall survival data in the drug's label. Kyprolis is approved for multiple myeloma that has progressed after treatment with other medicines. In the United States, nearly 95,000 people are living with, or in remission from, multiple myeloma, according to the National Cancer Institute. About 30,330 Americans are diagnosed with multiple myeloma and more than 12,600 die from the disease each year. (Reporting by Tamara Mathias in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
An experimental injectable drug from Ionis Pharmaceuticals is one of the first to show potential in treating the root causes of Huntingtons disease, a devastating and fatal rare genetic disorder that causes nerve cells in the brain to break down. But the treatment is still in its earliest stages, researchers caution, and much larger clinical trials will need to be done to prove it can truly help reverse patients disease.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock remained relatively flat in Monday trading despite success in an early stage study of its Huntingtons drug, Ionis-HTTRx. The treatment is part of a new class of therapies that aims to silence certain genes in order to prevent the production of toxic proteins that can cause disease. Muted investor response aside, the results (called groundbreaking by lead researcher Sarah Tabrizi of the University College London) prompted Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche to exercise its licensing option for Ionis-HTTRx.

The key now is to move quickly to a larger trial to test whether Ionis-HTTRx slows disease progression, said Tabrizi in a statement. That is, it remains to be seen whether the treatments reduction of the Huntingtons-associated toxic protein can slow or reverse the mental and physical decline wrought by the disease. (Other diseases present the same big questionfor instance, whether or not eliminating amyloid plaque buildup in the brain can reverse or stave off the effects of Alzheimers disease.)

Still, the reduction in the protein is notable, according to Huntingtons specialists and patient advocates, especially since existing Huntingtons therapies only tackle its symptoms rather than its causes. And the general field of gene silencing has recently been on a tear given its promise to address genetic diseases at the genomic level. For instance, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals own patisiran has driven the companys stock up more than 250% this year thanks to strong, later-stage clinical trial results.

This essay appears in todays edition of the Fortune Brainstorm Health Daily. Get it delivered straight to your inbox.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 6, 2017) - Arctic Star Exploration Corp. (TSXV: ADD) (FSE: 82A1) (WKN: A2DFY5) (the "Company" or "Arctic Star") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Director Roy Spencer to the newly created position of Country Manager for Finland. Mr. Spencer will be managing the Company's exploration activity on its newly acquired Timantti Diamond Project ("the Project") that lies within the highly prospective Karelian Craton. Roy's extensive background working within the Karelian Craton includes leading the discovery of the Grib diamond mine that generated revenue of $340 million USD in 2016, and is the 8th largest diamond mine in the world.

Mr. Spencer brings over 40 years of diamond exploration and discovery success to Arctic Star. Roy is a member of the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA) and a Fellow of the AusIMM. Roy joined De Beers in 1966 and has been involved with exploration and deposit evaluation for gemstones and other commodities throughout his career. Roy's tertiary education was at the University of Natal and Rhodes University in South Africa. As Technical Director of Peregrine Diamonds, he discovered the first kimberlites on the Pilbara craton in Western Australia in 1989, and as Leader of the Owners Team for Archangel Diamond Corporation he was largely responsible for the discovery of the world class Grib kimberlite in far northern Russia in February 1996. In 1998, Roy created and raised the seed finance for Ilmari Exploration Oy to explore for gold, base metals and diamonds on the Karelian Craton in Finland. Ilmari went public in 2000, and discovered the Lentiira kimberlite cluster in central Finland in 2003.

In 2006, as CEO of London-based diamond explorer European Diamonds, Roy led the Owners Team which brought the Liqhobong kimberlite in Lesotho into commercial production on time and under budget. In mid-2007, Roy left European Diamonds, a company which had evolved into a successful mid-tier diamond producer and marketer after having raised 23 million over a 6-year period. Since that time Roy has continued in gemstone exploration and deposit evaluation in Africa, Finland and western Russia for a variety of junior and senior mining companies.

Story continues

Mr. Spencer stated, "Having worked extensively in the Karelian Craton throughout my career, I am excited to begin our exploration program at the highly-advanced Timantti project, where we have begun ground geophysics followed by drilling."

ABOUT ARCTIC STAR: The Company owns 100% of the recently acquired Timantti Diamond Project including a 243 Ha Exploration Permit and a 95,700 Ha Exploration Reservation near the township of Kuusamo, in Finland. The Project is located approximately 450km NW of the operating Grib Diamond Mine in Russia. Arctic is commencing its exploration in Finland on the Timantti Project, where two diamondiferous kimberlites may represent the first finds in a large kimberlite field. The Company also controls diamond exploration properties in Nunavut (Stein), the NWT (Diagras and Redemption) and a rare metals project in BC (Cap). Arctic Star has a highly experienced diamond exploration team previously responsible for numerous world class diamond discoveries.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

ARCTIC STAR EXPLORATION CORP.

/s/ Patrick Power

Patrick Power, Executive Chairman

+1 (604) 218-8772

/s/ Scott Eldridge

Scott Eldridge, President and CEO

+1 (604) 722-5381

scott@arcticstar.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements in this press release include that the Timantti Project transaction is a pre-eminent opportunity.

Such forward-looking statements and information are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement. Specific risks included that the Timantti Project does not contain as much promise as expected or that despite promise, its minerals cannot be economically mined.

There can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information referenced herein will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Also, many of the factors are beyond our control. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. We undertake no obligation to reissue or update any forward-looking statements or information except as required by law.
Commuters pass by the front of the Bangladesh central bank building in Dhaka March 8, 2016. REUTERS/Ashikur Rahman/File Photo (Reuters)

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's finance minister said late on Saturday he wanted to "wipe out" a Philippines bank that was used to channel $81 million stolen from the Bangladeshi central bank's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last year.

Abul Maal A. Muhith was responding to questions from reporters about a Reuters story on Friday that said Bangladesh Bank had asked the New York Fed to join a lawsuit it was considering filing against Manila-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) seeking damages.

"The Bangladesh Bank has taken a decision (on filing a suit). They will let me know. We haven't so far taken any steps as the Philippines government was taking care of it (investigating the heist)," Muhith said.

"But it seems Rizal bank has been playing delinquent. We want to wipe out Rizal bank from the world."

Muhith did not elaborate. He did not respond to requests seeking comment.

RCBC did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment on a Sunday about Muhith's comments.

Unidentified hackers stole the money using fraudulent orders on the SWIFT payments system. The money was sent to accounts at RCBC and then disappeared into the casino industry in the Philippines.

Nearly two years later, there is no word on who was responsible and Bangladesh Bank has been able to retrieve only about $15 million, mostly from a Manila junket operator. (http://reut.rs/2jk1W74)

The Philippine central bank fined RCBC a record one billion pesos ($20 million) last year for its failure to prevent the movement of the stolen money through it.

RCBC has said rogue employees were responsible and Philippine prosecutors have filed money laundering charges against a former RCBC bank manager and four people who owned the bank accounts where the funds were sent, but who are not identifiable since the accounts were in fake names. They are the only people to be formally cited anywhere in the world in association with the crime.

RCBC has said it would not pay any compensation to Bangladesh Bank and that the Dhaka bank bore responsibility for the theft since it was negligent.

(Reporting by Serajul Quadir, Krishna N. Das, Ruma Paul and Karen Lema; Editing by Toby Chopra)
The bitcoin bubble could be "destructive" in the long term if more people keep pumping money into the cryptocurrency, UBS analyst Paul Donovan told CNBC on Tuesday. UBS has previously called bitcoin a "speculative bubble." And Donovan, who is the wealth management global chief economist at the investment bank, has compared the cryptocurrency's rise to the 17th century tulip craze in the Netherlands that saw the price of the flower skyrocket and crash. Donovan explained that the rising investment in cryptocurrencies from retail investors could have damaging consequences."I dislike bubbles because bubbles sucker in large numbers of people and take their money and give it to a small number of people. And that's very destructive in the long term. And I think this is one of the problems that we've got," Donovan told CNBC in a TV interview."We are now having to start to think about what's going to be the economic consequence when this bubble bursts. And you've got a transfer of wealth, you've got a concentration of wealth, you've got a negative wealth effect  it potentially is disruptive."The economist explained that so far there are a small number of people involved in cryptocurrency trading so if the bubble does burst, the damage is "spread quite thinly." But if the rising interest in cryptocurrencies continues, then the risk will increase too, Donovan said.Regulators are also beginning to warn on the dangers of cryptocurrencies and the initial coin offering (ICO), a way for a start-up to raise money by issuing new digital coins. "As with any other type of potential investment, if a promoter guarantees returns, if an opportunity sounds too good to be true, or if you are pressured to act quickly, please exercise extreme caution and be aware of the risk that your investment may be lost," U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton said in a statement Monday . There have already been a handful of cases of ICOs that have gone wrong. CNBC recently reported on a start-up called Confido that raised nearly $375,000 through an ICO, with investors unable to track down the founding team after making an investment. Since then, however, the company has promised to refund investors . The bitcoin bubble could be "destructive" in the long term if more people keep pumping money into the cryptocurrency, UBS analyst Paul Donovan told CNBC on Tuesday. UBS has previously called bitcoin a "speculative bubble." And Donovan, who is the wealth management global chief economist at the investment bank, has compared the cryptocurrency's rise to the 17th century tulip craze in the Netherlands that saw the price of the flower skyrocket and crash. Donovan explained that the rising investment in cryptocurrencies from retail investors could have damaging consequences. "I dislike bubbles because bubbles sucker in large numbers of people and take their money and give it to a small number of people. And that's very destructive in the long term. And I think this is one of the problems that we've got," Donovan told CNBC in a TV interview. "We are now having to start to think about what's going to be the economic consequence when this bubble bursts. And you've got a transfer of wealth, you've got a concentration of wealth, you've got a negative wealth effect  it potentially is disruptive." The economist explained that so far there are a small number of people involved in cryptocurrency trading so if the bubble does burst, the damage is "spread quite thinly." But if the rising interest in cryptocurrencies continues, then the risk will increase too, Donovan said. Regulators are also beginning to warn on the dangers of cryptocurrencies and the initial coin offering (ICO), a way for a start-up to raise money by issuing new digital coins. "As with any other type of potential investment, if a promoter guarantees returns, if an opportunity sounds too good to be true, or if you are pressured to act quickly, please exercise extreme caution and be aware of the risk that your investment may be lost," U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton said in a statement Monday . There have already been a handful of cases of ICOs that have gone wrong. CNBC recently reported on a start-up called Confido that raised nearly $375,000 through an ICO, with investors unable to track down the founding team after making an investment. Since then, however, the company has promised to refund investors .



More From CNBC


The Boeing Company logo is projected on a wall at the "What's Next?" conference in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., October 4, 2016. REUTERS/Jim Young (Reuters)

(Reuters) - Boeing Co <BA.N> said on Monday it would raise its quarterly dividend by 20 percent and replace its existing share buyback program with a new $18 billion authorization.

The company's shares, the best-performing Dow component this year with an 84 percent surge, were up 1.2 percent at $286.51 in after-market trading.

The world's biggest maker of jetliners said the raised dividend and the new buyback program were not in response to a Republican tax overhaul, which seeks to cut corporate taxes to 20 percent from 35 percent.

Other U.S. corporations have said they would use the windfall from the tax overhaul to buy back shares, retire debt and other shareholder-friendly moves.

The cash deployment plans reflect ongoing confidence in our financial strength and the long-term outlook of our business, Boeing Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith said in a statement.

Boeing's dividend increase comes at the high-end of analysts' estimates of 15 percent to 20 percent, Robert W Baird & Co analyst Peter Arment wrote in a note.

The company said on Monday the new quarterly dividend would be $1.71 per share, up from $1.42.

Boeing said the new repurchase program would replace a $14 billion authorization approved in December 2016, under which the company had repurchased $9.2 billion.

The increase in the buyback amount also comes as a surprise and shows the management's confidence in generating strong free cash flows over the next few years, analyst Arment said.

Boeing said it expected to complete the new buybacks in the next 24-30 months.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru and Alwyn Scott in New York; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
A new approach to treating patients suffering from an aggressive form of blood cancer could increase survival rates 10-fold to 20 years, Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG) CEO Mark Alles told CNBC on Monday. Celgene and Bluebird Bio (NASDAQ: BLUE) announced on Sunday updated, positive results from their early stage study on a therapy for people with multiple myeloma  a blood cancer that develops in plasma cells, affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. each year. The Phase 1 clinical study demonstrated encouraging results in treating patients with late-stage relapsed-refractory multiple myeloma. The treatment is a type of so-called CAR T-cell therapy  taking a patient's own immune cells, called T cells, genetically manipulating them to attack specific proteins on cancer, and infusing them back into the patient. "Ten years ago, the median survival for myeloma was about two years," Alles said on " Squawk Box " at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta. "Today, with CAR T ... we're going to see people live 20, 30 years without the disease." "The quality of responses is unbelievable," Alles said about the treatment. "We have an almost 100 percent response rate," he added. "It's unprecedented."CNBC asked Celgene to clarify whether Alles meant Celgene's CAR T treatment or other currently approved drugs would result in people living longer.A spokesperson for Celgene said: "Interestingly, it's a little of both. We see anecdotal cases of patients living 20 years and beyond with sequencing of the many current options available [that definitely weren't there when they were diagnosed]. With new therapies like CAR T, the hope is that we continue to see more of these cases."On the study results, Bluebird stock soared 22 percent to around $209.50 per share on Monday. Celgene shares gained 2.6 percent to $108.79. Analysts, including a team from Suntrust, raised their price targets on both companies.Celgene plans to begin enrolling patients this month for a larger, potentially pivotal trial that could position the new treatment to become the third approved CAR T-cell therapy.Alles said Monday the company will investigate whether patients are "cured" or rather "in a chronic stage of remission.""The data follow up will tell," he said.Reuters contributed to this report. A new approach to treating patients suffering from an aggressive form of blood cancer could increase survival rates 10-fold to 20 years, Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG) CEO Mark Alles told CNBC on Monday. Celgene and Bluebird Bio (NASDAQ: BLUE) announced on Sunday updated, positive results from their early stage study on a therapy for people with multiple myeloma  a blood cancer that develops in plasma cells, affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. each year. The Phase 1 clinical study demonstrated encouraging results in treating patients with late-stage relapsed-refractory multiple myeloma. The treatment is a type of so-called CAR T-cell therapy  taking a patient's own immune cells, called T cells, genetically manipulating them to attack specific proteins on cancer, and infusing them back into the patient. "Ten years ago, the median survival for myeloma was about two years," Alles said on " Squawk Box " at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta. "Today, with CAR T ... we're going to see people live 20, 30 years without the disease." "The quality of responses is unbelievable," Alles said about the treatment. "We have an almost 100 percent response rate," he added. "It's unprecedented." CNBC asked Celgene to clarify whether Alles meant Celgene's CAR T treatment or other currently approved drugs would result in people living longer. A spokesperson for Celgene said: "Interestingly, it's a little of both. We see anecdotal cases of patients living 20 years and beyond with sequencing of the many current options available [that definitely weren't there when they were diagnosed]. With new therapies like CAR T, the hope is that we continue to see more of these cases." On the study results, Bluebird stock soared 22 percent to around $209.50 per share on Monday. Celgene shares gained 2.6 percent to $108.79. Analysts, including a team from Suntrust, raised their price targets on both companies. Celgene plans to begin enrolling patients this month for a larger, potentially pivotal trial that could position the new treatment to become the third approved CAR T-cell therapy. Alles said Monday the company will investigate whether patients are "cured" or rather "in a chronic stage of remission." "The data follow up will tell," he said. Reuters contributed to this report.



More From CNBC


The Patidar activist said that both PM Modi and Amit Shah were spreading lies to garner momentum in their poll campaign.

By India Today Web Desk: In yet another exclusive interview to India Today, firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel reiterated his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

The Patidar activist said that both PM Modi and Amit Shah were spreading lies to garner momentum in their poll campaign. Talking about Ram Mandir issue, Patel said that the BJP itself was clueless about the construction of the much-debated temple.

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He added that people came to his rallies to listen to the truth.

Further lending his support to Rahul Gandhi's claim of 'Vikas Gando Thayo che', Hardik said that development in Gujarat has gone for a toss.

Patel also added that the people of Gujarat were well aware of the issues. Hardik said that people of Gujarat will decide the fate of his campaign.

Patel, who is known to sleep only four hours a day, attributed his vigour to the Gujarati cuisine. When asked about his future in politics, Patel said that he has faith in the decision of the people.

A confident Patel also said that people had already supported him in the first phase Gujarat polls on December 9.

When asked about his soaring popularity among the masses, Patel said that the people long to hear the truth.

"People flock in thousands to my rallies because I speak the bitter truth. They feel that there is someone who calls a spade a spade. People feel that I talk about their own issues and that's why they come," said Patel.

He added that about 10,000 to 12,000 people come to listen and see, but when they are over 50,000 that is an indication of mass resentment.

"The farmers are troubled with debts, youth grappling with unemployment. We have just given voice to these grassroots problems. They are also aware that Hardik will not solve everything. They take comfort in the fact that their problems now have strong voice which the government cannot ignore," said Patel.

Talking about other political figures that influenced him, Hardik said that Shiv Sena's Bal Thackeray is his idol.

When asked about general opinion that Hardik is involved in a populist dialogue by referring to Amit Shah as goonda, a rendition akin to Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray, Hardik said that he idolised Thackeray.

"I oppose Modi and Shah because they are blatantly lying. Shah accused Jignesh Mewani of seeking donations from Pakistan-based terror groups. How can you accuse a Dalit boy of such things?" asked Patel.

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"PM Modi speaks about meeting between Pakistan officials and former prime minister. They know about the meeting, but do not know about the status of Ram Mandir," said Patel.

WATCH | Hardik Patel's poll talk over Gujarati platter: Modi, Shah speak lies, people will decide our fate

--- ENDS ---
Screen Shot 2017 12 12 at 12.09.40 PM

MI

Coinbase, the popular cryptocurrency trading platform, blocked users Tuesday from buying red-hot litecoin and ether.

Investors poured into the two red-hot digital currencies Tuesday morning, pushing them both to new heights.

On Tuesday, litecoin hit a record of $312, and ether soared to more than $600 for the first time.

The cryptocurrency market is gunning for $500 billion.



Cryptomania has propelled two lesser-known cryptocurrencies to record highs Tuesday, forcing one exchange to halt trading.

Screen Shot 2017 12 12 at 1.01.59 PM

CoinbaseCoinbase on Tuesday halted trading of red-hot litecoin and ether, according to cryptocurrency watcher CoinDesk. The publication tweeted a photo showing Coinbase "temporarily disabled" trades of the two digital coins on its platform.

Coinbase's status page showed ethereum and litecoin were experiencing major outages.

Both litecoin and ether hit all-time highs Tuesday morning.

Ether hit $600 a token, while litecoin gained more than 40% to $312.

Across the market for digital coins, new investors are pouring in. The 10 largest cryptocurrencies were all trading in the green Tuesday, according to data provider CoinMarketCap.

At the time of print, the entire market nearly reached $500 billion. Cryptocurrencies volumes approached record highs above $35 billion.

The launch of bitcoin futures by Cboe Global Markets, the Chicago exchange group, further pushed bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies into the spotlight. The new futures market, which went live Sunday, could pave the way for a bitcoin-linked exchange-traded fund and dampen bitcoin's spine-tingling volatility. Of course, the 1,000% plus returns across the market has also piqued the interest of Wall Street and Main Street investors.

Enthusiasts think the newfound interest in the crypto world will intensify in 2018.

"2018 will be the year of mass public awareness for bitcoin and cryptocurrency," Perry Woodin, CEO of Node40, said in prepared remarks sent to Business Insider. "It is going to be the year when every friend and relative will want to know how much you have and how to purchase it."

Story continues

Still, many market watchers see a massive bubble in the crypto-market. Even Mike Novogratz, a famed hedge fund manager turned crypto-investor, called it "the biggest bubble of our lifetimes."

Litecoin's founder also chimed in on the frenzy. The former director of engineering at crypto exchange Coinbase tweeted a dire warning for potential litecoin holders Monday night:

"Sorry to spoil the party, but I need to reign in the excitement a bit," he wrote. "Buying LTC is extremely risky. I expect us to have a multi-year bear market like the one we just had where LTC dropped 90% in value ($48 to $4). So if you can't handle LTC dropping to $20, don't buy!"

A spokeswoman for Coinbase told Business Insider, "The site is seeing high traffic volume at the moment and some users may be experiencing intermittent service outages."

NOW WATCH: Economist Jim Rickards on gold versus bitcoin  intrinsic value is meaningless for both but the bitcoin prices aren't real

See Also:
MS INTERNATIONAL is one of companies that can help grow your investment income by paying large dividends. These stocks are a safe bet to increase your portfolio value as they provide both steady income and cushion against market risks. Dividends play a key role in compounding returns over time and can form a large part of our portfolio return. As a long term investor with a short term temperament, I highly recommend these top dividend stocks.

MS INTERNATIONAL plc (AIM:MSI)

MS INTERNATIONAL plc designs, manufactures, sells, and services engineering products in Europe, North America, and internationally. Formed in 1960, and run by CEO , the company now has 409 employees and with the companys market cap sitting at GBP 32.76M, it falls under the small-cap stocks category.

MSI has a sumptuous dividend yield of 4.03% and their current payout ratio is 60.73% . In the case of MSI, they have increased their dividend per share from 0.037 to 0.08 so in the past 10 years. They have been dependable too, not missing a single payment in this time. MS INTERNATIONAL also reported a strong double digit earnings growth of 29.3% over the past 12 months.

AIM:MSI Historical Dividend Yield Dec 11th 17

Highcroft Investments Plc (LSE:HCFT)

Highcroft Investments PLC (Highcroft) and its subsidiaries (together the group) principal activity is investment in property and equities. Highcroft Investments is currently led by CEO Simon Gill. With the companys market capitalisation at GBP 45.86M, we can put it in the small-cap group

HCFT has a sumptuous dividend yield of 4.62% and has a payout ratio of 45.98% . In the case of HCFT, they have increased their dividend per share from 0.14 to 0.41 so in the past 10 years. The company has been a dependable payer too, not missing a payment in this 10 year period. It should comfort potential investors that the company isnt expensive when we look at its PE ratio compared to the GB REITs industry. Highcroft Investmentss PE ratio is 9.7 while its industry average is 10.9.

Story continues

LSE:HCFT Historical Dividend Yield Dec 11th 17

Park Group plc (AIM:PKG)

Park Group plc provides prepaid gift cards, multi-retailer vouchers, and digital rewards services to corporate and consumer markets in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Established in 1967, and headed by CEO Christopher Houghton, the company now has 339 employees and with the market cap of GBP 162.13M, it falls under the small-cap category.

PKG has a solid dividend yield of 3.32% and their payout ratio stands at 58.96% . In the last 10 years, shareholders would have been happy to see the company increase its dividend from 0.012 to 0.029. The company has been a dependable payer too, not missing a payment in this 10 year period.

AIM:PKG Historical Dividend Yield Dec 11th 17

For more solid dividend payers to add to your portfolio, you can use our free platform to explore our interactive list of top dividend payers.

To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.
Southside Bancshares, Safety Insurance Group, and Schweitzer-Mauduit International are three of the best paying dividend stocks for creating diversified portfolio income. A sizeable part of portfolio returns can be produced by dividend stocks due to their contribution to compounding returns in the long run. Here are other similar dividend stocks that could be valuable additions to your current holdings.

Southside Bancshares, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for Southside Bank that provides a range of financial services to individuals, businesses, municipal entities, and nonprofit organizations. Established in 1960, and currently lead by Lee Gibson, the company employs 679 people and with the companys market cap sitting at USD $1.20B, it falls under the small-cap category.

SBSI has a decent dividend yield of 3.31% and is distributing 54.23% of earnings as dividends . Despite some volatility in the yield, DPS has risen in the last 10 years from $0.3207 to $1.14.

NasdaqGS:SBSI Historical Dividend Yield Dec 12th 17

Safety Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAFT)

Safety Insurance Group, Inc. provides private passenger and commercial automobile insurance in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Founded in 1979, and now run by George Murphy, the company now has 643 employees and with the companys market cap sitting at USD $1.22B, it falls under the small-cap stocks category.

SAFT has a good dividend yield of 4.00% and pays out 69.43% of its profit as dividends . SAFT has increased its dividend from $1.6 to $3.2 over the past 10 years. To the enjoyment of shareholders, the company hasnt missed a payment during this period. The company has not experienced any significant earnings growth decline in the last five years, sustaining positive EPS growth during this period.

NasdaqGS:SAFT Historical Dividend Yield Dec 12th 17

Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides engineered solutions and advanced materials for various industries worldwide. Established in 1995, and headed by CEO Jeffrey Kramer, the company currently employs 3,000 people and with the stocks market cap sitting at USD $1.36B, it comes under the small-cap group.

Story continues

SWM has a solid dividend yield of 3.88% and is paying out 65.35% of profits as dividends . In the last 10 years, shareholders would have been happy to see the company increase its dividend from $0.3 to $1.72. To the enjoyment of shareholders, the company hasnt missed a payment during this period.

NYSE:SWM Historical Dividend Yield Dec 12th 17

For more solid dividend payers to add to your portfolio, you can use our free platform to explore our interactive list of top dividend payers.

To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.
The owner of the Grangemouth refinery has shut the North Sea's most important pipelines 'for weeks' - Rex

The chemicals giant owned by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has roiled global energy markets after shutting the North Seas most important oil and gas pipeline system after discovering a widening crack.

Ineos, which owns the Grangemouth refinery, said it discovered a small crack in the pipeline outside Aberdeen just weeks after buying the pipeline system from BP. The crack has grown to almost six inches long despite efforts to limit the damage.

The shock shutdown propelled the global oil price to two year highs of over $64 a barrel over fears of a potentially major supply disruption for Britains remaining refineries.

The 100 mile long Forties pipeline transports 450,000 barrels of oil every day, or 40pc of the North Seas oil, including the crude that prices the global Brent benchmark.

Ineos director Tom Crotty told The Daily Telegraph the pipeline is likely to be closed for at least a couple of weeks while repairs are made.

He said the fault was discovered during routine checks, which are undertaken regularly, and could not have been detected ahead of the 200m deal to buy the Forties system from BP.

This is a 1975 pipeline so to assume thered never be issues would be very naive, Mr Crotty added.

Forties pipeline system

The incident is likely to fuel criticism which erupted earlier this year after the deal was announced.

An unnamed industry source told Scottish newspaper The Daily Record that handing an oil pipeline system to a chemicals maker would be like giving a monkey a machete.

The pipeline was originally built to transport one million barrels of oil from the Forties field, which was discovered in 1970, to the Grangemouth refinery near Edinburgh.

Once the crude is piped ashore near Aberdeen it flows to Ineoss Grangemouth refinery where gas is extracted from the crude. Around 20pc of the oil remains at the Grangemouth chemicals plant while 80pc flows to refineries across the country.

All of Britains refineries will need to increase their reliance on shipped crude during the outage, meaning global markets are likely to tighten.

Ineos said a small number of local residents were advised to leave the area but no oil and gas has seeped out of the crack. The situation is being carefully monitored, he said.

As always, safety remains Ineos top priority and local residents, Forties Pipeline System users and other stakeholders are all being kept fully informed of the situation as it develops, the company said.
Ex-Facebook (FB) executive Chamath Palihapitiya told CNBC on Tuesday that social media is creating a society that confuses "popularity" with "truth." "The tools that we have created today are starting to erode the social fabric of how society works," he said in a "Squawk Box" interview, in response to questions about similar comments he made that went viral. At a recent Stanford Graduate School of Business event, Palihapitiya said social media is tearing society apart. On CNBC, he explained what he meant. "Today we live in a world now where it is easy to confuse truth and popularity. And you can use money to amplify whatever you believe and get people to believe what is popular is now truthful. And what is not popular may not be truthful." "The reality is, I can take money and I can use that through all the social media systems that exist to hundreds of millions of people," said Palihapitiya, founder and CEO venture capital powerhouse Social Capital, which has $2.6 billion in assets under management. "We can do that about vaccines, we can do that about gay rights, we can do that about bathroom laws, we can do that about Roy Moore ," he said. Supporters and detractors of Moore  the Republican Senate candidate from Alabama, accused of sexual misconduct with teens  have used social media to argue their points ahead of Tuesday's special election. The influence of social media on politics is also at the center of the investigations into Russia's use of Facebook and Twitter (TWTR) to influence the 2016 presidential election. Palihapitiya said social media exploits "our own natural tendencies in human beings to get and want feedback." He said the question people must ask is: "How do we live in a world where that is now possible?" "That feedback, chemically speaking, is the release of dopamine in your brain," Palihapitiya said. The "feedback loops" get people to react, he added. "I think if you get too desensitized and you need it over and over and over again, then you become actually detached from the world in which you live." Despite being a tech leader, Palihapitiya said he keeps his children away from social media by giving them "no screen time whatsoever." He said they don't get to use any devices. Palihapitiya, also co-owner of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, said his comments and actions were not direct attacks at Facebook. "I owe those guys everything," he said. "They made me." But Facebook took issue with Palihapitiya's comments, saying he hasn't worked for the company for six years and claiming the company has undergone changes since: "Chamath has not been at Facebook for over 6 years. When Chamath was at Facebook we were focused on building new social media experiences and growing Facebook around the world. Facebook was a very different company back then, and as we have grown, we have realized how our responsibilities have grown too. We take our role very seriously and we are working hard to improve. We've done a lot of work and research with outside experts and academics to understand the effects of our service on well-being, and we're using it to inform our product development. We are also making significant investments more in people, technology and processes, and - as Mark Zuckerberg said on the last earnings call  we are willing to reduce our profitability to make sure the right investments are made." Over his four-year tenure at Facebook, which started in 2007, Palihapitiya served in various management roles, including vice president of user growth. Meanwhile, Andrew McCollum, a member of Facebook's founding team, responded to Palihapitiya's remarks on the state of social media. In an interview on CNBC shortly after Facebook's statement, McCollum said the social network's founders want to provide "value to people's lives." "Like Chamath, I also have not been at Facebook full time for a long time," McCollum, now CEO of media company Philo, told " Squawk Alley ." "I can say from my time there in those very early days, you know, I saw a group of people that to a person was really deeply and completely focused on how they could build a product and a service that really provided value in people's lives." "I think that we're lucky that the group of people that runs Facebook, many of which are still there today, have that focus," he added.

WATCH: CNBC's full interview with former Facebook exec Chamath Palihapitiya



More From CNBC


FILE PHOTO: A logo of Toshiba Corp is seen on a printed circuit board in this photo illustration taken in Tokyo July 31, 2012. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao/File Photo (Reuters)

By Taro Fuse and Makiko Yamazaki

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Hong Kong-based activist investor in Toshiba Corp has told the embattled conglomerate that the $18 billion sale of its chip unit to a Bain Capital-led group is no longer necessary after its recent capital injection, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Argyle Street Management Ltd, a hedge fund with $1.2 billion under management, sent the letter to Toshiba's board late on Monday, the fund's chief investment officer, Kin Chan, told Reuters. The fund declined to say how many Toshiba shares it owns.

The first activist shareholder to openly voice opposition to the sale, Argyle is inviting the 30-plus overseas investors who participated in Toshiba's recent 600 billion yen ($5.3 billion) new share issue to team up and is already in talks with at least three funds who share the same view, Chan said.

Toshiba agreed to sell Toshiba Memory - the world's no. 2 producer of NAND chips - to the Bain consortium to cover billions of dollars in liabilities arising from its now bankrupt U.S. nuclear power unit Westinghouse.

In order to ensure its listing status, however, Toshiba also secured a $5.4 billion cash injection from overseas funds this month, which with tax write-offs gives it sufficient funds to cover its liabilities.

Argyle believes "there no longer is any urgency to undertake a sale of Toshiba Memory," it said in the letter, which proposed a meeting with Toshiba's board in either December or January.

The $18 billion price tag for the chip unit "significantly undervalues the business," the letter said, adding that the board should consider instead an IPO for Toshiba Memory.

Representatives for Toshiba and Bain were not immediately available for comment.

While the potential for activist funds to hinder or even scupper the deal with the Bain-led consortium will depend on how many join forces in opposition, Argyle's letter underscores some fears that Toshiba had opened a potential can of worms by tapping activist shareholders in its new share issue.

($1 = 113.4400 yen)

(Reporting by Taro Fuse and Makiko Yamazaki; Additional reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
FILE PHOTO: Facebook logo is seen at a start-up companies gathering at Paris' Station F in Paris, France on January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo

By Julia Fioretti

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Social media giant Facebook said on Tuesday it would start booking advertising revenue locally instead of re-routing it via its international headquarters in Dublin although the move is unlikely to result in it paying much more tax.

Corporate taxation has become a hot-button topic in the wake of revelations of tax avoidance schemes by multinationals which have led to calls for companies to pay more tax while Europe has begun exploring options for taxing digital giants.

Facebook Chief Financial Officer Dave Wehner said the company had decided to move to a local selling structure in countries where it has an office to support sales to local advertisers.

"In simple terms, this means that advertising revenue supported by our local teams will no longer be recorded by our international headquarters in Dublin, but will instead be recorded by our local company in that country," Wehner said in a blog post.

Tuesday's announcement follows Facebook's April 2016 shift to recording revenues from its large UK sales customers in Britain which resulted in an increase in the tax it paid.

"We believe that moving to a local selling structure will provide more transparency to governments and policy makers around the world who have called for greater visibility over the revenue associated with locally-supported sales in their countries," Wehner said.

The European Commission is working on legislative proposals, expected in March, to increase taxes on multinational digital companies, who are accused of paying too little in the EU by booking profits in low-tax countries where they have their EU headquarters, like Ireland and Luxembourg.

Among the options the EU executive is considering to raise taxes quickly on tech giants is a levy on revenues from advertising, according to an EU document published in September. Other short-term options are a tax on turnovers of digital firms and a withholding tax on electronic transactions.

Story continues

Wehner said Facebook would implement the change throughout 2018 and aim to complete it by the first half of 2019.

Facebook's recent experience in Britain suggests that the move will not lead to the company paying significantly more in tax.

Facebook reported a dramatic rise in revenues and profits reported in the UK for 2016 and had a 2.5 million pound ($3.34 million) tax bill against racking up tax credits in previous years.

However, while the change did lead to an increase in the tax it paid, Facebook still enjoyed a low effective tax rate.

Thats because, even with this measure, Facebook declares relatively little profit in Britain. It reported a profit margin of under 7 percent for 2016 in Britain, compared to a group wide margin of around 45 percent for the year.

Much of the profit linked to UK sales is reported elsewhere are a result of inter-group transactions worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

(Additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio and Tom Bergin in London; Editing by Adrian Croft)
By Jumana Shah: With a high-pitch battle where Pappu turned Aurangzeb and Ram Mandir became the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) poll issue after 24 years, Gujarat witnessed a campaign that brought out a lot more than one had ever imagined. The high-octane campaigning finally ended today evening.

It was a campaign where the Congress unapologetically shrugged off the 'secular' pro-Muslim tag to don soft the Hindutva tag and where reservation returned as a poll issue. It is also where the BJP battled anti-incumbency by landing the PM on an amphibian in the Sabarmati river as a showcase of 'vikas' (development).

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Ninety three seats of central and north Gujarat are going to polls on December 14 in which urban areas of Ahmedabad and Vadodara will cast their vote. Politicos consider 54 of the 93 seats going to polls as rural, while a huge chunk of 39 are urban - the BJP's core vote-bank. Sixteen of these seats are of Ahmedabad city, of which 14 are with BJP.

North Gujarat is the Congress' traditional stronghold and also an area which is majorly dominated by the OBC (Other Backward Class). OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, newly-inducted in Congress, is expected to benefit the grand old party.

According to sources, Congress has conceded seven seats to candidates of Alpesh's choice. Conceding to Thakor is fraught with risk as it alienates Congress' long-time loyal workers. It remains to be seen whether Thakor will be able to consolidate OBC voters and keep the party workforce together.

In its urban strongholds, especially in north Gujarat and Ahmedabad, BJP faces a challenge because of Hardik Patel's movement against the saffron party. This is an area where the movement germinated in the first place and also witnessed violence in 2015. Mehsana has also seen a huge outpouring of the Patel angst, leading to several attacks on BJP leaders. Mehsana is the constituency of deputy chief minister Nitin Patel.

Urban seats of Ahmedabad city including Nikol and Bapunagar have become a steep task for BJP to win, again owing to the Patidar movement. However, one might like to see the apparent challenge with a pinch of salt as the urban areas are less likely to heed to Hardik's anti-BJP clarion call as these areas have benefited from the development.

The key candidates to watch out for in this phase are Nitin Patel from Mehsana, Alpesh Thakor from Radhanpur, Jignesh Mevani from Vadgam and Congress Siddharth Patel from Dabhoi. It would also be interesting to look at how the BJP fares in Sanand, Viramgam and Becharaji seats - all models of Modi's industrialisation in the last 10 years. Interestingly, BJP had lost all these three seats in 2012.

ALSO WATCH | Ground report from Gujarat: Curtains down on a bitter campaign after Modi's seaplane spectacle

--- ENDS ---

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It is eroding the core foundations of how people behave by and between each other, says former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya

A former Facebook exec has admitted that he bans his children from using the site  saying he feels tremendous guilt for his part in creating the service now used by billions.

Chamath Palihapitiya, former vice president for user growth, said, We have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works.

He had particularly harsh words for tools such as Facebooks Like button saying that social media was leaving users vacant and empty.

He was speaking at a Stanford Graduate School of Business event and urged people to take a hard break from some of these tools.

Chamath Palihapitiya

The 41-year-old added: The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops weve created are destroying how society works.

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No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. And its not an American problem  this is not about Russians ads. This is a global problem.

We are in a really bad state of affairs right now.

Mr Palihapitiya, whose comments were made in November but have only recently been reported, said the sites can leave users feeling vacant and empty, but went on to say that the company overwhelmingly does positive good in the world.

He said: We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection because we get rewarded in these short term signals  hearts, likes, thumbs up.

And we conflate that with value and we conflate that with truth. Instead, what it is is fake brittle popularity.

However, the social media giant has dismissed Mr Palihapitiyas description as one of a company that no longer exists.

Chamath has not been at Facebook for over six years, a spokeswoman for the firm said.

Story continues

When Chamath was at Facebook we were focused on building new social media experiences and growing Facebook around the world.

Facebook was a very different company back then and as we have grown we have realised how our responsibilities have grown too. We take our role very seriously and we are working hard to improve.

Weve done a lot of work and research with outside experts and academics to understand the effects of our service on well-being, and were using it to inform our product development.

We are also making significant investments more in people, technology and processes, and  as Mark Zuckerberg said on the last earnings call  we are willing to reduce our profitability to make sure the right investments are made.
Chamath Palihapitiya

Brian Ach/Getty Images for TechCrunch

Chamath Palihapitiya, a former Facebook executive, said during a November interview at Stanford that social networks were "destroying how society works."

Other early Facebook executives have criticized the company in recent weeks as well.



Chamath Palihapitiya, a former Facebook executive, said in an interview at Stanford's Graduate School of Business that social media was damaging society.

The November talk, which was picked up by The Verge on Monday, is another example of early Facebook executives criticizing what they created.

Palihapitiya said a lot during the interview about Facebook's effect on society, but here's the money quote:

"The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse. No cooperation. Misinformation. Mistruth. And it's not an American problem. This is not about Russian ads. This is a global problem. So we are in a really bad state of affairs right now, in my opinion."

Palihapitiya also said that people building Facebook in the early days knew in the back of their minds that the platform could be abused but ignored their instincts.

"I feel tremendous guilt," Palihapitiya said. "In the back, deep, deep recesses of our mind, we kind of knew something bad could happen."

Watch the full interview:

Youtube Embed:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/PMotykw0SIk

Width: 560px

Height: 315px

NOW WATCH: Amazon has an oddly efficient way of storing stuff in its warehouses

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SEE ALSO: The FCC is going to repeal net neutrality and ruin the internet
CONAKRY, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Paris-based miner AMR began production at its Guinean bauxite mine on Tuesday, aiming initially to produce between 6 and 10 million tonnes a year of the aluminium ore, the company said.

Alliance Miniere Responsable (AMR) was founded by two French businessmen and major shareholders include former Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon and French telecoms tycoon Xavier Niel.

A company statement said the mine's output will all be sold to Societe Miniere de Boke, a Guinean company whose main shareholders are Singapore's privately-owned Winning International Group and China's Shandong Weiqao.

Guinea has about a third of the world's bauxite reserves, but annual production has hovered below 20 million tonnes a year for several years, owing largely to political instability.

In 2017, SMB expects to export more than 15 million tonnes of bauxite, putting it on a par with number one producer Guinea Bauxite Company (CBG), majority owned by Alcoa, Rio Tinto and Dadco.

Until 2015, CBG and Russia's Rouski Alumini were the only companies that exported bauxite from Guinea.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing and additional reporting by Tim Cocks in Dakar; Editing by Adrian Croft)
HSBC Holdings Plc HSBC is set to put behind the money laundering fraud it was involved in five years ago and is committed to improve security and compliance systems. The Department of Justice (DoJ) has agreed to file a motion with the U.S. District Court to dismiss the charges under the now expired Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA).

Background

In 2012, HSBC was fined a massive penalty of $1.9 billion for its involvement in helping the drug cartels launder money in Mexico and handling transactions for countries under U.S. sanctions, such as Iran, Libya and Sudan.

Also, the bank was made to sign a DPA, under which it promised to strengthen anti-laundering practices. Per the agreement, if the bank had faltered again, it would have been sued by the authorities.

HSBC was spared the horror of having a criminal record in the United States, which would have significantly hampered its operations in the country and adversely impacted financials.

HSBC had taken several steps to come out clean from the probation period. It invested quite a lot in the technologies required for regular monitoring of transactions. It also installed a special financial crime risk unit which looks over all areas of financial crime risk management.

Current Scenario

Shares of HSBC Holdings were up 1.7% yesterday, reflecting investors optimism on the expiration of the agreement.

In July 2013, an independent compliance monitor was appointed to annually review whether the bank is adhering to the requirements of the DPA. Also, he has been serving as HSBCs Skilled Person under a 2012 Direction issued by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and is expected to continue with his role for a period of time at the authoritys discretion.

Further, the bank remains committed to continuing with the progress it has made in anti-money laundering practices.

Stuart Gulliver, CEO of HSBC Holdings said, We are committed to doing our part to protect the integrity of the global financial system, and further improvements to our own capability and contributions toward the partnerships we have established with governments in this area.

Story continues

Our Take

The bank would now be able to put behind the case and look forward to developing its business. Also, it would be able to distribute excess capital to its shareholders, thus enhancing their value.

Shares of HSBC Holdings have gained 25% year to date, outperforming the 19.8% growth of the industry it belongs to.

Currently, the stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Stocks to Consider

Some foreign banks worth considering are Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited NTB, Credicorp Ltd BAP and ING Group ING. All these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Sons Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has been revised 2.2% upward in the last 60 days. The companys share price has risen almost 21% year to date.

Credicorps current-year earnings estimates have been revised nearly 1% upward over the last 60 days. Also, its shares have gained 32.3% so far this year.

ING Groups Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has moved 1.3% up over the last 60 days. Its share price has rallied 31.3% year to date.

More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!



It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.



Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.



Click here for the 6 trades >>



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Credicorp Ltd. (BAP) : Free Stock Analysis Report



HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBC) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Activist investor Carl Icahn says he will nominate four people to join the board of Xerox (XRX) at the annual shareholder meeting next year.

The move on Monday comes after former Icahn Capital managing director Jonathan Christodoro resigned from Xerox's board on Friday, fearing it would make decisions and take the company in a direction in which he "strongly disagrees," Xerox said on Monday. Christodoro joined Xerox's board in 2016 as part of an agreement with Icahn, and his departure ends that arrangement, clearing the way for new nominations.

Icahn Associates is Xerox's biggest outside shareholder, with a 9.4 percent stake, and Icahn first disclosed a stake two years ago. Xerox split into two companies last year: Conduent (CNDT), which contains its business services units, and Xerox, the equipment maker.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Icahn was aiming to shake up Xerox's top management in this latest fight. A date for the shareholder meeting has not yet been set. Icahn's new slate of nominees includes Christodoro; Keith Cozza, also associated with Icahn; Jay Firestone, the CEO of Prodigy Pictures, and Randolph Read, the CEO of Nevada Strategic Credit Investments, an investment fund.



More From CNBC
Financial website How Much looked at some of America's most popular stocks in 2007 to find out how much a $1,000 investment in each would be worth now. Turns out, coffee was a good bet: An investment of $1,000 in Starbucks in 2007 would be worth $4,687 as of October 31 this year, or more than four times as much. Of the companies it examined, Starbucks's performance fell short of only Apple , Amazon and the big winner, Netflix . An initial $1,000 investment in Netflix grew to a whopping $51,966 over that time period, according to How Much. In the graphic below, the blue dots are equivalent to a $1,000 initial investment, and the pink dots equal the investment's current total value."The larger the pink circle, the more your investment is worth," How Much notes. "If the pink fits inside the blue, then you lost money. The [graphic] assumes that you took any dividend paid out in cash and did not reinvest into the company by buying more stock."Any individual stock can over- or under-perform and past returns do not predict future results. Also, while Starbucks stock has recently performed well overall, some investors now have pause. CNBC reports that the coffee chain's revenue fell below Wall Street expectations last month, initiating a new long-term outlook with reduced earnings estimates heading into 2018. Chief executive officer Kevin Johnson says he's feeling good about meeting or exceeding those new targets. "The current environment that we're operating in and, with the work we're doing on throughput and innovation, we're optimistic we can exceed that," Johnson told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street.""This quarter alone, we have a strong holiday planned and we're already off to a good start. We're confident in our FY18 guidance and long-term guidance we've given."He added, "When we get into [the] holiday and we sell billions of dollars worth of Starbucks gift cards, many of those gift cards translate into rewards members." Starbucks Rewards membership this year grew 11 percent and those customers accounted for 36 percent of sales. David Tarantino, of wealth- and asset-management, c apital-markets and private-equity firm Baird , says that if the company achieves its new long-term goals it will continue to be "within the top-quartile of revenue growth for S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary companies." If you're thinking of investing in the stock market for the first time, veterans like Warren Buffett, Mark Cuban and Tony Robbins suggest you start carefully and consider index funds. Index funds hold every stock in an index such as the S&P 500, including big-name brands like Apple and Microsoft, and offer low turnover rates, attendant fees and tax bills. They also fluctuate with the market, stay pretty constant and eliminate the risk of picking individual stocks. Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook ! Don't miss: If you invested $1,000 in Amazon 10 years ago, here's how much you'd have now Video by Andrea Kramar Financial website How Much looked at some of America's most popular stocks in 2007 to find out how much a $1,000 investment in each would be worth now. Turns out, coffee was a good bet: An investment of $1,000 in Starbucks in 2007 would be worth $4,687 as of October 31 this year, or more than four times as much. Of the companies it examined, Starbucks's performance fell short of only Apple , Amazon and the big winner, Netflix . An initial $1,000 investment in Netflix grew to a whopping $51,966 over that time period, according to How Much. In the graphic below, the blue dots are equivalent to a $1,000 initial investment, and the pink dots equal the investment's current total value. "The larger the pink circle, the more your investment is worth," How Much notes. "If the pink fits inside the blue, then you lost money. The [graphic] assumes that you took any dividend paid out in cash and did not reinvest into the company by buying more stock." Any individual stock can over- or under-perform and past returns do not predict future results. Also, while Starbucks stock has recently performed well overall, some investors now have pause. CNBC reports that the coffee chain's revenue fell below Wall Street expectations last month, initiating a new long-term outlook with reduced earnings estimates heading into 2018. Chief executive officer Kevin Johnson says he's feeling good about meeting or exceeding those new targets. "The current environment that we're operating in and, with the work we're doing on throughput and innovation, we're optimistic we can exceed that," Johnson told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." "This quarter alone, we have a strong holiday planned and we're already off to a good start. We're confident in our FY18 guidance and long-term guidance we've given." He added, "When we get into [the] holiday and we sell billions of dollars worth of Starbucks gift cards, many of those gift cards translate into rewards members." Starbucks Rewards membership this year grew 11 percent and those customers accounted for 36 percent of sales. David Tarantino, of wealth- and asset-management, c apital-markets and private-equity firm Baird , says that if the company achieves its new long-term goals it will continue to be "within the top-quartile of revenue growth for S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary companies." If you're thinking of investing in the stock market for the first time, veterans like Warren Buffett, Mark Cuban and Tony Robbins suggest you start carefully and consider index funds. Index funds hold every stock in an index such as the S&P 500, including big-name brands like Apple and Microsoft, and offer low turnover rates, attendant fees and tax bills. They also fluctuate with the market, stay pretty constant and eliminate the risk of picking individual stocks. Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook ! Don't miss: If you invested $1,000 in Amazon 10 years ago, here's how much you'd have now Video by Andrea Kramar



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Personal Finance


Tuesday, December 12, 2017

What to watch today

With investors preparing for the Federal Reserve announcement on Wednesday and continuing to digest the debut of bitcoin futures trading, Tuesday will bring markets the weeks biggest political news. Alabama will vote to fill the Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, with the race pitting Democrat Doug Jones against Republican Roy Moore. Three polls released Monday show a very mixed picture for the race, with both Jones and Moore being shown to hold big leads in competing results and a third pointing to a race that is tied. Regardless of the outcome, Republicans will maintain a majority in the Senate, though it would be down a single vote if Jones were to prevail.

Elsewhere on the calendar, the economic schedule will bring us the November reading on small business confidence, which has been solid since President Donald Trumps surprise election win last year. This report will be watched for any commentary from the NFIB  the small-business group that publishes the report  on the proposed tax plans in Washington, D.C.

The earnings schedule has lightened up considerably as we approach the end of the year and a lull between third- and fourth-quarter earnings reporting periods, but on Tuesday we will get results from payments company Verifone (PAY) and recent IPO MongoDB (MDB).

Read More

Top news

Comcast drops bid for Fox assets, leaving Disney in pole position: Comcast Corp. (CCV) said on Monday it had abandoned its bid for most of the assets of Rupert Murdochs 21st Century Fox Inc. (FOX), leaving Walt Disney Co. (DIS) as the sole suitor in pursuit of the $40 billion-plus deal. Sources told Reuters last week that Disney was in the lead to acquire the assets, which include Foxs FX and National Geographic cable channels, its movie studio, the Star network in India and stake in European pay-TV provider Sky PLC. [Reuters]

Icahn wages new fight with Xerox: Activist investor Carl Icahn says he will nominate four people to join the board of Xerox (XRX) at the annual shareholder meeting next year. The move comes after former Icahn Capital managing director Jonathan Christodoro resigned from Xeroxs board on Friday, fearing it would make decisions and take the company in a direction in which he strongly disagrees, Xerox said on Monday. [CNBC]

Story continues

SoftBank to invest about $500 million more in satellite-internet venture: Japans SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to invest roughly $500 million more in satellite broadband provider OneWeb Ltd., according to a person familiar with the details, boosting the U.S. startups plan to offer significantly faster internet connections world-wide than most traditional systems, either space-based or terrestrial. The latest commitment would boost SoftBanks total investment in the project to about $1.5 billion. [The Wall Street Journal]

Buffetts about to get $3 billion back from Burger King owner: Restaurant Brands International Inc. (QSR) is scheduled to redeem $3 billion in preferred shares Tuesday from Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The money helped the fast-food chain finance its 2014 purchase of Tim Hortons. The redemption will take away a lucrative investment for Berkshire and add to Buffetts arsenal for investments and takeovers. [Bloomberg]

Bitcoin frenzy poses no threat to bullion, Goldman Sachs says: While bitcoin has shown much greater volatility and lower liquidity compared to gold, the $275 billion market value of bitcoin is dwarfed by golds $8.3 trillion, analysts including Jeffrey Currie and Michael Hinds wrote in a note dated Dec. 11. [Bloomberg]

Environmental activists display banners during a protest in support of the Paris climate accord as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

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southwest death threat

YouTube / CBS News

A passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight threatened to kill the flight's passengers and crew on Saturday.

The passenger had tampered with a bathroom smoke detector, and a flight attendant caught her smoking a cigarette, the airline told Business Insider.

The passenger was arrested on a felony charge and sent to jail on $75,000 bail.



A passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight from Portland to Sacramento threatened to kill everyone on the flight on Saturday after she was caught smoking a cigarette in the bathroom.

A local Portland news outlet, KOIN 6, reports that the passenger, Valerie Curbelo, tampered the smoke detector in one of the plane's bathrooms and smoked. After a flight attendant discovered what Curbelo had done, they entered the bathroom and attempted to return Curbelo to her seat. Curbelo then became agitated and confronted the flight attendant.

"I have a destination for myself, and I need to go there," Curbelo says in a video taken by another passenger. "I swear if you don't ... land, I will f---ing kill everybody on this f---ing plane!"





Curbelo was restrained by passengers and crew for 30 minutes until the flight landed, the passenger who shot the video told CBS 13, a local Sacramento news outlet. At that point, she was arrested on a felony charge and sent to jail on $75,000 bail, according to The Washington Post.

"The safety of our crew and passengers is our top priority, and we take all safety violations seriously," Southwest Airlines said in a statement to Business Insider.

When a reporter from CBS 13 asked Curbelo why she made the threat, she replied that she was confused by her behavior.

"I don't know," Curbelo said. "It was not me. It was not me."

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View.

NOW WATCH: Warren Buffett lives in a modest house that's worth .001% of his total wealth  here's what it looks like

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SEE ALSO: The woman who was forcibly dragged by police from a Southwest Airlines flight is now facing multiple charges
North Korea's ability to fire a nuclear warhead at the U.S. will soon become an accepted reality, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates told CNBC on Tuesday."I think that over the coming year, you'll see North Korea become accepted as having the capability to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead on it to the United States. A lot of people already believe that they have that capability," he said.Gates' comments come amid high tensions between the U.S. and North Korea as the regime of Kim Jong Un continues missile launches and nuclear tests despite international warnings to desist. North Korea sees the weapons as a way to defend itself against attack or attempts to overthrow Kim. There is widespread concern that North Korea is close to being able to mount nuclear warheads on its missiles  it claims it can already do so but this has not been independently verified. Gates, a former CIA director who was Pentagon secretary in the second Bush and Obama administrations, had no expectations that North Korea would suddenly give up its nuclear ambitions ahead of any discussions to de-escalate the ongoing regional crisis . "If the precondition for any negotiation is a statement or an affirmation by the North Koreans that they're going to give up their nuclear programs, then we're going nowhere," he said.Speaking to CNBC at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai, Gates said the key was to initiate negotiations that first of all "minimizes the threat of an incipient crisis and then begins to alleviate the tensions somewhat."Gates suggested that a way to start negotiations was to get North Korea to agree a "freeze" on the testing of both nuclear weapons and missiles "and then the beginning of a negotiation that over time could lead to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.""But anyone that thinks we're going to jump right to that is being very unrealistic," he said. "So the question is how do you keep tensions under control while that process plays out."China 'on a tight-wire'Attention has also focused on China as a potential broker for some kind of nuclear pact. The country is a traditional ally of North Korea and is its largest trading partner. However, it would not like to see regime change in North Korea and has previously signaled that it would defend the country if attacked by the U.S. On the other hand, China wants to preserve stability in the region and has tired of its bellicose neighbor's repeated defiance of warnings to stop its missile tests . Relations between the countries' leaders are reported to be frosty, particularly after North Korea conducted missile tests during China's hosting of high-profile events. Gates said that while China has influence over North Korea, "it doesn't have control.""(China is) responsible for 80 percent of the gross domestic product of the North, and they have the sole source of oil and coal and fuel for the North, but the Chinese concern is first and foremost about a collapse in the North that throws the control of the nuclear programs into question. But equally important, it would perhaps send millions of North Korean refugees into China," Gates said."Then they worry that if there is a collapse in the North, you end up with a South Korean-dominated, unified peninsula with the U.S. which is the worst of all possible worlds for China." Gates believes that China was trying to get North Korea to play down its nuclear program but that Beijing could go only so far before upsetting a delicate power balance in the region . "The Chinese would like to have a non-nuclear peninsula but they don't have the ability to make the North Koreans do that, except at very high risk of collapsing the whole regime, so they're walking a tight wire," he said."(The question is) how much pressure can you put on North Korea without bringing about a collapse, and they don't know the answer to that, and neither does anybody else," Gates added.North Korea is expected to be a topic for discussion when South Korea's President Moon Jae-in travels to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. The visit comes amid a row over Seoul's use of a U.S. anti-missile system that China believes uses a radar to see into its territory, Reuters reported. Gates also said President Donald Trump 's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was "ill-advised" and has probably "significantly" set back the Mideast peace process . North Korea's ability to fire a nuclear warhead at the U.S. will soon become an accepted reality, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates told CNBC on Tuesday. "I think that over the coming year, you'll see North Korea become accepted as having the capability to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead on it to the United States. A lot of people already believe that they have that capability," he said. Gates' comments come amid high tensions between the U.S. and North Korea as the regime of Kim Jong Un continues missile launches and nuclear tests despite international warnings to desist. North Korea sees the weapons as a way to defend itself against attack or attempts to overthrow Kim. There is widespread concern that North Korea is close to being able to mount nuclear warheads on its missiles  it claims it can already do so but this has not been independently verified. Gates, a former CIA director who was Pentagon secretary in the second Bush and Obama administrations, had no expectations that North Korea would suddenly give up its nuclear ambitions ahead of any discussions to de-escalate the ongoing regional crisis . "If the precondition for any negotiation is a statement or an affirmation by the North Koreans that they're going to give up their nuclear programs, then we're going nowhere," he said. Speaking to CNBC at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai, Gates said the key was to initiate negotiations that first of all "minimizes the threat of an incipient crisis and then begins to alleviate the tensions somewhat." Gates suggested that a way to start negotiations was to get North Korea to agree a "freeze" on the testing of both nuclear weapons and missiles "and then the beginning of a negotiation that over time could lead to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula." "But anyone that thinks we're going to jump right to that is being very unrealistic," he said. "So the question is how do you keep tensions under control while that process plays out." China 'on a tight-wire' Attention has also focused on China as a potential broker for some kind of nuclear pact. The country is a traditional ally of North Korea and is its largest trading partner. However, it would not like to see regime change in North Korea and has previously signaled that it would defend the country if attacked by the U.S. On the other hand, China wants to preserve stability in the region and has tired of its bellicose neighbor's repeated defiance of warnings to stop its missile tests . Relations between the countries' leaders are reported to be frosty, particularly after North Korea conducted missile tests during China's hosting of high-profile events. Gates said that while China has influence over North Korea, "it doesn't have control." "(China is) responsible for 80 percent of the gross domestic product of the North, and they have the sole source of oil and coal and fuel for the North, but the Chinese concern is first and foremost about a collapse in the North that throws the control of the nuclear programs into question. But equally important, it would perhaps send millions of North Korean refugees into China," Gates said. "Then they worry that if there is a collapse in the North, you end up with a South Korean-dominated, unified peninsula with the U.S. which is the worst of all possible worlds for China." Gates believes that China was trying to get North Korea to play down its nuclear program but that Beijing could go only so far before upsetting a delicate power balance in the region . "The Chinese would like to have a non-nuclear peninsula but they don't have the ability to make the North Koreans do that, except at very high risk of collapsing the whole regime, so they're walking a tight wire," he said. "(The question is) how much pressure can you put on North Korea without bringing about a collapse, and they don't know the answer to that, and neither does anybody else," Gates added. North Korea is expected to be a topic for discussion when South Korea's President Moon Jae-in travels to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. The visit comes amid a row over Seoul's use of a U.S. anti-missile system that China believes uses a radar to see into its territory, Reuters reported. Gates also said President Donald Trump 's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was "ill-advised" and has probably "significantly" set back the Mideast peace process .



More From CNBC


Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Mario Batali steps away from the kitchen, Alabama voters will finally decide the fate of Roy Moore, and 11-year-old Zoe Terry is the very definition of #BlackGirlMagic. Have a lovely Tuesday.

EVERYONES TALKING

 Roy Day. Today, voters in Alabama will cast their ballots in what has to be one of the most closely-watched Senate races in recent history. The ahead-of-schedule special election is due to a vacancy that arose from the resignation of Jeff Sessions, who now serves as U.S. attorney general. What should have been a relatively easy victory for the GOPAlabama hasnt voted for a Democratic president since 1976is now exceptionally difficult to predict, per The New York Times.

The primary reason for the nail-bitingly-close contest is the multitude of allegations against the Republican candidate, Roy Moore. The former Alabama state judge has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances towardsand in some cases, assaultingteenage girls as young as 14 while he was in his thirties. Nine women have spoken out against Moore, and while the politician has vacillated between acknowledging some sort of relationship with a few of them and none at all, his latest story is that they are all liars. 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, he said at a recent campaign event.

Many see this election as a test of Americans willingness to believe victims of harassment and assault. While many a powerful man has been knocked off his perch recently as a result of sexual misconduct, this is the first instance in the #MeToo era in which U.S. voters are the ones to decide his fate. One potentially revealing statistic from my Fortune colleague Grace Donnellys analysis of a national Morning Consult poll is that fewer voters find Moores accusers credible than Trumps (42% believe accusations against the Senate hopeful, while 53% believe those against the president).

Story continues

While it may be tempting to use tonights election results as a yardstick for how we as a country view mistreatment of women, remember that this is one election in one (very red) stateand that only about a quarter of voters there are expected to go to the polls. And while powerful men, namely President Donald Trump, have endorsed MooreGo get em, Royits encouraging that the controversy has prompted some female Republicans to speak up just as loudly. On Monday, Nebraska Republican National Committeewoman Joyce Simmons resigned due to the RNCs financial support of Moore, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, an Alabama native, urged voters to reject bigotry, sexism and intolerance, saying: I encourage you to take a stand for our core principles and for what is right.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

 The latest casualties

Mario Batali has stepped away from his restaurant chain and is leaving his ABC show The Chew after four women came forward to accuse the celebrity chef of making unwanted physical advances (e.g. grabbing their breasts and buttocks). Batali said that much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted. That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses.

Ryan Lizza , a long-time New Yorker journalist, has been fired from the magazine over improper sexual conduct. Lizza doesnt believe he has done anything wrong, however. I am dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate, he said.

Marshall Faulk, Heath Evans and Ike Taylor have been suspended by NFL Network pending an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Allegations against the three football analysts were made in a lawsuit by a former employee who sued NFL Enterprises, the leagues media arm, for age and sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and a hostile work environment.

 It hurt. Three women who have accused President Trump of sexual misconduct appeared in a live TV interview on Megyn Kelly Today and described what it was like to see their alleged abuser voted into the nations highest office. For us to put ourselves out there to try to show America who this man is and especially how he views women and for them to say Eh, we dont care, it hurt, said one of the women, Jessica Holvey. Fortune

 Why is he off the hook? If youre looking for yet another example of how differently the public and private sectors are reacting to allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men, consider this: Texas Rep. Blake Farenholdt (R) paid $84,000 in taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit three years ago and has an open Ethics Committee investigation into his behavior. Yet only a few Republicans have called for his resignation. New York Times

 Word of the year. Merriam-Websters word of the year is feminism, which it defines as the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes and organized activities on behalf of womens rights and interests. Searches for the term on the dictionary site increased 70% over 2016. Associated Press

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

 Consider yourself warned. Beatrice Fihn, director of the anti-nuclear weapons group that won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for helping push a nuclear weapons ban through the UN, said in her Nobel acceptance speech that our mutual destruction is only one impulsive tantrum away. She didnt specify whose tantrum, but when asked in a follow-up interview about President Trumps temperament, said, I think its a very dangerous situation. Washington Post

 #BlackGirlMagic. Meet Zoe Terry, the 11-year-old mastermind behind Zoes Dolls. The nonprofit collects dolls of color at public sites in Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida, and gives them to other black and brown girls so they could feel beautiful and less alone. So far the program has distributed almost 20,000 dolls to 4,000 girls in the U.S., Haiti, and Zambia. Bloomberg

 The life of Leia. In advance of this weeks premiere of The Last Jedi, The New York Times has compiled this playful multimedia timeline of the life of Princess Leia Organa, one of the most powerful figures in her galaxyand one of the most iconic characters in our galaxy. New York Times

Share todays Broadsheet with a friend.

Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.

ON MY RADAR

Pushy vs. pushover: how workplace labels are holding women back Refinery29

Sexual harassment training doesnt work. But some things do. New York Times

21 Rohingya women recount rape by Myanmar armed forces Washington Post

Big Little Lies season 2 is officially happening, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman to star New York Magazine

QUOTE
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A screen grab from the Munchee website[/caption] SAN FRANCISCO  The Securities and Exchange Commission gave new hints Monday about how it views the application of securities laws to initial coin offerings (ICO), in an announcement that it had intervened to halt a $15 million ICO by a food review app startup called Munchee. A 10-page cease-and-desist order against the San Francisco-based company underscored that the SEC believes that so-called utility tokens may still be securities, and that how a token sale is marketed can also affect whether the ICO is subject to regulation. Its the latest move by the SECs new Cyber Unit, which took its first enforcement action last week against an alleged scam ICO launched by a repeat fraudster in Canada, and an indication of just how closely regulators are monitoring this space. Munchee launched its ICO at the end of October but pulled the plug early the next month and refunded purchasers of its MUN token. In the order, the SEC said that the company voluntarily stopped the offering after it was contacted by commission staff. (Publicly, Munchee had said on social media it halted the ICO to ensure it is in compliance with applicable laws/regulations. ) According to the SEC order, the company had advertised that purchasers of MUN tokens would eventually have the ability to participate in its new blockchain ecosystemmaking in-app purchases, buying food from participating restaurants, and earning more tokens by adding reviews to its platform. But the company also led prospective purchasers to believe that MUN tokens would rise in value and were a good investment, according to the order. That tilted in favor of the SECs conclusion that the tokens were securities under what is known as the Howey test, after the landmark 1946 U.S. Supreme Court decision SEC v. W.J. Howey, the agency said. Munchee and its agents targeted the marketing of the MUN tokens offering to people with an interest in tokens or other digital assets that have in recent years created profits for early investors in ICOs, the SEC wrote. This marketing did not use the Munchee app or otherwise specifically target current users of the Munchee app to promote how purchasing MUN tokens might let them qualify for higher tiers and bigger payments on future reviews.  Instead, Munchee and its agents promoted the MUN token offering in forums aimed at people interested in investing in Bitcoin and other digital assets, it added. Munchee, in its white paper explaining the concept behind the MUN tokens, claimed that it had done an analysis of its offering under the Howey test and concluded that its ICO did not implicate securities laws, according to the order. But the SEC said Munchee did not publish that analysis. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. A public link to its web page about its token offering was down.

 Read Read What's Next from Ben Hancock for insightful commentary on how new technologies are challenging old laws and changing the legal profession. Sign up here.

The MUN tokens, which were sold over the Ethereum blockchain, could not be used to buy anything at the time of sale, according to the cease-and-desist order. But it notes that even if MUN tokens had a practical use at the time of the offering, it would not preclude the token from being a security. That appears to stand in contrast to legal analysis by the lawyers behind the SAFT Project, who rolled out a proposed framework for compliant digital token offerings in early October that said once tokens become functional, they are not securities under the law. (SAFT is an acronym for Simple Agreement for Future Tokens, a riff on the name of a preceding legal instrument for investors called the "Simple Agreement for Future Equity.") The SEC has made clear that just because you state that the token is a utility tokenand that you reference that you may have done an analysis [under the Howey test]that that isnt conclusive, said Joshua Ashley Klayman, chair of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance Legal Working Group and an attorney at Morrison & Foerster. David Miller, a securities plaintiffs lawyer in Florida at Silver Miller, said that the SECs view is consistent with the practical reality of an ICO. People are investing in them as a security regardless of whether or not there is a utility component to the coin as well. Klayman also said the order illustrates that token sellers need to be careful about how they market their offering. One really illuminating aspect of this order is it shows that the SEC is watching these ICOs in real time, she added.
As Republicans rush to jam through a tax bill before year-end, their plan faces two major problems, Sen. Chuck Grassley said on Monday. The Iowa Republican said House and Senate negotiators still need to compromise on the treatment of the alternative minimum tax and state and local tax deductions. A conference committee aims to resolve differences between separate bills passed in the House and Senate and hash out a joint bill that can pass both chambers before Christmas. "I think I can tell you some problems have come up very definitely with the corporation AMT and even the individual one," Grassley told CNBC's "Squawk Box."He added that "some compromise has to be worked out" on popular tax breaks used by people in high-tax states like New York, California and New Jersey.In a last-minute rush to win votes for its tax bill, the Senate added back the alternative minimum tax, which both chambers initially proposed to scrap. The Senate used the measures to pay for other tax breaks that won over skeptical senators.The AMT makes corporations or individuals pay a minimum tax if tax breaks make their burden too low. The corporate AMT is currently set at 20 percent, and some corporations pay the higher rate after calculating their tax obligations under both the standard corporate structure and the AMT. Since Republicans want to chop the corporate rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, the corporate AMT could affect numerous companies under the proposal. Businesses swiftly pushed back against the Senate proposal, arguing that it could stifle research and investment. Top House tax writer Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., have slammed the alternative minimum tax . On the state and local tax deduction side, both bills would allow only up to $10,000 in property tax deductions. House Republicans in high-tax blue states seek more generous tax breaks because the loss of those deductions could raise taxes for their constituents.Grassley said Monday the "only" solution he has heard is also allowing up to $10,000 in state and local income tax deductions.Making changes to those measures would spark another dilemma of how to pay for them. Grassley said cutting the corporate tax rate to only 22 percent rather than 20 percent would offset the alternative minimum tax or state and local deduction tweaks. But he said Republicans should chop the rate to 20 percent to make U.S. businesses more competitive worldwide.WATCH: Grassley on two big sticking points to tax reform As Republicans rush to jam through a tax bill before year-end, their plan faces two major problems, Sen. Chuck Grassley said on Monday. The Iowa Republican said House and Senate negotiators still need to compromise on the treatment of the alternative minimum tax and state and local tax deductions. A conference committee aims to resolve differences between separate bills passed in the House and Senate and hash out a joint bill that can pass both chambers before Christmas. "I think I can tell you some problems have come up very definitely with the corporation AMT and even the individual one," Grassley told CNBC's "Squawk Box." He added that "some compromise has to be worked out" on popular tax breaks used by people in high-tax states like New York, California and New Jersey. In a last-minute rush to win votes for its tax bill, the Senate added back the alternative minimum tax, which both chambers initially proposed to scrap. The Senate used the measures to pay for other tax breaks that won over skeptical senators. The AMT makes corporations or individuals pay a minimum tax if tax breaks make their burden too low. The corporate AMT is currently set at 20 percent, and some corporations pay the higher rate after calculating their tax obligations under both the standard corporate structure and the AMT. Since Republicans want to chop the corporate rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, the corporate AMT could affect numerous companies under the proposal. Businesses swiftly pushed back against the Senate proposal, arguing that it could stifle research and investment. Top House tax writer Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., have slammed the alternative minimum tax . On the state and local tax deduction side, both bills would allow only up to $10,000 in property tax deductions. House Republicans in high-tax blue states seek more generous tax breaks because the loss of those deductions could raise taxes for their constituents. Grassley said Monday the "only" solution he has heard is also allowing up to $10,000 in state and local income tax deductions. Making changes to those measures would spark another dilemma of how to pay for them. Grassley said cutting the corporate tax rate to only 22 percent rather than 20 percent would offset the alternative minimum tax or state and local deduction tweaks. But he said Republicans should chop the rate to 20 percent to make U.S. businesses more competitive worldwide. WATCH: Grassley on two big sticking points to tax reform



More From CNBC


The snowfall has affected the flow of pilgrims. Helicopter services to Vashnodevi have been suspended.

By Ashraf Wani: The shrine of Vaishnodevi in Katra area of Jammu has witnessed severe snowfall coupled with cold winds and rains. The snowfall has affected the flow of pilgrims on the stretch. Earlier today, due to bad weather and fog around Trikuta hills, helicopter services were suspended for the second day in a row to the shrine.

The four Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri located in these districts are snow-laden while the maximum temperature has plummeted by 4-6 degrees Celsius at most places due to light to moderate rains adding to the chill.

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According to Jagdish Singh, Sub -Divisional Magistrate, that upper reaches of Bharoghati has witnessed heavy snowfall followed by rainfall. Singh said that the snow in the upper reaches has began melting. He added that the yatra will increase in view of December 31.

According to Singh, the number of pilgrims is expected to cross 50,000 in view of the new year celebrations, as many pilgrims celebrate it at Vaishnodevi.

In view of the rains and snowy winds, cars run on battery have been halted to avoid any untoward incident on the 13 km stretch. Singh added that the yatra is moving smoothly between Katra and Bhawan and the pilgrims have been asked to wear warm clothes.

Sources close to the shrine said that they are expecting heavy snowfall in the temple area tonight.

SNOWFALL, RAINS IN HILL DISTRICTS OF UTTARAKHAND

Earlier today, snowfall was reported in the higher reaches of the hill districts of Uttarakhand. Incidentally, rains in most places brought the temperatures down across the state today making it chillier.

Widespread rains were reported from most places in the last 24 hours while 1-2 feet of snow was received in areas located above 3,000 feet and in Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts, Meteorological office director Vikram Singh said.

The maximum temperature in Dehradun yesterday was 26 degrees Celsius which hovered around 20 degrees Celsius, he said. Overcast conditions still prevail and intermittent rains are continuing, he said. Similar weather will persist in Uttarakhand till tomorrow, he said, adding that the clouds may lift by Thursday morning. However, minimum temperature will drop as the weather clears up, Singh said.OVERNIGHT DRIZZLING IN DELHI

Meanwhile, on Monday Delhi witnessed drizzles bringing down the temperature in the adjoining cities. The minimum temperature was recorded 10 degree Celsius against 14 of Monday and the maximum temperature was recorded 22 deg Celsius, three notches below yesterday.

The rain helped the dust and smog to settle and the pollution level was down to 'poor' category. The chilly winds attracted tourists at popular destinations like India Gate and Rajpath. The parks and lawns adjoining India Gate were also full with tourists.

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The weathermen say the temperature is likely to decrease further and the minimum is likely to hover around 9-10 degree Celsius.

"Due to a fresh western disturbance the clouds will remain in Delhi's sky throughout the week and the maximum temperature will not increase above 22 degree Celsius. Light spells of rain can also occur," said a weather department official.

--- ENDS ---
Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong income characteristics for investors to consider today, December 11th:

NG Groep N.V. (ING): This financial institution has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings advancing 1.3% over the last 60 days.

ING Group, N.V. Price and Consensus

ING Group, N.V. Price and Consensus

ING Group, N.V. price-consensus-chart | ING Group, N.V. Quote

This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 3.26%, compared with the industry average of 2.34%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 1.62%.

ING Group, N.V. Dividend Yield (TTM)

ING Group, N.V. Dividend Yield (TTM)

ING Group, N.V. dividend-yield-ttm | ING Group, N.V. Quote

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. (SXCP): This nonmetallic mineral mining company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 2.5% over the last 60 days.

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. Price and Consensus

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. Price and Consensus

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. price-consensus-chart | SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. Quote

This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 13.94%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 12.52%.

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. Dividend Yield (TTM)

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. Dividend Yield (TTM)

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Banco Santander-Chile (BSAC): This commercial and retail banking products provider has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings advancing 1.7% over the last 60 days.

Banco Santander Chile Price and Consensus

Banco Santander Chile Price and Consensus

Banco Santander Chile price-consensus-chart | Banco Santander Chile Quote

This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 3.16%, compared with the industry average of 2.34%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 3.78%.

Banco Santander Chile Dividend Yield (TTM)

Banco Santander Chile Dividend Yield (TTM)

Banco Santander Chile dividend-yield-ttm | Banco Santander Chile Quote

Spire Inc. (SR): This utility company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.5% over the last 60 days.

Story continues

Spire Inc. Price and Consensus

Spire Inc. Price and Consensus

Spire Inc. price-consensus-chart | Spire Inc. Quote

This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 2.62%, compared with the industry average of 2.51%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 3.44%.

Spire Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)

Spire Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -- More than 300 Baluch separatist militants have surrendered over the past few months, Pakistani government officials said, after a ceremony to mark the downing of guns and militants return to civilian life.

The surrenders are part of government efforts to end a decade-long insurgency in southwestern Balochistan Province by offering amnesty and financial rewards to soldiers and commanders to help them re-integrate into society.

In a high-profile ceremony on the lawn of the Balochistan provincial assembly in the western city of Quetta, the regional capital, some 313 militants from three separatist movements handed over weapons to Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, the chief minister of the province.

I will hug all who believe in the integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan but will not tolerate (those) who will challenge the writ of the state, Zehri said at the ceremony on December 9.

Pakistani government officials say about 2,000 militants have surrendered over the past 18 months. In April, the government held a similar ceremony in which about 400 militants handed over their guns.

The latest ceremony saw surrenders by 143 militants from the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), 125 fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and 17 from Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), according to officials.

Under the agreement, foot soldiers are given 500,000 rupees ($4,700) and top-level commanders receive about 1 million rupees ($9,500) to help them and their families build a life after militancy.

Balochistans government and the powerful army, which has a huge say in the running of Pakistans poorest province, tout the amnesties as an effective way to reduce the power of separatists who accuse Islamabad of exploiting Balochistan.

While security has improved in Balochistan over the past few years, critics and human rights groups say the army has crushed dissent and free speech, while separatists accuse security officials of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances. The military denies abuse claims.

Pakistans desire to dismantle the insurgencies has grown in urgency amid vast Chinese investment from Beijings Belt and Road infrastructure splurge. China has frequently urged Pakistan to improve security, especially in Balochistan.

A new transport corridor (CPEC) through Balochistan, linking Western China with Pakistans Arabian Sea port of Gwadar, is due to become operational in late 2018.

Separatists have vowed to disrupt CPEC, and earlier this week China warned its citizens of a security threat inside Pakistan.

Additional reporting by Syed Raza Hassan; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Toby Chopra
China has stressed the need for Pakistan to guard against external interferences and prevent domestic disturbances for promoting the construction of massive infrastructure and energy projects under a multi-billion dollar bilateral economic corridor.



Visiting Chinese Assistant Minister of International Department Wang Yajun made the remarks on December 11 while briefing a large audience in Islamabad.



Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), more than $62 billion in Chinese investment during the next 15 years will lead to building of a network of roads, rails, communications, special economic zones, and power plants in Pakistan.



The corridor aims to provide landlocked western China access to international markets through the southwestern Pakistani Arabian Sea port of Gwadar, while addressing Islamabads energy needs and economic development. Beijing considers CPEC as the flagship project of its global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).



I want to express our strong conviction and determination to press ahead the CPEC to deliver more benefits to the people of Pakistan, vowed Yaun. He noted that completion of several power plants under the project has already effectively addressed Pakistans energy crisis.

Transparency

Critics in Pakistan, however, complain about an unfair implementation of CPEC projects and a lack of transparency, saying the most populous province of Punjab is taking away a majority of power plants being installed along the corridor.



There are also concerns Chinese nationals and products will flood Pakistani markets, and undermine local industry and opportunities for laborers.



We want to build a CPEC that is a clean corridor, a corridor of integrity, emphasized Yaun, while responding to the criticism.



We should also guard against the interference from external forces and also prevent the domestic disturbances ... to promote the CPEC construction, so that we can make CPEC a pathway of common development, a pathway of shared fruits and the shared future, noted the Chinese minister.



He touted Chinas national anti-corruption campaign for making political life in the country more clean and transparent. Yaun noted that during the past five years, more than 75,000 Chinese officials have been punished for corruption, including 440 high-ranking officers at or above the vice minister levels.



Security Threats



Pakistani officials allege recent rise in deadly militant attacks, particularly in sparsely populated largest province of Balochistan, where Gwadar is situated, is being sponsored by rival India to subvert CPEC.



India denies the allegations, though it has openly raised objections to the corridor, saying it passes through the disputed Kashmir territory. Both Pakistan and China dismiss those objections.



Last week, China warned its citizens and organizations in Pakistan to keep a low profile, saying it has received intelligence reports of plans for imminent terror attacks targeting them.



Pakistan has also lately been under renewed pressure from the United States for allegedly harboring terrorist groups involved in attacks against neighboring countries.



Chinese Minister Yaun tried to ally fears security concerns might force Beijing to pull out from CPEC commitments. He insisted the collaboration has instead further cemented traditionally "all weather" strong and deep bilateral ties.



In China, we have a saying that we would rather give up the gold than giving up the friendship between China and Pakistan.



Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain, who heads a parliamentary committee on CPEC, told the seminar that all the infrastructure projects are being closely monitored and so far no evidence of corruption has been brought up.



There are 9,581 Chinese engineers, technicians and experts working on CPEC projects, and another 10,000 working on non-CPEC projects. There is no Chinese labor involved in these projects, Hussain said, noting labor prices in China are more than double those in Pakistan.



Since launching CPEC in 2013, China has invested $19 billion and 19 early harvest infrastructure projects plus the energy projects have either been completed or are in the process of completion.



They include expansion of Gwadar port that officials anticipate will become South Asias largest transit and transshipment facility within next five years, with an annual capacity of handling 13 million tons of cargo. It will be among the worlds top deepwater seaports by 2030 and will be capable of yearly handling up to 400-million tons of cargo.

-- Voice Of America
CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NXT Energy Solutions Inc. (NXT Energy or the Company) (TSX:SFD) (OTCQB:NSFDF) is pleased announce that its client Petroquimica Comodoro Rivadavia (PCR) has drilled multiple successful wells as part of their 2016/2017 drilling campaign corresponding to SFD recommendations made in their Colhue Huapi exploration concession subsequent to a SFD survey carried out in 2012.



The airborne SFD data was acquired and interpreted using a grid survey over the 4,000 km2 exploration area. This generated multiple SFD Leads that exhibited signal patterns consistent with a valid trapping mechanism and were recommended for further geological and geophysical investigation. Seismic surveys were later designed by PCR to cover the recommended areas and subsequent integration of the SFD and seismic/geologic data resulted in the selection of the drilling locations.

Mr. Miguel Torilo, Manager of Oil and Gas at PCR commented, We utilized the SFD technology in order to optimize our seismic acquisition program and to focus our exploration resources on the most prospective regions of our block. Ensuing integration of the SFD data with other geological and geophysical data combined with the drilling results to date are indicative of the effectiveness of the SFD technology within the exploration cycle.

Mr. George Liszicasz, President and CEO of NXT commented, We are pleased to be able to contribute effectively to PCR and to our worldwide clients hydrocarbon exploration programs and to help them reach their objectives.

NXT Energy is a Calgary based company whose proprietary Stress Field Detection ("SFD") survey system utilizes quantum-scale sensors to detect gravity field perturbations in an airborne survey method which can be used both onshore and offshore to remotely identify areas with exploration potential for traps and reservoirs. The SFD survey system enables our clients to focus their hydrocarbon exploration decisions concerning land commitments, data acquisition expenditures and prospect prioritization on areas with the greatest potential. SFD is environmentally friendly and unaffected by ground security issues or difficult terrain, and is the registered trademark of NXT Energy Solutions Inc. NXT Energy provides its clients with an effective and reliable method to reduce time, costs, and risks related to exploration.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include forward-looking statements. When used in this document, words such as intends, plans, anticipates, expects and scheduled, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties, and although the Company believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Any number of factors can cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Risk factors facing NXT Energy are described in its most recent MD&A for the period ended 30th June 2016, which has been filed electronically by means of the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR") located at www.sedar.com. Such forward-looking statements are made as at the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them, either publicly or otherwise, to reflect new events, information or circumstances, except as may be required under applicable securities law.

For further information, please contact:

George Liszicasz

President & CEO

NXT Energy Solutions Inc.

+1-403-206-0800

nxt_info@nxtenergy.com

www.nxtenergy.com

Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) nor the OTC QB Markets accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
AUSTIN, Texas and BERLIN, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Younicos has completed the installation and commissioning of an upgraded 36-megawatt (MW) battery-based energy storage system at the site of Duke Energys 153 MW Notrees Windpower Project in West Texas. The company replaced previously deployed lead-acid technology with advanced Samsung SDI lithium-ion batteries.



The Notrees system has been in operation since 2012, actively participating in Texas grid operator ERCOTs Fast Response Regulation Services (FRRS) market. The new lithium-ion battery system will increase duration of discharge at the facility, enabling it to expand service delivery in the FRRS market. It will also have the capability to provide additional fast-responding services currently under development by ERCOT as part of its ancillary service market redesign.

Duke Energy Renewables was a pioneer in its early adoption and installation of the Notrees Battery Storage Project, one of the largest in the nation, said Jeff Wehner, vice president operations, Duke Energy Renewables. Investing in updated technology will extend the life of the project, enhance performance and reliability, and expand the value it provides to the ERCOT market.

In 2016, Duke Energy Renewables began the process to upgrade Notrees older battery technology, in two phases. The first phase involved replacing 50 percent of the batteries, while the system continued to operate using Younicos hybrid control software. In phase two, the remaining lead-acid batteries were replaced with lithium-ion, without any performance interruption. During this swap-out process, the remaining life of the existing lead-acid technology was maximized, showcasing the flexibility and capability of Younicos proprietary Y.Q software.

Were proud to once again partner with Duke Energy to upgrade this system, which has been the largest wind-connected storage resource in North America for over five years, said Jayesh Goyal, Managing Director of Younicos. Our Y.Q software performed seamlessly during the upgrade process, reinforcing its flexibility and multi-mode operational capability.

As we look ahead to integrating more storage technology with our renewables projects, the Notrees system demonstrates our ability to serve an important customer, ERCOT, and at the same time create value from energy storage systems, said Spencer Hanes, managing director of business development for energy storage, Duke Energy Renewables.

About Younicos

Younicos is the pioneer and market leader in game-changing energy and grid solutions based on battery storage. We provide utilities, independent power producers, microgrids and C&I customers with turnkey storage systems, supporting a wide range of business opportunities. Younicos employs 130 storage experts in Berlin, Germany and Austin, Texas. In July 2017, Younicos was acquired by Aggreko and is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the global leader in mobile power, heating and cooling. For more information please visit www.younicos.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Duke Energy Renewables

Duke Energy Renewables primarily acquires, develops, builds and operates wind and solar renewable generation throughout the continental U.S. The portfolio includes nonregulated renewable energy and energy storage assets. Duke Energy Renewables renewable energy includes utility-scale wind and solar generation assets, which total 2,900 MW across 14 states from 20 commercial wind and 63 solar projects. The power produced from renewable generation is primarily sold through long-term contracts to utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities and commercial and industrial customers. Learn more at https://www.duke-energy.com/renewable.

Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.

Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Philadelphia, PA, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Deacom, Inc., the developer of a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, is the new ERP provider for US Polyco, a manufacturer of polymer-modified asphalt. By implementing DEACOM ERP, US Polyco will have the strong technical foundation needed to confidently explore the growth opportunities associated with doubling its production capacity in 2018.

Previously, we were running on a combination of software systems which, while it may have been able to accommodate our needs as a smaller company, is no longer a sustainable option as we look to open a new facility next year, said Marvin Small, CFO of US Polyco. Deacoms ERP platform provides us everything we need from within their core system. It allows us to bring all departments and facilities onto a comprehensive software system. We are excited about the potential to drive lot traceability, strengthen process controls, and scale our business without being held back by our technology.

Constantly faced with unique customer requests for raw materials upstream, manufacturing processes, and QC test requirements, the growing manufacturer is eager to replace manual processes with more automated, standardized procedures. DEACOM is able to help the manufacturer enforce strong process controls with real-time inventory traceability to reduce costly errors, increase efficiency, and ensure the proper procedures are being followed.

As US Polyco looks to expand into new applications and verticals, the complexity of their business will inevitably evolve. Not only does Deacoms platform solve a lot of the challenges we face today, but also those that we expect to encounter over the upcoming years due to the expansion through facilities, product lines, and workforce, said Small.

For more information about Deacom, visit www.deacom.com or call 1-877-4-DEACOM.

###

About Deacom, Inc.

Deacom, Inc. is the producer of DEACOM ERP, a comprehensive ERP platform with the industrys largest functional foundation. As the artisans of ERP software, Deacom builds functionality that specifically resolves the complex challenges of manufacturers and distributors. With a focus on constantly evolving the software, critical business functionality is developed by Deacom into the core platform. This provides a unique opportunity for customers to increase operational efficiency and decrease the total costs of ERP ownership. The companys headquarters is located in Chesterbrook, Pa. To learn more, visit www.deacom.com, follow on Twitter or call 1-877-4-DEACOM.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7b79b4d-2208-4e09-9bae-a97d316a1035
By Geeta Mohan: After India, China foreign ministers meet on the sidelines of RIC (Russia-India-China) meet in New Delhi, the two sides have decided to have the border talks in quick succession on 20-21 December. Special Representatives on border talks of India and China, NSA Ajit Doval and State Counselor Yang Jeichi, respectively, would meet in New Delhi.

After the Doklam crisis that led to tensions between India and China to epic proportions, the thaw came ahead of the BRICS Summit when both sides mutually agreed to pullback from the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction. MailToday has learnt that both sides want to focus on "areas of convergences" and build on the "commonality". The reason why, without brushing any concerns under the carpet, the two sides would like to move forward.

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The RIC meet gave India and China an opportunity to take things froward from the meeting that was held in Xiamen between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi where the decision was taken to engage at foreign ministry and SR level.

The dates were finalised when the foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the RIC meet. Amid the controversies and concerns, all three nations found ways to come together in the fight against terrorism. A core issue for India.

The 15th Russia, India and China meet joint communique condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including the recent heinous terrorist attacks around the world. While there were no terrorists or terror networks that were named as was the case in BRICS joint statement, the communique did mention "proscribed" terrorists and organisations. It said, "We agree to strengthen cooperation to take decisive and concerted actions against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities. We condemn all forms of terrorism and all terrorists, terror entities and organizations listed by the UN Security Council."

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in her address to the media mentioned the names of organisations emphasising on the need for a comprehensive policy on global terror. She said, "While discussing terrorism, I put across my view that significant rise in acts of terrorism by terrorist organizations like Taliban, Daesh (ISIS), Al-Qaeda, and LeT directly undermine international peace and security and endanger ongoing efforts to strengthen the global economy and ensure sustainable growth and development. India strongly recommends a comprehensive policy for dealing with global terrorism."

When asked if Hafiz Saeed and banning of Masood Azhar at the UNSC came up during the talks, a highly placed source told MailToday, "All issues were discussed. There is a need to focus on the bigger picture and not let one issue hold the relationship hostage."

Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi said, "We discussed issue of terrorism and ways to fight against it". And Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov added to it reiterating Russia's policy of "zero tolerance"towards terrorism. "Fight against terrorism should be united and there must not be any kind of compromise in this regard", he said.

Apart from terrorism the three foreign ministers discussed disarmament, situation in the Middle East and North Africa, global economic challenges, transnational organised crime, illicit drug trafficking, food security and climate change.

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ALSO WATCH | India, China agree to disengage on Doklam ending two-and-a-half-month-long standoff

--- ENDS ---
German English

The Board of Directors of Sika has decided to set up a new, strong region Americas. The aim is to create a more efficient supply chain and benefit from larger purchasing volumes in the closely intertwined regions of North and Latin America. This change will take effect as of March 1, 2018.

The new region will be headed by Christoph Ganz, currently Regional Manager North America. Jose Luis Vazquez, the present Regional Manager Latin America, will leave Group Management from March 1, 2018. He will remain in the company to support the new structure and further development of the region. Jose Luis Vazquez has led Latin America for many years, and the region has shown exceptional performance under his leadership. The Board of Directors wishes to thank Jose Luis Vazquez for his excellent work and for his many years of service as a member of Group Management.

Paul Schuler, CEO: "This change is a further step towards making the company even more efficient and gearing activities towards growth with a clear customer focus. I have no doubt that, with our new structure and the experienced Group Management team, we will strengthen the implementation of our strategic targets 2020."

CONTACT

Dominik Slappnig

Corporate Communications &

Investor Relations

+41 58 436 68 21

slappnig.dominik@ch.sika.com

SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing and protecting in the building sector and automotive industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 99 countries around the world and manufactures in over 200 factories. Its more than 17,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 5.75 billion in 2016.

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:
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Haifa is on the "front line" in any action in the north but this blog looks at life in the shadow of danger to all of Israel
News_release

In remote Italian villages nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and mountains lives a group of several hundred citizens over the age of 90. Researchers at the University of Rome La Sapienza and University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified common psychological traits in members of this group.

The study, published in International Psychogeriatrics, found participants who were 90 to 101 years old had worse physical health, but better mental well-being than their younger family members ages 51 to 75.

There have been a number of studies on very old adults, but they have mostly focused on genetics rather than their mental health or personalities, said Dilip V. Jeste MD, senior author of the study, senior associate dean for the Center of Healthy Aging and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine. The main themes that emerged from our study, and appear to be the unique features associated with better mental health of this rural population, were positivity, work ethic, stubbornness and a strong bond with family, religion and land.

There were 29 study participants from nine villages in the Cilento region of southern Italy. The researchers used quantitative rating scales for assessing mental and physical health, as well as qualitative interviews to gather personal narratives of the participants, including topics such as migrations, traumatic events and beliefs. Their children or other younger family members were also given the same rating scales and additionally asked to describe their impressions about the personality traits of their older relatives.

The groups love of their land is a common theme and gives them a purpose in life. Most of them are still working in their homes and on the land. They think, This is my life and Im not going to give it up, said Anna Scelzo, first author of the study with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Chiavarese, Italy.

Interview responses also suggested that the participants had considerable self-confidence and decision-making skills.

This paradox of aging supports the notion that well-being and wisdom increase with aging even though physical health is failing, said Jeste, also the Estelle and Edgar Levi Chair in Aging and director of the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging at UC San Diego.

Some direct quotes from the studys interviews include:

I lost my beloved wife only a month ago and I am very sad for this. We were married for 70 years. I was close to her during all of her illness and I have felt very empty after her loss. But thanks to my sons, I am now recovering and feeling much better. I have four children, ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. I have fought all my life and I am always ready for changes. I think changes bring life and give chances to grow.

I am always thinking for the best. There is always a solution in life. This is what my father has taught me: to always face difficulties and hope for the best.

I am always active. I do not know what stress is. Life is what it is and must be faced  always.

If I have to say, I feel younger now than when I was young.

We also found that this group tended to be domineering, stubborn and needed a sense of control, which can be a desirable trait as they are true to their convictions and care less about what others think, said Scelzo. This tendency to control the environment suggests notable grit that is balanced by a need to adapt to changing circumstances.

The researchers plan to follow the participants with multiple longitudinal assessments and compare biological associations with physical and psychological health.

Studying the strategies of exceptionally long-lived and lived-well individuals, who not just survive but also thrive and flourish, enhances our understanding of health and functional capacities in all age groups, said Jeste.

Study co-authors include: Salvatore Di Somma, University of Rome La Sapienza; David Brenner, Nicholas Schork and Lori Montross, UC San Diego; and Paola Antonini, 3B Biotech Research.

The study was funded, in part, by UC San Diegos Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging.
I am a huge fan of chocolate milk. White milk is good too, of course, but if I have a choice, I am going to pick chocolate nearly every time.

It seems like children eating school lunches agree with me. In 2012, USDA removed low-fat flavored milk as an option in the nations school lunch program. The result was that students consumed 288 million fewer half-pints of milk between 2012 and 2015. This significant drop occurred even though public school enrollment was growing.

When Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue took office last May, one of his first promises was to loosen the restrictions on federal school meal requirements. That promise became a reality when USDA published an updated School Meal Flexibility Rule at the end of November.

The interim rule, which is open for public comment, gives schools the option to serve low-fat (1 percent) flavored milk in addition to low-fat and nonfat unflavored milk and nonfat flavored milk.

Under Perdues watch, USDA also delayed the requirement that schools only serve whole grains and eased up on the sodium reduction mandate.

Almost everyone would agree that school meals should be healthy; for many students, school breakfasts and lunches may be where they get most of their nutrition. Yet, its challenging for schools to feed large groups of students affordably, especially under a growing list of regulations.

Additionally, a healthy meal doesnt do much good if students arent eating it. In a statement, Sonny Perdue said, Schools want to offer food that students actually want to eat. It doesnt do any good to serve nutritious meals if they wind up in the trash can.

As for dairy producers, any action that encourages the consumption of milk is a good one. Whether its white, chocolate, or some other flavor, it is our hope that encouraging children to drink milk will turn them into milk drinkers for life.

What do you think about the current school lunch requirements? USDA will accept public comment on these rule adaptations at www.regulations.gov. The interim rule will take effect beginning July 1, 2018.

Abby Bauer

The author is an associate editor and covers animal health, dairy housing and equipment, and nutrient management. She grew up on a dairy farm near Plymouth, Wis., and previously served as a University of Wisconsin agricultural extension agent. She received a masters degree from North Carolina State University and a bachelors from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
India has rejected the US criticism on seeking differential treatment at the WTO saying the country was the 'right candidate' and a legitimate demandeur for special dispensation as it has to take care of 600 million poor people.

By Press Trust of India: India has rejected the US criticism on seeking differential treatment at the WTO saying the country was the 'right candidate' and a legitimate demandeur for special dispensation as it has to take care of 600 million poor people.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu told a press conference that the special and differential treatment was an integral part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and was meant for nations with low per capital income.

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The minister was responding to issues raised by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in his address at the plenary of the 11th ministerial conference of the WTO.

Without naming India, China or other emerging economies, Lighthizer had said that five of the six richest countries in the world were seeking concessions on the basis of self-proclaimed development status.

"We need to clarify our understanding of development within the WTO. We cannot sustain a situation in which new rules can only apply to the few, and that others will be given a pass in the name of self-proclaimed development status. There is something wrong, in our view, when five of the six richest countries in the world presently claim developing country status," Lighthizer had said.

Prabhu retorted by emphasising that special and differential treatment "is an important component of the WTO. You cannot ignore realities that certain societies have been left behind in the process of development."

Developing nations including India, he said, "are legitimate demandeurs for special and differential treatment. It is also noteworthy that many developed countries of today have benefitted from long periods of derogation from GATT rules in the area of agriculture and textiles".

Under the WTO rules, nations enjoying special and differential treatment are not required to follow norms generally applicable to the member states. These concessions are applicable to mostly to least developed and developing nations.

In his address at the plenary, Prabhu also expressed concerns over the way the discourse at the WTO was being deflected by arguments based on the GDP of countries.

The discourse should be on development at the WTO and not to be deflected based on aggregate GDP figures, the Minister said, adding "while in India we are proud of our GDP and growth rates of recent years, propelled by innovative economic policies of my government, we cannot ignore that India is home to more than 600 million poor people.

"Therefore, we are legitimate demandeurs for special and differential treatment for developing countries."

He further said that many developed countries of today have benefitted from long periods of derogation from GATT rules in the area of agriculture and textiles.

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The minister underlined the need for protecting WTO as platform for promoting trade in transparent and democratic manner, stressing the commerce ought to promote development and eliminate social problems like poverty.

Talking about the food security issues, the minister said that he was only reminding the WTO members about the commitments made at the Bali conference that they would come out with a permanent solution to the problem by December 2017 at the 11th Ministerial.

He further said that the asymmetry regarding provision of agriculture subsidies between developed and developing countries under the WTO norms ought to be addressed.

Answering questions on e-commerce, the minister said the while taking up new issues for negotiations the due process established by the members should be followed.

On the possible impact of the proposed tax reforms in the US on global economy which many feel could violate the WTO rules; the minister said the aggrieved member nations would have the option to move the dispute settlement panel of the multilateral trade body.

--- ENDS ---
Accelerated immunization will cover nearly 255 000 children in Ukhiya and Teknaf sub-districts in Coxs Bazar, while the Government and health partners continue to increase support for diphtheria treatment and prevention.



Diphtheria usually appears among vulnerable populations that have not received routine vaccinations, such as the Rohingyas. The outbreak shows a steep rise in cases, an indicator of the extreme vulnerability of children in the Rohingya camps and settlements. This calls for immediate action to protect them from this killer disease. Vaccination provides effective prevention, said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.



Recent data from the WHO Early Warning Alert and Response System (EWARS) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) shows 722 probable diphtheria cases, including 9 deaths, in the camps and makeshift settlements hosting the refugees, between 12 November and 10 December.



The Government of Bangladesh will do everything necessary to contain this outbreak. We thank WHO, UNICEF and other health partners for their swift response to the request of the Government to combat this diphtheria outbreak, and for continuously supporting our efforts to provide essential health services for these vulnerable people, said Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh.



The children are being administered pentavalent vaccines (which protects against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Haemophilus Influenzae, and hepatitis B), pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) and bivalent oral polio vaccine. The Serum Institute of India has donated 300 000 doses of pentavalent vaccines for use in the response.



Next week, three rounds of tetanus diphtheria (Td) vaccines will be provided to Rohingya children aged 7 to 15 years, and 10 000 health and development workers in Rohingya settlements. A total of 900 000 doses of Td are arriving today in the country, for this purpose.



We are moving quickly to control this diphtheria outbreak before it spins out of control. The vaccines will help protect every Rohingya child in these temporary settlements from falling prey to the deadly disease. Beyond vaccinations, we are helping health workers to clinically manage suspected cases, trace their contacts, and ensure sufficient supplies of medicines," said Dr Navaratnasamy Paranietharan, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.



WHO is procuring 2 000 doses of diphtheria anti-toxins to treat diphtheria patients. Nearly 345 doses were hand carried by WHO from Delhi to Coxs Bazar.



WHO and UNICEF are working with communities to ensure that they are aware of the signs and symptoms of diphtheria, and that they can access treatment as quickly as possible.

Diphtheria is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a potent toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It spreads through air droplets by coughing or sneezing. Risk factors include crowding, poor hygiene and lack of immunization.




Eastern Ghouta, about 10 kilometres outside the Syrian capital, Damascus, and one of the remaining besieged areas in the Middle Eastern country, 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.



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.



On the last United Nations inter-agency aid convoy to Nashabieh town in eastern 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 eastern 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.



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.



Violence has been escalating across Damascus and eastern 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.



Photo: UNICEF/Amer Al Shami







Source: www.justearthnews.com








Dhaka, Dec 12 (IBNS): Dhaka security officials have picked up the wife of Akayed Ullah, the Bangladeshi national who has been arrested in connection with the New York subway blast, and his three relatives from Dhaka and Chittagong.

They have been picked up for questioning.

Akayeds wife Jannatul Ferdous Jui, father-in-law Julfikar Haidar and mother-in-law Mahfuza Akhtar have been picked up by a team of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of DMP.

They were being interrogated at the office of DMPs Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit on Minto Road, Additional Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) told The Daily Star.

A Bangladeshi-origin man inspired by the Islamic State has been identified to be responsible for the explosion that hit New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal on Monday, media reports said.

In what is believed as an "attempted terrorist attack", four persons have been left injured including the attacker himself.

The attacker was an immigrant who came to the United States from Bangladesh seven years ago.

He lived in Brooklyn, said reports.

The suspect reportedly was admitted in hospital and then detained by police.

Soon after the attack, city Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident as an 'attempted terrorist attack'.

Blasio tweeted: "Let's be clear  this was an attempted terrorist attack. Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals. Our first responders were there quickly and the only injuries we know of right now are minor."

Image: NYPD Twitter page


Russia and Iran helped destroy the opposition forces in Syria, and secured President Bashar al-Assads political position. Canadian journalist Robert Fulford writes in his article for National Post that Assad scored a perverse kind of outsourced victory. He adds, This, following the rules of mutually co-operative dictatorships, entitles Iran to the reward of a place in the newly pacified Syria, which it has not hesitated to seize. That puts it dangerously close to Israel. Next door, in fact.

According to Avigdor Liberman, the Israeli defense minister, We will not allow Shiite Iran to establish itself in Syria, and we will not allow it to transform Syria into an advance position against Israel.

As well, a senior Israeli security official said, regarding an Iranian presence near Israel, It can strike roots and eventually be expanded. We have reached the decision that Syria must not become an advance position in Irans conflict with Israel.

Israels attacks on a missile plant and an Iranian military base, both in Syria, alongside Irans growing presence in Syria, suggest that Israel and Iran may already be engaged in an undeclared war. Per Israeli intelligence, there are already some 9,000 Shiite militia troops under Iranian command in Syria.

Iranian backed Hezbollah openly plays a role in Lebanons parliament, with a leading place in the cabinet, in this unusual governance system. Iran is also believed to sponsor the Houthi rebels in their war in Yemen, which has further impoverished the country. Reportedly, Irans Hezbollah militia trains the Houthis.

Meanwhile, the people of Iran suffer from an economy that is crumbling, with high unemployment and much of the countys production shutting down. The historic nuclear deal, with the sanctions relief it provided, initially raised the hopes of Iranians who expected to quickly notice improvements in their quality of life. But by the end of 2015, tangible economic benefits had yet to materialize. Its reported that ordinary Iranians are increasingly taking their grievances to the street, in protest of what they say are the regimes plundering of their savings and its corrupt policies. Additionally, Irans human right abuses are garnering more and more international criticism.

Fulford goes on to say that, The Middle East, always a cauldron of ambitions, fears and resentments, has grown even more dangerous in recent years. It requires an outside force to sort out the endless complexity of its profound disagreements. There was a time when the U.S. might have accomplished that, but internal conflicts have rendered the Americans helpless to undertake the task. Once the UN might have handled it, but the UN has lost its influence. So has the EU, despite some noble efforts. Putins Russia would have been eager to take on the job if only anyone trusted it.

Without competent global leadership, the Middle East will suffer.
In previous US-led peace talks between the two groups, the status of Jerusalem had always been left to the final stages. Trumps move alters the approach to these peace talks, and some observers conclude that it makes the successful conclusion of those talks virtually impossible before they have begun. But the potential impact of the move has ramifications that extend well beyond the Israel and Palestine. It may also affect the longstanding tensions among regional power players, including the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Iran has long used the Palestinian issue as a rallying cry for Muslim unity under the banner of the Islamic Republic. In the interest of promoting that message in recent months, the Iranian regime has made concerted efforts to repair its relations with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. These relations are indicative of the ability of the Islamic Republic to bridge natural sectarian differences when doing so serves a larger goal such as the development of an axis of resistance against Western influence and US-allied regional powers like Saudi Arabia. Hamas, like the leaders of the Saudi kingdom, is Sunni, whereas Iran is a Shiite theocracy more naturally aligned to Shiite terrorist groups like Hezbollah.

In line with Tehrans tendency to use the Palestinian issue as a tool of state propaganda, leading Iranian officials quickly seized upon Trumps announcement. Reuters quoted Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as attributing the decision to the incompetence and failure of the Trump administration. And Irans own Tasnim News Agency highlighted comments from Ali Shamkhani, the head of the Irans Supreme National Security Council, in order to outline Irans position on the matter.

Muslim countries should unanimously condemn this conspiracy that violates the rights of the oppressed people of Palestine and paves the way for the continuation of the occupation by the Zionist regime, he said, adding that Iran considers Jerusalem to be an inseparable part of Palestine. Shamkhani also pointed to concerns about the possible emergence of new conflicts, saying that the US and Israel will be held accountable for the instability and insecurity that results from Trumps announcement.

But other reports indicate that Tehran is not just warning of such instability but is actively trying to instigate it. The Washington Free Beacon issued a report on Thursday describing threats from top Iranian officials regarding reprisals against the US and Israel. Via state media, Khamenei declared, Without a doubt, the Islamic world will stand against this conspiracy, and with these actions, the Zionists will be hit harder. And dear Palestine, without a doubt, will eventually be freed.

Trumps announcement seemed to prompt an upsurge of this rhetoric, but it is a familiar type of rhetoric among Iranian officials and Iranian propaganda networks. Tehran routinely calls for the outright destruction of the state of Israel, and last year the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps displayed long-range ballistic missiles painted with the phrase Israel must be wiped out in Hebrew.

The current situation may nonetheless prove helpful in spreading the reach of that familiar rhetoric, and there are indications that it is being used as a means of solidifying relations with other regional powers that have been gravitating toward Iran and away from its Western adversaries. The Middle East and North Africa Financial Network reported on Wednesday that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had spoken with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan shortly after Trumps announcement and that both had reiterated Khameneis call for Islamic resistance, as well as saying that the Palestinian issue would be a leading priority for both governments.

At the same time that the announcement has created common cause for this and similar fledgling alliances, it has also created a challenge to the emergence of alliances that are motivated by mutual concern about the expanding influence of the Islamic Republic. Prior to the White Houses announcement, a number of reports highlighted the various signs of potential cooperation between Israel and Arab states led by Saudi Arabia. Now, Iranian officials have begun using the latest developments in an attempt to undermine these states reputation in the broader Muslim world.

The Reuters report on Khameneis response quoted him as saying that Saudi Arabia and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council work against Islam by virtue of their longtime alliance with the government that announced its new view on the status of Jerusalem this week.

But as much as this rhetoric poses a threat to countries like Saudi Arabia, it remains to be seen whether that threat outweighs the threat that they perceive as coming from Irans intrusions into the affairs of its neighbors. US Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and well-known Iran hawk, suggested otherwise, according to the Washington Examiner. The report quotes him as saying that the worsening tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia may have actually provided the Trump administration with an opening for its move, because the Arabs may prove willing to accept it in order to continue the trend of unified opposition to Irans expansionism.

But the full extent of that unity remains undetermined, as does the status of the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which spans a proxy war in Yemen and a number of other flashpoints of sectarian competition. Reuters ran a report on Thursday that opened with the declaration that Iran had come out on top in the wake of a political competition in Lebanon, but the details painted a picture that was less clear.

On one hand, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri did revoke his resignation on Tuesday, which he had announced last month after traveling to the Saudi capital of Riyadh. But whereas this may indicate that the Saudis backed down from an effort to instigate a political crisis in the sharply divided country, the Reuters report also notes that the Iran-backed paramilitary Hezbollah had offered appeasing language about its role in Lebanon after welcoming Hariris return. This may suggest that Riyadhs gambit with Hariri paid off, even if not to the extent it had hoped.

Nevertheless, a conciliatory promise from Hezbollah can hardly be said to represent a meaningful contraction of Iranian influence in the region as a whole. Indeed, there are numerous indicators that that influence continues to expand. PBS Newshour issued a three-part report this week about Irans influence over Iraq, noting that the boundaries between religious, political, and paramilitary influence are often blurred.

That being the case, the religious significance of Trumps Jerusalem announcement may further inflame the sentiment of those Shiites throughout the region who look to Irans clerical leadership. But at the same time, the current extent of that influence raises serious questions about what Sunni powers might be willing to tolerate in the interest of retaining friendly or collaborative relations with the Trump administration, Israel, and other entities that are committed to pushing back against the advance of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In October, the US president decertified Iranian compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, which ostensibly opened the Islamic Republic to investment from countries that had previously been participating in US-led sanctions. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action remains in effect, but the US Congress is required to report this month on whether it will continue to suspend the sanctions named in the agreement. Even if Congress maintains the status quo, Trump has suggested that he might use presidential authority to contravene the agreement anyway, assuming that Congress and European leaders have failed to strengthen what he regards as one of the worst agreements ever negotiated.

Zarifs editorial praises the JCPOA as a rare triumph of diplomacy over confrontation, and it describes Trump and other Iran hawks as oblivious to the necessity of inclusive engagement. The Iranian foreign minister also accused the White House of trying to shift attention away from the nuclear deal and toward other areas of political conflict with the Islamic Republic, particularly its ongoing development and testing of ballistic missiles and its regional influence.

Grounds for Anxiety

But the same article might be regarded as adding fuel to the anxiety that has long been growing among Irans adversaries in the Middle East and in the Western world. Zarif used a portion of the text to boast of Iran having honed missiles as an effective means of deterrence. He also claimed that the missile program has placed more emphasis on precision than on range. But other officials, particularly those associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, have boasted of dramatic expansions in the range of those same missiles. The IRGC has also reportedly helped terrorist groups like Iran and Hezbollah, as well as Yemens Houthi rebels, to boost the range of their own missiles.

Last month, a Houthi missile was shot down over Saudi Arabias King Khaled International Airport, making it the deepest penetration by the Shiite militia into Saudi territory. US intelligence and the Saudis described identified the missile as being of Iranian origin and suggested that the strike could be considered an act of war.

The conflict in Yemen was also mentioned in Zarifs editorial, with the foreign minister accusing the US and its regional allies of rejecting an Iranian appeal for peace after the Houthi overran the capital city of Sanaa. The appeal also came shortly after the start of a bombing campaign by a Gulf Arab coalition with Saudi Arabia at its head. That coalition has been widely described as assembling with the express purpose of pushing back against the growth of Iranian influence in the region.

Naturally, Zarif did not mention that in Syria, the site of the other major civil war in the region, Iran-backed forces were repeatedly accused of deliberately undermining the peace process as Tehran and its allies apparently pursed a strategy of destroying the pro-democracy opposition to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad before turning attention to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Instead of discussing those previous peace efforts, Zarif praised Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for his participation in a summit last month with his Russian and Turkish counterparts. By that time, international reporting upon on-the-ground conditions in Syria and Iraq indicated that the presence of Iran-backed militias had become quite entrenched there. Viewed side-by-side with Zarifs comments about the civil war in Yemen, this suggests that the Islamic Republic has shown willingness to negotiate for peace in multiple regional conflicts only after Iranian proxies developed a permanent foothold, and before that foothold could be dislodged.

This trend of establishing and then not relinquishing positions of influence in the broader region is a major reason for the US policy that Zarifs article strove to describe as distracting from Western focus on the JCPOA. Meanwhile, many critics of the nuclear agreement have criticized Western leaders for being excessively focused on it, to the exclusion of other matters of importance to Iran policy.

Criticism of Conciliation

Regional influence and missile activities are certainly prominent among these other issues, but so is human rights, which was given particular focus last week in a hearing at the European Parliament just days before International Human Rights Day, December 10. The National Council of Resistance of Iran reported upon that hearing, organized by the Friend of a Free Iran intergroup and attended by representatives of a number of different nations and political affiliations.

The report quoted one speaker, Polish MEP Ryszard Czarnecki as calling the Islamic Republic an enemy of democratic values  values that the European Union was turning its back on for the sake of pursuing the trade that had been partly enabled by the implementation of the JCPOA. Another participant in the meeting, MEP Anthea McIntyre of the British Conservative Party, reportedly expressed disgust at European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherinis description of Iran as a crucial partner to the EU.

There appears to be growing opposition to Mogherinis view. The NCRI suggests that French President Emmanuel Macron has taken an opposing position in light of recent remarks calling for parallel agreements to constrain Irans other behavior without undermining the JCPOA. But this position is somewhat at odds with the fact that France was among the first governments to pursue new trade agreements with Iran after the end of nuclear negotiations. And regardless of where the French government stands at this moment, the opponents of unconditional trade cooperation still seem to face an uphill battle in the EU.

A number of national governments continue to purse that cooperation, arguably in line with Zarifs advice to defy would-be American leadership on the issue. The Financial Tribune reported on Friday that Madrid, for instance, had announced that it would provide guarantees to new Spanish investment in the Islamic Republic. This may help would-be investors to overcome their existing hesitancy to invest in the midst of an unresolved threat of re-imposed sanctions and a return to tense relations between the Iranian regime and the Western world as a whole.

The Spanish governments move is presumably intended to hedge against the possibility of the current status of those relations being challenged by a minority of Western powers. But that is not the only potential source of that challenge. It still remains to be seen how well Iran itself will be able to keep up the appearance of cooperation with its former adversaries. At least since the 2013 election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, there has been competition within the regime between a pragmatic strategy of engagement and an ideological strategy of mutual confrontation with the West. And although public communications like Zarifs editorial continue to push the pragmatic agenda, the Rouhani administration has not always been at odds with acknowledged hardliners.

The Role of Dual Nationals

This past weekends visit to Tehran by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson may have been a showcase for compromise between the two factions of Iranian foreign policy. And even if those two factions are still mired in earnest competition, the visit leaves a great deal of uncertainty about the extent to which Iran will cooperate with the United Kingdom in the near future.

Johnsons visit focused in large part upon the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the Iranian-British charity worker who arrested last April and then sentenced to five years in prison for supposedly pursuing the soft overthrow of the clerical regime. The British foreign secretary described the relevant discussions with Iranian officials as worthwhile, but there was no sign of serious progress toward a resolution to her case.

On one hand, a hearing for Mrs. Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been cancelled at the last minute, after having been scheduled to take place on Sunday. The trial would have examined state prosecutors efforts to extend her sentence by as much as sixteen years  a move that was widely regarded part of broader efforts to use imprisoned dual nationals as bargaining chips in negotiations with Western governments. This interpretation had been publicly advanced by Zaghari-Ratcliffes husband Richard Ratcliffe, but he embraced the cancellation of Sundays hearing as the first ripple of freedom, according to Politics Home.

At the same time, Agence-France Presse reported that in his meeting with the Johnson, Rouhani reiterated familiar criticisms of Western nations actions in the wake of the JCPOAs implementation. The Iranian president and other leading officials have generally blamed the reticence of Western governments and investors for the slow pace of Irans post-nuclear deal economic recovery. By re-stating these accusations in the context of Johnsons visit, Rouhani may have been urging the expansion of trade as a condition for the release of imprisoned Westerners.

It was previously reported that the British government was considering the payment of more than 500 million dollars to the Iranian government, in what would officially be characterized as repayment of a decades-old debt, though it would also be widely regarded as a de facto ransom payment. At the time of the JCPOAs implementation in January 2016, the US government made a similar debt repayment at the time of the release of four imprisoned American citizens.

But according to Reuters, shortly after both Rouhanis apparent plea for ransom and Zarifs Times editorial, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi issued a statement categorically rejecting the notion of negotiation of Zaghari-Ratcliffes case and reiterating that Iran does not recognize dual nationality. Considering Qasemis role within the generally pragmatic Rouhani administration, it is possible that this statement represents an effort to simply put more effort on the British government while also giving public voice to hardline talking points.

Such a balancing act between pragmatic and hardline positions could provide encouragement both to advocates and critics of Western outreach to the Islamic Republic. And in light of Johnsons visit and last weeks meeting at the European Parliament, it is yet to be determined which Western impulse will win the upper hand.
While Israel is a key enemy of the Islamic Revolutionary regime, Israel unintentionally helped produce the first case of an Arab country moving to Tehrans sphere of influence, when it invaded and occupied South Lebanon from 1982 until May 2000. This act inadvertently reinforced the Iranian influence.

Benjamin Miller, professor of International Relations at the School of Political Sciences, the University of Haifa, writes in his article for the National Interest, The unintended outcome was the rise of an Iranian-supported Shiite guerrilla organizationHezbollah. The movement, which developed both powerful military and political branches, was inspired by the Shiite-led Islamic revolution in Iran. Yet, the fight against the foreign Israeli occupation also mobilized growing support among the largest sect in Lebanonthe Shiiteswho became more and more alienated from the Israeli control. Over the years, the result was the emergence of a powerful Iranian proxy in the politically fragmented Lebanon with its sectarian polarization. Such a powerful force guarantees major Iranian influence in Lebanon even if resentedto different degreesby some of the non-Shiite sects in the country. Thus, a key enemy of Israel has gained a major foothold next to its northern border, triggering a violent conflict in 2006 and a never-ending potential for a major escalation. Moreover, the struggle against Israel has provided Hezbollah an ongoing source of legitimacy for bearing arms, and directing a state within the Lebanese state.

Any discussion of Iraq must include its 2003 US occupation. The Americans tried to democratize the country, but elections in an ethnically fragmented state like Iraq, meant that the largest ethnic group won. Now in Iraq, a country which used to be a major rival of Iran, the Shiite are the majority group and some of their leaders are allies of the Iranian Shiite regime. Miller writes, This transborder connection has guaranteed major Iranian influence in Iraq.

In Syria, similar to the other cases, the support of the Assad regime seems to guarantee a major influence for Tehran. Russian bombing was crucial, but the Iranians and their allies provided the ground forces necessary to preserve the regime. Israel, in particular, is worried that the debt of the regime for the Iranian support will be the continuous military presence of Iran and Hezbollah in the country, not far from the Golan Heights. It appears that Russia accepts such a military presence. This forward military deployment of Iran and its allies creates the potential for an escalation, whether intended or inadvertent, according to Miller.

The outcome is still unsure in the ongoing war in Yemen, but it is clear that the persistent bombing by the Saudi-led Sunni coalition did not succeed in the Shiite-affiliated Houthis being removed from power. Moreover, this Sunni military campaign against them reinforces the Houthi alliance with Iran and probably alienates a large section of the Yemeni population from the Saudis and their Sunni allies, thus creating another bastion of Iranian influence in the Arab world. In this case the stronghold is adjacent to the border with the leading opponent of Iran in the Arab worldSaudi-Arabia. This situation also produces a potential for an escalation in which the Iranian-Saudi cold war will be translated into a hot war, writes Miller.

Instability and polarization in the Middle East raises some doubts about the future of the Iranian rise in the region. However, the causes of these gains in the four countries are the sectarian divisions in the region, and the effects of external interventions. Most of these effects are unintended. However, in Syria the outcome reflects the military victory of the intervening forces. Still, in all four cases, Iran is the regional power who gained the most.

Saudi Arabia, its Sunni allies, and Israel are facing a major challenge. The recent, unprecedented, interview of the Israeli chief of staff, Lt. General Gadi Eisenkot, displays the shared perception by both Israel and Saudi-Arabia of the Iranian threat.

Miller points to the emerging Israeli-Saudi/Sunni alliance as the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and says it creates a potential for progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He believes that there is a role for the Trump administration, who enjoys good relations with both Israel and the Saudis. He warns, This is a key challenge for the administration, which thus far, apart from harsh rhetoric, has essentially continued the disengagement from the Middle East. This challenge is likely to intensify with the destruction of the Islamic state in Syria and Iraq.
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By Santosh Chaubey: Tim Berners-Lee and Vinton Cerf, the founding fathers of the Internet, have written to the US Congress to save the Internet from the disastrous consequences of a proposed repeal of a Barack Obama era law on net neutrality that ensured level playing field for all content and every sort of data by ensuring stiff regulations for the Internet service providers (ISPs).

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The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under the Barack Obama presidency, had adopted the net neutrality rules in February 2015 and enacted it in a law in June that year. The law gave the US government sweeping power over the network providers to check the discriminatory practices with the content flowing through their channels.

Here, in India, we are going through the grinding of that process and thankfully, after over a year of consultation papers, public comments and meetings, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) last month decided to uphold the supremacy of net neutrality in India.

Now Ajit Pai, son of Indian immigrants and a Republican, who was made the FCC chief by US President Donald Trump in January 2017, is bringing a repeal proposal to that landmark law which is scheduled for voting on December 14.

But the reports that the proposed repeal plan is expected to be approved have worried the proponents of a free internet accessible for all, and the letter by the founding fathers of the Internet reflects that sentiment.

The letter addressed to the Democratic and Republican chairs that control the FCC says that "the FCC's proposed order is based on a flawed and factually inaccurate understanding of Internet technology" terming the proposed Restoring Internet Freedom Order an imminent threat to the Internet, "The FCC's rushed and technically incorrect proposed order to repeal net neutrality protections without any replacement is an imminent threat to the Internet we worked so hard to create. It should be stopped."

The letter has urged to US lawmakers to cancel the proposed vote. The open letter that is signed by 19 other internet pioneers including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mozilla's Mitchell Baker and Internet Achieves founder Brewster Kahle, alleges the FCC headed by Pai is acting in haste ignoring exerts' comments, over 23 million pro net neutrality comments by public and against the established practice, has not held even a single public meeting to discuss its proposed repeal order.

The open letter also alleges that the FCC didn't bother to investigate and explain to people the flaws of its online comment system "including bot-generated comments that impersonated Americans, including dead people, and an unexplained outage of the FCC's on-line comment system that occurred at the very moment TV host John Oliver was encouraging Americans to submit comments to the system."

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Below is the text of the open letter signed by the Internet's founding fathers and pioneers:

We are the pioneers and technologists who created and now operate the Internet, and some of the innovators and business people who, like many others, depend on it for our livelihood. We are writing to respectfully urge you to call on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to cancel the December 14 vote on the FCC's proposed Restoring Internet Freedom Order (WC Docket No. 17-108 ).

This proposed Order would repeal key network neutrality protections that prevent Internet access providers from blocking content, websites and applications, slowing or speeding up services or classes of service, and charging online services for access or fast lanes to Internet access providers' customers. The proposed Order would also repeal oversight over other unreasonable discrimination and unreasonable practices, and over interconnection with last-mile Internet access providers. The proposed Order removes long-standing FCC oversight over Internet access providers without an adequate replacement to protect consumers, free markets and online innovation.

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It is important to understand that the FCC's proposed Order is based on a flawed and factually inaccurate understanding of Internet technology. These flaws and inaccuracies were documented in detail in a 43-page-long joint comment signed by over 200 of the most prominent Internet pioneers and engineers and submitted to the FCC on July 17, 2017. Despite this comment, the FCC did not correct its misunderstandings, but instead premised the proposed Order on the very technical flaws the comment explained. The technically-incorrect proposed Order dismantles 15 years of targeted oversight from both Republican and Democratic FCC chairs, who understood the threats that Internet access providers could pose to open markets on the Internet.

The experts' comment was not the only one the FCC ignored. Over 23 million comments have been submitted by a public that is clearly passionate about protecting the Internet. The FCC could not possibly have considered these adequately.

Indeed, breaking with established practice, the FCC has not held a single open public meeting to hear from citizens and experts about the proposed Order.

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Furthermore, the FCC's online comment system has been plagued by major problems that the FCC has not had time to investigate. These include bot-generated comments that impersonated Americans, including dead people, and an unexplained outage of the FCC's on-line comment system that occurred at the very moment TV host John Oliver was encouraging Americans to submit comments to the system.

Compounding our concern, the FCC has failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests about these incidents and failed to provide information to a New York State Attorney General's investigation of them.We therefore call on you to urge FCC Chairman Pai to cancel the FCC's vote. The FCC's rushed and technically incorrect proposed Order to abolish net neutrality protections without any replacement is an imminent threat to the Internet we worked so hard to create. It should be stopped.

Signed,

Frederick J. Baker, IETF Chair 1996-2001, ISOC Board Chair 2002-2006

Mitchell Baker, Executive Chairwoman, Mozilla Foundation

Steven M. Bellovin, Internet pioneer, FTC Chief Technologist, 2012-2013

Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web & professor, MIT

John Borthwick, CEO, Betaworks

Scott O. Bradner, Internet pioneer

Vinton G. Cerf, Internet pioneer

Stephen D. Crocker, Internet pioneer

Whitfield Diffie, inventor of public-key cryptography

David J. Farber, Internet pioneer, FCC Chief Technologist 1999-2000

Dewayne Hendricks, CEO Tetherless Access

Martin E. Hellman, Internet security pioneer

Brewster Kahle, Internet pioneer, founder, Internet Archive

Susan Landau, cybersecurity expert & professor, Tufts University

Theodor Holm Nelson, hypertext pioneer

David P. Reed, Internet pioneer

Jennifer Rexford, Chair of Computer Science, Princeton University

Ronald L. Rivest, co-inventor of RSA public-key encryption algorithm

Paul Vixie, Internet pioneer

Stephen Wolff, Internet pioneer

Steve Wozniak, co-founder, Apple Computer

--- ENDS ---


The future prices of bitcoin increased 18 percent to more than $18,000 on Monday morning on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

Futures are a type of contract in which a buyer and a seller agree on a price for a particular item to be delivered on a date in the future. Future contracts are available for nearly everything that can be sold such as wheat, soy, gold, oil, cocoa and, now, bitcoin.

The demand for bitcoin futures slowed the trading in the Chicago exchange. At times, trading on the site was not available.

The price of a bitcoin itself has gone up from $1,000 at the beginning of 2017. As of December 11, it was $16,511 on the bitcoin exchange Coindesk.

What is a bitcoin, anyway?

Bitcoin is different from other national currencies that are supported by governments and national banks. It is not a coin or printed on paper. It is stored as a line of computer code.

Bitcoin is similar to cash because you can spend it without using your real identity, as you do with a bank transfer or credit card. People who want to buy and sell anonymously like bitcoin.

How is bitcoin created?

Mining is the only way to create new bitcoin.

People mine bitcoin by lending computing power to verify other users transactions. They receive bitcoins in exchange. The coins also can be bought and sold on exchanges with U.S. dollars and other currencies.

This activity is called a blockchain. The blockchain, or global record of how bitcoin is exchanged, prevents anyone from spending the same bitcoin more than one time.

How did bitcoin come to be?

There is still some mystery about the creation of bitcoin in 2009. An anonymous person or group that used the name Satoshi Nakamoto described the idea of an electronic cash system in a research paper in October 2008.

The first bitcoin block was created by Satoshi Nakamoto in January 2009, with a reward of 50 bitcoin.

Who is using bitcoin?

Some businesses, such as Overstock.com, have accepted payments in bitcoin. Still, its popularity is low compared with cash and credit cards. Many individuals and businesses will not accept bitcoins for payments.

Some well-known banking executives have spoken against bitcoin. Jamie Dimon, head of JP Morgan Chase Bank called it a fraud. But his bank is starting to use the technology behind bitcoin, known as blockchain, to more accurately track trading and assets.

Im Jill Robbins.

Jill Robbins adapted this story for Learning English based on Associated Press and other news reports. Hai Do was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

futures - n. [always plural] finance. goods or shares that are bought at prices which are agreed to now but that are delivered at a later time

code - n. instructions in a computer program

anonymous - adj. not named or identified

verify - v. to prove, show, find out, or state that (something) is true or correct

blockchain  n. a global running record of every bitcoin transaction

transaction - n. an occurrence in which goods, services, or money are passed from one person or account to another

What do you think of the bitcoin market? Do you use bitcoin or another kind of virtual currency? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.


Officials in Beijing, China, are forcing thousands of migrant workers out of their homes, following a large fire that killed 19 people last month.

The government says it is removing people from unsafe housing complexes and buildings.

But many observers view the efforts as an attack on migrant workers, whose inexpensive labor keeps the city running.

The fire broke out in a housing area in Daxing, a district in southern Beijing.

Beijing Communist Party Secretary Cai Qi has begun a 40-day effort to tear down buildings said to be unsafe. The government has razed many buildings. Other structures have been made unlivable by breaking windows or destroying walls.

One elderly man whose family name is Sun told VOA he used to work in a restaurant in Daxing. The restaurant is now destroyed, with pieces of glass covering the tables and chairs. The man said the business owner had already left Beijing to return to his hometown in search of work.

Some shop and restaurant owners have lost all of their money, Sun added. He said one owner of a nearby store that opened last year had invested $36,000 in the business.

Now it is torn down, Sun said. Who knows if he will receive any compensation?

In Xinjian Village, another area of southern Beijing, all ground-level stores have closed. Security workers fill the streets; men with large vehicles carry away refrigerators and other equipment.

Along the areas main street, the owners of one restaurant sit inside their closed shop. They said that numerous security workers had removed their gas tanks. It was now impossible to reopen the business. They said they were told they would be arrested if they complained.

The owners plan to leave Beijing and return to Heilongjiang, in northeastern China.

There is no place to eat, you cant cook food and the heat has been turned off where we live. You cant use coal or gas or electricity, one man said.

Large business complexes are being closed, as well. On the east side of the city, at least 12 of the shops in one large building have been closed. Other shops are still open and busy. Business owners do not know how much longer they will continue to operate.

One man said, If feels like we are in prison.

In nearby Shuangshu South Village, a man named Zhang told VOA he had spent several thousand Chinese yuan to buy gasoline for his vehicle so that he could search for a new place to live.

In the end, he said, he found a farmhouse outside the city for $220 a month.

I am not talking about a place where rich people live. Just a place that has a shower, is warm and where I can cook food and eat. That is enough, he said.

People on social media  and even Chinese state media  have criticized the governments decision to force people to leave their homes so quickly.

Hu Xingdou is an economist at Beijing Institute of Technology. He said he disagrees with how people are being forced from their homes and places of work. However, he says that migrant workers cause some social problems in big cities.

Beijing wants to remove some factories from its area, Hu said, because it wants to look more like a capital city than an industrial city.

Beijing isnt an economic center, its a capital city, and its population and traffic conditions must be kept under control, Hu said.

Observers say the government is acting unfairly by targeting the low-end population -- a term that state media use for migrant workers.

One young migrant worker who had been evicted said, How do you describe low-end population? We are all Chinese citizens. It isnt something that you can define by the amount of money a person makes.

The recent government campaign comes just a month after Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to build a fairer country. He also promised to make the government more sensitive to citizens problems.

I'm Ashley Thompson

And Im Susan Shand.

Bill Ide and Ye Bing reported this story for VOA News from Beijing. Susan Shand adapted their report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in this Story

confusion - n. a situation in which people are unsure about what to do or are unable to understand something clearly

inexpensive  adj. low in price

raze  v. to destroy (something, such as a building) completely

compensation  n. something that is done or given to make up for damage, trouble, etc.

sensitive - adj. easily upset by the things that people think or say about you

elderly - adj. old or rather old
The killing of Yemens former president has led the country into further uncertainty and violence.

Iran-supported Houthi rebels shot and killed Ali Abdullah Saleh on December 4. He died either in a gun battle or was executed.

Saleh once saw the Houthis as uneasy allies in the countrys civil war. He announced an alliance with them in 2015, one year after the fighting started.

Now the rebels are working to take complete control of Sanaa, the largest city in Yemen.

The Houthis have captured more than 40 media workers. This includes employees of Yemen Today, a television broadcaster connected to Saleh.

James Mattis, the United States Secretary of Defense, spoke on Tuesday about conditions in the country. The situation for the innocent people there, the humanitarian side, is most likely to [get] worse in the short term, he said.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabian-led airplanes began increasing airstrikes on Yemen.

Most observers agree there is little chance of the violence ending or a negotiated settlement in the near future.

For some, there was a sign of hope two days before Salehs death. That was when the former president communicated with Saudi Arabia, which is leading a military coalition against the Houthis.

Saleh publicly expressed a willingness to take part in peace talks if the Saudis and their allies lifted a blockade on Yemens seaports and airports. He also wanted them to let more humanitarian aid enter Yemen, which is suffering from mass starvation.

Saleh was ousted in 2011. He had helped the Houthis in their rise to power in an attempt to create a deal that would lead to his return to the presidency. But relations between Saleh and the Houthis had been worsening in recent weeks.

His fighters began battling the Houthis in southern districts of Sanaa. And Saudis stopped identifying Saleh as a deposed dictator and began speaking of him as the former president.

Observers say this marked the end of his unlikely alliance with the Houthis, which was based on a shared need.

The Houthis are strong militarily, but weak in governance skills. They needed the expertise of Saleh and his General Peoples Congress party to reach deals with tribal leaders. The Houthis also needed help governing the territory they control in the north of the country. On the other hand, Saleh and his followers were not as strong militarily as the rebels.

Gerald Feierstein is an expert with the Middle East Institute, a research group. He says Salehs death weakens the Houthis position in their conflict against the internationally accepted government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Hadi also has the support of Saudi Arabia, and currently lives in exile in Riyadh.

Feierstein says Houthis have lost an important symbolic presence that gave them some credibility as a broad-based movement.

Now they will be considered as more of a pro-Iranian  Shiite movement with goals of completely changing Yemen, he adds. They will likely suffer greater decreases in their popular support. He says their support is already dropping as a result of never-ending conflict and violence against civilians.

The big question is whether this  will force them back to the negotiating table, he notes.

There are no signs that the Saudis and Hadi are interested in negotiations. After Salehs death, Hadi gave a hostile speech in which he spoke against the Houthis.

Let us put our hands together to end the control of these criminal gangs and build a new, united Yemen, he said.

The speech was broadcast on Saudi Arabias Al Arabiya television.

Ahmed Abdullah, Salehs son, now lives in Riyadh. He has promised to seek vengeance for his fathers killing.

I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen, he said. The blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran.

However, experts say vengeance and airstrikes are unlikely to be useful in moving the balance of power and ending the conflict.

Mamoun Abu Nowar is a military expert and former Jordanian Air Force general. He noted, You need an international intervention to stop this war.

Peter Salisbury is a researcher with Britains Chatham House, a group that studies international affairs. He said that Saleh may have divided people in the past. But the former president was also the person most likely to reach some kind of settlement.

Without his deal-making skills, the civil war he helped to spark and the  humanitarian crisis it caused are only likely to get worse, Salisbury suggested.

Im Pete Musto. And Im John Russell.

Jamie Dettmer reported this for VOA News. Pete Musto adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. What do you think will happen next in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi coalition? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

uncertainty  n. the quality or state of being not definitely known

humanitarian  adj. concerned with or seeking to promote human happiness, health and success

district(s)  n. an area or section of a country, city, or town

depose(d)  v. to remove someone from a powerful position

symbolic  adj. expressing or representing an idea or quality without using words

credibility  n. the quality of being believed or accepted as true, real, or honest

Shiite  adj. describing a Muslim who is a member of the Shia branch of Islam

gang(s)  n. a group of criminals

vengeance  n. the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you or someone else

spark  v. to cause something to start or happen
As the news of Mesta's death spread, there was a massive deployment of police to ensure that violence did not flare up.

The 21-year-old had been missing after Wednesday's clashes that took place in a town in Uttara Kannada district.

By India Today Web Desk: A mysterious death of 21-year-old Paresh Mesta, who was found near the Shetty Lake on Friday, two days after he went missing, has taken a political turn in Karnataka.

As soon as the news of Mesta's death broke out, the political row escalated in the state where elections will be held next year, with BJP leading a protest march today in Bengaluru.

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On Friday, serious tension engulfed Honnavar town after the alleged news of Mesta's body being castrated, burnt with his head mutilated with a sword started making rounds on social media.

The 21-year-old had been missing after Wednesday's clashes that took place in a town in Uttara Kannada district. The body was found by a passer-by near the Shetty Lake behind Shani temple who later informed the police.

However, according to police reports, autopsy contradicts the torture allegation. As per the police, doctors who performed the autopsy found no evidence of assault or any mutilation, including castration or any injury due to chemicals.

The officers also informed that the man's face was discoloured not because of burns but because of decay.

As the news of Mesta's death spread, there was a massive deployment of police to ensure that violence did not flare up. But the situation turned worse and has taken a communal turn now.

While protesting, people also torched the car of a senior police officer on Monday afternoon.

Even though the current situation is tense, it's still slightly peaceful and calm. Though there is a heavy police presence with personnel from different districts being deployed in Honnavar, shops and schools are functioning normally.

"A desperate @BJP4Karnataka stoops so low as to use the unfortunate death of a youth Paresh Mesta in Honnavar for political gains. BJP leaders are heeding the advice of @AmitShah to create trouble & invite police action. People are getting hurt by their irresponsible acts," CM Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Simultaneously, home minister Reddy met the CM over the incident and informed him of the prevailing situation.

This morning, BJP leaders staged Raj Bhavan Chalo protest. They submitted a memorandum to Governor Vala. They also demanded an NIA probe into the murder of BJP/RSS workers.

While this was happening, 2 groups clashed with each other in Sirsi. The situation turned tense after a call for bandh was given by pro-hindu organizations.

It all started after a fight between a motorbike and an auto rickshaw driver started and later led to mob violence in Honnavar. It is alleged that Mesta was just trying to escape the violence but couldn't.

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(With inputs from Nolan Patrick Pinto)

Watch the video | Paresh Mesta murder: Karnataka government trying to influence investigation?

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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.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Alabama's Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones arrived to greet diners at Marthas Place Buffet and Catering around lunch time on the eve of election day and found the largely African-American crowd at the Montgomery restaurant pleased he had stopped by.

Roxanna Wingard, a local school bus driver, was inside having lunch when Jones, who is facing off against Republican Roy Moore in today's special election, came over.

"I think it was really nice for him to come in, he didnt look over nobody, she told ABC News Monday.

Wingard said she was voting for Jones the first chance she had and would bring a boat load of people with her.

We are going to do this. We are going to win this, Wingard said, predicting a Jones victory. We are going to make history. It is time for a change.

Jones has been working hard over the last few months to rally Alabama's African-American voters like Wingard, who tend to vote Democratic. He has enjoyed support on the ground from African-American leaders such as former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick and New Jersey senator Cory Booker.

Former President Barack Obama even recorded a robocall for Jones that the campaign put to work in the final days.

"Doug Jones is a fighter for equality, for progress," Obama says in the robocall, as first reported by CNN. "Doug will be our champion for justice. So get out and vote, Alabama."

Many of the diners at Martha's Monday said unequivocally they planned to vote for Jones and had seen him at other campaign events. African-American turnout will be crucial for Jones as Moore has continued to garner strong support from white, evangelical voters. Voters in more rural communities have especially stood by Moore during this tumultuous campaign, marred by sexual misconduct allegations against Moore that he denies.

Moores past controversial statements also havent helped his standing with African-American voters, who make up 26.8 percent of Alabama's population, according to a 2016 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Although the makeup of Alabama's electorate is uncertain, a Fox News poll released Monday showed likely white voters prefer Moore over Jones by 55-35 percent. The same poll showed 83 percent of minority voters likely to cast ballots said they would vote for Jones.

In building support for Jones, Alabama's only congressional Democrat, Rep. Terri Sewell, criticized Roy Moore as a candidate who would only take us backwards if elected.

We who have been proud Alabamians know that we have been trying to overcome our painful past, and this candidate will only take us backwards and harken us back to the days of segregation, Sewell said on ABC News' This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Kayla Moore, Roy Moore's wife, fired back Monday at accusations her husband holds negative views of African-Americans.

We have many friends that are black and we also fellowship with them in church and in our home, she said as she introduced her husband at a campaign rally.

While voting in Mountain Brook, Alabama, Jones was asked about his efforts to appeal to black voters.

"It is only natural the African-American community rally behind someone who has been there for them, Jones told reporters.

Jones then pointed to his record. A former federal prosecutor, Jones had pursued a 30-year-old case against two members of the Ku Klux Klan responsible for the infamous 1963 Civil Rights era bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

A middle-aged white woman who works at a car dealership in Montgomery said she was voting for Jones because he can represent everyone from Alabama and not just an extreme few.

I think he is a good man and I think he can represent all of Alabama well, Betty Ann Lloyd told ABC News, but added she thought a majority of Alabama voters would disagree with her.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
BJP demands suspension of two JMM MLAs in Jharkhand for organising a kissing competition in a tribal area. MLAs say that it was organised to 'strengthen the bond among married couples and to decrease rate of divorce'.

By India Today Web Desk: Organising a 'kissing competition' has landed two Jharkhand Mukti morcha (JMM) MLAs in controversy. BJP has demanded their suspension from the Jharkhand assembly.

The competition was organised for tribal couples during a traditional village fair in Pakur.

One of the organisers, MLA Simon Marandi said that the 'kissing competition was held to stop the increasing number of divorces in the tribal society. Marandi is JMM MLA from Littipara in Santhal Pargana. Another JMM MLA Stephen Marandi was also present at the fair

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BJP has demanded the suspension of the two MLAs from Jharkhand assembly. BJP's Jharkhand unit vice-president Hemlal Murmu made the demand

"JMM MLAs Simon Marandi and Stephen Marandi have insulted the culture of Santhal Pargana in the by orgnaising 'kissing competition'. We demand their suspension from the House and not allowing them to attend the winter session starting tomorrow," Hemlal Murmu told reporters at Ranchi.

It has never been a culture in the Santhal Pargana, he said, adding, "This is an insult to women power." Murmu demanded that the two MLAs tender an apology to the village heads, adding in Santhal Pargana a boy and a girl do not even shake hands.

Jharkhand: Kissing contest organized for married couples at a Mela in Dumaria village of Pakur on 10th December. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislator Simon Marandi was also present at the event. pic.twitter.com/sCS8PeMoDw- ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

A video of the 'kissing competition' had gone viral on social media. In the video tribal couples are seen locked in a kiss while the crowd cheered.

When asked about the competition, Simon Marandi told PTI that it was organised among 20 pairs to strengthen the bond among married couples.

Claiming that nobody is trying to understand the Santhal society, Simon Marandi said the competition was organised to stop divorce.

He said that Stephen Marandi had come only after the completion of the competition.

Jharkhand rural development Minister and BJP leader Neel Kanth Singh Munda said at that it was an insult to the tribal society. The minister also criticized Simon Marandi for giving away prize to the winners

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The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice.
When President Donald Trumps U.N. ambassador recently urged the world to sever diplomatic ties with North Korea, she was sketchy on the details: Should all embassies close? How about those providing the U.S. intelligence from the largely inscrutable country? And what of Sweden, which helps with imprisoned Americans?

Nikki Haleys recent call to action underscores the challenge for the United States as it tries to advance a nonmilitary strategy for resolving the nuclear standoff with North Korea. Isolating the reclusive, totalitarian state has been a central component of the U.S. plan, even though Washington says it remains open to talks.

Like international economic penalties, the Trump administration believes the diplomatic isolation serves two purposes.

Its designed to punish North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for developing an atomic arsenal of bombs and intercontinental missiles that potentially could deliver nuclear warheads anywhere in the United States. U.S. officials also contend that freezing out North Korea could drive Kims government to seek negotiations.

We do know they care a lot about their international reputation, said Mark Tokola, a former No. 2 at the U.S. Embassy in South Korea.

Trumps team has chalked up some successes in narrowing the Norths diplomatic reach. Mexico, Peru, Italy, Spain, and Kuwait have expelled North Korean ambassadors from their countries. Haley said Portugal and the United Arab Emirates have suspended diplomatic relations. Others have cut trade and security ties.

But North Korea isnt and wont be completely isolated.

Last month, China, whose once-close relationship with North Korea has been strained by its adoption of tough U.N. sanctions, sent its highest level envoy to Pyongyang in two years. North Korea also recently welcomed a Russian parliamentary delegation, in a sign of increasing contacts between the former Cold War partners. And the North just hosted the most senior U.N. official to visit in years: Jeffrey Feltman, the undersecretary-general for political affairs.

Even before he departed, experts played down expectations that Feltman, formerly a senior American diplomat, could offer a breakthrough as the standoff over the Norths nuclear weapons threatens to spiral into war. Feltman carried no message from Washington, State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said.

Yet Feltmans visit, which included an audience with Kims foreign minister, added to questions about how effectively the U.S. can isolate North Korea. Feltman left Pyongyang on Saturday after four days of talks with the North Korean Foreign Ministry. I have to brief the secretary-general first, he said when asked for details of his trip.

Also unresolved is whether Trump and his top advisers have a game plan for the second half of a strategy theyve called maximum pressure and engagement. If North Korea signals a willingness to negotiate, now that Kim has declared that he has realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, how will the U.S. respond?

This is probably as good a time as any to try to pivot to engagement, said Suzanne DiMaggio at the New America think tank, who has been involved in several rounds of unofficial talks with North Korean officials. She said the administration has focused almost completely on pressure.

Kims declaration followed North Koreas test last month of its most powerful intercontinental missile yet, which led Haley, at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, to speak of a world closer to war. At the same time, she pushed for others to cut trade and diplomatic ties with Pyongyang.

U.S. officials say doing so would stop North Korea from abusing diplomatic privileges that allow it to raise revenues or conduct illegal business in support of its nuclear and missile programs. Its also intended to exploit North Korean sensitivity to its international standing.

But the U.S. has given mixed messages on what form concretely the isolation should take.

Haley called on all governments to sever ties. Other U.S. officials say the emphasis is on getting North Korean diplomats expelled from overseas postings, not on closing foreign embassies in Pyongyang. To date, no embassies have shut down in the North Korean capital as a result of the U.S. campaign.

According to research by the Washington-based East-West Center and the National Committee on North Korea, North Korea maintains diplomatic relations with 167 countries. It has embassies in 47 foreign capitals. Twenty-four countries have embassies in Pyongyang, and those include American rivals and friends.

If the U.S. is really serious about depriving North Korea of diplomatic relations, it must start with its own closest ally, Great Britain, said Artyom Lukin, a North Korea expert at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia.

Since the U.S. has no diplomatic presence of its own in North Korea  the two sides remain technically in a state of war  it relies to some extent on Britain, Germany and other partners to stay abreast of whats happening there. Most critically, it needs Sweden, its protecting power, to assist three currently detained Americans in North Korea, on the rare occasions when Kims government allows consular access. Matthew Pennington, Washington, AP
The weekend launch of a U.S. futures contract for bitcoin reflects widespread acceptance of the virtual currency, especially among investors in Asia, though regulators are wary.

Japan and South Korea are among the worlds top five markets for bitcoin trading, according to sites that track trading volume by currency. Heres a glance at the digital currencys rise in some of the regions major markets:

JAPAN

Japan was home to one of the earliest bitcoin communities, but it was started by expatriate residents and kept a low profile. Until a few years ago, bitcoin and other virtual currencies were left alone by regulators.

Following the failure of a bitcoin exchange called Mt. Gox, new laws were enacted to regulate bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Japan is the only major advanced economy with a licensing regime for digital currency intermediaries such as exchanges and payment providers.

That has helped make Japan the worlds biggest market for speculative virtual currency trading, said Thomas Glucksmann, Hong Kong-based head of marketing for Gatecoin, a virtual currency exchange.

There was very little interest back than at all and now its a complete 360, said Glucksmann. Its the biggest market, everybodys talking about it.

Big Japanese banks have gotten involved, investing in bitcoin exchanges or letting them open bank accounts while developing their own related services. Some retailers accept payment in bitcoin.

Many Japanese are familiar with currency trading since Japan is the worlds biggest retail foreign exchange market.

You have people like hairdressers and housewives, people like that investing in crypto, in addition to the bigger players in Japan, said Glucksmann, who used to work at a bitcoin exchange in Japan. So the regulations have helped to fuel a lot of the legitimacy in the Japanese market.

SOUTH KOREA

About a year and half ago, South Korea emerged as a very large market for speculative trading activities thanks to investors high risk appetite and fears of missing out.

Now, just as the government prepares to regulate virtual currencies, big financial institutions are starting to get in on the action. Shinhan Bank is planning to offer virtual currency services like a bitcoin wallet.

Worried over risks of speculative trading, in September South Korea banned initial coin offerings, or raising money through bitcoin or other virtual currencies.

Senior officials at South Koreas financial watchdog have compared speculative trading in bitcoin to a Ponzi scheme and say they are mulling a ban.

We will not let financial institutions handle transactions related to virtual currencies, said Kim Yongbeom, vice chairman at Financial Services Commission, according to a media pool report Monday. The price of virtual currencies rises because of the expectation that the next person will buy it at the desired price and this is quite like a Ponzi scheme.

Chairman Choi Jong-gu said one option is a total ban on virtual currencies, which would require revising existing legislation or enacting new laws.

Still, bitcoin sells for a 20-30 percent premium in South Korean compared to other places, and this has spurred offshore trading to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities as South Koreans buy bitcoin overseas and sell them back home.

CHINA

For a brief time, China dominated bitcoin trading, at one point reportedly accounting for as much as 90 percent of volume. That dried up after Beijing tightened controls.

The lively bitcoin market had been set up by bitcoin miners, who had set up data centers taking advantage of Chinas cheap electricity and hardware to handle the intensive computing processes needed to mine new bitcoin.

China started cracked down on such activities last year just as the price of bitcoin began to surge. In September, regulators ordered all exchanges to shut down, banning initial coin offerings.

Chinas bitcoin exchanges have since migrated overseas or shifted to over-the-counter trading where exchanges match buyers and sellers who then connect through chat apps like Telegram. Payment is made in cash or through bank transfers and the exchange collects a fee.

Some mainland China exchanges have refocused their efforts on their Hong Kong operations, said Leo Weese, president of the Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong. He estimates there are about 10,000 bitcoin users in the Asian financial hub, including 1,000-2,000 active investors who have significant holdings or work for bitcoin related companies.

Weese estimates that bitcoin prices are 5-8 percent higher in mainland China than Hong Kong. Speculators who can get around Chinas strict capital controls to profit from the price difference are driving some trading activity in the city, Weese said.

For them its a way to make money, he said. They can buy the bitcoin in Hong Kong cheaply and they can sell them at a premium in China.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Bitcoins rising popularity in Indonesia has alarmed the countrys central bank, which said last week it would ban it as a payment method next year.

Bank Indonesia spokesman Agusman Zainal said more a assertive rule on virtual currencies is planned.

He said the bank is concerned bitcoin might be used for fraud or other illegal activities like terrorism, money laundering, prostitution, drug trafficking.

In the context of the payment system, bitcoin is not a valid means of payment, Zainal said. The reason for prohibiting is in order to implement prudential principles, safeguard business competition, risk control and consumer protection.Kelvin Chan, Hong Kong, AP
Chinas securities regulator is cracking down on the fast-growing hedge-fund industry, investigating 10 cases of alleged wrongdoing.

Officials are probing private fund practices including market manipulation, misappropriation of client funds, insider trading and trading by managers using their personal accounts, the China Securities Regulatory Commission said in a statement on its website Friday. Some funds used the Hong Kong-Shanghai stock connect to manipulate prices and some employees sought personal gain by exploiting the hedging mechanism for stock index futures, it said.

Chinas booming money-management industry includes private securities investment funds, which take money from wealthy investors and employ hedge-fund like strategies. Theyre different from mutual funds, which are open to the general public, or vehicles that invest in private companies.

Already hit by scandals including the jailing of hedge fund brother No. 1 Xu Xiang for market manipulation, the private funds industry is facing a rising tide of legal breaches, according to the CSRC. Talking generally, the regulator said many funds registered with false information, illegally raised money or misappropriated assets, while others manipulated markets and traded on inside information.

The crackdown comes as China mounts a campaign to limit financial dangers lurking in the economy. Last month, the securities regulator shelved applications for some mutual funds that plan to allocate at least 80 percent of their portfolios to Hong Kong-traded stocks as part of this drive.

At the same time, China is also opening up its financial industry to foreign firms. Global money managers including Man Group Plc, UBS Asset Management and Fidelity International have gotten approval to start private securities funds following regulators decision to open the market to international managers last year.

The enforcement effort related to private funds is intended to contain a trend of rising legal violations, the regulator said, adding it was cracking down severely.

A total of 8,294 hedge fund companies managed about 2.3 trillion yuan (USD348 billion) as of Nov. 30 in private securities investment funds, according to data from the Asset Management Association of China. While assets under management slipped this year, the industry has had rapid growth after only beginning in 2004.

In March, the CSRC fined an individual for offences including using the Shanghai-Hong Kong connect to manipulate a Shanghai stock. Former hedge fund manager Xu, the high-flying Brother No. 1, was jailed for five-and-a-half years in January for market manipulation. Bloomberg
The Correctional Services Bureau, the agency responsible for maintaining Macaus detention services and inmates, is proposing that the government installs surveillance cameras in private cells at the Coloane prison.

While the proposal is still being studied for its feasibility, the chief of the bureau admits that cameras in private cells might conflict with privacy rules.

We are going to study the feasibility of installing surveillance cameras in the prisons individual cells and we will see if it goes against [violates] the relevant laws, said the director of the Correctional Services Bureau, Cheng Fong Meng, according to public broadcaster TDM. Of course, we wont install the cameras in toilets and bathrooms.

Cheng added that he believes installing the cameras in private cells wont conflict with existing privacy rules.

The move comes after a mainland prisoner at the facility was found to have hung himself in the fourth such suicide case at the Coloane prison in the past decade.

According to TDM, the prisoner had been incarcerated on December 2, but had also been subject to three weeks of medical isolation after contracting a communicable disease.

The bureau head also expressed his condolences yesterday to the deceaseds family members.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren issued a showcause notice to party MLA Simon Marandi today in connection with a "kissing competition" organised at a village fair, asking him to give a written reply within a week.

By PTI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren issued a showcause notice to party MLA Simon Marandi today in connection with a "kissing competition " organised at a village fair, asking him to give a written reply within a week.

The JMM MLA from the Littipara constituency has been asked to respond in details on the "kissing competition" held in his presence at Jhumaria village in Pakur district in the Santhal pargana region on Sunday last.

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Soren, a former chief minister of Jharkhand and JMM president, hails from the Santhal pargana region.

Simon Marandi, along with party legislator Stephen Marandi, courted controversy by organising the "kissing competition" for tribal couples during a traditional village fair.

The BJP has made scathing attack on its rival over the incident, demanding that the two legislators be suspended from the Assembly as they had "insulted" the local culture.

Simon Marandi, who was the organiser, argued that the "kissing competition" was organised to arrest the increasing number of divorce in the tribal society.

Party MLA Stephen Marandi was also present in the fair.

A video of the "kissing competition" went viral on social media yesterday.

In the video, tribal couples were seen locked in a kiss while the crowd cheered.

BJPs Jharkhand unit vice president Hemlal Murmu demanded the suspension of Simon Marandi and Stephen Marandi from the state Assembly over the issue.

"JMM MLAs Simon Marandi and Stephen Marandi have insulted the culture of Santhal Pargana in the name of Hul Mela and organised kissing competition. We demand their suspension from the House," Murmu said in Ranchi.

It has never been a culture in the Santhal Pargana, he said, adding, "This is an insult to women power."

Murmu demanded that the two MLAs tender an apology to the village heads, adding in Santhal Pargana a boy and a girl do not even shake hands.

Simon Marandi said the competition was organised among 20 pairs to strengthen the bond among married couples.

Claiming that nobody is trying to understand the Santhal society, Simon Marandi said the competition was organised to stop divorce.

He said that Stephen Marandi had come only after the completion of the competition.

--- ENDS ---
MGM Golden Lion Team members were recognized with a total of three Gold Pin Awards, the gaming operator said in a statement yesterday.

This announcement made MGM Macau one of the hotels to win the most awards in this years Macau Occupational Skills Recognition System (MORS) Gold Pin Competition.

The competition, provides a platform for contestants to demonstrate their professional skills and pit their talent against the best in the industry.

In this years competition there were a total of 333 contestants representing 38 companies in Macau. Of this number, 69 contestants were shortlisted for the finals. MGM had 16 team members participating in the competition, and six finalists successfully entered the Final Rounds.

The MORS participants from MGM spent around 500 hours preparing for the competition, and their success is the culmination of the past few months of hard work and dedication of both the participants and their trainers.

MORS was launched in 2001 as a joint effort of the tourism industry of Macau and IFT, with the main objective to upgrade human resources services in the industry through the introduction of a certification scheme for a number of hospitality and tourism professions.

Longines announces ambassador of elegance

The Swiss watch brand Longines has returned for the sixth consecutive year as Title Partner and Official Timekeeper of the Longines Hong Kong International Races.

Longines rewarded the winners of the four international Group 1 races with elegant Longines timepieces.

Longines also welcomed its Ambassador of Elegance Eddie Peng at the 2017 Longines Hong Kong International Races, the company announced in a statement.

Reflecting the brands motto Elegance is an Attitude, the Taiwanese actor presented the Longines Prize for Elegance.

Eddie Peng received the Official Watch of the Longines Hong Kong International Races, a model from the Record Collection.

This timepiece, which combines classic elegance and excellence, as well as Eddie Peng, are featured in the brands latest TV advertisement, which is currently being broadcast in the Asian region.
Telephone scams continue to find victims among university students. According to the figures presented in the third quarter crime statistics, almost all the victims of phone scams have in common the fact that they are originally from mainland China, are of a young age (18-23) and are studying in the regions tertiary institutions.

During yesterdays joint press conference by the Judiciary Police (PJ) and the Public Security Police Force (PSP), the spokesperson from the PJ reported four similar cases which were brought to the security forces attention last weekend. In each of the four instances, female students from the mainland studying at the University of Macau (UM) between 18 and 22 years of age, were victims.

In all the cases, the modus operandi was the same. The students received a call from an unknown number in which they were told they were speaking to an officer from the Immigration Department at Pac On. The call was then transferred to another individual who stated that they were from a mainland provincial authority, claiming that the victim was involved in some kind of economic crime and that they needed to transfer a sum of money in order to solve the problem.

In all the cases reported yesterday, the students proceeded with payments, and reported combined losses of over RMB175,000.

In the first case alone, an 18-year-old student bank-transferred RMB49,100, as well as providing all her personal online banking codes which lead to the loss of an additional RMB100,500, was were in the same bank account.

The other cases also registered loses, however because their accounts did not have as much money, the losses were smaller than those of the first victim.

The police said they believed that the victims are not randomly chosen but directly targeted as a result of the belief that mainland students in local tertiary institutions come from relatively wealthy families and from a traditional culture in which money solves problems.

In a separate story, a local resident (22) was also involved in a swindle over the acquisition of two tickets for a concert in Hong Kong via a Facebook group.

The woman was part of a group on the social network solely dedicated to the buying and selling of tickets for concerts. In this group she saw a person allegedly from the neighboring region of Hong Kong who was advertising special VIP tickets at a discount price for a concert happening on December 3.

She contacted the seller and she reportedly said he even sent her a photo of his Hong Kong identification card in order to gain her trust. Then she transferred the requested amount of Hong Kong1,460 to an account in Hong Kong.

On the concert day she headed to Hong Kong and waited at the arranged location for the seller, who never showed up. After unsuccessfully attempting to contact him, she decided to present a complaint to the PJ upon her return from Hong Kong.

Another swindle case also occurred through the internet. A male resident (32) reportedly lost the sum of RMB5,200.

According to his story told to the police force, on December 10 he was playing an online game where he met another player. After exchanging WeChat accounts, they continued to communicate and the suspect told him that he could make easy investments of money with a guaranteed ten-fold return within a couple of hours or days.

The swindler then sent to the local man photographs of receipts allegedly proving the transference of the money to other users, and he agreed to transfer the aforementioned amount to him.

After that the victim noticed that the swindler had blocked him from We Chat and he realized that he had been scammed, thus going to present his claim to the PJ.

Police targets Mongolian shoplifters

The PSP performed several operations in order to tackle the alleged criminal activities of several Mongolian nationals operating in Macau. The PSP ran these operations as a security response acting on a tip-off from sources they declined to reveal.

The PSP spokesperson mentioned that both cases occurred on December 9 (Saturday) around the same area in NAPE.

In the first case, the police officers approached a Mongolian woman, aged 43, who was said to be acting suspiciously in Rua de Malaca around 6 p.m.

The officers searched her handbag and found a ticket for the luggage storage of a hotel located in the area which they proceeded to investigate.

The search revealed that inside the luggage were a large number of brand-new clothing items (with tags still on) as well as perfumes and handbags worth a total of MOP12,100.

The PSP said the woman admitted later that all the merchandise had been stolen from several shops across town. The PSP visited those stores and spoke to the managers in order to identify the stolen items. In seven cases, the shops indicated that they were intending to take legal action against the woman.

In a separate case, at 4 p.m. at Avenida Amizade in the surroundings of the Golden Lotus Plaza, PSP officers reportedly found another two suspects, also of Mongolian nationality of 33 and 31 years.

A search in their luggage revealed a total of 40 clothing items that originated from three shops located at a Cotai area shopping mall. The items were worth a total of about MOP17,000.

Further investigation revealed that there was an accomplice to the crimes who is still on the run.

All three women that were taken into custody by the PSP were charged with theft and presented to the Public Prosecutions Office. Additionally, the same spokesperson said that the 31-year-old woman was also charged for presenting false declarations on the identity form that she filled in at the police station.

According to the police, several pieces of information and personal data that she wrote on the forms did not match with her documents, nor her official records.
Chinas auto sales were flat in November compared with a year earlier, leaving total purchases in the worlds biggest market up an anemic 1.9 percent for the first 11 months of 2017, an industry group reported yesterday.

Chinese drivers bought 2.6 million sedans, SUVs and minivans, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Total vehicle sales, including trucks and buses, edged up 0.7 percent to just under 3 million vehicles.

Chinese auto sales have struggled this year after a temporary tax cut boosted 2016s growth to 15 percent. Sales contracted in April and May before growing feebly in recent months.

That weakness is a setback for global automakers that look to China to drive future revenue, though some have grown faster than the market, taking share from Chinese and other rivals.

In November, SUV sales rose 8.9 percent over a year earlier to 11 million, while sedan purchases shrank 4.8 percent to 12.2 million. For the first 11 months of the year, sales totaled 22.1 million.

Chinese demand has weakened as economic growth slowed and Beijing and other major cities tightened restrictions on ownership to curb smog and congestion.

Sales by Chinese domestic brands overall rose 5 percent to 1.2 million vehicles, according to CAAM. Their share of the market expanded by 1.6 percentage points to 45.8 percent.

 General Motors Co., which competes with Volkswagen AG for the status of Chinas most popular automaker, said sales by the company and its Chinese manufacturing partners rose 13 percent from a year earlier to 418,225 vehicles.

 Ford Motor Co. sales fell 8 percent to 117,593 vehicles. Year-to-date sales were off 6 percent at just under 1.1 million.

 Nissan Motor Co., the most popular Japanese brand in China, said monthly sales rose 21.8 percent to 165,384 vehicles. Sales through November were up 12 percent at 1.3 million.

 Toyota Motor Co. sales gained 9.9 percent to 109,600. Year-to-date sales grew 10.7 percent to 1.2 million.

 BMW AG said November sales rose 12 percent to 55,293 vehicles. Year-to-date sales were up 14.7 percent to 542,362. AP
Indonesian police are hunting for an American citizen who escaped yesterday from an overcrowded and understaffed prison on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Head of Kerobokan prison Tonny Nainggolan said Christian Beasley, 32, is believed to have escaped at around 4 a.m. by sawing through a ceiling and then jumping over a 6-meter-high wall behind the prison.

Beasley was arrested in August at a post office in the Kuta tourist area of Bali with a package containing 5.7 grams of hashish.

Nainggolan said another American inmate, Paul Anthony Hoffman, 57, who has been serving a 20-month prison sentence since July for robbery, was captured while trying to escape.

An investigation was underway to determine if prison guards were involved in the escape, said Surung Pasaribu of the local office of the Law and Human Rights Ministry. He also said there is a shortage of guards for the prison, which was built to accommodate about 300 people but has nearly 1,600 inmates.

It was the second escape from the prison in Balis capital, Denpasar, since June, when four foreign inmates escaped through a drainage tunnel. AP
Activists burned U.S. and Israeli flags in front of the American embassy in Jakarta yesterday in a fourth day of protests in Indonesia against President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Several hundred protesters from an Islamic youth group rallied outside the embassy, burning flags and images of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.

Wearing white robes, the protesters unfurled banners reading U.S. Embassy, Get Out from Al-Quds and We are with the Palestinians. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem, the historic Middle East city that is a holy site for Jews, Christians and Muslims.

A weekend protest at the embassy attracted several thousand people and similar protests have been held in other cities around Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim nation.

Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo has strongly condemned Trumps move, which he described as a violation of U.N. resolutions.

Indonesia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and has long been a strong supporter of Palestinian aspirations for statehood.

Trumps announcement last week overturned decades of U.S. policy, and a longstanding international consensus, that the fate of Jerusalem be decided as a part of a peace deal between Israel and Palestine.

Israeli and Palestinian claims to the citys eastern sector form the core of their conflict, and Trumps announcement was seen as siding with the Israelis. AP
The Macau delegates at the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) will be elected on December 27, according to the announcement made by the spokesperson for the presidium of the NPC.

The second session of the presidium of the election meeting of the 13th NPC was held yesterday at the East Asian Games Dome.

During the session, the meeting approved the list of 19 candidates for Macau delegates of the 13th NPC which was collated between November 26 and December 6. Of the 19, 15 candidates were approved because they were the ones who had properly delivered their registration forms and candidacy letters.

On the morning of December 17, the election meeting will hold its second plenary meeting to decide who will be the Macau representatives at the 13th NPC. A total of 12 candidates will be elected.

Chief Executive Chui Sai On, who is also the chairman of the standing committee of the presidium, presented a report regarding the candidates for the 13th NPC.

The candidates include Legislative Assembly chairperson Ho Iat Seng, lawmakers Chui Sai Peng, Si Ka Lon, Sio Chi Wai and Kou Hoi In. Other candidates include Kevin Ho (nephew of former Chief Executive Edmund Ho), Wong Ian Man, Lai Sai Kei, Fong Ka Fai, president of the Macau General Union of Neighborhood Association (UGAMM) Ng Siu Lai, Ho Sut Heng, Paula Ling, Lao Ngai Leong, Lok Po, and Iong Weng Ian.

The main emphasis of some of the applications was the promotion of communication and co-development between Macau and mainland China.

Si Ka Long said that he will prioritize the employment and retirement circumstances of Macau residents living in mainland China, as well as the development of Macau youth in mainland China.

Sio Chi Wai promised to focus on the equal treatment of Macau residents to mainland Chinese residents in their home territory.

Ho Iat Seng expressed the hope that both Macau and the mainland will communicate more regarding their respective laws, while Lao Ngai Leong promised to concentrate on regional cooperation within the Greater Bay Area.

Chui Sai Peng hoped that mainland China would grant Macau further opportunities to develop special financing, commercial operations, and industrial diversification, so Macau can grow as a world tourism and leisure center.

Ho Sut Heng will focus primarily on issues about Macau, despite her reservations about the mainlands income contribution, food safety and education equality. JZ
This Is My City, a local arts festival now in its 11th edition, is reaching across the border for the first time with several shows planned for nearby Shenzhen on the Chinese mainland.

The festival, which brings high-profile Portuguese artists to Macau on an annual basis, is shifting to a pan-Pearl River Delta scope as it tries to keep up with the regional integration that the Macau SAR now faces.

Why Shenzhen and not neighboring Zhuhai? Organizers say that Shenzhen is a more viable sister city due to its international reach and thriving creative scene. But they also attest to a growing demand in Shenzhen for Portuguese culture, and This Is My City aims to be the platform linking this giant metropolis with Lusophone culture.

The Times spoke to Manuel Correia da Silva, co-founder of This Is My City and current director of production, to understand more about the festivals rejuvenation.

Macau Daily Times (MDT)  This Is My City is expanding outside of Macau for the first time this year. Given the name and nature of the festival, does the expansion indicate a crisis in identity?

Manuel Correia da Silva (MCS)  I wouldnt call it a crisis; I think we have already survived a crisis and that we are now in a post-crisis situation where we have adapted and found a solution. This year is the end of a cycle in a way. Last year was our 10th edition and we were reflecting on the last decade and what has changed in the city of Macau. The festival was born into an environment of a city that no longer exists in the same way. In response [to this], we decided to make it more of a regional edition  reflecting the change [that Macau has undergone]  starting with the city of Shenzhen. We are becoming more connected with the rest of the [Pearl River] Delta region and we felt that should be reflected in the festival.

MDT  Why choose Shenzhen and not neighboring Zhuhai?

MCS  We felt that Shenzhen has a growth relating to the creative and technology industries and is now connected to the rest of the world [in a way that Zhuhai is still not]. We wanted to be involved in some way with that. More importantly, the people in Shenzhen wanted to be involved in the production of this festival and they were [also] interested in the events.

MDT  How much of the Shenzhen component is being organized by locals from that city, as opposed to the core team in Macau?

MCS  We [the Macau team] are very in control of the content. [The Shenzhen team] work in terms of networking and production. There was a huge interest in the artists that we bring from Portugal. People in Shenzhen know Macau and its links with the Portuguese-speaking world. But they must still [travel] to Macau to see that. We are providing a window into Portuguese culture [through the production in Shenzhen]. More specifically, we are providing a window into Portuguese contemporary culture  not just heritage. Its not always about looking back into the past.

MDT  The Legendary Tigerman, a famous Portuguese musician, is headlining this years festival with an unusual performance. What can we expect?

MCS  He is coming back, not with his normal [performances] but with a project, How to become nothing. It is a cine-concert show with music made and performed by Paulo Furtado [the Legendary Tigerman]. His show is an impressive and different experience, in an entirely new format. He plays the music live, while the screening is a recorded film. When I [initially] saw it in Portugal, it had the feel of an old silent movie with music [superimposed]. It creates a minimalistic but powerful impression. [] If I was to recommend one show to attend this year, this would be it.

MDT  Will you use the same outdoor venue as last year, Largo do Pagode do Bazar, for the cine-concert?

MCS  Unfortunately, no. This year our production was delayed and the venue was booked [by the time we were ready]. For the first time, we are not using that public space and the festival will move indoors instead of how it is usually outdoors. We do believe that we are missing something [by not using that space]. For some of our visiting artists coming to Asia for the first time, facing the temple while they perform is a very beautiful experience for them.

Headline acts from Portugal and Macau

This Is My City features headline act Paulo Furtado  also known as the Legendary Tigerman  who will present a cine-concert with a projection of images digitally manipulated in real-time, while the artist plays the accompanying music. Returning to Macau, Furtado is known for playing blues music in a one-man band, combining his vocals with guitar, harmonica and drums. He will play two concerts in Shenzhen and Macau on December 15 and 16 respectively. Other notable acts include The Beatbombers, namely duo DJ Ride and Stereossaur, who are acclaimed Portuguese world champions of scratch and turntablism. Meanwhile, electronic band Fase Lane and jazz musician Paulo Pereira will represent Macau. Commissioned by festival organizers, Pereira will present a project that seeks to combine western musical traditions and eastern heritage through the medium of jazz.
An American scientist who shared this years Nobel Prize for medicine bluntly criticized political developments at home in his address at the awards gala banquet, saying that U.S. scientists are facing funding cutbacks that will hurt research.

Michael Rosbash, who was honored for his work on circadian rhythms  commonly called the body clock  expressed concern that U.S. government funding such as that received by him and Nobel colleagues Jeffrey Hall and Michael Young is endangered.

We benefited from an enlightened period in the postwar United States. Our National Institutes of Health have enthusiastically and generously supported basic research [but] the current climate in the U.S. is a warning that continued support cannot be taken for granted, Rosbash said in a short speech Sunday night at Stockholms ornate city hall.

The 2018 federal budget proposed by President Donald Trump calls for cutting science funding by billions of dollars.

Also in danger is the pluralistic America into which all three of us of born were born and raised after World War II, Rosbash said. Immigrants and foreigners have always been an indispensable part of our country, including its great record in scientific research.

Literature laureate Kazuo Ishiguro of Britain expressed concern about increasing tensions between social factions.

We live today in a time of growing tribal enmities of communities fracturing into bitterly opposed groups, said Ishiguro, who was born in Japan.

He said Nobel prizes can counterbalance such animosity.

The pride we feel when someone from our nation wins a Nobel prize is different from the one we feel witnessing one of our athletes winning an Olympic medal. We dont feel the pride of our tribe demonstrating superiority over other tribes. Rather its the pride that from knowing that one of us has made a significant contribution to our common human endeavor, he said.

In the Norwegian capital of Oslo, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima compared her struggle to survive in 1945 to the objectives of the group awarded this years Nobels Peace Prize.

Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 when the U.S. bomb devastated her Japanese city during the final weeks of World War II, spoke as a leading activist with the Nobel-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Thurlow said the Hiroshima blast left her buried under the rubble, but she was able to see light and crawl to safety. In the same way, the campaign to which she belongs is a driving force behind an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons, she said after ICAN received the Nobel prize it won in October.

Our light now is the ban treaty, Thurlow said. I repeat those words that I heard called to me in the ruins of Hiroshima: Dont give up. Keep pushing. See the light? Crawl toward it.

The treaty has been signed by 56 countries  none of them nuclear powers  and ratified by only three. To become binding it requires ratification by 50 countries.

ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn, who accepted the prize along with Thurlow, said that while the treaty is far from ratification now, at long last, we have an unequivocal norm against nuclear weapons.

This is the way forward. There is only one way to prevent the use of nuclear weapons  prohibit and eliminate them, Fihn said.

The prize winners were announced in October. All except the peace prize were awarded in Sweden yesterday [Macau time]. AP
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte asked Congress yesterday to extend the martial law he declared in the countrys south by one year to ensure the total eradication of pro-Islamic State group extremists, warning they plan more uprisings after an unsuccessful but disastrous siege of Marawi city.

Duterte said the remaining militants still hope to establish a caliphate in the Philippines and Southeast Asia after government forces killed more than 900 fighters and quelled the five-month Marawi siege in October.

Left-wing and pro-democracy groups have protested Dutertes imposition of martial law because of human rights concerns, but the Supreme Court has upheld its legality.

In a letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives, Duterte said extending martial law in the southern Mindanao region through the end of 2018 would allow government forces to press offensives against other armed groups, including the Abu Sayyaf and communist guerrillas, who have intensified attacks.

Despite the killing of Isnilon Hapilon, long wanted by the United States and the Philippines, and other leaders of the Marawi attack, the remnants of their groups have continued to rebuild their organization through the recruitment and training of new members and fighters to carry on the rebellion, Duterte said in his letter, which was provided to reporters.

Rep. Edcel Lagman said Congress should reject Dutertes request because there was no more constitutionally outlined ground for martial law after the president declared Marawi has been freed from terrorist influence. Congress, which is dominated by Dutertes allies, approved Dutertes martial law declaration this year. The Senate and House will meet jointly on Wednesday to decide.

Dutertes request for a martial law extension amounts to a patent violation of the safeguards which the 1987 constitution imposes for the limited grounds and duration of martial law and its extension, Lagman said.

The Marawi violence displaced about half a million people and turned mosque- studded Marawis central business and residential districts into a smoldering war zone.

The uprising that began on May 23 prompted Duterte to declare martial law and reinforced fears that the Islamic State group was taking steps to gain a foothold in Asia and elsewhere as it faced battle setbacks in Syria and Iraq.

Some gunmen and commanders managed to escape during the fighting, the military said.

One of the militants who might replace Hapilon, Esmail Abdulmalik, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Turaife, has been monitored to be planning bombings in the south, Duterte said. An IS-linked faction in another militant band, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Group, has intensified roadside bombings and attacks on troops.

Communist New Peoples Army guerrillas, meanwhile, have taken advantage of the militarys preoccupation with Muslim extremists and increased their attacks on troops and businesses in the south, killing 41 government security personnel and destroying at least 2.2 billion pesos (USD43 million) in property, Duterte said. AP
The 45 day public consultation period on a proposed cyber security law runs until January 24. In a press conference that took place yesterday, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak clarified that the law will not lead to the government monitoring online content.

According to Wong Sio Chak, when, in the future, the responsible department upholds the law, the government will only assess, in legal terms, the security risks associated with the size of the flow of computer data and the different types of network attacks in order to issue alerts and instructions that guarantee the security of the network.

[The government] is not and will not be carrying out supervision activities over the information that flows in the network. Because of this, the government will have no way to build restrictions [] on the freedom of expression of the population, added Wong.

Wong also emphasized that unless the security force is authorized by the court, they will be prevented from interfering with any content on the network, and they will not be able to decode information.

The consultation document proposes definitions for service providers related to internet infrastructure and relevant concerns for daily life, such as key infrastructure operators. These operators are the parties being primarily targeted for protection provided by the cyber security regime.

The key infrastructure operators primarily include government departments, public departments, and certain branches of the private sector such as those in the energy and transport sectors.

The law draft proposed the establishment of a cyber security standing committee and a cyber security incident alert system, as well as an emergency center to deal with any cyber security threats. Moreover, the draft proposes that 11 public departments supervise specific institutions or buildings that are similar in nature. For example, the bill suggests that the Health Bureau supervise private hospitals, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau supervise the gaming sector, and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau supervise the wholesale sector.

During the consultation period, eight consultation meetings will be held, five of which will involve representatives from key infrastructure operators.
By Priyanka Sharma: While doctors are debating whether the 22-week-old infant was a 'foetus' or a 'baby' - as there are rare chances of survival in such children - MAIL TODAY spoke to few advocates who said that the act committed by the doctors handling the case of the twin babies, amounts to 'culpable homicide'.

Doctors this reporter spoke to said survival of such a small baby was unlikely.

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Demanding leniency by the government, an argument has been put forward by a group of doctors that the 22-week-old baby who was declared dead prematurely by Max hospital would not have survived for long and could have contracted diseases due to infection.

According to the IPC section 299, if any part of the child comes out of the mother's womb, even if it is not fully born, and if the death is caused to such child it amounts to 'culpable homicide'.

The twins born at Max (Shalimar Bagh) were completely born and found alive. Dr Vinay Aggarwal, member of Medical Council of India said, "Generally, 22-week-old babies are termed as foetus and abortions are allowed which has now been extended up to 26 weeks. Globally, there are only 3 per cent chances of survival for fetus born in 22 weeks.

And when they are born, it could contract neurological disorder, may suffer from vision problems. There could be lot more abnormalities in the body. It was a non-viable foetus." Echoing similar views, Dr Vinay Kumar Rai, consultant Neonatology at Aakash Healthcare Hospital said that fetus is outside the mother womb in 22 weeks, it may suffer from chronic diseases with very little chances of survival. The debate comes in the light of the recent incident involving the lives of a pair of premature twins - a boy and a girl - who were declared dead by the doctors at Max Hospital.

Doctors handed over the bodies to the family members in a plastic bag. However, parents later found the boy infant alive at the burial ground. The baby was found breathing, but needed critical medical care and had to be kept in an incubator in another private hospital. The terrible incident led to the cancellation of licence of Max hospital (Shalimar Bagh) by Delhi government with immediate effect.

Speaking with MAILTODAY, Puspraj Singh Parihar, advocate at Supreme Court of India said:

"When a 'baby' is outside the mother's womb, it cannot be termed as fetus. And here, in case of Max doctors allegedly declaring a baby dead, it is totally wrong as it falls under the IPC section 299, which states that if any portion of the child comes out of the mother's womb, even if it is not fully born and if the death is caused to such child - it amounts to 'culpable homicide'.

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Legal experts say that life care should have been given to the baby, even if the chances of the survival rate was minimal. KK Menon, advocate and chairman of Delhi Bar Council said section 315 and 316 of IPC say that if the act of killing is done after the birth of the child, then it is culpable homicide. "What doctors are arguing on this matter is totally wrong as preliminary evidence shows medical negligence. Doctors are not above the law."

Band, Baaja, Baraat: Best of images from Virat-Anushka wedding in Tuscany

--- ENDS ---
The 8th edition of the Sound & Image Challenge International Festival wrapped up on Sunday, with the awards for Best Film and Best Fiction both going to Bitchboy by Swedish director Mans Berthas.

The Macau Cultural Identity Award went to Smell the Smell by Chu Hio Tong, which beat out three other shorts in the category; Luggage, Soul Walker and A Page.

Of the 44 shorts submitted to the festival, the publics pick went to 56 by Spanish director Marco Huertas, while the award for best documentary went to Nobody Dies Here by Frances Simon Panay. Schirkoa by Ishan Shukla won the best animation award.

The festival celebrates groundbreaking work in local and international films, through two competitions named Shorts and Volume for short films and music videos respectively.

Dozens of films were entered into the competitions across the two submission periods during the spring and summer, and the selected films and music videos were screened during the festival from December 5 to December 11 at Dom Pedro V Theater and Cinematheque Passion.

The juries for the international competitions were comprised of local and international winners from previous years of the Sound & Image Challenge International Festival, professionals in the film and music industry, and festival organizers.

The festival is jointly organized by Creative Macau and the Institute of European Studies Macau. According to organizer Creative Macau, the festival aims to grow into a benchmark in the realm of festivals of its kinds.

The program included the screenings of films brought to Macau by invited curators, as well as the finalist short films and music videos of the competition segment. Workshops, master classes and other events were also held during the December festival.

This year, a third competition titled Festival Poster was introduced, inviting graphic designers to submit their works for award consideration.
(HealthDay)Artificial intelligence is assuming a greater role in many walks of life, with research suggesting it may even help doctors diagnose disease.

One new study suggests artificial intelligence (AI) might someday detect breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.

Researchers found that several computer algorithms outperformed a group of pathologists in analyzing lymph tissue from breast cancer patients.

The technology was specifically better at catching small clusters of tumor cellsknown as micrometastases.

"Micrometastases can easily be missed during the routine examination by pathologists," said lead researcher Babak Ehteshami Bejnordi, of Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

But the algorithms "perform very well in detecting these abnormalities," he said.

"I think this is exciting, and will likely be the key element for enhancing the efficiency and quality of pathologists' diagnoses," Bejnordi said.

Clinical pathologists examine samples of body tissue to help diagnose diseases and judge how serious or advanced they are.

It's painstaking workand the hope, Bejnordi said, is that artificial intelligence can help pathologists become more efficient and accurate.

The study is the latest to delve into the idea of using artificial intelligence to improve medical diagnoses.

Most of the algorithms in the study were "deep learning"-based, where the computer system essentially mimics the brain's neural networks.

"To build the system," Bejnordi explained, "the deep learning algorithm is exposed to a large dataset of labeled images, and it teaches itself to identify relevant objects."

Dr. Jeffrey Golden is a pathologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He agreed that artificial intelligence holds promise for "making pathologists more efficient."

However, there's a lot of work to be done before that is a reality, said Golden, who wrote an editorial published with the findings.

The study has its limits, he said. The computer-versus-human test was only a simulation exerciseand not truly reflective of the conditions that clinical pathologists work under.

So it's not really clear how the algorithms would compare against pathologists in the workplace, Golden said.

Plus, there will be practical obstacles to overcome, he added.

At this point, the field of pathology is only beginning to use digital technology, Golden explained.

That's key because for any computer algorithm to work, there have to be digital images of tissue specimens to analyze.

Cost and educationtraining pathologists in how to use the technologyare other issues, Golden pointed out.

For now, one thing seems certain: "Artificial intelligence will never replace the pathologist," Golden said. "But it may improve their efficiency."

The study tested 32 computer algorithms that were developed by different research teams for an international competition. The challenge was to create algorithms that could detect the spread of breast tumor cells to nearby lymph nodes, which is important in estimating a woman's prognosis.

The algorithms were tested against the performance of 11 pathologists, who independently analyzed 129 digitized images of patients' lymph nodes. The doctors were given a time limit to accomplish the task.

In a separate test, the algorithms were pitted against one pathologist who was free of time constraints.

It turned out that some algorithms bested the pathologists who were under time limits. In particular, they outperformed humans when it came to detecting micrometastases.

Even the best-performing pathologist missed 37 percent of cases where the lymph tissue contained only micrometastases, the study found.

Ten of the computer algorithms performed better than that.

However, Golden said, the pathologists were facing obstacles they would not face in the real world.

"The limits were artificial," he said. "We're never in a position where there's a deadline."

And, he noted, the computer was not better than the pathologist who had no time pressure.

Bejnordi acknowledged the study's limitations, and said the technology has to be tested in real-world practice. But in general, he said, the health-care field is increasingly seeing the potential of artificial intelligence.

"We are now at a turning point where computers perform better than clinicians at specific tasks," Bejnordi said.

Another new study tested a computer algorithm for diagnosing diabetes-related eye damage.

In that study, Dr. Tien Yin Wong of Singapore National Eye Center and colleagues found that the algorithm accurately picked up all cases of vision-threatening damage to the retina. It also correctly gave a negative result to 91 percent of people who did not have severe retinopathy.

Both studies were published Dec. 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

More information: Babak Ehteshami Bejnordi, M.S., Diagnostic Image Analysis Group, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Jeffrey Golden, M.D., professor, pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Dec. 12, 2017, Journal of the American Medical Association, online Babak Ehteshami Bejnordi, M.S., Diagnostic Image Analysis Group, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Jeffrey Golden, M.D., professor, pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Dec. 12, 2017,, online The Association of American Medical Colleges has more on artificial intelligence in medicine. Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association

Copyright  2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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(Medical Xpress)A team of researchers with King's College London and the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, both in the U.K., has found what they describe as a strong association between abnormal cerebral connectivity and the PPARG gene and uncharacteristic white matter development in the brains of preterm infants. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their use of unbiased learning analysis on data obtained from 272 preterm infants and what they learned from it.

Babies born early tend to have more medical issues than those that make it to full term, and the earlier they come, the more hurdles they face. For babies born at 33 weeks or less, there is also an increased risk of abnormal brain development. As the researchers note, a lot of research regarding abnormal brain development in preterm infants has been done, but still little is known about the process itself. What is known is that it is usually related to an excess amount of white matter (tissue in the brain made up mostly of nerve fibers and surrounded by myelin) developing in such infants. In this new effort, the researchers took a new approach to better understanding the root cause of the abnormality.

The new approach involved accessing medical data on 272 infants born at 33 weeks or less, and who had undergone both MRI scans and genomic testing. The goal of the effort was to find out if there was a genetic element involved in the abnormal brain development, and if so, to locate the genes responsible. The work by the team involved combining data from the genetic analysis with the imaging data, which the team referred to as an unbiased machine learning approach. The idea was to find out if there was a genetic factor common to all of the infants with abnormal brain development.

The analysis revealed a strong connection between cerebral connectivity and differences in the PPARG gene, which, the researchers note, implicated PPARG signaling as the reason for the development of excess white matter. This finding means that it might be possible to develop drugs that target PPARG in preterm infants, preventing the development of excess white matter and hopefully, neurocognitive problems.

More information: Michelle L. Krishnan et al. Machine learning shows association between genetic variability inPPARGand cerebral connectivity in preterm infants, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). Michelle L. Krishnan et al. Machine learning shows association between genetic variability inPPARGand cerebral connectivity in preterm infants,(2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1704907114 Abstract

Preterm infants show abnormal structural and functional brain development, and have a high risk of long-term neurocognitive problems. The molecular and cellular mechanisms involved are poorly understood, but novel methods now make it possible to address them by examining the relationship between common genetic variability and brain endophenotype. We addressed the hypothesis that variability in the Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor (PPAR) pathway would be related to brain development. We employed machine learning in an unsupervised, unbiased, combined analysis of whole-brain diffusion tractography together with genomewide, single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genotypes from a cohort of 272 preterm infants, using Sparse Reduced Rank Regression (sRRR) and correcting for ethnicity and age at birth and imaging. Empirical selection frequencies for SNPs associated with cerebral connectivity ranged from 0.663 to zero, with multiple highly selected SNPs mapping to genes for PPARG (six SNPs), ITGA6 (four SNPs), and FXR1 (two SNPs). SNPs in PPARG were significantly overrepresented (ranked 711 and 67 of 556,000 SNPs; P < 2.2  107), and were mostly in introns or regulatory regions with predicted effects including protein coding and nonsense-mediated decay. Edge-centric graph-theoretic analysis showed that highly selected white-matter tracts were consistent across the group and important for information transfer (P < 2.2  1017); they most often connected to the insula (P < 6  1017). These results suggest that the inhibited brain development seen in humans exposed to the stress of a premature extrauterine environment is modulated by genetic factors, and that PPARG signaling has a previously unrecognized role in cerebral development. Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

 2017 Medical Xpress
While a strong infrastructure is important for healthcare, measures of health facility infrastructure are poorly correlated with health system quality, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Hannah Leslie from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA, and colleagues.

Improved quality of care is increasingly recognized as a necessary step toward better health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Current measurements of quality of care often center on structural inputs to care, including amenities and equipment. In the new study, researchers used health surveys conducted in eight countries between 2007 and 2015: Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. From the data, which included 35,531 observations of care in 4,354 facilities, they constructed indices of structural inputs and clinical quality related to family planning, antenatal care, sick-child care, and labor and delivery.

Overall, facilities had moderate levels of infrastructure ratings and low adherence to evidence-based guidelines. However, correlation between infrastructure and evidence-based care was low. Facilities with similar infrastructure ratings delivered widely varying quality of care. There was no minimum level of infrastructure that was reliably associated with higher quality of care in any area.

"As the quality of care assumes a more prominent role in national and global efforts to improve population health outcomes, accurate measurement is vital," the authors say. "Health care providers and physical inputs, such as building, medicines, and equipment are an essential foundation for delivering healthcare. However, we found that these structural measures provide little insight on the quality of services delivered to patients."

In an accompanying Perspective, Lars Persson of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK, discusses the need for new measurements of quality of care in order to reach current goals in maternal, newborn, and child health. "So far the existing tools and information systems are not adequate for measuring quality of care," he writes. "Accurate measurements are needed that reflect the context, the processes of giving and receiving care, and the effects on the health status of patients and populations."

More information: Leslie HH, Sun Z, Kruk ME (2017) Association between infrastructure and observed quality of care in 4 healthcare services: A cross-sectional study of 4,300 facilities in 8 countries. PLoS Med 14(12): e1002464. Journal information: PLoS Medicine Leslie HH, Sun Z, Kruk ME (2017) Association between infrastructure and observed quality of care in 4 healthcare services: A cross-sectional study of 4,300 facilities in 8 countries.14(12): e1002464. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002464
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The full moon is associated with an increased risk of fatal motorcycle crashes in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

The researchers say their findings might encourage motorcyclists to ride with extra care during a full moon and, more generally, to appreciate the power of seemingly minor distractions at all times.

Motorcycle crashes are a common cause of death worldwide. In the United States, they account for nearly 5,000 deaths every year - one in seven total road traffic deaths and $6-12bn in costs to society.

Momentary distraction is a common contributor to road traffic deaths. A full moon occurs about 12 times a year, appearing big and bright in the night sky - and is therefore a potential distraction for roads users.

So Donald Redelmeier at the University of Toronto and Eldar Shafir at Princeton University, set out to test whether a full moon might contribute to motorcycle related deaths.

They analysed data from the official United States registry of motor vehicle crashes from 1975 to 2014, and calculated the number of fatal crashes on full moon nights compared with control nights (exactly one week before and one week after the full moon).

A total of 13,029 people were in a fatal motorcycle crash during the 1,482 separate nights (494 full moon nights, 988 control nights). The typical motorcyclist was a middle aged man (average age 32 years) riding a street bike in a rural location who experienced a head-on frontal impact and was not wearing a helmet.

Overall, 4,494 fatal crashes occurred on the 494 nights with a full moon, equal to 9.10 per night, and 8,535 on the 988 control nights without a full moon, equal to 8.64 per night. This gave an absolute total increase of 226 additional fatal crashes over the study period, meaning for every two full moon nights, there was one additional fatal crash.

Similar results were found after analyses of data from the UK, Canada and Australia.

This increased risk was accentuated under a supermoon. Of the 494 full moon nights, 65 were a supermoon night (where the moon appears larger and brighter than a regular full moon). A total of 703 fatal crashes occurred on a supermoon night, equal to 10.82 per night - about two additional deaths on a night with a supermoon.

This is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, as the researchers outline in the study limitations. For example, other distractions and traffic hazards were not taken into account, neither were factors including the prevailing weather or moon visibility. And whilst they used large datasets, like any routinely collected data, there may be errors when the data was entered.

Nevertheless, they conclude that the findings highlight the importance of constant attention when riding, and that extra care is needed when riding during a full moon.

"Additional strategies while riding might include wearing a helmet, activating headlights, scanning the road surface for defects, respecting the weather, being wary of left turning vehicles, obeying traffic laws and forgoing stunts", they add.

More information: The full moon and motorcycle related mortality: population based double control study, The BMJ www.bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j5367 Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) The full moon and motorcycle related mortality: population based double control study, The
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Groundbreaking research led by a team from Brock University has further confirmed that sexual orientation for men is likely determined in the womb.

In the first-ever laboratory study of mothers of gay men, the research was prompted by more than two decades of statistical data examining the 'older brother effect' which shows that biological older brothersbut not older sistersincrease the odds of homosexuality in later-born males.

The study, "Male Homosexuality and Maternal Immune Responsivity to the Y-Linked Protein NLGN4Y," was published Monday, Dec. 11 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Brock Health Sciences Professor Tony Bogaert, lead researcher on the project, said the new study has produced some of the most significant findings in men's sexual orientation research in the past 10 or 15 years. The team included researchers from Harvard and the University of Toronto.

"The implications of this study, especially if and when it is replicated by an independent team, are profound," said Bogaert. "Along with more deeply understanding the exact origin of the older brother effect, it helps solidify the idea that, at least in men, there's a strong biological basis to sexual orientation.

"This is the culmination of more than 20 years of research where we started looking at the older brother, or fraternal birth order, effect. The current study adds to the growing scientific consensus that homosexuality is not a choice, but rather an innate predisposition."

Bogaert, an internationally recognized expert in human sexuality, said the study is groundbreaking for at least two major reasons:

It supports the conclusion, suggested by previous studies, that genes alone do not completely account for homosexuality.

It suggests that immunological factors should be considered along with genetic and hormonal factors as possible biological influences on sexual orientation.

Joining Bogaert from Brock were Health Sciences Assistant Professor Adam MacNeil, Health Sciences PhD student Jose Gabrie, Psychology PhD students Malvina Skorska (now at University of Toronto) and Mark Hoffarth (now at New York University). The team also included Harvard's Chao Wang and University of Toronto's Doug VanderLaan, Ken Zucker and Ray Blanchard.

Bogaert said that since the older brother effect was first discovered two decades ago, many studies have replicated it, including cross-cultural ones. But when a Bogaert research project 10 years ago strongly indicated that the older brother effect in men was likely biological in origin, he saw the need to look at prenatal factors, and set out to test the major biological theory explaining this effect through a lab study.

The team of psychologists and immunologists tested 16 women with no sons, 72 mothers with heterosexual sons, 31 mothers of gay sons with no older brothers, 23 mothers of gay sons with older brothers, and a control group of 12 men.

The women's antibody reactivity was measured to two proteins (PCDH11Y and two forms of NLGN4Y) found only in males, both of which are expressed in the male fetal brain.

The team found that mothers of gay sons, especially those with older brothers, had significantly higher antibody levels to both forms of NLGN4Y than did the control samples of women, including mothers of heterosexual sons.

"It seems that some women during their first male pregnancy, or just after their first male birth, begin to detect this foreign substance (the NLGN4Y protein) and start to develop an immune response. And then later, with further male pregnancies, the high levels of antibodies directed toward this substance may change brain development in these later born males," Bogaert said.

This confirms that the older brother effect is very likely immunological in origin.

"We think it's very important to understanding male sexual orientation," said Bogaert. "It speaks to the mechanisms of sexual orientation development."

However, the psychologist cautions that the effects are modest and the likelihood of a male child being born gay is still smalleven if they have multiple male siblings.

"The vast majority of men with older brothers are still heterosexual, but it says something very broad about sex and gender development."

More information: Anthony F. Bogaert et al. Male homosexuality and maternal immune responsivity to the Y-linked protein NLGN4Y, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Anthony F. Bogaert et al. Male homosexuality and maternal immune responsivity to the Y-linked protein NLGN4Y,(2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1705895114
Real-time data downloaded from a patients wireless implant reveal the deep brain waves that support spatial navigation and memory. Credit: University of California, Los Angeles

UCLA neuroscientists are the first to show that rhythmic waves in the brain called theta oscillations happen more often when someone is navigating an unfamiliar environment, and that the more quickly a person moves, the more theta oscillations take placepresumably to process incoming information faster.

In an unexpected finding, theta oscillations were most prominent in a blind person who relied on a cane to move. The scientists hypothesized that a sightless person explores a strange environment through multiple senses, which would require more brain activity to process the extra sensory input.

Theta oscillations are one of several types of rhythmic waves in the brain that move, or oscillate, at different frequencies. Theta oscillations, which occur deep inside the brain, are named after the eighth letter in the Greek alphabet because they move up and down eight times per second. Scientists have long suspected that theta oscillations support our ability to learn new places and encode new memories, but no one had previously been able to test the hypothesis in humans.

The region responsible for regulating spatial navigation lies deep inside the brain. The inaccessible location has limited previous studies on the subject to rats or to people who were asked not to move because researchers needed them to be connected to hospital equipment.

The study was the first to use a wireless implant to directly record brain waves in real time as people moved freely through an environment.

Researchers analyzed four volunteers who previously had small wireless devices surgically implanted in their brains to prevent seizures. Dressed in motion-capture suits, the volunteers walked at different speeds in a large room as the implants recorded their theta oscillations. The UCLA team tracked the volunteers' movements and later correlated them to their deep brain waves.

The ability to navigate the world around us is a crucial part of daily life, and the study sheds light on the relationship of theta oscillations to human learning, memory and exploration. In addition, forgetting the route home is also one of the first clues of early Alzheimer's disease, and the new findings could help inform future studies and the development of new therapies for patients with memory disorders like Alzheimer's.

The research is published in the Nov. 30 issue of Current Biology.

More information: Zahra M. Aghajan et al. Theta Oscillations in the Human Medial Temporal Lobe during Real-World Ambulatory Movement, Current Biology (2017). Journal information: Current Biology Zahra M. Aghajan et al. Theta Oscillations in the Human Medial Temporal Lobe during Real-World Ambulatory Movement,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.10.062
Shawnee Wilson holds her son, Kingston, in her apartment, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017, in Indianapolis. Kingston was born in 2016, and it took a month for doctors to wean him off the heroin Wilson exposed him to. He is in foster care now in Indianapolis, and Wilson is fighting to get him back. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

The case arrives with all the routine of a traffic citation: A baby boy, just 4 days old and exposed to heroin in his mother's womb, is shuddering through withdrawal in intensive care, his fate now here in a shabby courthouse that hosts a parade of human misery.

The parents nod off as Judge Marilyn Moores explains the legal process, and tests arrive back showing both continue to use heroin. The judge briefly chastises, a grandmother sobs, and by the time the hearing is over, yet another child is left in the arms of strangers because of his parents' addiction.

There is little surprise in any of this, for it's become a persistent presence at Indianapolis' juvenile court. A Monday with a heroin-dependent newborn spills into a Tuesday in which a trembling mother admits breaking her 70-day clean streak with a four-day bender. A Wednesday with two children found in a car beside a mother passed out on pills fades into a Thursday with a teen who found both his mother and grandmother overdosed on heroin.

Across the U.S., soaring use of opioids has forced tens of thousands of children from their homes, creating a generation of kids abandoned by addicted parents, orphaned because of fatal overdoses or torn from fractured families by authorities fearful of leaving them in drug-addled chaos.

"This isn't a trickle. This isn't a wave. It's a tsunami," Moores said of a child welfare system grappling with an unprecedented crush of parental drug cases.

From her first full year on the bench in 2006 through last year, the number of filings for children in need of services more than tripled to 4,649 in Marion County, driven largely by cases involving opioidsa glimpse of a problem that has swept across communities of all sizes.

Shawnee Wilson plays with her son, Kingston, in her apartment in Indianapolis, on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017. Wilson knows how those who don't struggle with addiction view her, and said it's hard to explain what compels people to keep using even when it can cost them their children. When she's been high, she said, "I can't see the consequences, because all I want is to feel that drug. I want that numbness." (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Behind each of those cases is a child subjected to the realities of life amid addictionof barren fridges, unwelcome visitors and parents who couldn't be roused awake. Moores is still haunted by the story of a 2-year-old found alone at home with his father's corpse, a needle still poking from his arm. A neighbor was drawn in by the boy's relentless wails.

By Friday, the largest pile of cases on Moores' desk has reached a towering two feet, and she has plodded on in bureaucratic fights to get more judges, more court reporters and more mediators to deal with work in which the despair dwarfs the fleeting moments of hope.

"It seems like there's a whole generation of people disappearing," Moores said.

___

In Miami, a 10-year-old boy died after stray powder from the painkiller fentanyl found its way to his skin. In Philadelphia, a library once known for its after-school programs is now such a magnet for heroin users that the staff practices overdose drills. From New York to Kentucky, schools stock the overdose antidote naloxone in the nurse's office.

As opioids have thrived, children have suffered. And families are being torn apart, again and again.

Shawnee Wilson watches as her son, Kingston, plays in her apartment in Indianapolis, on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017. Despite some relapses, she's been clean several months and is convinced she'll be able to keep it up. The clock is ticking. Federal law dictates the loss of parental rights for those whose children have been in foster care for 15 out of the previous 22 months. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

New foster care cases involving parents who are using drugs have hit the highest point in more than three decades of record-keeping, accounting for 92,000 children entering the system in 2016, according to just-released data by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The crisis is so severewith a 32 percent spike in drug-related cases from 2012 to 2016it reversed a trend that had the foster care system shrinking in size over the preceding decade. All told, about 274,000 children entered foster care in the U.S. last year. A total of 437,000 children were in the system as of Sept. 30, 2016.

Though substance abuse has long been an issue for child welfare officials, this is the most prolific wave of children affected by addiction since crack cocaine use surged in the 1980s, and experts said opioid-use is driving the increase.

Among the states with the biggest one-year increases in their foster care population were Georgia, West Virginia and Indiana.

"It's been an overburdening of our system," said Cindy Booth, executive director of Child Advocates of Marion County, which represents kids at the center of drug cases.

The Associated Press delved further into the troubling numbers, examining county-level foster care statistics obtained from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect through the end of 2015. The analysis showed counties with higher levels of opioid prescribing and opioid deaths also had higher shares of foster cases linked to drugs. Last year's county-level statistics are not yet available.

Shawnee Wilson sits for a photo in her apartment in Indianapolis, on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017. Wilson knows how those who don't struggle with addiction view her, and said it's hard to explain what compels people to keep using even when it can cost them their children. When she's been high, she said, "I can't see the consequences, because all I want is to feel that drug. I want that numbness." (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

The data show that foster children of drug users are on average about three years younger than others in the system. Indeed, a wave of babies born to opioid-using mothers has led hospitals to add detox programs for pregnant women and save umbilical cords in case they need to pinpoint what drug an infant was exposed to. Volunteers are enlisted to cuddle heroin-dependent babiesoften born premature and underweight with a distinctive high-pitched cry and tremors in their arms and legs.

In Indiana, drug-related foster cases shot up more than sixfold between 2000 and 2015. Vanderburgh County, with a population of 179,000, had more children of drug users enter foster care than major cities including Seattle, Miami and Las Vegas. And here in Marion County, cases involving drugs went from about 20 percent of foster children in 2010 to 50 percent five years later.

Stephanie Shene, who started in 2003 as a case manager at the state Department of Child Services, recalled how use of heroin and other opioids went from a virtual non-issue to a constant part of her day. She and her colleagues became increasingly vigilant looking for shaking, fidgety parents or needle marks on their arms, behind ears and between fingers.

Her agency has added more than 1,200 workers in four years and its budget has increased from $793 million to more than $1 billion. Keeping up with the caseload remains a challenge, though, and turnover among case managers is high. Especially maddening is the huge number of parents who can't stay clean long enough to get their kids back or keep them.

Shene remembers one of her first cases, a mother whose four children were taken because of her morphine and heroin addiction. Just 10 months after getting clean and regaining custody, the woman not only had returned to drugs but had given birth to a heroin-dependent baby.

"Stuff like that is hard to look at," she said.

Shawnee Wilson plays with her son, Kingston, in Indianapolis, on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017. Despite some relapses, she's been clean several months and is convinced she'll be able to keep it up. The clock is ticking. Federal law dictates the loss of parental rights for those whose children have been in foster care for 15 out of the previous 22 months. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

___

By the time Rachael Stark arrives at her office at 8:45 a.m., she has already been working for hours. At 2:30 a.m., it was a call seeking an emergency placement for a child. Around 4 a.m., a series of texts alerted her that an alarm went off at a foster home and police showed up. Since 8 a.m., she's been furiously tapping away at her phone, juggling 15 foster cases. Now she's splashed with coffee and running late for a 9 o'clock appointment when a state DCS worker calls looking for a foster family for three siblings.

"I've got no one," she reports somberly.

For the past 13 years, Stark has managed cases for The Villages, the largest private foster care and adoption agency in Indiana, which contracts with the state to find children homes. All but a few of her cases involve drugs and of those that do, about half are opioid-related.

The Villages is receiving 30 to 40 percent more referrals than it had been accustomed to, creating a "crisis state," as the agency's president, Sharon Pierce, puts it. Foster parent training sessions, once held monthly, are now weekly; advertising to attract new families has been ramped up. It takes at least three months to recruit, screen and train foster parents, but as soon as they get their state license, the need for help is so great they often receive an immediate call.

"Five or 10 minutes later, that family will have two or three children placed in their home," Pierce said.

Shawnee Wilson holds a photo of her son, Kingston, and her, in Indianapolis, on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017. Shawnee Wilson has found herself on both sides of the system. Wilson's parents used, and she was 13 when child welfare officials removed her from her home. Now, at 26, she's trying to beat heroin, having already lost custody of two children and given another up at birth. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

The Villages used to see about 60 percent of children return to their birth families. Today it's around half that. So the agency turns to successful foster parents to adopt. The problem is that limits the family's ability to take on another foster child, creating the need for even more foster homes.

"So then we jump back on the treadmill," Pierce said.

The agency has added a few employees, but it's largely up to case managers like Stark to cope with the surging workload. She crisscrosses farm-lined stretches of Grant County, about 90 miles northeast of Indianapolis, driving beside fields of corn and soybeans in the rush to make her next appointment. The county's drug-involved foster caseload grew from nine in 2000 to 48 in 2015.

Stark makes her first stop at the foster home of a 5-year-old girl who answers "hot fudge sundae ice cream" when asked what happens when she meets her therapist; the child's mother is in jail. The second home is a whirl of sailing plastic cups, bouncing rubber balls and kids jumping on furniture, with six children, two of them foster placements, in perpetual motion. The foster mother, Megan Carender, hopes to adopt the children but is prepared if their stay is temporary: "No matter what, this was a place that they were loved and that they were taken care of."

It goes like this all day for Stark, a series of visits and a blur of calls and texts interrupted by sighs and talk of "imperfect solutions." ''We just can't keep up," she said.

Her third stop of the day is emblematic of the cases inundating the system. Two sisters, 9 and 10, landed in foster care because their mother got hooked on painkillers. There was no family to turn to, with their grandmother also addicted. The girls now live on a farm where sheep, cattle and hogs are raised, and they sit in the bed of a pickup, fussing over a carton of fluffy day-old chicks their foster father, Justin Lovell, picked up for them. When he notes, matter-of-factly, it won't be long before the chicks reach a size fit only for "a freezer or a frying pan," the girls' jaws drop in comical unison.

A pile of paperwork sits on the desk of Judge Marilyn Moores as she works in her office in Indianapolis on Aug. 3, 2017. From her first full year on the bench in 2006 through last year, the number of filings for children in need of services more than tripled to 4,649 in Marion County, driven largely by cases involving opioidsa glimpse of a problem that has swept across communities of all sizes. (AP Photo/Matt Sedensky)

"You're not going to fry them!" one cries.

Their birth mother has already had her parental rights rescinded, and the Lovells hope to adopt. One of the girls had been in four foster homes before arriving here, the other in three. Three siblings were placed elsewhere.

Lovell's wife, Kristen, laments the turmoil the sisters have been through"so many stops and starts and bumps along the way"and that "their whole world's changing, and it's changed so many times already." Her husband simply cannot fathom how someone could put drugs before family.

"They had their choice," he said, "and they didn't choose their children."

There is no simple assessment of the impact of all of this on kids. At one extreme, there are infants born healthy who wind up in safe and loving foster homes until their birth parents get clean. At the other are children whose parents' addictions have led to their own, who find themselves hopping from foster family to foster family, or living in a group home or a strange town.

Fear and anxiety can amass, academic performance can plunge, feelings of abandonment can run rampant, and the ability to trust can be strained. Said Maria Cancian, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor whose research focuses on foster care and the effects on children: "When people ask me, 'Is foster care good or bad?' the first thing I say is, 'Compared to what?'"

Judge Marilyn Moores speaks during an interview in Indianapolis on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. Moores is still haunted by the story of a 2-year-old girl found alone at home with her father's corpse, a needle still poking from his arm. A neighbor was drawn in by her relentless wails. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Shawnee Wilson has found herself on both sides of the system.

Wilson's parents used, and she was 13 when child welfare officials removed her from her home. Now, at 26, she's trying to beat heroin, having already lost custody of two children and given another up at birth.

Her fourth child, a boy named Kingston, was born just over a year ago, and it took a month for doctors to wean him off the heroin Wilson exposed him to. He is in foster care now in Indianapolis, and Wilson is fighting to get him back.

Despite some relapses, she's been clean several months and is convinced she'll be able to keep it up. The clock is ticking. Federal law dictates the loss of parental rights for those whose children have been in foster care for 15 out of the previous 22 months.

Wilson knows how those who don't struggle with addiction view her, and said it's hard to explain what compels people to keep using even when it can cost them their children. When she's been high, she said, "I can't see the consequences, because all I want is to feel that drug. I want that numbness."

___

Judge Marilyn Moores works in her office, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in Indianapolis. Moores presided over a court that took 1,270 children from their parents in 2016, more than triple a decade earlier. Cases roll in to courtrooms that once were classrooms, converted to accommodate snowballing need. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Back at juvenile court, the waiting room is brimming with people who may wait hours for their cases to be called. Babies screech. Toddlers whine. Adults emerge from courtrooms wet-eyed.

Moores, the plainspoken 62-year-old who leads this division, sees a familiar expression on the faces that pass throughnot just parents, but case managers and attorneys and a parade of others who've seen their work overtaken by pills and powders. She saw the same blank eyes during a National Guard deployment to Afghanistan, as soldiers returned to base.

"They're war-weary," she said.

She counts herself among the battle-scarred, having presided over a court that took 1,270 children from their parents last year, more than triple a decade earlier. Cases roll in to courtrooms that once were classrooms, converted to accommodate snowballing need.

It is 11 p.m. on Friday now and Moores is home on her farm, clad in pajamas and awake in bed. Her phone goes off, a new crisis arrived. DCS has a boy who previously was removed from the home of his opioid-addicted mother, now needing to be taken out of the house of relatives. There are no foster families available, and the county's emergency shelters are full.

It won't be long before the details of the case recede from a memory crowded by a thousand others. Tonight, though, it weighs on her as she tries to drift to sleep.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Exposure to the children's television series Peppa Pig may be contributing to unrealistic expectations of primary care and encouraging inappropriate use of services, suggests a doctor in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

Dr Catherine Bell, a general practitioner based in Sheffield, has often wondered why some patients immediately attempt to consult their GP about minor ailments of short duration. As the mother of a toddler and frequent witness to Peppa Pig, she thinks she might have discovered the answer.

Peppa Pig centres around a young pig, Peppa, her family (brother George, Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig), and animal friends and members of the community.

Dr Brown Bear, a single handed GP with whom the Pig family is registered, appears to provide his patients with an excellent service - prompt and direct telephone access, continuity of care, extended hours, and a low threshold for home visits.

So Dr Bell decided to analyse three case studies and consider the potential impact Dr Brown Bear's actions could have on patient behaviour.

Usual advice for uncomplicated self-limiting viral illnesses, such as coughs and colds, is to not see your GP, but to rest at home and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

In case 1, Dr Brown Bear makes an urgent home visit to a 3 year old piglet with a facial rash. He reassures the parents it is "nothing serious" and offers a dose of medicine, but says the rash is likely to clear up quickly regardless.

This case questions whether Dr Brown Bear is an unscrupulous private practitioner for conducting an arguably clinically inappropriate home visit, says Bell. "It is also an example of unnecessary prescribing for a viral illness, and encourages patients to attempt to access their GP inappropriately."

In case 2, Dr Brown Bear makes another urgent home visit to an 18 month old piglet with cold symptoms. After examining the throat, he diagnoses an upper respiratory tract infection and advises bed rest and warm milk.

Despite again opting to make a clinically inappropriate urgent home visit, Dr Brown Bear's management "was at least clinically appropriate on this occasion, and his advice might encourage the family to self manage similar illnesses in future," writes Bell.

In the final case, Dr Brown Bear makes an emergency visit to the playgroup after a 3 year old pony coughs three times. After examining the patient, he administers a dose of medicine immediately and warns that the cough is potentially transmissible. When the rest of the playgroup attendees and their parents develop symptoms, they are all given a dose of an unspecified pink medicine.

And when Dr Brown Bear also develops symptoms, his patients attend the surgery to administer his dose of medicine, and to sing to him.

By now Dr Brown Bear displays signs of "burnout," suggests Bell. "His disregard for confidentiality, parental consent, record keeping, and his self prescribing indicate that the burden of demand from his patient population is affecting his health. He is no longer able to offer the level of service his patients have come to expect."

Given that Peppa Pig is broadcast and encountered by parents in more than 180 countries worldwide, the influence of his portrayal of the work of primary care physicians is likely to be significant, points out Bell.

While Peppa Pig conveys many positive public health messages, such as encouraging healthy eating, exercise, and road safety, Bell suspects that "exposure to Peppa Pig and its portrayal of general practice raises patient expectation and encourages inappropriate use of primary care services." Further study is needed to confirm this, she adds.

More information: Does Peppa Pig encourage inappropriate use of primary care resources? The BMJ, www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.j5397 Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) Does Peppa Pig encourage inappropriate use of primary care resources? The
Credit: University of Maryland School of Medicine

Each year there are more than three million cases of cholera worldwide, a disease transmitted through contaminated food and water that hits developing countries particularly hard. While the standard regimen for protecting against cholera with existing non-living oral cholera vaccines includes administering two doses over a two-week period, research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) now shows that giving a stronger single-dose of a live oral vaccine could be an effective tool in controlling outbreaks more quickly.

The UMSOM research, published in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, was conducted in Mali and included 150 participants. Researchers assessed the effectiveness (ability to stimulate vibriocidal antibody, an immune response that correlates with protection) of a single high-dose of live cholera vaccine CVD 103-HgR, which was developed by UMSOM's Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and licensed and manufactured by PaxVax, versus the standard two-dose killed vaccine approach.

While the two-dose inactivated vaccine approach has been used and made available for protecting against seasonal increases in cholera cases, a stronger single-dose live oral vaccine approach may be a more effective way to rapidly protect individuals in big outbreaks, the research found.

"Immunization with a single-dose cholera vaccine that could rapidly protect people in low-income countries who have not previously been exposed to cholera would be a significant asset in helping control outbreaks and lower mortality rates," said Myron M. Levine, M.D., D.T.P.H., the Simon and Bessie Grollman Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Global Health, Vaccinology and Infectious Disease at UMSOM and senior author in the study. "Given the highly encouraging results, we envision that as a matter of priority high-dose CVD 103-HgR will now be evaluated more completely in low income countries menaced by cholera."

Severe Cholera Cases Lead to Death

Cholera transmission is endemic in many areas of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. In severe cases, patients pass large amounts of diarrhea that causes rapid dehydration and ultimately death if left untreated. This year, the World Health Organization estimated that in Yemen alone there have been a million cases of cholera.

Researchers will now study whether the single high-dose live vaccine is suitable for initiating vaccination campaigns early during outbreaks to nip them in the bud, as well as for preemptive vaccination to diminish the burden of expected seasonal increases of endemic cholera in countries where this disease persists as a public health problem. Finally, since young children less than 5 years of age suffer the highest incidence of cholera but are less well protected than adults by the current two-dose oral killed vaccines, it will also be important to assess the effectiveness of a single high-dose of CVD 103-HgR live vaccine in protecting young children.

"The data published in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology is a first step in demonstrating the potential utility of a new formulation of Vaxchora (CVD 103-HgR) at a higher dose in endemic settings," according to Nima Farzan, Chief Executive Officer and President of PaxVax.

"Vaccine development is a critical part of our research here at the University of Maryland School of Medicine," said UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who is also Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs, University of Maryland and the John and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. "For two centuries the school of medicine has been at the forefront of treating diseases among the most underserved areas."

More information: Samba O. Sow et al, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Phase 2 Trial Comparing the Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity of a Single Standard Dose to Those of a High Dose of CVD 103-HgR Live Attenuated Oral Cholera Vaccine, with Shanchol Inactivated Oral Vaccine as an Open-Label Immunologic Comparator, Clinical and Vaccine Immunology (2017). Journal information: Clinical and Vaccine Immunology Samba O. Sow et al, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Phase 2 Trial Comparing the Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity of a Single Standard Dose to Those of a High Dose of CVD 103-HgR Live Attenuated Oral Cholera Vaccine, with Shanchol Inactivated Oral Vaccine as an Open-Label Immunologic Comparator,(2017). DOI: 10.1128/CVI.00265-17
Jammu-Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti told Supreme Court that there is no plan to set up minority commission in the state

By Harish V Nair: The Mehbooba Mufti government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has no plans to set up a minority commission in Jammu and Kashmir, a statement that comes as a jolt to Hindus who comprise 28.4% of the state's population, apart from other communities.

An affidavit to this effect has been filed in response to public interest litigation (PIL) by a Jammu-based lawyer Ankur Sharma. The petitioner contended that in the absence of such a panel, benefits exclusively meant for minority communities like Hindus and Sikhs, including aid worth crores, are being given away to the Muslim community in an "illegal and arbitrary" manner.

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Virtually ruling out setting up of the commission, the state government

said implementation of National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 is not binding and is the sole prerogative of the state legislature. "The state government will however consider and examine the need and feasibility of setting up of State Minority Commission at the relevant point of time as and when need arises based upon the critical study of the social and educational backwardness of the minorities spread across various regions of Jammu and Kashmir," reads the affidavit.

It merely says that "considering the special needs of minorities as are residing in the state, a special project "Chief Minister's Inclusive Development Initiative" is being formulated by the state government.

The project will have focused development efforts for certain segments of the society and will include upgrading civic infrastructure such as health, education, water, etc and scholarship scheme for students not covered under the schemes of ministry of minority affairs.

The Chief Justice Dipak Misraled bench too said it cannot direct the state legislature to legislate for formation of minority commission and asked the Centre to "deliberate" on it.

"How can we ask or direct the state legislature to legislate in a particular manner. The Centre says they will deliberate on it and get back to this court," CJI Misra told Sharma.

The petitioner said according to the 2011 census, about 68.3 per cent of the state's population is Muslim. Among the minorities, 28.4 per cent are Hindus, followed by Sikhs (1.9 per cent), Buddhists (0.9 per cent), and Christians (0.3 per cent). In Kashmir valley, about 96.4 per cent are Muslims, followed by Hindus (2.45 per cent), Sikhs (0.98 per cent) and others (0.17 per cent).

Sharma argued that Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir are unable to benefit from central and state welfare schemes for minorities. Change CJI Misra's predecessor JS Khehar had however adopted a different stand.

He had in March asked the Centre and state government why a panel is not being constituted to protect the rights of minorities in the state.

"It is a very very important subject the manner in which the whole issue has emerged this has to be kept in mind if some protection has to be extended to a particular community who will do it other than you?" Khehar had asked additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Modi government and had merely said that the demand is being "looked into".

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Mehta and senior advocate Gopal Subramanium were directed to ensure that representatives of the Centre and state government sit together and sort out the issue.

Questioning the petitioner's motive and opposing the creation of a minority commission, the state government affidavit also says, "The states of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Andaman, and several UTs have not set up minority commissions. The present petition only seeks its establishment in J&K. In case the present petition has been filed in public interest, he should have prayed for its setting up in all these states."

Band, Baaja, Baraat: Best of images from Virat-Anushka wedding in Tuscany

--- ENDS ---
You've heard of the Katie Couric effect, the Angelina Jolie effect and the Charlie Sheen effect, but could the next effect be named after you?

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers and colleagues have discovered that celebrity status may not be necessary to make a public health concern go viral on social media. In a new study, they showed just how effective one person can be in generating awareness about skin cancerwhen his or her post and picture is shared thousands of times on Facebook, that is.

In April 2015, Tawny Dzierzek, a nurse from Kentucky, shared a selfie on Facebook after a recent skin cancer treatment. A former frequent user of tanning beds, Dzierzek was first diagnosed with skin cancer at age 21. By age 27, she had had basal cell carcinoma five times, and squamous cell carcinoma once. Her post was shared 50,000 times on social media in less than a month, and her story was picked up by media outlets ranging from CNN to BuzzFeed.

Dzierzek's post, and the subsequent media coverage of her story, proved to be powerful tools in raising awareness about skin cancer. Researchers report in the journal Preventive Medicine that Google searches about skin cancer reached near-record levels when media coverage about Dzierzek's selfie was at its peak.

"A growing body of research shows that stories can be very impactfulmore impactful than didactic informationin delivering a health message," said UNC Lineberger's Seth Noar, PhD, a professor in the UNC School of Media and Journalism and the study's lead author. "This event was really a perfect storm of a compelling story and graphic selfie, which seems to have led this Facebook post to go viral."

For the study, Noar collaborated with several colleagues across the country with expertise in digital surveillance methods. The team evaluated Facebook shares and media coverage, as well as trends in online Google searches for the words "skin" and "cancer" on the date that Dzierzek initially posted the photo on Facebook (April 25, 2015) through the period when media coverage of her story peaked and then declined.

The team found all search queries for skin cancer reached near-record levels, increasing 162 percent compared with historical trends on May 13, 2015, and 155 percent on May 14, 2015, when news about Dzierzek's skin cancer "selfie" was at its peak. Queries remained higher through May 17. "In practical terms, this translated into about 200,000 more Google searches than would otherwise have been expected in just those six days," said study co-author John W. Ayers, PhD, MA, of San Diego State University.

Not only did the public have more interest in skin cancer, but they were also substantially more interested in skin cancer prevention and the link between tanning and skin cancer. Online searches for skin cancer prevention were as much as 232 percent higher than expected, while queries about skin cancer and tanning were as much as 489 percent higher.

"When the public sees 'real' stories, they gravitate toward them," Ayers said. "It turns out that when people speak up to share their stories, their voices can resonate far more than we had imagined."

In addition to demonstrating the value of personal narratives in delivering a public health message, Noar said researchers and practitioners could learn to time messages around events such as this. Ayers added that if public health researchers and advocacy groups could get better at identifying these events when they happen, they could help amplify the message and reach many more people.

"When this happened, it really captured the public's attention on social media and through national media coverage," Noar said. "That's an opportune time for all of us to get the message out about the dangers of tanning beds."

And alerting people about the risks associated with tanning is a very important message, Noar said. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the World Health Organization's International Agency of Research on Cancer panel, have declared ultraviolet radiation from the sun as well as tanning beds to be a "known carcinogen." According to the American Academy of Dermatology, tanning beds cause upwards of 400,000 cases of skin cancer each year in the United States.

"Tanning bed use has been starting to decline, and events like this may play a role by reaching people through a 21st century medium with a real story that strikes a chord at a very human level," Noar said.
Credit: American Heart Association

Young diabetics could have seven times more risk of dying from sudden cardiac arrest than their peers who don't have diabetes, according to new research.

The study points to the importance of early and ongoing heart monitoring in children and young adults with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, said Jesper Svane, a graduate research student in cardiology at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.

Svane recently presented the preliminary study findings at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, a gathering of scientists and doctors from around the world exchanging ideas about the latest research and advances in heart and brain health.

"I think parents are probably already aware of their children's symptoms and pains, so this message is more for doctors, about more cardiac monitoring," Svane said. Children and young adults who have had a sudden cardiac death often have had symptoms of chest pains or fainting beforehand, he said.

"When you have a young person with diabetes you should be aware that this person has a higher risk of heart disease even though they are young, even with Type 1 diabetes."

Diabetes is a disease caused when blood sugar, also called blood glucose, is too high. Glucose from food is the body's main source of energy and is regulated by insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas. Over time, diabetes can cause a host of health problems, including damage to blood vessels and nerves, such as those that control the heart and blood vessels.

Type 1 occurs most often in children and young adults and is caused by the immune system attacking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Type 2, diagnosed at any age but usually in adults, occurs when there isn't enough insulin or when the body doesn't use it well. A sedentary lifestyle, obesity and high blood pressure can increase the risk of this type of diabetes.

Studies have shown people with diabetes have a higher risk of premature death, but Svane and fellow researchers said there has been little research on the rates and causes of death among young diabetics.

Their large national study drew from Denmark's detailed health, pharmacy and death registries. It included information about all Danish citizens ages 1 to 35 years old from 2000 to 2009  as well as adults 36 to 49 years old from 2007 to 2009.

Researchers said 5 percent of the 14,294 people who died during that decade had diabetes, with 70 percent having Type 1 and 30 percent having Type 2.

The study found people with diabetes had eight times more risk of dying from all types of heart disease. Sudden cardiac death was the cause in 17 percent of people with diabetes, and researchers calculated it was seven times more common than in those without diabetes.

Sudden cardiac death is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes it to beat irregularly. It can happen abruptly and without warning. Once the heart's pumping action is disrupted and blood can't reach the brain, lungs or other organs, the person loses consciousness and has no pulse. Death can happen in minutes without treatment.

Each year, more than 350,000 Americans have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital. Only about one in 10 survives.

Those statistics are why the AHA and other health and community groups around the country have been pushing for more CPR training in schools. Less than half of the out-of-hospital cardiac arrests receive bystander CPR before medical help arrives  and the survival odds are higher for people who do.

Currently, 37 states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws or adopted curriculum changes to require Hands-Only CPR training to graduate high school, according to AHA statistics.

Robert Campbell, M.D., pediatric cardiologist at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center in Georgia, said training in schools is about preparing "anybody and everybody" to be ready to jump in quickly with CPR.

Campbell is medical director of Project SAVE, a program the children's hospital started in 2004 to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest deaths. So far, about 1,200 Georgia schools have gone through SAVE's training, which includes creating emergency action plans, CPR education and drills. The program also trains people to use an automated external defibrillator, or AED, a portable device that checks and restores a heart to its normal rhythm.

"It's a basic life skill," Campbell said. "It's not rocket science, but it's also something you can't Google in the middle of a cardiac arrest."

More information: Young Persons With Diabetes Have a 7-Fold Increased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death Compared to Persons Without Diabetes: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Denmark. Circulation. circ.ahajournals.org/content/136/Suppl_1/A20507 Journal information: Circulation Young Persons With Diabetes Have a 7-Fold Increased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death Compared to Persons Without Diabetes: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Denmark.
For those who knew him, it is hard to believe that Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemens longtime ruler and one of the most cunning autocrats of our time, is finally gone.

Time and time again, Mr. Saleh seemed to outmaneuver death. He dodged a blizzard of bullets over the years, along with a bombing that left his skin mottled, his right hand stiffened like a claw. Hed held power for so long  even after his nominal ouster from the presidency in 2011, he remained a dominant force in Yemen  that he seemed almost welded to the landscape.

Mr. Saleh was in many ways the quintessential Arab dictator. He was not as brutal as Saddam Hussein of Iraq or the Assads of Syria, not as flashy as Libyas Muammar el-Qaddafi. But he may have been the greatest master at the cynical politics they all deployed: the art of making oneself indispensable by destroying or corrupting everyone and everything else. This wily survivors game staved off revolt for decades in the Arab world. It also helped to doom the 2011 uprisings, leaving us with the sad landscape of civil war, jihadism and economic collapse today in the Middle East.

The last time I saw him, in January 2014, Mr. Saleh had the look of an embittered patriarch. He was sitting at a round table in the vast courtyard of his palatial house in Sana, Yemens capital. He wore a suit and tie, as always, and issued commands to underlings in a guttural, contemptuous voice. He looked unusually thin, and the skin on his neck and wrist was blotched from skin grafts. It was amazing he was alive at all: The bombing of the mosque at the presidential palace in June 2011 had burnt him badly and killed several of his guards.
BEIRUT, Lebanon  Lebanese security forces on Sunday fired tear gas and water cannons into crowds that had gathered near the United States Embassy, in a sign that protests against President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel may be escalating.

Thousands of protesters chanted slogans against Mr. Trumps orders, which involves moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, with some throwing rocks and setting tires and a large trash container on fire outside the embassys highly secured gated compound in a suburb north of the capital, Beirut.

Some protesters tried to rip the barbed wire off a fence, but they were repelled by the security forces, who fired a barrage of tear gas and sent them running, with many choking from the smoke, vomiting or fainting.
Updated, 11:13 a.m.

Good morning on this bright Monday.

An explosion near the Port Authority Bus Terminal shut down one of New York Citys busiest transit hubs during the Monday morning rush.

Commuters underground nearby began to flee after a loud, muffled sound was heard around 7:20 a.m. in the Port Authority subway station.

This was an attempted terrorist attack, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference this morning. Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.

One suspect is in custody, identified as Akayed Ullah, 27, from Brooklyn, Police Commissioner James P. ONeill said at the news conference. The commissioner added that the suspect had been wearing an explosive device and that he was in serious condition at Bellevue Hospital.
"Consultations are under way," Mikheyev said. A lot of issues, including the layout and the number, are being discussed, he added.



The timeframe has not been set yet and talks are in progress, Mikheyev said. It was reported earlier that Russia had won the tender for the delivery of Kamov Ka-52K helicopters for Egypts Mistral-class amphibious assault ships.



It was also reported that pilots of Kamov Ka-52K helicopters designed for the Egyptian Mistral-class amphibious assault ships would undergo training in Russia.



Baseline Ka-52 helicopters are currently being built by the Progress Aircraft Plant in Arsenyev in Russias Far East under the contract for the delivery of 46 rotorcraft of the type, which was signed in 2015.



The Ka-52K Katran attack helicopter is a ship-based version of the baseline Ka-52. Unlike the baseline model, the Ka-52K has folding main rotor blades and folding stub wings. The helicopter has reinforced landing gear and can fire anti-ship missiles and a wide range of other guided and unguided air-launched weapons.



In the winter of 2016-2017, helicopters of the type took part in the counterterrorism operation in Syria as part of the air wing of Russias aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.



 Copyright 2017 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Domestically-made submarines of projects 877EKM and 636 were supplied to Asia and the Pacific Rim (10 to India of project 877EKM, 12 to China, including four of project 877EKM and eight of project 636, six to Vietnam of project 636.1). However, the attempt in the past decade to sell Russian submarines to South Korea failed as it preferred the German diesel-electric U-boats of project 214 and is building nine of them by license. Malaysia bought two French Scorpene subs and Thailand one Chinese U-boat of project S26N with an option for another two. Pakistan will build by license eight Chinese boats of project S20 which is an export option of project 041 Yuan. As for the Russian prospects to export submarines to Asia and the Pacific Rim, they were damaged by the decision of strategic partner India to buy six French Scorpenes currently built by license although with a delay by the Mazagaon Dockyard Limited (MDL). The scheduled visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India in early 2018 can result in a potential sale to the Indian Navy of three additional Scorpene-class submarines produced by the DCNS Company (currently Naval Group).

Domestically-made submarines of projects 877EKM and 636 were supplied to Asia and the Pacific Rim (10 to India of project 877EKM, 12 to China, including four of project 877EKM and eight of project 636, six to Vietnam of project 636.1). However, the attempt in the past decade to sell Russian submarines to South Korea failed as it preferred the German diesel-electric U-boats of project 214 and is building nine of them by license. Malaysia bought two French Scorpene subs and Thailand one Chinese U-boat of project S26N with an option for another two. Pakistan will build by license eight Chinese boats of project S20 which is an export option of project 041 Yuan. As for the Russian prospects to export submarines to Asia and the Pacific Rim, they were damaged by the decision of strategic partner India to buy six French Scorpenes currently built by license although with a delay by the Mazagaon Dockyard Limited (MDL). The scheduled visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India in early 2018 can result in a potential sale to the Indian Navy of three additional Scorpene-class submarines produced by the DCNS Company (currently Naval Group).

According to preliminary information, in India Macron will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials, including Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. High-ranking French officials said the talks would likely focus on the sale of two additional squadrons of Rafale fighter jets and three Scorpene-class submarines as the Indian Navy is extremely interested in increasing the fleet of diesel-electric U-boats which currently comprises 13 units (9 Russian subs of project 877EKM and four German boats of project 209/1500 of the HDW Company). French Defense Minister Florence Parly already held preliminary discussions of the submarine deal during her two-day visit to India which ended on October 28. It looks like the combination of 6 plus 3 digits has nothing specific. However, in reality they pose a major issue regarding Project 75I worth 500 bln Indian rupees, which has long been discussed in India and envisages the construction of six new non-nuclear submarines with air-independent propulsion by a joint venture organized by a private Indian company and a foreign tender-winning producer. Rosoboronexport arms trader and the Rubin Design Bureau plan to bid and offer to India Amur-1650 subs with air-independent propulsion. The Russian bid could be preferable as cooperation with the Indian-Russian BrahMos Aerospace JV can arm the new Indian submarine with vertically launched Brahmos underwater supersonic missiles which can hit surface and ground targets at a distance of up to 450 km. However, in reality the French bid can easily defeat the Russian one.

According to preliminary information, in India Macron will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials, including Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. High-ranking French officials said the talks would likely focus on the sale of two additional squadrons of Rafale fighter jets and three Scorpene-class submarines as the Indian Navy is extremely interested in increasing the fleet of diesel-electric U-boats which currently comprises 13 units (9 Russian subs of project 877EKM and four German boats of project 209/1500 of the HDW Company). French Defense Minister Florence Parly already held preliminary discussions of the submarine deal during her two-day visit to India which ended on October 28. It looks like the combination of 6 plus 3 digits has nothing specific. However, in reality they pose a major issue regarding Project 75I worth 500 bln Indian rupees, which has long been discussed in India and envisages the construction of six new non-nuclear submarines with air-independent propulsion by a joint venture organized by a private Indian company and a foreign tender-winning producer. Rosoboronexport arms trader and the Rubin Design Bureau plan to bid and offer to India Amur-1650 subs with air-independent propulsion. The Russian bid could be preferable as cooperation with the Indian-Russian BrahMos Aerospace JV can arm the new Indian submarine with vertically launched Brahmos underwater supersonic missiles which can hit surface and ground targets at a distance of up to 450 km. However, in reality the French bid can easily defeat the Russian one.
Turkey's main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) leader Kemal Klcdaroglu filed a lawsuit against Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu over threatening and insulting remarks.

Klcdaroglus lawyer Celal Celik announced the legal action against Soylu through his Twitter account on Dec. 11, stating that his client seeks 100,000 Turkish Liras in compensation.

In a public address over the weekend, Soylu had slammed Klcdaroglu saying: I speak openly: Klcdaroglu, you are finished.

Soylus attack mainly focused on Klcdaroglus allegations that President Recep Tayyip Erdogans family members transferred millions of euros to a bank based on the tax haven Isle of Man. The minister accused the CHP leader of being a dishonorable man and a liar.

CHP spokesman Bulent Tezcan launched the initial counterattack, advising the minister to get a medical report on his mental status in a statement released on Dec. 10.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has caused great reaction in Turkey.

At social media discussions, Kurdish as well as Turkish socialist users expressed a view that the Israeli PM gave a sharp response to Erdogan and put him in a pretty bad situation.

Netanyahus response especially pleased the Kurdish users of social media.

In response to the Turkish presidents criticisms against Israel, PM Benjamin Netanyahu had stated that they will not take lessons in ethics from a president that bombs Kurdish villages.
Prime Minister of Finland: Europe is now too reliant on Chinese technology

Turkey to require insurance from oil tankers when passing through its waters

EU to provide Ukraine with generators and kits to repair power grids

Turkey sentences sect founder to 8,658 years in prison

Xi Jinping urges world to abandon any Cold War mentality

Aliyev rules out talks with Artsakh State Minister

FP: Ukraine's appetite for weapons depletes Western stocks

Putin and Aliyev discuss energy cooperation

Armenian financial technologies to enter international market: VISA and Idram sign memorandum in Yerevan

Incident in Poland causes disagreement between Kyiv and West

Mark Milley urges Kyiv and Moscow to find political solution: Chances of military victory are unlikely

New NATO Secretary General to be announced at Vilnius summit in 2023

Finnish Defense Ministry announces largest batch of military aid to Ukraine

Pashinyan receives Ukrainian businessmen of Armenian origin

Armenian soldier wounded in Azerbaijani shooting

Erdogan: Turkey-Israel relations entered a new phase of development

Mishustin: Cooperation between Moscow and Baku has become truly strategic and allied

Igor Khovaev to visit Baku

Mishustin arrives in Baku

Russian Foreign Ministry: South Caucasus is a strategic transport hub for Eurasia

U.S. general lays flowers at eternal flame at Armenian Genocide memorial

Republicans stand for same-sex marriage rights

Pallone says US State Department should not hesitate to speak about Azerbaijani aggression

Aliyev refuses to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh and threatens Armenia with new aggression

Greek minister doesn't get off plane to meet head of Libya's presidential council

Sergey Lavrov to visit Yerevan

Lebanese parliament fails to elect president of country

Kremlin on Zelenskyy's proposal to hold 'public' talks

National Assembly Speaker: Armenia is extremely interested in establishing strategic relations with Georgia

Canada provides additional military aid to Ukraine

Representatives of defense agencies of CSTO countries discuss crisis response issues

Armenian Defense Minister and American General discuss defense cooperation

Tehran accuses Israel and West of trying to organize civil war in Iran

Oppositionist: No guarantees that war with Azerbaijan can be avoided

Issue of biometric passports to Armenian citizens is temporarily suspended

Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement to be signed till end of year? Pashinyan's associate voices conditions

Erdogan says Russia and US agreed to refrain from using nuclear weapons

Azerbaijani oppositionist complains of torture by police

Kyaram Sloyan and Andranik Zohrabyan posthumously bestowed 'Hero of Artsakh' title

UN Secretary General Guterres welcomes parties' agreement on renewal of food deal

Eurasian Development Bank: Armenia is the leader among EEU countries in terms of economic growth

Greece promises to continue military support to Ukraine

Number of appeals from Azerbaijan to ECHR is growing

Pashinyan: The wheel of processes related to confiscation of illegal property is spinning

Fire hits Baghdad airport

North Korea fires ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan

Istanbul agrees to extend 'grain initiative' for another 120 days

'Hayastan' Fund to build 6 residential houses in Nerkin Khndzoresk village

Vocal as Russophobic propaganda: Azerbaijani singer sings about 'disgusting peacekeepers'

Biden congratulates Republicans on winning majority in House of Representatives

14 freight cars derailed in Kazakhstan, train traffic suspended

Newspaper: Ruben Vardanyan does not hurry to make changes in composition of Karabakh government

Russia attacks Ukraine with missiles in morning: Explosions heard in Dnieper, air defense works in Kyiv region

U.S. National Security Council: It is clear that the party ultimately responsible for this tragic incident is Russia

Gold prices decline

Russian Trade Representative to Armenia: Situation at Upper Lars checkpoint is not related to geopolitical issues

Trade Representative of Russia: Trade turnover with Armenia sets new record

Copper falls in price

Gas explodes in Fatih district of Istanbul, 10 people injured

Oil prices go down

Meteorite that fell in Britain contains key information about how oceans and life formed on Earth

Gamer drinks 12 energy drinks in ten minutes and ends up in hospital

Chinese customs officers accidentally find cockroach unknown to science

Man removes cobra's teeth with manicure pliers and gets arrested

Sweden to provide Ukraine with new military aid worth $287 million

Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania meet conditions for joining Schengen zone

Oil prices may reach $120 a barrel and stay at this level for 2 years

Zelenskyy receives 'signals' that Putin wants direct talks

Security Service of Ukraine puts Ramzan Kadyrov on wanted list

Unidentified men open fire at market in Izeh city in southwestern Iran

Karen Donfried tries to explain State Department's decision to exempt Azerbaijan from 907th Amendment

Philip Reeker says U.S. administration representatives have no access to Nagorno-Karabakh

Rimac Nevera sets speed record for production electric cars

Reeker: Pace and depth of current talks between Yerevan and Baku demonstrate potential to resolve conflict

FBI director considers TikTok threat to US National Security

Bob Menendez says Ukraine supplies Azerbaijan with phosphorus bombs it used in Karabakh

Delegation headed by Speaker of Armenian Parliament is in Tbilisi

Austin: U.S. intends to continue supplying weapons and aid to Ukraine during winter

Armenian politician charged with abuse of office, money laundering

Donfried says Armenia and Azerbaijan have historic opportunity to establish lasting peace
There have been several cases of cow smuggling in Rajasthan's Alwar district in the recent past.

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Meo community leaders have asked for the social boycott of cow smugglers after several incidents of cow smuggling in Mewat area of Rajasthan were reported.

The community leaders have demanded that girls should not be married in those families where members are cow smugglers and neither should they be invited to social gatherings.

The recent incidents of cow smuggling has also led to a growing suspicion amongst people living in Mewat area spread across parts of Haryana and Rajasthan's Alwar and Bharatpur.

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There are 40 lakh people from the Meo community who live in this area. Because of cow smugglers within the community, Muslims in the area who breed and rear cows are getting a bad name.

The district Meo panchayat of Alwar district has decided to boycott cow smugglers.

"Incidents of cow smuggling are coming to the fore one after another in Mewat", said Sher Mohammad of the district Meo panchayat, Alwar. The panchayat has appealed to the people to stop cow smuggling.

But despite that, several incidents of cow smuggling are still being reported. The Meo panchayat has also asked the people in Palla village in Haryana's Nuh area to boycott the cow smuggler who was caught on Monday. If they don't boycott the smuggler, the entire Palala village may face boycott.

"Subedar Khan and Deendar Khan, responsible for the slaughter of 36 cows in Rewara village have to face social boycott," said Sher Mohammad.

There have been several cases of cow smuggling in Rajasthan's Alwar district in the recent past. In Alwar itself around 354 cases of cow smuggling were recorded in the past three years in which 556 smugglers have been arrested so far.

In 2015, there were 160 cases of cow smuggling, in which 226 people were arrested, whereas in 2016, 117 cases were recorded in which 248 people were arrested. In 2017, 77 cases were filed till October in which 82 people have been arrested.

Watch video | Cattle mafia exposed at Bangladesh border, West Bengal govt's role under scrutiny

--- ENDS ---
The White House on Monday dismissed calls for a congressional investigation of allegations Donald Trump sexually harassed women, saying the American people had spoken on the matter by electing him president.

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called on Mr Trump to resign, meanwhile, echoing a demand made the previous day by two other Senate Democrats, while a group of 54 Congresswomen backed Mr Trump's accusers in calling for a probe.

Three women who claim they were sexually harassed by Mr Trump before he ran for president urged Congress on Monday to investigate his behaviour and allegations of misconduct.

The trio, Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey and Rachel Crooks, recounted their allegations, which President Trump has denied, in a live interview with Megyn Kelly on the NBC News show Megyn Kelly Today on Monday.

Ms Kelly clashed with Mr Trump during the election when she asked him about offensive language he had used against women while hosting a live televised debate.

In a statement the White House denied all the claims as "false".

The statement said: "These false claims, totally disputed most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year's campaign, and the American people voiced their judgement by delivering a decisive victory.

"The timing and absurdity of these false claims speaks volumes and the publicity tour that has begun only further confirms the political motives behind them."

Last October, before the presidential election, Ms Leeds claimed to the New York Times that, while she was seated next to Mr Trump on a plane in the 1980s, he lifted the armrest and grabbed her "like an octopus".

Ms Crooks told the same newspaper last October that, while she was a receptionist, Mr Trump shook her hand, refused to let go, and kissed her on the lips.

Last year Ms Holvey, a former Miss USA beauty pageant contestant, told CNN that Mr Trump, who owned the pageant, would "look you over from head to toe like we were just meat".

Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
YEREVAN.  Political scientist Armen Baghdasaryan believes that the extensive address, which President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan delivered on December 9, had the logic of a pre-election campaign speech.

The political scientist told about this to Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times) newspaper, speaking about the assessments that were made in the address.

Taking into account that there will not be a president and a prime minister like today after April 2018, there will be a state figure who will be accountable for the actions of todays prime minister and president; that is, both for the economy and the foreign policy, Baghdasaryan said.

That was a speech by the first figure of the state, and, in my view, that was just a pre-election speech. We can say Serzh Sargsyan formally launched his election campaign.
A shack was destroyed by fire Tuesday in Gyumri, Armenia, and its owner died in the fire.

Armenian News-NEWS.am learned from the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations that it received a call at 12:18am, informing that a shack was on fire in Gyumri.

Two fire and rescue squads were dispatched to the scene.

It was found out that a makeshift shack was on fire.

The fire was put out at 2:12am.

The shack, however, was completely destroyed by the fire.

And inside the shack, rescuers discovered the body of G. S. (born in 1952) that had reduced to ashes.
STEPANAKERT.- A 21 year old soldier of the Karabakh military has died after being accidentally shot by a fellow soldier.

The soldier, identified as Narek Adibekyan, was shot and killed in the evening of December 11 while on duty in a northern military base of Karabakh.

The defense ministry of the country said an investigation has been launched into the incident.

The ministry also released a statement extending condolences to the family of the killed soldier.
YEREVAN.  Monsanto company assures that it does not import genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds, and such seeds were not found at customs offices.

The Minister of Agriculture of Armenia, Ignati Arakelyan, stated the aforesaid at a press conference on Tuesday. He noted this responding to the Armenian News-NEWS.ams query as to whether his ministry had checked the accuracy of the information that the abovementioned American company was importing GMO seeds, and whether there is a danger that GMO-containing food could be imported into Armenia.

Unless there is a relevant legislation [in Armenia], there can always be a risk that they could be imported, said the agriculture minister. For that reason, we have set up a special working committee, which includes representatives from the relevant agencies, [and] NGOs.

We will present a list of relevant measures and what legislative initiatives are needed.

As reported earlier, Rafik Mansour, Charge dAffaires a.i. of the US Embassy in Yerevan, recently noted that Monsanto company, which produces GMO seeds, will be entering the market of Armenia.

Subsequently, however, concerns were raised that this may be risky for the countrys population. Even famous American Armenian musician Serj Tankian had urged people to stay away from the products of Monsanto company.

And in response to Armenian News-NEWS.ams inquiry about this matter, the US Embassy had stated that it is ultimately up to Armenias farmers and agribusinesses to whether to use the products and services of this company.
YEREVAN.- Signing of the Armenia-EU agreement is a historical event, said Jonathan Lacote, French Ambassador to Armenia, at a press conference on Tuesday.

According to him, it is necessary to realize that the agreement is unique among its kind.

"This is the only agreement for today, signed with the EAEU member state. The importance and interest of the agreement is that Armenia, being a member of the EAEU, can have special relations with the EU, "the ambassador said, stressing that the European essence of Armenia is beyond doubt, and, naturally, each country should choose its own system of values.

"But the peculiarity of the agreement is that it opens new prospects for Armenia," the ambassador said.

The ambassador noted that the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, which apart from general provisions, gives an opportunity to develop cooperation in specific areas: "That is, following the reforms in Armenia, the legislation should be brought into line with European standards and give the opportunity to participate in pan-European programs. It won't be noticeable at once.

As the ambassador noted, thanks to the document Armenia can become an important link in the region, a bridge between the EAEU and the EU. Jonathan Lacote also noted the interest that the Iranian market represents.
PM Modi has posted a series of tweets, attacking the Congress for questioning his seaplane ride, and appealing to voters in his home state to vote in record numbers on Thursday.

By India Today Web Desk: Shortly before the deadline for campaigning in the high-stakes Gujarat Assembly election ended at 5 pm today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a series of tweets, attacking the Congress for questioning his seaplane ride, and appealing to voters in his home state to vote in record numbers on Thursday.

"Earlier today, I travelled on a seaplane from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for India's progress," Modi tweeted without naming the Congress, which has called it a "hawa-hawai" ride.

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"They did not understand development. It is called Hawa Hawai," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had tweeted earlier in the day, shortly after Modi's seaplane ride from Sabarmati river front in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana.

Earlier today, I travelled on a sea plane from Ahmedabads Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for Indias progress. pic.twitter.com/mkosy9OteJ- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

"Effective use of waterways augurs well for tourism. Places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, our vibrant North East, places with many water bodies, big dams, waterways will benefit with usage of seaplanes. More tourism also brings greater economic opportunities," Modi posted.

Effective use of waterways augurs well for tourism. Places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, our vibrant North East, places with many water bodies, big dams, waterways will benefit with usage of sea planes. More tourism also brings greater economic opportunities. pic.twitter.com/BuIqRAupYs- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

Modi said seaplane services can also be helpful during times of medical emergencies. "Those needing even quicker access to medical care and those living in remote areas stand to gain a lot," he said.

Accusing the opposition Congress of lying about him as well as Gujarat, Modi said, "The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, Gujarat's growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined."

"It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of the opposition," he added.

"I am devoting my life for the betterment of crores of people of Gujarat and India. Have been fortunate to always get your blessings. I am sure you will continue to bless us in these elections too by voting for BJP," he wrote, appealing the voters to vote in "record numbers on the 14th".

"I urge my sisters and brothers of Gujarat to vote in record numbers on the 14th. I call upon the people of Gujarat to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state," Modi tweeted.

I urge my sisters and brothers of Gujarat to vote in record numbers on the 14th. I call upon the people of Gujarat to not only give the BJP an overwhelming majority but also ensure that BJP wins in every polling booth across the state.- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2017

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Gujarat will vote on Thursday in the second phase of the election, which, the Congress hopes, will end the BJP's 22-year rule in the state. The votes will be counted on December 18.

WATCH | PM Modi becomes the first passenger to travel in the first ever seaplane in India

--- ENDS ---
Russia will continue to cooperate with Iran in assisting Syria, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Jagarian told Sputnik Iran.

"Unlike Western countries under the aegis of the United States, we are providing significant humanitarian assistance to the Syrian population, regardless of the control of certain regions of Syria under which they are. The US noted that they will help only those areas which aren't under control to the lawful government of Bashar al-Assad, Jagarian said, stressing that they used the expression "the lawful government of Bashar al-Assad", and not the "regime."

According to him, the US pursues a policy of dividing Syria with the feeling that they want to recreate such local authorities in a territory that is beyond the control of Damascus. At the same time, the United States declared, that they are adherents of the territorial integrity of Syria, but in reality everything looks different.

Jagarian noted that on the humanitarian line, Russia has very good prospects of expanding cooperation with Iran in Syria.
YEREVAN.  The National Assembly of Armenia on Tuesday is debating on the bill with respect to ratifying a loan agreement between Armenia and the Asian Development Bank, and within the framework of the public efficiency and financial markets program.

The main speaker, Deputy Finance Minister Armen Hayrapetyan, noted that this agreement is a budget support loan that will enable Armenia go through 2017 smoothly and to ensure financial stability in the country.

In his words, this loan is $40 million, it is issued for 15 years, of which 3 years are a preferential loan.

The deputy minister said this loan program has no specific target expenditure, and this is why a budget support loan differs from other types of loans.

Since our budget year will be with a deficit, that loan will cover the difference between the revenues and the expenditures, Hayrapetyan added.
The Iranian parliament urged Muslim countries to sever diplomatic ties with Israel and scale down the economic ties with the US to the minimum after US President Donald Trumps decision on Jerusalem, IFP News reported.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, 235 MPs of Iranian Parliament condemned the US President Donald Trumps decision to relocate US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

We, the lawmakers of the Iranian Parliament, call on Islamic countries to sever their diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime [of Israel] and also scale down their economic ties with the US to the minimum, the statement said.

According to the statement, the US has driven the last nail in the coffin of the so-called peace trend in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trumps decision was positively received in Israel and prompted negative reaction by many countries. People have started protesting all over the Muslim world, also in Israel.
YEREVAN.  The statements of US President Donald Trump about the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was a great gift, because the Jews were dreaming of recognition for three thousand years, and the Jews themselves consider Jerusalem their capital, head of Armenia's Jewish community said.

All state institutions, including the Knesset, are in Jerusalem. Anyway, this is the city of many religions. This is a city for the whole world. Trump ascertained the reality: Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. However, many people do not like the idea, and they say that this is wrong. First and foremost, it is about Europe, Rimma Varzhapetyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Commenting on the issue that many are inclined to consider Trump's decision provocative, and it can aggravate the situation, the head of the community stated that these kind of speculations, in fact, aggravated the situation.

The world must realize that sooner or later it must happen. No one talks about the fact that Palestinians, Arabs, do not have the right to live. They enjoy all the benefits of civilized Israel - free medicine, study, work, they have the right to a good life. But, at the same time, they are great enemies of Israel, living in the country, she emphasized.

At the same time, Rimma Varzhapetyan noted that the intifada is about to start, as was already stated, and this is very dangerous.

We believe that this may be the result of a flaw or an intent. It was necessary to prepare the world, it was necessary to prepare the ground for a solution, to protect Israel from attacks. And who could do this, if not America? And not personally Trump? It is a fact. At the same time, we are now at the threshold of a great Hanukkah holiday. It's a miracle. And, one of the miracles happened on the eve of the holiday. We do not believe that the statement had no right to exist. Im not a politician, I have no right to judge big politicians, and being a Jewish woman, I like the decision. However, it is fraught with great danger, head of the Jewish community added.
The European Union leaders are expected to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months.

The decision will be made during the EU leaders' meeting on Thursday in Brussels, Reuters reported.

The main sanctions, which target Russias energy, defense and financial sectors, would otherwise be due to expire at the end of January 2018.
A 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant was charges with terrorism after an explosion in New York on December 11, BBC reported.

Akayed Ullah intended to detonate improvised low-tech explosive device at the Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station in Manhattan. The bomb worked before the time and injured the suspect himself.

The attacker told the police he had been inspired by Christmas terror attacks in Berlin and had tried to revenge the United States for the attacks on the ISIS.

According to preliminary information, Akayed Ullah did not have any direct contact with the Islamic State.

Ullah said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaz, CNN reported. (http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/11/us/new-york-possible-explosion-port-authority-subway/index.html)
These special courts will decide 1,571 criminal cases against MPs and MLAs as disclosed by the netas in their 2014 poll affidavit.

The Narendra Modi government is planning to set up special courts to hear criminal cases against politicians. Photo for representation: Reuters.

By India Today Web Desk: The Narendra Modi government has agreed to set up 12 special courts for speedy trial in criminal cases involving politicians.

These special courts will decide 1,571 criminal cases against MPs and MLAs as disclosed in their 2014 poll affidavit.

The trial in these cases will have to be concluded within a year as per a Supreme Court order. These points are part of the affidavit prepared by the Law Ministry.

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On November 1, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to submit a plan for setting up of special fast-track courts for cases against MPs and MLAs.

The Supreme Court bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi also asked the Centre to furnish data regarding ongoing cases against legislators, acquittals and convictions in the last three years.

The top court wants to ensure that corrupt politicians should not succeed in prolonging the trial by using their offices.

The PIL, in this matter, has been filed by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a lawyer and a BJP member, and the plea seeks life-term ban on convicted politicians.

The Election Commission, supporting the PIL, had said that such a ban was necessary for decriminalisation of politics.

The existing rule under the Representation of Peoples Act only disqualifies politicians sentenced to a jail term of two years or more from contesting elections for six years from the date of release from prison.

(With inputs from Anusha Soni)

WATCH: Sasi ki Kala: Chinamma's gala time in Bengaluru jail

--- ENDS ---
Member of the Canadian parliament Tony Clement urged his government to condemn human rights abuses in Karabakh and work to deter further escalation of conflict.

Speaking during the International Human Rights Day that is observed on December 10, MP emphasizes the current human rights situation in Artsakh.

I traveled to the region this summer with One Free World International and observed first-hand the conflict there and horrific human rights abuses inflicted upon people who ultimately only wish to live in peace.

We met the mothers who lost sons, serviceman, and others in the conflicts. I was on the site of some scenes of unspeakable horror. I have a hope for a peaceful and prosperous Artsakh where people can live side by side with their neighbors, including Azerbaijan. I urge the government to condemn human rights abuses in the region and work to deter further escalation of conflict, he said.
Among the greatest challenges facing the Golden State is that one in five Californians live in poverty. Students at UC Santa Cruz are focused on the problem, gaining hands-on experience in community-engaged research and scholarship with an eye toward alleviating poverty and promoting economic justice.

Each year, undergraduate and graduate student scholars of the Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise, and Participatory Governance take a deep dive into a wide range of issues related to fiscal equity, affordable housing, and food insecurity as they build the skills they will need to help build a more equitable society.

"Poverty is a multifaceted problem that requires multidimensional solutions," said Heather Bullock, a professor of psychology and the director of the UC Santa Cruz Blum Center. "We are training the next generation of scholars and advocates in the ongoing war on poverty."

The UC Santa Cruz Blum Center was established in 2014 with seed funding from UC Regent Richard Blum. Each campus in the UC system hosts a Blum Center with their own unique focus; all are united by a commitment to alleviating poverty and giving students opportunities to "learn by doing."

"Poverty and economic inequality are among the most pressing problems facing this country, and this county," said Bullock. "At UCSCs Blum Center, we believe poverty is rooted in broken systems, not broken people, and when universities and communities work together, we make progress."

The center's initiatives recently received a major boost in the form of a $500,000 gift to deepen and expand the center's reach. The gift establishes an endowment to ramp up student opportunities for anti-poverty innovation and action. Planned activities include the creation of a new micro-lending program for low-income students and an initiative to bolster food security among students. The funds will also be used to provide students with the policy analysis, research, and communication skills needed to effect change.

"Many of our students are coping with the same challenges they are studying in the community," said Bullock. "This gift will be transformational in so many ways. We are very excited about the new opportunities it will open up."

Blum Center scholars work with faculty mentors and get hands-on learning opportunities with local, regional, statewide, and international nonprofits and organizations. The small grants associated with the program provide students with the tools, resources, and opportunities to develop and test anti-poverty innovations.

The breadth and scope of Blum scholar projects is impressive, with topics ranging from the needs of homeless veterans in Santa Cruz, housing insecurity among Latinx communities in Los Angeles, labor rights in the Philippines, and the role of faith-based humanitarian action in Bolivia. Last June, Jessica Chuidian-Ingersoll began a six-month field study with Tenants Together, a statewide tenants' rights organization that is advocating on behalf of the state's 16 million renters.

On campus, Blum Scholars are studying the impacts of poverty among students, and undergraduate Evelyn Drake teamed up with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) on a research project focusing on the experiences of students who seek support from the DRC.

In Santa Cruz, the Blum Center is partnering with Santa Cruz Community Ventures, a local nonprofit that focuses on building families financial capabilities. Predatory lending practices are a significant concern across California, said Bullock.

"Watsonville is one of the poorest areas in the county," she said. "Many families don't have bank accounts and even if when they do, they may not have access to the kinds of services that they need, which makes it challenging to cash paychecks, get a loan, build credit, and make car and other payments. "As a result, low-income families may turn to so-called "alternative banking services" to cash checks and pay their bills.

"This is an area where we can make a difference, said Bullock. "By assessing community financial needs and resources, we can provide elected representatives and policy makers with the data and analyses they need to support individuals and families."

The Blum Center is also working with the Santa Cruz Community Action Board.

"They invited us to help them collect and analyze data that will inform a new county-wide strategic plan for addressing poverty," said Bullock.

Last winter, a team of talented, bilingual, bicultural undergraduate and graduate students received training in research skillsconfidentiality, listening with dignity, taking notes, and coding discussionsbefore attending a series of "listening circles" with members of largely overlooked groups that included undocumented youth, day workers, and others. Their findings will become part of a countywide strategic plan on poverty.

"This collaboration illustrates perfectly what we do," said Bullock. "We support the community, work in partnership, and train students to do cutting-edge, research designed to reduce poverty and inequality."
Qureshi was being investigated for allegedly remitting funds through hawala channels to Dubai, London, and a few other destinations in Europe.

By Indo-Asian News Service: A Delhi court has granted bail to meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi, who was arrested in a money laundering case.

Special Judge Arun Bharadwaj granted bail to Qureshi on furnishing personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and a surety of like amount.

Qureshi was arrested on August 25 by the Enforcement Directorate, which had registered a case against him in 2016 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for alleged illegal forex dealings and tax evasion.

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The ED had opposed Qureshi's bail plea.

According to the agency, Qureshi was being investigated for allegedly remitting funds through hawala channels to Dubai, London, and a few other destinations in Europe.

The ED had said that during the course of investigation, certain facts had emerged that constituted omission and commission of certain acts on the part of certain public servants holding high offices in collusion with Qureshi, whereby massive illegal money transactions were carried out.

The agency also said that the records collected from the Income Tax Department had revealed that Qureshi took huge money from different persons for obtaining "undue favours from public servants" after exercising his personal influence.

Qureshi has denied the charges.

--- ENDS ---
In the ongoing Gujarat assembly elections, Samajwadi Party has fielded five candidates for whom SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav has been campaigning in Gujarat.

By Siraj Qureshi: In the ongoing Gujarat assembly elections, Samajwadi Party has fielded five candidates for whom SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav has been campaigning in Gujarat.

However, at the end of the first round of elections in the state, SP founder and former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav has sent shockwaves through the political circles by openly defying his son's authority in the party.

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Talking to India Today, Yadav said that all five candidates that the Samajwadi Party has fielded in Gujarat will lose badly. He said that if Akhilesh had to enter Gujarat, he should have fielded candidates on all seats.

He said that in 2019 parliamentary elections, he will contest the elections from Mainpuri. Asked what the party will do about Tej Prata Singh Yadav who is currently the MP from Mainpuri, he said it will be decided later from where Tej Pratap will contest the elections.

He criticized Mani Shankar Aiyar's comments on PM Modi and said that the use of such language was appalling and such a man should not only be expelled from the party, but from politics as well.

He said that Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of India and he has been elected by the people of India. Saying anything derogatory against Modi is a direct insult of the people of India.

Asked about the family feud in the Yadav clan, he said that everything is fine in the family and any disputes that arose due to the difference in political thought processes have been resolved.

Reacting to Mulayam Singh's statements, a senior Samajwadi Party leader faithful to Akhilesh Yadav said on the condition of anonymity that it is time that the senior Yadav retired from active politics and allow the younger generation to come out and assert itself.

He said that Mulayam is thinking about contesting from Mainpuri in the 2019 elections, but instead, he should be working towards strengthening the party and let the youth take up the mantle.

Agra City Congress Committee Secretary Mohd. Shareef Kale said that Mulayam Singh Yadav and Narendra Modi have a private coalition and both of them can be seen complimenting each other from time to time, while both Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav are working hard at bringing out the real face of Narendra Modi in front of the people of India.

He said that Mulayam Singh Yadav has earned his 'superannuation' and should get some rest now.

--- ENDS ---
40-year-old lady died in a hit and run accident at Worli on Tuesday afternoon by a Mercedes Benz car.

By Saurabh Vaktania: 40-year-old lady died in a hit and run accident at Worli on Tuesday afternoon a Mercedes Benz car owned by Johnson and Johnson Company Private Limited crushed the lady under its wheels.

Sarika Santosh Wagh (40) was crossing the road near Sasmira College of fashion designing at Veer Savarkar Marg at Worli when she was hit by a speeding Mercedes Benz car.

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According to the police, the accused driver Chinchmani Teliswami Tevar (48) was taking a sharp U turn near the college while the lady was crossing the road. A company executive was seated inside the car when the accident occurred.

According to the Worli police officials, the lady was crossing the road and did not see the approaching car. The accused driver Tevar applied the brakes immediately but unfortunately Wagh came under the wheels.

Wagh, a resident of Sewri was rushed to Podar hospital at Worli where she was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Senior Police officer from Worli police station, "The driver Tevar has been arrested on Tuesday. An executive of Johnson and Johnson Private Limited Company was seated inside when the accident took place. The car belongs to Johnson and Johnson Company."

The registration number of the Mercedes car MH-03-CM-5033.

However, cops refused to divulge the name of the owner of the car.

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Dec 12 (PTI) New Jersey Governor-elect Phil Murphy today named Gurbir S Grewal as his nominee to serve as the next Attorney General of the state.

With this nomination, Grewal will become the first Sikh- American state Attorney General in the country. The move has been welcomed by the South Asian Bar Association (SABA).

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Grewal, who has spent most of his legal career in public service, is currently the Bergen County prosecutor. Working for most populous county in New Jersey, Grewal serves a community of almost one million with his staff of 265.

He previously served as an Assistant US Attorney in both New York (2004-2007) and New Jersey (2010-2016). He ended his tenure there as Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit where he was lead prosecutor for the largest known data breach prosecution.

Grewal obtained his law degree from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1999.

"The decision to appoint a visible minority as the chief law enforcement officer for New Jersey reflects the diversity of the state and of the US, and is especially important in a time where minorities and immigrants have often felt targeted by law enforcement," said SABA president Rishi Bagga.

"We really applaud his accomplishments and are extremely proud to see him be chosen for this honor," said SABA New Jersey president Bhaveen Jani.

Grewal is a past president of SABA New York and a member of the New Jersey Asian Pacific American lawyers Association. PTI LKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Dec 12 (PTI) Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa today met the Palestine envoy and assured Pakistans moral and political support to his country, days after President Donald Trump recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Palestine Ambassador Walid A M Abu Ali called on Gen Bajwa at GHQ in Rawalpindi, the army said in a statement.

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Gen Bajwa "reassured the ambassador that Pakistan views the unresolved Palestine issue at par with the Kashmir issue," the army statement said.

He also said that "both issues have unequivocal public, moral and political support of the Pakistani nation." PTI SH ZH

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Ambaji/Ahmedabad, Dec 12 (PTI) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi soared into the clear Ahmedabad sky on a seaplane from the Sabarmati river marking a dramatic end to a gruelling election campaign, the flight created huge waves in Gujarats politically turbulent waters.

The BJP was quick to hail it as a reflection of "vikas" ushered in by the partys governments in the state, while the Congress debunked its development claim.

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"This is a demonstration of vikas. The whole world is watching how development has taken a leap from the Sabarmati river," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said.

Congresss president designate Rahul Gandhi was, however, not impressed.

"If he wants to fly on a seaplane, there is nothing wrong about it. But the issue is not the seaplane...it is the distraction (from the real issues). The question is what has been done for Gujarat in the last 22 years," he told a press conference in Ahmedabad.

Modi ended the campaign for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls in style as he took a seaplane ride from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in north Gujarat, and returned after offering prayers at the famous Ambaji Temple and holding a road show.

He boarded the single-engine seaplane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad west and flew to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed it was the first time a seaplane landed on a water body in the country.

Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala mocked Modis ride and the BJPs claim of it being a reflection of development.

"Vikas ki baatein unko na bhai, kehte hain unko hawa hawai. (They dont like the talk of development. These are people who engage in empty talk)," he tweeted in Hindi, in a parody of the Hawa Hawai song from hit Bollywood flick Mr India.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the Congress for criticising Modis seaplane ride, and said the previous Congress rule was marked by "choppers scam".

BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said,"The very talk of development hassles them. The people of Gujarat are happy about the bullet train project, but they (the Congress) are pareshan about it."

The ride, however, was a hit among the locals who chanted "Modi! Modi!" as the craft took off from the Sardar Bridge-end on the Sabarmati riverfront, which the BJP dispensation has been flaunting as a manifestation of development under Modi when he was the states chief minister.

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From Dharoi dam site, the prime minister reached the temple by road after covering a distance of around 50 km. He was greeted by the people of Ambaji town during a roadshow that stretched from the outskirts of the temple town to near the shrine.

The prime minister apparently chose to fly by the seaplane to end his campaign in style after the Ahmedabad district administration yesterday cancelled the roadshows by both Modi and Rahul Gandhi for logistical reasons.

Modi told an election rally yesterday that for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane would land on the Sabarmati river.

Rupani had said it was for the first time in the countrys history that a seaplane would land on a water body and that would be the Sabarmati river.

However, Priyanka Chaturvedi, another Congress spokesperson, claimed seaplanes had been flown in the country in the past too. "2010 in Andaman 2015 in Kerala. However let facts never come in the way of BJP and Modis narrative," she tweeted. PTI KA PJT PD GK RSY SMN SK SK

--- ENDS ---

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Live updates here on PM Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi's campaign trail on the last day of campaigning for Gujarat Assembly election.

By India Today Web Desk: On the last day of campaigning for the second and last phase of the Gujarat Assembly election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today has planned a spectacle for all- a seaplane ride from Sabarmati.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Banaskantha's Ambaji Temple- where he reached via a seaplane. Heading towards the temple, the Prime Minister also held an hour-long roadshow.

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Terming the seaplane initiative as "Development that Congress can't even imagine," the Prime Minister on Monday in a rally said, "As many as 106 such waterways have been planned in the country."

Modi is currently returning from Banaskantha after offering prayers at the Ambaji Temple via the same seaplane.

Addressing a rally on Monday, PM also explained , "We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these seaplanes."

The campaigning today for the Gujarat Assembly poll second-phase closes at 5pm for 93 constituencies.

HERE ARE THE LIVE UPDATES:

3:55PM: Prime Minister returns from Dharoi Dam, waves at crowd waiting for him at the Sabarmati riverfront.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd at Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/1bF7SQjDN5- ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

2:50PM: PM Modi departs from Banaskantha after offering prayers at Ambaji Temple and is enroute Sabarmati via the same seaplane.

1:55PM: As Congress president, I would like to change the political discourse of the country. PM used to speak several things against me, but I would not speak anything against him: Rahul Gandhi

1:40PM: Modi and Vijay Rupani have initiated one-sided development in Gujarat: Congress President Rahul Gandhi

1:39PM: Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said, "Modi has stopped talking about corruption."

1:18PM: Prime Minister offers prayers at Ambaji Temple.

1:07PM: Prime Minister reaches Ambaji Temple.

12:33PM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his way to the Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha.

On his way to Ambaji temple in #Gujarat, PM @narendramodi greeted by people pic.twitter.com/gYxNwCsqbT- Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) December 12, 2017

11:40AM: After a red carpet welcome at Dharoi Dam, Prime Minister is now on his way to the Ambaji Temple.

After a historic #seaplane journey, PM @narendramodi welcomed at Dharoi Dam, ahead of his visit to Ambaji temple pic.twitter.com/5gCJftTm6i- Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) December 12, 2017

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11:40AM: Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari calls Modi's seaplane ride 'historic' and,"It will be a big revolution in the transport sector as India has huge potential."

11: 34AM: PM Narendra Modi's seaplane reaches Dhaori Dam.

11:34AM: The Prime Minister on his way to the Ambaji Temple will hold an hour-long roadshow.

10:51AM: India's first seaplane takes flight from the Sabarmati riverfront. A dedicated take off route has been given to the plane.

10:41AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Sabarmati riverfront.

All about India's first seaplane here.

10: 30AM: Last minute arrangements underway at the Sabarmati riverfront from where PM Modi will take off for Ambaji Temple.

About the seaplane: The seaplane model Quest Kodiak 100 can take off within 300 meters.

9: 39AM:

#WATCH: #Visuals of sea plane Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling in, from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam shortly #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/C8mqgzm1LA- ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

The seaplane is currently taking short trips before Modi reaches the Sabarmati riverfront.

9: 27AM:

#Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane, shortly pic.twitter.com/GWjrVO5Sgz- ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

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9: 25AM: Scheduled road shows of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President-designate Rahul Gandhi in Ahmedabad have been cancelled. The police has refused permission on the grounds of security and traffic congestion.

9:14AM:

9:00AM: The sea-plane that Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel in is a six-seater aircraft, that weighs about 700kg and can carry up to 1100 kg.

8:50AM:

#Visuals from #Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane, today. After that, he will offer prayers at Ambaji pic.twitter.com/uLXscbmbCS

Watch: PM Modi becomes the first passenger to travel in the first ever seaplane in India

--- ENDS ---
Taking to Twitter, Lalu Prasad Yadav said that BJP has lost ground in Gujarat where Congress is giving it a tough fight in the ongoing Assembly election.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has taken a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his seaplane ride from Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district today, the last day of campaigning in Gujarat.

Taking to Twitter, Lalu Prasad Yadav said that BJP has lost ground in Gujarat where Congress is giving it a tough fight in the ongoing Assembly election.

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"Zameen nahi rahti to paani aur aasmaan hi bachta na (When there would be no ground, only water and sky will remain)", tweeted, Lalu Prasad Yadav, RJD chief.

Talking about BJP importing Pakistan in the Gujarat elections by making an issue over the meeting of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and former vice-president Hamid Ansari with Pakistan High Commissioner, Lalu said BJP is nervous beyond belief.

Situation of BJP in Gujarat is turning out to be far more worse than what it was during Bihar Assembly elections in 2015, he said.

"Nervousness to Bihar se bhi bhayankar hai. Kuch bho bole jaa rahe hain ( BJP leaders are speaking rubbish because they are fraught with nervousness)", said Lalu.

Lalu also raised questions on why BJP leaders did not talk about issues of development in any of their rallies.

"Why there is no talk about GST, demonetisation, black money, development, model village, smart city, bullet train, health, education, farmer and agriculture in BJP's campaign? I appeal voters to think about these things and then decide whom to vote", advised Lalu Prasad.

--- ENDS ---




Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

: A bank robbery committed by John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturale.: On August 22, 1972, Wojtowicz, along with Salvatore Naturale and Robert Westenberg, attempted to rob a branch of the Chase Manhattan bank at 450 Avenue P in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The Los Angeles Times reported the heist was meant to pay for Eden's sex reassignment surgery. However, Arthur Bell, a respected Village Voice columnist and investigative journalist who knew Wojtowicz (and was tangentially involved in the negotiations), reported that paying for Eden's sex change was only peripheral to the real motive. The attempted heist was, according to him, a well-planned Mafia operation that went horribly wrong.Wojtowicz and Naturale held seven Chase Manhattan bank employees hostage for 14 hours. Westenberg fled the scene before the robbery got underway, when he saw a police car on the street. Wojtowicz, a former bank teller, had some knowledge of bank operations but apparently based his plan on scenes from the movie The Godfather (1972), which he had seen earlier that day.Wojtowicz was arrested, but Naturale was killed by the FBI during the final moments of the incident.





Badlands (1973)

: Murder spree killers Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate.: In 1956, eighteen-year-old Charles Starkweather was introduced to 13-year-old Caril Ann Fugate by Caril's older sister (who he had previously dated) Caril's family disapproved of her relationship with Charles, leading the two to decide not only to run away, but to kill Fugate's entire family. On January 21, 1958, Starkweather went to Fugate's home. Fugate was not there, and after Fugate's mother and stepfather, Velda and Marion Bartlett, told him to stay away, Starkweather killed them with his shotgun, then killed their two-year-old daughter Betty Jean by strangling and stabbing her. After Fugate arrived, he hid the bodies behind the house. They remained in the house until shortly before the police, alerted by Fugate's suspicious grandmother, arrived on January 27.Starkweather and Fugate started driving across Nebraska and into Wyoming on a spree of murders that claimed six more lives before they were arrested.Starkweather was found guilty and received the death penalty, he was executed by electric chair at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln, Nebraska, at 12:04 a.m. on June 25, 1959. Fugate received a life sentence on November 21, 1958. She was paroled in June 1976 after serving 17 12 years. She settled in Lansing, Michigan, where she changed her name and worked as a janitor at a Lansing hospital. Fugate married Frederick Clair in 2007 and, apart from a radio interview in 1996, has refused to speak of the murder spree.





Spotlight (2015)

: The Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests.: The sexual abuse scandal in Boston archdiocese was part of a series of Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in the United States and Ireland, which led to uncovering an international scandal with the Catholic Church. In early 2002, Boston Globe coverage of a series of criminal prosecutions of five Roman Catholic priests thrust the issue of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests into the national spotlight. The coverage of these cases encouraged other victims to come forward with their allegations of abuse, resulting in more lawsuits and criminal cases.As it became clear that there was truth to many of the allegations and that there was a pattern of sexual abuse and cover-up in a number of large dioceses across the U.S., what had originally appeared to be a few isolated cases of abuse exploded into a nationwide scandal. The resulting scandal created a crisis for the Catholic Church in the United States, encouraging victims in other nations to come forward with their allegations of abuse, thus creating a global crisis for the Church.Ultimately, it became clear that priests and lay members of religious orders in the Catholic Church had sexually abused minors on a scale such that the accusations reached into the thousands over several decades. Although the majority of cases were reported to have occurred in the United States, victims have come forward in other nations such as Ireland, Canada and Australia. A major aggravating factor was the actions of Catholic bishops to keep these crimes secret and to reassign the accused to other parishes in positions where they had continued unsupervised contact with youth, thus allowing the abusers to continue their crimes.





The Bling Ring (2013)

: Real-life gang known as the Bling Ring who robbed celebrities: The Bling Ring were a group of convicted thieves consisting of eight teenagers and young adults based in and around Calabasas, California. They burgled the homes of several celebrities over a period believed to have been between October 2008 through August 2009. Their activities resulted in the theft of about $3 million in cash and belongings. Much of the stolen property belonged to Paris Hilton, whose house had been burgled several times, though over fifty homes were reportedly targeted for potential burglary. They found the houses of their targets using Google Maps and website celebrityaddressaerial.com, and determined when the victims would be away by researching their schedules, such as appearances at celebrity events, through websites including Facebook and Twitter.Bling Ring members:1. Rachel Lee2. Nick Prugo3. Alexis Neiers4. Diana Tamayo5. Courtney Ames6. Johnny Ajar7. Roy Lopez Jr.





River's Edge (1986)

: Anthony Jacques Broussard who killed and raped Marcy Renee Conrad.: Marcy Renee Conrad, 14, was killed on November 3, 1981 in Milpitas, California, by 16-year-old Anthony Jacques Broussard. Her body was transported in Broussard's pickup truck into nearby hills and dumped in a ravine. An autopsy confirmed that Conrad had been raped and then murdered by strangulation.After the murder, Broussard invited friends from Milpitas High School to view Conrad's corpse. Reports indicate that Broussard bragged about her death at school, and showed the body to at least 10 people. After two days, two students finally broke ranks with the others and notified police. When the other Milpitas students were asked why they had not alerted police, they responded that they "did not want to get in trouble".Broussard pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years to life. He was denied a new trial in 1985, and has repeatedly been denied parole. As of April 2013 Broussard is still incarcerated at California's Folsom State Prison.
I saw a tweet that said "Don't be that guy, Alabama."



I don't think it can be said any clearer than that.

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still reeling from his wife's gross comments on their lawyer

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i told one of my fb friends that we'd see how much he really supported the black community and abortion restrictions once his daughter brought home a black guy.



i feel like i could put money on his victory because america is kind of trash.

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Only kind of?

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I saw that last night on Rachel and was like......(.....[......].....).....Insan ity.

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Not to mention the creepy smile that followed

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It was such a weird dog whistle way to do it too.



Like girl if you are saying: "*giggle* We can't hate the Jews if *giggle* ONE IS OUR LAWYER. *giggle*" - You are really just making it seem like its all a joke to you, and the people who are 'truly' listening will understand that.

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I never trust goyim who use Jew instead of Jewish, especially, when they pronounce it the way she did

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I still cannot believe she said that shit.

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Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017





He's implying sexual favors, right? He just gets worse and worse. Of course he had no problem with the 3 men calling for his resignation, only Gillibrand. He's implying sexual favors, right? He just gets worse and worse. Of course he had no problem with the 3 men calling for his resignation, only Gillibrand.

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that's exactly what he's implying.

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This made me scream aloud in frustration while sitting in my parked car lol I legit felt ill. Vile. I hope she rips him apart. Cant wait to see SHS spin it as a joke or say the American people made their opinion loud and clear. I want to barf.

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Gillibrand: "It was a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice, and I will not be silenced on this issue; neither will the women who stood up to the president yesterday." pic.twitter.com/8TyohNzWs9  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 12, 2017

His pathetic attempt to bully and silence her won't work.

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Iirc shes denied it but Im thinking shes going to run in 2020

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I will never get over him being elected

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God, I can't wait to pee on his grave.

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I kicked a wall when I read this. My god I hate this piece of shit.

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i hate this motherfucker so much i could punch a wall

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This month seems to just exponentially make me feel worse and worse about the future of our country.

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My blood pressure...

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ugh i'm gonna vomit

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day old tweet but there are services out there getting ppl to the polls if u need them

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alyssa poppin' up everywhere. love it <3

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popping up and putting in the work! best witch

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Ive watched this 20 times. pic.twitter.com/KjLUQF5vST  Yashar Ali  (@yashar) December 12, 2017



"fake news would tell you we don't like jews....in fact, one of our attorneys is a jew."

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I just scream OH MY GOD in the London underground.



I can't believe this is real, I just can't...

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SNL is already writing a skit for Kate

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They need to release it now.

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Her eyes bugging when she said "JEW!"



Moore, his wife, and their supporters are the fucking worst!



Edited at 2017-12-12 04:37 pm (UTC)

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roy moore's wife is a parody



that's exactly what i thought when i read that headline.

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He is the one who said those things. So his speech is literally fake news?!?!



I'm so done with this country. Burn it all down.

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she looks like shes going to tell this story over a glass of boxed wine while trying to sell you lularoe and cackling like it's the funniest thing she's ever said.

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I hate everyone who says "fake news."

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Disgusting nevertheless but extra insulting since Hanukah is tonight. And we are supposed to believe that they are such good Christians. 

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I legit gasped

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evil incarnate tbh

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honestly all i could do was laugh at this

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AHHH LOL that she thinks this sounds good



my lord

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This broke my heart last night.



Father, who says he's a local peanut farmer in Wicksburg, outside Roy Moore rally talks about losing his gay daughter at age of 23 to suicide. "I was anti-gay myself. I said bad things to my daughter, which I regret." pic.twitter.com/J0oOU0EJI2  Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) December 11, 2017





posting another link to his 2012 letter, which I found very affecting (and which lends credibility to his comments tonight) https://t.co/c571PwUOZ3 https://t.co/2qzyyvJZ3C  southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) December 12, 2017









/also holy shit at Trump's tweets this morning about Gillibrand. Now he's sexually harassing on twitter. He really just needs to die.



Edited at 2017-12-12 04:27 pm (UTC) Those speeches last night were something else. God this country is so pathetic that choosing between a child molester and Dem Doug Jones is a hard choice.This broke my heart last night./also holy shit at Trump's tweets this morning about Gillibrand. Now he's sexually harassing on twitter. He really just needs to die.

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i shouldn't have watched that at work. i'm crying

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yeah this video and letter were very sad. I hope this man is able to find some solace

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 at the letter. I hope he forgives himself and finds peace. No parent should ever outlive their children or know the horror of having a child commit suicide.

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this reminds me of Prayers for Bobby :(



i cried so much watching that movie

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"It's not the first time I've done something to no avail."



I could cry.

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Alyssa is driving people to the polls again, I love her.

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I just bought a new fridge and I could really use one of those George Soros protesting checks rn. Maybe it's in the mail.

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yeah that's all I can think too. These people feel like they're being lectured and talked down to by people from New York and California and are angry about it and this probs isn't helping.

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yup. and most of those celebs have tied themselves to the democrat establishment so I fail to see how their ~celebrity power~ would have any influence in Alabama, where ppl hate the dem establishment more than literally anything else in the planet.

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Why does it feel like Roy is gonna win?

Like people in Alabama dont seem bothered with Roys past

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'cause it's alabama lmao if this was happening in any other part of the country i'd feel more optimistic

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I wouldn't, we've got a guy who bragged about sexual assault on tape in the white house right now

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a lot of them don't even think he did anything wrong, i've seen a lot of "they were paid to lie!!!" claims

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because the only thing rednecks think they're good at is performing their civic duty

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this is where i am. i'd be more surprised if he doesn't win.

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Because they're not. He's going to win.

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because we live in a hellscape

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I would be surprised if Moore doesn't win. A lot of people in Alabama would rather have him win than a liberal, even if they believe he is guilty. They only care about kids before they're born.

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Because he's gonna win.

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...He's going to win. White people in Alabama are going to vote for him in droves because all the racist stuff he's said is a POSITIVE to them.



Progressives think they're being persuasive by pointing out his regressive awfulness -- in fact, they are motivating white people to vote for him. :/



Also, I don't trust the voting system in Alabama at all. Voter restriction and discouragement is real.



The shock would be if he doesn't win in a landslide TBH.

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Nine women came forward with sexual misconduct accusations against Roy Moore. These Alabama voters think they were paid to lie. @FrankLuntz spoke to them on VICE News Tonight.



(via @HBO) pic.twitter.com/dPcb1Ux652  VICE News (@vicenews) December 9, 2017

they straight up think it's either a lie or he's changed from his past or something.

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I have a feeling like he will. The police chief in my town was suspended a couple weeks back for making jokes on Facebook about the whole thing, and everyone was super pissed and making comments like "OMG can no one take a joke anymore??? he was just joking around!" Idk how people can't see that making jokes about sexual assault isn't funny. But that seems to be the mentality of most everyone around me. I hate this state.

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these people are still saying "the South (read: Confederacy) will rise again!" never expect them to do the decent thing. Alabama's only hope is the black vote.

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roy lost and all i right in the world again.

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tbh i don't expect a win, but depending on the numbers themselves there might be some comfort to be found

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All I know is that if Jefferson county was the only one voting, Doug Jones would win in a landslide. It's the rest of the state that I'm worried about.

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Montgomery County votes blue thank you very much

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Smh these Hollywood elites out here telling salt of the earth Americans how to feel about pedophiles

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Yikes I was being sarcastic

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I knew you were and the replies had my head spinning.

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i'm dying at this lmao

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lmfao it was so obvious you were and then they went and exposed themselves ahahaha

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LMAO

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I dont trust this country so I fully expect Moore to win

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my only hope, is that if Moore wins, Mitch McConnell will go after him once he's in the senate. McConnell has a history of going after sexual harassers and the like and I think he'll come down on Moore hard.

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I don't think they can touch POTUS but I'm really trying to be hopeful that McConnell will do something only because of his history with this kind of thing. He went after Bob Packwood and got rid of him and I'm trying to be hopeful he'll do the same here.

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Turtle ain't gonna do shit. All Republicans care about is getting tax cuts passed for their donors and making sure poor people suffer even more. They would welcome satan himself into congress if it meant passing their agenda.

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please. that terrapin ain't doing shit. he'll let Moore run him over with a truck so long as he votes with the rest of the party.

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 that he has ratty facial hair and is quite skinny

 that he is not Harry Styles

 that he is the least popular member of 1D



so tea only?

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@Louis_Tomlinson remember when you had a life and stopped making bitchy comments about mine ?  zayn (@zaynmalik) May 6, 2015





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Remember when you were 12 and you used to think those Mac filters for your pictures were cool haha ! Some people still do HA!  Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) 6 de maio de 2015







and now Naughty Boy is gone from Zayns life and now Naughty Boy is gone from Zayns life

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lmao i mean, i'm not even a 1D fan and i remember this tweet

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i remember when they fought with those guys from the wanted (i think it was the wanted anyway)

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Lmaooo! Zayn was such a hot mess. I legit just laughed all over again.

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For those of you who missed it, here's Zayn's deleted tweet to @BENBALLER pic.twitter.com/wEFeqSkgl5  Zayn Malik Updates (@ZaynReport) July 31, 2015



Umm how could y'all forget

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2015 zayn was the anti hero we deserved...rip.

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she's straight up getting told to fucking die and he just encouraged it. the other djs got involved too trying to defend her and they all got attacked as well. the fans trended "LouisDeservesBetter" because of this garbage and I'm just sick of this dude being able to do no wrong in the eyes of his fans. maybe she shouldn't have said those things but she doesn't deserve all this

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yeah, they were obviously unprofessional but he should've just blacklisted them or sorted it out privately. by acting like a dick in public he's just encouraging his fans and communicating that their harassment is okay. and, lbr, 1D fans are already acting like entitled brats on a good day so this will only validate them further.

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idk why but his stans are the worst of the bunch. i once tweeted about him being ugly, i didn't even @ him, and they blew up my twitter for two days. they even sent me dm's and comments on instagram.

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His fans are some of the most terrifying people I've ever encountered online. I remember at the height of them thinking his kid was fake, some twitter fans befriended the neighbors of his son's mom to gain access to her gated community (they actually made it inside). And one of them drove 6 hours roundtrip to pick up a copy of his son's birth certificate. There is something legit wrong with a lot these fans. And he knows this...

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and he will not ever call them out or defend the mother of his child because he'd have no fans then and he knows it

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W H A T !!!

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wtf?! how did they even access a copy of his birth certificate?

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lmaoooo these stories are actually amazing tbh

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I mean.. When one wants attention...they get attention.

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yep his tweet in response to her only encourages them.

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honestly i think she deserves it lol

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Encouraging some pretty shitty behavior there, dude

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nnnn he just sent thousands of his fans to attack that radio station on twitter. gross.

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Honestly. At this point it's so fucking irresponsible and childish. They KNOW how these psycho children will react, shame on him.

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they're sending her death threats :/

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ok I don't really have a horse in this race but how is it unfair of him calling them out when this is what progressed:



Some of the stuff the said about him:

 that he has ratty facial hair (I swear I'm not making this up) and is quite skinny

 that he is not Harry Styles

 that he is the least popular member of 1D

 they also almost called him Liam and spend some time talking about Liam & Cheryl





Like, I would shut it down so fast, it wouldn't see the light of day.

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He's really bothered by that stuff being said?



Then he should be EXTREMELY bothered by "fans" tweeting death threats, ffs.

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where are the lies tho

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So death threats and harassment arent serious but those joke questions to fucking ratatouille are?



Have fun driving six hours to get Louis sons birth certificate to prove his existence, Larry.

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yeap, he's a garbage person and always has been lol. his fans are the only ones that truly like him anymore

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tbf ?



I don't blame him lol.

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lmao why am I defending Louis like I legit do not care



If she can make a joke that she knew for sure that would raise a reaction, she can take a twitter backlash ffs



Idgi why are people acting like twitter is life or death.

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lol im surprised ppl gaf about this, she's a snarky radio host and is prob cackling at his fans going so crazy about it, not legit upset or anything



Edited at 2017-12-13 03:34 am (UTC)

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lmao ia. they said some messed up things, what else did they expect. anyway 1D fans are all bark no bite. no one is actually going to try kill her lol.

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she apologised and apparently it was her co-hosts that said most of the stuff:

pic.twitter.com/mTKqzF0fhw  ash london (@ash_london) December 12, 2017



i don't blame him for being pissed as its pretty unprofessional to make fun of someone before an interview. his fans need to chill sending her death threats though.she apologised and apparently it was her co-hosts that said most of the stuff:

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i see they told no lies here.

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jfc this poor woman. yeah maybe the radio hosts were kind of unprofessional but he literally encouraged his fans to attack her lmao

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Niall isn't any better...lol

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the only choice there ever was

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congrats on your cleansing. no one should die defending louis of all people lmao

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lmfaooo this comment

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white men and their rabid stans are doing the most this December aren't they.

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I am a mess on twitter. This is why my twitter is locked and I only people I actually know are allowed to follow me. My breakdowns don't need to be public.

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Having the occasional twitter spiral into despair is normal! Don't judge, Harry!

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My favorite aunt started following me on Twitter so I had to tone down my tweets dramatically. The angry political ranting is fine, but if she sees me swear she might die of shock or something lol.

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i already deal w/ that mess on fb. i made my twitter anonymous so i could ho out properly

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IMO robert pattinson has the right idea -- a secret account that just follows entertainment news accounts and basically doesn't interact with anyone (since no one knows it's him). stealth mode full-time.

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lmao i love this gif

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once he learned louis was not the hill to die on he got a lot more reserved :((((

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The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) hosts a dense pocket of earthquake activity (red dots) in southeastern U.S., thousands of kilometers from the nearest tectonic plate boundary. A new study helps explain why these intraplate seismic zones exist. Credit: USGS

New research reveals that mysterious pockets of earthquake activity in the middle of North America all have one thing in common: Earth's crust in these zones underwent significant deformation hundreds of millions of years ago, creating weak areas that are more susceptible to earthquakes. These fracturing features could help explain why some regions in central and eastern North America are more seismically active than others.

Earthquakes typically happen along fault lines, like California's San Andreas fault, where the edges of Earth's tectonic plates scrape against each other, releasing enough energy to shake the ground. Some seismic activity occurs in the middle of tectonic plates, but these earthquakes are generally random, occur rarely and are poorly understood.

But a few spots within the North American tectonic plate  thousands of kilometers away from the plate's boundaries  experience earthquake activity frequently.

Seismologists have found geological evidence of past earthquakes greater than magnitude 7 in some regions in the eastern U.S. and Canada. For example, from December 1811 to February 1812, three magnitude-7 earthquakes shook southeastern Missouri, knocking down trees, damaging homes and disrupting the Mississippi River current.

Seismologists don't know why these pockets of earthquakes occur in the middle of tectonic plates, but a new study suggests they happen in places where Earth's crust experienced ancient fracturing events on top of old, buried fault lines.

It is important to better understand these intraplate seismic zones since the earthquakes associated with them have the potential to deal significant damage, said Christine Powell, a seismologist at the University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research and Information in Memphis, Tennessee and co-author of the new study accepted for publication in Tectonics, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

While California's infrastructure is built to withstand large tremors, construction in central and eastern North America typically does not account for strong earthquakes. If a magnitude 7 earthquake happened within the North American tectonic plate today, communities would sustain serious injuries and face multi-billion-dollar damages to property, Powell said.

"We have to understand as much as we possibly can about why the earthquakes are here," she said. "All of that information can then be used to help public safety and building construction."

Waking up ancient faults

Seismologists know that many intraplate seismic zones overlap with ancient fault lines. But only parts of old fault lines in central and eastern North America show frequent earthquake activity. Unlike California, where earthquakes occur along the entire San Andreas Fault line, central and eastern North America experience seismic hiccups on only specific segments of old faults. The rest of the inner-North American faults are seismically inactive.

Distribution of intraplate earthquakes in central and eastern North America with respect to ancient faulting from the assembly of supercontinent Rodinia and the Grenville orogeny (red lines) and from the breakup of Rodinia and opening of the Iapetus Ocean (green lines). Credit: Thomas and Powell

In the new study, Powell and her co-author Bill Thomas, an emeritus professor of geology at the University of Kentucky and now at the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, reviewed the most active seismic spots in eastern and central North America to determine what geologic features may be involved with intraplate earthquakes.

Thomas and Powell examined three places in particular: the Charlevoix Seismic Zone (CSZ) in southeastern Canada, the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone (ETSZ), and the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) along the Mississippi River valley between southeastern Missouri and western Tennessee. They surveyed the known geological characteristics of the three regions and soon realized each zone had experienced significant fracturing compared to other areas along the old faults.

The researchers reason that fracturing events from hundreds of millions of years ago have lowered the ability of Earth's crust to withstand high levels of stress in these regions. This means that a weaker crust has a higher chance of breaking under the pressure of various geological forces, resulting in more seismic activity.

For example, roughly 357 million years ago, a large meteor hit the Charlevoix Seismic Zone, shattering rocks within the crust, likely creating the perfect conditions along the ancient fault to host future seismic activity, according to the researchers.

"You can look up and down the rest of those long faults and you don't see the earthquake activity in other places. It's just where that big meteorite smacked it," Powell said.

An old fault line running through the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone is bent instead of straight, which created additional fracturing in the area as the North American Plate moved over time. The New Madrid Seismic Zone encompasses a segment of ancient fault lines where the two sides of the North American continent began to pull apart, but stopped short of making a significant break. The plates instead crunched back together, leaving the crust significantly faulted and fractured.

In each case, crustal deformation has weakened the crust along ancient fault lines, according to the researchers' findings.

Past research has examined intraplate seismic zones individually, but no study has yet made an overall comprehensive attempt to explain all of them, Thomas said.

"This is the first [study] that actually answers the question: why do [intraplate earthquake zones] happen where they do," Powell said.

The researchers point out that there are other spots within eastern and central North America that may have concentrated crustal deformation but lack significant seismic activity. Therefore, they suspect that crustal deformation is necessary for creating intraplate seismic zones, but intraplate earthquakes occur only in places with the right present-day crustal forces.

"If the various forces acting on the crust are oriented in the right direction, those faults down there will be reactivated," Powell said.

This story is republished courtesy of AGU Blogs (http://blogs.agu.org), a community of Earth and space science blogs, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.
In his first press conference after being named Congress president, Rahul Gandhi launched a series of attacks on Modi and the BJP.

By India Today Web Desk: A day after he was named Congress president, Rahul Gandhi today attacked both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over what he said was their silence on corruption.

"Earlier Modiji used to talk about corruption everywhere. But since we raised the issues of Jay Shah [BJP President Amit Shah's son] and the Rafale defence deal [with France], he stopped talking about corruption," the Congress leader said.

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"The PM is either talking about Congress or himself during his public meetings," he said. Rahul is in Gujarat today campaigning for the second and final phase of the high-stakes Assembly election.

Rahul said his party was confident of taking power in Gujarat and said the BJP was on a losing wicket. "The BJP has lost its position," Gandhi told the media, a day after he was named the President of the country's oldest political party.

"After the first phase voting in the state [December 9], we are confident that we are going to form the government here," he said.

When questioned about his visits to temples during the election campaign, Rahul asked if it was wrong. "Whenever I went to a temple I just prayed for a 'sunehra bhavishya' for the people of Gujarat, a better development here. Is it wrong to go to a temple?," Rahul asked.

Rahul also visited Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad in the morning, his 29th such visit in 90 days.

Criticising the government's decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, Rahul said that demonetisation was Modi government's first mistake and "Gabbar Singh Tax" the second.

Speaking about development in the state of Gujarat he said, "In last 22 years Modi ji and Rupani ji have initiated only one-sided development here, the one only for 5-10 people. Not everyone has been given their rights."

Rahul assured that all the decisions in Gujarat would be made in consultation with the people of Gujarat. Rahul Gandhi stressed that Congress is confident about the election results in Gujarat after the first phase is over.

Rahul Gandhi also said that the way jokes were made on Manmohan Singh is unacceptable as he was the Prime Minister of the country. He also stressed that he would never talk about PM Modi in the same manner as that would mean disrespecting the position of the Prime Minister.

Thanking the people of Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi said that he received love and respect wherever he went in the state during his election campaign.

The second and final phase of the Gujarat Assembly election is due on Thursday. The results will be out on December 18.

--- ENDS ---

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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The best decisions are made on the basis of the average of various estimates, as confirmed by the research of Dennie van Dolder and Martijn van den Assem, scientists at VU Amsterdam. Using data from Holland Casino promotional campaigns, they have researched whether it is true that when people make estimates, the average of their estimates is relatively close to reality. The results of the research have been published in Nature Human Behaviour.

During the last seven weeks of 2013, 2014 and 2015, Holland Casino visitors could participate in an estimation contest. The participant with the most accurate estimate of the number of pearls in a giant champagne glass won the tidy sum of 100,000. In total, no fewer than 1.2 million people participated over the three years. "For our research, we analysed the three enormous datasets of these promotional campaigns. The data showed that averaging all of the estimates yields significant accuracy gains," says Van den Assem. "We also looked at the estimates of people who participated multiple times."

Wisdom of crowds

More than a century ago, the famous British scientist Sir Francis Galton researched estimation contests that were very similar to the estimation contest at Holland Casino. At a cattle market, visitors could estimate the slaughter weight of an exhibited ox. Galton examined the estimates made by people and found that, surprisingly, the average estimate differed little from reality. The principle that averaging multiple estimates provides a relatively accurate outcomeoften better than most underlying estimates and sometimes even better than allhas come to be known as the "Wisdom of Crowds principle." It is an important principle because accurate estimates are crucial for making good decisions.

Wisdom of inner crowds

Also important is the analysis of the estimates from people who participated multiple times. Recently, researchers have suggested that it is also useful to average estimates that come from the same person. Van Dolder and Van den Assem believe that averages from the same person do indeed work, and that therefore 'wisdom of inner crowds' also exists.

This is an attractive idea because it is often easier to make multiple estimates yourself than to involve other people. For issues that require a high degree of specialised expertise and for private matters, decision makers have to rely on themselves to make the decision. Which holiday will you book? Will you stay with your partner or not? And will you or will you not move to a particular city? The research suggests that to reach a good decision, it is better to think about it at different times of the day and with a few nights of sleep between each time.

However, in comparison, the accuracy improves more dramatically when you take the average of estimates from different people: the average of a large number of estimates from the same person is hardly ever better than the average of two estimates from different people. Van Dolder: "For the quality of estimates, it is therefore better if two people are both engaged in the same two projects than when each focuses entirely on an individual project."

Two heads really are better than than one, and for good decision making, taking the average of the estimates of various people remains the best approach.

More information: Dennie van Dolder et al, The wisdom of the inner crowd in three large natural experiments, Nature Human Behaviour (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-017-0247-6 Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour
A new AI tool created to help identify certain kinds of substance abuse based on a homeless youth's Facebook posts could provide homeless shelters with vital information to incorporate into each individual's case management plan. Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Torn between the benefits and drawbacks of social media, Leigh Turberville Harrell hasn't decided yet whether to let her children use Facebook's new messaging app for kids.

On one hand, Messenger Kids allows parents to approve whom their children converse with on the app. But on the other, Harrell, a teacher, worries about cyberbullying and other dangers that lurk online.

"They don't realize that the stuff they're putting out there on the internet could haunt them for the rest of their lives," said Harrell, whose children are 4 and 13.

Nationwide, parents like Harrell are facing a familiar decision: At what age should they allow their kids to use social media?

Messenger Kids has also sparked concerns among some parents, pediatricians and consumer advocates who worry about the data Facebook will gather from children.

Facebook, like other social networks, requires users to be at least 13 years old to sign up for accounts. But last week, the company said it was rolling out a messaging app that will let children under that age send texts, photos and videos, and add stickers, frames and filters to their images.

"Whether it's using video chat to talk to grandparents, staying in touch with cousins who live far away, or sending mom a decorated photo while she's working late to say hi, Messenger Kids opens up a new world of online communication to families," wrote Loren Cheng, Facebook's product management director, in a blog post.

The company said it talked to thousands of parents and experts while it was building the ad-free app, which is designed for children ages 6 to 12. Parents who set up a Messenger Kids account won't be creating a Facebook account for their children.

But some consumer advocacy groups question whether the app will remain free of ads in the future and whether Facebook will use the data to target parents with ads.

"Why should parents simply trust that Facebook is acting in the best interest of kids?" James Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a San Francisco nonprofit that promotes online safety for children, said in a statement.

The privacy policy for Messenger Kids says the app collects data such as registration information, content, activity, contacts and device information to improve the product and promote safety.

If a parent deletes a Messenger Kids account, Facebook will also erase the data they collect, but the company notes that messages and content sent to users before a deletion may remain visible.

And as parents struggle to get their children to stop staring at their tablets and smartphones, they're wondering if messaging apps are worth the convenience.

Dr. Jenny Radesky, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, said children under 12 years old are not ready to use social media without parental supervision.

"It's hard for them to grasp concepts like privacy, who is using their data, or insight into how they might be manipulated through persuasive designand they are really just starting to build awareness about their identity, role in relationships, and morality," she said in an e-mail. "Combine that immaturity with the problematic interactions that commonly occur over social media, and it could be messy."

It's important for parents to monitor whether social media is displacing other activities children need to do, like homework, and how children are treating others through the app, she said.

But some online safety experts say many kids under 13 are already on social networks. Messenger Kids, which is rolling out first in the United States in the Apple App Store, also has ways for parents to keep an eye on who their children are talking to online.

"Particularly for parents who have already tried to get their under 13s onto Facebook so they can communicate with grandma, this is a godsend," said Stephen Balkam, the founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute. "For the significant minority of parents who are tech skeptics, they will probably want to steer clear."

Some question Facebook's intentions. San Diego resident Adam McLane said he sees the app as a way for Facebook to market the social network to younger userslike a McDonald's Happy Meal.

The father of three said he will not get Messenger Kids for his 6-year-old. His two teenagers also do not use Facebook.

Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is spending December on parental leave with his two daughters, hasn't spoken publicly yet about Messenger Kids.

"My advice: Until you see Zuckerberg's kids using it, stay away," McLane wrote in a public Facebook post.

2017 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The city of Mill Creek, Wash., has only 55 full-time employees and just one of themJames Buschis responsible for handling information technology and cybersecurity. He worries about the growing sophistication of hackers and cybercriminals and the city computer network's vulnerabilities.

So when the Washington State Auditor's Office started offering local governments a free, in-depth evaluation of their cybersecurity systems, Mill Creek, a city of about 20,000 near Seattle, jumped at the chance in 2015.

"It was something we couldn't afford on our own," Busch said. "It was a great opportunity for us to see where we needed to improve."

Local governments, especially smaller cities, counties, police agencies and school districts, often don't have the resources to evaluate their cyber defenses or deal with cyberattacks. Yet just like states, their networks contain vast amounts of information about residents and businesses, such as Social Security, bank account and credit card numbers.

Some local governments say they can't necessarily rely on states for cyber aid because many are busy trying to deal with their own cyber preparedness. But some states, including Washington, Michigan and Virginia, have decided to extend help to the locals. They're providing training, sending in experts to uncover security vulnerabilities, or lending a hand if a local government has been hit in a cyberattack.

"There's a growing awareness that the key to states being more prepared is ensuring that municipalities and counties are also improving their awareness," said Timothy Blute, a program director of the National Governors Association's homeland security division.

Local government chief information officers have become increasingly concerned about hackers. Just this week, hackers targeted Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, with ransomware and demanded $23,000 to unlock the affected data. County officials refused to pay and said it would rebuild the applications from scratch. But hours after that announcement Thursday, the hackers struck again.

Nearly a third of local government IT officers reported a spike in cyberattacks during the past 12 months, according to a 2016 survey by the International City/County Management Association.

Less than half of the local governments had a formal cybersecurity policy or standard, and only a third had a formal, written recovery plan for breaches, the survey found. IT officers cited the inability to pay competitive salaries and a lack of cyber staff and funding as serious barriers to achieving the highest level of cybersecurity.

State IT departments historically have focused their cyber efforts on their executive branches, and often don't have the relationships or infrastructure to provide cyber aid to local governments, said Alan Shark, executive director of the Public Technology Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides professional development and consulting services to local government IT executives. "The locals don't have much faith that they'd get a lot of help."

One option for local governments victimized in a cyberattack, Shark said, is the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a federally funded group that tracks cybersecurity issues for states and local governments.

The center can offer assistance, either remotely or in person, and help identify how a virus or attack occurred, how to prevent it from spreading, and how to get the system back to normal, said vice president Brian Calkin. This year, the center has assisted about 90 local governments that were attacked.

Michigan is one state that's trying to change that image for local governments. It is the only one that has created a volunteer team of highly trained cybersecurity experts from the public and private sectors who can provide local governments technical assistance if they get hit by a cyberattack or data breach.

And in May, Michigan launched a one-year pilot program designed to help local governments identify their biggest cyber vulnerabilities, create a plan to fix them, and then put solutions into practice. "Cybersecurity is a concern for everyone no matter what size you are," said Rajiv Das, Michigan's chief security officer. "If the counties are cyber secure, it helps us when we exchange data with themand vice versa."

Michigan's pilot started with five local governments and has since added four more, Das said. The program has cost the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget about $200,000, most of which pays for a consultant to work with the locals.

While the pilot is free for local governments through April 2018, participants will need to fund the program themselves after that, Das said.

Virginia also helps local governments strengthen their cybersecurity by making available a National Guard cyber brigade of experts to test IT vulnerabilities.

"This allows them to get an outside set of eyeballs to see what they've done and what they need to do to make them safe," said Virginia Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson.

Jackson said nearly a dozen local governments have participated in the program, which is free for them but is costing the state about $150,000. It started last year and will run through June 2018, unless it is renewed.

In Georgia, officials plan to offer local governments training through the Georgia Cybersecurity Workforce Academy, which started last year to teach state IT security employees how to build a secure cyber program and respond to an attack. Next year, that training will include local governments, said Stanton Gatewood, Georgia's chief information security officer.

"The states have a duty to help the local governments," he said. "We're all in the same boat so why not mobilize and protect and defend each other?"

Washington state started offering local governments independent audits of their cyber defenses three years ago.

The reviews by contractors and state auditors and IT security specialists assess a system's vulnerabilities, perform technical tests to see if it can be penetrated, and recommend improvements. The audits take six months to two years and cost the state $150,000 to $300,000 each.

Funding comes from a 2005 voter initiative that allotted a bit of Washington's sales tax revenue to the auditor's office to conduct performance audits for local governments. The office later expanded the mission to include cybersecurity audits.

So far, two cyber audits, including Mill Creek's, have been finished, and 10 are ongoing, according to program manager Peg Bodin.

As a result of his city's audit, Mill Creek IT manager Busch said, officials there have developed new cyber policies and now require cyber training for every employee.

The lessons learned came in handy. Just a few weeks after the training, Busch said, the city got phished "big time." But an employee who received the phony email, which looked as though it came from a colleague, didn't open it and instead reported the incident.

Having an independent assessment also can be useful politically, Busch said.

"We can use it to go back to elected officials and say we need to upgrade and put in security measures," he said. "It helps lend some credibility and some oomph behind what you're saying, especially when you're a one-man shop."

2017 Stateline.org

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during the One Planet Summit on December 12, 2017 at La Seine Musicale venue in Boulogne-Billancourt, southwest of Paris

By subsidising fossil fuels, humanity was "investing in its own doom", UN chief Antonio Guterres said Tuesday at a Paris summit seeking to unlock funds for the global shift towards greener energy.

"Fossil fuels remain heavily subsidised - meaning we are investing in our own doom," he told delegates at the finance-themed climate gathering called by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Guterres described climate change as the "defining challenge of our times," and warned that humanity was losing the war "for the very existence of life on our planet as we know it".

Macron called the gathering of world leaders to assess the shortfall of money needed to lift the global economy out of its reliance on atmosphere-polluting coal, oil and natural gas.

The International Energy Agency estimates that investments of some $3.5 trillion (3 trillion euros) per year in the energy sector are needed until 2050 to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of limiting average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

This is double current spending.

Guterres called for investment "in the future, not the past".

"We need policy makers and central banks, stock exchanges, pension funds, rating agencies and all financial actors to align investments with the needs of climate action and sustainable development," he said.

Money is a sore point in the UN climate process, with developing nations demanding aid to ease the costly shift to less-polluting energy sources, and to shore up defences against climate-change induced weather disasters.

Rich nations, who have polluted more for longer, pledged in 2009 to muster $100 billion per year in climate funds from 2020.

On 2015 trends, total public financing would reach about $67 billion by that date, according to a report of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Matters have been further complicated by US President Donald Trump's announcement in June that he would pull America out of the 2015 Paris pact, and slash US climate funding.

Climate change, said Guterres, was moving faster than humanity's decarbonisation efforts. Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at record levels, and emissions increased in 2017 for the first time in three years.

"Finance could be, should be and will be the decisive factorthe difference between winning and losing the war," he said, adding the global financial system was "awash" with funds.

This money, he said, must be made to work "not only for profit but for the future of people and the planet", requiring a joint effort of governments and the private sector.

 2017 AFP
The fortress of Kuelap, popularly known as 'the Machu Picchu of the north,' dominates the landscape at an elevation of 3,000 meters. Credit: Chiara Barbieri

The Chachapoyas region was conquered by the Inca Empire in the late 15th century. Knowledge of the fate of the local population has been based largely on Inca oral histories, written down only decades later after the Spanish conquest. The Inca accounts claim that the native population was forcibly resettled out of Chachapoyas and dispersed across the Inca Empire. However, a new study in Scientific Reports, by an international team including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, uses genetic evidence to reveal that despite Inca conquest, the population of Chachapoyas has remained genetically distinct, and not assimilated with that of the Inca heartland.

Despite their spectacular achievements, from the first cities of the Americas to the Inca Empire, the indigenous peoples of the Andes left no written histories. One legacy that can now be read, however, is the genetic diversity of their descendants today, especially when taken together with the rich archaeology of the Andes and the prehistory of its native languages. This is the approach taken in a new study in Scientific Reports to test the demographic legacy of the Incas.

The study emerges out of a collaboration between research institutes in Peru and in Germany, including the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. The focus is on a key region in the cloud-forest transition between the Andes and Amazonia in northern Peru. Here the Incas encountered fierce resistance from the "Warriors of the Clouds," the Chachapoyas culture, noted particularly for its distinctive body-shaped sarcophagi and the monumental fortress of Kuelap, the "Machu Picchu of the north." Particularly to punish and to secure control over such rebellious lands, the Incas are thought to have resettled millions of people across the "Four Quarters" of their empire, Tawantinsuyu. Chachapoyas was reportedly singled out for such treatment, making it an ideal case for using genetics to test the accuracy of Inca oral histories, which were not written down until almost a century later, by the Spanish conquistadors.

Map of sampling locations and approximate distribution of sub-branches of the Quechua language family, as traditionally classified. Red dot 1 marks the sampling locations in the Amazonas region (Chachapoyas City, Luya, Huancas, Utcubamba South, La Jalca); red dot 2 marks that in the San Martin region (Lamas, Wayku neighbourhood). The inset zooms in on the sampling locations in Amazonas. Credit: Barbieri et al. Enclaves of genetic diversity resisted Inca impacts on population history. Scientific Reports, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17728-w.

"By targeting various linguistic indicators, we were able to pinpoint a genetic signal in Chachapoyas that turned out to be far more diverse than we expected, especially in the male line, from father to son," explains Chiara Barbieri, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, and lead author of the study. "First of all, there's still a strong surviving Native American component, despite all the admixture with European genes ever since the Spanish conquest. What's more, here the native component is quite different from the main genetic network in the highlands of central and southern Peru. This is where the Inca Empire and its predecessors originated, and their conquests, road networks and empire-building ended up homogenizing the genetic make-up here." The current study reveals how the people of Chachapoyas, by contrast, remained relatively isolated. "So it seems that some genetic legacy of the Chachapoyas did indeed resist Inca impacts, all the way through to today," explains Barbieri.

Two Peruvian geneticists, Jose Sandoval and Ricardo Fujita of the Universidad San Martin de Porres in Lima, Peru, also took part in the study. "These latest samples are part of a wider genetic coverage of Peru that we've been building up for years. It's these groups like the Chachapoya, culturally and linguistically highly distinctive, who have the most to tell us about our ancestors: where they came from, where they migrated to, what interactions they had with each other, and so on. Also, the Chachapoyas culture left such extensive archaeological remains that there are good prospects for recovering ancient DNA, to complement the modern picture."

Paul Heggarty, a linguist and senior author of the study, also of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, was first motivated to launch this project after unexpected results from a linguistic fieldwork trip to Chachapoyas. He was able to find a few remaining elderly speakers of an indigenous language that most assumed was already extinct in this region. "Quechua is one of our most direct living links to the people of the New World before Columbus. It still has millions of speakers, more than any other language family of the Americas - but not in Chachapoyas anymore. There are only a dozen or so fluent speakers now, in a few remote villages, so we need to act fast if we're to work out its real origins here."

The body-shaped sarcophagi of Karajia contained the remains of high-ranking Chachapoya ancestors. The inhabitants of Chachapoyas today may in part descend from these pre-Inca populations. Credit: Chiara Barbieri

The Chachapoyas form of Quechua has usually been classified as most closely related to the Quechua spoken in Ecuador, but the new DNA results show no close connections between the Quechua-speakers in these two areas. "Linguists need to rethink their traditional view of the family tree of Quechua languages, and the history of how they spread through the Andes," notes Heggarty. "It seems that Quechua reached Chachapoyas without any big movement of people. This also doesn't fit with the idea that the Incas forced out the Chachapoyas population wholesale."

Jairo Valqui, another linguist co-author from the National University of San Marcos in Lima, adds a further perspective on an even earlier language layer. "Once Quechua and Spanish arrived, the local Chachapoyas languages died out. Recovering anything from them is a real puzzle and a challenge for linguists. They left very few traces, but there are some characteristic combinations of sounds, for example, that still survive in people's surnames and in local placenames, like Kuelap itself."

Valqui, himself a Chachapoyano, also makes a point of taking these genetic results back to the local population. "For Peruvian society today, this matters. There's long been an appreciation of the Incas, but often at the cost of sidelining everything else in the archaeological record across Peru, and the diversity in our linguistic and genetic heritage too. As these latest findings remind us: Peru is not just Machu Picchu, and its indigenous people were not just the Incas."

More information: Chiara Barbieri et al, Enclaves of genetic diversity resisted Inca impacts on population history, Scientific Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17728-w Journal information: Scientific Reports
On three occasions in June and July 2017, New Horizons mission team members attempted to track a small, distant Kuiper Belt object, 2014 MU69, as it passed in front of a star  an event known as an occultation. The colored lines mark the path of the star as seen from different telescopes on each day; the blank spaces on those lines indicate the few seconds when MU69 blocked the light from the star. Scientists are using these observations to craft a picture of MU69 and any companion bodies. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/James Tuttle Keane

Scientists were already excited to learn this summer that New Horizons' next flyby target  a Kuiper Belt object a billion miles past Pluto  might be either peanut-shaped or even two objects orbiting one another. Now new data hints that 2014 MU69 might have company: a small moon.

That's the latest theory coming from NASA's New Horizons team, as it continues to analyze telescope data on the target of a New Year's Day 2019 flyby. "We really won't know what MU69 looks like until we fly past it, or even gain a full understanding of it until after the encounter," said New Horizons science team member Marc Buie, of the Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, who offered an update on the analysis of MU69 Monday at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in New Orleans. "But even from afar, the more we examine it, the more interesting and amazing this little world becomes."

The data that led to these hints at MU69's nature were gathered over six weeks in June and July, when the team made three attempts to place telescopes in the narrow shadow of MU69 as it passed in front of a star. The most valuable recon came on July 17, when five telescopes deployed by the New Horizons team in Argentina were in the right place at the right time to catch this fleeting shadowan event known as an occultation  and capture important data on MU69's size, shape and orbit. That data raised the possibility that MU69 might be two like-sized objects, or what's known as a binary.

On three occasions in June and July 2017, New Horizons mission team members attempted to track a small, distant Kuiper Belt object, 2014 MU69, as it passed in front of a star  an event known as an occultation. The colored lines mark the path of the star as seen from different telescopes on each day; the blank spaces on those lines indicate the few seconds when MU69 blocked the light from the star. Scientists are using these observations to craft a picture of MU69 and any companion bodies. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/James Tuttle Keane

The prospect that MU69 might have a moon arose from data collected during a different occultation on July 10, by NASA's airborne Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Focused on MU69's expected location while flying over the Pacific Ocean, SOFIA detected what appeared to be a very short drop-out in the star's light. Buie said further analysis of that data, including syncing it with MU69 orbit calculations provided by the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, opens the possibility that the "blip" SOFIA detected could be another object around MU69.

"A binary with a smaller moon might also help explain the shifts we see in the position of MU69 during these various occultations," Buie added. "It's all very suggestive, but another step in our work to get a clear picture of MU69 before New Horizons flies by, just over a year from now."

That flyby will be the most distant in the history of space exploration. Ancient Kuiper Belt object MU69, just discovered in 2014, is more than 4 billion miles (6.5 billion kilometers) from Earth. It appears to be no more than 20 miles (30 kilometers) long, or, if a binary, each about 9-12 miles (15-20 kilometers) in diameter. Like other objects in the Kuiper Belt, MU69 offers a close-up look at the remnants of the ancient planet-building process, small worlds that hold critical clues to the formation of the outer solar system.

"The occultation effort that Marc Buie and his team led for New Horizons has been invaluable in opening our eyes to the very real possibilities that MU69 is both a lot more complex than anyone suspected, and that it holds many surprises for us at flyby on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, 2019," added New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern, also from Southwest Research Institute. "The allure of its exploration is becoming stronger and stronger as we learn more and more about it. It's just fantastic!"
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

While it might not bring parents as much joy as a first step or first word, the right time to introduce kids to a smartphone is an important moment.

Smartphones have become the most important piece of technology we own, connecting us with friends, keeping us updated on the world around us, and letting us capture our biggest moments.

If you're a parent, handing one over to your kid can bring a sense of dread. Who is she talking to? What is he watching? Why can't she stop texting?

There are ways to limit what your kids can access on their new device, as well as track what they download. Before you do that, consider the following question:

Is my child old enough for a smartphone?

Kids aren't waiting as long to get their first smartphones. According to a 2016 study from research firm Influence Central, the average age for a child getting his or her first smartphone is 10.3 years old, down from 12 in 2012.

There's no real consensus among experts on the right age to buy a smartphone. During an interview earlier this year, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said all three of his kids waited until they were 14. Campaigns like Wait Until 8th urge parents to wait until their kids get to the eighth grade.

Ultimately, the decision could come down to whether parents think their child is mature enough to handle a smartphone, said Scott Steinberg, author of Parenting High-Tech Kids: The Ultimate Internet, Web, and Online Safety Guide.

"When they're going to be so far outside your oversight or outside of ready accessibility, when they start going off doing activities, camps, or they need to be able to get in touch with you but can't, that's a possibility for when you can introduce it," said Steinberg.

Use your phone's parental controls

Depending on the device, parents can set restrictions to limit what their children can access on that new smartphone.

For the iPhone, go to Settings, then General, then scroll down to Restrictions. When you first enable restrictions, the device will ask you to create a four-digit PIN.

Restrictions allows parents to control everything from what apps kids can open to whether they can make purchases within apps. Users can also adjust the type of content kids can view based on ratings.

On Android devices, restrictions will vary depending on the handset you own. On Google Play, users can set similar limits on what content kids can access based on ratings.

Keep an eye on app downloads

Both iOS and Google Play include ways to check out your app history if you plan on sharing accounts with your kids.

In Apple's App Store, for example, users can view what apps they've downloaded as well as what apps aren't on their current devices. In Google Play, users can head to their account, then order history to view downloads.

Also, on the App Store, users can enable automatic downloads, which will automatically add an app downloaded on one device on all of them. It's handy for knowing when your kids have downloaded a new app.

Depending on the age of the child receiving the smartphone, parents can also explore settings within apps to limit activity.

There are also apps dedicated to tracking how much time someone is spending on their phones or in a particular app: Moment for iPhones, Space (formerly BreakFree) for Android. Moment also has a feature that makes the whole family (including parents) go screen-free for a period, say dinner time.

The more you know

Perhaps the most important thing parents can do is stay informed. Talk to your kids about why they want a phone and how they plan to use it.

"It's not high tech parenting that's going to win the day here," said Steinberg. "It's traditional low-tech parenting and just making a point to ask the right questions, to be having the conversations in households and schools and making a point to stay on top of the latest new high tech developments."

2017 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The tide watchers start patrolling whenever the celestial forces align. From coast to coast, hundreds of tide watchers come out with their cameras to record the latest "king tides," brief episodes of tidal flooding that could become the norm, with expected sea level rise.

King tides are a colloquial term for the highest tides of the year. They occur when the moon is closest to the earth at moments when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment, increasing the gravitational forces at play.

A decade ago, few had heard of "king tides," much less waded through them in galoshes. Now, Miami regularly floods. So does Myrtle Beach, Charleston and other U.S. cities. And more than ever, groups of citizens are out there photographing the results, uploading the pics and debating what the future will bring.

"Coastal flooding is our new normal," said Daniel J. Burger, who coordinates the King Tides Initiative for the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control. "What we are doing is leveraging the capacity of interested citizens to document a very dynamic coastline."

King tides have always been part of the world's seasonal tidal variations. One just finished up along the coast of the Carolinas. In California, another one is expected Jan. 1 and 2, followed by one a few days later in Washington state.

Depending on a coast's topography, king tides can increase the elevation of a high tide by a foot or more. Much depends on other natural forces at work. Offshore winds, for instance, can push a king tide higher. So can river runoff from recent rainfall, which gets backed up by the incoming tide.

Some cities are already experiencing ever higher king tides, also known as "sunny day" flooding. From 1970 to 2014, the annual number of sunny day floods in Charleston increased from two to 14.

In 2016, the city experienced a record of 50 tidal flood days, according to a study this year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Savannah, Ga., also set a record with 38 tidal flood days, as did Key West with 14 days.

Over the last century, sea level has risen about a foot in Charleston. That's one reason sunny day flooding has increased there and in other parts of the Carolinas, Virginia and Florida. With expected sea level rise in coming decadescaused by melting of the ice sheets and expansion of warming ocean watersCharleston could see 180 days of sunny-day flooding by 2045. That means that current king tides could become the normal high tides.

As sea levels and tides rise, coastal cities face hard choices about preventing inundation. These include building expensive sea walls, elevating streets and retrofitting sewage treatment plants and other infrastructure. Natural habitats are also at risk. In Morro Bay, which sits roughly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, coastal managers fear loss of salt marshes and possibly eelgrasses, essential parts of the marine food web.

Citizen environmental monitoring has a long history, most notably with the Audubon Society's Christmas bird count. For king tides, the monitoring effort started in Australia in 2009, then spread quickly to North America and other parts of the world.

California started one of the United States' first king tide programs, a collaboration between agencies and non-profit groups. "We wanted to give people a way to bring climate change home and see what it would look like," said Marina Psaros, a founder of the program. More than 20,000 people now receive the group's emails.

At a typical king tide event, volunteers are urged to fan out along a stretch of coastline and photograph impacts to beaches, roads and other locations. The photographs are then uploaded to a set of websites, or shared on Twitter or other social media.

As participation has increased, the resulting photographs are proving helpful to planners and flood-control agencies. According to Burger, South Carolina is using the photographs to gauge whether king tide flooding was lower or higher than forecasts had predicted.

Yet protocols vary in archiving the photographs. Some images online include no information on time and location. In South Carolina, managers have developed a "MyCoast" app where photographs are time stamped with geolocation data.

Some science educators have quickly recognized king tides as a potential teaching tool. In South Carolina, teacher Merrie Koester launched a project for students at Charleston Development Academy to explore flooding in and around the charter school, due to king tides, storm runoff and nearby development replacing marshes.

The students ended up producing a hip-hop video about king tides and the flooding. They also collaborated on a public presentation, which included an explanation of what causes king tides.

"A king tide takes place at full or new moon when the moon comes the closest it will ever be to the Earth," said one of the students, Tonisha Forrest, in the video. "The closer it is, the harder its gravitational pull on the Earth's water, and the higher the high tide."

Koester said her students never heard about king tides before the project launched. Now they want to share what they learned.

"These kids are already coming up with ideas for hip-hop public service announcements," she said. "Those could help in warning about future flood events."

-

KING TIDE PROJECT ORGANIZERS

Worldwide: King Tides Project

California: King Tides Project

Florida: Tampa Bay Estuary Program King Tides

North Carolina: King Tides Project

South Carolina: King Tides Initiative

Washington state: Witness King Tides

2017 McClatchy Washington Bureau

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with world leaders on Tuesday, two years to the day since 195 nations adopted the climate-rescue Paris Agreement

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with other leaders on Tuesday, two years to the day since 195 nations adopted the climate-rescue Paris Agreementthis time to talk about money.

Without trillions of dollars of investment in clean energy, the pact's goal to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels will remain a pipe dream, observers and participants warned on the eve of the Paris summit.

Political action "will not be enough if we do not update and reset the global finance architecture and make all development low-emission, resilient, and sustainable," UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said.

"We see some movement... but climate consideration must now be part of all private sector decisions," she said.

After the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 to cheers and champagne, helped over the finish line by then US president Barack Obama, his successor Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the process, withdrawing political support and finance.

Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax", announced in June that the United States would pull out of the Paris pact, which had taken nearly 200 nations more than two decades to negotiate.

The US is the only country to reject the agreement.

Macron on Monday reminded Trump of his responsibility to history over his decision to quit the agreement, in an interview aired on CBS.

"I'm sorry to say that, it doesn't fly, so, so sorry but I think it is a big responsibility in front of the history, and I'm pretty sure that my friend President Trump will change his mind in the coming months or years, I do hope."

He added: "It's extremely aggressive to decide on its own just to leave, and no way to push the others to renegotiate because one decided to leave the floor."

Money has long been a sore point in the UN climate process, with developing nations insisting on financial assistance to help them make the costly move to less-polluting energy sources, and to shore up defences against climate change-induced superstorms, mega-droughts and land-gobbling sea level rise.

Trump has asked Congress to slash the climate research budgets of federal agenciesthreatening a loss of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.

The Trump administration would also not fulfil US climate finance commitments, including an outstanding $2 billion out of $3 billion it had pledged towards the Green Climate Fund.

Progress towards the 2009 pledge by wealthy countries to provide $100 billion in aid per year to help poor nations combat global warming ahead of Tuesday's international summit in Paris which will discuss climate finance.

"The missing piece of the jigsaw is the funding to help the world's poorer countries access clean energy so they don't follow the fossil fuel-powered path of the rich world," said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid, which represents poor country interests at the UN climate forum.

'Don't worry'

"This is the missing piece that the One Planet Summit needs to begin to put into place."

In the absence of former climate champion Obama, American businesses, regions and local government leaders have reiterated their commitment to decarbonisation.

"It doesn't matter that Donald Trump backed out of the Paris Agreement, because the private sector didn't drop out, the public sector didn't drop out, universities didn't drop out, no one dropped out," former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, now the face of the R20 network of sub-national climate actors, said in Paris.

"Don't worry about any of that, we are the subnational level, we're going to pick up the slack," he said.

On the eve of the summit, the heads of many of world's space agencies proposed the creation of a space climate observatory to pool acquired data to share with scientists around the globe, according to a declaration they adopted at their meeting in Paris.

Among the leaders in attendance at Tuesday's summit will be UN chief Antonio Guterres, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto, Theresa May of Britain, Spain's Mariano Rajoy, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Trump was not invited to Tuesday's gathering, and the USthe world's biggest historical emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gaseswill be represented by an embassy official.

Also absent will be the leaders of major polluters China, India, Brazil, Russia and Canada, as well as Germany's Angela Merkel among EU members.

Rich nations pledged in 2009 to muster $100 billion per year in climate finance for developing nations from 2020.

On 2015 trends, total public financing would reach about $67 billion by that date, according to a report of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The International Energy Agency estimates that investments of some $3.5 trillion per year in the energy sector will be needed to 2050 to stay under the 2 C limitdouble current spending.

 2017 AFP
The hand positions used to administer the two types of blow: left) the pommel strike; right) the double-handed strike. Arrows indicate direction of swing . Credit: Meaghan Dyer

(Phys.org)A team of researchers with the University of Edinburgh has found evidence that the "Thames Beater" was a weapon that could be used to kill another personperhaps at times, with a single blow to the head. In their paper published in the journal Antiquity, the group describes experiments they conducted to learn more about the lethality of the weapon.

Some time ago, archaeologists pulled a wooden club from a waterlogged part of the north bank of the River Thamesafter dating it back to approximately 3530-3340 B.C., they subsequently dubbed it the "Thames Beater" because it had clearly been used by one person to beat another person during the Neolithic period. In this new effort, the researchers sought to learn more about the damage the weapon could cause.

Because they did not have access to an original club (only one real one has been found), and because they could not bash actual humans, the team fashioned their own clubs modeled after the original Thames Beater. To replicate the human head, they used a model that had been designed for military ballistic testing. Skulls were made of polyurethane which were filled with gelatin and wrapped with a rubber skin. The researchers then enlisted the assistance of a 30-year-old male volunteer to serve as a combatant wielding a Thames beater. He bashed the head of the model as hard as if he were fighting for his life. Upon examining the results, the researchers found that the Thames beater was, indeed, a weapon that could be used to crack the skull of a human being and kill them.

The researchers than compared the fractured fake skulls with real ones that had been dug up from Neolithic graveyards and found at least one that looked very similar, suggesting that the person who had done the damage was likely using a Thames beater. Taken together, the evidence suggests the club was more lethal than has been thought. It also creates a better picture of what Neolithic violence was like, the researchers add, noting that the club would likely have been used only in scenarios in which one person was very clearly bent on killing another.

The Thames Beater (top) and the replica club used for experimentation (bottom) with the blade, barrel and pommel labelled . Credit: Meaghan Dyer

More information: Meaghan Dyer et al. Understanding blunt force trauma and violence in Neolithic Europe: the first experiments using a skin-skull-brain model and the Thames Beater, Antiquity (2017). DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2017.189 Abstract

The difficulty in identifying acts of intentional injury in the past has limited the extent to which archaeologists have been able to discuss the nature of interpersonal violence in prehistory. Experimental replication of cranial trauma has proved particularly problematic due to the lack of test analogues that are sufficiently comparable to the human skull. A new material now overcomes this issue, and for the first time allows accurate insight into the effects of different weapons and different blows in inflicting cranial injury; in this case, blunt force trauma caused using a replica of the 'Thames Beater' Neolithic wooden club. Journal information: Antiquity

 2017 Phys.org
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today at a press conference in Ahemdabad said that the way Prime Minister talked about Dr Manmohan Singh recently, is not acceptable.

By India Today Web Desk: The words used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his predecessor Manmohan Singh are unacceptable, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today said. He added that he also does not approve of Congressman Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks against Modi.

In reply to an Aaj Tak question during a press conference in poll-bound Gujarat, Rahul said, "I have made my position clear by my words and actions. The way what Mani Shankar Aiyar spoke about Modi ji isn't acceptable. The same way what Modi said about Dr Manmohan Singh ji is also not acceptable."

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"I will not tolerate such things , Modi ji is after all the Prime Minister of India," the 47-year-old leader said, a day after he was unanimously named the Congress president.

Rahul's response today followed a rare showdown between Modi and Manmohan on Monday, in which the former Prime Minister tore into the current premier over his "ill-thought transgression" and "innuendos and falsehoods".

The row began after Narendra Modi, during a speech in Gujarat, insinuated that Manmohan Singh is colluding with Pakistan. Modi claimed that some Pakistani officials and Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6 - a day before Aiyar's "neech" jibe against Modi had led to his suspension from the party.

In uncharacteristically strong words, a usually reticent Singh crossed swords with his predecessor to say the Gujarat polls was never raised by anyone present at a dinner hosted by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for a visiting Pakistani leader at his house on December 6 and that the discussion was confined to India-Pakistan ties.

"I sincerely hope that Prime Minister will show the maturity and gravitas expected of the high office he holds instead of concentrating his energy solely on erroneously conceived brownie points... I sincerely hope that he will apologize to the Nation for his ill thought transgression to restore the dignity of the office he occupies," he said.

Singh said he was "deeply pained and anguished" by the "falsehood and canards" being spread to score political points by the prime minister in what he said was a "lost cause" in Gujarat.

--- ENDS ---
Credit: Molecular Physics

Dr Martin Sweatman from the University of Edinburgh's School of Engineering has discovered a simple physical principle that might explain how life started on Earth.

He has shown that particles that become charged in solution, like many biological molecules, can form giant clusters that can reproduce. Reproduction is shown to be driven by simple physicsa balance of forces between short-range attraction and long-range repulsion. Once cluster reproduction begins, he suggests chemical evolution of clusters could follow, leading eventually to life.

Many biological molecules, like DNA and proteins, might show this behaviour. Even the building blocks of life, amino acids and nucleobases, might show this behaviour. Reproduction in modern cells might even be driven by this simple physical mechanism, i.e. chemistry is not so important.

Dr Sweatman's research uses theoretical methods and computer simulations of simple particles. They clearly show giant clusters of molecules with the right balance of forces can reproduce. No chemistry is involved. However, these theoretical predictions have yet to be confirmed by experiment.

Dr Sweatman said, "Although it will be difficult to see this behaviour for solutions of small biomolecules, it should be possible to confirm this behaviour experimentally with much larger particles that can be seen under a microscope, like charged colloids.

"If this behaviour is confirmed, then we take another step towards Darwin's idea of life beginning in a warm little pond. A simple evaporation and condensation cycle in a pond might be sufficient to drive cluster reproduction initially. Survival of the fittest clusters of chemicals might then eventually lead to life."

The research has been published in the international journal Molecular Physics.

More information: M. B. Sweatman. Giant SALR cluster reproduction, with implications for their chemical evolution, Molecular Physics (2017). DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2017.1406164
Zooplankton are often considered to be a passive source of food for fish and other aquatic animals. But at least one of their representatives, the millimetre-sized copepod (Eurytemora affinis), moves purposefully in turbulent water with "jumps." This fact was discovered by a team of researchers led by Markus Holzner, holder of an SNSF professorship at ETH Zurich. "These jumps enable the plankton to hunt their prey and the males to catch a female," explains Holzner.

The researchers observed the copepods in a turbulence generator  a type of aquarium in which the water is swirled around by counter-rotating discs. High-speed cameras recorded the movements. The images were analysed by a computer program developed by a group at the Institute of Environmental Engineering at ETH.

Fluorescent particles reveal turbulence

Several cameras were used to track the exact position in space of each copepod and determine its orientation. Small plastic particles that fluoresced under laser light enabled the flow to be observed at any point, while the speed of each copepod could be calculated relative to the flow.

The researchers were thus able to show that the zooplankton can actively move in turbulent water. "This enables the copepods to remain together in a swarm, which is particularly important for their reproduction," according to Holzner. The findings are important for the understanding of aquatic ecosystems. "Fish farms might also be able to adapt the flows accordingly so that the food intake is ideally set up for the fish."

Credit: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

More information: Francois-Gael Michalec et al. Zooplankton can actively adjust their motility to turbulent flow, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1708888114 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
These fish are cultivated in large cages off the coast for approximately two years. Credit: Stoeck

In order to meet the demands for salmon, many salmon farms have developed along the coasts of Scandinavia and Scotland. These operations are governed by strict environmental regulations. Farms are required to determine how their fish production is affecting the marine benthic ecosystem. Therefore, they analyse the presence of so-called bioindicator organisms such as crustaceans and worms on the sea floor. This process is time-consuming and expensive. Researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern together with colleagues from the University of Geneva are developing faster and more efficient methods. They utilize the DNA from microorganisms to characterise changes more precisely that was previously possible. Their studies have been published in the renowned journals Ecological Indicators and Marine Pollution Bulletin.

At more than 1.2 million tonnes annually, Norway is one of the largest salmon producers in the world. These fish are cultivated in large cages off the coast for approximately two years. The feed residues and fish excretions from these operations sink down to the sea floor and may affect the benthic ecosystem: bacteria break down these organic substances in a process that consumes oxygen. As a result, oxygen levels can drop low enough that most larger benthic organisms such as many worms, crustaceans or sea urchins are not able to survive these low-oxygen conditions.

For this reason, environmental authorities have imposed strict regulations for salmon farms. "Water exchange from ocean currents must be sufficient to supply the fish with oxygen and carry away as much as possible of the organic waste," notes Professor Dr. Thorsten Stoeck, an ecologist at the University of Kaiserslautern. "Moreover, environmental regulations allow only significant environmental impacts immediately beneath the fish cages. Within very short distance from the farm the environment needs to recover."

In order to test how the benthic ecosystem is impacted by farming activities, farmers must take samples from the ocean bottom. "The organisms living on the sea floor are indicators of ecosystem health," adds Dr. Stoeck. However, the process of species identification requires experts in taxonomy and is expensive and very time-consuming; it may take close to 6 months before results are in: too long for measures to be implemented if the ecosystem is severely stressed.

Stoeck's research team in collaboration with colleagues in Switerland (University of Geneva) is currently developing a simpler, more rapid and more cost-efficient method in their laboratories on the Kaiserslautern campus. The researchers are gathering samples from farmers and isolating microorganisms such as ciliates and bacteria. The scientists use the DNA from these microbes for the procedure. "Their genetic material is like a fingerprint; it is unique to each individual," says the ecologist. "Results are available within just a week." These tiny animals make it possible to draw more accurate conclusions about the extent of pollution than conventional methods. "Many larger organisms are not able to survive low-oxygen conditions," notes Stoeck. "Microbes are typically more resistant. Many are able to tolerate different degrees of pollution and contaminants and can adapt more rapidly to changing conditions."

The goal of the project is to create a database with the DNA fingerprints of a wide range of microorganisms. "We can create a system of DNA barcodes, analogous to the barcodes used for food products at the grocery store," continues Stoeck, whose team is collecting sediment samples from fish farms all over the globe. "These barcodes will allow the farmers to quickly identify the state of health of the ecosystem in vicinity of the fish farms."

In the long term, for example, farmers may be able to use a DNA chip for an automated analysis of sediment samples directly on site. The collection of barcodes will give them up-to-date information about the condition of the ocean, allowing farmers to respond to problems more quickly. Current monitoring programs usually are looking only at environmental conditions prevailing before fish are placed in the cages and then at the peak of production.

Provided by Technische Universitat Kaiserslautern
The researchers demonstrated the ability to control with precision the behavior of two silicon-based quantum bits, or qubits, paving the way for making complex, multi-qubit devices using technology that is less expensive and easier to manufacture than other approaches. Credit: David Zajac, Princeton University

In a major step toward making a quantum computer using everyday materials, a team led by researchers at Princeton University has constructed a key piece of silicon hardware capable of controlling quantum behavior between two electrons with extremely high precision. The study was published Dec. 7 in the journal Science.

The team constructed a gate that controls interactions between the electrons in a way that allows them to act as the quantum bits of information, or qubits, necessary for quantum computing. The demonstration of this nearly error-free, two-qubit gate is an important early step in building a more complex quantum computing device from silicon, the same material used in conventional computers and smartphones.

"We knew we needed to get this experiment to work if silicon-based technology was going to have a future in terms of scaling up and building a quantum computer," said Jason Petta, a professor of physics at Princeton University. "The creation of this high-fidelity two-qubit gate opens the door to larger scale experiments."

Silicon-based devices are likely to be less expensive and easier to manufacture than other technologies for achieving a quantum computer. Although other research groups and companies have announced quantum devices containing 50 or more qubits, those systems require exotic materials such as superconductors or charged atoms held in place by lasers.

Quantum computers can solve problems that are inaccessible with conventional computers. The devices may be able to factor extremely large numbers or find the optimal solutions for complex problems. They could also help researchers understand the physical properties of extremely small particles such as atoms and molecules, leading to advances in areas such as materials science and drug discovery.

Building a quantum computer requires researchers to create qubits and couple them to each other with high fidelity. Silicon-based quantum devices use a quantum property of electrons called "spin" to encode information. The spin can point either up or down in a manner analogous to the north and south poles of a magnet. In contrast, conventional computers work by manipulating the electron's negative charge.

Achieving a high-performance, spin-based quantum device has been hampered by the fragility of spin statesthey readily flip from up to down or vice versa unless they can be isolated in a very pure environment. By building the silicon quantum devices in Princeton's Quantum Device Nanofabrication Laboratory, the researchers were able to keep the spins coherentthat is, in their quantum statesfor relatively long periods of time.

The two-qubit silicon-based gate consists of two electrons (blue balls with arrows) in a layer of silicon (Si). By applying voltages through aluminum oxide (Al2O3)wires (red and green), the researchers trapped the electrons and coaxed quantum behaviors that transform their spin properties into quantum bits of information, or qubits. The image on the left shows a scanning electron micrograph of the device, which is about 200 nanometers (nm) across. The image on the right is a diagram of the device from the side. Credit: Science/AAAS

To construct the two-qubit gate, the researchers layered tiny aluminum wires onto a highly ordered silicon crystal. The wires deliver voltages that trap two single electrons, separated by an energy barrier, in a well-like structure called a double quantum dot.

By temporarily lowering the energy barrier, the researchers allow the electrons to share quantum information, creating a special quantum state called entanglement. These trapped and entangled electrons are now ready for use as qubits, which are like conventional computer bits but with superpowers: while a conventional bit can represent a zero or a 1, each qubit can be simultaneously a zero and a 1, greatly expanding the number of possible permutations that can be compared instantaneously.

"The challenge is that it's very difficult to build artificial structures small enough to trap and control single electrons without destroying their long storage times," said David Zajac, a graduate student in physics at Princeton and first-author on the study. "This is the first demonstration of entanglement between two electron spins in silicon, a material known for providing one of the cleanest environments for electron spin states."

The researchers demonstrated that they can use the first qubit to control the second qubit, signifying that the structure functioned as a controlled NOT (CNOT) gate, which is the quantum version of a commonly used computer circuit component. The researchers control the behavior of the first qubit by applying a magnetic field. The gate produces a result based on the state of the first qubit: If the first spin is pointed up, then the second qubit's spin will flip, but if the first spin is down, the second one will not flip.

"The gate is basically saying it is only going to do something to one particle if the other particle is in a certain configuration," Petta said. "What happens to one particle depends on the other particle."

The researchers showed that they can maintain the electron spins in their quantum states with a fidelity exceeding 99 percent and that the gate works reliably to flip the spin of the second qubit about 75 percent of the time. The technology has the potential to scale to more qubits with even lower error rates, according to the researchers.

"This work stands out in a worldwide race to demonstrate the CNOT gate, a fundamental building block for quantum computation, in silicon-based qubits," said HongWen Jiang, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California-Los Angeles. "The error rate for the two-qubit operation is unambiguously benchmarked. It is particularly impressive that this extraordinarily difficult experiment, which requires a sophisticated device fabrication and an exquisite control of quantum states, is done in a university lab consisting of only a few researchers."

More information: D. M. Zajac et al, Resonantly driven CNOT gate for electron spins, Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aao5965 Journal information: Science
Glasses with special cameras could enable blind or visually impaired people to build a picture of the world around them. Credit: Eyesynth

Glasses that translate images of physical objects into soundscapes and a belt that turns images into vibrations are helping blind people build up a real-time 3-D picture of the world around them, and the technology could hit the market as soon as next year.

According to the World Health Organization, there are about 285 million visually impaired people around the world, of whom 39 million are blind. Advances in technology and medical science may never restore perfect sight to the millions with very poor vision or unable to see at all.

But a wearable gadget resembling glasses uses cameras and a compact processing unit to create 3-D images on the fly and feeds the information back to the wearer as intuitive soundscapes.

'The cameras produce a three-dimensional picture of the surroundings in real time and the system translates this into sound, something like the sound of the sea, which the user learns to interpret to navigate their environment,' said Antonio Quesada, chief executive of Eyesynth, based in Castellon, Spain.

The specially developed headset, developed with the support of EU funding, constructs 'audio pictures' of the wearer's surroundings with the aim of improving everyday interactions and increasing the independence of blind people and those with very poor vision.

Crucially, it was designed with style in mind. Using carefully designed eyewear, discreet cameras, and a processor about the size of a mobile phone, Eyesynth aims to overcome users' resistance to ungainly or unattractive medical equipment.

'We aimed to make the system as beautiful as possible, so it can be stylish, and more than just a gadget,' Quesada said.

Neural scanning

Neural scanning shows that even when only abstract sounds are used, the brain engages the visual cortex to build up an audio image.

By learning the audio language, users can make their way around obstacles or identify and grasp nearby items, such as a water bottle on a restaurant table. 'By learning to understand the subtle variations in the sounds, the user can identify straight lines, or rounder shapes,' Quesada said.

One of the special features of Eyesynth is that the audio signals are not transmitted through the outer ear, but conducted through bones on the side of the head allowing the user to hear what is going on around them. This method also provides benefits for people with poor hearing.

Users learn Eyesynth's audio language in a familiar environment, so they rapidly get used to understanding the sounds associated with known shapes and positions. And after a week of training, blind testers are able to distinguish small objects on a table.

'Since the use of the white cane and guide dog, there hasnt been a technological mobility solution for the blind and visually impaired,' Quesada said.

Eyesynth has already been patented in Spain and Quesada expects the product to be on the market next year, with the team in the process of closing distribution agreements with two leading eyewear chains in Spain.

The system is also being further developed to recognise faces, read text and identify colours.

Vibrating belt

In Iceland, researchers are also using 3-D-camera systems to create a picture for blind people but they're complementing it with a vibrating belt that uses the sense of touch, also known as haptics, to produce a novel form of visualisation.

The latest prototype belt in the EU-funded Sound of Vision project fits around the user's mid-section and uses a matrix of motors that vibrate gently against the stomach. This provides an alternative, tactile way to represent the scene picked up by headset cameras.

Project coordinator Runar Unnthorsson, professor of industrial engineering at the University of Iceland, said the belt could make a simple shadow-like representation of the object being viewed.

'If there is a lamppost in front of you, for example, as you rotate, you would feel the centre column moving along the belt,' Prof. Unnthorsson said. 'In a way you could think of it as a low-resolution vibrating image.'

The belt offers wide scope for conveying information and images to the user. It could even produce animations by switching neighbouring motors on and off in sequence to create a sensation of movement.

'In this way, we can make the user feel like someone is drawing on their stomach,' Prof. Unnthorsson said.

The Sound of Vision system is able to scan and read text, helping people to read signs in challenging situations such as airports, and can identify the best path through a series of indoor or outdoor obstacles.

Danger mode

Prof. Unnthorsson said they tested several ways of converting visual information into useful audio via the 3-D cameras.

The latest prototype uses sounds simulating a stream of bubbles in water. A large object, for example, is represented by more bubbles, and a high object by lighter bubbles.

The system also has a danger mode to warn people if there are hazards such as stairs going down or a missing utility cover on the pavement in front of them.

'The system is highly customisable, so users can switch between different audio modes, or tactile modes and even change parameters, such as the number of objects represented,' Prof. Unnthorsson said.

While the prototype currently uses a laptop in a backpack for image processing, the ambition is to bring a smaller system to go onto the market next year.
The quantum gates of two silicon electrons. Two nano-electrodes (VL and VR) control the angular momentum of both electrons. A third nano-electrode (VM) coordinates the interaction of both electrons. Credit: University of Konstanz

Milestone on the path to the quantum computer: Scientists of the University of Konstanz, Princeton University, and the University of Maryland have developed a stable quantum gate for two-quantum bit systems made of silicon. The quantum gate is able to perform all necessary basic operations of the quantum computer. The electron spin of individual electrons in silicon is used as the basic storage unit ("quantum bits"). The research results were published ahead of print in Science on 7 December 2017.

It will take quite a few years until the production of commercial quantum computers. Quantum computers will be more efficient and will be able to solve problems impossible for current computers. However, the quantum computer reacts much more sensitively to external disturbances than a conventional machine. Consequently, a primary goal is to create stable "quantum gates"the basic "building block" of the quantum computer. Scientists from the University of Konstanz, Princeton University and the University of Maryland now succeeded in creating stable quantum gates for two-quantum bit systems. Their quantum gate uses individual electrons in silicon to store the quantum bits, and they can precisely control and read out the interaction of two quantum bits. This way, the experiment includes all necessary basic operations of the quantum computer.

From electron to quantum bit

Just as a classical digital computer uses bits with the values of either zero or one as the basic units for all calculation processes, a quantum computer, uses quantum bits. The difference is that the quantum bit is not limited to two states (zero and one), but can exist in multiple states at once, and is therefore much more complex in its implementation than a simple digital system. Researchers have come up with several ideas for technically realizing a quantum bit, for example, using ions or superconducting systems. The researchers from Konstanz, Princeton and Maryland, however, use the electron spin, the intrinsic angular momentum of a single electron, as the basis of quantum bits. The electron's direction of rotation corresponds to the zero and one values of the digital bit, but in its exact quantum state, the electron is able to hold more information than just a simple zero or one.

A first achievement of the researchers was therefore to extract a single electron from the billions of atoms of a silicon piece. "That was an extraordinary achievement by our colleagues from Princeton," says physicist Professor Guido Burkard, who coordinated the theoretical research in Konstanz. The researchers used a combination of electromagnetic attraction and repulsion to separate a single electron from the electron bunch. The separated electrons are then lined up precisely and each is embedded in a kind of "hollow," where they are held in a floating state.

The next challenge was to develop a system to control the angular momentum of individual electrons. Konstanz physicists Guido Burkard and Maximilian Russ have developed the following method: a nano-electrode is applied to each electron. Using a magnetic field gradient, the physicists can create a position-dependent magnetic field with which to access the individual electrons, thereby enabling the researchers to control the angular momentum of the electrons. This way, they have created stable one-quantum-bit systems to store and read out information in the form of electron spins.

The step towards the two-quantum bit system

One quantum bit, however, is not enough to generate the basic switching system of a quantum computer. To do so, two quantum bits are required. The crucial step the Konstanz researchers took towards the two-quantum bit system was to link the states of two electrons. Such a link makes it possible to construct basal switching systems with which all basic operations of the quantum computer can be performed. For example, the system can be programmed in such a way that an electron rotates only when its adjacent electron has a spin in a predetermined direction.

This meant that the researchers from Konstanz had to create a stable system to link the spins of two individual electrons. "That was the most important and difficult part of our work," says Guido Burkard, who designed and planned the method together with team member Maximilian Russ. They developed a switching system that coordinates the angular momentum of two electrons in inter-dependence. An additional nano-electrode is placed between the two "hollows" in which the silicon electrons are floating. This electrode controls the coupling between the two electron spins. With this method, the physicists have realized a stable and functional basic processing unit of a quantum computer. Fidelities for single quantum bits are above 99 percent, and about 80 percent for two interacting quantum bitssignificantly more stable and more accurate than in previous attempts.

Silicona "silent material"

The base material of the quantum gate is silicon. "A magnetically very silent material with only a low number of own nuclear spins," Guido Burkard says, summarizing the advantages of silicon. It is important that the atomic nuclei of the chosen material do not have too many spins, that is, intrinsic angular momentum, which could interfere with the quantum bits. Silicon, with around five percent, has an extremely low spin activity of its atomic nuclei and is therefore a particularly suitable material. Another advantage: Silicon is the standard material of semiconductor technology and accordingly well researched. The scientists can therefore benefit from many years of experience with the material.

More information: D. M. Zajac, A. J. Sigillito, M. Russ, F. Borjans, J. M. Taylor, G. Burkard, J. R. Petta, Quantum CNOT Gate for Spins in Silicon, Science 07 December 2017. DOI: 10.1126/science.aap5965 , On Arxiv: arxiv.org/abs/1708.03530 Journal information: Science , arXiv
A team of researchers from the University of Toronto is partnering with the construction industry to help reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, bridges, public transit and other major infrastructure projects.

"What we're building is a decision-support tool that can be used in the early stages of design and planning," says Heather MacLean, a professor in the department of civil engineering who is one of five Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering professors involved in the project. "Ultimately, the goal is to produce infrastructure with much lower greenhouse gas impact."

While green building certification programs have existed for decades, MacLean and her collaborators  including Brenda McCabe and Daman Panesar, professors of civil engineering, and Daniel Posen and Shoshanna Saxe, assistant professors of civil engineering  point out that these are typically considered only toward the end of the design process, when most major decisions have already been made.

"The decisions that have the most impact are the ones that are made early in the process," says Saxe, who specializes in analysis of transit infrastructure. "These include how big it's going to be, or what materials it will be made of. Once those are set, it really puts limits on how low the overall emissions can get."

Nearly a year ago, the team was approached by EllisDon, a major construction and building services company headquartered in Mississauga. As part of its carbon impact initiative, the company and its partners, including BASF and WSP, are collaborating on projects that aim to elevate efficiency and sustainability in the built environment.

In their early talks, the researchers and industry partners quickly identified science-based decision support in the early stages of project planning as a key strategy for emissions reduction. They plan to analyze data from previously constructed projects and publicly available databases to generate predictive digital tools.

"Large-scale infrastructure projects are complex, consisting of many different construction activities, along with associated inputs of material and energy," says MacLean. "We don't yet have good data about the on-site and supply-chain emissions associated with these inputs, especially those specific to the Ontario context. If we can cut down on that uncertainty, it will greatly help inform these types of decisions."

Ontario's Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science announced last week that the project was among those that received funding through the TargetGHG program, administered by Ontario Centres of Excellence, which supports industry-academic collaborations that will help the province meet more aggressive future GHG targets.

"Supporting the efforts of large industries in their quest to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions is an important part of our government's Climate Change Action Plan," says Reza Moridi, minister of research, innovation and science. "With the help of our province's innovative clean-tech companies, the TargetGHG program will help build a prosperous, low carbon economy and create a cleaner, more sustainable future for Ontario."

In total, the project has attracted more than $2 million in funding from a variety of sources, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) as well as financial and in-kind contributions from the industrial partners.

"Taking steps to reduce the impacts of greenhouse gases and air pollution on our climate and environment is a key priority in Canada," says Marc Fortin, vice-president, research partnerships at the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. "NSERC is proud to partner with Ontario Centres of Excellence to connect Canada's top researchers and companies to develop innovative clean technologies that will advance environmental sustainability in Canada and improve the health and quality of life of Canadians."

"This project is a wonderful example of how our researchers leverage strong collaborations with industry to develop next-generation solutions to society's most pressing challenges, including climate change," said Ramin Farnood, vice-dean, research at U of T's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. "This tool has great potential to enhance the sustainability of major infrastructure not just here in Ontario, but around the world."

A second U of T Engineering project, focused on installation and testing of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles, also received funding through the TargetGHG program. Led by Professor Reza Iravani, it will be carried out in collaboration with energy storage company eCAMION.

MacLean and her team are already looking to recruit the graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who will collect and analyze the data, and continue to work closely with their industrial partners as they move forward.

"It's exciting to be working with partners that are eager to roll out solutions," says Posen. "We have had great meetings, and we have a strong sense they are looking to turn this research into practical results."
Henst's goshawk. Credit: Sarah Karpanty/Virginia Tech

University of Cincinnati professor Brooke Crowley wanted to know the hunting range of the Henst's goshawk, a large forest-dwelling bird of prey that ambushes small animals.

Henst's goshawks are difficult to find because of the rugged, inaccessible forest where they live. Little is known about their population. But because of their limited distribution, they are listed as near-threatened with extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Locating even a single goshawk nest required weeks of exploration by Crowley's research collaborators.

So Crowley decided to conduct an elemental analysis using strontium, naturally occurring isotopes found everywhere on Earth that travel the food chain from the soil to plants to herbivores and predators.

Specifically, Crowley compared the ratio of strontium 86 and strontium 87 isotopes in rainforest leaves collected across Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park to isotopes found in the remains of 19 partially consumed lemurs collected in or around goshawk nests to learn where the birds of prey were hunting.

Crowley, an associate professor of geology and anthropology at UC's McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, found that goshawks appeared to hunt almost exclusively at lower elevations in forest that is most at risk to agriculture and other human impacts.

The findings could help steer conservation efforts for goshawks and other vulnerable species.

"It's hard to observe goshawk behavior in the wild. This is a good, indirect way of tracking habitat use," Crowley said.

Her findings were published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin.

Crowley has been to Madagascar four times for various research projects. For this study, she partnered with an eclectic team of experts, including wildlife biologist Sarah Karpanty, an associate professor at Virginia Tech, who conducted fieldwork on goshawks for her dissertation. (Her brother, Jeff Karpanty, is a UC graduate.)

Karpanty scoured Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park, which protects 160 square miles of mountainous rainforest. The park is rich in biodiversity with more than a dozen kinds of lemur, primates found only in Madagascar. The park varies in elevation from 1,500 to 5,000 feet above sea level, which provides a variety of habitats for its many plants and animals.

But between the mountainous terrain and frequent drenching rains, finding even a single goshawk was a challenge.

"It's not easy. You have to cover a lot of ground on foot. You're in remote sections of Madagascar. So you try to get to high points where you can watch where birds are flying," Karpanty said.

Used in falconry since the Middle Ages, goshawks have a telltale white stripe over their eyes that gives them an especially fierce countenance. Goshawks inhabit dense forests on six continents, taking advantage of cover to ambush prey from small animals to other birds. Their short wings and long, rudder-like tails make them supremely adapted to maneuvering through the tree canopy.

"They rely on surprise," Karpanty said. "They live in dense, older forest. They sit and wait and then go into a quick dive after prey. They can tuck their wings to get through narrow gaps in the forest."

Goshawks are at the top of the food chain wherever they are found. Having good numbers of apex predators is a sign of a healthy or intact ecosystem.

University of Cincinnati professor Brooke Crowley holds a skeleton of a lemur called an indri in a UC osteology lab. Credit: Andrew Higley/UC Creative Services

Karpanty donned rappelling gear to climb 40 feet into abandoned nests after nesting season to see what Henst's goshawks were eating. They used a slingshot to fire a fishing line over a sturdy branch to rig the climbing ropes.

"I practiced climbing a lot at gyms. I was young, childless at the time and fearless!" Karpanty said. "My guides were really good with the slingshot."

Not surprisingly, she found the skeletal remains of several kinds of small lemur.

Conventional tracking methods of tracking wildlife such as using radio-telemetry were impractical in the park's rugged terrain, she said.

"We radio-tagged some birds but were unsuccessful in tracking them," Karpanty said. "You have to do everything by foot so we'd lose the birds all the time. From our radio-transmitter data alone, we couldn't know the extent of their range."

Karpanty sent Crowley bones from 19 lemurs she found at four goshawk nests.

Crowley also enlisted the help of lemur expert Andrea Baden, an assistant professor at Hunter College. Baden studies anthropological biology and has spent years following endangered lemurs in Ranomafana and other parts of Madagascar.

"It's tough. We're working in montane rainforest. A lot of people have a misconception that all tropical rainforests are hot. But this is cold and rainy. You'll have months of nonstop rain. Everything is damp constantly," Baden said.

Crowley has also explored this park on Madagascar's verdant eastern coast.

"The cold and wet got to me quickly," Crowley added. "I deeply respect the people who go into the forest and live there among the lemurs. I couldn't do it."

Baden studied a variety of lemurs, in particular the critically endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur.

"It's cat-sized. They're comical to watch. They'll come down to check you out and cock their heads to one side like a dog," Baden said.

Lemurs navigate the forest from the treetops. But the terrain is harder for their two-legged relatives on the ground.

"You'll be following animals and they can keep going in the trees, but you run into a cliff edge and you're stuck," she said.

"Lemurs are the most endangered mammals in the world," Baden said. "Unfortunately, what's left of the forest in Madagascar are these higher-elevation places because nobody can use them for agriculture."

Philip Slater of the University of Illinois and primatologist Summer Arrigo-Nelson with the California Institute of Pennsylvania also contributed to the study.

Henst's goshawks are known to eat small lemurs such as this avahi. Credit: Andrea Baden/Hunter College

Baden and Arrigo-Nelson collected leaf and fruit samples of plants the lemurs were observed eating in different habitats and elevations in Ranomafana, recorded their location and shipped the dried specimens to Crowley for strontium analysis.

Researchers measured the ratio of strontium 86 and strontium 87 isotopes in lemur bones and the leaves collected from different forest habitats. These isotopes are released to varying degrees into streams and soil from the weathering of rocks. Plants absorb the strontium with other nutrients in the soil. Strontium then gets absorbed by animals when they eat the plants. In this way, the widely varying ratios of strontium isotopes creates a unique geographic signature.

By measuring strontium in lemurs and the many diverse habitats of the park, Crowley could infer where goshawks caught their prey.

Crowley used a similar analysis to track the movement of extinct mammoths and mastodons that roamed what is now Ohio.

Crowley said her findings suggest that vulnerable species could be susceptible to development pressures even in large parks such as Ranomafana, which is nearly 40 percent bigger than Ohio's biggest protected area, Shawnee State Forest.

"We make population estimates based on the area of protected land, assuming that animals are equally distributed over that space," Crowley said. "We may be protecting land that animals may not be able to use."

The study concluded that conserving and restoring lowland forest could be critical for the survival of goshawks on the island.

The research was funded in part by grants from the Fulbright Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Leakey Foundation, Primate Conservation, Inc., and the National Geographic Society.

Lemur expert Baden said the study's findings support what she has observed firsthand about lemurs and their predators. Improving or restoring habitat for goshawks will help endangered lemurs, too, she said.

"Lemurs are in trouble. They're in dire straits," Baden said.

Habitat loss is the biggest cause of their decline. And now there is an emerging threat: the bushmeat trade.

"The Malagasy people have a taboo against hunting lemurs. It's related to ancestor worship. They long believed that lemurs resembled their ancestors," Baden said.

Still, a 2016 study published in the journal PLOS One found widespread consumption of bushmeat. And for at least some of the Madagascar families surveyed, lemur was on the household menu, the study found.

Worse, because of its rich deposits of precious metals such as gold and other natural resources, Madagascar has been called "the next El Dorado." Foreign workers employed by mining companies have no cultural prohibitions against eating lemurs or other forest animals they poach, Baden said.

"Those taboos just fall apart. So now we're seeing a bigger bushmeat trade that is completely unsustainable," Baden said.

Karpanty said Madagascar can enlist the help of the goshawk for future conservation efforts. Predators such as bald eagles make good ambassadors for wildlife conservation, Karpanty said.

"It's easier to motivate people to conservation action when you're talking about interesting top predators," Karpanty said. "In this case you have an endangered predator and endangered prey, the lemurs. It highlights the fragility of the ecosystem."

More information: Brooke E. Crowley et al, Strontium isotopes are consistent with low-elevation foraging limits for Henst's goshawk, Wildlife Society Bulletin (2017). DOI: 10.1002/wsb.840 Journal information: PLoS ONE
These new maps show shrinking wilderness being ignored at our peril. Credit: James Allan UQ

Maps of the world's most important wilderness areas are now freely available online following a University of Queensland and Wildlife Conservation Society-led study published today.

The authors have made the maps available to assist researchers, conservationists and policy makers to improve wilderness conservation.

UQ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences PhD student James Allan said these wilderness areas were strongholds for endangered biodiversity and critical in the fight to mitigate climate change.

"These ecosystems play a key role in regulating local climates, sequestering and storing large amounts of carbon and supporting many of the world's most culturally diverse - but politically and economically marginalized communities," Allan said.

The maps show that the majority of remaining wilderness areas are in the deserts of Central Australia, the Amazon rainforest in South America, the Tibetan plateau in central Asia, and the boreal (snow) forests of Canada and Russia.

"Despite their importance, wilderness areas are being destroyed at an alarming rate and need urgent protection with almost 10 per cent being lost since the early 1990s. Their conservation is a global priority," Allan said.

Wildlife Conservation Society and UQ Associate Professor James Watson said he anticipated the maps would be important for identifying places where conservation actions must occur, and as indicators of progress towards United Nations commitments such as Sustainable Development Goals.

Said Watson: "Environmental policy almost completely ignored wilderness conservation but this has to change. National governments and multilateral environmental agreements such as the World Heritage convention need to step up and protect wilderness before it is too late."

More information: James R. Allan et al, Temporally inter-comparable maps of terrestrial wilderness and the Last of the Wild, Scientific Data (2017). DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2017.187
Scientists imaged gold nanocrystals (shown here in false-color) using a 300kV electron beam, through 1.3kPa of water vapor. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

The inside of an electron microscope, which requires vacuum levels similar to those encountered in outer space, can be an extremely inhospitable place for organic materials. Traditionally, life scientists have circumvented this problem by freezing their specimens so that that they can be safely loaded into a microscope. Now, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have devised a new approach to imaging organic compounds.

By suspending organic samples in water vapor, OIST scientists were able to demonstrate another way to view them at high resolution. The researchers found they could send an electron beam, commonly used in microscopy, through vapor dense enough that it might be possible to keep samples in their native, wet state and still allow for ultrahigh resolution imaging.

Their study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, applies physics to a well-known problem in biology. The results could simplify what is currently a difficult process of imaging organic materials.

Usually, in order to view samplesparticularly, fragile organic samplesinside a high-powered transmission electron microscope, scientists must undertake extensive preparation. Creating a plate of ice a fraction of a nanometer thick with a particular crystal structure can require many trials. This labor-intensive process, which can take months, inspired Cathal Cassidy, lead author on the paper and a researcher at OIST's Quantum Wave Microscopy Unit, to try another method.

Even in dense water vapor, the presence of rings and spots shows detail in the gold on an atomic scale. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

"I saw my colleagues investing a lot of effort in this," said Cassidy, "and I thought, 'Couldn't we just avoid this ice thing altogether?'"

The researchers first used gold, an inorganic material, to demonstrate that atoms can be successfully imaged inside water vapor. Then, they looked at a virus using the same method. The sample remained stable, and the resulting image came out crisp, in relatively high resolution.

The researchers' method eliminates the need to freeze a sample or view it through a chamber. Although effective, each of these commonly used methods comes with disadvantages.

The sample is suspended in water vapor, which is pumped into the portion of the tube surrounding the sample and rapidly pumped out again. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

Ideally, the ice acts as a clean slate, or a windowrelatively translucent, it allows scientists to view the materials suspended inside it with minimal interference. Hailed for "bringing biochemistry into a new era" by the Swedish Academy, this method received the 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry. However, freezing does not allow scientists to study dynamic processeslike the live interaction of a virus with a host cell.

Alternately, scientists can view organic samples by suspending them in liquid, enclosed in a chamber with ultra-thin windows. These windows prevent the liquid from seeping into the vacuum chamber and damaging the electron gun. Yet, thin as they are, even these minimal barriers degrade image quality. The chamber's geometry also significantly limits scientists in how much they can tilt a sample for a three-dimensional view.

The method devised by OIST researchers provides a feasible alternative to these popular approaches. The sample is suspended in water vapor, which is pumped into the portion of the tube surrounding the sample and rapidly pumped out again. Tiny apertures above and below the sample allow the electron beam to pass directly through it. Because the sample is not enclosed by ice or glass, it can be tilted for three-dimensional imaging.

Researchers used a Titan ETEM microscope at OIST to image samples. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

Cassidy emphasized that the study is a first step toward high-resolution imaging of hydrated samples in water vapor. He said he hoped biologists would build on the results. The researchers' study and additional materialsincluding raw datacan be found in the journal PLOS ONE.

"Anybody who wants to try it or play with it, they can do it," he said, pointing to the availability of data. "If somebody else takes the baton and pushes this forward, I'd be really happy with that."

More information: Cathal Cassidy et al. Water without windows: Evaluating the performance of open cell transmission electron microscopy under saturated water vapor conditions, and assessing its potential for microscopy of hydrated biological specimens, PLOS ONE (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186899 Journal information: PLoS ONE
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Reliance Communicationss submarine arm Global Cloud Xchange and Vietnams CMC Telecom today annnounced to collaborate to enhance connectivity on their network.

Under the collaboration pact, GCX will offer its IP Transit solutions to CMC Telecom in Hong Kong and Singapore, while CMC Telecom will deploy a Virtual Point of Presence (vPoP) for GCX in Hanoi.

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"South-East Asia is a key growth market for GCX, and building our presence in Vietnam fills an important gap in that strategy. We are very pleased to have CMC Telecom as our partner," GCX, President of Asia Pacific, Fabrizio Civitarese said in a statement.

***** Indians spent 12.3 hrs per week watching online content *

Indians spend an average watch 12.3 hours of online content, as per a study conducted by cloud service firm Akamai.

"In India, viewers watched 12.3 hours of online content in a week, while in Japan, viewers watched the least content online per week at 6.2 hours," the study said.

As per the study, 44 percent of the audience in India watched online content via smartphone and 70 percent of Indian viewers said that the video and audio quality is of utmost importance to them, followed by fast start-up time.

"Indian (44 per cent) and Thai (45 per cent) audiences showed similar behaviors of watching online content via smartphone, while 50 percent of Japanese viewers preferred accessing OTT services via non-mobile devices," the study said. PTI PRS ADI MR

--- ENDS ---
By Ankit Tyagi: Late Soviet premier Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev once said, "Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers." Villages of Vadnagar and Madhavnagar, in Sanand district, have given up hopes to see the 'bridges' promised when then Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Tata Nano factory would drive into Gujarat after the big crash in West Bengal.

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After Gajadi village, in Morbi district, boycotted the first phase of the Assembly elections, Vadnagar and Madhavnagar have decided to shun the second phase due to lack of regular electricity supply, hygiene and drainage. The inner villages of Sanand, billed as the 'Detroit of Gujarat' after Ford Motor Company, Suzuki and Honda Motors and Scooters decided to set up plants, lack basic necessities.

The Nano plant was set up after Modi's big-bang announcement, which promised employment and development in Sanand. However, around five kilometres from the factory, Vadnagar is a shocking contrast of neglect and apathy-muddy roads and alleys and overflowing sewage.

Angry and frustrated with both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress for neglecting them and making "false promises", the village-which has around 500 voters-will boycott elections on Thursday.

The villagers told India Today that the Nano factory has refused to hire locals even literate ones. A poster with the words "Boycott elections" emblazoned on it was put atop a temple in Vadnagar 15 days ago. While a yellow poster with the words "The village has taken the decision to boycott the polls collectively" pasted on every house portrays the anger and frustration. So far, no candidate from any party has visited them, the villagers said.

One villager said that "electricity supply is erratic and the roads are in a pitiable condition". "Whether it is the BJP or the Congress, neither fulfill their promises," he said. Interestingly, while Congress president Rahul Gandhi has often targeted Modi over "lack of development in Sanand", the constituency is under Congress MLA Karamsibhai Virjibhai Patel.

Madhavnagar, which has around 2,200 voters, presents a similar sorry picture. An angry group of women explained how sewage in houses is disposed of in buckets due to lack of proper drainage. During rains, villagers have to wade through knee-length water, said one woman. "No candidate has visited the village. Therefore, we have decided to boycott the elections," the women said.

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When asked why the village lacks basic amenities despite Modi promising development, one villager said that the Prime Minister has the bigger responsibility of managing the country. It is the Chief Minister's responsibility to look after the people of Gujarat, he said.

ALSO WATCH: This entire village in Gujarat has decided to boycott the elections

--- ENDS ---
Payment Alliance International Named Greater Louisville Business of the Year

LOUISVILLE, Ky.(BUSINESS WIRE)Payment Alliance International (PAI), the nations largest privately-held ATM provider, today announced it has been named 2017 Business of the Year by Louisville Business First. PAI was honored for demonstrating business excellence, market leadership, and community involvement during a gala dinner and awards program held at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel the evening of Dec. 5. PAI co-founders John J. Leehy, III and Gregory W. Sahrmann accepted the award on behalf of PAI in the very large company category.

Throughout the years, PAI has been blessed with a talented team of committed employees and some of the most loyal customers found anywhere, said Leehy. It is their hard work and dedication which serves as the real foundation for PAIs impressive run of growth and success, added Leehy.

The Business of the Year awards and gala help celebrate the accomplishments of companies who make Greater Louisville an exciting place to do business. Business First honors finalists and winners in six categories  very large company, large company, medium company, small company, emerging company and nonprofit, plus an individual for leadership excellence. Readers nominate dozens of companies, with Business Firsts editors narrowing the list to three worthy finalists per category. Ultimately, an independent, outside panel of judges determines Business of the Year winners for each category.

A slideshow profiling the winners and finalists in each category can be viewed here. A special publication included in the Dec. 8 weekly edition of Louisville Business First profiles the honored companies.

About Payment Alliance International (PAI)

Payment Alliance International (PAI) is the nations largest privately-held ATM provider and offers processing and maintenance services, equipment sales and support, and unique ATM branding opportunities. PAI also provides industry-leading, revenue-generating value-added solutions and customized partner programs that increase customer profitability, reduce operational expense and maximize uptime. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, PAI has offices around the country. For more information, please visit GoPAI.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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" " Do clandestine underwater military bases really exist? OAR/National Undersea Research Program

Secret underwater military bases have captured our imaginations for years, from James Bond movies to James Cameron movies and everything in between. But are there really any clandestine bases? The guys at Stuff They Don't Want You To Know dive deep into the mysteries and conspiracies behind these top-secret bases to uncover whether they even exist in this episode of the podcast.

Undersea bases make sense, in many ways: They'd be hard to detect or infiltrate, impossible to observe by typical satellites and would allow for complete operational privacy  all things any military base would require. Deep-sea manned bases were first proposed in a paper by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 1968. The AIAA version utilized underwater mining techniques, and was touted as being surprisingly affordable. Is this compelling evidence that there must be some bases out there, given that technology has only gotten better since the '60s?

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It's not like the United States is a stranger to secret military bases, either, both above and below ground. The U.S. already has at least one water base we know of, a naval testing facility beneath a deep lake in Bayview, Idaho established during World War II. This is hardly the deep-sea operation conspiracy, however. According to author and researcher Richard Sauder, Ph.D., there's an abundance of military operations on the very bottom of the ocean.

But are there, really? Regular military bases are expensive to build and require tons of people to staff and operate; if these were located at the bottom of the ocean, they'd require extra costs for developing, testing and maintaining watertight living quarters. On top of that, it's very hard to keep people alive underwater, thanks to the incredible pressure and freezing temperatures. Not to mention there's just very little to back up Sauder's claims of multiple bases.

China, however, is planning to build an underwater research facility at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) below the South China Sea, and it's big news. How could the U.S. (or another big government or corporation) keep several of them so secret?

The "surprisingly affordable" price tag seems a little suspect, too, given that there are a few underwater hotels that cost billions of dollars to build  and these are only about 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 meters) beneath the surface. Deep-sea bases would likely be miles below; the AIAA proposal from 1968 intended them to be drilled right into the ocean floor. Of course a military base wouldn't have the luxe amenities found in these fancy underwater hotels, but the expense of staffing, supplying and maintaining a military base could certainly rival  or exceed  those costs.

So, while it's fairly likely the U.S. government would build underwater bases, it's not clear if they actually could. To find out what Matt, Ben and Noel think about the possibilities and hear all the evidence  and a few bad James Bond impressions  you'll have to listen to the entire podcast.
Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now...
By PTI: By M Zulqernain

Lahore, Dec 12 (PTI) A Pakistani jail superintendent today recorded his statement before an additional district and sessions judge Lahore in the murder case of Indian national Sarabjit Singh who was killed by fellow prisoners in 2013.

Two Pakistani death row prisoners - Amir Sarfraz alias Tamba and Mudassar - in May 2013 had attacked Sarabjit (49) in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore and killed him.

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"Additional district and sessions judge Amin Haider today recorded the statement of the Kot Lakhpat Jail superintendent in the murder case of Sarabjit Singh. Two more witnesses have been summoned for the next hearing next week," an official at the jail told PTI.

He said the court proceedings in this case have been resumed after several months.

The judicial commission led by Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi of Lahore high court had investigated Sarabjits murder case before the trial began at the sessions court Lahore.

Naqvi had recorded the statements of some 40 witnesses in the murder of Sarabjit and submitted its report to the government which is yet to make public its findings.

The one-man commission had also issued notices to Sarabjits relatives through the foreign ministry to record their statements and to produce any evidence they have regarding his death.

Sarabjits family had not recorded their statements.

Tamba and Mudassar, in their statements to the commission, confessed to the crime and said they killed Sarabjit as they wanted to avenge the death of people in Lahore and Faisalabad blasts allegedly carried out by him.

Both suspects have been indicted in the murder case.

Sarabjit was awarded death sentence for spying charges and killing at least 14 Pakistani citizens in bomb blasts in Punjab province in 1990.

His family, however, said: "He was the victim of mistaken identity and had inadvertently strayed across the border." PTI MZ ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
Latin America  December 12, 2017  Tyler Shipley

The dictatorship that rules Honduras is in the process of stealing another election, and the Canadian government is doing precisely what it has done the last two times the Honduran dictatorship stole an election: nothing.

Actually, to say Canada is doing nothing is far too generous. In fact, Canada has been arguably the biggest supporter of the de facto government of Honduras, which took over the country in a coup detat in 2009, and which has plunged the country into a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in the eight years since.

As I documented in detail in my recent book, Ottawa and Empire , Canada was instrumental in undermining efforts to restore the legitimate government of Honduras after the military kidnapped the President and seized control of the state in June 2009. While most of the world responded with revulsion to the spectre of military dictatorship in the small Central American country, Canada issued statement after statement suggesting that this was not a coup but a political crisis and that the President himself was partly to blame.

Flash forward eight years, and the international media is filled with reports of electoral fraud and political violence in Honduras. Bolivian President Evo Morales denounced the flagrant fraud in the presidential elections of the Central American country, the EU and OAS have both demanded a recount and, even before the elections began, The Economist released an audio recording of Honduran officials planning to steal the election as Plan B if they didnt win.

But Canadas Minister of State Chrystia Freeland has so far issued one tepid statement calling on all parties to resolve any disagreement peacefully. Its an old Canadian obfuscation.

Canada and the Coup

In 2009, then Minister of State Peter Kent consistently repeated the mantra that all parties needed to show restraint and negotiate a peaceful solution to the crisis in Honduras. If one knew nothing about Honduras, the statements sounded like classic Canadiana; just another example of Canada asking people to be nice to each other and trying to build peace.

But the reality in Honduras was that the democratic system and the rule of law had been overturned by a military force doing the bidding of the Honduran oligarchy. This new dictatorship was literally killing people in the streets for demanding the restitution of democracy, and the eight years of repression that followed have been some of Honduras darkest. So, when Canada called on all parties to show restraint, it was in fact creating a deeply misleading impression of what was happening in Honduras. Over many years of research and interviews in Honduras, I met almost no one who agreed with Canadas interpretation of events.

But in November of that year, this new dictatorship held elections to try to build its legitimacy.

Most of the international community rejected this farce out of hand. The United Nations, the Carter Centre, most international organizations refused to even send representatives to the country for the elections. As they rightly noted, opponents of the regime were being arrested, tortured, and killed. Hundreds of candidates from other parties had dropped off the ballot knowing the election would be stolen. And the Honduran people vowed to boycott the process entirely.

And yet, when the predictably fraudulent results came in, Canada was quick to congratulate the Honduran people on holding relatively free and fair elections.

The Eight Year Nightmare

Over the next eight years, the regime consolidated its position in Honduras using violence. Activist networks had their leaders targeted for assassination and disappearance; critical media outlets had equipment attacked, signals disrupted, and journalists threatened; impunity for police and military violence opened up space for unchecked activity for criminal gangs.

All of this helped the dictatorship to maintain its hold on power, and it used that power to reward itself and its allies. Austerity measures were imposed on working people, new laws were passed to give local and foreign capital even greater ability to exploit Honduran land and resources, and public funds were looted for the private wealth of the oligarchy.

How did it pull this off? With a little help from its friends, of course.

No country  save perhaps the United States  did more to facilitate the rise of the Honduran dictatorship than Canada. Canada was the first country to send its leader to meet with the regime. Canada signed a free-trade agreement with it, sent a representative to sit on a sham Truth Commission about the coup, and Canada argued for Honduras re-integration into the Organization of American States and other international organizations.

Canada heaped praise on the regime for resolving the political crisis, which was remarkable, given that the way it resolved the crisis was by killing and intimidating anyone who opposed its dominance of the country. Canadian investment in the country exploded, as companies like Gildan and Goldcorp seized the opportunity to extract profits from a country in crisis. Canada even helped to train Honduran police and military in the tactics of repression they would use against their own people.

Somewhere along the way, the dictatorship stole another election (2013), allowed Honduras to become the murder capital of the world, passed a law allowing private companies to run city-states within Honduran territory, became even more deeply entangled with large criminal networks, and saw tens of thousands of people plunged into abject poverty.

It did all of this with a wink and a nod from Canada, which is now one of the largest sources of foreign investment in Honduras.

The Rise of JOH

Throughout this period, the Honduran social movement has remained steadfast and determined in its opposition to the dictatorship.

In addition to national demonstrations against the government directly, Hondurans have fought to protect their pensions, Indigenous people have fought to protect their territories from mining companies, women have fought against sexual violence and workplace exploitation, communities have opposed privatization of public services, farmers have battled agribusiness over access to land, Garifuna people have organized to resist theft of their territory for cruise ports.

All the while, the regime has consolidated its hold on power and cracked down on this dissent. In 2012, right wing Head of Congress Juan Orlando Hernandez (nicknamed JOH, pronounced ho in Spanish), who had supported the 2009 coup, carried out a technical coup in which four supreme court judges were sacked overnight and replaced by judges loyal to him. The next year, JOH became the President in another round of fraudulent elections. It was a tough blow for the social movement which had put much of its energy into trying to win the elections with its new political party, LIBRE.

That same year, JOH created a new military-police unit, and made sure it was given preferential access to resources, vis-a-vis the armed forces and the national police. It was a play to create a special force loyal to him personally, which he would need if he were to try to extend his stay in office. After all, the military had been convinced to overthrow President Zelaya in 2009 on the (false) claim that he was planning to change the constitution to stay in power for another term.

Sure enough, as JOH stacked the various branches of civilian and military authority with his supporters, he made his play in 2015, amending the constitution to allow himself to run for re-election. The irony was palpable, but Canada issued no statements about this.

This was remarkable, given how much ink Canada had spilled trying to convince the world that the 2009 coup was necessary because Manuel Zelaya planned to run for re-election. This demonstrably false claim was made by Canadian government officials on many occasions, and was repeated by Canadas representative on the Honduran Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Interesting, indeed, that Canada was so concerned by the prospect of Honduran Presidents running for re-election in 2009 but totally disinterested in the same issue in 2015. It is especially noteworthy because, unlike Manuel Zelaya, the government of Juan Orlando Hernandez had been rocked by massive national protests on several occasions, including a wave of protests called the Torch Marches in 2015 after it was revealed that he had stolen money from Honduran workers pension funds to finance his election campaign.

Power Play

The dictatorship clearly has friends in high places, but it may nevertheless be pushing its luck.



The 2016 murder of Honduras most popular activist, the internationally-recognized Berta Caceres, drew the largest amount of global media attention to Honduran politics since the 2009 coup. While the regime initially worked hard to try to portray the attack as random gang violence, it

was immediately clear that Caceres was assassinated for her political work, most notably leading the community resistance to the Agua Zarca hydroelectic dam project.

As the 2017 elections neared and JOH indicated that he would, indeed, be running for re-election, he found himself facing a groundswell of opposition not just from the political left but also from disaffected sections of the right.

In order to defeat JOH, a complicated alliance was forged between the party of the movement, LIBRE, and a right-wing anti-corruption party led by TV personality Salvador Nasralla. This decision was not taken without detractors in the movement, who openly and astutely questioned the logic of the alliance, but it did make JOHs chances of winning a legitimate election slim.

But, just as they had in 2009 and 2013, opponents of this electoral strategy insisted that the regime would not suddenly play by the rules after eight years of breaking them. So far, it appears that they were right again.

The Present Crisis

Despite overwhelming evidence that Nasralla won the election, JOH has declared victory and the Electoral Tribunal has refused to release final vote counts. As the electoral fraud played out, Hondurans yet again took to the streets in protest, and the dictatorship again used violence to quell the demonstrations. Over a week later, fourteen people have been killed, many more injured, but the protests have not ceased.

After a 19-year-old girl was killed last week, Canadas Chrystia Freeland

finally issued a statement but, as noted above, it contained more obfuscation of facts than condemnation of the regime:

Noting ongoing delays in the publication of final, definitive election results, Canada insists on the need for election authorities to complete the vote count without interference. Canada also calls for calm and urges all parties to resolve any disagreement peacefully, transparently and in line with the highest democratic and human rights standards.

Nothing in this statement held the regime accountable for the violence it had unleashed or the fraudulent claim that it had won the election. Instead, Freeland misleadingly characterized the crisis as being caused by all parties interfering in the vote counting process. Freeland cannot claim ignorance to the reality of what is happening in Honduras, as she has already received several open letters from Canadian and Honduran organizations demanding that Canada take a strong stand on this matter.

What Now?

Even despite Canadas support, JOHs hold on power may be weaker than it appears. As Honduran police and military were called upon to carry out the regimes repressive will, cracks in the apparatus began to appear. Last week, sections of the Honduran national police refused to carry out the crack down against protestors.

While some optimistically believed this to be a sign that the police were with the people, such a naive assumption must be set aside. In a report I produced for a Norwegian NGO in 2016, I noted that the police are deeply corrupted by organized crime and fully committed to broadly carrying out the will of the oligarchy. They are, however, frustrated by the lack of resources they are receiving from the JOH government.

Resentment between the factions in the ruling apparatus have emerged as JOH has made his push for a personal dictatorship. He anticipated this as early as 2012 when he worked towards the creation of the military-police unit. Over the past four years, he has showered that organization with resources and counts upon its loyalty. While he has so far maintained the allegiance of the traditional Honduran military, he is aware of its discomfort with his tampering with the constitution and running for re-election.

Fractions between the repressive forces in Honduras are mirrored by divisions within the oligarchy itself. As organized criminal gangs have infiltrated the state, it has become impossible to separate clean politicians from dirty ones. While many in the oligarchy are perfectly comfortable with this, there are those who feel that it undermines Honduras ability to be a functional capitalist state attracting foreign investment.

Salvador Nasralla, who undoubtedly garnered the most votes in this election, is in many ways reflective of that latter position. Known to be of the political right, his presence in opposition to JOH does make a wider rebellion within the police or military more likely.

This remains, however, an improbable outcome.

The New Canadian Imperialism

The sad reality in Honduras is that despite naked fraud and violence, the dictatorship now centred on Juan Orlando Hernandez will, in all likelihood, wait out the current cycle of protest and opposition. When international attention has died down, as it has already begun to do, JOH will consolidate his position, swiftly and mercilessly punish those who opposed him, and continue running Honduras as his personal fiefdom; a narco-state over which he presides with violence and fear, to the benefit of a handful of wealthy families in Honduras and foreign businesses.

Many of those foreign businesses are based in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Canadas support for the Honduran dictatorship over these eight years has been part of a broader dynamic in Canadian foreign policy; a turn to what many have called a new imperialism.

This Canadian imperialism uses Canadas diplomatic, political, and military power to create a world of profitable opportunities for Canadian capital, whether in Honduras, Haiti, Afghanistan, or elsewhere. It cuts across party lines, having been a guiding principle for not just the Conservative government but also the Liberal administrations that came before and after.

Canadians who believe that their country is a good citizen of the world would do well to take a closer look at the nightmare in Honduras. After all, it is a nightmare Canada has helped create.

For more information and solidarity efforts, consult the Honduras Solidarity Network or the Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network. 
The incident, which claimed one fatality and at least 18 injuries, also created an emergency in a Slovak village close to the Austrian border.

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A huge explosion shook the natural gas collection station in the Austrian village of Baumgarten near the Slovak border on December 12 morning, shortly before 9:00. One fatality and at least 18 people injured: five employees are seriously injured, the Sme daily cited the Austrian newspaper Kurier as reporting. The explosion and ensuing fire caused damage to the buildings and cars parked nearby. The gas station was evacuated, but the number of victims may still increase.

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The situation was under control as of 11:00, spokesman of the Gas Connect Austria company Armin Teichter told the Austrian daily Die Presse, adding that the whole complex is out of operation.

He also said that the explosion took place in the primary distribution system, which secures the gas supplies for industrial complexes. The cause was a technical flaw, according to preliminary information.

Emergency operation

Around 150 firefighters and rescuers from 14 fire brigades and 10 ambulances were summoned, as well as two helicopters  a rescue helicopter and police helicopter monitoring the entire situation. The police called on the locals to avoid the site and closed off the area, as well as the nearby town of Marchegg.

The Baumgarten gas station is an important gas node for all Europe, and the biggest site for the import of natural gas in Austria, Sme wrote, adding that natural gas from Russia is drawn here as well. The system has been in operation since 1974.

The OMV company, which operates the station, confirmed that the explosion was in the gas hub. The fire-brigade spokesman Franz Resperger said, as quoted by the SITA newswire, that a gas pipeline exploded underground. The fire then engulfed six buildings and several cars, he added.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/IMyiQtm56co

Impact on Slovakia

Gas supplies have not been disrupted or impacted in Slovakia, the Dennik N dailys website wrote, citing the SPP gas utility. No Slovaks have been reported among the casualties.

However, the explosion created an emergency situation in the Slovak village of Vysoka pri Morave, its mayor Dusan Dvoran told Dennik N. He added that when he saw flames of up to 100 metres, he almost pronounced a state of emergency.

In the meantime, the number of injured victims may have increased, as even the Austrian media differ in their number  ranging from 18 to 60.
In its travel section, The Guardian recently compared several Christmas shopping opportunities and seasonal markets around Europe.

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More information about travelling in Slovakia

Please see our Please see our Spectacular Slovakia travel guide

British journalists seem to have been attracted by the snow, cakes and mead offered at the Bratislava Christmas markets: the website of The Guardian daily published a story recommending 10 European cities ideal for Christmas markets. Bratislava ended fifth, placing better than similar events held in German and Bulgarian cities.

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They especially recommend a shot of hriato in the Main Square Christmas market, described by them as hot toddy made from honey, goose fat and alcohol.

Handmade wooden toys, beautifully embroidered waistcoats and tablecloths, quality local white wines, beeswax candles, hand-blown glass ornaments, hand-painted pottery and Slovak folk art are recommended as well.

Adding to the special mood are mulled wine, folk music performances and a huge range of hearty dishes to sample, e.g. potato pancakes, chunky sausages and frisbee-sized doughnuts, all washed down with  if youre feeling brave  a shot of hriato.
Both military and civilian vehicles from the legendary Tatra brand will be produced and serviced in the Slovak city of Trencin by a special branch of the Czech group.

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The MSM company created the Tatra Slovakia joint venture in cooperation with the Tatra Trucks Koprivnice group. The task of the new company is to repair, service and develop and produce Tatra vehicles for the defence industry as well as the civilian sector.

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Within three to five years, the production rooms in the former Military Maintenance Company (VOP) in Trencin are to be expanded and adapted, and 100 to 150 new employees are to be hired, head of the Trencin division of the MSM Land System Miloslav Bobek told the TASR newswire.

We plan to renovate the current premises and even build new ones, if necessary, Bobek explained for TASR. The overall strategy is planned for three to five years, but the first production possibilities will appear in our plant next year already.

The third oldest car brand worldwide

The Tatra brand is the third oldest car brand in the world, and with a hundred year tradition, the vehicles being much in demand all over the world.

Globally, there is interest in these cars from Asia through Africa, all the way to Latin America, especially due to the high passability of this vehicle, and its performance, Bobek said, as quoted by TASR. In the civilian sector, they are especially used in mining companies, quarries and poorly accessible grounds. Four-wheel, six-wheel, and also eight-wheel military cars are attached to the Tatra chassis, as well as special vehicles.

The MSM Group consists of several plants in Slovakia, with also a branch in Serbia. It focuses mostly on special technology and the defence industry: the Trencin plant specialises in wheeled and tracked technology, the Novaky plant in ammunition and the Banska Bystrica one on the aviation industry.

The MSM Group is headquartered in Dubnica nad Vahom, where the production of small-bore and big-bore ammunition is located. Around 300 people currently work in Trencin, while there should be up to 500 employees within five years, TASR reported.
John Goulet, the pilot of the Quest Kodiak 100 seaplane, said he was told four days ago that he will be flying the Prime Minister.

Narendra Modi took a seaplane ride from Sabarmati on last day of Gujarat election campaign. Photo: Twitter/@BJP4India

By India Today Web Desk: The six-seater seaplane that Prime Minister Narendra Modi boarded from Sabarmati today in poll-bound Gujarat was flown by a Canadian national.

John Goulet, the pilot of the Quest Kodiak 100 seaplane, said he was told four days ago that he will flying the Prime Minister.

Goulet, who has also flown commercial planes, described the experience of flying the seaplane over Sabarmati "pleasant".

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He said that the landing on Sabarmati riverfront was not difficult. "We have landed in crowded cities with high rises" too, the Canadian pilot said.

Canadian pilot John Goulet who flew the seaplane carrying Narendra Modi. Photo: ANI.

Calling Sabarmati a beautiful place, Goulet said seaplanes ought to be more popular in India as the country has many "lakes, rivers and coastal areas". "Seaplanes are very common" in other countries, he added.

On flying Narendra Modi, Goulet said he briefed the Prime Minister about safety measures and called him "a very good passenger".

Modi's seaplane ride, however, came under attack from the Opposition. Patidar leader Hardik Patel asked if the plane can be used to help farmers sprinkle pesticides.

Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi called Modi's seaplane ride a "distraction" and said the real question is what the government has done for the people of Gujarat in the last 22 years.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah asked, "How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z-plus protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country."

Narendra Modi's much-hyped seaplane ride came on the last day of campaign for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly election which is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

WATCH: PM Modi becomes the first passenger to travel in the first ever seaplane in India

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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. 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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. 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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.

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A unit of Thai Beverage has emerged as the only prospective bidder for state-owned shares in Sabeco that has declared that it could lead to it owning 25 percent or more of Vietnams biggest brewer, the Trade Ministry said on Monday.

The auction of up to 54 percent of Sabeco worth at least $5 billion, in what is set to be Vietnams biggest privatization, offers brewers access to a fast-growing market with a youthful population and beer drinking culture.

Investors who want shares that would lead to an ownership of 25 percent or more in Sabeco have to inform the local authorities and publicize the information a week before the auction date, which is set for Dec. 18, according to the rules of the offer.

Other brewing groups including Anheuser-Busch InBev and Kirin Holdings have been preparing to bid for a stake, people familiar with the matter have said.

But the trade ministry said in a statement on its website that as of 1100 GMT on Monday the one prospective investor which has registered an interest in buying 25 percent or more of Sabeco that has publicized the information is Vietnam Beverage Company Limited.

Vietnam Beverage Company Limited is owned by Vietnam F&B Alliance Investment Company, which is 49-percent owned by BeerCo Limited, an indirect but wholly-owned subsidiary of Thai Beverage, official documents about the companies showed.

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 and the unorthodox way in which the Sabeco stake is being sold could put off some possible bidders, bankers, investors and lawyers familiar with the matter said.

The Vietnam trade ministry, which represents state shares in Sabeco, said foreign investors can link up with Vietnamese firms to buy shares in Sabeco, but have to comply with local laws and regulations.
The women who accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct earlier have now renewed their allegations publicly with more details of their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by him.

By India Today Web Desk: US President Donald Trump was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women before he was elected the US President. The women have now renewed their allegations publicly with more details of their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by him.

The dozen accusers who initially come forward during the 2016 presidential campaign shared their stories yet again on an NBC show on Monday. They also gave their accounts on a subsequent news conference in Manhattan.

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The women called on Congress to investigate their claims.

After seeing the careers of powerful men in the news media, business and politics being toppled by similar accusations this year, the women have expressed hope that they will be taken more seriously now.

Samantha Holvey, the former Miss North Carolina 2006 who repeated her charge that Trump ogled her and other women during the pageant said, "Now it's just like, 'All right let's try Round 2, the environment is different, let's try again'."

Holvey was joined by Jessica Leeds, who said Trump groped and kissed her during a flight in the 1970s, and Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of repeatedly kissing her without her consent in 2005.

"This was serial misconduct and perversion on the part of Trump. The only reason I am here today is that this offender is now the President of our country," said Crooks, a former Bayrock Group receptionist.

At least 15 women have come forward with a wide range of accusations against Trump, ranging from sexual harassment to lewd behaviour around women.

In addition to the women at Monday's press conference, Trump's accusers include Temple Taggart, the former Miss Utah USA who accused Trump of kissing her on the lips in 1997; Mindy McGillivray, who accused Trump of grabbing her behind at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2003 and Natasha Stoynoff, who accused Trump of "forcing his tongue" down her throat in 2005.

White House repeated the President's claim that the accusations of sexual misconduct were false and that the women were lying. "The President has... said that these allegations are false," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

"This took place long before he was elected to be President," Sanders said. "And the people of this country at a decisive election supported President Trump... These allegations have been answered through that process."

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, added her name to a list of Democratic lawmakers who called on Trump to resign.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, called on Trump to step down because of a track record of "horrific conduct" with women. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, also urged him to consider resigning.

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On Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that women who accuse a man of inappropriate sexual behaviour including Trump "should be heard", CNN reported.

With inputs from IANS

--- ENDS ---
After reports that a Ho Chi Minh City-based woman had been asked to pay VND9.1 billion (US$400,881) in back tax sparked skepticism, local tax authorities have detailed how an individual can make a fortune through selling cosmetics via Facebook.

The headline-grabbing Facebook seller has agreed to pay the back taxes and fines for insufficient tax declarations as well as late payments, but is exempt from further legal penalty.

Her name is therefore not disclosed, and the cosmetic brand that helps her make millions can only be referred to as T.

The tax department in Phu Nhuan District, where her business is registered, had received a tip-off that the woman had been evading taxes and so decided to inspect it.

Tax officials eventually discovered a difference of VND400 billion ($17.62 million) between the revenue she declared for tax payment and her actual income.

This translated to back taxes of VND9.1 billion, including fines imposed.

Multimillion-dollar online business

According to data gathered by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, the woman currently runs a Facebook profile with more than 56,000 followers and usually promotes whitening cream, weight loss supplements and other beauty care products, via Facebook Live.

In those live-stream broadcasts, the woman provides tips on skincare and how to use her products to a huge audience of 20,000  30,000 followers.

The cosmetic boss also wholesales her products to hundreds of dealerships in and outside Vietnam and offers training courses for dealers.

A woman shops on Facebook in this photo illustration. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Dang Khac Phuc, head of the tax inspection team No.1 under the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department, said the woman previously ran a company headquartered in District 10.

After shutting down that company, she founded in a new one in Phu Nhuan, this time registering it as a household business rather than a corporation.

The owner uses her individual bank account for all business transactions.

Tax authorities were only able to uncover her tax evasion after analyzing bank data.

According to the citys tax department, the woman made VND120 million ($5,286) in revenue in her first year of operation in 2013.

That figure jumped to VND95 billion ($4.19 million) in 2015, before skyrocketing to VND344 billion ($15.15 million) the following year.

However, the successful Facebook seller would under-declare her earnings in her tax returns.

The Phu Nhuan tax department had decided to transfer the case to police as the woman showed signs of tax evasion, but she immediately cleared all of her arrears and fines.

We are investigating those who bought products from this woman to see if these secondary sellers had declared and paid taxes or not, one official from the Phu Nhuan tax department said.

Tougher actions should be considered

As the woman has been able to avoid criminal charges for her alleged tax evading attempt, experts are still concerned about the precedence this sets.

A senior inspector from the General Department of Taxation explained to Tuoi Tre that individuals switching from a corporate business to a household business model is a new kind of tax evasion.

A household business has to pay license, value-added and personal income taxes, whereas a corporate business has to pay many other types of tax.

The corporate income tax is currently set at 20 percent, while personal income tax has a seven-tier range from 5 percent to 35 percent.

According to the Penal Code that took effect in 2016, any attempt to evade taxes from VND300 million ($13,216) to below VND1 billion ($44,053) is subject to a fine of between VND500 million ($22,026) and VND1.5 billion ($66,079), or a prison term of one to three years.

The penalty for tax evasion amounting to VND1 billion and above is VND1.5 billion to VND4.5 billion ($198,238) in fines, or a jail term between two and seven years.

Do Gioan Hao, who teaches tax and customs law at the University of Finance and Marketing, Ho Chi Minh City, hailed the citys tax authorities for letting the public know about their handling of the case of the Facebook cosmetics seller.

This raises the alarm for other individuals who sell things online and continue to evade tax, he said.

However, Hao suggested that authorities consider whether tougher action, like levying criminal charges, should be taken rather than simply requesting payment of the back taxes.
Vietnamese travel firms have launched cost-free tours, copying a promotional model commonly used by airlines, to both domestic and outbound destinations. Offers include taking tourists to the U.S. at half the normal price via budget packages.

The low-cost travel products are heating up the travel market during peak season, however they have also sparked skepticism from holidaymakers and industry insiders.

Incredibly cheap prices

In early November, a local travel firm known as V. stunned customers with a promotional campaign called Hunting zero dong tours, offering 1,000 packages at zero Vietnamese dong to several European and Asian countries, including France, Switzerland, Japan, China and Vietnam.

The companys general director, Tran Van Long, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that they were willing to suffer losses with the campaign, held on the occasion of the launch of its new headquarters.

Just as with zero-cost air tickets, customers of the cost-free packages will travel with other ordinary tourists and enjoy the same service quality, Long said.

The poster of the zero-dong tour

Many tour organizers have dramatically slashed prices for tours to the U.S., to the point of shocking holidaymakers.

In late November, the Saigon S travel firm began marketing their eight day and seven nights package to the U.S. for only VND26.9 million (US$1,185) per tourist.

A company representative told Tuoi Tre that travelers were required to clear the payment in one installment before departure, noting that the incredibly affordable price does not include a VND4.9 million ($216) visa fee and suggested tips of VND2.4 million ($106).

He also said that the company had so far attracted bookings from more than 100 customers, who will depart between March and June next year.

We are still receiving bookings, but tours that start later than that time will have a different price applied [from the VND26.9 million], he said.

The company rep explained that they would only negotiate affordable airfares with carriers every three months, and it is unclear how the carriers will charge for services from June 2018 onward.

People look up tourism information a travel fair in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Many industry insiders say VND26.9 million for a U.S. tour is incredibly low, given that a typical package lasting five to seven days normally costs between VND40 million ($1,762) and VND90 million ($3,965).

The lowest possible price for a tour to the U.S. West Coast is no cheaper than VND35 million ($1,542).

Quality guaranteed

Ho Chi Minh City resident Nguyen Hien Trang, has been searching for a travel package over the last week but was confused at the various prices offered by organizers.

Some tours would offer cheap prices, only to tell customers later that they had to pay multiple additional fees, Trang said.

I also heard that some low-cost tours treat tourists badly, such as providing inadequate dining, she added.

Addressing these concerns, a Saigon S representative told Tuoi Tre that the VND26.9 million package is guaranteed to take tourists to Nevada, Los Angles, California and visit popular attractions such as Phuoc Loc Tho mall or the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

This is a complete package, covering hotels, airfares, and bus transportation for the entire tour, he underlined.

The man explained that his company works directly with service providers in the U.S., instead of through two or three intermediaries as is the case with other travel firms, explaining the cheap tour price.

We have booked and received tickets for a couple of years in advance, meaning Hong Kong Airlines only charged us reasonable fares of $600-$700 a ticket, he elaborated.

Long, from the V. company, also said that the zero-dong campaign is meant to introduce a new kind of tour package to customers, adding that the interest of tourists using this service is guaranteed.

A customer receives leaflets from a travel firm at a travel fair in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Tourists, beware!

Many industry insiders have warned tourists to remain cautious of promotional campaigns during peak travel season, when hotel and transportation prices normally go up.

There have been cases, they say, when companies have forced tourists on low-cost packages to cancel bookings when they fail to gather enough customers, or offered the tour at a lower service quality than promised.

Nguyen Thi Khanh, deputy chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, said organizers of low-cost tours still have to make a profit, so they will try to save every possible cost when offering the service.

They may remove some destinations from the itinerary, cut the time of travel, take tourists to sightsee attractions instead of entering them, or even bring them to unattractive locations, Khanh warned.

She also recommended that tourists think about the possibly of having to pay extra costs during the tour, such as shopping or paying admission fees to visit attractions on their own.

As far as low-cost tour packages are concerned, tourists should beware as price reflects quality, she concluded.

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The German-style Christmas Market will be held in Hanoi for the first time ever this week, the German Embassy in Hanoi announced on Monday.

The market, from December 14 to 16, promises to deliver visitors the holiday spirit and a place to escape the city, relax, enjoy Christmas scents, sample typical Christmas Market treats, beverages, and hand-made crafts.

As is customary in Germany, the Christmas Market will be located near a beautiful church, Hanois Cua Bac Church.

With its clock tower and picturesque windows, the church in Ba Dinh District will provide the perfect festive backdrop for the Christmas Market, whose sights, sounds and smells will engage visitors full range of senses.

The shopping event will also feature a Christmas Concert at 6pm on the opening day, with performances by the Suc Song Moi Bambus Ensemble, who will play classical music and international Christmas favorites to sing along to.

In addition, to mark the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Goethe-Instituts presence in Vietnam, the Goethe-Institut Hanoi will hold a special Christmas concert at the church at 8pm on December 21.

It will mark the first Christmas concert in the history of the Cua Bac Church, the embassy said.

The concert will be joined by the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra and will feature Mozarts Coronation Mass as well as Bachs Orchestra Suite in D Major, and the famous Air on the G String.

The event will also ask guests to make a charitable donation to help the poor.
Eleven students at a primary school in the northern province of Bac Ninh were hospitalized on Monday after they fell from the second to the first floor after a balcony railing gave way.

All eleven victims were taken to the Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi for emergency treatment after receiving first-aid at a local clinic, doctors confirmed with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday night.

According to a parent of one of the victims classmates, all of the injured students are fifth-graders at the Van Mon Primary School in Bac Ninhs Yen Phong District.

The children were lining up outside of their classroom on the second floor of their building after their afternoon break, when a section of the balcony railings suddenly gave way, throwing those leaning against it to the first floor below.

Of the 11 hospitalized students, three were said to be seriously injured, including one who suffered a broken pelvis, a torn shoulder blade and a badly fractured skull.

The other two had also suffered fractured skulls and cerebral hematomas, though of a less serious nature.

The eight other students suffered minor injuries only and were treated at the Bac Ninh General Hospital.

A representative from Yen Phong Police told Tuoi Tre on Monday that the balcony railings at Van Mon Primary School were in poor condition, though further examination would be required to definitively determine the cause of the accident.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held talks with Sonoura Kentaro, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe in Hanoi on Monday evening, discussing measures to boost the two nations relationship.

Society

-- Minimum wages in Vietnam will increase in January 2018, according to a regulation promulgated by the central government.

-- A total of 16 fifth-grade students at Van Mon Elementary School in the northern province of Bac Ninh were hospitalized for emergency treatment after the balcony on the second floor collapsed on Monday morning, causing the kids to fall onto the first floor.

-- The Peoples Procuracy in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday proposed the death penalty upon Nguyen Thi Hoang Oanh, former director of the Agribank branch in Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, for embezzlement of property, bribery, and violations of regulations on the operations of credit institutions.

-- Cho Ray, the largest general hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, was recognized with the award of Six Sigma certification under the United States Westgard Sigma Verification of Performance (VP) Program on Monday morning.

-- The Supreme Peoples Procuracy has completed the indictment of 10 former leaders and officials of Navibank for deliberately violating the states regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences.

-- Authorities in Da Lat, a tourist city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, are collecting feedback from local citizens on the detailed urban planning for the new face of the citys center.

Business

-- The tourism market in Vietnam has heated up by the introduction of many attractive promotions. A tour to the United States may cost only VND27 million (US$1,189), about VND20 million ($881) to VND40 million ($1,762) cheaper than regular trips.

-- Many flights operated by local carriers during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, which will fall onto mid-February, have been fully booked as of Monday.

-- The Pho day, an event organized by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, will kick-start at 1:30 pm on Tuesday at the White Palace Convention Center in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City.

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The former director of an Agribank branch in Ho Chi Minh City is facing the death penalty for multiple violations that led to losses of more than VND358 billion ($15.7 million).

The municipal Peoples Procuracy suggested punishments for the 11 defendants involved in the allegations on Monday, all of whom were employees of the Agribank branch in Ben Thanh Ward in District 1.

Capital punishment was proposed for Nguyen Thi Hoang Oanh, the ex-director of the branch, for embezzlement of property, bribery, and violations of regulations on the operations of credit institutions.

Le Van Tinh, director of Kim Gia Thuan and Kim Gia Thao Companies, was recommended a life sentence for fraud, appropriation of property and bribery.

Other accomplices are facing jail terms of between four to 30 years behind bars.

According to the case file, between 2008 and 2012, Oanh used the names of several individuals to create false loan documents, embezzling 2,660 gold taels worth VND47.2 billion ($2 million).

Using a similar method, Oanh helped Truong The Thanh, her brother-in-law and head of the Agribank branchs business planning department, to pocket around VND13 billion ($572,717).

During the same period, Le Van Tinh applied for a loan at the bank.

Given he did not have sufficient collateral, he agreed to give Oanh a bribe worth VND24.6 billion ($1 million).

In return, she would fake documents proving that Tinh was in fact eligible for the loan.

At the time the investigation was conducted, the Agribank branch had suffered losses of over VND358.2 billion ($15.7 million).

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An expressway connecting Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho may be completed later than originally planned.

The Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho expressway stretches 120 kilometers and consists of three sections.

The Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong section, 40 kilometers long, which links the southern metropolis with the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, was completed in 2010.

The 51 kilometer Trung Luong - My Thuan section in Tien Giang is currently under construction.

The final section, 23.6 kilometers between My Thuan and Can Tho, is still in the preparation phase.

The entire expressway is now expected to be completed by 2021, according to the most recently revised plan.

Beginning in 2009, the construction of the Trung Luong - My Thuan section, developed by the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), was originally scheduled to finish after two years.

A few months into the construction, BIDV cancelled the plan due to difficulties with its capital investment.

The project was then transferred to the Cuu Long Corporation for Investment, Development and Project Management of Infrastructure (CIPM Cuu Long) but did not recommence until 2015, and even then continued to be delayed.

In July, the Ministry of Transport issued an ultimatum stating that the construction must not be postponed any longer.

CIPM Cuu Long is currently negotiating with local banks to seek investment capital, Duong Ho Minh, the firms deputy general director, said, adding that efforts would be exerted to ensure the completion of the project by 2020.

However, Pham Anh Tuan, vice-chairman of the Tien Giang Peoples Committee, was concerned that the construction may not be finished on time given the projects current speed.

Workers build abutments at the construction site of the Truong Luong- My Thuan section. Photo: Tuoi Tre

According to Phan Anh Dung, director of the Trung Luong- My Thuan BOT (build-operate-transfer) JSC, a company established by the developer for the implementation of the project, most resources had been used to clear the area, resulting in a lack of expenditure on several components of the construction.

Developers have been unable to pay its contractors, Dung said, adding that the biggest challenge lies in the bank loan process.

Backing the opinion, an official from CIPM Cuu Long said that the project would have been finished earlier if authorities had focused on mobilizing capital for it properly.

Had it been completed, the route could also have made the detour of National Highway 1 in Cai Lay Town, Tien Giang Province unnecessary, thus avoiding the current controversy surrounding this toll station.

The tollgate has faced repeated protests from drivers for its mislocation.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has previously urged that the My Thuan - Can Tho section be completed by 2019.

The goal is difficult to meet, said Vu Ngoc Duong, deputy director of the Thang Long Project Management Board, which is in charge of managing the construction.

The current target is to begin the construction in late 2018, with completion expected in 2021, Duong continued.

Capital investment in the project is estimated at over VND5.4 trillion ($237.8 million), he said, adding that the transport ministry is preparing to select contractors.

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ITV has announced a third season of period drama Victoria with Jenna Coleman & Tom Hughes.

The new episodes will begin in 1848 when uncertainty surrounded the monarchy.

The first two series of the show have documented the ascension to the throne by Queen Victoria, played by Coleman, and her romance with Prince Albert, played by Hughes, as well as her struggles with postnatal depression and leadership.

Creator Daisy Goodwin said: Series three will start in 1848 which was a hugely dramatic and eventful time for both the royal family and Europe, with revolutions on the continent and uncertainty around the monarchy.

Viewers can expect more drama than ever before in the third series.

Polly Hill, head of drama at ITV, added: Were delighted that the nation has taken Victoria to its hearts.

Filled with romance, political crises and family drama, Daisy Goodwins scripts bring this fascinating part of history to life so vividly and we look forward to regaling audiences with the next part of the illustrious Queens reign.

UK viewers are also getting a feature-length Christmas special, entitled Comfort And Joy, later this month.

Season 1 of Victoria concludes on ABC on Saturday.

Source: Independent
By PTI: New York, Dec 12 (PTI) Scientists have developed a high- dose cholera vaccine for controlling outbreaks.

The vaccine, named Vaxchora, is a single-dose, live- attenuated oral vaccine. It was approved in 2016 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in adults (18-64 years).

The study, published in the journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, included 150 participants.

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The researchers assessed the effectiveness (ability to stimulate vibriocidal antibody, an immune response that correlates with protection) of a single high-dose of live cholera vaccine CVD 103-HgR.

"Immunisation with a single-dose cholera vaccine that could rapidly protect people in low-income countries who have not previously been exposed to cholera would be a significant asset in helping control outbreaks and lower mortality rates," said Myron M Levine, from the University of Maryland in the US.

Cholera transmission is endemic in many areas of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

In severe cases, patients pass large amounts of diarrhoea that causes rapid dehydration and ultimately death if left untreated.

This year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that in Yemen alone there have been a million cases of cholera. PTI SNE SAR SNE

--- ENDS ---
Independent direct carrier billing company Boku announced the signing of a new agreement with EE , a division of BT Group and the UK's largest mobile network operator, on Tuesday.

The AIM-traded firm said the agreement related to the addition of carrier billing to EE's online accessories store, giving customers the opportunity to pay for accessories from the EE marketplace using their EE phone account.

It said the purchase of physical goods using carrier billing was normally prohibited in Europe.

However, Boku is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as an e-money issuer, thus providing a way for carriers and merchants to offer consumers a legal way to purchase physical goods and charge it to their phone.

That would allow EE to further realise the potential of the EE store, with customers purchasing goods such as phone cases or headphones through Boku's direct carrier billing platform.

In Europe carrier billing is ordinarily restricted to digital goods, but Boku, through its investment in its e-money programme is delighted to launch this service which allows EE customers to buy physical goods and accessories at the EE store, said CEO Jon Prideaux.
Rolls Royce 's chairman Ian Davis bought into the engineer's shares as they approached an area of technical resistance towards 830p.

On 12 December, Davis purchased 11,922 shares at 833p apiece, for a total transaction amount of 99,250.65.

In a trading update released roughly a month earlier, the company said its financial performance for 2017 was on track, despite continued weak demand in the offshore oil and gas market.

The engine-maker added it was making good progress in efforts to turn around its business and that its strategy remained intact.

Just the day before, analysts at Goldman Sachs weighed in with a positive endorsement on the company.

"Looking to 2018, there are still ramp-up challenges in Aerospace, but set against the progress made through 2018 and a buoyant macro outlook we think this should be smoother. In Defence, the US and European outlooks remain positive, with the UK defence review in 1Q18 set to add clarity to spending priorities and funding. We continue to recommend Rolls-Royce (CL-Buy), BAE Systems (CL-Buy), Airbus (Buy) and Cobham (Sell) - and today we upgrade Leonardo to Buy."

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Qinetiq Group (QQ.)

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Influential magazine has 8 million subscribers and issues car ratings

An influential US magazine has urged Tesla to reconsider its use of automatic steering as part of its new Autopilot self-driving system , after an investigation into a fatal crash involving the car's new technology.

Consumer Reports releases annual ratings of cars, and has called on Tesla to abandon the current system, which allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel.

The death of a man in Florida in May is being investigated by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after it was reported that the driver was using Autopilot at the time.

The death of a man in Florida in May is being investigated

Consumer Reports said the Autopilot name "promotes a potentially dangerous assumption that the Model S is capable of driving on its own."

The magazine reports that it leads consumers into the idea that the car does the driving and the driver can take a backseat.

"By marketing their feature as Autopilot, Tesla gives consumers a false sense of security, said Laura MacCleery, vice president of consumer policy and mobilization for Consumer Reports.

"Were deeply concerned that consumers are being sold a pile of promises about unproven technology. Autopilot can't actually drive the car, yet it allows consumers to have their hands off the steering wheel for minutes at a time."

"Were deeply concerned that consumers are being sold a pile of promises about unproven technology." Consumer Reports

Tesla has hit back to the claims, saying that while it appreciates the advice from individuals and groups, it has made clear from the beginning the technology's role.

"Tesla Autopilot functions like the systems that airplane pilots use when conditions are clear. The driver is still responsible for, and ultimately in control of, the car," the company said Thursday.

"While we appreciate well-meaning advice from any individual or group, we make our decisions on the basis of real-world data, not speculation by media," it added.

Shares of Tesla fell 0.2% on Thursday following the piece from Consumer Reports.
BHP Billiton has hired external advisers to help prepare its sale or spin-off of it US shale oil unit, according to reports on Tuesday.

The Anglo-Australian giant, which in August gave into pressure from shareholders and said it would put its US onshore oil assets on the block, has appointed a quartet of investment banks to prepare for a sale in the new year, Reuters reported, citing sources.

BHP will make a decision on which course to take in the first quarter of 2018.

In the summer, management decided to exit the US shale oil business, possibly including via an initial public offer, following meetings between new chairman Ken Mackenzie and investor groups led by activist hedge fund Elliott Management.

In April, Elliott launched a drive to force BHP's board to divest units that did not meet its criteria for capital returns, alleging that missteps by management had destroyed roughly $40bn of shareholder value.

Analysts have suggested the company could free up billions of dollars by selling part or all of its petroleum business.
UK budget airline easyJet cleared a major regulatory hurdle on Tuesday as its proposed acquisition of airport slots and aircraft from Air Berlin was approved by the European Commission.

Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager had investigated whether the sale of the parts from the German company would make the market less competitive, but concluded that consumers would not be affected.

Air Berlin filed for insolvency earlier this year after years of financial difficulties, resulting in the sale of assets and rights previously held by the company.

EasyJet had proposed to acquire several of those assets, which included slots at Berlin Tegel airport, and will result in the British carrier operating 25 aircraft from Tegel, leasing some former Air Berlin aircraft and offering employment to Air Berlin flying crews.

"EasyJet's plans to buy certain Air Berlin assets will not reduce competition and we have approved it today. Our decision enables easyJet to grow its presence at Berlin airports and start competing on new routes to the benefit of consumers, Vestager said in a statement.

The investigation found that easyJet will continue to face heightened competition from the likes of Lufthansa and Ryanair on most of its German routes, with no negative effect for airline passengers.

The Commission therefore concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns in any of the relevant markets, the Commission said.

EasyJet said it expects to complete the transaction "in the near future".
Sainsbury's has won a 68.6m refund from Mastercard after a Competition and Appeal Tribunal ruling in London, although the judgment left the US credit card giant feeling more optimistic about a looming 19bn UK class-action lawsuit.

MasterCard is involved in a raft of litigation over charges known as interchange fees on the use of its credit and debit cards, having been found by the Europeanm Commission to have abused its dominant market position by charging the anti-competitive rates.

But Mastercard suggested Thursday's tribunal's judgment may have boosted its defence against the class action.

The New York company highlighted the fact the court's conclusion that a lawful level of credit interchange for the UK market would be over 65% higher than the 30 basis points rate cap imposed in the 2015 Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR).

"At the same time, the court criticized and rejected the merchant indifference test, the cornerstone for the IFR," Mastercard said in a statement.

"While we are disappointed to see liability as part of the finding, we note that in awarding a limited portion of the claimed damages, the court concluded that Sainsburys did not pass through interchange costs to consumers in the form of higher prices.

The class action is being launched by former Financial Services Ombudsman Walter Merricks, who last week said UK consumers "over-paid to the tune of up to 19bn during a period lasting 16 years" and accused MasterCard of holding on to "illegal profits" it made from the system.

Mastercard shares were up 0.5% at $90.75 after half an hour of trading on Thursday.
In her first cabinet reshuffle, Britains second woman prime minister Theresa May reorganised Whitehall departments and promoted women to prominent positions in government, but did not increase the number significantly.

Only eight out of 23 positions were filled by women. The tally is slightly higher than David Cameron's cabinet which had seven out of 22 women.

Former environment secretary Liz Truss was appointed justice secretary and the first female lord chancellor. The position of lord chancellor dates back to the middle ages.

Justine Greening was appointed education secretary, moving from international development, and is the first secretary to be educated at a comprehensive school. She was also appointed minister for women and equalities

Former energy minister Andrea Leadsom, who pulled out of the race to become prime minister handing the premiership to May, was appointed environment, food and rural affairs secretary.

Leave campaigner Priti Patel was appointed the international development secretary and Karen Brady culture secretary.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park became leader of the House of Lords, she replaced Baroness Stowell of Beeston.

The department for energy and climate change was merged with the department for business, which lost responsibility for higher education. Higher education was moved to the department of education.

In a surprise move, David Camerons former parliamentary private secretary Gavin Williamson was promoted to chief whip. Williamson had not previously been a member of the government.

After much speculation, Jeremy Hunt remained health secretary. Business secretary Sajid Javid was appointed communities secretary, swapping jobs with Greg Clark who was appointed business, energy and industrial strategy secretary.

Former transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin was appointed Conservative party chairman and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Prominent Brexiteer Chris Grayling was appointed Transport secretary. Damian Green, who is a board member of Remain campaign 'Stronger In', was appointed work and pensions secretary.

James Brokenshire was appointed Northern Ireland secretary, Alun Cairns stayed as Wales secretary and the partys only MP in Scotland David Mundell stayed as its secretary.

Former Europe minister David Lidington was named leader of the House of Commons and Lord president of the council. David Gauke was appointed chief secretary to the Treasury.

On Thursday morning, May sacked the former justice secretary Michael Gove, former education secretary Nicky Morgan, culture secretary John Whittingdale and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Letwin.

Work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb, who previously stood against May for prime minister, resigned from his post, saying it was in the best interests of my family.

Theresa Villiers left her post as secretary for Northern Ireland. Villiers said on Facebook she was offered another role but turned it down because it was not one which I felt I could take on.

On Wednesday, Philip Hammond was appointed Chancellor after George Osborne was sacked. Boris Johnson was appointed foreign minister, David Davis as Brexit secretary, Liam Fox as international trade secretary and Amber Rudd as home secretary. Michael Fallon kept his job as defence secretary.
Markets had fallen in love with Asos again, as the company continued to execute the same strategy as Amazon.com before it, pursuing high-turnover and low margins at the same time, thus creating barriers to entry for competitors, the Financial Times's Lex column said.

The trick lay in growing your company's sales quickly enough and as Asos's latest trading update revealed it was managing to do that quite well, the tipster explained.

Sales in the June quarter clocked in at a rate of growth of 30%, sending the shares promptly higher.

Asos was also successfully pursuing growth in the US market, with revenues in constant currency terms higher by 39% in the States, much more than in any other region.

Furthermore, the digital fashion retailer stood to gain from the drop in sterling, what with over half of its sales coming from overseas while four-fifths of its costs were denominated in pounds.

"After a brutal correction in 2014, the market loves Asos again," Lex concluded.

Things were looking up for Premier Oil, despite which The Times's Tempus advised readers to 'take profits'.

Nonetheless, Tempus was not concerned by the oil explorer's level of debt, which was still at $2.6bn.

Premier Oil was negotiating an extension to the duration of its debts and not much was repayable over the next couple of years anyhow, Tempus said.

In parallel, oil production was starting to ramp-up at its Solan field in the North Sea, which meant the outfit was finally turning cash-positive.

Another big project in the North Sea, the Catcher field, was due to come on-stream in the backhalf of 2016, buttressing the company's cashflow.

The company's purchase of North Sea assets from Germany's E.On should also pay off in time, Tempus said, and flows from Solan would give the company further 'room-to-manouvre' on deals.

Depending on where the oil price was at in 2017 Premier might also be able to find a partner to help fund its Sea Lion project, offshore the Falklands.

Nevertheless, given the sharp run-up in the share price Tempus said: "I like them long-term, but anyone who took my advice and bought might now consider taking some profits."




When Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming, Georgia, centralized its EKG, or electrocardiogram, and telemetry monitoring systems, it ran into an unexpected obstacle.

"When we were looking for qualified candidates, we were challenged to find a candidate pool with the right kind of educational background and experience," said Amy Browning, manager of Cardiology Services at Northside Hospital Forsyth.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Division of Professional and Continuing Education had the answer. It could supply trained technicians through its EKG technician program, which involved 50 hours of course work during an eight-week period.

"We found the course taught at UNG mirrors the course that we offered internally at Northside," Browning said.

The result was UNG and Northside formed a partnership. UNG offered the EKG technician program while Northside furnished a job shadowing program for students after the course. The intended outcome was the hospital potentially hiring the students after they passed the test and earned certification.

That has already happened. Northside hired Carly Hall of Marietta, Georgia, and Sarah Harris of Cumming after they completed the training course, passed the certification test and finished an internship.

"They have become integrated into the team," Browning said. "They are active and engaged. The comprehensive didactic education the candidates received at UNG really offered good foundation in ECG and cardiac monitoring."

On an average day, Hall and Harris sit in a room and watch the real-time results of telemetry monitors on 150 patients. They notify doctors and nurses of any changes of the EKG, which measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat.

"The monitor tech position is an integral position to care for our cardiac patients," Browning said. "They are our air-traffic controllers, functioning as the eyes and ears of our physicians and nurses."

Hall and Harris said they enjoy their work.

"I've fallen in love with this," said Hall, who has always wanted to work in the medical field and aspires to work in a catheterization lab. "Telemetry and EKG monitoring is a stepping stone to the cath lab."

Harris knew she wanted to work in the medical field but was uncertain about her path. Her mother, who is a neo-natal nurse at Northside, heard about the EKG technician program at UNG and encouraged her daughter to pursue it.

"What appealed to me was it was a short training program," Harris said. "Then I could get in here and find out if I like it."

She liked the work and loved the class.

"Our instructor was fantastic," Harris said. "She was encouraging."

Hall agreed.

"She not only taught us what we needed to know, but she also taught us how to work with nurses and doctors and what to expect," she said.

Brooke Smith, associate director of the Division of Professional and Continuing Education at UNG, said establishing partnerships between UNG and other businesses is part of its mission.

"We want to be seen as a resource for businesses, industries and government for workforce development especially in the fields that are part of the Governors High Demand Career Initiative," she said.

Another part of Professional and Continuing Education's mission is to provide quick entry career training to help residents advance in their careers or find a new career. The partnership between UNG's EKG technician program and Northside exemplifies that point.

"The goal is for students to go through the program and have the ability to work at a renowned hospital," Smith said.
Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre today dedicated two crucial bridges in eastern Arunachal Pradesh to the nation.

By Manjeet Negi: The Narendra Modi government is laying deep stress on improving road infrastructure in northeast to counter China, which was shown during the earlier visit of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman a couple of months ago.

Showcasing its commitment, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre today dedicated two crucial bridges in eastern Arunachal Pradesh to the nation. The minister, arrived at Mohanbari Air Force Station in Dibrugarh, Assam, early this morning from New Delhi on a two days visit to the region.

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Bhamre flew to Rowing in eastern Arunachal Pradesh where he inaugurated the two bridges. Out of the two, he first inaugurated the Injupani Bridge, a 140-metre long-bridge on Roing-Koronu-Paya road, which is a part of Trans Arunachal Highway. The completion of the Injupani Bridge will provide an uninterrupted access between Roing & Tezu, both important district HQs in Arunachal Pradesh.

The minister, then, inaugurated the Deopani/Eze Bridge, which is 300-metre long pre-stressed concrete balanced cantilever bridge over the Eze river at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh.

Dedicating both the bridges to the nation, the minister praised the commendable work being done by Project Udayak of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in this region. He appreciated the timely completion of these crucial bridges, which would provide round-the-year connectivity to the strategic Dibang Valley bordering China.

--- ENDS ---
It was never a question which college Jordan Spraker would attend  Virginia Tech was always her number one choice. The questions came later as she delved into her chosen major.

She started out studying engineering but wasnt getting the best grades. She changed her major four times before hitting her stride, and now, Spraker, of Covington, Virginia, is graduating with a degree in hospitality and tourism management from the Pamplin College of Business, a minor in psychology from the College of Science, and enough practical experience to make her a contender in a competitive professional industry.

It is the combination of academic studies and hands-on learning that makes Spraker a stand-out graduate. For two years, Spraker worked at West End Market dining center, working up to her current position as student manager and assisting with hiring nearly 150 student employees this semester.



Being a student manager at West End has taught me a lot by being held accountable and responsible for leading and developing our team, as well as overseeing the day-to-day operations. I have learned how to be an effective and efficient leader, and I have made so many wonderful friends. I feel I will always be managing for the rest of my career, so to be able to have this experience has helped me tremendously for my future.



Spraker is also founding president of Omega Phi Alpha, a national service sorority. It helped shape me into the leader I am, while making friends, giving back to our community, and living up to Virginia Techs motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), she said.



Sprakers personal journey and choices inform her advice to current students. Enjoy what you do, she said. If you dont like the classes you are currently in, find something you enjoy and switch to that. I kept fighting to graduate with a biological systems engineering degree; however, I then completed the Disney College Program and realized I wanted to do that for the rest of my life. I also took some psychology classes for fun, and before I knew it, I only needed a few more classes for a minor. So, if you think you may like doing something else better than what you are doing now, you may end up being a lot happier, even if it means graduating a semester behind.



Post-graduation, Spraker will be working for White Lodging Hotel Property Management Company as front desk manager at the Downtown Marriott location in Louisville, Kentucky. I am excited to start a new journey, learn new things, make new friends, and explore a new area, she said. I am also really excited to be in Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby! Its kind of scary to move to a new place by myself, but I am definitely more excited than scared to start this new adventure. I plan to live in many different states as I develop in my career, just to experience new cultures and to explore.



Spraker said that she eventually wants to go back to school for an MBA, but may also get a masters in finance. My ultimate goal is to end up in the corporate offices for the Walt Disney Company, so I will definitely need to continue to learn and develop my leadership skills, she said.



I have learned how to be independent and have grown as a leader. I have had such a wonderful experience at Virginia Tech, and it is very rewarding and exciting to see all my hard work playing out. I am excited to start working in the real world.



Written by Sandy Broughton.


When Adam Goode entered the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in August 2016, he had already been a financial trader and software developer.

I was interested in both fields, but there was something missing for me, the UVA graduate said.

That something was the human element, which he found right away as a medical student. Goode was one of nine students at the school who were awarded named scholarships this year. Goode received the Daniel and Katina Carusillo VTC School of Medicine Scholarship, which is awarded annually to two deserving students at the medical school.

All of my classmates enjoy being here, but tuition and living expenses are big stressors for a lot of them, Goode said. Any help means a lot, not just financially but also the fact that people reach out and understand.

The journey from medical school to becoming a doctor is a long one, Daniel Carusillo, an anesthesiologist in California, said. If people want to go forward on this journey, we need to help them along the way.

Goode, who is a second-year student, said having donors who fund scholarships consistently speaks well for the young schools growing reputation.

A lot of people are involved with the school, and they recognize that whats happening here is really special, he said.

One thing that sets the school apart is its small class size. Just 42 students, out of thousands that apply, are accepted into the rigorous, research-heavy curriculum each year.

The biggest factor for me wanting to come here was the lure of the small class size, Goode said. With the world changing so rapidly, I think the fact that we are a small school makes us more nimble and better able to adapt to new opportunities.

Goode said he had friends at larger medical schools who tell him the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine is unique in many ways.

One way is its curriculum that puts small groups of students together, along with a faculty facilitator, to study a different medical case each week. At the end of the week, the actual patient and their physician visit the class to share their experiences and answer questions from the students.

Im a big proponent of the peer-to-peer teaching that we do in our small groups, Goode said. I think it creates a more dynamic learning environment, and I can retain information better.

Another unique component of the schools curriculum is a mandatory four-year research project in which students produce a paper that is of publishable quality in an academic journal. To date, 53 students have had their research appear in 61 national publications.

Goode is involved in two research projects under the mentorship of T.K. Miller, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. In one project, he is focusing on what drives hospital readmissions for orthopaedic patients and the health economics around readmission rates. For the other project, Goode is doing mathematical modeling in the lab of Harald Sontheimer, director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute Center for Glial Biology in Health, Disease, and Cancer. Sontheimer is also the director of the School of Neuroscience in the College of Science.

Goodes enthusiasm about research is driven by his passion to explore the unknown.

Medical students are curious people, he said. A lot of times, theres no right answer. Thats kind of frustrating for some people, but I think it can be exciting, too. Its like entering an unknown world that needs to be explored.

Goode, who is an avid trail runner and cross country skier, is also active in the ultrasound club that he started at the medical school. The group quickly formed a team and went to a national ultrasound competition last year. They didnt win, but they did pretty well considering most of the competitors were fourth-year medical students.

In fact, thats another unique feature of the school. Students get ultrasound training in their first year, while most students at other schools arent introduced to it until third-year electives.

I think its really helpful to have ultrasound experience when you go into your clerkships in year three, he said. People appreciate when you can provide that skill.

Overall, Goode is glad he chose to move into a more people-oriented profession. His interests are in surgery and cardiology, and he is very glad to be learning the profession in Roanoke.

One thing I really enjoy in Roanoke is this air of excitement, he said. The city is growing fast. There are a lot of businesses coming to the area. Its a really amazing time to be here.
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.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 11 (PTI) A trader of electronics goods, who was abducted by two men, including one of his former employees, was rescued today from Nilothi Extension in outer Delhi, the police said.

S Gupta (28) was abducted on December 9 when he was on his way to his showroom at Paschim Vihar.

The abductors had demanded a ransom of Rs 5 crore from Guptas family members. Subsequently, the father of the trader had approached the police and a case was registered.

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The police went to around 250 houses in the locality with Guptas photographs, said M N Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer Delhi).

"An information was received about a suspicious car at Nilothi Extension. A raid was conducted and the victim was successfully rescued from the two men -- Manish (23) and Satnam Singh (44) -- who were arrested," the DCP said.

During interrogation, Manish told the police that he used to work at Guptas Karol Bagh godown years ago. PTI VIT RC

--- ENDS ---
Minnesota governor Mark Dayton will announce his choice for his state's next U.S. Senator Wednesday morning at 10AM (11AM ET). The appointment will take over after Al Franken leaves the Senate, although the incumbent Senator still hasn't said when he plans to actually resign. It seems a bit odd to name a replacement before the actual resignation, but here we are.

Here's a list of five people the governor may choose, from Minnesota Public Radio.

The appointment is temporary; there will be an election next November to fill what will then be the final two years of Franken's term. As a result, both Minnesota Senate seats will be contested in 2018.

We've updated our Senate interactive map to include this special election. The map below shows the current Senate race ratings from Sabato's Crystal Ball. They've started the Minnesota special at 'Leans Democrat'. Today's Alabama special election remains at 'toss-up'.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

The families of the two teenagers who were shot and killed by a gunman during a shooting at Aztec High School last week are holding funeral services for them this weekend.

The service for Francisco Paco Fernandez, 17, will be held Friday at Pinon Hills Community Church in Farmington.

Services for Casey J. Marquez, 17, will be held on Sunday at San Juan College in the Henderson Fine Arts Building.

Fernandez and Marquez were killed on Thursday when investigators say 21-year-old William Atchison pretended to be a student at Aztec High School and brought a gun into the building with plans to take a classroom hostage. The 17-year-olds were the only victims and no one else was injured.

Jamie Saavedra, president of New Mexico Council of Car Clubs, said a Fernandez family friend reached out to her Monday morning to ask for her help in getting lowrider cars to attend the services.

She said the woman told her Fernandez loved the unique cars.

Were trying to make the event as special as it can be considering the circumstances, Saavedra said.

She said the plan is to have the cars escort the family and casket to the cemetery.

Schools throughout the Aztec district remained closed Monday, but classes at Lydia Rippey Elementary, McCoy Elementary, Mosaic Academy, Park Avenue Elementary, Koogler Middle School and Vista Nueva High School resumed today, according to the San Juan County Sheriffs Office.

Return dates to school for AHS students will be provided as information becomes available, according to the sheriffs office Facebook page.

The memorial service for Francisco Paco Fernandez, 17, will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 15 at Pinon Hills Community Church at 5101 N. Dustin Ave. in Farmington.

The memorial service for Casey J. Marquez, 17, will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17 at the San Juan College in the Henderson Fine Arts Building at 4601 College Blvd in Farmington.
Albuquerque Public Schools staff has recommended that the board of education approve three of the four low-performing charter schools seeking to switch from state to district control.

Architecture Construction and Engineering Leadership High School, Health Leadership High School and Technology Leadership High School  all members of the Leadership Schools Network  received the districts backing. Academy of Trades & Technology was not recommended for authorization.

The districts support did come with some caveats: The Leadership schools were recommended for three-year terms, rather than the typical five years, and they must meet a number of goals, such as boosting participation in assessments.

APS board members will consider the schools during the policy and instruction committee meeting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

New Mexico Public Education Department Secretary-designate Christopher Ruszkowski told the Journal that APS should not back the schools because their results are so poor.

After more than five years of visiting the school sites, monitoring progress, and conducting a full academic analysis, we can safely say that the Public Education Department would not have landed in the same place, Ruszkowski said in a statement. Its hard to justify how charter schools earning multiple failing grades in a row and drawing significant taxpayer resources without getting tangible results for kids can go authorizer shopping. Its even harder to justify how another authorizer would interpret that multi-year track record as a rationale for renewal for some schools, but not others. Its now totally unclear where APS stands on the health of the charter school sector.

Ruszkowski has claimed that the schools want to decamp for APS because they know PED would likely not support their charter renewal applications at the Public Education Commission.

Each has earned a string of D or F grades and test scores are dismal.

Joseph Escobedo, APS charter school director, declined to comment on individual schools, but said the district conducts thorough reviews based on multiple factors including academic performance, finances and strategic plans.

These complicated recommendations follow a solid process that is aligned to New Mexico State Statute and national best practices, he said in a statement.

Daniel Ivey-Soto, an attorney who represents the three Leadership Schools, argued that the schools are looking for an authorizer that is supportive and communicative, not shopping for a free pass.

He said it was unfair for Ruszkowski to declare that the PED would not have backed the schools reauthorization without actually conducting a formal review.

Academy of Trades & Technology Principal Karen S. Griego-Sanchez referred comment to governing council vice president Dick Winterbottom, who could not be reached Monday afternoon. He previously told the Journal that the school is offering kids a second chance at success.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

A chance encounter with a pregnant heroin addict and a lawmans quick decision to adopt her baby has people calling Albuquerque police officer Ryan Holets a hero, but he says that honor belongs to someone else.

My wife is the true hero, the 27-year-old said during a small ceremony at City Hall on Monday. I brought the baby home, but she takes care of the baby.

The baby, who Ryan and Rebecca Holets named Hope, was born Oct. 12. She had heroin and crystal meth in her system and had to endure detox for about two weeks, suffering withdrawal symptoms.

Mayor Tim Keller presented an Outstanding Service to the Community award to Holets at the ceremony, calling him a hero and role model. Holets story has garnered national attention, with stories about his act of kindness featured on CNN and in The Washington Post.

We did not expect it would go this big, he said. We are thankful the message is getting out. That its putting a face on addiction.

It was a September afternoon when Holets responded to a call in the area and came upon a man and a woman behind a convenience store near Montgomery and Carlisle. They were shooting up heroin.

The woman, Crystal Champ, 35, also happened to be eight months pregnant.

Holets was stunned. In his lapel cam video Holets can be heard asking Champ if shes pregnant and how far along she is. She tells him eight months.

Oh my gosh, he says.   Why are you gonna be doing that stuff? Its going to ruin your baby. Its going to kill your baby.

Champ breaks down in tears at that point. Holets said at that moment he softened.

He decided it would be better to focus on what he could do for the couple and the baby instead of simply arresting them on drug charges.

She cared, he said. Ive met addicts who dont care what happens to their babies. That really got me.

The two began a conversation about Champs addiction and the impending birth of her child. She told Holets that she knew she was in no position to have a child and hoped to find someone to adopt the baby.

Holets said that while hes seen a lot as an officer, this situation rattled him. After speaking to her, he went and sat in his patrol car for a few minutes.

I was compelled by God to go back and offer to adopt her baby, he said.

Holets went back and told Champ about his family, that he had a wife, a 5-year-old daughter, twin boys who are almost 4, and a year-old girl.

He offered to adopt the baby, but he said Champ did not immediately accept his offer.

Holets gave Champ his contact information and knew there was something else he needed to do immediately.

He had not discussed his offer to adopt with his wife, Rebecca. She was at a going-away party nearby, so he drove right over to tell her.

Rebecca Holets said she was not angry that her husband had made a life-changing decision without her because the two had already decided to adopt or foster children. They just hadnt decided when and how.

But fate worked out the details for them. Rebecca Holets said she was absolutely excited about the prospect of adopting.

He walked in and said, So I met this lady today,  she recalled. I thought that was an interesting choice of words. He said, Shes shooting up heroin and eight months pregnant. I agreed to adopt her baby. 

Ryan Holets said he and his wife initially offered to foster the baby until her mother could go to rehab and get clean, but it was not something Champ was ready to do.

The Holetses eventually took Champ to dinner so that she could meet Rebecca and they could discuss the babys future.

Rebecca said, When you see situations like this, its important to see everyone as a human being. We saw her as a human being who was trapped and loved her baby.

The adoption will become final by the end of the year.

The Holetses agreed to pay for counseling for Champ and the father of her baby, who was the man seen in the video, in addition to attorneys fees for the adoption. The Holetses also had to undergo an intense investigative home study that included interviews, several home visits and filling out paperwork detailing their backgrounds and the reasons they wanted to adopt.

Ryan Holets was raised with nine siblings, so a big family is nothing new to him. Rebecca had two siblings, but she was open to having a large family, saying that her mother-in-law was her inspiration. Both of the Holetses mothers attended the award ceremony at City Hall.

The Holetses met as teens at church, started dating in college and married not long after that.

Ryan Holets joined the police academy six years ago, when he was 21, after a short stint as an aviation mechanic.

I wasnt planning on growing it (his family) this fast, he said. But God has changed my heart. We view children as a blessing.
SANTA FE  Monday was the day for bidders to submit their proposals for running Los Alamos National Laboratory starting in October 2018 but no list of which entities entered the competition was released.

The National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency that oversees the nations weapons labs, did not provide information on the bidders.

The University of California, part of the private consortium that currently runs LANL and which before 2006 had run the lab since World War II on its own, did acknowledge that it submitted a proposal. The UCal regents voted in November to compete for the new contract.

Over the weekend, the Austin American Statesman reported that UCal would partner with Texas A&M University. The Texas schools regents also previously voted to develop a bid for $2.2 billion annual LANL contract.

But a Texas A&M spokesperson who took a call from the Journal did not call back with a comment. A UCal representative said, We arent confirming or discussing any of our bid partners at this time.

The University of Texas board also has authorized submission of a LANL management proposal and authorized spending $4.5 million on the effort. A spokesperson there also did not call back when asked to confirm whether UT had actually submitted a bid or had partners in making a proposal.

The current lab operator is Los Alamos National Security LLC (LANS), which won the contract in the first-ever open competition and took over 11 years ago. In addition to UCal, the other entities in the LANS consortium are Bechtel, BWXT Government Group, Inc., and URS, an AECOM company.

Bechtels Fred deSousa said Monday, We wont be commenting on the procurement process right now. Were concentrating on managing the Lab safely and efficiently as part of the LANS team.

LANS failed to get a contract extension beyond September 2018 because of inadequate performance reviews from the federal government in recent years, in particular after a drum of radioactive waste improperly packed at Los Alamos burst at the nations only nuclear waste storage facility at Carlsbad in 2014, shutting the facility down.

The federal Department of Energy decided to put the contract out for bids for the first time ever in 2005 after an earlier series of mishaps under UCal, including missing disks of classified information and a property management scandal that led to criminal charges against two lab officials.

Officials at the University of New Mexico and New Mexico Tech both said Monday that the schools had agreed to be equally available to all bidders in the LANL competition.

UNM has a strong history of research and academic collaboration with LANL, and we look forward to continuing that partnership and working with the new leadership team, said Joe Cecchi, senior advisor to the UNM president for National Laboratory Relations.

No comment was available from New Mexico State University.
By PTI: Bengaluru, Dec 12 (PTI) Violence over the mysterious death of a teenager inAHonnavar last week spread to another town in KarnatakasAcoastal Uttara Kannada district today as the BJP stepped up its protest and sought an NIA probe in the case.

Police said they resorted to "mild" lathichargeAand used tear gas to disperse the agitators as a section of them pelted stones at the forces, damaged vehicles and burnt tyres during a protest called by the BJP and others in Sirsi.

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The saffron party has maintained that 18-year old Paresh Kamalakar Mesta was a "Hindu activist" killed by "Jehadi elements", and demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Kumta in the same district also witnessed violence when the car of IGP (Western Range) Hemanth Nimbalkar was set ablaze yesterday amid protests seeking justice for Mesta, whose body was found on Friday. He was reported missing on December 6.

Mestas family and locals have alleged that he was abducted andAkilled amid reports that the body bore marks of attack byAsharp objects.

Police, however, rejected these claims, citing theA postmortem report.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the BJP of using the incident for "political gains".

Senior police and district administration officialsAsaid the situation at Sirsi was now under control and peace hadA been restored by dispersing the crowd.

Several people, including local BJP MLA Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, were detained by the police.

Police said the situation in Kumta was also normal.

BJP and some other outfits had called the protest in Sirsi, demanding the arrest of those responsible forAMestas death.

Meanwhile, a political slug fest has erupted betweenAthe ruling Congress and the BJP, as the two hold each other responsible for theAincident.

"A desperate @BJP4Karnataka stoops so low as to useAthe unfortunate death of a youth Paresh Mesta in Honnavar forA political gains...People areAgetting hurt by their irresponsible acts," Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.

Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy claimed such incidents wereAprovoked "purposefully" by the BJP, keeping in mind the assembly elections, due early next year.

Stating that the BJPs intention was to disturb law and order, Reddy asserted, "We wont let that happen. We will takeAappropriate action as per law".

The BJP, which has termed the death as "the handiwork of jehadi elements", today petitioned Governor Vajubhai Vaila, demanding a probe by the NIA in the case.

BJP leaders led by K S Eshwarappa staged a protest march from Vidhana Soudha, state secretariat, to Raj Bhavan here.

Calling Mesta a "Hindu activist", Eshwarappa accused the government of turning Karnataka into Kerala, and claimed this wasA20th such killing of a Hindu activist in the state.

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He alleged police and doctors (involved in postmortem)A had been "utilised" by the government to "close the case".

Another BJP leader R Ashoka said party leaders willAalso be meeting Union Homer Minister Rajnath Singh soon toAapprise him of the situation in the state.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Party (KPCC) accused the BJP of playing "politics of cadaver".

"We do not discriminate. Whether a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian or a Parsi is killed, it is deplorable. Nobody can support it. But the BJP loves doing the politics of cadaver. It incites communal tension in the state for political gain," KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged.

Talking to reporters, he rubbished the accusations made by BJP leaders thatAthe Congress-led state government had failed to containAmurderous assaults on RSS workers. PTI KSU GMS RA VS SRY

--- ENDS ---
SANTA FE  Call up New Mexicos transparency website and youll find the contact information for three state employees ready to help answer questions.

But one of those employees, Robert McEntyre, left state government eight months ago.

And the site misspells the name of another, Wyndham Kemsley.

The problems go well beyond that, says state Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque. At one point, the site  established by a 2010 law  had gone years without posting the required information on school finances, he said, and its still not clear whether the data are all there.

This is law. This is supposed to be done, Rue said in an interview. Its not a wish list.

Legislative staff and an independent advocacy group, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, are now reviewing the Sunshine Portal to see what information is missing or outdated. State law requires the posting of many financial documents, contracts and other data.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinezs administration disputes that any information is missing. The problem with school budget data, a spokesman said, was caused by a contractor that helps maintain the site and fixed immediately.

Transparency has and always will be a very important part of this administration, Kemsley, a spokesman for the Department of Information Technology, said in a statement. Since Day One, weve committed to being open and transparent, and that includes making improvements to the Sunshine Portal.

Darryl Ackley, Cabinet secretary for information technology, told lawmakers last week that his staff is doing the best it can with limited resources.

The documents and information required to be posted, he said, are spread across many state agencies  some within the administrations control, some not  making it difficult to ensure its all going on the site. Thousands of documents a day might be required for posting, he said.

The amount of data we have as a state is staggering, Ackley said during a meeting of the Legislative Finance Committee. But I agree theres a lot more we can do.

Peter St. Cyr, executive director of the Foundation for Open Government, said his group is carrying out an exhaustive review of whats required by law to be posted on the portal and whats actually there.

We support the publics ability to search for records and information online at their own convenience  because too often their records requests are delayed, deferred or denied, he said, and this is a great way to take the burden off of records custodians.

The Sunshine Portal was launched in the waning weeks of then-Gov. Bill Richardsons administration. Rue, a Republican, led a bipartisan push for the bill in the 2010 session, with help from then-Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, a Democrat.

There have been several updates since then, with new laws passed requiring more information to be published on the site.

Rue said the site isnt easy enough to navigate, making it difficult to determine what has been posted.

A 2015 law, for example, calls for the portal to publish state contracts for the lease, sale or development of state land, but a tab on the site titled State Land Contracts is empty, showing results only if the user searches by a previous year. There are no results for this fiscal year.

Its an embarrassment, Rue said.

But Kemsley said the portal complies with the law. Any problems reported to the Department of Information Technology help desk have been addressed, he said.

Over the past seven years, he said, several laws have been enacted by the Legislature to expand the mission and the depth of the information posted on the portal. Despite all these laws being unfunded mandates, DoIT has worked diligently to implement these new requirements with very limited resources.

He added: All of these capabilities have been added to the portal in accordance with statute.

Rue, however, didnt hold back last week when he questioned Martinez administration officials about the school data. He also suggested the portal doesnt have all the required contract information published, including records showing which contracts have been awarded to in- and out-of-state vendors.

This was going to be the most transparent, open executive administration weve ever had, Rue said, and it hasnt happened.
A man charged with being the intruder who entered an apartment while a woamn was sleeping, tried to remove her covers and allegedly offered her drugs told police he was in the wrong apartment.

Asaias Menjivar, 21, is charged with aggravated burglary, assault with intent to commit a violent felony, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Hes still in jail on a $5,000 bond, according to jail records.

A woman called police around 7:30 a.m. Thursday and said an unknown man was in her apartment and was trying to get her to take a small white pill, according to a criminal complaint.

Menjivar was still there when police arrived and answered the door, the complaint states. The woman told officers that she was awakened by the feeling of someone taking her blankets off and started yelling at Menjivar to get out.

Menjivar told officers through a Spanish translator that he thought someone else he knew lived at the apartment and was seeing if that person would let him smoke crack there. He denied ever entering her room or offering her drugs.
BOGOTA, Colombia  In a jailhouse audio recording released Monday, Josh Holt  the former Mormon missionary from Utah who has been detained in Venezuela for more than a year  sounds weak and frightened.

Im very dizzy and I cant think and my stomach hurts, he says in the 40-second voicemail message received by his parents. It hurts bad, and I dont know what to do. Ive never felt like this before.

Alarmed by the new recording, Holts family on Monday pleaded with the administration in Caracas to release him.

Josh Holt is in a delicate state and therefore we ask again that Venezuela releases him under humanitarian grounds immediately, the family said in a statement. Our leaders in the U.S. Government (should) double their efforts in bringing him home before its too late.

Holts family and the U.S. State Department have said they fear Holts health is being neglected by prison authorities.

We remain extremely concerned for his health and his well-being, Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said last week in a briefing. The decline in his health has been further exacerbated by the Venezuelan authorities delays in providing necessary medical treatment. Sometimes they have blocked his care altogether.

In June, his mother, Laurie Moon Holt, said her son had shed 50 pounds and was losing his hair due to stress.

Holt was arrested in Caracas on June 30, 2016, on charges of hiding two automatic rifles and a hand grenade at the home he was sharing with his new wife, Thamara Caleno, and her children.

Holts lawyers and family say hes innocent. And an eyewitness to his arrest says he was framed  that the weapons were planted by police.

Holt is being held in the Helicoide, a Caracas jail that is usually reserved for high-profile prisoners.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

A U.S. district judge has thrown out the federal class-action lawsuit against the state Supreme Court and its judges over rules affecting pretrial detention, finding that the claims raised are without merit.

Criminal defendants have never been guaranteed the option of monetary bail under New Mexico law in existence before or after the 2017 rules, U.S. District Judge Robert A. Junell wrote in his 42-page ruling issued Monday.

The lawsuit was filed in July by the Bail Bond Association of New Mexico, a handful of Democratic and Republican state lawmakers and a woman who spent five days at the Metropolitan Detention Center. The plaintiffs had sought an injunction to prevent courts from using the new Supreme Court rules, arguing that those rules are unconstitutional because the availability of bail is enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

Among the defendants named in the lawsuit were New Mexicos Supreme Court justices, the chief judges of the 2nd Judicial District Court and Metropolitan Court and the Bernalillo County Commission.

The Supreme Court issued the rules after voters in November 2016 supported a constitutional amendment that said people could be held in jail without bail until their trial if they are found to be a danger to the community. It also said inmates who are not a risk could be released from custody even if they couldnt afford a monetary bond. The rules went into effect in July.

The bond association said the rules have decimated its profession, as most defendants are being released from custody as soon as they appear before a judge without having to post a bond.

Barry Massey, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of the Courts, said he was aware of the federal court ruling but could not comment late Monday. In a court filing in August, the Supreme Court and other defendants called the lawsuit a desperate move by the bail bonding industry to regain control over pretrial release practices.

The president of the New Mexico Bail Bonds Association expressed dismay at Mondays ruling.

Im disappointed, of course, said Gerald Madrid. It didnt appear we were close on any of our issues.

Madrid said hed be meeting with Blair Dunn, the attorney for the bail bonds association, today to discuss options. Its just crushing.  Its overwhelming for the (bond) industry, he said. I dont see anything thats positive thats come of these changes to court rules.

In his ruling, Judge Junell granted the defendants motion to dismiss the lawsuit and denied plaintiffs motion to amend their complaint, determining that all the federal claims they wanted to add would be futile. He also found that the Bail Bond Association of New Mexico and individual state lawmakers lack standing to bring the suit, although he did find that Darlene Collins  the plaintiff in the lawsuit who spent about five days in jail in July  did have standing to file the lawsuit.

Junell then went through an exhaustive analysis of the claims raised in the lawsuit and why they cannot move forward.

In the present case, the fact that Collins was released on her own recognizance with minimal conditions does not shock the Courts conscience, nor does the absence of a monetary bail option in lieu of, or in addition to, any potential restrictions that are aimed at deterring dangerousness, Junell wrote. Moreover, Collins failed to challenge any nonmonetary conditions of release when she had the opportunity to do so at her pretrial detention hearing. Either way, Plaintiffs present no grounds for finding that a criminal defendants option to obtain monetary bail is a fundamental right or implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  A U.S. Department of Energy office is investigating whats described as a near miss to a fatality at Los Alamos National Laboratory, apparently after a worker went into a room despite the sounding of a low-oxygen alarm.

A letter last week to the labs president posted on a DOE website says the incident took place on Sept. 13 when an employee of Los Alamos National Security LLC (LANS), which runs the lab under a federal contract, entered a room containing an oxygen deficient atmosphere.

The incident  which becomes public as the lab faces scrutiny for other safety issues  revealed potential deficiencies in implementation of requirements for emergency response and pressure system design, says the Dec. 6 letter from Kevin L. Dressman, acting director of the Office of Enforcement in DOEs Office of Enterprise Assessments.

LANS reported the incident to DOE in a filing titled: Near Miss: Worker Enters Room During Low Oxygen Alarm Activation, according to the letter.

No elaboration on what happened was available from the lab or the National Nuclear Security Administration, the semi-autonomous wing of the DOE that oversees the nations nuclear weapons labs.

We are cooperating fully with the U.S. Department of Energys Office of Enforcement, said LANL spokesman Matt Nerzig.

An NNSA spokesperson said in a statement: The National Nuclear Security Administration is committed to ensuring the safety of our workforce. We work closely with DOEs Office of Enterprise Assessments Office of Enforcement to verify effective implementation of DOEs worker safety and health regulations at all of our plants and laboratories. We expect Los Alamos National Laboratory to cooperate fully with this investigation by the Office of Enforcement.

Dressmans letter to outgoing lab president Charles McMillan said the investigation will include an on-site visit at Los Alamos and interviews with people who work for LANS, a private consortium that includes the University of California and Bechtel.

Safety issues at the lab this year have included mistaken shipping of radioactive material aboard a commercial cargo plane and placement of too much plutonium in one location. The lab said of the latter incident that there was never any risk of a criticality incident, in which an uncontrolled nuclear reaction takes place.

A report this fall by an independent safety oversight board hit the lab for shortcomings in its handling of simulations of potential disasters like an earthquake or an active shooter. And NNSA is in the midst of a study of whether to continue making plutonium pits, the triggers for nuclear weapons, at LANL or to move the work to a South Carolina site.

The lab said in an internal memo earlier this year that operations at its plutonium facility and its safety programs have successfully undergone more than a dozen independent external reviews and that its close to being fully operational after safety problems forced work to be suspended in 2013, according to an Associated Press report.

Last weeks notice of an investigation over the near miss emerged on Mondays deadline for bidders to submit proposals for a new LANL operating contract that will become effective in October.

LANS, the labs operating contractor since 2006, failed to get adequate performance reviews for an extension of the $2.2 billion annual contract beyond the current fiscal year. LANS most costly error was the improper packing of a drum of radioactive waste at LANL that later burst at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant at Carlsbad, shutting down the nations underground nuclear waste storage facility.

The University of California, part of the LANS consortium, confirmed Monday that it has submitted a proposal for the new LANL contract, but a spokesperson wouldnt say whether the university has any bidding partners. The Austin American Statesman reported over the weekend that UCal will partner with Texas A&M University, whose board had previously voted to proceed with development of a proposal to manage LANL. Bechtel had no comment on whether it has an interest in the new contract.
FARMINGTON  A man arrested by a New Mexico State Police officer in downtown Farmington Wednesday afternoon is accused of his ninth DWI charge.

Lucas Chee, 37, faces four charges including a third-degree felony count of driving while under the influence of liquor or drugs (seventh or subsequent offense), according to the criminal complaint.

He had a Gallup address and a Shiprock address listed on court documents filed in the case.

An expedited motion for pre-trial detention filed by the San Juan County District Attorneys Office lists eight DWI convictions for Chee.

He has three felony convictions, four misdemeanor convictions and one petty misdemeanor conviction for DWI.

The DAs office wrote in the motion that Chee poses a threat to the community and no conditions of release could protect the community from his actions.

A state police officer observed a vehicle Wednesday afternoon with a non-functioning registration lamp drive past him near the intersection of East Broadway Avenue and South Orchard Avenue in Farmington, according to the probable cause statement.

The officer turned on emergency lights and followed the vehicle, which later pulled over into a parking lot on the 400 block of W. Main St.

The officer approached the vehicle and smelled a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle while speaking to Chee and a female sitting in the front passenger seat, according to court documents.

Chee exited the vehicle and told the officer he drank four cans of beer earlier in the day. The officer reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol from Chees mouth while he spoke.

After performing a sobriety test, Chee was arrested and transported to the state police District 10 office in Farmington.

At the office, Chee is accused of refusing to submit to a blood-alcohol test.

Chees preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Farmington Magistrate Court. A hearing regarding Chees conditions of release is set for 11 a.m. Thursday in Aztec District Court.

He was incarcerated at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on a no-bond hold as of this afternoon.

Joshua Kellogg covers crime, courts and social issues for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.



2017 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)

Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at www.daily-times.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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LAS CRUCES  A 24-year-old Las Cruces man pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges of using interstate communications to threaten the lives and safety of children at a Las Cruces public elementary school, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Mexico.

The man, Michael Estrada, faces a maximum of five years in federal prison. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

Estrada was arrested on Sept. 15 after authorities said he used social media platforms to post threats to shoot children at Conlee Elementary School in Las Cruces.

According to a criminal complaint, the threats posted by Estrada led local schools authorities in Las Cruces to shelter students in place and shut down operations until Estrada was apprehended.

During Mondays proceeding, Estrada pled guilty to a felony information charging him with threatening to injure through the use of interstate communications.

In entering the guilty plea, Estrada admitted that on Sept. 15, he posted a threat on social media that he was going to open gunfire at Conlee Elementary. Estrada further admitted that as a result of his actions, the elementary school he threatened and several other Las Cruces elementary schools were placed on lock down.



2017 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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SILVER CITY  A elementary school teacher in Silver City has been arrested after authorities found inappropriate videos on his cell phone.

Frank Ramos Arias, 38, of Bayard, New Mexico, was arrested Friday and charged with voyeurism of a child under 18 years of age, a fourth-degree felony. He was booked into the Grant County Detention Center.

Arias is a teacher at Stout Elementary School in Silver City.

New Mexico State Police report they were notified of allegations on Oct. 27. NMSP Investigations Bureau agents then conducted interviews with students and learned the teacher was suspected of using his cell phone to take inappropriate photos of students.

Arias was interviewed and denied all allegations, according to state police.

The Sixth Judicial Magistrate Court approved a search warrant for Arias phone.

State police said agents found videos on the cell phone which corroborated the victims statements.

Before he was employed in Silver City, Arias was a second-grade teacher at Torres Elementary School in Deming, beginning in 2008.



2017 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  Staff members at a Scottsdale diner are sending thanks to a customer who left a $2,000 tip for all of them to share.

KTVK-TV reports 5 & Diner staff were stunned after an anonymous customer left them the large tip on Saturday after eating breakfast at their diner.

The customer left a message on his receipt where he wished them a merry Christmas and asked them to split the money among the whole staff.

Each employee that worked on Saturday took home $200.

The waiter who served the generous customer received $400.

___

Information from: KTVK-TV, http://www.azfamily.com/
BALTIMORE  U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday that an attack on the New York City subway system showed in the starkest terms that the failures of the U.S. immigration system are a national security issue.

Speaking at a news conference with the new chief of Homeland Security, Sessions said two terrorist attacks in New York in recent months were each carried out by men who were in the U.S. as a result of failed immigration policies.

Authorities said a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant is in custody after Mondays rush hour attack in New York, described as a botched suicide bombing mission.

Sessions called anew Tuesday on Congress to strengthen immigration laws and said President Donald Trumps administration was taking steps to more strictly enforce immigration law. Among those steps, he said, the administration has hired 50 immigration judges since January and plans to hire another 60 over the next six months to manage a backlog of cases that have overwhelmed the U.S. immigration system.

Sessions also said the immigration caseload has tripled since fiscal 2009, but that under President Trump, we have already taken steps to bring down the backlog in cases. He also said border crossings by undocumented immigrants are now at their lowest level in 45 years, but vowed that number can be zero.

Sessions spoke at the news conference with the new secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen M. Nielsen. She said U.S. law enforcement is redoubling efforts to sweep up members of MS-13 and other violent gangs that have spread from Latin America, adding their violence will not be tolerated within American communities.

She noted that MS-13 members are suspected of committing high-profile slayings in Maryland, Virginia and New York  at least one of those attacks just miles from the nations capital. A hallmark of the gang, which has ties to Central America, is repeated slashes to a victims body.

The MS-13 gang has become a prime target of the Trump administration amid its broader crackdown on immigration. Authorities said a national sweep in October netted more than 200 members.

Sessions afterward told reporters he had cast an absentee ballot in Tuesdays special U.S. Senate election in Alabama but declined to specify who he voted for, saying he values the sanctity of the ballot. The winner takes the seat Sessions held before he was tapped by Trump to become attorney general.

The people of Alabama are good and decent and wonderful people Ive been proud to serve for 20 years in the Senate, and theyll make the right decision, Im sure, Sessions said after the news conference.

Republican Roy Moore, 70  who was twice ousted as Alabama Supreme Court chief justice after flouting federal law  is seeking a political resurrection amid accusations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls when he was in his 30s. He is facing Democrat Doug Jones, 63, a former U.S. attorney best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klansmen who killed four black girls in a 1963 church bombing.

When asked if he stood by comments made last month to the House Judiciary Committee that he had no reason to doubt the women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct, Sessions said: I answered the question as I knew it at the time. He did not make any further comment Tuesday.

Republicans hold a narrow 52-48 Senate majority. A routine election in Republican-dominated Alabama wouldnt be expected to alter that balance because Alabamians havent sent a Democrat to the upper chamber of Congress since 1992. Trump notched a 28-point win in Alabama in 2016 and remains popular in the Deep South state.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are setting some unbelievably high couple goals after their fairytale wedding in Tuscany.

By India Today Web Desk: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma tied the knot yesterday, in an unbelievably dreamy ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. And ever since news broke that they were getting hitched this December, to now, when their photos are dominating everyone's social-media accounts, the Virushka wedding is all that anyone has been talking about.

Photos from their fairytale wedding under the Italian sun have been loved by anyone who has seen them. Their videos are making people go weak in the knees, wishing their partner too could match up to Kohli or Sharma. And above all, people have their eyes set on every little detail from the biggest wedding of the year.

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Now, a few photos of Virat and Anushka's pre-wedding shoot have surfaced online. And goes without saying, the photos are making people echo what filmmaker Karan Johar so aptly put it in a tweet today, "Anushka and Virat's wedding images have tapped into almost everyone's romantic instincts!! The singles are feeling a pang and the couples are feeling the love...( or the lack of it) ....ok am going back to staring at them!"

Anushka and Virats wedding images have tapped into almost everyones romantic instincts!! The singles are feeling a pang and the couples are feeling the love...( or the lack of it) ....ok am going back to staring at them!- Karan Johar (@karanjohar) December 12, 2017

The pre-wedding shoot took place in the 800-year-old heritage resort that Virat and Anushka chose as the destination they wanted to get married in: the Borgo Finocchieto. The resort comprises five villas, and is a restored 13th-Century village. The historic importance of Borgo Finocchieto lies in the fact that the village that it is built on, was on the path that the medieval pilgrims took to reach Rome from Canterbury.

With its undulating lawns and lavish interiors, Borgo Finocchieto screams 'luxury' from every corner. The resort was listed as the second among 20 most-expensive holiday destinations in the world by Forbes. It is a favourite with celebrities, with the Obamas holidaying in the Borgo Finocchieto in May this year.

Virat and Anushka's photos, where the two are looking at the horizon from a window in the Borgo, are beyond adorable.

See for yourself:

Husband & Wife ?????? Couple Goals ??????#Virushka #viratkohli #anushkasharma #coulplegoals A post shared by Sara (@virushka_folyf) on Dec 12, 2017 at 2:37am PST

Mr & Mrs Kohli ???????? #virushka #viratkohli #anushkasharma #couplegoals A post shared by Sara (@virushka_folyf) on Dec 12, 2017 at 2:38am PST

News of Virat and Anushka's wedding made headlines when we told you that the couple's friends and family had booked a place in Italy. It all reached a feverish pitch when the family priest of Anushka Sharma, Maharaj Anant Baba of Anant Dham in Haridwar, was snapped accompanying them to Italy.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

This match in Tuscany will be remembered for decades to come!

ALSO SEE | Full coverage: Virushka Wedding

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ALSO WATCH | Band, baaja, baarat: Best of images from Virat-Anushka's wedding in Italy

--- ENDS ---
BRUSSELS  European Union Council President Donald Tusk warned Tuesday that it will be a furious race against time for the EU and Britain to finish Brexit negotiations by next fall, saying only moderate progress has been achieved so far.

EU leaders will be asked at a summit starting Thursday to endorse proposals move to the second phase of negotiations and include future trade relations. Even if they do, Tusk warned most of the work is still ahead if Britain is to make an orderly departure from the EU on March 29, 2019.

In a signal of rough seas ahead, the two sides are already bickering over the stage-one deal announced with great fanfare on Friday.

The European Parliaments top Brexit legislator was among several EU leaders criticizing British negotiator David Davis for saying that last weeks agreement between the EU and Britain was merely a statement of intent, while they see it as cast in stone.

Guy Verhofstadt said it was an unacceptable description to call the deal anything less than a legally enforceable text.

Davis comments Sunday have caused unease in the EU which is expected to seep into the two-day summit. Verhofstadt told reporters at the EU legislature that Davis statement is really undermining the trust that is necessary in such negotiations.

It was a reminder of how precious a commodity trust is in the talks, which so far have reached agreement only on Britains outstanding EU bill, the joint EU-U.K. border in Ireland and citizens rights in each others countries.

We only have 10 months left to determine the transition period and our future relations with the UK. This will be a furious race against time, said Tusk in his invitation letter to EU leaders for their year-end summit on Thursday and Friday.

Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned Tuesday that we will not accept any backtracking from the U.K.

We will have a final agreement only if the political commitments taken by (Prime Minister) Theresa May in the name of the British government last Friday are respected, Barnier said.

German deputy foreign minister Michael Roth suggested some U.K. politicians were sending different messages to the EU and to domestic audiences. Mays government is divided between pro-EU lawmakers and politicians who favor a tough Brexit, and fear she may be compromising too much with the bloc.

One should act and speak exactly the same way here as in London, Roth said on the sidelines of a meeting in Brussels Tuesday, German news agency dpa reported. He said he was surprised that the British governments communication in Brussels was somewhat different to its communication in London.

Mays official spokesman, James Slack, insisted the British government was fully committed to keeping its side of the deal.

The agreement that was reached last week is a political agreement but that will move forward into a Withdrawal Agreement which will be legally binding, he said.

Davis also backtracked on his earlier remarks. He tweeted that he had spoken to my friend Verhofstadt, adding: Lets work together to get it converted into legal text as soon as possible.

___

Lawless reported from London. Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin
The New Mexico State Police chief made a push on Tuesday to make a board that has the power to suspend or revoke police officers certifications more transparent.

Chief Pete Kassetas asked the director of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy to see if and when the academy could put records on officer discipline into a searchable database that the public could access on the academys website.

Currently, such records are only available after someone files an Inspection of Public Records Request with the Department of Public Safety.

Kassetas made his suggestion during a Law Enforcement Academy Board meeting. The board took no action on the request.

What Im trying to do is make the decisions that the board comes to a lot more accessible to the public, the (law enforcement) agencies and the media. I think its the right way to go, Kassetas said. The certification process is public, and its important that the public knows what the outcomes are.

Kassetas said by making such discipline action public, it would be less likely for officers who have had problems and been fired from law enforcement agencies to get hired at other agencies around the state.

He said he has fired officers from State Police, only to later learn that they were hired within weeks to other policing jobs around the state.

Maybe (the chiefs or sheriffs) dont choose to look at a personnel file, which is somewhat beyond me, but I think if its there and its transparent  that (chief or sheriff) has to answer to it, he said.

The Law Enforcement Academy reviews cases where officers around the state were disciplined, and the Law Enforcement Academy Board then votes on what action to take after meeting in a closed session. There is often very little public discussion before the board votes on whether or not to suspend or revoke a law enforcement certification.

But the board often will review documents before reaching a decision. And Kassetas said he thinks those documents should be available to the law enforcement academys website, without requiring people to file a records request.

I think its very important that there is exposure, and people need to know that we are dealing with these issues, he said. Whether you believe it or not, chiefs and sheriffs around the state are dealing with these issues head on. They are sending their issues and problems with officers to the Law Enforcement Academy  to look at their certifications.

Stephan Marshall, the director of the academy, said he would give the board a presentation on what it would take to make the records publicly available at the next board meeting.
WASHINGTON  In the days before he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and as he braced for the public revelation that hed morphed from government target to government cooperator, Michael Flynn was reveling in the pleasures of a new grandchild, swapping cheerful observations about babies with a longtime friend and fellow grandfather.

At the same time, President Donald Trumps former national security adviser also was lamenting the emotional toll of the criminal investigation he was facing, another friend recalls.

Flynn made clear he was tired of the constant barrage of either people trying to contact him and his family, or the press and the coverage they were getting. He was ready for that to be over, said Thomas A. Heaney Jr., a retired Army colonel who has known Flynn since childhood and spoke to him two days before the guilty plea last month.

People close to Flynn described to The Associated Press the pressures of the past year as investigators with special counsel Robert Mueller not only zeroed in on him but also intensely examined the dealings of one of his sons, Michael G. Flynn. The conversations offer a window into his thinking in the period before he entered his plea, which requires him to cooperate with Muellers probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible coordination with Trumps campaign.

A chance to end the case through a single-count guilty plea was almost certainly the most favorable outcome possible, especially since the aggressive, wide-ranging nature of Muellers inquiry made criminal prosecution a near-inevitability and a tough prison sentence a vivid possibility. Even before Muellers appointment, the FBI had been investigating Flynns conduct, including his conversations with the Russian ambassador and payments from a Turkish businessman for lobbying work.

In an indication of the value of his cooperation, prosecutors charged him only with false statements and set a guideline range of zero to 6 months in prison. His son, who had a baby last spring and worked alongside his father on the Turkish lobbying and other matters during the campaign, was notably not charged.

Flynns lawyer, Robert Kelner, declined to comment for this story.

The pressure on Flynn, 58, and his family was evident as prosecutors made him central to their investigation into Russia and the Trump campaign. He was the first White House official charged in the inquiry. A legal defense fund was formed to defray costs. And a cascade of negative headlines, some for conduct never proven or charged and in some instances strenuously denied, torpedoed the reputation of a retired Army lieutenant general who a few years earlier had led combat zone military intelligence efforts.

After admitting guilt, Flynn, one of nine children from a close Rhode Island family, issued a statement saying his plea and cooperation reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country.

Its clear the publicity had taken a toll.

He wanted all of this to stop, Heaney says. If there were no bounds, if people were going to continue to make unsubstantiated claims against him and the things he had done, he was tired of it.

As a parent, Heaney added, youre always looking to take care of your children and under these circumstances, Mike pretty much would want to be able to shield his family and I think thats part of what hes doing here.

Michael Ledeen, another close friend who co-authored with Flynn, The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies, said Flynn seemed delighted after Thanksgiving about the birth of Flynn Jr.s baby. But Ledeen also detected stress, saying Flynn told him his wifes mother was ill and how he was planning to sell his home in the Washington area to move to Rhode Island.

He said it was a terrible time for him, Ledeen said.

Though its not clear what information Flynn is prepared to provide, his cooperation with Mueller could cause a fissure in a relationship with Trump that had been strong.

Rocky Kempenaar, a childhood friend who said he saw Flynn in November, said he warned him months earlier to be careful about Trump.

Just be careful, Mike. I dont want you to get into trouble, Kempenaar said he told him. He said, Rock, what surprised me is how loyal of a guy he is.'

You got to be one in a million, because I dont know anyone else hes been loyal to, Kempenaar said he replied. He just laughed.

The guilty plea marked a stunning fall for Flynn, a career Army man who enjoyed a prestigious job as a military intelligence officer in Afghanistan and Iraq and was rewarded in 2012 with a post as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the militarys spy organization. He lasted two years, criticized by Obama administration officials for his management and temperament, and was forced to retire in 2014.

Flynns post-military career was a succession of consulting jobs and small defense contractor directorships. But his profile shot higher as a Trump campaign surrogate, where he led the Republican National Convention crowd in anti-Hillary Clinton lock her up chants, something Kempenaar said Flynn now regrets.

His selection as Trumps national security adviser, a position that requires synthesizing different policy options for the presidents consideration, surprised some former colleagues from Afghanistan, who recall him as stubborn, opinionated and polarizing.

He was like the bad boy in 7th grade. You really want to be on his team because its really fun, and its kind of transgressive, said Sarah Chayes, who worked in Afghanistan as a foreign policy adviser. If youre a really good teacher, you want that kid in the class because it adds a really interesting dynamic. But it means you have to be totally on top of him and rein him in.

Flynn has kept a low-profile since his White House ouster in February, which came as officials said he had misled them about conversations with the Russian ambassador. Hes split time between northern Virginia and Rhode Island, wheres hes been spotted surfing on a beach near where he grew up. He still enjoys the support of old friends, who see him as an administration scapegoat.

The Flynn I know is a truth-teller, said Ledeen, who hopes his friend can continue to play a role in policy discussions and in understanding the world because hes a person who revolutionized American military intelligence.

Its not clear what his future holds, but friends whove seen him in the past month say he seems determined to end the scrutiny and move on.

Two days before he walked into a Washington courtroom, Flynn changed his Facebook cover photo, for the first time in months, to a potentially hopeful image: a rising sun over the Atlantic Ocean.

___

McDermott and Smith reported from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press writer Chad Day in Washington contributed.
VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis urged Latin American and Caribbean Catholics to celebrate and defend their diversity, saying Tuesday the face of the Catholic Church is indigenous, mestizo and black.

Francis celebrated a special Mass to celebrate the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the dark-skinned virgin who appeared to an Indian peasant in the 1500s and is particularly important to Latin American Catholics, the Argentine pope included.

In his homily, Francis said indigenous peoples, women, peasants, migrants and the unemployed often arent treated with the dignity they deserve. He urged the regions faithful to not only cultivate their diverse cultures but valiantly defend them against homogenization.

Our fertility compels us to defend our people against an ideological colonization that cancels out the richest of them, be they indigenous, Afro-American, mestizo, peasant or suburban, he said, speaking in his native Spanish.

We want to learn to be a church with a mestizo, indigenous, Afro-American face, he said. A face that is poor, unemployed, of children, old and young so that no one feels sterile or shameful or worthless.

The first pope from the Americas has continued a tradition started by Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate a special Mass for the Guadalupe feast day, recognizing that Latin America has accounted for about 40 percent of the worlds Catholics and that Mexico (and Brazil) remain the countries with the most Catholics.

The most memorable Guadalupe Mass was the Francis 2014 edition, which featured the Misa Criolla folk Mass with hymns composed by Argentinas Ariel Ramirez. Tuesdays Mass was a more traditional affair, although Francis  who usually doesnt sing  mouthed the words to the final La Guadalupana hymn.

According to tradition, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared before the Indian peasant Juan Diego in 1531 at Tepeyac, a hillside near Mexico City where Aztecs worshipped a mother-goddess, and her image was miraculously imprinted on his cloak.

The image helped priests inculcate Catholicism among indigenous Mexicans during Spanish colonial rule, and the church later made Guadalupe patron of all the Americas. Juan Diego was canonized as the hemispheres first Indian saint in 2002 during the papacy of St. John Paul II.

The basilica dedicated to the virgin in Mexico City draws millions of pilgrims each year and is the most-visited Marian shrine in the world. Francis prayed before the image of the virgin during his 2016 visit to Mexico.
Erin Wades salad-centric Vinaigrette eateries in New Mexico and Texas lately have turned the focus on what she calls soul satisfying soups and chowders.

Wade, meanwhile, is also turning her focus on a new line of culinary pursuits. Already having opened three Vinaigrette restaurants in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Austin, along with Modern General in Santa Fe, shes now looking to expand her fledgling restaurant empire in the Duke City.

Wade has signed a lease in the West Downtown neighborhood to open her second Modern General. And next door to that will be a new concept called Feel Good, a wine-focused bar and eatery. Both establishments will be across from Manzano Day School in the Country Club Plaza at 1720 Central SW. Close by is Albuquerque Vinaigrette, a modern, colorful place that just celebrated its five-year anniversary.

The culinary go-getter describes Modern General as Vinaigrettes sister company.

Modern General, a stylish cafe and home goods shop, will focus on breakfasts, healthy bowl dishes, juices and an incredible coffee program. Wade said she is shooting for a late spring 2018 opening in an area she expects will be transformed by Albuquerque Rapid Transit and other urban redevelopment. The cones are down. A lot of cool stuff is happening along Central, she said.

With the ABQ Vinny just a quick sprint away at 1820 Central Avenue SW, Wade envisions a nice trifecta in the neighborhood and hopes to get all kinds of new folks through the doors moms and kids, the business lunch crowd, happy hour habitues, and those seeking fine dining but without high prices. We want the locations to be very much a part of the neighborhoods day, said Wade. Its also easier for me from a management and operations standpoint to have that concentration in Albuquerque.

Wade is funding the expansion, including six-figure tenant improvements, in a couple of ways.

She bootstrapped her first enterprise in Santa Fe with help from family, a line of credit and a farm where most of the eateries produce is grown. In time, she was able to attract more serious financing and branch out, thanks mostly to the success of the Santa Fe Vinaigrette, a cash cow that has proved popular with both locals and visitors.

Its me and the bank (loans) at this point, said Wade, adding that she plows profits back into the company to fund its continued growth.

Wade said she doesnt have any outside investors and prefers to keep it that way, even though it means she wears multiple hats. With private equity, you have a lot of new bosses, said Wade.

I love going to places that still have that texture and authenticity, she added. The problem is when a business hits a certain size, and its starts feeling plastic to me.

Wade is striving to keep her business culture intact as the company grows  the enterprise is now up to 150 employees  and said she relies heavily on longtime managers as she tears up the road between locations or logs frequent flier points. Most of them have grown up in the company, starting as cooks and servers, she said.

And the growth just may continue, with speculation of a second Vinaigrette in Albuquerque. If a second store opens, it would likely be in the Northeast, confirmed Wade. Super early discussions have taken place about a potential site, but we have a lot to occupy us on Central, she said.
WASHINGTON  Pushing into the sexual harassment debate, President Donald Trump laced into Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday, tweeting that the New York Democrat had begged him for campaign contributions in the past and would do anything to get them. Democrats accused the president of comments that were crude and worse.

Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who had called for Trumps resignation a day earlier while citing allegations of sexual misconduct, called Trumps attack a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice.

I will not be silenced on this issue, Gillibrand insisted. Neither will the women who stood up to the president yesterday, referring to women who have accused the president of sexual misconduct.

The Democrats were badly misreading the presidents comments, said Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Theres no way his tweet was sexist, she said, and only people with their minds in the gutter would read anything sexual into it.

Standing up for Gillibrand, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted to the president: Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Do you know who youre picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump. Nevertheless, #shepersisted.

The phrase she persisted went viral earlier this year after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell silenced Warren in the chamber as she tried to read a letter from Coretta Scott King about Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions.

Trumps tweet Tuesday did not directly address sexual harassment, but said of Gillibrand: Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!

A day earlier, Gillibrand said Trump should resign because there were credible accusations against him. And barring that, she said, Congress should investigate the multiple sexual harassment and assault allegations against him.

Trumps tweet Tuesday morning inflamed Democrats who said the president was again debasing a woman. Trump had not responded to earlier resignation calls from three male senators, Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Jeff Merkley of Oregon.

Hours later, Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono also called for the president to step down, declaring that Trumps tweet against Kirsten was just another example of his misogyny.

He is a liar. He is an admitted sexual predator and the only thing that will stop him is his resignation, Hirono said. He not only owes Kirsten an apology, he owes an apology to our entire country, particularly the women in this country.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., called it an ugly and suggestive tweet, and we all know what he was trying to say there, and it is beneath the office of the presidency.

The criticism of Trump largely came from one side of the aisle. Republicans largely remained silent about the tweet, with Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a frequent Trump critic, being an exception, saying he didnt think it was appropriate at all.

More than a dozen women came forward during last years campaign, many in the wake of the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump is heard bragging about committing sexual assault, to say that the celebrity businessman had harassed them.

With each day seeming to bring new headlines that force men from positions of power, four of Trumps accusers re-upped their claims Monday, believing the national movement on sexual harassment should force change at the White House too.

Trump has denied the claims. In a heated exchange with reporters in the White House briefing room on Monday, press secretary Sanders steadfastly dismissed accusations against the Republican president and suggested the issue had been decided in Trumps favor on Election Day.

Sanders also promised that the White House would provide a list of eyewitnesses and corroborating evidence to exonerate Trump. Nearly 24 hours later, the White House sent along an email that, citing news reports that quote witnesses, offered rebuttals to two of the accusations.

Trump donated $4,800 to Gillibrands Senate campaign in 2010, according to federal campaign finance records. Before launching his presidential campaign, Trump frequently bestowed donations on politicians of both parties.

___

Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writer Richard Lardner contributed to this report.

___

Follow Benac on Twitter at http://twitter.com///twitter.com/@JonLemire
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

Former U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., is disputing claims by a New Mexico transgender woman that he outed her to Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, which the woman says led to her dismissal as a congressional intern for Lujan Grisham two years ago.

Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., denies any claims of discrimination and says she didnt even know the intern was transgender until after she left the office.

Riley Del Rey this week entered the public fray involving sexual discrimination and harassment allegations when she claimed she was discriminated against and was fired from her Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute internship. Del Rey contends she was forced to leave the prestigious post after she confided to Honda, who has a transgender granddaughter, that she herself was transgender. She says she suspects that he, in turn, told Lujan Grisham and that led to her being fired.

The institute manages a congressional internship program and places the interns in the offices of members of Congress.

Del Rey (who went by Riley Golightly when she was a congressional intern) told the Journal she decided to go public with her allegations when she read about Lujan Grishams call for New Mexico Sen. Michael Padilla to exit the lieutenant governor race over sexual harassment allegations. Del Rey said Lujan Grishams stance was hypocritical.

She took her story to local media and has posted a YouTube video about the matter.

Del Rey told the Journal she believes Honda spoke to Lujan Grisham after she met him and disclosed information about her transgender status. Del Rey said a top Lujan Grisham staffer told her afterward that she was not a regular intern, and that she was being fired because she couldnt be trusted, although she said the staffer did not mention her transgender status as being a factor in her dismissal.

Reached by phone late Monday, Honda  who earned a reputation as a staunch defender of LGBT rights during his 17-year tenure in Congress  confirmed that Del Rey disclosed her transgender status to him at a Capitol Hill reception. But he denied telling Lujan Grisham or anyone at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

Why would I? Honda asked. That was something that she said to me, and because of the sensitivity about it  and even with my own granddaughter  we dont talk about it without her permission.

Lujan Grishams office issued a statement saying it was stunned by Del Reys allegation.

Our office takes the rights of the LGBT community very seriously and we are dumbfounded by any suggestion that we would discriminate against anyone for any reason, the office said in a statement. Our office treats every person who interacts with our office with dignity and respect, regardless of their LGBTQ status, age, national origin, religion, disability, political orientation or any other factor.

Appearance criticized

Del Rey said that during her brief internship, managers at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute would routinely criticize her appearance  her high heels, color of lipstick and the hemline on her skirts, all of which she said she toned down after hearing complaints. She said she did not disclose her transgender status out of fear that she would be discriminated against.

Del Rey, a Lovington native who has since graduated from the University of New Mexico and taken a job with a law firm in Albuquerque, said she was shocked when she was asked to turn in her security badge and leave Lujan Grishams Capitol Hill office.

I felt like I was doing a good job; they just didnt like what I looked like, Del Rey said. They didnt like my presentation. They never addressed any performance standards except my appearance.

Among the top four suggestions for interns on the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute website is: Dress for success. Take cues from your co-workers and dress appropriately.

The institute and Lujan Grishams office  beyond denying Del Reys allegation of discrimination  declined to comment about her tenure on Capitol Hill to the Journal, saying personnel issues are confidential. But the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute also said the organization did not know she was transgender until after she left.

CHCI is an equal opportunity employer and treats all persons, whether LGBTQ or otherwise, equally, CHCI said in a statement. It does not require any disclosure of LGBTQ status from any of its interns or employees. Ms. Del Rey was an intern in CHCIs Spring 2015 internship program for approximately two weeks but did not complete the program. For the benefit of our interns and employees confidentiality, CHCI does not publicly discuss human resource matters.

Lujan Grishams office said the congresswoman is a leader in Congress and in New Mexico for LGBTQ rights.

Throughout her career, she has worked to repeal discriminatory laws, eliminate hate-motivated violence, and improve the health and well-being of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, the statement from her office said.

Taking a risk

According to emails provided to the Journal by Del Rey, she was summoned to a meeting on March 18 to discuss her office performance. Del Rey says a Lujan Grisham staffer and two program managers for the institute were also present at the meeting.

Del Rey said she was told that Lujan Grisham had been caught off guard by members of Congress who mentioned Del Reys name to her in a discussion on the House floor, but that there was no specific mention of her transgender status.

But Del Rey told the Journal that a few days before that meeting she had disclosed her transgender status to Honda, who lost his re-election bid in 2016.

Del Reys emails show that after her dismissal, institute managers asked her to write a separation letter to Lujan Grisham and her staff. In an initial draft of the letter, Del Rey expresses concern about the difficulties faced by transgender people.

I was taking a risk (by taking the internship) and may have been perceived as a threat or discriminated against, as other transgender people experience in public spaces, Del Rey wrote.

Crista Arias, the institutes manager of recruitment strategy, told her in an email reviewed by the Journal to edit the letter because this isnt the letter to put in your concerns leading to your dismissal. You can do that privately if you like.

Arias did not return messages seeking comment.

Del Rey then said she was pressured to write a different letter that apologized for her unprofessional behavior in the job.

I acknowledge that my behavior was unprofessional and unacceptable, Del Rey wrote in the letter obtained by the Journal that was sent to Lujan Grisham and her staff. I profusely apologize if I brought about shame, embarrassment or worry to the office as it was never my intention.

Del Rey said she chose not to talk about her experience sooner because she felt traumatized by it and she was worried about being targeted for violence if she made her transgender status public. She said she never filed a formal complaint because she didnt know how.

We were never trained to report harassment, or how to report it, Del Rey said.
MINNEAPOLIS  Minnesota announced restrictions Tuesday on how farmers can use the herbicide dicamba in 2018, responding to complaints by soybean growers across the country that it harmed their crops this year.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture set a June 20 cutoff date for applying the herbicide and prohibited applications when the temperature or forecast high for the day is above 85 degrees. The rules are meant to reduce instances of the herbicide drifting and damaging neighboring fields, which has been a problem in soybean- and cotton-growing states nationwide this year.

We will be closely monitoring the herbicides performance with these restrictions in 2018, Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson said in a statement.

Farmers have used dicamba for decades, and its problems with volatility and drift were well-known. But its use has surged in the last couple years since agribusiness companies Monsanto, BASF and DuPont introduced genetically engineered, dicamba-tolerant varieties of soybeans and cotton so that farmers could use the herbicide to control tough weeds in those crops, such as pigweed, that have become resistant to other weed killers such as glyphosate, also known as Roundup.

The companies also introduced low-volatility formulations of dicamba designed to reduce evaporation and drift, but farmers who didnt plant resistant crop varieties or use dicamba soon began reporting suspected damage anyway.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says it received 253 complaints from soybean growers in 49 Minnesota counties, including 55 requests for formal inspections. University of Minnesota researchers estimate that 265,000 acres across the state were affected.

The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association welcomed the new rules.

We need dicamba, the groups president, Michael Petefish, said in a statement. We also need these new restrictions. Producers need to have the ability to adapt this product to their operations, and these additional guidelines will allow users to do just that in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

But Monsanto criticized Minnesotas new restrictions.

Theres no scientific reason to have a cutoff date or a temperature limit. There is no testing that supports it, Scott Partridge, Monsantos vice president of global strategy, said in an interview. He encouraged the state to be flexible about the cutoff date if local conditions warrant. He pointed out that pigweed doesnt know the cutoff date, and it will be frustrating for farmers who find infestations of resistant weeds after that date not to have the herbicide available.

Partridge said the solution lies in education and training, so that farmers and applicators use the right equipment and follow the label instructions. He pointed out that in Georgia, where training was mandatory this year, the state received no reports of off-target movements of dicamba. In Monsantos experience, he said, when dicamba is applied according to the label, the herbicide doesnt move beyond the buffer zone and damage nearby crops.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a deal with Monsanto, BASF and DuPont in September for new voluntary labeling requirements. Additional training and certifications will be required for workers who apply dicamba to crops. The new federal rules also limit when and how the herbicide can be sprayed, such as time of day, with winds not exceeding 10 mph.

Other states have also adopted restrictions that go further than the federal rules. Neighboring North Dakota has banned applications on soybeans after June 30 or the crops first bloom phase, whichever comes first. Monsanto has sued to block even tougher restrictions proposed in Arkansas to prohibit its use from April 16 through Oct. 31. A legislative panel on Tuesday recommended state regulators revise the proposed ban.

Arkansas has received nearly 1,000 complaints about dicamba. The state imposed a temporary ban on its sales and use earlier this year.

___

Associated Press writer Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed to this report.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz.  The Navajo Nation announced Tuesday that its suing Wells Fargo for allegedly engaging in predatory and unlawful banking practices that targeted and harmed tribal members.

In a statement, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said the tribes lawyer has been directed to seek restitution, damages and civil penalties based on Wells Fargos alleged violations of federal, state and tribal law.

The tribe alleges employees at Wells Fargo branches on the vast reservation routinely misled customers into opening unnecessary accounts and obtained debit and credit cards without customers consent.

They also allege Navajo elders were purposely confused and deceived into purchasing products to help employees meet banking quotas.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in New Mexico, said since at least 2009 and continuing through 2016, Wells Fargo employees at branches on the Navajo Nation routinely opened unauthorized savings and credit accounts, misled customers into opening unnecessary accounts, obtained debit cards without customers consent, and enrolled customers in online banking without proper consent.

The suit alleges Wells Fargo employees told elderly Navajo citizens who didnt speak English that in order to have their checks cashed, they needed to sign up for savings accounts they neither needed nor understood.

The tribe also alleges Wells Fargo representatives stalked basketball games and flea markets to sign up consumers for unnecessary accounts and opened accounts for underage Navajo citizens, going so far as to falsify birthdates to avoid obtaining necessary parental consent.

Wells Fargo in a statement said it had received the tribes lawsuit, but declined comment about ongoing litigation.

Wells Fargo has five bank branches across the Navajo Nation  which covers more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) over portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah and northwestern New Mexico  plus 12 other branches within a 30-minute drive of the reservation.

Last year, U.S. and California regulators fined Wells Fargo $185 million, saying bank employees trying to meet sales targets opened up to 2 million fake deposit and credit card accounts without customers knowledge.

Regulators said they issued and activated debit cards, and signed people up for online banking without permission. The abuses are said to have gone on for years, unchecked by senior management.
PHOENIX  A jury has found a Phoenix man guilty of negligent homicide and child abuse in the 2015 death of his 2-year-old son who was left unattended in a hot car.

Maricopa County Superior Court officials say jurors also acquitted James Koryor of manslaughter on Tuesday. Hes scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 16.

Phoenix police say Alpha Koryor died of heatstroke in April 2015 after he was left for more than 2 1/2 hours inside the family car on a 90-degree day.

They say the 43-year-old Koryor was impaired by alcohol after running an errand with his two youngest children in the car.

Koryor returned home and took a nap. He awoke several hours later to his wife screaming after she found Alpha still inside the car and not responsive.
By India Today Web Desk: After keeping every one guessing about their wedding for months, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma have finally tied the knot in Italy away from media glare and fanfare. It was on Friday that they flew off to the European country along with their families, and finally managed to pull off a near-secret wedding in Tuscany.

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When many were expecting a grand wedding in Mumbai or Delhi, Virat and Anushka surprised everyone by getting married in a hush-hush ceremony in Italy. And if a report in Deccan Chronicle is to be believed, it was none other than her mentor Aditya Chopra who advised her to get married in Italy.

Three years ago, Aditya Chopra, too, tied the knot with Rani Mukerji in Italy. And YRF honcho suggested the same place to Anushka.

A source told the daily, "It was his idea that Anushka and Virat have their wedding in Italy. He warned them that a desi wedding would turn into a tamasha with paparazzi and gatecrashers."

Anushka, who was launched in Bollywood by YRF, takes Aditya's advice seriously on all matters, and considered this suggestion too. It is no secret that Anushka always wanted a quiet wedding around a vineyard. And Tuscany turned out to be the perfect location for her wedding.

The report also suggests that Rani and Aditya were the only people who were invited from the film fraternity. But the couple couldn't make it as they weren't keen on taking daughter Adira along.

While Virat and Anushka had a hush-hush wedding, they are planning to throw two receptions. One will be held in Delhi on December 21 for close friends and family, which will be followed by a reception in Mumbai on December 26.

Post that Virat and Anushka will fly to South Africa for honeymoon, where they will ring in the New Year together. Post that, Virat will concentrate on his upcoming tour. Anushka, on the other hand, will return to Mumbai and begin shooting for Aanand L Rai's film with Shah Rukh Khan.

ALSO SEE | Full coverage: Virushka wedding

ALSO WATCH | Virat-Anushka wedding: Engagement, haldi and garland-exchange visuals

--- ENDS ---
PHOENIX  A Phoenix woman accused in the drug-related death of her baby daughter last year has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse.

Maricopa County Superior Court officials say 31-year-old Natalie Russell entered her plea Tuesday and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 19.

Russell originally was charged with first-degree murder and child abuse in the April 2016 death of her daughter, Adalynn, who was nearly 2 years old.

Autopsy results showed the girl had toxic levels of methadone and methamphetamines in her system at the time of her death, which was ruled a homicide.

Police say Russell recklessly left a 120 mg bottle of liquid methadone in reach of her children and Adalynn drank some of the drug used to prevent withdrawal symptoms in those addicted to opiates.
There will be no more RJ Malishka to help you get through your drab mornings before work. Can you imagine radio without RJ Malishka? 93.5 Red FM has been issuing the message of Malishka ko matt sun, since past few days. Sadly, a lot of hearts are going to be broken as Mumbaikars will no more get to listen to RJ Malishka on Red FM. Every Mumbaikar associates with Malishka because at some point or the other she has stood up for them, fought for them, chilled with them and even made them laugh. She has become a household name for her style and ways of engaging with her listeners. Apart from being a fabulous entertainer, she has echoed and encouraged public opinion across all walks of life. The big question is why is RJ Malishkas association with Red FM coming to such an abrupt end?

The bizarre message of Malishka ko matt sun went on air on 7th December and since then people have been speculating. Though the radio station is not commenting on this, their Facebook page has a video wherein some big names of the Bollywood industry are urging the listeners not to listen to RJ Malishka. The video begins with Aamir Khan saying Malishka ko matt sun, followed by Vidya Balan, Irrfan Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkumar Rao, Kapil Sharma, Tumhari Sulu director Suresh Triveni and TV actor Barun Sobti. Surprisingly all these celebrities have been a part of Malishkas show at some point, but in this video, they are ganging up against the RJ and urging the listeners to not listen to RJ Malishka.

RJ Malishka who has always acted as a catalyst in bringing about a change in the lifes of Mumbaikars, wonder what led to this! Its going to be an arduous path ahead for her replacement who will have a challenging task ahead to fill in the hearts of all Mumbaikars.
New York Festivals AME Awards for the Worlds Best Advertising and Marketing Effectiveness has announced the 2018 Grand Jury. Since 1994, the AME Awards jury has honoured campaigns world-wide that successfully demonstrate groundbreaking solutions to challenging marketing problems that achieve measurable results.

To date the 2018 Grand Jury includes 107+ award-winning interactive and multidisciplinary marketers with 38 per cent women. AMEs jury is comprised of CEOs, Chief Strategy Officers, Planning Directors, Global Brand Managers, and Chief Branding Strategists recruited from 40 countries around the globe.

The caliber of this years Grand Jury is recognised internationally for their strategic expertise and their creative accomplishments, said Michael Demetriades, President of New York Festivals and Executive Director of the AME Awards. Its an honour to have these exceptional executives on this years jury.

The AME Awards Grand Jury, a diverse collective of executives assembled from five regions, allows all entries to be judged with cultural relevance within their own region by award-winning strategists and marketers from that specific market. Regions include: North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific.

This year, there are three from India who are part of the Grand Jury. They include, Keerthi Raju, Business Director, Brave New World, India; Rahul Nagpal, Partner & CEO, Group Partnership, a WPP company; and Prince Thomas, Head of Brand Marketing, Bank Bazaar, India.

AMEs Jury awards Gold, Silver, and Bronze to the highest scoring entries through two rounds of regional judging to account for cultural and economic relevance. This round also selects the AME Green Award winner  the highest scoring, Gold-winning entry for a company whose emphasis is on resource conservation and negative environmental impact. Gold-winning work from all regions is judged by the full international Grand Jury to determine a Platinum Award for each of the five regions.

AMEs Jury members will evaluate entries based on four specific criteria, each weighted by importance: Challenge/ Strategy/ Objectives - 20%; Creativity - 25%; Execution - 25%; and Results/ Effectiveness - 30%, this thorough process assures the most innovative creative work with measurable results are celebrated, said Demetriades.

The extended deadline to enter the 2018 AME Awards is December 31, 2017.
Omnicom Media Group vertical OMD India has bagged the media mandate for Levis account which will be managed from their Bengaluru branch.

The mandate was given after a lot of deliberations and comprehensive market review. The media operations will incorporate both offline and online approach towards advertising and marketing to garner customers attention.

Priti Murthy, CEO - OMD India, expressed his views on the win by saying that, "This win reflects our agency's momentum in South India and also the quality of our global network's campaigns for the brand since 2009. We look forward to working with Levi's and continuing the legacy of one of India's most ubiquitous brands."

The appointment builds on the media network's global relationship with the iconic denim brand owing to their association since 2009 and has culminated to its expanse in over 25 markets.

Madison Media was the incumbent on the account in India.
Since its launch earlier this year, Star Gold Select has stood true to its promise of bringing movies with great stories and strong performances from Indian Cinema to its viewers. On Sunday December 17, 2017 at 1 pm the channel will premiere the timeless masterpiece, Mughal-E-Azam, a film that continues to captivate and inspire even after 57 years of its theatrical release. Star Gold Select disrupted the Hindi Movie category with an industry-first promise of showcasing every movie with just 1 interval. Taking movie-watching experience to the next level, we have lined up an innovation that will give our viewers the choice to watch Mughal-E-Azam in either colour or black and white. A special add-on service has been created on select DTH operators where the movie will be showcased in its original black & white avatar as well, said Hemal Jhaveri, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Hindi Movies Cluster at Star India.

With glorious sets, stunning cinematography and art direction, breath-taking battle sequences, mesmerising music and poignant performances; Mughal-E-Azam is without doubt one of the greatest Bollywood films ever made. In an innovative marketing campaign, to commemorate the premiere of the film on Star Gold Select, the channel has invited artists from across the world to recreate iconic posters of Mughal-E-Azam in their respective illustration and painting styles.

As the destination of scrupulously curated, meaningful stories on television, we couldnt have found a more suitable film than Mughal-E- Azam, the greatest story ever told on celluloid, to be showcased on our channel. signs off Hemal Jhaveri.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are married, and Bollywood can't keep calm.

By India Today Web Desk: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are finally husband and wife. After months of speculation, the couple flew off to Italy to tie the knot in a private ceremony in Tuscany. On Monday, Virat and Anushka got married, and confirmed the news by sharing a picture from their wedding on Twitter.

Today we have promised each other to be bound in love for ever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you.This beautiful day will be made more special with the love and support of our family of fans & well wishers. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey. pic.twitter.com/aobTUwMNAK- Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) December 11, 2017

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As soon as the picture of their wedding went viral, Bollywood celebs took to Twitter to congratulate the newlyweds.

Shah Rukh Khan, who has worked with Anushka in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Jab Tak Hai Jaan, posted a picture of Virushka and wrote, "Ab yeh hui na real Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. My love to both @AnushkaSharma & @imVkohli May God bless u with happiness & health."

Big B, too, blessed the newlyweds on their special day.

From Karan Johar to Sonam Kapoor to Madhuri Dixit to Alia Bhatt, B-Town poured heartiest wishes.

Here's what they said:

Ab yeh hui na real Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. My love to both @AnushkaSharma & @imVkohli May God bless u with happiness & health pic.twitter.com/ymsT2Ay9Fh- Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) December 11, 2017

Anushka & Virat .. love and wishes for this auspicious day .. togetherness always !!?????? https://t.co/q0DJEtlFJn- Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 11, 2017

Huge congratulations and tons of love to @AnushkaSharma and @imVkohli ....beautiful couple and I wish them and their loved ones the best years ahead ?? pic.twitter.com/cI2PCrom38- Karan Johar (@karanjohar) December 11, 2017

Congratulations @AnushkaSharma & @imVkohli !!!! Wishing you all the love and happiness in the world! ?????? ???? pic.twitter.com/mNQnINDZ02- Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) December 11, 2017

Congratulations @imVkohli and @AnushkaSharma. Wish you all the happiness on your beautiful journey together. https://t.co/Z4PZsoIK2M- Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) December 11, 2017

Congratulations @AnushkaSharma & @imVkohli !!! Wish you guys unlimited laughter, amazing memories and a lifetime of togetherness!??????- Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) December 11, 2017

Congratulations to you and Virat...May you be blessed with a joyous and blissful Married life..??- Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) December 11, 2017

Congratulations! You guys make an amazingly beautiful couple! https://t.co/O7Aq51eLon- Sonam Kapoor (@sonamakapoor) December 11, 2017

Big Congratulations to @AnushkaSharma and @imVkohli !! Your union is what fairy tales are made of..Wish you both every happiness that you ever wanted. Much love always! ????- PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) December 11, 2017

Congratulations @AnushkaSharma & @imVkohli!!!! This is the start of an absolutely beautiful chapter in your lives! Make lovely memories to look back on in the years to come! Wish you all the very very best ??- Ileana D'Cruz (@Ileana_Official) December 11, 2017

Best wishes and love to the newlyweds @AnushkaSharma n @imVkohli Congratulations guys Happy married life. https://t.co/1j5wRoccgd- Sidharth Malhotra (@S1dharthM) December 12, 2017

Congrats 2 @AnushkaSharma n @imVkohli... may ur married life be as beautiful as both of you are ????????????????????????????God bless- ameesha patel (@ameesha_patel) December 11, 2017

Many congratulations to @AnushkaSharma and @imVkohli on their wedding. God bless and welcome to the club!- Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) December 11, 2017

Have always been in awe of your onscreen persona but working with you made me a bigger fan of you offscreen. They don't call you Superstar just like that :) Keep shining the brightest ?@superstarrajini Sir #HappyBirthdaySuperStarRajinikanth- Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 12, 2017

Virat and Anushka will fly to South Africa where Virat will begin prepping for the upcoming series. Anushka will spend New Year's eve with Virat, and then fly back to Mumbai in the first week of January.

ALSO SEE | Full coverage: Virushka wedding

ALSO WATCH | Virat-Anushka wedding: Engagement, haldi and garland-exchange visuals

--- ENDS ---
Buzz has it that Virat Kohli took almost three months to finalise the wedding ring.

By India Today Web Desk: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's wedding in Italy was a fairytale romance. If the dreamy images of Virushka from their wedding melted many hearts, others couldn't take their eyes off Anushka's huge wedding ring. And if reports are to be believed, Virat took three months to zero in on the perfect wedding ring for the love of his life.

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A source told BollywoodLife, "He's picked a very rare diamond ring for Anushka that has been specially crafted by an ace designer from Austria. The design is unimaginably beautiful and reflects surprising elements, every time you see it from different angles."

The beautiful ring also comes with a hefty price tag. "It costs about Rs 1 crore but it's totally worth the money because whoever will see it, definitely wouldn't be able to take their eyes off it," added the source.

Going by this, the engagement ring costs more than the rent of their wedding venue. It is no secret that the two tied the knot in Borgo Finocchieto. 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.

Before the dreamy wedding, Virat and Anushka exchanged rings in the presence of family and close friends. Clad in a red velvet saree, Anushka looked gorgeous. Virat, on the other hand, looked dapper in a blue suit.

Engageddd ! See more videos on @wedmegood insta stories #virushka #virat #anushka A post shared by WedMeGood (@wedmegood) on Dec 11, 2017 at 9:00pm PST

Away from the hustle bustle of Mumbai, Virat and Anushka decided to get married in Tuscany, Italy. After months of speculation, Virat and Anushka confirmed the news of their wedding on Monday by sharing a post on Twitter.

Speculation that Virat and Anushka were getting married by December 12 first started doing the rounds after sources told India Today Television that Virat and Anushka's family had booked a place in Italy from December 9 to December 12.

However, we later found out that the Virushka wedding was taking place about four hours' drive from Milan, in south Italy. The world's second most-expensive holiday destination played host to Virat and Anushka's Tuscan wedding. It is a resort called Borgo Finocchieto, just 34 kms from the Siena station and an hour's drive from Tuscany.

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Virat and Anushka are flying to South Africa for their honeymoon. The two will ring in the New Year together. Post that, Virat will concentrate on his upcoming series, while Anushka will return to Mumbai to begin shooting for Aanand L Rai's next with Shah Rukh Khan.

ALSO SEE | Full coverage: Virushka wedding

ALSO WATCH | Virat-Anushka wedding: Engagement, haldi and garland-exchange visuals

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Kejriwal

New Delhi, Dec 11 (PTI) Facing criticism from the AAP government for opposing the cancellation of licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari today questioned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal about steps taken to help poor patients at private hospitals.

Accusing him of adopting double standards, Tiwari asked why Kejriwal was not "suspended" when a former Delhi minister was found having a fake law degree.

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"How can you question my integrity? When did I ask you to revoke the cancellation of the hospitals licence? I just spoke about the patients in the hospital and the employees who have been rendered jobless," he wrote on Twitter in Hindi.

"Why Kejriwal was not suspended when Jitender Singh Tomars degree

was found to be fake? Hundreds of employees have been rendered jobless. Hundreds of patients are on the streets. Punish the culprits but not these poor people," he said.

Kejriwal should tell what steps the AAP government took to take care of the patients admitted to the hospital and its employees who have been left to fend for themselves, he said.

"He should tell what steps have been taken to help poor patients being fleeced at private hospitals and if he will ban government hospitals for negligence?" he asked.

Kejriwal yesterday lambasted Tiwari for opposing the cancellation of the hospitals licence, alleging he had "sold his integrity".

The AAP government had cancelled the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, after a baby was wrongly declared dead by doctors at the hospital and handed over to its parents. PTI VIT GVS

--- ENDS ---
December 11, 2017

A Sudanese-Egyptian womans daily struggles against racism in Egypt, shared online since 2013, are now set to become a book that will explain the difficulties of being a black woman in the Arab worlds most populous country.

Fatima Ali, a former Sudanese beauty queen who now works as a fashion model, told Al-Monitor that her website, which was last updated in 2013, aimed to shed light on the daily suffering that dark-skinned Egyptian and non-Egyptian women face on the streets of the country, from name-calling to harassment.

Ali, 29, was born in Sudan but came to Egypt when she was nine months old. At some point in my life in Egypt, I grew fed up with the daily negative comments that I hear from people on the streets about my color, Ali told Al-Monitor on Dec. 9. That is why I decided to set up a site where I can vent my anger on prejudice and discrimination against black people in the country.

Four years after Ali started putting her experiences online, she is hoping to republish most of the content in a book called Diary of a Black Girl. The book has been a plan of mine, and I hope it gets out and impacts more people, she added.

My name is Fatima, a Nubian Sudanese girl whose skin is dark. I decided to write my diary as a black girl who sometimes suffers from the ignorance of society and sometimes praised by [the same society] for her different look and her distinctive dark color, she wrote in one of her introductory posts.

In that post, Ali narrated how she faced verbal harassment on the streets of Cairo. Her harassers were not only men, as she also met discrimination from her own sex, in the women-only carriages in the underground. She said that some people compared her to the night while others admired her look, saying that she is very beautiful even though she is dark.

It is as if those with black color have been destined to be ugly, and I broke the rule, she said in the same post.

Ali says that her website has impressed many people and inspired others, including "Black in Egypt," which displays some of the models writings and work by other activists about racism against dark-skinned people in Egypt.

Discrimination also prevented Ali from achieving her dream of becoming a TV presenter or appearing in TV commercials. This dream also did not come true because of my color, Ali told Al-Monitor.

Today, Ali lives in Dahab, a small town on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula, where she says she does not face the level of harassment she used to in Cairo. I moved to Dahab last year and I like it here because it is very safe and peaceful, she added. She models part-time now and works at a kindergarten.

Ali is not alone. Other Egyptian and non-Egyptian women, including many from southern Egypt, face discrimination because of their skin color.

Dina Ahmed, a 26-year-old call center worker, told Al-Monitor that when she was younger, people often called her chocolate or "samara" (akin to "blackie" in Arabic) and asked her where she got her skin color. Ahmed added that some people also think that black people are unclean and believe that they smell.

I believe that the Egyptian media has played a major role in fostering the culture of discrimination against black people in Egypt. In movies, usually the doorkeeper or the housemaid or the driver working for a rich family is black or from Nubian origins. So people started to look down on them, she said.

Ahmed said that the media should promote respect for people with dark skin, adding that the law should also punish those who practice discrimination based on race.

According to Article 53 of the Egyptian Constitution, citizens enjoy equal rights and freedoms, without discrimination based on religion, belief, sex, origin, race, color, language, disability, social class, political or geographic affiliation or any other reason.

Discrimination and incitement of hatred is a crime punished by law. The state shall take necessary measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination, and the law shall regulate creating an independent commissioner for this purpose, the same article stipulates.

The culture of discrimination against black people is a global thing. People all over the world believe that those who have lighter skin are more beautiful than those with dark skin. Even in African communities, people believe that an African woman with lighter skin is more beautiful than her dark-skinned peers, Hadia Abdel Fattah, a women's rights activist and the founder of the initiative We Will Not Keep Silent on Sexual Harassment, told Al-Monitor.

I think that education and the media can greatly contribute to changing this culture and fostering a culture of understanding and accepting the other regardless of their religion, gender or color, Abdel Fattah added.
December 12, 2017

CAIRO  The Egyptian parliament passed a new Inheritance law Dec. 5 giving women their legitimate right to inheritance after the majority had been deprived of it, especially in Upper Egypt where cultural norms and traditions are ingrained with sexism.

Article 49 of the new law states that anyone who deliberately denies the heir, be it a man or a woman, their legal share of the inheritance or confiscates a document confirming this share shall be jailed for six months at least and be subject to a fine ranging between 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,122) at least and 100,000 pounds at most. In case of recidivism, the prison sentence shall be no less than one year.

Parliament approved the new law after the Cabinet, the National Council for Women (NCW) and civil associations submitted several draft laws in January 2016, December 2016 and September 2017, respectively, to amend the 1943 Inheritance law. Other bills were submitted by members of parliament also, including by parliamentarian Nadia Henry.

NCW Director Maya Morsi told Al-Monitor, We reached 1.2 million women in rural and underprivileged areas in our Tareq al-Abwab ['door-knocking'] campaign to familiarize women deprived of inheritance of their rights.

The campaign aims at reaching out to women in villages and remote areas in Egypt's governorates, especially in Upper Egypt, to raise awareness of their rights and help them improve their economic and social conditions.

Morsi added, We support any legislation guaranteeing women in Egypt their legitimate rights, thus empowering them economically by giving them a source of income that would improve their living standards.

Muslim and Christian scholars approved of the new law. Ahmed Karima, a Sharia teacher at Al-Azhar University, told Al-Monitor, The law complies with the principles of Sharia and confronts beliefs and norms that deprive women of their legitimate right to their parents or relatives inheritance  an act generally classified as apostasy. Gods orders mentioned expressly in Surat an-Nisa in the inheritance verses [that the Islamic law] should be obeyed.

The pastor of St. Mark's Catholic Church in Minya, Andraos Farage, told Al-Monitor, Christianity gave women the right to equal inheritance with men. But the church receives complaints from women because of their deprivation of the inheritance and their relatives greed under the pretext of norms and traditions, especially in Upper Egypt governorates.

Farage said, In many cases, despite the churchs mediation, women give up their right to inheritance to protect their family ties and avoid clashes.

He added, The church intervenes when women fail to get their rights through the judiciary. Most solutions  such as reconciliation sessions  are moderate to alleviate the injustice but do not give women their full rights.

Despite the Christian and Muslim texts stipulating womens right to inheritance, there are plenty of complaints and cases filed by women who have waited years without a ruling.

Mona Soliman, a woman in her 50s who filed a complaint with the NCW, told Al-Monitor, I was deprived of my fathers inheritance, which my brothers claimed as their own. They said they wanted to prevent my husbands family from taking a piece of the land.

She added, Five years on, no ruling has been issued to give me back my right after my brothers said before the court in the Minya governorate that the land ownership was transferred to them on my fathers death bed and that he told them not to give me ownership.

Family members who want to deprive women of their right to the inheritance often forge title deeds before the judiciary. Khadija Hussein, a woman in her 40s from Bani Suef, told Al-Monitor, After my husband died, his brothers deprived me of the property we live in under the pretext that he did not have any male heirs. They manipulated the title deeds to show the court that the property was theirs, and I could not prove they had forged the papers.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had dubbed 2017 The Year of Women, attacking cultural norms that deprive women of their inheritance during the World Youth Forum on Nov. 8. He said, "We must change the norms and put an integrated program to redraw the real image of women and promote their status.

Issam Shaaban, the media officer and spokesman for the Egyptian Feminist Union, told Al-Monitor, Any action to face womens deprivation of their inheritance must be coupled with social and legal awareness to qualify women to attain their right and not be afraid of voicing their demands.

He noted, Volunteers from rights centers should back women to file cases before the judiciary, especially since most women are not aware of their rights or do not have the tools to take action to get them.

Shaaban added, The government must provide clear mechanisms that unfairly treated women can rely on. The legislation would then become a real tool rather than a judicial text to obtain rights. Many women have spent years in court hallways in vain.

Amal Abdul Hadi, an activist at the New Woman Foundation, told Al-Monitor, The law alone cannot defy norms and beliefs because women then would fear asking for their rights and would settle.

She added, The norms have been placed above religious principles for decades.
December 12, 2017

International Human Rights Day is getting grimmer by the year in Turkey. At least 50,000 people have been jailed since last years attempted coup on July 15. Well over 150,000 have spent time in police custody since a continuing state of emergency was declared in its wake.

The number of detainees is swelling at such a dizzying rate that authorities will have to build 228 new prisons over the next five years to make room for them.

More often than not, the cases are politically motivated.

Take that of prominent philanthropist Osman Kavala, who is an ardent champion of human rights and peace with Kurds and Armenians as well as a big-hearted patron of refugees and the arts. The European Parliament called him a bridge-builder, a man of dialogue and reconciliation. Kavala has been sitting in a Turkish jail for the past 42 days in pre-trial detention for supposedly helping to orchestrate the coup together with respected US academic Henri Barkey and long-retired CIA operative Graham Fuller. Turkey has issued arrest warrants for both based on fabricated evidence.

Yesterday, an Istanbul prosecutor demanded life sentences for brothers Mehmet and Ahmet Altan, counted among the countrys top intellectuals, and Nazli Ilicak, a feisty septuagenarian female journalist hailing from the Istanbul elite, all for alleged involvement in the botched takeover. None has committed any act of violence, nor did they incite any, in writing or otherwise. Yet they are deemed to be members of the so-called Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization (FETO), formed by the followers of Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based Turkish imam who Turkey says masterminded the putsch.

As of today, there are at least 146 journalists behind bars in Turkey, according to the Turkish Journalists Association. Thats more than in Iran, China or Russia, which have long been the worst oppressors. Deniz Yucel, a Turkish-German reporter whose incarceration over his alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party has made him a cause celebre in Germany and strained ties with Berlin, was allegedly beaten by prison guards in a dark stairwell.

For Cem Kucuk, a columnist for the pro-government Yeni Safak, who frequently calls for jailing government critics, torture is apparently de rigeur. In remarks during his regular TV show this week he suggested Gulenist inmates ought to be subjected to harsher interrogation techniques in order to extract confessions. "Hang them out of the window by their legs," he proposed.

In October, Human Rights Watch announced that it had documented at least 11 cases of serious abuse in detention. The violations included beatings and sexual assault of prisoners whose access to lawyers is frequently denied. Several hundred lawyers are in pre-trial detention themselves, investigated for terrorism charges. Emma Sinclair-Webb, the advocacy group's gutsy Turkey director, told a panel in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir over the weekend that Turkey's ongoing state of emergency was aimed at "building an empire of fear."

Sinclair-Webb's colleague, Amnesty International Turkey director Taner Kilic, remains locked up on charges of membership of FETO.

Turkeys Human Rights Association offered an even darker assessment, saying that at least 2,278 people were tortured and 11 others disappeared between January and November this year.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted in his Human Rights Day message delivered over the weekend, "Respect for human rights based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination of individuals before the law is the irreplaceable nature of the Republic of Turkey."

Ibrahim Halil Baran, the leader of an obscure Kurdish nationalist grouping who was detained in the southeastern city of Urfa on Jan. 11 and freed on April 11 pending trial on charges of disseminating terrorist propaganda and insulting Erdogan, begged to differ. He declared on Monday, "I was tortured for 13 days. There is systematic torture in Turkey. The two lower levels of the Urfa counterterrorism headquarters is a torture center. I can identify the police who tortured me."

Sezgin Tanrikulu, a prominent human rights defender and opposition lawmaker, reckons that between 2002 and 2017  during the 15 years Erdogans Justice and Development Party has been governing alone  at least 18,762 people suffered torture and ill-treatment and that at least 482 journalists were arrested. In a report detailing the abuses unveiled this week, Tanrikulu claimed that at least 15 people accused of links to FETO have committed suicide since the attempted coup.

Some 11 of Tanrikulus fellow parliamentarians are currently in jail on thinly supported terror charges. Among them are Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, the co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party, the third biggest in the chamber.

Then theres the sacking of well over 100,000 judges, prosecutors, police officials, academics and scores of popularly elected mayors. The overwhelming majority  some 93 at the last tally  are Kurds. And so the grisly count continues.
December 12, 2017

Irans former Central Bank head Mahmoud Bahmani, reacting to Iranian-Turkish tycoon Reza Zarrabs recent statements in a US court, says he never met with Zarrab.

In his testimony in a New York trial, Zarrab, who was arrested in the United States on March 19, 2016, explained how he helped Iran bypass US sanctions. He said he had meetings with Bahmani and had ties with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

During Ahmadinejads 2005-2013 presidency, Iran was under heavy sanctions over its nuclear program. Following the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran were lifted.

In an interview with the semi-official ISNA news agency Dec. 12, Bahmani said he had had no meetings with Zarrab.

I emphasize that I neither had a meeting nor any ties with him. I also dont think that Mr. Ahmadinejad had a meeting with him either, said Bahmani, adding, Mr. Zarrab has just claimed that he had meetings with a number of people to bypass the sanctions; he didnt say these meetings were for private purposes or the financial [issues Iran was facing].

In response to a question about Zarrab's having said he has an audio file of his meeting with Bahmani, the former top Iranian banker stated, I had no meeting with Reza Zarrab. Suppose that I had such a meeting, holding a meeting is part of my job. The head of the Central Bank can have a meeting with anyone all over the world, but it is important what decisions are taken.

Bahmani continued, Zarrab's only claim is that we arranged a meeting with him to bypass the sanctions. I didnt bypass the sanctions; I managed them, and Im proud that I managed the sanctions.

Bahmani said Ahmadinejads government had developed a plan to have major amounts of gold on hand to help keep the country running in the event of a war between Tehran and the West. We anticipated [a war]; this explains why we stored a few hundred tons of gold in the treasury. However, I dont want to say how we imported that gold. I label this action 'managing the crisis and sanctions.' It is possible that someone calls that 'bypassing the sanctions,' but I dont care about this rhetoric."

Asked about his ties with Zarrab, Bahmani responded, Zarrab has explained that he had been in coordination with Turkish President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] or, for instance, Iran to bypass the Iran sanctions, and even has claimed that he had a meeting with me. But Im saying that I had no meeting with Reza Zarrab.

Bahmani also said that during the global recession of 2007-2012, the United States and Europe invited him to present them with possible solutions to the crisis. He said such solutions were offered in 2008 and these countries came out of recession through our plan.
December 7, 2017

Iraqi Sunnis who were displaced by the Islamic State (IS) could now be forced to move again, this time as pawns of political maneuvering by parties seeking an advantage in the upcoming provincial elections. The issue may be moot as far as the elections go, however, as other obstacles are likely to delay the vote, currently set for May.

More than 3.2 million Iraqis remain displaced within the country, according to Refugees International, and most of them have been displaced since 2014, when IS began making major gains in the country.

The National Forces Alliance political party, which represents Sunnis, says it will accept holding Iraqi elections on time as long as the "internally displaced" citizens are able to return to their homes in time to vote. But recent reports show some people are being forced to return prematurely, allegedly so elections can be held on time.

The US Embassy in Iraq confirmed these reports in a statement issued Nov. 27 and said that forcing the displaced to return before they are ready puts their interests and safety at risk and may lead to their displacement again.

The Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration said it was not concerned about the accusation; it issued a press statement Nov. 28 saying it had not forced any displaced person to return to the areas liberated from IS.

But Eid Ammach, spokesman for the Anbar provincial council, said in a press statement the same day that hundreds of displaced families have been forced to return to their areas of origin in Fallujah without prior notice.

In light of these conflicting reports, Abdul Rahman Alloizi, a parliament member representing Ninevah province, told Al-Monitor, There is no dispute that the displaced are being used for electoral purposes, as the parties calling for their fast return and those rejecting the return" both stand to benefit from their stances. Even so, Alloizi believes the Iraqi government is seriously seeking the safe return of the displaced.

But he added, The Kurdish forces in the Kurdistan Region are forcing the displaced to accept specific political [conditions]." For example, there were several reports that Kurdish officials pressured refugees to vote in favor of the independence referendum in September. "These forces are also hindering the return of the displaced to their Arab areas, in order to maintain the state of chaos that [the Kurds] are benefiting from on the political and electoral levels.

Dozens of displaced people in the Tuz Khormato district in the north, which is witnessing a conflict over influence between Arab forces and Kurdish forces, took to the street Nov. 26, demanding their return to their areas of origin be expedited.

Complicating the situation, some people who returned to their villages were rejected by their neighbors because their family members allegedly had worked with IS. Those people were forced back to the camps again, Alloizi said, citing the return Nov. 28 of 50 displaced families.

Maj. Gen. Mahmoud al-Falahi, a commander of Anbar Governorate Operations, announced Nov. 28 that 5,000 displaced have returned to their liberated areas in the Anbar province and other provinces.

Abdul Aziz al-Zalimi, a member of the Sadrist al-Ahrar parliamentary bloc, told Al-Monitor, The Sunni forces constitute an important player in the issue of the displaceds return, as the majority of displaced people are Sunnis.

"The displaced are weak and divided, and they will vote for whoever offers them help."

He added, The displaced are weak and divided, and they will vote for whoever offers them help. Some forces want their prompt return and [are assuring the displaced] that it will be done easily; other forces are offering them benefits" to remain in the camps and are playing on their fears that their houses have been destroyed and that the once-occupied areas will lack security and the streets will be booby-trapped.

Zalimi continued, In both cases, these forces are seeking to secure votes.

He went even further and said, The Shiite factions that participated in the liberation of Sunni areas now enjoy popular support. The Sunni forces that cooperated with these Shiite factions [and remain in the area] have thus gained more popularity. The traditional Sunni forces are concerned about this, and some of them are forcing the displaced to return fast to their areas."

Jassem al-Moussawi, a political writer and analyst and head of the Media Monitor Center, told Al-Monitor that the different agendas over the displaced are due to administrative corruption.

Some are making financial gains from the displacement issue, and it is in their interest that the phenomenon continues," he said. There are forces eager to secure the return of the displaced and ensure social stability, which will affect the election results in the coming period. Other forces are controlling the [displaced] camps and working on keeping the displaced there to gain their loyalty and secure their votes.

He added, Many traditional Sunni forces are concerned about the stability in the Sunni provinces, as they have failed to achieve security and provide services.

It seems clear that the displaced issue has now become part of a political game. United Nations envoy for Iraq Jan Kubis said Nov. 22 that the elections in Iraq cannot be held, as the situation is troubled and Sunnis are displaced.

Kubis backtracked on his position less than a week after he visited the Shiite authority in Najaf, stressing the need to commit to the scheduled dates of elections, even though the situation of the displaced hasn't changed.

Nahla al-Hababi, a member of parliaments Displacement and Migration Committee, told Al-Monitor, Political forces are spreading their political campaigns among the displaced to gain their support, namely in Mosul, Anbar and areas under Kurdish control.

She called on the government to form a special committee for the displaced whose goals would be to meet their demands away from the political forces influence."

This is especially true as parliament, which already has a lot on its plate, is still struggling with an elections bill that needs to be passed by Dec. 15. The legislative and provincial elections are being held together, so delaying one would delay the other. Parliament must either approve the elections bill, negotiate a behind-the-scenes deal based on the current electoral law or agree to postpone the elections. Another major controversy also needs to be settled: The Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Units and their mostly Shiite factions want to participate in the elections, and provincial councils are arguing over disputed Kirkuk province.

In light of the ongoing instability and conflicts, political forces should not bet on the displaced to achieve political gains. It is important to keep the displaced away from the conflicts and settle their situation in a way that serves their own interests, not the interests of the political forces.
December 11, 2017

On the night between Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) destroyed a cross-border underground Hamas tunnel that penetrated hundreds of meters into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. A month and a half ago, on Oct. 31, the IDF had destroyed another tunnel from the Strip that crossed the border into the area of Kibbutz Kissufim in Israel. In the explosion in this tunnel, at least 12 members of Islamic Jihad were trapped and killed. Five bodies extracted from the tunnel are being held by Israel as a bargaining chip for future negotiations.

The IDF presented the discovery of the second tunnel as the fruit of its new technological and operational abilities. However, this tunnel (which was blown up this week) had been known to the security apparatus months ago. It was discretely destroyed without the Israeli threats and rhetoric that accompanied the blowing up of the earlier tunnel. The difference between the two tunnels is that the first constituted a present and immediate danger to Israel, while the second tunnel  which was found in an open agricultural terrain in Israel that is relatively distant from the settled localities  was set aside as a bargaining chip with which to threaten Hamas.

IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis explained in his announcement that the large tunnel that was uncovered and destroyed was dug by Hamas. It extended from Khan Yunis in the center of the Strip and penetrated into Israeli territory for hundreds of meters. It was uncovered in the middle of an agricultural plot of land, about a kilometer (0.6 mile) from the nearby localities of Nirim and Ein Hashlosha. The IDF tracked the construction of the tunnel over recent months and decided to neutralize it this morning.

The Islamic Jihad tunnel in the environs of Kissufim was destroyed immediately after it was discovered. It was felt that the residents of the south were directly endangered by the tunnel, in which Islamic Jihad fighters were actively operating and training. The IDF felt that it had to destroy the tunnel immediately, despite the risk that rockets would be fired at Israel afterward in retaliation. By contrast, the demolition of the second tunnel this week was intended to send a warning message to Hamas: We know about your tunnels, so think twice before you decide to heat up the zone in response to US President Donald Trumps announcement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Southern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir told journalists that the uncovering of the tunnel was made possible thanks to the IDFs advanced technological equipment and methods. His words were designed to allay the fears of the Israeli public, which views the cross-border tunnels from Gaza as a severe security failure since those tunnels were only uncovered in the Operation Protective Edge campaign of summer 2014. However, Zamirs statement was mainly targeted at Hamas military and political leadership. With the integration of advanced, ground-breaking technology, we operate a wide range of abilities and methods, both visible and hidden, above and below ground, to thwart the tunnel project of Hamas and other terror organizations in Gaza, Zamir stated. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke about this issue. In his visit to Paris on Dec. 10, he said, We are developing ground-breaking technologies that do not exist [anywhere else] in the world. We will continue in our efforts. We are on the right path.

An Israeli security source verified in a conversation with Al-Monitor that the demolition of the tunnel was timed to constitute a warning message to Hamas. On the heels of President Donald Trumps declaration on Dec. 6, head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh called for a new intifada. Haniyeh encouraged Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to rise up and instigate clashes with the IDF. Hamas even allowed hundreds of demonstrators from Gaza to come close to the border fence with Israel and confront the IDF. As a result, two Palestinians were killed Dec. 8 and dozens were wounded. Simultaneously, rockets were fired the same day toward the Israeli town of Sderot; one of them blew up in the city.

Israels security apparatus assumes that Hamas is interested in an escalation at this point in time due to internal Palestinian considerations. Israel thinks that the heads of Hamas want to emphasize the failure of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas nonviolent diplomatic path with regard to the American declaration regarding Jerusalem. In addition, a clash with Israel will strengthen the belief that there is a vital need for armed Palestinian organizations, and despite Abbas demand, these armed units cannot be dismantled in any intra-Palestinian settlement.

This is the reason that Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Major Gen. Yoav (Poli) Mordechai recently sent two warning messages to Hamas and the Gaza residents. The continuation of rocket-fire incidents will lead to a harsh and painful response by the IDF, Mordechai threatened Hamas, adding, Do not try to test our resolve. To Gaza residents, he wrote, Irresponsible terrorists are leading you to an escalation [of the conflict] right before winter, [in the time] when the hardships in Gaza increase. Hamas bears responsibility for the Strip. Wake up, because time is not on your side.

Thus, none of Mordechais warnings were directed at the Palestinian security apparatus in the West Bank. The Israeli defense establishment assumes that despite the tight spot that Abbas now finds himself in, he will do everything in his power to avert an eruption of violence from West Bank residents that could threaten his regime as well. Instead, he will continue to try and reach a diplomatic solution even without American mediation. This assumption is partly based on the words of Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, who said on Dec. 9, We will look for a new mediator among our Arab brothers and other international community members, a mediator who will help us forge a two-state solution.

Over the weekend, Israel saw that the stormy demonstrations that broke out in the West Bank were fully controlled by the Palestinian Authoritys (PA's) security forces. These forces made efforts to curb Hamas calls for an intifada, while simultaneously allowing the residents to blow off steam. Evidently, Palestinian leadership did not want Abbas to come across as a loser to his people.

Therefore, Israel directed most of its messages toward Hamas and not the PA. The destruction of the tunnel was designed to make it clear to Hamas that its flagship project, the underground tunnels, is doomed to failure in spite of the tremendous resources that were invested in it. Without tunnels  and when Iron Dome anti-missile defense batteries significantly neutralize the threat of rockets on the south  Hamas' leadership ought to think long and hard. They should consider whether military escalation benefits them or whether it will lead to their downfall.
December 12, 2017

The door first slams in the inspectors faces, but only briefly. Nidal Ibrahim smiles when he opens the door again to let inspectors from the Zgharta district into his small flat, where his family of nine has lived since fleeing the Syrian town of Idlib four years ago.

We are in northern Lebanon on a Monday night. Like every night, a team of 18 inspectors is dispatched around town to check that Syrians are not out in the streets after the curfew, to see who lives in which building, to photograph any new resident and record his name and city of origin in Syria, and to warn anyone whose residency permit has expired that they need to fix it as soon as possible.

Cases like that of Ibrahims 19-year-old son are common. Because theres not enough work, I didnt renew my work permit, Nayef Ibrahim told Al-Monitor. He doesnt leave the house anymore, as he could be arrested and imprisoned. Syrians also often report that their Lebanese employers try to extort money from them in exchange for a work permit, which costs the employer $200 a year, paid directly to the Lebanese state.

Such inspections have become more frequent in northern Lebanon since the rape and murder late September of Raya Chidiac, a 26-year-old wealthy Christian woman who lived in the town of Miziara. The man who strangled her with a plastic bag was Syrian and had worked for her family for years as their buildings caretaker. He was arrested and confessed to the murder.

The backlash that followed affected not only Miziara, but the entire region. Although the mayor of Miziara declined an interview, there have been reports that all Syrians were given a deadline to leave and sometimes physically intimidated.

In Bcharre, a village in northern Lebanon, Syrian residents were issued a warning to leave before Nov. 15. A few hundred men with a Lebanese employer and official sponsor were allowed to stay. Yes, we suffered from the consequences of the Miziara crime. But as long as we have a permit, our situation is fine, Suleiman from Idlib told Al-Monitor on the street. But thousands  mostly families  left.

Demonstrations in Bcharre started on Oct. 18, the day school resumed after the summer holiday, preventing Syrian children from attending their classes. They were held daily for two weeks in front of the villages only public school that hosts Syrian refugees, according to school director Roula Keirouz. Going for the children was the best way to push the families to leave, Keirouz told Al-Monitor. Thousands of families left for towns closer to the coast such as Tripoli, reported several residents, both Syrian and Lebanese.

The Zgharta administration tried to calm the situation, asking demonstrators in the region to show their support for Chidiacs family by not attacking the local Syrian population. We posted our guards around Miziara so that Syrians could leave the town without being assaulted. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees intervened as well, Ghassan Tayoun, the vice president of the Zgharta district, told Al-Monitor.

Chidiacs murder was the tipping point for Lebanese resentment against the perceived burden of Syrian refugees. Even though the region traditionally welcomes the couple hundred Syrians who work in construction and agriculture every year, their numbers have swelled to several thousand since the war broke out in Syria in 2011. Seasonal workers brought their families, and others soon joined them. We feel like there are more Syrians than Lebanese, is a common complaint among the locals.

Towns like Miziara and Bcharre are overwhelmingly Maronite Christians, and Syrian refugees are mainly Sunni Muslims. Many inhabitants point to cultural differences. People complained that they did not like to see Syrians walking in groups out in the street, or washing their bodies outside, in full view of everyone, Joe Khalifeh, who worked for the town of Bcharre until 2016, told Al-Monitor. After what happened in Miziara, mothers were scared for their daughters and would not let them walk home alone at night, said Keirouz.

Approximately 1 million Syrian refugees are registered in Lebanon. In 2015, the government tightened its residency policy, ending the official registrations but not the inflow. Most Lebanese officials believe that there are as many as 2 million Syrians in Lebanon, where the local population is approximately 4 million.

All around Lebanon, people complain that the sudden increase in cheap labor is a threat to their economic well-being. In Lebanon, unemployment affects roughly 20% of the population and public infrastructure is weak  electricity outages are still a daily nuisance all over the country since the end of the civil war in 1990. According to Simon Douaihy, one of the men hired by Zgharta to inspect the local Syrian population, A Syrian house painter costs $20-$30 a day, while a Lebanese worker normally asks for $100.

By increasing surveillance instead of pushing the Syrians to leave, Zgharta hopes to be able to control simmering tensions as well as prepare for the refugees eventual return to Syria. For example, when the situation is calm in Homs, we will write to the Lebanese government asking that their return be organized, said Tayoun.

The return of Syrian refugees was a hot topic this summer among Lebanese politicians after a few thousand of them left Lebanon for Syria under a deal brokered by the Shiite group Hezbollah. Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that the refugees return can only be done in coordination with the United Nations. But President Michel Aoun, who is allied with Hezbollah, tweeted in October that the return of the displaced  a term used by Lebanese politicians for Syrians in the country so as not to grant them refugee status  must be carried out without attaching it to reaching a political solution in Syria.

A non-UN-brokered return of refugees would have to be done in coordination with the Syrian government, which would mean Lebanon normalizing relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a military ally of Hezbollah. When he resigned on Nov. 4 while in Saudi Arabia, Hariri condemned pressure from Hezbollah and its allies. He only formally rescinded his resignation on Dec. 5 after his Cabinet agreed to commit to a policy of dissociation from regional conflicts.

Back in northern Lebanon, most people Al-Monitor spoke with think that conditions are ready today for the Syrians to return to their home country. Ive seen on television that 80% of the country is pacified. Why dont they go back? asked Keirouz from her living room in Bcharre, facing the school where demonstrations took place against Syrian children.

People say that, but we know its not true yet, explained Tayoun. Houses are still destroyed, and peoples lives can be threatened by different armed factions. We try to treat Syrians peacefully. But well be very happy to accompany them home when the moment comes.
December 11, 2017

RAMALLAH, West Bank  US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has started casting its shadow over the city. Israel is expected to act in accordance with this announcement by accelerating its settlement construction and demolishing Jerusalemites houses. It could make it even harder for Palestinians to obtain construction permits.

Jamal Amr Abu Tair, from Umm Tuba, southeast of Jerusalem, spent the evening of Nov. 25 demolishing a house he owns and had been renovating for two years. He caved to pressure by the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem and took action to avoid the huge fees ranging between $15,000 and $20,000 that are incurred when the municipality destroys houses built without permits.

Abu Tair told Al-Monitor that he was planning on finishing the small house for his eldest son, who was to live in the house after his marriage in summer 2018.

He added, I received the final notice from the Israeli municipality to demolish the house Nov. 23. I decided to destroy it myself. If I hadnt, the municipality would have taken matters into its own hands and forced me to pay the full demolition fees, which are quite high.

He noted, It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I destroyed my own house that I had spent two years building for my son and his wife to live in. I cannot afford to pay the municipality the demolition expenses. I will hold the wedding celebrations for my son in due time, and I will give him and his wife a room in the family house.

Moaz al-Zaatari, head of Al-Maqdese, an organization that monitors human rights violations in Jerusalem, told Al-Monitor, Citizens are forced to destroy their houses with their own hands when they are unable to get permits for them, to avoid paying the demolition fees. He noted that the construction permits, in the rare event they become available, cost up to 120,000 shekels (around $32,000).

He said, The Israeli municipality usually sends out the first notice for demolition citing the lack of a construction permit and files a lawsuit against the landlord, who then has to appear before the Israeli judiciary. The court gives the landlord a time limit to obtain the permit. Meanwhile, the municipality imposes a fine for illegal construction.

Zaatari went on, Jerusalemites have to pay the municipality a fine for illegal construction, in addition to the expenses for obtaining the permit and the attorney fees in court. The citizen is financially drained and a few years later is unable to get a construction permit because of the Israeli authorities refusal. He has to settle for the lesser of two evils: destroy the house himself rather than wait for the municipality to destroy it and force him to pay the demolition fees.

He also noted that Al-Maqdese documented 22 such demolitions in Jerusalem by the end of November, and there were 28 documented demolitions of this kind in 2016.

Many observers hold that Israeli demolitions in Jerusalem violate international laws and agreements. Hanna Issa, instructor of international law and general secretary of the Muslim-Christian Association, told Al-Monitor that the demolitions violate Article 53 of the 1949 Geneva IV Convention, which states, Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.

He said that the demolitions are also a clear violation of Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, dated Dec. 10, 1948, which states, Everyone has the right to own property, alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of their property.

The Israeli authorities rely in their house demolition policies on Article 119 of the 1945 British Defense (Emergency) Regulations despite knowing that the British Mandate law became inapplicable with Britains retreat from the Palestinian territories May 15, 1948, Issa told Al-Monitor. He also noted that Israels ongoing demolition of houses violates the 2004 UN Security Council Resolution 1544, calling on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law, and insists, in particular, on its obligation not to undertake demolition of homes contrary to that law.

The demolitions have enormous negative social and economic repercussions for the owners. Ziad al-Hamouri, director of the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights, told Al-Monitor, Building a house in Jerusalem is costly. Nothing is worse than having to destroy a house you spent years to build to shelter your family. These moments are engraved in the minds of our children and families.

He added, When the owner destroys his own house, negative effects are left on the family, which finds itself without a home. The children cannot erase the image of their father destroying  the safe roof above their heads.

The demolition policy is a card in Israels demographic war in Jerusalem. Jerusalem Governor Adnan al-Husseini told Al-Monitor, Israels strategic goal is to render Jerusalemites homeless and expel them from their city to endanger the Palestinian presence there. All demolitions in Jerusalem serve the demographic war in favor of settlement expansion.

With Israels rapid settlement construction and ongoing demolition policy in Jerusalem, citizens find themselves dealing with the repercussions alone. The Palestinian and Arab position toward the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital is so far limited to denouncements and condemnations.
December 11, 2017

RAMALLAH, West Bank  As soon as US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital on Dec. 6 and announced moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Sabaaneh started drawing caricatures on the subject, including one depicting Trump as Santa Claus offering a bag of gifts to an Israeli soldier that contains the crescent of a mosque and a church cross  a reference to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

In another caricature, Sabaaneh drew a big head of Trump replacing his mouth with a toilet seat; a Palestinian child wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh is peeing inside his mouth. Another cartoon shows an Arab kissing boots that represent the United States, and offering Palestine.

Some of the works of the young Palestinian cartoonist were published by al-Haya al-Jadida, while Sabaaneh posted others on his Facebook page.

Sabaaneh is considered one of the most famous caricaturists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Sabaaneh, whose roots go back to Jenin in the northern West Bank, was born in Kuwait in 1979. He returned to the West Bank in the 1990s and earned a bachelors degree in fine arts with a specialization in interior design from An-Najah University in 2002. A member of the assessment committee of the Palestinian media competition and the international Cartoon Movement, he is now working as an administrator at the Arab American University in Jenin and as a cartoonist for daily paper al-Haya al-Jadida.

In November, Sabaaneh published his first book, titled White and Black, Political Cartoons from Palestine, that consists of 180 illustrations of which 90% have not been published before. The cartoons also include the ones he drew during his five-month detention in Israeli prisons after his arrest while returning from Jordan on Feb. 16, 2013. An Israeli court had sentenced Sabaaneh on charges of communicating with hostile parties, without specifying the parties or the nature of the communication.

Sabaanehs book launch Nov. 14 at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in the West Bank city of Ramallah comes six months after its launch in English in the United States. Right after the US launch, Sabaaneh set out on a tour that included 22 events in 15 US cities and six meetings with students at major universities across the United States.

The book, which includes single cartoons and cartoon series, received an award at the 6th edition of the Festival international du dessin de presse, de la caricature et de la satire in France on Sept. 30. The festival included an exhibition of 30 illustrations by Sabaaneh on the suffering of the Palestinian people under occupation. He also received awards at home: Sabaaneh was honored by the Writers Union and the Journalists Syndicate in Ramallah on Nov. 14, and by the governor of Ramallah during an event Oct. 31.

Sabaaneh told Al-Monitor that the book is an important addition to the art of global caricature, as it highlights the issues under which the people and homeland are suffering, not to mention the humanitarian and cultural messages it contains.

He noted that what makes the book special is the creation of a new technique in drawing, where he carves his drawings on a linoleum block.

Sabaaneh said he first got the idea for the book in 2015, during an exhibition in Washington when he was encouraged by The Economists cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher. Kallaugher, after seeing some of Sabaanehs drawings at the exhibit and subsequently other sketches, urged Sabaaneh to produce more drawings and to collect them in a book.

Kallaugher urged me to publish a book for the whole world to see, so I started contacting international publishing houses until I got the approval of Just World Books and signed with them in 2016, Sabaaneh said.

For Sabaaneh, the book is considered a window for the world to know about life under occupation in Palestine and earn the publics sympathy and support for the Palestinian cause. He believes this type of communication should be promoted and diversified.

The first of the five chapters is a series divided into sections titled The Story of Palestine, with each depicting a period in the history of Palestine from 1922 to 2016. The first chapter portrays the early years of the British Mandate of Palestine, with the cartoons depicting the policies the British army adopted, including the collective punishment of residents such as the destruction of houses and executions.

The book also includes the 1948 Nakba and the arrival of the Jews to Palestine. Several symbols of that era are portrayed, including warplanes, gallows, refugee tents and a key representing the Palestinians right to return. The other chapters portray the withdrawal of Palestinian militants from Beirut after its invasion by Israel, the start of the first intifada in 1987, the Oslo Accord signed between Israel and the PLO in 1993, and al-Aqsa intifada in 2000.

The last two chapters depict the period running from 2004 to 2016, which witnessed the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, the completion of the wall and the wars on the Gaza Strip.

The book received broad acclaim among the worlds top cartoonists, according to Just World Books. Despite working at a very complicated crossroads of ideology and political pressures, Sabaaneh continues to produce sharp, incisive cartoons. His tenacity and courage is an inspiration for cartoonists around the world, said award-winning American political cartoonist Matt Wuerker.

Joe Sacco, author and illustrator and the man behind the book Footnotes in Gaza, wrote about Sabaaneh, Each of Sabaanehs powerful drawings is like a gut punch that gets straight to the essence of the stark reality of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation. This is how an artist resists.

Sabaaneh said that Dar al-Saqi publishing house in Beirut will collaborate with Just World Books to publish a new edition of the book for the UK and European markets early next year, pointing out that he is considering translating the book into German and other foreign languages.

He is currently wrapped up in a new art project, as he plans to paint large cartoons that will be exhibited at an international competition in Belgium in May 2018. He has already finished a large mural on the history of the Palestinian cause and is working on the next one with a universal humanitarian theme.

Caricatures have long been one of the most important Palestinian art forms of journalism in addressing political issues. The art of Palestinian caricature is an avant-garde art in the Arab world, and it has been influenced over the past years by the general political situation, he noted.

Sabaanehs political and social cartoons often cause controversy, especially when it comes to tackling the Palestinian division that has affected the Palestinian media. Sabaaneh said, Differences [of opinion] lead to arguments. So my works are not always approved by all spectrums of the Palestinian public  which in itself is divided politically and geographically. So it is only normal that my cartoons create controversy and different reactions.
December 11, 2017

Capt. Ozcan Cikmaz became a legend for his service as a company commander in 2012 during anti-terror operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party in the southeastern town of Semdinli. Called the Hero of Semdinli, the infantry commander was decorated with the rarely awarded Distinguished Bravery and Sacrifice Medal. Where is Cikmaz these days? Not, as one might assume, in a critical post in the Turkish army, but in Silicon Valley. Cikmaz's journey from Turkey to California epitomizes the broader problem the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has of not being able to retain highly qualified personnel.

After his legendary exploits on the Semdinli front, Cikmaz, who graduated as a lieutenant from the Turkish Military Academy in 2002, was transferred to the Infantry School in Istanbul. While there, he took leave to study business at ESCP Europe in Paris, and in 2015, he resigned from the TSK of his own accord to attend school in the United States, at Cornell and Stanford. Today he is in Silicon Valley preparing to launch an app he developed, Hospital on Mobile, to help patients contact physicians and improve physicians' patient management.

During the past five or so years, hundreds of qualified officers have either resigned on their own or were retired from the TSK. Without a doubt, hundreds more are looking for opportunities to break out of their current status. What has led them to want to leave or is attracting them to civilian life? Why can't the TSK  whose intellectual capacity has declined enormously with the purges stemming from the the July 2016 coup attempt  retain personnel?

These recently separated, bright and qualified officers are not be confused with those discharged in the purges. Those like Cikmaz simply took advantage of the legal structures that allowed them to leave the military.

Cikmaz said he left the TSK with tears in his eyes. As an officer with broad horizons and ambitions, I truly wanted to contribute to my institution, Cimaz told Al-Monitor. I've been interested in electronics and software since my childhood. In 2005 with a friend of mine, I designed my first drone. The mini drones I designed flew at 1,000 meters [328 feet] altitude and produced topographic modeling of 5-by-5-kilometer areas in Semdinli.

Wanting to continue pursuing his lifelong interests but unable to do so within the structure of Infantry School, Cikmaz applied to graduate programs in Turkey. He was rejected because of his low grade-point average. Then I applied to ESCP with my projects, Cikmaz said.

I was one of the 22 candidates accepted from among hundreds of applicants, he explained. Taking annual leave from Infantry School, I traveled to Paris. I spent 30,000 euros of my personal savings for an MBA at ESCP. My personal effort cost the Turkish state nothing, but my leave request became a problem in the second year. My unit was not pleased with my endeavors. I had applied for a years leave without pay from the Land Forces command. They felt that agreeing to my request [for additional leave to study] would set an example for others, who might seek the same treatment. I talked to my commanders in Ankara, but they couldnt find a solution. That is when I regretfully left my military career to pursue my aspirations.

But I still feel like a soldier, Cikmaz added. I owe my dedication to working hard, to creating, to taking on challenges. Now my new mission is to succeed in Silicon Valley. My goal is to develop a technology that will save lives and provide poor people with the most advanced medical services.

Col. E.B., who requested anonymity, retired in 2016 for similar reasons. The first reason is the inability of the TSK to offer broader horizons to qualified, young colonels. It is difficult for energetic, young officers who want to be innovative and creative while serving in the TSK, he told Al-Monitor.

Also, I was highly disappointed at how the TSK blatantly allowed officers known to be associated with the Gulen movement to advance through its ranks. Bluntly speaking, I felt I was cheated, he said. This negatively affected my morale and motivation, hence my decision to retire. But I still feel like a soldier. I owe a lot to the TSK.

H.K. left the TSK in 2015 as a lieutenant colonel. He obtained a master's degree in procurement management in the United States. Today he manages a key department in a major defense industry company in Ankara. He thinks the TSK's problem is structural, noting that the private sector provides openings for self-motivated, ambitious officers while the armed forces lack strategic vision and planning.

Civilian life is offering attractive opportunities fully compatible with the qualifications of the candidates and their career aspirations, H.K. told Al-Monitor. Moreover, the civilian sector has discovered the rich, diverse backgrounds and willingness of officers to take on challenges and their work discipline. That is why they are extending attractive offers to these officers. He added that the absence of a merit-based promotion system in the TSK is encouraging young majors and lieutenant colonels to move on to civilian life.

C.B., who retired in 2016, now owns a company that offers training and consultancy on software development and communication technologies. To own a civilian company became more attractive than to serve as a lieutenant colonel and carry out orders, he told Al-Monitor. The institutional culture of the TSK doesnt allow one to be an officer with a dual identity. For example, they would not allow me to be an officer specializing in IT. In the TSK, you cant be an academic-soldier, researcher-soldier, historian-soldier or a legal expert-soldier. That is when you realize that you have to break out of the box.

What can the TSK do to halt its brain drain? Former officers who spoke to Al-Monitor made the following suggestions:

Strengthen institutional identification with human-oriented personnel policies, e.g., eliminating internal communication gaps between the TSK's commanding echelons and lower-ranking officers.

Allow officers to pursue directions in the military of particular interest to them.

Enable personnel to pursue personal goals through more flexible leave policies and support appropriate goals with grants, fellowships and scholarships for education and training.

Assign officers to units compatible with their qualifications and academic backgrounds through appropriate personnel and employment policies.

Allow the TSK to establish relationships with universities and the private sector to allow military personnel to conduct research and other projects at schools and firms.

Had such steps already been taken, perhaps Cikmaz would today be in Silicon Valley as a major on a TSK scholarship. After returning to Turkey, he could continue his research in the newly established National Defense University.

Another glaring deficiency is the absence of capability pools to bring together the knowledge, experience and training of qualified retirees. The lack of such an arrangement means that once an officer walks out past the guard post, the gate comes down, not to reopen except for social occasions.
By PTI: Islamabad, Dec 12 (PTI) A woman today gave birth on board a Multan-bound flight from Saudi Arabia of Pakistans national carrier PIA.

The crew of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PK 716 flight came to the aid of the woman. The airline tweeted the pictures of the crew holding the baby.

"Miracles happen everyday and we had our little miracle today onboard our flight PK 716 from Madinah to Multan. A beautiful baby girl was born! We congratulate the proud parents on the new arrival and a big kudos to our cabin crew for their amazing emergency response," the PIA tweeted.

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Identity of the woman was not immediately known.

The PIA was widely mocked last year for sacrificing a goat next to a plane to ward off bad luck. PTI MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
Westminster Magistrates Court will hear Ubers appeal to the Transport for Londons decision to revoke its operating license in London in mid-2018, Reuters reported earlier this week, citing Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot. The five-day hearing is presently planned to start on April 30th but may be delayed over scheduling conflicts. While the main hearing is still nearly half a year away, the legal process surrounding it has already started, with the competent court being set to decide whether the London Taxi Drivers Association and the local unit of trade union GMB are allowed to participate in the case.

New Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi already started damage control earlier this fall when he met with TfL Commissioner Mike Brown to discuss the issue at hand, prompting London Mayor Sadiq Khan to welcome his appointment and humility demonstrated in early October. The situation still remains far from resolved, with the discussion not leading to any palpable results despite the fact both Uber and the TfL explicitly stated theyd prefer to have the matter settled outside of a courtroom. Ubers loss of a private hire operator license in London led to the resignation of the companys Northern Europe head Jo Bertram who still hasnt been replaced, with her successor being expected to be named in early 2018. Until the companys appeal is heard, its allowed to continue operating in London as usual even though its original license expired on September 30th. Should Uber successfully appeal the case or resolve the matter directly with the TfL, its license fee would increase by 96,500 percent, rising from 3,000 pounds ($4,002) it paid in 2012 to over $3.9 million, though the firm previously said it supports a higher licensing fee and believes it should pay more.

The ride-hailing startup is about to wrap up a rather turbulent year thats been littered with scandals ranging from clashes with various governments around the world to allegations of nurturing a predatory corporate culture. The controversy ultimately ended with former CEO Travis Kalanick resigning at a direct request from investors in late June and could eventually hurt Ubers valuation that already appears shaky following SoftBanks approach to invest approximately $10 billion in the company, albeit at a 30 percent discount compared to its 2015 valuation of $68.5 billion which saw it seize the title of the worlds most valuable startup.
Google has set a new record of donating more than $260 million to nonprofit organizations this year alone through its open-sourced philanthropic platform, Google.org, and the entire Google community. Diane Solinger, Director of Google Engagement at Google.org, said late last week that the donation was extended to nonprofits with a core focus on education, inclusion and economic opportunity. Part of the philanthropic activity was to provide aid to those who were hit by natural calamities such as floods, hurricanes, and fires, with support from Googlers and the public as a whole through various forms of relief campaigns.

More specifically, more than 35 nonprofit organizations have received some sort of funding this year after Google raised a $30 million fund as part of a broader effort to extend help to nonprofits worldwide, with Googlers assisting in the process of addressing the funds to certain organizations from different parts of the world where Google.orgs core focus areas are an issue. The search giant also used its Giving Week program to make donations during the holidays by allowing Googlers to match the contribution made by their peers, with Doctors Without Borders, Second Harvest Food Bank, GiveDirectly, and the ACLU having dominated the list of organizations that made donations through the Giving Week program this year. In particular, Google matched more than $20 million for thousands of nonprofits from the various parts of the world in just a single week. Additionally, total donations jointly given by Googlers and the search giant itself to disaster relief campaigns reached almost $97 million, courtesy of the gift matching program. Under that program, Google.org makes certain amount of donations for every $6,000 in accumulated aid by employees for nonprofits.

On top of those donations, Google.org also extended $120 million in grants to support a host of other nonprofit organizations in 2017 alone. The donations Google granted to nonprofits this year alone complement the other philanthropic endeavors initiated by the Mountain View, California-based giant this year, including the $50 million in grants announced last July meant to help job seekers deal with the fluctuating nature of a workplace. In April last year, Google announced a $20 million investment in tech companies that focus on disabilities, with 30 organizations having been selected to split that amount.
The latest version of Googles Phone app debuts a wide variety of quality of life improvements, seeking to make the mobile service as intuitive as possible. The build 15 started rolling out on the Google Play Store earlier this month and should already be available for download in all parts of the world, so long as you own a compatible smartphone. One of the new additions comes in the form of Assisted Dialing that will automatically insert country codes into any phone number you input or try to call while abroad. The functionality is located near the bottom of the apps Settings menu, sandwiched between Accessibility and Caller ID & Spam options. Google didnt elaborate on its exact mechanics, though its likely that the feature simply uses the cellular info received by the smartphone to determine whether youre located in your home country and whats your current location if you arent. Apart from disabling the functionality, its dedicated settings page allows you to manually select your home country or leave the service to do so automatically.

Owners of the Google Pixel and Pixel 2 devices running Android 8.1 Oreo are now also receiving a light navigation bar with the new version of the app. As was the case with the companys other apps that received such a minor redesign, the new navigational buttons are meant to minimize the chances of image retention and screen burn-in. Apart from Googles Android flagships, the firms Phone app is also available for a number of Nexus-branded devices and those launched as part of the Android One initiative.

While the light navigation bar is exclusive to the Pixel phones, a new system for detecting and managing duplicate contacts is rolling out to all handsets and will be automatically activated the next time you end up in the Contacts section of the Android app. Youll be notified about duplicate contacts via a pop-up window, should the service detect any. The notification will provide you with two responses  Dismiss and Clean Up, with the latter bringing you to another interface where youll be able to merge your contacts. Its currently unclear how long will the app take to serve the same alert again if you dismiss it. Refer to the banner below to download the latest build of Googles Phone app.
Tech giant Google is working with Sharp on a 20-megapixel per eye micro display for use with augmented reality and virtual reality devices, according to a keynote delivered by Googler Clay Bavor at the Society of Information Displays Display Week. The project has been going on for some time now, but its been top secret up until this announcement. Bavor, the Vice President of Googles AR and VR efforts, stood beside a banner showing off past VR technologies, which ultimately changed to an announcement that way, way more pixels were needed for proper VR and AR. The announced product would output vastly more pixels per eye than current VR solutions, meaning that it would fit that mantra rather well.

The announcement did not include a lot of technical information on how the display would work, but did list a few features that would come with it, alongside the massive pixel count. Google plans to make VR and AR a bit smoother by using a rolling backlight in some applications, for starters. The kicker is that Google and Sharp are apparently working on an LCD display thats capable of 90-120 frames per second, refresh rates usually associated with OLED displays. If this project succeeds, the potential for cost saving and energy efficiency is high enough that it could actually affect the display market at large by increasing previously waning demand for LCD screens.

Speaking on the matter of how this advancement may be used, Bavor went on to explain that the incredible display resolutions being developed would call for high data throughput for VR and AR content, especially at high enough frame rates to appear acceptably smooth. Specifically, the 90 to 120 frames per second being called for, at 20 megapixels per eye, would call for data transfer rates of roughly 50 to 100 gigabits per second. These are speeds that are not possible on current hardware, which means that Google and Sharps planned displays would not be able to work at their full potential with current technologies. No date was announced for when this system may become available to consumers, but Bavor did state that he had laid eyes on prototypes in a lab setting, and was thoroughly impressed.
Huawei will enter the US smartphone market early next year with the help of the countrys second largest carrier, AT&T, according to a report from South Korea claiming that the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro will be offered by the network operator starting early next year following a formal unveiling at CES in Las Vegas. The smartphone series has already been released in the United States, though only through retailers like Amazon, and if these reports turn out to be correct, then this will mark Huaweis first time to offer one of its handsets in the United States in partnership with a local carrier.

Moreover, the report claims that while Huawei has already partnered with AT&T for the purpose of launching its Mate 10 series in the country, the Chinese OEM is also currently negotiating with the countrys largest carrier, Verizon Wireless. Its still not entirely clear whether Huawei intends on launching only one of the Mate 10 smartphones or both in the US. As far as availability is concerned, the report suggests that the OEM will officially bring its products at CES in January, with AT&T then being expected to release the smartphone(s) in the first quarter of next year. Assuming that Huawei will also partner with Verizon, it remains to be seen whether the New Jersey-based carrier will target a similar launch window as AT&T.

Pricing details also remain unknown but nevertheless, the unlocked Huawei Mate 10 launched through Amazon a couple of weeks ago is available for $699, whereas the unlocked Mate 10 Pro carries a starting price of $878. Both smartphones are powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset housing eight CPU cores and a Mali-G72 MP12 graphics chip, and while both the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro feature 64GB of on-board memory and 4GB of RAM, the latter can also be acquired with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. Both smartphones run Android 8.0 Oreo with the EMUI 8.0 Android skin and share the same dual-camera configuration, as well as a generous 4,000mAh battery. With the US being the worlds largest flagship market, Huawei is likely looking at it as a potentially major growth generator.
The Nokia 5 is now making the jump to the beta stages of Android 8.0 Oreo, according to a recent tweet from HMD Global CPO Juho Sarvikas, and whats more is that the Nokia 6 has also been confirmed to enter the Oreo beta labs soon. Nokia 5 owners who may want to participate in the beta program can do so by visiting Nokias official website, creating an account and entering the smartphones IMEI number. As a point of reference, the beta software is identified as version 5.140, though this may change soon with incremental beta updates throughout the testing period.

According to the changelog, Android 8.0 Oreo beta for the Nokia 5 introduces Notification dots, the new Picture-in-Picture mode, and support for password autofill. Additionally, the update should provide faster boot up times, it includes the Google Security Patch for the month of December and introduces Google Play Protect security scans. Members of Nokias beta labs will receive the latest update over the air, and as usual regarding these types of procedures, its highly advised to download and apply the software while the smartphone has at least fifty percent battery charge left in order to avoid unwanted system shutdowns. Also, beta releases are distributed only over active Wi-Fi networks so make sure the Nokia 5 is connected to one before checking for new updates.

HMD Global previously confirmed that the Nokia 3, 5, and Nokia 6 will all receive Android Oreo by the end of 2017. The Nokia 5 seems to be the first from the trio to receive this treatment, and according to CPO Juho Sarvikas, the Nokia 6 should follow soon though no timeframes were given. The Nokia 3 remained unmentioned in the recent tweet so it remains to be seen when, or if it will join the beta labs before the end of the year. Also worth noting is that the Nokia 8 is already one big step ahead of its siblings as the device made the jump to the public Android 8.0 Oreo build in late November, following roughly one month of beta testing. Having said that, if all goes well then the Nokia 5 might also receive the final Android Oreo build within a months time.

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#AndroidOreo for #Nokia5 has landed on Nokia phones beta labs! Android has never tasted sweeter.

What's more, Android 8.0 Oreo beta for #Nokia6 is coming soon! https://t.co/91uhqstnnm pic.twitter.com/0slgeNbfdC  Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) December 12, 2017
Nokias Chief Operating Officer (COO), Monika Maurer, is leaving the company after less than a year on the job. Maurer started her job as Nokias COO back in April, replacing previous COO Samih Elhage, as the company also announced that it would divide its services to create a distinct business group separate from mobile networks. Eight months after replacing Elhage, Maurer is ready to leave her position at the company as well. On Monday, December 11, Nokia announced that it has appointed Joerg Erlemeier as COO and member of the Nokia Group Leadership Team (GLT), replacing Maurer effective immediately. Nokia says that Maurer will pursue other opportunities after a transition period alongside Erlemeier, but did not offer any additional details.

So far, Erlemeier has been a Nokia Transformation senior vice president. Maurer will assist Erlemeier for a while to make the transition as smooth as possible, but will then leave Nokia altogether. Erlemeier has a Bachelors degree in Engineering, specialized in Electronics and Telecommunications, and has more than two decades of experience in leadership positions at Nokia. The telecom network equipment maker has been struggling recently, amid fierce competition and a tough market, and its shares have notably dipped after it reported a dramatic drop in earnings back in October. At the time, the company blamed a weak market, as well as some internal issues stemming from its acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent last year.

Nokia is not the only one struggling, however, as the whole industry is at a critical point. As various companies are already making efforts to pioneer 5G technology and 5G demand is gradually ramping up, although actual deployment is still a while away, demand for older 2G and 3G, and even newer 4G networks, is dwindling and will only continue to decrease. Nokia is trying to keep its head above the water, but the departure of two COOs in less than a year signals that things might not be going that well. Erlemeier will report to Nokia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President Rajeev Suri, but it remains to be seen whether they will be able to turn things around for the struggling company.
Two Android devices believed to be the Nokia 9 and Nokia 6 (2018) received China Compulsory Certification (3C) earlier this month, having been identified as bearing the model numbers TA-1042 and TA-1054. While the former is said to be HMD Globals upcoming flagship, the latter supposedly denotes a follow-up on the Nokia 6, the companys 2017 mid-ranger and one of its best commercial performers. According to previous reports, both handsets are set to be introduced in the coming months, albeit its still unclear which markets will the Finnish company be targeting with them. The newly acquired certificates are a straightforward indication that the Nokia 6 (2018) and Nokia 9 will be released in China and India may also be near the top of HMDs list of priority markets, as suggested by the firms previously employed product practices. For the same reasons, the Nokia 9 is unlikely to make its way to the United States, though the Nokia 6 (2018) should eventually have a stateside launch.

Apart from the TA-1042 model thats been certified in the Far Eastern country, the Nokia 9 is also expected to come in at least two additional variants known as the TA-1005 and TA-1009, industry insiders said earlier this fall. The Nokia 9 was previously rumored to be launching on January 19th but its still unclear whether the handset is meant to debut alongside the Nokia 6 (2018) even if that date is accurate. The Finnish phone company previously suggested it will launch at least one high-end Android device in the first half of 2018 and the Nokia 9 itself has already been the subject of dozens of rumors in recent months, with most sources claiming the handset is essentially set to offer the hardware power of the Nokia 8 in a more compact and bezel-free form factor.

HMDs first major opportunity to showcase its upcoming Android devices will be the next iteration of Consumer Electronics Show taking place in the first half of January. The possibility of some new Nokia devices being teased at CES 2018 still remains somewhat unlikely as this years trade show will be largely focused on the Internet of Things segment and smart home solutions, thus not being a particularly conducive environment for major smartphone announcements.
Los Angeles-based Sentio launched its latest offering in the form of Sentio Desktop earlier this week, revealing a phone-to-PC solution reminiscent of the Samsung Desktop Experience (DeX) station, albeit one thats compatible with any contemporary Android device. The companys technology is entirely app-based and can be used free of charge, with Sentio uploading its latest offering to the Google Play Store on Monday. Much like Samsungs dock and related software, Sentio Desktop seeks to emulate a Windows-styled experience ranging from support for productivity apps and exploring files to desktop icons and multi-window functionality meant to maximize the usefulness of the service.

Sentio Desktop is compatible with most modern devices running Android 7.0 Nougat and later versions of Googles operating system, though the company previously experimented with a similar service for Lollipop and Marshmallow called Andromium OS which is still available for download from the Google Play Store but under a rebranded name  Sentio Desktop (Lollipop, Marshmallow). The previous solution amassed over a million downloads and already offered some basic desktop functionality to owners of older Android devices, with its successor being meant to improve upon the essentials and deliver a more full-fledged productivity platform. Sentio Desktop supports millions of Android apps, including popular tools like Google Chrome and Microsoft Office, the company said.

While the Sentio Desktop app can be used on its own, it was primarily meant to complement Sentios Superbook, a crowdfunded laptop shell for Android smartphones and tablets thats just entering production after raising close to $3 million on Kickstarter last year. Superbooks backers and people who placed advanced orders on the gadget will start receiving the device in the coming weeks, whereas the general public will be able to purchase it beginning in early 2018 for $149, the startup revealed, without attaching a more specific time frame to the announcement. The firms phone-to-PC platform started as one of Googles 20 percent projects but was shot down by the management, which prompted Gordon Zheng to quit and co-found Sentio. As the service is delivered in the form of an app, its not only compatible with countless Android smartphones and tablets but will also keep getting updated to support Googles upcoming OS iterations.
A sketch depicting whats said to be the Samsung Galaxy S9 appeared online earlier today, having originally been shared on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The image that can be seen above doesnt reveal many new details about the overall design of the flagship that werent already covered by previous leaks and rumors but it does come with supposed dimensions of Samsungs next premium Android offering. As per the schematics, the Galaxy S9 will be 147.63 x 68.69 x 8.41mm in size, with the exception of the small camera bump area where the handset will be 8.76mm thick. Coupled with recent rumors claiming that the Galaxy S9 will retain the 5.8-inch Supr AMOLED display of the Galaxy S8, it appears that the upcoming device will feature even smaller bezels than its predecessor which measured in at 148.9 x 68.1 x 8mm.

While the leak suggests Samsungs 2018 offering is set to be slightly thicker than the Galaxy S8, its currently unclear whether the difference between the two indicates the Galaxy S9 will have a larger battery than the previous phone which shipped with a 3,000mAh unit. The newly uncovered image does give more credence to recent reports that Samsung is looking to deliver a screen-to-body ratio north of 90 percent with its next flagships, albeit the actual depiction of the device doesnt seem to fall in line with its dimensions, assuming the Galaxy S9 still has a 5.8-inch screen.

Apart from slimmer bezels and an improved SoC, the Galaxy S9 series isnt expected to mark a major step forward for Samsungs Android offerings and should instead only deliver a refined version of the Galaxy S8 lineup which was already widely praised in almost every aspect. The larger Galaxy S9 Plus is rumored to start at 6GB of RAM as opposed to 4GB and may be the only one to feature a dual-camera setup, with both phones being said to sport fingerprint sensors beneath their cameras instead of next to them so as to address one of the rare complaints consumers had about the previous two flagships. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are expected to launch by early spring, presumably around the time MWC 2018 starts in late February.
After Madrid triggered Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, many aspects of Catalan society and politics are finding themselves in unusual circumstances. The snap elections on December 21 are no exception. This newspaper has learnt that the ballot tally has been contracted out to Indra without allowing its competitors a chance to bid for the contract.

The Spanish state is Indras largest single shareholder, with a 18.7 per cent stake in the firm. That same state has now resorted to what is known as an emergency process, an exception made in the law of contracts for the public sector in the event of having to take immediate action due to a catastrophe or a situation of grave danger or a need that concerns national defence. Spains Official Gazette had already published that all the steps to do with the Catalan elections this month would be taken through this method, reserved for emergencies.

Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy formally called the Catalan elections on October 27. This unexpected announcement meant that there were less than two months left before the ballot. Under normal circumstances, the administration that organises the election would have published the contract on a public website, together with the economic and technical conditions of the tender. Then any interested parties would have submitted a bid and the administrations technical staff would have selected a winner.

Since Article 155 was triggered, Spains Ministry of the Interior has taken over the powers to organise an election in Catalonia from the Catalan ministries of Economy and Administration. Specifically, on November 3 Juan Antonio Puigserver currently the technical secretary of Spanish minister Juan Ignacio Zoido was put in charge of coordinating preparations for the ballot in Catalonia. Sources in Spains Ministry of the Interior claim that the ballot count has been contracted out by the Catalan government rather than Madrid (even though the latter has imposed its direct rule on Catalonia via Article 155). Catalan government sources explained that, since time was short, they picked Indra because it was the only company that had any experience of vote tallying in a Catalan election (in September 2015), which would mean less risk and would avoid incidents during the count.

As a general rule, tenders for an election vote count are published about six months ahead of the vote so that bids can be adequately prepared and technical staff may set the conditions, but it could be completed in a shorter time span. At any rate, in the context of an emergency invoked by Madrid, there is no obligation to process any formal records or start a public tender; rather, the government may pick the contractor they wish. In this case, Indra got the jackpot. As a matter of fact, this emergency procedure may be applied to any purchase by the administration, provided it can justify that it is being done as a result of a catastrophe or in the interest of national defence. Otherwise the decision might be appealed.

We will not know the amount of the contract until it is made public. Still, sources in the sector have pointed out that the budget for the previous Catalan elections amounted to about 1.5M. Even if the contract has been assigned in an unprecedented way, the same sources insist that it is very hard to rig a vote with todays data management tools and the process should have no bearing at all on the election result. In fact, this time the results will be published not just by municipality, but also by voting station to provide further assurances in the vote tally.

Indra, which did not wish to comment when approached by this newspaper, has enjoyed a virtual monopoly over the management of polls in Spains democracy. It has only ever lost one contract, in the 2015 Spanish elections, when Catalan firm Scytl won the tender in a joint venture with Tecnocom.

Besides having the Spanish state as its main shareholder via Spains SEPI (a public company with industrial interests), Indras other main shareholders are Corporacion Financera Alba, a firm that belongs to Grup March (with a 10,5% stake), and Fidelity Management Research (9,4%), a US investment fund.

A hasty call

Still, this is not the first time that Madrid skips a public tender process due to a lack of time. In the latest general elections held on June 26 2016, Mariano Rajoys government chose to use an urgent procedure to contract out the ballot count. Unlike the process used now, back then a small number of firms, including Indra, Scytl and Ibermatica, were invited to submit a bid. There was no public tender either and the conditions were not disclosed until after the contract had been awarded.

Indra won the contract for an amount 40 per cent lower than initially stated in the conditions. The final amount was just under 9.5m. However, no other firms have been contacted for the upcoming Catalan elections and Indra has been awarded the contract directly.

Key facts

1. How has the contract for the 21D ballot count been awarded?

The company that will tally the votes on December 21 has been chosen without a public tender and Madrid has simply picked Indra for the job. Even though other snap elections had been called before with similar time constraints, this time Madrid claims that it is in the nations interest to rush the contract through the system. In 2016 the Spanish authorities used an urgent procedure to contract out the ballot count (but not with an emergency proviso) and up to three different companies were individually invited to submit a bid.

In contrast, this time no other firms have been approached, just Indra. The contract has not been made public on any official webpage and the usual set of technical and economic conditions has not been disclosed.

2. How does the emergency procedure work?

It is reserved for situations where the State must resolve a tender urgently. Spains law of public contracts establishes that this procedure is justified in the event of a catastrophe, a situation that might pose a grave danger, or due to national security needs.

3. Does this unusual procedure hint at a potentially rigged ballot count?

It doesnt. All our sources have ruled out any potential irregularities. Besides, Indra will only carry out the provisional count. The definitive tally will be conducted later on. At any rate, the Catalan authorities have explained that the next day Indra will publish the results by polling place and not just by municipality, as usual, in order to provide further assurances.

4. What is Indras connection with the Spanish state?

It is Indras main shareholder, with an 18.7 stake in the company. This has raised some eyebrows: to what extent can the state contract out a job to a company in which it is the main shareholder? Is there a conflict of interests? In practice, Indra has had a monopoly over the management of polls in Spain.
We are merely upholding the law, says the Spanish government, which by the grace of Article 155 is now also the Catalan government. Naturally, if the Generalitat were still run by the government elected at the polls, the Catalan administration would have prevented, including through the use of court appeals, the transfer of works of art from the Museum of Lleida to Sixena. Which law should apply? If it is the Catalan law --and Catalonia has exclusive powers on cultural matters--, these works would be perfectly protected heritage. Furthermore they are not, in any way, works stolen from Aragon. Rather, they were saved and paid for via a legal contract, as recognized by the Constitutional Court itself in 2012. The Museum of Lleida has spent years working professionally in the restoration and exhibition of the pieces, which otherwise would have remained in a precarious situation in the Monastery of Sixena where, unfortunately, the conditions are still not adequate today.

Therefore, what the Spanish government has done is not quite upholding the law, but rather acting politically as the government of Spain, not as the government of Catalonia, and washing their hands of it because the law is the law. The Sixena lawsuit has gone on for years, and the fact that the resolution of the destination of these works (not that of the paintings) has come just now, in the midst of an election campaign and with the intervention of the highest Catalan institutions, is clearly no accident. It is the result of a political will that, moreover, could result in serious consequences for culture. Thus the State has wanted to have their cake and eat it too, getting what they want without accepting responsibility, because it knows that this decision could open a dangerous can of worms for Spains cultural heritage. You only need to consider the Lady of Elche, the crown jewel of Iberian culture: what arguments could they give now to deny its return to its city of origin?

Finally, the way in which the lawsuit has been resolved is less than exemplary, shunning dialogue and common sense, and stirring up a conflict between Aragon and Catalonia. That is why the transfer took place amid strong police measures, an unprecedented situation. There has never been such as case, with the museum community (and not just Catalonias) opposing it and with the nearly unanimous rejection of the people, because even the PSC and the Catalan PP, supporters of Article 155, are upset. It is yet another gratuitous and unjustified humiliation.
Amazon Reduces Some Devices Below Black Friday Prices For Green Monday

Amazon's Beating Their Own Black Friday Prices For Green Monday

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Did you know that "Green Monday" is a thing? Me neither, but apparently it's a retail industry term to describe the best sales day in December, usually the second Monday in December. I assume that's because after today, you'll pay a penalty for waiting until the last minute to buy your gifts, and the big after-Christmas sales don't really start until January. Hence, Green Monday.

One retailer that's definitely getting in on the action is Amazon. Today (and no telling how long it will last), many of their proprietary devices got extremely deep discounts  some prices even better than Black Friday, supposedly the best deals of the year. In this instance, your patience (or laziness, as it were) has been rewarded. If you've been thinking about buying an Echo or Fire device, today might be the day.

Just about everything they make is on sale, but here are a few of the best finds.

35% Off Echo Show

This is the biggest deal of the bunch, a full $30 below the Black Friday prices (and it makes for a great Christmas gift). If you're not familiar, the Show is an Echo with a screen and camera in it. That means it does all the things normal Echos do (play music, order items, control smart devices with your voice, etc.), but also with video. It uses the screen to show you things like weather updates and news stories, but it's probably most useful for video calls to other Echo users. Amazon is currently in a lover's quarrel with Google, meaning right now YouTube isn't available on Amazon devices. Whether or not that has anything to do with this price drop is anyone's guess, but either way this is the cheapest it's ever been.

$149.99 at Amazon.com

25% Off Cloud Cam Indoor Security Camera

When these were announced for Black Friday, a) they were only available for preorder and b) cost $10 more. But now they're all the way down to their lowest price, presumably because you need one to use the in-home delivery service that Amazon's currently testing. As for the camera itself, it's a security cam with all the features (night vision, two-way audio, easy installation) that works with any Alexa-enabled device to allow you to monitor your home. The early reviews are not at all promising, but if it's something you've wanted to try, this is the time to do it.

$89.99 at Amazon.com

27% Off Echo Plus + Philips Hue Bulb

When Amazon expanded the Echo line, they did a completely new build of the flagship Echo and made it look and sound better. They appeared to use the old Echo housing for the Echo Plus, along with some major tech upgrades under the hood. This model also got an audio upgrade, so it's still great for doing all the Alexa stuff. But what makes the Plus special is that it also has a built-in hub for controlling any smart home devices you might have. In other words, it allows devices that wouldn't ordinarily communicate with each other work in harmony, allowing you to control them all with your voice. They even throw in a smart Philips Hue Bulb so you can get started yelling at your lights right away. This is the same as the Black Friday price, which is nothing to sneeze at.

$119.99 at Amazon.com

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DLA Piper has launched a tax practice in the Middle East with the hire of partner Ton van Doremalen in Dubai.



Van Doremalen, who has more than 16 years experience, joined the global firm from Withers Middle East. His clients include United Arab Emirates-based private equity firms and family offices and Gulf Cooperation Council-based (GCC) sovereign wealth funds and corporate groups.



His experience includes outbound work on M&A transactions in Europe, Africa, the US, and Asia. He also advised on projects in the GCC and the wider Middle East. He also works on inbound matters, projects and company establishment in the Middle East. He has international tax structuring expertise in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the UK, and the UAE.



The firm welcomes van Doremalen at a time of highly anticipated tax changes and regulation in the Middle East, said Roderick Bouwman, DLA Pipers global co-chair of tax.



We see the creation of a dedicated tax practice as invaluable as the region continues to develop as a major international business hub, said Peter Somekh, DLA Pipers regional managing partner in the Middle East.



The appointment and launch of a tax practice in the Middle East follows DLA Pipers launch of a tax practice in South Africa in August with the appointment of Andrew Lewis as tax director in Johannesburg. The firm also recently appointed Andrea Di Dio as head of tax in Rome.





Related stories:

Global firm expands online resource for clients

Legal giant partners with small Melbourne firm to sell 1.4m-hectare cattle stations
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Nevertheless, certain aficionados are still uncertain about the Huracan Performante's drifting abilities. Well, here we are, bringing you a stunt that showcases the dancing skills of the mid-engined animal.This adventure comes from supercar collector powerslidelover and if you're not already familiar with the sideways appetite of the man or his nickname doesn't explain things clear enough, here's a sample of his driving.Speaking of which, it's interesting how a super-saloon such as the 2018 BMW M5 can now be a better drifter than a Lamborghini Huracan - keep in mind that the M xDrive all-paw hardware of the Bimmer includes an RWD-only mode, while aiming for such goodies in a Lambo means you'll have to buy the RWD incarnation of the supercar.The slip angle shenanigans you can find in the piece of footage at the bottom of the page took place in Cortina d'Ampezzo and since we're talking about the Italian Alps, the roads seen here are nothing short of breathtaking.Of course, the slippery surface does help with throwing the 640 hp Lambo sideways. In fact, if you're willing to check out a deeper analysis of the Lamborghini's drifting behavior, allow us to remind you that Chris Harris has already delivered one.The naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 heart of the Performante means that the aural side of this stunt is just as extreme as its visual one. And, speaking of the latter, the Italian exotic also allows its dragony side to shine during the hooning, spitting flames.
But even the 488 is getting on a bit, more so when you compare it to newcomers such as the hypercar-rivaling McLaren 720S. This is where the second big update comes into focus in the form of the 488 GTO , which promises neck-snapping performance and world-class driving dynamics.Spied testing in Maranello, the camouflaged prototype is gifted with an extremely aggressive front fascia and generously-sized brakes on all four corners. Shod in super-sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 tires, the test mule hides a mystery under the dark and opaque engine bay cover.Theres no denying the engine features eight cylinder and twin-turbocharging technology, but a closer look reveals different air intakes at the rear quarters of the car, translating to even more power and torque. Theres talk about Ferrari integrating a KERS system to improve the get-up-and-go, but the biggest rumor in the mill has yet to be officially confirmed.Whats certain, however, is that youre looking at a powertrain with something like 700 horsepower to its name. The suck-squeeze-bang-blow is complemented by a drop in weight and improved aerodynamics, which is the way to go if the 488 GTO intends to keep the 720S right on its toes.Anticipated to arrive in the United States of America in the latter part of 2018 for the 2019 model year, the Ferrari 488 GTO is likely to go official in March at the Geneva Motor Show. The question is, is the GTO handle appropriate for this kind of car considering its been introduced by the 288 GTO of the 1980s and revived by the 599 GTO?
The aviation world was atwitter last week with the news that the U.S. Air Force had selected five recent enlistees to participate in a study on alternative pilot training techniques. The Air Force, however, confirms that they have no plans to put enlisted personnel in the pilots seat. Selecting enlisted members to fill the non-college student role is not intended to develop enlisted aviators. In this selection model, we can pool the data to determine what qualities, habits of mind and patterns of thought equal success in the flying training environment, says Lt. Col. Robert Vicars, director of the Pilot Training Next (PTN) program. At the completion of the program, the officer participants will join traditional undergraduate pilot training courses and the enlisted participants will attend technical training programs.

The Air Force is battling a critical shortage of pilots, particularly fighter pilots, reporting that they are short 2,000 pilots1,200 of the in the fighter community. However, Air Force officials report no problem with recruitment of would-be pilots. The shortage is a combination of the rate at which new pilots can be trained coupled with challenges in retaining experienced pilots. PTN is aimed at accelerating that training process. Lt. Col. Vicars said, This is student-centric learning. We are going to use immersive technology to see how we can help people learn more effectively. This is an initiative to explore whether or not these technologies can help us learn deeper and faster.

In a press release, the Air Force says, PTN will lean on a variety of technological platforms to include virtual and augmented reality, advanced biometrics, artificial intelligence and data analytics, all of which can be tailored to the training environment and individual student. That knowledge will be used to refine scientific measuring capabilities and teaching techniques in order to produce the worlds greatest military aviators.
Following a path similar to the FAAs BasicMed, Australian pilots without paying passengers will now have the option of a Basic Class 2 medical, which can be issued by a general practitioner. In the interests of public safety, it is important that pilots meet relevant medical standards, but the system must not make unnecessary demands and should meet the needs of the aviation community, says Shane Carmody, CEO and Director of Aviation Safety for the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

Unlike the FAA and BasicMed, CASA didnt create their own checklist for doctors. Australian doctors will certify pilots for a Basic Class 2 medical under the existing Austroads commercial vehicle driver standards. The Basic Class 2 will be valid for five years up to age 40, and two years above age 40. Pilots will be limited to day VFR conditions, in piston airplanes, with up to five non-fare-paying passengers. Like the FAA, CASA does not consider a student to be a passenger, so flight instructing is permitted with a Basic Class 2.

Carmody hints at more medical certification improvements in Australias future. CASA will now continue to review the aviation medical system to identify possible improvements in areas such as using medical data more effectively, further streamlining processes, further reducing CASA involvement in medicals and harmonizing with global best practices. It is CASAs role to maintain appropriate aviation safety standards but the requirements must not unnecessarily burden Australian aviation and hinder development and growth.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been in Morocco to talk about the U.S./Morocco trade agreement and how American natural gas can help the Moroccan economy, according to an agency official.

Why it matters: Natural gas, which produces 50% less carbon emissions than coal, has been a key part of the environmental platform for an administration that has otherwise focused on rolling back regulations. Morocco hosted the United Nations climate talks last year.

Between the lines: Pruitt has taken a very broad definition to what his mission is at the agency, whose stated mission is to protect human health and the environment in the U.S. It is not customary for the environmental chief of the U.S. to be touting natural gas as an economic solution to another country.

One level deeper: The EPA has faced criticism for not publicly alerting the administrators travel ahead of time. It was not previously publicly known than Pruitt was traveling abroad.
The Armenian government has moved to abolish a legal limit on the size of the countrys public debt which has tripled in the past decade.

An Armenian law stipulates that the total amount of the governments outstanding debts cannot exceed a sum equivalent to 60 percent of Gross Domestic Product. The debt-to-GDP ratio currently stands at 55.4 percent.

The National Assembly began debating on Tuesday a government bill that would scrap that debt ceiling which Finance Minister Vartan Aramian described as too restrictive and outdated.

As well as removing the borrowing cap, the bill would require the government to come up with a plan of actions to ease the debt burden. The government would also have to certify that fresh loans secured by it foster economic growth.

Answering questions from opposition lawmakers concerned about the initiative, Aramian claimed that it is not primarily aimed at allowing the government to obtain more multimillion-dollar loans.The whole purpose of this package is not to enable us to borrow new loans but to set rules regarding what we should do, what fiscal-budgetary policies we should pursue, he said.

Its not about getting or not getting loans, he insisted moments later. Its about the nature of our fiscal-budgetary policy.

The minister declined to specify whether the government plans to resort to further borrowing. But he did reaffirm its recent pledge to cut the debt-to-GDP ratio by one percentage point in 2018.

According to official statistics, economic growth in the country accelerated this year. The government expects it to remain relatively robust in 2018.

Armenias public debt, which also includes foreign loans extended to its Central Bank, passed the $6 billion mark recently. It stood at less than $2 billion before the 2008-2009 global financial crisis plunged Armenia into a severe recession. The authorities in Yerevan have since borrowed heavily from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other external sources to prevent massive spending cuts and finance infrastructure projects.

Opposition politicians and other critics of the government increasingly voice concern at the rising debt. They also accuse the authorities of misusing external loans.

Government officials dismiss these claims. Aramian argued earlier that low-interest loans provided by the IMF, the World Bank and other international lenders account for the bulk of the national debt.

The minister acknowledged in February that budgetary expenditures on debt servicing will continue to rise and will peak at $500 million in 2020. The Armenian state budget for 2017 is worth roughly $3 billion.
Armenias economy is continuing to suffer from a lack of competition, a senior official from the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

Our assessment is that competition in the domestic market is indeed limited and there is a lot of room for improvement, Yulia Ustyugova, the head of the IMF office in Yerevan, told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) in an interview.

We have been raising this question and having very candid discussions with the authorities, she said. According to our assessment, it does impede growth.

Ustyugova said the government should ensure that companies dominating various types of business do not abuse their positions. It is also essential to improve the investment climate so that new firms can enter those sectors, she added.

We are convinced that the business environment in Armenia is improving, Prime Minister Karen Karapetian declared a month ago. But we also acknowledge that we have weak spots which we must definitely work on.

Speaking in the parliament last week, Karapetian insisted that his government is liberalizing lucrative sectors of the Armenian economy that have long been dominated by a handful of wealthy entrepreneurs. But he said more time is needed to complete that process.

Ustyugova pointed out that the governments five-year policy program approved by the Armenian parliament in June contains major anti-trust measures. But the question is implementation, she stressed.

A World Bank survey released in 2013 said that oligopolies control 68 percent of economic activity in Armenia, making it the most monopolized economy in the former Soviet Union. The lack of competition has been particularly acute in lucrative imports of fuel and basic foodstuffs such as wheat, sugar and cooking oil. Economists have long said that de facto monopolies hamper the countrys sustainable economic development.

Echoing government forecasts, Ustyugova said the Armenian economy may grow by more than 4 percent this year after practically stagnating in 2016. But she cautioned that that will not be enough to significantly reduce very high unemployment which official statistics put at about 20 percent. The government should focus on more job creation, including by retraining those who need jobs, added the IMF official.

Visiting Yerevan in April, the head of an IMF mission, Hossein Samiei, said the current Armenian government is committed to implementing major reforms needed for speeding up economic growth and reducing poverty. Im not saying everything is perfect, he told reporters. But hopefully things are moving in the right direction.

Karapetian has repeatedly pledged to create equal conditions for all business since he was named prime minister in September 2016.
Armenias policy of seeking a privileged relationship with the European Union while remaining part of a Russian-led bloc will strengthen its positions in the region and make it more attractive to investors, Frances ambassador in Yerevan said on Tuesday.

Jonathan Lacote referred to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the EU and Armenia that was signed in Brussels on November 24.

The key thing about this agreement is that while being a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Armenia can also have privileged relations with the EU, he told a news conference.

I think that thanks to this agreement Armenia can become a very important actor in the region, said Lacote. This is what I realized especially after meeting with French businesspeople in Armenia. Things will get easier for them because Armenia will move closer to European norms with [CEPA-related] reforms initiated by it.

French companies doing business in Armenia, the diplomat went on, are first and foremost interested in tariff-free access to markets in Russia and other ex-Soviet states making up the EEU. And if Armenia can offer a secure business environment it will certainly take on the role of a bridge, he said. In our view, membership in the two systems strengthens Armenia.

The French investors include the liquor giant Pernod Ricard, which bought Armenias largest brandy company about two decades ago. More than 80 percent of its Armenian subsidiarys output is exported to Russia.

The CEPA does not provide for a free-trade regime between the EU and Armenia in view of the latters membership in the Russian-led trade bloc. Instead, it says, the two sides will seek to ease non-tariff barriers to mutual commerce such as technical regulations and licensing and labelling requirements.

Citing common values shared by the two sides, the 350-page accord commits the Armenian government to implementing political reforms and approximating national economic laws and regulations to those of the EU. Yerevan will regularly report to Brussels on the progress made with regard to approximation specified by several annexes to the agreement. This regulatory harmonization will cover business regulation, agriculture, transport, environment, consumer protection and even energy.

Lacote stressed the significance of Yerevans reform commitments undertaken as part of the CEPA.
12 December 2017 17:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Fuad Aslanov

Starting from January 1, 2018, a paragraph of the protocol On the Protection and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEC) will come into force in Armenia. It says that the principle of exhaustion of the exclusive right for a trademark is applied on the territory of the EAEC member states.

This implies prohibiting the import of any goods from a third country to Armenia without the consent of the trademark owner. For instance, if an Armenian citizen buys a car abroad with the aim to sell it in Armenia, he will not be allowed to import the car at the border checkpoint.

Armenian media are worried that this may lead to numerous negative consequences. Trademark owners can easily prohibit such kind of goods imports, and this will undoubtedly lead to a rise in the price of goods in Armenia. Therefore, many people in the country express dissatisfaction with Armenias membership in the EAEC.

When our country was pushed into the EAEC, the power and its supporters in the media and expert community were ranting about the advantages of Armenias membership in this union, saying we would receive huge investments from Russia and Kazakhstan, lower prices for gas, oil products, food products and basic goods, including bread and dairy products, says Armenian Report.

However, this did not happen and the situation in Armenia has not improved  unemployment, food prices increased in the country and Yerevan did not receive large investments from Moscow.

After Armenia signed the agreement on a comprehensive and expanded partnership with the European Union on November 24, Armenians again began to pin hope for foreign investments. However, their hope, most likely, is doomed to failure.

The official statistics say that during the first nine months of this year, the net inflow of foreign investments into the Armenian economy was negative  -$1.78 million. This figure was positive in the same period last year, amounting to $59.3 million. Thus, Armenia is losing capital rather than receiving it.

We were waiting, but did not receive foreign investments neither being in the EAEC nor in advance of signing the agreement with the EU, although our authorities promised that by cooperating with both the EAEC and the EU Armenia would become an attractive market for foreign investment. Nothing like this happened, the Armenian media wrote.

The obvious reason for this is the monopolistic nature of the Armenian economy and comprehensive corruption reigning there. Almost all spheres of the countrys economy are monopolized by a group of oligarchs. For instance, the supply of sugar in Armenia is controlled by the MP from the Republican Party Samvel Aleksanyan, former Major-General of Justice Migran Pogosyan imports bananas. The spheres of the economy are divided among the oligarchs who are close to the Armenian president.

In this regard, it is not surprising that foreign investors, even wealthy Armenians living abroad, do not want to invest in Armenia. Those who were deceived by the Armenian authorities and invested in the countrys economy, have already realized their mistake and now they are in a hurry to withdraw the invested capital from the monopolized and corrupt Armenian economy. Therefore, it is unlikely that the outflow of investment capital from Armenia will stop in the near future.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
12 December 2017 12:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

As many as 350 new passenger buses will be delivered to Baku early next year, Director General of the Baku Transport Agency (BTA) Vusal Karimli told Trend on December 11.

Twenty of them will be 18 meters long, he said.

Some people think that articulated buses are not suitable for Baku roads, but this is not so; the streets of Baku are favorable for using these buses, he noted. We compared Baku streets to the streets in foreign cities. Some streets in European cities are narrower than those in Baku. Therefore, I am sure that 18-meter buses are suitable for the streets of Baku.

He added that it is not yet known which of the bus operating companies will receive these modern passenger buses - BakuBus LLC or another company.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
12 December 2017 13:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Aygul Salmanova

Azercosmos OJSC, the only satellite operator in Caucasus, has been awarded the ISO 27001 Certificate of Information Security, based on the certification audit conducted by Bureau Veritas, the leading international certification body.

Azercosmos will further improve the standards of high level of secure exchange, protection and security of information with the ISO 27001 certification, the company told local media.

Presently, satellites management at Azercosmos's surface control centers is implemented through modern equipment and software. Thus, the application of the requirements of the international ISO 27001 certification will contribute to the safety of the satellite management process.

ISO 27001 is a security management standard that specifies best security management practices and comprehensive security controls following the ISO 27002 best practice guidance. The basis of this certification is the development and implementation of a rigorous security program, which includes the development and implementation of an Information Security Management System (ISMS).

It should be noted that since 2013, Azercosmos has been implementing the ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard.

The launch of the first Azerbaijani telecommunications satellite Azerspace-1 was carried out February 8, 2013. This year marks exactly four years since the launch of the first telecommunications satellite into orbit.

Currently, Azercosmos provides services to broadcasters, government agencies, and telecommunications companies of 19 countries, namely Malaysia, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Egypt, Georgia, UAE, Turkey, Lebanon, Cameroon, Great Britain, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Estonia, Belarus, etc. Since 2014, all Azerbaijani TV and radio channels began broadcasting via Azerspace-1 satellite.

Azercosmos took over the rights to operate and commercialize Azersky, and entered into the commercial business of Earth observation services, including geo-Information services in December 2014.

The company's strategic development plan also includes the launch of a second geostationary satellite Azerspace-2, which is expected to be placed at the orbital position of 45 degree of eastern longitude.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
12 December 2017 13:29 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The UN predicts an increase in Azerbaijans GDP by 1.8 percent in 2018.

The World Economic Situation and Prospects-2018 (WESP) report prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs says that Azerbaijan's GDP will decrease by one percent in 2017 and will grow by 2.3 percent in 2019.

Azerbaijan is the only CIS country where GDP is expected to have contracted in 2017, due to a contraction of oil production. The launch of a new gas field will support a recovery in 20182019.

The restoration of the country's economy in 2018 and 2019 will help launch gas production as part of the second stage of development of Azerbaijans Shah Deniz gas condensate field, the report said.

Shah Deniz Stage 2 is a giant project that will add a further 16 billion cubic meters per year (bcma) of gas production to the approximately 9 bcma produced by Shah Deniz Stage 1.

Shah Deniz Stage 2, one of the largest gas developments in the world, will help increase European energy security by bringing Caspian gas resources to markets in Europe for the very first time. Shah Deniz gas will travel 3,500 kilometerss, to elevations of over 2,500 meters, and over 800 meters below the sea.

The UN forecasts for 2018 exceed the expectations of the Azerbaijani government.

The government has forecast growth of countrys real GDP for the next year at 1.5 percent, according to the presentation of draft state and consolidated budgets for 2018 and the next three years.

Azerbaijans GDP next year is expected to reach 69.4 billion manats ($40.82 billion). At the same time, 47.6 billion manats ($28 billion) of the GDP will account for the non-oil sector, which will grow 2.9 percent next year.

About 83 percent of Azerbaijans GDP will account for the private sector.

Incomes of Azerbaijans state budget for 2018 are projected at 20.127 billion manats ($11.84 billion) [including centralized incomes - 19.476 billion manats ($11.46 billion), local incomes - 650.671 million manats ($382.75 million)], expenditures are projected at 20.905 billion manats (12.3 billion) [including centralized expenses - 20.182 billion manats ($11.88 billion), local expenses - 724.092 million manats ($425.94 million)].

It is projected that Azerbaijans state budget for 2018 will be based on oil price of $45 per barrel.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
12 December 2017 13:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Governor of Russias Astrakhan region Alexander Zhilkin intends to visit Azerbaijan next week, said a message posted on the official website of Astrakhan region on December 12.

During the visit, Zhilkin intends to meet with the Azerbaijani leadership and voice a number of proposals for cooperation in 2018.

"The Azerbaijani investors became the first foreign businessmen in Astrakhans Lotos special economic zone in 2017, the message said. Azerbaijans ATEF Group of Companies launched the construction of a plant for the production of electrical equipment in the special economic zone. Negotiations are underway with a number of potential residents of the special economic zone, namely, Iranian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese companies."

Meanwhile, the construction of the Azerbaijan Business Center in Astrakhan is nearing completion.

According to the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the Astrakhan region amounted to $14.2 million (an increase of 4.1 times a year) in January-September 2017, of which $11.2 million accounted for the supply of Azerbaijani products to this region.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
12 December 2017 17:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The State Committee on Property Issues of Azerbaijan held next auction on privatization of state property, following which 17 objects were sold.

Four of the privatized objects are small state enterprise and 13-non-residential areas. Three small state enterprises and 12 non-residential areas are located in Baku, one small state enterprise and one non-residential area are located in Sumgayit.

In order to protect state property and effectively manage it in the new economic realities, President of Azerbaijan signed a decree on May 19, 2016. Under the decree, the acceleration of the state property privatization process has been defined as an important direction of the economic policy.

The portal for privatization  privatization.az, launched in July 2016, reflects all necessary information about the facilities, their addresses, location, and even initial cost and aims at facilitation of the process. The website is available in two languages - Azerbaijani and English. Why Azerbaijan is special section available on the website explains the reasons and advantages of investing in the country.

The privatization process is designed to attract both foreign and local investors, as well as develop the business environment of Azerbaijan.

Moreover, the State Committee on Property Issues held the first electronic auction on July 4.

The "electronic auction" service, which is available on the website privatization.az, combines the privatization procedure of vehicles and equipment. In the future, it will be possible to privatize small state enterprises and facilities, joint-stock companies through electronic auction. Now, the corresponding work in programming is being implemented.

Next auction on privatization of state property will be held on December 19.

The auction will offer 68 state objects, of which 25 are joint-stock companies, 24-small state enterprises, 8-non-residential areas and 11-vehicles.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
12 December 2017 14:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan National Art Museum invites Baku residents and city's guests to get acquainted with unique works of art: symmetrical and non-symmetrical in composition, but very harmonious.

The exhibition will be organized within the framework of Open Doors day on December 17.

The term "symmetry" was first formulated by the philosophers of ancient Greece as proportionality, similarity, coherence of parts of an integral structure.

For the ancient Greeks, symmetry was an inseparable attribute of perfection: having lost symmetry, an object inevitably loses its beauty. It should be noted that beauty and perfection, like other aesthetic criteria, is not absolute.

The concept of symmetry goes through the whole centuries-old history of human creativity. Many people from ancient times had the notion of symmetry in the broad sense - as the equivalent of balance and harmony.

The administration of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art expresses gratitude to the Wellness Center "Symmetry" for assistance in the promotion and preservation of cultural heritage.

The Azerbaijan National Art Museum is a treasure house that preserves national moral values and cultural heritage. The museum holds more than 17,000 artistic exhibits, which have a rich history. The Art department was separated from the Azerbaijan State Museum in 1936 and organized as an independent museum by decision of the Council of People's Commissars.

In 2006 thorough restoration work was carried out to the building and in 2009 a new exhibition was opened.

In 2011 the museum was declared to be of first National and then European Museum Standard (EUMS), meeting international standards and criteria, as appropriate for a museum and implying high quality museum services and professional experience.

This was by unanimous decision of the Council of Directors of the European Economic Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry  EEIG - located in Brussels.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
12 December 2017 14:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

YARAT Contemporary Art Space invites you to the Future Shorts Autumn short film festival.

The screening will be organized as a part of YARAT FreeStyle Program on December 15.

YARAT FreeStyle Program is an open platform for everyone who looks to engage creatively with a broad and diverse audience.

The festival covers 40 countries, 100 cities, six continents and offers 1,400 films screenings per year throughout the world. During its 10 years existence, the festival has gained the attention of movie fans over a huge territory from Finland to Mexico. The festival gives an opportunity for professionals and newcomers all over the world to become a part of an international cinematographic community.

The Autumn Season of Future Shorts includes five films. All films will be shown in original language with Russian subtitles.

The event starts at 19:00.

For admission, please call: +994125051414 or +994502469292

Addresss:YARAT Contemporary Art Centre, Bayil district, near National Flag Square

YARAT is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and to creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and internationally. Based in Baku, YARAT (meaning CREATE in Azerbaijani) was founded by Aida Mahmudova in 2011.

It realizes its mission through an on-going program of exhibitions, education events and festivals. YARAT facilitates exchange between local and international artistic networks including foundations, galleries and museums.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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12 December 2017 19:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Asia Tengri band gave a spectacular concert in Baku on December 11.

With its unique atmosphere, the event was held as part of Silk Road Music Festival, organized by Goethe-Zentrum Baku, Day.Az reported.

Asia Tengri is an international project that brings together musicians from different countries under the leadership of Kazakh vocalist Nazgul Shukayeva. A wonderful blend of ethno, avant-garde jazz, ancient songs of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Tuva with author's works, gives a new interpretation to existing musical styles.

The concert started with performance of chants based on Kazakh, Mongolian, Tuva melodies. Supported by brilliant musicians from Ukraine, her longtime partners Alik Fantayev (drums), Aleksey Bogolyubov (pianoforte, keyboards) and Valentin Korniyenko (acoustic and electric bass), Nazgul Shukayeva immersed listeners into her world full of strength, passion and prayers.

Brilliant vocal data, ancient technique of throat singing left no one indifferent, and numerous spectators applauded Nazgul and her team for a long time.

Notably, Goethe-Zentrum Baku is a branch of the Goethe Institute, a cultural institution of the Federal Republic of Germany, whose branches operate in many countries of the world. The organization aims at popularizing the German language abroad and expanding international cooperation in the field of culture.

Honored artist of Azerbaijan, musician and composer Rain Sultanov is the organizer and curator of the festival`s musical part. The curator of the artistic part is the initiator of cultural projects Asli Samadova.

A series of fascinating concerts will run until December 14.

Photos: Arkady Mitnik

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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12 December 2017 15:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The negotiations on the new Azerbaijan-EU agreement may last until the end of 2018, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev told reporters in Baku on December 12.

He said there is progress in negotiations.

A video conference will be held on December 15. Energy, ecology and other spheres will be discussed, he said. The remaining issues may be discussed in January and February 2018. I think that the negotiations on the new agreement will complete by late 2018.

In November last year, the European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan.

The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement. This will enable better to take account of the common goals and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.

The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.

To date, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of the agreement of 1996, which entered into force in 1999.

The new agreement envisages approximation of Azerbaijans legislation and procedures to the most important international and trade norms and standards of the EU. This should lead to improved access of Azerbaijani products to the EU markets.

Mammad-Guliyev also noted that all issues on the aviation agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU will be resolved in early 2018.

The agreement was not signed during the Brussels summit, since one or two issues remained unresolved. These issues may be resolved in January-February 2018, he said, adding that the EU wants to send a delegation to Azerbaijan.

Earlier, Kestutis Jankauskas, head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan, said the EU hopes to initial the aviation agreement with Azerbaijan in the second half of January 2018.

Creation of a common aviation area is aimed at the opening and integration of aviation markets, which will lead to new opportunities for consumers and operators and, most importantly, to high standards in terms of flight safety as well as air traffic management. This is an initiative of the European Commission, according to which the division of airspace and its management will be common for most countries in Europe.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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12 December 2017 13:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Heydar Aliyev is one of the greatest leaders of the Turkic world, Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral told reporters on December 12.

The diplomat stressed that national leader Heydar Aliyev began to build the future of the country when Azerbaijan was still part of the USSR.

In the most difficult time, after Azerbaijan gained independence, Aliyev headed the country, Ozoral said.

December 12 marks the 14th anniversary of the death world-renowned politician and national leader of the Azerbaijani people.

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12 December 2017 16:39 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The joint commission on demarcation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Russia has so far adopted all normative legal documents, Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said on December 12.

He noted currently the commission is working on establishing border crossing points and other relevant facilities in accordance with the agreed plan.

The work will continue next year, meetings are held regularly in this regard, Khalafov added.

The length of the Azerbaijan-Russia border is 327.6 kilometers on the mainland and 22.4 kilometers in the Caspian Sea. The boundary is set by the agreement signed in Baku on October 3, 2010.

The border demarcation between Azerbaijan and Russia is carried out in accordance with the agreement on the delimitation of borders by the parties. Russia remains at the moment the only neighboring country with which Azerbaijan has fully completed the process of delimitation.

Khalafov also said delimitation of borders with Georgia is not over yet.

Negotiations on delimitation are still going on, probably we will intensify talks with Georgia starting early 2018, the deputy minister noted.

Commenting on the issue of delaying delimitation of borders with Georgia, he said this is a long-term process: Because every area is being studied for months, it is a natural process.

The length of the state border between Azerbaijan and Georgia is 480 kilometers. The relevant state commissions of the two countries have already agreed on the most part of the borderline.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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12 December 2017 12:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Russia has recently demonstrated a clear position over the settlement of the crises in Syria and Iraq, preventing the partition of these countries, Gungor Gokdag, expert and columnist for the Turkish newspaper ZedLife, told Trend on December 11.

Gokdag said that Muslim countries may unite around Russia due to this fact and Moscows clear position over the status of Jerusalem.

He said that by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, US President Donald Trump actually gave "keys" of the Middle East to Israel, which caused a strong irritation of Muslim countries.

"If the Muslim countries do not take real steps for the US to withdraw its decision concerning Jerusalem, this may lead to serious consequences in the region," he said.

Previously, US President Donald Trump proclaimed that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital after the end of the War of Independence in 1949. In 1967, after the Six Days War, it seized East Jerusalem and united it with the West Jerusalem, but the UN did not recognize this. Embassies of countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel are located mainly in Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Ramat Gan.

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12 December 2017 12:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakhstan has signed several agreements which are set to expand cooperation in aviation sphere with a number of countries.

Direct flights from Kazakhstan to Milan will be launched in 2018, according to the Civil Aviation Committee, Kazinform reported.

A legal framework with the Italian aeronautical authorities for the launch of regular flights between the cities of Astana, Almaty and Rome, Milan with a frequency of seven passenger and three cargo flights a week and the possibility of entering into a code-agreement with other airlines has been established. Kazakh airlines plan to open a direct communication between Astana and Milan in the second half of 2018, the message said.

Such agreements were reached within the framework of ICAN-2017 which was attended by the Kazakh delegation headed by Chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee Talgat Lustaev. The delegation held talks with the aviation authorities of Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Qatar, Kuwait, Sri Lanka and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

An agreement to increase the number of authorized frequencies between Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka from three to seven flights a week was reached during the event.

This is a popular tourist destination and in December of this year SKAT airline will start operating flights between Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka, the message said.

Memorandums of Understanding which provided the designated airlines of both parties access to agreements on the joint commercial exploitation of air tickets (code-sharing agreements) with other airlines, including third-country airlines, were signed with the Australian and British aviation authorities.

Code-sharing agreements will allow Kazakh airlines to expand their route network at the expense of segments of foreign air carriers, which will increase the attractiveness of Kazakhstan, create convenience for passengers and increase transit passenger traffic through the country, according to the message.

At the same time, a legal framework for regular flights between Astana and Kuwait with a frequency of seven flights a week was established for the first time with the aviation authorities of Kuwait. Air carriers from Kuwait are considering the possibility of flying to Kazakhstan for the development of tourism between the two states.

There are 92 air routes with the length of more than 84,000 kilometers over the territory of Kazakhstan while 73 air corridors pass on the border with neighboring countries. As many as 80 percent of the air transit traffic of foreign airlines over the territory of Kazakhstan pass through routes connecting Europe with South-East Asia as well as routes between South Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Kazakhstan has airports in Shimkent, Atbasar, Karaganda, Kyzyl-Orda, Balkhash, Burundai, Zaisan, Petropavlovsk, Semipalatinsk, Ust-kamenogorsk, Uralsk, Taldy-Kurgan, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Zhezkazgan, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Zhairem, Ekibastuz, Almaty, Aktau, Kostanay, Aktyubinsk, Arkalyk, and Astana cities.

Kazakhstan's existing airlines are Air Astana, Air Company MEGA, Avia Jaynar, Bek Air, Berkut Air, Euro-Asia Air, Excellent Glide, Irtysh-Air, SCAT, Semeyavia, Zhetysu, and Zhezkazgan Air.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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12 December 2017 17:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Iranian Oil Terminals Company (IOTC) has handled 1.8 million barrels of crude oil since swap operation was resumed in northern Iran after the break, according to the companys CEO Pirouz Mousavi.

The company plans to increase this capacity in the future, he said in an interview with the Iran Petroleum monthly, IRNA reported.

Fortunately, several developments have happened with regard to swap operations with the Caspian Sea littoral states since August, and 1.8 million barrels of oil has since been shipped from Central Asian countries to refineries in Tabriz and Tehran in more than 36 cargoes. The equivalent amount has been delivered to foreign buyers in Kharg Island, Mousavi said.

He also recalled that swap operations in the north of the country are carried out via Neka terminal, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, technologically advanced labs and skilled workforce.

It can handle 1.5 million barrels of oil. Refineries receiving crude oil have so far expressed satisfaction with the quality of the oil. The relaunch of oil swap with the Caspian Sea littoral states is another achievement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the companys representative added.

He also stressed that there is a possibility of increasing oil swap capacity between Iran and Central Asia in the near future.

Iran has the capacity to receive 200,000 b/d of crude oil from Central Asian countries. It currently receives around 50,000 b/d. NIOC and Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry are in talks with foreign parties to increase the volume of swap operations. Oil swap with Turkmenistan is currently underway. Kazakhstan, Russia and Azerbaijan will soon join the swap operations, Mousavi explained.

Oil swaps make possible for Iran to optimize oil deliveries to refineries in the north of the country because the greater portion of oilfields is concentrated in the South Iran.

Before the introduction of sanctions, Iran was an active participant in swap operations, which began in 1997 on the basis of signed contracts. Under the oil swap agreements, which were in place for over 12 years, Iran received crude oil of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the Neka port and delivered an equal volume to the clients of the same countries in Persian Gulf.

From 1997 to 2009, the total income received by Iran from these swap transactions amounted to $880 million.

In 2010, Tehran stopped the swap arrangement with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, arguing that the $1 a barrel fee charged had to be increased and based on the international crude oil price. The Hague International Court of Justice fined the National Iranian Oil Company $5.5 million due to stopping the swap of oil with its international partners.

In 2012, Iran tried to revive the old swap deals. However, the Iranian petroleum sector had been subject to EU and U.S. sanctions, while Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO) was put on a U.S. blacklist. This meant that any direct trade, even by non-U.S. companies, with NICO would lead to penalties by U.S. Following the nuclear deal concluded between Iran and the six world powers, Iran voiced its interest in reviving the previous swap agreements.

Iran has huge reserves of oil as its proved reserves for 2017 amounted to 137.6 billion barrels of oil. The country ranks fourth in the world for oil reserves.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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12 December 2017 16:52 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Baghdad intends to become part of the Astana process aimed at resolving situation in Syria.

This was stated by Iraqi Ambassador to Russia Haydar Mansour Hadi at a meeting with the head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, on December 12, TASS reported.

As an ambassador of my country, I want to ask the Russian leadership to invite Iraq to attend the talks in Astana, he said.

We believe that our experience and our help will be needed in the political process to resolve the Syrian crisis, the diplomat added.

The seventh international meeting focused on approving the provision on a working group on the release of hostages, prisoners, the transfer of bodies of the dead and the search for missing persons. The parties also considered combating international terrorism and humanitarian demining in Syria.

Guarantors of a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime - Russia, Turkey and Iran - had agreed on May 4 in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to establish "de-escalation zones" in war-torn Syria. De-escalation zones in Syria allowed to significantly reduce the scale of the conflict and contributed to the improvement of the humanitarian situation in Syria.

While the Astana process is separate from the UNs Geneva talks on Syrian crisis, the attendance of the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura links the Kazakh platform to broader international efforts.

Syria has been locked in civil war since March 2011. All previous efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution were ruined, with the opposition demanding Assad leave power, the government insisting he stay on, and neither side able to force the issue by achieving a military victory.

According to UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, around 500,000 people have died in the conflict while half the population has been driven from their homes.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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12 December 2017 18:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The Iranian government is devising incentives to turn some 5 million Iranian expatriates into marketers in the tourism sector.

The announcement was made by Vice President for Cultural Heritage, Handicraft, and Tourism Ali Asqar Moonesan during a press conference, Trend correspondent reported from the event December 10.

According to Moonesan, the government incentive will come in the form of free flight tickets for Iranian expatriates who bring a minimum of five tourists to Iran.

He said the plan has already interested many expatriates who have started referring for further details to start cooperation with the government.

Moonesan also suggested that in the budget plan for the following fiscal year (to start March 21), the government has almost tripled tolls on exiting the country.

The triple increase in the tolls is probably concerned with reducing outflow of currency from the country as well as increasing tourism incomes to fund tourism infrastructure.

According to Moonesan, the budget plan increases the share of his respective department from the exit tolls from 100,000 rials to 400,000 rials per exit, amounting to about 1.6 trillion rials (each USD worth about 420,000 rials in the free market) per year.

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Many nonprofit hospitals across the nation are facing financial challenges, and they may soon face higher borrowing costs.

Here are five things to know about the financial pressure nonprofit hospitals are facing.

1. Nonprofit hospitals and health systems issue tax-exempt bonds to finance capital projects. Under the House Republicans' tax plan, interest on newly issued private-activity bonds would no longer be tax-exempt.

2. This change would reduce financing options for some healthcare organizations by raising the cost of capital, according to S&P Global Ratings. "From a credit perspective, higher borrowing rates can lead to budget imbalances, a challenge for all, and a hallmark of struggling credits," said S&P.

3. The move to eliminate tax exemptions for new private-activity bonds is not included in a bill passed by Senate Republicans Dec. 2.

4. The threat of higher borrowing costs comes as nonprofit hospitals' finances are already under pressure. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, at least 26 nonprofit hospitals across the nation are already in default or distress. These facilities have notified bondholders of financial challenges, such as having too little cash on hand, that make bankruptcy more likely, according to the report.

5. Many of the nonprofit hospitals under the most financial pressure are in rural areas with "older, poorer and sicker" patient populations, Margaret Elehwany, vice president of government affairs and policy at the National Rural Health Association, told Bloomberg. She said approximately 44 percent of rural hospitals operate at a loss.

More articles on healthcare finance:

Moody's: Outlook is negative for nonprofit hospital sector

Fitch issues negative outlook for nonprofit hospitals: 4 things to know

65 financial benchmarks for hospital executives
The IRS revoked an acute care hospital's tax-exempt status after the hospital entered into a joint venture agreement with a for-profit company, according to The National Law Review.

Various details have been redacted from the recently released final adverse determination letter, including the hospital's name, but the letter is clear that the hospital lost its 501(c)(3) status for entering into a lease agreement in a manner that was incongruent with its tax-exempt status.

According to the IRS, the nonprofit hospital leased its property, land and equipment to the for-profit entity. The hospital also gave control of its operations to the for-profit.

The IRS noted that to keep its tax-exempt status, a hospital must retain control of the joint venture when entering into an agreement with a for-profit entity, which the hospital in this situation failed to do.

Although the for-profit company agreed to maintain the hospital's charity care policies, the IRS revoked the hospital's tax-exempt status because the facility was not operated exclusively for a tax-exempt purpose. The IRS determined the lease agreement resulted in the for-profit entity deriving private benefit that is inconsistent with tax exemption, according to the report.

Read the full National Law Review article here.

More articles on healthcare finance:

Moody's: Outlook is negative for nonprofit hospital sector

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The 340B Drug Pricing Program has driven hospitals to play a greater role in oncology care due to more favorable reimbursement, as evidenced by the fact hospital outpatient facilities saw their average profit margins on Medicare Part B hospital cancer drug reimbursement through the program grow to 49 percent in 2015, according to a study released Tuesday by the Community Oncology Alliance.

For the study, Aaron Vandervelde and Eleanor Blalock of the Berkeley Research Group examined growth of the 340B program, the shift of oncology care to the hospital outpatient setting, and statutory discounts and rebates on cancer drugs.

Here are four findings from the study.

1. Oncology care overall continues to move from the physician office to the hospital outpatient setting. The study found only 23 percent of Medicare Part B chemotherapy drug administration claims took place in the hospital outpatient setting in 2008, compared to nearly 50 percent in 2016.

2. Hospitals participating in the 340B Drug Pricing Program have been a key driver in this shift. These facilities accounted for 38 percent of Medicare Part B hospital oncology drug reimbursement in 2008 but now account for 67 percent, according to the study.

3. Researchers said the average profit margin on cancer drugs purchased by hospitals through the 340B program went from 40 percent in 2010 to 49 percent in 2015. They added this has "created substantial financial incentives for 340B hospitals to expand oncology services, despite overall healthcare costs increasing as a result of this shift in site of care."

4. Between 2010 and 2015, increased 340B purchases of cancer drugs and Medicaid expansion under the ACA tripled the amount of statutory discounts and rebates on drug sales, according to the study. Researchers said this resulted in upward pricing pressure on cancer drugs.

Read the full study here.
Timothy Craig Allen, MD, JD, FCAP, FASCP, is a Professor within the Department of Pathology as well as the Director of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology at The University of Texas Medical Branch.

On May 11th, Dr. Timothy Craig Allen will present at Becker's Health IT + Clinical Leadership 2018. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place May 10-11th 2018 in Chicago.

To learn more about the conference and Dr. Allen's session, click here.

Question: How do you define patient engagement?

Dr. Timothy Craig Allen: Patient engagement can take many forms. Patients and families who query their doctors about their diagnoses, prognoses and therapies are engaged. Patients and families who involve themselves in social media for their own benefit and the benefit of other, similarly situated patients and families, are engaged. Patients and families who involve themselves in patient advocacy groups and in the discourse of medical societies and lectures are engaged.

Q: As a leader, what is the best investment you made in your own professional development in the past five years?

TCA: My best investment in my professional development in the last five years has unquestionably been my focus on teaching. Medical students and residents are our future. Particularly as our understanding of molecular medicine and immunotherapy continue to grow in a manner unprecedented in history, it is incumbent upon us to ensure our trainees are well-prepared to treat and educate our patients for the betterment of their health, both now and in the future.

Q: How do you see the barrier between competitors and collaborators changing?

TCA: The barriers are falling fast. Academics, medical societies and industry players are working in appropriate ways to investigate, develop and properly manage the use of molecular diagnostic biomarker tests and molecular therapies, and immunomarkers and immunotherapies. Appropriate conflict of interest safeguards are being instituted and collaborations are underway to utilize our ever-growing medical understanding, to rapidly develop and test the safety and efficacy of the resulting new therapies and to provide those therapies to our patients.
Despite some critics' skepticism regarding rating agencies' methodologies, hospitals and health systems take their ratings and grades seriously  so seriously that they may initiate legal action against an agency if they disagree with the rating they were given, as was the case with Chicago-based Saint Anthony Hospital and The Leapfrog Group, Kaiser Health News reports.

Saint Anthony Hospital filed a defamation complaint with the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County Oct. 30. The complaint alleged the "C" grade the hospital received from Leapfrog was based on data the ratings agency knew to be inaccurate.

"If Leapfrog publishes a 'C' grade for Saint Anthony as part of its Fall 2017 Hospital Survey Grades, it will erase years of improvements at the hospital and irreparably degrade the public perception of the hospital," the complaint states.

However, the bigger issue with a lower rating is that it makes the hospital less able to compete with others in the industry. Saint Anthony's officials argued the "A" rating it has received from Leapfrog the past two years represents "one of the most important ways Saint Anthony ... has been able to distinguish itself," according to the complaint.

Leapfrog, which filed a response to Saint Anthony Hospital's complaint last week, said the lawsuit represented an "eleventh hour gambit to turn back the clock on a disappointing safety grade based in part on the data that [the hospital] itself provided and certified, and which Leapfrog simply used in accordance with its long-established processes."

While Saint Anthony's complaint represents one of the first times a hospital has sued a rating agency over a grade, some experts suggest it won't be the last.

"In highly competitive markets, hospitals are likely to see poor grades as a challenge, and I think many will be tempted to sue the rating agencies," said Ashish Jha, MD, senior associate dean of research translation and global strategy and a professor of global health at the Boston-based Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Jha was also one of the members who helped set standards when Leapfrog was established.

However, experts note the extent to which patient safety ratings affect consumers' choice as to where or from whom they receive care is unclear. Saint Anthony's chief quality officer, Eden Takhsh, MD, told Kaiser Health News Leapfrog's patient safety rating, in particular, has a large impact on Chicago-area patients looking for care.

"We have seen, for better or worse, that people are paying a great deal of attention  not only our patients but also our stakeholders, vendors and politicians," Dr. Takhsh said, adding that the hospital's previous "A" rating is what made larger Chicago hospitals, including Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the University of Chicago Medicine, consider partnering with Saint Anthony's on various clinical initiatives.

Leapfrog has removed Saint Anthony's "C" grade for the time being, but said it will likely repost the grade pending further investigation, the report states.

To read Kaiser Health News' full report, click here.
A shareholder lawsuit claims McKesson failed to audit controls for opioid-based painkillers, according to Bloomberg.

Here are seven things to know.

1. The lawsuit was filed two months ago by shareholder Chaile Steinberg against former and current McKesson executives and directors.

2. Although sections of the complaint were previously sealed, all parts became public per an order from Delaware Chancery Judge Sam Glasscock III, according to the report.

3. The complaint was filed after McKesson agreed in a settlement to improve monitoring of opioid sales, Bloomberg reports. However, the complaint alleges the company's directors failed to comply.

4. According to the report, the lawsuit also alleges McKesson directors did not take any responsibility for the national opioid epidemic.

5. McKesson responded in an emailed statement to Becker's, calling the lawsuit's claims unproven allegations rather than judicial determinations of fact. "McKesson believes the complaint contains numerous defects which we will address through the legal process," the company added.

6. Issues leading up to the lawsuit began in 2005, when federal prosecutors initially began investigating McKesson over "its filling of suspicious opioid orders from illegal internet pharmacies," the report states. Bloomberg adds McKesson ultimately agreed to settle the allegations for $13.3 million and agreed to strengthen oversight of opioid shipments. The recent lawsuit alleges McKesson did not comply.

7. In 2015, McKesson also agreed to pay $150 million to settle claims with the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration and various U.S. Attorneys offices alleging suspicious order reporting practices for opioid-based painkillers.

Read the fill Bloomberg report here.

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Statistician: Government used faulty extrapolation in $100M Medicare fraud case

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11 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements
The owner of a home health company in Houston was sentenced Dec. 8 to 80 years in prison for his role in a $13 million Medicare fraud scheme and for filing false tax returns, according to the Department of Justice.

In November 2016, Ebong Tilong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive healthcare kickbacks, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, healthcare fraud, and payment and receipt of healthcare kickbacks. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to filing fraudulent tax returns.

According to evidence presented at trial and his own admissions, Mr. Tilong conspired with others to defraud Medicare. He and his co-conspirators allegedly submitted more than $10 million in false claims for home health services to Medicare through Fiango Home Healthcare, a Houston-based company owned by Mr. Tilong and his wife. They submitted the fraudulent claims to Medicare from February 2006 through June 2015, and Mr. Tilong received $13 million from Medicare for medically unnecessary home health services, according to the DOJ.

The evidence presented at trial also showed Mr. Tilong used fraudulently obtained Medicare funds to pay illegal kickbacks to patient recruiters and Medicare beneficiaries. He also falsified medical records and directed others to do the same to make it appear Medicare beneficiaries qualified for and received home health services.

To conceal the Medicare fraud scheme and limit the amount of tax he paid to the IRS, Mr. Tilong admitted to creating a shell company called Quality Therapy Services. Mr. Tilong wrote almost $1 million in checks from Fiango to QTS, according to the DOJ.

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:

Statistician: Government used faulty extrapolation in $100M Medicare fraud case

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Both Nevada and Nebraska are pushing to be the first states in the nation to use fentanyl for criminal executions, drawing pushback from death penalty opponents and some physicians, according to a report from The Washington Post.

Here are five things to know.

1. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin. The substance has been a major contributor to the rising rates of opioid-related deaths across the country in recent years. More than 50 percent of people who died of opioid overdoses in 10 states tested positive for fentanyl in the second half of 2016.

2. The push for fentanyl-assisted suicide comes as states are struggling to obtain drugs long used for lethal injection. Pharmaceutical companies are refusing to supply these drugs for the purpose of execution. The situation has spurred some states to implement new methods of execution and others to resurrect methods from bygone eras. For example, Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma have turned to novel drug combinations to carry out executions, while some states have passed laws sanctioning firing squads (Utah) or the electric chair (Tennessee) as backup options when lethal injection isn't available, according to the Post.

3. Supporters of capital punishment blame opponents for the current situation, as support for the death penalty has waned in recent years, according to Pew research data cited by the The Pew data suggests support for the death penalty among the public hit a 40-year low in 2016.

"If death penalty opponents were really concerned about inmates' pain, they would help reopen the supply," said Kent Scheidegger of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, an advocacy group for crime victims. "[Opponents] caused the problem we're in now by forcing pharmaceuticals to cut off the supply to these drugs. That's why states are turning to less-than-optimal choices."

4. Physicians opposed to fentanyl-assisted executions say the substance could result in botched executions. Nevada's planned execution for an inmate originally set for November called for the injection of diazepam (Valium), fentanyl and the drug cisatracurium, which would paralyze the muscles.

"If the first two drugs don't work as planned, or if they are administered incorrectly, which has already happened in so many cases  you would be awake and conscious, desperate to breathe and terrified but unable to move at all," Mark Heath, MD, a professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University, told the Post. "It would be an agonizing way to die, but the people witnessing wouldn't know anything had gone wrong because you wouldn't be able to move."

5. A judge postponed the Nevada execution last month over concerns about the paralytic element of the drug mixture. The case is awaiting review by Nevada's Supreme Court.

To read the Post's article, click here.

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2 NYC toddlers hospitalized after ingesting heroin: 5 things to know

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Nevada county to file opioid lawsuit against drug companies
Physicians are concerned about a new policy Anthem is rolling out in Indiana in January, according to WBOI.

Under the new policy, which is already effective in three other states, Anthem will review diagnoses after members' emergency room visits. If the condition is determined to be nonemergent, Anthem may not cover the ER visit.

Claims submitted for nonemergent care will be reviewed by an Anthem medical director, who will consider the patient's symptoms when he or she came to the ER and the diagnosis, an Anthem spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review in August. In Indiana, Anthem will use a list of about 300 codes it considers nonemergent, which the company developed with four board-certified ER physicians.

There are several exceptions to the new policy, including ER visits for policyholders under age 14, patients with physician referrals to the ER, a lack of urgent care accessibility, and if the visit occurs on a holiday or Sunday when nonemergent facilities may be closed, the spokesperson told Becker's.

Gina Huhnke, MD, American College of Emergency Physicians Indiana chapter president, told WBOI physicians believe Anthem's ER policy violates federal law.

"Currently under federal law prudent layperson states that anyone who has symptoms suggestive of an emergency should be allowed to access care," she told WBOI.

Anthem said it will cover claims that meet the so-called layperson standard, according to the report.

More articles on payer issues:

57% of millennials lack full understanding of health insurance: 5 findings

Fitch revises outlook for US health insurers to stable for 2018: 4 things to know

UnitedHealth's Optum to buy DaVita Medical Group for $4.9B: 6 things to know
Massachusetts is the healthiest state in the U.S., according to United Health Foundation's 2017 health rankings.

The foundation's 28th annual America's Health Rankings examines 35 measures spanning behaviors, community and environment, policy, clinical care and outcomes data. The report benchmarks each state to measure progress, track new trends and inform public health improvements.



The nation continues to face widespread public health challenges, as the premature death rate in America increased for the third consecutive year, up 3 percent since 2015. Cardiovascular deaths increased for the second year in a row across the U.S., and deaths related to drug use grew 7 percent in the past year alone.



Here are the 10 healthiest states, as ranked by the foundation.



1. Massachusetts

2. Hawaii

3. Vermont

4. Utah

5. Connecticut

6. Minnesota

7. Colorado

8. New Hampshire

9. Washington

10. New York

Here are the 10 unhealthiest states.



50. Mississippi

49. Louisiana

48. Arkansas

47. Alabama

46. West Virginia

45. Tennessee

44. South Carolina

43. Oklahoma

42. Kentucky

41. Georgia

For the full report, including methodology, click here.
Emerging Implant Technologies finalized its contract with HealthTrust regarding an agreement with Hospital Corporation of America.

Here are five insights:

1. All of EIT's interbody products are available to HCA's 177 hospitals and 119 surgery centers.

2. EIT offers products for cervical procedures, anterior lumbar interbody fusions, transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions and posterior lumbar interbody fusions.

3. The company's offerings feature EIT Cellular Titanium, 3-D-printed porous titanium. The material is intended to optimize cell proliferation and bone ingrowth.

4. Ortho Sales Partners handled the contract process for EIT.

5. EIT is also working on an action plan with HCA to determine the economic impact of its technology on fusion rates, implant costs and osteobiologic costs.
Accenture and the American Medical Association released a report on cybersecurity in the healthcare industry.

The survey included responses from about 1,300 U.S. physicians.

Here are seven takeaways:

1. Eighty-three percent of surveyed physicians noted they have experienced a form of a cybersecurity attack.

2. More than half of the physicians reported they were "very or extremely" concerned about cyberattacks occurring at their practices in the future.

3. Physicians pinpointed the following as the greatest consequences of future cyberattacks:

 Interrupting clinical practice  74 percent

 Compromising patient record security  74 percent

 Impacting patient safety  53 percent

4. Phishing ranked as the most common type of attack, with 55 percent of physicians reporting the experience. Forty-eight percent of physicians noted computer viruses as the second most-common attack.

5. The survey uncovered 64 percent of those physicians who had experienced a cyberattack underwent up to four hours of downtime due to the attack.

6. Of surveyed physicians, 85 percent said it's "very or extremely important" to share personal health data externally to other institutions, as it will help boost care quality.

7. Eighty-three percent of physicians said HIPAA compliance doesn't do enough alone to assess and prioritize risks.
The boss of the Waterfront and Ulster Hall says she hopes the council-backed business will be in profit within the next three to five years.

Catherine Toolan was speaking to the Belfast Telegraph about the expanded Waterfront Hall business, which is hosting some of the UK and Europe's biggest conferences over the next two years.

Ms Toolan said funding from the council is reducing each year, but will still be in place in the new two or three years.

"In the long-term we expect to be a fully commercial organisation," she said.

"I would hope after 2020, within the next three to five years that we would be profitable."

Catherine also wants Belfast to grow and expand, with a move away from a weekend economy.

"I think more can be done to develop a business tourist strategy," she said.

The Waterfront received a 30m expansion two years ago, which included a large extension, built to host thousands of delegates and attract large conferences to the city.
EasyJet plans new routes from Belfast International Airport to Valencia, Naples and the Isle of Man

The arrival of three new easyJet routes from Belfast to Spain, Italy and the Isle of Man could create as many as 175 new jobs, it's been claimed.

The carrier is adding the new links to Valencia, Naples in Italy, and the Isle of Man, flying from Belfast International Airport.

The flights will start in June next year.

Graham Keddie, managing director of Belfast International Airport, said it's "more good news" and the airport will hope to crack six million passengers next year.

"The three new routes, and the six aircraft - it thickens up the routes, and it means more jobs for this place and shows the commitment of easyJet to Northern Ireland," he said.

"They are the biggest carrier in Northern Ireland by a long way. The next would be Flybe, then Ryanair.

"They go to 31 routes from the airport, and are estimating 4.5 million passengers."

He said, with a predicted extra 300,000 passengers in the next year, an additional 175 staff could be added, directly and indirectly, as a result of the expansion.

The new Isle of Man flights will operate twice a week, while Naples and Valencia will run during the summer season.

Ali Gayward, UK country manager at easyJet, said: "While we have five aircraft, we are now adding a sixth. Belfast is huge to us. In addition to the three new routes, we are adding capacity, adding extra rotation on key domestic markets."

That includes greater frequency on routes to England and Scotland.

EasyJet is also adding an extra flight each week to its French routes in Paris and Bordeaux.

Mrs Gayward added: "EasyJet is the largest airline in NI, but one thing we look at is offering the best frequency. We spend a lot of time working with airports at both ends of the routes."

She said that while the airline doesn't put an exact figure on direct jobs created, it's normally around 30 staff for each additional aircraft.

"That's pilots and cabin crew but there is also the ground handling," she said.

Ms Gayward says it's continuing to lobby both the UK and EU to ensure there is a suitable replacement to the 'open skies' agreement, once Brexit has taken place.

Meanwhile, the prospect of disruption at Ryanair's Irish operations is looming after disgruntled pilots voted to endorse possible industrial action at the carrier.

The ballots, held in recent days by staff Ryanair pilots in Dublin who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (IALPA), saw cockpit crew vote overwhelmingly for possible action as they fight to secure collective bargaining rights in Ireland across Europe.
The Government has been criticised for failing to secure long-term commitments when it sold off the Green Investment Bank (GIB), raising concerns that a new body may be needed to help achieve Britains climate change goals.

A new report by the National Audit Office (NAO) shows that in its decision to sell the bank, the now-named Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) lacked clear criteria or evidence to prove that it had achieved its intended green impact.

The ultimate sale to Australias Macquarie Group  which led a consortium that bought the bank for 2.3 billion earlier this year  was within the Governments valuation range, though was at the lower end.

The NAO also said that the process  which lasted nearly 18 months and more than two times longer than expected  affected GIB operations and resulted in a number of key staff departures, limiting its ability to invest.

Macquarie has said the GIB will continue to finance green projects that help the UK meet its climate change goals in its first three years under private ownership.

But the NAO noted that those commitments are not legally binding and highlighted that the Government has climate change commitments beyond 2020.

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Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: Ultimately the value for money of the Green Investment Bank intervention will only be seen over time.

A key test will be whether the Government needs to intervene again in this way to stimulate growth in the green economy and to help it achieve its climate change commitments.

Established in February 2010, the bank financed 100 projects by March this year, having attracted 8.6 billion in private capital  equal to 2.50 for every 1 invested by the GIB.

Created with an intention to accelerate the UKs transition to a greener, stronger economy by investing in green projects, the NAO said that the GIB was set up with a clear rationale and mission as well as a sound basis for its success.

However, the department did not set out how it would judge the GIBs success in terms of its green impact.

It also wanted GIB to be an enduring institution, but it was not clear what this would mean in practice, the report noted.

The Government ultimately decided in June 2015 that further public funding was not affordable and considered a range of options that would help take the GIB off the public sector balance sheet.

Labour MP and Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier said: The Green Investment Bank has played an important role in boosting the UKs offshore wind industry, creating green jobs and cutting harmful carbon emissions.

It might have gone on to achieve much more if the Government hadnt been so keen on the idea of selling it.

I am deeply disappointed that the Government has only managed to get short-term commitments from Macquarie that the bank will carry on with its green goals.
Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs to "Google it" when asked - again - about her commitment to avoiding a hard border on the island or Ireland.

During the debate after giving a statement to the Commons on the agreement reached on the Brexit deal announced on Friday recommending talks progress to the second phase, the Prime Minister was again asked to reaffirm her commitment to the Irish border.

SNP MP Ian Blackford also questioned who was in charge of the government.

He said: "For the avoidance of any doubt, can the Prime Minister tell the House today that in no circumstances will we be returning to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic? Let us make that commitment in this House today."

He added: "Last week, we had the humiliating scene of the Prime Minister being forced out of the original deal by the DUP, and rushing back to London. The Government had to rewrite the agreement so as to reach the DUPs approval. We really have to wonder who is running the UK: is it Arlene Foster or the right hon. Member for Maidenhead?"

Mrs May responded: "The right honourable Gentleman asked me to confirm in this House that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. I have to say to him that this is not the first time that I have made that statement in this House; he can google it and find from Hansard how many times I have said it.

"Indeed, if he had listened to and looked at my statement, he would have learned that I said that the joint report reaffirms our guarantee that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
An alleged serial burglar who vanished after being let out of prison for a niece's funeral seven years ago decided to stay with his "devastated" family, the High Court heard on Tuesday.

An alleged serial burglar who vanished after being let out of prison for a niece's funeral seven years ago decided to stay with his "devastated" family, the High Court heard on Tuesday.

Edward McDonagh, 44, failed to return to custody following temporary compassionate release while charged with a two-day crime spree in July 2010.

He was only returned to Northern Ireland last week on a European Arrest Warrant after serving a separate sentence in the Irish Republic.

McDonagh, of Townlui Manor in Drogheda, Co Louth, denies 29 charges connected to a spate of offences across parts of Armagh and Tyrone.

They include six counts each of burglary and theft, interference with vehicles, handling stolen goods, and nine charges of criminal damage.

Prosecutors said the alleged offences included breaking into a farm shed with a sledgehammer, and raiding other properties after ramming through electric gates.

While previously remanded in custody on those charges, McDonagh was granted day-release from prison for his niece's funeral in August 2010.

But the court heard he never returned - leading to the seizure of a 6,500 cash surety put up by a relative.

Opposing his latest application for full bail, Crown lawyer Natalie Pinkerton claimed he could abscond again.

"He simply left the jurisdiction and was unable to be located for a considerable period of time," she said.

Richard McConkey, defending, accepted McDonagh had previously "let the court down".

But the barrister argued that the sudden death of his client's niece and other personal circumstances should be taken into account.

"He felt that because the family were so devastated by the loss he would remain there," Mr McConkey submitted.

"He was also the victim of a serious assault in which he lost an eye in October 2010, perhaps that explains why he didn't come back."

The court was told McDonagh maintains his innocence and intends to contest the charges against him.

Refusing bail, however, Mr Justice Maguire said the application was "coloured irredeemably" by his behaviour in 2010.

The judge added: "Having grossly abused the facility of bail before, he's not a fit person for granting bail."
Thousands of Belfast jobs hang in the balance if a proposed 300% duty on exports to the US is imposed on Bombardier's C-Series jet

Further talks will be held later this week as the Government continues to " press the case" on behalf of Bombardier workers in Northern Ireland, the Business Secretary has said.

Thousands of Belfast posts hang in the balance if a proposed 300% duty on exports to the US is imposed on the Canadian-owned firm's new C-Series jet.

Greg Clark told MPs the Government was " absolutely determined to send a clear message both to Boeing and to the US administration that this action is unfair, its effects on Belfast are intolerable".

His comments came as DUP MP Gavin Robinson ( Belfast East) raised the issue during Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) questions, branding the US tariff situation "egregious".

He asked : "The Secretary of State may know that Unite the Union officials from Belfast Bombardier plant are in Washington and Montreal pressing the case against the egregious US tariff situation.

"Can the Secretary of State advise, is he continuing to engage in this process and working towards a sensible resolution?"

Mr Clark replied: "I certainly am and as he knows, throughout this process we've been absolutely determined to send a clear message both to Boeing and to the US administration that this action is unfair, its effects on Belfast are intolerable.

"I have further conversations later this week to continue to press the case with all of the parties concerned."

Earlier this month, trade unionists said a dispute between US planemaker Boeing and its Canadian rival Bombardier should be referred to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The plane's wings are made in Northern Ireland and Unite the Union warned thousands of Northern Ireland jobs could be threatened should sales be badly affected.
A total of 16% of Catholics felt they had been victimised by staff because of their religion

Catholics inmates in Magilligan Prison fare worse than Protestants in Northern Ireland, inspectors said.

Some felt staff victimised them because of their religion and reported less interaction with warders, an inspection report added.

Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) said independent experts should investigate but praised other immensely encouraging work at the County Londonderry jail.

Chief inspector of criminal justice Brendan McGuigan said: "Poorer outcomes for Catholic prisoners remain in a number of key areas and it is our view that there needs to be a greater focus on the underlying reasons for these differences.

"It is our view the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) needs expert independent support to achieve this."

A total of 16% of Catholics felt they had been victimised by staff because of their religion compared to 11% of Protestants.

While 11% felt victimised because of their nationality compared to 5% of Protestants.

The report said Catholic prisoners reported much less interaction with staff than Protestants.

Inspectors noted poorer outcomes for Catholics in a range of "important" areas, often where staff discretion was involved.

The report said: "In our survey Catholic prisoners were more negative than Protestants about respectful treatment by staff.

"While likely to be complex, the prison needed to do far more to understand the underlying reasons for this which was likely to require external expert assistance.

"There was promotion of some aspects of diversity, but a lack of a more proactive approach to all the protected groups covered by Northern Ireland law."

The joint inspection was carried out by CJI and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons in England and Wales (HMIP) with support from colleagues from the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) and the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI).

It found improvements in several key areas.

However, the chief inspectors were concerned by some inspection findings and called for further improvements to address ongoing issues.

They remained worried that an integrated drugs and alcohol strategy still did not exist at Magilligan Prison aimed at reducing supply and addressing the needs of prisoners with substance misuse or addiction problems.

Peter Clarke, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in England and Wales, said: "Reducing the supply and use of illicit and illegal drugs is a major challenge, which requires a strategic approach.

"We recommend there should be a prison-wide drug and alcohol strategy with an associated action plan to address both supply reduction and support issues."

The report noted some excellent and innovative support to disabled and older prisoners. The chaplaincy continued to provide a good service, including a varied programme of activities and good pastoral care.

When inspectors visited in 2014, they were concerned that nearly half the prison population was not participating in education, vocational training or work activities.

When they visited in June this year they found excellent progress had been made in this regard.

The Head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, Ronnie Armour, said the report demonstrated the progress which has been made at Magilligan.

"By creating opportunities to improve skills, employability and self-confidence, those in our care are encouraged to address their offending behaviour and work towards playing a constructive role when they return to the community.

"Importantly, the report highlights that rehabilitation is truly at the heart of all we do at Magilligan Prison, with resettlement work identified as a significant strength.

"This, along with the strong work we are doing to support men in maintaining relationships with their children, families and friends, is helping to support people to change their offending behaviour and, hopefully, build safer communities."

He said t he report also highlights where Magilligan can continue to progress, in particular in supporting vulnerable prisoners and those with self-harm or mental health issues.

"As ever, we will continue to work to ensure that all those in our care have the support they need."
Robert White, his wife Wendy, both 56, and their 36-year-old son Paul at Downpatrick Court in Co Down

A father and son were jailed yesterday after defrauding their customers out of 100,000 of fuel in a home heating oil skimming racket.

Passing sentence at Downpatrick Crown Court, Judge Piers Grant told Robert White and his son Paul White that their crimes against householders and businesses were "clearly planned and premeditated''.

The pair pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and acquiring criminal property, which was the money they made in the oil fraud.

The judge handed a 15-month sentence to Robert White (56), of Creightons Green Road, in Holywood, Co Down, saying he would spend seven-and-a-half months in custody with the remainder on supervised licence following his release.

The judge described him as the "main instigator'' in the fraud, whereby 50 litres of a 500-litre delivery and 100 litres of a 1,000-litre delivery were "stolen from customers over a five-year period, put back on the truck and recycled to other customers giving you 100% profit".

Judge Grant added: "This was easy for you to carry out but it was also difficult to detect.

"This was a serious breach of trust between you and your customers who trusted a family-run business and who they believed could be relied upon to deliver the appropriate quantity of fuel they had paid for.

"It was only by sheer good fortune that some of the customers had detected that they were not receiving the full amount of oil and the matter was reported to the police."

Paul White (36), of the same address, was told he would spend six months in custody followed by a further six months on licence.

The judge told him that he had a "lesser role" in that he had been involved in the fraud for four years but added that he had "actively participated" knowing that what was taking place was fraudulent.

His mother Wendy White (56) had pleaded guilty to a single charge under the 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act that on dates between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2014, she "entered into or became concerned in an arrangement which she knew or suspected facilitated (by whatever means) the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property". Judge Grant told her that despite the seriousness of the offences, she was being spared prison "by the skin of your teeth" and imposed a community service order of 150 hours. He said that during the course of police investigations "significant quantities of cash were found at the family home", which was the money the trio had made from the oil fraud.

Judge Grant said that Wendy White's responsibility as the company's book-keeper and administrator was to make annual VAT returns to HM Revenue and Customs, but she had failed to do so.

He added that over a five-year period, the loss in VAT to HM Revenue and Customs was 33,230.

All three had no previous convictions for fraud but the judge told them: "You now have criminal records for serious offences."

Downpatrick Crown Court had previously heard that the oil fraud racket run by the Whites came to light in late 2013.

Prosecutor Philip Henry said the PSNI started an investigation after police received a complaint from Barr Hall residential home in Portaferry about the amount of oil it was burning, so decided to monitor the tank.

The court heard that on December 20, 2013 there were 900 litres in the 2,500 litre-capacity tank, with a delivery of 2,000 litres ordered for the next day.

Despite the fact the tank wasn't big enough, when officers dipped it following the delivery from D White and Sons, there were only 2,400 litres in it.

During follow-up searches at the firm's office and the defendants' homes, officers seized over 20,000 in cash along with numerous diaries, delivery dockets and invoices, which did not appear to tally up.

A diary contained various figures which officers believed was the amount of oil they were skimming off deliveries.

Judge Grant said that the family home was now up for sale. He adjourned confiscation proceedings to recover the 100,000 defrauded from customers until March next year.
An 88-year-old Lincoln man's death in October will be recorded by the state as a traffic fatality, according to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.

Daniel L. Dilla was injured in a chain-reaction crash that involved five vehicles Oct. 19, according to the accident report completed by Lincoln police. Dilla died Oct. 27.

Dilla's Chevy sedan rear-ended a van that then collided with the vehicles in front of it on Antelope Valley Parkway between Saunders Avenue and Virginia Street, the report said.

Dilla was taken to Bryan West Campus, where he told an investigator that the van in front of him stopped suddenly, the report said.

The van's driver told police he was stopped much like the rest of the cars in that lane.

Dilla was not cited because police could not communicate with him very well and because he had Parkinson's disease, the report said.

The other drivers sustained minor injuries in the crash.
Fears are rising that Four Seasons, which has 58 care homes in Northern Ireland, is heading for administration as hopes of a rescue deal for the debt-stricken group fade.

The company, which has around 3,000 beds here with an average occupancy level of 90%, is said to be struggling under 525m of debt and faces a critical interest payment on Friday.

Owned by Guy Hands' private equity vehicle Terra Firma, Four Seasons - which is the UK's second biggest care homes operator - is now likely to miss the payment, plunging into doubt the future of 17,000 elderly residents across 343 homes.

It comes amid a failure by Terra Firma and Four Seasons' principal creditor, American hedge fund H/2 Capital Partners, to thrash out a deal that would avert disaster.

Belfast property developer Mark O'Kane of O'Kane Commercial believes external pressures facing the sector are responsible for the precarious financial position facing Four Seasons, as well as other operators.

He also believes that Four Season's value assets could make its portfolio an attractive sale to investors, meaning little threat to residents during a potential shift of ownership.

He said: "I've had some experience with a similar case with Southern Cross when it went into receivership. None of the residents were displaced.

"The landlords or owners brought in new owners in what was a seamless transfer when one left and another stepped in. I rest assured that it's highly unlikely residents will be displaced.

"The main difference between Southern Cross is its properties were leased, whereas Four Seasons owns a large proportion of those homes, so there is a value on the assets that they own."

He quoted the recent Care Homes Market (CMA) study which revealed staffing issues and inadequate Government support for the industry, adding: "Staffing issues have been ongoing for years. There is a shortage of nurses and homes are having to go to agencies which have higher costs and they have to absorb those prices.

"The CMA report is important because it also says the funding isn't there to fund these homes and in Northern Ireland we are exclusively reliant on state funding."

Terra Firma is urging H/2, run by Spencer Haber, to take full control of the Four Seasons' group before it goes into administration as part of a debt restructuring.

But H/2 has rejected the proposal as the pair disagree over the terms of the restructure and over the ownership of 24 homes, which are subject to a court battle.

Should Four Seasons collapse into administration, it would be the biggest care homes failure since Southern Cross in 2011.

A Terra Firma spokesman said: "There is no reason to put Four Seasons into administration.

"We call on H/2 Capital Partners, who have acquired their debt at a discount since 2015, to stand by its commitment to find a consensual outcome for the benefit of employees and residents and head off the risk of the obvious disruption that administration would trigger."

It was revealed earlier this week that H/2 could be in line to pocket up to 500m from the collapse of Four Seasons.

It is understood that H/2 bought its debt holding in Four Seasons for approximately 256m, while the enterprise value of the care operator is thought to stand in the region of 700m.

H/2 has already received debt interest payments of 50m, meaning that, were the hedge fund to sell the group or its debt on, as some industry experts expect, it could profit to the tune of 494m.

Terra Firma has also accused H/2 of being "unwilling to engage", blocking email addresses and refusing face-to-face meetings.

H/2 has said it stands ready to take control of the care homes group, with Margaret Ford, former chairwoman of rival Barchester, at the helm.
David Black with wife Yvonne, daughter Kyra and Son Kyle on holiday in Dubai 2012

A 41-year-old man has been extradited from the Republic of Ireland for trial on charges related to the murder of prison officer David Black.

It is understood the individual extradited is suspected dissident republican Damien McLaughlin.

On Tuesday detectives from the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch arrested Mclaughlin in Armagh.

It follows a ruling by the High Court in Dublin on December 2.

He was arrested by the PSNI on four warrants for offences of: aiding and abetting murder; membership of a a proscribed organisation; commissioning and instigating preparatory acts of terrorism; and committing and assisting acts of terrorism.

McLaughlin appeared before Armagh Magistrates Court on Tuesday and has been remanded in custody until January 12.

Damien McLaughlin (41), of Kilmascally Road, Ardboe, Co Tyrone, absconded from his bail address in west Belfast last November and went on the run.
The Isle of Man, Naples and Valencia will be served by easyJet from Belfast International

Three new flight routes from Northern Ireland will begin operating next summer.

The Isle of Man, Naples in Italy and Valencia in Spain will be served by easyJet from Belfast International, the budget carrier announced.

This brings the number of easyJet routes from Belfast to 31. The airline will add a sixth aircraft to the base from summer 2018.

The new flights to the continent will operate twice a week throughout the summer season and the flight to the Isle of Man is scheduled to run throughout the year.

Ali Gayward, easyJet's UK country manager, said: "easyJet is the largest airline in Northern Ireland and we have been committed to Belfast airport for over 18 years. We are proud to have carried over 50 million passengers in that time.

"We're committed to expansion at Belfast airport and the addition of new routes and additional aircraft will help us to deliver long-term, sustainable growth, providing passengers with a greater range of destinations, all with low fares and great service."

Graham Keddie, managing director at Belfast International Airport, said: "The addition of twice weekly year-round jet services on key days to the Isle of Man will offer genuine opportunity to grow the market between Northern Ireland and IoM for both business and leisure travellers on what will by a quirk certainly be the shortest jet route within European airspace.

"Naples and Valencia are likewise two welcome easyJet additions to the departure boards at Belfast International offering high consumer demand."

EasyJet has flown more than 50 million passengers since it launched operations from Belfast over 18 years ago.
The aim of the project is to see prisoners return to a supportive family life

More than 70 prisoners are involved in a new family rehabilitation project in Northern Ireland.

Inmates spend time with their children while family members are taken on an escorted tour of Magilligan Prison.

Adele Norton, head of resettlement and rehabilitation at Magilligan, said: "What we are doing is bringing together families in what can often be very difficult times.

"As a prison service it's our job to help make Northern Ireland safer by supporting the people in our care to change and, as such, the ultimate aim of this scheme is to support and encourage family relationships.

"Once the prisoner is released the aim is that he will return to a stable, supportive family life, away from crime."

This week's Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland report said it was an example of good practice.

"Family induction visits enabled the prisoner's family to get a real insight into their relative's daily life at the prison," it said.

As part of the project, prisoners get to spend time with their children during extended visits while family members are taken on an escorted tour of the prison - visiting health, education and workshop facilities open to their imprisoned family member.

Prisoner support, charity and church groups are also involved in the Family Strategy Scheme at Magilligan, including Barnardo's, NIACRO, Extern, People Plus and the Vineyard Church in Coleraine.

Barnardo's project worker Ciara O'Donnell said: "We work with the dads in prison on all aspects of parenting, simply raising awareness of how the choices and decisions they have made impact on the lives of their children and partner."

One serving prisoner at Magilligan said of his experience of the scheme: "When you're inside your main concern is your family and kids. The family scheme is invaluable.

"You learn how to be a better parent and getting to spend time with your family in a normal setting is a real boost."

The recent inspection praised other encouraging work at the County Londonderry jail.
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Children Ruben and Zara McGlinchey , Nathan McCann and Shea McLaughlin enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A dog enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Patrick Morgan pictured enjoying the snow. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Children Ruben and Zara McGlinchey enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Patrick Morgan pictured enjoying the snow. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.

Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Snow in North Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.

Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Snow in North Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Battling threw the snow on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Children Ruben and Zara McGlinchey , Nathan McCann and Shea McLaughlin enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Battling threw the snow on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Battling threw the snow on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A Snow Man on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Paul and Ollie Forbes pictured enjoying the snow. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.

General views of Snow in Belfast on December 8th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A Snow Man on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A dog enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A dog enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Anne Curley pictured enjoying the snow. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.

Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Children Ruben and Zara McGlinchey , Nathan McCann and Shea McLaughlin enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Jenson and Logan Wright enjoying the snow in Scotch Street, Portadown before school this morning

Pupils of Friends' Prep acquire a new Road Safety monitor after the snow. Pic: Simon Patterson

Outside Keylite Roof Windows in Cookstown Co Tyrone. Pic Kevin Kelly

Photos taken near Queen's on Friday / Credit: Steven Egan

Harry Eakin 'enjoying and enduring' the snow in Portadown.

Pepper and Pippa in the snow but prefer the cosy fire in Gortin Plumbridge. Pic: Katie Ward

Pepper in the snow in Gortin Plumbridge. Pic: Katie Ward

Pippa in the snow in Gortin Plumbridge. Pic: Katie Ward

THE big freeze continues its grip on Northern Ireland as a yellow warning for snow and ice was extended to last throughout this morning.

Temperatures dropped to as low as -10C on Sunday night, making it the coldest night in the province this year. The cold snap caused commuter chaos yesterday morning as motorists battled treacherous roads with long delays on arterial routes.

Police responded to a high number of vehicle collisions and closed off impassable roads because of the icy conditions.

The Met Office last night issued a warning as ice was expected to form across Northern Ireland, with icy surfaces predicted to last into this morning.

"Some injuries are likely from slips and falls on these surfaces and icy patches will form on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths," a Met Office spokesman said.

Forecasters also issued a weather hazard warning in the Mourne Mountains.

The Met Office said there was a "high likelihood" of a severe chill factor on the mountains.

"Wind significantly lowers the 'feels-like' temperature relative to the actual temperature, with even moderate winds significantly adding to the chilling effect.

"Strong winds can result in a severe and debilitating wind chill many degrees below the actual temperature," the spokesman added.

"Without protection, prolonged exposure could result in frostnip or frostbite on exposed parts of the body and/or hypothermia."

Some schools remained closed because of the icy conditions while a number of exams and nativity plays were rescheduled.

Many homes around Belfast and Lisburn area had no power yesterday morning.

There was minimal disruption at Belfast City Airport as only British Airways flights from London were cancelled.

North Belfast residents voiced their concerns over the icy conditions of footpaths.

One retired 62-year-old woman told the Belfast Telegraph that many public footways were too treacherous to walk on.

"The pavements are so dangerous and someone could easily slip and break their bones," she said.

"If we drop litter we are fined 80 but yet no one is taking responsibility for the pavements.

"People are dancing on them and the elderly are scared to leave their homes.

"All they need to do is scatter sand to provide friction."
The project aims to improve habitat for hen harriers (RSPB/PA)

Thousands of acres of blanket bog are to be restored across Northern Ireland, the Republic and Scotland, the RSPB said.

It will improve habitats for birds and butterflies while producing lower-cost drinking water, project organisers said.

The European Union helped fund the five-year conservation project.

Work will begin at Garron Plateau in Co Antrim next month and Pettigo Plateau in Co Fermanagh.

Gina McIntyre, chief executive officer of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), said: "This innovative cross-border project will make a significant contribution to the protection of the precious natural habitats of vulnerable wildlife found across Northern Ireland, the border region of Ireland and Western Scotland."

The Co-operation Across Borders for Biodiversity (CABB) project is worth 4.9 million euro (4.3 million) and is managed by the SEUPB.

It aims to improve breeding habitat for curlews, lapwings, redshanks and snipe in Northern Ireland and the Republic as well as improve habitat for hen harriers.

Organisers want to raise awareness in the communities involved of the environmental, cultural and historical importance of these wetland habitats.

It is being delivered through a partnership between RSPB NI, RSPB Scotland, BirdWatch Ireland, Butterfly Conservation, Northern Ireland Water and Moors for the Future.

It will see 2,228 hectares of blanket bog being restored across the three countries.

Garron is one of the best examples of blanket bog anywhere on the island of Ireland.

A well-managed and functioning blanket bog on the site will help species including hen harriers, curlews and cuckoos to survive in future, along with plants including marsh saxifrage and Irish lady's-tresses orchids, the RSPB said.

Contractors will begin work next month on blocking drains to help restore and sustainably manage the habitat.
Shes never felt so cold, but also so much warmth at the same time.

Marisabel Carde-Sanchez landed in Lincoln a month ago with her two children and a plan to live with her father but with little else: Hurricane Maria had taken her hotel job in Puerto Rico, and the confusion and chaos and crime that followed the storm had forced them from their home.

They fled north to Nebraska from their coastal resort community.

Where we come from in Puerto Rico, never do we have to wear coats, she said. Now its really cold here, always here we are freezing, but its OK.

No, its more than OK, she says.

We are, like, in shock. We have everything, everything.

Her son and daughter are enrolled at North American Martyrs Catholic School, their tuition covered. She found a part-time job at the Cornhusker Marriott, and then a full-time job at Sandhills Publishing. She moved out of her father and stepmothers house last week, into an apartment of her own, with a tabletop Christmas tree and three wooden wise men. She has a car.

She was touched by the generosity of new friends  her fathers co-workers at the county assessors office, his wifes at the state Department of Health and Human Services. They gave beds, a sectional and other furniture, clothes, toys, towels, all of the items her young family needed to start over.

And her father, Jose Carde-Bernal, was overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers, who read about his daughter in the Journal Star.

The weekend the article aired, I think I got 500 phone calls, he said. Everybody stepped up to a point where I have never seen it before in my life.

Some offered soap and shampoo from hotels. Others opened their wallets. He was grateful for anything.

She has everything she needs, he said. Everything worked out.

Kevin Church helped. He read about Marisabel in the paper and then thought of his mother, Blanca, who had been living in Puerto Rico when she met his father during World War II.

She wound up on this frozen plain, he said. And I dont think my mom had any idea what she was getting into.

She raised eight kids in the countryside around Lincoln, sometimes in homes without running water, sometimes working as a housekeeper. She died in 2008.

My mother was a very giving person, she gave all she had, he said.

Church was about to turn 60. For his birthday, he decided to honor his mother by helping another young woman from Puerto Rico who had ended up in Nebraska.

At his birthday party, his friends gave nearly $200, and Church rounded it up to $225. Last week, he met the young family and Jose Carde-Bernal at a north Lincoln restaurant for lunch. He presented the money, and he shared photos and stories of his mother. Carde-Bernal showed photos of his own parents and grandparents.

This city had given his family so much in the past month, Carde-Bernal said. Now it had given them new friends, too.

Im proud to call myself a Lincolnite, he said. Ive been here a year, and I think Ive truly found my home.
Staff Ryanair pilots in Dublin who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) are to strike on December 20.

Trade union Impact has confirmed the planned industrial action and warned that additional strike days could also occur.

It said that Ireland-based, directly employed pilots, mostly captains, will stage the strike.

Last week, almost 80 Ryanair staff pilots sanctioned industrial action at the carrier as if faces up to unrest in Ireland and in other European countries.

Last week, IALPA president Evan Cullen wrote to Mr OLeary, calling on him to engage with IALPA on all aspects of pay, and terms and conditions of employment of directly-employed Ryanair pilots in Ireland. Mr Cullen warned the airline chief that if he didnt engage, a ballot for industrial action could be held.

The airline has refused to engage with unions, or to recognise a new European Employee Representative Council (EERC) that was established to represent Ryanair bases across the continent.

The council was formed in the wake of Septembers pilot rostering fiasco at Ryanair that saw thousands of flights cancelled.

Ryanair does not recognise unions and is legally entitled not to do so. Asked yesterday by Independent.ie if it would seek an injunction in the High Court to prevent any industrial action by pilots in Dublin, the airline said it doesnt comment on rumour or speculation.

Last week, the airline warned pilots in Ireland that it would meet any attempt at industrial action head on. It also said it would freeze promotions, cut pilot pay and may even move aircraft out of Dublin if any industrial action was staged.

Impact official Ashley Connolly said Ryanair was the only Irish-based airline that refuses to recognise independent pilot representatives.

This dispute is solely about winning independent representation for pilots in the company she said.
CCTV still of a shop worker fleeing from an offender wielding a hammer in Bimringham's Jewellery Quarter (West Midlands Police/PA)

Five members of a robbery gang have been handed lengthy jail sentences after a jewellery shop worker was hit with a hammer during a 250,000 raid.

CCTV footage released by West Midlands Police captured one of the men posing as a customer to trick staff into opening the door at SP Green in Birminghams Jewellery Quarter.

The security camera film also shows a smoke shield being triggered, gang member Owen Richardson lashing out with a hammer, and accomplices Daijon Johnson and Jamul Pinnock-Parkes ransacking the store.

Pinnock-Parkes, Johnson and a 17-year-old gang member who failed to get into the shop, were arrested after fleeing the scene and calling a taxi.

Richardson and getaway driver Jermaine Davis were arrested the following day in a Renault Megane seen at the time of the offence.

West Midlands Police said the defendants were convicted at Birmingham Crown Court after CCTV cameras around the city captured their movements before and after the raid on January 6 last year.

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Richardson, of Frankfort Street, Newtown, was jailed for 14 years for conspiracy to rob and possession of class A drugs with intent to supply.

The 21-year-old denied the conspiracy charge, but was convicted after a jury spent just 11 minutes deliberating.

Johnson, 20, of Sherborne Grove, Ladywood, admitted conspiracy to rob, and an unrelated robbery, and was jailed for 12 years and eight months.

Pinnock-Parkes, 20, of Manilla Road, Selly Park, admitted conspiracy to rob and was jailed for nine years and 10 months.

Davis, 27, of Icknield Port Road, Edgbaston, admitted conspiracy to rob and possession with intent to supply and escaping from lawful custody. He was jailed for 14 years and 11 months.

Bradley Devine, 25, of Four Acres, Quinton, who posed as a customer to allow the gang access, was jailed for 10 years in May last year after admitting conspiracy to rob and other offences.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will be sentenced on December 15 after admitting conspiracy to rob.
The European Parliament is to demand that last weeks Brexit deal is converted into a legally binding text as soon as possible.

The parliaments chief Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said suggestions from David Davis that the agreement was not binding had undermined trust in the UK among MEPs.

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In a TV interview on Sunday, Mr Davis appeared to suggest that the UK could seek to alter agreements on divorce issues including the Irish border, citizens rights and the UKs 39 billion financial settlement, saying the deal was much more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing.

After the Irish Government branded the comment bizarre, the Brexit Secretary took to the airwaves once again on Monday, saying that Britains commitment on the border issue was much more than just legally enforceable.

The European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas later confirmed that the joint report published last week by Mr Davis and EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was not legally binding until it is incorporated in a formal Article 50 Withdrawal Agreement, expected in the autumn of 2018.

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But asked if it was therefore possible for either side to back down on it, Mr Schinas stressed that it was regarded in Brussels as a deal between gentlemen which was fully backed and endorsed by the UK Government. He noted that Prime Minister Theresa May and Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker had shaken hands on it.

Mr Verhofstadt suggested that MEPs would like to bring forward moves to make the agreement legally binding.

Remarks by David Davis that Phase One deal last week not binding were unhelpful and undermine trust, he said in a tweet.

European Parliament text will now reflect this and insist agreement translated into legal text ASAP.

Expand Close David Davis (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Mr Verhofstadt said the UK must stick to its commitments and put them into a draft Withdrawal Agreement as soon as possible if there is to be progress in the second phase of negotiations, on trade.

He has tabled two amendments for MEPs to consider in the European Parliament, one of which says Mr Daviss comments risk to undermine the good faith that has been built during the negotiations.

Another calls on Britain to fully respect last weeks Brexit deal and ensure it is fully translated into a draft Withdrawal Agreement.

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Mr Verhofstadt said he introduced the amendments alongside four other European Parliament groups, including the PPE group led by Manfred Weber, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as they are concerned about the unacceptable description by David Davis of this agreement, saying it was merely a statement of intent, rather than a legally enforceable text.

Responding, Mrs Mays official spokesman told a regular Westminster briefing: The Secretary of State set out yesterday  and the commission agreed with him  that the agreement that was reached last week is a political agreement but that will move forward into a Withdrawal Agreement which will be legally binding.

The commitment is clear from the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union that we dont want a hard border. I think everybody understands that.

Mr Davis later indicated that he had spoken to Mr Verhofstadt and agreed that last weeks deal should be put into legal form as soon as possible.

In a series of tweets, the Brexit Secretary said: Pleasure, as ever, to speak to my friend Guy Verhofstadt  we both agreed on the importance of the Joint Report. Lets work together to get it converted into legal text as soon as possible.

I look forward to working closely with the European Parliament in the next phase, including on a top shared priority  ensuring admin procedures for citizens are as streamlined as possible in both the UK and EU.
Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage as they investigate the death of a woman who was struck in a suspected multiple hit and run.

The 29-year-old victim from Wandsworth was hit by a lorry as she used a pedestrian crossing, before she is thought to have been struck by another lorry and two cars.

None of the drivers stopped after the incident in Tulse Hill, south London on Monday morning, the Metropolitan Police said.

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The victim was treated at the scene but pronounced dead at 7.21am.

She has not been formally identified but her family has been informed.

A post-mortem examination was due to take place at Greenwich mortuary on Tuesday.

The junction has been described as a racetrack of sorts by one resident, in a letter to Streatham MP Chuka Umunna.

Tweeting under the name Ross Runs, the man said: As both a pedestrian and a driver, the junction at Tulse Hill encourages some of the most aggressive driving I have seen in London.

If there is an opposite to traffic calming then this is it.

In a joint statement with MP for Dulwich and West Norwood Helen Hayes, Mr Umunna urged anyone with information to come forward.

They added: Lambeth Council is working closely with Transport for London on urgently needed changes to the Tulse Hill gyratory which will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

We are pushing for these works to be delivered as soon as possible, and for any lessons which emerge from the investigation into this appalling incident to be acted upon immediately.

Police have appealed to all four drivers to come forward.

Acting Detective Sergeant Alastair Middleton said: We want to hear from anyone who travelled from the south circular junctions of Norwood Road going towards the junction of Brixton Hill between the hours of 6.30am and 7.00am on the day of the collision.

We are particularly interested in any dashcam footage that may have captured some of the incident before or after the collision.

We are also appealing for anyone who was passing and witnessed the collision and the moments afterwards to contact us immediately.

Enquiries are continuing to trace all the vehicles involved. A number of actions, including the recovery of local CCTV footage are in hand. I would urge the drivers of all four vehicles to come forward and speak with my team.

Members of the Tulse Hill community reacted with shock.

Navin Bagan, 37, who works at the nearby Tulse Hill cafe, described the hit-and-run drivers as heartless.

They just left her to die  it is not right, she said.

This road is sometimes very busy in the mornings, but thats not an excuse for a car to hit a lady and run off.
Crews line up ahead of the start of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge

The start of an endurance race dubbed the worlds toughest row has been postponed at the 11th hour due to gale-force winds.

The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenges fleet of 25 teams  including many from the UK and Ireland  were informed about two hours before competitors were due to leave La Gomera in the Canary Islands bound for Antigua in the Caribbean.

Briefing the crews, who had spent two years preparing for the challenge, race director Carsten Horen Olsen said another decision would be made on Wednesday morning.

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He said: Its quite mixed feelings that I have to announce to you that the race start will be delayed.

Duty officer Ian Couch said winds of up to 40 knots on leaving the harbour would be a baptism of fire that would potentially put some crews in danger.

He said: You know full well we dont mind putting you out there if its going to be scary, or its going to be bumpy, or its going to be tough.

But there has to be a line drawn between that and foolhardy.

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We accept there is going to be an element of risk with what youre going to do, but if we are going to put you into conditions which have escalated and changed overnight, that would be wrong.

Some of you might be able to cope with that, at this stage, as a baptism of fire, that will be too much for some of you. We are risking capsize and abandonment at a time which is unnecessary.

You are currently in a safe port and to put you out into that would be wrong.

Former Ireland rugby player Damian Browne and four-time Invictus Games gold medal winner Jordan Beecher are among those lining up their fibreglass vessels in La Gomera for the start of the charity race.

Another team, Saddle Sand Sea, are using the water-based challenge to complete a unique endurance triathlon.

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Crews will not leave before Wednesday morning, although race organisers have warned the start could be delayed further.

The 2013 Atlantic Challenge was postponed by two days, while the 2015 race was delayed by four days due to poor weather.

:: To follow the race, visit TaliskerWhiskyAtlanticChallenge.com
Theresa May is facing the real possibility of Commons defeat on her flagship Brexit bill unless MPs are guaranteed a meaningful vote on leaving the EU, Tory rebels have warned.

Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said he was determined to force a vote on an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill unless ministers back down.

With up to 20 Conservative MPs reportedly willing to support the change in the division lobbies on Wednesday, he said they could well have the votes needed to get it through.

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I think there are quite a few who may support me  I think enough, if this comes to a vote, to defeat the Government, he told BBC Radio 4s The World At One.

I think there is a real possibility that that will happen.

The move threatened to wreck the fragile unity in the Conservative ranks in the wake of Mrs Mays agreement in Brussels on Friday over the terms of Britains withdrawal, potentially allowing the Brexit negotiations to move on to the second phase, including trade talks.

Brexiteers reacted angrily to the threatened revolt, accusing the rebels of trying to derail the whole bill, which is needed to transpose EU legislation on to the UK statute book when Britain leaves in March 2019.

Mr Grieve, who campaigned for Remain in the referendum, denied his amendment  which would require any final deal with the EU to be approved by a separate act of Parliament  was designed to prevent Brexit happening.

He said he tabled the change because, as the legislation stood, the Government had the power to do it by the use of statutory instruments, denying MPs the promised meaningful vote on the outcome of the negotiations.

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He said that if ministers accepted the amendment, they could still come back at a later date with further changes to make it more to their liking.

To keep this power in in the form which it is at the moment is plainly wrong, he said.

I dont see any possibility of my backing down on this at all. I will vote for my amendment. I dont know whether I will be successful or not but I think I must push it forward.

I dont want to defeat the Government. It is not my desire to do this, I would much prefer the Government to listen to what we have been saying, accept the amendment, and, at a later stage, the Government can always correct it if it wants to.

Ministers are expected to argue the amendment is unnecessary as they are already committed to tabling a separate bill to implement the main elements of any deal  including the agreements on the financial settlement and future citizens rights signed by Mrs May on Friday.

Conservative former leader Iain Duncan Smith accused Mr Grieve and his supporters of grandstanding and trying to tie the Governments hands in the Brexit talks.

I think this is looking for ways to derail the bill, he told The World At One.

There comes a moment when really grandstanding has to stop. Tying the Governments hands in the way that he would wish to tie them so early on is quite wrong.

Asked about Mr Grieves amendment, Mrs Mays official spokesman said: The Government position has been throughout that we are listening to MPs and we are having conversations with them, and where we think the legislation can be improved, we are prepared to take it on board.

I think what the MPs are asking for is clarity. We are looking at the amendment and will respond to it in due course.
A group of former members of the security forces are vowing to shatter the silence of their past to counter what they claim is a "witch-hunt" against them.

They have pledged to oppose any political deal that would propose an amnesty for terrorists in Northern Ireland.

The retired soldiers, police officers and Prison Service personnel set up Northern Ireland Crown Forces Veterans for Justice (NICFVFJ) earlier this year.

It held a rally last month at Belfast City Hall to protest at how it feels veterans have been treated by the judicial system, in which it says it has little confidence.

The organisation has threatened to demonstrate at Stormont because it thinks unionist politicians have cold-shouldered veterans.

Members are angry over what they see as attempts to "legitimise terrorists while demonising the people who stood up to them".

Founder Mel Brown (51), who was in the UDR/Royal Irish for nearly 10 years, says her organisation has the backing of 760 veterans who have signed up to a restricted Facebook page, which is not accessible to members of the public who do not have security force links.

NICFVFJ says it no longer has any formal ties to Britain-based veterans' groups but is supporting individual ex-soldiers like 76-year-old Dennis Hutchings, who is awaiting trial here on charges related to the killing of John Pat Cunningham in 1974.

The group says hundreds of other ex-soldiers are "dreading the knock on the door" that would tell them they too are under investigation over killings that happened 40-plus years ago - including Bloody Sunday.

The local veterans agree with campaigners who have lobbied for the introduction of a new statute of limitation to ensure that no further former security force members are charged with historic offences.

The Government recently indicated that it is ready to start consultations on the statute.

But the Ulster veterans fear such a measure could be used to equate terrorists with security force members and exempt everyone from prosecution.

"Equivalence is something we couldn't stomach," says Wilfie Brown, who is 53 and was in the R Irish for 22 years.

"We don't want an amnesty for the terrorists."

He is convinced that former terrorists stand to be exonerated under a new deal that would sanitise what the IRA did and even offer its ex-members cash - a type of pension for paramilitaries.

Former Parachute Regiment soldier John Ross (64) from Belfast says that equivalence is high on the agenda of republicans.

He adds: "There is no equivalence between right and wrong; between good and evil; between the innocent and the guilty.

"There can't be equivalence between a terrorist organisation who murdered people in pursuit of their political agendas and legitimate forces in which soldiers and police served their country in the line of duty."

Last week four Tory and Labour MPs wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Theresa May calling for an amnesty across the board.

They are former Army captain Johnny Mercer; Julian Lewis, the chairman of the Commons Defence select committee; former Defence Minister Kevan Jones and Dan Jarvis, a former paratrooper.

They say they acted because they were concerned about the arrests of ex-military personnel, but discovered that expert evidence indicated a statute of limitation that covered only security force members would be out of step with international law.

NICFVFJ - which has dismissed the MPs' demand - claims there is already an imbalance in the way the authorities have dealt with republicans through the use of on-the-run letters and royal pardons.

"Yet Sinn Fein, some of whom have these letters of comfort in their pockets, are the very ones who say there is no justice and demand equality," says Wilfie Brown

"We are at boiling point. We really have had enough, every decision that is coming now seems to be for the terrorists.

"They have been rebranded and many of the paramilitaries have reappeared within community groups accessing thousands of pounds in funding.

"And, of course, we have also seen them going into government, which has been unacceptable to many people."

He says that the estimated 141,000 former security force members in Northern Ireland have seen little in the way of financial windfalls for them or for their families.

Mel Brown says she suspects that part of the thinking on a statute of limitation for the security forces is to protect high-ranking figures at the top of the chain of command, not the foot soldiers.

She and her colleagues have had meetings with the UUP, but had to postpone talks with DUP leader Arlene Foster because of the recent Brexit crisis.

However, Wilfie Brown says politicians have let veterans down by failing to represent their views.

He has called for the formation of a single unionist party to "speak up for and defend what the majority of people here believe in".

He says the atrocities of the IRA must never be downplayed and he likens some of them to the barbarity of Isis.

He cites the brutal murders of Corporal David Howes and Derek Wood after an IRA funeral in March 1988, but also talks about massacres at Kingsmill, Darkley, Enniskillen and the Shankill bombing.

However, he insists that his organisation is also opposed to any softening of approach towards loyalist terror groups as well.

"A terrorist is a terrorist is terrorist," says Brown.

"There's no difference."

But it is clear that most of the organisation's fury is reserved for the IRA and for Sinn Fein and for claims that soldiers and police were involved in an orchestrated murder campaign during the Troubles.

Wilfie Brown says: "It's been rammed down people's throats that we went out and shot people dead just for the sake of it, which simply isn't true.

"People talk about a shoot-to-kill policy, but if there had been one, surely more terrorists would have died." He adds that none of his colleagues are saying mistakes were not made.

But was collusion with loyalists one of those mistakes?

"I can't speak to that," he replies.

"It certainly didn't happen in my time."

Mel Brown says she and many other veterans are still haunted by what they experienced during the Troubles and by the loss of friends and colleagues.

She adds: "Every time I see or hear anything about the past all the pain comes flooding back. You don't stop living your memories."

She says she sometimes comes face-to-face with people in the street and in shops who were once out to kill her and her colleagues.

"I have sought professional help but you can't always be sure who you are talking to," she says. She adds that the group wants to highlight the lack of support for ex-servicemen and women in Northern Ireland compared to what is available across the water.

Ross says that because there is no military covenant here he couldn't get the same help that his former colleagues based in Britain can receive.

Phil McLernon (47) who's originally from Bushmills and served with the Royal Irish and the Royal Engineers, claims that the media have been soft on republicans and believes that justice has been sacrificed by successive governments.

"I was involved in the intelligence follow-up after the Omagh bomb," he says.

"Will those families ever see justice? I very much doubt it."

Dave Crooks (66), who won a Queen's Gallantry Medal and a Queen's commendation for bravery award during 32 years as a police officer, says "revisionists" are working flat out to cast the security forces in as bad a light as they possibly can.

But he says most who joined the police or Army during the Troubles were motivated by a desire to help people and their province and don't deserve criticism.

He adds: "It's time to stop blaming the people who put their lives on the line to protect innocent Protestants and Catholics.

"For 30 years the IRA, the UVF and the UDA murdered and butchered in this country but revisionism has taken over to such a degree that politicians will do anything to keep the peace in place.

"So, what they're prepared to do is to put us on the same footing as the terrorists.

"And that has to be morally indefensible."

Crooks, whose cousin Detective Noel McCabe was shot dead by the Provisional IRA on the Falls Road in November 1976, adds: "Outside of the family, no one remembers Noel, but his murder killed his mother and father.

"And right across Northern Ireland there are thousands of families whose lives were torn apart.

"My wife's war hero grandfather was killed in one of the earliest bombings on the Shankill.

Fifteen years after he retired Crooks says he is still cautious as to how he goes about his everyday life.

He says: "I still keep my head down."
A children's TV character has been blamed for raising expectations of the health service, a leading medic has said.

Peppa Pig's Dr Brown Bear contributes to an "unexpected expectation" of care, Dr Catherine Bell wrote in the British Medical Journal.

Exposure to Peppa Pig and its portrayal of general practice raises patient expectation and encourages inappropriate use of primary care services, she writes in an article described as tongue-in-cheek.

"As a general practitioner, I have often wondered why some patients immediately attempt to consult their GP about minor ailments of short duration," Dr Bell states.

"As the mother of a toddler and frequent witness to the childrens television series Peppa Pig, I might have discovered the answer."

She adds: "Dr Brown Bear, a single handed GP with whom the Pig family is registered, appears to provide his patients with an excellent serviceprompt and direct telephone access, continuity of care, extended hours, and a low threshold for home visits. But could this depiction of general practice be contributing to unrealistic expectations of primary care?"

She cites the good doctor's out of hours house calls, his prescribing of medication despite admitting it's not needed as well as his disregard for client patient confidentiality.

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The article references three examples.

In the first Dr Bear offers a piglet rash cream when conceding the problem would clear itself naturally. Dr Bell argues it encourages people to access their GP inappropriately by seeing him make a home visit and by issuing prescription medication, Dr Brown Bear has either prescribed antibiotics in an era of rising antibiotic resistance or paracetamol which is available over the counter, rendering the doctors visit pointless.

"Case 1 questions whether Dr Brown Bear is an unscrupulous private practitioner, rather than an NHS GP," writes Dr Bell.

In the second case the doctor answers the phone for a minor illness - George suffering a cold - before heading straight over to his home, again outside normal hours. Dr Bell described the doctor's actions as a "clinically inappropriate urgent home visit, although concedes on this occasion the doctor gave a clinically appropriate reaction.

And in the third case Dr Brown Bear makes an emergency visit to see Pedro the pony with a cough before he himself catches the cough. Eventually, the townsfolk all go to the surgery to administer him with a some medicine and sing a song.

"His disregard for confidentiality, parental consent, record keeping, and his self-prescribing indicate that the burden of demand from his patient population is affecting his health, writes Bell.

Dr Bell, in a disclaimer, states she has no conflicts of interest: "It may look like my child is sponsored by Peppa Pig, but any claims to this effect are false."

Concluding she adds: Peppa Pig conveys many positive public health messages, encouraging healthy eating, exercise, and road safety. However, from (repeated, mostly involuntary) review of the subject material, I hypothesise that exposure to Peppa Pig and its portrayal of general practice raises patient expectation and encourages inappropriate use of primary care services. Further study is needed to confirm this.

"Dr Brown Bear was approached for his perspective on the cases discussed; however, he is unable to comment pending the outcome of a fitness to practise investigation."

Despite the less than seriousness of the article, the Royal College of GPs has said people need to understand when it is appropriate - or even if it is appropriate - to contact their doctors.
Students from India's northeastern Assam state hold placards by the Brahmaputra river during a protest against the contamination of the river in Gauhati, India (AP)

Chinese construction activity on the upper reaches of one of the largest rivers that flows into India are turning the waters downstream turbid and unfit for human consumption, officials in India have claimed.

Over the weekend, Sarbananda Sonowal, the chief minister of India's Assam state, said the Brahmaputra river was contaminated with bacteria and iron.

Laboratory tests confirm that the waters are unfit for human consumption.

Mr Sonowal asked that the Indian government take up the matter with Beijing.

The Yarlung Tsangbo river originates in the Tibetan Himalayas and enters India as the Siang in far-eastern Arunachal Pradesh state before flowing downstream to Assam as the Brahmaputra.

The river finally empties into the Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh, where it is called the Padma.

Last week, Pema Khandu, the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a border with China, wrote to Indian home minister Rajnath Singh, saying the waters of the Siang river have been "unusually turbid" for the past two months, and sought a federal investigation.

Keshab Mahanta, the water resources minister of Assam state, has written to foreign minister Sushma Swaraj expressing serious concern about the water quality of the Bhramaputra.

Locals in Arunachal Pradesh suspect the Siang is contaminated because of Chinese construction activities in the upper reaches of the river, including possible attempts to divert the river to feed its arid northern areas.

"The Chinese may seek to deny, but we suspect there are massive tunnel building activities to divert the Yarlung Tsangbo to Xinjiang province, particularly the Taklamakan desert region," Lungkang Ering, president of the All Bogong Students' Union in the border district of East Sing, said in a letter to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

"China is constructing several dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo.

"One big dam, the Zangmo dam, is already operational and about three to four other dams are under various stages of construction.

"The Zangmo dam is located just three to four kilometres (two to three miles) from the Indian border and is 116 metres (380 feet) high," said Nayan Sharma, a leading Indian hydrologist at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it had never heard of the project mentioned by Indian officials in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states.

In the past, China has denied such accusations without providing details or enunciating its long-term plans for the area.

India's foreign ministry spokesman did not reply to queries about whether New Delhi had raised concerns with Beijing.

Kameswar Sahani, a fisherman in Arunachal Pradesh, told a local newspaper that dozens of fishermen like him have been forced to stop working on the Siang river.

"How will I feed my family?" he asked.

AP
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of Omaha attorney Steve Grasz to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ending a contentious but relatively swift journey to a seat on the federal court.

The 50-48 vote completed a process that began with President Donald Trump's nomination of Grasz in August and the outcome marked the 10th Trump appellate court nomination confirmed by the Senate during the Republican majority's rush to reshape the federal judiciary.

By comparison, three Circuit Court nominations by Democratic President Barack Obama were confirmed during his first year in the White House when Senate Democrats held a majority in 2009.

Grasz, a former chief deputy Nebraska attorney general, had been rated as "not qualified" for the federal bench by the American Bar Association, whose standing committee on the federal judiciary questioned his ability to "separate his role as an advocate from that of a judge."

That assessment set the stage for a battle sharply divided along partisan lines.

His nomination cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on an 11-9 party line count, then squeezed past a potential filibuster on a 48-47 vote to invoke cloture Monday and proceeded to Tuesday's showdown vote.

Sen. Ben Sasse guided the nomination through the process as a member of the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Deb Fischer gathered support from her more senior position in the Senate.

Both senators had recommended Grasz to the White House.

Despite the ABA's concerns, which included Grasz's close ties with political leadership in Nebraska, his nomination was lauded by former Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and Deborah Gilg, who had been Obama's U.S. attorney for Nebraska.

Grasz has been general counsel for the Nebraska Republican Party and treasurer and legal counsel for Pete Ricketts for Governor.

During his confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee, Grasz repeatedly assured senators he would adhere to judicial precedent and not allow his personal views to interfere with his judgment.

Several times, he specifically said he accepts the abortion rights precedent set by Roe v. Wade, which he described as "a clear, existing and binding precedent" established by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Personal preferences and beliefs of a judge should have no role," he told the committee.

Grasz, 56, is senior counsel at Husch Blackwell in Omaha and prior to that he was Nebraska's chief deputy attorney general for nearly 12 years.

With Grasz's nomination confirmed, two more Trump nominations to seats on federal appeals courts are making their way through the Senate.

Both Sasse and Fischer immediately hailed Tuesday's result.

Grasz "exemplifies the qualities the American people seek in a judge: keen intellect, even judicial temperament and steadfast commitment to the rule of law," Fischer said.

Sasse said "Nebraskans will have a voice on the 8th Circuit committed to an impartial and independent judiciary  someone who understands that judges don't write laws."

Gov. Pete Ricketts added his congratulations. "The U.S. Senate has elevated a great constitutional lawyer to the bench, who will take a thoughtful and fair-minded approach to issues.
Charles Jenkins, his wife Hitomi Soga, right, and their daughter Mika, centre, at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport (AP/Itsuo Inouye)

Charles Jenkins, a US army deserter to North Korea who married a Japanese abductee and lived in Japan after their release, has died aged 77.

A group representing families of Japanese abductees to North Korea said on Tuesday that Mr Jenkins died the day before.

Mr Jenkins, of Rich Square, North Carolina, was found collapsed outside his home in Sado, northern Japan, rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

The cause of his death has not been released.

Mr Jenkins disappeared in January 1965 while patrolling along the Demilitarised Zone dividing North and South Korea.

He travelled to Japan in 2004 to be with his wife Hitomi Soga, who was kidnapped and taken to North Korea in 1978 but allowed to visit home in 2002 and stayed.

The two met in North Korea and had two daughters.

AP
Four people were killed by the bombers

Two teenage girl suicide bombers attacked the town of Gwoza, in Nigeria's north, killing at least four people.

Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, spokesman for the military command and control centre in Maiduguri, said the attack was carried out on Monday evening.

He said local defence forces spotted the girls and shot one, detonating her vest and killing only her.

He said the other girl managed to infiltrate the crowded residential area in Borno state and detonated herself, killing four others.

He said several people injured have been taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

The military command in Maiduguri also said two soldiers were killed on Sunday after their vehicle hit a homemade explosive planted by Boko Haram insurgents along the Maiduguri-Damboa road.

AP
German-based pilots at budget airline Ryanair have been urged to strike in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The Cockpit union said on Tuesday that walkouts can be expected "any time starting immediately" but did not give any specific timing and ruled out strikes at Christmas.

It said there will be no strikes between the afternoon of December 23 and December 26.

Cockpit hopes to force Ryanair into negotiations on what it calls "market-appropriate working and pay conditions" for the company's pilots.

It said Germany's TUIfly, which like Ryanair operates a Boeing 737 fleet, offers such conditions.

Cockpit said that Italian and Portuguese pilot unions also have threatened strikes in the coming days, and pilots in Ireland this week voted for industrial action.

AP
A US military drone strike on a vehicle carrying explosives in Somalia has removed "an imminent threat to the people of Mogadishu" by the al Shabab extremist group, the US Africa Command has said.

The airstrike was carried out about 40 miles southwest of Somalia's capital, the US statement said, adding that no civilians were killed.

It was not immediately clear how many al Shabab fighters may have been killed.

A senior Somali intelligence official said the airstrike largely destroyed a minibus travelling near the rebel-held village of Mubarak in Lower Shabelle region.

The al Qaida-linked al Shabab has been blamed for the massive lorry bombing in Mogadishu in October that killed 512 people, wounded more than 300 others and left more than 60 missing.

Only a few attacks since the ones on September 11 2001 have killed as many people, according to the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland.

Al Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa, often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu including hotels, military checkpoints and the presidential palace.

The US military has carried out 32 airstrikes this year against the Somalia-based al Shabab and a small but growing presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State group.

The Trump administration early this year approved expanded military operations against extremists in the Horn of Africa nation, with counter-terrorism at the top of its foreign policy agenda for Africa.

More than 500 US military personnel are now in Somalia, the US Africa Command said last month.

AP
Zimbabwe's former leader Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, have travelled to Singapore on their first trip abroad since Mr Mugabe resigned as president last month under pressure from the military and ruling party.

Press secretary George Charamba has confirmed the 93-year-old Mr Mugabe has gone on his annual leave and for regular medical checkups.

He said Mr Mugabe is free to travel when and where he wants.

Mr Mugabe has not made any public appearances since he stepped down after 37 years in power.

For many years he has taken annual trips to Singapore and other Asian countries in January and February.

His former ally Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as president following the end of Mr Mugabe's long spell in power.

AP
Over 626,000 Rohingya people have crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar since early August 2017. These people are fleeing violence in Rakhine State, where security forces are "clearing out terrorists".

The majority of the Rohingya are Muslims, but they are not recognised as citizens in Myanmar and are, therefore, considered a "stateless" people.

This is the third major movement of Rohingya into Bangladesh as a result of violence.

The first happened in the mid-1970s, the second in 1992, when I was in Cox's Bazar at the time to witness these terrified people seeking refuge in Bangladesh. The third major movement is the current crisis, which has escalated since mid-August.

On each of the previous occasions of movement of the Rohingya, they were encouraged to return to Myanmar, which many of them did, only for them, or their children, to have to flee once again.

The governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar have already agreed that the Rohingya should return to Myanmar on a "voluntary" basis.

However, until their citizenship is recognised and the systematic discrimination stops, there is little point in them returning to Myanmar.

Plan International is calling on the international community to prioritise the needs of vulnerable Rohingya children arriving in Bangladesh. Adolescent girls in particular must be protected, as they are one of the groups most at risk of gender-based violence within the camps.

PAUL O'BRIEN

CEO, Plan International Ireland, Dublin
A political typhoon has suddenly burst in on the heart of the Cabinet in the form of new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who promises - or threatens - to blow a gust of realism into the Westminster scene.

Williamson, the former Chief Whip, was barely known outside Westminster, but within days of his new appointment, he was making big headlines throughout Fleet Street, including a reported spectacular bust-up with Chancellor Philip Hammond.

He has reprieved "military" dogs who had been sentenced to death now that their service had finished. And he has warned British jihadist terrorists that they would be hunted down and eliminated.

But, above all, he has been bold enough to tell Hammond he could take no more "freebies" using RAF aircraft until he had paid the bill for previous trips. The bill was immediately paid.

This move apparently followed a reported row between the two Cabinet ministers, in which the Prime Minister had to intervene, telling them to grow up.

Williamson's problem - although it should be regarded as a virtue - is that he says, in plain, uncluttered English, what most of the country thinks.

Yet, surprise, surprise, he is being branded "childish", even by some of his own colleagues, for expressing such views as those he expressed about British jihadists.

That's the trouble with Westminster-speak: politicians tend to tiptoe around issues with feeble euphemisms, rather than charging into the heart of the matter and saying bluntly what they really mean.

So, when someone like Williamson - who kept a tarantula spider on his desk when Chief Whip - speaks his mind without shilly-shallying about, he simply shocks traditional parliamentarians, yet is applauded by the public at large.

Williamson is a force of nature, whose talents were recognised by David Cameron and Theresa May.

He is the man to blow away the cobwebs of obfuscation which bedevil the British political scene.

He will bring a gale of fresh air to the proceedings and could before long be included in the bookmakers' lists as a possible successor to Theresa May.

A bit far-fetched perhaps, but Williamson's ambition is like a coiled spring about to be released.

Watch this space.

What is it about politicians who play fast and loose with taxpayers' money and seem to think - often correctly - that if they repay their excesses, that is the end of the matter?

A shoplifter in Tesco does not enjoy that "perk"; he doesn't get the opportunity to repay what he has stolen and his offence is then forgotten about.

Lord Bassam of Brighton has quit as Labour's Chief Whip in the House of Lords after questions were raised about his expenses.

He was receiving money which was supposed to be used to pay for overnight accommodation in London, when, in fact, he was travelling to his home in Brighton.

The amounts involved came to thousands of pounds and his lordship has offered to make repayments.

He said he had abided by the rules, although admitted he could have dealt with the issue in a more appropriate way. That was big of him.

And, if it is a fact that he abided by the rules, then the rules should be toughened up - and without delay.

But didn't his conscience, or even his common sense, warn him that he was not possibly acting within the spirit of the (plainly faulty) rules?

There is now indisputable evidence that large sums of British aid abroad is falling into the wrong hands - even into the hands of people and organisations which would do harm to the UK and to other democratic countries in the West.

This is, of course, an intolerable situation and a huge test for Penny Mordaunt, the new International Development Secretary.

Ms Mordaunt, who has a Royal Navy background, has shown herself to be a no-nonsense minister in the lower ranks. Now she needs to get a grip with this scandal - and I think Theresa May has every confidence that she will.

Of course, Britain should always come to the aid of those starving and in dire poverty.

But it is intolerable that these pay-outs are apparently so badly monitored that money is falling into the hands not only of undeserving people, but, worse, to those who are our enemies.

What makes it worse is that, at the same time, British nurses and other public servants are suffering under a tight pay-cap.

Let there be no more delay.

Way back in 1963, I was deeply involved in the saga of John Profumo and Christine Keeler, who has just died.

I always felt sorry for Keeler: she was a young, hugely impressionable woman, who was disgracefully exploited by powerful and ruthless men twice her age (and more). As she has since said, she enjoyed that period, but if she had known what was going to happen as a result, she would "have run off and not stopped until I reached my mum's home".

Those sordid and seedy events destroyed Keeler's life, destroyed Profumo's career (that was his own fault) and destroyed Harold Macmillan's Tory government.

What are we to make of the "breakthrough" achieved by the Prime Minister in her early-morning dash to Brussels last week, with her mumbling Brexit Secretary, David Davis?

Reaction to it has ranged from "triumph" (Mrs May's own entourage) to "humiliation" (Nigel Farage, former Ukip leader).

It has received general approval from most Brexiteers, although few of them seem to be over the moon about it. And even some Remainers have registered grudging approval.

However, when the normally hard-faced Brussels negotiators seem pleased with it, I think you have to be wary.

But, then, I am only an old cynic.
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The Nebraska Public Service Commission should clarify its decision on the Keystone XL pipeline in order to head off potential appeals by opponents, a lawyer for pipeline builder TransCanada told the commission Tuesday.

Commissioners approved the pipeline last month, but not the company's preferred route through Nebraska.

In choosing an alternative route instead, opponents argue the commission overstepped its jurisdiction and deprived landowners and other groups of due process.

James Powers of Omaha, attorney for TransCanada, told commissioners Tuesday they could "erase" those concerns by allowing the company to file an amended application for the alternative route, which would enable the commission to issue a new final order.

Such an order could address any issues before they reach the courts in the form of a legal appeal, Powers said: "The time to resolve it is now."

Powers made his pitch during an hourlong hearing at the Public Service Commission's downtown Lincoln office.

Attorneys for groups opposing the pipeline  landowners, environmental groups and Native American tribes  were allowed to argue against TransCanada's request.

David Domina, an Omaha lawyer representing many opposing landowners, said TransCanada is asking the commission to "hop over" state law and language in the company's own application with the new request.

Nebraska law only allows the commission to consider a single route at a time, and TransCanada's application only sought approval of the company's preferred route, Domina said. Further, his clients were denied access to evidence related to the alternative route, and people along that route didn't receive proper notice that their land might be involved.

"That's a lot of hopping," Domina said. "I don't want to be a kangaroo. And I don't want anybody else in this room to be a kangaroo, either."

TransCanada's 275-mile preferred route was the focus of a court-style hearing in August, but on Nov. 20, the commission opted for a slightly longer route known as the "mainline alternative."

That route would cut farther east, then run parallel with the existing Keystone pipeline for about 95 miles. It would cross 11 counties: Keya Paha, Boyd, Holt, Antelope, Madison, Stanton, Colfax, Butler, Seward, Saline and Jefferson.

The pipeline would move Canadian oil bound for the U.S. Gulf Coast from Hardisty, Alberta, to a terminus in Steele City, Nebraska.

The commission's five elected members are expected to respond to TransCanda's request Dec. 19.
How Do We Know Jesus is the Son of God?

For the purpose of this inquiry, let's look at two sections in the Bible for evidence and clarification: Hebrews 1 and John 5:16-30. These segments of the Bible will be helpful to understand what the New Testament writers meant when they declared Jesus to be the Son of God, at least in these passages, and how they reached that decision by their reading of the Old Testament Scriptures they loved. These two passages are chosen because they seem to be among the richest and most evocative of biblical passages to treat this title.

"Son of God" in the Bible

Hebrews 1

It will prove helpful to develop the argument by asking and answering the following questions.

1. Why Is the Son Greater Than the Angels?

That is the claim made by Hebrews 1:4: the Son became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. The justification of this claim is developed in the following verses. The first step is taken in Hebrews 1:5: For to which of the angels did God ever say, You are my Son; today I have become your Father? Or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son?

The superiority that is claimed does not turn on the mere word Son, as if the text were saying, Jesus is called the Son, but angels are not so described in Scripture, so that proves Jesus is superior. Anyone as well-versed in Scripture as the writer to the Hebrews cannot possibly be ignorant of the fact that sometimes Scripture does refer to angels as sons of God, as we saw in chapter 1. The comparison must turn on more than the mere word Son. This observation drives us to try to determine why the author thinks the two Old Testament texts he quotes, Psalms 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14, prove the superiority of the Son over angels when angels are not mentioned in either text.

The problem becomes more acute when we recall that the first of the two quotations, Psalms 2:7, is cited three times in the New Testament, and on each occurrence is taken to prove something different. Here it is taken to prove that Jesus is superior to angels. In Hebrews 5:5 the author appeals to the same verse to prove that Jesus did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. After all, when Aaron became high priest under the terms of the old covenant, he did not take this honor on himself, but rather was appointed by God (Hebrews 5:4), so when under the terms of the new covenant Jesus becomes high priest, he similarly has to be appointed by God. This appointment, the writer to the Hebrews insists, is demonstrated by the quotation from Psalms 2:7: You are my Son; today I have become your Father. The third and final occurrence of this quotation is found in Acts 13, in Pauls evangelistic address in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. Paul introduces the quotation with the words, What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.23 As it is written in the second Psalm: You are my son; today I have become your father (Acts 13:32-33).

In short, New Testament texts quote Psalms 2:7 to prove Jesus is superior to angels, to prove Jesus did not take on himself the glory of becoming high priest but was appointed by God, and to demonstrate that God has fulfilled his promises to the Israelite ancestors by raising Jesus from the deadeven though, on the face of it, Psalms 2 does not mention angels, has no interest in the high priests office, and makes no mention of the resurrection of the Messiah.

Thus we are driven to the second question.

2. How Are Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14 relevant?

We begin by reminding ourselves of what we have already observed in 2 Samuel 7:14. There, we saw, God promises to build a house, for David, that is, a household, a dynasty. Whenever a new scion of Davids line comes to the throne, at that point he becomes Gods sonthat is, God has generated him by bringing him to this role, and the king himself pledges to reign as God reigns, and to reign under God, with justice, integrity, and covenantal faithfulness. But suppose one of Davids descendants becomes notoriously evil? Will not God then destroy Davids line, as he destroyed King Saul, the first monarch of the united monarchy? No, he will not. To accomplish his promise to give David a perpetual dynasty, God promises not to punish David or any of his descendants with more than temporal punishments. The promise of an eternal dynastic line is unqualified: Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16).

That is the background to Psalms 2. It is possible to read this psalm, in the first instance, against the historical background of the Davidic kings in the first half of the first millennium BC. The surrounding small nations, over which the throne of David ruled during the reigns of David and Solomon, might well conspire against the Davidic overlord. The kings of the earth, as they are called (Psalms 2:2), might be understood to be kings of the land: the Hebrew could be rendered that way. But any rebellion against, say, King David, is no less a rebellion against the Lord who stands behind Davidand who could ever stand against him? The One enthroned in the heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them (Psalms 2:4). Note that the Lord is enthroned: his is the ultimate throne behind the Davidic throne, and he is the King behind the king. It is he who has appointed David; it is he who has anointed David. The rebellion is against the Lord and against his anointed (Psalms 2:2)that is, against YHWH and his Messiah,24 the Davidic king. The Lord is, we might say, the father-king, while David is the son-king. In his wrath the Lord thunders, I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain (Psalms 2:6).

At this point, the Davidic king speaks: I will proclaim the Lords decree: He said to me, You are my son; today I have become your father (Psalms 2:7), thus utilizing exactly the same son imagery that is found in 2 Samuel 7:14. God continues to address his son, his appointed Davidic king: Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession (Psalms 2:8). Once again, the Hebrew might just about allow us to understand tribes instead of nations, and land instead of earth. Similarly in Psalms 2:10-11: Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth [land?]. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Nevertheless, the extravagance of the promise, combined with little hints like ends of the earth (ends of the land does not quite cut it), points to a Davidic monarch who outstrips both David and Solomon, not to mention all their heirs and descendants down to the exile. The tightness of the relationship between the Lord and his son-king is wonderfully explicit when Psalms 1:11 and Psalms 2:12 are read together: Serve the Lord with fear. . . . Kiss his son25, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Conversely: Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Psalms 2:12).

In short, both 2 Samuel 7:14 and Psalm 2:7 depict the Davidic monarch as Gods son, ideally imitating his heavenly fathers kingly rule. Both passages hint at a Davidic reign that eclipses anything in the first millennium BC. Both are elements in a trajectory of anticipatory passages that run through the Old Testamentpassages, as we saw in chapter 1, like Isaiah 9, which looks forward to a son/king in Davids line whose government is eternal and who is described as the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father,26 and like Ezekiel 34, where YHWH comes to shepherd his sheep, apparently in the person of the Davidic king whom he sends. Old Testament writers say so many more things of this anticipated Davidic king. He establishes worldwide rule (Psalms 18:43-45; Psalms 45:17; Psalms 72:8-11; Psalms 89:25; Psalms 110:5-6) that is marked by morality and righteousness (Psalms 72:7) and utter faithfulness to the Lord (Psalms 72:5). He is preeminent among men (Psalms 45:2, Psalms 45:7), the friend of the poor and the enemy of the oppressor (Psalms 72:2-4, Psalms 72:12-14). He is the heir of the covenant with David (Psalms 89:28-37; Psalms 132:11-12) and of Melchizedeks priesthood (Psalms 110:4). He belongs to the Lord (Psalms 89:18) and is utterly faithful to him (Psalms 21:1, Psalms 21:7; Psalms 63:1-8, Psalms 63:11). He is, as we have seen, YHWHs son (Psalms 2:7; Psalms 89:27), seated at his right hand (Psalms 110:1).

This trajectoryor, to use the more traditional terminology, this Davidic typologyis inherently forward-looking. It anticipates that toward which it points. When Hebrews 1:5 quotes Psalm 2:7 with reference to Jesus, it is the Davidic typology that warrants it; that is, the writer to the Hebrews is reading Psalms 2:7 not as an individual proof text but as one passage within the matrix of the Davidic typology it helps to establish. That he is thinking in terms of this trajectory, this typology, is clear from the fact that he immediately links Psalms 2:7 with 2 Samuel 7:14, not to mention Psalms 45:6-7 (quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9) and Psalms 110 (quoted in Hebrews 1:13). In other words, Jesus is superior to the angels in his role as long-anticipated Davidic king, long-anticipated Messiah, long-anticipated Son of God. As the son/king, Jesus brings in the kingdom; angels could not do that.

3. But When Does the Kingdom Dawn?

In one sense, of course, Gods kingdom, or, better, his reign, is universal and inescapable: his kingdom rules over all (Psalms 103:19). With that sense of kingdom in view, which is coextensive with his sovereignty, we are all in itChristian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist alike. Yet in the Old Testament, God reigns in a peculiar and redemptive way over the Israelites, and thus, via his appointed Davidide, over the Davidic kingdom. As anticipation mounted for the coming of the ultimate Davidic king, it was recognized that that kingdom, when it dawned, would be redemptive and transformative. Now that Christ has risen from the dead and is seated at the Fathers right hand, both these senses of kingdom, the universal and the redemptive, persist. On the one hand, all authority is given to Christ in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). All of Gods sovereignty is now mediated through Christ (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). In that sense, Christs kingdom is inescapable. On the other hand, Christs kingdom is regularly conceived of as that subset of his total reign under which there is transformed, eternal life. We cannot see or enter this kingdom apart from the new birth (John 3:3, John 3:5). This kingdom is already in operation, permeating this lost world the way yeast permeates a lump of dough (Matthew 13:33). It is the supreme treasure to be pursued (Matthew 13:44-46). And at its consummation, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

So assuming the redemptive and transformative sense of kingdom, this saving sense, when does the kingdom dawn?

One might say that it dawned with the birth of the King. Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? the Magi asked. We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him (Matthew 2:2). Jesus was not born merely to inherit the kingdom; it was his by right, his by birth.

In another sense, we might argue that Jesuss kingdom dawns with the onset of his public ministry. His baptism at the hands of John the Baptist declares him to be the Son whom God loves (primarily denoting the Davidic king) and the Suffering Servant. Immediately after his temptation, he begins to preach in Galilee, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 9 to the effect that a light has dawned in Galilee of the Gentiles (Matthew 4:15-16)and it is in this context that Jesus preaches, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near (Matthew 4:17).

Some might prefer to think the onset of the kingdom takes place in connection with the training of the seventy (or seventy-two) when Jesuss disciples return with rejoicing that even the demons submit to them in Jesuss name. Jesus responds by saying that in their ministry he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:17-18).

Others may recall how Matthew plays with the theme of Jesus reigning from the cross (Matthew 27:27-51). It is not only a matter of the titulus, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37), but the mockery of soldiers (Hail, king of the Jews! Matthew 27:29) and of the religious authorities (Hes the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him, Matthew 27:42), not to mention the sovereign way in which he gives up his spirit (27:50)an authoritative, kingly act. Granted the frequency of the king references in Matthew 27, it is hard to deny that, whatever the centurion and those with him meant when thoroughly terrified, they exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God! (Matthew 27:54), for Matthew and his readers this sonship signaled, at very least, messianic kingly status in Davids line.

But doubtless, the event most connected with the dawning of the kingdom is Jesuss resurrection. It is in the wake of the resurrection that Jesus insists that all authority has been given to him (Matthew 28:18). The two disciples on the Emmaus road had hoped that Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel (Luke 24:21), that is, they hoped he was the long-awaited Davidic king. In this expectation, however, they had no category for a crucified Davidic king, a crucified Messiah. Jesus rebukes their folly and asks, Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? (Luke 24:26). This, he insists with a larger group of disciples, is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day (Luke 24:46). In other words, the Messiah, the Davidic king, has come into his own, and thus, implicitly, his kingdom has dawned. We have already observed that in Johns Gospel the message to which the disciples bear witness, the message that is to be believed if eternal life is to be gained, is that the Messiah, the Son of God, is Jesus (John 20:30-31), and this message is trumpeted in the wake of Jesuss resurrection appearances. We have also observed how Paul links the resurrection of Jesus to the onset of Jesuss mediatorial reign (1 Corinthians 1).

The kingdom of God in its uncontested form, of course, does not come until the end of the age. Until then we pray as the Lord taught us: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is why inheriting the kingdom can on occasion be envisaged as an entirely future event (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). This consummation, however, when Jesus hands over the kingdom to God the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24), is irrefragably bound up with the general resurrection, of which Jesuss resurrection is the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20), thus showing once again how central the resurrection of Jesus is for the dawning of the kingdom, for the coming of the king. Moreover, just as the kingdom of God sometimes refers to the entire sweep of Gods reign, and sometimes to that subset of his reign under which there is salvation for his own people, so also Jesuss reign can embrace all of Gods sovereignty, all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), and sometimes can refer to that subset of his reign under which there is life (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

These reflections shed some light on why, in Acts 13:33-34, Paul connects Psalms 2 with Jesuss resurrection. In Pauls mind, the divine decree that declares, You are my son; today I have become your father (Psalms 2:7), thus appointing as king the ultimate David in the Davidic trajectory, takes place most dramatically and irrefutably in Jesuss resurrection. From now on he reigns with all authority, in anticipation of the glorious consummation.

Did Jesus Believe He was the Son of God?

Its evident that Jesus had a Messianic self-understanding, but that means more than the fact that he was anointed. Any prophet or priest could claim that. No, Jesus anointing is more than thatthere is a divine sense. He is Gods Son.

Thats the importance of the parable of the wicked vineyard tenants. In this story told by Jesus, the vineyard owner leases his place to tenant farmers, but when the landowner sends servant after servant to collect his share, the tenants beat them. Finally, the owner sends his beloved son, and they kill him.

When the parable is interpreted in its context, we see that the vineyard owner is God, the tenants represent ancient Israel, and the servants symbolize the prophets. The point is clear: God sent his Son. Otherwise, Jesus would just be one more messenger, one more prophet. NoGod sent his Son, and that Son is Jesus.

Endnotes:

23. The context shows that what Paul means by this raising up Jesus is raising up Jesus from the dead.

24. It is widely recognized that anointed (usually transliterated messiah from the Hebrew and christ from the Greek) is commonly applied in the Old Testament to kings and priests, since literal anointing accompanied the appointment to the office in both cases. More rarely a prophet was anointed and so might be designated messiah. In other words, there is nothing intrinsically forward-looking about the term itselfor, to put it more provocatively, there is nothing in messiah that is intrinsically messianic. Nevertheless, that assessment changes as soon as one discerns the trajectories, the typologies, of kingship and priesthood that do race forward to an anticipated climax. Read canonically, messiah becomes messianic, in exactly the same way that 2 Samuel 7:14 and Psalms 2:7, read canonically, anticipate the ultimate Davidic king.

25. The nest of translation challenges in this verse, not least surrounding the rendering son, does not really affect the central point. The Semitic word used is the Aramaic bar rather than the Hebrew ben (both words mean son), but the absence of the article prompts some to think the word should really be read as Hebrew bor (the vowels were not part of the original), taken adverbially (kiss sincerely or kiss purely). Other suggestions have been offered. These suggestions make little difference for our purposes, since the word son has already been used unambiguously in the decree (Psalms 2:7), thus linking this passage to 2 Samuel 7:14, and connecting the appointment of the human king, under the heavenly king, with the engendering of the son.

26. Perichoresis eight centuries before Christ?

Excerpt from Christianity.com: Did Jesus Believe He was Gods Son?

Taken from Jesus the Son of God: A Christological Title Often Overlooked, Sometimes Misunderstood, and Currently Disputed by D. A. Carson. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org.

Although it is a foundational confession for all Christians, much of the theological significance of Jesuss identity as the Son of God is often overlooked or misunderstood. Moreover, this Christological concept stands at the center of todays Bible translation debates and increased ministry efforts to Muslims.
Mitch McConnell selected to lead the Senate Republicans, 40-percent of households pay nothing to the IRS, 75-percent of workers need a second job to offset inflation, food prices hit a record high.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is AMR Modern-day FRANKENSTEINS MONSTER?

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) continues to pose a significant public health problem in terms of mortality and economic loss. The rising AMR is a matter of huge concern that needs to be tactfully handled and health authorities of several countries, including India, have formulated action plans for its containment. Significant efforts by the government, an active involvement of startups and diagnostic players is a good start. The question remains, whether this will be enough.

For Feedback, please email us at: communications@mmactiv.com
The Fire Signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are known as the fire signs. These signs are said to be the most compatible ones with each other, as they possess the same fiery spirit!

Aries  The Fire Sign Aries is a fire sign which starts and initiates things and changes. Hence, people of this sign always possess unbridled energy and enthusiasm. They often do not think about things well before they act, as they are in constant hurry to act and this makes them reckless.

Leo  The Fire Sign This sign is dramatically different from Aries in many ways. Their larger-than-life aspect of living life and their self-confidence and determination help them gain success. On the other hand, they are more interested in "maintaining" their status than starting something new.

Sagittarius  The Fire Sign This zodiac sign is again different from the other two fire signs, which means people belonging to this sign are adaptable and flexible. They are not too concerned about starting things or concerned about maintaining them. They possess the optimism and passion as well. zodiac-signs Zodiac Signs That Make The Best Moms, Ranked From Best To Average

The Earth Signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are the earth signs. These three signs are the most compatible ones with each other, as they know what makes them tick! They know what is real, physical, and experiential. Apart from this, they are all stable, gentle, tolerant people who have very different needs in their relationships.

Taurus  The Earth Sign Taurus sign is noted for its stubbornness and jealousy. People of this zodiac maintain their status quotient at any given cost. They will get immensely kind with people that they are deeply loyal to.

Virgo  The Earth Sign This is a mutable earth sign, which makes the people belonging to this sign not stubborn at all, but on the other hand, they are quite flexible minded and adaptable personalities. They are sexy and romantic, but they also have a tendency to nag.

Capricorn  The Earth Sign This sign is a cardinal earth sign, which means that the people of this sign emphasize on action and on getting things started. People of this sign are also the most determined and ambitious ones. People of this zodiac are most wise and mature. They are neither jealous or possessive.

The Air Signs The air signs are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. The people of these signs are creative and intelligent, whose love compatibility with others on an intellectual level is rather high. These people do not seek for a sensual or sexual relationship, since love is what matters to them the most.

Gemini  The Air Sign This is a 'mutable air sign', which means that the person is very flexible, and he is always able to see both sides of the story. They expresses their mental nature through communications. They need to talk, and need to know that you are listening to their words.

Libra  The Air Sign This sign is a cardinal air sign, which means that despite being gentle and diplomatic, people of this sign will prefer to take the initiative in any given situation. They express their intellectual energy through looking outwards and by engaging with friends. On the other hand, they can be quite vulnerable and needy as well.

Aquarius  The Air Sign This air sign deals with everything that is intellectual, logical and rational. People of this sign are geniuses and have a reputation for being the most detached zodiac signs. On the other hand, they are quite neutral to when it comes to handling their emotions!

The Water Signs The water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Though these zodiac signs share these water sign traits, they are on different astrological modes. This helps them to differentiate themselves from each other.

Cancer  The Water Sign This is a cardinal water sign. People of this sign are initiators and leaders who are impulsive and dynamic in nature. They express themselves emotionally, using the heart. This zodiac is also known as the mother figure of all the zodiac signs, as it is always the first zodiac to help others.

Scorpio  The Water Sign They are deeply emotional and sensitive, and their energy is always expressed in a fixed mode. They are the most stubborn water signs, as their emotional energy is deep, secretive and still. Apart from this, they will move heaven and hell to maintain their fixed purpose to get on their own way.
Bizarre Practices In The World That Can Leave You Shocked! Pulse oi-Syeda Farah

There are different cultures around the world and some of the cultures are considered to be so bizarre that these can make the reader feel weird once you get of know of the practices they follow, wherein these would be a regular practice for the locals.

From peeing in public places to having no rules for the rapists, there are many such bizarre things that you would come across.

Here, in this article, we are about to share the list of the most bizarre things that people around the world have been following.

Check them out, as these indeed will make us realise that this world is a very strange place!

Cow Urine Is Holy! There are many people in India who consider cow's urine to be special and holy, especially in the Hindu religion. They claim that it contains special hormones and minerals that are beneficial. There are a few people out there who even consume it! Travel At Your Own Risk! In Philippines, travelling in a bus becomes a challenge, as the buses are crowded like bee hives. It is a common sight to see the aisle filled with plastic chairs by the passengers who have no seat to sit! It is just not that! Even when all the seats are filled, people are sent to ride on the roof of the bus! life Gruesome Practice Of Aborting Foetus In The Past Peeing And Shitting Is Common! Being an Indian, seeing this sight is a common thing, but do you know that residents of China also have a similar practice? You can often see the sight of women carrying their kids down the street and making them pee or take a dump at the pavements. Costa Rica Has No Address! Hell, yeah! Costa Rica has no address and people here know about the landmarks and travel using them. Can you believe there are no home or office addresses in the entire place? We wonder how people get back after getting drunk! However, people are known to not use addresses here whatsoever. When There Are Half-built Houses All Over One strange sight of Belize is that you would be surprised to see many houses that are just half-built. It is said that the houses are kept unfinished. This is done here to avoid paying property tax according to the Government rule where the policy says that if they do not complete their houses, they do not have to pay property taxes! Men Holding Hands Is All Normal In The Middle East! In a place like the Middle East, can you imagine seeing men walking around public places and holding hands together? Well, this is just a perfectly normal thing, especially for the straight men. It is considered as a sign of close friendship than the romantic relationship. Plagiarism Is All Cool Here! Can you believe this! Philippines is a place where the students are allowed to even pay people to write their senior thesis papers for them! This is a regular business for the locals. It is said that this place has at least one person who plagiarizes his/her part of the education! Wish to know more such bizarre things that people around the world do/follow? Then do let us know in the comment section below. life Superstitions That People Follow Around The World

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 16:32 [IST]
RACINE  The driver of a pickup truck died Monday night after his vehicle became submerged in a pond in front of the High Ridge Centre shopping center, Racine police said.

Racine police and fire units were dispatched to the pond that fronts Chase Bank, Home Depot and Toys R Us at 7:48 p.m. Monday.

According to Racine police Sgt. Adam Malacara, witnesses said the truck lost control in the parking lot near the bank, located at the southeast corner of South Green Bay Road (Highway 31) and 21st Street. Witnesses told The Journal Times that the truck hit a light pole just prior to heading down the embankment into the pond. There were also several unconfirmed reports that the driver was operating erratically just prior to the incident.

According to Battalion Chief Willie Hargrove of the Racine Fire Department, an off-duty firefighter was on scene just after the truck went into the water and tried unsuccessfully to get to the driver.

Fire Department divers were in the water by 8:02 p.m. and the driver was extricated from the vehicle by 8:09 p.m., Hargrove said.

The driver was rushed to Ascension All Saints Hospital. Police did not release his identity Monday.

Malacara said the driver was the lone occupant of the vehicle, although police did respond to an address in Sturtevant to confirm that a another man who was reported to possibly be in the truck was OK. The man was located, police reported.

The Fire Department dispatched a boat to the scene and and Flight for Life was requested to respond but did not land at the scene.

Portions of Highway 31 (South Green Bay Road) near the crash scene were closed for a time as emergency crews worked the scene.

Witness reports

The truck initially was reported to be partially submerged after the crash but police provided an update and reported that the truck had fully submerged before fire crews arrived on scene.

Amanda Gain was one of the first people to happen upon the scene.

It was a matter of maybe 5 minutes, it was fully submerged underwater. It went down really fast, Gain said. You could see one person in the drivers seat moving as it went under the water. That is when EMTs and divers and police and everyone started finally coming. It didnt take long; it was a matter of minutes for that whole vehicle to go under.

Anthony Earl, an employee at Home Depot, was outside collecting carts when he heard a vehicle skidding and then saw it go into the water.

I couldnt believe it, Earl said.

Most fire units had cleared the scene by 9:30 p.m. although police remained on scene investigating.

Malacara said the investigation is ongoing but said police are interested in hearing from anyone who might have additional information about the incident. They can call the Police Departments Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/12/2017 (1801 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An Anglican priest who used the church credit card to make more than $190,000 in unauthorized, private purchases pleaded guilty to theft in Brandon Court of Queens Bench on Monday.

Noah James Bernard Njegovan was charged with theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 for stealing from the Anglican Church of Canada, The Diocese of Brandon between Jan. 26, 2010 and Aug. 27, 2012  where he was an executive archdeacon at the time.

The fraud charges have since been stayed by the Crown.

Njegovan used the church credit card 1,003 times during the 31-month period, racking up a total amount of $192,000 in bills, Crown attorney Marnie Evans told the court.

Civil court documents filed in 2014 alleged Njegovan used the church credit cards for things such as cash advances, meals, bar and hotel tabs and three trips to Las Vegas.

The charges initially went undetected because frequent payments were made from a diocese savings account using internet banking  a procedure not normally used and not authorized, Evans said.

(Njegovan) hid the credit card spending from scrutiny by the executive committee, he did not show his expenditures in his office budget and spent far beyond his budget without telling the executive committee, Evans said.

He hid the credit card statements and failed to provide receipts to show that spending was for business purposes  He also lied to church auditors in 2010 about the purpose of bank withdrawals hed made to pay off the credit card, claiming they were for something else.

Njegovan has since paid The Diocese of Brandon back in full, Evans said.

Were very pleased that this is coming to a close, Rt. Revd. William Cliff said outside the court room. Were hopeful that kind of redemption can spill over for everybody and that we can move on  both the diocese and the Njegovan family  and enjoy new relationships with everybody.

The Diocese of Brandon also issued a statement yesterday, stating that effective Dec. 8 Njegovan had relinquished the exercise of ordained ministry pursuant to the Canon XIX of the Anglican Church of Canada. The statement means he will no longer function or be listed as a priest.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled in January.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
News items and photographs about education are welcome for publication in A+. Typed contributions no more than 250 words must be submitted within 60 days after the event occurs.

Direct submissions to Sharon Knox, newsroom assistant, The Journal Times, 212 Fourth St., Racine, WI 53403; emailed to sknox@journaltimes.com. Email photos in JPG format, 200 DPI, 10 inches wide or deep to: journaltimes@gmail.com. Include to the attention of A+ in the subject line.

Further information about the A+ section is available by calling Knox at 262-631-1767. Because of space constraints, we reserve the right to edit for length or clarity.
A "martial arts expert" who punched his pregnant wife unconscious and fractured her jaw, has been jailed for three years.

Muhammed Tajik (aged 28) pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Susan Wombsley at a flat on Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin on December 8, 2015.

Today Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said Ms Wombsley was an innocent victim in the fullest sense and had fallen into the hands of a man of a very violent disposition.

He described the case as a particularly serious example of domestic violence, perpetrated by the victims husband, someone from whom she was entitled to expect a high degree of respect.

The court heard that on the day of the assault, Ms Wombsley, who met her estranged husband online, had started a new job, and this led to a dispute between the couple.

At a previous hearing Garda John Freeney told Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, that the defendant grabbed Ms Wombsleys neck from behind, punching her in the head and face until she passed out.

The court heard when the victim regained consciousness, Tajik, an Afghani national, told her they had had an argument and she needed to go to hospital.

Muhammed Tajik. Pic: Courtpix

He drove her to A&E where she was treated for a fractured jaw, an injured eye socket, a wound over her left eye and a swollen neck.

Mr Gillane read out a text sent by the defendant to Ms Wombsley on the night of the assault in which he expressed his remorse.

Go baby, go far from me where you're safe, Tajik wrote. He sent lilies to his wife in hospital with a handwritten note the day after the assault, the court heard.

Patrick Gageby SC, defending, said Tajik is in a new relationship and is expecting a baby with his current partner.

He said the defendant, who is of no fixed address, has no previous convictions and should be given credit for pleading guilty, for his apologies and his remorse.

Mr Gageby said Tajik applied for asylum in Ireland in September 2015, and has been unable to work since then.

In a victim impact statement Ms Wombsley, a mother of two, told the court she only feels safe when alone and finds it impossible to trust others.

He was so calm when he was punching me, I truly believed I would die that night.

As he is a martial arts expert he knew what techniques to use to do the most damage to me. I received the injuries because I wanted to leave, I had enough, she said.

Ms Wombsley said the pain she experienced was worse than childbirth, and rendered her unable to wash her teeth or lie on a pillow for weeks afterwards.

She said she has felt suicidal since the assault and has suffered flashbacks, high levels of anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder.

I find it hard to leave my house, I have to check all entry points. I rarely feel safe at home and have an alarm on my bedroom door, she said.

She told the court that her nine-year-old daughter is petrified, and needs to know where her mother is every hour of the day.

Ms Wombsley said that as a result of the assault she cannot return to her job, as she suffers regular panic attacks and cannot concentrate.

Sentencing Tajik, Mr Justice McCarthy referred to the the extent of brutality used in the course of the assault.

He said the fact the couple had argued about the victims new job and a burnt pizza demonstrated the offence was in no sense explicable in terms of provocation.

He said he would not be taking into account the fact that the defendant is expecting a child with his new partner, as he must meet responsibility for what occurred even if this amounts to disrupting others in his life.

Mr Justice McCarthy referred to testimonials provided to the court by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, and said he was satisfied that Tajik had shown a degree of contrition.

However he noted that Tajik did not admit his guilt until his third interview with gardai.

He sentenced him to three years in jail and said that the crime merited a heavy custodial sentence.

Speaking outside court Ms Wombsley (aged 38) said she was very surprised at the length of the sentence imposed on Tajik as it was a lot more than she was expecting.

She said she found the trial extremely difficult.

Everywhere I go theres a memory of what happened, a smell that brings it all back to me, she said.

Ms Wombsley urged other victims of domestic physical and psychological abuse to seek help.

When someone is controlling and manipulating you they cut you off from everybody. Its so difficult to get away but you dont have to put up with it.

It never gets better, they promise theyll be good but two weeks later its 10 times worse. The pattern will continue until it comes to the point that you think theyre going to kill you, she said.

Ms Wombsley said it was validating to hear Mr Justice McCarthy describe the assault as unprovoked.

My ex posted vile things online about me after he attacked me. He said I deserved it and that I had ruined his life, she said.
Australia can lead the world in wind power, but a lack of direction in policy has hampered its growth, according to the Australian Wind Alliance.

A new report by the University of Technology, Sydneys Institute for Sustainable Futures said Australias potential onshore wind resources could power the nation 12 times over, but only accounts for six per centof current energy generation.

Australia's use of wind power is underutilised, a new report says.

The extent of wind resources is massive, Australian Wind Alliance national co-ordinator Andrew Bray told Fairfax Media.

Australia is leading the world in terms of wind power efficiency, with the total turbines capacity factor  or its ability to run at full power at 33 per cent for the year, compared to the global average of 23 per cent.
The attack was a worst nightmare come true for two Canberra sex workers; a "gross violation" of their workplace, their bodies and their safety, prosecutors said.

Threatened at knifepoint, dragged into a bedroom, robbed and repeatedly raped in a horrifying ordeal when one man booked an appointment before he showed up at the Reid unit with two others in search of "free sex and money" one night in March 2016.

Rashid Mohamed Abuuh, 24, was found guilty in the ACT Supreme Court of threatening and raping a sex worker in a violent attack in a Reid apartment in March 2016.

Among the three attackers was Rashid Mohamed Abuuh, 24, who an ACT Supreme Court jury in September found guilty of sexual assault, rape, attempted rape and aggravated robbery in the company of two brothers.

Ahmed Al Abbasi, 32, also named as Khaled, and his younger brother Mohammad Alabbasi, 22, were each jailed for more than five years for two separate attacks on three sex workers at apartments in Reid and Braddon.
MOUNT PLEASANT  A public informational open house regarding the Interstate 94 project, including frontage roads in Racine and Kenosha counties, is set for 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Mount Pleasant Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive.

Although not part of that project, preliminary information also will be available about the roadway improvements surrounding the Foxconn development.

The purpose of the meeting, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, is to gather public input and provide a project update. The DOT is preparing plans to complete reconstruction of I-94 from Highway 142 to Highway G. The work, along with reconstruction of the east and west frontage roads from Highway KR to Highway 20, will start in 2018.

The DOT also is working with the Village of Mount Pleasant and Racine County on the reconstruction of several state, village and county roadways around the future Foxconn development in Mount Pleasant. DOT representatives will be present during the open house meeting to answer questions about upcoming work on the frontage roads and Foxconn-related roadways.
The question of who killed Toowoomba teenager Annette Jane Mason almost 30 years ago is hoped to be answered in a fresh inquest launched by the Queensland coroner.

Annette was found dead in the front bedroom of her Anzac Avenue home at 2pm on November 19, 1989.

Linda Mason leaves the Brisbane Magistrates Court after the reopening of the inquest into the murder of her sister, 15-year-old Annette Jane Mason. Credit:AAP/Glenn Hunt

The Brisbane Coroners Court heard the 15-year-old died from "brutal" head injuries, believed to have been inflicted early in the morning while she was in or near her house.

She was last seen at 3.30am catching a taxi after a night out with friends.
Australia's next generation of spy agency recruits is asked to spot patterns, notice small details and listen carefully in a virtual reality test finding the right people for the nation's foreign intelligence service.

The Australian Secret Intelligence Service, which sends agents overseas, is looking for new spies to join its ranks with a series of unconventional questions in a test called 'The Most Interesting Job Interview' that will stump those not paying attention.

The new online recruitment test for the next generation of spies for ASIS.

In a virtual interview lasting about five minutes, prospective recruits have to figure out the missing number from a series of buttons in a lift, remember information given in background noise and extract details while listening to multiple people speak.
This just in:

Our reporter Joe Hinchliffe has just spoken to the driver of that scrap metal truck.

The man said one of his tyres blew before he lost control of his semi-trailer.

He said he had been lying on his side for 20 minutes when the driver of the Ford Sedan reportedly drove straight under his truck about 4am this morning.

We'll bring you more soon.
Greens councillor Jonathan Sri could have his powers to participate in citizenship ceremonies stripped after suggesting a meeting was held on "stolen land" and criticising the Australian government.

Assistant Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke has written to Cr Sri following comments the Brisbane councillor made during the Diwali Festival in October.

Brisbane Gabba Ward councillor Jonathan Sri has been asked to explain why he should not have his powers to participate in citizenship ceremonies stripped.

In the letter, Mr Hawke said the code for citizenship ceremonies stated they could not be used as a forum for political, partisan or religious expression, and he argued Cr Sri had made comments that constituted "political expression", with some attendees offended.

He said the department was contacted by a "concerned attendee" who said Cr Sri's comments included identifying himself as a member of the Greens, rather than as a councillor for the Gabba Ward, and suggesting those present were meeting on "stolen land" and discussing genocide.
There is perhaps no greater illustration of the high stakes involved in Australia's big money federal political system than the careers of soon to be ex-Senator Sam Dastyari and his former Labor Party colleague Eric Roozendaal.

Each climbed to the top of the pile to become general secretary of the NSW Labor Party  one of the most powerful political jobs in the country.

Past NSW ALP general secretaries Eric Roozendaal and Sam Dastyari chat in 2013. Credit:James Brickwood

Yet while a humiliated Senator Dastyari fell on his sword on Tuesday over his associations with Chinese-Australian businessman Huang Xiangmo, Mr Roozendaal rejoices in the title of CEO of Yuhu Group, Mr Huang's Sydney-based property development company.

When Fairfax Media first reported in 2014 that Mr Roozendaal  a former NSW Treasurer  had joined Yuhu, the hire was explained by the company as a way to navigate Australian politics.
Moscow: An adviser to President Vladimir Putin said cryptocurrencies may help Russian banks avoid international sanctions, the Rambler News Service reported on Tuesday.

Sanctions against Russia have created an "objective need" for the digital currencies, Sergei Glazyev told a meeting of the presidential administration on the legal status of such instruments, according to Rambler. Glazyev also argued that the government could use cryptocurrencies to make and receive payments around the world for "sensitive" services, it said.

Russian officials have grown increasingly nervous about a possible expansion of US sanctions early next year in retaliation for alleged Kremlin meddling in the 2016 presidential election, which Russia has denied. Virtual currencies such as bitcoin, which has soared in price this year amid a rush by investors to buy the instrument, could help bypass any such US measures because they allow users to remain anonymous.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree last month allowing the government to classify purchases by the Defence Ministry, Federal Security Service and Foreign Intelligence Service as state secrets.
A former hire car driver who allegedly set off a pipe bomb in one of New York City's busiest transport corridors allegedly posted on his Facebook minutes before the attack: "Trump you failed to protect your nation".

Akayed Ullah, 27, was charged on Tuesday, local time, about 24 hours after the explosion that caused a peak hour frenzy in Midtown Manhattan.

He is accused of putting together a low-tech explosive device in his Brooklyn apartment using household items, Christmas tree lights, screws and a piece of pipe that he found at a job site in Midtown where he had worked as an electrician recently.

Ullah was charged by New York officials with making a terroristic threat, supporting an act of terrorism and criminal possession of a weapon. Federal charges were laid soon after including providing material support to a terrorist organisation, using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a public place.
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Cops busted a Brooklyn man suspected of nearly blowing himself up in a botched subway bombing on Monday that injured three straphangers and shocked residents who never considered their neighbor could be an alleged terrorist.

A Flatlands local described 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant Akayed Ullah, who once resided in the neighborhood at E. 48th Street between avenues M and N, as a shy and quiet man whose inconspicuousness may have been a warning sign of his behavior to come.

Its the quiet ones youve got to watch out for, said Alan Butrico, who owns the house next door to the one Ullah lived at as well as a hardware store at E. 48th Street and Avenue N.

Authorities apprehended Ullah after a low-tech improvised-explosive device strapped to his body ignited at 7:20 am inside an underground passage linking two busy Manhattan subway stations.

The suspect lived with his parents and brother at the Flatlands home, according to Butrico, who said he never saw police at the house next to his  until Monday, when dozens of investigators swarmed the block, which they cordoned off for hours after the explosion.

But Ullahs family members claimed he moved out of the Flatlands house some time ago in a statement released after his alleged attack, in which they both expressed remorse for the incident and blasted authorities investigation techniques.

We would like to note that it has [been] widely misreported that Akayed Ullah resides at an address on E. 48th Street, but this is incorrect, and he has not resided there for many years, read the statement released by the familys lawyer. We are heartbroken by this attack on our city, and by the allegations being made against a member of our family, but we are also outraged by the behavior of law-enforcement officials who have held children as young as 4-years-old out in the cold and who pulled a teenager out of high-school classes to interrogate him without a lawyer, without his parents.

Butrico said that his tenant who lives in the house next door to Ullahs former residence recently complained of loud arguments coming from inside the home, including a shouting match that occurred the night before the alleged terrorists assault.

But there was nothing outwardly remarkable about the Bangladeshi man, according to Butrico, who said his only interaction with Ullahs family was when they parked their car in front of his driveway.

They didnt care, he said. They felt like they owned the block.

Investigators also stormed a Kensington apartment building at 679 Ocean Pkwy. following Ullahs alleged assault, alarming locals who said they never thought they could have neighbors tied to terror.

Im scared, said David Scoffe, who lives a few blocks away. You dont know who your neighbors are.

Ullah caused more damage to himself in the bungled attack than he did to his intended targets, according to New York City Fire Department Commissioner Dan Nigro, who said police found the alleged terrorist with burns and lacerations to his abdomen and hands.

His victims, however, suffered minor injuries in the form of ringing ears and headaches, and all three checked themselves into

hospitals, Nigro said.

Both New York City Police Department Commissioner James ONeill and Gov. Cuomo described the detonation as intentional, but a New York Times report citing unnamed sources stated the device malfunctioned, and that the explosion failed to produce the shrapnel necessary to effect greater carnage.

Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixs on@cn gloca l.com or by calling (718) 260-4505.
MADISON  Saying he was concerned it could lead to more alcohol-fueled violence, Mayor Paul Soglin on Monday vetoed a liquor license for a Taco Bell Cantina on State Street and suggested the city should consider taking liquor licenses approvals to public referendum.

I see no public value in issuing a liquor license to Taco Bell and enormous costs for the residents of Madison and our city government, Soglin said in a strongly worded veto message Monday afternoon.

Perhaps, if the license was associated with a new hotel with its beneficial impact on sales at Monona Terrace or it was associated with adding to Madisons desire for fresh, healthy food, it would be another matter, he said.

In a surprise, Soglin suggested that perhaps we should take this matter of the issuance of liquor licenses to public referendum. He did not elaborate.

On Dec. 5, the City Council voted 16-1 with three absences to allow a Taco Bell Cantina, which is expected to open this month, to sell wine and beer at 534 State St. Ald. Paul Skidmore, 9th District, cast the lone no vote, based on the location and alcohol-fueled problems surrounding it.

Soglin, a staunch opponent to more establishments selling alcohol on State Street, was out of town for that meeting, but he expressed his objections to the council in a memo.

It takes 14 of 20 council votes to override a mayoral veto.

The Taco Bell Cantina  which has a different decor than regular Taco Bells, is located in urban business districts and serves alcohol  will serve burritos and tacos into the early morning hours, but beer and wine sales will stop at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

At the Dec. 5 meeting, a Taco Bell representative said he believes the company has done enough to address safety concerns by installing 17 security cameras and scanners for identification cards, as well as training employees. The State Street location would become the ninth Taco Bell Cantina in the United States.

In his memo Monday, Soglin said the city has spent more than $20 million to beautify and enhance State Street and Capitol Square, and that such an investment makes sense to attract retail shoppers during the day and on weekends but makes no sense for an area populated by taverns.

The mayor said public safety is the citys first priority, with a recently adopted record Police Department budget.

Despite a significant drop in homicides in the last four months, police are still significantly stretched to respond to violent incidents on Friday and Saturday nights, Soglin said.

The police, he said, have special units operating around the 500 block of State Street, the 400 block of Frances Street, and the 600 block of University Avenue. The situation is so dangerous that there were times when officers couldnt apprehend dangerous individuals because of alcohol-fueled crowds, he said.

The cost of patrols in the hours around bar time is exorbitant, he said. Adding more liquor outlets to this area, even if they close early, makes no sense.

The Taco Bell Cantina license, Soglin said, is just the beginning. Most U.S. fast food chains are working on rolling out liquor-based establishments in the next decade, with some doing so in stages with beer and wine followed by full liquor, he said.

In the meantime, the violence at Downtown locations associated with liquor is only growing  growing in terms of frequency, in terms of location, and in terms of severity, he said. Please, go down to the corner of Frances and University Avenue after 11:30 p.m. on a Friday night before you issue any more licenses that are not necessary  and this one is not necessary.
Irelands popularity among European job seekers has surged, with the country recording a 33.6% increase in its share of searches for jobs in Europe between 2015 and 2017. The new research, from jobs website Indeed.com shows that Ireland recorded the second largest increase of all countries, behind Luxembourg.

Indeeds data mirrors the UKs latest official migration statistics, which show that the number of EU citizens moving to Britain fell by 19% in the 12 months following the Brexit referendum. During the same period, the number of EU citizens leaving Britain rose by 29% to 123,000.



The analysis, which highlights where people would like to work and gives a flavour of trends to come, also reveals that Irelands booming jobs market  and the waning appeal of Britains  prompted a 16.5% fall in the proportion of Irish job seekers hoping to move to Britain.

Its a similar picture in Poland, a country which already has one million of its citizens living in the UK. Indeeds researchers found that between 2015 and 2017 the proportion of job seekers in Poland looking for work in Britain fell by 11.4%.



Commenting on the research, EMEA economist at Indeed, Mariano Mamertino said, "For much of the past decade, Britains dynamic labour market has made it a poster boy for ambitious Europeans keen to progress their careers. Last years Brexit vote hasnt stopped that attractiveness in its tracks, but it is clearly giving many European jobseekers pause for thought. So while the UK is still the most popular destination among Europeans looking to work abroad, its lead is shrinking fast."

He added, "Britains loss could be its rivals gain  and Ireland, Germany, and France are all attracting a greater share of the interest from upwardly mobile EU citizens. It will be interesting to see if recent political events, suggesting a softening of the UKs position on Brexit, will stem the decline thats being seen in the UKs attractiveness to European job seekers."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The LEO Dublin City Women in Business Network Awards were presented last night to Anita Donoghue of The Hair Cafe Salon, Smithfield and Rita Smyth of Role Players for Training. The awards, which celebrate exceptional women in business in the Dublin City area, took place at the LEO Dublin City Women in Business Christmas Networking Event, in The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin.



Award nominees were evaluated under two categories, the Rising Star Award and Best Start Up Award. The primary award, the Rising Star Award, was presented to Rita Smyth of Role Players for Training. The company provides professional corporate role players to support and facilitate learning and development in business and executive education. Rita has won an investment of 1,000 in her business, a 500 voucher towards services provided by LEO Dublin City and a professional video on the company commissioned by LEO Dublin City in order to further promote Role Players for Training.



Anita Donoghue of The Hair Cafe Salon in Smithfield won the Best Start Up Award. The Hair Cafe is a business that has been in operation since September 2016 and provides a boutique body and mind relaxation service, in addition to hair care. The Hair Cafe Salon won an investment of 500 and a 500 voucher towards services provided by LEO Dublin City.



Guest speaker at the LEO Dublin City Women in Business Networking event was social media expert Samantha Kelly, also known as The Tweeting Goddess, who shared valuable tips with the audience on how to enhance a companys online presence and how to boost social media platforms in order to grow a business.



The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) for Dublin City supports start-ups and growing businesses in the Dublin city area through financial support, training and providing enterprise assistance. One of these support initiatives is the Women in Business Network, which has been in existence for over 10 years and has a membership of over 100 women in business in the Dublin City region.



Commenting on the Awards, Deputy Head of Enterprise and Economic Development of LEO Dublin City, Mary McSweeney said, "I am delighted to present these Awards to two worthy businesswomen who are growing and developing their business in the Dublin City region. It is great to see that there has been an increase in women starting their own businesses in the last few years, supported through Local Enterprise Office Dublin City. The LEO Dublin City office is here to encourage and support women who are starting a business or are already up and running. We aim to provide access to a support network of services and advice, together with access to likeminded entrepreneurs and start-ups, to maximise their chance for success and growth in their industry."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Australian media outlets have launched scathing attacks against the Chinese government over perceived meddling in Australian politics. Above, Lunar New Year is celebrated in Sydney on Jan. 28. Photo: Visual China

The war of words between Beijing and Canberra appears to have escalated as the countries traded barbs over Australian media reports regarding Chinas alleged political interference in Australia.

The Peoples Daily, the official newspaper of Chinas Communist Party, in a commentary published Monday dismissed the allegations as hysterical paranoia with the hue of racism.

The reports in Australian media have been full of imagination, making baseless attacks on the Chinese government and have maliciously slandered Chinese students and people living in Australia, it said.

The commentary came after the Australian government last week proposed a wide-ranging crackdown on foreign interference in political activity, which Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said would not target any one country, but resulted from disturbing reports of Chinese influence.

Turnbull cited allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election as one justification for reform, according to BBC News.

Australian media outlets have launched scathing attacks against the Chinese government in recent months over perceived meddling in Australian politics and alleged attempts to stifle academic freedom.

One focus of meddling accusations has been prominent Senator Sam Dastyari, from the opposition Labor Party, who pledged Monday to resign from Parliament over the damaging revelations. Dastyari had already stepped down from several party leadership positions.

Last year, Dastyari resigned as manager of opposition business in the Senate and shadow spokesman for consumer affairs after media reported he had allowed a Chinese businessman to pay his travel and legal expenses, a classic case of foreign interference, according to Turnbull. In November, Dastyari gave up his post as Labors deputy whip after he was discovered to have made remarks favorable to China regarding territorial disputes in the South China Sea and had reportedly warned Chinese businessman Huang Xiangmo that government agencies allegedly were tapping his phone.

Turnbull addressed the meddling allegations in a speech last week to Parliament in which he invoked the phrase The Chinese people have stood up, rumored to have been spoken by then-Chinese leader Mao Zedong during the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949.

Mixing English with Chinese, Turnbull said: And we stand up and so we say, the Australian people stand up.

Mao apparently never uttered the phrase The Chinese people have stood up, but it was the title of a speech that he gave to the first assembly of Chinas top advisory body, the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, on Sept. 21, 1949, according to China.com, a government-owned website.

In response to Turnbulls remarks on Friday, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was shocked by the Australian leaders remarks, which it said showed a lack of principle and pandered to those irresponsible reports by some Australian media.

These groundless and unfounded remarks can sabotage China-Australia relations and are detrimental to the foundation of mutual trust and cooperation, it said.

A former Australian minister for foreign affairs weighed in on the controversy with his seven suggestions to tame fears over China, in which he called for less stridency.

In an article he wrote for The Australian newspaper on Tuesday, Bob Carr said now is the time to give the countrys Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade a bigger role and tell the Australian Security and Intelligence to block subversion and arrest spies, not dribble out messages to the media.

Contact reporter Li Rongde (rongdeli@caixin.com)
Published On Dec 12, 2017 06:33 PM By Dhruv Attri

As hard as it is to believe, the Hyundai Elantra lurches behind its competitors here

The executive sedan segment is a very hard nut to crack in a market like India. Buyers in this segment have increasingly started preferring SUVs or going for C-segment sedans instead, as they offer similar amount of space and equipment at a bargain. This scenario has also resulted in a significant reduction of choices in the segment. So how did the last three of this segment perform in the sales department? Let's find out.

Models Hyundai Elantra Toyota Corolla Altis Skoda Octavia October, 2017 184 325 253 November, 2017 144 340 263 Difference -40 15 10

Sales of the Hyundai Elantra were nowhere close to its stablemates in October. In fact, the numbers dropped further in November. This could possibly be due to cannibalization from the newly launched Verna which has several first-in-class features and also bears a lot of resemblance to the Elantra. As for the Toyota Corolla Altis, it comes out on top of the class with sales numbers further increasing by 15 units. The Skoda Octavia recently received the RS variant which we cant stop drooling over, but the latter couldnt make any significant contribution to its sales due to its expensive upkeep. Overall, the numbers have been satisfactory for the Czech car considering the Corollas sales. Related: Toyota Corolla Altis Vs Hyundai Elantra Vs Skoda Octavia  Specs Compared

Models Hyundai Elantra Toyota Corolla Altis Skoda Octavia November, 2016 264 140 145 November, 2017 144 340 263 Difference -120 200 118

Sales figures for both the Corolla and the Octavia increased generously, whereas the Elantra witnessed a massive drop over the previous year. The Corolla leaves the Octavia far behind in terms of sales with a massive difference of 82 units. The Corolla is the highest selling car in the whole wide world and it seems to continue on the same trajectory in India as well, all thanks to the reliability that the Japanese brand offers. The Octavia also continues to clock steadily increasing numbers. Related: Toyota Announces Exciting Year-End Offers

Read More on : Octavia on road price
An official employment notification has been released by the Central Bank of India, calling out for interested and eligible candidates to apply for the post of Central Bank of India.

Vacancy Availability

Name of the post

Chief Information Security Officer

Number of posts

1

Job location

Mumbai

Eligibility

Educational qualification

1. Engineering Graduate (BE/B. Tech) from a Recognised University with specialisation in Information Security/ It Risk Management/Information Assurance/ Cyber Security & Digital Threat Management with any one of the following certifications:

a. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

b. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

c. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

d. Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)

2. Preference will be given to Post Graduates qualified in the relevant field like M Tech/ MCA as additional qualification

ISRO Recruitment 2017 for Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre

Age limit

The minimum age limit is 28 years and the maximum age limit is 50 years.

Experience

Seven years of experience in relevant field is required.

Pay Scale

Rs. 68680- 1960/4-76520/- per month is the salary scale

How to apply for the Central Bank of India Recruitment?

Post your applications to the "General Manager- HRD, Central Bank of India, Chander Mukhi, 17th floor, Nariman Point Mumbai- 400 021"

Application fees

The application fee is Rs.1000/- (Non-Refundable) payable by way of Demand Draft drawn on any Nationalised/Scheduled Bank drawn in favour of "Central Bank of India- Recruitment of CISO" and payable at Mumbai.

Deadline

Last date to apply for the post is 22.12.2017

Indian Railways Recruitment 2017 for West Central Region: Apply Now!
Mass Murder Limited By Legal Gun Owners

By Dean Weingarten. December 5th, 2017

Article Source

In Rockledge, Florida, at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, the 25th of November, 2017, two armed citizens stopped a mass murder in progress. Police Chief Joseph P. LaSata of the Rockledge Police Department, made clear the intervention of the armed citizens was responsible for stopping the murderer. Two employees were shot, one killed, in the parking lot. Then two armed employees intervened. From the transcript of this video from wesh.com:

Matt Lupoli, reporter:

Another employee, a manager, came out with a gun of his own and shot and wounded Baily. That man has not been named, but police say he saved several other lives, customers and employees alike.

Rockledge Chief Joseph Lasata:

Mr. Baily had multiple magazines on his person. He was intent on doing harm. The employees stepped up and prevented customers, employees, and other vendors who were in the business at the time from sustaining further injuries. They did a good job.

The murder suspect, Robert Lorenzo Bailey, Jr, 28, of Cocoa, is in critical condition at the Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melborne. The suspect has not been connected to Schlenker Automotive. The murder and gunfight started in Schlenkers parking lot. .......

Proof, if any was needed, that gun carrying citizens can save lives. Sadly in probably many cases such as this, the armed citizen may not be able to limit injury and/or death entirely - rather, the potential for significant mitigation is most certainly possible and vital. This can make the difference between what could be mass murder, and the survival of a majority. This is why anti-gun people must be repeatedly reminded why we say over and over "guns save lives".



Extra: Regarding the medical marijuana problem and gun confiscation, discussed recently -- a petition has been set up to promote the need for a bill to make an exemption for legitimate use. Do go sign if you feel strongly on the matter.

Attention Arizona - Bill of Rights Day Celebration, 12/15/17 - this event still has spaces available. For everywhere else - set up your own BoR Day and keep the Bill of Rights alive.

"You don't have to be Jewish to fight by our side."

You just have to love freedom.

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1-800-869-1884

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12500 NE 10th Pl.

Bellevue, WA 98005 USA

"America's most aggressive defender of civil rights"

We make the NRA look like moderates

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French technology consulting firm Atos offered to buy Gemalto for 4.3 billion euros ($5.06 billion) on Monday to boost its cyber security services as states and big corporations seek to cope with a growing number of attacks on the Internet worldwide.

The bid comes as Gemalto, the worlds largest maker of chips found in mobile phones and credit cards, is under pressure after posting four profit warnings in a year and having missed a chance to strengthen its security business through a large acquisition.

The combination would strengthen Atos in the burgeoning so-called Internet of Things (IoT) sector of internet-connected machinery and household devices able to collect and exchange data using embedded sensors and European payment services on top of digital security, it said.

Atos said it delivered an offer to Gemaltos board on Nov. 28.

Shortly after issuing the formal offer, Atos Chief Executive Thierry Breton said he had already received the backing of Gemaltos biggest shareholder, Frances state-owned investment bank Bpifrance.

Ive met the main shareholders and Bpi in particular, Breton said in a call with reporters following the announcement of the unsolicited bid for Gemalto.

Bpi is not only favorable to this operation of European consolidation, but it also authorized me to tell you about it, he added.

Bpifrance holds 8.51 percent of Gemaltos shares, according to the groups last annual report. Gemalto and Bpifrance were not immediately reachable for comment.

Stock Pressured

Gemalto had to postpone to March 2018 the presentation the presentation of its next multiyear strategic plan, after several profit warnings notably caused by slowing demand for credit card chips.

The groups shares have shed 38 percent so far this year compared with an increase of 24 percent for Atos.

Since Breton took the helm of Atos in November 2008, the firm has multiplied its stock price by close to six times, outperforming French rival Capgemini and U.S. companies Accenture and IBM.

Atos revenue has more than doubled over the period to reach 11.7 billion euros in 2016, after having bought assets from Germanys Siemens, U.S. group Xerox and France-based computer company Bull.

Gemalto had sales of 3.2 billion euros in 2016.

The all-cash bid reflects a price of 46 euros per Gemalto share, representing a 42 percent premium on the groups last closing price, Atos said in a statement.

The bid would be financed by Atos existing cash resources and debt, the company said without elaborating.

Breton said that two banks had already given their approval for a potential loan. ($1 = 0.8495 euros)
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
This workshop has now finished. Many thanks to all participants.
Cement plants in Pakistan reach 95% capacity utilisation

12 December 2017

Cement plants in Pakistan reached 94.65 per cent capacity utilisation during the July-November period of 2017, according to The Nation. In November 2017 the country recorded a 9.89 per cent increase in domestic consumption. In the same month, mills in the northern region of Pakistan dispatched 2.9Mta locally which is a 10.2 per cent increase YoY.



However, November 2017 also saw exports from the mills in the south of the country decrease by 45.4 per cent, to 0.07Mta from 0.13Mta. Similarly exports from the north of Pakistan fell eight per cent from the year-ago period, to 0.28Mta from 0.35Mta.



"The cement sector has so far withstood the impact of decline in exports due to a robust growth in the domestic market. However, the current political uncertainty may impact domestic growth also," said a spokesman of the APCMA.

Published under
Many of the practices common to North Korea are shrouded in secrecy. What we learn comes from a combination of defectors who flee the country and a select few tourists and journalists who are permitted to enter the country.

One of the most controversial practices  besides, of course, nuclear weapons development  is the way North Korea starts indoctrinating children from such a young age. Its difficult to imagine just how harmful this can be to young minds since America is so different from North Korea. But the reality is that North Korean children arent just suffering from a lack of resources  theyre being brainwashed by North Korean leadership to hate the United States and blame our country for all of their problems.

Read on to find out more about how the most vulnerable members of society are being ruthlessly manipulated in North Korea.

1. Theres a museum to show kids how terrible Americans are

In the farming town of Sinchon just south of Pyongyang, theres a museum dedicated to the history of North Korean and United States relations. But dont think for a minute that any of the exhibits offer an unbiased account of what happened.

Schoolchildren go on field trips to the Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities to glimpse remnants from the Korean War of 1950-53. Everything in the museum portrays Americans as scheming missionaries, marauding soldiers, and masters of torture. Tour guides insist that South Korea and the United States teamed up to invade their peaceful country without provocation. The reality is the exact opposite of that.

Next: Young kids are encouraged to attack U.S. citizens.



2. Kindergartners learn to attack U.S. citizens

North Korean students are taught to hate two specific groups of people: Japanese citizens and Americans. In one popular schoolyard game, school leaders pull out a dummy designed to look like an American and encourage kids to beat him with batons or throw stones at him.

Next: Young kids see violent acts all the time.



3. The children become desensitized to violence

Many children face atrocities daily as they live in work camps and perform forced labor as atonement for crimes their parents committed. But even the kids who arent stuck in prison, such as children of well-to-do North Korean families, are forced to view public executions. The more they see horrible things, the more their brains become used to it and begin to view the practices as normal.

Next: There are no inspirational posters in classrooms  just violent ones.



4. Anti-American posters line kindergarten classrooms

One poster has a photo of an American with a noose around his neck and says, Lets wipe out the U.S. imperialists. Another features a bloodied U.S. soldier being attacked by children wielding bayonets and rifles.

Next: Every person worships Kim Jong Un.



5. They see Kim Jong Un as a divine being

In North Korea, the dictator isnt just seen as the leader of the country  hes considered a supernatural being worthy of worship and praise. And since Kim Jong Un hates America, the people he rules are expected to feel the same way. Even small children are taught to mimic the ideas of the Dear Leader, including fervent sentiments of Anti-Americanism.

Next: Theres no such thing as hearing the other side.



6. Media is censored

You can flip on a television in North Korea, but dont expect to see the latest episode of This is Us.

All television sets and radios in North Korea are tuned in to state-run channels that only play approved content, and the airwaves are filled with anti-American propaganda. There is no internet (besides the one run by country officials) and no access to the modern world beyond North Korean borders. Getting caught with a foreign DVD is an offense that could land you and your entire family in a nightmarish labor camp.

Children have no way of separating fact from fiction, and with no free speech or freedom of the press, they grow up believing exactly what theyre told.

Next: Kids are taught that their leader is a good person.



7. Kim Jong Un is portrayed as benevolent

Its easy to find flaw with Kim Jong Un here in America  proof of his crimes against humanity are numerous and horrific. But in North Korea, its a totally different situation.

Schoolchildren are taught that their Dear Leader is looking out for them and even sacrificing his own comfort to ensure their happiness. One defector who refused to identify herself put it this way: The milk would arrive [in the classroom] and we would go up one by one to fill our cups. The teachers would say: Do you know where the milk came from? It came from the Dear Leader. Because of his love and consideration, we are drinking milk today.

Other adults recall being told about how hard the supreme leader works to provide for his citizens, and that he sleeps in his car and eats nothing but rice balls. Obviously, these are all blatant lies.

Next: Printed materials are just propaganda.



8. The books are filled with propaganda

Childrens books are filled with anti-American sentiments, which are often hidden behind thinly veiled allegories. For example, one book tells the tale of a bully rooster who is ultimately defeated by a clever, virtuous butterfly. The implication is that the rooster represents the U.S. and the butterfly is North Korea.

Next: History lessons are nothing but lies.



9. Teachers are forced to rewrite history

The teachers in North Korea instruct students in something known as revolutionary history which focuses solely on the Kims. Music, books, and art are all focused on current and former North Korean leaders, presenting them in a favorable light.

Meanwhile, the history lessons cast Americans and Japanese people as mortal enemies who deserve awful things to happen to them.

Next: Children learn to use anything as weapons.



10. Everyday objects become weapons

North Korean literature expert Tatiana Gabroussenko explains that children are indoctrinated slowly. In the childrens version [of a story], a child will be fighting Americans by throwing pepper in their eyes and making them sneeze and cough, Gabroussenko says. The adult version of the same tale features real weapons in place of condiments.

Next: Theres no escape from anti-U.S. sentiments.



11. The propaganda is literally everywhere

Kids arent just inundated with anti-American sentiments at school and at home  they even see it on the way to school via billboards. Its impossible to overestimate just how much control the North Korean government has over the things that people, including children, see and hear constantly. And they make sure all of it makes America look like the bad guys.

Next: Kids are forced to join an America-haters club.



12. Young kids join the Childrens Union

All young people are obligated to join an organization called the Childrens Union once they turn 7. After a year, they must begin self-criticisms, where they confess to all the ways theyre failing to follow the Ten Principles set forth by North Korean leadership. Part of those ideals include studying the thoughts and opinions of former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, which include plenty of Anti-American rhetoric.

Next: Older kids get even more serious about hating America.



13. Older kids have their own America-hating group

Once children turn 14, they join the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League. This organization worships the Kim family. High school students take intensive classes on the history of Kim Jong Un along with additional hours of coursework on Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, former leaders of North Korea.

Next: Its not just teachers who indoctrinate  the parents do it too.



14. Even parents teach their kids to hate America

Defectors from North Korea admit to believing that even the walls of their homes were listening. Parents never spoke ill of the Dear Leader, even in the privacy of their homes, for fear that someone might overhear. Neighbors were often rewarded for tattling on each other.

Plus, the parents of todays children were once children themselves and were exposed to the same anti-American propaganda in school. Some North Korean adult citizens may doubt Kims all-encompassing power and hateful opinions, but others have fallen for it and teach their children using the same principles.

Next: North Korean kids grow into adults who feel the same way.



15. North Korea molds children into conformist adults

Since children arent encouraged to have their own opinions or develop critical thinking skills, they grow up to become adults who know better than to question the system. This infantilizes citizens and allows the government to fill their heads with whatever they please, including hatred towards America and other Western countries.

Read more: These Are the Only Holidays North Korea Celebrates

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!
The day before citizens in Mississippi go to the polls, a new survey indicates a dead heat in a ballot initiative that would make the state the first to amend its constitution to define all human life as beginning at conception, according to Baptist Press. The poll of 796 likely voters, conducted over the weekend by Public Policy Polling, has Initiative Measure 26 leading, 45-44 percent, with 11 percent undecided. "Right now it looks like it could go either way," Public Policy Polling said in an analysis. Initiative 26 is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, and if passed, it would end abortion in Mississippi. Colorado voters rejected a similar proposition in 2008 and 2010, but Mississippi's more conservative voter makeup gives such an amendment more of a chance for success.
Mass Murder Limited By Legal Gun Owners

By Dean Weingarten. December 5th, 2017

Article Source

In Rockledge, Florida, at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, the 25th of November, 2017, two armed citizens stopped a mass murder in progress. Police Chief Joseph P. LaSata of the Rockledge Police Department, made clear the intervention of the armed citizens was responsible for stopping the murderer. Two employees were shot, one killed, in the parking lot. Then two armed employees intervened. From the transcript of this video from wesh.com:

Matt Lupoli, reporter:

Another employee, a manager, came out with a gun of his own and shot and wounded Baily. That man has not been named, but police say he saved several other lives, customers and employees alike.

Rockledge Chief Joseph Lasata:

Mr. Baily had multiple magazines on his person. He was intent on doing harm. The employees stepped up and prevented customers, employees, and other vendors who were in the business at the time from sustaining further injuries. They did a good job.

The murder suspect, Robert Lorenzo Bailey, Jr, 28, of Cocoa, is in critical condition at the Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melborne. The suspect has not been connected to Schlenker Automotive. The murder and gunfight started in Schlenkers parking lot. The suspect opened fire on a 25 year old employee, paralyzing him. He shot and killed 50 year old Roger Lee Smith, who had been employed at the shop for numerous years, as Smith came out the door to the parking lot. Then two armed employees, who had concealed carry permits, intervened. From floridatoday.com:

The gunman killed one employee and paralyzed a second. Thats when the employees at Schlenker Automotive fought back with equal force, Rockledge police chief Joseph La Sata said.

The manager, who was a concealed weapons permit holder, came out and engaged in gunfire in the parking lot, La Sata said. The manager fled back inside the building, being chased by the gunman. Another Schlenker employee, who also had concealed weapons permit, engaged in gunfire with the suspect.

This is the second time in three weeks armed citizens have intervened in a mass murder, preventing further murders from taking place. The first was Stephen Willeford, an NRA instuctor who grabbed his AR-15 and engaged the mass murderer at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on November 5, 2017. We do not know the names of the two armed citizens who stopped the casualty count at two in Rockledge, Florida on 25 November. We know they had concealed carry permits, and that citizens who carry guns legally are extremely law abiding.

When armed citizens intervene, lives are saved. Those who want a disarmed population use the effectiveness of interventions to claim they do not occur. As only one victim was killed before the murderer was stopped, some will say it was not a mass murder, therefore no one can say a mass murder was stopped by an armed citizen.

Here is a list, with links to more than two dozen cases where armed citizens stopped mass killing -- Mass Killings Stopped by Armed Citizens, Updated

Quote from Chief Joseph Lasata Rockledge Police Chief:

Mr. Baily had multiple magazines on his person. He was intent on doing harm. The employees steped up and prevented customers, employees, and other venders who were in the busines at the time from sustaining further injuries. They did a good job.

From Matt Lupoli Wesh video: ANOTHER EMPLOYEE, A MANAGER, CAME OUT WITH A GUN OF HIS OWN AND SHOT AND WOUNDED BAILEY.THAT MAN HASN'T BEEN NAMED, BUT POLICE SAY HE SAVED SEVERAL OTHER LIVES, CUSTOMERS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES ALIKE. MR. BAILEY HAD MUTLIPLE MAGAZINES ON HIS PERSON. HE WAS INTENT ON DOING HARM AND THE EMPLOYEES STEPPED UP AND PREVENTED CUSTOMERS, EMPLOYEES AND OTHER VENDORS WHO WERE IN THE BUSINESS AT THE TIME, FROM SUSTAINING FURTHER INJURY .THEY DID A GOOD JOB.

From spacecoastdaily.com:

During a press conference on Saturday morning, Chief LaSata said Bailey entered the parking lot of Schlenkers at about 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon armed with a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and several magazines of ammunition. Bailey had multiple magazines on his person, said Chief LaSata during the press conference. According to Chief LaSata, Bailey shot and killed 50-year-old Schlenker employee Roger Lee Smith as he responded to the sound of the gunshot that wounded another Schlenker employee, a 25-year-old man who has not been identified at this time. Two Schlenker employees with concealed weapon permits returned fire as Baily entered the building, striking him twice. Baily is in critical condition at Health Firsts Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.

From wesh.com:

Police chief Joseph LaSata announced at a Saturday morning news conference that the suspect, Robert Lorenzo Bailey, Jr, 28, of Cocoa had a .45 caliber handgun and several magazines of bullets when he went to Schlenkers Automotive, at 396 Barton Blvd, around 4:30 p.m. Friday. Police say theres no known connection that Bailey had to the business. RPD said Bailey was walking along Barton Blvd. when he walked to the business, firing shots. Two workers were hit by his gunfire.

A manager of the shop, who has not been named by police, had a concealed weapons permit, fired at Bailey, and held him at gunpoint until police detained him. Roger Lee Smith, 50, of Rockledge, a longtime employee of the car repair shop, is one of the workers who was shot. Smith died of his injuries. Another worker whose name has not been released, is paralyzed from his injuries. Police have charged Bailey with one count of First Degree Premeditated Murder, and two counts of Attempted Murder. He is being treated at a medical facility for his injuries, and will be booked into jail when his condition permits.

Quote from video :

He saved several other lives, customers and employees alike., and other venders who were in the busines at the time from being injured. He did a good job.

Quote from Chief Joseph Lasata Rockledge Police Chief:

Mr. Baily had multiple magazines on his person. He was intent on doing harm. The employee steped up. prevented customers, employees, and other venders who were in the busines at the time from being injured. He did a good job.

2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch

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Four attacks within the last three weeks in Niger have raised the specter of a growing Islamist threat in the country, World Watch Monitor reports. In the latest attack on June 11, unidentified armed men attacked a paramilitary barracks on the outskirts of Niamey, the capital. Niger authorities have not made any announcement, but local media say there were no casualties and the attackers managed to flee. On May 23, two suicide attacks in the North of the country targeted a military base in Agadez and a French-run uranium mine in Arlit, respectively. Two Islamist groups active in Mali, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao) and the Signed-in-Blood Battalion, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which left 36 dead  most of them soldiers -- and threatened further violence. Niger president Mahamadou Issoufou said the insurgents came from neighboring southern Libya. On June 1, more than 20 prisoners escaped from the main detention center in Niamey, the capital, following an attack which Niger authorities attributed to members of Boko Haram, an Islamist sect operating in neighboring Nigeria.
Christian Reaction to Trump's Jerusalem Speech: Are We Headed to a Major Reset in Jewish-Christian Relations? We would have loved to have heard kudos from all corners of the Christian world, but that is not what happened.

President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was met with enthusiasm by most American Jews. Christian reaction to the announcement, however, has been an eye-opener, and might have greater impact upon future Jewish-Christian relations than the President's announcement will ultimately have on the politics of the Middle East.

We would have loved to have heard kudos from all corners of the Christian world, congratulating Jews on the United States' recognition of our unbroken connection and devotion to the ancient city of Jerusalem. Some statements could have declared: "Congratulations on a major milestone in the return of an ancient people to its Land. We celebrate with you. Our joy, however, does not diminish our concerns for peace, for Palestinians, for other religious groups with a stake in the Holy City. We worry about how this step could impact those goals." Many Jews, including the authors of this essay could accept such a message  even where we disagree about the impact.

But that is not what happened.

In the decades following WWII, important groups in Christendom, humbled and guilt-ridden by their recognition of the role that centuries of Church-inspired anti-Semitism played in the run-up to the murder of six million Jews in the Nazi Holocaust, proffered bridge-building and understanding to Jews. Some were friendly to Israel; others were not. All volubly declaimed their search for meaningful relationships.

Relationships, however, require more than photo-ops of smiling clergy. They require genuine feeling for the other, not just cerebral understanding. Imagine that you just got the biggest career boost in your life, and you share it enthusiastically with the person to whom you feel closest. As a wrinkle spreads over his/her brow, all you hear back is, "So you won't be able to prepare dinners for us anymore on Tuesday nights?" Or "I'm feeling very anxious about the candidate that you beat out for the promotion." That would tell you that there was not as much of a relationship at work as you believed. Friends feel for friends. They share the joy and the tragedy, in heart as well as mind.

With some wonderful exceptions, Jews witnessed a complete lack of feeling and empathy from Christians in the last days.

We witnessed a mixed chorus of hand-wringing, the circling of wagons around self-interest, and blatant contempt for Israel's security.

The Pope worried about upsetting the status quo about non-Jewish holy places  as if recognizing the reality that Jerusalem is the administrative capital of Israel could diminish her perfect record in maintaining access to Christian sites, and in many cases, keeping competing Christian groups from violence against each other. This, while in the surrounding Arab countries, Christians are targeted, churches burned, and communities decimated. Congratulations to Jews  especially those who take the Scripture shared by Christians and Jews seriously  on an almost biblical event? Not from the Vatican.

In a letter from the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, we read of "hatred, conflict, violence and suffering," but no acknowledgment of Arab incitement, terror attacks, and child suicide bombers. They see the President's declaration as a threat to "the present international status of Jerusalem," while having been silent when PA President Abbas several times called Jerusalem "the eternal capital of the state of Palestine." No problem for them there  and no congratulations to the Jewish people on continuing the work that King David began.

From mainline Protestants, Jews heard, not warm wishes but dire predictions about the needless thwarting of the peace-process, a process that the Palestinians have elected to sit out for many years, and never produced any progress whatsoever towards a negotiated settlement. (If anything, perhaps the corrupt Palestinian leadership, just might be jolted into entering into serious negotiations when they realize that most Arab countries no longer view their cause as a top concern, and the US is no longer prepared to coddle them as they continue the serial denial that Jews are even stakeholders in Jerusalem or anywhere else in the Holy Land.)

However, one group stands apart from all the others: evangelical Christians. They exuded warmth, acceptance, and congratulations. The reaction was quick and unequivocal from people like the Reverends John Hagee, Gordon Robertson, Sammy Rodriguez, Johnnie Moore, Greg Laurie, and others. Despite the irreconcilable theological differences that separate conservative Christians from Jews, many of the latter understand and appreciate the genuine regard that the former have for them. Others in liberal Jewish circles have not been able to get beyond the positions that evangelicals take on a number of critically important social issues.

The bottom linebeyond Evangelical, Christian leaders seem to have forgotten the centrality of Jerusalem to the Jewish people, or they don't care.

Either way, interfaith relations appear to be heading towards a major reset...

Rabbi Abraham Cooper is Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action. Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein is the Simon Wiesenthal Center Director of Interfaith Affairs
How Roger Waters Stole Christmas Pink Floyd founder and anti-Israel activist Roger Waters has been deemed an anti-Semite by the Anti-Defamation League. So why is he performing in a closed-circuit pre-Christmas show to be broadcasted in Bethlehem's Manger Square?

Pink Floyd founder and anti-Israel activist Roger Waters announced that he will perform a closed-circuit pre-Christmas show to be broadcast in Bethlehem's Manger Square, scheduled to take place later this month.

"I have to sadly accept the reality that I'm banging my head against the brick wall of the occupation," said Waters.

It would appear all that banging has made Waters' head comfortably numb. Waters has been deemed an anti-Semite by the Anti-Defamation League who has performed with a giant pig-shaped balloon emblazoned with a Star of David. It is doubtful that this show is meant to encourage peace on earth and goodwill towards men.

But Waters would do well to remember that performing a pre-Christmas show in Bethlehem is in extremely poor taste. In Bethlehem, along with the rest of the Palestinian-controlled territories, the Christian population is facing the very real threat of extinction. In the birthplace of Jesus, Christians once comprised more than 70 percent of the city's population. Today, Christians constitute less than 15 percent of the population.

Under the Palestinian Authority, Christian holy sites are routinely desecrated and destroyed. The PA has shown contempt for Christian holy sites, as exemplified when Yasser Arafat turned the Greek Orthodox monastery near the Church of the Nativity into his own personal domicile during his visits to the city.

However, the most outrageous act of desecration in Bethlehem occurred in the Church of the Nativity itself. In 2002, an estimated 180 PA gunmen took over the church, holding the priests, nuns and monks hostage. The terrorists looted the church of its food and valuables. Catholic priests at the site said that some of the Bibles in the church were used as toilet paper, while many valuable sacramental objects were looted.

When the hostages were released and the terrorists left the church, it was found that altars, religious objects and furniture were fouled by urine, cigarette butts, and human excrement. Churches, monasteries and convents throughout the Palestinian-controlled territories are frequently desecrated and destroyed, most recently in 2016, when the ruins of an 1,800-year-old Byzantine church in Gaza City was bulldozed by Hamas in order to make room for a shopping mall.

Christians are subject to systemic discrimination by both the PA and Hamas. This is to be expected, since Islam is the official religion of both governments. As a result, Christians have been relegated to dhimmi status, a somewhat tolerated but inferior class. The PA's judicial system does not ensure the equal protection of Christians, with injustices such as forced conversions to Islam, physical violence, and even murder. Palestinian Muslims are allowed to seize Christian property with impunity. Due to this ethnic cleansing, the Christian population in the Palestinian-controlled territories dropped from 15 percent of the population in 1950 to less than 1.3 percent today.

While Christians under Palestinian rule literally have their backs to the wall, the situation in Israel is quite the opposite. Since the Jewish State declared independence in 1948, the Christian population has enjoyed a five-fold increase, to an estimated 158,000 citizens.

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, Christian Arabs fare the best in terms of education when compared to any other religious group in Israel. Christians are to be found in every facet of Israeli civil and political life, exercising considerable influence in Israeli society that is disproportionate to their minority status. Salim Joubran, a Maronite Christian and Israeli Supreme Court judge, was in charge of overseeing Israel's 2015 legislative election. While Joubran retired earlier this year, another Israeli Arab Christian (George Karra) presideson Israel's Supreme Court.

Though Waters is apparently oblivious to the bleak reality facing Palestinian Christians, he continues to engage in anti-Semitism. Rather than raise awareness and condemn the ethnic cleansing of Christians under Palestinian rule, Waters prefers to bash Israel every chance he gets.

Rock 'n' roll, at its best, is supposed to be about tolerance, peace and love. Does Waters truly want to commemorate this Christmas with even more bigotry and indifference to the suffering of others?

Bradley Martin is a Senior Fellow with the news and public policy group Haym Salomon Center and Deputy Editor for the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research
Why Believing in Karma is Not For Christians If Karma is true, we are all screwed

The idea that we get what we deserve is an appealing way to look at the world. While some of us might not admit that we actually believe in Karma, many of us believe it without even realizing it. People, regardless of their faith background, like to think that if they do something good, something good will happen in return.

If Karma is true, we're all screwed.

If somebody believes in Karma and believes things are going well for them, they have an arrogant view of themselves. Karma suggests that everybody gets what they deserve. This means that if somebody is rewarded, they get the credit. And if somebody is punished, they get the blame.

If things are going well - if you got the job, the marriage, the house - then you are receiving rewards for what you have done. But if things are going poorly - if you lost your job, your marriage is falling apart, or you have an incurable disease - then you are receiving exactly what you deserve.

In this world nothing happens to a person that he does not for some reason or other deserve. Usually, men of ordinary intellect cannot comprehend the actual reason or reasons. The definite invisible cause or causes of the visible effect is not necessarily confined to the present life, they may be traced to a proximate or remote past birth. - Buddhanet.net

You'd better hope you were really good in your past lives!

This worldview runs totally contrary to the Christian God's message of grace. Grace is the enemy of Karma.

What is grace? Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable. It is being loved when you are the opposite of lovable. - Paul Zahl

Grace knows what we deserve. And it gives us the opposite. And in the face of things going poorly, grace - instead of trying to answer why - simply promises to be with us in the midst of the pain.

While Karma suggests that we end up damned, grace gives us eternal life. While Karma requires an eye-for-an-eye, grace turns the other cheek. While Karma always balances the scales, grace never stops giving because the scales will never balance (God always gives more). While Karma suggests that it is all about our work, grace suggests that it is all about the work of Jesus.

If Karma were applied as a teaching of Christianity, Karma would be all Law. Karma relies on our own effort to add weight to the scale of "good" in our life. Karma relies on our own efforts to justify ourselves with enough good to outweigh the bad.

What if the Apostle Paul believed in Karma?

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." - Romans 3:11-12

Paul suggests that if Karma were true, we're all going to hell. This is what makes grace so scandalous to the human mind. We don't get what we deserve. We deserve punishment. We deserve death.

What is Karma's answer to death? Cancer? Divorce? We deserved it. It's punishment.

Grace doesn't play by these rules. Grace is the scandal that never gives us what we deserve and always gives us what we need:

Mercy.

Peace.

Hope.

Joy.

Forgiveness.

The band Relient K once described this by saying, "But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair." Grace says what the Law never will. Grace creates beauty, hope, and peace that rests not in our own efforts but in the finished work of Jesus.

Many Christians have become functional Buddhists, trusting in their own works, believing a theology that paints everything within a system of obedience, rewards, and punishment - a system that is often eerily similar to Karma.

This isn't Christianity, it's B.S. This is a Law-based system that gives people false assurance and burdened consciences - exactly what every other religion offers. Every religion besides Christianity is Law-based.

And while the work of the Law is important in Christianity, the Law never has the last word. When the Law gets the last word, we find ourselves crushed and without hope. Grace is the pronouncement of "done" that quiets words that judge.

If people are looking for good Karma - guilt in failure or advice to balance to scales - they can get that anywhere. From Islam to Buddhism to Atheism, "do this" or "don't do this" is the primary message. From the bestseller list to mommy-bloggers, the Law is the default message.

If you're looking for peace, Karma doesn't offer it. If you're looking for hope, Karma doesn't point to it. Mercy? Karma's got nothing.

What you're looking for can be found in the Church. Grace is given freely by the family of God. Jesus gives peace, hope, and mercy and it has nothing to do with obedience, rewards, or punishment.

If you're looking for a perfect Christian church, you won't find one. They're all filled with hypocrites who like to point out other people's sin before their own. They're made up of gossips, liars, and cheaters. Sin does to a church what it does to everyone - it ruins relationships, including in the family of God.

The Church has a lot of problems, but grace ain't one. Grace is the one thing that unites the church. It is the one thing that breaks down barriers between sinners. Every age, every race, and every socio-economic status are united by one thing, "Jesus Christ and him crucified."

If somebody is looking for a self-help program, they aren't going to come to your church - the world offers better ones. If somebody is looking for the structure of a religious life, they have thousands of religions to choose from. In fact, the demands of secular life are difficult enough that most people don't need religion to add to it.

There is no place but the Church that forgives with no questions asked. If somebody is a rebel, an outcast, or on the verge of death, the Church of Jesus specializes in the one who comes for the rebels, welcomes in the outcasts, and raises the dead. The death and resurrection sets the Church apart from the world, no one else can offer that to the world, including Buddha.

Grace gets the last word.

"It is finished."

RJ Grunewald serves as Pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan. You can follow him at http://www.rjgrune.com
Breakaway AMiE is 'fully part of the Anglican Communion' says GAFCON head in challenge to Justin Welby

The chairman of the conservative GAFCON movement has said it recognises the breakaway Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) as 'fully part of the Anglican Communion'.

In his December letter dated December 14 but published today, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, referred to the ordination of nine men to serve AMiE as a 'historic event'.

He praised AMiE's Bishop Andy Lines and criticised the Church of England, saying that while many faithful Anglicans remained within it, 'there is a danger that their work will be compromised or made more difficult if the Bible is no longer upheld as the rule of faith. How can a Church be effective in mission when it has muddled the truth of the gospel? Mission and fidelity cannot be separated.'

He said there was a 'spiritual crisis' in the Anglican Communion that was now affecting the 'Mother Church'.

According to the letter signed by Okoh, the Communion was not determined 'simply by relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury'.

He also praised the Anglican Church of North America, set up as a rival to the Episcopal Church of the United States, saying: 'By the grace of God we make the sacrifices that are necessary to proclaim Christ in season and out of season, even when that means leaving the comfort of established institutions.'

GAFCON'S further attack on the Church of England for its supposed liberalism on sexuality, with its explicit rejection of the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, is another instance of its determination to claim Anglican loyalties based on what it defines as biblical orthodoxy rather than traditional allegiances. Its recognition of AMiE as part of the Anglican Communion is likely to be a particular pressure point as it is in direct competition with the CofE.
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich to write 'Witcher' series for Netflix

"The Witcher" Netflix series is still a go. The giant streaming company will be bringing in Lauren Schmidt Hissrich who wrote Marvel's "Daredevil" and "The Defenders."

Seven months after the initial announcement made by Netflix in May, the streaming company has finally found a writer for their upcoming original series. "The Witcher" will now be written by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich.

According to IMDb, Hissrich is well known for producing two Marvel shows: "The Defenders" in which she was co-executive producer for eight episodes and "Daredevil" as also the co-executive producer for 13 episodes. As a writer, Hissrich wrote five episodes for "The Defenders" and three episodes for "Daredevil."

Hissrich was also co-executive producer for the TV series "Power" for eight episodes. "Power" is an American crime-drama thriller starring the rapper Curtis Jackson, also known as "50 Cent."

Hissrich also worked for TV series "Parenthood" and "Do No Harm." She was the shows' supervising producer and produced 12 and three episodes for the shows, respectively.

With her extensive background for writing and producing shows, fans of "The Witcher" book series and game shall be expecting a very well-made show. Netflix has so far not revealed an exact date for when the show might release.

"The Witcher" is a series of fantasy books originally written by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The first book in the series is titled "The Last Wish" and was published in 1993.

"The Witcher" book series revolves around the protagonist named "Geralt of Rivia." Geralt is one of the few remaining "witchers" or warlock (male witch) in the Continent.
Let's not make the Nativity too cosy: Mary's story is dark and brutal

Who is the greatest worldwide female celebrity at this time of year? Who has the greatest global reach, taking into account all messaging, what advertisers call OTS (opportunities to see), taking in digital social media as well as analogue print images?

If such big data exists, I rather fancy that Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Rihanna  even hardy annuals such as Kim Kardashian and Angelina Jolie  would have to take a bow to a simple teenager from the Judea of a couple of thousand of years ago, about whom we know relatively little, because she never enjoyed the publicity benefits of an Instagram account.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, makes exactly how many appearances around the world over the next couple of weeks? On Christmas cards sent with love, on family mantelpieces and strings across kitchens? In street crib scenes and shop windows? In digital Christmas greetings across the internet? Millions? Hundreds of millions?

She will sometimes be abstract, sometimes Renaissance, sometimes modern and sometimes in cartoon form. She will always be demure, beautiful, humble. She will invariably be dressed comfortably in blue, tending her infant son.

And her celebrity status won't just be enjoyed by the faithful  ardent secularists, even atheists, will join her at the manger. A lovely, brave young girl, giving birth under difficult circumstances to a baby, whom even unbelievers would agree is going to change the world forever. What's not to like?

Nothing really. It's one of the wonders of Christmas that this event unites all humankind. Those of the Christian faith, but also those of other faiths and of none. Potentially, the whole world. In other words, all sinners.

But we're also entitled to wonder if we do Mary a disservice in our representation of her. When we examine the Nativity narrative in the gospels, it's far from cosy. It's brutal and dark. Among the literary themes we can note are oppression, displacement, antisemitism, infanticide and misogyny.

We don't have to be the Grinch to acknowledge just how tough and brave she had to be in helping to give the greatest gift to human history that, arguably, has ever been given.

We can argue too about the historicity of some of the events  whether there was a census under Quirinius that required all Jews to return to their place of birth or whether Herod ordered a massacre of the first-born in Bethlehem. But these were the kind of casual oppressions and routine atrocities that were common under the Roman jackboot.

The cruelty wasn't confined to the Romans. While it's a regular staple of New Testament scholarship to question the provenance of the stable and the inn, it remains entirely plausible that a young woman giving birth out of wedlock would have been shunned by respectable Hebraic society and been required to give birth on the lower floor of domestic accommodation, among livestock.

Again, those of us of a Christian faith can only wonder at a God who chooses to join us at the lowest of low human experience. But it all raises questions also about how we can or should tell the Nativity story.

Along with countless other churches, we will have a crib service on Christmas Eve and once again the children will place the figures of the holy family, plus the animals and the shepherds, in the stable. It's a magical (and holy) time that we may remember from our own childhoods and it's a wonderful introduction to the Christian story.

But as Paul told the church at Corinth, when we grow up we put aside childish things. So, on Christmas night, any adult might also take a moment in the darkness to remember a terrified young woman, in fear for her and her baby's life, alone but for her devoted husband-to-be and some shepherds, among the filth and squalor of the animals' quarters.

And, to help us understand and to inhabit Mary's experience, what would that look like today? Christian Today's Mark Woods has addressed this issue in the context of the controversy in the Italian town of Castenaso over the local crib scene being placed in the dangerous rubber dinghy of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. What strikes me about that is that it invites us to imagine what it felt like to be Mary, rather than what happened historically to her.

It reminds me of an art installation that appeared in St James's Church in Piccadilly, in London. An inflatable dinghy (one that had actually made those perilous crossings) hanging upside down from the church's ceiling, with life-jackets tumbling from it, as if bodies were falling into the depths of the nave.

That struck me as a powerful image that called us to serve the least of those around us. And it shamelessly demanded of us to examine who the desperate and the dispossessed of today are, rather than simply to view through history their equivalents among whom Jesus moved.

It means retelling scriptural stories for our own time. I've had a go at this myself, with a novel called A Dark Nativity, published at the start of Advent. It tells of a young woman, who is a priest and a former aid worker, who has witnessed some of the worst that the world has to offer in famine zones. So she is a holy, but broken, woman. There is a sort of Nativity here, but it is hard-won.

I started by trying to lift the scriptural Nativity narrative into the world of today. But that proved unsatisfactory. It quickly became just a tick-box exercise: Here is a stable, here is a star, there are three wise men.

My narrator, Natalie Cross (see what I did there!), is emphatically not Mary. She is damaged and sinful. But she is trying to make the best fist of her faith that she can in the world. So she is like many of us, if not all of us.

I'm hoping that there is also something redemptive and salvific in what is otherwise a very dark story. It's for others to judge whether I have succeeded at all. But if it's a contribution to the retelling of the Nativity in our own time, if it raises questions about how bleak and dark were the origins of our God's work in the world, then that will be of some comfort.

In a tiny way, too, I hope it might touch occasionally on how it felt to be Mary, all those centuries ago. So I hope she would approve too.

George Pitcher is a priest in the Church of England. His first novel, A Dark Nativity, is published by Unbound.
Presumed consent for organ donation short-circuits conversations about death

Every year around 450 people die while waiting for an organ transplant. Anyone who has friends or relatives who are waiting for an organ knows the heartbreak of that wait, hoping to hear that one has become available. When it does, the new life that comes from another person's gift in death can be beautiful. It can be resurrection.

To reduce the number of people waiting for this new life, the government has proposed to change the current 'opt-in' system of organ donation to an 'opt-out' one where your willingness to donate is 'presumed' unless you've said otherwise.

A very hard statistic is that two thirds of the population are willing to donate organs but only one third are on the register, according to research for the British Medical Association. The change is intended to close this gap.

Gifting your organs to another who needs them after your death is a generous act for those who want to do so  but there are also valid and good reasons why people prefer not to. I personally joined the register because when my life is over I want to gift my body, which was gifted to me, to enable another to continue living. But there are serious concerns about changing what consent means, and taking what ought to be freely given, if given at all. We should be attentive to the risks of the state claiming the right to people's bodies by default, even if safeguards are put in place. 'What works' is not a moral absolute.

But a Christian response has more to offer to this debate, because underlying discussions about consent to organ donation is our underlying unease with talking about death at all. The situation of families in cases of organ donation where a potential donor's intentions are not clear reveals the huge difficulty there is in making big decisions in the midst of grief  and this remains where consent has been changed.

The Welsh 'soft opt-out' system allows families to say if there was an unregistered objection, and for donation not to proceed if to do so would cause distress. In 2016-17 in Wales there were 21 cases where families either overrode their relative's decisions to donate organs, or did not support the presumed consent. Questions of intention, consent, and what happens to our bodies when we die are not solved by a change like the one being proposed.

A Christian response to this might begin by remembering that Christians have good news to offer by being willing to talk about death. Of course, for Christians death is still painful, and dark, and awful, and I wouldn't suggest otherwise  just read Job, or Lamentations, or Jesus' grief at the death of Lazarus. But Christians also believe Christ went through death and triumphed over it, and offers life beyond death. This means we can face death with hope, knowing the sting has been drawn, its ultimate power broken.

Facing death means being willing to talk about it. It's not just Christians who are realising the need to talk more openly about death: the growth of 'death cafes' to drink tea, eat cake and talk about death suggests a there is a widespread desire to have these difficult conversations, if we can break the silence to start them. As Christians who believe in the broken power of death, we ought to be in a position to have these conversations and help others to do so. The Church of England has produced some helpful resources for doing just that.

Whether Christians decide to support or reject a change to an 'opt-out' system, perhaps telling those who are close to us our intentions for organ donation is another way of starting that conversation about what happens to us after death.

We have good news about that, after all.

Joshua Harris is training in Cambridge for ordination in the Church of England. Follow him on Twitter at @WestminsterJosh
Putin starts Russian pullout from Syria: 'Job done'

President Vladimir Putin flew into Syria and ordered 'a significant part' of Moscow's military contingent there to start withdrawing on Monday, declaring their work largely done.

Putin, who polls show will be re-elected comfortably in March, made the announcement during a surprise visit to Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria  his first since Russia intervened in the conflict. He held talks with President Bashar al-Assad and addressed Russian forces.

The first leg in a three-country one-day whirlwind diplomatic visit which sees Putin also meeting his Egyptian and Turkish counterparts, Putin is keen to leverage the heightened Middle East influence that Syria has given him to cast himself as a leader who can do diplomacy as well as military force.

The Kremlin first launched air strikes in Syria in September 2015 in its biggest Middle East intervention in decades, turning the tide of the conflict in Assad's favour. Now that it regards that mission complete, Putin wants to help broker a peace deal.

'In just over two years, Russia's armed forces and the Syrian army have defeated the most battle-hardened group of international terrorists,' Putin told Russian servicemen.

A 'significant part' of the Russian force could now return home. 'The conditions for a political solution under the auspices of the United Nations have been created,' said Putin. 'The Motherland awaits you.'

Washington was sceptical about Putin's statement.

'Russian comments about removal of their forces do not often correspond with actual troop reductions, and do not affect US priorities in Syria,' said Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon.

Putin made clear in any case that Russia would retain enough firepower to destroy any possible Islamic State comeback.

Syrian state television quoted Assad as thanking Putin for Russia's help, saying the blood of Moscow's 'martyrs' had been mixed with the blood of the Syrian army. It also showed the two men watching what it called a victory parade with Russian troops dressed in desert uniforms marching past.

Russia's main contribution has been air strikes, and with Iran-backed Shi'ite militias doing much of the fighting on the ground, the partial Russian withdrawal may not make a huge difference when it comes to the military situation.

Russia's campaign, which has been extensively covered on state TV at home, has not caught the imagination of most Russians. But nor has it stirred unease of the kind the Soviet Union faced with its calamitous 1980s Afghanistan intervention.

The use of private military contractors, something which has been documented by Reuters but denied by the defence ministry, has allowed Moscow to keep the public casualty toll fairly low.

Officially, less than 50 Russian service personnel have been killed in the campaign, but the real number, including private contractors, is estimated to be much higher.

Electoral boost?

Russia's 'mission accomplished' moment in Syria may help Putin increase the turnout at the March presidential election by appealing to the patriotism of voters.

Though polls show he will easily win, they also show that some Russians are increasingly apathetic about politics, and Putin's supporters are keen to get him re-elected on a big turnout, which in their eyes confers legitimacy.

Putin, who with the help of state TV has dominated Russia's political landscape for the last 17 years, told Russian servicemen they would return home as victors.

Speaking in front of a row of servicemen holding Russian flags, Putin said his military had proved its might and that Moscow had succeeded in keeping Syria intact as a 'sovereign independent state.'

'I congratulate you!' Putin told the servicemen.

Putin is keen to organise a special event in Russia  the Syrian Congress on National Dialogue  that Moscow hopes will bring together the Syrian government and opposition and try to hammer out a new constitution.

When asked about Putin's announcement, Yahya Aridi, spokesman for the Syrian opposition in Geneva, said it welcomed any step that brought Syria closer to real peace.

Putin made clear however that while Russia might be drawing down much of its forces, its military presence in Syria was a permanent one and that it would retain enough firepower to destroy any Islamic State comeback.

Russia will keep its Hmeymim air base in Syria's Latakia Province and its naval facility in the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartous 'on a permanent basis,' said Putin.

Both bases are protected by sophisticated air defence missile systems.

Putin was told by the military that it had begun withdrawing 25 aircraft, a detachment of Russian military police, a detachment of Russian special forces, a military field hospital and a de-mining centre.

However, Russia has announced partial force draw-downs before only to later bring in different capabilities.

'We've seen such announcements before, which turn about to be less significant than they might have initially appeared,' said one European diplomat who declined to be named.

'The most significant contribution Russia can make to advancing peace in Syria is to pressure the Assad regime to engage seriously in Geneva (peace talks). Absent that, the suspicion will be that this announcement may have more to do with Russian politics than the Syrian situation.'
Why Tim Farron's wrong: There are shared values and they matter

'Liberalism is eating itself.'

With these widely reported and reviewed words a fallen party leader  Tim Farron of the Liberal Democrats  has opened a debate over the future of faith and state in our post-Christian society.

He is right when he says that, 'To believe in the Bible's teaching and to also believe in people's right to reject it and to live as they choose, is about as close to a pure application of liberalism as you could get. And yet so many people who count themselves as liberals can't or won't grasp this.'

But I think he makes a tempting, but dangerous, mistake when he proceeds to say that, 'We don't really have shared values. There is no unifying set of British values.'

Ours is a post-Christian society. It denies a Christian basis for making public decisions. But it still supports a state that upholds values coming from our Christian heritage.

Each individual is made in the image of God. Each has the right to pursue the good life in peace and freedom. The state enables that pursuit not by telling citizens what is good, but by protecting the rights of all  individually, in family and in community  to seek goodness and live it out.

That is the liberalism emerging from the struggle for a free church, handed down through the generations since our civil war.

Separating church from state kept political noses out of the search for Christian truth. But it raised the question: what then is the basis for the authority of the state? The great Puritan Roger Williams had the answer: 'The sovereign, original and foundation of civil power lies in the people.'

The liberal state rests on consent. Shared values matter because they provide the basis for this consent. Christians who are also liberals must work to explain what these values are now, in post-Christian Britain.

Tim says that there are no British values  only values 'common to all human kind'. We can see what he means. But it carries the implication that our state exists not so much to protect its own citizens as to promote the interests of humanity worldwide. This in turn feeds the suspicion that liberalism is the ideology of a global elite putting its own interests ahead of those whose consent sustains the democratic state. This suspicion has fed the forces of Trump and Brexit  and threatens the legitimacy of the liberal project.

The term 'British values' is unhelpful. It begs a misleading question over national traits and what it is to be British. We need to talk about the values that sustain the state  not any state, but the state in a specific form that has grown on these islands, through a local history of learning from struggle. Citizens consent to a liberal state that defends each individual's capacity to explore and live out personal 'goodness'. This is not a denial of shared values  it is based on a profound notion of what value means, a notion that as Christians we think is biblical.

The attack on Tim Farron was not led by the nameless platforms of 'the Media', but by his own colleagues who (using Farron's words) 'count themselves liberals' but 'really aren't'. David Laws, the former LibDem Coalition minister, welcomed the fall of his leader because, 'Tolerating irrational prejudice has nothing to do with the liberalism I know.'

Sir Vince Cable was more subtle. At the start of the general election campaign, he said the 'problem' with Christians in politics, including Tim Farron, 'is that their religious faith has a certain approach...but they are also public figures who have to represent their constituencies, which are much more diverse'.

These statements show what Tim Farron was talking about. Sir Vince suggests Christians actually want to re-impose conformity, but are held back by 'diversity'. And if 'irrational prejudice' is not tolerable, then the state will decide which versions of which faiths are acceptable  and Christianity, we know, is offensive folly to the respectable mind (1 Corinthians 1:23).

The banquet where liberalism eats itself will be celebrated in many quarters  formations on the left and centre, as well as the hard-line Religious Right, believe liberalism has had its day and the fight for succession has started. Some of these may be benign, wanting (as one friend puts it) 'liberality' without 'liberalism'.Others are more sinister. Beware the microbes of post-Christian fascism.

We cannot be complacent. Christians must take the initiative to define shared values for renewed liberalism in a post-Christian era.

James Paul Lusk is author of 'The Jesus Candidate: Political religion in a secular ag'e, published in 2017 by Ekklesia and available on www.thejesuscandidate.uk and other sources.
Republican tax-cut proposals are not popular with voters. A Quinnipiac survey, for instance, found that 53 percent of voters disapprove of the plan, and 61 percent think that it favors the rich. This is a strange outcome, when you consider that the top 1 percent of taxpayers, who pay 27 percent of federal income taxes, would get only 18 percent of the tax cuts in the Senate version of the plan, while the bottom 80 percent, who pay one-third of all federal income taxes, would get 37 percent of the reduction.

One explanation for this disconnect is the almost universally negative coverage of GOP tax plan by a media that no longer even pretends to be nonpartisan. Consider, for instance, how newspapers have described the plans most controversial feature: the effort to eliminate or reduce the deduction for state and local taxes (SALT). In high-tax states like New York and New Jersey, journalists have called it an economic dagger targeting middle-class residents and implying that as many as half of all households could face higher taxes. Mostly Democratic elected officialsfrom New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor-elect Phil Murphy to California Governor Jerry Brownhave made headlines with their objections.

Most media coverage focuses on what taxpayers would losenamely, a big SALT deductionbut neglects to explain what they would gain. Since the beginning of October, for instance, newspapers in New York have printed 70 stories about the SALT reform and Governor Cuomos objections to it. Many have quoted him saying that the GOP proposals would rape and pillage some New York districts, or, more moderately, that the reforms would take a tremendous toll on the state. But half of these stories dont even mention that the plan, which lowers most taxpayers rates, would double the standard deduction for individuals and families; and only one story details how the plan would reduce or eliminate the alternative minimum tax, which limits taxpayers itemized deductions. Those are significant omissions, considering that doubling the standard deduction alone would offset three-quarters of the SALT deduction that the average New York taxpayer who itemizes would lose under the GOP tax plan, according to the Empire Center. And 483,900 New York households that now pay the AMT could be relieved of that burden. Many are not rich: more than one in five AMT payers in New York earn between $100,000 and $200,000 annually.

Its true that rich taxpayers in high-tax states would get socked. A Partnership for New York City study estimated that a family in New York making $10 million annually would pay $421,000 a year more in taxes under the Republican Senate bill, largely because of the lost SALT deduction. Thats compared with a tax savings of almost $72,000 for the same family in Florida, a state with no income tax, where SALT deductions wont be missed. But the study also shows that for New York families earning between $100,000 and $500,000, the Senate bill cuts taxes. Even for households earning $1 million, the added tax bite is modestabout $3,341. Single taxpayers, who will enjoy a much smaller standard deduction and no child tax credits, will do worse in both places. Those earning $500,000 in Florida and New York would pay more.

These numbers create a problem for legislators in high-tax states, especially Democrats, putting them in the position of objecting to a deeper federal tax bite that, in truth, will pillage their wealthiest residents, whom these states already tax heavily. For instance, only about 2,500 households in New York earn $10 million or more annually, but they paid nearly $7 billion in state income taxes in the latest year for which data are available. In these states, politicians real fear is not, as some stories suggest, a middle-class exodus, but rather, the flight of high-earning individuals who are already shouldering a heavy tax burden and might now decide to move elsewhere. Politically, its easier to make a case against the GOP tax plan by implying that middle-class residents will take a heavier tax hiteven though the facts show otherwise.

Photo by Drazen_/iStock
Two attacks on Manhattan in the last six weeks by ISIS-inspired terrorists demonstrate that the jihadi threat is serious and real. Sayfullo Saipov, the Uzbeki national who murdered eight people with a truck on Halloween, and Akayed Ullah, the Bangladeshi whose pipe bomb appears to have detonated prematurely in the subway system this morning, are adherents of a radical ideology that urges armed struggle against the West. Theyre also recent immigrants to the United States, each arriving around 2010 from their respective countries.

According to New Yorks political leadership, these terrorists attack Americaand New York City, in particularbecause they hate our policy of openness to the world. We are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom, said Governor Andrew Cuomo at a press conference this morning. We have the Statue of Liberty in our harbor and that makes us an international target. Seconding this theme, Mayor de Blasio announced, the choice of New York is always for a reason: we are a beacon to the world and we actually show that a society of many backgrounds and many faiths can work . . . and our enemies want to undermine that.

If were to take this logic to its conclusion, Saipov and Ullah acted in violent opposition to American immigration policy. They hate the fact that the United States, alone among the worlds major countries, admits unskilled migrants in huge numbers, and allows recent non-citizen immigrants to sponsor their family members to come here, virtually without limit. According to New Yorks governor and mayor, the visa status of Saipov and Ullah is irrelevant (and unmentionable). Whats important is to recognize that these jihadis hate multiculturalism and open borders.

In fact, ISIS and its caliphate have not issued edicts or opinions about U.S. immigration policyor about our bicameral legislative structure, among many other facets of the American system. Their war on the West is an extension of the jihad on unbelievers, as well as a counterattack on America for invading Muslim lands. When politicians like Cuomo and de Blasio color every terror attack as inspired by the success of our multiculturalist society, they obscure the jihadis true motivations, while maintaining the fiction that our immigration policies are successful.

Sayfullo Saipov entered the U.S. through the Diversity Visa lottery, which hands out green cards more or less at random to lucky entrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Immigration advocates laud the Diversity lottery as an effective way to ensure that unskilled people without family connections in the United States can come here. We dont know yet why Akayed Ullah was allowed to come here, but Bangladeshis are among the fastest-growing immigrant groups in New York City. The number of Bangladeshi immigrants in the city has jumped from 28,000 in 2000 to approximately 74,000 today. Nearly one-third of Bangladeshis in New York live in poverty, versus 20 percent of New Yorkers generally; their per-capita income is roughly half of the city-wide average. The majority of Bangladeshis report limited English proficiency, despite coming from a country that, prior to its independence, had been a longtime British colony. Few immigrants from Bangladesh are admitted on the basis of their job skills. Of 14,819 Bangladeshis admitted to the United States in 2010, for example, 4,935 were let in because they were immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, while 6,006 got in under the category of family-sponsored preferences. The Diversity Visa lottery accounted for another 2,800. That leaves about 800 for skills-based entry, with 171 listed as refugees or asylum-seekers.

Critics of President Trumps travel ban on residents from a handful of Muslim-majority countries have pointed out that neither Uzbekistan nor Bangladesh are on the listproof, they claim, that the travel ban should be scrapped. The same logic could be used, though, to argue for expanding the travel ban: Why admit any more people from Bangladesh or Uzbekistan unless they can offer a compelling reason for their presence here?

Its time for the United States to take a serious look at the fundamentals of its immigration policy, beginning with a simple premise: the primary function of Americas immigration system should be not to benefit immigrants, but America.

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Insolvency Service has been accused of launching a witch trial to discredit Camila Batmanghelidjh, the former chief executive of Kids Company.

Her lawyers suggested she had been singled out over the directors of other high profile failures such as Woolworths and Bank of Scotland because she had embarrassed the government.

The Insolvency Service is seeking to disqualify the eight trustees of Kids Company from acting as company directors. It is also pursuing Batmanghelidjh, arguing she was a de factor director of the collapsed south London childrens charity, even though she was not a trustee.

Reports this week suggest that the former trustees, represented by charity law firm Bates Wells Braithwaite, may be near to agreeing voluntary disqualification as directors.

But Batmanghelidjh is being represented separately. She has now received funding to pay for her case from an anonymous benefactor, and is represented separately by law firm Gunnercooke. She has vowed to spend the next two years fighting the action.

'The Insolvency Service has decided to make maximum publicity'

Gunnercooke said in a statement that this was the highest profile action since the Company Directors Disqualification Act had come into force in 1986.

Of all the directors of all the companies that have collapsed since 1986  Lehmans, Woolworths, BHS, Bank of Scotland, Railtrack  the Insolvency Service has decided to make maximum publicity out of seeking to disqualify the well-meaning and generally competent trustees of an amazing charity, the law firm said.

If ever there were a modern-day witch trial then this is it.

The statement said that Batmanghelidjh was fighting the case because she believed she was being unfairly treated.

Ms Batmanghelidjh was neither a trustee nor a director of Kids Company and has no need or intention to be a director of a company in the future, the statement said. She is contesting this case because the thousands of children who placed their trust in Kids Company should know that their trust was honoured and the charity did nothing but fight for their care.

As a matter of principle, she also wishes to challenge a government system that seeks to silence those who advocate for the vulnerable.

The case against Ms Batmanghelidjh will fail, but by the time that happens she will have spent years under the cloud of suspicion and she will be hampered from continuing to help destitute children.

Every accusation against her will be refuted or shown to be so trivial that it is contemptuous of a department of state to raise it. For example she is accused of creating an unsustainable business model when it is an irrefutable fact that Kids Company ran successfully for 19 years.

The law firm said it would ensure scrutiny of the roles of David Cameron, then the prime minister, and other senior ministers and civil servants, during the company's collapse.

It also accused the government of using its resources to prevent a fair trial.

Huge government resource has been poured into this case, the statement said. It has become an exercise in swamping our resources, with thousands of documents produced, many of them irrelevant.

In August 2017, 17,000 pages of bank statements were sent by the Insolvency Service to us and they were followed on 8th September by 54 lever arch files, containing approximately 27,000 pages of documents.

The case highlights how inappropriate the company structure is for charities and how inappropriate it is to apply the normal rules of company law and conduct to the charitable sector.
John Baker from Moore Stephens looks at the problems that international aid solutions face in terms of fraud, and at some of the solutions they can use to minimise the risk.

With an estimated 152 million people in desperate need of assistance, humanitarian aid is certainly much needed. Unfortunately, the countries in which aid is distributed are often fragile, riddled with corruption and/or war-torn, leading to challenging environments for donors, governments, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and beneficiaries. Attempting to deliver aid in such dangerous and chaotic conditions will always increase the risk of fraud, corruption and theft.

Humanitarianism is complex with distant, lengthy and urgent supply chains. With banking systems on their knees (or non-existent), cash transfer programming (CTP) has proven to be successful in supporting war-zone refugees, as it is easy and provides people with some choice in deciding how to prioritise their needs. However, this flexibility is offset by reduced audit trails and lack of visibility in using al-hawala banking (where cash is delivered to people via an informal network or value transfer system  known as IVTS), plus the increased risk of theft/extortion by military and extremists.

The speed and urgency in which aid goods are required is an important consideration from a fraud risk perspective. Due to the short notice of intervention, there is often a rapid deployment and turnover of staff, and a reduction or total withdrawal of controls and checks, combined with employing individuals who may have short contracts with an agency, which can create a lack of solidarity between groups involved, widening the gap for fraud and corruption to creep in.

Another all too common occurrence when issuing humanitarian aid is the discrepancy between the actual need and the amount of donations received. If individuals are overwhelmed by donations, it can encourage corrupt practice. For example, when supplying aid such as food, the food may be sold for an inflated price for profit. Alternatively, the food may be diverted and records altered to mask this activity, indicating that the beneficiaries received the full amount when in fact this was much reduced.

There has been much discussion as to whether or not higher pay for officials can potentially reduce bribery and the leakages of donated funds. Some camps argue that paying the official a wage above their opportunity wage will ensure they behave honestly under certain conditions. Conversely, some argue that higher wages may strengthen bargaining power, which could lead to higher bribes.

Given the attitude to bribery in some of the countries in question, plus the heavy use of cash and terrorist activity in the localities, there is also the continuing struggle of being able to operate lawfully within the parameters of the UK Bribery Act (and its approach to Bribing a Foreign Public Official) and Anti-Money Laundering regulations. This is a huge challenge and risk and, despite doing the right thing through humanitarian eyes, this does not lift the heavy penalties and requirements placed upon organisations by relevant legislation.

Fortunately, much is being done to make the processes more transparent and fraud-proofed. Some agencies have invested significantly into new technology (such as biometrics and SMS text-messaging reporting platforms) which make reporting quicker and more transparent, helping track healthcare (such as medicines and malaria nets) and plan availability for where they are needed most.

Solutions

There are a number of solutions. As an example, supplies (as part of the Sierra Leones governments Free Health Care initiative, given out free of charge to children under five and to pregnant and breast-feeding mothers) procured by Unicef with funding from the European Union, the UK Department for International Development (DfID) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were successfully tracked in 2016 by mobile phones, thanks to Unicefs open source RapidPro system being deployed. Similarly, Moore Stephens has developed Hermes, which can be not only be used for cash-based transfers but also to confirm attendance at conferences and training events.

The importance of whistleblowing and a clear complaints procedure cannot be underestimated and organisations should ensure they have clear and trusted lines to encourage the reporting of concerns. However, it has to be borne in mind that, in some instances, there may be a disincentive for the benefitting community to report corruption. For example it could expose those involved in corruption, damaging the amount of aid received in the future. Consequently, a problem which the donor agencies face is that the amount of complaints in relation to the timeframe to which aid is expected. This can cause the aid agencies to fall short of recipients expectations, without having the mechanisms in place to deal with complaints in such a short timeframe. Much work has been done in this arena, with many charities and donors investing heavily into their whistleblowing policies and processes. Yet, despite this, there is still a culture of mistrust and fear  understandably, given the high stakes and criminals operating in the arena.

In conclusion, when dispensing humanitarian aid it is evident that there are a variety of causal factors that facilitate fraud and corruption, such as the need to move valuable resources quickly, undertaking large scale logistical projects, and dealing with huge amounts of displaced people and warring factions. Going forward, these factors will remain unchanged due to the nature of this aid. However, this does not deter the combined humanitarian aid players from constantly improving their policies and controls, pushing for clearer assurances and accountability to ensure the aid is reaching the right people at the right time. Whilst some might argue that preventing fraud is costly and inhibits a swift and agile response, it is clear that proactive counter-fraud frameworks offer a sustainable method with which to build and maintain public trust and drive down losses to fraud. With governments and the institutional donors demanding more and more assurance (to protect both their finances and reputations), most major international NGOs now have counter-fraud units or employ third-party firms to undertake both proactive and reactive assignments. With the old adage of prevention being better than cure for medicine, the same is also true for fraud and corruption.

John Baker is a director within Moore Stephens dedicated Governance, Risk & Assurance department, specialising in countering fraud and corruption.

Civil Society Media would like to thank Moore Stephens for their support with this article.
Dozens of laid-off and former LA Weekly staffers, freelancers, and supporters gathered outside the alt-weeklys headquarters on Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City on a recent Friday, vowing to take their newspaper back after a faceless holding company purchased it and abruptly fired almost the entire editorial staff a week earlier.

Standing on the sidewalk with a white coffin containing past issues of the second biggest news publication in Los Angeles, writers leading a movement to boycott the paper told a crowd of roughly 50 angry supporters at the noon rally that they hoped to convince advertisers to jump ship and compel the new owners to sell the paper to buyers who care about journalism. The gutting of the 40-year-old Weekly came shortly after the shuttering of local news site LAist along with a host of sister sites in major US cities by their billionaire owner after the writers voted to unionize.

ICYMI: She identified herself as a reporter. He then walked behind her and punched her in the side of the head

Amid public backlash over the sudden firing of its staff, the Weeklys new owners finally made themselves known earlier this month. One wrote opinion pieces for the Orange County Register that Weekly writers described as conservative with a Libertarian bentbut otherwise none have backgrounds in journalism, which prompted questions about their motives and competence. As major wildfires broke out in Southern California including one on LAs Westside, the LA Weekly had no fire coverage.

Just sell the paper, man. Just sell it. Its done. Youre finished. Go home. Orange Countys nice, former LA Weekly columnist Jeff Weiss told the crowd on Friday, drawing cheers and laughter. We just want a newspaper. We want to be writers. We want to be journalists. LA is burning. This whole fucking city is burning right now. They couldnt even tweet about it, to tell people where to evacuate.

LA is burning. This whole fucking city is burning right now. They couldnt even tweet about it.

The former writers slammed the all-male ownership group for firing a predominantly-female staff and voiced suspicions that, as the buyers are donors to right-wing politicians and causes, the Weekly purchase was an effort to invade LA with a point of view that is out of step with the city.

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Not only have they marched in here and insulted the writers and the journalists and all the freelancers involved in this paper and the goodwill that has been fostered for 40 years, they have insulted you by thinking they could fool you, says now-former music writer Katie Bain, wearing a T-shirt that read Writers vs. Everyone. Dont forget that. Theyre going to do their best to get their shit together and maybe they will, or maybe it will look like they will. Dont forget this. Dont forget what has happened. You cannot trust these men.

In a now-deleted tweet, the new owners appeared to ask for unpaid submissions and misspelled the word Angeleno. The print edition Thursday was anemic, made up of stories that had been assigned and edited before the lay-offs. Although the Weekly announced staffer Hillel Aron would be taking over as editor, no one seemed confident in its future on Friday.

I do think they have an agenda that is not in line with the values that LA Weekly has always had, but I think whatever it is theyre trying to do, theyre executing it very poorly, says now-former food editor Katherine Spiers. If the paper was functional she already knows how it would be covering the wildfires, she adds: If we were at full capacity, (reporter) Dennis Romero would be making phone calls, (reporter) Jason McGahan would be out there at the site of the fires. Thats the way newspapers work. Even for the food section, we would have been writing about the fact that (chef) Jose Andres is bringing his relief efforts to Los Angeles like he did in Puerto Rico.

ICYMI: MSNBC makes the right call

Theis just one in a series of alt-weeklies to be crippled by sweeping staff cuts or closurea pattern thats leaving a void of information and making it increasingly difficult to hold public officials accountable, says freelance journalist Alex Suskind, who came to show support for thewriters.

It kind of wraps itself up into this trend of not just alt-weeklies but local papers dissolving and being sold to people who dont care about the city or dont care about about the mission of journalism, Suskind says. Its terrible for the journalists who get fired, but its really terrible for the communities as well. A lot of these local papers speak truth to power. They hold the powerful accountable. If you dont have that, who is going to be out there calling attention to corruption?

But Weiss is determined not to let the LA Weekly go down quietly. Hes convinced the writer-driven boycott can make the purchase so unprofitable that the new owners will sell.

This is a winnable war, he told the crowd. They are counting on us to give up. I promise you that we will win because Im crazier than they are. You guys care more than everyone else does and we will win this shit. I will never stop.

Correction: This story previously stated there was no print edition last week.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area and staffer for the fact-checking organization Snopes.com.
Sedgwick to acquire Cunningham Lindsey

Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc., a global provider of technology-enabled risk and benefits solutions, has signed an agreement to acquire Cunningham Lindsey, a global loss adjusting, claims management and risk solutions firm.

Cunningham Lindsey assists businesses, insurance companies, brokers and policyholders around the world by offering expert support when losses occur, such as during natural disasters. The companys 6,000 professionals comprise local teams in 600 offices across 60 countries.

The Cunningham Lindsey group includes a range of services addressing all aspects of the risk management life cycle, including pre- and post-loss; their specialties in loss adjusting, third-party claims administration, global account management, forensic engineering, and restoration and repair consulting, among others, notably complement the existing offerings of Sedgwick and subsidiary Vericlaim.

The strategic acquisition of Cunningham Lindsey enhances Sedgwicks status as a global provider of innovative risk and benefit solutions and broadens the companys international footprint. Following the close of the transaction, the Sedgwick family will be more than 20,000 colleagues strong.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

GEICO Hiring 500 Jobs as Virginia Beach Operations Expanded

GEICO is once again adding to staff and expects to fill 500 positions in claims, sales, service, auto damage and the companys management development programs.

Candidates for these open spots need not have previous experience. To learn more and apply online today, candidates can go to www.geico.com/careers/office-locations/virginia-virginia-beach/.

Bardavon Health Innovation, Planned Administrators, Inc., to Launch Integrated Commercial Health and Workers Comp Product

Bardavon Health Innovations and Planned Administrators, Inc. (PAI), a third party administrator for property and casualty, announced an integrated commercial health and workers compensation product for large employers nationwide.

Employers who participate in this program will be able to enhance workforce productivity and population health outcomes through integration of relevant clinical, cost and quality information among commercial health insurers, wellness programs and workers compensation programs.

The effort is uniquely valuable to large employers nationwide who continue to grapple with rising health care costs and lost employee productivity, due in large part to musculoskeletal injuries and disabilities. (It is well-established that musculoskeletal injuries drive 16 to 18 percent of total U.S. health care spending.)

The program combines and streamlines the often-siloed components that service a workers compensation claim into one process.

This integrated service provides near real-time information and establishes an employer-directed set of customized quality metrics that can be tracked and measured consistently at an individual patient and provider level throughout the continuum of care.

For more information about this partnership, please contact Cadie Connors

cconnors@parriscommunications.com.

Enservio Offers WildfireContents.com for Southern California Victims to Expedite Filing of Insurance Claims

To help victims of the southern California wildfires quickly start the insurance claim process, Enservio is offering WildfireContents.com, a free contents inventory creation tool to assist homeowners, renters and businesses with the difficult task of inventorying their lost personal property.

Enservio, Inc. is a Solera owned company and a provider of contents claim management software, inventory and valuation services and payments solutions for property insurers.

WildfireContents.com is a self-service contents inventory option for policyholders to document lost possessions and generate a contents inventory document to support an insurance claim. The web-based app is powered by Enservios SaaS contents platform and offers intelligent autocomplete typing, receipt and image uploading.
Beware of headwinds

The left alliance has secured a resounding victory in the first ever state assembly and federal parliamentary elections, obtaining a clear mandate to rule the country for the next five years. The victory will help the alliance focus on core development issues, which could put an end to the economic inertia witnessed over the years.
Recent reports of sexual harassment committed by powerful men also highlight the failures of corporate compliance programs designed to protect employees. This is because few companies understand how their employees reach unethical and illegal decisions or have compliance strategies aimed at curbing them, according to research by a professor in the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Despite a sustained focus on curbing bad corporate behavior over the past two decades, and a resulting boom in the compliance industry, corporate America is still searching for compliance strategies that are evidence-based, demonstrably successful and cost effective, said Todd Haugh, assistant professor of business law and ethics at the Kelley School.

When we work in organizations that fail to encourage employees to report unethical behavior  or worse, punish those who do report  a collective feeling can emerge that nothing will change even if someone does speak up, Haugh added. This leads employees to rationalize their own ethical failings as normal or acceptable within the organization, reinforcing the culture of silence and leading to wide corruption within a company.

Haugh, a former criminal defense attorney, is the author of two research papers that present the value of using a behavioral science approach to better understanding what causes white-collar crime and corporate wrongdoing. Most corporate compliance programs are built around what the law requires, and many are run by former regulators or criminal law attorneys.

In a paper in MIT Sloan Management Review, The Trouble With Corporate Compliance Programs, he identifies eight rationalizations most frequently used by those committing unethical and criminal acts within companies:

Denying responsibility, such as suggesting that they were acting under orders or for reasons with larger economic implications.

Denying injury, when an offender excuses their behavior by claiming no real harm exists. This often happens when the victim is insured or when harm is to the public as a whole, such as during insider trading or antitrust cases.

Denying the victim, when the offender claims the victim deserved being harmed or when the victim is not clearly defined. It frequently is used in fraud cases against the government.

Condemning the condemners, shifting attention to the motives of others, such as regulators, prosecutors and government agencies.

Appealing to higher loyalties, when the offender claims they were sacrificing societal norms to protect a boss, bolster a failing business or maximize shareholder value.

Using a ledger metaphor, when people balance their negative actions against their positive accomplishments.

Claiming entitlement, when they simply believe they deserve the fruits of their illegal activity.

Claiming relative acceptability or normality, which involves comparing an offenders bad actions with those of others to relieve moral guilt.

Haughs research helps to explain why instances of harassment by entertainers, media moguls, politicians and other high-profile individuals often went ignored and unreported.

Its been reported that the Weinstein Co.s board knew of its CEOs actions, yet didnt act to stop him, Haugh said, citing the example of allegations against former film executive Harvey Weinstein. One common rationalization those board members might have been employing is called the appeal to higher loyalties, in which employees put the companys interests above that of larger society, or here, the interests of the harassed women.

In this and another new paper, Nudging Corporate Compliance, in American Business Law Journal, Haugh studied whether nonmonetary incentives can positively impact compliance.

The best approaches to compliance focus not on how government regulators will react to a compliance initiative but on how employees  the real customers of compliance  will be affected, he said. They consider the behavioral implications of the compliance program at every turn, particularly how company policies might foster or defeat employee rationalizations.

In the Nudging paper, Haugh studied companies use of simple interventions to influence good behavior, following the concept established by 2017 Nobel Prize-winning economist Richard Thaler.

Examples of corporate nudging include brief written reminders of morality for employees completing travel reimbursement forms and checklists before client funds are transferred. Other companies employ more sophisticated methods, including using algorithmic software to monitor employee activity.

In short, Haugh discovered that while subtle suggestions from management can influence positive employee behavior, it also can backfire and become a tool of unwanted behavioral manipulation. He recommends an approach that balances preserving employee autonomy with an understanding of broader benefits.

In the paper, he pointed to the recent scandal at Wells Fargo, where now former employees allegedly created fake customer accounts despite extensive training on the companys code of conduct and banking regulations as well as explicit messages to not create fake bank accounts.

At first glance, this situation appears perfect for a first-degree, just-in-time, certification-type nudge, in which employees are prompted to consider moral standards before opening additional employee accounts, Haugh said. Yet a deeper look demonstrates that even if employees had received the nudge perfectly, they would interpret it against the backdrop of their true preferences  here, to act unethically to save their jobs while telling themselves that it is necessary, everyone else is doing it or that no one will really be harmed by their actions.

These are classic rationalizations employed by white-collar offenders, and they act as powerful counters to any behavioral ethics nudges that reach employees. Yet rationalizations are employee-specific, and they may overlap and interact in a multitude of ways, he added. Although delivered with precision, the behavioral ethics nudge used here simply may have no effect given the varied and variable social and organizational pressures making it more likely that good people will do bad things.

But Haugh concludes that behavioral ethics nudging has potential to be one of the most important advances in corporate compliance in decades  a unique tool in the fight against corporate wrongdoing benefiting employees, companies and the public.

Source: Indiana University
Workers at U.S. meat and poultry processing plants are reluctant to tell federal inspectors about injuries or workplace hazards amid concerns that they could lose their jobs, according to a government report.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has difficulty addressing workers safety concerns because many wont contact the agency for fear of employer retaliation, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a study released Thursday. That means the agency may not be able to identify or address conditions that endanger them. OSHA usually conducts worker interviews on site, which prevents workers from remaining anonymous.

Employees interviewed by the GAO at plants in five states said bathroom access was a concern and they are afraid of speaking up at work. Requests to use the bathroom are often delayed or denied, and workers also cited concerns with on-site medical care. The GAO urged OSHA to ask workers to disclose sensitive concerns and get information about worker access to bathrooms, among other recommendations.

The report also found that chemicals dont always undergo a federal review of potential risks to worker safety before being used in plants.

The GAOs evaluation comes a year after a report from Oxfam America alleged that workers in U.S. poultry plants are regularly denied bathroom breaks and some resort to wearing diapers on the processing line. The central underlying problem is the pervasive climate of fear inside poultry plants, Oxfam said Thursday in a statement.

The poultry industry is constantly looking at ways to continue to improve worker safety, the National Chicken Council, the National Turkey Federation and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association said in a statement.

In a tight labor market like the one we have now, there is an even stronger incentive to protect our employees and ensure that they are healthy and able to perform their jobs, Barry Carpenter, president of the North American Meat Institute, said in a statement.

Attached Media

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
Fire guts property over Rs 10 million in Kathmandu

Property worth millions of rupees was destroyed by fire at Baniyatar of Tokha municipality-8 in Kathmandu early on Tuesday morning.
GeekWire Chooses Pittsburgh for Temporary HQ2

December 12, 2017

GeekWire is coming to Pittsburgh  at least for a while.

The Seattle-based technology news hub announced today that it will establish a second, temporary headquarters in Pittsburgh for the month of February. The idea to create a reporting outpost was prompted by the much-publicized Amazon HQ2, with GeekWire placing special emphasis on choosing a city that it considers a strong contender for the Amazon prize.

Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, with encouragement from colleagues at the University of Washington, last month submitted an invitation to GeekWire to consider Pittsburgh in its search. The SCS proposal emphasized local officials likely would not break their silence regarding details of the region's bid for the Amazon HQ2 bid, but contended the city had too many great stories to ignore.

Two or three reporters will arrive in Pittsburgh in late January to begin exploring Pittsburgh. Throughout February, they plan to write about the tech scene and examine the local food culture, public transportation, infrastructure, arts scene, economic development and other factors relevant to the Amazon search.

"We are excited to choose Pittsburgh as the home for GeekWire HQ2  our temporary headquarters for the month of February," said John Cook, GeekWire co-founder. "Pittsburgh is undergoing an amazing rebirth, transforming itself into a world leader in the innovation economy. Interesting stories abound in Pittsburgh  from the cutting-edge research labs of Carnegie Mellon to the startup spaces of East Liberty to the influx of engineering talent.

"We look forward to telling those stories, and connecting with civic, tech and business leaders about a changing city, while at the same time indulging in the city's food renaissance and cheering on the Penguins."

The GeekWire staff, despite trepidation about February weather in southwestern Pennsylvania, picked Pittsburgh as one of four finalists, along with Denver, Cincinnati and Raleigh. Editors invited readers to vote their preference among the finalists. Pittsburgh was the runaway winner, with 50 percent of the votes.

"Is there a cooler tech city than Pittsburgh? I don't think so," said Andrew Moore, SCS dean. "That's why we always welcome writers, editors and photographers who have the talent to convey what's happening here to the larger world. GeekWire has an excellent reputation in Seattle and we are excited about them coming here to get better acquainted."

GeekWire was launched in March 2011 by Cook and Todd Bishop, both veteran journalists. The site covers technology developments throughout the Pacific Northwest and nationally, with 70 percent of its readership outside the Seattle region. It focuses special attention on hometown industry behemoths Amazon and Microsoft while covering research developments and tech startups in the region. It sponsors a number of events, such as the GeekWire Summit and GeekWire Cloud Tech Summit, and has a weekly radio show.

"GeekWire has grown to become a dominant tech news organization and an epicenter for the local technology community," according to the news site.

Though SCS extended an invitation, GeekWire will operate independently, just like any other news media outlet, and SCS will neither exercise control over editorial content nor favor GeekWire over other news outlets.

"We very much look forward to learning more about this historic American city, and how it is positioning for continued economic and societal vibrance in the coming years," Cook said. "If you have story ideas for our reporters or just want to tell us a great place to eat, please email us at hq2@geekwire.com."
Plenty of people are worried about the stock market's seemingly endless rally, but CNBC's Jim Cramer is more interested in the drivers behind it.

"Stocks have indeed come very far very fast, we're right on the cusp of multiple rate hikes, there was a terrorist attack in Times Square, we've got a special prosecutor investigating the White House and last week we almost had a government shutdown that was only temporarily averted. Yet stocks [are] in great shape," the "Mad Money" host said.

With some seasoned Wall Streeters calling a top to the action and warning investors to get out of the market now, Cramer found some tangible factors that could be responsible for the gains.

First on Cramer's list was employment. High employment can have a positive effect on the economy, he said. Consumers buy homes, cars and expensive iPhones. Confidence rises.

Second, it's important to look at the kinds of jobs being created, Cramer said. In November, the U.S. economy added 31,000 manufacturing jobs, a better gain than Cramer's seen in years.

"The manufacturing sector [is] incredibly robust ... because the United States now has found abundant natural resources that we tend to take for granted," he said.

The sheer amount of energy, particularly renewable energy, in the United States has made the country a lead exporter of cheap crude oil, gasoline and liquefied natural gas.

Even though that wasn't supposed to happen (OPEC's cuts were meant to balance oil markets, not skew them in favor of the United States), Cramer said it's brought huge benefits to U.S. oil producers.

Now, those companies are producing energy at lower costs, finding more oil with fewer rigs and are flush with business even at historically low oil prices.

"That's why this rig count we follow on Friday and the oil inventories on Wednesday ... really don't matter that much anymore," Cramer said. "We're getting much more out of each rig. That matters. Who cares about storage when we're exporting oil at a record pace?"

"In short, jobs are being distributed more broadly in places that had been fallow," Cramer added.

Third, the GOP's attempted overhaul of the U.S. tax code would bring benefits for businesses, particularly those that pay high taxes.

Corporate tax cuts would enable giants like Boeing, for example, to return more money to shareholders via dividends and buybacks and invest in their companies via hiring and research and development.

"We know they have far more plane orders than they can handle. They need to expand their capacity. Maybe they get the money to make that happen," Cramer said. "Bullish."

Fourth, the White House's push for deregulation has breathed new life into small businesses, spurring hiring and increased confidence, the "Mad Money" host said.

"You may think this really bad, [but] I'm not talking politics. Purely from an economic standpoint, deregulation is good for the stock market," Cramer said.

Paired with the comebacks in left-for-dead stocks like Valeant and the once-pronounced-dead retail cohort, Cramer said that the environment is just right for stocks to keep running.

"Last week, I did present a list of worries when we were hitting all-time highs again, like today, that I'm always ruminating on," Cramer said. "But I think the reason why this market keeps hanging in there matters a lot more. The truth is, when the economy's this good, you are indeed unlikely to get a sustained decline."
Many reports that track corporate deal-making have confirmed a global slowdown in 2017, but one country has bucked the trend, according to advisory firm Duff & Phelps.

Malaysia recorded $17.57 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions from 408 deals in 2017  the highest level in five years, the latest Duff & Phelps's Transaction Trail report showed on Tuesday. Last year, Malaysia sealed 375 transactions worth $14.25 billion.

The increase in both M&A volume and value in the Southeast Asian country contrasted with the slowdown in global activity, Duff & Phelps said. The firm's data show there were 36,718 transactions valued at $2.82 trillion in 2017, down from 40,305 deals worth $3.61 trillion the previous year.

"Globally, there's been a bit of a slowdown in M&A deal activity, PE (private equity) and VC (venture capital) investments as well. We've seen a bit of slowdown in China as well but we seem to be seeing an increase in Southeast Asia," Srividya Gopalakrishnan, managing director at Duff & Phelps, told CNBC.

Companies from China and Hong Kong, facing government restrictions on capital outflows, have turned to Southeast Asia for business opportunities, Gopalakrishnan added. That has helped to fuel activities in the region and is expected to continue into the next year.

Chinese and Hong Kong companies last year "did a lot of global acquisitions," she said. "Now they seem to be looking more at Southeast Asia, because the deal sizes aren't that big but they still give them great impetus for their own growth."
he Pentagon expressed skepticism and said, "Russian comments about removing forces do not often correspond with actual troop reductions"

Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses Russian forces at the Russian Khmeimim air base. Mikhail Klimentyev | TASS | Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday hailed the defeat of ISIS terrorists in Syria during a visit to the war-torn country and also announced plans to withdraw a "significant part" of Russia's troop presence in Syria. "The fact that we defeated ISIS, one of the main terrorist groups, here in Syria is extremely important for Syria, Russia, and the entire world," Putin said, according to a transcript provided by his office.

watch now

Putin's comments about defeating the terrorists and sending troops home may play well to a domestic audience in Russia after the 65-year-old leader confirmed last week that he plans to seek re-election. Globally, though, Putin conceded that "the threat of terrorism remains high." In 2015, Putin sent special forces and combat aircraft to Syria in a campaign to prop up the regime of Syrian leader Bashar Assad, who at the time was struggling for survival after terrorists and rebel groups made significant gains. Iran also has been boosting Assad, sending weapons and thousands of soldiers to Syria.

A handout picture released on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency on December 11, 2017 shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in the Russian air base in Hmeimim in the northwestern Syrian province of Latakia. Syrian Presidency Facebook page | AFP | Getty Images

On Monday, Assad met face to face with Putin at Russia's Khmeimim air base in Syria and thanked him for the support. Also, despite withdrawing some troops the Russian leader indicated that Moscow would retain its two large bases in Syria, both the Khmeimim air base located southeast of Syria's top port city of Latakia and the Tartus naval base in Syria's second-largest port city The Pentagon expressed skepticism about Putin's announcement to send some Russian troops home. "Russian comments about removing forces do not often correspond with actual troop reductions, and these statements do not affect U.S. priorities in Syria," U.S. Marine Corps Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a Pentagon spokesman, told CNBC. "The global coalition will continue to operate along with local forces to defeat ISIS. Our goal is a stabilized and liberated territory, which allow displaced Syrians and refugees to return." Experts say Putin's plans to send troops home are partly to ratchet up the pressure on the Trump administration to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria. In October, a senior U.S. military officer indicated there were about 4,000 American troops in Syria. "The Assad-Russia-Iran proxy network alliance are now turning their sights toward trying to force the United States out of Syria," said Nicholas Heras, a Middle East security fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a progressive think tank based in Washington. Heras added, "The greatest existential threat to Assad's regime in Damascus is if the Trump administration decides that it will stay in Syria indefinitely. That then creates a type of pressure on Assad that could down the line leave to a collapse of his regime." Meantime, analysts say Russia's declaration that ISIS has been defeated is still premature since there are still ISIS cells that are spread throughout Syria.

watch now

The U.S. continues to rely on the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of predominantly Kurdish fighters, to battle against ISIS in Syria. The U.S. also has several military outposts in Syria for the mission to defeat the terrorist group. Regardless, recent reports have also suggested Russia may want to turn its attention now to help in the fight against ISIS in parts of western Iraq. Such a move, though, would likely face opposition from the U.S.-led coalition battling the terror group. "The attention of the international counter-terrorism coalition should be focused on how to destroy militants in Iraq's western regions in order to prevent the comeback of ISIS to Syria, and how to exclude the revival of the Islamic Caliphate there, but not on the deployment of its own military bases in Syria," Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russia's first deputy defense minister, said last week, according to remarks carried by the state-run Tass news agency. Tass quoted the Russian general as saying that the U.S. coalition had failed to get the job done in Syria. "Contrary to the statements by our Western partners, the operations of the international anti-terror coalition led by the United States have not yielded any considerable successes on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic," Gerasimov said.  Reuters contributed to this report

WATCH: US-Russia announce cease-fire in southwest Syria
Global arms sales last year totaled $374.8 billion and posted the first increase since 2010, lifted in part by increased sales of the F-35 stealth fighter by Lockheed Martin , according to statistics released Monday by a research organization in Sweden.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said arms sales by Lockheed  the world's top arms producer  rose by 10.7 percent in 2016 to $40.83 billion, which it said helped the U.S. increase its overall share of the arms market to nearly 58 percent.

"With the acquisition of helicopter producer Sikorsky in late 2015 and higher delivery volumes of the F-35 combat aircraft, Lockheed Martin reported significant growth in its arms sales in 2016," said Aude Fleurant, director of SIPRI's arms and military expenditure program.

The second-largest corporate arms producer last year was U.S. aerospace and defense giant Boeing followed by Raytheon, known for making the Patriot air defense system.

Overall, the report also said last year's sales from the top-100 corporate global arms sellers was up 1.9 percent from 2015 levels, reaching $374.8 billion. It said last year marked the first year of growth in the global arms sales after five years of consecutive declines.

According to SIPRI, the combined sales of the Western European arms producers was up just 0.2 percent to $91.6 billion, although it said there were decreases in sales among top companies in France and Italy. British and German companies, however, posted increases, and the largest revenue generator in the region was U.K.'s BAE Systems .

"The UK's decision to withdraw from the European Union did not seem to have an impact on the arms sales of British companies," the report said. The researcher pointed out that BAE's sales were up about 2 percent last year and that the U.K.-based company ranked number 4 on its top-100 list of global arms producers.

Elsewhere, the combined arms sales of 10 Russian companies making the top-100 list was $26.6 billion last year, up nearly 4 percent from 2015 and just over 7 percent of the list's overall total. Russia has been getting more aggressive in the past few years selling arms to countries that are historically large buyers of U.S. weapon systems, such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Chinese companies also are more active in defense sales abroad, including advanced military drones.The report from SIPRI excludes China company figures, though, because it said there a "lack of data on which to make a reasonable estimate on arms sales for most companies."

Meantime, the report also said South Korea is becoming a bigger player among so-called "emerging producers" as it also looks to increase its own security due to threats from North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missiles programs. South Korea's corporate arms sales last year reached $8.4 billion, up nearly 21 percent from 2015 levels.

"Continuing and rising threat perceptions drive South Korea's acquisitions of military equipment, and it is increasingly turning to its own arms industry to supply its demand for weapons," said Siemon Wezeman, a senior reseacher at SIPRI. "At the same time, South Korea is aiming to realize its goal of becoming a major arms exporter."
What I found on these sites was more pitiful than fear-inspiring. Sure, some alt-tech platforms were filled with upsetting examples of Nazi imagery and bigoted garbage. But most were ghost towns, with few active users and no obvious supervision. As technology products, many are second- or third-rate, with long load times, broken links and frequent error messages. A few had been taken offline altogether.

Recently, I spent several days testing a number of these alt-tech services. I created accounts, explored their features and interfaces, and interviewed users of each site about their experiences. (With my wife's permission, I even created a WASP.love profile and advertised myself as a New York journalist looking to interview lovelorn white supremacists. Oddly, I got no takers.)

More than a dozen "alt-tech" companies have now emerged, each promising a refuge from political correctness and censorship. There is Gab, a kind of alt-Twitter social network that began last year, whose early adopters included prominent figures like Milo Yiannopoulos and Andrew Anglin, the founder of the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website. There is WrongThink (alt-Facebook), PewTube (alt-YouTube), Voat (alt-Reddit), Infogalactic (alt-Wikipedia) and GoyFundMe (alt-Kickstarter). There is even WASP.love, a dating site for white nationalists and others "wishing to preserve their heritage."

In recent months, as sites like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook have cracked down on hate speech and barred several high-profile conservative users, the alt-right made a declaration of technological independence from Silicon Valley. Hard-right activists vowed to create their own versions of these digital services, on which all views would be welcome, no matter how crude or incendiary.

If you've lost sleep worrying about the growing power of the alt-right  that shadowy coalition that includes white nationalists, anti-feminists, far-right reactionaries and meme-sharing trolls  I may have found a cure for your anxiety.

If the alt-right's ideology harks back to 1940s Germany, its web design might transport you to 1990s GeoCities. Even the movement's own adherents have grown frustrated. One Gab user, who claimed to be using the site while temporarily suspended from Twitter, complained in a public post about the site's technical inferiority.

"I'm an investor in Gab," wrote the user, who goes by the username @AnewThomasPaine. "I believe in the idea, but I'm disappointed in the platform." In another message, he wrote: "I barely use it as there are few active users, and few essential features even after a year."

Gab, which claims to have more than 300,000 registered users, was supposed to be an alt-tech success story. The service attracted reams of attention when it launched last year, and it raised more than $1 million in a crowdfunding campaign, making it the rare alt-tech platform with significant resources. Utsav Sanduja, Gab's chief operating officer, told Slate this year that the company was starting an organization called the "Free Speech Tech Alliance," and had recruited more than 100 Silicon Valley engineers to help.

But today, Gab is buggy and confusing, and much of the activity on the site appears to come from a small core of frequent users. Several of the well-known figures who once posted on the site have abandoned it. ("I'm a creature of habit, and fell out of habit of posting there," Mike Cernovich, a notorious right-wing media personality, told me.) The site also had its own censorship drama earlier this year, after moderators removed a post that mocked Heather Heyer, the activist killed during the Charlottesville protests.

Gab's founder, Andrew Torba, declined to comment on the site's progress, telling me in a Gab message that "I don't do interviews with fake news outlets."

Instead, I spoke with Cody Wilson, a developer in Texas who is behind another alt-tech service. Mr. Wilson's product, a crowdfunding site called Hatreon, was meant to give alt-right personalities and others a way to raise money for projects deemed too risque for mainstream crowdfunding platforms such as Patreon and Kickstarter.

Hatreon got off to a fast start, with more than 400 creators raising about $25,000 per month on the platform. But lately, it has fallen into disrepair. According to Mr. Wilson, a major credit card company, which he declined to name, kicked Hatreon off its network last month, preventing many users from funding projects on the site and all but killing the company's prospects for growth. Today, visitors to Hatreon are greeted by a message saying that "pledging is currently disabled while we upgrade our systems."

Mr. Wilson, who does not describe himself as alt-right, said he has accepted that building a viable alt-tech business might be impossible, given the practical constraints.

"I don't understand how any of them plan to be profitable," he said.

Things aren't going much better for WrongThink, which went online in late 2016 with aspirations of becoming a free-speech alternative to Facebook and Twitter. A year later, WrongThink has only about 7,000 registered members, according to the site's founder, who goes by the username Bane Biddix.

Far-right activists have been trying to build alternative tech platforms for years, with little success. A decade ago, white nationalist websites with names like New Saxon and PodBlanc sprang up to compete with Myspace, Friendster, and the other social giants of the era. But most of those sites fizzled when their creators ran out of money or got into legal trouble. And none came close to reaching a large mainstream audience.

Granted, it is still the early days for this new wave of services, which are coming of age during the Trump years and could benefit from changing norms around P.C. culture and acceptable speech. Some alt-right leaders are hopeful that a coming "purge" on Twitter  their phrase for a change in the site's hate speech policies, which Twitter plans to enforce beginning next week  will send scores of disgruntled users scurrying to alt-tech platforms.

But Mark Pitcavage, who studies right-wing extremism at the Anti-Defamation League, told me that alt-tech companies face several structural barriers. Not only do they have to build a compelling product and attract users  a steep challenge even in the best of circumstances  but they must do it without access to mainstream funding sources, such as venture capital firms and angel investors, which provide much of the fuel for other tech start-ups. They also rely on finding companies that are willing to host their services and process their payments.

"Being on the internet is a group venture," Mr. Pitcavage said. "You rely on an internet service provider, a domain name service, a credit card processor. It's a very common thing for one or more of these entities not to want to do business with a white supremacist group."

There is also a talent shortage among alt-tech companies, many of which rely on activist volunteers, and few of which can afford to pay the kinds of salaries demanded by top-tier programmers.

"Speaking frankly, you're not getting 10x engineer talent with these people," said Mr. Wilson of Hatreon, using a popular Silicon Valley term for a star employee. "No one's lining up for this."

Alt-tech is also a victim of the same market forces that have held back other small tech start-ups. Much of the internet's basic architecture is controlled by a handful of gatekeepers  Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon among them. Those companies run back-end services that allow developers to build reliable products, the app stores that allow them to reach a mass audience, and the advertising platforms that allow them to make money. Without the support of Silicon Valley's giants, it's nearly impossible to compete, no matter what your political views are.

"If someone with sufficient money and determination magically materialized, I'm not saying it's impossible, but even then it wouldn't be easy," Mr. Pitcavage said.

The good news for the alt-right's detractors, then, is that the movement's vision of a flourishing parallel internet seems doomed to fail.

The bad news is that, without a functional alternate ecosystem, it may be harder to quarantine the views of neo-Nazis and other noxious ideologues to little-used corners of the internet, far from the vast majority of users. Facebook, Twitter, and other mainstream services will continue to be the dominant venue for ideological battles, and keeping these platforms free of hate and misinformation will remain those companies' responsibility. Let's hope they're up to the challenge.

Email Kevin Roose at kevin.roose@nytimes.com, or follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/kevinroose and on Twitter @kevinroose.
Fugitive Tikapur carnage suspect wins landslide victory in Kailali-1

Rastriya Janata Party (RJP) candidate Resham Chaudhary, who is in the most wanted list of police, has secured a resounding victory from Kailali-1 in the federal parliament election.
Most holiday travelers assume getting to and from their destinations will be a nightmare around the peak winter season, but that largely depends on where you are.

Elite Fixtures rounded up the best  and the worst  airports, airlines and days to travel (based the highest percentage of delays and cancellations as well as the average delay time) ahead of the December holidays.

Travelers are most likely to get stuck in Houston but experience smooth sailing in Honolulu, the electric supply and home decor company found, based on five years of data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (Click on all graphics to enlarge).
Investor interest in German commercial real estate has risen above even London's buoyant market, according to research.

"Germany is seen as the safe haven of Europe, it has the strongest economy, a liquid market and the ongoing political uncertainty is not making markets worried," Thomas Schneider, chief investment officer and founder of online marketplace BrickVest, told CNBC over the phone.

According to BrickVest's research, which surveyed 3,500 people, one in three commercial real estate investors say Germany is the top region to invest in Europe  beating the U.K. for the first time since 2015. With Brexit putting a cloud of uncertainty over the future of U.K. firms, investors doubt that these companies will make strong commitments when it comes to their rents. As a result, the returns in U.K. office space are seen as limited and investors have started looking elsewhere.
Protesters demonstrate outside the White House in Washington, DC, on March 23, 2017, against President Donald Trump and his plans to end Obamacare. After several failures to repeal the ACA, last week Trump stopped federal payments that have been key to subsidizing ACA coverage for low-income Americans. He also cut the budget to market the ACA during open enrollment season.

The one thing most entrepreneurs can agree they want from their government is to support their risk-taking rather than put up roadblocks. The current Obamacare fight puts business owners in a tough spot. The ACA enrollment season just ended on Friday, and entrepreneurs must make decisions about health care for themselves and their employees in an atmosphere of uncertainty and with mainstays of Obamacare under continued threat. The tax reform plan still being finalized by Congress is expected to include a repeal of the ACA's individual mandate. "We talk about the entrepreneurial spirit and formation of new businesses being at the core of our resilience and strength as an economy," said Dave Yeske, CFP, managing director of Yeske Buie. "That entails people being unconstrained by other considerations, like not being able to give up their big-company health coverage." President Donald Trump already cut off cost-sharing reduction payments that help offset out-of-pocket health insurance costs, such as co-payments and deductibles, for low-income Americans covered under the ACA. He also slashed the advertising and support budget for the ACA open-enrollment season by 90 percent, which health-care experts say could result in a lower enrollment total than last year and serve as another trigger for higher premiums.



Recent weekly enrollment numbers have been down from last year, and even though there was a surge as the deadline approached this week, many experts expect the final enrollment figure for 2017 to fall short of last year's pace. Even before these direct hits on the ACA, premiums were expected to rise in many states. Insurers that went ahead and factored a potential cost-sharing reduction halt, or repeal of the ACA's individual mandate, into their summer requests to states for premium increases projected spikes of above 40 percent. Insurers in Idaho, Maryland, New Mexico, Tennessee and Virginia cited the CSR or other anti-ACA moves for between 10 percent and 20 percent of their anticipated higher plan premiums.

Entrepreneurs already hit hard by health insurance costs

Health-care coverage has already become a scarcer commodity among smaller companies: Only 50 percent of companies with three to 49 employees offered health insurance to employees in 2017, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. That's a big drop from a decade ago, when 66 percent of small businesses offered coverage. The reason: For 44 percent of the small-business owners, it comes down to cost. The latest CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey released this week found that cost of employee health care remains a key concern for small-business owners, with 16 percent citing it as their business' "most critical" issue. It was second only to taxes. Among a subset of larger small businesses  those with 10 to 49 employees  cost of health care was the No. 1 "most critical" issue, the survey found, with 26 percent of owners in this group citing it at No. 1 compared to taxes, customer demand, labor costs and cost of capital/debt. According to Kaiser's annual Employer Health Benefits survey, small-business employers contribute nearly $5,500 on average for single-employee coverage premiums and almost $11,000 for family coverage premiums. The employees of small businesses, meanwhile, pay more than $1,000 on average for single-coverage annual premiums and near $7,000 for family coverage. Workers covered by small firms contribute $1,550 more annually for family health coverage than those at large firms. What's more, 37 percent of covered workers at small firms are in a plan with a deductible of at least $2,000, compared to 15 percent for workers at large firms.

"I don't think mucking around with the ACA and trying to make the wheels come off is going to help small-business owners," said Yeske, who is also director of Golden Gate University's financial planning program. As he recalls, prior to the ACA, it was "difficult or impossible" for many to buy individual policies for themselves or their employees. Among half of all businesses with less than 50 employees that did not offer health insurance to workers this year, 16 percent said they provide funds to their workers to purchase health insurance on their own in the individual market or through the ACA marketplaces. But only 2 percent said the most important reason is that their employees can get a better deal in the marketplaces. Entrepreneurs do have options to protect themselves from higher costs, or the inability to access the coverage they and their employees need, if the ACA is continually changed and premiums rise as expected. Here are four ideas:

1. Do your homework on association health plans.

Under an executive order issued by Trump earlier this year, federal officials have been charged with looking for a way to bring back association health plans. Prior to Obamacare, these health plans were often offered through trade associations to their members. Under Trump's executive order, small businesses would be able to band together to offer these plans. Prior to Obamacare, associations could decide which state's insurance rules they wished to follow, which sometimes resulted in skimpy plans that were most beneficial to young, healthy members who wanted to save on premiums. The ACA changed that, treating the associations as small businesses and saying they had to follow all of the law's requirements. While supporters say association health plans will be able to offer lower premiums because of lower regulatory requirements and better bargaining power, The Commonwealth Fund  a private foundation that does independent research on health-care issues  says they would undermine the ACA's protections for people with preexisting conditions. It has also noted that in the past, AHPs have taken advantage of regulatory exemptions from consumer protections, such as guaranteed access to coverage and benefit standards. "Even if we were to see association health plans out there again, my concern would be: Are they offering less rich coverage than we have now under the ACA?" said David Solomons, senior vice president, employee benefits at GFI Insurance Brokerage in New York. And though they might offer lower premiums, there is the risk those premiums would rise if members of the association file a lot of expensive claims. Solomons explained: "Let's say you join an association in trucking. You don't have a lot of young people going into trucking. If you have a risk pool made up of predominantly older people, you might see an initial reduction in administrative costs, but eventually your claims costs are going to skyrocket."

2. Understand the limitations of short-term insurance.

Trump's executive order also instructed several federal agencies to consider reversing a directive from the Obama administration that limited short-term, limited-duration insurance plans to three months. Those who only had these plans were subject to a penalty for lacking insurance under the ACA. Given the cost of health insurance, many people, including self-employed people who found the cost of traditional insurance daunting, have in the past found it tempting to use these plans, stringing together several short-term health plans as a substitute. To prevent this, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule that limited them to three months' duration, down from a maximum of 12 months, effective April 2017. As Solomons noted, they come with some risks. "If you look at how many of the insurance companies are pulling out of the Obamacare exchanges because they cannot make money, I don't know that offering a short-term policy will be any more of a moneymaker for them," says Solomons. "If they offered it at a lower premium, the benefit would be reduced so much, the individual would have a pretty significant burden placed on them."

3. Keep your eye on news about Health Reimbursement Arrangements.

These are employer-sponsored plans that allow the employer to reimburse the employee for certain types of health-care expenses on a tax-free basis. Currently, they are not portable, meaning if someone leaves their job, they stay with the employer. Trump's executive order aims to "increase the usability of HRAs to expand employers' ability to offer HRAs to their employees and to allow HRAs to be used in conjunction with nongroup coverage." This means the employer could potentially give money to employees in an HRA so the employee could buy health coverage on his or her own, Solomons said. "For employers with more than 50 employees, a HRA is a great way to help employees fund part of a high-deductible health plan's large deductible using the savings recognized by the lower premiums," he said. "Actuarially, we know that not all employees will need to utilize the money available in the HRA, so for the employer it's a great way to make available a specific benefit (i.e. funding part of the high deductible) to all [while only funding] for those who actually incur claims against their deductible." Currently, to have an HRA, the employer must offer  or the employee must be enrolled in  health insurance, either with the employer or with their spouse. The president's directive would further expand it to allow the employee to be covered under an exchange or individual policy, as well.

Prior to Trump's executive order, employers not offering ACA-approved group health insurance but instead offering a small employer HRA could be fined up to $100 a day, Solomons said. HRAs differ from the current Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA), which was resurrected at the beginning of 2017 to allow for reimbursement payments to employees who purchased individual health insurance on the exchange because their employer had less than 50 employees and did not offer group health insurance. Currently, maximum employer contributions for these are limited to $4,950 for employee-only coverage and $10,000 for family coverage. The standard HRA has no contribution limit.

4. Speak up against inequities in the tax code.
Wall Street is watching the Alabama Senate race along with the rest of the U.S., wondering how it could affect tax cuts and the Republican agenda.

The close race pits Republican Roy Moore against Democrat Doug Jones. Polls have mostly shown a slim lead for Moore, but it's unclear how much support he will get from some groups within the Republican Party that may be unwilling to overlook allegations against Moore of sexual misconduct with teenagers.

While President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee have urged Alabamans to vote for the GOP candidate, some Republicans have spoken against Moore, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, who said he would not vote for him.

"A win by Jones would shrink the GOP Senate margin to 49-51, making it virtually impossible for [Senate Majority leader] Mitch McConnell to get much done next year," writes Greg Valliere, chief global strategist at Horizon Investments. "Why? Because GOP mavericks Susan Collins, Bob Corker and others are likely to stray, knowing that their votes will be even more important with a reduced Republican majority."

Stock prices have gotten a boost from just the idea of tax reform, mostly in the past month as both the House and Senate approved versions of the bill that are now being worked out in conference.

"I think that most investors are probably hoping that the outcome will not adversely impact the tax vote," said Sam Stovall, chief market strategist at CFTA. "I think Wall Street is hoping the tax bill passes and believes there's a greater likelihood if that Senate seat stays Republican."

Stovall said if Moore loses, it could pressure stocks. "Without the tax cut, I think stocks are overvalued by 10 to 15 percent," he said. Tax legislation is expected to be ready for a vote before Congress breaks for the holidays  too soon for the new Alabama senator to vote.

Republicans expect to bring the tax plan to a vote on Dec. 22 (before the next senator would be seated), "though we've seen such dates slip in the past," wrote Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rates strategy at BMO. "Rather than broader and more grandiose conclusions about the shape of the 2018 midterms, markets may have to simply settle on what this race means for legislation in the coming months."

The polls will close in Alabama at 8 p.m. ET.

A loss by Moore could also be a message from voters in a pro-Trump state that Republicans may face a difficult time in the 2018 midterms.

"Donald Trump's base seems to be a little less firm now, and if it's wavering even in Alabama, there are implications nationwide," notes Valliere. "If Moore loses, GOP leaders will blame the disastrous influence of Steve Bannon, and they will worry that the sexual harassment issue is a raging fire that threatens to engulf even Trump."

Brown Brothers Harriman chief currency strategist Marc Chandler said he does not expect a big market impact if Jones wins. He also said it may not matter if the Republicans lose one of the houses of Congress next year.

"I don't think it really changes anything," he said. "The big problem is not between Republicans and Democrats, it's between Republicans."
Amazon expanded its cloud footprint in China Tuesday in one of the fastest-growing but most competitive markets in the world.



The U.S. e-commerce giant said it partnered with Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology Co (NWCD) to open its second Amazon Web Services (AWS) operating region in China. AWS is Amazon's cloud computing arm.

Amazon will now have cloud services available to customers in the Ningxia region, which is south west of Beijing.

The Seattle, WA-based firm already has a cloud footprint in Beijing thanks to its partnership with Sinnet.

It's difficult for American firms to enter China without a partnership. Through the relationships with these Chinese firms, Amazon is able to get its cloud products into China. NWCD offers AWS products to Chinese customers on behalf of Amazon.

Operating in China is not always easy, particularly for companies handling customer data. Last month, Amazon sold parts of its cloud business in China for up to 2 billion Chinese yuan ($301 million) to its partner Sinnet. In a statement at the time, Amazon said it sold "certain physical infrastructure assets" to "comply with Chinese law."
Australian politician Sam Dastyari makes a public apology in Sydney on September 6, 2016, after asking a company with links to the Chinese government to pay a $1,273 bill incurred by his office.

A big name Australian opposition lawmaker has resigned from parliament over a scandal concerning his ties to China.

Sam Dastyari, of the center-left Labor Party, handed in his notice on Tuesday.

"Today, after much reflection, I've decided that the best service I can render to the federal parliamentary Labor Party is to not return to the Senate in 2018," he told journalists in Sydney, Reuters reported.

Dastyari's resignation is the latest in an ongoing spat between China and Australia concerning the former's rumored attempts to buy political leverage Down Under.

Dastyari has been repeatedly linked to China. He stepped down from senior duties in late November over comments he made  not in line with his party  that defended China's position in the South China Sea territorial dispute.
The bitcoin bubble could be "destructive" in the long term if more people keep pumping money into the cryptocurrency, UBS analyst Paul Donovan told CNBC on Tuesday.

UBS has previously called bitcoin a "speculative bubble." And Donovan, who is the wealth management global chief economist at the investment bank, has compared the cryptocurrency's rise to the 17th century tulip craze in the Netherlands that saw the price of the flower skyrocket and crash.

Donovan explained that the rising investment in cryptocurrencies from retail investors could have damaging consequences.

"I dislike bubbles because bubbles sucker in large numbers of people and take their money and give it to a small number of people. And that's very destructive in the long term. And I think this is one of the problems that we've got," Donovan told CNBC in a TV interview.

"We are now having to start to think about what's going to be the economic consequence when this bubble bursts. And you've got a transfer of wealth, you've got a concentration of wealth, you've got a negative wealth effect  it potentially is disruptive."

The economist explained that so far there are a small number of people involved in cryptocurrency trading so if the bubble does burst, the damage is "spread quite thinly." But if the rising interest in cryptocurrencies continues, then the risk will increase too, Donovan said.

Regulators are also beginning to warn on the dangers of cryptocurrencies and the initial coin offering (ICO), a way for a start-up to raise money by issuing new digital coins.
He runs a $2.6 billion technology venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

He was an early Facebook executive and an early bitcoin adopter.

But Chamath Palihapitiya told CNBC on Tuesday he keeps his kids as far away from technology as possible.

The device rules in his household?

The founder and CEO of Social Capital said: "There's no screen time whatsoever."

No iPhones.

No iPads.

No computers.

In a "Squawk Box" interview, Palihapitiya said his three children, ages 5 to 9, still ask "all the time because their friends have it all the time." But he said he never gives in, except for the occasional movie.

Palihapitiya is married to Brigette Lau, a partner and co-founder of Social Capital.

"Here's the life that I live with my children, which may not be for everyone," he said. "I don't like this co-dependency of 'they need to rely on me, and when they can't, I feed them a device because that becomes a babysitter'."

Palihapitiya, who grew up in Canada after his family emigrated from Sri Lanka and was granted refugee status, believes that kids learn and thrive by having real-life experiences.

"You go figure it out. Go outside, skin your knee. Fall on the ground. Play a sport. Lose at something. And then come back to me and we can talk about it. And we'll talk about it as rational human beings. And I'll try to tell you why that's a good thing that's happened to you," he said.

Palihapitiya's comments about kids and technology were part of a broader discussion about the impact of social media, a medium he helped foster when he worked at Facebook.

He told CNBC on Tuesday: "The tools that we have created today are starting to erode the social fabric of how society works."

While saying his feelings about social media are not a knock on his former employer, Facebook took issue with Palihapitiya's comments, saying in a statement that he hasn't worked for the company for six years, and claiming the company has undergone changes since then.

In his four-year tenure at Facebook, which started in 2007, Palihapitiya held various management roles there, including vice president of user growth.
Daily programming from ADGM to connect Abu Dhabi to the world's financial capitals

Abu Dhabi, UAE / London, UK: 12 December 2017. CNBC, the world's number one business and financial news network, today unveiled plans for a Middle East Headquarters in the heart of Abu Dhabi, the Capital of the United Arab Emirates. The network will begin broadcasting from a new studio at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi, in the first quarter of 2018.

The network plans to anchor one of its daily global business news programs from its new Abu Dhabi base at ADGM, while establishing a stronger editorial presence across the region. Expansion of both the CNBC feature franchise Access Middle East and the network's regional event coverage are also planned.

KC Sullivan, President and MD of CNBC International said: "Abu Dhabi offers an excellent base for CNBC in the Middle East. It is home to many of the region's key businesses and decision-makers as well as being a major financial services hub. We're excited about the prospect of using our ADGM base to grow our regional coverage and audience. We also plan to bring our full suite of commercial services to the region and will work with local clients on tailored events, research and commercial content."

His Excellency, Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Chairman of ADGM, said: "We welcome CNBC to Abu Dhabi and are glad CNBC has decided to use ADGM as the base to expand its news reach in this region. The presence of CNBC here augments Abu Dhabi's position as one of the leading global business and financial hubs. ADGM will continue to play its part to connect local and global businesses to opportunities in this region, as well as to enable investors to access actionable financial news and information."

Earlier in 2017, CNBC began broadcasting regular Middle East business updates live from ADGM fronted by Middle East Anchor, Hadley Gamble. The network is now making the next logical step in establishing a full studio presence.

CNBC currently broadcasts daily from headquarters in New York, London and Singapore. With the addition of its Middle East Headquarters at ADGM, CNBC will connect Abu Dhabi to the world's financial capitals.

Ends

For more information contact:

Lee Thompson, Head of Communications, CNBC International

Lee.Thompson@CNBC.com / +44 (0)20 7653 9398

Notes to editors:

CNBC will recruit x10 roles initially at the Headquarters. All available roles can be found at CNBCiCareers.com

A section of CNBC images can be used here: https://we.tl/rB2mdAYjnW

Arabic translation of this press release is available on request

About CNBC

CNBC is the leading global broadcaster of live business and financial news and information, reporting directly from the major financial markets around the globe with regional headquarters Singapore, London and New York. The TV channel is available in more than 409 million homes worldwide.

CNBC.com is the preeminent financial news source on the web, featuring an unprecedented amount of video, real-time market analysis, web-exclusive live video and analytical financial tools.

CNBC is a division of NBCUniversal. For more information, visit www.cnbc.com.
Coinbase, the leading U.S. platform for buying and selling major digital currencies, said twice on Tuesday that transactions in ethereum were "temporarily disabled."

In the morning New York time, Coinbase said buys and sells of ethereum and litecoin were temporarily disabled. That issue was resolved around noon ET. But by 2:04 p.m., Coinbase said on its status website that ethereum buys and sells were temporarily disabled again, before resolving the problem within 45 minutes.

The company did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment on the latest halt in transactions. Earlier, a spokesperson for Coinbase said in a statement that "the site is seeing high traffic volume at the moment and some users may be experiencing intermittent service outages."

Ethereum seven-day performance

Source: CoinMarketCap

Coinbase's GDAX exchange website also said there is a "partially degraded service," as of 2:38 p.m.

Ethereum briefly surged more than 23 percent Tuesday to a record high of $637.62, according to CoinMarketCap. Bitcoin spiked more than 5 percent to a high of $17,615.47, according to CoinDesk's bitcoin price index.
Govt explores sanctions-hit Qatar to export agri produces

Government officials have been discussing the possibility of exploiting the export opportunities presented by the embargo against Qatar by its neighbours.
Rupert Murdoch (L) leaves the News Corporation building with his son Lachlan Murdoch (R) on July 21, 2016 in New York City.

Comcast said on Monday it had abandoned its bid for most of the assets of Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox , leaving Walt Disney as the sole suitor in pursuit of the $40 billion-plus deal.

Sources told Reuters last week that Disney was in the lead to acquire the assets, which include Fox's FX and National Geographic cable channels, its movie studio, the Star network in India and stake in European pay-TV provider Sky.

The Murdoch family, which controls Fox, prefers a deal with Disney because it would rather be paid in Disney stock than Comcast stock, and expects a potential deal with Disney to be cleared by U.S. antitrust regulators more easily, one of the sources said.

Comcast, the biggest cable provider in the United States, said in a statement on Monday that its discussions with Fox had ended.

"When a set of assets like Fox's becomes available, it is our responsibility to evaluate if there is a strategic fit that could benefit our company and our shareholders," Comcast said. "That is what we tried to do and we are no longer engaged in the review of those assets. We never got the level of engagement needed to make a definitive offer."

The assets in question would have expanded Comcast's international footprint through ownership of Sky and Star. A source told Reuters in mid-November that Comcast had approached Fox about its interest, and talks were in early stages.

Disney's negotiations with Fox are continuing, and a deal could be reached as early as this month, sources close to the situation said on Monday. The persons asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential.

Disney did not immediately respond to request for comment. A Fox representative declined to comment.

Any potential deal will follow the U.S. Department of Justice's decision last month to sue to block AT&T's $85.4 billion deal to buy Time Warner .

Comcast shares were up 1.5 percent in after-hours trading, while Disney shares were up 0.2 percent and Fox shares fell 1.3 percent.

(Disclosure: Comcast is parent of NBCUniversal and CNBC.)
The president's eldest son will appear before congressional investigators on Wednesday, according to sources cited by Politico. The Associated Press also confirmed the meeting.

The closed interview with the Senate Intelligence Committee marks the third round of questioning for Donald Trump Jr., who met with the Senate Judiciary Committee in September and the House Intelligence Committee last week.

The three committees are conducting independent probes of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Investigators reportedly asked Trump Jr. at both hearings about a conversation he had with his father, President Donald Trump, regarding the public response to a June 2016 meeting he attended at Trump Tower with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

That initial statement failed to disclose that Trump Jr. had received promises of incriminating information about Hillary Clinton while setting up the meeting.

The Washington Post reported that the president dictated the public statement about that meeting while aboard Air Force One, according to The Washington Post. Jay Sekulow, the president's attorney, has denied the Post's report, saying the president wasn't involved in drafting the public statement.

Trump Jr. tweet: I met with the Senate Judiciary Committee today. I am thankful for their professionalism and courtesy.

During the summer meeting with the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trump Jr. told investigators that he did not recall the White House's role in crafting the public response, according to CNN.

At last week's meeting with House Intel, Trump Jr. invoked attorney client privilege in denying to answer questions about his conversation with his father about the meeting.

That response drew criticism from experts as well as Democrats on the panel.

"I don't believe you can shield communications between individuals merely by having an attorney present," Rep. Adam Schiff told Politico.

Harry Litman, a former United States attorney and deputy assistant attorney general, told CNBC the justification was "comically over-aggressive."

An attorney for Trump Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.
Online fashion retailer Farfetch has been attracting attention this year. In August, founder Jose Neves said a New York floatation was the "next logical stage" for the company, with a valuation rumored to be $5 billion, and in February it made headlines when Natalie Massenet joined as non-executive co-chair. Massenet founded rival Net-A-Porter in 2000 and sold her stake in it to Richemont for an estimated 50 million ($66.8 million) in 2010, before it merged with Italian website Yoox in 2015. And Farfetch's future success may be down to how it recommends products to shoppers. Chief Marketing Officer John Veichmanis said he takes inspiration from how Spotify recommends music to listeners when thinking about the best ways to promote the platform. Speaking to CNBC, Veichmanis said he would like people to be able to discover up-and-coming designers via a similar type of algorithm. "Music is very similar, it is very personal. I love Spotify because it introduces me to loads of artists I would never have listened to and I suppose that's where I take our inspiration from," he said. "If you look at music, someone can sit in their bedroom now, create an amazing track and distribute it themselves, and I think that has to come to the luxury (fashion) space as well."

Farfetch presented a 'store of the future' at its FarfetchOS conference in April 2017 Nic Serpell-Rand | Farfetch

Farfetch lets individual fashion boutiques sell to consumers, rather than holding stock itself, and the site has around 280,000 items for sale at any one time. "We use information consumers have given us to tell them better stories (about products), and that's an emerging space. I don't think anyone is doing this very well and it's something we are really keen to learn," Veichmanis said.

Creativity and technology

Veichmanis, who has worked at various tech companies including Apple and Skype, said his job is made harder because people who shop for luxury fashion want something unique. "A lot of the focus is on data science and looking at computer vision to understand which garments go together really well (or) what type of fabrics, rather than saying, 'Well somebody's bought this, and 10 other people have bought this other one.' That's completely the opposite of how people buy fashion, they want a unique perspective," he said.

John Veichmanis, chief marketing officer at Farfetch

To that end, Farfetch has more than 200 people in its marketing team, of which around 25 percent are in data science and analytics, bringing in a much-needed collaboration between creative people and tech experts, according to Veichmanis. "Our perspective is that the industry hasn't really moved on: there is a lot of capability to target consumers, but then often you will talk to the creative teams telling the stories and they are completely disconnected from what the technology can do. What we are trying to do is put those people together," he told CNBC. Net-A-Porter owes some of its success to its fashion content, including digital magazine the Edit and printed title Porter, and Veichmanis said it's also a key part of marketing for Farfetch, ahead of advertising. "We are publishing content every day, we are not thinking about paying for Q1 or Q3 (advertising). If we see something that is relevant, we publish it."

Jose Neves founded Farfetch in 2007 Nic Serpell-Rand | Farfetch
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Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the United States experienced the same "problems" with Qatar a decade ago that its Gulf neighbors are going through now. The most powerful countries in the region began an economic blockade of Qatar, who they accuse of sponsoring terrorism and destablizing the region, in June. Gates told CNBC that the George W. Bush administration had issues with what Al Jazeera, the award-winning news TV network owned by the Qatari government, was broadcasting. "One of the first trips that President George W. Bush asked me to take when I became secretary (of defense) over a decade ago was to go to Qatar, go to Doha and talk to the Emir about all of the problems we were having with Qatar," he said.

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"Even a decade ago, we had problems with what they were putting on Al Jazeera  they were giving an opportunity for those we were fighting in Iraq to propagandize over Al Jazeera, they would publicize American soldiers being killed, there was a problem with terrorist funding," he said. "So many of the same concerns that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are raising today were actually a problem more than ten years ago." Gates' comments come amid an ongoing economic and transport blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE. The Gulf allies also cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting Islamist groups and destabilizing the region.

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One of the demands that the countries are making of Qatar is that it close Al Jazeera, a Middle-East focused news network with global reach, which they accuse of sympathizing with Islamist movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. Al Jazeera has responded to the allegations by insisting that it has editorial independence, telling the BBC in an interview earlier this year that it is not influenced by any "particular group or ideology." CNBC has contacted Al Jazeera for a response to Gates' comment that the network had had a problem with "terrorist funding" but is yet to get a response. Qatar has strenuously denied that it supports terrorism and sees the blockade as a way to subsume it under the powerful influence of Saudi Arabia. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani defended Doha's record on terrorism in late November, telling a counter-terrorism conference in London that Qatar was "committed to destroying terrorism." The U.S. has sent conflicting messages over Qatar. In June, U.S. President Donald Trump backed Saudi Arabia over the blockade and criticized Doha when the blockade was imposed, accusing it of funding terrorism at a "high level." However, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called in June for Saudi Arabia and its allies to end the blockade.

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CaptureLight | Getty Images

You might want to think twice before giving money to your adult child. A new study from CreditCards.com found that 74 percent of parents with adult children, defined as 18 and up, are continuing to help them financially. Of those parents, 84 percent are helping with living expenses, while 70 percent are assisting with debt. Cell phone bills, followed by transportation, rent and utilities, tops the list of living expenses, and with debt, parents are most commonly helping with student loans, followed by auto bills, medical debt and credit card bills. "The worst case scenario is because the parents have helped their kids, and sacrificed their retirement, in 20, 25 years, the script might get flipped and the kids might have to help out their parents because they can't afford to retire," said Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com. "There is a real risk there." If you find yourself wanting to limit the financial ties between you and your adult children, financial advisors recommend you take these steps.

Have a clear conversation

Parents can get into a pattern of paying for their children's expenses without ever having a conversation about it, according to Aaron Thompson, a financial advisor at AGT Wealth Management in Annapolis, Maryland. That includes regularly contributing to their child's rent or other expenses. The funds lost can make a substantial dent in your lifestyle over time, said Thompson, who has seen examples of this in his practice. "There's nothing left for them to enjoy because their kids are consuming most of what's left," Thompson said. "The kids aren't out to hurt mom and dad, but they know it's a resource and they use it consistently." Parents can prevent this by having a talk with their children that communicates clearly, "You still needing me is draining mom and dad," Thompson said.

Put limits on the help you provide

Financial advisor Tom Balcom, founder of 1650 Wealth Management in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said he has seen clients who take on their adult child's bills when the children lose their job. The result is that the parent is not only providing for their child, but also their grandchildren as well. Parents in that situation need to make it clear that that level of help is unsustainable long term, Balcom said. That includes giving children distinct choices: Find a job and pay me back or downsize. Thompson advises that you also learn to say no with your children and stick to your decision.

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"You have to allow people to fall in order to be able to stand up on their own," Thompson said. "If you continue to provide the clutch, it's not going to allow them to become stronger."

Watch for conflicts
Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., center, appears during an a announcement in the Capitol's Rayburn Room on tax reform with Republican House and Senate leaders on September 27, 2017.

Goldman Sachs economists expect congressional tax legislation to make corporate tax cuts effective in 2019 and new rules could encourage U.S. companies to issue more debt overseas.

"A 20 percent corporate rate continues to look likely, in our view, but we do not expect the cut to take effect until 2019," the economists wrote. But some aspects of the tax legislation would take effect in 2018, including the ability of companies to fully expense capital expenditures.

"Given the incentive for companies to pull forward deductible expenses into 2018, the one-year delay combined with full expensing of equipment capex would create a more important incentive for capex in 2018 than prior capex incentives enacted by Congress over the last 15 years," they wrote.

In their note, the economists said the plan would indirectly encourage companies to issue more debt overseas.

"Along with limits on the U.S. share of worldwide interest expense and the indirect effects of a 20 percent rate and changes to taxation of foreign profits, companies will have a greater incentive to issue debt abroad than they do under current law," they wrote.

Part of the reason is that the economists expect Congress to adopt a plan to limit the deductibility of net interest to 30 percent of EBIT, which was in the Senate bill and is more restrictive than that of the House bill.

Moody's separately said the Senate plan to limit interest deductions would impact leveraged borrowers more than the House bill. Moody's said limits on interest deductibility would also make private equity buyouts less attractive, since interest deduction is an important aspect of the strategy to buy companies in high-debt deals.

The Goldman economists also said the estimated revenue gain from congressional plans to limit state and local tax deductibility could be overstated.

"The estimated revenue gain from limiting state and local tax (SALT) deductibility could be overstated if states adapt to the new restrictions. It is difficult to predict how and when states will adapt to the changes, but they have an incentive to do so," the economists wrote. "As the limitation of SALT deductability is one of the largest sources of new revenue in the tax reform legislation, the proposed tax cut could turn out to be much larger than expected if states successfully adapt to the changes."




Starting a company out of your garage sounds exciting  invoking visions of Silicon Valley greats Hewlett Packard and Apple, and Jeff Bezos starting Amazon in his Seattle garage circa 1994. That is, until you actually start a company in your garage. So says Chieh Huang. He knows this from experience. He launched Boxed from his parents' garage. He got long, unsatisfied glances from his mother-in-law. "Everyone wants to start a business in their garage  they think it's sexy  but when you actually sit as a 30-year-old in a garage  it's not so sexy," Huang tells CNBC Make It. "My mother-in-law was like, 'I told you he's not the one!'... "[T]hose are tough times ... but really powering through that has become a life-changing moment for me and our co-founders and for a lot of folks that work at the company."

Boxed started in CEO Chieh Huang's parents' garage. Photo courtesy Boxed

Huang, now 36, launched online warehouse club Boxed in the 2013 out of his parents' two-car garage in suburban New Jersey  "the cradle of civilization," jokes Huang. (Previously, Huang held stints at the law firm Proskauer Rose and Zynga and launched co-founded his own gaming company, Astro Ape.) Boxed ships bulk, things like seltzer, Oreos and toilet paper, to individuals' homes and small and large businesses. Growth has been unbelievably quick. "So we did about $40,000 of revenue in 2013, high-fiving each other in the garage, and from there on out, less than 36 months later in 2016, we actually cleared over nine figures  or over $100,000,000  in revenue," says Huang. "It's been a really wild kind of roller coaster ride and we've learned a ton since the days in the garage."

Everyone wants to start a business in their garage  they think it's sexy  but when you actually sit as a 30-year-old in a garage  it's not so sexy. Chieh Huang CEO of Boxed

Currently, the New York City-headquartered company has about 400 employees all over the United States and has raised $160 million in venture capital funding. And yet, even as Huang is having the ride of his life, Boxed is playing in competitive territory: It is, after all, an e-commerce company in the era of Amazon's near-total domination. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has recently overtaken Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the richest person in the world and he was even briefly worth $100 billion thanks to a surge in Amazon's stock price after Black Friday, according to data from Forbes. Currently, Bezos' net worth is north of $98 billion.

Chieh Huang Adam Jeffery | CNBC

"Yeah, I would say [Bezos is] in my dreams often, but you couldn't be any entrepreneur nowadays  you can't help but think about what Amazon is doing in your industry," says Huang. "And so for us, of course we think about Amazon. Of course, we think about Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club. We think about everyone." So far however, Boxed is surviving the Bezos era. "Luckily, the business that we've built, I would say, has a few natural moats," says Huang. "Really, there's no other private company doing what we're doing. "So we have seen our position become the eye of the storm that is swirling around retail," he says, referring to Boxed's enviable position amid a retail industry that's at times hemorrhaging jobs and is experiencing bankruptcy filings and store closings at a record pace. Here's why Huang says he has been so successful in such a short period of time.

Boxed is focused

Boxed is relentlessly focused  it does not try to sell everything like Amazon. Rather, Boxed only sells large, warehouse-sized packages of goods. "We really have built that 'stock up and save' platform where folks come solely [for that]," says Huang. "As a business owner, you want to be naturally everything to everyone so you can build a really big business. But we have found it is probably better for us, and a better way to build a big business, if we are really disciplined. ... [W]e're not 'The Everything Store." The strategy allows Boxed to concentrate buying power on just a limited inventory, so Huang has leverage with suppliers to get competitive prices. Boxed can then turn around and sell goods at low prices to its customers. Embed tweet showing what Boxed delivers

Boxed is high-tech

The basic nature of the goods that Boxed sells (dish soap, granola bars, diapers) belies the technical sophistication of the company. The fulfillment center depends heavily on robotics to keep costs down and for business customers, Boxed uses predictive analytics to advance ship whatever goods Boxed has calculated the customer is likely to need. It's "one of the most advanced consumer packaged goods fulfillment centers in the world for [business to consumer] deliveries," says Huang. Embed tweet showing Boxed technology

Employees are treated well  really well

Just because a company embraces robots does not mean that employees have to lose their jobs. Boxed is a case in point. "On its surface, I 100 percent agree it seems like it's a little bit contradictory" to both widely implement robots and take care of employees respectfully, Huang admits. "So, we struggled with it.... But we stuck true to our roots and so we told everyone in these fulfillment centers, you're not going to lose your job solely because of automation  in fact we're going to train you on how to interact, how to troubleshoot and how to work with state-of-the-art software and state-of-the-art robotics."

Twelve times out of 10 we're going to do the right thing for the employees of the company  it's a fundamental belief. Chieh Huang CEO of Boxed

Boxed employee Weslee Berke, who married David Podgor, benefited from the company's policy of paying for life-changing events. Photo by Kevin Liang Photography

Boxed also offers unique perks: Chieh personally pays for employees' children's college tuition (with no limit on cost) and the company pays for life-changing events like weddings up to $20,000, depending on how long the employee has been with the company. Taking care of employees like Boxed does is not cheap.

Huang himself personally paid for employee Joe Bobko's son's college tuition. Photo courtesy Joe Bobko

"[T]his may seem pretty crazy ... you can't say what line of benefit do you really get for doing all these things, but it shows up elsewhere in terms of increased morale," for one, says Huang. Thinking long-term about employees is the right way to operate, says Huang. "[W]e get investors that have pushed against the systems, but what I tell them is that as long as I'm at the helm and our management team is at the helm, 12 times out of 10 we're going to do the right thing for the employees of the company  it's a fundamental belief." Embed tweet Huang do the right thing

Boxed runs lean
Apple has an ever-growing pile of cash on its hands, and Social Capital founder Chamath Palihapitiya doesn't seem impressed with how the company is spending it.

"They've spent more on their building quite honestly than they have on any sort of major feature or product launch," Palihapitiya told CNBC's "Squawk Box" Tuesday.

The often outspoken investor said Apple is in transition and quickly becoming a software and luxury good business  rather than the hardware company it was under founder Steve Jobs.

"When you take a step back and actually look at that phone and compare it to a [Google ] Pixel or the next generation Samsung , what you see is frankly the same product," Palihapitiya said. "What it has is brand. It has a sense of differentiation, and that's no different than Louis Vuitton or any other luxury good."

Palihapitiya suggested Apple use its cash hoards to purchase businesses like Tesla or Netflix , but was skeptical that would ever happen.

He said Apple needs to figure out how to spend its cash in a way that's not leaving it in Ireland, which he said is "all they've done" so far.
TV funnyman Jimmy Kimmel blasted Congress in a tearful monologue Monday for repeatedly failing to renew funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program this fall.

"I don't know about you, I've had enough of this," fumed Kimmel, who began his late-night TV show while holding his 8-month-old son Billy, who last week had his second heart surgery.

"I don't know what could be more disgusting than putting a tax cut that goes mostly to rich people ahead of the lives of children," said Kimmel, who previously has used his show's opening monologue, and emotionally cited his son's heart condition, to oppose rollbacks of Obamacare health coverage.

"Why hasn't CHIP been funded already?" the host of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" asked.

"If these were potato chips they were taking away from us, we would be marching on Washington with pitchforks and spears right now."

Watch: Jimmy Kimmel's blistering monologue about Congress failing to reauthorize CHIP funding

Kimmel told viewers, "I'm asking you, Billy's asking you, to make two phone calls you shouldn't have to make, jam the House and Senate phones tonight, tomorrow, as long as it takes, tell them to take a break from tax cuts and fully fund CHIP."

Kimmel's scathing criticism comes more than two months after the Sept. 30 expiration of authorization for CHIP funding, a joint federal-state program that provides health coverage to almost 9 million low-income children and more than 300,000 pregnant women.

Sixteen states expect to run out of CHIP reserve funds by the end of January, and three-quarters of the states expect to do so by March.

Virginia on Tuesday plans to warn CHIP enrollees in a letter that their coverage could come to an end Jan. 31 if Congress fails to act.

Congress, instead of cutting a deal to restore the funding, has instead focused efforts on a tax bill that would lead to big tax cuts for many wealthy Americans. Efforts to restore CHIP's authorization have been bogged down amid debates over how to pay for the program and the duration of a new authorization.

Tweet

CHIP is broadly popular across members of Congress, regardless of political party.

Kimmel, during his monologue, noted that the last time CHIP funding was reauthorized, in 2015, "it passed with a vote of 392 to 37 in the House and 92 to 8 in the Senate."

"Overwhelmingly, Democrats and Republicans supported it. Until now," Kimmel said.

"Now CHIP has become a bargaining chip. It's on the back burner while they work out their new tax plans, which means parents of children with cancer, diabetes and heart problems are about to get letters saying their coverage could be cut off next month," Kimmel said. "Merry Christmas, right?"

"This is literally a life-and-death program for American kids," he said. "It's always had bipartisan support. But this year, they let the money for it expire while they work on getting tax cuts for their billionaire and millionaire donors."
Internal feud blamed for NCs defeat

Internal disunity has emerged as a factor for the crushing defeat of the Nepali Congress in the federal and provincial elections.
If you want to run a successful, high-performing team, it's important that you trust your team members. That's the advice Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis tried to give actress and struggling entrepreneur Monica Potter in this week's episode of "The Profit," but she did not take it so kindly. When the Golden Globe-nominated actress isn't busy being filmed, she works on selling skin care products, room sprays and candles at her Cleveland, Ohio-based business Monica Potter Home, which she founded in 2014. On "The Profit," Lemonis revealed that the home-goods business has been suffering in recent years. He learned that Monica Potter Home loses almost $100,000 a year and has entirely lost the $1 million Potter invested in the company. Notably, there is one primary culprit to the company's problems: Lemonis said that Potter can't adequately manage her team because she doesn't trust them. "If I can't convince her to trust my process, Monica Potter Home may be at risk of closing forever," Lemonis said.

From the moment Lemonis first stepped into the store, he saw the problems begin to surface. He said he got "a bit of sensory overload" when he saw not only skin products but also an assortment of scarves, clothes, dishes and other home goods. "I'm really trying to understand how all these products got here? Who bought them? What was the logic? Who's in charge?" Lemonis said. "It literally felt like the Wild West of buying." When Lemonis found out there was over $60,000-worth of unsold merchandise, he uncovered other issues as well: The staff had tried to sell the goods without Potter's approval. "This is the problem, there's no communication," Potter said. "It's like you guys are afraid, you can't walk on eggshells with me. Tell me so we can address it." Lemonis then asked the staff whether they had defined roles. "We all do everything we can do, every day. There's a lot going on in this business," Caity, the company's director of operations, told Lemonis. "Sometimes I have communication issues with Monica due to her schedule." Caity also detailed the trust issues Potter had with her. "I was hired to make decisions," Caity told Potter. "I don't feel like I can do those things without you thinking I'm going behind your back, really I have your best interests at heart." Most of the staff admitted they had thought about quitting at some point due to Potter's distrust and micromanagement of the team. Potter's sister, Jessica, did quit because she felt she "had nothing left to offer to help this business" and didn't want to fail. However, she ultimately returned to the store because she missed the customers.

In another attempt to fix the company's problems, Lemonis explained that there would need to be a change in leadership. While Lemonis thought the company's margins were great and was ready to invest in Potter's business, "the hard part is that one person has to be in charge that isn't you," he told her. Together with Jessica and Caity, Lemonis discussed restructuring the company's leadership. "We've had issues in the past with the dynamic between Jess and Monica that has caused chaos across the board," Caity said. "If Jessica's around, Monica will call her and say 'What's going on? or 'FaceTime me, I want to see everybody's desks.'" Lemonis explained that in order to move forward, the team would need to air out their issues in an open dialogue to keep the business from being further negatively impacted. He worked with Caity on creating a system to track their financials even while Potter is in Los Angeles with the hope that it would "put Monica's mind at ease and allow her to trust everybody, including Caity." Problems aside, Lemonis agreed to invest $100,000 in the business. He even set up business meetings with a graphic designer, packaging company and fragrance laboratory. However, Potter refused to allow the team to move forward with Lemonis' suggestions. Just a few days after Lemonis left Ohio to let the team start working on the new business plan, he received a phone call from Caity, who said she was "running on fumes."
Mark Zuckerberg had a bountiful 2017  even though the year ended with the company he leads facing a barrage of criticism over its growing impact on politics and society.

Facebook's surging stock price  up more than 50 percent this year  drove Zuckerberg's wealth to $56 billion, making him one of the world's five wealthiest people, according to Forbes.

In May, from Harvard, where he'd famously dropped out in 2004 to start Facebook.

In July, to announce Facebook would soon hit 2 billion global users, while rededicating the company to what he called a new mission.

Zuckerberg also completed a personal travel challenge: to visit over 30 of the U.S. states he hadn't been to before.

At home, he and wife Priscilla Chan welcomed a second child into their family as daughter August was born in the month she was named for.

These highlights were noted via popular posts on his own Facebook page, which has an audience of 99 million followers.

The post of the baby's birth, for example, drew reactions from 2.5 million users, 154,000 of whom took the time to comment.

Still, all of that came before September, when Zuckerberg apologized for comments he made in December 2016, when he said it was "laughable" to think Facebook's technology might have impacted the U.S. presidential election.

Facebook itself an online propaganda operation based in Russia placed divisive political ads over a two-year period that may have been seen by as many as 126 million Americans.

In October, the person who ran President Donald Trump's online ad operation told a national TV audience that the campaign's use of Facebook in the contest.

That opened the gates to a season of criticism directed toward the company from many quarters.

Among the criticisms: That its technology has helped widen political divisions and unfairly hooked consumers into using its services by playing on their social needs and interests.

Throughout the fall, a number of Facebook's early backers and employees have raised alarms about the company's growing power.

They include early executive and venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya and , who said he regrets investing in the company.

One former privacy manager wrote about his experience at the company, saying it "prioritized data collection over user protection."

Members of Congress  Republicans and Democrats  and regulation that could crimp growth at the company.

One would force Facebook to disclose more about who buys political ads and would make Facebook  and its fellow internet giants like Google  legally liable for content on their sites.

CNBC and other news organizations have shown that the company's platform hosts many types of content that Facebook's own rules say it shouldn't, such as and housing ads targeted by race.

Despite all the blowback, however, Zuckerberg ended the year making good on a commitment he'd made when his second daughter was born.

On Dec. 2, Zuckerberg said he would be taking off to finish his paternity leave.
If we want to discover the world's next Bill Gates, it's crucial that we start funding inclusive and diverse businesses, according to Melinda Gates in a recent LinkedIn post.

"There's a strong chance the next Bill Gates isn't going to look anything like the last one," she writes. "So I'm interested in finding solutions that will help ensure we recognize her when we see her."

Her comments come amid an influx of news detailing the abuse women suffer at the hands of powerful men in the workplace. Though many reports have focused on Hollywood and the media industry, Gates explains this is also an issue in the tech industry and has a long-lasting economic impact.

"The data makes clear that diversity is good for business," she writes. "Companies across industries are more innovative, more profitable, and less likely to take dangerous risks when women and minorities are more equally represented in their ranks."

"When a woman or a person of color  or a woman who is a person of color  doesn't have a seat at the table, it has consequences for companies, their shareholders, and society at large," she adds.

The venture capital industry, which invests in startup companies and small businesses, could play a pivotal role in driving progress if they increase diversity, she writes. But until that happens, it will continue to impede advancements in achieving equality. Here's how.

According to a Linkedin survey, only three percent of venture capitalists rated diversity as one of their top concerns and an increasing number of respondents believe that the media "spends too much time discussing diversity issues facing the tech industry."

This is problematic, says Gates, because startups and small businesses that are founded by women or people of color are being overlooked by venture capitalists, which deeply hinders their growth.

"Men are almost always the ones who get to decide who will have a shot at success  and they tend to pick people who look, speak, and act like them," she writes. That begs the question, "How many talented women and underrepresented minorities are funds overlooking, leaving behind, or pushing out?"

As more men are toppled from positions of power, Gates writes that it's time we take a "hard look" at the economic costs of keeping so many women from reaching their full potential in the workplace.

According to diversity expert and author Frans Johansson, the economic effects could be widespread. "Diversity drives innovation," he tells CNBC Make It. "Diverse teams can make things happen faster and with less resources."

On the flip side and echoing Gates' earlier sentiments, he adds: "You're at a competitive disadvantage if you're not diverse. So those that push for it early on will succeed much more quickly."

Johansson acknowledges that a growing number of businesses are making diversity an integral part of their financial strategy  and it shows in their bottom line. He points to Nike and IBM: The latter started addressing diversity in the 90s and has been so innovative because of this, he says.

Other companies, however, have more work to do. Twitter, he says, desperately needs to innovate. The social media giant's leadership team has long been lacking for women and people of color, although that has changed in recent months.

Even still, the company was initially slow to incorporate diversity, which is why Twitter has struggled to make a profit, according to Johansson. "Twitter is not particularly inclusive for a company with a global audience and will have better returns if they bring in more diversity," he explains.

The tech industry is a prime sector for promoting diverse hires and diverse thoughts, he adds. Since venture capitalists work heavily in this startup space, they wield power based on the companies in which they invest.

Like Gates, Johansson agrees that we are seeing an increase in female leadership, although it's happening slowly. "I do see more genuine efforts to incorporate more women," he says, 'but it still needs to be accelerated because companies are designed for men in the workplace."

In her blog post, Gates calls on other business leaders to join her efforts in diversifying the talent pool.

"As more women finally have the chance to reach their full potential, we'll all reap the rewards," she writes. "More innovative ideas, more disruptive products, more transformative products, and a better future for us all."

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See also:

Millennials worldwide say these 3 things will have the greatest impact on their future success

Gene Simmons says you can become highly successful if you copy this trait from Warren Buffett

3 crucial career questions to answer now if you want to succeed in 2018
President Donald Trump introduces Broadcom CEO Hock Tan prior to Tan announcing the repatriation of his company's headquarters to the United States from Singapore during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, DC, November 2, 2017.

Last month, President Trump stood in the Oval Office under a portrait of Andrew Jackson and announced that Broadcom , a semiconductor company based in Singapore, would be moving its headquarters back to the United States.

"I want to thank you very much for choosing us," Mr. Trump said, boasting that Broadcom already had 7,500 workers in the United States and noting that some of those workers, from a plant in Pennsylvania, were standing behind him. "We're looking forward to seeing that number grow very substantially, which it is now anticipated to do."

He added that he was thrilled to see Broadcom's $20 billion in revenues "come back to our cities, towns and American workers."

More from the New York Times:

Qualcomm Merger Calculus Complicated by Activist Investor

HSBC Says US Is Preparing to Dismiss Criminal Charges Against It

As Brexit Looms, Paris Tries a Business Makeover

Broadcom's chief executive, Hock Tan, then took the podium and declared: "Thanks to you, Mr. President, business conditions have steadily improved." He praised the president's proposed tax overhaul as a policy that would "level the global playing field'' and make a move to the United States more advantageous.

It was an impressive story line. The president was able to get a big headline for bringing a foreign company back to the United States and Broadcom was able to capture the loyalty of an important ally, all with the Oval Office as a backdrop.

Yet it was only theater.

Within 24 hours  for those paying attention  Broadcom's real motivation emerged: The company was planning to mount a $100 billion bid for the rival chip maker Qualcomm in what would amount to the largest hostile takeover of a technology company in history.

The reason for Broadcom's sudden move back to the United States was clear: Given President Trump's aversion to foreign companies, there was no way that Broadcom would ever receive regulatory approval for a takeover of one of the crown jewels of Silicon Valley if it were based anywhere but here. After all, Qualcomm's chips are inside virtually every major American device, starting with Apple's iPhone.

So Broadcom played to Mr. Trump's soft spot  bringing companies back home. But the result may not be what Mr. Trump is envisioning  a Broadcom takeover of Qualcomm would most likely cost thousands of jobs, doing the very opposite of what the president said would happen.

Some of those workers who stood behind Mr. Trump in the Oval Office could very well end up on the chopping block.

If there is any question about Broadcom's job killing ambitions, look no further than its own news release, which said "the combination of our two companies and associated synergies will be accretive to Broadcom's earnings."

Notice the word "synergies"? That word, a throwback to the 1990s merger days, has returned, but no one has forgotten what it is a euphemism for: cost-saving layoffs. Analysts have estimated that the savings from such synergy in Broadcom's case would most likely be about $1.5 billion.

Qualcomm has about 33,000 employees worldwide; about 10,000 of which are based in San Diego. Broadcom has nearly 16,000 employees worldwide, nearly half of them in the United States.

When Broadcom merged with in Avago in 2014, it said it expected $750 million in "synergies." At the time, Broadcom had 10,650 employees and Avago 8,200, for a total of 18,850 workers. Yet by 2016, after the two companies had integrated (and accounting for a divestiture that included 430 employees), the total head count was 15,700. In other words, 2,700 people lost their jobs.

By that math, considering Broadcom said it could achieve twice those savings in a deal with Qualcomm, some 5,400 people could lose their jobs  a good portion of the entire domestic head count at Broadcom.

Broadcom has made a business model of acquiring other companies, and their technology, and laying off employees. Some analysts describe the company as a "roll-up"  a company that keeps rolling-up more companies.

Qualcomm has been one of technology's great innovators, helping to establish many of the mobile telephone standards like LTE and the coming 5G. It has one of the largest research and development budgets in the world, spending $5 billion last year alone. Over the past decade, it has spent nearly $40 billion.

Mr. Tan of Broadcom has boasted that he plans to spend $3 billion "in research and engineering." Mr. Tan has been given high marks for managing the portfolio of Broadcom assets effectively, but he has never been known for industry-changing innovations.

And while the sound bite about Broadcom's bringing its $20 billion in revenues back to the United States sounds great, it isn't so clear it will happen immediately  or ever. About half of the company's revenues come from its Chinese partners. It is impossible to think the company won't have to continue to invest there given that's where much of the growth in the world is taking place.

So far, Qualcomm has rejected Broadcom's overtures, calling the bid an opportunistic effort to buy the company on the cheap. Qualcomm's stock has been under pressure because it has been engaged in a patent lawsuit with Apple, which has argued that Qualcomm is trying to gouge it for using its chips in its phones and has threatened to use Intel chips instead. Broadcom, in turn, has hinted that if it were to succeed in its bid for Qualcomm, it would reach a settlement with Apple.

The deal, which is already complicated, was made more so on Monday when Elliott Management, an activist hedge fund, argued that a planned deal by Qualcomm for NXP  which had been moving ahead despite the Broadcom bid  undervalues NXP, creating new questions about the fate of that transaction. If Qualcomm were to raise its offer for NXP, it could make itself less attractive for Broadcom.

Even if Broadcom doesn't end up merging with Qualcomm, it is unimaginable that it won't try to acquire other American companies, which may make its decision to redomicile ultimately make more sense.

If Broadcom was not intending to repatriate to the United States, you can only imagine the early morning tweetstorms we would have read from Mr. Trump denouncing the hostile bid.

But at least for now, he hasn't said a word.
"The good news is that none of this should disqualify any of the evidence Mueller and his team have uncovered so far. If there is something leading to a possible smoking gun in the case, Mueller's removal in no way erases that evidence."

Either Mueller knew about that controversial move and hired Strzok anyway, or he was unaware of it. Either are unacceptable mistakes. Mueller must take full responsibility for the error by stepping aside.

Strzok is the worst example, but there are other questionable staffing decisions. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mueller investigator Andrew Weissmann attended Clinton's election night party. In January, Weissmann also reportedly praised outgoing acting Attorney General Sally Yates, after she was fired for refusing to defend President Trump's travel ban.

Investigator and attorney Aaron Zebley once represented Justin Cooper, who was responsible for helping set up the now-infamous Clinton private email server. Cooper later admitted to helping to destroy Clinton's old mobile devices.

In fact, a total of six of the 15 lawyers on Mueller's staff have been connected to either the Clinton campaign or actions that can be viewed as overtly partisan.

The other big problem is the constant leaks about details of the investigation. While it's not realistic to believe a crucial investigation of a sitting president can maintain an airtight level of silence, the regularity of these leaks is troubling. For those Democrat-leaning members of Mueller's team, it must be very tempting to use leaked details and partial information to poison the public against President Trump and his family.

Mueller has either been unwilling or unable to plug the leaks, yet more evidence that he should step down.

The good news is that none of this should disqualify any of the evidence Mueller and his team have uncovered so far. If there is something leading to a possible smoking gun in the case, Mueller's removal in no way erases that evidence.

If the compromised Mueller stays on, however, a significant segment of the population on either side will reject his findings. If the evidence incriminates President Trump, Trump supporters will be much less likely to accept it. If the findings exonerate the president, Trump opponents are more likely to believe the partisan pressure on Mueller led to a whitewash.

The worst case scenario is that the criticisms against Mueller push President Trump into firing him. That bad decision would set off a true constitutional crisis and would almost surely lead to massive and crippling protests.

The better scenario is for Mueller to step down voluntarily. Let's face it, trust in government and even government law enforcement is at a low ebb right now. The Clinton email scandal, the IRS targeting scandal, and now questions about the integrity of this Russia probe have taken a serious toll.

Mueller can go a long way to restoring honor and trust by stepping aside in the name of avoiding the appearance of impropriety. This would stand in great contrast to government officials from both sides who now routinely deny they should be held to the same standards as the rest of us.

The longer Mueller sticks around, the more time critics will have to undermine the probe by attacking him and his senior team. For those on either side who want to see a solid conclusion reached in this case, it is obvious that Mueller must sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
Protesters march past the FCC headquarters before the Commission meeting on net neutrality proposal on May, 15, 2014 in Washington, DC

Protests to preserve net neutrality, or rules that ensure equal access to the internet, migrated online on Tuesday, with numerous online companies posting calls on their sites for action to stop a vote later this week.

Reddit, Etsy and Kickstarter were among the sites warning that the proposal at the Federal Communications Commission to roll back so-called net neutrality rules would fundamentally change the way the internet is experienced. Kickstarter, the crowdfunding site, cleared its entire home screen for a sparse white screen reading Defend Net Neutrality in large letters. Reddit, the popular online message board, pushed in multiple ways on its site for keeping the rules, including a pop-up box on its home screen.

But the online protests also highlighted how the biggest tech companies, such as Facebook and Google , have taken a back seat in the debate about protecting net neutrality, rules that prohibit internet service providers such as AT&T and Comcast from blocking or slowing sites or for charging people or companies for faster speeds of particular sites. For the most part, the large tech companies did not engage in the protest on Tuesday. In the past, the companies have played a leading role in supporting the rules.

Harold Feld, a senior vice president at Public Knowledge, a nonprofit group that supports net neutrality, said the biggest tech companies were less vocal because they are facing more regulatory battles than in past years. Social media sites have been criticized for allowing foreign actors to interfere in the presidential election of 2016. The biggest tech companies also face complaints from some lawmakers that they have become too large and powerful.

First, the major tech companies are very aware that Washington has turned hostile, Feld said. In this environment, the big tech companies try to keep a low profile and play defense rather than take positions that draw attention.

So with the dangers of standing up in D.C. greater, their existential concerns about net neutrality reduced because of their own massive size, and a desire not to spook investors, it is unsurprising that Silicon Valley giants have melted into the background and have preferred to work through their trade associations, he said.

More from The New York Times:

The 'Alt-Right' Created a Parallel Internet. It's an Unholy Mess.

Trying to Bypass Anxiety on the Road to Driverless Cars

Net Neutrality's Holes in Europe May Offer Peek at Future in U.S.

There also does not appear to be much chance of them winning the debate right now. The three Republican members of the FCC, who make up a majority of commissioners at the agency, have committed to roll back the landmark broadband rules created during the Obama administration.

But consumers and the startups who participated in protests on Tuesday say they are gearing up for a long fight. They expect lawsuits to challenge the change, and plan to push Congress to pass a law ensuring an open internet.

Here is how several of the biggest companies have handled the issue in recent months.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Tuesday that he "cannot in good conscience vote to add more to the already massive $20 trillion debt."

Rand Paul tweet: I cannot in good conscience vote to add more to the already massive $20 trillion debt. I promised Kentucky to vote against reckless, deficit spending and I will do just that.

The lawmaker wrote in a post on Twitter that "I promised Kentucky to vote against reckless, deficit spending and I will do just that."

Paul's tweet didn't suggest he would oppose the GOP tax bill due to deficit concerns.

The lawmaker clarified in a follow up tweet that tax cuts "are never the problem."

Paul tweet: Tax cuts  people keeping more of their money  are never the problem. The problem is spending. We should obey our rules, stop the deficit spending, and shrink government.

Senators voted Thursday to approve a two-week spending bill that averted a government shutdown.

It is unclear how Paul's stance will affect negotiations to keep the government running beyond Dec. 22. The temporary spending bill that passed Thursday went through overwhelmingly, with 81 voting in support.
Nepal insists on making SAARC more effective, result-oriented

Nepal, as the chair of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), has insisted on the need of making the regional body more effective and result-oriented.
watch now

North Korea's ability to fire a nuclear warhead at the U.S. will soon become an accepted reality, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates told CNBC on Tuesday. "I think that over the coming year, you'll see North Korea become accepted as having the capability to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead on it to the United States. A lot of people already believe that they have that capability," he said. Gates' comments come amid high tensions between the U.S. and North Korea as the regime of Kim Jong Un continues missile launches and nuclear tests despite international warnings to desist. North Korea sees the weapons as a way to defend itself against attack or attempts to overthrow Kim. There is widespread concern that North Korea is close to being able to mount nuclear warheads on its missiles  but this has not been independently verified. Gates, a former CIA director who was Pentagon secretary in the second Bush and Obama administrations, had no expectations that North Korea would suddenly give up its nuclear ambitions ahead of any discussions to de-escalate .

A man watches a TV news showing file footage of a North Korean missile launch at a railway station in Seoul on April 28, 2016. Jung Yeon-Je | AFP | Getty Images

"If the precondition for any negotiation is a statement or an affirmation by the North Koreans that they're going to give up their nuclear programs, then we're going nowhere," he said. Speaking to CNBC at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai, Gates said the key was to initiate negotiations that first of all "minimizes the threat of an incipient crisis and then begins to alleviate the tensions somewhat." Gates suggested that a way to start negotiations was to get North Korea to agree a "freeze" on the testing of both nuclear weapons and missiles "and then the beginning of a negotiation that over time could lead to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula." "But anyone that thinks we're going to jump right to that is being very unrealistic," he said. "So the question is how do you keep tensions under control while that process plays out."

China 'on a tight-wire'

watch now
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told attendees at an Alabama rally for GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore on Monday that "there's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better."

Bannon made his comments a day before voters decide whether to send Moore or Democrat Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate. Moore, 70, denies allegations that he sexually pursued teen-age girls when he was in his 30s.

Bannon's use of the expression "special place in hell" borrows from a statement President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump made in November condemning child predators.

Last month, Ivanka Trump told The Associated Press "there's a special place in hell for people who prey on children." She also said she had "no reason to doubt the victims' accounts," a reference to the Moore allegations.

Among the accusations against Moore, a woman said he initiated a sexual relationship with her when she was 14. Another woman accuses him of sexually assaulting her when she was 16.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who had longstanding ties with the tech community, died unexpectedly early Tuesday morning.

During his tenure, which began in 2011, Lee brokered a temporary tax break to attract tech companies to the city over Silicon Valley, located to the south.

The payroll tax breaks, informally dubbed the "Twitter tax break," temporarily exempted companies from paying the city's 1.5 percent payroll tax for companies that moved into buildings in San Francisco's Mid-Market neighborhood. The tax break was particularly beneficial for companies going public, as the value of employee stock options and grants would have been included in the tax.

Companies that took advantage of the tax break to locate there included Twitter , Zendesk , Uber, Pinterest, Dropbox, Airbnb, Yelp , BitTorrent, Square , and Slack.

Square, Twitter and Zendesk have all gone public since the exemption went into effect in 2012.

While some new tech companies chose to build new headquarters in the city, some other tech giants expanded their footprint in San Francisco to capitalize on the growing talent pool in the city. Google , LinkedIn, Yahoo, and Cisco have opened big offices in San Francisco since 2011. Salesforce has expanded its presence in San Francisco and will be the main occupant of the Salesforce Tower, which will be the tallest building in the city at 1,070 feet when it's finished in 2018.

The incentive and subsequent tech boom has been blamed for sparking the city's housing crisis, with higher tech salaries inflating housing costs and pricing out lower-wage workers from the city. While Lee tried to address the crisis through housing programs (most recently, an initiative to increase housing production by 160 percent), he was also an advocate for tech companies.

During 2014 protests directed at Google buses shuttling tech employees to work, Lee said during a Commonwealth Club event, "I understood what those protests are at Google buses and so forth, but it didn't make a lot of sense to me because all people were doing was trying to get to work."

Lee also forged partnerships with tech investor Ron Conway and told a TechCrunch Disrupt audience in 2012 that he visits tech companies once a week, dubbing those events "Tech Tuesday."

And in a rare public display of playfulness, former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer made an appearance in a rap video endorsing Lee's campaign in 2011.

Lee most recently attended a red-carpet event at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, a black-tie gala honoring the world's top physicists, biologists and mathematicians. Other names at the star-studded event included Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Sergey Brin and Arianna Huffington.

Prominent leaders tweeted their condolences. Among them was Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who wrote, "I'm so sad to hear of the passing of Mayor Ed Lee, one of the nicest & kindest leaders I've ever known."

Benioff tweet

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki tweeted, "So saddened to hear of the sudden passing of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee."

Wojcicki tweet

London Breed, the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, became acting mayor following Lee's death.
It can feel like there's an overwhelming amount of money advice to sort through. To help you separate out the signal from the noise, CNBC Make It rounded up eight of the best pieces of advice we heard about money this year. Here are some of the smartest things self-made millionaires and billionaires had to say about saving, investing, earning and growing your wealth.

Suze Orman: Find joy in saving money

The key to saving money is to find the same kind of pleasure you get from spending when you save, the personal finance expert told CNBC Make It. Saving money should never feel like "a downer," Orman said. It should be satisfying. You should even like doing it. The question shouldn't be, "When can you start enjoying your money that you saved?" she continued. "My question back to you is, 'When do you start enjoying the process of saving?' If you did that, you'll find you don't care about spending money anymore."

Warren Buffett: The best investment you make is in yourself

"Ultimately, there's one investment that supersedes all others: Invest in yourself," the self-made billionaire said in an interview with Forbes. "Nobody can take away what you've got in yourself, and everybody has potential they haven't used yet."

Kyle Taylor: Use the '50-30-20 percent rule'

Kyle Taylor of The Penny Hoarder, who went from cash-strapped to self-made millionaire in a matter of years, told CNBC Make It that one simple formula has helped him save, particularly when dealing with windfalls like a cash gift or bonus. It's called the "50-30-20 percent rule." Fifty percent of the money goes straight to the bank  into your checking account, emergency fund or a long-term savings account  while 30 percent goes towards funding your lifestyle, and 20 percent goes towards fun. "Having those percentages set up ahead of time will give you the freedom and the control to make sure you're making a wise financial decision," Taylor said.

Spike Lee: Don't be afraid to use other people's money

Filmmaker Spike Lee Mike Coppola | Getty Images

"I've got no problem asking people for money," the acclaimed film director told Wealthsimple earlier this year. "Because I believe. I believe in my talents, my storytelling abilities, and also the people I surround myself with on the projects that I make." Lee is in good company. As author and self-made millionaire Steve Siebold found after interviewing more than 1,000 wealthy people for his book, "How Rich People Think," those with a lot generally aren't afraid to fund their future using other people's funds. "Rich people know not being solvent enough to personally afford something is not relevant," Siebold writes. "The real question is, 'Is this worth buying, investing in, or pursuing?' If so, the wealthy know money is always available because rich people are always looking for great investments and superior performers to make those investments profitable."

Mark Cuban: Buy in bulk and on sale

Mark Cuban Tyler Golden | Getty Images

"It's so hard to make a return on regular investments that  you're better off buying two years' worth of toothpaste when it's on 50 percent discount," the self-made billionaire said in a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair. "There's an immediate return on your money." Don't stop with toothpaste, either. This strategy applies to "any resusables or consumables that you have to have," said Cuban. "When they're on a huge sale on Amazon, buy them, because chances are, their prices are going to go up. That's a real savings that you get to put in your pocket."

Grant Cardone: Develop multiple connected streams of income

"You won't get rich without multiple flows of income," said self-made millionaire Grant Cardone, who was deep in debt before reaching seven figures. "That starts with the income you currently have. Increase that income and start adding multiple flows. "You want what are called symbiotic flows. Do not just add disconnected flows. Instead, find other ways you can add income to the job you already have. My video guy does advertising for me  and after proving himself, he started making advertisements for those connected to me. He didn't start a doughnut shop."

Chris Reining: To save big, start small

According to Chris Reining, who built a $1 million portfolio by age 35 and retired two years later, the key to saving big is to start small. "I know there are some people out there that say you shouldn't worry about the $5 latte, but the more I think about it, cutting out the $5 latte was a good place to start," Reining told CNBC Make It. "Because if you try to downsize your house, get rid of all yours cars and make all of these drastic changes, it's so overwhelming and you're not going to do any of it." Ultimately, he said, "the small changes will lead you to be able to make the big changes."

Grant Sabatier: Don't forget, money isn't everything
(L-R) Rachel Crooks, Jessica Leeds, and Samantha Holvey speak during the press conference held by women accusing Trump of sexual harassment in NYC on December 11, 2017 in New York City.

President Donald Trump is pushing back against sexual misconduct allegations, saying he's the target of "false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met."

Trump lashed out on Twitter Tuesday, a day after three women who previously accused Trump of sexual harassment shared their stories on NBC's "Megyn Kelly Today."

Trump says Democrats "have been unable to show any collusion with Russia" and now are "moving on" to these allegations. He adds: "FAKE NEWS!"

Donald Trump tweet

The women  Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey, and Rachel Crooks  urged Congress to investigate Trump's behavior.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied the allegations Monday and pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president. She did not provide the list by late Monday.
A member of President Donald Trump's legal team called Tuesday for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate what he says are conflicts of interest within the Department of Justice and the FBI.

Citing reports that a Justice Department official's wife reportedly worked for a firm that paid for opposition research on Trump, Jay Sekulow told CNBC in a Tuesday interview that "I think these revelations require a special counsel to investigate."

"That raises a very serious conflict," he said.

The news website Axios reported earlier Tuesday that Sekulow called for a special counsel to look into the matter.

Bruce Ohr last week was demoted from his title of associate deputy attorney general after the House Intelligence Committee uncovered previously undisclosed meetings between Ohr and former British spy Christopher Steele during the election, Fox News reported Friday. Ohr will remain director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.

Ohr also met with Glenn Simpson, co-founder of Fusion GPS, Fox News reported.

Steele is the author of the controversial dossier about Trump that included salacious details about alleged ties to the Kremlin. The unverified report, which was commissioned by Fusion GPS, was published during the presidential campaign.

Monday night, Fox News reported that during the 2016 election, Ohr's wife worked for Fusion GPS.

Staff members on the House Intelligence Committee confirmed that Nellie Ohr was employed by Fusion GPS during the election, but that the nature of her work was unspecified, according to the Fox News report.



It wasn't immediately known what Nellie Ohr did for Fusion GPS or if she had any links to the dossier. In a statement to CNBC, a spokesperson for Fusion GPS said that the company "frequently works with highly credentialed subject matter experts," adding: "Nellie Ohr is a widely-recognized scholar on Russia and the former Soviet Union."

Sekulow's call for a second special counsel comes amid criticism from conservatives of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into ties between Trump and Russia. Earlier in the month, the president said the FBI was in "tatters" following news reports that a prosecutor working on the probe had exchanged anti-Trump tweets with his mistress.

"This has nothing to do with Bob Mueller," Sekulow told CNBC. "We're not talking about Bob Mueller."

Trump has repeatedly denied any improper ties with Russia.

The Department of Justice and the House Intelligence Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment from CNBC. The FBI is part of the Justice Department.

Sol Wisenberg, a leading white-collar attorney who was deputy independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation, told CNBC that another special counsel wouldn't make sense in this circumstance.



The law establishing the grounds for setting up a special counsel specify that they are established to lead criminal investigations. "There is no statute I am aware of criminalizing conflicts of Interest in general," Wisenberg said.

Wisenberg said that it would make more sense in this circumstance for Sekulow to call for an investigation from the Justice Department's inspector general.



Republicans have criticized Steele's dossier, which Trump has called a "hoax." The House Intelligence Committee has sparred with Fusion GPS in court to obtain information related to the dossier's funding.

At one point, the FBI planned to help fund Steele's work, according to a report in The Washington Post. That deal reportedly fell through, though the FBI did use the dossier to bolster the bureau's legal arguments for secret surveillance of Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, according to CNN.

Simpson defended the dossier in nearly seven hours of testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in November, CNN reported then.
President Donald Trump slammed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a bizarre tweet Tuesday morning, a day after the New York Democrat urged him to resign because of sexual misconduct accusations.

Trump called Gillibrand a "lightweight" and a "total flunky" for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York's other senator. He also claimed she used to come to his office "begging" for campaign contributions, cryptically adding the senator "would do anything for them." It is unclear what he meant by that statement.

Trump also called her "disloyal" to the Clinton family but did not elaborate on why.

Trump: Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office "begging" for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!

Gillibrand shot back on Twitter, saying, "You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office."

Gillibrand tweet

Later Tuesday, she called Trump's tweet a "sexist smear" and said it would not silence her or the women who "stood up" to Trump on Monday by calling on Congress to investigate misconduct claims against him.

Speaking to reporters later Tuesday, Schumer called Trump's tweet "nasty" and "unbecoming of a president."

Trump made donations to Gillibrand's campaign committee in 2007 and 2010 totaling $5,850. His daughter and advisor, Ivanka, contributed $2,000 to the campaign committee in 2014.

The public confrontation started Monday, when Gillibrand told CNN that Trump "should resign" due to the sexual misconduct allegations against him. If Trump does not resign, Congress should investigate the "credible" and "numerous" accusations against the president, she said.

More than 50 Democratic women in Congress on Monday asked the House Oversight Committee to investigate Trump, according to NBC News. Three men in the Senate Democratic caucus Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker and Jeff Merkley  have also said Trump should think about resigning or have outright urged him to step down.

At least a dozen women have accused the president of sexual misconduct. On Monday, three of those women urged Congress to investigate the president.

In a separate tweet Tuesday morning, Trump said he is the target of "false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met."

Trump: Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday that Americans knew about the allegations last year and had the chance to judge Trump when they elected him president.

Other Democratic women in the Senate  Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire  tweeted support for Gillibrand following Trump's jab.

Warren tweet

Hassan tweet

Asked later Tuesday whether Trump's tweet was sexist, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the president has used the "same terminology" to describe both men and women. She added that Trump was attempting to express that he "can't be bought."
President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was "ill-advised" and has probably "significantly" set back the peace process, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates told CNBC on Tuesday.

"I think it was ill advised," Gates said. "I'm not quite sure if there's a strategy behind it or whether it's the fulfilment of a campaign promise that was made."

Gates was Pentagon chief in the second Bush and Obama administrations and is a former CIA director.

Gates said he had hoped some progress was being made in the dialogue between the U.S., Israel and Palestinians but that Trump's move had likely damaged the peace process.

"I had the sense that people were starting to think that maybe something actually would be possible in terms of moving forward on (the peace process) something that multiple presidents have failed to achieve."

"But unfortunately I think this decision probably significantly sets back that effort in major ways," he said.
Old faces dominate tally

As the results of only a handful of seats on the federal parliament remain to be announced, old faces dominate the list of winners.
U.S. companies on balance already are paying well below the 20 percent tax level targeted in the Republican reform plan, according to an analysis by Yardeni Research.

In fact, the typical effective tax rate  the amount paid minus deductions  could be as low as 13 percent over the past years, Yardeni concluded when looking at a cleaner number of how much the government is really collecting.

That's well below other estimates that sought to clarify the impact of the tax reform proposal that would take the current nominal rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. Multiple firms have concluded the benefits will tilt to specific sectors and provide a limited aggregate windfall.

The Institution on Taxation and Economic Policy, for instance, looked at 258 Fortune 500 companies that were "consistently profitable" from 2008 to 2015 and found they paid an effective rate of 21.2 percent.

But Yardeni found those estimates may be overstating what the government is actually getting from corporations. For instance, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which compiles quarterly GDP reports, includes taxes collected from state and federal governments as well as the hundreds of billions the Fed remits to the Treasury each quarter from its $4.5 trillion bond portfolio.

The Fed's profits from the bonds it bought during three rounds of quantitative easing swelled from $27 billion at the beginning of 2009 to a record $105 billion in the second quarter of 2014.

The bureau uses something called the National Income and Product Accounts that Yardeni said could be distorting the corporate tax picture by including the state and local as well as the Fed receipts.

"The obvious conclusion is that measuring the average effective federal corporate tax rate using the NIPA data will overstate it by the amount of 'taxes' collected from the Fed and by the amount of taxes paid to taxing authorities other than the IRS," Ed Yardeni, founder of Yardeni Research, said in a note.

Still, even using the NIPA-based data yields an effective rate below 25 percent since 2008, and 20.7 percent over the past four quarters. Excluding the Fed's contribution to that data set takes the effective rate all the way down to 13 percent, Yardeni said.

Yardeni concedes that there could be some holes in his method, such as the small business contribution, but he sees on whole the numbers are right.
You can be Mark Zuckerberg's neighbor in San Francisco. If you have a cool million lying around.

A two-bedroom, one-bath apartment is currently listed at 2 Fair Oaks Street for $995,000. The Facebook tech titan reportedly lives across the way at 3450 21st Street. The property reported to be Zuckerberg's is technically owned by a trust, a spokesperson for Redfin, a residential real estate company where 2 Fair Oaks Street is listed, tells CNBC Make It.

According to the Redfin listing, the celebrity-adjacent apartment is a "hot home," with a 75 percent chance of selling in three days (though the condo went on the market Dec. 1).

Nearby resident Zuckerberg is worth an estimated $72 billion, according to Forbes, making him one of the wealthiest people in the world. And since he is currently on parental leave for the month of December, you might see him around the neighborhood.

Here's a look inside the on-the-market apartment:

The unit is in a building constructed in 1929 and comes with a private one-car garage.
"We have 15 years of experience with ESG investing to show investors," says Ouaknine. "We have a track record to prove that if you understand what ESG means, and combine that with the right financial criteria, you can outperform. Investors don't need to believe. They simply have to look at the evidence."

Ouaknine has been working with ESG long enough to remember the doubts investors once had. "At the beginning, we were trying to convince investors with little proof of risk reduction or financial performance. Little information was available from the corporate side. Now things are totally different. There is regulation mandating the reporting of ESG criteria. Ratings agencies look at ESG factors. And companies themselves are engaged."

A key factor is considerable risk reduction. By identifying negative impacts, and taking action, companies pre-empt potential bad publicity. For example, a luxury brand can be ruined by a child labor scandal. By investigating the supply chain, it ensures directors, staff, and investors are protected from a public relations disaster. Every company will have similar vulnerabilities which can be addressed by ESG principles.

The links between sustainable approach and elevated performance are confirmed by multiple sources. Investors can look at a long list of available market data, raising also the question of the materiality... Most listed companies are now publishing ESG reports. And academics are also presenting their own independent research which supports the theory.
Shenzhen wins Safe City Award, Yanbu wins Data and Technology Award

Four Huawei customers were recognized for their outstanding Smart City achievements at the prestigious Smart City Expo World Congress 2017 (SCEWC). Shenzhen in China won the Safe City Award with its Smart Transportation project, and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia won the Data and Technology Award with its Smart City project. In addition, Weifang in China was one of the finalists for the City Award with its Smart City 3.0 project, while Cameroon was nominated for the Innovation Idea Award with its solar energy project. These cities have all leveraged Huawei's Smart City solutions customized to meet city management needs across different regions and different levels of development. The solutions drive digital transformation to improve city administration, create sustainable economies and enable efficient public services.

With 309 entries from 58 countries for this year's World Smart City Awards, the competition iwas greater than ever, reflecting the diversity and innovativeness of Smart City development across the world.

Yan Lida, President of Huawei Enterprise Business Group, said: "The ultimate goal of a Smart City is to enable good governance, promote industry development and deliver benefits for the people. Together with our customers and partners, we are moving towards achieving these outcomes by improving city governance and service capabilities, developing the local economy and stimulating innovation, as well as making cities more livable. Drawing from the world's best Smart City practices, we have found that a successful Smart City Development is driven by strong governmental support backed by a strong and capable Smart City project team, with long-term and stable investment. Working with a leading digital partner that designs top-level plans to address governmental needs and has an open and robust ecosystem is also crucial. We are honored that Huawei has gained the trust of our customers and become their preferred partner for Smart City development. Leveraging leading new ICT such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence to build a unified IoT platform, communications platform, cloud data center and smart command center, Huawei creates a nervous system for a Smart City. This enables the Smart City to become a living organism that constantly evolves and grows sustainably. We would like to congratulate Shenzhen and Saudi Arabia on receiving World Smart City Awards 2017, and we look forward to working with more cities to help them realize their Smart City dreams."
Gov. Eric Greitens holds Facebook Live "town halls" on his Facebook page, and banned users cannot comment on those videos to ask questions. One attorney says this is the equivalent of being barred from a public meeting.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Pressed into service

A number of massage parlours have sprouted in major towns around Nepal in recent years. Their stated objective is to provide massages to clients who want to maintain good health, but sexual services are also being offered under this guise.
Why does the head of Goldman Sachs in London want to have tea with John McDonnell? It seems unlikely that he hopes to fill a gap in his autograph collection, or to secure a selfie to use as his new Facebook profile pic. Presumably Richard Gnodde hopes to lobby the Shadow Chancellor in some way  to encourage him to a more positive understanding of the work the City does, perhaps, or to persuade him of the merits of more business-friendly policies.

Can Gnodde really believe that this is a realistic prospect? The man he wants to meet is a self-described Marxist, setting fiscal policy for the most left-wing Labour leadership in living memory, and has spent years as the key ally of an Opposition leader who only two weeks ago told the financial services sector that his Party is a threat to them and their work. Goldmans man in London stands a better chance of getting that selfie than of securing any positive change in McDonnells view of the world  trying to cosy up to Labour now is an act of absurd desperation.

Some in business know this. Indeed, some in Goldman Sachs know this  one of Gnoddes colleagues recently warned that Corbynism would transform Britain into Cuba without the sunshine. But even among those who think it, the number willing to say it out loud in public are still relatively few and far between.

Why might that be?

To an extent, I suspect its because theres still some degree of fantasy at play about the true nature of the practicalities of socialism. Many people have forgotten  understandably, given how long ago it was  how huge and hard the task of freeing up the economy was in the first place. So theres a limited practical understanding of what mass nationalisations, vast expansion in borrowing, large tax hikes and strict capital controls to shore up the currency would actually look and feel like.

Thats twinned with a naivety about the people involved. Corbyn and McDonnell do a pretty good job of performing their great uncle act, posing as Westminsters answer to Statler and Waldorf  albeit with a little red book in their inside pocket. Their advisers, and their apologists in the media, have done an equally good job of stirring up doubts about what they really believe. Disregard everything Jeremy and John said for the previous three decades, were told, and look at the statements they issue now. See, theyre suitably vague as to make it theoretically possible that actually theyre merely Swedish social democrats. Yes, their careers and their teams are saturated in the politics of the far left, but its all going to be ok, nothing to worry about.

The final, key, element is the implicit threat of Corbyns accompanying angry mob. This morning, James Frayne wrote about the troubling and misguided tendency of businesses to roll over when confronted by loud but fringe online activists. If thats the effect of a couple of hundred people assailing Pizza Hut about their newspaper adverts, its no surprise that plenty of businesses stay silent about the dangers of Corbynism rather than risk the wrath of the mobs of thousands directed by Momentum, the Canary et al.

The difference, of course, is that while a pizza chain might be right in thinking that if it surrenders on advertising in the Mail or the Sun then the problem will go away, the opposite is true when it comes to indulging Corbyns Labour Party. Keep quiet about their threat to jobs, growth, tax revenues and public services, and they might not attack you online today, but you increase the chance that they will get to attack you, and all of us, with the power of the state if they get elected.

Business should do more  as individuals, as companies, or as a group  to make quite clear what the Opposition would do to this country if they get the chance.

That doesnt have to mean involvement with or endorsement of the Conservative Party. Though, as I proposed back in September, the Conservatives should be working far harder to sign up and engage with such supporters wherever possible.

However its expressed, the private sector would be wise to speak up now, rather than trying to buddy up to McDonnell in the hope that hell change his very nature and leave them alone. If he ever gets into the Treasury  god forbid  theyll suddenly find its too late, and there are no more tea and biscuits on offer.
Henry Newman is Director of Open Europe.

Theresa May has managed to get to sufficient progress partly by kicking the can down the road on a variety of issues  above all on the question of the Irish border. Of course, theres a healthy EU tradition of can-kicking (see, for example, the Euro crisis in its many incarnations). But, as my colleague Stephen Booth has argued, at some point political chickens will come home to roost. The Cabinet will need to decide on whether we will be more like Canada or more like Norway. A discussion on that is scheduled for next week. My guess is that, if the Government doesnt agree that the UK will have the ability to decide its own future regulation, there will be the most almighty bust-up. But for now, May has found a path through, assuming this weeks European Council meeting goes smoothly.

Meanwhile, the muddle on the Labour benches shows little sign of abating. Ive written before about Labours Brexit policy hokey-cokey: in the Single Market and Customs Union, out the Single Market and Customs Union, and then shaking it all about. But the mud in the water shows little sign of clearing. The shadow front bench are descending into double speak. On Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer refused to answer Andrew Marrs gentle probing by saying that: my problem is I always get very technical. But the problem with Labours position is actually that no one can explain what it really is.

Labours position seems to be that  after the transition  they want to keep the benefits of the Single Market and Customs Union, but not the structures. This is pretty much the definition of cake having and eating. Their idea is that the EU will, thanks to the brilliance of their negotiation skills perhaps, accept a relaxation of the rules of both institutions. This is palpably ridiculous but, so far, their arguments have escaped serious scrutiny.

In 2015, David Cameron won a surprise majority. He went to Brussels asking to renegotiate Britains membership of the EU. He was assisted by talented advisers (including Dan Korski and Mats Persson) and able officials. Camerons deal included some real changes but nothing that really dealt with public concerns over free movement. As a result, it wasnt given a particularly significant role by the Remain campaign. The overall package was then flatly rejected by the British people in the 2016 referendum. Labours position is that they will get a better renegotiation than Camerons but from outside the EU. How?

What Single Market rules will the Labour Party seek to re-negotiate? From the EUs point of view, the Single Market is underpinned by acceptance of the four freedoms. For the renegotiation to deliver something which might meet with public approval, Labour presumably would have to get the EU to accept an opt-out or limit on free movement. That, of course, is something which EU leaders have repeatedly refused to consider. At every opportunity, EU leaders and key European politicians have rejected cherry-picking. Thats why May has called the EUs bluff by accepting that we wont cherry-pick  we will leave the Single Market.

What of the Customs Union? Barry Gardiner, Shadow Trade Secretary, confirmed to me that the UK will cease to be a member of THE customs union when we leave the EU [his emphasis]. Thats correct. And its helpfully precise as, when discussing things Customs Union, the definite article marking the EUs Customs Union is often omitted, leading to endless confusion. Monaco is the only non-EU member in the EUs Customs Union. To put this another way  even Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein, the EEA states which are closest to the EU, are outside the EUs Customs Union. With the exception of the microstates of Andorra and San Marino, only Turkey has established a partial customs union with the EUs Customs Union.

My assumption was that Labours position was to establish a Turkey-style Customs Union with the EU. But Gardiner explicitly rejected a customs union AGREEMENT with EU, like Turkey has because it would give EU power to decide our tariffs & quotas with 3rd countries. Wed be forced to liberalise our market but have no reciprocal access to theirs. Hes right, of course, but thats why we need to give up on the idea of a Customs Union, as Open Europe has argued.

Gardiner then suggested that Post transition period Labour wishes to secure the BENEFITS of both SM & CU [Single Market and Customs Union] but is not committed to existing structures which remain options on the table. So Labour neither wants to be in a Customs Union nor the Customs Union, but doesnt want to take either option off the table. Well, thats clear.

The reality seems to be that Labour is trying to square an impossible position. The idea of renegotiating the Single Market and Customs Union rules, as a non-EU member, is a chimera. But its designed to paper over the deep ideological divides within the Party. Senior Labour figures remain fundamentally unreconciled to the referendum. Of course, its true that some Tories are less than delighted by the referendum, too, but only a very few actively seek to undermine the manifesto position of leaving the Single Market and Customs Union. And following Theresa Mays success on Friday, MPs and leading figures from all wings of the Party have heaped praise on the Prime Minister.

Despite Labours manifesto commitments, Blairite figures continue openly to suggest that the UK could and perhaps will never ultimately leave the EU. Chuka Umunna is raising money for an Exit from Brexit. Starmer has privately told mutual acquaintances of his intention to slowly shift Labours position in this direction. Alison McGovern disingenuously suggests that the question of Single Market membership was not addressed during the referendum when it was answered by the campaign leaders on both sides.

Structures do matter when it comes to international organisations. Youre either in the Single Market or youre not. Youre either in a Customs Union or youre not. The Conservative Party ought to spend more time exposing these divisions in Labour and less time arguing with itself.
James Frayne is Director of communications agency Public First and author of Meet the People, a guide to moving public opinion.

If politicians largely ignore the power of the lower middle class  voters that decide who enters Downing Street  its becoming clear businesses are just as culpable. Many firms find the values of provincial English families confusing at best, distasteful at worst, and are struggling to engage them effectively when dragged into public conversation.

As most readers will have seen, just last week Pizza Hut followed stationers Paperchase in a public apology for running adverts in mass-circulation, tabloid newspapers. Their ads werent political  they were entirely focused on selling more products  but they were enough to irritate the campaigners at Stop Funding Hate, who campaign against businesses advertising in mainstream, right-leaning newspapers.

Boris Johnson criticised these businesses cowardice  and others have rightly pointed out these firms backed down amid a tiny amount of pressure exerted online. Thinking entirely commercially, it makes no sense. They effectively sacrificed their ability to reach millions of people because an organised campaign mobilised several hundred activists against them. More commercially dangerous is these businesses implicit public acknowledgement that the values these newspapers project  that their readers broadly sympathise with  are extreme. Their decisions therefore pour scorn on huge numbers of their own customers and potential customers.

Of course there are occasions when writers for these newspapers express things in a distasteful manner, just as writers do in other newspapers. But, like it or not, calling for Britain to leave the EU, for lower levels of immigration and, say, for a tougher approach to crime are all entirely mainstream positions amongst the electorate and respectable politicians  and these views will likely be particularly strongly held amongst the sorts of people that visit middle market, High Street retailers like Pizza Hut and Paperchase. Firms like these heavily rely on the goodwill of what we might call Middle England.

Many people in the world of corporate communications and marketing talk and behave as if consumers are all young, metropolitan, urban and entirely at ease with social change defined by the vanguard of the politically correct left. In other words, they behave as if the country was made up of the sorts of people that work in Central London. The provincial English middle class dont exist to them, other than as people they can define themselves against.

As such, many marketing campaigns totally out of sympathy with the lives and values of most ordinary people. And, as such, they struggle deeply to engage in the public conversation on political and social matters. Firms like Paperchase and Pizza Hut shouldnt engage in political argument at all. But when theyre dragged in  as if they have been in recent times  they need to be able to defend their position by understanding the attitudes of the millions of people that live in towns and cities across the country and hold ordinary views. As it stands, with a political and moral compass set by the metropolitan left, theyre unable to do this. Many businesses crumble because communications and marketing executives are personally sympathetic to the arguments and values of hostile campaigns  and are sure that most of the rest of the country is, too.

What does this matter to ConservativeHome readers? Surely what happens to private businesses is their own affair and surely their misreading of their consumers doesnt matter to anyone but them? To a point, thats true. But its bad for the conservative movement if whats seen as morally acceptable gets dragged ever more leftwards and if extreme political correctness starts becoming the norm. Its easy to say that something must be done by Government on this. Theyve got more than enough on their collective plates. Instead, this is something that Conservative politicians should address: defending businesses that come under fire for political reasons so they dont feel so exposed and so they realise backing down has consequences, too.
Finding success in both Mexico and the United States, ECN Automation has delivered solutions for its customers that help manufacturer improve processes. ECN Automation is the first system integrator from Mexico to be named System Integrator of the Year. Arturo Freydig, director general of ECN Automation, discusses how his company meets technological challenges in a time of aging equipment and an evolving workforce. Watch the roundtable discussion to learn more.

CFE Media: Congratulations on being named a 2018 System Integrator of the Year. Talk for a moment about this recognition, and what it means for your team.

Freydig: Being the system integrator of the year 2018 in our category is a great honor for me and the company. It is the source of a great deal of pride for the ECN Automation team for achieving an international recognition from CFE Media.

CFE Media: What are your customers telling you about their needs in manufacturing systems? How is your organization changing to meet these needs?

Freydig: Customers are talking about two technological challenges. One is the control system technologies from the last century are coming up on their final cycles. This is an issue of the lack of spare parts, limited capacities and the risk of shut down. The other challenge is how to leverage the new Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industrie 4.0 technologies for improving efficiency. Customers need to adapt their process for the new industrial revolution if they want to remain competitiveness in the new era.

Seeking closer proximity with the operations of our customers, we have established an office network that provides integral attention to their needs in instrumentation, automation, and services.

Our goal is not only to deliver projects on time and within budget, but also to guarantee the best quality materials, functionality, and scope.

In addition, we seek to preserve the investment from our customers by providing the life cycle services necessary to maintain, repair, calibrate, upgrade, capacitate, and increase the use of control systems.

CFE Media: In regard to IIoT, where are we today in terms of industry adoption? How do we get to an inflection point where a greater number of small to mid-sized manufacturers will begin to adopt IIoT?

Freydig: We are in the early stages of IIoT. There have been many technological advances, but industry leaders are conservative. Control engineers are responsible to open doors for new technologies, but they are waiting for more clear references and testimonial of success cases. That will take time. When it does happen, it will be exponential growth. Manufacturers and system integrators must be ready for a greater demand for IIoT solutions from now on.

CFE Media: What makes a good customer for a system integrator? What should manufacturers do to prepare for an integration project in order for it to be more successful?

Freydig: Participating in a bid just with a list of material and engineering hours does not let the system integrator add value to the customers process. A good customer for a system integrator is one that allows the integrator to participate in the project specification. That will provide benefits for the customer by taking advantage of the integrators technical knowledge and experience in many different processes.

CFE Media: In return, what should customers expect from their integrator? What makes a good system integrator?

Freydig: A system integration company investing in personnel development, with technology certifications, good practices in project administration, and a structured company from a financial standpoint. You want a company with experience in the customers process, with success cases and recommendations. CSIA certification is a very good indication of a good system integration company.

To handle our projects in a more efficient way, the whole plant is divided into areas. For each area, the deliverable documents and files include at least engineering drawings, PLC programming, and HMI screens.

A "critical path" is defined to establish a higher priority to certain tasks required to complete the area engineering.

A weekly meeting with the client takes place to review project progress and verify the project schedule.

CFE Media: Finding qualified personnel remains one of manufacturings most difficult issues. How do you go about recruiting, training and retaining skilled engineers? How has that process changed in the last few years?

Freydig: What we do in ECN Automation is bringing students for their internship so we have the opportunity to identify talented engineers. We offer frequent training to our personnel. We empower people through team building, and let them be a part of our strategic development. This helps promote leadership.

ONLINE extra

Learn more about the other System Integrator of the Year winners linked below.

Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our CFE Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Cornwall City Council heard an update from the Cornwall Innovation Centre (CIC) at their Dec. 11 meeting.

Kelly Bergeron, the Executive Director of the CIC and John Rattray of the CICs governing board presented the successes that the organization has had since their launch in April 2017 and to show the steps they have been taking to bringing a university to Cornwall.

Companies working in the CICs incubator have so far created 10 new jobs in Cornwall. One start-up, Orange Neurosciences, recently won a Dragons Den start-up challenge.

Orange Neurosciences are the creators of ReadON, an app to help those with learning differences.

We are asking for support to help grow the CIC, said Bergeron. We are looking to grow partnerships outside of the CIC to grow. With more support we can bridge many many more opportunities across different sectors.

The CIC is partnered with Carleton Universitys Lead to Win program. The province requires that any expansion to post-secondary education in the province must come from existing institutions and the partnership between the CIC and Carleton is the kernel around a post-secondary institution in Cornwall would be built. To grow that institution, the CIC is asking for financial support from the municipalities in SD&G and in Cornwall.

We are always talking about location, location, location. We have it, argued Rattray.

The university idea saw support from around the Council table.

The topic of the university comes up in any circle Im in, said Councillor Bernadette Clement. What I like about the Innovation Centre is that it is keeping that dream alive in the meantime.

Councillor Claude McIntosh mentioned that in the documents submitted by the CIC was a goal of $2 million for the endowment.

$2M is the ask. We are looking to get funds matched by the federal government, said Bergeron. Bringing a university to any city is a good chunk of change.

Councillor McIntosh applauded the CIC for the progress they have made so far.

Weve been talking about getting a university for ages in this town and I think this is the closest weve gotten to sowing the seeds, he said.

Councillors like Mark MacDonald did not rule out the possibility of providing funding for the university endowment to the tune of at least $50, 000.

We should be supporting this, and I think we should be finding the money in the budget this year, said Councillor MacDonald.

So far, the CIC has held three Venture Demo Days, which give local start-ups the opportunity to pitch themselves with the chance to get a spot in the incubator. There have been nine companies brought in through the Venture Demo Days with a possible three more coming at the next Venture Demo Day this week.

The CIC also took advantage of the recent visit by the Korean Embassy.

We had a very interesting day two Fridays ago. Korean delegation, said Rattray. One of the things that has come from that is that weve been invited to visit the Korean Embassy in Ottawa and one of the things well be talking about is what sort of exchanges we can do with university in Seoul.
CORNWALL, Ontario  The Cornwall Community Police Service Investigation Division is currently investigating a purse snatching and is asking the public to come forward if they have any information about this crime.

At approximately 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2017 while walking towards the RBC Bank at the East Court Mall a lady had her purse taken from her grip by a male described as young, 59, slim build wearing a dark hoodie and jeans. The man then fled towards the Kentucky Fried Chicken with the purse.

Police are asking anyone who might have any information about this crime to contact Cst. Whitehorne at (613)933-5000 ext.2784 or ext.2404 to leave anonymous information. Together we can make Cornwall a safer place for all to enjoy!
Snowfall in Karnali affects normal life

Jumla, Mugu, Humla and Dolpa districts in west have witnessed snowfall since 11:00 am Tuesday.
NORTH STORMONT, Ontario  The Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry (SD&G) Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Crime Unit is seeking the publics assistance into the investigation of a Fail To Remain Motor Vehicle/Pedestrian Collision that occurred at approximately 4:00 a.m. on Dec. 24, 2015.

At that time responding officers located an adult male pedestrian suffering from life threatening injury on County Road 22 (Dyer Rd) east of Highway 138 in North Stormont.

Investigation to date reveals that the male victim had been struck by an unknown vehicle, which then left the scene. The male victim survived and is recovering from his injuries.

The Stormont Dundas Glengarry OPP Crime Unit, under the direction of Detective Inspector Mark Zulinski of the Criminal investigation Branch (CIB), is continuing with the investigation.

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact the SD&G OPP at 613-534-2223 or after hours at 1-888-310-1122. If you have information on this crime and wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
MSC Cruises marked the first sailing from the Wenzhou International Cruise Terminal in China, as the MSC Lirica set off on a five-day/four-night trip from the Chinese port in Zhejiang Province on Dec. 9 with 2,500 passengers aboard, according to the company.

The sailing marks yet another new crusie homeport option for China.

Among the officials on hand for the ships arrival were Wenzhou Municipal Mayor Zhang Ge, Vice Mayor Miao Weilun, Zhejiang Provice Harbor Group Chairman Mao Jianhong and other government leaders.

Helen Huang, president of Greater China for MSC Cruises, said MSC had a long-term commitment to the Chinese market, and looks forward to working with government and business partners to bring more innovations to the local cruise market.

Government officials in Wenzhou are targeting around 220,000 cruise passengers annually.

The maiden voyages signifies the development of the cruise industry in Zhejiang Province,  said MSC, in a prepared statement.
Holland America Line's Eurodam earned its 13th consecutive perfect score of 100 on a surprise routine United States Public Health (USPH) inspection conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a statement from the Seattle-based cruise line.

This is the third perfect score for the Eurodam in 2017 and continues the six-year run of perfect scores that is still setting records in both company history and the cruise industry, the company said.

The ship's unannounced USPH inspection was held Dec. 3, 2017, during a turnaround at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the start of a seven-day Caribbean cruise. This score of 100 follows sister ships Koningsdam and Oosterdam achieving perfect scores in March 2017.

"With each new perfect score Eurodam's entire team clearly demonstrates their pride and commitment to excellence and to continuing their amazing streak of perfect scores that raises the bar in the industry," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. "Receiving a perfect USPH score on an unannounced inspection is not easy, yet the team on Eurodam certainly makes it look that way year after year. We all know what a tremendous effort it takes to get that 100. Congratulations to everyone on Eurodam."

Over the past four years, Holland America Line ships have achieved a perfect score of 100 more than 22 times.
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The next time a Connecticut company threatens to move its headquarters to Boston, Catherine Smith should ask a harsh question.

Hows that working out for General Electic? the state economic development commissioner might ask. Or, How about Alexion?

It could be a key business function, like, say, drug discovery at Pfizer, much of which moved from Groton and New London to Boston a five years back.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media.

None of these exits from the Land of Steady Deer in the Woods to the New England Tech Mecca have done much for the bottom lines, the output, the stock prices or the popular views of these companies.

GE has endured a disastrous 2017, a year after moving its headquarters from Fairfield to the Seaport district in Boston. Ousting former CEO Jeffrey Immelt for cutter John Flannery, a Connecticut native, has only highlighted the problems.

And Flannery, famously, has delayed construction of the glitzy Boston edifice by a couple of years amid a free fall in the share price helped along by a halving of the dividend. So much for global-scale software ambitions.

Contributed photo

Alexion hauled in more than $50 million from Smiths department to move from Cheshire to a fancy new headquarters in a remade downtown New Haven, only to announce Sept. 12 that it, too, is tapping into the Seaport district for its head office. Amid cutting (and giving back half the state payoff), the new CEO  the third in three years after a scandal-ridden housecleaning  has seen shares fall another 21 percent in the last three months to $112, down from more than $200 in the heady summer of 2016.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that activist hedge fund Elliott Management wants Alexion to cut faster  in other words, to act more like a company whose stock multiple is coming down from the clouds. Alexions main product, Soliris, a treatment for a rare blood disease, remains a cash cow, but whats on the horizon?

Pfizer, which still has about 3,000 people in post-discovery development in Connecticut, touted good news Friday in late-stage human trials of its new breast cancer drug, Talazoparib. But for the most part, Pfizer has hardly spent the last few years replacing the old blockbusters that made it the biggest name in pharma  Viagra, Lyrica, Lipitor and others.

Shares have bounced around the low to mid-$30s for the last year and still havent reached their mid-2016 highs even though President Donald Trump could very well unlock upwards of $80 billion for Pfizer. In other words, so far at least, the Boston-Cambridge play hasnt worked wonders as Wall Street looks for Pfizers next huge acquisition as much as its next medical breakthrough.

Obviously, any of these companies could do fantastically well in Boston over time. But over the weekend I got a call from a wiseguy Connecticut executive. He pointed out, half in jest, that maybe companies moving from Connecticut to Boston are asking for trouble.

If the pattern tells us anything, its not that Boston is toxic, but its not a magic bullet, either. No place is, when it comes to corporate relocation.

In the quaint world where a lot of us grew up, people followed jobs, wherever they were. Weve swung so far toward jobs following people that maybe its time for a bit of healthy balance in that world view.

We havent found that theres a shortage, said Ben Berkowitz, founder and CEO of SeeClickFix in New Haven, who grew up in the Elm City (and was not my caller). Weve been able to hire engineers.

Hes the first to say Connecticut needs to make its urban culture more magnetic for young professionals. Were never going to be Boston or New York, but hey, most likely Aetna wont move to New York, either, if it joins with CVS.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
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
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.
Judge Alamelu Natarajan of Tirupur court could not have sent out a stronger message against caste-based killings. Extremely important in a Tamil Nadu that according to Dalit activists, saw as many as 83 cases of honour killings between 2014 and 2016.

On Tuesday, the court awarded death sentence to six of the eleven accused in the murder of Sankar, a Dalit youth who had married Kausalya from the comparatively superior Thevar community. Among those who will now face the gallows, if the higher courts uphold this verdict, will be Chinnasamy, Kausalya's father.

Ever since Kausalya walked out of home to marry Sankar, Chinnasamy could not accept the match, taking it as an affront to his stature in society. He tried to get Sankar out of his daughter's life by offering him Rs 10 lakh. When neither threat nor inducement worked, he ordered the hit on Sankar.

The deed was done in March 2016 in a busy marketplace in Udumalpet in west Tamil Nadu by a gang of hired killers. All of them will now hang till death along with the brain behind the killing. Kausalya's mother and uncle, who were among the accused, have been acquitted.

What does this judgement mean for Tamil Nadu? Will it change social attitudes given that the law has shown the force with which it can come down on anyone who sees hacking as a way to establish caste domination?

I met Muthusamy Gounder, who works as a watchman at the Mariamman temple in Coimbatore. "If my son married a Dalit girl, he will cease to be my son," Muthusamy declared. "How can I feel happy if my son is ruined? I will feel angry. I will say to hell with them and not allow them into my home."

Chinnasamy who works as a financier, took this anger a step further. But he cannot be the only one to be blamed for it. That is the way the backward castes like the Thevars, Gounders and Vanniyars have thought and operated for years. Socially upwardly mobile and politically powerful, these communities are the backbone of the leading political parties in Tamil Nadu. The police machinery too is dominated by people from these caste formations - which makes it easier for them while facing the law. It is this mindset that perhaps gave Chinnasamy the confidence that he can get away with murder.

The law has spoken and so has Kausalya. Her instrument of defiance is the 'parai', a drum-like instrument that she plays.

What he did not calculate was that his own daughter would revolt against him and stay steadfast in her rebellion. Kausalya, after Sankar's killing, stayed at her in-laws' home, under police protection.

She refused to interact with her parents, shunning them even when they came face to face inside court during trial. On Tuesday, she said she will appeal against her mother and uncle's acquittal in the high court.

"I would appeal against their acquittal. I fear threat to my life and Sankar's family as they have been acquitted. I want police help," Kausalya said.

Even though Chinnasamy in court pleaded for minimum punishment, on the grounds that he has Kausalya's younger brother to take care of, there is no remorse in the family. There is talk of betrayal and emphasis on the fact that Sankar was a Dalit and therefore the question of association with him, by marriage, simply could not arise.

There is social and political backing for such a sentiment and more often than not, taking revenge on a Dalit and going to jail for that is considered a badge of honour. CK Nagaraj, founder of the Kongu Jana Nayaka Party, who is opposed to inter-caste marriages, says such matches are a "great insult" for the family.

"The parents cannot step out of home. If there is one more daughter, no one will want to marry her," says Nagaraj. He says parents have to constantly be careful about the modus operandi that Dalit youth adopt to ensnare girl from Thevar and Gounder families.

"Dalit boys are like Romeos who deliberately follow a girl from the intermediary caste, make her fall in love, ensure she elopes along with gold. If the parents are adamant, they will agree to pay a hefty amount to take the girl back," he claims.

The law has spoken and so has Kausalya. Her instrument of defiance is the "parai", a drum-like instrument that she plays. It is seen as an instrument of liberation and associated of late, with the Dalit struggle. Kausalya has moved on, living her life as a clerk in the defence ministry in Wellington, near Ooty and a much sought-after speaker at Dalit conferences. What did my father achieve by getting Sankar killed, is a question she constantly raises.
Stalled counting resumes in Sunsari-3

Counting of votes resumed on Tuesday in Sunsari-3 where Nepali Congress (NC) leader Bijya Kumar Gachadar and CPN-UML candidate Bhagwati Chaudhary are contesting.
CoreLogic, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides property information, insight, analytics, and data-enabled solutions in North America, Western Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Property Intelligence & Risk Management Solutions (PIRM) and Underwriting & Workflow Solutions (UWS). The PIRM segment combines property information, mortgage information, and consumer information to deliver housing market and property-level insights, predictive analytics, and risk management capabilities. It also offers proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with decision-making and compliance tools in the real estate and insurance industries. This segment primarily serves commercial banks, mortgage lenders and brokers, investment banks, fixed-income investors, real estate agents, MLS companies, property and casualty insurance companies, title insurance companies, government agencies, and government-sponsored enterprises. The UWS segment combines property, mortgage, and consumer information to provide comprehensive mortgage origination and monitoring solutions, including underwriting-related solutions, and data-enabled valuations and appraisals. This segment also provides proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with vetting and onboarding prospects, and meeting compliance regulations, as well as understanding, evaluating, monitoring property values. It primarily serves mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, credit unions, commercial banks, fixed-income investors, government agencies, and property and casualty insurance companies. The company was formerly known as The First American Corporation and changed its name to CoreLogic, Inc. in June 2010. CoreLogic, Inc. was incorporated in 1894 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.
CNH Industrial N.V. designs, produces, markets, sells, and finances agricultural and construction equipment, trucks, commercial vehicles, buses, and specialty vehicles in North America, Europe, South America, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Agriculture, Construction, Commercial and Specialty Vehicles, Powertrain, and Financial. The Agriculture segment provides farm machinery and implements that include two-and four-wheel drive tractors, crawler tractors, combines, cotton pickers, grape and sugar cane harvesters, hay and forage equipment, planting and seeding equipment, soil preparation and cultivation implements, and material handling equipment under the New Holland Agriculture, Case IH, STEYR, Miller, Kongskilde, Overum, K-Line, and JF brands. The Construction segment offers excavators, crawler dozers, graders, wheel and backhoe loaders, and skid steer and compact track loaders under the CASE Construction and New Holland Construction brands. The Commercial and Specialty Vehicles segment provides light, medium, and heavy vehicles for the transportation and distribution of goods under the IVECO brand; commuter buses and city-buses under the IVECO BUS and Heuliez Bus brands; quarry and mining equipment under the IVECO ASTRA brand; firefighting vehicles under the Magirus brand; and vehicles for civil defense and peace-keeping missions under the Iveco Defence Vehicles brand. The Powertrain segment offers engines, transmission systems, and axles for on- and off-road applications, as well as for marine and power generation under the FPT Industrial brand. The Financial Services segment provides and administers retail financing to customers for the purchase or lease of new and used industrial equipment or vehicles, and other equipment; wholesale financing, which primarily consists of floor plan financing; and trade receivables factoring services. The company was founded in 1842 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
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.
Glacier Media Inc. operates as an information and marketing solutions company in Canada and the United States. The company operates through three segments: Environmental and Property Information; Commodity Information; and Community Media. It offers environmental risk data and related products to environmental consultants, CRE brokers, financial institutions, and insurance companies; produces digital audit guides and compliance tools for use in environmental health and safety audits; and operates REW.ca, a residential real estate listings and property information marketplace, which provides consumers with key real estate information and insights to make better informed decisions about their home. The company also offers digital media, listings, publications, exhibitions, weather, and commodities marketing subscriptions for the Canadian grower and agricultural industry. In addition, it provides databases, conferences, digital media, and e-learning programs for the mining sector; local news, general community information, and classifieds websites; digital marketing services; specialty products and services; websites and digital marketing services; website design, social media management programmatic advertising solutions, content marketing solutions, and brand videos; and search engine optimization and search engine marketing services. Further, the company licenses community website platform software; and prints newspapers. It serves clients in various sectors, such as agriculture, mining and metals, regional business, real estate, environmental risk, regulatory compliance, community media, and weather. The company was formerly known as Glacier Ventures International Corp. and changed its name to Glacier Media Inc. in July 2008. Glacier Media Inc. was incorporated in 1988 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
UML objects to appointments of caretaker govt

Even as the nation gears up for a new government under the left alliance, the Nepali Congress-led caretaker government has made a number of political appointments drawing sharp criticism from the CPN-UML.
USG Corporation, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells building materials worldwide. The company's Gypsum division manufactures and markets gypsum and related products to construct walls and ceilings of residential, nonresidential, and institutional buildings; and agricultural and industrial customers. This segment offers gypsum wallboards and compound portfolios, as well as corner beads, joint tapes, and plasters under the USG Sheetrock brand; glass mat sheathing portfolios under the Securock brand; construction plaster products under the Red Top, Imperial, Diamond, and Supremo brands; and lightweight gypsum panels under the USG Sheetrock brand, as well as ultralight panels, USG Sheetrock brand ecosmart panels, and industrial gypsum. Its Performance Materials division manufactures and markets products for interior and exterior building applications of residential and nonresidential buildings, as well as industrial applications. This segment provides cement boards, backer boards, shower systems, performance floorings, air barrier systems, roof board portfolios, and structural panels under the USG Durock, Fiberock, Levelrock, Securock, ExoAir, Securock, and USG brands. The company's Ceilings division manufactures and markets ceiling tiles under the Radar, Eclipse, Mars, and Halcyon brands; ceiling grids under the Donn, DX, Fineline, Centricitee, and Identitee DXI brands; specialty ceilings under the Curvatura, Compasso, Radians, Illusions, Multiples, Runways, Barz, Planx, Mirra, Corniche, Wallforms, and Parti brands; and acoustical drywall ceilings under the Ensemble brand. Its USG Boral Building Products division manufactures, distributes, and sells building products, mines raw gypsum, and sells natural and synthetic gypsum under the USG Boral Sheetrock, USG Boral NextGen, Elephant, Jayaboard, Durock, and Donn DX brands. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Halliburton Company provides products and services to the energy industry worldwide. It operates in two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services that include stimulation and sand control services; cementing services, such as well bonding and casing, and casing equipment; completion tools that offer downhole solutions and services, including well completion products and services, intelligent well completions, and service tools, as well as liner hanger, sand control, and multilateral systems; production solutions comprising coiled tubing, hydraulic workover units, downhole tools, and pumping and nitrogen services; and pipeline and process services, such as pre-commissioning, commissioning, maintenance, and decommissioning. This segment also provides electrical submersible pumps, as well as artificial lift services. The Drilling and Evaluation segment offers drilling fluid systems, performance additives, completion fluids, solids control, specialized testing equipment, and waste management services; oilfield completion, production, and downstream water and process treatment chemicals and services; drilling systems and services; wireline and perforating services consists of open-hole logging, and cased-hole and slickline; and drill bits and services comprising roller cone rock bits, fixed cutter bits, hole enlargement, and related downhole tools and services, as well as coring equipment and services. This segment also provides cloud based digital services and artificial intelligence solutions on an open architecture for subsurface insights, integrated well construction, and reservoir and production management; testing and subsea services, such as acquisition and analysis of reservoir information and optimization solutions; and project management and integrated asset management services. Halliburton Company was founded in 1919 and is based in Houston, Texas.
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides various specialty insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. It operates through two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment offers property insurance products for commercial buildings, residential premises, construction projects, and onshore energy installations; marine insurance products covering offshore energy, cargo, liability, recreational marine, fine art, specie, and hull war; and terrorism, aviation, credit and political risk, and liability insurance products. It also provides professional insurance products that cover directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions liability, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, crime, professional indemnity, cyber and privacy, medical malpractice, and other financial insurance related coverages for commercial enterprises, financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and other professional service providers. In addition, this segment offers accidental death, travel, and specialty health products for employer and affinity groups. The Reinsurance segment offers reinsurance products to insurance companies, including catastrophe reinsurance products; property reinsurance products covering property damage and related losses resulting from natural and man-made perils; professional lines; credit and surety; and motor liability products. This segment also provides agriculture reinsurance products; coverages for various types of construction risks and risks related to erection, testing, and commissioning of machinery and plants during the construction stage; marine and aviation reinsurance products; and personal accident, specialty health, accidental death, travel, life and disability reinsurance products. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda.
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.
The following companies are subsidiares of TransDigm Group: 17111 Waterview Pkwy LLC, ARA Deutschland GmbH, ARA Holding GmbH, Acme Aerospace, Acme Aerospace Inc., Adams Rite Aerospace GmbH, Adams Rite Aerospace Inc., Advanced Inflatable Products Limited, Aero-Instruments, AeroControlex Group Inc., Aerosonic, Aerosonic LLC, Air-Sea Survival Equipment Trustee Limited, Airborne Acquisition Inc., Airborne Global Inc., Airborne Holdings Inc., Airborne Systems, Airborne Systems Canada Ltd., Airborne Systems Group Limited, Airborne Systems Holdings Limited, Airborne Systems Limited, Airborne Systems NA Inc., Airborne Systems North America Inc., Airborne Systems North America of CA Inc., Airborne Systems North America of NJ Inc., Airborne Systems Pension Trust Limited, Airborne UK Acquisition Limited, Airborne UK Parent Limited, Aircraft Materials Limited, AmSafe, AmSafe Aviation (Chongqing) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Private) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport Ltd., AmSafe Global Holdings Inc., AmSafe Global Services (Private) Limited, AmSafe Inc., Angus Electronics Co., Arkwin Industries, Arkwin Industries Inc., Armtec Countermeasures Co., Armtec Countermeasures TNO Co., Armtec Defense Products Co., Auxitrol SAS, Auxitrol Weston Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Auxitrol Weston Services China Ltd., Auxitrol Weston Singapore Pte. Ltd., Auxitrol Weston USA Inc., Aviation Technologies, Aviation Technologies Inc., Avionic Instruments LLC, Avionics Instruments, Avionics Specialties Inc., AvtechTyee Inc., Beta Transformer Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Beta Transformer Technology Corporation, Beta Transformer Technology LLC, Breeze-Eastern Corporation, Breeze-Eastern LLC, Bridport Erie Aviation Inc., Bridport Holdings Inc., Bridport Ltd., Bridport-Air Carrier Inc., Bruce Aerospace Inc., Bruce Industries, CDA InterCorp LLC, CEF Industries LLC, CMC Electronics Aurora LLC, CMC Electronics Inc., CMC Electronics ME Inc., Champion Aerospace LLC, Chelton Avionics Holdings Inc., Chelton Avionics Inc., Chelton Limited, Cobham Aero Connectivity, Cobham CTS Limited, Cobham Defence Communications Limited, Cobham Defense Products Inc., DART Aerospace, DDC Electronics K.K., DDC Electronics Ltd., DDC Electronics Private Limited, DDC Electronique S.A.R.L., DDC Elektronik GmbH, Darchem Engineering Limited, Darchem Holdings Limited, Data Device Corp., Data Device Corporation, Dukes Aerospace Inc., EST Defence Company UK Limited, Edlaw Limited, Electromech Technologies LLC, Elektro-Metall Export GmbH, Elektro-Metall Paks KFT, Esterline, Esterline Acquisition Ltd, Esterline Europe Company LLC, Esterline Foreign Sales Corporation, Esterline International Company, Esterline Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Esterline Technologies Corporation, Esterline Technologies Corporation, Esterline Technologies Europe Limited, Esterline Technologies France Holding SAS, Esterline Technologies French Acquisition Limited, Esterline Technologies Global Limited, Esterline Technologies Holdings Limited, Esterline Technologies SGIP LLC, Esterline Technologies Unlimited, Esterline do Brasil Assessoria e Intermediacao Ltda, European Antennas Limited, Extant Components Group Holdings Inc., Extant Components Group Intermediate Inc., GQ Parachutes Limited, Guizhou Leach-Tianyi Aviation Electrical Company Ltd, Harco, HarcoSemco LLC, Hartwell Corporation, Hytek Finishes Co., ILC Holdings Inc., IRVIN AEROSPACE LIMITED, IrvinGQ France SAS, IrvinGQ Limited, Janco Corporation, Johnson Liverpool LLC, Kirkhill Elastomers, Kirkhill Inc., Korry Electronics Co., Kunshan Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Leach Holding Corporation, Leach International Asia-Pacific Ltd, Leach International Corporation, Leach International Europe S.A.S., Leach International Germany GmbH, Leach International Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Leach International UK Ltd, Leach Mexico Holding LLC, Leach Technology Group Inc., MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc., Mason Electric Co., Mastsystem Int'l Oy, McKechnie Aerospace, McKechnie Aerospace (Europe) Ltd., McKechnie Aerospace DE Inc., McKechnie Aerospace DE LP, McKechnie Aerospace Holdings Inc., McKechnie Aerospace US LLC, Mecanismos de Matamoros S. de R.L. de C.V., NAT Seattle Inc., NMC Group Inc., Norco, Nordisk Asia Pacific Limited, Nordisk Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Nordisk Aviation Products (Kunshan) Ltd., Nordisk Aviation Products AS, Nordisk Aviation Products LLC, North Hills Signal Processing Corp., North Hills Signal Processing Overseas LLC, Norwich Aero Products Inc., Palomar Products Inc., Pexco Aerospace, Pexco Aerospace Inc., PneuDraulics, PneuDraulics Inc., Pressure Systems International Ltd, Schneller, Schneller Asia Pte. Ltd., Schneller LLC, Schneller S.A.R.L., Schroth Safety Products, Semco Instruments, Semco Instruments Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Signal Processing Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Skandia, Skandia Inc., Skurka Aerospace, Skurka Aerospace Inc., Symetrics Industries, Symetrics Industries LLC, Symetrics Technology Group LLC, TA Aerospace Co., TA Mfg Limited, TDG Bavaria GmbH, TDG ESL Holdings Inc., TDG France Ultimate Parent SAS, TDG Germany GmbH, TEAC Aerospace Holdings Inc., TEAC Aerospace Technologies Inc., Tactair Fluid Controls Inc., Takata Protection Systems, Telair International, Telair International GmbH, Telair International Services PTE Ltd, Telair US LLC, TransDigm (Barbados) SRL, TransDigm Canada ULC, TransDigm European Holdings Limited, TransDigm Ireland Ltd., TransDigm Receivables LLC, TransDigm Technologies India Private Limited, TransDigm UK Holdings plc, Transicoil (Malaysia) Sendirian Berhad, Transicoil LLC, Wallop Defence UK Limited, Weston Aerospace Ltd, Whippany Actuation Systems, Whippany Actuation Systems LLC, XCEL Power Systems Ltd., Young & Franklin, Young & Franklin Inc., and exas Rotronics Inc..

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BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
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.
The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

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Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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National Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International. The Personal and Commercial segment offers personal banking services, including transaction solutions, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit, consumer loans, payment solutions, and savings and investment solutions; various insurance products; and commercial banking services comprise credit, and deposit and investment solutions, as well as international trade, foreign exchange transactions, payroll, cash management, insurance, electronic transactions, and complimentary services. The Wealth Management segment comprises investment solutions, trust services, banking services, lending services, and other wealth management solutions. The Financial Markets segment offers corporate banking, advisory, and capital markets services; and project financing, debt, and equity underwriting; advisory services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, and financing. The U.S. Specialty Finance and International segment provides specialty finance products; financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Cambodia; and investment solutions, guaranteed investment certificates, mutual funds, notes, structured products, and monetization. It provides its services through a network of 384 branches and 927 banking machines. National Bank of Canada was founded in 1859 and is based in Montreal, Canada.
Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
Rockwell Automation, Inc. provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products, and services. The Intelligent Devices segment offers drives, motion, safety, sensing, industrial components, and configured-to-order products. The Software & Control segment provides control and visualization software and hardware, information software, digital twin and simulation software, and network and security infrastructure solutions. The Lifecycle Services segment provides consulting, professional services and solutions, and connected and maintenance services. The company sells its solutions primarily through independent distributors in relation with its direct sales force. It serves discrete end markets, including automotive, semiconductor, warehousing and logistics, and other discrete markets, as well as general industries comprising printing and publishing, marine, glass, fiber and textiles, airports, and aerospace; hybrid end markets, such as food and beverage, life sciences, household and personal care, and tire, as well as eco industrial, including water/wastewater, waste management, mass transit, and renewable energy; and process end markets comprising oil and gas, mining, metals, chemicals, pulp and paper, and others. Rockwell Automation, Inc. was founded in 1903 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The following companies are subsidiares of Sysco: 2234829 Alberta ULC, 2234842 Alberta ULC, A. M. Briggs Inc., A.M. Briggs, Almacen Fiscal Frionet Caldera S.A., Almacen Fiscal Frionet Limon S.A., Appert's Foodservice, Arnotts (Fruit) Limited, Asian Foods, Bahamas Food Holdings Limited, Bahamas Food Services Limited, Brake Bros, Brake Bros Foodservice Ireland Limited, Brake Bros. Foodservice Limited, Brake Bros. Holding I Limited, Brake Bros. Ltd., Brakes Foodservice NI Limited, Buchy Food Service, Buckhead Beef Co., Buckhead Meat & Seafood of Houston Inc., Buckhead Meat Company, Buckhead Meat Midwest Inc., Buckhead Meat of Dallas Inc., Buckhead Meat of Denver Inc., Buckhead Meat of San Antonio LP, Buzztable Inc., CAKE Corporation, Central Seafood Co., Christys Wine & Spirits Limited, Clafra Aktiebolag, Colorado Boxed Beef Co - Specialty meat-cutting division, Corporacion Frionet Sociedad Anonima, Crossgar Foodservice, Crossgar Foodservice Limited, Crown I Enterprises Inc., Cucina Acquisitions (UK) Limited, Cucina Finance (UK) Limited, Cucina French Holdings Limited, Cucina Fresh Finance Limited, Cucina Fresh Investments Limited, Cucina Lux Investments Limited, Curleys Quality Foods Limited (Third Party), Davigel Belgilux S.A., Davigel Espana S.A., Desert Meats & Provisions, Distagro, Doerle Food Service, Doughtie's Foods Inc., Dust Bowl City LLC, Eko Fagel Fisk o mittemellan AB, Enclave Insurance Company, Enclave Parkway Association Inc., Enclave Properties LLC, European Imports, European Imports Inc., Figg Inc., Freedman Meats, Freedman Meats Inc., Freedman-KB Inc., Fresh Direct (UK) Limited, Fresh Direct Group Limited, Fresh Direct Limited, Fresh Holdings Limited, FreshPoint, FreshPoint Arizona Inc., FreshPoint Atlanta Inc., FreshPoint California Inc., FreshPoint Central California Inc., FreshPoint Central Florida Inc., FreshPoint Connecticut LLC, FreshPoint Dallas Inc., FreshPoint Denver Inc., FreshPoint Hawaii LLC, FreshPoint Inc., FreshPoint Las Vegas Inc., FreshPoint North Carolina Inc., FreshPoint North Florida Inc., FreshPoint Oklahoma City LLC, FreshPoint Pompano Real Estate LLC, FreshPoint Puerto Rico LLC, FreshPoint San Francisco Inc., FreshPoint South Florida Inc., FreshPoint South Texas Inc., FreshPoint Southern California Inc., FreshPoint Tomato LLC, FreshPoint Vancouver Ltd., Freshfayre Limited, Fruktservice i Helsingborg AB, GHS Classic Drinks Limited, Gilchrist & Soames Inc., Gilchrist & Soames UK Limited, Guest Packaging LLC, Guest Supply, Guest Supply Asia Limited, Guest Supply Singapore Pte. Ltd., International Food Group, Isakssons Frukt & Gront AB, J & M Wholesale Meats, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, J. Kings Food Service Professionals Inc., Kent Frozen Foods, Les Ateliers Du Gout, Liquid Assets Limited, M&J Seafood Holdings Limited, M&J Seafood Limited, Manchester Mills LLC, Mayca Autoservicio S.A., Mayca Distribuidores S.A., Menigo Foodservice AB, Mitshim Etatu Supply LP, Newport Meat Company, Newport Meat Northern California Inc., Newport Meat Pacific Northwest Inc., Newport Meat Southern California Inc., Newport Meat of Nevada Inc., North Star Holding Corporation, North Star Seafood, North Star Seafood Acquisition Corporation, North Star Seafood LLC, PFS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Palisades Ranch Inc., Pallas Foods, Pallas Foods Farm Fresh Unlimited Company, Pallas Foods Unlimited Company, Pauleys Produce Limited, Promotora del Servicios S.A. de C.V., Restaurangakdemien AB, Restaurant of Tomorrow Inc., Rohan Viandes Elaboration SAS, SMS Bermuda Holdings, SMS GPC International Limited, SMS GPC International Resources Limited, SMS Global Holdings S.a.r.l., SMS International Resources Ireland Unlimited Company, SMS Lux Holdings LLC, SOTF LLC, SYY Netherlands C.V., SYY Panama S. de R.L., Serca Foodservice, Servicestyckarna I Johannes AB, Servicios Ameriserve S.A. de C.V., Shenzhen Guest Supply Trading Co. Limited, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Bianchi Montegut, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Boiseau, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Garcelles, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) J.D. Lanjouan, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Le Dauphin, Specialty Meat Holdings LLC, Stockflag Limited, Stockholms Fiskauktion AB, Supplies on the Fly, Sysco Albany LLC, Sysco Asian Foods Inc., Sysco Atlanta LLC, Sysco Autoservicio S.A., Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Baraboo LLC, Sysco Bermuda Partners L.P., Sysco Boston LLC, Sysco Canada Holdings S.a.r.l., Sysco Canada Inc., Sysco Central Alabama LLC, Sysco Central California Inc., Sysco Central Florida Inc., Sysco Central Illinois Inc., Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC, Sysco Charlotte LLC, Sysco Chicago Inc., Sysco Cincinnati LLC, Sysco Cleveland Inc., Sysco Columbia LLC, Sysco Connecticut LLC, Sysco Corporation, Sysco Corporation Director's Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Employee's 401(k) Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Good Government Committee Inc., Sysco Corporation Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Executive Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Unemployment Benefits Plan Trust, Sysco Detroit LLC, Sysco Disaster Relief Foundation Inc., Sysco EI VI S. s.r.l., Sysco EU II S.a.r.l., Sysco EU III S.a.r.l., Sysco EU IV Capital Unlimited Company, Sysco EU IV S. s.r.l.., Sysco EU V S. s.r.l., Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Eastern Wisconsin LLC, Sysco Foundation Inc., Sysco France Holding SAS, Sysco France SAS, Sysco George Town II LLC, Sysco George Town Limited S. s.r.l.., Sysco Global Finance LLC, Sysco Global Finance LLP, Sysco Global Holdings B.V., Sysco Global Resources LLC, Sysco Global Services LLC, Sysco Grand Cayman Company, Sysco Grand Cayman II Company, Sysco Grand Cayman III Company, Sysco Grand Rapids LLC, Sysco Guernsey Limited, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc., Sysco Guest Supply Europe Goods Wholesalers LLC, Sysco Guest Supply Europe Limited, Sysco Guest Supply LLC, Sysco Gulf Coast LLC, Sysco Hampton Roads Inc., Sysco Hawaii Inc., Sysco Holdings II LLC, Sysco Holdings LLC, Sysco Indianapolis LLC, Sysco International Food Group Inc., Sysco International Inc., Sysco Iowa Inc., Sysco Jackson LLC, Sysco Jacksonville Inc., Sysco Kansas City Inc., Sysco Knoxville LLC, Sysco Labs Europe Limited, Sysco Labs Pvt. Ltd., Sysco Leasing LLC, Sysco Lincoln Inc., Sysco Lincoln Transportation Company Inc., Sysco Long Island LLC, Sysco Los Angeles Inc., Sysco Louisville Inc., Sysco Memphis LLC, Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Canada Inc., Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Inc., Sysco Metro New York LLC, Sysco Minnesota Inc., Sysco Montana Inc., Sysco Nashville LLC, Sysco Netherlands Partners LLC, Sysco North Central Florida Inc., Sysco North Dakota Inc., Sysco Northern New England Inc., Sysco Philadelphia LLC, Sysco Pittsburgh LLC, Sysco Portland Inc., Sysco Raleigh LLC, Sysco Resources Services LLC, Sysco Riverside Inc., Sysco Sacramento Inc., Sysco San Diego Inc., Sysco San Francisco Inc., Sysco Seattle Inc., Sysco South Florida Inc., Sysco Southeast Florida LLC, Sysco Spain Holdings SLU, Sysco Spokane Inc., Sysco St. Louis LLC, Sysco Syracuse LLC, Sysco Technologies Cayman Ltd., Sysco Technologies LLC, Sysco UK Holdings Limited, Sysco UK Limited, Sysco UK Partners LLP, Sysco USA I Inc., Sysco USA II LLC, Sysco USA III LLC, Sysco Ventura Inc., Sysco Ventures Inc., Sysco Virginia LLC, Sysco West Coast Florida Inc., Sysco Western Minnesota Inc., The SYGMA Network Inc., Upsys, Victua SAS, Walker Foods Inc., Waugh Foods, and Wild Harvest Limited.

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New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said the economic expansion recorded in July-September period marks the reversal of the declining trend of growth witnessed in the last few quarters.

During his pre-budget consultation meeting with the economists here, he said the government is following the road map of fiscal consolidation under which the fiscal deficit stood at 3.9 per cent in 2015-16 and 3.5 per cent in 2016-17 and is budgeted to be 3.2 per cent for 2017-18, said an official release.

Economists made host of suggestions for the forthcoming budget, including increasing social security pension, lower the corporate tax up to 20 per cent by removing exemptions, issuing long term 'New India Bonds' to finance pension and infrastructure, and hiking wages under NREGA.

Jaitley said the growth of second quarter marks the "reversal of the declining trend of growth witnessed in the last few quarters".

Reversing a five-quarter slide in GDP growth, Indian economy bounced back from a three-year low to expand by 6.3 per cent in July-September compared to 5.7 per cent in April- June as manufacturing revved up and businesses adjusted to the new GST regime.

He said the government has been able to achieve fiscal targets due to focus on expenditure rationalisation, plugging of loopholes in public expenditure through Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme and the Public Financial Management System, and by making innovative revenue raising efforts among others.

"The government should continue to follow the path of fiscal consolidation and in case, there is any shortfall due to any reasons in achieving the fiscal targets, the same thereof may be clarified" was another suggestion made in the meeting, said the release.

During the meeting, economists also suggested that tax compliance can be increased by rationalisation of taxes and cost of tax compliance may also be reduced. In order to create more job opportunities, it was suggested to increase manufacturing to GDP ratio to 25 per cent and incentives to SMEs among others, the release said.

Incentivising non-farm services in rural areas for increasing the farmers' income, bringing in more and more subsidies under Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme, more thrust to core Research and Development (R&D), and more outlay for bank recapitalisation were some of the other suggestions.

"Another suggestion was to give more thrust on disinvestment of Public Sector Units (PSUs) as it will provide extra revenue for bridging the fiscal gap and meeting the expenditure needs," the release said.

Participating economists also made a case for raising old age pension from existing Rs 200 to Rs 500 and widow pension from Rs 300 to minimum Rs 500. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, economist Jean Dreze said the amount for social security pension has been Rs 200 per month.

"This is totally unacceptable. There is no reason to keep it so low. So, make it at least Rs 500, I would say even Rs 1,000, if possible and increase the coverage," he said.

Former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Virmani said the government should carry out customs and exim duty reform as the sector has not seen reforms for 10 years. According to Rathin Roy, member Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, the government is expected to stick to fiscal deficit target.

"I think there is a political commitment (to do this). I reinforced that. I am sure they will. I said that we understand that there is a genuine commitment to maintain the fiscal deficit and revenue deficit targets. Operational constraints may vary but political commitment is there," Roy said.

Besides Jaitley, the meeting was also attended by top finance ministry officials, including Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian, Expenditure Secretary A N Jha and Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar.

Economists who participated in the meeting, include Sajid Chinoy (Chief India Economist, JP Morgan), T N Ninan (Chairman, Business Standard), Surjit S Bhalla (MD, OXUS Investment), Ajit Ranade (Chief Economist, Aditya Birla Group), Majoj Pant, (Director, IIFT), Shekhar Shah, (Director General, NCAER), (Sunil Jain, Managing Editor, The Financial Express).
Kochi: The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, which found lone accused Ameer-ul Islam guilty in the Jisha murder case, lauded the investigation team headed by officer S. Sasidharan for making use of modern and progressive scientific methods to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The DNA technology and call data records helped in establishing the individual identity of the accusedand proving the charges against the accused beyond any reasonable doubt, special judge N. Anil Kumar observed in his judgement. In the absence of direct evidence, the prosecution mainly relied on scientific and circumstantial evidence to prove the case.

There is no direct witness to the convict entering the victims house or attacking her. The neighbours too didnt hear any sound or screaming on the evening of April 28, 2016, when the crime was committed. The investigation team succeeded in recovering the accuseds DNA from the nail clipping of the victim besides that from saliva and blood stains found in the churidar she wore on the fateful day which confirmed presence of the Assamese in the house. The probe team also managed to retrieve his DNA from a pair of slippers that he left behind while crossing the canal as he fled the victims house after committing the crime. They also recovered the knife he used and managed to trace DNA of the victim from the bloodstain in it.

The police also succeeded in tracking his movement as he fled to Assam soon after the crime, from his mobile phone and the call recordings. Special public prosecutor N K Unnikrishnan said the investigation team didnt attempt to create fabricated evidence at any stage. They failed to recover the dress worn by the accused while committing the crime. Similarly, he told cops he had thrown away the liquor bottle he had brought to the house of the victim to the empty courtyard behind her house. During the search, they recovered many liquor bottles but stated that they couldnt find out the specific one. The case was won mainly by DNA test results, he said.

Crime & conviction

April 27, 2016, 11.30 p.m.  Somebody pelts stones at the asbestos house of Jisha while she and her mother were sleeping. They check outside but find none. Next morning, they find a beedi and lighter near the house (the cops found during the probe that they belonged to Ameerul Islam)

April 28, 6 p.m.  A neighbour sees a man clad in yellow T-shirt walking from the backyard of the victims house and crossing the canal near the house.

April 28, 7.30 p.m.  The victims mother returns from work and alerts the neighbour when her daughter fails to respond to calls. Neighbours inform police who found her semi- nude body with over 30 stab wounds.

April 29  A police team under Kuruppumpady CI conducted inquest and collected crucial evidence.

June 14  SIT arrests Ameerul Islam, an Assamese native who went missing from Perumbavur soon after the murder, from Kancheepuram in TN.

September 17  SIT submits chargesheet.

April 4, 2017 Trial begins at Principal Sessions Court, Ernakulam.

December 12  Court finds Ameerul Islam guilty.

Jishas assailant had no knowledge of her caste

The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, while convicting lone accused Ameerul Islam in the Jisha murder case, pronounced the Assamese migrant not guilty of two charges  evidence destruction and the violations under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989. It observed that the accused had no idea of the victim belonging to the Scheduled Caste when he committed the offence.

In the absence of knowledge on the part of accused about the caste identity of the victim, the charges under the SC/ST (PoA) Act 1989 doesn't arise, special judge N. Anil Kumar said in his judgement. As for the evidence destruction charges, the court observed that the prosecution argued that the accused told investigating officers that he had thrown out the dress he wore while committing the crime and left for home in a train on the night of April 28, 2016, the day when the crime was committed.

However, it turned out to be false and said with an intention to mislead the probe. The information leading to recovery alone is admissible and hence the charges wont apply, the court said. The court found him guilty of all other charges including rape (section 376 IPC), murder (section 302), causing death or resulting in a persistent vegetative state of the victim (Section 376 A), wrongful confinement (section 342 IPC) and house trespass (Section 449 IPC).

Charges warrant 20-year jail term

The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, which found Assamese Ameerul Islam guilty in the Jisha murder case, is likely to pronounce the quantum of punishment on Wednesday. The proven charges against him warrant a minimum of 20 years in prison while special public prosecutor N. K. Unnikrishnan said the prosecution had demanded capital punishment. The court found the victim was brutally attacked before being raped and murdered. This falls under the rarest of rare cases and warrants capital punishment, he said.

However, defence counsel B. A. Aloor stated that the court order is the biggest punishment that can be given to an innocent individual. There is more than one person involved in the murder, but the police didnt probe this angle. Now since the court accepted the IPC 302 charge, well argue for the minimum punishment, ie life imprisonment, he said soon after the court convicted him. Islam, upon hearing the verdict, claimed he was innocent and picked up by police without any reason. Initially, he couldnt understand the judgment. The court then asked if anyone could translate the same. Adv Asha N.P., who came to watch the case proceedings, volunteered.

Rajeswari, mother of Jisha, comes out of court in Kochi on Tuesday. (Photo: SUNOJ NINAN MATHEW)

Meanwhile, the victims mother Rajeswari said she wanted the court to hand down capital punishment and nothing less. The punishment should have a deterrent effect, and no more mothers should witness such a tragedy happening to their daughters. Im satisfied with the court finding today but will go for an appeal if the quantum is anything less than the capital punishment, she said.
Hyderabad: To safeguard the interests of depositors, the Andhra Pradesh government has attached the movable properties of Akshaya Gold & Farms and Villas. Principal Secretary of the Home department of the AP government, A.R. Anuradha, issued orders to this effect on Monday. Additional director general of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) stated that Munagapati Sudhakar Rao and others established Akshaya Gold Farms and Villas at Ongole on November 5, 2007.

The company collected deposits promising a high rate of interest or buying them land. The money was never returned to the depositors, nor were plots registered in their names as promised. After the depositors complained, 27 cases were registered at various police stations in Prakasam, Kurnool. Anantapur, Guntur (urban & rural), Krishna, West Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts. All these cases were subsequently taken over by the CID for investigation.

The investigation by the CID revealed that the accused enrolled members as marketing executives in a chain link/pyramid system where each member had to enrol others down the line. The chain link breaks when it reaches saturation point and at this stage only the originators of the scheme and those who joined in the early stages benefit. Those who joined at later stages lose their investment.

The CID investigation clearly revealed that the accused and other directors and marketing executives of Akshaya Gold Company deliberately cheated the public by collecting Rs 330 crore as deposits from around 19 lakh depositors.Twenty-three persons have been named as accused in the 27 cases registered and chargesheets filed in 24. Three other cases are under investigation. The CID investigation alleges that the accused acquired 2,455.18 acres of land, which if sold at the current market price, will yield around Rs 100 crore. The company's bank balance of Rs 10.15 crore has been frozen. The company has assets of around Rs 110.15 crore and liabilities to the public of about Rs 330 crore.

It is the CID's contention that the company is not in a position to return or refund the deposits to the public, and there is every possibility of diversion of funds and other assets to the names of the kith and kin and benamis or proxies of the management of the company. The state government has attached certain immovable and movable properties of the company in the past and the CID investigation showed the company had more movable properties. So on the request of the CID, the state government has issued orders for attachment of these movable properties too. The recent attached properties are 23 computer CPUs, 2 printers, 9 chairs and one big size printing machine.
Chennai: The Madras high court has advised the Bar Council of India that no advocate who held or is holding a key post in a political party or who is or was an elected member of the legislative assembly or parliament should be allowed to contest in the Bar Council elections to avoid any political interference in the legal profession and make the Bar Council a playground to achieve their political ambitions.

Justice N.Kirubakaran also suggested that candidates with criminal background be barred from contesting the elections. The candidates should also declare their assets and that of their family members, besides disclosure of income earned by the aspiring candidates from their profession as well as other sources for the past 10 years as on date, the judge added.

During the hearing of a case relating to a medical college, after the involvement of lawyers in the dispute was brought to the notice of the court, the judge had raised 25 queries to be answered by BCI.When the case came up for hearing on December 8, the judge, acceding to BCI's request, granted more time to file its reply. Advocate N.Senthilkumar pointed out that election to the BCI was going to be held and made five suggestions relating to declaration of assets, disclosure of income, disclosure of pending cases and the post held in any political party by the candidates. Acc-epting the same, the judge said the suggestions appear to be fair and reasonable and it was only in the interest of the profession.

If the details are furnished, the voters namely, the advocates, would be in a better position to understand the credentials of the contestants. Further, this court is of the opinion that the candidates involved in the criminal cases, where charge sheet is filed and the punishment for the offences of which is more than 3 years should not be permitted to contest in the election, as in the case of election of those candidates facing such serious criminal cases may be detrimental to the disposal of the criminal cases pending against them in a free and fair manner, the judge added.

The judge said that the ration card, PAN card and Aadhar card of the candidates have to be verified to ascertain their address, social status and their income at the time of nomination. The suggestions could be placed by BCI before the Committee appointed by the Supreme Court, namely, Justice Anil R.Dave Committee, so that the committee would be in a position to give a comprehensive direction to all the Bar Councils making it necessary for the candidates to disclose these details at the time of filing nominations itself, the judge added.
MUNNAR: Revenue minister E. Chandrasekharan said settlers who had been living in the areas declared as the Neelakurinji sanctuary for years need not fear eviction. The declaration of the sanctuary has triggered the fear in these areas that the entire place will be converted into a sanctuary. There is no need for any kind of concern for settlers who have been staying in these places for years. Those who have valid title deeds will be protected, the minister said after a discussion he held with his two cabinet colleagues  forest minister K Raju and power minister M M Mani - and officials at Munnar on Monday.

The revenue minister, in the presence of Mr Mani and Mr Raju, reiterated that encroachers would not be spared. The three-member ministerial committee deputed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan are on a fact-finding mission to Kottakkamboor and Vattavada villages under which falls the proposed Neelakurinji Sanctuary. "The three of us did not come here to take any decision. On the basis of the decision taken at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, we will collect all necessary information from these places and on the basis of this, decisions will be taken at the government level, he said. The ministers will hold discussions with people's representatives in the area on December 12.
Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who has a career spanning over three decades, was admonished by the Supreme Court in three cases taken up on three consecutive days last week. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: In unprecedented and dramatic turn of events, eminent constitutional expert and senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan on Monday accused Chief Justice Dipak Misra of humiliating him in court and announced that he will not practice in the Supreme Court.

Rajeev Dhavan, 71, in a two-sentence letter to the CJI, said: After the humiliating end to the Delhi case, I have decided to give up court practice. You are entitled to take back the senior gown conferred on me, though I would like to keep it for memory and services rendered.

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan letter to the CJI. (Photo: DC)

Dhavans decision to quit court practice comes a few days after Chief Justice Misra took exception to senior lawyers, including Dhavan, raising their voice to allegedly browbeat judges.

On December 6, an angry CJI had observed, What happened on Wednesday (in Delhi-Centre case) was atrocious and what happened a day before (in the Ayodhya case) was more atrocious. Come what may, shouting in the courtroom will not be tolerated at any cost.

Chief Justice Misra also said, Lawyers are called ministers of justice. Unfortunately, a small group of lawyers think they can raise their voice. You can argue with authority and conviction. Raising your voice shows inadequacy and incompetence.

When lawyers argue in a manner not in tune with Constitutional language, we will tolerate it, but for how long, he added.

Dhavan, who has a career spanning over three decades, was admonished by the Supreme Court in three cases taken up on three consecutive days last week.

On December 5, during the hearing on the Ayodhya title dispute case, several senior lawyers, including Dhavan, Kapil Sibal and Dushyant Dave, had argued vociferously for adjournment till July 2019 and threatened to walk out of the court.

Dhavan, in particular, had told the CJI to not begin the final arguments in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title case as the CJI wouldnt be able to complete it by October 3, 2018, which is his retirement date.

Apart from the Ayodhya matter, Dhavan was pulled up by the court during a hearing on appeals filed by the Delhi government in its power tussle against the Centres representative and lieutenant governor Anil Baijal.

He was also admonished during the hearing on a Parsi womans petition on her religious identity after marrying a Hindu. The top court expressed displeasure during the hearing over what it called lawyers violating decorum.

Dhavan is the author of several books and also is a regular columnist in several newspapers. He has appeared in a number of high profile cases and constitutional matters with eloquence.
Some doctors believe that fault does not lie with medical professionals alone; patients are also known to behave in an unacceptable manner. (Representational image)

HYDERABAD: The basis of a doctor-patient relationship is trust. But after the recent incident in which one of the twin babies was incorrectly declared dead by a doctor in New Delhi, patients are no longer sure if they can trust doctors.

Dr K.K. Aggarwal, president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), says, Doctor-patient relationship has deteriorated due to such (Delhi) incidents. It is very important for medical professionals, members of healthcare industry, and hospitals to be compassionate towards patients. We have to introspect and implement certain changes to ensure that such mistakes do not occur.

Some doctors believe that fault does not lie with medical professionals alone; patients are also known to behave in an unacceptable manner.

Guidelines by the Indian Medical Association

Dr R.N. Tandon, honorary secretary general of the IMA, says, Doctors must be committed to practice medicine with humility. At the same time, people need to understand that the effect of a course of treatment depends on physical and organic factors.

It is unacceptable and absurd to victimise medical professionals if a patient does not respond to treatment.

The IMA has formulated an alert policy as a part of which they are counselling doctors and teaching them to acknowledge, listen and explain to, review with and thank patients.

An IMA Medical Redressal Commission will be set up at the state level to deal with issues related to such matters.

Eighty per cent of people in the country seeks medical treatment at private hospitals and expects the best quality of care.

The president of the IMA said, There is too much pressure on private hospitals; often, patients arrive at the emergency section at the last minute. We are insisting that since emergency is a state subject, emergency cases must be dealt with at government hospitals only. People fail to understand the consequences and ultimately blame the doctor when something goes wrong.

The IMA wants state governments to play an active role in providing adequate medical facilities in the private and government sectors.
Rajahmundry: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced zero tolerance for hurdles in, or criticism of, the execution of the Polavaram irrigation project and cautioned the Opposition YSR Congress, Congress and the so-called intellectuals that they would be liable for public wrath. Mr Naidu inspected various components of the project during his visit to Polavaram in West Godavari district on Monday.

Referring to YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy finding fault with the state government for delays in executing the work, Mr Naidu asked whether he knew what was a pillar or a diaphragm wall of the project. Referring to another leader who claimed no work had been done at the project, he said that the diaphragm wall was being constructed underground at a depth of 100 metres and wondered how anyone could find it on the surface.

The CM said, Though I have been supervising execution of several projects in my 40 years of experience, I myself find it difficult to understand various components of the Polavaram project. It is very unfortunate that the Opposition YSR Congress is misleading the Centre by giving false information on the project. I wonder any responsible party will do so if it is really interested to ensure execution of the project without any hurdle. He repeated that it was his life-time ambition to complete the project by 2019. It will serve as an asset to the young generation. The people have developed a sentiment towards the project and it is my responsibility to complete the execution of the project at any cost.
Vijayawada: The AP Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday unearthed assets with a market value of Rs 100 crore following raids on Seelam Surya Chandrasekhara Azad, regional joint commissioner, endowments department, working in Rajahmundry.

The raids were conducted at 18 places, including the officers houses and those of his wife, brother and others at Rajahmundry, Vijayawa-da, Hyderabad, Ananta-pur, Nuziveedu and other places. A press release by the ACB stated that Azad had 32 acres of land in Ubicherla in Anantapur district which was in the name of three of his domestics  A. Lakshman Rao, A. Rangamma and S. Satyavati.

He had set up a solar plant on this land in which he invested Rs 18 crore. The ACB recovered documents showing that assets of Rs 3 crore had been mortgaged with Canara Bank. The ACB said he had purchased the land in 2013 for Rs 17.16 lakh. Azad owned a 2,128-sq. ft building on a 404-sq. yard plot of land at Gunadala in Vijayawada and was constructing a ground plus two-floor house on 600 sq. yards at Gollapudi.

In Hyderabad, he owned a 665 sq. ft flat on the terrace of Nutans Ramya Apartments in Gaddian-naram and a 1,735-sq. ft flat in Dilsukhnagar.

His other properties included a 200.44-sq. yard plot at Penamaluru and 30 cents of agricultural land in Godavarru, both in Kankipadu.

Raided AP babu had worked in popular temples

The building at Gollapudi and agricultural land in Godavarru were in Azads name, the ACB said. All the other properties are either in his wifes name or that of his brother Vivekananda. The ACB also seized gold and silver articles worth Rs 12 lakh.

Azad joined the government service in 2000 as an assistant commissioner, endowments. He worked as the executive officer at prominent temples at Srikalahasti, Srisailam, Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy temple, Vemulawada temple in Karimnagar and at the Tirupatamma temple in Penuganchiprolu, Krishna district.

ACB director-general R.P. Thakur said that Azad had been under investigation for a year. He alleged that Azad was not only corrupt himself, but had tried to corrupt others in order to get his promotions and had tried to manipulate vigilance cases that have been filed against him.

Sources said that the ACB was acting on a tip-off from his colleagues in the endowments department.
Vijayawada: The AP police on Monday transferred D. Ramanjaneyulu, an officer who died six months ago.

The orders were signed by the Director-General of Police N. Sambasiva Rao. Mr Ramanjaneyulus name was 14th on the list of 16 police officers being transferred. He was ordered to report to the police headquarters at Mangalagiri.

Mr Ramanjaneyulu was serving as the deputy superintendent of police of the special branch in Tirumala when he died of an illness. His funeral, which was held in Gandlapenta in Kadiri mandal, was attended by several senior police officials. The officers family was shocked to receive the transfer orders. When news of the goof-up reached the media, the DGP order an inquiry into the matter.
Kanyakumari: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced at Thoothoor coastal hamlet here on Tuesday that the State's cash compensation to the next-of-kin of each of the dead fishermen due to the Ockhi cyclone has been increased to Rs 20 lakh.

Meeting the bereaving fishermen's families at St Judes college in Thoothoor, the last coastal hamlet within Tamil Nadu, Mr Palaniswami assured a government job to the kin of the dead fishermens families in accordance with their educational qualifications.

Further, promising to continue search and rescue operations until the last missing fishermen was found, Chief Minister added that the existing laws to declare the missing fishermen would be relaxed to the maximum so that their families could get due compensation in time. As per existing norms, an unfound fisherman would be declared dead only after seven years.

The emergency assistance of Rs 2,500 has also been doubled by the Chief Minister, who added that due compensation for the damaged boats and houses, for which enumeration was being done by a committee headed by commissioner of revenue administration, would be ensured. He assured houses under the state governments 'green house scheme' to those whose houses had been wrecked by the cyclone.

Moreover, to ensure dissemination of emergency warnings to fishermen in time, a 300-ft high communication tower to receive high frequency radio waves would be set up at Kanyakumari. The Rs 68 crore tower will be sponsored by the World Bank, said Palaniswami, who promised a helipad in Kanyakumari district to enhance search and rescue operations in future.

State Fisheries minister, Mr D. Jeyakumar, Revenue minister R B Udayakumar, Chief Secretary, Ms. Girija Vaithiyanathan along with various other government secretaries and priests of the local parishes were present during the Chief Minister's meeting with the affected fishermen.
Kausalya, who survived the attack, welcomed the verdict, saying it was a warning bell and deterrent to those attempting to indulge in honour killings.

TIRUPUR: In a landmark ruling, a Special Court here trying cases under the Prevention of Atrocities Against Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SC & ST) Act, convicted and sentenced six persons to double death penalty in a sensational case of suspected honour killing of a Dalit youth Shankar who had married an upper-caste girl, in full public view in Udumalpet in March last year. The sentenced persons included the father of the girl.

The prosecution case was that the Engineering graduate Shankar, 22, from Udumalpet had married his classmate Kausalya, belonging to upper caste in 2016, against stiff opposition from the girl's family members.

On March 13, 2016, the couple was brutally hacked by a gang near Udumalpet bus stand, the prosecution said. Shankar had succumbed to his injuries at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, while Kausalya recovered from her injuries.

The Udumalpet police had registered a case and had launched investigations. Meanwhile, Kausalya's father P. Chinnasamy, 41, from Thirunagar in Palani, his wife C. Annalakshmi, 36, and a relative Prasannakumar, 20, surrendered in court.

Subsequently, special police teams had arrested Kausalya's uncle P. Pandithurai, 50, P. Jegathesan, 32, M Manikandan, 26, P Selvakumar, 26, Thamilvanan alias Tamil, Madhan alias Michael, 26, Dhanraj alias Stephen Dhanraj, 24, and M Manikandan, in connection with the case, which grabbed national media headlines since a video showing the savage attack on Shankar and Kausalya by some motorcycle-borne miscreants on a bright sunny day on a busy road was telecast by some TV channels. The prosecution argued that it was a case of 'honour killing'.

While the hearing of the case was at the Special Court of the Tirupur Principal district and sessions judge, on conclusion of the trial, Judge Alamelu Natarajan, delivering her judgment today, convicted eight of the 11 accused in the case.

The Judge awarded the double death penalty to the girl's father Chinnasamy, Jegathesan, Manikandan, Selvakumar, Thamilvanan and Michel, while Dhanraj was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Another accused Manikandan got a five-year jail term for helping the murderers. Chinnasamy was also indicted for being the brain behind the plan to finish off the Dalit youth who had married his daughter.

However, Annalakshmi, the mother of the girl, Pandithurai and Prasannakumar were acquitted in the case for want of sufficient evidence against them. The Judge in all also slammed a fine amount of `11.95 lakh on all those convicted in the case ordered that the amount should go to the widowed Kausalya and Shankar's father Velusamy as compensation.
Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will adopt RK Nagar as his constituency for 'fantastic development' if the voters in the December 21 bypoll elect his BJP candidate, according to party state president Dr Tamilisai Sounderarajan.

"Let our Lotus bloom here and I assure you, PM Narendra Modi will adopt this constituency as his own", she declared while campaigning for her candidate Karu Nagarajan at Tondiarpet on Monday. It is not clear yet, whether the medical doctor had the clearance from the PMO to make her promise.

"You have voted for the Sun (DMK election symbol), nothing has happened. You have voted for the Two Leaves (ruling AIADMK's symbol) nothing happened either. Nothing is going to happen if you cast your vote for Pressure Cooker (election symbol of T.T.V. Dhinakaran, contesting as independent) and the Candle (symbol of Kalaikottudhayam Ka, the candidate fielded by film director-turned-politician Seeman's Naam Thamizhar Katchi) will get extinguished. Only lotus (BJP election symbol) will shine. I appeal to you to make the lotus bloom here. This will become the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will accept it because BJP has no MLAs in TN Assembly", she said.

With no member in the Assembly since 2006, the BJP is desperate to make its presence felt in the TN Assembly. "And so, the best they can do is to promise us the moon because they are not going to make in any case", said local trader Senthil Kumar with a wry smile after Tamilisai's modest caravan drove away.

Later, she led a BJP delegation to lodge a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni about the "rampant distribution of cash for votes, other poll code violations by both the Dravidan majors". She wanted the CEO to take prompt action to ensure free and fair election in R. K. Nagar.
Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said in an email that the MyEtherWallet app had been removed from the App Store.

iPhone maker Apple Inc said on Monday that it had removed a paid iOS application from its App Store after MyEtherWallet, a free service for storing digital currencies, complained that the program was improperly using its name.

This is NOT US, MyEtherWallet said on Sunday from its official Twitter account.

The statement was a response to a tweet by someone identified as @ChrisLundkvist, who posted an image of the $4.99 app, dubbed MyEtherWallet, showing it was the third-most popular finance app in Apples App Store.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said in an email that the MyEtherWallet app had been removed from the App Store.

He declined to say how many customers had purchased the app or if Apple would provide refunds.

Interest in crypto-currencies has climbed in recent weeks as the bitcoin has repeatedly hit new highs, bringing its year-to-date return to 1,600 percent. The currencys surge has also generated the interest of scammers, who last week stole more than $60 million worth of bitcoin from the Slovenia-based crypto-currency mining marketplace NiceHash.

MyEtherWallet spokesman Jordan Spence said the developer had not detected signs that the iOS app was used to steal from people who had downloaded it, but that the team was still investigating to verify that.

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Baby milk maker Lactalis and French authorities have ordered a global recall of millions of products over fears of salmonella bacteria contamination.

The French company, one of the world's largest dairy groups, said it was warned by health authorities in France that 26 infants have become sick since Dec. 1.

According to a list published on the French health ministry's website, the recall affects customers in countries around the world, including: Britain and Greece in Europe, Morocco and Sudan in Africa, Peru and Colombia in South America and Pakistan, Bangladesh and China in Asia. The United States, a major market for Lactalis, is not affected.

Company spokesman Michel Nalet told The Associated Press on Monday that the "precautionary" recall involves "several million" products made since mid-February.

Lactalis said in a statement that the 26 cases of infection were linked to products branded Picot SL, Pepti Junior 1, Milumel Bio 1 and Picot Riz.

It said it is "sincerely sorry for the concern generated by the situation and expresses its compassion and support to the families whose children fell ill."

The symptoms of salmonella infection include abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever. Most people recover without treatment.

The company said a possible source of the outbreak has been identified in a tower used to dry out the milk at a production site. Disinfection and cleaning measures have been put in place at the suspected site in western France.

The health scare started earlier this month when Lactalis was told that 20 infants under six months of age had been diagnosed with salmonella infection. The company ordered a first recall that has been extended to more products at the request of French authorities following new reports of infections.

Lactalis is a privately held company headquartered in Laval, western France. It has 75,000 employees in 85 countries and annual revenues of about 17 billion euros ($20 billion). Its other notable brands include President and Galbani cheeses and Parmalat milk.

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An alliance of Nepals main Communist party and former Maoist rebels is heading for a landslide victory and is expected to form the next government in Nepal, ousting the ruling Nepali Congress, after winning 106 seats in the historic provincial and parliamentary polls. 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 landmark polls, which is seen as a turning point after two decades of conflict and political instability in Nepal.

The poll outcome is expected to mark the end of Nepals transition to federal democracy, 11 years after the end of a brutal civil war in 2006. Since then, the Himalayan nation has seen 10 prime ministers. According to results released by the Election Commission on Monday, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist has won highest number of 74 seats, followed by its alliance partner CPN-Maoist Centre, which won 32 seats, out of the total 165 seats under the first-past-the-post election system. As the Left alliance headed for a clear majority in the 275-member Parliament, Oli was 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.
Bharti Airtel has dismissed reports that it planned to pull out of three unprofitable markets in Africa, but has confirmed that it would consider merging with competitors in some countries.

The Economic Times reported last week that Bharti was looking to sell off tower assets in five African markets as well as exit to exit Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. The operator has countered that it is looking into strategies that will enable its units in these markets to turn a profit, with acquisitions a potential option.

Airtel also reaffirmed its intention of becoming a top two operator in each of its African markets. The group is present in several markets across the continent, offering telecom and financial services. Its Q3 report saw increases in subscriber numbers, profit margins, and adoption of its Airtel Money offering across its African footprint.

While Airtel is technically second place in Kenya with 7.4 million connections at the end of Q3 2017, its market share is just 18% - well behind that of Safaricom. According to the Communications Authority of Kenya, Airtel Money is struggling to gain traction in the market with 1.5 million users, compared to 22.6 million users for the market leaders m-Pesa service.

In Tanzania, Airtel is jostling for second place with Tigo. It has 11 million connections in the market, just 2.5 million shy of market leader Vodacom. Going by connections, Rwanda is one of Airtels smallest African markets  the operator has 1.6 million, meaning its rivals MTN and Tigo both have around 2 million more connections.
A 3D printer developed to help people with type 1 diabetes could help tackle big clinical challenges, researchers say.

The Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation (PICT) 3D Printer works by delivering insulin-producing islet cells. It has been developed by an Australian research team, who have gifted it to the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), making it the first hospital in the country to receive such cutting-edge technology.

At the moment, islet cell transplantation from human donors is only carried out on people who have severe health problems from type 1 diabetes, but there is always the risk of cell donor rejection.

To tackle that problem the research team from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), based at the University of Wollongong (UOW), incorporated micro-valve ink jet dropping into the kit, which helps keep the islet cells in place. This is because the persons own cells can be used throughout the process.

This process allows for simultaneous deposition of multiple biological materials, enabling customized organs, according to RAH Director of Kidney and Islet Transplantatio, Professor Toby Coates.

The PICT Printer will allow us to make customised organs, mixing donor with recipient cells in a unique three dimensional way to provide completely new composite organoids for experimental transplantatio, said Coates.

ACES Executive Director and ANFF Materials Director Professor Gordon Wallace said: ACES at the University of Wollongong has built a collaborative clinical research network that enables us to tackle big clinical challenges and deliver practical solutions using 3D bioprinting.

In collaboration with Professor Toby Coates team at Royal Adelaide Hospital, we plan to improve the effectiveness of islet cell transplants by encapsulating donated islet cells in a 3D printed structure, to protect them during and after transplantation.

Further development is to be carried out on the printer, funded from an Australian Research Councils Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) grant.
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Belvoir Lettings , the UK's largest property franchise group, updated the market on the performance and assimilation of Brook Financial Services on Tuesday, following its recent acquisition by Belvoir in July.

The AIM-traded firm acquired Brook Financial Services for a total consideration of 2m, with a view to achieving materially greater penetration of Belvoir's client base and increasing the financial services fees generated on property sales across all of Belvoir's multi-brand networks.

In the past two months, Brook reported 0.57m of net written business, which was a 57% improvement on October and November 2016 and was running at over 40% ahead of the average business achieved in the first seven months of 2017 prior to being acquired by Belvoir.

Belvoir said Brook currently had three new mortgage advisers in training, and was actively recruiting further advisers to provide additional capacity.

To date, the focus had been on the group's predominantly-estate agency network, Newton Fallowell, with Brook now working with 17 offices within that network where previously no financial services had been offered.

Of the 39 Newton Fallowell offices, including eight which had existing arrangements, 66% now offered financial services and other mortgage related products.

In addition, Brook continued to grow its portfolio of independent estate agents which act as introducers to Brook.

Increased revenue resulting from a greater number of policies being written and a higher case value was being reported in line with the group's projections at acquisition.

When we acquired Brook, we were confident that it would be able to deliver strong growth of its existing business whilst increasing its capacity to provide financial services initially to the Newton Fallowell network before extending this to the wider Belvoir Group, said Belvoir CEO Dorian Gonsalves.

The roll out to the Newton Fallowell offices is underway and from January 2018, Brook will start to work with some of the more sales-focused Belvoir and Northwood offices.

Gonsalves said That was a key strategy for growth for both Belvoirs franchisees and the group as a whole.

The recent significant growth, against the background of falling mortgage approvals as the housing market is perceived to be cooling overall, is evidence of Brook's ability to outperform the market.
Atos has launched a "friendly" all-cash bid for Dutch cybersecurity specialist Gemalto with the backing of France's state investment bank, Bpifrance Financement SA, one of the takeover target's largest shareholders.

If successful, the 46 per share offer price, including the dividend, would amount to a 42% premium to the shares' one-month volume-weighted average trading price.

According to analysts at Credit Suisse, that would equate to 'take out' multiples of 20.0 times price-to-earnings and 1.7 times enterprise value/sales.

It would also be the largest transaction of the year involving two European firms.

The purchase would be entirely funded from its existing cash resources and fully commited external debt, with Atos having secured financing from two "major international" lenders who had already agreed to underwrite the entire amount of the bid, the company said in a statement.

Year-to-date, shares of Gemalto had fallen 38% before the bid surfaced.

Atos boss, Thierry Breton said: "We believe that a combination of Atos and Gemalto would result in enhanced global leadership in cybersecurity, digital technologies and services and in the strengthening of our positioning as a leading European payment services provider.

"Atos has carefully considered the interest of the stakeholders of the two groups, shareholders, employees, and customers which will all benefit from the proposed friendly transaction."

The French outfit also highlighted its interest in Gemalto's 'know-how' in the fields of data encryption and crypto management.

Credit Suisse labeled the offer as "attractive" for Gemalto shareholders due to the recent pressures on two of its core businesses, Mobile SIMs and Payments, which had resulted in sharp declines in organic sales and EBIT margins, with no respite seen in 2018.

Conversely, Atos would gain scale in several segments, with sales in their combined cybersecurity and homeland projects arm reaching 1.5bn, the Swiss broker said.

As of 1121 GMT, shares of Gemalto were 32.81% higher to 45.01 in Amsterdam trading and those of Atos by 4.82% to 130.60.
Facebook will move its global tax and revenue base from Ireland and begin booking advertising locally in every country where it operates.

Following criticism from the EU, Facebook will change the way it pays its taxes and it will pay where the profits are earned instead of shunting them through an Irish subsidiary. The move would impact Facebook's tax bill in 30 countries including in the UK, Spain and Germany.

Facebook's chief financial officer Dave Wehner said: "We believe that moving to a local selling structure will provide more transparency to governments and policy-makers around the world who have called for greater visibility over the revenue associated with locally-supported sales in their countries."

He said in simple terms, this will means that advertising revenue will no longer be recorded by the international headquarters in Dublin, but will instead be recorded locally in each country's office.

In the wake of the public outrage in the UK in 2014 when it was revealed that Facebook had payed just 4,327 in taxes, in 2016 the company started to book more advertising income through the UK.

This social network, along with other large companies like Apple and Google, took advantage of the so-called Double-Irish loophole by which revenues could be reported in Ireland, reducing its liabilities for corporate tax given the lower tax rate on the Emerald Isle.

Earlier in 2017, Bruno Le Maire, Frances finance minister, called on Europe to "make Google, Amazon and Facebook pay what they owe to European taxpayers."

Nevertheless, according to the Irish government the loophole was expected to close by 2020.

When fully implemented, that would result in a large loss of international income that was being routed through Ireland, . although the change was not expected to affect job numbers at its Irish operations.

There were currently more than 2000 employees working in the Dublin Facebook office and last month the company promised "hundreds" more jobs.

Menlo Park in California will remain the group's headquarters, with Dublin the seat of the company's 'international headquarters', not far from a new London office that was said to be creating 800 new jobs in the British capital.

Wehner said it was "a large undertaking that will require significant resources to implement around the world", with new systems and invoicing to be rolled out throughout 2018, with the goal of completing all offices by the first half of 2019.
French president Emmanuel Macron has called on world governments to stay the course on fighting climate change despite America's decision to retreat from the Paris accords.

At a climate summit in Paris on Tuesday. Macron was to discuss the pace of progress on the Paris climate accords' aim of holding the rise in global temperatures to below 2C. He called for support from all nations and companies, condemning Washington's withdrawal even after it had already signed onto the international deal.

"The US did sign the Paris Agreement. It's extremely aggressive to decide on its own just to leave and no way to push the others to renegotiate because one decided to leave the floor. I'm sorry to say that. It doesn't fly," the French leader said.

When he announced his country's exit, United States President, Donald Trump claimed that the Paris climate accords would damage US businesses and the country's economy. Trump also said he wanted to reach a fairer deal that would not burden on American workers.

Yet Macron was unequivocal in his message, stating that he would not tolerate the US Presidents demands for a renegotiation.

Tongue in cheek, he also hit out at the US's withdrawal through his chosen slogan for the summit "make the planet great again, an ironic play on the wording of Trump's own election slogan "make America great again".

Among the stated objectives of Tuesday's gathering were raising money so that poorer countries could pursue clean energy and reducing development banks' handouts for new coal plants. Regulations for the shipping industry - which had thus far managed to evade new rules on emissions - were also thought to be on the agenda.

In parallel, the Elysee announced 18 scholarships for foreign scientists (13 of them from the US) to investigate climate change in France.
Donald Trump , the President of the United states signed the Space Policy Directive 1 to send astronauts to the moon again and to Mars for the first time in history.

The POTUS vowed he would ensure the US remains the leader in the space race.

"The directive I am signing today will refocus America's space program on human exploration and discovery," Trump said.

"We are the leader and we're going to stay the leader, and were going to increase it many fold," said Trump.

"It marks an important step in returning American astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and use, the president added.

The directive I am signing today will refocus Americas space program on human exploration and discovery, It marks a first step in returning American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972, for long-term exploration and use." - @POTUS Trump pic.twitter.com/tNNUz06vEb  NASA (@NASA) 11 de diciembre de 2017

Vice President Mike Pence backed up his boss, saying that a renewed American presence on the Moon was vital to achieve strategic objectives, create jobs and spur innovation. "Well see jobs created that we couldnt even image could be created today."

"We are the leader and were going to stay the leader" - President Trump

Yet a trip to the moon would require funds that were lacking. NASA would need more money and more key hardware for a lunar landing, possibly forcing the agency to team-up with private companies in order to fund the mission.

Trump was expected to make his annual budget request early in 2018 and it was believed he might ask for more money for NASA projects. According to NASA, returning to the moon could cost over $100bn.

If the budget remained tight then Trump might decide to cut other space programs in order to make room for the lunar mission.

According to the president this mission heralded a return to space exploration and not just carrying out projects limited to orbiting Earth.

"The pioneer spirit has always defined America. This is a giant step toward that inspiring future and reclaiming America's proud destiny in space."
Stocks on the Continent are roughly flat despite moderately strong gains in the oil sector, fresh M&A moves by two French outfits and despite fresh record highs on the Dow Industrials and S&P 500 overnight.

Against that backdrop, as of 1030 GMT the benchmark Stoxx 600 was higher by 0.10% or 0.40 points to 389.45, alongside a gain of 0.02% or 2.98 points to 13,126.52 on the German Dax and an advance of 0.15% or 8.29 points to 5,395.54 for the Cac-40.

Oil&Gas was the strongest segment of the market as traders waited on an update about for how long the North Sea Forties pipeline would be closed following the discovery of a crack the day before.

News regarding the Forties pipeline - which transports roughly 40% of the UK North Sea's oil - front month Brent crude futures were 0.89% higher to $65.27 a barrel on the ICE, in turn lifting the Stoxx 600 Oil&Gas sector gauge by 1.28% to 316.32.

Elsewhere, the Stoxx 600 Technology gauge was up by 0.85% to 441.66, bolstered by shares of Dutch Internet-of-Things specialist Gemalto after French consultancy Atos tabled a 4.3bn (3.84bn) takeover offer, sending the stock's price up by a third.

Despite Tuesday's gains, the pan-European tech gauge was still trading roughly 5% below the roughly 17-year highs hit in early November.

Also in the headlines was France's Unibail-Rodamco after announcing it had decided to go Down Under in search of market opportunities, launching a $16bn (11.94bn) bid for shopping mall owner Westfield Corp..

On the economic front, the main data release was the ZEW Institute's economic sentiment index for December, which slipped by 1.3 points to 17.4 points (consensus: 17.8).

According to ZEW president Achim Wambach, uncertainty around the creation of a coalition government had had no "significant" impact on financial experts' assessment of the outlook.

Nonetheless, according to Wambach, "Financial market experts, however, expect to see negative effects resulting from this with regard to the Brexit negotiations as well as EU reforms."

Yet was directly at odds with the opinion voiced by Derek Halpenny, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi's head of global markets research, who told Bloomberg TV markets were not pricing in the full positive implications of the prior week's Brexit 'breakthrough'.
UK airline British Airways cancelled a new raft of flights on Tuesday at Heathrow in addition to hundreds of cancellations it has made since Sunday as ice and snow hit Britain.

Around 300 flights have now been cancelled by BA, which is owned by UK and Spain-listed International Consolidated Airlines Group.

Dozens of other flights were delayed on Tuesday, as BA said it would be operating three-quarters of its normal service.

As many as 50,000 passengers could be affected by the cancellations and delays, as BA apologised for the disruption to travel plans.

We are very sorry that customers continue to suffer from the disruption to flights at Heathrow caused by the severe weather conditions that have affected airports across northern Europe, the statement said.

Time spent on de-icing aircraft to ensure safe operation plus air traffic control restrictions and the repositioning of aircraft and crews from yesterday have led to further cancellations and delays today.

Disgruntled passengers took to Twitter to vent their anger at the cancellations.

I am stranded in Bilbao and want to get home. My Sunday flight BA469 was cancelled and rescheduled for Monday which was also cancelled. You do not answer the phone and your website is malfunctioning. This is a disgrace.

BA please help me get back to Heathrow!  Cojonudos (@cojonudos_g) December 12, 2017
GlaxoSmithKline has been given approval by the US drug regulator for a first targeted treatment for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), previously known as Churg-Strauss syndrome.

The US Food & Drug Administration has approved GSK's Nucala, the brand name given to the interleukin-5 (IL-5) antagonist drug mepolizumab, as the first targeted treatment for EGPA.

Glaxo's respiratory chief Eric Dube said: "Following physician and patient experience with Nucala in severe eosinophilic asthma, we are thrilled that the FDA has expanded the use of this medicine to patients with EGPA, another eosinophil-driven disease, enabling GSK to make it available to patients.

"This approval follows the positive results of the largest prospective treatment study conducted in EGPA to date, and now for the first time physicians have a targeted treatment option for this debilitating condition."

EGPA is a chronic rare disease caused by inflammation in the walls of small-to-medium sized blood vessels, with a global incidence generally reported to be in the range of one to four sufferers per million, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 14-45 per million that translates to approximately 5,000 patients with EGPA in the US.

Mepolizumab is not approved for the treatment of other eosinophilic conditions or relief of acute bronchospasm or status asthmaticus.

The approval for EGPA is based on results from the 52-week, Phase III Mirra1 study, conducted as a collaboration between GSK and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the US National Institutes of Health.

The Mirra study evaluated the efficacy and safety of 300mg of mepolizumab administered subcutaneously every four weeks versus placebo as add-on therapy in 136 patients with relapsing and/or refractory EGPA, in comparison to the current standard of care, which is a treatment of corticosteroids plus or minus immunosuppressants.

Both co-primary endpoints of accrued time in remission and proportion of patients achieving remission at both weeks 36 and 48 were found to be statistically significant in favour of mepolizumab, which also met all six secondary endpoints of investigating relapse, remission, and corticosteroid use.

GSK said injection site reactions such as pain, erythema or swelling occurred at a rate of 15% in patients receiving mepolizumab compared with 13% in patients receiving placebo. Eighteen percent of patients receiving mepolizumab reported serious adverse events compared with 26% in the placebo group, with the most frequently reported being asthma worsening/exacerbation, of 3% versus 6%.

The FTSE 100 pharma group said that Nucala for treatment of EGPA is available in the US now and in recognition of the fact that US consumers are increasingly being asked by their insurers to take on more cost sharing, GSK has various patient assistance programmes available for those who qualify.
Elementis was the best performer as the speciality chemicals company said it has agreed to sell its Netherlands surfactants business to Kolb Distribution for 39m in cash. The deal is expected to go through in the first half 2018. The proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes and towards debt reduction.

Homeserve was also on the front foot after JPMorgan Cazenove bumped the stock up to 'overweight' from 'neutral' as it looked ahead to 2018.

Oilfield services group Petrofac traded up as it said it has been awarded a lump-sum contract worth around $800m by BP for the Phase 2 central processing facility at the Khazzan Phase 2 gas development in the Sultanate of Oman.

It also got a lift from oil prices, which were rising after Britain's Forties pipeline - which carries 40% of North Sea oil and gas - was closed for repair due to a crack.

Budget airline Wizz Air flew higher as JPMorgan lifted its price target on the overweight-rated stock to 4,100p from 3,625p.

On the downside, over-50s specialist Saga was under the cosh after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to 'neutral' saying the fall in its profit guidance is primarily the result of structural rather than cyclical factors and therefore the company is likely to face ongoing challenges.

Capital & Counties was in the red as Barclays started coverage of the stock at 'underweight'.

Risers

Elementis (ELM) 286.70p 3.54%

IP Group (IPO) 150.10p 3.37%

Homeserve (HSV) 806.00p 2.68%

Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,054.00p 2.53%

Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 445.90p 2.51%

Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) 265.30p 2.24%

Pets at Home Group (PETS) 168.70p 1.93%

GCP Infrastructure Investments Ltd (GCP) 123.00p 1.65%

Wizz Air Holdings (WIZZ) 3,523.00p 1.64%

Alfa Financial Software Holdings (ALFA) 508.00p 1.62%

Fallers

Acacia Mining (ACA) 169.80p -4.12%

GVC Holdings (GVC) 927.50p -2.88%

Evraz (EVR) 305.10p -2.65%

Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 115.90p -2.61%

Ferrexpo (FXPO) 258.60p -2.53%

Polymetal International (POLY) 847.50p -2.31%

Ladbrokes Coral Group (LCL) 173.40p -2.25%

Saga (SAGA) 126.57p -2.19%

Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC) 263.40p -2.15%

Workspace Group (WKP) 912.00p -2.09%
Corporate executives know that if they dont transform their companies into digital enterprises they are going to be at a significant competitive disadvantage going forward. Yet, many corporate leaders have been unable to make significant progress transforming their organizations. Many executives have found that changing their corporate cultures is a lot harder than adopting the new generation of cloud-based applications and services that make the digital enterprise possible.

No company has done more to advocate for this digital transformation process  so it can sell more of the cloud solutions to power new age businesses  than Salesforce. And no company is more at risk if a growing number of organizations fail to pursue their own digital transformation initiatives.

For the past decade, Salesforce has become a market leader not only by offering a more user-friendly CRM solution via a Software as a Service model, but also by painting a clear picture for CXOs about the tangible business benefits of a more connected, go-to-market strategy that capitalizes on e-commerce, mobile and social channels via the cloud.

Now Salesforce is shifting its attention dramatically  away from solely selling CXOs on the virtues of leading the digitization process, and toward showing how everyday employees can make the transformation process a reality.

My Oh My

This shift was clearly on display at this years Dreamforce conference, Salesforces annual lovefest in San Francisco. Salesforce has taken a two-pronged approach to accelerating the digital transformation process and bolstering its sales growth to continue to defy the law of large numbers.

First, Salesforce has made its applications and developer tools easier to use in the hope of attracting more companies and programmers to its products and services. Second, Salesforce has invested heavily in a vibrant new training program, called Trailhead, to increase exponentially the population of citizen programmers who can capitalize on its software capabilities.

Salesforces major product announcements at Dreamforce centered around the companys new generation of more personalized, solution-building capabilities. Salesforce promised to make its current offerings more user-friendly, with simpler graphical interfaces and less software coding requirements.

The company unveiled new my branding across many of its key product areas to emphasize the increasing ease of use and customization capabilities of Salesforces offerings.

For example, mySalesforce and myLightning promise help users create their own custom-branded mobile and productivity apps. MyEinstein, an attempt at demystifying the idea of artificial intelligence, allows users to build AI-powered apps. myIoT is designed to speed the creation and testing of connected products and services.

In each of these cases, Salesforces aim is to encourage faster and broader adoption through simpler products and tools.

Gamification Strategy

Although the conference sessions describing these new offerings and the vendor expo promoting the latest products were heavily trafficked, the epicenter of energy during Dreamforce was inside the Moscone West building, headquarters of the companys Trailhead training program.

Salesforce launched Trailhead at the 2014 Dreamforce as a bold, new approach to filling the gap created by the growing demand for software developers and data scientists. Rather than rely on the uninspiring training techniques of the past to fill the void, Trailhead has leveraged online delivery systems, peer-to-peer oriented instruction, and the latest gamification methods to make the learning process fun and empowering.

As always, Salesforce spared no expense to create a Disneyland-like environment for its Trailhead pavilion in the Moscone West building, populated with an assortment of animated characters that would have made Walt Disney envious. There were long lines of attendees hoping to acquire and even willing to buy Trailhead logoed tee shirts, hats, sweatshirts and dolls.

However, it was the Trailhead buttons signifying various training achievements and certifications that generated the most buzz and demonstrated how powerful the Trailhead gamification strategy has become.

In an era in which many people feel threatened by the advent of the Fourth Industrial Age of AI and machine learning, Salesforce has created an antidote that offers a cross-section of current employees and young people just entering the work world new hope that they can chart their own path to success in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Bottom Up

Turning typical employees into digital transformers is not only a way to ease the angst of corporate end-users. It is also a clever tactic to circumvent the logjam that has plagued corporate executive suites that have become paralyzed with the daunting task of implementing enterprise-wide digital strategies.

Rather than wait for their corporate leaders to convert their digital visions into elaborate business plans, Salesforce has encouraged company end-users to take their own initiative and use its cloud solutions to improve their day-to-day business processes along with the quality of their products and services. It also has built a robust new revenue stream via training programs for corporate end users, developers and partners.

In the past, each Dreamforce keynote presentation congratulated corporate executives for being visionary leaders. To really bring Salesforces new trailblazer message to the forefront, it made sure that every new product keynote presentation at this years conference showcased a corporate end-user who leveraged Salesforces capabilities to make a difference.

This tactic created a different kind of energy. Rather than suggest that digital transformation can only succeed from the top down, with a rare breed of visionary executive leading the charge, Salesforce has conveyed a message that anyone can make change happen from the bottom up, turning once faceless end-users into digital heroes.

Putting end-users on a pedestal makes them proud to become advocates on behalf of Salesforces products and benefits.

This new go-to-market strategy will encourage more adoption of Salesforces products, attract more developers to its ecosystem, and fuel continued growth of its revenues and profits.

(Disclosure: Salesforce.com paid my airline and hotel expenses to enable me to attend the event, but did not commission this column or any other analysis from THINKstrategies, Inc.)
IBM on Wednesday announced IBM Cloud Private, a software platform that allows enterprise customers to run applications and store critical data in an on-premises, private cloud environment.

The new service employs a Kubernetes-based container architecture that supports both Docker containers and Cloud Foundry.

IBM also introduced new container-optimized versions of core enterprise software including Websphere Liberty, Db2 and MQ.

Companies in heavily regulated industries like finance and healthcare have embraced private clouds as they plan their transitions to public cloud environments, IBM said. Companies will spend an estimated US$50 billion per year on these efforts and grow private cloud business at an estimated rate of between 15 percent and 20 percent per year.

Innovation and adoption of public cloud services has been constrained by the challenge of transitioning complex enterprise systems and applications into a true cloud native environment, said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president for IBM Hybrid Cloud.

IBM Cloud Private brings rapid application development and modernization to existing IT infrastructure, he said, and allows it to be combined with the services of public cloud technology.

Building Blocks

IBM has played a key role in the development of cloud-based computing for the enterprise. It is a founding member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, and just last month open-sourced its WebSphere Liberty Code to support Java microservices. More than 12 million Java and enterprise developers are managing legacy WebSphere and Db2 applications, according to IBM.

IBM and Google last month announced plans to open-source the Grafeas project, which is designed to help developers deal with security issues when working with containers.

The Grafeas technology has been one of the key building blocks for IBM Cloud for many years, said Chip Childers, chief technology officer of Cloud Foundry.

Companies like American Airlines depend on IBM to provide an easy solution to deliver code to production, something Cloud Foundry Application Runtime excels at, he told the E-Commerce Times. This offering is a huge step in the right direction  it shows IBM doubling down on open source not just with Cloud Foundry, but also adding Kubernetes into the mix.

The Cloud Private software contains several key features to help enterprises manage their applications and data, IBM said, including the following:

Cloud Management Automation  streamlined management across cloud environments to help launch, monitor and manage services, and maintain security.

Security and Data Encryption  Security Vulnerability Advisor to scan for potential vulnerabilities and in-flight data encryption.

Core Cloud Platform  a container engine, Kubernetes orchestration, Cloud Foundry and essential management tools surrounding developer runtimes.

Infrastructure Choice  compatibility with systems from technology firms including Cisco, Dell EMC, Intel, Lenovo and NetApp, as well as IBM Power Systems, IBM Z, and IBM Hyperconverged Systems, powered by Nutanix.

Data and Analytics  integration with database services including IBM Db2, PostGreSQL and MongoDB.

Application Support and DevOps Tools  containerized versions of IBM WebSphere Liberty middleware, Open Liberty, MQ and Microservice Builder and other frameworks are included in software bundles. APM, Netcool and UrbanCode can be added for an additional fee.

Ready to Launch

IBM is running pilot programs with Finnish pension firm Illmarinen and Chiles Banco de Credito, according to spokesperson Joseph Collier. Illmarinen, which manages pensions that cover 900,000 people in that country, is expected to start regular production with Cloud Private by early 2018. BCIs schedule was not immediately available.

IBM has certain built in competitive advantages as it strives to expand its increasingly critical cloud computing business to compete against Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and other data and information companies, suggested Jeff Kaplan, managing director of ThinkStrategies.

IBMs greatest comparative advantage is its ability to appeal to its installed base of enterprise companies that have made enormous investments in traditional data center systems and software, and still believe they need to rely on private cloud resources to support their corporate operations and objectives, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The Cloud Private program is the newest example of how IBM embraces modernization technologies, Pund-IT Principal Analyst Charles King told the E-Commerce Times, to ensure the continued relevancy of its various platforms and services.
A recent New York Times story about a conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, chilled me to the bone. The headline supplies all the reasons: Saudi Arabias Grand Plan to Move Beyond Oil: Big Goals, Bigger Hurdles.

At first glance, this doesnt ring any CRM bells, but maybe it should. Why would any business or business-state contemplate moving out of its sweet spot if it werent required to? What happens to the customers that have become dependent? Thats the point.

Beyond oil means running out  as in we wont be in that business in so many years because there will be nothing left to pump.

Peak Oil Snapshot

If you havent been following the oil markets or the somewhat arcane discussion of peak oil, heres a brief primer: In the U.S., oil discovery peaked in the 1960s, and it has been declining ever since.

The recent revolution in hydraulic fracturing has brought more oil to market, but its been from old wells that didnt have much left. This is called secondary recovery, and its like wringing out a damp sponge  you usually can get a few more drops.

Globally, oil discovery peaked in the 1970s, and exploration has not yielded another barrel since 2003. Were essentially using up the reserves discovered back in the day, and as with any finite entity, its beginning to run out. Theres lots of scholarly work on the subject that you can find online, so I am not going to belabor the point.

However, as additional evidence, both GM and Ford recently announced elaborate plans to bring electric vehicles to market within the next few years. Why would GM and Ford get out of the internal combustion car market if they didnt have to?

Fossil Carbon

As luck would have it, if  or more likely when  we stop burning fossil fuels, well be able to rely on electricity derived from a variety of sources, including solar, wind and something you might not be aware of, geothermal, which I encourage you to look into. However, theres a lot of work to be done and investment to be made before electricity can take over the workload that fossil fuels currently support.

The sooner we stop burning fossil fuels, the better off well be. You might think this means curtailing pollution, which of course will happen  but more importantly, fossil carbon is the basis or feedstock of hundreds of products that make modern life possible. From fertilizers to rubber and synthetics like nylon, to carbon fibers and plastics and much more, we depend on starter materials derived from fossil carbon.

For instance, did you know that an average car tire requires seven gallons of petroleum to manufacture? It takes five gallons to make the rubber and another two gallons to drive the manufacturing process.

Did you know that coal is the source of more than 500 pharmaceuticals and of the original dye that makes blue jeans blue? The oil and other fossil fuels left in the ground now are too valuable to burn.

Give credit to the Saudis for at least telegraphing their oil depletion issue to the marketplace. Other countries are in similar positions and have said nothing. Thats not exactly a best practice for dealing with a global customer base that has grown dependent on your product.

Ticking Clock

How long before we run out is speculative. Proven reserves typically are numbers that few nations share with the world, so there is ambiguity in almost any description of oil supply compared with the consumption data that many governments and oil companies keep.

Even an entry in Wikipedia listing countries and their reserves offers this caveat: Some statistics on this page are disputed and controversial. Different sources (OPEC, CIA World Factbook, oil companies) give different figures.

Even the CIA doesnt know how much oil is left in the ground, but the 2014 BP annual report pegged it at a 53-year supply, not taking into account demand increase, which currently runs at about 2 percent per year.

We would do well to follow the Saudis lead  at least by acknowledging that a problem with peak oil exists. With that, it will be possible to have an overdue conversation about how to organize our lives on this tiny planet, and to plan for a time at mid-century when Earth will host an additional 2.5 billion people.

Without a new energy infrastructure, its hard to say how well be able to grow enough food or provide fresh water to this mass of people.
Nanopay has unveiled a new platform that will let companies process business-to-business payments between bank accounts across borders.

The platform, introduced last week, is currently in private beta. It will become generally available in February, initially enabling cross-border payments between Canada and the United States.

Cross-border payments with India and China will be added in Q2.

Full Visibility

The platform will enable account-to-account payments, with full visibility and payment context with ISO 20022 metadata to enable straight-through processing, or STP.

The platform will give accounts receivable departments better access to the status of payments  whether theyre scheduled, pending or complete.

Payers will be able to control cash flow more effectively, and payees wont face the cost and risk of using credit cards.

The platform will give B2B payers full visibility into foreign transaction costs when they make cross-border payments in another currency.

The Nanopay platform will be offered both as a Web-based application and an application programming interface, so third-party application developers can integrate B2B payments into their Software as a Service applications.

The private beta currently has 20 participants, Nanopay CEO Laurence Cooke said.

The platform has a lot of promise, said Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research.

Small and mid-sized businesses need easy ways to go direct with transfers, he told the E-Commerce Times.

How the Platform Will Work

Businesses have to sign up and create an account in the platform. They can then link their bank account information to process payables and receivables. Companies can initiate payment requests directly from their accounting system.

Nanopay initially will support Xero, Freshbooks and, soon, Quickbooks Online, Nanopays Cooke told the E-Commerce Times.

The platform will add detailed payment context through ISO 20022 messaging to enable straight-through procession as well as detailed visibility for real-time UPS-like tracking of payments, he said.

Safety First

International transfers are an area with significant opportunities for fraud, remarked Rebecca Wettemann, research VP at Nucleus Research.

Linking the process to accounting systems and providing a clear audit trail will leave fewer opportunities for fraudulent transactions, she told the E-Commerce Times.

Nanopay offers real-time payments where possible.

Wire transfer fees can add up, particularly for smaller companies managing a lot of international transactions, Wettemann noted. Depending on their financial service providers, the time to process a transaction can be slow or unpredictable.

The Nanopay platform currently processes account-to-account payments through electronic funds transfer (EFT) in Canada and automated clearing house (ACH) in the U.S.

The Nanopay platform uses cryptographically secured payment messages.

All Nanopay transactions are immutable, and the B2B application features two-factor authentication to ensure only authorized users can access an account, Cooke pointed out.

The company also has been working on post-quantum cryptography, he said.

No More Banks?

All of Nanopays transactions start and end with a bank account, Cooke said, but, rather than entering sensitive banking information, businesses can pay or get paid by using an email address to identify other businesses.

The Nanopay platform will take off because theyre removing the friction with financial institutions and simplifying the payments accounting nightmare most companies face when dealing with cross-border payments, Wang predicted.

The Nanopay B2B platform will be available as a Web-based application and a JSON API, the latter for third-party appdevs to integrate B2B payments into customer SaaS applications.

It also supports XML, Javascript, Java and Swift APIs.

I like the notion of API access, said Michael Jude, research manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

This would enable funds transactions to be built into many sales applications, he told the E-Commerce Times. If Nanopay is building in transaction management and tracking, it would be much easier to use than transactions that might not be executed in real time, and which might not have visibility built in.
[Editors note: Twenty-one youth plaintiffs, as well as climate scientist Dr. James Hansen as guardian for future generations, is suing the federal government to cease conduct that promotes fossil fuel extraction and consumption, and instead develop and implement an actual science-based climate recovery plan. The complaint argues the youth have a fundamental constitutional right to be free from the governments destruction of their Earths atmosphere. Yesterdays court appearance was scheduled for the judge to hear oral arguments from the U.S. government and the fossil fuel industry on their motions to dismiss the landmark constitutional climate change lawsuit.]

At Wednesday mornings historic hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin questioned Department of Justice attorney Sean C. Duffy on whether the federal government was allowing tradeoffs between present and future generations. To illustrate his question, the Judge used an example of a discount rate, and pondered whether the governments actions were effectively trading future harm for present day benefits.

The youth plaintiffs after the hearing. Photo credit: Our Childrens Trust

Are you robbing Peter to pay Paul? the judge asked a flustered Duffy.

The hearing began with Duffy denying the federal governments duty under the public trust doctrine to protect essential natural resources for the benefit of all present and future generations. The judge asked, Both (water & air) are vital to life, right?

Yes, your honor, replied Duffy.

The Judge also asked if the government could sell the Pacific Ocean to Exxon. Remarkably, Duffy had a constitutional argument handy to support even that proposition.

Hundreds of students, activists, professors and citizens concerned about climate turned out in Eugene, Oregon to support 21 young plaintiffs, ages 8-19, in what Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein call the most important lawsuit on the planet right now.

Plaintiffs, attorneys and supporters gather on the steps of the federal courthouse in Eugene on March 9, 2016 after U.S. magistrate Thomas Coffin heard oral arguments in their case against the federal government. The case involves 21 youth plaintiffs demanding the U.S. government take science based action against climate change. Photo credit: Our Childrens Trust

The future of our generation is at stake, said 16-year-old plaintiff Victoria Barrett at the press conference following the hearing.

Read page 1

People label our generation as dreamers, but hope is not the only tool we have. I am young, I am a teenager, and I want to have fun, and be creative, and hang out with my friends. I want to do what I love and live a life full of opportunities. I want the generation that follows to have the same and I absolutely refuse to let our governments harmful action, corporate greed and the pure denial of climate science get in the way of that.

The plaintiffs sued the federal government for violating their fundamental constitutional rights to life, liberty and property by taking actions that permit, encourage and otherwise enable continued exploitation, production and combustion of fossil fuels.

We firmly believe the court will view this as an egregious instance where the federal government intensified the danger to our plaintiffs life, liberty and property, said plaintiffs attorney Phil Gregory with Cotchett, Pitre, & McCarthy. This case places indisputable climate science squarely in front of the federal courts, requesting an order forcing our government to cease jeopardizing the climate system for present and future generations.

The purpose of Wednesdays hearing was to hear arguments from the parties on the federal governments and fossil fuel industrys motions to dismiss the youths climate change lawsuit. The judge conducted incisive questioning of lawyers presenting oral argument for both sides on the issue. The hearing lasted for two hours. Its unclear when he will reach a decision on the defendants motions, but the youth plaintiffs are optimistic the Judge will treat their case fairly.

Climate scientist James Hansen speaks on the steps of the federal courthouse in Eugene, Oregon. Hansen is taking an active role in helping make a science based argument in the case. Photo credit: Our Childrens Trust

Defendants are wrong that our complaint fails to allege constitutional and public trust violations for the harms caused these young plaintiffs, said Julia Olson, lead counsel for the plaintiffs and executive director of Our Childrens Trust, in her closing argument.

Defendants in essence ask this court to ignore the undisputed scientific evidence, presented in our complaint and in opposing this motion, that the federal government has, and continues to, damage plaintiffs personal security and other fundamental rights. But these young plaintiffs have the right to prove the governments role in harming them has been knowing and deliberate.

Watch the press event following yesterdays hearing:

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By U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Monday announced that an additional 27 million trees, mostly conifers, died throughout California since November 2016, bringing the total number of trees that have died due to drought and bark beetles to an historic 129 million on 8.9 million acres. The dead trees continue to pose a hazard to people and critical infrastructure, mostly centered in the central and southern Sierra Nevada region of the state.

The number of dead and dying trees has continued to rise, along with the risks to communities and firefighters if a wildfire breaks out in these areas, said Randy Moore, regional forester of the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region. It is apparent from our survey flights this year that Californias trees have not yet recovered from the drought, and remain vulnerable to beetle attacks and increased wildfire threat. The USDA Forest Service will continue to focus on mitigating hazard trees and thinning overly dense forests so they are healthier and better able to survive stressors like this in the future.

Moore continued, To increase the pace and scale of this important work, we need to fix how fire suppression is funded. Last year fire management alone consumed 56 percent of the USDA Forest Services national budget. As fire suppression costs continue to grow as a percentage of the USDA Forest Services budget, funding is shrinking for non-fire programs that protect watersheds and restore forests, making them more resilient to wildfire and drought.



USDA Forest Service

Though California received record-breaking rains in the winter of 2016-2017, the effects of five consecutive years of severe drought in California, a dramatic rise in bark beetle infestation and rising temperatures have led to historic levels of tree die-off. The Tree Mortality Task Force (TMTF), with support from the Governors office and comprised of more than 80 local, state and federal agencies and private utility companies, continues to remove hazardous dead trees. To date, the TMTF members have collectively felled or removed more than 860,000 dead trees; this includes more than 480,000 dead trees felled or removed by the USDA Forest Service.

The TMTF members are using a triage approach to this tree mortality crisis, first focusing on public safety by removing dead and dying trees in high hazard areas. To further improve forest health, the USDA Forest Service and CAL FIRE have increased their pace and scale of prescribed fire. The USDA Forest Service has treated more than 55,000 acres and CAL FIRE has completed more than 33,000 acres in fuel treatment projects. By combining tree removal with prescribed fire, crews will be able to decrease overly dense stands of trees, reduce greenhouse gases and protect communities across the state.

Tree mortality at this magnitude takes on-going cooperation between public, non-profit and private entities, said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE director and Californias state forester. Californias forests are a critical part of the States strategy to address climate change. By working together and using all the resources at our disposal we will be able to make more progress towards our common goal of healthier, more resilient forests that benefit all Californians.

With record breaking levels of tree die-off, the TMTF has used this event as an opportunity to collaborate on several fronts: from public workshops about reforestation, public outreach in urban and rural areas, and awarding more than $21 million in grants aimed to protect watersheds, remove dead trees and restore our forests. The TMTF continues to collaborate on the efficient use of resources to protect public safety and build consensus around long-term management strategies for Californias forest lands.

The Tree Mortality Task force has provided an essential venue for coordination of response efforts, exchange of ideas, reporting and accountability for the ongoing statewide response to this incident, said Supervisor Nathan Magsig of Fresno County. Leadership from the Governors Office, CAL FIRE and Office of Emergency Services has helped to ensure county issues are heard and addressed. Monthly coordination of the 10 most impacted counties has resulted in a more effective use of resources and has allowed counties to share ideas and successes.

With a staggering 129 million dead trees in the state, the work of the task force is far from over. The strong foundation built will continue to be an advantage as the TMTF continues to address tree mortality and its impacts.
A year ago, scientists reported that cheetahs had disappeared from across 91 percent of their historic range.

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), the researchers recommended in their study, should be up-listed from Vulnerable to Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Doing this could afford the imperiled species greater attention and support, they said.

The cheetah, however, remains officially listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Now, in a new study, scientists have called for up-listing the species to Endangered yet again.

By analyzing millions of cheetah observations, a team of researchers have concluded that only about 3,577 adult cheetahs remain in southern Africawithin an area of 789,800 square kilometers across Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. More than 55 percent of these cheetahs live in Namibia alone, the researchers reported in the study published in the journal PeerJ.

This is the area with the largest population of free-ranging cheetahs left on Earth, lead author of the study Varsha Vijay of Duke University said in a statement. Knowing how many cheetahs there are and where they occur is crucial for developing suitable conservation management plans for the species.

The researchers also estimate that there could be an additional 3,250 cheetahs living in potential habitat areas, or places where cheetahs can possibly live but where they have not been observed recently. But the team has lower confidence in this estimate. We know about three and a half thousand cheetahs. There could be twice as many, but we cant prove it, Florian Weise of the U.S.-based conservation group Claws Conservancy, also a lead author of the study, told National Geographic news.



Rhett A. Butler

Of the 3,577 known cheetahs, less than 50 percent live inside some form of protected area, such as Kruger National Park in South Africa, the study estimates. The rest live on unprotected lands, mostly allocated for livestock or game production. Many farmers who share their land with cheetahs, consider the animals to be a source of conflict, the researchers found. While only a few resort to actually killing or trapping the animals, the researchers say that persecution by even a few farmers can cause cheetah populations to decline.

The future of the cheetah relies heavily on working with farmers who host these big cats on their lands, bearing the heaviest cost of coexistence, said Weise.

Given that the studys population estimate for the cheetah is 11 percent lower than the IUCNs current assessment for the same region, the authors write that the species should be urgently up-listed from Vulnerable to Endangered status. This revision of status could help conservationists create more awareness about the species and open more avenues to fund conservation and population monitoring efforts, they said in the statement. This study was supported by the National Geographic Societys Big Cats Initiative.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Mongabay.
In effort to bolster a global shift to

clean energy, the World Bankwhich provides financial, advisory and technical support to developing countriesannounced it will no longer finance upstream oil and gas, after 2019.

The announcement was made Tuesday at the international

One Planet climate summit called by French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The World Banks plan to stop financing oil and gas exploration and extraction is aimed at helping countries meet their emissions reduction pledges made at the

2015 Paris climate talks.

The bank noted in a statement that in exceptional circumstances, consideration will be given to financing upstream gas in the poorest countries where there is a clear benefit in terms of energy access for the poor and the project fits within the countries Paris Agreement commitments.

The bank announced other measures that include reporting greenhouse gas emissions from the investment projects it finances in key emissions-producing sectors, such as energy, starting next year. It is also on track to meet its target of 28 percent of its lending going to climate action by 2020 and to meeting the goals of its Climate Change Action Plan that was developed after the Paris accord.

To align our support to countries seeking to meet their Paris Agreement goals, we announced today that we will no longer finance upstream oil and gas after 2019. Our statement: https://t.co/uSGZjZiQKM #OnePlanet pic.twitter.com/4M7nPXliVN  Archive: World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim (@JimYongKimWBG) December 12, 2017

Oil Change International recently released its Dirty Dozen briefing on how public finance drives the climate crisis through oil, gas, and coal expansion. According to the group, on average, public finance institutions controlled by G20 governments, along with multilateral development banks such as the World Bank Group, provide $71.8 billion per year in public finance for fossil fuels, and only $18.7 billion in public finance for clean energy.

Stephen Kretzmann, the executive director of Oil Change International, praised the World Banks latest announcement.

It is hard to overstate the significance of this historic announcement by the World Bank. Environmental, human rights, and development campaigners have been amplifying the voices of frontline communities for decades in calling for an end to World Bank financing of upstream oil and gas projects, Kretzmann said.

Today the World Bank has raised the bar for climate leadership by recognizing the simple yet inconvenient truth that achieving the Paris Agreements climate goals requires an end to the expansion of the fossil fuel industry.

Countries that lead shift away from fossil fuels will reap the greatest economic & environmental benefits for this #OnePlanet https://t.co/zFc4QeqRIl #BeatPollution #OnePlanetSummit pic.twitter.com/FfEwCcqT8Z  UN Environment Programme (@UNEP) December 12, 2017

Alex Doukas, Stop Funding Fossils program director at Oil Change International, called on other finance institutions to follow the World Banks lead and move to stop funding fossil fuels.

It is important to note that midstream and downstream oil and gas finance are also major contributors to climate change, and must be addressed to remain within the climate limits established by the Paris Agreement, Doukas said.

World leaders, celebrities and other high-profile figures descended at the One Planet Summit in Paris on Tuesday.

The conference, held on the second anniversary of the landmark Paris climate agreement, is focused on how those working in public and private finance can help the fight against global warming.

Notably,

President Donald Trumpwho intends to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris agreementwas not invited to the meeting.

As DW reported, United Nations climate change envoy and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said during the summit that Trumps decision to exit the Paris accord was a rallying cry for environmentalists. Bloomberg promised U.S. cities, regions and companies would ensure the country met its carbon reduction goals.

Tonight, were joined by world leaders committed to taking collective action on climate change ahead of the #OnePlanetSummit. Thank you to tonights co-host President @EmmanuelMacron for organizing the summit  and for all his leadership on climate change. pic.twitter.com/qrHjyz6iMc  Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) December 11, 2017

Former California governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger had similar sentiments.

It doesnt matter that Donald Trump backed out of the Paris Agreement, because the private sector didnt drop out, the public sector didnt drop out, universities didnt drop out, no one dropped out, Schwarzenegger, who has been a frequent Trump critic, said.

Here are some other initiatives announced at the One Planet Summit, per the

Associated Press:

Climate Action 100+, which is comprised of 225 investment funds managing more than $26 trillion in assets, said it would use its financial clout to raise the issue of climate-related risk with 100 of the worlds largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters.

More than 200 companies pledged greater transparency on reporting climate-related risks in their businesses as part of a voluntary program led by Michael Bloomberg.

Dutch bank ING plans to have zero investments in coal power generation by 2025.

Norwegian pension fund Storebrand said its expanding its portfolio of fossil fuel-free investments to more than $3 billion.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed raising the minimum price per metric ton of carbon dioxide to 30 euros ($35.39). Current prices for the greenhouse gas in Europe are up to five times lower.
A landmark

climate change lawsuit brought by a group of children appears poised to move forward after a Monday hearing at a federal appeals court, despite the Trump administrations efforts to dismiss the case.

Juliana v. United States was filed in 2015 on behalf of 21 young plaintiffs who argue that their constitutional and public trust rights are being violated by the governments creation of climate danger.

At the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, the three-judge panel heard oral arguments over whether President Donald Trump and his administration can evade a

trial set for February.

In June, the government

filed a petition for writ of mandamus with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking an extraordinarily rare review of a Nov. 10, 2016 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken to deny its motion to dismiss the case. The legal maneuver basically allows an appeals court to correct an abuse from a lower court.

U.S. Attorney Eric Grant told the judges that mandamus is justified by the kids uncommon claims, as

Courthouse News reported.

According to plaintiffs complaint, virtually every single inhabitant of the United States has standing to sue virtually the entire executive branch to enforce an unenumerated constitutional right to a climate system capable of sustaining human life, Grant said. And to enforce that right by means of a judicial order, the defendants prepare and implement an enforceable national remedial plan to phase out fossil fuel emissions and draw down excess atmospheric CO2.

However, as Climate Liability News reporter Dana Drugmand pointed out, two out of the three judges appeared sympathetic to the plaintiffs position that case should proceed.

Throwing the case out at this point would open a judicial can of worms, Drugmand noted.

My latest piece, reporting on the landmark #youthvgov climate case oral arguments at Ninth Circuit court. At least 2 of the 3 judges seemed sympathetic to @youthvgov position that case should proceed. https://t.co/mSXfO4kKV2  Dana Drugmand (@Dana_Drugmand) December 12, 2017

As Judge Marsha Berzon questioned at Mondays hearing, If we grant the motion here, why dont we grant it to the next person who comes in and says the same thing?

Wed be absolutely flooded with appeals from people who think that their case should have been dismissed by the district court, Chief Judge Sidney Thomas added. If we set the precedent on this kind of case, theres no logical boundary to it.

Julia Olson, executive director of

Our Childrens Trust and co-counsel, argued on behalf of the youth plaintiffs.

Children are disproportionately experiencing the impacts of climate change, and will going forward, Olson said.

Olson asked the court to allow the case to move forward so these young people can present their historic and scientific evidence and make their case.

Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, has been been following the case and explained to InsideClimate News that the judges remarks suggested they would send the case back to the district court, thus allowing it to proceed.

They said its too early to be here, Gerrard said.
Todays 6th graders will hit their prime working years in 2030.

By that time, the robot apocalypse could be fully upon us. Automation and artificial intelligence could have eliminated half the jobs in the United States economy.

Or, plenty of jobs could still exist, but todays students could be locked in a fierce competition for a few richly rewarded positions requiring advanced technical and interpersonal skills. Robots and algorithms would take care of what used to be solid working- and middle-class jobs. And the kids who didnt get that cutting-edge computer science course or life-changing middle school project? Theyd be relegated to a series of dead-end positions, serving the elites who did.

Alternatively, maybe Bill Gates and Elon Musk and the other big names ringing the alarm are wrong. A decade from now, perhaps companies will still complain they cant find employees who can read an instruction manual and pass a drug test. Maybe workers will still be able to hold on to the American Dream, so long as they can adjust to incremental technological shifts in the workplace.

Which vision will prove correct?

When it comes to predicting the future of work, top economists and technologists are all over the map.

Inside schools, the result is tremendous uncertainty.

For thousands of educators, this discussion isnt about 15 years from now. Its about the present, said former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise, who now heads a national nonprofit seeking to transform U.S. high schools. But schools arent sure how to change what theyre doing, or even what questions to ask.

Thats why Education Week is launching a new line of special coverage on what the changing nature of work means for the K-12 sector. What skills will todays students need? Will the jobs available now still be around in 2030? Should every kid learn to code? What about apprenticeships, career-and-technical education, and lifelong learning?

Just as importantly, how can schools prepare children to participate in the political, civic, and moral debates stirred up by technology-driven changes?

The time for these conversations is now.

Because for all their disagreements, nearly all the experts say the nations educators can take one prediction to the bank.

Change is going to come, said Lee Rainie, who heads the study of technology for the Pew Research Center. Standing pat is not an option.

If you could prototype a 13-year-old who is likely to thrive in the 2030 labor market, shed probably look a lot like Emma Yang of New York City.

The private school 9th grader has already designed an app to help diagnose concussions. Shes used neural networks to train computer programs to identify lung tumors. Her latest project, an app called Timeless, uses algorithms to help Alzheimers patients recognize the family members in their photos.

See Also An elite coder with vision, people skills, and high-powered mentors, this New York City 9th grader is as close to future-proof as a 13-year old can get. The Extraordinary Education of an Elite, 13-Year-Old Problem-Solver

Yang is insatiably curious. She asks big questions. And she has killer people skills.

You dont have to be a doctor or a politician to effect change in the world, Yang told the crowd at her first TEDx Talk, delivered in July in Washington. Solve the problems you see around you.

Elite-level technical abilities, the probing mind of a scientist, and a deft human touch: Thats the experts best guess about the combination of traits that will guarantee rewarding employment in tomorrows economy.

Facebook, for example, recently offered advice to students who want to work in artificial intelligence. Take all the math you possibly can, the company suggestedwhile also finding time to study computer science, economics, engineering, neuroscience, and philosophy; cultivate mentors; think about vexing challenges in new ways; and publish your own open-source code.

Its heavy, heady stuff.

But such advice also raises red flags, especially for those observers who are most alarmed by the ways technology is upending the labor market.

One fear is that the bar for making todays students future-proof is becoming unrealistically high. And even if Americas schools could churn out a steady stream of Emma Yangs, some experts worry it might not matter.

Robots and AI-powered digital agents already rival humans at translating languages, playing strategy games, and flipping hamburgers. Theyve started driving cars and diagnosing cancer. Increasingly, theyre able to learn by observing humans, rather than being programmed by us.

That all means big problems, says futurist Martin Ford.

The labor market is a pyramid, Ford wrote in his 2015 book Rise of the Robots. Automation has already begun devouring the pyramids base, replacing assembly-line workers, warehouse stockers, and cashiers.

Paralegals, radiologists, line cooks, truck drivers, insurance underwriters, travel agents, lab technicians, tax preparers, and office assistants could all be next.

And with artificial-intelligence systems starting to write their own code, its entirely possible that many of the six-figure computer-science jobs currently available could eventually be lost to technology, too.

In such a scenario, how many jobs would be left at the top of the labor-market pyramid?

Turn your gaze back to Facebook, Ford suggests. The company may be worth $500 billion, but it employs just 20,000 people. Only 75 work in artificial intelligence.

Now you can see why lots of reasonable people are drawing dire conclusions.

In 2014, for example, the Pew Research Center surveyed 1,896 experts. Nearly half said they envision a future in which robots and digital agents have displaced significant numbers of both blue- and white-collar workers. Many are worried that the trend will lead to vast increases in income inequality, masses of people who are effectively unemployable, and breakdowns in the social order.

What would such a future mean for todays schools?

Whatever you do, Ford warns, it isnt going to be enough.

Like many people in public education, Laura Arnold has mostly tried to avoid such gloomy forecasts.

Its not that workforce preparation is missing altogether from the K-12 conversation. For decades, the sector has talked about vocational education, linked learning, 21st century skills, and more.

And its not that Arnold herself is busy fighting other battles. As an associate commissioner in the Kentucky education department, shes helped turn her state into a national leader in career-and-technical education.

But the horizons for such efforts in public education tend to be short-term. Reliable data on local workforce trends only extend out five years, Arnold said. Companies are focused on what they need right now. Schools struggle to meet even those immediate demands.

Taking time to consider the long-term implications of artificial intelligence can seem overwhelming.

We need to be at the table for these discussions, Arnold said. But its so much bigger than K-12 education.

Thats where Education Week aims to help. We talked to more than two-dozen experts in the fields of artificial intelligence, computer science, economics, education, and history. We also reviewed dozens of reports and studies.

Heres what we think you need to know.

Many economists are not nearly as worried as futurists like Martin Ford.

Yes, technology is going to eliminate some jobs, said MITs Paul Osterman, who used to run workforce-training programs for Massachusetts. But doomsday predictions about the future of work overlook the forces of history, human ingenuity, and demography, he said.

A century ago, for example, the United States transitioned from an agricultural to an industrial economy. More than 90 percent of farm jobs were lost. But new technologies also created new jobs, new wealth, and new consumer demands. That all led to new work opportunities that all those displaced farmers couldnt have previously imagined.

Still, most experts foresee substantial upheaval.

Even skeptics recognize that industrial robots and artificial-intelligence-powered digital agents have already made significant inroads into fields as diverse as manufacturing, health care, logistics, and customer service.

And its clear that winners and losers are already emerging. Wages for highly educated people have gone up, because information technologies complement the creative, problem-solving, and managerial work they tend to do. But at the same time, technology has helped push many less-educated workers into the service sector, where they receive lower pay and less job security.

Under President Barack Obama, the White House concluded that automation will likely continue to erode the fortunes of workers who dont have a high school diploma and who earn less than $20 per hour. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, meanwhile, warned that technology will begin eating away at jobs currently filled by some highly educated workers.

Then theres this: As the future-of-work conversation evolves, many analysts are focusing on the specific tasks, rather than the entire occupations, that technology will likely take over from humans. An analysis this year by the McKinsey Global Institute, for example, estimates that existing technologies could be used to automate roughly half of all the activities that workers are currently paid to do.

In the crosshairs: anything that involves routine physical motions, operating machinery in predictable environments, or collecting and processing data.

If thats how things play out, todays students are going to need a new set of skills, regardless of what field they enter.

Every young person entering the 2030 labor market might need a solid grounding in statistics and data science, the thinking goes. Farmers, for example, would need to make sense of torrents of data generated by sensors and drones on soil and weather conditions.

To maintain their edge, workers would also need to focus on cultivating the human qualities that robots still lack, such as creativity, empathy, and abstract thinking.

And because most jobs could constantly evolve, todays students could eventually face a make-or-break question: Can you adapt?

I dont think theres any way we can accurately say what skills and competencies students will need 15 years from now, said Michael Chui, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute. Thats why its incumbent that we prepare young people for a world of constant uncertainty.

With so much up in the air, what will determine how disruptive the future of work turns out to be?

For all the attention to technology, the answer may have more to do with our laws, policies, and values.

See Also Webinar: The Future of Work and What It Means for K-12 Schools Join us for this webinar, part of Education Weeks yearlong initiative to provide special coverage of workforce-preparation trends and their implications for K-12 schools, to take a deeper look at what kind of job market the 6th graders of today will face when they hit their prime working years in 2030 and what it means for educators now.

Register now.

And its here that K-12 schools might play their most significant role, many experts believe.

Imagine, for example, that millions more people do lose their jobs to automation. Will tomorrows lawmakers be able to overcome todays partisan divides to craft an effective social safety net?

Or imagine that being a home health aide is one of the few in-demand jobs that most Americans can still do better than a robot. Will tomorrows workforce insist on greater status and pay for such professions?

And consider how deeply robots, algorithms, and digital agents are being woven into important aspects of our lives, from loan applications to dating to criminal sentencing.

Will tomorrows citizens be thoughtful and vigilant in deciding how much control theyre willing to give to technology? Will they be able to recognize and challenge automated decision-making systems that replicate existing racial, gender, and other biases?

Public education has always been about creating good citizens, not just good workers. In the age of artificial intelligence, that could be more important than ever.

Preparing students for the future means helping them think critically about the new ways decisions are made, said Osonde Osoba, a RAND Corp. engineer and researcher.

Are schools up for such a many-sided challenge?

In 2030, will todays 6th graders be afraid of change, or will they embrace it?

If robots lead to a future flush with leisure time, will todays students be able to find purpose in making art, doing citizen science, or helping a neighbor?

It doesnt have to be a job, said Arizona State University professor James Paul Gee. But each person needs the skills to make some kind of contribution to a changing world with a lot of problems that need solving.

This is the reality facing the K-12 sector. No one really knows what happens next. Many jobs will likely be destroyed. New types of work, requiring new types of skills, will hopefully be created. The problems and opportunities and paradoxes associated with automation and artificial intelligence wont be limited to the workplace.

For the nations educators, the most daunting thing about this uncertain future may also be the most exciting.

They get to help make it.
Ben-my-Chree wash down led to water contamination

An investigation in water contamination in Lower Douglas has found the Steam Packet Company washing down the Ben-my-Chree was the cause.

The ferry operator and Manx Utilities found sea water was pumped back into the fresh water during a routine was down by the Steam Packet.

The Steam Packet says a backup pump in the harbour detected low pressure, introducing seawater into the system.

Both organisations insist the has never happened before, and are working together to ensure it doesn't happen again in the future.

Residents and businesses along North Quay and Church Road were unable to use their water for drinking, cooking or cleaning for almost 24 hours while checks were made to ensure the system was clear.
The following release and accompanying images can be found at: http://news.agu.org/press-release/agu-fall-meeting-accumulating-sediment-in-mississippi-river-threatens-course-change-water-supply/

AGU Fall Meeting: Accumulating sediment in Mississippi River threatens course change, water supply

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

New Orleans, Louisiana

11-15 December 2017

AGU Contacts:

Nanci Bompey

+1 (914) 552-5759

nbompey@agu.org

Lauren Lipuma

+1 (504) 427-6069

llipuma@agu.org

AGU Fall Meeting Press Room:

Morial Convention Center, Room 350-351

+1 (504) 670-5513

news@agu.org

Included in this announcement:

1. Research from the AGU Fall Meeting: Accumulating sediment in Mississippi River threatens course change, water supply 2. Today's press events 3. Noteworthy sessions happening today 4. Potentially newsworthy presentations 5. Press networking events happening today 6. Online media resources

Please visit the 2017 Fall Meeting Media Center to view previous media advisories and press releases that include important information about press registration, badge pickup, press conferences, quiet rooms, searching the scientific program, and AGU On-Demand.

1. Research from the AGU Fall Meeting: Accumulating sediment in Mississippi River threatens course change, water supply

NEW ORLEANS -- Accumulating sediment within the lower Mississippi River could, when coupled with a major flood, cause the river to abandon its current course, potentially ruining the drinking water source for roughly 1.5 million people, according to new research presented here today.

The Mississippi River is an alluvial river, meaning its course is shaped by sediment and floods, and its floor is composed of loose, moving sands and soils. Because of these qualities, the river naturally changes course every 1,000 to 1,500 years. The Old River Control Structure, a 54-year-old floodgate system, manages the flow of the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya River, which runs parallel to and west of the Mississippi. This system prevents the Mississippi from flooding and changing its course.

In the new research, scientists took measurements of sediment accumulating downstream of the Old River Control Structure to the Gulf of Mexico, a total of more than 300 miles (more than 480 kilometers). The floodgate system regulates the flow of water, but it does little to address sediment moving downstream in the Mississippi, where this sediment accumulates when the river's flow naturally slows, according to the researchers.

The new research finds sediment has caused the river floor downstream of the floodgate to elevate and the sandbars to grow in volume by more than 200 percent. At least 36 million metric tons (over 39 million short tons) of coarse sand has been added to the river and narrowed the river channel by 800 meters (half a mile), according to hydrologist Yi-Jun Xu from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, who will present the new findings today at the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. Xu's previous research found these sandbars could swell even larger in the near future, as sand has also accumulated upstream from the control structure and could wash downstream under the right conditions.

These changes diminish the river's capacity to carry water on its current course. When sections of the river's floor rise to a sufficient point, a sudden increase in flow -- perhaps from a flood -- could drive the Mississippi River to overwhelm the control structure and adopt a new path, potentially causing the Mississippi to be captured by the Atchafalaya, according to the new research.

Xu believes enough sediment has already accumulated in the area to pose a risk. Another recent study also suggests that by the 2090s, changes in temperature and precipitation could increase the Mississippi River's flow by nearly 60 percent, increasing the likelihood of frequent and large floods. Rapid urbanization of the area, too, boosts chances of flooding, as paved surfaces deprive the land of its ability to store and slowly release water.

"When a mega flood comes, it will overpower the Old River Control Structure, if the river floor elevation continues," Xu said.

Such an event would cause saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to intrude upstream, Xu said, compromising freshwater for the New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, and Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux metropolitan areas, which collectively include nearly 1.5 million people. The Mississippi River is serviced by water treatment facilities, though none are designed to process saltwater into freshwater.

"If that happened, it would directly affect the lives of nearly two million Americans as well as the multi-trillion-dollar petrol chemical assets along the lower Mississippi River," Xu said.

Notes for Journalists

Lead researcher Yi-Jun Xu will give a poster presentation about this research on Tuesday, 12 December at the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting.

Poster title:

What would happen if the Mississippi River changed its course to the Atchafalaya?

Session:

EP21C: Progress in Research on the World's Major River Deltas II Posters

Date: Tuesday, 12 December 2017

Time: 8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. CST

Location: Morial Convention Center, Poster Hall, Halls D-F

Abstract number: EP21C-1855

Contact information for the researcher:

Yi-Jun Xu, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.A.: yjxu@lsu.edu, +1 (225) 578-4168.

2. Today's press events

8:00 a.m. - Climate solutions: Policy, planning, science and engineering in uncertain political and economic times (Media Availability)

9:00 a.m. - Arctic Report Card 2017

10:30 a.m. - The IODP-ICDP Chicxulub impact crater drilling expedition (Media Availability)

11:30 a.m. - New Horizons explores the Kuiper Belt (Workshop)

1:45 p.m. - Why we are still in (Media Availability)

2:30 p.m. - New NASA eyes on ice (Workshop)

4:00 p.m. - The bright stuff: New Dawn findings at Ceres

All Fall Meeting press events take place in the Press Conference Room, Room 346-347. They will also be streamed live on the AGU press events webpage and archived on AGU's YouTube channel. Slides and other materials will be available in the Virtual Press Room on the Fall Meeting Media Center.

3. Noteworthy sessions happening today

Special Keynote Panel

A Special Keynote Panel titled "Why We Are Still In" will take place from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. in the New Orleans Theater, located on the second floor of the Morial Convention Center above Hall I-1. AGU is facilitating this special plenary around the wearestillin.com movement, a response to a U.S. governmental decision to depart from the Paris Climate Accord. Panelists include the Honorable James Brainard, Mayor of Carmel, Indiana; and Sra. Tanya Muller Garcia, Secretary of the Environment, Mexico City. Registered journalists who are interested in attending this talk should meet an AGU staff member at the entrance to the lecture hall 30 minutes prior to the start of the talk. Journalists can also stream the lecture live on AGU On-Demand. A media availability will be held immediately following the lecture in the Press Conference Room, Room 346-347.

Town Hall Session: Updated AGU Ethics Policy

This year, AGU's Board of Directors adopted an updated Ethics Policy. This policy takes a much stronger stance against harassment by including it in the definition of research misconduct and expanding its application to AGU members, staff, volunteers, and non-members participating in AGU-sponsored programs and activities, including AGU Honors and Awards, and governance. The purpose of these updates is to address persistent ongoing issues of harassment, discrimination, and bullying within the sciences. AGU will be hosting a Town Hall session on the updated ethics policy from 6:15 - 7:15 p.m. in Room 203-205.

4. Potentially newsworthy presentations happening today

Late-breaking sessions

* Climate Solutions: Policy, Planning, Science and Engineering in Uncertain Political and Economic Times

Oral session GC23H, Tuesday, 12 December, 1:40 - 3:40 p.m., Room 252-254

* Late-Breaking Research Related to the 2017 Hurricane Season in the Americas

Poster session NH23E, Tuesday, 12 December, 1:40 - 6:00 p.m., Poster Hall D-F

Sessions

* Cassini's Grand Finale: Discoveries and Science Highlights

Session U22A, 10:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m., Room E2

* Induced Seismicity in the United States and Canada

Session S22B, 10:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m., Room 222

Session S23C, 1:40 - 6:00 p.m., Poster Hall D-F

* Climate Science Special Report: An Assessment of the Science Focusing on the United States

Session U23A, 1:40 - 3:40 p.m., Room E2

Abstracts

* The Peculiar Negative Greenhouse Effect Over Antarctica

Session C21D, 8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m, Poster Hall D-F

* Determining Correlation between Shark Location and Atmospheric Wind and Thermal Parameters

Session OS21A, 8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m, Poster Hall D-F

* Lifetime Stable isotopes profiles in whale earplug: assessment of foraging and migrations in the Northern Hemisphere

Session OS21A, 8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m, Poster Hall D-F

* Using Digital Cameras to Detect Warning Signs of Volcanic Eruptions

Session V23E, 1:40 - 6:00 p.m., Poster Hall D-F

* Interaction of Geohazards and Settlements through the Past Millennium, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Session NH23A, 1:40 - 6:00 p.m., Poster Hall D-F

5. Press networking events happening today

Journalism Awards Reception (5 p.m.)

Join your Press Room colleagues to honor and celebrate AGU's most recent journalism award winners during an informal reception on Tuesday evening. We will recognize the outstanding reporting and writing of 2017 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism-Features winner Tony Bartelme, 2017 David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism-News winner Courtney Humphries and 2017 Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism winner Rich Monastersky. The reception will take place in the Press Room, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Room 350-351, from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Appetizers and drinks will be served.

Open Mic Night (7:30 p.m.)

Join your colleagues and host Richard Alley for an evening of rhyming, singing, and storytelling about Earth and space science at AGU's annual Open Mic Night at B.B. King's Blues Club, 1104 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116, from 7:30 - 11:00 p.m. Appetizers will be served.

6. Online media resources

For journalists: During the Fall Meeting, journalists can find many resources online in the Virtual Press Room in the Fall Meeting Media Center. These resources include press releases, press conference materials and other information. Videos of press conferences will be added to the Virtual Press Room during the meeting for easy online access.

The AGU press office also offers two online tools to connect reporters with scientific experts at the 2017 Fall Meeting. The Find an Expert tool allows reporters to view a list of scientific experts who are available for interviews at the meeting. The Request an Expert tool allows reporters to send requests for experts directly to PIOs. These tools are now available online in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

For public information officers: PIOs are now able to share press releases and other materials in the Virtual Press Room by directly uploading them via the Press Item Uploader. PIOs can upload press releases, tip sheets and press conference materials to the Virtual Press Room at any time before or during the meeting, including uploading items in advance and scheduling them to post during the meeting.

The AGU press office also offers two online tools to connect reporters with scientific experts at the 2017 Fall Meeting. The Find an Expert tool allows public information officers to list scientific experts who are available to be interviewed by reporters at the meeting. The Request an Expert tool allows reporters to send requests for experts directly to PIOs. PIOs who wish to receive expert request emails from reporters should fill out the Receive Expert Requests form. More information about these tools can be found in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

###

The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing more than 60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our other social media channels.
Washington, DC - Dec. 12, 2017 - Millions of bats in North America have been wiped out by the disease white-nose syndrome caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, and scientists worry that a catastrophic reduction in the bat population will have pervasive ecological repercussions. Now, a new study in mBio shines light on where the fungus came from and how it spreads.

"Our work suggests that the fungus has been throughout Eurasia for a long period of time, at least thousands of years, and that bats there have evolved resistance to it. It has only recently been introduced into North America," said principal study investigator Jeffrey Foster, PhD, associate professor, Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff. "Our genetic data show that the bats have been really effective dispersers of this fungus once it arrived in North America. If the bats can get there, the fungus likely will, making it exceedingly difficult to control the spread of the fungus."

P. destructans has colonized nearly all surveyed bat caves in the Eastern United States and Canada, in the past decade. Estimates are hard to come by, but the majority of individuals from eastern bat species have been lost. "Millions of bats have died as a result of this disease and several species are threatened with extinction, including the northern long-eared bat, little brown bat, and Indiana bat," said Dr. Foster.

It is extremely unusual for fungi to kill vertebrates, but researchers have found that P. destructans is wiping out the bats while they hibernate. "When the bats' immune systems are off or at a low simmer, they are not able to fight off the fungus," said Dr. Foster. The loss of bats has had consequences, since bats provide widespread insect suppression services to natural and agricultural ecosystems and are the primary suppliers of nutrients to unique cave ecosystems through deposition of guano.

In previous studies, P. destructans has exhibited few genetic polymorphisms, presenting challenges for epizoological tracking of the spread of the fungus and determining its evolutionary history. In the new study, researchers used single nucleotide polymorphisms from whole genome sequencing and microsatellites to construct high-resolution phylogenies of P. destructans. Understanding phylogenies is similar to reading family trees. Scientists performed whole genome sequencing on 26 isolates from throughout the white nose syndrome epizootic zone in North America that were collected from 2008 to 2014. They also analyzed five isolates from Europe and three isolates from Asia.

"Our collaborators went into hibernation sites in the winter and used a swab to get some of the fungus off of the bat or collect it from the environment of the cave," said Dr. Foster.

Previous studies of P. destructans have analyzed only a small portion of the genome. "It is a herculean task to sequence entire fungal genomes," said Dr. Foster. "They are big, time intensive, and cost a lot of money."

Their genetic analysis suggests that the fungus was recently introduced to North America from a source in Europe, rather than Asia. While the study was ongoing, other researchers also found evidence that the fungus is not native to North America. "Our microsatellite data and our genetic data overall show a very complex picture of a single introduction, followed by widespread movement of the bats," said Dr. Foster. "It has spread farther than people thought." The researchers also found that the fungus in Europe and Asia is tremendously diverse, but were unable to find a definitive source for the North American outbreak.

Dr. Foster emphasizes that the study would never have been possible without the support of many scientists. "We have many, many collaborators around the world that have been willing to work with us to collect samples. There has been an outpouring of support from the bat community, in particular," said Dr. Foster. "Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have gotten together to help fight off this disease. It is pretty unusual that people will collaborate at this level for a single cause within science. It is encouraging."

Another reason for optimism, he said, was that researchers have discovered some bats that are seemingly resistant to white-nose syndrome in Vermont and elsewhere in the Northeast. While scientists are not going to be able to put the genie back in the bottle in terms of controlling the fungus in North America, said Dr. Foster, understanding how fungal invasions happen can potentially prevent the next invasion.

###

The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of more than 50,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.

ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications and educational opportunities. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences.
Berkeley Lab team is leading the development of NWB:N 2.0 which is poised to become a community standard

Neuroscientists can now explore a beta version of the new Neurodata Without Borders: Neurophysiology (NWB:N 2.0) software and offer input to developers before it is fully released next year.

The 2.0 software version was developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (Berkeley Lab's) Oliver Ruebel and Andrew Tritt, in close collaboration with Kristofer Bouchard (Berkeley Lab), Loren Frank (UCSF), Eddie Chang (UCSF), and the broader Neurodata Without Borders (NWB) community. The beta update was announced earlier this year and the team presented a poster of their work at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington D.C. last month.

NWB is a consortium of researchers and foundations with a shared interest in breaking down obstacles to data use and sharing. The group ultimately aims to standardize neurophysiology data on an international scale to ensure the success of brain research worldwide and accelerate the pace of discovery. It was initiated by the Kavli Institute in mid-2014 in the wake of the White House's Brain Initiative announcement.

"Because the majority of software developed in academic biology labs is done by graduate students and postdocs--who are not trained software engineers--you generally get tools that are not of great quality or durable long term," says Bouchard, a computational neuroscientist who holds joint appointments in Berkeley Lab's Computational Research Division (CRD), Biological Systems and Engineering Division, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at UC Berkeley.

In an effort to maximize the return on investment in the creation of neurophysiology data sets and enhance experiment reproducibility, Bouchard notes that the first version of NWB:N made huge strides toward generating a unified data format for cellular-based neurophysiology data for a multitude of use cases. The 2.0 version of NWB:N builds on its predecessor with an advanced software architecture and application programming interfaces (APIs) that make life easier for the end user.

For instance, the NWB-spec API allows for effective design of format extensions that are customizable to a lab's needs. PyNWB, a Python library for NWB, then defines a high-level API for interacting with NWB data to facilitate efficient read/ write and integration of the format with user datasets and code bases. An integrated data-build API manages the integration of PyNWB user-interface objects with NWB format specifications to create abstract representations of NWB data containers. The containers are translated to and from NWB:N files on disk via a read/write layer that has been abstracted to enable multiple storage options.

"The idea behind the NWB:N 2.0 software design is to decouple various aspects of the system and create stable, easy-to-use APIs for users and developers that provide critical abstractions from NWB," says Ruebel, a research scientist in CRD's Data Analytics and Visualization Group. "Our architecture empowers users to easily access, use and analyze NWB data; integrate NWB with user code bases and develop new extensions for NWB:N."

"The ability to easily create and access NWB:N format files is critical to enable and enhance broad adoption of the format in neuroscience labs," adds Bouchard. "The value of science data increases when it can be reused and this is made possible by the investments in a community data model and reference software implementation."

According to Tritt, the new architecture also lays a foundation for the design of advanced APIs for data management, query and discovery, as well as integration of NWB:N with state-of-the-art data analytic codes optimized for high performance computing systems.

"Berkeley Lab--Oliver Ruebel and Andrew Tritt in particular--have a long history of developing sustainable, well-engineered scientific software for biologists. They have the expertise and collaborative spirit to work with a diversity of researchers," says Bouchard. "Berkeley Lab's extensive tradition of creating computational tools and techniques for science is one big reason why NWB:N 2.0 is poised to become a community standard."

According to Bouchard, Berkeley Lab's leadership in the NWB:N development would not be possible without the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project BRAINformat: A Data Standardization Framework for Neuroscience Data. By proving their concept at a hackathon in 2014, the Berkeley Lab team caught the attention of the neuroscience community. They were then invited to join discussions about NWB and novel concepts for standardization.

"In my own lab, until recently, standardization and the sharing of data was done in an ad hoc fashion," says Bouchard. "Having this standard has accelerated the sharing of data even within my own lab."

In addition to finalizing NWB:N 2.0 , Bouchard, Ruebel and Tritt are also working on algorithms that will ingest the NWB data formats to run at scale on high performance computing systems like those at the Department of Energy's National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).

###

The Kavli Foundation supported this work via the NWB-4-HPC project. NERSC is a DOE Office of Science User Facility located at the Berkely Lab.

Download NWB:N 2.0: http://www.nwb.org/2017/11/11/nwb-2-0-beta-released/
ATLANTA - Benjamin Ebert, MD, PhD, chair of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston has been named the recipient of the 2017 William Dameshek Prize from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for his seminal discoveries in multiple areas of non-malignant and malignant hematology.

The William Dameshek Prize is awarded to an early-or mid-career hematologist who has made a recent outstanding contribution to the field of hematology. This prize is named after the late William Dameshek, MD, a past president of ASH and the original editor of Blood. ASH President Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, a former recipient of this award, presented this award to Ebert on Tuesday, December 12, during the 59th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta.

Ebert is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Prior to being appointed as chair of medical oncology at Dana-Farber, he serves as leader of the Leukemia Program for the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, an Institute Member at the Broad Institute, and an Associate Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Ebert is notable for his leadership in describing the genomic landscape of adult myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including identifying critical new roles for ribosomal dysfunction. Specifically, he identified RPS14 as a key gene for deletion 5q MDS. His laboratory discovered the molecular basis of lenalidomide activity in MDS as well as multiple myeloma. Recent studies have characterized clonal hematopoiesis and its contribution to both hematologic malignancies and cardiovascular disease. Along with human genetic studies, Ebert's lab has made significant contributions to understanding the biological basis of transformation of hematopoietic cells by somatic mutations. His work has demonstrated creativity, innovative methodology, and direct human relevance.

Before beginning his medical career, Ebert was a Rhodes Scholar, during which time he studied oxygen-regulated expression of the erythropoietin gene at Oxford with Peter Ratcliffe. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1999, completed his internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2001, and went on to complete his clinical fellowship in hematology and oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Ebert completed his postdoctoral research fellowship with Todd Golub at the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University in 2007.

Ebert is an active member of ASH. He is currently co-chair of the ASH Task Force on Precision Medicine, and has served as Scientific Program Co-Chair for the 2014 ASH Annual Meeting and chair of the ASH Committee on Myeloid Biology in 2012. He is currently President of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and a member of the Association of American Physicians. He has served on editorial boards, including Blood. In addition to the William Dameshek Prize, his awards include the Harvard Medical School Young Mentor Award, the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program Thomas A. McMahon Mentoring Award, and the International Society for Experimental Hematopoiesis Till and McCullough Award.

"The Society is honored to recognize Dr. Ebert as one of the leading young investigators in hematology," said ASH President Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, of the Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics and Jerome Lipper Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. "Dr. Ebert is a rising star who has used innovative scientific approaches to transform our basic understanding of hematopoiesis, which have already translated to novel treatment paradigms in myelodysplasia and bone marrow failure disorders, and will impact a much broader range of diseases in the future."

###

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

From achieving the first remissions in childhood cancer with chemotherapy in 1948, to developing the very latest new therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world's leading centers of cancer research and treatment. It is the only center ranked in the top 4 of U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospitals for both adult and pediatric cancer care.

Dana-Farber sits at the center of a wide range of collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center provides the latest in cancer care for adults; Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for children. The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center unites the cancer research efforts of five Harvard academic medical centers and two graduate schools, while Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care provides high quality cancer treatment in communities outside Boston's Longwood Medical Area.

Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique 50/50 balance between cancer research and care, and much of the Institute's work is dedicated to translating the results of its discovery into new treatments for patients in Boston, and around the world.

About American Society of Hematology

The American Society of Hematology is the world's largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. For more than 50 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH publishes Blood, the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available weekly in print and online. In 2016, ASH launched Blood Advances, an online, peer-reviewed open-access journal.
Electric car makers are intensely interested in lithium-rich battery cathodes that could significantly increase driving range -- a new study opens a path to making them live up to their promise

Menlo Park, Calif. -- If you add more lithium to the positive electrode of a lithium-ion battery - overstuff it, in a sense - it can store much more charge in the same amount of space, theoretically powering an electric car 30 to 50 percent farther between charges. But these lithium-rich cathodes quickly lose voltage, and years of research have not been able to pin down why - until now.

After looking at the problem from many angles, researchers from Stanford University, two Department of Energy national labs and the battery manufacturer Samsung created a comprehensive picture of how the same chemical processes that give these cathodes their high capacity are also linked to changes in atomic structure that sap performance.

"This is good news," said William E. Gent, a Stanford University graduate student and Siebel Scholar who led the study. "It gives us a promising new pathway for optimizing the voltage performance of lithium-rich cathodes by controlling the way their atomic structure evolves as a battery charges and discharges."

Michael Toney, a distinguished staff scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and a co-author of the paper, added, "It is a huge deal if you can get these lithium-rich electrodes to work because they would be one of the enablers for electric cars with a much longer range. There is enormous interest in the automotive community in developing ways to implement these, and understanding what the technological barriers are may help us solve the problems that are holding them back."

The team's report appears today in Nature Communications.

The researchers studied the cathodes with a variety of X-ray techniques at SLAC's Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source (ALS). Theorists from Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, led by David Prendergast, were also involved, helping the experimenters understand what to look for and explain their results.

The cathodes themselves were made by Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology using commercially relevant processes, and assembled into batteries similar to those in electric vehicles.

"This ensured that our results represented an understanding of a cutting-edge material that would be directly relevant for our industry partners," Gent said. As an ALS doctoral fellow in residence, he was involved in both the experiments and the theoretical modelling for the study.

Like a Bucket Half Empty

Batteries convert electrical energy to chemical energy for storage. They have three basic parts - two electrodes, the cathode and the anode, and the liquid electrolyte between them. As a lithium-ion battery charges and discharges, lithium ions shuttle back and forth between the two electrodes, where they insert themselves into the electrode materials.

The more ions an electrode can absorb and release in relation to its size and weight - a factor known as capacity - the more energy it can store and the smaller and lighter a battery can be, allowing batteries to shrink and electric cars to travel more miles between charges.

"The cathode in today's lithium-ion batteries operates at only about half of its theoretical capacity, which means it should be able to last twice as long per charge," said Stanford Professor William Chueh, an investigator with the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES) at SLAC.

"But you can't charge it all the way full. It's like a bucket you fill with water, but then you can only pour half of the water out. This is one of big challenges in the field right now - how do you get these cathode materials to behave up to their theoretical capacity? That's why people have been so excited about the prospect of storing a lot more energy in lithium-rich cathodes."

Like today's cathodes, lithium-rich cathodes are made of layers of lithium sandwiched between layers of transition metal oxides - elements like nickel, manganese or cobalt combined with oxygen. Adding lithium to the oxide layer increases the cathode's capacity by 30 to 50 percent.

Connecting the Dots

Previous research had shown that several things happen simultaneously when lithium-rich cathodes charge, Chueh said: Lithium ions move out of the cathode into the anode. Some transition metal atoms move in to take their place. Meanwhile, oxygen atoms release some of their electrons, establishing the electrical current and voltage for charging, according to Chueh. When the lithium ions and electrons return to the cathode during discharge, most of the transition metal interlopers return to their original spots, but not all of them and not right away. With each cycle, this back and forth changes the cathode's atomic structure. It's as if the bucket morphs into a smaller and slightly different bucket, Chueh added.

"We knew all these phenomena were probably related, but not how," Chueh said. "Now this suite of experiments at SSRL and ALS shows the mechanism that connects them and how to control it. This is a significant technological discovery that people have not holistically understood."

At SLAC's SSRL, Toney and his colleagues used a variety of X-ray methods to make a careful determination of how the cathode's atomic and chemical structure changed as the battery charged and discharged.

Another important tool was soft X-ray RIXS, or resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, which gleans atomic-scale information about a material's magnetic and electronic properties. An advanced RIXS system that began operation at ALS last year scans samples much faster than before.

"RIXS has mostly been used for fundamental physics," ALS scientist Wanli Yang said. "But with this new ALS system, we wanted to really open up RIXS for practical materials studies, including energy-related materials. Now that its potential for these studies has been partially demonstrated, we could easily extend RIXS to other battery materials and reveal information that was not accessible before."

The team is already working toward using the fundamental knowledge they have gained to design battery materials that can reach their theoretical capacity and not lose voltage over time.

###

The research was funded by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office and by Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology Global Research Outreach Program.

SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, California, SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. To learn more, please visit http://www.slac.stanford.edu.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
DURHAM, N.C. -- Researchers have developed a water cloaking concept based on electromagnetic forces that could eliminate an object's wake, greatly reducing its drag while simultaneously helping it avoid detection.

The idea originated at Duke University in 2011 when researchers outlined the general concept. By matching the acceleration of the surrounding water to an object's movement, it would theoretically be possible to greatly increase its propulsion efficiency while leaving the surrounding sea undisturbed. The theory was an extension of the group's pioneering work in metamaterials, where a material's structure, rather than its chemistry, creates desired properties.

Six years later, Yaroslav Urzhumov, adjunct assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke, has updated the theory by detailing a potential approach. But rather than using a complex system of very small pumps as originally speculated, Urzhumov is turning to electromagnetic fields and the dense concentration of charged particles found in saltwater.

The study appears online in the journal Physical Review E on December 7, 2017.

"The original idea was so big that it enticed colleagues at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center to help us pursue it, even though they were incredibly skeptical," said Urzhumov, who was among the researchers who worked on the original 2011 paper. "Since then, we have identified a path to materializing this seemingly impossible proposal."

The crux of the issue being addressed is that water is a relatively viscous liquid that, when moved, likes to pull its surroundings along for the ride through shear forces. A fish feels much heavier being pulled through the water than lifted through open air because of all the water dragged along with it.

Besides essentially pulling extra water, drag can also be increased by how water flows around an object. An hydrodynamic object with fluid flowing smoothly along its surface creates much less drag than a blocky object that creates a mess of chaotic, turbulent flows in its wake.

The solution to these issues is to move the water out of the way. By accelerating the water around the object to match its speed, shear forces and turbulent flows can both be avoided.

"There are many ways to reduce wake and drag, like surrounding an object with low-friction bubbles, which is actually done with some naval torpedoes," said Urzhumov. "But there's only so much you can do if you're just applying forces at the surface. This cloaking idea opens a new dimension to create forces around an underwater vessel or object, which is absolutely required to achieve full wake cancellation."

Urzhumov originally envisioned a sort of truss-like frame enveloping an object with thin structures and tiny pumps to accelerate its flow as it passed through. But as time went by, he decided a more practical approach would be to use "magnetohydrodynamic" forces.

When a charged particle travels through an electromagnetic field, the field creates a force on the particle. Because ocean water is chock full of ions like sodium, potassium and magnesium, there are a lot of charged particles to push. The idea isn't as crazy as it may sound -- Japan built a prototype passenger ship in 1991 called the Yamato 1 using these forces as a means of propulsion, but found the approach was not more efficient than traditional propellers.

In the new paper, Urzhumov and his graduate student, Dean Culver, use fluid dynamics simulations to show how a water cloak might be achieved using this approach. By controlling the velocity and direction of the water surrounding a moving object, the simulations show such a system can match the water's movement within the cloak to that of the surrounding sea.

This would make it appear that the water inside the cloak is completely stagnant in relation to the water outside of the cloak, eliminating the drag and wake. Of course, practical implementations aren't perfect, so some drag and wake would remain in any realization of the device.

While the simulations used a cloaking shell half the width of the object itself, the calculations show the shell could theoretically be as thin as you wanted it to be. Another important result was that the forces inside the shell would not have to change directions as the object sped up, they would only need more power.

"That is one of the major achievements of this paper," said Urzhumov. "If you don't have to adjust the distribution of forces, you don't need any electronic switches or other means of dynamic control. You can set the structure with a specific configuration and simply crank up the current as the object speeds up."

Urzhumov says that for an actual ship or submarine to ever use such a device, it would need a nuclear reactor to power it, given the enormous energy requirements to cloak an object of that size. That does not mean, however, that a smaller diesel vessel could not power a smaller cloaking device to shield potentially vulnerable protrusions from detection.

Urzhumov also says that his theories and calculations have many potential applications outside of the ocean. Similar designs could be used to create a distributed ion propulsion system for spacecraft or to suppress plasma instabilities in prototypes for thermonuclear fusion reactors.

"I believe these ideas are going to flourish in several of these fields," said Urzhumov. "It is a very exciting time."

###

This research was supported by the Office of Naval Research through the Naval Undersea Research Program (N00014-13-1-0743) and the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) (N00014-13-1-0631).

"Forced Underwater Laminar Flows with Active Magnetohydrodynamic Metamaterials." Dean Culver and Yaroslav Urzhumov. Physical Review E, 2017. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.96.063107
DURHAM, N.C. -- Populations of cheetahs in southern Africa have declined as farming and other human activities push deeper into the free-roaming cats' range, a new study co-led by Duke University doctoral student Varsha Vijay finds.

Fewer than 3,600 adult cheetahs remain in the region, which covers an area larger than France. A majority of the surviving cats -- 55 percent -- are found within only two habitats.

This new assessment is 11 percent lower than the International Union for Conservation of Nature's most recent population estimate in 2015, adding urgency to calls from scientists to uplist the cheetahs' conservation status from "vulnerable" to "endangered" in the IUCN's Red List.

Vijay and her colleagues published their findings Dec. 11 in the open-access journal PeerJ.

To conduct the study, they mapped and analyzed more than two million collared cheetah observations made between 2010 and 2016 across 789,700 square kilometers of open grasslands in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

"This is the area with the largest population of free-ranging cheetahs left on Earth. Knowing how many cheetahs there are and where they occur is crucial for developing suitable conservation management plans for the species," said Vijay, a doctoral student at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.

Protecting cheetahs who live on, or travel through, privately owned livestock farms or game preserves is a particularly pressing conservation issue, said Florian Weise, program coordinator at the nonprofit Claws Conservancy, who co-led the research with Vijay.

Only 18.4 percent of cheetah range is within internationally recognized protected areas, he explained. Namibia exemplifies this, with much of cheetah distribution overlapping areas of livestock and game production.

"The future of the cheetah relies heavily on working with farmers who host these big cats on their lands and bear the heaviest cost of coexistence," Weise said.

Interviews with farmers who share their land with cheetahs showed that nearly half of them consider cheetahs a problem, and about one in four actively kill or trap the cats to protect their herds. These losses can cause population declines, especially when reproductive conditions are not optimal, Vijay and Weise noted.

But there is reason for hope.

By mapping human and livestock densities across southern Africa and assessing the low-density areas to see if they possess the characteristics of the cheetah's preferred habitats, the researchers identified a swath of suitable grasslands - almost as large as the big cats' current range - where cheetahs currently don't live, but could. Targeting this land for conservation would boost the species' chance of recovery.

Most of the data for the new assessment came from long-term research by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, but Vijay and her colleagues also analyzed 20,000 independent sightings made by other researchers or the general public.

"For a highly photogenic species like the cheetah, using crowd-sourced photographs and videos taken by tourists is an innovative and cost-effective approach, especially in well-visited protected areas," Weise said.

"This collaborative, multiyear effort sounds the alarm about the state of cheetah populations in southern Africa, shining a light on the imperative need to protect these majestic predators," said Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, which provided partial support for the study through its Big Cats Initiative.

"By working together and reaching out to the public for assistance, conservationists can chart the way forward to help secure the future of the cheetah," said Dr. Stuart L. Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke's Nicholas School, and senior author of the study.

###

Additional funding for the new study came from Duke University, the National Science Foundation (grant 1106401), the Messerli Foundation and the Comanis Foundation.

Researchers from 16 institutions contributed to the research. These include Duke; the Claws Conservancy; the University of Pretoria; the National Geographic Society; the Zoological Society of London; the Cheetah Conservation Program in Gabarone, Botswana; and the University of Alberta. They also include the Endangered Wildlife Trust of Johannesburg, South Africa; Kalahari Research and Conservation; the Denver Zoological Foundation; the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; the Lewis Foundation; the Cheetah Conservation Project of Zimbabwe; the N/a'an ku se Foundation of Namibia; and the African Wildlife Conservation Fund.

CITATION: "The Distribution and Numbers of Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Southern Africa," by Florian J. Weise, Varsha Vijay, Andrew P. Jacobson, Rebecca F. Schoonover, Rosemary J. Groom, Jane Horgan, Derek Keeping, Vincent van der Merwe, Esther van der Meer, Rudie J. van Vuuren, Bettina Wachter and Stuart L. Pimm; Dec. 11, 2017, PeerJ. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4096
The European Commission's science and knowledge service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) released a new scientific yardstick, in the form of a certified reference material, to help early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

The certified reference material will serve to calibrate diagnostic tools for amyloid- 1-42, a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease found in cerebrospinal fluid.

Reliable measurements support earlier and more accurate diagnosis and may facilitate the development of new drugs for treatment.

Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, responsible for the Joint Research Centre which developed the certified reference material in close collaboration with the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine and with support of the Alzheimer's Association, said: "By putting this new instrument at the disposal of researchers and industry, we are making an important step to contain Alzheimer's disease one day, which destroys irreversibly the memory of affected people, and greatly diminishes their quality of life."

Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: "Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, remains largely underdiagnosed. While certain gene variants increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease, not all people having the gene will develop the disease. Therefore, reliable markers are necessary not only for early diagnosis but also for drug development and monitoring treatments."

A reference material to support reliable testing

It is important that research focusses on the very early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Clinical results have shown that a combination of biomarkers amyloid- 1-42, tau and phospho-tau have a promising potential to be used in early diagnosis.

The levels of these markers in the cerebrospinal fluid begin to change up to 10 years before the first symptoms of the disease occur.

Diagnostics companies have been developing methods for the measurement of these markers in clinical laboratories.

The JRC worked with a consortium of scientists, supported by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) and the Alzheimer's Association, to develop reference systems, including validated reference methods.

To complete the reference systems, reference materials are needed for quality control and for calibration of the routine methods.

This goal has now been achieved for the biomarker amyloid- 1-42 through the development of a set of certified reference materials ERM-DA480/IFCC, ERM-DA481/IFCC and ERM-DA482/IFCC, which can be obtained through the JRC catalogue.

The availability of reliable markers is crucial not only for early diagnosis but also for the development of medication and monitoring of the effect of treatment in the patients. At present some drug candidates are in the late stage clinical trials.

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Dementia is affecting large numbers of people and is a major burden for society. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia affecting 50 - 70 % of all patients. The causes of Alzheimer's are linked to abnormal clumps (amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (consisting of the protein tau) in the brain.

The cost of illness in Europe in 2008 for Alzheimers disease and other dementias was estimated to be EUR 167.5 billion. There is also a significant impact on those caring for family members with Alzheimer's or other dementias which may cause emotional stress and depression. EU support to Alzheimer's disease research and collaboration

The EU has been supporting brain research for many years through the Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, reaching some 500 million a year for basic as well as translational research. Over the past 10 years, over 3300 projects have been funded with a total of 5.3 billion from Horizon 2020, the current EU research and innovation programme, and from its predecessor.

Specifically for Alzheimer's disease, 544 million were awarded to 370 projects. This sustained investment addresses all aspects of brain research, from better understanding of brain function and dysfunction and the development of methods for diagnosis and monitoring, to prevention, treatment, care and support.

This holistic approach is needed to address the huge challenge of Alzheimer's disease for which there is no disease-modifying treatment to date.

In the area of public health, EU Member States, Norway and associated partners, such as non-governmental patient organisation Alzheimer Europe, cooperate through a joint action funded by the EU Health programme.

The second Joint Action, "Act on Dementia", is currently organising collaboration between Member States on four themes: diagnosis and post-diagnostic services, crisis and care coordination, quality of care in residential care and dementia-friendly communities.

The CRM can be obtained from the JRC catalogue of the Certified Reference Materials: https://crm.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ .

###
It's not often geology and national security wind up in the same sentence. Most people don't think about electrical power in connection to either the ground under their feet or solar flares overhead, but Dr. Adam Schultz of Oregon State University, and EarthScope Magnetotelluric Program Lead Scientist, says that connection presents a clear and present risk that power utilities need to consider.

"A big induced current in power-transmission lines that takes down high-voltage transformers would be a major disaster," Schultz said. "EarthScope is materially helping the U.S. build resilience against space weather on critical infrastructure such as power grids." The EarthScope Magnetotelluric Transportable Array, part of the USArray, is an observatory of instruments that measures Earth's naturally occurring electric and magnetic fields. Space weather is the flow of electromagnetic radiation given off by the sun, including extreme events such as coronal mass ejections that can intersect Earth's orbit, impacting electric fields on Earth.

Schultz underscores threats from possible attacks as well. "There is a similar risk from man-made geomagnetic disturbances caused by electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons that resemble natural space weather events, although with even greater intensity and more concentrated local impacts," he said.

At the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Schultz will present recent research that examines a real-world example of 3D mapping of the crust and mantle of the contiguous U.S. from EarthScope data. The project looks at ground electric fields in the northwestern U.S. arising from space weather events, and shows data for reactive power loss at two different ends of a power line--and how it deviates dramatically from power-agency models.

Only recently have federal energy regulatory bodies required electrical utility companies to incorporate electromagnetic characteristics of the ground surrounding power lines when assessing risk to the power grid from space weather events. These events can cause widespread damage, such as the 1989 geomagnetic disturbance that caused the power grid in Quebec to collapse, and a high-power transformer at a nuclear power station in New Jersey to explode.

Power companies currently use large, regional-scale 1D estimates of crust and mantle electrical conductivity for vulnerability assessments, but these can lead to erroneous results because they are not based on current state-of-the-art knowledge of 3D structure. This can lead the electric utilities to consider some high-voltage transmission line transformers to be at risk of failure from space weather events when they may not be, and conversely could lead to under-protection of at-risk transformers that the 1D vulnerability assessment indicates are not at risk.

"The consequence of getting this wrong can be significant," Schultz said. "There are very few spares available for the 2,200 high-voltage transmission line transformers that power the U.S. grid. Each transformer is custom designed, hardly any are built in the U.S., and the lead time for obtaining a replacement can be up to three years. A wide-scale, cascading failure of these transformers during a large solar storm event or EMP weapon attack can lead to massive disruption of the economy and of essential services for large sections of the U.S. population."

Schultz's method uses information on 3D ground electrical structure, largely from the EarthScope program, but also drawing on other magnetotelluric surveys, which provides crucial information that 1D methods miss. "There is a fundamentally different relationship between magnetic and electric fields than shown in 1D models," he said. "1D imposes unrealistic, non-physical conditions that can be off by 1000s of percent from reality."

Schultz found some surprising results in his northwestern U.S. project. Previously, the assumption was that the biggest surge of geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) on a transmission line due to a space weather event would happen at the peak of the geomagnetic disturbance. However, depending on the 3D conductivity structure of the crust and mantle in the region of the transmission line, the time at which the ground electric field is of greatest intensity varies along different sections of the transmission line.

Another surprise came when Schultz's 3D research showed that in addition to the intensity of the ground electrical field, the direction of the field matters as well. He found that a ground electrical field parallel to a power transmission line will generate a geomagnetically induced current in the line, while a perpendicular orientation will not. So even if a section of power line experiences a peak ground electric field at a given time, if the field isn't pointed in the right direction, it might not impact the power grid, whereas a less intense field oriented in the right direction might impact the grid. This is a far more complicated reality than used in vulnerability assessments previously employed by the power industry, with profound implications for grid reliability.

Being able to reliably locate where ground conductivity could increase or decrease hazards along power lines has power companies paying attention. Using 3D mapping for power-grid assessments could help determine the most vulnerable sections of a power grid line, and potentially help inform power-flow management in real time.

Schultz's research has applications beyond space weather: atmospheric nuclear testing or directed hostile action causes electromagnetic pulses that can damage power grids. Schultz recently gave a talk in Washington, D.C. about the methods for 3D mapping of ground electrical fields for risk assessment, and it received strong interest from a number of agencies.

"In the long run, I think this is one of the more significant results to come out of EarthScope in terms of impacts on society because of the applications for overhauling how we assess our electrical grids, and the impact that has on all other critical infrastructure that depends on access to reliable power," Schultz said.

###

AGU PRESENTATION INFORMATION

Wednesday, 08:36 - 08:50 | Location: 243-244

SH31D-03 Mitigating Space Weather Impacts on the Power Grid in Real-Time: Applying 3-D EarthScope Magnetotelluric Data to Forecasting Reactive Power Loss in Power Transformers

CONTACTS

Adam Schultz, Professor; Oregon State University; Adam.Schultz@oregonstate.edu

EarthScope National Office:

Beth Grassi, Science Writer/Public Information Officer; bagrassi@alaska.edu; EarthScope booth #1929

About EarthScope:

EarthScope is a program funded by the National Science Foundation whose goal is to decipher the structure and evolution of the North American continent. In 2011, the project topped Popular Science's "The 10 Most Ambitious Experiments in the Universe Today" list. Visit EarthScope at earthscope.org or on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/EarthScope Tag:@EarthScope \ Twitter: twitter.com/EarthScopeInfo Tag: @EarthScopeInfo \ Instagram: instagram.com/earthscopeinfo/ Tag:#earthscope.
The Spanish firm Sylentis has developed a compound to treat diseases of the retina, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, which will be administered by ophthalmic drops instead of intraocular injections. The drug, which has been tested in animals, is a small interfering RNA capable of penetrating the cells of the retina and blocking the formation of new blood vessels.

Ana Hernando

A new compound, developed by the biotechnology company Sylentis, is able to penetrate the retina to treat age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, simply with the administration of ophthalmic drops.

The drug SYL136001v10, presented by the PharmaMar group company, is still in the preclinical phase. "Its effectiveness has been proven in animal models and trials with humans will begin at the end of 2018", said Covadonga Paneda, R+D Manager at Sylentis.

Paneda is the main author of a study on SYL136001v10, which was presented at the end of September at the XIII Annual Meeting of the Oligonucleotides Therapeutics Society, held in Bordeaux (France).

Objective: to silence the expression of the NRARP protein

Paneda goes on to explain that this compound "is a small interfering RNA (siRNA) designed to silence the expression of NRARP, a protein that controls the formation of new blood vessels in the retina".

In this way, she says, "the drug exerts its action by entering the cells of the retina, where it prevents the synthesis of this protein and blocks the formation of new vessels, which is one of the fundamental characteristics of degenerative diseases of the retina".

The compounds currently used to treat these diseases are based on large antibodies that cannot penetrate from the ocular surface to the retina, so they must be administered by intravitreal injections.

Therefore, "patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy have to go to the hospital where the treatments are performed with ocular injections, which is annoying and painful, and also involves a significant financial investment for the health system", says Covadonga Paneda.

Efficacy in animal models

However, she notes, "siRNA, like SYL136001v10, are up to 10 times smaller than these treatments. Their size allows them to penetrate the retina and inhibit the formation of new blood vessels after their application in ophthalmic drops, as we have shown in animal models".

In particular, "efficacy studies have shown that the reduction of NRARP in the retina by means of siRNA leads to the regression of angiogenic retinal lesions and that the observed reductions are equivalent to those of anti-VEGF, which is the current treatment standard for these diseases with ocular injections", stresses the R&D manager.

The firm, located in Tres Cantos (Madrid), plans to take charge of the first clinical efficacy studies. Once the proof of concept in humans has been demonstrated, it will try to license the drug to a multinational.

###

Reference:

Covadonga Paneda et al. "Targeting NRARP with siRNA based compounds for the treatment of retinal neovascularization". Annual Meeting of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (September 2017)
Astronomers have used two Australian radio telescopes and several optical telescopes to study complex mechanisms that are fuelling jets of material blasting away from a black hole 55 million times more massive than the Sun.

In research published today, the international team of scientists used the telescopes to observe a nearby radio galaxy known as Centaurus A.

"As the closest radio galaxy to Earth, Centaurus A is the perfect 'cosmic laboratory' to study the physical processes responsible for moving material and energy away from the galaxy's core," said Dr Ben McKinley from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

Centaurus A is 12 million light-years away from Earth -- just down the road in astronomical terms--and is a popular target for amateur and professional astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere due to its size, elegant dust lanes, and prominent plumes of material.

"Being so close to Earth and so big actually makes studying this galaxy a real challenge because most of the telescopes capable of resolving the detail we need for this type of work have fields of view that are smaller than the area of sky Centaurus A takes up," said Dr McKinley.

"We used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and Parkes -- these radio telescopes both have large fields of view, allowing them to image a large portion of sky and see all of Centaurus A at once. The MWA also has superb sensitivity allowing the large-scale structure of Centaurus A to be imaged in great detail," he said.

The MWA is a low frequency radio telescope located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Western Australia's Mid West, operated by Curtin University on behalf of an international consortium. The Parkes Observatory is 64-metre radio telescope commonly known as "the Dish" located in New South Wales and operated by CSIRO.

Observations from several optical telescopes were also used for this work-- the Magellan Telescope in Chile, Terroux Observatory in Canberra, and High View Observatory in Auckland.

"If we can figure out what's going in Centaurus A, we can apply this knowledge to our theories and simulations for how galaxies evolve throughout the entire Universe," said co-author Professor Steven Tingay from Curtin University and ICRAR.

"As well as the plasma that's fuelling the large plumes of material the galaxy is famous for, we found evidence of a galactic wind that's never been seen--this is basically a high speed stream of particles moving away from the galaxy's core, taking energy and material with it as it impacts the surrounding environment," he said.

By comparing the radio and optical observations of the galaxy the team also found evidence that stars belonging to Centaurus A existed further out than previously thought and were possibly being affected by the winds and jets emanating from the galaxy.

###

Original Publication:

'The jet/wind outflow in Centaurus A: a local laboratory for AGN feedback', published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on December 12th, 2017. Available at http://www.icrar.org/galaxygiant

More Information:

The MWA

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a low frequency radio telescope and is the first of four Square Kilometre Array (SKA) precursors to be completed.

A consortium of partner institutions from seven countries (Australia, USA, India, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and China) financed the development, construction, commissioning, and operations of the facility. The MWA consortium is led by Curtin University.

Parkes Observatory

Parkes Observatory, just outside the central-west NSW town of Parkes, hosts the 64-metre Parkes radio telescope, one of the telescopes comprising CSIRO's Australia Telescope National Facility.

ICRAR

The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) is a joint venture between Curtin University and The University of Western Australia with support and funding from the State Government of Western Australia.

CASS

CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS) operates the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), comprising a set of world-class radio-astronomy observatories including the Parkes 64-metre radio telescope and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) in New South Wales, and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) in Western Australia.

Multimedia:

Images and video available from http://www.icrar.org/galaxygiant

Contacts:

Dr Ben McKinley (ICRAR / Curtin University / CAASTRO)

Ph: 61-424-871-986

E: Ben.Mckinley@icrar.org

Professor Steven Tingay (ICRAR / Curtin University)

Ph: 61-401-103-635

E: Steven.Tingay@icrar.org

Pete Wheeler (Media Contact, ICRAR)

Ph: 61-423-982-018

E: Pete.Wheeler@icrar.org
Researchers from Instituto de Medicina Molecular (iMM) Joao Lobo Antunes have found a mechanism through which certain types of leukaemia resist chemotherapy, thus revealing novel molecular targets that may be used to improve the efficiency of this type of treatment.

In patients with acute myeloid leukaemia, cancer cells resist the effects of chemotherapy, many times resulting in disease recurrence and ultimately death.

The team, led by Sergio Dias, had previously shown that leukemic cells activate certain molecular signals, namely a cell signalling pathway controlled by the Endothelial Vascular Growth Factor (VEGF), which allow cancer cells to survive despite chemotherapy.

The work, now published in the journal Cancer Research, revealed that a metabolic alteration at the mitochondrial level derived from VEGF's action is involved in chemotherapy resistance. By creating an experimental model of leukaemia in mice whose cancer cells were resistant to chemotherapy the team was able to caracterize these cells' metabolic profile and observed certain modifications at the level of the mitochondria. Using drugs that specifically blocked VEGF's activation, it was possible to revert these mitochondrial modifications and render these cells vulnerable to chemotherapy.

"Our study contributes to an improved understanding of how cellular metabolism plays an important role in the acquisition of resistance to certain therapeutic agents," said Sergio Dias.

These newly discovered molecular targets will allow the development of therapeutic strategies that may be explored as possible routes to eliminate leukemic cells' resistance to chemotherapy.

###

iMM Lisboa

The Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon (Portugal) is a private non-profit research institute that offers a vibrant scientific environment where world-class ingenious scientists with an ambitious research portfolio are supported by state-of-the-art technology, aiming to maximize creativity towards discoveries without boundaries. In spite of iMM's young age (created in 2002), several iMM findings, spanning from basic to translational research, are already being applied to improve human health. imm.medicina.ulisboa.pt/en/
In most cases, prostate cancer is cured by surgical removal of the tumour and/or by radiotherapy. However, 20% of patients will need treatment to remove tumour cells but this treatment ceases to be effective after two or three years and the cancer develops further. Once this stage of the disease has been reached, there is no cure. A team headed by Xavier Salvatella, ICREA researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), has discovered a new avenue through which to attack prostrate cancer cells that have developed drug-resistance. Published in the journal Structure, part of the Cell group, the study opens up new therapeutic avenues against a disease that causes 75,000 deaths a year in Europe alone (source: European Science Hub, 2015).

A clear target and new sites of attack

The survival and proliferation of prostate tumour cells calls for highly active androgen receptor protein. The drug used to remove tumour cells interferes with this protein by binding to a specific region of the receptor and blocking its activity. "Over time, the protein accumulates alterations and mutates, and there comes a point where it is futile to target this region with drugs because, in fact, it is no longer there," says Salvatella.

The Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, headed by Salvatella, studies the tridimensional structure and atomic movements of the androgen receptor, with the aim to find new binding sites. It has been known for some years that the protein has a small region, spanning only 20 amino acids, that is important for tumour cell survival. The study now describes for the first time that this region--usually without a structure and therefore a priori disregarded as a drug target--has a helix shape. Upon gaining this helix--it is not known how the helix occurs--, another protein, called TFIIF, binds to it. The study reveals that this interaction stimulates the activity of the androgen receptor and, consequently, facilitates the survival and multiplication of tumour cells.

To this 20-residue motif in the androgen receptor the IRB Barcelona teams now adds the protein TFIIF as a potential therapeutic target for prostate cancer. "The fact that TFIIF is a folded protein with a more defined structure makes it easier to search for drugs that can interfere with its interaction with the motif. For prostate tumour cells that have become resistant to treatment, we believe that this interaction could be their last mechanism through which to survive and proliferate," explains Salvatella.

"Using cells in vitro, we have seen that if we remove this region, the TFIIF protein can't bind to the androgen receptor. So if the interaction does not occur, the androgen receptor loses activity, which is what we are interested in achieving," says Elzbieta Maria Szulc, "la Caixa" PhD student at IRB Barcelona and co-first author of the study with Eva de Mol, a former "la Caixa" PhD student in the same lab who started this line of research.

In collaboration with experts in computational modelling, the scientists are searching for drugs that interfere with TFIIF. "We don't know whether such drugs will have a positive effect on cells, but the data available is promising," says Salvatella.

###

This study has involved Angel R. Nebreda's lab and the Experimental Bioinformatics Lab, both at IRB Barcelona, and also the University of Barcelona. The work was funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the Fundacion "la Caixa", the Marie Curie Programme of the European Union, and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the latter through ERDFs.

Reference article:

Eva De Mol, Elzbieta Szulc, Claudio Di Sanza, Paula Martinez-Cristobal, Carlos W. Bertoncini, R. Bryn Fenwick, Marta Frigole-Vivas, Marianela Masin, Irene Hunter, Victor Buzon, Isabelle Brun-Heath, Jesus Garcia, Gianni De Fabritiis, Eva Estebanez-Perpina, Iain J. McEwan, Angel R. Nebreda, and Xavier Salvatella Regulation of androgen receptor activity by transient interactions of its transactivation domain with general transcription regulators

Structure (2017) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2017.11.007

VIDEO MEET OUR SCIENTISTS: Xavier Salvatella "Magical Choreography" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agh1aBX277Y
Western North Pacific anomalous anticyclone (WNPAC, or referred to as Philippine Sea anomalous anticyclone) is the most important anomalous circulation pattern connecting El Nino and East Asian-western North Pacific monsoon.

WNPAC begins from the El Nino mature winter to the following summer and thus is one of the most long-lasting anomalous circulation patterns over the entire tropical climate system.

Researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Hawaii proposed a new mechanism to explain the maintenance of WNPAC. The mechanism was named as "anomalous moist enthalpy advection mechanism". The research team applied this mechanism to explain why WNPAC forms in the late fall of El Nino developing phase.

Since the 2000s, it has been widely accepted that WNPAC is maintained by local air-sea interaction via wind-evaporation-Sea Surface Temperature (SST) feedback over the tropical WNP during El Nino mature winter and the following spring.

However, some recent studies found that WNPAC can be simulated by an Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM), driven by El Nino-related warm SST anomalies in the central-eastern Pacific plus climatological SST in other ocean areas.

This indicated that WNPAC can be maintained by an atmospheric bridge from equatorial central-eastern Pacific without the help of local air-sea interactions in the WNP.

The contradiction between the leading theory and the AGCM experiments suggests that a new theory is needed to be developed for the maintenance of WNPAC.

"The 'anomalous moist enthalpy advection mechanism' proposed in our study works through pure atmospheric dynamic and thermodynamic processes and does not rely on the local air-sea interactions in the WNP," says Dr. WU Bo, lead author of the study published in Journal of Climate.

According to the study, idealized numerical experiments further suggested that the contribution of the new mechanism to WNPAC is larger than that of the local air-sea interactions.

"Furthermore, the new mechanism can reasonably explain the formation timing of WNPAC, which cannot be explained by previous theories," says Prof. ZHOU Tianjun from IAP, a co-author of the study.

###
When and how were the first stars in the universe born? The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope, one of the largest of its kind, in the desert of Western Australia was constructed to help clarify this and many other mysteries. The MWA is an international radio-astronomy project conducted by seven countries including Japan and Australia. In Japan, Kumamoto University (main), Nagoya University, Kagoshima University, University of Tokyo, Tohoku University, and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan are participating in the effort. Construction to increase sensitivity of the MWA began in 2016, and was completed in October of this year (2017). The antennas were doubled to 4,096 over a vast, five square km area which greatly improved the sensitivity of the telescope. The upgraded MWA will seek answers to mysteries of the universe that began 13.7 billion years ago.

It is believed that the universe began with the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. Our sun was born 4.6 billion years ago, making it relatively recent in the long history of the universe. It is theorized that the first stars of the universe would have been born about 100 million years after the universe began, or about 13.7 billion years in the past. Such stars are too far away to observe with most current state-of-the-art telescopes. The MWA, on the other hand, can observe the distribution of hydrogen gas 100 million to 1 billion years after the Big Bang. Stars are born by the condensation of hydrogen gas, and if you observe the distribution of hydrogen gas far enough back in time, you can explore how the first stars were born in the universe.

However, since the signal from hydrogen gas of the ancient universe is very weak, a telescope with a wide area is necessary. With twice the number of antennas over four times the area of its previous incarnation, the MWA has greatly improved its sensitivity and image quality. It is now possible to observe much more detailed structures of the universe and the search for the first stars is underway. Furthermore, cooperative observation with the Japanese Subaru telescope in Hawaii is also planned. That collaboration will further explore the mysteries from 100 million to 1 billion years after the universe began.

###

Images of the MWA expansion and resulting images may be found in the following public DropBox folder. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w43wl3nqop86576/AACSPp08Vl_SGBPqkiVKt7Nva?dl=0
ATLANTA - An observational study by researchers at Mayo Clinic has found that increasing physical activity not only decreased the risk of death from all causes but also decreased the risk of death specifically from lymphoma. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, the part of the body's germ-fighting network which includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect those areas as well as other organs throughout the body. Study results were presented today at the 59th American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta by Priyanka Pophali, M.B.B.S., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic.

"As physicians, we recommend physical activity for all cancer survivors to improve overall quality of life," says Dr. Pophali. "But we did not know if physical activity would have an impact on survival in lymphoma patients."

Dr. Pophali and her colleagues wanted to assess how physical activity affected survival in all subtypes of lymphoma patients both before and after diagnosis. Specifically, they wanted to know if changing the level of a lymphoma patient's physical activity after diagnosis could affect survival."

In order to answer these questions, researchers studied a cohort of 4087 lymphoma patients enrolled prospectively (within 9 months of diagnosis) at Mayo Clinic between 2002 and 2012. At enrollment, participants completed questionnaires that asked about their usual physical activity before their lymphoma diagnosis. Researchers regularly contacted patients to collect information on exposures and outcomes and contacted them for a three-year follow-up. Researchers used this information to calculate a Godin Leisure Score Index, a physical activity score which is a validated tool for measuring physical activity in oncology patients. Patients were also asked about their perception of any change in their level of physical activity (increase, decrease or no change) at three years after their diagnosis compared to baseline. Researchers then evaluated the association of physical activity with overall and lymphoma-specific survival.

Researchers found that patients who had a higher level of usual adult physical activity prior to a lymphoma diagnosis had significantly better overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who were less physically active. They also found that patients who increased their level of physical activity after their lymphoma diagnosis (at three-year follow-up) had significantly better overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who were less physically active.

Researchers found that patients who perceived that their level of physical activity had decreased at three years after a lymphoma diagnosis had worse overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who did not report a change.

"Our findings show that physical activity can have a positive impact on survival in lymphoma patients," says Dr. Pophali. "Importantly, our study shows a survival benefit in patients who increase their level of physical activity. Therefore, since physical activity behaviors can be modified, physicians should counsel patients and survivors on the importance of physical activity and encourage them to maintain and, if possible, increase their level of physical activity."

###

Co-authors include:

James Cerhan, M.D., Ph.D

Carrie Thompson, M.D.

Melissa Larson, M.S.

About Mayo Clinic Cancer Center

As a leading institution funded by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center conducts basic, clinical and population science research, translating discoveries into improved methods for prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. For information on cancer clinical trials, call the Clinical Trial Referral Office at 1-855-776-0015 (toll-free).

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert, comprehensive care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic or newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.
The Chachapoyas region was conquered by the Inca Empire in the late 15th century. Knowledge of the fate of the local population has been based largely on Inca oral histories, written down only decades later after the Spanish conquest. The Inca accounts claim that the native population was forcibly resettled out of Chachapoyas and dispersed across the Inca Empire. However, a new study in Scientific Reports, by an international team including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, uses genetic evidence to reveal that despite Inca conquest, the population of Chachapoyas has remained genetically distinct, and not assimilated with that of the Inca heartland.

Despite their spectacular achievements, from the first cities of the Americas to the Inca Empire, the indigenous peoples of the Andes left no written histories. One legacy that can now be read, however, is the genetic diversity of their descendants today, especially when taken together with the rich archaeology of the Andes and the prehistory of its native languages. This is the approach taken in a new study in Scientific Reports to test the demographic legacy of the Incas.

The study emerges out of a collaboration between research institutes in Peru and in Germany, including the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. The focus is on a key region in the cloud-forest transition between the Andes and Amazonia in northern Peru. Here the Incas encountered fierce resistance from the "Warriors of the Clouds," the Chachapoyas culture, noted particularly for its distinctive body-shaped sarcophagi and the monumental fortress of Kuelap, the "Machu Picchu of the north." Particularly to punish and to secure control over such rebellious lands, the Incas are thought to have resettled millions of people across the "Four Quarters" of their empire, Tawantinsuyu. Chachapoyas was reportedly singled out for such treatment, making it an ideal case for using genetics to test the accuracy of Inca oral histories, which were not written down until almost a century later, by the Spanish conquistadors.

"By targeting various linguistic indicators, we were able to pinpoint a genetic signal in Chachapoyas that turned out to be far more diverse than we expected, especially in the male line, from father to son," explains Chiara Barbieri, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, and lead author of the study. "First of all, there's still a strong surviving Native American component, despite all the admixture with European genes ever since the Spanish conquest. What's more, here the native component is quite different from the main genetic network in the highlands of central and southern Peru. This is where the Inca Empire and its predecessors originated, and their conquests, road networks and empire-building ended up homogenizing the genetic make-up here." The current study reveals how the people of Chachapoyas, by contrast, remained relatively isolated. "So it seems that some genetic legacy of the Chachapoyas did indeed resist Inca impacts, all the way through to today," explains Barbieri.

Two Peruvian geneticists, Jose Sandoval and Ricardo Fujita of the Universidad San Martin de Porres in Lima, Peru, also took part in the study. "These latest samples are part of a wider genetic coverage of Peru that we've been building up for years. It's these groups like the Chachapoya, culturally and linguistically highly distinctive, who have the most to tell us about our ancestors: where they came from, where they migrated to, what interactions they had with each other, and so on. Also, the Chachapoyas culture left such extensive archaeological remains that there are good prospects for recovering ancient DNA, to complement the modern picture."

Paul Heggarty, a linguist and senior author of the study, also of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, was first motivated to launch this project after unexpected results from a linguistic fieldwork trip to Chachapoyas. He was able to find a few remaining elderly speakers of an indigenous language that most assumed was already extinct in this region. "Quechua is one of our most direct living links to the people of the New World before Columbus. It still has millions of speakers, more than any other language family of the Americas - but not in Chachapoyas anymore. There are only a dozen or so fluent speakers now, in a few remote villages, so we need to act fast if we're to work out its real origins here."

The Chachapoyas form of Quechua has usually been classified as most closely related to the Quechua spoken in Ecuador, but the new DNA results show no close connections between the Quechua-speakers in these two areas. "Linguists need to rethink their traditional view of the family tree of Quechua languages, and the history of how they spread through the Andes," notes Heggarty. "It seems that Quechua reached Chachapoyas without any big movement of people. This also doesn't fit with the idea that the Incas forced out the Chachapoyas population wholesale."

Jairo Valqui, another linguist co-author from the National University of San Marcos in Lima, adds a further perspective on an even earlier language layer. "Once Quechua and Spanish arrived, the local Chachapoyas languages died out. Recovering anything from them is a real puzzle and a challenge for linguists. They left very few traces, but there are some characteristic combinations of sounds, for example, that still survive in people's surnames and in local placenames, like Kuelap itself."

Valqui, himself a Chachapoyano, also makes a point of taking these genetic results back to the local population. "For Peruvian society today, this matters. There's long been an appreciation of the Incas, but often at the cost of sidelining everything else in the archaeological record across Peru, and the diversity in our linguistic and genetic heritage too. As these latest findings remind us: Peru is not just Machu Picchu, and its indigenous people were not just the Incas."

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The Thomas fire, the fifth largest in California's history, continues to creep towards Montecito and Santa Barbara, and is currently 234,200 acres in size. That is about 4,200 acres larger than yesterday. Reports today are citing the fire at 20 percent containment per Inciweb.

Because the region was relatively cloud free last night, NOAA/NASA's Suomi NPP satellite's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) observed smoke over Santa Barbara using its Day Night Band. Using local weather information and combinations of the data from Suomi NPP's various instruments indicates that the weather phenomenon was smoke, and overcast at 4,800 ft. The scattering of light in Santa Barbara is due to a combination of smoke and clouds.

Suomi NPP is also able to give detailed information that even shows temperature differences within the various land areas. In this image, in the area the fire had burned, the 11-3.9um channel showed significantly different temperatures than the surrounding foothills. According to William Straka III, a researcher from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this is a possible indicator of the burn scar left over from the fire.

Severe fire weather continues to promote significant fire growth further into Santa Barbara County, threatening the communities of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Montecito and Summerland. Gusty offshore winds will continue to threaten structures in parts of Ventura, Ojai, Santa Paula, Casitas Springs, Fillmore, unincorporated areas of Ventura County, Murrieta Canyon and Matilija Canyon, according to Inciweb.

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While a strong infrastructure is important for healthcare, measures of health facility infrastructure are poorly correlated with health system quality, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Hannah Leslie from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA, and colleagues.

Improved quality of care is increasingly recognized as a necessary step toward better health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Current measurements of quality of care often center on structural inputs to care, including amenities and equipment. In the new study, researchers used health surveys conducted in eight countries between 2007 and 2015: Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. From the data, which included 35,531 observations of care in 4,354 facilities, they constructed indices of structural inputs and clinical quality related to family planning, antenatal care, sick-child care, and labor and delivery.

Overall, facilities had moderate levels of infrastructure ratings and low adherence to evidence-based guidelines. However, correlation between infrastructure and evidence-based care was low. Facilities with similar infrastructure ratings delivered widely varying quality of care. There was no minimum level of infrastructure that was reliably associated with higher quality of care in any area.

"As the quality of care assumes a more prominent role in national and global efforts to improve population health outcomes, accurate measurement is vital," the authors say. "Health care providers and physical inputs, such as building, medicines, and equipment are an essential foundation for delivering healthcare. However, we found that these structural measures provide little insight on the quality of services delivered to patients."

In an accompanying Perspective, Lars Persson of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK, discusses the need for new measurements of quality of care in order to reach current goals in maternal, newborn, and child health. "So far the existing tools and information systems are not adequate for measuring quality of care," he writes. "Accurate measurements are needed that reflect the context, the processes of giving and receiving care, and the effects on the health status of patients and populations."

###

Research Article

Funding:

Competing Interests:

This work was partially supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant OPP1161450 (MEK) and the McLennan Family Fund at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (MEK). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: MEK is a member of the Editorial Board of PLOS Medicine.

Citation:

Leslie HH, Sun Z, Kruk ME (2017) Association between infrastructure and observed quality of care in 4 healthcare services: A cross-sectional study of 4,300 facilities in 8 countries. PLoS Med 14(12): e1002464. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002464

Author Affiliations:

Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002464

Perspective Article

Funding:

The author received no specific funding for this work.

Competing Interests:

LAP is a member of the Editorial Board of PLOS Medicine.

Citation:

Persson LA (2017) Bridging the quality chasm in maternal, newborn, and child healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. PLoS Med 14(12): e1002465. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002465

Author Affiliations:

Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom

IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002465
Agriculture and domestic activities consume much of the Colorado River water that once flowed to the Colorado Delta and Northern Gulf of California. The nature and extent of impact of this fresh-water loss on the ecology and fisheries of the Colorado Delta and Gulf of California is controversial. A recent publication in the journal PeerJ reveals a previously unseen risk to the unique local biodiversity of the tidal portion of the Delta.

Unique ecological species evolved in the historically fresher Colorado Delta and adapted to this environment. These fish are distinct from closely related species in the historically saltier estuaries found in other regions of the Gulf. However, the Colorado Delta is now more similar in salinity to many of the other estuary systems in the Gulf of California, suggesting that the ecological factors that separated species may have broken down.

Workers from UCLA examined species of silverside fish in a genus that only occurs in the Gulf of California. One species, Colpichthys hubbsi, lives exclusively in the Delta and is listed as endangered due to its restricted range. Morphologic and genetic anayses demonstrate that this species hybridizes along the western edge of the Delta with Colpichthys regis, a widespread relative distributed in estuaries throughout the Gulf. Although hybrids could be recognized morphologically, there was no evidence of hybridization in earlier museum collections.

Furthermore, the genes from the widespread species were found to penetrate the range of the Delta specific species, but there were no genes from the Delta species found elsewhere in the Gulf. Thus, there was clear evidence of gene movement in one direction between the two species. This potentially places the Delta species at risk of extinction as its genome is swamped or replaced by the genes of the other species.

In this particular case, more work is needed to clarify the detailed causes of species separation and the nature of ongoing impacts to the genome of the Delta species. However, there are broader issues at stake than a single species. Other groups of fishes and crabs also appear to have evolved as ecological species restricted to the Colorado Delta. These may also be at risk. More broadly, water extraction continues to accelerate in large river systems around the world. Thus, loss of ecological species in deltas and estuaries around the world is also likely accelerating.

Museums and institutions in Mexico, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Scripps Institution of Oceanography CIAD in Guaymas facilitated this work by sharing their collections and supporting field work.

###

Image:

Image caption: Jars of preserved fish specimens from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography used in this study. Photo Credit: Clive Lau. Usage restrictions: None.

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In a major step toward making a quantum computer using everyday materials, a team led by researchers at Princeton University has constructed a key piece of silicon hardware capable of controlling quantum behavior between two electrons with extremely high precision. The study was published Dec. 7 in the journal Science.

The team constructed a gate that controls interactions between the electrons in a way that allows them to act as the quantum bits of information, or qubits, necessary for quantum computing. The demonstration of this nearly error-free, two-qubit gate is an important early step in building a more complex quantum computing device from silicon, the same material used in conventional computers and smartphones.

"We knew we needed to get this experiment to work if silicon-based technology was going to have a future in terms of scaling up and building a quantum computer," said Jason Petta, a professor of physics at Princeton University. "The creation of this high-fidelity two-qubit gate opens the door to larger scale experiments."

Silicon-based devices are likely to be less expensive and easier to manufacture than other technologies for achieving a quantum computer. Although other research groups and companies have announced quantum devices containing 50 or more qubits, those systems require exotic materials such as superconductors or charged atoms held in place by lasers.

Quantum computers can solve problems that are inaccessible with conventional computers. The devices may be able to factor extremely large numbers or find the optimal solutions for complex problems. They could also help researchers understand the physical properties of extremely small particles such as atoms and molecules, leading to advances in areas such as materials science and drug discovery.

Building a quantum computer requires researchers to create qubits and couple them to each other with high fidelity. Silicon-based quantum devices use a quantum property of electrons called "spin" to encode information. The spin can point either up or down in a manner analogous to the north and south poles of a magnet. In contrast, conventional computers work by manipulating the electron's negative charge.

Achieving a high-performance, spin-based quantum device has been hampered by the fragility of spin states -- they readily flip from up to down or vice versa unless they can be isolated in a very pure environment. By building the silicon quantum devices in Princeton's Quantum Device Nanofabrication Laboratory, the researchers were able to keep the spins coherent -- that is, in their quantum states -- for relatively long periods of time.

To construct the two-qubit gate, the researchers layered tiny aluminum wires onto a highly ordered silicon crystal. The wires deliver voltages that trap two single electrons, separated by an energy barrier, in a well-like structure called a double quantum dot.

By temporarily lowering the energy barrier, the researchers allow the electrons to share quantum information, creating a special quantum state called entanglement. These trapped and entangled electrons are now ready for use as qubits, which are like conventional computer bits but with superpowers: while a conventional bit can represent a zero or a 1, each qubit can be simultaneously a zero and a 1, greatly expanding the number of possible permutations that can be compared instantaneously.

"The challenge is that it's very difficult to build artificial structures small enough to trap and control single electrons without destroying their long storage times," said David Zajac, a graduate student in physics at Princeton and first-author on the study. "This is the first demonstration of entanglement between two electron spins in silicon, a material known for providing one of the cleanest environments for electron spin states."

The researchers demonstrated that they can use the first qubit to control the second qubit, signifying that the structure functioned as a controlled NOT (CNOT) gate, which is the quantum version of a commonly used computer circuit component. The researchers control the behavior of the first qubit by applying a magnetic field. The gate produces a result based on the state of the first qubit: If the first spin is pointed up, then the second qubit's spin will flip, but if the first spin is down, the second one will not flip.

"The gate is basically saying it is only going to do something to one particle if the other particle is in a certain configuration," Petta said. "What happens to one particle depends on the other particle."

The researchers showed that they can maintain the electron spins in their quantum states with a fidelity exceeding 99 percent and that the gate works reliably to flip the spin of the second qubit about 75 percent of the time. The technology has the potential to scale to more qubits with even lower error rates, according to the researchers.

"This work stands out in a worldwide race to demonstrate the CNOT gate, a fundamental building block for quantum computation, in silicon-based qubits," said HongWen Jiang, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California-Los Angeles. "The error rate for the two-qubit operation is unambiguously benchmarked. It is particularly impressive that this extraordinarily difficult experiment, which requires a sophisticated device fabrication and an exquisite control of quantum states, is done in a university lab consisting of only a few researchers."

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Additional researchers at Princeton are graduate student Felix Borjans and associate research scholar Anthony Sigillito. The team included input on the theory aspects of the work by Jacob Taylor, a professor at the Joint Quantum Institute and Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland, and Maximilian Russ and Guido Burkard at the University of Konstanz in Germany.

Research was sponsored by U.S. Army Research Office grant W911NF-15-1-0149, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's EPiQS Initiative through grant GBMF4535, and National Science Foundation grant DMR-1409556. Devices were fabricated in the Princeton University Quantum Device Nanofabrication Laboratory.
PRINCETON, N.J.--Distracted drivers, like those who text behind the wheel, are a danger to themselves and to others. Even a brief, momentary glance away from the road can result in life-threatening consequences.

Research published Dec. 11 in The BMJ points toward another potential distraction for motorists: the full moon, gracing the sky with its brightness around 12 times a year, and the dazzling supermoon, which comes into focus around once a year.

The researchers found that on nights illuminated by a full moon, fatal motorcycle accidents increased by 5 percent compared to nights without a full moon. On evenings when the supermoon decorated the sky, this increased to 32 percent. The study included data from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

While this observational data cannot prove any firm conclusions, the researchers warn drivers of the risks of seemingly minor distractions, urging constant attention while driving at all times.

"Drivers face a number of distractions behind the wheel -- from texting, to phone calls to road obstructions and more," said study co-author Eldar Shafir, the Class of 1987 Professor in Behavioral Science and Public Policy and professor of psychology and public affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. "Our study adds to the literature that small distractions can sometimes lead to life-altering consequences."

"Glancing at the full moon takes the motorcyclist's gaze off the road, which could result in a loss of control," said the study's lead author Redelmeier, professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. "The average ride on a motorcycle is more dangerous than a drunk driver with no seatbelt traveling the same distance. Because of this, we recommend riders and drivers orient their attention, ignore distractions, and continuously monitor their dynamic surroundings."

Redelmeier and Shafir hypothesized that people's attention may be naturally drawn to a full moon, thereby potentially contributing to fatal motorcycle crashes. To test this, they analyzed data from the official United States registry of motor vehicle crashes from 1975 to 2014, during which time 494 full moons and 65 supermoons appeared. They calculated the number of fatal crashes on full moon nights compared to nights with a quarter moon (one week before and after the full moon).

The researchers defined a full moon as the one night each month when the entire facing surface of the moon was illuminated. They also included the rare occasions in which two full moons appeared in the same month. They studied a 16-hour time frame, which they labeled as nighttime motorcycle activity, which fell between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. The overall study duration spanned 40 consecutive years.

They found 4,994 fatal crashes occurred on the nights with a full moon, which is equal to 9.10 crashes per night. In contrast, a total of 8.64 fatal crashes per night occurred on nights without a full moon. Fatalities increased further under a supermoon, amounting to a total of 703 fatal crashes, or 10.82 fatal crashes per night. This means that for every two full moon nights, there was one additional fatal crash. Under the supermoon, this increased to two additional deaths.

Overall, there was a total increase of 226 additional fatal crashes on nights with a full moon during the entire study period.

"While these figures might seem low on the surface, they are quite significant," Redelmeier said. "All of these deaths could have been prevented completely by small difference in behavior."

The typical motorcyclist was a middle-aged man riding a street bike with a large engine in a rural location, who experienced a head-on front impact. Less than half were wearing a helmet. Seventy-three percent of the crashes occurred during the hours before midnight, and 27 percent occurred during the hours after midnight.

The researchers repeated their analyses in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia and found similar results.

The researchers highlight the limitations of the study. For example, other distractions and traffic hazards were not taken into account, and neither were factors including the prevailing weather or moon visibility. And while they used large datasets, like any routinely collected data, errors could have been made when the data was entered.

Nevertheless, the study's findings highlight the importance of safe, careful and attentive driving, under all conditions.

"We encourage motorcycle riders to wear a helmet, activate headlights, scan the road surface and be wary of other vehicles," Redelmeier said. "The best approach to safe driving is reducing as many distractions as possible and keeping alert behind the wheel."

"That's good advice for all the rest of us who don't ride motorcycles, too," Shafir said.

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The paper, "The full moon and motorcycle related mortality: population based double control study," first appeared online Dec. 11 in The BMJ. The project was supported by the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.
A team of scientists from Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center (Siberian Department of Russian Academy of Sciences) and Siberian Federal University synthesized thin crystal ferromagnetic films and developed a technology for their shaping. Processed films can be used in electronic and spintronic chips. The results of the study were published in Thin Solid Films journal.

The team created films that are hundreds to dozens nanometers thick. The developed films are formed of iron silicides synthesized on a silicon substrate. Iron silicides are compounds of iron and silicon that usually have ferromagnetic properties when subject to certain temperatures. There are also non-magnetic iron silicides with unique optic characteristics that may be put to practical use.

Films like this are used as active parts in optic and photonic devices, as well as in integral electronic and spintronic chips. Thin ferromagnetic films open a lot of prospects for spintronics (an area of science that provides for the creation of information storage and processing devices). Devices like this consume less electrical energy and have higher operating speed compared to traditional electronic ones.

However, to develop such devices scientists need films to be specifically shaped. It means that a template has to be applied to synthesized films, and they have to be cut according to it. To do so, scientists use etching. It can be either wet (chemical) or dry (plasma, reactive-ion, or just ion). In the course of wet etching a film is placed in liquid - an etching agent that dissolves the rest of it. Before that scientists cover the films with "masks" using photolitography to set out required configuration. Such a mask protects the desired part of the film from solving. In dry etching the same result is achieved using a gas that destroys the material physically or chemically.

"We've broadened the application of this approach, extended it to new iron-silicon alloys, and showed that it works. We've also determined the speed of etching and developed a micro-device. The same methods may be used for the production of different structures in electronics, photonics, and other applications," said Anton Tarasov, a co-author of the article, candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, a scientific associate of Kirensky Institute of Physics (FRC KSC of SD RAS), and senior tutor at Siberian Federal University.

Scientists point out that a big advantage of the new films is not only their electronic and magnetic properties, but compatibility with the most popular technological semiconductors. It means, these films may be grown on bases made of silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide. This will help the team obtain high-quality thin films with specific shapes and geometry in a simpler and more affordable way. Moreover, the obtained results increase the selection of materials that scientists may use to develop different devices.

"Using this technology, one can create spintronic or photonic devices, because iron silicides have properties applicable in these areas of science. Right now we are growing new films and studying the effects that depend on their topology," concluded the scientist.

The team worked in collaboration with scientists from Siberian State Aerospace University and Lomonosov Moscow State University. The research was supported with grants from Russian Foundation for Basic Research and Krasnoyarsk Regional Science Foundation, as well as with the grant of the President of the Russian Federation for the support of leading scientific establishments.

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Jordan Scott Orange, M.D., Ph.D., of Baylor College of Medicine is the recipient of the 2018 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Medicine from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).

Dr. Orange is a trailblazing innovator in modern medicine. He has defined a new class of diseases, natural killer cell deficiencies. These diseases take place when the body's built-in defenses against infections, pathogens and cancer are defective and prevent the body from being able to adequately fight back. His work has uncovered immune deficiencies and identified secrets of these disorders to improve diagnosis and treatment for patients, particularly children.

"Learning more about how natural killer cells work could have an important role in the therapy of some of the most vexing medical conditions that we face," says Mark W. Kline M.D., Chair of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief at Texas Children's Hospital. "The potential of his work is just now beginning to manifest."

Dr. Orange is professor of pediatrics and chief of the section of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine, and physician-in-chief at Texas Children's Hospital. In June 2018, Dr. Orange will become chair of pediatrics in the College of Physicians & Surgeons and pediatrician-in-chief of New York-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. Learn more about Dr. Orange and his discoveries.

"The TAMEST Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards showcase the best and brightest among Texas researchers," says TAMEST President Gordon England. "Their work is helping to advance science and open new pathways to discovery. We're proud to recognize Dr. Jordan Orange for his achievements."

Interview opportunities with Dr. Orange are available. Please contact:

Dana Benson

Director of Communications, Baylor College of Medicine

713-798-8267

benson@bcm.edu

Research Highlights

Dr. Orange is a pioneer in discovering novel diseases and translating their underlying biological mechanisms back to broader clinical medicine. He has assembled a unique skill set combining clinical immunology subspecialization with expertise basic immunology, cell biology and genetics. Dr. Orange has solved many clinical mysteries: identifying new immune diseases and their underlying biological mechanisms including COPA syndrome, PGM3-SCID, MTHFD1-SCID amongst others. He is also credited with defining the field of natural killer (NK) cell deficiency and has solved most of these genetically and/or mechanistically, including biallelic IRF8 deficiency and GATA2 deficiency. His expertise in natural killer cell biology has allowed him to discover these diseases and learn from them to translate therapeutic strategies back to his patients as well as to those with more common diseases such as cancer.

2018 TAMEST Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards Recipients:

Medicine: Jordan Scott Orange, M.D., Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine



Engineering: Delia Milliron, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin



Science: Xiaoqin Elaine Li, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin

Over $1 million has been awarded to 50 recipients in the categories of medicine, engineering, science and technology innovation since the inception of the O'Donnell awards in 2006. The awards are named in honor of Edith and Peter O'Donnell, who are among Texas' staunchest advocates for excellence in scientific advancement and STEM education. Read more about the 2018 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards recipients.

The recipients will be honored during the O'Donnell Awards dinner and reception on Thursday, January 11, 2018, at the TAMEST 2018 Annual Conference: Aerospace. The conference takes place January 10-12, 2018, at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center in League City, Texas, just outside of Houston. Media are encouraged to attend.

###

About TAMEST

TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas) is the state's premier scientific organization, bringing together Texas' best and brightest scientists and researchers. TAMEST membership includes all Texas-based members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the state's Nobel Laureates.
Bottom Line: Computer algorithms detected the spread of cancer to lymph nodes in women with breast cancer as well as or better than pathologists.

Why The Research Is Interesting: Digital imaging of tissue sample slides for pathology has become possible in recent years because of advances in slide scanning technology. Artificial intelligence, where computers learn to do tasks that normally require human intelligence, has potential for making diagnoses. Using computer algorithms to analyze digital pathology slide images could potentially improve the accuracy and efficiency of pathologists.

Who, What and When: Researchers competed in an international challenge in 2016 to produce computer algorithms to detect the spread of breast cancer by analyzing tissue slides of sentinel lymph nodes, the lymph node closest to a tumor and the first place it would spread. The performance of the algorithms was compared against the performance of a panel of 11 pathologists participating in a simulation exercise.

Authors: Babak Ehteshami Bejnordi, M.S., Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands and coauthors

Results:

Some computer algorithms were better at detecting cancer spread than pathologists in an exercise that mimicked routine pathology workflow.

Some algorithms were as good as an expert pathologist interpreting images without any time constraints.

Study Limitations: The test data on which algorithms and pathologists were evaluated are not comparable to the mix of cases pathologists encounter in clinical practice.

Study Conclusions: Computer algorithms detected the spread of cancer to lymph nodes in women with breast cancer as well as or better than pathologists. Evaluation in a clinical setting is required to determine the benefit of using artificial intelligence in pathology to detect cancer requires.

###

Related material: The following material is available on the For The Media website:

The editorial, "Deep Learning Algorithms for Detection of Lymph Node Metastases From Breast Cancer," by Jeffrey Alan Golden, M.D., Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston

The study, "Development and Validation of a Deep Learning System for Diabetic Retinopathy and Related Eye Diseases Using Retinal Images From Multiethnic Populations With Diabetes," by Tien Yin Wong, M.D., Ph.D., Singapore National Eye Center, Singapore, and coauthors

For more details and to read the full study, please visit the For The Media website.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2017.14585)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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Scientists hope to have paved the way for the development of potentially new life-saving treatments to be administered to seriously injured patients in the critical first hour of injury.

By testing the blood samples of 91 patients taken at the scene of major accidents, scientists were able for the first time to establish how quickly the lining of blood vessels are damaged, which can lead to a rapid deterioration and even organ failure.

The research, published today in Shock, is part of the ongoing 'Golden Hour' study led by scientists from the University of Birmingham's Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, the NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre (SRMRC) and the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

A major 10 million study, Golden Hour aims at improving outcomes for patients by developing the understanding of what happens to the immune system within the first 60 minutes from the moment of traumatic injury - a crucial time in which prompt medical treatment is key to survival.

Major David Naumann, a research fellow at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine and the University of Birmingham, said: "When someone is very seriously injured, for example in a car crash, the body sometimes behaves as if there is a massive infection that it needs to fight, even when none is present.

"When this happens, the immune system can cause the patient to deteriorate rapidly and could even cause their organs to fail."

Dr Jon Hazeldine, of the University of Birmingham, continues: "One of the things that may be to blame for this process is endotheliopathy which occurs when the lining of blood vessels is damaged.

"Prior to our study, it was not known when this process happens after injury, or whether having endotheliopathy within an hour of injury might lead to organ failure later on in hospital."

Professor Janet Lord, of the University of Birmingham, says: "We found that the damage to the lining of the blood vessels happens within minutes of injury, even before an ambulance has arrived, which has never been shown before.

"We also found that if the lining of the blood vessels improves in the following few hours that patients have lower rates of organ failure."

Professor Tony Belli, also of the University of Birmingham, adds: "Our research has identified a potential target for treatment, to heal the damaged blood vessels, which could be administered by ambulance and helicopter crews on arrival at the scene of injury and improve outcomes for injured patients.

"As part of our ongoing Golden Hour study we have several ongoing studies examining the causes of endotheliopathy and which treatments may best be used to treat it."

Key to the research was an around-the-clock blood sampling and analysis operation working in collaboration with West Midlands Ambulance Service and Midlands Air Ambulance, which has seen paramedics being specially trained to take blood samples from patients at the scene of major traumas.

The observational study used the blood samples taken from 91 seriously injured patients at the scene of a major trauma. Of the 91 patients, who had an average age of 38, 78 were male and 13 were female. Nineteen non-injured individuals were also used as a healthy control. Biomarkers were used to detect endiotheliopathy within the blood. Endiotheliopathy was found to occur five to eight minutes after injury.

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For further information or interviews contact Emma McKinney, Press Office, University of Birmingham, at +44 (0)121 414 6681 or contact the Press Office out of hours on +44 (0)7789 921165.

NOTES TO EDITORS

* The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world's top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.

* Naumann et al (2017). 'Endotheliopathy of Trauma is an On-Scene Phenomenon, and is Associated with Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome: A Prospective Observational Study'. Shock. DOI: 10.1097/SHK.0000000000000999.

* Authors were: Major David Naumann, Dr Jon Hazeldine, Dr David Davies, Dr Jon Bishop, Professor Mark Midwinter (University of Queensland, Australia), Professor Tony Belli, Dr Paul Harrison, and Professor Janet Lord.

* The team would like to acknowledge nursing and administrative staff at the NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre, and all paramedic and pre-hospital emergency medical staff for their help in identifying and recruiting patients into the study.

* The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research and The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine.

* The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR): improving the health and wealth of the nation through research. Established by the Department of Health, the NIHR funds high quality research to improve health; trains and supports health researchers; provides world-class research facilities; works with the life sciences industry and charities to benefit all and involves patients and the public at every step. For further information, visit the NIHR website http://www.nihr.ac.uk
Continence problems are among the most common paediatric health problems. It's commonly believed that continence problems resolve with age in all children. However, severe incontinence in childhood can persist into adolescence. New research has found teenagers with incontinence are at greater risk of underachieving academically, and need more support to remove barriers so they can reach their academic potential.

The prevalence of urinary incontinence in teens is around three to four per cent and around one per cent suffer from bowel incontinence.

The research by academics at the University of Bristol, and published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, explored the impact of the secondary school environment on young people with incontinence and is the only detailed qualitative study carried out in this area in the UK.

The researchers interviewed 20 young people aged 11 to 19 years [11 female and nine males] with continence problems including daytime wetting, bedwetting and soiling. Participants were recruited through five secondary care paediatric continence clinics (four in England and one in Scotland), and three through ERIC, The Children's Bowel and Bladder Charity and the only children's charity dedicated to bowel and bladder health. Seventeen of the participants were in full-time education, two attended sixth form college, and one had recently begun university.

Five themes relating to school experiences were produced from the data: boundaries of disclosure - friends and teachers; social consequences of avoidance; strict and oblivious gatekeepers; intimate actions in public spaces and interrupted learning.

The study found it was rare for young people to speak about continence problems at school to both friends and teachers, due to fears of being stigmatised, bullied or teased.

Not being able to tell teachers and other school staff, such as pastoral care staff, creates challenges in how best to support these young people. The study found there is a need to increase teachers' awareness of the frequency of continence problems in young people, and to provide guidance on how best to provide support at school.

The Medical Research Council-supported research recommends young people with continence problems need unrestricted access to toilets during the school day and adequate toilet facilities. There is also a need for schools to revise policies relating to toilet access and improve toilet facilities.

A worrying finding from the study is the impact of continence problems on learning and academic performance and the disadvantages faced by young people with continence problems. Participants said that their lessons were disrupted due to frequent toilet visits and those with severe daytime continence problems reported leaving the classroom three or four times during a lesson to use the toilet.

Participants in the study said they often fell behind during lessons, or missed out on time during exams due to needing to use the toilet. When toilet access was not allowed their concentration was affected either by the need to go to the toilet, or by feeling anxious about a possible accident. This is a particularly troubling finding as academic performance in secondary school has a direct impact on further education opportunities, and future employment.

Dr Katie Whale, Research Fellow in Qualitative Health Research in the Bristol Medical School, said: "Addressing the challenges faced by young people with continence problems at school could help remove the barriers so they can manage their symptoms successfully.

"It is particularly worrying that young people with incontinence are at greater risk of underachieving at secondary school. Increased support at school is essential to help young people with continence problems to achieve their academic potential."

Dr Carol Joinson, Reader in Developmental Psychology in the Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences and co-author on the paper, added: "Whilst the stigma of incontinence has been recognised in the past, the extent and level of stigma described by the participants in our study is powerful and surprising.

"Work needs to be done to improve the school experience of young people with continence problems and we are developing a prototype smartphone app to support young people to manage daytime urinary incontinence."

Early next year, Drs Joinson and Whale will start work with ERIC and teachers from secondary schools to produce online information resources for secondary school teachers and other educational services professionals. These resources will raise national awareness of continence problems in young people, increase teachers' understanding of their support needs, and provide an improved quality of life for those young people.

Juliette Randall, ERIC Chief Executive, said: "We hear time and again from parents calling our confidential helpline about the traumatic experiences their children and teenagers face at school. The powerful stories described in this research give us a strong basis for engaging with schools.

"We are delighted to be collaborating with Drs Joinson and Whale on this new project which will involve working with schools to co-create materials, raising awareness of the impact of continence issues as well as providing strategies to improve the school experience for young people."

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Paper: 'Left behind and left out: The impact of the school environment on young people with continence problems' by Whale, K, Cramer, H, and Joinson, C in British Journal of Health Psychology
Computer scientists have built and successfully tested a tool designed to detect when websites are hacked by monitoring the activity of email accounts associated with them. The researchers were surprised to find that almost 1 percent of the websites they tested had suffered a data breach during their 18-month study period, regardless of how big the companies' reach and audience are.

"No one is above this--companies or nation states-- it's going to happen; it's just a question of when," said Alex C. Snoeren, the paper's senior author and a professor of computer science at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego.

One percent might not seem like much. But given that there are over a billion sites on the Internet, this means tens of millions of websites could be breached every year, said Joe DeBlasio, one of Snoeren's Ph.D. students and the paper's first author.

Even scarier, the researchers found that popular sites were just as likely to be hacked as unpopular ones. This means that out of the top-1000 most visited sites on the Internet, ten are likely to be hacked every year.

"One percent of the really big shops getting owned is terrifying," DeBlasio said.

The team of researchers at UC San Diego presented the tool in November at ACM Internet Measurement Conference in London.

The concept behind the tool, called Tripwire, is relatively simple. DeBlasio created a bot that registers and creates accounts on a large number of websites--around 2,300 were included in their study. Each account is associated with a unique email address. The tool was designed to use the same password for the email account and the website account associated with that email. Researchers then waited to see if an outside party used the password to access the email account. This would indicate that the website's account information had been leaked.

To make sure that the breach was related to hacked websites and not the email provider or their own infrastructure, researchers set up a control group. It consisted of more than 100,000 email accounts they created with the same email provider used in the study. But computer scientists did not use the addresses to register on websites. None of these email accounts were accessed by hackers.

In the end, researchers determined 19 websites had been hacked, including a well-known American startup with more than 45 million active customers.

Once the accounts were breached, researchers got in touch with the sites' security teams to warn them of the breaches. They exchanged emails and phone calls. "I was heartened that the big sites we interacted with took us seriously," Snoeren said.

Yet none of the websites chose to disclose to their customers the breach the researchers had uncovered. "I was somewhat surprised no one acted on our results," Snoeren said.

The researchers decided not to name the companies in their study.

"The reality is that these companies didn't volunteer to be part of this study," Snoeren said. "By doing this, we've opened them up to huge financial and legal exposure. So we decided to put the onus on them to disclose."

Interestingly, very few of the breached accounts were used to send spam once they became vulnerable. Instead, the hackers usually just monitored email traffic. DeBlasio speculates that the hackers were monitoring emails to harvest valuable information, such as bank and credit card accounts.

Researchers went a step further. They created at least two accounts per website. One account had an "easy" password--strings of seven-character words with their first letter capitalized and followed by a single digit. These kinds of passwords are usually the first passwords that hackers will guess. The other account had a "hard" password--random 10-character strings of numbers and letters, both in lower and upper case, without special characters.

Seeing which of the two accounts got breached allowed researchers to make a good guess about how websites store passwords. If both the easy and hard passwords were hacked, the website likely just stores passwords in plain text, contrary to typically-followed best practice. If only the account using the easy password was breached, the sites likely used a more sophisticated method for password storage: an algorithm that turns passwords into a random string of data--with random information added to those strings.

The computer scientists had a few pieces of advice for Internet users: don't reuse passwords; use a password manager; and ask yourself how much you really need to disclose online.

"Websites ask for a lot of information," Snoeren said. "Why do they need to know your mother's real maiden name and the name of your dog?"

DeBlasio was less optimistic that these precautions would work.

"The truth of the matter is that your information is going to get out; and you're not going to know that it got out," he said.

Snoeren and colleagues are not planning to pursue further research on Tripwire.

"We hope to have impact through companies picking it up and using it themselves," he said. "Any major email provider can provide this service."

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High-intensity exercise three times a week is safe for individuals with early-stage Parkinson's disease and decreases worsening of motor symptoms, according to a new phase 2, multi-site trial led by University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Northwestern Medicine scientists.

This is the first time scientists have tested the effects of high-intensity exercise on patients with Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and the most common movement disorder affecting more than 1 million people in the United States.

"If you have Parkinson's disease and you want to delay the progression of your symptoms, just a stroll isn't sufficient. You should exercise three times a week with your heart rate between 80 to 85 percent maximum. It is that simple," said lead author Margaret Schenkman, Associate Dean for Physical Therapy Education and PT Program Director at the CU School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus.

Previously, it was thought high-intensity exercise was too physically stressful for individuals with Parkinson's disease. "High-Intensity Treadmill Exercise in Parkinson Disease: A Randomized, Controlled Phase II Trial" was published today in JAMA Neurology.

Parkinson's symptoms include progressive loss of muscle control, trembling, stiffness, slowness and impaired balance. As the disease progresses, it may become difficult to walk, talk and complete simple tasks. Most people who develop Parkinson's are 60 and older.

Because medications for Parkinson's have adverse side effects and reduced effectiveness over time, new treatments are needed.

The randomized clinical trial included 128 participants ages 40 to 80 from Rush University Medical Center, Northwestern University and the University of Pittsburgh in addition to the University of Colorado Anschutz in Aurora.

Participants enrolled in the Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise (SPARX) were at an early stage of the disease and not taking Parkinson's medication, ensuring the results of the study were related to the exercise and not affected by medication.

"The earlier in the disease you intervene, the more likely it is you can prevent the progression of the disease," said co-lead author Daniel Corcos, professor of physical therapy and human movement sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "We delayed worsening of symptoms for six months; whether we can prevent progression any longer than six months will require further study."

Scientists examined the safety and effects of exercise three times weekly for six months at high intensity, 80 to 85 percent of maximum heart rate, and moderate intensity, 60 to 65 percent of maximum heart rate. They compared the results to a control group who did not exercise.

After six months, participants were rated by clinicians on a Parkinson's disease scale ranging from 0 to 108. The higher the number, the more severe the symptoms.

Participants in the study had a score of about 20 before exercise. Those in the high intensity group stayed at 20. The group with moderate exercise got worse by 1.5 points. The group that did not exercise worsened by three points. Three points out of a score of 20 points is a 15 percent change in the primary signs of the disease and considered clinically important to patients. It makes a difference in their quality of life.

"We catch people early in the disease and are slowing them from getting worse, which is significant, particularly for a disorder that is chronic and progressive," Schenkman said.

Schenkman and colleagues confirmed it was safe for the participants to do high-intensity exercise by giving them a cardiologist-supervised graded exercise test to evaluate the heart's response to exercise.

"What sets this study apart from others is we enrolled a high number of participants who exercised on a treadmill for six months with a robust workout, Schenkman said. "Many exercise studies are only 12 weeks in length and often the focus is on low intensity exercise or stretching."

Previous studies in humans suggest high-intensity exercise improves motor symptoms, but the evidence wasn't sufficient to determine whether exercise intensity modifies symptoms or disease progression. In addition, most studies have not precisely measured or controlled exercise intensity and none have been conducted at 80 to 85 percent maximum heart rate.

"Several lines of evidence point to a beneficial effect of exercise in Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Codrin Lungu, program director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Nevertheless, it's not clear which kind of exercise is most effective. The SPARX trial tries to rigorously address this issue. The results are interesting and warrant further exploration of the optimal exercise regimes for Parkinson's."

The next step will be a Phase III clinical trial with more participants and additional sites.

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Co-authors on the study from CU Anschutz are Drs. Wendy M. Kohrt, Cory L. Christiansen, Brian D. Berman, Benzi M. Kluger and Edward L. Melanson. Collaborating authors from other sites include co-lead author Dr. Daniel Corcos, Northwestern University; Drs. Anthony Delitto, Charity G. Moore, and Deborah A. Josbeno from the University of Pittsburgh; and Drs. Deborah A. Hall and Cynthia L. Comella from Rush Medical Center.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is the only comprehensive academic health sciences center in Colorado, the largest academic health center in the Rocky Mountain region and one of the newest education, research and patient care facilities in the world. Home to 21,000 employees, more than 4,000 degree-seeking students and two nationally recognized hospitals that handle 1.7 million patient visits each year, CU Anschutz trains the health sciences workforce of the future and fuels the economy. CU Anschutz features schools of medicine, pharmacy, dental medicine and public health, a college of nursing and a graduate school. All interconnected, these organizations collaboratively improve the quality of patient care they deliver, research they conduct, and health professionals they train.
LOWELL, Mass. - Nearly one in 50 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, usually before age 3, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the number of people trained to help them isn't keeping pace with the demand.

The disparity is in part because training takes place one-on-one with children with a wide range of symptoms, from the highest-functioning to those with multiple, severe issues.

But a UMass Lowell faculty researcher is out to change this with a "virtual child" - immersive, interactive software to help professionals learn key treatment techniques.

Richard Serna, an associate professor of psychology, recently won a $250,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to address the acute need for professionals trained in the most effective treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder: behavioral intervention. Early treatment is critical in addressing intellectual delays and disabilities, as well as in heading off behavioral problems.

"Behavioral intervention is the most widely used evidence-based treatment method for autism," Serna said.

Serna is collaborating with fellow psychologist and Associate Prof. Charles Hamad of UMass Medical School to develop the new training tool. The software will feature a virtual child, programmed with learning difficulties associated with autism spectrum disorder, who can interact with people training in behavioral intervention techniques.

"The software will be useful in college classrooms, for new employees of agencies, special education teachers, paraprofessionals in the schools and even parents," said Serna.

Serna is the principal investigator on the grant, which was awarded by the National Institute of Mental Health's Small Business Technology Transfer Program, which funds projects that translate academic research into products and services.

Serna and Hamad, who is the co-director of UMass Medical's Center for University Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, have collaborated on previous NIMH-Small Business Technology Transfer Program grants to develop software for people with intellectual disabilities. The current award is a Phase One prototype grant to develop and evaluate the interactive training software, Serna said.

Serna and Hamad will start with a virtual boy in a simulated environment, since boys are diagnosed with ASD four or five times more frequently than girls. The virtual boy will present common learning difficulties and the software user will practice applying the best behavioral intervention technique to help the boy learn a new skill or desired behavior.

If the software user chooses the correct actions in the appropriate sequence - including praising the virtual boy each time he performs the desired skill or behavior to reinforce his learning - the software will allow the user to move to the next lesson. If the user does not implement the procedure correctly, the software will provide feedback until the user has mastered the technique.

"It's of critical importance in behavioral intervention that you implement the procedures with accuracy and precision," Serna said. "The software is like a flight simulator: It's a do-no-harm way of practicing before you work with real children."

Serna, who has previously created interactive video training software using live actors, said he got the idea for a virtual child in a realistic setting while watching his 17-year-old son play video games.

"I thought, 'Why can't we leverage that technology?'" he said. "With a simulation and a virtual child, we will have far more flexibility to change it and add features, and it will be less expensive than hiring actors and shooting and editing video."

Once they have developed and evaluated a basic prototype, Hamad and Serna will seek additional grant funding to develop it into a fully realized product.

"We'll add voice control, more features, different virtual children, more languages, more interventions and more behaviors and levels of difficulty," said Serna. "There's a great need for such training in China, Brazil, Spanish-speaking Latin American countries and other places, so it could go worldwide."

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UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than18,000 students bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. http://www.uml.edu
Single-Dose Vaccine Could Provide Faster Protection in Cholera Epidemics

Each year there are more than three million cases of cholera worldwide, a disease transmitted through contaminated food and water that hits developing countries particularly hard. While the standard regimen for protecting against cholera with existing non-living oral cholera vaccines includes administering two doses over a two-week period, research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) now shows that giving a stronger single-dose of a live oral vaccine could be an effective tool in controlling outbreaks more quickly.

The UMSOM research, published in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, was conducted in Mali and included 150 participants. Researchers assessed the effectiveness (ability to stimulate vibriocidal antibody, an immune response that correlates with protection) of a single high-dose of live cholera vaccine CVD 103-HgR, which was developed by UMSOM's Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and licensed and manufactured by PaxVax, versus the standard two-dose killed vaccine approach.

While the two-dose inactivated vaccine approach has been used and made available for protecting against seasonal increases in cholera cases, a stronger single-dose live oral vaccine approach may be a more effective way to rapidly protect individuals in big outbreaks, the research found.

"Immunization with a single-dose cholera vaccine that could rapidly protect people in low-income countries who have not previously been exposed to cholera would be a significant asset in helping control outbreaks and lower mortality rates," said Myron M. Levine, M.D., D.T.P.H., the Simon and Bessie Grollman Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Global Health, Vaccinology and Infectious Disease at UMSOM and senior author in the study. "Given the highly encouraging results, we envision that as a matter of priority high-dose CVD 103-HgR will now be evaluated more completely in low income countries menaced by cholera."

Severe Cholera Cases Lead to Death

Cholera transmission is endemic in many areas of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. In severe cases, patients pass large amounts of diarrhea that causes rapid dehydration and ultimately death if left untreated. This year, the World Health Organization estimated that in Yemen alone there have been a million cases of cholera.

Researchers will now study whether the single high-dose live vaccine is suitable for initiating vaccination campaigns early during outbreaks to nip them in the bud, as well as for preemptive vaccination to diminish the burden of expected seasonal increases of endemic cholera in countries where this disease persists as a public health problem. Finally, since young children less than 5 years of age suffer the highest incidence of cholera but are less well protected than adults by the current two-dose oral killed vaccines, it will also be important to assess the effectiveness of a single high-dose of CVD 103-HgR live vaccine in protecting young children.

"The data published in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology is a first step in demonstrating the potential utility of a new formulation of Vaxchora (CVD 103-HgR) at a higher dose in endemic settings," according to Nima Farzan, Chief Executive Officer and President of PaxVax.

"Vaccine development is a critical part of our research here at the University of Maryland School of Medicine," said UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who is also Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs, University of Maryland and the John and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. "For two centuries the school of medicine has been at the forefront of treating diseases among the most underserved areas."

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About the Vaccine

The vaccine, named Vaxchora, is a single-dose, live-attenuated oral vaccine. It was approved in 2016 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in U.S. adults 18-64 years old traveling to regions where cholera is common. PaxVax, a global biotechnology company based in California, received marketing approval from the FDA for the vaccine, and CVD scientists have been working closely with PaxVax since 2009 to develop the vaccine and secure FDA licensure approval.
Anthropologists have debated for decades whether humans living in tribal communities thousands of years ago were more or less violent than societies today. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame wonder if the question of more or less violence is the wrong one -- what if it's a matter of scale?

In a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Rahul Oka, Ford Family Assistant Professor of Anthropology; Mark Golitko, assistant professor of anthropology; Susan Sheridan, associate professor of anthropology; and Agustin Fuentes, the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Endowed Chair in Anthropology, along with co-authors Marc Kissel of Appalachian State University and Nam C. Kim of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, present data showing that the size of a society's population is what drives the size of its "war group," or number of people of fighting age who defend it. They also show that the size of the war group is what determines the number of casualties in a conflict.

Specifically, the researchers show that the larger the population of a society, the smaller its war group size, proportionally -- which means fewer casualties in a conflict.

"Small-scale societies have a high proportion of their people involved in war," Oka said. "Fatalities might actually be 40 to 50 percent of the group, and definitely a higher proportion of those fighting get killed. But as we go from small-scale societies to big states and conflicts between empires or nations, fatalities rarely go above 1 percent of the group populations. So if you have 100 people fighting, you might actually get 50 people dying, combatant and non-combatant. That's 50 percent. But if you have 3 million people fighting you might get 100,000 dying, which is actually much less, proportionally, than the small-scale society. This is seen by many to suggest that contemporary large societies are less violent than past small scale societies, promoting the idea that before the state, life was nasty, brutish and short."

Instead, the researchers found that societies today are not necessarily more or less violent than past societies. The proportions are driven by a deep scaling law guiding social organization, Oka said.

Oka and his co-authors gathered data on population and war group size from 295 societies and on war group size and conflict-related casualties from 430 historical conflicts going back to 2500 B.C. They plotted the available data on population size, war group size and conflict casualties.

"We first derived the scaling laws that would explain these trends. Then we gathered the data," Oka said. "And to our very, very pleasant surprise, for both the population and army size, and army size and conflict casualties, we found the scaling laws beautifully explained the distribution."

The researchers looked at scaling, not percentages or proportions, as a reflection of the realities of warfare. As population size goes up and societies form into states, Oka said, the military becomes proportionally smaller, more nimble and more specialized. A small-scale society can have 40 percent of its population committed to fighting, for example, but "it's just economically impossible for a state-level society with, let's say, 10 million people to have an army that is 4 million strong," Oka said. "It's logistically inconceivable."

The idea of using war group size and conflict casualties as proportions of the overall group population to determine if some societies are more violent than others isn't a new one to anthropologists, Oka said.

However, this study is the first of its kind to offer an expanded data set looking at societies in different places and time periods, during both peacetime and conflict, and examining the scaling relationship between population and number of people in the army or war group, and between the number of people in conflicts and deaths occurring during conflicts.

"These scaling laws provide a means of comparing conflicts across all population scales and social and economic organizations," said Golitko. "Notably, it appears that the relative level of investment and size of conflicts have not changed much once increases in population over time are accounted for. In other words, we may be no more or less violent now than in the past."

"These are deep scaling laws that are describing the size of war groups and in turn the number of people killed in conflicts," Oka said. "Neither variable is affected by type of society or institutions. Both scale, directly and indirectly, with population. These are deeper organizational processes that have to be addressed as we continue trying to reduce conflict investment and build peace."

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The paper, "Population is the main driver of war group size and conflict casualties," is available online here: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/12/07/1713972114.abstract?sid=08f85613-3df9-4fb3-9f2f-05bd096e2507.
SPRING HILL, Tenn. - One of the drivers of demand for niche or specialty products is the farmers' ability to market them as locally produced, and in the case of food products that includes being able to say the ingredients are locally grown. That's why Tennessee's burgeoning microbrewery industry is encouraging the local production of a key ingredient in beer that is not among the usual list of Tennessee specialty crops. Hops are used to add flavor and aroma to beer, and they can also contribute to a brew's shelf life.

They are not widely grown in Tennessee, but that may change soon.

A team of University of Tennessee Extension specialists from across the state has been awarded a grant for a project aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops, specifically hops. Four specialists from three departments have teamed up to implement the project. They will study hops production in others states, develop educational materials to aid in the evaluation of hops production in Tennessee and analyze the demand for hops and other specialty crops by craft brewers.

Rob Holland, director of the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture, says that the project is in response to the increased interest from local brewers wanting to obtain locally-grown crops. "Tennessee farmers are excellent producers and the new market opportunity that local brewers and distillers provide for specialty crops such as hops is worth pursuing. New markets create new production opportunities for local farmers," he said.

David Lockwood, a professor with the UT Department of Plant Sciences, will lead the effort to evaluate production possibilities for hops. He says farmers need more information before committing acreage to production. "There is a lot of interest in growing the crop in Tennessee but we do not yet know what kind of production to expect in our area year to year. We need to study our local growing conditions including, soil and climate to see if we can generate acceptable yields," he said. "This grant allows us to embark on a valuable fact-finding mission and narrow the options and avoid some of the common pitfalls of new crops at the farm level."

David Hughes, who serves as the Greever Chair of Excellence in Agribusiness Development in the UT Agricultural and Resource Economics Department, will lead a survey and analyze the potential demand that exists for hops. He said, "Local brewers are expressing a strong desire to purchase inputs from Tennessee farmers and hops has the potential to generate supplemental income, especially on small acreage." However, before business recommendations are suggested to farmers, demand has to be quantified.

"This project shows the benefit of multidisciplinary collaboration among our Extension Specialists and will provide more information from which Tennessee farmers can make better business decisions," added Mike Buschermohle, UT Extension's interim assistant dean. "Investigating new crop opportunities contributes to more vibrant farm opportunities in our state."

The project is funded in part by the Specialty Crop Block Grant program which is administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the USDA.

"The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is dedicated to developing new opportunities for Tennessee's farm and rural communities. The data gained from this project will provide valuable information for farmers as they consider diversifying their operations by growing hops," said Debbie Ball, TDA Agribusiness Development Consultant.

Through its mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. ag.tennessee.edu.

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Wits University scientists and partners have sequenced the genomes of 24 South African individuals of different ethnolinguistic origins.

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits) scientists and partners have sequenced the genomes of 24 South African individuals of different ethnolinguistic origins.

The first government-funded human genomics research study performed on African soil - aimed at unlocking the unique genetic character of southern African populations - has revealed a high level of genetic diversity.

"This study supports our understanding that African genomes are likely to yield many more unique genetic variants," says Professor Michele Ramsay, Director and Research Chair in the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB), Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University.

"The next step of progress is to use this knowledge to decipher what potential impact the genetic variants can have on the health of individuals, when we conduct health-related research," added Professor Michael Pepper, Unit Director of the South African Medical Research Council's (SAMRC) Stem Cell Research and Therapy Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria.

Funded by the National Department of Science & Technology (DST), the focus of the Southern African Human Genome Programme (SAHGP) was to capture a full spectrum of diversity in under-represented populations. The programme, therefore, included ethnically self-identified individuals of different ancestries.

Whole-genome sequencing was used to study the differences in some of the major ethnolinguistic groups in the country. In this pilot project, eight admixed or Coloured individuals from the Western Cape, seven Sotho speakers from the Free State, eight Xhosa speakers from the Eastern Cape and one Zulu speaker from Gauteng constituted the sample group of the study.

Two study aims were to use novel whole-genome sequence data to (1) study possible correlations between language groups and genetic clustering, and (2) investigate the ancestral compositions of these individuals, including maternal and paternal lineages.

The results indicate that despite a short period of geographic and cultural separation between the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana speakers there are measurable genetic differences between them. These are in part the result of varying regional ancestral contributions, but also of a random process of genetic drift. The paternal ancestry was almost exclusively of African origin, while the maternal ancestry was often of Khoesan origin, which is consistent with previous studies showing cross-cultural assimilation of female hunter-gatherers into Nguni and Sotho-Tswana speaking farming communities.

Coloured individuals showed varying proportions of admixture with Khoesan, African and European populations as well as populations from the Indian sub-continent. After the inclusion of additional representative populations in the analysis, the study revealed a much stronger South Asian ancestry in the Coloureds compared to previous studies.

"We have a richer understanding of the past as the study confirms general historical accounts of African migration and admixture", says Dr Ananyo Choudhury, Senior Scientist at the SBIMB at Wits University.

African populations harbour the greatest genetic diversity and have the highest per capita health burden, yet they are rarely included in large genome studies of disease association. This diversity provides both a challenge and an opportunity for biomedical research and the hope that Africans will one day benefit from genomic medicine. The study highlights the potential implications for disease susceptibility in Africans.

"South Africa has cemented a critical stone in the foundation to advance precision medicine for its people," concluded Glaudina Loots, Director for Health Innovation at the DST.

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Hoboken, N.J. -- Dec. 11, 2017-- John Wiley and Sons Inc., (NYSE:JW-A) (NYSE:JW-B) today announced a partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) to provide higher education institutions funding, leadership training materials and publishing workshops in order to develop engineering and science capacity in Vietnam. The agreement complements ASU's BUILD-IT Project, sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which brings together government, industry and academic partners with the shared goal of providing high-quality programs that link together science, technology engineering and math (STEM) disciplines.

"Wiley is proud to partner with Arizona State University," said Clay Stobaugh, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Wiley. "This partnership will enhance higher education STEM academic programs in Vietnam and provide institutions and students with high-quality and high-impact course material and learning solutions."

With 80% of the 54 million workers in Vietnam not having appropriate skills to participate in the digital economy, this agreement will strengthen the programs available within Vietnam institutions and provide additional opportunities for students to better compete in the current and future workforce. The agreement aligns closely with the Vietnam government's Industrial Revolution 4.0 initiative to develop skills that will be crucial to ensure Vietnam's sustained growth and competitiveness. Industrial Revolution 4.0 targets major innovations in digital technology, all coming to maturity right now and poised to transform the shape of regional and global economy.

Mr. Stobaugh added, "Ultimately, this partnership will strengthen higher education in Vietnam, improve the attainment of learning outcome for students and increase opportunities for workforce participation and quality employment."

"ASU's collaboration with Wiley enables Vietnamese university partners to access resources and world-class training from the industry leader," said Jeffrey Goss, Associate Vice Provost SE Asia, Arizona State University. "Such support will help to develop leadership, research and publication skills essential for advancing research publications to world-class standards."

BUILD-IT brings together government, industry and academic partners with the shared goal of providing high quality programs that link together the STEM subjects of science, technology engineering and maths. BUILD-IT seeks to strengthen higher education policy toward autonomy in Vietnam to ensure world-class governance; to open opportunities for professional development, innovation and STEM mentorships through university and private sector collaboration; and to develop the highest standard of educational programs, training and accreditation that improve academic outcomes.

###

About Arizona State University

As the #1 ranked University for Higher Education Innovation in America, Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.

About Wiley

Wiley, a global research and learning company, helps people and organizations develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Our online scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, combined with our digital learning, assessment and certification solutions help universities, learned societies, businesses, governments and individuals increase the academic and professional impact of their work. For more than 210 years, we have delivered consistent performance to our stakeholders. The company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.
NEW YORK (December 12, 2017) - Maps of the world's most important wilderness areas are now freely available online following a University of Queensland and Wildlife Conservation Society-led study published today.

The authors have made the maps available to assist researchers, conservationists and policy makers to improve wilderness conservation.

UQ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences PhD student James Allan said these wilderness areas were strongholds for endangered biodiversity and critical in the fight to mitigate climate change.

"These ecosystems play a key role in regulating local climates, sequestering and storing large amounts of carbon and supporting many of the world's most culturally diverse - but politically and economically marginalized communities," Allan said.

The maps show that the majority of remaining wilderness areas are in the deserts of Central Australia, the Amazon rainforest in South America, the Tibetan plateau in central Asia, and the boreal (snow) forests of Canada and Russia.

"Despite their importance, wilderness areas are being destroyed at an alarming rate and need urgent protection with almost 10 per cent being lost since the early 1990s. Their conservation is a global priority," Allan said.

Wildlife Conservation Society and UQ Associate Professor James Watson said he anticipated the maps would be important for identifying places where conservation actions must occur, and as indicators of progress towards United Nations commitments such as Sustainable Development Goals.

Said Watson: "Environmental policy almost completely ignored wilderness conservation but this has to change. National governments and multilateral environmental agreements such as the World Heritage convention need to step up and protect wilderness before it is too late."

###

WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)

MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world's oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242.
(BOSTON) --Cell biologists traditionally use fluorescent dyes to label and visualize cells and the molecules within them under a microscope. With different super-resolution microscopy methods, they can even light up single molecules and their complex interactions with one another. However, the microscopy hardware that allows them to do this is highly specialized and expensive and hence, relatively rare in laboratories around the world, and the operation of such microscopes is daunting, as it requires unique skills.

Ralf Jungmann, Ph.D., an alumnus of Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and currently a Professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) and the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Germany and Wyss Institute Core Faculty member Peng Yin, Ph.D., have been developing DNA-PAINT, a powerful molecular imaging technology that involves transient DNA-DNA interactions to accurately localize fluorescent dyes with super-resolution. However, although the researchers have demonstrated DNA-PAINT's potential by visualizing single biomolecules, such as proteins, in fixed cells at a fixed close distance, the technology could not yet be applied to investigate molecules deep inside of cells.

Now, Jungmann's and Yin's teams jointly report a solution to overcome this limitation. In their new study, they adapted DNA-PAINT technology to microscopes that are widespread among cell biology laboratories, called confocal microscopes, and that are used by researchers to image whole cells and thicker tissues at lower resolution. The MPI/Wyss Institute team demonstrates that the method can visualize a variety of different molecules, including combinations of different proteins, RNAs and DNA throughout the entire depth of whole cells at super-resolution. Published in Nature Communications, the approach could open the door for detailed single-molecule localization studies in many areas of cell research.

The DNA-PAINT approach attaches a DNA "anchor strand to the molecule of interest. Then a dye-labeled DNA "imager strand" with a complementary sequence transiently attaches to the anchor and produces a fluorescent signal, which occurs as a defined blinking event at single molecular sites. Because "blinking" is precisely tunable, molecules that are only nanometers apart from each other can be distinguished -- at the higher resolution end of super-resolution.

"Our new approach, SDC-PAINT, integrates the versatile super-resolution capabilities of DNA-PAINT with the optical sectioning features of confocal microscopes. We thus created the means to explore the entire depth of a cell, and to visualize the molecules within it at the nanometer scale," said Jungmann. The team mapped out the presence of different combinations of protein within whole cells and then went beyond that. "By diversifying our labeling approaches, we also visualized different types of individual biomolecules in the chromosome-containing nucleus, including sequences in the DNA, proteins bound to DNA or the membrane that encloses the nucleus, as well as nuclear RNAs," adds Yin, who is also co-leader of the Wyss Institute's Molecular Robotics Initiative, and Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. .

In principle, confocal microscopes use so-called pinholes to eliminate unwanted out-of-focus fluorescence from image planes above and below the focal plane. By scanning through the sample, plane after plane, researchers can gather the fluorescence signals emitted from molecule-bound dyes over the entire depth. Specifically, the MPI/Wyss Institute team developed the technique for "Spinning Disk Confocal" (SDC) microscopes that detect fluorescence signals from an entire plane all at once by sensing them through a rotating disc with multiple pinholes. Moreover, "to achieve 3D super-resolution, we placed an additional lens in the detection path, which allows us to archive sub-diffraction-limited resolution in the third dimension" said first author Florian Schueder, a Graduate Student working with Jungmann who also worked with Yin's Wyss Institute team as part of his master thesis.

"This addition can be easily customized by manufacturers of SDC microscopes; so we basically implement super-resolution microscopy without complex hardware changes to microscopes that are generally available to cell biologists from all venues of biomedical research. The approach thus has the potential to democratize super-resolution imaging throughout whole cells and tissues," said Jungmann.

"With this important advance, super-resolution microscopy and DNA-PAINT could become more accessible to biomedical researchers, accelerating our insights into the function of individual molecules and the processes they control within cells," said Wyss Institute Founding Director Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at HMS and the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children's Hospital, as well as Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS.

###

Other authors on the study are past and present members of Yin's group, including Juanita Lara-Gutierrez, Brian Beliveau, Ph.D., Sinem Saka, Ph.D., and Hiroshi Sasaki, Ph.D.; and Johannes Woehrstein, Maximilian Strauss and Heinrich Grabmayr, Ph.D., who are working with Jungmann. The study was funded by grants from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, the German Research Foundation's Emmy Noether Program, the European Research Council, LMU's Center for Nanoscience, the Max Planck Society and Max Planck Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Office of Naval Research.

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE

PRESS CONTACTS

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University

Benjamin Boettner, Benjamin.Boettner@wyss.harvard.edu, +1 617-432-8323

Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry

Christiane Menzfeld, menzfeld@biochem.mpg.de, +49 89-8578-2848

MULTIMEDIA CONTACT

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University

Seth Kroll, seth.kroll@wyss.harvard.edu, +1 617-432-7758

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University uses Nature's design principles to develop bioinspired materials and devices that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world. Wyss researchers are developing innovative new engineering solutions for healthcare, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing that are translated into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators, corporate alliances, and formation of new startups. The Wyss Institute creates transformative technological breakthroughs by engaging in high risk research, and crosses disciplinary and institutional barriers, working as an alliance that includes Harvard's Schools of Medicine, Engineering, Arts & Sciences and Design, and in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston University, Tufts University, Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, University of Zurich and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) belongs to the Max Planck Society, an independent, non-profit research organization dedicated to top level basic research. As one of the largest Institutes of the Max Planck Society, 850 employees from 45 nations work here in the field of life sciences. In currently eight departments and about 25 research groups, the scientists contribute to the newest findings in the areas of biochemistry, cell biology, structural biology, biophysics and molecular science. The MPIB in Munich-Martinsried is part of the local life-science-campus where two Max Planck Institutes, a Helmholtz Center, the Gene-Center, several bio-medical faculties of two Munich universities and several biotech-companies are located in close proximity.

Harvard Medical School has more than 11,000 faculty working in 10 academic departments located at the School's Boston campus or in hospital-based clinical departments at 15 Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Hebrew SeniorLife, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and VA Boston Healthcare System.
Monday, December 11, 2017

The colorful Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) traditions from Mexico honor their dead in ways Americans would do well to embrace. In this New York Times opinion column, Ilan Stavans wrote about Coco and Mexicos Infatuation With the Afterlife. A few highlights of his thoughts on the topic:

For Mexicans, death is earthly. We build altars in our homes with framed photos of the departed next to candles, fruit, bread and candy. This intimacy with death brings with it a certain acceptance. Death is even celebrated.

In sharp contrast, Americans approach death with fear. They avoid speaking about it. They try to hide it. Or they turn it into a theater of horror, which is projected through cultural events like Halloween, where the dead are made into monsters.

Pixars new animated movie Coco is a sumptuous portrait of Mexicos infatuation with the afterlife. Hollywood has gotten Mexican life wrong so many times  think Under the Volcano and Traffic  that Mexicans have stopped caring. But Coco feels fresh and authentic, perhaps the most sophisticated representation of Mexican popular culture ever produced for the big screen. It makes no excuses about Mexicans intimacy with death. On the contrary, it turns death into an amusement-park ride.

Many people are uncomfortable with the prevalence of skeletons and skulls in Mexican culture. I had thought the imagery referred to the immortal soul, once the flesh of this lifetime falls away. Stavans explains it like this:

The ultimate symbol of Mexicos intimacy with death are the calaveras  depictions of skulls (and sometimes skeletons)  and Coco pays tribute to this rich artistic tradition. Calaveras roots date back to pre-Columbian civilizations, who included skulls and skeletons in temples, sculptures, architecture, and even on currency.

In modern times, the man credited for popularizing them is Jose Guadalupe Posada, a famous late-19th-century engraver. During the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Posada poked fun at dictators and the bourgeoisie in general, most often by depicting calaveras dressed up as tyrants and wealthy people, while portraying the downtrodden in a dignified fashion.

This film is on my watch list! Americans can benefit from becoming friendlier with death, and engaging in conversations around end-of-life topics. Read the full opinion piece here.

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Its winter in Ohio now. Oh, I know the calendar says it is still fall, but it is not. The sun will move north for another few days, then on the 21st it will start back south, and the days will start to be longer.

The 21st of March the sun will set on Windsor Road, just south of me here in southern Ashtabula County. That will mean that spring is here, but it will still feel like winter.

Winter seems to last a long time here. It is snowing out my window. I dont know if the snow goes past the county line or not.

That is the normal southern limit of lake effect snow. The wind comes out of Canada, picks up humidity over the open water of Lake Erie, and blows south.

Snow arrives

By the time the saturated wind gets to Cherry Valley or Wayne it is 500 feet above the lake. Lower atmospheric pressure cant hold the moisture, so it snows.

That snow is mostly dumped on Dorset and Cherry Valley, and by the time it crosses the continental divide on the south edge of the farm I was born on, it starts to gain pressure again.

It is seven miles from the continental divide to the Trumbull County line. That is often the difference between winter and strong fall. Some nights it snows two feet in Cherry Valley, a foot-and-a-half at my house in Wayne, 3-12 miles away, and six inches at the county line.

My mother, who taught school in Trumbull County for many years, always said if she could get to the county line, she could get to work. If it is snowing in southern Geauga County, Rick Briggs might be done for the winter.

He has been struggling, on the best days, to scrape up some wind-flattened corn. On a good day he gets nine acres harvested. On a bad day he gets enough snow that he cant get all the fodder through his combine and he gives up.

Winding down

Rick is not the only one to have a few acres here or there, but there is not much left. Winter is here, and the hardy will put on the Carhartts and tackle a few acres on a clear, cold day in February.

Part of me misses those cold days on an open tractor pulling a corn picker. Most of me does not.

When the snowmobile craze hit 30 or 40 years ago, I was the one who put my money in a fireplace. A good snowmobile suit costs more than the Carhartts, and being really cold was never much fun.

I do remember the satisfaction of being tough enough to handle the elements. I remember walking home several miles one night after abandoning my vehicle on an unplowed road.

I couldnt tell where I was in the road, so I left the door unlocked and the key in the ignition in case someone needed to move it to get the snow plow around. Then, I took off my Carhartts and threw them in the truck because I knew the walk in the waist-deep snow would cause me to sweat.

When I got home, the snow blowing from the south had melted on my head, run down, and frozen over my left eye. Squeeze had to soak it off with a wet washcloth.

I was a man once.

Today, the first half-mile would have killed me. It is a Mark Twain moment, remembering.

He said, The older you get, the better you remember things, whether they happened that way or not!

Sleepy markets

Usually, this piece is more about grain. But, it is winter, and the markets act like they are going to sleep through until spring. Corn prices are back down to the contract lows again.

March corn futures put the low in on Nov. 16 and 17 at $3.4834. Monday, we touched $3.4814 at one point, a new low. We are currently trading at $3.4934 this Tuesday, Dec. 12 morning, which is actually up most of a cent after the three and a half-cent loss of Monday.

The last bright spot was back on Sept. 6, with a high of $3.7412. Since then we have slipped lower on the realization of a bigger crop than forecast.

I am remembering that I am the one who thought the low would be pre-harvest, and the crop would be smaller than forecast!

Soybeans

The soybeans have traded differently all fall. We would have to call the market steady to slightly bullish, as the chart highs have gotten slightly higher most cycles. We have traded lower for five sessions, but did make a new recent high on last Tuesday, Dec. 5.

We hit $10.15, besting the $10.13 of Oct. 13. That is not a lot of progress if you look at the October high, but it is if you look at the low of $9.67 on Nov. 11. Wheat markets will now follow the winter pattern of cold weather predictions.

If we see bare ground and cold temperatures in the Great Plains, we will see better prices. We kill the crop on the market at least once a winter, and that is the opportunity to sell our wheat.
The Co-op has re-affirmed its commitment to British farmers at a recent farming conference, saying it is a "cornerstone" of its food strategy.

Earlier in the year, the retailer committed to sourcing 100% fresh British lamb and bacon and doubling the volume of PGI Welsh Lamb and Beef in more than 160 of its stores across Wales.

Its most recent commitment will begin in 2018 where the retailer will only source 100% British meat in its own label frozen products.

Catherine Bennett, Co-op Agriculture Manager for Beef and Lamb, re-affirmed the commitment to British farmers at a recent NFU Cymru County Conference.

Ms Bennett said: A commitment to local sourcing forms a cornerstone of the Co-ops food strategy. Supporting British doesnt just support the farmer but it also supports the whole community  and community is at the heart of our business strategy.

As part of our commitment to British lamb we have also widened our Lamb Farming Group, to include the Cambrian Lamb Group  further strengthening our supplier relations.

'Quality'

Alex Higgs, the newly elected NFU Cymru Montgomeryshire County Chair said British and Welsh food is "renowned for its quality".

Were pleased that the Co-op has recognised this and are sourcing more and more meat from our domestic markets, he said.

We know that consumers want delicious, simple-to-cook meals and its essential the industry continues to promote lamb, in particular, as a nutritious and great value choice. We must ensure younger consumers are aware of its versatility and ease of cooking.

Mr Higgs added: NFU Cymru is engaging with HCC and key stakeholders within the industry to help promote our world-class PGI product in the UK as Welsh farmers we are reliant on the domestic market and could be even more so following our departure from the EU.
The government has published a draft Bill to strengthen animal welfare, which includes recognising animal sentience in UK law.

The government has today (12 December) published a draft Bill, which sets out that the government must have regard to the welfare needs of animals as sentient beings in formulating and implementing government policy.

The draft Bill goes further than the EU's Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty, as it applies to all areas of government policy, rather than specified areas of policy. If passed, the law would apply to the whole of the UK.

Defra Secretary Michael Gove said: As we leave the EU we will deliver a Green Brexit, not only maintaining but enhancing animal welfare standards.

Animals are sentient beings who feel pain and suffering, so we are writing that principle into law and ensuring that we protect their welfare.

Our plans will also increase sentences for those who commit the most heinous acts of animal cruelty to five years in jail.

We are a nation of animal lovers so we will make Brexit work not just for citizens but for the animals we love and cherish too.

Widespread media attention

The Bill follows widespread media attention after a House of Commons debate, wherein MPs voted down an amendment to include the principles set out in Article 13 in the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.

Since Article 13 has its origins in a treaty rather than a regulation, it did not qualify to automatically transfer into UK law as part of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.

It led 1,200 people in the veterinary industry to sign a letter urging the government to enshrine the notion that animals are sentient into British law.

The widespread media attention triggered Defra Secretary Michael Gove to confirm that the UK government will continue to recognise animal sentience after the UK leaves the EU. He said the UK will become a world leader in the care and protection of animals.

'Enshrined'

Responding to Mr Goves announcement, British Veterinary Association (BVA) President John Fishwick said: Vets have been clear in our calls that the duty on the state to have due regard for animal welfare - as captured in Article 13 of the EU Lisbon Treaty - must be enshrined in UK law.

This Bill captures the substantive obligation that Article 13 currently puts on the national government to consider animal welfare, as well as explicitly recognising animals as sentient beings.

Todays draft Bill lays out in black and white the Government making good on its promises, to ensure the UK remains a global leader in animal welfare post-Brexit.

The new law will also increase the maximum prison sentence for animal cruelty tenfold, from six months to five years, in England and Wales.

Subject to consultation on the draft Bill, the Government will legislate to deliver both aims.
Wales could be bovine TB free from 2036 if new eradication targets announced today are met.

Interim targets, covering 6-year periods, will be set for each of the TB areas. These targets will specify overall reductions in herd incidence as well as the transfer of Spatial Units from higher incidence areas to lower incidence areas.

This means, for example, the Low TB Area will expand over time, to cover land currently classified as Intermediate, and High TB Areas will shrink as their Spatial Units are reclassified to the Intermediate areas.

At the end of each 6-year period, progress will be assessed and milestones set for the following period.

'Good progress'

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said Wales has had "good progress" in recent years towards eradicating TB in Wales.

The 6-year regional milestones I am announcing today are key to delivering this. If achieved, Wales will become Officially TB free between 2036 and 2041, she said.

These milestones stress the urgency of the task at hand and reflect my ambition to see important progress in each region during each period. They will help convey the need for immediate action, to focus minds and to drive the progress necessary to achieve our collective goals.

We have enhanced our TB Eradication Programme this autumn and the regional approach to TB eradication is intended to help us achieve our targets.

We now need to focus on protecting the Low TB Area from disease incursion and driving down disease in the Intermediate and High TB Areas. We will continue to build our programme as we progress towards our goal of a TB free Wales.

Ms Griffiths said the targets are "ambitious" and are designed to "stretch" the government and farmer She said it is vital to commit to a eradication of the disease.

'Accoutability'

The Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) has welcomed the announcement.

Dr Hazel Wright, FUW Senior Policy Officer said: Other countries, such as New Zealand, Ireland and England have established bovine TB eradication programmes which set target dates for being TB free and the FUW has consistently highlighted this over the past year.

Having a target date for Wales to be officially TB free provides clarity on the process and focusses the eradication programme. More importantly, it provides accountability and allows the industry to evaluate whether the strategy is working.
The UK government has been urged to include landscape management and environmental protection in new food and farming policy post-Brexit.

Although the EUs Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) provides income support to farmers across the UK nations, on average to the tune of 50-60%, it has been criticised for its complexity and for creating inequalities within the system, failing to support the most vulnerable farmers.

Defra secretary Michael Gove has announced that future farm subsidies must be assessed on environmental and public benefits the land brings rather than simply how much land is owned.

He said farmers should get money based on how well they protect the environment and how well they enhance rural life, despite some concerns in the industry that the government is favouring the environment at the expense of food production.

In his first major speech since being appointed to the job, Mr Gove announced the plans to scrap the current system when the UK leaves the EU as part of this 'Green Brexit' plan.

He has previously said the CAP "rewards size of land-holding ahead of good environmental practice, puts resources in the hands of the already wealthy, and encourages patterns of land use which are wasteful of natural resources."

Defra Minister George Eustice has also called the distribution of CAP payments is 'unfair'. It has led rural campaigners to urge the government to slash farming subsidies for wealthier farmers after Britain leaves the European Union.

Mr Gove has explained that as the UK prepares to leave the EU, future agricultural policy could move towards the use of public money to reward the provision of public goods.

He has said that outside the EU, the UK can do "so much better", especially with the advent of new technology and machinery, coupled with better environmental protection.

Public goods

According to a new report by a number of academics from different UK universities, it is vital to reach a consensus on what these public goods are and to ensure that landscape management and environmental protection are central to this definition.

Dr Adam Hejnowicz from the University of Yorks Department of Biology says: Replacing the CAP with a fairer, more appropriate and effective funding model that is based on the supply of public goods and environmental protection is an immediate priority.

He said whatever the outcome of Brexit negotiations, responsibility for agriculture will return to the UK.

There is an opportunity to rethink and reframe the way UK agricultural policy is managed, taking a wide approach that encompasses sustainable land use, rural development and environmental conservation, he adds.

The report suggests that agricultural policy could become part of a wider sustainable Land Use Strategy, which seeks to improve the declining environmental quality through restoration.

It explains there is scope to enhance farmland by recognising both its economic values and ecosystem services, including flood risk mitigation, biodiversity, carbon storage, clean air and water, and recreational opportunities.

Securing an agriculture-friendly trade deal with the EU will be critical in finding a balance between imports and exports that enables an adequate degree of self-sufficiency, it says.

We must also recognise that our biggest market will still be the EU after Brexit and that cooperation is essential, comments Professor Sue Hartley, Director of the York Environmental Sustainability Institute.

As well as well needing the ability to freely trade products with our neighbours, many parts of the UK agriculture and food sectors will continue to rely heavily on seasonal overseas workers.

Ultimately, Brexit offers the UK a chance to design agricultural policy that is fit for purpose, long-term in nature and that has sustainable prosperity at its core, Dr Hejnowicz concludes.
A cannabis factory with drugs worth approximately 1.5 million has been found in poultry barns.

Staffordshire Police have made six arrests after one of the countys biggest cannabis factories was found in poultry barns in south Staffs.

Officers discovered the massive haul of drugs, worth 1.5 million per cultivation, after raiding Three Angels Farm, Ivetsey Road in Wheaton Aston on Wednesday (5 December).

Three men were detained at the scene and three other men were arrested following a police search of the area, which included support from the National Police Air Service, in connection with the production of cannabis.

The men, aged between 17 and 44, are from the United Kingdom and Albania. All six were taken into custody at Watling police station.

Inspector Richard Meaden, South Staffordshire local policing commander, said: The investigation is at an early stage, however we can confirm that approximately 3,100 cannabis plants were recovered. This estimated value of this crop is estimated to be worth 1.5 million pounds.

This is the largest and most sophisticated cannabis factory Ive ever experienced and I am delighted we have been able to take such a large number of drugs off the streets.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) says the risk from avian influenza to commercial poultry in the UK remains low.

Defra reviewed bird flu risk in the United Kingdom following a new outbreak across the North Sea in the Netherlands.

A 16,000-bird flock of fattening ducks in Flevoland was culled following confirmation of highly pathogenic H5N6 virus.

The same farm was infected last winter with H5N8 - the strain that spread across Europe and the UK last year. Some 13 cases were found in the UK last winter, although none involved layers.

Despite a number of new cases of avian influenza in Europe, Defra has decided not to increase the threat level in this country. The risk for commercial poultry remains low; the risk for wild birds remains medium.

Migratory birds

In its latest risk update, Defra says: "Many of the wild migratory waterfowl have now arrived to overwinter in northern Europe and the UK from their breeding grounds in Central and North Eurasia."

Indeed, many wigeon started arriving in the UK in September. Compared to the situation at this time in 2016, the outlook for H5N8 in Central Europe is much more favourable with relatively fewer cases in wild birds.

"With the exception of the wild duck case in Germany on the 23rd October, all the wild bird outbreaks (and poultry outbreaks) reported in Europe since the last report are south of the main migratory waterfowl flyway to the UK.

"Thus, on this basis, it appears less likely that wild birds will bring H5N8 to the UK from these southerly regions of Europe.

"However, we cannot rule out that the wild birds are succumbing to infection but outcomes such as high mortality (as observed last year) is not occurring because many birds in the population are likely to have been exposed last year and survived infection."

'Significant new event'

It says: "Although new incursions of H5N8 HPAI through wild bird migration to Europe remains continuous risk up until February, the increase in detections anticipated since the last report has not materialised in November at least but other factors such as cold weather movement also need to be considered.

"It is possible that local maintenance of H5N8 virus could still be occurring at sites in northern Europe from October and spread via other routes such as ongoing outbreak locations in Italy and Bulgaria.

"The latest case of H5N6 in the Netherlands is a significant new event that merits close monitoring of any developments.

"Furthermore, a cold winter in Central Europe would encourage more waterfowl to migrate west and into the UK up until February and freezing temperatures in the UK (as being experienced at present) could mean waterfowl move away from coastal sites to more sheltered inland areas."

Defra is advising all poultry keepers to review bio-security measures and business continuity plans in case the risk of AI increases over the coming months.
Secret Out

Famous journalist, Subhash K Jha revealed, It was Anushka Sharma's mentor and confidant producer-filmmaker Aditya Chopra who suggested an Italian venue for her wedding with Virat Kohli.''

Aditya Told Anushka...

''Adi, a notorious paparazzi shirker, had opted for an Italian wedding with Rani Mukerji in 2014 too, and the recommendation seems to have come from personal experience.''

He Told Anushka & Virat

A source close to Adi says, "It was his idea that Anushka and Virat have their wedding in Italy.''

Desi Wedding Would Turn Into Tamasha

''He warned them that a desi wedding would turn into a tamasha with paparazzi and gatecrashers."

Anushka Took It Seriously

''Apparently, Anushka, who consults the filmmaker on all-important matters, took his advice seriously.''

Virat Too Liked The Idea

"From Adi's lips to Virat's ears," is how the source describes it. And that's how the Italian wedding happened.

Why Rani & Aditya Skipped The Wedding?

"We heard Rani saying she would love to attend Anushka's wedding, but they can't take their daughter Adira along," a source from Yash Raj Films revealed Deccan Chronicle.
Salman Khan is known to be a keeper of relationships. He shares a very warm bond with the people that he works with.

There have been so many people who have become family to the superstar because of the years of knowing and working with him.

Director Ali Abbas Zafar seems to be the new member of that "extended" family of the star Khan. Both Salman and Ali share a very good equation and have had a fruitful association in the past with Sultan.

Their second outing together, TIger Zinda Hai is also up for release this month and has everyone excited to watch their magic on screen yet again.

Bharat will mark to be the third film of the duo together. The film is an official adaptation of 2014 South Korean film, 'Ode to My Father' which depicted modern Korean history from the 1950s to the present day through the life of an ordinary man.

It traces the journey of a man that started in 1947 and ends in 2002. Producer Atul Agnihotri says, "It's the journey of a country and also a person, both of whom go by the name of Bharat."

Speaking about the film, he had informed, "That film is just the starting point for ours but since it was an inspiration, we wanted in all fairness to officially own it and acquired the remake rights before going ahead with Bharat."

'Bharat' will feature Salman Khan as the protagonist.

On Salman being the right choice to play this protagonist, Atul insists it's a decision taken from the heart given his long association with his brother-in-law as an actor, producer, and director. "It's a character that I thought would resonate with him. It's a huge responsibility making a film with Salman as there are big expectations that come with the job," he had added

"I'm very conscious about Salman's fan base and what they want. And once again, I'm convinced that being a family film it's worthy of coming during the festive time. And anyway, an Eid release is always every producer's preferred choice," Atul shared.

Sharing filming details, the producer had said, since the film spans many periods, it will require a lot of travel and elaborate sets. "We will be shooting in Abu Dhabi and Spain, besides Punjab and Delhi in India. Prep in every department will be elaborate and happening even as we speak. Casting will be our main agenda over the next three months and since it's a character-driven story, we will take actors who fit the part. It won't be about getting names together but will be honest in its depiction," Atul promises.

Produced by Atul Agnihotri, the film is slated for an Eid release in 2019. Ali Abbas Zafar and Salman Khan will go on floors with their third film in April 2018.
Deep learning is a technique of machine learning in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) that is seeing explosive growth. Every major tech company globally is jumping on board, and the segment is booming.

While there is agreement that the size of the deep-learning market will be huge, there is no consensus on just how big it could become. According to a report by Persistence Market Research, deep learning will generate an estimated $4.8 billion by the end of 2017, and it will skyrocket to a massive $261 billion by 2027 -- a compound annual growth rate of 49%. Stratistics MRC calculated a market worth of $1.95 billion in 2016, which it expects to grow to $72.10 billion by 2023.

A market opportunity of that magnitude has attracted some of the foremost companies in technology, who are acquiring AI start-ups and ramping up R&D spending in order to increase their competitive position in a technology that is still in its infancy. Here's a list of some of the largest players in deep learning:

Company Market Cap (billions) Principle Use Apple Inc. $882 iPhone Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL -1.04%) (GOOG -0.92%) $714 Advertising, search Microsoft Corporation $649 Cloud computing Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN -2.90%) $567 Cloud computing Facebook, Inc. $515 Advertising, text analysis Intel Corporation $210 Processors International Business Machines $143 Business services NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA -1.54%) $122 Processors Baidu, Inc. $83 Advertising, search Salesforce.com, Inc. $75 CRM

With so many companies to choose from, which ones have the greatest opportunity to capitalize on this nascent trend? Below, I'll tell you why my favorites in the field are Google, Amazon, and NVIDIA.

What is deep learning?

Before we examine the key players, it might first help to define what this technology is. Deep learning is a specific technique within the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Data scientists build computer models inspired by the structure and function of the human brain, called artificial neural networks. These systems use a combination of sophisticated algorithms and millions of data points in an attempt to reproduce our capacity to learn. The network is fed a multitude of examples and "learns" to distinguish differences and discover relationships and similarities among the examples. In its simplest form, the program learns to recognize patterns and make associations from the massive quantities of data it ingests. It can then make decisions or predictions based on what it has learned.

The concept of deep learning has been around for decades, but it was the recent convergence of three trends that finally made it practical. The advent of big data, faster processors, and better algorithms combined to enable the technological advances that are occurring today. This includes such breakthroughs as voice recognition, natural language translation, image recognition, and user profiling.

It's still early days in the application of deep learning, but examples of the advances that have occurred abound. Digital assistants, voice-controlled smart speakers, and self-driving cars are all the result of recent developments in deep learning.

NVIDIA

NVIDIA is best known as the pioneer of the graphics processing unit (GPU) back in 1999. The development of this chip revolutionized gaming, providing players with more lifelike images then were previously possible. In a feat known as parallel processing, the GPU could perform many complex mathematical calculations at the same time by dividing the work among a number or processors and executing it simultaneously. This provided the key to quickly rendering realistic graphics.

Several years ago, researchers discovered that the speed and mathematical precision of parallel processing could also accelerate the training of deep-learning systems.

Much of NVIDIA's growth over the last several years is the direct result of its success in deep learning. In its 2017 third quarter, NVIDIA posted record revenue of $2.64 billion, which grew 32% year over year. The strongest growth came from its data center segment, where deep-learning sales are reported, which grew to $501 million, up 109% over the prior-year quarter. This is the sixth consecutive quarter of triple-digit year-over-year gains and the ninth consecutive quarter of sequential increases.

While there are potential contenders, there is currently no better tool for accelerating the training of deep-learning systems than the GPU, and NVIDIA will likely continue to reap the benefits.

Amazon

Amazon is primarily known for its gargantuan e-commerce operation, its Prime member loyalty program, and its Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing business. The company has been hard at work developing what could potentially be the fourth pillar of its business -- artificial intelligence.

For more than four years, Amazon has been using deep learning to enhance various aspects of its core business. The company has been able to improve search results, make better product recommendations, and produce more accurate forecasting for its inventory management.

The company made deep-learning capabilities available to its AWS customers about a year ago, providing text-to-speech, image recognition, and the ability to create sophisticated chatbots. Amazon recently doubled down on that strategy, deploying a number of new services based on the science, including a "deep learning-enabled wireless video camera that can run real-time computer vision models."

Consumers are becoming increasingly enamored with Amazon's Echo smart speaker, which has evolved from a single device to a full line of products, powered by its AI-infused Alexa digital assistant. During the recent holiday sale that concluded on Cyber Monday, the Echo Dot was the best-selling product worldwide on Amazon's website. The company is tight-lipped about how exactly many have been sold. Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that Amazon commands a 76% market share, with an installed base of 15 million Echo devices in the U.S. RBC Capital markets estimates that the combination of device sales and voice-activated shopping on its website could generate an additional $10 billion in sales by 2020.

That may just be the tip of the iceberg, as Amazon recently expanded Echo's market potential by introducing Alexa for Business. At the company's re:Invent conference, Amazon announced a number tools and capabilities specifically designed to facilitate business uses.

Google

No discussion of deep learning would be complete without including Google, one of the early pioneers of deep learning and AI research. As far back as 2011, the company began work on a neural network that would eventually be called the Google Brain. Noted deep-learning researcher and Stanford adjunct professor Andrew Ng began collaborating with Google scientists, who had their first major breakthrough in 2012.

By connecting 16,000 processors, and feeding the system more than 10 million random images culled from YouTube videos, the system learned to recognize images of cats. This seemingly innocuous bit of image recognition has led to other advances in the areas of language translation, voice recognition, and computer vision.

Google acquired deep-learning start-up DeepMind in 2014, and the company has gone on to make headlines. Its AlphaGo computer was able to defeat the world champion at the ancient Chinese game of Go, one of the most difficult and sophisticated games ever played. DeepMind technology was used to arrange Google servers more efficiently and to improve energy efficiency by reducing the power necessary to run them. These efforts resulted in a 15% reduction in power usage, which saved hundreds of millions of dollars.

Google generates most of its revenue from advertising, which grew to $27 billion, up 24% year over year in its 2017 third quarter. The company was able to design a deep-learning system to more accurately match advertising with users by better predicting the click-through rate. Due to the scale of its operations, even small, incremental improvements can result in gains of hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue.

One of the most game-changing applications of deep learning is in the field of autonomous driving. Google began its research in the field back in 2009, which resulted in its self-driving car unit Waymo. The company is widely regarded as the leader in the field, and Waymo recently removed the drivers from its pilot program shuttling consumers around Phoenix, Arizona, achieving full autonomy. When testing completes and a full deployment begins, the company's lead in the space could be insurmountable. Analysts from Morgan Stanley estimate that the business generated by Waymo could conservatively be worth $70 billion.

Final thoughts

Because deep learning can be deployed across so many facets of a company's business, it is often difficult to quantify the revenue generated and the savings resulting from its use. There is no denying, though, the transformational nature of the technology. Each company listed above has established an early foothold and will likely benefit from these advances for years to come. This provides investors a good starting point.
Beleaguered European tech giant Nokia (NOK 0.21%) is getting beaten up again after the third quarter 2017 report showed revenues in its telecom business declined. The company has its fair share of problems, but the stock has been sent back to near multiyear lows after the late October report. This could be setting up a buying opportunity for investors.

The skinny on operations

Nokia was seemingly making headway on a recovery until the late October report came out. Year-over-year revenue fell 7% in the quarter, driven by a 17% decline in its biggest business segment: ultra broadband networks. The company cited challenges in the mobile networks business in North America and China.

Those headwinds are seen persisting into 2018. CEO Rajeev Suri said Nokia's total addressable market for mobile networks is expected to decline 2% to 5% in the upcoming year, driven by changes in North America and China. Suri said increased competition, network carrier consolidation, and transitions to new technology are to blame for the slowdown.

A case for buying

The shrinking of Nokia's revenue in its most important operating segment is concerning, but the accompanying decline in share price may be overdone. Not all the news in the last report was gloomy. For starters, the Nokia Technologies division revenue was up 37% year-over-year in the third quarter and up 48% year-to-date, and operating profit margin is at a whopping 81%.

The Nokia Technologies portfolio, which licenses out technology patents and earns royalty revenue, includes smartwatches, phones, and virtual reality cameras. Though only 6.6% of total revenue this year, the division has doubled in size since 2014. With such a high profit margin, the extra gravy isn't completely offsetting declines in network sales, but it's certainly helping.

A second reason for optimism is that the 2015 merger with Alcatel-Lucent is yielding results. Operating profit is expected to have increased 8% to 10% by the end of this year, and the cost savings should continue. An additional $1.2 billion in savings should be realized in 2018, according to management projections.

As a result of those cost savings, Nokia's adjusted earnings per share were 0.09 euros in the most recent quarter, a 125% increase over the same period last year. Year-to-date adjusted profits have climbed 82% in spite of sales struggles. The company thinks that trend can continue as it streamlines operations with the old Alcatel-Lucent business in the years ahead.

A bet on the future

There are still reasons for concern in the near term that might at times outweigh those first two reasons for optimism, but investors can't ignore the longer-term potential that 5G networks present. Suri's mention of transitioning technology was no doubt a reference to 5G, which has the potential to have far-reaching implications for telecom, internet service providers, and the Internet of Things.

Nokia is confident it is well-positioned to benefit as 5G network technology gets closer to rollout. Suri had this to say about the potential:

In a market where competition remains robust, operational discipline is a must, and it is a core strength of Nokia. Furthermore, as the market transitions to 5G, I believe that the benefits of our portfolio will become even more apparent given that 5G is about much more than Radio. It requires Cloud core, IP routing, transport of many kinds, fixed wireless access, Software-Defined Networking and more -- and Nokia is one of the very few companies that is able to meet all those needs.

It could take some time for Nokia's abilities as a developer in the tech and telecom world to pay off, but 5G networks are already being worked on and tested on a very limited basis. The rollout of 5G for mainstream use will continue for years, and as it builds momentum, Nokia has a good chance of returning to growth. That makes this most recent tumble in share prices a good time to reevaluate making a purchase.
Top trending smartphones of December 1st week Features oi -Harish Kumar

The trend is subjected to change and this applies to the smartphone market segment too. Well, the last week that is the first week of December witnessed several launched and many of these were trending.

The Chinese brand Xiaomi took the wraps off two highly-anticipated smartphones - the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus in its home market. These smartphones belonging to the entry-level market space are all set to go on sale tomorrow. Also, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 that is yet to be launched in the country is also being talked about a lot by many and is making the buzz for quite sometime.

Samsung Christmas Carnival Discount offers: Get up to Rs 8,000 Paytm cashback on Galaxy phones

The other brand that is trending is Huawei's Honor. This brand hosted a global launch event in London to launch the Honor 7X and Honor V10 smartphones and the former has also gone on sale in India on Thursday via Amazon.

These are not the only trending smartphones of the last week. So we have made of list of them below for your reference.

OPPO F5 Youth Key Specs a 6.0 inches Capacitive Touchscreen display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels

Octa Core 2.5 GHz Cortex-A53, Mediatek MT6763T Helio P23 that is coupled with Mali-G71 MP2 GPU

3 GB RAM

32 GB Storage default memory capacity

a 13 MP Camera with 1080p@30fps, Geo Tagging, HDR, Panorama

16 MP Camera selfie camera

a Non-removable Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro Key Features 5.5 inch Full HD Display

Android Nougat 7.0 OS

3 GB RAM

64 GB ROM

Expandable Upto 128 GB

13MP Rear Camera

13MP Front Camera

Exynos Octa-Core 1.6GHz Processor

3600 mAh Battery Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Rumoured Key Features 5.99 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen

Android 7.1.2 (Nougat)

Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625

Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53

64 GB, 4 GB RAM or 32 GB

3 GB RAM

12 MP, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash

5 MP, 1080p

Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Key Features

5.99 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen

Android 7.1.2 (Nougat)

Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625

Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53

64 GB, 4 GB RAM or 32 GB

3 GB RAM

5 MP front Camera

Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery Xiaomi Mi A1 Key Features 5.5 inches LTPS IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen

12 MP Camera

Android 7.1.2 (Nougat), planned upgrade to Android 8.0 (Oreo); Android One

Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625

Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53

5 MP

Non-removable Li-Ion 3080 mAh battery Huawei Honor 7X Key Features

5.93 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen

Android 7.0 (Nougat)

Octa-core (4x2.36 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)

64 GB, 4 GB RAM (L21) or 32/64 GB

4 GB RAM (L22) or 32 GB, 3 GB RAM (L24)

8 MP, 1080p Camera

Non-removable Li-Ion 3340 mAh battery OnePlus 5T Key Features 6.01 inches Optic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen

Android 7.1.1 (Nougat)

Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835

Octa-core (4x2.45 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo)

128 GB, 8 GB RAM or 64 GB, 6 GB RAM

16 MP Camera

Non-removable Li-Po 3300 mAh battery Apple iPhone X Key Features 5.8 inch Super Retina HD Display

64 GB ROM

12MP + 12MP Dual Rear Camera

7MP Front Camera

A11 Bionic Chip with 64-bit Architecture, Neural Engine, Embedded M11 Motion Coprocessor Processor

lithium-ion Battery Samsung Galaxy Note8 Key Features 6.3 inches Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen

Android 7.1.1 (Nougat)

Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 - USA & China

Octa-core CPU

microSD, up to 256 GB

64/128/256 GB, 6 GB RAM Huawei Mate 10 Pro Key Features 6.0 inches AMOLED capacitive touchscreen

Android 8.0 (Oreo)

Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A53)

128 GB, 6 GB RAM or 64 GB, 4 GB RAM

8 MP

Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery

Best Mobiles in India
Six Meizu smartphones to be launched in the first half of 2018 News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu

Meizu has not launched many devices this year as some of its rivals. Also, there is no spectacular achievement in terms of sales of the launched devices in comparison to the other Chinese smartphone brands.

However, it looks like things are all set to change as the company is speculated to launch six new smartphones in the first half of next year. The reports from China via GizmoChina suggest that the manufacturer will ditch MediaTek as five of the upcoming smartphones are said to get the power from Qualcomm Snapdragon processors while the sixth one is said to feature a Samsung Exynos chipset. There are claims that the chipset could be the upcoming Exynos 9810 SoC.

Come 2018, Meizu will celebrate its 15th anniversary. Apparently, the company is expected to launch a special edition smartphone that is likely to carry the moniker Meizu 15 Plus. This launch is expected to happen sometime in the spring.

Lately, an image of the special edition model from Meizu emerged online giving us a look at the smartphone and revealing its pricing details as well. The image tipped that the upcoming Meizu smartphone might feature a full-screen design with tri-bezel-less concept as seen in the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. The front panel is said to house only the display and the selfie camera sensor at the bottom bezel.

While the bezel-less smartphones those were launched this year have a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor due to the narrow bottom bezel, the Meizu 15 Plus is believed to have the sensor at the usual position that is at the front below the display. The smartphone is likely to arrive with vertically stacked dual cameras at its rear. The region below the camera sensors is said to house the last focus and flash module in a ring design as seen on the Meizu PRO 6. The Meizu branding sits below the camera and there is an antenna line at the bottom.

As of now, it is tipped that the smartphone might be priced at 2999 yuan (approx. Rs. 29,000) for the base model 3499 yuan (approx. Rs. 34,000) for the high-end model.

Best Mobiles in India

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Vodafone launches new plan for its prepaid customers in MP & Chhattisgarh News oi -Priyanka The telco has introduced unlimited calling on roaming and 1GB per day 2G internet for 28 days at just Rs. 176, an offer which is unmatched in the market making unlimited.

India's second largest telecom operator Vodafone has launched free roaming benefit on the super plan for its prepaid customers in Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh.

The telco has introduced unlimited calling on roaming and 1GB per day 2G internet for 28 days at just Rs. 176, an offer which is unmatched in the market making unlimited, truly unlimited with free calling on roaming.

Mohit Narula, Business Head - Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Vodafone India, said, "It is our constant endeavor to bring simple, hassle-free offerings for our customers and to ensure that they enjoy unlimited calling with their families and friends even while they are on roaming. We are delighted to introduce Vodafone SuperPlan that offers unlimited free calling while on roaming across India.'

"Also, you get 1 GB 2G internet per day for 28 days at just Rs 176. Adding more value to this offer recharge with My Vodafone App and get the benefit of 5 percent cash back," Narula said.

This Vodafone Offer is available at all the leading Vodafone Stores, Mini stores and multi-brand retail outlets across MPCG.

To recall the company has launched International roaming has made this holiday season sweeter and bigger! Vodafone India, one of India's leading telecommunications service providers, has extended its worry-free, unlimited International Roaming proposition Vodafone i-RoamFREE to Thailand, one of the most popular destinations amongst Indians & to New Zealand. '

With this, customers planning their holidays can now enjoy the benefits of Vodafone i-RoamFREE in 20 countries including popular destinations like UAE, USA, UK, Singapore, Malaysia etc.

The packs are available at multiple affordable price points ranging from Rs 5000 for 28 days (which is effectively Rs 180 per day) to Rs. 500 for a 24 Hours usage, for those on the short visit. Prepaid and postpaid consumers can activate the pack through My Vodafone App or on the website.

Best Mobiles in India
Defence Secretary in Doha as multi-billion pound jet contract with Qatar is signed

10 December 2017

A multi-billion pound contract to supply Qatar with 24 Typhoon aircraft has been signed today, supporting thousands of British manufacturing jobs.

The Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and his Qatari counterpart, Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah, oversaw the signing of the deal for 24 Typhoons, building on the Statement of Intent signed in September.

In addition, the agreement signed today by the Qatar and British Governments also includes a clear intention to proceed with the purchase of Hawk aircraft.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

"It is a great pleasure to sign our biggest export deal for the Typhoon in a decade. 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."

"As we proudly fly the flag for our world-leading aerospace sector all over the globe this news is a massive vote of confidence, supporting thousands of British jobs and injecting billions into our economy."

The aircraft will be assembled in the UK by BAE Systems, supporting thousands of jobs, especially at the company's Warton site in Lancashire where it will secure work on the production line into the next decade. The biggest export deal for the Typhoon project in a decade, the purchase is valued at around 6 billion.

The deal also includes an agreement with MBDA for Brimstone and Meteor missiles and the highly-accurate Raytheon's Paveway IV UK-manufactured weapon for the jets. The Defence Secretary also agreed a package of training and co-operation between the Air Forces which will see them working together more regularly, including Qatari pilots and ground-crew training in the UK.

The UK and Qatar share a close and longstanding defence relationship, with a joint-exercise between the Royal Air Force and the Emir of Qatar's Air Force just last week seeing Typhoon jets fly over the Arabian Peninsula. The two countries share mutual interests of countering violent extremism, and ensuring stability in the region, and this purchase will deepen those ties by helping to prevent terrorism from spreading and protecting our prosperity and security at home.

Qatar is the ninth country to purchase the Typhoon, with this year seeing the first delivered to Oman. The Ministry of Defence is also leading the offer to replace Belgium's F-16s with the jets and continues to discuss the prospect of a second batch of sales to Saudi Arabia, as it continues to bang the drum for Britain's world-leading aerospace industry around the world.



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AF's newest Herc joins Ramstein AB fleet

By Airman 1st Class Savannah L. Waters, 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs / Published December 11, 2017

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) -- A new model C-130J Super Hercules arrived at Ramstein Air Base Dec. 4, 2017, as part of a rotational process to upgrade existing aircraft.

A crew assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron crossed the Atlantic Ocean to retrieve the aircraft from the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company production facility, in Marietta, Georgia.

The C-130J, an upgraded version of the C-130 Hercules legacy model, adds 15 feet to the fuselage and increases usable space in the cargo compartment. The new aircraft replaces one of 14 C-130J's at Ramstein AB, helping avoid potential problems with the Air Force's aging fleet.

"I can't overstate the importance and significance of rebalancing our fleet," said Col. Joseph Wenckus, 86th Airlift Wing vice commander, "Replacing older aircraft rotationally allows us to balance out the number of older and newer planes in any given location, which strengthens the force."

The concept, according to Air Mobility Command, is called "Enterprise Fleet Management," and allows extended aircraft life by rotating aircraft amongst units across the Air Force.

Some aircraft are more vulnerable due to the operational environment or requirements driven by mission demands, shortening the lifespan of any given aircraft, said Wenckus.

"With missions, required maintenance and wear and tear more spaced-out across all Air Force units, we are able to better maintain Ramstein [AB's] tactical airlift fleet and continue to serve two combatant commands," said Wenckus.

According to Lockheed Martin, the aircraft is built on the legacy of the basic C-130 design, however, the C-130J features a large, unobstructed, fully-pressurized cargo hold that can be rapidly reconfigured for carrying troops, stretchers, passengers, or airdrop of troops and equipment into battle zones.

The aircraft also features upgraded avionics, improved lift capacity, superior climb performance and long-range landing field capabilities.

"The avionics are astronomically better in this aircraft than the older legacy model," said Maj. Kyle Bucher, 37th AS C-130J pilot. "It has improved performance, it's faster, burns less fuel, carries more and requires fewer crew members."

The versatile aircraft is used across the Air Force for medical evacuation, humanitarian, airdrop, cargo delivery, firefighting, aerial refueling, aerial spray and arctic support missions.

With continuous production longer than any other military aircraft, the C-130J has earned a reputation as a workhorse ready for any mission, anytime, anywhere.

The 37th AS provides air support to European Command and Africa Command, ensuring tactical airlift assets and mission readiness for the theatre, said 1st Lt. Melinda Marlow, 37th AS C-130J pilot.

"The thing I love the most about the Herc is the mission support role that we play," Marlow said. "It's the sound of home. Whether it's picking personnel up from deployment, bringing beans and bullets, or dropping Christmas care packages to deployed locations, I believe the C-130J is the best aircraft in the Air Force."

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By Ruth Anderah:

State prosecutors have agreed to call off their strike.

This followed a unanimous vote held during a meeting that held in Kampala this afternoon.

According to Uganda Prosecutors Association chairman David Baxter Bakibinga 145 out of 171 state prosecutors decided to suspend their industrial action, after being convinced that government was committed to address their concerns.

According to Bakibinga, all state prosecutors stationed in Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono and other neighboring districts are expected to start work starting tomorrow.

Prosecutors went on strike on 10th October 2017 over low salaries among other concerns.
Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 11, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria over the last three days, conducting 14 strikes consisting of 27 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the most recent strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

On Dec. 8 in Syria, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of three engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle and a fighting position.

On Dec. 9 in Syria, coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of five engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed an ISIS vehicle and an ISIS line of communication.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike engaged an ISIS mortar team.

On Dec. 10 in Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 13 engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a mortar system, a tactical vehicle and an ISIS headquarters.

Strike in Iraq

On Dec. 9 in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of six engagements against ISIS targets near Tuz. The strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS truck.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

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Iraqi, Syrian Democratic Forces Destroy ISIS' 'Caliphate'

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2017  While Iraqi security forces and Syrian Democratic Forces have destroyed the idea of an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria 'Caliphate,' much work remains to be done against the terror group, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Robert Manning said today.

Over the weekend, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that Iraqi security forces -- including Kurdish peshmerga forces -- had defeated ISIS in his country.

Abadi is proud of his troops who fought pitched battles -- from Beiji to Mosul to Fallujah to Ramadi to Hit to Qaim -- to defeat the group, which once threatened Baghdad.

"Iraqi security forces, to include the peshmerga, fought against a determined enemy and sacrificed greatly since 2014," Manning said. "We congratulate all those who fought and remember all those who died to liberate Iraq from vicious ISIS territorial control."

Iraqi forces were caught off guard when ISIS swooped in in 2014 and the terror group stopped just 30 miles from the Iraqi capital. The Iraqi government asked for aid, and coalition forces led by the United States stepped up. Soon, service members from around the world arrived to train Iraqi security forces, provide supplies and equipment and provide air support that stopped ISIS in its tracks.

Counter-ISIS Offensive

As Iraqi forces gained more confidence, they began attacking ISIS and pushing the terror group back.

At the same time across the border in Syria, Kurds and Arabs -- sick of ISIS' brutality -- formed the SDF. Coalition support enabled the group to take the fight to ISIS in areas that were once the terror group's stronghold.

Now, Iraqi security forces and the SDF have taken back all the territory once held by ISIS. U.S. officials said there are fewer than 3,000 ISIS adherents in Iraq and Syria, with most of those in Syria.

The SDF and Iraqi forces -- with coalition support -- have liberated 7.7 million people from ISIS over the past three years.

But now is not the time to declare victory and go home, Manning said. "Much work remains to ensure ISIS's lasting defeat and the government of Iraq can count on continuing coalition support as we work together to erase the stain of ISIS and to strengthen the institutions of Iraq's national defense," he said.

Collective Commitment

Manning confirmed that SDF and Iraqi leaders met near their shared border Dec. 10. They reaffirmed a collective commitment as they continued clearance and security in their respective areas of operation. The meeting was held near the border crossing at Qaim, Iraq and Abu Kamal, Syria.

The representatives agreed to coordinate security along the border, and will establish a joint coordination center to ensure border security.

The SDF will continue operations to clear the northern and eastern side of the Euphrates River valley. Iraqi forces will patrol throughout Iraq to ensure there is no resurgence of the terror group or rise of a similar ideology.

There are still small numbers of ISIS adherents in Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi forces and the SDF will continue to root them out, Manning said.

Securing the border is important for both Syria and Iraq. ISIS gained a foothold in Iraq, in part, from adherents of the group infiltrating over the very porous border from Syria.

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Small Army Post Supports Counterterrorism Fight in Africa

By Sean Kimmons Army News Service

CONTINGENCY LOCATION GAROUA, Cameroon, Dec. 11, 2017  At an Army outpost in a sun-scorched area of northern Cameroon, there's a small task force with larger implications than its size may suggest.

With about 200 soldiers, airmen and contractors, the unit supports Cameroon's military in its fight against violent Boko Haram extremists. The extremist group is responsible for killing, kidnapping and displacing thousands of people.

The task force provides security and logistics support for U.S. Africa Command's unmanned aerial vehicles, which gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of nearby hot spots to help the Cameroonians locate and defeat the enemy.

"We're not in the fight ourselves," said Maj. Max Ferguson, commander of the 101st Airborne Division-led task force. "We're not shooting missiles, we're not on the ground taking the fight to the enemy, but we're assisting them with information and intelligence."

In October, Ferguson's unit was replaced by soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division to continue the same mission.

Warrior-Diplomat

As the first foreign military presence to be stationed in the former French colony since it gained independence in 1960, the task force also serves as an experiment in the U.S. government's strategy in West Africa.

"Most of the older [Cameroonian] adults remember being a colony under the French," Ferguson said, "so it's in their DNA to be cautious and mistrustful of foreign government involvement in their country."

With no State Department personnel stationed in the area, soldiers are often placed into a warrior-diplomat role, representing the American government wherever they go. Any misconduct by a soldier could spark controversy and put the nascent relationship between both countries in jeopardy.

"We're mindful of that and we make sure our guys treat everybody with dignity and respect," said Ferguson, of New Rochelle, New York. "We want to put our best foot forward so that people get a good impression."

Travel restrictions due to the Boko Haram threat also prevent many Americans from traveling this far north into Cameroon. The lack of American presence puts soldiers even more under the spotlight.

Soldiers recognize they may be shaping a Cameroonian's opinion of who an American is in person, Ferguson said, as many of them have preconceived notions of Americans from Hollywood films or mass media.

"When we go out in town and meet Cameroonians it's very plausible that is the first time they've met an American," he said.

For locals to see firsthand the value of having U.S. forces in the region, soldiers strive to help communities through civil affairs projects, supporting orphanages and schools, boosting the local economy and improving sanitation at the regional hospital.

Those efforts, according to the major, assist the U.S. government in building trust and cooperation with the country and its people. "I can show and demonstrate the goodwill and the benefits of having an American presence here in their country," he said.

The Cameroonian Air Force Base in Garoua, where the Army outpost has been located since 2015, has reaped the rewards of these projects, too. Soldiers have delivered supplies and desks to the school on base so children aren't forced to sit on the ground, and Army medics have lent a hand to nurses at the base clinic, among other projects.

"The partnership is going everywhere now; it's not only military," said Cameroonian Col. Barthelemy Tsilla, the air base commander.

Tsilla's airmen fly close air support missions against Boko Haram and rely on the task force's capabilities to find enemy fighting positions for them. In turn, the air base offers an extra layer of protection around the Army outpost to keep U.S. troops safe.

"We have a big responsibility to look after our American friends who have come to help us," Tsilla said, adding that the professionalism of the soldiers has impressed him. "As things are going, it's very easy to work with them. The U.S. Army is very disciplined and respectful. That is very important."

Dangers

Even with Cameroonian guards outside the gate, along with walled barriers, lines of concertina wire and sentry towers manned by Army infantrymen, many dangers still lurk inside the camp.

From venomous snakes to large spiders, malaria-infected mosquitoes and other harmful insects, soldiers can fall victim to bites that are painful for a long time or can be life-threatening.

"As far as the wildlife goes, there are all kinds of things that can hurt you," Ferguson said.

A few times each week, soldiers come across carpet vipers, black mambas, cobras or other types of snakes. Instead of using a red light for tactical purposes at night, soldiers beam white lights on the ground so they can spot a snake slithering by them.

"We're more concerned about getting [bit] by a snake waiting to attack a lizard, mouse or something else that lives on this camp," Ferguson said.

Army Spc. Warren Stuart, a task force member who's also a former park ranger from South Africa's Greater Kruger National Park Region, taught a safety class to fellow soldiers.

Using his extensive knowledge of deadly snakes, he recently recorded a video of his class so those arriving to the camp after him can still be prepared.

"It's literally life or death," Stuart said . "One mistake or one slip-up and you're potentially dead or you've lost your career because you're missing your arm or hand."

With no anti-venom treatment available at the camp and only an aid station to treat soldiers, the task force spends a lot of time refining its medical evacuation procedures.

"It doesn't really matter how someone gets hurt," Ferguson said, "we focus a lot of attention on our medical plan because [Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in] Germany is 3,000 miles away."

While medics can stabilize a patient for a limited amount of time, the task force can either wait for a U.S. military aircraft to transport them to Germany or to a closer military hospital in an allied country. If the injury is too severe, Garoua's regional hospital can be used.

Isolated

Being isolated from the rest of the U.S. military presents additional challenges. Because of its location, the task force has a more intricate chain of command.

"In this deployment, I like to relay that I have two dads and an uncle," Ferguson said.

The major explained that his unit has a higher headquarters with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, but it is operationally controlled by U.S. Army Africa command in Vicenza, Italy. There is also a strong coordinating relationship with the U.S. Embassy in Cameroon.

"Between those three, I have to balance all the different requirements and expectations," he said. "Balancing all of those has become a bigger challenge than I've ever had to deal with."

On the other hand, the isolation gives the task force the ability to assign more responsibility to its younger soldiers, who often have to be the jack-of-all-trades to complete tasks.

"This is mission command at its finest," the major said. "We are spread out [with] junior leaders across a decentralized area making decisions and having huge impacts."

With Army leaders seeing the future of warfare being more complex with Soldiers fighting in a multi-domain battlefield, these types of missions that allow empowered young leaders to lead dispersed forces may become the new norm.

"Every mission is going to be unique," said Army Brig. Gen. Eugene J. LeBoeuf, acting commander of U.S. Army Africa.

For the task force, overcoming its problems so it can continue its mission could greatly influence Cameroon and other West African countries to be stronger allies against terrorist groups.

"The future is bright," LeBoeuf said of the region. "But the future is bright because of the institutions in these countries. If we can help strengthen [those institutions], then we have a partnership for years and years to come."

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Better boots, lighter uniform headed to Hawaii for field testing

By Devon L. Suits December 11, 2017

FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- This January, some Soldiers within the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii will receive new uniforms and a new set of boots as part of Program Executive Office Soldier's continued testing and evaluation of the improved hot-weather combat uniform and jungle combat boot.

Keeping in line with the modernization and readiness initiatives set by Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper and Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the new versions of combat uniforms and boots will allow Soldiers to better operate in hot, extremely hot, and hot/wet environments.

"Today's Soldier must be ready to execute the mission in any operational environment," said Col. Stephen Thomas, project manager with Soldier protection and individual equipment, during a Dec. 7 media roundtable here. "[We're] providing a capability to Soldiers that may give them a decisive edge in that type of environment."

Production is near competition on 65,000 uniforms and approximately 750 new boots that will be sent to 25th Infantry Division Soldiers in time for the upcoming Pacific Pathways exercise in February, according to Capt. Daniel Ferenczy, assistant product manager for environmental clothing and footwear.

In March, PEO Soldier will then collect feedback from Soldiers and use that information to modify future versions of both systems, Ferenczy added.

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE COMBAT UNIFORM

To make the new uniform more breathable and lightweight, Ferenczy said that excess layers and seams, which often lock in heat and moisture, have been removed. Furthermore, the new uniform can be dried in 60 minutes, compared to the 90 minutes dry time of the current uniform.

In addition, program officials have incorporated feedback and made changes to the uniform design from previous field tests. Changes include:

-- mandarin collar eliminated

-- shoulder pockets open from top rather than sides

-- zipper closures replaced by buttons

-- breast and back trouser pockets removed

-- crotch gusseted for better fit, prevent chafing or blowouts

-- knee articulated for better maneuverability

Moving forward, program officials will continue to evaluate other fabric compositions and uniform design elements through 2018, Ferenczy said.

Depending on the feedback received during the upcoming field test, and the requirements set by Army headquarters, a newer version of the hot-weather uniform could be requested and tested by the 25th Infantry Division around the same time next year.

JUNGLE COMBAT BOOT VERSION 2

In addition to the new uniform, 25th Infantry Division Soldiers will have a chance to try out five versions of footwear that represent a "Version 2" of the jungle boot. These five variants are based on "Version 1" of the boot Soldiers have already field-tested earlier this year.

After that field testing of Version 1, Soldiers determined that they wanted a combat boot that was lighter and more flexible, and which also had less stack-height off the ground. Ferenczy said the five types of Version 2 jungle boots meet all those Soldier demands, while also remaining puncture-proof and quick-drying.

The Version 2 boots also provide increased traction in the mud. Furthermore, he said, all the Version 2 boots are better designed to not hold in any moisture, and incorporate larger-sized drainage vents on both sides.

Come January, the Version 2 boots -- 150 from each of five manufacturers -- will be distributed to 25th Infantry Division Soldiers to be field-tested until March. The goal is for this current evaluation of Version 2 boots, and subsequent feedback, to be combined into a final offering.

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Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Returns to Washington After Deployment

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171211-04

Release Date: 12/11/2017 1:23:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cole Schroeder

BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- Washington-based ships assigned to Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 returned Dec. 10, just in time for the upcoming holidays following a six-month deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and the Arabian Gulf.

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), with embarked CSG-11, returned home to Naval Base Kitsap, and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup (DDG 86) and USS Kidd (DDG 100) returned to Naval Station Everett.

The strike group consists of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9, and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Princeton (CG 59) and USS Lake Erie (CG 70). The air wing and DESRON command staff disembarked in San Diego Dec. 5, along with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83). Princeton returned to San Diego Dec. 6, and USS Pinckney (DDG 91) and Lake Erie returned to their homeport of San Diego Dec. 10.

CVW-11 consists of Lemoore, California-based Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, VFA-154, VFA-146, Whidbey Island, Washington-based Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, Norfolk-based Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121 and San Diego-based Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30.

The strike group sailed more than 78,000 miles during the deployment (equivalent to approximately five times around the world), flew over 1,000 combat sorties into Iraq and Syria, and dropped over 900 pieces of ordnance. The strike group conducted training and operations with the French Marine Nationale, Indian Navy, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Navy, Royal Australian Navy, the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy. These included Exercise Malabar 2017 in the Indian Ocean, Intrepid Sentinel in the Gulf of Oman and landmark Three-Carrier Strike Force Operations in the Western Pacific. In addition, the strike group conducted visit, board, search and seizure drills, close-in coordinated maneuvers, flag hoisting drills, sea surveillance, replenishments-at-sea, maritime patrol and reconnaissance, explosive ordnance disposal operations, and air, surface and anti-submarine warfare training.

"I am very proud of the entire strike group and all that our Sailors and Marines accomplished during this deployment," said Rear Adm. Gregory Harris, commander, Nimitz Strike Group. "The team demonstrated the professionalism, strength and resolve of the U.S. Navy around the world. They battled through the intense heat of the Arabian Gulf to conduct operations in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, and now it's time for all of us to get back and enjoy some well-deserved family time."

Over the six-month span, the strike group conducted port visits in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Chennai, India; Manama, Bahrain; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Hamad, Qatar; Duqm, Oman; Pattaya, Thailand; and Sasebo, Japan. Sailors participated in numerous volunteer events, including interacting with children at schools, visiting patients at hospitals and socializing with animals at shelters. Pinckney Sailors also participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 50th anniversary celebration in Thailand, which included an International Fleet Review, conferences and a parade.

Nimitz Strike Group is part of U.S. 3rd Fleet, which leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. U.S. 3rd Fleet constantly coordinates with U.S. 7th Fleet to plan and execute missions based on their complementary strengths to promote ongoing peace, security and stability throughout the entire Pacific theater of operations.

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9th Expeditionary Fast Transport Latest Arrival in Highly-Adaptable Ship Class

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171211-03

Release Date: 12/11/2017 1:02:00 PM

From Military Sealift Command Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Later this month USNS City of Bismarck (T-EPF 9) will join the fleet as part of a class of ships that is quickly becoming recognized as adaptable and innovative. As the world's oceans become more heavily trafficked and more contested, this adaptability and innovation will be meeting our Navy's future requirements and missions.

USNS City of Bismarck will be the ninth of 12 Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF). As one of the Navy's newest ship classes, the non-combatant EPFs provide warfighters with a ship that can be configured and reconfigured to take on any number of missions from its transport mission, to quickly delivering Marines and their equipment to the battlefield, to providing a low-cost intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability. This also allows fleet commanders the luxury of freeing up combatant vessels such as destroyers and amphibious ships to focus on their primary mission: fighting and winning America's wars.

EPFs are Adaptable and Flexible

Adaptable and flexible, EPFs are designed to operate in austere ports and waterways and are capable of supporting a wide variety of missions ranging from the transport of containerized portable hospitals, tanks and troops, to time-critical support for humanitarian assistance/disaster relief operations.

All EPFs are 338-foot-long aluminum catamarans, complete with a 20,000-square-foot mission bay area that reconfigures quickly through the use of Adaptive Force Packages (AFP). These ships feature a flight deck capable of landing a CH-53 helicopter, a slewing stern ramp for vehicle access to the mission deck and seating for 312 passengers. All EPFs are designed to transport 600 short tons of military cargo 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots. EPFs have a crew of 26 civil service mariners, with airline-style seating for 312 embarked troops and fixed berthing for an additional 104 military personnel.

Because of EPF's high speed and reconfigurable design, commanders are continuing to identity innovative ways to operate these unique ships.

EPFs Support Commanders Worldwide

Some of the EPF's more recent accomplishments include:

- Maintaining Forward Presence. EPFs not only conduct theater security cooperation efforts, but also support maritime security operations and their forward presence provides instant response in a crisis. EPF's routinely support TSC through participation in Africa Partnership Station, exercise Balikatan, exercise Cobra Gold, Continuing Promise, Pacific Partnership, and Southern Partnership Station, to name a few. USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF 2) continues to provide logistical services in the Middle East while USNS Trenton (T-EPF 5) and USNS Carson City (T-EPF 7) are supporting maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

- Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response. While deployed in support of Southern Partnership Station 2017, USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) was called upon to support disaster response efforts following Hurricane Irma's destruction in the Caribbean. USNS Millinocket (T-EPF 3) along with the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) deployed providing humanitarian assistance in support of Pacific Partnership 2015.

Counter-Illicit Trafficking Detection and Monitoring. USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) also performed detection and monitoring patrols in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, providing Joint Interagency Task Force South and the U.S. Coast Guard with additional patrol for drug trafficking.

- Global Support. EPFs are already supporting commanders worldwide with additional ships to be delivered in the coming years:

USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) Atlantic

USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF 2) Arabian Gulf

USNS Millinocket (T-EPF 3) Western Pacific

USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4) Western Pacific

USNS Trenton (T-EPF 5) Atlantic/Mediterranean

USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) Western Pacific

USNS Carson City (T-EPF 7) Alantic/Mediterranean

USNS Yuma (T-EPF 8) Mediterranean

USNS City of Bismarck (T-EPF 9) (expected delivery December 2017)

USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) (under construction; expected delivery July 2018) Atlantic

USNS Puerto Rico (T-EPF 11) (programmed; expected delivery in March 2019) Central/Western Pacific

T-EPF 12 (To Be Named) (programmed; expected delivery September 2019) Area of Operations TBD

Once delivered to MSC, USNS City of Bismarck is scheduled to head to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story for additional certifications prior to being deployed to the Pacific.

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TR, CVW-17 Conducts Sorties in Support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171211-25

Release Date: 12/11/2017 3:09:00 PM

From Commander, Carrier Strike Group 9 Public Affairs

ARABIAN GULF (NNS) -- The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 launched sorties in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS) Dec. 7.

Operation Freedom's Sentinel is the U.S. counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan. This element of the offensive campaign is focused on Helmand province and has specifically identified targets that aim to disrupt Taliban revenue generation at opium-processing facilities, as well as training camps and command and control (C2) nodes. U.S. airstrikes will maintain pressure on the Taliban through the winter.

"These airstrikes are part of the coalition effort to counter terrorism and enhance stability in the region," said Rear Adm. Steve Koehler, commander of Carrier Strike Group 9. "The ability to support multiple operations simultaneously is a testament to the training, teamwork, flexibility and lethality inherent in the ships and Air Wing of the carrier strike group."

At the same time, CVW-17 squadrons have launched nearly 100 sorties in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) since Dec. 1. In conjunction with partner nations, OIR concentrates on fighting ISIS in designated areas of Iraq and Syria.

"It is unusual for an air wing to fly sorties on the same day in support of two different operations in different geographical locations," said Capt. Chris Ford, commander of CVW-17. "The squadrons and air crew are able to do this dynamic combat support because they have maintained a high level of readiness, both in training and maintenance. Our priority is to have the aircraft and personnel to meet every mission tasking for U.S. and coalition forces in the region."

CVW- 17 squadrons include the "Stingers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 113, the "Mighty Shrikes" of VFA 94, the "Redcocks" of VFA 22, the "Checkerboards" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 312, the "Cougars" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139, the "Sun Kings" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 116, the "Providers" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30, the "Indians" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6 and the "Battlecats" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73.

The Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group's deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations supports Operation Inherent Resolve and signals the continued commitment to defeat and destroy ISIS. In addition to anti-ISIS missions, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations to reassure allies and partners, preserve freedom of navigation, and maintain the free flow of commerce.

Theodore Roosevelt left its homeport of San Diego Oct. 6, for a regularly-scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th and 5th Fleet areas of responsibility. Roosevelt's last deployment to 5th Fleet was in 2015 during the ship's homeport shift from Norfolk, Virginia.

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US military expects at least 2 more years of combat in Somalia

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 03:39PM

The US Defense Department has presented the White House with a military plan that expects at least two more years of combat operation against suspected terrorists in Somalia, amid the escalating campaign of US drone strikes there, according to a report.

The proposed plan for Somalia would be the first under new rules secretly signed by US President Donald Trump in October for drone strikes and commando raids outside conventional battlefields, The New York Times reported Sunday, citing US officials familiar with internal deliberations.

The US military has carried out about 30 airstrikes in Somalia this year, twice as many as in 2016. Nearly all have come since June, including a bombing last month that killed over 100 suspected al-Shabab militants.

Trump's reported new policy for the targeted killing of terrorism suspects is said to exempt high-level vetting by US counterterrorism agencies, a sign that the Pentagon does not envision a quick end to the deepening war in Somalia.

Instead, the Defense Department wants to wait two years before reviewing how the plan in Somalia is working, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Trump recently approved new rules that dismantle much of the Presidential Policy Guidance on targeted killings issued in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama.

The Pentagon plan for Somalia would scrap the requirement that anyone targeted for attack outside of conventional battlefields must pose a "continuing, imminent threat" to American lives.

However, Trump did not rescind the requirement for "near-certainty" that no civilians would be killed or injured in a drone operation.

This change gives US troops greater latitude to strike individuals it considers low-level members of terrorist groups, rather than primarily targeting high-level leaders.

Human Rights Watch warned last month that Trump's new policy increases the risk of civilian deaths.

The Trump administration should immediately publish the proposed new rules on lethal drone strikes outside conventional war zones and strengthen protection for civilians, the New York-based human rights organization said.

"Trump's reported changes for targeting terrorism suspects will result in more civilian deaths with less oversight and greater secrecy," said Letta Tayler, senior terrorism and counter-terrorism researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The US says it killed as many as 3,100 people from 2009 to 2016 in drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere, but some human rights groups argue that the figure is higher.

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US is partner in bloodshed with al-Quds move, Erdogan says

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 01:37PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lambasted the recent decision by US President Donald Trump to recognize Israeli-occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of the Tel Aviv regime, stating that Washington was a "partner to bloodshed" and violence that will spark in the Middle East region.

Speaking at an event in the capital Ankara on Monday, Erdogan said the "struggle" of Muslims would not end until there was an independent Palestinian state.

"With their decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital, the United States has become a partner in the bloodshed," the Turkish president noted.

"The statement by US President Donald Trump does not bind us, nor does it bind Jerusalem," he added.

"Those who make life in Jerusalem al-Quds difficult for Muslims and other faiths cannot wash the blood off their hands," Erdogan also said.

Erdogan further noted that the current "vandalism and cruelty" in Jerusalem al-Quds would not last.

"Those who think they own Jerusalem al-Quds today will not find trees to hide behind," he said.

On Sunday, Erdogan took a sharp jab at Israel, describing it as a "terrorist entity" and "killer of children."

Speaking at a ruling Justice and Development Party's congress in the central Turkish city of Sivas, Erdogan blasted the "disproportionate" force being used by Israeli forces against Palestinian protesters, saying that Israel was an "oppressive and occupation" regime.

"Palestine is an innocent victim... As for Israel, it is a terrorist regime, yes, terrorist! We will not abandon Jerusalem al-Quds to the mercy of a regime that kills children," he commented.

Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital and relocate the US embassy in the occupied lands from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds on December 6.

The dramatic shift in Washington's Jerusalem al-Quds policy triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.

On Sunday, violent clashes erupted outside the US Embassy in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut during a protest against US president's decision to officially recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital.

Demonstrators burnt tires as well as the US and Israeli flags as they pushed to break through a barbed wire erected by security forces around the embassy complex.

Security forces fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the angry protesters.

Jerusalem al-Quds remains at the core of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, with Palestinians hoping that the eastern part of the city would eventually serve as the capital of a future independent Palestinian state.

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Mogherini: EU recognizes 'international consensus' on Jerusalem al-Quds

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:16AM

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has dismissed Tel Aviv's call on the European Union to follow US lead and recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital.

Mogherini said Monday the bloc would continue to recognize the "international consensus" on Jerusalem al-Quds as she met Benjamin Netanyahu in Brussels where the Israeli premier arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Netanyahu praised Trump's decision on the extremely sensitive city which is the third holiest site in Islam and said he expected the Europeans to follow suit because it would contribute to peace in the Middle East.

But even Israel's closest European allies such as the Czech Republic warned Trump's decision was bad for peace efforts.

EU foreign ministers reiterated the bloc's position that the lands Israel has occupied since a 1967 war - including the West Bank, East Jerusalem al-Quds and the Golan Heights - are part of the internationally recognized occupied territories.

The Israeli leader was headstrong, however, saying he thought the Europeans would ultimately fall in line with the US and recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of the occupying regime.

"I believe that all, or most, of the European countries will move their embassies to Jerusalem, recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and engage robustly with us for security, prosperity and peace."

Netanyahu is on the first visit to the EU by an Israeli premier in 22 years, flying into Brussels from Paris after a meeting on Sunday with France's President Emmanuel Macron. A demonstration condemning Netanyahu's visit was planned for later in the morning in Brussels.

Mogherini repeated the European Union's commitment to the so-called two-state solution and that it was in Israel's interest to find a sustainable solution to its conflict with the Palestinians.

The EU, she said, would step up its peace efforts and would hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas next month.

The Palestinians want the eastern part of Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of their future state. Trump's move has sent shockwaves across the world and raised the possibility of a new intifada in the occupied territories.

A day after Trump made the declaration and ordered work to begin on relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, Mogherini said the move could take the region "backwards to even darker times."

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UN chief seeks Trump's pressure on Saudis to end 'terrible suffering' in Yemen

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 08:18AM

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called on the US to pressure Saudi Arabia into ending the "stupid war" which is causing "terrible suffering to the Yemeni people" and also harming the kingdom and the UAE.

"I believe this is a stupid war," Guterres told CNN on Sunday in an unusually blunt language, adding that what Yemen needed was "a political solution."

"I think this war is against the interests of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates... (and) of the people of Yemen," he added.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been bombing Yemen since 2015 in a campaign which has destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and left it grappling with what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The bombings have left more than 12,000 people dead while a cholera outbreak has claimed more than 2,000 people. According to the UN, around seven million Yemenis are also on the verge of starvation.

"This war is causing, in my opinion, terrible suffering to the Yemeni people," the UN chief said, adding, "It's in the interests of everybody to stop this war."

Guterres said he hoped Riyadh would lift its blockade of Yemen's ports, which has compounded the country's misery. "I hope that President Trump has put a lot of pressure recently...," he added.

The United States is an ally of Saudi Arabia in the military campaign against Yemen, providing logistical, and advisory support such as bombing coordinates as well as arms and weapons which have drawn condemnation from rights groups.

The US sealed a massive arms deal with Saudi Arabia in May during Trump's first visit abroad as president, in a move that solidified Washington's decades-long alliance with the world's largest oil exporter.

The agreement, worth $350 billion over 10 years and $110 billion that would take effect immediately, was hailed by the White House as a significant expansion of the security relationship between the two countries.

Lockheed Martin was one of the world's largest military contractors whose technology was part of the US-Saudi accord.

The deal represented a softening of the US position on the widely criticized Saudi war and support for "endless quagmire" in Yemen, US news channel CNBC said at the time.

Amnesty International, which has recorded human rights violations in Yemen, said the deal "has President Trump throwing gasoline on a house fire and locking the door on his way out."

"There is damning evidence that war crimes have been committed by the Saudi-led coalition and continuing to arm Saudi Arabia fuels serious human rights violations that are causing overwhelming civilian suffering in Yemen," wrote Eric Ferrero, Amnesty International USA communications director.

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US, South Korea, Japan start missile tracking drill amid heightened tensions

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 07:23AM

The United States, South Korea and Japan have started joint war games amid high tensions on the Korean Peninsula over the North's military program.

The missile tracking exercise started on Monday in waters near the Korean Peninsula and Japan, the South Korean Defense Ministry announced in a statement.

"During the drill, Aegis warships from each country will simulate detecting and tracking down potential ballistic missiles from the North and sharing information," the ministry added.

Two US ships are also taking part, with one each from the two Asian countries.

The two-day exercises come less than two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), declaring it had achieved nuclear statehood.

Both South Korea and Japan  despite tense relations amid disputes over history and territory  are allies and look to the US for their security.

The latest joint war games are likely to further anger the North, which views such military drills as a rehearsal for war against the country.

In a show of force against Pyongyang, Washington and Seoul staged their biggest-ever joint air drill last week, in a move, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said, made the outbreak of war in the restive region "an established fact."

North Korea has been hit by multiple sets of UN sanctions over its internationally-condemned ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. Pyongyang has however, remained defiant, saying it will continue to develop its military program as a deterrent against potential foreign aggression.

Experts said last month's test proved the North has mastered the advanced technology needed to allow the rocket to survive re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere.

This year, North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump have frequently traded threats of war and personal insults.

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IRGC commander Soleimani reaffirms full support for Palestinian resistance groups

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 07:22PM

Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' Quds Force, has reaffirmed the Islamic Republic's full support for Palestinian resistance movements.

Soleimani made the remarks in a phone call on Monday with commanders of Hamas' military wing, Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, which has been defending the blockaded Gaza Strip against Israel's acts of aggression, and the Islamic Jihad resistance movement.

The senior IRGC commander also urged all resistance movements in the region to boost their readiness to defend the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Soleimani's comments came amid simmering tensions in the occupied territories of Palestine following a decision by US President Donald Trump to formally recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel.

Trump on Wednesday defied global warnings and said Washington formally recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the "capital" of Israel and would begin the process of moving its embassy to the occupied city, breaking with decades of American policy.

The announcement prompted harsh international warnings that it would bring more chaos to the Middle East region. Several protests have been held in many countries over the past days against the US and Israel.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held talked on phone with Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, saying that unity and resistance of the oppressed Palestinian people and other Muslim nations would definitely lead to the failure of the US-Zionist plan to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's "capital."

Rouhani added that the "insulting" move by the US president was a vicious plan against Palestine and the Muslim world, urging all Muslims to stand against it in unison.

Also on Monday, the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said Trump's decision to formally recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel had made the United States and White House isolated in the world.

Hezbollah leader also stated that the most important response to be given to Trump was to declare the beginning of a new intifada, noting that "Trump's decision on al-Quds will be the beginning of the end of Israel."

Clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters on Monday, who took to the streets for the fifth consecutive day to censure the US president's decision.

Israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets in several areas across the occupied West Bank, including Ramallah and Nablus, to disperse the Palestinian demonstrators, who threw rocks at them in return.

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More than 8 million people in Yemen step away from famine: UN warns

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 06:47PM

The United Nations has warned that 8.4 million people in war-torn Yemen are "a step away from famine", as warplanes belong to the Saudi-led military coalition are ceaselessly pounding the impoverished country.

Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, raised the alarm on Monday, adding that though a Saudi-imposed crippling blockade had been slightly eased the situation in the Arab country remained dire.

"The continuing blockade of ports is limiting supplies of fuel, food and medicines; dramatically increasing the number of vulnerable people who need help," he said in a statement.

On November 6, Saudi Arabia announced that it was shutting down Yemen's air, sea, and land borders, after Yemeni fighters targeted an international airport near the Saudi capital of Riyadh with a cruise missile in retaliation for Saudi's devastating aerial bombardment campaign against Yemen.

The crippling blockade has exerted further pressure on Yemeni people, who receive desperately needed humanitarian assistance through the western port city of Hudaydah and an international airport in the capital Sana'a, both under the tight siege.

The world body has already made a plea for the so-called coalition to lift its blockade, warning that without aid shipments "untold thousands of innocent victims, among them many children, will die" and that its partial lifting was not enough.

"The lives of millions of people, including 8.4 million Yemenis who are a step away from famine, hinge on our ability to continue our operations and to provide health, safe water, food, shelter and nutrition support," McGoldrick added.

The figure provided by the UN official marked an increase from past UN estimates of around 8 million people on the verge of famine.

The Saudi war machine, propelled by a constant flow of US and UK arms supplies, spearheads a military campaign that has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement and reinstate the former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of the regime in Riyadh.

According to latest figures, the war has so far killed over 12,000 Yemenis and wounded thousands more. The Saudi aggression has also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

The World Health Organization figures show that around 960,000 suspected cases of cholera and 2,219 deaths have been documented since the deadly epidemic broke out in April in the impoverished country, where 8 million people also face war-triggered famine.

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Saudi warplanes kill at least 14 people in north, south Yemen

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 06:24PM

At least 14 people have been killed after warplanes belong to the Saudi-led military coalition hit residential localities across the war-torn Yemen.

Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported on Monday that earlier in the day Saudi warplanes had launched a number of airstrikes on Hamli neighborhood in Moze district of the southwestern province of Ta'izz that led to the killing of at least six civilians after their vehicles were hit by the aerial aggression.

The report added that later in the day, eight other civilians also lost their lives after Saudi fighter jets bombarded an educational center in Kataf district in the northwestern province of Sa'ada.

The report further said that Saudi warplanes had conducted multiple airstrikes against the Yemeni provinces of Jawf, Shabwah, Sana'a and Hajjah since morning, the possible casualties of which were not reported yet.

During the past recent weeks, Saudi war machine has killed dozens of Yemenis, mostly women and children, in the impoverished country.

Separately, a security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told al-Masirah that Yemeni forces, in a retaliatory attack, managed to destroy two military vehicles of the Saudi mercenaries as they were attempting to go through a passageway in Ta'izz's Moze district.

Elsewhere in Jawf province, Houthi Ansarullah fighters targeted gatherings of Saudi mercenaries with rocket and mortar fire.

The developments came after Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed on last Monday while attempting to escape the capital Sana'a to Ma'arab province. This came shortly after he broke ranks with Houthis in favor of the Saudi-led coalition.

On November 6, Saudi Arabia announced that it was shutting down Yemen's air, sea, and land borders, after Yemeni fighters targeted an international airport near the Saudi capital with a cruise missile in retaliation for Saudi's devastating aerial bombardment campaign against Yemen.

The tight blockade has exerted further pressure on Yemeni people, who receive desperately needed humanitarian assistance through the western port city of Hudaydah and an international airport in the capital Sana'a, both under the crippling siege.

The United Nations has already made a plea for the so-called coalition to remove its blockade, warning that without aid shipments "untold thousands of innocent victims, among them many children, will die" and that its partial lifting was not enough.

The Saudi-led military campaign, propelled by a constant flow of US and UK arms supplies, has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement and reinstate the former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of the regime in Riyadh.

Latest figures show that the war has so far killed over 12,000 Yemenis and wounded thousands more. The Saudi aggression has also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

The World Health Organization says around 960,000 suspected cases of cholera and 2,219 deaths have been documented since the deadly epidemic broke out in April in the crisis-hit country, where 8 million people also face war-triggered famine.

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EU launches major military pact to boost cooperation among members

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 04:44PM

The European Union has launched a massive military pact as it seeks to coordinate policies and projects among member states in the face of alleged threats from the east of the continent.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, unveiled on Monday the Permanent Structured Cooperation, known as PESCO, which was signed by 25 participating EU member states.

The commission said the states are also set to endorse on Tuesday the European Defense Fund (EDF), a project with an annual budget of 1.5 billion euro.

The schemes are part of EU efforts to better coordinate military projects and policies among members and to boost the bloc's military capabilities in the face of alleged threats from Russia in the east.

European Commission Chief Jean-Claude Juncker said endorsing the initiative was long overdue as a main component of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty, which underpins the modern EU.

"She is awake, the Sleeping Beauty of the Lisbon Treaty," Juncker said, adding, "I welcome the steps taken today by member states to lay the foundations of a European Defense Union. Europe cannot and should not outsource our security and defense."

PESCO, a batch of 17 military schemes, includes a German-led "crisis response operation core" to speed up the deployment of troops to crisis situations, which would begin with a study phase. It also contains a project led by Belgium to develop submarine drones to tackle mines at sea and the creation of "cyber rapid response teams" led by Lithuania.

Denmark, Malta and Britain are EU members absent from the scheme. Britain, the mightiest military power in Europe which has decided to leave the EU, has opposed anything that might lead to the creation of a European army.

Western governments have been at odds with Russia over a number of issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, accusing Moscow of having hand in the conflict. Russia rejects the allegation.

This comes as Moscow has already been dismayed by NATO's increased military activities on Russia's western borders. Moscow says the Western military alliance seeks to establish permanent presence near Russia by gradually building up forces there.

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EU Members Formally Agree To Launch Defense Cooperation Structure

RFE/RL December 11, 2017

BRUSSELS -- Twenty-five European Union member states have taken the formal decision to establish a new defense and security cooperation network.

Meeting in Brussels on December 11, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and 23 other member states adopted the decision to establish the Permanent Structured Cooperation on security and defense, or PESCO.

The move comes a month after EU foreign and defense ministers from 23 member states notified EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini about their willingness to launch the initiative.

Mogherini hailed the signing of the document as a "historic moment."

"This is the beginning of a common work. Twenty-three member states engaging both on capabilities and on operational steps is something big," she said.

Portugal and Ireland later joined the project, leaving Britain, Denmark, and Malta as the only EU states not participating.

The 25 countries have also agreed on an initial list of 17 concrete projects to be undertaken under PESCO.

These projects are expected to be formally adopted in early 2018 and include the establishment of a European medical command and an information-sharing platform in response to cybernetic attacks and threats.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-members-launch-defense- cooperation-structure-pesco/28909760.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Croats Honor Convicted War Criminal Praljak

RFE/RL December 11, 2017

Several thousand people have attended a ceremony in Zagreb to honor convicted Bosnian Croat war criminal Slobodan Praljak, who died of cyanide poisoning last month.

The 72-year-old Praljak drank from a vial moments after a UN appeals judge upheld his 20-year sentence on war crimes charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on November 29. He died shortly afterward.

About 2,000 people, including two government ministers, filled the main concert hall in Zagreb on December 11 to attend the ceremony, while hundreds more crowded together into the building's entry and hallways to watch on giant TV screens.

Praljak had a private funeral in Zagreb last week, according to Croatian media reports.

A former commander of Bosnian Croat forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina's 1992-95 war, Praljak was convicted in 2013 of crimes including murder, persecution, and deportation for his role in a plan to carve out a Bosnian Croat ministate in Bosnia in the early 1990s.

Many in Croatia consider Praljak a hero despite his conviction for war crimes. For days after his death, Praljak's photo was on display at Zagreb's main square, where people lit candles.

Also on December 11, members of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights group lit candles in downtown Zagreb for the victims of the Bosnian war, urging condemnation of the era's belligerent policies, and stating they do not sympathize with war criminals.

Croatian officials have criticized the ruling against Praljak and five other former Bosnian Croat officials.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic initially slammed the "deep moral injustice" of the court's verdict for the six men. But Plenkovic later recanted his criticism, saying that Croatia, which is a member of the European Union and NATO, respected the decisions of the UN court.

"The position is very clear: the verdict is respected," he said on December 5, during a news conference in Bosnia.

Plenkovic also said he wanted "to express regrets and condolences very clearly for all the victims of the crimes mentioned in this verdict."

With reporting by AFP and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/croatia-bosnian-croat-war- criminal-praljak-honored/28910360.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US, Afghan Forces Launch Offensive to Block Daesh Expansion in Afghanistan

Sputnik News

22:00 11.12.2017

US and Afghan special operations groups are preparing an offensive against Daesh strongholds in northwestern Afghanistan in an attempt to prevent the fractured militant group from continuing their expansion into Afghanistan's northern provinces.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Radmanish announced the initiative, which is planned to begin in December, possibly before the week is out.

"These operations are to chase the enemy  the terrorists who oppose the Afghan people and the Afghan National Defense Security Forces," he said.

It won't be their first go at it. US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) attempted to stop the local Daesh branch, the so-called "Islamic State-Khorasan Province," or ISIS-K, from setting up shop in east Afghanistan in 2015. But their efforts failed, and the group has gained a foothold in the embattled Central Asian nation.

As the name suggests, this particular Daesh group is based out of Khorasan  but since then, they've been increasingly appearing in Jowzjan and Faryab provinces along the country's northern border with Turkmenistan. Stripes reports that most of the fighters have come from Pakistan's Tehrik-i-Taliban group, crossing the border for the promise of higher pay.

Not only that, intelligence reports have been trickling in that veteran fighters fleeing the collapse of the militant group's territory in Iraq and Syria may bolster ISIS-K's ranks in Afghanistan.

USFOR-A deny this to be the case, but press reports from AFP say that this transfer has already begun. They reported that militants were spotted entering Daesh-held territory in Jowzjan province in November  including several known to have been fighting in Iraq or Syria.

Lt. Col. Kone Faulkner, a US military spokesman, said that the Pentagon had "nothing substantial to corroborate those reports."

Regardless of whether Iraqi and Syrian fighters are joining ISIS-K, USFOR-A have made their intentions clear: the total annihilation of Daesh's presence in Afghanistan. "We're committed to their destruction wherever they appear across the country," said Gen. John Nicholson, who commands USFOR-A, in late November.

Nicholson added that the US has killed over 1,600 ISIS-K fighters across 1,400 ground operations and air strikes since March. Most notable was the dropping of a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB), commonly known as "the mother of all bombs," on a Daesh cave network in April that killed an estimated 100 ISIS-K fighters.

ISIS-K has been linked to several destructive terrorist attacks, including an assault on local forces in the northern Sar-e-Pul province in August that left around 50 dead and a suicide bombing in Kabul that killed 14.

They are believed to have around 1,100 fighters spread throughout the country, down from a high of 3,000 at the beginning of 2017.

 Sputnik

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Putin: Long-Term, Fair Solutions Needed to Settle IsraeliPalestinian Conflict

Sputnik News

20:20 11.12.2017(updated 20:51 11.12.2017)

Putin has discussed bilateral ties between Russia and Egypt during the talks with his counterpart Sisi, as well as the situation in the Middle East, including the Israeli-Palestinian settlement in the wake of the controversial decision made by US President Donald Trump last week.

Russia and Egypt "advocate for a swift resumption of the direct Palestinian-Israeli dialogue on all controversial issues, including the status of Jerusalem. Long-term and fair agreements respecting the interests of both sides are needed," President Vladimir Putin has stated following the talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Sisi, adding that such agreements must be in accordance with the decisions of the international community that had been earlier adopted.

"We consider any steps that anticipate the outcome of the dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israelis to be counterproductive. We believe that such steps are destabilizing, do not help resolve the situation, but, on the contrary, provoke conflict," the Russian president said.

Commenting on US President Donald Trump's controversial decision on the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli state, that has been widely condemned by Arab states, as well as many countries voicing support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry has previously stated that Moscow was concerned about the move and called on all sides to show restraint.

Ahead of Washington's announcement, Putin and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas discussed the Middle East peace process, with the Russian president expressing support for the immediate resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations on all controversial issues, including the status of Jerusalem.

Israel declared Jerusalem its "single and indivisible" capital, including its eastern districts and historic center, repulsed half a century ago from Jordan and later annexed. The world community does not recognize the annexation and considers the status of the city to be one of the core problems of the Middle East conflict, which should be resolved on the basis of an agreement with the Palestinians, which claim the eastern part of Jerusalem. In this regard, all foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv.

Situation in Syria and Fight Against Terrorism

The two leaders have also discussed the situation in Syria, with President Vladimir Putin saying that Russia and Egypt have agreed to strengthen coordination of efforts to promote the peace process in the country.

"We are grateful to our Egyptian partners for supporting the Russian initiative to convene the Syrian National Dialogue Congress. We are planning to involve in its work various groups of opposition, including representatives of the so-called Moscow and Cairo platforms," Putin added.

In his turn, Sisi said that he had discussed political crises in Libya and Syria with Putin, noting that Egypt's position coincided with Russia's in terms of the need for expansion of de-escalation zones in the Arab Republic to create necessary conditions for further peace talks between all religious and ethnic groups.

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (right) and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin at the meeting in Cairo

According to the Egyptian president, Moscow and Cairo have agreed to exchange reconnaissance information to fight against terrorism.

At the same time, Putin said, "We agreed to expand ties in the military and defense industry areas. First of all, in order to strengthen the anti-terrorist potential of the Egyptian Armed Forces."

Putin and Sisi met shortly after the Russian president announced the withdrawal of troops from Syria, emphasizing that the country's sovereignty and independence has been preserved thanks to the successful anti-terrorist operation, adding that conditions for the political settlement in the country under the auspices of the UN have been created and the refugees, that had to flee their homes, may return.

Egypt-Russia Ties

Speaking about the long-awaited resumption of direct flights with Egypt that have been suspended after the deadliest plane crash in history of the Russian aviation that took place in the Sinai in 2015, Putin said, "In this time, the Egyptian side did great work on increasing the level of security in airports. The Russian security service reported to me that we are overall ready for resumption of direct flights between Moscow and Cairo."

Russia will seek to sign an agreement with Egypt on resumption of direct flights very soon, the president added.

A Kogalymavia Airbus A321 passenger airliner, with 217 passengers and seven crew members on board, crashed in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on October 31, 2015, leaving no survivors. Russia designated the incident as a terrorist act.

Following the crash, Russia suggested that Egypt should increase security measures, while Cairo made security upgrades in its airports after the tragedy in an effort to comply with Russian demands and resume air traffic.

Commenting on bilateral trade, Putin said that investment in the Russian industrial zone near Egypt's northeastern city of Port Said could total $7 billion. "We believe that it will become the biggest regional center for the manufacturing and delivery of Russian goods to the markets of the Middle Eastern countries and Africa. Leading Russian companies are already expressing interest in this project."

The trade turnover between Russia and Egypt has grown by 1.5 times during the first nine months of 2017 and exceeded $4 billion, Putin said, adding that "Russia has always recognized the particular importance of the development of friendly and mutually beneficial relations with Egypt, our long-standing and reliable partner in the Middle East and North Africa."

During the meeting, Russia and Egypt signed in Cairo on Monday the decrees on the implementation of the contracts on the construction of the Dabaa nuclear power plant (NPP) with Russia's participation. The two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the construction and the operation of the first Egyptian nuclear power plant in the Dabaa area on the Mediterranean Sea coast using Russian technology in 2015.

 Sputnik

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US, Japanese, S Korean Drills Not Contributing to Region's Security  Beijing

Sputnik News

19:50 11.12.2017(updated 19:53 11.12.2017)

China has repeatedly reiterated its call on the parties involved to consider Beijing-Moscow plan aimed at settling the conflict, which stipulates the simultaneous halt of the US-South Korean war games and North Korea nuclear tests.

"Yet another military exercise, carried out by the United States, Japan and South Korea under the current circumstances on the Korean peninsula, is noteworthy. The situation on the Korean peninsula is in a vicious circle of constant confrontation. This does not contribute to security and stability in the region. If this vicious cycle leads to chaos or even war on the Korean peninsula, then this will not definitely be in anybody's interests," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang has stated.

Beijing has called on all involved countries to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea and exert more efforts aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region, as well as bring the sides to the negotiation table instead of escalating the situation.

Last week, the Japanese and South Korean Defense Ministry announced that the two countries would hold two-day navy drills jointly with the United States starting on Monday in the light of latest developments in the region.

According to the press release, the sides will train in exchange of information in case of a ballistic missile launch. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces noted that the drills conducted by the three countries will become the sixth ones of such kind.

The drills, which involve US Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Stethem, South Korea's navy destroyer Ryu Seong-Ryong (DDG 993), as well as Japan's Kongo-class guided missile destroyer Choukai, come less than two weeks after North Korea launched its Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile reportedly capable of traveling some 8,000 miles and reaching Washington DC.

China has repeatedly reiterated its call on the parties involved to consider Beijing-Moscow so-called "double freeze" plan aimed at settling the conflict, which stipulates the simultaneous halt of the US-South Korean war games and North Korea nuclear tests. The proposal, which according to Moscow "is still on the table," has so far been rejected by Washington.

 Sputnik

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Hamas Vows to Retaliate For Israel's Airstrikes: 'Enemy Will Pay the Price'

Sputnik News

13:53 11.12.2017

The Palestinian Hamas movement has prepared its response to Israel's recent airstrikes on Gaza, which had been carried out in the wake of the US decision on Jerusalem.

"The enemy will pay the price for breaking the rules of engagement with the resistance in Gaza.  The coming days will prove to the enemy the great error and misjudgment of the will and determination of the resistance," a representative of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said in a statement, commenting on the December 8 Israeli airstrikes that killed two and wounding 15 others, as quoted by Press TV.

The statement echoes another Hamas pledge made a few days earlier, calling for an "intifada" against Israel, with the previous uprisings in 1987-1993 and 2000-2005 leaving hundreds of Israelis and thousands of Palestinians dead.

"The battle for Jerusalem continues hour by hour above- and below-ground, and thousands of jihadist fighters are working and preparing at this moment in the darkest conditions, equipped for the battle to liberate Jerusalem.  The brigades salute the angry masses struggling for Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque and call them to continue the intifada by all means of resistance," Hamas said.

Israel's attacks on the occupied territories have been carried out in response to rocket strikes, which were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile shield, with no casualties reported. The strikes coincided with tensions further escalating in the region over US President Donald Trump's announcement on December 6 recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

According to information received by Sputnik from a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization on Saturday, the former rivals, Palestinian fundamentalist organization Hamas and Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political party, have signed an alliance agreement to stand against the US decision, following a new round of reconciliation talks under the mediation of Egyptian authorities. The next day, the movements signed an agreement with both sides promising it would usher in a new era of Palestinian unity.

In the wake of Trump's move, condemned by a number of states, predominantly in the Arab world, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has decided not to hold a planned meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence to protest Trump's move.

 Sputnik

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Netanyahu Hopes EU to Follow Trump's 'Recognition of Reality' on Jerusalem

Sputnik News

10:29 11.12.2017(updated 20:03 11.12.2017)

The Israeli prime minister has continued meetings with European officials following US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he expected most EU countries to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, following the US' recent move on the issue.

Netanyahu was greeted by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini during the first official visit of an Israeli prime minister to the EU in 22 years.

In her turn, Mogherini has stated, "I know that Prime Minister Netanyahu mentioned a couple of times that he expects others to follow President Trump's decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem. He can keep his expectations for others because from the European Union member states' side, this move will not come."

Mogherini has addressed the Jerusalem issue recently escalated after the US move on it, saying that the union would continue to recognize the "international consensus" on Jerusalem.

According to Netanyahu, it is time for the Palestinian side to recognize the Jewish state and Jerusalem as its capital.

"I think what President Trump has done is put facts squarely on the table. Peace is based on reality. Peace is based on recognizing reality and I think the fact that Jerusalem is Israel's capital is clearly evident," Netanyahu said in the Belgian capital of Brussels during a press briefing.

This position echoes his previous statement made the day before, urging Palestinians to agree on the Jerusalem issue and "to sit and negotiate peace" during his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

The US president has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and signed a document to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the heavily disputed city, sparking violently negative reactions around the world. The sharpest rebukes to the move, however, have come from the European Union and the Middle East.

The issue of the Israeli settlement policy is among the key obstacles to the the peace process between Israel and Palestine, which is seeking diplomatic recognition for its independence on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which are partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity and continues to build settlements in the occupied areas, despite objections from the United Nations.

 Sputnik

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EU to Netanyahu: Jerusalem Must be Capital of Two States

By Chris Hannas, Ken Bredemeier December 11, 2017

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he believes most or all European countries will move their embassies to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel's capital, following last week's declaration by U.S. President Donald Trump to do the same.

Speaking in Brussels alongside European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Netanyahu said Trump's recognition of Jerusalem "put facts squarely on the table" and that "peace is based on reality."

"Jerusalem is Israel's capital. No one can deny. It doesn't obviate peace; it makes peace possible because recognizing reality is the substance of peace. It's the foundation of peace," Netanyahu said.

Mogherini, however, rebuffed Netanyahu, saying the EU will not join Trump in recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

"We believe the only realistic solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine is based on two states with Jerusalem as the capital of both the state of Israel and the state of Palestine," Mogherini said.

She pledged to increase work with partners in the region, including Egypt and Jordan, as well as the Israelis and Palestinians themselves to relaunch the peace process, "even if it seems like difficult times."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech while visiting Egypt, also stressed the need for "the immediate resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks over all disputed issues, including the status of Jerusalem."

Mogherini said the worst that can happen at this time is an escalation of violence and tension, and she condemned "in the strongest way" all attacks against Jews and Israel.

Protests against Trump's decision continued Monday, with tens of thousands of people turning out for a Hezbollah rally in Beirut, Lebanon, and chanting, "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" Protesters carried banners saying, "Jerusalem, Eternal Capital of Palestine."

In Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, demonstrators burned U.S. and Israeli flags in front of the American embassy in another day of protests against Trump's decision.

Ahead of the visit to Brussels to meet with EU foreign ministers, Netanyahu had criticized European leaders for what he called their "hypocrisy" in standing against Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and set in motion the process of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the city.

"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," the Israeli leader said Saturday.

He added Sunday after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron that Jerusalem has always been Israel's capital, adding, "The sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we'll move toward peace."

Macron condemned attacks on Israel, but said he opposes Trump's decision on Jerusalem. Macron described it as a "breach of international law and a risk for peace...because I believe these statements do not serve security, including the security of Israel and the Israelis."

On Sunday, the Arab League called Trump's 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."

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" with a decision that previous U.S. presidents refused to make.

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 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.''

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New Indonesian Armed Forces Chief Seen as Ally of President

By Krithika Varagur December 11, 2017

The new head of Indonesia's armed forces, Air Force chief Hadi Tjahjanto, is seen as a close ally of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who had a tense relationship with the retiring General Gatot Nurmantyo, an outspoken figure who is thought to have political ambitions of his own.

Tjahjanto was sworn in last Friday and has spent several stints in Solo, the Central Java city that is also the hometown of current President Jokowi, who was the city's popular mayor before he ascended to the nation's highest office.

Tjahjanto's and Jokowi's families are said to be close and the appointment will likely be a relief for the latter, who is the first Indonesian president without military ties.

Tjahjanto also served as Jokowi's "military secretary" from 2014 to 2016.

He grew up in an Air Force family in East Java and was reportedly known as "otak setan," or demon brain, as a promising high school student in Malang. Tjahjanto is now 54 years old, so he could theoretically serve his full four-year-term unlike Gatot, who resigned shortly before he turned the mandatory retirement age of 58.

"For the first time in three years, we can say that Jokowi has finally found his man as the [Indonesian military] commander," said Evan Laksmana, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta. "Hopefully this will give Jokowi the impetus to invest a little more in military leadership, not just with Hadi but all around."

A more subdued leader

"We're probably going to see less political maneuvering from Tjahjanto," said Laksmana, compared to Gatot. Gatot was known for holding off-the-cuff press conferences and maintaining a generally high public profile through entanglements like being barred from entering the United States just last month.

"I don't think he will be assertive as Gatot, who has very clear ambitions for higher office," said Yohanes Sulaiman, a defense lecturer at General Achmad Yani University. "Hadi knows he is lucky to become the head of the military despite some discussion about problems with his leadership in the Air Force," said Sulaiman, like the controversial purchase of helicopters by the military last year.

New priorities

Tjahjanto has outlined five priorities for his term, ranging from "cyber war" to terrorism to the South China Sea.

The emergence of non-state actors with varying motives has increased instability in a number of areas like the Middle East, Iraq, Syria and Asia and North Korea, said Tjahjanto. He stated the need for the military to deal with "contemporary threats and transnational crimes," not just conventional warfare.

"Every military commander brings his own plans and goals," said Laksmana. "Rebuilding the air force command will be more prominent under Tjahjanto there are existing plans, for example, to expand air force bases, especially on the outer islands of the country, which haven't been a major priority under the last commander."

With regards to his overall agenda, Laksmana suggested that Tjahjanto's outlook "skews external, and possibly more maritime, in outlook" to that of his predecessor, whose agenda included influencing the domestic discourse.

"But I doubt you will see super drastic changes when it comes to actual policies," he said, in part because Tjahjanto is somewhat junior compared to his peers, so there will be a "bargaining and accommodation" period while he establishes relationships to carry out his agenda.

Gatot's Legacy

It is safe to say that Gatot will not simply be retiring into a quiet life next year. Just before his term ended, he shuffled 85 high-ranking officers from across the military into new roles, seemingly to leave his imprint on the internal command.

Several actors who might challenge Jokowi in his 2019 reelection bid come from the armed forces, from Gatot to retired General Prabowo Subianto, who narrowly lost to Jokowi in 2014. That being said, a recent poll indicated Jokowi is far and away the most popular candidate for the next presidential election, and the appointment of Tjahjanto may further help manage his relations with the military.

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Honduras' Unresolved Election Sparks More Protest

By Celia Mendoza December 11, 2017

Angry supporters of Honduran opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla blockaded some capital city streets with burning tires Monday, protesting what they contend is election fraud.

Nasralla called for a nationwide strike after a partial recount of votes cast two weeks ago in Honduras' presidential election ended Sunday with conservative incumbent Juan Orlando Hernandez holding a narrow lead. The winner has not yet been declared.

"The truth is that we have two people with a lot of support. It's a very competitive, tight election," said David Matamoros, who, as president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, is overseeing the hand count of votes in almost 5,000 ballot boxes from the Nov. 26 election. They're being checked for irregularities.

Matamoros said the results Sunday were "extremely consistent" with earlier findings, with 43 percent for Hernandez, of the National Party, and 41.4 percent for Nasralla of the opposition Alliance Party.

Nasralla, a TV sportscaster who had an unexpected five-point lead for a time on election night, alleged misconduct in the review.

"They are implying that they are reviewing the votes," Nasralla told VOA. "... What they are reviewing are papers that Juan Orlando Hernandez [had] put into the ballot box, but not on the actual day of the vote."

Recount demanded and recommended

Nasralla said he would not recognize the results, demanding a full recount.

The next step is for the elections tribunal to weigh electoral challenges approximately 150, according to the Associated Press. The tribunal has 30 days from the election to announce the result, giving it a December 26 deadline.

Matamoros told VOA that national and international observers' issues with verification "will be carried out so that there is no doubt whatsoever about who won."

Observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) last week issued a series of recommendations, including a recount of disputed ballots.

The United States' charge d'affaires for Honduras, Heidi Fulton, put out a statement repeating "our call for all involved in the electoral process to support a transparent, impartial, timely and peaceful determination of the election result, consistent with Honduran law, in a manner that maximizes citizen participation and represents the will of the Honduran people."

Fraud denial

The National Party's deputy, David Chavez, disputed accusations of fraud.

"We firmly believe that the process has been transparent.These organizations have been guarantors," Chavez said. He added that "the loser does not like to lose. And they do not have that democratic spirit. ...They have to be men when accepting defeat, and unfortunately this is not going to happen."

Thousands of protesters took to the streets Sunday in numerous cities to show support for Nasralla.Among them was Elsa Marina Lopez de Rivas, a 61-year-old homemaker marching in Tegucigalpa, the capital city.

"All of us who walk here are fighting for our votes, because we voted for President Salvador Nasaralla, we did not vote for Mr. Juan Orlando," Lopez said. "We no longer want [Hernandez] because he has done a lot of damage. We don't have security, we don't have employment, so we have to defend our votes here. "

Roughly two-thirds of the country's nine million people live in poverty, according to the World Bank.

The Central American country is rife with violence and has one of the world's highest murder rates, Human Rights Watch observes.

At least 14 people have died in protests following the election.

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Tokyo, Seoul, Washington Practice Detecting North Korean Missiles in Joint Drill

Sputnik News

01:06 12.12.2017

Japan, South Korea and the US began joint military exercises on Monday to test their ability to track potential ballistic missile launches from North Korea, as tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to build with few signs of calming.

The two-day exercise took place in the Sea of Japan and involved four warships: the Japanese JDS Chokai guided missile destroyer, the South Korean DDG Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong destroyer, and the American USS Stethem and Decatur guided missile destroyers.

All of them were equipped with the Aegis ballistic missile defense system. The American-made missile defense system is meant to detect, track and shoot down incoming missiles. "During the drill, Aegis warships from each country will simulate detecting and tracking down potential ballistic missiles from the North and sharing information," the South Korean Defense Ministry wrote.

This is the sixth trilateral drill between the three nations since June 2016.

The drill comes after a Pyongyang test of their new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-15, in late November. While the test failed due to the missile's faulty re-entry mechanism, the Hwasong-15 was shown to have nearly global reach. North Korea declared that they had officially achieved nuclear statehood, sending peninsula tensions skyrocketing.

Shortly after the Hwasong-15 test, the US and South Korea began their largest ever joint air drill, Vigilant Ace. The exercises involved 230 aircraft, including F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters and B-1B strategic bombers that can be equipped with nuclear payloads. Nearly 12,000 American soldiers participated in the drills over the unfriendly skies of the Korean Peninsula.

While Vigilant Ace is an annual exercise that had been announced long in advance, it brought criticism of the US from Moscow and Beijing. The US' fellows on the UN Security Council chastised the Americans for continuing a cycle of provocation with Pyongyang.

"The situation is in a vicious cycle of provocation and confrontation. This is not conducive to regional peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said during a press conference. "If such a vicious cycle continues and leads to a very bad result, it serves no party's interest."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has traveled to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, meant to smooth over relations. Although overshadowed by the broader problem of North Korea's missile program, China has been vocally displeased with South Korea's deployment of the American-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) earlier in 2017 and the general strengthening of military ties between Seoul and Washington.

Meanwhile, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian military, met with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera in Tokyo and called on the Japanese government to push for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

"We believe that this issue should only be resolved through political and diplomatic means," Gerasimov said, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry. He criticized Japanese participation in military exercises as threatening to "destabilize the situation."

Onodera replied that "North Korea's nuclear and missile development are significant threats against the international community. I want us to cooperate over this problem."

China is North Korea's dominant trade partner, accounting for over three quarters of all their foreign trade. Russia is a distant second. Both nations have agreed to UN sanctions levied against North Korea as retaliation for the expansion of their nuclear missile program.

 Sputnik

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Al-Qaida Seeks to Capitalize on Muslim Anger Over Jerusalem

By Jamie Dettmer December 10, 2017

Al-Qaida is seeking to to exploit Muslim anger over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to present itself as the true defender of Islam and the Palestinians.

The jihadist group posted Saturday a 17-minute audio message from Osama bin Laden son's, Hamza, in which he lambasts Saudi Arabia's royal family, accusing the House of Saud of betraying the cause of Palestine.

Analysts suspect the audio message was recorded by Hamza, who's been dubbed by the media the 'Crown Prince of Terror," before Trump's midweek announcement, in which the U.S. leader said his administration would start the process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

His message  the third in a series of three inciting violence against the Saudi establishment  makes no mention of Trump's decision, but the timing of its release appears to be a bid to capitalize on it, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, a U.S. research group that monitors jihadist online activity.

Hamza bin Laden, who analysts say is likely being groomed eventually to lead al-Qaida, claims in the audio message that the Saudi royal family has betrayed the Palestinians since the Ottoman era.

In 2014, Hamza was reportedly directing al-Qaida's Syria-based Khorasan Group. He lived in Iran for many years along with other family members after fleeing Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks on New York and Washington.

The timing of the release of his message may have been prompted by criticism of al-Qaida by its rival the Islamic State.

While condemning Trump's decision to reverse long-standing U.S. policy on Jerusalem, IS also took aim at its jihadist competitor and other militants as well as Arab leaders, sneering at them for having done little to back the Palestinians and for using Palestine to suit their own purposes.

In an editorial in the Islamic State's weekly online newspaper, the group complained of the hypocrisy of rivals, charging, "Sixty years [have passed] and Al-Quds has been in the Jews' hands, and then people are crying the moment the Crusaders declared it today a capital for them [i.e. for the Jews]."

IS claimed to be the true guardian of Jerusalem and the city's Al Aqsa Mosque.

Palestine and Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza have been key themes of jihadist narratives going back to Hamza's father, Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaida's central leadership invoked the group's founder in its initial statement condemning Trump, quoting him as saying once, "I swear by Allah, America and those who live in America shall never even dream of peace until we experience it as a reality in Palestine."

In response to Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, al-Qaida leaders declared: "The surest and shortest way to confront the aggression and arrogance of America, the Pharaoh of this age, is through Jihad."

Previous U.S. administrations have declined to honor a 1995 vote in Congress to move the embassy to Jerusalem for fear both of undermining Mideast peace negotiations and of playing into the hands of militants.

Last week, when urging the Trump administration against reversing U.S. policy, Jordan's King Abdullah warned that moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would provoke extremists and cause anguish across the already volatile Middle East.

During a meeting with U.S. congressmen, the Jordanian monarch warned the decision would be exploited by terrorists and used "to stoke anger, frustration and despair to spread their ideologies." Jordanian intelligence officials say they warned their American counterparts that by recognizing Jerusalem, hostility against the U.S. would increase, making it harder for Jordan and other moderate Arab governments to cooperate openly with America.

In the wake of Trump's decision, Palestinian militants have threatened to target U.S. "interests and installations throughout our occupied land."Al-Qaida affiliates have been quick to fan the flames of Muslim anger.

The spokesman of Somalia-based Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen urged Muslims to take up weapons and conquer Jerusalem by force. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula said Jerusalem was not Trump's property to sell to "the Jews," and it vowed to provide Palestinians with any support they require.

"Bin Laden's outfit has long sought to tie the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to its mission, even though the group has had little to do with it," argues Thomas Joscelyn, an analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank. Writing in the "Long War Journal," he cautioned, "That could change in the future."

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Military Seeks to Learn Lessons of 2017 Hurricane Season

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2017  The most recent hurricane season was not unprecedented in terms of the number of storms, but it was unprecedented in terms of damage, the commander of U.S. Army North said in a recent interview.

Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan said hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria delivered a combination of blows that caused great damage in Texas, Florida, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and the military learned a great deal about defense support to civil authorities in the process.

Thousands of military personnel from all components mobilized and deployed to help the affected areas, and Buchanan -- as the Joint Force Land Component commander -- was in the thick of it.

U.S. Army North is the Army component for U.S. Northern Command. It works hand in glove with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the three storms were the largest domestic incident response in the history of that agency. "It was much larger than Katrina [in 2005]," Buchanan said. "It was many more days and from the total response of the government aspect, it was much larger."

The swath covered by the storms contributed to the response.

Storms

Hurricane Harvey -- a Category 4 hurricane when it hit the Texas coast -- dropped record amounts of rain on Houston. Parts of the fourth largest city in the United States received more than 60 inches of rain.

Hurricane Irma -- a Category 5 storm -- hit the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida and Georgia.

Hurricane Maria -- a second Category 5 storm -- caused catastrophic damage in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The storms hit close together, with Harvey lasting from Aug. 17 to Sept. 1, Irma lasting from Aug. 30 to Sept. 12, and Maria forming Sept. 16 and finally dissipating Sept. 30.

Officials said Harvey killed 82 people, Irma claimed 134 and the official death toll from Maria is 52.

The extent of the damage from all three storms was substantial and some officials estimate it could cost up to $200 billion.

The military response matched the size of the disasters. Thousands of National Guardsmen, reservists and active-duty personnel took part in search and rescue recovery operations.

Define the Problem

There were a lot of lessons learned from the response and defense support of civil authorities, Buchanan said, adding that he is putting them together for next year. "I believe that at the operational level you have to define the problem," he said. "At the operational level the guidance is usually broad. If you spend your energy solving a problem, but you don't really know what the problem is you may be off to the races in the wrong direction.

"I should have involved my staff more in this process," he continued. "I internally defined the problem and I got a quicker answer, but I am not sure I couldn't have gotten a better, more informed position."

The three storms required different responses. The state emergency management agencies had different capacities, equipment and personnel. Texas and Florida have large emergency management agencies and large National Guard forces and the capacity to cover large incidents.

"In Texas, we sent a forward command post with about 28 guys, which we beefed up to about 80," he said. With the main headquarters for U.S. Army North in San Antonio, this acted as an extension of the command nearer the disaster area.

"In Florida, I had an even smaller footprint," he said. "We sent about 10 guys with a lot of communications capability to link in with the dual-status commander and be essentially a liaison cell."

Puerto Rico

But Puerto Rico really required something different, Buchanan said, including personal presence. He had to go to San Juan and had a much more robust headquarters.

In Puerto Rico, the island was completely overwhelmed. "It was overwhelmed first because it had weak infrastructure, it was vulnerable," he said. "There were no underground power cables, for example, it was aboveground and it was old."

The island was overwhelmed because of its small capacity and because it is isolated, the general said. "You can't drive down I-10 or I-35 to bring in a bunch of stuff or people," he said.

Finally, the power of the storms was extraordinary -- two Category 5 hurricanes separated by just 10 days. "[Maria] was a devastating storm and it didn't just glance off the island, it hit on the southeast corner and went across the island and exited on the northwest," Buchanan said. "It affected literally every part of the island. If we had the same storm in Texas or Florida, the effects would have been the same."

Puerto Rico was a mammoth effort, he said. "We flew 2,200 sorties of strategic lift flying in [Puerto Rico]," the general said. "There was more than 2,300 rotary wing flight hours."

National Guardsmen immediately responded and a Navy group centered around the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp sailed to the island as soon as it was safe enough to do so. National Guardsmen, sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen launched immediate search and rescue operations.

The hurricane cut the island off from its lifelines, so among the first tasks was reopening the airports and seaports.

Role of Culture in Recovery

The relief effort was initially a maritime command, but it switched to Buchanan's command. He said his initial lesson was that he needed to understand the culture. "Except for an overnight years before, I had never been in Puerto Rico," he said. "We really have to understand what is going on with people if we want to be effective. In the end, it is all about dealing with people. As an outsider to Puerto Rico  it is easy to make judgments and snap decisions and that is dangerous."

One aspect of the culture that jumped out to him was the power of community and the power of family. "It is far more important than it is in other areas of the United States," the general said. "Once I recognized this, I was able to provide positive reinforcement when I saw neighbors helping neighbors, and then use that as a means to understand what was important to their culture."

Buchanan said he learned that communicating with the community is an important aspect of the recovery process. "We were clearing the roads, but we were leaving the debris by the side of the road, and people wondered why," he said. "Hauling the debris away would take time from the clearance operations. Hiring a local firm to haul away the debris is cheaper, and it pumps money into the economy. We had to communicate that."

The work that followed the storms was led by Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello, who was in charge on the island, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which worked with Puerto Rican officials to determine what needed to be done. The military worked through those civilian agencies, and Buchanan said he sees no need for that to change.

A full after action report is working through the system now, the general said. He wants any recommendations made in place well before hurricane season begins in the spring.

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Explosion Rocks Central Manhattan: Four Injured, Suspect in Custody

Sputnik News

15:48 11.12.2017(updated 19:52 11.12.2017)

The US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident that took place at a bus terminal in Manhattan near Times Square. An investigation is currently underway.

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has stated that the explosion that hit central Manhattan a few hours earlier was "an attempted terrorist attack," confirming that one individual was involved in the attack.

Speaking at a joint press conference with the NYC mayor and the governor of New York, NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill has announced that the suspect in the Manhattan attack has been identified as Akayed Ullah, 27, adding that the man "made statements" to investigators indicating that the attack had been carried out in the name of the Daesh terrorist group, but "the question is did he claim connection to ISIS."

The statements were made after the New York Police Department had revealed that one person was taken into custody after the explosion, with at least four people wounded as a result of the blast, pointing out that "all injuries are non-life-threatening," which has been confirmed by the New York Fire Department as well.

According to MSNBC, citing former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, the preliminary information suggests the suspect is in his 20s, possibly from Bangladesh, living in the US for seven years, "who supposedly was setting the device off in the name of Daesh."

A minor NYC media outlet has reported that the suspect is a 27-year-old man from Brooklyn, with investigators reportedly heading to his home.

However, this information has not yet been confirmed by any official sources.

A NYPD official has revealed to NBC that the investigation into the blast is being lead by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

According to the White House, the US president has been briefed on the incident and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has also been informed of the explosion.

Meanwhile, CNN has reported that police have found 1-2 explosive devices at the scene and are still searching for additional bombs at the site.

The explosion hit a bus terminal in Manhattan near Times Square.

The emergency services and law enforcement forces are working at the site, according to photos from social media.

The NYPD has asked people to avoid the blast area, informing people that buses are bypassing the Port Authority and Times Square stations.

 Sputnik

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Would-be Terrorist Sets Off Pipe Bomb in New York

By VOA News December 11, 2017

A would-be terrorist set off a pipe bomb strapped to his chest in a pedestrian tunnel between two of New York City's busiest transportation hubs Monday.

Akayed Ullah, 27, who came to the U.S. from Bangladesh, wounded himself and three bystanders in what Mayor Bill de Blasio calls an attempted terrorist attack.

"Thank God the perpetrator dId not achieve his goals," the mayor said.

Police released pictures of the alleged bomber, lying on the ground in a fetal position. Some of his clothes were blown off and his stomach was blackened.

Doctors say the injured bystanders suffered ringing in the ears and headaches.

Federal and New York City investigators questioned Ullah from his hospital bed and searched his Brooklyn apartment.

Ullah allegedly exploded the bomb in a tunnel connecting the Port Authority Bus Terminal with the Times Square subway stop. The tunnel and stops were packed with tourists and commuters hustling to their jobs in Manhattan.

Television pictures show the tunnel filling with smoke while people streamed out of the walkway to safety, not knowing what kind of calamity would greet them outside.

Port Authority was shut down for several hours as well as major intersections right in the heart of New York.

"The fear is always present with us, those of us that live in New York," Laura Gonzalez, a New York resident who was in Port Authority Monday told VOA. But Gonzalez said that in New York, people learn "to go to work, to go shopping, to live the life we need to live."

"Crazy people are everywhere, every time, and New York is a big place, and a public place so it is normal I think," Ruben Schwartz, a tourist from Germany, told VOA.

Ullah came to the United States from Bangladesh about seven years ago and was a legal permanent U.S. resident.

"The government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world," an embassy statement said Monday.

Ullah came to the U.S. to join family members  something called family chain migration and something President Donald Trump says is "incompatible with national security."

"Congress must end chain migration," a Trump statement said Monday. "The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America's security and economy has long been clear. I'm determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first."

Ullah's alleged motives are unclear. Officials say he may have been inspired by Islamic State. They believe he acted alone.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday's blast is a sign that Congress must pass tighter restrictions for people who want to immigrate to the United States.

"We must protect our borders, we must ensure that individuals entering our country are not coming to do harm to our people, and we must move to a merit-based system of immigration," she said.

This was the second apparent terror attack in New York in the past two months.

An ISIS sympathizer drove a rented truck along a bicycle path in Manhattan in late October, killing eight.

Ramon Taylor, Asli Pelit, Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.

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Chinese military aircraft conducts exercise near Taiwan

Central News Agency

2017/12/11 19:49:01

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has carried out another airborne military exercise near Taiwan, flying its aircraft over the Miyako Strait into the Western Pacific, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Monday.

The Miyako Strait, which lies between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa, is part of Japan's exclusive economic zone but includes a narrow band of international waters and airspace.

The planes consisted of Chinese Xian H-6 bombers, Shaanxi Y-8 transport aircraft and other aircraft, the ministry said.

There were no special developments related to the drill, and most of the planes later directly returned to where they came from while one group led by the Y-8 continued south into the Bashi Channel south of Taiwan before returning to China, it said.

The ministry said the drill did not pose a threat to Taiwan, but it pledged to continue to monitor any related developments as part of its efforts to safeguard Taiwan.

China has carried out many missions in skies close to Taiwan's air defense identification zone since August. Though Taiwan's military has repeatedly downplayed the moves, military analysts believe China is using them to obtain valuable information on Taiwan's air defenses.

(By Lu Hsin-huei and Ko Lin)

Enditem/ls

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Chinese military aircraft conducts exercise near Taiwan

People's Daily Online

(Global Times) 08:01, December 11, 2017

Officers reassigned based on battle requirements

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) ground force's top priority is actual combat readiness, experts said, following the PLA's announcement that it had been selecting and deploying officers based on battle requirements.

All of the PLA Army's commanders and political commissars have been reassigned as of November after the PLA streamlined its group armies from 18 to 13 in April, PLA Daily, the military's official newspaper, reported on Saturday.

Over 90 percent of military officers from the original group armies and 40 percent from combat brigades have been transferred to help in communication and training, the report said.

Along with a military reform, the PLA Army has selected officers according to battle requirements and organized communications among officers on a large scale, the report added.

"The reform and changes reflect the PLA Army's shifting focus from management to combat in peacetime, which should be the army's first priority," said Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.

"Especially after the PLA was regrouped into five theater commands, we need more officers with comprehensive abilities at all levels to implement trans-theater mobility," Xu stressed.

These moves also serve to strengthen the PLA as mentioned in the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The PLA Army this year has been strengthening communication among military officers in different group armies to train them and select the best ones to enhance the PLA Army's ability to win a war, according to the PLA Daily report.

More than one hundred officers at the division and regiment level have been relocated to border regions, islands and highlands with tough conditions, the report said, adding that the PLA Army has chosen tough regions to train military officers.

"Enhanced communication among officers is meant to improve their ability to quickly adapt to an unfamiliar environment," Song said.

Song pointed out that experiences in tough areas will help senior officers make policies and issue commands that better address real situations and the soldiers' needs.

"It was disadvantageous for the army to station officers in one place for a long time," Xu said.

More than half of the staff at military schools and research institutes has also been assigned to posts in different places, the PLA Daily report said.

The PLA Army will also communicate with the PLA Air Force, PLA Navy and recruit capable persons from outside, according to the report.

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UN sanctions complicating aid delivery to North Korea, warns UN's rights chief

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 06:58PM

The United Nations human rights chief says tough sanctions imposed on North Korea are complicating the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid.

The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, told a special Security Council meeting on Monday that an estimated 18 million North Koreans suffered from acute food shortages and aid agencies provided "literally a lifeline" for 13 million of them.

"But sanctions may be adversely affecting this essential help," he said.

Sanctions that have tightened controls over international bank transfers "have caused a slowdown in UN ground operations, affecting the delivery of food rations, health kits and other humanitarian aid," the rights chief added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the senior UN official asked the 15-member council to conduct an assessment of the human rights impact of sanctions and urged them to take action to minimize consequences.

The remarks come as the council's sanctions committee on North Korea is set to meet later on Monday to hear a briefing from a UN humanitarian official on the impact of recent punitive measures.

In October, UN Special Rapporteur Tomas Quintana warned that sanctions on North Korea over its missile and nuclear tests could affect the country's ordinary citizens.

North Korea has been slapped with several rounds of UNSC sanctions since it conducted its first nuclear test in 2006. The US and the European Union have also imposed wide-ranging bans to isolate North Korea.

The UN imposed its toughest-ever sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang test-fired new ballistic missiles in July and then conducted its most powerful nuclear test in September.

The Security Council has slapped export bans on coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, restricted joint ventures and blacklisted a number of North Korean companies.

However, the punitive measures have so far failed to stop the North's nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang says it needs to continue and develop its military program as a deterrent in the face of hostile policies by the United States and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.

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Biohazard: North Korea Close to Acquiring Biological Weapons  Reports

Sputnik News

07:55 11.12.2017(updated 08:15 11.12.2017)

The Washington Post reported that Pyongyang has been meticulously working on biological weapons for the last decade and currently has approached the creation of this mass destruction technology.

The first fears about the North Korean biological weapons program were expressed in 2006 when US intelligence officials sent a report to Congress warning about the development of biological weapons by Pyongyang, The Washington Post newspaper reported. In 2006, North Korea could not produce biological weapons over a lack of technical skills.

According to US and Asian intelligence officials, Pyongyang has obtained the necessary technologies and is steadily moving to acquiring biological weapons.

"That the North Koreans have [biological] agents is known, by various means  The lingering question is, why have they acquired the materials and developed the science, but not yet produced weapons?" a senior US official said, as quoted by The Washington Post.

According to the newspaper, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is also sending the country's scientists abroad so that they seek advanced degrees in microbiology.

North Korea is actively working on creating weapons of mass destruction. In 2017, Pyongyang conducted a number of nuclear and missile tests, violating UNSecurity Council resolutions and causing a negative backlash in the international community.

 Sputnik

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Security tensions may have deepened rights violations in DPRK, Security Council told

11 December 2017  People's rights are reportedly violated in "almost every aspect" of their lives in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations human rights chief warned Monday, stressing that security tensions on the Korean Peninsula should not negate concerns about the situation of ordinary people there.

"I regret that it is impossible for me to point to any significant improvement in the human rights situation [] Indeed, security tensions seem to have deepened the extremely serious human rights violations endured by the DPRK's 25 million people," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein told the Security Council via video link from Paris.

He said that while his Office (OHCHR) struggles to paint the complete picture of the situation due to the lack of access to the DPRK, "escapees have reported to us extremely widespread violations of rights in almost every aspect of people's lives."

Those violations include widespread torture in detention centres, where it is used to extract information or confessions from people suspected of such activities as planning to leave the country or communicating with the outside world. Detainees work in mines or infrastructure projects in conditions of severe deprivation.

Moreover, there is absolute secrecy about people detained in the five political prison camps which are also reportedly operational, Mr. Zeid said, noting that OHCHR's interviews with persons who have left the DPRK indicate that fear of being sent to these facilities is a powerful instrument of control.

Repatriated escapees are routinely subjected to multiple forms of torture and ill-treatment at detention centres, including beatings, forced labour, deprivation of food and healthcare and sexual violence. Women are subjected to invasive body searches that may amount to rape under international law.

Mr. Zeid also said that no progress has been made regarding cases of international abductions and enforced disappearances of foreign nationals.

"The people of the DPRK also face severe violations of their economic, social and cultural rights," Mr. Zeid said, noting that they face chronic food insecurity, and pervasive corruption that is forcing even very poor people to frequently pay hefty bribes to enable their children to pursue primary or higher education, to engage in private business, and access healthcare.

Mr. Zeid said sanctions imposed by the Security Council on the DPRK may be adversely affecting the humanitarian assistance provided by UN agencies and others, which is literally a lifeline for some 13 million acutely vulnerable individuals in the country, asking the 15-member body to conduct an assessment of the human rights impact of sanctions, and minimize their adverse humanitarian consequences.

Above all, every effort must be made to ensure the Government of the DPRK makes urgent changes to the country's laws and policies, to enable greater freedom and access to fundamental services and goods.

OHCHR is strengthening monitoring efforts by recruiting criminal law experts and establishing a repository of cases to be used in future prosecutions.

While there is debate whether it is adequate for the Council to discuss human rights issues, today's meeting was OHCHR's fourth briefing to the Council on the DPRK in as many years.

Also briefing the Council was Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca, who recalled that in response to the accelerated nuclear and ballistic missile testing by the DPRK, the Council has strengthened its DPRK sanctions regime with three additional resolutions since the last briefing.

Citing the possibility that sanctions may have a detrimental impact on livelihoods and medical care, he encouraged all international and non-governmental organizations who are facing operational challenges to use the established process to inform or seek the necessary guidance or exemption from the DPRK sanctions regime.

This will help to remove ambiguity and provide reassurance for the relevant entities and partners to facilitate the work of such organizations in the DPRK, he said, urging the sanction's regime to continue to expeditiously review these requests.

Mr. Jenca also urged all Member States to support the lifesaving activities in the country, as some $114 million are required to address the critical humanitarian needs in the DPRK.

He also called on financial institutions to exercise their corporate social responsibility and provide the lifesaving banking services for humanitarian organizations in the country. The channel would be sent to the Security Council for approval.

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UN Human Rights Chief Cautions Sanctions Could Hurt Struggling N. Koreans

By Margaret Besheer December 11, 2017

The United Nations human rights commissioner has called on the Security Council to assess the impact of economic sanctions on North Korea to minimize their impact on millions of already struggling North Koreans.

"The humanitarian assistance provided by U.N. agencies and others are literally a lifeline for some 13 million acutely vulnerable individuals," Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein told council members via a video link from Paris on Monday. "Sanctions may be adversely affecting this essential help."

He cited as one example international banking restrictions, which have slowed the U.N.'s ability to deliver food rations, health kits and other humanitarian aid to citizens.

Al-Hussein briefed a special session of the council that was focused on the human rights situation in North Korea. Despite objections from China, Russia and Bolivia, the meeting went ahead due to the support of a majority of council members.

Human rights a consistent subject

This is the fourth consecutive year the council has discussed the human rights situation there, a subject usually taken up in other U.N. forums, such as the Geneva-based Human Rights Council or the General Assembly.

"The international security crisis regarding military actions taken by the government of the DPRK is inseparable from concerns about the human rights situation of ordinary people in the country," the human rights high commissioner said Monday. DPRK is the abbreviation for North Korea's formal name.

Al-Hussein said it is difficult to get a complete picture of the situation since his staff lacks access to the country, but escapees have provided accounts of the "horrific conditions" in the country's prisons and labor camps, and of the risk of repatriation if they are caught in China. He said over the past year, his office has received more than 70 reports of North Koreans who escaped to China and were returned home after the authorities ruled they were economic migrants.

"Repatriated escapees are routinely subjected to multiple forms of torture and ill-treatment at detention centers located on the border with China, including beatings, forced labor, deprivation of food and healthcare and sexual violence," the high commissioner said.

He said some escapees carry poison to take in the event they are forcibly returned home.

"In July, a family of five reportedly committed collective suicide as they were about to be taken to the DPRK for repatriation," he noted.

Gross violations

The majority of North Korean asylum-seekers are women and they are often exploited as sex workers, forced into marriages with Chinese men or used as cheap, bonded labor. Women who are repatriated to North Korea and are pregnant are often subjected to forced abortions.

In 2014, an independent commission of inquiry commissioned by the U.N. Human Rights Council interviewed scores of defectors and concluded that widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights were taking place in North Korea and that many amounted to crimes against humanity.

'Terrifying Prison'

At a separate event co-sponsored by the United States and six other countries following the council meeting, North Korean defector Ji Hyeon-A spoke emotionally about her three attempts to escape her homeland, beginning in 1998 when she was a teenager.

"I spent eight months in a re-education center and some time in China, a foreign place to me, before finally reaching South Korea in 2007," she said. Today she is an activist and author. Some 30,000 North Koreans have made it to safety in South Korea since the mid-1990s.

Dire living conditions

Ji described dire living conditions at the re-education center, noting that few residents were left alive.

"Everyone was subjected to harsh labor, and meals were so lacking that we ate raw locusts, discarded cabbage leaves and skinned frogs and rats," Ji said. "People died, withered and dehydrated from continuous diarrhea."

Ji escaped a third time from North Korea. When she was repatriated she was three months pregnant and the authorities forced her to undergo an abortion that was carried out without any anesthesia. After this, she made the perilous journey across the river to China one final time, finally succeeding and later making it to South Korea where she was reunited with some of her family members.

"North Korea is a terrifying prison," Ji said. "The Kims are underway with a vast massacre; it takes a miracle to survive there," she said of the family that runs the regime.

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Our commitment to self-defense is not a slogan: Iran FM Zarif

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 11 December 2017 / 10:31

Tehran (ISNA)  In an article published by the American newspaper The New York Times, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif referred to the current crisis in the region and said, "As Iran and its partners labor to put out fires, the arsonists in our region grow more unhinged. They're oblivious to the necessity of inclusive engagement. And yet, despite the huge stakes, important stakeholders remain reluctant to hold the arsonists to account".

Here is the full text of Mr. Zarif's article published by The New York Times:

On a crisp morning in Vienna two summers ago, hours before concluding the nuclear deal with the United States, the European Union and five other world powers, I took to Twitter to write that the landmark accord was "not a ceiling but a solid foundation."

Unfortunately, for the past 11 months, the response to Iran's good faith has been tantrums from the Trump administration. But the unreliability of the United States  from climate change to Palestine has become predictable. Our main concern now is cautioning European countries against wavering on issues beyond the scope of the nuclear agreement and following in lock step behind the White House. As the nuclear deal and the Middle East enter uncharted and potentially combustible territory, it is imperative that Europe helps ensure that we don't soon find ourselves repeating history.

More than a decade before the talks that led to the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran held similar negotiations with Britain, France and Germany. European diplomats, seeking to persuade George W. Bush's administration to give diplomacy a chance, asked us for a temporary, voluntary freeze on uranium-enrichment-related activities as a confidence-building measure. We agreed.

But placating the Americans proved difficult, and the Europeans took another wrong turn. After two years of negotiation  and under pressure from the United States  Britain, France and Germany suddenly demanded that we abandon all enrichment activities. The talks fell apart and the Europeans ended up neither stopping our nuclear program nor appeasing Washington.

Sporadic talks in the intervening years went nowhere, and by 2013, when we sat down again to negotiate  this time directly with the United States, as well  Iran had increased its number of centrifuges to 20,000 from fewer than 200 in 2005. There was no longer talk of an end to uranium enrichment on Iranian soil.

The nuclear deal is a rare triumph of diplomacy over confrontation. Undermining that would be a mistake. Europe should not pander to Washington's determination to shift focus to yet another unnecessary crisis  whether it be Iran's defensive missile program or our influence in the Middle East. This would repeat the very dynamics that preceded the nuclear deal.

Let me reiterate: Iran's military capabilities comply with international law and are entirely defensive. Our defensive posture stems from sober geostrategic calculations, as well as moral and religious convictions. Our military doctrine is also based on historical experience: During the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein rained Soviet-made missiles on our cities, some of them carrying chemical components provided by the West. The world not only kept silent, but also no country would sell Iran weapons to enable us to at least deter the aggressor.

We learned our lesson. We have honed missiles as an effective means of deterrence. And our conscious decision to focus on precision rather than range has afforded us the capability to strike back with pinpoint accuracy. Nuclear weapons do not need to be precise  conventional warheads, however, do.

Our commitment to self-defense is not a slogan. We have deployed our missiles against only a few equally heinous adversaries: Saddam Hussein's regime and its terrorist allies, and the so-called Islamic State. And our strikes came in response to their merciless killing of Iranians.

No Iranian administration will leave our people defenseless. The international community  and Europe in particular  should realize this and instead focus its efforts on tackling real threats to the world, like the wars engulfing the Middle East.

Iran is proud of taking the lead in trying to bring an overdue end to the bloodshed in Syria. In 2013, I presented a plan to end the conflict there through a cease-fire, the formation of a national unity government, constitutional reform and free and fair elections. But this plan fell on deaf ears. Still, we have continued our efforts. Just last month, our president, Hassan Rouhani, joined by his Russian and Turkish counterparts, took an important stride toward peace at their summit meeting in Sochi, Russia, paving the way for more aid, de-escalation and the convening of a Syrian people's congress.

In the case of Yemen, only two weeks after Saudi Arabia began its brutal bombing campaign in April 2015, Iran put forward a plan urging an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian assistance, followed by national dialogue to establish an inclusive government. The perpetrators of the humanitarian crisis, and their Western allies, choose war instead.

As Iran and its partners labor to put out fires, the arsonists in our region grow more unhinged. They're oblivious to the necessity of inclusive engagement. And yet, despite the huge stakes, important stakeholders remain reluctant to hold the arsonists to account.

We urge responsible parties to recognize the need to look forward. And so, let us find hope in a shared vision of a more peaceful future and be brave enough to take tangible action to make it happen. In these pages in 2015, I presented a proposal for a regional dialogue forum, a way to bring Iran and its neighbors together to work toward peace. We're hopeful that responsible actors outside the Middle East will focus their efforts on urging their allies in our region to take seriously our proposal. We believe it can be a good start, and we once again invite all of our neighbors to participate.

End Item

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Zarif to EU: Iran Nuclear Deal 'Rare Triumph of Diplomacy Over Confrontation'

Sputnik News

12:24 11.12.2017

The Iranian foreign policy chief has warned the European Union against supporting the US position while also addressing the country's alleged influence in the Middle East.

"Our main concern now is cautioning European countries against wavering on issues beyond the scope of the [Iran] nuclear agreement and following in lockstep behind the White House. As the nuclear deal and the Middle East enter uncharted and potentially combustible territory, it is imperative that Europe helps ensure that we don't soon find ourselves repeating history," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in an article for The New York Times newspaper, published on Monday.

Zarif recalled that over 10 years before the conclusion of the JCPOA in 2015, Tehran's negotiations with France, Germany, and the United Kingdom had failed when the European states under US pressure suddenly demanded Iran abandon all uranium enrichment activities, despite earlier agreements concerning their temporary voluntary freeze.

"The nuclear deal is a rare triumph of diplomacy over confrontation. Undermining that would be a mistake. Europe should not pander to Washington's determination to shift focus to yet another unnecessary crisis  whether it be Iran's defensive missile program or our influence in the Middle East," Zarif pointed out.

According to the foreign minister, Iranian military capabilities are only defensive, and have only been used against "a few equally heinous adversaries," namely the regime of Iraq's former leader Saddam Hussein and its terrorist allies, and the Daesh terrorist group (banned in Russia).

Iran Nuclear Deal

Despite the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, having repeatedly confirmed Tehran's compliance with the terms set by the multilateral agreement, US President Donald Trump announced the "serious shortcomings" of the accord in mid-October, and threatened to pull out of the deal if it wasn't reconsidered.

The EU's foreign policy leaders, in particular, EU diplomat Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of France, the United Kingdom and Germany have reacted to the move, reiterating that the nuclear deal should be maintained.

The US lawmakers now have until December 12 to decide whether to reimpose the sanctions on Iran that were lifted as part of the nuclear deal. Also, a number of sanctions on Iran have been imposed by Washington since 2016, namely by the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, signed by Trump in August.

Signed in 2015, the JCPOA between the European Union, Iran and P5+1 countries (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus Germany), which has been in effect since January 2016, stipulates the gradual lifting of the economic and diplomatic sanctions imposed on Iran by Western nations in exchange for Tehran ending its nuclear program.

 Sputnik

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Iraqi Shiite Leader Urges Militiamen to Hand Over Weapons to Government

Sputnik News

19:30 11.12.2017(updated 19:32 11.12.2017)

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi declared victory over Daesh and the restoration of control over the border with Syria.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Muqtada Sadr, an Iraqi Shiite cleric and militia leader, has urged his Saraya al-Salam's paramilitary units to surrender their weapons to the government forces following the official declaration of the victory over Daesh in Iraq.

Sadr has also called on his forces to hand over to Iraq's security forces the territory they control, except for Samarra, a holy city for Shiites where the situation remains "sensitive," within 45 days.

He has reiterated his call to help the central authorities strengthen their control across the whole of Iraq and also warned the paramilitary units against running in the country's 2018 elections under the banner of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

The statement follows Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi's announcement of the victory over Daesh, which was achieved with the help of the Popular Mobilization Forces, including Sadr's Saraya al-Salam militia.

However, al-Abadi has failed to mention the Kurdish Peshmerga in his victory speech, which aroused swift condemnation from Kurdistan, according to the Rudaw Media Network report, prompting the fighters' condemnation.

Daesh invaded Iraq back in 2014, seizing Mosul, the country's second biggest city, and making it the group's capital in Iraq, prompting the country's forces supported by the US-led coalition to launch an operation to free the territories a year later. In summer of 2017, the Iraqi forces regained control over Mosul, while later in November, over the town of Rawa, the last Daesh stronghold in the country.

The Popular Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Shaabi) were formed in 2014 mainly by Iraqi Shiites in order to fight against Daesh after it had seized vast areas of Iraq. Two years later, the forces were brought under the control of the Iraqi armed forces and Commander in Chief Abadi.

Sadr, one of the most influential religious and political figures in Iraq, became famous in early the 2000s as the leader of the Mahdi Army, which fiercely opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq.

 Sputnik

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Fighting in Libya's Benghazi claims lives despite liberation claim

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 02:38PM

Fresh casualties have been reported from fighting in Libya's Benghazi five months after the Libyan National Army (LNA) declared full liberation of the eastern city from militants.

A medical source said on Monday that clashes this month so far had left four dead and 10 others wounded from the LNA forces.

Reports said three from the dead were killed by snipers while one lost his life by a landmine as the LNA forces continue to battle militants in Khreibish, a district of Benghazi.

The LNA has also carried out airstrikes against the positions of militants in the area while daily clashes are reported on the ground.

LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced the end of a three-year battle against militants in Benghazi in early July. He said all militant groups and militias had been purged from the key Libyan city.

The LNA controls parts of Libya and is opposed to the internationally recognized government in the capital Tripoli.

Haftar, who has backing from some foreign powers, is trying to strengthen his position on the ground.

His struggle to retain eastern territories comes as other parts of Libya are still plagued with violence six years after the fall of former slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

The LNA commander, who himself served as a general under Gaddafi, has been more supportive of a parallel administration in the city of Tobruk, in Libya's fareast.

However, countries to the west of Libya in North Africa, including Algeria, oppose Haftar and see his rise as an obstacle in the way of international efforts to restore peace to Libya.

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Myanmar military's rape of Rohingya women methodical, sweeping: AP report

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:44AM

A new investigation reveals that Rohingya Muslim women have been subjected to "methodical" and "sweeping" rape by Myanmar's military forces in Rakhine State, where a government-backed ethnic cleansing campaign has been underway against the minority group.

The investigation was conducted by the Associated Press based on interviews with 29 Rohingya women and girls, who survived sexual assault and have managed to take refuge in neighboring Bangladesh.

The Rohingya women and girls, who came from a variety of villages in Myanmar, told their horrifying stories of being raped several times by Myanmar's armed forces. They talked to investigators separately from across several refugee camps in Bangladesh, according to AP.

Each of every women described that they were attacked by groups of men. They said the rape often coupled with other forms of extreme violence. They said the attackers wore military-style uniforms, generally dark green or camouflage.

The survivors, ranged in age from 13 to 35 year old, gave their names to AP, but agreed to be publicly identified only by their first initial.

The new report brings to mind a UN official's remarks about the use of sexual violence by the military against Rohingya women as "a calculated tool of terror aimed at the extermination and removal of the Rohingya as a group."

Pramila Patten, UN envoy on sexual violence in conflict, said previously that sexual violence "was clearly a driver" for more than 620,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee Myanmar.

Patten, who spoke to rape victims in refugee camps in Bangladesh, said that this type of violence "has been commanded, orchestrated, and condoned and perpetrated by the armed forces.'

Doctors Without Borders, also known by the French acronym MSF, said its volunteers have treated 113 sexual violence survivors since August. It said that the youngest survivor was nine.

Myanmar's officials, however, have so far denied rape allegations and, instead, accused Rohingya women of "claiming they were raped."

The Rakhine minister for border affairs said in September that "these women were claiming they were raped, but look at their appearances - do you think they are that attractive to be raped?"

This is while Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi admitted previously that her country's armed forces used rape as a weapon to intimidate ethnic nationalities. Suu kyi, who has come under global scrutiny for backing the ethnic cleansing campaign, made the remarks in a videotaped statement to the Nobel Women's Initiative back in 2011.

More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled the violence to Bangladesh since late August, when the clampdown began, bringing with them horrifying stories of massacres, gang rape and arson by Myanmar's military forces and Buddhist mobs.

Myanmar's government calls Rohingya Muslims Bengalis to imply they are immigrants from Bangladesh.

It has defied calls by the UN and the international community to grant citizenship to the stateless Muslims, whose roots in the country go back centuries.

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Report Accuses Myanmar's Military of 'Sweeping' Rape of Rohingya Women

Sputnik News

15:52 11.12.2017(updated 16:49 11.12.2017)

An investigation conducted by The Associated Press has shown that Rohingya Muslim women were victims of systematic rape by Myanmar's military forces during the alleged government-backed "ethnic purges" in Rakhine State.

The violence against the minority group has forced many to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, and while the government of Myanmar denies reports of atrocities, the Rohignya women and girls share their stories of horrifying sexual assaults committed by Myanmar's armed forces.

The survivors of "methodical" and "sweeping" rape told that they were brutally attacked by groups of servicemen. The report is based on the interviews of 29 women and girls, who agreed to be identified in the report only by their first initials, fearing the security forces would kill them or their families.

Pramilla Patten, a UN envoy on sexual violence in conflict, who had a chance to speak to the victims, had previously said that the alleged atrocities against the Rohingya women and girls by the armed forces "may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide." Patten said that sexual violence was a push force for more than 620,000 Rohingya to flee.

Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, wait for their turn to receive food handouts distributed to children and women by a Turkish aid agency at Thaingkhali refugee camp, Bangladesh, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017

While the UN envoy blamed the military for having "commanded, orchestrated, condoned and perpetrated" that type of violence, Myanmar's officials have denied rape allegations and instead accused Rohingya women of lying about being raped.

The testimonies, revealed by The Associated Press, backed the UN's stance that Myanmar's security forces are using sexual violence as a "calculated tool of terror" in their pursuit of Rohingya "ethnic cleansing."

Rohingya villagers watch as international media visit Maung Hna Ma village, Buthidaung township, northern Rakhine state, Myanmar July 14, 2017.

Rohignya Muslims remain the most persecuted minority group in the Buddhist country. The conflict between Myanmar's armed forces and Rohignya militants in Rakhine state intensified on August 25, 2017, when Muslim insurgents attacked security posts in the state. The attack resulted in clashes, the deaths of hundreds of Rohignya and probably the world's fastest growing refugee crisis.

 Sputnik

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Daesh terrorists driven out of Syria's Idlib province in fight with rival outfit: Monitor

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 02:53PM

The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has been pushed out of Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, after it made an incursion into the region bordering Turkey two days earlier, a monitoring group says.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday that the terror outfit captured the southern village of Bashkun, situated near the border with the western-central province of Hama, over the weekend after clashes with the Takfiri Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group.

"After fierce fighting, Tahrir al-Sham has once again chased" Daesh militants "out of Idlib" on Monday, said the UK-based monitor.

The HTS is an alliance of terror groups, spearheaded by a former al-Qaeda affiliate that changed its name last year from the Nusra Front to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, are mostly in control of Idlib and swaths of land in Syria's northern and northwestern regions.

The setback for Daesh, which has already lost all its urban strongholds in the Arab country, comes more than three years after it was first driven out of the province in northwestern Syria after battles with rival militant groups.

The Daesh organization commenced its reign of terror and destruction in Syria and Iraq in 2013 and 2014 respectively. In June 2014, the group declared its so-called "caliphate" in both Arab countries after seizing the Iraqi city of Mosul and pronounced it as its de facto capital in the Middle Eastern country. Daesh also made the city of Raqqah as its main stronghold in Syria as it held large swaths of land in the war-torn country.

However, the terror outfit gradually lost the areas it had held at its height, thanks to the efforts the government and pro-government forces exerted in both countries.

On Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared total victory in the three-year war to expel the Takfiri group, which once held roughly one third of the country's territory. In Syria, Daesh has now holds just a few decreasing pockets of land.

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Russian president orders troops to begin pullout from Syria

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:30AM

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces to begin withdrawing from Syria during a surprise visit to the Arab country, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Putin visited Russia's Hmeimim air base in the Latakia province on Monday and also held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"I order the defense minister and the chief of general staff to start withdrawing the Russian group of troops to their permanent bases," RIA quoted him as saying.

"I have taken a decision: a significant part of the Russian troop contingent located in Syria is returning home to Russia," Putin added.

The Russian leader congratulated his country's troops over the defeat of Daesh in Syria, saying the threat of Takfiri terrorism had been removed in the country for the most part.

"The task of fighting armed bandits here in Syria, a task that it was essential to solve with the help of extensive use of armed force, has for the most part, been solved and solved spectacularly," Putin said.

"I congratulate you!," he told Russian servicemen gathered at the base where he also met the Syrian president.

Putin stressed that Moscow would keep the Hmeimim air base in Latakia as well as Russia's naval facility at the Syrian port of Tartous "on a permanent basis".

Putin made the stopover on his way to Egypt where he arrived later Monday.

Since September 2016, Moscow has been targeting the positions of Daesh and other militant groups upon an official request from the Damascus government.

Putin's decision on Monday came a few days after he declared a "complete victory" over Daesh on both banks of the Euphrates River in Syria as he stressed the significance of switching to a political process to ultimately end the crisis in the Arab country.

The US, which has set up more than a dozen military bases in Syria without the Arab country's consent or a UN mandate, has said it planned to stay indefinitely.

"We're not going to just walk away right now," the US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said recently.

Since September 2014, the US has been carrying out bombings against what it calls Daesh positions in Syria. The government in Damascus says the airstrikes have harmed Syria's infrastructure and claimed the lives of many civilians without making a dent in the capability of the terrorists.

Washington is also aiding some militant groups which are increasingly posing a challenge to the Syrian government.

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Putin Visits Syria Base, Orders Partial Russian Withdrawal

RFE/RL December 11, 2017

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprise visit to Syria, declaring victory and ordering the Russian military to start withdrawing a "significant portion" of its forces from the war-ravaged Middle Eastern country.

"I order the defense minister and the head of the General Staff to begin the withdrawal of the Russian group of forces to their permanent places of deployment," Putin said in comments to servicemen at Russia's air base in Syria on December 11.

Putin, who met at the Hmeimim base with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said that Russian and Syrian forces had "crushed the most combat-capable international terrorist group."

"In light of this, I have made a decision: a significant portion of the Russian military contingent in [Syria] is returning home, to Russia," Putin said.

Putin's first known visit to Syria during the war there came five days after the Russian president, who has sought to bolster his support at home by reviving Moscow's global clout, announced he will seek reelection in a Marh 18 vote.

He gave no specific time frame for the pullout and said the Hmeimim base and a Russian naval facility at Tartus, on Syria's Mediterranean coast, will continue to operate, Russian news agencies reported.

Russia has given Assad's government crucial military backing throughout the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions since it began with a state crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in March 2011.

Russia began a campaign of air strikes in September 2015 and has stepped up its military involvement on the ground since then, protecting Assad from rebels -- some Western-backed -- and helping turn the tide of the conflict in his favor.

A brief Kremlin statement said Putin met with Assad as well as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the commander of Russian forces in Syria, Sergei Surovikin.

It said he ordered the start of the withdrawal and thanked Russian servicemen for taking part in what Moscow calls a "counterterrorism operation."

Putin has issued similar orders before. In March 2016, Putin ordered the start of "the withdrawal of the main part of our military contingent" from Syria, but there were few signs of a pullout after that announcement.

The new order comes after major setbacks for the extremist group Islamic State (IS), which seized large parts of northern Syria and Iraq in 2014 but has been driven from key strongholds, including the Syrian city of Raqqa.

Amid severe tension between Moscow and Washington, Russia and the United States have conducted separate campaigns of air strikes against IS militants.

Assad and Moscow refer to nearly all the Syrian government's opponents as terrorists, and Western officials say that Russia used much of its firepower in Syria against rebels seeking Assad's ouster rather than against IS.

Putin praised the Russian forces in a televised address at Hmeimim, which is in the heartland of the Alawite minority in the coastal province of Latakia and has been the main foothold for Moscow's military campaign.

"Friends, the motherland is waiting for you," Putin said, adding that "if the terrorists again raise their heads, we will deal such blows to them they have never seen."

Putin's new pullout order comes after gains in the conflict have strengthened Assad's position in intermittent UN-sponsored negotiations aimed at ending the war and launching a political transition.

The same developments have undermined the leverage of opponents of Assad and Western countries, including the United States and Turkey, that want him out of power.

Putin's visit to Syria came amid a flurry of Middle East diplomacy following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which angered many governments in the region and worldwide.

Putin flew from Syria to Egypt for talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and was slated to travel to NATO-member Turkey later on December 11 to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"After those negotiations, we will contact you and will inform you in detail of what we will do together" to resolve the conflict, the Russian news agency Interfax quoted Putin as telling Assad.

Western governments including the United States say that there is no place for Assad in Syria's future, but have softened their stances in recent years over the timing of his departure.

Russia has repeatedly said that Assad's exit from power must not be a precondition for a political settlement.

Russia has faced strong criticism from Western governments and human rights groups over its military and diplomatic backing for Assad, and the conflict in Syria has contributed to severe tension between the United States and Russia.

Citing unidentified U.S. officials, The New York Times reported on December 11 that Russian fighter jets have flown dangerously close to U.S. warplanes over eastern Syria in the past month.

In one case, the report said, two U.S. Air Force A-10s nearly collided head-on with a Russian Su-24 but swerved to avoid the aircraft.

With reporting by RIA Novosti, AP, Interfax, TASS, Reuters, and The New York Times

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-syria-surprise- visit-partial-withdrawal/28909593.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Pro-Syrian Government Forces Aim to Seize Last Opposition-controlled Stronghold City

By Mehdi Jedinia, Nisan Ahmado December 11, 2017

The Syrian army and Iranian-backed forces including Afghan fighters backed by Russian air power launched a new offensive against Syrian regime opposition's strongholds in Idlib province.

Idlib province in northwestern Syria is considered to be the last major stronghold controlled by opposition groups after they lost Aleppo to the Syrian regime last December. With intense Russian airstrikes and Iranian support on the ground, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces recaptured most of rebel-held peripheral sections of Aleppo.

The deal to end the battle of Aleppo reportedly involved relocating the majority of opposition fighters and their families to neighboring Idlib.

Idlib province was under the full control of opposition since 2015 when the rebels seized the capital city of the province, also called Idlib.

The army said the villages of Um Turayka, Bilil, and Rujum al Ahmar were seized in northeast Hama province, forcing the rebels to flee to areas close to the administrative boundaries of Idlib province.

Opposition groups blame heavy airstrikes as the major reason for their retreat. The Facebook page close to anti-Assad Free Syrian Army said several sorties of air missiles and bombardments by Russian jets in the last 48 hours have crippled the entire region, killed and injured innocent residents, and hit opposition-held villages and towns in the northeastern Hama countryside and the southern part of Idlib province.

Ali Aljaber, a Syrian activist and journalist currently living in Aleppo's northern countryside, told VOA that Russian jets continue to attack opposition targets in Idlib, but the ground campaign by the Syrian regime and allied militias slowed down today.

"There were clashes in Abu Dali area between Iranian-backed Syrian regime and opposition factions. ISIS is also trying to advance in Idlib," Ali said, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based information source on Syria, said on its website that in addition to Syrian regime and allied militias trying to advance toward Idlib, IS  which controls a pocket in the northeastern part of rural Hama  is also trying to expand.

The armed opposition group of Hayat Tahrir al Sham  which is spearheaded by the former al-Qaida branch in Syria  and some Free Syrian Army rebel factions jointly control these areas, and are said to be sending reinforcements to take back a string of villages in the northeastern Hama countryside. Field reports, however, show no signs of recovery.

"The regime movements seek to besiege Idlib province with the help of Shia militias fighting with them," said opposition commander Mustafa Bakour with the military opposition faction of Jaish al Izza.

Sources close to the Syrian regime have reported that some militia fighting with the army have staged operations from the southeastern areas of the province.

Mashregh website, an Iranian Conservative media outlet, released a map showing that the resistance axis  a term pro-regime outlets use to address Assad supporters  have freed villages of Um Turayka, Bilil, and Rujum al Ahmar, stating that the liberation of these strategic villages forced the rebels to flee to areas close to the administrative boundaries of Idlib province.

The Syrian regime's first goal in launching the offensive is to retake strategic Abu Alzhour military airport.

Abu Alzhour airport is one of the most advanced military airports in the north with the longest tarmac, capable of providing landing and takeoff for heavy military aircraft and bombers. Opposition groups posted photos of the airport on their Telegram pages, showing that it was heavily bombed Sunday.

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Putin Says Russia to Withdraw 'Significant Part' of Troops from Syria

By Edward Yeranian December 11, 2017

Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated he has ordered his military to withdraw a "significant part" of Russia's forces from Syria, after regaining control of most of the country. Russia would now focus on talks between the Syrian opposition and the government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made stops Monday in Turkey, Syria and Egypt to cover a broad range of political, economic and military topics during meetings with the leaders of all three countries.

During a Cairo news conference, Putin announced what he called Russia's withdrawal of a "significant" portion of its military forces operating in Syria.

Putin said the Russian military, with the backing of Russian airpower, is close to regaining control of all of Syria and the goals of the Russian military had been met for the most part.

The Russian president noted Moscow would now concentrate on the ongoing Syrian "national dialogue," and requested Egypt's support in helping to bring the various parties together.

Putin's visit to Cairo followed an unexpected stop at Russia's Hemeimeem airbase in Latakia, Syria, where he met with Syrian President Bashar al Assad. Syrian media reported Assad thanked Putin for Russia's "role in fighting terrorism in Syria."

The Russian president also vowed to help Egypt fight terrorism, referring to a draft military agreement that had been signed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, during a late November visit to Cairo.

He said Egypt and Russia have agreed to increase the scope of their military cooperation and above all to strengthen the capabilities of the Egyptian military in fighting terrorism.

Egypt has been battling Islamic militants along its long and porous border with Libya and in the northern Sinai. Terrorist attacks against civilian and military targets have caused a large number of casualties and major economic damage during the past year.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sissi and Putin both criticized the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Sissi spoke of "dangerous consequences" of the decision, while Putin called for a "prompt resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians," saying they must be "based on prior international agreements and resolutions."

Both presidents also expressed support for mediation efforts in Libya by U.N. envoy Ghassan Salameh, including plans to hold new elections next year.

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Taiwan formally commissions Black Hawk combat team

ROC Central News Agency

2017/12/11 17:37:01

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Army on Monday officially commissioned its UH-60M Black Hawk combat team after completing the verification of the helicopter fleet's initial combat capability.

The Black Hawk team of the 602nd Air Cavalry Brigade under the Aviation and Special Forces Command currently has a fleet of 26 UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters the Army purchased from the United States.

The helicopters are known for their adaptability to different combat environments and are capable of engaging in air strikes, carrying out logistics and rescue missions, and conducting airborne command operations, the Army said.

Now that the Black Hawk team has been commissioned and the helicopters' initial combat capability confirmed, the team will be trained to master aviation and maintenance skills so that it bolsters the Army's combat capabilities and forms a powerful security shield in the Taiwan Strait, the Army said.

The 602nd brigade's 26 helicopters are among 60 Black Hawk helicopters ordered by the Army at a cost of US$84.67 billion to replace its aging UH-1H Huey utility helicopters.

According to the Army, it has taken delivery of 32 of the helicopters so far, with 26 going to the 602nd brigade and the other six going to the National Airborne Service Corps.

Former President Ma Ying-jeou (), who stepped down in May 2016 after completing two four-year terms as president, decided to designate 15 of the advanced helicopters for the National Airborne Service Corps while he was in power.

The remaining 28 Black Hawk choppers will be delivered in partial shipments until 2020, the Army said, with some of those choppers expected to go to the National Airborne Service Corps and others to Taiwan's Air Force.

Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan () said last year that 15 Black Hawks will be turned over to the Air Force to replace S-70C helicopters that have been used for 30 years.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Elizabeth Hsu)

Enditem/ls

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Chinese Diplomat: Expect War if US Sends Navy Ships to Taiwan

Sputnik News

23:17 11.12.2017

One of China's top diplomats to the US warned Washington that Beijing would invade Taiwan should the US ever send a Navy ship to the island nation, which China considers to be a wayward province.

Li Kexin, a minister with the Chinese Embassy to the United States, said during an embassy event on Friday that he had told American officials that China would activate their Anti-Secession Law if US naval vessels were sent to the Taiwan Strait.

The law, passed in 2005, denies Taiwan's statehood and outlines Beijing's methods to make the unification of the two Chinas a reality. But the bill also mentions "non-peaceful action" (that being warfare) if China believes that all possibility of a bloodless unification has been lost.

To Li, the deployment of US Navy vessels would signal just such a thing. "The day that a US Navy vessel arrives in Kaohsiung is the day that our People's Liberation Army unifies Taiwan with military force," Li told Chinese media, referring to Taiwan's largest port.

His words were echoed in an editorial that ran in a Chinese newspaper, the Global Times, owned by the Chinese Communist Party and often used to informally express the views of Beijing. "The Chinese mainland has never given up the option of Taiwan reunification by force, which is clear to people across the Taiwan Strait," the editorial read.

"Li's words have sent a warning to Taiwan and drew a clear red line. If Taiwan attempts to hold an independence referendum or other activities in pursuit of de jure 'Taiwan independence,' the PLA will undoubtedly take action."

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry slammed Li's words on Saturday, accusing China of using threats and coercion when they claim to desire peaceful reconciliation. "These methods show a lack of knowledge about the real meaning of the democratic system and how a democratic society works," the ministry wrote in a statement.

Formally speaking, Taiwan  the formal name of which is the Republic of China  and China are still one country, as Taipei considers the mainland to be wayward provinces just as Beijing sees the island as a renegade territory. However, an independence movement consisting of left-wing parties that want to declare Taiwan a de jure sovereign state continues to gain traction on the island.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that currently controls the presidency and unicameral legislature of Taiwan is one such party that supports de jure Taiwanese independence.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has made her support for something like an independence referendum ambiguous. She claims that her ideal is to maintain peace with China and the security of Taiwan, but she also has refused to affirm the 1992 consensus  a semi-official agreement between the two Chinas that there was only one undivided China, although unsurprisingly neither side could agree which China was the real one.

Tsai's refusal has led to a significant degradation of cross-Strait relations since she took office in 2016. In July, China entered Taipei's air defense identification zone with their sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. Later that month, Beijing buzzed Taiwanese airspace with fighter jets.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has seen a strengthening of ties between the US and Taiwan, often a sticking point in Washington-Beijing relations. Trump was the first president since Jimmy Carter to directly speak with the Taiwanese president, and in September the US Congress passed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act which authorized naval cooperation between the US and Taiwanese militaries.

In 1958 and 1996, the US deployed naval vessels to the Taiwan Strait to defend the island during periods of sky-high tensions between Beijing and Taipei. Neither incident ended in World War III.

 Sputnik

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Russia S-400 missile deal almost done: Erdogan

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:00PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that a deal to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems will be finalized by the end of the week.

Erdogan made the remark following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ankara on Monday.

S-400, whose full name is the Triumf Mobile Multiple Anti-Aircraft Missile System (AAMS), is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away. It has previously been sold only to China and India.

Under the deal, Russia will send two S-400 systems to Turkey within the next year and then help the country domestically produce two more batteries. The deal is said to be worth around $2.5 billion.

Putin noted that Turkish and Russian officials will be meeting shortly to complete the deal, and that "perspectives for wider military and technical cooperation" were also discussed during his meeting with Erdogan.

Turkey, being a NATO member state with the second-largest army in the military alliance, drew an outpouring of criticism from the US and other members of the bloc, which criticized Ankara for drifting toward Moscow.

Putin, Erdogan warn over escalating al-Quds tensions

Putin and Erdogan also warned that the US recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel will escalate tensions in the volatile region.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defied global warnings and said Washington formally recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the "capital" of Israel and would begin the process of moving its embassy to the occupied city, breaking with decades of American policy.

"Both Russia and Turkey believe that the decision... does not help regulating the situation in the Middle East but instead destabilizes the already complicated atmosphere," said Putin after his meeting with the Turkish President. "It can derail the Israel-Palestine peace process," he added.

Erdogan also noted that he and Putin had a similar approach on the issue and accused Israel of continuing to "add fuel to the flames."

"Israel is using this as an opportunity to further increase the pressure and violence against Palestinians," he noted.

The entire Jerusalem al-Quds is currently under Israel's control, while the regime also claims the city's eastern part, which hosts al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest Muslim site.

The city has been designated as "occupied" under international law since the 1967 Arab War. Palestinians want the city as the capital of their future state.

Trump had vowed during his presidential campaign that he would relocate the US embassy in order to court pro-Israel voters.

Palestinians have repeatedly warned Trump against such an action, saying it would deliver a death blow to any prospects of the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and fuel extremism in the region.

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Putin Visits Ankara as Bilateral Relations Continue to Deepen

By Dorian Jones December 11, 2017

In their third meeting in a month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Ankara. The talks primarily focused on Syria, but Putin's visit coincides with U.S.-Turkish relations, reeling from a crisis sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"Regarding Jerusalem, I have observed that we share common opinions with Mr. Putin, and we've come to an agreement that we will sustain our decisiveness in this matter," Erdogan said in a joint press statement with Putin, referring to the Russian president as his "dear friend."

"The resolution by the U.S. to move the American embassy to Jerusalem is far from helping the settlement of the situation in the Middle East," Putin said. "It is destabilizing the already complicated situation in the region, which is difficult as it is today."

In a move that will add to Washington's unease over Ankara's warming relationship with Moscow, the Turkish president announced that a controversial purchase of a Russian missile system should be finalized this week. NATO strongly opposes the sale, claiming it is incompatible with its systems.

Putin's visit is just the latest move in what some analysts call a careful and well-played strategy by Russia of building influence and sowing discord amongst its rivals. Before meeting Erdogan, Putin met with another U.S. ally, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in Cairo. Prior to the meeting with Putin, Erdogan ratcheted up his rhetoric over Trump's Jerusalem move.

"With their decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the United States has become a partner in the bloodshed," Erdogan said.

Throughout the year, Turkish-Russian relations have blossomed as U.S.-Turkish ties have plummeted. The latest meeting between Putin and Erdogan is the eighth this year. The two leaders are increasingly cooperating over Syria. Monday's talks focused on the planned Syrian National Congress on National Dialogue, an event Moscow hopes will bring together the Syrian government and the opposition. Putin said the Congress would address the adoption of a constitution, the parameters of a future Syrian statehood, and the organization of elections under the control of the United Nations.

Even though Moscow and Ankara back opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, analysts say that with the war approaching an endgame, both sides have something to gain in cooperation.

Putin has successfully exploited Ankara's anger and mistrust over Washington's backing of the YPG Syrian Kurdish militia in its war against the Islamic State. Ankara calls the YPG terrorists, claiming they are linked to a Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

But Moscow, too, has been backing the YPG and its political wing, the PYD. Putin is pressing for the YPG to be included in meetings to end the cvil war, which Ankara bitterly opposes. Last week, images appeared of Russian and YPG forces openly collaborating in a military operation against the Islamic State.

"We've seen Ankara critical of the photo of Russian military representatives and the YPG," said analyst Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe in Brussels. "But this cannot be compared to the policy of the U.S., which is providing heavy weapons to the YPG."

Turkish-Russian relations could be further boosted by Putin's announcement of the partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria.

"Ankara would look at this as an opportunity to expand its influence across the border," said Ulgen.

Turkish forces remain massed on the border of the YPG-controlled Syrian Afrin enclave.

"As things stand, Afrin remains under Russian protection. But if indeed Russia were to pull back its troops, this would certainly give more room to Turkey to contemplate military action against Afrin," Ulgen predicted.

Putin may be wary of abandoning the Syrian Kurdish militia, which Moscow has been developing ties with over several years. Analysts point out that the powerful militia could be useful in helping protect Moscow's interests in the region from other potential regional rivals, including Turkey and Iran, especially as it winds down much of its military presence in Syria. But such a move would likely test Moscow's currently successful balancing act managing its conflicting policies in Syria.

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Question

Should Jerusalem be the capital of modern-day Israel?
A former Black River Falls city council member faces charges of retail theft and possession of stolen property related to five incidents at Scholze Ace Home Center in Black River Falls.

Eric J. Erickson, 54, of Black River Falls was referred to the Jackson County District Attorneys Office Friday.

Detectives received reports from Scholze Ace Home Center of thefts that occurred Oct. 14, Nov. 2, Nov. 12, Nov. 13 and Nov. 20.

Detectives were able to recover most of the stolen property Dec. 4 after executing a search warrant based on information obtained from their investigation.

Erickson resigned as the city of Black River Falls First Ward Alderperson Nov. 26.

Black River Falls Administrator Brad Chown said that Ericksons resignation letter stated that he resigned due to personal demands and ongoing health concerns.

Erickson previously was employed as a school counselor with the Black River Falls School District.

Erickson could not be reached for comment.
Telangana TDP Loses Yet Another Leader

The Telangana Telugu Desam Party has lost one more important leader on Tuesday, with former minister and senior leader from Bhongir Uma Madhava Reddy deciding to join the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

Uma, who has been sailing with the TDP ever since her husband late home minister A Madhava Reddy who was killed by Naxalites in a bomb explosion at Ghatkesar in 1999, met TRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, along with her son Sandeep Reddy in Hyderabad on Tuesday evening.

She and her son would be formally inducted into the TRS on December 14.

In fact, Umas quitting the TDP has been cards ever since Kodangal MLA A Revanth Reddy resigned from the party to join the Congress.

At one stage, she said she, too, would have gone to Delhi along with Revanth to join the Congress, but she did not, as there was no concrete assurance from the Congress high command about the position she would be getting there.

She is learnt to have asked the TRS leadership to give party ticket for her son Sandeep in the assembly elections, while she would be happy to play a key role in the party. Sandeep has earned a good name as the TDP leader in Bhongir.

With Uma also leaving the TDP, the party has been left any other leader in Telangana. It is only a matter of time that Sattupalli MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah also would quit the TDP and only R Krishnaiah from L B Nagar would be left in the party.

However, he, too, declared that he is not keen on contesting on TDP ticket next time. There will be a few other leaders like E Peddi Reddy, Mothkupalli Narsimhulu and L Ramana still in the TDP, but it remains to be seen how long they would sustain the party in Telangana.
Apple announced today that it has acquired song recognition company Shazam. According to Recode, the deal is worth $400 million.

In a statement to The Verge, an Apple spokesperson said,

We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple. Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of todays agreement."

Speaking to the same publication, a Shazam spokesperson said,

We are excited to announce that Shazam has entered into an agreement to become part of Apple. Shazam is one of the highest rated apps in the world and loved by hundreds of millions of users and we cant imagine a better home for Shazam to enable us to continue innovating and delivering magic for our users.

Neither companies confirmed any plans for the future in their announcements.

Shazam currently has apps for iOS, Android and macOS, with the Windows apps being pulled earlier this year. It is one of the most highly rated and popular apps in the world on every platform. Even before the acquisition, Shazam has been part of Apple software, powering the song recognition feature in Siri. With the acquisition, Apple could build deeper integration within its software, although it remains to be seen what they could be.

One can also wonder what happens to the mobile apps, especially those on Android. Apple might not have much use for the mobile apps, especially since they didn't make a lot of money, and could only be in it for the technology.

Source
Google has released its AR Stickers on the Google Play Store for the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL. Users of these devices will have to go to the My Apps section and find them under Updates. Once installed, these will appear in the main Camera app after you swipe from the left edge.

AR Stickers is a new feature on the Pixel phones that was demoed back in October during the Pixel 2 launch event. This isn't anything new to anyone used to Snapchat; you get a bunch of animated 3D 'stickers' that work together with the camera and be dropped around in your environment. You can move them around and change their size. You can then take their picture or, ideally, record a video of them moving around your environment.

The app currently includes three genetic sticker packs as well as Star Wars and Stranger Things packs. The cool thing about these is that when you place more than one sticker at a time, they also acknowledge each other's presence and interact with them.

The feature does quite well and all the stickers animate smoothly. It's likely Google held off on these till the Android 8.1 update was released, which unlocked the Pixel Visual Core. I did notice that the phone turned insanely hot within minutes of using the feature, especially when two or more stickers were on screen at once, which means it's also burning a lot of power. But for occasional use, it's a nice, fun feature to have, especially if Google keeps adding new packs regularly.

Download
A defense witness testified Monday that a windshield fracture pattern is consistent with Todd Kendhammers account of a crash he said killed his wife last year.

But a second defense expert told jurors he doesnt believe a pipe fell from an oncoming truck and went through the glass.

The defense opened its case Monday in La Crosse County Circuit Court in the second week of Kendhammers first-degree intentional homicide trial in the death of his wife, Barb.

Kendhammer will testify Tuesday as the third witness in the defense case.

The 47-year-old told West Salem man told authorities that he saw a 53-inch, 10-pound galvanized steel pipe roll from an oncoming flatbed truck about 8 a.m. Sept. 16, 2016, while the couple were driving to Holmen on Hwy. M in the town of Hamilton. Barb Kendhammer died the next day. Prosecutors contend her husband caused the fatal injuries and drove the pipe through the window to disguise the cause of her death.

The windshield fractured initially when Kendhammer punched the windshield under the rear-view mirror with his left hand trying to deflect the airborne pipe, said Mark Meshulam, an expert witness who specializes in glass and windows.

Next, the pipe punctured the windshield. Then the glass fractured again when Kendhammer pried the pipe downward as he removed it while standing outside the car, he testified.

A butterfly-shaped fracture pattern, Meshulam said, indicates the last fracture wasnt an impact but rather was created by pressure.

A State Crime Laboratory analyst testified last week that an object struck the exterior of the glass before the pipe broke through because multiple cracks run through a 1-inch diameter piece of glass broken out by the pipe in front of the passenger seat.

But Meshulam testified that thick crack running through that circular piece of glass was caused by Kendhammer punching the windshield.

Meshulam told jurors he formed his conclusion after inspecting how the cracks converged and reviewing photographs of the scene, the transcript of Kendhammers interrogation by police, and reports from the crime lab and Wisconsin State Patrol.

The crime lab analyst had access only to a short statement from Kendhammer when forming his opinion.

The analyst also said the windshield was broken when the passenger seat was empty because of the volume and spread of glass particles on the passenger seat. The number of particles, Meshulam told jurors, looks about right.

On cross-examination, Meshulam said the pipe cut into the windshield at an angle from the passenger side.

And that is consistent with someone standing next to the car and taking a pipe and punching it through a windshield, correct? District Attorney Tim Gruenke asked.

Well, um, whoever wanted to do that could angle the pipe at whichever angle they wanted, Meshulam said.

To account for the injuries to the base and middle knuckles on his left hand, Kendhammer would have had to punch the windshield with his wrist bent backward slightly, Meshulam said.

In his report for the defense, Meshulam wrote adrenaline-fueled super-human strength is necessary to shatter the windshield with a punch and that Kendhammer rose to the challenge that few people could or would have.

That sounds rather subjective, doesnt it? Gruenke asked.

Um, because Ive been in the glass business for so long, its hard to tell if thats objective or subjective, Meshulam said.

According to Kendhammer, after the pipe pierced the windshield, he drove about 100 yards north and another 100 yards east on Bergum Coulee Road, where the couples Toyota Camry slid into reverse and rolled backward into a grass ditch.

A passerby saw the Camry half in the ditch, the passenger side door open and its windshield intact on the drizzly and overcast morning.

The sun could have been in his eyes because overcast doesnt mean every single inch of the sky is covered by clouds, Meshulam said.

When pressed by Gruenke, Meshulam told jurors he earned $240 per hour to work on the case and $350 per hour to testify. He disagreed that he is an advocate for Kendhammer, but added, I always want to do a good job for my clients.

Barb Kendhammer died of injuries inflicted by the pipe after it came through the windshield, said Barry Bates, a biomechanics expert for the defense. He formed his conclusion by focusing on three bone-deep cuts to the back of her head, broken nose and spinal injury, although Barb sustained a total of 50 injuries.

After spotting the airborne pipe, Bates said, Barb ducked and turned her body to the right to avoid the object, causing it to strike the back of her head and skipping through the scalp to leave the cuts on the back of her head.

She likely broke her nose on the dashboard and suffered whiplash, he said.

Bates disagreed with the findings of a forensic pathologist who performed Barbs autopsy, who testified she did not suffer any injury consistent with a pipe coming through the windshield. The pathologist, Bates said, was viewing the injuries from a medical standpoint, not a biomechanical one.

It would be difficult to explain the three deep cuts to the back of Barbs head if they were inflicted while she was not in the car, Bates testified.

I could come up with some wild theories, he said.

On cross-examination, Gruenke asked Bates whether he calculated foot-pound force when analyzing Kendhammers version of the crash.

First of all, I dont think (the pipe) came off a truck and through the windshield, Bates said.

Well, I dont either, Gruenke replied.

Its reasonable to assume the pipe struck Barb, causing two deep diagonal cuts to the center of the back of her scalp, then skipped and caused another deep diagonal cut to the left of the first cuts, said Bates, who told jurors he has earned $14,000 working on the case.

A bruise on Barbs jaw is consistent with a punch and marks on her neck are consistent with her scratching to remove someones hands from her neck, Bates testified. Its also possible Barbs nose was fractured by a punch to the face or by having her head slammed into the dashboard, he said.

Bates said that Todd Kendhammers version of the crash meant the pipe would have had to travel 20 mph horizontally for 35 hundredths of a second. In that third of a second, Barb Kendhammer would also have had to see the pipe and moved to protect herself.

Gruenke pressed Bates on whether a person could jam a pipe through a windshield.

Ive seen a person try to penetrate a windshield on the first try and not succeed, he said.
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Yesterday we told you the Nokia 6 successor arrived on TENAA, a required step before a device hits the Chinese market. At that point there was not much to the listing, but this morning the Chinese regulatory also uploaded images of the phone. It will have 18:9 screen, and since there is no room for a fingerprint scanner on the front, it will move on the back, below the camera.



Nokia 6 (2018)

The Nokia 6 (2018) will have one camera, with the actual setup looking a lot like the long one in the Nokia 5. There are also discreet antenna bands on the top and bottom and an orange accent around the camera.

The front is occupied mainly by the screen, but there is room for an earpiece, selfie camera and the Nokia logo on the top. The images also reveal some side bezels, most likely due to the taller display. Even though it is hard to get what surface will the phone have, it will most likely be the same aluminum unibody.

Source (in Chinese)
Nokia's first new smartphone to launch in early 2018 may in fact be a new Nokia 6. That makes sense since the original was the first device put out by HMD Global, as it became official this January.

The upcoming Nokia 6 (2018) has been certified by TENAA in China, a mandatory step for any handset that wants to be sold over there. Unfortunately, at this stage in the process TENAA hasn't yet made images and specs available for the new model.

Going by past leaks, however, we should expect to see a 5.5-inch 18:9 touchscreen, the Snapdragon 630 SoC at the helm, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a possible dual rear camera setup. The fingerprint sensor will move to the back, which hopefully means the bezels will undergo a trimming. The device will also sport software-rendered Android navigation buttons, while the Bothie feature isn't going anywhere.

The phone's model number is TA-1054, and it will have a dual-SIM version. Its design will apparently be reminiscent of the recently announced Nokia 7. So it looks like 2018 may be the year in which HMD Global finally gets on the 'tall display, small bezels' bandwagon.

Via




Haiti - FLASH : Promises of Macron to President Jovenel Moise





On Monday, President Jovenel Moise met at the Elysee the President of France Emmanuel Macron with whom he discussed the international situation and bilateral cooperation.



At the end of the meeting the two Presidents gave a joint press conference to the Elysee during which the French President declared and promised...



Press conference, excerpts from Emmanuel Macron's statement :



"[...] he is welcome and I am very happy to have exchanged with him of international topics that we have in common, as well as on bilateral topics [...]



This first interview allowed us to salute the quality of the Franco-Haitian relations and to express our common will to work for the change essential to the recovery of his country and the improvement of the living conditions of its population.



I would also like to acknowledge the very important work being done by the President in the fight against corruption, the reinforcement of the rule of law and the full support of France in this context.



I welcome the fact that, in the coming days, a headquarters agreement with Expertise France can be finalized, which will make it possible to work on this issue, as well as the bilateral initiatives that have been taken in terms of training of the public service and high Haitian Haitian civil service, which is an important element of the structuring of the rule of law.



Our wish is also to be able to consolidate international aid with regard to France, and also to consolidate the share of French investments in Haiti.



Haiti is one of the priority countries of our cooperation and we attach great importance to the bilateral relationship in this context.



I think that here too, all the work with the international donors that the President conducts is extremely structuring in this area, like the discussions that began with the IMF [International Monetary Fund https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22835-haiti-news-zapping.html ] and the reforms to provide a framework for foreign investment.



[...]



In terms of education, the action plan established in 2015 will be fully implemented with 50 million euros announced and in terms of climate change the work carried out for two years has allowed to led to the Green Fund. With the $30 million watershed adaptation and management project, Haiti could become one of the first if not the first country to get an adaptation project under this Green Fund. We agreed to accelerate the work in terms of public works, in terms of electrification and to accelerate the bilateral cooperation which will also allow the realization of concrete projects.



Finally, I hope that we can also intensify our relationship in the framework of the regional cooperation and Caricom that Haiti will exercise the Presidency from January 1 to [...]



I repeat here to the President our wish, that French companies come to invest more in Haiti, we will push them by punctual initiatives and accompaniments. I believe that all the reforms you are conducting on the rule of law, the investment framework and the modernization of the economy will make it possible to work effectively in this direction."



Press conference, statement by Jovenel Moise :



"[...] I feel a great satisfaction of my meeting with President Emmanuel Macron on a set of topics of interest for our two countries. Haiti and France have strong ties of friendship and solidarity. We fully share the vision expressed by President Macron. Haiti believes that development is a decision and a national process.



During our discussions, we agreed to strengthen trade links between the two countries, cooperation in education at all levels, especially higher education and vocational training and also the capacity of Haitian State institutions to better face the challenges of development.



I take this opportunity to applaud President Macron's leadership and deep commitment for the holding of the climate finance summit, two years after the historic Paris agreement on climate change. Haiti strongly supports a sub-regional mechanism to enable island states to better adapt their economy, their environment to the effects of climate change.



You can count on us, we are working to ensure that French, as we have said it well, which is our official language, is also the language of Caricom and we are working for our brothers from Martinique and Guadeloupe, can also participate in this great movement of Caricom, because Caricom, they are countries of the Caribbean and I think that Martinique and Guadeloupe are also part of the Caricom.



Thank you"



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Jovenel Moise very concerned

"I am very concerned about the situation in Manhattan on December 11th following an explosion at Port Authority, and I address my thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families: Terror must never take over peace and tolerance," declared President Jovenel Moise.



Calls for civil disobedience

The Deputy Mayor of Petit-Goave, Mr. Delor Desgranges calls for civil disobedience and asks the population not to pay any tax to the City of Petit-Goave. The Deputy Mayor of the Municipal Council of Petit-Goave criticizes the misuse of the taxes levied by the City Council and asks the citizens to no longer pay the amounts claimed by this institution until further notice... HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goave)



WTO : Haiti present in Buenos Aires

Haiti as a member, will participate in the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 10 to 13 December.



3rd Annual Forum of agribusiness

The US Embassy and the US Chamber of Commerce are pleased to bring together key players in the spirit of collaboration, as we know that large-scale agricultural production will help create jobs. A diversified Haitian economy that supports inclusive growth depends on agricultural development.



Aviol Fleurant met Wang Xiangyang

On December 11, 2017, Minister Aviol Fleurant met with the new Permanent Representative of the China People's Trade Development Bureau in Haiti, Mr. Wang Xiangyang. Discussions focused on cooperation frameworks between the Republic of Haiti and the Greater China.



Works in Marin

The City Council of Croix-des-Bouquets, led by Mr. Rony Colin, proceeded Monday morning to the launch of a series of works at Marin. The City Council laid the first stone for the construction of a culvert at Marin, to ease traffic and reduce congestion on the national roads #1 and Santo: and started repairs and fencing at Marin Cemetery.



Gessica Geneus receives a prize

Gessica Geneus received the Best Creative Documentary Prize for her film "Douvan jou ka leve" in the medium-length category on Sunday evening in Senegal.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2017/12/12 | Source

Added final episodes 17 and 18 captures for the Korean drama "Black" (2017)

Advertisement

Directed by Kim Hong-seon-I

Written by Choi Ran-I

Network : OCN

With Song Seung-heon, Go Ara, Lee El, Kim Dong-jun, Jo Jae-yun, Lee Kyu-bok,...

18 episodes - Sat, Sun 22:00

Synopsis

A reaper borrows a human body and fall in love with a mortal woman who can see the shadows of death. He breaks the rules of heaven and thus completely disappears from the memory of the world in this drama.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/10/14

More
Partnership aims to boost minorities' access to college

Related Stories

A philanthropic organization dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible for Latino and African-American students on Monday announced a partnership with the Henderson County public schools and the local chapters of the NAACP and El Centro.

Modern States Education Alliance recently launched Freshman Year for Free, the first-ever catalog of tuition-free online courses for 40+ core collegiate freshman subjects, enabling learners to earn traditional academic credits at more than 2,900 major colleges and universities. Taught by professors from leading schools, Modern States free courses prepare students for the well-accepted Advanced Placement and College Level Examination Program exams offered by the College Board.

The Modern States courses provide a wonderful opportunity for our students to earn college credit tuition-free, said Jan King, the school system's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. District administrators believe in providing our students with alternative paths to college. Modern States is another resource we can offer to help them define and reach their college, career and life goals.

To help enroll additional participants in the Modern States program, the Henderson County NAACP is developing a coalition of partners to assist with promoting, tutoring, mentoring, monitoring and otherwise motivating prospective enrollees.

We are developing a promotional program in collaboration with local high schools to assist in ensuring that students are aware of the Modern States opportunity, NAACP chapter secretary Harold Hellickson said. We hope other NAACP chapters in North Carolina and elsewhere will join us.

As part of the partnership, El Centro of Henderson County, an organization dedicated to creating a more inclusive community for Latinos, will assist high school students with realizing their educational goals.

We have leaders in different areas of the community and are effective in helping get the word out, said Carolina McCready, co-director of El Centro of Henderson County. We think this is really exciting.

Earlier this year, Modern States announced it will pay the College Board test fees for the first 10,000 students who complete a Modern States course. The offer enables learners to earn a single college credit or up to a full year's worth of credits for free, reducing the cost of a traditional four-year college degree by 25 percent.

Many students across the nation want a college education but cant afford it. I founded this philanthropy to help make a college education accessible for everyone, said Steve Klinsky, founder and CEO of Modern States. I am enthusiastic about our new partners in North Carolina.

The Modern States courses are taught by faculty members from some of the nations best universities, including Columbia, Purdue, Rutgers, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Baruch College, University of Texas and Cal Berkeley.

Modern States aspires to help more than one million learners earn credit at no tuition cost, saving students and taxpayers approximately $1,000 per course and over $1 billion in total, while also creating a practical on-ramp into the traditional college system for anyone who seeks it.
An erotic masseuse has been accused of setting her dog on an undercover garda who was on a "mission of mercy" to try to find out if she had been trafficked.

Cristina Cristian is alleged to have assaulted the officer by unleashing her border collie Todd, which bit him on the leg.

Garda Andrew O'Sullivan had called at her home posing as a client after answering an ad on an escorts' website, as part of an operation investigating human trafficking.

Ms Cristian denied assault, insisting she thought Gda O'Sullivan was a robber and that the dog escaped from her bathroom while she was getting her phone.

Judge Bernadette Owens deferred a decision after a trial at Dublin District Court.

Website

Gda O'Sullivan said he phoned a number listed on the Escorts Ireland website and spoke to a girl called "Jessica".

He arranged to meet her at her flat at Lower Rathmines Road on December 20, 2016. When he knocked, Ms Cristian's girlfriend Elena Amuzan invited him in, he said.

"I asked 'are you Jessica?' and she said 'no, Jessica is my flatmate who lives upstairs'," Gda O'Sullivan told the court.

He said he produced his badge and identified himself. He alleged Ms Amuzan pushed him and shouted: "Garda."

He said he had his hands out to protect himself and told Ms Amuzan she was not in trouble or being arrested.

He said Ms Cristian appeared at the top of the stairs, disappeared and reappeared with a dog, which she had by the collar. She was shouting at the dog in another language, pointing at gardai, he said.

The dog was getting "frenzied" and it looked like Ms Cristian then released it. The dog ran down the stairs and bit Gda O'Sullivan on the rear of his right thigh.

It continued to act in a "wild and feral" manner before one of the women took it back up.

In cross-examination, Gda O'Sullivan told defence solicitor Colleen Gildernew his enquiries were intended to help victims of human trafficking. He denied assaulting Ms Amuzan.

Garda Colleen Clarke said she was also there, and said: "We are garda, police."

The court heard in her garda interview, Ms Cristian was asked if she was a prostitute, and replied: "I make money doing erotic massage. I don't do it because I want to, I don't do it because someone forced me, I have to eat and I have to pay rent."

Robbed

Both she and Ms Amuzan said in evidence they did not know who the gardai were and did not hear them identify themselves.

They alleged Gda O'Sullivan had Ms Amuzan on the ground with her arm behind her back.

Ms Cristian said she was scared when she saw this, thought they were being robbed and opened the bathroom to get her phone to call Ms Amuzan's parents. The dog had been locked inside and she did not realise it had got out. She said she only called out in Romanian for the dog to come back.

"My dog is just trained to give a handshake and a kiss," she said, crying.

Garda Sergeant Mark Cribben said the dog had bitten everyone in the pound who had dealt with it. A dog warden said the dog was the biggest collie he had ever seen and it took two grown men to control it.
La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat spoke Tuesday about the importance of local efforts to address climate and water-related issues around the Mississippi River, stressing the economic importance of the river to La Crosse and other river cities.

Lets face it. Its on all of us to save the world. Its not gonna happen from the folks in Washington, Kabat told the League of Women Voters during its December Lunch and Learn session.

League of Women Voters member Maureen Kinney introduced the mayor at the event, saying the topic was a familiar one for many members.

The League has been involved in water issues for years and years and years  quality and quantity, Kinney said. (The) League is a problem-solver and wants to help deal with water issues and solving problems. Maybe the mayor will give us some ideas today on how we can help.

Kabat updated the nonpartisan group on the work of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, which is a group of mayors from cities of all sizes in 10 states bordering the Mississippi River, from Bemidji, Minn., to New Orleans. The group addresses river corridor issues such as water quality, which affects everything from agriculture and tourism to public health.

Weve been breaking records in a bad way for the last several years, Kabat said.

The mayor cited climate-related problems that affected cities up and down the river, including 500-year flood events in 2011, a 50-year drought in 2012 and five 100-year floods in the past six years.

Even this past summer, while we were getting way more rainfall than normal, parts of the Dakotas, parts of Iowa were near drought, so youve got these very acute things going on, Kabat said.

Just in our region alone there were millions of dollars in destruction of property from storm events, he added.

With no reason to think those storm events will stop any time soon, MRCTI formed to tackle the problem from an economic perspective.

Obviously, the Mississippi River, we live in it, we recreate, we enjoy all the benefits. Its a huge impact, not only nationally, but also on a global level, Kabat said.

The river has an estimated economic impact of nearly $500 billion per year, he said, including manufacturing, agriculture and tourism dollars.

The river is a big deal for our economy, he said.

MRCTI advocates at the federal and state levels for greater mitigation funding and additional incentives to get people to create more sustainable practices in both public and private sectors.

Were looking at ways to prevent problems before they happen, Kabat said.

Meanwhile, the mayors involved take what they learn through the organization and promote local efforts and support sustainable practices at the city level.

Kabat cited La Crosses blufflands protection program, Friends of the La Crosse River Marshs efforts to restore native species, the citys various floodplain relief programs and its focus on green infrastructure.

You might notice that as youre going around town, when we are fixing streets, the boulevards now in a lot of those places are in areas where its meant to catch stormwater runoff to help for that to percolate more slowly so that it can clean out and get rid of some of the metals and petroleum and those types of things, Kabat said.

The mayor called on league members to support MRCTIs efforts and advocate additional funding for things such as the water pollution control grant program, the pre-disaster mitigation grant program, the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Loan Funds and the USGS Water Resources program.

Its going to be on all of us. Weve got to figure out how to do this and fix these things, Kabat said.

He invited the group to visit the organizations website, mrcti.org, for a full list of its priorities.
A dissident republican - who is also a convicted drug dealer - has pleaded guilty to charges linked to the punishment shooting of slain Real IRA figure Declan 'Fat Deccy' Smith in January 2013.

Yesterday at the Special Criminal Court, Eamon McNamee (37), of Larkfield Square, Lucan, Co Dublin, admitted to possession of a firearm with the intent to commit an indictable offence, namely assault causing harm, at Fairgreen, Saggart, Co Dublin on January 19, 2013.

Punishment

'Fat Deccy' Smith, who was a close associate of murdered Real IRA leader Alan Ryan, was shot in the leg in a "punishment- style" attack in Saggart, west Dublin, in January 2013.

It was part of an "internal IRA purge" following the murder of Ryan by a Coolock crime gang four months earlier.

Smith, who was originally from Belfast, was aged 32 when he was shot dead by a separate north Dublin crime grouping outside a creche in Donaghmede in March 2014.

Expand Close Declan 'Fat Deccy' Smith / Facebook

Twitter

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Whatsapp Declan 'Fat Deccy' Smith

The "internal purge" that led to 'Fat Deccy' being shot in the legs was ordered by Aidan 'The Beast' O'Driscoll.

McNamee's trial had been due to open today.

However, Michael Bowman, defending, told the three-judge court yesterday that the accused could be arraigned on the charge.

When the registrar read the indictment to McNamee and asked him how he was pleading, he said: "Guilty".

Anne-Marie Lawlor, prosecuting, told the court that the plea was acceptable to the State.

Ms Lawlor said McNamee had been on bail for in excess of two years and there was consent to bail. However, she asked that the bail be varied to require McNamee to sign on at a garda station every day.

Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, presiding, remanded McNamee on continuing bail until January 29, when he will be sentenced for the offence.
How good are these two guys, Penn State fans? It may surprise you ...
At Magnuson Worldwide, America's fastest growing hotel brand, we are proud to announce the branding of the Magnuson Hotel Birch Run, located in Michigan.

The Magnuson Hotel Birch Run is located off I-75, a five minute walk from the Premium Outlet Mall. You will be 2 miles from the Expo Center and Wilderness Zoo. This Magnuson Hotel features an indoor pool and hot tub, along with a fitness center.

Formerly a Best Western, Magnuson Hotel Birch Run will upgrade its market position to attract travelers via an affiliation with Magnuson Worldwide's international portfolio of over 1,000 hotels and state-of-the-art, global distribution platform.

Hotel website
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills is proud to welcome industry veteran Peter Bowling, who has been appointed the hotel's managing director. In his new role, Bowling will be responsible for the overall operations of the property, which opened its doors in June 2017. Prior to this appointment, Bowling served as the managing director of the multiple award-winning One&Only Palmilla resort in Cabo San Lucas. During his tenure there, the British-born executive extended his international expertise gained from his time overseeing some of the world's greatest hotels. With over 30 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry, Bowling's resume reads like a Who's Who of some of the world's most spectacular hotel properties. Bowling began his career in England at the acclaimed Lainston House and Eastwell Manor before holding a position at Chilston Park Country House. After relocating from England in 1986, Bowling went on to manage some of the Caribbeans most celebrated resorts including The Royal Pavilion in Barbados and the Cotton House Hotel in Mustique. Bowling also developed Villa Nova, Barbados first boutique style hotel, and was managing director of the renowned Jumby Bay in Antigua, where he spearheaded an extensive renovation to the private 300-acre island, part of the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts group. He also counts The Inn at Perry Cabin by Belmond in Maryland and The Resort at Pedregal in Mexico among the places he has served as either general manager or managing director. His vaunted successes in organization, team management and revenue generation at each one makes him the ideal choice to take the helm at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
Diamond Resorts International, a global leader in the hospitality and vacation ownership industries, is pleased to announce today that industry leader Mark Nuzzo has joined the company to assume the role of Executive Vice President of Global Resort Operations, after an interim transition period. Nuzzo will assume the role previously held by Ronan OGorman, who, after a dedicated and successful career in the hospitality industry, has announced he will retire at the end of 2018. Nuzzo brings with him nearly 40 years of experience in the hospitality and vacation ownership industries, most recently serving as President of The Sonnenschein Groupe and its subsidiaries, including American Resorts International and Sonnenschein Property Management. Prior to that role, Nuzzo served as Managing Partner of Creative Impact LLC, and as President of RCI Resort Management. Nuzzo also spent more than 20 years in various leadership roles at Fairfield Communities, and was one of the leaders responsible for the original development and implementation of the Fairshare Plus Programs, now known as Wyndham Vacation Ownership. During his tenure at Diamond Resorts, OGorman accomplished many milestones, including launching the Resort Operations Fundamentals of providing world-class service, establishing financially healthy HOAs, maintaining and continually refurbishing resorts, and becoming the employer of choice.
London UK/Spokane WA  At Magnuson Worldwide, America's fastest growing hotel brand, we are proud to announce the branding of the Magnuson Hotel Birch Run, located in Michigan.

The Magnuson Hotel Birch Run is located off I-75, a five minute walk from the Premium Outlet Mall. You will be 2 miles from the Expo Center and Wilderness Zoo. This Magnuson Hotel features an indoor pool and hot tub, along with a fitness center.

Formerly a Best Western, Magnuson Hotel Birch Run will upgrade its market position to attract travelers via an affiliation with Magnuson Worldwide's international portfolio of over 1,000 hotels and state-of-the-art, global distribution platform.

Thomas Magnuson, CEO of Magnuson Worldwide says: "We are delighted to be welcoming the full team at the Magnuson Hotel Birch Run to the Magnuson family."

About Magnuson Worldwide:

Since its launch fourteen years ago, Magnuson Worldwide has become America's fastest growing hotel brand and a top 15 global chain, marketing over 1,000 hotels across six countries and three continents. Magnuson Worldwide's newly formed distribution partnership with Chinese operator Jin Jiang Hotels and Europe's Louvre Hotels is the world's largest hotel alliance, forming a consortium of over 8,000 hotels and 800,000 rooms worldwide, equal to the size of a top 2 global hotel chain.

For more information:

i[email protected]

US 509.747.8713 UK (+44) 020 3051 2724.

Alysha Smith

VP of Operations & Development

8000148132

Magnuson Hotels
MONTREAL  dormakaba, one of the top three companies in the global market for access and security solutions, announced YOTEL Boston installed its BLE-ready Saflok Quantum RFID electronic locks.

YOTEL Boston is the third YOTEL property to trust dormakaba for guestroom locks.

dormakaba manufactures the SaflokTM and Ilco electronic door locks and provides installation and service for its systems. The 326- cabin YOTEL Boston is situated in the heart of Seaport, Boston's Innovation District and within sight of Boston Harbor. Click here for information on electronic door locks from dormakaba.

"dormakaba has been a partner of YOTEL for many years beginning with deployment of access control systems and locks in our first YOTELAIR at London Gatwick Airport 10 years ago," said David Manning, YOTEL HQ IT Programme Manager.

YOTEL also uses dormakaba electronic locks at its New York City property and expects to complete installation of dormakaba locks in YOTEL San Francisco hotel in early 2018. All dormakaba RFID locks manufactured today are compatible with IOS and Android smart devices for wider adoption.

dormakaba Vice President Stephen Pollack said, "dormakaba is a service focused access control global leader that combines innovative solutions and professional services. YOTEL is a perfect example of a global hotel company that provides best-in-class technology to its equally international guests."

dormakaba understands the requirements of domestic and international hospitality operators. Its full-range of perimeter access products augment hotel locking systems and manage elevator, parking, common areas, and back-of-house access.

"dormakaba maintains a large number of professional service offices across North America and globally," Pollack said. "If operators require a fast intervention, dormakaba has product specialists from the closest service branches around the world ready to respond."

Thousands of properties trust dormakaba to provide the security of property data and a quality guest experience. dormakaba's mobile access platform is a secure, open platform that adapts to the business goals and marketing needs of hoteliers while it enhances the guest experience. All dormakaba RFID locks manufactured today are compatible with IOS and Android smart devices for wider adoption.

About dormakaba

dormakaba is one of the top three companies in the global market for access and security solutions. With strong brands such as Dorma and Kaba in our portfolio, we are a single source for products, solutions, and services related to doors and secure access to buildings and rooms. With around 16,000 employees and numerous cooperation partners, we are active in over 130 countries. dormakaba is headquartered in Rumlang (Zurich/Switzerland) and generates an annual turnover of over CHF 2 billion. Click here for information on electronic door locks from dormakaba.

SIX Swiss Exchange: DOKA (formerly: KABN / KABNE) Further information at www.dormakaba.com

About YOTEL

Inspired by the luxury of first class travel and uncompromisingly designed around guests, YOTEL takes the essential elements of luxury hotels into smaller, smart spaces and deliver a sense of community with areas for co-working, social gatherings and exercise. Premium Cabins include YOTEL's signature adjustable SmartBed with rejuvenating monsoon rain showers and a Technowall with adjustable mood lighting and smart TVs, multi power points and easy connectivity. YOTEL operates four airport hotels under the YOTELAIR brand in London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris, Charles de Gaulle airports; and three city hotels in New York, Boston and Singapore. YOTEL is expanding rapidly with new hotels under development globally, including a YOTELAIR in Singapore Changi Airport and new city hotels in San Francisco, London Clerkenwell, Dubai, Edinburgh, Miami and Amsterdam. YOTEL's major shareholders include the Al-Bahar Group, IFA Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Capital Group, United Investment Portugal and Kuwait Real Estate Company (AQARAT).

For more information or to book a stay at YOTEL New York, Boston, Singapore, San Francisco or YOTELAIR properties at London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle visit: www.YOTEL.com

Stephen Pollack

Vice President Marketing

1-859-253-4744 x3542
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- In an ongoing effort to balance hospitality and security, the hotel and lodging industry is uniquely vulnerable to crisis, and notoriously difficult to regulate. The Las Vegas shooting that occurred on October 1, 2017, is a particularly formidable example of how a lighthearted vacation can quickly turn into a nightmare. Recent hurricanes experienced in Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico also had a major impact on the hospitality industry. The same goes for the earthquake that struck Central Mexico in September, and the wildfires that ravaged Northern California in October. This string of events is a mere microcosm of the types of situations that can wreak havoc on any hotel business.

To help hotel employees think quickly on their feet in moments of danger or conflict, workforce communication company Beekeeper has released a White Paper designed to help navigate the essential preparation measure hoteliers should engage to ensure cross-organizational readiness in the event of a disaster. "Hotel Crisis Planning and Communications" will explore how internal communications strategies can be optimized by technology. To download the White Paper, which includes tips for accessing vulnerability, mitigating risk, and establishing a hierarchy of communications, click here.

"The main goal of any hospitality business is to give guests the ultimate experience and make them feel welcome and safe during their stay," said Andrada Paraschiv, Beekeeper Head of Hospitality. "Unfortunately, there are always unpredictable behaviors that can be challenging for hotel employees to manage while upholding their code of hospitality. While hoteliers can't predict the unpredictable, they can have a crisis communications plan in place  especially when emergency communication can be particularly challenging for non-desk workers whose roles do not require or facilitate a constant connection to a traditional email inbox. This disconnection often leaves employees without an easy way to hear organization-wide announcements, coordinate schedule changes, and even get emergency payroll access. During national emergencies, the need for having a reliable, robust, and technologically elastic digital workplace app on board becomes painstakingly obvious."

Source: Beekeeper

Beekeeper digitizes the non-desk workforce by connecting operational systems and communication channels within one secure, intuitive platform. In a worst-case scenario, an internal communications platform will enable employees to react appropriately and professionally, rather than being taken by surprise.

In the event of a natural disaster, violent crime or even a non-violent threat such as fraud or information hacking, knowing how to effectively communicate with first responders is imperative, as well as maintaining a calm and collected attitude when fielding questions from out-of-town guests. This White Paper will help hotels establish a crisis preparation process that will quickly become a best practice.

ABOUT BEEKEEPER

Beekeeper empowers frontline businesses and their workers with the digital solutions they need to do their best possible work. Founded in 2012, Beekeeper's mobile-first platform was designed and built for deskless employees who  despite representing 80% of the global workforce  have been chronically underserved when it comes to workplace technology. With Beekeeper's Frontline Success System, companies can automate paper-based processes, communicate with employees in real-time from anywhere, and improve the engagement, productivity, and safety of frontline teams.

Website: www.beekeeper.io, Blog: www.beekeeper.io/blog, LinkedIn

Barb Worcester

PRpro for Beekeeper

440-930-5770
Joyner Lucas seems to be a man on a mission for justice of sorts in hip-hop. First, there was the release of his track Im Not Racist, which took aim at discrimination against minorities in America, especially since the Trump regime has set up shop in the White House. However, Lucas isnt content to simply make broad call-outs in his music  in fact, hes now turned to dragging rappers by name for supposedly supporting drug use in their lyrics.

During a recent chat with the crew over at Ebro in the Morning, Lucas took some shots at the likes of Lil Wayne, Future and Lil Pump for, in his mind, glorifying the use of drugs when they spit bars. Ive never been into artists promoting drugs, Lucas stated. When you say those things, you telling the listener to go do the s**t. At the end of the day, I dont promote any artist, I dont care who the f**kWayneit dont matter who you are. Anytime I hear an artist promoting drugseven Future with percocet, molly percocet, I dont like that s**t. The discussion later shifted to his video for Im Not Racist, one that he has regrets about despite the negativity that its caught from viewers over the last little while.

I cant make everybody happy, he continued. That was calculated as well. There wouldve been no resolution if I wouldve went as hard with the black cat as the white man. I didnt want to do that because I wanted to create a resolution, so I let this white man speak. I let him do his thing[]

Check out the full interview, courtesy of Hot 97, below.

Joyner Lucas
If youre one of the people who has already started their holiday season binge watching deluge, youre definitely not alone, especially when it comes to movies that center around Christmas film or TV content. However, if youre one of the few people who have watched Netflixs new Christmas movie everyday for the past two and a half weeks straight, then even the streaming company is slightly concerned (but maybe not actually).

In a world having movies going on repeat is the norm, Netflixs newest holiday treat, A Christmas Prince, has clearly already made some die-hard fans. That being said, the way the streaming giant worded its tweet on the subject was, well, kind of odd. Check it out below.

Lets just unpack that for a second. Its great that Netflix, if youre taking this literally, is thinking about the handful of people who clearly have an obsession with this particular Christmas movie. However, theres more than a tinge of creepiness in its tone, as one Twitter user noted rather succinctly. Check it out below.

There are also people out there who prefer to be left alone rather than called out on their binging habits, even if it only concerns the one movie. Case in point, Netflix is basically the parent that every kid pretends is stepping out of bounds by asking a simple question. See a portion of the reactions to the companys one-liner below.

It was actually a pretty sweet day for Netflix as far as awards recognition goes, as the companys original content garnered several Golden Globe nominations again this year, including a Best TV Series nod for Stranger Things. Check out the full list of nominees here.

Netflix
The most popular streaming service has just revealed some major numbers on what users viewing habits consisted of in 2017.

According to Netflixs latest press release, 2017 has acquired over 109 million users in 190 countries. Movies and series have been purged over 140 million hours throughout the year that roughly equals one billion viewing hours per week. Netflix notes that Sunday, January 1st was the most popular day to binge-watch  makes sense since most people were probably nursing the after-effects of any New Years Eve party.

The results below for each category was brought together by 60,000 surveys from users in 32 countries. Do you guys think its pretty spot on?

Shows Devoured in 2017 (Watched more than two hours per day)

1. American Vandal

2. Suburra: Blood on Rome

3. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

4. 3%

5. 13 Reasons Why

6. Marvels Iron Fist

7. Anne with an E

8. Ingobernable

9. Travelers

10. The Keepers

Shows Savored in 2017 (Watched less than two hours per day)

1. The Crown

2. Neo Yokio

3. A Series of Unfortunate Events

4. GLOW

5. Friends from College

6. Ozark

7. Big Mouth

8. Ultimate Beastmaster

9. Dear White People

10. Disjointed

Shows That Got Us Cheating in 2017 (Members admitted to binge-watching ahead of their partners)

1. Orange is the New Black

2. Stranger Things

3. Narcos

4. 13 Reasons Why

5. Ozark

6. Marvels The Defenders

7. MINDHUNTER

8. Marvels Iron Fist

9. Black Mirror

10. Grace & Frankie

Shows That Brought Us Together in 2017 (Most watched together as a family)

1. Stranger Things

2. A Series of Unfortunate Events

3. 13 Reasons Why

4. Fuller House

5. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

6. Trollhunters

7. Chefs Table

8. Voltron

9. Anne with an E

10. One Day at a Time
This mornings attack that took place near Times Square in New York was said to have been carried out as revenge for the recent Israeli actions in Gaza.

Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi immigrant living in Brooklyn, is in custody after he let off a homemade pipe bomb near the Port Authority Bus Terminal. CNN reports that authorities are calling the event an attempted terrorist attack and Akayeds motive comes after four people were killed in the Palestinian territory by Israeli forces, after Donald Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel just last week. Lets be clear that this was an attempted terror attack, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goal.

Akayed is currently being treated at a New York hospital for lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen. No deaths have been reported, but some are being treated for headaches and ringing in their ears.

The video below shows the moment the bomb went off with people seen jetting the scene with Akayed left laying on the ground. Check out some Twitter reactions below.
Page Content



ICAO HQ Montreal, 11 December 2017  ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu welcomed a wide range of government and industry experts to ICAO today to kick off the UN agencys second Global Air Navigation Industry Symposium (GANIS/2).

As we meet here this week, seeking to renew the air transport network so that it fully meets the social and economic expectations of societies and businesses everywhere, we must acknowledge that its time for our air navigation systems and capabilities to take some new steps forward, and well beyond legacy concepts and approaches which have now lost much of their relevance, he emphasized in opening the week-long activities and exhibition planned.

Stressing that the solutions to be considered by the 600-plus experts in attendance must not only accommodate forecast traffic growth, but also fully integrate air and ground systems, including airports, within a single and coordinated flight control infrastructure, Dr. Aliu further highlighted that intermodal transport environments, and the revolution now underway via remotely-piloted and unmanned operational platforms, present new and compelling flight management challenges.

Innovations in these areas are expanding not only traditional operations, he underscored, but also business models, and the overall process is accelerating the information-centric transition being enabled by System Wide Information Management (SWIM) and Collaborative Decision Making (CDM). This evolved environment will ultimately enable management by trajectory, and deliver much-needed improvements for mission- and business-critical operations. It will also help us to leverage important enhancements to aviation safety, security, and environmental sustainability, while enabling increasingly autonomous operations and more effective human-machine collaboration.

President Aliu also remarked that aviations historically strong degree of global harmonization, achieved through ICAO, as well as a set of agreed and clearly-defined performance-based standards, would be key to how the coming air navigation revolution is managed globally.

ICAOs Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP) serves to align those standards and performance targets and provides a comprehensive and practical strategic vision for aviation, he reiterated.

Noting the profound socio-economic benefits which derive from the international routes and flights which connect societies and businesses everywhere, President Aliu urged the GANIS participants to think very far beyond aviations traditional box.

Were looking for your creativity and your imagination, but also for your sense of adventure. And thats because adventure has always been such an important part of the spirit of aviation, he said.

ICAOs GANIS event has been organized back-to-back this year with a special supporting symposium focused on the safety and implementation challenges which can confront many States and territories when the air transport system adopts new global innovations.

A key and over-arching aim of the ICAO Global Plans for safety and air navigation is to structure and optimize this modernization through the improved interoperability of systems, harmonized procedures and strengthened regulatory regimes, President Aliu commented. Our safety and implementation symposium will therefore help us to explore how these guiding global strategic resources can point us to new implementation strategies which are at once targeted and cost-effective, while ready and able to handle whats to come.

Resources for Editors



About ICAO



A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities. The Organization serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 192 Member States.



Second Global Air Navigation Industry Symposium (GANIS/2)

ICAO's No Country Left Behind initiative



Contacts



Anthony Philbin

Chief, Communications

aphilbin@icao.int

+1 514-954-8220

+1 438-402-8886 (mobile)

Twitter: @ICAO



William Raillant-Clark

Communications Officer

wraillantclark@icao.int

+1 514-954-6705

+1 514-409-0705 (mobile)

Twitter: @wraillantclark

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raillantclark/




Former state Sen. Spencer Coggs says he was unable to testify to defend himself in a case against him and the Wisconsin Legislature that resulted in a taxpayer-funded settlement paid in 2015 to his former staff member for being fired after complaining of sexual harassment in his office.

Coggs, a Democrat who is now Milwaukee city treasurer, said in a column published in the Milwaukee Courier that he denies ever sexually harassing former staffer Jana Harris, who went by the name Jana Williams while she worked for him between 2004 and 2011 in the state Capitol.

He also said the state should not have settled the case, paying Harris $75,000, and that he was unable to testify during the hearing that led to the settlement but does not specify why he did not testify.

Coggs has not returned phone calls seeking interviews since the Wisconsin State Journal first reported the settlement last week, but he issued a statement that day claiming he had never sexually harassed a staff member or colleague in the decades he has been in public office. Coggs did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Tuesday.

An administrative law judge in 2011 found that Coggs sexually harassed Harris, who was fired that year nearly two years after she filed a complaint with the Legislature against Coggs alleging the harassment. The judges findings were part of a complaint case Harris brought to the Department of Workforce Developments Equal Rights Division in 2011 after being fired.

While I understand that settlements of Equal Rights Division matters and the allegations themselves may not be confidential, my strong concerns about not being able to testify against the accusations and the conclusions that some could make against me many years later because of the settlement apparently now have come true, Coggs wrote. I believed then, and I believe now, that the state never should have settled.

The judges findings capped off days of testimony from Harris co-workers and state Senate officials.

Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, which defended the Legislature and Coggs in the matter under then-Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, said the case was likely settled with permission from Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, before Coggs had an opportunity to testify at a full hearing.

But Koremenos also noted that the DOJ did not on Tuesday have the cases files and that its hard to know with certainty.

According to findings by administrative law judge Deborah Little Cohn, who reviewed Harris complaint, Coggs told Harris that her breasts were distracting, to cover up in front of her male colleagues and to wear her hair down, among other things.

Harris worked in Coggs office with all men, and there she watched her co-workers use binoculars to watch women walking and jogging around Capitol Square, calling them double-breasted warblers, according to Cohns report. Harris also heard Coggs make jokes about her sex life and questioned whether she was black enough, according to the report.

When Harris asked to not be fired, Coggs told Harris, You cant create an adversarial situation and then come back and ask me for something, according to Cohns report. In defending the state and Coggs, a DOJ attorney argued Harris would have quit her job if her allegations were true, Harris has said.

Cohn found probable cause that the Legislature permitted sexual harassment and that Harris was fired because of her skin color and gender. Cohns findings were a result of an appeal Harris filed of an initial DWD determination that there was no probable cause.

Harris said Tuesday she is frustrated by Coggs continuing to deny the allegations.

I feel victimized all over again, Harris said.

She also said she believes Coggs could have testified if he had wanted to.
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David Davis has said he doesn't have to be "very clever" or "know that much" to do his job as UK Brexit secretary.

The British cabinet minister said he just has to be "calm" and admitted that last Monday's botched attempt at getting an agreement with the EU to move to Brexit trade negotiations had tested that ability.

Theresa May's attempt to reach a Brexit deal on the Border fell apart at the start of last week after a damaging public row with the Democratic Unionist Party over Northern Ireland's future.

Speaking to LBC radio, Mr Davis said: "What's the requirement of my job? I don't have to be very clever, I don't have to know that much, I do just have to be calm. And that did test the calmness a bit, a little bit."

Asked whether Mrs May agreed that it was not necessary to be very clever to be Brexit secretary, the British prime minister's official spokesman told reporters: "The prime minister believes that all her cabinet ministers are very able to get on with their jobs." ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Former Kerry Foods marketing director Denis O'Riordan has said that the desire to win has been the driving force behind the success of Cheestrings which has "gone from nothing to 100m" in little over 20 years.

Known as "Mr Cheestrings" by his colleagues, Mr O' Riordan, who recently retired from his role at Kerry Foods, was awarded the first ever Industry Champion Award at the Bord Bia Food Awards last week.

He told the Farming Independent that the success of Cheestrings, which he has been at the helm of since its inception in 1996, was driven by the motivation to win and teamwork.

"The brand is about 100m in value now. That's about 2m a week. It's gone from nothing to being worth 100m.

"We built the brand together and won and believed we could win. There's great fun in working in a team and trying to win and in my working lifetime that's what I've enjoyed most - working together and then going on to win and win," he said

Mr O'Riordan said Kerry Foods' takeover of Golden Vale in 2001, allowed the brand to expand its exporting base and is now consumed by 350 million people around Europe.

"Kerry bought Golden Vale, I got more investment and more capacity to move in to other markets in France and Germany and Benelux and more recently the Mediterranean including Italy, Spain and Portugal," he said.

Mr O'Riordan lives only a mile away from the Kerry Foods factory in Charleville, Co Cork where Cheestrings is produced. He said he takes pride that locally produced food is being enjoyed by consumers and aiding the growth of the local rural economy there.

"It's a great feeling when you go and sell what you have from your own community and there's a person in Lisbon or Munich who buys our product and pays 2 for it and there's a car service or a coffee shop in Charleville who gets a penny out of that. It's delivering back to our communities as well as our business," he said.

Kerry Foods also won the Export for Bigger Business Award, while the Export for Smaller Business Award went to Silver Hill Farm, which supplies duck products worldwide.

Based on the Border, in Emyvale, Co Mongahan, head of sales Barry Cullen said it's furthering its focus on the South East Asian market to deal with Brexit.

"We looked toward South East Asia long before Brexit was talked about and we'll continue to do business everywhere.

"We are in Singapore for the last four years, we launched in to Hong Kong last week and are looking to Malaysia this year. We're looking at Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, so we're very much focused on South East Asia."
The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed has signed into force new laws which will regulate the countrys travelling bulls.

In certain parts of the country travelling bulls (i.e. breeding bulls used for natural service outside of the holding in which they are located) are still a feature.

Up to now, there has not been any specific legal basis to regulate travelling bulls in the context of minimising animal disease risk.

New laws signed into force by the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed provides for the regulation of travelling bulls, including a requirement for registration, the issuing of movement permits, record keeping and compliance with testing and biosecurity requirements.

The system will be operated via the Regional Offices.

Under the laws, a person shall not move or transport a bull, unless the identification and breed of the bull, the name and address of the owner, the identity of the land or premises where the bull is normally kept and any other information that the Minister may determine is entered a breeding bulls register.

The Minister may determine may suspend or revoke an entry in the breeding bulls register, or refuse an application.

The regulations do not apply to a bull used for breeding solely on the land or premises where the bull and the animals serviced are normally kept.

Currently, in Ireland, it is estimated that 83pc of calves born to beef cows are bred with a stock bull, while approximately 55pc of dairy replacements are sired by a stock bull.
Gardai are investigating the theft of a John Deere tractor that was stolen in recent days.

The stolen tractor is a John Deere model and the registration number is 09 G 1947, which was stolen from the Cavan/Monaghan area.

Gardai say there is a black sheer grab on the front of the tractor and they are appealing to anyone with information to contact Bailieboro Garda Station on 042 969 4570.

This theft comes following a spate of thefts and robberies that have affected the farming community in recent days.

Gardai in Meath are investigating the theft of another jeep stolen without using the keys.

Gardai are asking members of the public to keep a look out for the Grey BMW Jeep with a 07 DL ##7 registration. The rear tail light is not working on passenger side, a distinguishing feature of the jeep.

According to the Gardai thieves are using special equipment to steal certain makes of cars and jeeps these days and they advise that it might be worth considering installing tracking systems.

Meanwhile, the IFA is offering a 10,000 reward to get significant information that will lead to the arrest and charge of individuals in connection with livestock theft in Cork.

West Cork IFA Chairman Cornie Buckley has warned farmers to be vigilant following the theft of 13 cattle from a farm near Skibbereen.

He said livestock theft is a serious issue for farmers right across the country, causing not only financial loss but stress and trauma.
Michael Fingleton, the former managing director of the collapsed Irish Nationwide Building Society, has rejected all allegations of regulatory breaches levelled at him by a Central Bank inquiry, and instead blamed the regulator for the lender's collapse.

He claimed the systemic failures of Ireland's banking sector lay "firmly" with the Central Bank.

In dismissing an accusation of lending failures at Irish Nationwide building Society (INBS), Mr Fingleton's version of events contradicted evidence presented by his former finance director, John Purcell, who was a director of the company until his retirement in 2010.

In a witness statement, read out to the inquiry by Brian O'Moore, a member of the Central Bank's legal team, Mr Fingleton said he only became a member of the Society's credit committee in December 2007.

That view contradicted Mr Purcell's declaration, also contained in a witness statement and read out by Mr O'Moore, that Mr Fingleton and INBS's head of commercial lending, Tom McMenamin, were the "most senior and permanent members of the credit committee".

Mr Fingleton - who turns 80 in January and presided over INBS for 38 years - was expected to make an opening statement at the inquiry, which is examining the actions of senior management in the run up to the failure of the building society in 2010.

However, the lengthy presentations from the Central Bank's legal team mean that is now set to take place this morning. While Mr Fingleton is expected to address the three-member panel shortly after 10.30am today, written statements to the inquiry reveal he disputes each of the seven "suspected prescribed contraventions" levelled at him and four other directors - and that he regards the Central Bank as the chief culprit for the difficulties suffered by both INBS and the sector.

The accusations cover a four-year period between August 2004 and September 2008.

In a witness statement composed in August 2017, he accused the regulator of "suppressing material and vital information to financial institutions" in the lead-up to the crash and claimed its failure led to "serious consequences for lenders".

He also insisted he was not a member of INBS's credit committee until December 2007 and that a month later the rules governing the committee were changed.

The opening module of the Central Bank's inquiry - the first-ever established by the regulator - has centred on the role of the Society's credit committee. It probes whether it adhered to internal procedures set by the board, and whether its actions breached legal regulations, including the Building Society Act of 2005.

INBS collapsed in 2010, after two decades of rapid growth during which it lent extensively to property developers.

In 2011 it was shunted into the bombed-out Anglo Irish entity that would later become the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), as part of the Government's bank bail-out strategy.

The Society's demise cost the taxpayer 5.4bn.

But the written correspondence submitted to the inquiry from each of the directors reveals sharply varying accounts of those final years.

Mr McMenamin insisted in a letter read out by Mr O'Moore that he was little more than an administrative assistant and characterised himself as a subordinate who answered directly to Mr Fingleton.

He stressed he was given no formal training for his role when he was promoted in 2001 and was parachuted into the position to take over the department's reins following the exit of another executive.

The inquiry, which can levy penalties of up to 500,000 on the directors, continues today. It is likely to run well into next year with former financial regulator, Patrick Neary among the witnesses scheduled to appear.
President Donald Trump has announced plans to reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah by 85 percent and 50 percent, respectively. It is the clearest example yet of the Trump administrations intent to offer our most treasured public lands to a handful of mining and fossil fuel companies.

The administration claims that there is insufficient public support for the monument designations, that they hurt the economies of surrounding communities and that they are outside a presidents legal authority in the Antiquities Act.

To bolster this argument, the Department of Interior opened a new public comment period on all national monuments, even though each one had already undergone years of public meetings, comments and negotiations with stakeholders. This mendacious process showed just how out of touch and deceitful the Trump administration is. Of the 2.8 million public comments, more than 99 percent supported maintaining or expanding national monuments. The American people spoke loudly about protecting public lands.

The notion that national monuments have a negative economic impact, like so much else with Trump, is not grounded in reality. There is plenty of evidence of the opposite. For example, a study found that in communities surrounding Grand Staircase-Escalante, 44 percent of total private employment is in the tourism industry, personal income rose by 32 percent between 2001 and 2015 and jobs grew by 24 percent.

Opening public lands for private exploitation doesnt benefit communities economically in any sustained way, but does cause irreparable harm to the land. It gives away public assets and benefits fossil fuel and mining special interests that have the access to the administration.

Finally, the notion that actions to protect public lands taken by former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama are illegal is a fantasy unsupported by serious legal analysis. Both Republican and Democratic presidents have used the powers of the Antiquities Act to protect large swaths of Americas cultural, historical and natural treasures.

The illegal action is actually what Trump did in reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. The 1906 Antiquities Act does not grant the president the authority to revoke or reduce national monuments, and Congress specifically reserved this right for itself in the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act. Many legal scholars, members of Congress and conservationists have expressed this view to the administration and will vigorously make the case in the federal courts.
The increased profile enjoyed by Ireland's best-known gay night-time venue as a result of the 2015 Marriage Equality Referendum has contributed to profits soaring by more than 700,000.

In May 2015, the iconic venue on Dublin's South West George's Street was the focus of scenes of celebration as the referendum received an overwhelming endorsement from the Irish public.

Now, accounts filed by Tabulatum Management Ltd that operates The George show accumulated profits increased from 862,768 to 1.56m in the 12 months to the end of December 2016.

The profits last year follow profits of 691,227 in 2015

Numbers employed at the pub and nightclub venue increased from 33 to 35 during the year with staff costs totalling 847,800.

The George opened in 1985, eight years before homosexuality was legalised in Ireland.

The bar's website boasts that it is the first port of call for young gay people in Ireland and has been the lynchpin that holds Dublin's gay scene together.

The firm's shareholder funds at the end of 2016 totalled 3.34m.

This arose from a revaluation reserve of 1.78m and accumulated profits of 1.56m. The company's cash pile during the year more than doubled -going from 310,812 to 712,752.

The accounts place a value of 6.9m on its tangible assets. At the end of 2016, the firm owed 4m to creditors. The amount owed to the firm by debtors in 2015 totalled 135,759.

The firm is a subsidiary of Ardan Advisory Ltd while its ultimate parent is US-based JT Magen (Capital Bars) LLC.

Separate accounts show that 2016 was a lucrative for another well-known gay venue, Panti Bar as accumulated profits increased from 233,717 to 274,254.

The increase in profits at Panty Bar Ltd follow profits of 173,400 in 2015 and 82,290 in 2014.

The company is co-owned by Rory O'Neill, aka Panti Bliss. Its cash pile last year declined from 143,679 to 85,749. The company's staff costs last year increased from 371,441 to 405,520.

The company's tangible assets at the end of December last had a book value of 257,638.
Staff Ryanair pilots in Dublin who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) are to strike on December 20.

Trade union Impact has just confirmed the planned industrial action and warned that additional strike days could also occur.

It said that Ireland-based, directly employed pilots, mostly captains, will stage the strike.

Ryanair said it will face down the action.

Last week, almost 80 Ryanair staff pilots sanctioned industrial action at the carrier as if faces up to unrest in Ireland and in other European countries.

Last week, IALPA president Evan Cullen wrote to Mr OLeary, calling on him to engage with IALPA on all aspects of pay, and terms and conditions of employment of directly-employed Ryanair pilots in Ireland. Mr Cullen warned the airline chief that if he didnt engage, a ballot for industrial action could be held.

The airline has refused to engage with unions, or to recognise a new European Employee Representative Council (EERC) that was established to represent Ryanair bases across the continent.

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The council was formed in the wake of Septembers pilot rostering fiasco at Ryanair that saw thousands of flights cancelled.

Ryanair does not recognise unions and is legally entitled not to do so. Asked yesterday by Independent.ie if it would seek an injunction in the High Court to prevent any industrial action by pilots in Dublin, the airline said it doesnt comment on rumour or speculation.

Last week, the airline warned pilots in Ireland that it would meet any attempt at industrial action head on. It also said it would freeze promotions, cut pilot pay and may even move aircraft out of Dublin if any industrial action was staged.

Impact official Ashley Connolly said Ryanair was the only Irish-based airline that refuses to recognise independent pilot representatives.

This dispute is solely about winning independent representation for pilots in the company she said.

Ryanair said it will deal with any such disruptions "if, or when they arise" and said it wanted to "apologise sincerely" to passengers "for any upset or worry" the threatened action may cause them.

It said that any Dublin pilots who participate in the industrial action will be in breach of their base agreement.

Ryanair added that such pilots "will lose those agreed benefits which arise from dealing directly with Ryanair, including the 5on/4off rosters [fve days on, four days off], certain pay benefits and promotion opportunities until such time as they chose to return to the 25 year established practice of dealing directly with Ryanair".

It added: "Like any group of workers, Ryanairs very well paid pilots are free to join unions, but like every other multinational, Ryanair is also free - under both Irish & EU law - to decline to engage with unions."
Michael Fingleton, the high-profile head of the collapsed Irish Nationwide Building Society, branded the Central Banks inquiry into regulatory breaches as a "cynical exercise" in "scape-goating".

In a lengthy opening statement to the three-member panel, led by former solicitor, Marian Shanley, Mr Fingleton accused the regulator of overseeing an "unfair" and "oppressive" investigation that amounted to an "abuse of power".

Mr Fingleton, who turns 80 next month, argued the Central Bank was fully aware of the Societys lending practices and those of the wider sector but only intensified its involvement when the market began to turn in 2008.

By that stage he insisted, the Society had already taken action to "build up liquidity" and reduce its balance sheet exposures by 1bn.

INBS was wound up in 2011 at a cost of 5.4bn to the taxpayer.
Irelands popularity among European job seekers has surged in the past two years, with the country recording a 33.6pc increase in its share of searches for jobs in Europe.

The research from jobs website Indeed.com analysed the online search patterns of millions of jobseekers across the EU15 and found that Ireland recorded the second largest increase of all countries, behind Luxembourg.

While the UK remains the most popular choice for jobseekers across Europe, its popularity has plunged since the 2016 Brexit vote.

The UKs 31.8pc share of EU15 cross-border job searches in the first nine months of 2017 was 14.7pc lower than during the same period in 2015.

Germany, the second most popular country, saw its share of searches rise by a fifth, Irelands popularity rose by a third and Luxembourgs by 56pc.

In a further sign that European workers are leaving the UK, the data from Indeed found that the number of EU citizens moving to Britain fell by 19pc in the 12 months following the Brexit referendum.

During the same period, the number of EU citizens leaving Britain rose by 29pc to 123,000.

The analysis, which highlights where people would like to work and gives a flavour of trends to come, also reveals that Irelands booming jobs market  and the waning appeal of Britains  prompted a 16.5pc fall in the proportion of Irish job seekers hoping to move to Britain.

Mariano Mamertino, EMEA economist at Indeed, said that while the Brexit vote had not stopped the attractiveness of the UK as a destination for workers, it had given many European jobseekers pause for thought.

"While the UK is still the most popular destination among Europeans looking to work abroad, its lead is shrinking fast. Britains loss could be its rivals gain  and Ireland, Germany, and France are all attracting a greater share of the interest from upwardly mobile EU citizens," Mr Mamertino said.
Representatives from Siptu are seeking an urgent meeting with the management of Yves Rocher following its announcement last Thursday that it intends to close its plant in the Kilbarry Industrial Estate, Cork at the end of next year.

The closure of the plant will result in the loss of 60 jobs.

Yves Rocher will consolidate its manufacturing operations within its base in the Brittany region of France.

Siptu organiser Paul Depuis said that the decision to close the plant followed an extensive review by Yves Rocher of its operations, which was prompted by falling global volumes in recent years.

Describing the announcement as a "major shock" to employees at the plant, Mr Depuis went on to say that it was a major blow to the workers and their families in the run up to Christmas.

"Siptu representatives are seeking an urgent meeting with the company to discuss the implications of its announcement for our members in the Cork plant," he said.

Yves Rocher established its manufacturing site in the Kilbarry Industrial Estate in Cork in 1981 and was a major employer in the area for many years.

In 2016 the company made the decision to reduce its workforce at the plant by up to 50pc as part of a restructuring move. At the time the company cited the cost of shipping products from Ireland to overseas markets as a major reason for its decision.

Yves Rocher brands include Riche Creme Pure Calmille, Arnica and Serum Vegetale.
Cross-border banking mergers within the euro area would not necessarily create "too-big-to-fail" giants and could contribute to financial stability, ECB governing council member Francois Villeroy de Galhau has said.

Regulators typically fear that consolidation will harm customers by shrinking competition, but some central bankers think it would make it easier to transmit monetary policy more evenly across the euro area.

In Ireland, cross-border consolidation has a bad history. New entrants helped fuel excess credit in the boom, while the rapid exits of lenders like Bank of Scotland Ireland, Danske Bank, and Rabobank in the aftermath of the crash helped worsen the credit crisis.

European banking regulations put in place since the 2008-2009 financial crisis have discouraged banks from becoming too complex, Mr Villeroy, the governor of the Bank of France, told a bank supervision conference in Paris.

"We are reaching the point in Europe where facilitating healthy and well-designed cross-border mergers could actually improve financial stability," Villeroy said.

"It would make banks better able to diversify their risks, achieve economies of scale and become more efficient.

"And as we have strengthened the single supervision and resolution of significant institutions, we should not fear the 'too-big-to-fail' issue," he added.

European banks have so far largely ignored calls to merge. In private, senior bankers say that mergers are discouraged by ever-changing regulations, though some of the uncertainty has cleared since global financial supervisors last week reached a long-sought deal to harmonise bank capital rules.

Bankers are also concerned that buying a bank in another eurozone country could raise their capital requirements.

But Villeroy said that the bloc should be considered as a single geographic area. (Additional reporting Reuters)
WASHINGTON  If you ever had any doubt about the insensitivity of the U. S. Congress to the tragedy around it, it has been dispelled by the push to expand gun rights in the aftermath of two of the worst mass murders in the nations history. One of these slaughters of the innocent of course was the Las Vegas massacre and the others at a church in Texas.

Despite the killing of 58 and the wounding of 200 or so at the Las Vegas concert with video game efficiency by an obvious madman and the bullet riddled Sunday service in Sutherland Springs that took the lives of 26 more by another maniac, a bill to allow more Americans to carry concealed weapons is making its way toward the top of the list of ignominious actions.

The proposed legislation would allow gun owners from states that allow concealed weapons to transport their guns to other states with similar laws even though the permission in the originating state may be much easier to come by. An example is New York, which has strict standards for qualifying for concealed carry, being forced to accept the permits of other states with far less strict requirements. In fact, New York now doesnt recognize concealed carry permits from any other states.

This bit of sham is the National Rifle Associations attempt to nationalize concealed carry. Ultimately that would be the result and this nation truly would be faced with the prospect of never knowing whether the person next to you is armed. The argument always propounded by the gun lobby is that concealed weapons enhance public safety. Actually, data shows just the opposite is true. Self-defense incidents are rare. Deaths caused by concealed weapons carriers are not. The New York Times, citing numbers provided by the Violence Policy Center, a gun safety group, says that since 2007 those carrying concealed weapons have been responsible for 1,119 deaths not involving self-defense. Among these have been 31 mass shootings, including 21 law enforcement officers.

A group of retired military generals have joined an opposition group organized by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Giffords was a victim of an attempted assassination during a campaign rally that wounded her terribly and brought about a loud but once again short-lived outcry for gun reform. The top officers warned about the accelerating firearms violence, predicted it would increase and pleaded with a recalcitrant Congress to stop the carnage. But one shouldnt hold out too much hope that their pleas will succeed. Such campaigns by other distinguished Americans certainly havent.

Against a background where Congress thumbs its nose at data that shows a majority of Americans  as many as 90 percent  believe in stricter gun laws for such non-controversial measures as expanding background checks for gun buyers, it is difficult to imagine what it would take to bring about a national revulsion that demanded Enough! As the only commercial product enshrined in the Constitution, the answer would be a decisive ruling by the Supreme Court overturning a rather recent one that makes the right to own a gun an individual one rather than collective or... a constitutional convention to modify the Second Amendment.

The latter is certainly perilous because any attempt to open the Constitution could mean an all-out assault on it. The other way would entail a repeal of the amendment itself, which also would be unlikely although the evidence that it has become a threat to a safe society seems overwhelming. In the meantime, we can anticipate another massacre or two that will bring another oh my, such horror followed by a ho hum from the people who not only make our laws but those who make our guns and also those who make a living defending their unrestricted access.

In this seemingly never-ending game of numbers  now reaching more than 300 million loose cannons on our streets and increasing mass murders  where do we find relief? Clearly not the fools who occupy Capitol Hill...and the White House.
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry are set to join a host of famous faces for the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on Tuesday.

The royals will meet members of the films cast and crew before the screening, which will take place at the Royal Albert Hall.

The brothers have cameo roles as stormtroopers, actor John Boyega previously revealed.

Boyega, who plays Finn, will walk the red carpet alongside fellow stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren).

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Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Jonathan Ross are some of the other guests expected to attend.

The premiere is being hosted in aid of The Royal Foundation, with more than 400 young people, military veterans and volunteers who have taken part in the charitys programmes also attending the event.

Some of the families who were affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy will also attend the premiere.

The Last Jedi is the eighth film in the Star Wars saga, following on from 2015s hit The Force Awakens.

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It is the last film where Carrie Fisher will appear as Princess Leia  the actress died aged 60, shortly after completing her final scenes.

Boyega nearly missed the movies Los Angeles premiere after he was stuck in a blizzard-hit Atlanta over the weekend.

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The 25-year-old Londoner tweeted: Trying to get back for the LA premiere! I actually NEED a pilot!!!

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Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, which is the longest ever Star Wars film with a running time of just over two-and-a-half hours, will be released in UK cinemas on Thursday December 14.
Brian Rattigan has won his Supreme Court appeal against his conviction for the murder of a man in Dublin more than 16 years ago.

The Director of Public Prosecutions will decide later whether to apply for a retrial for Rattigan, who remains jailed for another offence of drug dealing.

By a three to two majority, the Supreme Court today allowed the appeal by Rattigan, with an address at Cooley Road, Drimnagh, Dublin, against his conviction for the murder of Declan Gavin.

The majority court found some closing comments made by the trial judge, Mr Justice George Birmingham, to the jury involved the trial judge unintentionally engaging in "a piece of advocacy in favour of the prosecution".

The comments suggested the defence had advanced a defence of unusual coincidence, which it had not, and then subjected that unadvanced defence to "sustained sarcasm", Ms Justice Iseult O'Malley said.

Mr Gavin (21) died after he was stabbed outside Abrakebabra in Crumlin Shopping Centre, Dublin, on August 25th 2001.

Rattigan was jailed for life in 2009 after a majority jury convicted him of murder.

The Special Criminal Court later found him guilty of organising a 1m heroin deal from the prison cell where he was serving the life sentence.

Rattigan appealed to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal over Mr Gavin's murder.

Giving the majority judgment, Ms Justice OMalley, with whom Chief Justice Frank Clarke and Mr Justice William McKechnie agreed, found certain closing remarks by the trial judge went further than was desirable.

There was a "real possibility" they may have been seen by the jury as reflecting the trial judges personal opinion and may well have influenced the jurys view of the defence case, she said.

The passage complained of included references by the trial judge to the prosecution contending Mr Rattigan was the knife man and remarking, if the prosecution was wrong about that, Mr Rattigan was unfortunate in a number of respects, including that, if he wasnt the knife man, in leaving his finger marks in two places at the crime scene. The trial judge also remarked Mr Rattigan was unlucky that the knife man used a Nissan Micra car similar to a Nissan Micra owned and driven by a friend of his.

Ms Justice O'Malley said the issue was not whether the trial judge's analysis was sustainable on the evidence and it "may well have been". The point was that it is for the jury to find the facts, subject to direction on legal matters from the trial judge.

Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne and Mr Justice Peter Charleton disagreed with the majority the appeal should be allowed on the issue of the judge's comments. Ms Justice Dunne said the comments complained of were "permissible comment" and she could not see how the trial judge's reference to coincidence rendered the charge to the jury unsatisfactory.

All five judges rejected a second ground of appeal concerning the admission of witness statements at his original trial.

That ground centred on interpretation of Section 16 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 which allows for admission of out of court statements where the witness involved refuses to give evidence, denies making the statement, or gave evidence in court which was inconsistent with the statement sought to be admitted.

Rattigan's lawyers argued it was unfair to apply Section 16 retrospectively and there was a breach of his constitutional rights. Had his prosecution been conducted speedily, his trial would have taken place before Section 16 came into force, they said.

Ms Justcie O'Malley said Section 16 does not breach the principle against retrospectivity since it brought about a change in the rules of evidence that could only apply to trials taking place after the Act came into force.

Rattigan had failed to show the use of the Section in this case caused any breach of his fair trial rights, she said.

As the Supreme Court previously found prosecutorial delay in this case was not such as to prevent a fair trial, she also rejected arguments the trial judge should have refused to operate Section 16 because of the delay.
A martial arts expert who punched his pregnant wife unconscious and fractured her jaw has been jailed for three years.

Muhammed Tajik (28) pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Susan Walmsley (38) at a flat on Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin, on December 8, 2015.

Muhammed Tajik (28), of no fixed abode was jailed for three years for assault causing harm to Susan Wombsley at a flat on Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin in December, 2015. Photo: Courtpix

Yesterday, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said Ms Walmsley was "an innocent victim in the fullest sense" and "had fallen into the hands of a man of a very violent disposition".

He described the case as "a particularly serious example of domestic violence, perpetrated by the victim's husband, someone from whom she was entitled to expect a high degree of respect".

Expand Close Susan Walmsley at Dublin Circuit Court. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook

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The court heard that on the day of the assault, Ms Walmsley, who met her estranged husband online, had started a new job, and this led to a dispute between them.

At a previous hearing Garda John Freeney told Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, that the defendant "grabbed Ms Walmsley's neck from behind, punching her in the head and face until she passed out".

The court heard when the victim regained consciousness, Tajik, an Afghani national who applied for asylum in Ireland in 2015, drove her to A&E where she was treated for a fractured jaw, an injured eye socket, a wound over her left eye and a swollen neck.

Mr Gillane read out a text sent by the defendant to Ms Walmsley on the night of the assault. "Go baby, go far from me where you're safe," Tajik wrote. He sent lilies to his wife in hospital with a handwritten note the day after the assault, the court heard.

Expand Close Victim Susan Wombsley after she was assault by Muhammed Tajik at a flat on Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin in December, 2015. Photo: Courtpix / Facebook

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Whatsapp Victim Susan Wombsley after she was assault by Muhammed Tajik at a flat on Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin in December, 2015. Photo: Courtpix

Patrick Gageby SC, defending, said Tajik, who is of no fixed address, was in a new relationship and was expecting a baby with his current partner.

In a victim impact statement Ms Walmsley, a mother of two, told the court she only felt safe when alone and found it impossible to trust others.

"He was so calm when he was punching me, I truly believed I would die that night," she said.

"As he is a martial arts expert, he knew what techniques to use to do the most damage to me.

"I received the injuries because I wanted to leave, I had had enough."

Ms Walmsley said the pain she experienced was worse than childbirth, and rendered her unable to clean her teeth or lie on a pillow for weeks.

She said she had felt suicidal since the assault and had suffered flashbacks, high levels of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I find it hard to leave my house, I have to check all entry points. I rarely feel safe at home and have an alarm on my bedroom door," she said.

Sentencing Tajik, Mr Justice McCarthy referred to "the extent of brutality" used in the course of the assault. He said the fact the couple had argued about the victim's new job and a burnt pizza demonstrated the offence was in no sense explicable in terms of provocation.

He said he would not be taking into account the fact that the defendant was expecting a child with his new partner, as he must meet responsibility for what occurred even if this amounted to disrupting others in his life.

He sentenced him to three years in jail and said that the crime merited a heavy custodial sentence.

Speaking outside court, Ms Walmsley urged other victims of domestic abuse to seek help.

"When someone is controlling and manipulating you, they cut you off from everybody. It's so difficult to get away but you don't have to put up with it.

"It never gets better, they promise they'll be good but two weeks later it's 10 times worse. The pattern will continue until it comes to the point that you think they're going to kill you," she said.
The mother of a baby boy who was unlawfully killed at the hands of his father said her deceased partner had been jealous of their son.

In her deposition, which was read out at an inquest into their deaths, Anna Rozycka said: "Andrzej was jealous of my relationship with Karol.

"I had told him that Karol was my world and the most important person in my life and it would always be like that. He said it should not be like that."

Karol Rozycki, aged 11 months, was found dead at his home, Park Place Apartments, Monsignor Road, Killarney, Co Kerry, on March 6, 2016.

The cause of his death was undetermined at the post-morten examination but the jury at the inquest returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

His father, Andrzej Piolunowicz (32), a hotel worker of the same address, died from self-inflicted wounds at Cork University Hospital four days after the boy's death.

Coroner Aisling O'Sullivan-Quilter recorded a verdict of death by suicide in his case.

In her deposition, that was read by Supt Flor Murphy at South Kerry Coroner's Court, Ms Rozycka, who is Polish, said she returned from work at the Aghadoe Heights Hotel, where she worked as a chef, to find no sign of either her partner or their baby.

She thought that they must have fallen asleep because the place was quiet.

When she checked, Karol was not in his cot and the door to the bedroom that she shared with Mr Piolunowicz was locked.

Ms Rozycka said she knew that something was amiss because the baby should have woken up with the noise that she was making banging on the door and shouting.

She rang Mr Piolunowicz's sister, Iwona, and the latter's partner, Robert Herbaczewski, who eventually succeeded in kicking in the door.

Mr Herbaczewski held a hysterical Ms Rozycka back and would not allow her enter the room. His wife called the emergency services.

Mr Herbaczewski performed CPR on the infant, instructed over the phone by the emergency services. He said the baby was cold.

Assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said the post-mortem examination did not determine a cause of death but she noted that a baby could be smothered without leaving any signs. She said the investigation of the scene and items found that these were of "considerable importance".

The couple were originally from Poland but met in Killarney. She said her relationship with Mr Piolunowicz was tense, there was no intimacy and they spoke only about Karol.

She last saw her son on the morning of March 6, 2016 - Mother's Day - in his highchair finishing his breakfast with his father. Mr Piolunowicz had told her he would move out but she told him she was not throwing him out.
A RICKSHAW driver who turned to dealing drugs to pay his bills while living in Dublin was caught in an undercover operation by gardai.

Kleber Fadoni (35) was arrested for dealing ecstasy, and then caught again less than three months after he was charged and bailed. He had more than 1,000 worth of ecstasy and cannabis in his possession.

Fadoni, of Clontarf Road, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs with intent to sell or supply.

Judge Michael Walsh jailed him for two months and gave him another four-month suspended sentence.

Dublin District Court heard gardai taking part in a plain-clothes operation on August 31 were offered drugs for sale and were taken to a group of rickshaw drivers.

A garda handed over 30 to Fadoni for three ecstasy tablets.

The accused was arrested again at Grafton Street on November 4.

When taken to Pearse Street Garda Station, he handed over the substances that were in his possession.

The court heard the drugs were found to be 910 worth of ecstasy, 324 worth of cannabis and a small amount of cocaine, valued at 3.64.

Fadoni was from Brazil and had travelled to Ireland eight months ago to study. He was working as a rickshaw driver but was not making enough money and was offered an opportunity which he very much regrets taking, his lawyer said.

He had no previous convictions and had been in custody since his arrest in November.

This is a very serious matter, Judge Walsh said.

He is in this country for eight months and has been involved in drug dealing since he arrived.

The judge noted that the two offences had happened within a short time and the defendant was on bail when he was caught the second time.
German landline operator Yourtel has been fined 66,000 for ripping off hundreds of elderly Irish customers.

Following an investigation by industry watchdog Comreg, Yourtel pleaded guilty to 88 counts under the Communications Act for charging 560 customers for a service that was requested but not supplied. The prosecution was described as "unprecedented".

The customers had been poached from Eircom and although Yourtel did not transfer the service, it billed for it, Dublin District Court heard. They ended up getting double-billed and Yourtel threatened them with debt collectors, legal action and having their details sent to credit rating agencies.

The offence carries fines of up to 5,000 per offence. Judge Flann O'Brien described the offences as "nothing more than deceit" and imposed fines of 750 on each charge, totalling 66,000.
BloodCenter of Wisconsin officials are asking area residents to consider giving the gift of life by donating blood at Tomah Memorial Hospital Tuesday, Dec. 26 from 10 a.m.  3 p.m.

This special drive is a great opportunity for families and relatives who would like to make the ultimate gift by donating blood at the holidays, said hospital marketing and public relations director Eric Prise. It is also a way to accommodate residents who were unable to donate at our recent Nov. 30 drive.

Prise said BloodCenter officials report that during the holidays, donations decline, but the need for blood increases.

To donate, a person must be in good health, at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and have photo identification. Sixteen-year-olds may donate with parental consent. Forms are available at Tomah Memorial, and online with the Blood Center of Wisconsin at bcw.edu.

Prise said as an extra incentive, BloodCenter of Wisconsin is offering a $10 Amazon gift card for everyone who attempts to donate.

Donors can call Tomah Memorial Hospital at 608-374-6605 or go online at tomahhospital.org to schedule an appointment.

Prise said walk-ins are also welcome.
Gardai have appealed for the public's help to find a 13-year-old last seen five days ago.

According to gardai, Jamie Walsh was last seen boarding a bus in Mullingar en route to Dublin at 5pm on Thursday, December 7.

Jamie is described as being 5' 4", of slight build with brown hair.

When last seen he was wearing a grey jacket, tracksuit bottoms and black runners.

Gardai have asked that anyone who has seen Jamie or who can assist in locating him to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01-666 6000, The Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
A permanent successor to former Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan could be appointed in six months.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan today formally requested that the Policing Authority commence the process of recruiting a new permanent commissioner.

Candidates will be sought from abroad as well as in Ireland.

Ms OSullivan retired three months ago after her tenure was rocked by a series of controversies and was replaced on an acting basis by Deputy Commissioner Donall O Cualain.

In the immediate aftermath of Ms OSullivans departure there had been considerable uncertainty as to when a successor would be appointed.

The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland asked the Government to delay the recruitment process until it reports next September.

However, at its meeting today the Cabinet decided to move ahead with the hunt for a new commissioner.

The competition will be an open one with no restrictions as to the nationality of the candidate.

It will also be the first time a non-police officer will be considered for the role. Policing experience, while desirable will not be an essential requirement.

Its understood the salary for the post will be up to 250,000.

A Government spokesman said it was agreed at Cabinet that the salary for the post will need to be increased in order to attract the right candidate for the position.

This is the first time that the Garda Commissioner will be selected by way of an international competition under the auspices of the independent Policing Authority, said Mr Flanagan.

It marks a very significant change in the manner in which this important office will be filled and demonstrates the Governments continuing commitment to deep reform across the justice sector.

Mr Flanagan said the Governments overriding concern was to ensure the best candidate is selected.

The person who comes through the selection process, be they an internal or external candidate, will be required to implement a major strategic reform agenda to include improving governance and performance management, building managerial capacity and enhancing service delivery while continuing to ensure that the organisation has the capability to secure the State and keep its citizens safe, he said.

An open, international competition is the best way to ensure that the right person comes through.

Mr Flanagan said it was anticipated the recruitment process would take in the region of six months.

The competition will be undertaken by the Public Appointments Service at the request of the Policing Authority. The Government will make the appointment on the nomination of the authority.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday announced the appointment of Michael Collins, Senior Counsel, to conduct an independent review of the practices and procedures at the Department of Justice.

The review is in response to criticisms of the department in its furnishing of documentation relevant to the terms of the reference of the Disclosures Tribunal.

The tribunal, led by Judge Peter Charleton, is examining the alleged smear campaign against garda seargeant Maurice McCabe.

Separately, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan insisted that he is determined to reform the district courts.

He was responding to an RTE Primetime Investigates report which revealed that just 58 per cent of those driving with excess alcohol were convicted following their court appearance.

I take very seriously the outcome of the RTE programme last night and I will advise the House accordingly in the new year of the options available to me in terms of the review, Mr Flanagan said.
Police are appealing for information after an Irish tourist went missing in Australia.

Irishman Craig Lambe (25) was last seen leaving a home on Middle Street, Kingsford in New South Wales about 12.30pm on Monday December 11.

Officers from Eastern Beaches Local Area Command today issued an appeal following concerns for the welfare of the Irish National visiting the country.

Family members have also issued an appeal on social media.

Mr Lambe is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180cm tall with a medium build and brown hair.

Police and family hold concerns for his welfare due to this behaviour being "out of character".

It is believed Craig does not have access to money or a mobile phone.

If anyone has information regarding the whereabouts of Mr Lambe, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Three people have been injured after a bus was involved in a collision with a farm vehicle near Rathcoole in Co Dublin.

Gardai said that the two-vehicle collision occurred on the Johnstown Road at approximately 7:45am this morning.

Units from Tallaght & Dolphins Barn are attending a bus vs farm vehicle RTC in Rathcoole (Johnstown Rd near school). Road blocked, @aaroadwatch @LiveDrive pic.twitter.com/XKD9udoPnJ  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) December 12, 2017

The extent of the injuries are unknown, but are not believed to be serious.

Three ambulances and Dublin Fire Brigade units from Tallaght and Dolphins Barn attended the scene.
Two men have been arrested in connection with a cash-in-transit robbery in Co Meath.

The robbery occurred on May 24, 2017 at the Square, Oldcastle.

As a cash in transit employee was making a delivery to a bank in the area, a black car pulled up alongside him.

A male with a balaclava covering his face exited this vehicle and threatened the delivery man with a bar.

The culprit then grabbed the cash box, which contained a sum of money, and made off in the car.

Gardai said this vehicle was later found partially burned out at Stoney Road, Oldcastle.

There were no injuries sustained by the driver of the van.

This morning gardai from Kells assisted by members from Operation Delivery and the Special Task Force conducted search under warrant at two locations in the Greater Dublin Area.

Two males in their 30s were arrested and were taken to Kells Garda Station where they are currently being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice act 1984.
Spt. Liam Carollan, right, and Dt. Inspector Des McTiernan speaking to media at scene of shooting at Parslickstown Gardens, Mulhuddart

A woman has emerged as the chief suspect in a triple shooting during which an eight-month old baby was struck by 16 shotgun pellets.

This afternoon a 23-year-old female was arrested in the Wicklow area on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm linked to the shooting.

The weapon which gardai believe was used in the gun attack, a sawn-off shotgun, was today recovered in the Parslickstown area close to the scene of the shooting.

Detectives now believe that a woman fired a number of shots at the baby, its mother Lynn Doyle (29) and a 17-year-old teenager.

A 23-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man, who are related and from west Dublin, are currently being detained at Blanchardstown garda station.

The male was arrested yesterday after gardai recovered shotgun cartridges close to the crime scene.
RTE TV and radio personality Jennifer Zamparelli, who shares daughter, Florence (2 ) with her husband Lau, and who is expecting her second baby in early January, on what becoming a mother has taught her

Motherhood was absolutely always on the agenda for me

I come from a very big family and I'm the youngest of six so I have ten nieces and nephews. I've always been around kids, I've always loved kids and I always knew that I would be a mum in some shape or form. We were trying for a couple of years before it happened and I found out on the first day of my honeymoon. I wasted a lot of money on five-star accommodation in the Seychelles and all I could eat was Special K and spend all my days curled in a ball in my hotel room while my husband went off and got a scuba diving certificate.

I thought I'd be more relaxed about parenting

I was probably very anxious in the beginning when she (Florence) was a new-born. I would have terrible dreams and all the 'what ifs' - what if she stops breathing and what if this happens and what if that happens? I didn't expect that at all, or nobody warns you about that fear you have about trying to keep this little person alive. It's aged me quite a bit in the last few years I would say but you just tend to deal with it. I think I'm quite a fun parent. I don't lose my rag with her.

Lau and I back each other up quite a bit

Even at two-and-a-half, Florence plays us against each other. We did the good cop/bad cop routine with her to get her to eat her dinner the other day. We are such foodies, we love our food, we eat really well and we don't know where we got this child from. She eats nothing and has an awful sweet tooth and she's desperate because she can smell out a vegetable from about a five-mile radius. She knows where they are.

Everything became a lot clearer when I became a parent

Decisions were easier to make because it all comes down to, 'Am I going to spend a nice time with her, or am I going to do this gig? Am I going to spend less time with her or go to this event?' I say no to things a lot more and I'm a lot clearer in what I want and how I want to live my life. I suppose you become more aware of issues that are going on, especially concerning women's issues and the way the world works and what we should be doing and how you want to raise this little girl to grow up into the world. Your priorities change.

I look to my sisters a lot for support and advice

I've three sisters and a sister-in-law who is like a sister. They've done a pretty good job with their kids and they tend to give me good advice. I look to my mother as well, although she'd be a bit more of a worrier. I don't know how she has six kids because she gets so stressed!

The career/parenting juggling act can be a struggle

I consider myself to be very fortunate because I'm not in a typical nine-to-five and Florence doesn't have to be in daycare five days a week. We are both in the film and TV industry so one of us is always with her and we're very lucky that way. But there is a lot of guilt there Are you doing the right thing? Should you take more time off? In the last year, I've learnt how to compartmentalise things so when I'm at work, I really try not to think about her too much because it's very distracting, and when I'm with her, I tend to not look at my phone, pick up work calls or think about work. I try to keep it very separate and that seems to help.

It's difficult not to spoil your kids

Especially with Christmas coming up and we're demented with people trying to buy her everything. I'm really against having loads of presents. I know it's coming from a good place because they love her and they want to buy her all this stuff but it actually does nothing for her. I'd rather if she just got one present than a million presents. Last Christmas she got so much stuff but she was in terrible form because they can't really focus or concentrate. It's just too much for them and she doesn't really want or need for anything at this age.

Two children is going to be a challenge

The thought of it is quite frightening. It's just the little things like going to the shop with two. It's a nightmare going with one because she wrecks the place, so what's it going to be like with a newborn? But a lot of people have done it before me, it's very do-able and you just get used to it. Bernard O'Shea (her 2FM Breakfast Republic co-host) did say it's like going from owning a dog to a zoo, which isn't very comforting But I'm looking forward to the challenge.

We've been trying to prepare Florence for the new arrival

She was potty trained at two-and-a-half and then one day she just decided 'I don't want to do it any more in the toilet. I'm just going to have an accident and you're going to have to deal with it'. I was getting really annoyed with her and thought she was being bold. But then I got online - and that's the great thing about forums - a lot of mothers were going through exactly the same thing, with three-year-olds regressing completely, and they were all pregnant. It seems to be a way of dealing with stuff or lashing out. There's obviously things going on in her little brain and she's trying to deal with it.

Jennifer Zamparelli is pregnancy supplement range Pregnacare's brand ambassador for the 'Keeping Mum' campaign. For more information, see pregnacare.ie
Offering new mothers financial incentives could significantly increase low breastfeeding rates, a UK study has found.

More than 10,000 new mothers were involved in the trial, which offered shopping vouchers worth up to 120 (135) if babies received breast milk - either by breastfeeding or with expressed milk - at two days, 10 days and six weeks old.

A further 80 of vouchers was available if babies continued to receive breast milk up to six months. The trial was funded by the National Prevention Research Initiative and Public Health England. It saw a 6pc increase in breastfeeding in areas where the scheme was offered, compared with areas where the scheme was not available.

Breastfeeding levels in both Ireland and the UK are among the lowest in the world.

The Growing Up in Ireland study published in 2015 found that just 56pc of respondents reported that their child was ever breastfed. The European norm is around 90pc.

The trial, funded by the National Prevention Research Initiative and Public Health England, saw an increase of six percentage points in areas where the scheme was offered, compared with areas where the scheme was not available.

Community midwife Anahi Wheeldon, from Sheffield, said the scheme had helped to change attitudes towards breastfeeding.

"The vouchers really lifted mums and gave them recognition and acceptance," she said.

"Particularly with young mums you used to be the odd one out if you breastfed, but now they know people who've breastfed, there is a network between mums, so it's become more normal."

The research, conducted by the University of Sheffield and the University of Dundee, found 46% of eligible mothers signed up to the scheme and more than 40% claimed at least one voucher for breastfeeding.

Fiona Sutcliffe, 29, from Sheffield, who took part in the trial with her daughter, said: "Breastfeeding is quite difficult in the beginning. The scheme is a really good way of keeping going - keeping motivated to stay on track rather than giving up and going for the bottle.

"It provides little milestones, little stepping stones and helps you get breastfeeding established."

Dr Clare Relton, from the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), led the study.

She said: "Our scheme offered vouchers to mothers as a way of acknowledging the value of breastfeeding to babies and mothers and the work involved in breastfeeding.

"As the scheme was tested in areas with low breastfeeding rates (just 28% of babies were receiving any breast milk at six to eight weeks), we were delighted that 46% of all eligible mothers signed up to the scheme and over 40% claimed at least one voucher. The trial found a significant increase in breastfeeding rates in areas where the scheme was offered.

"Eight out of 10 mothers in the UK who start to breastfeed stop before they really want to. It seems that the voucher scheme helped mothers to breastfeed for longer. Mothers reported they felt rewarded for breastfeeding."

Mothers who took part were assessed by healthcare professionals who would already be expected to discuss feeding during routine visits, and would also look at the baby's general health.

Breastfeeding has a wide range of benefits for mothers and babies. It helps to prevent short and long-term illnesses in children and mothers and reduces health costs to the NHS.

It is estimated the NHS would save at least 17 million every year in hospital admissions and GP visits if more women were supported to breastfeed for longer.

Study co-author Mary Renfrew, professor of mother and infant health at the University of Dundee, said: "This is the first large-scale study to show an increase in breastfeeding in communities where rates have been low for generations, and where it can be particularly difficult for women to breastfeed without strong family and community support, because of strong societal barriers.

"In the UK these barriers include the difficulty some women encounter when breastfeeding in public, widespread misleading marketing that formula is equivalent to breastfeeding, a lack of high-quality services to prevent and treat any problems if they arise, a lack of community support, a lack of education about breastfeeding for young children, and lack of support for women to breastfeed in the workplace.

"The incentive scheme was designed together with local women and staff to make sure it was feasible and appropriate, and breastfeeding support services were widely available in all the areas where the trial took place.

"Thanks to all the mothers and staff who supported this study, we now know much more about what might work to help new mothers to breastfeed."

The study is published in JAMA Paediatrics.
There is increasing recognition that air pollution is not just an outdoors problem, it is important to also consider indoor air quality. Indoor air quality is significant because it can affect our comfort, productivity and, most importantly, our health. You can influence your indoor air quality in three main ways: source control (ie limiting the source of pollutants), ventilation, and cleaning of any pollutants that may be present. Here we break those three main strategies down even further to list 10 things you can do to improve your indoor air quality.

1 Be air aware

Although you may think of pollution as being "outside", indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air. This is because unlike the open outdoors, indoor spaces are contained, any pollution or contaminants that may be present can accumulate. You should be conscious of the indoor air quality, especially as nowadays people spend, on average, 90pc of their time indoors - eg at home, at work, in other public buildings such as shops or in a vehicle.

2 Be Goldilocks and keep your relative humidity 'just right'

If you keep track of the relative humidity at home or at work, you should aim for levels between 30pc and 50pc. Below 30pc relative humidity, your eyes and skin may become dry. Above 50pc relative humidity dust mite populations increase and above 60pc relative humidity, mould growth can increase.

3 Think before you buy

Every fixture and fitting that makes up your home or workplace, and every other item that you bring into the indoor space, can influence your indoor air quality. The paint on the walls, the flooring, the furniture and many other daily items can be sources of chemicals known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). You may have come across VOCs when you experience that 'new car smell'. That source of that smell is often VOCs released from the plastic, adhesives and sealants in the new car's interior. VOCs can also be emitted from building materials and household products. Look out for labels such as "low VOC" or "no added formaldehyde" on products like paint and furniture. Even better, check if the products have been independently tested to back up these claims.

4 Don't smoke indoors

One of the best ways to limit the introduction of pollutants in your indoor space is to never smoke indoors. Extend the smoking ban already present in workplaces and other enclosed public spaces to your own home. A recent study in Scotland found that over a lifetime, a non-smoker who lives with a smoker can inhale as much of a pollutant called PM2.5 (potentially dangerous fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres) as a non-smoker who lives in a very polluted city like Beijing. Source: tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/24/e3/e205

5 Try to cut down on the candles

Although they add to a cosy atmosphere, burning candles produce both particulate matter and gaseous pollutants. Scented candles can also release VOCs, even when unlit. If you do light a candle indoors, be sure to keep the room well ventilated

6 Ventilation

In recent years, there has been a trend towards increased air tightness, insulation and double glazing and other strategies designed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. However, the drive for improved energy efficiency does not necessarily have to come at the expense of reduced indoor air quality. The way to achieve this balance is to focus on ventilation. In the old days, increasing ventilation simply meant opening a window. Nowadays there are more sophisticated ventilation strategies available such as heat recovery ventilation or mechanical ventilation heat recovery that can both provide fresh air without the loss of heat, thus saving energy.

7 Don't Cook up a Storm

Have you ever noticed a smoky cloud in the kitchen after frying a steak? This is because cooking, especially frying, is an important source of airborne particles in the home. Counteract this with an effective exhaust hood above your cooker, and remember to regularly change the filter. Another tip is to use the back rings where possible.

8 Don't be fooled by claims that plants clean the air

Plants have many benefits, including brightening up indoor spaces, but claims that they can clean the air are often overstated. In fact, there have only been a few studies of the effect of plants in indoor air quality in homes and offices and results have been mixed. It is definitely not advisable to rely on plants alone to clean your indoor air as by one estimate, 680 plants would be needed to clean the air in a 1,500 square foot house.

9 Vacuum Clean

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Whatsapp Regular vacuum cleaning can improve air quality at home

Regular vacuum cleaning can help to improve indoor air quality by removing dust and allergens from the floor. Removal of these particles prevents them from being resuspended from the floor into the air when people walk around their homes or office. But make sure the vacuum cleaner itself isn't a contributor to poor indoor air quality. An Australian study in 2012 found that vacuum cleaners can release dust, bacteria and allergens back into the air. Look for a model with a filter to ensure that what you clean up is not simply being released back out. And again, look for vacuum cleaners that have been independently tested to back up any advertising claims.

10 Cleaning

Vacuuming is only part of the solution. To truly tackle indoor air quality, you need a multifaceted approach. Regular cleaning can also make a valuable contribution. But thinking back to the issue of source control, be careful about the products you use and only use the amount of cleaning product necessary to do the job. Read the label and ventilate the area when using cleaning products.

 Dr Bruce Mitchell is a consultant physician and clinical immunologist at Blackrock Clinic and CEO & founder of airmid healthgroup which specialises in aerobiology, microbiology, allergy and immunology
At a time in life when many opt to take it easier, Brenda Bergin decided to set up her own business and follow her dream of travelling the world.

Now 68, having survived a tough battle with breast cancer, she's keen to tell older people that it's never too late to make big changes in your life.

No one is more surprised at her new life than Brenda is herself. She says that if she'd been told 20 years ago that she'd find herself running her own business from home and planning her next adventure, she wouldn't have believed them.

In the mid 90s, her marriage had broken down and her life in Dublin ended when she moved back to her home town of Waterford with her two children Donal and Michelle.

A few years later she met Bill, a doctor, through her work as a nurse and love blossomed again.

However six years ago, at the age of 62, Brenda was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a lumpectomy, had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone replacement treatment. She had been working in St Patrick's Hospital in Waterford, which specialises in care of the elderly, but the cancer forced her into retirement.

"Even though I was a nurse I didn't expect it. I got a shock when a routine mammogram showed up the cancer," says Brenda.

About a year into retirement it hit her: she needed to find an outlet. As a member of the Craft Council of Ireland, Brenda had always been crafty. She began making shawls and selling them online.

But her illness again forced her to step back. The medical advice was to rest as tiredness was not aiding her recovery.

Around this time Brenda began thinking about her long-held dream of swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean with sea turtles. For some it's a trip to Paris, for others an African safari, but for Brenda for as long as she could remember the dream was always the same.

To travel was something she had always wanted to do. As a girl attending the Ursuline Convent in Waterford, Brenda had studied Spanish.

One of her best friends in school was a Spanish girl called Maria from Madrid. When school finished Brenda spent the summer with Maria's family and fell in love with Spanish culture, the climate and the language. It was an experience that would plant the seeds of wanderlust in Brenda even though settling down and having a family in the 1970s meant putting far-flung adventures on ice for a while.

As she slowly regained her strength, Brenda began experimenting with Twitter and began hosting the hugely successful #tweetursis, an online platform where the host promotes other businesses. It gave her the taste for business and entrepreneurship and shortly afterwards her idea for DigiGranBiz was born.

The blog site allows Brenda to share her lifestyle and travel secrets and stories. Her big social media presence means she's now become one of the country's best known older "influencers". As well as DigiGran, she started a Facebook page called "Seniorpreneurs" where older business people could connect. The group is now open to anyone as some of Brenda's younger friends wanted to join the conversation and share ideas too.

"I realised that there were lots of people out there working from home. I got to know people and relationships developed. I was terrified of Twitter, or making a mistake but I realised I was able to communicate with people. I started talking to people and getting feedback for my ideas," says Brenda.

"Now if I find something I'm interested in, I share it and I invite brands to share their events. I think the blog was born when I was in the middle of the cancer. I kept thinking of all the places I wanted to visit when I got better. The dream was to swim with turtles in the Caribbean and see the island of Mustique," she says.

"I remember when I was younger reading the Spanish version of Hello magazine and seeing these pictures of Princess Margaret in Mustique. It looked so beautiful. It looked like it would be the trip of a lifetime," says Brenda.

Two years ago it finally became a reality and Brenda and her partner Bill set out on an island cruise of the Caribbean. "It was just so fantastic. It was like when a child is born. I was so ill, they didn't think I'd make it but here I was walking on to Mustique and swimming in turquoise water. My favourite days were in Barbados as we went on a catamaran and I swam with turtles. It was so beautiful. I felt like a princess for the day," she says.

Since then Brenda has been making up for lost time. Trips to the Italian city of Genoa, Spain's Barcelona and its Andalusia region plus French trips have fed her travel blog, imagination and further fuelled her wanderlust.

Guest bloggers have also shared their travels on Brenda's site with tales of their own trips and Brenda hopes the blog will grow into a resource for anyone, particularly older people, interested in travel.

"I love everything about travelling; the lead up to it and planning the trip. Madrid opened my eyes when I first went there at 17. Now I have a to-do list - a kind of bucket list - of places I want to go to. I'd love to see New York. Friends have told me about the buzz of the city and I'd love to experience that. I'd also love to go to Canada. I was meant to go to Toronto for a job many years ago but I never got there. I think I've got to go," says Brenda.

Being active and busy is something she's thriving on. "All through my years in nursing I just realised I wanted to keep myself as healthy as possible. I walk daily with my rescue dog, a shih tzu called Muppie. He was like a teenager when I got him but he's quietened down. He was by my side all through my illness and I love to come into the house and he's there. I go swimming as well and my three granddaughters keep me busy too. I'm often taking them here and there during the week," she says.

"My day really starts at midday when I go to the laptop. I'm not a TV person so I could still be on the laptop late at night. A new life has opened up. I'm going into another phase. It's funny because I never saw myself being older. I dreaded hitting 40 but as soon as I got past that I got over it. I don't feel 68," says Brenda.

"I have found myself stuck many times with the ups and downs of life. The cancer treatment hit me hard and I found myself with no purpose. I knew I'd have to do something. I had to ask 'where is the Brenda before illness'? I've had my down days through illness and my marriage break-up and I had to get support to get through those times," she says.

"I'm able to indulge in things now. I have to be thrifty to make it work. At the same time I think my illness makes me realise that each day is very precious and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I still have down days and I'm a natural worrier but because I'm busy it dilutes the anxiety. I really didn't see this phase of my life coming. Out of the darkness my blog was born."

 This article is part of a series of profiles of people who are redefining later life. If you know someone who may fit the bill, email lkearney@independent.ie
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.

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.

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!
Lord Palmerston's declaration that "England has no eternal friends, England has no perpetual enemies, England has only eternal and perpetual interests," has hung in the air like a vapour from the vaults since the tentative Brexit deal emerged.

It would be foolish to harbour delusions about eternal bonds or unbreakable connections in international relations, yet mutual agreements have to be worth something. Yesterday once more found the British government tripping over its feet in attempts to give some coherency to its stance on Brexit, Ireland and the EU.

While David Davis was bending over backwards to reassure everyone - contrary to what he had said 24 hours earlier - a hard Border was absolutely not on the horizon.

In the Commons, his prime minister, Theresa May, was laying down the law, hot and heavy, insisting that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed".

Even as Mr Davis insisted that Brexit was "much more than legally enforceable", and his previous comments to the contrary had been "twisted", Mrs May was just as adamant that "no deal" was still a possibility. Reconciling the two positions is a big ask. The British prime minister is obviously straining every sinew to keep the baying hard-Brexit bulldogs on the leash. In Brussels, and indeed Dublin, a certain sense of trepidation is discernible.

The reality is that Mrs May's message was directed at the European Reform Group of 100 Eurosceptic Tory MPs. Her deliberately discordant note was intended to bring a tone of menace to the mood music as thoughts move towards a trade deal. Our Government's chief whip, Joe McHugh, had earlier branded the Brexit secretary's comments as "bizarre". Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is quite confident that a deal has been struck which is binding.

For the record, Article 46 of the agreement specifically states: "The commitments and principles . . are made and must be upheld in all circumstances, irrespective of the nature of any future agreement between the EU and the UK." Does that mean we have a deal or a definite maybe? If you are not confused, you have not been paying attention.

Gardai will face down this barbarism on our streets

A grandfather is putting up a Christmas tree when he hears what he thinks are fireworks. To his horror, he quickly discovers that his grandchild, the child's mother and his teenage son have just been shot. "I will tell you, it's wrong. It's wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong - no matter what you say, no matter what you do," he said as he tried to make sense of what was happening outside his front door.

The infant boy was in his mother's arms when he was shot. If there has been a more callous or cold-blooded incident in recent memory, it is hard to recall.

The miracle of it is that no-one died.

Opening fire in proximity to a mother and infant marks another low. This incident was especially barbaric in its cold-blooded disregard for life. The danger is that we become desensitised or inured to the appalling nature of such attacks. The frequency and escalating gravity of these crimes must only strengthen our abhorrence and reinforce our commitment to crack down in the most severe manner on those who seek to live by gun law.

For three members of a family to spend Christmas in hospital recovering from gunshot wounds - one an infant of five months - is a sad commentary on the diabolical lengths some will go to flout the law and undermine everything we value. But however low they reach, or however desperate they become, they must be in no doubt that the gardai will meet them every step of the way.
Peppermint the Elf On The Shelf working with Pflygerville Police Department

A US police force has some extra help this December from a Christmas elf named Peppermint.

The tiny elf, dressed in a miniature blue uniform, has been brushing up on investigation techniques, building a super small snowman with K9 officers and even making a snow angel.

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Pictures of Peppermints daily antics are being shared on Twitter and Facebook by the Pflugerville Police Department, in Texas.

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The posts have also included a public safety message. In one he reminded people to be cautious about having deliveries left on the doorstep, in another about driving carefully in the snow.

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Peppermint is one of the Elf On The Shelf scout elves, from the book of the same name. It was first published in 2005 and readers can receive their own elf along with the book.

From December 1, Children are told their elf flies back to the North Pole each night to help Santa compile his naughty and nice lists by reporting on their behaviour.

Peppermint has worked with Pflugerville Police department since 2015 when he was officially adopted.

Throwback to Peppermint's adoption last year! He quickly made himself a valuable part of our department through training Posted by Pflugerville Police Department on Thursday, December 8, 2016

Soon after he swapped his red elf attire for a blue cop uniform.

His most recent job was conducting hazardous material commercial vehicle inspections.

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But its not all work for the little elf. He managed to find just enough snow for an elf-sized snow angel after a flurry earlier in the month.
North Korea will "categorically reject" the results of a post-mortem on Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of the country's ruler, its ambassador in Malaysia said.

He died this week at an airport in Kuala Lumpur and the case is snowballing into a diplomatic crisis.

North Korean ambassador Kang Chol told reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur on Friday night that Malaysia conducted the post-mortem "unilaterally" and prevented North Korean representatives from attending.

He said North Korea "will categorically reject" the results and said the move disregarded "elementary international laws and consular laws".

The case has unleashed a rash of speculation that Kim Jong Nam was killed on the orders of his half-brother, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang's ambassador said Malaysian officials may be "trying to conceal something" and "colluding with hostile forces".

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at the airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau.

Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died while being taken to hospital.

Mr Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body "strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us".

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

North Korean diplomats in Malaysia objected to the post-mortem and had requested custody of Kim Jong Nam's body, arguing that he had a North Korean passport.

Malaysian authorities went ahead with the procedure anyway, saying they did not receive a formal complaint.

Malaysia said on Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans.

Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none have come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

"If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy," said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official. He would not say how long that process might take.

Malaysian police have arrested three people in the investigation but have released few details.

On Friday, Indonesia's national police chief said the Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the death was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

The police chief, Tito Karnavian, said he was citing information received from Malaysian authorities.

Mr Karnavian told reporters in Indonesia's Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in Just For Laughs-style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show.

He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

"Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer," Mr Karnavian said. "She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents."

Mr Karnavian's comments come after a male relative of Aisyah said in an Indonesian television interview that she had been hired to perform in a short comedy movie and travelled to China as part of this work. Indonesian immigration has said Aisyah travelled to Malaysia and other countries it did not specify.

Investigators were still trying to piece together details of the case, and South Korea has not said how it concluded that North Korea was behind the killing.

Malaysian police were questioning three suspects - Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport, and a man they said is Aisyah's boyfriend.

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half brother Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favour with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Yoji Gomi, a Japanese journalist who wrote a book about Kim Jong Nam, said he criticised the family regime and believed a leader should be chosen "through a democratic process".
Russia condemned on Monday the latest missile launches conducted by North Korea, while calling the world community for restraint, RIA news agency quoted a deputy Russian foreign minister as saying.

"We are at the same time calling on the partners with whom we are working to show restraint, including towards military activity in this region," the agency quoted Vladimir Titov as saying.

North Korea fired at least one short-range ballistic missile on Monday that landed in the sea off its east coast, the latest in a fast-paced series of missile tests defying world pressure and threats of more sanctions.

It was the latest in a string of launches as the North seeks to build nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can reach the US mainland.

The suspected Scud-type missile launched from the coastal town of Wonsan on Monday flew about 280 miles, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

It landed in western waters that are Japan's exclusive maritime economic zone, Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

He said there was no immediate report of damage to planes or vessels in the area.

North Korea is still thought to be several years away from its goal of being able to target US mainland cities with a nuclear ICBM, but each new test puts it closer to success.

The North has a strong arsenal of short- and medium-range missiles that target Japan and South Korea and US forces in the region, and it is working to perfect its longer-range missiles.

There was no immediate comment from North Korea's state controlled media.

But the launch followed a report from the North that said leader Kim Jong Un had watched a successful test of a new type of anti-aircraft guided weapon system. It was not clear from the report when the test happened.

After the test, Mr Kim said the weapon system's ability to detect and track targets had "remarkably" improved and its accuracy also increased, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

KCNA cited him as ordering officials to mass-produce and deploy the system all over the country so as to "completely spoil the enemy's wild dream to command the air".

The North's nuclear and missile programmes are perhaps the biggest foreign policy challenges to the new leaders in allies Washington and Seoul.

President Donald Trump has alternated in his public statements between bellicosity and flattery. But his administration is still working to solidify a policy to deal with North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

A new liberal president in Seoul, Moon Jae-in, has signalled he will be flexible in expanding civilian exchange with North Korea.

But many analysts say Mr Moon will probably not push for any major rapprochement projects because North Korea has gone too far on its nuclear programme.

Monday's missile launch was the third one by North Korea since Mr Moon's inauguration on May 10.

Mr Moon called a National Security Council meeting to discuss the North's launch.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had just returned from a G7 meeting in Italy, told reporters: "North Korea's provocation by ignoring repeated warning from the international society is absolutely unacceptable."

He said Japan will "take concrete steps with the US in order to deter North Korea," although he did not elaborate on specific actions.

"We will also co-operate with South Korea and other members of the international society and maintain high levels of caution in order to do utmost for the protection of our people's safety."

Besides its regular ballistic missile test-launches, the North carried out two nuclear tests last year, in January and September.

Outside analysts believe North Korea may be able to arm some of its shorter-range missiles with nuclear warheads, though the exact state of the North's secretive weapons program is unknown.

Mr Moon has made tentative steps toward engaging the North by restarting stalled civilian aid and exchange programmes as a way to improve strained ties.

South Korea said recently that it will allow a civic group to contact North Korea about potentially offering help in treating malaria, the first government approval on cross-border civilian exchanges since January 2016.
The Australian government has announced plans to crack down on foreign interference in its domestic politics

An influential Australian opposition lawmaker under fire over his close links to wealthy Chinese political donors has stepped down from the country's Senate.

Sam Dastyari announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the upper house for the good of his party as the government moves against foreign interference in politics.

His resignation comes after Cabinet Minister Peter Dutton on Monday described him as a "double agent" of China.

Mr Dastyari said that he would quit as a senator for the centre-left Labour Party before Parliament next sits in February.

"I've been guided by my Labour values, which tell me that I should leave if my ongoing presence detracts from the pursuit of Labour's mission," Mr Dastyari told reporters.

"It is evident to me we are at that point, so I will spare the party any further distraction," he added.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten said Mr Dastyari had made the correct decision by resigning.

"Sam Dastyari is a good, decent and loyal Australian, and an effective parliamentarian, but his judgment has let him down and now he has paid the heaviest price," Mr Shorten said in a statement.

The 34-year-old senator, widely known as Shanghai Sam, resigned from his leadership roles in Labour last month.

It followed scandals involving the wealthy Sydney-based Chinese businessman and political donor Huang Xiangmo that have raised accusations of China buying influence.

Australian security chiefs have advised against accepting political donations from Mr Huang because of his suspected links to the Chinese Community Party.

Labour has accused the conservative government of tapping into community "China-phobia" to attack Mr Dastyari.

A week ago, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that Australia will ban foreign interference in its politics - either through espionage or financial donations - in a move motivated largely by Russia's alleged involvement in last year's US election and China's growing influence on the global political landscape.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Mr Turnbull's remarks were prejudiced against China and had poisoned the atmosphere of China-Australia relations.

China is Australia's largest trading partner and its biggest source of foreign political funds.

Australian law has never distinguished between donors from Australia and overseas.

The government said Mr Dastyari has not broken current laws, but the reformed laws would not allow a repeat of Mr Dastyari asking Mr Huang to pay an AUD1,250 (706) travel bill that Mr Dastyari owed.

Mr Dutton, who will head Australia's security and intelligence agencies as the government's first minister for home affairs next year, accused Mr Dastyari of being a "double agent" who should be dumped by Labour.

"Sam Dastyari can't be beholden to a foreign power and pretend to be acting in the Australian public's interest by being a senator in the Australian Parliament," Mr Dutton told reporters.

Fairfax Media reported that Mr Dastyari gave Mr Huang counter-surveillance advice when they met at the businessman's Sydney mansion in October last year.

Mr Dastyari suggested the pair leave their phones inside the house and go outside to speak in case Australian intelligence services were listening, Fairfax reported.

Mr Dastyari has not denied the reports but said he had no knowledge about whether Mr Huang was under Australian surveillance at the time.

AP
EasyJet has been cleared to acquire some of Air Berlin's assets (PA)

The European Commission has given the all-clear for easyJet to take over parts of collapsed Air Berlin.

EU authorities unconditionally approved the deal, saying it would not impact airline competition across the EU where it faces rival carriers including Lufthansa and Ryanair.

EasyJet agreed to buy part of Air Berlins operation for 40 million euro (35.2 million) in October, which included a raft of landing slots as well as the rights to operate passenger transport at Berlin Tegel Airport.

Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: Our job is to make sure that airline takeovers do not result in less competition  that would mean higher flight fares and less choice for consumers.

EasyJets plans to buy certain Air Berlin assets will not reduce competition and we have approved it today.

Our decision enables easyJet to grow its presence at Berlin airports and start competing on new routes to the benefit of consumers.

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Regulators were originally concerned that easyJets expanded landing-slot portfolio at congested airports like Berlin Tegel would result in higher barriers to entry for airlines looking to operate from those airports, which could subsequently result in higher fares for passengers.

However, the investigation found the airlines acquisition was unlikely to have a negative effect, adding that easyJet will continue to face strong competition from large carriers.

EasyJets shares were relatively flat following the news.

The Air Berlin deal expands easyJets footprint in Berlin, where it has a base at the smaller Schonefeld airport.

The German airline declared bankruptcy in August after its biggest shareholder Gulf airline Etihad withdrew financial support for the loss-making airline.

EasyJet said it was pleased to confirm it had garnered the European Commissions approval.

It said: The acquisition will result in easyJet operating 25 aircraft from Berlin Tegel Airport.

The agreement includes easyJet leasing former Air Berlin aircraft, taking over other assets including slots, and offering employment to Air Berlin flying crews.

The Commission has confirmed that there are no competition concerns relating to this agreement and easyJet now expects to complete the transaction in the near future.
Forensic officers at the scene of the fatal house fire in Manchester. Photo credit: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

Five people are being questioned over the suspected murder of three children who died after a house fire.

Demi Pearson (14) was pronounced dead at the scene in Worsley, Greater Manchester, while her eight-year-old brother Brandon and seven-year-old sister Lacie later died in hospital.

The children's 35-year-old mother, Michelle Pearson, is in a serious condition in hospital while a fourth sibling, three-year-old Lia, is critically ill.

Greater Manchester Police said three men, aged 23, 20 and 18, and a 20-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A 24-year-old man is also being questioned in custody on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Emergency services were called to the mid-terraced house just before 5am yesterday.

Two 16-year-old boys, who were also in the house, managed to free themselves before fire crews arrived.

Chief Superintendent Wayne Miller, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "The deaths of these three children is heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with their loved ones and the little girl and her mum who are in hospital fighting for their lives.

"We currently have specially trained officers with the family to help them through this devastating time.

"I want to describe what this incident is. It's the murder, using fire, of three children and we have a three-year-old girl fighting for her life who is seriously ill.

"This will devastate this family forever and words cannot describe what they are going through. We need the public's help to find the answers the family deserve.

"This evening, five people are in custody but we are still appealing for people who witnessed the fire itself or the events leading up to it to get in contact with us and tell us what they know.

"My thanks goes to the members of the public who have supported us with our investigation."

Police confirmed there were "earlier incidents" at the address and said it had made a self-referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
An Irish lawyer who sneaked into a womans bedroom wearing stockings and a purple G-string has been cleared by a jury after he explained he believed the woman was a huge panda.

Former high flying lawyer Desmond Moran, who hails from Tipperary, said he had taken so many drugs that he thought the woman was a bear.

Jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard yesterday that the woman had been been sleeping in her bed with her two children on July 14 2015 when she awoke to see the Irish-born lawyer standing in the doorway while wearing the stockings and G-string.

The jury also heard Mr Moran was once a high flying lawyer - having worked in New York, Singapore and Hong Kong - but had fallen on hard times in recent years and had been living in hostels.

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Mr Moran, who was arrested at the scene by police, admitted in an interview he was high on crack cocaine at the time and he had been sleeping rough for a number of years prior to the offence.

A jury cleared him of trespassing with intent to commit a sexual offence after just 30 minutes deliberation.

The court had earlier heard harrowing evidence from the woman who awoke to find Mr Moran staring at her. The woman, who cannot be named, said: I woke up and I saw him there and he was just looking at us, I felt like he was looking at me even though the two kids were there.

I said: Who are you, what are you doing? What are you doing in my apartment?

That's when I started getting quite anxious and I started screaming at him, and the children woke up.

The woman said that she was shouting at Mr Moran but he didnt respond. When she see looked closely at him, she realised he wasnt wearing trousers or a jacket.

It was costume, and when he went to the window and turned around I could see his bottom  I think he had a G-string on.'

Fearful for her children's safety, the woman said she slammed Mr Moran into a door several times and tried to forced him out of the room. When he left, she ran off to her nannys room with her children and called the police.

When the police arrived, they found Mr Moran in the basement of the block of flat. He was still in his fishnet stockings and G-string when police arrived but was so agitated it took three officers to put him in handcuffs.

In his subsequent police interview, he claimed that he went into the block of flats to get a bed for the night.

'I honestly didn't see a woman on the bed, I didn't see any children in the bed, I honestly thought it was a big panda bear in the bed, that's what it looked like to me.

'I had taken some drugs but I am pretty certain that's what I saw, I didn't see any woman, I didn't see any kids... were they under the panda?'

He continued: 'I went to the bay window and the window was open, and I thought "why is the window open?" I went over and I looked down into the street.

'Then I thought "I'm just going to leave." I was nearly out of the room, I hadn't seen the woman, then it all happened so quickly  she was screaming "who are you, get out of my house".'

Mr Moran sobbed when the verdict was delivered.
Vladimir Putin yesterday announced Russia would start to withdraw the bulk of its forces from Syria following its "successful intervention" in the conflict there.

The announcement comes after the defence ministry said last week that Russia had "completely liberated" Syria from the Isil, despite reports that the jihadist group still controls some remote territory in the country.

Speaking to soldiers at Russia's Khmeimim airbase in Latakia during his first trip to Syria, where he was welcomed by President Bashar al-Assad, Mr Putin said he was ordering the defence minister and head of the general staff to begin recalling Russian forces to their home bases. "In two and a half years, Russia's military, along with the Syrian army, have defeated the most battle-worthy gang of international terrorists," Mr Putin said.

"In connection with this, I've made the decision that a significant part of the Russian military contingent located in the Syrian Arab Republic will return home to Russia."

However, he made clear Russia's military presence in Syria was a permanent one and that it would retain enough firepower to destroy any Isil comeback.

"If the terrorists raise their head again, we will hit them with such strikes as they have never seen," Mr Putin said. "We will never forget the casualties and losses that we suffered in the fight with terrorism here in Syria as well as at home in Russia."

Mr Putin's visit to Syria comes days after he said he would run for re-election in March, a vote that is expected to keep him in power until 2024, nearly as long as Joseph Stalin. He is expected to make Russia's more aggressive foreign policy and defiance of the West a centrepiece of his campaign.

Moscow's casualties have been mounting in Syria as its presence grew from advisers and military contractors to include special forces and an air campaign this autumn, although the exact number of deaths remains secret.

Despite Mr Putin's talk of a drawdown, however, Russia has been increasingly involved in attacks on rebel-held areas outside the capital.

Eastern Ghouta, a besieged suburb of Damascus, is the last remaining large swathe of rebel-held area around Assad's seat of power and the focus of its firepower. Positioning himself as one of the powerbrokers in the region, Mr Putin made a whistle-stop tour of the Middle East yesterday with visits to Syria, Egypt and Turkey.

Russia has been drafting an agreement to deploy warplanes to Egypt, further increasing its presence in the Middle East.

A Pentagon spokesman said that Mr Putin was likely to carry out a "token withdrawal" of some aircraft, then follow up by demanding the US pulls its forces out of Syria. ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Leaders and high-ranking officials of Muslim countries will meet on Wednesday in Istanbul for an extraordinary summit to discuss "repercussions" from the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation session aims to produce a "unified Islamic position". The umbrella organization of 57-members called U.S. President Donald Trump's statement last week an "illegal decision" and a "serious escalation."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, OIC's term president, has been vehemently critical of the US move and said on Monday the leaders would relay a "strong message".

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, Lebanon's president Michel Aoun, Jordanian King Abdullah II and top ministers of numerous nations will be attending the session.

The holy city's status is at the heart of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and significant for Palestinians and Muslims worldwide.

Most countries around the world have not recognised Israel's 1967 annexation of east Jerusalem.

Under a long-standing international consensus, the fate of the city is to be determined in negotiations.

Mr Trump's announcement, which includes a pledge to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, was widely seen as siding with Israel.

Protests in Gaza and the West Bank turned violent last week.

Demonstrations across the Muslim world displayed an outpouring of anger against the US and Israel.

The United Nations and numerous states have warned the US decision could further escalate tensions.

Even small crises over Jerusalem's status and its holy sites have sparked deadly violence in the past.

The OIC convened another extraordinary meeting in Istanbul this August after Israel installed additional security measures at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

The move led to protests and clashes until it was reversed.

Mr Erdogan was meeting Mr Abbas on Tuesday evening in Istanbul ahead of the summit.

AP
Syrian president Bashar Assad's government has been accused of obstructing peace talks

The Syrian opposition claims the government delegation to the Geneva peace talks is coming up with new conditions, making it difficult to move forward.

Opposition spokesman Yahya Aridi said on Tuesday that the Damascus delegation told UN envoy Staffan de Mistura they will not negotiate directly.

He said Mr de Mistura told them about the government's stance.

Mr Aridi said the opposition delegates "consider this to be a precondition".

There was no immediate response from the government team in Switzerland.

Syrian opposition and government delegates are back 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.

The opposition has been calling for the indirect peace talks to become direct.

AP
Participants walk past the main entrance of the One Planet Summit (AP)

World leaders and investors have announced more than one billion dollars (750 million) in investments to make it easier for countries and industries to give up oil and coal.

French President Emmanuel Macron used the summit to seize the global spotlight, capitalising on US President Donald Trump's isolationist policies and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's domestic weakness to position himself as the world's moral compass on climate change.

"We're not moving fast enough," Mr Macron said, warning that the 2015 Paris climate accord is "fragile".

"It's time to act and move faster and win this battle" against climate change, he told the more than 50 world leaders and others gathered in Paris.

After opening the summit on a pessimistic note, Mr Macron was more encouraging at the closing, praising the "very concrete" commitments made by the participants.

"We started today to make up some ground in this battlefield," he said in his closing speech.

Today's commitments will be able to be tracked and verified on a dedicated platform, he added.

Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson and other energy executives and investment fund leaders announced a dozen international projects emerging from the summit that will inject money into efforts to curb climate change.

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim won rousing applause when he announced that his agency would stop financing oil and gas projects in two years.

The summit, co-hosted by the UN, the World Bank and Mr Macron, was held on the second anniversary of the Paris climate accord, which was ratified by 170 countries.

More than 50 heads of state and government took part.

Mr Trump was not invited, but he was ubiquitous.

One by one, officials including former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, billionaire Michael Bloomberg and former US secretary of state John Kerry insisted the world will shift to cleaner fuels and reduce emissions regardless of whether the Trump administration pitches in.

Central to the summit was countering Mr Trump's main argument that the 2015 Paris accord on reducing global emissions would hurt US business.

Mr Macron, a 39-year-old former investment banker, argues that the big businesses and successful economies of the future will be making and using renewable energy instead of oil.

The projects announced on Tuesday include a programme for eight US states to develop electric vehicles, an investment fund for the hurricane-hit Caribbean and money from Mr Gates's foundation to help farmers adapt to climate change and develop low-carbon technology.

The projects also aim to speed up the end of the combustion engine to reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming.

Activists kept up pressure with protests - including one on a bridge at the summit venue, an island in the Seine River - calling for companies and governments to stop investing in oil and coal now.

Top officials agreed with them, saying the global financial system is not shifting fast enough away from carbon emissions and towards renewable energy and business projects.

"Financial pledges need to flow faster through a more streamlined system and make a difference on the ground," said Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, whose island nation is among those on the front lines of the rising sea levels and extreme storms worsened by human-made emissions.

"We are all in the same canoe," rich countries and poor, he said.

Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono described ways his country is investing in climate monitoring technology and hydrogen energy, but he said: "We have to do more and better."

Mr Bloomberg, the former New York mayor, said environmentalists owed Mr Trump a debt of "gratitude" for acting as a "rallying cry" for action on climate change.

He said the private sector coalition called America's Pledge, which promises to honour the climate goals set in 2015, "now represents half of the US economy".

On Monday, Mr Macron awarded 18 climate scientists - most of them based in the US - multimillion-euro grants to relocate to France for the rest of Mr Trump's term.

Mrs Merkel, who was once labelled the "climate chancellor" for her efforts to curb global warming, faced criticism in Germany for failing to attend the summit.

In the Dutch city of The Hague, experts launched a plan on Tuesday aimed at addressing threats created by water and food shortages.

AP
A Bangladeshi immigrant arrested over a New York subway bombing blamed President Donald Trump for the botched suicide mission that he said he carried out for the Islamic State group, authorities said as they brought federal charges against him.

Akayed Ullah posted a statement on his Facebook account on his way to the Monday morning attack stating: "Trump you failed to protect your nation", the criminal complaint said.

He also told law enforcement officers at the hospital where he was taken with burn injuries to the body and hands: "I did it for the Islamic State", according to the complaint.

His rush-hour attack fizzled in a long walkway used by commuters moving between trains in the city's busiest subway station at Times Square.

Three pedestrians complained of harmed hearing and headaches after the bomb went off.

Ullah, 27, was expected to appear before a magistrate judge, though it was not immediately clear if he was well enough to go to court.

During a search of his Brooklyn apartment, investigators recovered a passport with the words "O America, die in rage" scrawled in it, the complaint said.

He hoped to "terrorise as many people as possible" with a bomb filled with metal screws that he believed would cause maximum damage, the complaint said.

The complaint charged Ullah with providing material support to a terrorist group, use of a weapon of mass destruction and three bomb-related counts.

According to the complaint, Ullah began researching how to build bomb after he had "viewed pro-Isis materials online, including a video instructing, in substance, that if supporters of Isis were unable to travel overseas to join Isis, they should carry out attacks in their homelands".

Overseas, Bangladesh counter-terrorism officers were questioning Ullah's wife and other relatives, officials there said on Tuesday.

Relatives and police said Ullah last visited Bangladesh in September to see his wife and newborn son before leaving them behind to return the United States.

Hours after Monday's explosion, Mr Trump cited the background of the bomber in renewing his call for closer scrutiny of foreigners who come to the country and less immigration based on family ties.

Ullah, who told investigators he wanted to retaliate for American action against Islamic State extremists, came to the US from Bangladesh in 2011 on a visa available to certain relatives of US citizens.

"Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security," Mr Trump said in a statement that called for various changes to the immigration system.

Earlier, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr Trump's proposed policies "could have prevented this".

On his last visit to Bangladesh, the suspect mostly remained inside a small apartment in Dhaka's Hazribagh area, said his uncle, Abdul Ahad.

His nephew arrived in Bangladesh on September 8 and returned to New York on October 22, he said.

"He went out of his residence to offer prayers at a nearby mosque," Mr Ahad said.

In a scenario New York had dreaded for years, Ullah strapped on a crude pipe bomb with Velcro and cable ties, slipped unnoticed into the nation's busiest subway system and set off the device, authorities said.

The device did not work as intended; authorities said Ullah was the only person seriously wounded.

But the attack sent frightened commuters fleeing through a smoky passageway.

Ullah's low-tech bomb used explosive powder, a nine-volt battery, a Christmas light and matches, officials said.

Investigators said the suspect was seen on surveillance footage igniting the bomb.

In the end, it was not powerful enough to turn the pipe into deadly shrapnel, the officials said.

AP
Kolkata , Dec 12 (IBNS): Coca-Cola India, one of the countrys leading beverage companies, on Tuesday announced the launch of Maaza Gold, a premium mango drink made from the choicest of mangoes.

The new variant of Maaza offers consumers an indulgent, thicker and smoother mango drink. This product innovation is in-line with the companys steadfast commitment to provide more choices to consumers.

Launched in the 1970s, Maaza has an impressive heritage and has been the most loved mango juice drink in the country. The launch of Maaza Gold builds on the love and faith that consumers have had for Maaza for years, and that has helped make Maaza the largest selling juice drink brand in the country.

Srideep Kesavan, Director Marketing  Juices, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia, said, We are always listening to our consumers and with the launch of Maaza Gold the company is expanding its product portfolio in-line with consumer tastes. The company at the same time is also accelerating Maazas journey towards becoming a homegrown billion dollar brand by 2023.

Maaza Gold comes in a unique one-litre Tetra Pak packaging that comes with metallic laminate to make the product stand out. Consumers can purchase Maaza Gold from the modern retail outlets, select grocery stores and online stores.

The Coca-Cola Company along with its bottling partners in India procures approximately 1 lakh metric tonnes of mango pulp annually. In 2023, if Maaza becomes the first USD 1 BN juice drink brand from India, the Coca-Cola system in India will be able to procure 2 lakh metric tonnes of mango pulp annually, worth nearly INR 1100 crores, thereby helping 100,000 farmers.
MEDICIS (Medical Isotopes Collected from ISOLDE) and aims to provide a wide range of radioisotopes.



These radioisotopes are destined primarily for hospitals and research centres in Switzerland and across Europe. Great strides have been made recently in the use of radioisotopes for diagnosis and treatment, and MEDICIS will enable researchers to devise and test unconventional radioisotopes with a view to developing new approaches to fight cancer, read the CERN website.

Radioisotopes are used in precision medicine to diagnose cancers, as well as other diseases such as heart irregularities, and to deliver very small radiation doses exactly where they are needed to avoid destroying the surrounding healthy tissue, said Thierry Stora, MEDICIS project coordinator. With the start of MEDICIS, we can now produce unconventional isotopes and help to expand the range of applications.

A chemical element can exist in several variants or isotopes, depending on how many neutrons its nucleus has. Some isotopes are naturally radioactive and are known as radioisotopes. They can be found almost everywhere, for example in rocks or even in drinking water. Other radioisotopes are not naturally available, but can be produced using particle accelerators. MEDICIS uses a proton beam from ISOLDE  the Isotope Mass Separator Online facility at CERN  to produce radioisotopes for medical research. The first batch produced was Terbium 155Tb, which is considered a promising radioisotope for diagnosing prostate cancer, as early results have recently shown.

Innovative ideas and technologies from physics have contributed to great advances in the field of medicine over the last 100 years, since the advent of radiation-based medical diagnosis and treatment and following the discovery of X-rays and radioactivity. Radioisotopes are thus already widely used by the medical community for imaging, diagnosis and radiation therapy. However, many isotopes currently used do not combine the most appropriate physical and chemical properties and, in some cases, a different type of radiation could be better suited. MEDICIS can help to look for radioisotopes with the right properties to enhance precision for both imaging and treatment.

CERN-MEDICIS demonstrates again how CERN technologies can benefit society beyond their use for our fundamental research. With its unique facilities and expertise, CERN is committed to maximising the impact of CERN technologies in our everyday lives, said CERNs Director for Accelerators and Technology, Frederick Bordry.

At ISOLDE, the high-intensity proton beam from CERNs Proton Synchrotron Booster (PSB) is directed onto specially developed thick targets, yielding a large variety of atomic fragments. Different devices are used to ionise, extract and separate nuclei according to their mass, forming a low-energy beam that is delivered to various experimental stations. MEDICIS works by placing a second target behind ISOLDEs. Once the isotopes have been produced at the MEDICIS target, an automated conveyor belt carries them to the MEDICIS facility, where the radioisotopes of interest are extracted through mass separation and implanted in a metallic foil. They are then delivered to research facilities including the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), the University Hospital of Vaud (CHUV) and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG).

Once at the facility, researchers dissolve the isotope and attach it to a molecule, such as a protein or sugar, chosen to target the tumour precisely. This makes the isotope injectable, and the molecule can then adhere to the tumour or organ that needs imaging or treating.

ISOLDE has been running for 50 years, and 1300 isotopes from 73 chemicals have been produced at CERN for research in many areas, including fundamental nuclear research, astrophysics and life sciences. Although ISOLDE already produces isotopes for medical research, the new MEDICIS facility will allow it to provide radioisotopes meeting the requirements of the medical research community as a matter of course.

CERN-MEDICIS is an effort led by CERN with contributions from its dedicated Knowledge Transfer Fund, private foundations and partner institutes. It also benefits from a European Commission Marie SkAodowska-Curie training grant, which has been helping to shape a pan-European medical and scientific collaboration since 2014.
Kolkata, Dec 12 (IBNS): As the Ari Roland Jazz Quartets music fused with the soulful Baul songs of Bengal, the audience was practically ready to do a 'Dumbledore' (headmaster of Hogwarts in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series), ready to repeat his famous comment, Ah, music, ... A magic beyond all we do here!

As part of US Consulate Kolkata's initiative to promote better bilateral relations through cultural exchanges, the renowned Jazz Quartet Ari Roland from New York City performed in Kolkata along with folk musicians, including Bauls, of West Bengal at a concert recently organized by the American Center.

The concert New York Meets Kolkata was an American jazz and Bengali Baul music fusion performance.



US Consul General Craig Hall delivered the welcome address before the collaborative performance by the Ari Roland Jazz Quartet and Baul folk music ensemble.



The Ari Roland Jazz Quartets music is inspired by the great masters of Jazz - Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie - and the Quartet members learned to play under the guidance of the living legends of Jazz in New York.

The Quartet performs songs from the Golden Age of Jazz (1930s - 1950s), and their own original compositions.

In addition to their performances in New York and a busy touring schedule, they have also directed international Jazz programs bringing musicians from around the world together to play Jazz.



As a jazz ambassador for the US Department of State, Ari Roland has traveled on over 130 cultural diplomacy tours throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

His band performed at the closing reception of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad in November.



Kolkata was the last stop for the Ari Roland Jazz Quartet's three city tour of India. Prior to Kolkata, they perfomed in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

The Jazz Quartet Ari Roland consisted of Ari Roland on double bass, Zaid Nasser on the alto saxophone, Pasquale Grasso on guitar, and Keith Balla on drums.

Among the folk artists of Bengal were vocalists Debalina Bhowmick and Tiyas Sen, musician Arpan Thakur Chakraborty, and Girish Khyapa on instruments and vocals.
Power Publishers has recently released Grandma's Bucket Full of Magic by author Piyaah Nandi. A Clinical Psychologist by profession, she brings to life some of the forgotten tales of Bengal in her book.

Congratulations Dr Piyaah Nandi on the release of ''Grandma's bucket full of magic.'' What was your source of inspiration that led you to write a book?

I write because I love to write. I was always fascinated about fairy tales and enjoyed reading them as a child. I wouldn't exactly call it an inspiration....it was more boredom strapped in my bed and watching movies. On one occasion while I was watching Harry Potter, I remembered our own fairy tales from Thakurmar Jhuli.

Was there anything which pulled you towards writing a children's book?

Thakurmar Jhuli somehow wooed me to write. Nothing gives me more pleasure than reading. I still flip through the pages of books containing folklore and fairy tales whenever I get time.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Being a Clinical Psychologist, writing was never my goals or agenda. Writing treatment plans for my patients were the only thing I wrote. Surprisingly when I picked up the pen and started writing Grandma's Bucket Full of Magic, I realized that I really would like to write more. Writing children's stories gives me immense satisfaction.

So, what urged you to translate ''Thakumar Jhuli'' in English?

Children these days feel more comfortable reading English over other languages. I hope my book reaches every corner of the world.

What response are you expecting for your future endeavor?

As I said earlier, I write because I love to write. I have already started on my second book, which will be a sequel to the current one.
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 (IBNS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will wrap up his high octane Gujarat poll campaign on Tuesday and he on the final day is flying in a seaplane from Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district.

One media report said this is one of the first-ever flights by such an aircraft in India.

From Dharoi dam he would travel about 180 km by road to famous Ambaji Temple in North Gujarat for campaign. The region is going to the polls on Thursday.

After the first phase of polls in Saurashtra and South Gujarat last Saturday, BJP is going all out to focus in North Gujarat as one of the bitterest war of words between BJP and Congress played out.

Earlier, Modi's roadshow in Ahmedabad was denied permission owing to traffic situation. Media reports said roadshows of both the PM and Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi were denied permission for the same reason.

Reports said Rahul Gandhi will hold a press conference in Ahmedabad to end his campaign.

While Modi is showcasing the development work in Gujarat to seek a fifth consecutive win for the BJP in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi's Congress is citing the same model of development as a failure in the high profile Gujarat poll campaign.

The Gujarat campaign witnessed big accusations from both sides with even the issue of Pakistan's intervention drawn in.

PM Modi alleged a Pakistan hand in Gujarat claiming that Congress leaders, including former PM Dr Manmohan Singh, discussed the state polls with Pakistani guests at a dinner hosted by now suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar.

Manmohan Singh later said he was "deeply pained and anguished" by the "falsehood and canards being spread to score political points by none less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi". He also demanded an apology from the PM.

Gujarat, which is undergoing a two phase assembly election, witnessed 66.75% turnout in the first phase. The second and final phase for the remaining 93 seats will be held on Dec 14. In the first phase, 89 Assembly seats went to polls.

The votes will be counted on December 18.

PM Shri @narendramodi boards sea plane from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam. Watch LIVE at https://t.co/le5WDonmgN pic.twitter.com/YaJo8BIZto  BJP (@BJP4India) December 12, 2017

Image: Twitter/bjp4india
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 (IBNS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district of Gujarat as scheduled and is on his way to the famous Ambaji Temple in North Gujarat, about about 180 km by road, to renew his campaign for the Gujarat Assembly polls.

The Gujarat poll campaign comes to an end on Tuesday, with the second phase of the two-day polling scheduled on Thursday.

The PM flew in a seaplane from Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district on Tuesday.

After the first phase of polls in Saurashtra and South Gujarat last Saturday, BJP is going all out to focus in North Gujarat as one of the bitterest war of words between BJP and Congress played out.

Earlier, Modi's roadshow in Ahmedabad was denied permission owing to traffic situation. Media reports said roadshows of both the PM and Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi were denied permission for the same reason.

Reports said Rahul Gandhi will hold a press conference in Ahmedabad to end his campaign.

While Modi is showcasing the development work in Gujarat to seek a fifth consecutive win for the BJP in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi's Congress is citing the same model of development as a failure in the high profile Gujarat poll campaign.

The Gujarat campaign witnessed big accusations from both sides with even the issue of Pakistan's intervention drawn in.

PM Modi alleged a Pakistan hand in Gujarat claiming that Congress leaders, including former PM Dr Manmohan Singh, discussed the state polls with Pakistani guests at a dinner hosted by now suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar.

Manmohan Singh later said he was "deeply pained and anguished" by the "falsehood and canards being spread to score political points by none less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi". He also demanded an apology from the PM.

The former PM's remarks were countered by Union Finance Minister Arun Jatley, who said the dinner was a " political misadventure".

Gujarat, which is undergoing a two phase assembly election, witnessed 66.75% turnout in the first phase. The second and final phase for the remaining 93 seats will be held on Dec 14. In the first phase, 89 Assembly seats went to polls.

The votes will be counted on December 18.



Image: VijayRupani/Twitter
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called his experience of riding a seaplane during his campaigning for the second phase of the Assembly polls in the state as 'unique'.

"Earlier today, I travelled on a sea plane from Ahmedabads Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam, taking off and landing on water. This experience was unique. It adds strength to our resolve to harness waterways for Indias progress," Modi tweeted.

He also illustrated the ways the transport medium could be used in the upcoming days.

"Effective use of waterways augurs well for tourism. Places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, our vibrant North East, places with many water bodies, big dams, waterways will benefit with usage of sea planes. More tourism also brings greater economic opportunities," Modi said.

He said the service could be helpful at the time of medical emergencies.

"Sea plane services can also be helpful during times of medical emergencies. Those needing even quicker access to medical care and those living in remote areas stand to gain a lot," he said.

Gujarat will vote in the second phase of Assembly polls on Dec 14.
New Delhi, Dec 7 (IBNS): A delegation of eleven indigenous communities form Sikkim met Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, here on Tuesday.

The delegation included representatives of communities including Rai, Mangar, Gurung, Thami, Bhujel, Jogi, Sanyasi, Giri, Newar, Khas (Bhawn and Chettri) and Dewan (Yakha).

The delegation presented a memorandum to the Minister for providing Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to their communities.

They also discussed various related issues such as their representation in the State Assembly, reservation in jobs, income tax exemption and others. They also gave a presentation on the history, geography and other matters related to the state of Sikkim and their communities in particular.

While addressing the delegation, Singh said that he appreciates the contribution made by the communities and he will try to ensure that the justice is given to them.

He said that the memorandum submitted by them will be taken up with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Speaking on the importance and contribution of Sikkim, the Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi accords very high priority to the North Eastern region.

He said that the Prime Minister himself has also visited Sikkim.

The Minister said that Sikkim has been declared Organic State by the Government. Sikkim is the first state to be declared as ODF state, he added.

He also said that the GDP and literacy of the state are also very high.

He further said that Sikkim has excelled in the field of tourism as well. Due to all these reasons, Sikkim sets an example to be followed by other states, he said.

After giving a patient hearing to the delegation from Sikkim, Jitendra Singh said that it is our responsibility to see that all sections of the society get due justice.

Speaking on the occasion, Naveen Verma said that there is a defined process to be followed while including any community in the Scheduled Tribes list.

The senior officers of Ministry of DoNER were also present on the occasion.
New Delhi, Dec 12 (IBNS): Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said talks are on with Singapore for cruise connectivity to promote cruise tourism on a mega scale, according to media reports.

Addressing the Asean-India Connectivity Summit -- jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Asean India Centre -- on Monday, Gadkari said that the Union ministry is planning to boost cruise tourism from 80 ships per year to 900 per year.

"Cruises from India can start from Mumbai or Cochin and can go to Thailand, Philippines and Cambodia, saving Indian tourists time and money for specially travelling to Singapore to enjoy cruises, he said.

Gadkari said that the cruise tourism potential will be explored through public-private entrepreneurship model.

The media also quoted the minister as saying that India has already proposed a $1 billion-line of credit to promote Asean connectivity through road, air and waterways.



Image: CII/Twitter
New York, Dec 12(Just Earth News): The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Monday paid tribute to the Tanzanian peacekeepers killed on 7 December in the worst attack on UN 'blue helmets' in recent history.

At the ceremony in the north-east city of Beni, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC, David Gressly, encouraged the mission's military, police and civilian staff to continue their efforts to implement the operation's mandate, including the protection of civilians.

We are determined to continue our work, the Deputy Special Representative stressed.

What is important now is to stay engaged [...] to protect civilians, especially towards Kamango, Gressly told UN Radio Okapi referring to the road which passes by one of the UN peacekeeping base enroute to Kamango, on the eastern border of DRC and Uganda.

The bodies of the 14 blue helmets were repatriated to Tanzania later Monday. News reports suggest that the bodies were ceremoniously received in Dar es Salaam by Tanzanian defense and military officials.

In the wake of the incident, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council condemned the deadly attack, with the UN chief expressing his outrage and utter heartbreak.

These deliberate attacks against United Nations peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime, said Guterres, urging the DRC authorities to investigate the incident and quickly bring the perpetrators to justice.

There must be no impunity for such aggression, here or anywhere else, he added.

Late Thursday night, a UN Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) Company Operating Base at Semuliki in Beni territory, in DRC's restive North Kivu province, was attacked by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) elements, resulting in protracted fighting between the suspected armed group elements and MONUSCO and Armed Forces of the DRC, known by the French acronym, FARDC.

According to the UN Operations and Crisis Centre (UNOCC), MONUSCO said on Sunday that 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed, 44 others were wounded and one peacekeeper remains missing. Earlier reports of 15 peacekeepers killed reflected uncertainty in accounting for personnel. Similarly, of three soldiers who were initially reported missing, two have since returned and one peacekeeper remains missing.

Photo: MONUSCO/Alain Coulibaly



Source: www.justearthnews.com




New York, Dec 12(Just Earth News): Peoples rights are reportedly violated in almost every aspect of their lives in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations human rights chief warned on Monday, stressing that security tensions on the Korean Peninsula should not negate concerns about the situation of ordinary people there.

I regret that it is impossible for me to point to any significant improvement in the human rights situation [] Indeed, security tensions seem to have deepened the extremely serious human rights violations endured by the DPRKs 25 million people, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein told the Security Council via video link from Paris.

He said that while his Office (OHCHR) struggles to paint the complete picture of the situation due to the lack of access to the DPRK, escapees have reported to us extremely widespread violations of rights in almost every aspect of peoples lives.

Those violations include widespread torture in detention centres, where it is used to extract information or confessions from people suspected of such activities as planning to leave the country or communicating with the outside world. Detainees work in mines or infrastructure projects in conditions of severe deprivation.

Moreover, there is absolute secrecy about people detained in the five political prison camps which are also reportedly operational, Zeid said, noting that OHCHRs interviews with persons who have left the DPRK indicate that fear of being sent to these facilities is a powerful instrument of control.

Repatriated escapees are routinely subjected to multiple forms of torture and ill-treatment at detention centres, including beatings, forced labour, deprivation of food and healthcare and sexual violence. Women are subjected to invasive body searches that may amount to rape under international law.

Zeid also said that no progress has been made regarding cases of international abductions and enforced disappearances of foreign nationals.

The people of the DPRK also face severe violations of their economic, social and cultural rights, Zeid said, noting that they face chronic food insecurity, and pervasive corruption that is forcing even very poor people to frequently pay hefty bribes to enable their children to pursue primary or higher education, to engage in private business, and access healthcare.

Zeid said sanctions imposed by the Security Council on the DPRK may be adversely affecting the humanitarian assistance provided by UN agencies and others, which is literally a lifeline for some 13 million acutely vulnerable individuals in the country, asking the 15-member body to conduct an assessment of the human rights impact of sanctions, and minimize their adverse humanitarian consequences.

Above all, every effort must be made to ensure the Government of the DPRK makes urgent changes to the countrys laws and policies, to enable greater freedom and access to fundamental services and goods.

OHCHR is strengthening monitoring efforts by recruiting criminal law experts and establishing a repository of cases to be used in future prosecutions.

While there is debate whether it is adequate for the Council to discuss human rights issues, on Mondays meeting was OHCHRs fourth briefing to the Council on the DPRK in as many years.

Also briefing the Council was Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca, who recalled that in response to the accelerated nuclear and ballistic missile testing by the DPRK, the Council has strengthened its DPRK sanctions regime with three additional resolutions since the last briefing.

Citing the possibility that sanctions may have a detrimental impact on livelihoods and medical care, he encouraged all international and non-governmental organizations who are facing operational challenges to use the established process to inform or seek the necessary guidance or exemption from the DPRK sanctions regime.

This will help to remove ambiguity and provide reassurance for the relevant entities and partners to facilitate the work of such organizations in the DPRK, he said, urging the sanctions regime to continue to expeditiously review these requests.

Jenca also urged all Member States to support the lifesaving activities in the country, as some $114 million are required to address the critical humanitarian needs in the DPRK.

He also called on financial institutions to exercise their corporate social responsibility and provide the lifesaving banking services for humanitarian organizations in the country. The channel would be sent to the Security Council for approval.

UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Source: www.justearthnews.com




This nutrition crisis and food insecurity in the Kasai region follows the displacement of thousands of families who have been living for months in very harsh conditions, said Tajudeen Oyewale, the acting head of UNICEF in the African nation, in a news release underlining the scale of the catastrophe.



The true scale of the problem is becoming clear as people are returning home in some areas where the security situation has improved and health services have started functioning again.



According to estimates, at least 750,000 children across the Kasai region are acutely malnourished and some 25 health zones are in a situation of nutritional crisis  a state when the severely has exceeded emergency thresholds.



The dire situation is primarily the result of over 18 months of insecurity and violence that has resulted in displacement of over 1.4 million and has severely reduced agricultural production with some two-thirds of households not to work their land to grow crops.



The level of food insecurity is not expected to improve before June next year as the planting seasons for crops which would have been harvested by then has already been lost.



Making matters much worse is the devastation of health facilities, according to UNICEF.



Approximately 220 health centres have been destroyed, looted or damaged, access to treatment for communicable diseases as well as care for the children severely malnourished extremely difficult.



Guaranteeing access to basic health and nutrition services to returning populations is essential to help malnourished children survive and thrive, said Oyewale.



In response to the crisis, UNICEF and partners provided therapeutic nutritional care to more than 50,000 children aged between 6-59 months in the region this year. However, lack of resources has severely impacted aid delivery.



With just days remaining in the year, the UN agency has received a mere 15 per cent of the funds it required for 2017.



Photo: OCHA/Otto Bakano



Source: www.justearthnews.com






Ottawa, Dec 12 (IBNS): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Justice Richard Wagner as the country's new Chief Justice on Tuesday, media reports said.

Justice Wagner has replaced Beverley McLachlin as the top judge of Canada.

Trudeau made the announcement and he was quoted by Toronto Star: "It is an honour to name the Honourable Richard Wagner as the new Chief Justice of Canada."

"I have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the highest court of Canada, an institution with a long and respected history of judicial independence and excellence. The judiciary, the legal profession, and all Canadians will be well served by his dedication to upholding the laws and Constitution upon which this country is founded.," the PM added.

Though Trudeau had greatly favoured a woman judge, a woman in any top post more precisely, he finally backed down in this case, reports said.

One of the main reasons for not appointing Rosalie Abella (71) as the Chief Justice because the post will once again fall vacant after three to four years from now on after her retirement.

Wagner will earn $405,400 after his elevation.

Wagner, a father of two children, is a full bilingual Quebecker.

A Montreal-born new Chief Justice Wagner is a former commercial and civil law lawyer.

Wagner's appointment was pressed by the Bar of Montreal and the Quebec National Assembly to Trudeau to stick to the practice of choosing judges from Quebec and rest of Canada alternatively.

The practice, however, is not always followed and Trudeau's own father did not adhere to the norm when he was the Canadian PM.



(Reporting by Suman Das)
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The word 'feminism' ruled 2017. Several instances such as January's Women's March and the Harvey Weinstein controversy added more weight to the word, so much so that the Merriam-Webster dictionary has now awarded it the title of the 'word of the year'.

getty images

Also read: 9 Facts About The Most Misinterpreted Word Of The Century - Feminism

Company lexicographer and editor, Peter Sokolowski said that the word became 2017's most discussed topic. It saw a 70 per cent increase in look-ups over 2016 on merriam-webster.com.

That said, several celebrities gave speeches and wrote blogs attempting to define the word. We take a look at three of these definitions.

Also read: Taapsee Pannu Explains Feminism Is Not About Extra Rights But Working Towards Gender Equality

Justin Trudeau

In his essay for marieclaire.com titled Why I'm Raising My Kids to Be Feminists", on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote,

Gender equality is not only an issue for women and girls. All of us benefit when women and girls have the same opportunities as men and boysand its on all of us to make that a reality. Feminism is not just the belief that men and women are equal. Its the knowledge that when we are all equal, all of us are more free.

reuters

Emma Watson

The pioneer for HeForShe campaign to make men advocate for feminism, British actress Emma Watson provided a very simple yet hard-hitting definition of the word feminism. It came at a time when she posed for a revealing photograph in Vanity Fair magazine. She said,

Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. Its about freedom, its about liberation, its about equality. I really dont know what my tits have to do with it. Its very confusing."

reuters

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra, in an interview with Variety, explained how feminism was the need of the hour and why men needed to take a stand for it. She said,

Feminism is not about berating or hating men or disliking or trying to make sure were better than men. Feminism is just saying give me opportunities without judging me for the decisions that I make, the same freedom that men have enjoyed for so many centuries.

reuters

Also read: Priyanka Chopra Decodes The Concept Of Feminism, Urges Men To Take A Stand & Be Supportive

Merriam-Webster making it the word of 2017 goes to show, that on some level, people are embracing the word instead of shunning it because they don't understand its meaning. Defined simply, it means to advocate for women's rights without the discrimination of the sexes.
Mumbai Police is extremely responsive to people's call for help on Twitter. Only recently, they had come to the rescue of an abandoned baby found by a man in an auto.

Also read: Man Finds Abandoned Infant In Auto, Mumbai Police Comes To The Rescue

afp

Also read: Mumbai Police's Final Goodbye To Their Loyal K-9 Recruit Will Leave You Teary-Eyed!

Once again, the cops responded to a distressed citizen who had lost his laptop in an auto in Juhu.

This is the most desperate moment of my life. Forgot my DELL laptop in an auto in Juhu. Have 6 months of without back-up work in it. Please RT and help me get it. At police station but not being able to trace.  Sachin Garg (@GargSachin) December 10, 2017

Good people came together to RT Garg's tweet until Mumbai Police read it. And they did.

We have followed you. Please DM your contact details.  Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) December 10, 2017

Garg explained everything that went down in a thread.

So here's the part 2 of this story. As soon as I realised I had forgotten my bag, I rushed to Juhu police station. The police was very helpful and within a few minutes, we were sifting through CCTV footage but we couldn't figure out the auto number. https://t.co/YgLaEB72YK  Sachin Garg (@GargSachin) December 11, 2017

When Juhu footage, didn't help, I went to Santa Cruz and Bandra police station but that didn't help either. Some time in between I sent this tweet which immediately blew up. Within a few minutes I got a call from @MumbaiPolice cyber cell team, which was extremely helpful.  Sachin Garg (@GargSachin) December 11, 2017

I told them that the CCTV footage route hasn't proved to be helpful. They asked if there was anything else they could do. I asked them for one thing - send a proper message to all nearby stations about finding this bag, with my phone number.  Sachin Garg (@GargSachin) December 11, 2017

And then at 1am last night, I got a call from some Malwani police station saying that the auto guy had come with some laptop. I said I'll come immediately. When I reached, the bag indeed was mine.  Sachin Garg (@GargSachin) December 11, 2017

Once he found his laptop, he thanked Mumbai Police and the tweeple who helped him with all their might.

The only reason Malwani station had my number was because this tweet blew up and Mumbai Police had relayed the message spread the message properly. So, thanks a ton Twitter and my book would not be delayed by 6 more months because of you. I love you all who RTed.  Sachin Garg (@GargSachin) December 11, 2017

Mumbai Police's promptness is commendable!
We are obsessing, swooning and are in awe of Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohlis wedding pictures and videos. Those happy vibes and love flowing around shows how happily ever after looks like, right?

(Also Read: From Engagement To Jaimala, Here Are Some Highlights From Anushka & Virat's Grand Italy Wedding)

 #Virushka #VirushkaWedding #ViratKholi #AnushkaSharma A post shared by Jayalakshmi S V (@jaiforyou) on Dec 12, 2017 at 12:00am PST

They couple has finally sealed their love for each other in Tuscany, Italy on Dec. 11, and the entire nation is happy for them. Blessings and love are being showered upon them.

(Also Read: Virat Kohli Spent Three Months To Make Sure He Picks The Perfect Ring For Anushka Sharma)

Virat kohli sing a lovely song mere mehbub for anushka .. use headphones #Mustwatch #virushka #virat_kohli #anushka_sharma A post shared by Sad shayaries (@shadab8663) on Dec 11, 2017 at 11:51pm PST

One night after their wedding, the duo attended a DJ party as man and wife. New bride Anushka donned the traditional chooda with a beige gown and couldnt stop smiling, and why not? She married the love of her life.

With the DJ of virushkas wedding! #virushka #viratkohli #anushkasharma A post shared by Virushka (@anushkaviratwedding) on Dec 11, 2017 at 11:53pm PST

Virat donned a pathani Kurta and looked dapper like always.

Virat & Anushka During Post Wedding Party!  #VirushkaWedding #Virushka A post shared by Virat Kohli (@viratkohlifc) on Dec 12, 2017 at 12:01am PST

Whats more? To make their wedding day memorable and most importantly to make a difference in the lives of others, Virushka has reportedly decided to sell their wedding photos to charity.

They will sell the pictures to American fashion magazine proceeds of which will go to a charity. Isnt that great?

Awww-dorable  #virushka #viratkohli #anushkasharma A post shared by Virushka (@anushkaviratwedding) on Dec 11, 2017 at 11:25pm PST

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, may god keep showering love and blessing upon you. You look great and happy together. Lots of love to you both.

(Also Read: SRK To Shikhar Dhawan, Celebs Pour Out Love & Blessings For Newly-Wed Couple Virat Kohli And Anushka Sharma)
Employee satisfaction is a part of a company-wide construct that enables a nurturing environment for the staff to feel invested and valued in. Good leaders play an equal role here; employee appreciation for their bosses increases manifold when the superiors go out of their way to make their employees feel comfortable at work, whether its taking them on paid vacations, offering a huge bouquet of perks, or returning small gestures of admiration.

Here are some of the nicest things bosses have done for their employees.

1. Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn)

When LinkedIn employee Mariah Walton got to know that she will miss LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiners visit to her office, she decided to leave him a note at her workstation, along with a photo of herself at the desktop, apologising for missing the opportunity to meet him. But Weiner did one even better  he clicked a selfie while posing at Walton's desk. He left behind the photo with a note for her to find when she returned.

reuters

2. Ian Lucas (Red7)

Founder and chairman of British travel and party firm Red7, Ian Lucas took his entire workforce for an all-expense paid trip to Marbella. Lucas rewarded his team with a 3-day luxurious trip. They went on a boat tour of the Costa del Sol city and enjoyed fine dining to mark their 20th anniversary. Ian even referred his team as the beating heart of the firm and owes the year-long growth of the organisation to his employees. The organisation creates once-in-a-lifetime premium experiences like stag and hen parties, birthday trips, and girlie or lads weekends away.

red7

3. Brian Chesky (Airbnb)

The Airbnb CEO is one of the coolest bosses to reckon with. At Cheskys company, employees are given a whole lot of benefits. Full paid health insurance, 22-week maternity leave, flexible spending accounts, Apple equipment, three weeks of paid time off, $100 monthly allowance for parking or public commute, and free organic lunches are just some of the perks Airbnb employees get to enjoy. The best one is that the company offers them a $2,000 travel coupon each year for their own adventures.

reuters

4. Nevzat Aydin (Yemeksepeti)

When Aydin, a Turkish entrepreneur, sold his online food delivery service Yemeksepeti, he shared $27 million among his 114 employees. While some of his staff members were left stunned, others cried. Each of Aydins employees got an average bonus of $323,000. Aydin even paid the taxes on the money for his employees.

Fortune Turkiye

5. Richard Branson (Virgin Group)

Branson is one boss who delivers on the promises he makes. In 2014, the Virgin Groups boss announced that he would award his employees with unlimited vacation time. The following year, he lived up to his promise. He provided a years paid leave to new parents  both mothers and fathers  who worked in his London or Geneva headquarters.

reuters

6. Savjibhai Dholakia (Hare Krishna Exporters)

The owners of Hare Krishna Exporters, Savjibhai Dholakia gave an unbelievable Diwali bonus to his staff members across India. In 2016, the Surat-based businessman gifted cars and houses to his employees as he did in previous years. He reportedly chose 1,665 employees, based on their annual performance, and gifted them Fiat Punto cars, flats and gold jewellery.

wikipedia

7. Brunello Cucinelli (Brunello Cucinelli)

Brunello Cucinelli, who is known as "the king of Italian cashmere, gives his employees a mandatory 90-minute lunch break every single day. He allows them to leave at 5:30 pm sharp and discourages them from sending work emails from home. He also pays them 20 percent more than other Italian factory staff members. In addition to this, Cucinelli also donates up to 20 percent of his companys profits to his foundation.

reuters

8. Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo)

After her promotion as CEO of PepsiCo in 2006, Indira Nooyi reflected on how proud her parents must have felt, back in India, with her promotion, and how well her achievement would have reflected on their parenting skills. She admitted to Fortune magazine that she had never told her employees parents what a great job they had done for their kids. So, she wrote letters  I said, 'Therefore, I'm writing to thank you for the gift of your son, who is doing this at PepsiCo, and what a wonderful job this person is doing.'" Some parents were so moved that they even wrote back to her.

ap/pti

9. Andrew Fingerman (PhotoShelter)

Andrew Fingerman, who is the CEO of a website for photographers called PhotoShelter, hosts a microbrewery in his office every month. He purchases supplies and invites his team members to stay after hours and "move the beer along" if they feel like it. He told Fast Company, Because group members range across teams and seniority, inevitably we talk about work challenges and ideas. We also get to know each other as friends. It brings us closer together, and some very innovative ideas have emerged."

PhotoShelter blog

10. Dan Price (Gravity Payments)

Dan Price who heads Gravity Payments, a credit card processing firm, took a pay cut to reward his employees. He slashed his multi-million-dollar salary to $70,000. It was a ninety percent pay cut which Price used as savings to raise his employees salaries to the exact same amount.

gravity payments

11. Christian Mischler (HotelQuickly)

Christian Mischler, a Swiss entrepreneur, gave his employees at HotelQuickly the freedom to work whenever and from wherever they want. He also offered them the liberty to choose their start and finish times and set their own workday durations! Mischler believes that not only does this increase employee productivity but also improves their work-life balance.

instagram/m1schler
Screenshot/Youtube

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry today issued an order banning the broadcast of condoms commercials between 6am and 10pm. The ministry said that it had received multiple complaints regarding their adverse impact on children. Read more





Here are more top news of the day:





1) Jharkhand MLA Organises Kissing Competition To 'Promote Modernity Among Tribals'

twitter/ani

Controversy has erupted after senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and legislator Simon Marandi organised a "kissing competition" of tribal people with an intention to promote love and modernity among people. Read more

2) Come New Year, ISRO Will Launch More Small And Cost Effective Satellites For Its Global Clients

ISRO/Representational Image

With small satellites increasingly becoming popular and an important part of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launches, the space body is all set to have a new and dedicated launch vehicle. According to reports, the preliminary design of the of the launch vehicle is already in the works and it could be ready for operations by 2018-19. Read more

3) Avalanche Hits Jammu And Kashmir's Gurez Sector, At Least 3 Soldiers Missing

J&K Police/ Twitter

At least 3 Indian soldiers have gone missing after a powerful avalanche hit the Gurez sector near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The avalanche hit an Army post at Baktoor in Bandipora district near the LoC on Tuesday morning. Read more





4) Hyderabad Doctor Tortured In Saudi, Forced To Work For Free, Wife Seeks Sushma Swaraj's Help

facebook

A Hyderabad-based doctor has appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the safe return of her husband who is being tortured and is stranded in Saudi Arabia after his employer has allegedly been delaying his return. Read more

5) Vladimir Putin Claims Victory In Syria Like A Boss, Orders Troops To Return Home For New Task!

afp

Russian President Vladimir Putin flew into Syria and ordered "a significant part" of Moscow's military contingent there to start withdrawing on Monday, declaring their work largely done. He held talks with President Bashar al-Assad and addressed Russian forces. Read more
Dalit Enterprise, a magazine that aims to celebrate the success of Dalit businessmen, also encourages more people from the community to become entrepreneurs. The magazine will be on the same lines as Black Enterprise, launched in the United States in 1970, and became the first publication in history devoted to African-American entrepreneurs.

For Dalits (or outcasts, Harijans, untouchables, etc.), it is not about changing history anymore, for history cannot be changed, but to create a new one. Though the society we live in still scorns Dalits if they keep a moustache, or if a Dalit groom rides a horse for his marriage. The outcome could even be fatal.

However, defying all odds and customs, the Dalit community is witnessing a wave of reform. The rise of hundreds of Dalit millionaires over the years cannot be ignored. Overcoming the cods, placed upon them by the Indian society since times immemorial, Dalit entrepreneurs are turning icons for the vast Dalit community and paving a path for the rest to follow.

The idea is to create more Dalit billionaires and millionaires.

From Social Adversities To Economic Accomplishments

For centuries, Dalits have been at the bottom of the social and economic ladder, loathed and oppressed by the high born. Independent India aimed at striking out oppression and creating social and economic reforms for the community through the reservation. It gave limited results.

Nevertheless, empowerment and increased economic opportunities through effective reforms created an astounding phenomenon  rise of Dalit millionaires and billionaires.

Pinterest

Dalits now have a dedicated Dalit Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) in Mumbai. Many such Dalits came from middle-class families, received fair education and then made good. Others came from economically-backward families, and their rise is especially encouraging.

The rise of Dalit-run hospitals in the Western Uttar Pradesh belt cannot be overlooked. Dr. Shyam Kumar owns and runs Dev Nandini Hospital in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh. The hospital has 100 beds, 36 doctors and a staff of close to 350 people. Son of a factory worker in Deoband, the first time Shyam wore new shoes was when he got an admission in a medical college to study medicine.

Kumar, now a millionaire and the CEO of Dev Nandini hospital, has built a anti-Manu house  opposite of the Manusmriti, an ancient Hindu religious text that favours keeping Shudras at the bottom of the social fabric in the Hindu society. Shyam spent his childhood in a house which is now about the size of his present-day kitchen.

Forty-year-old Dr Mahesh Chandra is a renowned skin specialist and has a clinic in the heart of Saharanpur city in Uttar Pradesh. He hails from Bulandshar in UP and belong to Jatav community. To inform people about his clinic, Chandra visited a number of villages, particularly the Dalit habitations. Chandra now helps other Dalit doctors to start their own clinics in Saharanpur.

At present, there are more than 100 Dalit-run hospitals in Uttar Pradesh.

Dharam Pal is a 49-year-old Dalit businessman from Panipat, Haryana. After working in a bank for nearly 12 years, Pal opted for voluntary retirement 15 years ago, and started his own business as a brick supplier and diversified his business over the years. He now owns a restaurant, a shopping complex, a milk agency and works as a property dealer in the town. He has also recruited a staff of 25 people in different businesses. He is now an active member of many Dalit organisations and a member of the state unit of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Pinterest

Sandhya Chokerwal was abandoned by her father at a young age. She suffered the double disadvantage of being a Dalit and a woman but she dared to dream. Sandhya now successfully runs a garment design company in a village in Haryana with a turnover of more than Rs 1 crore per month.

Rajesh Saraiya might be a name that is now known to many, but for his community, he is hailed a superhero. Rajesh is Indias first billionaire. He runs a multi-national company SteelMont Pvt Ltd in Ukraine.

There are thousands of such distinguished stories across India. The success stories are harrowing at times and inspirational at others.

How To Create More Dalit Entrepreneurs

Social hardships, unconventional ideas, entrepreneurial bent of mind together pave the path to success  and this remains a common theme in all Dalit success stories.

Atrocities on Dalits is now an orthodox topic of discussion. Lets look at Dalit achievers and talk about the exemplary success that they have attained incapacitating all odds. Lets celebrate their accomplishments and support more Dalits to become trendsetters. Its time we have more Dalit millionaires and billionaires in India, says Chandra Bhan Prasad, a Dalit thinker, Journalist, promoter of Dalit capitalism and a researcher. He also runs an e-commerce food business under the name Dalit Foods.

He believes cash is a great social leveller, though cash and caste are terms in contradiction. Prasad is a prominent voice of Dalit upliftment and wants Dalit capitalism to be new weapon towards achieving a just Indian society.

His new magazine Dalit Enterprise works with a clear motto  Daliton mein amiri badhao (Help Dalits become rich).

As Dalit businessmen, our problems are very specific and need to be highlighted specifically. We need to celebrate our success stories and bring out the problems faced by the communitys businessmen when they try to enter the Indian market. The aim is to at least have 100 Dalit billionaires in India. When people talk about Dalit empowerment, people just talk about gareebi hatao, its time to talk about ameeri badhao now, said Prasad.

Forbes India

Prasad outlines that due to caste-based discrimination, deficiency of capital and technical knowledge, minority businessmen have always been kept out of the Indian marketplace. However, many are now opting to become entrepreneurs.

At present, India has numerous Dalit entrepreneurs, working in different sectors, and adding feathers to the cap are Dalit billionaires, the number now estimated to be around 50.

He says many Dalits, even businessmen, hide their caste identity to avoid social stigma and loss in business. The scenario must change. According to the National Commission for Enterprises in the unorganised sector, 88 per cent of Dalits and Adivasis were spending less than Rs. 20 a day in 2007.

Though the government is doing whatever is its capacity to help Dalits, it is the mentality that must be changed. Many class Indians say that they do not believe in the caste system, but have a separate cup for their maids at home. The situation is extremely contradictory, adds Prasad.

If the government wants to help build a cordial business atmosphere for Dalits in India, it must introduce game-changing economic reforms. While giving out tenders, Dalit businessmen must be supported with easy access to loans and ease of business. The turnover target must be reduced for Dalits entrepreneurs at the time of bidding. If Dalits cannot bid due to certain tender clauses, what is the point of Dalit promotion?, he questions.

Prasad argues that while at one hand the government runs programmes like Stand Up India and on the other hand Dalits are getting lynched here and there.

Given the current scenario, one thing clear  Dalits cannot be ignored anymore and India cannot afford to not take Dalit entrepreneurs seriously. Dalits cannot be taken for granted anymore. There are still miles to go but the goal is not attainable.
A local court in Kerala has found Amirul Islam, the lone accused in the sensational Jisha rape and murder case from last year, as guilty of the crimes.

The Ernakulam Session Court which found Islam guilty under Section 342 of IPC (trespass), 342 (wrongful confinement) , 376 (rape), 376 (a) causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim), and 302 (murder) will announce the quantum of punishment later.

BCCL/ File

Welcoming the verdict, the prosecution said it will demand the maximum sentence for the convict.

"Give him maximum punishment. All evidence is against him. My daughter should get justice," Rajeshwari, the mother of Jisha had said earlier.

The court found the migrant labourer from Assam guilty based on circumstantial and DNA evidence in the case which had on eyewitnesses.

BCCL/ File

Jisha, a 29-year old dalit woman was brutally raped and murdered in her home in Perumbavoor, with the sheer brutality of the crime evoking memories of the 2012 Delhi gang rape.

The victim, a law college student stayed with her mother in an isolated house had more than thirty injury marks all over her body.

The crime which shook the conscious of Kerala brought thousands to the streets across the state, demanding justice for the victim.

BCCL/ File

After coming under fire for its slow pace in the investigation, the Special Investigation Team zeroed in on Islam who used to work near Jisha's house based on DNA evidence collected from the victim's dress and a footwear found abandoned near the crime scene.

BCCL

According to the investigators Isam made sexual advances on Jisha which she resisted. Angered by her resistance the accused attacked her with a sharp weapon and raped her. He stabbed her in multiple parts of her body, including the victim's private parts.
The spy trade is obviously one that requires secrecy, but this time around an Australian intelligence agency is recruiting online.

The Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), the counterpart to the US CIA and Britain's MI6, has just unveiled an online test that could help discover people with the right basic instincts to become secret agent.

Its an interactive test, crafted in the form of a walk-in job interview at ASIS. Youre hit with a combination of tests to gauge your pattern recognition, conversational abilities, perception, and ability to focus despite distractions. To succeed, you need to deduce a missing number in a code series, pick out faces from a crowd, and even listen to three people talking at once to glean information.

Basically, you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times, as well as be able to empathize with strangers and get them to converse with you. After all, most intelligence work is information gathering, rather than kicking in doors and engaging in shootouts.

According to whether you pass with flying colours or are a little rough around the edges, youll receive a code to input when applying for the job.

Most of you probably arent ever going to apply, but its still a kick to see if youve got what it takes to be a spook. Might even want to put it on your resume.
The recent Supercomputing Conference (SC17) included a very interesting plenary panel about Smart Cities. Its now available online, and I highly recommend watching it.

We live in the Century of the City because of the massive global migration to urban areas. The smart city notion is one that recognizes the influence of technology to create more opportunity for citizens and to address the challenges of providing city services across a heterogeneous population. The federal government funded the Smart Cities Initiative in 2015 to improve the quality of life for residents using urban informatics and other technologies.

At SC17, Seattles Chief Technology Officer, Michael Mattmiller, spoke about Seattle being Open by Preference, making data publicly available to encourage the development of innovative solutions that improve our quality of life. He said that unlocking the promise of a smart, data-driven city requires a focus on data governance, consistent tools that facilitate cross-department collaboration, and educating the public on how to leverage the city's resources. Its been said that data is the new asphalt.

(Note: The recording starts a little abruptly with Mattmiller speaking, and theres a 42-second issue starting 84 seconds into the video. I attended the session live, and I can assure you that youre not missing anything critical.)

The plenary was moderated by Charlie Catlett, Director, Urban Center for Computation and Data, at Argonne National Laboratory. In addition to Mattmiller, the speakers included Pete Beckman, Co-Director, Northwestern Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering, at Argonne National Laboratory, and Debra Lam, Managing Director for Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation, at Georgia Tech University.

One specific project mentioned in the plenary session is the Array of Things (AoT). The AoT is an urban sensing project, a network of interactive, modular sensor boxes that are installed in Chicago, and other cities, to collect real-time data on the citys environment, infrastructure, and activity for research and public use.

AoT has been called the fitness tracker for a city, measuring factors that impact livability such as climate, air quality, and noise. The National Science Foundation contributed $3 million to the University of Chicago in support of the creation of the AoT in Chicago. The AoT serves as an infrastructure for researchers to rapidly deploy sensors, embedded systems, computing, and communications systems at scale in an urban environment. Its made up of more than 500 nodes, which continuously measure the physical environment of urban areas at the city-block scale and potentially unlock promising new trajectories in research.

James Reinders

Array of Things (AoT) is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Chicago Innovation Fund, and Argonne National Laboratory. Learn more at http://arrayofthings.github.io. Photos courtesy Urban Center for Computation and Data, The University of Chicago

Get Intel System Studio Choose & Download now
Crude Sharply Lower on Dollar Strength and Rising China Covid Infections Barchart - 1 minute ago Dec WTI crude oil (CLZ22 ) on Thursday closed down by -3.95 (-4.62%), and Dec RBOB gasoline (RBZ22 ) closed down by -5.33 (-2.13%). Crude oil and gasoline prices Thursday sold off sharply, with crude... CLF23 : 81.58 (-4.02%) RBF23 : 2.4016 (-2.36%)

Cattle Commentary Walsh Trading - 31 minutes ago Cattle futures rallied today with the Cattle on Feed report coming out tomorrow. The February contract finished a dollar and fifteen high, settling at 155.40 on the day. The Feb contract had 3 consecutive...

Cocoa Prices Retreat as a Strong Dollar Sparks Long Liquidation Barchart - 31 minutes ago December ICE NY cocoa (CCZ22 ) on Thursday closed down -75 (-3.00%), and December ICE London cocoa #7 (CAZ22 ) closed down -6 (-0.30%). Cocoa prices Thursday closed lower, with NY cocoa falling sharply... CCH23 : 2,447s (-2.20%) CAH23 : 1,947s (-0.41%)

Hogs Pushing Higher Barchart - Thu Nov 17, 11:47AM CST Lean hog futures are up by another 12 to 70 cents through the Thursday midday session. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was down by $2.40 to $83.12 in the Thursday AM report. The 11/15 CME Lean... HEZ22 : 84.975s (-0.70%) HEJ23 : 96.000s (+0.39%) KMZ22 : 95.525 (-0.39%)

Triple Digit Losses for Midday Cotton Barchart - Thu Nov 17, 11:47AM CST Cotton is trading 134 to 172 points weaker through midday. The dollar is firmer, but export sales numbers were disappointing. Yesterday the The Dec to Dec spread was 9.02 cents/lb at the close, compared... CTZ22 : 87.04s (-1.58%) CTH23 : 85.28s (-1.71%) CTK23 : 84.39s (-1.72%)

Cattle Futures Gaining at Midday Barchart - Thu Nov 17, 11:47AM CST Cattle Futures Gaining at Midday Live cattle prices on the board are 35 to 72 cents in the black. The Thursday auction hosted by Central Stockyards saw $150 bids for the 1,090 head listed, but they went... LEZ22 : 152.750s (+0.63%) LEG23 : 155.400s (+0.75%) LEJ23 : 158.900s (+0.74%) GFX22 : 175.850s (+0.09%) GFF23 : 179.975s (+1.41%)

Thursday Losses in Wheat Market Barchart - Thu Nov 17, 11:47AM CST Thursday wheat trading has the board in the red so far. KC HRW is down by 1.7% to 2.2% through midday. SRW on the CBT is showing 1.8% to 2% losses. Spring wheat in Minneapolis is down by 1.3% to 1.6% for... ZWZ22 : 806-6s (-1.31%) ZWH23 : 825-0s (-1.46%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.4110 (-1.43%) KEZ22 : 938-0s (-1.83%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.9632 (-1.92%) MWZ22 : 953-6s (-1.22%)
An independent evaluation of ASIC 's MoneySmart Teaching Program has found that the initiative supports stronger financial literacy and greater engagement in financial literacy education within the school community.The evaluation, conducted by EY Sweeney, showed that students understand the importance of financial literacy, with 96% of them saying it was important to learn about money, and 82% saying they were interested in learning about money.Working in partnership with state and territory education departments has been essential to the success of the program, said ASIC Acting Chair Peter Kell . Financial literacy is part of the Australian curriculum. It is not an extra, and there is a broader commitment to embed financial literacy education more fully in schools.Since 2012, MoneySmart has provided professional development to more than 32,000 teachers across the country, to help them deliver financial literacy education in the classroom. The resources in ASIC's MoneySmart website, meanwhile, have been accessed by more than 70% of all Australian schools.Many teachers reported a positive impact on their own financial decisions in relation to credit cards, budgeting, and borrowing in response to engaging with the teacher professional development program, Kell said. Encouragingly, 83% of teachers using ASIC's MoneySmart Teaching Program reported that it increased their ability to teach their students about money, while 90% reported that engaging with the program gave them more confidence when talking about money.Phil Lambert of the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board expressed his support of the program.By continuing to deliver quality-classroom resources with practical and real-life examples, ASIC's MoneySmart Teaching Program is playing a vital role in ensuring young Australians have the knowledge and skills they'll need to make informed financial decisions, around managing their money, now and into the future, Lambert said.
A point-based system for determining an individuals CPD requirements. This allows learning to be acknowledged based on quality of learning and thinking skills; and enables a scale of differentiation between learning activities.

The allocation of points based on outcomes, and not on the hours spent or number of words. This enables and encourages advisers to choose the learning that best suits their needs at different experience or career points.

The assessment of learning events and allocation of points based on learning outcomes; and

Providers can have learning events assessed and points awarded for CPD.

Kaplan Professional has proposed a new framework for continuing professional development (CPD)  challenging the current 'compliance-focused, process-driven, and time-based' model and recommending a system measuring the quality of learning.The new framework for financial CPD requirements, assessment, and accreditation  embedded in Kaplan's recently published white paper  recommends the following:The framework also explores the use of technologies, such as micro-learning, adaptive learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), to provide personalised CPD.Jennifer Hornsey, Kaplan Professional head of CPD, said the publication of the white paper and framework aimed at improving the status quo and lifting the standard of CPD across the industry.We want to change the value of CPD beyond compliance and move towards a lifelong-learning mindset, standardise recognition and accreditation models, and recognise innovative CPD delivery methods, Jennifer Hornsey, Kaplan Professional head of CPD.Brian Knight, Kaplan Professional CEO, said the framework would enable advisers to continually broaden and deepen their knowledge wherever they are in their career journey.Advisers will be able to learn in the most effective and efficient way, while being able to tailor their learning to their own personal needs, level of experience, and career aspirations, Knight said. Many advisers have careers of 30-plus years, so it is vital we provide them with the best opportunity to continue to learn and grow throughout their journeys. It also creates consistencies and clearly defines the accreditation and measurement of CPD.Knight encourages the industry to consider the framework.It is an independent framework, educationally sound, forward-looking, and accommodates both current and future delivery methods, he said. It is practical, flexible, and embeds lifelong learning for a profession of the future, he said.The framework was developed by drawing on industry feedback and insights from Kaplan's 30,000 Ontrack subscribers, as well as by utilising various current CPD accreditation models in Australia and around the world.
Dissatisfied policyholders are turning to social media to air their complaints  and it's driving up insurance prices.Richard Enthoven, founder of Hollard Australia and chairman of insurance firm Greenstone, said social media is one of a series of factors that challenges the economics of an industry already being squeezed by higher claims, modest returns from reserves, and a more onerous regulatory impost."The cost to insurers of denying claims has skyrocketed because consumers now have an incredibly effective way of sharing their dissatisfaction, Enthoven told The Australian Financial Review. It's not just Facebook or Twitter but also things like productreview.com.au and other online review sites."Enthoven said declining claims can be costlier that paying the claim itself, as consumer complaints posted on social media sites can reverberate and can even turn up on search results."It's not just the negative sentiment, but it impacts the cost of acquiring new customers as well in a very explicit and meaningful way," he told AFR.And it's not just the wrath of dissatisfied social-media users that insurers have to contend with. They also face competitive pressures made more intense by online calculators and comparison sites, as well as the industry's surprise inclusion in the banking royal commission, AFR reported.
The Southern California wildfires have forced hundreds of thousands of evacuations as they swept between Los Angeles and San Diego County. The fires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres and killed at least 54 horses.A fire in Los Angeles County killed 29 horses at a ranch in Sylmar, according to an Associated Press report. The Padilla family, which owned the ranch, told the Los Angeles Times that when they returned to their property a day after being forced to evacuate, the ranch had been destroyed and nearly half of the 60 horses housed there had been killed in the blaze.About 25 racehorses were killed in San Diego County when a wildfire destroyed eight barns and a training center, according to the Associated Press. Other horses, in the surrounding pastures at the time, remain unaccounted for.Nearly 500 horses were stabled at the San Luis Rey Downs training center, according to the Associated Press. When fires broke out Thursday, driven across San Diego County by strong Santa Ana winds, stable workers risked their lives to free horses from stalls.Racehorses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars were set free and encouraged to flee as the blaze destroyed the center, according to the AP. Mac McBride, who was working with the centers trainers, told the AP it was total pandemonium when several hundred horses were cut loose.There was so much smoke it was difficult to see, horse trainer Dan Durham told the AP. Some of the horses were turned loose so they could be safe.A trainer at Los Alamitos Race Course told local news affiliate KFMB that he saw 10 horses die, including his own.It was dark, everything was hot and she wouldnt come out, Cliff Sise said. I opened the pen and tried to get behind her and get her out, and she wouldnt get out. She burned to death that quick.
Ventura County said it has spent about $48 million fighting the Thomas Fire.

The fire has triggered about 85,000 power outages in Santa Barbara County, Southern California Edison said.

CAL FIRE has reported that at least 98,000 residents have been evacuated in Southern California due to the fires.

CNN noted that this year has been the costliest for wildfires in US history. Damages have exceeded US$10 billion in 2017  and that is before considering the damages caused by the recent Southern California fires.

Although firefighters managed to contain a portion of the current wildfire affecting Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties in California, the blaze has already destroyed over 1,000 structures, fire protection agency CAL FIRE reported.The Thomas Fire is one of several wildfires plaguing Southern California. The other fires have been largely contained, but firefighters have been struggling to contain the Thomas Fire since it erupted on December 04.CNN reported that the Thomas Fire  the largest of the forest fires affecting the region  affected as much as 231,700 acres. It is considered the fifth largest blaze in modern California history. The conflagration was so intense it has managed to torch an area larger than all of New York City, fueled by Santa Ana winds.Other notable data related to the fire includes:
In response to the massive amounts of money being funneled into fire relief efforts in the North Bay area of San Francisco, CA, local non-profits are choosing to either cancel or reschedule their upcoming major fundraisers.The non-profits are concerned that they might be stretching their donors too thinly if they hold their fundraisers so soon, especially after major fire relief charity efforts.North Bay Business Journal reported that donations at Redwood Credit Unions North Bay Fire Relief Fund have reached nearly $23 million, as of December 05. More than $14 million has been distributed towards those who had lost their homes in the fires, as of November 30.Although the community wholeheartedly supports the cause to help wildfire victims, non-profits are concerned that their fundraising events will tank as a result.People that I know in the community say they usually give this time of year (to non-profits) but already gave to the fire fund, said Alicia Alexander, fund development and communications coordinator for the PDI Surgery Center in Sonoma County.PDI Surgery Center provides treatment for low-income children with severe tooth decay conditions, free of charge, with the treatments covered by donations.We dont know how hard its going to be. We rely on donations this time of year. The need is still there. Unfortunately the devastation is all over, but there are still kids in pain and needing surgery, Alexander explained.PDI was forced to cancel its major fundraising event on October 12. The surgery center has also rescheduled its Make Kids Smile awards event for next year.Were optimistic but unsure about how much funds will be raised at the event, Alexander remarked.PDI funding development and communications manager Hazel Whiteoak told North Bay Business Journal that the event usually raises about $150,000. However, she believes that the next few events will not be as successful.Its kind of worrying. One of our board members told me not to expect that for the next three years, she said.Another non-profit in the area  Social Advocates for Youth  is also canceling its annual fundraiser. The organization provides housing and counseling for disadvantaged youth.Shelby Harris, communications and marketing manager for SAY, said that nine of the leaders lost their homes in the fire, and the non-profits annual event will be moved to a later date.Center for Volunteer & Non-profit Leadership MarinNapa CEO Linda Jacobs said that she has spoken with several non-profits in the region and found that the fires have put a lot of stress on both staff and volunteers.They cant concentrate on end-of-the year appeals. They are behind or have lost revenues, Jacobs explained.Jaocbs also added that there is a fear among non-profits that donors are burnt out on giving.
An arrest warrant has been issued for a California man after the deaths of two of his employees allegedly revealed that hed been defrauding his workers compensation provider.Osvaldo Ceron and Ernesto Hurtado were electrocuted last year while working for Valencia Tree Trimming. An investigation into their deaths allegedly revealed that the companys owner, Carlos Valencia, had misclassified their jobs to appear less risky than they were. In that way, he scammed Californias insurance fund for workers comp out of about $100,000, prosecutors claim.The Riverside County District Attorneys Office has filed felony charges against Valencia in the case. According to the Desert Sun, Valencia misrepresented both the classification and pay rate of the workers to the State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF).However, both Cerons and Hurtados beneficiaries have received death benefits, the Desert Sun reported.SCIF found in a subsequent investigation of the charges that Valencia had allegedly never reported any payroll wages to the California Employment Development Department, according to the report.
State lawmakers on Thursday passed legislation that would bar people from operating drones while drunk.

The National Conference on State Legislatures says at least 38 states are considering drone legislation this year, going beyond the Federal Aviation Administrations regulations.

The New Jersey bill would make operating a drone under the influence of alcohol a disorderly person offense, which carries a sentence of up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both, upon conviction. It also would make using a drone to hunt wildlife and endanger people or property a similar offense.

The Democrat-led Senate approved the legislation 39-0. Lawmakers say the changes are aimed at pre-empting local ordinances that might vary.

Democratic state Sen. Paul Sarlo, who authored the legislation, said its an attempt to pro-actively regulate drones and is not in response to any particular incident.

The legislation also would bar using drones to endanger safety at correctional facilities or interfering with first responders engaged in transport.

A number of states, including Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, have offered legislation addressing the use of drones near prisons.

The New Jersey bill has cleared an Assembly committee but has not been scheduled for a vote there.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation New Jersey
The Hartford has announced that Stephanie Bush, who has led Small Commercial since July 2014, will expand her responsibilities to include oversight for Personal Lines.

She replaces Ray Sprague, who is retiring after a 30-year career with The Hartford.

Sprague joined The Hartford in 1985 and has held leadership positions across the enterprise, most recently leading Personal Lines. Prior to that, Sprague led Small Commercial, where he spearheaded improvements to product offerings and the ICON system, which improved the agent quoting and new business experience.

In her new role, Bush will continue to report to The Hartfords President Doug Elliot.

Bringing a greater focus on the use of data and digital technology will help to improve the way The Hartford operates and delivers increased value to customers and distribution channels, Elliot said in a company press release.

Previously, Bush was senior vice president of product management in personal insurance at Travelers, and prior to that, she spent 20 years at The Hartford in positions of increasing responsibility in commercial insurance product, underwriting and field operations.

Bush returned to The Hartford in 2013 as chief product and underwriting officer for Small Commercial and was promoted to head of the business in 2014. Under her leadership, The Hartford completed the acquisition of Maxum, an excess and surplus (E&S) lines insurer, and expanded its focus on micro-business.

Bush is on the board of directors of the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Conn.

Source: The Hartford

Topics Connecticut
Zurich Insurance Group AGs decision to acquire the life-insurance businesses of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. should help Switzerlands biggest insurer fulfill its ambition to increase its dividend.

Already famous as a dividend stock, Zurich signaled last month that it wanted to boost payouts to investors. The A$2.85 billion ($2.2 billion) deal for OnePath Life will be earnings-accretive from the start and increase the firms return on equity, the Swiss company said on Monday  potentially helping Chief Executive Officer Mario Greco realize his goal.

As ever with Zurich, the focus will be on the impact on the dividend, said Paul DeAth, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets in London. The potential to grow the ordinary dividend is only enhanced by this transaction. There could be scope to fund this transaction and also leave room for special dividends, should Zurich decide this is the best use of capital.

Zurich Insurance has been restructuring under Greco, who has sold assets, cut jobs and lowered the insurers risk profile after losses in its North American auto business prompted the company to abandon a high-profile takeover bid for RSA Insurance Group Plc.

The Swiss insurer has also been on an acquisition spree: as well as the ANZ deal, it agreed to buy Macquarie Groups life unit in March 2016, the same month Greco started as CEO, and took over Australian travel insurer Cover-More Group Ltd. earlier this year.

Expanding Business

Its positive to see Zurich continue to expand its life business, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Charles Graham said. The deal builds on their strength in bancassurance and is consistent with the groups focus.

Greco said on Nov. 15 that hes confident that improving performance will allow Zurich to  increase returns to our shareholders. At the time the company confirmed it would maintain a minimum dividend of 17 Swiss francs a share.

In his statement on the latest deal, the CEO said the acquisition will support dividend growth beyond that implied by our existing plan. The OnePath Life portfolio provides a highly cash-generative business that will add to our cash remittances and increase Zurichs business operating profit after tax return on equity, or BOPAT ROE, target by 50 basis points, Greco said.

When contacted by Bloomberg News, a spokesman for Zurich said that December is not the right time to talk about dividends.

Cash Generative

We see this acquisition as a welcome cash generative add-on for the Zurich group, somewhat lowering future earnings volatility and improving the groups diversification and dividend-paying profile, Stefan Schuermann, an analyst at Vontobel, said in a note. He confirmed his firms hold rating on the stock.

The deal is expected to close by the end of next year and will make the firm the largest retail life insurer in Australia, with a market share of about 19 percent.

Zurich will use a mixture of cash and senior debt to fund the purchase, which will have a modest effect on the companys capital position, according to its statement. OnePath Life had net earned premiums of $1.1 billion in the 12 months through September and a net profit after tax of $142 million. The strong cash flows will support future dividend growth, according to the statement.

As part of the deal, Zurich will enter into a 20-year distribution agreement with ANZ in Australia to distribute life-insurance products through bank channels. That gives the insurer access to six million potential customers.

Zurichs shares were little changed as of 2:15 p.m. in the Swiss city, while ANZ rose 1.1 percent in Sydney trading.

For ANZ, the deal makes the bank the latest of Australias biggest lenders to exit the life-insurance industry, which has been hit by rising claims, anemic investment returns and policy cancellations. National Australia Bank Ltd. sold 80 percent of its life unit to Nippon Life Insurance Co. for A$2.4 billion in 2015, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia agreed to sell its life-insurance arm to AIA Group Ltd. for A$3.8 billion in September.

ANZs portfolio of non-traditional and profitable retail products fits well with Zurichs strategy to focus on capital-light protection and unit-linked business, Greco said. Furthermore, it strengthens the groups position in Asia Pacific, while building on our strong bank distribution capabilities.
A previously unknown ring of Russian-speaking hackers has stolen as much as $10 million from U.S. and Russian banks in the last 18 months, according to a Moscow-based cyber-security firm that runs the largest computer forensics laboratory in eastern Europe.

The MoneyTaker group broke into 20 systems, which includes 15 U.S. lenders, targeting ATMs with mules and Russias interbank money-transfer system, Group-IB said in a report provided to Bloomberg.

The hackers, who also breached a U.K. software and service provider, are now probing institutions in Latin America and may be trying to compromise the SWIFT international bank messaging service, according to the privately held security firm, whose clients range from Russias biggest lender Sberbank PJSC to Raiffeisen Bank International AG. Group-IB last month signed an agreement with Interpol to share data on threat intelligence and the latest cyber-criminal activities.

Criminals have changed tactics and are now focusing on banks rather than their clients, as was standard operating procedure in the past, Dmitry Volkov, the head of Group-IBs cyber intelligence department, said by phone.

Russia, considered a hotbed of government-backed information attacks, increasingly finds itself a victim of cyber crime. It was initially blamed for the Badrabbit ransomware virus that spread to more than 200 targets globally, even though some of the biggest disruptions affected Russian businesses.

Limited Resources

Since its first successful breach in May 2016, MoneyTaker has stolen from banks in New York, California, Utah and Moscow, primarily targeting smaller institutions with limited cyber defenses, Group-IB found. The average haul from U.S. banks was about $500,000, and it stole over $3 million from three Russian lenders.

They understand that banks  especially community banks with limited resources  are the easiest marks, Volkov said.

The cell remained undetected by using so-called fileless malware that only exists on a computers temporary memory and destroys itself when the system reboots, meaning its not permanently stored and therefore can more easily evade anti-virus programs, according to Group-IB. At one bank, the hackers gained access to the network via the home computer of the lenders system administrator.

Corkow Trojan

The attackers further covered their tracks with encryption certificates generated using brand names such as Bank of America Corp., Microsoft Corp. and the Federal Reserve, according to Group-IB, which previously uncovered Russian-speaking hacker cells behind the Corkow Trojan and Buhtrap.

Microsoft and the Fed couldnt be reached for comment outside of working hours. SWIFT and Bank of America didnt immediately respond to requests from Bloomberg.

While hackers are transnational, many new types of attacks are discovered in Russia because its at the forefront of cyber security, a deputy head of the Russian central banks information security and protection department, Artem Sychev, said in an interview in November.

Group-IB said the U.S. banks were targeted by gaining access to their card-processing system and then opening accounts at the compromised institutions. The attackers removed limits on the legitimate bank cards and used mules to withdraw cash from ATMs. The virus was so stealthy that, in at least one instance, a bank was successfully robbed twice.

While Group-IB didnt uncover evidence of a successful attack on Swift by MoneyTaker, it found that the hackers were searching for documents related to the messaging system, which could indicate pending attacks. Last year, in one of the biggest heists in cyber crime history, hackers used SWIFT to steal $81 million from Bangladesh.

The more we dig, the more well find, Group-IBs Volkov said. This report doesnt represent the full picture, and I can say with 100 percent certainty that there are more victims that havent been identified yet.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics USA Cyber Russia
The Ohio Department of Insurance reported that five people were recently sentenced for insurance-related crimes following investigations by the department.

Clermont County/Shandell Thomas and Aaron Thomas

In October, Shandell Thomas, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in court to five years of community control and ordered to pay $12,215 in restitution to five insurance companies. In November, her husband Aaron Thomas received a community control sentence of five years, also for insurance fraud. The couple submitted false medical invoices to insurance companies related to an auto insurance claim.

Licking County/Vernisha Shepherd-Harris

In November, Vernisha Shepherd-Harris, of Pataskala, was sentenced in court to two years of community control for insurance fraud. She submitted $3,488 in false medical bills to an insurance company as part of an auto insurance claim.

Scioto County/Lisa Chamberlin

In November, insurance agent Lisa Chamberlin, of Lucasville, was sentenced in court to five years of community control for insurance fraud and ordered to pay more than $5,000 in restitution to an insurance company. She provided fabricated insurance applications to the company to receive commission money.

Lucas County/Trivia Wilson

In November, Trivia Wilson, of Toledo, was sentenced in court to three years of community control for attempted insurance fraud and ordered to pay restitution. Wilson submitted $11,845 in fictitious receipts to an insurance company tied to a property loss insurance claim.

Source: Ohio Department of Insurance

Topics Fraud Ohio
The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a chance to decide whether the main federal job-bias law bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

The nations highest court on Monday rejected an appeal by Jameka Evans, who said she was subjected to discrimination and harassment while working at Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah.

Lower courts are divided about whether the law, known as Title VII, covers sexual orientation. The Atlanta-based federal appeals court that handled Evanss case said in March that sexual orientation isnt included.

The following month a Chicago-based federal appeals court disagreed, ruling that sexual-orientation discrimination is a form of gender bias, which Title VII explicitly prohibits in the workplace.

Evanss bid for Supreme Court review faced a procedural complication that might have dissuaded the justices from hearing the case. Georgia Regional Hospital declined to participate, saying it hadnt been formally served with a copy of the lawsuit, which Evans originally filed without the benefit of a lawyer.

The case is Evans v. Georgia Regional Hospital, 17-370.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Talent Georgia
Just as entrepreneurs getting into the retail pot industry need a good lawyer, some of those lawyers might be wise to consult an attorney of their own.

Lawyers in the burgeoning business are entering a legal gray zone where the drug is permitted for some purpose in most states but illegal under federal law  in the same controlled substances category as heroin. Missteps could lead to prosecution for conspiracy, money laundering or aiding and abetting drug dealers.

Any lawyer that goes into this should be aware that a literal reading of federal law permits such a prosecution, said Sam Kamin, a University of Denver marijuana policy law professor, whose research five years ago found lawyers more susceptible to being disbarred than criminally charged for cannabis-related work. It probably makes sense for a lawyer to at least talk to a legal ethicist or get an opinion from a legal ethicist.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions reiterated his opposition to legal weed last week and a congressional amendment prohibiting federal prosecutors from targeting medical marijuana is due to expire at the end of the year.

Sessions has not said if he will reverse a longstanding Justice Department policy not to interfere with purveyors complying with state laws but to focus prosecutions on trafficking, sales to minors, cartels and gangs in the business, violence or gun use in cultivation or distribution, and pot grown on public land.

Despite a few instances of lawyers being prosecuted in federal and state court  including a pending San Diego County case  more attorneys are jumping into cannabis law. Legal needs range from financing to permits, real estate, water law, intellectual property, contracts and banking.

With California allowing recreational pot retail sales Jan. 1, interested investors are reaching out to attorneys like Mitch Kulick to find out how to safely finance the potentially lucrative industry.

Kulick, a New York lawyer who offers his expertise in many states, recently gave his typical scare spiel to a real estate magnate about the possible legal consequences, and said he could only help mitigate risk so much.

At a certain point, you have to realize this is against the law. Theres no insurance policy to take away the risk, Kulick said he told the man. If I was already a billionaire, I might not be taking the risk.

Kulick, who once worked as a lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission and a major international firm, had to do a similar risk analysis and soul searching before deciding to commit to the higher cause, so to speak.

There has been a tipping point for many lawyers setting up boutique pot law firms and jumping from old-school law firms as demand for their services trumps fear of legal repercussions and the stoner stigma fades as more states legalize marijuana use.

Attorney Chris Davis, who grew up in Berkeley around friends and family who use the drug, found people operating in the shadows who wanted to go legit when he returned to California from New York two years ago.

So many people were asking how to go legal and how to worry less, said Davis, executive director of the National Cannabis Bar Association, which has about 300 members in the U.S. and Canada and is growing rapidly. It became impossible to turn people away.

Lawyers specializing in the business see themselves at the frontier. That leaves a fascinating opportunity to shape laws and regulations and the daunting prospect of the unknown.

Lawyers like things to be settled, Davis said. Its hard to get a lawyer to give you a yes or no answer. In the cannabis industry, there really is no yes or no answer.

Some state bar associations have given lawyers cover to counsel marijuana clients within the bounds of state law. Others say federal law keeps the area off-limits because ethical rules prevent them from helping clients commit crimes.

Attorney Larry Donahue had several medical marijuana clients at his firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, until the state bar issued a January 2016 opinion that said lawyers could be exposed to ethics charges for such work. Donahue had to terminate four or five clients.

It was a very chilling opinion, he said. It basically scared the hell out of us.

While prosecutions of attorneys are rare, a case in San Diego has gotten the attention of many lawyers, mainly because of aggressive tactics employed by the district attorney.

Attorney Jessica McElfresh was charged with several felonies alleging she helped a client hide evidence of marijuana manufacturing.

The case might have received less notice if prosecutors didnt unsuccessfully try to get around the sacrosanct lawyer-client privilege and seek communications with all her marijuana clients.

McElfresh, who vehemently denies the charges, said she knew specializing in pot law carried risks, but she couldnt foresee in a million years police raiding her house. She and her boyfriend and mother were escorted into her backyard, where she was handcuffed barefoot in her pajamas during the search.

She said she didnt take the risks some lawyers do by sitting on the boards of a clients company, owning a share in a business or introducing clients to one another.

I am one of the most conservative and boring people you would ever meet in cannabis law, she said. The only way I could have been more careful would have been not to engage in this area of law at all.

A new district attorney took office after McElfresh was charged and allowed five co-defendants facing similar charges to plead guilty last month to misdemeanors and get probation.

The San Diego district attorneys office wouldnt comment, but in a statement cited the recreational pot law passed by voters last year and the new administrations changing focus as part of the reason for the plea deals. Its not clear if that change will affect McElfreshs pending case.

Copyright 2017 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cannabis
Sexual misconduct happens at work not because companies dont publish anti-harassment policies, experts say, but because managers dont enforce them  and because people fail to apply them to themselves.

While the floodgates on reporting abuse and sexual harassment have opened with high-profile cases in Big Tech, Hollywood and Washington, its not yet clear whether the effects of the #metoo movement have trickled down to day-to-day offices, factories and other places regular people work.

I do think it will be a lasting movement, said Roberta Kaplan, an attorney who won the Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage in the U.S. But while Kaplan  who is defending a woman who is being sued by Hollywood produced Brett Ratner after accusing him of rape  thinks most companies have policies that are pretty good, theres still a problem: Many people dont truly comprehend them.

They understand the English language, and what the words mean in the abstract sense, but I dont think most people understood it in everyday life, she said.

In an unusual move for a large company, Facebook last week publicly released its policies against workplace harassment and bullying, including its enforcement procedures and how it investigates complaints. The company says it wants to help other companies create better policies, and ideally prompt them to publish their own procedures too.

We dont think we are perfect, we dont think we have all the answers, said Lori Goler, the companys vice president of people. But she said companies should come together to make sure that we all learn from each other.

Facebook itself has been sued for sex discrimination and harassment, in 2015 by a former employee who said she was wrongfully terminated in 2013 after she complained about being harassed. The woman, Chia Hong, later dropped the suit, and Facebook has maintained no wrongdoing.

Facebook would not disclose how many complaints of sexual harassment it has investigated, or specific details on how well its policy has actually worked. Goler said the goal is not to reduce the number of reports, but to get as many people to raise their hand as possible.

Consistency Matters

Dan Eaton, an employment attorney and instructor of business ethics at San Diego State University, said sexual harassment policies, like ethics policies, are only as good as the managers who implement them and are responsible for making sure there is broad compliance.

For a policy to be effective, he said, it has to be applied consistently  and if wrongdoing is found, there have to be consequences that are disclosed not only to the person who complained but to the entire workplace.

That sends a message that these policies are not only on paper but in action, he said. It is not clear if Facebooks policy meets that standard.

Goler said that while Facebooks policy itself has been pretty consistent over the years, the training around has evolved to address the gray areas and nuanced situations that people might encounter. For example, she said, how many times do you ask someone out? before backing off, and what if they dont say no outright but that they are busy? Do you ask again?

Facebook, like many other companies, will fire offenders if the company determines that sexual harassment has taken place. More difficult are the unclear cases, where its one persons word against anothers.

Facebook also has a mandatory arbitration agreement for anyone who joins the company. Experts on workplace harassment say these sorts of clauses can deter people who want to report harassment.

Facebooks move on Friday follows Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandbergs post over the weekend warning of a potential backlash against women and urging companies to put clear policies in place on how they handle sexual harassment allegations.

We need systemic, lasting changes that deter bad behavior and protect everyone, from professionals climbing the corporate ladder to workers in low-paid positions who often have little power, she wrote. We need to end the abuse of power imbalances due to gender  and race and ethnicity, too. We must not lose this opportunity.

Copyright 2017 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance
A Houston business group said on Dec. 8 that Hurricane Harveys biggest long-term impact on the nations fourth-largest city likely will be on where and how new homes and structures are built.

The results of Harveys flooding will likely guide how development goes forward in the city for the next decade, said Patrick Jankowski, the regional economist for the Greater Houston Partnership.

Every time we get a little bit better understanding, a little bit more technology as we understand development patterns, well still be making changes to this  Well have to, Jankowski said after presenting his groups annual Houston employment forecast during a luncheon.

Houston  nicknamed the energy capital of the world because of the many oil and gas companies that call the city home  had been rebounding from the most recent oil downturn when Harvey and its devastating flooding hit in late August.

While final figures are still being tabulated, officials have estimated that more than 136,000 homes and structures were damaged during Harvey in Harris County, which includes Houston.

As the city continues to study potential changes to its stormwater regulations, Harris County this week approved new regulations on building construction in flood-prone locations, rules that will increase the required elevation for new homes and other structures to avoid floodwaters.

While Harvey was devastating to many parts of Houston, it only delayed the citys ongoing recovery from the most recent oil downturn, Jankowski said.

Weve just been through one of the greatest calamities in the history of the world. Its biblical, Kevin Roberts, president of southwest operations for real estate firm Transwestern, said during a panel discussion about Harveys impact on Houston. I dont think you need to see anything else besides the response of the Houston community to give you unbelievable hope this is the most can do, resilient city on the planet.

While the business community in Houston has mostly recovered from Harvey, many individuals and families have yet to return to their homes as the rebuilding process continues.

The partnerships forecast is hopeful that 90 percent of families whose homes were damaged in the hurricane will have finished their repairs by the storms anniversary.

After Harvey, people are still going to move here. They move here for the quality of life. They move here because of the economic opportunity. But when they get here, they may be a little more careful where they choose to live, Jankowski said.

Many people at Fridays partnership event focused on how 2017 offered both tremendous lows for the city  Harveys flooding  along with tremendous highs  the Houston Astros World Series win.

Thats what people are going to remember, that we had a flood and then a World Series title within six weeks of each other, Jankowski said. If you want an example of resilience, you cant come up with a better one than that.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Trends Flood Hurricane
The Arkansas State Medical Board has approved draft regulations aimed at reducing opioid abuse.

The board unanimously voted in favor of the regulations on Dec. 7. The requirements are based on guidelines issued last year by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

The federal agency said Arkansas had the second-highest opioid prescribing rate in the country last year, with more than 110 prescriptions for every 100 residents in the state. The national rate was 66.5 prescriptions per 100 residents.

Arkansas high poverty rates, obesity and smoking make for a chronic pain nightmare and perfect storm for opioid prescribing, said Ronald Tilley, a pain specialist and member of the Medical Boards pain management review committee.

Opioid medications include hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine.

The new requirements would limit prescriptions for treatment of acute pain to a seven-day supply. It would also require doctors who prescribe more than 50 morphine milligram equivalents per day to explore alternative treatment plans and document objective findings such as lab tests to show the need for treatment.

Doctors will also have to inform patients of the risks and addictive tendencies of the drugs.

Opioid abuse is an escalating danger in Arkansas, and we have to curtail the abuse, said Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who urged the board to adopt the CDC guidelines.

The fatality rate from drug overdoses in Arkansas has increased from 5.1 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 13.4 last year, according to the state Health Department in July.

The board said the rules will be submitted to lawmakers for final approval after a public hearing February.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Arkansas Drugs
A former Tennessee lawmaker is suing an Illinois trucking company for injuries he received in a vehicle accident.

The Kingsport Times News reports that former state Rep. Jason Mumpower, who is currently the Tennessee Comptroller chief of staff, filed a $1.5 million federal lawsuit against Gogu Trucking Express, Sopranos Inc. and truck driver Pavel Gheleniuc.

Multiple crashes took place on Interstate 81 in Kingsport on Nov. 2 that halted traffic for three hours and sent five people, including Mumpower, to the hospital. Police said Mumpower had stopped his vehicle in response to the accident.

A tractor-trailer owned by Sopranos and Gogu and driven by Gheleniuc swerved to avoid a collision and rear-ended Mumpowers vehicle.

Sopranos Inc. is based in Palatine, Illinois, and Gogu is based in Highland Park, Illinois.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation Illinois Trucking Tennessee
Authorities are investigating the death of a man at a Ford truck plant in Kentucky.

Media outlets report that police responded to Fords Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville just before 1 a.m. Saturday. Officers found emergency personnel and Ford security attempting to save the man.

Louisville police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said in a statement that the man died at the scene as a result of electrical shock.

WAVE-TV reports that the coroners office identified the man as 41-year-old Ivan Bridgewater, of Seymour, Indiana.

Kelli Felker, the manufacturing and labor communications manager at Ford, said in a statement that Ford is cooperating with the investigation.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Auto Kentucky
People can own real estate for their primary residence or to hold as an investment rental property, and their ownership is determined through what's known as a title. There are different kinds of real estate title as well as less common methods of holding title to a real estate property. It's important to know about these differences so you can decide which method best suits your needs.

Before getting into these distinctions, understand first that real estate is a type of property that's made up of land, as well as any structure that sits on it. Improvements to the structure also count toward the property. The definition also includes any other immovable resources that may appear on that piece of land including vegetation, crops, natural resources, and even water.

Real estate can be both commercial and residential. Commercial properties include office buildings, warehouses, shopping centers, and other types of retail space. Residential property, on the other hand, is made up of homes, condominiums, apartments, and any other type of property that is meant for residential living.

Key Takeaways Title refers to a document that lists the legal owner of a piece of property.

Titles can be issued to depict ownership of both personal and real property.

The different types of real estate title are joint tenancy, tenancy in common, tenants by entirety, sole ownership, and community property.

Other, less common types of property ownership are corporate ownership, partnership ownership, and trust ownership.

What Is a Title?

The term title refers to a document that lists the legal owner of a piece of property. Titles can be issued to depict ownership of both personal and real property. Personal property is anything that doesn't include real estate, such as appliances, vehicles, antiques, or artwork.

Real property, on the other hand, includes the physical property of real estate as well as a bundle of ownership and usage rights. Title for real property must be transferred when the asset is sold, and it must be cleared for transfer to take place.

Clearing a title for real property means determining that it is free of liens or encumbrances that could pose a threat to its ownership.

Real estate ownership can take several forms, with each having implications on ownership transfer, financing, collateralization, and taxing. Each type of title method has its advantages and disadvantages, depending on an individual's particular situation and how one wants ownership to pass in the event of such things as death, divorce, or sale. The most common of these methods of title holding are:

Joint tenancy

Tenancy in common

Tenants by entirety

Sole ownership

Community property

Let's take a look at what these types of title mean as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Joint Tenancy

Joint tenancy occurs when two or more people hold title to real estate jointly, with equal rights to enjoy the property during their lives. If one of the partners dies, their rights of ownership pass to the surviving tenant(s) through a legal relationship known as a right of survivorship. Tenants can enter into a joint tenancy at the same time. This usually occurs through a deed.

Advantages

As mentioned above, the main advantage to entering a joint tenancy is that ownership is passed to the surviving tenant if one passes on, avoiding probate even without a will in place. Another benefit is that neither party in the ownership needs to be married or related. If the parties are not married, they can sell the property without a court petition if all parties agree to the division of property. Furthermore, the responsibility for the property is shared between tenants. That means any financial burden relating to the property belongs to everyone, not just one individual.

Disadvantages

The downside is that any financing or use of the property for financial gain must be approved by all parties and cannot be transferred by will to an external party after one passes, as it automatically goes to the surviving owner.

Another significant disadvantage is that a creditor who has a legal judgment to collect a debt from one of the owners can also petition the court to divide the property and force a sale in order to collect on its judgment. In other words, each of the owners takes a risk in the other's financial choices.

Tenancy In Common (TIC)

With tenancy in common (TIC), two or more persons hold title to real estate jointly, with equal or unequal percentages of ownership. Sarah, for example, could have a 40% interest in a property while Bob has a 60% interest. At the same time, all aspects of the property are shared by the people named on the title. That means Sarah is not limited to access only 40% of the physical property or only 40% of the time, for instance. Each owner has the right to occupy and use the entire property. The interest percentage simply determines the financial ownership of the real estate.

Unlike joint tenancy, tenants in common hold title individually for their respective portion of the property and can dispose of or encumber it at will. This type of title can be entered into at any timeeven years after other owners entered into an agreement. Ownership can be willed to other parties, and in the event of death, ownership will transfer to that owner's heirs undivided.

Advantages

Tenancy in common allows one owner to use the wealth created by their portion of the property as collateral for financial transactions, and one owner's creditors can place liens only against that owner's portion of the property. This kind of title also makes purchases much easier.

Disadvantages

A TIC doesn't allow for automatic survivor rights. All tenants share the liability for any debts on the property. Joint and several liability may apply for property taxes, for example. That means that each owner is liable up to the full amount due. If one owner is unable to pay their portion, the other owners are liable. Any liens on the property must be cleared in order for a total transfer of ownership to take place.

Tenants by Entirety (TBE)

This method can only be used when owners are legally married. Tenants by entirety (TBE) is ownership in real estate under the assumption that the couple is one person for legal purposes. This method conveys ownership to them as one person, with title transferred to the other in entirety if one of them dies.

Advantages

The advantage of this method is that no legal action needs to take place at the death of one's spouse. There is no need for a will, and probate or other legal action isn't necessary.

Disadvantages

Conveyance of the property must be done together and the property cannot be subdivided. In the case of divorce, this type of title automatically converts to a tenancy in common, meaning that one owner can transfer ownership of their respective part of the property to whomever they wish.

Sole Ownership

Sole ownership can be characterized as ownership by an individual or entity legally capable of holding the title. The most common sole ownership is held by single men and women, and married men or women who hold property apart from their spouse, along with businesses that have a corporate structure allowing them to invest in or hold interest in real estate.

When married people wish to own real estate apart from their spouse, title insurance companies typically require the spouse to specifically disclaim or relinquish their right to ownership in the property.

Advantages

The main advantage of holding the title as a sole owner is the ease with which transactions can be accomplished because no other party needs to be consulted to authorize the transaction.

Disadvantages

The obvious disadvantage is the potential for legal issues regarding the transfer of ownership should the sole owner die or become incapacitated. Unless specific legal documentation, such as a will, exists, the transfer of ownership upon death can become very problematic.

Community Property

Community property is a form of ownership by spouses during their marriage that they intend to own together. Under community property, each spouse owns (or owes) everything equally, regardless of who earned or spent the money. Thus, each spouse gets an equal division of real estate property in the event of divorce or death. In the United States, nine states have community property laws: California, Arizona, Nevada, Louisiana, Idaho, New Mexico, Washington, Texas, and Wisconsin. Outside of real estate, personal property acquired during one's marriage, such as vehicles, furniture, and artwork, may be deemed community property.

Depending on the community property state you reside in, real estate acquired during a common-law marriage may also be held as community property. Texas, for example, is a community property state that also recognizes common-law marriages.

Community property with the right of survivorship

Community property with the right of survivorship is a way for married couples to hold title to property, although it is only available in the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, and Wisconsin. It allows one spouse's interest in community-property assets to pass probate-free to the surviving spouse in the event of death.

Other Ways to Hold Title

Entities other than individuals can hold title to real estate in its entirety:

Corporation ownership

Ownership in real estate can be done as a corporation, whereby the legal entity is a company owned by shareholders but regarded under the law as having an existence separate from those shareholders.

Partnership owners

Real estate can also be owned as a partnership. A partnership is an association of two or more people to carry on business for profit as co-owners. Some partnerships are formed for the express purpose of owning real estate. These partnerships can also be structured as limited partnerships, where investors take limited liability by not making managerial decisions regarding management or transaction decisions. In these cases, one general partner is typically responsible for making all business decisions on behalf of the limited partners.

Trust ownership

Real estate also can be owned by a trust. These legal entities own the properties and are managed by a trustee on behalf of the beneficiaries to the trust. There are many advantages and disadvantages to holding real estate that falls outside the scope of this article, but all have to do with benefits surrounding managerial influence and financial and legal liability, in addition to tax and beneficiary considerations.

The Bottom Line

Title to real estate is the method by which ownership is conveyed and transferred during real estate purchases and sales. The methods of owning real estate are determined by state law, so individuals trying to determine the best method to acquire and hold real-property titles should conduct research to determine the unique differences for each method as set out by their state.

For those considering owning real estate through a business entity, such as a corporation, trust, or partnership, it is advisable to consult real estate, legal, and tax professionals to determine which ownership structure is the most beneficial for their particular situation.

In the event of the sole and joint ownership by individuals, prospective owners should consider how their titles should or could be transferred, either by sale or in the event of death, before one method is chosen over another.
The risk premium is the excess return above the risk-free rate that investors require as compensation for the higher uncertainty associated with risky assets. The five main risks that comprise the risk premium are business risk, financial risk, liquidity risk, exchange-rate risk, and country-specific risk. These five risk factors all have the potential to harm returns and, therefore, require that investors are adequately compensated for taking them on.

Key Insights The risk premium is the extra return above the risk-free rate investors receive as compensation for investing in risky assets.

The risk premium is comprised of five main risks: business risk, financial risk, liquidity risk, exchange-rate risk, and country-specific risk.

Business risk refers to the uncertainty of a company's future cash flows, while financial risk refers to a company's ability to manage the financing of its operations.

Liquidity risk refers to the uncertainty related to an investor's ability to exit an investment, both in terms of timeliness and cost.

Exchange-rate risk is the risk investors face when making an investment denominated in a currency other than their own domestic currency, while country-specific risk refers to the political and economic uncertainty of the foreign country in which an investment is made.

Business Risk

Business risk is the risk associated with the uncertainty of a company's future cash flows, which are affected by the operations of the company and the environment in which it operates. It is the variation in cash flow from one period to another that causes greater uncertainty and leads to the need for a greater risk premium for investors. For example, companies that have a long history of stable cash flow require less compensation for business risk than companies whose cash flows vary from one quarter to the next, such as technology companies. The more volatile a company's cash flow, the more it must compensate investors.

Financial Risk

Financial risk is the risk associated with a company's ability to manage the financing of its operations. Essentially, financial risk is the company's ability to pay its debt obligations. The more obligations a company has, the greater the financial risk and the more compensation is needed for investors. Companies that are financed with equity face no financial risk because they have no debt and, therefore, no debt obligations. Companies take on debt to increase their financial leverage; using outside money to finance operations is attractive because of its low cost.

The greater the financial leverage, the greater the chance that the company will be unable to pay off its debts, leading to financial harm for investors. The higher the financial leverage, the more compensation is required for investors in the company.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk is the risk associated with the uncertainty of exiting an investment, both in terms of timeliness and cost. The ability to exit an investment quickly and with minimal cost greatly depends on the type of security being held. For example, it is very easy to sell off a blue-chip stock because millions of shares are traded each day and there is a minimal bid-ask spread. On the other hand, small cap stocks tend to trade only in the thousands of shares and have bid-ask spreads that can be as high as 2%. The greater the time it takes to exit a position or the higher the cost of selling out of the position, the more risk premium investors will require.

Exchange-Rate Risk

Exchange-rate risk is the risk associated with investments denominated in a currency other than the domestic currency of the investor. For example, an American holding an investment denominated in Canadian dollars is subject to exchange-rate, or foreign-exchange, risk. The greater the historical amount of variation between the two currencies, the greater the amount of compensation will be required by investors. Investments between currencies that are pegged to one another have little to no exchange-rate risk, while currencies that tend to fluctuate a lot require more compensation.

Country-Specific Risk

Country-specific risk is the risk associated with the political and economic uncertainty of the foreign country in which an investment is made. These risks can include major policy changes, overthrown governments, economic collapses, and war. Countries such as the United States and Canada are seen as having very low country-specific risk because of their relatively stable nature. Other countries, such as Russia, are thought to pose a greater risk to investors. The higher the country-specific risk, the greater the risk premium investors will require.
Founded in 1999, Netspend is a leading provider of prepaid debit cards, prepaid debit Mastercard and Visa cards, and commercial prepaid card solutions, with over 10 million customers served in the U.S. Netspend cards are not a scam. There are several ways you can apply for a Netspend card. Once you receive your card, you can activate it online or via the phone, just like any other debit or credit card.

What is a Netspend Card?

Netspend prepaid MasterCard and Visa cards are popular prepaid debit cards requiring no minimum balance and no credit check. All transactions made using Netspend cards are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) up to the current coverage limit, and the cards can be used anywhere Debit MasterCard and Visa debit cards are accepted. Cardholders can make in-store purchases, shop over the phone and online, and withdraw cash at ATMs worldwide. (For related reading, see "How Netspend Works and Makes Money")

Key Takeaways Netspend provides prepaid debit cards, prepaid debit Mastercard and Visa cards, and commercial prepaid cards.

Prepaid cards are different from credit cards in that you can only spend funds that you preload onto the card.

Netspend prepaid cards with Visa or Mastercard logos can be used wherever these forms of payment are accepted.

Understanding Netspend Cards

Prepaid debit cards, such as Netspend cards, differ from business credit cards in that you can only spend funds, which you have already preloaded onto the card. In other words, a Netspend card is not a credit card at all but simply a way of making funds that are already in your possession available via credit/debit card electronic payment technology.

Credit cards offer a revolving line of credit, which you can typically pay off over time. In addition, outstanding credit card balances accrue interest, which must also be paid off. With a prepaid card, you're spending your own money, whereas using a credit card is like spending borrowed money, which you are expected to pay back with interest at a later date.

Although different from credit cards, prepaid cards can still be used wherever Visa or Mastercard is accepted if the card has one of these logos.

Another difference between prepaid debit cards and credit cards is that many credit cards offer spending rewards in the form of points, cash back, or airline miles. Most prepaid cards, including the Netspend Small Business Prepaid Mastercard, do not. However, credit card holders typically have to spend a considerable amount on their credit card to really see rewards benefits.

The biggest similarity between prepaid debit cards and credit cards is that they usually have a card network logo on them like Visa or Mastercard. This means that the card can be used at any place that accepts either of these methods of payment. However, one major difference is that using a Netspend card does not impact a person's credit score, such as a credit card does.

Getting a Netspend Card

Netspend applications are quick and simple, just requiring your name, address, and email address. All applicants are guaranteed approval once the applicant's identity is proven, and new cards are sent via mail within seven to 10 business days.

How to Use Netspend Cards

When using the cards in stores, if you choose credit at checkout and provide your signature, the transaction fee for the purchase will be $1 and the funds are deducted from the card account. If you choose debit, you must give a personal identification number (PIN) and you are charged a $2 transaction fee. Individual transaction fees can be avoided by subscribing to premium Fee Advantage Plans, which charge monthly service fees ranging from $5 to $9.95 as of 2015. Fees for ATM cash withdrawals range from $2.50 domestically to over $4.95 internationally.

How to Reload Funds

One of the best features of a Netspend card is how easy it is to add funds to the card. Funds can be added to Netspend accounts through direct deposit, bank account transfers, Netspend card account transfers, or through Netspend reload network locations. The only ways to add funds to the account without incurring fees are through direct deposit or through the Netspend online account center.

Four Benefits of Netspend Cards
What Is the Acid-Test Ratio?

The acid-test ratio, commonly known as the quick ratio, uses a firm's balance sheet data as an indicator of whether it has sufficient short-term assets to cover its short-term liabilities.

Key Takeaways The acid-test, or quick ratio, compares a company's most short-term assets to its most short-term liabilities to see if a company has enough cash to pay its immediate liabilities, such as short-term debt.

The acid-test ratio disregards current assets that are difficult to liquidate quickly such as inventory.

The acid-test ratio may not give a reliable picture of a firm's financial condition if the company has accounts receivable that take longer than usual to collect or current liabilities that are due but have no immediate payment needed.

2:02 What Is The Quick Ratio?

Understanding the Acid-Test Ratio

In certain situations, analysts prefer to use the acid-test ratio rather than the current ratio (also known as the working capital ratio) because the acid-test method ignores assets such as inventory, which may be difficult to quickly liquidate. The acid test ratio is thus a more conservative metric.

Companies with an acid-test ratio of less than 1 do not have enough liquid assets to pay their current liabilities and should be treated with caution. If the acid-test ratio is much lower than the current ratio, it means that a company's current assets are highly dependent on inventory.

This is not a bad sign in all cases, however, as some business models are inherently dependent on inventory. Retail stores, for example, may have very low acid-test ratios without necessarily being in danger. The acceptable range for an acid-test ratio will vary among different industries, and you'll find that comparisons are most meaningful when analyzing peer companies in the same industry as each other.

For most industries, the acid-test ratio should exceed 1. On the other hand, a very high ratio is not always good. It could indicate that cash has accumulated and is idle, rather than being reinvested, returned to shareholders, or otherwise put to productive use.

Some tech companies generate massive cash flows and accordingly have acid-test ratios as high as 7 or 8. While this is certainly better than the alternative, these companies have drawn criticism from activist investors who would prefer that shareholders receive a portion of the profits.

Calculating the Acid-Test Ratio

The numerator of the acid-test ratio can be defined in various ways, but the main consideration should be gaining a realistic view of the company's liquid assets. Cash and cash equivalents should definitely be included, as should short-term investments, such as marketable securities.

Accounts receivable are generally included, but this is not appropriate for every industry. In the construction industry, for example, accounts receivable may take much more time to recover than is standard practice in other industries, so including it could make a firm's financial position seem much more secure than it is in reality.

The formula is:

Acid Test = Cash + Marketable Securities + A/R Current Liabilities where: A/R = Accounts receivable \begin{aligned} &\text{Acid Test} = \frac{ \text{Cash} + \text{Marketable Securities} + \text{A/R} }{ \text{Current Liabilities} } \\ &\textbf{where:} \\ &\text{A/R} = \text{Accounts receivable} \\ \end{aligned} Acid Test=Current LiabilitiesCash+Marketable Securities+A/Rwhere:A/R=Accounts receivable

Another way to calculate the numerator is to take all current assets and subtract illiquid assets. Most importantly, inventory should be subtracted, keeping in mind that this will negatively skew the picture for retail businesses because of the amount of inventory they carry. Other elements that appear as assets on a balance sheet should be subtracted if they cannot be used to cover liabilities in the short term, such as advances to suppliers, prepayments, and deferred tax assets.

The ratio's denominator should include all current liabilities, which are debts and obligations that are due within one year. It is important to note that time is not factored into the acid-test ratio. If a company's accounts payable are nearly due but its receivables won't come in for months, that company could be on much shakier ground than its ratio would indicate. The opposite can also be true.

Acid-Test Ratio Example

A company's acid-test ratio can be calculated using its balance sheet. Below is an abbreviated version of Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) balance sheet as of Jan. 27, 2022, showing the components of the company's current assets and current liabilities (all figures in millions of dollars):
What Is a Currency Union?

A currency union is when two or more economies (usually sovereign countries) share a common currency or mutually decide to peg their exchange rates to the same reference currency to keep the value of their monies similar. One goal of forming a currency union is to coordinate economic activity and monetary policy across member states. A currency union is often referred to as a "monetary union."

Key Takeaways A currency union is where two or more countries or economies share a currency.

A currency union may also refer to a country adopting a peg against another country's currency, such as the U.S. dollar.

The largest currency union is the Eurozone, in which 19 members share the euro as their currency as of 2020.  

1:48 What Causes Drastic Currency Changes?

Understanding Currency Unions

A currency union is when a group of countries (or regions) use a common currency. For example, eight European nations created the European Monetary System in 1979. This system consisted of mutually fixed exchange rates between member countries. In 2002, twelve European countries agreed to a common monetary policy, thus forming the European Economic and Monetary Union. One reason why countries form these systems is to lower transaction costs of cross-border trade.

A currency union or monetary union is distinguished from a full-fledged economic and monetary union, in that they involve the sharing of a common currency but without further integration between participating countries. Further integration may include the adoption of a single market in order to facilitate cross-border trade, which entails the elimination of physical and fiscal barriers between countries to free the movement of capital, labor, goods, and services in order to strengthen overall economies. Current examples of currency unions include the Euro and the CFA Franc, among others.

Another way countries unite their currency is by use of a peg. Countries commonly peg their money to the currencies of otherstypically to the U.S. dollar, the euro, or sometimes the price of gold. Currency pegs create stability between trading partners and can remain in place for decades. The Hong Kong dollar has been pegged at a rate of HK$7.8 to the U.S. dollar since 1983. The Bahamian dollar has been pegged at parity with the greenback since 1973.

In addition to a peg, some countries actually adopt a foreign currency. For example, the U.S. dollar is the official currency in El Salvador and Ecuador, along with the Caribbean island nations of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The Swiss franc is the official currency in both Switzerland and Lichtenstein.

There are more than 20 official currency unions, the largest of which is the euro, which is used by 19 of the 28 members of the European Union. Another is the CFA franc, backed by the French treasury and pegged to the euro, which is used in 14 Central and West African in addition to Comoros. The Eastern Caribbean Dollar is the official currency for Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

History of Currency Unions

In the past, countries have entered into currency unions to facilitate trade and strengthen their economies, and to also unify previously divided states. In the 19th century, Germany's former customs union helped to unify the disparate states of the German Confederation with the aim of increasing trade. More states joined beginning in 1818, sparking a series of acts to standardize the value of coins transacted in the area. The system was a success and led to the political unification of Germany in 1871, followed by the creation of the Reichsbank in 1876 and the Reichsmark as the national currency.

In 1865, France spearheaded the Latin Monetary Union, which encompassed France, Belgium, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland. Gold and silver coins were standardized and made legal tender, and freely exchanged across borders to increase trade. The currency union was successful and other countries joined. However, it was formally disbanded in 1927 amid political and economic turmoil during the early part of the century. Other historical currency unions include the Scandinavian Monetary Union of the 1870s based on a common gold currency.

Evolution of the European Currency Union

The history of the European currency union in its contemporary form begins with economic unification strategies pursued throughout the latter half of the 20th century. The Bretton Woods Agreement, adopted by Europe in 1944, focused on a fixed exchange rate policy to prevent the wild market speculations that caused the Great Depression. Other agreements reinforced European economic unity, such as the 1951 Treaty of Paris establishing the European Steel and Coal Community, which was later consolidated into the European Economic Community in 1957. However, the global economic hardships of the 1970s prevented further European economic integration until efforts were renewed in the late 1980s.

The eventual formation of the European Economic and Monetary Union was made possible by the signing of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty. Thus, the European Central Bank was created in 1998, with fixed conversion and exchange rates established between member states.

In 2002, twelve member states of the European Union adopted the euro as a single European currency. As of 2020, nineteen countries use the euro for their currency.

Criticism of the European Monetary System

Under the European Monetary System, exchange rates can only be changed if both member countries and the European Commission agree. This unprecedented move attracted a lot of criticism. Significant problems in the foundational policies of European Monetary System became evident following the Great Recession.

Certain member statesGreece, in particular, but also Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Cyprusexperienced high national deficits that developed into a European sovereign debt crisis. Because they did not control their own monetary policy, these countries could not resort to currency devaluation to boost exports and thus their economies. Nor did rules permit them to run budget deficits to reduce unemployment rates.

From the beginning, the European Monetary System policy intentionally prohibited bailouts to ailing economies in the eurozone. Amid vocal reluctance from EU members with stronger economies, the European Economic and Monetary Union finally established bailout measures to provide relief to struggling peripheral members.
What Are Operating Costs?

Operating costs are associated with the maintenance and administration of a business on a day-to-day basis. Operating costs include direct costs of goods sold (COGS) and other operating expensesoften called selling, general, and administrative (SG&A)which include rent, payroll, and other overhead costs, as well as raw materials and maintenance expenses. Operating costs exclude non-operating expenses related to financing, such as interest, investments, or foreign currency translation.

The operating cost is deducted from revenue to arrive at operating income and is reflected on a companys income statement.

Key Takeaways Operating costs are the ongoing expenses incurred from the normal day-to-day of running a business.

Operating costs include both costs of goods sold (COGS) and other operating expensesoften called selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses.

Common operating costs in addition to COGS may include rent, equipment, inventory costs, marketing, payroll, insurance, and funds allocated for research and development.

Operating costs can be found and analyzed by looking at a company's income statement.

1:28 Operating Expenses

Understanding Operating Costs

Businesses have to keep track of operating costs as well as the costs associated with non-operating activities, such as interest expenses on a loan. Both costs are accounted for differently in a company's books, allowing analysts to determine how costs are associated with revenue-generating activities and whether the business can be run more efficiently.

Generally speaking, a companys management will seek to maximize profits for the company. Because profits are determined both by the revenue that the company earns and the amount the company spends in order to operate, profit can be increased both by increasing revenue and by decreasing operating costs. Because cutting costs generally seems like an easier and more accessible way of increasing profits, managers will often be quick to choose this method.

Trimming operating costs too much can reduce a companys productivity and, as a result, its profit as well. While reducing any particular operating cost will usually increase short-term profits, it can also hurt the companys earnings in the long term.

For example, if a company cuts its advertising costs, its short-term profits will likely improve since it is spending less money on operating costs. However, by reducing its advertising, the company might also reduce its capacity to generate new business such that earnings in the future could suffer.

Ideally, companies look to keep operating costs as low as possible while still maintaining the ability to increase sales.

How to Calculate Operating Costs

The following formula and steps can be used to calculate the operating cost of a business. You will find the information needed from the firm's income statement that is used to report the financial performance for the accounting period.

Operating cost = Cost of goods sold + Operating expenses \text{Operating cost} = \text{Cost of goods sold} + \text{Operating expenses} Operating cost=Cost of goods sold+Operating expenses

From a company's income statement, take the total cost of goods sold, or COGS, which can also be called cost of sales. Find total operating expenses, which should be further down the income statement. Add total operating expenses and COGS to arrive at the total operating costs for the period.

Types of Operating Costs

While operating costs generally do not include capital outlays, they can include many components of operating expenses, such as:

Accounting and legal fees

Bank charges

Sales and marketing costs

Travel expenses

Entertainment costs

Non-capitalized research and development expenses

Office supply costs

Rent

Repair and maintenance costs

Utility expenses

Salary and wage expenses

Operating costs will also include the cost of goods sold, which are the expenses directly tied to the production of goods and services. Some of the costs include:

Direct material costs

Direct labor

Rent of the plant or production facility

Benefits and wages for the production workers

Repair costs of equipment

Utility costs and taxes of the production facilities

A businesss operating costs are comprised of two components, fixed costs and variable costs, which differ in important ways.

Fixed Costs

A fixed cost is one that does not change with an increase or decrease in sales or productivity and must be paid regardless of the companys activity or performance. For example, a manufacturing company must pay rent for factory space, regardless of how much it is producing or earning. While it can downsize and reduce the cost of its rent payments, it cannot eliminate these costs, and so they are considered to be fixed. Fixed costs generally include overhead costs, insurance, security, and equipment.

Fixed costs can help in achieving economies of scale, as when many of a companys costs are fixed, the company can make more profit per unit as it produces more units. In this system, fixed costs are spread out over the number of units produced, making production more efficient as production increases by reducing the average per-unit cost of production. Economies of scale can allow large companies to sell the same goods as smaller companies for lower prices.

The economies of scale principle can be limited in that fixed costs generally need to increase with certain benchmarks in production growth. For example, a manufacturing company that increases its rate of production over a specified period will eventually reach a point where it needs to increase the size of its factory space in order to accommodate the increased production of its products.

Variable Costs

Variable costs, like the name implies, are comprised of costs that vary with production. Unlike fixed costs, variable costs increase as production increases and decrease as production decreases. Examples of variable costs include raw material costs and the cost of electricity. In order for a fast-food restaurant chain that sells french fries to increase its fry sales, for instance, it will need to increase its purchase orders of potatoes from its supplier.

It's sometimes possible for a company to achieve a volume discount or "price break" when purchasing supplies in bulk, wherein the seller agrees to slightly reduce the per-unit cost in exchange for the buyers agreement to regularly buy the supplies in large amounts. As a result, the agreement might diminish the correlation somewhat between an increase or decrease in production and an increase or decrease in the companys operating costs.

For example, the fast-food company may buy its potatoes at $0.50 per pound when it buys potatoes in amounts of less than 200 pounds. However, the potato supplier may offer the restaurant chain a price of $0.45 per pound when it buys potatoes in bulk amounts of 200 to 500 pounds. Volume discounts generally have a small impact on the correlation between production and variable costs, and the trend otherwise remains the same.

Typically, companies with a high proportion of variable costs relative to fixed costs are considered to be less volatile, as their profits are more dependent on the success of their sales. In the same way, the profitability and risk for the same companies are also easier to gauge.

Semi-Variable Costs

In addition to fixed and variable costs, it is also possible for a companys operating costs to be considered semi-variable (or semi-fixed"). These costs represent a mixture of fixed and variable components and can be thought of as existing between fixed costs and variable costs. Semi-variable costs vary in part with increases or decreases in production, like variable costs, but still exist when production is zero, like fixed costs. This is what primarily differentiates semi-variable costs from fixed costs and variable costs.

An example of semi-variable costs is overtime labor. Regular wages for workers are generally considered to be fixed costs, as while a companys management can reduce the number of workers and paid work hours, it will always need a workforce of some size to function. Overtime payments are often considered to be variable costs, as the number of overtime hours that a company pays its workers will generally rise with increased production and drop with reduced production. When wages are paid based on conditions of productivity allowing for overtime, the cost has both fixed and variable components and is considered to be a semi-variable cost.

Real-World Example of Operating Costs

Below is the income statement for Apple Inc. (AAPL) for the year ending Sept. 25, 2021, according to its annual 10-K report:

Apple reported total revenue or net sales of $365.8 billion for the 12-month period.

The total cost of sales (or cost of goods sold) was $213 billion, while total operating expenses were $43.9 billion.

We calculate operating costs as $213 billion + $43.9 billion.

Operating costs (cost of sales + operating expenses) were $256.9 billion for the period.

Apple Inc. 2021 Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Apple's total operating costs must be examined over several quarters to get a sense of whether the company is managing its operating costs effectively. Also, investors can monitor operating expenses and cost of goods sold (or cost of sales) separately to determine whether costs are either increasing or decreasing over time.

SG&A vs. Operating Costs

Selling, general, and administrative expense (SG&A) is reported on the income statement as the sum of all direct and indirect selling expenses and all general and administrative expenses (G&A) of a company. It includes all the costs not directly tied to making a product or performing a servicethat is, SG&A includes the costs to sell and deliver products or services, in addition to the costs to manage the company.

SG&A includes nearly everything that isn't in the cost of goods sold (COGS). Operating costs include COGS plus all operating expenses, including SG&A.

Limitations of Operating Costs

As with any financial metric, operating costs must be compared over multiple reporting periods to get a sense of any trend. Companies sometimes can cut costs for a particular quarter, which inflates their earnings temporarily. Investors must monitor costs to see if they're increasing or decreasing over time while also comparing those results to the performance of revenue and profit.

What Is the Total Cost Formula? The total cost formula combines a firm's fixed and variable costs to produce a quantity of goods or services. To calculate the total cost, add the average fixed cost per unit to the average variable cost per unit. Multiply this by the total number of units to derive the total cost. The total cost formula is important because it helps management calculate the profitability of their business. It helps managers pinpoint which fixed or variable costs could be reduced to increase profit margins. It also helps managers determine the price point for their products and compare the profitability of one product line versus another.

How Do Operating Costs Affect Profit? Operating costs that are high or increasing can reduce a company's net profit. A company's management will look for ways to stabilize or decrease operating costs while still balancing the need to manufacture goods that meet consumer demands. If operating costs become too high, management may need to increase the price of their products in order to maintain profitability. They then risk losing customers to competitors who are able to produce similar goods at a lower price point.
What Is a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP)?

A systematic withdrawal plan (SWP) is a scheduled investment withdrawal plan typically used in retirement. Investors can structure SWPs in various ways. Mutual funds typically allow an investor to determine a systematic withdrawal plan that includes interval payouts monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.

Key Takeaways A systematic withdrawal plan (SWP) allows for pre-planned cash flows generated by investments as income.

Retirees are most often reliant on SWPs for retirement income generated from investments accumulated in retirement accounts like IRAs or 401(k) plans or through annuitizing assets.

Understanding how much income you'll likely need in retirement is an important step in establishing an SWP. Online retirement calculators that take into account things like inflation, taxes, and social security can help.

Understanding Systematic Withdrawal Plans

A systematic withdrawal plan is most commonly used for retirement. However, investors can structure and use SWPs for various payout needs. Systematic withdrawal plans can be set up for withdrawals from nearly any type of investment vehicle in the market.

Common investment vehicles used for SWPs include mutual funds, annuities, brokerage accounts, 401k plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Annuities are a common type of systematic withdrawal plan that provides a set series of cash flows based on some initial contribution(s).

Planning for an SWP

To proactively plan for systematic withdrawals, an investor can use resources such as SWP calculators or standard retirement calculators. Investment planning calculators will help an investor determine the target amount they will need to cover their withdrawal needs through a pre-determined utilization phase.

The Vanguard Retirement Income Calculator is one example. Variables involved include age, annual salary, retirement savings income allocation, current allocation, retirement income needs, expected annual return from investment, social security estimate and other retirement fund estimates. Calculators can provide you with the monthly amount youll need to withdraw for a systematic withdrawal plan and also help you to determine how much you need to save to reach your goal.

Setting Up an SWP

Setting up an SWP can take time. Understanding your options and the processes involved can help an investor to more efficiently receive their income cash flows. Most types of investments will offer a systematic withdrawal plan. Investors can make systematic withdrawals from mutual funds, annuities, brokerage accounts, 401k plans, IRAs, and more. Careful due diligence for retirement accounts specifically will be important since they may require mandatory withdrawals at a specified age.

Standard investment accounts, mutual funds, and other account providers will require an SWP form which may also be known as a distribution form. Investors can determine various distribution schedules including monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually.

Accounts typically have a minimum balance requirement for beginning systematic withdrawals. For convenience, investors may have the option to specify liquidation percentages by funds for accounts with multiple holdings. This can occur with mutual fund company holdings, brokerage accounts or portfolios managed by a financial advisor.

Retirement investment account SWPs require additional due diligence since they are regulated by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines. The IRS requires that investors begin taking withdrawals from a traditional IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA or retirement plan account at the age of 70.

Other SWP Considerations

In preparing for and initiating an SWP, investors may also want to consider taxes and potentially a systematic transfer plan. A tax advisor can help you determine the tax rate you will pay on withdrawals from both standard and retirement accounts. Since withdrawals require selling securities to make distributions from standard accounts, the withdrawals will typically be taxed as income. Retirement account withdrawals will have their own tax structures.

In some cases, investors may also have the option to make scheduled systematic transfers. This can potentially be a good option for structuring fund withdrawals into a cash, savings or money market account.
In Person Arakan Army Will Be Flashpoint For Peace Process: Researcher

Paul Keenan, the author of Realising Peace in Myanmar. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

Realizing Peace in Myanmar, a collection of background papers published by the Euro Burma Office in Myanmar between 2015-17 was launched on Monday at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the EBO.

Author Paul Keenan compiled his research on the Myanmar conflict and highlighted the diverse nature of the conflict and the many obstacles that remain to peace.

Keenan has been based in Southeast Asia doing research on Myanmar for almost two decades and is the current consultant on research and analysis at EBO Myanmar.

He shared his perspectives on the Myanmar peace process with Irrawaddy senior reporter Nyein Nyein this week.

What is the key message in your book?

Paul Keenan: The key message I think is the fact that, for the conflict in Burma, people cannot just see it as a similar conflict elsewhere because there are far too many individuals who need to be given what they are asking for. Obviously, you know, it is very easy for international observers to see everything in a context where weve sorted out conflict in Sri Lanka and Bosnia. But those actors were three or four.

We are talking about a lot more here. And with some, like say, the Wa, they are very big and they are very well equipped. And they have very strong support. With some groups it is not the same. The main thing from what I see in the conflict is people dont fully understand this dynamic. They dont see the fact that one group might be recent, could be four or five years old. Another group could be 15 years old. One group is 25,000 people; one group is 100 or less. So they dont see that. You just see an organization and you think well these are heavily armed men fighting. But that is not what its about. I think the conflict is more about understanding what each individual armed organization wants out of a final peace process. Some are prepared to accept less, others are not prepared to.

As the book is about peace in Myanmar, how do you perceive the current peace process in Myanmar? Has it been deadlocked as many observers have said?

I would say there is no deadlock. What I would say is the peace process has become very, very slow. There are a number of reasons for this. During the [former President U] Thein Sein regime, I would say, the peace process moved faster, primarily because the Thein Sein regime understood what it was they were dealing with better than the current government. The military aspect is very important in how fast and what can be achieved in a peace process.

The Myanmar peace process involves the Tatmadaw and many ethnic armed groups, it is unique.

Yes, it is very unique.

So how we could move forward to achieve peace quickly or in a certain period of time?

Well, to be honest I dont think you can move quickly. I dont believe any of the actors now are in a hurry. I think it serves them well to try and get the best they can out of the deal. Because they know when they agree to something, they will not be going back. Because if they do, it looks like they themselves caused the problem to the peace process. So you have a number of actors, who are hoping to strengthen their positions, sometimes by using other bigger armed organizations to support them; others who are hoping they can get what they want based on previous experience. But I dont see the peace process, regardless of how many meetings or peace conferences are held moving that quickly. I dont believe Tatmadaw sees significant changes next year. But I think we will see a lot more dialogue. Whether that dialogue is positive, I doubt it will be in the beginning. There are a number of actors who I think still remain in the pre-2012 mindset. As long as that exists, progress will be slow.

What do you mean by a number of actors are left with this [pre-2012] mindset, are they from both sides of the negotiation or one side?

To be honest, I think the military is happy with the position that they have. And also they are happy that there are divisions within the armed ethnic organizations, because it serves their purposes more than it does the armed ethnic organizations. So in that regard, that is why the peace process is unlikely to go quickly, because the Myanmar military at this moment in time does not necessarily feel that it has to put that much effort into it because it is allowing the government to run the peace process. So whereas the Myanmar military is prepared to watch the NLD-led government negotiate, it probably knows nothing substantial would happen soon. For them it is win-win. For the ethnic people, not so much.

What were challenges for you in finalizing this book? Although the sub-title says that they are papers from 2015 to 2017, you said you spent more time than that.

To be honest, the challenges are that there are a lot of minds being changed when it comes to what people want. That is not strange because we all make the same changes in our daily lives, let alone as something as serious it is. The process has become too administrative; there have been too many meetings and those meetings often say the same thing. They always end with Well, we cannot agree to anything, until we go back and speak to our leaders. And then that requires another meeting that leads us to say, Well actually, we are going to issue a statement. But the statement is the same like the one four months ago. So for me thats the most  odd part of it. Do you see what I mean? If you reduce the number of people involved, the faster things can get done. But with this, because there are so many different negotiations and negotiators, it is difficult for everyone to find common ground.

In terms of the many people participating, how could we promote inclusiveness, including integrating civil society members into the process further?

You have to ensure that the civil society actors are involved in the political dialogue. We cannot not include them. Obviously, the environmental section of the community has to be involved, the gender issue has to be taken into account. But before that happens, I think, you set out the guidelines for what you want. And then you go forward. If you invite everyone to the same meeting, whether you are deciding on military issues, whether you are deciding environmental issues, gender issues, and a number of different important aspects of the future society for the country, it has to be taken into account, the more people you invite the more divergent the outcome would be. So I think thats the important part of the process.

If you had to describe in one word the current Myanmar peace process, what would it be?

Complex!

In your book, I also noted your comments about the Arakan Army and other groups. As you know, the Rakhine state issue is currently drawing a lot of attention. What do you think [about the Rakhine state situation; with the involvement of the Arakan Army and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army]; ARSA was proposing a ceasefire and hinted they want to be in the NCA process? Clearly there is no acceptance by the government and other [non-state armed] groups. What is your opinion?

ARSA will never ever be part of the peace process. Never! There is no legitimacy for them whatsoever. Even as an organization they are not legitimate. They can never be. If you look at similar conflicts in Burma, they are not following the same pattern. The situation in Rakhine State, I think, it is going to get worse next year, but not because of ARSA, primarily probably because of the Arakan Army. They may seek a confrontation with the Chin National Front and Arakan Liberation party. At the moment, the Arakan Army seems to be shifting its operations back to Rakhine State, thats probably not good for Rakhine State.

What do you think of the current situation in Myanmar as military engagement is happening in the north, northeast and western part of the country? Are we going back to history in this conflict cycle?

You are right, to a degree. There are number of issues that should have been finished. With the Arakan Army and their philosophy, I dont think their philosophy is a philosophy of finding Rakhine or Arakan nationalism, I think it is a bit more than that. Thats why I think the Arakan Army poses a serious threat next year to the peace process, because it is not going to be the Kachins, or the UWSA [United Wa State Army] that would be a threat to the peace process. It would be a smaller group who do not really have a fundamental outlook on what they want. If you remember, the Arakan Army did not have a political wing when they were formed. They did not set a political agenda until the Kachins told them you have to have a political goal. The Arakan Army for me will be the flashpoint for the peace process next year, because they dont seem to have legitimacy. They werent created out of legitimacy, and if they try and pose one in Rakhine state, then that will be serious.
Burma Almost a Year After NLD Advisers Murder, Key Suspect Still at Large

U Ko Ni, left, with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and his wife in an undated photo taken at the lawyers office in Yangon. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  As a human rights and constitutional lawyer, U Ko Ni helped others find justice. But for U Ko Ni himself, justice remains elusive.

This coming January will mark the one-year anniversary of his tragic death at Yangon International Airport, where he was shot at close range in broad daylight. But 11 months after his death, Aung Win Khaing, the suspected mastermind of the assassination, is still at large. A statement issued by the Presidents Office said the former lieutenant colonel is believed to have hired gunman Kyi Lin to shoot U Ko Ni.

The ex-army officer vanished into thin air after the killing. Four other suspects have been on trial for several months, and as of last week 65 of 80 witnesses have testified. The motive for the murder, according to the national police chief, was a personal grudge; he said the alleged conspirators were resentful of U Ko Nis political activities.

With the murder trial having dragged on now for nearly a year without the main suspect, longtime friends and colleagues of U Ko Ni expressed their disappointment with the Home Affairs Ministry  which controls the countrys police force  for its failure to arrest Aung Win Khaing.

They are not doing their job properly. It disappoints me to see the main suspect is still at large, said U Kyee Myint, a lawyer who cofounded the Myanmar Lawyers Network five years ago with U Ko Ni.

The police announced in June that they had no new information about Aung Win Khaing and would not be able to arrest him soon despite the fact that he was last seen in Naypyitaw a few days after the killing.

Why is the Home Affairs Ministry so ineffective? U Kyee Myint said.

According to Myanmars controversial 2008 Constitution, the ministry that controls the countrys police force is to be run by the military.

U Ko Ni was the legal adviser for Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The 65-year-old lawyer was believed to have conceived of her current position  state counselor  so that she could serve as the countrys de facto leader despite being constitutionally barred from the presidency.

The Muslim lawyer was critical of the military-drafted Constitution, which guarantees the military 25 percent of the seats in Parliament and control of the governments three most powerful ministries: defense, border affairs and home affairs. He actively lobbied for the amendment of the charter, one of the NLDs main goals and yet to be realized.

U Ko Ni is believed to have been drafting a new charter at the time of his murder, having decided there was no point trying to amend the 2008 Constitution since any changes to it require more than 75 percent of the votes in Parliament. Many people believe the NLD adviser paid the price for his plans. If true, the Constitution he sought to replace is casting a shadow over his own case.

Robert San Aung, a human rights lawyer and longtime friend of U Ko Ni, said the case was unusual because most of the suspects are former military men. He said that might make the police reluctant to arrest Aung Win Khaing, given that the military runs the Ministry of Home Affairs, which controls the police. (Of the five murder suspects, three are ex-army officers; Aung Win Khaing held the highest rank among them.)

The police chief doesnt seem to use his full authority, said Robert San Aung, who is representing a taxi driver who was killed during his pursuit for the gunman who shot U Ko Ni.

It would be easier to bring him [Aung Win Khaing] to court if the police force were not under the ministry, he said. To make it happen, the only way is to amend the Constitution.

Police Colonel Shwe Thaung, who heads the national police forces Criminal Investigation Department, was not available for comments on Tuesday.

U Nay La, the lawyer representing U Ko Nis family in the case, told The Irrawaddy that the motive for the assassination could be made clear if Aung Win Khaing were in court.

We would learn more about who is behind the case, he said.

U Nay La said police were doing a poor job of investigating the murder but declined to elaborate because the case was ongoing.

All we want is that action be taken against those who are guilty according to the law. But we are more interested in why the assassination happened, he said.

The Irrawaddys Tin Htet Paing contributed reporting.
Burma Ethnic Groups Say Time Has Come To See Detailed Plan For Federal System

Nai Banya Mon (L), Zo Tum Hmung, Sai Nyunt Lwin, and Nai Pon Nya Mon, who all spoke at the book launch. / Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy

It is time for the Myanmar government and the military to tell the countrys ethnic groups exactly what type of federal system they can expect to be part of in the future, leaders of the groups said on Tuesday.

The Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center (ENAC) held a book launch today at Yangons Green Hill Hotel, where representatives of the ethnic groups discussed the issue with an audience of about 100 people.

The book, which is an updated conference report outlining federal policies grouped under 11 themes, was released on Tuesday by ENAC, a group working to support the peace process between the armed ethnic organizations and the Myanmar government.

The book is intended to provide suggestions to the government and the military to use in building a federal system.

You cannot just say we will give you a federal system, because that is very general, said ENAC director Zo Tum Hmung.

If the armed ethnic groups know in detail what type of democracy they will get, the national peace process can move forward, he said.

The book focuses on the sharing of power between the states and the central government under a federal system.

Political power is not enough enough for the state governments. They should have power to collect tax as well, Zo Tum Hmung said.

The right to collect tax is a prerequisite for any state to develop, he said. But, looking at the ethnic states, they are very poorly developed, as they did not have the right to raise revenue via taxation. At present, only the central government has the power to collect tax.

The ENAC report recommends that states should get 70 percent of tax collected locally, with the other 30 percent going to the central government.

Some people may think the central government should get more than 30 percent, but there are many alternative areas where the central government could raise taxes such as from property, trading and other activities, said Nai Pon Nya Mon, deputy executive director of ENAC.

ENAC had done workshops in many ethnic states including those with armed groups, and with political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs) in different townships. It found many were in agreement on sharing tax revenues based on a 70/30 split between the states and the central government.

Myanmar has effectively been in a state of civil war for over 60 years, especially in the ethnic states, which has left many of them poor and undeveloped. The book suggested the central government give states such Chin and Rakhine five years to develop without asking for any share of tax revenues.

Chin state is the poorest. The second is Rakhine, said Zo Tum Hmung.

The central government should share more revenue with the Chin as we are poor, he said.

The time has come for the government and the military to listen to the voices of the ethnic people if they wanted to solve the political conflicts in the country, the ethnic leaders said.

It is a disease,said Sai Nyunt Lwin, secretary of the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD), who also spoke at the press conference.

This disease has spread to the mainland now. It is time to take medicine to treat this ailment (meaning the central government should listen to the ethnic groups).

The heads of the states and divisions know what they need to do to promote reform in their areas, the ENAC officials said. But, they do not currently have the legal backing to do it. That power rests with the central government.

ENAC project officer Nai Banya Mon gave as an example the case of a copper mine in Letpadaung in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Region.

The central government approved the mine project despite the opposition of local people.

If the regional government had power, they may know how to solve this problem. But, this project was approved by the central government, so they could do nothing, he said.

The leaders of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) endorsed the books 11 sections on how to build a better federal structure.

If the government accepts our suggestions and discusses them at the upcoming Panglong conference, the peace process can move forward, said Zo Tum Hmung

There are two paths that lead to reform in the country. One is to fight for rights inside Parliament. The other is to include the rights battle within the peace process. But, the peace process is almost dead in the country, speakers at the book launch said.

Myanmar has now moved into the second generation of reform, with Daw Aung San Suu Kyis government succeeding the U Thein Sein administration. But, the current government still has not mentioned what type of democracy it will give the ethnic groups.

As for the federal system, there is still no plan ready to be implemented despite two reformist governments taking power.

We do not see any progress toward a federal system from the two governments, said Zo Tum Hmung.

Mother Tongue Study

Separately, ENAC said all ethnic children should have the right to study in their mother tongue, noting that Mon State had implemented such a program that could serve as a test case.

There are more than 100 ethnic Mon schools run by the Mon National Education Committee and ENAC is working with the MNEC to help implement similar mother tongue programs for other ethnic groups.

The group said the central government needed to provide funds for such studies, including to the MNEC, which faces dire financial difficulties running its own school system.

All Mon students are citizens of Myanmar. The government should provide a budget for their study, Nai Pon Nya Mon said.

In Chin, there were no Chin ethnic national schools, according to Zo Tum Hmung.

Under the military regime, ethnic people could not study in their mother tongue. But, since the political reforms began, the government has provided some small space for ethnic people to provide services supporting native language studies.

However, many of the ethnic teachers teaching mother tongue studies faced delays in getting paid, and some ethnic leaders complained the government did not do enough to support these programs.
Burma Mandalay to Invite 20,000 Monks for Merit Making

Monks accept alms from merit makers in Mandalay, Sept, 20, 2015. / Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy

MANDALAY  The Mandalay Division government is organizing a mass donation ceremony in cooperation with Thailands Dhammakaya Foundation for next month to strengthen relations between the two countries.

The ceremony, expected to draw some 20,000 monks from across the division and 60 monks from Thailand, is schedule for Jan. 21 at Mandalays Chanmyatharzi Airport.

The organizing committee includes the Union minister of religion and culture, the chief minister of Mandalay and other regional government officials. According to the committee, this will be the second time that Thai monks will have joined such a ceremony in Mandalay but the first time that so many local monks will have taken part.

This event will be unique for Mandalay because weve never done this before with so many monks, said U Soe Lin, the committee chairman.

This event will not only strengthen relations between Myanmar and Thailand, but also preserve Buddhist culture in the country, he said. As Mandalay is one of the centers of Buddhism, this will be a historically remarkable event.

According to the committee, the Dhammakaya Foundation, part of Thailands Dhammakaya monastery, has donated 400,000,000 kyats ($293,000) for the event.

We are now cleaning the Chanmyatharzi Airport because it has been abandoned for more than a decade, since the airport was moved to Tadaoo. Our chief minister chose this place to avoid traffic congestion from the event, said U Soe Lin.

The first mass donation ceremony, with 10,000 monks, was held in Mandalay in September 2015 in cooperation with the abbot of the Dhammakaya monastery, Luang Por Dhammajayo, who is currently wanted by the Thai government for money laundering.

The organizing committee said the event is expected to bring in at least 30,000 kyats in donations for each of the invited monks and that everyone was welcome to join.

Devotees interested in participating in the ceremony should contact the committee in Mandalay not later than Jan. 15.
Burma Sanctions Unlikely to Affect Gems Industry

A prospective buyer checks a piece of jade at Myanmars Gems Emporium 2017 on Tuesday in Naypyitaw. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  Possible sanctions on Myanmars jade and gems are unlikely to have a noticeable impact on the country, said local gems dealers, as Myanmar sells many of its rubies and sapphires to China, India and Thailand.

In response to Myanmar Army counter-insurgency operations in northern Rakhine that saw more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims flee to Bangladesh since late August, some American luxury jewelry retailers have boycotted gems from Myanmar, posing challenges to Myanmars gems industry.

Our country only opened very recently. There is not much difference between being sanctioned or not. Sales did not increase after sanctions were lifted [by the US in September last year], said vice-chairman U Myint Han of the Myanmar Gems and Jewelry Entrepreneurs Association.

For example, if we record sales revenue of $583 million, gems only count for $3 million. The rest comes from jade, he added, as Myanmars jade is mainly exported to neighboring China through border trade.

French luxury gem retailer Cartier recently announced that it would boycott gems from Myanmar.

US company Tiffany & Co stopped buying rubies from Myanmar in 2003 when the US Congress enacted a law that banned the importation of products from Myanmar. The ban included a loophole that allowed dealers to import gems from Myanmar if they were cut and polished somewhere else.

In 2007, Cartier boycotted buying gemstones mined in Myanmar in response to a military crackdown on protestors demanding democracy.

Daw Khin Ohn Myint of Bawma Gems Co in Myanmars ruby-rich Mogok said Myanmar has no direct market with western buyers and boycotts will have limited impact.

Jade is mainly bought by China and international buyers buy from China, said Daw Khin Ohn Myint who called the boycotting not unusual.

Myanmar held its 54th annual gems emporium in August this year, selling 518.824 million euros (690 million USD) worth of 5,197 gem and jade lots under an open tender system.

Director-general U Khin Latt Gyi of the Ministry of Mines said, Gems dealers want to legally sell their products. So our ministry organizes gems emporiums twice a year, and mostly Chinese buyers come and buy.

He and another assistant director however declined to comment on the impact of the Rakhine issue on Myanmars jade and gems industry.

Myanmar is currently holding another jade and gems emporium in Naypyitaw that will sell 190 gem lots and 6,685 jade lots. More than 2,000 Chinese buyers, 19 Thai buyers and three buyers from Macao have come to the emporium, while only a Canadian buyer has registered to attend.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Yangon Restricts Drones for Security Reasons

Yangon Regions general administration department restricts drones for security reasons.

YANGON  Yangon Regions general administration department has banned drone flying for security reasons in areas in 16 townships where local and international aircraft operate.

The recent order was issued after drones flying in the approach path to the runway at Yangon International Airport disturbed airplane traffic, the order stated.

With bird strikes reportedly forcing emergency aircraft landings in past years, the order added that drone collisions could result in dangerous situations despite airport security measures.

The drone/unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) prohibited areas include North Okkalapa, Dagon Myothit (North), Dagon Myothit (East), Insein, Shwepyithar, Hlaing Tharyar, Mayangone, Hlaing, Kamayut, Kyimyindaing, Sanchaung, Bahan, Seikgyikanaungto, Mingaladon, Hlegu and Htantabin townships.

Violators of the order would face fines or one month to six months imprisonment or both under Article 188 of Myanmars Penal Code.

It is acceptable as the safety risk is high. But it will be better to have legislation on using drones [instead of issuing restrictions in certain areas], said Ko Nyana (aka Phoe Lone), the owner of MAVS aerial drone shooting services, rental and sales center.

He said that if drone legislation were prescribed, it would benefit the state, as drones are being used for government projects, mapping and surveying more so than for private use.

So far, drones fly in unrestricted areas with the permission of local authorities and police after registering with the Ministry of Transports Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

The countrys landmark Shwedagon Pagoda also banned UAVs from flying over the famed pagoda or its grounds.

Two foreign journalists from Turkish state broadcaster TRT World and two Myanmar citizens were detained by police for attempting to fly a drone near Myanmars Parliament in Naypyitaw on Oct. 27 amid tension raised between Myanmar and Turkey over the Rohingya crisis.

The four were sentenced to two months imprisonment on Nov. 10 under the countrys Aircraft Act and are still facing trial under the 2012 Export and Import Law for illegally bringing the drone into the country and Section 13(1) of the Immigration Act.
Learning how to program a quantum computer has been pushed a step forward with Microsoft's release of a free preview of its Quantum Development Kit.

This includes the Q# programming language  which was built specifically for quantum computing  a quantum computing simulator, and other resources for those who are interested in this field, according to a blog post by Microsoft employee Allison Linn this week.

The kit, initially announced at the company's Ignite conference in September, is geared towards developers who are interested in programming on quantum computers irrespective of whether they are quantum physics experts.

The QDK is integrated into Visual Studio which means some features will be familiar to developers working with other languages.

The kit is "designed to work with a local quantum simulator that can simulate around 30 logical qubits of quantum computing power using a typical laptop computer".

"That will allow developers to debug quantum code and test programs on small instances right on their own computers."

Charles Marcus, Krysta Svore, Leo Kouwenhoven and Michael Freedman who are leading Microsofts quantum computing efforts.

Linn said that for larger-scale quantum challenges, an Azure-based simulator that could simulate more than 40 logical qubits of computing power, was being offered.

Documentation, libraries and sample programs will also be made available, giving developers the learning material to begin experimenting with things like quantum teleportation which are unique to quantum computing. It allows secure sharing of information across quantum computing bits, or qubits, that are connected by a quantum state called entanglement.

The hope is that you play with something like teleportation and you get intrigued, said Krysta Svore, a principal researcher at Microsoft and a lead developer of the quantum software and simulator.

The QDK will allow the creation of applications that can run right now on the simulator. The same applications will eventually work on a topological quantum computer, which Microsoft is developing for general purpose quantum computing.

The beauty of it is that this code wont need to change when we plug it into the quantum hardware, Svore said.

Todd Holmdahl, corporate vice-president in charge of Microsofts quantum effort, said it was up to the company to figure out the quantum physics  and deliver tools like the QDK that average developers could use.

What youre going to see as a developer is the opportunity to tie into tools that you already know well, services you already know well, Holmdahl said.

There will be a twist with quantum computing, but its our job to make it as easy as possible for the developers who know and love us to be able to use these new tools that could potentially do some things exponentially faster  which means going from a billion years on a classical computer to a couple hours on a quantum computer.

Photo: courtesy Microsoft
The French Government has announced that it will ban the use of mobile phones in primary, junior and middle schools from September next year.

Children will be permitted to bring the devices to school but will not be allowed to take them out during school hours, including the meal breaks, The Guardian reported.

The ban was part of the platform for President Emmanuel Macron during his election campaign earlier this year.

Education Minster Jean-Michel Blanquer said the ban would apply to all pupils from the age of six  when they start school  to 15, when they generally start secondary school.

He said some institutions had already put a ban in place.

Sometimes you need a mobile for teaching reasons  for urgent situations, but their use has to be somehow controlled, Blanquer said during a radio interview.

The ban was also a public health message to families, he said, adding: Its good that children are not too often, or even at all, in front of a screen before the age of seven.

The headteachers union's deputy general secretary Philippe Vincent expressed scepticism about the motive behind the ban.

This new announcement from the ministry leaves us dubious because were having trouble understanding what is the real issue here. In general, were used to them being logical and pragmatic about things, and here, we cant find the logic or the pragmatism in the announcements, he said.

Are we going to transform a school into a giant locker? Ive done a little calculation myself: 5300 state schools with an average 500 pupils each, that makes around three million lockers.
A Vietnamese man has been jailed for four years by his country's military court after it was found that he had breached security systems at Perth Airport and stolen sensitive information.

Le Duc Hoang Hai used the credentials of a third-party contractor in March 2016 to effect the break-in, according to a report in The West Australian on Monday.

The newspaper quoted Alastair MacGibbon, cyber security adviser to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, as saying Hai had managed to exfiltrate building schematics and details of physical security.

However, he had not accessed radars or other systems concerned with the operation of aircraft, MacGibbon claimed.

Hai was also found to have breached the defences of banks, telecommunications companies and an online military newspaper in Vietnam.

A view of Perth Airport.

The breach was detected by staff at the airport who then contacted the federal cyber security authorities.

MacGibbon told the newspaper that there was no indication that Hai was part of a larger operation or that he had sold the information he obtained to anyone else.

He said it underlined the need for third-party contractors to use better security like two-factor identification, as this method of breaking in  using a third party's credentials  was becoming common.

Photo: courtesy Perth Airport
A researcher from Google's Project Zero has released proof-of-concept code to exploit a bug in Apple's iOS and macOS operating systems.

Successful exploitation will give an attacker root status on the device in question.

Ian Beer released a technical explanation of the bug after the standard 90-day period which Project Zero observes after reporting a bug to the manufacturer.

The code would allow kernel-level access and also provide an initial local kernel debugger, he said.

Beer claimed the bug was reachable from the iOS app sandbox and this was demonstrated by his PoC.

Apple patched the bug in iOS 11.2 on 2 December. A fix for macOS was also released.

The exploit works by using memory corruption to run malicious code as the root user.

Beer said he had tested the exploit on an iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, and iPod touch 6G. Adding support for other devices should be easy, in his words.

tfp0 should work for all devices, the PoC local kernel debugger only for those I have to test on (iPhone 7, 6s and iPod Touch 6G) but adding more support should be easy  Ian Beer (@i41nbeer) December 11, 2017

Google's Project Zero researchers have released similar exploits for Microsoft software in the past, at times angering the software maker.

Microsoft has replied in kind on one occasion, releasing details of a method whereby remote code can be executed within Google's Chrome browser.
Online discount retailer Kogan is continuing its rapid expansion from delivery of electronic goods including mobile phones and mobile services, branching out into the health insurance market in a new partnership with Medibank through its wholly-owned subsidiary Australian Health Management Group.

Set to launch in the second half of the current financial year, Kogan says its on a path with a new brand  Kogan Health  to deliver budget health policies and bring healthy competition to the health insurance industry.

Kogans health insurance offerings will be administered via Medibanks Australian Health Management Group in a deal to run for an initial period of three years, with underwriting provided by Medibank.

Touting the deal as another example of its brand offering value for money across its wide portfolio of businesses, Kogan executive director David Shafer says Kogan will earn commissions on sales of all insurance policies.

"Non-insurance and under-insurance is a growing problem in Australia, with millions of individuals and families not having the level of health cover they may need.

Kogan Health will bring healthy competition to the health insurance industry, ultimately making it more affordable to take control of your health, Shafer gushed effusively.

He says the partnership is another important opportunity to delight Kogans large and growing community, by offering better value health insurance to the Australian public.

Kogan.com is delighted to be partnering with Medibank and ahm, which together represent one of Australias largest health insurers, providing private health insurance and health solutions to 3.7 million Australians. ahm is also Australias fastest growing health insurer.

Having more than eight million Aussies as members of the Kogan community enables us to form strong commercial partnerships like this, which result in a win-win-win for Medibank, Kogans shareholders and, most importantly, Kogans customers.

Medibank group executive, chief customer officer David Koczkar said: Kogan.com has been very good at creating a sharp, low-fuss online experience for value-conscious customers.

So this partnership is a great match and well be able to do something different and attractive for Kogan Health customers."

Kogans steady expansion from its roots as purely an aggressive e-retailer offering heavily discounted electronic goods is part of its strategy for developing a broad-based business portfolio with other offerings beyond the electronics products market.

In mid-year, Kogan flagged it was entering the broadband market, announcing it will offer fixed-line NBN services in 2018 in a deal with partner company Vodafone Hutchison Australia.

The deal with VHA will extend the Kogan/VHA partnership across both mobile and fixed-line services for an additional four years to 2022, with rolling two-year extensions after that.

Under the agreement, VHA will provide network and customer service support and marketing incentives for the launch of the Kogan fixed-line services.

"Our strategy to create a portfolio of businesses, all connected through the Kogan brand and all focussed on delivering more affordable goods and services by leveraging our digital expertise, is working, says Shafer.

"Non-insurance and under-insurance is a growing problem in Australia, with millions of individuals and families not having the level of health cover they may need.

"We work hard to help serve our community of more than eight million subscribers. Kogans mission is to make in-demand products and services more affordable and accessible, and we think consumers of health insurance stand to benefit greatly from more competition."
Global digital customer acquisition software company Avoka Technologies has completed a A$16 million capital raising as part of its strategy to support growth in Australia, North America and Europe.

Avoka says the latest financing  managed by Moelis Australia  follows a similar equity raising in June 2016, and reflects substantial confidence in its growth plans based on the recent announcement of record financial results.

The company says funds raised will be used to support growth plans now underway in Australia, North America and Europe, with a focus on investment and hiring to support current and projected customers.

Avoka, which has 220 employees, is undertaking a global expansion program and says it plans to increase staff numbers by 50% by the end of the current financial year.

Our planned pace of growth continues across all three of our target geographies, and this financing allows us to maintain an aggressive expansion in our technology, sales, partner and customer success organisations, said Phil Copeland, Avokas founder and chief executive.

We are continuing to expand and hire new employees in our offices in Sydney, Denver, London and Frankfurt.

Angus Murnaghan, a managing director at Moelis Australia, said the successful completion of the equity raising from existing investors reflected the phenomenal progress made by the team and their ability to deliver on their forecasts.

In August, Avoka announced record annual growth with orders increasing 79% during the year ended June 30.

And according to the company, driving this performance has been widespread adoption of its Avoka Transact platform, which large banks around the world are using to accelerate their digital transformation.

Avoka Transact is designed to help banks improve their customer experience and reduce their time to-market across a range of areas from retail credit card applications to more complex commercial bank on-boarding.

Avoka says its customers include five of the top 10 banks in Australia, four of Europes 10 leading banks and eight of the top 50 banks in the US.
The Antitrust Authority in Israel is looking into a complaint by Artimedia, a platform for video advertising, that Google's dominance of the Internet advertising market could constitute a possible restraint of trade.

A report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz said until now there had been no move to investigate Google because nobody had lodged a complaint about a violation of trade law.'

The complaint claims that Google's online ad services "illustrate Googles tremendous conglomerate power, which extends across the digital advertising continuum in all its forms. [It] sheds light on Googles varied and sophisticated ways of exploiting its status to push competition away".

Google was hit with a 2.42 billion fine by the European Union in June for allegedly abusing its search engine dominance to give illegal advantage to its own comparison shopping service. The search giant has appealed against the fine.

It is likely to facefrom the EU over its AdSense advertising system before the year is out. A third fine, over the Android mobile operating system, is

Haaretz said Google operated the Google Display Network, and a service known as DoubleClick for Publishers, which helped Web publishers manage ad inventories and upload ads.

While DFP is supposed to operate independently and offer ads from GDN and rival services, like Sikendo and Positive Mobile, Artimedia claims that DFP gives preference to GDN in a malicious and sophisticated way.

Rivals cannot access from DFP all the information they need to manage ad inventory, it claims.

Last month, the US state of Missouri launched an investigation into Google, seeking to determine whether the company had broken consumer protection and anti-trust laws.

Missouri attorney-general Josh Hawley said the probe would seek to determine if Google had broken the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act and the state's anti-trust laws.

Google has faced no action by any government authorities in the US so far, with its close ties with the White House during Barack Obama's eight years as president said to be the main reason why it has avoided a probe into unfair competition. A probe was proposed by the Federal Trade Commission in 2012, but was not followed through.
At its simplest level, machine learning is defined as the ability (for computers) to learn without being explicitly programmed. Using mathematical techniques across huge datasets, machine learning algorithms essentially build models of behaviors and use those models as a basis for making future predictions based on newly input data. It is Netflix offering up new TV series based on your previous viewing history, and the self-driving car learning about road conditions from a near-miss with a pedestrian.

So, what are the machine learning applications in information security?

In principle, machine learning can help businesses better analyze threats and respond to attacks and security incidents. It could also help to automate more menial tasks previously carried out by stretched and sometimes under-skilled security teams.

Subsequently, machine learning in security is a fast-growing trend. Analysts at ABI Research estimate that machine learning in cyber security will boost spending in big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics to $96 billion by 2021, while some of the worlds technology giants are already taking a stand to better protect their own customers.

Google is using machine learning to analyze threats against mobile endpoints running on Android -- as well as identifying and removing malware from infected handsets, while cloud infrastructure giant Amazon has acquired start-up harvest.AI and launched Macie, a service that uses machine learning to uncover, sort and classify data stored on the S3 cloud storage service.
Almost two years of preparation involving over 200 meetings, 30 subcommittees, and so on. Thats just a quick look at Joyce Rabins work as Chair of Together in Israel: Our Pride, Our Purpose. Hadassahs 100th National Convention. (Hadassah, which was founded in 1912, held its first conventi Read moreS'ville resident helps organize 100th national of Hadassah, The Womens Zionist Organization of America
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IMEMC News |  

Christian Palestinians, along with Muslims, held a protest in front of the historic Church of the Nativity, after Sunday prayers, to express their rejection of US president Donald Trumps decision to consider Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel.

The protesters assured that they would not meet with Trumps second in command, Vice President Mike Pence, because of the US administrations pro-Israel positions.

Participants raised Palestinian flags and slogans, in both English and Arabic, denouncing the decision on Jerusalem and warning against the vice presidents visit to the city.

George Zina, who spoke on behalf of Palestinian factions, the FollowUp Christian Committee, and Christian institutions in Bethlehem, stressed the popular position which rejects the visit to the city, which carries for them a meaning of war and aggression.

Zina added that Trumps decision harms both Palestinian Christians and Muslims, and that the US president has no right to forget the religious and historical significance of the city, or its indigenous inhabitants.

He stressed that the decision is in violation of international laws and conventions, and will not change the Christian and Islamic reality of the city.

He called on the international community to challenge this arrogance, and to pressure Trump to withdraw his decision, adding that the Christians of the city are not welcoming of the visit, either.

Fateh Revolutionary Council member Mohammed Lahham also called for not receiving the vice president in Bethlehem.

He said: We will receive [the] US vice president with shoes and more.

He said that Pence was unwelcome and would be expelled from the city.

On Thursday, senior Fateh official Jibril Rajoub said that Pence was unwelcome in Palestine.

In the name of Fateh, 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, Jibril Rajoub stated.

In response to the reports of Palestinians not welcoming Mike Pence, a spokesperson for the vice president said that, by refusing to meet the latter during his upcoming trip to the region, the Palestinian Authority (PA) was turning its back on a dialogue about the future of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Pence is expected to visit the region later this month. He is set to travel to Israel and to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, PNN reports.

It was not clear what Rajoubs remarks meant for the West Bank portion of Pences trip, but Politico recently reported that Pence still intends to meet with Abbas and Palestinian leaders and thinks any decision to pull out of the meeting would be counterproductive, according to a White House official.

(Edited for the IMEMC by c h r i s @ i m e m c . o r g.)



Related video added by Juan Cole:

CGTN: Palestinian leaders refuse to meet US vice president
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By Erica Portnoy and Jeremy Gillula | ( Electronic Frontier Foundation) |  

Earlier this year nearly 200 Internet engineers and computer scientists sent a letter to the FCC that explained facts about the structure, history, and evolving nature of the Internet. The reasons we laid out in that letter for writing it then still apply to the draft now:

Based on certain questions the FCC asks in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), we are concerned that the FCC (or at least Chairman Pai and the authors of the NPRM) appears to lack a fundamental understanding of what the Internets technology promises to provide, how the Internet actually works, which entities in the Internet ecosystem provide which services, and what the similarities and differences are between the Internet and other telecommunications systems the FCC regulates as telecommunications services.

Unfortunately it looks like the FCC ignored the technical parts of that letter, because the FCCs latest plan to kill net neutrality is still riddled with technical errors and factual inaccuracies. Here are just a few.

The FCC Still Doesnt Understand That Using the Internet Means Having Your ISP Transmit Packets For You

The biggest misunderstanding the FCC still has is the incorrect belief that when your broadband provider sells you Internet access, theyre not selling you a service by which you can transmit data to and from whatever points on the Internet you want. Citing a past order, the FCC demonstrates this misunderstanding by claiming that [e]nd users do not expect to receive (or pay for) two distinct servicesboth Internet access service and a distinct transmission service, for example.

This false distinction between Internet access service and a distinct transmission service is utterly ridiculous and completely ungrounded from reality. As the FCC would have it, there is some sort of transmission that is separate from the Internet that ISPs provide access to.

The FCC needs to realize that the Internet is nothing more than transmission between interconnected machines. The FCCs understanding of the Internet borders on the mystical, as if the Internet itself were some vaguely defined other realm that an ISP opens a portal to. But there is no other realm, only a collection of networks, including the ISPs networks. Theres no Internet separate from accessing the Internet; the Internet is just machines accessing each other. Its worrying that such a mischaracterization may be the basis of a federal regulation that will have wide-ranging effects.

The FCC Still Doesnt Understand How DNS Works

Besides not understanding how Internet access works, the FCC also has a troublingly limited knowledge of how the Domain Name System (DNS) workseven though hundreds of engineers tried to explain it to them this past summer.

Citing back to language dating from the days of Bell Operating Companies, the FCC claims that DNS functions similarly to a gateway. We do, however, find similarities between functionalities such as address translation and storage and retrieval to key functionalities provided by ISPs as part of broadband Internet access service, and we conclude the court found such gateway and similar functionalities independently sufficient to warrant an information service classification under the MFJ.

Heres the thing: address translation and storage and retrieval are fundamental parts of any software implementation; these implementation details have little to do with the service that a system provides. DNS is a fundamental piece of the transmission puzzle. Code translation is a general purpose technique. Every machine translates IP addresses from machine-order to network-order; that doesnt make every translation point a gateway.

Whats more, the FCC still thinks that the absence of ISP-provided DNS would fundamentally change the online experience for the consumer. Although it admits that ISPs are not the sole providers of DNS services, it still thinks that DNS is indispensable to the broadband Internet access service customers useand expecttoday. As the FCC would have it, an Internet user actively expects their ISP to provide DNS to them.

But thats hardly the case. Most users dont know what DNS is, let alone expect that their ISP provides it. As for users who know enough about DNS to have expectations about who provides it, many choose to use third-party services for their speed and value-add functionality separate from the name translation service. ISPs choose to point users to their own DNS service; they could just as easily point to a third-party service instead of their own, and users would rarely ever notice a difference.

The FCC Still Doesnt Understand How Caching Works

The FCC is also confused on the matter of caching. Like DNS, it treats caching as if it were some specialized service rather than an implementation detail and general-purpose computing technique. In its discussion of Web caching services, which the earlier Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asked for commentary on, the FCC included an irrelevant line about the general computing technique of caching which is usually used as part of implementing a DNS service. This implementation detail certainly has no bearing on either Web caching or DNS as services, and shows how little it understands these services on the whole.

Since the FCC cites them, it clearly read the multiple comments stating that over 50% of Web traffic is now encrypted. Yet, it sticks to the assertion that truly pervasive encryption on the Internet is still a long way off, and that many sites still do not encrypt, and use that to dismiss assertions in record that suggest that ISP-provided caching is not a vital part of broadband Internet access service offerings, as it may be stymied by the use of HTTPS encryption.

Although the FCC tries to claim that offering web caching is an integral part of the functionality that ISPs provide, this is not the case. In fact, Sonic, a San Francisco-based ISP, does not run web caching equipment for its customers (although they do host a number of boxes from non-affiliated CDN platforms, including the Google Global Cache, Netflix OpenConnect, and Akamaibut they dont operate those boxes).

And if the FCC doesnt understand the Internet in general, it understands mobile telephony and broadband Internet access even less.

The FCC Doesnt Understand How the Phone System Works

The FCCs apparent understanding of the phone system seems to be stuck in the days of rotary phones. For users on a modern American network, voice calling is just one of many applications that a phone enables. If the user has poor signal, that voice call might travel at some point over the circuit-switched PSTN, but it might also never leave a packet-switched network if its sent over VoIP or LTE/EPC.

To make its case, the FCC cites its Wireless Broadband Internet Access Order from 2007, saying that [m]obile wireless broadband Internet access service in and of itself does not provide the capability to communicate with all users of the public switched network because it does not use the North American Numbering Plan to access the Internet, which limits subscribers ability to communicate to or receive communications from all users in the public switched network.

Modern phone users may be shocked to hear that assertion, given the proliferation of VoIP apps that will dial an NANP number over the Internet without a problem.

Further, the FCC completely ignored the fact that mobile carriers are deploying technology which unifies the underlying infrastructure which makes up the public switched telephone network and the Internet on their networks. This omission is so egregious, we had to write them a separate letter just to get the facts into the record.

The FCCs Plan to Kill Net Neutrality is Based on Faulty Technical Premises

There are at least two possible explanations for all of these misunderstandings and technical errors. One is that, as weve suggested, the FCC doesnt understand how the Internet works. The second is that it doesnt care, because its real goal is simply to cobble together some technical justification for its plan to kill net neutrality. A linchpin of that plan is to reclassify broadband as an information service, (rather than a telecommunications service, or common carrier) and the FCC needs to offer some basis for it. So, we fear, its making one up, and hoping no one will notice.

We noticed. And we need your help. The one group Chairman Pai might listen to is Congressafter all, Congress has oversight authority over the FCC. If enough members of Congress signal to Pai that his plan will cost them at the ballot box he might just get the messageand reverse course before its too late.

Take action

Tell Congress: Dont sell the Internet out

Via Electronic Frontier Foundation



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Trump FCC Chair Ajit Pai Will Probably Get His Way On Net Neutrality (HBO)
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

French President Emmanuel Macron has a program he calls MAPA  Making the Planet Great Again. His government is offering funding to climate scientists who are facing obstacles in their home countries, to come and work in France. He just managed to lure away 18 high-powered scientists, one of whom shared a Nobel Prize and 12 of whom are Americans.

France is after all a very pleasant place to live and work, with state of the art labs and equipment for scientists. Macrons is the first French government to take the challenge of climate change seriously and to pursue renewable energy (French energy policy was earlier tied to nuclear reactors, but these have been an environmental disaster).

France has a Ministry of Ecology, nowadays headed by environmental activist Nicolas Hulot. France has received permission from the European Union to install 17 gigawatts of renewable energy.

Trumps anti-environment secretary of the Environment, Scott Pruitt, has muzzled climate scientists and the Trump regime has taken down huge numbers of government web sites and data bases on climate change.

What Macron is pointing out is that high-powered scientists with a Ph.D. dont have to go through life being humiliated by lying non-entities such as Pruitt, a creature of the Oklahoma oil and gas industry. People willing to harm their grandchildren for a quick buck today arent even human, just empty, demonic shells walking around as simulacra.

Not satisfied to destroy Americas lead on solar and wind energy technology, the Republican Party now has a plot, inspired by Wall Street Journal purveyor of untruths Stephen Moore, to cripple graduate education by slapping a tax on tuition forgiveness.

The result will be a vast exodus of bright, inventive, entrepreneurial Americans to Europe and Asia, where they will give those economies the extra boost of innovation. The United States in the meantime will sink into poverty, a stagnant economy, and crime.

The US has all along had a streak of anti-intellectualism and suspicion of high powered science. Now the worst elements in the GOP plan to put it all into law and drag the country down to their level.

-

Related video:

Newsy: France awards grants to US climate scientists
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 12, 2017 / Gungnir Resources Inc. (TSX-V: GUG, OTC PINK: ASWRF) ("Gungnir" or the "Company") has submitted applications to acquire 5 new permits totaling 25 sq. km in northern Sweden.

The permits cover significant gold, silver and copper mineralized boulders/blocks along a north-west trending corridor located approximately 200 km north of the Company's Knaften project. Historic prospecting results include:

7.7 g/t Au

4.3 g/t Au and 2.3 % Cu

3.7 g/t Au, 380 g/t Ag and 1.3 % Cu

2.6 g/t Au and 10 g/t Ag

2.54 g/t Au

2.09 % Cu, 25 g/t Ag and 0.9 g/t Au

1.96 % Cu and 1.3 g/t Au

1.52 % Cu and 33 g/t Ag

"As part of the Company's strategy to actively monitor new quality opportunities and to maintain a pipe-line of projects from prospecting to advanced stage, we have added these early-stage prospects to our portfolio. We believe we have picked the initial nuggets within this potentially over-looked mineralized trend in northern Sweden, and plan a summer prospecting program on all five permits," commented Gungnir's CEO, Jari Paakki.

Permit applications are subject to final approval by the Inspector of Mining in Sweden. Prospecting samples noted above are historic surface grab samples of boulders/blocks and may not be representative of mineralization hosted on the permits. Assays results are from the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU) data files. The Company has not verified this data.

Mr. Jari Paakki, M.Sc., P.Geo., is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Paakki prepared the technical information contained in this news release and has approved its disclosure.

About Gungnir Resources

Gungnir Resources Inc. is a Canadian-based TSX-V listed mineral exploration company (GUG: TSX-V) with gold and base metal permits in northern Sweden within a region hosting 12 million ounces of gold delineated in existing and mined resources plus several past-producing and producing base metal mines. The Company's key gold project, Knaften, is situated at the southern extension of the "Gold Line" which hosts a number of gold deposits including Faboliden and Svartliden (Dragon Mining), and Barsele (Agnico Eagle and Barsele Minerals). The Company also has permits covering two nickel deposits in Sweden, Lappvattnet, and Rormyrberget which collectively host 70 million pounds of nickel in historical resources (see NR dated February 24, 2015). Gungnir additionally holds a $5,000,000 royalty stream and received the first annual payment of $1,000,000 on May 2, 2017. The next annual payment of $1,000,000 is due on April 30, 2018. Further information about the Company and its properties may be found at www.gungnirresources.com or at www.sedar.com.
THUNDER BAY, ON, Dec. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - Premier Gold Mines Limited (TSX-PG) is pleased to provide a summary of results from the 2017 exploration program at the Company's 100%-owned Hasaga Project in the Red Lake gold mining district of Northwestern Ontario. This program is targeting potential higher-grade gold mineralization along the Hasaga Deep Target trend at depth, proximal to historic results and includes new wedged holes from historic drill sites.

Highlights from the 2017 exploration campaign include:

New C-Zone delineation results include HMP 164 with 9.19 g/t Au across 50.0m and HMP 164-W3 with 12.03 g/t Au across 21.0m.

Previously reported C-Zone results include HMP 151 with 10.94 g/t Au across 54.0m and HMP 17-88-02-W2 grading 22.56 g/t Au across 7.0m.

A mineral resource estimate was released earlier in the year of 1.12M ozs gold Indicated and 0.63M ozs gold Inferred from multiple optimized pit shells, suggesting widespread near surface mineralization having potential for future open pit mining.

A new discovery located 500-metres west of the C-Zone includes HMP 162 grading 9.55 g/t Au across 8.0m and highlights some two kilometres of underexplored property (Hasaga Deep Target) west of Hasaga to the Buffalo mine.

Figure 1 below is a 3D-rendering of the Hasaga Property that profiles the multiple locations of the 2017 mineral resources estimate, the C-Zone delineation target and the new discovery some 500m west of the C-Zone. A comprehensive table of assay highlights from the 2017 Hasaga Deep drill program is summarized in Table 1.

Abbreviations used in this press release are available by following this link (click here).

Exploration Program Overview

The Hasaga Property is host to the past-producing Hasaga and Buffalo and Goldshore Mines and is being evaluated for both lower grade, open-pit potential as well as higher grade mineralization that may occur at depth. Premier considers Hasaga to have similar exploration potential to other historic mining camps in Ontario, where gold resources have been discovered at the site of past-producing mines.

The 2017 exploration program was focused on testing the potential for deeper, higher-grade mineralization in the Hasaga porphyry, which occurs along a two-kilometre corridor between the Hasaga and Buffalo mines and is proximal to a major regional unconformity that separates the Balmer and Confederation-aged rock assemblages. This unconformity is an important component thought critical to the formation of the world class gold deposits in Red Lake currently being mined by Goldcorp Inc.

"Our latest results include high grade intercepts with attractive geometries and common visible gold." commented Stephen McGibbon, Premier's Executive Vice-President on the Company's C-Suite Blog (http://www.premiergoldmines.com/news/c-suite-blog). "The large step-out holes drilled with HMP 161 and HMP 162 included extensive alteration similar to the C Zone some 500 metres to the east."

Host rocks containing the mineralized material include the Dome Stock and Hasaga Porphyry units, both of which are well-known as historic hosts of mineable gold deposits.

The 2017 Hasaga exploration program included drilling 21 holes (including wedged holes) with some 22,000 metres of core drilling at a cost of some C$2.9 million. Premier is actively integrating results of the program and has proposed a 2018 program that continues to explore along the Hasaga Deep Target. An updated mineral resource estimate is anticipated in due course.

Table 1 - Summary of drill results from completed 2017 exploration program

Hole ID Coordinates(1)

(m) Azimuth/Dip Elevation

(m) Section Comment From

(m) To

(m) Intercept

(m) Intercept

True Width

(m) Au

(g/t) HMP151 442172/5651660 323.7 / -81 388 12100 C Zone; Vg 771.0 825.0 54.0 28.8 10.94 Including; Vg 771.0 779.0 8.0 4.3 23.32 and; Vg 789.0 812.0 23.0 12.3 11.23 and; Vg 820.0 825.0 5.0 2.7 25.56 HMP153 441145/5651862 147.7 / -81 386 11200 C Zone; Vg 1064.0 1065.0 1.0 0.6 41.20 HMP154 441950/5651418 334.9 / -75 390 11850 C Zone 811.0 820.0 9.0 5.9 1.30 HMP155 441019/5651660 140.3 / -80 11100 C Zone 52.5 58.5 6.0 3.6 1.54 72.0 85.5 13.5 8.1 1.21 800.0 809.0 9.0 5.4 2.10 HMP156 441809/5651312 322.5 /-80 380 11650 C Zone; Vg 1047.0 1050.0 3.0 1.8 6.68 HMP157 441154/5651748 150.1 / -78 380 11200 C Zone; Vg 758.0 759.0 1.0 0.6 19.90 HMP159 441322/5651839 147.5 / -80 380 11400 C Zone 7.5 9.0 1.5 0.9 4.67 815.0 816.0 1.0 0.6 7.56 826.0 828.0 2.0 1.2 4.88 921.0 923.0 2.0 1.2 5.00 HMP160 441718/5651253 330 / -80 380 11500 C Zone 1291.0 1293.0 2.0 1.2 3.28 1319.0 1322.0 3.0 1.8 3.72 HMP161 440664/5651647 151.5 /-80 386 10750 West Extension 1031.0 1212.0 181.0 106.4 1.21 including 1045.0 1052.0 7.0 4.1 3.60 and 1077.0 1095.0 18.0 10.6 2.21 and 1105.0 1110.0 5.0 2.9 2.88 and; Vg 1211.0 1212.0 1.00 0.6 19.40 HMP162 440664/5651647 151.5/-62 386 10750 West Extension 799.0 807.0 8.0 7.3 9.55 including; Vg 799.0 800.0 1.0 0.9 64.60 17-88-02w1 441546/5651183 330/-80 385 12170 C Zone 977.0 987.0 10.0 6.5 3.38 Including; Vg 985.0 987.0 2.0 1.3 13.30 1006.0 1008.0 2.0 1.3 3.50 Vg 1049.0 1050.0 1.0 0.6 6.00 1083.0 1088.0 5.0 3.3 3.55 17-88-02w2 441546/5651183 330/-80 385 12200 C Zone 881.0 886.0 5.0 3.0 3.36 Vg 898.0 905.0 7.0 4.2 22.56 Including 904.0 905.0 1.0 0.6 125.00 17-88-03w1 441500/5651130 330/-85 385 12200 C Zone; Vg 1287.0 1291.0 4.0 3.8 3.82 17-88-03w2 441500/5651130 330/-85 385 12120 C Zone; Vg 1294.0 1298.0 4.0 2.5 5.45 Vg 1459.0 1462.0 3.0 2.0 6.41 HMP164* 441500/5651128 330/-76 384 12115 C Zone; Vg 875.0 925.0 50.0 29.4 9.19 Including; Vg 893.0 900.0 7.0 4.1 39.95 HMP164-W1* 441500/5651128 330/-76 384 12160 C Zone; Vg 847.0 862.0 15.0 10.4 4.81 Including; Vg 860.0 862.0 2.0 1.4 30.63 HMP164-W2* 441500/5651128 330/-76 384 12180 C Zone 838.0 859.0 21.0 14.6 2.10 Including; Vg 838.0 842.0 4.0 2.8 4.35 and; Vg 854.0 859.0 5.0 3.5 3.92 HMP164-W3* 441500/5651128 330/-76 384 12160 C Zone; Vg 855.0 881.0 26.0 15.3 2.68 Including; Vg 855.0 860.0 5.0 2.9 4.37 and; Vg 875.0 881.0 6.0 3.5 6.00 Vg 893.0 914.0 21.0 12.3 12.03

1) UTM NAD83, Zone 15; * Denotes newly released assays

Hasaga Deep Target

The shallow-focussed exploration programs beginning in 2015, and historic drill holes with positive results (HRL-88-02, HRL-88-03 and HRL96-02) completed by earlier operators, strongly suggested the potential for the discovery of deeper but higher grade gold mineralization. The area with greatest potential occurs between the Hasaga and Buffalo mines proximal to the Balmer-Confederation unconformity, and is called the Hasaga Deep Target.

Premier based initial targeting on its understanding of the Hasaga mine and the likelihood of continuity further to the west. Premier's first hole of the 2017 campaign returned a high grade intercept in hole HMP151 (see press release dated March 1, 2017; click here) that hosted mineralization characteristic of the C-Zone at the Hasaga Mine.

C-Zone Delineation

Delineation drilling conducted to date at the C-Zone target has resulted in a better understanding of the geometries associated with the mineralization. Some of the early conclusions from this program, which may be adjusted based on proposed work in 2018 include:

Distribution of individual mineralized shoots appear influenced by two predominant plunge directions including a flatter SW (more regional) component and a steeper NE component locally. The C-Zone appears dominated by the steeper NE direction.

In cross-section view the ore is sub-vertical dipping and closely associated with the Hasaga Porphyry.

Locally within the C-Zone, the mineralization can have true widths of up to 29 metres, potentially making it amenable to more bulk mineable underground mining methods in future scoping-related work.

Additional infill drilling is required for greater confidence in the potential grade and scale of the mineralization.

West Extension Target

Drill results profiled in an earlier press release (See August 30th, 2017 release "Premier Updates Hasaga Red Lake Drill Results" click here) highlight the potential importance of the West Extension. The West Extension Target area, which remains a priority future exploration target, is a potential 1.6 kilometre southwest extension between the C-Zone target and the Buffalo Zone to the west. Holes HMP161 and HMP162 were 500-metre southwest step-outs along strike from the C-Zone, within the anticipated mineralized Hasaga Deep horizon. Hole HMP161 intersected 1.21 g/t Au across 181.0m including 19 metres of 2.14 g/t Au and 18 metres of 2.21 g/t Au within a broad low grade halo of the host porphyry. HMP 162 graded 9.55 g/t Au across 8.0 metres. Gold mineralization in HMP 161 and HMP 162 occurs in association with minor sulphide-bearing sequences and includes visible gold within common quartz veinlet arrays. The predominant mineral alteration includes sericitization and silicification.

In Premier's view, the higher-grade mineralization in HMP 162 is consistent with a repetition of a local, steeper NE plunging shoot within the more regional and flatter SW plunging system. For exploration planning purposes, the West Extension may represent a discovery with potential grade and scale similar to the C-Zone. If this is correct, the overall Hasaga Deep Target represents an opportunity for multiple C-Zone sized discoveries.

2017 Mineral Resource Estimate & Metallurgy

In January, Premier confirmed the multi-million ounce potential of the shallower target areas (See January 11th press release entitled "Premier Confirms Mineral Resources at Hasaga"; click here). The 2017 mineral resource estimate, completed by MRB and Associates of Val-d'Or, Quebec (with an effective date of December 30th, 2016) was completed following a two-year exploration and delineation drilling campaign by Premier that focussed on the Central, Hasaga and Buffalo target areas and is summarized in Table 2 below.

Table 2 - Hasaga Mineral Resource Estimate

Property Resource

Category Tonnes

('000t) Gold Grade

(g/t) Contained Au

('000 oz) HASAGA Measured Indicated - 42,294 - 0.83 - 1,124 Measured + Indicated 42,294 0.83 1,124 Total Inferred 25,143 0.78 631

A technical report entitled "National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report: Hasaga Project, Red Lake Mining District, Ontario, Canada" is available on the Company's website or at www.sedar.com.

Supporting the mineral resource estimate was an initial metallurgical program. Premier reported on a completed metallurgical scoping program on samples from the Hasaga, Central and Buffalo Zones with the intent to characterize the lithological and mineralization domains of the project areas, and to complement the Hasaga mineral resource estimate. Although bottle roll tests utilizing coarser-crush sample composites (", ", " crush sizes) does not support a potential heap leach recovery process, the baseline bottle roll cyanidation study indicated very good recoveries for all grade ranges with metallurgical results of between 94% and 97% when grinding to 80% passing 200 mesh.

Premier will confirm its approved 2018 exploration plan and budget for Hasaga early in the 2018.

Stephen McGibbon, P. Geo., is the Qualified Person for the information contained in this press release and is a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. Assay results are from core samples sent to Activation Labs, an accredited mineral analysis laboratory in Thunder Bay, Ontario, for preparation and analysis utilizing both fire assay and screen metallic methods.

Premier Gold Mines Limited is a gold producer and respected exploration and development company with a high-quality pipeline of precious metal projects in proven, accessible and safe mining jurisdictions in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Premier's team is focused on creating a low-cost, mid-tier gold producer through its two producing gold mines; and two advanced multi-million ounce development projects where permitting and pre-construction initiatives are in progress.
KELOWNA, British Columbia , Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Ridge Resources Ltd. (Golden Ridge or the Company) (TSXV:GLDN). Golden Ridge is pleased to report the second batch of assay results from its 2017 drill program at the Hank Property (Hank or the Property) in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. HNK-17-008 returned 2.60 g/t AuEq over 60.27 meters, HNK-17-007 returned 1.05 g/t AuEq over 78.23m within a broader intercept of 0.73 g/t AuEq over 201.48 meters and HNK-17-006 returned 1.04 g/t AuEq over 60.95 meters with a broader intercept of 0.63 g/t AuEq over 210.31 meters.

Holes 4-6 represent a 150-meter step-out along strike from holes 1 and 2 (previously reported on November 8, 2017), while holes 7 and 8 (results from 9 pending) represent a >1.1 km step-out.

Although unknown at this time, cross-sections demonstrate the intercepts to be near to true widths, as correlations between holes show the mineralized shear zones to be roughly perpendicular to the hole directions.

Drilling Highlights:

Consistent grade and continuous shear zone hosted mineralization between holes.

Mineralization has now been intersected over a 1.1 km strike length in the Lower Alteration Zone (LAZ).

Coarse visible gold observed in HNK-17-008 (111.07111.87m, 133 g/t Au)

Significant Au-Ag-Pb-Zn grades surround the high-grade veins, resulting in long mineralized intercepts in each hole.

Although unknown at this time, cross-sections suggest the intervals reported to be near true widths.

Assays are pending for HNK-17-009 where a newly discovered mineralized intrusion was intersected, with strongly altered volcanic rock along its contact, potentially representing a causative intrusion for the LAZ mineralization.

Analytical results for the LAZ demonstrate that the grades increase toward its hanging wall contact, as opposed to the Upper Alteration Zone (UAZ) where the strongest grades occur at the footwall contact.

Table 1 - Hank 2017 LAZ Drill Holes HNK-17-004  HNK-17-008: Significant Intercepts

Hole

Length

(m) Hole ID From

(m) To (m) Interval

(m) AuEq*

(g/t) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Pb

(%) Zn

(%) AuEq x

Interval

(gm/t) 235.00 HNK-17-004 94.79 168.27 73.48 0.52 0.28 5.8 0.08 0.17 38 incl. 116.50 117.00 0.50 10.60 1.53 58.5 3.22 9.35 263.35 HNK-17-005 96.00 261.00 165.00 0.47 0.28 4.0 0.06 0.15 78 incl. 130.00 154.00 24.00 0.76 0.22 6.6 0.20 0.49 incl. 137.41 137.75 0.34 24.62 2.00 181.0 10.65 20.50 incl. 184.10 257.38 73.28 0.69 0.48 5.4 0.06 0.14 incl. 217.63 257.38 39.75 1.02 0.72 8.0 0.09 0.21 419.40 HNK-17-006 119.00 163.37 44.37 0.50 0.24 3.6 0.14 0.20 AND 206.05 416.36 210.31 0.63 0.45 5.1 0.03 0.14 132 incl. 206.05 267.00 60.95 1.04 0.65 8.9 0.05 0.35 incl. 209.11 209.66 0.55 38.89 13.95 469.0 0.65 22.50 incl. 279.20 299.00 19.80 1.02 0.86 4.7 0.03 0.12 410.26 HNK-17-007 16.20 217.68 201.48 0.73 0.41 3.3 0.10 0.32 147 incl. 63.39 119.00 55.61 0.87 0.53 3.5 0.02 0.40 incl. 139.45 217.68 78.23 1.05 0.54 4.9 0.21 0.46 incl. 158.00 172.93 14.93 1.76 0.51 8.4 0.63 1.13 incl. 184.63 185.91 1.28 26.17 22.00 114.7 1.20 2.82 incl. 210.66 214.60 3.94 2.20 0.23 8.4 0.98 1.89 AND 292.41 318.30 25.89 0.55 0.29 2.5 0.08 0.26 334.37 HNK-17-008 52.73 113.00 60.27 2.60 2.14 6.9 0.11 0.45 157 incl. 67.85 87.75 19.90 1.76 0.81 7.1 0.17 1.09 incl. 111.07 111.87 0.80 137.80 133.00 263.0 1.38 0.69 110 AND 170.00 181.55 11.55 0.91 0.40 14.5 0.13 0.34

*Gold equivalent (AuEq) grades are calculated using 200 day moving average metal prices of: gold US$1268/oz., silver US$17.10/oz., lead US$1.04/lb and zinc US$1.28/lb. Gold equivalent grade is calculated as AuEq (g/t) = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * 0.013 + Pb (%) * 0.562 + Zn (%) * 0.692. The factors for silver (0.013), lead (0.562) and zinc (0.692) will change depending on the metal price. The metal price numbers listed above were used to determine the conversion factors presented herein. Metal recoveries have not been applied in the gold equivalent calculation.

A single drill hole, HNK-17-003 was collared southwest of the 200/440 zone of the UAZ to test its down dip extension. The alteration, mineralization and veining present in the 200/440 zone was not intersected in HNK-17-003, however low-grade mineralization was encountered over several significant intercepts. It is interpreted the 200/440 zone plunges either vertically or to the east, which will be tested in 2018. In the LAZ, holes HNK-17-004 to HNK-17-008 have appreciable concentrations of lead and zinc associated with the gold and silver, whereas, gold and silver in HNK-17-003 from the UAZ does not have a base metal association.

Table 2 - Hank 2017 UAZ Drill Hole HNK-17-003: Significant Intercepts

Hole Length (m) Hole ID From

(m) To (m) Interval

(m) AuEq** (g/t) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 274.62 HNK-17-003 46.15 85.65 39.50 0.24 0.23 1.07 AND 116.13 140.51 24.38 0.15 0.13 0.83 AND 193.00 247.19 54.19 0.27 0.24 1.71

**Gold equivalent (AuEq) grades are calculated using 200 day moving average metal prices of: gold US$1268/oz. and silver US$17.10/oz. Gold equivalent grade is calculated as AuEq (g/t) = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * 0.013. The factor for silver (0.013) will change depending on the metal price. The metal price numbers listed above were used to determine the conversion factors presented herein. Metal recoveries have not been applied in the gold equivalent calculation.

Michael Blady, CEO of Golden Ridge stated: We are very pleased with the continuity of mineralization within the LAZ. To drill consistent grades between holes on each section over a strike length of 1.1 km is remarkable. Gaining an understanding of the controls on mineralization in the LAZ, including the discovery of a mineralized intrusion in HNK-17-009 gives Golden Ridge a major advantage over historical operators, which only sparsely tested the zone. We look forward to receiving the remainder of the results from the 2017 program.

A drill plan view map, drill sections and select core photos are included in this news release and can be downloaded from Golden Ridge Resources Ltd. website at: www.goldenridgeresources.com

QA/QC Procedures:

All drill core was logged, photographed, cut and sampled by Golden Ridge personnel. Prior to shipment to ALS Globals sample preparation facility in Terrace, BC, certified reference material standards, blanks and field duplicates were inserted at a ratio of approximately 1 in every 20 drill core samples. Samples were prepared in Terrace by crushing the entire sample to 70% passing -2mm, riffle splitting off 1kilogram and pulverizing the split to better than 85% passing 75 microns. After preparation in Terrace, the prepared pulps were shipped to ALS Globals analytical laboratory in North Vancouver, BC. The gold assays are determined by Au-AA26 fire assay method which reports results in parts per million (ppm) (equivalent to grams per tonne (g/t)). Any samples with a fire assay that report gold concentrations equal to or higher than 1.0 g/t Au are analysed by screen metallic method (Au-SCR24).

Base metal assays are first determined using the ME-MS41 method, which reports results as parts per million (ppm). All analyses that reach the overlimits of ME-MS41 are reanalyzed with an Ore Grade method. The analytical results are verified with the application of industry standard Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QA-QC) procedures.

Qualified Person:

C. Mark Rebagliati, P.Eng., a consultant to the Company, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.

About Golden Ridge Resources:

Golden Ridge is a TSX-V listed exploration company engaged in acquiring and advancing mineral properties located in British Columbia. Golden Ridge currently has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the 1,700-hectare Hank gold-silver-lead-zinc property located in the Golden Triangle district, approximately 140 kilometres north of Stewart, British Columbia. Golden Ridge may earn the 100% interest by performing $1.7M of exploration work by the end of 2018.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auryn Resources Inc. (TSX:AUG) (NYSE American:AUG) (Auryn or the Company) is pleased to announce drill results from its summer exploration drill program at the Homestake Ridge gold-silver epithermal project located within the Golden Triangle in British Columbia, Canada.

Auryn targeted 2 out of 7 expansion opportunities identified away from the existing deposits (Figure 1) and was successful in identifying the plunge of the high-grade South Reef zone. Highlights include 30 meters of 2.00 g/t Au (including 4m @ 6.03g/t Au & 2m @ 11.80 g/t Au), 10 meters of 4.12 (including 2m @ 18.01 g/t Au), 18m of 1.29g/t Au (including 4m of 4.18g/t Au), 8m of 2.67 g/t Au (including 2m of 7.4 g/t), and 14m of 1.23g/t Au. These results identified the geometry of the high-grade mineralization at the South Reef main zone that remains open to the northwest and importantly have identified an emerging parallel high-grade structure (Upper zone) 175 meters to the north of the main zone.

Ivan Bebek, Executive Chairman, commented, We are very excited about the South Reef extension as it demonstrates strong similarities to the robust Main Zone. Our best intercepts came at the end of the program which resulted in strong expansion opportunities that will be exciting to follow up in 2018. In addition to the South Reef plunge extension, two other parallel high-grade shoots plunging in the same direction represent additional targets which provide significant room for the Homestake Ridge resource to increase.

Mr. Bebek further stated, The Homestake Ridge deposit stands out as a highly valuable asset with respect to its current size, grade and excellent access to infrastructure. In an effort to unlock more value in the project in addition to the discovery of additional ounces we have also begun the necessary steps to advance the project towards development.

The summer drill program was designed to test 2 of 7 major target areas across the project with a focus on expanding the South Reef mineralized zone as well as the potential northwestern extension to the Homestake Main deposit (Figure 1). Drilling was discovery oriented which targeted new potential zones of mineralization or significant extensions. None of the drilling occurred within 500 meters of the Homestake Main and Homestake Silver deposits, leaving them open for expansion.

The drilling from South Reef demonstrated that the high-grade mineralization has a 15  20 degree shallow plunge to the northwest (Figure 2 & 3) with the width of the structure and associated breccias increasing in the same direction. The shallow plunge observed at the South Reef main zone is similar to that observed at the Homestake Main and Silver deposits and represents an excellent opportunity to significantly expand mineralization on the project. Auryn also discovered a 600 meter long gold-in-soil anomaly that coincides with the northwest direction of plunging high-grade mineralization that remains undrilled demonstrating the highly prospective nature of this structural corridor (Figure 2).

Auryns 37 hole (14,850 meter) program at Homestake Ridge, which was completed under budget, represented its first field season on the project. Total drilling costs1 were approximately $400 per meter showing that this area of the Golden Triangle can be explored in an efficient manner.

Significant results from the South Reef diamond drilling are provided in the table below. No significant results were obtained from the Homestake Main extension drilling or other holes (see Figure 1 for locations).

Table 1:

Significant Intercepts 2017  South Reef Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17HR-283 137 155 18 1.29 2.3 including 141 145 4 4.18 3.8 17HR-286 138 162 24 0.62 1.5 178 186 8 2.67 1.9 including 178 180 2 5.59 3.4 17HR-293 52 80 28 0.51 2.2 276 290 14 1.23 1.6 including 286 290 4 3.31 3.6 17HR-296 6 22 16 0.66 2.3 17HR-301 59 69 10 4.12 1.8 including 61 63 2 18.20 6.4 17HR-302 134 146 12 1.45 3.3 including 138 142 4 3.19 2.5 17HR-303 258 288 30 2.00 3.5 including 264 268 4 6.03 2.7 including 278 280 2 11.80 6.0 17HR-304 70 80 10 1.03 1.8

* Composite interval includes no less than 4m <0.2ppm Au True widths are estimated at between 50  75% of reported intervals

Michael Henrichsen, P.Geo, COO of Auryn, is the Qualified Person who assumes responsibility for the technical disclosures in this press release.

About Auryn

Auryn Resources is a technically driven junior mining exploration company focused on delivering shareholder value through project acquisition and development. The Companys management team is highly experienced with an impressive track record of success and has assembled an extensive technical team as well as a premier gold exploration portfolio. Auryn is focused on scalable high-grade gold deposits in established mining jurisdictions, which include the Committee Bay and Gibson MacQuoid gold projects located in Nunavut, the Homestake Ridge gold project in British Columbia and a portfolio of gold projects in southern Peru, through Corisur Peru SAC.

Homestake Drilling

Intercepts were calculated using a minimum of a 0.2 g/t Au cut off at beginning and end of the intercept and allowing for no more than four consecutive meters of less than 0.2 g/t Au.

Analytical samples were taken by cutting NQ diameter core into equal halves on site and sending one of the halves to ALS Laboratories in Terrace, BC, Vancouver, BC or Thunder Bay, ON for preparation and analysis. All samples are assayed using 30g nominal weight fire assay with atomic absorption finish (Au-AA23) and multi-element four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (ME-MS61). Where AA23 results were > 5 g/t Au the assay were repeated with 30g nominal weight fire assay with gravimetric finish (Au-GRA21). QA/QC programs using internal standard samples, field and lab duplicates and blanks indicate good accuracy and precision in a large majority of standards assayed.

1 Total program costs from July to October less direct costs for soil sampling and geophysical surveys
Kansas State University to launch major in professional strategic selling in fall 2018

Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017

When it launches a new major in professional strategic selling in fall 2018, Kansas State University's College of Business Administration will become only the 19th university in the U.S. to offer the sales major  and the only one in Kansas.





MANHATTAN  Beginning in the fall 2018 semester, the Kansas State University College of Business Administration will launch a major in professional strategic selling, becoming just the 19th university in the United States, and the only one in Kansas, to offer a major in sales.



The Kansas Board of Regents recently approved the new major, which will be administered by the college's National Strategic Selling Institute. The institute has been recognized each of the last six years by the Sales Education Foundation as one of the nation's top sales programs, and is a member of the University Sales Center Alliance, a professional academic organization focused on best practices and quality standards in sales education.



"We are proud to be a national leader in sales education curriculum, and the addition of this major will allow us to continue to be an innovator in this space," said Kevin Gwinner, Edgerley family dean of the College of Business Administration. "Sales are the foundation of businesses at all levels, and this new major will provide companies with a badly needed resource, resulting in excellent careers for our students  both within the state of Kansas and nationwide."



Since 2013 the National Strategic Selling Institute has offered students from any major at Kansas State University the opportunity to earn a certificate in professional strategic selling. The demand for the certificate has grown significantly in the four years since, growing from 14 students in the fall 2013 to 180 students in fall 2017.



According to Dawn Deeter, director of the National Strategic Selling Institute, the program features a curriculum focused on the application of selling skills through role-playing and real sales experience. That experiential learning environment puts students in the same scenarios they will encounter in any entry-level sales position. With the addition of a major in professional strategic selling, the college will be able to offer more classes and electives that will further enhance the student experience.



"I talk to companies all the time that rave about the professionalism and preparedness of our students," Deeter said. "When you combine the work ethic and attitude of a K-State student with the selling skills we offer in our program you get a dynamic prospect for a firm."



Industry demand for students with an education in professional selling is huge. Kansas State University students with their sales certificate have found a 100 percent job placement rate after graduation, and each semester more than 20 corporate partners and prospective corporate partners attend the National Strategic Selling Institute's Sales Career Fair, Deeter said.



"This highly specialized major and nationally recognized sales program reinforces the importance of joint collaboration between academia and corporate sponsorship," said Kurt Auleta, senior vice president of Security Benefit, a corporate partner of the National Strategic Selling Institute since its inception. "The institute provides students with advanced business readiness skills that prepares individuals for the realities of an ever-changing global business environment. This unique program has resulted in high job-placement rates while lowering costs and increasing efficiency for new hire programs in the private business sector."






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Recently, there was a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal regarding robot-assisted surgery. It reported the results of two articles published in JAMA that demonstrated that robotic-assisted surgery cost more and took longer without achieving superior results to laparoscopic surgery on average.

With this, my LinkedIn account lit up. Here are several of the comments that came through:

Ive come to assume that robotic surgery is better for GYN and colon surgeries simply because of their increased precision and accessibility to small spaces.

Robots are sexy, the media covers it like its the next best thing since sliced bread, and advantages may or may not be earth-shattering. Since when has that ever stopped a sale?

If youre a surgeon: would you rather stand uncomfortably over a patient for 2-3 hours, trying to manage laparoscopic instruments? Or would you rather sit comfortably at a console and feel like youre playing a surgery video game? It isnt about outcomes. Plus, robots are cool to patients.

So, before I plunge into the limitations of the robot let me begin with a brief story. Some years ago, I sat in on a Hot Topics debate at the Academic Surgical Congress. The hot topic: Laparoscopy versus robotic surgery.

For the surgically naive, laparoscopy is the surgeon standing next to the patient, directly handling long, skinny instruments that are passed through tiny incisions into the patient to perform the surgery.

Robotic surgery involves the surgeon sitting at a console in the corner of the room remotely operating a $2.5 million machine that in turn handles the not-so-skinny instruments that are introduced through small incision to perform surgery.

Laparoscopy is hard on a surgeons body, but all surgery, in general, is hard on a surgeons body. Robotic surgery is easier on the surgeons body.

The debate was rather one-sided. The majority of surgeons felt that the robot was of minimal value. The other side put up the typical arguments: All technologies have to start somewhere. Remember the first mobile phones and bulky they were and how much they cost? and The costs will go down as the technology improves and is more widely used.

The robot was introduced in 2000. Unlike the cell phone, it has not evolved into a better, sleeker technology and it sure as hell isnt cheaper. Back then, the robot cost one million dollars, not the 2.5 million it costs today. And the technology has not accelerated at the rate of Moores law. It remains a bulky, cumbersome technology looking for an application.

I agreed with the audience consensus that the robot is of little utility, but I pointed out that we are not making ergonomically designed patients, tables or surgeons. And until we come up with some better ergonomic solutions, surgeons will continue to accumulate back, neck, shoulder, elbow and hip injuries at alarming rates. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of surgeons are nursing a chronic skeletal injury by 50 years of age. The robot represents an attempt to address the ergonomic crisis in surgery.

So, with that lets look at the cons of the robot through the three comments above:

The first comment assumes the robot will result in better outcomes. And the JAMA data demonstrates that this assumption is incorrect. If there were an advantage in precision or getting into small spaces, it would show up in the data. I cant speak for GYN surgery, but in colorectal surgery, the major complication is the bowel leaking from where it is reconnected. And there is increasing evidence that a leak from where the bowel is reconnected has more to do with the bacteria in your intestine and the enzymes they secrete than it does with precision in dissection.

The second comment is spot on. Robotic surgery companies have sold the health care organizations on the sexy without any evidence of increased benefit proportional to cost.

The third comment nails the point about ergonomics, but the author is completely misguided or mistaken. Health care is entirely about outcomes. In the rapidly evolving environment of value-based medicine (outcome per cost) the robot loses.

One little thing that does not get mentioned is that in addition to the initial cost of purchase, hospitals pay an annual six-figure maintenance fee to the company. So after ten years, the initial cost of the purchase has doubled.

There are other hidden costs as well:

Room setup and room breakdown: This is much longer for robotic cases and one minute of OR time at my institution cost about $106.

Reprocessing a robot: this takes at a minimum of four-and-a-half hours of labor. Usually, it is more like seven to nine hours. When you consider most good reprocessing techs can reprocess the instruments from three cases in an hour, they can turn over instruments for 13 other ORs in the same time it takes to reprocess one robotic case in one OR. This becomes a huge sink in terms of OR efficiency and operating costs.

And finally 

Instrument amortization. Break an arm or an attachment, add $40K to your six-figure bill for the year. In contrast, a high-quality laparoscopic instrument will cost around $1K to replace.

To be sure we need ergonomic solutions for surgeons. Maybe we need to think and train more like athletes from the very beginning when we enter residency. Maybe someone can invent a better OR table. Or maybe we need an exoskeleton to help position and rest our bodies better during surgery. Whatever solution, it must demonstrate value by improving results, reducing cost or doing both.

Peter F. Nichol is chief medical officer, Medaware Systems.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Just under half of health care workers do not get their annual flu vaccine. Some of these workers contract the flu and unknowingly transfer it to their sick hospitalized patients, and in some cases, because of them passing the flu along, those patients die. We know the most important reason for health care workers to get vaccinated against influenza is that it is the most effective way of preventing influenza among their patients. And yet, unfortunately, many health care workers are putting patients at unnecessary risk.

If medical professionals know this, then why arent they complying? As physicians, one of the most challenging things we do is to encourage our patients to comply with our treatments. Why, then, do we not comply with a preventive treatment we know we protect our patients and ourselves? I asked colleagues about this over the years and they have usually told me that they are either afraid of side effects or they dont believe that the vaccine works.

There is more than enough data to prove them wrong.

Since 1981 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended annual influenza vaccination for all health care workers because of the risk of transmission to vulnerable patients. And since 2007, the Joint Commission (TJC) has included the same recommendation in their infection control standard.

Some states have mandated vaccination for health care workers as a condition of employment. This strategy has been demonstrated to result in vaccination rates above 94 percent a significantly higher rate than in states without such a mandate. In New York, health care workers who have direct patient contact and who have declined influenza vaccination must wear a mask while in areas where patients or residents are present. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of surgical masks, even when worn properly, in preventing the transmission of influenza is controversial at best, and influenza may be transmitted by non-respiratory contact anyway.

But these rules and regulations have not impacted enough of the medical worker population to reduce transmissions.

In a typical year, flu peaks in the U.S. between December and February. By the end of a typical flu season between 5 and 20 percent of the U.S. population has become infected and 200,000 have been hospitalized because of the flu. Up to 25 percent of those infected die. The death rate from influenza is twice as high among people over 85. Tragically, 90 percent of deaths from flu in children occur in those who are unvaccinated. These facts are typically not reported publically.

Given the massive interaction between influenza and the healthcare system that these numbers illustrate, it should come as no surprise that healthcare professionals are a high risk for catching the infection themselves. Its time we called attention to the risk posed by hospital staff who go out of their way to encourage vaccinations for the general public  but often avoid getting vaccines themselves.

It has been estimated that approximately three percent of US patients hospitalized with influenza actually catch the infection in the hospital while they were there previously for another purpose. Significant underlying medical conditions are more common in these hospital patients than in those who catch flu in the community. The length of hospitalization has been shown to more than double for these patients compared to those who acquired influenza in the community and the need for intensive care for these patients was significantly increased according to one large study.

The strategies to control transmission of the flu by the CDC and Joint Commission were based in sound and well-documented research. A large randomized study published in 2000 found that when healthcare workers in 20 long-term care hospitals were routinely offered vaccination half got the vaccination. In facilities where they were not routinely offered only 5 percent  one in twenty  were immunized. In this study, the death rate was 50 percent higher in the facilities where vaccination was not offered. Tests for influenza virus were positive at autopsy in 20 percent of the patients from hospitals where staff was not offered vaccine. Autopsies at facilities that offered the vaccination found that no patients had influenza at death. Because of this risk, it is the goal of the U.S. National Healthy People 2020 that 90 percent of hospital healthcare workers are vaccinated within three years.

The effectiveness of vaccinating healthcare workers against influenza to protect patients has been challenged over and over again, and the research that I have cited has been considered flawed by some. However, the fact is, the risk has been demonstrated to be minimal and, in fact, the vaccine is remarkably safe. Guillain-Barre syndrome, a possible (though unproven) side effect of the vaccine occurs in approximately 1 to 2 per million people vaccinated at most, and some studies have suggested no association at all. Egg allergies no longer keep people from getting the vaccine.

The question for me is: How much proof do we require that vaccinating ourselves against an easily transmissible and dangerous infection protects our patients and carries almost no risk to us?

Joseph R. Masci is an infectious disease physician and a fellow ambassador, New York Academy of Medicine.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Legendary New York Times reporter Roy Reed, a Southerner who covered his native region's civil rights reckoning, died Sunday at age 87 as Alabama hurtled toward its momentous Senate election Tuesday.

Reed, who witnessed the Bloody Sunday violence at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in 1965 and other civil rights-era events, was among the newspaper's great writers and reporters.

After leaving the Times, he went home to teach at the University of Arkansas and write acclaimed books, including memoirs that comically contrasted his Southern recalcitrance with the Times' buttoned-up culture.

Reed's reporting in the midst of danger made him an inspirational figure for young Southern journalists who believed that newspapers could make a difference.

Along with his newspaper memoirs, Reed wrote the defining biography of Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus, known for resisting the integration of Little Rock's Central High School.

While Reed prided himself on an independent streak similar to that of Southern resistance, he deeply held liberal values His love for the South was matched by despair at its racism, provincialsm and violence. He relished the South's love of family, storytelling, laughter and the land.

On Tuesday, Alabama will choose between the progressive Doug Jones and the regressive theocratic Roy Moore. Another Timesman, Alabama native Howell Raines, appeared on MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell show Monday night to express his belief that Tuesday's election will mark a new birth for Alabama. I hope Raines' vision of Alabama proves true, but I fear the old Confederate stronghold will remain tied to its past.

I shouldn't have been surprised that the voter turnout is expected to be from 20-25 percent, according to The New York Times. Black voter suppression will keep many from voting, especially in the state's poverty-ravaged rural areas.

If the suburban professionals heralded by Raines turn out substantially, Jones has a chance of taking a victory over Moore, who disappeared from the state during the final days of the campaign. Like Donald Trump, Moore was scared to show his face in Alabama and answer questions from the national media who have camped in the state.

It's sad to realize that Reed will miss this election, a gauge for the South and the nation as well as Alabama. While a Moore win will show the persistence of Alabama and the South's virulent past, I will still believe in a different, happier future. Roy Reed's legacy will live on after all that Moore represents has gone away.
Stuff reports:

Iraq says its war on the Islamic State terror 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 combat operations had been completed.

All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist Daesh gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian border, Lieutenant General Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah said in a statement released shortly after al-Abadis remarks. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for IS.
Stuff reports:

Patrick Gower has stepped down as Newshubs political editor, taking up a new position with the network.

He would stay with Newshub, moving into a new reporting role as its national correspondent.

Newshub owner MediaWorks did not announce who would replace Gower in the Beehive.

In a statement, MediaWorks head of news Hal Crawford said Gowers new role would see him unleashed.

Paddy is one of the best communicators I have ever worked with  his new role as National Correspondent will see him unleashed on the whole of NZ, something Im looking forward to immensely, Crawford said.

Gower would start in his new role next year.
By Yoon Ja-young



A Korean version of Silicon Valley in the U.S. will be built in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, to nurture start-ups as the country's new growth engines. It aims at enabling anyone with innovative ideas to start their own business by providing one-stop full-support service.



The government unveiled the blueprint for Pangyo Techno Valley II at an economy-related ministers' meeting held at Pangyo, southeastern Seoul, Monday. Innovative growth is one of the two main pillars of the Moon administration's economic policy along with income-led growth.



"As seen in Silicon Valley in the U.S. and China's Zhongguancun, it is crucial to set up an innovation center to form an ecosystem for start-ups and venture companies," Strategy and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said.



"For job creation and growth, innovation is needed in all businesses, both economically and socially," he added.



Pangyo Techno Valley II will be built on 430,000 square meters of land by 2022. Pangyo already harbors many IT companies. It is home to over 1,300 businesses as of the end of the last year, with their total sales surpassing 77 trillion won and employing 75,000 people.



The previous Park Geun-hye administration had announced a master plan to develop Pangyo into a "creative economy valley" back in 2015, but it was mostly about real estate development. There is criticism that it lacks software to support start-ups or facilitate communication between entrepreneurs



According to the government plan, Pangyo Techno Valley II will be developed to have a competitive edge against start-up incubators overseas. Pangyo will be the place where anyone can start their own business as long as they have an innovative idea.



It will provide work space for around 1,400 start-ups so that entrepreneurs can concentrate on realizing their innovative ideas without having to worry about high rent.



Those with innovative ideas will receive one-stop services, ranging from protection and realization of their technology, financial consulting, to advancing into overseas markets. They will be able to test their new innovations in new industries such as IoT, drones, self-driving cars, and healthcare.



Pangyo's infrastructure will be improved for young entrepreneurs, with more roads built to link the techno valley with other key areas and rental homes and short-term residences provided so that young workers can enjoy stabilized housing near their work.



The government also plans to nurture Pangyo Valley as a leading smart city. It will adopt all smart city technologies, such as smart transportation including car sharing and smart parking, a new system enhancing electrical energy efficiency, and technology for smart work environment



Pangyo Techno Valley II will be Korea's incubator for self-driving technology and research. There will be the first self-driving shuttle bus to operate in the residential area, running between Pangyo Station and the techno valley. It will be equipped with a self-driving monitoring system and facilities to run simulation tests based on big data.



At the ministers' meeting, the government also announced plans to overhaul its procurement system in a move to open doors wider for start-ups, SMEs and social enterprises. The government plans to pull up the ratio of start-ups and venture companies in procurement to 70 percent from 50 percent. Social enterprises will also get extra points when they bid for government orders.


South Korea is considering banning all kinds of cryptocurrency transactions in the country as a way to cool down the worldwide craze for digital currencies, the top financial regulator said Monday.

"I don't see bitcoin transactions as financial deals," Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Choi Jong-ku said in a luncheon meeting with reporters. "They are not institutionalized transactions. So the authorities never allow futures trading of such currencies."

He said the FSC is mapping out measures to restrict the transactions to some extent, including an all-out ban, adding that the restriction is aimed at minimizing side effects of Bitcoin transactions and reducing speculative investment.

Cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ethereum, have rapidly gained popularity in recent years, and South Korea is home to one of the world's largest bitcoin exchanges, with about 1 million people estimated to have the best-known digital currency.

Despite a boom in transactions of digital currencies, such exchanges are largely unregulated, as they are not recognized as financial products. Also there are no rules protecting people who invest in digital money.












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.






By Park Si-soo





This file photo taken on October 12, 2005 shows U.S. army deserter Charles Jenkins, who spent 40 years in North Korea, showing off his new book "To Tell the Truth," which was published in Japanese last week, at a press conference in Tokyo. Charles Jenkins, a U.S. Army deserter who spent four decades in communist North Korea and married a Japanese woman abducted by Pyongyang, has died at the age of 77, officials said on December 12, 2017. / AFP-Yonhap

Charles Jenkins, a U.S. soldier who defected to North Korea and became a movie star there, has died in Japan, according to reports on Tuesday. He was 77.



The former U.S. sergeant died on Sado island on Monday, where he was living with his wife Hitomi Soga, also a former prisoner of North Korea.



He was among four U.S. soldiers who defected to the North in 1965 and was the only one who was released. The others reportedly died in the isolated state, including James Dresnok, who was said to have died of a stroke in 2016.



According to the BBC, Jenkins collapsed outside his home and died of heart problems in hospital. His wife said in a statement that she was "very surprised" by his death and "cannot think of anything," according to AFP.



According to the Britain's Guardian newspaper, Jenkins abandoned his unit while on patrol in South Korea and defected to the North, fearing he would be killed on patrol or sent to fight in the Vietnam War. In the North, he taught English and occasionally played sinister Americans in propaganda films.



He later said the North Korean authorities had turned down his request to be sent to the Soviet Union. He had planned to turn himself in at the U.S. embassy in Moscow, according to the Guardian.



In 1980, he was forced to marry Soga, who was abducted from Japan to teach North Korean spies her language.



In 2002, Soga was freed after negotiations with the Japanese government. Pyongyang then allowed Jenkins to leave two years later, along with their daughters. The family reunited in Japan.



In Japan, Jenkins surrendered to the U.S. army, almost four decades after he defected, and was court-martialed. He was given a 30-day jail term and a dishonorable discharge.



He suffered lingering complications from medical procedures in North Korea and had to be admitted to hospital after his release, according to the Los Angeles Times.
By John Redmond









The Busan British Society (BBS) will hold its first-ever Annual Christmas Fundraiser and Networking event at the Gorilla Brewing Company at Gwangalli Beach on Saturday.







Guests will be treated to musical performances from the British Music School between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.







Participants can also enjoy specially brewed festive Gorilla beer, homemade mulled wine, British mince pies and a chance to network with new friends from the U.K. and Korea.







BBS organizers will also hold a charity raffle offering prizes and help raise money for a local charity.







British Ambassador to Korea Charles Hay will attend the event, as will many other honored guests.







The BBS is a nonprofit organization that aims to represent the interests of the U.K. expat community in and around Busan, promote U.K. culture in Korea and support and develop relations between the U.K. and Korea.







The group works closely with local businesses and partners to create networking opportunities within the community, support local and overseas charities and promote educational opportunities both domestic and international.









Email

or visit facebook.com/BusanBritishSociety for any questions on membership or sponsorship opportunities.






Firefighters inspect a basement room crammed with Bitcoin servers after putting out a minor fire on Friday. / Courtesy of Gangwon Fire Headquarters



By Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-soo

A Bitcoin "mine" in South Korea suffered minor damage on Friday when a fire started in a room crammed with Bitcoin servers, police said Monday.



The fire happened in a basement room of a motel in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, at 12:30 p.m. The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes after burning several servers worth 50,000 won ($46) each.



The room was crammed with hundreds of Bitcoin servers operating with around 300 graphic cards, according to police.













An investigation is under way to find what caused the fire. An overloaded socket is among possible causes.



"The overloaded use of multi-outlet sockets seemed to have caused the fire," an investigator said.
Cannonball Statman tours Asia







Cannonball Statman, a musician from New York who is currently touring Asia, will play at Strange Fruit tonight at 9 p.m. at an event hosted by Loose Union. Grey Watson, an American musician and a permanent fixture of Seoul's expat music scene, will join him.



Visit facebook.com/LooseUnion for more information.











Seoul GSC Enternship' Fair







Seoul Global Startup Center will host an "Enternship" Fair and networking event on Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at its building in Yongsan. The event is geared towards those who want to work for a startup or become founders themselves. The Enternship Fair is a place where startups and individuals can connect and share ideas.





Visit

for more information.











AustCham Year-End Sundowner







AustCham Korea will be holding its annual Year-End Sundowner on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Australian Embassy's Australia Centre. The event is free for members and guests. They will serve finger food and beer but guests are encouraged to bring wine. There will also be a charity raffle on the night.



Visit facebook.com/AustChamKorea for more information.











Korea Leadership Society networking party







The Korea Leadership Society will host its second annual holiday party on Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the World of Beer in Gangnam. The party will include cocktails and networking opportunities for people passionate about local politics and public service.



Visit facebook.com/KoreaLeadershipSociety for more information.











Market, Mingle, Jingle flea market







For your Christmas shopping needs, Market, Mingle & Jingle, a flea market hosted by Vineworks and The Soul of Seoul blog, will bring together food, wine, live music and "artsy and artisanal" stalls at Vineworks on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Preregistration gets you two glasses of mulled wine. Paying at the door costs 5,000 won and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Korean Unwed Mothers' Families Association (KUMFA).



Visit facebook.com/vineworkskorea/ for more information or to register as a vendor.











Artists open studio







Seoul-based artists Da-iN and Gunhee will have an open studio on Saturday at Willoughby in Hannam-dong. They've also invited Annie Hong to exhibit her work as a guest artist. The open studio is an opportunity for visitors to see the artists' processes and inspirations. Popular DJs Akimbo and Closet will provide some eclectic sounds to match the art from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, search for Open Studio [Da-in, Gunhee, HootnAnnie] on Facebook.











North Korea's Unification Drive' lecture







The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch will host a lecture by B.R. Myers titled "North Korea's Unification Drive" on Tuesday from 7.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Myers is an international studies professor at Dongseo University in Busan and a renowned expert on North Korea. The lecture is open to the public and will take place in the second-floor Residents' Lounge of Somerset Palace in downtown Seoul. Admission is 10,000 won for non-members and 5,000 won for students. Visit

for more information.




Chairman Kim comes under fire



By Yoon Sung-won





Harim Chairman Kim Hong-kuk
As the Leitrim GAA County Board showed a surplus of over 100,000 for 2017, Chairman Terence Boyle paid a special tribute to Treasurer Martin McCartin in his address to delegates, describing the Drumreilly clubman as a "breath of fresh air".

McCartin took on the roll of Treasurer after the 2016 Convention failed to find a successor to Brian Gordon and Terence admitted that the finances were not in a good position when the new Treasurer was appointed in January.

In his address, Terence recalled "As always finance is the major burden on the county as with all our clubs. This time last year at convention we were left with the position of treasurer vacant as Brian Gordon was stepping down which was a concern for us going forward.

"These concerns were short lived and as the say good things come to those who wait. Martin came into the role in January and I have to say he has been a breath of fresh air to the county. He has been a gentleman to deal with and has approached his duties in a very professional manner.

"As you can see his first set of accounts to convention is testament to his hard work and dedication. In fairness to Martin, we were not in a good place starting off as there were a lot of outstanding debts from the previous year."

Terence also paid tribute to the Leitrim Senior team management under Brendan Guckian for their help in minimising costs as the cost of County team administration went from 382,045 in 2016 to 298,629 over the past 12 months - "We have to be very careful in regards to spending and I have to thank the players and management of our senior team in this regard who worked with us to maximise our resources to the best effect.

"A major help this year was the employment of Brian Blake as administrator who helped in all aspects of finance and administrator to senior teams and the Annaduff training centre. We took on a new financial package from Croke Park this year and this presented us with an even further challenge as this was totally new. Going forward this system will be very beneficial to us as it can give very detailed breakdown of income and expenditure."

However, Terence also warned that costs would have to be constantly monitored in the future - Even though we are showing a a decent surplus for the year unfortunately this doesnt mean we have a surplus in the bank as we cleared the outstanding debts so the challenges continue and with New York on the cards for this year this will be a further burden on finances.

Our supporters club continues to be the backbone of our finances. As always we rely on the generosity of all our sponsors at all the different levels and I want to thank you all for your continued support.

SEE THIS WEEK'S LEITRIM OBSERVER FOR MORE REPORTS FROM MONDAY'S LEITRIM GAA COUNTY BOARD CONVENTION.
Deputy Martin Kenny was part of a delegation from the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee who went to the European Parliament and met with groups and MEPs about issues affecting agriculture including the Brexit crisis, the Mercosur trade deal and proposed changes to the Common Agriculture Policy.

One of the main meetings was with the EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan in his offices in Brussels.

Deputy Kenny said, This week we had an engagement with EU Commissioner Phil Hogan on several issues which are vital to Irish farmers, including his recent CAP reform proposals and the Mercosur proposals to take thousands of tonnes of South American beef into the EU and of course the ongoing Brexit uncertainty.

On the Mercosur trade deal the Committee were hearing from some of the MEPs that a deal was close and indeed Commissioner Hogan confirmed this and told us that the prospect of a deal was being pushed very hard by several member states and large commercial interests and that he would expect it to be concluded in the early New Year or even sooner.

"Commissioner Hogan spoke of his concerns around the large volume of prime cut beef, for which the Mercosur countries are seeking entry into EU markets. 78,000 tonnes of beef was on the table and he said it could be even more than this. The main concerns are about the standards being applied in some of the beef producing areas and indeed for poultry product standards.

"Interestingly, some of the committee told of how they had seen Argentinian beef on menus in restaurants in Brussels and Commissioner Hogan told us that this beef is being imported with tariffs of 7.5% at present. His overall view was that a Mercosur deal, which is being promoted for the huge trade opportunities it offers EU businesses, will be concluded very soon, with up to 100,000 tonnes of South American beef included.

"The Commissioner said that his staff will insist on full inspections of such product and EU standards being applied in full. He claimed that compliance with these conditions, coupled with the normal timelines for detailed contracts for importation, would mean that it could be up to ten years before this beef or poultry arrives in the EU market. This is still very concerning for the Irish beef and poultry sectors with the present worry Brexit harming our nearest market.

Deputy Kenny also said, The future of CAP was part of our discussion as the Commissioner had outlined the his views earlier on how the new CAP needs to be simplified and more control given to the member states. When asked about concerns that some in the EU had expressed, that CAP was in danger of losing its common policy aspect, if more control is given to member states; Commissioner Hogan replied, that his proposal was that common policy objectives across the EU would be firmly in place, with each member state setting out their own plan to achieve these objectives. How the common results or overall benefit, will be accomplished must be clearly set out in the plan and each member state could have a different emphasis on how to meet the objectives, depending on the conditions or reality of agriculture in that state. The one size fits all type of thinking, which many of us have criticised in the past, would appear to be coming to an end, thankfully, said Deputy Kenny.

When I asked Commissioner Hogan about Greening, he said it didnt work well and he expected it would be phased out of the next CAP. However he insisted that environmental measures will be an ever increasing part of the CAP moving into the future, as climate change mitigation and habitat enhancement are the strongest arguments to attract the necessary EU financial supports to maintain farm incomes.

"In the EU there is strong support from across the spectrum to compensate farmers for providing environmental services as part of their farming activity. This may mean new opportunities and possibly changes ahead for farmers on small holdings of poorer land, where the task to produce the goods for profit, whether it is the weanling calf or store lamb, is difficult. These farmers may be assisted by more payments toward environmental measures and perhaps support for changes to their farming system in the next CAP, outlined Deputy Kenny.
Dec 11, 2017, 1 PM

The November cartoon caption contest featured the 1991 19 stamp showing a colorful hot air balloon. The winner of the nonphilatelic part of the contest is Ray Cartier, who brought todays front pages to life with his entry. The next cartoon caption conte

U.S. Stamp Notes  By John M. Hotchner

Hot air was the most used theme for the cartoon caption contest for November featuring the 1991 19 stamp depicting a colorful hot air balloon (Scott 2530).

Most of the entries were nonpartisan, and in that spirit, here is one of them, Guess what Im going to name this big bag of hot air? from Michael Morrissey of Westerville, Ohio.

Connect with Linns Stamp News:

Sign up for our newsletter

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Follow us on Twitter

A different approach was taken by Neil Bys of San Antonio, Texas, Should we stop by Washington, D.C. for more hot air?

The increase in the cost of U.S. postage projected for January received quite a bit of attention. This example came from Steve Sonder of Albany, N.Y., Quick, throw over more ballast, we cant keep up this these rising postal rates.

Current front-page news also inspired some contest entrants. Wait until they see that North Korea also has an Air Force! from Laura and Tom Tomaszek of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, tickled my funny bone.

That genre also gives us the nonphilatelic winner from Ray Cartier of Arlington, Texas.

On the philatelic side, Rick Howell of Bedford, Texas, takes the honors with It may not be a zeppelin, but it fits my budget!

Both winners will receive Linns Stamp Identifier published by Amos Media Co., or a 13-week subscription to Linns (a new subscription or an extension). The book has a retail value of $12.99.

Here are the best of the other runners-up:

Hmmm. All this hot air reminds me to get out and vote, from Tom Spina of Virginia Beach, Va.

Youre gonna love our new 7-day express mail service, by David DHondt of Sun City, Calif.

Oh, my! I can see Russia from here, sent by Ernest Stevens of East Point, Ga.

Were somewhere between a blip and a blimp on the radar screen, from Rosemary Harnly of Red Wing, Minn.

This is the last time I take out a mortgage with balloon payments! by Steve Kotler of San Francisco, Calif.

WOW  amazing that this ride cost us only 19 each! from Stewart Lyons of Woodmere, N.Y.

Great! Linns comes by drone now. How cool is that! from Gerald Boren of Mesa, Ariz.

Thanks and a tip of the hat to all who entered.

The next cartoon caption contest will be announced in the Jan. 8 issue of Linns.
When a man complains of cold or flu symptoms, it may not be fair to dismiss his laments as simply a case of "man flu." Men may really experience worse symptoms than women after catching a respiratory virus, a new review suggests.

The review was published today (Dec. 11) in a special Christmas issue of the medical journal The BMJ; the holiday edition features research that is more lighthearted than the journal's usual fare.

"Man flu" refers to the idea that men may exaggerate the symptoms of a minor illness, such as a cold. Although the term is commonly used (particularly in the United Kingdom), no scientific review so far has examined whether the term is appropriate or accurate, said Dr. Kyle Sue, a clinical assistant professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, who authored the BMJ review.

In a search of the scientific literature, Sue found evidence that men may have a weaker immune response to the viruses that cause flu or the common cold, and as a result, men may have a greater risk for serious symptoms, and even death, from these viruses. [Men vs. Women: Our Key Physical Differences Explained]

For example, a 2008 study found that women had a stronger immune response to the flu vaccine, meaning they produced greater levels of antibodies against the virus strains in the vaccine, compared with men.

Other studies from Hong Kong and the United States have found that, compared with women, men have a higher risk for hospital admission and death from the flu.

"The concept of man flu, as commonly defined, is potentially unjust," Sue wrote in the paper. "Men may not be exaggerating symptoms but have weaker immune responses to viral respiratory viruses, leading to greater morbidity and mortality than seen in women," he said.

It's not clear why men may have a weaker immune response to respiratory viruses, but hormones could play a role, with the "female" hormone estrogen, in particular, providing a protective effect against these viruses, Sue said.

For example, in a 2016 study, researchers exposed male and female human nasal cells to estrogen in a lab dish, and then infected the cells with the flu virus. The investigators found that the estrogen reduced the levels of flu virus in the cells from female donors, but not male donors.

What's more, other studies have suggested that the "male" hormone testosterone may lower the body's immune response to flu viruses, Sue said.

Still, more research in this area is needed, in part because some of the studies include in the review did not consider factors like smoking and preventive-care visits, which could affect people's overall health and their ability to respond to cold and flu viruses, Sue said. The current review was not able to include research on respiratory viruses that did not separate out the results by sex.

Some researchers have speculated that men's apparently weaker immune response to certain viruses has an evolutionary explanation, Sue said. For our ancestors, the effects of testosterone (i.e., increased muscle and bone mass) may have outweighed the potential immunosuppressive effect of the hormone, he said. (More research, however, is needed to examine this hypothesis.)

Sue also noted that there could be benefits to the extreme energy conservation that men seem to require when afflicted with flu. "Lying on the couch, not getting out of bed or receiving assistance with activities of daily living could also be evolutionarily behaviors that protect against predators," Sue wrote in his tongue-in-cheek conclusion. "Perhaps now is the time for male-friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort."

Original article on Live Science.
The light-sensitive layer found at the back of a person's eyes contains more than just cells that detect shadows and light  it also contains information about the health of a person's entire body. And now, artificial intelligence can glean this information from a single snapshot, new research suggests.

The new AI algorithm, which analyzes images of this light-sensitive layer of the eye, called the retina, could one day provide on the spot diagnoses of various ailments from diabetes to autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, the researchers claim.

The AI algorithm was presented by Dr. Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth, the director of the ophthalmology department at the Medical University of Vienna, earlier this month at a scientific meeting in Vienna. Research on the algorithm was published Dec. 8 in the journal Ophthalmology.

Schmidt-Erfurth's research focuses on using AI to detect signs of various diseases in the images of the retina. [Eye Cant Look: 9 Eyeball Injuries That Will Make You Squirm]

"From a simple color photo of the retina, you can tell how old the person is, what gender are they, what is their smoking history, their blood sugar level and blood pressure," Schmidt-Erfurth said. "But we can also use an image from an optical coherence tomography scanner and that gives us much more detail."

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a technique commonly used in ophthalmology that takes 3D images of the retina and allows the doctor to examine in detail what is happening in each layer of the light-sensitive tissue. Artificial intelligence, however, can do this much more precisely and much faster, Schmidt-Erfurth told Live Science.

In the presentation, Schmidt-Erfurth showed how such an AI algorithm could accurately spot signs of diabetes in the retina. Patients with diabetes frequently develop a condition called macular edema, which is essentially accumulation of fluid in the macula, a layer of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. If left untreated, the macular edema can cause permanent damage and vision loss.

"The algorithm gives you precise information about how much fluid is there, which the image by itself does not provide," Schmidt-Erfurth said. Doctors could assess how well macular edema treatments are working by looking at these fluid levels  a decrease in fluid over time would show that the treatment is effective, she added.

The same algorithm could also detect the earliest signs of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and even predict how the disease will progress, Schmidt-Erfurth said.

ARMD is the most common cause of vision impairment in elderly people, according to Schmidt-Erfuhrt. About 60 percent of people older than 50 years show early symptoms, Schmidt-Erfurth said. However, only 15 percent of these cases eventually progress to the advanced stages of the disease. Similar to the diabetes-related macular edema, ARMD leads to a blurring of central vision. The person gradually stops being able to distinguish details and may even struggle to recognize faces.

"With this technology, we can predict the risk" of a person progressing to more serious stages, Schmidt-Erfurth said. "By training the algorithm on large data sets of previous patients, we can identify patients that are at risk to develop the disease in comparison to other patients, which will never develop the advanced disease."

The high-risk individuals would then receive early treatment, which could potentially help them maintain their eyesight into old age.

The biggest advantage of the technology, Schmidt-Erfurth said, is the fact that it doesnt require a specialist to interpret the results.

"Artificial intelligence will make therapy available to millions of people who until now are not diagnosed," she said. "It's very easy, you don't even need to go to see an eye doctor."

Schmidt-Erfurth's earlier technology is already approved for commercial use in Europe and has been deployed in five hospitals across the continent. It uses AI to detect signs of diabetic retinopathy, a condition in which the blood vessels in the retina break down, from 2D color photographs of the eye.

Originally published on Live Science.
Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, trains in the ways of the Force in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

As "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" opens in theaters and its heroine Rey seeks to learn the ways of the Force from an aged and isolated Luke Skywalker, it raises some obvious and ongoing questions:

Is there anything in science  particularly in quantum physics  that resembles the Force? Can objects be manipulated instantaneously from a distance?

Answers, modern physics might have.

These aren't the forces that you are looking for

Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars film that the Force "surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together."

Modern physicists know that there are actually four fundamental forces: the two nuclear forces, the electromagnetic force and the gravitational force. All of these play a role in binding matter together, from the tiniest of atoms to the largest of planets.

However, these are probably not the forces we are looking for. Old Ben Kenobi, Yoda, and, eventually, Luke, could communicate telepathically over large distances and move objects with their minds.

Are these feats possible? What do the laws of physics say about this?

I find your lack of faith disturbing

Einstein's theory of relativity put some strict limits on how fast we can communicate  the ultimate speed limit is the speed of light.

So, if you needed to send a message to Alderaan to warn the citizens of an Imperial attack, there would always be a delay. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't warn them in time to evacuate because it takes time for light to travel to transmit the message.

Ben Kenobi couldn't possibly have felt a disturbance in the Force only a few instants after the Death Star destroyed Alderaan. Or could he?

It's true, all of it

What does quantum physics say about information transferred over large distances? Unfortunately we cannot break Einstein's speed limit, even if we had the Millennium Falcon. We'll set aside Han Solo's perhaps not-so-absurd claim that it made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs  a measure of distance, not time.

However, through a trick of quantum mechanics, you can link two particles in a special way, separate them, and then observe the effects of one upon the other over large distances. This is known as quantum entanglement  placing two objects in the same entangled quantum state. And it is weirder than anything that Star Wars creator George Lucas could come up with (Jar Jar Binks excluded, of course).

Entanglement can be demonstrated in the lab with particles of light. When these two particles, or photons, are separated over large distances, they are still correlated with each other. If you measure one particle, the other particle's state will be determined immediately no matter how far it is away.

Einstein didn't like this idea, since it was "spooky action at a distance." However, modern physics experiments have shown that entanglement is real  particles can be connected over large distances.

As Han Solo would say: "It's true. All of it."

In fact, George Lucas was influenced by quantum theory when he was writing the original script for Star Wars. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, New Age thinkers proposed that quantum entanglement is a "force" that really does bind us all together.

It is well known in physics experiments that the observer can become entangled with the object that they are measuring, changing the measurement.

This led to the idea that we are all entangled in some way, and there really is a connection between every living thing in the galaxy.

I've got a bad feeling about this

There is a catch, though. The effects of quantum entanglement tend to be very small for everyday objects.

If Kylo Ren was a physicist, he could manipulate a few particles of light to become quantum entangled, but stopping a laser beam in its tracks would be more difficult (opens in new tab).

However, in the world of condensed matter physics  the study of solids  entanglement is more commonplace.

Solid-state physicists study entanglement of billions and billions of particles together, often with spectacular new results such as superconductivity.

These new phenomena  such as a superconductor floating over a magnet in the Meissner effect  are from macroscopic quantum entanglements of electrons, or a spooky "force" acting over large distances.

The "Force" of quantum entanglement really awakens in these new "quantum materials."

From a certain point of view

So, there is some truth in the idea behind "The Force," from a certain point of view, as Ben Kenobi would say.

Quantum entanglement plays a role in modern physics and it is a binding principle for matter and energy. However, quantum entanglement on a large scale is difficult to achieve, and even more difficult to observe in living creatures.

What about the Force as "an energy field created by all living things?"

Physicists are only just now studying the effects of quantum entanglement in biology, in a relatively new field called "quantum biology."

There is circumstantial evidence that processes in large biomolecules could be influenced by quantum entanglement (opens in new tab) effects.

The odds of entanglement playing a significant role in the processes of life seem to be low. However, as Han Solo would say: "Never tell me the odds!"

Christopher Wiebe, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Quantum Materials Discovery, University of Winnipeg

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
The fossils of a refrigerator-size penguin were so gargantuan that the scientists who discovered them initially thought they belonged to a giant turtle. The ancient behemoth is now considered the second-largest penguin on record.

The newfound penguin species would have stood nearly 6 feet tall (1.8 meters) and weighed about 220 lbs. (100 kilograms) during its heyday tens of millions of years ago.

The bird's gigantism indicates that "a very large size seems to have developed early on in penguin evolution, soon after these birds lost their flight capabilities," said study co-lead researcher Gerald Mayr, a curator of ornithology at the Senckenberg Research Institute, in Germany. [In Photos: The Amazing Penguins of Antarctica]

At first, the researchers thought the penguin fossils belonged to a turtle, said study co-lead researcher Alan Tennyson, a vertebrate curator at the Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa Tongarewa), who discovered the fossil with paleontologist Paul Scofield on a beach in New Zealand's Otago province in 2004.

But shortly after a fossil technician began preparing the specimen in 2015, he found a part of the shoulder blade, known as the coracoid, which revealed that the fossils came from a penguin, Tennyson told Live Science.

The rectangles over this Kumimanu biceae fossil emphasize the humerus and a bone from the shoulder girdle (coracoid), which are shown separated from the original bone cluster. (Image credit: G. Mayr/Senckenberg Research Institute)

Further analysis dated the penguin to between 55 million and 59 million years ago, meaning that it lived a mere 7 million to 11 million years after an asteroid slammed into Earth and killed the nonavian dinosaurs, Mayr said.

The researchers named the late-Paleocene penguin Kumimanu biceae. Its genus name, Kumimanu, was inspired by the Maori indigenous culture of New Zealand. In the Maori culture, "kumi" is a mythological monster, and "manu" is the Maori word for "bird." The species name, biceae, honors Tennyson's mother, Beatrice "Bice" A. Tennyson, who encouraged him to pursue his interest in natural history.

K. biceae didn't look much like modern penguins. Although researchers could not find its skull, they "know from similarly aged fossils that the earliest penguins had much longer beaks, which they probably used to spear fishes, than their modern relatives [do]," Mayr told Live Science. Like its modern cousins, however, K. biceae would have already developed typical penguin feathers, waddled with an upright stance and sported flipper-like wings that helped it swim, he added.

Researchers have discovered other ancient penguin fossils in New Zealand, including those of Waimanu manneringi, which lived about 61 million years ago. However, the largest penguin on record is Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, which lived about 37 million years ago in Antarctica. P. klekowskii stood about 6.5 feet (2 m) tall and weighed a whopping 250 lbs. (115 kg), according to a 2014 study in the journal Comptes Rendus Palevol (Palevol Reports).

The upper arm bone, known as the humerus (top) and a bone from the shoulder girdle (coracoid, bottom) of the Paleocene giant penguin Kumimanu biceae, compared with the corresponding bones of one of the largest fossil penguins known to date, Pachydyptes ponderosus (from the Eocene epoch in New Zealand), and those of a modern emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri). (Image credit: G. Mayr/Senckenberg Research Institute)

Given that the Antarctic penguin was larger than K. biceae, it's likely that "giant size evolved more than once in penguin evolution," Mayr said.

K. biceae is a "cool fossil," said Daniel Ksepka, a curator at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, who was not involved in the research. "It's very old; it's almost as old as the oldest known penguins anywhere," Ksepka told Live Science. "That shows that [penguins] got big really quickly. And it all seems to have happened in New Zealand." [Photos of Flightless Birds: All 18 Penguin Species]

But why was New Zealand a penguin paradise? The archipelago was surrounded by fish for penguins to eat, and it originally had no native mammals (although today it's home to many sheep, weasels and domestic pets), meaning that there were no predators to bother the penguins when they came ashore to molt their feathers and lay eggs, Ksepka said.

The study was published online today (Dec. 12) in the journal Nature Communications (opens in new tab).

An artist's interpretation of Kumimanu biceae, the second-largest penguin on record. (Image credit: G. Mayr/Senckenberg Research Institute)

Original article on Live Science.
The kakapo or night parrot is one of New Zealands unique species. It is the worlds heaviest parrot. It is long-lived, climbs trees but cant fly. It is solitary, goes out and about at night, is vegetarian and has an unusual mating system known as lek breeding. Males congregate, boom and display to attract female favours. By 1915, kakapo were still found in the Kaimanawa Range near Taupo, though were rare in the rest of the North Island. As late as early 1940s they were considered to be in good numbers in Fiordland, but by 1950 they were hard to find anywhere. Stoats had depleted smaller species of birds and appeared to have started on kakapo. In the 1990s, kakapo were considered to be New Zealands most critically endangered bird, numbering only 51.

After the eradication of cats from Hauturu by 1980 and only kiore (Polynesian rat) remaining, the island was considered a safe place to home 22 of these precious birds  nine females and 13 males. Over the next 14 years these birds boomed and bred (though not entirely successfully). Over many of these years a gallant band of volunteers, rangers and others supplied them with supplementary feed, as it was deemed necessary for aiding breeding. This was not an easy task due to the size and ruggedness of the island.

Between 1996 and 1999, the birds were removed from Hauturu. My understanding is that this was in preparation for a planned eradication of kiore that took place in 2004. But may also have been due to the difficulty of continuing supplementary feeding. One of the last birds to come off the island was Lisa, who was found on a nest of three eggs  resulting in three female kakapo, a very important boost to kakapo numbers at the time.

In 2006, Hauturu was declared pest free. Yay! Now free from predators the Kakapo Recovery Team wanted to establish a population of kakapo there to determine whether they could breed on their own without supplementary food. So between 2012-2014, 10 kakapo were released onto Hauturu and this winter four more were released. It is fascinating to note that those birds that had been on the island during the 80s and 90s all returned to their old home ranges within a week or two.

In 2014, two female chicks resulted from mating on Hauturu though both required assistance to survive. The timing of Cyclone Lusi did not help. In 2016 there was another successful mating on the island but unfortunately no chicks survived. Each kakapo wears a transmitter and is able to be monitored with little human interference. They require handling just once a year to have the transmitter changed, get weighed and have blood samples taken. Who knows what we will be able to do with technology in another few years to help these precious birds. Total Kakapo numbers stand at 153 at present.

If you are privileged to visit Hauturu the chances of seeing a kakapo are very slim, though if you are lucky you may see signs of kakapo chew, kakapo poo or maybe a feather.

Lyn Wade, Little Barrier Island Supporters Trust

www.littlebarrierisland.org.nz
Paul Straka was a single man of 33 when he emigrated from Bohemia to Puhoi in 1863. Being one of the younger immigrants, he took a leading part in clearing bush to enable the settlers to begin to be self-supporting. He built a 10-ton punt to transport their firewood and shingles to the mouth of the river to be taken from there to the Auckland market. The second batch of immigrants were transported up the river in Pauls punt.

In 1864, Paul married Maria Podlesak, who had been granted adjoining land, giving the couple a total of 123 acres of hilly bush-clad land. Paul was the first to build a pit-sawn timber home about the time his first daughter was born in 1866.

Paul was school committee chairman from 1873 to 1884, a trustee of the first Roads Board, a signatory for the liquor license for the Puhoi Hotel, and he donated the two main statues and the first organ to the Puhoi Church. The statues were imported from Italy.

Paul and Maria had a family of three daughters and four sons. They worked hard to bring their land into pasture. The first cattle sale was held on their land as it was close to the track known as the Great North Road.

Paul bought 100 acres of bush on the Tahekeroa Road. Sons Paul, 14, and Charles, 12, left school to begin felling the kauri. They were joined by their younger brothers when they were old enough. They, and other men employed by Paul, camped in the bush all week. With the money made from felling kauri, each son was able to purchase a considerable parcel of land for themselves.

Charles bought land in Puhoi and, using bullock team and plough, developed some of the best hilly grazing country and one of the best fenced farms in the north. He travelled the North Island to buy sheep and cattle and bred pedigree shorthorn cattle and Romney Marsh sheep. He was a regular prize winner at A&P Shows. He bought the first shearing machine in the district.

One of the next generation of Strakas was looking at the Jaguar stand at an A&P show. He ordered a car and the Jaguar agent took his name. Some time later the agent called to say the car was ready. The young Straka took his measuring tape and went to the showroom. He carefully measured the new car. He said, Its no good, I cant take it. What? said the salesman, You ordered it, youll have to take it! No, said Mr Straka, I can get more sheep in my old Morris at home.

Jenny Schollum, Puhoi Historical Society

www.puhoihistoricalsociety.org.nz
Three building projects, together estimated to cost around $4.5m, are proposed for Tiritiri Matangi Island sanctuary.

The biggest is the construction of a 33-bed field centre, which will provide for researchers/scientists, volunteers and the general public to stay overnight. It will be located in the vicinity of the current Visitors Centre and include a kitchen, lounge, a number of two-bedroom units, and two family units. The current bunkhouse sleeps 20 plus five researchers.

A new museum building is also planned, which supporters of Titiriti Matangi chair Brian Chandler says is mainly to house the 6.5m tall Cuvier light. To house the light and keep building heights down, Mr Chandler says it will be necessary to dig a basement down to 2m  the building will be around 5m tall.

The museum will also house other maritime artifacts. The temporary lighthouse museum thats currently on the island will form the entrance.

In addition, it is proposed to build a replica of the original signal mast, which was around 20m tall and would be placed in its original position in front of the signal tower. The mast was used to communicate with boats coming into the Gulf via flags.

Mr Chandler says that research and maintenance on the island requires a lot of people to stay overnight.

The current bunkhouse is owned by the Department of Conservation (DOC), but the Supporters of Tiri hope to run their own booking system if the new facility is built as well as taking care of the maintenance.

Building in a sanctuary, and on an island, carries with it many additional costs and considerations  including biosecurity and minimising the impact on the environment.

Mr Chandler says that the plan is to manufacture as much as possible off the island in modular form before shipping it over.

Supporters of Tiri have allocated $600,000 of reserves to the project and will appoint a funding manager to begin a campaign to raise money from grants, philanthropic trusts, individuals and businesses.

Paperwork has been submitted to DOC, with a decision pending, and a meeting held with Auckland Council staff in preparation for the resource consent application. This was very encouraging and they seemed very keen, Mr Chandler says.

Subject to these processes, it is hoped that work could begin in 2019.
Auckland Councils water playgound, by the Leisure Centre at Stanmore Bay, opens to the public next week and is expected to be a popular spot to play and cool off. Kyra designed a rash shirt for the splash pad and her classmates will be first to try out the facility.

A free outdoor water playground is set to open this week.

The splash pad, outside Stanmore Bay Pool & Leisure Centre, will be officially opened this Friday, December 15.* (postponed see below)

First to try out the beach-themed facility will be the Whangaparaoa School classmates of 10-year-old Kyra Fox. Kyra won a competition to design a rash shirt for the splash pad and everyone in her Year 6 class, M4, will be given a rash shirt.

The splash pad includes a giant orange bucket, which showers water onto anyone below as well as water features shaped like marine creatures, fountains, mist sprayers and elevated structures.

It has sections for toddlers, juniors and teens and is designed to provide children of all ages and abilities with a free, safe and accessible fun water play area. There are also picnic areas alongside.

The 300sqm splash pad cost $890,000  $650,000 of that was covered by ANZ Bank sponsorship. Construction began in August.

The facility will be opened by Deputy Mayor Bill Cashmore on December 15 in an event attended by representatives of Council, the ANZ, Leisure Centre staff and invited guests.

It is scheduled to open to the public that same afternoon but the exact time was not available when Hibiscus Matters went to print. Check the Our Auckland website https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/ for opening hours and more information.

UPDATE:

The opening of the splash pad in Stanmore Bay has been postponed to Wednesday December 20. This is due to the fact that surface testing of the splash pad is not able to be completed by the original opening date of Friday 15 December 2017. Please keep an eye out on OurAuckland.co.nz for opening hours and more information.
17 AGs To President Trump: Mulvaneys Attacks On CFPB Should Disqualify Him From Leading Agency

Local News, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 12 2017

A.G. Schneiderman Leads Coalition of 17 AGs Making Clear Theyll Redouble Efforts to Enforce Consumer Protection Laws, Even if CFPB Leadership Wont.

New York, NY - December 12, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, leading a coalition of 17 state Attorneys General, today wrote President Trump to express unwavering support for the mission of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and made clear that state Attorneys General would continue to vigorously enforce consumer protection laws regardless of changes to the Bureaus leadership or agenda.

The CFPB has been a critical partner in protecting American consumers and holding fraudsters accountable. It deserves a leader who actually believes in its mission, Attorney General Schneiderman said. However, Attorneys General wont hesitate to protect those we serve  with or without a partner in Washington.

Joining Attorney General Schneiderman on the letter are the Attorney Generals of California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington State.

The letter expresses deep concern regarding President Trumps choice for Acting Director of the CFPB, Mick Mulvaney, noting Mr. Mulvaneys widely reported statements disparaging the agency as a joke that represents an awful example of a bureaucracy that has gone wrong.

Such statements about an agency that has helped millions of American consumers and achieved fundamental reform in a number of critically important areas of American commerce are categorically false, and should disqualify Mr. Mulvaney from leading the agency, even on an acting basis, the Attorneys General wrote.

As the top state law enforcement officials charged with investigating consumer complaints of fraudulent, deceptive and abusive financial practices in our respective states, we know from first-hand experience that the need for strong consumer financial protection is undiminished in the years since the financial crisis.

The letter highlights the CFPBs effective advocacy on behalf of American consumers, having returned $12 billion to more than 29 million consumers who were victims of unlawful mortgage servicing practices, abusive debt collectors, fraudulent debt settlement companies, abusive student loan servicers, and many other unscrupulous actors. It also emphasizes that the need for strong consumer financial protection is undiminished in the years since the financial crisis.

Moreover, the letter details the powerful partnership formed between the CFPB and state attorneys general. State Attorneys General offices have worked with the CFPB on numerous matters, including:

taking joint enforcement actions against companies that allegedly scammed 9/11 first responders afflicted with cancer and other serious illnesses out of millions of dollars in compensation fund payments;

filing suit against a nationwide network of dozens of fly-by-night debt collection shops that harassed, threatened, and deceived millions of consumers into paying inflated debts or amounts they did not owe;

investigating for-profit colleges, student loan originators and student loan servicers, and recovering $183.3 million for 41,000 students nationwide in a settlement with Aequitas Capital Management, Inc., a lender that defrauded students at the Corinthian Colleges;

securing a nationwide settlement with Rome Finance, a consumer finance company that preyed on active duty US military personnel and their families with deceptive and usurious loans and abusive debt collection practices, ultimately recovering $92 million dollars for more than 17,000 service members;

securing a nationwide settlement with Chase recovering $136 million for 528,000 consumers who were victims of abusive credit card debt collection practices;

securing a settlement with SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. providing $540 million in financial relief to consumers in order to settle allegations of systemic mortgage servicing misconduct, including robo-signing and illegal foreclosure practices; and

securing a settlement with the countrys largest nonbank mortgage loan servicer, Ocwen Financial Corporation, and its subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Servicing, to provide $2 billion in principal reduction to underwater borrowers in order to settle allegations of systemic misconduct by Ocwen at every stage of the mortgage servicing process.
Box Cutter-Wielding Suspect Makes Off with Ten Pints of Haagen Daz from Elmont 7-11, Cops Say

Local News, Crime

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 12 2017

Officials: The subject fled, on foot, westbound on Dutch Broadway with the above proceeds.

Elmont, NY - December 12, 2017 - The Fifth Squad reports the details of a Robbery that occurred on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 5:45 a.m. in The Fifth Squad reports the details of a Robbery that occurred on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 5:45 a.m. in Elmont

According to detectives, an unknown male subject entered the 7-11 located at 1755 Dutch Broadway and placed ten Haagen Daz pint sized ice cream containers in a black bag. The 19 year old male store clerk approached the subject, at which time the subject displayed a box cutter knife. The subject fled, on foot, westbound on Dutch Broadway with the above proceeds. No injuries were reported. There were two customers and one additional employee present at the time of the incident.

The subject is described as a male, black, 5 10, approx. 225 lbs, in his late 30s early 40s, wearing a gray hat, blue and white long sleeve shirt, a blue vest, gray jogging pants and black sneakers.
Local News, Crime, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 12 2017

New Regulations Demand Answers in Real Time for Impacted New Yorkers.

Albany, NY - December 12, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed the New York Department of State to issue new regulations holding consumer credit reporting agencies accountable to the public. The regulations, adopted on an emergency basis and effective immediately, require consumer credit reporting agencies to respond within 10 days to requests made by the Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection on behalf of consumers.

"Consumer credit reporting agencies have a duty to deal fairly and honestly with all consumers, and here in New York, we will ensure the best protections are available to any victim of deceit," Governor Cuomo said. "The current status quo of allowing consumers to be penalized for having their data breached is unacceptable, and with the addition of these new protections, this administration will hold agencies accountable and help protect New Yorkers and their financial future."

The new regulations to protect consumers:

Require consumer credit reporting agencies to identify dedicated points of contact for the Division of Consumer Protection so the Division can obtain vital information necessary to assist New York consumers;

Require a timely responsewithin 10 daysby consumer credit reporting agencies to information requests made on behalf of consumers by the Division of Consumer Protection;

Require consumer credit reporting agencies to file with the Division of Consumer Protection, and to plainly disclose to consumers all fees associated with the purchase or use of products and services marketed as identity theft protection products, including when those products are originally offered for "free"; and

Require consumer credit reporting agencies to file with the Division of Consumer Protection a list and description of all business affiliations and contractual relationships they have with companies marketing credit monitoring and related products.

The regulations are available online here

Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said, "We take very seriously our role to protect consumers from economic harm. The Department of State, Division of Consumer Protection will work tirelessly on behalf of affected New Yorkers to ensure they have the information they need to make informed choices about how to prevent identity theft resulting from this data breach. These regulations also put in place a common-sense framework to help ensure consumers have access to timely assistance in the event of future breaches."

The Division of Consumer Protection will also issue a demand letter to Equifax for vital information necessary to help the Division properly assess the damage and risk of identity theft to New York State consumers resulting from the data breach.

Governor Cuomo's action complements proposed regulations recently issued by the New York Department of Financial Services, which established a registration requirement for consumer credit reporting agencies, and mandated compliance with the state's first-in-the-nation cybersecurity standards. Under those rules, New York State-regulated financial institutions are prohibited from furnishing any information to non-compliant consumer credit reporting agencies.

The Department of State is charged under statute with coordinating the consumer protection activities of all state agencies, and may undertake investigations of matters affecting the interests of consumers. The Department of State will work closely with the Department of Financial Services as the state continues to review the Equifax breach, and any additional steps that should be undertaken to help consumers prevent identity theft.
Tech & Science, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 12 2017

Puerto Rico Energy Resiliency Working Group Provides Recommendations to Restore Puerto Rico and Implement the Build Back Better Plan.

Albany, NY - December 12, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Governor Ricardo Rossello today announced a plan to rebuild and transform Puerto Rico's electric power system, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria in September. The envisioned system will be more resilient, efficient, advanced, and less dependent on fossil fuel imports that cost Puerto Ricans more than $2 billion annually.

"In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in New York, a plan was immediately put into place to harden and enhance the power grid to ensure storms would not damage our communities in the future - and now is the time to implement a similar plan to ensure these upgrades are also completed in Puerto Rico," Governor Cuomo said. "We need to act now to transform the island's power grid and provide the people of Puerto Rico with a modern and reliable electric system."

"As we continue to address the challenges of rebuilding Puerto Rico and restoring power to residents across the island, Governor Cuomo and the people of New York are stepping up yet again to provide unwavering support throughout this difficult recovery process," said Governor Rossello. "I applaud the actions of the Puerto Rico Energy Resiliency Working Group for developing this plan and creating a critical foundation to rebuild and reimagine Puerto Rico's electric power system."

The plan, created by the Puerto Rico Energy Resiliency Working Group established by Governor Cuomo to aid the island in its damage assessment and power grid rebuild planning, calls for the island's new electric power system to be designed with the resiliency to withstand future storms and to be built with modern grid technologies and control systems. The new system will have increased renewable generation, such as wind and solar; incorporate new distributed energy resource technologies, such as energy storage and microgrids; reduce dependency on fossil fuels; and enable energy to become abundant, affordable and sustainable for the people of Puerto Rico.

The working group's rebuild recommendations are based on experience implementing power system recovery, rebuilding and hardening in the aftermath of hurricanes encountered on the U.S. mainland over the last decade. The recommendations include the use of modern technology and incorporate lessons learned from the successful rebuild efforts in other regions after natural disasters, such as Superstorm Sandy in New York. Additionally, the plan's recommendations align with the U.S. Department of Energy's recommendations for power system hardening and resiliency.

Consistent with the observed wind speeds from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority's new system needs to withstand a Category 4 storm, which produces wind speeds of 155 miles/hour and heavy floods. The plan also calls to modernize the Puerto Rico electric grid, leveraging proven power system technologies to better contain outages, reduce recovery times, lower operations costs and enable more sustainable energy resources.

The development of this plan was undertaken in parallel with New York State's post-hurricane assessment and restoration support to Puerto Rico that began in September. Currently, more than 450 New York State utilities workers are on the ground in Puerto Rico, working diligently to repair the island's power grid.

New York resources and personnel currently in Puerto Rico arrived in November following two previous deployments of New York Power Authority technical experts to Puerto Rico announced by Governor Cuomo on September 22 and September 29. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Maria, those NYPA electric utility crews embedded themselves within PREPA to assist in the triage of the power grid that included the assessment of virtually all of the island's 360 substations.

"After Superstorm Sandy, Governor Cuomo saw firsthand the real hardships of New Yorkers without electricity and heating for days and even weeks on end," Richard Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance, New York State. "The Governor immediately put into action a strategy to rebuild the grid of the past with the grid of the future under Reforming the Energy Vision, or REV, for a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system. I'm proud to be part of the plan to ensure Puerto Ricans will benefit from New York's experience and knowledge as we help the U.S. territory rebuild their grid."

"Governor Cuomo understood early on that it would be necessary to not only rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid to restore electric service for the people of Puerto Rico, but also to develop a plan for Puerto Rico's power grid of the future," Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO, said. "NYPA, and our collaborators in the Governor's working group, want to seize this opportunity to transform and harden Puerto Rico's electric system to ensure that this catastrophic damage does not repeat itself."

The Puerto Rico Energy Resiliency Working Group, which put forth the plan with the assistance of Navigant Consulting, Inc., is comprised of power utilities and leading entities in the energy sector, including:
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 12 2017

Cody Costa of Copiague, 23, and Seth Marion of Lindenhurst, 56, have been charged with 1st Degree Robbery, police say.

SCPD have arrested (L to R) Seth Marion of Lindenhurst, 56, and Cody Costa of Copiague, 23, in connection with a Copiague jewelry store robbery.

Copiague, NY - December 12, 2017 - Suffolk County Police have arrested two men in connection with a jewelry store robbery that occurred in Suffolk County Police have arrested two men in connection with a jewelry store robbery that occurred in Copiague, New York

Cody Costa entered Nathan Jewelry, located at 854 Montauk Highway, on December 11 at approximately 3 p.m., displayed a knife and what appeared to be a handgun and demanded cash from an employee. The employee complied and Costa fled on foot.

A short time later, a 911 caller reported she saw a suspicious man, who had his face covered, enter a red vehicle, operated by another man, in a parking lot a short distance from the jewelry store. The description of the suspicious person matched the description of the robber.

The descriptions of the suspect and vehicle were broadcast over the police radio and First Precinct police officers stopped the vehicle at the corner of Great Neck Road and Scudder Avenue in Copiague at 3:12 p.m. and arrested Costa and the driver, Seth Marion.

First Squad detectives charged Costa, 23, of Copiague, and Marion, 56, of Lindenhurst , with Robbery 1st Degree. They were scheduled for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on December 12.
School & Education, Local News, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 12 2017

Kaminsky: "This major step will unlock a world of opportunity for kids whose potential has been stymied by an unyielding bureaucracy."

Rockville Centre, NY - December 12, 2017 - Today, Senator Todd Kaminsky announced that the New York State Board of Regents (BOR) acceded to his advocacy and will now offer differently-abled students a pathway to a high school diploma. The BOR created a new pathway to a diploma by allowing superintendents to permit students who pass regents level classes to graduate -- regardless of their scores on their one-size-fits-all Regents exams.

This major step will unlock a world of opportunity for kids whose potential has been stymied by an unyielding bureaucracy. I have met with far too many students who demonstrate a clear ability to succeed on the next level, but have been unfairly prevented from receiving a diploma. Some of these students may go on to change the world and I look forward to seeing what they will achieve, said Senator Todd Kaminsky.

New York State phased out Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) in recent years and replaced them with strict requirements to pass five Regents exams in order to earn a high school diploma. Despite the Safety Net option to earn a score of 55 or above on three of the five required Regents exams, some students have had tremendous difficulty passing these tests. The CDOS Commencement Credential was introduced as an alternative for high school students with disabilities. However, this new credential is not recognized by colleges, the military, and many employers. Therefore, students who cannot pass the five required Regents exams  despite attaining good grades in class  have been unable to obtain a meaningful high school diploma and are therefore locked out of many post-secondary opportunities in which they would otherwise thrive.
Local News, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 12 2017

Bellone: "A Hike and Bike network will expand transportation options, connect our downtowns, and create a transit-oriented framework needed to attract more young people to Suffolk County."

Suffolk County, NY - December 12, 2017 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced the county has received a $250,000 grant through the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council to help fund a Countywide Hike and Bike Network Master Plan. The Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning, which applied for the funds, will issue a Request for Proposals to hire a qualified planning firm to undertake the study.

A Hike and Bike network will expand transportation options, connect our downtowns, and create a transit-oriented framework needed to attract more young people to Suffolk County, said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. This funding is a critical first step to help us achieve this goal and make Long Island a more competitive region."

The study will examine existing and potential hike and bike infrastructure across Suffolk County that can better connect residents to employment, recreation, services, commercial centers, and natural resources through enhanced multi-modal facilities. The study will also identify network gaps and propose a series of phased improvements that increase connectivity. The total cost of the study is $312,807, which includes a 20 percent local match of $62,499 covered by in-kind staff time.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council receives funding from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration and then awards it to sub-recipients to carry out regional planning priorities. A robust Hike and Bike Network will improve bike and pedestrian transportation options, generate economic activity, improve health, support an active lifestyle, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and household transportation costs, and improve air quality.

Theresa Ward, Deputy County Executive and Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning, said: The County continues to champion efforts to promote mixed-use transit oriented developments that maximize access to public transportation. Establishing a county-wide hike and bike network goes even further to connect significant local resources and existing downtowns and transit hubs as an important step toward attaining healthier, walkable and bike-able communities. This grant will allow us to create the foundation for that network.

The proposed Hike and Bike Network complements Suffolk County Executive Bellones Connect Long Island plan  a regional transportation and development initiative that promotes sustainable long-term economic growth in Suffolk County. The network will foster walkable and bike-able communities, connecting popular destinations, historical sites, downtowns and transit hubs across the county. The network will work to improve the quality of life for residents, reduce the reliance of automobiles and boost economic activity.

Hike and bike trails remain popular statewide as illustrated by New York States investment into the Empire Trail. Once completed, the Empire Trail will be a 750-mile hike-bike path that connects Albany to Buffalo and Manhattan to Canada. Suffolk Countys network shares similar objectives and goals as the initiatives being seen statewide

In June 2017, the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning issued a Request for Information regarding a countywide bike share program. A Hike and Bike Network will complement the proposed bike-share program, which has been deemed both feasible and desirable for use in downtown areas, near transit stations, in public parks, and on college campuses.

Jose M. Rivera, Executive Director, New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, said: The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council is pleased to assist County Executive Steve Bellone, as he steers Suffolk County toward a more active and bike-friendly transportation network. As a very passionate NYMTC Council Member and former Co-chair, County Executive Bellone has been at the forefront of promoting innovation, increasing transportation options and reducing emissions for Suffolk County.

Rosemary Mascali, Co-Chair of the Sustainable Transportation Committee of the US Green Building Council, said: A county-wide hiking and biking network would provide enhanced opportunities to safely bike and walk both recreationally and to work or school, benefiting our air quality as well as our health and well-being.
School & Education, Local News

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 12 2017

Students put forth a great performance at a regional drill competition held in Bethel, Connecticut.

Long Island, NY - December 12, 2017 - The William Floyd High School Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) recently added several more awards to their trophy case as they put forth a great performance at a regional drill competition held in Bethel High School in Bethel, Connecticut, in late November. Under the leadership of Commander Jay Tweed (USN/Ret.) and Senior Chief Dwight Becherer (USN/Ret.), the cadets earned first place in two categories: Unarmed Drill and Marksmanship, as well as a second place award for First-Year Cadets in Academics. Cadet LCDR Jordan Cooper also earned the Top Shooter Award and the entire unit received the Sportsmanship Award. Next up for the cadets is the Annual Military Inspection on December 14 and another drill competition here on Long Island.
Two statements were made on the same day, 21 November. Both declared the end of the war on Islamic State in Syria. The first was made by Vladimir Putin, in a meeting with Bashar al-Assad in Sochi, the second was released by Qassem Suleimani: the Iranian general at the head of the Quds Force (the Islamic Revolutionary Guards). Both, almost simultaneously, stated that terrorism was defeated in the country.

A month before, Raqqa  the capital city of the Islamic State  was taken by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This defeat dealt a decisive blow to the last hopes of Islamic State establishing their Caliphate.

In the same period, loyalist forces consisting of Assadist troops and Iranian backed militias with Russian air support took the city of Deir Ezzor along with all the main cities on the bank of the Euphrates river towards the Iraqi border. The western backed Islamist insurgency, from which IS arose, has now been crushed in all important areas. Of the plans of US imperialism - and their traditional allies in the region - of overthrowing the Assad regime and cutting through Iranian influence in the region, nothing remains.

The Russian intervention was the final element which tipped the balance against US interests. As a result of the outcome of the war, Russia is now rising as a counterweight to US influence throughout the region. This underlines the limitations of US imperialism. While the US is still by far the strongest single force globally, it is tied up by a series of internal crises which limits its room for maneuver. This in turn is opening up a vacuum for other smaller powers to manoeuvre. In Syria, three forces which have traditionally opposed US imperialism - the Kurdish militia, together with Russia and Iran - have become the key forces on the ground. Unable to intervene directly, the US could only maintain some influence in Syria at the great cost of leaning on the Kurdish militia and thereby jeopardising its relationship with Turkey, a key NATO ally.

Turkey and the Kurds

Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, initially intervened in Syria along with the US, with ambitions of using Syria as a springboard towards achieving his dreams of a modern day Ottoman Empire. But seeing the coming defeat and the support of the US for the Kurdish militias, he made a deal with Russia and Iran.

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In return for selling out the CIA-backed Islamic fundamentalist groups, Putin gave Turkey increased room to act against the Kurds. This shouldnt come as a surprise. What concerns Moscow is not the fate or the liberation of the oppressed peoples but the assertion of its role as a regional power.

At the same time of course, Islamic fundamentalism has not been uprooted in Syria. Al Qaeda still controls the province of Idlib, but it does so at the mercy of Turkey, which in agreement with Russia and Iran, and much to the dismay of the US and Saudi Arabia, keeps a tight leash on it. Erdogan is supporting the fundamentalists as a backup in the future political game in Syria and to use them as a battering ram against the Kurds.

Ankara cannot allow the consolidation of Kurdish autonomy in Syria. Turkey fears the consequences within its borders, where at least 15 million oppressed Kurds live. Erdogan has been very critical of the support provided by the US to the SDF. The US on the other hand, has not had any other reliable force to fight IS in Syria. But now that the civil war is coming to an end, US imperialism is preparing to sell out the future of the Kurds in return for an appeasement with Turkey, which in turn could be used against Iran.

On November 27, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders highlighted this by saying that, with IS's territory shrinking, "we're in a position to stop providing military equipment to certain groups, but that doesn't mean stopping all support of those individual groups". Sanders statement echoed Trumps, who told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call that he had issued instructions that weapons should not be provided to the Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters.The US are now ready to dump the Kurds. As we have stated several times, for US imperialism, the Kurds are only a pawn in a bigger game and if it had to choose between them and Turkey, the choice will always be in favour of the latter.

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The YPG leaders thought they could use the US for their purposes, but the opposite is occurring. One hundred years after the Balfour Declaration, the petty-bourgeois and bourgeois leaders of the liberation movements in the Middle East have not learned any lessons. There is nothing wrong in a revolutionary movement using the divisions between imperialist powers, but there is, however, a limit to this tactic. In the end Kurdish liberation can only be achieved by revolutionary means, by appealing to the masses in Syria, Iraq, Iran and most importantly in Turkey for a revolutionary overthrow of all these regimes and the establishment of a Socialist Kurdistan as part of a Socialist Federation of the Middle East. It was the revolution in Western Syria which in the first place created the vacuum for the Kurdish movement to rise. But the leaders of the different Kurdish factions have increasingly been leaning on deals with the big powers, rather than developing a revolutionary policy to connect with the struggle of the Iranian, Turkish, Syrian and Iraqi masses. In doing so, they have also given important concessions to the imperialists.

In Syria, the Kurdish leaders have not only received arms from the US, they have also allowed the US to build more than a dozen bases throughout Kurdish controlled territory. They have also allowed Russian and Syrian forces into their territory and have, on different occasions, made deals with Iranian proxies and the Iraqi central government. The absurdity of this policy reached a temporary peak during the Qatar-Saudi crisis, when some PYD leaders publicly supported collaboration with Saudi Arabia. These mistakes by the Kurdish leaders are not only weakening the Kurdish liberation movement militarily, but also politically, by repelling the most radical layers who are fiercely opposed to US, Saudi and Russian imperialist meddling. Small nations are just so much small change in the deals reached between the big powers. And when the time for a deal comes, all of these concessions will be used to try rein in the Kurdish movement.

Saudi Arabia

At the same time, the defeat of the US campaign in Syria, means a consolidation of the position of Iran and its traditional ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah. This is raising new contradictions and represents an untenable situation for the crisis ridden Saudi kingdom. As a response Saudi Arabia embarked on an attack on the Lebanese government, which is strongly influenced by Hezbollah. Seeing Prime Minister Saad Hariris indulgence towards the Shiite movement as a threat, the Saudis essentially kidnapped him and forced him to resign during a visit to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis were hoping to whip up a sectarian conflict within Lebanon and thereby force the hand of Israel to attack Hezbollah. The Arab League, following a Saudi proposal, declared Hezbollah a terrorist organisation and Iran a regional threat. But the move had the opposite effect. Inside Lebanon public opinion turned sharply against Saudi Arabia, in sympathy with Hezbollah. Meanwhile, international pressure forced the Saudis to let Hariri go, after which he retracted his resignation.

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At the same time the Saudis launched a highly publicised military alliance to rid the world of Islamist terrorism. If lives of innocent men, women and children were not involved, such a statement would be a contender for the best joke of 2017. Saudi Arabia was founded on the principles of Wahhabism: one of the most reactionary ideologies in the world. For decades, the Saudis have funded Islamic terrorism, and still do.

The latest result of this was the Islamist terrorist attack, which killed 235 people in a Sufi mosque in Sinai, Egypt. It was carried out by the Islamic State, which had strong links to the Saudi regime itself and which has been strengthened by funds and resources delivered to the Islamists in the Syrian Civil War by Saudi Arabia and other western powers. Of course, they have now escaped the complete control of their former masters.

The military alliance set up by the Saudis has nothing to do with fighting terrorism. Along with the rest of Saudi foreign policy, it is aimed at one target only: Iran.

Saudi Arabia has emerged as the biggest loser of the Syrian civil war. This outcome has led Riyadh to adopt an attitude that is far from remissive. Indeed, its foreign policy positions have become increasingly aggressive. The rise of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS as he is called), son of the current king, is the expression of this. As a foreign minister, MBS launched in 2015 a military intervention against the Houthi forces which controlled large parts of Yemen. Following the deafening silence of western imperialism (and tacit support, given that the western powers keep selling weapons to the Kingdom), Saudi aggression has left tens of thousands of people dead and created more than three million refugees. According to the United Nations, 80 percent of Yemenis are experiencing a humanitarian emergency.

But the war in Yemen is being lost by the Saudis and the war fronts have barely moved for the past year. Only two weeks ago, the Saudis pulled out their last desperate attempt at turning the tables when they convinced the then Houthi ally, Abdullah Saleh, to break with the Houthis. But this proved unsuccessful as Saleh was quickly killed and his troops cleared from Sanaa. This defeat only lays bare the weakness of Saudi Arabia, which in spite of having one of the most expensive armies on the planet, could not force its will on one of the poorest countries in the world. Each defeat in the region is piling on the internal crises of the regime, which in turn continues to raise the stakes like a gambler on a losing streak.

In May the kingdom provoked a conflict with Qatar, calling on the Qataris to break relations with Turkey and Iran, as well as shutting down media such as Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera. In response, Qatar did the opposite and strengthened its relations with Iran and Turkey. While Donald Trump initially supported MBS in this endeavour, he was quick to withdraw as he found out that the US has a major military base on the peninsula. Qatar is not a one off case. The crisis of US imperialism is also a crisis of the Saudi regime which has always been dependent on imperialism for its survival. The US did not support Saudi Arabia against Iran in Iraq - in fact the US had to make a deal with Iran to secure its own withdrawal from the country. In Syria, Trump has abandoned Saudi backed proxies and is manoeuvring to cut a deal with Russia. In Yemen, Trump is now openly calling for an end of the war, which is essentially a defeat for Saudi Arabia. Any attempt of the Saudis to take the fight to Lebanon will eventually lead to a similar outcome.

But if the Americans will not fight the wars of Saudi Arabia, who will? The fact is that the kingdom does not have any real loyal subjects, which is why it has never dared send its army to fight in a war. Thus, the lack of US support poses an existential danger for the regime.

In early November an "anti-corruption" drive was carried out on the orders of MBS. Most of the main opponents of the crown prince within the royal family were arrested. These are the opening shots of the coming conflicts within the kingdom. The world economic crisis and the falling oil prices are straining the networks of patronage which have kept the kingdom together since its inception.

For the first time in ten years, Gross Domestic Product declined in the first two quarters of 2017 and the IMF forecasts zero growth this year. In order to cope with the rise in public debt, MBS plans a series of privatisations, including the sale of 5 percent of Aramco, the oil company, whose value is estimated at about $2 trillion. In a country where 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, the government has already cut by 15 percent state employees' wages, along with other subsidies. And all this is happening in the world's largest oil exporter!

This is preparing an explosive situation at the bottom. Apart from the Sunni population, the Shia minority in the oil rich north eastern areas have been restive since 2011 and the urban youth have been increasingly calling for more democratic rights.

The defeats in foreign policy are magnifying this crisis. The war in Yemen was partially a concession to the Wahabis, but it is becoming a public opinion disaster internally. Meanwhile MBSs new liberal statements are aimed at appealing to the middle class youth. MBS wants to unite these layers behind the monarchy, but these forces are diametrically opposed to each other as well as to the monarchy itself.

With the revenues from the sale of Aramco, Riyadh will increase its military spending. Last May it reached a deal for arms and defence systems from the United States for over US$110 billion. On his official visit, Trump provided almost unconditional support for the actions of the Saudis in the Middle East. The regime is trying to divert attention and to forcefully claw back its dominant position in the region, but it is fighting a lost battle.

MBS is trying to maintain the initiative by constantly setting the agenda. But he is unable to resolve the crisis and thus, sooner or later events will catch up with him. All the forces of Saudi society are pulling in opposite directions threatening to tear the regime apart. What we are witnessing is thus essentially the beginnings of the decline of Saudi Arabia as we know it.

Iran

If western imperialism was seeking to curb Iranian influence, they have achieved the exact opposite. Iran has never been more influential in Syria, Iraq or Lebanon. This is a direct result of the breakup of the regional order imposed on the region by the US with the destruction of the Iraqi state after the defeat of Saddam Hussein. In the vacuum Iran is rising to become the key power of the region along with Turkey.

On its northern border, Israel thought it had created an equilibrium with Assad and Hezbollah, but with the rise of Iranian backed proxies in Syria that balance is being disrupted radically. Israel has tried not to get sucked into the Syrian civil war, but a few weeks ago it was forced to escalate its involvement by bombing an Iranian military base south of Damascus. The possibility of Iranian military and naval bases along with Iranian arms factories on Israel's border poses a major threat to the Israeli regime.

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Together with Saudi Arabia and the US, they want to roll back Iran. Saudi Arabia has already made several public overtures to Israel. The two countries, despite not having formal diplomatic relations, have admitted they are in contact through their intelligence services, and Israeli Defence Minister Lieberman has called for the need to start a new "imminent" war front in Lebanon.

Together with Trump, these gentlemen are trying to turn back the clock to before the Iraq war, before the capitalist crisis and before the Arab revolution. Trump has been trying to make a 180 degree turn from Obamas policies in the Middle East as if these were merely based on Obamas personal preferences and were not dictated by strategic interests of US imperialism. First he increased support for the Syrian rebels and carried out a pathetic missile attack on an empty government airbase in Syria. But nothing changed. In the end he had to come to an agreement with Russia about Syria. In Yemen as well, he initially supported MBSs brutal, yet hopeless war. But now he has been forced to call for an immediate end to the war.

Trump is also trying to scrap the Iran nuclear deal, but it is clear that other world powers will not follow suit. Nevertheless, the Iran deal was not an arbitrary piece of paper, it was the formalisation of a process which had taken place on the ground in the region. It was the formal recognition of Irans growing influence on the ground and the need by US imperialism to come to terms with it.

Trump is supporting almost everything said in Riyadh and Jerusalem, but time and time again, like during the Qatar crisis, he soon realises that his position undermines key US interests. Last week he officially recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Of course, this is only the last nail in the coffin of the utopian two state solution and the farce of peace negotiations played out by world powers for 25 years. Nevertheless, it is provoking a backlash against US imperialism throughout the region and thereby undermining Saudi political influence, while building up that of Hezbollah and Iran.

The US administration probably thought that, after the defeat of Islamic State, they had a window of opportunity to move against Iran. But the situation in the Middle East is not based on the level of cowardice of of this or that US politician. Trump, despite all his arrogance, has a little problem. In the context of the global economic crisis, the public debt crisis, rising anti-establishment moods in the US, the crisis of the US political system and after the disastrous adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan (where incidentally, they are still bogged down since the 2001 invasion), the US cannot deploy significant amounts of troops in the Middle East. So he has to rely on alliances with regimes and forces riddled by crises and with their own interests which do not necessarily coincide with those of the US all the time.

Meanwhile, Iran and its proxies have entrenched their position as the strongest political and military force, with hundreds of thousands of dedicated battle hardened troops holding territory from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, through Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. No other regime in the Middle East can boast of similar influence and therefore, Iran cannot be ignored or merely rolled back.

The limitations of US American power left a vacuum in the Middle East that was partially filled by Russia and partially by Iran. However, none of the regional powers has the strength to replace Washington completely, even though they all wish to do so. Seeing the rise of Iran, which is an existential threat to the regime in Riyadh and to an extent also to that in Jerusalem, tensions are likely to increase and the conflict to replicate itself throughout the region.

Mohammad Bin Salman, who is desperate to keep the conflict simmering outside of his own borders, has been trying to stir up a clash in Lebanon, a country of 4.3 million people, which has become much more unstable after the arrival of 1.5 million Syrian refugees. The Israeli regime is also preparing for war in Lebanon, but Hezbollah already pushed back the Israeli army in the 2006 war. Eleven years later, Hezbollah is stronger, both militarily and in terms of popularity. Saudi pressures on Lebanon have only had the effect of increasing the popularity of the Shiite movement inside the country.

Thus, if the imperialists engage in a new open conflict, they are likely to see similar results as in Syria. Those who will pay the main price are the oppressed peoples, such as the Palestinians and Kurds, used as pawns in this great game. As the crisis of capitalism grinds on, the ruling classes of the region are willing to drown the whole area in a sea of blood to protect their own privileges.

So long as the various despotic regimes remain in power, this nightmare scenario for the peoples of the Middle East will continue to get worse. The only way out is for all of these regimes to be overthrown. That task belongs to the workers and poor in all these countries. The 2011 Arab revolution gave us a glimpse of what is possible.

Only a solution based on class independence, on the common interests of the oppressed masses, beyond religion, ethnicity, and language, can free the Middle East from the nightmare of reaction and blood in which it is currently entangled.

The task of Marxists in the region is to patiently explain this and build a force that will be capable of intervening in the inevitable mass movements of the future. Iran 2009, Egypt 2011, Turkey 2013 showed what immense power the workers in these three key countries have. It is this power, if correctly challenged, that can finally put an end to the living hell the imperialists have created for all the peoples of the Middle East.
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The first ever public meeting held by the IMT in Kathmandu Nepal was a great success. Despite being in the middle of the election campaign, the meeting on the lessons of the October Revolution attracted 100 communist activists, including leading members of the Maoist party and the Young Communists. The meeting was also attended by comrade Gopal Kriti, who is a working-class veteran activist and member of the Executive Committee of the Maoist party: a mass party in Nepal. The meeting was held in the meeting hall of the Law College in Kathmandu and was addressed by comrade Yug Pathak, a communist journalist; and author and comrade Rob Sewell from the IMT.

Rob first of all addressed the audience about the significance of the Russian Revolution, which he described as the most important event in history. The revolution showed that workers and poor peasants could run society without capitalists, bankers and landlords. Rob stressed that the revolution was an international event, not simply a Russian one. He explained the Bolsheviks were internationalists and wanted world revolution, as opposed to the later, Stalinist, anti-Marxist theory of socialism in one country. Unfortunately, the revolutions in other countries were betrayed by the reformist leaders, while the Russian Revolution was isolated in a terribly backward country. This eventually led to the degeneration of the revolution and the rise of Stalinism.

Comrade Rob speaking about October 1917 / Image: own work

The adoption of the theory of socialism in one country, as Trotsky had predicted, would lead to the nationalist and reformist degeneration of the communist parties, which is evident today. Each looked to their own national road to socialism. Today, the leaders of the Communist Parties have abandoned Marxism for reformism. Some have gone over completely to capitalism. We have example in Nepal of the leader of the Maoist party, comrade Prachanda, who recently wrote an article in the newspaper Republiccalling on people to reject the "dogma" of Lenin and Marx. We need, he said, to go beyond Marxism. But this is nothing new. It is called revisionism.

The Nepal meeting was very well attended / Image: own work

Comrade Prachanda's aim is the establishment of a presidential republic, which he says will provide stability for Nepal. This is completely false. There will be no stability for the Nepalese masses on the basis of capitalism, whether under a presidential republic or not. Unfortunately, he has clearly abandoned the revolutionary ideas of Marxism for reformism. But there is no solution to the problems of the masses in Nepal without the socialist revolution. Capitalism is the road to disaster.

Comrade Rob stated that Lenin in State and Revolutionexplained that the state was not neutral but represents the ruling class. In Nepal we have a capitalist state, which cannot be reformed. It needs to be overthrown and a new workers state put in its place. The revolutionary workers and peasants of Nepal must then make a revolutionary internationalist appeal to the workers of India and the subcontinent to follow their lead, as Lenin and Trotsky did in October 1917. The Nepalese revolution can only win as part of a world revolution.

The communist movement in Nepal as elsewhere needs to return to the genuine ideas of Lenin and Marx. What we need is a Bolshevik Party as part of a Bolshevik international tendency, explained comrade Rob. This is the aim of the work of the IMT on a world scale.

After, comrade Yug spoke about the situation in Nepal and the need for Marxism to apply to the concrete situation.

Comrade Naresh speaking / Image: own work

The audience was very enthusiastic about the speeches and applauded throughout. The meeting was then thrown open to questions. There were many questions asked about the plight of the Kurds, the dangers of bureaucracy, reformism, and the importance of theory. There were also questions about the caste system and Marxism.

From left: Comrades Yug, Rob Sewell and Sangharash / Image: own work

Comrade Rob ended the meeting with an appeal to join and build the IMT, which was greeted with nods and cheers.

There is a powerful communist tradition in Nepal and a thirst for Marxist ideas. We will work to restore the ideas of genuine communism. This meeting will be the first of many. It will help prepare the forces for the Revolution in Nepal and throughout Southeast Asia. Our task remains the conquest of power by the workers and peasants on the lines of the Bolsheviks in October 1917.
Were storming through #WhiskyAdvent! Today were kicking off the second half of our tasty Drinks By The Dram Whisky Advent Calendar with a swift trip across the pond

Its 12 December, and that means were smack bang in the middle of #WhiskyAdvent! Forget half-time oranges, weve brought you a tipple from Kentucky to tide you over.

Behind window #12 of Drinks by the Drams Whisky Advent Calendar is Evan Williams White Label!

A classic in every sense of the word, Evan Williams White Label Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is a much-loved back-bar staple around the world.

Lovely Evan Williams

Nose: Dark and sticky molasses sweetness leads, with candy corn, prickling ginger and cinnamon spice coming through. Creamy vanilla and suggestions of red cola cubes form the backdrop.

Palate: Red peppercorn spiciness starts and is sweetened by burnt brown sugar, gingerbread and maple syrup. BBQ smoke, cured bacon and dry-roasted peanuts linger.

Finish: Medium-length, the finish dries to notes of baking spices, smatterings of oak char and corn-on-the-cob.

Overall: A summer barbecue of a dram straight from Kentucky.

But thats not all folks  were going to have a little look at the Origin Single Botanical Gin Advent Calendar today, too! This calendar celebrates single-origin gins made with juniper from 24 different locations  one for every day in Advent. Today this terroir exploration takes us to the Balkans  behind window #12 is a gin made with juniper from Ohrid Lake, Macedonia!

Terroir in gin? Yes, indeed!

Nose: An earthy yet delicate aroma with notes of clean citrus and pine. Theres fresh orchard fruits and a touch of melon.

Palate: The flavour is rich with oily juniper, candy floss, pear drops and a hint of green apple sweetness. Peppery spices begin to develop on the mid-palate.

Finish: There are sweet notes of candied peel and nutmeg, with vegetal hints of freshly picked herbs.

Kentucky followed by Macedonia. Where will Advent take us next?!
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 12, 2017

Perform Media officially launched with more than a dozen Yahoo industry vets supporting the technology and business model that connects search with native and display advertising for publishers.

Leo Polanowski, CEO and founder of Perform Media, spent more than 15 years at Yahoo in various positions, from search to advertising. When Verizon acquired Yahoo for $4.5 billion earlier this year, he left Yahoo with about 15 fellow employees to build Perform Media.

While at Yahoo, when tracking some of the trends in search during the past four to five years, he noticed the decline of explicit searches and rise of implicit searches. "It's still search because it's a keyword-based query targeted ad buy," he said.

Here's how this performance media buy works. Someone might go to a search box and type in "cold weather gear" while on a publisher's site while reading an article about Deer Valley, Utah. "From that contextual signal the technology we're partnering with will figure out that when people are reading this article they also are interested in cold weather gear," Polanowski said.

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Pointing to the two-click media-buying model, which verifies consumer intent, Polanowski said, the advertiser only pays for the advertisement when the site visitor clicks twice. The two clicks qualifies the site traffic.

Advertisers pay Perform Media for the opportunity to run advertisements and generate site traffic, leads and conversions. Polanowski declined to name brands, but said the fledgling company already has a lineup of advertisers in telecommunications, devices, wireless communications, finance, banking, and automotive.

The search query becomes "implicit" because Perform Media generates and suggests it, and the person searching for information sees and confirms it by clicking on the link. That triggers a more traditional search as if the person typed in and queried the phrase.

That page serves up ads and organic results with search ads and results powered by Media.net, which was acquired by a Chinese consortium in 2016 and works to serve content on publisher sites such as Forbes, WebMD, Cosmopolitan, and Woman's Day. In other cases the search links to a white-labeled site hosted by Media.net.

The search always begins on a publisher's site. The platform allows advertisers to provide search query-based ads on the publisher's site.

"I love Yahoo," Polanowski said. "It's the best thing that ever happened to me. Great company and I wish them in Oath nothing but success, but for the next 18 to 24 months the two will go through a lot of integration. It's just the nature of putting two very large companies together."

Polanowski did that at Yahoo through the BrightRoll acquisition and others, and did not want to do it again. What he enjoyed most was taking Yahoo Gemini to market and growing the platform to support advertisers.

Polanowski believes the company will fill a void in the affiliate network for contextual search. Google and Bing have "bigger fish to fry -- no disrespect," he said, but "they have not made this type of advertising a priority."
by Melynda Fuller , December 11, 2017

After its launch in August of this year, INTO, Grindr Medias online lifestyle publication, shows strong readership numbers as it taps veteran Trish Bendix to serve as the sites managing editor.

Bendix, previously the editor in chief of AfterEllen.com and GO magazine, whose writing has appeared in outlets like Vogue, Broadly, and BuzzFeed, will help INTO cultivate content for queer women and grow a larger audience an the site.

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Zach Stafford, editor in chief of INTO, told Publishers Daily: What drew me to Trish is not only her longstanding record and commitment to ensure queer women and stories are in the media, but also her mentorship over queer writers across the spectrum.

INTOs editorial targets a millennial audience, offering an eclectic mix of content across travel, fashion and beauty, global political coverage and cultural news.

Articles like Burlesque Helped Me Realize, Acknowledge, and Embrace My Bisexuality, and My Love for a Region That Doesnt Love Me, ensure the community is paying attention.

INTO has recorded 24.3 million unique viewers since launching, beating established LGBTQ outlets like Out.com and Advocate.com.

The site also found new advertising partners during its quick growth.

Michele Tobin, vice president, brand and partnerships for Grindr and INTO, reports partnerships with the CW, which ran a custom-sponsored video on the site leading up to the reboot of Dynasty, as well as tourism bureaus like Montreal and Tel Aviv.

Going forward, the site hopes to grow production of popular video series, like one that asked community users to swap profiles for a day. It was an eye-opening experience for all involved, says Peter Sloterdyk, vice president, global marketing Grindr and INTO. The sites editors also intend to put a greater focus on editorial centered on human rights and equality.

Having a powerful brand behind us, one that is recognizable by millions around the world, means we have a duty to help give a voice to the people who need it, says Sloterdyk.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 11, 2017

Global online advertising revenue growth reached 29.6% in third-quarter 2017, after remaining between 23% and 26% year-over-year during the past six quarters, according to data released Monday.

Forresters Digital Marketing tracker provides marketers with a quarterly update of online advertising revenue trends globally. The tracker captures revenue and user data for 13 key digital media and services companies, which in aggregate makes up more than 75% of the online advertising market.



Google managed to shake off its challenges, contributing the most to market growth, Brandon Verblow, associate forecast analyst within Forrester Research's Marketing & Strategy ForecastView team, cited in the report.

Verblow said in the report that Google contributed an additional $4.2 billion in spending compared with a year ago -- about 40% of the $10.5 billion growth in spending across all 13 firms.

With a 21.4% growth rate YoY, Google's advertising was the fasting-growing in about six quarters, even as the company dealt with the challenges of YouTube. In third-quarter 2017, YouTube saw the number of brands placing ads programmatically come roaring back, although the number of brands buying programmatically on the platform dipped 17% in April.

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Facebook's advertising grew 48.8%, up from 46.9% in Q2 2017. Facebook did top out of inventory, as the company expected, but was offset by better pricing. Forrester suggests that continued improvements in targeting continue to help deliver downstream results. And marketers are willing to pay.

Baidus quarterly growth has been on life support -- declining at 6.5% each quarter, reports Forrester, since its healthcare scare in second-quarter 2016. Increased Chinese government regulation of healthcare-related ads on search platforms starting in May 2016, contributed to the decline. In third-quarter 2017, that changed, with growth of 22%.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 11, 2017

Siding with AT&T, a federal appeals court has refused to revive a class-action alleging that the company falsely advertised "unlimited data" but throttled wireless users who exceeded a monthly cap.

The ruling, issued Monday by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, upheld a trial judge's decision to send the matter to arbitration.

The battle dates to 2014, when three California residents alleged in a class-action complaint that AT&T duped people by selling "unlimited" mobile broadband plans, and then throttling users who hit monthly caps ranging from 3 GB to 5 GB. From 2011 until 2015, AT&T allegedly throttled more than 3.5 million customers with "unlimited" data plans. (The company recently revised its throttling practices, and now only slows down customers who exceed 22 GB in a month, and only when the network is congested.)

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U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen in the Northern District of California sent the lawsuit to arbitration on the grounds that AT&T's terms of service required arbitration of disputes.

The consumers then asked the 9th Circuit Court to restore the lawsuit. Among other arguments, they said the Federal Arbitration Act -- which they contend enables companies to include arbitration agreements in contracts -- unconstitutionally deprives people of their right to petition the courts.

The 9th Circuit rejected that argument, stating that the Supreme Court has already ruled that arbitration agreements are enforceable. "Plaintiffs disagree with this case law, but we are bound by it," the judges wrote.

The Federal Trade Commission also sued AT&T over the mobile broadband slowdowns. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit dismissed the FTC's lawsuit last year, ruling that the agency lacks authority to sue common carriers like AT&T. The court later agreed to reconsider that ruling, but has not yet issued a decision.
by Melynda Fuller , December 12, 2017

On Monday, The New Yorker announced that it was parting ways with its longtime star political reporter Ryan Lizza after he was accused of sexual misconduct. Lizza had been with the publication for a decade.

The magazine issued a statement: "We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza. Due to a request for privacy, we are not commenting further.

CNN, where Lizza appears as an analyst, said he would not appear on the network during the investigation.

Lizza, who had written about high-profile political figures like Barack Obama for the publication and published an infamous expletive-filled interview with White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci just days before the embattled director was fired, expressed dismay at the accusations.

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He maintains that his relationship with the unidentified woman was respectful.

However, the accusers lawyer, Douglas Wigdor of Wigdor LLP, was quick to issue a statement on behalf of his client, supporting her complaints of misconduct.

Wigdor stated: "Our client reported Mr. Lizzas actions to ensure that he would be held accountable and in the hope that by coming forward she would help other potential victims."

Last week, Paris Review editor Lorin Stein stepped down from his position after the publication began an internal review of his interactions with female coworkers. Stein and Lizza add to a growing list of top editors and writers whose alleged inappropriate behavior has met with swift, immutable action across the publishing industry.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, December 12, 2017

Interpublic Groups The Martin Agency, roiling amidst a sex harassment scandal, has replaced its CEO Matt Williams. The incoming CEO is Kristen Cavallo, who is returning for a second tour of duty at the shop, this time as its first female chief executive.

A little over a week ago the agencys former creative head Joe Alexander was ousted amid allegations of sex harassment that apparently spanned his nearly-two decade stint at the agency.

For the past seven years, Cavallo has been an executive leader at Martin sibling agency Mullen, then MullenLowe Group, most recently in the role of U.S. Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, where she oversaw strategy and helped manage business development for the agencys four U.S. offices.

Prior to that role, Cavallo was President of Mullen's flagship office in Boston. Before joining Mullen, Cavallo spent 13 years at The Martin Agency, rising from strategic planning director to the role of Senior Vice President, business development, for the Richmond-based agency.

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Interpublic CEO Michael Roth issued this statement:

The Martin Agency has established its place as a storied brand, serving great clients and producing some of the industry's most awarded creative work. Kristen spent her formative years at the agency, so she knows how special a place it can be. She has also spent a number of years away from the agency, at one of the most progressive companies in the IPG portfolio, helping it develop its fully integrated offering, and grow into first a national presence, and more recently an international network. As a result, she brings with her a unique perspective and a fresh set of eyes that can inform The Martin Agency's future.

Roth added, Kristen has been described as bringing stability and purpose to teams and organizations, even those on unstable ground. When she oversaw business development at The Martin Agency, the firm doubled in size and was named Agency of the Year by Adweek. At the helm of MullenLowes Boston operation, and then as the head of strategy and growth for their U.S. operations, she helped drive double-digit growth at that network. Kristen loves a challenge and were very happy shes agreed to take on this key role in what has for many years been her home town.

Cavallo is said to be a long-standing champion of womens issues. She was an inaugural board member of IPGs Womens Leadership Network in 2007. She has spoken on womens issues at the 3% Conference, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and Hult International Business School. She is twice a winner of the Jay Chiat Award and was named an Ad Age Woman to Watch in 2014.

Cavallo stated: This is an important moment. I want people to feel the possibilities that exist for this agency. They are talking about us, but soon I hope they are rooting for us. As a strategist, I love opportunities for transformation, and feel fortunate to play a part, with the full support of Interpublic and its leadership, to help re-write the ending of this chapter. Obviously, there is a need for a new direction, and the culture has to evolve. To be the first female CEO of this agency, in this year, under these circumstances  the weight of this isnt lost on me. Its going to be hard, but we can do hard things. As a mom, I want my kids to see that, and to set an example that resilience and possibility matter.

Interpublic noted that as it continues with its ongoing investigation at the agency, and in order to support Ms. Cavallo during the period of leadership transition, The Martin Agency will report directly to IPG.

The Martin Agency is the second IPG shop in as many years where the holding company made a relatively swift leadership change amidst scandal. Last year the head of Campbell Ewald was replaced in the wake of a racist incident at its San Antonio office.

Earlier in the fall IPG reiterated its zero tolerance for harassment of any kind by employees.

Williams, 50, joined The Martin Agency in 1991 as an account director. He was named CEO of the agency in December 2012.
The brain treats talking inside of our heads as essentially the same thing as talking out loud, according to new research published in the journal eLife, which may help to explain conditions such as schizophrenia. Share on Pinterest Our brains make a copy of each instruction they send out. We spend a lot of time listening to ourselves talk inside of our heads. We listen to our inner voice each time we read a book, decide what to have for lunch, or imagine how we are going to get our view across in a meeting. In fact, estimates suggest that we spend at least a quarter of our waking hours attending to our inner voice. But how is the brain able to tell the difference between the inner voice and the external voice that makes the sounds that other people hear? Tools exploring this area of brain processing could be very useful to improving our understanding of disorders that involve hearing voices, such as schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia and hallucinations Schizophrenia is a long-term, severe, and disabling mental illness that affects around 1.1 percent of adults in the United States. In most cases, symptoms start in late adolescence or early adulthood. The disorder disrupts thinking, emotions, perception, and behavior, making it hard to get along with people, keep a job, and manage day-to-day life. Experts suggest that this highly complex disease is probably a collection of several disorders. A common symptom of schizophrenia is auditory verbal hallucinations, or hearing voices that other people do not hear. For some time, it has been assumed that these hallucinations are a result of problems with inner speech. This study, explains first study author Thomas Whitford, an associate professor in the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales in Australia, provides the tools for investigating this once untestable assumption.

Efference copy dampens brain response When we speak our thoughts out loud, our brain sends out instructions that tell the vocal chords, tongue, and lips how to move to produce the intended sound. When this happens, the brain also makes a copy of the instructions. This is known as the efference copy. The efference copy allows the brain regions that process sound to predict what they are about to receive. If the efference copy matches the sounds that we actually hear when we speak, then the sound processing response is more subdued. The efference copy dampens the brains response to self-generated vocalizations, says Prof. Whitford, giving less mental resources to these sounds, because they are so predictable. He explains this effect with another example: trying to tickle ourselves feels much less ticklish than when someone else does it. When we try to tickle ourselves, the brain produces an efference copy of the instructions to the fingers, allowing it to predict the exact sensations, resulting in a somewhat dampened response. But if someone else does the tickling, there is no reference copy, and the unpredicted act  even if it involves the same sensations  creates a bigger response in the brain and the feeling of being tickled.
Officials say the device was known as an "unexploded ordnance," or an explosive weapon that did not explode and still posed a...
The Justice Department has appealed lower court rulings rejecting President Donald Trump's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.

Late Monday, Justice Department lawyers filed motions to appeal two lower court rulings to the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia in an effort to delay orders for the Defense Department to begin accepting transgender recruits Jan. 1.

The motions argued that moving ahead on transgender recruits would "place extraordinary burdens on our armed forces and may harm military readiness."

The appeal was filed after Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday rejected the administration's request for a delay on transgender recruitments.

"The Court is not persuaded that Defendants [the Trump administration] will be irreparably injured" by meeting the New Year's Day deadline, Kollar-Kotelly wrote in her ruling.

In a similar case, federal Judge Marvin Garbis in Baltimore also ruled against a delay and in addition blocked the administration from denying funding for sex reassignment surgeries in the military.

In his ruling last month, Garbis said that currently serving transgender service members were "already suffering harmful consequences" and prohibited the administration "from blocking those challenging the ban from completing their medically necessary surgeries."

In appealing the two lower court rulings, the Justice Department argued that the lawsuits against Trump's ban were baseless while a Pentagon study on the impact of transgenders in the ranks is ongoing.

"Plaintiffs' lawsuit challenging military service requirements is premature for many reasons, including that the Defense Department is actively reviewing such service requirements," the Justice Department said in a statement.

In a statement Monday, the Pentagon said it was going ahead with plans to accept transgender recruits beginning Jan. 1 while the legal battles continue.

However, the statement added, "DoD and the Department of Justice are actively pursuing relief from those court orders in order to allow an ongoing policy review scheduled to be completed before the end of March."

In her October ruling granting a preliminary injunction against the Trump ban, Kollar-Kotelly sided with plaintiffs in the case who argued that Trump's move to bar transgender recruits and to discharge transgender individuals already in the ranks was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

"There is absolutely no support for the claim that the ongoing service of transgender people would have any negative effect on the military at all," Kollar-Kotelly wrote.

On July 26, the president in a series of tweets announced his intention to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military.

Trump said the government would no longer "accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military."

He followed up the tweets with a memo to the Defense Department ordering a ban and directing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to conduct a study on the effects and costs of transgenders in the ranks.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a massive defense bill that authorizes everything from troop pay raises to military end strength in fiscal 2018.

The Fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes about $700 billion for the Defense Department, including $634 billion for the base budget and $66 billion for the war budget. The figures are targets, and Congress still faces a year-end deadline to pass an accompanying spending bill to keep the government running.

Even so, the authorization bill approved by Congress includes numerous policy-related provisions, many of which are in line with what the president requested, though it authorized additional funding for higher pay raises, more weapons, and more troops.

"History teaches us that when you weaken your defenses, you invite aggression," Trump said before signing the bill. "The best way to prevent conflict of any kind is to be prepared. Only when the good are strong will peace prevail."

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The president added, "Today, with the signing of this defense bill, we accelerate the process of fully restoring America's military might. This legislation will enhance our readiness and modernize our forces and help provide our service members with the tools they need to fight and win."

Trump acknowledged Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, for their work in preparing the bipartisan bill. He also called on Congress to eliminate spending caps known as sequestration and approve a "clean" appropriations bill.

So what's in the defense authorization bill for you? Here's a rundown of the top changes:

2.4% Troop Pay Raise

Troops will see a 2.4 percent pay raise in January. That's the largest year-over-year increase service members have received since 2010.

20K More Troops

The military will grow by some 20,000 troops. The Army will increase by 7,500 soldiers, the Navy by 4,000 sailors, the Marine Corps by 1,000 Marines, and the Air Force by about 4,100 airmen. Reserve forces will grow by about 3,400 reservists.

Higher Tricare Co-Pays

Previously, many retirees and military dependents paid nothing for many prescriptions. That's about to change, as co-pays will increase under the Tricare pharmacy program. The increases won't apply to disabled retirees, their dependents, and dependents of service members who died on active duty.

Cuts 'Widow's Tax'

The bill reduces the so-called widow's tax by making permanent the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance, or SSIA, which pays $310 a month to military widows and widowers whose Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments were offset as a result of receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).

License Rebates for Spouses

Military spouses who get a new professional license or certification after a permanent change of station move will be able to apply for a $500 rebate from the Defense Department.

Eases PCS Moves

The bill authorizes a program to allow some families of troops who are changing duty stations to move before or after the service member for job, school or other reasons. The initiative also allows the service member to utilize government housing, if available.

Reservist Health Care

The legislation mandates for all mobilized Reserve Component members to receive pre-mobilization and transitional health care.

1911s for Commercial Sale

The bill would allow recently confirmed Army Secretary Mark Esper to transfer 8,000 or more of the Army's iconic .45-caliber M1911/M1911A1 pistols, spare parts and related accessories to the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety as part of a two-year pilot program.

Criminalizes Revenge Porn

The bill allows for court-martial punishment for troops who engage in so-called revenge porn, or the unauthorized sharing or distribution of "an intimate visual image of a private area of another person."

Creates Training Database

The legislation authorizes the creation of a new database to record all training completed by military members. This information will be made available to employers and states to help veterans get certifications or licenses, or claim their military experience when applying for a civilian job.

Retirees as Recruiters

The bill calls for the creation of a pilot program to use retired senior enlisted Army National Guard members as recruiters.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.

This story was edited to clarify the changes made to the so-called "widow's tax."
A U.S. service member was killed and two others were injured Monday in what was described as a "vehicle incident" in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, where numerous operations against an Islamic State offshoot have been conducted.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own," Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and the NATO Resolute Support mission, said in a statement.

"Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with the families and friends of our fallen and injured comrades," he said.

The deceased service member was identified as Staff Sgt. David Thomas Brabander, 24, of Anchorage, Alaska, according to a release from the Defense Department.

He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, according to the release.

The two injured service members are receiving medical treatment, but their conditions were not immediately described.

The death was the 16th of a U.S. service member in Afghanistan this year, compared to 14 in 2016, according to the website icasualties.org. Eleven of the deaths this year were in combat.

The statement by U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said, "The incident was not the result of enemy action," but gave no additional details.

In a briefing to the Pentagon from Kabul on other issues, Air Force Brig. Gen. Lance Bunch, director of future operations for Resolute Support, also said the death was not the result of combat. He said he was unaware of what type of vehicle was involved or what the mission was for those in the vehicle.

U.S. and partnered Afghan National Defense and Security Forces units have conducted several major operations in Nangarhar province against the offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] known as Islamic State-Khorasan Province, or IS-K.

In April, the U.S. carried out an airstrike in Nangarhar using the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal -- the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) -- which was meant to destroy an underground IS-K hideout.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Laser-armed drones are one step closer to becoming a reality.

The Missile Defense Agency recently awarded Boeing Co. a nine-month, $9 million contract as part of its Low Power Laser Demonstrator program, according to a Defense Department contract announcement.

Boeing is the third defense contractor to begin work on the agency's first phase of the project, which aims to design, integrate and test a low power laser on an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The agency awarded a $9.4 million contract to Lockheed Martin Corp. in October and an $8.9 million contract to General Atomics in November.

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For now, the goal is to integrate airborne platforms with precision tracking lasers.

For example, under a previous contract, the agency successfully tested General Atomics' MQ-9 Reaper incorporated with Raytheon's Multi-Spectral Targeting System -- an electro-optical/infrared, long-range surveillance, target tracking and range finding, and laser designated sensor package -- during a Navy exercise last year.

Those capabilities may even be able to identify and track North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launches, according to Richard Matlock, program executive for advanced technology at the Missile Defense Agency.

Matlock told Smithsonian's Air & Space Magazine in May the infrared-sensor technology on UAVs will allow the agency to more accurately track hundreds of miles beyond radar range to see missiles before they launch into the sky.

The technology could eventually evolve into "kill lasers," for more advanced high-altitude drones that could take out ICBMs in the boost phase before cruise altitude, Matlock told Air & Space.

In 2016, MDA awarded five contracts to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and Raytheon for preliminary, low-power laser concepts.

Boeing will work on its LPD laser in Huntington Beach, California, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, through September, according to the contract announcement.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
Were in week number 6 of the National Geographic Channels new 8-part event series The Long Road Home and weve got a preview clip from Tuesday night's episode titled Abandon Hope. Based on ABC News journalist Martha Raddatzs best-selling book, the dramatic series chronicles April 4, 2004, the day that is known as the Iraq Wars Black Sunday. The First Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas, was ambushed in Sadr City, Baghdad. The series follows the men in action and the reactions of their families back home in Texas.

In Tuesday's episode 7 (we got two episodes on premiere night, so the math is correct), the show explores the story of Sgt. Eric Bourquin, a soldier who joined the Army to escape an unstable and violent home. His conflicts with the interpreter Jassim in earlier episodes seem a bit more complicated when we learn his backstory.

In this clip from the episode, Bourquin (played by Jon Beavers) assists Lt. Shane Aguero back up to the roof after Aguero has been injured while the team waits for rescue.
Discover your perfect career path and get customized job recommendations based on your military experience and vocational interests with Military.com's Military Skills Translator + Personality Assessment.

Military service members face many challenges when their enlistment ends. They must adjust to living outside a military compound, having more free time and less rigorous social interaction, seeing beloved friends and family every day and losing responsibilities while gaining others. However, the most stressful challenge for most soon-to-be vets is getting a job.

Related: Does your resume pass the 6-second test? Get a FREE assessment.

Rarely do service members worry about interviews; even more rarely do they think about resumes and cover letters. Job hunting is as foreign to a military vet as living on an active military facility would be to a civilian; the difference is that vets usually have to find work, whereas few civilians will ever step foot on a base. Fortunately, it can be easy for vets to find jobs -- especially if they look in the following industries that eagerly accept military experience.

Information Technology

As most service members know, running into hostile territories equipped with guns and armor is a dying art. So much of America's defenses have become digital that many service members are trained specifically for information technology positions, which is an outstanding advantage in today's civilian job market.

There is not a business in America today that does not rely on technology, which means anyone equipped with skills like operating digital equipment and networks, analyzing data, and building and maintaining computer systems is likely to have no problem finding a well-paying job.

In fact, among the top 15 businesses boasting the highest veteran hiring rates, five are within the information technology field; these companies include:

Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)

General Dynamics

CACI Institute

International Business Machines (IBM)

Throughout the industry, jobs are expected to grow more than 6% by 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salaries for information technology professionals vary based on job title and responsibilities, but service members can always return to school for enhanced credentials and greater earning power.

Aerospace and Defense

The aerospace industry is committed to building technology used in military pursuits: aircraft, spacecraft, satellites and missiles. Therefore, it follows that most aerospace firms are eager to employ veterans who have experience using these technologies in the wild. Service members can evaluate and improve defense-related technologies with greater assiduousness than average citizens, who generally do not understand the specific and exceptional needs of military personnel.

However, vets interested in aerospace engineering can look forward to more than building technologies for military use. In fact, many of the discoveries made to actualize air and space travel have become foundational in modern society, including water filtration systems, more energy-efficient lights and electronics, nutritionally enriched foods and more.

While some of the top aerospace firms hiring vets are focused on defense, others have notably contributed to general technological advancement:

Lockheed Martin Corp.

The Boeing Company

Northrop Grumman Corporation

General Electric Co.

Aerospace has been growing steadily for years -- and not just in America. Vets can find ample opportunities for work in aerospace and defense outside the U.S., especially in countries eager to reach space, such as India. A bachelor's degree is typically the lowest education requirement for aerospace engineers, but vets can return to school for master's- and Ph.D.-level credentials that will boost earning potential.

Weapons and Security

The weapons and security industry tends to be an attractive option to vets recently out of service. As with information technology, service members are often trained directly in the fields of weapons and security, which means their employment history makes them ideal candidates for jobs in this industry, where knowledge about national security and weapon use -- as well as experience with teamwork and leadership -- are mandatory.

The frequency that vets find positions within weapons and security firms is proven by the fact that one-third of the top 15 companies hiring vets falls within this industry:

Booz Allen Hamilton

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)

BAE Systems Inc.

L-3 Communications

Raytheon Co.

Within this industry, the types of available positions -- as well as job requirements and pay -- are incredibly diverse. Vets interested in performing similar duties to their positions in the service should strongly consider investigating opportunities in weapons and security.

Government Agencies

It shouldn't be surprising that the U.S. government is attracted to individuals who have already demonstrated commitment to the country. Passion for protecting and improving the U.S. is critical for work in government agencies, and vets' history of service is proof of their American patriotism and zeal.

Plus, there are two federal departments -- the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs -- that directly apply vets' specialized training and experience. Not only can vets help advance the U.S. from these positions, but they can help individual service members, as well.

The Next Step: Find the Right Veteran Job

Whether you want to polish up your resume, find veteran job fairs in your area, or connect with employers looking to hire veterans, Military.com can help. Sign up for a free Military.com membership to have job postings, guides and advice, and more delivered directly to your inbox.
Cape Lambert Resources Ltd.: Beginn der Kartierungen im Kupfer-Kobalt-Projekt Kasombo in der Demokratischen Republik Kongo



Beginn der Kartierungen im Kupfer-Kobalt-Projekt Kasombo in der Demokratischen Republik Kongo

Es wurden Kartierungsarbeiten im Projekt Kasombo in der Demokratischen Republic Kongo (DRC) durchgefuhrt.

Es wurde ein weiterer Mineralisierungstypus ermittelt, der Potenzial fur eine deutliche Erweiterung der Lagerstatte birgt.

Die Ergebnisse der Probenahme in Mineralisierungshorizonten und Brekziengestein liegen vor.

Laut Bericht enthalten Proben aus der Zone Kasombo 7 hochgradige Kobaltwerte von 6,99 % und 1,57 %.

Das Ausschreibungsverfahren fur Bohrungen wurde abgeschlossen, die Bohrungen sollen diese Woche starten.

Fe Limited (Company) (ASX: FEL) freut sich bekannt zu geben, dass das Unternehmen vor kurzem geologische Kartierungen und Probenahmen im Kupfer-Kobalt-Projekt Kasombo (Projekt Kasombo) absolviert hat und am 13. Dezember 2017 ein erstes Bohrprogramm einleiten wird.

Im Rahmen der Generalversammlung des Unternehmens am 3. November 2017 haben die Aktionare der Ubernahme des Projekts Kasombo von Cape Lambert Resources Limited (ASX: CFE)(Cape Lambert) zugestimmt. Cape Lambert ist ein Groaktionar von FEL und halt derzeit 44,66 % des ausgegebenen Aktienkapitals.

Das Projekt Kasombo umfasst drei Mineralisierungszonen mit 600 Hektar Gesamtflache  Kasombo 5, 6 und 7 -, die in zwei genehmigte Bergbaukonzessionsgebiete  PE 481 und PE 4886  eingebunden sind und sich im Kupfergurtel Katanga (KCB) in rund 25 km Entfernung von Lubumbashi, der zweitgroten Stadt der Demokratischen Republik Kongo, befinden.

Die Kartierungsarbeiten im Projekt Kasombo fanden von 2.  11. November 2017 statt und konzentrierten sich zunachst auf die Zonen Kasombo 6 und 7. Weitere Kartierungen in der Zone Kasombo 5 sind noch im Gange.

Ein Bericht zu den Kartierungsarbeiten wurde abgeschlossen und ein erstes RC-Bohrprogramm in kleinem Mastab wurde geplant.

Wahrend der Kartierungsarbeiten sondierte das Unternehmen auch andere Bereiche im naheren Umfeld des Projekts Kasombo, um die Moglichkeit der Erweiterung des Projekts Kasombo zu prufen.

Es wurden weitere Mineralisierungszonen in der Nahe der kartierten Bereiche ermittelt und das Unternehmen wird Verhandlungen mit dem Lizenzinhaber, La Generale des Carrieres et des Mines (Gecamines), aufnehmen um festzustellen, ob diese Bereiche in das Projekt Kasombo eingegliedert werden konnen.

Die Kartierungen haben zwei Mineralisierungstypen freigelegt: der erste entspricht einer Mineralisierung, die fur Lagerstatten im KCB typisch ist; der zweite weist querverlaufende Brekzienstrukturen auf und birgt Potenzial fur eine deutliche Ausweitung der Abgrenzungen der Lagerstatte.

Daruber hinaus hat das Unternehmen wahrend der Kartierungsarbeiten zwanzig Proben, grotenteils aus der Zone Kasombo 7, gesammelt.

Die Proben wurden zur Auswertung an das Labor von ALS Laboratories in Lubumbashi und Sudafrika ubergeben.

Das Unternehmen hat nun die von ALS Laboratories ermittelten Probenergebnisse erhalten; die Proben enthielten eine ausgepragte Kobaltmineralisierung, wobei die Proben mit dem hochsten Mineralisierungsanteil 6,99 % Kobalt (Probe A2914) und 1,57 % Kobalt (Probe A2916) aufwiesen.

Eine Auswahl von Elementen aus dem Probengesamtpaket ist in Tabelle 1 aufgelistet.

Des Weiteren freut sich das Unternehmen bestatigen zu konnen, dass ein Ausschreibungsverfahren fur die Bohrungen abgeschlossen wurde. Der Auftrag fur die Umsetzung eines ersten RC-Bohrprogramms im kleinen Mastab in den bekannten Mineralisierungszonen erging an die ortliche Bohrfirma Rubaco Sarl. Ziel der Bohrungen ist es, schon fruhzeitig die Tiefe und den Erzgehalt innerhalb der Oxidationszonen feststellen zu konnen.

Die Bohrungen sollen am 13. Dezember 2017 eingeleitet und noch vor Jahresende abgeschlossen werden.

Im Hinblick auf den Beginn der Explorationsarbeiten meinte Chairman Tony Sage: Ich bin mit dem Fortschritt der Explorationsarbeiten bei Kasombo zufrieden und zuversichtlich, dass das erste Bohrprogramm entsprechende Einblicke in das Gesamtpotenzial der Zone Kasombo ermoglichen wird.

Mit freundlichen Gruen,

FE LIMITED

Tony Sage

Non-Executive Chairman

Wichtigste Punkte:

Borsensymbol Australian Securities Exchange: FEL

Stammaktien:

328.169.629

Nicht borsennotierte Optionen:

9.375.000

Board of Directors:

Tony Sage

Non-Executive Chairman

Kenneth Keogh

Non-Executive Director

Nicholas Sage

Non-Executive Director

Kontaktdaten:

www.felimited.com.au

32 Harrogate St, West Leederville

Westaustralien 6007 Australien

Telefon +61 8 6181 9793

E-Mail info@felimited.com.au

Fe Limited ist ein Explorations- und Erschlieungsunternehmen fur Mineralressourcen mit Sitz in Australien.

Fe Limited

ABN: 31 112 731 638

http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/41786/0314  Mapping at Kasombo_Final Draft_DE_PRCOM.001.jpeg

http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/41786/0314  Mapping at Kasombo_Final Draft_DE_PRCOM.002.jpeg

Standort des Projekts Kasombo und der nahegelegenen Verarbeitungsanlage Kipushi

Lageplan Kasombo

http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/41786/0314  Mapping at Kasombo_Final Draft_DE_PRCOM.003.png

http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/41786/0314  Mapping at Kasombo_Final Draft_DE_PRCOM.004.png

http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/41786/0314  Mapping at Kasombo_Final Draft_DE_PRCOM.005.jpeg

Kleinbergbaubetrieb bei Kasombo 7 im Bereich der querverlaufenden Brekzienmineralisierung; rote Linien markieren den Rand der Brekzie.

Stellungnahme des Sachverstandigen

Die in diesem Bericht enthaltenen Informationen wurden von Jess Oram, Exploration Manager bei Cauldron Energy und Mitglied des Australasian Institute of Geoscientists, gesammelt und aufbereitet. Oram verfugt uber ausreichende Erfahrungen, wie sie fur den Mineralisierungstyp und die Art der hier betrachteten Lagerstatte sowie die von ihm durchgefuhrten Tatigkeiten wesentlich sind. Er verfugt somit uber die entsprechenden Qualifikationen, die ihn zum Sachverstandigen gema den einschlagigen australischen Richtlinien der Berichterstattung (Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, Ausgabe 2012) befahigen. Oram stimmt zu, dass die auf den einschlagigen Informationen basierenden Angaben in einer der Form und dem Kontext entsprechenden Weise in den Bericht aufgenommen werden.

Unter folgendem Link finden Sie die vollstandige englische Originalmeldung: http://news.iguana2.com/macquaries/ASX/CFE/865060

Die Ausgangssprache (in der Regel Englisch), in der der Originaltext veroffentlicht wird, ist die offizielle, autorisierte und rechtsgultige Version. Diese Ubersetzung wird zur besseren Verstandigung mitgeliefert. Die deutschsprachige Fassung kann gekurzt oder zusammengefasst sein. Es wird keine Verantwortung oder Haftung: fur den Inhalt, fur die Richtigkeit, der Angemessenheit oder der Genauigkeit dieser Ubersetzung ubernommen. Aus Sicht des Ubersetzers stellt die Meldung keine Kauf- oder Verkaufsempfehlung dar! Bitte beachten Sie die englische Originalmeldung auf www.sedar.com, www.sec.gov, www.asx.com.au/ oder auf der Firmenwebsite!

Table 1; Kasombo Project  sample location and assay

AREA LOCATION PREFERRED ASSAY ME-MS6ME-MS6ME-MS6

1 1 1

ProspeEastiNorthiDatum SampleCu_ppmCu_metCo_ppmCo_metFe_% Mn_ppmPb_ppm

ct ng ng ID h h

KAS_7 53397871021wgs84_zA2901 366 ME-MS64220 ME-MS61.54 3150 6.9

0 4 35 1 1

KAS_7 53397871022wgs84_zA2902 463 ME-MS63570 ME-MS64.26 2480 14.9

0 3 35 1 1

KAS_7 53399871024wgs84_zA2903 318 ME-MS63020 ME-MS62.43 1120 12.7

0 0 35 1 1

KAS_7 53399871024wgs84_zA2904 371 ME-MS68430 ME-MS67.83 1880 5.4

0 0 35 1 1

KAS_7 53401871023wgs84_zA2905 590 ME-MS62030 ME-MS64.08 4040 7.9

2 3 35 1 1

KAS_7 53399871026wgs84_zA2906 812 ME-MS68760 ME-MS648.1 5140 46

4 0 35 1 1

KAS_7 53406871022wgs84_zA2907 241 ME-MS6608 ME-MS63.84 944 4.5

5 7 35 1 1

KAS_7 53407871023wgs84_zA2908 2210 ME-MS67750 ME-MS67.4 18800 15.9

3 0 35 1 1

KAS_7 53399871021wgs84_zA2909 256 ME-MS61250 ME-MS62.66 1920 5.2

7 2 35 1 1

KAS_7 53401871022wgs84_zA2910 855 ME-MS63600 ME-MS68.04 5190 14.1

0 3 35 1 1

KAS_7 53402871024wgs84_zA2911 406 ME-MS62610 ME-MS65.19 4650 2.7

2 4 35 1 1

KAS_7 53399871027wgs84_zA2912 1010 ME-MS66960 ME-MS66.53 5930 7.7

4 3 35 1 1

KAS_7 53399871026wgs84_zA2913 925 ME-MS67120 ME-MS66.69 6670 7.4

1 9 35 1 1

KAS_7 53397871022wgs84_zA2914 5140 ME-MS669900 OG62 13.75 22300 21.2

2 3 35 1

KAS_7 53398871020wgs84_zA2915 1110 ME-MS65650 ME-MS62.85 15000 14.3

0 4 35 1 1

KAS_7 53397871021wgs84_zA2916 965 ME-MS615650 OG62 5.93 5620 10.7

3 8 35 1

KAS_8-53364870977wgs84_zA2917 83.9 ME-MS6110.5 ME-MS61.71 329 15.6

9 7 4 35 1 1

KAS_8-53361870977wgs84_zA2918 64.6 ME-MS6101.5 ME-MS60.98 173 4.7

9 4 2 35 1 1

KAS_8-53383870964wgs84_zA2919 103.5 ME-MS6197 ME-MS61.44 925 2.5

9 5 8 35 1 1

KAS_6 53287870942wgs84_zA2920 644 ME-MS617 ME-MS61.73 59 6.9

1 0 35 1 1

KEY: KAS_7 is Kasombo 7 prospect, KAS_8-9 is area near Kasombo8 and Kasombo 9 prospects; KAS_^ is Kasombo 6 prospect; 10,000 ppm is 1%; ALS analysis using a three acid digest with ICP-MS and ICP-AES finish is ME-MS61; ALS method OG62 is over-range grade re-assay of ME-MS62.

http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/41786/0314  Mapping at Kasombo_Final Draft_DE_PRCOM.006.png

JORC Code, 2012 Edition  Table 1 Kasombo Mapping and Sampling

Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data

(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections.)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary

Sampling  Nature and quality of sampling (eg cut  Samples were collected from

techniqu channels, random chips, or specific breccia and mineralized units

es identified from mapping and visual

specialised industry standard inspection.

measurement tools appropriate to the

minerals under investigation, such as  Samples are selective across the

down observed

hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF mineralised zone

instruments,  The sampling is appropriate to

gauge the levels of

etc). These examples should not be taken

as limiting the broad meaning of mineralisation possible, and will

sampling. be used to

 Include reference to measures taken to prioritise drill targeting of

ensure sample potential mineralized

zones

representivity and the appropriate

calibration of any measurement tools or  Sampling guided by visual

systems identification of

used.

both:

 Aspects of the determination of mineralo strata conformable Cu-Co style min

isation eralisation

that are Material to the Public Report. typical of the Katangan copperbelt

 In cases where industry standard o breccia-style strata

work has been done this would be cross-cutting

relatively simple

( mineralisation

eg reverse circulation drilling was  Detailed structural and

used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 stratigraphic mapping at 1:1000

kg was scale was completed; taking note

of

pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for

fire assay). In other cases more Katangan Sequence stratigraphy of

explanation may be required, such as the Lowe Roan

where there is coarse gold that has

inherent sampling problems. Unusual Supergroup and bedding orientations

commodities or  Sampling selection completed on

the basis of

mineralisation types (eg submarine mapping

nodules) may warrant disclosure of

detailed

information.

Drilling  Drill type (eg core, reverse  No drilling conducted.

technique circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary

s air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic,

etc) and details (eg core diameter,

triple or standard tube, depth of

diamond tails, face-sampling bit or

other type, whether core is oriented

and if so, by what method,

etc).

Drill  Method of recording and assessing core  No drilling conducted.

sample and chip sample recoveries and results

recovery assessed.

 Measures taken to maximise sample

recovery and ensure representative

nature of the

samples.

 Whether a relationship exists between

sample recovery and grade and whether

sample bias may have occurred due to

preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse

material.

Logging  Whether core and chip samples have  No drilling conducted.

been geologically and

geotechnically logged to a level of

detail to support appropriate Mineral

Resource estimation, mining studies and

metallurgical

studies.

 Whether logging is qualitative or

quantitative in nature. Core (or

costean, channel, etc) photography.

 The total length and percentage of the

relevant intersections

logged.

Sub-sampl If core, whether cut or sawn and  No sub-sampling of material was

ing whether quarter, half or all core undertaken subsequent to initial

techniqu taken. sample

es and

sample  If non-core, whether riffled, tube

preparat sampled, rotary split,

ion

etc and whether sampled wet or dry.

 For all sample types, the nature,

quality and appropriateness of the

sample preparation

technique.

 Quality control procedures adopted for

all sub-sampling stages to

maximise representivity of samples.

 Measures taken to ensure that the

sampling is representative of the in

situ material collected, including for

instance results for field

duplicate/second-half

sampling.

 Whether sample sizes are appropriate

to the grain size of the material being

sampled.

Quality  The nature, quality and  Samples were prepared and analysed

of appropriateness of the assaying and by ALS; with samples crushed and

assay laboratory procedures used and whether

data the technique is considered partial or pulverised in ALS Lubumbashi, DRC

and total. laboratory, and ICP-AES or ICP-MS

laborato finish in ALS Johannesburg

ry  For geophysical tools, spectrometers, laboratory.

tests handheld XRF instruments,

 Preparation: crush and pulverise s

etc, the parameters used in determining o that 80% of sample pass minus 80

the analysis including instrument make micron

and model, reading times, calibrations

factors applied and their derivation,  ALS method ME-MS61, having a low

etc. lower level of

detection

 Nature of quality control procedures

adopted  Over-range assay re-analysed by

( ALS ore grade method

eg standards, blanks, duplicates, OG-62

external laboratory checks) and whether

acceptable levels of accuracy  Digest: four acid digest on a

( 0.25g

ie lack of bias) and precision have been charge

established.

 Element Suite (with lower level

of detection in brackets in

ppm)

: Ag(0.01), Al(100), As(0.2),

Ba(10),

Be(0.05), Bi(0.01), Ca(100),

Cd(0.02), Ce(0.01), Co(0.1),

Cr(1), Cs(0.05), Cu(0.2), Fe(100),

Ga(0,05), Ge(0,05),

Hf(0.1), In(0.005), K(100), La(0.5),

Li(0.2), Mg(100),

Mn(5), Mo(0.05), Na(100), Nb(0.1),

Ni(0.2), P(10),

Pb(0.5), Rb(0.1), Re(0.002),

S(100), Sb(0.05),

Sc(0.1), Se(1), Sn(0.2), Sr(0.2),

Ta(0.05),

Te(0.05), Th(0.2), Ti(0.005),

Tl(0.02),

U(0.1), V(1), W(0.1), Y(0.1),

Zn(2),

Zr(0.5)

Verificat The verification of significant  No verification work has been

ion of intersections by either independent or conducted.

sampling alternative company

and personnel.

assaying

 The use of twinned holes.

 Documentation of primary data, data

entry procedures, data verification,

data storage (physical and electronic)

protocols.

 Discuss any adjustment to assay data.

Location  Accuracy and quality of surveys used  Samples were located with

of to locate drill holes (collar and handheld

data poi down-hole surveys), trenches, mine GPS

nts workings and other locations used in , having an accuracy of plus or

Mineral Resource minus 10

estimation. m

.

 Specification of the grid system used.

 Quality and adequacy of topographic

control.

Data spac Data spacing for reporting of  Samples were taken wherever minera

ing Exploration lisation

and dist Results. was observed, in a random

ribution distribution, but governed by the

 Whether the data spacing and presence of observable

distribution is sufficient to establish

the degree of geological and grade mineralization in a pattern

continuity appropriate for the Mineral governed by the

Resource and Ore Reserve estimation

procedure(s) and classifications mineralising system

applied.  The data is not suitable for Miner

al

 Whether sample compositing has been R

applied. esource estimation.

Orientati Whether the orientation of sampling  Samples are selective based on

on of achieves unbiased sampling of possible exposure of

data in structures and the extent to which this

relation is known, considering the deposit mineralisation

to type.

geologic

al  If the relationship between the

structur drilling orientation and the

e orientation of key

mineralised structures is considered to

have introduced a sampling bias, this

should be assessed and reported if

material.

Sample se The measures taken to ensure sample  Not applicable.

curity security.

Audits  The results of any audits or reviews  Samples temporarily stored then

or of sampling techniques and transported to ALS Lubumbashi by

reviews data. consulting group engaged by FE

Limited

.

Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary

Mineral  Type, reference name/number, location  The licence is held by state

tenement and ownership including agreements or owned company

and land material issues with third parties such

tenure as joint ventures, partnerships, Gecamines and is the subject of a

status overriding royalties, native title rights agreement between

interests, historical sites, wilderness

or national park and environmental Gecamines and Paragon SARL. Paragon

settings. has a joint venture with Cape

Lambert Resources and Cape Lambert

 The security of the tenure held at the Resources has entered in to an

time of reporting along with any known agreement with Fe Limited to

impediments to obtaining a assign its rights to the

licence to operate in the area. Kasombo Project to Fe Limited.

Exploratio Acknowledgment and appraisal of  Gecamines mapping completed in

n done by exploration by other 1990s

other parties. .

parties 

Geology  Deposit type, geological setting and  Cu-Co mineralisation of the Katang

style of an

style; where stratabound mineralisa

mineralisation. tion

is located in the Lower Roan Superg

roup

 Breccia style cross-cutting Cu-Co

minerali

sation in vertically dipping

structures

Drill  A summary of all information material  The dataset has no drilling.

hole to the understanding of the exploration

Informati results including a tabulation of the

on following information for all Material

drill

holes:

o easting and northing of the drill hole

collar

o elevation or RL (Reduced Level 

elevation above sea level in

metres) of the drill hole collar

o dip and azimuth of the hole

o down hole length and interception depth

o hole length.

 If the exclusion of this information

is justified on the basis that the

information is not Material and this

exclusion does not detract from the

understanding of the report, the

Competent Person should clearly explain

why this is the

case.

Data aggre In reporting Exploration Results,  No aggregation of results, assay d

gation weighting averaging techniques, maximum ata as reported by ALS is presented

methods and/or minimum grade truncations for each sample

( location

eg cutting of high grades) and cut-off .

grades are usually Material and should

be

stated.

 Where aggregate intercepts incorporate

short lengths of high grade results and

longer lengths of low grade results,

the procedure used for such aggregation

should be stated and some typical

examples of such aggregations should be

shown in

detail.

 The assumptions used for any reporting

of metal equivalent values should be

clearly

stated.

Relationsh These relationships are particularly  No mineralisation width is

ip important in the reporting of presented in these

between Exploration data

Results. .

mineralisa

tion  If the geometry of the mineralisation w

widths ith respect to the drill

and

intercepthole angle is known, its nature should

lengths be

reported.

 If it is not known and only the down

hole lengths are reported, there should

be a clear statement to this effect

(

eg down hole length, true width not

known).

Diagrams  Appropriate maps and sections (with  Presented in the body of the

scales) and tabulations of intercepts report

should be included for any significant

discovery being reported These should

include, but not be limited to a plan

view of drill hole collar locations and

appropriate sectional

views.

Balanced r Where comprehensive reporting of all  The sampling data is selective

eporting Exploration Results is not practicable, and does not infer size of

representative reporting of both low mineralization; it does have some

and high grades and/or widths should be relationship to possible tenor of

practiced to avoid misleading reporting grade.

of Exploration

Results.

Other subs Other exploration data, if meaningful  Mapping work of Kasombo 5, 6 and

tantive and material, should be reported 7 is currently being

explorati including (but not limited to): undertaken.

on geological observations; geophysical

data survey results; geochemical survey

results; bulk samples  size and method

of treatment; metallurgical test

results; bulk density, groundwater,

geotechnical and rock characteristics;

potential deleterious or contaminating

substances.

Further wo The nature and scale of planned  600 m of preliminary RC drilling

rk further work is currently in planning based on

( the results of the mapping and

eg tests for lateral extensions or depth sampling.

extensions or large-scale step-out

drilling).

 Diagrams clearly highlighting the

areas of possible extensions, including

the main geological interpretations and

future drilling areas, provided this

information is not commercially

sensitive.
The Mariners spirited attempt to sign Shohei Ohtani ended in heartbreak when the Japanese ace/slugger signed with the division-rival Angels last week. Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto acknowledged that he was disappointed in the outcome when speaking about Ohtanis decision Monday. He was gracious in defeat, though, telling Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times and other reporters that hes happy for Ohtani and expects hell be a great fit in Anaheim.

With the Ohtani dream dead, the Mariners have been monitoring the free agent market for pitching, Dipoto revealed. We have a sense that the market is starting to pick up. I feel like we are in a deal making zone, he said (Twitter links here). Along with searching for pitching, Dipoto is looking to trade some of the international bonus pool money the Mariners acquired when they were trying to increase their chances to sign Ohtani, Greg Johns of MLB.com tweets. Dipoto also suggested that there wont be anymore big additions to a Mariners position player group that just landed Dee Gordon. Instead, any new pickups are likely to come via waivers, minor league deals or the Rule 5 draft.

More from the American League:
12.12.2017 LISTEN

Veteran actor Kofi Adjorlolo on Saturday night stepped out with a beautiful lady, heightening speculations that he may have found a new lover.

This follows earlier reports that he broke up with ex-girlfriend, Victoria Lebene, an actress.

Victoria told peacefmonline.com in May 2017 that she had to choose between her family and Kofi Adjorlolo because her family, particularly her dad, was not in support of her relationship Kofi.

I just think that I want to make it up to my father and the reason is that, he hasn't been in agreement with the wedding and the whole marriage thing going on between me and Kofi Adjorlolo. It is something that has always been at the back of my mind that my father is not in support of it.

So I have decided to make my father proud and to let him know that I have listened to him and I don't want the marriage to come between me and my father because he is one of the reasons why I am who I am today, she said.

Few weeks after the break-up, the 61-year-old actor reportedly landed himself 21-year-old girl called Nikita Stephens, who, reports alleged, he goes everywhere with.

Meanwhile, he stepped out with another lady on Saturday night to actor Prince David Oseis birthday dinner at the Coco Lounge in Accra.

Kofi Adjorlolo told Starr FM late July 2017 that he is unfazed by concerns of people concerning his love life.
12.12.2017 LISTEN

Black Stars Captain and CEO of Baby Jet Promotions; Asamoah Gyan, is set to host the biggest music and comedy show in Africa on Friday, 29th December,2017.

The show which is dubbed 'Africa Classic Comedy & Music', will be staged in Ghana at the Accra International Conference Center.

The comedians will be drawn from Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana.

Musicians on the bill are Asamoh Gyan (captain of the Black Stars), and his ASA Band, the sensational Becca, Commander of the BHIM Nation, Stonebwoy, Jupita, Lil Wayne, A Plus, Obrafour and many more.

It will be a night of rib cracking, thrilling, unlimited ecstasy of laughter and soothing authentic music to celebrate a successful year.

But,the question is; Who wins the day and who will be crowned the best comedian in Africa?

Well, the names of all the comedians and one international musician will be unveiled at a news conference on Wednesday 13th December, 2017 at Kempinski Hotel at exactly 11:00am.

The guest of honor will be HE Dr. & Mrs. Bawumia and host of Black Stars players.

Baby Jet Promotions, the event organizers have hinted that this comedy event will be one of the simplest psychological techniques for rapid stress relief.

It also involves finding ways to distract yourself from whatever it is that is bothering you and to usher patrons into the new year with laughter and joy.

Tickets will be selling for VVIP Gh300.00, VIP GH200.00 and Regular 100
Award-winning Ghanaian hip-life artist, Nana Kwaku Okyere Duah popularly known as Tic Tac, has lamented how Ghanaians do not support what others do.

The Kangaroo hitmaker speaking with Melvina Frimpong Manso on Suncity 97.1 FM in Sunyani said it will take the intervention of God for Ghanaians to support what they have.

Ghanaians do not support their ownbut I will keep preaching till changes take effect. It will take Jehovahs intervention and also respect.

When you have respect for people then obviously you will respect what they are doing and support it. When you respect people you will value what they are doing and cherish it, he asserted on Showbiz 971.

Tic Tac, who believes God has given him the energy to embark on his projects said he approaches his songs as a new artistand he do what a new artist have to do despite being in the music scene for a long time.

Enjoy Mama Grace and its singlesand collectively get the album and celebrate it because it is for Ghanaians and the world, he called on Ghanaians.

When asked why he featured Nero X on his Pray song, Tic Tac said: Ghanaians have not seen Nero X yet. There are more to come from him.

His Yawa song is phenomenon and it can match any song in the world, he added.

He revealed that songs will be a hit if people appreciate; value and talk about it.

People do not know Tic Tac. They think they know me but they do notknow me. If they know me, they will know that I am the type who appreciates good things. I am not an envious person and I have decided to let Ghanaians know the other side of me, Tic Tac concluded.
Vice Chairperson/Co-Convener of the Ghana Culture Forum, Akunu Dake, has called for the institution of a national conference on arts and culture to help find solutions to the challenges facing the industry.

He said the conference would aim at stemming the inertia, demoralisation, waning enthusiasm and lethargy that engulfed the institutions, staff and practitioners of the arts and culture industry.

Mr Dake, who is also the chief executive director of Heritage Development, an event management consult, was speaking at the 2017 annual general meeting of the Ghana Book Publishers Association (GBPA) in Accra.

He called for an immediate step towards the establishment of a council for the creative industry and the appointment of an executive secretary to advise government on the maximisation of the potential of the creative industry and regulates its development.

Mr Dake explained that one of the immediate tasks is to undertake baseline research on domains of the creative arts sector to achieve a compilation of a comprehensive inventory on cultural production units, enterprises, initiatives and actions towards raising resources and funds for the industry.

He said an inventory of key institutions, projects, programmes and models in the Ghanaian arts and culture sector and allied domains must also be undertaken.

Mr Dake said the promulgation of the Cultural Policy in 2004 is a great achievement for the industry, but the government least consulted it in the governance system.

He disclosed that the policy drew its authority from the Directive Principles of the Fourth Republic Constitution, which emphasised the necessity to integrate customary values into the fabric of national life.

Mr Dake said the policy defined culture as the totality of the way of life evolved by our people through experience and reflection in our attempts to fashion a harmonious co-existence with our environment.

The policy mentioned that our culture manifests in our ideals and ideas, beliefs and values; folklore, environment, science and technology, and in forms of our political, social, legal and economic institutions.

It also manifests in the aesthetic quality and humanistic dimensions of our literature, music, drama, architecture, carvings, paintings and other artistic forms.

Mr Dake added that the policy aims to enhance the documentation and promotion of Ghana's traditional cultural values and the growth and development of cultural institutions to make them relevant to human development, democratic governance and national integration.
Pre-wedding photoshoot has become the order of the day and a way most couples in Ghana announce the date for their up coming marriage ceremony.

These nicely edited photos end up on social media platforms usually a month to the marriage ceremony.

The phenomenon has created a divide as some deem it a waste of time and money and others see nothing wrong with it.

For Julius Ofori Boadu who is relatively new to the photography business, between Ghc200 and Ghc 400 is his rate for a pre- wedding photo shoot depending on details like props, location, number of pictures needed etc.

" I get pre-wedding orders roughly once a month and I think a lot of people do it because they see friends or others do it. Some genuinely do it because they want it for their invitation designs. While others do it for social media."

Julius has been into photography for almost a year and his outfit is called CwesiNfoni.

"Well, I do mostly at least 2 or at most 3 pre-wedding shoots per month. It doesn't really go beyond 3 in a month and I think that's manageable," Solo Afari of Damcity Photo studio said in an interview with Modernghana.com.

He adds, "Mostly, my pre-wedding shoots come with the charges of the whole wedding itself."

Asked why the the rise of pre-wedding photo shoot, he said it's a modern way to announce the wedding date with the ever popular "save the date" tag.

Afari who has been into photograpy for 8 years and established his studio two years ago charges between Ghc2300-ghc4000 for the wedding package which includes the pre-wedding photography.

Peter Aboagye of Final Image has been a photographer for over a decade and charges Ghc500 for only pre -weddng photo shoot and get two contracts in a month

"Pre-wedding photo shoot has become popular in Ghana because Ghanaians are now beginning to understand photography and the importance of keeping memories," Aboagye noted.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has explained that God stopped the rains on Thursday afternoon during the funeral of her late mother, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II at the Manhyia Palace.

According to him, on Thursday afternoon it rained heavily across Kumasi, with the exception of the Manhyia Palace, where the grand funeral of the late Asantehemaa was taking place.

He disclosed that it finally rained at the Manhyia Palace on Thursday evening after thousands of mourners, including President Akufo-Addo and vice President Dr. Bawumia, had left the venue.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II stated categorically that God caused the great miracle to happen at the Manhyia Palace on Thursday afternoon so that late Asantehema's funeral, which attracted scores of mourners, would not be disrupted.

It rained heavily all over Kumasi on Thursday afternoon but Manhyia Palace, where the Asantehemaa's funeral rites were taking place was spared, this miracle was caused by God. It was not done by a human being.

God wanted the Asantehemaa, who was my biological mother, to have a befitting funeral that is why he stopped the rains in the afternoon and only opened up the heavens in the evening when the funeral rites were over.

This was contained in brief speech, which was read his behalf by the Asante Juaben Paramount Chief and Council of State Chairman, Nana Otuo Serebuo, at the St. Cyprians Anglican Church on Sunday during the Thanksgiving Service for the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II.

It was attended by dignataires such as the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye and Alban Bagbin.

Otumfuo Osei also thanked Ghanaians, especially President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, ex-President JA Kufuor, ex-President John Mahama and ex-First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings for their support.

He also commended the various bodies and groups in the country that trooped to the Manhyia Palace in their numbers which made the grand funeral of Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II succesful.

The Asantehene also thanked the media for extensively covering the funeral so far, adding that residents of Kumasi also deserve praise for complying with a curfew on Saturday night.

The church service was characterized by the singing of Gospel tunes and dancing.

The various men of God that were present prayed fervently for Otumfuo, the Asante Royal family and Ghanaians in general.
Major General Richardson Baiden (rtd), a former Commandant of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), has called for global and regional efforts to deal with emerging security threats.

He said the successful management of the emerging security environment required the combined effort of the traditional security and law enforcement agencies at the Regional and International level.

''Internally we need the collaborative effort of our security agencies, the judiciary, environmental protection agencies, traditional authorities as well as civil society groups to be able to deal with emerging security threats'', he said.

Major General Baiden (rtd) made the call a graduation ceremony of the Junior Staff Course 68 of the GAFCSC in Accra.

He said security has become a collective responsibility of all citizens and no longer the preserve for members of the security agencies especially of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police.

He said total vigilance is demanded from all to safeguard the nation.

The Junior Staff Course 68 assembled on August 4, 2017 with 52 students made up of One Botswana Officer, Two Liberian Officers, Eight Nigeria and 41 Ghanaian Officers.

39 of the Ghanaian Military Officers were drawn from the Ghana Army, Navy and Air Force whiles the two other students were from the National Security Secretariat.

Brigadier General Michael Akpatsu, the Assistant Commandant of the Junior Division of GAFCSC, said the course aims at training selected officers to perform staff functions by their leadership and analytical communication skills whiles providing a foundation for subsequent career development.

Brig. Gen Akpatsu said the officers as part of the training, embarked on a successful tour of the Volta Region where students researched into some of the existing challenges to the development of the region.

He said the study covered four thematic areas which are; harnessing the tourism potential of the Volta Region to transform its economy and that of the nation as a whole and the role of small scale industries in promoting socio-economic growth and reducing youth unemployment in the region.

Others are; rural sanitation module and scientific approach to achieve good waste management and Strategies to be adopted by the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies in the Region to increase their Internally Generated Funds.

He said the students produced a comprehensive report at the end of the tour which would be forwarded to the General Headquarters for appropriate actions.

He acknowledged the contributions of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, the Rector of Ghana Institution of Management and Public Administration, and lecturers from both institutions and sister security services for their continued support to the course.

Awards were presented to students who distinguished themselves during the course.

Lieutenant Javris Williams of the Ghana Navy was adjudged the overall best student and received an Ipad, a plaque and a book.

GNA

By Kwamina Tandoh, GNA
Mr. Richard Quayson, Deputy Commissioner of the Commission for Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has urged government to play the leading role in the adoption and implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) to fight against corruption in the country.

He said the Government must ensure that appropriate legal framework as well as checks and balances were established to curb corruption.

Speaking at an Anti-Corruption Conference in Accra at the weekend under the theme: "Strengthening Public, Private and Civil Society Partnership in the fight against Corruption", said government must ensure that anti-corruption agencies receive the necessary resources, capacity and independence to fulfill their mandates.

The National Anti-Corruption Day is set aside to raise awareness on corruption and strategise towards eradicating it in the society.

Reports reviewed by CHRAJ indicated that, corruption is rife in Ghana, and may be perpetrated in any institution activities within the NACAP are implemented.

Mr Quayeson said the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor was welcoming news since it would strengthen investigations and prosecution of corruption cases in the country.

He, however, called on the government to adequately resource and strengthen CHRAJ to enable it provide effective support to the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, Civil Society Organisations, Faith Based Organisations and media organisations for the implementation of NACAP.

He explained: "If indeed, we can win the war against corruption, the Executive Arm of Government will have to step into its critical role and provide the needed leadership".

In a speech read on his behalf of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said corruption undermined the Code of Conduct for institution and resulted in loss of legitimacy and respect for authorities.

He said corruption was a serious problem in the world, however, there is the need to fight it with determination.

Dr Bawumia commended CHRAJ and its partners for creating awareness on corruption and called on the public to support the worthy cause.

GNA

By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Mr. Eli Hini, the General Manager for Mobile Financial Services, MTN Ghana, has said their outfit is working with the police to thoroughly screen personnel who apply to become agents of mobile money.

Mr Hini said the agents would be thoroughly scrutinized and well observed to ensure the safety of customers, agents and credibility of the service.

Mr Hini announced this at the maiden edition of mobile money agents awards night in Accra held to appreciate the agents who have exhibited professionalism in discharging their duties.

He said MTN Ghana instituted the awards to reward and celebrate agents for respecting and executing their duties in accordance to the rules and regulations governing agent operations.

He reminded the agents that they have the responsibility to serve as ambassadors for the brand adding that their actions and inactions impacted the image of MTN, urging them to provide exceptional experience for its customers.

He said mobile money is convenient and that it would be unfair of customers have to go through hard times to access the service due to an agent's poor conduct.

Mr Hini said agents who overcharge and do not adhere to the rules and regulations were dealt with and eventually blacklisted.

He advised the agents not to indulge or connive with fraudsters to defraud customers and that any agents found guilty of fraudulent activities would be handed over to the Police for prosecution.

Mr Kwame Kwadon of Notable E-Solutions won the overall best agent mobile money agent and received a motorbike, certificate amongst others.

Mr Kwadon commended MTN Ghana for the honour done him and promise to continue to show leadership and integrity in the transaction of mobile money operations in the country.

Other prizes won by some agents include generator, mobile phones, solar lambs among others.

GNA

By Kodjo Adams, GNA
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Ghana has organized its maiden Regional Center of Regulatory Excellence (RCORE) Fellowship training workshop on Clinical Trials which commenced from November 6 to November 30 2017 in Accra.

A statement issued by the FDA and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the RCORE fellowship training was a collaboration between the FDA, Ghana and the School of Public Health, University of Ghana partnered by New Partnership for African Development, (NEPAD) and African Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH), which seek to build capacity in clinical trials within the sub-region and further enhance access to medicine by harmonizing regulatory requirements.

The statement said this will ensure that African citizens have access to quality, safe and efficacious medication.

The statement said the objective of the training was to increase the regulatory workforce on the African continent by nurturing and developing technical and managerial competences to ensure effective clinical trials regulations in Africa.

It said the workshop was also to provide a platform for regulators, researchers and stakeholders to meet and continually share ideas, knowledge and experience over the years with the aim of learning from one another and improving activities.

Mrs Delese A. A. Darko, the Chief Executive Officer of FDA, extended her gratitude to all the role players; New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), African Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH), the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, the training facilitators and coordinators that put in great effort to make this programme a success.

She expressed optimism in seeing a positive change with regards to the conduct of clinical trials not only in their various countries but across the whole African Continent.

Professor Richard Adanu, the Dean of the School of Public Health, on his part, advised the participants to ensure that they put into practice whatever knowledge have been acquired through the training in their respective countries.

He said the School of Public Health of the University of Ghana has introduced a new Master Program in Clinical Trials which would start during the next academic year.

The four-week intensive program covered topics on Clinical Trials Authorization, Good Clinical Practice (GCP) inspections, Adverse Events and Safety Monitoring (Pharmacovigilance) and a practical regulatory attachment where trainees got hands -on experience of the theoretical aspect of the training.

Trainees also had the opportunity to observe a GCP inspection of the 'Malaria 094 Vaccine Trial' during a field trip to Agogo in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

GNA
12.12.2017 LISTEN

Fighting corruption and preventing and combating corruption is fundamental for the promotion of good governance, Mr Kellen McClure, Anti-Corruption Advisor, United States Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), has said.

He said the US partnership with governments in Sub-Saharan Africa and with civil society had the concern as an important part of their engagement.

'And we look forward to continuing that engagement and you know, really working and to work with the people of countries across the region to promote integrity and transparency and accountability within the public sector,' Mr McClure said during a telephonic press conference in Washington, which was monitored by the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

Aside Mr McClure, another key personality, who took part in the telephonic conference was Mr Robert Leventhal, Deputy Director, Office of Anti-Crime Programmes, INL.

The programme, which was held on the eve of International Anti-corruption Day, December 9, discussed the Department of State's anti-corruption policies and initiatives - including the December 4-6 Global Forum on Asset Recovery -- and its anti-corruption programming in Africa.

The United States directly engages other countries to promote anti-corruption and good governance, internationally recognized anti-corruption standards, sponsors reform programming to bolster public sector integrity, accountability and transparency, and contributes to building the architecture for cross-border cooperation to combat corruption.

To sustain this effort, INL engages in high-level diplomacy, develops and implements technical assistance programs, and reinforces the important role played by civil society, the media, and the business community.

Mr Leventhal said every year governments and citizens around the globe use December 9th to highlight the importance of combating corruption, underscore their progress and identify remaining challenges.

He hailed the inaugural Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR), which came to a successful conclusion in Washington D.C.

He said the GFAR, which was co-hosted by the US and the United Kingdom, objective was 'make asset recovery more effective'.

Leventhal said GFAR was one important example of the leadership role that the US plays in combating corruption internationally.

'At the Global Forum on Asset Recovery just a couple days ago, Switzerland signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nigeria to return $ 321 million in stolen assets,' he said.

He said: 'The US has long recognised that the negative impact of corruption affects all aspects of society and touches the lives of all citizens. And over the years, we've learned that the impact of corruption extends far beyond the borders of the country in which it takes place.'

'Kleptocracy, or high-level corruption, breeds instability by driving a wedge between government and the people.

'It turns institutions meant to serve the people into tools for exploiting them and this can leave many feeling disempowered and convinced that the system is rigged. And this can open the door for transnational organized crime and extremist groups to exploit this frustration for their own purposes.'

Leventhal said the US Anti-Corruption Foreign Assistance Programmes include capacity-building for governments to create stronger laws and more effective institutions to investigate, prosecute and secure convictions and to put in place measures to prevent corruption, foster oversight and promote government integrity and transparency.

On his part, Mr McClure lauded the Switzerland and Nigeria, Memorandum of Understanding on the return of this money at the Global Forum on Asset Recovery.

He said one of the things that was abundantly clear through the conversations between the Nigerian and the Swiss and the World Bank, was that about asset recovery does take time but there were certain lessons learned over this process.

'And some of these lessons learned are these discussions need to start as early as possible. It's really incumbent upon the countries to build trust in this partnership between them so that this dialogue can take place,' he said.

Mr McClure said it was always helpful to involve others in the process where possible and where appropriate, including civil society.

GNA
11.12.2017 LISTEN

The Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of Community and Entrepreneurial Development Initiative commonly known as CEDI Ghana, Mr. Kingsley Kwaku Pinkrah who won this years 40 Under 40 Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award has again been awarded Young Professional Role Model Award.

At the just ended 8th Youth Professional Transformational Leadership Conference and Young Professional Role Model Award 2017, Mr. Kingsley Kwaku Pinkrah was honoured alongside other deserving individuals who include Prof. Stephen Adei (First Rector, GIMPA), Prof. KwasiObiri  Danso (Vice Chancellor, KNUST), Dr. Randy OsaeBediako (CEO, Kharis Group), Hon. Francisca Oteng Mensah (Member of Parliament), Mr. Franklin Cudjoe (CEO, Imani Ghana), Mr. Nathan Kwabena Adisi (Bola Ray; CEO, EIB Network) and others.

This award was established in November 2009 during the 1st Young Professional Transformational Leadership Conference asan annual leadership excellence and achievers award that recognizes individuals who demonstrate superior leadership both personally and professionally towards national development.

The award appreciates role models to inspire, motivate and encourage them to continue their exemplary leadership lifestyle that has the capacity to focus the youth to emulate their shining example. Selection was based on leadership excellence, professionalism, service to community and achievements.

The event was graced by Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum (Deputy Education Minister), Hon. Fiifi Kwetey (Former Transport Minister) with Hon. Andy Osei Okrah as host.

About Mr. Kingsley Kwaku Pinkrah

Mr. Kingsley Kwaku Pinkrah is the Founding President and CEO for CEDI Ghana. He is a multi-award winning Social Entrepreneur, public speaker, community advocator and researcher.Kingsley was awarded this years 40 Under 40 Most Influential and Outstanding Social Entrepreneur of the Year because of his outstanding contribution to national progress. His NGO won the 2016 Middle East and Africa Business Award and was a Civil Society of the Year finalist nominee by Africa Youth Award. Kingsley sits with university lecturers and top government officials both on television and radio to discuss development issues.
Takoradi, (W/R) Dec.11, GNA - Most Ghanaians believe journalists are gossips and a nuisance, constantly prying on others private affairs.

As such journalists are sometimes maltreated, manhandled and verbally abused when they try to seek information from them.

Journalists are not gossips, neither are they talkatives, nor do they intend to deliberately cause harm to another. On the contrary, they are the most confidential professionals any one could imagine and work with and are always mindful of the information they put out and do their best to protect the integrity of persons they write about.

It is rather surprising and amusing when the same people who detest journalists so much tend to buy newspapers, surf the internet and other broadcast channels to get information.

'I sometimes ask myself, so where do they think the journalists get the information from and how do they get the information they sit so comfortably at home to read, listen or watch?

I once heard a Pastor preach on a radio station that journalists would not inherit the Kingdom of God because of their kind of work they do.'

To him, journalists were a cause of doom and misfortune to people, hence his assertion.

He cannot be entirely blamed for his opinion because there are some "self-proclaimed" journalists who take advantage of their profession to tarnish people's image in exchange for little "coins" disregarding the ethics of the profession.

It seems a predominant number of Ghanaians are oblivious of the value of journalists and have little regard for their line of work.

Although the profession is a reputable one, the public usually shy away from it because of the risks involved, not to talk of the stigma and the discouraging remuneration given to them.

It is a wonder how those who speak on behalf of others (mouth piece) cannot do same for their own.

It is an open secret that the salaries of most journalists was nothing to write home about especially regarding some private media organisations but little can be said about that.

It appears that a large number of Ghanaians have less knowledge and regard for the journalism profession.

An incredible number of individuals are afraid of journalists with the perception that they can make and unmake you or would reveal some personal information about them to the public so often try to shun their company.

Journalists are friends just as the Police and other security agencies are to the citizens of its country.

Journalists are the fourth estate of the realm according to the 1992 Constitution and only seek out for the interest of our dear Nation.

GNA
Franklin Kumbo, a 32 year old soldier on Monday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a seven year old girl at Burma Camp, Accra.

Kumbo charged with defilement has however pleaded not guilty.

Kumbo's Defence Counsel expressed his surprise at the turn of events and described the allegation against his client as malicious.

Defence Counsel said Kumbo has an alibi.

The court presided over by Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku remanded Kumbo into Police custody noting that if accused was granted bail he could interfere with the investigations of alibi. He is to reappear on December 19.

The court has therefore ordered that the notice of alibi should be served on prosecution for it to be investigated.

The case as narrated by Sergeant Simon Terkpor who held the brief of Chief Inspector Kofi Atimbire said the complainant is a trader residing at Burma Camp, Accra and the mother of victim.

Prosecution said the accused person also resides at Burma Camp, adding that the complainant and Kumbo resided in the same Barracks.

On October 28, this year in the afternoon, prosecution said the victim was going to play with her friends when Kumbo met her.

The prosecutor said the accused removed a handkerchief from his pocket and used same to cover the victim's face and lured her into his room.

According to the prosecutor Kumbo undressed the victim and had sex with the victim on a bed and warned her not to inform any one about the act else he would beat her up.

After the act, prosecution said Kumbo led the victim out of the room and left her behind his apartment.

Later the victim fell sick and she complained of abdominal pain saying anytime she urinated there were blood stains in the urine.

Prosecution said on November 10, this year, at about 0800 hours the victim narrated her ordeal to the complainant and led the complainant to Kumbo's door and identified same.

The same day, prosecution said at about 14:40 hours, the victim's father who is a soldier reported the incident to the Ghana Military Police where a medical form was issued for the victim to seek medical attention.

Later the matter was transferred to the Domestic Violence and Victim's Support Unit.

Prosecution said Kumbo in his caution statement denied the offence.

GNA

By Joyce Danso, GNA
An Accra Circuit Court on Monday handed a ten year jail term to two persons who were charged for assault and robbery.

The two, Alex Owusu Appiah, a 36 year old Excavator Operator and Kofi Mensah a 48 year old driver; assaulted one David Frimpong and robbed him of his Kia Picanto Taxi worth GHE24,000.00 and an amount of GHE400.00.

They pleaded guilty to both charges and were convicted and sentenced on their own plea.

The two are to serve three months each for assault and 10 years each for robbery, both to run concurrently.

In sentencing the two, the court Presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh said it took into consideration their plea for mitigation, the number of days they had already spent in custody and the fact that they did not waste the court's time.

The court also ordered the police to release the said vehicle to the complainant.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Kwabena Adu who presented the facts of the case, told the court that, the complainant was a taxi driver living at Alajo, whilst Alex was a resident of Nkawei, a suburb of Kumasi and Kofi lived in Tema.

He said on December 4, whilst the complainant was working with his taxi within Lapaz and its environs at about 0130 hours, the two hired his services from Lapaz to Oyarifa Special Ice.

He said on reaching a place called J.B. Estate, they assaulted and forced the complainant out of the taxi, pushed him into a nearby bush and sped off with the vehicle, including his Nokia 16 mobile phone, and an amount of GHE400.00.

Mr Adu said on the same day at about 0800 hours, upon a police wireless message sent to all stations from Accra, the Suame Police intercepted the taxi in question, together with Alex and Kofi, at the Suame roundabout.

He told the court that on December 7, the two were brought down to the Ayi Mensah Police Station for investigation. They admitted the offence in their caution statement.

GNA

By Hafsa Obeng, GNA
12.12.2017 LISTEN

Micheal Amock aka Asibi, a driver who broke into the house of a broadcast journalist at East Legon and made away with monies and personal effects was on Monday sentenced to nine months imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.

Amock allegedly broke into the house of Barbara Gaisie and has been charged with unlawful entry and stealing.

Amock who pleaded not guilty was however found guilty by the court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh. This was after prosecution had called three witnesses to make their case.

Prosecuting Francis Tassan said the complainant Barbara Gaise resided at East Legon, whilst the accused person lived at American House.

On November 12, this year, prosecution said when the complainant and her house help were out of the house, the accused managed to gain access into the house and forcibly opened a back door and entered the various rooms.

According to prosecution, Amock ransacked the rooms and stole cash in the sum of GHE3,600.00; 500 pounds sterling; and some jewellery all totalling GHE7,100.00.

Chief Inspector Tassan said Amock hid the jewellery in a house owned by one Alex Donkor, a witness in the case.

Prosecution said Amock had told Donkor to watch over the jewellery.

Investigations later led to the arrest of Amock and the jewellery was retrieved.

GNA

By Joyce Danso, GNA
12.12.2017 LISTEN

Abdulaziz Sulemana, a Labourer on Monday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly inflicting knife wounds on two persons who compelled him to apologize for spitting on a lady.

Sulemana aka Obasanjo charged with two counts of causing harm has pleaded not guilty.

The court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh remanded Sulemana and he is to reappear on December 22.

The court has however issued a bench warrant for the arrest of seven accomplices who are at large.

Prosecuting Chief Inspector Francis Tarsan said the complainants Stanley Abbey and Richmond Abbey were musician and trader respectively. The two complainants resided at James Town, Accra.

Chief Inspector Tarsan said Sulemana also resided at James Town Beach. On November 24, this year, Sulemana went to a drinking spot at James Town Beach. At the Beach a misunderstanding ensued between Sulemana and one Nana Aba.

Prosecution said Sulemana allegedly spat on Nana Aba. Three days afterwards, the two complainants and one Peter Grahl allegedly compelled Sulemana to apologize to Nana Aba.

Sulemana reported the incident to someone known only as 'E' and later asked the complainants and Grahl, to meet 'E' over the issues.

Prosecution said on their way for the said meeting the complainants were attacked at Old Slaughter House at James Town by Sulemana and seven other butchers with knives.

As a result, prosecution said Richmond had a deep cut on the eye brow whilst Stanley was stabbed in the buttocks.

Prosecution said Richmond whose left eye was smashed with a stone was rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where his eye was operated on, whilst Stanley was also treated.

GNA

By Joyce Danso, GNA
The Bui Power Authority (BPA) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) merger committee, will hold its maiden meeting, on Tuesday, December 12.

Mr Fred Oware, the Chief Executive Officer of the BPA, and a member of the BPA/VRA merger committee, disclosed this, on Monday at the maiden BPA Editor's Breakfast Meeting in Accra.

He explained that the decision to merge the two Authorities was a Cabinet one, based on proposals to restructure the power sector beginning with the duo.

Mr Oware said: 'There is a lot of misconception about this project (BPA); First of all, a lot of people think it has not been completed and that we are not generating anything.

'It was never intended to be apart with VRA. Never! We are just about 20 per cent of VRA, but we have the capacity, because of where we stand today with the solar, if we are allowed to grow on the trajectory that we found ourselves.

'The various people we are talking to, and the various sites we have acquired in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West Regions, which will be capable to give us more solar energy than has been planned nationally'.

He said: 'If we are allowed to grow, I am absolutely certain that in the next five years or so, you will be talking to a very huge Authority. And we would want you to carry this message across that BPA is not a white elephant.

'We are working, we have the capacity to expand and lead in the renewable energy market'.

He said the Electricity Company of Ghana, owed the BPA a substantial amount of money, which would be used to pay a quarter of the buyer credit loan, used in the construction of the Bui Hydro Generation Station.

He said the BPA had kept to the repayment schedule of the buyer's credit loan agreement, whilst the Government was also paying back its concessionary loan.

He said so far BPA had been able to repay a quarter of the loan over the past five years; declaring that 'I just want to reassure you that Bui is a very health investment. It's doing well and is capable of paying the full amount of the loan.

'As a CEO, looking into the future of the renewable energy; this Company has positioned itself to provide the kind of solutions that we want to have in the renewable energy market. And if we are allowed to grow on that trajectory, we shall not disappoint this country.'

GNA

By Iddi Yire, GNA
12.12.2017 LISTEN

Cabinet has approved the reformation of the education system to place more emphasis on Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Marfo, has announced.

This, he said, it was convinced was the path to travel to produce the required technicians and engineers to support the nation's industrialization and reverse the growing youth employment.

He was addressing the 60th anniversary of Saint Paul's Technical Institute at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region.

Mr. Osafo-Marfo said under the reform, the Ghana Education Service (GES) was going to have two Director-Generals, one for general education and the other for TVET.

He said all the 282 public technical, vocational education and training institutions scattered under various institutions, departments and ministries would be brought under the GES.

He added that this would allow for proper funding and standardization.

He said a five-member inter-ministerial committee had been set up to oversee the smooth and successful implementation of the new policy.

Professor Mrs. Smile Dzizi, Vice Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University, called for change of attitude of parents, guidance, policy makers, industrial players and students towards TVET.

She said unlike in the past, there was now no limitation on the academic progression of TVET students - they could continue up to the doctorate level.

She called for adequate funding of the technical and vocational institutions to produce the requisite technical manpower to drive the country's development.

Mr. Benjamin Adjabeng, the Principal, appealed for the construction of an assembly hall, teachers' bungalows and improvement of roads running across the school. GNA

By Edmund Quaynor, GNA
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday underscored the need for African leaders to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) to transform the fortunes of the Continent.

He said it was imperative that the Continent's leaders committed themselves to, and acted with urgency in, the pursuit of the SDG agenda, as the programme would get the masses out of poverty and deprivation, as well as address the many other developmental challenges of Africa.

'If we are to succeed in our noble ambition to transform our continent and pull masses of our people out of poverty and deprivation, Africa must pursue the implementation of the SDGs with a strong sense of urgency and an unparalleled commitment to act now,' the President said.

"No group of persons has more to gain from the successful implementation of the SDGs than the African peoples,' President Akufo-Addo said at the Africa Roundtable on the United Nations SDGs, held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.

The programme was under the theme: "Mobilising Support and Accelerating Implementation of the SDG's."

The President was optimistic that Africa had the knowledge, talent and resources to move from poverty to prosperity even though the challenges to achieving the SDG's were significant.

However, he was of the opinion that it would take selfless and empowering leadership, coupled with smart and progressive policies, to bring the transformation that the Continent needs.

President Akufo-Addo noted that despite democracy gaining roots on the Continent, and the positive economic strides, there were justifiably pressing demands to address issues of widespread unemployment and the sense of hopelessness in the future, that compels large numbers of Africa's youth to travel across the Sahara Desert and traverse perilous oceans in search of a better life in the developed world.

'As we endeavour to address these challenges and the huge expectations that citizens have, we have great prospects in using the SDGs to open up opportunities for all citizens, and do so in ways that leave no one behind,' he said.

'We have an exceptional opportunity going forward, in translating the extraordinary goals enshrined in the SDGs to end poverty, protect the planet and secure prosperity for all,' he said.

The President said he had taken a strategic decision to prioritise championing accelerated implementation of the goals in Africa "because the deficit in human development is highest on our continent."

'If we are to succeed in our noble ambition to transform our continent and pull masses of our people out of poverty and deprivation, Africa must pursue implementation of the SDGs with a strong sense of urgency, and an unparalleled commitment to act now,'' he said.

President Akufo-Addo noted that the inability of Africa to develop was hinged on bad governance, saying; 'We must make governance and our governance systems work for the eradication of poverty and the creation of prosperity and wealth. And, as we embark on this path, we must commit to building accountable and transparent institutions."

'We cannot grow out of poverty and achieve the SDGs through charity and the benevolence of others. If we are going to succeed to move Africa Beyond Aid, this cannot be a mere slogan. It will take doing business differently, and making the tough choices necessary to accelerate inclusive growth in the economy,' he said.

'We must use the SDGs to propel Africa Beyond Aid. We must use the SDGs ultimately to change the narrative on Africa. And we can,' President Akufo-Addo said.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who took part in the Roundtable, said Africa must leverage on the SDG's to transform the lives of her people.

He underscored the need for African nations to put premium on the development of the private sector, as a means for growth, wealth creation and the elimination of poverty.

GNA
Maize production in Ghana is currently facing 80 per cent average yield gap, a situation threatening food security, the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana has said.

Maize is a very important staple and most cultivated cereal in terms of volume and area, as it is the most consumed cereal in the country.

A research conducted by ISSER, in partnership with the Wageningen University and Research (WUR) of Netherlands, has revealed that maize yield in Ghana is lower than the African average and much lower than those achieved in regions in Asia and South America.

This is in spite of the numerous interventions made by the government in maize production in the country.

The Government, through the research institutions and donor partners, has also introduced improved maize varieties to farmers, which have only marginally increased maize yields from about 1.2 tonnes per hectare in 1990 to 1.7 tonnes per hectare in 2014, representing a growth of only 20 kilograms per hectare per year.

At a roundtable Policy Workshop organised by ISSER in Accra on Monday, Professor Samuel Adjei-Nsiah, of the Forest and Horticultural Crops Research Centre, University of Ghana, said studies done in selected African countries revealed a general high yield gap in maize production in Africa.

'It come out that in Ghana there was a yield gap of 8.5 tonnes per hectare,' Prof Adjei-Nsiah said.

He said further studies in 2015/2016 to ascertain the causes of the large yield gap in maize also revealed that some of the farmers used less fertilizers or misapplied fertilisers, while the fall army worm infestation, coupled with long drought, affected maize yields in Savelugu and Nkoranza, the study sites.

He said Ghana was currently producing 20 per cent of the potential maize yields that it could produce, saying the country could work to help get at least 10.5 tonnes per yield.

Prof. Adjei-Nsiah said the studies partitioned the yield gap into the technical efficiency gap, economic yield gap, allocation yield gap and the technology yield gap.

These gaps, he noted, could be closed by improving the work of extension services through policies like provision of access to credit, inputs and also investment in research and development.

He said crop insurance also needed to be provided for farmers, who mainly produced to feed the country and run into problems like flood, droughts, pests and disease infestation.

'We are saying that farmers could be insured against some of these risks by paying some premium so that in case of such disasters, they could be compensated for the loss they incurred,' Prof. Adjei-Nsiah said.

He noted that the outcome of the roundtable would, therefore, inform policy makers and other partners on measures to take to improve the situation of maize yields gap.

The various stakeholders that participated in the workshop agreed that concerted efforts were needed urgently to work to close the gap.

Meanwhile, the studies have further revealed that between 2010 and 2015, the average area under maize cultivation was about 1,064,000 hectors (22% of cropland area).

Over the same period the production levels averaged 1,788,667 tonnes, which is three times more than the next most cultivated cereal (rice) in Ghana.

The studies indicated that maize is mostly cultivated by smallholder farmers and majority of its production is used for food and also become a critical input in the poultry sector in recent times.

The research shows that maize yields have marginally increased from about 1.2 tonnes per hector in 1990 to 1.7 tonnes per hector in 2014, which represents a growth of only 20 kilogrammes per hector (kg/ha) per year.

It also showed that Ghana's cereal self-sufficiency ratio currently stands at 0.72, indicating the country's dependence on imports for her cereal needs.

The situation could worsen dramatically to a ratio of 0.3 if the maize yield gap keeps growing at the 16 (kg/ha) per year rate, the studies noted.

With a predicted national population of Ghana likely to rise from 24 million to 50 million with increase in consumption and with the county's low self-sufficiency ratio, 'a high dependency on cereal imports was potential risk for food security.''

Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, the Director of ISSER, said: 'We are doing this because we expect that the population will double by 2050, and land is also becoming scarce so we have to make maximum use of the piece of land.

'So if we are able to bridge this gap then we can get more output per unit for the piece of land and that is very important for our food security issues.'

Mr Tomas Morley, a Research Fellow at Wageningen University and Research, said the research was important in providing better understanding for policy makers to address the issue of maize yield gaps.

'We have broken down the yield gaps so that we know with more certainty what the components of the yield gaps are, which ones are the largest and that should help policy makers to decide which policies to follow to try and tackle this yield gaps,' he said.

Mr Morley said the findings had, therefore, given detailed perspective of the situation and how best it could be addressed.

He said addressing the situation would be profitable to the country as it could increase input and yields.

GNA

By Lydia Kukua Asamoah/ Dennis Osei Gyamfi, GNA
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Ghana on Monday for a three-day official visit.

He was met on arrival at the Jubilee Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

By 2000 hours the German Airforce Plane carrying the German President had touched down at the Kotoka International Airport.

The German Leader would, on Tuesday, December 12, meet with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House, where the two would hold discussions centered on deepening ties between both countries and increasing bilateral arrangements based on trade and investment.

President Steinmeier would also attend and open an Economic Forum organised by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana with German-Ghana companies at the Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel in Accra.

Whilst in the country, the German President is expected to visit the Scania Training Workshop at the Tema Free Zones Enclave, and later visit the University of Ghana, Legon, to open the Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies and subsequently hold discussion with experts and students of the University.

He is also expected to visit the Ridge Hospital and the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) at Teshie on Wednesday, December 13, and later have a roundtable discussion with Young Ghanaian Entrepreneurs of iSpace Ghana before his final departure.

GNA
A big roadside poster announces a "Pest Control Campaign" in Sao Tome and Principe, with a man in a white face mask wielding an insecticide spray fuelled by a tank on his back.

The island nation in the Gulf of Guinea is at war against malaria, as it has been twice a year since 2003, with such success that the disease no longer routinely claims lives.

In mainland central Africa, the incidence of malaria spread by infected female mosquitos is among the highest rates in the world.

Malaria killed some 445,000 people around the planet in 2016, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), out of 216 million estimated cases that year.

"Our last death was in 2016. It was a Portuguese man who failed to take measures for prevention and treatment," said Hamilton Nascimento, coordinator of the National Programme to Fight Paludism (PNLP) in Sao Tome.

In 2005, malaria claimed more than 5,000 lives out of about 50,000 infected people in Sao Tome and Principe, according to the WHO.

The humid tropical climate of the islands provides an ideal breeding ground for the female mosquitos that carry the parasitic infection from one person to another with their bloodsucking bites.

National priority

Yet since 2014, the number of deaths has fallen to none on Sao Tome, apart from the Portuguese victim. On Principe, lying to the north, malaria has been eradicated, in official terms.

Malaria killed some 445,000 people around the planet in 2016, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), out of 216 million estimated cases that year

The government wants to wipe it out everywhere by 2025, but the WHO has warned that a sizeable part of future funding is at risk.

The battle against a once endemic disease began as a national priority in the 1980s, in the wake of independence from Portugal in 1975, Nascimento told AFP.

The islands of Sao Tome and Principe, which have a combined land surface of 1,000 square kilometres (386 square miles), benefit from their offshore location west of Gabon and from a small population of less than 200,000 inhabitants.

"We have three strategies: spraying inside houses, distributing mosquito nets impregnated (with insecticide) and the fight against larvae using a biological insecticide that we spread in stagnant waters," Nascimento said.

The population of Sao Tome also has access to free medication to treat malaria and to testing campaigns nationwide. If a case of malaria is detected, "the hospital follows up the patient for 28 days," he added.

"Sick people are given free care by the health centres and medicine is accessible everywhere in the country."

For all the successes in tackling a disease that has no available vaccine and is prone to mutate, residents of the islands have begun to grow weary of the repeated campaigns.

"The number of people who open their doors to the mosquito sprayers has gone down," Health Minister Maria Jesus Trovoada said, concerned that this refusal to take part "puts all the efforts of the government in peril".

Authorities in Sao Tome and Principe have been clear about their desire to reduce dependence on foreign aid, which accounts for about 90 percent of the nation's resources, and the battle with malaria is part of that goal.

At the end of the 1980s and again in 2012-2013, the disease ravaged the country because of a shortfall in funding and spreading resistance to insecticides, Hamilton said.

"We must often -- about every 10 years -- change the insecticide, because the mosquitos develop resistance," he explained.

Funding cuts?

The humid tropical climate in Sao Tome and Principe provides an ideal breeding ground for maleria

While the government recently stepped up its contribution, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a foundation partnered with the WHO, finances most measures to beat the disease on the islands.

The grant from the Global Fund may be slashed by more than 50 percent, the WHO warned in a recent report. Sao Tome and Principe would then "need more or less $5 million (4.2 million euros) between 2018 and 2021 to go on getting good results".

"The impact of lack of funding is unknown. However, if current efforts to control malaria have to be reduced due to lack of funds a high risk of a relapse exists," Rebekka Ott, the Global Fund representative on Sao Tome, told AFP.

The foundation is also concerned about Sao Tome's cutting of diplomatic ties with Taiwan at the end of 2016 in order to develop relations with China. Taiwan previously paid more than 30 percent of the cost of fighting malaria.

China, whose flag has already been mounted at the National Centre for Endemics, is expected to take up the baton, but by providing "technical assistance" rather than financial aid.

Whatever the obstacles, the WHO announced in April 2016 that 21 countries in the world may eliminate malaria by 2020. Six of those nations are in Africa: Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, Swaziland and South Africa.
12.12.2017 LISTEN

For how long are we the black Africans, going to be barking at our hounders any time the opportunity present itself, and turn around only to run after the same people with bowl in hand, begging for mercy? The president of Ghana Nana Addo, recently did what others before him have been doing over generations, at the Europeans, during a press conference while hosting the French president Emanuel Marcon, in the capital of Ghana, Accra.

The French president Macron, though much younger than his host, stole a mature glance at President Nana Addo to portray a question like "I hope he knows he is only barking as such talks don't go anywhere!" The Ghanaian president on his part, was very mature, careful in the selection of his words, clearly demonstrated to have learnt from the ill fated experiences of those who got the barking wrong, took every step not to dare the wreath of his powerful guest and manage to humbly drive home is case. I then imagine how President Donald Trump would say "America first" to the Chinese president, without using diplomacy to beat about the bush, if he were to be Nana Addo's shoes. Then it down on me that, there are presidents and there are real presidents of countries, who are not the same as caretakers of colonies.

It then became clear to me that in politics, we have politicians that only bark but never bite, and those who bark and bite. The continent of AFRICAN is blessed with politicians that are capable of barking whenever they are frustrated to, but don't bite. This then leave the shallow minded Africans complaining daily of why their leaders only bark, but not bite. Ironically, the black man wanted the toothless dogs to bite, without the common sense of knowing that dogs that lack teeth, do not bite. The innocent but ignorant ordinary AFRICAN want his toothless dogs to bite, especially when the African interest is clearly attack, but the mystery of never biting is yet to be clear to the past and present generations.

The above reminded me of Nigerian political scientists who have a habit of referring to their government as a "toothless bull dog", for barking at any external provocation but incapable of biting. It is however strange that these so called Nigerian political scientists, who boost of all kind of egoistic titles, have the same brain with the illiterate market women, to be incapable of evolving the mechanism to make their toothless bull dog of a government into the type that barks and bite, when it has to.

In fact, the only ones the Nigerian government is capable of barking at and biting as necessary, are the university lecturers themselves, who are clamp down anytime they try to have a stand off with the state, on demand for the state to treat them with dignity, like lecturers in more civilised countries get from their governments. The government beats the illiterates and intellectuals alike, like beating wild animals. The only way to describe how the Nigerian government treat its academic and none academic population, is best describe as the way a drunk labourer brutalises his wife and children to keep them in order.

One can then say as I watches Nana Addo delivering what most of us will agree to be a great speech, the Nigerian disease of inconclusive thinking that produces toothless barking dogs in form of government, has now infecting the whole of West Africa or better put, the entire continent. This also help to emphasise the common phrase of "African leaders say what they don't mean, or even mean what they say". Either way, the African has a big problem with anyone the people call a politician or a leader.

In fairness to the poor African, any dick and harry can just open his mouth to speak to the wild world, on behalf of Africa and the African. So any black man can assumes the legitimate right of speaking for anyone call an African, with or without, a mandate from the one who the speaker claim to be representing.

President Nana Addo presented his speech as an African president, speaking for all Africans, mimicking the habit of most people who pretend to be speaking for the continent. My president of Ghana is the head of state of Ghana, who was elected by the people of Ghana and given the highest mandate of officially speaking for every Ghanaian. This authority makes the president of Ghana a credible person to command the respect and recognition, accorded to anyone who deserve to speak for all Ghanaians. People therefore listened and take president Nana Addo serious when ever he speaks, for Ghanaians. So whatever the president says, any serious person who hears him, limit the issue to Ghana and Ghanaians. Since no one has given president Nana Addo the mandate of speaking for the fifteen countries of West Africa as a subcontinental union or Africa as a spokes person for the AU, my president only ends up like any clown anytime he assume the role of speaking for anyone beyond the sovereign jurisdiction of Ghana.

President Macron visits to Burkina Faso, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, where each person legitimately representing a defined people, engaged with him, confirmed the falsify impression that anyone can just speak for Africa or ECOWAS and expected to be taken serious. This raise the question of which of the "We", "Our" and "Us" matters when it comes to who speak for the AFRICAN. Is it the fake delusionary "we" one have focus on or the genuine political "we"?

In Nana Addo's speech, he exploited the use of the "We"' "Our" and "Us" to unfairly take advantage of all sides. The shollow minded folks who long for a genuine political to serve as a legitimate political leader of the AU or the ECOWAS, but with none yet, thrive on empty political rethorics heard from those who pretend to be one. Here, Nana Addo provided the voice of God as savour of the African. They heard him reminding the Ghanaians that the country cannot continue to be dependant on the French tax payer for the nation's education and healthcare. This honest talk from a genuine politically mandated person, speaking for the Ghanaian electorate, left President Macron confuse of whether to accept the speech on behalf of Ghanaians or ignore it as another imposter pretending to be the spokesperson for Africa.

Every concern Nana Addo raise with his guest, are the problems the Ghanaian elected Nana Addo to address. One would have preferred the president to move beyond the barking act, to give us a glimps of how he is biting to convert the unemployed masses of Ghana into employable Ghanaian tax payers, to practically replace the Frech tax payer, in funding the nation's healthcare and education. Rather we couldn't hide our bordom of our president resorting to the old boring story of how Malysia took some palm kennel seed from Ghana in the 60s that then transform the whole of Malyasia in an advanced modern state.

It's important to remind ourselves that President Macron was on his way to Cote D'ivoire to join others for the AU-EU Summit. In fact, Nana Addo told his guest and everyone in Ghana, what the AU was to tell the European counterpart at the Summit. Most of us therefore did not bother ourselves to know the outcome of the Summit, after we seem to be trilled with the Accra version of the barking. We never bothered ourselves with the fifty three members of the AU Assembly barking without biting at their EU counterparts.

As we patiently listen to the wisdom from the mouth of our Ghanaian president, I found myself confused on whether my president was talking about Ghana and the twenty seven million population Ghanaians when using the the collective pronoune "we", or he is talking about the over eight hundred million population of the African continent? I wondered why the Ghanaian president engaged in telling anyone about how resilent African youths are, in daring to risk everything, to gain access into the "greener pastured" of Europe. Most of us missed out on why our president could not give us the details on how he is removing every Ghanaians strandered in war thorn Libya.

I could not however miss the opportunity of trying to brood over what my president meant when he said "We have to charter our own new course." I could not stop asking myself who the president was referring to by the use of the pronounces "We" "Us" and "Our". I spent time asking no one but myself, whether the president is including the youths in Ghana and across West Africa with the use of "we", "us" and "our" in chartering a new course for the future of the West African.

I struggled with whether my president Nana Akufo Addo was talking about the traditional approach of limiting the decision making at the ECOWAS level, solely to himself and his fellow fourteen heads of Economic Community of West African States that his predecessors have employed in perpetuating what has continue to fail us all. I started hoping whether Nana Addo will understand that to charter a new course, a new approach has to be employ to involve every ECOWAS citizen directly, if he has to mean what he is saying.

I also started reflecting on the manner by which the predecessor of President Nana Addo, former president John Dramani Mahama made mockery of turning the ECOWAS parliament into a legislative body in place of the the current advisory institution, without giving a damn about allowing the Gnanaian citizens to vote directly for the regional MPs, anytime the concern to do so arose. I wonder whether Nana Addo is capable of understanding that the Ghanaian youths and their counterpart across West Africa, are the resources who are resilient he is appealing to. As I wonder whether my president is not wasting everyone's time by saying what he never meant, like his predecessor did, I also could not ease my faith off the energy Nana Addo committed to ECOWAS on his assumption of office. I explore the memory of president Nana Addo visiting almost all the 15 countries, in search of a more realistic ECOWAS market, with a sense of conviction of what good lie in the over three hundred million citizens of ECOWAS, if properly harness.

Mr. President, if your predecessor has lived up to his words in turning the ECOWAS parliament into a legislative institution like the EU parliament, by allowing Ghanaians to be voting directly for the ECOWAS MPs, the barking president will have been biting as well. Your job would have been easy as a president who believe in his people, then a president running around the world for one form of loan or the other.

In addition to being a very strong country with enough capability of its own, president Marcon has a working EU to back him up, when need be. President Jean Claude Junker of the EU Commission is more than capable of getting all the 27 member states behind one, against any enemy. President Nana Addo, you are on your own, as the ECOWAS in its current state is not fit for purpose. President Marcel De Seuzi of the ECOWAS Commission lack the legislative laws to mobilise anything to back you up.

You can change the course of destiny by standing up to insist Ghanaians must vote directly for their ECOWAS MPs to the regional law making institution. We can not afford to have these individuals selected indirectly from the Ghanaian parliament.

Probably president Nana Addo genuinely believe in Ghanaians enough to trust them to vote directly for their regional MPs. So if Nana is honest about moving us away from the tradition of barking dogs that don't bite, then the direct regional MPs vote to convert the ECOWAS Commossion President to work with laws that make great leaders barking and biting bull dog, is the key. The USA president Donald Trump barked and bite when he said America first. The EU Commission president Jean Cloude junker barked and bite when he said EU citizens first. Nana can make the President of ECOWAS Commission Marcel Alan De Suzie bark and bite with a legislative ECOWAS parliament by making Ghanaians vote directly for their regional MPs. We just have to wait to know whether our president mean what he says, or he is just another toothless dog.

Kofi Ali Abdul-Yekin

Chairman ECRA

(ECOWAS Citizens Right Advocates)

[email protected]

07737224787
The Author

12.12.2017 LISTEN

The late Soeharto has become something of a poster boy for leadership as the nation searches for a president who can effectively deliver the goods.

Photos of the smiling president, who ruled Indonesia between 1966-1998, appear everywhere, with the caption in Javanese piye kabare, isih penak jamanku, tho? (How are you, better in my era, wasnt it?), a reminder that for some, life was so much better then. The Soeharto posters and memes have been going viral since the 2014 election and are still circulating now.

Soeharto was a dictator, there is no doubt about it, though his supporters would claim that he was a noble one. But the point of the poster is that Indonesia had a leader who delivered the goods, something that no other president since then has been able to match, so his supporters claim.

Soeharto, who ruled with an iron fist, did deliver justice, security and welfare, but it is debatable whether his successors have fared better or worse. Ruling the country for 32 years, he was bound to have delivered something, while his successors have been subject to periodic democratic elections and limited to ruling for no more than two five-year terms.

The bigger question, and this was one of the topics discussed at the recent Bali Civil Society and Media Forum, is whether democracy can deliver justice, security and welfare to the people, all the people.

Indonesia, now a democracy for nearly 20 years, albeit a struggling one, makes a good case study to answer this question, by comparing the ability of the two political systems in bringing greater prosperity to the people.

The track record of Indonesia since 1998 has not been bad, although perhaps underappreciated.

The economy has improved significantly, in terms of overall GDP and per-capita-income growth, and the government today provides many services such as free health care, 12-year compulsory free education and cash assistance for the poor. Indonesia is today the 16th-largest economy in the world, and many predict that it will be in the top 10 by 2025 and top five by 2040.

We have a growing middle class, reflected by the number cellphones, cars and motorcycles, and a growing appetite for holidays, both at home or abroad.

And there is freedom, all kinds of freedom, something that distinguishes todays era from that of Soehartos. Why then, do some people still feel that they miss Soeharto?

Perhaps they dont really miss him, but they miss the certainty, the swift way decisions were made and the security he provided. They miss the effectiveness and efficiency that an authoritarian regime can deliver.

Democracy, unfortunately, is almost anything but.

Decisions are made through an arduous and cumbersome process, and the government is often mired in stagnation. Every single major decision has to undergo the democratic processes, meaning noisy public debates and endless deliberation by legislators.

We also have legislators who are good at grandstanding but ineffective in producing laws that reflect the aspirations of the people. In many ways, Soehartos regime produced some better laws because they did not go through the lengthy debates we see today.

On security, Indonesia faces challenges in ensuring protection for people who are attacked or persecuted because of their faith, race, sexual orientation or even ideological leanings.

The attacks on the Shia and Ahmadiyya followers, the forced closures of places of worship, the recent attacks against people because of their leftist ideological leanings, and the return of anti-Chinese sentiments, reflect that freedom and the protection of freedom have been denied to some.

Soeharto would not have tolerated any of this, but then, he would not have tolerated a lot of other things, including dissent and differences of opinion.

Populism, the hallmark of democracy and one way of getting elected, also means leaders addressing only popular issues but avoiding more fundamental problems.

These failings of democracy in Indonesia may have revived our memory of the good old days of Soeharto (while forgetting the worse aspects of his regime), but they should not be used as a pretext for a return to authoritarianism.

Democracy in Indonesia is still a work in progress. We have been in this game for only 20 years, and it still has not been able to ensure justice, security and welfare for all.

Democracy, as the popular saying goes, is the worst form of government, except for all the others. The alternative, an authoritarian regime, may be swift and efficient. But if authoritarianism comes at the cost of our freedom, an absence of checks and balances and endemic corruption, then yes, give us democracy any time.

We just have to work harder, through the democratic process, to fix these problems. We have to have faith in democracy.

The writer, editor-in-chief of The Jakarta Post, took part in the Bali Civil Society and Media Forum, organized by the Institute for Peace and Democracy and the Press Council, on Dec.5-6.
Another round of peace talks on Syria held in Geneva on November 30, 2017. The Syrian opposition delegation headed by Nasr al-Hariri announced that it was aiming for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad from participation in the preparation of the political settlement and planned to engage his negotiators in serious and direct talks. That caused strong opposition to the official Syrian delegation led by its UN ambassador and chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari.

It remains only to be surprised that the main person - Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Syria Staffan De Mistura - supported the condition of the oppositionists.

Nasr al-Hariri called also for major powers, especially Russia, to pressurize the Assad's government into real negotiations on a political transition followed by a new constitution and elections, in line with a UN roadmap to end the six-year war.

We stress that political transition which achieves the ousting of Assad at the beginning is our goal, Nasr al-Hariri told a news conference after arriving in Geneva for a round of UN.

Our goal in the negotiation will be the departure of Bashar al-Assad from the beginning of the transition, he said.

Only thanks to the efforts of the Russian delegation, the negotiation process was launched, and according to the scheme applied in Astana. Both delegations negotiated "through the wall", being on different premises. Staffan De Mistura had to run from the other negotiators to others.

Nasr al-Hariri agreed, Russia is the only entity capable of bringing the regime to the table of negotiations.

For many years, Western and Arab countries backed the opposition demand that Assad leaves office. However, since Russia joined the war on behalf of Assads government two years ago it has become increasingly clear that Assads opponents have no path to victory on the battlefield.

Despite various political manoeuvres, ideas and initiatives, both delegations on December 2 came to the conclusion that further "dialogue" was useless. Due to it, the delegation of Damascus left Geneva.

Staffan De Mistura expressed his hope for a speedy continuation of the talks and persuaded the oppositionists to stay in Geneva, which they did, waiting for the continuation of the meeting. But the crisis of the "Geneva format" this time became obvious to everyone.

For comparison, in the capital of Kazakhstan - Astana, all the stages of negotiations without exception had a positive result. The main secret of that lies in the careful preparation, thoughtfulness of the forum and the responsibility of its organizers.

Participants in the negotiations literally had nowhere to go under the pressure of convincing initiatives of Russia, with respect to all participants in the dialogue.

In addition, the place of Staffan De Mistura performing an equally important function of the coordinator was clearly defined, thereby not interfering in the negotiation process, performing an equally important function of the coordinator. He was high in his position. After all, the last meeting in Astana already had an international level with the participation of observers from a number of influential Arab and other countries.

It is clear that the eighth conference in Geneva was premature. Recently, Russia has been actively involved in the organization of the postwar system and overcoming the crisis in Syria. Moscow was very reserved about the ill-considered haste of the Syrian opposition and its supporters (primarily the United States and Saudi Arabia) to hold a meeting in Geneva.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, it would be most expedient to get together first in Astana, to discuss problematic issues and develop a common position on the four previously announced issues (constitution, transitional period and power, de-escalation zones, fight against terrorism). After solving these issues, one should conduct a nationwide Syrian fortune for developing a document on the main directions and stages of a political settlement of the crisis in the country.

Finally, we can see, that only Russia, Turkey and Iran managed to build a quite effective mechanism to settle the Syrian crisis by bringing together all sides of the conflicts, who really have the power to change the situation in Syria. Each time, negotiations in Astana with direct participation of Russia demonstrate increasing efficiency.

The Syrian civil war, now in its seventh year, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and caused the worlds worst refugee crisis, driving 11 million from their homes. It's high time to end this bloody and inhuman conflict!
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, has disclosed that the ban on small scale mining imposed by her ministry, would be lifted in January 2018.

The government has placed a ban on all small scale mining activities in a move to streamline the licensing and operations of the sector.

She noted that lifting of the ban next year would pave way for members of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners to be trained on sustainable mining practices as part of government's efforts to address the challenge of illegal mining.

Ms Babara Oteng Gyasi also mentioned a number of measures to streamline activities of small-scale mining in the country.

She was speaking at a town hall meeting organized by the Prestea-Huni Valley District Assembly in collaboration with the Ministry of Information at Bogoso in the Western Region.

She explained that the government had decided to reshape the small scale mining industry so that its activities would go by set guidelines.

This will enable small scale miners to work and earn their livelihoods in a regulated, secure and lawful environment. We will also endeavour to convert galamseyers into small scale miners, she pointed out.

The deputy minister told the people that since it had become difficult for small scale miners to acquire licence to operate as individuals, the government had asked small scale miners to form co-operatives to enable them to access regulated concessions for mining.

By so doing, the co-operatives will be encouraged to save some funds for a period of time to enable them acquire equipment that could be used to reclaim the land after mining, she undescored.

On a speculation, Ms Babara Oteng Gyasi said to a hilarious applause, .it is not true that this government has banned small scale mining. But rather, we will not allow foreigners to engage in small scale mining.

She told the people that the Minerals Commission would establish satellite offices in the mining districts, adding that her ministry would also inaugurate district mining committees across the country to help streamline mining operations.

The District Chief Executive for the area, Mozart Owuh, said that the government's free senior high school policy had drastically reduced the burden of paying school fees on parents, the MP and the he himself (DCE).

He pointed out that the assembly was determined to complete most of the projects started by the previous government in the district, including the payments of all outstanding debts owed contractors  totalling about GH783,944.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Bogoso
Former President John Mahama can easily pass for a political clown for want of a better description. Some radio stations in a weird way of commemorating the first anniversary of the last epic polls played his voice when in the run-up to the elections he mimicked President Akufo-Addo as he spoke on Peace FM. They also played the 'NDC comfortable lead' Koko Anyidohu propaganda.

John Mahama's love for dramatizing issues such as seeking to paint a picture of a buoyant economy he ostensibly bequeathed his successor President Akufo-Addo is nonsensical when the incumbent administration is encumbered with the task of clearing whopping debts incurred by the latter's administration.

The ordinary Ghanaian without the slightest knowledge of macroeconomics knows too well the state of the economy at the time Nana Akufo-Addo took over power.

At a time when the ailing economy his successor inherited has just started to respond to treatment, such bunkum of a remark can only be dismissed as mendacious.

When a former President fails to learn from his past follies and continues to bask in lies and watery propaganda, he presents himself for verbal maltreatment from victims of his bad economic policies and open pillaging of the public kitty.

Little wonder when he unashamedly claimed the economy was in the best of shapes at the point of his exit from the highest office of the land, most people who heard him wondered whether he was not inebriated or just being politically mischievous.

Perhaps he only sought to insult the intelligence of the people of this country as he often does by making such inferences. Ghanaians are not victims of amnesia as he sought to suggest when he was at his foulest in his remarks about national affairs as President.

Ghana under his watch suffered some of her most telling moments in her economic history comparable only to the PNDC junta days. Doing propaganda with the economy is not sustainable as sooner or later the truth will come out.

One does not have to be rocket science savvy to discern how bad things had degenerated under John Mahama. The economy which at the time the late President John Evans Atta Mills inherited the reins of power was posting 14% growth courtesy the oil impetus, slumped to 3.7% under him. And what is he is telling his compatriots?

Economic growth and retrogression is a scientific exercise determined by variables and not about film star gestures on the campaign trail.

How can an economy which was deflated by three-years of irritating power outages resulting in companies relocating to other parts of the sub-region be wholesome as the former President wants us to believe? If he seeks to inject humour into his remarks let him avoid such sensitive subjects as the economy whose mismanagement by him led to massive unemployment and even avoidable deaths of course.

Memories of his boastful promise of not turning to the IMF for a bailout and how he reversed this pledge are still fresh in our minds. Such a man was bound to suffer the rejection of Ghanaians as they did at the polls of last year.

Let him shut up if he has nothing to tell us in the form of an apology for causing us to endure the painful economic tribulations of his tenure as president.

Such nonsense about a varied picture of Ghana under his watch is an insult we would not countenance.
Jonas Asamoah, who has accused celebrated Ghanaian musician Akosua Adjepong of assisting her brother Frank Agyemang Badu to dupe him, told an Accra Circuit Court that he had been informed that the musician's brother is a land guard.

According to Mr. Asamoah, midway through the transaction to purchase the land, his wife told him that she had gathered that Frank did not own the land but was acting as a land guard on the said land.

The complainant Jonas Asamoah said he immediately informed Akosua about the development, but she denied it, saying that she can bet her life.

Akosua Adjepong and her brother Frank Agyemang Badu, a building contractor aka Killer Boss, are before the court on charges of conspiracy to commit crime and fraudulent transaction.

They are alleged to have defrauded one Jonas Asamoah to the tune of GH160,000 and a Toyota RAV 4 valued at GH100,000.

Led in his evidence in chief by ASP Agnes Boafo, he told the court that prior to the payment Akosua and her brother gave him a document relating to the land bearing the name of one Dora Okyere.

He said the accused persons told him that they were yet to change the document to reflect the transfer of ownership of the land.

He said he demanded an indenture but Akosua told him that once the ownership of the land would be transferred from Dora's name into his (complainant), there was no need for an indenture.

He said a search at the Lands Commission revealed that the said document was correct, but the site plan did not bear the name Dora Okyere.

He said he decided to stop the purchase of the land but Akosua convinced him that the information given to him at the Commission was untrue and subsequently led him to another 'official' at the commission who purportedly told the complainant that the document was legitimate and that there was no problem with the site plan.

The complainant told the court that although he was not given any site plan or indenture to the land in question, he agreed to make part payment of GH65,000 due to the popularity of Akosua Adjepong.

He told the court that he was asked to get a surveyor to prepare a site plan for him at the cost of GH1,300 and Akosua later gave him two indentures of transfer of ownership from Dora Okeyere to him.

Jonas Asamoah told the court that few days after making the second payment of GH35,000, Frank Agyemang Badu approached him and demanded a vehicle to offset the balance.

He said he gave out a Toyota RAV 4 valued at GH100,000, which was more than the balance so Akosua's brother proposed to give him two additional plots of land behind the West Hills Mall to offset the rest of the balance.

He presented to receipts of the payments, the two indentures, a copy of the cheque, land documents, and a copy of text messages between him and Akosu Adjepong to the court as exhibits.

The court presided over Mrs. Priscilla Dappah Mireku, adjourned the matter to December 13, 2017, for the complainant to end his testimony.
The Christian Leadership College (CLC) has announced that preparations are far advanced to meet the requirements of becoming a fully fledged university in theological studies.

This was disclosed at the 11th graduation and matriculation ceremony of the college in Accra where 57 newly admitted students were matriculated to commence their studies for a certificate in ministry, advanced leadership and theology in January 2018.

The ceremony also awarded certificate in theology in management and certificate in ministry to fifty-seven students who had fulfilled their academic requirements. Over 200 members of the church(Royal House Chapel) who had completed various tertiary institutions both within and outside the country were also acknowledged.

Rev. Dr. Sally Julie Armah, Principal of CLC addressing the congregation after an official opening by Apostle General Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah, Founder of the College, praised God for another successful academic year.

Rev. Armah indicated that out of the total number of matriculants, 32 will be studying on the Accra Campus of CLC while the other 25 will be at the Somanya campus of the college.

She also added that the college was gradually bridging the gender gap with 42 percent of new students being women and 58 percent, men.

Rev. Professor Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, President of Trinity Theological Seminary, guest speaker for the celebration reaffirmed his commitment to help make CLC grow into a university urging the management committee to do its job well to see to the successful transition of CLC into a university.

Delivering his message titled, 'Of Praise, Thanksgiving and Gratitude' Rev Prof. Mante admonished Christians to live a life full of praise and gratitude to God.

He said the thanksgiving was a recognition of God's Divine Grace in our lives thus if we do not give thanks then we are taking God for granted.

He encouraged the congregation, especially the graduates and the new students, to strive to be the eagles that God has made them to be by going a step higher and achieving greatness.
THE METROPOLITAN Archbishop of the Anglican Province of West Africa, Most Rev Prof. Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, has warned queen mothers in the country to desist from vying for their unqualified sons to be enstooled as chiefs.

He observed with gross worry, a recent development whereby queen mothers enstool their sons as chiefs when a stool becomes vacant at the expense of other royals that are more qualified and deserved to be enstooled as chiefs.

According to the respected man of God, the canker is gradually gaining momentum across the country; and therefore called for an immediate stop to it to help protect and sustain the chieftaincy institution.

Most Rev. Prof. Yinkah Sarfo was preaching the sermon during the thanksgiving service of the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, at the St. Cyprians Anglican Church in Kumasi on Sunday afternoon.

As for today, with all great respect to Otumfuo and Nananom present, I will say this new worrying development in our communities regarding the enstoolment of chiefs, even if I will be killed I will say it because it is not good.

Some queen mothers have adopted a weird strategy of always pushing for their biological sons to be enstooled as chiefs whenever a stool becomes vacant, even when some of the royals are better qualified to be enstooled.

This new worrying development is gradually becoming the order of the day and it is very dangerous for our communities and chieftaincy as an institution. So the queen mothers should desist from it, he cautioned.

According to Most Rev. Prof. Yinkah Sarfo, queen mothers should always be fair by nominating the suitable royal to occupy the vacant stool so as to help protect and sustain the adored chieftaincy institution.

The church service was attended by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and his wife, Lady Julia, Otumfuo's children, paramount chiefs from the Asante Kingdom and worshippers from the Anglican Church.

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Michael Oquaye, Alban Bagbin, Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi and other top politicians in the country, were all present at the church service.

Most Rev. Prof. Yinkah Sarfo also expressed concern about the animosity that exists between some chiefs and queen mothers in some communities, saying that such developments usually retard the smooth growth of those communities.

He, therefore, entreated chiefs and queen mothers to always stay united and collectively work to expedite the developmental process of their respective areas for the benefit of their people.

Rev. Yinkah Sarfo commended the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II for leading an exemplary life worthy of emulation, especially, during her 39 years reign as Asantehemaa.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and wife, Lady Julia, used the occasion to present an assortment of food items, including a white ram to the St. Cyprians Anglican Church to support their activities.

The King and his wife were following the footsteps of the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, who periodically made similar presentations to the church when she was alive.
A suspected thief, who attempted to steal a pumping machine in a deep well at Adienteim, near Takoradi, got trapped in the well accidentally yesterday.

Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) rescued him after close to eight hours in the well.

Eye witnesses disclosed that the suspect attempted removing the pumping machine from the well with other accomplices, who are currently at large, and accidentally got trapped around 1am on Monday.

They indicated that personnel from the Fire Service, who rushed to the scene, had a hectic time persuading the suspect to come out.

The unconscious thief was subsequently rescued with a rope and handed over to the Police.
12.12.2017 LISTEN

Reports in sections of the Ghanaian media indicating that the deputy minister for roads and transport, Hon. Abayefa Karbo, is apparently calling for a "national conversation" about funding the building and maintenance of roads in Ghana, neatly sum up the state of our nation today, a little over a year since the New Patriotic Party (NPP), won the December 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections.

If we are saddled with as many as 110 or so government ministers - all of whom were vociferous critics of the regime of President Mahama whiles they were in the political wilderness - surely, Mother Ghana deserves better leadership than that?

The question is: Why does it not strike the geniuses who now govern our nation that instead of allowing small-scale gold miners (one of the most most corrupt and dishonest groups of entrepreneurs ever in Ghana's chequered history) to return to ruining our natural heritage again, for private gain at the expense of the rest of society, they can be trained and brought together in partnerships to bid to build plastic tolled roads throughput Ghana, which they will be allowed to charge tolls for and have tax holidays on their profits for 25 years, in return for maintaining same during the entirety of that period?

For the information of the geniuses who now govern our country, plastic roads - made from mixing melted plastic waste with bitumen - last three times longer than conventional roads; remain pothole-free throughout their lifespan; bear heavier loads than conventional roads; require virtually no maintenace apart from renewing road markings; and, because plastic is impermeable to water, are never washed away by flash floods.

It makes no sense at all for the public-sector to continue funding the building and maintenance of roads in this day and age - not when the banking sector is eager to fund the expansion and modernisation of Ghana's infrastructure.

The entrepreneurs who fund small-scale gold mining (incidentally, only in a nation with a byzantine system such as ours, will gold miners using using excavators to mine be described as "small-scale miners") have all the skills needed to finance and build plastic roads.

The question the Anthony Abayefa Karbos who now govern us must ponder over is: Instead of allowing small-scale gold miners to return to destroying what is left of Ghana's natural heritage, why not train them to build plastic roads - and get them to form partnerships to bid to build tolled plastic roads nationwide, as public private partnerships (PPP): with Japanese road construction companies, which can and are willing to finance such projects in stable democratic nations such as ours, across the globe?

Unlike most Ghanaians, those of us who happen to own large tracts of forestland that border gold concessions, know from bitter experience, just what dishonest entrepreneurs the vast majority of small-scale gold miners actually are. For the sake of future generations of our people, they must never be allowed to return to gold mining deploying excavators. Full stop.

From personal experience, some of us can boldly state - without any equivocation whatsoever - that if the more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media were to investigate how small-scale gold miners came to obtain their concessions and sundry permits, not a single small-scale gold mining company will stand such honest and independent scrutiny - because they were all obtained by corrupting dishonest officials of the regulatory bodies that oversee the industry without exception.

Above all, not a single small-scale gold mining company has the approval of Parliament to mine gold in this country, in any case. So their threats to sue government are hollow. Plain and simple.

Whiles it is true that no fair-minded individual who is also independent-minded, will judge a regime that has been in power for only a little over a year, one nevertheless ought to make the point that if the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) do not underpin the economic transformation of our country, Ghana will end up as a devasted land in which rivers, streams, groundwater, and vast tracts of land across the countryside are poisoned by heavy metals and toxic chemicals such as mercury, cyanide and arsenic.

The government of President Akufo-Addo must not lose sight of the fact that Ghana has the potential to earn tens of billions of dollars annually from responsible tourism - an industry that creates wealth that remains in Ghana and has the potential to create millions of jobs for our younger generations.

For the information of the Hon. Anthony Abayefa Karbos who govern our nation, today, Thailand made U.S.$72 billion in 2016 from its tourism sector, which hosted as many as 31 million visitors that year alone. Focusing on tourism by leveraging our priceless natural heritage and our rich cultural heritage will enable us meet virtually all the UN SDGs by 2030 - instead of ending up as a barren and poisoned wasteland that allowing small-scale gold mining with excavators will inexorably lead to as sure as day follows night, in that selfsame timeframe. Enough is enough. Haaba.

Finally, for the sake of our younger generations and their children's offspring, we must repeat: If the UN SDGs do not underpin Ghana's economic transformation, our nation will eventually end up as a poisoned wasteland. Hmm, Oman Ghana - eyeasem o: asem kesie ebeba debi ankasa.
Accra, Dec. 12, CDA Consult  Ms Justice Sophia A. B. Akuffo, the Chief Justice on Tuesday affirmed that the decision of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights is final, Ghana has empowered the African Court to receive communications or claims from individuals, and accepted to be bound by the outcomes of such communications.

The Ghanaian Chief Justice noted: Courts speak through their judgments and rulings. No issue of the mandate of the African Court was considered in the ruling of the Supreme Court of Ghana; and no issue of the mandate was ruled upon.

At least, this does not appear expressly from the ruling of the Supreme Court. There is not a single word, expression or dictum in the ruling that can be used as evidence or basis to suggest or conclude that the Supreme Court of Ghana spited the African Court or sought to undermine its integrity.

Justice Akuffo stated in a speech read on her behalf by Justice Anthony Kojo Yeboah, a Justice of the High Court at a Capacity Building Training on the Rules of Procedure before the African Court, which is being organized in Accra by the African Court Coalition and the Greater Accra Branch of the Ghana Bar Association.

The Chief Justice who is also a former President of the African Court noted that under Ghanas 1992 Constitution, sovereignty resides in the people of Ghana and the Constitution, is the supreme law.

The apex court  the Supreme Court of Ghana is the final court of the land, and is not answerable to any other person or entity in the execution of its constitutional mandate. The decision of the Supreme Court is as final as the decision of the African Court, and this is where the battle of finals or the judicial turf war appears to begin.

Justice Akuffo explained that the inescapable fact is that, notwithstanding the finality of the decisions of the national court, that is the Supreme Court, the aggrieved individual is entitled under the Protocol to proceed to the African Court, which is the supra-national court. This is possible in matters of human and peoples rights.

Recently, an applicant in a Civil Motion who had had his communication admitted and placed before the African Court sought to have the execution proceedings pending in a court in Ghana stayed to abide the outcome of the proceedings before the African Court.

The Supreme Court of Ghana refused the application for stay of execution proceedings. Some of the public commentaries on the ruling tended to give the unfortunate impression that the Supreme Court decision sought to or did undermine the integrity or mandate of the African Court. Far from it, Courts speak through their judgments and rulings.

The Chief Justice therefore recommended that we strongly ignore any suggestions that there is a gridlock between the Supreme Court of Ghana and the African Court.

She however noted that there are significant lessons to learn from this case; our apex court, by reason of the Protocol to the African Charter, henceforth, must not only speak to the parties and their legal counsels when delivering judgments in matters of fundamental human and peoples rights, but must also speak to the African Commission and the African Court.

The former African Court President noted that in other words, a judicial discourse, albeit from a distance, must be allowed to evolve between the African Court and the national apex courts. National apex courts, like our Supreme Court, must now take the African Court into account in the development of its jurisprudence in the area of human and peoples rights.

Similarly, the African Court must take the national apex courts into account in coming to its decisions. In doing so, the African Court must understand the peculiarities of national constitutions and the constitutional mandate of the relevant apex courts.

This would avoid gridlocks that will not help the integrity of both the national and the supra-national courts. A court ought never to make orders that are impossible to obey; and the greatest threat to the integrity of a court is legitimate disregard of its orders. We need both our apex courts and the African Court.

Mr Dieu-Donne Wedi, Executive Secretary of the African Court Coalition (ACC) explained that the ACC which is a network of non-governmental organisations and independent national human rights institutions sees to the promotion of the Protocol to the African Charter.

He said the key purpose for its establishment is to have an effective and independent African Court in order to provide redress to victims of human rights violations and strengthen the human rights protection system in Africa.

Participants will be schooled in African Court and its works, Complementary between the African Court and the African Commission, Submission of cases and admissibility requirements, Grand breaking jurisprudence of the African Court, the Advisory opinion of the African and Implementation of the decisions of the African Court.
Customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) affected by the recent prepaid crisis are demanding compensation from the power distributor.

They say their businesses have been negatively affected the last few days when the challenges began.

I have been up and down since last Friday, I was writing exams and we all know that firms are set up to solve problems [but] if you breach your agreement, you need to pay compensation, a customer told Joy News Tuesday.

Related Article: Prepaid meter crisis: 4 ECG customers in long queues collapse

Hundreds of ECG customers at Dansoman, Korle Bu, Kaneshie and Achimota have had issues purchasing prepaid credit for the past weeks.

ECG officials say the problem was caused by some technical challenges their system is facing.

Long queues have been forming at ECG offices since last Monday with reported cases of customers collapsing after spending hours in the sweltering heat trying to purchase power.

Related Article: Resolve prepaid meter crisis or face sanction  PURC to ECG

Although the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) had given the ECG a 24-hour ultimatum to fix the challenges, Joy News has learnt customers are still queuing at most offices.

Some business owners who spoke to Joy News have asked ECG to compensate them for the toll the crisis has had on them.

But ECG Managing Director, Samuel Boakye-Appiah has assured customers of an immediate resolution of the matter.

He said the Company is doing all it can to regain the confidence of the public.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | AKABP
Statistical data available to Germany indicates that Ghana, over the last 11 months, is on a strong path to economic recovery and development, visiting German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has observed.

Addressing a joint press conference by the two Presidents held at the foyer of the Flagstaff House after holding bilateral talks, President Steinmeier said the policies of the current government is clearly beginning to impact positively on the economic landscape of the country.

He pledged his country's continued support in the area of education, small scale enterprise development and renewable energy to ensure that the current economic restoration ongoing in Ghana is sustained.

On his part, President Akufo Addo said Ghana is looking forward to a much deeper relationship with Germany. He welcomed the pledge by the German President for increased assistance to Ghana in the renewable energy sector.

A bilateral reform partnership was signed between Germany and Ghana in the presence of both Heads of State after the two leaders addressed the joint Press Conference.

The reform partnership will focus on channelling resources for the development of the renewable energy sector of Ghana. The Finance Minister of Ghana Ken Ofori Atta signed on behalf of Ghana and the Secretary of State at Ministry of Economic Cooperation of Germany, Friedrich Kitschelt, signed on behalf of Germany.

-Starrfmonline
85 cases of the deadly Influenza H1N1 have been recorded so far in the recent outbreak at the Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti region.

11 out of the number are currently on admission at various hospitals in the region.

The outbreak of influenza H1N1 which occupied the attention of the nation over the past two weeks is now under control, the Ghana Health service has assured.

Speaking at a media sensitization in Kumasi, Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service Emmanuel Tenkorang noted that the efforts of the media in reporting the outbreak helped in curtailing the outbreak to other parts of the region.

Meanwhile, a total of Eighty-Seven meningitis cases have been recorded in the Eastern region this year out of which nine (9 ) have died.

The deceased persons include the 16-year-old form two student of the Koforidua Secondary Technical School(SECTEC) who died last Friday at the Regional Government Hospital, Koforidua.

This was disclosed by the Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfuor, at Anyinam while addressing participants at the launch of 2018 citizens Budget, having held meetings with officials of the Eastern Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Koforidua,Tuesday morning.

From January this year till now, 87 meningitis cases have been recorded in the Eastern region, in which 9 deaths have been recorded which includes the 16-year-old SECTEC Student who died recently.
The University of Ghana Debate Team has been adjudged winners of the inter-tertiary debate on corruption organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) as part of this year's National Anti-Corruption and Transparency Week celebrations.

They beat their counterparts from the Central University, Islamic University College, and Accra Technical Universtiy in the debate on the motion: Which of these will you prioritise and why: The Special Prosecutor or Right to Information Law.

The debate was held at the University of Ghana's Balme Library Seminar Room on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 with over 200 guests in attendance.

The overreaching theme for the debate was Empowering the Youth in the Fight Against Corruption.

The aim of the debate was to raise awareness on corruption among the youth and engage them to suggest policy recommendations on how to curb the canker.

The University of Ghana was represented by Level 400 Political Science students; Emmanuel Gerald Arhin and Fareed Gombilla who advanced arguments for prioritizing as a matter of urgency, the Right to Information Bill.

They comfortably beat their opponents from the Islamic University College, represented by Abubakar Abdul-Aziz and Mohammed Osman Dogo with the argument that, the Office of the Special Prosecutor could not function effectively without access to information.

The UG team argued that, the best way to tackle corruption in the country was to pass the Right to Information Bill as the citizens would be able to hold those in public office accountable for their actions armed with relevant information.

They reiterated their stance by stating that, with a Right to Information law in place, corruption could be minimised and offenders brought to book.

Central University College, represented by Latifa Alhassan and Joshua Batsa Narh beat Accra Technical University represented by Richard Sirate and Obodai Bright.

Central University College emerged the first runners-up with Accra Technical University and Islamic University College in a tie for third place.

Despite the passage of the Special Prosecutor Bill, there appears to be a strong line of argument that, a Right to Information law still remains one of the key outstanding tools required to effectively tackle corruption in Ghana.

This, many observers feel together with the Special Prosecutor Law will ensure that the fight against corruption is successful.

The Debate was supported by the US Embassy in Ghana.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post UG team wins IEA anti-corruption week debate contest appeared first on Ghana News .
Mr. Samuel Namoog, General Manager (GM) of the Naara Rural Bank has called on government to implore strong business bonds with Rural Banks in the country and channel funds meant for its flagship programmes.

He also called on government to repose confidence and trust in the rural Banks to deliver on such national exercises as they were close to the people at the rural communities who appreciated Rural Banking better.

Mr Namoog made the call when he addressed shareholders of the Bank during its 27th Annual General Meeting at Paga in the Upper East Region.

He stated that Rural Banks, especially Naara would achieve their core mandate of serving rural communities interests if government considered the proposal and redirected the funds, especially the Assemblies Common Funds through them.

Some of the Shareholders the Ghana News Agency spoke to, affirmed the GM's call and referred to some disbursements including the Micro Finance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) as areas that could be mechanised through the Bank to check misappropriation and misapplication of these funds.

Mr Namoog justified the need for the proposal stating that the Bank had instituted pro-poor products designed to promote growth in communities including its Credit with Education (CWE), where customers were granted loans and educated on their business areas in order to maximize profits.

Mr Namoog said other products of the Bank were; Susu collections with loan packages, where customers made daily contributions and had access to loans, as well as Child Educational Trust Account, which enabled customers to save towards their children's education in future.

While calling on the public to patronise their products, the GM used the opportunity to appeal to loan defaulters, especially shareholders of the Bank to endeavour to settle their indebtedness to enable others also benefit from the facility.

Mr Kwaku Anangah, Chairman of the Board of Directors, in his report for 2016, said loans and advances increased by 5.9 per cent from December 2015 to December 2016, adding that the Bank had a total loan balance of GH14,788,184 representing 50.1 per cent of its total assets of GH29, 540,303.

He said loans recovery and advances improved considerably during the period under review and indicated that it was as a result of intensive efforts by the Board, management and staff of the Bank through persistent visits to defaulters.

Mr Anangah warned that the Board and Management would be compelled to publish list of loan defaulters and further use court actions to recover overdue loans from shareholders and customers who had not paid off their loans and therefore appealed to them to continue to buy more shares to strengthen the Bank's operations.

Mr Pascal Nkulenu Zinzendorf, Manager of the Bolgatanga Branch of the ARB Apex Bank in a speech read on behalf of Mr Kojo Mattah, the Managing Director of the Bank, reported that the NRB did not fall into the category of Banks with Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) in excess of the industry's benchmark of 5 per cent per the report of the Efficiency Monitoring Unit (EMU) of the ARB Apex.

'I urge you to continue to follow the best practices of quality credit appraisal, efficient monitoring of credits and strong recovery systems,' he added.

Mr Rockson Ayine Bukari, the Upper East Regional Minister, in a speech read for him, said it was government's expectation that key players such as Rural and Community Banks in the economy would position themselves well to support the implementation of its programmes and policies.

'One of the ways Naara Bank can do this is to increase its coverage to all Municipal and District Assemblies in the region to cover more unbanked population.' The Minister suggested.

The Bank was the first Rural and Community Bank (RCB) opened in Northern Ghana on July 9, 1981, and currently has seven branches located at Paga, Navrongo, Bolgatanga, Sirigu, Pelungu, Chiana and Tongo all within the region.
Fire on Sunday burnt down parts of the Christ the King Catholic Church Cathedral in Sunyani destroying a wardrobe containing choir robes and other items in the room.

Divisional Officer (DO) II Jonathan Ashong, the Sunyani Municipal Fire Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday in Sunyani stated that his outfit at about 2145 hours received an emergency call at the control room from Francis Emmanuel that there was a fire incident at the Cathedral.

He said personnel on duty quickly mobilised themselves and rushed to the scene, where they saw parts of the building in flames.

DO II Ashong said beside the choir robes and chairs, other few items yet to be identified were also destroyed, adding that the personnel were able to bring the fire under control in less than 30 minutes.

He said although investigations were still pending, they suspected charcoal ember used in burning incense during the church service in the day that was not properly put off.

DO II Ashong cautioned the public against leaving naked fires after use as that was dangerous during the dry season and urged parents to monitor the movements of their children, within and outside the home, especially in the Christmas season whereby children watch Christmas movies on televisions for hours and forget to switch them off when going to sleep.

DO II Ashong entreated the general public not to put on their gas burners for cooking while watching televisions because the food could burn and lead to domestic fire outbreak.

He advised charcoal and fire wood users to ensure that the flames or embers were properly put off with plenty water before they leave the scene.

GNA

By Regina Benneh, GNA
Upon receiving with heavy hearts the sudden death of a first year student at the Koforidua Secondary Technical School in the Eastern Region, the leadership of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) paid an official visit to mourn and solidarize with the management of the school and the bereaved family.

The General Secretary, Kabu Nartey, under the leadership of the President of the Union, Leader Frank Amoakene and the entire student populace, was in the school in the early hours of Tuesday to interact with authorities and later the family, to express students condolence.

However, the Headmaster, Mr S.P Foli expressed strong disappointment in the media who first published the story for feeding public with falsehood. He explained that the death of the school boy was not a case of meningitis as purported: doctors havent established the cause yet. He furthered that the deceased kept the sickness from his housemaster. He was later confronted due to his pale looks but denied when questioned. After hours, he experienced an attack and was rushed to the hospital.

The Headmaster upon noticing signs of paleness approached him but he denied. He denied again when he was forced to speak to his father on phone, Mr Foli retorted.

The Headmaster disclosed though the boy showed signs of a stiff neck doctors are yet to establish the cause of the death.

Mr S.P Foli debunked the story covered by joyfmonline and other media and expressed disgust about the sensationalism of the Ghanaian media. He said the case of students falling sick and been rushed to the hospital is not strange in a hugely populated community like Koforidua SecTech. In a school of over 2000 students, it is normal every day to record a case of sickness. In this case, the boy didnt open up to the authorities when confronted

Speaking to the General Secretary, Kabu Nartey, the Housemaster and the Senior Housemaster said the school is in talks with the bereaved family.

Kabu Nartey observed school is in normal session and students were going about their exams with no fear. He spent some time addressing the students on the need to speak up whenever they feel sick and not hide their ill feelings for fear of missing exams. He assured the students of the Unions commitment in ensuring that their health are improved through initiatives the leadership shall enroll in the coming months

NUGS Mourns With Bereaved Family

Kabu Nartey then proceed contacting the bereaved family in Akossombo where he spoke to the father of the deceased. According to Mr Seth Saforo, he doesnt know the cause of the death of his child either and awaits doctors report. He also debunk the stories covered by the national media cautioning that the media should add to the pain already caused. He confirms meeting with the school authorities and would be going into a meeting with his family on Sunday to discuss burial arrangement. He spoke twi.

On behalf of the President Leader Frank Amoakohene and the entire leadership, Kabu Nartey discussed ways to mitigate the material pain caused. It was a closed door meeting.

Yesterday, the media covered the death of the first year student but reported the death was caused by meningitis. The epidemic has killed over 11 students in the Kumasi Academy School in the Ashanti Region.
A panel of judges on Tuesday ordered Nigeria's third highest-ranking politician to face a retrial on corruption charges linked to his time as a state governor.

The Court of Appeal ruled that Senate president Bukola Saraki should be tried again on three charges related to false declarations of assets during his time as governor of Kwara state between 2003 and 2011.

Saraki, 54, originally faced a total of 18 charges at the Code of Conduct Tribunal but was acquitted in June. Nigeria's main anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, appealed. .

Judge Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson on Tuesday, reading a 70-page judgment, said the original verdict was upheld on 15 charges.

But Saraki needed to "offer explanation" on the remaining three charges related to how he came to buy one property in Lagos and two others in Abuja.

Prosecutor Rotimi Jacobs told reporters outside court that the ruling was a "victory to them and partly victory to us".

"What is important is that at least there is a finding that the Code of Conduct Tribunal was wrong and that the case should go back to that court," he said.

Saraki's lawyer, Paul Usoro, said the judgment reinforced the lower court ruling that there was no case to answer. The defence team would study the order for a retrial to determine whether to appeal, he added.

The case against Saraki -- who sits below President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in the political hierarchy -- was keenly watched.

It was one of the most high-profile, anti-corruption prosecutions since Buhari came to power in 2015, vowing to end graft and impunity at the highest level.

The influential politician, who is tipped in some quarters to one day challenge for the presidency, is a member of Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) party.

He became head of the upper chamber of parliament unopposed after securing the backing of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But he was not the APC's first choice, leading some to believe the charges against him were politically motivated.
US forces in Somalia conducted an air strike Tuesday against a bomb-laden vehicle outside Mogadishu that was deemed an "imminent threat" to the capital, officials said.

The strike occurred about 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Mogadishu and comes after as many as 512 people were killed in a massive truck bombing in October.

"In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, US forces conducted an air strike against an al-Shabaab vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in the early morning hours of December 12," the US military's Africa Command said in a statement.

"This strike supports our partner forces by removing an imminent threat to the people of Mogadishu."

AFRICOM added that it had assessed that no civilians were killed in the strike.

The Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow successive internationally backed governments in Mogadishu since 2007 and frequently deploys car and truck bombs against military, government and civilian targets.

The devastating October blast leveled buildings in the capital's busy Kilometer 5 neighborhood.

Since then the United States -- which supports Somalia's fledgling army as well as carrying out its own operations against the Shabaab and a separate self-proclaimed Islamic State group in the north of the country -- has increased the frequency of air strikes targeting jihadist leaders.
12.12.2017 LISTEN

Today, Monday, 11 December 2017 at around 16:15 hours, I had a moment of opportunity to listen to an interview being granted to Asempa FM radio station by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy General Secretary, Mr Koku Anyidoho.

The host of the political-oriented programme Ekosii Sen, Ms Akua Boakyewaah Yiadom, who has taken over from the late Mr Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong a.k.a. KABA, had phoned to Koku Anyidoho to interview him about the recent status development of the Electoral Commission saga.

For the public information, two deputies of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Amadu Sulley (in charge of Operations), and Mrs Georgina Amankwaah (in charge of Corporate Services) had early this year accused the Chair of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei, of involvement in malfeasances. Both deputies petitioned the President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, about the flagrant corruptions that the Chairperson of the EC has committed which in their knowledge are at variance with the operating rules and policies at the EC.

In their estimation, same committed corrupt practices are in breach of not only her office but also, the 1992 Republican Constitution by which the nation is governed  refer to the Criminal Code Act 1960 (Act 29). In challenge to the deputies petition to the President, Mrs Charlotte Osei counter-accused them by divulging certain crimes of unprecedented scale that her accusers themselves had committed.

The crimes levelled against them are already a public knowledge hence needless to state them in this publication but the despicable bravado by Koku Anyidoho as I established today.

Koku Anyidoho who is perceived to use the monikers Margaret Jackson and Nana Akua Tweneboah Koduah, obviously an impersonation making him a He/She, to publish opinion articles on the Ghana internet news portals, especially on Ghanaweb and Modernghana, is the cause of this particular write-up.

In making his views known as regards the EC saga, he asserted it is New Patriotic Party (NPP) that has masterminded and orchestrated the allegations against Mrs Charlotte Osei in their resolutely determined quest to remove her from office to replace her by NPP favourite. He went on to dare His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, to pursue the course of investigating her and/or removing her from office and Ghana will be in flames. Mrs Charlotte Osei is going nowhere and nobody can remove her from office, he said on authority.

Yes, I totally agree with him that Ghana will be in flames to culminate in some people running away and leaving their sandals behind as once said by the ex-late President Dr Kwame Nkrumah about Ghana chiefs. However, it wont be caused by the nonsense being spewed by Koku Anyidoho but by the youth rising up against the excesses and corruption in perpetuation by our politicians, traditional chiefs and heads of Civil Services.

What is wrong about the President referring the petitions to the Chief Justice who in turn has appointed a Committee to look into the allegations against Mrs Charlotte Osei and her deputies? Are they not themselves the originators of the allegations? Have they not themselves submitted written evidence and on air accusations against themselves? Was it the President or the NPP that instigated them to come out with their secret evil commissions? Was it the President or the NPP that asked them to commit the crimes they are levelling against themselves?

If the answers to the above questions are a NO, how then can Koku Anyidoho go on air to claim that it is NPP and President Nana Akufo Addo that are seeking to push Mrs Charlotte Osei out of office?

Does the Constitution not state what to do when officials in the capacity of Charlotte Oseis cause infractions of the rules? Is the President not following same constitutional procedure?

Koku Anyidoho, a political novice and NDC sycophant who thinks he is Mr Somebody is coming out with audacity to threaten the President, NPP and the people of Ghana even when in opposition.

Is it because the NPP are a soft touch? Is it because the President is too weakened by his desire to let the rule of law take its cause no matter how provocative and nonsensical a situation appears and by whom?

Koku Ayidoho kept on saying the Informer newspaper has reported that the President is desirous to remove Charlotte Osei from office hence daring the President as reported above. Presuming the President wants to remove her from office and the Informer newspaper is truthful in their reportage, the presupposing question is, did the President compel Charlotte Osei to commit the crimes she is alleged by her own deputies to have committed?

What is that Informer newspaper and who is its editor? Are the management of the newspaper not aware of the fact the chickens themselves have come home to roost? Are they themselves not haunted by their own ghosts hence running out to inform the public of their crimes committed in seclusion or under the cover darkness? Why should the paper turn round to announce that it is the President who wants Charlotte Osei out knowing very well that they have committed crimes worthy of thorough investigation and if found guilty punished? Has the paper and their management any integrity at all or they are one of the usual rubbish NDC news outlets in Ghana?

I hope Koku Anyidoho will not squeal like a pig the day that any nonsense he starts backfires on him catching him by his balls or the day that the Ghanaian youth will rise en masse in civil disturbance to rescue Ghana from our corrupt leaders both past and present.

Ghanaians will soon be no longer the people of short memory. Ghanaians will soon not be the cowards that fear death. Ghanaians will rise to defend themselves and their rights against the oppression they are suffering under the hands of their own black leaders including toady Koku Anyidoho. That day is not far-off, God willing! And on that day, people like Koku Anyidoho will either run away or go on their knees pleading for mercy. On that day that I love or dread to see, our corrupt politicians, traditional leaders, Heads of Civil Services etc. will experience the peoples power to better understand what is meant by the peoples power.
12.12.2017 LISTEN

The horrendous deaths of the 24 Pakistani United Nations peacekeepers in war-torn Somalia, in 1993, had long escaped me, until I read about todays massacre of some 14 Tanzanian peacekeeping troops in the grossly and absurdly named Democratic Republic of The Congo (See Bodies of 14 UN Peacekeepers Flown to Tanzania Modernghana.com 12/11/17). This tragic act of barbarism threatens to rip my heart and soul apart because it also eerily recalls the apocalyptic era of the early 1960ss Congo-Zaire-Congo.At least two of yours trulys maternal uncles saw action during the infamous Kinshasa Crisis that culminated in the brutal assassination of then-Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, in what was then widely speculated to have been orchestrated by agents of Western Imperialism. At least those were the watchwords while I was growing up in that decade of my birth.

In reality, the Congo Crisis never ended. Rather, it was uneasily stabilized by the Western-backed intervention of that countrys military, led by Col. Joseph-Desire Mobutu for some three decades, culminating in another broad-fronted bout of civil war in the late 1990s that neatly swept the Mobutu dictatorship off the scene. This is where the leadership skills of the executive operatives of the African Union (AU) ought to be focused, together with the material resources available to this continent-wide equivalent of the United Nations Organization (presently abbreviated as the UN). Of course, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) would also morph into the AU, a supposedly more cohesive and effective prelude to thetotal and organic unification of the second-largest landmass in the world. What we really see on the ground, as it were, however, is something else altogether.

Instead, what we see these days are pointless and vacuous quibbling over whether the recent military intervention in Zimbabwe that culminated in the auspicious removal of 93-year-old President Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a coup detat or not. For some time now, the democratic political culture of the Congo (formerly Zaire)  which is reckoned to be about the size of the entirety of Western Europe  has literally come to a standstill, as the 46-year-old President Joseph Kabila, who inherited his presidency from his assassinated father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, refuses to go into the proverbial political sunset quietly. Presently, an election that was supposed to have ushered in a new leadership appears to be in danger, as the countrys European Union donors have sternly warned the outgoing Mr. Kabila against the harassment and around-the-clock persecution of his partys political opponents.

What is clear to any critical observer of the Congolese political scene, is the dire need for this vast country with a lot of natural and human-power resources but abjectly poor leadership to be organically downsized along ethnic and cultural lines into several autonomous polities in order to make it more governable, stable and prosperous. Indeed, I was more than a bit flabbergasted to discover that the Democratic Republic of The Congo, with a population size of 80 million, nearly three times that of Ghanas population of some 30 million, and war-wracked for some three decades now, has a literacy rate that is slightly higher than that of the first African nation to be granted its sovereignty from Western colonial rule south of the Sahara. Of course, while it has not lapsed into a warring situation, the caliber of Ghanaian leadership does not seem to have registered any significant advantage over that of the DRC.

In economic terms, however, Ghana, with a per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) a little upwards of $1,500 (USD), for 2016, is more than three times the size of the DRC, which has a per capita GDP of approximately $450 (USD). The difference here, obviously, is the abject lack of a purposeful and progressive leadership, which has meant that the level of corruption at the highest echelons of governance may yet be without compare. And, well, as it is to be expected, it is the resource-rich eastern provinces of that country, and the most politically unstable, that are also the most impoverished. It is these bread-basket regions that may also be in prompt need of either fiscal and administrative autonomy or complete separation from the rest of King Leopolds corporatist conception of a colonial polity.

Very likely, the leaders and citizens of the less well-endowed provinces of the country may logically and naturally be averse to the all-too-practically-savvy redefinition of the geopolitical contours of the Congo because even as one of my colleagues, a specialist of Maghrebian and Mediterranean history, recently pointed out, these colonial boundaries have a curious, if also a bizarre, way of becoming so deeply encoded into the psyche of the erstwhile subject of European colonialism as to seem to be a natural or organic part of the identity of the newly liberated African. I suppose what Richard D. Goodman meant is that so acculturated to the colonial-era demarcated boundaries has the postcolonial African become that any politically constructive attempt to alter these purely Euro-convenient colonial-era boundaries may very well result in the former subject of European imperialisms lapsing into a form of geopolitical identity crisis, decidedly a symptom of what may be psychological characterized as PTSD or post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Whatever the outcome of next years election in this humongous tract of mineral-rich landed property wouldnt matter much, if the AU bwanas in Addis Ababa do not purposefully haunch down to do some serious thinking about the future shape of the DRC and other equally and similarly troubled spots on the continent. I dont quite recall the remarkable difference that the tragic and brutal deaths of the 24 Pakistani peacekeepers made in the political fortunes of the people of Somalia. Very likely not much. Or maybe a little or much that is worthwhile. It is not my judgment call to make. But, of course, by the end of the day, some way or avenue must be found to stanch this barbaric and incessant bloodletting and allow our people in that part of the continent lead more meaning and noble lives.

In the same vein, we hope that the brutal massacre of the 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers, allegedly by some Ugandan Muslim rebels, would ultimately redound to the good fortune of the largely defenseless citizens of the Kivu region of the Congo, whom these dead heroes were assigned to protect. I dont want to hold my breath in vain.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
Doron Medical Center (DMC) with modern state-of-the-art facilities has officially been opened at New Jerusalem-Afienya on the Appolonia road to offer top of the world healthcare to its surrounding communities.

The location covers 4 acres of land and is surrounded by surplus land available for purchase when the expansion is needed.

The project is set to become the hub of medical outreaches to the rural village communities.

Rev. Dr. Godwin Ahlijah, Chief Executive Officer of Doron Medical Center, in his address during the grand opening over the weekend, gave all the glory and credit to the Almighty God who has made it possible.

He revealed that the center which houses an operating theater or surgical room with state of the art medical equipment will be the premier healthcare facility in the area.

"Doron is a Greek Word that is translated as 'Gift from God'. The hospital has a very solid dedicated professional medical team and offers comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate and most importantly cost-effective healthcare. The services being offered at the hospital include Family Medicine; Occupational Health; Paediatrics; Geriatrics; Maternal & Child Health; Laboratory Services; X-Ray; Ultra Sound; Psychotherapy and Executive Private Appointments," he said.

He went on to add that the center is always open to medical teams who are willing to come and volunteer their time, skills and work rotations and minister to the needy by traveling to the rural areas and participating in medical outreaches.

Doron Medical Center has partnered other health professionals from Europe and the USA to provide excellent and professional healthcare.

Doron Medical Center is the initiative of the founders of the Meaningful Life International, a non-denominational Christian Non-Governmental Organization, and a non-profit Missionary Agency registered under the Ghana code 3177 with the Registrars General Department and based in Tema in the Greater Accra Region.

MLI is registered with the Department of Social Welfare and a Member of the Ghana Evangelical Missions Association.

In 2006, it was registered as Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) for evangelical outreach. Born out of the desire to empower individuals to fulfill their God-given dreams, the agencys main office is in the harbour port industrial city of Tema, Ghana.

Meaningful Life International entered the international scene in 2010 when its sister agency, Meaningful Life USA was awarded its 501(c) 3 charitable nonprofit status.

The vision that launched Meaningful Life International in 2006 was actually given to founders Rev. Dr. Godwin and wife Medical Dr. Lenusia Ahlijah back in their post-undergrad university days.

Godwin and Lenusia have for a long time, spent most of their time bringing relevant medical attention to the poor and underprivileged not just in Ghana but all over the continent of Africa.

The Doron Medical Center is the beginning of this precious vision.
Rev. Dr. Godwin Ahlijah, Chief Executive Officer of Doron Medical Center, has blamed banks in Ghana for the lack of financial support and poor performance of local Ghanaian businesses.

According to him, the unwillingness on the part of the banks to approve loans remained number one killer of dream businesses hindering entrepreneuship and job creation.

Rev. Dr. Godwin Ahlijah, who is also the Founder of Meaningful Life International, a non-denominational Christian Non-Governmental Organization, and a non-profit Missionary Agency, poured his frustrations at the banks in an interview with the press last Saturday.

This was after the grand opening of the newly constructed Doron Medical Center, located at New Jerusalem-Afienya on the Appolonia road.

"I am sharing this out of the experience we went through before we were able to build this medical center. By the grace of God no bank supported us but we have been able to meet our target and we are trusting and believing God to do more. The banks are not helping Ghanaian businesses at all; Even where you meet all their criteria, they still find something to deny people access to loans," he said.

Doron is a Greek Word that is translated as 'Gift from God'. The hospital has a very solid dedicated professional medical team and offers comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate and most importantly cost-effective healthcare. The services being offered at the hospital include Family Medicine; Occupational Health; Paediatrics; Geriatrics; Maternal & Child Health; Laboratory Services; X-Ray; Ultra Sound; Psychotherapy and Executive Private Appointments.

Doron Medical Center has partnered other health professionals from Europe and the USA to provide excellent and professional healthcare.
Yoruba Gospel Musician and CEO, Fresh FM, Ibadan, Dr. Yinka Joel Ayefele, is celebrating 20 years anniversary of the accident that occurred on the December 12, 1997.

The accident has kept him on the wheel chair for 20 years but has not been a limiting factor. He still keeps striving hard and touching souls with his songs.

In his words on facebook, Exactly 20years today...12th of December 1997. MU TURNING POINT....

GLORY BE TO GOD ALMIGHTY FOR HIS LOVE AND KINDNESS OVER MY LIFE FROM THE PAST 20 YEARS SINCE I HAD THAT ACCIDENT. IT WAS INDEED "MY TURNING POINT" I AM GRATEFUL TO YOU LORD FOR MAKING ME A "LIVING TESTIMONY". And I sincerely say a big thank you to all my fans all over the world for your unflinching support for the past twenty years....THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE ...where ever you are please acknowledge GOD on my behalf.

Click my signature for more pics of the accident car and the scene.
I stuck to what the coaches ...
TWIN FALLS  Goode Motor on Kimberly Road had announced the hiring of three new sales consultants:

Mark W. Tonge is a Buhl High School alum and an Eagle Scout. He went to the College of Southern Idaho, concentrating on a future in sales. With more than four years of experience, Tonge is able to help customers find the right vehicle. Call him at 208-404-9423.

Moses Torres is a Rupert native. He has been in sales for two years and is motivated to help customers locate their next vehicle. Call Torres at 208-731-2403.

Brogen Johnson recently moved to Twin Falls to attend CSI and learn about the auto industry. He is ready to guide customers to a new vehicle. Call Johnson at 208-733-0330.

Visit each of these new sales consultants at Goode Motor, 2441 Kimberley Road.
Stand Selling Safe and Sane Fireworks In Calaveras County View Photos

San Andreas, CA  Calaveras County residents planning to ring in the New Year with fireworks might be relieved to know that the future of safe and sane fireworks is up in the air for a few more weeks.

Illegal throughout Tuolumne County, fireworks that carry the California State Fire Marshals safe and sane designation may be set off across Calaveras except in the Ebbetts Pass Fire Protection District, located north of Murphys. However, as the region has come under increased fire threat due to its dry hot summers and high fuel vegetation, county staff recommended looking into a local ban, noting that nearly all the counties in the Sierra Nevadas have enacted them in their unincorporated more rural areas.

The subject, which appeared as a discussion item on last weeks Calaveras County Board of Supervisors meeting agenda, drew several comments supportive of safe and sane wares from fire district representatives and even a few supervisors, who admitted to enjoying them as long as they were safely used. Too, there is the matter that proceeds from the sales of these products provide a significant source of fundraising revenue for local nonprofit organizations that plan on that annual revenue.

In the end, District 3 Supervisor and Board Chair Michael Oliveira asked that, ahead of the supervisors potentially moving towards establishing a county ordinance that each fire district bring the discussion to their own boards and report back within 30 days as to whether local rules might be better determined within the fire districts themselves.

Either way, safe and sane fans and benefiting nonprofit groups will likely learn soon whether the ability to purchase and use these fireworks in Calaveras will continue or go up in smoke sometime early in the new year.
By Don Quijones, of Spain, UK, and Mexico, and an editor at Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street

The EUs Orwellian-dubbed Civil Liberties and Economic Affairs committee has approved tough new rules on cash that travelers might bring into or take out of the bloc. Its also broadened the definition of cash to include precious stones and metals and prepaid credit cards.

For the moment the new definition does not include Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, for one simple reason: customs authorities lack the resources to monitor them.

Most importantly, the draft law will enable authorities to impound cash below the traditional 10,000 threshold, if criminal activity is suspected. The new rules would repeal the First Cash Control Regulation (CCR) from 2005, which requires individuals to declare sums over 10,000 when leaving or entering the EU.

The draft law still needs to be approved by the European Parliament. Then the legislation needs to be negotiated with EU governments. If the law is passed, anyone acting suspiciously carrying any amount of cash, whether in notes, precious stones, precious metals or prepaid credit cards, could face having their money impounded.

Large sums of cash, be it banknotes or gold bullion, are often used for criminal activities such as money laundering or terrorist financing, said Mady Delvaux, the Committees co-rapporteur. With this legislation, we give our authorities the tools they need to improve their fight against those crimes.

It could be argued that any legislation aimed at disrupting criminal financial networks is, de facto, a welcome move, but that would ignore the fact that many forms of modern-day tax evasion, avoidance and money laundering are conducted without cash through shell corporations located across multiple jurisdictions, including Luxembourg.

But the EUs anti-cash measures are not aimed at the giant corporations and well-heeled individuals and families, including those that, thanks to their armies of professional lawyers and accountants, get to exploit the loopholes built into the system to stash their wealth far from the prying eyes of European tax authorities. No, the measures are aimed at average Joes and ordinary Janes, and the main objective is to further dampen their ability or willingness to use or carry cash.

This has long been a cherished goal of the EU, which began 2017 by announcing its intention to explore the relevance of potential upper limits to cash payments, with a view to implementing cross-regional measures in 2018. Any attempt by the European Commission to set a mandatory continent-wide limit is likely to be met with fierce resistance  at least in countries where cash is still revered, like Germany and Austria. Others are already so far down the path toward a cashless society that theyll barely notice the difference.

Besides fighting crime and tax evasion, there are myriad other reasons why the EU and the ECB, along with banks, fin tech firms, credit card companies, national governments and UN agencies, want to pull the plug on physical currency:

Cash has no middleman. One party pays the other party in mutually accepted currency and not a single intermediary (i.e. bank, fin tech firm or credit card company) gets to wet its beak. Increased technocratic control. In a world where every transaction must be electronic (i.e. traceable) and where biometric authentication systems have become the norm, the power of banks, corporations, tech firms, and governments over peoples every-day lives would be virtually unlimited. The death of financial privacy. Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote in 19th century-Russia that money is coined freedom. Today, it is one of the last remaining things that gives people a small semblance of privacy, anonymity, and personal freedom in their increasingly controlled and surveyed lives. However, according to the European Commissions own rulings, privacy and anonymity do not constitute fundamental human rights. Cash sets a limit on central banks monetary experimentation. During this age of out-of-control financial repression, as long as cash exists, theres no way of preventing depositors from doing the logical thing  i.e. yanking their money out of the bank and parking it where the erosive effects of NIRP cant reach it. If cash were abolished, just about any fiscal or monetary policy would be enforceable, at least in the short run.

At the same time, the EU hopes to pass a law that will effectively render the act of carrying reasonably large sums of cash  say, anything above 1,000  across borders enough to get it confiscated. The writing is on the wall, and its written in bright, bold letters. By Don Quijones.

War on Cash bogs down, despite best efforts of government, banks, and credit card companies. Read Spains Third Biggest Bank Just Made it Harder to Get Cash
By Michael Olenick, a research fellow at INSEAD

Thursday December 14 marks the five-year mark since the massacre at Sandy Hook when gun fanatic Adam Lanza murdered twenty first graders, six school staff members, his mother, then himself. Weve since watched 58 people lose their lives in Las Vegas, 49 at the Pulse nightclub, 25 at Suntherland Springs, and 14 in San Bernardino. The rivers of blood grow and flow but nothing changes.

Thanks to a modern reinterpretation of the Second Amendment in the 2008 Heller decision, there are limits to what can be done legally on gun control. Before Heller gun rights were reserved for well-regulated state militias (read: armed thugs tasked with retrieving escaped slaves). But a five-member majority of the Supreme Court, a group of activist conservative judges, magically found a personal right to gun ownership for the first time in over two centuries. No lobby is stronger than the NRA so traditional political options are ruled out. But there might be a solution by addressing the problem economically.

Ive argued for ages that US gun enthusiasts cause an enormous cost that is externalized to everybody else.

Its time for gun fans to pay their own way, to stop cost shifting the burden of their hobby onto survivors and the general public. As one gun owner indignantly wrote after a recent slaughter Why should I pay for the cost of criminals? My answer: Why should I? Why should anybody who does not buy into the notion that guns should be freely available  the root cause of the carnage  pay for those who do believe this?

Backing up, lets briefly review the costs of gun damage. First are the immediate medical costs. If the injured is insured, then everybody in their insurance pool pays for the fun of guns. If they are uninsured, costs rise and everybody involuntarily pitches in.

Next are the costs to employers and the injured; social safety programs or disability insurance might help: more subsidies. Lowered earning power, dysfunction in the family and relationships, higher police costs and lowered property values in high crime areas: line items on the bill are endless.

Cost estimates for gun violence, including lost wages, vary wildly. Low end estimates are $45 billion per year; higher end estimates are $229 billion per year. Since the lower end costs do not include extra policing or pain and suffering for family members Ill split the difference but on the low side: $100 billion per year. That means each and every one of Americas 323 million pays an average of $309.60 per year thanks to gun mania.

Gun owners talk about the cost of freedom  being suckered into the false narrative that gun ownership somehow equates to liberty  but theyre consistently unwilling to shoulder that cost alone.

First, its time to admit this freedom and liberty theory is delusional. Get real, gun owners: you are not going to use your guns in a government shootout. If you do, you will be seen as deranged criminals, not heroes. I have yet to find a gun owner who is willing to explicitly state that their version of protecting liberty is an imaginary right to violently overthrow the government. They imply it  wink, wink, nudge, nudge  but nobody will come out and say it.

And if you were to take up this battle with your precious guns,you would lose. Gunmen are guaranteed to be defeated by police who have access to more guns, helicopters, tear gas, sound cannons, tanks, flamethrowers, and other weapons.

Ive talked about a gun and ammunition tax so gun owners pay the full freight for their fun. But gun fanatics argue against a registry. Ignoring that the vast majority of countries that allow private weapon ownership require registration well take this at face value: no registries. But theres a fine solution: mandatory insurance at the point of sale.

Every gun and every bullet will come with gun insurance, automatically bundled with the purchase.

Like workers compensation gun violence victims would automatically collect from a mega-pool funded entirely by gun insurance. No more forcing everybodys health premiums up due to gun violence payouts: only gun owners pay. Disability and lost wage claims due to gun injuries? Paid for by people who are into guns. Unpaid medical bills for victims of gun violence due to no insurance which drive up hospital costs for everybody; the gun insurance pool pays 100%, no questions asked. More police required in areas of unusually high gun violence: let the pool pay.

None of this infringes on the right to own guns: they just have to pay the cost. Free speech does not mean free paper or free internet access. Similarly, freedom to own guns is not an entitlement to a massive economic subsidy, which is the case now.

This proposal allows guns, ammunition and sales tax to all be tied together into a tidy package. Mechanisms, including enforcement, would work just like sales tax for any other purchase. People who sell guns or ammunition without the insurance will be treated like people who sell products but do not collect sales tax. All Point of Sale (POS) systems already support the automated collection of additional funds and, even for states that do not have sales tax, they still use the computer systems everybody else does enabling its collection.

Gun owners who prove they have the right insurance can skip the insurance that gun sellers would be required to attach, enabling private marketplaces.

Given the nature of gun violence there would need to be a centralized pool to payout claims. This would presumably be grouped by risk category, much like auto insurance. If the gun or bullet type that caused the injury is known it would be a claim against that class of weapons. AR-15/Bushmaster style rifles would carry one cost, depending on the injuries they cause, whereas bespoke hunting rifles could carry a different, presumably lower cost. Let the weapon manufacturers and insurance companies work out the various risk categories: they understand their products best.

The hypocrisy from libertarians who argue against public subsidies for everything besides gun subsidies is staggering. Either you are a libertarian who is against subsides, and believe you should carry the cost of an unfettered right to own weapons, or you are not.

Nobody argues against mandatory auto insurance and the gun fanatics do not hesitate to highlight, correctly, that automobiles cause more annual deaths than guns. They fail to note that automobiles have exponentially more utility value and are highly regulated, requiring licensure, insurance, and strict compliance with safety rules. They also ignore that gun deaths were projected to exceed deaths by car in 2016, and probably will in the not-too-distant future.

The graves of the Sandy Hook victims are presumably well manicured; the school was razed to the ground and a new building unveiled in July 2016. But the memories for the survivors that were there, and everybody else, can and should never be erased. We cant take the guns but we can at least make sure the bullets do not come with a bill for victims of gun violence.
From 28 to 30 November 2017, a NATO expert visit took place in Tunis to review progress under the Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP), which was launched in Tunisia in February 2016.

Ongoing cooperation between NATO and Tunisia is extensive and comprises various aspects including education and training. Stability and security in the Mediterranean region are particularly important for the Alliance. The security context is complex and very challenging. Terrorism, proliferation of various arms and instability due to failed states are security challenges that deeply affect everyone. This underlines the need for a global approach that embraces all security aspects including international cooperation.

While in Tunisia, the DEEP team  led by Frederique Jacquemin, DEEP Senior Programme Manager at NATO, together with Colonel Giordano Ciccarelli from Italy  met with NATO country representatives and with the Commandant of the Staff College, Lellehom Ben Jemaa. The Commandant emphasised the programmes success and reaffirmed Tunisias continued engagement with NATO.

The DEEP programme aims to develop close cooperation with the War College and the Staff College under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defence. Through DEEP, the Alliance advises Tunisia on how to build, develop and reform educational institutions in the defence and military domain in the form of a peer-to-peer conversation.

Aside from helping Tunisia to develop its educational institutions, NATO is also supporting the development of both curricula (what to teach) and faculty (how to teach). NATO helps maintain an international professional network which brings together defence and military educators from Allied and partner countries to exchange experience in teaching methodologies and to help those interested in advice and assistance. Tunisia is taking steps to build upon the results of this programme in the defence education system.

DEEPs are tailored programmes through which the Alliance advises partners on how to build, develop and reform educational institutions in the security, defence and military domain. Projects are currently running in 12 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1, Tunisia and Ukraine.
(Natural News) The Founding Fathers made it very clear that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to allow the people to defend themselves should the federal government become tyrannical and oppressive in nature. It is quite literally one of the only things standing in between individual freedom and a massive authoritarian state  that being said, is it any wonder why the leftists in this country seem so hellbent on getting rid of the Second Amendment once and for all?

Recently, the Honolulu Police Department in Hawaii sent out a series of letters to residents of the state that use medical marijuana, informing them that they are not allowed to own firearms or ammunition because of their prescription. These residents were also told that they had 30 days to hand in their firearms and ammunition to the Honolulu Police Department, and that if they wish to purchase guns in the future, they must first get permission from a medical doctor.

This letter is to inform you that under the provisions of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), Section 134-7(a) you are disqualified from firearms ownership, possession, or controlling firearms. Your medical marijuana use disqualifies you from ownership of firearms and ammunition, the letter reads. It goes on to say that residents who use medical marijuana have 30 days upon receipt of this letter to voluntarily surrender your firearms, permit and ammunition to the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) or otherwise transfer ownership.

Where exactly in the Constitution does it say that the American people have a right to keep and bear arms unless they happen to use medical marijuana? At last glance, thats not what the Second Amendment says. Here again, the liberal democrats have proven that they care very little about the United States Constitution, and are only concerned about advancing their big government agenda. Their hunger for power truly knows no bounds.

Sadly, the push for gun confiscation seems to be starting to gain traction. Last month, The Boston Globe made the case that in order to minimize the number of mass shootings in this country, gun confiscation might be one of the only options we have left. This is nonsense, of course, because it has been proven time and time again that crime rates go down when there are more guns and not less. But then again, liberals have never let facts get in the way of their agenda before, so why would they start now?

After arguing that recent gun control proposals made by the political left havent gone far enough, The Boston Globe article stated: In other words, the proposals arent just difficult to enact in the current political climate; their practical effects would also be quite limited. On occasion, though, Democrats will make oblique reference to a more sweeping policy change: seizing a huge number of weapons from law-abiding citizens.

Gun confiscation is not something that our society should be experimenting with. History has proven that when firearms are taken away from the people, it opens the door for a whole host of lawless atrocities, violence and chaos. Back in November of 1938, German newspapers warned that Jews were forbidden from owning any weapons, and that those who violated this law would be thrown into a concentration camp for up to 20 years.

Not wanting to be sentenced to prison, the Jews surrendered their firearms. Sadly, by the year 1942, millions of these unarmed Jews were being led to concentration camps and slaughtered in the most gruesome of ways. Of course, the Holocaust was a far more extreme event then what is currently taking place in Hawaii, but it goes to show that gun confiscation can have perilous consequences. It has no place in the United States of America, and it should be rejected by everyone.

Follow more news on guns and self-defense rights at Guns.news.

Sources include:

Leafly.com

BostonGlobe.com

Breitbart.com
(Natural News) If you think that the liberals are content with just destroying the United States Constitution and nothing more, then you are sadly mistaken. From our most deeply held values to our traditions and customs, the progressives will not stop until they achieve their fundamental transformation, or perhaps to use a more accurate term, fundamental destruction.

One of the more recent things that progressives have voiced concerns over is what they consider to be toxic masculinity. If you are a male who believes in taking on the role of the provider, likes to go to the gym to lift heavy weights, or even enjoys sitting down for dinner with a nice juicy steak and a beer, then be warned: Liberals have a problem with your very existence.

Sadly, this twisted mentality is becoming more and more popular at colleges and universities across the country. Recently, a sociology professor at Pennsylvania State University by the name of Anne DeLessio-Parson argued in the Journal of Feminist Geography that hegemonic masculinity implies an imperative to eat meat, and that this contributes to other existing power hierarchies as well.

But DeLessio-Parson didnt just make this ridiculous claim; she apparently studied it. In her study, Professor DeLassio-Parson conducted interviews with 23 vegetarians who live in Argentina in order to examine how these individuals deal with living in a country that is so meat-centric. She found that the actual act of being a vegetarian is a political statement. (Related: Read about an insane feminist who went on national television to argue that women can do no wrong and men are toxic.)

The decision to become vegetarian does not itself destabilize gender, but the subsequent social interactions between vegetarian and meat-eater demand gender enactment  or resistance, DeLessio-Parson wrote.

In an interview with Campus Reform, DeLessio-Parson explained that she first became interested in this topic after spending five years as a vegetarian in Argentina, where she worked as an English teacher and also worked closely with several community organizations.

Women, one of the ways they push back against patriarchy, they say, this is my body. You dont get to tell me what comes in and out, she told Campus Reform. The sociology professor went on to say that even though many males living in Argentina still have these very hegemonic masculinity traits, men who are vegetarians seem more egalitarian and respectful and more open about talking about how sexism exists.

DeLessio-Parson ultimately concludes her study by stating that choosing to be a vegetarian can destabilize not just gender, but also other hierarchies, and drive social change. She continues, If we can pay more attention to what we put in our bodies we can create a better sense of peace in the world. Vegetarianism is a part of that. (Related: For more on campus news, visit CampusInsanity.news.)

Cant men just sit down and enjoy a thick, juicy cheeseburger without having leftists and feminists link it to their warped agendas? Why does everything have to be connected to either race or genitalia?

What we are witnessing is a calculated, organized effort to destabilize gender norms and ultimately do away with masculinity. It is a movement that is starting to gain far more traction than it ever should have been allowed to gain. At Princeton University, for example, school administrators are currently in the process of hiring an Interpersonal Violence Clinician and Mens Engagement Manager, who will be responsible for challenging gender stereotypes and dismantling toxic masculinity. (Related: A feminist professor says that science is racist because much of it was developed by white men.)

The Internet is replete with examples of feminists and left-wing institutions trying to destabilize the concept of masculinity, and readers are encouraged to seek this information out for themselves so that they can understand just how bad it is getting. In the meantime, men, grab your steak and a beer and retreat to your mancaves  taking this nonsense seriously isnt worth your time anyway.

Sources include:

CampusReform.org

TheCollegeFix.com
(Natural News) A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has revealed that doctors are dispensing unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, and that one in five hospitalized adults suffer the side effects of this irresponsible practice. As part of the study, a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine examined the electronic medical records of nearly 1,500 adults admitted to the general medicine services at The Johns Hopkins Hospital between September 2013 and June 2014. The patients were hospitalized for various illnesses including trauma and chronic disease, all of whom received at least 24 hours of antibiotic treatment.

The experts then monitored the patients for 30 days following hospital discharge in order to check whether an adverse drug event (ADE) occurred and to determine the number of negative reactions that could have been prevented by eliminating unnecessary antibiotic use. The findings showed that up to 20 percent of patients who received antibiotic treatments suffered one or more adverse effects. Likewise, the researchers observed that the risk of ADEs increased by three percent for each additional 10 days of antibiotic treatment.

Too often, clinicians prescribe antibiotics even if they have a low suspicion for a bacterial infection, thinking that even if antibiotics may not be necessary, they are probably not harmful. But that is not always the case. Antibiotics have the potential to cause real harm to patients. Each time we think to prescribe an antibiotic, we need to pause and ask ourselves, Does this patient really need an antibiotic? If the patient develops an antibiotic-associated adverse reaction, even though that is, of course, unfortunate, we should be able to take some comfort in knowing that at least the antibiotic was truly necessary, says Dr. Pranita Tamma, director of the Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The results also indicated that gastrointestinal reactions accounted for up to 42 percent of ADEs, while kidney and blood abnormalities made up 24 percent and 15 percent of ADEs, respectively. In addition, 24 percent of patients had prolonged admission following the onset of ADEs, while three percent required additional hospital admissions. Furthermore, nine percent of patients have had additional emergency department or clinic visits, while 61 percent required additional diagnostic tests.

Although antibiotics may play a critical role when used appropriately, our findings underscore the importance of judicious antibiotic prescribing to reduce the harm that can result from antibiotic-associated ADEs, the researchers conclude.

Study: Doctors give antibiotics Rx for common illnesses

A Canadian study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has also revealed that primary care physicians tend to over-prescribe antibiotic treatments for non-threatening diseases such as non-bacterial acute upper respiratory infections (AURI) among elderly patients. A team of researchers pooled data on 8,990 primary care physicians and more than 185,000 AURI patients aged 66 or older who visited a primary care physician in 2012 in Ontario. (Related: IRRESPONSIBLE: Doctors are prescribing antibiotics for the common cold.)

The researchers observed that up to 46 percent of patients with nonbacterial AURI received an antibiotic prescription, most of which were for broad-spectrum agents. Likewise, the findings showed that patients are more likely to receive prescriptions from mid- and late-career physicians compared with early-career physicians. The results also revealed that patients are more likely to obtain antibiotic prescriptions from doctors who saw 25 or more patients daily than those who saw fewer than 25 patients per day.

The study has received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, Academic Medical Organization of Southwestern Ontario, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University and the Lawson Health Research Institute.

Sources include:

HopkinsMedicine.org

JAMANetwork.com

Annals.org
(Natural News) Fervent belief in global warming and man-made climate change is motivating some to protest oil pipeline construction across the United States. Some of these activists are so driven by the political agenda called climate change, that they are seeking to shut down the U.S. oil infrastructure and its vast network of pipelines. A new wave of eco-terrorism has emerged to sabotage and tear down existing structures. Lessening our dependence on fossil fuels is a noble cause, but any transition to cleaner energy must be accomplished through practical and constructive means. By tearing out the oil infrastructure, eco-terrorists would make energy, heating, and transportation unaffordable for millions of people.

In an editorial for The Guardian, activist Emily Johnston wrote that the world must be saved from fossil fuels, and she argues that this is the reason why activists took a pair of pipelines offline in Minnesota earlier in 2017. Likewise, an eco-terrorist sabotaged an oil pipeline in North Dakota because he thought it was necessary to stop the ticking time bomb of man-made global warming.

Convinced that oil consumption is causing hurricanes and other extreme weather, activists such as Johnston are willing to do whatever it takes to tear down the U.S. oil infrastructure. In reference to a barrage of hurricanes that hit the U.S. in the summer of 2017, Johnston wrote, As recent months have made clear, climate change is not only an imminent threat; it is an existing catastrophe. Its going to get worse, and tar sands oilthe dirtiest oil on Earthis one of the reasons.

I have little doubt that the awful weather events of the last couple of months played some role in thisits not just scientists seeing the truth anymore: the building is indeed burning, and all the worlds babies are in it, Johnston wrote in her op-ed.

This is a perfect example of how the fervent climate change insanity is driving people to extremes. Leftist-leaning authorities are giving in to the insanity, too. Clearwater County District Judge Robert Tiffany gave Johnston and activist group Climate Direct Action the option to use the fear of cataclysmic climate change as justification for their actions. They claimed their unruly actions to shut down the Enbridge pipeline were a necessity defense to protect the planet from global warming.

So-called climate change experts can now be brought to court in their defense to testify on how oil consumption is causing hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and droughts across the world. This concocted defense allows the eco-terrorists to claim their action of shutting down the pipeline was necessary in order to save other people from immediate harm.

Michael Foster, the eco-terrorist who shut the valve down on the Keystone Pipeline, is also enraged by the belief that climate change is an immediate threat to the world. Convicted in October, and facing up to 21 years in prison, Foster told reporters, Its been a year, and pollution is worse today than the day I turned the Keystone valve shut. Based on that alone, I wonder how effective it was. If people dont respond quickly (to climate change), it wont matter. Foster attempted to use climate change as his defense but has no right to an appeal, allowing the judge and jurys verdict to stand.

However, the current case against Johnston and the Climate Direct Action could become the first to put fossil fuels on trial, allowing future eco-terrorists a legal justification to shut down oil pipelines. If climatologists enter the courtroom and convince the jury that the eco-terrorists are justified in accordance with higher laws then eco-terrorism will be celebrated and the U.S. oil infrastructure as we know it will be put in grave danger.

Climate change may be used as a legal reason for activists to begin tearing down the U.S. oil infrastructure. This is how bizarre the world has become. (For more, visit ClimateScienceNews.com.)

Sources include:

DailyCaller.com

Pipeline101.com

TheGuardian.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Comedienne Chelsea Handler is a very funny lady  that is, if youre a mean, nasty, hypocrite liberal and a generally lousy person altogether. The tolerant Left is anything but when it comes to conservatives, Republicans and especially Trump supporters, all of whom appear to trigger people like Handler.

She was the subject of collective ire once more in recent days, as defenders of President Donald J. Trumps press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, defended her against the vileness of Handlers latest attack against her.

Desperate for attention and relevance, Handler has lately ramped up her anti-GOP hatefulness, recently calling [Sanders] a whore, for example  putting to the lie Handlers purported feminist commitment to supporting other women (because Republican women dont count, you know), Truth Revolt reported.

In particular, Handler is under assault  and rightfully so because her behavior is so over the top  for retweeting a vulgar video mocking the weight and appearance of Sanders, Fox News added.

The video, which is a promotion for Handlers tanking Netflix series, is a phony step-by-step makeup tutorial that features comedy writer Fortune Feimster portraying Sanders.

Each step is accompanied by extremely crude jokes that make fun of Sanders face, the president, and Republicans in general.

Right now my skin is dry, just like Puerto Rico right before that one rainy day they had, says Feimster before applying moisturizer. Put it on like gravy. My face is a big, fat biscuit! she exclaims while using the lotion.

Har, har.

So, when does the comedy start? Listening in, I thought maybe I had stumbled into a locker room full of seventh graders. But then again, I probably shouldnt insult seventh graders.

Needless to say, many Americans expressed their outrage and disgust with such overt hatred and juvenile behavior.

Keep it up and everyone will despise you, wrote one on Twitter. You are obviously a very unhappy person. Maybe as a modern feminist you should act like a lady for a change.

Glad to see how much of a strong feminist you are, by promoting positive body image of other females, wrote another, to which Handler arrogantly replied: This woman deserves to be taken down. She is pure evil.

Really? Sayswho? A two-bit comedian whose current claim to fame is a failing show on a streaming service? Right. I can see how that would compare to, say, getting a job speaking on behalf of the leader of the free world.

How evil. How needing to be taken down. This, from a woman  Handler  who announced in October she was leaving her crappy show to devote as much time as I can to becoming a more knowledgeable and engaged citizen and to focus on projects that have significance to me.

Typical Leftist. When they want to participate its some righteous, civic-minded decision. When conservatives want to participate, its an evil that must be taken down.

Hypocrisy much?

Others criticized Handler for how her behavior makes other women look (to some). (Related: U.S. Army chopper pilot gave his jacket to a cold Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Korea.)

Whats the point of this? one Twitter user asked. Its not going to change policy or make this world a better place. Its showing everyoneYET AGAINhow catty and petty our gender can be. Thanks for setting all of us backAGAIN.

Its not just women, though. Its all Leftists, men included.

Another noted how weak Chandlers criticism made her appear.

Just another example of your disrespect towards a woman just doing her job! A stronger woman than youll ever be, said someone named Chris Brook.

As I mentioned, Handler seems to have an irrational, unhinged focus on Sanders, as shes criticized her before. On her low-rated program, she once said, That harlot that they are dressing up and trolloping out every day? I mean, one day she has no makeup on at all, the next shes got like six-foot long eyelashes, and shes got cleavage, and summer whore lipstick all over her face. Can you believe what theyve turned her into? A proper trollop.

What a disgusting piece of work, this Handler.

I guess Trump would be better served by a foul-mouthed failure who lacks the IQ and talent to really get ahead in this world. Sure.

I mean, I could see where the country would be far better off being served by a lame-brained comedian who cant make it on a real program and a real network being the voice of the administration.

Yeah, of course. Im sure the Obama administration just didnt recognize the amazing potential in Chelsea Handler, giving her an all-important job and making her the face of the White House. Im sure it was just an oversight.

Or maybe it was because they wanted to be taken seriously, and they knew that a catty, childish, brainless moron would probably have just made things worse for the president, bad as they already were for Obama and Democrats.

Speaking of the latter, if you needed any more of a reason to understand why the Democratic Party is dying a long, slow death, you neednt look any farther than Chelsea Handler and the retards who support and befriend her.

The behavior of these vile, disgusting, cruel, and hypocritical people is not what most Americans find appealing or desirable. Its not what most of us would describe as great personality traits.

May Chelsea Handler get all that she deserves for her cowardly cruelty aimed at Sanders: Loss of fame, chronic obscurity, and a real reason to stay indoors and out of the publics eye so that adults can run the country.

J.D. Heyes is also editor-in-chief of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

DailyWire.com

FoxNews.com

TruthRevolt.org

TheNationalSentinel.com
(Natural News) While solar energy is a clean source of energy, not everyone can afford the often expensive installation costs. Now, a recent article has revealed that we might soon be able to harness solar energy from hot pavements.

Samer Dessouky, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio, received $298,000 via the Strategic Alliance between the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute (UTSA) and CPS Energy, which was established in 2010. Dessouky will use the funding to study how to generate power from hot pavements.

The professor aims to improve a technology that he developed with his team which converts heat from paved surfaces into electricity. This technology can be used on paved areas like freeways, airport runways and parking lots to generate electricity. This electricity can then be used in rural areas to provide power for signage and data collection systems, eliminating the need for the electric grid. (Related: Solar cell breakthrough could DOUBLE energy capture efficiency to over 40%.)

According to Dessouky, the spaces occupied by pavements are significantly hotter than green spaces, since they absorb heat while green spaces are cooler. In 2016, Dessouky et al. started working on a thermal energy-harvesting system. Dessouky and his team then tested this system by installing several prototypes by the Concrete Laboratory on the west side of the UTSA Main Campus. With Dessoukys system, power was collected from the temperature differential between the pavements surface and the lower temperature further into the soil. With CPS Energys support, the project will enable Dessouky and his team to improve the system.

Dessouky uses drones to map out the areas in large landscapes like airports and universities, where heat is most concentrated. This helps Dessouky et al. to locate the best places to implement the revolutionary technology.

Dessouky shared, Since airports consist of large areas of concrete pavement, theyre ideal for this kind of technology. He continued, In a blackout, this could be used as a back-up source of power for illuminating LED at runways and taxiways or could be used as the sole means of lighting rural civilian airport runways.

Early in 2017, Dessouky and his collaborator A.T. Papagiannakis, McDermott Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and their graduate student Utpal Datta won first place in the Innovation Competition of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The team also won second place in the Airport Cooperative Research Program University Design Competition for their ingenious technology.

Dessouky thinks that the technology can give uncongested, rural areas access to other power sources. He is also looking into how his technology can be used to improve UTSAs own campuses, which has many green spaces along with concrete structures and several asphalt parking lots that absorb a great amount of heat. Both are perfect for the technology that he is currently trying to improve.

Dessouky said, By using that natural source of heat, youre actually aiding the planet. He concluded, In reducing our use of fossil fuels for powering the grids and taking advantage of renewable energy resources, we are moving toward a cleaner planet.

Easy ways to use solar energy

If you are looking for easy tips to use solar energy, check out the list below:

Passive solar  This means using or blocking the suns rays to heat or cool your home. You can simply use window coverings to save on your power bills. By keeping direct sunlight out of your home, your air conditioner wont have to work as hard to keep your interior cool, and you can do the opposite during winter.

This means using or blocking the suns rays to heat or cool your home. You can simply use window coverings to save on your power bills. By keeping direct sunlight out of your home, your air conditioner wont have to work as hard to keep your interior cool, and you can do the opposite during winter. Exterior lighting  Thanks to technological advances in renewable power technology, security lights and area lights now come with an integrated panel, battery, electronic eye and lights.

Thanks to technological advances in renewable power technology, security lights and area lights now come with an integrated panel, battery, electronic eye and lights. Portable chargers  You can use portable solar chargers to keep your gadgets running while youre on the go.

You can read more articles about how to use technology wisely at FutureScienceNews.com.

Sources include:

NanoWerk.com

IECE.org
Press Release

Kemin Industries recently made available the webinar, Are Formulation Changes Putting Your Brands at Risk? for professionals in the baking and snack industry.

The webinar provides valuable insights on how brand loyalty, consumer purchasing trends and consumer perception are related, and how they impact viewers existing bakery and snack products. Combining an informative overview along with pertinent detail, the webinar serves as an introduction to the effects oxidation and reformulation can have on existing brand products.

We are pleased to share this information with the industry and are confident it will help viewers better understand how oxidation and reformulation can affect consumers perception of a brand, said Courtney Schwartz, Senior Marketing Communications Manager for Kemin Food Technologies.

During the free webinar, viewers can learn:

How to define brand loyalty.

The latest consumer purchasing trends, including clean label and transparency, along with price and convenience.

How lipid oxidation equals oxidative rancidity, which negatively impacts the sensory qualities of bakery and snack products.

How functional ingredients like antioxidants and plant extracts work to protect products from oxidation, especially those being reformulated by removal of a functional ingredient to meet clean label, transparency or price demands.

Kemin has an experienced technical team that uses their extensive know-how to develop solutions to positively affect shelf life, said Schwartz. Our team understands the synergies of ingredient behaviors, and know that ingredient adjustments are a cost-effective method to delay oxidation.

Visit the newest section of the Kemin website at www.kemin.com/en/north-america/markets/food-technologies/antioxidants to learn more about simple antioxidant solutions and unique blends for higher antioxidant levels with fewer sensory problems. The website shows how Kemin solutions can help solve color and flavor challenges, to bring products to market and keep them fresher, longer.

Are Formulation Changes Putting Your Brands at Risk? webinar is available free of charge at www.kemin.com/en/north-america/markets/food-technologies/market-segments/bakery-snack.

About Kemin Industries

Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to improve the quality of life for over half a century. As a global company touching 3.8 billion people every day with its products, Kemin is committed to improving the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products to feed a growing population and be a resource for others in need.

Committed to feed and food safety, Kemin maintains top-of-the-line manufacturing facilities where over 500 specialty ingredients are made for humans and animals in the global feed and food industries, as well as the health, nutrition and beauty markets. The company provides product solutions and options to customers in more than 120 countries.

A privately held, family-owned and operated company, Kemin has more than 2,500 global employees and operates in 90 countries including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.
Press Release

SabinsaSami Labs was honored with three separate Karnataka State Export Excellence Awards at a ceremony in Bengaluru, India November 24, 2017. The awards were: Annual Incremental Growth in Export, Tumakuru District Category, and the Platinum Award for Exports.

Formed in 1992, Karnataka State Export Excellence Awards is an annual event recognizing the outstanding performance of potential and meritorious exporters across the State. The award also inspires other prospective exporters to venture into the international trade space, thereby fostering a spirit of healthy competition amongst the industries and exporters of the State to achieve greater export performance. On behalf of the Government of Karnataka, the Department of Industries & Commerce has been mandated to select and confer the Awards to the exporters demonstrating outstanding performance.

We were pleased by this recognition for our achievements in exports, said Shaheen Majeed, President, Sabinsa Worldwide. We have offices all over the world, and have seen year over year growth in all regions because consumers everywhere want the health benefits of herbal products grown in India and backed by scientific research.

About Sabinsa Corporation

Sabinsa's mission is to provide alternative and complementary natural products for human nutrition and well-being. Over the past 29 years, Sabinsa has brought to market more than 100 standardized botanical extracts, and privately funded clinical studies in conjunction with prestigious institutions in support of these products. With more than 100 full-time scientists conducting ongoing research in India and the United States, Sabinsa and parent company Sami Labs Ltd. continue to develop, patent and manufacture phytonutrients for the world market, with ingredients that are both Halal and Kosher. For more information, visit www.sabinsa.com or www.sabinsacosmetics.com
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.

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.

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.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee died unexpectedly early Tuesday, prompting a wave of condolences and tributes to pour in from former colleagues and politicians.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Jerry Brown, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and even New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio were just some of the political leaders who chimed in to remember the 43rd mayor of the city by the bay.

In expressing his "deepest condolences" to Lee and his family, Brown on Twitter wrote, "Ed was a true champion for working people and epitomized the California spirit."

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who preceded Lee as mayor of San Francisco, also took to Twitter and said the city "lost a selfless leader and dedicated public servant whose intellect, integrity, boundless optimism & contagious love elevated our City."

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee," Harris wrote on Twitter. "He was a fierce advocate for civil rights and worked tirelessly for workers rights and his leadership will be missed. Keeping the mayors family in my prayers during this difficult time."

Feinstein, Harris' fellow California senator, issued a statement after learning about Lee's passing, stating, "It's a very sad day for San Francisco and all of us who knew Ed."

"Ed was an excellent mayor of a great but sometimes challenging city," part of Feinstein's statement read. "His equanimity and quiet management style was effective and allowed him to solve problems as they occurred."

[[463697733, C]]



Pelosi, who represents San Francisco in Congress, said she was "heartbroken" to learn the news. She called Lee a "dear friend" and "extraordinary leader," and she applauded him for being a leader who prioritized the public and helped the city prosper economically during his time at the helm.

"His passing is not only a tragic official loss for our city but also a profound personal loss for all who were fortunate enough to call him friend," Pelosi said in a statement.



Schaaf on Twitter offered condolensces to Lee's wife and two daughters and celebrated Lee's legacy.

"Mayor Ed Lee served his community with passion and humility, broke historic barriers, led with a compassionate heart, and was a valued friend and colleague," Schaaf wrote. "He will be missed dearly."

[BAY MC] Life and Times of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee

Fellow Bay Area Mayor Sam Liccardo, who represents San Jose, also called Lee a "dear friend."

"Ed was a good and incredibly gracious man, at a time when goodness, graciousness, and civility are not sufficiently valued in public life," Liccardo penned on Twitter.



Swalwell also took to Twitter, writing, "Wishing Eds family peace as they grieve. We will miss Ed dearly. He was a friend to all and the devoted servant #SanFrancisco needed during such a transformational time."

East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee, also saddened by the loss, said on Twitter that the San Francisco mayor was "an unshakable force for good in SF & the entire Bay Area."

Across the county, de Blasio noted that Lee was "a good friend and a tireless fighter for the people of San Francisco."

[[463642473, C]]


San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee died early Tuesday morning at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, his office announced. He was 65 years old.

The office didn't immediately explain what Lee died of at 1:11 a.m., and had not previously announced any illness. Lee's "family, friends and colleagues were at his side," his office said.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown said Lee died of a heart attack, but that point has yet to be confirmed by Lee's office.[[463614693, C]]



San Francisco Board of Supervisors President London Breed became acting mayor of the city, per the city charter. The 11-member Board of Supervisors will select a new mayor.

Breed held a brief news conference at the hospital Tuesday morning just hours after Lee's death, confirming "with profound sadness" that Lee died and that she stepped into his role.

At a second media apperance at City Hall, outside which a flag has been lowered to half-staff, Breed called Tuesday a mournful day. Lee lived a life of service, she said, but it was cut short far too soon.

Breed said Lee grew up in public housing and was the son of working-class immigrants. His father, who died when Lee was a teenage, was a veteran. His mother, a seamstress.

Lees background as the son of working-class immigrants shaped him and crystalized his determination to be a dogged advocate for the powerless, a voice for the overlooked, someone who fought for those in need before himself, according to Breed.

Breed credited Lee with adding affordable homes to San Franciscos otherwise exorbitant housing supply, challenging discrimination, and being a champion for people who struggle with homelessness, mental health issues and substance abuse. He left behind an immeasurable legacy" for the city by the day," she said.

Rather than being a quintessential politician who provided reporters with good sound bites and was focused on flash, Breed said, Our mayor was a good man with a good heart.

[BAY MC] Life and Times of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee

News of Lee's death prompted colleagues and politicians across the city and country to pen heartfelt tributes.

"It's a very sad day for San Francisco and all of us who knew Ed," Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a statement.



Lee was San Francisco's 43rd mayor and its first Asian-American mayor, taking office in January 2011 to serve out Gavin Newsom's term after Newsom was elected lieutenant governor of California. He had been San Francisco's city administrator.

He won an election for mayor in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015.

It is the first time since 1978, when Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated, that a successor is taking over the office of San Francisco mayor. Supervisor Dianne Feinstein became mayor, the first woman to hold the office, and is now California's senior U.S. senator.

Lee's last tweet was on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 5:35 p.m. about newly introduced legislation to recoup costs from landlords who illegally house people in unsafe dwellings. "We need to continue to build safe housing at all income levels," he wrote. He also recently tweeted about the city's divestment from fossil fuels, climate change and homelessness. [[463747473, C]]



Lee was born in Seattle and attended Bowdoin College and Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He was a housing activist and civil rights attorney.



The city's website credits him with overseeing San Franciso's "most successful economic expansion in city history," having added 140,000 jobs and more homes to the housing market than any other mayor in the city's history.

Still, under Lee's tenure the city has grappled with the high cost of living amid San Francisco's tech boom.

During his 2012 inaugural address, Lee spoke of the need to embrace technology even when it causes disruption, then pulled out his smartphone to send a tweet mid-speech.

"That's a little disruption," Lee said after tweeting an infographic of the city's jobs numbers. "But it show how important, I think, innovation and technology are to reforming our government and building our future."

Lee oversaw a technology-driven economic boom in San Francisco that brought with it sky-high housing prices despite his lifelong commitment to economic equality.

Lee, the child of immigrants, was a staunch supporter of San Franciscos sanctuary city policy toward people who are in the country illegally, a stance he reiterated last month when a Mexican man who had been repeatedly deported was acquitted of murder in the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle.

The case became a flashpoint in the nations immigration debate, with then-candidate Donald Trump repeatedly referencing it as an example of the need for stricter immigration policies and a wall along the Mexican border. Lee shot back that San Francisco was a city of tolerance and love and acceptance. [[463730093, C]]

Supervisors and other public officials were stunned and saddened by his sudden death. They praised the low-key mustachioed mayor who was better known as a former civil rights lawyer and longtime city bureaucrat than a flashy politician.

Former Mayor Willie Brown and the late political power broker Rose Pak talked Lee into filling out the rest of Gavin Newsoms term when he was elected Californias lieutenant governor in 2010. Lee was appointed interim mayor by the Board of Supervisors in 2011 after professing no interest in taking on the job permanently.



Lee changed his mind about taking the job permanently and won a four-year term in 2011. He was re-elected in 2015.

Brown said Lees election showed non-politicians could win elective office.

We won based on our political shenanigans and our political skillsets. He got elevated to our mayor-ship under our charter and got re-elected twice, he said.

Brown said Lee will be known as the man who stepped up and made it possible for Silicon Valley to almost relocate to our city. [[136924533, C]]

U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who lives in San Francisco, said Lees background as a community organizer and civil rights lawyer served the city well.

"He knew the rhythms and the workings of San Francisco at the most granular level, and dedicated decades to improving the lives of all San Franciscans," she said in a statement.

Detractors claimed Lee catered too much to Silicon Valley, citing his brokering of a tax break in 2011 to benefit Twitter as part of a remake of the citys downtown. When Lee took office in January 2011, Zillow reports the median home value in San Francisco was more than $656,000. Today, it is more than $1.2 million.

In 2015, he ran against a slate of little-known candidates who criticized him as doing more for tech leaders than for poor people.[[441197793, C]]

Edwin Mah Lee was born May 5, 1952, in Seattle to Chinese immigrants who hailed from Toisan, a rural village in the southern province of Guangdong, China. His father was a cook and his mother a seamstress who worked hard to raise Lee and his five siblings in public housing.

Lee graduated from Bowdoin College in 1974 and from the University of California at Berkeley law school in 1978, according to the mayors website. He worked as a housing activist and civil rights attorney in San Francisco before joining city government in 1989 as the citys first investigator under the whistleblower ordinance.

He served as deputy of human relations, director of public works and city administrator before being tapped for the mayors job.[[444814013, C]]

San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who was elected to office last year, said she was surprised to develop a great working relationship with Lee on housing and homelessness issues. They didnt agree on business issues.

But she said the mayor eagerly jumped into opening a new Navigation homeless center in the Mission District.

Sometimes he wasnt the most brilliant public speaker and he didnt seem super comfortable in that role, but when he talked to people on the street and in the Navigation Center, it was another side of Ed Lee, she said. He was comfortable and natural and respectful.

The last mayor to die in office was George Moscone, who was murdered by a disgruntled former Board of Supervisors member in 1978, leading to the ascension of then-Board of Supervisors President Dianne Feinstein to mayor. Feinstein is now Californias senior U.S. senator.[[409782245, C]]

Lees death now will likely upend the race to replace him, which had been scheduled for 2019. Former state Sen. Mark Leno, a onetime member of the Board of Supervisors and longtime political figure, has already announced his candidacy.

California Gov. Jerry Brown tweeted his condolences: "On behalf of all Californians, Anne and I extend our deepest condolences to Mayor Lee's family, his many friends and the entire City of San Francisco. Ed was a true champion for working people and epitomized the California spirit. He'll truly be missed."
A 24-year-old San Francisco woman was found dead inside a guest room at a North Bay resort Monday morning, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

At about 10:15 a.m., the Windsor Fire Department and Windsor deputies responded to the WorldMark Resort at 1251 Shiloh Road on reports of an unresponsive subject inside a guest room. When deputies arrived, they found the woman unresponsive, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman was staying in the room with her boyfriend and at least four other people, police said. The group of young adults said they were staying at the resort this weekend while they attended the Emerald Cup Cannabis event at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, authorities said.

It was unclear whether the female suffered from a medical issue, but there was nothing suspicious about her death nor were there any signs of foul play, according to the Sonoma County Coroners' Office.

The woman's name was not released pending notification of her family.

Anyone with information about the case should contact the Sonoma County Sheriffs Coroners office at 707-565-5070.
A suspect in a Hillsborough kidnapping cold case is now behind bars more than 20 years after the crime.

Kevin Lin, 68, appeared Monday at the Hall of Justice in Redwood City on charges he kidnapped a 9-year-old girl in 1995. He did not enter a plea.

After 22 years on the run, police said Lin made a critical mistake. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

When Lin applied for a visa extension using his real name, that raised a red flag with the state department, who notified Hillsborough police.

"It was a name match and we requested information and the photos were very similar," Hillsborough Police Capt. Doug Davis said.

Police had been searching for Lin for 22 years in connection with the kidnapping of Kristine Chieu.

The girl was taken as she walked home from South Hillsborough School. Lin allegedly held her for $800,000 ransom, but when he realized the girl's parents were in Taiwan, he and two other suspects dropped her off at a hotel near San Francisco International Airport.

Lin faces two felonies -- kidnap for ransom and conspiracy for ransom, according to San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti said.

Lin, with the help of a Mandarin interpreter, did not enter a plea, but did ask for a public defender. Lin through the interpreter said all his money was in Taiwan.

Davis said he was a patrol officer when he started working the case.

"I was at the start of my career and now at the end," Davis said. "It's gone full circle."

Davis said he always considered it an active case.

"The family has been made aware of the arrest," he said.

Lin's bail has been set at $5 million.
Two witnesses at the preliminary hearing for Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Derick Almena and creative director Max Harris described the structure where 36 people died in a fire last year as a death trap.

Construction worker Rodney Griffin testified that when he told Almena, 47, that the building at 1309 31st Ave. was a death trap Almena responded by joking that the warehouse, which also was called the Satya Yuga

Collective, should be called the "Satya Yuga death trap."

Electrician Robert Jacobitz, 56, also described the building as "a death trap" because of all the electrical problems it had.

Jacobitz said he warned Almena that he needed to do more electrical work to make the building safer, but he said, "I don't think he (Almena) took it seriously."

Jacobitz said he made some minor electrical repairs to the building but said Almena indicated that he didn't have the kind of money needed to make the necessary repairs.

Jacobitz said that at one point he warned Almena, "It (the warehouse) is going to go at any time" so Almena finally bought a fire door, but he said it wasn't completely installed, and Almena didn't get a permit for it.

In another bad sign for the defense, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner, who's presiding over the hearing for Almena and Harris, strongly admonished one of Harris' three defense lawyers, Samuel Geller, when he asked witness Carmen Brita if she had been quoted in news articles as saying that Harris is "an innocent man."

The two prosecutors in the case immediately objected to Geller's question, and Horner told Geller, "Don't do that again. Don't ask that kind of question in this courtroom."

The fire that broke out at the warehouse during a music party on the night of Dec. 2, 2016, killed 36 people.

Almena and Harris, 27, who are in custody in lieu of $750,000 bail, are charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the fire, one count for each person who died.

The purpose of their preliminary hearing, which has lasted three days so far and will resume Tuesday, is to determine if there's enough evidence for them to stand trial.

Prosecutors allege that the warehouse violated several rules under the California Fire Code, such as not having adequate, fire-suppression systems, smoke alarms, exit signs and sprinklers.

Prosecutors also allege that Almena fostered an environment in which highly flammable materials were allowed and that Almena and Harris remodeled the warehouse without going through proper inspection and permitting procedures.

Brita, a schoolteacher, said she moved into the warehouse on New Year's Day in 2016 and described it as "the most beautiful place I've ever lived. Everything together has a sort of magic to it."

Brita, who was on the verge of tears as she talked about the building, said, "Everybody who came into that place knew it was beautiful. It was just fun, and it was vibrant, and I just felt safe there."

She said she paid $565 a month to live there but said she didn't consider that sum to be rent and instead thought of it "more like a contribution for a collective."

Brita said the warehouse was filled with artwork, tapestries, rugs, statues, pianos and RVs that were used as living spaces, but in response to a question from one of Almena's lawyers, Tony Serra, she didn't consider it to be a fire trap.

Brita said, "Nobody ever thinks their house is the one that will burn down."

Under questioning by one of the prosecutors, David Lim, Brita admitted the building didn't have a fire alarm handle that someone could have pulled to set off an alarm that would have alerted the people who were at a noisy music party on the building's second floor when the blaze erupted.

She said, "That wasn't part of the original construction."

Brita said, "I just want everyone to know how fast it (the fire) happened. The entire window of opportunity (to get out safely) was less than five minutes."

She said she and others who had been on the first floor when the fire started and were able to get out quickly "didn't realize that nobody on the second floor heard us (warning them to get out) because of the music."
A Southwest Airlines flight from Portland to Sacramento on Saturday took a startling turn when an agitated woman started shouting that she was going to "kill everybody on this (expletive) plane."

The frightful incident, which was captured on video, started after the 24-year-old woman, who has been identified as Valerie Curbelo, was found to have broken federal laws by tampering with a smoke detector and smoking in one of the plane's lavatories, according to Southwest Airlines.

Curbelo was later seen on video gathering her belongings before yelling at a flight attendant, saying, "I have a destination for this. I have a destination for myself, and I need to go there. I swear if you don't (expletive) land, I will (expletive) kill everybody on this (expletive) plane."

The flight attendant then asked Curbelo to sit down, but she said, again, "I will kill everybody on this (expletive) plane."

Pilots declared an emergency in order to "receive priority handling from air traffic controllers," according to a statement from Southwest Airlines.

Curbelo had to be restrained while the plane made its descent, according to the Sacramento County sheriff's office.

After the other passengers on the plane were allowed to exit, sheriff's deputies boarded and took Curbelo to a waiting patrol vehicle, according to the sheriff's department.

Public records indicate that Curbelo was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. Her bail was set at $75,000, and she is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

A total of 136 passengers and five crew members were on the flight, according to the airline.
A moving tribute to American veterans is traveling from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery.

For the 26th year, Wreaths Across America is bringing Maine-made Christmas wreaths to Washington D.C. Volunteers will place the gifts of gratitude at soldiers' graves.

"They are the heroes, they're the protectors and the freedom fighters," said Wreaths Across America Executive Director Karen Worcester. "We need to be the freedom caretakers."

The wreaths are made in Harrington, Maine, by the Worcester Wreath Company. In 1992, the company had a surplus of wreaths, and founder Morrill Worcester decided to bring them to Arlington National Cemetery.

Since then, the Wreaths Across America convoy has become a national tradition. Several tractor trailers carrying hundreds of thousands of wreaths receive police escorts from state to state, stopping in communities to honor veterans.

On Monday, the caravan stopped in Scarborough, Kennebunk, and Kittery, Maine. On their way to honor the fallen, they paid tribute to living veterans like 100-year-old Sgt. Malcolm Foss.

The Kittery native received recognition at two ceremonies, then got to ride in the lead car of the caravan.

"I never expected this," Sgt. Foss said.

He served in WWII in a secret radio intelligence company intercepting Japanese communication while hiding in a hole in a volcano in Hawaii.

"I think it means a lot that people remember our veterans," he said.

The caravan stopped in New Hampshire and Massachusetts Monday. There are stops planned in Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, before laying the wreaths at Arlington Saturday.
Hundreds attended a school board meeting at Oswego East High School Monday night as District 308 faces a massive budget crisis. Parents and students sounded off about a proposal to possibly eliminate some teachers and programs.

"I am asking you to reconsider budget reductions impacting fine arts and reading specialists," one parent in attendance told board members.

Other parents, students and community members made passionate pleas to the board about what should be spared in the upcoming budget cuts.

The district is facing a crisis and needs to cut $3 million to balance next year's budget and a total of $8 million to avoid a deficit moving forward.

"Our job now is to get district on sound financial track and mitigate risk of going bankrupt if we do nothing," said board president Brad Banks.

Parents and students are concerned where those cuts will be made.

"I speak for all-- these clubs mean the world to us," one student in the audience said at the meeting.

The district says rumored widespread cuts to extracurricular programs are not true but at this point, all options remain on the table--including cuts to staffing, sports, clubs and elective courses.

The goal--to make sure all voices are heard.

"This board wants this to be owned by community," said district spokeswoman Teresa Komitas. "Not just a Band-Aid year by year."

An additional 500 people have weighed in on the process using an online suggestion box.

The district initially hoped to approve a comprehensive budget plan at the end of January but now says that deadline is not realistic.
Charges have been dropped against a conservative commentator who grabbed a woman after she took a copy of his speech at the University of Connecticut titled "It's OK To Be White." The woman who took the papers has now been charged instead.

Lucian Wintrich was arrested after grabbing the woman and charged with misdemeanor breach of peace. Wintrich is the White House correspondent for the right-wing blog Gateway Pundit. He was at UConn on Nov. 28 to give the speech, which drew protesters.

Cellphone videos show the woman taking paperwork off the lectern Wintrich was using and walking away. Wintrich then goes after her and grabs her before being led away by police.

Wintrich's attorney Norman Pattis said the prosecution agreed to drop the charges when Wintrich appeared for arraignment at Rockville Superior Court Monday.

Pattis maintains that his client was the victim of the incident and that the case is an issue of freedom of speech.

"Free speech matters. Its OK to be white, black, brown or anything in between. My client came to Connecticut and was treated like a criminal for no reason," Pattis said.

Wintrich said that he felt that justice was served and that he was pleased that "the system corrected itself."

"We dont want to set a precedent where people can walk up to speeches they find disagreeable and, ah, steal them. I mean thats really not what Americas about," Wintrich said.

The woman who took the papers, who has been identified as 33-year-old Catherine Gregory, was charged Monday with criminal attempt to commit larceny and disorderly conduct.

Wintrich and Pattis have threatened legal action against her and criticized UConn for the incident.

"What happened at UConn the other night what shameful and they will be hearing more from us in the not too distant future," Pattis said.

Gregorys attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, has defended his clients actions.

Schoenhorn previously told NBC Connecticut his client was motivated by the desire to stop what he described as hateful, racist statements that Wintrich was making during the speech.

"He's going to suggest that picking up a piece of paper deserves a lawsuit whereas his violent reaction and threats  nevermind the fact that he physically assaulted Ms. Gregory  would be what, understandable under the circumstances? But his provocations would not," Schoenhorn said.

Gregory is due in court on Wednesday. She works as a college adviser at Quinebaug Valley Community. QVCC released a statement after the incident saying that Gregory attended the event as a private citizen and that it does not condone the behavior and encourages peaceful discourse and compassionate debate.

UConn issued new guidelines for speakers and campus events in response to the incident.
About four months after hurricanes ravaged parts of the Caribbean, evacuees whove come to Connecticut are still looking for a place to live.

Wilson Torres has been living with his grandmother in a small two-bedroom apartment on North Main Street in Waterbury for years. Though, after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of Puerto Rico, their apartment is filling up quickly.

His parents, Louis and Lourdes; his sister, Ana; and her 15-year-old daughter have found refuge in Connecticut since they arrived November 28 and theres not a lot of room in the apartment for the family of six.

Well, my grandmother has been sleeping here in this lounge here, Wilson Torres said as he showed us his living room.

A small hallway leads to the first bedroom.

This is my grandmothers room and this is the room my sister and my niece are using right now, Torres said, showing the apartment to NBC Connecticut.

Space was taken by bags in every corner to fit their items. Then, Wilson took us into his second bedroom.

This is my room where my mom and dad sleep now, he said.

Wilson sleeps on the floor of his living room.

He said his family has applied for apartments through the Housing Authority in Waterbury.

Theyre on a waiting list for six months to a year, two years. Yes its tough, he said.

The need is great. Connecticuts online resource guide for people arriving in our state from Puerto Rico has been downloaded more than 4,300 times.

As of December, 1,485 students from the island have enrolled in Connecticut public schools since the hurricanes hit.

But to have housing, Wilsons sister, Ana, has found she needs income, which means she needs a job and its something she is desperately trying to find.

We need help. We need space where we can be like living comfortable and we want to work, she said.

Finding housing is a challenge many cities across the state are experiencing with an influx of people coming from hurricane-ravaged areas.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Monday that the federal government needs to address financial burdens. He is hoping there is relief on the way for states like Connecticut helping hurricane victims, such as the Torres family.

Im championing a relief bill which would provide about $154 billion and a major part of it for communities, like Connecticut, where housing is necessary for people who are coming here to escape the ravages, he said.

There is a local effort in Waterbury to help those in need.

A hurricane relief center on the first floor of 236 Grand St. assists evacuees with services like ESL classes, job information and housing.

Were going with the aspect that if we can find employment and theyre gainfully employed, well be able to find them apartments, said Roxanne Augelli, Waterburys hurricane relief coordinator.

Until there is either more housing or more financial help, the Torres family will be in a tight space.
Classes are canceled in Sunnyvale ISD Tuesday and Wednesday as the district tries to stop the spread of the flu, which they say kept more than one in 10 elementary school students home Monday.

Over the next two days, the district says janitors will work to disinfect all three of its campuses, even though the majority of the illnesses have been at Sunnyvale Elementary School.

The district, which sits east of Dallas near Mesquite, and is home to about 1,800 students, says this is the first flu related closure in the district in the last decade.

We felt like just given the proximity of our three campuses and the fact that the kids share the same school buses and we have shared personnel and things like that, that it was just going to be in our best interest to shut down for a couple of days," said Superintendent Doug Williams.

District officials started keeping an eye on illnesses last week when attendance was much lower than usual. They were hoping the weekend would be enough time out of school to stop the spread of the flu, but the number of absences climbed even more on Monday, reaching 85 by 10:30 a.m. at Sunnyvale Elementary.

We need to make sure the schools are disinfected, and then hopefully everyone can come back or as many as possible can come back and we can resume business as usual," said Williams.

Williams said he would've liked to extend the closure by another day to give sick students even more time to recover. But with finals next week, he felt students couldn't miss another day in the classroom.

While the closure's a first for most families in the district, it's been well received.

"Im glad theyre doing it. I think its the right thing to do, said Cassie Patterson.

Patterson has daughters at both Sunnyvale High School and Sunnyvale Middle school. She says the whole family's had flu shots and feel's they've done all they can to avoid illness. That comes with a few reminders.

Wash your hands. Dont share your food. Dont share your drinks," said Patterson.

Sunnyvale ISD says their calendar does include a couple of flex days. So assuming there aren't any snow or ice days this year, students and teachers won't have to make up the missed days.
A Dallas nonprofit is once again accepting holiday donations of food and toys after an early-morning fire Tuesday destroyed their offices as well as the food and gifts earmarked for families in need.[[463569673,R]]

The fire heavily damaged a building housing the offices of Quest 4 Greater Success and the Asante Apartments offices at 202 South Jim Miller Road shortly before 1 a.m.



Large flames were seen shooting from the roof of the building as firefighters arrived. A second alarm was raised soon after, signaling for additional firefighters to help keep the flames from spreading to surrounding buildings.



No one was injured in the fire. No residents were displaced. Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said the fire was accidental, caused by a space heater left running under a desk.

A Dallas nonprofit is once again accepting holiday donations of food and toys after an early-morning fire Tuesday destroyed their offices as well as the food and gifts earmarked for families in need.

Meanwhile, the charity is continuing to accept donations for families in need this holiday season. Since the food and gifts they'd planned to give to North Texas families were destroyed in the fire, the charity is accepting gifts at the J.C. Turner Recreation Center at 6520 Elam Road.



Donations to https://t.co/D26diPi3Rs charity burned out in AM fire now accepted at J.C.Turner Rec Center, 6520 Elam Road. @NBCDFW #NBCDFWNow pic.twitter.com/IfPFr8RmjN  Ken Kalthoff (@KenKalthoffNBC5) December 12, 2017

Nonprofit Destroyed



Quest 4 Greater Success is a job readiness center, food pantry and computer lab serving the South Dallas community.

A Dallas-area community center full of computers and holiday toys was destroyed in a fire early Tuesday morning.

The nonprofit was set to distribute toys at a community event Tuesday, but organizers said they still planned to give out food to dozens of families, including about 100 children.



According to Jason Evans, DFR spokesman, it wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire.



An overnight fire destroys a Dallas nonprofit "Quest 4 Greater Success" hours before it was set to give food and toys to 54 families who are in need. Hear from the director as they scramble to find a Christmas miracle.



MORE: https://t.co/iUw1pvrP5l pic.twitter.com/McbdepHs6W  Larry Collins (@LarryNBC5) December 12, 2017

NBC 5's Larry Collins contributed to this story.


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has up to 130,000 people imprisoned across a network of gulags, amounting to atrocities committed against his own nation, an international war crimes committee reported Tuesday.



NBC News reported that the dictator committed all but one of the 11 recognized crimes against humanity, according to the International Bar Association War Crimes Committee's report: murder, extermination, enslavement, forcible transfer, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearances and other inhumane acts.

Defectors told the committee about a newborn being fed to guard dogs, executions of starving prisoners for scrounging for edible plants in the dirt, the torture of Christians and more.



The gulags "are as terrible, or even worse" than Nazi camps, renowned jurist Thomas Buergenthal, who survived Auschwitz and serves on the committee, told The Washington Post.

La victima asegura que dos hombres la empujaron contra un muro y empezaron a besarla y a tocarla.
What to Know Four Port Authority police officers are being credited as heroes after diving on a suspect in Monday morning's bombing in Manhattan

The officers heard the blast and called for help; when they arrived on scene, officials said they saw the suspect reaching for his phone

The suspect, Akayed Ullah, was the only one seriously injured in what Mayor de Blasio called an attempted terror attack

When the violent rumble of a crude explosive detonating sent hundreds of commuters running in a crowded tunnel near Manhattans Port Authority Bus Terminal, four officers did what they were trained to do: They headed to the source of the sound.

Port Authority Police Department officers Jack Collins, Anthony Manfredini, Drew Preston and Sean Gallagher were credited with saving dozens of lives after the blast in a tunnel between the Port Authority/42nd Street subway station and the Times Square/42nd Street stop on Monday morning by jumping on the suspect in the attack, Akayed Ullah, as he reached for his cellphone.

"These police officers are among the most highly trained police officers in the nation, as are all Port Authority police officers, said Paul Nunziato, the president of the PAPDs rank-and-file union. "I am so thankful there was no loss of life and I could not be prouder of our Port Authority police officers, their actions and dedication to their sworn duty."

Nunziato said that Manfredini first heard the commotion and made the call for help. Then, he rushed through waves of terrified straphangers and into the smoke left by the crude explosives blast alongside Collins, Preston and Gallagher.

Collins pulled out his service weapon and drew down on the man. Nunziato said when they saw the wires peeking from under his ripped shirt as the man reached for his phone and jumped -- literally -- into action.

"Whether he was trying to other people that could be involved in terrorism or trying to detonate the device, they jumped right on him," Nunziato said.

Nunziato said their split-second decision could have left them dead -- but it was one that potentially stopped the attack from progressing further.

"All four of those officers, if the rest of that device detonated, they would have all been dead," he said. "Along with anyone else who was just trying to get to work."

Two of the officers' neighbors on Monday night described the men as "great guys."

"I'm really not that surprised that he would be involved in saving others and helping others prevent an atrocity from happening in New York City," said Preston's neighbor, Juan Quezada, who added that the officer had a pregnant wife due in a couple months.

Joe Caiati said that Manfriedini, meanwhile, had always wanted to be a cop.

"I think it's great he acted so quickly," he said.

The officers arent the only ones who were credited with heroism in the face of what Mayor Bill de Blasio called an attempted act of terror.

MTA station cleaner Sean Monroe said he was just steps behind Ullah when the device went off. But rather than run for his life, he said he helped others get to safety.

"It was a very scary moment but MTA trained me they trained me to do stuff like that so I said, 'Let me help these people,'" he said.
Theyre hard to miss  bright green bikes popping up on street corners across South Florida. People are calling them the Uber of rental bikes.

You can use your smart phone to locate one, pay a dollar to ride it, and you can park the bicycle anywhere you want when youre done. Thats causing a parking war in one local community.

In the past six months, the Village of Key Biscayne, North Bay Village and Miami Shores have contracted with the California-based company called LimeBike for the new bike sharing service.

Unlike typical rental bikes, the new rentals on wheels dont have a lock or docking station.

When a rider is finished, they can park the bike where they went, shut off the app and go on their way.

The Village of Key Biscayne was the first to use the bicycles and now has more than 400 throughout the area.

"You get cars off the road and people out and about, its a win-win," said Mayor Mayra Pena Lindsay. "Its the next generation."

However, in communities across the country, the dockless bikes have been found "parked" in many bizarre places.

In Seattle, theyve been tossed into the water. In North Carolina, one was found on the roof of a home. And in Key Biscayne, one was found in the bay.

Theyre not only getting tossed into hard to reach places.

Some cyclists have chosen to ride them from the Village of Key Biscayne to Miami Beach, a city that has a contract with a different bike company.

"Some individuals thought it would be fun to drive over to Miami Beach, it was too much work to bring them back so they were left there and I dont think they were too happy about it," said Mayor Pena Lindsay.

LimeBike is in charge of maintaining the bicycles and putting them back where they belong.

This summer the City Manager of Miami Beach sent a letter to commissioners calling the LimeBikes rogue and illegal and told commissioners the city would be issuing citations to the company.

The NBC 6 Investigators found theyve fined the company more than 30,000 dollars in the past four months.

A bulk of the fines came from repeat offenses.

A 3rd time offender can receive a violation of $10,000 for what the city calls "right-of-way violations."

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for LimeBike said theyre fighting the citations.

'We do not believe we violated any laws and are challenging the citations," the spokesperson said. "We are in discussions with the city attorney to determine whether we can resolve these issues, and are hopeful that a resolution can be achieved."

The spokesperson also said " it is also great to see how the local communities have embraced LimeBike."

While some communities are testing out the new smart bikes, the Mayor of the Village of Key Biscayne says the program has been so successful, that theyre going to use the bikes on a permanent basis.

She said there are no upfront costs to the Village, and the company handles all of the maintenance.

NBC 6 reached out to code enforcement officials in Miami Beach but they would not speak on camera. They did say they could consider testing out the bikes as part of a pilot program in the future.
What to Know News outlets report that Edo was found dead Monday morning about a half-mile away from the Charlotte County deputy's North Port home.

A Florida sheriff's office K-9 has been found dead two days after going missing from his kennel at a deputy's house.

News outlets report that Edo was found dead Monday morning about a half-mile away from the Charlotte County deputy's North Port home. WBBH-TV reports that a necropsy conducted by Sarasota County Animal Services showed Edo likely was hit by a car.

The deputy told officials he latched the German shepherd in his kennel Saturday evening but noticed Edo was missing about 45 minutes later. The kennel was still closed. The deputy said someone else must have opened the door because he didn't think the dog could open it or escape any other way.

Edo served the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office for two years.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is from 2017. The bill was postponed, withdrawn from consideration and ultimately died in Florida's Criminal Justice Subcommittee in March 2018.



A new bill filed earlier this month could make it easier for convicted felons to have their voting and gun rights restored.

The bill, HB 903, was filed on Dec. 6 by State Rep. Cord Byrd (R-Neptune Beach) would allow judges to restore the rights of felons after they've completed prison sentences and probation.

Florida currently prohibits convicted felons from owning firearms or voting.

"Currently, the average wait time for Restoration of Rights is over 9 years, with some as long as 11 years," Byrd wrote in a Facebook post. "Over 22,000 applications are pending, with only a few hundred being processed each year. Clearly the system is broken."

Under the bill, people convicted of felonies would have to petition a county judge to have the rights restored.
What to Know Police say the victims were abducted and taken to an ATM to withdraw money, where they were then bound and shot to death.

Investigators say Nancy Bochicchios phone and credit cards were found in Miami within hours of the carjacking.

Authorities are offering a $400,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

A decade after a mother and daughter were found dead outside of a South Florida mall, police are still trying to piece together the murder mystery and they are hoping the public's renewed interest may help them find new leads.

On December 12, 2007, 47-year-old Nancy Bochicchio and her seven-year-old daughter Joey were killed outside the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton. Police say they were abducted and taken to an ATM to withdraw money, where they were then bound and shot to death before a security guard found their bodies.

Investigators say Nancys phone and credit cards were found in Miami within hours of the carjacking. The zip ties and duct tape used to bind the duo were also bought there, police said.

Boca Raton Police posted a video to Facebook recently on the case, as lead investigators spoke about their hopes to solve a case that hits home for those in the department with families. Police said the murder is related to a case months before where a woman was carjacked and bound, but not killed.

After chasing more than 2,000 leads, police said they still haven't achieved their goal.

"To bring this guy to justice, because he didn't just steal money, he stole all those events and all those memories from the family and from Joey," Police Capt. Matthew Duggan said. "Joey's picture is up in my office with my kids and it'll stay there until we solve this."

Authorities are offering a $400,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

"You know if you have a piece of evidence or you have something you remember about this person, it may link us to this suspect," FBI Special Agent John McVeigh said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Palm Beach County CrimeStoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS.
One World Trade Center's spire lit red, white and blue on Monday night in the wake of the bombing in a tunnel between two of New York City's busiest subway stations

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he directed the spire of the 1,776-foot-tall skyscraper to be lit in the colors of the American flag "as a symbol of our essential values of freedom and democracy."

"I am deeply grateful to the first-responders and security personnel who kept people safe after today's attack and brought the suspect into custody," he said in a statement. "Despite this morning's terrible incident, New Yorkers went about their lives unafraid, undeterred and more united than ever before. We will not allow this to disrupt us. That's who we are as New Yorkers, and that's what makes New York New York."

The Empire State Building, which also often changes its spire's colors in honor of major events, did not light up in response to the attack.

The World Trade Center likewise lit up red, white and blue following Halloween's truck attack in Tribeca, that left eight people dead. The Empire State Building's spire, meanwhile, remained unlit in honor of the victims.
Standing outside of a Roy Moore rally in Midland City on the eve of Alabamas special Senate election, peanut farmer Nathan Mathis held a photo of his daughter and a sign with a message for voters: Please dont vote for Moore.

Father, who says he's a local peanut farmer in Wicksburg, outside Roy Moore rally talks about losing his gay daughter at age of 23 to suicide. "I was anti-gay myself. I said bad things to my daughter, which I regret." pic.twitter.com/J0oOU0EJI2  Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) December 11, 2017

Mathis daughter, Patti Sue Mathis, died by suicide when she was 23 because "she was tired of being ridiculed and made fun of," for being gay, he wrote in an open letter to the Dothan Eagle, a local Alabama newspaper, in 2012.

Speaking to NBC News Vaughn Hillyard, Mathis condemned Moores past comments on homosexuality while revealing he too was once anti-gay. "I said bad things to my daughter, which I regret, Mathis lamented.

"Judge Roy Moore called her a pervert for one reason: because she was gay," Mathis said. "If he called her a pervert, he called your child a pervert if she was gay or if your son was gay. This is something people need to stop and think about. Hes supposed to uphold the Constitution. The Constitution said all men are created equal. Well, hows my daughter a pervert just because she was gay?

He continued, "He didnt call my daughter by name, but he said all gay people are perverts, abominations. Thats not true. We dont need a person like that representing us in Washington. Thats why Im here."

The Wicksburg resident's sign noted "a 32-year-old Roy Moore dated teenage girls ages 14 to 17. So that makes him a pervert of the worst kind," a reference to allegations by several women that Moore made sexual advances toward the when they were teenagers. Moore has denied the accusations.

Moore has a long history of making anti-LGBTQ statements, including saying homosexuality should be illegal and that homosexual behavior is a crime against nature, an inherent evil, and an act so heinous that it defies ones ability to describe it.

He was also removed from his states Supreme Court for urging state probate judges to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized it.
A convicted rapist was arrested Monday in the 1980 abduction, rape and killing of a teenage girl, Antioch police said.

The killing had been the oldest open cold case homicide on record in the East Bay city.

At about 5 p.m., Mitchell Lynn Bacom, 63, was taken into custody in the June 1980 murder of 14-year-old Suzanne Bombardier, who had been taken in the middle of the night from her sister's home in Antioch, police said. She had been missing for five days before her body was found in the San Joaquin River, near the Antioch Bridge.

The cause of death was determined to be one stab wound to the chest that penetrated her heart, police said. Evidence at the time indicated she had been sexually assaulted.

Bacom was identified as the suspect through DNA testing, police said. He is being held on charges of murder, kidnapping, rape and oral copulation.

Since Suzanne's death, Bacom has been convicted twice on sex-related crimes and other felonies: in Iselton in 1981 and in Contra Costa County in 2002. Before Suzanne's death, he had been convicted of rape and other felonies in Mountain View in 1974.
A man and woman are accused of stealing holiday gifts that were left for trash collectors in Chester County.

On Monday at 12:19 a.m., Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police officers responded to the 1200 block of Upton Circle in East Goshen Township after a resident spotted a man searching through trash cans that were placed out in the neighborhood for trash collection.

When police arrived they found a Ford Explorer illegally parked on Upton Circle with a woman sitting in the front passenger seat. Police confronted her and a short time later the man who had been spotted searching through the trash cans approached the officers, according to investigators.

Police identified the suspects as Joshua Swavely, 28, of Narvon, Pennsylvania and Kimberly Verdi, 30, of Essington, Pennsylvania. Investigators say the duo came to East Goshen Township to look for gifts and tips left by residents for the trash collectors. Swavely and Verdi also allegedly committed similar thefts on MacKenzie Drive in West Goshen Township.

Swavely and Verdi were both arrested and charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, loitering and prowling at night. Swavely was also charged with driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked.

The two were processed and released pending summons.

Officials advise residents who want to tip trash collectors or give them gifts to either hand deliver the gift directly to the team or contact the proper trash hauler for the jurisdiction.


Santa Claus and firefighters rushed in to rescue a man and four nuns who were injured in a crash in Delaware County over the weekend.



Santa was riding around in a firetruck with members of the Bethel Township Volunteer Fire Company Sunday.

"Santa Claus stopped by here early in the afternoon and asked us if we could run him around the townships so he can see the kids, give them candy canes," said Bethel Township Fire Company Deputy Chief Jeff Kane.

As they waived to children in the town, the firefighters' emergency pagers went off. They were then alerted to a two-vehicle crash that had occurred on Conchester Highway in Garnet Valley around 7 p.m.

Officials say four nuns from the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth were in a vehicle traveling eastbound on Rt. 322 when they were struck head-on by a driver traveling westbound. Responding emergency crews, including Santa, had to free the victims from the wreckage.

"Santa Claus helped us out a lot," Deputy Chief Kane said. "He sat on top of that roof and gave his blessings down on us and we worked hard to save five lives."

All five victims were taken to the hospital and are in critical condition/ The four nuns are all from the Philadelphia area.

"We ask for continued prayers for our injured Sisters and for the other driver involved in the accident," a spokesperson for the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth told NBC10.

The Delaware County District Attorney's Office is investigating the crash.


The biggest Wawa in the world recently opened, but Philadelphia-area residents will have to plan a trip to see it.

Wawa cut the ribbon on a 9,200-square-foot Washington, D.C. location at 1111 19th St. NW in the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (between Dupont Circle and Farragut Square) Dec. 14.

Wawa

Not only is the store the largest of the more than 750 across six states (and now D.C.), it also has some features that outdo the traditional Wawa.

There is an outdoor patio and custom interior seating, as well as bar seating (like youll find at the Center City Philadelphia stores) where you can chomp down on your favorite Shorti (or Classic) hoagie or relax while you sip your morning cup of coffee.

Wawa

For those jealous of the lucky D.C. residents, take solace in one big feature they don't have: the store will not have a gas station.

Dont expect the old-school linoleum feel either as the D.C. store features "the comfort of exposed brick, fresh subway tiles and wood tones," Wawa said in a news release. Just check out the aptly named "Wild Goose Cafe!"

Wawa

This "1111 Nineteenth St" store is also upping its tech game.

"This one-of-a-kind store will also include an all-new interactive digital experience for customers with large interactive screens featuring social media, a digital touch screen display with fun Wawa facts and free Wi-Fi," Wawa said.

The ever-growing convenience store giant has come a long way since its humble beginnings in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.



The opening of the D.C. Wawa did have Philadelphia-area flair, however, as U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., and Wawa president and CEO Chris Gheysens helped cut the ribbon on the store.

And just in case D.C. cant get enough of Wawa, a second location in Georgetown is in the works, the Washington Business Journal reports.
At first, Taylor Brown thought her high school boyfriend's sexual aggression was normal. She was just 16.

He touched her without her consent, read her emails and sent her male friends texts from her phone to try to get them to confess that she cheated on him with them.

Eventually, he coerced her into having sex though she said no.

On other occasions, she locked herself behind doors, fearing he would hit her.

I thought I was going to die, honestly, Brown said. I didn't know if it was going to be something he did, or something I did to myself because I couldn't take being in that situation anymore."

I didn't feel like my body belonged to me anymore, she continued.



Relationship violence is not limited to adults, and several behaviors familiar to many teenagers can be red flags, experts say.

Teen dating violence is more common than you might think, Natalia Otero, a domestic violence expert and the executive director of D.C. Safe, told News4.

Red flags include a significant other texting you very regularly, asking for your social media passwords and trying to change the way you dress, Otero said.

Approximately 11 percent of high school students surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 reported sexual abuse or coercion by their significant other, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated. About 10 percent reported physical violence.

Teen dating violence, according to The National Institute of Justice, is physical, psychological or sexual abuse -- or harassment or stalking -- of someone age 12 to 18, in the context of a past or present consensual relationship.

Brown, the woman who was abused by her boyfriend as a teen, is in college now and is still working to move on.

Some teens never get out of abusive relationships.

A 17-year-old girl was shot and killed in a park in Alexandria, Virginia, on Oct. 22 in what police called a murder-suicide.

Friends of the victim said the man who police identified as the gunman, Yerson Nunez Lopez, 19, was the girl's ex-boyfriend.

"It's a tragedy all around, Capt. Len Fouch previously told News4.

The 19-year-old who killed a teen girl and wounded a teen boy was the girl's ex-boyfriend, friends told News4's Pat Collins.

Teen dating violence is not uncommon in the D.C. area, Otera of D.C. Safe said. The organization is a crisis intervention group for survivors. They served about 8,000 clients last year. More than 100 of their clients were 13 to 17 years old, Otera said.

Otera said teen dating abuse perpetrators often previously were victims of abuse.

Domestic violence is a learned behavior, she said. Children that are in homes where they are witnessing violence between their parents are more likely to become abusers.

Brown said she didn't know if her high school boyfriend ever was abused himself. She said she did see red flags in his parents behavior. They treated him and his older sister very differently, she said.

[His sister] wasn't allowed to have guys over or even date for a long time. But with him, I was even allowed to sleep at their house for a week straight. At the time, I thought that was a benefit to me.

Brown was able to get out of her abusive relationship and eventually felt strong enough to date others. But the harassment continued for a full year after she broke things off with her high school boyfriend.

He continued to hack into her text messages and told Browns new significant other that he and Brown were still together, she said.

The emotional effects of the abuse continued.

I was afraid of being with other men for a while, but then I hit this point where I was like, Nothing can be worse than what I was just in.

A triple Shooting in an Alexandria, VA park last night left two dead and one injured. Police say it was an isolated incident, and that there is no current threat to public safety.

Teen dating violence survivors can suffer long term.

Victims of intimate partner violence are more likely than the general population to experience depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports. Victims also are more likely to commit suicide.

Dont be afraid to ask for help," Brown advised. "Don't be afraid to tell someone whats going on."

She said it was hard to come to terms with what was happening to her.

I convinced myself and my friends that it didn't happen because I didn't want to believe or accept that it did," she said.

But asking for help could be the difference between life and death.

If you are a teen in an abusive relationship, there are several resources available to you for free.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline number is 800-799-7233.

Additionally, victims that live in the District can reach out to D.C. Safe for immediate crisis shelter, help with the court process and access to other supportive resources. They're available at 202-879-0720.

Brown is now studying to be a nurse. She dreams of starting a program to educate young women about healthy relationships -- specifically women who have been victims of physical or sexual violence, like herself.
A 21-year-old Maryland woman who wanted to become a police officer died after she left the bar where she worked and a pickup truck with two volunteer firefighters inside rammed her car.

Taylor Anne Halbleib, 21, of Hughesville, Maryland, died after her car was struck from behind by a pickup truck about 2:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 7 on Maryland Route 6, west of Cooksey Road in Charles County.

She was headed home to her parents' house when her Hyundai Elantra was hit from behind with great force by a Ford F-150. Chopper4 footage shows the horrific wreckage of Halbleib's car.

Police said the driver of the truck failed to stop when he approached Halbleibs car, hitting her car and forcing it into a minivan stopped in front of her. Her car and the minivan were stopped at a traffic signal.

Halbleib was critically injured and later died at a hospital.

The driver of the pickup truck and his passenger were injured. They both are members of the Newburg Volunteer Fire Department. The person in the minivan was not hurt.



A witness said Halbleib and the two men in the truck were seen speaking to each another at closing time outside of Vino Liquor, where Halbleib worked. The witness said the men had just purchased a 12-pack of beer and said it appeared the passenger was trying to flirt with Halbleib.

Investigators are looking at security camera video from the bar in an effort to learn what happened in the parking lot before the crash.



Investigators said speed and alcohol are believed to be contributing factors in the crash. No charges have been filed in connection with the investigation.



Halbleib graduated from La Plata High School in 2014. She was on the varsity soccer team and was a member of the ROTC, her obituary says. She was taking criminal justice classes "with the hopes of following in her father's footsteps and being a D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer."

Halbleib's funeral will be held Wednesday. Her family requested donations in her name to the Humane Society of Charles County.
According to a report from the University of Maryland, there have been 27 hate and racial bias incidents on campus this past semester.

The report, which the university is releasing next week, includes reports to the university police and the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct. New policies to deal with the incidents were revealed on Nov. 27, including the creation of a hate bias coordinator, which has not been hired.

The new rules come after high profile incidents on the campus this year, included the stabbing death of a Bowie State University student, a noose found in a fraternity house, and at least three incidents of swastikas scribbled inside a restroom.

In May during final exams, Richard Collins, a visiting Bowie State student, was stabbed to death while waiting at a bus stop on the College Park campus. He was three days from graduating as a second lieutenant. Sean Urbanski, a University of Maryland student, was charged with murder and a hate crime in the stabbing death.

A spokesman said the university is proactively dealing with race and racial bias. However, some students question whether the school is acting quickly enough.
The newlyweds were asleep in their home in western Myanmar in June when seven soldiers charged in.

The woman, a Rohingya Muslim who agreed to be identified by her first initial, F, knew enough to be terrified. She knew the military had been attacking Rohingya villages, as part of what the United Nations has called ethnic cleansing in the mostly Buddhist nation. She heard just days before that soldiers had killed her parents and that her brother was missing.

Now they had come for her. The men bound her husband with rope, and tied her scarf around his mouth. They yanked off her jewelry and tore off her clothes. They threw her to the floor.

And then, she says, the first soldier began to rape her.

She struggled against him, but four men held her down and beat her with sticks. Her husband finally wriggled the gag out of his mouth and screamed.

And then she watched as a soldier fired a bullet into the chest of the man she had married only one month before. Another soldier slit his throat.

Her mind grew fuzzy. When the soldiers were finished, they dragged her outside and set her bamboo house ablaze.

It would be two months before she realized her misery was far from over: She was pregnant.

The rape of Rohingya women by Myanmar's security forces has been sweeping and methodical, the Associated Press found in interviews with 29 women and girls who fled to neighboring Bangladesh. These sexual assault survivors from several refugee camps were interviewed separately and extensively. The women gave AP their names, but agreed to be publicly identified only by their first initial, citing fears they or their families would be killed by Myanmar's military. They ranged in age from 13 to 35, came from a wide swath of villages in Myanmar's Rakhine state and described assaults between October 2016 and mid-September.

Yet there was a sickening sameness to their stories, with distinct patterns in their accounts, their assailants' uniforms and the details of the rapes themselves.

The testimonies bolster the U.N.'s contention that Myanmar's armed forces are systematically employing rape as a "calculated tool of terror" aimed at exterminating the Rohingya people. The Myanmar armed forces did not respond to multiple requests from the AP for comment, but an internal military investigation last month concluded that none of the assaults ever took place. When journalists asked about rape allegations during a government-organized trip to Rakhine in September, Rakhine's minister for border affairs, Phone Tint, replied: "These women were claiming they were raped, but look at their appearances  do you think they are that attractive to be raped?"

Doctors and aid workers, however, say they are stunned at the sheer volume of rapes, and suspect only a fraction of women have come forward. Medecins Sans Frontieres doctors have treated 113 sexual violence survivors since August, a third of them under 18. The youngest was 9.

Each woman interviewed by the AP described attacks that involved groups of men, often coupled with other forms of extreme violence. Every woman except one said the assailants wore military-style uniforms, generally dark green or camouflage. The lone woman who described her attackers as wearing plain clothes said her neighbors recognized them from the local military outpost.

Many women said the uniforms bore various patches featuring stars or, in a couple cases, arrows. Such patches represent the different units of Myanmar's army.

Though the scale of these attacks is new, the use of sexual violence by Myanmar's security forces is not. Before she became Myanmar's civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi herself said Myanmar's armed forces used rape as a weapon to intimidate ethnic nationalities.

Yet Suu Kyi's government has not only failed to condemn the recent accounts of rape, it has dismissed the accounts as lies. In Dec. 2016, the government issued a press release disputing Rohingya women's reports of sexual assaults, accompanied by an image that said "Fake Rape."

More than three months after the men burst into F's home, she was living with her neighbors  a couple and their 5-year-old son. The timing of her rape left little doubt that the baby growing inside her belonged to one of the men who had caused all her grief.

She could only pray that things would not get worse. And then, one night in mid-September, they did.

The men broke down the door. There were five of them this time, F remembers. They slashed the boy's throat, and killed the man.

Then they turned to the man's wife, and to F. And her nightmare began again.

They stripped off the women's clothes and threw them to the floor. F's friend fought back, and the men beat her so viciously the skin on her thighs began to peel away.

But the fight had gone out of F. She felt her body go soft, felt the blood run between her legs as the first man forced himself on her, and then the second. Three men savaged her friend.

When it was over, the women lay on the floor for days.

Finally, F hauled herself to her feet, pulling her friend up with her. Hand in hand, the women stumbled to the next village, and then began the 10-day journey to Bangladesh.

Which is where F lives now, in a tiny bamboo shelter between two filthy latrines. And it is here that F prays her baby will be a boy  because this world is no place for a girl.

The child will be the only family F has left. For her, the most haunting reminder of the agony she endured also, somehow, represents her last chance at happiness.

"Everybody has died," she says. "I don't have anyone to care for me. If I give this baby away, what will I have left? There will be nothing to live for."

The Associated Press reported this story with a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.


What to Know Sixteen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct over the years, allegations that he has repeatedly denied

Some of the women will take part in a press conference in New York Monday in which they will talk about their experiences

The #MeToo movement has seen numerous women coming forward with allegations against high-profile men

President Donald Trump lashed out at Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Tuesday, after she said Trump should resign over recent sexual misconduct allegations. Gillibrand called it a "sexist smear" while Democrats rallied around her.



Trump was pushing back against the women accusing him of sexual misconduct, insisting he's the target of "false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don't know and/or have never met."

Three women who previously accused Trump of sexual harassment had shared their stories on NBC's "Megyn Kelly Today" on Monday, their accusations getting a new focus as the #MeToo movement highlights sexual misconduct in workplaces from Hollywood to Washington.

Trump said Democrats "have been unable to show any collusion with Russia" and now are "moving on" to these allegations. He added: "FAKE NEWS!"

In a second tweet, Trump said Gillibrand is a "total flunky for Chuck Schumer," the Senate Democratic leader. He said Gillibrand, "who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump."

Gillibrand tweeted back with a defiant message of her own: "You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office."

She called Trump's attack "a sexist smear" when asked at an unrelated news conference what she thought about it.

"It's part of the president's effort of name-calling, and it's not going to silence me," Gillibrand said.

Other prominent women in politics spoke out against Trump's broadside.



On her MSNBC show "Morning Joe," Mika Brzezinski called it sexual harassment in its own right, reading it as suggesting that the senator would have sex for campaign contributions. She called on members of the White House to demand he apologize or resign.

"That tweet was one of the worst things I've seen so far in this presidency," said Brzezinski, whose appearance Trump criticized in a widely criticized tweet earlier this year.

On Twitter, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wished Trump good luck with "trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame" Gillibrand.



And the National Women's Law Center tweeted, "This is what sexual harassment in the workplace looks like."

Asked if his tweet was sexual innuendo or sexist, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the comments were simply about the broken political system that Trump has pledged to fix and was in "no way" sexist.

"He's used similar terminology many times when talking about politicians of both parties, both men and women," she said. "This president is someone that can't be bought."

Only if your mind is in the gutter would you have read it that way, she said later when asked to respond to people who read the tweet as containing sexual innuendo.



Rep. Pete King, R-NY, responded to Trump's tweet about Gillibrand in an appearance on the Fox Business channel, saying "the president would be better advised not to get into fights with all these people."

Another accuser of Trump's appeared on "Megyn Kelly Today" Tuesday, saying he groped her rear end at a concert at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago more than a decade ago, when she was 23 years old.

"He knew what he did. I could see it on his face, the look of guilt," Melinda McGillivray said. "It made me feel like I was objectified, I was sick to my stomach."

A friend who was there corroborated her account to The Palm Beach Post in October 2016. Trump's campaign did not respond to comment from the outlet at the time.

Asked about Gillivray's comments, the White House referred to Sanders' comments from Monday about the other women who appeared on "Megyn Kelly Today."

"Look, the president has addressed these accusations directly and denied all of these allegations," Sanders said.



McGillivray joined the other three women who spoke to Kelly  Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey and Rachel Crooks  in urging Congress to investigate Trump's behavior.

Sanders pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president. She did not provide the list by late Monday.

The allegations surfaced during last year's presidential campaign, but the women raised the issue anew on the Kelly show Monday and at a news conference.

Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, many after the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape last October in which Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women. One woman, Summer Zervos, a contestant on Trump's reality show, "The Apprentice," sued, contending that Trump's denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.

The Democratic Women's Working Group held a news conference Wednesday to demand that the House Oversight Committee investigate sexual misconduct allegations against Trump. Republican lawmakers, who control both houses of Congress, have suggested that such a probe was unlikely.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said at the news conference that Trump's tweet was "grotesque."

"It took my breath away and it represents the conduct of a person who is ill-equipped to be the president of the United States," she said.

NBC's Asher Klein contributed to this report.


BOISE  The Small Business Administration Idaho hopes to open an official solicitation process for a Womens Business Center, using SBA grants. The WBC will seek to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs who still face unique obstacles in the business world.

Our office is searching for an organization to host a Womens Business Center. The WBC will guide aspiring and existing womens businesses and will be a place for women to find the encouragement and resources to make their dreams come true, SBA Boise District Director Gary Eisenbraun said in a statement.

The SBA works with a number of local partners to counsel, mentor and train small businesses. Womens Business Centers represent a national network of more than 100 educational centers that are designed to assist women  especially women who are economically or socially disadvantaged  in starting and growing small businesses.

For information about the SBA WBC grant program, visit sba.gov/wbc. For information about resources for women-owned small businesses, visit sba.gov/women.

SBA Boise District staff provide resources and services in counseling, capital and contracting.
Cellphone video recorded in late May by a neighbor shows rats running around a Cape Cod backyard, but the rodent issue has continued into the winter.

The health director in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, is calling it the most difficult case he has ever dealt with.

"Now that [the rats] found a source of food and water, they've stayed right there," said Bruce Murphy, Yarmouth's health director.

Murphy says Judith Adelchi on Nauset Lane is to blame.

"She's feeding them on her property," he said.

"I personally have never seen rats," Adelchi contested.

According to Murphy, his department launched an investigation after receiving complaints from neighbors in the summer.

"I would never feed a rat purposefully," said Adelchi. "I would never do that. Who would do that?"

Murphy said he has been on the property several times and has seen numerous rats. He accuses Adelchi of trying to bait the rats with bird food.

"She said they were her friends," said Murphy. "She was lonely. She wanted to feed them as a source of her friendship to the animals."

The home is owned by Mark Pallantino, who is also related to Adelchi. According to court documents, he hired an exterminator, but the rats keep coming back.

Murphy sent a cease and desist letter to the home instructing Adelchi to stop feeding the rats, but the problem has continued.

That has forced the town to file a criminal complaint against Pallantino. He is facing three charges, including having unsanitary conditions and failure to exterminate rodents.

Pallantino is due in court on Jan. 3.


Was Norfolk 'vagabond of God' a saint? Was Norfolk 'vagabond of God' a saint?

Known as The Vagabond of God, former Norfolk schoolboy John Bradburne is the subject of a new biography and a growing movement to have him canonised as a saint. Keith Morris reports.
Huntingtons disease is a genetic disorder that affects the brain progressively and has no known cure till date. In a breakthrough, the first drug that can target and reduce the cause behind this dreaded disease has been found to be effective, safe and well tolerated in a human clinical trial that was conducted by UCL scientists.

The protein associated with the disease is called huntingtin protein and this drug successfully lowered the levels of this protein and reduced the harm caused to the nervous system.

The new drug IONIS-HTTRx has been in the pipeline for over ten years now being tried on laboratory animals and in the labs. This was the first human trial that was conducted with the new drug. The trial began in the last months of 2015 and was led by Professor Sarah Tabrizi UCL Institute of Neurology, Director of the UCL Huntingtons Disease Centre and IONIS-HTTRx Global Chief Investigator. It was supported by Ionis Pharmaceuticals.

The trial involved 46 patients with early Huntingtons disease in 9 different study centres spanning across United Kingdom, Germany and Canada making it a multi-centric trial. These patients were divided into two groups  one to receive the test drug and the other to receive placebo. The patients were given four doses of the new drug or placebo that was injected into the spinal fluid of the patient so that it reached the brain.

As the trial progressed, this dose was raised to change the design into an ascending dose trial design. At every step patient safety and well being was assessed along with the effectiveness of the drug.

At the end of the trail this week, the researchers announced that the drug was deemed safe and well tolerated among the human participants. According to Professor Tabrizi, The results of this trial are of ground-breaking importance for Huntingtons disease patients and families. For the first time a drug has lowered the level of the toxic disease-causing protein in the nervous system, and the drug was safe and well-tolerated. The key now is to move quickly to a larger trial to test whether the drug slows disease progression.

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The trial was to assess the safety as well as a the effectiveness of the new drug. Huntingtin protein levels are markers of this disease. The team used an ultra sensitive assay to measure the concentrations of the protein in the patients spinal fluid both before and after treatment. They found that IONIS-HTTRx could successfully lower the levels of the mutant huntingtin.

With this significant success, Ionis partner, Roche now would license IONIS-HTTRx and take further responsibility for the development, regulatory approval and final marketing of the drug. Ionis has announced that all the patients who were part of this pilot trial would not be part of an extension of the trial to receive IONIS-HTTRx.

The results of the present trial are being prepared to be presented at scientific meetings and published in scientific journals. The study was supported by The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre

Huntingtons disease typically starts in the 30s or 50s and worsens with time. If one parent has this disease, the chances of the child getting it are 50 percent. At present around 10,000 people in UK and 30,000 people in America are living with Huntingtons disease. There is a problem at the genetic level especially at the huntingtin gene that codes for the huntingtin protein. This huntingtin protein is necessary for the normal development of the brain cells.

Reference: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1217/111217-huntingtons-disease-protein
Initial findings from a multi-national open-label phase Ib study of inhibitory drug therapy for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have demonstrated a complete response in up to 50 percent patients say researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center .

The patients, age 60 years or older, received therapy with venetoclax in combination with cobimetinib or idasanutlin. The clinical trial followed patients who received therapy for a prior blood disease and who were not eligible for cytotoxic therapy.

Preliminary results from the ongoing dose-escalation study, which demonstrated that the combination therapies can be safely administered with minimal side effects, were presented Dec. 11 at the American Society of Hematology's (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition Dec. 8-12 in Atlanta. The trial is headed by Marina Konopleva, M.D., Ph.D. and Michael Andreeff, M.D, Ph.D. , both professors of Leukemia, as well as Naval Daver, M.D., associate professor of Leukemia.

"This is the first clinical study evaluating new oral combinations with venetoclax in AML patients," said Konopleva. "This is significant as effective treatment options for patients with relapsed and/or refractory AML are limited."

Venetoclax, which inhibits the B-cell lymphoma protein (BCL-2) that makes cancer cells resistant to therapy, was previously FDA-approved for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Idasanutlin is an investigational drug targeting a protein called MDM2 which impacts the tumor suppressor gene p53, while cobimetinib targets a protein known as MEK within the cancer cell and is FDA-approved for treatment of advanced melanoma with BRAF mutation.

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Andreeff and Konopleva also led the pre-clinical investigation resulting in the clinical trial. Findings from that research were published in the Dec. 11 online issue of Cancer Cell. The pre-clinical research demonstrated unprecedented in vivo activity, as well as a new molecular mechanism explaining how the inhibitor drugs impact MDM2 which is tied to regulation of p53, and BCL2  both linked to cell death.

Pre-clinical data also showed that venetoclax plus cobimetinib or idasanutlin may be synergistic. MEK and MDM2 inhibition have been shown to down-regulate a protein in the BCL-2 family, MCL-1, overcoming the major resistance mechanism to BCL-2 inhibition in AML.

"We demonstrated that p53 activation overcomes the resistance to BCL-2 inhibition by promoting MCl-1 degradation and overcoming cell death response by altering cellular response," said Andreeff. "These findings laid the foundation for the development of the current combination clinical trial for AML, bringing together different investigations in my group that extended over 15 years."

Dose escalation is being used in the clinical trial to establish the maximum tolerated dose for each drug combination in elderly patient with relapsed AML, an area of unmet need, according to Daver.

"The best response rates, up to 50 percent in relapsed AML, were seen for the combination of venetoclax and idasanutlin, in line with the preclinical data," he said. "However, these results will require confirmation in larger patient groups."
A group of the nation's premier cancer researchers led by the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) -- has secured a $5.13 million federal grant to develop an early detection system for pancreatic cancer, the nation's third-leading cause of cancer-related death.

Because it displays no overt symptoms or pain in its early stages, pancreatic cancer often is not diagnosed until it has spread to other organs, especially the liver and the lungs -- a point when surgical removal is often no longer an option. This research has the potential to profoundly transform early detection of pancreatic cancer by creating a non-invasive, rapid, accurate and inexpensive blood test.

"Early detection of this disease is essential to reducing its mortality rate," said Dr. Ajay Goel, BSWRI's Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Research, and the Center for Epigenetics, Cancer Prevention and Cancer Genomics, and the study's Principal Investigator.

"We need a mammogram for the pancreas. Just like breast cancer, if pancreatic cancer is detected early, we can provide better outcomes for patients, and eventually have cures," said Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen Distinguished Professor and Physician-in-Chief, and one of the world's leading authorities on pancreatic cancer.

Because pancreatic cancer often is undetected until late in the disease process, the natural history of the disease is not well known. The five-year, $5.13 million grant (known as a U01 grant) was awarded by the National Cancer Institute's Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium, an initiative dedicated to bringing researchers together to better understand the disease and to develop and test new molecular and imaging biomarkers. The common goal is to identify high-risk precancerous lesions and early-stage pancreatic cancer in patients who could be candidates for surgical or other types of early intervention.

"It would be a powerful contrast to the way things are," said Dr. Sunil Sharma, TGen Deputy Director of Clinical Sciences and another of the project's investigators. "By the time a cancer becomes obvious, when it becomes symptomatic and a patient comes to a clinic, by that point the cancer is already a moving target. It makes little sense to guide treatment of a moving target using tests with a traditional biopsy because that biopsy is static in time and space."

Median survival for those with advanced pancreatic cancer was, until recently, less than six months, and the five-year survival rate was less than 10 percent. Survival rates are improving with the development of new therapeutics. Still, more than 43,000 Americans will succumb this year to this aggressive disease, a number eclipsed only by lung and colon cancers.

The BSWRI-TGen led project has three initial objectives:

Collect matched blood and tissue from a series of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC, the most common form of pancreatic cancer); precancerous neoplasms (PN, abnormal growths of the pancreas); pancreatitis (an inflammation of the pancreas); and normal pancreas cells and use these samples to identify "signals" characteristic of the conditions being studied.

Combine multiple signals into a testing panel capable of distinguishing patients with PDAC from those with either PNs or pancreatitis.

Through clinical trials, use the optimal testing panel prospectively to identify patients with PDAC and PNs.

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These efforts come together to create the BSWRI-TGen early-warning system for pancreatic cancer. It will consist of a test that would require only a small blood sample -- a liquid biopsy rather than an invasive tissue biopsy -- to detect pancreatic cancer. Successful development of a liquid biopsy for pancreatic cancer would allow physicians to monitor their patients consistently and safely every month, every week or even every day. A test such as this could also alert a physician to recurrence of cancer before it would be detectable otherwise.

"What we are working on here, it's not going to be one or two markers, but a panel of markers -- a full mixture of DNA, proteins, RNA, microRNA, DNA methylation markers," Dr. Goel said. "This panel would be a more reliable, more sensitive, and more specific pancreatic screening than anything that's available in medicine today."

"Eventually, this method could be adopted for detecting and monitoring other cancers," said Dr. Von Hoff. "We would know very soon if a particular drug or drug combination is working, or not."

Other participants in this project include: HonorHealth Research Institute; University of Southern California and Hoag Memorial Hospital; Ochsner Health System; Medical College of Wisconsin; University of Arizona; Nagoya University; Samsung Medical Center; Prairie View A&M University; and Harvard Medical School.

For more than 30 years, BSWRI has remained focused on accelerating medical breakthroughs through its portfolio of bench, clinical and translational activities across more than 60 specialties. With more than 2,000 clinical research trials, BSWRI serves over 800,000 people at Baylor Scott & White Health medical centers. The goal of this TGen collaboration is to align the best science, technology and minds across both institutions to drive the discovery of new insights and the development of new therapies to treat this deadly disease.

This project is one of three precision-medicine initiatives proposed under a 2015 BSWRI-TGen partnership that also included: advanced genomic sequencing, which maps out the billions of chemical base pairs that comprise the human genome; and development of new clinical trials, which enable patients to receive the newest therapeutics tailored to the genetics of the individual patient's tumor.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Admelog (insulin lispro injection), a short-acting insulin indicated to improve control in blood sugar levels in adults and pediatric patients aged 3 years and older with type 1 diabetes mellitus and adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Admelog is the first short-acting insulin approved as a "follow-on" product (submitted through the agency's 505(b)(2) pathway).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 30 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, a chronic disease that affects how the body turns food into energy and the body's production of natural insulin. Over time, diabetes increases the risk of serious health complications, including heart disease, blindness, and nerve and kidney damage. Improvement in blood sugar control through treatment with insulin, a common treatment, can reduce the risk of some of these long-term complications.

"One of my key policy efforts is increasing competition in the market for prescription drugs and helping facilitate the entry of lower-cost alternatives. This is particularly important for drugs like insulin that are taken by millions of Americans every day for a patient's lifetime to manage a chronic disease," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. "In the coming months, we'll be taking additional policy steps to help to make sure patients continue to benefit from improved access to lower cost, safe and effective alternatives to brand name drugs approved through the agency's abbreviated pathways."

Admelog was approved through an abbreviated approval pathway under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, called the 505(b)(2) pathway. A new drug application submitted through this pathway may rely on the FDA's finding that a previously approved drug is safe and effective or on published literature to support the safety and/or effectiveness of the proposed product, if such reliance is scientifically justified. The use of abbreviated pathways can reduce drug development costs so products can be offered at a lower price to patients. In the case of Admelog, the manufacturer submitted a 505(b)(2) application that relied, in part, on the FDA's finding of safety and effectiveness for Humalog (insulin lispro injection) to support approval. The applicant demonstrated that reliance on the FDA's finding of safety and effectiveness for Humalog was scientifically justified and provided Admelog-specific data to establish the drug's safety and efficacy for its approved uses. The Admelog-specific data included two phase 3 clinical trials which enrolled approximately 500 patients in each.

Admelog is a short-acting insulin product, which can be used to help patients with diabetes control their blood sugar. Short-acting insulin products are generally, but not always, administered just before meals to help control blood sugar levels after eating. These types of insulin products can also be used in insulin pumps to meet both background insulin needs as well as mealtime insulin needs. This is in contrast to long-acting insulin products, like insulin glargine, insulin degludec and insulin detemir, which are generally used to provide a background level of insulin to control blood sugars between meals, and are administered once or twice a day. While both types of insulin products can play important roles in the treatment of types 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, patients with type 1 diabetes require both types of insulin while patients with type 2 diabetes may never need a short-acting insulin product.

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"With today's approval, we are providing an important short-acting insulin option for patients that meets our standards for safety and effectiveness," said Mary T. Thanh Hai, M.D., deputy director of the Office of New Drug Evaluation II in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Admelog can be administered by injection under the skin (subcutaneous), subcutaneous infusion (i.e., via insulin pump), or intravenous infusion. Dosing of Admelog should be individualized based on the route of administration and the patient's metabolic needs, blood glucose monitoring results and glycemic control goal.

The most common adverse reactions associated with Admelog in clinical trials was hypoglycemia, itching, and rash. Other adverse reactions that can occur with Admelog include allergic reactions, injection site reactions, and thickening or thinning of the fatty tissue at the injection site (lipodystrophy).

Admelog should not be used during episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or in patients with hypersensitivity to insulin lispro or one of its ingredients. Admelog SoloStar prefilled pens or syringes must never be shared between patients, even if the needle is changed.

Patients or caregivers should monitor blood glucose in all patients treated with insulin products. Insulin regimens should be modified cautiously and only under medical supervision. Admelog may cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can be life-threatening. Patients should be monitored more closely with changes to insulin dosage, co-administration of other glucose-lowering medications, meal pattern, physical activity and in patients with renal impairment or hepatic impairment or hypoglycemia unawareness.

Accidental mix-ups between insulin products can occur. Patients should check insulin labels before injecting the insulin product.

Severe, life-threatening, generalized allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, may occur.

Health care providers should monitor potassium levels in patients at risk of hyperkalemia, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition in which the amount of potassium in the blood is too high.

Admelog received tentative approval from the FDA on Sept. 1, 2017 and is now being granted final approval.

The approval of Admelog was granted to Sanofi-Aventis U.S.
High-intensity exercise three times a week is safe for individuals with early-stage Parkinson's disease and decreases worsening of motor symptoms, according to a new phase 2, multi-site trial led by University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Northwestern Medicine scientists.

This is the first time scientists have tested the effects of high-intensity exercise on patients with Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and the most common movement disorder affecting more than 1 million people in the United States.

"If you have Parkinson's disease and you want to delay the progression of your symptoms, just a stroll isn't sufficient. You should exercise three times a week with your heart rate between 80 to 85 percent maximum. It is that simple," said lead author Margaret Schenkman, Associate Dean for Physical Therapy Education and PT Program Director at the CU School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus.

Previously, it was thought high-intensity exercise was too physically stressful for individuals with Parkinson's disease. "High-Intensity Treadmill Exercise in Parkinson Disease: A Randomized, Controlled Phase II Trial" was published today in JAMA Neurology.

Parkinson's symptoms include progressive loss of muscle control, trembling, stiffness, slowness and impaired balance. As the disease progresses, it may become difficult to walk, talk and complete simple tasks. Most people who develop Parkinson's are 60 and older.

Because medications for Parkinson's have adverse side effects and reduced effectiveness over time, new treatments are needed.

The randomized clinical trial included 128 participants ages 40 to 80 from Rush University Medical Center, Northwestern University and the University of Pittsburgh in addition to the University of Colorado Anschutz in Aurora.

Participants enrolled in the Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise (SPARX) were at an early stage of the disease and not taking Parkinson's medication, ensuring the results of the study were related to the exercise and not affected by medication.

"The earlier in the disease you intervene, the more likely it is you can prevent the progression of the disease," said co-lead author Daniel Corcos, professor of physical therapy and human movement sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "We delayed worsening of symptoms for six months; whether we can prevent progression any longer than six months will require further study."

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Scientists examined the safety and effects of exercise three times weekly for six months at high intensity, 80 to 85 percent of maximum heart rate, and moderate intensity, 60 to 65 percent of maximum heart rate. They compared the results to a control group who did not exercise.

After six months, participants were rated by clinicians on a Parkinson's disease scale ranging from 0 to 108. The higher the number, the more severe the symptoms.

Participants in the study had a score of about 20 before exercise. Those in the high intensity group stayed at 20. The group with moderate exercise got worse by 1.5 points. The group that did not exercise worsened by three points. Three points out of a score of 20 points is a 15 percent change in the primary signs of the disease and considered clinically important to patients. It makes a difference in their quality of life.

"We catch people early in the disease and are slowing them from getting worse, which is significant, particularly for a disorder that is chronic and progressive," Schenkman said.

Schenkman and colleagues confirmed it was safe for the participants to do high-intensity exercise by giving them a cardiologist-supervised graded exercise test to evaluate the heart's response to exercise.

"What sets this study apart from others is we enrolled a high number of participants who exercised on a treadmill for six months with a robust workout, Schenkman said. "Many exercise studies are only 12 weeks in length and often the focus is on low intensity exercise or stretching."

Previous studies in humans suggest high-intensity exercise improves motor symptoms, but the evidence wasn't sufficient to determine whether exercise intensity modifies symptoms or disease progression. In addition, most studies have not precisely measured or controlled exercise intensity and none have been conducted at 80 to 85 percent maximum heart rate.

"Several lines of evidence point to a beneficial effect of exercise in Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Codrin Lungu, program director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Nevertheless, it's not clear which kind of exercise is most effective. The SPARX trial tries to rigorously address this issue. The results are interesting and warrant further exploration of the optimal exercise regimes for Parkinson's."

The next step will be a Phase III clinical trial with more participants and additional sites.
The holidays are supposed to be a happy time of the year, but many isolated seniors often are left feeling lonely - which can be harmful to their health.

Loneliness is linked to serious medical conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke and heart disease as well as a higher risk of premature death. But loneliness can be easily overlooked as a health risk because healthcare providers can neglect asking their older patients about their social lives, and many older adults are too proud or embarrassed to ask for help, experts say.

When Cedars-Sinai physicians and nurses who specialize in caring for older adults screen their patients for isolation during comprehensive geriatric physical exams, they find that more than one-third are lonely.

"Loneliness is a significant issue among older adults, robbing them of their ability to live vibrant, independent lives as they age," said Sonja Rosen, MD, associate medical director, Geriatric Care Programs and chief of Geriatric Medicine for Cedars-Sinai Medical Group. "But it doesn't have to be this way."

To tackle loneliness over the holidays, Rosen and her colleagues at Cedars-Sinai suggest the following:

Search online listings. Throughout the holiday season, recreation centers, libraries, museums, places of worship and local colleges host free and low-cost community events.

Reach out . The holidays are a good excuse for seniors to call and catch up with friends and family. Younger family members and friends can make a point of stopping by a senior's house for a quick visit.

The holidays are a good excuse for seniors to call and catch up with friends and family. Younger family members and friends can make a point of stopping by a senior's house for a quick visit. Explore both new and familiar hobbies. Sign up for that art class you've always wanted to take, or offer to teach younger relatives and neighbors how to cook a favorite dish.

Seek medical advice. If these tips don't seem to work, a geriatrician can connect seniors to other resources and potential treatments.

As part of its ongoing work with seniors, Cedars-Sinai in January will offer new, free exercise and health-management classes aimed at helping older adults in the community stay connected and active. Cedars-Sinai has partnered with Jewish Family Service to host both the exercise and health classes at local community organizations for Cedars-Sinai patients and other community seniors in need.

The exercise class, developed by the Arthritis Foundation, features a workout with weightlifting, stretching and balance exercises that can be adaptable to any level of fitness. The program has been proven to increase seniors' strength and balance and decrease their risk of falling, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The group activity fosters friendship among classmates while increasing their confidence.

"Fear of falling is a big reason older people don't leave the house," said geriatrician Allison Mays, MD, MAS. "We hope the exercise program will help older adults enjoy better health as they see fewer falls and trips to the emergency room."

The chronic disease self-management classes will cover topics such as how to manage medications and communicate with one's doctor. This course aims to empower seniors to independently handle their health issues while forging connections with others in their situation.

Older patients experiencing loneliness often need to be treated for issues related to social isolation, such as functional decline, falls, malnutrition and depression. Cedars-Sinai geriatricians connect these individuals to a range of community resources to help meet their needs at home.

"We want our older adults to maintain mobility and have more momentum in their lives," said geriatrician Elizabeth Whiteman, MD. "We want them to preserve their independence and continue living where they want to live."
Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disease. It is always fatal. The disease is caused by a defect in the Huntingtin gene. To this day, no therapy will put a stop to the insidious disintegration of brain cells. Fortunately, scientists of the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut fur Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin in collaboration with their peers working at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and at the Charite University Hospital discovered a natural mechanism, which not only suppresses the build-up of pathogenic amyloid fibrils but also disaggregates them. The scientists declare that the newly discovered molecular chaperones may soon be crucial parts of new therapy approaches. Recently, they published their work in the EMBO Journal.

In the past, Huntington's disease was also called Saint Vitus' Chorea (chorea = dance). As of today, Huntington's disease, like the neurodegenerative diseases named after Alzheimer and Parkinson, is incurable. A mutation in the dominant Huntingtin (Htt) gene causes Huntington's disease. This distinguishes Huntington's disease from Alzheimer and Parkinson. The Htt mutation involves a DNA segment with extra repeats of the polyglutamine-coding CAG triplet. The greater the number of extra repeats there are of this polyglutamine-coding segment, the more prone is the Huntingtin protein to improper folding and aggregation into pathogenic amyloid fibrils. In the affected cells and brain regions, the long fibrous proteins keep accumulating. The protein aggregates interfere with many physiological functions. Finally, the disease process will lead to cell degeneration and cell death.

So far, there is no therapy for patients with Huntington's disease. In a new approach, scientists focus on reducing the amyloid plaque formation due to the presence of the Htt protein. So far, scientists still did not succeed in the complete suppression of the pathogenic process. It was also unclear whether the fibrils can be disaggregated once they have formed.

Chaperones Keep Order in the World of Proteins

Still, suppression and reversal of the Htt-fibril formation is obviously feasible. For the first time, scientists at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut fur Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin in collaboration with their peers working at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and at the Charite University Hospital discovered a natural mechanism, which prevents the accumulation of pathogenic amyloid fibrils completely and can disaggregate already existing plaques inside the cells. A complex of three molecular chaperones is involved. Chaperones are proteins with abilities of helping other proteins to mature, to avoid improper contacts and to correct errors.

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Dr. Janine Kirstein (FMP) reports: "We were able to show that the trimeric chaperone complex of Hsc70, DNAJB1 and Apg2 is able to suppress the Htt-fibril formation entirely! The same chaperone complex is also able to disaggregate the Htt fibrils. This plaque removal opens new venues for therapy approaches."

The FMP, MDC and Charite worked together on this pioneering achievement. You find a description of their work in a recent issue of the EMBO Journal. An innovative fluorescence-based Htt-fibril formation assay developed in the laboratory of Erich Wanker (MDC) enabled the scientists to test the impact of individual chaperones and chaperone complexes on the Htt-protein aggregation and helped to identify the key players. Moreover, the scientists also succeeded in demonstrating the relevance of the identified chaperones in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) obtained from patients suffering from Huntington's disease. Clinician Josef Priller (Charite) and Alessandro Prigione (group leader at the MDC) played significant roles in this part of the project. Yet another insight emerged from the joint investigations. The over-expression of the DNAJB1 chaperone (probably the limiting factor) of the three-chaperone complex results in a significant reduction of the Htt aggregation in cell cultures.

Planning Ahead: Screening for Active Agents

Group leader Janine Kirstein lets us in on plans for the discovery of a practical therapy approach: "These data also show the value of chaperones as pharmacological targets. In collaboration with the screening unit of the FMP, we plan to screen for active agents, which will specifically induce the three identified chaperones or boost their cooperation."

It is quite possible that chaperones play a role not only in Huntington's disease but also in other neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the scientists will extend their research also to other amyloid proteins such as Amyloid beta and tau in Alzheimer Disease or TDP-43 in cases of ALS."
An alternative animal model that mimics key features of the Zika virus infection, including its lingering presence in bodily fluids, has been developed at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio. Acute infections in male marmosets, a New World monkey, resemble the human illness the Zika virus creates in people, including the presence of the virus in semen, saliva and urine up to two weeks after the initial infection.

The research is featured in a December 7, 2017 article in the journal Scientific Reports.

The primary mode of transmission of the Zika virus is through mosquito bites. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease can be spread through sexual contact.

Like 80% of humans infected with the Zika virus, most of the non-human primates used in this study lacked any apparent clinical symptoms. "Given the key similarities to human infections, a marmoset model of Zika may be useful for testing of new drug and vaccines," said Texas Biomedical Research Institute virologist Jean Patterson, Ph.D. "Having an animal model of Zika infection to study may help us identify places where we might be able to block transmission."

A year ago, Texas saw its first documented cases of the Zika virus transmitted by local mosquitoes. That handful of cases along the Texas-Mexico border likely won't be the state's last encounter with this emerging virus, according to public health reports.

Zika was first identified in Africa in the mid-20th century. It emerged as an infectious threat in the Western hemisphere in Brazil in 2015 where it made news for creating a spate of birth defects, including the devastating brain anomaly microcephaly.

While rhesus and cynomolgus macaque models of the Zika virus are being studied, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a good model since they are small (about the size of a rat).

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"That size can be an advantage when testing experimental vaccines and therapeutics that are available in limited quantities," explained Suzette Tardif, Ph.D., the Associate Director of Research at the Southwest National Primate Research Center at Texas Biomed.

These monkeys have been shown to have a high susceptibility to infection by a variety of pathogens including Ebola virus and Lassa virus that affect humans, making marmosets useful for drug and vaccine testing.

Recently, Zika virus was discovered in serum and saliva from marmosets living in the wild in Brazil, suggesting that these non-human primates are "a potential reservoir for maintaining Zika virus in endemic countries," according to Patterson's report.

Scientists around the world are working to discover more about how the disease is transmitted from pregnant mother to the fetus, including scientists at Texas Biomed. The Institute works with the Brazilian, Puerto Rican and African strains of the Zika virus in its Biosafety Level 2 Laboratory.

"We don't know where it (the Zika virus) will emerge, but we know more cases will show up in the United States," Patterson emphasized. "It's befuddling the epidemiologists."

Zika research at Texas Biomed has been supported by numerous individual donations.

The marmosets used in this newly-published study are part of a colony of more than 2,500 non-human primates at the Southwest National Primate Research Center. SNPRC has a long-standing commitment to treating its animals humanely and with the highest regard for their well-being for the sake of the animals and the quality of our research programs.
GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us.
It's Fisk vs. Fixit as Kingpin and the Hulk tussle in Joe Fixit #1

Can Wilson Fisk's vaunted strength come anywhere close to Hulk levels?
Russias Su-57 fifth-generation stealth air superiority fighter, also known as T-50, had performed its first test flight with a new-generation engine, according to a source in the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry.

Su-57 was equipped with the first stage engine 117S. The new engine has no name yet and is referred to as second stage engine.

Production fighters from 2020 onward will be equipped with a more powerful engine known as the izdeliye 30. Compared to the 117, the new powerplant will have increased thrust and fuel efficiency, greater reliability, and lower costs. The izdeliye 30 is designed to be 30% lower specific weight than its 117 predecessor. The new engine is designed to produce approximately 108 kN (24,086 lbf) of dry thrust and 178 kN (39,680 lbf) in afterburner. Full scale development began in 2011 and the engines compressor began bench testing in December 2014. The first test engines are planned to be completed in 2016, and flight testing is projected to begin in 2017. According to Russian Deputy Minister of Defence Yuriy Borisov flight testing with new izdeliye 30 engines will begin at Q4-2017. The new powerplant is designed to be a drop-in replacement for the 117 with minimal changes to the airframe.

On 5 December 2017, the first flight of a prototypefuselage number 052fitted with the new izdeliye 30 engine took place, in accordance with the schedule. The 17minute test flight was piloted by Sergei Bogdan, Sukhoi chief test pilot from the Gromov flight test centre at Zhukovsky AB. According to the photos and video of the flight, the Product 30 engine installed in the No. 1, or port-side, engine position, with a Product 117 engine remaining on the starboard side. The Product 30 engine features a serrated engine nozzle, compared to the flat nozzle on the Product 117, and appeared to be slightly smaller than Product 117.

Russia is not increasing its military budget for the 2018-2025 timeframe. Russia will not be able to afford to procure many Su-57s.

SOURCES- Tass, Wikipedia
RAND evaluates the capabilities of current and programmed U.S. forces to meet the demands of conflicts that could arise involving any of five potential adversaries:

China,

Russia,

North Korea,

Iran, and

Salafist-jihadi groups worldwide.

The report finds that U.S. forces today are larger than necessary to fight a single major war, are failing to keep pace with the modernizing forces of great power adversaries, are poorly postured to meet key challenges in Europe and East Asia, and are insufficiently trained and ready to get the most operational utility from many of its active component units. The report recommends a host of enhancements to the capabilities and posture of U.S. forces and offers three alternative force planning constructs to help ensure that defense resources are, in the future, applied to the highest-priority needs.

Nextbigfuture observations on the RAND report

The RAND report does not address the skyrocketing cost problems for US military hardware. The US is overpaying for the F35 and most of the other new military equipment. The US would be able to afford 50% more fighter aircraft if they did not cost $100-300 million each have very high operating costs. The US is paying a premium for stealth planes and the stealth capability could soon be made less useful with new quantum imaging satellites and other technology.

If the US is looking at staying ahead of China, then the key is not surging military spending over the next twenty years. The key is having a stronger US economy over decades. It is not whether the US should spend $580 billion per year or $630 billion per year through 2025. If the US economy has GDP growth at 1.5-2% per year while China is at 4-7% per year then Chinas will pass the US economy in 2025. If the US GDP were growing at 4% per year while China grows at 4-7% per year then China might not pass to 2035.

In the future, the US will need stronger cooperation with allied countries.

The US will be able to address Russian aggression in the Baltics by pre-deploying more armored units into those countries and working with a stronger military from allied countries.

It is clear that while the US could defeat China with a long and nearly all out war over Taiwan or the South China Sea, it also seems clear that the US will not step up that effort over Taiwan or the South China Sea. Those issues are clearly not important enough to the US for the level of effort and cost that would be needed. Having the capability to stop China taking over Taiwan would be like some other country stopping the US from being able to invade Cuba.

Taiwan is economically integrated and dependent upon China already. 20% of Taiwans male population works in China. Taiwan is highly dependent upon trade and tourism with China.

China absorbs 30% of Taiwans exports. This is about the level trade dependence that Canada has with the USA.

If the US was willing to go the wall over Taiwan then the US would have a large US base in Taiwan. Just like there is a US base in South Korea with about 30,000 soldiers or the bases that the US had in Western Europe.

Nextbigfuture does not believe that the US is actually willing to go the wall over Taiwan. I think the US is willing to talk about going to the wall over Taiwan to justify larger military budgets. Nextbigfuture does not believe that Taiwan is willing to go to the wall over Taiwan. Taiwan has chosen economic integration. If Taiwan really wanted a perpetual divorce or independence, then why does 10% of the population live in China ?

The US does have to be ready to fight North Korea, Iran, and Salafist-jihadi and whatever capabilities they develop.

RAND recommendations

RAND considers that with budget limits then the US should drop the two wars at the same time requirement and focus on a force capable of defeating any single adversary. This is preferable to a force whose capabilities against the most-capable adversaries are in question, it makes sense to start small and specify the forces and capabilities appropriate for defeating aggression by any single adversary, while also meeting other important needs.

RAND thinks modernizing to be more ready against improving capabilities of China and Russia would mean the US can handle North Korea and Iran.

RAND recommends increasing special operations forces from 70,000 to about 75,000 to 80,000 for handling ISIS and other terrorists.

RAND recommends fixing the readiness and training problem. There needs to be increased spending on training, maintenance, spare parts, and munitions. The importance of superior training will only grow as the proliferation of advanced technologies gives adversaries access to more capable weapons and support systems.

Priority Enhancements to U.S. Forces and Posture vs China

 Accelerated development and fielding of a longer-range, fast-flying radar-homing air-to-surface missile* and a longer-range air-to-air missile*

 Forward-based stocks of air-delivered munitions, including cruise missiles (e.g., JASSM, JASSM-ER, and LRASM)*, SAM suppression missiles (e.g., HARM, MALD)*, air-to-air missiles (e.g., AIM-9X and AIM-120)*

 Prepositioned equipment and sustainment for ten to 15 platoons of modern SHORADS for cruise missile defense

 Additional base resiliency investments, including airfield damage repair assets and expedient aircraft shelters, and personnel and equipment to support highly dispersed operations

 Accelerated development of the Next-Generation Jammer*

 A high-altitude, low-observable unmanned aerial vehicle system*

 More resilient space-based capabilities (achieved by dispersing functions across increased numbers of satellites and increasing the maneuverability, stealth, and hardness of selected assets)*

 Counter-space systems, including kinetic and non-kinetic (e.g., lasers, jammers) weapons*

Priority Enhancements to U.S. Forces and Posture vs Russia

 * = Items listed under China that are marked with an asterisk

 Three heavy brigade combat teams and their sustainment and support elements forward based or rotationally deployed in or near the Baltic states

 One Army fires brigade permanently stationed in Poland, with 30-day stock of artillery rounds; one additional fires brigade set prepositioned

 Forward-based stocks of artillery and multiple launch rocket system rounds; anti-tank guided missiles

 Forward-based stocks of air-delivered anti-armor munitions (e.g., SFW/P3I)

 Station or rotationally deploy eight to 12 platoons of SHORADS forces in NATO Europe

 Increased readiness and employability of mechanized ground forces of key NATO allies

Priority Enhancements to U.S. Forces and Posture vs Iran

 Improved, forward-deployed mine countermeasures

 High-capacity close-in defenses for surface vessels

Priority Enhancements to U.S. Forces and Posture vs North Korea

 Improved ISR systems for tracking nuclear weapons and delivery systems

 Exploratory development of boost-phase ballistic missile intercept systems

 Continued investments to improve the reliability and effectiveness of the GBI system to protect the United States

Priority Enhancements to U.S. Forces and Posture vs Salafist-Jihadi Groups

 Improved intelligence collection and analysis capabilities and capacity

 Acquire next-generation vertical takeoff and landing aircraft

 Acquire light reconnaissance and attack aircraft

 Develop powered exoskeleton (also known as the Talon Project)

 Develop swarming and autonomous unmanned vehicles

Overall enhancing military technology

The US will have to continue to make robust investments in military-related technologies, while also becoming much more opportunistic and efficient in exploiting emerging dual purpose technologies.70 DoD has already taken a number of steps to accelerate the process of U.S. military innovation. These steps include the creation of the SCO in 2011 and the ongoing initiative to enhance collaboration between the OSD R&D community, especially DARPA, and U.S. information technology industries.

The success of the Third Offset and DoDs overall program will depend in large measure on the extent to which DoD is able to address the following military challenges that face U.S. forces today or are likely to emerge by the mid-2020s:

 building a C4ISR infrastructure that is very resilient to near-peer attacks through the space domain and cyberspace

 training the joint force to operate in an environment with a highly degraded C4ISR infrastructure

 fielding forces that can detect, identify, locate, track, and damage or destroy mobile military assets, such as mechanized ground force units and surface ships, even in circumstances in which U.S. forces lack air superiority

 defeating through active defense and counterforce mobile ballistic and cruise missiles that may be nuclear armed.

 developing new ways to rapidly suppress and neutralize dense networks of modern SAM systems

 ensuring that forward-based forces on land and at sea can sustain operations even in the presence of repeated attacks with accurate ballistic and cruise missiles

 providing a strategic air and sea logistics lift capacity that can operate in an A2/AD military environment.
Package theft in her Chicago apartment building is so rampant, Sara Costello says, that she has begun rerouting all of her online orders to work: potting soil, knitting kits, glittered wigs and the occasional bottle of sage-scented spray.

Its secure and practical, the actor and comedian says  at least until it comes time to lug her things home on the train.

Sometimes Im just sitting on the red line with a wig in my hand, or potting soil in my backpack, thinking, This is so weird, Costello said. I thought Amazon was supposed to make my life easier?

Online shopping has been heralded as the ultimate modern-day convenience, but in at least one respect, it can be anything but. Packages get stolen, boxes pile up in the rain and many residential buildings  particularly those built back when people actually had to go to a store to shop  are running out of room for the never-ending barrage of deliveries.

The challenge has given rise to an entire industry that is racing to come up with technology that would make deliveries easier and more secure. Retail giants are also getting involved: Jet.com recently installed smart-lock technology in 1,000 apartment buildings in New York to allow delivery workers access to buildings when residents arent home. Amazon.com  which accounts for more than 40 percent of online sales  offers a similar service to Prime members. The company is also installing locker systems in apartment buildings across the country. (Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.)

People have this overwhelming sense of fear that their stuff wont be there, said David Echegoyen, vice president of marketing for Jet.com, which is owned by Walmart. Thats been the big question for us: How can we remove friction from the e-commerce experience, and in particular, with deliveries?

This holiday season is expected to be a particularly busy one for the nations carriers. The U.S. Postal Service says its expects to deliver 850 million packages between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, a 10 percent increase from last year. (That comes out to an average of more than 20 million packages a day.) UPS expects its holiday load to rise 5 percent, to 750 million packages, this holiday season, while FedEx says its planning for up to 400 million parcels.

The number of parcels shipped worldwide has increased 48 percent in the past two years, as shoppers look to the Internet as a replacement for routine trips to the store, according to data from technology firm Pitney Bowes. People are buying products as varied as single tubes of toothpaste and grand pianos online, creating new problems for apartment and condominium buildings  especially in dense, urban areas.

This is one of the biggest puzzles in the apartment industry, said Rick Haughey, a vice president at the National Multifamily Housing Council, a Washington nonprofit group. How do you manage hundreds of packages every day?

Some building managers are installing package lockers, smart-lock technology and front-door cameras, while others have converted janitorial closets, basements and even gyms into makeshift package rooms. In extreme cases, apartment companies are banning packages altogether. The Cairo, a 169-unit apartment building in Northwest Washington, has two full-time porters who deliver packages to residents. A few miles away, managers at the Meridian at Mt. Vernon Triangle have outfitted the buildings gym with dozens of package lockers, where residents can punch in special-access codes to pick up deliveries around the clock. Other properties around the country now rely on a service called Fetch, which collects packages and delivers them to residents once theyre home.

People are buying everything online  even furniture, which means our offices end up looking like West Elm warehouses, said Luanne McNulty, vice president of ZRS Management, an Orlando, Florida-based property-management company. Sorting all of that out is easily a full-time job.



There are days when Hillary Greenwald can barely make it to her desk.

The apartment-leasing office where she works is stacked high with other peoples boxes: TVs, packages from Kohls and Madewell, and dozens of Amazon deliveries. They come in by the truckful and sometimes sit for days until residents come for them.

Some days Im crawling over packages  theyll be all around my desk, on the tables, on the shelves, said Greenwald, the manager of Gelmarc Towers, a 1950s building that has 166 units. It can feel like an obstacle course.

The building, in Washingtons Kalorama neighborhood, is renovating the leasing office to add shelving and storage space for residents deliveries. But there is only so much they can do, she says: The lobby is small, and there are no extra closets or parking spaces to convert into mailrooms.

Two years ago, Camden Property Trust made waves when it announced that it would no longer accept packages at its 169 properties across the country. The company said it was a financial decision meant to free its workers from hours of sorting, managing and retrieving deliveries every day. Package volume, the company said, was increasing 50 percent year over year.

Ultimately, this was going to eat our lunch, Keith Oden, president of Camden, told the Wall Street Journal. A spokesperson for Camden declined to comment for this story. (The policy does not appear to have deterred residents: Occupancy rates at Camden properties continue to hover around 96 percent.)

The popularity of Amazon Prime  which offers two-day shipping on most items  means people will place online orders for a single bar of soap or ballpoint pen, said Georgianna Oliver, who founded Package Concierge five years ago. She spent a year researching the delivery industry before creating a line of package lockers for residential buildings. The lockers  which come equipped with built-in cameras and digital touch screens  notify residents when they have a package and give them a one-time pin code to access it.

Todays customer wants self-service, she said. They dont want to have to talk to somebody to get a package, especially if theyre getting something in the mail multiple times a week.

Package Concierge processes 30,000 packages a day. Larger apartment buildings have as many as 500 lockers, while a student housing building at the University of Southern California has more than 700 lockers in one location.

Over the past few years, its gone from maybe this locker is a good idea to we have to do this,  Oliver said.

But lockers can be costly and at times impractical. The units, apartment managers said, typically cost at least $30,000 and require ample space, as well as wireless Internet access and electricity. And, well, this is a fast-growing problem.

You can retrofit a building, but by the time you install 100 lockers, youll end up needing 150, McNulty of ZRS Management said.



On Dec. 3, Ali Pressgrove returned from a three-day work trip to find that someone had rummaged through her online deliveries. The latest item to be stolen from her San Francisco apartment building: a lint roller from Amazon.

I am at my wits end, said Pressman, 26, who works for a hotel booking company. I rely on delivery as I dont have large amounts of time or energy to run every single errand, especially here when it takes ages to get from A to B.

Sometimes, she says, she has valuable items sent a nearby vintage shop, where employees sign for her deliveries. Other times, she obsessively tracks her packages online to make sure shes waiting at the door when they arrive.

I have a really nice handmade pair of boots coming soon, she said. I really dont want to have to panic until theyre here, but I definitely will.

Roughly 35 percent of Americans say they have packages sent to an address other than their home to prevent theft, according to a survey by Shorr Packaging. FedEx now allows customers to reroute their packages to nearby pharmacies and groceries store, while UPS offers similar pickup services at neighborhood shops, delis and dry-cleaning establishments, which often stay open late and on evenings for easy access.

More and more customers want alternatives to residential deliveries, said Randy Scarborough, vice president of retail marketing for FedEx. Maybe its package theft concerns, or not wanting everyone to see what theyre buying. For whatever reason, preferences are changing.
You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person.



Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else.
Last month, President Trump stood in the Oval Office under a portrait of Andrew Jackson and announced that Broadcom, a semiconductor company based in Singapore, would be moving its headquarters back to the United States.

I want to thank you very much for choosing us, Mr. Trump said, boasting that Broadcom already had 7,500 workers in the United States and noting that some of those workers, from a plant in Pennsylvania, were standing behind him. Were looking forward to seeing that number grow very substantially, which it is now anticipated to do.

He added that he was thrilled to see Broadcoms $20 billion in revenues come back to our cities, towns and American workers.

Broadcoms chief executive, Hock Tan, then took the podium and declared: Thanks to you, Mr. President, business conditions have steadily improved. He praised the presidents proposed tax overhaul as a policy that would level the global playing field and make a move to the United States more advantageous.
Velcro. Zip ties. A pipe bomb.

And, after the smoke cleared and the commuters ran, a man slumped over in a tunnel beneath Midtown Manhattan, his midsection blackened and bloodied from the force of an explosive device strapped to his own body.

Of all the terrorist threats that loomed in New York in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, few were as worrisome to counterterrorism officials as a suicide bomber walking into one of the worlds busiest transit hubs.

Despite a couple of recent terrorist attacks, and the more than two dozen plots that law enforcement agencies have thwarted here in the last 16 years, no one in that period did what the police have long feared: tried to blow himself up in a crowd.

Until Monday.

Akayed Ullah, an immigrant from Bangladesh, is the person officials said crossed that threshold when a pipe bomb tied to his body exploded in a passageway between the Times Square and Port Authority subway stations, in the first attempted suicide attack in New York City since Sept. 11.
The New York State Board of Regents went further on Monday in its efforts to make it easier for students with disabilities to graduate from high school, essentially eliminating the requirement that they pass any Regents exams.

And, in a sign that the Regents may have anticipated criticism that they were lowering standards, the proposed policy change was not posted to the State Education Departments website until shortly before the vote.

Last year, the Regents loosened the graduation requirements for students with disabilities by allowing them to pass only two Regents exams, in English and math, rather than five, as long as the students sat for three other exams and, if they did not pass them, demonstrated proficiency in those subjects through coursework. For students with disabilities the score needed to pass is 55; for students without disabilities it is 65.

On Monday, the Regents went further, jettisoning the requirement that students with disabilities pass the English and math Regents exams, if the students instead earned a credential showing they had the skills for entry-level employment. Students would still have to take five Regents exams, and, as was the case under the regulation passed last year, the district superintendent would have to review their coursework to determine if they showed proficiency in the subjects for which they did not pass the exam.
I care passionately about #MeToo. Women are routinely demeaned, dismissed, discouraged and assaulted. Too many womens careers are stymied or ended because of harassment and abuse. In politics, where I have worked much of my adult life, this behavior is rampant.

I also believe in zero tolerance. And yet, a lot of women I know  myself included  were left with a sense that something went wrong last week with the effective ouster of Al Franken from the United States Senate. He resigned after a groundswell of his own Democratic colleagues called for him to step down.

Zero tolerance should go hand in hand with two other things: due process and proportionality. As citizens, we need a way to make sense of accusations that does not depend only on what we read or see in the news or on social media.

Due process means a fair, full investigation, with a chance for the accused to respond. And proportionality means that while all forms of inappropriate sexual behavior should be addressed, the response should be based on the nature of the transgressions.
On Monday the Treasury Department released a one-page report claiming that tax cuts would pay for themselves. The document was a shameless attempt to fool the public  carefully worded to imply that economic experts at Treasury (theyre still in there somewhere, maybe locked in a closet) had actually done an analysis to that effect, without explicitly saying so. In fact, there was no economic analysis; Trump officials just made up numbers that would give them the result they wanted.

Even reporters hardened to Trump administration lies seemed shocked by the brazenness of this bait-and-switch. What made Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, think he could get away with it?

Well, one answer is that similar scams on the part of congressional Republicans, Paul Ryan in particular, have generally received highly respectful treatment from the news media. Why shouldnt Mnuchin imagine he can pull off the same trick?

Actually, he probably cant. But the truth is that on economic policy, as in other areas, the Trump administration isnt much of a departure from recent Republican norms. Theres a fundamental continuity in the con jobs: Mnuchin is basically trying to do a Paul Ryan; he just lacks the acting skills to pull it off.
TWIN FALLS  Nearly 1,000 people have walked through the doors of the Crisis Center of South Central Idaho seeking help since it first opened last November, according to the Twin Falls-based centers first annual report.

Employees of the center, which offers support, resources, and a temporary place to stay to people experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis, say its been a year full of surprises, challenges, and growth.

The one-year report, released this week, offers a snapshot of the centers progress thus far. A total of 2,497 visits were logged between November 2016 and November 2017, with 941 clients served  many repeat visitors. Most suffered from a combination of mental health and substance abuse issues, and the vast majority came from Twin Falls.

The Crisis Center of South Central Idaho was the third such state-funded center opened in Idaho, following centers in Idaho Falls and Coeur dAlene. A fourth is opening in Boise this week.

While the centers in Idaho Falls and Coeur dAlene served as helpful models, those running the South Central Idaho operation soon found that the Twin Falls area came with its own unique challenges, said clinical director Kim Dopson.

One of the biggest challenges, Dopson said, has been helping patients secure housing outside of the center, as the city has a small  but growing  selection of transitional housing services.

A lack of public transportation has also proved an obstacle when it comes to clients who are seeking work but dont own a car, said Tiffany Warren, a licensed professional counselor at the center.

Thats a big barrier when were referring them to resources, Warren said, adding that the crisis center pays for a limited number of taxi vouchers.

When it opened, the center was touted as a place where police could bring people in the midst of a mental health or addiction crisis as an alternative to jail or the hospital. In the first year, 226 clients were brought to the center by law enforcement, according to the annual report.

There was nothing like it previously, said Lori Stewart, spokeswoman for the Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office. Running across people that needed immediate assistance, we really didnt have any options.

Weve used it quite a bit and have been really pleased with the outcome, Stewart said.

While bringing someone to the hospital can take up to eight to 10 hours of an officers time, the crisis center can make an evaluation in as little as half an hour, Dopson said.

Neither the crisis center nor the Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office were able to provide definitive numbers on the cost of savings over the past year, but the center estimates that it saves the legal system $1,200 per visit and the emergency room $2,000 per visit.

The vast majority of visitors to the center  1,911  came from Twin Falls County, with Jerome County providing 160 clients and Gooding County 116. An additional 157 in-state clients came from outside the Magic Valley region, and 93 came from out of state.

A significant chunk of clients from outside the Magic Valley were people recently released from St. Lukes Canyon View Behavioral Health Services, Dopson said.

In metro areas the psychiatric beds are full, so the hospital will transfer them down to be on a legal hold at Canyon View and evaluated, Dopson explained. If the designated examiner says, Nope, you dont need to stay, youre competent, they dont have a way to get back.

We didnt see that one coming, she added.

Despite the challenges, its been rewarding to see recovering clients come back to visit the center, Warren said: Now that weve been open for a year, weve had the opportunity to build trust with clients where we can help them before the point of crisis.

A new, affiliated operation known as the Recovery Center will make it easier for former clients to keep in touch. The Recovery Center, which is funded federally through state dollars, opened quietly in the same building as the Crisis Center last month.

At the Recovery Center, people recovering from mental health or substance abuse issues can find free, sober activities and support from volunteers who have survived similar situations.

Its another place for people to go, Dopson said, when they dont feel like they need to come stay here and see a counselor, but they need somebody who understands.
A century ago, New York was a favored target for self-described anarchists. In 1920, a bomb planted in a horse-drawn wagon exploded outside the J. P. Morgan bank on Wall Street, killing more than 30 people. Back then, it was Americas most devastating act of terrorism. New York in the 1970s endured a series of deadly attacks by Croatian, Puerto Rican and anti-Castro Cuban nationalists. Now the concern is terrorism perpetrated primarily by Islamist radicals, like the horror on Halloween when an Uzbek immigrant drove a pickup truck along a bike path in Lower Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring 12 others.

In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, the New York Police Department has worked hard to keep the city safe. But it cant head off every attack, especially one like Mondays, committed apparently by a lone wolf possibly inspired by the Islamic State. Nor is President Trumps ban on travelers from eight countries, six of them predominantly Muslim, any help. None of the men accused of the most recent assaults in New York and elsewhere in the United States came from those countries. The far greater threat comes from disaffected homegrown terrorists with ready access to handguns and rifles.

Much of the demonizing of immigrants by Washington these days rings hollow. New arrivals have in the main been well absorbed into the larger society. That reality has eluded an administration led by a man who may be from New York but is not of New York in either temperament or values, whether in regard to immigrants or to crime in general.

The American carnage that the president spoke of in his Inaugural Address does not exist in his hometown. Nor does the city embrace a soft on crime stance, as his Justice Department said in April. Nor is it the case that under Mayor Bill de Blasio the police arent allowed to do their job, as Mr. Trump suggested in a speech on Long Island in July. In fact, the steady downward march of crime in New York over the past quarter-century has continued on Mr. de Blasios watch.

Barring mayhem in the next three weeks, the city will end 2017 with about 280 murders for the year, the lowest total on record and a distant cry from the 1990 peak of 2,245. This was accomplished at the same time that the city sharply curtailed the intrusive stop-and-frisk practices of the past, with young black and Latino men the chief targets. It doesnt mean the police were not allowed to do their job. Instead of stopping vast numbers of mostly innocent men, they focused on crime hot spots, said Eric Piza, an expert on policing at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I dont think New York City has ever de-policed, he said.
Pressed by Congress and tax policy experts to prove the Trump administrations claims that its $1.5 trillion tax cut would pay for itself by stimulating economic growth, the Treasury Departments Office of Tax Policy released a one-page memo that shows it cant do it.

It projects a budget surplus created by 2.9 percent annual growth in gross domestic product over 10 years  thats more than 50 percent faster than the most recent forecast by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Half of that growth would come from corporate tax cuts, the other half from other tax cuts and regulatory reform and from infrastructure development and welfare reform, neither of which has advanced past the talking stage.

Scott Greenberg, a tax analyst at the conservative Tax Foundation, called the one-pager a thought experiment on how federal revenues would vary under different economic effects of overall government policies. Which is, needless to say, an odd way to analyze a tax bill.

No other analysis  not from Congress, bipartisan tax policy groups, economists, past Republican Treasury secretaries  supports these claims. Instead, most experts say the bill would add at least $1 trillion to the debt.
Pittsburgh  Of all the questions that the ascendancy of Donald Trump has raised  on the value of political experience in governing, on the fitness of business executives as government executives or the profile of the Republicans as defenders of the rich and the Democrats as the sentinels of the poor  none is as perplexing as perhaps the central question of the age:

Does the truth still matter?

It emerged again recently when reports surfaced that the president, who had previously acknowledged his presence on the Access Hollywood videotape, has suggested that he did not make the comments on the tape. He also resumed questioning whether Barack Obama was born in the United States  despite having said he accepted it as true last year. In a speech, Mr. Trump, contradicting almost every analysis of the tax bill, said the measure would hurt wealthy people, including himself.

For nearly a half-century in journalism, from hometown cub reporter to national political correspondent to metro daily executive editor, Ive navigated with the aid of a newspapermans North Star: the conviction that there is such a thing as objective truth that can be discovered and delivered through dispassionate hard work and passionate good faith, and that the product of that effort, if thoroughly documented, would be accepted as the truth.

Mr. Trump has turned that accepted truth on its head, sowing doubts about the veracity of news reporting by promoting the notion that the mainstream media spews fake news. Employing an evocative, sinister phrase dating to the French Revolution and embraced by Lenin and his Soviet successors, he has declared that great portions of the press are the enemy of the people.

Much of the Trump rhetoric on the press, to be sure, is less statecraft than stagecraft, designed to dismiss negative stories  as if the media had been never critical of past presidents instead of the equal-opportunity pugilists who bedeviled Bill Clinton (in the Monica Lewinsky episode) and George W. Bush (in the aftermath of the Iraq war).
Since the election of Donald Trump, however, opposition to overt racism, like free trade and supply-side economics, has been revealed as an elite Republican preoccupation with questionable currency among the conservative base. The presidents supporters celebrate his racial demagogy as a refreshing rejection of political correctness; they stood by him when he referred to some of the white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, Va., as very fine people. Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, has felt liberated to let his fascist flag fly, recently tweeting a quote from Hungarys far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban: Mixing cultures will not lead to a higher quality of life but a lower one. And as we approach Tuesdays special Senate election in Alabama, the president has thrown his support behind Roy Moore, an apologist for slavery.

Moores record of alleged sexual assaults of underage girls has understandably overshadowed his many other disqualifications for high office. Still, his repulsive racial views also deserve our attention. In September, The Los Angeles Times reported on a rally where an African-American man asked Moore when 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 responded. If Trump wants to return America to the 1950s, Moore would prefer the 1850s.

Moores affection for the America of chattel slavery was shocking but not surprising, because he has long palled around with white nationalists. In both 2009 and 2010, Moores Foundation for Moral Law hosted pro-Confederate Alabama Secession Day celebrations. On Monday, CNN unearthed two 2011 interviews Moore did on the far-right radio show Aroostook Watchmen, in which he said that getting rid of every constitutional amendment after the 10th would eliminate many problems. He was particularly contemptuous of the 14th Amendment, adopted to give former slaves equal rights under the law.

By contrast, Moores opponent, Doug Jones, is a prosecutor best known for securing the conviction of two members of the Ku Klux Klan decades after they planted bombs that killed four African-American girls in a Birmingham church. Some conservative leaders would like us to believe that Alabama Republicans see Jones as an unacceptable alternative to Moore because he is pro-choice. Perhaps, but Moores allies are also attacking Jones for encouraging black people to vote. Politico reported that an ad by the Moore-aligned Restore Our Godly Heritage PAC, running on nearly 60 Alabama radio stations, blasts Jones for advertising on African-American radio. Desperate to steal this Senate race, Jones and his race-hustling allies are trying to start a race war and its only going to get worse in the final weekend, with millions of dollars in street money to turn out the vote, it says.

No one knows whats going to happen on Tuesday. Its safe to predict, however, that if Moore wins, Senate Republicans will put aside their qualms and work with him, just as they did with Trump. Some analysts think Democrats benefit in this scenario, since Moore will taint Republicans image. But as Trump has shown, when ideologically extreme figures achieve political power, theyre able to push the boundaries of public discourse. Moore in the Senate would send the message that defending slavery  never mind segregation  is no longer beyond the pale.
FRONT PAGE

An article on Monday about planned legal and tax reforms in France misspelled the given name and surname of the chief executive of Luxembourg for Finance. He is Nicolas Mackel, not Nicholas Mackal. The article also misstated where the Shard building is located. While it is in central London, it is not specifically in the financial district.



An article on Monday about Nikki R. Haleys comments that women who have accused President Trump of sexual misconduct should be heard misstated the year in which Juliet Huddy, a former Fox News anchor, said that Mr. Trump kissed her on the lips in an elevator. Ms. Huddy said the incident occurred in 2005 or 2006, not in 2011.



An article on Sunday about differences in the way similar workers are taxed under the new House and Senate tax plans misidentified a tax-reduction move made in 2003 under President George W. Bush. It was the tax rate on dividends, like long-term capital gains, that was lowered, not the rate on short-term capital gains.

NATIONAL

An article on Sunday about President Trumps speech at the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum described incorrectly the murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy who was killed in 1955. He was killed by two men, not a white mob.
NEW ORLEANS  How is a little Pacific island like the planet Mars?

Let James Garvin count the ways.

In December 2014, an underwater volcano amid the islands of Tonga in the South Pacific erupted. When the eruption ended and ashes settled a month later, a new island had emerged, rising 400 feet above the oceans surface.

Scientists unofficially named the island Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai, a concatenation of two older, uninhabited islands it nestles between.
LOS ANGELES  The wildfires that raced across the hills of Southern California this week have tested the tough regulations California communities put in place to contain widespread destruction of homes in these seasonal fires.

But as the fires continued to roar out of control in some parts of the state, rules like requiring homeowners to clear flammable bush near their houses have proved to be of mixed success, fire officials said on Monday. While they can certainly help in slow-moving fires, they have proved no match to the high-wind fires that made this fire season in California so destructive.

It helps in that it gives us defensible space, said Ralph M. Terrazas, the chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department. However, once the winds become high speed, the downwind embers can easily jump to the house and clear that defensible gap.

The largest of the Southern California fires has burned through 230,500 acres, mostly in Ventura County, and is only 15 percent contained. More than 640 homes have been destroyed and 167 have been damaged, according to Israel Pinzon, a spokesman for Cal Fire. The high winds, which were expected to subside over the weekend, are now forecast to last through Tuesday.
Ive done nothing wrong, he said in a brief interview last week. Im happy to visit with anybody who has a concern and explain the facts to the extent that I am allowed to under the settlement agreement.

Details of Ms. Greenes allegations have been known for several years, ever since she filed suit against Mr. Farenthold in 2014; she said, among other things, that Mr. Farenthold told another aide he was having sexual fantasies about her and that she was fired after she complained.

But she was not the only Farenthold aide to find fault with the office environment; in 2016, two additional aides complained  prompting the congressman to hire an independent law firm to investigate, a spokeswoman for Mr. Farenthold, Stacey Daniels, confirmed in a statement.

One aide reported that Mr. Farentholds chief of staff, Bob Haueter, treated the female employees differently. The second aide  identified by The Houston Chronicle as Elizabeth Peace, a former press secretary to Mr. Farenthold  reported to Mr. Haueter that the first employee did herself engage in inappropriate sexualized commentary in the workplace, the statement said.

The review found no evidence of gender bias or inappropriate sexualized comments, Ms. Daniels said, adding that all staff members, including Mr. Farenthold, later took sensitivity and anti-harassment training to ensure full compliance with office policy and the law.

In an interview, Ms. Peace said the behavior never changed, which was partly why she decided to quit in March. There were a lot of inappropriate things that happened in that office that I dont think would have happened if the congressman hadnt already set the tone, she said.
BEIRUT, Lebanon  The leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said on Monday that the group would return its focus to fighting on behalf of Palestinians, saying it had prevailed in other regional battles against Syrian insurgents and the Islamic State.

Ridiculing Syrian insurgents as tools of the U.S.A. and Israel, the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said that Jerusalem, Palestine and the Palestinian people will return to being the priorities for Hezbollah, adding that the group would dedicate all its time to resistance.

Speaking via a video feed at a rally in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, that was organized to protest President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, Mr. Nasrallah called on Arab and Muslim countries to abandon their pursuit of normalizing relations with Israel by evicting the countrys embassies and cutting diplomatic ties.

Today we are witnessing a true intifada, or uprising, Mr. Nasrallah told the crowd, speaking of protests that have spread throughout the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. Muslims and Christians are all united to defend their holy sites in Jerusalem.
Hes yanking me around to the left and to the right, hes digging his left thumb and his middle finger  I felt like he was piercing my muscle, Mr. Ostrovsky said in a telephone interview. I started crying and sobbing profusely.

He dropped out of the school. I was depressed; I was embarrassed, he said. He assaulted me onstage in front of the whole cast.

Mr. Edwards and Mr. Ostrovsky are two of five City Ballet dancers  one of whom still works with the company  who in recent interviews accused Mr. Martins of threatening or physically abusing them and others in the company. Their descriptions of his behavior  from raising his fist to physical altercations  could be another problem for Mr. Martins, who has taken a leave as the leader of City Ballet and the School of American Ballet while they investigate a sexual harassment claim against him.

Mr. Martins has long been known to have intimate relationships with dancers, as well as a quick, volcanic temper. That he was able to act so freely, his critics say, points to dysfunctional power relationships between Mr. Martins and his employees, and between him and City Ballets management, which at times seems to have looked the other way.

After incidents with Mr. Edwards and another dancer, Kelly Boal  who recently described her encounter to The Washington Post  some dancers suggested adding an abuse clause to their contract. Lindsay Fischer, a former City Ballet dancer who was head of the union committee at the time, said the clause  which had originally been proposed in response to a racist incident at the Houston Ballet  was ultimately voted down. In the end, we left the contract the way it was, said Mr. Fischer, now principal balletmaster, at the National Ballet of Canada. Our opinion was we were already protected by ordinary law, not to mention human decency.
TWIN FALLS  Following an eventful construction year, city officials had much to report on before state legislators head to Boise this winter.

Twin Falls invested millions of dollars into its public infrastructure and buildings. Hundreds of jobs were created. And commercial construction got a big boost.

As legislators plan for the upcoming session, City Manager Travis Rothweiler asked them to keep Twin Falls growth in mind  and what its accomplished with assistance from urban renewal funds.

We would ask that the spirit of the tool be preserved, Rothweiler said.

That being said, Twin Falls is well aware of its Achilles heel  a workforce shortage thats resulted in some lost growth opportunities along the way.

Idaho Reps. Lance Clow, Maxine Bell, Stephen Hartgen and Clark Kauffman, and Sens. Lee Heider and Jim Patrick, attended the discussion on Monday, where they posed a few of their own questions to Twin Falls leaders. Here are some of the topics city staff touched upon during the meeting:

Multimodal transportation

In updating the citys strategic plan, citizens want public transportation and better routes for pedestrians and bicyclists.

It was by far the single largest issue that those surveyed had spoken about, Rothweiler said.

The 2020 U.S. Census results may require Twin Falls to fund public transportation if it hits the 50,000 population threshold. But the city has some time to plan ahead, as Census results probably wont be finalized until 2022, Rothweiler said. Not only that, but any mandates will give Twin Falls a time frame in which to meet them.

Hartgen warned the city about establishing a fixed-route bus system. They never deliver what they say they deliver, he said.

Road damage

Heavy snowfall, thawing and freezing last winter resulted in $9 million to $12 million in estimated damages to Twin Falls roads. Public Works Director Jon Caton reported the city budgeted $4.4 million in excess road funds to go toward the extra repairs.

Fortunately, the city will be reimbursed by state grants for 10 projects, eight of which are complete, he said.

In the meantime, the city will use the money it set aside to expand projects. A project on Pole Line Road and Eastland Drive has been bumped to 2018 and will be about a mile long. Construction will upgrade the roads weight and traffic volume for a 20-year life, Caton said.

Workforce, housing shortage

Unemployment in August 2017 was 2.5 percent in Twin Falls and Jerome counties. A year ago, it was 3.4 percent.

Full employment, Rothweiler noted, is generally considered to be between 3 and 5 percent unemployment. To gain skilled workers, hed like to see the state emphasize technical education in high school more than it already does, he said. He suggested a dual credit program for diesel mechanics.

Not everyone needs or wants to go to college, Rothweiler said.

It may help to retain Twin Falls graduates, but the availability of housing will be a complication in recruiting people to the area. Residential homebuilding was down this year, and the city faces a shortage of homes selling at or below $225,000.

Stormwater collection

Twin Falls will have to upgrade stormwater retention and treatment when it hits 50,000 people. The city will no longer be eligible for Community Development Block Grants, and right now, property taxes are its only way to pay for those upgrades, Rothweiler said.

Airport

The Twin Falls airport sends out three, 50-passenger flights per day, and theyre about 80 percent full. The airport also serves 150 diversions from Sun Valley annually.

Maintaining support for regional airports is absolutely critical as we move forward, Rothweiler said.

No local-option tax

Twin Falls is missing out on potential revenue, and Rothweiler said he would like to see citizens be able to vote on a local-option sales tax to fund projects.

It is a tax that is voted on by the citizens in the area that would be impacted, Heider said. And its a very minimal tax. Its like half a percent.

This type of tax, as proposed, wouldnt allow the city to go into debt, but it could save up money for specific projects approved by residents.

Law enforcement

Forty-eight percent of law enforcement contacts are with people who do not reside in the city of Twin Falls, Police Chief Craig Kingsbury reported.

And drugs continue to be a major problem. Over the past two years, hes seen a shocking increase in the amount of heroin coming into town. Meanwhile, the city has encouraged providers to not over-prescribe opiates to patients, and Twin Falls police are waiting to see what could happen if a marijuana establishment is allowed to come to Jackpot, Nev.
On a recent afternoon Ariel Foxman was having a one-way conversation with his son, Cielo, as he lifted up the newborn Lion King-style and then brought him in for a kiss. The baby, just 7 weeks old, was soon asleep on his shoulder.

Its been a big year for Mr. Foxman, professionally as well as personally. In August, he was announced the chief brand officer for Olivela, an online fashion site that uses part of its proceeds to support childrens health and education. Previously, from 2008 to 2016, Mr. Foxman was editor in chief of InStyle magazine and then editorial director of InStyle and StyleWatch. (For his 2014 wedding, he and his husband, Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, a public school principal, sought advice from the Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana for their formal wear.)

The couples apartment, a corner unit in a large, modern building in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, provides a sightly path through his past and present lives. In the living room, the eye travels from a small Tom Wesselmann nude hanging overhead to a photo book about Tupac Shakur and finally to two Robert Mapplethorpe photographs hovering over the couch.

Theres a visual line that traces maturity as well: A skateboard deck by Ryan McGinness in the master bedroom is dwarfed by a 4-foot-by-3-foot painting by Mr. McGinness in the hallway (The Incredible Dust Collecting Machine), purchased in the early 2000s, when Mr. Foxman was editor in chief of the short-lived Cargo magazine. Make a left and youre in the babys room, faced with a drawing by Agnes Martin.
It was the tail end of the heyday of the 80s, said the multi-instrumentalist Gina Leishman, who has led the group with the reedist Doug Wieselman since its inception. The city still felt perilous then, she said, but the scene was close-knit. The musical community was so supportive of each other. Its as though the city itself was a common enemy, and everyone here came out to listen to everyone else.

At the Kitchen, Kamikaze started with a piece called Epilogue. Assembled informally onstage, the band began before the audience knew it, the six horn players shushing tonelessly and almost introspectively through their instruments. Mr. Wieselman started to play the tunes hymnlike melody on tenor saxophone, and as the others found their voices around him, they rose from their seats one by one.

The group moved into SAlbufera, a piece by Mr. Wieselman, with a simple, two-chord progression over a gentle rock beat. Slowly you were being submerged, becoming weightless; the horns were both the water and the swimmers, looping and accruing around each other. This was consonant, repetitious music, major and balladic in tone, but not form. You could see that Mr. Weiselman and Ms. Leishman had been onto something that would eventually resonate with jazz musicians like Donny McCaslin and Chris Potter, as well as first-generation indie-rock bands like Yo La Tengo and Wilco.

The Jazz Passengers followed, playing as a sextet. Running through material old and new, they held together some marriage of noir, midcentury blues, klezmer and hard-bop. The groups music has a nervous humor that can only make total sense in New York; it feels most satisfying when the Passengers seem on the verge of falling apart  as they did during the up-tempo Trouble, or on the slower, drolly pessimistic Wake Up, Again! There Mr. Fowlkes sang of city troubles in a pensive baritone: Cant afford to live/Cant afford to die.
Netflix premieres Judd Apatows first stand-up special. And Finding Your Roots explores the genealogies of Questlove, Dr. Phil and the journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

Whats Streaming

JUDD APATOW: THE RETURN (2017) on Netflix. In July, Mr. Apatow, the noted comedy film producer (The Big Sick) and director (Knocked Up), performed a string of stand-up shows at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Those performances were filmed for this comedy special, Mr. Apatows first. The Canadian audiences were warm and excited about comedy, he told The New York Times. I like getting out of major cities like New York and talking about my life, show business and politics in a place where people are watching it from a distance.
MEGAFIRE

The Race to Extinguish a Deadly Epidemic of Flame

By Michael Kodas

365 pp. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $28.

FIRESTORM

How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future

By Edward Struzik

257 pp. Island Press. $30.

On Aug. 20, 1910, unusually vicious winds whipped through Idahos Coeur dAlene Mountains, where firefighters had been keeping a number of small yet pesky wildfires in check all summer. Aside from nearly knocking the men off their horses, the gales caused isolated blazes to combine, yielding a single giant conflagration that would come to be known as the Big Blowup. A forest ranger named Ed Pulaski was among those encircled by the fire, and he feared death was as certain as the smoke that blotted out the sun. The whole world seemed to us men back in those mountains to be aflame, he would later recall. Many thought that it really was the end of the world.

Pulaski guided 45 firefighters to shelter in a mine shaft, where he fended off the encroaching flames with wet blankets. When one firefighter panicked and tried to flee, Pulaski saved the mans life by holding him at gunpoint. Although the whole crew eventually passed out from lack of oxygen, all but five of them survived the ordeal. Scores of their colleagues werent so lucky: In addition to scorching a swath of land the size of Connecticut, the Big Blowup claimed the lives of at least 78 firefighters, some of whom opted to commit suicide rather than burn alive.

Staggered by the scale of the destruction and the vitriol of the resulting newspaper headlines, the five-year-old United States Forest Service felt compelled to declare an all-out war on wildfires. Instead of letting minor fires run their course to rejuvenate the land, the Forest Service began to snuff out any blaze, no matter how tiny or remote  preferably by 10 oclock on the morning after it was first spotted. Zero tolerance thus became the core tenet of modern wildfire management; to this day, legions of firefighters equipped with special axes known as Pulaskis attack every wildfire with militaristic zeal.
In the summer of 2006, as President George W. Bush was pressing to make permanent the tax cuts he had pushed through Congress in 2001 and 2003, the Treasury Department published a so-called dynamic analysis that, the administration hoped, would prove the undoubted economic benefits of the extension.

But its conclusions didnt draw much applause from the White House: In the long term, the Treasurys Office of Tax Analysis found, the tax cuts would expand the economy by all of 0.7 percent. It never specified what it meant by long term, but on the assumption it means a couple of decades, the tax change would add 0.035 percent to annual economic growth over the period.

Math and economics have changed little since that exercise.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin insists that the tax overhaul passed by Republicans in the Senate this month would increase annual economic growth by 0.7 percentage points over the next decade.

But an analysis by Congresss nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation projected less stellar results: In the course of 10 years, the tax cuts would make gross domestic product 0.8 percent larger. This amounts to increasing growth by 0.08 percent per year. On Monday, the Penn Wharton Budget Model chimed in with similar estimates: Under standard economic assumptions, G.D.P. would be 0.5 percent to 1.0 percent larger by 2027 than if tax rates hadnt changed.
BEIJING  Homes, businesses and even hospitals across northern China are running short of natural gas. Some schoolchildren are shivering. And in the chemical industry  well, the spandex supply is getting tight.

More than a decade ago, China began moving gradually to rely more on natural gas and less on coal, a dirtier form of energy. This autumn, faced with public pressure to clean smoggy skies, the government decided to pick up the pace.

In some places, that shift has gone awry.

The Chinese government on Tuesday shut down big chemical factories in western China for as long as four months to free up natural gas to heat homes and schools. And in Beijing, the city authorities have very publicly reversed a heavily promoted policy of ending municipal coal use. The city has turned a big coal-fired power plant in its southeastern suburbs back on  in the chilly air, it releases a towering, gray cloud of steam and pollution visible from tall buildings across much of the city.

It is the most severe shortfall of natural gas since the commitment to build up gas demand, said Daniel Yergin, the energy consultant and author, who is visiting Beijing this week.
H.R.s client is the company, which means that H.R. is supposed to protect the companys interests, Cynthia Calvert, a discrimination lawyer and senior adviser to the Center for WorkLife Law in San Francisco, said in an email.

The Uber engineer Susan Fowler said she had seen that calculus play out firsthand when she reported inappropriate messages from her manager to human resources. The individual was deemed a high performer and received only a warning about his behavior, Ms. Fowler wrote in a blog post about her experience.

At best, human resources officials may be caught in a thankless bind.

It can be very lonely being a human resources professional in an organization, said Carol Gordon, who spent three decades as a human relations officer in the banking industry and now runs a consulting firm. It can be very isolating and very dangerous when you get into politics and harassment situations in the workplace. You need to have a strong sense of self to have the wherewithal to do this kind of work.

Calls for Help End in Hurt

Often employees fear that human resources will help the company lash out at the accuser rather than punish the accused.

Kamee Verdrager, an employment lawyer in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, filed a legal complaint that said her supervisors at the law firm Mintz Levin, her former employer, gave her less meaningful work and unfairly harsh performance evaluations after she spoke up about experiencing harassment and after she went on maternity leave. The firm later demoted and fired her.

Ms. Verdragers complaint said that the firms human resources department enabled retaliation against her by refusing to seek evaluations from partners who praised her work but were outside her practice group  the same group where, she said, she had been harassed and discriminated against  despite customarily considering outside evaluations.

Mintz Levin said it couldnt comment beyond a statement it made when it settled the case last year saying the firm and Ms. Verdrager were putting the dispute behind them. Ms. Verdrager wouldnt comment on the case.
Several other employees say they also brought their complaints and concerns about Mr. Friedman to Ms. Bloomfield. Her response was always the same, said Ms. Nelson, who did not bring her complaints to the chef but was close to others who did. Thats who he is. Get used to it. Or go work for someone else.

Allegations of sexual harassment may seem surprising given Mr. Friedmans longtime collaboration with Ms. Bloomfield, 43. The two have clearly divided their domains: the dining room and bar are headed by Mr. Friedman, and the kitchens by Ms. Bloomfield. My energies are directed to the kitchen, food preparation and menu development, Ms. Bloomfield said in a statement.

But staff members said they turned to her for relief. I went to April directly multiple times about Kens inappropriate and abusive behavior, because among other problems it generated huge turnover among the staff, said Natalie Freihon, a former food and beverage director for the groups ventures at the Ace Hotel New York, including the Breslin and the John Dory. She really didnt want the turnover to continue. But she completely backed off from getting involved with the behavior.

Ms. Bloomfield denied that. In the two matters involving uninvited approaches that were brought to my attention over the years, I immediately referred both to our outside labor counsel and they were addressed internally, she said in her statement. I have spoken to Ken about professional boundaries and relied on him to uphold our policies. Nonetheless I feel we have let down our employees and for that I sincerely apologize.

Kelly Berg, who was hired in May as director of human resources for the restaurant company, Friedfield Breslin L.L.C., said in a statement that no employees had been dismissed or retaliated against for filing a complaint.

All employees are encouraged to report any concerns about the workplace, and I am saddened to learn some hesitated or chose to not do so, she wrote. She would not answer questions about specific complaints or discuss how long those policies had been in place.

Perks, at a Price

Many employees said Mr. Friedman was often genuinely warm and professionally supportive of women, as long as they tolerated his flirtatious behavior. In retrospect, several women said, his bursts of good-natured playfulness and generosity made it possible for them to ignore the fear, chaos and power imbalance in the relationship  sometimes, for years.
The 19th-century Prussian general and strategist Carl von Clausewitz famously argued in On War that war is a continuation of policy by other means. The quote is generally and correctly taken as an argument that war is a natural extension of political conflict, but the by other means part is just as critical. War, von Clausewitz wrote, is defined by the peculiar nature of the means which it uses  acts like killing, the destruction of property and the taking of prisoners, most of which would be considered criminal in peacetime. It had already been said that the special circumstances of war made such peculiar acts justifiable, or even noble. Hugo Grotius, the 17th-century Dutch scholar considered a founder of international law, argued in The Rights of War and Peace that wars can be legally justifiable and that for the attainment of their objects, they must employ force and terror as their most proper agents.

An act of war, then, is a moment of transition from one sort of politics, with one set of rules, to another. (At times, these transitions have been bizarrely formal: In 1609, Spain and the Dutch Republic agreed to stop fighting for 12 years, then seamlessly resumed hostilities when the truce was over.) Franklin Roosevelts 1941 date which will live in infamy speech illustrates just such a transitional moment. In its second line, it notes that as of the day before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor  a quintessential act of war  the United States was at peace with that nation. Following the attack, however, hostilities exist, and so the president asked Congress to declare that since the moment the first bomb dropped, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

If that language sounds a bit stilted today, it may be because countries rarely officially go to war with one another anymore. Yes, the world may be full of armed conflicts, from Afghanistan to Myanmar to South Sudan; it may be full of terrorism and political violence. But the traditional form of conflict that defined much of the last few centuries  in which one national government declares war on another, and armies are dispatched into opposing territory  just about never happens. Opposing nations are far more likely to use economic sanctions, or wage cyberwar, or sponsor rival militias in conflicts like Yemen and Syria. This is still policy by other means; its just that the means carefully skirt anything von Clausewitz might have recognized as a war.

There are plenty of explanations for this: economic globalization, the high costs involved with modern weaponry, perhaps the centuries-long civilizing process described in the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinkers 2011 book The Better Angels of Our Nature. But in their own recent book, The Internationalists, the Yale legal scholars Oona A. Hathaway and Scott J. Shapiro make a surprising argument: Governments dont declare war on one another anymore because doing so is illegal. Their argument traces back to the Kellogg-Briand pact, a 1928 agreement in which most of the worlds nations pledged to renounce war as an instrument of national policy. The pact is often ridiculed by historians and international-relations scholars, mostly because it was quickly followed by what turned out to be the single bloodiest war in human history. But Hathaway and Shapiro trace the agreements DNA through the Nuremberg trials to the establishment of the United Nations, and to todays long-lasting state of (official) peace. Even those skeptical about this argument will have to acknowledge the authors point that something has changed: Today, they write, war is regarded as a departure from civilized politics, whereas once it was civilized politics.
If landlords do not cooperate, the city intends to use eminent domain to take the property, officials said.

The planned acquisition involves 800 apartments spread throughout 25 to 30 buildings, mostly in the Bronx, which has the overwhelming majority of cluster apartments in the city. The city targeted buildings where more than 50 percent of the units were occupied by homeless people  a threshold that would guide future acquisitions, the city said.

In a statement, Mr. de Blasio said his administration had to think creatively and be bold.

Were fast-tracking the transition from shelter to higher-quality, permanently affordable housing for New Yorkers caught in the grips of our citys affordability crisis, he said.

The planned acquisition could place about 3,000 people into permanent housing; in some cases, homeless families living in the apartments would simply stay put, but would no longer be considered homeless. It was not immediately known how much the program would cost the city.

The rise in homelessness has been a paradox for Mr. de Blasio, a self-described progressive railing against income inequality. An estimated 77,000 people were living in the citys different shelter systems and on the streets in February, according to a count overseen by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. When the mayor took office in January 2014, there were an estimated 68,000.
TWIN FALLS  A homeowners association is upset about noise coming from a Twin Falls private school and wants to see its special use permit revoked.

The Twin Falls Planning and Zoning Commission is slated to make a decision 6 p.m. Tuesday at the city council chambers, 305 Third Ave. E.

The Russell Square Homeowners Association is worried about the noise at Acorn Learning Center on Eastland Drive, a potential loss of property value and tenants in the nearby Russell Square Apartments. But school leaders say its a small campus, students dont spend much time outside and Vera C. OLeary Middle School across the street  with more than 800 students  generates much more traffic and noise.

Acorn Learning Center board president Tiffany Mayes said school leaders were surprised by the complaint. We were shocked because were small and OLeary is right next to us. We only have at most 20 children outside at any time.

The Twin Falls private school serves preschool through fifth-graders. It received a special use permit May 23 to operate in part of an already existing professional office building.

Under the permit, its enrollment is limited to 50 students. Were really small, Mayes said.

Wali Fedaie with the Russell Square Homeowners Association filed the complaint. He didnt respond to Times-News inquiries Monday.

He began having phone conversations with city staff in early September about the schools noise becoming a nuisance and the citys process of approving a special use permit, according to a P&Z meeting packet.

In a letter to the city Sept. 6  Acorn Learning Centers first week of school  Fedaie wrote he wasnt informed of Acorns plans to seek a special use permit.

The school is 0.2 miles away from the Russell Square Apartments. That means the apartment complex likely didnt receive a notice because letters were only required to be sent to neighboring property owners within 750 feet.

If the city doesnt respond favorably to the homeowners associations proposal to revoke the special use permit, we will be forced to use any and all legal means at our disposal in order to resolve this manner, Fedaie wrote in a letter to the city.

City staff offered to hold a mediation meeting between Fedaie and the school, but he declined, according to the meeting packet.

The city received an application for a hearing Nov. 8 from Fedaie, citing noise levels from the operation of the school were unbearable to the Home Owners Association, according to the packet. Mr. Fedaie states that if the use is allowed to continue there will be irreparable losses in the form of loss of property value and tenants for the multiple owned units within Russel Square Apartments.

Acorn Learning Center, which was established in 1982, moved into its new building over the summer.

Previously, the school leased a building for 30 years on Filer Avenue East from a Washington-based church, which decided to put the property on the market.

The building sold in summer 2015. One contingency with the sale: The new owner, a different church, was required to honor the lease with the school, which ended this summer.

Mayes, who has two children enrolled at Acorn Learning Center, said the school sent out multiple letters this spring to property owners within 750 feet of its proposed new campus.

We did everything we were supposed to do to get our permit, she said.

Mayes said shes not aware of the homeowners association contacting the school directly with concerns.

At Acorn Learning Center, students are only outside for 15-minute increments, Mayes said. The noise generated is of children playing, which we think is a good sound.

We want to be good neighbors, she said. We dont want to bother anybody.

At its previous building, the school never received a complaint from a nearby business or resident, Mayes said.

Acorn Learning Center raised money and put a lot of effort into renovating its Eastland Drive building into a school, she said. Now, shes not sure what will come next.
Along his journey Monday morning toward a crowded subway tunnel below Midtown Manhattan, a would-be suicide bomber posted a statement to his Facebook page deriding President Trump, the federal authorities said on Tuesday. Then, among the throngs of commuters, he detonated a homemade pipe bomb affixed to his torso with the aim of inflicting as much death as possible.

The allegations were contained in a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday against the bombing suspect, Akayed Ullah, 27, an immigrant from Bangladesh who had lived for several years in Brooklyn. Because his crude bomb malfunctioned, he survived his own attack and has been charged with five federal counts that include the use of weapons of mass destruction, provision of material support to the Islamic State and bombing a place of public use.

The complaint said that Mr. Ullah, who has been held at Bellevue Hospital Center, admitted to investigators that he had built the pipe bomb and carried out the attack.

I did it for the Islamic State, he said, according to the complaint.

It said he also told his interrogators that one of his goals in carrying out the attack was to terrorize as many people as possible.
Charles Robert Jenkins, an Army sergeant who became a Cold War enigma after he defected to North Korea in 1965 and was kept there for nearly 40 years, died on Monday in Japan. He was 77.

His death was reported by the Kyodo News agency, which said the cause was not yet known.

Mr. Jenkins  who was born in Rich Square, N.C., on Feb. 18, 1940  was patrolling the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea when, drunk after 10 beers, he walked into the North in 1965 to avoid facing combat duty in Vietnam.

He quickly realized he had made a terrible mistake. He spent years held with other American defectors, forced to read the works of North Korean leaders for hours on end and suffering from hunger and beatings.

Little was known about Mr. Jenkinss experiences until he emerged from North Korea in 2004. He was allowed to leave to rejoin his wife, Hitomi Soga, a Japanese woman who had been kidnapped by North Korea.
San Francisco  Gov. Jerry Brown of California and lawmakers in Sacramento pulled off a huge political feat last summer when they renewed one of the states premier climate programs. The governor sought a two-thirds majority to insulate the program from legal challenges, and he got there by winning support from eight Republican lawmakers.

It was a sharp and welcome contrast to the political dysfunction in Washington. Now California must write the detailed regulations that will turn the governors vision into reality. As supporters of strong action to tackle climate change, we are worried that the state government may be sleepwalking its way into a serious problem.

Getting the program, known as cap and trade, right matters far beyond the borders of California. It is the best-designed plan of its type in the world to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, and has already been adopted by two Canadian provinces. China is paying close attention too, and the plan may well become a model for that countrys efforts to cut its emissions, the largest of any nation.

Within California itself, the public has been suffering from droughts, wildfires and other weather disasters that are aggravated by a warming climate. The recent fires that have forced thousands of people to evacuate parts of Los Angeles ought to focus some minds in Sacramento, the state capital, on how more can be done to reduce climate risks.
TWIN FALLS  The Twin Falls School District will go to voters in March with a request for money to help pay for school maintenance.

The school board voted unanimously Monday night to allow the school district to proceed with asking for a 10-year, $4.75 million annual plant facilities levy. It also gave the OK for financing and restructuring existing debt.

Its a recommendation from a school district budget advisory committee, which includes community members.

The school district has used a plant facilities levy since 1958. Its used to pay for school building maintenance and renovation projects.

The current 10-year, $3.3 annual plant facilities levy, which voters approved in 2008, expires soon.

Despite a proposed increase to the levy amount, the tax rate is set to decrease slightly because of an increase in property valuation.

The school district has half a million more square feet of building space to maintain than it did 10 years ago, Superintendent Brady Dickinson said. Aside from schools that opened last year, the average age of Twin Falls campuses is 53.

The school board is slated to give final approval in January for the plant facilities levy and in February for refinancing debt.

Trustees also heard a presentation by Eric Heringer, a managing director for Piper Jaffray, about future planning for school bonds and levies. He has worked with the district on its bond and levy plans since 2002.

A lot of what we try to do is manage the finite resources of your property taxes, he said.

There are three types of ballot measures a school district can approach voters for: a bond, a supplemental levy used for operational expenses and a plant facilities levy for building maintenance and facility projects.

A bond requires a two-thirds supermajority to approve. A supplemental levy is a simple majority and a plant facilities levy rate varies depending on the combined levy rate.

Heringer talked with school trustees about the school districts history of levies and bonds it has passed in recent years.

Your debt profile is pretty straight forward, level and conservative, he said.

The legal limit of the school districts debt capacity is $157 million, Heringer said.

The Twin Falls School District has a real advantage to have that large of a debt capacity, Dickinson said, versus some school districts that dont have as large of a tax base and struggle with not being able to levy what it needs for projects.

Were fortunate to have that in Twin Falls, he said. Obviously, we wouldnt ask for that much.

During his presentation, Heringer also talked about changes in market value in Twin Falls over the years, including nearly 14 percent growth last year.

During their meeting, trustees also:

Heard a proposal for next school years calendar. The school board didnt take action. If approved, the new school year will start Aug. 20  a couple of days later than this year. There arent other major changes for students. The district wants to change the structure for October teacher in-service days, but will have to reopen negotiations with the teachers union.

Recognized employees of the month: music teacher Benita Remaley and special education paraprofessional Leigh Ann Hamman from Lincoln Elementary School, and paraprofessional Tami Hughes and teacher Russell Burnum from Bridge Academy.

Approved senior class trip proposals from Canyon Ridge and Twin Falls high schools. Both trips will be in April to the San Francisco area.

*Editor's note: This story was updated Dec. 12 to correct the date of when the school district first passed a plant facilities levy.
BUHL  Imagine spending the night in a sizable, nine-bedroom, five-and-a-half bathroom house near the Snake River. An outdoor pool and a hot tub are open to guests, and about a dozen horses stand ready to be ridden on the 75-acre property.

Thats the kind of bed-and-breakfast Johnny Urrutia wants to bring to a property north of Buhl. And hes coming to the Twin Falls County Planning and Zoning Commission this week to get approval.

If the commission gives the OK, the bed-and-breakfast with horse therapy will help support Urrutias nonprofit, Idaho Horse Therapy.

Ive been doing it in Lincoln County for about 10 years, he said.

The bed-and-breakfast, I-T  pronounced I Bar T, is seeking investors to purchase Steven Miller Jr.s property at 1473 East 4600 North on behalf of the nonprofit. Pending the commissions approval of a conditional use, an open house has been planned for noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Idaho Horse Therapy offers therapy programs for at-risk teenagers such as juveniles on probation; veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder; and first responders. The bed-and-breakfast, however, would be open for anyone to come and stay. Visitors will also be able to make use of the nonprofits horse therapy for helping with depression and anxiety.

The horse is an amazing feedback for them to understand things about themselves, Urrutia said.

Not only that, but horseback riding can trigger feel-good endorphins.

It teaches us to be in the moment, he said.

Idaho Horse Therapy has about 40 thoroughbreds and thoroughbred crosses, but Urrutia plans to leave the majority of the horses in Lincoln County. The Buhl bed-and-breakfast will have 10 to 12 on site.

The Planning and Zoning Commission was scheduled to hear about the proposal at noon Tuesday. A public hearing, where the community can comment on the request, is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday in the Planning and Zoning meeting room at 630 Addison Ave. W.

Interestingly, Urrutia isnt the only one whos coming to Planning and Zoning this week to talk about horse-riding therapy. Rising Stars Therapeutic Riding Center is also asking for a conditional use at 2669 East, 3500 North, for an equine therapeutic riding and assisted therapy center.

Also at the meeting, JRS Properties III LP out of Boise will be requesting approval of a conditional use on about 1,560 acres of land south of Rogerson. The company is proposing a 125-megawatt solar project plus energy storage facilities. This is the same developer as a solar project that had been proposed near Jackpot, Nev., but its a separate project.
Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth?

My meet with Rahul would have prevented BJP's Gujarat win: Hardik Patel

Alpesh Thakor knows secret behind PM Modi's fair complexion

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

On the last days of Gujarat assembly elections campaign, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor told about hitherto unexpected, unknown reason behind PM Narendra Modi's fair complexion.

Alpesh Thakor said Prime Minister Narendra Modi mushrooms imported from Taiwan. One mushroom costs Rs 80 thousand. PM Modi eats he eats five mushrooms a day, reported ANI.

Thakor claimed someone told him that he would not be able to eat the food Modi eats, as it was not the food "poor people eat."

He said, "He [PM Modi ] was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms."

#WATCH Modi Ji eats mushrooms from Taiwan, one mushroom costs Rs 80 thousand & he eats 5 mushrooms a day. He was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms: Alpesh Thakor, activist & Congress leader #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/jh5QPN27SD  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

OBC leader Alpesh Zala (Thakor), popularly known as Alpesh Thakor, has been fielded from Radhanpur. It is a general category constituency. Alpesh Thakor comes from Endla village of Ahmedabad district. Alpesh Zala is the convenor of Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena (GKTS). He has also founded the OBC, SC, ST Ekta Manch, a social platform to demand proper reservations for people of the respective communities, shortly after the Patidar reservation agitation.

OneIndia News
If Modi was careful, Doklam stand-off could have been avoided

To get China to budge, India brings in its best 3

Doklam standoff put severe pressure on India-China ties, says Chinese foreign minister

India

oi-PTI

The Doklam standoff had put "severe pressure" on India-China ties though the issue was resolved through diplomatic means, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during their meeting in New Delhi.

The bilateral ties went through a serious test after Indian border troops "illegally trespassed" into the Chinese territory in June, Wang told Swaraj on Monday.

The Chinese foreign minister was in New Delhi to attend the Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers' meeting.

Although the standoff ended eventually through diplomatic means more than two months later, lessons must be learned and efforts must be made to avoid such an incident in the future, said Wang, whose comments were posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website on Tuesday.

"The standoff put the bilateral relations under severe pressure," he said.

Wang said that the India-China relations are at a crucial period and the most important thing between the two countries is to really cultivate mutual trust.

Leaders from both countries have shared the view that China and India should regard each other's development as opportunities rather than challenges, and China and India are partners rather than rivals, thus the two sides should sincerely implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, Wang noted.

While enhancing strategic communication at all levels, restoring dialogue mechanisms that have been established and deepening pragmatic cooperation in all fields, both sides should also properly manage differences so as to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, he said.

Wang's visit to New Delhi is the first by a top Chinese official to India after the 73-day Doklam standoff and after the commencement of the second five-year term of President Xi Jinping.

The Doklam standoff ended on August 28 after Chinese troops stopped building a key road close to India's 'Chicken Neck' corridor. India had objected to the construction highlighting its security concerns. The road was being built by China in an area also claimed by Bhutan.

Besides Swaraj, Wang also called on President Ram Nath Kovind and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

In his meeting with Doval, Wang said China and India should make correct choice in development of relations without politicising and complicating issues left over by history.

India-China relations are at a crucial moment when both sides need to make right choice on the future of the bilateral relations, Wang was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 23:41 [IST]
Who is Dr Anantha Nageswaran? All you need to know about the new chief economic advisor

FRDI: 'Do not panic, your money is safe, stop fear mongering', says Fin Min

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Over the past few days, there has been an alarm that has been caused due to the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill 2017 (FRDI). It has been said in various quarters that customers will end up losing all their money if a bank fails.

The bill has caused alarm over a bail-in provision which according to many may mean creditors and depositors including common account holders have to absorb losses in case a bank fails.

The Bill was presented in the Lok Sabha in August before it was referred to a joint committee of Parliament. Under the bail-in provision, troubled banks issue ties in lieu of the money deposited.

The Ministry of Finance has repeatedly asked people not to believe such rumours. It has asked people to be beware of fake propaganda. Beware of fear-mongering, the ministry also said. Further, the ministry said that the government of India assures the security of the money deposited in the banks.

The government of India is strengthening the mechanism to protect depositors. The proposed FRDI Bill is now before a joint committee and the act in this regard is yet to be passed. The rights of the depositors will be fully protected at the time of the legislation and the banks are being strengthened by the infusion of over Rs 2 lakh crore, the ministry also said. Furt, er the statement also read that the government is strengthening the rights of the depositors like never before and special care is being taken care of small depositors.

The bill does not propose to limit the scope of powers for the government to extend financing and resolution support to banks, including public sector banks. The provisions contained in the FRDI bill, as introduced in the Parliament, do not modify present protections to the depositors adversely at all. They provide additional protections to the depositors in a more transparent manner," the ministry also said.

The Finance Ministry however said that the Billis are depositor friendly when compared to other countries which provide for statutory bail-in without consent of creditors and depositors.

"Indian Banks have adequate capital and are also under prudent regulation and supervision to ensure safety and soundness, as well as systemic stability. The existing laws ensure the integrity, security and safety of the banking system," said the ministry.

"The bill ensures that, in the rare event of failure of a financial service provider, there is a system of quick, orderly and efficient resolution in favour of depositors," the Finance Ministry also added.

OneIndia News
FRDI: Why the bail-in clause is unnecessary

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Some provisions of the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill 2017 also also known as the FRDI Bill have given rise to concerns about the safety of bank deposits.

The government has clarified that the deposits are safe and the matter is still before a high level committee. The bail in clause in particular is what has worried the people. To put it in a simplified way, the people say that in case their bank fails, they will lose their deposits.

The Bill specifies various tools to resolve a failing financial firm which include transferring its assets and liabilities, merging it with another firm, or liquidating it. One of these methods allows for a financial firm on the verge of failure to be rescued by internally restructuring its debt. This method is known as bail-in.

Under bail-in, the Resolution Corporation can internally restructure the firm's debt by: (i) cancelling liabilities that the firm owes to its creditors, or (ii) converting its liabilities into any other instrument (e.g., converting debt into equity), among others, an article in the prsindia stated.

Bail-in may be used in cases where it is necessary to continue the services of the firm, but the option of selling it is not feasible.[4] This method allows for losses to be absorbed and consequently enables the firm to carry on business for a reasonable time period while maintaining market confidence.3 The Bill allows the Resolution Corporation to either resolve a firm by only using bail-in, or use bail-in as part of a

After the global financial crisis in 2008, several countries such as the US and those across Europe developed specialised resolution capabilities. This was aimed at preventing another crisis and sought to strengthen mechanisms for monitoring and resolving sick financial firms.

The Financial Stability Board, an international body comprising G20 countries (including India), recommended that countries should allow resolution of firms by bail-in under their jurisdiction. The European Union also issued a directive proposing a structure for member countries to follow while framing their respective resolution laws. This directive suggested that countries should include bail-in among their resolution tools. Countries such as UK and Germany have provided for bail-in under their laws. However, this method has rarely been used. One of the rare instances was in 2013, when bail-in was used to resolve a bank in Cyprus.

Professor R Vaidyanathan from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore says that the bail in clause was unnecessary. In case it goes through it will not cover the deposits of individuals. As of today only Rs 1 lakh is protected through insurance.

FRDI: 'Do not panic, your money is safe, stop fear mongering', says Fin Min

There are European nations with this clause. But my question is why have it at all. It is not a finality and the entire issue is before a committee. We are hopeful that all measures to protect the depositor's interests are taken care of. However I also feel that no institution can take away one's hard earned money. Over all an unwanted clause to add, Professor Vaidyanathan also adds.

Government clarification:

The Ministry of Finance has repeatedly asked people not to believe such rumours. It has asked people to be beware of fake propaganda. Beware of fear mongering, the ministry also said. Further the ministry said that the government of India assures security of money deposited in the banks.

The government of India is strengthening the mechanism to protect depositors. The proposed FRDI Bill is now before a joint committee and the act in this regard is yet to be passed. The rights of the depositors will be fully protected at the time of the legislation and the banks are being strengthened by the infusion of over Rs 2 lakh crore, the ministry also said. Further the statement also read that the government is strengthening the rights of the depositors like never before and special care is being taken care of small depositors.

The bill does not propose to limit the scope of powers for the government to extend financing and resolution support to banks, including public sector banks. The provisions contained in the FRDI bill, as introduced in the Parliament, do not modify present protections to the depositors adversely at all. They provide additional protections to the depositors in a more transparent manner," the ministry also said.

The Finance Ministry however said that the Billis are depositor friendly when compared to other countries which provide for statutory bail-in without consent of creditors and depositors.

"Indian Banks have adequate capital and are also under prudent regulation and supervision to ensure safety and soundness, as well as systemic stability. The existing laws ensure the integrity, security and safety of the banking system," said the ministry.

"The bill ensures that, in the rare event of failure of a financial service provider, there is a system of quick, orderly and efficient resolution in favour of depositors," the Finance Ministry also added.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 17:54 [IST]
Modi takes sea route

Modi boarded the single-engine sea-plane from near the Sardar Bridge connecting the old city with Ahmedabad West, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country. The plane took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid chants of "Modi-Modi" from BJP workers and other city dwellers, who flocked the Sabarmati Riverfront to witness this one-of-a-kind event. The plane landed at Dharoi Dam reservoir in Mehsana.

Modi on his way to Ambaji temple

From Dharoi, the prime minister proceeded to Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha district via road. After visiting the temple, he would return to Ahmedabad by the sea-plane in the evening. Modi had yesterday said at a poll rally that today, for the first time in the history of the country, a sea-plane will land on the Sabarmati river.

Modi visits Ambaji temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers his prayers at Ambaji Temple in Ahmedabad during his campaign trail for Gujarat assembly election.

Rahul Gandhi visits Ahmedabads Jagannath temple

Meanwhile, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi had also visited the temple during his campaign trail. PM Modi will be heading back to Sabarmati river front after prayers complete. Devotees are also trying to get into the temple to get a glimpse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In pics: Together, PM Modi with other G20 leaders plant mangrove saplings in Bali

PM Modi gifts Biden Kangra painting: What is the significance of this art from Himachal

From Kangara painting for Biden to Pithora for Australia, here's what PM Modi gifted leaders at G20 Summit

PM to deliver inaugural address at third No Money for Terror Ministerial conference

To boost connectivity in North-East, PM Modi to inaugurate first greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh

Gujarat polls: Where is vikas? Are Modis speeches only about Rahul, Muslims?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Recommended Video

Gujarat Assembly polls : Development has made a backdoor exit from poll-bound state | Oneindia News

Gandhinagar, Dec 12: Vikas (development) has quietly made a backdoor exit from poll-bound Gujarat. Or is vikas playing hide and seek with the janata of Gujarat?

Over the years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become synonymous with the word "development" because of his much-touted "Gujarat development model" as the chief minister of the western state for almost 13 years from 2001 to 2014.

In fact, it was the success of the "Gujarat development model" which helped him to become the prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and his final elevation as the PM of the country after the saffron party's massive victory in the parliamentary elections.

Surprisingly, during the whole campaigning process for the Gujarat Assembly elections, the BJP and the PM have maintained a "stoic silence" over the development issue.

While one would believe that vikas is the best trump card for the BJP and Modi to be used during the polls in Gujarat, the opposition alleges that the whole "Gujarat development model" is a farce which only helped rich businessmen to become richer in the state.

The BJP and Modi too in a way proved their critics right by hardly uttering the word vikas during campaigning. The polling for the first phase of Gujarat elections got over on Saturday. The second and final phase of polling is scheduled on Thursday. The results of the elections will be out on December 18.

During the run-up to the state polls, the opposition Congress, which is attempting to unseat the BJP from its fort Gujarat, has accused the saffron party and the PM of communalising politics by raking up Hindu-Muslim issues in multiple poll rallies.

The new Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also accused the PM and the BJP of only talking about the Congress and defaming the Muslim community.

"They say the Congress has disappeared from Gujarat. Why do 50 percent of PM Modi's speeches are on the Congress? The rest of the speeches are about Modi himself," Rahul said at a public rally in Gandhinagar on Monday.

The allegation that the PM has brought the Muslim angle in the Gujarat polls has surfaced after the BJP first attacked the Congress for Rahul's multiple visits to temples in the state since September.

Modi has also criticised the Congress for having "Mughlai mentality" after now suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called the PM a "neech aadmi" (a lowly man).

The critics of Modi said that by equating the Congress with the Mughal regime, the BJP tried to tell the Hindu voters that the grand old party represents the cause of Muslims only.

However, the final nail in the coffin of the polarised Gujarat elections was when the PM alleged that former PM Manmohan Singh, a former army chief and a former vice-president together have "conspired" with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat polls in a rally on Sunday.

The former PM Singh, issuing a statement against Modi, said that the PM is spreading falsehoods about Pakistan meddling in the Gujarat polls.

"I sincerely hope that Prime Minister will show the maturity and gravitas expected of the high office he holds instead of concentrating his energy solely on erroneously conceived brownie points.

"I sincerely hope that he will apologise to the nation for his ill-thought transgression to restore the dignity of the office he occupies," stated Singh.

It is not that Modi is not talking about vikas during his campaigning in Gujarat. He did, but mildly, and failed to ring a bell among the masses.

"India is making remarkable strides and the world is realising it. If India is making a mark on the world stage it is due to the 125 crore people of India," Modi said at a rally in Ahmedabad on Monday.

"Gujarat has two development engines--one here in Gandhinagar and the other in Delhi," he added.

While talking about vikas, Modi alleged that the Congress was "anti-development".

"Do you see this Sabarmati river? There were circuses held earlier, now see the riverfront. This is development. But for the Congress, vikas is only where they can make money."

"We have started a Pragati (development) initiative. Through technology, officers from all over India join and we discuss key policy issues. This has helped accelerate the pace of development," he added in Ahmedabad.

The reference of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) was there in Modi's speech too.

"Who is impacted most by unclean surroundings? Not the rich families but the poor. When we work on Swachh Bharat Mission it helps the poor," said Modi.

Now, the voters of Gujarat will decide whether Modi and the BJP's 'smart move' to stay away from the issue of development is right or wrong.

OneIndia News
Have Gujaratis 'forced Manmohan to open his mouth, taught Rahul to visit temples?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Gandhinagar, Dec 12: On Thursday, Gujarat will vote for the second and final phase of Assembly elections. Just 48 hours before the polls, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who has relentlessly campaigned in the state, decided to once again attack former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and newly-elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Gujarat will be voting for 93 Assembly seats on Thursday after having polled in 89 constituencies on Saturday. The counting of votes for Gujarat Assembly election will be held on December 18.

While criticising Singh and Rahul for targetting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state and at the Centre, Yogi said that because of Gujarat polls, the former PM (known for being a man of fewer words) has started talking and Rahul (accused by the BJP of following Christianity) has started visiting temples.

"Gujarat ki janta ne do kaam iss chunaav mein achhe se kara diye. Dr Manmohan Singh ji ka mooh khulwa diya, aur doosra Rahul Gandhi ko mandir jaana sikha diya (The people of Gujarat have done two things well during this election. First, they forced open Dr Manmohan Singh ji's mouth and second, they taught Rahul Gandhi to visit temples)," Yogi was quoted as saying by ANI.

Gujarat ki janta ne do kaam iss chunaav mein achhe se kara diye. Dr Manmohan Singh ji ka mooh khulwa diya, aur doosra Rahul Gandhi ko mandir jaana sikha diya: UP CM Yogi Adityanath pic.twitter.com/Db3plqEFSQ  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

Yogi and several top leaders of the BJP have criticised Rahul, who has been aggressively campaigning in the state since September, for visiting several temples in the run-up to the Assembly elections.

Rahul is said to have visited more than two dozen temples in the past couple of months in Gujarat.

Along with Rahul, the former PM has also visited the state during this election season and has lambasted the Narendra Modi government at the Centre over its failure to curb price hike of essential items and fuels, and the two badly executed economic policies--demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST).

On Sunday, Modi during a rally in Gujarat accused that Singh along with a former army chief and a former Vice President had conspired with Pakistan to influence elections in the state.

Singh, on his part, has demanded an apology from the PM over his Pakistan remarks which the BJP has denied to tender.

OneIndia News
Suspended ex-Andaman chief secretary Narain claims was in Delhi on day of alleged rape

Man booked for rape of 12-year-old after video of injured girl surfaces on internet

Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage

Law student rape and murder case: Accused found guilty by Ernakulam Sessions court

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Accused Amirul Islam, a migrant labourer, has been found guilty by the Sessions court, Ernakulam in the 30-year-old woman rape and murder case.

He was arrested 50 days after the gruesome incident for allegedly murdering a 30-year-old Dalit woman at Perumbavoor in Kerala.

The 23-year-old Islam, hailing from Assam's Nagaon district, was taken into custody from Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu. He had left Perumbavoor soon after allegedly committing the murder on April 28.

The victim, a law student, hailed from a poor family. She was raped and brutally assaulted using sharp-edged weapons before being murdered at her house on April 28 in 2016.

The LDF government, after assuming power on May 25, had changed the investigation team and entrusted the probe to ADGP Sandhya in its first cabinet meeting itself. Over 100 police personnel had questioned over 1,500 people. Fingerprints of over 5000 people were also examined and went through over 20 lakh telephonic conversations before reaching the culprit.

(With agency inputs)
As 'RRR' performs well at Japan box office, SS Rajamouli confirms sequel to NTR-Charan-starrer

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Man arrested for derogatory remarks against Bharat Mata

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Hyderabad police have arrested a 36-year-old man for his derogatory remarks against 'Bharat Mata'. A case was registered against Vijay Kumar on 7th December for making derogatory remarks against Bharat Mata.

A complaint filed by T. Kunal Rao, 30, a businessman living at Hussaini Alam, stating that Vijay had allegedly said in his speech 'How many husbands does Bharat Mata have? Three crores'.

According to Deccan Chronicle, the complaint stated, "He had also made a hate speech earlier in August," police said. A case was booked against the man under relevant sections of the IPC.

OneIndia News
Meat exporter Moin Qureshi gets bail in money laundering case

India

oi-Madhuri

The Delhi's Patiala House Court on Tuesday granted bail to meat exporter and controversial businessman Moin Akhtar Qureshi in a money laundering case.

Qureshi was arrested on August 25 and sent to ED custody by the trial court the next day for the thorough probe in the case against him and others. He is presently in judicial custody.

Qureshi has been questioned several times in the past by ED which is probing his role following the registration of two FIRs under the PMLA, it had said.

The earlier PMLA case against Qureshi was lodged by the ED in 2015, based on an I-T prosecution complaint, ED had said.

OneIndia News
Modi boards sea-plane at Sabarmati riverfront

Narendra Modi will conclude his month-long high-decibel campaign for Gujarat assembly elections by landing on the Sabarmati riverfront in a sea-plane from where he will proceed to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district.

Modi to visit Ambaji temple

Modi will then proceed by road to the revered Ambaji Temple in North Gujarat, which goes to the polls on Thursday.

As roadshows cancelled:

Both the PM and Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi have been denied permission to hold roadshows in the poll-bound Gujarat, citing traffic situation.

Nitin Gadkari witnessed test landing of Sea plane in Mumbai waters

On Saturday, Nitin Gadkari had witnessed the test landing of a seaplane in Mumbai waters.
Paresh Mesta case: BJP calls medical report fudged, want NIA probe; tension prevails in districts

India

oi-Anusha

A day after a medical report bust most of their claims in the case of Paresh Mesta, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took out a protest march in Bengaluru. The BJP has now sought a National Investigation Agency probe into the case alleging that the Siddaramaiah government and the police in Karnataka were working to protect Mesta's alleged killers.

The BJP led by MP Shobha Karandlaje, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and leader of opposition in the legislative council K S Eshwarappa took out a protest rally from Vidhana Soudha to Raj Bhavan. BJP leaders submitted a memorandum seeking the Governor's intervention to direct the state government to transfer the case to the NIA.

"Never has there been a precedent of police asking medical experts for their opinion and that being made public. Who authorised the police to seek opinion based on autopsy and make it public? Who is the government trying to convince? The case has to be investigated by the NIA," said Shobha Karandlaje, MP, Chikmagalur. The BJP rubbished the report that punctured claims of torture made by its leaders. LEaders like Jagadish Shettar questioned the report and alleged that the Congress government in the state was attempting to influence the investigation.

The Congress, however, defended its government and accused the BJP of fanning communal flames for electoral gains. "The BJP is making false allegations and attempting to disturb the peace in Karnataka. They are turning an unfortunate death into a communal issue for their personal gains," said G Parameshwara, President, KPCC.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in parts of coastal Karnataka with police resorting to lathi charge and tear gas to control crowds in Sirsi. Thousands of people took part in protests in Honnavar and Sirsi despite prohibitory orders. The police have arrested one person for spreading false information over Pramesh Mesta's death and more arrests are likely. Home Minister of Karnataka, Ramalinga Reddy said that curfew could be imposed in sensitive areas if the need arises but now the situation was under control.

OneIndia News
Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth?

My meet with Rahul would have prevented BJP's Gujarat win: Hardik Patel

'Shame on you': Sharad Pawar slams PM Modi for remarks against Manmohan Singh

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dragging Pakistan into Gujarat election campaign.

"Shame on you, Prime Minister for making such allegations. You have made the allegations against this country's former Prime Minister and former defence officials," Pawar, a former defence minister, said.

"Modi's government has not solved issues of farmers and other issues the country faces, but he is bringing the Pakistan angle as a diversionary tactic for Gujarat elections," Pawar said at a public rally -- 'Halla Bol' -- organised by the Congress and the NCP in Nagpur on issues relating to agrarian crisis.

Modi has demeaned the office of the Prime Minister, Pawar alleged.

The Prime Minister at a poll rally in Gujarat on Sunday sought to link a dinner meeting hosted by suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for Pakistan dignitaries and attended by Manmohan Singh among others with the ongoing assembly polls and a conspiracy against the BJP.

Modi had insinuated that his predecessor had colluded with Pakistan for BJP's defeat at the polls. The former Prime Minister responded by saying Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" and asked him to apologise to the nation, a demand rejected by the Union government.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 21:51 [IST]
Soothing the Valley through Operation Outreach

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Operation clean-up or all out was launched by the Indian security forces to wipe out terrorists from Jammu and Kashmir. While this operation has resulted in the death of over 208 terrorists in the year 2017 alone, it was also necessary to bring many others back into the mainstream.

Today, the security forces and the administration are under Operation Outreach in a bid to ensure that local terrorists are back to the mainstream. As part of this operation, the forces give local terrorists the option to surrender.

This operation began earlier this month at Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam considered being the epicenters of terrorism. So far the Jammu and Kashmir police have met over 100 families seeking their help to bring those who have joined terrorism back into the mainstream.

This programme was prompted by the advice given by the centre's interlocutor, Dineshwar Sharma. Further Chief Minister of J&K, Mehbooba Mufti had also said that killing terrorists alone will not solve the problem and the police must also take a humane approach.

Director General of Police, S P Vaid says that the police have started reaching out to the families. We will reach out in the other districts of the state as well, he further added. As part of this programme, we will meet with the kin and families of local terrorists, he also said.

The police have so far reached out to the families of at least 100 terrorists. The response has been positive so far. There are 6 districts in Kashmir which are terrorism infested. The focus of the operation would be at Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, Budgam, Kupwara and Handwara.

OneIndia News
Will the exit of Vaghela help BJP in central Gujarat?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Has the exit of former Chief Minister, Shankarsinh Vaghela helped the BJP in the Gujarat assembly elections? The BJP feels that it would be able to improve its tally in Central Gujarat thanks to Vaghela quitting the Congress.

Party leaders said they were also banking on the candidates who had switched over to the BJP from the Congress, and the consolidation against the Patidar agitation in the region, which is often called the KHAM (Kshatriya-Harijan-Adivasi-Muslim) belt. Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the absence of Vaghela's outfit Jan Vikalp Morcha from the contest would benefit the BJP.

However, Dhamesh Mehta, the RSS organisational secretary in charge of the region, felt the fight was tougher this time. He agreed with Tomar on the Vaghela factor. "Vaghelaji's absence will help the BJP. Otherwise, it would have been difficult because he is a dominant figure among all castes of the Kshatriyas and has a hold over 8 per cent of the vote, Mehta said.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 6:25 [IST]
Israeli tank, aircraft hit Gaza after rocket fire

International

pti-PTI

Jerusalem, Dec 12: The Israeli military said it hit the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers with tank and aircraft fire after Palestinians launched rockets at southern Israel. At least two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip, with the second intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system, the army said.

After the first rocket was fired, the army issued a statement saying that in response, "a tank and the Israel Air Force targeted Hamas military posts in the southern Gaza Strip." It did not say where the first rocket fell or report any casualties. There was also no word on injuries on the Gaza side of the border.

After the interception of the second rocket, Israeli tank fire hit a "Hamas military position" in Gaza, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

Gazan residents said the strike was in the north of the Palestinian enclave. It was the first rocket fire since Friday evening, which triggered repeated Israeli strikes throughout that night and into Saturday in which two members of Hamas's military wing were killed.

The Israeli army says it holds Hamas responsible for all attacks originating from the territory under its control. The latest wave of rocket fire followed US President Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

On Thursday, Israel also targeted Gaza sites with air strikes and tank fire after what a military statement described as "a projectile" was fired into southern Israel. Palestinian security officials in the enclave said the strikes hit two Hamas posts. The Israeli military said the targets were "two terror posts", without identifying them.

PTI
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Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous city and state. The country is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. It occupies an area of 83,871 km2 (32,383 sq mi) and has a population of 9 million.
The following editorial appears on Bloomberg View:

Drug prices are too high, and Congress lacks the political will to do anything about it. These are two of the most uncontroversial assertions in the contentious debate about U.S. health care policy  and they explain why states should be allowed to act on their own.

The high price of medicine is a familiar lament from presidents and pharmaceutical executives alike, and there is no shortage of viable suggestions for making them cheaper: The federal government should negotiate Medicares drug prices and end tax breaks for direct-to-consumer drug advertising. It should restrict the coupons that drug companies give out to coax patients to choose expensive brand-name drugs. It should limit Medicare patients out-of-pocket drug costs, police pay-for-delay deals that keep generic medicines off the market, and require that all drug prices be made public.

Yet Congress has failed to take up these proposals, and the prospects are dim for legislation anytime soon. So two states, Massachusetts and Arizona, have asked the federal government for permission to pick and choose which drugs they will cover for Medicaid beneficiaries. The idea is to save money by providing reimbursement for only the most cost-effective drugs.

As things stand, state Medicaid programs are required to cover all drugs that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That gives them zero leverage to press drug makers to offer rebates beyond those that are federally mandated.

And state Medicaid drug expenditures have been rising fast. In Massachusetts, theyve more than doubled in the past seven years  to nearly $2 billion last year. Its a big reason why the state now devotes 40 percent of its budget to Medicaid. In other states, the share is 25 to 30 percent  which is why, if Massachusetts and Arizona get permission to restrict medicines, other states can be expected to follow suit.

A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine sensibly argues that all Medicaid programs should be able to exclude some drugs from coverage. Making such a change without depriving beneficiaries of essential treatments would take careful planning. States would need to create a process to accommodate patients with a demonstrated need for excluded drugs.

Most Americans want the government to take such action. So far, states seem to have greater motivation to do so than the federal government has. But the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should cooperate by letting Massachusetts and Arizona proceed. Then Congress should take up other practical strategies to make medicines affordable.
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Inaugural Blockchain and Bitcoin Switzerland Looks Rich in More Ways Than One

Published December 12, 2017 by Lee R

New exhibitions and essential cryptocurrency topics will abound at Genevas Blockchain launch!

Geneva is taking a proactive approach to Blockchain application at the next major cryptocurrency conference.

Changing History

Top experts and enthusiasts are set to change history in Geneva at the inaugural Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland, marking the first time Switzerland has hosted a major conference on cryptocurrencies, blockchain and ICOs.

The Event

Taking place February 21, 2018, Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland will be held at the luxurious Grand Hotel Kempinski in the heart of Geneva featuring a panoramic view of the city and Lake Geneva for over 300 guests.

Crypto-components

Key crypto-economy features to be addressed include blockchain investments, data protection using cryptography and all relevant mining issues.

Attendees

Attendees will include the brightest experts of the industry, well-known specialists, and gurus of the crypto market, developers, entrepreneurs, representatives of payment systems, and lawyers who will share their way of thinking concerning blockchain technology development across the globe.

Keynote Speakers

The conference will welcome successful blockchain company founders. Speakers sharing their experiences will include Gatecoin Limited COO William Piquard discussing European cryptocurrency regulation; and digital currency expert and Bitup.io founder Kir Kelevra on-hand addressing cryptocurrency trading.

Topics of Discussion

Discussion topics include crypto market analysis, business solutions within FinTech achievements, Blockchain and Bitcoin prospects, cutting-edge technologies and technical aspects of working with the smart technology, the latest regulatory changes, Bitcoin mining and exchange, and more.

Astounding Exhibition Floor

The Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland exhibition floor promises a dazzling array of innovation from Switzerlands top Blockchain software developers, featuring crypto-mining farms, bitcoin ATMs and new blockchain infrastructure equipment visible for the first time!

Pitch Project

A pitch series will select exhibitors to pitch audiences on the comparative value of new projects to prospective investors.

Smile On

Blockchain and Bitcoin Switzerland is a wonderful new addition to the global satellite of Smile-Expo crypto-conferences worldwide, with Switzerland Estonia, and Philippines set to be added in 2018 on the heels of an amazing 2017 series of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conferences in Sweden, the Czech Republic, Russia, Estonia, Malta, and Cyprus.

Forecast

Switzerland is a region known for its quality, so crypto-history very well may change with the launch of this regions first blockchain conference, and looks like a true cant-miss event. Afterall, in the beginning there can be only one.
In its long history, the US Congress has in several different ways expelled more than several members. This is germane to the discussion about what to do about Roy Moore if he is elected. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has maintained that even if Moore should win the election he should be expelled from the United States Senate.

Alabama's senior senator, Republican Richard Shelby, has been particularly outspoken about not backing Moore.

"I wouldn't vote for Roy Moore. I think the Republican Party can do better," Shelby said Sunday on CNN.

Much of this will depend on what action the Majority Leader wishes to take, and what comes out of the Senate Ethics Committee investigation into Moore's actions with young women, if that occurs, which seems quite inevitable to me. The hearings are bound to be lurid and disruptive, with many women testifying under oath, but that seems to be a very introductory and minimal price for this new Senator, if he is elected. Remember, please, that Mitch McConnell was the Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee that caused Oregon's Senator Packwood to step down after the Committee's report.

In my lifetime and in my political observations, I only recall a very few instances wherein the body took action against a member, so I looked into this matter primarily on the US Senate's own history website, and in the writings of a few incisive journalists, and in the actual histories.

The one that stands out most prominently occurred at the beginning of the Civil War when the Senator from Indiana, Jesse Bright, was kicked out by a majority vote in the Senate for his pro-Confederacy actions, most particularly that of writing a letter of introduction to Jefferson Davis introducing and swearing to the good qualities of a Texas-based weapons dealer, as "a gentleman of the first respectability, and reliable in every respect."

This is inconceivable today, is it not, that any sitting US Senator would do such a thing, and try as hard as we can to imagine the times and the historical context of such an action, it is difficult to conclude that this was not considered outright Treason, punishable by the Death Penalty, and not merely being expelled from the US Senate.

Expulsion or Censure are both possibilities.

Article I, Section 5, of the United States Constitution provides that "Each House [of Congress] may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member."

Since 1789, the Senate has expelled only fifteen members, fourteen for supporting the South during the Civil War.

In just a very few other cases, the Senate considered expulsion proceedings but either found the member not guilty or failed to act before the member left office, and mostly these revolved around egregious corruption. .

In the entire Senate history, only four members have been convicted of crimes. They were: Joseph R. Burton (1905), John Hipple Mitchell (1905), Truman H. Newberry (1920), and Harrison Williams (1981). Newberry's conviction was later overturned. Mitchell died. Burton, Newberry, and Williams resigned before the Senate could act on their expulsion.

United States Senate Expulsion Cases

1797 William Blount (R-TN) Charge: Anti-Spanish conspiracy; treason Result: Expelled

1808 John Smith (R-OH) Charge: Disloyalty/Treason Result: Not Expelled; Expulsion failed 19 to 10--less than the necessary two-thirds majority. At request of the Ohio legislature, Smith resigned two weeks after the vote. (His counsel was Francis Scott Key.)

1861 James M. Mason (D-VA) Charge: Support for Confederate rebellion Result: Expelled

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From Consortium News



Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders during a 2016 Democratic presidential debate .

(Image by (NBC screengrab photo)) Details DMCA



With the Democratic Party's "Unity Reform Commission" now history, major political forces are entering a new stage of contention over the future of the party. Seven months after the commission's first meeting -- and nine months after Hillary Clinton backer Tom Perez won a close election over Bernie Sanders supporter Keith Ellison to become chair of the Democratic National Committee -- the battle lines are coming into focus for next year.

The commission's final meeting adjourned on Saturday after a few steps toward democratizing the party had won approval -- due to the grassroots strength of progressives. But the recommendations from the commission will go to the Rules and Bylaws Committee, which was one of the DNC decision-making bodies that Perez subjected to a purge two months ago. Now, in the words of Jim Zogby (who was removed from the Executive Committee by Perez), "There are virtually no Bernie supporters on the Rules and Bylaws Committee."

When the latest Unity Reform Commission meeting got underway, Perez talked a lot about unity. But kicking Sanders supporters off of key DNC committees is the ugly underside of an ongoing dual discourse. (Are we supposed to believe Perez's soothing words or our own eyes?) And party unity behind a failed approach -- internally undemocratic and politically hitched to corporate wagons -- would hardly be auspicious.

"Emerging sectors of the electorate are compelling the Democratic Party to come to terms with adamant grassroots rejection of economic injustice, institutionalized racism, gender inequality, environmental destruction and corporate domination," says the recent report "Autopsy: The Democratic Party in Crisis" (which I co-authored). The report adds: "Siding with the people who constitute the base isn't truly possible when party leaders seem to be afraid of them."

DNC Chairman Perez and allied power brokers keep showing that they're afraid of the party's progressive base. No amount of appealing rhetoric changes that reality.

"We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to all," the Democratic National Committee proclaimed anew at the start of this month, touting the commission meeting as "open to the public." Yet the DNC delayed and obscured information about the meeting, never replying to those who filled out an online RSVP form -- thus leaving them in the dark about the times of the meeting. In short, the DNC went out of its way to suppress public turnout rather than facilitate it.

Rebuking the DNC

One member of the task force that wrote the Autopsy, Karen Bernal, is the chair of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party. After traveling across the country and sitting in the sparse audience during the first day of the Unity Reform Commission meeting, she took the liberty of speaking up as the second day got underway. Bernal provided a firm rebuke of the DNC's efforts to suppress public attendance.



Sen. Bernie Sanders speaking to one of his large crowds of supporters during the 2016 campaign.

(Image by (Photo credit: Sanders campaign)) Details DMCA



"For all of the talk about wanting to improve and reform and make this party more transparent, the exact opposite has happened," Bernal told the commission. (Her intervention, which lasted a little more than two minutes, aired in full on C-SPAN.)

On Sunday, a mass email from Zogby via Our Revolution summed up: "We are fighting for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice. The Democratic Party needs everyone, regardless of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, country of origin, language, or socioeconomic status, to be deeply involved in order to change the course of this country."

For those reasons, he added, "we are calling for an end to superdelegates, [for] open primaries and caucuses, [for] same-day registration, and [for] more transparent, fair, and accountable leadership at the helm of the DNC."

Overall, the commission approved some recommendations that were partial victories for progressives. Among the most notable: It called for reducing the number of notoriously undemocratic superdelegates to the national convention from 712 to about 300, while the only democratic number would be zero. [Superdelegates are party insiders who are not chosen through a primary or caucus but nevertheless get to vote for the party's nominees. In 2016, they broke overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton.]

The commission somewhat improved transparency for often-dubious DNC contracts with high-paid consultants and vendors, while defeating sensible amendments by commission member Nomiki Konst -- who spoke with notable clarity about the need to clamp down on financial conflicts of interest among DNC decision-makers.

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From Consortium News

The U.S. mainstream media's year-long hysteria over Russia's alleged role in the election of Donald Trump has obliterated normal reporting standards leading to a rash of journalistic embarrassments that have both disgraced the profession and energized Trump's backers over new grievances about the MSM's "fake news."

Misguided groupthink is always a danger when key elements of the Washington establishment and the major news media share the same belief -- whether that is Iraq's supposed possession of WMD or the need to bring down some foreign or domestic leader unpopular with the elites.

Yet, we have rarely witnessed such a cascading collapse of journalistic principles as has occurred around the Russia-gate "scandal." It is hard to keep track of all the corrections or to take note of all the dead ends that the investigation keeps finding.

But anyone who dares note the errors, the inconsistencies or the illogical claims is either dismissed as a "Kremlin stooge" or a "Trump enabler." The national Democrats and the mainstream media seem determined to keep hurtling down the Russia-gate roadway assuming that the evidentiary barriers ahead will magically disappear at some point and the path to Trump's impeachment will be clear.

On Friday, the rush to finally prove the Russia-gate narrative led CNN -- and then CBS News and MSNBC -- to trumpet an email supposedly sent from someone named Michael J. Erickson on Sept. 4, 2016, to Donald Trump Jr. that involved WikiLeaks offering the Trump campaign pre-publication access to purloined Democratic National Committee emails that WikiLeaks published on Sept. 13, nine days later.

With CNN finally tying together the CIA's unproven claim that WikiLeaks collaborates with Russia and the equally unproven claim that Russian intelligence "hacked" the Democratic emails, CNN drew the noose more tightly around the Trump campaign for "colluding" with Russia.

After having congressional reporter Manu Raju lay out the supposed facts of the scoop, CNN turned to a panel of legal experts to pontificate about the crimes that the Trump campaign may have committed now that the "evidence" proving Russia-gate was finally coming together.

Not surprisingly the arrival of this long-awaited "proof" of Russian "collusion" exploded across social media. As The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald noted in an article critical of the media's performance, some Russia-gate enthusiasts heralded the CNN revelation with graphics of cannons booming and nukes exploding.

The problem, however, was that CNN and other news outlets that jumped on the story misreported the date of the email; it was Sept. 14, 2016, i.e., the day after WikiLeaks released the batch of DNC emails, not Sept. 4. In other words, it appeared that "Erickson" -- whoever he was -- was simply alerting the Trump campaign to the WikiLeaks disclosure.

CNN later issued a quiet correction to its inflammatory report -- and not surprisingly people close to Trump cited the false claim as yet another example of "fake news" being spread by the mainstream media, which has put itself at the forefront of the anti-Trump Resistance over the past year.

But this sloppy journalism -- compounded by CNN's rush to put the "Sept. 4 email" in some criminal context and with CBS and MSNBC panting close behind -- was not a stand-alone screw-up. A week earlier, ABC News made a similar mistake in claiming that candidate Donald Trump instructed Michael Flynn to contact Russian officials during the campaign, when Trump actually made the request after the election when Flynn was national security adviser-designate, a thoroughly normal move for a President-elect to make. That botched story led ABC News to suspend veteran investigative reporter Brian Ross.

Another inaccurate report from Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets -- that Russia-gate special prosecutor Robert Mueller had subpoenaed Deutsche Bank records of President Trump and his family -- was denied by Trump's lawyer and later led to more corrections. The error apparently was that the bank records were not those of Trump and his family but possibly other associates.

A Pattern of Bias

But it wasn't just a bad week for American mainstream journalism. The string of errors followed a pattern of earlier false and misleading reporting and other violations of journalistic standards, a sorry record that has been the hallmark of the Russia-gate "scandal." Many stories have stirred national outrage toward nuclear-armed Russia before petering out as either false or wildly exaggerated. [See, for instance, Consortiumnews.com's "Russia-gate Jumps the Shark."]

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Rohingya refugee sites in Bangladash

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I just returned from Bangladesh, a small country on the Indian sub-continent that has a huge population of 165 million, one-half the population of the United States -- in an area the size of Louisiana (50,000 square miles).

Bangladesh deals with annual disastrous typhoons from the Bay of Bengal and the massive floods that routinely submerge large parts of the small country.

The latest flood in Bangladesh is not of water, but of humanity.

Over 1 million ethnic Rohingya, whose existence has been documented from the 7th century in the Rakhine province of Myanmar, have fled into a very small area of neighboring Bangladesh, on the peninsula south of the city of Cox Bazar, to escape the murderous actions of the Myanmar military that has burned villages, raped and murdered men, women, children, the elderly in the most horrible ways. The Rohingya are Muslim while the dominant religion of Myanmar is Buddhism. Rohingya were not given citizenship of Myanmar by the 1982 citizenship act passed during the reign of the military government. They are considered Bangladeshi migrants, not as citizens of Myanmar.



Endless Sea of Shelters

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Shelters on the Terraced Hillsides

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In the humanitarian spirit of those with the least helping those with the least, the Bangladesh government has not turned away the flood of Rohingya refugees. Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasani has famously said, "We are a country of 165 million, we can provide shelter for another 1 million in need." And they are doing exactly that!!

I went to Bangladesh with the Malaysian NGO MYCare. MYCare has humanitarian projects in 22 countries and is partnering with a Bangladesh NGO, the Allama Faizullah Foundation as a part of the international effort to provide food and supplies to the huge number of Rohingya refugees.



OB/GYN Dr. Fauziah from Malaysia; Beatrice, Midwife from Italy; Yuki, surgeon from Japan.

(Image by Photo by Ann Wright) Details DMCA



Dr. Fauziah Hasan, an OB/GYN physician who was the medical doctor recently on the 2016 Women's Boat to Gaza, was assessing medical needs in the Rohinyga refugee camps, particularly for women. Refugee camp administrators are estimating that between January and August 2018, 70,000 women will give birth in the refugee camps. Dr. Fauziah brought with her portable ultra sound equipment that she used in the mobile clinics with which she worked. Other members of the MY Care mission were Ummu Fatima Al Zaaraf Zulkifli and Ariej Basri who have done refugee work with Syrian refugees in Jordan.

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I first understood the power of the documentary during the editing of my first film, The Quiet Mutiny.

In the commentary, I make reference to a chicken, which my crew and I encountered while on patrol with American soldiers in Vietnam.

"It must be a Vietcong chicken -- a communist chicken," said the sergeant. He wrote in his report: "enemy sighted.".

The chicken moment seemed to underline the farce of the war -- so I included it in the film.

That may have been unwise.

The regulator of commercial television in Britain -- then the Independent Television Authority or ITA -- had demanded to see my script.

What was my source for the political affiliation of the chicken? I was asked. Was it really a communist chicken, or could it have been a pro-American chicken?

Of course, this nonsense had a serious purpose; when The Quiet Mutiny was broadcast by ITV in 1970, the US ambassador to Britain, Walter Annenberg, a personal friend of President Richard Nixon, complained to the ITA.

He complained not about the chicken but about the whole film. "I intend to inform the White House," the ambassador wrote. Gosh.

The Quiet Mutiny had revealed that the US army in Vietnam was tearing itself apart. There was open rebellion: drafted men were refusing orders and shooting their officers in the back or "fragging" them with grenades as they slept.

None of this had been news. What it meant was that the war was lost; and the messenger was not appreciated.

The Director-General of the ITA was Sir Robert Fraser. He summoned Denis Foreman, then Director of Programmes at Granada TV, and went into a state of apoplexy. Spraying expletives, Sir Robert described me as a "dangerous subversive."

What concerned the regulator and the ambassador was the power of a single documentary film: the power of its facts and witnesses: especially young soldiers speaking the truth and treated sympathetically by the film-maker.

I was a newspaper journalist. I had never made a film before and I was indebted to Charles Denton, a renegade producer from the BBC, who taught me that facts and evidence told straight to the camera and to the audience could indeed be subversive.

This subversion of official lies is the power of documentary. I have now made 60 films and I believe there is nothing like this power in any other medium.

In the 1960s, a brilliant young film-maker, Peter Watkins, made The War Game for the BBC. Watkins reconstructed the aftermath of a nuclear attack on London.

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Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Ever growing inequality and intense and growing political distortions have radically aggravated the top-down imbalance of power, undermining democracy. Rob Kall's book, Bottom-Up is a guide to taking back humanity's shared legacy of shared responsibility. A stimulating read and an important contribution!"



Gar Alperovitz, author of What Then Must We Do? Straight Talk About the Next American Revolution.
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Biggest-ever joint military exercise dubbed Anakonda 2018 will be held in Poland in summer 2018. These maneuvers promise to become the most ambitious since the end of the Cold War. Since 2006 Anaconda is conducted on the territory of Poland every two years under the direction of operational command of the Polish Armed Forces.

Poland's minister of defense Antoni Macierewicz said that the main purpose of Anaconda 2018 exercise will be testing NATO countries' capabilities to protect the eastern flank of the alliance. He added that due to the complex geopolitical situation on the eastern flank of NATO, this exercise should be deterrent and demonstrate alliance's might .

Exercise tasks will involve responding to the emerging military threats, including conventional and hybrid warfare. The scenario of maneuvers presupposes preemptive strikes and preventive actions on the eastern flank.

The number of US troops in Europe has been increasing for almost two years. Currently, NATO soldiers form four major NATO battle groups in Poland and in the Baltic States. Their total number is about 15,000 soldiers and 3,500 military vehicles. At least 10 US military bases were built and the exact number of soldiers is unknown.

According to sources in NATO, about 100,000 troops will take part in Anaconda 2018 maneuvers, including 20,000 from Poland. Troops from several NATO countries and five partner countries will participate in the drill. 5,000 vehicles, 150 aircraft and helicopters, 45 warships will be used in the exercise.

Minister of national defense Antoni Macierewicz stressed that during the exercise troops of Territorial Defense Force will be deployed for the second time, and they will permanently join the Polish Armed Forces as a separate branch.

" We have large number of troops in the Baltic States and Poland, as well as in the Black Sea region, and the probability of an incident can be quite high because of human or technical error. We hope that such an unintended incident will not turn into a conflict," said General Petr Pavel, chairman of the NATO Military Committee. He stressed that the US Army has deployed a lot of soldiers, including the National Guard, and a significant amount of military equipment. "In other words, the whole US Army will be involved in the Anaconda exercises. We have already made the conclusions about logistics, interoperability and command structures in the international environment," he added.

" Having large-scale NATO forces in the Baltic States and Poland, as well as the lack of transparency -- we see serious preparation for a great war," said in an interview US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. "US Army is determined to participate," Gen. Mark Milley added.

" No one should question the US involvement in peace and security in Europe," said in turn Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe.

Anaconda 2018 is the most important exercise of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland with the participation of national contingents from more than half of NATO and partner countries. "This year a joint drill is aimed to ensure security in a transparent manner," said General Marek Tomaszycki.

Anaconda 2018 will be held in summer with the participation of seven main international command structures and troops of four components: land, air, sea and special forces. 100,000 troops will participate in maneuvers, including about 20,000 soldiers from Poland and 5,000 pieces of military equipment, 150 aircraft, 45 warships.
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Origin:In July 2016, a the web site WTOE 5 News reported that Pope Francis had broken with tradition and unequivocally endorsed Donald Trump for President of the United State

Scott Baker is a Managing Editor & The Economics Editor at Opednews, and a former blogger for Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and Global Economic Intersection.

His anthology of updated Opednews articles "America is Not Broke" was published by Tayen Lane Publishing (March, 2015) and may be found here:

http://www.americaisnotbroke.net/

Scott is a former and current President of Common Ground-NY (http://commongroundnyc.org/), a Geoist/Georgist activist group. He has written dozens of (more...)


From Paul Craig Roberts Website

Criminalizing a bit of Christmas fun has to make you wonder. Is there any aspect of our life left into which the police state does not intrude?

Parents are regulated as to how they discipline their children. Spankings that were the tool of choice in my day are now illegal. Spanking is considered child abuse and can result in state seizure of the child and prosecution of the parent.

The state prescribes the terms on which children can be transported in cars. The cars themselves can only be designed within safety and fuel economy parameters determined by the state.

The unsupervised children at play of my generation no longer exist outside of small towns. Not that long ago I reported on the arrest of a mother on the grounds that she permitted an underage kid to play unsupervised in the front yard of the home on a cul-de-sac. The arrest was made on the false report of a neighbor. The police seized the opportunity to arrest a mother on the basis of "failure to supervise an underage child." The family was traumatized. The mother was put in jail, the child in Child Protective Custody, and the father rushed home from work to see if he could rescue his family from the intrusion of the American Police State. It has happened to many, and Americans sit there sucking their thumbs, hoping the lion will choose another antelope.

The parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles of my day would all have been locked up. My entire generation would have been raised in orphanages.

When the state substitutes its judgment for that of parents, it takes the job away from them. Even within the same family children differ. Parents have to find the best approach for each child. Moreover, children who are always supervised never grow up. They learn neither responsibility nor street smarts. Children are even regulated how they can play. No pointing the finger and saying "bang, bang." Even words are policed, some words no longer being permissible.

Perhaps someone has studied the impact on culture of such intense state intrusion into private life. And there are other culture-changing factors. Consider Identity Politics. The other day I listened to a recording of Barbara Streisand singing "A Woman In Love" from 1980, and Celine Dion's "The Power of Love" from years ago. Both of these performers are gifted with beautiful and powerful voices. I wondered if they have a counterpart today.

I haven't time to listen to much music, so I do not know. But the thought occurred to me that these are songs about love between a woman and a man. Moreover, in the official videos, the man is white.

Identity Politics is gradually delegitimizing heterosexual relationships, especially if the male is white, as Identity Politics defines the white heterosexual male as the oppressor of all other races and genders.

Having heard that in "advanced circles" women are subjected to peer pressure not to have relationships with "white, sexist, racist males," I was wondering if today Streisand would have to have a black lover in her video and whether Dion would have to pitch her song to a lesbian lover. Otherwise, would they be the hits they were during their time? Indeed, could Dion survive using the politically incorrect word, "lady"?

People are born into what exists. They have no experience of what previously existed. Therefore, they do not know what has been lost. This generational effect is the best ally of the police state.

People born into a country in which unaccountable police can brutalize and murder and steal, born into a country, the government of which declares itself above both domestic and international law and the US Constitution, a country that ignores constitutional protections such as habeas corpus and due process of law, a country that based on a false claim that the country is indispensable and exceptional, claims the right to destroy entire countries whose governments refuse to follow Washington's orders, a country that claims the right to control explanations and that brands those who tell the truth to be conspiracy theorists, Russian agents, anti-semites, and enemies of the people, know no different. What to my generation is totalitarian horror is normal to them.

That country is the United States of America. It is the most shameful country on earth. The United States is a country whose rulers regard their hegemony as more important than the wellbeing of people and the life of the planet.

If the world is to survive America, and if America is to survive as a country in which citizens are permitted free thought, free speech, to make their own decisions, to raise their own children and otherwise to be a free people, Americans will have to get angry at those who are destroying them and reply to the everyday violence that they experience in many different forms with violence of their own.

There are two forces in history. One is ideas. The other is violence. Karl Marx said that ideas, although sometimes effective, such as his own, can become the control mechanism of the ruling class. In contrast, Marx said that violence is the effective force in history.

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From Greg Palast Website

Ballot-stuffing, an Alabama GOP habit, blocked...leaving Moore's team with only nine other ways to steal it







(Image by Ted Rall) Details DMCA



Savor it. This day, Monday December 11, attorney John Brakey won a court order -- in Montgomery, Alabama no less -- requiring every county to keep copies of their ballots after the vote tomorrow.

Now, you may think that in a democracy, in the United States of America, in the 21st Century, you wouldn't simply throw away ballots, announce a winner, and say, "trust us, we counted the ballots fairly."

But this is not exactly America, nor the 21st Century. This is Alabama; Alabama after the 2013 Supreme Court ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act.

That only leaves THE OTHER NINE WAYS THE GOP IS STEALING THE ELECTION IN ALABAMA.

So, any GOP ballot-stuffing plans are now in trouble.

The TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) that Brakey won may stop what I call the "Baldwin Ballot Bandit" trick or, as my co-author Bobby Kennedy calls it, "good old ballot box stuffing."

Background: In 2002, Gov. Don Siegelman won a close re-election. But, after the Associated Press announced the result, rural Republican Baldwin County locked the courthouse doors. Beginning at midnight, GOP officials claimed to have counted thousands of ballots that they mysteriously "found" -- enough to flip the election. No one was allowed to see those ballots -- if they even existed.

This is what the Brakey TRO intends to stop.

[For the full story of the Baldwin County Ballot theft, see "Stuffed," by Bobby Kennedy Jr.. It's chapter 28 of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, a Tale of Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, the 2016 edition of my bestseller. Donate $50 for the book and I'll sign it to you with my thanks.]

So, how will they steal it? Let me count the ways (nine of them).

The ID con. Within hours of the Supreme Court slicing up the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Alabama passed a law requiring all voters to have a photo ID from a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). And the very next day, the state shut down almost every DMW in the ten Black-Belt counties.

"Caging." It's a felony crime, but that didn't stop Judge Moore's campaign chief, Brett Doster, from committing this vote theft crime for the George W. Bush campaign in 2004. I know, because I have Doster's own confidential emails.

(How I got them -- well, that's another story. You'll just have to read the book.) Here's a bit of one of the emails. Bobby Kennedy Jr explains how this 'caging' trick steals votes (from The Best Democracy Money Can Buy):

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See original here

Five senators are now calling on President Trump to resign over allegations that he sexually harassed or assaulted women, and 56 House lawmakers with the Democratic Women's Working Group are calling for a congressional investigation into the allegations. This comes as three of the 16 women who have publicly accused Trump of sexual harassment held a press conference Monday in New York, demanding that Congress take action. We speak with one of them: Samantha Holvey, a former Miss USA contestant for North Carolina when Trump owned the pageant. We are also joined by Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and we play an excerpt from the Brave New Films documentary "16 Women and Donald Trump."

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

JUAN GONZALEZ: Five senators are now calling on President Trump to resign over allegations that he sexually harassed or assaulted women. This is New York's Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand speaking Monday on CNN.

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: President Trump should resign. These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.

JUAN GONZALEZ: Senator Gillibrand joins Senators Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden in calling on President Trump to step down. Meanwhile, 56 House lawmakers with the Democratic Women's Working Group are also calling for a congressional investigation into the allegations against Trump.

AMY GOODMAN: This comes as three of the 16 women who have publicly accused President Trump of sexual harassment held a news conference in New York on Monday, demanding Congress take action. The women shared accounts in which they said Trump groped, fondled and forcibly kissed them. Monday's news conference was held by Brave New Films, which released the documentary 16 Women and Donald Trump in November.

JILL HARTH: He groped me. He absolutely groped me. And he just slipped his hand there, touching my private parts.

TEMPLE TAGGART: He turned to me and embraced me and gave me a kiss on the lips. And I remember being shocked and -- because I would have just thought to shake somebody's hand. But that was his first response with me.

JESSICA LEEDS: It was a real shock when all of the sudden his hands were all over me. But it's when he started putting his hand up my skirt, and that was it. That was it.

KRISTIN ANDERSON: The person on my right, who, unbeknownst to me at that time, was Donald Trump, put their hand up my skirt. He did touch my vagina through my underwear.

LISA BOYNE: As the women walked across the table, Donald Trump would look up under their skirt and, you know, comment on whether they had underwear or didn't have underwear. I didn't want to have to walk across the table. I wanted to get out of there.

KARENA VIRGINIA: Then his hand touched the right inside of my breast. I felt intimidated, and I felt powerless.

MINDY McGILLIVRAY: Melania was standing right next to him when he touched my butt.

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This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com.

Sometimes I wonder what school I went to. I mean, I know perfectly well. I attended a place I never wanted to go: Yale. But when I was 17 years old, my parents -- and a familial urge to be upwardly mobile -- more than overwhelmed my personal and private desire to go elsewhere. So, in 1962, I ended up at that all-male college in New Haven, Connecticut, and, despite the education I received, much of which I genuinely enjoyed, I've regretted it ever since. It was that school's particular version of all-maleness that did me in -- an elite, powerful style of masculinity that I found painful and eerily shameful even then (though men, or boys pretending to be men, didn't admit to such feelings in those years or, until recently, in these).

I'll never forget the bravado, the grim over-the-top bragging about what you had done to women. I remember, for instance, my roommate, a rare working-class kid at Yale in those years who had absorbed the ethos of the place, returning from spring break and shouting -- I was in our room on maybe the third floor and could still hear him from the courtyard of our quad -- that he had done it, lost his virginity, including other grim details of his conquest. The bragging never seemed to end. I was, in those years, unbearably shy when it came to sex, or perhaps to my own lack of experience and pure ignorance about it, and repelled by the version of it that seemed to be the essence of that world of boys being oh-so-male. My only recourse -- the only one I could at least imagine then -- was to fall into an expressionless silence when the braggadocio began until I could figure out an excuse to leave the room. This, however, proved to be another kind of disaster, since it was more than once mistaken for experience, which meant, for instance, that my roommate would later pull me aside and confess that the "conquest" he had just spent the last day bragging about had actually been a total horror show.

I knew a little of his history before he blew his brains out 40-odd years later and he had, by then, turned into a Roy Moore-style predator, which I always blamed on the world we had both emerged from at Yale. I've never forgotten its style of masculinity or, in a way, recovered from it -- from the feeling, that is, that I wasn't a man but just some sort of sorry failure.

While I did, in the end, go on to graduate school, I evidently didn't go to the one that any number of the men of my generation and after seem to have attended -- you know, the one that, as TomDispatchregular Ann Jones explains today, taught you how "manly" and perfectly appropriate it was to enter a bathroom while a woman was in the next room and reappear naked to make grotesque sexual demands.

All I know is that now it's somewhat easier, thanks to the bursting dam of news about the grotesque (and grotesquely repetitive) experiences that women have had with male predators, to see what that world of supposed maleness was all about and why it felt so shameful to me, even if I then thought that the fault, the lack, was all mine. We are now, it seems, in a different moment. However, let's remember that, as Jones suggests today, sometimes such moments -- take, for instance, that of the first black president of the United States -- aren't followed by a kind of enlightenment but by the angriest of backlashes. Tom

The Fempire Strikes Back

#MeToo

By Ann Jones First, for the record, let me tell you my story about another of those perversely creepy Hollywood predators, a sort of cut-rate Harvey Weinstein: the screenwriter and film director James Toback. As I read now of women he preyed upon year after year, I feel the rage that's bubbled in the back of my brain for decades reaching the boiling point. I should be elated that Toback has been exposed again as the loathsome predator he's been for half a century. But I'm stuck on the fact of elapsed time, all these decades that male predators roamed at large, efficiently sidelining and silencing women. Toback could have been picked up by New York's Finest when he hit on me in or around 1972. But I didn't call the cops, knowing it would come to nothing. Nor did I tell our mutual employer, the City College of the City University of New York. I had no doubt about which one of us our male bosses would believe. I had already been labeled an agitator for campaigning to add a program in women's studies to the curriculum. Besides, to any normal person, the story of what happened would sound too inconsequential to seem anything but ridiculous: not a crime but a farce. I didn't know Toback. I must have seen him at infrequent faculty meetings, but we taught in different writing programs. There was no reason for our paths to cross. Ever. So I have no memory of him until the day I flung open the door of my Chinatown loft in response to a knock, expecting to greet my downstairs neighbor, and in walked Toback. My antennae went up. How had he managed to get past the locked street door? I remember talking fast, trying to get him out of my place without provoking a confrontation. He agreed to leave with me -- to go out for tea or lunch or some little excursion I proposed -- but first he insisted on using my bathroom, from which he soon emerged naked. I remember the way he listed the many things he had in mind for me to do for him. Among them, one demand persists in memory, perhaps because it was at once so specific and so bizarre: that I suck and pinch his nipples. I beat him to the door, furious at being driven from my own loft. I think I threatened to come back with the cops. Something scared him anyway. From a shop on the street, I watched as he left my building on the run, waddling away at top speed. Reader, if you think that nothing really happened, then you are mistaken. This incident took place almost 50 years ago and though I hadn't thought of it in ages -- not until his name popped up in the media -- the memory remains remarkably raw. I still want to see him marched naked through the streets of Manhattan and Los Angeles to the jeers and uproarious laughter of women. At the time, Toback was no more than 25 years old, while I was nearly 10 years older, a thoroughgoing feminist, and luckily faster on my feet than him. But recent reports say that, in the 1980s and later, Toback routinely focused his attacks on very young women, some of them teenagers, using promises of film stardom (sound familiar?) to lure them into encounters that left them sodden with shame. He is now in his seventies and, although women have reported his predation several times in major magazines, he was still on the prowl last month and had never before been called to account for his actions. What could be more despicable than this: that for more than four decades, while he and his kind were allowed to practice undeterred, he only got better at his game of assaulting women. A Catalogue of Violations Not long after my run-in with Toback, a university professor from whom I was taking a writing course came calling to discuss my "extraordinary work" and emerged from that same Chinatown bathroom in a similar state of nakedness. (Do they follow some instruction manual I've never seen?) By then I was writing and photographing as a freelancer for the travel section of the New York Times, an unpaid task that entitled me to receive midnight phone calls from the drunken travel editor detailing the things I might do for him to insure a "real job" with the Times. That's when I became a freelancer elsewhere, always ready to cut and run. I've been a loner ever since.

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Elcomsoft Phone Viewer 3.50 Adds iOS 11 Support, New Applications and Wi-Fi Plugins

https://www.elcomsoft.com/epv.html

ElcomSoft Co. Ltd. updates Elcomsoft Phone Viewer (), a lightweight forensic tool for quickly reviewing information extracted from local and cloud mobile backups. Version 3.50 for Windows and macOS adds two major tools, Applications and Wi-Fi, allowing experts to access extended information about the apps installed on the device as well as details about the use of saved Wi-Fi networks. In addition, Elcomsoft Phone Viewer 3.50 enables full support for local backups produced by devices running iOS 11."Elcomsoft Phone Viewer is a great stand-alone tool and a perfect companion for other ElcomSoft tools", says Vladimir Katalov, Elcomsoft CEO. "We strive to develop Elcomsoft Phone Viewer by making sure the new features never compromise the ease of use."iOS 11 CompatibilityApple has officially released the long-awaited update, upgrading eligible devices to iOS 11. While the new iOS is a 64-bit exclusive, it runs on all new and legacy devices starting with iPhone 5s, as well as the corresponding versions of iPad and iPod Touch. Considering immediate availability of the new system and historical data, iOS 11 will probably run on most compatible devices in a matter of months, if not weeks.iOS 11 includes multiple changes and enhancements to its security model and data formats. Elcomsoft Phone Breaker 8.0 was first to receive iOS 11 compatibility. Elcomsoft Phone Viewer 3.50 follow the suit, now supporting encrypted and decrypted system backups produced by Apple devices running the latest version of iOS.Applications ViewThe new Applications view makes it easy for Elcomsoft Phone Viewer users to list apps installed on the iOS device being investigated. The Applications plugin displays the list of all apps installed on the device along with their acquisition date (date of purchase for paid apps or date of first install for the free apps) and the associated Apple ID. Since some of that data is not part of iOS backups, Elcomsoft Phone Viewer automatically requests additional information via an online connection through iTunes.The Application view offers experts immediate insight into messaging and communication tools, social networks and dating apps used on a given iOS device. The list of installed online banking apps may reveal whereabouts of the user's bank accounts.Wi-Fi ViewThe new Wi-Fi view reveals comprehensive information about Wi-Fi networks saved on the device. SSID and MAC address of each Wi-Fi network are available. Additional network parameters include network BSSID and encryption standard (the most common being WPA2-Personal and no encryption).For each Wi-Fi network, the new plugin lists information about the date and time of first joining and last using the Wi-Fi network. Sorting the list by last connection time experts can track the user by seeing which networks they joined during a given time period.Founded in 1990, ElcomSoft Co.Ltd. develops state-of-the-art computer forensics tools, provides computer forensics training and computer evidence consulting services. Since 1997, ElcomSoft has been providing support to businesses, law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies. ElcomSoft tools are used by most of the Fortune 500 corporations, multiple branches of the military all over the world, foreign governments, and all major accounting firms. ElcomSoft and its officers are members of the Russian Cryptology Association. ElcomSoft is a Microsoft Partner (Gold Application Development and Gold Intelligent Systems), Intel Premier Elite Partner and member of NVIDIA's CUDA/GPU Computing Registered Developer Program.ElcomSoft Co. Ltd.Russian Federation Moscow Zvezdnyi blvd. 21, office 615Vladimir Katalov pad@elcomsoft.com
Dec, 12 2017: Isobutylidene Diureas Market Share, Size, Forecast 2023

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Isobutylidene Diureas Market Research 2017A market study "Global Isobutylidene Diureas Market" examines the performance of the Isobutylidene Diureas market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Isobutylidene Diureas market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Isobutylidene Diureas market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Isobutylidene Diureas Market 2017 report includes Isobutylidene Diureas market Revenue, market Share, Isobutylidene Diureas industry volume, market Trends, Isobutylidene Diureas Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Isobutylidene Diureas Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Isobutylidene Diureas Market 2017 :Company OneCompany TwoCompany ThreeCompany FourCompany FiveCompany SixCompany SevenCompany EightCompany NineCompany TenSlugs Market : By ApplicationApplication 1Application 2Slugs Market : By TypeType IType IIFirstly, the report covers the top Isobutylidene Diureas manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Isobutylidene Diureas report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Isobutylidene Diureas industry, Isobutylidene Diureas industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Isobutylidene Diureas Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Isobutylidene Diureas research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Isobutylidene Diureas market revenue worldwide.Finally, Isobutylidene Diureas market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAContact: +1-214-661-1669Web:
Dec, 12 2017: Panels Market Share, Size, Forecast 2023

Panels Market

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Panels Market Research 2017A market study "Global Panels Market" examines the performance of the Panels market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Panels market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Panels market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Panels Market 2017 report includes Panels market Revenue, market Share, Panels industry volume, market Trends, Panels Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Panels Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Panels Market 2017 :Kingspan GroupMERO-TSKLindnerHaworthTRIUMPH GROUPPorcelanosaM+W GroupPetralTopfloorNICHIASUNITILESenqciaPentafloorMOOVITOKISPRSlugs Market : By ApplicationApplication 1Application 2Slugs Market : By TypeType IType IIFirstly, the report covers the top Panels manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Panels report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Panels industry, Panels industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Panels Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Panels research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Panels market revenue worldwide.Finally, Panels market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAContact: +1-214-661-1669Web:
Hydraulic Power Unit Market 2017 Global Key Players are Bosch Rexroth AG, Weber Hydraulik GmbH, Shanghai Mocen Fluid Power, Parker Hannifin Corporation

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Global Hydraulic Power Unit IndustryLatest Report on Hydraulic Power Unit Market Global Analysis & 2023 Forecast Research StudyGlobal Hydraulic Power Unit market is expected to grow from $3.12 billion in 2016 to reach $5.28 billion by 2023 with a CAGR of 7.7%. Rising demand for hydraulic power in agricultural products, growing usage of this power in industrial activities are some of the factors propelling the market growth. On the other hand, emerging alternatives for electro-mechanical & electric drives which are cheap and efficient than hydraulic power is considered to be one of the major factors hindering the market growth.Based on the application, industrial segment has acquired the huge market share during the forecast period. The growth of this segment is owed to growing demand for machineries in industrial applications. However, Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness huge growth rate during the forecast period due to the rising demand for hydraulic power in agricultural industry and also increasing housing developments.Some of the key players in Global Hydraulic Power Unit Market include Bosch Rexroth AG, Weber Hydraulik GmbH, Shanghai Mocen Fluid Power, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Nachi-Fujikoshi Corporation, MTS Systems Corporation, Hydro-Tek Co Ltd, Hydac International GmbH, Eaton Corporation, Brevini Fluid Power SPA, Bailey International LLC, Energy Manufacturing Company, Branch Hydraulic Systems Ltd, HCS Control Systems Ltd and Hydromega.Try Sample Report @Applications Covered: Industrial Application Mobile Market Other ApplicationsPressure Ratings Covered: 750-2000 PSI 2000-3000 PSI 0-750 PSI >3000 PSIRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsFor Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @Some Major Points from Table of content:1 Executive Summary2 Preface2.1 Abstract2.2 Stake Holders2.3 Research Scope2.4 Research Methodology2.4.1 Data Mining2.4.2 Data Analysis2.4.3 Data Validation2.4.4 Research Approach2.5 Research Sources2.5.1 Primary Research Sources2.5.2 Secondary Research Sources2.5.3 Assumptions3 Market Trend Analysis3.1 Introduction3.2 Drivers3.3 Restraints3.4 Opportunities3.5 Threats3.6 Application Analysis3.7 Emerging Markets3.8 Futuristic Market Scenario4 Porters Five Force Analysis4.1 Bargaining power of suppliers4.2 Bargaining power of buyers4.3 Threat of substitutes4.4 Threat of new entrants4.5 Competitive rivalry5 Global Hydraulic Power Unit Market, By Application5.1 Introduction5.2 Industrial Application5.3 Mobile Market5.4 Other Applications6 Global Hydraulic Power Unit Market, By Pressure Rating6.1 Introduction6.2 750-2000 PSI6.3 2000-3000 PSI6.4 0-750 PSI6.5 >3000 PSI7 Global Hydraulic Power Unit Market, By Geography7.1 North America7.1.1 US7.1.2 Canada7.1.3 Mexico7.2 Europe7.2.1 Germany7.2.2 France7.2.3 Italy7.2.4 UK7.2.5 Spain7.2.6 Rest of Europe7.3 Asia Pacific7.3.1 Japan7.3.2 China7.3.3 India7.3.4 Australia7.3.5 New Zealand7.3.6 Rest of Asia Pacific7.4 Rest of the World7.4.1 Middle East7.4.2 Brazil7.4.3 Argentina7.4.4 South Africa7.4.5 EgyptContinued..For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Norah Trent+1 646 845 9349 / +44 208 133 9349Follow on LinkedIn:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdPune  411028Maharashtra, GlobalPh: +91 841 198 5042
UAV Autopilot 2017 Global Industry Key Players - Cloud Cap , Lockheed Martin , MicroPilot , Dara Aviation , Airware , Robota Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022

World UAV Autopilot Market

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World UAV Autopilot MarketExecutive SummaryUAV Autopilot market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.Request a Sample Report @The Players mentioned in our reportCloud CapLockheed MartinMicroPilotDara AviationAirwareRobotaAscending TechnologiesGlobal UAV Autopilot Market: Product Segment AnalysisFull Automatic UAV AutopilotComputer Assisted Flight UAV AutopilotManual Flight UAV AutopilotGlobal UAV Autopilot Market: Application Segment AnalysisVideo SurveillanceAgriculture &ForestryGeologyResearchGlobal UAV Autopilot Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaTo enquire about this report visit @Table of Content-Key Points CoveredChapter 1 About the UAV Autopilot Industry1.1 Industry Definition and Types1.1.1 Full Automatic UAV Autopilot1.1.2 Computer Assisted Flight UAV Autopilot1.1.3 Manual Flight UAV Autopilot1.2 Main Market Activities1.3 Similar Industries1.4 Industry at a GlanceChapter 2 World Market Competition Landscape2.1 UAV Autopilot Markets by Regions2.1.1 USAMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.2 EuropeMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.3 ChinaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.4 IndiaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.5 JapanMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.6 South East AsiaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.2 World UAV Autopilot Market by TypesFull Automatic UAV AutopilotComputer Assisted Flight UAV AutopilotManual Flight UAV Autopilot2.3 World UAV Autopilot Market by ApplicationsVideo SurveillanceAgriculture &ForestryGeologyResearch2.4 World UAV Autopilot Market Analysis2.4.1 World UAV Autopilot Market Revenue and Growth Rate 2012-20172.4.2 World UAV Autopilot Market Consumption and Growth rate 2012-20172.4.3 World UAV Autopilot Market Price Analysis 2012-2017Chapter 3 World UAV Autopilot Market share3.1 Major Production Market share by Players3.2 Major Revenue (M USD) Market share by Players3.3 Major Production Market share by Regions in 2017, Through 20223.4 Major Revenue (M USD) Market share By Regions in 2017, Through 2022Chapter 4 Supply Chain Analysis4.1 Industry Supply chain Analysis4.2 Raw material Market Analysis4.2.1 Raw material Prices Analysis 2012-20174.2.2 Raw material Supply Market Analysis4.2 Manufacturing Equipment Suppliers Analysis4.3 Production Process Analysis4.4 Production Cost Structure Benchmarks4.5 End users Market AnalysisContinued..Buy Report@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Air Curtain Market Boosted By Rising Demand For High-Excellence Energy-Effective Machines And Growing Customer Alertness Till 2022 | Million Insights

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The Global Air Curtain Market may be divided by Type, Type of End User, and the Area. The Air Curtain is the machine which is intended to stop air or else pollutants touching from one exposed space to another. Air curtains are mostly utilized in the opening amid two spaces conditioned at dissimilar temperatures. Air curtain is one and only of the finest approaches to save energy. Yet, air curtains may merely bring energy savings and ease if they are intended, sized and connected properly by installer and designer. Air curtains are utilized to limit the release of contaminants to allowable intensities.The Air Curtain market is likely to observe substantial progress in the prediction period. This progress can be credited to rising request for high-excellence energy-effective machines and growing customer alertness. Above the historical small number of years, HVAC arrangements have moved out, from end to end, an amount of technical alterations. Furthermore, rising consciousness of energy efficacy is likewise predictable to take optimistic influence on the air curtain market. Though, deprived design and inferior connection might impede the market development in the nearby prospect. However, development in foodstuff & drink manufacturing is likely to unwrap new-fangled progress openings in the years to come.Full Research Report On Global Analysis available at:The European Air Curtain market is likely to display exceptional progress in the nearby prospect. By means of profits, Germany seized a huge amount of market segment in the year 2016 and is expected to experience obvious progress in the following a small number of years. The Air Curtain market statement emphasizes particularly in the area of North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa.The division of the Air Curtain Market on the source of Type spans Re-circulating Air Curtains, and Non re-circulating Air Curtains. By size it can be divided into 2000 mm. The division of the Air Curtain Market on the source of Type of End User spans Commercial, Industrial, and Other uses. The division of the Air Curtain Industry on the source of Area with reference to manufacture, intake, profits, market segment and development percentage of Air Curtain spans North America [U.S., Canada, Mexico], Europe [Italy, Spain, France, Germany, England, Belgium, Netherland, Luxemburg], Asia-Pacific [India, Japan, China, Korea, Australia, South East Asia] South America [ Columbia, Brazil, Argentina] Middle East & Africa [Egypt, UAE, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa], and Rest of the World.Some of the important companies operating in the Air Curtain Industry on the international basis are Panasonic, Toshiba, Rosenberg, Mars Air Systems, Biddle, GREE, Nedfon, System air, Mitsubishi Electric, Powered Air Inc., 2VV s.r.o., Teplomash, S&P, Ying Ge Shi, Theodoor, Berner, Envirotec, Airtecnics, and Aleco.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Air Curtain for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering United States China Europe Japan Southeast Asia IndiaRequest for Free Sample Copy at:Global Air Curtain market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Air Curtain sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including Panasonic Berner Mars Air Systems Toshiba Mitsubishi Electric BiddleOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into 2000mmOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Air Curtain for each application, including Commercial Use Industrial Use Other UseRelated Reports of this Category available at Million Insights:About Million InsightsMillion Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive.Contact Details:Office No. 302, 3rd Floor, Manikchand Galleria,Model Colony, Shivaji Nagar, Pune, MH, 411016 IndiaPhone: 91-20-65300184Email: sales@millioninsights.com
Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market - Detailed Analysis and Forecast 2017-2025

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Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market: OverviewThe testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) solutions verify that a product conforms to regulatory standards pertaining to quality, performance, and technical safety that are universally accepted. Product testing, inspection and certification is an approach to provide assurance to consumers and are in the interest of consumers for a safe purchase.Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market: Key TrendsThe top factor driving the global TIC market is the increasing awareness among consumers about the quality, performance, and safety assurance attached with products that conform to international standards. The increasing volume of international imports and exports, which is controlled by a combination of local and global standards and regulations is further fuelling growth of the global testing, inspection, and certification market. This has necessitated manufacturers to adhere to quality control specifications and obtain universally accepted certifications for participation in international trade. This is expected to boost the adoption of testing, inspection, and certification services predominantly in food and beverages, aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas industries.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The oil and gas industry has contributed significantly to the growth of the TIC market over the past few years; the end-use segment held a dominant share of over 35% in the global market in 2015. This is because testing, inspection, and certification are mandatory across all stages of any exploration and production project, starting from project feasibility to de-commissioning of the site.With the increasing number of oil and gas exploration activities both onshore and offshore, the oil and gas industry is expected to extend growth opportunities to the testing, inspection, and certification market.Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market: Market PotentialTop companies in the TIC market are vying to obtain accreditation from international agencies in a bid to cater to regional markets and operate globally. In a recent industry development, Bureau Veritas  a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification services has obtained certification from United Kingdom Accreditation Services to carry out verifications and assessments for services that are compliant with the regulations of European Union Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification.Request TOC of the Report @Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market: Regional OutlookEurope is a leading regional market as it has high concentration of some of the top vendors in the global testing, inspection, and certification market. The region contributed over 30% to the revenue of the global market in 2015.The developing economies of Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to contribute significantly to the growth of the testing, inspection, and certification market. The region is anticipated to display growth at the fastest pace in the near future. Factors such as rapid industrial development and a growing middle class population with disposable incomes have led to high volume of international imports and exports in these regions. This has necessitated product manufacturers to comply with diverse safety and quality standards that are universally accepted, thereby driving the need for testing, inspection, and certification services. The booming food and beverages industry in the region and the increasing awareness among about the quality assurance of certified products will be predominantly driving the TIC market in the region.Get Discount @Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market: Competitive LandscapeSome of the key players in the global testing, inspection, and certification market are Bureau Veritas SA, SGS Group, ASTM International, Dekra SE, Lloyds Register Group Limited, TUV SUD AG, Intertek Group PLC, ALS Ltd., AsureQuality Ltd., Underwriters Laboratories Inc., DNV GL, and TUV Rheinland Group.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Digital Door Lock Systems Market To Witness Enhance Growth Owing To Rising Security Needs In Government, Industrial Area Till 2021 | Million Insights

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Global Digital Door Lock Systems Market is segmented, by Applications, into Government, Industrial, Residential, and Commercial. The Digital Door Lock is simply a password enabled electronic code lock built using 8051 micro controllers, a keypad and 12-volt dc relay. Digital door lock with 8051 IC can be used as a security checking system to limit access to an area/room only for convinced individuals with the password. Normally, this is called as a security system with unlike names, though all of them infer as enabling a basic password based security system using a micro controller like 8051 or avr or pic or arduino (a controller of choice) with supplementary features like automatic door lock/opening facility, sound alarm, GSM-based SMS alert, etc.The digital door lock systems market is segmented, by end-use into government, commercial, industrial, and residential. The digital door lock systems market is segmented, by type into budget, scalability; flexibility, and ease-of-use, end users tend to select best-fit solutions to cater to their requirements for security. The digital door lock systems market is geographically into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (MEA), and South America. The increase in in number of micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) worldwide witness an upsurge in the quick industrialization and geographic expansion of service and processes units of businesses, and augmented demand across the residential sector are jointly boosting the global request for digital door lock systems. In recent times, enhanced security needs of commercial and residential clients have led to expansion and increased adoption of technically progressive digital security systems with deployment of technologies such as iris recognition and signature recognition.Full Research Report On Global Analysis available at @Digital door lock system is thus available in the market. Biometric door lock systems presently account for the mainstream of the market revenue and volume share, principallyowed to the vast placement fingerprint recognition strategies across commercial and residential areas. Global Digital Door Lock Systems Market is segmented, by Product Types, into Magnetic Stripe Locks, Electromechanical Door Locks, Electric Strike Locks, and Biometrics Locks. Asia Pacific is expected to be the leading region in terms of new opportunities for the global digital door lock systems market in the next few years. Displaying growth at a swift pace of CAGR over the period between forecast period, the Asia Pacific digital door lock systems market is predictable to account for about of the global market as compared to its nearly high in 2015. Europe is presently dominating the regional market.An increase in new construction projects crossways urban dwellings in emerging economies, growth of the industrial sector, and the increasing numbers of SMEs in the region are expected to bolster the Asia Pacific digital door lock systems market in the near future. The global market key players in the digital door lock systems market include Nestwell Technologies, Hanman International Pte Ltd., Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Ltd., Allegion PLC, Cisco Systems, Inc., Panasonic Corporation, Wintec Electronic Tech Co. Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., Assa Abloy Group, United Technologies Corporation, Xeeder Technology Co. Ltd., Vivint, Inc., Tyco International Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., and SiemenRequest for Free Sample Copy at:Market Segment:This report studies Digital Door Lock Systems in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with Production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering Honeywell Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Assa Abloy Group Cisco Systems United Technologies Siemens Panasonic Nestwell Technologies Vivint Hanman International Hitachi Tyco InternationalMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Region, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Digital Door Lock Systems in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), like North America China Europe Japan Taiwan KoreaSplit by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided into Type I Type II Type IIISplit by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Digital Door Lock Systems in each application, can be divided into Application 1 Application 2 Application 3Related Reports of this Category available at Million Insights:About Million InsightsMillion Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive.Contact Details:Office No. 302, 3rd Floor, Manikchand Galleria,Model Colony, Shivaji Nagar, Pune, MH, 411016 IndiaPhone: 91-20-65300184Email: sales@millioninsights.com
Contact Lenses Market - Trends, Share,Growth & Forecast 2017-2025

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Global Contact Lenses Market: SnapshotThe global contact lenses market is foreseen to find lucrative growth opportunities produced by specific types of products such as corrective contact lenses. Some of the important applications of corrective contact lenses include the treatment of visual deficiencies, viz. presbyopia, astigmatism, myopia, and hyperopia/hypermetropia. The growth of the market could be further expanded by the growing number of visual inaccuracies. Soft lens is anticipated to be a major contributor to the market because of its wide range of applications. Between 2017 and 2025, players could acknowledge developments in contact lens technology as a significant factor augmenting their market growth.Drug delivering lenses and other trends have been growing in prominence in the recent time due to their increasing adoption. Players could sign up for long-term partnerships with distributors and suppliers in order to strengthen their geographical presence and product portfolios. For instance, Vision Direct Group Ltd. was acquired by Essilor International S.A. in 2016 to bolster the latters retail business and sale of online optical offerings. On account of their ability to incorporate multiple prescriptions, multifocal lenses are predicted to embrace an amplified demand in the coming years. These are mainly engaged in the treatment of age-related ophthalmic diseases such as presbyopia.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The global contact lenses market is envisaged to perceive a rising count of consolidations brought about by the execution of strategic initiatives such as acquisitions, mergers, and alliances. This could be because of the loyalty base and brand value built up by market players while establishing their global footprint.Global Contact Lenses Market: OverviewContact lenses are wafer-thin plastic lenses, placed directly on the eye ball to rectify vision or for decorative purposes. On account of being sensitive, they need to be handled carefully to prevent dislocation and infections. Depending upon the eye disorder, different types of contact lenses are available in the market, namely bifocal lens for astigmatism, scleral contact lenses, bifocal contact lenses, color contact lenses, and daily disposable contact lenses.Contact lenses have contributed substantially to the global eyewear and eye care industries. From being considered lifestyle products to becoming common eye accessories supplanting the traditional glasses  they have come a long way.Request TOC of the Report @Global Contact Lenses Market: Key TrendsTwo of the primary growth drivers in the global market for contact lenses are a wide array of lenses and competitive prices. Additionally, the burgeoning world population afflicted with different ophthalmic disorders such as refractory errors and weakened eyesight is also bolstering growth in the market. The youth are a major contributor to the sales in the market. Efforts by contact lens manufacturers to train people about the correct and safe use of contact lenses coupled with the different types of products available for sale has also led to an uptick in demand.Extra caution needs to be exercised while wearing contact lenses as they are placed directly on the cornea of the eye and can easily cause eye infections, ulcerations and other eye diseases. They also need to be stored and handled carefully. This is one factor that is posing a roadblock to their swift uptake. Further, the fact that most practitioners are not equipped enough to prescribe contact lenses in certain developing countries in Asia Pacific and Middle East, is also negatively impacting the market to some extent.Get Discount @Global Contact Lenses Market: Market PotentialExhaustive research and development to come up with cutting-edge contact lenses by integrating it with recent technologies is slated to revolutionize the market in the near future. Google and Novartis, for example, are working on a contact lens that can measure glucose levels. In fact, the smart contact lens is one of the most eagerly awaited medical IoT (Internet of Things) technologies. Such groundbreaking applications of contact lenses along with an ageing population, economic upliftment, resultant rise in GDP, and growing urbanization will spell tremendous opportunity for the market in the next couple of years.Among the different technologies used in manufacturing of contact lenses, cast molding technology contributes to a lions share in the revenue. Going forward, the contribution of lathe cutting technology to revenues will likely increase at maximum pace.Global Contact Lenses Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the key segments of the global contact lenses market are Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Rest of the World. Among them, North America leads the market with a dominant share on account of the increase in ophthalmic issues among people of all age groups. In terms of pace of growth, on the contrary, Asia Pacific is slated to overtake all other regions due to the growing awareness about correct usage and benefits of contact lenses, application of sophisticated technologies in the manufacture of contact lenses, rising fortunes of people, and swift pace of urbanization.Global Contact Lenses Market: Competitive AnalysisThe global contact lenses market is dominated by a handful of players and hence is consolidated in nature. The prominent players holding a sway over the market that have been studied in the report are Johnson & Johnson, Alcona Inc., the Cooper Companies, and Bausch and Lomb.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Aramid Fiber Market Size, Share - China Industry Trend and Forecast to 2022

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Latest industry research report on: China Aramid Fiber Market : Industry Size, Share, Research, Reviews, Analysis, Strategies, Demand, Growth, Segmentation, Parameters, ForecastsThe objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the market on the basis of type, application, medical condition, and region. It provides detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the market. This report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments of the key players in terms of market developments, product portfolios, and financials.Acute Renal Failure Market: Industry Size, Share, Growth, Forecasts.Complete Report Details @Aramid Fiber is man-made high-performance fiber, with molecules that are characterized by relatively rigid polymer chains. These molecules are linked by strong hydrogen bonds that transfer mechanical stress very efficiently, making it possible to use chains of relatively low molecular weight. Aramid fibers are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic-rated body armor fabric and ballistic composites, in bicycle tires, and as an asbestos substitute. The name is a portmanteau of "aromatic polyamide". They are fibers in which the chain molecules are highly oriented along the fiber axis, so the strength of the chemical bond can be exploited.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Aramid Fiber in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Request For Sample Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversDupontTeijinJSC KamenskvoloknoKolonHyosungHuvisTAYHOBluestarSinopec Yizheng Chemical FibreGuangdong CharmingHebei Silicon Valley ChemicalZhaoda Specially FiberSROMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth ChinaSouthwest ChinaEast ChinaNortheast ChinaNorth ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversPara-aramid fibersMeta-aramid fibersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoBody Armor & HelmetAerospace MaterialsSports MaterialsTireHigh Strength RopeOthersHave Any Query? Ask Our Expert @There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Aramid Fiber market.Chapter 1, to describe Aramid Fiber Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Aramid Fiber, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Aramid Fiber,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Aramid Fiber market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Aramid Fiber Appendix, methodology and data sourceAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Cold Plasma Market - Future Market with Current Trends,Analysis 2017-2025

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Global Cold Plasma Market: SnapshotCold plasma, additionally called non-warm plasma or non-balance plasma, is a sort of plasmaordinarily known as the fourth condition of issuewhich has gas particles show at direct temperature and electrons at moderately high temperatures. The properties of plasma have been widely looked into in the course of recent decades and an extensive number of front line utilizations of cold plasma innovation has exuded.Cold plasma isn't in thermodynamic balance either because of distinction in particle and electron temperature or if speed dispersion of species does not take after Maxwell Boltzmann circulation. These are known as fourth condition of issue that has electrons at high temperature and gas atoms at direct temperature. It has wide applications in helpful, medicinal and bioengineering section. These are utilized for sanitizing biomedical surfaces, and treatment of natural tissues inferable from their antimicrobial and bacterial properties. Additionally, cold plasma advancements have wide applications in water sanitization and material generation. All the more as of late, cold plasma treatments have discovered promising applications for regarding different growth sorts, for example, lung, cerebrum, breast and skin.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Several ongoing advancements in cold plasma innovation, rising interest for eco-accommodating items, expanding utilization of cold plasma in nourishment bundling industry, presentation of stringent wellbeing models in different businesses including sustenance security, and developing requirements for solidified sustenance are a portion of the development drivers of the cold plasma market.Cold plasma, also called non-thermal plasma or non-equilibrium plasma, is a type of plasmatypically known as the fourth state of matterwhich has gas molecules present at moderate temperature and electrons at relatively high temperatures. The properties of plasma have been extensively researched over the past few decades and a large number of cutting-edge applications of cold plasma technology has emanated.Cold plasma has a variety of medical, therapeutic, and bioengineering applications. Owing to their bactericidal and antimicrobial properties, cold plasmas find wide applications in surface modification of biomedical devices and materials, sterilization of biomedical surfaces, and treatments of living biological tissues. In addition, non-thermal plasma technologies have wide applications in water sterilization and textile production. More recently, cold plasma therapies have found promising applications for treating various cancer types such as lung, breast, skin, and brain.Request TOC of the Report @Cold Plasma Market: TrendsThe cold plasma market is majorly propelled by a wide range of applications across various industry verticals such as biotechnology, medical devices, and food manufacturing.The spiraling need for fresh food produce worldwide has spurred the need for decontamination technologies for inactivating microbes on various food products such as meats, fruits, and vegetables. The soaring popularity of atmospheric cold plasma technology in food manufacturing and processing industries is due to its efficacy in killing microorganisms without altering the physicochemical and sensory properties of the food items.A host of emerging applications in life sciences, such as in the treatment of surgical and traumatic wounds, and their increasing commercialization are expected to open up lucrative market avenues along the forecast period.Get Discount @Cold Plasma Market: Market PotentialRecent researches in cold plasma technology point to the vast potential of the market in primarily two areas: food safety improvement and treatment of chronic wounds.Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have projected a new cold plasma treatment, also referred to as purple blow torches, as the next big thing in food safety innovation. Scientists, including a microbiologist at the U.S. Department of Agricultures Eastern Regional Research Center, have confirmed that cold plasma can effectively kill pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli.USDA researchers demonstrated that over 99.9 percent of the two viruses can be killed within a couple of minutes. Blueberries were chosen since they are increasingly susceptible to contamination by biological hazards in pre-harvest as well as post-harvest stages. In addition, since they are mostly consumed raw, decontamination is even more essential before they are packaged. The technology, researchers believe, can significantly extend the shelf-life of blueberries by retarding the spoilage rate, without affecting their nutritional benefits.The commercialization of this technology calls for more researches and its benefits are being studied extensively. In the not-so-distant future, trailblazing researches in cold plasma technology to develop environmental-friendly and sustainable decontamination processes to prevent cross-contamination and microbiological spoilage are expected to unlock exciting opportunities for market players. This is expected to transform the food industry.Cold Plasma Market: Regional OutlookEurope and North America are anticipated to show impressive growth of the cold plasma market over the forecast period. Large presence of regional and global biotechnology companies that are actively harnessing the capabilities of cold plasma technology is anticipated to create abundant opportunities for several market players. Furthermore, the presence of cold plasma equipment manufacturers and suppliers is expected to fuel the regional markets along the forecast period.However, Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit lucrative opportunities for companies in the cold plasma market. The significant growth is attributed to continuous advancement in plasma technologies, leading to numerous applications of cold plasma in the textile industry. In addition, vast developments in medical infrastructure have stimulated the demand for cold plasma technologies in surgical and therapeutics applications.Cold Plasma Market: Competitive LandscapeProminent players are investing in R&D activities related to cold plasma technology. Big companies are adopting mergers and acquisitions as the prime strategy to occupy a sustained market share across major geographic regions. Leading players operating in this market include Nordson Corporation, Plasmatreat GmbH, Bovie Medical Corporation, Neoplas Tools GmbH, Enercon Industries Corporation, Europlasma NV, Adtec Plasma Technology Co., Ltd., and P2i.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Diagnostic Imaging Market - Current Trends,Analysis & Market 2017-2025

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Diagnostic Imaging Market: SnapshotDiagnostic imaging alludes to the utilization of various imaging modalities to get visual portrayals of the inside of a body for diagnostic and helpful purposes. The restorative imaging incorporates distinctive sorts of modalities that are utilized to picture the human body for finding and treatment of an assortment of sicknesses, and subsequently assumes an imperative part in enhancing wellbeing. The medicinal imaging industry has been upset from bed-side observing towards top of the line advanced examining.Innovative headways in diagnostic imaging gadgets, rising frequencies of ceaseless ailments combined with the quickly maturing populace, increment in number of restorative imaging systems, and rising mindfulness for early analysis of clinical issue are the key factors that are relied upon to help the market development.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The predominance of constant sicknesses relating to respiratory, mind, and cardiovascular conditions is expanding. The expanding geriatric populace alongside the stationary way of life is further encouraging the frequency of these incessant maladies. Likewise, headway in the medicinal and diagnostic imaging gadgets have upgraded the finding and treatment of ailments, for example, cardiovascular and disease, and are additionally anticipated that would bolster advertise development. In light of information distributed by the Carestream, four developments, for example, quickening handling speed, growing the parameters of 3D and 4D, capturing imagery at the perfect place at the correct time, and robotizing work process are normal for the medicinal imaging items in 2017.Global Diagnostic Imaging Market: OverviewDiagnostic imaging refers to techniques that allow physicians to look inside our body for clues pertaining to a medical condition. Various techniques and machines enable the imaging of activities, structures, and abnormalities inside our bodies. Some of these are computed tomography (CT) scans, ultrasound, x-rays, MRI scans, and nuclear medicine scans. By application, spine, neurology, gynecology, breast health, general imaging, thoracic, cardiovascular, and orthopedics can be some of the key segments of the global market for diagnostic imaging. Whereas, hospitals, diagnostic imaging centers, research and academic centers, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and Contract Research Organizations (CROs) can be the chief end-use segments.Request TOC of the Report @Global Diagnostic Imaging Market: Key TrendsThe increasing incidence of diseases on a global scale, growing geriatric population, and technological advancement in the area of diagnostic imaging techniques are driving the market. Several government and private organizations are aiding the expansion of the global market for diagnostic imaging via vast investments directed at the development of new products. Among the diagnostic imaging methods, the x-ray based examinations are likely to exhibit maximum growth, contributing towards overall market growth.On the other hand, exposure to radiation involved in some techniques might increase the risk of cancer among patients, restricting the growth of the global market. Nevertheless, significant opportunities arising from the development of new products will help the market overcome the negative impact of this restraint.Global Diagnostic Imaging Market: Market PotentialA number of market players are developing innovative devices aimed at offering more precise and faster diagnosis. As a result, several hospitals and clinics have been offering diagnostic imaging services. For instance, in March 2017, Sequoia Hospital started offering 128-sliced CT scans for accurate diagnosis of medical conditions. This new 3D technology ensures that patients will be exposed to minimal radiation, offering high image quality and faster results at the same time.Get Discount @Another example is the unveiling of a new center by Delhi-based Mahajan Imaging, an India-based diagnostic center, at Gurugram (previously Gurgaon), in the state of Haryana. The center aims at providing latest diagnostic imaging equipment and services to the residents, with an emphasis on spreading awareness about and offering treatments for womens health issues.Global Diagnostic Imaging Market: Regional OutlookBased on geography, the major segments of the global diagnostic imaging market are Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America is expected to emerge as the leading market for diagnostic imaging. The growth of this region can be attributed to the alarming increase in medical conditions such as cancer.Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit tremendous growth, with countries such as China, Japan, and India representing a major share of the regional market for diagnostic imaging. The rising awareness about the availability and benefits of these tests, increasing prevalence of chronic disorders, growing healthcare expenditures, and favorable policies of the government are propelling the market for diagnostic imaging in this region.Global Diagnostic Imaging Market: Competitive AnalysisMergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations are some of the major business strategies adopted by several leading market players. For example, MedyMatch Technology announced its collaboration with IBM Watson Health in March 2017. The key objective of this collaboration was to bring cognitive tools to imaging experts who work with hospital emergency rooms and other crucial settings for helping physicians diagnose intracranial bleeding resulting from stroke and head trauma. Similarly, during the same month, Minneapolis-based medical technology firm CorVascular Diagnostics, LLC announced its collaboration with Novarix, Inc. a manufacturer of medical devices used in intravenous therapy.Some of the major companies operating in the global market for diagnostic imaging are Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, Siemens Healthcare GmBH, GE Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Shimadzu Corporation, and Hitachi Ltd.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Sulfamide Market 2017-ARKEMA, Flexsys and EVONIK

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Global Sulfamide Market Report illustrates the present development status of Sulfamide along with the growth of Sulfamide expected during the forecast period during 2017-2022. Sulfamide Market analyses the industry based on different factors like growth trends, consumer volume, Sulfamide market size and demand and supply status. Sulfamide Market is a beneficial research material which conducts a competitive analysis of the Sulfamide market. This report also portrays the Sulfamide industry structure based on the product cost, major industry players, product applications, import/export details and Sulfamide market competition.A complete study of Sulfamide based on emerging and dominant market segments, major geographical regions, supply chain analysis, Sulfamide revenue analysis will drive important business decisions. This research also lists covers the details related to the downstream buyer analysis, supply chain scenario, distributor scenario, labor cost and the cost of raw materials.A thorough analysis of Sulfamide based on the primary market segments, sub-segments, emerging market sectors, Sulfamide development trends, opportunities and threats to the market development has been evaluated. Comprehensive details related to Sulfamide market development during the forecast period, investment return analysis, technological advancement taking place in Sulfamide will assist all the market players for planning development strategies.More regarding Global Sulfamide Market 2017 Report at:Complete details of Sulfamide are listed in the below TOC, Figures, Charts, Graphs. The major Companies leading to the growth of Sulfamide are covered in this report with their consumer base, company profile, and Sulfamide revenue share.Complete Manufacturer study of Global Sulfamide Market:The world Sulfamide market is highly competitive and concentrated due to the presence of regional and global Sulfamide vendors. The primary focus of Sulfamide companies is to strengthen their technological expertise. This will help them to broaden their Sulfamide product portfolio and survive for a long time in Sulfamide industry. Vendors of the Sulfamide market are also focusing on Sulfamide product line extensions and product innovations to increase their Sulfamide market share.Leading vendors in world Sulfamide industry are JIANGSU BAOSHNEG LONGCHENG PHARMACUTICAL, Sumitomo Chemical, Chongqing Ziguang Chemical, AkzoNobel, EVONIK, Kumho Petrochemical, Flexsys, AGROFERT Group and ARKEMA.Request A Sample Copy Here:Major regions and their revenue analysis covered in Sulfamide include North America, Europe, Japan, China, India, South East Asia. This report also covers the Sulfamide marketing strategies followed by Sulfamide distributors analysis, potential buyers, marketing channels and Sulfamide development history. Sulfamide Market analysis based on top players, Sulfamide market gains, sales, product type, production capacity and gross margin analysis will favor the market development.Based on the dynamic Sulfamide market trends, developments taking place in Sulfamide, competitive study, growth opportunities, Sulfamide market will reflect huge development in coming years. All the crucial Sulfamide market factors leading to growth has been covered in this Sulfamide study.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4,Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns,Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog:
Erdosteine Market Global Industry Analysis, size, share and Forecast 2016-2024

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Erdosteine is an oral mucolytic agent used for treatment of chronic obstructive bronchitis. Erdosteine is also used for treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis. It is an orphan drug. Erdosteine stimulates mucus production and increases mucociliary transport, which improves expectoration. It consists of two sulfhydryl groups freed after metabolic transformation in the liver. These released sulfhydryl groups help to break the disulphide bonds. This makes bronchial secretions more fluid and enhances elimination. Erdosteine shows inhibitory activity against the effects of free radicals produced by cigarette smoke. Pharmacokinetically, it acts by absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. The elimination half-life of Erdosteine is about 1.46 hr. Adverse events of Erdosteine are quite low, and generally mild. It has been clinically proven that Erdosteine has good gastric tolerability after oral administration, and does not cause reflux phenomena like other thiols derivatives. Erdosteine has no direct effect on gastric mucus.Report Overview and TOC @Increasing prevalence of respiratory diseases, rising geriatric population, rapid population growth, and environmental pollution due to industrialization are expected to fuel the global erdosteine market. According to the WHO, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) accounts for three million deaths globally each year and the number is expected to increase in the next few years. About 90% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) deaths occur in developing and underdeveloped countries. Rising research and development activities, increasing health care insurance coverage, and growing adoption for treatment options are the other factors driving the global erdosteine market. On the other hand, stringent regulations for product approval are likely to hamper the growth of the global erdosteine market. Erdosteine is used for rare diseases so maximum companies doing research and development which will increase the market competitiveness. Erdosteine is marketed in over 40 countries for the treatment of various respiratory diseases.Request for Broucher @The erdosteine market has been segmented based on dosage form, age group, application, distribution channel, and region. In terms of dosage form, the market has been classified into capsules, dry suspension, dispersible tablets, and sachets. The capsule dosage form is highly used due to ease of use, availability in unit dosage form, and also easy in term of prescription scenario which will leads to less side effect. Based on age group, the erdosteine market has been segmented into adult and pediatric. In terms of application, the market has been classified into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute bronchitis (AB), and chronic bronchitis (CB). Based on distribution channel, the erdosteine market has been categorized into hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and online pharmacies.In terms of region, the market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.North America dominated the erdosteine market due to rising geriatric population, early adoption of treatment procedures, and increasing prevalence of respiratory diseases. The geriatric population represents about 14.5% of the population of the U.S. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, the geriatric population will increase to 98 million by 2060, which is twice that in 2014. Europe is the second largest market for erdosteine attributed to increasing research and development activities and rising number of commercial licensing partnerships for erdosteine manufacturing. Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a higher rate driven by growing per capita expenditure, increasing health care insurance coverage, rapidly growing population, and rising per capita health care expenditure.Pre Book Full Report @Major players operating in the erdosteine market include Edmond Pharma S.R.L., Alitair Pharmaceuticals, Manus Aktteva Biopharma LLP, Enaltec, Reine Life Science, Taj Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Recipharm AB, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC, Genome Pharmaceuticals (Pvt.) Ltd., and Milan Pharma.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
Leukocarts Market Research Report 2017-2025: by Product Type, End- user, by Geography and Company Profile

Leukocarts Market

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Leukocarts is a workstation which is designed to provide assistance to the staff at the blood centers during the process of leuko reduction. Leukocarts is considered as the integral for the blood centers infrastructure because leukocarts works with all the major blood bag and the filter manufactures products. As leukocarts is ergonomically designed as an easy and simple to use battery powered device that aids its handlers safely and speedily loading and unloading of blood bags. As in leukocarts loading and unloading of blood bags is simply done by rotating the carousel and users will have to stand only in one position. In addition, leukocarts significantly reduces the physical strain and effort of bending and lifting as compared with the outdated manual system and therefore reduces the risk of the injury of the staff. Leukocarts as compared to another system work efficiently at in cool rooms and in normal room temperature. However, the shelves of leukocarts may move slightly slower after extended exposure in cool rooms, returning to normal operating speed after a few minutes at normal room temperature.Request Report TOC @The global Leukocarts Market is driven by the increasing prevalence of blood transfusion and bio-pharmaceuticals products. Various international organizations such as International Society of Blood Transfusion and world health organization is expected to fueled the overall Leukocarts Market. Furthermore, increase in healthcare spending along with the high prevalence rate of blood transfusion in developing region is expected boost overall Leukocarts Market. However the global Leukocarts Market is likely to restrained by the lack of skilled healthcare professional and lower adoption of the advanced treatment technologies in the developing economies.Based on treatment type, the global Leukocarts Market is segmented into 24 hooks leukocarts and 48 hooks leukocarts. As 48 hooks leukocarts are widely used in blood banks due to increasing loading and unloading capacity of blood bags. Similarly, based on end user, the market is segmented into, hospitals and blood banks. Blood banks and hospitals both are expected to hold maximum share in the market due to increasing prescription patterns for the treatment of blood transfusion.Request to Sample Report @In terms of region, the global Leukocarts Market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the leading player of Leukocarts Market owing to increasing awareness and successful research and innovations. Europe is the second leader in global Leukocarts Market owing to development of product and efficiency. Asia Pacific is also expected to grow due to increasing investment in health care spending and rise in research and development.The key players in the market are Oxford Meditech Ltd, Baxter Healthcare Corp., ITL Limited.Pre Book Full Report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Postal Automation System Market Key Players - Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Company, Mitsubishi Logistics, Escher Group by Forecast to 2023

Postal Automation System Market

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Market Highlights:Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Company and NEC Corporation are the major players in the postal automation system market. EC Corporation has updated the postal automation system for the Hong Kong post which will address the traditional Chinese characters in addition to the English handwritten and printed letters. Owing to its technological capabilities, NEC Corporation has been doing business with the Hong Kong post for almost 30 years now. NEC Corporation has been developing its postal automation system since 1961 and is serving postal operators in more than 50 countries. Toshiba holds the largest market share of postal automation system market and has also grabbed two offers for micro packet sorters from Russian post. Postal market is dynamic and postal automation systems are characterized by technological advancements and globalization which are driven by increasing competition and changing consumer behavior.Major factor driving the growth of postal automation system market is the increasing need for automation across various verticals. Majorly, these systems are implemented where there is reception of large number of parcels and letters. So physically counting those parcels and letters will be very time consuming hence automated postal systems are proving to be very beneficial. Growing urbanization is one major factor driving the growth of postal automation system market. Growth in e-commerce is also responsible for driving the growth of postal automation market.The global Postal Automation System Market is expected to grow at approx. USD 2 Billion by 2023, at 9% of CAGR between 2017 and 2023.North America region holds the largest market share of global postal automation system market followed by Europe and Asia Pacific regions. The growth is North America region is mainly dominated by U.S. and Canada and is attributed to the increasing demand for automation in the region. The region also has a well-established infrastructure which allows implementation of advanced technologies. Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period owing to presence of key players in the region.Postal automation system market has been segmented on the basis of technology, component and deployment. The technology segment is further bifurcated into advanced facer canceller system, delivery barcode sorter, automated package processing system automated parcel & bundle sorter and others.Postal automation system is basically implemented to reduce human effort, human errors and reduce processing time. Postal automation systems provide streamlining of operations, ease of deployment, online and real time processing of data, customer management, automated invoicing and data security as well. Postal automaton systems prove to be extremely beneficial by being robust and reliable with minimum support overheads. It provides with cost efficient solutions for small as well as medium enterprises and provides low cost deployment and low cost of ownership as well.Request a Sample Report @Key Players: Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Company (Japan) Mitsubishi Logistics, Inc. (Japan) Escher Group (U.S.) NEC Corporation (Japan) Accenture PLC (Ireland) Siemens Ag (Germany) Fujitsu, Ltd. (Tokyo) Vanderlande (Netherlands) Falcon Autotech (India) Solystic SAS (France)Segments:Postal automation system market can be segmented on the basis of following:By Technology Advanced Facer Canceller System Delivery Barcode Sorter Automated Package Processing System Automated Parcel & Bundle Sorter OthersBy Component Software Services Support Training & Maintenance ConsultingBy Deployment On Premise CloudRegional Analysis:The regional analysis of postal automation system market is being studied for regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World.It has been observed that North America is estimated to account for the largest share of the market, whereas Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. The major growth in postal automation system market in North America is attributed to technological advancements and growing need for automation in that region.Access Report Details @Intended Audience: Technology Investors Research/Consultancy Firms Infrastructure Providers Components Providers System Integrators Suppliers and Distributors Government and Other Regulatory BodiesTable of Contents1. Market Introduction1.1introduction1.2scope of Study1.2.1research Objective1.2.2assumptions1.2.3limitations1.3market StructureContinued.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Intravenous Iron Drugs Market Global Industry Analysis, Trends and Forecast, 2017-2025

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Iron, one of the essential element, plays an important role in biological processes such as the synthesis of heme, energy metabolism, neurotransmitter production, formation of myoglobin, formation of collagen, and immune system function. Deficiency of iron is one of the major causes of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) associated with increased morbidity and mortality. According to a survey conducted by the Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System in 2017, around 30% of anemia in women and children in developing countries is due to iron deficiency. In the 19th century, Pierre Blaud introduced ferrous sulfate which became the standard treatment for IDA.Iron supplements are available in two forms: oral and intravenous. Intravenous iron preparations are superior to oral supplements, as these lead to higher and faster increase in iron and Hb levels. Oral supplements have disadvantages such as GI adverse events, poor adherence, poor gastrointestinal absorption, and non-compliance.Report Overview and TOC @Major drivers of the IV iron drugs market are increase in incidence of iron deficiency, rise in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing dialysis, and surging diabetic population. Increase in iron deficiency anemia in gynecology, oncology, and gastroenterology, noncompliance of oral therapy, and accurate, easy, and convenient access to IV iron dosages drive demand for intravenous iron drugs. However, complex approval process, stringent regulations, drug side effects, nutraceutical alternatives to prevent iron deficiency, and product price are likely to act as major restraints of the IV iron drugs market.The IV iron drugs market has been segmented based on product type and therapeutic area. Product types are ferric gluconate, ferric carboxyl maltose, iron sucrose, and iron dextran. Ferric gluconate accounts for the largest market share of the IV iron drugs market as it is one of the most effective forms of treatment of iron-deficiency anemia. However, at present, there is no data comparing it to existing preparations but it is expected to grow relatively faster due to the superior performance and increasing application. Based on therapeutic use, the IV iron drugs market has been divided into oncology, nephrology, gynecology, gastroenterology, heart failures, and surgeries. Increased usage of IV iron drugs among chronic kidney disease patients has led to the nephrology segment capturing the largest market share. Chronic Heart Failure is expected to be the fastest growing segment owing to rise in number of patients with heart related disorders.Request for Broucher @In terms of region, the intravenous iron drugs market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America accounts for the major market share owing to rise in use of intravenous iron drugs in oncology. The market in emerging countries such as India and China in Asia Pacific is expected witness strong growth due to increasing investment by governments and private companies in biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry, growing investment opportunities in developing countries, increase in diagnostic laboratories, and rise in prevalence of IDA among women in the developing countries. The intravenous iron drugs market is competitive, owing to emergence of new entrants in the market and presence of well-established firms.Key players in the intravenous iron drugs market are Allergan, Inc., AMAG Pharmaceuticals. Inc., Galenica Ltd., Actavis, Inc., American Regent. Inc., Sanofi, Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co., Pharmacosmos A/S, and Vifor Pharma Ltd.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
Statistical Analytics Market Key Players - SAP SE, SAS Institute, Oracle Corporation, International Business Machine by Forecast to 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4167

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/statistical-analytics-market-4167

Market Highlights:On the basis of regional analysis the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. North America region is generating highest market share in the statistical analytics market owing to better network infrastructure, digitization and higher technology implementation. Digitization in North America is mainly due to the invention of advanced technology and economies benefitting from it. North America region is leading due to presence of major players from the region in the statistical analytics market. The implementation of statistical analytics solution by both small and medium enterprises is increasing rapidly, especially one into retail sector.The statistical analytics is gaining demand as organization seek to improve their business growth by shifting from on-premise to cloud based. The initial low cost, saving amount spent on infrastructure, automatic software upgrading and seamless integration is driving the market of cloud based statistical analytics market.Major Key Players: SAP SE (Germany) SAS Institute (U.S.) Oracle Corporation (U.S.) International Business Machine (U.S.) Tibco Software Inc. (U.S.) Qlik Software (U.S.) Alteryx (U.S.) Statacorp (U.S.) Plug & Score (U.S.) Lumina Decision Systems (U.S.)Request a Sample Report @Statistical Analytics Market Segmentation:The statistical analytics market has been segmented on the basis of components, deployment, vertical and organization size. The cloud based Statistical analytics solution provides search filters in terms of website traffic, most popular site and measure campaign performance. Cloud solution enable organization by providing drag and drop function and offers roll-based workflow. The study indicates that growing demand of digitally stored data and cloud computing is driving the on-premise deployment service.Market Research Analysis:The Statistical Analytics Market in North America region is growing due to high adoption of cloud solutions by enterprise and need to improve information governance in organizations. According to the study, the statistical analytics market will show rapid growth in Europe region. Asia-Pacific market is estimated to be one of the fastest growing market as it is continuously investing into research and development of statistical analytics market and growing e-commerce trends to attract more Statistical s is driving Statistical analytics market in the region. Increasing population, and growing IT landscape is boosting the market in the region.The region is witnessing high adoption of statistical analytics tools by enterprises. Developing countries such as India and China are adopting statistical analytics software at a large scale owing to increasing e-commerce industries, competitive advantage, growing retail sector is boosting the market in the region. By vertical segment, BFSI and retail sector is driving the statistical analytics market. The region is witnessing high growth in statistical analytics market due to growing technological advancement in cloud, analytics and mobile technologies.Intended Audience: Investors and consultants System Integrators Government Organizations Research/Consultancy firms Technology solution providers IT Solution ProvidersSegments:Statistical Analytics Market By Components:Solution Data Mining Predictive Analytics Visual Analytics Forecasting & Econometrics Statistical Analytics OthersService: Professional Service Support And Maintenance ServicesCustomer analytics Market by Deployment: Cloud On-PremiseBrowse Full Report Details @Table of Contents1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market Structure2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Type2.2 Primary Research2.3 Secondary Research2.4 Forecast Model2.4.1 Market Data Collection, Analysis & Forecast2.4.2 Market Size EstimationContinuedList of TablesTable 1 Statistical Analytics Market, By SolutionTable 2 Statistical Analytics Market, By ServiceTable 3 Statistical Analytics Market, By DeploymentContinuedList of FiguresFigure 1 Research TypeFigure 2 Statistical Analytics Market: By Solution (%)Figure 3 Statistical Analytics Market: By Service (%)ContinuedAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our statistical to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Solutions, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
China 18650 Lithium Battery Market Sales, Revenue and Market Share 2017 to 2022

18650 Lithium Battery, 18650 Lithium Battery Market, 18650 Lithium Battery Industry

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MarketResearchNest.com adds China 18650 Lithium Battery Market by Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type and Application, Forecast To 2022new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 115 pages with table and figures in it.A lithium-ion battery or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and back when charging. Li-ion batteries use an intercalated lithium compound as one electrode material, compared to the metallic lithium used in a non-rechargeable lithium battery. The electrolyte, which allows for ionic movement, and the two electrodes are the constituent components of a lithium-ion battery cell. Cells with a cylindrical shape are made in a characteristic "swiss roll" manner, which means it is a single long sandwich of positive electrode, separator, negative electrode and separator rolled into a single spool. The main disadvantage of this method of construction is that the cell will have a higher series inductance.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the 18650 Lithium Battery in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversEastman, Panasonic(Sanyo), Samsung SDI, LG Chem, Sony, Johnson Controls, Hitachi, Tianjin Lishen, Hefei Guoxuan, Dongguan Large Electronics, OptimumNano, DLG Electronics, Zhuoneng New Energy, CHAM BATTERY, Padre ElectronicMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth China, Southwest China, East China, Northeast China, North ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversLiCoO2 Battery, NMC/NCA Battery, LiFePO4 Battery, OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoPower Banks, Laptop Battery Packs, Electric Vehicles, Flashlights, Cordless Power Tools, OthersRequest a sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report:This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rateIt provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.The research provides answers to the following key questions:What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022?What are the key factors driving the United States 18650 Lithium Battery Market?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the United States 18650 Lithium Battery Market?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the United States 18650 Lithium Battery Market?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the United States 18650 Lithium Battery Market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the United States 18650 Lithium Battery Market?There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China 18650 Lithium Battery market.There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China 18650 Lithium Battery market.Chapter 1, to describe 18650 Lithium Battery Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of 18650 Lithium Battery, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of 18650 Lithium Battery,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, 18650 Lithium Battery market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe 18650 Lithium Battery Appendix, methodology and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on China industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Asia Pacific Excluding Japan to Remain Dominant in the Global Digital Isolator Market in the Next Five Years

MRRSE

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https://www.mrrse.com/digital-isolator-market

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has recently added a new publication in the database titled Digital Isolator Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017  2022. This report provides a comprehensive analysis and forecast of the worldwide digital isolator market over the period of assessment of 2017  2022. According to the report, a growing need for automating industrial processes is anticipated to boost the development of the worldwide digital isolator market. The report presents a few of the main factors anticipated to boost market revenue growth and demand over the coming years.Click here for Free Sample Report @Global Digital Isolator Market: Factors Impacting Revenue GrowthThe worldwide market for digital isolator is expected to gain significant traction in demand and revenue growth owing to an increasing focus on industrial automation as compared to manual processes. Increase in usage of applications of higher altitude is also expected to be favorable for revenue increase of the worldwide digital isolator market. Digital isolators leverage advancement in technology to ensure efficient functionality in conditions of higher altitude, high levels of moisture, and pollution ridden environments. The inherent benefits and advantages of technologies used in capacitive digital isolators is predicted to boost revenue increase of the market over the next few years. Being a highly competitive and mature market, leading players operating across different countries are looking to devise innovative strategies to diversify their product line and grab a larger share of the digital isolator market.Global Digital Isolator Market: Segmentation & AnalysisThe market for digital isolator has been segmented into isolation type (giant magnetoresistive, magnetic coupling, capacitive coupling), data rate (25 mbps to 75 mbps, less than 25 mbps, more than 75 mbps), channel (8 channel, 4 channel, 2 channel, 6 channel), vertical (healthcare, industrial, aerospace and defense, automotive, telecommunication, energy and power), and region (Latin America, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan, Europe, Japan, North America, and the Middle East & Africa). Of the isolation type segments, the giant magnetoresistive segment is expected to remain the largest, accounting for a market valuation of US$ 430.5 Mn by the end of 2017. This segment is expected to witness a CAGR of 7.1% in terms of value during the period of forecast. Among the regional digital isolator markets, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan is anticipated to remain dominant during the entire duration of the assessment period, estimated to witness a CAGR of 6.4%. The digital isolator markets in Japan and the Middle East & Africa are expected to witness sluggish development in the years to come. The Europe and North America regional markets will however balance out the revenue increase of the global market, given their significant market share over the period of forecast.Browse Full Report with TOC @Global Digital Isolator Market: Vendor ProfilingThe report features a few of the leading companies functional in the worldwide digital isolator market such as Maxim Integrated, Infineon Technologies, National Instruments, Analog Devices, NXP Semiconductors, Broadcom Limited, Texas Instruments, Silicon Labs, Murata Manufacturing, and ROHM Semiconductor.Enquire about this Report @About (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Cannabis Packaging Market in North America to grow at a CAGR of 10.40% during the period 2017-2021

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"The Report Cannabis Packaging Market in North America 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Cannabis PackagingThe cannabis industry in North America is like other legal consumer goods industries, such as food, tobacco or alcohol. Some cannabis-infused products already look strikingly similar to existing consumer products. In addition to 'flower' which is the smokable leaf that most people usually associate with cannabis, there are many cannabis-infused products that range from edibles such as snacks and meals, to concentrates such as pills and oils, and beverages.The cannabis packaging market in North America has undergone significant growth, and various companies have recently launched recyclable packaging solutions such as compostable cellophane bags, metal cans, and compostable pouches. Product marketing through packaging is a focus area for packaging companies, but meeting local and federal laws is critical for success.Technavios analysts forecast the cannabis packaging market in North America to grow at a CAGR of 10.40% during the period 2017-2021 .View Report @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the cannabis packaging market in North America for 2017-2021 . To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of cannabis packaging.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:CanadaMexicoThe USTechnavio's report, Cannabis Packaging Market in North America 2017-2021 , has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsKush BottlesLaguna BlendsMaple Leaf Green WorldJ.L.ClarkGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Other prominent vendorsKAYA CANNABISLexaria BioscienceLifeLoc TechnologiesMarket driverGrowing cannabis sales marketFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeUnpredictable market conditionsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendGrowing popularity toward sustainable packagingFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?Send An Enquiry Request @Table of ContentsPART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYPART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORTPART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGYPART 04: INTRODUCTIONMarket outlinePART 05: MARKET LANDSCAPEMarket overviewMarket size and forecastFive forces analysisPART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY PACKAGING TYPECannabis packaging market in North America by packaging typeCannabis packaging market in North America by rigid packagingCannabis packaging market in North America by flexible packagingPART 07: REGIONAL LANDSCAPEGeographical segmentationRegional comparisonCanada market size and forecastThe US market size and forecastMexico market size and forecastMarket opportunityPART 08: DECISION FRAMEWORKPART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGESMarket driversMarket challengesPART 10: MARKET TRENDSGrowing popularity toward sustainable packagingIntroduction of active packaging in cannabis packagingShifting of focus areas in cannabis packagingAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Hospital and Laundry Boilers Market Research Report 2020: by Types, Application, Products, Technology, by Geography and Company Profile

Hospital and Laundry Boilers Market

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/north-american-hospital-laundry-boilers-market.asp

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Laundry and boilers services play an important role in sterilization and maintains contamination free environment in hospitals. Laundry service is responsible for delivery of adequate amount of clean and sterile linen to patients and healthcare professionals. The major tasks of laundry service include collection of linen, washing, drying and delivery to users. Boilers are used for steam and hot waters for vital needs, such as space heating and sterilization of linen and provide hygienic conditions for patients.Request Report TOC @The U.S. and Canada dominates the North American hospital and laundry boilers market due to improved healthcare infrastructure in the region. For instance, in 2012, American Hospital Association (AHA), a national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals and healthcare networks conducted an annual survey of total number of registered hospitals in the U.S. This number was 5,723 in 2012. Registered hospitals are those hospitals that fulfill all the AHA criteria. This improved healthcare system in the U.S. has resulted in significant rise in demand of laundry and boiler services to main hygienic conditions for the patients and healthcare professionals.In recent time, rising number of hospital admissions is key driver for the North American hospital and laundry boilers market. For instance, in 2010, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2, 58,000 hospital admissions had registered for hip fractures among people aged 65 and above and the number is expected to reach 2, 89, 000 by 2030. This increasing number of hospital admissions requires sterile linen for their better comfort in hospitals. However, the high energy cost to operate boilers in hospitals is key restraint for the North American hospital and laundry boilers market. In addition, strict regulation associated with the generation of steam through boilers also obstructs growth of the North American Hospital and laundry boilers market. For instance, hospitals require accreditation from Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for steam generation.Request to Sample Report @Some of the major companies operating in the North American hospital and laundry boilers market are Parker Boiler Co., Indeck Power Equipment Co., Fulton, Powerhouse Equipment & Engineering Co., Inc., Smith Hughes Co., Nationwide Boiler, Inc., Energy Equipment Co., Inc., Reagan-Riter Boiler Works, Inc. and Energy Products Co..Pre Book Full Report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Abrasive Blasting Equipment Market to grow at a CAGR of 4.32% during 2017-2021 - Airblast, Clemco Industries, Empire Abrasive Equipment, Graco, Sinto Group

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1320877

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Abrasive blasting equipment makes surface preparation much easier than grinding or manual preparation. The use of blast equipment is more convenient as it is portable and easy to carry and work within limited spaces. The most commonly available blasting equipment is sand blasters that utilize silica sand. Other blast media include coal slags, garnet, nickel and copper slags, glass beads, steel grit, dry ice, plastic beads, corn or wheat starch, crushed nut shells, and sodium bicarbonate. Most of these materials are blasted using both dry and wet media.The global abrasive blasting equipment market to grow at a CAGR of 4.32% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global abrasive blasting equipment market for 2017-2021. The report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.Click to get Sample PDF:The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEATechnavio's report, Global Abrasive Blasting Equipment Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.View Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Key vendors- Airblast- Clemco Industries- Empire Abrasive Equipment- Graco- Sinto GroupOther prominent vendors- Kramer Industries- Midwest Finishing Systems- Norton Sandblasting Equipment- Torbo ENGINEERING KEIZERS- Trinco Trinity ToolMarket driver- Growing demand from automotive industry- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Growing use of automation- For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
New Report Offers Insights on Hardware Security Module Market on a Global Basis for a Period of 2017 - 2025

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MRRSE (Market Research Reports Search Engine) has included a new research study on hardware security modules in its extensive research database. The research report titled Hardware Security Module (HSM) Market- Global Industry Analysis, Share, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017-2025 focuses on various aspects of the global market for hardware security module that have an impact on the its growth.Click here for Free Sample Report @Global Hardware Security Module (HSM) Market- OutlineThe analytical research report on global hardware security module (HSM) market delivers value to the reader by providing analysis and insights on various market segments across key regions in the globe for the period 2015-2025, in which 2016 is considered as the base year and forecasts are drawn for the 2017-2025 timeline. Major technologies and trends that have an influential role in the growth of the global hardware security module market are covered. The research report also includes opportunities, growth drivers and restraints that are likely to influence the growth of HSM market in the coming years. The market value associated with each segment of the market contributing to its growth is given in terms of US$ Bn.The research report starts with market overview which highlights the market dynamics that have a potential contribution for the expansion of the market in the future. Along with the forecast highlights, market attractiveness indices of segments are also included in this research report. The attractiveness index can highlight most lucrative region or segment that the reader can use for his benefit. The research study also covers various strategies that are implemented by major players operating in the hardware security module market.Research MethodologyThe research methodology adopted for gleaning relevant market insights is a one-of-a-kind research process at par with the best in the research industry. The research methodology includes primary research and secondary research to obtain market numbers. The gathered data undergoes re-examination multiple times to ensure a near 100 percent accurate data. With this research approach, higher accuracy can be obtained thus increasing the credibility of the researched data and statistics.The market numbers reflecting the current and future scenario of the market have been analyzed taking into consideration the impact of various social, political, technological, legal and economic factors. The research study portrays vital intelligence on major developments in the hardware security module market. Porters five forces have also been discussed in this research study to add to the credibility of the research. It also includes detailed analysis on value chain. Several participants such as manufacturers, suppliers of raw material as well as distribution channels are mention in this fact based research report.Browse Full Report with TOC @Global Hardware Security Module (HSM) Market- SegmentationThe research on global hardware security module market has been segmented by type, by application, by industry verticals and by region. With respect to type, the category is further segmented by local interface, USB token, remote interface and smart cards. By application, it is segmented into authentication, document signing, database encryption, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), credential management/PKI, code signing, application level encryption and payments processing. With respect to industry verticals, it is categorized into government, BFSI, technology and communication, energy and utility, industrial and manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, retail and consumer products and others. Region wise, the market is categorized into North America (Canada, US and rest of North America), Europe (Germany, UK, France and rest of Europe), South America (Argentina, Brazil and rest of South America), Middle East and Africa (South Africa, GCC and rest of MEA) and Asia Pacific (China, India and rest of APAC).Global Hardware Security Module (HSM) Market- Competitive LandscapeThe research study also includes a section describing information on key companies operating in the market. Major players such as Yubico, SWIFT, Ultra Electronics Group, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development L.P., IBM Corporation, Gemalto NV, Thales e-Security, Inc., Futurex and Utimaco GmbH are included in this report.Enquire about this Report @About (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Holter Monitoring Systems Market: Segment Snapshot and Table of Content (2016-2026)

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ECG monitoring devices are experiencing a paradigm technological shift from resting ECG systems to portable Holter monitoring systems. According to a new report by Persistence Market Research (PMR), titled, Holter Monitoring Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2024, this is attributed to advantages such as patient mobility, low prices, and longer period of patient monitoring. Holter monitoring systems are proving to be more efficient in ECG monitoring due to advancements in technology, thereby allowing healthcare providers to monitor recorded data remotely, and enhancements in Holter monitoring software, which enable better analysis of data. These factors are expected to promote drive growth of the global Holter monitoring systems market at a CAGR of 4.5 % between 2016 and 2026.The global Holter Monitoring Systems market is segmented on the basis of expression system, product type, application, end user and region.PMRs report offers market forecast and analysis on the global Holter monitoring systems market. The global market has been segmented on the basis of product, enduser, and region. On the basis of region, the market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Asia Pacific (APAC). As per regional analysis, North America (the U.S. and Canada) is the most lucrative market for Holter monitoring systems globally. This region is expected to hold highest market share over the forecast period (20162026) and is expected to exhibit more than average growth rate. The market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness fastest growth owing to high population and increasing incidence rate of cardiovascular diseases. APAC market is estimated to account for around 27 % revenue share by end of 2016 in the global Holter monitoring systems market. The market in MEA is also expected to expand significantly in revenue terms over the forecast period, owing to high public healthcare expenditure in countries in the region. Revenue from the market in the region is expected to expand at CAGR of 5.2% over the forecast period.Request A Sample Report@Summary of Table of Content1. Holter Monitoring System Market- Executive Summary2. Research Methodology3. Assumptions and Acronyms Used4. Holter Monitoring System Market Overview5. Global Holter Monitoring System Market Analysis and Forecast, By Product6. Global Holter Monitoring System Market Analysis and Forecast, By End User7. Global Holter Monitoring System Market Analysis and Forecast, By Region8. North America Holter Monitoring System Market Analysis9. Latin America Holter Monitoring System Market Analysis10. Europe Holter Monitoring System Market Analysis11. Asia-Pacific Holter Monitoring System Market Analysis12. Middle East & Africa Holter Monitoring System Market Analysis13. Competitive LandscapeRequest to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @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:
Adhesive Resin Market to Incur Rapid Extension During 2016 - 2024

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Adhesive resins incorporate several applications and objects as an adhesive layer to enhance the durability and optimize the integrity of the structure. It joins the surface of diverse materials, efficiently distributing the stress at the junction. The application of adhesive resin forms a strong bond very quickly to aid the adhesion process. Application of high performance adhesive resin improves the cohesive strength. Adhesive resins available in emulsion form offer the advantage of elasticity and resistance to moisture. In addition to the long term adhesiveness, application of resins provide toughness and resistance to aging, temperature, and chemicals. Adhesive resin is available in several forms: solvent-based, water-based, and hot melt. The major components used in adhesive resin include: vinyl acetate, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyvinyl acetate, and polymerized acrylic resin emulsion.Adhesive resin finds extensive application in numerous industries such as: packaging, oil and gas, plastic, construction, automotive, and transportation. Adhesive resin is most widely used in the packaging of food and beverages, consumer goods, sea foods and meat, tubes, and bottles. In the oil and gas industry, it is used to create linkage between pipelines and coating of pipes. In the plastic industry, the application of adhesive resin is recommended to act as a binding agent in order to enhance the tensile strength of plastic. In the automotive industry, adhesive resin is applied in automotive body parts such as door modules and front-end modules. In the building and construction industry, adhesive resins are applied as contact adhesives, flooring adhesives, and sealants. Due to the efficient sealing feature, adhesive resins find potential use in the transportation industry in manufacturing of abrasive and aerospace components.Request For Sample @The broad commercial application of adhesive resins in several industries builds a rapidly growing global market. The market for adhesive resins has exhibited an enormous rise in the last few years and a similar positive trend is anticipated to be witnessed during the forecast period. The market of adhesive resin is currently dominated by the Asia Pacific region. The huge growth of end-user industries such as automotive, construction, packaging, and consumer goods in developing countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and India is propelling the demand of adhesive resins. In the next few years, the advancement of emerging technologies and rising demand of adhesive resin is estimated to fuel the market growth in the developing region of Asia Pacific. North America and Europe also possess a large share of the global market. Improved economy observed in these developed countries is a key factor for the market growth. The rising trend is predicted to continue during the forecast period. A prospective market for adhesive resin is expected to build up in the MEA region. Growing economy of this region is predicted to develop an emerging market of adhesive resins in the next few years.Increasing awareness of ecofriendly materials is likely to drive the demand for bio-based adhesive which will enable the end-user industries to minimize their environmental concern. Specially-engineered adhesive resins are being developed for the assembly of aircraft and automotive bodies. Epoxy resin holds a large share of the global adhesive resin market currently due to improved functionalities such as corrosion protection, mechanical strength etc. Increased demand from end-user industries is influencing the higher growth rate of adhesive resin in the global market.Request For TOC @The major players that manufacture adhesive resin are companies such as: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, LD Davis Industries, Inc., Exxon Mobil Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc., Resinall Corporation, Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, and Ashland Inc. etc.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 USTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Mineral Water Market: China Industry Size, Share, Growth, Forecasts to 2022

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Latest industry research report on: China (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Mineral Water Market : Industry Size, Share, Research, Reviews, Analysis, Strategies, Demand, Growth, Segmentation, Parameters, ForecastsThe objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the market on the basis of type, application, medical condition, and region. It provides detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the market. This report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments of the key players in terms of market developments, product portfolios, and financials.Acute Renal Failure Market: Industry Size, Share, Growth, Forecasts.Complete Report Details @Mineral water is water from a mineral source that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may be effervescent (i.e., sparkling) due to contained gases. Also some mineral water is made by mineralization processing, the mineral elements not from natural.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Mineral Water in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Request For Sample Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversDanoneNestleCoca-ColaBisleri InternationalSuntory Water GroupGerolsteinerFerrarelleHildonTynantMaster KongNongfu SpringWahahaGantenCestbonKunlun MountainBlue SwordLaoshan WaterAl Ain WaterNEVIOTRayyan Mineral Water CoMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth ChinaSouthwest ChinaEast ChinaNortheast ChinaNorth ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversNatural Mineral WaterMan-made Mineral WaterMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHypermarkets & SupermarketsConvenience StoresGrocery StoresOnline RetailersOthersHave Any Query? Ask Our Expert @There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Mineral Water market.Chapter 1, to describe Mineral Water Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Mineral Water, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Mineral Water,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Mineral Water market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Mineral Water Appendix, methodology and data sourceAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Sodium Permanganate Market to Partake Significant Development During 2016 - 2024

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Sodium permanganate is a purplish-colored, inorganic salt compound, which is primarily available in aqueous form as a monohydrate. It is miscible in water, ether, ethanol, and liquid chlorine. Sodium permanganate offers high concentration of permanganate ions. Owing to high solubility in water, it is used for etching of plastic parts, as etching requires high concentration of permanganate ions. Sodium permanganate is also used for water treatment and soil treatment, as it is capable of degrading phenols, BTEX, chlorinated ethenes, and PAHS and removing hydrogen sulfide. Moreover, since it readily dissolves in water, it is used in water treatment plants, for controlling the odor and taste issues. It is often used as an oxidizing agent in the manufacture of chemical intermediates. Other uses of sodium permanganate include metal surface treatment and metal cleaning. Sodium permanganate is a strong and better substitute for potassium chloride, in terms of chemical properties such as miscibility and chemical reactivity. However, it is comparatively costlier to produce.Request For TOC @Sodium permanganate is available globally in 40% and 20% solution forms. The 40% solution is primarily used in electronics and for synthesis of fine chemicals, which requires concentrated permanganate solution. It is also used to manufacture toluene saccharin and refine O-toluene sulfonamide. The 20% solution is primarily used for purification of drinking water. It helps in regulating the taste and odor of water. Furthermore, the 20% solution is used for iron and manganese reduction, color reduction, and radium reduction. Other general uses of sodium permanganate include its application as an oxidant, fungicide, disinfectant, and phosphorous antidote. Usage of sodium permanganate solution as an etchant in printed circuitry is one of its most popular applications.Rising need for water treatment is projected to boost the demand for sodium permanganate during the forecast period. However, presence of a number of substitutes such as potassium permanganate and activated alumina for water treatment is expected to hamper the demand for sodium permanganate in the near future. However, its use as an etchant in printed plastic circuitry is anticipated to open new avenues for the sodium permanganate market.In terms of geography, the global sodium permanganate market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is likely to lead the market, due to the growing chemical industry in emerging economies such as China and India, as sodium permanganate is infamously used for the production of chemical intermediates. High consumption of sodium permanganate in Asia Pacific is also driven by increasing need for water treatment in the region. China is the leading manufacturer of sodium permanganate across the world. The sodium permanganate market in North America and Europe is expected to expand moderately during the forecast period, due to availability of substitutes. The market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa is projected to expand at a sluggish rate during the forecast period for industrial applications, owing to comparatively expensive nature of sodium permanganate. However, increasing demand for water treatment is estimated to be a major driver for the sodium permanganate market in Middle East & Africa.Request For Sample @Some of the key players in the sodium permanganate market include Carus Group Inc., Hepure, Changsha Yonta Industry Co., Ltd., Nanjing Kaimubo Pharmatech Company Limited, RennoTech Co., Ltd., Aurora Fine Chemicals, Chongqing Changyuan Group Limited, Kingsfield Inc., and Guangdong Hangxin Technology 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 USTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Growing adoption of Atmospheric Heat Treatment Equipment Market 2017-2021

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"The Report Global Atmospheric Heat Treatment Equipment Market 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Atmospheric Heat Treatment EquipmentThe thermal processing of metal components to change their chemical and physical properties is known as atmospheric metal heat treatment. This makes metal components appropriate for their intended use. The global atmospheric heat treatment equipment market is segmented based on end-users and key regions. The thermal processing of metals to change their chemical and physical properties is known as metal heat treatment. Most metal components are required to undergo thermal processing to change their metallurgical properties. This change in metallurgical properties renders them useful for their desired applications.Technavios analysts forecast the global atmospheric heat treatment equipment market to grow at a CAGR of 5.30% during the period 2017-2021.View Report @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global atmospheric heat treatment equipment market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the new installations/shipments/sales and excludes retrofit/replacement/spares/aftermarket/services market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Atmospheric Heat Treatment Equipment Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsAbbott Furnace CompanyKeithSECO/WARWICKTHERELEKGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Other prominent vendorsREMIXC.I. HayesConsolidated Engineering CompanyJ.L BeckerCAN-ENG FurnacesHighTemp FurnacesIpsenL&L Special FurnaceThe Grieve CorporationLindberg/MPHLucifer FurnacesHTFSOLO Swiss GroupMarket driverStable growth of automotive industryFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeLack of continuous support and maintenanceFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendGrowing adoption of additive manufacturingFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?Send An Enquiry Request @Table of ContentsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportPART 03: Research MethodologyPART 04: IntroductionMarket outlinePART 05: Market landscapeMarket overviewMarket size and forecastFive forces analysisPART 06: Market segmentation by end-userMarket overviewGlobal atmospheric heat treatment equipment market by aerospace industryGlobal atmospheric heat treatment equipment market by automotive industryGlobal atmospheric heat treatment equipment market by heavy equipment industryPART 07: Geographical segmentationMarket overviewAtmospheric heat treatment equipment market in APACAtmospheric heat treatment equipment market in AmericasAtmospheric heat treatment equipment market in EMEAPART 08: Decision frameworkPART 09: Drivers and challengesMarket driversMarket challengesPART 10: Market trendsGrowing adoption of additive manufacturingIntegration of metal heat treatment process in production linesPART 11: Vendor landscapeCompetitive scenarioOther prominent vendorsPART 12: Key vendor analysisSECO/WARWICKTHERELEKKeithAbbott Furnace CompanyPART 13: AppendixAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Mr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Bluetooth Speaker Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type And Application, Forecast To 2022

Bluetooth Speaker, Bluetooth Speaker Market, Bluetooth Speaker Industry

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MarketResearchNest.com adds China Bluetooth Speaker Market by Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type and Application, Forecast To 2022new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 122 pages with table and figures in it.Bluetooth is simply a wireless technology that lets two devices talk to each other. In the case of Bluetooth speakers, your smartphone, tablet, or other device transmits to the Bluetooth speaker which uses its built-in amplifier and speakers for playback.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Bluetooth Speaker in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversBose Corporation, Sony, Beats Inc, Harman International, Yamaha Corporation of America, Audiovox Corporation, Poineer, Logitech, Sennheiser, Polk Audio, Altec Lansing, Creative, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic, LG, Doss, Edifier, Bowers and WilkinsMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth China, Southwest China, East China, Northeast China, North ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversPortable, FixedMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHome Use, CommercialRequest a sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report:This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rateIt provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.The research provides answers to the following key questions:What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022?What are the key factors driving the United States Bluetooth Speaker Market?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the United States Bluetooth Speaker Market?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the United States Bluetooth Speaker Market?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the United States Bluetooth Speaker Market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the United States Bluetooth Speaker Market?There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Bluetooth Speaker market.Chapter 1, to describe Bluetooth Speaker Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Bluetooth Speaker, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Bluetooth Speaker,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Bluetooth Speaker market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Bluetooth Speaker Appendix, methodology and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on China industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Acetochlor Market to Witness Comprehensive Growth by 2024

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Acetochlor is an organic herbicide belonging to the chloracetanilide group of chemicals. Acetochlor herbicide, also known as Azetochlor, is utilized as a pre-emergent selective herbicide employed against grasses, especially on corn crops. It is a systemic herbicide that acts as a protein synthesis inhibitor (inhibits elongase and geranyl geranyl pyrophosphate enzyme in the Gibberellin Pathway in grasses) and leads to metabolic dysfunction in the targeted weeds. Acetochlor herbicide is primarily absorbed by germinating stem shoots and secondarily through roots in weeds growing on the pre-planted arable crop land. Acetochlor herbicide is most used on maize (corn) crops across the world. It can also be used for controlling weeds in sunflower, soybean and sugarcane crops among others. Acetochlor herbicide is an amber colored odorless liquid with syrup like viscosity. It is soluble in water in low quantities and has low volatility. Acetochlor herbicide is toxic to aquatic life forms and has low bio-accumulation potential. It is a hazardous chemical and brief exposure may cause skin burns and irritation. It has been identified as a potent carcinogen and exposure may occur in the factory setting during manufacturing or during application on crop.Acetochlor herbicides are primarily used as selective herbicides against grasses sedges and some broadleaved weeds. They are extensively used by the U.S. corn farmers and sugarcane and soybean farmers in other parts of the world. Acetochlor herbicide has been recognized as a substitute for environmentally harmful herbicides by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) when used in regulated quantities. It is the key active ingredient in a variety of herbicide formulations.Request For Sample @The acetochlor herbicide market is driven by rising food security concerns for the rapidly increasing global population and decreasing area of arable land. This is putting pressure on farmers to increase yields to meet the global demand. However, rising awareness about the harmful effects of herbicides and other toxic agrochemical products and strict environmental regulations, especially in the developed nations of North America and Western Europe is expected to be the major restraining factor for the acetochlor herbicide market.In terms of geography, Asia Pacific is the largest consumer of acetochlor herbicide riding on high sales of herbicide products to its large population base. Major agricultural economies including China, India and Indonesia are the major consumers of acetochlor herbicide for application in a variety of crops. Populous countries including China and India are growing rapidly and there is a general increase in prosperity of the resident population. This in turn is expected to drive demand for food grains and further for acetochlor herbicide. Major market players have established their production facilities in Asia owing to the availability of cheap labor and land and comparatively lenient norms and regulations against chemicals. Another key consumer for acetochlor herbicide is North America especially in the well irrigated southern land in the Mississippi, Missouri and other corn planting areas of the U.S. In Rest of the World, Brazil, South Africa and Central Africa contribute to major demand for the market. Brazil is one of the worlds largest suppliers of corn and sugarcane, which makes it an attractive market for acetochlor herbicide suppliers. Europe is expected grow comparatively slower than other parts of the world due to stern government control over potentially harmful agrochemicals and general tendency of farmers towards sustainable organic farming techniques.Request For TOC @Some of the key market players include Monsanto, Syngenta AG, Dow AgroSciences, Bayer CropScience, Shanghai Mingdou Agrochemical Company Limited, and SinoHarvest Corporation 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 USTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Cell Culture Protein Surface Coatings Market: Segmental Highlights and Table of Content (2014 - 2020)

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Global Cell Culture Protein Surface Coatings Market to Exhibit Promising 13.60% CAGR from 2014 to 2020According to the research report, in 2013, the global market for cell culture protein surface coatings was worth US$256.2 mn and is estimated to reach a value of US$623.4 mn by the end of 2020. This market is projected to exhibit a progressive 13.60% CAGR between 2014 and 2020.The global protein expression technology market is segmented on the basis of by Protein Source, by Type of Coating, by GeographyReport Overview and TOC @On the basis of protein source, the global market for cell culture protein surface coatings has been classified into animals, plants, synthetic proteins, and human proteins. The synthetic protein source segment is estimated to exhibit a progressive 13% CAGR between 2014 and 2020. The high growth rate of this segment can be attributed to the growing demand for animal-free surface coatings in several countries in Europe and North America. On the basis of the type of coating, the global market for cell culture protein surface coatings has been divided into pre-coating and self-coating. The pre-coating segment is further sub-categorized into cover slips, flasks, micro-well/multi-well plates, slides, and petri dishes. Among the two major types, in 2013, the self-coating segment held a dominant share in the global market and is expected to remain in that position in the forecast period.On the basis of geography, the global market for cell culture protein surface coatings has been segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. In 2013, the North America regional market held a 40.90% share in the overall cell culture protein surface coatings market. The rapid development of biotechnology and healthcare infrastructure and increased activities for drug discovery have fueled the Asia Pacific market for cell culture protein surface coatings. This region is projected to exhibit a significant 15.40% CAGR between 2014 and 2020.Coatings and details the company profile, contact information, business strategies, mergers and acquisitions, financial overview, and recent development of key players. Some of the prominent players operating in the global market for cell culture protein surface coatings are Merck Millipore, Greiner Bio-One International AG, Corning Incorporated, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Sartorius Stedim Biotech SA, Viogene BioTek Corporation, and Sigma-Aldrich Corporation.Request A Sample Report@Summary of Table of Content1 Introduction2 Executive Summary3 Global Cell Culture Protein Surface Coatings Market Overview4 Global Cell Culture Protein Surface Coatings Market, by Protein Source5 Global Cell Culture Protein Surface Coatings Market, by Type of Coating6 Global Cell Culture Protein Surface Coatings Market, by Geography7 Recommendations8 Company ProfilesRequest to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @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
Key Features of customized iPhone restaurant application

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Mobile application development is a procedure of developing apps that enhances and adds additional features to your existing mobile gadget. Are you looking for custom iPhone Restaurant application developer in India at affordable cost?At that point your search end here because Canopus Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. announced new iPhone app release developed particularly for Hospitality industry like Hotel, Restaurant and more. As a trustworthy mobile apps developer company of India, we announced new iPhone app which matches requirement for every possible user present in the system.You will get following type of user applications:1) Customer side application2) Management side applicationHotel management application contain following modules:Customer Record ModuleOrdering ModulePoint of sale (POS) ModuleEmployee management ModuleCustom inventory control ModuleReservation systems ModuleTransaction Management ModuleNotification Generation ModuleOffers and Promotion ModuleReport generation ModuleOn the other hand, our Custom side application contain following features:Catalog of Restaurant food menuAbout your services with PhotographsOnline Hotel reservationsUser Registration and DashboardFood OrderingMake PaymentPast Order and Transaction ModulePush Notification ModuleEasy to 'Contact Us' ModuleWe are a devoted team you've been searching for fulfilling your need of Hospitality Management Mobile Application. We always work within client's functionality requirements framework and financial limitations. On the development grounds, we follow norms set by Apple for mobile applications. We have a rich history of developing applications for the Apple platform; we have not even once had an application declined.Get more details about our services ator email us at sales@canopusinfosystems.comCanopus Infosystems is an ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company that specializes in providing outsourced web & mobile development and testing services to clients worldwide. We are a full software services provider creating best in class web and mobile solutions for some of the most exciting startups and progressive enterprises.303-304, Airen Heights, PU 3Scheme 54, A. B. Road, Opp. OrbitMall,Indore M.P.INDIA  452010Phone: +91 731-2551963Email: sales@canopusinfosystems.com
Clinical Oncology Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Market Set to Witness an Uptick during 2017 - 2025

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Global Clinical Oncology Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Market: SnapshotNext Generation Sequencing (NGS) is alluded to as a non-Sanger based high throughput DNA sequencing innovation. This term is particularly used to characterize a few present day and progressed sequencing advancements, for instance, Proton/PGM sequencing, SOLiD sequencing, Roche 454 sequencing, and Illumina (Solexa) sequencing, among several others. The growing deployment of cutting edge genetic sequence investigation in different fields of clinical research because of the simultaneous fall in base combine mapping costs is a high effect rendering factor for stable development. Various disease scientists have considered the noteworthy significance of this innovation in oncology and contributed endeavors for improvement of bioinformatics calculations to be used for malignancy screening and tests advancement.Vital activities embraced by the governments for R&D in oncology is additionally an anticipated driving variable for development. Gives and advances have likewise been given by the governments and subsidizing bodies to limit the crevice between genomic grouping examination stages improvement and their execution in oncology inquire about. Moreover, tumor related consumptions are expected to rise essentially subsequently affecting the appropriation of second era sequencing stages with the end goal of indicative observing and theranostics applications. Several oncologist also think that in the years ahead, next generation sequencing along with many companion diagnostics are anticipated to play a noteworthy role in the field of personalized diagnostics and therapeutics. Thus extensively intensifying the demand for these type of platforms.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Clinical Oncology Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Market: OverviewNext Generation Sequencing (NGS) is referred to as a non-Sanger based high throughput DNA sequencing technology. This term is specifically used to define several modern and advanced sequencing technologies such as SOLiD sequencing, Proton / PGM sequencing, Roche 454 sequencing, and Illumina (Solexa) sequencing, among others. Billions of strands of DNA can be chained in parallel, substantially yielding more throughput and decreasing the requirement for methods for fragment cloning, often employed Sanger genome sequencing. Next generation sequencing enabled cataloging of the genomic outlook of numerous oncogenes is likely to pave way for the investigation of pathway leading to the occurrence of several diseases. The widespread applications of next generation sequencing is expected to bolster the use of multi gene sequencing.The report is an investigation in the growth of the global clinical oncology next generation sequencing market over the last couple of years and in the coming years. The market research publication further reasons out the causes of the changes in the market across the globe. It does this so by presenting an evaluation of the dynamics and the trends prevalent from the last few years and the ones that are likely to retain an impact during the forecast period. The Porters five forces analysis is being taken into consideration for the analysts to provide a clear view of the vendor landscape to the readers. Mergers, agreements, acquisitions, and other partnerships have also been highlighted in the report. The study further delves into the working of the various leading companies along with the information on the products, strategies, and shares of the companies in question.Request TOC of the Report @Global Clinical Oncology Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Market: Trends and ProspectsThe global market for clinical oncology next generation sequencing is expected to be benefitted by the growing use of advanced genetic sequencing analysis in several fields of clinical research owing to the simultaneous fall in the costs of base pair mapping and is likely to render high impact on the market over the coming years. Many cancer researchers have warranted the importance of NGS technology in the field of clinical oncology and have also invested efforts for creating bioinformatics algorithms to be used for cancer test development and screening.Numerous oncologists also believe that over the coming years, next generation sequencing in combination with companion diagnostics is anticipated to play a crucial role in personalized therapeutics and diagnostics, thus exponentially triggering the demand for these platforms in clinical oncology. Moreover, loans and grants provided by governments for the purpose of research and development is also expected to bode well for the markets growth in the near future. It has also been expected that with the rise in expenditure for cancer research, the adoption of clinical oncology next generation sequencing will also magnify. However, time consuming process and data interpretation is expected to act as major bottleneck in the growth of the market.Request Discount of the Report @Global Clinical Oncology Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Market: Regional OutlookRegionally, the global market for clinical oncology next generation sequencing can be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World. North America is expected to emerge as a prominent region supplementing the markets growth owing to strategic initiatives taken up by the governments in the region. Other regions are also anticipated to support the growth of the market with early adoption of the technologies.Global Clinical Oncology Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Market: Competitive LandscapeCompanies such as DNASTAR Inc., Roche, Illumina Inc., Agilent Technologies, Qiagen NV, CLC Bio, Biomatters Ltd., and Pacific Bioscience, among several others are likely to establish a strong position in the market with their services and products.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Advanced Materials Market is expected to be worth US$102.48 bn during 2016-2024

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Advanced Materials generally have superior properties than conventional materials available. They can outperform conventional materials, in terms of their applications. They are materials that are novel or have undergone modifications in existing materials to gain superior performance with respect to one or more characteristics that are essential for the applications under consideration.Global Advanced Materials Market: Drivers and TrendsAs climate change statistics are continuously rising, there's growing pressure from all areas  consumers, businesses, and governments  to search for more eco-friendly manufacturing techniques. This acts as another opportunity for advanced materials market because of always advancing technologies that are used for production of advanced materials. North America and Europe are major regions for the global advanced materials market, with them currently being and projected to remain comparatively mature markets.The market is anticipated to undergo constant changes due to emerging technologies in various segments, as any advancement carried out on existing products results in the inclusion of the modified product in the existing market. Limited number of players operate in the advanced materials market. Their share of R&D expenditure is expected to reflect on the overall investment in R&D for advanced materials.Click to get Sample PDF:Global Advanced Materials Market: ScopeThe report estimates and forecasts the advanced materials market on the global and regional levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (million tons / kilo tons) and revenue (US$ Bn / US$ Mn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage.Global Advanced Materials Market: Research MethodologyThe study includes drivers and restraints for the advanced materials market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the advanced materials market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes substitute analysis of advanced materials and global average price trend analysis.View Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:The study provides a comprehensive view of the advanced materials market by dividing it into product, application and geography segments. The products have been segmented into ceramics, glasses, polymers, composites and metals & alloys (M&A). The applications are segmented into medical devices, automotive, aerospace, electricals & electronics (E&E), industrial, power and others. These segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast consumption of advanced materials in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Market segmentation includes demand for consumption in all the regions individually.Key Players Mentioned in this Report are:The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include 3M Advanced Materials, Morgan Advanced Materials plc, Huntsman Corporation, Hexcel Corporation, Hanwa Group, Materion Corporation and Others. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Long-chain Dicarboxylic Acid Market - Global Industrial Applications Witness Fastest Growth up to 2025

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Global Long-chain Dicarboxylic Acid Market: SnapshotThe expanding utilization of long chain dicarboxylic corrosive as antecedent in assembling of nylon and different polyamides, powder coatings, greases, glues, and consumption inhibitors, applications will fuel the long chain dicarboxylic corrosive request. Rising application extent of nylon and different polyamides in car and building development is relied upon to drive long chain dicarboxylic corrosive development over the figure time frame. Long chain dicarboxylic corrosive is utilized as a key bio-based item to manufacture in different applications. LCDA is an earth degradable item which makes its appropriate for consistence with different administrative standards laid by REACH and EPA in Europe and North America separately.Elite nylon and other polyamide utilized have properties like high quality and firmness, weariness resistance, and expansive temperature toleration. Elite nylon is generally utilized as a part of foundation extends crosswise over different topographies of the world. The development of above expressed application section is relied upon to fuel long chain dicarboxylic corrosive request over the gauge time frame. The market is expected to witness healthy growth owing to the mounting demand from industries such as automotive, construction, and paints and coatings. The rising utilization of powder coatings over various application in the previously mentioned industries will be a key supporter of the general advancement of the long chain dicarboxylic acids showcase in Asia Pacific in the following couple of years, making it the key revenue contributor.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Long-chain Dicarboxylic Acid Market: OverviewShort- and long-chain dicarboxylic acids (DCA), derivatives of fatty acids, are increasingly gaining popularity as one of the most promising applications of fats and oils, devised especially to serve as sustainable polymer building blocks for industrial usage. In stark contrast to conventional plastics, bioplastics made from renewable biomass such as dicarboxylic acids serve as a way of conserving fossil resources and reducing CO2 emissions. Many bioplastics are also biodegradable, significantly contributing to the reduction of waste in landfills.Driven on the back of these obvious benefits and the rising awareness regarding the need to find suitable alternatives to conventional plastics, the demand for long-chain dicarboxylic acids is expected to rise at a significant pace in the next few years. A vast set of applications across industries such as automotive, construction, and paints and coatings is expected to drive the market.Request TOC of the Report @This report on the global long-chain dicarboxylic acid market presents a thorough overview of the market and its key segments in the present scenario. Several predictions regarding the growth prospects of the market and its segments over the period 2017-2025 are also provided in the report. The report covers an analytical overview of the market and factors expected to have a notable influence on the overall development of the market over the said period, including growth drivers, challenges, trends, opportunities, and regulations.Global Long-chain Dicarboxylic Acid Market: Trends and OpportunitiesLong-chain dicarboxylic acids find extensive usage for the production of product varieties such as adhesives, powder coatings, pharmaceuticals, corrosion inhibitors, and lubricants. Of these, the segment of nylons and other similar polyamides is presently the leading contributor to the global long-chain dicarboxylic acid market. The segment of powder coatings is also seeing increased traction owing to rising consumption across industries such as construction and automotive. The construction and automotive industries are expected to emerge as the leading consumers of long-chain dicarboxylic acids in the near future, chiefly owing to significant expansion across emerging economies.Request Discount of the Report @Global Long-chain Dicarboxylic Acid Market: Geographical OverviewFrom a geographical perspective, the report includes an analytical overview of the market for long chain dicarboxylic acids across regions such as Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, the Asia Pacific market has been observed be the leading consumer and one of the fastest growing markets for long chain dicarboxylic acids. Thriving industries such as paints and coatings, construction, and automotive, which are among the top contributors to the revenue of the market, are chiefly attributable to the healthy growth prospects of the long chain dicarboxylic acid market in the region.The rising use of powder coatings across a number of application in the abovementioned industries will be a key contributor to the overall development of the long chain dicarboxylic acids market in Asia Pacific in the next few years. Surge in the demand for new construction projects and public and private vehicles in the region will be driven on the back of a rising base of affluent consumers, strengthening economies, and encouraging government initiatives.Global Long-chain Dicarboxylic Acid Market: Competitive DynamicsThe report also presents a detailed analytical overview of the competitive landscape of the global long chain dicarboxylic acids market and business profiles of some of the leading vendors operating in the market. A SWOT analysis of each company profiled in the report allows the reader a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of leading vendors in the market and the threats and opportunities faced by them.Some of the leading companies operating in the global long chain dicarboxylic acids market profiled in the report are Guangtong, Capot Chemical Co., Ltd., Cathay, Dupont, Hangzhou Dayangchem Co. Ltd., BASF SE, Longhetong, Qingjiang, Evonik, Senos, Zhongke, and Invista.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
LiDAR 2017 Global Industry Key Players - Faro Technologies , Renishaw , Saab , Intermap Technologies , Leica Geosystems Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Global LiDAR Market

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Global LiDAR MarketThis report studies LiDAR in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringFaro TechnologiesRenishawSaabIntermap TechnologiesLeica GeosystemsRieglTrimble NavigationAerometric3D Laser MappingRequest a Sample Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoShort RangeMobileTerrestrialAirborneBy Application, the market can be split intoCorridor MappingCivil EngineeringMilitary & DefenseGovernmentTopographical SurveysBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaTo enquire about this report visit @Table of Contents-Key Points CoveredGlobal LiDAR Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of LiDAR1.1 Definition and Specifications of LiDAR1.1.1 Definition of LiDAR1.1.2 Specifications of LiDAR1.2 Classification of LiDAR1.2.1 Short Range1.2.2 Mobile1.2.3 Terrestrial1.2.4 Airborne1.3 Applications of LiDAR1.3.1 Corridor Mapping1.3.2 Civil Engineering1.3.3 Military & Defense1.3.4 Government1.3.5 Topographical Surveys1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of LiDAR2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of LiDAR2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of LiDAR2.4 Industry Chain Structure of LiDAR..8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of LiDAR8.1 Faro Technologies8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 Faro Technologies 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Faro Technologies 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Renishaw8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 Renishaw 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Renishaw 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Saab8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Saab 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Saab 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution Analysis8.4 Intermap Technologies8.4.1 Company Profile8.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.4.2.1 Product A8.4.2.2 Product B8.4.3 Intermap Technologies 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.4.4 Intermap Technologies 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution Analysis8.5 Leica Geosystems8.5.1 Company Profile8.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.5.2.1 Product A8.5.2.2 Product B8.5.3 Leica Geosystems 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.5.4 Leica Geosystems 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution Analysis8.6 Riegl8.6.1 Company Profile8.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.6.2.1 Product A8.6.2.2 Product B8.6.3 Riegl 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.6.4 Riegl 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution Analysis8.7 Trimble Navigation8.7.1 Company Profile8.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.7.2.1 Product A8.7.2.2 Product B8.7.3 Trimble Navigation 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.7.4 Trimble Navigation 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution Analysis8.8 Aerometric8.8.1 Company Profile8.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.8.2.1 Product A8.8.2.2 Product B8.8.3 Aerometric 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.8.4 Aerometric 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution Analysis8.9 3D Laser Mapping8.9.1 Company Profile8.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.9.2.1 Product A8.9.2.2 Product B8.9.3 3D Laser Mapping 2016 LiDAR Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.9.4 3D Laser Mapping 2016 LiDAR Business Region Distribution AnalysisContinuedBuy Report@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
China Brass Rods Market Research Report 2017-2022 by Players, Regions, Product Types & Applications

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MarketResearchNest.com adds China Brass Rods Market by Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type and Application, Forecast To 2022new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 122 pages with table and figures in it.Brass Rods are used to production the force components. Such as pins, rivets, washers, nuts, pipe, pressure gauge, screen, radiator parts. According to the material, it can be divided into two kinds: one kind is common Brass Rods, which are comprised of copper and zinc; the other kind is special Brass Rods, which is comprised of copper, zinc, Sn and other metal. Mechanical properties and wear resistance of Brass Rods is good, therefore it has been widely used to manufacture precision instruments, ship parts, automobile parts, appliances parts, and instruments parts.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Brass Rods in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversNingbo Jintian, Tongling Nonferrous Metals, Wieland, KME, Hailiang Group, CHALCO, ALMAG SPA, Mueller Industries, Ningbo Jinglong, Chase Brass, CK San-Etsu Co Ltd, Daechang, Mitsubishi-shindoh, LDM, Poongsan, EGM Group, Sanchuan, Carlo GnuttiMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth China, Southwest China, East China, Northeast China, North ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversOrdinary Brass Rods, Special Brass Rods, OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoMachining, Automobile Parts, Hardware AppliancesRequest a sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report:This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rateIt provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.The research provides answers to the following key questions:What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022?What are the key factors driving the United States Brass Rods Market?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the United States Brass Rods Market?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the United States Brass Rods Market?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the United States Brass Rods Market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the United States Brass Rods Market?There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Brass Rods market.Chapter 1, to describe Brass Rods Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Brass Rods, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Brass Rods,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Brass Rods market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Brass Rods Appendix, methodology and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on China industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
New Report Examine Pediatric Ultrasound Market Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Pediatric Ultrasound Market: SnapshotUltrasound imaging, or sonography, makes use of sound waves in high frequencies to take a look inside the body. It is a noninvasive diagnostic procedure that can be used to capture images of the human anatomy in real time. Their real time imaging capabilities also allow them to display internal organ movements, including blood flow and blood vessel formations. The advantage of ultrasound over similar imaging technologies such as X-ray imaging, is that the former does not expose patients to harmful rays. This forms the core principle of using ultrasound imaging in pediatric care.Ultrasound technologies are designed to be safe and painless for patients while still being able to produce accurate images of the anatomy. Pediatric ultrasound can therefore be a significantly better method of generating images of a childs abdomen for the sake of examination. Common body parts that can be diagnosed using ultrasound include the kidneys, stomach, appendix, uterus, spleen, and pancreas. Pediatric ultrasound imaging can therefore help a doctor check the child for deformities or the cause of pain in their abdomen. Ultrasound technologies are also highly advantageous when providing guidance for surgeons attempting to operate on the child. While it is uncommon, abdominal buildup of fluids can occur in children, and needs to be taken care of immediately. Pediatric ultrasound imaging comes handy in situations such as there.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Pediatric Ultrasound Market: OverviewPediatric ultrasound imaging, also called pediatric sonography, is one of the standard imaging techniques used across a variety of healthcare facilities to scan different parts of body of children to diagnose and treat a number of medical conditions. The noninvasive and safe nature of the imaging technique is significantly used to evaluate and examine a variety of conditions and is witnessing a steady rise in demand across the globe owing to a significant rise in several diseases affecting children.This report on the global pediatric ultrasound market presents a detailed overview of the present growth dynamics of the market and an analytical overview of the key factors expected to exert a significant impact on the overall development of the market over the period 2017-2025.Global Pediatric Ultrasound Market: Trends and OpportunitiesA host of factors are leading to the increased demand for pediatric ultrasound devices in the global market, including the significant rise in prevalence of a number of pediatric diseases, the resultant rise in demand for increased number of diagnostic procedures, and the increased consciousness among parents about the need for early diagnosis of pediatric diseases. The low threat of exposure to harmful radiations as compared to other popular imaging techniques and technological advancements in the field of pediatric ultrasound are also expected to drive the market.Request TOC of the Report @Additionally, vast untapped growth opportunities in developing and less-developed economies are also expected to drive the market for pediatric ultrasounds in the next few years. However, the markets growth is expected to be restrained to a certain extent owing to the thriving industry of refurbished medical devices, limited availability of skilled resources, and some inherent limitations of the ultrasound technology that restrict their scope of use.Global Pediatric Ultrasound Market: Geographical AnalysisFrom a geographical perspective, the report examines the global pediatric ultrasound market across regions such as Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, the markets across developed regions such as North America and Europe are amongst the top revenue-grossers for the global market. The high prevalence of pediatric chronic heart diseases, high awareness among parents about children health, and technologically advanced healthcare infrastructures in these regions are the key factors driving the pediatric ultrasound market.Request Discount of the Report @Over the reports forecast period, however, the market for pediatric ultrasound in Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit growth at the most promising pace, chiefly owing to the increased focus of government bodies on modernization of healthcare infrastructures and rising expenditure on healthcare and fitness. With the presence of some of the worlds leading medical device manufacturers such as Hitachi and Toshiba, Japan dominates the Asia Pacific pediatric ultrasound market.Global Pediatric Ultrasound Market: Competitive OverviewThe vendor landscape of the global pediatric ultrasound market features intense competition in terms of product pricing and product features. The rising demand for portable and handheld systems has compelled leading vendors to focus on this niche segment of the market to reap sustainable returns. Futuristic technologies such as 3D and 4D ultrasound devices are also gaining increasing acceptance across developed regional markets as well as developing regional markets, a trend that could result in excellent growth opportunities for vendors wanting to venture into the pediatric ultrasound market.Some of the leading companies contributing to the development of the global pediatric ultrasound market are Toshiba Medical System Corporation, Boston Scientific, Agfa-Gevaert NV, Hitachi Medical Corporation, Esaote SpA, General Electric Company, Fujifilm Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Samsung Medison Co. Ltd., Mindray Medical International Limited, GE Healthcare, and Siemens Healthcare.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Scuba Diving Equipment Market Report and Forecast to 2021: Radiant Insights

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Cuba Diving Equipment Report by Material, Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and comprehensive research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, United Kingdom,Japan, South Korea and China). In this report, the global Scuba Diving Equipment market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is projected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2021, growing at a CAGR of XX% during the period 2017 to 2021.Request a Free Sample Copy of Scuba Diving Equipment Market Report @The report firstly introduced the Scuba Diving Equipment basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.The major players profiled in this report include: Saekodive Aquatec-Duton Company C Aqualung Johnson Outdoors Mares PoseidonFor further inquiries, about - Global Scuba Diving Equipment Market Report and Forecast to 2021, click on this link -The end users/applications and product categories analysis:On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume, revenue (Million USD), product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into- Type A Type B Type COn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Scuba Diving Equipment for each application, including- Professional Staff Amateur Casual Staff Appliaction CRead more related reports by Radiant Insights: Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices Industry Hyphenated Spectroscopy Sales MarketTable of ContentsPart I Scuba Diving Equipment Industry OverviewChapter One Scuba Diving Equipment Industry Overview1.1 Scuba Diving Equipment Definition1.2 Scuba Diving Equipment Classification Analysis Type A Type B Type C1.2.1 Scuba Diving Equipment Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Scuba Diving Equipment Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Scuba Diving Equipment Application Analysis Professional Staff Amateur Casual Staff Appliaction CTo read more reports, visit our blog @Chapter Two Scuba Diving Equipment Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisAbout Radiant Insights, IncRadiant Insights is a market research and consulting company offering syndicated research studies, customized reports, and consulting services. Market research studies are designed to facilitate strategic decision making, on the basis of extensive and in-depth quantitative information, supported by extensive analysis and industry insights. Using a patented and robust research methodology, we publish exhaustive research reports covering a host of industries such as Technology, Chemicals, Materials, and Energy. Radiant Insights has a strong base of analysts, consultants and domain experts, with global experience help for delivering excellence in all research projects.Media Contact:Michelle Thoras201 Spear Street 1100,Suite 3036,San Francisco,CA 94105, United StatesTel: 1-415-349-0054Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744Mail: sale@radiantinsights.com
Urinary Catheters Market: Segment Snapshot and Table of Content (2015 - 2021)

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research titled "Global Market Study on Urinary Catheters: Intermittent Catheters Segment to Witness Highest Growth by 2021, the urinary catheters market is expected to be valued at US$1,377.5 Mn by the end of 2015. It is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of4.1% from 2015 to 2021, to reach US$1,755.0Mn by 2021.View Report Preview @The Urinary Catheters Market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, end-user and region.By Product Type:Indwelling (Foley) Catheter, Intermittent (Short-term) Catheter, External (Condom) CatheterBy Application:Prostate Gland Surgery, Urinary Retention, Urinary Incontinence, Spinal Cord Injury, Other ApplicationThe global catheter market was valued at around US$ 25,895.6Mn 2014. The urinary catheter market accounted for 5.1% of global catheter market in 2014 and was valued at US$ 1,326.0 million. Revenue contribution by urinary catheter market to the global catheter market is expected to increase to US$ 1,755.0 by the end of 2021, expanding at a CAGR of 4.1% between 2015 and 2021. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and growing ageing population are factors expected to positively affect the growth of the urinary catheter market across the globe.By region, North America dominated the market with over 30% market share and is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. The urinary catheter market in Asia and Latin America are expected to expand at a CAGRs of 4.7% and 4.6% respectively during the forecast period.Request A Sample Report @Summary of Table of Content1. Executive Summary2. Global Urinary Catheter Market Overview3. Global Urinary Catheter Market Analysis4. Global Urinary Catheter Market Dynamics5. Global Urinary Catheter Market Analysis By Product Type6. Global Urinary Catheter Market Analysis By Application7. Global Urinary Catheter Market Analysis By Region8. Competitive LandscapeRequest to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @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:
Nuclear Valves Market: China Industry Size, Share, Growth, Forecasts to 2022

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Latest industry research report on: China (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Nuclear Valves Market : Industry Size, Share, Research, Reviews, Analysis, Strategies, Demand, Growth, Segmentation, Parameters, ForecastsThe objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the market on the basis of type, application, medical condition, and region. It provides detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the market. This report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments of the key players in terms of market developments, product portfolios, and financials.Acute Renal Failure Market: Industry Size, Share, Growth, Forecasts.Complete Report Details @"Valves are devices that regulate, direct or control the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids) by opening, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are used in many applications throughout the industrial, commercial, and residential industries. Nuclear valves refer to the valves especially applied in nuclear power plants.Valves are used for many applications at a nuclear facility. During normal operation and transients, valves are needed for the nuclear facilitys process control and regulation, and during accidents valves are used to manage safety functions. It is important to the safety of a nuclear facility that the integrity and performance of valves installed at the plant is assured until the end of their specified service life in those postulated situations and conditions that may prevail in their service places."Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Nuclear Valves in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Request For Sample Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversVelanPentair Valves & ControlsEmerson-FisherCopes-Vulcan (SPX FLOW)IMI NuclearHenry PrattSamshinMetrex ValveDaher-VanatomeKSBBNLBabcock ValvesVector ValvesToa Valve Engineering Inc.Jiangsu Shentong ValveZhonghe SuFaNeway ValveShanghai LiangGongShanghai EHO ValveSoovalveMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth ChinaSouthwest ChinaEast ChinaNortheast ChinaNorth ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversGlobe ValveBall ValveButterfly ValvesGate ValvesDiaphragm ValvesOthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoNuclear Island (NI)Convention Island (CI)Balance of Plant (BOP)Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Nuclear Valves market.Chapter 1, to describe Nuclear Valves Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Nuclear Valves, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Nuclear Valves,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Nuclear Valves market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Nuclear Valves Appendix, methodology and data sourceAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Thermal Management Technologies Market : Estimated to Flourish by 2025

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Global Thermal Management Technologies Market: SnapshotThe electronics industry has witnessed a sea change in terms of underpinning technologies and the way they are integrated in the past couple of years. In most cases, this has upped the total power consumed by the devices which seem to be getting smaller by the day. This has necessitated heat density management through the development of effective heat management technologies.At present, high-performance heat spreader systems that leverage multi-phase cooling in place of alloy-based heat spreaders is one of the most researched areas in the field of thermal management technologies. There is also substantial ongoing research in fabrication or discovery of structures and materials capable of providing notable decline in the thermal resistance of the thermal interface layer between the back layers of electronic devices, which could be a heatsink.The global thermal management technologies market is choc-a-bloc with players and no single player enjoys dominance over the market. From a geographical standpoint, Asia Pacific is the primary contributor to the revenue in the market on account of the presence of some of the global electronic majors in nations such as Japan, South Korea, and China. Europe is another key market owing to a robust electronic manufacturing and research and development facilities in nations of Germany and the US. The EU regulations requiring the use of thermal interface in electronic devices is also said to be driving the market in the continent. Add to that increasing concerns about the rising ranks of discerning consumers about the environment and what you have is further focus on the development of environment-friendly heat management materials.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Thermal Management Technologies Market: OverviewThe electronics industry has seen significant enhancements in technologies, system integration, and fundamental materials used to manufacture elemental structures in the past few years. This has led to a rapid rise in the total power consumed by the device, which, in several cases, are seeing a rapid reduction in size. Supplying high power to such devices, with electronic parts crammed in small packages, make the issue of heat density management even worse for the industry. This has increased the industrys focus on the development of efficient heat management technologies.This report on the global thermal management technologies market covers the state of research and development activities undertaken in this area and their influence on the electronics industry as seen in the past few years. A detailed overview of the thermal management technologies markets present growth dynamics and several forward-looking statements predicting the growth prospects of the market and its key segments over the period between 2017 and 2025.Request TOC of the Report @Global Thermal Management Technologies Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe development of high-performance heat spreader systems which use multi-phase cooling in place of alloy-based heat spreaders in conventional systems is presently one of the most researched areas in the field of thermal management technologies. Research efforts in the area so far have led to the development of technologies such as cold plates, jet impingement, and heat vapor chambers. Research is also underway in fabrication/discovery of structures and materials capable of providing notable decline in the thermal resistance of the thermal interface layer between the back layers of electronic devices, which could be a heatsink.Of the key components of a typical thermal management solution, namely thermal management hardware, thermal management interface product, thermal management software, and thermal management substrates, the hardware segment is presently the leading contributor of revenue to the global market. The rising demand for compact microprocessors is expected to enable the hardware segment lead over the next few years as well.Request Discount of the Report @The segment of thermal management interfaces is also expected to see demand rise at a promising incremental pace over the reports forecast period. The rising implementation of thermal management interfaces in automated machineries and portable and miniaturized computing devices such as smartphones and tablet computers will be the key to healthy growth prospects of the thermal management interface segment.Global Thermal Management Technologies Market: Geographical and Competitive DynamicsFrom a geographic perspective, the report presents an analytical overview of the thermal management technologies market for regional markets such as North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, Asia Pacific is expected to be the leading contributor of revenue to the global market over the forecast period. The presence of some of the worlds leading electronic companies in countries such as South Korea, China, and Japan will further strengthen the demand prospects for thermal management technologies in the region over the forecast period.Europe, with the large number of electronic manufacturing and R&D facilities in countries such as the UK and Germany, is also expected to see a rise in use of thermal management technologies in the near future. The Europe market is also expected to thrive due to stringent EU regulations necessitating the use of thermal interface in electronic devices. The heightened consumer awareness about environment sustenance is expected to lead to an increased focus on the development of environment-friendly heat management materials in the near future.It has been found that the global thermal management technologies market features an exceedingly fragmented competitive landscape, wherein no leading player accounts for a major share in the global markets revenue- or value-wise valuation. Some of the markets leading players are Honeywell International, LairdTech, Alcatel-Lucent, Pentair Thermal Management, Thermacore, Heatex, Aavid Thermalloy, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Thermal Management Technologies, Sapa Group, and Honeywell International.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global E-Juice Market 2017 Key Players -Cosmic Fog Vapors, HALO, OMG, Monster Vape, Angry Vape,..

E-Juice Market

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E-Juice Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds E-Juice Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.Executive SummaryGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of E-Juice in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal E-Juice market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingCosmic Fog VaporsHALOOMGMonster VapeAngry Vape...Request Sample Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into6mg Nicotine3mg Nicotine0mg Nicotine12mg NicotineOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingOnline StoreDirect SellingOtherIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.For further information on this report, visit -Table of Content:Global E-Juice Market Research Report 20171 E-Juice Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of E-Juice1.2 E-Juice Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global E-Juice Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global E-Juice Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 6mg Nicotine1.2.4 3mg Nicotine1.2.5 0mg Nicotine1.2.6 12mg Nicotine1.3 Global E-Juice Segment by Application1.3.1 E-Juice Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Online Store1.3.3 Direct Selling1.3.4 Other1.4 Global E-Juice Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global E-Juice Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of E-Juice (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global E-Juice Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global E-Juice Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global E-Juice Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global E-Juice Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global E-Juice Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global E-Juice Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global E-Juice Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global E-Juice Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers E-Juice Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 E-Juice Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 E-Juice Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 E-Juice Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global E-Juice Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global E-Juice Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global E-Juice Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global E-Juice Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global E-Juice Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America E-Juice Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe E-Juice Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China E-Juice Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan E-Juice Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia E-Juice Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India E-Juice Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global E-Juice Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global E-Juice Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global E-Juice Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global E-Juice Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global E-Juice Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global E-Juice Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global E-Juice Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global E-Juice Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/Countries7 Global E-Juice Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Cosmic Fog Vapors7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 E-Juice Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Cosmic Fog Vapors E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 HALO7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 E-Juice Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 HALO E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 OMG7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 E-Juice Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 OMG E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Monster Vape7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 E-Juice Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Monster Vape E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Angry Vape7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 E-Juice Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Angry Vape E-Juice Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinuousBuy this Report @Contact Us:Norah Trentsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Maltodextrin Market Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2017-2022

Maltodextrin, Maltodextrin Market, Maltodextrin Industry

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MarketResearchNest.com adds China Maltodextrin Market by Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type and Application, Forecast To 2022new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 119 pages with table and figures in it.Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is always used as a food additive. It is produced from various starches, such as corn, rice, potato, wheat, mandioc etc, by partial hydrolysis with the value of DE below 20%. And it is usually found as a white hygroscopic spray-dried powder.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Maltodextrin in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversGrain Processing Corp, Roquette, Cargill Inc., Matsutani, ADM, Ingredion, Tate and Lyle, Agrana Group, Avebe, Nowamyl, SSSFI-AAA, Kraft, WGC, Xiwang, Zhucheng Dongxiao, Zhucheng Xingmao, Mengzhou Jinyumi, Qinhuangdao Lihuang, Shijiazhuang Huachen, Henan Feitian, JinzeMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth China, Southwest China, East China, Northeast China, North ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversMD 10, MD 15, MD 20Market Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFood and Beverage, Pharm, Industrial, OthersRequest a sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report:This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rateIt provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.The research provides answers to the following key questions:What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022?What are the key factors driving the United States Maltodextrin Market?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the United States Maltodextrin Market?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the United States Maltodextrin Market?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the United States Maltodextrin Market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the United States Maltodextrin Market?There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Maltodextrin market.Chapter 1, to describe Maltodextrin Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Maltodextrin, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Maltodextrin,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Maltodextrin market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Maltodextrin Appendix, methodology and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on China industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Global Industrial Packaging Market to attain a valuation of US$73.2 bn during 2016-2024

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https://www.researchmoz.us/industrial-packaging-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2016-2024-report.html/toc

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This report provides forecast and analysis of the industrial packaging market on the global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2015 along with forecast from 2016 to 2024 based on volume (Mn units) and revenue (US$ Mn). It includes drivers, restraints and the ongoing trend of the industrial packaging market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The report also comprises the study of opportunities available in the market for industrial packaging on the global and regional level. It also includes value chain analysis with list of raw material manufacturers, IBCs Manufacturers, Drum manufacturers, Pails and crates manufacturers etc.In order to provide the users of this report with comprehensive view of market, we have included detailed competitiveness analysis and company players. The competitive dashboard provides detailed comparison of industrial packaging manufacturers on parameters such as companys revenue, unique selling propositions and key strategic developments. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, by product type, material type, packaging type, End Use and by geographic region.Click to get Sample PDF:Market statistics have been estimated based on average consumption and weighted average pricing of industrial packaging by product type and the revenue is derived through regional pricing trends. Market size and forecast for each segment have been provided in the context of global and regional markets. The industrial packaging market has been analyzed based on expected demand. Prices considered for the calculation of revenue are average regional prices obtained through primary quotes from numerous industrial packaging manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors. All key end users have been considered and potential applications have been estimated on the basis of secondary sources and feedback from primary respondents.View Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Regional demand patterns have been considered while estimating the market for various end users of industrial packaging in different regions. Top-down approach has been used to estimate the industrial packaging market by regions. Market numbers for global product type, material type, packaging type, end use and by region have been derived using the bottom-up approach, which is cumulative of each regions demand.To compute the market size, in-depth secondary research is done. Data points such as regional splits and market split by material type, product type, packaging type, end use distribution network and primary usage as well as qualitative inputs from primary respondents have been assimilated to arrive at appropriate market estimates. The report comprises the forecast of the global revenue generated by the sales of industrial packaging market.The report provides detailed competitive outlook including company profiles of key participants operating in the global market. Key players in the global industrial packaging market include, Smurfit Kappa Group, Sealed Air Corporation, Tekni-Films, Inc., Grief Inc, International Paper, Nefab Group, Schutz, Sonoco, AmeriGlobe, B.A.G. Corp, Mauser Group B.V, Greif inc etc.ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Electric Underfloor Heating Market to grow at 6% CAGR from 2017 to 2024

Global Market Insights

https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2130

https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2130

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/electric-underfloor-heating-market

Growing consumer awareness toward energy conservation coupled with increasing installation of reliable heating systems will stimulate the electric underfloor heating market size. Rising disposable income coupled with improving living standards will further embellish the product demand. As per Office for National Statistics (Great Britain), UK household disposable income was USD 34,930 in the financial year 2016 which was USD 790 higher than the previous year.U.S. electric underfloor heating market is set to reach over USD 500 million by 2024. Increasing demand for space heating along with rising energy cost will fuel the business growth. Advancement in technology coupled with declining associated cost will further complement the industry landscape. The government of California has introduced standards to improve the building efficiency with an aim to reduce the overall energy cost.Request for a sample of this research report @Shifting focus toward green buildings along with stringent government regulations to reduce carbon footprints will augment the electric underfloor heating market. Introduction of building standards and codes to reduce the energy consumption will further augment the industry landscape. As per the European Union, several directives including EBPD has been introduced to achieve the target of ZEB by 2020.High cost associated with petroleum products along with rising energy demand for localized heating from residential establishments will drive the electric underfloor heating market. As per European Commission, residential sector accounts for 64.7% of energy consumption primarily for heating homes.UK electric underfloor heating market is set to grow over 7% owing to growing measures toward improvisation of energy security by reducing the energy consumption. In 2015, the country has introduced an energy saving ordinance to cut down the energy consumption by 25% across new buildings and ensures the achievement of target for carbon-neutral buildings by 2050.Russia electric underfloor heating market is set to surpass USD 120 million by 2024. Paradigm shift in population demographics along with significant growth in residential construction will augment the industry landscape. Growing demand for heating systems subject to extreme climatic conditions will further escalate the product penetration. In 2015, underfloor accounted for 32% of the overall heating devices across residential buildings.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Japan, in 2016, accounted for over 15% of Asia Pacific electric underfloor heating market share. Increasing adoption of low emission heating systems coupled with favorable government initiatives to increase energy efficiency will positively influence the business growth. Internal migration of population from remote locations to urban areas will further boost the product demand. In 2016, urban population in Japan has increased up to 93.9% with average growth rate of 0.62% per year.Notable industry participants in electric underfloor heating market include Uponor, Danfoss, Warmup, Emerson Electric, Honeywell, Siemens, Schneider, Sensata technologies, Pentair, Nexans, Robert Bosch, Mitsubishi, Amuheat, REHAU, Hunt Heating and H2O Heating.Browse key industry insights spread across 225 pages with 372 market data tables & 14 figures & charts from the report, Electric Underfloor Heating Market in detail along with the table of contents:About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.com
Electric Car Chargers Industry Forecast and Revenue by Regions (2017-2022) - Published by MarketResearchNest.com

Electric Car Chargers Trends

https://www.marketresearchnest.com/north-america-electric-car-chargers-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022.html

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MarketResearchNest.com adds North America Electric Car Chargers (ADAS) Market By Manufacturers, Countries, Type And Application, Forecast To 2022 new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 115 pages with table and figures in it."The electric car charger is charging for different kinds of new energy electric vehicles, its function is similar to the gas station inside the tanker, it usually have two kinds in charging manner classification, AC and DC. Alternate current electric car charger is relative cheaper than the direct current Electric Car Chargers.It can be fixed on the ground or wall, installed in public buildings (public buildings, shopping malls, public parking, etc.) and residential area parking or charging stations, it charging for different kinds of new energy electric vehicles based on the demand. Electric Car Chargers of inputs directly connected to the AC power grid, output terminals are equipped with a charging plug for electric vehicle charging."Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Electric Car Chargers in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversChargepoint, ABB, Eaton, Leviton, Blink, Schneider Electric, Siemens, General Electric, AeroVironment, Panasonic, Chargemaster, Elektromotive, Clipper Creek, DBT CEV, Pod Point, BYD, NARI, Xuji Group, Potivio, Auto Electric Power Plant, Ruckus New Energy Tech, Huashang Sanyou, Wanbang, Qingdao TelaidianMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers United States Canada MexicoMarket Segment by Type, coversSlow AC, Fast AC, Fast DCMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHome, Office, CommercialGet Request sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report: This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rate It provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.Get Order a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on Electric Car Chargers industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
China Metal Powder Market by Manufacturers, States, Type And Application, Forecast To 2022

Metal Powder, Metal Powder Market, Metal Powder Industry

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MarketResearchNest.com adds China Metal Powder Market by Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type and Application, Forecast To 2022new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 121 pages with table and figures in it.Metal powder is a metal in the form of powder. It includes most types of metals. It is always added into the manufacturing process of product in order to strengthen it. Metal powder can be used in chemical processes, food supplements and additions, magnetic composites and other application fields.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Metal Powder in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversHoganas, GKN Hoeganaes, QMP, Laiwu Iron and Steel, JFE, Jiande Yitong, WISCO PM, Alcoa, Shandong Xinfa, Hunan Jiweixin, GGP Metalpowder, SCM Metal Products, Chongqing HuaHao, Vale, Jien Nickel, Xiamen Tungsten, Daido, Ametek, BASF, Sandvik AB, Carpenter Technology, KennametalMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth China, Southwest China, East China, Northeast China, North ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversIron and Steel Powder, Aluminum Powder, Copper Powder, Nickel Powder, Other PowderMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoAutomotive, Consumer Goods, Machinery, OthersRequest a sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report:This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rateIt provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.The research provides answers to the following key questions:What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022?What are the key factors driving the United States Metal Powder Market?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the United States Metal Powder Market?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the United States Metal Powder Market?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the United States Metal Powder Market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the United States Metal Powder Market?There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Metal Powder market.Chapter 1, to describe Metal Powder Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Metal Powder, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Metal Powder,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Metal Powder market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Metal Powder Appendix, methodology and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on China industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market : Upcoming Trends and Future Outlook 2017-2027

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/microsclerotherapy-treatment-market

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3074

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/3074

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com

The very thin and tiny veins that look like a spider web below the skin is known as spider veins or thread veins. Spider vein are also known as small varicose veins. They are caused because of the malfunctioning of the valves in the veins. The bloods gets backed up in the veins resulting into swelling. Microsclerotherapy is one of the best technique to treat spider veins. It involves injecting a substance called as sclerosant, which destroys the veins over a period of time and makes it disappear. The technique is most used on legs and other body parts and rare on face due to the minimal possibility of scarring. Normally the patients require about 2 to 6 session of treatment at 4 to 8 weeks of intervals, also depending upon the size of the veins.Read Report Overview:Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market: Drivers & RestraintsRising incidence of spider veins and varicose veins is one of the major driving factor that can influence the growth of the global microsclerotherapy market. Comparatively painless procedure, minimal invasion, highly effective, fewer post-operative complications, simple analgesic required during the procedure are the important factors that will propel the growth of the global market through 2027. The incidence of spider veins are more prevalent in aging population, therefore rise in geriatric population is another factor that can positively influence the global market. Furthermore, heredity, prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle, obesity are the factors that can influence the growth of the global microsclerotherapy market during the forecast period.Higher cost of the treatment, lack of training for surgeons, other alternative procedures, are few of the major factors that can restrain the growth of the global microsclerotherapy treatment market during the forecast period.Request to view Sample Report:Microsclerotherapy TreatmentMarket: OverviewMicrosclerotherapy treatment market is expected to expand at a significant growth rate across regions. Major players in this segment are working on their research and development process to build advanced products such as improved and effective sclerosants, improved after care and support. Microsclerotherapy is a widespread and a well-established technique for spider veins and with various organizations working to raise and maintain the standards of the treatment the global market is expected to anticipate a higher growth rate. Rise in prevalence of spider veins and varicose vein is one of the major factor attributing to the growth of the market. Furthermore, it is estimated that about 50 to 55 percent of the women in United States suffer from one or other type of vein disease which is one of the major factor that can accelerate the growth of the microsclerotherapy market in North America.Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market: Region-wise OutlookA geographic condition regarding microsclerotherapy treatment market, it has been segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa.Buy Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market Research Report:North America is expected to dominate the global microsclerotherapy market which is then followed by Europe. Advance healthcare infrastructure, growing importance of aesthetics, continuous lifestyle associated changes, prevalence of spider vein, high disposable income etc. are few of the factors attributing the growth of the microsclerotherapy market in the North America. The Asia Pacific region is expected to register a highest growth rate during the forecast period due to increase in patient awareness and early treatments, increase in disposable income, improved technological advancement.Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the prominent players operating in the global microsclerotherapy market are The Vein Clinic, STD Pharmaceutical Products, Covidien, Kreussler Pharma, VASCULAR SOLUTIONS, Medicetics, and Skin Care Clinic, Maryland Dermatology Laser, Skin, & Vein Institute, LLC, among others worldwide.About UsFuture 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 and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends.Contact Us616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): +44(0)20-7692-8790Sales: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Middle East District Cooling Market to surpass 17 Million RT by 2024

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https://www.fractovia.org/news/industry-research-report/middle-east-district-cooling-market

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With increasing investments in infrastructural developments across GCC countries, Middle East district cooling market demand is sure to upscale in the coming years. Under right conditions, district cooling gains numerous advantages over conventional cooling especially in densely populated areas where air conditioning demand is notably high. Reliability, energy efficiency, and better environmental profiling are some of the major driving forces making district cooling the most obvious choice for air conditioning in Middle East countries. In fact, analysts claim, if properly employed district cooling could cover almost 30% of the total cooling requirements of GCC countries by 2030. As estimated, this would also eliminate the necessity of developing 20 GW power generating plant. With GCC countries expected to rapidly urbanize in the coming years, middle east district cooling industry is certain to save the regions economy from investing hefty amount in new power stations.Request for a sample of this research report @Speaking along the similar lines, Dubai government is reported to increase the infrastructure spending by 27% than that it was allocated for the year 2016. As per records, the UAE Government has also announced to invest almost USD 4.62 billion toward infrastructural development till 2020. These statistics draw quite an evidence of the potential opportunities of Middle East district cooling market in the forthcoming years. A report compiled by Global Market Insights, Inc. claims that the overall Middle East district cooling industry will exceed a valuation of USD 12 billion by 2024. The projected figure is almost double of its revenue record of USD 6 billion in 2016, which is deemed to be a positive indicator for the growth of the overall market across GCC countries. In this regard, it is important to note Middle East district cooling from commercial applications is forecast to exceed 8 million RT by 2024.The regional government entities across this belt are taking vigorous efforts to unveil the economic potential of the overall Middle East district cooling market. Driven by the sustainable cooling technology trend, Middle East district cooling industry is set to exceed an installation capacity of 17 Million RT by the end of 2024. Unprecedented developments of high capacity projects such as Bahrain Bay DC plant, using sea water as cooling medium to limit the GHG emissions is further complementing the Middle East district cooling market outlook.In this regard, Dubai government plays a pivotal role in clean energy mission. In 2014, the regional administration set a target of reducing the energy consumption in infrastructural activities up to 20% by 2030. The government of Abu Dhabi, along the similar line, with the Vision 2030 structured a program named Estidama, under which design, operation, construction, and performance of communities and buildings are regulated. All these governmental targets aptly translate the commercialization potential of Middle East district cooling market from Dubai in the years ahead. In fact, in 2015, the regional government declared of addressing 40% of the countrys cooling demand from DC systems by 2030, which again reaffirms Dubais significant contribution in the overall Middle East district cooling industry.Air conditioning across GCC countries is an expensive necessity, a factor that plays a crucial role behind Middle East district cooling market expansion. Estimates depict, air conditioning accounts for a major chunk (70%) of the peak period electricity consumption. It has been also estimated that the cooling demand in GCC countries by 2030 will nearly be triple than the present requirement. Addressing this demand will cost Middle East countries approximately USD 100 billion for developing new cooling capacity. If experts estimation is to be relied on, by the end of 2030, air conditioning will cover 60% of the additional power requirements and the fuel required for powering the conventional air conditioning system would be 1.5 million barrels/ day. Looking at the present scenario, Middle East district cooling industry is sure to gain a traction in the coming timeframe, subject to the fact that it offers more cost efficiency, comfort, and operational efficiency over long term when conventional cooling technology.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Regionally, Saudi Arabia is another outpacing region actively partaking in Middle East district cooling industry, having gathered a lucrative revenue of USD 1.5 billion in 2016. Increasing commercial infrastructural activities in prominent cities like Riyadh and Mecca along with favourable regional government initiatives toward DC system deployment further validate the growth potential of Saudi Arabia district cooling industry over the coming seven years. For instance, in 2015, renowned giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries received a contract of developing a DC plant of 80-unit capacity of centrifugal chillier in Medina. Reportedly, the plant would provide 200,000 RT to an area coverage of 1.6 million m^2. Such exemplary efforts undertaken by the regional government will undoubtedly influence Middle East district cooling industry dynamics.Middle East district cooling industry is characterized by similar other biggies which include Emirates Central Cooling System (Empower), Emirates District Cooling (Emicool), and Logstor. These participants are increasingly focussing on product customization and expansion of product facilities at competitive pricing to maintain their business position. With an increasing number of initiatives by regulatory corporations and regulatory bodies, Middle East district cooling market is forecast to carve lucrative roadmap in the coming years.Browse key industry insights spread across 125 pages with 136 market data tables & 9 figures & charts from the report, Middle East District Cooling Market in detail along with the table of contents:About Fractovia.orgFractovia.org is one of India's leading in-house and free news portal. It is fully automated, and operates on a constant premise, interfacing with news sites and offering redesigned breaking features to readers across the globe. Our mission is to offer individuals opportunities for connections with news writers and distributors which they can pursue. We operate by mapping articles pertaining to breaking news, constantly and progressively, against a pre-determined word-based theme, offering important connections to readers and clients, as well as distributers.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAFractovia.orgPhone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@fractovia.orgWebsite:
Global Construction Repaint market 2017 - Arkema, Solvay, BASF, Covestro, DIC Corporation

Global Construction Repaint market

https://goo.gl/QDmULQ

https://goo.gl/Rs6Yw8

www.apexmarketreports.com

Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Construction Repaint Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Construction Repaint Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Construction Repaint industry, and estimates the future trend of Construction Repaint market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Construction Repaint Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportArkemaSolvayNuplex Industries LimitedBASFCovestroDIC CorporationDSM Coating ResinsMomentive Performance MaterialsHuntsmanDowLyondellBasell IndustriesEastmanThe market research report explores the Construction Repaint market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Construction Repaint Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Construction Repaint market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Construction Repaint. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Construction Repaint market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Construction Repaint is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Construction Repaint market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Construction Repaint market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The global Construction Repaint market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Construction Repaint production volume, data pertaining to demand and Construction Repaint supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Construction Repaint along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Construction Repaint across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -
Dec, 12 2017: Graphics Tablets Market Forecast 2023 Hanwang, Wacom, Bosto, ViewSonic, AIPTEK, UGEE

Graphics Tablets

http://bit.ly/2kmYZCo

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-graphics-tablets-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com

Graphics Tablets Market Research 2017A market study "Global Graphics Tablets Market" examines the performance of the Graphics Tablets market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Graphics Tablets market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Graphics Tablets market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Graphics Tablets Market 2017 report includes Graphics Tablets market Revenue, market Share, Graphics Tablets industry volume, market Trends, Graphics Tablets Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Graphics Tablets Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Graphics Tablets Market 2017 : Wacom UGEE ViewSonic Samsung Hanwang Bosto AIPTEKGraphics Tablets Market : By Application Industrial Design Animation & Film AdvertisingGraphics Tablets Market : By Type 512 Level 1024 Level 2048 LevelFirstly, the report covers the top Graphics Tablets manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Graphics Tablets report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Graphics Tablets industry, Graphics Tablets industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Graphics Tablets Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Graphics Tablets research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Graphics Tablets market revenue worldwide.Finally, Graphics Tablets market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Dec, 12 2017: Low Voltage Switch Cabinet Market Forecast 2023 Fuji Electric, Schneider Electric, Hyundai Heavy Industries

Low Voltage Switch Cabinet

http://bit.ly/2yh84Br

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-low-voltage-switch-cabinet-sales-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com

Low Voltage Switch Cabinet Market Research 2017A market study "Global Low Voltage Switch Cabinet Market" examines the performance of the Low Voltage Switch Cabinet market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Low Voltage Switch Cabinet market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Low Voltage Switch Cabinet market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Low Voltage Switch Cabinet Market 2017 report includes Low Voltage Switch Cabinet market Revenue, market Share, Low Voltage Switch Cabinet industry volume, market Trends, Low Voltage Switch Cabinet Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Low Voltage Switch Cabinet Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Low Voltage Switch Cabinet Market 2017 : Schneider Electric ABB EATON SIEMENS GE Mitsubishi Electric Fuji Electric Hyundai Heavy Industries Toshiba SENTEGLow Voltage Switch Cabinet Market : By Application Residential Infrastructure & Utilities Energy IndustriesLow Voltage Switch Cabinet Market : By Type AC Switch Cabinet DC Switch CabinetFirstly, the report covers the top Low Voltage Switch Cabinet manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Low Voltage Switch Cabinet report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Low Voltage Switch Cabinet industry, Low Voltage Switch Cabinet industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Low Voltage Switch Cabinet Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Low Voltage Switch Cabinet research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Low Voltage Switch Cabinet market revenue worldwide.Finally, Low Voltage Switch Cabinet market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Dec, 12 2017: New Energy Vehicle Battery Market Forecast 2023 Pride Power, Panasonic, LG Chem, Hitachi, BatScap

New Energy Vehicle Battery

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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-new-energy-vehicle-battery-sales-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

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New Energy Vehicle Battery Market Research 2017A market study "Global New Energy Vehicle Battery Market" examines the performance of the New Energy Vehicle Battery market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the New Energy Vehicle Battery market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of New Energy Vehicle Battery market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global New Energy Vehicle Battery Market 2017 report includes New Energy Vehicle Battery market Revenue, market Share, New Energy Vehicle Battery industry volume, market Trends, New Energy Vehicle Battery Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, New Energy Vehicle Battery Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global New Energy Vehicle Battery Market 2017 : Panasonic PEVE AESC LG Chem BYD LEJ GuoXuan High-Tech Samsung SDI Hitachi Pride Power Lishen Battery A123 Systems CATL OptimumNano BatScap Boston PowerNew Energy Vehicle Battery Market : By Application HEV PHEV EV FCVNew Energy Vehicle Battery Market : By Type Lithium Ion Battery NI-MH BatteryFirstly, the report covers the top New Energy Vehicle Battery manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the New Energy Vehicle Battery report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of New Energy Vehicle Battery industry, New Energy Vehicle Battery industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. New Energy Vehicle Battery Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The New Energy Vehicle Battery research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the New Energy Vehicle Battery market revenue worldwide.Finally, New Energy Vehicle Battery market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Global Radiofrequency Ablators Market Size, Analysis, Growth & Forecast during 2017-2022

https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1396532

https://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/global-radiofrequency-ablators-market-professional-survey-report-2017-report.html

https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=enquiry&repid=1396532

https://www.marketresearchhub.com/

https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/

A fresh report has been added to the wide database of Market Research Hub (MRH) titled Global Radiofrequency Ablators Market Research Report (2017-2021) which provides an outlook of current market value as well as the expected forecast of Rate on Investment (ROI) with growing CAGR of XX% by the end of 2022. The report also studies the Radiofrequency Ablators sales market worldwide, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions during same stated forecast to 2022.Request Free Sample Report @This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering:-MedtronicBiosense WebsterSt. Jude MedicalBoston Scientific CorporationCONMED CorporationAngioDynamicsAtriCureSmith & NephewOlympus CorporationGalil MedicalCONMED Corporation?On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into:-Temperature-controlled RF AblatorsFluid-cooled RF AblatorsRobotic Catheter Manipulation SystemsBy Application, the market can be split into:-SurgeryPain ManagementOthersBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want):-North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaBrowse Full Report with TOC @Table of Content:Global Radiofrequency Ablators Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Radiofrequency Ablators1.1 Definition and Specifications of Radiofrequency Ablators1.1.1 Definition of Radiofrequency Ablators1.1.2 Specifications of Radiofrequency Ablators1.2 Classification of Radiofrequency Ablators1.2.1 Temperature-controlled RF Ablators1.2.2 Fluid-cooled RF Ablators1.2.3 Robotic Catheter Manipulation Systems1.3 Applications of Radiofrequency Ablators1.3.1 Surgery1.3.2 Pain Management1.3.3 Others1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Radiofrequency Ablators2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Radiofrequency Ablators2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Radiofrequency Ablators2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Radiofrequency Ablators3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Radiofrequency Ablators3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Radiofrequency Ablators Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Radiofrequency Ablators Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Radiofrequency Ablators Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Radiofrequency Ablators Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Radiofrequency Ablators Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Radiofrequency Ablators Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Radiofrequency Ablators Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Radiofrequency Ablators Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Radiofrequency Ablators Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Radiofrequency Ablators Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Radiofrequency Ablators Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)continueEnquire about this report @About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of medical equipment research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients and customers.Contact Us:90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News at -
Dec, 12 2017: Paraffinic Process Oil Market Forecast 2023 CHEVRON, REPSOL, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL, LUKOIL OIL COMPANY

Paraffinic Process Oil

http://bit.ly/2jzuUmD

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-paraffinic-process-oil-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com

Paraffinic Process Oil Market Research 2017A market study "Global Paraffinic Process Oil Market" examines the performance of the Paraffinic Process Oil market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Paraffinic Process Oil market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Paraffinic Process Oil market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Paraffinic Process Oil Market 2017 report includes Paraffinic Process Oil market Revenue, market Share, Paraffinic Process Oil industry volume, market Trends, Paraffinic Process Oil Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Paraffinic Process Oil Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Paraffinic Process Oil Market 2017 : ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC CHEVRON CORPORATION NYNAS AB REPSOL LUKOIL OIL COMPANYFirstly, the report covers the top Paraffinic Process Oil manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Paraffinic Process Oil report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Paraffinic Process Oil industry, Paraffinic Process Oil industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Paraffinic Process Oil Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Paraffinic Process Oil research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Paraffinic Process Oil market revenue worldwide.Finally, Paraffinic Process Oil market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Implantable Cardiac Pacemaker Market 2017 - Medtronic, St. Jude Medical (Abbott), Boston Scientific, Biotronik, LivaNova (Sorin), Medico, IMZ, Pacetronix, Qinming Medical

https://goo.gl/VoQXrF

https://www.1marketresearch.com/market-reports/implantable-cardiac-pacemaker-market-125298/

www.1MarketResearch.com

Implantable Cardiac Pacemaker Market, Estimates and Forecasts, 2012 to 2016: What are the key driving factors? What will be the market forecast by 2022?The research study entails market size, major segments related to the market, regional analysis, driver, restraints and opportunities, few models, and reimbursement scenario. The research study also provides historical data as well as current data along with market forecasts.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer.Request a Free Sample Copy of the Report Here:Top Manufacturers/Key Players:-MedtronicSt. Jude Medical (Abbott)Boston ScientificBiotronikLivaNova (Sorin)MedicoIMZPacetronixQinming MedicalCardioelectronicaCCCOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPacemakerICDBI-V ICDOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingBradycardiaTachycardiaHeart FailureOtherVarious tools and models such as SWOT analysis, Porters analysis, and ANSOFFs matrix have been applied in the research study in order to furnish a detailed and comprehensive study of the Implantable Cardiac Pacemaker market industry globally. Additionally, the industry report also includes company profile of leading competitors and hence provides the key strategic steps undertaken by such top companies operating in the market.Browse the full Report here:Our in-depth market research study will help established organizations or start-ups to analyse on various aspects, including:Geographical location: local, regional, national, European or U.S. marketType of product/service: dominant and fastest growing segmentChronological/time-oriented: past, present or future marketAbout Us:1MarketResearch is a global business market research providing syndicated research Report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.We host more than 500,000 Industry research products.Contact US:1MarketResearch304, S. Jones Blvd, #3299,Las Vegas, NV - 89107USA : +1 702-425-8599Email : Sales@1MarketResearch.comWeb :
Dec, 12 2017: Cellulose Ether Market Forecast 2023 AkzoNobel Performance Additives, Samsung Fine Chemicals

Cellulose Ether

http://bit.ly/2C5B6aC

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-cellulose-ether-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com

Cellulose Ether Market Research 2017A market study "Global Cellulose Ether Market" examines the performance of the Cellulose Ether market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Cellulose Ether market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Cellulose Ether market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Cellulose Ether Market 2017 report includes Cellulose Ether market Revenue, market Share, Cellulose Ether industry volume, market Trends, Cellulose Ether Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Cellulose Ether Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Cellulose Ether Market 2017 : Samsung Fine Chemicals AkzoNobel Performance Additives AshlandFirstly, the report covers the top Cellulose Ether manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Cellulose Ether report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Cellulose Ether industry, Cellulose Ether industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Cellulose Ether Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Cellulose Ether research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Cellulose Ether market revenue worldwide.Finally, Cellulose Ether market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
CRD Release 20170920 is Now Available

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September 20, 2017 - ChristianSteven Software, a leading provider of Business Intelligence solutions, presents an update of their Crystal Reports scheduler: CRD Version 7.1 Build 20170920 has been released! The following enhancements along with software fixes have been included.CRD Version 7.1 Build 20170920 enhancements:Issues Resolved:- Modifying email addresses in the "to:", "cc:" and "bcc:" fields no longer remove the current entries.- Merging excel files in any package type schedule now work as expected.- Hyperlinks embedded into an HTML or HTML (Basic) format in an email destination now work as expected.- Using inserts in an HTML format no longer break the URL used in a destination, for any schedule type.Please visitto learn more about CRD (Crystal Reports Distributor).About ChristianSteven SoftwareEstablished 2002 in London, UK, ChristianSteven is a premier developer of Business Intelligence, Report Scheduler & Business Automation software. We offer high-quality, clean, and professional solutions that solve mission-critical large enterprise needs. Our products are unique with flexible, intuitive interfaces and rich functionality to match.Established 2002 in London, UK, ChristianSteven is a premier developer of Business Intelligence, Report Scheduler & Business Automation software. We offer high-quality, clean, and professional solutions that solve mission-critical large enterprise needs. Our products are unique with flexible, intuitive interfaces and rich functionality to match.ChristianSteven SoftwareUnited States of America Charlotte 11020 David Taylor Dr Ste 317Marketing ChristianSteven crd.pad@submitpad.org
Chanakya IAS Academy announces Prelims Test Series for UPSC CSE 2018

Chanakya IAS Academy announces Prelims Test Series for CSE 2018

Chanakya IAS Academy announces its exclusive and most awaited Prelims Test Series which is going to start in 2 batches. 1 batch will commence from 9th December 2017and the other batch will start from 6th January 2018. The Test Series will be available for both English and Hindi Medium Students and will consist of total 40 (30 GS and 10 CSAT) papers. The Test series is designed by subject matter experts, toppers from past year and Mr. AK Mishra, Founder & Chairman, Chanakya IAS Academy. The test series can be availed in any mode; either classroom, online or postal. The fee for the complete package is Rs. 5000. Students can either purchase the entire package or can opt for only GS Test Papers or just CSAT Test papers as per the requirement.The Test Series of Chanakya has been an indispensable tool for every serious aspirant and provides a splendid opportunity for all those who are ready to upgrade their preparation to meet the UPSC standards. Depending upon the feasibility and preference of the students, Chanakyas Prelims Test Series can be availed in online, postal or classroom format. The Test series will extensively cover the entire syllabus of Prelims with an aim to help students thoroughly prepare for the examination. Chanakyas Prelims Test Series will strictly follow UPSC Prelims exam pattern and as per the preliminary exam norms, Paper 1, GS paper will consist of 100 questions while CSAT paper will consists of 80 questions with 2 hours of duration given to each test paper.The Academy will also provide detailed answer evaluation along with answer keys by experts to help students analyse their mistakes and improve their strike rate. Weekly current affairs booklet covering editorials and important information from Newspaper and magazines like The Hindi, Indian Express, Kurukshetra, Yojana, RSTV, LSTV will also be provided to the enrolled students.Loads of students every year acknowledge the role of Chanakyas Test Series in their journey to success. Even if we look at the last year analysis, Out of around 1500 questions asked in our Prelims Test Series, around 60 were directly or indirectly questioned in CSE Prelims 2016 exam. And these are the results which constantly encourage us to prepare our Test Series every year with deeper analysis and research with the help of experts and toppers to help Civil Services aspirants succeed in their quest. Test series allows candidates to assess their performance before they actually sit for the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary examination. We wish all the Civil Services aspirants Good Luck for their preparations, Said by the spokesperson at Chanakya IAS Academy.Chanakya IAS Academy which was established in 1993 has given more than 2500 selections in IAS, IPS, IFS & other central services. The academy with the help of students, popular universities, specialist teachers, thinkers, bureaucrats and the employees continues to work hard for the betterment of students and the society by helping them overcome their fears, and realizing their true potential and ultimately leading them to a successful life. Today the academy has 21 branches across India.Chanakya IAS Academy, South Delhi Branch,123-124, (IInd Floor), Satya Niketan,Benito Juarej Marg Opp. Venky College,Near : Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi - 110021Contact: 9990767766
Global Spirulina Market To Reach USD 238.3 Million By 2022

Spirulina Market Outlook (2017-2022)

http://www.meticulousresearch.com/product/global-spirulina-market-outlook-2017-2022/

The spirulina market will increase at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2017 to 2022 to USD 238.3 million by 2022, driven by growing demand for natural food colours, increasing vegetarianism, stringent regulations regarding the inclusion of synthetic colours and flavours, and growing malnutrition across the globe. However, low awareness of the benefits of spirulina and challenges associated with the production of spirulina is expected to hinder the growth of the market to some extent. In addition, emergence of new application areas further provides significant opportunities for the various stakeholders in the global spirulina market.Browse in-depth Report on:The report presents market size for 2015, 2016, and 2017, with forecast till 2022 by form (powder, tablets, capsules, and flakes), application (food and beverages, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, veterinary, and cosmetics), and geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. The study further analyzes these regions at a country level.The spirulina powder dominated the market by form and is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period. The growth of this form is primarily attributed to the increasing adoption of spirulina powder by the food and beverage manufacturers for preparing healthy food products to attract health conscious consumers.North America commanded the largest share in the global spirulina market, followed by Europe, and Asia-Pacific region. However, Asia-Pacific region is poised to witness significant growth during the forecast period mainly due to the presence of many local and regional players in this region, growing need to eradicate malnutrition, various government initiatives to promote use of spirulina, and ongoing research on exploring the various application areas for spirulina.The global spirulina market is fragmented with the presence of many local and regional players. The key players in the global spirulina market are DIC Corporation, Algene Biotech, Algaetech international sdn.bhd, Sunrise Nutrachem Group, Tianjin Norland Biotech Co., Ltd., Naturya, Guangzhou Endless Biotech Co., Ltd, Synergy Naturals, Cyanotech Corporation, E.I.D. Parry (I) Ltd., Far East Biotech Co. Ltd., (FEBICO), Sanatur GmbH, Fuqing King Dnarmsa Spirulina Co., Ltd., Now Foods, Zelang Biotech, Wudi Fengtai Aquaculture Co, Ltd., The All Natural Company, and Australian Spirulina.Key questions answered in the report-Which are the high growth market segments in terms of forms, applications, regions and countries?What is the historical market for spirulina market across the globe?What are the market forecasts and estimates from the period 2017-2022?What are the major drivers, restrains, threats, and opportunities in the global spirulina market?What are the burning issues of the global spirulina market?Who are the major players in the global spirulina market and what share of the market do they hold?Who are the major players in various countries and what share of the market do they hold?What are the competitive landscapes and who are the market leaders by sub-region in the global spirulina market?What are the recent developments in the global spirulina market?What are the different strategies adopted by the major players in the global spirulina market?What are the geographical trends and high growth regions/ countries?What are the local emerging players in the global spirulina market and how do they compete with the global players?About Meticulous ResearchMeticulous Research is one of the leading independent full service global market research and consulting companies focusing on medical devices, biotechnology, healthcare IT, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, and agriculture domains. Meticulous Research produces global reports and custom studies for North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East and Africa regions.Contact:Viren ShrivastavaAVP- Global Sales and MarketingMeticulous ResearchEmail: viren@meticulousresearch.comDirect Lines: +1-646-781-8004 (North America)+44-203-868-8738 (Europe)+91 744-7780008 (Asia-Pacific)Office No-402, 4th Floor, Pushpak Business Hub, Wakad,
Global Advanced (3D/4D) Visualization Systems Market: Segment Highlights and Table of Content (2016  2024)

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/advanced-3d-4d-visualization-systems.html

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Global Advanced (3D/4D) Visualization Systems Market Growing Geriatric Population and Rise and Need for Accurate Imaging Improves the Market GrowthAccording to a TMR analyst, the global advanced (3D/4D) visualization system market is likely to witness a noticeable growth at a moderate CAGR of 6.4% from 2016 to 2024. The market in 2015 was evaluated to be worth US$1.8 bn, which is expected to surge worth US$3.2 bn by the end of year 2024. Almost around 19% of the regional population is anticipated to fall under older section of the society, approximately above 65 years of age, as per the studies and data by the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have made the storage of patient data and digitization compulsory since December 2015. Based on geographical segmentation, North America is anticipated to be dominant with major number of shares evaluated in 2015 in the global advanced (3D/4D) visualization systems market.Read Report Overview @The Global Advanced (3D/4D) Visualization Systems Market is segmented on the basis of expression system, Geography, application, end user and region, Platform.The global market for advanced (3D/4D) visualization systems has been analyzed on the basis of platform, application, end-user and geography. Ultrasound AVS, Magnetic Resonance Imaging AVS, Computed Tomography AVS, Positron Emission Tomography AVS and others (radiotherapy AVS, nuclear medicine AVS, etc.) are the platforms majorly emphasized in the report. The market has been segmented into key application areas such as cardiology, neurology, oncology and others (orthopedics, gastrointestinal, gynecology, pulmonary medicine, etc.). On the basis of end-user the market is segmented into hospitals, diagnostic labs and academics & research. The major geographies analyzed include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America.Request A Sample Report@The market has been further studied from the point of view of major applications of advanced (3D/4D) visualization systems. The market on the basis of application has been categorized into cardiology, oncology, neurology and others (orthopedics, gastrointestinal, gynecology, etc.). The market has also been segmented on the basis of end-user into three segments, viz., hospitals, diagnostic laboratories and academics & research.Geographically, the global advanced visualization systems market has been segmented into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In addition the regions have been further segmented by major countries from each region, which include the U.S, Canada, U.K., Germany, Japan, China, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.Summary of Table of ContentPrefaceExecutive SummaryGlobal Advanced (3D/4D) Visualization Systems Market OverviewGlobal Advanced (3D/4D) Visualization Systems Market Revenue, by Type ofPlatform, 2014-2024 (US$ Million)Global Advanced (3D/4D) Visualization Systems Market Revenue, byApplication, 2014-2024 (US$ Million)Global Advanced (3D/4D) Visualization Systems Market Revenue, by End-user,2014-2024 (US$ Million)Global Advanced (3D/4D) Visualization Systems Market : by Geography, 2014 2024 (US$ Million)Company ProfilesGet Full Report@About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Clutch Market 2017 Gross Margin Analysis and Key Players: Eaton, Magneti Marelli, Valeo, Aisin Seiki, EXEDY, FCC, Schaeffer, ZF Friedrichshafen

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https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automotive-clutch-market-2099

Market Research Future published a research report on Global Automotive Clutch Market Research Report- Forecast to 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Automotive Clutch Market Global Market  OverviewAutomotive clutch is the integral part of the automotive drivetrain system. The clutch plate is the important part of the vehicle. Automotive clutch helps the vehicle to start it smoothly and facilitate shaft. While changing the gear, it provides continues transmission. A gearbox is required to adjust the speed and torque of the vehicle. If the gear is changed when the engine is engaged then it will cause wear and tear of the gear. The major function of automotive clutch is to allow the engine cracking and permit the engine to run without transmitting the power. When the engine is engaged, the clutch transmit the power to the wheel of the vehicle without slipping.The automotive brake and clutch facilities in U.S. has to be comply with OSHA asbestos standard. This will enable more standardize clutch to be used in the vehicle. Manufacturers are making heavy investments into R&D so as to develop technology to increase the efficiency of the engines. The company focuses on investing in R&D and also to gain a competitive edge in the market by considering system integration and new functionality that provide better quality and innovative product to the consumers. Product developments such as development of automated clutch are showing opportunity for market growth by performance enhancement and higher operating speed.Get Sample of Report @The Indian Auto Component industry is one of the key driver for the Indias economic growth. The developed Indian auto component industry manufacturers wide range of products including engine parts, drive transmission, body and chassis, and others. This developed Indian Auto component industry is expected to result in the growth of the automotive clutch industry.The dynamic business environment and cut throat competition in the market constantly requires influx of capital to update their technology to cope with increasing incidences of customization by the consumers. The higher capital investment and expensive nature than traditional clutch, is expected to act as a hurdle in the growth of the market due to significant entry barriers for new players, which is expected to have a negative impact on the automotive clutch industry.Key PlayersThe major player operating in the market of Global Automotive Clutch are Eaton Corporation, Magneti Marelli, Valeo, Aisin Seiki, EXEDY, FCC, Schaeffer, BorgWarner Clutch Auto Limited and ZF Friedrichshafen.Industry/ Innovation/ Related News:The key strategies followed by most companies within the global Automotive Clutch Market are that of new product development.In 2016, Valeo had signed an agreement to acquire German FTE automotive, who is a leading company in transmission technologies.On April 2016, Aisin Seiki expanded its base by opening new R&D facility Daiba Development Center for cutting-edge technology development and research and public relations.On May 2017, BorgWarner started the production of new dual-clutch module that is featured in the transmission from ZF. BorgWarner transmission technology is also been used in hybrid application.On May 2017, BorgWarner customized dual-clutch and control modules that enable higher fuel efficiency for the vehicle.Automotive Clutch Market  SegmentationThe Global Automotive Clutch Market is segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding; Segmentation by Transmission: Comprises Manual and Automated Segmentation by Clutch Type: Comprises dog clutch, friction clutch, hydraulic clutch and other Segmentation by Vehicle Type: Comprises passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle Segmentation by Regions: Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.Get complete Report @Automotive Clutch Market: Regional AnalysisAsia Pacific has been dominated the market of automotive clutch due to the increase in the sales of the vehicle in this region. There are various technologies advancement taken place in automotive clutch such as duel clutch transmission system and automated manual transmission systems which helps the market to grow in this region. With the global economy undergoing an unprecedented level shift, major emerging countries such as China, India, Thailand, and Indonesia are becoming manufacturing hubs for global automotive players. The income levels of individuals have been steadily increasing, also resulting in the rise in their disposable income, pushing the market towards growth. The currently booming automotive industry, combined with steadily increasing disposable income, is expected to contribute significantly in the growth of the market. The factors such as availability of low-cost manual transmission clutches as well as consumer preference towards convenient mode of transmission are some of the factors pushing the market of automotive Clutch. Whereas, increasing vehicle purchase as well as shift towards electric vehicle are some of the factors driving the demand for clutch market in the North American region.About Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market: Segment Highlights and Table of Content ( 2016  2024)

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Sales of Plasma Protein Therapeutics to Rise in Response to Increasing Demand for ImmunoglobulinTransparency Market Research pegs the global plasma protein therapeutics market to reach US$31.8 bn by the end of 2024, from a valuation of US$18.5 bn in 2015. The market is thus projected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.0% between 2016 and 2024.Read Report Overview @The Global Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market is segmented on the basis of expression system, product type, application, end user and region.Regionally, North America held the dominant share of 40.7% in the global plasma protein therapeutics market in 2015. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has emerged as the leading segment in the regional market primarily due to its rising usage in new researches and new indications. The increasing geriatric population, also boosts demand from IVIG from the North America market.During the same time, Europe held the second largest share in the global plasma protein therapeutics market. The amount of plasma collected and processed in Europe has doubled itself since the last decade. This has augured well for the prospects of plasma protein therapeutics market in Europe. Some of the most lucrative markets for plasma protein therapeutics in Europe include Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.However, Asia Pacific has been exhibiting the most attractive opportunities for the global plasma protein therapeutics market. The region is expected to demonstrate the highest CAGR of all between 2016 and 2024. TMR projects the regional market to rise at a CAGR of 8.1% during the forecast period.By product, immunoglobulin emerged dominant, holding a share of 40% in the plasma protein therapeutics market in 2015. The demand for immunoglobulin has been increasing in response to the surging production of plasma-based drugs. Since these drugs are found quite efficient in the treatment of primary immunodeficiency diseases, demand from the product segment is likely to continue increasing at a robust pace through the forecast period.By application, use of plasma protein therapeutics is expected to rise in the treatment of both primary and secondary immunodeficiency disorders.Request A Sample Report@Summary of Table of ContentPrefaceExecutive SummaryGlobal Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market Revenue Analysis, 20142024 (US$ Mn)North America Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market Revenue Analysis, 20142024 (US$ Mn)Europe Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market Revenue, 20142024 US$ Mn)Asia Pacific Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market Revenue Analysis, 20142024 (US$ Mn)Latin America Plasma Protein Therapeutics Revenue Analysis, 20142024 (US$ Mn)Rest of the World (RoW) Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market RevenueAnalysis, 20142024 (US$ Mn)Company ProfilesGet Full Report@About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Tactical Communications Market Soaring at 3% CAGR During the Period 2017-2024

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MarketStudyReport.com adds a new Tactical Communications Market research report that provides a detailed market overview as well as industry analysis for / of companies, manufacturers and distributors covering data on gross margin, cost structure, consumption value, sale price and more.The need for advanced systems having high-quality audio capabilities to replace the legacy systems in the military is anticipated to drive the Tactical Communications Market growth. Advancements in communication technology, such as bone conduction, ear canal equipment, penetration of LTE in professional mobile radios is contributing towards the growing adoption of these devices. Furthermore, wireless technology in headsets is gaining precedence as it allows users easier movement and greater flexibility. To tackle the issues of miscommunication, vendors operating in the tactical communications market are leveraging compression technology and digital signal processing for the provision of clear filters for ambient sound and voice communication in any environment. The rising trend of product miniaturization is anticipated to transform the tactical communications market.Request a sample copy of Tactical Communications Market Research Report @Tactical Communications Market is set to exceed USD 30 billion by 2024; as per a new research report. Global shipments are projected to witness more than 3% CAGR between 2017 and 2024.The tactical communications market has penetrated industrial verticals such as oil and mining, logistics, and manufacturing, which generate high noise during normal operation. To protect the hearing capabilities of the workforce, organizations are mandated by the government to provide adequate hearing protection while retaining the ability to conduct effective conversation. The usage of protective earplugs and communication headsets separately can restrict the capabilities of the user. To combat this, manufacturers are integrating robust communication systems with protective, durable gear, such as 3M Peltor ballistic proof headsets, to ensure the safety of the device and the user while maintaining high quality communications.The presence of government regulations in various economies such as the U.S and Europe are major factors contributing towards the high growth of the tactical headsets market. This equipment provides protection to the hearing of the customers from loud noises such as explosions and gunshot firings while filtering certain sounds of lower frequencies such as human speech to reach the user.Enquire about this report @The public safety applications in the tactical communications market dominated in terms of revenue share in 2016. This is attributed to the demand for covert and continuous communication channels during critical mission operations. Technological innovations such as magnetic ear canal technology allows for clear two-way communications in stealth and covert situations and are majorly adopted for usage by undercover operators and officers in the secret task forces.Rapid growth of the industrial sector in the Asia Pacific region is a major factor contributing to tactical communications market demand. Furthermore, several economies in this region are increasing their military spending and investing heavily in the development and procurement of safe communication channels and protective gear. For instance, India is increasing their military spending by approximately 6% during the fiscal year 2017 and is also contracting the development of tactical communication systems to local organizations such as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) under the Make in India' program.Players operating in the global tactical communications market include CeoTronics, David Clark Inc., Silynx Communications, Invisio Communications, 3M, Sepura, Bose Coporation, Savox Communications, etc. The tactical communications market is characterized by high investments in R&D. In September 2016, David Clark Inc. announced the launch of DC ONE-XH Helicopter Headset which has improvements in the voice transition in terms of clarity.Read full report description @Related Reports: -Busbar Trunking System Market Size By Insulation (Sandwich, Air-insulated), By Power rating (Lighting, Low, Medium, High), By Conductor (Copper, Aluminum), By Application {Industrial (Power, Oil & Gas, Process, Transportation, Manufacturing)}, {Commercial (Education, Retail, Hospitality, Societies, Healthcare, Others)} Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Mexico, UK, Russia, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Turkey, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia), Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017 - 2024Lighting busbar trunking system market will witness strong growth prospects owing to its ease of installation and longevity over traditional cable tray systems. High flexibility along with the ability to suffice a wide range of residential and commer...About Us:Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2110Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News:
Security As A Service Market Industry Shares, Market Strategies And Key Players

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Adopting the business model of Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) has become a pragmatic choice for companies looking at integrating security with their business infrastructure. Furthermore, emerging technological trends related to the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud-computing will continue to compel more businesses towards implementation of a Security-as-a-Service business model, which will incidentally benefit them through cost savings. Persistence Market Researchs report on the global Security-as-a-Service market titled Global Market Study on Security-as-a-Service: IT & Telecom and BFSI Industry Segments Major Adopters of Security-as-a-Service Solutions , includes a comprehensive study that has predicted the market to attain US$ 3.3 billion in value by the end of 2016. Over a ten-year forecast period of 2016-2026, the global Security-as-a-Service market is projected to expand at a staggering CAGR of 17.1%.Request Sample:Telecom & IT remains the largest industry for SaaS. Healthcare, Retail & Consumer Goods, and BFSI are the other prominent industries for the global SaaS market. The risks of data loss in the healthcare industry can disrupt dozens of associated businesses such as insurance reimbursement and drug development, and with it, compromise the health of millions of patients. Cloud computing is being merged in the global finance industry, but protection of electronic transactions has necessitated the need for amalgamating a Security-as-a-Service business model. By the end of the forecast period, Healthcare and BFSI industries will account for a market value share of 20.3% and 17.7% respectively, with the global IT & Telecom sector accounting for a revenue share of nearly 30%.Competitive Backdrop & Enterprise-based Market SegmentationProviding security services to large enterprises remains a lucrative revenue-generation business model for leading players. By 2026, large enterprises such as conglomerates or multinational corporations will procure about 50% share of global market value, higher than the collective revenue share of small and medium enterprises. Meanwhile, companies in the global Security-as-a-Service market have transformed from being service providers, software developers, and security platform providers to managed security service providers and integrators of Security-as-a-Service for client enterprises. Some of the leading market players profiled in this report include Intel Security, Oracle Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., Gemalto NV, Qualys Inc., Alert Logic Inc., Trend Micro Inc., Proofpoint Inc., Zscaler, Inc., and Okta, Inc.Download TOC:The Need for Subscription-based Security Keeps SurgingInterlinked businesses within a company or within multiple corporations are exposed to the threats of network breach, now that cybercrime is at large. As a countermeasure, business operations need to be integrated with security services that safeguard the companies, not just at the firewall level, but at an out-and-out networking parameter. Fusing a security-based business model in an existing and complicated corporate structure can be really formidable for companies, considering the added expenditure of developing an individual security service.Additionally, companies are not looking to further implicate their operational accountabilities by gaining a total ownership of such developed security services. Ergo, the growth of the global market for Security-as-a-Service will be primarily driven by increasing partnerships of companies with service providers offering subscription-based security. So, cost advantages of integrating a Security-as-a-Service business model will encourage more companies to upgrade security measures of their businesses.North America to Account for over 35% of Global Revenues by 2026Cloud-based security services are proliferating the US corporate world; from budding startups to established conglomerates. North Americas robust Telecom and IT infrastructure aids the extension of its Security-as-a-Service market, which is anticipated to garner revenues worth US$ 8 billion by 2026-end. With an estimated global market revenue share of 36.4% in 2016, North Americas Security-as-a-Service market will account for nearly half of the global market by the end of 2026, growing at the fastest CAGR among all the regions. Meanwhile, the Security-as-a-Service market in Western Europe will expand gradually, generating an opportune incremental value of an estimated US$ 3,059.6 million over the forecast period. Other regions analyzed in the report include Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA).Latest Report:Enterprise Performance Management Software MarketMiddleoffice Bpo Services MarketLaser Capture Microdissection MarketPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United States+1-646-568-7751+1 800-961-0353 (USA-Canada Toll free)Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Rollator Walker Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type And Application, Forecast To 2022

Rollator Walker, Rollator Walker Market, Rollator Walker Industry

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MarketResearchNest.com adds China Rollator Walker Market By Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type And Application, Forecast To 2022new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 117 pages with table and figures in it.Rollator Walker which is also named as the rolling walking, rollator is a walker with a wheel at the bottom of each leg. There are 3 wheel rollators and 4 wheel rollators, and most have some kind of a pouch or basket to carry your things. Rollators are perfect for use outdoors where the surfaces may be uneven. They can also be used indoors, and some are even narrow enough to navigate through tricky halls and doorways.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Rollator Walker in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversGraham-Field, Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare, Karman, Human Care, Meyra, Roscoe Medical, Kaiyang Medical Technology, Evolution Technologies, Dongfang, Briggs Healthcare, Matsunaga, Cardinal Health, Trionic Sverige, Handicare, Invacare, Thuasne, TOPRO, Access, Bischoff and Bischoff, HomCom, Medline Industries, Nova, TrustCareMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth China, Southwest China, East China, Northeast China, North ChinaMarket Segment by Type, covers3 Wheel Rollators, 4 Wheel Rollators, OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into65 to 85years Old, Above 85 Years Old, Young PopulationRequest a sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report:This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rateIt provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.The research provides answers to the following key questions:What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022?What are the key factors driving the United States Rollator Walker Market?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the United States Rollator Walker Market?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the United States Rollator Walker Market?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the United States Rollator Walker Market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the United States Rollator Walker Market?There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Rollator Walker market.Chapter 1, to describe Rollator Walker Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Rollator Walker, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Rollator Walker,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Rollator Walker market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Rollator Walker Appendix, methodology and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on China industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Global White Biotechnology Market : Segment Highlights and Table of Content (2016  2024)

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Government-backed Initiatives Aimed at Improving Awareness about White Biotechnology to Boost Markets Growth ProspectsThe global white biotechnology market is largely consolidated, with the top five companies collectively accounting for over 71% of the market in 2015. Transparency Market Research states in a recent report that these prominent vendors, including Cargill Inc., BASF SE, Novozymes, DuPont, and Archer Daniels Midland Company, have focused largely on expanding their global footprint, mergers and acquisitions, and diversifying product portfolios.Transparency Market Research estimates that the global white biotechnology market, which had a valuation of US$178.1 bn in 2015, will expand at a healthy CAGR of 4.5% over the period between 2016 and 2024 and rise to a valuation of US$262.3 bn by 2024.Read Report Overview @The Global White Biotechnology Market is segmented on the basis of expression system, product type, application, Geography, end user and region.The white biotechnology market has been segmented based on product, application, feedstock, and region. Based on product, the market has been segmented into biochemical, biofuel, biomaterial, and bioproduct. In terms of application, the market has been categorized into food & feed, pharmaceuticals, pulp & paper, textile, energy, and others. Based on feedstock, the market has been segmented into grains & starch crops, agricultural residues, food waste, forestry material, animal by-product, energy crops, and urban & suburban waste.The executive summary also provides overall information and data analysis of the global white biotechnology market with respect to market segments based on product, application, feedstock, and geographic regions. The market for white biotechnology has been extensively analyzed based on usefulness, effectiveness, sales revenue, and geographic presence. The market size and forecast in terms of US$ Bn for each product type, application, and feedstock has been provided for the period from 2016 to 2024. This report on the white biotechnology market also provides the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) for each market segment for the forecast period from 2016 to 2024, considering 2015 as the base year.Geographically, the white biotechnology market has been segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The market size and forecast for each of these regions have been provided for the period from 2016 to 2024, along with CAGR (%) for the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. The research study also incorporates the competitive scenario in these regions.Among the key product varieties available in the global white biotechnology market, the segment of biofuel dominated, accounting for a significant 38.16% share in 2015. The segments of biochemical and biomaterial held nearly 30% and 18% share in the global market, respectively, in the same year.Geography-wise, North America stood as a leading market, accounting for a share of over 35% in the global market in terms of revenue. In terms of application, the energy industry emerged the one with the most promising returns and accounted for a share of nearly 33% share in the markets overall revenues in 2015.Request A Sample Report@Summary of Table of ContentPrefaceAssumptions and research methodologyExecutive summaryMarket overviewMarket dynamicsWhite Biotechnology Market Analysis, by Product TypeGlobal White Biotechnology Market Analysis, by ApplicationGlobal White Biotechnology Market Analysis, by ApplicationGlobal White Biotechnology Market Analysis, by RegionNorth America White Biotechnology Market AnalysisEurope White Biotechnology Market AnalysisAsia Pacific White Biotechnology Market AnalysisLatin America White Biotechnology Market AnalysisMiddle East and Africa White Biotechnology Market AnalysisCompetition LandscapeGet Full Report@About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global SerDes Market Growth with CAGR 10.56 %, Research, Share, Size, Revenue, Trends and Forecast 2017

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To understand the SerDes Industry Status worldwide, Market Research Hub (MRH) has included the latest Forecast report titled Global SerDes Market Research Report 2017 to its vast database. In this research study, the prime factors that are impelling the growth of the serdes market have been studied thoroughly in a bid to estimate the overall value and the size of this market by the end of the forecast period. The impact of the driving forces, limitations, challenges, and opportunities has been examined extensively. The key trends that manage the interest of the customers have also been interpreted accurately for the benefit of the readers.Request Free Sample Report:The 2017 Market Research Report on Global SerDes is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the SerDes market. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2017 through 2022. Also a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The global market for SerDes is expected to reach about 595.21 Million USD by 2022 from 360.37 Million USD in 2017 registering a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.56% during the analysis period 2017-2022.The report provides a basic overview of the SerDes industry including definition classification application and industry chain structure. And manufacturing processes and cost structures are discussed.Then the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles product picture and specifications sales market share and contact information. Whatsss more the SerDes industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.This report studies SerDes focuses on top manufacturers in global market with production price revenue and market share for each manufacturer coveringTexas InstrumentsMaxim IntegratedON SemiconductorNXPSTMicroelectronicsAvago (Broadcom)ROHM SemiconductorCypressIntesil (Renesas)SemtechVitesse (Microsemi)Faraday TechnologyMarket segment by regions this report splits global into several key regions with production industry revenue market share and growth rate of SerDes in these regions from 2012 to 2022 (forecast) likeNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanKoreaTaiwanROWSplit by product types with production revenue price market share and growth rate of each type can be divided intoStand-Alone SerDesSerDes IP CoreSplit by applications this report focuses on industry market share and growth rate of SerDes in each application can be divided intoOptical Fiber CommunicationConsumer ElectronicsAutomotiveDatacenter and Cloud ComputingOthersIn a word the report provides major statistics on the state of the SerDes industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Browse Full Report with TOC:Table of Content:1 SerDes Market Overview11.1 Product Overview and Scope of SerDes11.2 SerDes Segment by Types31.2.1 Global Production Market Share of SerDes by Types in 201631.2.2 Stand-Alone SerDes31.2.3 SerDes IP Core61.3 SerDes Segment by Applications81.3.1 SerDes Consumption Market Share by Applications in 201681.3.2 Optical Fiber Communication91.3.3 Consumer Electronics101.3.4 Automotive111.3.5 Datacenter and Cloud Computing111.3.6 Others121.4 SerDes Market by Regions131.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)131.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)131.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)141.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)141.4.5 Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)151.4.6 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)151.4.7 ROW Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)161.5 Global Market Size of SerDes (2012-2022F)16..@@Enquire About This Report:About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of semiconductor market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: - 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email:- press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:-Read Industry News at :-
Nail Polish 2017 Global Market Key Players  Avon, Amway, Bayer, Clarins, LOreal, Unilever NV  Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Nail Polish Market

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Nail Polish Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com adds Nail Polish Market Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Report Details:Global Nail Polish market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Nail Polish sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player;The top key players including ;AvonBayerAmwayClarinsMarkwinsLOrealUnilever NVProcter & GambleEstee LauderShiseidoJohnson & JohnsonChanelKaoLVMHCotyHenkelAmorepacificL BrandsMary KayColgate-PalmoliveNatura CosmeticosAlticorL'OccitaneRequest a Sample Report @Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Nail Polish for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBase CoatTop CoatNail GelMatteNail AccessoriesOthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Nail Polish for each application, includingFor FemaleFor MaleFor ChildrenOthersIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Complete Report Details@Major Key Points in Table of Content:Global Nail Polish Sales Market Report 20171 Nail Polish Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Nail Polish1.2 Classification of Nail Polish by Product Category1.2.1 Global Nail Polish Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Nail Polish Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Base Coat1.2.4 Top Coat1.2.5 Nail Gel1.2.6 Matte1.2.7 Nail Accessories1.2.8 Others1.3 Global Nail Polish Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Nail Polish Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 For Female1.3.3 For Male1.3.4 For Children1.3.5 Others1.4 Global Nail Polish Market by Region1.4.1 Global Nail Polish Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Nail Polish Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Nail Polish Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Nail Polish Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Nail Polish Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Nail Polish Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Nail Polish Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Nail Polish (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Nail Polish Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Nail Polish Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022).9 Global Nail Polish Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data9.1 Avon9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.1.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.1.2.1 Product A9.1.2.2 Product B9.1.3 Avon Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.2 Bayer9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.2.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.2.2.1 Product A9.2.2.2 Product B9.2.3 Bayer Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.3 Amway9.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.3.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.3.2.1 Product A9.3.2.2 Product B9.3.3 Amway Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.4 Clarins9.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.4.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.4.2.1 Product A9.4.2.2 Product B9.4.3 Clarins Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.5 Markwins9.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.5.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.5.2.1 Product A9.5.2.2 Product B9.5.3 Markwins Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.6 LOreal9.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.6.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.6.2.1 Product A9.6.2.2 Product B9.6.3 LOreal Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.7 Unilever NV9.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.7.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.7.2.1 Product A9.7.2.2 Product B9.7.3 Unilever NV Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.8 Procter & Gamble9.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.8.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.8.2.1 Product A9.8.2.2 Product B9.8.3 Procter & Gamble Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.9 Estee Lauder9.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.9.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.9.2.1 Product A9.9.2.2 Product B9.9.3 Estee Lauder Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.10 Shiseido9.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.10.2 Nail Polish Product Category, Application and Specification9.10.2.1 Product A9.10.2.2 Product B9.10.3 Shiseido Nail Polish Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.10.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued.Buy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Sales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Nail Clippers Industry Forecast and Revenue by Regions (2017-2022) - Published by MarketResearchNest.com

Nail Clippers Market

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MarketResearchNest.com adds North America Nail Clippers Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast To 2022 new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 119 pages with table and figures in it.A nail clipper is a hand tool used to trim fingernails, toenails and hangnails. Sometimes, a nail nipper or scissors (the difference of them seen in Chap.1.3) is also called nail clipper, so the data of the nail clipper includes nail nipper, nail scissors in the report.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Nail Clippers in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversRIMEI, THREE SEVEN, KAI, Zwilling, Zhangxiaoquan, Stallen, Greenbell, Nghia Nippers, Klhip, Wuesthof, Victorinox, Suwada, Bocas, Kowell, Boyou, Kooba, ClipPro, Gebrueder Nippes, KobosMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers United States Canada MexicoMarket Segment by Type, coversNail Clipper, Nail Nipper, Nail Scissors, OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHuman beings, AnimalsGet Request sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report: This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rate It provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.Get Order a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on Nail Clippers industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Cream Eye Liner Global Market Top Key Players  Aesthetica(US) , Maybelline New York(US) , Eyes Lips Face(US) , Stila(US) REVLON(US) and Forecast to 2022

Cream Eye Liner Market

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Global Cream Eye Liner MarketDescriptionWiseGuyReports.Com adds Global Cream Eye Liner Market Research Report 2017 Research To Its Database.Global Cream Eye Liner market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAesthetica(US)Maybelline New York(US)Eyes Lips Face(US)Stila(US)REVLON(US)L'Oreal(FR)Physicians Formula Holdings, Inc.(US)Vogue Effects Ltd(NZ)Celavi(US)Christian Dior SE(FR)Bobbi Brown(US)Get sample Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Cream Eye Liner in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBlackBrownOthersOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingDaily MakeoverSpecial-occasion MakeoverEnquiry About Report @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsGlobal Cream Eye Liner Market Research Report 20171 Cream Eye Liner Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Cream Eye Liner1.2 Cream Eye Liner Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Cream Eye Liner Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Cream Eye Liner Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Black1.2.4 Brown1.2.5 Others1.3 Global Cream Eye Liner Segment by Application1.3.1 Cream Eye Liner Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Daily Makeover1.3.3 Special-occasion Makeover1.4 Global Cream Eye Liner Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Cream Eye Liner Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Cream Eye Liner (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Cream Eye Liner Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Cream Eye Liner Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Cream Eye Liner Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Cream Eye Liner Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Cream Eye Liner Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Cream Eye Liner Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Cream Eye Liner Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Cream Eye Liner Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Cream Eye Liner Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Cream Eye Liner Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion..7 Global Cream Eye Liner Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Aesthetica(US)7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Cream Eye Liner Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Aesthetica(US) Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Maybelline New York(US)7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Cream Eye Liner Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Maybelline New York(US) Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Eyes Lips Face(US)7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Cream Eye Liner Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Eyes Lips Face(US) Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Stila(US)7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Cream Eye Liner Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Stila(US) Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 REVLON(US)7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Cream Eye Liner Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 REVLON(US) Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 L'Oreal(FR)7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Cream Eye Liner Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 L'Oreal(FR) Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Physicians Formula Holdings, Inc.(US)7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Cream Eye Liner Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Physicians Formula Holdings, Inc.(US) Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Vogue Effects Ltd(NZ)7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Cream Eye Liner Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Vogue Effects Ltd(NZ) Cream Eye Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview..CONTINUEDAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, Industry research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)
Wine Packaging Market Analysis, Segments, Top Key Players, Drivers and Trends by Forecast to 2021

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Global Wine Packaging Market Overview:The wine packaging market has seen growth over a period of time. The growth is attributed to the changing lifestyles, increasing purchasing power which leads to change in preferences. There is a change in the beverage preference by the younger customers which fuels the market for wine packaging. Furthermore the increased demand for locally produced wines has gone up due to the change in such preferences which guides the market for packaging. There is also a change in the traditional form of packaging of wines which has resulted in investment in the packaging industries to bring about better and attractive packaging solutions.There is seen an increasing demand for alcoholic beverages across the globe. North America and Europe are major consumers of such beverages. However latest trends bring out that Asia Pacific has emerged as a leading producer and consumer of wine and other alcoholic beverages. This has induced the demand for packaging for the same. Wine Packaging Market The trend has also changed due to increasing youth population in the region which has led to the increased consumption of such beverages.The market has also seen developments and investment by manufacturers and wine companies. The launch of organic wines and fruit wines (without alcohol content) have spiked the market for wines and its packaging. Manufacturers of food and beverage products are actively adopting glass bottles as their packaging solutions, as these bottles can keep the product intact and retain its flavour over a long time period. Being diffusion-resistant, glass bottles have also been considered as vital containers for storing volatile compounds, highly-reactive detergents and bleaching agents. Such products are predominantly used by consumers in the form of pharmaceuticals, domestic surfactants, and cosmetic goods. This is expected to fuel the demand for wine packaging.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players:Ardagh Group, Global Package LLC, Ball Corporation, Owens-Illinois, Inc., Verallia France, Amcor Ltd., Haldyn Glass Ltd., Smurfit Kappa Group, Gerresheimer Moulded Glass GmbH, and Owens-Illinois, Inc. are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the global wine packaging market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.Global Wine Packaging Market Competitive AnalysisThere has been various changes in the way wine is packaged and sold. Due to the increased popularity, the packaging companies such as Ardagh Group, Global Package LLC, Ball Corporation, Owens-Illinois, Inc., and others invest heavily in the aesthetic values, material and unique price points.In November 2017, IPL Packaging launched new techniques, and materials which are expected to push the boundaries of luxury wine packaging in order to tap the fast changing consumer perception. In this way, IPL Packaging has been able to create packaging for several Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) brands that require packaging and represents the luxury wine market.There are various alternative packaging available for branded wine offerings. In contrast, the beverage carton (TetraPak, SIG) is favoured by price-sensitive wine consumers purchasing economy variants. The other developments such as introduction of smaller and convenient packaging of 150-180 ml and 330 ml. This has revolutionized the wine packaging format and has also come new price points.Global Wine Packaging Market - SegmentsGlobal Wine Packaging Market is segmented in to 4 Key dynamics for an easy grasp and enhanced understanding.Segmentation By Container : Comprises  Glass bottles, plastic bottles, bag in box container and othersSegmentation By Bulk Packaging Type : Comprises  IBCs, Flexitanks, Drums othersSegmentation By Bulk Packaging Type : Comprises  Natural corks, aluminum screw caps, synthetic corks, and othersSegmentation By Regions : Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the WorldAccess Report Details @Global Wine Packaging Market Regional Analysis:North America is expected to witness the fast growth of wine as the people in the region are more inclined towards alcoholic beverages. The demand for wine packaging in the region is also expected to be driven, owing to factors such as demographic shifts and increase in global population. In US, demand for wine packaging will increase as new alternate packaging will continue to outpace rigid types of packaging.U.S. and Canada both contribute largely to the market size of wine packaging in the North America. The consumption of wine across all price points along with investment in packaging of the same. The region has seen introduction of various types of packaging such as single, goblet pack, and others. This has induced the demand packaging materials across wine packaging companies.Furthermore Asia Pacific has emerged as a fast growing market for wine packaging. Lately with increase in youth population and popularity of alcohol consumption, there has been an expansion in the packaging industry catering to the wine industry. On account of favorable socio- economic factors such as changing eating & drinking habits, higher purchasing power, urbanization, increasing health consciousness, India has witnessed an increase in demand for wine.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Worth USD 1052.69 Million by 2025 - Analysis and Forecast

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Worth USD 1052.69 Million by 2025 - Analysis and Forecast" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market provides analysis for the period 2016  2025, wherein 2016 is the base year and the period from 2017 to 2025 is the forecast period. The report covers factors which are ought to affect the narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market. It also covers drivers, restraints and opportunities which support for the growth of narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market. The regional trends covered in the scope of the study is expected to influence the market growth during the said period. The study provides a comprehensive analysis on market growth throughout the above forecast period in terms of revenue estimates (in US$ Mn) across geographies.The report also includes key industry developments, Porters five forces analysis and ecosystem analysis. Furthermore, the study also covers key market indicator which provide supporting factor for the growth of the narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market.The narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market study covers market attractiveness analysis for all the segments and regions which identifies and compares segments market on the basis of CAGR and market share index.Global Narrowband IoT Market- Market SegmentationThe global narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market is segmented on the basis of component, application, end-use industry and geography. The component is segmented into hardware, software and services. The hardware segment is further sub segmented into module and others for better understanding of the sub segments, which are playing key role in narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market. On the basis of Application, it can be further bifurcated smart metering, asset tracking, alarms & event detectors, smart bins and others. Furthermore, the enduse industry is further segmented as healthcare, retail, energy & utilities, transportation & logistics, agriculture, smart cities and others.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Geographically, the report classifies the global narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America; the regions are analyzed in terms of revenue and also included analysis of countries such as the U.S., Canada, U.K, France, Germany, China, India, Japan, Australia, GCC Countries, South Africa, and Brazil. The market size and forecast for each region and country has been provided for the period from 2016 to 2025 along with the CAGR (%) for the forecast period from 2017 to 2025.Global Narrowband IoT Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also includes competition landscape which include competition matrix, market share analysis of major players based on their 2016 revenues. Of these, major players are profiled in these market which plays the prominent role in the entire ecosystem. Competition matrix benchmarks leading players on the basis of their capabilities and potential to grow. Factors responsible for benchmarking the players are market position, offerings, Research & Development and others factors includes top line growth, market share, segment growth, infrastructure facilities and future outlook that are attributed to companys potential to grow. This section also identifies various recent developments carried out by the leading players.Key Players profiled under narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market are Key Players profiled under Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market are Huawei Technologies co. ltd., Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, Ericsson Corporation, Vodafone Group Plc, Nokia Corporation, u  blox, SEQUANS Communications SA, Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd, ZTE Corporation, Sierra Wireless, Intel Corporation, Deutsche Telekom, China Telecom, China Unicom, and Etisalat Corporation, etc.Browse TOC @The global narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market is segmented as below:Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market, By ComponentHardwareModuleOthersSoftwareServicesGlobal Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market, By ApplicationSmart MeteringAsset TrackingAlarms & Event DetectorsSmart ParkingSmart BinsOthersGlobal Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market, By End-use IndustryHealthcareRetailEnergy & utilitiesTransportation & logisticsAgricultureSmart CitiesOthersGlobal Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market, By RegionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaEuropeU.K.GermanyFranceRest of EuropeAsia PacificIndiaChinaJapanAustraliaRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaSouth AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Windows and Doors Market will be valued USD 211 billion by 2024

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Subsidies offered for residential construction will positively influence the residential windows and doors market demand. Household renovations has led strong upsurge in the history and is expected to continue with the trend over the projected time frame. Increasing demand for energy efficient products will support the windows and doors market growth. For instance, the government of the UK and Canada are regulating usage of energy efficient products to reduce carbon footprint in the environment.Request for a sample of this research report @Replacement of wood and aluminum with innovative materials such as uPVC will support the product demand owing to its fully recyclable property, lesser maintenance, reduced weight, and thermal insulation. Availability of alternatives in laminates, colors, and designs are other factors contributing to the segment growth. Increasing demand for products that are resistant to weather, termites, and chemicals will further augment the windows and doors market size from 2017 to 2024.Commercial windows and doors market accounted for over 288 million units in 2016 and is expected to exhibit highest CAGR over the projected timeline owing to increasing usage of WPC, glass, uPVC and metal. Strong security gates such as aluminum, steel, and glass gates is expected to witness exponential growth. Maintenance free products along with improved durability are also responsible for substantial window and door market growth over the forecast timeline.Rising awareness of smart systems integrated with security sensors will escalate the demand for new product profiles over the projected timeline. About 50% of energy is lost through entrances thus, smart window is developed to control rising costs associated with lighting, cooling, and heating of homes. Modernized entrance and exit locks are featured with keyless systems & fingerprint security that are mostly used in the corporate facilities. Introduction of such innovative product line will induce immense potential to the windows and doors market by 2024.Waste generated through replacements creates negative impact on the environment. The UK accounts for sending of about tens of millions of the products to the landfills in which major share is from demolished buildings. Out of these wastes only 5% of the them are recycled. Increased waste generation may restrict the windows and doors market growth. In addition, to extend the durability of uPVC products, they are equipped with metal stabilizers such as cadmium, lead, and organotin which are toxic substances. This may serve as a challenge for the industry growth over the forecast timeframe.Latest Research Report on Windows & Doors Market @uPVC will account for highest windows and doors market revenue share surpassing USD 72 billion till 2024. This can be attributed to product profiles that are corrosion resistant and can effectively support in ventilation of the house. Minimal expansion and contraction makes the material more durable for retaining glass holding capacity. Also, these materials are self-extinguishing and has low softening temperature as compared to aluminum and wood thus enabling easy escape by pushing out the glass.Asia Pacific windows and doors market is expected to cross 6.9 billion square feet by 2024 owing to the increasing population drawing huge demand for new infrastructure and serve its commercial and residential requirements. Increasing commercialization and urbanization are likely to support the industry growth till 2024.North America windows & doors market is anticipated to pose a CAGR of 4.7% from 2017 to 2024. This growth can be credited to rising expenditure on construction activities for the improvement of infrastructure, residential, and aesthetic beauty in developed countries of the region. Moreover, presence of several local players will further spur the window & door market growth till 2024.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @https://www.gminsights.com/inquirybefore-buying/2119Andersen Corporation, Pella Corporation, Centuryply, Fenesta Building Systems, JELD-WEN, Deceuninck, and ATIS Group are among the prominent players in the windows & doors market. Other notable players include SGM windows, Performance Doorset Solutions Ltd., RENSON, Windoor, and Sokolka.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Hydrophilic Coating Market Revenue, Opportunity, Segment and Key Trends 2016-2026

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Hydrophilic Coating Market: OverviewHydrophilic coatings are wettable and low friction coating applied to the medical devices such as guide wires, catheters and cannulas. It reduces the occurrences of inflammation and damage caused by the medical devices, when they are used on a patient. These coatings exhibit water attracting characteristics. Hydrophilic coatings reacts on water and produces hydrogel material, which are lubricious and wettable and suitable for biological interactions.They are also used in optical devices such as camera windows, outdoor surveillance, outdoor displays etc. Hydrophilic coatings are used in automotive parts such as body for glazing and rear-view mirrors as an anti-fog agent. In October 2016, Surmodics, Inc. launched new series of hydrophilic coatings named Serene coatings. They can be used on different substrates of medical devices used in clinical areas such as peripheral, coronary, neurovascular etc.Request Report Sample @Hydrophilic Coating Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe conventional lubricative coatings such as silicone oils and glycerine, which are used instead of hydrophilic coatings have many disadvantages, which is the major driver for the growth of global hydrophilic coating market. These coatings get separated from the medical equipment, when being used and reduces the lubrication causing discomfort and high injury risk.Hydrophilic coatings are used wide range of applications ranging from automotive, medical devices, optical devices etc., which is expected to drive the consumption of this type of coatings. Automotive manufacturers are continuously striving to enhance the safety and performance of the vehicle. Hydrophilic coating has significant role in improving the safety precautions and overall look of the vehicle, which is anticipated to boost the growth of global hydrophilic coating market.Hydrophilic Coating Market: Region Wise OutlookThe global hydrophilic coating market can be divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America and Western Europe account for significant share in global hydrophilic coatings market. This is attributed to the mature automotive and healthcare industry in these regions. Western Europe and North America account for more than half of the total share in global coatings market, which is anticipated to boost the growth of hydrophilic coatings market in these regions. APEJ is expected to register high CAGR over the forecast period. The rise in investments in healthcare industry is expected to propel the growth of hydrophilic coatings market in the region.Visit For TOC @Emerging clusters such as China and India exhibit rapid growth in automotive industry, which is anticipated to increase consumption of hydrophilic coatings. Japan accounted for major share in innovative medical devices industry and is considered as an electronics hub. The automotive sector is also growing at a fast pace and hence the hydrophilic coatings market is projected to register significant CAGR during the forecast period.About UsFuture 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 UsFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Standard Logic Devices Market Is Anticipated To Expand At A CAGR Of 6.9% During The Forecast Period 2017 - 2025

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Standard Logic Devices Market Is Anticipated To Expand At A CAGR Of 6.9% During The Forecast Period 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Standard Logic Devices Market: OverviewElectronic industry is witnessing robust growth since last few years owing to the expansion of application areas for the electronics devices and components. This growth is significantly contributed by the growth in consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, tablets, DVD players, and television sets and office automation products such as printers, and computers. This has compelled many companies in these industries to set up new manufacturing units and expand the production capacity over the last few years. Furthermore, the ongoing technological advancements, are expected to expand the application areas of standard logic devices thereby driving the growth of the standard logic devices market during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025.Standard Logic Devices Market: Research MethodologyThis report provides an analysis of the global standard logic devices market for the period from 2015 to 2025, wherein the period from 2017 to 2025 comprises the forecast period and 2016 is the base year. Data for 2015 is provided as historical information. The report covers all the major trends and technologies playing a major role in the growth of the standard logic devices market over the forecast period. It also highlights various drivers, restraints, and opportunities expected to influence the markets growth during this period. The study provides a holistic perspective on the markets growth in terms of revenue in US$ Mn, across different geographical regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and South America.The market overview section of the report showcases the market dynamics and trends such as the drivers, restraints, and opportunities that influence the current nature and future status of this market. The report also provides the ecosystem analysis and key market indicators for the standard logic devices market. The standard logic devices market data estimates are the result of our in-depth secondary research, primary interviews and in-house expert panel reviews. These market estimates have been analyzed by taking into account the impact of different political, social, economic, technological, and legal factors along with the current market dynamics affecting the market growth.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Standard Logic Devices Market: SegmentationStandard logic devices market is segmented by gate IC type, buffer/driver type, transceiver type, flip-flop, switches and multiplexer type, register type and by region. Among these gate IC type is further segmented into OR, AND, Universal Gates (NAND and NOR), EXOR, EXNOR. On the basis of buffer/driver type, standard logic devices market is segmented into inverting and non-inverting buffer. Based on transceiver type, the market is segmented into standard, and parity, registered transceivers. The flip-flop segment is further split into SR flip flop, D flip flop, JK Flip flop, T flip flop. Switches and multiplexer type segment is further bifurcated into analog, buffered, and protocol specific. Register type segment is further segmented as storage registers, and shift registers. On the basis of region the standard logic devices market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America.Standard Logic Devices Market: Competitive DynamicsThe report also includes competitive profiling of the key players associated with the standard logic devices market around the globe. The important business strategies adopted by them, their market positioning, financials, SWOT analysis, and recent developments have also been identified in the research report. The competitive landscape section of the report also gives an overview about the major contributing regions/countries by these key players in order to strengthen their market position in the future.Browse TOC @This report covers the details of some of the prominent players in the standard logic devices market which includes Analog Devices, Arrow Electronics, Diodes Incorporated and Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics N.V, Toshiba Semiconductor and Storage, ROHM Semiconductor, Microchip Technology Inc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., Maxim Integrated Products Inc. and ON Semiconductor.Market SegmentationStandard Logic Devices Market, by Gate IC TypeORANDUniversal Gates (NAND and NOR)EXOREXNORStandard Logic Devices Market, by BufferInverting BufferNon-Inverting BufferStandard Logic Devices Market, by TransceiverStandardParityRegisteredStandard Logic Devices Market, by Flip FlopSR Flip FlopD Flip FlopJK Flip FlopT Flip FlopStandard Logic Devices Market, by Switches and Multiplexer TypeAnalogBufferedProtocol SpecificStandard Logic Devices Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaEuropeThe U.K.GermanyFranceRest of EuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)ChinaJapanIndiaAustraliaRest of APACMiddle East and Africa (MEA)GCC CountriesSouth AfricaRest of MEASouth AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Market Evolving Industry Trends and key Insights by 2025

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Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Market: IntroductionThe chocolate hazelnut spread is a sweet chocolate flavored paste which is mostly spread on toasts, bread, doughnuts, pancakes and other similar grain products. The spread usually contains cocoa, hazelnut, sugar and palm or vegetable oil and sometimes also contain butter, milk, and additional flavors. The chocolate hazelnut spreads and peanut butter are slowly replacing the jam and marmalade as the most popular breakfast spreads due to its higher palatability. Hence, there is significant growth in the sales of chocolate hazelnut spreads in the past few years. The chocolate hazelnut spread is becoming an integral part of every breakfast. Manufacturers are also offering low calorie, gluten free and reduced fat chocolate hazelnut spread to cater increasing demand from health consciousness people especially in the developed markets. Moreover, new brands are providing stiff competition to already established brands by applying key driving factors such as continuous product innovation. Apart from using it as spreads, chocolate hazelnut spread can also be used as ice cream topping, to spread over croissants, to make instant hot chocolate, added to any dessert for a gourmet touch and much more.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Market: SegmentationThe chocolate hazelnut spread market can be segmented by source, packaging type, distribution channel, and region. On the basis of source, the chocolate hazelnut spread market can be segmented into organic and conventional. On the basis of packaging type, the chocolate hazelnut spread market can be segmented into bottles, pouches, cups, and others. On the basis of a distribution channel, the chocolate hazelnut spread market can be segmented into direct sales and indirect sales. The indirect sales market can be further sub-segmented into the specialty stores, hypermarket/supermarket, convenience stores, online retailers and others.Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Market: DynamicsOwing to rapid urbanization globally, lifestyle of people is becoming increasingly hectic which have resulted in shortage of time for cooking thus people are preferring ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food products which promotes the usage of readymade spreads hence driving the growth of hazelnut spread over the forecast period. Another factor towards the growth of chocolate hazelnut spread market is the availability of organic, low fat, low sugar and gluten free hazelnut spread products in the market to cater the demand for health conscious consumer. Moreover, owing to the availability of healthier variants of hazelnut spreads, old age groups are also preferring the chocolate hazelnut spread while earlier only children and young people were the key consumers segment of chocolate hazelnut spread. However, the fluctuating prices of raw materials such as cocoa and sugar and the instability of its supply is expected to hamper the chocolate hazelnut spread market growth in the near future. In addition, the decline in the sales of bakery products like bread, toast etc., and growing popularity of cereals is anticipated to be a key restraining factor for the growth of the global chocolate hazelnut spread market.Obtain Report Details @Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Market: Regional OutlookOn the basis of the regional outlook, chocolate hazelnut spread market is segmented into five different regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific. North America and Europe is expected to dominate the chocolate hazelnut spread market over the forecast period owing high consumer awareness, high shelf visibility of the product in the retail chains and growing consumer preference for chocolate hazelnut spreads over other alternatives. APAC region is anticipated to exhibit significant growth rate over the forecast period owing to increasing preference of chocolate hazelnut spread due to its delectable taste and increasing urban population coupled with increasing per capita expenditure on ready to eat food products.Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Market: Key Player:Some of the major players operating in chocolate hazelnut spread market include Barefoot & Chocolate, Rigoni di Asiago, Dr. Oetker India Pvt. Ltd., Young's (Private) Limited., Andros SAS, Date Lady, Flourish, Ferrero SpA, The Hershey Company, Hormel Foods Corporation, The J.M. Smucker Company and other regional players.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Office Multifunction Devices Market Estimated to Expand at a Robust CAGR over 2017 - 2025 : PMR

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Office Multifunction Devices Market: IntroductionOffice Multifunction Devices play key role in managing documents in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, education, and the government. These products are also integral components of home offices and corporations, conveniently allowing users to print and photocopy documents from single device.The supply chain and production process of Office Multifunction Devices is global and rely on a combination of in-house and outsourced production to electronic manufacturing services. Generally, developed markets such as the North America, and Western Europe are engaged in high-value-added activities such as R&D and consumables production, which require a skilled labor force. Conversely, majority of MFP manufacturing a labor intensive process occurs in Asia and Latin America, due to the relatively low cost of labor in these regions.Request for Report Sample @Office Multifunction Devices Market: Drivers and ChallengesTwo of the emerging drivers for Office Multifunction Devices Market include international compliance with environmental regulations, and increasing availability of managed print services (MPS). Former development has affected parts procurement, and led OEMs to create products that consume less energy and reduce industrys carbon footprint. OEMs are also promoting the latter to increase revenues in response to business retrenchments in hardware spending.One of the restraint for Office Multifunction Devices market is that the cost of these products is more than an individual can afford, and the prices for the refills and spares also counts up to be more.The former typically have low printing speeds, offer modest copying capabilities, cater to much smaller workgroups, and are mostly low-to mid-end devices. Conversely, photocopy machines are intended for multiple users at a time, deliver high-speed printing and scanning functionality, and are most commonly middle-to high-end Office Multifunction Devices.Request for Report TOC @Office Multifunction Devices Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players of Office Multifunction Devices Market are: HP Inc., Canon, Epson, Brother, Samsung Electronics, Ricoh, Fuji Xerox, Dell Inc., Lexmark, Oki etc.In September 2016, HP Inc. inked a deal for the acquisition of Samsung Electronics Printing business who was a premium manufacturer of multifunctional devices for offices. By focusing on multifunction printers and more deeply embedding mobile and cloud printing technologies to its product solutions HP Inc. wants to become a qualitative and quantitative leader in the industry.Obtain Report Details @Office Multifunction Devices Market: Regional OverviewOn the basis of geography, Office Multifunction Devices Market can be segmented into seven key regions namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Among various regions, the Office Multifunction Devices Market in North America is expected to dominate during the forecast period owing to large number of companies set up in this region which uses Office Multifunction Devices. North America region is expected to be followed by Europe and Asia Pacific, as the regions are slowly moving towards digital products for their day to day needs.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMRs collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global TV and Radio Subscription Market Forecasted To Show Higher CAGR Of 4.50% Between The Period 2017 - 2021

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global TV and Radio Subscription Market Forecasted To Show Higher CAGR Of 4.50% Between The Period 2017 - 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.TV subscription is the service that is delivered (on paying a subscription fee) to the viewer using a cable or over the air. Video and voice services, games, movies, and contents from various demographics are some of the most popular services offered by the TV operators. Digital TV gained prominence after 2000, which gradually decreased the share of the analog cable TV segment. On the other hand, radio subscription is a radio service offered by the radio broadcasters free of cost or on paying a subscription fee. The radio technology uses waves that are a part of the electromagnetic spectrum with frequencies ranging from 3 kHz to 300 GHz.Technavios analysts forecast the global TV and radio subscription market to grow at a CAGR of 4.50% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global TV and radio subscription market for 2017-2021. The report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global TV and Radio Subscription Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Key vendorsBell MediaCBSComcastCox CommunicationsDISH NetworkPandora RadioSkyOther prominent vendorsABC RadioAltice USAAmrica MvilAT&TAustralian BroadcastingBauer RadioBeasley Broadcast GroupBell CanadaBharti AirtelBonneville BroadcastingBuckley RadioCharter CommunicationsCom HemCommunicorpConsolidated CommunicationsCox RadioCTC MediaCumulusDeutsche TelekomDirecTVEmmis CommunicationsEntercom CommunicationsGlobalKPNLiberty GlobalNet Servios de ComunicacaoOrangeSaskTelSK TelecomSpotifyTata SkyTelefnicaVerizonMarket driverGrowing popularity of multiscreen servicesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportBrowse TOC @Market challengeGrowing adoption of music streaming servicesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendGrowing popularity of Internet radioFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Melanoma Drugs Market to Witness a Pronounce Growth During 2016  2023

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According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the prevalence of melanoma is gradually increasing and rapidly spreads to other parts of the body. However, if melanoma is detected at an early stage i.e. in situ or stage 0. In this stage, the cure rate with surgical removal is nearly 100i% without any delays in seeking treatment; the survival rates from the disease are nearly 100 percent. When melanoma has spread to other body parts or has penetrated deeper into the skin or spreads, the treatment often becomes more complex. Hence, the systemic drug therapy for melanoma largely depends on the properties and stage at which melanoma is detected.Request report toc @Since, 2011 various drugs have received FDA approval for treatment of melanoma. The melanoma drugs market has been segmented based on type of drug therapy into chemotherapy, immunotherapy and, targeted therapy. Immunotherapy works on the mechanism of stimulating persons own immune system response to distinguish cancer cells from normal cells more efficiently. A number of types of immunotherapy treatments can be used to treat melanoma.During the past few years, many new immunotherapy drugs for melanoma have entered the market. Immunotherapy drugs for melanoma include Keytruda(pembrolizumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) which got FDA approval in 2014. Above mentioned drugs target PD-1, a protein on immune system cells called T cells. By blocking PD-1 protein, these drugs increase the immune response of the body against melanoma cells. Recently, the FDA approval of Yervoy (ipilimumab) in October 2015 has opened new market opportunities for market expansion of immunotherapy drugs in melanoma drugs market. Ipilimumab (Yervoy) is also another type of drug that upsurges immune response. However, it blocks CTLA-4, another protein on T cells.These drugs act as checkpoint inhibitors to fight against melanoma cancer. In addition, there is a strong pipeline for melanoma treatment drugs under development by major key players and other new entrants in this market. Thus, taking into consideration the strategic new product launches after FDA approval the melanoma drugs market is expected to grow exponentially.Similarly the Cytokines are proteins in the body that increase the immune system. Artificial cytokines, such as interferon-alfa and interleukin-2 (IL-2), are occasionally used in patients with melanoma.Request for Brochure @When chemotherapy drugs fail to deliver positive results in melanoma patients, targeted therapy drugs are administered to them. The targeted therapy drugs include BRAF inhibitors such as Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Tafinlar (dabrafenib). The BRAF drugs work on the mechanism of shrinking tumors among those metastatic melanoma patients who have undergone genetic mutation. They are found to increase the progression free survival rate of patients. The MEK inhibitors such as trametinib (Mekinist) and cobimetinib (Cotellic) block the MEK proteins. In November 2015, Cotellic (cobimetinib) of Genentech Inc. received approval from FDA for the treatment of BRAF V600E or V600K melanoma. Generally Cotellic is used in combination with vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, to treat melanoma.On October 27th 2015, Amgen Inc.s Oncolytic virus therapy for a deadly form of skin cancer/ melanoma was approved by U.S. FDA. The drug is known as talimogene laherparepvec, or T-vec, was cleared as a treatment for melanoma lesions in the skin and lymph nodes that cant be removed completely by surgery. According to FDA brand-name of the drug is Imlygic. It uses adapted version of the herpes simplex virus to attack cancerous cells. After being injected into the tumor, the virus replicates until it causes the cells to breach and it results in provoking an immune system response that communicates the body to recognize the cancer.Some of the major players in this market include Amgen, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai Co. Ltd., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Genentech Inc. Janssen Biotech, Inc., and Novartis International AG. Pfizer, Vical and ZIOPHARM.Pre book full reportAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Pharmacovigilance Market Application Development, Price Trends, Forecast by 2017  2024

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The global industry report "Pharmacovigilance Market Size By Clinical Trial Phase (Preclinical, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV), By Service Provider (In-house, Contract outsourcing) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024" by Global Market Insights, Inc. says Worldwide Pharmacovigilance Market having had a revenue of USD 3 billion in 2015, is predicted to surpass a revenue collection of USD 8 billion by 2024.The crucial need to monitor the efficiency and aftereffects of drugs will drive pharmacovigilance market. The field of pharmacovigilance globally represents the picture of drug effectiveness, safety, and associated risk detection. It is expected that even life science manufacturers will become more proactive due to adoption of pharmacovigilance services, which will stimulate the industry trends. Implementation of stringent rules and regulations regarding clinical trial management and drugs safety will also influence pharmacovigilance industry size.Request for a sample of this research report -Most of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms are adopting these services to maintain and manage clinical trial data, which will favorably influence pharmacovigilance market share from in-house companies, which generated a revenue of USD 1.5 billion in 2015 and is likely to increase two-fold by 2024.Companies established in the developed countries often outsource these services, considering the operational cost reduction effectiveness and quality. The notable business participants in pharmacovigilance market are Accenture, Boehringer Ingelheim, Covance, PAREXEL, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Quintiles, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, United BioSource, and ICON. Contract outsourcing covered more than 50% of the revenue share of the service provider segment in pharmacovigilance industry in 2015 and will exceed a revenue collection of USD 4.8 billion by 2024. The growing adoption of this segment by the various pharmaceutical firms will stimulate the product demand noticeably.Browse key industry insights spread across 111 pages with 66 market data tables & 6 figures & charts from this 2017 report Pharmacovigilance Market in detail along with the table of contents at:Asia Pacific pharmacovigilance market having had a revenue of USD 835 million in 2015, will surpass a revenue collection of USD 2.4 billion by 2024. The attributing factors toward the market growth are stringent regulations regarding health, rise in number of clinical trials, and a massive patient base. The region will witness a surge in the number of pre-clinical trials, subject to which pharmacovigilance market from pre-clinical trials will generate a revenue of more than USD 84 million by 2024 with an annual growth rate of 10.3% over the years ahead.U.S. pharmacovigilance industry collected a revenue of USD 1 billion in 2015 and will exceed a revenue generation of USD 2.5 billion by 2024 with an annual growth rate of 10.7% over the period of 2016 to 2024. Surging need to monitor the significant effects of medical drugs owing to the increasing mortality rate subject to adverse drug effects will stimulate the product demand. Moreover, rising concern among patients regarding the effectiveness and safety of drugs is predicted to boost pharmacovigilance market size.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @The need to evaluate drug efficiency based on risk benefit ratio will fuel pharmacovigilance market from phase III clinical trials, which will collect a revenue of more than USD 1,254 million by 2024, having been valued over USD 492 million in 2015. Europe pharmacovigilance market will collect a revenue of USD 1.8 billion by 2024 with a CAGR of 9.9% over the coming seven years. The growth can be attributed to the escalating requirement of personalized medicines. Germany, Spain, and UK covered more than 70% of the Europe regional revenue share in 2015.Industry giants are engaged in strategic partnerships with research organizations to enhance the effectiveness of the product. Mergers & acquisitions is a major growth strategy adopted by the market players to comply with competitiveness of the business.Browse Related Reports:Drug Discovery Informatics Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Germany, UK, Italy, Russia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2023About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
13.26% Growth In Global Corporate Workforce Development Training Market During 2017 - 2021 With Key Vendors Eton Institute, LearnQuest & NIIT

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "13.26% Growth In Global Corporate Workforce Development Training Market During 2017 - 2021 With Key Vendors Eton Institute, LearnQuest & NIIT" to its huge collection of research reports.Corporate workforce development training is the training provided to employees who have joined organizations as freshers or have re-joined a specific job profile in the same organization. This training could be teaching of technical as well as non-technical skills. The learning gap emerges when the knowledge gained in universities and colleges is not enough to help an individual perform at workplaces. The foremost benefit of providing this training is that employees become well-aware of their roles and responsibilities related to the job.Technavios analysts forecast the global corporate workforce development training market to grow at a CAGR of 13.26% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global corporate workforce development training market for 2017-2021. The report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:North AmericaAPACEuropeROWTechnavio's report, Global Corporate Workforce Development Training Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Key vendorsEton InstituteLearnQuestNIITPearsonWilson LearningOther prominent vendorsCARA GroupCTUDale Carnegie TrainingGP StrategiesInfoPro LearningRaytheonSkillsoftMarket driverStrengthens employee induction programsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeRise in market fragmentationFor a full, detailed list, view our reportBrowse TOC @Market trendExpansion of businesses globallyFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Market is Expected to Increase at 7.2% CAGR in terms of Value During 2016-2026

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-140

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-140

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the global variable frequency drive market in its latest report titled Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016 - 2026. According to FMIs report, the variable frequency drive (VFD) market is expected to increase at 7.2% CAGR in terms of value during 2016-2026; volume-wise, FMI estimates the VFD market to expand at 8.5% CAGR.Growth of the global variable frequency drive market is mainly driven upsurge in energy prices, introduction of variable frequency drives that can be retrofitted on existing motors, widening application areas, and tightening of energy-efficiency norms. VFD manufacturers are focusing on diversifying their variable frequency drive portfolio in order to enhance their presence in the market.Request a Sample Copy of this Report at:FMIs report has segmented the variable frequency drive market on the basis of drive type, voltage range, application type, end-use application, and end-use industry.On the basis of drive type, the market has been segmented into AC, DC and Servo variable frequency drive segments. The AC variable frequency drive segment accounted for over 70% value share of the global variable frequency drive market in 2014. However, by the end of 2026, this segment is expected to witness a decline of 110 BPS in its market share.On the basis of voltage range, the VFD market is segmented into medium and low. Low voltage range VFDs account for higher market share, and this segment is expected to increase at 7% CAGR in terms of revenue.Variable frequency drive market segmentation by application type includes standard and regenerative segments. In terms of value as well as volume, the regenerative application type segment is anticipated to expand at a higher CAGR during 2016-2026.By end-use application, the global variable frequency drive market is segmented into pump, HVAC, fans, compressor, conveyor and other. Among these, the pump segment dominated the overall market in terms of value with over 30% share in 2014; however, this segment will witness a decrease of 90 BPS in its market share by the end of 2026.By end-use industry, the market is segmented into oil & gas, food processing, automotive, metals & mining, pulp & paper and other end-use industries. Of these segments, the oil & gas end-use industry segment dominated the market in terms of both value and volume contribution in 2014.Region-wise, the Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) market dominated the global VFD market in 2014, accounting for over 30% share in terms of both value and volume. APEJ is expected to remain the most lucrative market for variable frequency drives during the forecast period as well. Expansion of industrial base and manufacturing capacities is fuelling the growth of APEJ market.Access Report With TOC @Key Players in Variable Frequency Drive MarketSome of the key players identified in the global variable frequency drive market are Fuji Electric Co. Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Siemens AG, ABB Ltd., American Electric Technologies Inc., General Electric Company, Hitachi Limited, Honeywell International Inc., Rockwell Automation Inc., Johnson Controls Inc., Emerson Industrial Automation, Toshiba International Corporation and Schneider Electric SE. Major players in the market follow the strategy of introducing innovative and cost-effective variable frequency drives to buy out competition.About UsFuture 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 UsFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
The Multi-Function Display (MFD) Industry Will Be Fiercely Competitive in 2018

QYResearchReports

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https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-multi-function-display-mfd-market-professional-survey-report-2017.htm/toc

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Multi-Function Display (MFD) to its huge collection of research reports.The report Multi-Function Display (MFD) Market is a comprehensive industry study featuring qualitative and quantitative analysis. In todays complex business environment, players in the global Multi-Function Display (MFD) market need to remain updated about the latest trends. The latest intelligence on the Multi-Function Display (MFD) market can help companies form more informed business decisions. Furthermore, knowing the latest market trends will also help companies avoid any unnecessary business risks in the changing landscape of the market. The research report on the global market presents to readers recent news, key deals, and other trends that are shaping the market. Furthermore, the valuable recommendations provided in the global Multi-Function Display (MFD) market report will help companies form a more effective strategy, whether to penetrate a new market or expand their portfolio.The research report begins with a brief industry overview. In this section, the report offers definition, specifications, classifications, and applications of Multi-Function Display (MFD). Further to this, key data on the latest industry news and major deals is covered. This will update readers regarding the key events that are shaping the market. Moreover, the report also provides the latest news and details regarding the regulatory framework of the global Multi-Function Display (MFD) market.For More Info Download PDF Brochure at:Lastly, the research report delivers a comprehensive analysis of the competitive landscape of the global Multi-Function Display (MFD) market. This section covers the analysis of key companies operating in the market with their portfolio, production data, company profile, price, revenue, and cost. In addition to this, this section also enlists the contact information of these major firms.This report studies Multi-Function Display (MFD) in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringBAE Systems PLCSAAB ABRockwell CollinsThales SAGarmin Ltd.Barco NVRaymarineNorthrop Grumman CorporationHoneywell AerospaceEsterline Technolgies CorporationAvidyne CorporationAspen Avionics Inc....Access the Report and full TOC at:Table of ContentsGlobal Multi-Function Display (MFD) Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Multi-Function Display (MFD)1.1 Definition and Specifications of Multi-Function Display (MFD)1.1.1 Definition of Multi-Function Display (MFD)1.1.2 Specifications of Multi-Function Display (MFD)1.2 Classification of Multi-Function Display (MFD)1.2.1 Portable Multi-function Display1.2.2 Helmet-mounted Display1.2.3 Electronic Flight Display1.2.4 Others1.3 Applications of Multi-Function Display (MFD)1.3.1 Military Industry1.3.2 Automobile1.3.3 Aerospace1.3.4 Others1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Multi-Function Display (MFD)2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Multi-Function Display (MFD)2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Multi-Function Display (MFD)2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Multi-Function Display (MFD)3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Multi-Function Display (MFD)3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Multi-Function Display (MFD) Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Multi-Function Display (MFD) Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Multi-Function Display (MFD) Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Multi-Function Display (MFD) Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Multi-Function Display (MFD) Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Multi-Function Display (MFD) Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Multi-Function Display (MFD) Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Multi-Function Display (MFD) Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Multi-Function Display (MFD) Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Multi-Function Display (MFD) Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Multi-Function Display (MFD) Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)...About QYResearchReports.comQyresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from Qyresearchreports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact US:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
How do doctors conversations differ from private to public social networks?

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www.social-media-pharma.com/opr

http://www.smi-online.co.uk

SMi are delighted to welcome Jamie Doggett, Senior Research Analyst, CREATION and Akash Degan, Vice President of Business Development, SERMO onto the speaker panel!About Jamie Doggett:Jamie Doggett is a Senior Research Analyst at CREATION, a global strategy consultancy. Jamie manages the development of intelligence insights using CREATION Pinpoint, a platform which is a worldwide lead in learning from healthcare professionals on public social media. He uses data analytics to find and interpret HCPs' online conversations and applies his creative skills in visual storytelling.Prior to joining CREATIONs team, Jamie spent two years on the faculty of a Creative Arts Academy as Academic Coordinator and Lecturer. During this time, he also completed his theology degree, graduating in 2016.About Akash Degan:Akash Degan is Vice President of Business Development at healthcare research and online physician community SERMO. Akash leads SERMOs commercial team in Europe with responsibility for customer experience across the firm's suite of insight, platform and engagement solutions.Akash has 13 years experience in business intelligence, joining SERMO in 2012 as an Account Manager before successive promotions to Account Director and Senior Account Director. He previously worked at Kantar Operations, having begun his career with UK medical market research agency Gillian Kenny Associates.Akash holds a BSc in International Business and Modern Languages from Aston University alongside a Postgraduate Certificate in Market and Social Research from the MRS.SMi's Social Media Pharma team had the opportunity to interview both Jamie and Akash about their industry experience. Below is a snapshot of their interview:Q. What do you see as the greatest digital challenge for the pharmaceutical industry to overcome at the moment?AD: One of the biggest challenges I can see is for the industry is the quest to find an ideal balance between traditional approaches and new digital innovations that bring the best of both together, rather than simply digitising for digitising sake.Q. What are the current trends within digital pharma? Do you see these trends taking off in future?JD: We are starting to HCPs engage with pharma companies on social media by means of sharing or even direct conversations. This is an exciting step in the use of public social media and if these kind of interactions can be encouraged then we could start to see some really meaningful interactions between the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals.Q. Do you see a difference in the way doctors use social media depending on their speciality?Check out their full interview, available in the download centre.Hear more from Jamie Doggett and Akash Degan at Social Media in the Pharmaceutical Industry this January as they present, How do doctors conversations differ from private to public social networks? - Day 2 | @14:00Topics will explore:- Whats the difference between a public and private network in the context of healthcare?- How do doctors activities and behaviours vary in the 2 spaces?- What can we learn from comparing doctor conversations?For more information on all sessions, view the full agenda:SMi Presents the 10th Annual Conference:Social Media in the Pharmaceutical IndustryDate: 22nd  23rd January 2017Location: Kensington, LondonWebsite:---end---Contact Information:For all media inquiries contact Pavan Solanki on Tel: +44 (0)20 7827 6048 / Email: psolanki@smi-online.co.ukAbout SMi Group:Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the world's most forward-thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found atWestminster Bridge Road
South Africa focusing on Infrastructure for Coal Mining Industry at Domestic and International Market

The Coal Mining in South Africa

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Pune, India, 21 November 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Coal Mining in South Africa to 2021 - Supply of Coal to get Strengthen as Domestic Coal Fired Power Capacity Expands.The Coal Mining in South Africa report provides comprehensive information on historical and predictable data by the South African coal mining industry, coal storage, coal production, types and categories. The report also includes historical and forecasted data on the use of coal, exports and exports of the country.The report study provide detailed analysis of the regulatory framework of the South African mining industry, at various stages of supply chain (active, exploration and development) are the factors that affect the demand of coal, competitive landscape, and mining projects.Coal Mining has been an essential part for the growth and development of South Africa economy and major factor to make the economy strongest in this continent. The South Africa is well known for its one of the largest manpower in mining industry there are about more than 4 lakh employees and at same number for transport good and services.South Africa, was among the worlds seven largest coal consumers, consuming 182 mt of coal in 2016  88.1% of which was consumed by the domestic power sector and 11.9% by the other sectors including steel and cement manufacturing.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Most of the coal in the South Africa arises from Mpumalanga region. As report study in year 2016, 99.3% was a non-coking type of coal and 98.6% was of bituminous grade. Historically, during the review period of the South African coal production (2000-2015), there has been an increase of 11.8% due to the start of 35 operations.As per expertise of industry, it is predicted that, the SA country's coal exports fell by 1.7 per cent compared to 2015. On the backdrop of expected export to India, coal exports are expected to drop by 73.7 million in 2021, South Africa's largest export partner.Coal mining is one of the major source of income and development in many regions of South Africa, without mining, these provinces would be severely lame and leading to even higher unemployment plus a lower growth of more difficult conditions. To overcome any kind major breakdown in coal mining industry the South Africa is focusing on infrastructure they are encouraging so that industry can be competitive on domestics and international level.Glencore plc, Anglo American plc, Exxaro Resources Ltd, and Sasol Ltd are the major players in the South African Coal industry.For accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Medical Gas Equipment Market share to see growth of 7.7% from 2016 to 2024

Global Market Insights, Inc.

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https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/medical-gas-equipment-market

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https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/medical-oxygen-concentrators-market-report

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Medical Gas Equipment Market to see huge growth opportunities due to advancements in the pharmaceutical industry and rising geriatric population. The increasing occurrence of chronic respiratory diseases and rising demand for point of care and home healthcare products will accelerate the medical gas equipment industry growth. According to Global Market Insights, Inc. Medical gas equipment market is projected to witness a CAGR of 7.7% over the period of 2016-2024. Medical gas equipment has wide range of applications in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, such as drug discovery and development, cell culture study, and pharmaceutical manufacturing, which in turn will drive the industry growth.Considering the global trends, North America medical gas equipment market, led by U.S. is witnessing rapid surge, owing to favorable industry initiatives, rising demand for minimal medical interventions, and improved access to healthcare infrastructure. The U.S. medical gas equipment market is anticipated to surpass USD 2.4 billion by 2024.Request for a sample of this research report -Europe being the second largest revenue generating region in 2015, is estimated to surpass USD 1.9 billion by 2024. Germany medical gas equipment industry is projected to exceed USD 533 million in coming seven years. Increasing assistance and support provided to the industry players from organizations such as European Industrial Gases Association and Medical Gas Association will promote the business expansion.Asia Pacific region is also poised to observe escalating gains from China medical gas equipment market which is projected to grow at an annual rate of 10% over the period of 2016-2024. Growing geriatric population, rising number medical casualties, and high prevalence of pulmonary diseases will propel medical gas equipment market growth.Major products in the medical gas equipment industry include manifolds, outlets, vacuum systems, masks, medical air compressors, regulators, and cylinders. Growing vacuum systems penetration and high cost should profit the vacuum systems industry share. Vacuum systems having had accounted for 30% of the overall medical gas equipment market in 2015, is projected to exceed a revenue of USD 2.2 billion by 2024.To access sample pages or view this report titled, Medical Gas Equipment Market Size By Product (Manifolds, Outlets, Hose Assemblies and Valves, Alarm Systems, Cylinders, Flowmeters, Regulators, Medical Air Compressors, Vacuum Systems, Masks), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, Japan, China, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024 in detail along with the table of contents, please click on the link below:Medical mask is another profitable product segment of the medical gas equipment industry growing at an annual rate of 9.2% over the period of 2016-2024. Due to its low manufacturing cost and high demand, the medical masks sector is likely to be the fastest growing segment of the industry. Moreover, other products including regulators, manifolds, and gas outlets are also poised to witness significant gains in the coming years.Increasing healthcare spending capacities in the emerging economies such as India and China will hold high growth potential for the medical gas equipment industry. Moreover, implementation of favorable regulatory actions by U.S. FDA Safety and Innovation Act and another supportive organizations such as Compressed Gas Association (CGA) and Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) will positively influence the growth of medical gas equipment industry. Global medical gas equipment market share is highly consolidated with key players such as Air Liquide and Linde Gas accounting for over 38% of industry revenue in 2015. Other key industry participants include Praxair, BeaconMedaes, Air Products and Chemicals, Matheson Tri-Gas, and Air Gas.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Browse Related Reports:Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Size By Product (Portable, Fixed), By Application (Home Care, Non-Home Care), By Technology (Pulse Dose, Continuous Flow), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, China, South Africa, Brazil), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2023About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market Share will Expand till 2027

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https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/life-insurance-policy-administration-systems-market.asp

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market: IntroductionThe life insurance industry is witnessing shifting trends in the front-office, policy administration, and claims, the three core functions of the insurance value chain. Life insurance firms remain challenged by their inflexible legacy life insurance policy administration systems. Designing innovative products, faster time to market and leveraging modern technology for multi-channel distribution has become essential for life insurers. Hence insurers are looking for life insurance policy administration systems transformation to enhance their operational efficiency with a lower total cost of operations by consolidating their existing systems.Request for Report Sample @Life insurance policy administration software helps insurers manage life and annuity insurance policies. Life insurance policy administration systems allow insurers to develop and administer new life, annuity, pension, and health insurance products for clients. Using life insurance policy administration software systems, organizations can design new policies, calculate policy costs, and maintain a record of policies issued to clients. Some systems offer libraries of prebuilt insurance product features that reduce time to market. Life insurance policy administration software systems are commonly used by enterprise insurance organizations to manage existing policies and develop new insurance products. These systems can improve policy flexibility and administration. Life insurance policy administration software systems can be implemented either as a standalone solution or as part of an integrated insurance suite.Request for Report TOC @Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market: Drivers and ChallengesBelow listed are few of the driving factors of life insurance policy administration systems market: Life insurers seek to launch new and innovative products, hence, they need faster speed-to-market for these products. Multiple life insurance policy administration systems offer different interfaces to business users, making it difficult to understand and interact with the process. Life insurers also face issues with the data consistency and redundancy due to the existence of information across multiple repositories in the organization. This lowers customer satisfaction since it results in customer service inefficiencies. The old legacy systems have limited flexibility, sometimes due to hard-coded logic, which results in a challenge in the case of any new requirement or change in business rules and processes. All these factors are encouraging consumers to shift to life insurance policy administration systems.Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market: Key Market PlayersFew of the companies in Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems market are: Accenture, Andesa Services, Concentrix, CSC (CyberLife), CSC (Wealth Management Accelerator), EXL, FAST Technology, Infosys McCamish, InsPro Technologies, Majesco, MDI, Mphasis Wyde, Oracle, Sapiens and Vitech Systems Group.Obtain Report Details @Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market: Regional OverviewLife insurance policy administration systems market is currently dominated by North America region owing to wide adoption of life insurance policy administration systems in order to improve efficiency and eradicate issues arising due to multiple administration systems. Europe Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems market follows next due to wide adoption of these kind of administration systems in this region. Asia Pacific life insurance policy administration systems market is gradually growing due to the presence of wide customer base in this region.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMRs collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global M2M Services Industry : Insights, Development, Research and Forecast 2017-2025

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Albany, NY, 12th December : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "M2M Services Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" globally.The M2M services market report provides analysis for the period 2015  2025, wherein the period from 2017 to 2025 is the forecast and 2016 is the base year. Estimations for year 2015 are provided as historical data.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @The report covers all the major trends and technologies playing influential role in the M2M services markets growth over the forecast period. It also highlights the drivers, restraints, opportunities and trends expected to impact markets growth during the said period. The study provides a comprehensive perspective of global M2M services markets evolution throughout the above mentioned forecast period in terms of revenue (in US$ Mn). The global M2M services market has been classified into five geographical regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and South America. Regions are further divided into three to five prominent countries/regions and market for each of prominent country/region has further segmented by organization size, by services and by industry verticals.The market overview section of the report demonstrates the market dynamics such as the drivers, restraints, opportunities, trends that is expected to influence the current nature and future status of this market. Key indicators mentioned in the report, provide a robust view about the vital factors that led to the strong adoption of M2M services around the globe. The key indicators also provide significance of the factors which are capable of changing the market scenario. These indicators are expected to define the market position during the forecast period. An attractiveness analysis has also been provided for every segment in the report, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the overall scenario in the M2M services market. Moreover, the report provides an overview of various strategies adopted by the key players present in the market.View Complete TOC with tables & Figures @This report provides all the essential information required to understand the key developments in the technology used in M2M services market, growth trend of each segment and strategy of each company that help them to efficiently compete in the market. Also, the report provides insights related to trends and its impact on the market. Furthermore, Porters five forces analysis explains the factors which are currently affecting the M2M services market. This report also provides comparative analysis of predictive and continuous M2M services on the basis of various parameters namely, cost, application area and service integration.Global M2M Services Market: Market SegmentationThe report segments the market on the basis of organization size, service type, industry verticals and region. By organization size, the segments defined are large enterprises, and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's). Service type includes three segments managed services, professional services and connectivity and data storage services. Industry vertical includes segments namely retail, manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, consumer electronics, energy and mining, transportation and logistics, oil and gas and others (education, hospitality).Global M2M Services Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also highlights the competitive landscape of the global M2M services market, thereby positioning all the major players according to their presence across different regions of the world and recent key developments initiated by them in the M2M services market. The comprehensive M2M services market estimates are the result of our in-depth secondary research, primary interviews, and in-house expert panel reviews. These market estimates have been analyzed by taking into account the impact of different political, social, economic, technological, and legal factors along with the current market dynamics affecting M2M services market growth.AT&T, EE LIMITED, Deutsche Telekom AG, Sprint.com, Gemalto NV, AERIS COMMUNICATIONS, INC., PTC, Oracle, Ericsson AB and Verizon Wireless are some of the major players operating within the M2M services market profiled in this study. Details such as financials, SWOT analysis, business strategies, recent developments, and other such strategic information pertaining to these players have been duly provided as part of company profiling.Global M2M Services MarketBy Organization SizeLarge EnterprisesSME'sBy Service TypeManaged ServicesProfessional ServicesConnectivity and Data Storage ServicesBy Industry VerticalRetailManufacturingHealthcareAutomotiveConsumer ElectronicsEnergy and MiningTransportation and LogisticsOil and GasOthers (Education, Hospitality)Browse Report @By RegionNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on :
France Personal Accident and Health Insurance Market 2017- By Plan Future Business Decisions Using the Forecast Figures 2020

Personal Accident and Health Insurance in France

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WiseGuyReports published new report, titled Personal Accident and Health Insurance in France, Key Trends and Opportunities.Synopsis'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in France, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides detailed analysis of the trends, drivers, challenges in the French personal accident and health insurance segment.It provides key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20112015) and forecast period (20152020).The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the French economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country.The report brings together research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Summary'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in France, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the French personal accident and health insurance segment, including: The French personal accident and health insurance segments growth prospects by insurance category Key trends, drivers and challenges for the personal accident and health insurance segment A comprehensive overview of the French economy and demographics The various distribution channels in the French personal accident and health insurance segment Details of the competitive landscape in the personal accident and health insurance segment in France Details of regulatory policy applicable to the French insurance industryScopeThis report provides a comprehensive analysis of the personal accident and health insurance segment in France: It provides historical values for the French personal accident and health insurance segment for the reports 20112015 review period, and projected figures for the 20152020 forecast period. It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the French personal accident and health insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2020. It profiles the top personal accident and health insurance companies in France, and outlines the key regulations affecting them.Key points to buy Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the French personal accident and health insurance segment, and each category within it. Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the French personal accident and health insurance segment. Assess the competitive dynamics in the personal accident and health insurance segment. Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. Gain insights into key regulations governing the French insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future.Key Highlights In October 2016, the first online-only health insurer, named Alan, was established in France. Effective January 2016, supplementary health insurance was made compulsory for all private sector companies, regardless of size, area of activity, turnover and employee strength. Effective January 2016, a Healthcare System Modernization Bill was implemented, which enables third party payments using private insurance and does not require patients to make up-front payments. The Insurance Code, which governs insurance activity in France, was updated in January 2016. In July 2016, the French Federation of Insurance Companies (FFSA) and the Pool of Mutual Insurance Companies (GEMA) merged to form the French Federation of Insurance (FFA).Table of Contents1 Key Facts and Highlights2 Executive Summary3 Economy and Demographics4 Segment Outlook5 Outlook by Category6 Distribution Channel Outlook7 Competitive Landscape8 Governance, Risk and Compliance9 Databook10 Definitions and Methodology11 About..CONTINUEDFor accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
India Coal Industry Production and Consumption to 2022

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Pune, India, 12th December 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Indian Coal Outlook 2017.Is Coal killing India (Reference BT)Analysing Domestic and International Coal OutlookIndia is in the early stages of major transformation, and countrys GDP is expected to grow by 7.9% in 2016 (as per World Bank), more than twice the global average. Economic growth and modernization will turn drive energy demand, especially coal. In this dossier carried out most exhaustive and qualitative research accompanied by in depth analysis to find out future market scenario for steel, sponge iron, power and other coal consuming sectors in order to find out coking and non-coking coal demand in the country by 2022. Further, by meticulously examining the dynamics involved in coal imports, best coal rich destinations have been benchmarked taking into consideration prevailing and upcoming infrastructure, regulatory and policy environment, investment scenario etc. This dossier shall help in strategic decision making for all the key value chain players and stakeholdersGET SAMPLE REPORT @With the sentiments set all high for ramping up the domestic coal production in India, the target of achieving 1 Billion Tonnes by 2020 was a master stroke played by the government for consoling the end consumers way back in 2014. Following the move, significant improvements were also seen in increasing the domestic output of coal as well to which, increase of 14% witnessed in the total coal production from FY2013-14 to FY2015-16 bears a testimony. It is pertinent to note during this span about 73 MTs of addition has been achieved in the total coal output of the country, making it to reach 639 MTs as on March2016. Further, to reduce the degree of import dependence of the country it is anticipated that the domestic coal production might cross the benchmark of 700 MTs during 2016-17.Key Queries ResolvedWhat is the likely impact on coal imports with govt. focusing more on boosting domestic production?Which coal rich country may become Indias next import destination?What will be the regulatory and policy outlook for domestic/imported coal in India?What will be the Demand  Supply dynamics of coking/non coking coal by 2022?What will be the imported coking/non coking coal dynamics of India by 2022?How renewable capacity addition going to impact coal production?What is the future role of India in global coal trade?Could India significantly reduce its coal imports and under what conditions?What will be the fate of Coal industry in near future?Contents and CoverageDomestic Coal Fields and Mining in IndiaIndian Domestic Coal Demand Supply Dynamics 2022Cost Dynamics of Coal Mining in IndiaLogistics of Domestic Coal in IndiaCoal Washing in IndiaMajor Imported Coal Destinations for IndiaImported Coal Demand Supply Dynamics 2022Price Analysis of Imported CoalQuality Adjusted Price Benchmarking of Indian and International CoalDomestic Coal Asset TrackOverseas Coal Asset TrackIndias Deal and Contracts in International MarketContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Small Cell Networks Market Professional Survey and In-depth Analysis Research Report Forecast to 2025

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Small Cell Networks Market: IntroductionThere are several advantages of small cell networks such as it is less expensive than traditional network deployment options, smaller components, flexible backhaul options, targeted offloading of network traffic and comprehensive network solution when used in conjunction with tower sites, in-building distributed antenna system (DAS) or rooftop installations. Network providers are gradually focusing on enabling in-building small cell networks solutions as maximum of the mobile use occurrence for both voice and data happens inside buildings. This is applicable for both household and commercial usage.Request for Report Sample @A new model of small cell networks has been deployed which is termed as neighborhood small cells (NSC). This small cell networks model creates a network of extremely low-cost, open access, plug-and-play and indoor small cells. It not only offers very high indoor capacity but also provides outdoor capacity, and good coverage in the immediate neighboring area. It is deployed wherever backhaul and power is available, even by end-users, so it is an unplanned/ad-hoc deployed from a radio perspective.Small Cell Networks Market: Drivers and ChallengesFew of the major driving factors of small cell networks is the increasing mobile data traffic on current network, technological advancements in telecom sector and up gradation of telecom policies by several developed and developing economies. Hence, small cells can help in offloading this data traffic from conventional networks as it makes use of a combination of technologies such as 2G, 3G, LTE and carrier grade Wi-Fi. Due to increased dependency on mobile data, service providers are focusing on deploying small cells and wireless technologies, especially in outdoor operating environment to enhance both voice and data quality.Request for Report TOC @Small Cell Networks Market: Key Market PlayersFew of the companies in small cell networks market are: Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Nokia Networks, American Tower, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., ZTE Corporation, Verizon Wireless, Mobilitie, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., affini and ip.access.Obtain Report Details @Small Cell Networks Market: Regional OverviewSmall cell networks market is currently dominated by North America region owing to technological advancements in US and Canada. Europe small cell networks market follows next as various industry verticals such as healthcare and automation industry are making use of this technology over conventional networks. APEJ region is fast picking up pace in the small cell networks market owing to up gradation in telecommunication policies in order to enhance voice and data traffic quality.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMRs collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Major Insights of Global Blood Cell Analyzer Market Presented For the Forecast Period 2017-2022: Research Evaluates 6.2% CAGR

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Medical laboratories depend on modern innovative instruments to provide accurate analysis of tests in a short span of time, and one of them is hematology analyzers. Hematology analyzers are necessary to carry out diagnostics procedures such as analysis of blood count and blood cell segregation. World over, blood cell analyzers have gained prominence for the biochemical analysis of blood components among hospitals, diagnostic centers, pharmaceutical companies in patient care and laboratory settings. Also, the rising application of hematology analyzers in research settings, such as for drug development, is a prominent factor boosting the overall market of blood cell analyzer. Recently, Market Research Hub (MRH) has freshly broadcasted a study titled Blood Cell Analyzer Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017  2022 to its broad database, which explores current market scenario along with future growth prospects. This research study is filled with perceptive market insights and essential acumen and reflects various factors that have contributed to the growth of the global market.Request Free Sample Report@In terms of geography, the various regional markets profiled in the report are Latin America, North America, the Middle East and Africa Europe, Japan, and Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ). Analysts examines that North America is the leading market and is anticipated to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period. The North America blood cell analyzer market is projected to rise from a valuation of US$516.9 Mn in 2017 to reach a worth of US$717.5 Mn by the end of 2022. One of the prime reason behind this growth is the vast adoption of automation in hematology in various clinical settings and substantial advancements in physical technologies. According to the study key highlights, the global blood cell analyzer market is estimated to rise from US$1,364.2 Mn in 2017 to reach a worth of US$1,844.9 Mn by end of 2022. At this pace, the market is anticipated to clock a CAGR of 6.2% from 2017 to 2022.Blood cell analyzers are commercially used in laboratory settings for characterizing various components of blood, notably complete blood count and differential counts, for the detection of various blood-related disorders and several physiological indications. At present, the two main product types of blood cell analyzers are semi-automated biochemistry analyzers and fully automated biochemistry analyzers. Of the two, semi-automated biochemistry segment holds the leading share currently and is expected to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period.Currently, the pressing need for hematology-based diagnostics in various clinical settings is a key factor propelling the growing demand for blood cell analyzers. The research further also finds that advancement in chemical reagents and physical technologies used in blood cell analyzers bodes well for the market. For a clear understanding of the market, the report segments the global market on the basis of product type, application, end user and modality. It takes a closer look at the market dynamics by analyzing supply chain development, pricing and cost structure, and raw material sourcing strategies. Some of the major highlights of the report reveal that the rise in number of blood donations in a number of developing and developed countries is a prominent trend bolstering the demand for blood cell analyzers in these regions. In addition, the vastly emerging application of blood cell analyzers in the assessment of cardiovascular diseases and in the classification of bone marrow disorders are key trends boosting the market.Browse Full Report with TOC@Later, the report covers detailed competitive view that includes market share and profiles of crucial players operating in the global market. Prominent players profiled in the study are CellaVision AB, Sysmex Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Danaher Corporation, Siemens Healthcare, Horiba Ltd, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Sigma Aldrich, and Boule Diagnostics AB.Enquire About this Report@About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of Medical Equipment market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: - 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email:- press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:-Read Industry News at :-
Bank Kiosk Market to Witness a Pronounce Growth During 2017 : Report Bazzar

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ReportBazzar has released its latest research-based report entitled Bank Kiosk Market. This report studies the Mobile Application Processor market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Mobile Application Processor market by product type and applications/end industries.In this report, the global Bank Kiosk market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.For Free Sample Copy, click here:Information & Communication Technology industryThe information and communication technology market nowadays is growing in double digit. We deliver both syndicated and consulting reports for ICT market according to client needs and industry needs. We mainly focus on different new technologies, smart markets, mobile applications, telecommunications, software, middleware, audio-visual systems and storage.A holistic report covers exhaustive information obtained from reliable industrial sources and through proven research methodologies. The report goes through both secondary and primary survey. The base year taken for the report is 2015 and 2016, and a forecast is done from 2017 to 2022.The data thus obtained is then combined with relevant tables and graphs to support the information revealed.The following points are covered in the report: Market segmentation Penetration & Growth Mapping Market Trends Market Driver Analysis Market Restraint Analysis Growth opportunities Porters Analysis SWOT AnalysisApplication Insights:Various competent analytical tools have been used to offer a comprehensive assessment of the market. The report comprises of each aspect of the global market for Mobile Application Processor. It starts with the basic information and then advances to the market segmentation based on different criteria such as technology, industry areas and regions in general. A detailed analysis is given on the areas of industries it is used and basically how the technology is helping the particular industry or driving the market growth of that particular industry.Regional Insights:Major regions, countries, and sub-segments have been analyzed for providing the better understanding of the market scope worldwide. The regions taken into consideration are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Central & South America. The regional markets for the Mobile Application Processor market are analyzed by evaluating the demand, and supply, the assembly of the products, how it is getting connected with the human interface as well as the historical performance of the market in the given region.Competitive Insights:The report also provides insights on the competitive landscape of the global Mobile Application Processor industry with the leading players profiled in the report. Company profiles are purely tentative in nature and we can profile companies according to your interest at free cost. The company overview, trends, tactics, merger & acquisitions, business strategies, financial metrics of the major participants operating in the global Mobile Application Processor market have been reviewed in this study.To view the table of contents and know more details please visit:Some Points Of Table Of Content:1 Bank Kiosk Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Bank Kiosk1.2 Classification of Bank Kiosk by Product Category1.2.1 Global Bank Kiosk Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Bank Kiosk Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Single-Function Kiosk1.2.4 Multi-Function Kiosk1.3 Global Bank Kiosk Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Bank Kiosk Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Rural1.3.3 Semi Urban1.3.4 Urban1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Bank Kiosk Market by Region1.4.1 Global Bank Kiosk Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Bank Kiosk Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Bank Kiosk Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Bank Kiosk Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Bank Kiosk Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Korea Bank Kiosk Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Bank Kiosk Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Bank Kiosk (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Bank Kiosk Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Bank Kiosk Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global Bank Kiosk Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Bank Kiosk Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Bank Kiosk Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Bank Kiosk Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Bank Kiosk (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Bank Kiosk Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Bank Kiosk Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Bank Kiosk (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Bank Kiosk Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Bank Kiosk Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Bank Kiosk (Volume) by Application3 United States Bank Kiosk (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Bank Kiosk Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Bank Kiosk Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Bank Kiosk Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States Bank Kiosk Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Players3.3 United States Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Application4 China Bank Kiosk (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Bank Kiosk Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 China Bank Kiosk Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 China Bank Kiosk Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.3 China Bank Kiosk Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)4.2 China Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Players4.3 China Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Type4.4 China Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Application5 Europe Bank Kiosk (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 Europe Bank Kiosk Sales and Value (2012-2017)5.1.1 Europe Bank Kiosk Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.2 Europe Bank Kiosk Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.3 Europe Bank Kiosk Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)5.2 Europe Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Players5.3 Europe Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Type5.4 Europe Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Application6 Japan Bank Kiosk (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6.1 Japan Bank Kiosk Sales and Value (2012-2017)6.1.1 Japan Bank Kiosk Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6.1.2 Japan Bank Kiosk Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6.1.3 Japan Bank Kiosk Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)6.2 Japan Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Players6.3 Japan Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Type6.4 Japan Bank Kiosk Sales Volume and Market Share by Application7 Korea Bank Kiosk (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7.1 Korea Bank Kiosk Sales and Value (2012-2017)7.1.1 Korea Bank Kiosk Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)7.1.2 Korea Bank Kiosk Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)Check Discount:About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors. Our intelligence database comprises of vast arrays of strategically analyzed and high-level market research reports that encompass all major industries worldwide. All the specialized research reports available at Reportbazzar.com are tailor-made to suit your every business need, no matter how diverse or demanding it is.Contact Us:ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525
Global Ultra Mobile Devices (UMD) Market to Gain Rapid Progression till 2025: Convertible Devices Grabs Maximum Revenue

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With the growing advancements in technology, the demand for sophisticated devices to match with improved lifestyle has also increased to a significant level. Presently, ultra mobile devices are gaining huge momentum among consumers due to growing demand for gadgets with extended portability and improved accessibility. Their light-weight and sleek features are stoking their popularity. Analysts anticipate that Ultra-mobile devices market is primed to see solid growth in the upcoming years. To elaborate further, a study titled Ultra Mobile Devices (UMD) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017  2025 has been publicized to the vast repository of Market Research Hub (MRH). According to this detailed study, the ultra mobile devices market is expected to rise at a steady 6.1% CAGR from 2017 to 2025 to become worth US$267.37 bn by 2025 from its valuation US$157.10 bn in 2016.Request Free Sample Report@Report InclusionThis 229-pages study begins with a brief overview of the market with a prime focus on regions such as Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. The market overview section of the report showcases the market dynamics and trends such as the drivers, restraints, and opportunities that influence the current nature and future status of this market. It also includes details of the competitive scenario of the market by briefing profiles of key vendors functioning in the global market for ultra mobile devices and their progress so far.Key Highlights from the Study The ultra-mobile devices (UMDs) are midsize and lightweight computing devices that support various applications ranging from education to business. Presently, their sales are soaring with companies banking on new product launches to induce the rising crop of tech-savvy consumers. The global ultra-mobile devices market is also benefitting from the rising enterprise mobility allowing employees to work on-the-go. It has been analyzed that among the different types of ultra-mobile devices purveyed in the market, such as tablets, laptops, convertibles, and detachables; the convertible ultra-mobile devices gross maximum revenue in the market. In the coming years also, the segment is predicted to expand its share rapidly. From a geographical standpoint, North America dominates the global ultra-mobile device market with maximum share due to the considerable thrust on development of these devices. Apart from that, Asia Pacific is expected outpace all others by clocking the maximum CAGR of 7.0% from 2017 to 2025.Browse Full Report with TOC@The research also broadly classifies the Ultra-mobile devices market on the basis of type, device type, industry vertical. Based on industry vertical, ultra-mobile devices market is segmented into IT and telecommunication, retail, healthcare, education, consumer electronics, and others. Among these, IT and telecommunication, and consumer electronics are the key industries complementing the growth of market.Moving further, the competitive scenario of Global ultra mobile devices market shows how the growth in the market is encouraging new businesses to enter the industry and how is it affecting the existing businesses in the market. Some of the major players in the global ultra-mobile devices market are Apple, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Dell, Inc., Google Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, ASUSTeK Computer Inc., HTC Corporation, Lenovo Group Ltd., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and Sony Corporation.Enquire About this Report@About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of ICT market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: - 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email:- press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:-Read Industry News at :-
Global Artificial Intelligence Software Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report Global Artificial Intelligence Software Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Artificial Intelligence Software MarketThis report studies the Artificial Intelligence Software market. Artificial intelligence (AI, also machine intelligence, MI) is intelligence displayed by machines, in contrast with the natural intelligence (NI) displayed by humans and other animals. Artificial intelligence software is Software that is capable of intelligent behavior. In creating intelligent software, this involves simulating a number of capabilities, including reasoning, learning, problem solving, perception, and knowledge representation.Get Sample copy of this Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Artificial Intelligence Software in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversGoogleBaiduIBMMicrosoftSAPIntelSalesforceBrighterionKITT.AIIFlyTekMegvii TechnologyAlbert TechnologiesH2O.aiBrainasoftYseopIpsoftNanoRep(LogMeIn)Ada SupportAstute SolutionsIDEAL.comWiproView Report @Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversOn-PremiseCloud-basedMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoVoice ProcessingText ProcessingImage ProcessingThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Artificial Intelligence Software market.Chapter 1, to describe Artificial Intelligence Software Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Artificial Intelligence Software, with sales, revenue, and price of Artificial Intelligence Software, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Artificial Intelligence Software, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Artificial Intelligence Software market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Artificial Intelligence Software sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Artificial Intelligence Software Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 On-Premise1.2.2 Cloud-based1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Voice Processing1.3.2 Text Processing1.3.3 Image Processing1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Google2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Google Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Baidu2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Baidu Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 IBM2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 IBM Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Microsoft2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Microsoft Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 SAP2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 SAP Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 Intel2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 Intel Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 Salesforce2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 Salesforce Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8 Brighterion2.8.1 Business Overview2.8.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Brighterion Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9 KITT.AI2.9.1 Business Overview2.9.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 KITT.AI Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.10 IFlyTek2.10.1 Business Overview2.10.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.10.2.1 Type 12.10.2.2 Type 22.10.3 IFlyTek Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.11 Megvii Technology2.11.1 Business Overview2.11.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.11.2.1 Type 12.11.2.2 Type 22.11.3 Megvii Technology Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.12 Albert Technologies2.12.1 Business Overview2.12.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.12.2.1 Type 12.12.2.2 Type 22.12.3 Albert Technologies Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.13 H2O.ai2.13.1 Business Overview2.13.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.13.2.1 Type 12.13.2.2 Type 22.13.3 H2O.ai Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.14 Brainasoft2.14.1 Business Overview2.14.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.14.2.1 Type 12.14.2.2 Type 22.14.3 Brainasoft Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.15 Yseop2.15.1 Business Overview2.15.2 Artificial Intelligence Software Type and Applications2.15.2.1 Type 12.15.2.2 Type 22.15.3 Yseop Artificial Intelligence Software Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market ShareBuy Now @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Needle Coke Market To Expand At A CAGR Of 5.5% Between 2017 And 2025 To Become Us$4,424.3 mn

Needle Coke Market

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Needle Coke Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Needle Coke is a premium grade, high-value, petroleum coke employed in the manufacture of graphite electrodes of very low thermal expansion coefficient for the electric arc furnaces in the steel industry. Only a few companies in the world manufacture needle coke. Production of needle coke involves specific feedstocks, coking environments, and calcination settings. The hardware components employed are similar to that of conventional delayed coker unit. Any heavier streams in the refinery and particularly with low sulfur content are considered as the feed, depending on the type of hydrocarbon molecules present.The Asia Pacific region is estimated to hold a significant share of the needle coke market due to the rise in demand for steel and increased mining activities in China and India. The market in North America is anticipated to expand at a considerable pace during the forecast period due to higher demand for needle coke from India, China and other countries in Asia for superior needle coke in steel production including Russia. Needle coke has a direct impact on determining the prices of graphite since there is a direct correlation between steel production through EAF and graphite prices. Needle coke is majorly petroleum derived, and hence, prices can fluctuate significantly as its oligopolistic in nature.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Needle Coke Market: Research MethodologyPrimary research represented the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. We reviewed key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents for competitive analysis and market understanding. This has proven to be the most reliable, effective, and successful approach for obtaining precise market data, capturing industry participants insights, and recognizing business opportunitiesSecondary research sources which were typically referred to, but are not limited to, include: company websites, annual reports, financial reports, internal and external proprietary databases as well as relevant patent and regulatory database, national government documents, market reports, news articles, press releases, industry magazines, webcasts specific to companies operating in the market, and regulatory databases such as Factiva and Bloomberg, national government documents, statistical databases, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the Needle Coke market.We conduct primary interviews on an ongoing basis with mining industry participants and commentators to validate data and analysis. Primary and secondary research were conducted to understand and arrive at trends, which were employed to carry out forecasts for the needle coke market. These help validate and strengthen secondary research findings. These also help develop the analysis, teams expertise and market understanding.Global Needle Coke Market: Competitive LandscapeKey major players operating in the needle coke market include Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Phillips 66, JXTG Holdings, Inc., Seadrift Coke LP, C-Chem CO., LTD., PETROLEUM COKE INDUSTRIES CO. (K.S.C), Baotailong New Material Co., Ltd., Bao-steel Group, Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited, Shanxi Hongte Coal Chemical Co Ltd., Sinosteel Anshan Research Institute of Thermo-Energy Co., Ltd., Petrochina International Jinzhou Petrochemical Co., Ltd., and Shijiazhuang Deli Chemical Co.Global Needle Coke Market has been segmented as follows:- Global Needle Coke Market: by TypePetroleum DerivedCoal Tar Pitch Derived- Global Needle Coke Market: by GradeIntermediatePremiumSuper Premium- Global Needle Coke Market: by End-UserSteel IndustryAluminum IndustryLithium BatteryNuclear PowerAerospaceOthers (Electric Carbon Brush, etc.)- Global Needle Coke Market: by RegionNorth America- U.S.- CanadaLatin America- Brazil- Mexico- Rest of Latin AmericaEurope- France- Germany- Russia- Turkey- U.K.- Rest of EuropeAsia Pacific- China- India- Japan- ASEAN- Rest of Asia PacificMiddle East & Africa- GCC- South Africa- Rest of Middle East and AfricaGet Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report Global Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade MarketBimetallic Bandsaw Blade is a kind of band saw blade that combines two types of steel by electron beam welding, machining and other process. The material of its teeth is often high-speed steel or other high-performance steel while the material of its band is alloy steel. It is usually used with a band sawing machine and mainly used to cut steel, copper, aluminum and other non-ferrous metals.Get Sample copy of this Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversAMADAWIKUSLENOXStarrettBAHCOBenxi ToolM. K. MorseEBERLEDOALLBichampSimonds InternationalRobert RontgenSMGTCJYBipicoDalian Bi-MetalDsspc-sandaMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversHigh speed steel band saw bladeTungsten carbide band saw bladeView Report @Market Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFerrous metallurgy industryMachiningAutomobile industryAviationThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade market.Chapter 1, to describe Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade, with sales, revenue, and price of Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 High speed steel band saw blade1.2.2 Tungsten carbide band saw blade1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Ferrous metallurgy industry1.3.2 Machining1.3.3 Automobile industry1.3.4 Aviation1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 AMADA2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 AMADA Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 WIKUS2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 WIKUS Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 LENOX2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 LENOX Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Starrett2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Starrett Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 BAHCO2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 BAHCO Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 Benxi Tool2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 Benxi Tool Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 M. K. Morse2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 M. K. Morse Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8 EBERLE2.8.1 Business Overview2.8.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 EBERLE Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9 DOALL2.9.1 Business Overview2.9.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 DOALL Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.10 Bichamp2.10.1 Business Overview2.10.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.10.2.1 Type 12.10.2.2 Type 22.10.3 Bichamp Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.11 Simonds International2.11.1 Business Overview2.11.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.11.2.1 Type 12.11.2.2 Type 22.11.3 Simonds International Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.12 Robert Rontgen2.12.1 Business Overview2.12.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.12.2.1 Type 12.12.2.2 Type 22.12.3 Robert Rontgen Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.13 SMG2.13.1 Business Overview2.13.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.13.2.1 Type 12.13.2.2 Type 22.13.3 SMG Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.14 TCJY2.14.1 Business Overview2.14.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.14.2.1 Type 12.14.2.2 Type 22.14.3 TCJY Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.15 Bipico2.15.1 Business Overview2.15.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.15.2.1 Type 12.15.2.2 Type 22.15.3 Bipico Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.16 Dalian Bi-Metal2.16.1 Business Overview2.16.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.16.2.1 Type 12.16.2.2 Type 22.16.3 Dalian Bi-Metal Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.17 Dsspc-sanda2.17.1 Business Overview2.17.2 Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Type and Applications2.17.2.1 Type 12.17.2.2 Type 22.17.3 Dsspc-sanda Bimetallic Bandsaw Blade Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)Buy Now @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Liechtenstein Insurance Industry Market 2017- By Plan Future Business Decisions Using the Forecast Figures

The Liechtenstein Insurance Industry

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1106801-governance-risk-and-compliance-the-liechtenstein-insurance-industry

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WiseGuyReports published new report, titled The Liechtenstein Insurance IndustrySynopsis'Governance, Risk and Compliance  The Liechtenstein Insurance Industry ' report is the result of extensive research into the insurance regulatory framework in Liechtenstein.It provides detailed analysis of the insurance regulations for life, property, motor, liability, personal accident and health, and marine, aviation and transit insurance. The report specifies various requirements for the establishment and operation of insurance and reinsurance companies and intermediaries.The report brings together research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on prevailing insurance regulations, and recent and upcoming changes in the regulatory framework, taxation and legal system in the country. The report also includes the scope of non-admitted insurance in the country.GET SAMPLE REPORT @SummaryThe report provides insights into the governance, risk and compliance framework pertaining to the insurance industry in Liechtenstein, including: An overview of the insurance regulatory framework in Liechtenstein. The latest key changes, and changes expected in the countrys insurance regulatory framework. Key regulations and market practices related to different types of insurance product in the country. Rules and regulations pertaining to key classes of compulsory insurance, and the scope of non-admitted insurance in Liechtenstein. Key parameters including licensing requirements, permitted foreign direct investment, minimum capital requirements, solvency and reserve requirements, and investment regulations. Details of the tax and legal systems in the country.Scope The report covers details of the insurance regulatory framework in Liechtenstein. The report contains details of the rules and regulations governing insurance products and insurance entities. The report lists and analyzes key trends and developments pertaining to the countrys insurance regulatory framework. The report analyzes the rules and regulations pertaining to the establishment and operation of insurance businesses in the country. The report provides details of taxation imposed on insurance products and insurance companies.Key points to buy Gain insights into the insurance regulatory framework in Liechtenstein. Track the latest regulatory changes, and expected changes impacting the Liechtenstein insurance industry. Gain detailed information about the key regulations governing the establishment and operation of insurance entities in the country. Understand key regulations and market practices pertaining to various types of insurance product.Key Highlights The Liechtenstein insurance industry is regulated by the Financial Market Authority. Non-admitted insurance is not permitted in the Liechtenstein insurance industry, with a few exceptions. 100% FDI is permitted in the Liechtenstein insurance industry. Composite insurance is not permitted in Liechtenstein, however life insurers can operate personal accident and health insurance business. Solvency II was implemented from January 1, 2016.Table of Contents1 INTRODUCTION2 GOVERNANCE, RISK AND COMPLIANCE3 APPENDIX..CONTINUEDFor accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
African Mango Seed Extract Market : Latest Trends and Future Outlook by 2025

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African mango is the name of a tree in Africa which bears fruit similar to mango, the flesh of this fruit is eaten globally. After eating the flesh of the fruit, the seed of the fruit is dried and stored as it has vitamins and mineral. African mango seed when grounded releases an oily extract that is similar to cooking oil, which is used in the synthesis of soaps, as flour and food thickening agent. African mango seed extract is available in the market in the form of capsules, liquid and powder.African mango seed extract has the prominent role for manufacturing of many related to weight loss and diabetes control such as pharmaceutical products, food and beverage products. African mango seed extracts also have analgesic, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.Request for Report Sample @African mango seed extract market segmentationAfrican mango seed extract market is segmented on the basis form, nature of product, and application.African mango seed extract market is segmented on the basis of form which includes powder, and liquid. African mango seed extract is produced in the form of the finely ground powder which can be used to prepare pharmaceutical products, cosmetic product, food and beverage products. African mango seed extract in the form of liquid is used to prepare syrups and beverages which are consumed to get rid of excess fat, pain and sugar control.African mango seed extract market is segmented on the basis of nature of the product which includes natural and organic. There is a rise in demand for the organic food due to the health concerns related to the use of pesticides in the traditionally grown African mango. Consumers these days may prefer using organic African mango seed extract as it is comparatively safe for consumption.African mango seed extract is segmented on the basis of the application which includes application in pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics industry, and food and beverage industry. In cosmetic industry African mango seed extract is used in the preparation of soap, toothpaste, and skin cream. In food and beverage industry African mango seed extract is used in the preparation of the thickening agent for food, flour, and beverages such juice and syrup. In pharmaceutical industry African mango seed extract is used for the preparation of syrups and oils which can be used as the antifungal, antibacterial, analgesic, and antioxidant.Request for Report TOC @African mango seed extract market: Regional OutlookIn the perspective of regional outlook, African mango seed extract is majorly produced in the African region. People in Africa have been using mango seed extract from ages as the powder to treat non-insulin dependent diabetes. In North America and Europe, African mango seed extract market is expected to grow as this extract is helpful in controlling diabetes. Asia-pacific region may become a larger market for this extract as there is a rapid increase in number of patients suffering from obesity and diabetes.African mango seed extract market: DriversAfrican mango seed extract are majorly used for its medicinal properties such as diabetes control and weight loss. Increasingly use of African mango seed extract in cosmetic industry, pharmaceutical industry, food and beverage industry is expected to fuel market growth over the forecast period.African mango seed extract market: RestraintsThe restraint for the African mango seed extract market is the lack of proper distribution network in the developing countries which includes India, China and Africa as compared to the developed countries which may restrain market growth during the forecast period. To some extent lack of awareness among the end users is also expected to restraint the growth for the African mango seed extract market in the near future.Obtain Report Details @African mango seed extract market: Key PlayersThe key players of African mango seed extract market are Nature's Way Products LLC, Perfect Supplements LLC, General Nutrition Centers, Shaanxi Yongyuan Bio-Tech Co Ltd, PharmaCare NZ and Novel Nutrients Pvt Ltd.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMRs collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Smartphone Power Management IC Market Analysis- Size, Share, overview, scope, Revenue, Gross Margin, Segment and Forecast 2017

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ReportBazzar has released its latest research-based report entitled 'Smartphone Power Management IC Market. This report studies the Mobile Application Processor market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Mobile Application Processor market by product type and applications/end industries.In this report, the global Smartphone Power Management IC market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.For Free Sample Copy, click here:Information & Communication Technology industryThe information and communication technology market nowadays is growing in double digit. We deliver both syndicated and consulting reports for ICT market according to client needs and industry needs. We mainly focus on different new technologies, smart markets, mobile applications, telecommunications, software, middleware, audio-visual systems and storage.A holistic report covers exhaustive information obtained from reliable industrial sources and through proven research methodologies. The report goes through both secondary and primary survey. The base year taken for the report is 2015 and 2016, and a forecast is done from 2017 to 2022.The data thus obtained is then combined with relevant tables and graphs to support the information revealed.The following points are covered in the report: Market segmentation Penetration & Growth Mapping Market Trends Market Driver Analysis Market Restraint Analysis Growth opportunities Porters Analysis SWOT AnalysisApplication Insights:Various competent analytical tools have been used to offer a comprehensive assessment of the market. The report comprises of each aspect of the global market for Mobile Application Processor. It starts with the basic information and then advances to the market segmentation based on different criteria such as technology, industry areas and regions in general. A detailed analysis is given on the areas of industries it is used and basically how the technology is helping the particular industry or driving the market growth of that particular industry.Regional Insights:Major regions, countries, and sub-segments have been analyzed for providing the better understanding of the market scope worldwide. The regions taken into consideration are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Central & South America. The regional markets for the Mobile Application Processor market are analyzed by evaluating the demand, and supply, the assembly of the products, how it is getting connected with the human interface as well as the historical performance of the market in the given region.Competitive Insights:The report also provides insights on the competitive landscape of the global Mobile Application Processor industry with the leading players profiled in the report. Company profiles are purely tentative in nature and we can profile companies according to your interest at free cost. The company overview, trends, tactics, merger & acquisitions, business strategies, financial metrics of the major participants operating in the global Mobile Application Processor market have been reviewed in this study.To view the table of contents and know more details please visit:Some Points Of Table Of Content:1 Smartphone Power Management IC Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Smartphone Power Management IC1.2 Classification of Smartphone Power Management IC by Product Category1.2.1 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Voltage Regulators1.2.4 Integrated ASSP Power Management ICs1.2.5 Battery Management ICs1.2.6 Others(switching controllers, power factor correction, gate drivers etc)1.3 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 iOS System1.3.3 Android System1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Market by Region1.4.1 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Smartphone Power Management IC Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Smartphone Power Management IC Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Smartphone Power Management IC Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Smartphone Power Management IC (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Smartphone Power Management IC (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Smartphone Power Management IC (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Smartphone Power Management IC (Volume) by Application3 United States Smartphone Power Management IC (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Players3.3 United States Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Application4 China Smartphone Power Management IC (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 China Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 China Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.3 China Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)4.2 China Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Players4.3 China Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Type4.4 China Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Application5 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Value (2012-2017)5.1.1 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.2 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.3 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)5.2 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Players5.3 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Type5.4 Europe Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Application6 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6.1 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Value (2012-2017)6.1.1 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6.1.2 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6.1.3 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)6.2 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Players6.3 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Type6.4 Japan Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Application7 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7.1 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Value (2012-2017)7.1.1 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)7.1.2 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)7.1.3 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)7.2 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Players7.3 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by Type7.4 Korea Smartphone Power Management IC Sales Volume and Market Share by ApplicationCheck Discount:About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors. Our intelligence database comprises of vast arrays of strategically analyzed and high-level market research reports that encompass all major industries worldwide. All the specialized research reports available at Reportbazzar.com are tailor-made to suit your every business need, no matter how diverse or demanding it is.Contact Us:ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525
Global Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report Global Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Fiber Laser Cutting Machines MarketThis report studies the Fiber Laser Cutting Machines market. A fiber laser or fibre laser is a laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth elements such as erbium, ytterbium, neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium, thulium and holmium. They are related to doped fiber amplifiers, which provide light amplification without lasing. Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut materials, and is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications, but is also starting to be used by schools, small businesses, and hobbyists. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser most commonly through optics.Get Sample copy of this Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Fiber Laser Cutting Machines in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversTrumpfBystronicHan'S LaserAmadaMazakPenta-ChutianLVDKoikeDMG MORICoherentLead LaserIPG PhotonicsTanakaMitsubishi ElectricPrima PowerTianqi LaserGolden LaserUnity PrimaTrotecEpilog LaserCincinnatiHE LaserTianhong LaserHG LaserBoye LaserView Report @Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, covers2D Laser Cutting Machine3D Laser Cutting MachineMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoGeneral Machinery ProcessingAutomotive IndustryHome ApplianceAerospace and Ship BuildingOthersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Fiber Laser Cutting Machines market.Chapter 1, to describe Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Fiber Laser Cutting Machines, with sales, revenue, and price of Fiber Laser Cutting Machines, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Fiber Laser Cutting Machines, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Fiber Laser Cutting Machines market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Fiber Laser Cutting Machines sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 2D Laser Cutting Machine1.2.2 3D Laser Cutting Machine1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 General Machinery Processing1.3.2 Automotive Industry1.3.3 Home Appliance1.3.4 Aerospace and Ship Building1.3.5 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Trumpf2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Trumpf Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Bystronic2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Bystronic Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Han'S Laser2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Han'S Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Amada2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Amada Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 Mazak2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 Mazak Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 Penta-Chutian2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 Penta-Chutian Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 LVD2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 LVD Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8 Koike2.8.1 Business Overview2.8.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Koike Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9 DMG MORI2.9.1 Business Overview2.9.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 DMG MORI Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.10 Coherent2.10.1 Business Overview2.10.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.10.2.1 Type 12.10.2.2 Type 22.10.3 Coherent Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.11 Lead Laser2.11.1 Business Overview2.11.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.11.2.1 Type 12.11.2.2 Type 22.11.3 Lead Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.12 IPG Photonics2.12.1 Business Overview2.12.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.12.2.1 Type 12.12.2.2 Type 22.12.3 IPG Photonics Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.13 Tanaka2.13.1 Business Overview2.13.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.13.2.1 Type 12.13.2.2 Type 22.13.3 Tanaka Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.14 Mitsubishi Electric2.14.1 Business Overview2.14.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.14.2.1 Type 12.14.2.2 Type 22.14.3 Mitsubishi Electric Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.15 Prima Power2.15.1 Business Overview2.15.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.15.2.1 Type 12.15.2.2 Type 22.15.3 Prima Power Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.16 Tianqi Laser2.16.1 Business Overview2.16.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.16.2.1 Type 12.16.2.2 Type 22.16.3 Tianqi Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.17 Golden Laser2.17.1 Business Overview2.17.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.17.2.1 Type 12.17.2.2 Type 22.17.3 Golden Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.18 Unity Prima2.18.1 Business Overview2.18.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.18.2.1 Type 12.18.2.2 Type 22.18.3 Unity Prima Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.19 Trotec2.19.1 Business Overview2.19.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.19.2.1 Type 12.19.2.2 Type 22.19.3 Trotec Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.20 Epilog Laser2.20.1 Business Overview2.20.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.20.2.1 Type 12.20.2.2 Type 22.20.3 Epilog Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.21 Cincinnati2.21.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.21.2.1 Type 12.21.2.2 Type 22.21.3 Cincinnati Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.22 HE Laser2.22.1 Business Overview2.22.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.22.2.1 Type 12.22.2.2 Type 22.22.3 HE Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.23 Tianhong Laser2.23.1 Business Overview2.23.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.23.2.1 Type 12.23.2.2 Type 22.23.3 Tianhong Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.24 HG Laser2.24.1 Business Overview2.24.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.24.2.1 Type 12.24.2.2 Type 22.24.3 HG Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.25 Boye Laser2.25.1 Business Overview2.25.2 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Type and Applications2.25.2.1 Type 12.25.2.2 Type 22.25.3 Boye Laser Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)3 Global Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 Global Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 Market Concentration Rate3.3.1 Top 3 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Manufacturer Market Share3.3.2 Top 6 Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Manufacturer Market Share3.4 Market Competition TrendBuy Now @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Hardware Security Module Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report Global Hardware Security Module Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Hardware Security Module MarketA hardware security module (HSM) is a physical computing device that safeguards and manages digital keys for strong authentication and provides crypto processing. These modules traditionally come in the form of a plug-in card or an external device that attaches directly to a computer or network server.Get Sample copy of this Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Hardware Security Module in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversThalesGemaltoHewlett Packard EnterpriseSwiftUtimacoIBMATOS SEUltra ElectronicsFuturexYubicoMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)View Report @Market Segment by Type, coversLAN BasedPCle BasedUSB BasedMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoBFSIGovernmentGeneral EnterpriseManufacturingOthersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Hardware Security Module market.Chapter 1, to describe Hardware Security Module Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Hardware Security Module, with sales, revenue, and price of Hardware Security Module, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Hardware Security Module, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Hardware Security Module market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Hardware Security Module sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Hardware Security Module Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 LAN Based1.2.2 PCle Based1.2.3 USB Based1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 BFSI1.3.2 Government1.3.3 General Enterprise1.3.4 Manufacturing1.3.5 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Thales2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Thales Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Gemalto2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Gemalto Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Hewlett Packard Enterprise2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Swift2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Swift Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 Utimaco2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 Utimaco Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 IBM2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 IBM Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 ATOS SE2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 ATOS SE Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8 Ultra Electronics2.8.1 Business Overview2.8.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Ultra Electronics Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9 Futurex2.9.1 Business Overview2.9.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 Futurex Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.10 Yubico2.10.1 Business Overview2.10.2 Hardware Security Module Type and Applications2.10.2.1 Type 12.10.2.2 Type 22.10.3 Yubico Hardware Security Module Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)3 Global Hardware Security Module Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global Hardware Security Module Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 Global Hardware Security Module Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 Market Concentration Rate3.3.1 Top 3 Hardware Security Module Manufacturer Market Share3.3.2 Top 6 Hardware Security Module Manufacturer Market Share3.4 Market Competition Trend4 Global Hardware Security Module Market Analysis by Regions4.1 Global Hardware Security Module Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions4.1.1 Global Hardware Security Module Sales by Regions (2012-2017)4.1.2 Global Hardware Security Module Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Hardware Security Module Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Hardware Security Module Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.4 Asia-Pacific Hardware Security Module Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.5 South America Hardware Security Module Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.6 Middle East and Africa Hardware Security Module Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5 North America Hardware Security Module by Countries5.1 North America Hardware Security Module Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries5.1.1 North America Hardware Security Module Sales by Countries (2012-2017)5.1.2 North America Hardware Security Module Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)5.2 USA Hardware Security Module Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.3 Canada Hardware Security Module Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.4 Mexico Hardware Security Module Sales and Growth (2012-2017)Buy Now @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Aseptic Packaging Market Rising To A Valuation Of US$80.49 bn by 2024

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"The Latest Research Report Aseptic Packaging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Aseptic packaging was introduced in the 1940s. The process was subsequently improvised to suit the needs of end-user industries. Aseptic packaging primarily includes paperboard, aluminum, polypropylene, calcium carbonate (by few manufacturers), borosilicate glass (for pharmaceutical packaging), and ethylene vinyl alcohol. The packages primarily consist of six to seven layers of the materials mentioned above. They are arranged in orderly fashion. Currently, food, beverages, and dairy are the key industries that employ aseptic packaging; however, the pharmaceutical industry leads the end-user segment. The aseptic packaging market is primarily dominated by Asia Pacific; it is followed by Europe and North America, due to the high growth of downstream industries in these regions.This report analyzes and forecasts the market for aseptic packaging at the global and regional level. The market has been forecast based on revenue (US$ Mn) from 2016 to 2024, considering 2015 as the base year. The study includes drivers and restraints of the global aseptic packaging market. It also covers impact of these drivers and restraints on demand for aseptic packaging during the forecast period. The report also highlights opportunities in the aseptic packaging market at the global and regional level.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @The report includes detailed value chain analysis, which provides a comprehensive view of the global aseptic packaging market. Porters Five Forces model for the aseptic packaging market has also been included to help understand the competitive landscape in the market. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, wherein end-user industries are benchmarked based on their market revenue, growth rate, and general attractiveness.The study provides a decisive view of the global aseptic packaging market by segmenting it in terms of products such as carton; bags & pouches; bottles; vials; prefilled syringes & ampoules, and others. These segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends. Regional segmentation includes current and forecast demand for aseptic packaging in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The report also covers demand for individual products and end-user industries in all regions.The report provides the estimated market size of aseptic packaging for 2016 and forecast for the next eight years. The global market size of aseptic packaging has been provided in terms of revenue. Market revenue has been defined in US$ Mn. Market numbers have been estimated based on key products and end-user industries of aseptic packaging. Market size and forecast for products and end-user industries have been provided in terms of global, regional, and country level markets.In order to compile the research report, we conducted in-depth interviews and discussions with a number of key industry participants and opinion leaders. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. We reviewed key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents for competitive analysis and market understanding. Secondary research includes a search of recent trade, technical writing, Internet sources, and statistical data from government websites, trade associations, and agencies. This has proven to be the most reliable, effective, and successful approach for obtaining precise market data, capturing industry participants insights, and recognizing business opportunities.Secondary research sources that are typically referred to include, but are not limited to company websites, annual reports, financial reports, broker reports, investor presentations, SEC filings, Plastemart magazine, TPE magazine, internal and external proprietary databases, and relevant patent and regulatory databases such as ICIS, Hoovers, oneSOURCE, Factiva and Bloomberg, national government documents, statistical databases, trade journals, market reports, news articles, press releases, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market.We conduct primary interviews on an ongoing basis with industry participants and commentators to validate data and analysis. These help validate and strengthen secondary research findings. These also help develop the analysis teams expertise and market understanding.The report comprises profiles of major companies operating in the global aseptic packaging market. Key players in the aseptic packaging market include Tetra Pak, Sealed Air Corporation, Greatview Aseptic Packaging Co., Ltd., ELOPAK Group, Ecolean AB, Molopak, Schott AG, IPI, SIG Combibloc Group AG, and Dizaynpak Baski Ve Ambalaj Teknolojileri A.S. Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments.View Sample PDF @The report segments the global aseptic packaging market as follows:Aseptic Packaging Market - Product AnalysisBottles (Glass, Plastic)CartonsVials, Prefilled Syringes & AmpoulesBags & PouchesOthers (Cups)Aseptic Packaging Market - End-user AnalysisFoodDairyBeveragesPharmaceuticalOthers (Personal Care, etc.)Aseptic Packaging Market - Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.MexicoCanadaEuropeFranceU.K.SpainGermanyItalyRussiaRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanASEANIndiaRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East & Africa (MEA)GCCSouth AfricaRest of MEASend An Enquiry Request @Table of Content1. Preface1.1. Preface1.2. Report Description1.3. Research Scope1.4. Assumptions1.5. Market Segmentation1.6. Research Methodology2. Executive Summary2.1. Global Aseptic Packaging Market, 2015 - 2024, (US$ Mn)2.2. Aseptic Packaging Market: Market Snapshot3. Aseptic Packaging Market Industry Analysis3.1. Introduction3.2. Value Chain Analysis3.3. Market Drivers3.3.1. Growing Demand from Food, Dairy and Beverage Industries Expected to Drive the Aseptic Packaging Market3.3.2. Eco-Friendly Nature of Aseptic Packaging to Act as a Key Driver3.4. Restraints3.4.1. Complex Manufacturing Process Along with Single Brand Perception of Customers to Act as Restraint to the Aseptic Packaging Market3.5. Opportunity3.5.1. Rising Awareness for Preservative Free Food and Beverages Likely to Act as an Opportunity3.6. Porters Five Forces Analysis3.6.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers3.6.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers3.6.3. Threat of Substitutes3.6.4. Threat of New Entrants3.6.5. Degree of Competition3.7. Global Aseptic Packaging Market Attractiveness, by End-user3.8. Global Aseptic Packaging Market Attractiveness, by Country3.9. Global Aseptic Packaging Market Share Analysis, 20154. Manufacturing Process & Price Trend Analysis4.1. Aseptic Packaging Manufacturing Process4.2. Sheet to Carton Forming Packaging4.3. Carton Based PackagingBuy Now This Report From Here @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Pressure infusion bags market Growth to be Fuelled by Advancements in Technology

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The need of alternate healthcare framework is the need of the hour. Countries US, Canada, Australia, China and India are ageing fast. Apart from this largely populated countries like India, China is struggling to find ways to meet the emerging challenges of healthcare domain. The alternate healthcare channels such as home care are extremely useful and it can easily shoulder the load thrust on the global healthcare industry. A massive pool of adult population and the emergence of several new diseases and balancing the healthcare facilities around the globe are some of the massive challenges which are hounding the entire healthcare climate of the world. Challenges are not only pushing the horizons of the healthcare industry it is also helping it to discover new avenues to reach the cusp. The pressure infusion bags market is directly related to the development and growth of the healthcare domain and also it is affected by the growth and development of the home care services worldwide. A recent report says, that a massive chunk Canadian population is dependent on home care and the numbers are increasing every day. This is not only developing a future ground for the Pressure infusion bags market it is also changing the scenes of the Pressure infusion bags market. Apart from Canada, the home care facilities are in great demand in the US. Market predicts that home services in the US will have to cater to almost 27 million seniors by 2050. China and India are also two of the most fertile markets of Pressure infusion bags as the homecare is growing steadily in these regions. The alternate healthcare framework apart from hospitals or other medical facilities is creating an excellent opportunity for pressure infusion bags market.Pressure infusion bags market: DriversThere are several pivotal factors which are influencing the growth trail of the Pressure infusion bags market. The upsurge of the Pressure infusion bags market depends on the consolidated growth of the healthcare industry worldwide. The healthcare industry is growing steadily and it is also complimenting the growth of the healthcare tools and equipment market which include pressure infusion bags.Request Report TOC @The boom of healthcare in the countries like India, Malaysia, China, and Japan has changed the entire canvas of the Pressure infusion bags market. The demands are high and the supply is limited with a certain periphery.The emergence of home care worldwide is also opening new avenues for the pressure infusion bags market. The swelling adult population of the world is creating new ways for the Pressure infusion bags market.Several stakeholders of the healthcare industry is rolling out special measures to enhance patient safety. The Pressure infusion bags are mostly used for minimising chances of cross contamination during fluid infusion. Which makes it an effective tool which ensures patient safety. This increase of the awareness levels about patient safety is also a boon for the entire Pressure infusion bags market. This will further promote and will expand the market worldwide.Request to Sample Report -Pressure infusion bags market: RestraintsThe issue of patient safety and development of home care facilities are extremely fragmented. There is a large difference in market behaviours and also the markets of homecare are budding in countries like India and China and healthcare institutes are mulling over issues like patient safety mainly in the government healthcare system. Which is slumping the growth of the Pressure infusion bags in these specific zones. The market is mainly dominated by players from the west which is further corking the growth of the Pressure infusion bags market.Pressure infusion bags market: Key RegionsSome of the market leaders are based in the US and they are expanding their business. They are mostly eyeing the emerging market like China, India, Brazil, Chile and many other emerging markets of Asia and Africa. Many of the US based makers are pumping in funds to reach out to the larger population of the world with their products and services. Several US-based healthcare facilitators are also shaking hands with local players in the south East Asian markets and Middle East markets and planning for massive mergers to mop up the profits.Pre Book Full Report Pressure infusion bags market: Key PlayersSome of the leading stakeholders in this region are BD worldwide, Medline. Though the local markets of China, India and Malaysia, Singapore are stuffed with local manufacturers and traders.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 :
China Wind Power Coating Market Industry : Insights, Market Overview, Size, Share, Trends, Analysis, Growth, Market Status, Research and Forecast 2017-2022

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "China Wind Power Coating Market by Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type and Application, Forecast to 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.Wind Power Coating in China market :The erosion and corrosion of wind towers and blades is not a surprise given the variety of and often harsh environmental conditions encountered at sea and on land. If not protected, this erosion and corrosion will reduce the structures strength, reliability, life span and, ultimately, its economic value. So coating plays an important role in protecting blades, tower and other components from environment.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Wind Power Coating in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversHempelPPGAkzoNobelBASFJotunMankiewiczDupontBergolinDuromar3MTeknos GroupAeolus CoatingsMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth ChinaSouthwest ChinaEast ChinaNortheast ChinaNorth ChinaMarket Segment by Type, coversPolymer CoatingCeramic CoatingMetal CoatingsMake an Enquiry about TOC @Market Segment by Applications, can be divided intoOffshore(Including Offshore Blades, Offshore Tower, Offshore Interior)Onshore(Including Offshore Blades, Offshore Tower, Offshore Interior)There are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Wind Power Coating market.Chapter 1, to describe Wind Power Coating Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Wind Power Coating, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Wind Power Coating,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Wind Power Coating market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Wind Power Coating Appendix, methodology and data sourceResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.us
LPG Regulators Industry Forecast and Revenue by Regions (2017-2022) - Published by MarketResearchNest.com

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MarketResearchNest.com adds North America LPG Regulators Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast To 2022 new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 116 pages with table and figures in it.This report studies the LPG Regulators for Cylinders market. Regulators are used to reduce the pressure of gas in the cylinder to a lower pressure that is more suitable for the appliance and to keep the pressure fixed (within limits) at that value.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the LPG Regulators in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversEmerson, Cavagna Group, Rotarex, EFFBE, ZSOY PRES, Katsura, Mauria Udyog, Kosan, TRANS VALVES, Vanaz Engineers,ECP Industries, Kabsons Gas Equipment, Yung Shen Gas Appliances, Integrated Gas Technologies, WisionMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers United States Canada MexicoMarket Segment by Type, coversLow Pressure Regulator, High Pressure Adjustable Regulator, Middle Pressure RegulatorMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoLPG Households, LPG Outdoor, LPG Automotive, LPG Industrial, OthersGet Request sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report: This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rate It provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.Get Order a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on LPG Regulators industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Global Market For Smart Machines Expected To Register A CAGR Of 18.8% During The Forecast Period 2016 - 2024

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Market For Smart Machines Expected To Register A CAGR Of 18.8% During The Forecast Period 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.Persistence Market research (PMR) offers a nine-year forecast for the global smart machines market between 2016 and 2024. In terms of value, the global smart machines market is expected to register a CAGR of 18.8% during the forecast period (20162024). The primary objective of the report is to offer insights on the advancements in the smart machines market. The study demonstrates market dynamics that are expected to influence the current environment and future status of the global smart machines market over the forecast period. The main objective of this report is to offer updates on trends, drivers, restraints, value forecasts, and opportunities for manufacturers operating in the global smart machines market.Smart machines are deployed to enhance networked resources and implement distributed intelligence in manufacturing industries. The integration of devices provide more accessibility. Smart machines can be easily connected to a broader network of connected devices, enabling users to share data on numerous devices. This allows users to connect/access their devices from anywhere and anytime.Smart machines are programmed to make intelligent decisions, in a time efficient manner. They are built to learn from their interactions and their precision increases over time. Hence, new developments in operational intelligence are encouraging companies to adopt systems that are smarter and efficient; thus fueling demand for smart machines across the globe.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @A section of the report discusses how the overall competition in the market is steadily increasing. It discusses various factors shaping internal as well as external competition in the market. Overall internal competition in the smart machines market is comparatively low attributed to the low number of smart machines solutions providers in the market. With new technologies emerging, many innovative ideas are being realized. Some smart machines built with advanced features face legal restrictions. As a result, manufacturing of some smart machines will be halted. Various barriers hampering growth of the smart machines market has been given in the report along with their impact regionally.A section of the report highlights smart machines demand, region-wise. It provides a market outlook for 20162024 and sets the forecast within the context of the smart machines ecosystem, including new technological developments, as well as product offerings in the global smart machines market. This study discuss key region trends contributing to the growth of the smart machines market globally. It also analyses the degree to which drivers are influencing the market in each region. Key regions assessed in this report include North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa (MEA).In the final section of the report, a competitive landscape has been included to provide report audiences with a dashboard view. Key categories of providers covered in the report are smart machines hardware and software & solution providers. Detailed profiles of the providers are also included in the scope of the report to evaluate their long- and short-term strategies, key offerings, and recent developments in the smart machines space. Key players in the global smart machines market include Apple Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corporation, BAE Systems, Creative Virtual Ltd., Digital Reasoning Systems, Inc., IBM Corporation, Narrative Science Inc., Rethink Robotics, ABB Limited, Rockwell Automation, Inc., and General Electric Co.Browse TOC @Key Segments CoveredBy ComponentHardwareSoftwareServiceBy Machine TypeRobotsAutonomous carsDronesWearable deviceOthersBy TechnologyCloud Computing technologyBig DataInternet of everythingRoboticsCognitive TechnologyAffective TechnologyBy VerticalManufacturingTransportation & LogisticsHealthcareConsumer Goods and RetailAerospace & DefenceOthersOn the basis of machine type, the global smart machines market has been segmented into robots, autonomous cars, drones, wearable devices, and others. Enterprises are expected to invest more in R&D activities for wearable technology due to the increasing need of mobility. Smart watches provide better accessibility, with the option of syncing with smartphones. Introduction of new applications such as those that track fitness activity and monitor health according to the users need are the latest trends in wearable devices. Smart technology embedded in clothes is also a new trend in wearable devices. On the basis of component, the global smart machines market has been segmented into hardware, software, and service. A detailed analysis has been provided for every segment in terms of market size analysis for smart machines across the globe.In addition, it is imperative to note that in an ever-fluctuating global economy, we not only conduct forecasts in terms of CAGR, but also analyze on the basis of key parameters such as Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth to understand the predictability of the market and identify the right opportunities.Another key feature of this report is the analysis of all key segments in terms of absolute dollar. This is usually overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify potential resources from a sales and delivery perspective in the global smart machines market.Key Regions/Countries CoveredNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaEuropeGermanyFranceU.KItalyRussiaPolandSpainNordicBeneluxRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanAustralia and New ZealandASEANRest of APACThe Middle East & AfricaGCCNorth AfricaSouth AfricaRest of MEACompany ProfilesAlchemy API Inc.Apple Inc.Digital ReasoningGoogle Inc.IBM CorporationNarrative Science Inc.Microsoft CorporationBAE SystemsCreative VirtualRethink RoboticsOtherAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Food Packaging Barrier Film Market 2017 Sales and Demand

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Food Packaging Barrier Film Market Research Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The report Global Food Packaging Barrier Film Market Research Report 2017, recently featured on QYResearchReports.com, provides key insights on the global market Food Packaging Barrier Film with a focus on the state of the various elements of the market. The report provides a comprehensive outlook of the global Food Packaging Barrier Film market with detailed segmentation of the market based on criteria including applications, production technology, and key regional markets.The report provides a basic overview of the global Food Packaging Barrier Film market including definitions, applications, the structure of industry structure, and classifications. The market is analyzed with focus on competitive landscape, development trends, and development status in key regional markets.Get Complimentary Research Summary Of The Report:Various development policies and plans affecting the overall market, analysis of the numerous manufacturing processes, and cost structures of some of the key products in the market are also included in the study. With several figures and tables to present the research data in an easily comprehensible way, the report makes for a valuable source of guidance for managers, business strategists and all the other individuals interested in the global prostate cancer vaccine market.The report presents a comprehensive overview of the competitive landscape of the global Food Packaging Barrier Film market. Leading global players in the Food Packaging Barrier Film market are analyzed on the basis of upstream raw materials, equipment, and downstream demand. Moreover, recent developments observed in the market in the past few years and their impact on the overall competitive dynamics of the market is also analyzed in the report. Various marketing channels, business and marketing trends key to the global Food Packaging Barrier Film market are also analyzed in the report. Detailed company profiles of some of the key players in the global Food Packaging Barrier Film market are also included in the report.Obtain Table of Content @List of Tables and FiguresFigure China Food Packaging Barrier Film Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Japan Food Packaging Barrier Film Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Southeast Asia Food Packaging Barrier Film Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure India Food Packaging Barrier Film Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Global Food Packaging Barrier Film Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Food Packaging Barrier Film Capacity, Production (K MT) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Food Packaging Barrier Film Major Players Product Capacity (K MT) (2012-2017)Table Global Food Packaging Barrier Film Capacity (K MT) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table Global Food Packaging Barrier Film Capacity Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)About USQYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.Contact US1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Ventricle Assist Device Market Estimated to Discern 2X Expansion by 2026

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Heart failure is one of the most common cause of deaths worldwide, it is a condition when the heart cannot pump blood properly throughout the body. In most of the cases the left ventricle gets affected but sometimes the right ventricle gets affected and the heart cannot pump oxygen rich blood to the lungs. Ventricle assist devices are mechanical pumps which support the functioning of the heart in individuals who have weak heart. There are two types of heart failure one is diastolic heart failure and the other systolic heart failure. The major symptoms of heart failure are fatigue, irregular heart rhythm, blood pressure, heart valve functioning is affected, shortness of breath and fluid retention. Most of the above symptoms can be stabilized by the use of medication but in some cases ventricle assist devices have to be used depending upon the condition of the patient.A ventricle assist device comprises of a small tubes transferring blood out of heart and into the pump, the heart pump is connected to a control unit, which monitors the functioning of the ventricle assist device. Recent research has shown that continuous flow ventricle assist devices are more effective as they reduce the hospitalization and improve survival rate of patients suffering from heart failure. The different types of ventricle assist devices available in the market, left ventricle support, right ventricle support and bi-ventricle support.The ventricle assist devices are used for short-term period for individuals recovering from myocardial infraction or individuals recovering from cardiac surgery, and for long term use in individuals suffering from total heart failure. Ventricle devices are generally used as bridge to transplant, bridge to decision and bridge to recovery for an individual who is suffering from Class III & Class IV heart failure. Ventricle assist devices are generally implantable and transcutaneous depending on the individual heart condition.Request Report TOC @Transcutaneous ventricle assist devices have the control unit installed outside the body and the pump placed inside the body whereas implantable ventricle assist devices are generally used for people waiting for heart transplant. Ventricle assist devices are generally categorized as Pulsatile and Non Pulsatile devices. Pulsatile devices were the first generation devices, whereas non pulsatile devices have a continuous flow as they allow the blood to move forward in a systemic circulation. In a non-pulsatile ventricle assist device all the parameters are displayed on the console or the control unit. Some of the common ventricle assist devices in the market are Thoratec VAD, Heart Mate and Jarvik 2000.Ventricle assist devices although have great benefits but some time they may give rise to certain complication like bleeding, infection, thrombosis, device malfunctioning and hemolysis.When both the ventricle stop functioning or the entire heart fails, bi-ventricle assist devices are used and Total Artificial Heart is implanted. The rapid advancement in ventricle assist device technology has limited the TAH (Total Artificial Heart) development as majority of the heart failure can be controlled by using ventricle assist devices. At present the only TAH approved by the FDA is the Cardio West TAH by Syncardia System, which is a pneumatically powered dual chamber device.Ventricle Assist Device Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global market for ventricle assist devices is expected to be driven by the advancement in technology and increasing prevalence of Class III & Class IV heart failure, increase in geriatric population, better reimbursement reforms are some factors anticipated to fuel growth of global ventricle assist devices market within the forecast period of 2016-2026. However the high cost certain complication which may arise after or during the implant and development of the total artificial heart can be the restraint for the growth of this market.Request to Sample Report -Ventricle Assist Device Market: SegmentationThe global Ventricle assist device market is classified on the basis of product type, modality, indication, end user and geography.Based on modality, the global Ventricle assist device market is segmented into the following:Transcutaneous Ventricle Assist DevicesImplantable Ventricle Assist DevicesBased on product type, the global Ventricle Assist device market is segmented into the following:LVAD (Left Ventricle Assist Devices)RVAD (Right Ventricle Assist Devices)Bi-VAD (Bi-Ventricle Assist Devices)TAH (Total Artificial Heart)Based on indication, the global ventricle assist device market is segmented into the following:Bridge to RecoveryBridge to TransplantBridge to TherapyBased on end user, the global ventricle assist device market is segmented into the following:HospitalsSpecialized Cardiac ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersVentricle Assist Device Market: OverviewCost-effectiveness of ventricle assist devices and ongoing researches on improving quality of care for continence would create an attractive growth opportunities for the ventricle assist device market. The hospitals end user segment is expected to hold the highest market share in global market for ventricle assist devices.Pre Book Full Report A new generation of ventricle assist devices have been approved by the FDA which are more efficient in increasing the survival rate of individuals suffering from heart failure. These devices are much small smaller in size and much more efficient in restoring the functioning of the heart. These are centrifugal continuous flow pumps suspended through magnetic or hydrodynamic levitation in blood flow path, this levitation mechanism theoretically increases the device durability and reliability as there is no friction and heat generation component contact. The third generation left ventricle assist devices are more used in Europe.Ventricle Assist Device Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the global ventricle assist device market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America dominated the global market for ventricle assist devices because of better reimbursement policies for diagnostic procedures. Europe dominates the market for the third generation ventricle assist devices.Ventricle Assist Device Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global ventricle assist device market are SynCardia System Inc., St. Jude Medical, Berlin Heart, Heart Ware International, Jarvik Heart Inc. Abiomed, CardiacAssist Inc., and Reliant Heart 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 :
Endometrial Ablation Market Expected to Progress at a CAGR of 5.50% By 2024

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been serving as an active source to cater intelligent research report to enlighten both readers and investors. This research study titled Endometrial Ablation Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016  2024This report on the global endometrial ablation market analyzes the current and future prospects of the market. The report comprises an elaborate executive summary, including a market snapshot that provides overall information of various segments and sub-segments. A detailed qualitative analysis of factors responsible for driving and restraining market growth and future opportunities has been provided in the market overview section. This section of the report also includes market attractiveness analysis that provides a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the global endometrial ablation market.Request For Free Sample Report @Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn for the period between 2014 and 2024 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2016 to 2024 are provided for all the segments, considering 2015 as the base year. Market size estimations involved in-depth study of services and product features of different types of services. Additionally, market related factors such as increasing preference for technologically advanced services, product innovation, and increasing prevalence of cancer and other chronic diseases in various geographies and historical year-on-year growth have been taken into consideration while estimating the market size.Global Endometrial Ablation Market: Research MethodologyThe research is a combination of primary and secondary research. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts along with information collected from telephonic interviews and interactions via e-mails. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, stock analysis presentations, and various international and national databases.The report provides market size in terms of US$ Mn for each segment for the period from 2014 to 2024, considering the macro and micro environmental factors. Growth rates for each segment within the global endometrial ablation market have been determined after a thorough analysis of past trends, demographics, future trends, technological developments, and regulatory requirements.Endometrial Ablation Market: SegmentationBased on devices type, the global endometrial ablation market has been segmented into  cryoablation electrical ablation, hydrothermal ablation, hysteroscopy devices, microwave endometrial ablation, radiofrequency endometrial ablation, thermal balloon ablation, others (ultrasound transducers, laser ablation, etc.). On the basis of end user, the market has been segmented hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers and others.Geographically, the global endometrial ablation market has been segmented into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. In addition, the regions have been further segmented by major countries from each region. These include the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, and Mexico.Endometrial Ablation Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also profiles major players in the endometrial ablation market based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, SWOT analysis, key business strategies, product portfolio, and recent developments. Key companies profiled in the report include Boston Scientific Corporation, Hologic Corporation, Olympus Corporation, Minerva Surgical, Inc., Smith & Nephew, Plc., The Cooper Companies, Inc. (Cooper Surgical Inc.), KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, Richard Wolf GmbH, Ethicon, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson), Medtronic plc and AngioDynamics Inc.Browse Full Report With TOC @The global endometrial ablation market has been segmented as follows:Global Endometrial Ablation Market, by Device TypeCryoablationElectrical AblationHydrothermal AblationHysteroscopy DevicesMicrowave Endometrial AblationRadiofrequency Endometrial AblationThermal Balloon AblationOthers (Ultrasound Transducers, Laser Ablation, etc.)Global Endometrial Ablation Market, by End UserHospitalsClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersGlobal Endometrial Ablation Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeU.K.GermanyFranceItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaAustralia & New ZealandRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaMake An Enquiry @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
The Nuclear Robotics Market is Projected to Grow at a Substantial Rate

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Nuclear Robotics Sales Market Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global Nuclear Robotics market has been developed by a selected group of professional market research analysts, with a solitary goal to present the current scenario of the market for Nuclear Robotics and throw light on its growth prospects. The report targets audiences such as manufacturers of Nuclear Robotics, government agencies, and other research consultancy services. The report presents comprehensive assessment of the major factors that may impact the demand in the global Nuclear Robotics market, analyzes the challenges or pitfalls, and catches the latest trends, which the existing vendors must take a note of in order to stay ahead of the competition.To present a clear study of the revenue available in the global Nuclear Robotics market, the report carefully segments it into smaller yet significant chunks, such geographically, product type, services and others. The report also provides the values of each of these segments and individual growth rates during the forecast period. The dominant as well as emerging trends have been picked out. With handful of tables, charts, and graphs, the report carries extensive pictorial representation to support its findings.Get Complimentary Research Summary of the Report:This report studies sales (consumption) of Nuclear Robotics in Global market, especially in United States, China, Europe and Japan, focuses on top players in these regions/countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these regions, coveringNorthrop GrummaniRobotBAE SystemsAB Precision LtdBoston DynamicsThis report on the global Nuclear Robotics market provides estimations regarding the market size in terms of value (USD million). It includes both top-down and bottom-up views in order to estimate and validate the size of the Nuclear Robotics market and of several other related submarkets in the overall global market. The opportunities open in the market for Nuclear Robotics by manufacturing countries type and application, and presents forecast for the duration of 2017-2022 has also been discussed extensively in this research report.As this report targets the stockholders of the global Nuclear Robotics market, some of the leading companies currently in this market are profiled in order to represent their market share, product portfolio, and recent strategic decisions. Leading players in the global Nuclear Robotics market have been detected via secondary research, and their dominance in respective regions have been evaluated through rigorous primary as well as secondary research.Table of Contents1 Nuclear Robotics Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Nuclear Robotics1.2 Classification of Nuclear Robotics1.3 Application of Nuclear Robotics1.4 Nuclear Robotics Market by Regions1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Nuclear Robotics (2012-2022)Obtain Table of Content @2 Global Nuclear Robotics Competition by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Global Nuclear Robotics Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Global Nuclear Robotics Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Nuclear Robotics Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Nuclear Robotics (Volume and Value) by Type2.3 Global Nuclear Robotics (Volume and Value) by Regions2.4 Global Nuclear Robotics (Volume) by Application9 Global Nuclear Robotics Manufacturers Analysis9.1 Northrop Grumman9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.1.2 Nuclear Robotics Product Type, Application and Specification9.1.3 Northrop Grumman Nuclear Robotics Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.2 iRobot9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.2.2 Nuclear Robotics Product Type, Application and Specification9.2.3 iRobot Nuclear Robotics Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview14 Global Nuclear Robotics Market Forecast (2017-2022)14.1 Global Nuclear Robotics Sales, Revenue and Price Forecast (2017-2022)14.1.1 Global Nuclear Robotics Sales and Growth Rate Forecast (2017-2022)14.1.2 Global Nuclear Robotics Revenue and Growth Rate Forecast (2017-2022)14.1.3 Global Nuclear Robotics Price and Trend Forecast (2017-2022)14.2 Global Nuclear Robotics Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate Forecast by Regions (2017-2022)14.3 Global Nuclear Robotics Sales, Revenue and Price Forecast by Type (2017-2022)14.4 Global Nuclear Robotics Sales Forecast by Application (2017-2022)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Air Freshener Market Analysis - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2014 to 2024 By Acumen Research and Consulting

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Introduction:Air freshener refers to an aerosol spray which is generally used in offices or homes or other commercial environments to get rid of foul odors, provide fragrance and freshen the surrounding air. Room fresheners or air fresheners are gaining popularity owing to their availability in a variety of fragrances. The global air freshener market is witnessing steady growth due to increase in changing demographic across the globe. An air freshener is crafted to eliminate foul and unpleasant odor by emitting fragrance. Air fresheners comprise of various different ingredients such as solvents, mineral oil, 2-butoxyethanol and glycol ethers to neutralize unpleasant odor, fragrances and aerosol propellants. Air fresheners are only applicable to be used in indoor environments such as offices, cars, hotel rooms, homes and others. In past few years, this functional commodity has evolved to be deployed as a decorative product as well. Various companies offer different type of air fresheners.Market Dynamics:Different types of air fresheners include candles, sprays, gels, oils, plug-ins, beads etc. Air fresheners also come in passive and solid versions, and use water and ceramic material based ingredients, thus combine to create a multi phasing effect to provide constant fragrance. Several air fresheners have chemicals which provoke asthma and allergic symptoms, thus raising an argument about its safety. Air fresheners are not only prohibited to modern day air freshener sprays; they can also involve the use of everyday organic house hold products. Though, air fresheners are primarily used for elimination of foul odor, they are sometimes simply used for pleasant odors.Download Table of Content:Increasing demand for organic/natural fragrant products is anticipated to drive the overall product offerings in the global air fresheners market. In addition, longer commutations have developed a demand for chemical-free and attractive products, which is a key reason estimated to trigger car air fresheners market over the foreseeable years. Moreover, change in lifestyle of immigrant population is expected to propel the demand for air fresheners over the forecast period. Various sales channels such as super malls, automotive shops, car wash and car repair stations have been boosting the overall sales of air fresheners. Also, launch of new products having the capability of delivering air freshness is anticipated to drive the demand for air fresheners during the forecast period. Furthermore, increasing innovations in the development of aromatic compounds and aroma therapy coupled with changing consumer preferences for herbal fragrances are some other major factors driving the demand for air fresheners in the global market, thus creating a favorable impact on their consumption. However, concerns regarding allergies and chemicals present in air freshener is a key factor limiting the growth of global air fresheners market.Request Customization:Market Classification:The Air Fresheners Market can be bifurcated on the basis of type, application, type of consumer and region. On the basis of type, the global air fresheners market can be segmented into electric air fresheners, aerosols, candle based air fresheners, gel based air fresheners and others (papers, dips, crystal beads etc.). By application, the global air fresheners market can be bifurcated into corporate offices, residential, cars, hotels and others (malls, hospitals, railways etc.). On the basis of type of consumer, the global air fresheners market can be divided into enterprise customers and individual customers.Regional Overview:On the basis of region, the global air fresheners market can be categorized into North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia-Pacific.Inquiry Before Buying:Market Participants:Major players involved in the manufacture of air fresheners include Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc., SC Johnson, Procter and Gamble, Amway, Henkel, Kobayashi, Church & Dwight, ST Corporation, California Scents, Scotts Liquid Gold Inc. and Fujian Mengjiaolan Daily Chemicals Co.Ltd among others.Buy Now This Report From Here:About UsAcumen Research and Consulting (ARC) is a global provider of market intelligence and consulting services to information technology, investment, telecommunication, manufacturing, and consumer technology markets. ARC helps investment communities, IT professionals, and business executives to make fact based decisions on technology purchases and develop firm growth strategies to sustain market competition. With the team size of 100+ Analysts and collective industry experience of more than 200 years, Acumen Research and Consulting assures to deliver a combination of industry knowledge along with global and country level expertise.Contact -Frank WilsonSales Manager | Acumen Research and ConsultingEmail: frank@acumenresearchandconsulting.comPh - USA +1 716-2400-831Asia-Pacific +912065600384Website:
Industrial Gloves Market Growth Opportunities Report 2025

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The Asia Pacific industrial gloves market is consolidated with top four companies holding a massive 61% of the market. These players are: Top Glove Corporation Bhd, Hartalega Sdn Bhd, Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd, and Supermax Corporation Bhd. Players in the market are competing with each other and attempting to gain an edge by means of product innovation, states a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). Key players are acquiring established players in an effort to gain more market shares. A key strategy adopted by players is expanding their manufacturing capacities to acquire more share in the market. Exploring untapped markets and collaborating with companies are some of the other business strategies adopted by players in the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market.Read Report Overview @As per the report, the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market was worth US$0.66 bn in 2016 and is expected to reach US$1.25 bn by the end of 2025, expanding at a 7.6% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. On the basis of type, the market is expected to be led by disposable gloves. Re-usable gloves cause hygiene concerns and thus, disposable gloves are being preferred. In 2016, disposable gloves segment accounted for 75% of the market. On the basis of country, Malaysia is anticipated to continue to lead. The country accounted for 49.9% of the market in 2016.Worker safety and worker health are gaining importance from the past few years and this is expected to drive the demand for industrial gloves. A number of industries have shown a positive response towards adopting industrial gloves for the sake of having a safe working environment for workers, thus boosting the market. In addition to this, stringent regulations have been implemented by governments across countries in Asia Pacific, which is anticipated to fuel the demand for industrial gloves.Rising cases of accidents in workplaces have created a need for safety measures, which is aiding the growth of this market. Governments and other regulatory bodies are taking strong actions against those employers and industries that do not adhere to the safety norms. This is compelling employers and industries to adopt various protective gears for their employees.Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness a strong growth in the industrial gloves market as the region is facing rapid industrialization and flourishing industries such as textile, chemical, or automotive. Demand for industrial gloves is especially high from the rubber industry. 93% of the global rubber production is in Asia and thus, a high demand for gloves persist from this industry. Rubber industries are domiciled in Indonesia and Thailand. On the other hand, a large number of the worker population is still unaware about industrial protective gears, which is obstructing the markets growth.Request to view Sample Report:However, steps are being taken towards educating workers about the importance of following safety standards. This is anticipated to reduce the impact of this restraint in the forecast period. In addition to this, there lies an opportunity in the untapped developing countries in Asia Pacific, states a TMR analyst. Moreover, it is expected that some new industries will emerge in this region, which will create a heightened demand for industrial gloves by creating fresh opportunities in the market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global In-Building Wireless Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report Global In-Building Wireless Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About In-Building Wireless MarketThis report studies the In-Building Wireless market. An in-building cellular enhancement system, commonly implemented in conjunction with a distributed antenna system (DAS), is a telecommunications solution which is used to extend and distribute the cellular signal of a given mobile network operator (hereafter abbreviated as an MNO) within a building.Get Sample copy of this Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the In-Building Wireless in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversCommScopeCorning IncorporatedAT&TEricssonCobhamTE ConnectivityAlcatel-LucentHuaweiAnixterInfinite Electronics IncJMA WirelessOberon IncDali WirelessBetacom IncorporatedLord & Company TechnologiesMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)View Report @Market Segment by Type, coversDASSmall Cell5GVoWifiMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoCommercialsGovernmentHospitalsIndustrialOthersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global In-Building Wireless market.Chapter 1, to describe In-Building Wireless Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of In-Building Wireless, with sales, revenue, and price of In-Building Wireless, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of In-Building Wireless, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, In-Building Wireless market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe In-Building Wireless sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 In-Building Wireless Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 DAS1.2.2 Small Cell1.2.3 5G1.2.4 VoWifi1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Commercials1.3.2 Government1.3.3 Hospitals1.3.4 Industrial1.3.5 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 CommScope2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 CommScope In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Corning Incorporated2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Corning Incorporated In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 AT&T2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 AT&T In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Ericsson2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Ericsson In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 Cobham2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 Cobham In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 TE Connectivity2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 TE Connectivity In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 Alcatel-Lucent2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 Alcatel-Lucent In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8 Huawei2.8.1 Business Overview2.8.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Huawei In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9 Anixter2.9.1 Business Overview2.9.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 Anixter In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.10 Infinite Electronics Inc2.10.1 Business Overview2.10.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.10.2.1 Type 12.10.2.2 Type 22.10.3 Infinite Electronics Inc In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.11 JMA Wireless2.11.1 Business Overview2.11.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.11.2.1 Type 12.11.2.2 Type 22.11.3 JMA Wireless In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.12 Oberon Inc2.12.1 Business Overview2.12.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.12.2.1 Type 12.12.2.2 Type 22.12.3 Oberon Inc In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.13 Dali Wireless2.13.1 Business Overview2.13.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.13.2.1 Type 12.13.2.2 Type 22.13.3 Dali Wireless In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.14 Betacom Incorporated2.14.1 Business Overview2.14.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.14.2.1 Type 12.14.2.2 Type 22.14.3 Betacom Incorporated In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.15 Lord & Company Technologies2.15.1 Business Overview2.15.2 In-Building Wireless Type and Applications2.15.2.1 Type 12.15.2.2 Type 22.15.3 Lord & Company Technologies In-Building Wireless Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)3 Global In-Building Wireless Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global In-Building Wireless Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 Global In-Building Wireless Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 Market Concentration Rate3.3.1 Top 3 In-Building Wireless Manufacturer Market Share3.3.2 Top 6 In-Building Wireless Manufacturer Market Share3.4 Market Competition TrendBuy Now @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Patient Monitoring Device Market Expected to Reach worth 24,762 Million USD by 2020

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A new report added to the repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market is a comprehensive repository of information, providing market share, size, and forecast.Get Free Sample Report @The global remote patient monitoring devices market has been witnessing a prolific growth rate in recent years as the outlook toward disease and patient management is changing for the better. Advent of technology and a growing acceptance towards novel changes has also had a positive impact on the global market. In the coming years, the report suggests that the global remote patient monitoring devices market is likely to flourish as manufacturers are taking a keen interest in understanding need of the patients through data analytics and surveys. According to the report, the global market for remote patient monitoring devices was worth US$0.38 bn in 2013 and is expected to be worth US$0.98 bn by the end of 2020. During the forecast period of 2014 and 2020, the global market is projected exhibit a progress of 14.20% CAGR.Adoption of various remote patient monitoring devices has been a welcome change in the healthcare industry. An accelerated shift toward home care and preventive care has led higher acceptance of remote patient monitoring devices. The primary motive of these devices is to help patients keep a track of their wellbeing, offer accurate diagnosis, and prevent long-drawn illnesses. These devices are also meant for helping the patients recuperate better after surgeries and during treatments. Emergence of chronic diseases, growing pool of geriatrics, and efforts to reduce hospitalization are likely to have a positive influence on the trajectory of the global market.View Detail Report with Table of Contents @The various types of devices available in the global remote patient monitoring devices market are breath monitors, heart monitors, physical activity monitors, multi-sign monitors, and hematological monitors. Of these, demand for heart monitors is expected to soar in the coming years due to rising incidences of cardiovascular diseases and other heart-related issues. Furthermore, the growing population of those suffering from high blood pressure are also expected to contribute to this demand.The end users of remote patient monitoring devices are ambulatory care centers and home healthcare practitioners. Of these, the ambulatory care centers are expected to lead the global market in the coming years due to booming geriatric population, which is consistently at the risk of chronic diseases and other disorders. However, a paradigm shift in the way home healthcare is changing has also brought in a wave of acceptance toward remote patient monitoring devices at home.North America Emerges as Lead Regional Market with Strong Presence of Leading PlayersFrom a geographic point of view, the global remote patient monitoring devices market is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. The North America remote patient monitoring devices market is expected to hold a leading share in the global market in terms of revenue. This regional dominance will be attributable to the strong presence of leading companies and a growing geriatric population. Furthermore, a well-established healthcare infrastructure and growing awareness about home healthcare are expected to work in favor of this regional market in the near future. The markedly high population of people with diabetes in the U.S. is also projected to be an important aspect in the North America market.Send an Enquiry @The important players operating in the global remote patient monitoring devices market are F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Abbott Laboratories, Covidien plc, AMD Global Telemedicine, Omron Healthcare Inc., and Honeywell HomMed LLC.About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Scaffolding Accessories 2017 Global Key Players  The Brock Group, Safway, Layher, PERI, ULMA, Altrad Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Scaffolding Accessories Market

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Scaffolding Accessories Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Scaffolding Accessories -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:In this report, the global Scaffolding Accessories market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Scaffolding Accessories in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Scaffolding Accessories market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingThe Brock GroupSafwayLayherPERIULMAAltradMJ-GerustSunshine EnterpriseEntrepose EchafaudagesDevcoKHK ScaffoldingADTO GROUPPacific scaffoldUniversal Manufacturing CorpXMWYTianjin GoweRizhao FenghuaTangshan GangfengYouying GroupTianjin WellmadeRapid ScaffoldingRenqiu DingxinCangzhou WeisitaiRequest for Sample Report@On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSingle & Double ScaffoldingCantilever ScaffoldingSuspended ScaffoldingTrestle ScaffoldingSteel ScaffoldingOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingConstructionInside Room DecorationOthersEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Contents:Global Scaffolding Accessories Market Research Report 20171 Scaffolding Accessories Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Scaffolding Accessories1.2 Scaffolding Accessories Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Scaffolding Accessories Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Scaffolding Accessories Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Single & Double Scaffolding1.2.4 Cantilever Scaffolding1.2.5 Suspended Scaffolding1.2.6 Trestle Scaffolding1.2.7 Steel Scaffolding1.3 Global Scaffolding Accessories Segment by Application1.3.1 Scaffolding Accessories Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Construction1.3.3 Inside Room Decoration1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Scaffolding Accessories Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Scaffolding Accessories Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Scaffolding Accessories (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Scaffolding Accessories Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Scaffolding Accessories Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Scaffolding Accessories Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Scaffolding Accessories Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Scaffolding Accessories Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Scaffolding Accessories Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Scaffolding Accessories Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Scaffolding Accessories Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Scaffolding Accessories Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Scaffolding Accessories Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion..7 Global Scaffolding Accessories Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 The Brock Group7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 The Brock Group Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Safway7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Safway Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Layher7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Layher Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 PERI7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 PERI Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 ULMA7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 ULMA Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Altrad7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Altrad Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 MJ-Gerust7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 MJ-Gerust Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Sunshine Enterprise7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Sunshine Enterprise Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Entrepose Echafaudages7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Entrepose Echafaudages Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Devco7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Scaffolding Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Devco Scaffolding Accessories Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 KHK Scaffolding7.12 ADTO GROUP7.13 Pacific scaffold7.14 Universal Manufacturing Corp7.15 XMWY7.16 Tianjin Gowe7.17 Rizhao Fenghua7.18 Tangshan Gangfeng7.19 Youying Group7.20 Tianjin Wellmade7.21 Rapid Scaffolding7.22 Renqiu Dingxin7.23 Cangzhou WeisitaiContinued..Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Global Security Software Services Market 2017 Key Players -Symantec, Intel, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Deloitte, root9B, RSA, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet,..

Security Software Services Market

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Security Software Services Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Security Software Services Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.Executive SummaryOver the last decade, businesses have significantly migrated from conventional IT methods to cloud based IT, fueling demand for cloud security services. As a result of technological advances, companies have been expanding to cloud services and cloud computing. The growing popularity of hybrid cloud among businesses increased to $33.28 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow by 22.5% to reach $91.74 billion by 2021.The Security Software Services Global Market Report provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the security software services sector.Where is the largest and fastest growing market for security software services? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The security software services global market report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.Request Sample Report @The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the markets historic and forecast market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider software and BPO services market, and compares it with other markets. The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market. The market size section gives the market size ($b) covering both the historic growth of the market and forecasting the future. Drivers and restraints looks at the external factors supporting and controlling the growth of the market. Market segmentations break down market into sub markets. The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth. It covers all the regions, key developed countries and major emerging markets. It draws comparisons with country populations and economies to understand the importance of the market by country and how this is changing. Competitive landscape gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in recent years are identified. The trends and strategies section highlights the likely future developments in the market and suggests approaches companies can take to exploit this. The security software services market section of the report gives context. It compares the security software services market with other segments of the software and BPO services market by size and growth, historic and forecast. It analyses Expenditure Per Capita, Security Software Services Indicators Comparison.ScopeMarkets Covered: Governance, Risk and Compliance, Identity and Access Management, Data, Application, and Cloud Security, Managed Security Services, Cyber Security, Security Intelligence and Operations ConsultingCompanies Mentioned: Symantec, Intel, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Deloitte, root9B, RSA, Palo Alto Networks, FortinetCountries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, Russia, UK, USA and Australia.Regions: Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East And AfricaTime series: Five years historic and forecast.Data: Ratios of market size and growth to related markets, GDP, Expenditure Per Capita, Security Software Services Indicators Comparison.Data segmentations: country and regional historic and forecast data, market share of competitors, market segments.Sourcing and Referencing: Data and analysis throughout the report is sourced using end notes.For further information on this report, visit -Table of Content:1. Security Software Services Market Characteristics;2. Security Software Services Market Size And Growth;3. Pestle Analysis;4. Security Software Services Market Customer Information;5. Security Software Services Market Segmentation;6. Security Software Services Market Regional And Country Analysis;7. Global Security Software Services Market Comparison With Macro Economic Factors;8. Security Software Services Market Comparison With Macro Economic Factors Across Countries;9. Security Software Services Market Comparison With Industry Metrics;10. Asia-Pacific Security Software Services Market;11. Western Europe Security Software Services Market;12. Eastern Europe Security Software Services Market;13. North America Security Software Services Market;14. South America Security Software Services Market;15. Middle East Security Software Services Market;16. Africa Security Software Services Market;17. Security Software Services Market Competitive Landscape;18. Key Mergers And Acquisitions In The Security Software Services Market;19. Market Background: Wired Telecommunication Carriers Market;20. Information Technology Industry Financial Margins;21. Appendix;Reasons to Purchase Outperform competitors using accurate up to date demand-side dynamics information. Identify growth segments for investment. Facilitate decision making on the basis of historic and forecast data and the drivers and restraints on the market.Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis.Stay abreast of the latest customer and market research findings Benchmark performance against key competitors. Develop strategies based on likely future developments. Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing. Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis Gain a global perspective on the development of the market. Report will be updated with the latest data and delivered to you within 3-5 working days of order.ContinuousBuy this Report @Contact Us:Norah Trentsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Global Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) Market 2017 - Axell, Commscope, Corning, Kathrein, SOLiD

Global Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) Market

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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) industry, and estimates the future trend of Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportAxellCommscopeCorningDali WirelessKathreinSOLiDTE ConnectivityZinwaveThe market research report explores the Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Distributed Radio Systems (DRS). Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) market globally.Inquire Before Buying @The Global Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) production volume, data pertaining to demand and Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -
Global Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Market (By Drug Class, By Region, By Country) Anticipated To Reach At A CAGR Of 4.95% During 2016 - 2021

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Market (By Drug Class, By Region, By Country) Anticipated To Reach At A CAGR Of 4.95% During 2016 - 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.A comprehensive research report created through extensive primary research (inputs from industry experts, companies, stakeholders) and secondary research, the report aims to present the analysis of the global Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) market on the basis of Drug Class (Endothelin Receptor Antagonists, Prostacyclin, Prostacyclin Analogs, Phosphodiesterase V Inhibitors, Others), By Region (North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, MEA) and By Country (USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Brazil, South Africa).The report suggests that rising development of pipeline drugs in PAH combined with the growing awareness of the disease majorly in developed countries has resulted in the growth of PAH market. Also, the market for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is growing moderately due to newer launches of pipeline drugs that target different pathways to supress the symptoms of the disease. Early diagnosis of the disease has played a pivotal role in number of patients undergoing treatment.Among the drug classes, the market is expected to be driven by ERAs. However, growing number of drugs under prostacyclin are expected to witness tremendous growth in the forecast period.While developed regions will continue to dominate the market in terms of revenue, emerging nations are expected to respond to the market optimistically due to the developing healthcare infrastructure and rising focus on healthcare among the growing middle class population. Global Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 4.95% during 2016  2021F, on account of rising prevalence of the PAH disease among the population.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @North America region remains the major market followed by Europe in the actual period. In the forecast period, APAC region will witness strong growth driven by the countries such as India and China.According to Azoth Analytics research report, Global Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Market: Trends, Opportunities and Forecasts (2016-2021), Global Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of over ~4.95% during 2016 - 2021. On the basis of market segment, Global Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Market has been segmented By Drug Class (Endothelin Receptor Antagonists, Prostacyclin, Prostacyclin Analogs, Phosphodiesterase V Inhibitors, Others; By Region-North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, MEA; By Country- USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Brazil, South Africa)Browse TOC @Scope of the ReportThe report provides Segmentation by Drug ClassEndothelin receptor antagonistsProstacyclin and Prostacyclin AnalogsPhosphodiesterase V InhibitorsOthersThe report provides coverage by RegionNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East and Africa (MEA)The report provides coverage by CountryUSACanadaUKGermanyJapanBrazilSouth AfricaAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Mica Market Will Expand At a CAGR of 2.6% Over The Period Between 2016 - 2024

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"The Latest Research Mica Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Mica is primarily used as insulator, pigment extender, and filler in electronics, paints & coatings, construction, cosmetics, and other (rubber, plastics, etc.) industries. It is light, relatively soft, and flexible kind of product with dielectric, hydrophilic, insulating, and elastic properties. It occurs in different forms and grades.The report estimates and forecasts the mica market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the mica market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the mica market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes substitute analysis of mica and global average price trend analysis.Get Sample copy of this Report @The report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the mica market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein end-users and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for mica between 2016 and 2024.The study provides a comprehensive view of the mica market by dividing it into end-user and geography segments. The mica market has been segmented into paints & coatings, electronics, construction, cosmetics, and others based on end-user. End-user segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for mica in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for end-user segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual end-users in all the regions and countries.The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Asheville-Schoonmaker Mica Company, The Premier Mica Company, Santa Fe Gold Corporation and Gunpatroy Pvt. Ltd. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).View Sample PDF @Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis teams expertise and market understanding.The global mica market has been segmented as follows:Mica Market - Form AnalysisNaturalSyntheticMica Market - Grade AnalysisGround MicaSheet MicaBuilt-up MicaMica Market - End-user AnalysisPaints & CoatingsElectronicsConstructionCosmeticsOthers (Rubber, Plastics, etc.)Mica Market - Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyFranceU.K.ItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanASEANRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Content1. Preface1.1. Report Scope and Market Segmentation1.2. Research Highlights2. Assumptions and Research Methodology2.1. Assumptions and Acronyms Used2.2. Research Methodology3. Executive Summary3.1. Market Size, Indicative (US$ Mn)3.2. Top 3 Trends4. Market Overview4.1. Product Overview4.2. Market Indicators4.3. Drivers and Restraints Snapshot Analysis4.3.1. Drivers4.3.2. Restraints4.3.3. Opportunities4.4. Global Mica Market Analysis and Forecasts4.5. Porters Analysis4.5.1. Threat of Substitutes4.5.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers4.5.3. Bargaining Power of Suppliers4.5.4. Threat of New Entrants4.5.5. Degree of Competition4.5.6. Value Chain Analysis5. Global Mica Market Value Share Analysis, by Form5.1. Natural Mica5.2. Synthetic Mica5.3. Form Comparison Matrix5.4. Key TrendsBuy Now This Report From Here @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Beef Market 2017 Forecast to 2022

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"The Report EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Beef Market 2017 Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Beef MarketBeef is the culinary name for meat from cattle. Humans have been eating beef since prehistoric times. Beef is a complete source of protein (meaning that it provides all 20 of the amino acids), and provides many of the essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that humans need.Get Sample copy of this Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Beef in EMEA market, covering Europe, Middle East and Africa, This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversCactus FeedersFriona Industries, L.PCargill Cattle FeedersCattle Empire LLCJ. R. Simplot Co.JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLCMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversEurope (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Turkey)Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran)Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria)Market Segment by Type, coversFrozen BeefFresh BeefMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFoodservice customersRetail & Grocery Store ChainsBy-Products ProcessorsOtherThere are 13 Chapters to deeply display the EMEA Beef market.Chapter 1, to describe Beef Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Beef, with sales, revenue, and price of Beef, in 2016 and 2017;View Report @Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the EMEA market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Beef, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, to analyze the market by regions, manufacturers, type and application, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 8 and 9, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 10, Beef market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 11, 12 and 13, to describe Beef research findings and conclusion, sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, appendix and data sourceSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Beef Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Frozen Beef1.2.2 Fresh Beef1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Foodservice customers1.3.2 Retail & Grocery Store Chains1.3.3 By-Products Processors1.3.4 Other1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia and Turkey)1.4.1.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.4 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.5 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.6 Turkey Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran)1.4.2.1 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 UAE Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 Israel Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Iran Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria)1.4.3.1 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 Algeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Cactus Feeders2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Beef Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Cactus Feeders Beef Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Friona Industries, L.P2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Beef Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Friona Industries, L.P Beef Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Cargill Cattle Feeders2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Beef Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Cargill Cattle Feeders Beef Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Cattle Empire LLC2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Beef Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Cattle Empire LLC Beef Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 J. R. Simplot Co.2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Beef Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 J. R. Simplot Co. Beef Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Beef Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC Beef Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)3 EMEA Beef Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 EMEA Beef Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 EMEA Beef Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 EMEA Beef Price by Manufacturer (2016-2017)3.4 Market Concentration Rate3.4.1 Top 3 Beef Manufacturer Market Share3.4.2 Top 5 Beef Manufacturer Market Share3.5 Market Competition Trend4 EMEA Beef Market Analysis by Regions4.1 EMEA Beef Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions4.1.1 EMEA Beef Sales by Regions (2012-2017)4.1.2 EMEA Beef Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 Europe Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.3 Middle East Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.4 Africa Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5 Europe Beef by Countries, Type, Application and Manufacturers5.1 Europe Beef Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries5.1.1 Europe Beef Sales by Countries (2012-2017)5.1.2 Europe Beef Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)5.1.3 Germany Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.4 France Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.5 UK Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.6 Russia Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.7 Italy Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.8 Turkey Beef Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.2 Europe Beef Sales and Revenue (value) by Manufacturers (2016-2017)5.2.1 Europe Beef Sales by Manufacturers (2016-2017)5.2.2 Europe Beef Revenue by Manufacturers (2016-2017)5.3 Europe Beef Sales by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Europe Beef Sales by Application (2012-2017)Buy Now @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Pheromones Industry Forecast and Revenue by Regions (2017-2022) - Published by MarketResearchNest.com

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MarketResearchNest.com adds Global Pheromones Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast To 2022 new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 116 pages with table and figures in it.Pheromones are chemicals produced as messengers that affect the behavior of other individuals of insects or other animals. They are usually wind borne but may be placed on soil, vegetation or various items. Each species of insect relies on some one hundred chemicals in its life, to engage in such routine activities as finding food and mates, aggregating to take advantage of food resources, protecting sites of oviposition, and escaping predation. It has been found that pheromones may convey different signals when presented in combinations or concentrations. Pheromones differ from sight or sound signals in a number of ways. They travel slowly, do not fade quickly, and are effective over a long range. Sound and sight receptors are not needed for pheromone detection, and pheromone direction is not limited to straight lines.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Pheromones in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversShin-Etsu, Suterra, Bedoukian Research, SEDQ, Pherobank, Isagro, Russell Ipm, WanhedayeMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversSex Pheromones, Aggregation Pheromones, OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoGypsy Moth, Codling Moth, Vine and Berry Moths, OthersGet Request sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report: This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rate It provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.Get Order a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on Pheromones industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO) Market Is Projected To Reach US$15.45 mn by 2024

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"The Latest Research Report Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO) Market - Asia Pacific Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 Report provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"The report analyzes and forecasts the piperonyl butoxide market on the regional level. The study provides historic data of 2015 along with forecast from 2016to 2024 based on volume (tons) and revenue (US$ thousand).The study provides a decisive view of the piperonyl butoxide market by dividing it into application and regional segment. Application segments have been analyzed based on current trends and future potential. Regional segmentation includes current and forecast demand for piperonyl butoxide in Asia Pacific. The region has been further sub-segmented into countries and sub-regions with relevance to the market. Segmentation also includes demand for individual application type in the region.The study covers drivers and restraints governing the dynamics of the market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. Additionally, the report comprises opportunities for the piperonyl butoxide market on regional level. The report includes detailed value chain analysis to provide a comprehensive view of the piperonyl butoxide market. Analysis of Porters Five Forces model has also been included to help understand the competitive landscape in the market. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, wherein applications have been benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness for future growth.Get Sample Copy of this report @The market has been forecast based on constant currency rates. Prices of piperonyl butoxide vary in each country and depend on the demand-supply scenario. Hence, a similar volume-to-revenue ratio does not follow for each individual country. Individual pricing of piperonyl butoxide for each application has been taken into account while estimating and forecasting market revenue on the regional level. Regional average price has been considered while breaking down the market into application segments in each country.The report provides the size of the piperonyl butoxide market in 2015 and the forecast for the next eight years. Numbers provided in the report are derived based on demand generated from different applications. Market estimates for this study have been based on volume, with revenue being derived through regional pricing trends. Prices of commonly utilized grades of piperonyl butoxide in each application have been considered, and customized application pricing has not been included. Demand for piperonyl butoxide has been derived by analyzing the regional demand for piperonyl butoxide in each application. The piperonyl butoxide market in Asia Pacific has been analyzed based on expected demand. Market data for each segment is based on volume and corresponding revenue. Prices considered for calculation of revenue are average regional prices obtained through primary quotes from numerous regional suppliers, distributors, and direct selling regional producers based on manufacturers feedback and application requirements. Forecasts have been based on the estimated demand for piperonyl butoxide in different applications.The regional application segment split of the market has been derived using the bottom-up approach, which is cumulative of each countrys demand. Regional demand is the summation of sub-regions and countries in the region. Companies were considered for market share analysis based on their end-user portfolio, revenue, and manufacturing capacity. In the absence of specific data related to sales of piperonyl butoxide by several privately held companies, calculated assumptions have been made in view of companies application portfolio and regional presence along with demand for piperonyl butoxide in different applications in their portfolio.View Sample PDF @The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the Asia Pacific market. Key players include ENDURA P.IVA, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Wujiang Shuguang Chemical Co., Ltd., Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Alfa Aesar, Capot Chemical Co., Ltd., Hem Corporation, Shanghai Skyblue Chemical Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang Rayfull Chemicals Co., Ltd. Company profiles comprise attributes such as company overview, brand overview, financial overview (in terms of financial year), business strategies, and recent/key developments.Piperonyl Butoxide Market: Application AnalysisPyrethrinPyrethroidCarbamateRotenoneOthers (Including bioallethrin, permethrin, bioresmethrin, and deltamethrin)The report provides cross-sectional analysis of application segments mentioned above with respect to the following region and countries and sub-regions:Asia PacificChinaJapanIndiaASEANRest of Asia PacificTable of Content1. Preface1.1. Report Scope and Market Segmentation1.2. Research HighlightsSend An Enquiry Request @2. Assumptions and Research Methodology2.1. Assumptions and Acronyms Used2.2. Research Methodology3. Executive Summary3.1. Asia Pacific Piperonyl Butoxide Market, (Tons) (US$ Thousand) 2015  20244. Market Overview4.1. Product Overview4.2. Key Industry Developments4.3. Market Indicators4.4. Drivers and Restraints Snapshot Analysis4.5. Drivers4.6. Restraints4.7. Opportunity Analysis4.8. Asia Pacific Piperonyl Butoxide Market Analysis and Forecasts4.8.1 Asia Pacific Piperonyl Butoxide Market Size (US$ Thousand) and Volume (Tons) Forecast, 201520244.8.2 Asia-Pacific Piperonyl Butoxide Average Price (US$/ Kg) 201520244.9. Piperonyl Butoxide Market: Asia-Pacific Supply Demand Scenario4.10. Porters Analysis4.11. Value Chain Analysis4.12. Piperonyl Butoxide Market OutlookBuy Now This Report From Here @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Dental Services Market: Coast Dental Services, Pacific Dental Services

Dental Services Market

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HTF MI published a new industry research that focuses on Dental Services market and delivers in-depth market analysis and future prospects of Global Dental Services market. The study covers significant data which makes the research document a handy resource for managers, analysts, industry experts and other key people get ready-to-access and self-analyzed study along with graphs and tables to help understand market trends, drivers and market challenges. The study is segmented by Application/ end users [Hospitals, Dental Clinics & Other], products type [Implants, Wisdom Tooth Extraction, Whitening, Dental Examination & Other] and various important geographies like United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia].Get Access to sample pages @The research covers the current market size of the Global Dental Services market and its growth rates based on 5 year history data along with company profile of key players/manufacturers such as Coast Dental Services, Pacific Dental Services, Mydentist, Q & M Dental, Abano Healthcare Group, Apollo White Dental, Aspen Dental, Smile Brands, Brighton Dental Group, BPI Dental, IMI Clinic, 1300 Smiles, Healthway Medical, Highland Dental Care, Parkway Health, St. Claire Perio, St. Helena Dental Group, Sun Lakes Dental, Burlingame Dentistry & Oasis Dental Care. The in-depth information by segments of Dental Services market helps monitor future profitability & to make critical decisions for growth. The information on trends and developments, focuses on markets and materials, capacities, technologies, CAPEX cycle and the changing structure of the Global Dental Services Market.The study provides company profiling, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information of key manufacturers of Global Dental Services Market, some of them listed here are Coast Dental Services, Pacific Dental Services, Mydentist, Q & M Dental, Abano Healthcare Group, Apollo White Dental, Aspen Dental, Smile Brands, Brighton Dental Group, BPI Dental, IMI Clinic, 1300 Smiles, Healthway Medical, Highland Dental Care, Parkway Health, St. Claire Perio, St. Helena Dental Group, Sun Lakes Dental, Burlingame Dentistry & Oasis Dental Care. The market is growing at a very rapid pace and with rise in technological innovation, competition and M&A activities in the industry many local and regional vendors are offering specific application products for varied end-users. The new manufacturer entrants in the market are finding it hard to compete with the international vendors based on quality, reliability, and innovations in technology.Global Dental Services (Thousands Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type such as Implants, Wisdom Tooth Extraction, Whitening, Dental Examination & Other. Further the research study is segmented by Application such as Hospitals, Dental Clinics & Other with historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Dental Services in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2017 to 2022.Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @What this Research Study Offers:Global Dental Services Market share assessments for the regional and country level segmentsMarket share analysis of the top industry playersStrategic recommendations for the new entrantsMarket forecasts for a minimum of 5 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional marketsMarket Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimationsCompetitive landscaping mapping the key common trendsCompany profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developmentsSupply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsBuy this research report @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Dental Services market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Dental Services , Applications of Dental Services , Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Dental Services , Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia, Dental Services Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Dental Services Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Dental Services ;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [Implants, Wisdom Tooth Extraction, Whitening, Dental Examination & Other], Market Trend by Application [Hospitals, Dental Clinics & Other];Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of Global Dental Services ;Chapter 12, to describe Dental Services Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Dental Services sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Get customization & check discount for report @Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact us :HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Advanced Ceramics Market Size Forecast By Material, By Class, By Geography 2017 - 2025 : Witnessing Technological Advancements

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Advanced ceramics are defined as nonmetallic inorganic solid materials that possess qualities such as corrosion resistance, low thermal expansion, high-temperature stability, and lightness of weight. They also possess electrical properties ranging from non-conductive to highly conductive. These highly diverse properties make advanced ceramics a preferred choice of materials for various applications in industries such as electrical & electronics, transportation, medical, defense & security, environmental, and chemical. The electrical & electronics segment accounted for significant share of the advanced ceramics market in 2016 owing to the high demand for advanced ceramics in the electronics industry across the globeKey factors driving the advanced ceramics market include ecofriendly properties of these materials and rise in usage of advanced ceramics to replace conventional metals. Demand for advanced ceramics is expected to increase due to the rise in the demand for ceramics in the medical industry. This is encouraging companies to expand the production of advanced ceramics. Additionally, easy availability of raw materials is anticipated to boost the demand for advanced ceramics in the near future.Request for sample copy of this report :The global advanced ceramics market is witnessing technological advancements. Companies are constantly striving to develop new and better advanced ceramics. Development of new manufacturing processes and applications of advanced ceramics is estimated to propel the advanced ceramics market. However, high cost of these materials vis-a-vis other materials such as metals is expected to hamper the global advanced ceramics market.Based on material, the advanced ceramics market can be classified into alumina ceramics, titanate ceramics, zirconia ceramics, silicon carbide, and others (including aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, pyrolytic boron nitride, and magnesium silicate). Alumina ceramic is a commonly used advanced ceramic material due to its excellent physical properties. These ceramics are employed in end-use industries such as transportation, chemical, electrical & electronics, and medical.Based on class, the advanced ceramics market can be classified into ceramic matrix composites, ceramic coatings, monolithic ceramics, and others which includes advanced coatings and multilayer ceramics. Monolithic ceramics are commonly used class of advanced ceramic materials owing to their excellent thermal resistance. Thus, these ceramics are preferred in applications where high temperatures are involved.Request to check discount here :In terms of geography, the advanced ceramics market can be segregated into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is anticipated to constitute key share of the market during the forecast period. It is estimated to be a rapidly growing region of the advanced ceramics market, owing to the increase in demand from the electrical & electronics industry in the region. Middle East & Africa is likely to be an attractive region of the advanced ceramics market during the forecast period, led by the increase in demand for these ceramics in the automotive industry in the region.Prominent players operating in the global advanced ceramics market include Kyocera Corporation, CeramTec GmbH, CoorsTek, Inc., Saint-Gobain Ceramic & Plastics, Inc., and Morgan Advanced Materials Plc.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.View Full Report :The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketNote: Although care has been taken to maintain the highest levels of accuracy in TMRs reports, recent market/vendor-specific changes may take time to reflect in the analysis.MRRbiz supports your business intelligence needs with over 700,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Antibacterial Drugs Market: Segmental Highlights and Table of Content (2015 - 2023)

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Global Antibacterial Drugs Market: Product Differentiation through Various Methods to Power Growth Rate until 2023, predicts TMRThe global antibacterial drugs market, according to TMR, could expand at a CAGR of 1.30% between 2015 and 2023 to achieve a revenue valuation of nearly US$38.9 bn by the final forecast year. Although -lactams had dominated the market in the past with a larger share, the drug class could lose its share to miscellaneous antibacterials, which are projected to rise at a higher growth rate during the forecast period. Apart from leading the market currently, Asia Pacific could showcase its supremacy by growing at a faster pace in the coming years.Report overview @A global antibacterial drugs market intelligence report penned by Transparency Market Research (TMR) has profiled important companies involved in marketing, production, and development activities. As per the analysis of the markets competitive landscape presented in the report, Pfizer, Inc. could be one of the most promising companies for antibacterial drugs. Besides patients and physicians, the company has been anticipated to widen its customer base with support from private clinics and hospitals as well.The global Antibacterial Drugs Market is segmented on the basis of Drug Class,Geography.This report on antibacterial drugs market studies the current as well as future prospects of the market globally. The market for antibacterial drugs is segmented on the basis of major classes of drugs,namely,aminoglycosides,B-lactams, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, quinolones/fluoroquinolones, macrolides, phenicols and miscellaneous antibacterials. The market for each of these classes has been extensively analyzed on the basis of leading drug launch, patent expiry, drug efficacy, annual sales revenue and geography wise regulatory approval. The market size and forecast in terms of USD million for each of these classes has been provided for the period 2013 to 2023, considering 2013 and 2014 as the historical and base year respectively, while the market forecast has been provided for the period 2015 to 2023. The report on antibacterial drugs market also provides compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for each market segment for the forecast period 2015 to 2023.Geographically, the antibacterial drugs market has been categorized into five regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Rest of the World (ROW). Each of these geographies have been further segmented with respect to major countries; where North America is segmented in U.S. and Canada, Europe is segmented in U.K., Germany and rest of Europe, Asia Pacific is segmented in China, Japan and rest of Asia Pacific, and Latin America is segmented in Brazil and rest of Latin America. The report also comprises a section on pipeline analysis, which provides sales forecast for various drugs currently under phase III clinical trials and are expected to be launched during the forecast period. Forecast of seventeen pipeline drugs has been provided since their launch in the U.S., till 2023. Apart from the quantitative information, the report also provides details on various qualitative factors impacting the antibacterial market trends such as drug recalls, black box warning, changes in regulatory policies, drug patent expiry and subsequent launch of generics and others.Request A Sample Report @Summary of Table of Content1. Preface2. Executive Summary3. Market Overview4. Global Antibacterial Drugs Market Revenue, by Class, 2013 - 2023 (USD Million)5. Global Antibacterial Drug Pipeline Analysis6. Global Antibacterial Drugs Market Revenue, by Geography, 2013  2023 (USD Million)7. Recommendations8. Company ProfilesGet Full Report @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Web Werks Data Centers Achieve SSAE18 SOC 2 Type 1 Report.

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Web Werks, the leader in cloud hosting and disaster recovery services announces their successful completion of a Service Organization Controls Reports (SOC) 2 Type 1 report. The report confirms that Web Werks security practices, policies, procedures, and operations meet the SOC 2 standards for security, availability, and confidentiality.The aim of a SOC 2 Type 1 audit is to confirm the security controls of an association's system, infrastructure, and strategies. A SOC 2 Type 1 report is an inward control report details regarding the services that assist clients to evaluate and address the threats to outsourced IT services.As organizations progressively use outside merchants to perform exercises that are central to their business operations and technique, there is a requirement for more trust and transparency into web hosting specialist organizations' operations, procedures, and results. Web Werks SOC 2 report confirms the presence of inward controls which have been outlined and executed to meet the necessities of the security standards. It gives an intensive survey of how Web Werks inner controls affect the security, accessibility, and preparing honesty of the frameworks it uses to process clients' information, and the secrecy and protection of the data handled by these frameworks. This independent approval of security controls is significant for clients in exceedingly directed enterprises."We are pleased to that announce that we have successfully completed the SOC 2 Type 1 report. This ensures our Managed IT services, cloud hosting services, the infrastructure of our data centers stands as per the standard and quality of security, availability, and confidentiality. With clearance of this report, our organizations can be ensured that we are dedicated to establish and maintain the most stringent controls required to guarantee the highest level of security and compliance, said Nikhil Rathi, Director of Web Werks.About Web WerksEstablished in 1996, Web Werks is an ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001:2013, ISO22301 and ISO 20000 - 1 and Uptime Institute Certified Cloud Data Center Service Provider in India. Web Werks has been awarded 'the best web hosting award 2017', 'Retailer of the Year for Best Cloud Data Centers and Internet Exchange', 'Great Indian Workplace Award (GIWA) 2017' and much more.Web Werks focuses on quality-driven self-managed and fully managed to host services that include cloud solutions, dedicated servers and VPS hosting services on Linux and Windows operating platforms. They also deliver disaster recovery services, Innovative Rapid Cloud backup technologies, work area recovery services, CDN services, etc. They have collaborated with more than 1000+ organizations globally that include Fortune 500 companies across various business verticals. This also includes Government sectors as well, such as Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation, NABARD, NPCI etc.For more information, kindly visit,Media Contact:Priti Shettipriti.shetti@webwerks.in+91-88283355559th Floor, Sigma IT park, Sector 8, Rabale,Thane
Glass Tableware Market : Global Forecast over 2024

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The dominant players in the global glass tableware market for 2015  ARC International, Libbey Inc., Bormioli Rocco S.p.A., Sisecam Group, and WMF Group  held a massive 65% of its overall value, according to a research report released by Transparency Market Research. These players are currently facing hard times imparted by the massive scale of entrance of local players all over key regions, players that are swiftly gaining appeal due to the affordable pricing that they bring to the table. As for key players, product innovation, strategic mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures and partnerships are expected to work in their favor over the coming years.Read Report Overview @As stated in the TMR report, the global glass tableware market is expected to be valued at US$14.2 bn in 2024, ahead from its 2015 evaluation of US$8.8 bn. For the reports forecast period from 2016 to 2024, the global glass tableware market is slated to expand at a CAGR of 6.1%.Aesthetic tableware, beverageware, tea pots, baby bottles, bowls, cook pots, and roasters are among the key products classified in the global glass tableware market currently. Beverageware is expected to lead the global market and is likely to acquire 34.9% of the market by the end of 2024. The demand for beverageware is largely augmented by the easier recyclability of beverageware when compared to other materials, and the overall increasing consumption of beverages.From a regional perspective, the global glass tableware market has so far been led by Asia Pacific, owing to the regions swiftly improving amounts of disposable income. The region is anticipated to acquire a share of 35.8% by 2024 in the market as urbanization continues at an accelerated pace.The global glass tableware market is forecast to experience a solid rate growth over reports given forecast period. Skyrocketing investments being made by international hotel chains into emerging economies such as India, China, and Japan is currently placing a massive demand on the production rate of glass tableware, states a TMR analyst. This fillip, especially in Asia Pacific, is further augmented by the increasing disposable incomes of urban consumers who are showing more demand for both utility and aesthetic items. Emerging economies are also experiencing an increasing expenditure on travel and tourism as well as a growing interest in eating out has also spiked the demand for glass tableware in recent years. The market is also anticipated to thrive due to the flourishing catering industry, which is expected to have a positive impact on the overall market.The shifting preference of glass over plastics has also been contributing to the growth of the global glass tableware market. The changing standard of living and growing awareness about the environmental hazards of using plastic are also expected to complement the growth of the overall glass tableware market in the coming years.Request to view Sample Report:The global glass tableware market is currently being restrained by several major and minor factors. One of the leading factors hindering the market is the lack of standardization taken up by manufacturers to maintain the quality of the product. Qualities such as durability of the finished product, the presence of permanent residual stress, the grade of glass used, and raw material composition varies with every manufacturer, local or globally prominent. The global glass tableware market is also expected to be hindered by the increasing prices of raw materials.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Car Wax Market Expected To Witness The Highest Growth 2022

Car Wax Market

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The Global Car Wax Market Research Report 2017 renders deep perception of the key regional market status of the Car Wax Industry on a global level that primarily aims the core regions which comprises of continents like Europe, North America, and Asia and the key countries such as United States, Germany, China and Japan.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Report Includes:-The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of Car Wax Market on a regional as well as global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain. The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment. Furthermore, the report contains diverse profiles of primary market players of Car Wax Market. Urtle Wax 3M Company Henkel Sonax Northern Labs Inc Malco Automotive Mothers Darent Wax Guangzhou BiaoBang Auto ArticleIndustrial Co.,LtdOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoNatural Car WaxSynthetic Car WaxOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingPaste WaxesLiquid WaxesSpray WaxesBrowse More Insight @Some points from TOC:-1 Car Wax Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Car Wax1.2 Car Wax Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Car Wax Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Car Wax Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Natural Car Wax1.2.4 Synthetic Car Wax1.3 Global Car Wax Segment by Application1.3.1 Car Wax Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Paste Waxes1.3.3 Liquid Waxes1.3.4 Spray Waxes1.4 Global Car Wax Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Car Wax Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Car Wax (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Car Wax Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Car Wax Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Car Wax Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Car Wax Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Car Wax Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Car Wax Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Car Wax Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Car Wax Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Car Wax Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Car Wax Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Car Wax Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Car Wax Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Car Wax Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Car Wax Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Car Wax Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Car Wax Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Car Wax Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 United States Car Wax Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 EU Car Wax Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Car Wax Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Car Wax Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 South Korea Car Wax Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Car Wax Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017) .. ContinuedCheck Discount:About Us:QY Research Report is your exclusive destination for the entire spectrum of Market Research and Business Solutions. Depending upon the clients, we provide customized as well as syndicated reports. Our market intelligence covers industries like technology, food and beverages, chemical materials, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, agriculture, consumer goods, among others. Irrespective of your businesss state as of today, we have a team of industry specific experts who will provide tailor-made market research surveys and solutions. Is the process of researching for your product proving to be a task for you? Or if you are unable to gather sufficient data which you can use to strategize your next move in the market. Whatever your business query might be, with a well-established knowledge and understanding of various businesses, QY Research Reports provide insights that are strategized.Contact Info:JohnEmail- sales@qyresearchreports.us
Cellulose Diacetate Films Market Size Forecast and Share (Value) Analysis 2017 - 2025

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Cellulose Diacetate Films Market: OverviewCellulose diacetate is a polymer manufactured by treating cellulose with acetic acid. Films made of cellulose diacetate are highly transparent and possess gloss finish. Ideally, they have a thickness of 14 to 500 . Cellulose diacetate films are obtained from sustainable sources. Therefore, these films are used on a large scale since the manufacturing does not cause any harm to the environment.Cellulose diacetate films are employed in applications such as labels, print lamination, window cartons, and anti-fog. These films are used in a wide range of applications due to their various beneficial properties. These include UV stability; resistance to chemicals such as oil, grease, and fat; light weight; and good electrical conductivity. Cellulose diacetate films are biodegradable and compostable, as they are made by using natural resources as raw materials, unlike other sources such as fossil fuels, which could be harmful to the environment.Request for sample copy of this report :Cellulose Diacetate Films Market: TrendsCellulose diacetate films are employed in various end-user industries such as electrical, packaging, and food. Consumption of cellulose diacetate films is expected to increase during the forecast period owing to the increase in various technology-driven developments.These films are used for packaging purpose in the food industry. Cellulose diacetate films have been approved for direct contact with food items. Being good conductors of electricity, these films are employed on a large scale in electrical components. Various technological developments and changes have taken place in the electronics industry over the last few decades. This is anticipated to boost the cellulose diacetate film market.The cellulose diacetate film market is estimated to expand at a significant pace during the forecast period owing to the wide range of applications of these films. Awareness about usage of eco-friendly products is projected to further augment the demand for cellulose diacetate films across the globe.Send an enquiry here :Cellulose Diacetate Films Market: Region-wise OutlookIn terms of region, demand for cellulose diacetate films was high in North America in 2016. Various manufacturing units of cellulose diacetate films are located in the U.S. Furthermore, raw materials such as cellulose are easily available in North America. The cellulose diacetate film market in the region is likely to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period due to the technological developments and easy availability of these films.Demand for cellulose diacetate films was moderate in Europe in 2016. Growth in the electrical & electronics industry in countries such as Germany and France is boosting the market in the region. Demand for cellulose diacetate films in Asia Pacific was moderate in 2016. China accounted for major share of the demand for these films due to the presence of several manufacturers of cellulose diacetate films in the country. Various technological developments have been taking place in China. This is augmenting the demand for cellulose diacetate films in Asia Pacific.The market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa is anticipated to expand at a sluggish pace during the forecast period, due to the presence of less number of end-use industries vis-a-vis that in other regions. Cellulose diacetate films are not easily available, thereby making them costly. This is expected to hamper the cellulose diacetate film market in the regions mentioned above.View Full Report :Cellulose Diacetate Films Market: Key PlayersKey players operating in the cellulose diacetate film market include Celanese Corporation.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketNote: Although care has been taken to maintain the highest levels of accuracy in TMRs reports, recent market/vendor-specific changes may take time to reflect in the analysis.MRRbiz supports your business intelligence needs with over 700,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Molybdenum Powder Market 2017 Forecast to 2022

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"The Report EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Molybdenum Powder Market 2017 Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Molybdenum Powder MarketMolybdenum (Mo) is a silvery-white shiny metal, hard but at the same time softer and more flexible than tungsten. It has an excellent resistance to corrosion, good wear and resistance to abrasion, and superior thermal and electrical properties. It is an essential element when it comes to alloys, as it enhances hardenability and persistence of tempered and destroyed steels.Get Sample copy of this Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Molybdenum Powder in EMEA market, covering Europe, Middle East and Africa, This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversH.C. StarckMolymetPlanseeExploiterJDC-MolyToshibaJapan New Metal Co LtdDongtai FengfengChina Molybdenum Co LtdMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversEurope (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Turkey)Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran)Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria)Market Segment by Type, coversMo(%)99.90%Mo(%)99.95%OtherMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoMolybdenum ProductsAlloys ProductsLubricant additive and CatalystsOthersView Report @There are 13 Chapters to deeply display the EMEA Molybdenum Powder market.Chapter 1, to describe Molybdenum Powder Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Molybdenum Powder, with sales, revenue, and price of Molybdenum Powder, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the EMEA market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Molybdenum Powder, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, to analyze the market by regions, manufacturers, type and application, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 8 and 9, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 10, Molybdenum Powder market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 11, 12 and 13, to describe Molybdenum Powder research findings and conclusion, sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, appendix and data sourceSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Molybdenum Powder Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Mo(%)99.90%1.2.2 Mo(%)99.95%1.2.3 Other1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Molybdenum Products1.3.2 Alloys Products1.3.3 Lubricant additive and Catalysts1.3.4 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia and Turkey)1.4.1.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.4 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.5 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.6 Turkey Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran)1.4.2.1 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 UAE Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 Israel Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Iran Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria)1.4.3.1 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 Algeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 H.C. Starck2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 H.C. Starck Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Molymet2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Molymet Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Plansee2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Plansee Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Exploiter2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Exploiter Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 JDC-Moly2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 JDC-Moly Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 Toshiba2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 Toshiba Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 Japan New Metal Co Ltd2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 Japan New Metal Co Ltd Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8 Dongtai Fengfeng2.8.1 Business Overview2.8.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Dongtai Fengfeng Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9 China Molybdenum Co Ltd2.9.1 Business Overview2.9.2 Molybdenum Powder Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 China Molybdenum Co Ltd Molybdenum Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)3 EMEA Molybdenum Powder Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 EMEA Molybdenum Powder Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 EMEA Molybdenum Powder Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 EMEA Molybdenum Powder Price by Manufacturer (2016-2017)3.4 Market Concentration Rate3.4.1 Top 3 Molybdenum Powder Manufacturer Market Share3.4.2 Top 5 Molybdenum Powder Manufacturer Market Share3.5 Market Competition Trend4 EMEA Molybdenum Powder Market Analysis by Regions4.1 EMEA Molybdenum Powder Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions4.1.1 EMEA Molybdenum Powder Sales by Regions (2012-2017)4.1.2 EMEA Molybdenum Powder Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 Europe Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.3 Middle East Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.4 Africa Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5 Europe Molybdenum Powder by Countries, Type, Application and Manufacturers5.1 Europe Molybdenum Powder Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries5.1.1 Europe Molybdenum Powder Sales by Countries (2012-2017)5.1.2 Europe Molybdenum Powder Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)5.1.3 Germany Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.4 France Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.5 UK Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.6 Russia Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.7 Italy Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.1.8 Turkey Molybdenum Powder Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5.2 Europe Molybdenum Powder Sales and Revenue (value) by Manufacturers (2016-2017)5.2.1 Europe Molybdenum Powder Sales by Manufacturers (2016-2017)5.2.2 Europe Molybdenum Powder Revenue by Manufacturers (2016-2017)5.3 Europe Molybdenum Powder Sales by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Europe Molybdenum Powder Sales by Application (2012-2017)Buy Now @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Luxury Apparels Market Growth Opportunities Report 2024

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Globalization is leading to increased penetration of the giants in the global luxury apparels market. Transparency Market Research (TMR) recently published a study that recognizes leading industry names, such as Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, Burberry, and Kering. The mentioned players of the luxury apparels market are predicted to delegate hefty investments toward the branding process of the company. Designing high fashion clothing while retaining company heritage is expected to require high capital investment. The wide clientele and increasing accessibility of branded clothing is prognosticated to lead the market to its considerable upswing.Read Report Overview @TMRs report predicts the international luxury apparels market to reach a valuation of US$60,793.7 mn by 2024 from US1,8842.69 mn, on account of mass production of the wearables. The market is predicted to expand at a 13.2% CAGR between 2016 and 2024. Rising disposable incomes in Asia Pacific foresees a resultant boost to the regions market share. It is predicted to showcase a whopping 14.75% CAGR throughout the forecast duration.While the worldwide luxury apparels market could be segmented on the basis of the material used, and by gender, the cotton luxury apparels is foretold to dominate the market revenue. The changing environmental conditions, with longer and hotter summers, makes cotton the most preferred choice of fabric to be used in clothing. Being soft, comfortable, and breathable, the material is largely turning into the favored option of high street fashion. Leather is predicted to be the next emerging segment among materials, on account of its durability and its premium tag.The global market for luxury apparels is also receiving an upward thrust owing to the rising number of people having a disposable income. Gender wise, women are expected to be leading consumers of luxury clothing in the upcoming years. An overall share of just over fifty percent market share is prognosticated to be held accountable to womens luxury apparel, on account of their association to high fashion. Geographically, Asia Pacific is predicted to be fastest growing region in the market, due to emerging economic conditions, and e-commerce penetration. At the same time, Europe is expected to have a strong foothold in the business, owing to the existence of numerous luxury brands since decades.Globalization, while leading to increased accessibility to consumers as well as enterprises, is resulting in a surging awareness of high fashion and brand awareness. The advent of e-commerce, advances in apparel mass production means, are predicted to aid the growth of the global luxury apparels market. Big brands among the industry are decidedly entering newer and developing markets, in economically emerging regions. Increasing the number of retail outlets, and presence on e-commerce platforms is expected to boost the sales of the luxury clothing providers. All of these factors are foretold to provide ample growth opportunities to the global players in the industry.Request to view Sample Report:Mass production of clothing in recent times is another factor that could be accounted to market upswing. Strategic partnerships and amassed manufacturing techniques are prognosticated to be the pivotal strategies adopted by key players of the market to retain market supremacy. New market entrants could witness some hindrance, as the industry requires colossal investments right from the start. Building brand image could prove to be a challenge for inexperience participants, unless the involvement of tremendous capital. Nonetheless, the overall market growth is expected to be on the higher side, due to the growing presence and percolation of brand names.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Honing Machines Global Market 2017-2022: Industry Analysis Growth & Future Scope

Honing Machines

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HTF MI recently broadcasted a new study in its database that highlights the in-depth market analysis with future prospects of Honing Machines market. The study covers significant data which makes the research document a handy resource for managers, industry executives and other key people get ready-to-access and self-analyzed study along with graphs and tables to help understand market trends, drivers and market challenges. Some of the key players mentioned in this research are Nagel, Sunnen, Gehring, Gleason, Kanzaki, Ohio Tool Works, Engis, AZ spa, Rottler, Xinneng Precise, Taizhou Xinchao, Ningxia Dahe, Kefa & HaiGong.Get customization & check discount for report @The research covers the current market size of the Global Honing Machines market and its growth rates based on 5 year history data. It also covers various types of segmentation such as by geography [North America, EU, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, South America & Middle East and Africa], by product /end user type [], by applications [Automobile/Tractor Field, Aerospace Field, Hydraulic/Seals Field & Others] in overall market. The in-depth information by segments of Honing Machines market helps monitor performance & make critical decisions for growth and profitability. It provides information on trends and developments, focuses on markets and materials, capacities, technologies, CAPEX cycle and the changing structure of the Global Honing Machines Market.This study also contains company profiling, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information of various international, regional, and local vendors of Global Honing Machines Market, some of them are Nagel, Sunnen, Gehring, Gleason, Kanzaki, Ohio Tool Works, Engis, AZ spa, Rottler, Xinneng Precise, Taizhou Xinchao, Ningxia Dahe, Kefa & HaiGong. The market competition is constantly growing higher with the rise in technological innovation and M&A activities in the industry. Moreover, many local and regional vendors are offering specific application products for varied end-users. The new vendor entrants in the market are finding it hard to compete with the international vendors based on quality, reliability, and innovations in technology.Global Honing Machines (Thousands Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type such asThe research study is segmented by Application such as Automobile/Tractor Field, Aerospace Field, Hydraulic/Seals Field & Others with historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.Global Honing Machines (Thousands Units) by Application (2017-2022)Market Segment by Application 2012 2017 2022 Market Share (%)2022 CAGR (%)(2017-2022)Automobile/Tractor Field xx xx xx xx% xx%Aerospace Field xx xx xx xx% xx%Hydraulic/Seals Field xx xx xx xx% xx%Others xx xx xx xx% xx%Total xx xx xx 100% xx%Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Honing Machines in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringMarket Segment by Regions 2012 2017 2022 Share (%) CAGR (2017-2022)North America xx xx xx xx% xx%EU xx xx xx xx% xx%China xx xx xx xx% xx%Japan xx xx xx xx% xx%Southeast Asia xx xx xx xx% xx%India xx xx xx xx% xx%South America xx xx xx xx% xx%Middle East and Africa xx xx xx xx% xx%Total xx xx xx xx% xx%Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @Key questions answered in this report - Global Honing Machines Market Research Report 2017What will the market size be in 2022 and what will the growth rate beWhat are the key market trendsWhat is driving Global Honing Machines marketWhat are the challenges to market growthWho are the key vendors in Global Honing Machines market space?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Global Honing Machines market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the Global Honing Machines market?Buy this research report @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Honing Machines market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Honing Machines , Applications of Honing Machines , Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Honing Machines , Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes North America, EU, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, South America & Middle East and Africa, Honing Machines Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Honing Machines Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Honing Machines ;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [], Market Trend by Application [Automobile/Tractor Field, Aerospace Field, Hydraulic/Seals Field & Others];Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of Honing Machines ;Chapter 12, to describe Honing Machines Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Honing Machines sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Get Access to sample pages @Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact Us:HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road, Edison, NJ USA - 08837sales@htfmarketreport.comPh: +1 (206) 317 1218
Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market Insight to 2024 focusing on key players like: Cisco Systems, Inc., Aryaka Networks, Inc., Talari Networks, CLOUDGENIX INC. | CAGR 66.2%

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Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market Report is a compilation of the several factors driving and restraining this market along with a thorough run-down of the sales volume of each product within carefully categorized sub-segments of the market.The Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market accounted for USD 753.1 million in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 66.2% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic year 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.For In depth Information Get Free Sample Copy of this Report@Market Segmentations:Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market is segmented on the basis of Component Deployment Type Technology Service Vertical GeographyMarket Segmentations in Details:On the basis of Component into virtual appliances, physical appliances, and hybrid.On the basis of Deployment Type, the global software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) market is segmented into on-premises, and on-cloud.On the basis of Technology Service, the global software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) market is segmented into managed services, and professional services.On the basis of Vertical, the global software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) market is segmented into BFSI, government & defense, energy & utilities, healthcare, industrial manufacturing, media, retail & ecommerce, transportation & logistics, telecom & IT, and others.On the basis of Geography, North America South America Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East & AfricaMajor Market Drivers: Increasing need for mobility services Reduced OPEX Need for simplified network architecture Lack of securityRequest for Detailed TOC:Customize report of "Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market" as per customers requirement also available.Market Definition: Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) MarketSoftware defined wide area network (SD-WAN) provides enterprises to configure their network. It is referred as the effiective way to route traffic to branch offices and data centers. SDWAN used to connect enterprise networks. It is widely applicable in retail, healthcare, government, IT and telecom, manufacturing, and others. Increasing need for mobility services may act as the major driver in the growth of software defined wide area network market. On the other side, lack of security may hamper the market.Top Key Players: Cisco Systems, Inc. Aryaka Networks, Inc. Talari Networks CLOUDGENIX INC. InfoVista Pertino VeloCloud Networks, Inc. GLUWARE Mushroom Networks Inc. FatPipe Networks Inc. Citrix Systems, Inc. Ecessa Corporation Silver Peak, Inc. Viptela, Elfiq Networks and others.For more insightful information visit@Complete report on Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market Research Report 2017-2024 spread across 350 Pages, profiling Top companies and supports with tables and figuresGlobal Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market, By Geography; Component (Virtual Appliances, Physical Appliances, Hybrid); Deployment Type (On-Premises, On-Cloud); Technology Service (Managed Services, Professional Services); Vertical (BFSI, Retail, Healthcare, Government, IT and Telecom, Manufacturing)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Company Share Analysis: Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) MarketThe report for software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) market include detailed vendor level analysis for market shares in 2016 for Global, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America specifically. Also impact and development analysis of key vendors is registered in the market and factored on the basis of Vendor Positioning Grid Analysis which measures the vendors strengths and opportunities against present market challenges, measure providers ability to identify or satisfy present market needs, map providers market vision to current and upcoming market dynamics among others. The report also measures technology life line curve and market time line to analyze and do more affective investments.Key Questions Answered in Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market Report:-Our Report offers:- What will the market growth rate, Overview and Analysis by Type of Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market in 2024? What are the key factors driving, Analysis by Applications and Countries Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market? What are Dynamics, This Overview Includes Analysis of Scope, and price analysis of top Vendors Profiles of Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market? Who are Opportunities, Risk and Driving Force of Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market? Who are the opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market? Business Overview by Type, Applications, Gross Margin and Market Share What are the Global Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the Market?Speak to Author of the report @Other ReportGlobal Location-based services (LBS) and Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) Market  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Location-based services (LBS) and Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) Market, By Geography; Location Type (Indoor, Outdoor); Technology (Satellite, Microwave & Infrared Remote Sensing, OTDOA & E-OTD, RFID & NFC, Context-Aware Technology, Wi-Fi/WLAN, UWB, BT/BLE, Beacons, A-GPS); Hardware; Software; Service; Application Area  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access: http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-location-based-services-lbs-real-time-location-systems-rtls-market-industry-trends-forecast-2024/About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogFollow us on LinkedIn:
Brake Assist Pumps Market Expected To Witness The Highest Growth 2022

Brake Assist Pumps Market

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The Global Brake Assist Pumps Market Research Report 2017 renders deep perception of the key regional market status of the Brake Assist Pumps Industry on a global level that primarily aims the core regions which comprises of continents like Europe, North America, and Asia and the key countries such as United States, Germany, China and Japan.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Report Includes:-The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of Brake Assist Pumps Market on a regional as well as global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain. The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment. Furthermore, the report contains diverse profiles of primary market players of Brake Assist Pumps Market. Hella Continental Delphi Automotive Denso Corporation Johnson Electric Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch) SHW AG Rheinmetall WabcoOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoElectric TypeMechanical TypeOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingPassenger CarsCommercial VehiclesBrowse More Insight @Some points from TOC:-1 Brake Assist Pumps Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Brake Assist Pumps1.2 Brake Assist Pumps Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Brake Assist Pumps Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Brake Assist Pumps Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Electric Type1.2.4 Mechanical Type1.3 Global Brake Assist Pumps Segment by Application1.3.1 Brake Assist Pumps Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Passenger Cars1.3.3 Commercial Vehicles1.4 Global Brake Assist Pumps Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Brake Assist Pumps Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Brake Assist Pumps (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Brake Assist Pumps Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Brake Assist Pumps Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Brake Assist Pumps Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Brake Assist Pumps Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Brake Assist Pumps Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Brake Assist Pumps Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Brake Assist Pumps Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Brake Assist Pumps Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Brake Assist Pumps Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Brake Assist Pumps Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Brake Assist Pumps Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Brake Assist Pumps Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Brake Assist Pumps Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 United States Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 EU Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 South Korea Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Brake Assist Pumps Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017).. ContinuedCheck Discount:About Us:QY Research Reports is your exclusive destination for the entire spectrum of Market Research and Business Solutions. Depending upon the clients, we provide customized as well as syndicated reports. Our market intelligence covers industries like technology, food and beverages, chemical materials, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, agriculture, consumer goods, among others. Irrespective of your businesss state as of today, we have a team of industry specific experts who will provide tailor-made market research surveys and solutions. Is the process of researching for your product proving to be a task for you? Or if you are unable to gather sufficient data which you can use to strategize your next move in the market. Whatever your business query might be, with a well-established knowledge and understanding of various businesses, QY Research Reports provide insights that are strategized.Contact Info:JohnEmail- sales@qyresearchreports.us
Solvent-based Inks Market Is Projected To Reach US$7.92 bn by 2024

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"The Latest Research Report Solvent-based Inks Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, And Forecast 2016 - 2024 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"This research study analyzes the market for solvent-based inks in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) and volume (kilo tons). The solvent-based inks market has been segmented on the basis of product, printing type, end use applications, and geography. The report features a detailed regional segmentation with market growth forecasts for the 2016?2024 period. For the research, 2015 has been considered as the base year and 2016 the estimated year, while all forecasts have been given for the period from 2016 to 2024. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional and country-specific levels from 2016 to 2024. The report provides a broad competitive analysis of companies engaged in the development of solvent-based inks technologies for the solvent-based inks business. The report also includes key market dynamics such as the drivers, restraints, and opportunities affecting the global solvent-based inks market. These market dynamics are analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. The report also provides a comprehensive analysis of the market with the help of the Porters Five Forces Analysis model, which helps in understanding the five major forces that affect the structure and profitability of the global solvent-based inks market. The forces analyzed are the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes, and the degree of competition.Get Sample copy of this Report @The high-level analysis in the report provides detailed insights into the solvent-based inks business globally. There are currently several drivers for the market. The most prominent drivers include rapid growth in the packaging industry along with growth in the digital printing industry. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the solvent-based inks market on the basis of product type, printing type, application, region, and country. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the market.On the basis of printing type, the market has been segmented into lithographic, gravure, flexographic, screen-printing, letterpress, and digital. On the basis of product type, the market has been segmented into vinyl inks, vinyl-acrylic inks, epoxy inks, polyurethanic inks, and cellulose inks. By application, the solvent-based inks market has been segmented by various end-use applications, including packaging, advertising, tags & labels, books & catalog, office stationery, magazines, newspaper, and other applications.In terms of geography, the market has been segmented into five regions: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. China is expected to remain the dominant market for solvent-based inks, with demand reaching 275.7 kilo tons by 2024. A zero tax agreement between ASEAN and China has created a stable position for ASEAN, which is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.2% between 2016 and 2024.India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Favorable government regulations and emergence of medium and small enterprises in India have contributed significantly to the solvent-based inks market.View Sample PDF @Key players in the solvent-based inks market are Tokyo Printing Ink Mfg. Co. Ltd., Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg. Co., Ltd., Sun Chemical Corporation, Flint Group, Toyo Ink SC Holdings Co., Ltd., Lawter Inc. , Yansefu Inks and Coatings Pvt. Ltd., Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co. KGaA, Sakata INX Corporation, Huber Group, Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG, ALTANA AG, Wikoff Color Corporation, SICPA Holding SA, Fujifilm Sericol India Private Limited, Royal Dutch Printing Ink Factories Van Son and T&K Toka Co., Ltd. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments.Solvent-based Inks Market: By Printing TypeLithographicGravureFlexographicScreen-printingLetterpressDigitalSolvent-based Inks Market: By Product TypeVinyl InksVinyl-Acrylic InksEpoxy InksPolyurethanic InksCellulose InksSolvent-based Inks Market: By ApplicationPackagingBooks & CatalogueAdvertisingTags & LabelsOffice StationeryMagazinesNewspaperOthersSolvent-based Inks Market: By RegionNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaEuropeThe U.K.FranceGermanySpainItalyRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaASEANRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East and AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaSend An Enquiry Request @Table of ContentSection 1 Preface1.1 Report Scope and Market Segmentation1.2 Research Highlights1.3 Research Objectives1.4 Key Questions AnsweredSection 2 Assumptions and Research Methodology2.1 Report Assumptions2.2 Abbreviations Used2.3 Research MethodologySection 3 Executive Summary3.1 Global Solvent based Inks Market Size, by Market Value (US$ Mn) and Market Value Share, by Region3.2 Key TrendsSection 4 Market Overview4.1 Product Overview4.2 Market Indicators: Global Solvent based Inks4.3 Drivers, Restraints & Opportunities4.4 Global Solvent based Inks Market Analysis and Forecasts, 2016  20244.5 Global Solvent based Inks Demand-Supply & Price Trend Analysis and Forecasts, 2014  20244.6 Porters Five Force Analysis4.7 Value Chain AnalysisBuy Now This Report From Here @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Stair Lift Market Expected to Reach$1.7 Billion by 2022

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A new report added to the repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine Global Market Study on Stair Lifts is a comprehensive repository of information, providing market share, size, and forecast.Get Free Sample Report @Stair lift is a motorized seat which runs along a rail or track in home care settings or healthcare facilities. Stair lifts are powered by alternating current and also with batteries to function during the time of power outage. Stair lifts are available for straight and curved staircases and can be fully customized by the customers. Majority of people who install stair lifts are either disabled or are suffering from musculoskeletal disorders due to aging. Stair lifts are safe and easy to operate by any age group of patient population. Stair lifts which are presently available are equipped with variety of features such as swivel seat, limit sensors, safety belt or harness, handheld controller, flip-up rail , call stations and rechargeable batteries.Common challenges facing the global geriatric population include chronic diseases, instances of falling due to vertigo and dizziness, mental deterioration, and reduced mobility caused by age-related issues. Around 92% of the global geriatric population commonly suffers from chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. According to the National Council on Aging, every 15 seconds an elderly person is treated in the emergency room as a result of falling. Stair lifts have proven to be an essential mobility devices among the geriatric and disabled population, leading to high adoption rates. Growth of the global stair lifts market is fueled by increasing awareness about accessibility and mobility devices and technological advancements in the industry.By product type, the stair lifts market is segmented into straight stair lift, curved stair lift, and standing stair lift. Straight stair lift segment is estimated to account for highest revenue share in 2016, which is expected to increase over the forecast period. Standing stair lift segment is expected to witness sluggish growth over the forecast period due to relatively higher adoption of straight and curved stair lifts.Browse Complete Report with TOC @On the basis of modality, the stair lifts market is segmented into indoor and outdoor. Indoor modality segment is expected to witness high growth in terms of value due to increasing adoption in indoor facilities such as homes and healthcare facilities.By mode of operation, the global stair lifts market is segmented into alternating current (AC) and battery. Battery segment is anticipated to register high CAGR over the forecast period due to ease of operation and frequent power outages in developing countries.On the basis of end user, the stair lifts market is segmented into healthcare facilities and home care settings. Home care settings segment is expected to create robust growth opportunities owing to increasing adoption of stair lifts in home settings.By region, the global stair lifts market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Middle East & Africa (MEA). High adoption rate of stair lifts is expected to boost growth of the stair lifts markets in Europe and North America. The U.K. market is expected to remain dominant; whereas the market in North America is expected to witness high growth rate due to increasing geriatric population and increasing technological development with regard to mobility devices by manufacturers.Some key market participants included in the PMRs stair lifts market report include Stannah Stairlifts Ltd., Acorn Stairlifts, Inc., thyssenkrupp AG, Handicare, Bruno Independent Living Aids, Inc., Platinum Stairlifts and Harmar.Send an Enquiry @About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Global Needle Free Drug Delivery Market: Segmental Highlights and Table of Content (2015  2023)

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Global Needle Free Drug Delivery Market: Inclination Towards Adoption of Advanced Technology to Bolster Growth, finds TMRAccording to a TMR analyst, The global needle free drug delivery market is anticipated to rise at a 9.90% CAGR from 2015 to 2023. In 2014, the market was worth US$5.4 bn and is likely to touch a valuation of US$13 bn by the end of 2023. In terms of application, the market can be segmented into pain management, pediatric injections, vaccine delivery, and insulin delivery. The demand for needle free drug delivery was at peak in the segment of insulin delivery and is likely to remain the same over the next couple of years.The nature of the business landscape is highly consolidated with the alliances between the companies operating in the needle-free delivery devices market increasing, states Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a research report. The leading three companies, namely, Antares Pharma Inc., 3M, and Zogenix collectively held a share of over 60% in the global market for needle free drug delivery in 2014. Apart from partnerships, acquisitions, and mergers, the core vendors are now focusing on the introduction of advanced devices on the basis of novel technologies for strengthening their position in the market for the long run and staying competitive as well. Going forward, the huge swath of in fact propelled gadgets - in the pipeline at show - will additionally strengthen the opposition in the overall market for sans needle sedate conveyance gadgets sooner rather than later.Report overview @The global Needle Free Drug Delivery Market is segmented on the basis of Technology,Application,Geography.Based on technology, the market has been segmented into jet injectors and competing needle-free technologies. The competing needle-free technologies segment has been further divided into novel needle technology, inhaler technology, and transdermal patch technology. Novel needle technology includes micro-needle and pen needle. The market segments have been analyzed based on available approved products, cost-effectiveness, and preference for technologies by physicians and patients. The market size and forecast for each of these segments have been provided for the period from 2013 to 2023, along with their respective CAGRs for the forecast period from 2015 to 2023, considering 2014 as the base year.Based on application, the needle free drug delivery devices market has been segmented into five major categories: vaccine delivery, pain management, insulin delivery, pediatric injections, and others. Other applications of needle free drug delivery devices include angina, hypertension, and other medical conditions. The market segments have been extensively analyzed based on prevalence of the diseases, available treatment, and geographical coverage. The market size and forecast in terms of US$ Mn for each segment have been provided for the period from 2013 to 2023. The report also provides the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) for each market segment for the forecast period from 2015 to 2023, considering 2014 as the base year.Geographically, the global needle free drug delivery devices market has been categorized into five major regions and the key countries in the respective region: North America (the U.S., Canada), Europe (the U.K., Germany, and Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (Japan, China, and Rest of Asia Pacific), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America) and Middle East & Africa (South Africa and Rest of Middle East & Africa). The market size and forecast for each of these regions and the mentioned countries have been provided for the period from 2013 to 2023, along with their respective CAGRs for the forecast period from 2015 to 2023, considering 2014 as the base year. The research study also covers the competitive scenario in these regions.Request A Sample Report @Summary of Table of Content1. Preface2. Executive Summary3. Needle Free Drug Delivery Devices Market - Industry Analysis4. Market Segmentation - By Technology5. Market Segmentation - By Application6. Market Segmentation - By Geography7. Recommendations8. Company ProfilesGet Full Report @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
US Jewelry Demand, Sales, Competitor and Forecast 2017

US Jewelry

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Pune, India, 12th December 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled The US Jewelry Market Report: 2016 Edition.Jewelry is one of the most valuable segments in trade and commerce industry. The sector sways between inexpensive jewelry pieces for daily wear, to special items like engagement rings and watches meant for celebrating special events, to investment pieces priced and sold similar to antique pieces and fine art. Inspired by the growing economy and rising personal income, the US jewelry market has witnessed an impressive growth thus expanding the boundaries of its existing realm.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Jewelry markets retail as well as online segment both are fiercely competitive and are highly fragmented. Considering the several elements utilized in jewelry industry, gold has always dominated the industry on account of its vivid physical and chemical properties like luster and ease of fabrication. Apart from gold, other chief metals employed in the jewelry industry include platinum, silver, titanium, and palladium among others.The key factors which are anticipated to drive US jewelry market include economic growth, increasing urbanization and rise of middle class, increasing employment in the US, rising internet penetration and increase in working women population. Some of the significant developments of this industry include usage of diamond rings in marriages, increase in online shopping, emerging market for mens jewelry and rising preference for innovative and branded jewelry. However, the challenge to be faced ahead is bankruptcies and mergers, volatile commodity pricing, less emphasis on holiday season and cybercrime and fraud.This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the US jewelry market. Furthermore, market dynamics such as key trends and development; and challenges are analyzed in depth. On the contention front, the market is reined by few major players namely Signet, Tiffany & Co., Blue Nile and LVMH. The competitive landscape of the respective market, along with the company profiles of the leading players are also discussed in detail.By combining SPSS Inc.s data integration and analysis capabilities with our relevant findings, we have predicted the future growth of the industry. We employed various significant variables that have an impact on this industry and created regression models with SPSS Base to determine the future direction of the industry. Before deploying the regression model, the relationship between several independent or predictor variables and the dependent variable was analyzed using standard SPSS output, including charts, tables and tests.Table of Content: Key Points1 The US Jewelry Market: An Introduction1.1 Jewelry Market Supply Chain1.2 Jewelry Market Segmentation1.2.1 On the Basis of Category1.2.2 On the Basis of Distribution Channels1.2.3 On the Basis of Quality and Value2. Global Jewelry Market2.1 Global Gold Jewelry Market2.1.1 Global Gold Jewelry Demand by Value2.1.2 Global Gold Jewelry Demand by Volume2.1.3 Gold Jewelry Demand by Region2.2 Global Diamond Market2.2.1 Global Diamond Production by Volume2.2.2 Diamond Penetration Rate by Region2.2.3 Expected Diamond Mines Closure3. The US Jewelry Market3.1 The US Fine Jewelry Market by Value3.2 The US Category Spending Growth3.3 The US Fine Jewelry & Watch Sales by Value3.4 The US Jewelry Stores by Volume3.5 Average Spending on Jewelry by Income Level3.6 Average Spending on Jewelry by Age Group3.7 The US Jewelry Sales by Category3.8 Specialty Jewelers Market by Value3.9 The US Specialty Jewelers Holiday Sales by Value3.10 The US Online Jewelry Market by Value3.11 The US Retail Ecommerce Sales by Category4. Market DynamicsContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Gerotor Pump 2017 Global Key Players  Bosch Rexroth, Parker, GRIBI Hydraulics, Cascon, SKF Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Gerotor Pump Market

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Gerotor Pump Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Gerotor Pump -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:In this report, the global Gerotor Pump market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Gerotor Pump in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Gerotor Pump market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingBosch RexrothParkerGRIBI HydraulicsCasconSKFKoge Micro TechRequest for Sample Report@On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLight Fuel Oils PumpLube Oil PumpHydraulic Fluid PumpOthersOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingIndustrialAutomotive DrivetrainOthersEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Contents:Global Gerotor Pump Market Research Report 20171 Gerotor Pump Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Gerotor Pump1.2 Gerotor Pump Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Gerotor Pump Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Gerotor Pump Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Light Fuel Oils Pump1.2.4 Lube Oil Pump1.2.5 Hydraulic Fluid Pump1.2.6 Others1.3 Global Gerotor Pump Segment by Application1.3.1 Gerotor Pump Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Industrial1.3.3 Automotive Drivetrain1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Gerotor Pump Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Gerotor Pump Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Gerotor Pump (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Gerotor Pump Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Gerotor Pump Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Gerotor Pump Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Gerotor Pump Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Gerotor Pump Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Gerotor Pump Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Gerotor Pump Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Gerotor Pump Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Gerotor Pump Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Gerotor Pump Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Gerotor Pump Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Gerotor Pump Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion.7 Global Gerotor Pump Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Bosch Rexroth7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Gerotor Pump Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Bosch Rexroth Gerotor Pump Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Parker7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Gerotor Pump Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Parker Gerotor Pump Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 GRIBI Hydraulics7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Gerotor Pump Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 GRIBI Hydraulics Gerotor Pump Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Cascon7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Gerotor Pump Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Cascon Gerotor Pump Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 SKF7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Gerotor Pump Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 SKF Gerotor Pump Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Koge Micro Tech7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Gerotor Pump Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Koge Micro Tech Gerotor Pump Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued..Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Global Power Generation Equipment Market 2017 Size, Share, Trends, Future Roadmap and Forecast 2022

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Global Power Generation Equipment Industry 2017 Market Research Report provides a unique tool for evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, and supporting strategic and tactical decision-making. This report recognizes that in this rapidly-evolving and competitive environment, up-to-date marketing information is essential to monitor performance and make critical decisions for growth and profitability.The research study focuses major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. It provides information on trends and developments, and focuses on markets and materials, capacities and technologies, and on the changing structure of the Power Generation Equipment Industry.Download Free Sample Report @Market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer, the top players includingCaterpillarCummins Power SystemsGeneracHonda PowerMTUBriggs & StrattonYamahaKOHLERTTIChampionItopowerHyundai PowerEatonSawafujiLoncinPM & TGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Power Generation Equipment Industry in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India.On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, and market share and growth rate of each type. On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Power Generation Equipment Market Industry for each application.Access Full Report with TOC @Major points covered in this Report are :Power Generation Equipment Industry Market Overview, Segment by Type (Product Category), by Application, by Region (2012-2022), Competition by ManufacturersGlobal Market Size (Value) of Power Generation Equipment Industry (2012-2022)Global Power Generation Equipment Industry Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value), Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)Global Power Generation Equipment Industry Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeGlobal Power Generation Equipment Industry Market Analysis by ApplicationGlobal Power Generation Equipment Industry Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisPower Generation Equipment Industry Manufacturing Cost AnalysisIndustrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersMarketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersMarket Effect Factors AnalysisGlobal Power Generation Equipment Industry Market Forecast (2017-2022)Research Findings and ConclusionThe research includes historic data from 2012 to 2016 and forecasts until 2022 which makes the reports an invaluable resource for industry executives, marketing, sales and product managers, consultants, analysts, and other people looking for key industry data in readily accessible documents with clearly presented tables and graphs. The report will make detailed analysis mainly on above questions and in-depth research on the development environment, market size, development trend, operation situation and future development trend of Power Generation Equipment Industry on the basis of stating current situation of the industry in 2017 so as to make comprehensive organization and judgment on the competition situation and development trend Power Generation Equipment Market and assist manufacturers and investment organization to better grasp the development course of Power Generation Equipment Market.There are 15 Chapters to deeply display in the Global Power Generation Equipment market.Chapter 1, to describe Power Generation Equipment Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Power Generation Equipment, with sales, revenue, and price of Power Generation Equipment, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the Global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Power Generation Equipment, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Power Generation Equipment market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Power Generation Equipment sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.About us -Fior Markets is a futuristic market intelligence company, helping customers flourish their business strategies and make better decisions using actionable intelligence. With transparent information pool, we meet clients objectives, commitments on high standard and targeting possible prospects for SWOT analysis and market research reports.We sell market research reports obtained from major publishers from various industries, in which a comprehensive overview of the market is provided along with statistical forecasts, strategic recommendations, detailed segmentation, current market scenario, competitive landscape and key trends.Our Strategic Intelligence capabilities are purposely planned to boost your business extension and elucidate the vigor of diverse industry. We hold distinguished units of highly expert analysts and consultants according to their respective domains. We get empirical data from experts on market forecast or market current scenario from primary and secondary research report data, all under the roof.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:
Global Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market 2017: SensGard, Sensear, NoNoise Silenta, Hellberg Safety

Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market 2017

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A new and latest research report Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market projected by QY Research renders deep perception of the key regional market and summary of the Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market industry on a global level. This widespread analysis comprises of market potentials and challenges, sales volume, Intelligent Hearing Protection Device market revenue, estimates the rate of growth. This report especially focuses on the core regions such as North & South America, Europe, Africa, South & Middle East Asia and Australia and also the key countries like (USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia, India, China, South Korea and Japan).The report on Global Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market is a skilled report that furnish extensive information along with entire knowledge relating to the Intelligent Hearing Protection Device industry a proposed industry chain outline, trade policies, classification, definitions and also the current market situation and future probabilities of the segment, strategies, product specifications, production procedure etc.Get Sample Copy of this Report Here:This Intelligent Hearing Protection Device research report analyses and evaluates advance profit chains across the globe like market growth restrains basic factors and dynamic methods. This latest market report examines the Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market by many segments like core regions, end users/applications, manufacturers, and for the projected time-frame. Numerous aspects are studied during this comprehensive research report and it investigates the global Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market from entire axis prospect.The scope of the Market:The report provides a whole insight of Intelligent Hearing Protection Device industry embody the quantitative and qualitative analysis given for this market alongside top development trends, competitive analysis, and key factors which are dominant in the Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market. It provides in-depth knowledge of the leading developments, growth, future perspective, industry dynamics and most recent trends in the market, and promising investment segment.Top Manufacturers Analysis in Global Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market including;1. Honeywell2. Phonak3. SensGard4. Etymotic Research5. Sensear6. NoNoise7. Silenta8. Starkey Hearing Technologies9. Hellberg Safety10. Hunter ElectronicAnd Many others...Enquiry Here about the Report:Core facts about Intelligent Hearing Protection Device report: Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market evolution for the regional as well as country level segments. Depth Analysis of global market forecasts and outlook for 2022, and forecasting of CAGRs through an expected period. In-depth analysis of Types/product and applications. Competitive mapping the prevailing key trends. Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the Intelligent Hearing Protection Device market estimations. Analyze the crucial market trends and new evolution technologically in the Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market.Geographically Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market Segmented by Several Regions, regional analysis covers1. North America (The USA, Canada, and Mexico)2. Europe (UK, France Germany, Italy, and Russia)3. Asia-Pacific (India, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and South-east Asia)4. Africa, South America, and the Middle EastThe dominant industry players across the world are investigated intimately during this report. It describes company outline, product summary, producing value, market capacity, shares for many of the shareholder. The report illustrates the whole summary of Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market across the globe as well as its supply and demand, export/import, profit/value, production cost, etc. The analysis report additionally predicts trends in the expansion of this industrys market. It covers present market analysis vigorously, downstream needs also the upstream raw materials.In the end, the report conjointly isolates decisive market figures that present the industry status of Intelligent Hearing Protection Device Market Makers. The report will perform as a serviceable reference for serving to people similarly as businesses from this segment.About Us:Business Worldwide is a trusted brand in the research industry with a capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Business Worldwide, we believe in building long-term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries including Energy, Chemicals and Materials, Automotive, Software and AerospaceContact Us:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Vascular Access Devices Market Technology Advancement & Forecast 2022

Vascular Access Devices Market

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HTF MI published a new industry research that focuses on Vascular Access Devices market and delivers in-depth market analysis and future prospects of Global Vascular Access Devices market. The study covers significant data which makes the research document a handy resource for managers, analysts, industry experts and other key people get ready-to-access and self-analyzed study along with graphs and tables to help understand market trends, drivers and market challenges. The study is segmented by Application/ end users [Hospitals, Dialysis centers and home dialysis, Clinics & ASCs], products type [Central vascular access device (VAD) & Peripheral VADs] and various important geographies like United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia].Get Access to sample pages @The research covers the current market size of the Global Vascular Access Devices market and its growth rates based on 5 year history data along with company profile of key players/manufacturers such as AngioDynamics, B. Braun Melsungen, Cook, C. R. Bard, Medtronic, Teleflex, Amecath, Argon Medical Devices, BACTIGUARD, Baxter, BD, Biosensors International Group & Boston Scientific. The in-depth information by segments of Vascular Access Devices market helps monitor future profitability & to make critical decisions for growth. The information on trends and developments focuses on markets and materials, capacities, technologies, CAPEX cycle and the changing structure of the Global Vascular Access Devices Market.The study provides company profiling, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information of key manufacturers of Global Vascular Access Devices Market, some of them listed here are AngioDynamics, B. Braun Melsungen, Cook, C. R. Bard, Medtronic, Teleflex, Amecath, Argon Medical Devices, BACTIGUARD, Baxter, BD, Biosensors International Group & Boston Scientific. The market is growing at a very rapid pace and with a rise in technological innovation, competition and M&A activities in the industry many local and regional vendors are offering specific application products for varied end-users. The new manufacturer entrants in the market are finding it hard to compete with the international vendors based on quality, reliability, and innovations in technology.Global Vascular Access Devices (Thousands of Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type such as Central vascular access device (VAD) & Peripheral VADs. Further, the research study is segmented by Application such as Hospitals, Dialysis centers and home dialysis, Clinics & ASCs with historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Vascular Access Devices in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2017 to 2022.Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @What this Research Study Offers:Global Vascular Access Devices Market share assessments for the regional and country level segmentsMarket share analysis of the top industry playersStrategic recommendations for the new entrantsMarket forecasts for a minimum of 5 years of all the mentioned segments, sub-segments, and the regional marketsMarket Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimationsCompetitive landscaping mapping the key common trendsCompany profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developmentsSupply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsBuy this research report @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Vascular Access Devices market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications, and Classification of Vascular Access Devices, Applications of Vascular Access Devices, Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material, and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Vascular Access Devices, Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia, Vascular Access Devices Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Vascular Access Devices Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Vascular Access Devices ;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [Central vascular access device (VAD) & Peripheral VADs], Market Trend by Application [Hospitals, Dialysis centers and home dialysis, Clinics & ASCs];Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of Global Vascular Access Devices ;Chapter 12, to describe Vascular Access Devices Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Vascular Access Devices sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Get customization & check discount for report @Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report versions like North America, Europe or Asia.Connect with us atHTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact us :HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Comprehensive Report on Polyolefin Resin Market by Transparency Market Research 2014 - 2020

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Polyolefin resins are polymers containing one or more olefinic groups. These are high molecular weight hydrocarbons which include polyethylene, polypropylenes that comprise resins and copolymers. Polyolefin resins have the ability for withstanding exposures to almost all chemicals at most room temperature. They are less expensive and adaptable to different fabrication techniques. Automobile, film & sheet, fibers & tapes in the packaging, medical and construction are some of the key end user industries of polyolefin resins. Polyolefin resins are also used for coating and packaging purposes.Among thermoplastics groups, polyolefins account for the largest product segment. Polyethylene and polypropylene are the most commonly used polyolefins. Polyolefin resins were invented in the research laboratory of Imperial Chemical Industries in 1931; however the large scale manufacturing did not start until 1950. Shift in the trend to use polyolefins over polyvinyl chloride (PVC) boosted the demand for polyolefin resins. PVC, an important compound used in the automotive and construction industry, is considered harmful for the environment and hazardous to life. Polyolefins have replaced PVC due to their rubber like properties and hence are suitable for high performance industrial applications. The market for polyolefin resins is growing at a steady pace on account of its low cost and its capability of being fabricated by using modern techonologies such as extrusion, blow molding, calendaring and injecting molding. Non-polyolefin resins produced from elastomers can be used as a substitute for polyolefin resins, however reasons such as higher production cost of the former prevents the entry of substitutes in the market.Request For Report Sample:Polyolefin resin market is witnessing substantial growth on a global scale, owing to its increasing scope of applications coupled with technological advancement. Asia Pacific is the largest market for this compound accounting to the presence of key manufacturers in these regions. Other regions such as Latin America and Middle East account for the next largest market for polyolefin resins.Automobile industry, the largest end user of this product, is growing rapidly in developing economies such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa which has further fuelled the demand for polyolefins in Asia Pacific and other regions mentioned. China is the largest manufacturer of this compound in the world. However the production of polyolefin resins is increasing in Asian countries such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Availability of raw materials at low cost is attracting numerous North American and European based companies to set up polyolefin production site in Asia Pacific. Fluctuating prices of petroleum and oil is driving the Middle Eastern economies to reduce their dependence on petroleum products. The production of polyolefins and other compounds such as automobile coating materials is increasing rapidly; Middle East is expected to emerge as one of the largest exporters of polyolefin resins during the forecast period. North America is the third largest market for polyolefin resins.. North America fulfills most of its polyolefin demand by importing from countries in Asia Pacific. However the shale gas boom in North America has provided the opportunity of availability of cheaper raw materials. This is expected to fuel up the production of polyolefin resins in countries such as U.S. and Canada. The market for polyolefin is considerably low in Europe resulting from the sluggish economic growth. It is predicted that the presence of key market players such as The Dow Chemical Company will fuel up the demand for this compound in Europe by 2020.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Some of the largest manufacturers of polyolefin resins in the global market include China National Petroleum Corporation, Dupont, The Dow Chemical Company, LyondellBasell Industries NV and Saudi Basic Industries 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
Function as a Service Market : Global Forecast over 2025

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) observes that competitive landscape in the global Function as a Service (FaaS) is quite dynamic and has a distinct presence of a few big players. Amazon Web Services Inc., Microsoft Corporation, VMware Inc., and Google Inc. are some of the leading players in the global market. As of 2016, these companies held a whopping share of above 80% in the global market. Research and development and mergers and acquisitions are anticipated to be key strategies of these players in the near future.Read Report Overview @According to the research report, the global FaaS market was valued at US$1230.0 mn in 2016 and is expected to be worth US$4280.0 mn by the end of 2025. Over the forecast period of 2017 and 2025, the global market is expected to progress at a CAGR of 15.3%. Among the various end users, the global FaaS market is likely to be driven by the telecommunications segment in the coming years as it is slated to surge at a CAGR of 15.3% during the forecast period. From a geographic point of view, the North America FaaS market is estimated to progress at a steady pace in the near future due to strong adoption of technology in the region. As of 2016, this region held a share of 34.0% in the overall market.Possibility of Server-less Computing Draws Attention to FaaS SolutionsThe global FaaS market has been gaining traction in recent years as the service allows end users to conduct programming, manage and run application along with other functionalities without the need to manage services. Thus, the convenience of a platform that eliminates the requirement of building and maintaining infrastructure in developing and run new applications has augmented the demand for FaaS. The biggest advantage of this service is that has considerable reduced the cost of operations for various organizations. The only cost organizations have to bear is that of resource used during execution, as FaaS allows easy to scale independent services triggered to action by events.The global market is also being driven by the fact that FaaS offers real time file and data processing. Analysts indicate that FaaS can be deployed for transcoding thumbnail images, videos, process logs, filter, index files, and aggregate data in real time. These factors are likely to bolster the growth of the global market in the near future. Furthermore, the server less computing is anticipated to be its unique selling point over the forecast period. This evolutionary process in promoting cloud computing is estimated to leverage the market to its full potential.Request to view Sample Report:Lack of Flexibility within Cloud Environments to Hamper GrowthDespite the strong market drivers the global FaaS market is being stymied by a few factors. Currently, the key restraint in the global market is the inability of FaaS to move data and applications formats from one cloud environment to the other without any disruptions. This could translate into big losses for companies that save data on multiple cloud environments. Thus, this factor anticipated to be a major restraint for the global market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
ADHD Therapeutics Market 2024 Top Competitors - NEOS Therapeutics Inc., Novartis AG, Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc., Pfizer

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Concordia International Corp., Eli Lilly and Company, Highland Therapeutics Inc., Janssen Global Services LLC, NEOS Therapeutics Inc., Novartis AG, Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc., Pfizer Inc., Shire, Teva Pharmaceutical are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the Global ADHD Therapeutics Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.ADHD Therapeutics  Market OverviewADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood & often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours or be hyperactive.Growing paediatric population, increasing prevalence of ADHD, increasing awareness regarding ADHD are some of the factors responsible for the growth of the global ADHD therapeutics market.Get a Sample Report @By seeing attractiveness of the market, market has witnessed, innovation followed by new launches. For example, Neos Therapeutics to launch Adzenys ER for ADHD in January 2018. FDA has approved Adzenys ER, an extended release oral suspension (amphetamine) for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients age 6 or older. Neos Therapeutics of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, announced in a statement that the company plans to launch Adzenys ER in January 2018. Neos Therapeutics is the only company than can offer both branded amphetamine and methylphenidate therapies in extended release dosage forms. When it is available in 2018, Adenzys ER oral suspension will be the third Neos extended release product for ADHD from the company. It needs no refrigeration or reconstitution at the pharmacy. Another form of the product, Adzenys XR-ODT, is a disintegrating tablet. This FDA approval unlocks yet another treatment option for ADHD patients and their caregivers who are seeking a liquid extended release amphetamine product and provides a different dosage form of companys already-approved Adzenys XR-ODT.Pipeline Development In ADHD: - Cingulate Therapeutics, LLC (CTx) is a privately held, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative new products for the treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Cingulate is developing two (2) proprietary, first-line medications, CTX-1301 (Dexmethylphenidate) and CTX-1302 (Dextroamphetamine), via the accelerated 505 (b)(2) regulatory pathway for the treatment of ADHD seeking indications for all patient segments: children, adolescents and adults. CTX-1301 and CTX-1302 utilize an innovative, flexible core tableting technology that enables the formulation and manufacturing of multi-cored tablets designed to deliver a rapid onset and last the entire active day while minimizing the afternoon crash and impact on sleep and appetite. The Company has completed its proof of concept trial in human subjects to validate the novel Target Product Profiles for both CTX-1301 and CTX-1302. After a planned submission of an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the first quarter of 2018, Cingulate intends to implement the full clinical plan for both CTX-1301 and CTX-1302 in 2018ADHD Therapeutics Market  Competitive AnalysisAs the market seems to be attractive, growing and profitable, at the same time market has witnessed intense rivalry among existing competitors. Many new entrants expected to enter into ADHD Therapeutics Market. There are many big players in the ADHD Therapeutics Market such as: Concordia International Corp., Eli Lilly and Company, Highland Therapeutics Inc., Janssen Global Services LLC, NEOS Therapeutics Inc., Novartis AG, Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc., Pfizer Inc., Shire, Teva PharmaceuticalOrder Single User License Copy of 80 Premium Pages is Available @ADHD Therapeutics Market  Regional AnalysisGeographically, the global ADHD therapeutics market is segmented into four major regions such as: North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific & Rest of the World. North America is estimated to dominate the global ADHD therapeutics market, with a maximum value share of the overall market. Followed by European region due to highly developed healthcare industry, high disposable income, ongoing clinical trials & early approval of drugs. However, Asia Pacific market is also witnessing a very strong growth due to high rate of development in healthcare industry, government initiatives for treatment of mental illness and increasing prevalence of mental disorders.Brief TOCIntroductionResearch MethodologyMarket DynamicsMarket Factor AnalysisGlobal ADHD Therapeutics Market, By Drug TypeGlobal ADHD Therapeutics Market, By Age GroupGlobal ADHD Therapeutics Market, By End UsersGlobal ADHD Therapeutics Market, By RegionCompetitive LandscapeCompany ProfileConclusionAppendixAsk to Expert @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Homeopathy Product Market Expected to Reach US$17,486.2 mn by 2024

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A new report added to the repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine Homeopathy Product Marketis a comprehensive repository of information, providing market share, size, and forecast.Get Free Sample Report @The global market for homeopathy products has skyrocketed in the past few years, with sales of amounting to billions of dollars in key regions such as Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Aversion to allopathic medicines, a constant rise in demand for convenient dosages of a variety of medicines, and an increase in consumer confidence about alternate treatment methodologies are all significantly fueling the market growth.Furthermore, with the growing amount of disposable income available with individuals, especially from developing regions, the expenditure on the global homeopathy products market has substantially increased over the past few years. This factor is expected to continue benefitting the market due to a lot of homeopathy medicines being reasonably priced but often not being covered by insurance.Latest Market Research estimates that the global homeopathy product market will exhibit a promising 18.2% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. If the number holds true, the market, which valued at US$3,867.7 mn in 2015, is expected to reach US$17,486.2 mn by 2024.Demand for Convenient Dosages to Bolster Demand for Homeopathic Products in Dilution FormOn the basis of product type, the study examines homeopathy medicine varieties in forms such as as tablet, tincture, biochemics, dilutions, and ointments. Of these, the dilutions segment is anticipated to account for US$6,253.9 mn by 2024, registering a substantially high CAGR of 17.8% over the forecast period. The high demand for homeopathy products in dilutions form can be attributed to the increasing demand for convenient dosage forms. The segment is estimated to account for the dominant share of 36.8% in the global homeopathy product market by 2016 end but is expected to decrease to 35.8% by 2024.The tincture segment is expected to follow closely with a value share of 19.5% by 2024 and a CAGR of 17.8% over the period between 2016 and 2024. The segment of ointments is expected to be the most promising in terms of future growth prospects. The study states that the market for homeopathy ointments will exhibit a CAGR of 19.8% from 2016 through 2024, accounting for nearly 12% of the overall market by 2024.View Detail Report with Table Of Contents @On the basis of geography, the market for homeopathy products in Europe is projected to remain dominant in the global market throughout the forecast period. Homeopathic product in Europe region is estimated to account for the most significant share of 37.9% in 2016, which is expected to decrease to 36.4% by 2024.The market for homeopathic products is expected to witness a robust growth in the Asia Pacific region owing to increasing population and demand for alternative low cost medicines. The regional market is expected to exhibit a strong CAGR of 18.9% over the forecast period. It is also expected to benefit from rising online sales of homeopathic products and intense competition among homeopathic product manufacturers across key developing and developed countries in the region.The homeopathy products market in Middle East and Africa projected to be the one with the most promising growth rate in the near future, an estimated 21.1% CAGR from 2016 through 2024. The MEA region has witnessed rapid increase in disposable income over the last few years and this has subsequently led to an increase in the number of consumers able to pay for homeopathy product.The report also profiles some of the leading homeopathic products manufacturers operating in the global homeopathic products market. Key market players featured in the report include Boiron Group, Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, A Nelson & Co Ltd, GMP Laboratories of America, Inc., Standard Homeopathic Company (Hyland's, Inc.), Washington Homeopathic Products, Inc., Homeocan inc., Hahnemann Laboratories, Inc., Mediral International Inc., and Ainsworths Ltd.Inquire about This Report @About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Flight Data Monitoring and Analysis Market Shares,Trend and Growth Report 2025

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) observes that the competition in the global flight data monitoring and analysis market is extremely high due to the strong presence of several well-established players in the market. Entry of smaller players in the international market has made the scenario tough for the existing players. To remain relevant, leading companies are focusing on mergers and acquisitions to expand their product portfolio in the coming years. The top three players in the global market are Safran Electronics & Defense, Curtiss-Wright Corporation, and Teledyne Controls LLC. The collective share of these companies is estimated to reach 92% by the end of 2017.Read Report Overview @North America to Lead the Global Flight Data Monitoring and Analysis MarketAccording to the research report, the global flight data monitoring and analysis market is expected to be worth US$ 1,623.16 mn by the end of 2025 from US$677.6 mn in 2016. During the forecast years of 2017 and 2025, the global market for flight data monitoring and analysis market is estimated to progress at a CAGR of 10.4%. The fixed-wing segment is estimated to lead the global market as it is slated to acquire a share of 90.7% in the overall market. Higher safety offered by fixed-winged aircraft is expected to propel the segment. From a geographic point of view, the North America flight data monitoring and analysis market is expected to be the largest one. This regional market is slated to register a CAGR of 8.8% during the forecast period.The demand for flight data monitoring and analysis (FDMA) has spiked in recent years due to the growing air traffic and mushrooming airline companies. These systems are used for proactive recording of flight data to understand the repetitive nature of operational inefficiencies. Thus, the primary purpose of FDMA to improve flight and maintenance operations and establishing excellent aviation safety standards. Today, application of FDMA extends to improving flight crew performance, air carrier training programs, air traffic control procedures, aircraft operations, and maintenance areas of a fleet operator along with improving flight operations. Thus, the widening application of these programs is expected to bolster the growth of the global market in the coming years.Higher Profit Margins Ensure Swift Uptake of FDMA ProgramsAdoption of flight data monitoring and analysis programs has resulted has led to a drastic reduction in accidents, allowed fuel economy, increased availability of aircraft, eliminated the need for unnecessary repairs and maintenance, and thereby ensured a higher profit margins for the aviation industry. In light of these reasons, the FDMA market is likely to find lucrative opportunities across the globe. According to the International Aviation Civil Organization (ICAO), it is now mandatory to have FDMA for aircraft that are above a specified maximum certificated take-off mass.Request to view Sample Report:Despite the brilliant market drivers steering the growth of the global market, it faces a few challenges. The key restraint for the global flight data monitoring and analysis market is the concern about data security. Though Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) maintains a tight lid on the data, making sure it is not misused, several airline operators continue to be hesitant about it. This factor is expected to tug the market in the downward direction in the coming years.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
FMI Predicts Bee Venom Extract Market to Witness Exponential Growth by 2027

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Bee venom also known as apitoxin is a colorless and bitter liquid. According to American Apitherapy Association, bee therapy or Apitherapy is the therapeutic usage of products made by honeybees such as bee venom and bees. The bee venom treatment uses the venom commencing the bees to treat ailments that do not respond to traditional western medicine. Few of the functions of bee venom are curing arthritis, anti-inflammatory, pain relief, and other claims include acne, psoriasis, and scarring from skin cancer. Almost 10,000 bee stings are required to make one gram of bee venom. This makes venom almost seven times more valuable than gold.Global Bee Venom Extract Market: Drivers and RestraintsOne of the major factor driving the bee venom market is the extensive usage of the medicinal products. For instance, bee venom is used majorly in Europe from several decades especially for the treatment of rheumatic diseases. The live bees, as well as the venom extracts, are used for the treatment in Europe.Request for Sample @People are also entering the bee venom business as it is one of the most profitable companies and the collector can increase his income by almost 200%. Another major factor, affecting the bee venom market is the innovation in the bee extraction equipments which makes it easy for the manufacturers to extract the bee venom from the hive. The device fits under brood chamber of a colony of the bees. However, the major restraint while collecting the bee venom is the holder techniques and this results in the death of the bee if not handled properly. As a result, dropping its stinger in the collecting device. Earlier the bees were caught when the bees return to their hive. They are given shock waves with electricity and pressed between the rolls so that they sting. However, during this process many of the bees are crushed and also the venom gets contaminated. In another method, the bees are triggered to sting into the plastic or rubber dam.Global Bee Venom Extract Market: SegmentationBy Form:PowderLiquidBy Application:PharmaceuticalCosmetic & Personal careGlobal Bee Venom Extract Market: Segmentation OverviewThe Bee venom is used in the recovery of many diseases, and few of the major diseases are completely healed. The bee venom is used for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, multiple sclerosis, rheumatic fever, high blood pressure, sciatica, psoriasis, hematomas, various skin conditions, and burns, among other. According to the Russian Institute, the bee venom cures cancer and destroy the AIDS virus. The powder form of venom is gaining traction in the market. The venom bee is costlier and costs around $ 80 per gram. Bee venom has numerous therapeutic applications. The bee venom has a stimulating effect on the heart muscles and also controls the cholesterol levels of the body. Bee venom also has antibiotic properties.Request for Table of Contents @Global Bee Venom Extract Market: Regional OutlookThe global bee venom market is segmented by regions into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), and Japan. Bee venom is not much used in the U.S. The primary reason being the lack of availably of beehives in the country. Honey bees are never available in sufficient quantities in the country for analysis and clinical testing. Bee venom is mostly used in Russia, Japan, America, New Zealand, and in the eastern countries where their apitherapy is irreplaceable owing to the variety of products offered.Global Bee Venom Extract Market: Prominent vendorsFew of the prominent players in the global bee venom extract market are Bee Whisper, ApiHealth NZ Ltd, Fernz, and Abeeco Pure, among others. Few of the strategies adopted by the key players in the market are partnership and collaboration with other operators, expansion into the untapped market, and joint ventures with the organizations in emerging countries to gain the strong foothold in the market.Report Overview @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Corporate Training Market 2017  Global SWOT Analysis,Emerging Market Strategies & Industry Overview

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On - Corporate Training Market 2017  Global SWOT Analysis,Emerging Market Strategies & Industry Overview.The Corporate Training industry has also suffered a certain impact, but still maintained a relatively optimistic growth, the past four years, Corporate Training market size to maintain the average annual growth rate of X% from XXXX million $ in 2013 to XXXX million $ in 2016, The analysts believe that in the next few years, Corporate Training market size will be further expanded, we expect that by 2021, The market size of the Corporate Training will reach XXXX million $.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThis Report covers the Major Players data, including: shipment, revenue, gross profit, interview record, business distribution etc., these data help the consumer know about the competitors better. This report also covers all the regions and countries of the world, which shows a regional development status, including market size.Besides, the report also covers segment data, including: type segment, industry segment, channel segment etc. cover different segment market size. Also cover different industries clients information, which is very important for the Major Players.Sections:-Section 1: FreeDefinitionSection (2 3): 1200 USDMajor Player DetailCity & Guilds KineoGP StrategiesMHI GlobalSkillsoftArticulateComputer Generated SolutionsDesire2LearnGlobal Training SolutionsInteraction AssociatesNew Horizons Computer Learning CentersNIITQATata Interactive SystemsWilson Learning WorldwideSection 4: 900 USDRegion SegmentationNorth America Country (United States, Canada)South AmericaAsia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea)Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy)Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)ContinueAsk Query @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsSection 1 Corporate Training DefinitionSection 2 Global Corporate Training Market Major Player Share and Market Overview2.1 Global Major Player Corporate Training Business Revenue2.2 Global Corporate Training Market OverviewSection 3 Major Player Corporate Training Business Introduction3.1 City & Guilds Kineo Corporate Training Business Introduction3.1.1 City & Guilds Kineo Corporate Training Revenue, Growth Rate and Gross profit 2013-20163.1.2 City & Guilds Kineo Corporate Training Business Distribution by Region3.1.3 City & Guilds Kineo Interview Record3.1.4 City & Guilds Kineo Corporate Training Business Profile3.1.5 City & Guilds Kineo Corporate Training Specification3.2 GP Strategies Corporate Training Business Introduction3.2.1 GP Strategies Corporate Training Revenue, Growth Rate and Gross profit 2013-20163.2.2 GP Strategies Corporate Training Business Distribution by Region3.2.3 Interview Record3.2.4 GP Strategies Corporate Training Business Overview3.2.5 GP Strategies Corporate Training Specification3.3 MHI Global Corporate Training Business Introduction3.3.1 MHI Global Corporate Training Revenue, Growth Rate and Gross profit 2013-20163.3.2 MHI Global Corporate Training Business Distribution by Region3.3.3 Interview Record3.3.4 MHI Global Corporate Training Business Overview3.3.5 MHI Global Corporate Training Specification3.4 Skillsoft Corporate Training Business Introduction3.5 Articulate Corporate Training Business Introduction3.6 Computer Generated Solutions Corporate Training Business IntroductionSection 4 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Region Level)4.1 North America Country4.1.1 United States Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.1.2 Canada Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.2 South America Country4.2.1 South America Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.3 Asia Country4.3.1 China Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.3.2 Japan Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.3.3 India Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.3.4 Korea Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.4 Europe Country4.4.1 Germany Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.4.2 UK Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.4.3 France Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.4.4 Italy Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.4.5 Europe Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.5 Other Country and Region4.5.1 Middle East Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.5.2 Africa Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.5.3 GCC Corporate Training Market Size and Market Segmentation (Industry Level) 2013-20164.6 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Region Level) Analysis 2013-20164.7 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Region Level) AnalysisSection 5 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Type Level)5.1 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Type Level) Market Size 2013-20165.2 Different Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Type Level) Market Size Growth Rate 2013-20165.3 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Type Level) AnalysisSection 6 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Industry Level)6.1 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Industry Level) Market Size 2013-20166.2 Different Industry Trend 2013-20166.3 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Industry Level) AnalysisSection 7 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Channel Level)7.1 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Channel Level) Market Size and Share 2013-20167.2 Global Corporate Training Market Segmentation (Channel Level) AnalysisContinue.Buy 1-User PDF @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Exclusive Pfizer Speaker Interview Released

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SMi are delighted to welcome Alison Betts, Associate Research Fellow, Pfizer, onto the speaker panel for day 1 at ADC 2018!Alison is a member of the Translational Modeling & Simulation Group in the Biomedicines Design department at Pfizer, Cambridge MA, where she is modeling and simulation (M&S) lead supporting the Oncology Research Unit. In this role she leads a team responsible for using M&S strategies to answer mechanistic questions, validate targets, select optimal compounds, translate preclinical data to the clinic and predict efficacious dose/regimen.SMi are excited to have interviewed Alison about her talk and career experience.Below is a snapshot of her interview:Q. How is your organisation involved in Antibodies and Antibody Drug Conjugates?A. Pfizer has been heavily involved in the discovery and development of antibodies for many therapeutic indications and ADCs in oncology. For ADCs this has included design of novel linker payloads, design of ADCs to many novel targets and several clinical studies with ADCs. As noted above, recently 2 of Pfizers ADCs (Mylotarg and Besponza) were approved.Q. What technology or platform updates have really caught your eye in the past couple of years?A. I am interested in the masking technologies for design of ADCs against targets which may be present in normal tissues, but use of a specific mask enables targeting of the ADC to the tumour environment.Q. What are the key areas for development in the field of ADCs?A. Key areas for development in the field of ADCs are combination with immune-oncology check-point inhibitors and other cancer drugs for potentially curative therapies.Q. What are the future challenges for the advancement of ADCs and what do you think are the biggest hindrances to achieving the utmost therapeutic potential of ADCs?Check out the full interview, available in the download centre.Hear more from Alison at the Antibodies & Antibody Drug Conjugates conference this April 2018, as she presents the Opening Address; 'Use of modelling and simulation to compare new generation HER-2 ADCs with Kadcyla: a focus on PK and efficacy.'- Day 1 | @09:10Topics will explore:- Kadcylaa is a HER-2 ADC approved in 2013 for patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer- Kadcylaa is only efficacious in high HER2 tumors and patients are acquiring resistance- New generation HER-2 ADCs are being designed to overcome these limitations- PK/PD methodologies for efficacy and safety differentiation will be presented- For PK predictions a mechanistic target mediated drug disposition model is proposed accounting for binding to shed HER-2 extracellular domain and variability across patientsMore About Alison Betts:Alisons main area of work is on novel biotherapeutic modalities including bi-specific T-cell retargeting molecules, CAR-T cells, targeted nanoparticles and drug conjugates for treatment of cancer.For those looking to attend there is currently a 400 early-bird saving, ending December 15thFurther information is available at:SMi presents the 6th Annual Conference:ADC SummitDate: 9th  10th April 2018Location: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London UKWebsite:---end---Contact Information:For all media inquiries contact Pavan Solanki on Tel: +44 (0)20 7827 6048 / Email: psolanki@smi-online.co.ukAbout SMi Group:Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the world's most forward-thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found atWestminster Bridge Road
Surfactants Market will reach at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2016-2024

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The Asia Pacific surfactants market is highly fragmented due to the presence of several players with small shares. An assessment of the competitive landscape by Transparency Market Research states that the entry for new players is relatively difficult. To remain ahead of the competition key players are expected to focus on product innovation. Development of bio-based surfactants also remains underway as several manufacturers are noticing the demand for safer raw materials for personal care products. Some of the leading players in the market are The Dow Chemical Company, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Akzo Nobel N.V., and Galaxy Surfactants Limited.According to the research report, the Asia Pacific surfactants market is expected to be worth US$6.3 bn by the end of 2024 as compared to US$4.1 bn in 2015. Between the forecast years of 2016 and 2024, the global surfactants market expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.0%.China Emerges as Leading Nation in Asia Pacific Surfactants MarketRequest For Report Sample@On the basis of product, the global surfactants market is segmented into cationic, non ionic, anionic, and amphoteric. Of these, non ionic surfactants segment is expected to show remarkable progress in the coming years. By the end of 2024, the non ionic surfactants segment is expected to acquire a share of 34.2% in the overall market. The rising application of these surfactants in sectors such as oilfield chemicals, chemicals, textiles, and agrochemicals are expected is expected to drive the growth in the coming years.The Asia Pacific surfactants market is segmented into countries such as China, Thailand, Australia, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, and Rest of APAC. Of these, China dominated the overall market in 2015. The country is expected to retain its stance in the coming years as it is slated to acquire a share of 39.4% in the Asia Pacific surfactants market by the end of 2024.Rising Awareness about Beauty Products in Asia Pacific Boosts Regional MarketThe Asia Pacific surfactants market has been witnessing a rise since couple of years due to their increasing adoption in a wide range of personal care products. The diversity of personal care industry has offered the surfactants market several lucrative opportunities for growth. Increasing number of mouth wash, toothpaste, and hair care brands have been making significant usage of surfactants in their products. Furthermore, growing sales of bathing and shaving products are also expected to augment the demand for surfactants across Asia Pacific. Non-iconic, amphoteric, and cationic are the three types of surfactants that will be predominantly used in the near future.The increasing awareness about beauty, aesthetics, and hygiene are also expected to drive the growth of the Asia Pacific surfactants market in the near future. The changing lifestyles, increasing disposable incomes, and shifting perceptions toward improving the standard of living are also expected to have a positive impact on the trajectory of the Asia Pacific surfactants market during the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Side-effects of Chemically-obtained Surfactants to Restrain Market GrowthDespite the soaring demand for beauty products, the Asia Pacific surfactants market is being restrained by the growing concerns amongst consumers about the usage of synthetic raw materials and oleo-chemicals in cosmetics. Surfactants manufactured using synthetic sources can lead to side-effects such as irritation to the skin and eye, damage beyond repair, and neurotoxicity amongst others. The introduction of organic products and worries about irreparable damage to the skin due to the use of surfactants are expected to hamper the growth of the Asia Pacific surfactants market.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
General Surgery Devices Market size demand will increase by 2017 - 2025

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Global General Surgery Devices Market: SnapshotThe global market for general surgery devices is witnessing a massive surge in demand owing to the mounting global population of geriatrics and the significant rise in number of surgical procedures. While global public-health initiatives have mostly centered around disease prevention, control and surveillance of infectious diseases, and promotion of benefits associated with healthy lifestyles, rising life expectancy in the past few decades, especially in middle- and low-income countries, have changed previous trends.Industrialization and significant lifestyle changes have brought about an epidemiological transition and health conditions afflicting the global population are shifting from conditions caused due to infections and pestilence to lifestyle associated diseases. The condition has led to a substantial rise in health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, cerebro-vascular diseases, and bone disorders, in developed, developing, and less developed economies. Numbers of injuries owing to accidents are also significantly increasing across the globe as the global traffic of vehicles and other technologically advanced devices has increased.Request Sample Copy of the Report @These trends are expected to remain strong in the near future as well, presenting a massive rise in demand for general surgeries. The scenario is also expected to lead to a substantial increase in the global demand for general surgery devices. The high growth potential of the global general surgery devices market has attracted a large number of small and large general surgery device manufacturing companies in the global marketplace and the market continues to attract a number of new players.Global General Surgery Devices Market: OverviewSurgical devices find applications in varied surgical procedures such as in closure of wounds and plastic and reconstructive surgeries, among others. They are deployed in hospitals, small clinics, and other healthcare centers and are used in different types of surgeries, namely orthopedics, obstetrics, neurology, urology, cardiovascular medicine, and gynecology. Savvy players in the global general surgery devices market are making efforts to make build inroads in the fast-expanding developing economies of Asia Pacific and Latin America, which hold out strong opportunities.Request TOC of the Report @Besides expanding their geographical footprints, market participants are also resorting to other initiatives such as strategic collaborations and partnerships, product development, and carefully-considered mergers and acquisitions to further bolster their positions. A report by TMR Research provides a thorough peek into the global market for general surgery devices. It studies the market after segmenting it based on different parameters and also offers a granular analysis of the factors driving or hindering it.Further, the report presents a detailed assessment of the competitive landscape in the global market for general surgery devices and identifies key players contributing towards its growth. The companies have been profiled in the report based on important parameters such as key strengths and recent developments, product portfolio, and geographical reach. Market-leading analytical tools have also been leveraged to gauge the opportunities and threats awaiting players.Global General Surgery Devices Market: Trends and OpportunitiesGrowth drivers significantly contributing to the global market for general surgery devices are a burgeoning geriatric population, rising awareness about different surgeries, and the means to go under the knife to better looks as in plastic and reconstructive surgeries. To elaborate a bit further, the elderly population accounted for a large number of surgeries pertaining to the bone, brain, heart, and ear disorders. Technological progress resulting in cutting-edge devices and healthcare institutes providing advanced surgeries such as minimally invasive surgeries in emerging economies is also leading to market growth.Request Discount of the Report @One key development to look out for in the global market for general surgery devices is the opportunities opened up by robotics and the computer-assisted sector, both of which are in a nascent stage now. The different products available in the market are open surgery instruments, minimally invasive surgery instruments, disposable surgical supplies, energy based and powered instruments, adhesion prevention products, and medical robotics and computer assisted surgery devices. Among them, the disposable surgical supplies segment leads the market with maximum revenue due to the soaring demand for disposable needles, syringes, and catheters.Global General Surgery Devices Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the key segments of the market are North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World. North America, of these, is a crucial market on account of the concentration of well-entrenched players in the region, strong policy support of the government, solid reimbursement policies, and spiking demand for surgeries because of lifestyle-related diseases. In the years ahead, however, Asia Pacific is slated to overtake all other regions in terms of growth due to the increasing spend on healthcare in the developing nations of the region. Some of the prominent markets within Asia Pacific are India, Japan, China, Australia, and Singapore.Companies Mentioned in the ReportSome of the noteworthy companies competing in the global market for general surgery devices market, profiled in the report are B. Braun Melsungen AG, Smith & Nephew, Boston Scientific Corporation, Covidien Plc (Medtronic), Conmed Corporation, Integra LifeSciences, 3M Healthcare, and Care Fusion Corporation.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Bulimia Nervosa Market Analysis: Emerging Key Players, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023

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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Bulimia Nervosa market-Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023The Global Bulimia Nervosa Market is growing with the rapid pace; mainly due the burgeoning Healthcare Sector. According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future.Global Bulimia Nervosa Market research report, by treatment (psychotherapy, drug therapy and other) - Forecast Till 2023Get a Copy of Sample Report @Segments:Global bulimia nervosa market is segmented into type of treatment into psychotherapy, drug therapy and other. Psychotherapy is further sub segmented into maudsley family therapy and other. Drug therapy is further sub segmented into antidepressants and other.Market Scenario:Bulimia nervosa is also called as bulimia. It is an eating disorder characterised by eating large amount of food in short period of time. On global scale bulimia nervosa is increasing continuously. Factors like alcoholism, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are responsible for causing bulimia nervosa. The major driving factor for the market is increasing prevalence of diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and psychic diseases. On other hand high cost of therapy can hamper the growth of the market.Global bulimia nervosa market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during forecasted period 2017-2023.Get more information Of Reports @Key players for global bulimia nervosa marketSiemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany)Philips Healthcare (U.S)Abbott (U.S)Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.(U.S)Stryker (U.S)General Electric Company (U.K)Covidien ltd(Ireland)Penumbra, Inc. (U.S)The report for global bulimia nervosa market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.Browse Full Report @Regional AnalysisOn regional basis, global bulimia nervosa market is dominated by North America. Due to increasing incident of bulimia nervosa in North America the market is grown significantly. Europe has a second largest market for the bulimia nervosa this is because of the governmental support and well developed healthcare sector. Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest rate due to huge population base in this region.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for North America, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questionsContact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Healthcare Payer Services Market : Production & Consumption Professional Survey Report 2025

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Global Healthcare Payer Services Market: SnapshotOutsourcing is emerging as a cost-effective tool for healthcare payers. Therefore, the growing trend of outsourcing is working in favor of the global healthcare payer services market. The increasing dependence of technologically advanced solutions to deliver economical business process services, growing popularity of digital technology, and the enforcement of strict health care regulations in several parts of the world are among the primary factors stoking the growth of the market.The growth of the market is also supplemented by the growing investments in healthcare IT (HCIT) and increasing number of private healthcare insurance companies. Moreover, the introduction of favorable policies by governments is escalating the growth of the global healthcare payer services market. On the flip side, the mounting cases of data breaches are resulting in increased skepticism regarding the loss of confidentiality, which in turn is limiting the widespread adoption of healthcare payer services. While outsourcing makes the overall procedure of healthcare payer services easy, it also induces unforeseen costs. This is, in turn, hampering the growth of the global market.The majority of key players in the global healthcare payer services market are focusing towards implementing mobile technology with health plans to lure in a greater number of customers. A raft of large players are also emphasizing on mergers and acquisitions in order to stay ahead in the market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Healthcare Payer Services Market: OverviewThe healthcare industry is at an interesting cusp at present with breakthrough technologies, practices, and services. This also translates as higher costs of treatment and consumer empowerment with digital transformation. Besides, tough regulations and better reimbursement policies are also transforming the contours of the industry. This has spawned the global healthcare payer services market which is primed for robust growth on account of the above factors. Major players operating in the market are focused on mergers and acquisitions to diversify business portfolio and improve delivery outcomes.In healthcare, payer refers to entities other than the patient that finance or reimburse the healthcare services cost. Typically, they include insurance carriers, third-party payers, or health plan sponsors such as employers or unions. Application of payer services include management services, provider management services, billing and accounts management services, integrated front office services and back office operations, member management services, analytics and fraud management services, and HR services. The types of payer services available in the market are BPO services, ITO services, and KPO services. Among them, the BPO services gross maximum revenue.Request TOC of the Report @A report by TMR Research offers essential information on the key trends in the global healthcare payer services market. It presents a granular analysis of the various growth drivers and restraints in the market. The report also presents a detailed assessment of the competitive landscape and identifies key players contributing towards its growth. Further, it leverages market-leading analytical tools to gauge the opportunities and threats awaiting players.Global Healthcare Payer Services Market: Trends and OpportunitiesSome of the factors at the forefront of driving the global healthcare payer services market are increased adoption of technologies  particularly digital technology  to bring about economical business process services, growing focus on consumerism, and a host of healthcare regulatory policies. No wonder then, tech titans are some of the main players in the market. They are increasingly integrating mobility and health plans to engage enrolled members.Other factors helping the markets growth are the increasing private healthcare insurance exchanges and IT investments. The pressing demand to bring down the overall administrative costs of member management services, rising need for cost effective solutions for the healthcare payer services, and the alarming instances of healthcare fraud cases are few things expected to shape the course of the market in the near future.Request Discount of the Report @At present, the private payers are ahead of the public payers in the global market for healthcare payer services. This is because of the massive investment by private players in the healthcare payer vertical and significant government efforts to induce private investment in the healthcare industry. Public payers, however, are slated to clock solid growth in the years ahead.Global Healthcare Payer Services Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, North America holds a dominant position in the global market for healthcare payer services at present, powered mainly by the U.S. This is because of the rising number of health insurance enrollment, helpful reimbursement framework, and dearth of skilled professionals. Besides North America, Asia Pacific is another emerging market that holds out a strong promise of growth. In fact, India, an emerging economy in the region, is a global market leader in the knowledge process outsourcing (KPO). China and Japan in the region are also slated to contribute substantially to the market. In the Rest of the World, Mexico and Brazil are shining stars poised to impact the global market growth.Companies Mentioned in the ReportSome of the prominent companies competing in the global market for healthcare payer services, profiled in the report are Cognizant Technology Solutions, Accenture plc, Xerox Corporation, Genpact Limited, Hewlett-Packard, Hexaware Technologies Limited, HCL Technologies Ltd., Teleperformance Group, Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd., and Wipro Limited.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Future of Regenerative Braking Systems Size 2022 ADVICS, Bosch, Continental, Hitachi, TRW, APG, Youfin

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MarketStudyReport.com Add New Global Regenerative Braking Systems Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 to its research database. The report presents a deep study of the market growth factors and drivers. The report spread across 122 pages with table and figures in it.Regenerative Braking System (RBS) Market is a mechanism that uses a generator to recover kinetic energy while braking. In conventional vehicles, most of the kinetic energy generated during braking is converted into heat and is dissipated into the environment. RBS helps in converting the generated heat into electrical energy and further store it in an energy storage system such as flywheel, batteries, and ultra-capacitors.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Regenerative Braking Systems in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Request a sample copy of Regenerative Braking Systems Market Research Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers  ADVICS, Bosch, Continental, Hitachi, TRW, APG, Youfin.Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers: North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Table of Contents: Global Regenerative Braking Systems Market Overview Global Regenerative Braking Systems Market Manufacturers Profiles Global Regenerative Braking Systems Market Competition, by Manufacturer Global Regenerative Braking Systems Market Analysis by Regions Global Regenerative Braking Systems by Countries Global Regenerative Braking Systems Market Segment by Type Global Regenerative Braking Systems Market Segment by Application Regenerative Braking Systems Market Forecast (2017-2022) Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers Research Findings and Conclusion AppendixMarket Segment by Type, covers  ESC Based System ABS Based System OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into  Hybrid Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles Plug-In Hybrid Electric VehiclesEnquire For Discount on Regenerative Braking Systems Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Regenerative Braking Systems market.Chapter 1, to describe Regenerative Braking Systems Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Regenerative Braking Systems, with sales, revenue, and price of Regenerative Braking Systems, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Regenerative Braking Systems, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Regenerative Braking Systems market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Regenerative Braking Systems sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceRelated Reports: -Global Wireless Charger Market Professional Survey Report 2017This report studies Wireless Charger in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022. ...About Us:Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News:Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter
Global Digital Power Conversion Market Expanding at a CAGR of 17.8% in 2017- 2027

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A new report added to the repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine Digital Power Conversion Market: AC/DC Segment Projected to be the Most Attractive Product Type during the Forecast Period: Global Industry Analysis (2012 - 2016) and Opportunity Assessment (2017 - 2027) is a comprehensive repository of information, providing market share, size, and forecast.Request for Sample Report @Emerging markets in countries like India, Brazil and Mexico are the new hot spots in the futureAccording to the research report on global digital power conversion market, it is anticipated to show significant market share with an exponential growth rate during the period of forecast 2017-2027. Since 2012, the digital power conversion market has been witnessing stellar growth owing to emergence of RFID and IoT technologies. The global digital power conversion market is projected to grow at a high CAGR of 17.8% throughout the period of assessment to reach a significant market valuation of more than US$ 62 Bn by the end of the assessment year from a value of around US$ 12 Bn in 2017. The increasing number of applications and increasing use of digital power technology in various applications are main aspects pushing growth of the global digital power conversion market. In the coming years, players involved in the digital power conversion market would be focusing on emerging economies such as Mexico, India and Brazil.AC/DC segment to reflect a lions share in the coming yearsAC/DC segment by product type is a fast adopted product type and is the largest among other digital power conversion products. This segment is estimated to reach a valuation of more than US$ 16 Bn by the end of the assessment period. Heavy investments in this segment have been observed since past couple of years. This segment is highly lucrative and is expected to continue cementing its dominance in the coming future.The isolated DC/DC segment in the product type category is also expected to reflect high potential in the coming years. This segment is expected to show an increase of about 6.9x in the revenue by the end of the forecasted year from the base year of 2017. This segment is also projected to grow at the highest pace to register an exponential CAGR of 21.3% throughout the period of assessment.Tough call between sequencers and power conditioning/active power filteringSequencers and power conditioning/active power filtering segments are expected to show similar growth rates in the coming years. The power conditioning/active power filtering segment is expected to grow at a pace shade lower than the sequencers segment. Sequencers segment is estimated to show a valuation of about US$ 6 Bn and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.8% throughout the period of assessment. However, the power conditioning/active power filtering segment is estimated to reflect slightly higher market value of more than US$ 6.2 Bn. Choosing between these two segments would be a challenging question for key players in the years to come.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Regional outlookThe global digital power conversion market is soaring through key regions of North America, Eastern Europe, APEJ, MEA, Latin America and Western Europe. In North America region, the isolated DC/DC segment is poised to grow at a higher CAGR than AC/DC segment, and is estimated to reflect a value of about US$ 1.1 Bn by 2027 end, which is slightly less than that of AC/DC segment. However, in Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) regions the isolated DC/DC segment dominates the market, followed by Dc/Ac segment, with a high valuation and stellar growth rate. In Latin America, the DC/AC segment is projected to grow at the highest pace to register an enormous CAGR of 40.9% throughout the period of forecast, 2017-2027. In Eastern Europe the sequencers segment is poised to reflect a higher market value and share in the years to come, thus leading the market in this region.To summarizeSuch an in-depth, comprehensive research study delivers the much needed value addition, with unbiased statistical analysis and key recommendations which can be used to plan future expansions, gain stability and improve current position in the market in a particular region. Just a click away, the reader can gain intelligence on key companies and entire market segmentation across regions. All the data and insights are skilfully crafted and presented in a systematic order for readers convenience. Actionable intelligence at its best, is what Future Market Insights delivers, global digital power conversion market research report is no exception to this moto.Send an Enquiry @Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Sachet Packaging Global Market 2017: Key Players  Amcor Limited, Ampac Holiding, Bemis Company, Constantia Flexible Group GmbH, Huhtamaki Group

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Sachet Packaging IndustryDescriptionWiseguyreports.Com Adds Sachet Packaging -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecast To 2022 To Its Research DatabaseThis report studies Sachet Packaging in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringAmcor LimitedAmpac HolidingBemis CompanyConstantia Flexible Group GmbHHuhtamaki GroupSonoco Products CompanySealed Air CorporationMondi GroupClondalkin Group HoldingsCoveris HoldingsRequest for Sample Report @By types, the market can be split intoPaperPlasticCellulosicAluminum FoilOtherBy Application, the market can be split intoCosmetic & Personal CareFood & BeveragePharmaceuticalsIndustrialConsumer GoodsOtherBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaLeave a Query @Table of ContentsGlobal Sachet Packaging Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Sachet Packaging1.1 Definition and Specifications of Sachet Packaging1.1.1 Definition of Sachet Packaging1.1.2 Specifications of Sachet Packaging1.2 Classification of Sachet Packaging1.2.1 Paper1.2.2 Plastic1.2.3 Cellulosic1.2.4 Aluminum Foil1.2.5 Other1.3 Applications of Sachet Packaging1.3.1 Cosmetic & Personal Care1.3.2 Food & Beverage1.3.3 Pharmaceuticals1.3.4 Industrial1.3.5 Consumer Goods1.3.6 Other1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India....8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Sachet Packaging8.1 Amcor Limited8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 Amcor Limited 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Amcor Limited 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Ampac Holiding8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 Ampac Holiding 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Ampac Holiding 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Bemis Company8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Bemis Company 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Bemis Company 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.4 Constantia Flexible Group GmbH8.4.1 Company Profile8.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.4.2.1 Product A8.4.2.2 Product B8.4.3 Constantia Flexible Group GmbH 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.4.4 Constantia Flexible Group GmbH 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.5 Huhtamaki Group8.5.1 Company Profile8.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.5.2.1 Product A8.5.2.2 Product B8.5.3 Huhtamaki Group 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.5.4 Huhtamaki Group 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.6 Sonoco Products Company8.6.1 Company Profile8.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.6.2.1 Product A8.6.2.2 Product B8.6.3 Sonoco Products Company 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.6.4 Sonoco Products Company 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.7 Sealed Air Corporation8.7.1 Company Profile8.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.7.2.1 Product A8.7.2.2 Product B8.7.3 Sealed Air Corporation 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.7.4 Sealed Air Corporation 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.8 Mondi Group8.8.1 Company Profile8.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.8.2.1 Product A8.8.2.2 Product B8.8.3 Mondi Group 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.8.4 Mondi Group 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.9 Clondalkin Group Holdings8.9.1 Company Profile8.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.9.2.1 Product A8.9.2.2 Product B8.9.3 Clondalkin Group Holdings 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.9.4 Clondalkin Group Holdings 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution Analysis8.10 Coveris Holdings8.10.1 Company Profile8.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.10.2.1 Product A8.10.2.2 Product B8.10.3 Coveris Holdings 2016 Sachet Packaging Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.10.4 Coveris Holdings 2016 Sachet Packaging Business Region Distribution AnalysisBuy Now @Continued...Contact Us: Sales@Wiseguyreports.Com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (Us) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (Uk)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdPune  411028Maharashtra, GlobalPh: +91 841 198 5042
Global Double Block And Bleed Valves Market Research Report 2017-2022 by Players, Regions, Product Types & Applications

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MarketResearchNest.com adds Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Double Block And Bleed Valves Market 2017 Forecast To 2022new report to its research database. The report spread across in a 116 pages with table and figures in it.A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the DOUBLE BLOCK AND BLEED VALVES in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Browse full table of contents and data tables atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversCameron, CIRCOR, Bonney Forge, AS-Schneider, Oliver Valves, Valbart (Flowserve), LandT Valves, Parker Hannifin, Swagelok, Hy-Lok, DK-Lok, Haskel, Alco Valves (Graco), Sabre Group, Western Valve, PBM Valve, Control Seal, ColsonMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversFull Bore, Reduced BoreMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoOil and Gas, Chemical Industry, Power Industry, OthersRequest a sample copy atReasons for Buying this Report:This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rateIt provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments.The research provides answers to the following key questions:What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022?What are the key factors driving the United States Double Block And Bleed Valves Market?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the United States Double Block And Bleed Valves Market?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the United States Double Block And Bleed Valves Market?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the United States Double Block And Bleed Valves Market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the United States Double Block And Bleed Valves Market?There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global DOUBLE BLOCK AND BLEED VALVES market.Chapter 1, to describe DOUBLE BLOCK AND BLEED VALVES Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of DOUBLE BLOCK AND BLEED VALVES, with sales, revenue, and price of DOUBLE BLOCK AND BLEED VALVES, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of DOUBLE BLOCK AND BLEED VALVES, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, DOUBLE BLOCK AND BLEED VALVES market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe DOUBLE BLOCK AND BLEED VALVES sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atAbout Us:MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on Global industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact UsMr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070(U.S)+44-20-3290-4151(U.K)Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Power Line Carrier Communication Market: Industry Analysis and Detailed Profiles of top Industry Players

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Rising application of energy in different verticals such as industries and agriculture is likely to drive demand for power line carrier communication during the forecast period. Power line carrier communication is a method with which existing power lines have been used to transmit information. Presently, housing units have well settled electricity lines. With this method, existing AC (alternative current) has been utilized for data transmission in a cost effective manner.Demand for electricity is witnessing increasing trend owing to rising application in the industrial and agricultural sector. Demand is high especially in developed and emerging economies due to higher concentration of industries. Power line carrier communication has been adopted in electrical transmission systems as installation of this system makes the transmission faster and smooth.Hence, growing demand for electricity boosts the demand for power line carrier communication. Higher investment in the telecommunication sector is also a major driving factor for this market to grow over time. Data transmission in the form of video communication and telephonic communication has considerably improved with the help of power line carrier communication, and development of the telecommunication sector is expected to drive the power line carrier communication market.Obtain Report Details @This system attains growing importance owing to rising concerns regarding security in home and business units. Surveillance cameras have been installed in homes and business units, which currently drives the demand for power line carrier communication.One of the major restraints of the market for power line carrier communication is that it requires skilled personnel for the maintenance of such systems. High maintenance cost is projected to hinder the growth prospects of this market during the forecast period. This type of power line carrier system produces considerable noise during operation thus creating sound pollution. This factor is also likely to restraint the growth prospect of this market during the forecast period.Home automation is seeing increasing demand, and power line carrier communication systems have been deployed in home control and automation. Utilization of power line carrier systems in home automation reduces the cost of resources and this leads to efficient utilization of resources. Use of power line carrier systems in homes leads to power management and energy conservation and this in turn offers an opportunity for the power line carrier communication market to grow during the forecast period.On the basis of technology, the power line carrier communication market is segmented into two types - broadband and narrowband. The market for narrowband is expected to expand at the highest CAGR (compound annual growth rate) during the forecast period. This type of power line carrier has been increasingly used in residential, industrial, and commercial buildings. Moreover, application of power over Ethernet and wireless access points is anticipated to propel the market demand for power line carrier communication over the forecast period.Request Sample @Based on verticals, the power line carrier communication market is segmented into commercial, residential, and industrial. The commercial vertical held the dominant market share and is expected to retain the same during the forecast period. There is growing transformation to smart metering systems. Moreover, rising trend of home automation coupled with surging need for reliable and secure network systems is slated to propel the demand for power line carrier communication during the forecast period.According to geographic locations, the market is segmented into five regions. These include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America. Asia Pacific is likely to be the fastest growing region for the power line carrier communication market owing to the growing adoption of smart metering infrastructure in this region. Furthermore, utilization of power line carrier based infrastructure in commercial and industrial sectors is contributing to the growth path of this market.Some of the key market players in the power line carrier communication market include Texas Instruments Inc, Linear Technology Corp., STMicroelectronics N.V., Cypress Semiconductor Corp. and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Fermentation Chemicals Global Market 2017: Key Players  DSM, Evonik, Hansen, BASF, The Dow Chemical Company

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Fermentation Chemicals IndustryDescriptionWiseguyreports.Com Adds Fermentation Chemicals -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecast To 2022 To Its Research DatabaseGlobal Fermentation Chemicals market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAjinomoto (Japan)DSM (Netherlands)Evonik (Germany)Hansen (Denmark)BASF (Germany)The Dow Chemical Company (US)AB Enzymes (Germany)Archer Daniels Midland CompanyCargill Incorporation (US)Du Pont Danisco A/S (US)Novozymes A/S (Denmark)Request for Sample Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Fermentation Chemicals in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoAlcoholsEnzymesOrganic AcidsOthersOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingIndustrial ApplicationsFood and BeveragesNutritional and PharmaceuticalPlastics and FibersChemicalsOthersLeave a Query @Table of ContentsGlobal Fermentation Chemicals Market Research Report 20171 Fermentation Chemicals Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Fermentation Chemicals1.2 Fermentation Chemicals Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Fermentation Chemicals Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Fermentation Chemicals Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Alcohols1.2.4 Enzymes1.2.5 Organic Acids1.2.6 Others1.3 Global Fermentation Chemicals Segment by Application1.3.1 Fermentation Chemicals Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Industrial Applications1.3.3 Food and Beverages1.3.4 Nutritional and Pharmaceutical1.3.5 Plastics and Fibers1.3.6 Chemicals1.3.7 Others1.4 Global Fermentation Chemicals Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Fermentation Chemicals Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Fermentation Chemicals (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Fermentation Chemicals Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)....7 Global Fermentation Chemicals Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Ajinomoto (Japan)7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Ajinomoto (Japan) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 DSM (Netherlands)7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 DSM (Netherlands) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Evonik (Germany)7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Evonik (Germany) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Hansen (Denmark)7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Hansen (Denmark) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 BASF (Germany)7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 BASF (Germany) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 The Dow Chemical Company (US)7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 The Dow Chemical Company (US) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 AB Enzymes (Germany)7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 AB Enzymes (Germany) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Archer Daniels Midland Company7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Archer Daniels Midland Company Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Cargill Incorporation (US)7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Cargill Incorporation (US) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Du Pont Danisco A/S (US)7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Fermentation Chemicals Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Du Pont Danisco A/S (US) Fermentation Chemicals Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 Novozymes A/S (Denmark)Buy Now @Continued...Contact Us: Sales@Wiseguyreports.Com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (Us) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (Uk)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdPune  411028Maharashtra, GlobalPh: +91 841 198 5042
IoT Node and Gateway Market: Projection of Each Major Segment over the Forecast Period.

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The global IoT node and gateway market is expected to witness a huge growth in the forecast period from 2017 to 2025 as there lies immense growth potential in its end-use applications such as defense, BFSI, retail, and aerospace. The growing IP address space, improved security offered by IPv6, and improvement in internet connectivity worldwide are some of the drivers of the growth of the global IoT node and gateway market.The growing initiatives by governments and improvement in the IT infrastructure, especially in emerging economies such as China, Brazil, and India are some of the other factors aiding the growth of this market. The increased use of wireless sensors, growth in application specific microcontroller units, and improved internet connectivity shall boost the growth of the global IoT node and gateway market in the years to come.The increasing shipment of logics devices on account of the growing adoption of wearable devices by the tech savvy consumers of today has boosted the growth of this market. Wearable technology has gained high traction in recent times in countries such as Brazil, China, and India and is fueling the growth prospects of the overall IoT node and gateway market.Obtain Report Details @On the other hand, there is no common protocol for communication. This lack of standard communication protocols across various platforms will pose a challenge for the market. In addition to this, connected devices consume high power and this will also deter their adoption, hampering the growth of the global IoT node and gateway market.In telecommunication, gateway means the networking hardware. Computers or computer networks perform the task of gateways. A computer that is used by internet service providers helps to connect with internet users and that is referred to as gateway nodes. Increasing application of internet of things (IoT) is expected to drive the growth of the IoT node and gateway market during the forecast period.The growth of the IoT node and gateway market is influenced by considerable advancement in telecommunication networks. Governments of emerging economies such as China, India, and South Korea are increasing their investment in telecommunication, and being attractive investment destinations, these regions attract significant foreign investment.Higher internet penetration in these regions is triggering the growth of the IoT node and gateway market in recent years. Technological advancement in these regions leads to improved IT infrastructure which is likely to drive the IoT node and gateway market during the forecast period. Growing importance of IT security is another driver for the IoT node and gateway market in recent years.On the basis of hardware, the IoT node and gateway market is segmented into five types. These include processor, connectivity IC, memory device, logic device, and sensors. IoT node and gateway market for connectivity IC held the dominant market share as there is increasing demand for low profile connectivity technology such as Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. With rapid expansion of data transmission, this low profile connectivity technology is witnessing increasing demand, thus projecting higher demand for IoT node and gateway during the forecast period.IoT node and gateway find substantial usage in different industry verticals such as healthcare, wearable devices, building automation, consumer electronics, retail, and banking, financial service & insurance (BFSI). IoT node and gateway market for BFSI industry segment is likely to expand at the fastest rate over the forecast period.Request Sample @Advent of digitization has encouraged increasing application of technology in the banking and financial sector. Online banking, installation of mobile banking apps, and contactless payment has become popular owing to the considerable application of technology in the banking sector. The objective of banks and other financial institutions is to widen their customer base, thus offering them the opportunity of easy and hassle-free transactions. Rising user base of consumer electronic goods broadens the prospect for mobile point of sale devices. Internet penetration coupled with rising use of smartphones and tablets facilitates online payments and this factor will help to trigger the IoT node and gateway market during the forecast period.Healthcare and building automation also commands considerable market share in the IoT node and gateway market. Internet of things facilitates interconnection among physical devices such as buildings, healthcare equipment, and vehicles with software, sensors and others. This kind of inter-connectivity promotes automation in physical devices. Growing popularity of automation in automobile, real estate, and healthcare increases demand for IoT node and gateway in these industries, thus propelling the market opportunity during the forecast period.On the basis of geography, the IoT node and gateway market is segmented into five regions - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America. North America held the leading market share as Internet of Things has maximum usage in this region. Automation in vehicles and healthcare has been emphasized owing to rising government initiatives and lump sum investment.These factors promote the growth trajectory of this market in this region. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing segment in the IoT node and gateway market as there has been considerable growth in infrastructure which trigger utilization of IoT node and gateway in retail, real estate, and automobile industries.Some of the key market players in the IoT node and gateway market include Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd., Texas Instruments Inc., NXP Semiconductor N.V, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
"Digital Economy: Technology Service to Lawyers"

Digital Economy Market

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Digital Economy Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Digital Economy Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.Executive SummaryDigital Economy: Technology Service to Lawyers a way for lawyers to get quick and accurate insight into technology that relates to their caseload. The services provide immediate answers to questions, with the answers provide a key insight about the details of the technology and the relevance to a particular issue.Independent research organization funded by the sale of market research studies all over the world and by the implementation of ROI models that are used to calculate the total cost of ownership of equipment, services, and software. The company has 35 distributors worldwide, including Global Information Info Shop, Market Research.com, Research and Markets, and electronics.ca.Positioned to help customers facing challenges that define the modern enterprises. The increasingly global nature of science, technology and engineering is a reflection of the implementation of the globally integrated enterprise. Customers trust wintergreen research to work alongside them to ensure the success of the participation in a particular market segment.Supports various market segment programs; provides trusted technical services to the marketing departments. It carries out accurate market share and forecast analysis services for a range of commercial and government customers globally. These are all vital market research support solutions requiring trust and integrityRequest Sample Report @Key TopicsTechnology Service to LawyersDigital EconomyInnovationSelf-Driving CarsLidarBio-MaterialsNanotechnologyRobotsArtificial Intelligence (AI)Mega Data CentersWatson Data Platform400G Optical Transceivers400G Transmitter / TransceiversMega DatacenterOnline CommerceStreaming VideoSocial NetworkingCloud ServicesScalable InfrastructureIoT Internet of ThingsFor further information on this report, visit -Table of Content:1. Lawyers Are Tasked with Developing Regulations and Litigating Issues1.1 Drone Delivery, Self-Driving Cars, And Robots1.2 Digital Economy Consists of The Internet of Things, Robots, Drones, Artificial Intelligence, And Smart Devices1.3 IoT Monitoring Task1.4 MEMs Sensor Applications1.5 Our Research Has a Lot of Studies in Print Relevant To Lawyers Who Need To Understand The Digital Economy2. Autonomous Vehicle Car Services3. Lidar Summary Example3.1 LIDAR Stands for Light Detection and Remote Sensing4. Semiconductors Used in Sensing5. Biomaterials Inside CI Biological Materials That Are Implanted into The Ear Area6. Watson Data Platform7. 400G Optical Transceivers7.1 400G Transmitter / Transceivers8. Mega Datacenter Online Commerce, Streaming Video, Social Networking, And Cloud Services9. Adapter Processor Wired Scalable Infrastructure10. Services Cost and Description10.1 Deliverables10.2 Cost10.3 Project Team Approach10.4 Time and LengthContinuousBuy this Report @Contact Us:Norah Trentsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Tall Oil & Fatty Acid Derivatives Market to Expand with Significant CAGR During 2017 - 2025

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Over the last two decades, the pulping process has been producing huge amounts of tall oil as a byproduct. At the same time, there has been an exponential growth in the demand for tall oil and fatty acid derivatives. Tall oil is major derivative and co-product of kraft pulping and is a valuable, renewable and versatile substance; fractions of which are upgraded into a wide range of products all over the world. Pulp and paper mill industries are major suppliers for these products. After distillation, tall oil remains the main derivative while fatty acids are obtained as by products; the latter has an overwhelming number of applications. Fatty acids mainly comprise fats and possess a simple structure with a long hydrocarbonate chain and one or more carboxylic groups. They are also referred to as saturated fatty acids and most of them are obtained from the hydrolysis of hard animal fats, coconut oil and soya bean oil.Request For Report Sample:Tall oil and fatty acid derivatives are also known as TOFA derivatives. Nearly 20% to 30% yield of tall oil and fatty acid is derived from fractional distillation. Tall oil and fatty acid derivatives are the primary varieties of natural fatty acids and are expected to witness significant market growth in terms of value and volume. Tall oil and fatty acid derivatives are rich sources of acids, such as linoleic acid and oleic acid. Demand for tall oil and fatty acid derivatives is expected to surge significantly in the near future owing to its numerous applications in a multitude of end user industries. The demand for kraft pulping process is forecasted to indirectly fuel demand for the tall oil and fatty acid derivative market in the coming future.The consumption of tall oil and fatty acid derivative products all over the world is increasing, but due to stringent government regulations and rules, there has been a ban on their use in the application of paint and coating in the industrial and commercial sector owing to their harmful and toxic nature.Market DynamicsThe tall oil and fatty acid derivatives market is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR, in terms of value and volume in the forecast period. The factor expected to drive the market is the increasing demand for tall oil and fatty acid derivatives from end user industries. Among these, industries expected to contribute significantly are paint and coating industries, followed by rubber.Geographically, North America and Europe are forecasted to drive demand for the tall oil and fatty acid derivatives market. Small manufacturers rarely opt for tall oil and fatty acid derivatives in industrial applications owing to the fluctuation in their prices. This is anticipated to act as restraint in market growth. Growing demand from paint and coating manufacturers is expected to significantly boost demand for the tall oil and fatty acid derivatives market over the next decade. Burgeoning growth of the market has created an opportunity for manufacturers to enter the tall oil and fatty acid derivatives business. Globally, there is a tremendous opportunity for manufacturers to invest in the tall oil and fatty acid derivative market and capture the market share. Use of tall oil and fatty acid derivatives for PVC stabilizers and lubricants is the current trend of tall oil and fatty acid derivatives market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Market ParticipantsExamples of some key market players of the tall oil & fatty acid derivatives market are:Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLCUNIVARKraton Corporation.Katalizer IndiaReagens SPAAmfine Chemical CorporationGalata ChemicalsAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Flip Chip Technology Market Key Players  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung Electronics, Nepes, Amkor Technology, IBM, OPTEK etc. with Production Information analysis and Forecast to 2022

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The research study, titled Global Flip Chip Technology Market Report 2017, presents a detailed assessment of the historical and the current performance of this market, taking the key trends, driving factors, limitations, and significant opportunities into consideration. The Flip Chip Technology market research report will assist you take well-versed decisions, understand opportunities, plan effective business strategies, plan new projects, analyze drivers and restraints and give you a vision on the industry forecast.Take a look to the Sample Pages @The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The market analysis is delivered for the Flip Chip Technology market including competitive background analysis, growth trends, and fundamental regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also scrutinized. This report also states supply and demand figures, cost, price, import/export consumption, revenue and gross margins.Market Segments:The research report not only offers readers a broad overview of the international industry but also provides a granular assessment of the regional market in several countries and regions. Aspects such as the history of market development, the major development trends in the Flip Chip Technology market, the development of products and technologies, the vendor landscape, and the promising countries and regions such as United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China have been included in this report, in addition to a comparative analytical assessment of the various regional segments.Any Queries? Ask to Our Industry Experts @Key Deliverables:- Market analysis, with region specific assessments and competition analysis.- Market definition along with the identification of key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges- Extensively researched competitive landscape section with company profiles of the key players, with the analysis of their current strategic interests and key financial information- Identification and analysis of the macro and micro factors that affect the market- Insights of the market in the regions that have the highest potential for growth and also identify the markets that are still untappedMarket Drivers:The Global Flip Chip Technology market report profiles the key market players such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung Electronics, Nepes, Amkor Technology, IBM, OPTEK etc. which are dominant in the market. It also provides essential information about leading companies, such as product specification, financial overview, business overview, contact information, and recent developments. The challenges faced by the companies, the factors helping them to reach the top level in the global Flip Chip Technology market, and the strategies implemented by each of the market players to market their products have been given. With the help of such data, a stakeholder or an emerging player in the market is armed to make strategic decisions leading to their benefit or profit.Demand for Table of Contents @ Click HereThe report gives an in-depth analysis of capacity, technical data & manufacturing plants, manufacturing cost structure, and production. It also offers insights into upstream investments, raw materials and equipment, and downstream consumer analysis. The information regarding various distribution and marketing channels and scope of new investment projects has also been presented in the report.Get full report @About Research N Reports:Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems.Contact:Sunny Denis10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com ,
Nano Crystal Cellulose Market to Witness an Outstanding Growth by 2025

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Introduction: Nano Crystal Cellulose MarketNano crystal cellulose is one of the key emerging renewable nanomaterial which is anticipated to create an enormous influence on end use sector. Nano crystal cellulose is obtained by extraction of wood biomass and then it can treated with solid, liquid or with gel form. Pulp, wood, potato, bacteria, sugar beet are the raw material used for nano crystal cellulose. Various methods are used to manufacture nano crystal cellulose such as, acetylation, esterification and others, but of which acidic treatment method is actively used to achieve the maximum yield of nano crystal cellulose. Properties of nano crystal cellulose plays a vital role in consumption globally such as, its high aspect ratio, good water uptake, film formation, strong fiber network, and others, along with this key properties nano crystal cellulose has unique electrical, optical and magnetic properties. The approximate diameter of nano crystal cellulose ranges between 3-5 nm and of length 100-600 nm. Owing to advanced tensile strength nano crystal cellulose can be used in the manufacture of lightweight and strong composites, which can be used in construction, packaging and aerospace industry. In electronic industry, NCC can be used in electronic displays, panels and security papers.A sample of this report is available upon request @Consumption of nano crystal cellulose in end use industries is expected to gain traction in the near future. Application of nano crystal cellulose in oil & gas industry plays a vital role it can used as, rheloogy modifier, thickner during the drilling fluid and as viscosifier. In paints & coatings industry, nano crystal cellulose used as functional additives to alter rheological properties as well as emulsifier.Market Dynamics: Nano Crystal Cellulose MarketThe nano crystal cellulose market is expected to gain traction during the forecast period. The demand is majorly driven some of the key factors end user industries such as drilling fluids, automotive and among others. In automotive sector, nano crystal cellulose based composites can be used in the production of accessories such as cushions, headliners and headlamps. The other driving factors for the growth of nano crystal cellulose are its properties such as, its optical filler content property than any other cellulose. Application of nano crystal cellulose over others is expected to gain traction in end use industries such as, cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical among others. In spite of significant applications, the nano crystal cellulose threat from many substitutes such as cellulose ethers and microcrystalline cellulose is expected to hinder the market growth over the next few years. Along with this, shortage of commercial machineries and low consumer awareness are the expected to be the major restraints for the market growth.Market Segmentation: Nano Crystal Cellulose MarketThe nano crystal cellulose market is segmented on the basis of forms, method, application and end use industriesOn the basis of forms, the nano crystal cellulose market is segmented into:SolidLiquidGelOn the basis of methods, the nano crystal cellulose market is segmented into:AcetylationEsterificationOn the basis of application, the nano crystal cellulose market is segmented into:CushionsHeadlampsDrilling FluidsPaper ProcessingPaints & CoatingsOthersOn the basis of end use industry, the nano crystal cellulose market is segmented into:Oil & GasPaints & CoatingsPulp & PaperAutomotiveOthersRegional Outlook: Nano Crystal Cellulose MarketNorth America and Western Europe are anticipated to thrive the demand for nano crystal cellulose in between 2017 and 2027. The U.S. is expected to grow the demand for nano crystal cellulose in North America. However, Western Europe is projected to dominate the demand for nano crystal cellulose in Europe owing to demand from end use industry. Eastern Europe is expected to be the key producer of nano crystal cellulose. Asia Pacific is expected to be the major market for nano crystal cellulose in the coming years. China and India are projected to drive the demand in Asia Pacific region. However, Japan and ASEAN countries are proposed to witness for potential opportunities for nano crystal cellulose over the forecast period.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the key players in the Nano Crystal Cellulose market are:Asahi Kasei CorporationDaicel CorporationKemira OyjCelluForce IncBorregaard ChemcelValentis NanotechAmerican Process IncAxcelon Biopolymers CorporationCelluForce Inc.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:
Organic Food Market Trends, outlook and Opportunity Analysis 2024

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Global Organic Food Market: OverviewIn todays world where everything is powered by the latest cutting-edge technology, farmers are heralding back to age-old practices in agriculture for greater good of humankind on this planet. This has been necessitated by a new crop of health-conscious consumers increasingly aware about the harmful effects of chemicals and other additives in food, farmers are now heralding back to age-old farming practices to produce what is known as organic food. From the seed to the soil or water and the final product, everything that goes into bringing organic food to the table is natural and free from pesticides, chemicals, and fertilizers.Read Report Overview @On account of the antiquated methods used, organic food takes longer to produce and requires more care. As a result, they cost more than other foods that are produced in less amount of time with the use of various chemicals and fertilizers. Consumers who consider health to be of paramount importance, however, do not mind shelling out a little more for organic food products. According to the Transparency Market Research report, the global market for organic food will likely expand at a healthy rate in the coming years, especially in developed regions.Global Organic Food Market: Drivers and TrendsBesides discerning consumers, an important factor driving the growth of the market are concerns about the environment. Pesticides used to thwart pests ranging from bacteria, insects, mites, and mollusks to birds and rodents that not just make their way into the human body but also accumulate in the soil and water. This damages the environment and hence, by consuming inorganic food, humans contribute to environmental degradation.Organic food, on the other hand, is produced by farmers through reusable resources, limiting the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals in food. They are usually cultivated in small, family-run farms, wherein preservation of the quality of soil and water is of utmost importance so that future generations inherit fertile lands. Farmers also follow crop rotation methods to retain the fertility of the soil. Such form of farming reduces the toxic load on the environment. As a result, governments in many nations are funding organic farming. This, coupled with many private players foraying into the field as well as growing population pressure, has majorly boosted the market so far.Request Report Brochure @Global Organic Food Market: Geographical OutlookOn the basis of geography, the global organic food market can be divided into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Rest of World. Among them, Europe has been leading the market with the maximum amount of revenue. Economies in North America are expected to grow at a good clip too due to the substantial purchasing of the large middle class population there. It is the Rest of the World and Asia Pacific, however, that are predicted to outpace the two continents in terms of growth rate. Developed countries such as Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, the U.S., and Germany have so far witnessed maximum demand for organically grown food.Key Players Mentioned in the ReportSome of the key players in the global market for organic food are Spartan Stores Inc, Hain Celestial Group Inc., United Natural Foods Inc., AMCON Distributing Co., Amys Kitchen, Whole Foods Market Inc., Clif Bar & Company, The Kroger Co., Inc, Dole Food Co., Inc., Frito-Lay, Newmans Own, Inc., Dean Foods, and Organic Valley.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Industrial Battery Market Revenue, Opportunity, Forecast and Value Chain 2017-2027

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Industrial Battery Market: IntroductionAn individual battery or a battery pack designed exclusively for professional or industrial use is an industrial battery. An industrial battery consists of two electrodes connected by an electrolyte, which allows the flow of current, converting chemical energy to electric power. Industrial batteries are the energy source for most suppliers and manufacturers and lead-acid based, lithium based and nickel based batteries are the common families of industrial batteries.Industrial batteries are used to power heavy machinery, electric vehicles, trucks and forklifts specifically designed for moving and lifting materials. They comprise an energy foundation, which powers huge data centers to keep the internet online and cellular phone towers that keep us connected all around the world. The design of these batteries has been evolving for industrial and consumer applications, such as a power source to drive electric vehicles. According to estimates, the industrial battery market generates billions in sales per year and is expected to grow in years to come as these batteries are low cost and efficient.Request Report Sample@Industrial batteries are rigid and generally used in difficult-to-reach or remote areas where appliances need to be self-powered. In these situations, replacement or re-charging of batteries is not an easy alternative or is entirely impossible. Hence, failure of battery often results in device failure. Therefore, it is essential that industrial batteries are capable of providing reliable power to devices, so they may operate for as long as needed.The main applications of industrial batteries are automotive tags, valve regulated batteries, wireless sensors, Absorbent Glass Mats (AGM), GPS tracking machines and oceanographic instruments. Also, monitoring devices and the process control used in hard to reach locations are affected by adverse environmental conditions. Thus, industrial batteries are the best suitable option where low maintenance, temperature sensitivity and volume are crucial.Industrial Battery Market: DynamicsThe growing automotive, electrical and electronic heavy machinery industries are surging demand for industrial batteries across the globe.Industrial battery Market will be driven by continues advancement of technology in electronic industry and also, considerable demand of uninterrupted power supply, and battery powered systems is expected to accelerate the sales of industrial batteries.Industrial lead-acid batteries are relatively durable and currently trending in the market. They hold a sizeable share of the market and this segment is expected to grow exponentially in coming years. These batteries are also recyclable and low emission. Manufacturers in the industrial battery market are reaping profits from the rapidly increasing production of hybrid and electric vehicles, particularly in the U.S. and Western Europe. However, the maintenance and weight of industrial batteries are hindering the market growth. Focusing on manufacturing more compact batteries can prove to be an opportunity for manufacturers.Industrial Battery Market: SegmentationSegmentation of the industrial battery market by type:Lead-Acid batteriesLithium-based batteriesNickel-based batteriesSegmentation of the industrial battery market by rated capacity:Cell Voltage  Operational Range, Depth of Discharge, Cathode MaterialCapacity  Nominal vs UsablePower  Discharge Rate, Pulse Loads, ImpedanceCharging  Charge rate, Charge Voltage, Electrolyte DependentSegmentation of the industrial battery market on the basis of application:Telecom and data communicationIndustrial equipmentUPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) / Power supply backupGrid-level energy storageAutomotive industryAerospace industryRemote wireless communicationMilitaryElectronics and electricalOtherIndustrial Battery Market: Regional OutlookChina is considered as a growing market for industrial batteries, due to increasing output from the manufacturing sector, especially electrical and electronic manufacturing industries and motor vehicles. Western Europe and North America are next in line to see a potential increase in industrial battery demand, due to the growing demand for battery supported systems that regulate power frequency and store energy. In the United States, industrial battery suppliers are prospering from the rising installation of off-grid renewable energy systems and micro-grid renewable energy systems.Visit For TOC@Industrial Battery Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the industrial battery market are:S BatteryEnerSysExide Industries Ltd.GB Industrial BatteryCenturyYuasaJohnson ControlsPanasonicLG Chem.Automotive Energy Supply CorporationBYD Motors Inc.GS YuasaSamsung sdi co. Ltd.Bloomberg L.P.Deutsche Accumotive GmbH & Co. KG.Lithium Air IndustriesTianeng Power International Co., Ltd.Exide Technologies Inc.SAFT Group S.A.Other.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and IndiaContact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Wall Covering Market with Current Trends Analysis, 2015-2021

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The global wall covering market is anticipated to register single digit growth rate over the forecast period. The global wall coverings market includes varied products such as wall tiles, wallpapers, unframed mirrors, interior paints and wall panels. The advantages of wall covering includes customised selection of colours and designs to suit furnishings of the house. The disadvantage of wall covering is lack of design available and fading of pattern and colour over time.Request For Report Sample:The major driver of wall covering market include rising environment consciousness coupled with introduction of new styled product and greater shelf life. Also, rapid urbanization, growing middle class and rising standard of living are some of the factors which is also driving the market for wall covering globally. However, small shelf life and high cost are the major factor which are restraining the wall covering market from its potential growth. The market is likely to witness the launch of variety of viable wall panels and wallpapers, eco-friendly interior paints. Technological advancement such as ink-jet printing technology which allows the ceramic surfaces to copy any look, design and texture is expected to boost the wall covering market globally.The global wall covering market is segmented on the basis of type, application and by region. On the basis of type the global wall covering market is segmented paint, wall panel, fabric wall covering, glass wall covering, metal wall covering, ceramics and others. Further, wall panel is sub-segmented into laminate panel, sheet panel, finished gypsum board, solid wood panel and other wall panel. Wallpaper is sub-segmented into paper backed vinyl, fabric-backed vinyl, vinyl coated fabric and other wallpaper. Ceramics is further sub-segmented into glass ceramics, porcelain ceramic and other ceramic. On the basis of application the market is segmented into residential and non-residential. Lastly, on the basis of region the market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East and Africa.Europe is the main market for wall covering globally with highest growth rate and likely to remain the major market in terms of market value during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at a significant growth rate over the projected period primarily due to rising middle class and their changing attitude towards interior decors coupled with rapid urbanisation. However, US is single largest market globally for wall covering. China is one of the major producers of building materials and ranks first in the production of ceramic tiles worldwide. Latin America shows a positive growth in its countries such as Brazil and Chile due to growing architectural coatings.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players in the global market include Dal-Tile Corporation, Crossville Inc., , Emilceramica S.p.A, Marazzi Group, Johnson Tiles, , Blue Mountain, Brewster Home Fashions, F. Schumacher & Company, Marazzi Group, The Designtex Group, Decorative Panels International, Georgia-Pacific LLC, Nippon Paint Co. Ltd., Wilsonart LLC, Akzo Nobel N.V., Asian Paints Limited, Benjamin Moore & Co., Sherwin-Williams Company, and Valspar Corporation to name a few.ABOUT US:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesT: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Website:
Online Hyper-local Services Market: Insights into the Competitive Scenario of the Market

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Online hyper-local services mainly provide services to customers through online portals, websites, and apps. The consumer accesses this service for online purchase, to order food, for hotel booking, e-ticket purchasing, and transportation service among others.The global market of online hyper-local services is growing significantly and is expected to see robust growth during the forecast period. Internet accessibility is driving the growth of online hyper-local services globally owing to the increasing use of smart phones. The market is also being driven by enhanced awareness of advanced technology and dependence on easily accessible apps in daily life. Due to the rapid penetration of various e-commerce companies, manufacturers operating in this field are trigging the market growth of online hyper-local services.Obtain Report Details @Moreover, consumers are more inclined toward online purchasing due to time saving and discounts in price. Due to this factor, the online hyper-local service market is growing substantially. Additionally, as the awareness of these services increase, in turn the manufacturers also focus more on developing user-friendly, highly-interactive services to meet the demands of its customers.However, in many rural areas in developing countries such as India, China, and Brazil people are unaware of internet connection and apps. Therefore, they do not access such online portals or apps. Manufacturers and governments of these countries are taking initiatives to develop and provide free internet connections. Therefore, the online hyper-local services market is expected to see steady growth in rural areas. The impact of this restraint is high in recent times but is expected to be low during the forecast period.Service and product delivery assurance is an important component of the hyper-local services business model. Owing to the highly developed delivery networks of hyper-local services, the market of online hyper-local services is growing substantially and is expected to witness steady growth during the forecast period.The online hyper-local services market is segmented into two categories, based on end use and service. By end use, the market is segmented by individual users and commercial users. In terms of service, the market is segmented into food ordering, grocery ordering, home utility service, logistics service providers, and others.Request Sample @By geography, the global online hyper-local services market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. The North America online hyper-local service market held the dominant share in 2016 and is anticipated to hold its position throughout the forecast period. The Asia Pacific (APAC) online hyper-local service market is expected to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period 2017-2025.Increasing adoption of advanced technology in daily life is the major driving factor in North America and is expected to fuel the overall market growth of the online hyper-local services market during the forecast period. Additionally, in Europe and Asia Pacific, many consumers are dependent on online services such as grocery, transport booking, food ordering, etc. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to see the highest growth due to rising economics such as China and India. Middle East & Africa has shown remarkable growth in the online hyper-local services market followed by Latin America in recent years.The online hyper-local service market is marked by strong competition from the key players operating in this industry. This is because of numerous mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and partnership agreements, product innovation, research and development, and geographical expansion strategies adopted by players to ensure long-term sustenance in these markets. Key participants in the global online hyper-local services market include Zomato Media Pvt. Ltd (India), Foodpanda group (Germany), Uber Technologies Inc (U.S.)., HomeFinder.com, LLC (U.S.), Tribus Group (Netherland) and Estately Inc. (U.S.).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
PMR Releases New Report on the Global Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether Market

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Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, also referred to as 2-Butoxyethanol, is an organic compound which is obtained by ethoxylation of ethylene oxide and butanol. It is also synthesized by etherification reaction of 2-chloroethanol and butanol. Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, an organic colourless chemical with ether like odour, is relatively less volatile and an inexpensive organic solvent. It is characterized by a high boiling point and miscibility in water, alcohols and ketones. The most common uses of Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether are those in paints and surface coatings. Moreover, it also finds application in detergents and cleaning products and in inks. Besides the aforementioned applications, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether also finds application in photographic strip solutions, solvent for greases, dyestuffs, in asphalt release agents, oil spill dispersants, and asphalt release agents among others. Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether is also used as feedstock in production of chemicals such as butyl glycol acetate or BGA.Request For Report Sample:Global Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether market is expected to witness a steady growth in revenue during the forecast period. The primary factors that are likely to drive the growth of Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether market are the increase in demand from Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether end use industries. The growth in demand for surface coatings, cleaners, inks among others is expected to in turn result in growth of global ethylene monobutyl ether market during the forecast period. Increasing demand from developing regions of the globe especially from the countries in Asia Pacific is another factor that is expected to drive the growth of global Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether market over the forecast period. Moreover, cost effectiveness of Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether is another factor that is likely to result in growing use of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether forms an important component of both, industrial and household cleaners. As such, it expected to witness a steady growth in its demand during the forecast period. Substitution of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether in certain application areas is likely to impede the growth of global market for the chemical.On the basis of end use application areas, global Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether market can be segmented into following key market segments:Surface CoatingsDetergents & CleanersInksChemical IntermediateOthersOn the basis of geographic regions, global Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether market is segmented into seven key market segments namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Some of the identified major players operating in the global Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether market are as follows:BASF SEDow Chemical CompanyEastman Chemical CompanyLyondellBasell Industries N.V.Jinan Shijitongda Chemical Co., Ltd.ABOUT US:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesT: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Website:
Global Home Healthcare Market Proliferate Relentlessly; Asserts MRFR Unleashing Industry Forecast Up To 2022

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Every day, people around the world enjoy the benefits of home healthcare services. There is the wide range of services that can help people at their home when they are suffering with illness or injury. These services are very less expensive in comparison to services which people get in hospitals. Mostly doctors refer for home health care services, once they done with their treatment. And the home health agency will schedule an appointment and come to your home to talk to you about your needs and ask you some questions about your health.Get a sample report atThe global home healthcare market is growing with a swift phase; mainly due to increase in patient population with chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, stroke, and arthritis. According to report published in University of California, Los Angeles, in 2017, around 47 million Americans already demonstrate with Alzheimers and projected to get double by 2060. These rapidly rising in the number of patients suffering with chronic disease, increasing the demand of home healthcare services globally. Thus, market players such as Johnson & Johnson, Omron Healthcare and many more will capture the maximum share of the market.In 2017, Johnson & Johnson completed the acquisition with Actelion Ltd, for a total purchase price of approximately $30 billion in cash. Janssen Holding GmbH part of Johnson and Johnson, have to acquire all publicly held shares of Actelion Ltd for USD 280 per share. Companies are continuously engaged in merger and acquisition activities for the development of best home health care services. These acquisition will help company to fill the gap of market.There are many more mergers and acquisitions taking place in order to improve the quality of life of patients. In this regard, Merck & Co. and Pfizer are continuously working together from last four years to introduce best product and finally four year old alliance has reached fruition with the filling of three new products in year 2017. These companies was working together since 2013, and announced that studies of ertugliflozin, an investigational oral SGLT-2 inhibitor in evolution to help control glucose level in adults with type 2 diabetes, met their primary endpoints.Another development made by Janssen Biotech, Inc. a division of Johnson and Johnson, in 2017, where company announce that FDA approve the guselkumab (Tremfya) for the treatment of psoriasis. These development help the Companies to more focus on research and development program in order to capture maximum market share and maximize the profit.Browse Complete Report atGlobal Home Healthcare Market - Regional AnalysisThe market for home healthcare is much higher in the Americas, according to the American Burn Association (ABA), approximately 486,000 burn injuries were reported in the U.S in 2014. The government have more focus towards research and development for introducing the best home healthcare treatment for their citizen.The market of home healthcare is growing rapidly in Asia Pacific region, owing to presence of patient population suffering with injuries and chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) publication in 2014, nearly 1 million people suffer from moderate to severe burns every year in India. Thus, the increasing incidence of burn cases is driving the demand of home health care services. Additionally, high rate of obesity population, stress, and unhealthy life balance leads the diabetes population in this region. Which again create the requirement of home healthcare services for easy life balance. Government of developing countries within this region are more focusing towards new technology and advance treatment option, thus more research and development programs are initiated for the development of new drugs. These are the factors which are fuelling the growth of the market of home healthcare with the significant rates. Countries like India and china are more focused market for global market players owing to growing purchasing power as compare to other countries in this region. Hence, market players always focus to capture maximum market share of these countries.About usAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureP: +1 646 845 9312W:sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Biodegradable Polymers Market Segments, Opportunity, Growth and Forecast By End-use Industry 2017-2027

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Polymers are the long chain of the number of monomers which are linked in a cross systems whereas, biodegradable polymers are the synthetic polymers or bio-based that decay to carbon dioxide, water, and humus in industrial or municipal composting facilities. Biodegradable polymers are the subcategory of the larger bioplastics sector. Conventional thermoplastics are neither bio-based nor biodegradable. Major bio-based biodegradable polymers include poly hydroxybutyrate, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and related copolymers such as polylactic acid starch based polymers and regenerated cellulose. On the commercial scale, petrochemical-based biodegradable polymers which include co-polyesters such as polybutylene succinate, polybutylene adipate terephthalate and polybutylene succinate adipate, polycaprolactone. In the last couple of years, the two most significant biodegradable polymers gain traction in the market were starch based polymers and poly lactic acid which accounting approximately one third of the market of total biodegradable polymer consumption. Along with this there are other biodegradable polymers which include co-polyesters such as polybutylene adipate terephthalate and polybutylene and many others.The biodegradable polymer has a significant range of applications in agriculture, medicine and packaging. For medical application, biodegradable polymers are utilized in prevention of adhesive surgical sutures and in drug delivery systems. As well as for agriculture application, biodegradable polymers are used in agriculture mulches.Request Report Sample@Market Dynamics: Biodegradable Polymers MarketThe global Market is expected to boost the demand of biodegradable polymers market over the forecast period. Various factors are responsible for the boost of the biodegradable polymers such as, emergence of renewable resources, bio-based raw materials such as derivatives of crop vegetables and biomass. Globally, bioplastics have significant application in packaging and retail goods and has significantly supported for increasing consumption of fossil fuel sources, which is probably to get exhausted in the next few years is also one of the major driver for the growth of the biodegradable polymers market. Along with these drivers there are certain trends which may boost the demand of the market such as, integrated bio-refineries and the concentration of the polymer producers is expected to shift towards bio based raw materials. On the basis of geographical region, China has increased its biodegradable polymers capacity significantly in last couple of years but not able to consumed as per the expected production and most of biodegradable polymers are exported to the other regions. Incremental growth in prices of biodegradable polymers is expected to create challenge for the growth of biodegradable polymers in the coming future.Growing heathy lifestyle is gaining attractiveness, which is producing an impact on the sales of sustainable, green products and natural products that can potentially reduce the burden on the ecosystem. Manufacturers have strong opportunity in biodegradable polymers market to gain maximum revenue.Market Segmentation: Biodegradable Polymers MarketThe biodegradable polymers market is segmented on the basis of product types, applicationOn the basis of product types, the biodegradable polymers market is segmented into:Polylactic AcidStarch Based PolymersOthersOn the basis of application, the biodegradable polymers market is segmented into:Foam PackagingAgriculture & HorticultureCompost BagsFood PackagingOthersRegional Outlook: Biodegradable Polymers MarketGlobally, China remains dominant region for the production of biodegradable polymers. However, Owing to lower down manufacturing of polymers and stringent government regulations is expected to increase consumption of biodegradable polymers in the next couple of years.North America stands second-largest manufacturers as well as net exporter of the biodegradable polymers, increasing awareness about green effect and fluctuating oil prices in the region is expected to stay at second position. The regions consumption of biodegradable polymers has grown significantly in recent years. Western Europe is expected to grow with healthy CAGR in biodegradable polymers market in between the forecast period owing to strong focus on the green technology adopted by the region.Visit For TOC@Some of the key players in the biodegradable polymers market are:BASFArkemaNovamontPlanticBIOTEC GmbH& CoMetabolix IncMitsui ChemicalsCortec groupAbout Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Still Drinks Market Analysis And Forecast 2024 Segmented By Technology & Applications

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Still Drinks Market: OverviewAs sales of carbonated and aerated drinks report a gradual but sure deceleration, the scales are now tipping in favor of still drinks. A rapidly expanding base of health conscious consumers is stirring up new consumption trends in the global beverage industry. Although carbonated, sugar-sweetened drinks currently hold a massive portion of both sales and value in the global beverage industry, growth is expected to be the fastest in the still drinks and natural drinks category. Options such as flavored water, non-aerated soft drinks, and juices are gaining more favor among consumers, creating a highly fertile ground on which the global still drinks market will grow in the coming years.Read Report Overview @Although the still drinks market currently has sizeable volume sales coming from densely populated countries such as India and China, value gains are substantial in developed markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Japan, France, Germany, and Russia. With these trends poised for a change in the coming years, the report forecasts the growth of the global and key regional markets in terms of value and volume. The projected value growth of the market has been expressed in US$ Mn.This report assesses the different kinds of still drinks available in the market currently and recommends strategies to fill white spaces in the market. Leading end-use segments have been studied in the report to understand which of these would hold the maximum potential in terms of revenue and volume growth. Likewise, the regional markets are analyzed at length for the period ranging from 2015 to 2024 to create a holistic perspective of where the future opportunities like.Still Drinks Market: Trends, Opportunities, and RestraintsThe most evident opportunity in the global still drinks market lies in cultivating consumers in the new urban areas in Asian, Latin American, and East European countries. The underdeveloped still drinks market in these countries means that an appreciable number of unharnessed opportunities still exist in key markets within these regions. However, even as companies do so, the focus needs to remain firmly on availability and affordability. Retail channels across several emerging countries still need to be developed to suit the distribution plans of beverage manufacturers and the competitive prices of sparking and aerated drinks continue to be a roadblock in the growth of the still drinks market.With beverage industry data showing a continued increase in per-capita consumption of soft drinks in countries such as India, new opportunities are likely to emerge in the coming years. Moreover, countries with a large young population represent a target market for still drink brands. Currently, the fruit juice segment accounts for nearly 30% of the global still drinks market. Growth in the Asia Pacific still drinks market is expected to outshine that of other regions.Request Report Brochure @Still Drinks Market: Competitive OverviewGiven that numerous growth opportunities lie for the global still drinks market between conventional category lines, companies are now investing both time and money in launching innovative still beverages. As sales figures show telltale signs of consumers inclination toward non-carbonated drinks, the competition in the still drinks space is also expected to become fierce in the long term. Tropicana (PepsiCo) and Minute Maid (The Coca-Cola Company) are the two leading brands in the global still drinks market. The other key companies in the global still drinks market are: Nestle, Unilever, Asahi Soft Drinks Co. Ltd., Yakult, Calpis Co. Ltd., and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Palm Oil Market In-depth Research Report and End-User Analysis By 2016 - 2024

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Low to zero trans-fat content and the pocket-friendly pricing of palm oil is fuelling demand from the global palm oil market. Palm oil is one of the most widely used vegetable oils and a common ingredient in biscuits, margarine, breads, instant noodles, cereals, lipsticks, candles, chocolates, shampoos, ice-cream, and detergents. The applications of palm oil are therefore quite diverse, which aids the expansion of the global palm oil market.Read Report Overview @Palm oil is derived from a tropical tree, which, once planted, yields palm fruits for more than three decades, ascertaining much needed employment for the rural communities living in emerging nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia. The oil is highly lucrative, particularly because palm trees yield more oil per hectare than any other major oil seed crop.The report provides a comprehensive overview of the global palm oil market, with focus on the factors driving the market and those restraining it. It covers the market from the ground up covering aspects such as the market definition, classification, and growth trajectory. Regionally, the global palm oil market is segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World.Overview of Global Palm Oil MarketPalm oil derived from palm fruit is an edible vegetable oil. In the last couple of years, the demand for palm oil has increased in response to the rising consumption of vegetable oils. Apart from its extensive applications in the food and beverage industry and the retail industry, palm oil is also used in biofuels.Palm oil is cost-effective and low in trans-fats, due to which its demand is high in the global market. However, the expansion of palm tree plantations is usually carried out at the expense of tropical forests, particularly in countries such as Malaysia. Rising environmental concerns thus pose a tough challenge in front of enterprises operating in the global palm oil market.Large-scale deforestation for palm oil production has not only aggravated the already worrying issue of climate, but has also led to the extinction of many animal species. However, the market is expected to capitalize in the near future on opportunities created by sustainable palm oil production.Request Report Brochure @To present a 360-degree blueprint of the market, the report studies demand for diverse palm oils available in the market such as red palm oil, kernel oil, while palm oil, fractionated palm oil, and others. Factors leading to the rising application of palm oil in industries such as energy, health, food, and others are also evaluated in detail.Malaysia is the leading producer of palm oil in the world. Over the forecast period, India and China are also expected to substantially contribute to the expansion of the palm oil market in Asia Pacific.Companies mentioned in the research reportSome of the most prominent enterprises operating in the market are Alami Group (Malaysia), Musim Mas Group (Indonesia), ADM (US), the United Palm Oil Industry Public Company Limited (Thailand), and Boustead Group (Malaysia).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Future Demand for Moderator Market By Demanding Key Players like Axpo Group, Bruce Power, China National Nuclear Corp

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global Moderator Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors:Axpo GroupBruce PowerChina National Nuclear CorpGet Sample Copy of this Report @It explains a detailed outline of the Moderator Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position.According to the research report, the global market for Moderator Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for network management software across the world, states the research report.Know more about this Premium Report:On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Moderator Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the worldwide market for network management software, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Moderator Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of ContentsThe Global Moderator Market Research Report 20171 Moderator Market Overview2 Global Moderator Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Moderator Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Moderator Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Moderator Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Moderator Market Analysis by Application7 Global Moderator Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Moderator Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Moderator Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixAbout Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact:(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin  77064,Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977sales@researchnreports.com
Synthetic Sapphire Market Revenue Expected to Register a CAGR of 8.4% Between 2016 and 2024

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According to the latest market report published by Persistence Market Research titled Synthetic Sapphire Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 20162024, the revenue generated from global sales of synthetic sapphire has been estimated to be valued at US$ 4,864.3 Mn by 2016 end and is expected to increase at a CAGR of 8.4% during the forecast period of 20162024. By 2024, the global synthetic sapphire market is projected to be valued at US$ 9,255.7 Mn.Synthetic Sapphire is aluminum oxide and is also known as Corundum or - alumina. It is chemically inert, hard, thermally stable till 1600  C and has a melting temperature of 2050  C. Manufactured from high purity alumina (>99.99% purity) by one of the five methods namely Verneuil, Czochralski (CZ), Heat Exchanger Method (HEM), Edge-Defined Film-Fed Growth (EFG) and Kyropoulos, where EFG and Kyropoulos methods are most popular and are mostly modified in-house to increase the yield. Synthetic sapphire on hardness scale (Mohs) stands on 9 which is the next hardest material after diamond and possesses excellent physical and chemical properties. The wear and scratch resistance of synthetic sapphire is considered to be unique. The sapphire crystal boule undergoes series of processing steps such as drilling, slicing, grinding, polishing and cleaning to get the final synthetic sapphire in required form.Request For Report Sample:Market dynamicsDemand of sapphire products is expected to grow beyond LED as its primary application since sapphire growers are researching new applications which are under developing phase. This is because sapphire being an anisotropic material, which makes its mechanical and thermal properties to depend on the direction of crystal growth and its subsequent processing. Thus, the exceptional mix of properties makes sapphire an ideal material for LED manufacturing and as a semiconductor. Also, when compared to other optical materials, sapphire has superior level of radiation stability and thus a demand from various industrial sectors is strong. Attributes such as government policies and regulations for preferring LED lighting over incandescent and CFL, and a high demand from semiconductor industries are the factors responsible for growing demand of synthetic sapphires globally.Market forecastDisplay application segment is anticipated to register the fastest growth due to growing market for smart watches, premium watches, smart phone covers, and camera lenses. The sapphire substrates in LED is a matured market, wherein substrates of 6 and more diameter are at a growth phase. Moreover, favourable taxation policies of governments across the world are also anticipated to support the growth of overall synthetic sapphire demand during the forecast period. The display segment is slated to register a CAGR of around 10.5% in terms of value over the forecast period.Asia Pacific accounted for the largest value share of the global synthetic sapphire market in 2016, and is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 8.6% over the forecast period in value terms. Sales of synthetic sapphires in China is projected to increase by 1.8X between 2016 and 2024. In terms of value and volume, Asia Pacific is anticipated to register highest growth followed by Europe over the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Competitive landscapeRubicon Technology Inc., KYOCERA Corporation, Saint-Gobain, SCHOTT AG, Monocrystal, Rayotek Scientific Inc., CRYSTALWISE TECHNOLOGY INC., ILJIN Display CO., Ltd, Namiki Precision Jewel Co., Ltd. and Juropol Sp. z o.o. are some of the leading players in the global synthetic sapphire market.View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and TablesSynthetic sapphire manufacturers and fabricators are working closely in fulfilling the end use demand, especially sapphire for LED substrates is a key growth area. The processing plants are mostly setup in Asia Pacific region with players in the market continuously improving the sapphire growth methods in order to improve the sapphire yield.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:
Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) Market:Worldwide Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities Explored

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Physical identity and access management (PIAM) arrangements are adopted by various enterprises due to product and technology expansion, compliance mandates, and a better desire to achieve substitute user populations such as a sharp emphasis on secure and timely access.Additionally, a secure physical identity and access management (PIAM) is influencing the best-industry practice, which allows to streamline approval processes and access request across multiple types of people, physical access systems, and user-access profiles. A automate and streamline physical security tasks is allow to access on PIAM platform by using pre- packaged approval.Moreover, a physical identity & access management (PIAM) system is installed in various enterprises to avoid fraud and unauthorized access, to maintain authenticity, and to maintain the process of smooth data sharing. This physical identity and access management (PIAM) solution confirms one identity physical access rights.Obtain Report Details @The global Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) market can be segmented into offering type, end-use industry, and geography. In terms of offering types, the global Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) market can be segmented into software and service.This Physical identity and access management (PIAM) includes various physical security application such as badge management, physical asset management, visitor management, access control systems, and vehicle management. Various enterprises are now focusing on their in PIAM solution due to increasing security concerns related to customer access management services, which is estimated to propel the demand for PIAM solutions in the market in the near future.Additionally, in terms of end-use industry, the global Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) market can be segmented into aerospace and defense, government, pharmaceutical, chemical, telecommunication and IT, Banking Financial Services, & Insurance (BFSI), and logistics. Across the globe, there is an increasing need to effectively manage the several commuters without negotiating on security features.Request Sample @Advanced physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) solutions have proven to reduce complexities and risk for industries such as oil & gas, utilities, government and federal, and airports. Federal agencies and airports management services are able to reduce the service costs and decision time to establish an identity with the help of proper lifecycle management and identity credentialing. This, in turn, is projected to fuel the demand for global Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) solutions in the during the forecast period.In terms of geography, the Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). North America is estimated to dominate the global Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) market during the forecast period due to a large number of end use industries that are adopting this technology to streamline operations in the region.The Asia Pacific market is projected to expand at a significant CAGR rate during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is likely to be the most attractive market for various PIAM vendors during the forecast period due to the strong presence of companies from the BFSI, healthcare, and IT sectors who are focusing on installation of PIAM solutions.Prominent players operating in the global Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) market include AlertEnterprise (U.S.), Access Security Corporation (U.S), IDCUBE (India), Quantum Secure (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S), Dell Inc.( U.S.), and Oracle Corporation (U.S.).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Aminopolycarboxylic Acid (APCA) Market Segments and Key Trends 2015-2021

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Aminopolycarboxylic acid (complexone) is a compound containing one or more nitrogen atoms connected through carbon atoms to two or more carboxyl groups. It is a chelating agent which has molecules with the ability to provide more than one bond to a metal ion, thereby augmenting the stability of the ion complex. The chelating properties of aminopolycarboxylates can be engineered by varying the groups linking the nitrogen atoms so as to increase selectivity for a particular metal ion. Chelation represents a particular way of binding ions and molecules with metal ions. It involves the formation of multiple separate coordinate bonds between a polydentate ligand and single central atom. Usually, these ligands are organic compounds and are referred as sequestering agents, chelating agents, chelators or chelants. Aminocarboxylic acid is used in numerous technical and industrial applications.Request For Report Sample:Aminopolycarboxylic acid (APCA) is one of the most widely consumed chelating agents and is used in a broad range of applications such as water treatment, pulp & paper, agriculture, and household & industrial cleaning. APCA compounds such as EDTA has been of massive worldwide use within the industrial and household applications. EDTA is one of the anthropogenic compounds with highest concentration in the inland waters of Europe. EDTA is a chelate ligand with a high affinity constant to form metal-EDTA complexes, which are extensively used to sequester metal ions. In addition, its widespread use in the medical industry is another major factor for its huge demand on a global scale. It is used in the chelation therapy for treating lead poisoning and mercury. The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) have approved the use of EDTA for curing lead poisoning.The global water treatment chemicals industry has been growing significantly due to factors such as rapid industrialization, stringent government policies and demand for clean and fresh water for various household & industrial cleaning applications. Demand for clean water by agricultural and industrial sectors is increasing rapidly. In order to meet these requirements, APCA is widely used as water softeners to treat water hardness and remove scale-forming calcium and magnesium ions. Thus, the growing demand for aminopolycarboxylic acid for water treatment applications is expected to boost the market over the next few years. In addition, the increasing demand for APCA from cleaning and detergents industries is anticipated to augment the aminopolycarboxylic acid market in the near future. However, potential health and environmental hazards associated with the use of non-biodegradable chelating agents such as EDTA, DTPA and NTA have led to several environmental concerns regarding its consumption. Due to these factors, the demand for EDTA is expected to increase noticeably over the next few years.Asia Pacific was the largest market for aminopolycarboxylic acid owing to the presence of a significant number of chelating agent manufacturers in Asia Pacific, particularly in China. Furthermore, Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth over the next few years on account of increasing usage of aminopolycarboxylic acid in the existing large-scale textile and pulp & paper industries, particularly in China and India. Asia Pacific is followed by Europe as aminopolycarboxylic acid is being increasingly used in healthcare and pharmaceutical applications in this region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players in the aminocarboxylic acid market are AkzoNobel N.V, BASF SE, Cargill Incorporated, Kemira Oyj, Lanxess AG, Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, Tate & Lyle PLC and The Dow Chemical Company among others.ABOUT US:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesT: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Website:
Recent Study: Industrial Catalytic Converters to Represent an Impressive CAGR Throughout 2017 to 2027

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Industrial catalytic converters are devices used to control the emission of toxic and harmful pollutants from exhaust gasses by converting them through a redox reaction. A redox reaction consists of either an oxidation reaction or a reduction reaction. As many countries have stringent norms pertaining to environmental safety, every industrial exhaust system should contain catalytic converters.Request A Sample Copy Of This Report at:Industrial catalytic converters find application in several industries, such as refinery, steel, and manufacturing, where the emission of toxic gasses is high. These devices are mainly used to convert harmful exhaust gasses, such as CO (carbon monoxide), HC (hydrocarbons), and NO (nitrogen oxides), among others into less toxic and harmful gasses, such as CO2 (carbon dioxide), N2 (nitrogen), and others.An industrial catalytic converter is made of two columns, ceramic and metallic, and both the columns have a catalyst coating. The ceramic column provides protection from thermal and vibration shocks, and the metallic column is directly mounted on the main body. In this device, platinum, rhodium or palladium are used as catalysts and they are coated on the ceramic column, and attached to the outlet. Earlier, platinum was a widely used catalyst, but nowadays, due to the high cost of platinum, the use of rhodium and palladium is trending.While there are many types of industrial catalytic converters, two of the prominent ones are two-way catalytic converter and three-way catalytic converter. Two-way industrial catalytic converters are mainly used in some engines, such as diesel, gasoline, and others in order to decrease the emission of CO (carbon monoxide), NO (nitrogen oxide) and HC (hydrocarbons). Three-way converters are used to control highly harmful and toxic gasses emission, such as NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), and nitric oxide, among others that cause smog and acid rain.Industrial Catalytic Converters Market: DynamicsIncreasing industrialization across the world in industries, such as automobile, chemical, textile, and increasing manufacturing of electrical equipment, and steel products drives the demand for industrial catalytic converters. Additionally, stringent norms set by government authorities in various countries are influencing the demand for industrial catalytic converters.On the other hand, with the evolution of technology, the automobile industry is shifting towards electric vehicles, which will act as a restraint for the global industrial catalytic converters market. The use of non-noble metals in the manufacturing of industrial catalytic converters is a key trend identified recently. Increase in vehicle production and sales, and increase in global industrialization can foster a strong potential opportunity for this market. At the same time, fluctuating prices of some of the metals used in the manufacturing of industrial catalytic converters can be a major challenge for the market.Industrial Catalytic Converters Market: SegmentationMarket segmentation of the industrial catalytic converters market on the basis of its types:Two-WayThree-WayMarket segmentation of the industrial catalytic converters market on the basis of the applications:Portable Generators, Portable HeatersFurnace and ChimneyForklifts, Cranes and Lifting EquipmentAir CompressorsDrilling and Well-Digging MachinesPile Drivers and Bridge-Building MachineryConstruction EquipmentOthersMarket segmentation of the industrial catalytic converters market on the basis of the end use industry:Oil and GasChemicalMetal and MiningTextileAutomobileIndustrial Catalytic Converters Market: Regional OutlookThe Asia Pacific region holds a majority of the market share as compared to other regions, followed by Europe and then North America  both of which are expected to grow at the same rate. The demand for industrial catalytic converters in countries, such as China, India, and South Korea in Asia Pacific is expected to grow, owing to the continuous growth of chemical and textile industries in the region. Europe is seen as a potential market for the industry, due to the upcoming emission standards for the reduction of carbon monoxide from various industries. Also, Europe and North America show promising opportunities for the industrial catalytic converters market, as the regions are chemical manufacturing hubs. The demand for industrial catalytic converters is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 8% globally over the forecasted period, which can be attributed to the increase in demand from textile and manufacturing industries.Visit For TOC@Industrial Catalytic Converters Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the industrial catalytic converters market identified across the value chain are Bosal, Katcon, Ningbo Kesen Exhaust Gas Cleaner Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Wuxi Weifu Lida Catalytic Converter Co. Ltd., Catalytic Products International, Dcl International Inc., Standard Teco. Limited, Teco Limited, and AP Exhaust Products.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, ,
Substation Automation Market to Reach a Value of About US$ 142,900 Mn in the Year 2022

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Substation automation is an important and an integral part of smart grid rollout. In the process of substation automation, a number of intelligent electronic devices are used in order to reduce the transmission and distribution losses while the electricity is being transferred from the grid. As a result of substation automation, the grid efficiency is increased, the security of the grid is also increased due to the enabling of two way communication, reliable power output is ensured without outages, and the reduction in costs of operating the substations, resulting in both the saving of electricity and money. Hence, the substation automation is a greatly beneficial automation process that helps in efficient and cost effective distribution of electricity.The global substation automation market is slated to touch a value of about US$ 142,900 Mn in the year 2022 and display a robust CAGR during the assessment period.Request Report Sample@4 Forecast Highlights on Global Substation Automation MarketAs per the forecast of Future Market Insights, the communication network segment is slated to touch a value of more than US$ 26,700 Mn in the year 2022. This represents a robust CAGR during the assessment period of 2017-2022. The communication network segment is estimated to account for nearly one-fifth of the revenue share of the module type segment by the year 2017 and is forecasted to gain market share by 2022 over 2017.As per the forecast of Future Market Insights, the digital transducer segment will reach a value of about US$ 10,900 Mn in the year 2017. This represents a robust CAGR growth during the forecast period. The digital transducer segment is forecasted to account for more than one-tenth of the total revenue share of the component type segment by the end of the year 2017 and is expected to gain in market share by 2022 as compared with the year 2017.As per the forecast of Future Market Insights, the power line communication segment is slated to reach a value of about US$ 11,300 Mn in 2022. The power line communication segment is expected to gain market share by the end of the year 2022. The largest share is contributed by the North America region in the power line communication segment.Future Market Insights forecasts the United States substation automation market to exhibit a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 7% from 2017 to 2022.Visit For TOC@The report has also included the profiles of some of the leading companies in the substation automation market like Echelon Corporation, Encore Networks, Inc., ABB Limited, General Electric Company, Cisco Systems, Inc., NovaTech LLC, Schneider Electric SE, Alstom SA, Eaton Corporation Plc and Siemens AG.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
The World Lithotripsy Market-Rising Prevalence Of Kidney Diseases Accelerate The Growth Of The Market

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Lithotripsy is a procedure is used to treat stones in the ureter and the kidney. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy , intracorporeal lithotripsy, percutaneous lithotripsy are major types of lithotripsy. Among these, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy most widely used in both the developed and developing nations across the globe. The procedure involves the use of shock waves to break the stones in the kidney. Kidney stone refer to formation of the crystal of minerals and salts dissolved in Urine. This formation is known as urolithiasis which is one of the most common urological disorders. Formation of this crystal causes disturbance in drainage of urine and causes severe pain.Get a sample report atThe American lithotripsy market has evolved from last few years owing to the availability of advanced healthcare technology, and rising in the incidence of the kidney stones among people, development of the modified therapies to treat the nephrolithiasis and poor nutrition driving rise in lithotripsy market in the region. Moreover, strengthening healthcare system, innovations in the field of treatment, and rising patient pool with kidney problems will propel the growth of the market. According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4.9 million people are suffering from different kidney related diseases and one of the major reason for deaths in U.S.Key players in the Lithotripsy market:The key players in the market having prominent presence in various countries across the globe are Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), DIREX, S.L. (Spain), Dornier MedTech.(Germany), EDAP TMS (France), Elmed Electronics & Medical Industry & Trade Inc.(Turkey), Jena Med Tech GmbH (Germany), Medispec LTD (US), Olympus Corporation (Japan), and STORZ MEDICAL AG (Switzerland).Browse Complete Report atKey developments:Key developments feature the growth and achievements of the company that help the company determine its strength, and opportunities in the future. Strategic approaches adopted help the major players in the market to sustain their growth and develop their business in various geographical areas across the globe. Agreements and collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, and new product launches are various strategies followed by the key players.Olympus Corporation:Olympus Corporation offers various products such as medical system, camera and audio, life science solutions, and Industrial Solutions. The company focus on innovations based on opto-digital technology solutions, to maintain its leadership in the market. April, 2017, Olympus Corporation signed a definitive agreement to acquire Image Stream Medical, Inc., a healthcare systems integrator based in Littleton, MA. This acquisition will further enable both companies to reduce overall costs, improve clinical outcomes and enhance quality of life for patients.Get a discount atSiemens Healthcare GmBHSiemens Healthcare GmBH offers a wide range of products segmented into medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, point-of-care testing, healthcare IT, clinical specialties & diseases and services.September, 2016: Siemens healthcare GmBH launched the combination of the Modularis urological shock wave unit and the flat detector technology of the mobile C-arm Cios Fusion. Since, constantly switching between two or even three different control units would be complicated and could lead to errors, the Modularis' central control unit is a better option. This will help Siemens to strengthen its position in the market.Boston Scientific CorporationHeadquartered in the U.S., Boston Scientific Corporation manufactures and markets wide range of products such as electrophysiology products, female pelvic medicine products, gastroenterology products, gynaecology products, interventional cardiology products, interventional radiology products, neurological surgery products, orthopaedic surgery products, pain medicine products, pulmonology products, urology products, and vascular surgery products. It is one of the largest players in healthcare market, based on geographical presence and market share across the globe. November, 2016: Boston Scientific Corporation acquired the gynaecology and urology portfolio of Distal Access, LLC. The company is into minimally invasive medical devices. This will help to make healthcare more cost-effective and accessible for physicians and their patients. November, 2016: Boston Scientific Corporation launched Dakota Nitinol Stone Retrieval Device with OpenSure Handle in US and Europe market. This kidney stone retrieval device is designed to allow to release and capture kidney stones of multiple sizes from complex stones as large as 10 mm to fragments as small as one mm. This product will help them to capture its position and solve some of the challenges faced during ureteroscopy procedures. March, 2015: Boston Scientific acquires American Medical Systems' Urology Portfolio from Endo International plc. This portfolio includes Men's Health and Prostate Health businesses. This will provide a strong future growth prospects through portfolio innovation and international market expansion.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureP: +1 646 845 9312W:sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Data Quality and Data Governance Solution Market by Regional Analysis, Growth and Forecast 2025

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In the enterprise data management ecosystem, data quality is a broad term which refers to the quality, integrity, and consistency of data and/or process etc. Data quality also implies the degree of data accuracy and consistency. On the other hand, data governance focusses on the management of data assets by assigning authority, control, and responsibility of data and encompasses three key areas: people, process, and technology.Read Report Overview @Data quality and data governance are closely related and go hand in hand in the enterprise data management ecosystem. In todays competitive world, data quality and data governance practices is anticipated to evolve rapidly backed by growth in Master Data Management tools and technology. In recent years it is observed that enterprises with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or customer relationship management (CRM) application have struggled owing to the absence of built-in data quality and data governance capabilities.The global data quality and data governance solutions market is anticipated to grow in the coming years as these solutions assists enterprises and professionals to address major challenges arising out of an enterprises applications and transactional data, data types and formats, data cleansing and validation, and hybrid environments. Furthermore, cloud, big data and machine learning is anticipated to push the demand for global data quality and data governance solutions.However, factors such as ever changing policies and regulations, categorization of unstructured data, and inconsistent business semantics are anticipated to restrain the growth of the global data quality and data governance solution market.The global data quality and data governance solution market can be segmented on the basis of deployment model, business function, and industry verticals. Deployment model can be further segmented as on-premise and cloud based. Based on business function, the market can be classified into finance, information technology, legal, operations and others. On the basis of industry vertical, the global data quality and data governance solution market can be classified into Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), telecom and IT, healthcare, retail and e-commerce, healthcare, manufacturing, government and defense, energy and utilities, construction and engineering, and others (research, education, BPO, and travel & hospitality)Geographically, the global data quality and data governance solution market is segmented into Middle-East and Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific (APAC), North America, Europe, and South America.North America is expected to dominate the global data quality and data governance solution market during the forecast period 2017  2025, owing to large investments in cloud-based machine learning and Big Data technologies, and presence of large number of vendors in this region.Request Report Brochure @The Asia Pacific (APAC) region is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region for the global data quality and data governance solution market. The region is currently in its initial growth phase. The high growth rate in Asia Pacific is driven by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) demand for cost-effective data quality and data governance solutions.Europe is anticipated to contribute a significant share in the global data quality and data governance solution market after North America. Europe is also anticipated to witness a steady growth rate during the forecast period from 2017  2025.The major vendors providing data governance are Backoffice Associates, Collibra, Inc., Informatica Corporation, SAS Institute Inc., IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, SAP SE, TIBCO Software Inc., Talend Inc., Information Builders, Varonis Systems Inc., Pitney Bowes Inc., RedPoint Global, Trillium Software, Experian plc, and Orchestra Networks.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Business Analytics Software Market Research Report : Key Growth Factors and Forecast 2024

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Business analytics software helps in interpretation and analysis of business data through continuous exploration and investigation of historical business performance to gain decisive insights for business planning. Through the application of statistical methods and tools in business performance data, a business analytics software conducts predictive analysis to derive decision making insights and inputs. A business analytics software thus helps an organization optimize its business operations and facilitates informed and strategic decision making. It also helps uncover patterns and relationships between data streams and leads to automation of tasks and processes for real-time responses in decision making. The outputs are mostly used by managers, security personnel, financial analysts, and key decision makers of organizations. Demand for cloud-based business analytics software is high in small and medium sized enterprises owing to its low cost and enhanced usability. Furthermore, demand for social media analytics, a part of business analytics, is also rising significantly due to the increase in popularity of social media marketing.Read Report Overview @Organizations are increasingly opting for business analytics software in order to gain strategic and competitive advantage over their competitors. This is one of the major factors driving the global business analytics software market. Additionally, the software aims to help organizations make quick and informed decisions through the analysis of the historical business data. This has been driving the market for business analytics software. Currently, there exists need for quick decision making and immediate actions in response to situations considering the competitive nature of businesses. This highlights the importance of the business analytics software. Furthermore, increase in volume and diversity of data in organizations has given rise to the need for analytical software to derive meaningful patterns, relationships, and insights from unorganized data.The features of business analytics software meet such requirements, thereby boosting the growing demand and adoption of business analytics software across varying scales of companies. However, in order to efficiently operate, business analytics software require sufficient volumes of meaningful data. This requires effective data warehousing, which may be a challenge for small organizations to implement considering the high costs involved. These challenges are likely to hamper the market for business analytics software during the forecast period. Nonetheless, increase in social media marketing by organizations is expected to offer growth opportunities for the business analytics software market during the forecast period.The global business analytics software market has been segmented on the basis of deployment, end-use industry, application, and geography. In terms of deployment, the business analytics software market has been divided into cloud and on premise. Based on end-use industry, the business analytics market has been segregated into BFSI, government, manufacturing, IT and Telecom, retail, health care, capital markets, education, media, utilities, and others.Request Report Brochure @In terms of application, the business analytics software market has been segmented into supply chain analytics, workforce analytics, spatial analytics, behavioral analytics, marketing analytics, risk and credit analytics, pricing analytics, transportation analytics, and others. Based on geography, the business analytics market has been divided into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and South America.Major players operating in the global business analytics software market include SAS Institute Inc., Tableau Software, SAP SE, Oracle Corporation, Adobe Systems Incorporated, International Business Machines Corporation, Salesforce.com, Qlik Technologies, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Tibco Software, Fair Isaac Corporation, and JDA Software Group, Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Palletizing Robots Market to Reach a Value of About US$ 1,500 Mn in the Year 2022

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Palletizing robots are a kind of equipment that help in the automatic compiling of various kinds of products on a pallet. Pallet wrapping functions are an important part of the workflow at the end of the packaging line, before the product gets transported and distributed to different places. Due to the advancements in the field of robotics, more advanced forms of palletizing robots have emerged, that can lift heavy weights and can even lift products from a greater height due to their long arms. Also, hybrid palletizing robots have been developed, that have a simple user interface and can be operated easily, besides being cost effective and efficient to use. Such kind of hybrid palletizing robots can even handle complex tasks like the handling of delicate products. With the ongoing technological innovations in this field, palletizing robots that can operate at increased speeds and deliver high quality work.The global palletizing robots market is slated to touch a value of about US$ 1,500 Mn in the year 2022 and display a robust CAGR during the assessment period.Request Report Sample@4 Forecast Highlights on Global Palletizing Robots MarketAs per the forecast of Future Market Insights, the bag palletizing segment is slated to touch a value of more than US$ 600 Mn in the year 2022. This represents a robust CAGR during the assessment period of 2017-2022. The bag palletizing segment is estimated to account for more than one-third of the revenue share of the machine type segment by the year 2017 and is forecasted to gain market share by 2022 over 2017.As per the forecast of Future Market Insights, the pharmaceutical segment will reach a value of about US$ 96 Mn in the year 2017. This represents a robust CAGR growth during the forecast period. The pharmaceutical segment is forecasted to account for more than one-tenth of the total revenue share of the end use type segment by the end of the year 2017 and is expected to gain in market share by 2022 as compared with the year 2017.As per the forecast of Future Market Insights, the consumer products segment is slated to reach a value of about US$ 350 Mn in 2022. The consumer products segment is expected to gain market share by the end of the year 2022. The largest share is contributed by the APEJ region in the consumer products segment.Future Market Insights forecasts the China palletizing robots market to exhibit a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 16% from 2017 to 2022.Visit For TOC@The report has also included the profiles of some of the leading companies in the palletizing robots market like KUKA AG, DAN-Palletiser AS, ABB Limited, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Brenton, LLC, Fanuc Corporation, Remtec Automation, LLC, YASKAWA Electric Corporation and Krones AG.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022

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This report analyzes the Global Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Market and gives us the in-depth analysis of the present scenario and the future growth prospects. Simultaneously it also throws light on the overall positive factors. The Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Market research report provides an in-depth analysis of the major Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) industry leading players along with the company profiles and strategies adopted by them. This enables the buyer of the report to gain a telescopic view of the competitive landscape and plan the strategies accordingly.This report studies the global Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) market, analyzes and researches the Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.Inquire for sample copy at:This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeCloudlockImperva,Inc.BitglassCiphercloudNetskopeSkyhigh NetworksProductOfferedCloudmaskProtegrityAdallomPerspecsysSymantecMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) can be split intoData SecurityThreat ProtectionControl and Monitoring Cloud ServicesRisk and Compliance ManagementMarket segment by Application, Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) can be split intoGovernmentFinancial IndustryTraffic and LogisticsOtherBrowse full report at:Table of Contents -1 Industry Overview of Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs)1.1 Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Market Overview1.1.1 Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Market by Type1.3.1 Data Security1.3.2 Threat Protection1.3.3 Control and Monitoring Cloud Services1.3.4 Risk and Compliance Management1.4 Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Government1.4.2 Financial Industry1.4.3 Traffic and Logistics1.4.4 Other3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Cloudlock3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Imperva,Inc.3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Bitglass3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent DevelopmentsFor more information or any query mail at: sales@qyresearchreports.usAbout Us:QYResearchReports.us is your exclusive destination for the entire spectrum of Market Research and Business Solutions. Depending upon the clients, we provide customized as well as syndicated reports. Our market intelligence covers industries like technology, food and beverages, chemical materials, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, agriculture, consumer goods, among others. Irrespective of your businesss state as of today, we have a team of industry specific experts who will provide tailor-made market research surveys and solutions.Contact us:Email - sales@qyresearchreports.usWeb -
Online Advertising Market to Witness an Outstanding Growth by 2024

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Global Online Advertising Market: OverviewAlso known as web advertising and Internet advertising, online advertising refers to the use of the Internet for marketing and advertising of products and services. Finding new customers, promoting new products, and diversification of revenue streams becomes easy with the use of online advertising. Paid search or pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is perhaps the most widely used type of online advertising. Paid search enables a person to find relevant terms and phrases (keywords), which form the basis of this type of advertising. Paid social advertising is another way of advertising via the Internet. It is also possible to combine the two types of advertising, in order to reap maximum benefits of these platforms.Based on type, The Global Market For Online Advertising can be segmented into email marketing, banner marketing, social media optimization (SMO), online video advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), and local online advertising.Request to view ToC of Report -Global Online Advertising Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe switch from traditional print media to online advertising is influenced by recent technological advancements in communication technologies. The increasing number of smartphone users worldwide, growing number of broadband service providers, and extensive usage of the internet by innumerable users are triggering the growth of the global market for online advertising.As the creation of appealing banners and advertisements via online sources promises more attention from the customers, this platform is increasingly preferred by innumerable businesses over the globe. Also, online advertising can be more convenient and cost-efficient, at the same time offering a broader platform, when compared to traditional advertising using the television and the print media. Alarming degree of addiction to smart devices such as tablets, laptops, and smartphones has also been aiding market growth.On the contrary, the presence of ad blockers aimed at eliminating advertisements form users webpages might limit the growth of the global market for online advertising. Moreover, several companies are grappling with the problem of transitioning from desktop to smartphone ads. This might also impede market expansion. However, the increasing dependence of people on Internet will ensure that the market for online advertising progresses rapidly, counteracting the negative impact of this restraint.Companies mentioned in the research reportThe global market for online advertising appears to be highly fragmented in terms of competition, owing to the presence of a large number of market players. A number of companies have been adopting mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships to boost their profits.Some of the major companies operating in the global market for online advertising are Google Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Yahoo! Inc., AOL, Inc., MobGen B.V., eBay, Inc., LongJump CRM, Hulu, LLC, Facebook Inc., Percussion Software Inc., Twitter Inc., 6s Marketing, Salesforce.com Inc., Netsuite Inc., Zoho CRM Inc., Aplicor LLC, SAP AG, Single Grain LLC, Apple Inc., and Pandora Media.Request to view Brochure of Report -Global Online Advertising Market: Regional OutlookBased on geography, the global market for online advertising can be segmented into Asia Pacific, Latin America, Western Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Eastern Europe, and North America. North America is likely to emerge as a prominent market for online advertising, with the U.S. contributing a significant share. High proliferation of online content, increasing consultation of online sources by purchasers, and significant amount of time spent online are driving the growth of the market in this region.Asia Pacific is slated to exhibit substantial growth over the forecast period, promising a major chunk of share in the global market. India and China are the major markets in this region, on account of their increasing adoption of technology, extensive urbanization and industrialization, and encouraging government initiatives. As a number of market players are entering terrains such as food and beverage industry, the growth of the market in this region is further strengthened.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Barcode Technology Market Estimated to Flourish by 2024

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A barcode is a predefined format of white spaces and dark bars. Barcodes are defined as an optical, machine readable representation of data codes that includes a specific piece of data or information. Barcode Technology is an automatic identification technology that can retrieve data through specially designed scanners. It can be generated using different barcoding techniques, called symbologies, classified into 2D and linear matrix. On a white background, the bars are typically black, and their quantity and width vary according to application. The symbologies technique determines the interpretation and mapping of the encoded data or information. The barcode scanner technology uses its own software that converts barcode information into a digital signal. Barcode readers contains a fixed auto discrimination feature which have the capacity to detect the symbology used and decodes respectively. This auto discrimination feature makes data entry more accurate by allowing the readers to map the combinations to the correct character.Todays barcodes have replaced the traditional pricing of products and become a very convenient way of reading and storing information. The barcode technology helps to eliminate the possibility of human error, increase efficiency in business operations and offers a reliable way to accurately read encoded information. Also, manual data entry, spreadsheet, repetitive task and paper logs have been replaced by barcoding technology. Apart from this, combination of barcode technology with system and application software improves productivity, performance and profitability.Request to view ToC of Report -The barcode technology market is experiencing growth owing to the factors such as real time data collection, accuracy of data unit, cost efficient, labour saving by avoiding manual system and presents unique identity of a product. Also, measurement of work in progress throughout the factory, explosion of e-commerce, rapid access to total production costs, more precise dispatch, and changing consumer habits have led to the increasing growth of this market. Barcodes have been extensively adopted in hospitals for certain applications which includes barcode medication administration systems for shots and drops, medicines, variable workflows, and control of the dispensing of drugs with in a hospital.The barcode technology market can be segmented on the basis of types and applications .On the basis of type, the market has been segmented into linear (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) barcode systems. The linear barcodes are thick and thin black bars represented on a white background while, 2D matrix uses complicated patterns of blocks and arrangements instead of lines .Further, the application segmentation includes healthcare applications, inventory management, laboratories, library management, quality control, pharmaceutical tracking and attendance system. In quality and inventory management, the functions which are easily completed using barcode technology includes warehouse management, inventory control software and package tracking. Similarly, in mobile data collection industry, barcodes provide best solution for wireless data collection, market activity tracking and batch data collection which needs high level of accuracy and efficiency.Request to view Brochure of Report -The major players in the global barcode technology market includes OCR Canada Ltd., General Data Company Inc., Honeywell International Inc., SATO, Zebra Technologies, Bluebird Inc., DENSO ADC, Opticon Sensors Europe B.V., Datalogic S.p.A., Motorola solutions, ZEBEX INDUSTRIES INC., and NCR Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2021

Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps Market

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Rotary vane vacuum pumps are mechanical vacuum pumps that operate via rotary positive displacement. Pumping system consist of a housing, an eccentrically installed rotor, vanes that move radially, and an inlet and outlet. Larger pumps may have additional impeller vanes.Rotary vane vacuum pumps create regions of low pressure by moving fluid using a rotating vane assembly in the pumping chamber. Typically there are two or more rotating vanes that move the gas or fluid from inlet to outlet. Rotary vane pumps can be employed universally throughout the entire low and medium vacuum ranges.Inquire for sample copy at:As the rotor turns, the ends of the vane barely touch the housing, creating a seal from inlet to outlet. The inlet and outlet are often perpendicular, however for vacuum service applications two inlets may be used; one for air supply and the other for the pumped media. The rotor and vanes divide the working chamber into two separate spaces having variable volumes. As the rotor turns, gas flows into the enlarging suction chamber until it is sealed off by the second vane. The enclosed gas is compressed until the outlet valve opens against atmospheric pressure, pushing gas molecules out the port.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Browse full report at:Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversAtlas CopcoBuschGardner DenverPfeiffer VacuumTuthillBecker PumpsAgilentGast(IDEX)ULVACValue SpecializesDekker Vacuum TechnologiesOsaka VacuumHokaido Vacuum TechnologyWenling TingweiMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America, Middle East and AfricaMarket Segment by Type, coversSingle Stage Rotary Vane Vacuum PumpsTwo Stage Rotary Vane Vacuum PumpsMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoSemiconductor and Electronic IndustryChemical IndustryLaboratory ResearchFood IndustryMachinery IndustryOthersThere are 13 Chapters to deeply display the global Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps market.Chapter 1, to describe Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps, with sales, revenue, and price of Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps, in 2015 and 2016;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2015 and 2016;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps, for each region, from 2011 to 2016;Chapter 5, 6, 7 and 8, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 9 and 10, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2011 to 2016;Chapter 11, Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2016 to 2021;Chapter 12 and 13, to describe Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, appendix and data source.Ask for Discount:About Us:QYResearchReports.us is your exclusive destination for the entire spectrum of Market Research and Business Solutions. Depending upon the clients, we provide customized as well as syndicated reports. Our market intelligence covers industries like technology, food and beverages, chemical materials, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, agriculture, consumer goods, among others. Irrespective of your businesss state as of today, we have a team of industry specific experts who will provide tailor-made market research surveys and solutions.Contact us:Email - sales@qyresearchreports.usWeb -
Policy Management in Telecom-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023

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Policy Management in Telecom-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 offers a comprehensive analysis on Policy Management in Telecom industry, standing on the readers' perspective, delivering detailed market data and penetrating insights. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provides useful data and information.Key questions answered by this report include:Worldwide and Regional Market Size of Policy Management in Telecom 2013-2017, and development forecast 2018-2023Main manufacturers/suppliers of Policy Management in Telecom worldwide, with company and product introduction, position in the Policy Management in Telecom marketMarket status and development trend of Policy Management in Telecom by types and applicationsCost and profit status of Policy Management in Telecom, and marketing statusMarket growth drivers and challengesRequest a Sample Report@The report segments the global Policy Management in Telecom market as:Global Policy Management in Telecom Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2013-2023):North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRest APACLatin AmericaGlobal Policy Management in Telecom Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2013-2023):Fixed NetworkWireless NetworkGlobal Policy Management in Telecom Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2013-2023; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)EnterpriseGovernmentInquire Before Buying@Global Policy Management in Telecom Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Company and Product introduction, Policy Management in Telecom Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):LM Ericsson Telephone Company (Sweden)Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd. (China)Nokia Corporation (Finland)Amdocs Limited (US)Oracle Corporation (US)In a word, the report provides detailed statistics and analysis on the state of the industry; and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.For more information about this report@About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.Contact Us:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Phone : +91-20-67278686E-Mail : info@reportsweb.com
Offshore Wind Turbine-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023

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ReportsWeb.com published Offshore Wind Turbine Market from its database. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Offshore Wind Turbine-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 offers a comprehensive analysis on Offshore Wind Turbine industry, standing on the readers' perspective, delivering detailed market data and penetrating insights. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provides useful data and information.Key questions answered by this report include:Worldwide and Regional Market Size of Offshore Wind Turbine 2013-2017, and development forecast 2018-2023Main manufacturers/suppliers of Offshore Wind Turbine worldwide, with company and product introduction, position in the Offshore Wind Turbine marketMarket status and development trend of Offshore Wind Turbine by types and applicationsCost and profit status of Offshore Wind Turbine, and marketing statusMarket growth drivers and challengesRequest a Sample Report@The report segments the global Offshore Wind Turbine market as:Global Offshore Wind Turbine Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2013-2023):North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRest APACLatin AmericaGlobal Offshore Wind Turbine Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2013-2023):Self-Propelled Jack-Up VesselNormal Jack-Up VesselHeavy Lift VesselGlobal Offshore Wind Turbine Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2013-2023; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)Power PlantsChemical PlantOtherInquire Before Buying@Global Offshore Wind Turbine Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Company and Product introduction, Offshore Wind Turbine Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):MPI-OffshoreSeajacksFred. Olsen WindcarrierGeoseaVan OordJack-Up BargeSEAFOXSwire Blue OceanGaoh OffshoreIn a word, the report provides detailed statistics and analysis on the state of the industry; and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.For more information about this report@About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.Contact Us:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Phone : +91-20-67278686E-Mail : info@reportsweb.com
Next Generation Data Storage Technologies Market foreseen to grow exponentially over 2024

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Next generation data storage technology includes technologically advanced data storage products and solutions to deal with increasing file sizes and huge amount of unstructured data. The Next Generation Data Storage Technology manages large data securely and enables reliable, secure and fast recovery of data in a cost-efficient manner. It has enabled scalable storage and handling of large data generated by big enterprises.The factors favoring the growth of the next generation storage technologies market include ubiquity of input and output devices in every sector and the ever-increasing need for managing, analyzing and storing huge amount of data. Consequently, the demand for next generation data technologies is expected to increase at a quick rate over the forecast period. This growth is expected to be backed by the growing demand for advanced time saving technologies including automated systems, smart technologies, online shopping, and internet of things etc. which require handling of large data generated by the enterprises.Request to view ToC of Report -There are various challenges restraining the growth of the next generation data storages technologies market. This includes technological complexity, repair and restore issues, lack of security etc. Furthermore, high level of data consistency is required in the data storage. Future growth in the market is projected to come from emerging need for data storage in small and medium enterprises.The next generation data storage technologies market is segmented on the basis of technology and application. By technology, the market is classified as into all-flash storage arrays, hybrid array, cloud based disaster recovery, holographic data storage and heat assisted magnetic recording. Of these, hybrid array is a form of hierarchical storage management contains solid state drives and hard disk drives for input and output speed improvements. Holographic data storage is the high capacity data storage technology whereas hybrid array and all flash array are standard data storage techniques.By application, next generation data storage technologies market is divided into the enterprise data storage, big data storage and cloud based storage.Request to view Brochure of Report -North America is the dominating the next generation data storage technologies market. The Asian Pacific countries including China, Japan and India are expected to grow at a significant rate as compared to other regions. The presence of a large number of IT industries in the Asia Pacific region is one of the key factor driving growth of the next generation data storage technologies market in the region. Asia Pacific countries are speculated to make huge investments in the data storage sector to provide their existing infrastructures with new data storage technologies and solutions to improve the production process. Japan, which is one of the technology advanced nations, is anticipated to be a big market for next generation data storage technologies. The country is already using these data storage technology across its various industry verticalsSome of the key players in the next generation data technology market are Dell Inc., Avago Technologies, EMC Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., HGST, Inc., - Hitachi Data Systems, IBM Corporation, NetApp, Inc., Avago Technologies, Drobo, Inc. and Micron Technology Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Ddos Prevention Products Services Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace Over 2024

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Denial of service (DoS) attack is an intentional effort that affects the smooth functionality of web services. It is typically executed by inundating the intended network with excessive requests to overload the system and prevent authorized requests from accessing the network. Distributed DoS (DDoS) attack is a type of DoS attack in which the source of the attack is thousands of IP addresses. This is a malicious attempt to make a web application or a website unavailable to its intended users by overwhelming the application or the site with a huge amount of traffic, causing the application or the site to operate slowly or to crash.DDoS attacks are continuously evolving posing a challenge for users. The perpetrators of these attacks use huge armies of automated computers that are infected with malware and are remotely operated to create DDoS attacks on large scales. It is challenging to stop the attacks by simply blocking a single IP address, considering the sea of incoming traffic from multiple sources targeting the websites. In such cases, it becomes very difficult to distinguish legitimate user traffic and the attackers. These attacks are often used as decoys to distract IT security teams from other similar attacks. DDoS attacks are launched by businesses, nation-states, and individuals each having their own motivation such as cyber vandalism, extortion, personal rivalry, business competition, and cyber warfare.Request to view ToC of Report -In the current competitive scenario, availability of online services is of utmost importance. DDoS attacks have become more dynamic, innovative and consequential, thus affecting e-commerce activities. The growth of DDoS prevention products and services can be attributed to the increasing online businesses and e-commerce activities. Furthermore, increasing awareness about data security is another major factor to drive the DDoS prevention products and services. DDoS prevention products and services are witnessing high growth in the banking, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Mobile networks are easy to access and tamper, thus leading to increasing number of DDoS attacks. To counter these threats, enterprises are investing heavily in DDoS prevention solutions that is further fueling the growth of this market. The increasing number of application-layer attacks are also forcing companies to make new investments in DDoS prevention products and services. Large data centers and cloud services providers are highly visible targets owing to large amount of vital data hosted. The significant increase in the number of data centers across the world has further increased the need for advanced DDoS prevention solutions. However, the complex IT infrastructure and the high product costs of DDoS solutions are the major challenges hindering the growth of this market.The DDos Prevention Products & Services Market can be categorized in terms of services, solutions, and geography. On the basis of services, the market can be divided into hybrid services and cloud based services. Moreover, in terms of solutions, the market can be further segmented into on-premise and cloud solutions. Geographically, the market can be categorized into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East and Africa.Request to view Brochure of Report -The major players in the DDoS prevention products and solutions include Akamai Technologies, Inc., Arbor Networks, Inc., Verizon Communications, Inc., Corero Network Security, Inc., Fortinet, Inc., Neustar, Inc., Orange Business Services, RioRey, and Verisign, Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Api Management Market to receive overwhelming hike in Revenues by 2024

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The need to manage the usage of application programming interfaces (APIs) to decode the data of systems or enterprises in a bid to make it usable for other sections of the organization or for third-party organizations in novel ways is boosting the global API management market. The rising need for the governance and a life-cycle framework for APIs is also fueling the demand for API management solutions, which is reflecting positively on this market.The significant rise in the popularity of web APIs, together with the augmenting demand for public as well as private APIs are projected to drive the growth of the worldwide API management market remarkably in the years to come. Apart from this, the mobility of these solutions and apps explosion are also anticipated to favor this market tremendously over the next few years.The Worldwide Market For API Management is characterized by the rivalry between the established multinational as well as local players. The market participants rely heavily on the advancements in technology for the growth of their businesses. Over the coming years, they are likely to shift their focus towards strategic alliance in order to gain strength in the global market.Request to View ToC of Report -Global API Management Market: OverviewApplication programming interface (API) stands for a set to protocols, tools, and subroutines that are used to build software applications. Acting as a communication code between software programs, API management enables an organization to monitor the functionalities of the interface and meet the requirements of the application and developers. API management allows traffic monitoring of individual applications and helps in cache memory management to improve the performance of the application. As API management software can either be built in-house by an organization or can be imported from third-party providers, and has become an essential tool for several business vendors to enhance their customer experience. Consequently, the demand in the global API management market is projected to expand at a healthy rate during the forecast period of 2016 to 2024.This report on the global API management market provides qualitative and quantitative examination of the market in its current scenario and analyzes all the factors that may influence the demand in the near future, to estimate the condition of the market until 2024. This report is meant for audiences such as organizations, network operators, and solution providers, aspiring to serve as a credible document to make more informed business choices. The report contains a dedicated section on company profiles, exploring several prominent players for their market share and product portfolio, in order to present a clear picture of the competitive landscape.The global market for API management can be segmented on the basis of services into analytics, portal, gateway, governance, security, and other services. By end-use industries, the market can be categorized into aerospace and defense, banking and finance, automotive and transportation, public sector and government, retail and consumer, healthcare and life sciences, and technology and media. Geographically, the report examines the opportunities available for API management market in regions such as North America, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America.Global API Management Market: Trends & OpportunitiesMobility and App proliferation is the primary factor augmenting the demand for API management. With growing number of mobile subscribers, the rise of social media, and penetration of ecommerce, vendors from various sectors can now provide information in interactively to their consumers and thereby increment their sales. The advancements of the Internet of Things and Big Data as well as cost and feature benefits are other two major factor favoring the global API market. Moreover, as API management helps in systematic enforcement of policies and visualization of insightful analytics, the demand is expected to expand to several organizations that desire to expand their productivity.Conversely, some of the factors expected to challenge the market from attaining its full potential are: data security, legacy investments in SOA, and performance monitoring by skilled professionals. System integrators, digital transformation, and SOA and PaaS integrations are some of the new opportunity avenues available for the players in this market.Request to View Brochure of Report -Global API Management Market: Regional OutlookNorth America and Europe currently serve the maximum demand for API management, owing to high adoptability of new technology. However, several emerging economies in Asia Pacific such as India, China, Japan, and South Korea house several end-use organizations that offer vast untapped opportunities.Companies mentioned in the research reportAmazon, CA Technologies, RedHat, Apiary.io, Apigee, Stormpath, Telenity, Akana, Axway, Crosscheck Networks, Dell Boomi, Fiorano Software, Inc., IBM, Distil Networks, Mashape, MuleSoft, Nevatech, NGINX Software Inc., Mashery (Tibco), Microsoft, Restlet, SAP, Sapience, Oracle, RepreZen, Socrata, Software AG, and Torry Harris are some of the leading players currently functional in the global API management market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Aviation Cyber Security Market Set to Surge Significantly During 2024

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The aviation sector is expanding as more and more people are using airline services to travel across the globe. These have caused an increase in air traffic in recent years. To solve this problem, the aviation sector has adopted information technology in its system. The sector has upgraded itself from using Commercial Off-The Shelf (COTS) technologies to processor-based hardware platforms. However, use of information technology in aviation industry has given rise to the threat of cyber attack. Cyber attack is nothing but an internet based attempt to damage information technology system of an airline company and hack critical information using malware or spyware. To tackle this issue, a cyber security solution is necessary in aviation industry. Cyber security is the use of technology and processes to protect data, computers and networks from attack of hackers through internet. Aviation cyber security solution mainly deals with management and protection of critical IT infrastructure in Aviation sector.Aviation industry basically uses and stores a high amount of processed data. This data is mainly used in airports, airlines and air traffic management (ATM) services. The manipulation of such data by hackers can create huge damage for aviation industry. The other threat is the increased use of mobile phones, laptop and tablets among airline passengers that has increased possible complexity regarding cyber attack threats. Due to the frequency and complexity of such cyber attacks, it has become necessary for aviation sector to improve the quality of protection. Thus, airline companies are now outsourcing their cyber security responsibilities to skilled security service providers, in order to gain better protection.Request to View ToC of Report -High initial purchase and maintenance cost is a major challenge for the adoption of Aviation Cyber Security Solution In Market. Most of airports and airline companies are unable to afford aviation cyber security due to this reason. Another challenge for aviation cyber security solution is the absence of standard cyber security framework. The aviation industry consists of many stakeholders such as airports, airlines and air traffic management service provider which are mostly controlled by private players. The coordination between the stakeholders is low which results in less standardization of aviation cyber security. A collective responsibility of governments, airlines, airports and Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in aviation industry is necessary to adopt such framework. The introduction of cloud based cyber security solution will help aviation industry to upgrade service in less time and low cost.The aviation cyber security solution find its application mainly in areas of airport management, air traffic management (ATM), airline management and air cargo management. The application of aviation cyber security solution is going to increase in air cargo management service in coming years as popularity of air cargo services have increased. Due to increasing cyber terrorism threat, the demand for aviation cyber security market is going to increase in developed economies such as North America and Europe.Request to View Brochure of Report -Some of the key companies providing aviation cyber security solution are Amadeus IT Group, Airbus SAS, Arinic, Boeing, IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Sabre Airline Solution, SITA, Symantec Corporation, Unisys Corperation, BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc, General Dynamics Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation and Raytheon Company.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cargo Management Solutions Market to Reflect Impressive Growth Rate During 2024

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Cargo management solutions are designed to meet the needs of air, water and road cargo, and freight transportation companies. Such solutions are deployed to transport passenger and industrial cargo from one place to another safely and securely. Cargo management solutions tracks the item in transit and provides alternate and cost-effective routes for easier and faster transportation. Additionally, these software provides vendor and carrier communication tools along with warehousing and maintenance solutions for preservation and safety of the goods. Recent developments in cargo management solutions have included analytics and best practices in quality management and operations management to further benefit the end-users. These solutions also enable integration of other software solutions which include customer relationship management (CRM), financial management and others to provide augmented end-to-end services. Some software solutions also include fleet management options to cater to logistics companies managing large number of vehicles in various routes.Request to View ToC of Report -Population growth and outsourcing of manufacturing activities have led to the growing demand for augmented cargo management solutions. The need for safety and security of shipments are some of the major factors aiding the growth of cargo management solutions. Timely delivery and cost-effectiveness are some of the major concerns for regular trading and shipping organizations. Cargo management solutions provide tools to meet and address these concerns. This has further enhanced the growth prospects of the cargo management systems market. Additionally, rise in air cargo volumes and necessity for faster and better transportation has resulted in an increase in requirement for cargo management solutions to effectively manage such concerns.Advancements in technology are driving innovations in the cargo management solutions market which include integration of software for finance, workforce management and customer relationship management to meet end-to-end functioning of the organization. Increasing maintenance costs and high set-up costs along with strong infrastructure are some of the major challenges encountered by the market. Integration of big data analytics solutions are expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Consolidation of orders is a growing trend in case of small shipments in order to minimize costs.The Global Cargo Management Solutions Market can be segmented on the basis of deployment, end-use industry, service, mode of transportation and geography. On the basis of deployment, the market has been segregated into cloud-based, on-premise and hybrid solutions. Based on end-use industry, the cargo management solutions market has been divided into manufacturing, trading, travel and tourism, logistics, courier and delivery services, and others. In terms of service, the market can be segmented into integration service, support and maintenance service and consulting service. Based on mode of transportation, the market is divided into water, air, rail and road. As per geography, the global cargo management solutions market can be classified into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America.Request to View Brochure of Report -Some of the leading players in the global cargo management solutions market are Damco, IBS Software Services, Camelot 3PL Software, Awery Aviation Management System, Bitmetric Technologies, Jada Management Systems, Catapult International, LeanLogistics, Accenture PLC, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Agility and Sabre.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Wireless Router Market 2017 Global Share,Trend,Segmentation and Forecast to 2021

Wireless Router Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On - Wireless Router Market 2017 Global Share,Trend,Segmentation and Forecast to 2021.The 2017 Market Research Report on Global Wireless Router is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Wireless Router market.Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2017 through 2022. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The Wireless Router industry was 1996.70 million USD in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 3200.92 million USD by 2022, at a CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of 8.18% between 2016 and 2022.The report provides a basic overview of the Wireless Router industry including definition, classification, application and industry chain structure.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. Whats more, the Wireless Router industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThis report studies Wireless Router focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringTP-LINKD-LinkCiscoTendaBelkin (Linksys)NETCORE Group (Qihoo 360)MERCURYNetgearFASTBuffaloAmpedEdimaxAsusHuaweiXiaomiHiWiFiMarket segment by regions, this report splits global into several key regions, with production, industry, revenue, market share and growth rate of Wireless Router in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), likeUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanTaiwanKoreaAsia OtherROWSplit by product types, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoSingle Band Wireless RoutersDual Band Wireless RoutersTri Band Wireless RoutersSplit by applications, this report focuses on industry, market share and growth rate of Wireless Router in each application, can be divided intoFamily or Individual ConsumerBusinessOther ApplicationIn a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the Wireless Router industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Ask Query @Table Of Contents  Major Key Points1 Wireless Router Market Overview 11.1 Product Overview and Scope of Wireless Router 11.2 Wireless Router Segment by Different Types 21.2.1 Wireless Router Segment by Frequency 21.2.2 Wireless Router Segment by Standards 31.2.3 Wireless Router Segment by Technology 61.2.4 Mobile WIFI (Hotspot) Router 71.3 Wireless Router Segment by Applications/End User 131.3.1 Wireless Router Consumption Market Share by Applications in 2016 131.3.2 Consumer Wireless Router 141.3.3 Business Wireless Router 151.4 Wireless Router Market by Regions 161.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022F) 161.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022F) 171.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022F) 171.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022F) 181.4.5 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022F) 181.4.6 Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022F) 191.4.7 Asia Other Status and Prospect (2012-2022F) 201.4.8 ROW Status and Prospect (2012-2022F) 211.5 Global Market Size of Wireless Router (2012-2022F) 22.7 Global Wireless Router Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis 597.1 TP-LINK 597.1.1 Company Profile 597.1.2 Product Picture and Specification 607.1.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 647.2 D-Link 657.2.1 Company Profile 657.2.2 Product Picture and Specification 667.2.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 687.3 Cisco 707.3.1 Company Profile 707.3.2 Product Picture and Specification 717.3.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 737.4 Tenda 747.4.1 Company Profile 747.4.2 Product Picture and Specification 767.4.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 777.5 Belkin 787.5.1 Company Profile 787.5.2 Product Picture and Specification 797.5.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 817.6 NETCORE Group 827.6.1 Company Profile 827.6.2 Product Picture and Specification 847.6.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 857.7 MERCURY 877.7.1 Company Profile 877.7.2 Product Picture and Specification 877.7.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 897.8 Netgear 907.8.1 Company Profile 907.8.2 Product Picture and Specification 917.8.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 937.9 FAST 957.9.1 Company Profile 957.9.2 Product Picture and Specification 967.9.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 977.10 Buffalo 997.10.1 Company Profile 997.10.2 Product Picture and Specification 1007.10.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 1017.11 Amped 1027.11.1 Company Profile 1027.11.2 Product Picture and Specification 1037.11.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 1047.12 Edimax 1067.12.1 Company Profile 1067.12.2 Product Picture and Specification 1077.12.3 Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue 108Continue.Buy 1-User PDF @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Conveyor Systems Market Poised to Achieve Significant Growth in the Years to Come

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) observes that Daifuku Co. Ltd., Schaefer Systems International Inc., Dematic Group, and Murata Machinery Ltd are the leading players in the global conveyor systems market. Collectively these players held a share of over 50% in the overall market in 2016. These players are expected to increase their investments in research and development to develop advanced systems. The players are also expected to focus on expanding their product portfolio and geographical reach to overcome competition in the near future.Europe Slated to Lead with Asia Pacific in TowAccording to the research report, the global conveyor system market is expected to be worth US$6312.5 mn by 2025 from US$4697.1 mn in 2016, surging at a CAGR of 3.5% between the forecast period of 2017 and 2025. Out of all the regions, Europe is projected to lead the global market in the coming years due to industrial evolution in the region. Against this background, the regional market is estimated to progress at a CAGR of 2.7%. Asia Pacific is also expected to offer players in the global market a lucrative ground for growth over the forecast period.Request A Sample Of This Report -The two types of distribution channels in the global conveyor system market are online distribution channel and direct distribution channel. Of these, the direct distribution channel segment is estimated to hold a share of 96.1% by the end of 2025 due to high penetration.Increasing Need for Operational Efficiency Ensures Uptake of Conveyor SystemsThe changing attitudes of industries, which is defined by growing demand for operational efficiency has paved the way of automation. The global conveyor systems market has been witnessing steady progress over the years due to growing uptake of conveyor belts in various industrial sectors are they march toward incorporating automated processes. Conveyor systems market is expected to see spike in sales as the need for reducing production time, human errors, and improving safety continues to be on the rise. Conveyor systems are extensively used to move goods, raw materials, and end products from one point to the other. Thus, they serve the purpose of quick transportation with unquestionable safety.View Report -The growing awareness about the environment and sustainable solutions has also prompted several companies to take up conveyor systems. The eco-friendly options in the conveyor systems market are thus gaining traction. Furthermore, technological advancements that have helped companies develop conveyor belts that reduce material and energy consumption have also prompted market growth. Newer conveyor systems are aimed at upping the safety levels and enhancing the operational efficiency of workplaces, states the lead author of this research report. All of these factors, are collectively expected to propel market growth in the near future.High Maintenance Cost Makes End Users Think TwiceOn the flip side, the market is likely to be challenged by the high establishment cost of conveyor systems. The unaffordable pricing of these systems has significantly restrained the market in recent years. Furthermore, the soaring cost of maintenance with each year is also expected to make end users think twice about investing in conveyor 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.We are customarily engaged by Fortune 500 companies to support their strategic business decisions such as:Penetrating a new marketIdentifying white spacesLaunching a new product/serviceTactical M&AsSatisfied Employees, Satisfied ClientsTMRs analysts and consultants are distinguished experts in their respective domains. The company is based on an employee-centric model and hires the best, brightest, and most passionate people in the industry. This unparalleled expertise helps TMR uncover latest market intelligence data thats distinct from the competition.TMR is also a client-centric organization that endeavors to add value to the clients business by delivering the most insightful research. TMR understands that every client has unique product/service offerings, statement, and criteria. Customized solutions from TMR are centered on the clients problem statement. On the other hand, our syndicated research reports provide a packaged solution to keep enterprises abreast of the next major change in their industry.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Rhinometry Systems Market to Witness Healthy Growth in the Coming Years

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Rhinometry can be defined as a diagnostic procedure that employs acoustic reflections to analyze and estimate the volume and cross-sectional area of the nasal cavity. The procedure is utilized to measure changes in the nasal airway in response to allergic provocation tests, nasal anatomical landmarks, or nasal septum deviation. In addition, it is used as a method to measure lower respiratory tract resistance. Acoustic rhinometry is considered one of the standard diagnostic tools used for the evaluation of nasal patency. It enables detection of narrow points in the nose that cause nasal airway blockage. Acoustic rhinometry enables the doctor to check for the impact of long-term medications used in the treatment of nasal blocks, which might be caused due to nasal polyps, rhinitis, or rhinosinusitis. It enables the measurement of the volume of nasal cavities, which helps in evaluation of reduction in the size of nasal polyp after medical treatment. Rhinomanometry is applied to measure the air pressure and the rate of airflow in the nasal pathway during respiration, which is then applied to estimate nasal airway resistance.Request A Sample Of This Report -Nasal airway blockage occurs primarily due to nasal septal deviation. The prevalence of septal deviation in general population is anticipated to be around 80%. Diagnostic tools such as rhinomanometry, rhinoresistometry, and acoustic rhinometry help otolaryngologists and ENT specialists in deciding whether a surgery be recommended for a patient for correction of nasal septal deviation. High prevalence of nasal septal deviation and technological advancements leading to development of combination devices (that combine acoustics rhinometry with rhinoresistometry, rhinomanometry, and long-term rhinometry) contribute to growth of the rhinometry systems market. In addition, the increasing number of advantages of rhinometry in terms of early diagnosis of nasal septal deviation and favorable reimbursements for rhinometer tests offered in various countries worldwide augment the market. However, shortage of skilled professionals and high cost of rhinometry systems are likely to hamper the market during the forecast period.The global rhinometry systems market can be segmented by product type, end-user, and region. In terms of product type, the market can be segmented into rhinomanometry systems, rhinoresistometry systems, acoustic rhinometry systems, and combination systems. Among product types, the acoustic rhinometry systems segment dominated the market in 2016. The combination systems segment is anticipated to register a high CAGR during the forecast period, owing to capability of these systems to objectivize the extent of nasal obstruction and to differentiate causes of nasal obstruction such as pathological turbulence, pathological inspiratory nasal collapse, and narrowing of the nasal canal caused by swelling or skeletal deformation. Based on end-user, the market can be segmented into hospitals, clinics, ENT centers, and others.View Report -Geographically, the global rhinometry systems market can be segmented into five regions viz. North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. In terms of revenue, North America dominated the global market in 2016 and is anticipated to remain dominant during the forecast period as well. This growth can be attributed to well-established health care infrastructure, rising prevalence of septal deviation, and technological advancements in rhinometry systems in the region. In terms of revenue, Europe is anticipated to follow North America during the forecast period. However, sluggish growth of the market in the region can be attributed to sluggish recovery of the economy of Europe. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a significantly high CAGR during the forecast period. India and China are estimated to contribute to this growth. Growth of the market in these countries can be attributed to increase in the patient pool and focus on enhancing health care facilities by governments.Leading players operating in the global rhinometry systems market are Ecleris S.R.L., Homoth Medizinelektronik GmbH & Co. KG, Instrumentation DIFRA, GM Instruments Ltd., MEDI-CARE SOLUTIONS srl, MES Sp. z o.o., The Piston Ltd., Happersberger otopront GmbH, and Recorders & Medicare Systems Pvt. 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.We are customarily engaged by Fortune 500 companies to support their strategic business decisions such as:Penetrating a new marketIdentifying white spacesLaunching a new product/serviceTactical M&AsSatisfied Employees, Satisfied ClientsTMRs analysts and consultants are distinguished experts in their respective domains. The company is based on an employee-centric model and hires the best, brightest, and most passionate people in the industry. This unparalleled expertise helps TMR uncover latest market intelligence data thats distinct from the competition.TMR is also a client-centric organization that endeavors to add value to the clients business by delivering the most insightful research. TMR understands that every client has unique product/service offerings, statement, and criteria. Customized solutions from TMR are centered on the clients problem statement. On the other hand, our syndicated research reports provide a packaged solution to keep enterprises abreast of the next major change in their industry.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Cryosurgery Equipment Market to Witness Healthy Growth in the Coming Years

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Cryosurgery is the application of extremely low temperature to destroy abnormal tissue. The technique has been successful in treating some types of cancer and skin disease. Extreme low temperature for cryosurgery is achieved by using liquid nitrogen or argon gas. For treatment of external conditions, liquid nitrogen is applied to the diseased skin cells with the help of a cotton swab or spraying device. To treat internal conditions, liquid nitrogen or argon gas is passed through hollow probes, which are efficiently guided by MRI or ultrasound. Cryosurgery has been successfully applied for treating cancers such as retinoblastoma, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, and cervical cancer. The technique is also used for treating cervical dysplasia.Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive procedure. Increasing prevalence of cancer in developing countries is likely to drive the growth of the cryosurgery equipment market. Moreover, as the application is localized and restricted to abnormal tissues, healthy tissue is maintained and side-effects are reduced. Cryosurgery treatment can also be used in combination with other methods such as hormone therapy, radiation and chemotherapy leading to the reduction in use of drugs causing harmful side effects. Cry-Ac, Cryoalfa, CryoClear, CryoPen, Verruca-Freeze, Premier CryOmega, and CryoProbe are examples of cryosurgery products.Request A Sample Of This Report -According to World Health Organization, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, and the seventh overall, with an estimated 528,000 new cases in 2012. There were an estimated 266,000 deaths from cervical cancer worldwide in 2012, accounting for 7.5% of all female cancer deaths. Almost nine out of ten (87%) cervical cancer deaths occur in less developed regions. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2014, 12,578 women in the United States were diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,115 women in the country died from this cancer.The cryosurgery equipment market is segmented by product type, application, end user, and geography. Based on products, the market is segmented into systems and consumables. Based on application, the market is segmented into cancer, skin tags, skin tumors and others. Based on end user, the market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers and others.View Report -Geographically, the cryosurgery equipment market has been categorized into five regions, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to be the dominant market in terms of revenue due to increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures and technologically advanced products. Europe is expected to be the second largest market owing to increasing prevalence of cancer. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 25,000 women die from cervical cancer in the WHO European Region. It remains the second most common cancer among women aged 15-44. The market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to increasing prevalence of cancer in the region. According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, every year in India, 122,844 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 67,477 die from the disease. India has a population of 432.2 million women aged 15 years and older who are at risk of developing cancer. The Latin America cryosurgery equipment market is expected to grow due to increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures. The Middle East & Africa region is expected to witness growth due to increasing disposable income and establishment/expansion of Western companies (North America and Europe) in the regions.Major players operating in the cryosurgery equipment market include Brymill Cryogenic Systems, Cortex Technology ApS, Wallach Surgical Devices, CryoSurgery, Inc., CryoIQ AB, Cryoswiss GmbH, Medtronic, CryoConcepts LP, and Zimmer MedizinSystems among othersAbout 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.We are customarily engaged by Fortune 500 companies to support their strategic business decisions such as:Penetrating a new marketIdentifying white spacesLaunching a new product/serviceTactical M&AsSatisfied Employees, Satisfied ClientsTMRs analysts and consultants are distinguished experts in their respective domains. The company is based on an employee-centric model and hires the best, brightest, and most passionate people in the industry. This unparalleled expertise helps TMR uncover latest market intelligence data thats distinct from the competition.TMR is also a client-centric organization that endeavors to add value to the clients business by delivering the most insightful research. TMR understands that every client has unique product/service offerings, statement, and criteria. Customized solutions from TMR are centered on the clients problem statement. On the other hand, our syndicated research reports provide a packaged solution to keep enterprises abreast of the next major change in their industry.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Wifi As A Service Waas Market Pegged for Robust Expansion During 2024

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In the recent past, mobile phones and other electronic devices have quickly became ubiquitous objects, which has led to an exponential increase in the demand for data connectivity. Nowadays, high-speed data connectivity is almost mandatory for any workplace to function efficiently and as a result, the demand for advanced Wi-Fi technology is surging. Wi-Fi technology allows electronic devices within range to connect with wireless LAN networks (WLAN), which may be password protected or open. Devices such as personal computers, smartphones, tablets, modern printers, and digital cameras are compatible to connect to the internet via wireless access point and WLAN network.Wi-Fi as a service (WaaS) is a fully cloud-based management system, which allows organizations with limited IT resources to provide secure, reliable, and fast WLAN access across various locations. Since the deployment of WaaS is easy and time-efficient as no installation of cable is required, it can be managed via network operating center (NOC), and consequently allows smaller business organizations to attain fast and reliable data network. WaaS is ideal for temporary locations, heritage buildings, and office relocations. Moreover, advanced analytic tools are provided with WaaS, which help in analyzing customers and staff behavior. WaaS is also equipped with automatic system upgrades and allow safe guest access.Gaining from this increasing dependency on the internet and advancements in cloud-based services, The Global Wi-Fi As A Service (Waas) Market is estimated for a robust growth rate during the forecast period of 2016 to 2024.Request to View ToC of Report -Global Wi-Fi as a Service (WaaS) Market: Trends and OpportunitiesNumerous factors are driving the global market for WaaS in the positive direction, including the increasing demand for centralized management, remote troubleshooting, reduced cost of ownership, and low capital expenditure. Also, factors such as strong emphasis on employee empowerment and the ensuing need to deliver digital mobility tools, globalization of businesses are further augmenting the demand. Increasing number of medium-sized organizations are adopting WaaS because of its end-to-end visibility, improved agility and efficiency, fast deployment, cost-effectiveness, and labor management. In addition to all of it, WaaS is also primed to revolutionize the transportation and logistics sector, particularly in mass transits.The global market for WaaS can be bifurcated on the basis of type of service, user location, enterprise size, end-use industry, and geography. By service, the global WaaS market can be segmented into network designing and planning, maintenance and support, cloud access point, and others. By user location, the market can be segmented into indoor or outdoor. By end-use industry, the market can be divided into banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), retail, education, public sector and government, healthcare, logistics and transportations, IT and telecommunications, manufacturing, and hospitality and travel.Global Wi-Fi as a Service (WaaS) Market: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, the global WaaS market can be divided into North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. Currently, North America contributes to the most prominent market for WaaS due to robust infrastructure and favorable governmental policies. However, Asia Pacific is projected for the most significant growth rate during the forecast period due to boom in enterprise networking, strong economic growth, development in enterprise IT infrastructure, mushrooming SMBs and increase in the number of cloud ready Asian countries, and large scale outsourcing of BPO/KPO operations to countries such as India, China, and Malaysia.Request to View Brochure of Report -Companies mentioned in the research reportSome of the prominent players in the global Wi-Fi as a service market include Cisco Systems Inc., Singapore Telecommunications Limited, Rogers Communications, Inc., BigAir Group Limited, Mojo Networks, Inc., Telstra Corporation Limited, ViaSat Inc., Aerohive Networks, Inc., ADTRAN, Inc., Fujitsu Limited, Zebra Technologies Corporation, iPass, Inc., and Ruckus Wireless, Inc. The report observes that the outlook of the the global market is highly competitive and the providers of WaaS solutions and services are focusing on consolidating their grounds through new product developments and build feature-rich solutions and attain better market visibility. Companies in the WaaS market are also strategically partnering with domestic players to enhance individual offerings into a multi-faceted solution in order to suite for the expanding customer bases.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. 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Car Security System Market Estimated to Expand at a Robust CAGR over 2024

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The Global Car Security System Market has largely benefitted from the technological advancements over the past few years. Security system manufacturers are likely to capitalize on the proliferation of smart devices such as smartphones and smartwatches. They are offering security features in consumer mobile phones that will help them to track the car in case of theft. Moreover, with the growing adoption of the internet, companies are increasingly focusing on global positioning systems (GPS) and internet connectivity systems that are capable of providing advanced security.The increasing cases of car theft worldwide are also escalating the growth of the global car security system market. Several governments are making it compulsory for automakers to install immobilizers as a standard feature in every new car. A case in point is the Western Australia Department of Transport that mandates the use of immobilizers before licensing and transferring a vehicle in a territory.This research report offers a detailed analysis of the various aspects of the global car security systems market. These aspects include market dynamics, trends, geographical segmentation, market size, and competitive landscape. Information from several sources such as press releases, paid databases, presentations, white papers, and journals was taken into account to compile this study on the global car security systems market and its affiliated industries. The report profiles prominent players in the market along with their business strategies, latest developments, and market share.Request to View ToC of Report -Global Car Security System Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe increasing sales of cars worldwide is a key factor driving the global car security systems market. Automakers are installing security systems in new vehicles in order to stand out in the competition. Moreover, the growing trend of telematics across the globe is providing comfort to car owners and easy car monitoring techniques, which is resulting in enhancement in car security. This is, therefore, working in favor of the growth of the market. Furthermore, the robust growth of aftermarket worldwide is providing a fillip to the market.On the other hand, the growth of the global car security system market is restrained by the high cost of production and installation. Automobile manufacturers are providing advanced car security systems only in premium variants of cars, which is negatively influencing the growth of the market. However, the increasing establishment of car production plants in emerging economies such as Mexico, India, and China is creating new growth opportunities for the market.Global Car Security System Market: Geographical SegmentationThe key regional markets analyzed in this research report are Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World. Asia Pacific is anticipated to command a large share of the overall market revenue owing to the flourishing growth of the automotive sector. The increasing vehicle production capacity, rising exports of automobiles, and the expanding aftermarket are collectively fuelling the growth of the region. The rising trend of installing safety features in vehicles is another factor bolstering the growth of the region.North America and Europe are expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. The presence of a wide base of affluent customers is propelling the demand for vehicles in these regions, which in turn is working in favor of the car security systems market. In addition, North America, particularly the U.S., is a home to various car manufacturing giants such as General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Fiat-Chrysler Automotive. This provides a significant boost to the growth of the North America region. In Europe, Germany, the U.K., Italy, and France will be the major contributors.Request to View Brochure of Report -Companies Mentioned in the Report:The global market for car security systems is highly fragmented. Companies in the market are increasingly focusing on those regions where car OEMs are establishing their new production plants. Some of the prominent players in the global market are Strattec Security Corporation, Omron Automotive Electronics Co. Ltd, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Denso Corporation, Delphi Automotive LLP, Honda Lock Mfg. Co Ltd, Witte Automotive, Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd, Continental AG, Kiekert AG, Tokai Rika Co Ltd, Robert Bosch Gmbh, Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, U-Shin Ltd, Shiroki Corporation, Lear Corporation, Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation, and Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KGAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Document Outsourcing Market Projected to Garner Significant Revenues by 2024 -end

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Today organizations try to gain competitive advantage in industry through outsourcing their business processes to third party service providers. This helps them to reduce operational cost and focus on key functional areas. Organizations use a large quantity of information in daily business operations which are stored in the form of files, blueprints, invoice and mail orders. The maintenance and storing of these valuable documents requires more space and is costly issue for any organization. Hence organizations try to convert and store these documents in digital format in order to save cost and space. Organizations opt for document outsourcing services where third party service provider transforms typed and handwritten text document into electronic or digital information.This electronic information can be stored in computer or server and used directly for future purpose. Document outsourcing involves a combination of intelligent character recognition (ICR) and optical character recognition (OCR) method to convert hand-written documents into electronic information. In some cases, important paper documents are converted to electronic format by experienced data entry clerks. Traditional document outsourcing services include data and content scanning, mailroom and print management. However, due to increasing demand for outsourcing in organization, document outsourcing service providers have tried to solve customer business challenge by providing value added services. Today, document outsourcing service providers provide a wide range of advance services apart from delivering traditional document outsourcing services. Document outsourcing service providers focus on providing value added services such as cross-media service, digital mailbox services and marketing analytics.Today organizations are finding problem in providing quality information to their customers due to lack of expertise in quality writing. Hence, document outsourcing providers are providing email writing service where content writers provide relevant information based on customer query. Document outsourcing is also used in creating technical brochures, product specifications and repair manuals. Document outsourcing is also used in creating both printed and digital marketing communication documents to promote brand image. Thus, the role of document outsourcing has increased in many areas of a business.Request to View ToC of Report -Many financial institutions too, such as banks and insurance, favor document outsourcing for delivering accurate and complete archiving of financial information. Thus, document outsourcing providers are becoming strategic partners for organizations through providing value added services. Document outsourcing also helps to improve process as well as distribute risk between the organization and the service provider.The major challenge for document outsourcing service provider is the flexibility in service level agreement (SLA). Organizations which do not plan on future business strategies, may not include relevant clauses in the service level agreements. These may later result in problem for document outsourcing service providers in providing service to organizations as the service requirements would vary as per the clients they cater to.The demand for Document Outsourcing Market will increase in coming years as organizations will try to reduce operational cost and gain competitive advantage among its competitors. Although, the document information may be critical for organization, document outsourcing solutions such as marketing analytics can help organization to use information in order to improve organization operations. Document outsourcing service finds its application in the area of financial services, insurance, healthcare, legal, telecommunication and manufacturing.Request to View Brochure of Report -Some of the key document outsourcing service providers are Hewlett-Packard Company, Lexmark International Inc, Integreon Inc, Ricoh Company Ltd, Xerox Corporation, Canon Inc, Konica Minolta Holdings Inc, Swiss Post Solutions AG, Kyocera Document Solution Inc, Williams Lea Holdings Plc, Firstsource Solutions Ltd, Formost Mediaone, Pitney Bowes Inc and Toshiba Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Mass Notification System Market is set to garner staggering revenues by 2024

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In order to keep everyone notified during some specific event or disaster, a mass notification system (MNS) is deployed to broadcast notifications to customers, citizens, employees, and government officials. These systems are extremely important for coordinating with the people during rescue and relief operations required to be done during cataclysmic natural disasters involving earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. Mass notification systems offer front-line communication technology that warns people about possible safety measures in case of danger and also guide them with the action to be taken accordingly. A message once composed on the MNS can be shared in multiple formats such as SMS text, email, social media, web, RSS and others at the same time. One of the key technological advancement which is major focus for leading players operating in the market is introduction of mobile-based mass notification applications, which enables better management of incidents, and alert users with the aid of simple and interactive dashboard.Request to View ToC of Report -The Global Mass Notification System Market is driven by the increasing demand in line with technological features offered by the mass notification systems. For instance, powerful and scalable platform enables planning and policy enforcement expanding the adoption of mass notification system by government bodies. Moreover, demand for mass notifications systems is propelled by the growing global industrialization and government initiatives towards public safety. However, apart from defense and education sector in every other sector, lack of regulations concerning mass notification systems is expected to hinder the market growth during the forecast period. Moreover the growth of the mass notification system market is also hampered by some of sub-standardized solutions which do not comply with the latest NFPA 72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. NFPA 72 provides the latest safety provisions to meet society's changing fire detection, signaling, and emergency communications demands. Countries in Asia-pacific region are investing heavily in the development of mass notification solutions owing to major instances of industrial hazards taking place in this region which is fuelling the growth of mass notification system in the region.The global mass notification system is segmented on the basis of application, product type, solution, end-use vertical and region. In terms of application, the market can be segmented into integrated public alert and warning, interoperable emergency communication, business continuity and disaster recovery and business operation. The product type segmentation covers hardware, software and services. The market is also classified on the basis of solution type such as in-building solution, wide area solution and distributed recipient solution. On the basis of end-user vertical, the global mass notifications systems market has been segmented into commercial, education, healthcare, defense, energy and power, automotive, transportation and logistics and government institutions. The market segments in terms of geographical regions include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle-East and Africa (MEA). North America is expected to lead the market due to the presence of a large number of Mass Notification system vendors offering tailored solutions to multiple industry verticals. Emerging countries such as BRICS(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are observing the increasing trend in MNS.Request to View Brochure of Report -Industry participants dominating the mass notification system market with the most significant developments are AtHoc, Inc., Everbridge, Inc., Eaton Corporation Plc., Honeywell International, Inc., International Business Machine Corporation, Siemens AG, Metis Secure Solutions, LLC, Mir3, Inc., Omnilert LLC. and Xmatters, Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Semiconductor Dielectric Etching Equipment Market to Surge at a Robust Pace in Terms of Revenue Over 2024

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Dielectric etching equipment is used extensively for etching dielectric material during the manufacturing process of a semiconductor. The dielectric etching process is an anisotropic process that removes various dielectric substances such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide and different overlying photoresist mask. In many cases, carbon monoxide is used in various dielectric etching process owing to its higher profile control and higher selectivity over oxygen-based or fluorocarbon etch processes. The market growth of semiconductor dielectric etching equipment market is highly dependent on the growth of the overall semiconductor market globally.For the purpose of detailed analysis, The Global Semiconductor Dielectric Equipment Market can be segmented on the basis of product type, application and geography. Based on product type, the market can be classified into dry etching equipment and wet etching equipment. Various application of dielectric etching equipment includes high aspect ratio and self-aligned contacts, capacitor cell, low-k and ultra-low-k dual damascene, 3D NAND and mask open. Moreover, the report also provides cross sectional analysis of all the above mentioned segment across various regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.Increasing demand for energy efficient, compact and high performance electronic devices across the globe triggers the need of miniaturization of various semiconductor circuits. Miniaturization of semiconductor circuits undergoes different wafer fabrication process through various dielectric etching equipment. Thus, the rising need for miniaturizing semiconductor circuits is the primary factor predicted to fuel the demand of various dielectric etching equipment during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. In addition, rapid technological upgradation in Internet of Thing (IoT) application for providing advanced smart devices to various consumers is also anticipated to boost the demand of technologically advanced semiconductors in the coming years. This in turn is also predicted to affect the market of dielectric etching equipment positively during the forecast period.Request to View ToC of Report -In spite of so many driving factors, the global semiconductor dielectric etching equipment market is anticipated to show a fluctuating growth rate owing to the cyclic nature of the semiconductor industry. Very often, production of semiconductor exceeds the demand from various end users segment, thereby results in inventory pile up. This in turn is anticipated to deter the demand of various semiconductor dielectric etching equipment when various semiconductor manufacturers curtail their production owing to large quantity of unsold stock.By product type, the dry dielectric etching equipment held the largest market share in 2015 owing to its low cost in disposing the materials and reduced material consumption. However, the wet etching technology is anticipated to experience an exponential growth rate during the forecast period. Ease of operation and high etching rate of wet etching equipment makes it the most suitable choice for various end user application segments.Geographically, the global semiconductor dielectric etching equipment market is majorly driven by Asia Pacific region. The main reason behind this regions dominance is attributed to the increasing demand of portable smart devices such as smart phone, tablets and smart television set among others. Rising demand of these smart devices is anticipated to accelerate the demand of miniature semiconductor circuits, thereby predicted to drive the market rapidly. Moreover, in terms of market growth also, this region is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period owing to the presence of large number of semiconductor manufacturers in countries such as Japan, Taiwan and South Korea among others.Despite of low concentration of semiconductor dielectric etching equipment manufacturers across the globe, intense competition exist among the vendors owing to strong foothold of the existing vendors. Moreover, the completion is anticipated to increase in the coming years due to predictive strategic alliance among the existing vendors.Request to View Brochure of Report -Some of the leading players operating in the semiconductor dielectric etching equipment market includes Applied Materials (U.S), AMEC (China), Lam Research (U.S), SPTS Technologies (U.K) and Oxford Instruments (U.K) among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Semiconductor Dry Strip Systems Market to Surge at a Robust Pace in Terms of Revenue Over 2024

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Increasing demand for consumer electronics which include smartphones, tablets and other electronics devices is one of the prime reasons contributing in the rapid growth of semiconductor dry strip systems market globally. Rising usage of advanced electronic products is fueling the application of semiconductor dry strip systems across different regions globally. The market has been segmented into by application which includes consumer electronics, automotive, industrial segment among others. The Market For Semiconductor Dry Strip Systems by geography has been segmented into, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America.Dry strip systems primarily eliminate photoresists and follow every step of diffusion processing. Techniques and process of eliminating these residues include dry and wet strip systems. Moreover, the upgraded advanced dry strip generates plasmas or gaseous chemistries, to which wafers are generally exposed to eliminated mask residues and films. The demand for advanced semiconductor dry strip systems is growing owing to the increasing number and complexity of thin-film layers needed for each wafer has increased. Rising technological advancement the semiconductor manufacturers are focusing on increasing their strip capacity. Furthermore, semiconductor companies also focuses on residue-free stripping and low-damage results. ICs fabrications which feature sizes of sub-100 nm and the application of copper and low k dielectric films are some of the major challenges for the dry strips systems.Request to view ToC of Report -With rising research activities in the field of semiconductor dry strips systems, the application of the system are growing in the consumer electronics, automotive and high-end industrial application segments. Increasing adoption of electronics is one of the major reasons behind the rising popularity of semiconductor dry strips systems. Increasing usage of smartphones, tablets, and other smart gadgets are fueling the market for semiconductor dry strips systems across different regions globally. Furthermore, rising demand for advance quality semiconductor devices is one of the prime factors fueling the market. Major companies operating in the field of semiconductor systems primarily focuses on research activities and introduced dry strips specialized for different photoresist eliminating requirement primarily for foundries and fabs globally.Increasing complexity in the manufacturing process of ICs, the requirement for semiconductor dry strips is growing and is expected to increase in near future. Specialized dry strips applications are on rise in order to meet the diverging clients demand. Strip systems in cost-sensitive memory applications required to give the advance levels of productivity while marinating the lowest cost of ownership. Furthermore semiconductor dry strips systems have also found applications in advanced packaging. In addition, the semiconductor dry strips systems play an important part in the semiconductor devices fabrication. The growing research and development in the field of dry strips solutions for major semiconductor processing fabs is contributing in the positive development of the market. Advanced dry strip processes with negligible substrate damage and high wafer throughput plays a crucial role in the successful semiconductor device fabrication.Asia Pacific is leading the semiconductor dry strip systems market worldwide. Growing usage of consumer electronics devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearable and other smart electronic devices in economies such the China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and India is contributing in the positive growth of this market across Asia Pacific (APAC). North America is one of the prime regions which is contributing in the positive growth of the semiconductor dry strip systems market. The U.S., Mexico and Canada are some of the major economics contributing in the positive development of this market. The U.K., Germany, France and Italy are some of the major countries contributing in the development of the market globally. Brazil, Argentina and U.A.E are expected to witness positive growth over the forecast period from 2016 to 2024 across South America, Middle East and Africa. With increasing advancement in the consumer electronics, industrial and automotive field, the application of semiconductor dry strip systems is growing rapidly.Request to view Brochure of Report -Merger and acquisitions and strategic partnership agreements along with research and development activities are some of the key business strategies adopted by the companies operating in this industry in order to strengthen its presence across different regions globally. Applied Materials, Inc. (California, The U.S.), Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Tokyo, Japan), Lam Research Corporation (California, The U.S.), Mattson Technology Inc. (California, The U.S.), PSK Inc. (South Korea), Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (Massachusetts, The U.S.), GlobalFoundries (California, The U.S.), Intel Corporation (California, The U.S.), Novellus Systems Inc. (California, The U.S.), Samsung Group (South Korea), Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (China), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited (Taiwan), United Microelectronics Corporation (Taiwan) and ULVAC Technologies, Inc. (The U.S.) among others are some of the major players operating in the semiconductor dry strip systems market globally.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) 2017 Market Segmentation,Application,Technology & Market Analysis Research Report to 2021

Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Market 2017

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On - Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) 2017 Market Segmentation,Application,Technology & Market Analysis Research Report to 2021.Description:In this report, the global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanGet a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comGlobal Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Toshiba CorporationIntel CorporationMicron Technology, Inc.Fujitsu LtdSK Hynix, Inc.Microchip TechnologySandisk CorporationAdesto TechnologiesViking TechnologyCrossbar Inc.Everspin Technologies Inc.Nantero, IncOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoTraditional Non-Volatile MemoriesEmerging MemoriesOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingElectronicsEnergy & Power DistributionAutomotive & TransportationTelecommunicationOthersAsk Query @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsGlobal Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Market Research Report 20171 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Nonvolatile Memory (NVM)1.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Traditional Non-Volatile Memories1.2.4 Emerging Memories1.3 Global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Segment by Application1.3.1 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Electronics1.3.3 Energy & Power Distribution1.3.4 Automotive & Transportation1.3.5 Telecommunication1.3.6 Others1.4 Global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022).7 Global Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Toshiba Corporation7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Toshiba Corporation Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Intel Corporation7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Intel Corporation Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Micron Technology, Inc.7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Micron Technology, Inc. Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Fujitsu Ltd7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Fujitsu Ltd Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 SK Hynix, Inc.7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 SK Hynix, Inc. Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Microchip Technology7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Microchip Technology Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Sandisk Corporation7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Sandisk Corporation Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Adesto Technologies7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Adesto Technologies Nonvolatile Memory (NVM) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinue.Buy 1-User PDF @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Artificial Hip Joint Market 2017 Global Analysis By Key Players  Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker Corporation, Smith & Nephew, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Exactech, Inc.

Artificial Hip Joint Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On - Artificial Hip Joint Market 2017 Global Analysis By Key Players  Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker Corporation, Smith & Nephew, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Exactech, Inc..Description:In this report, the global Artificial Hip Joint market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Artificial Hip Joint in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGet a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comGlobal Artificial Hip Joint market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingZimmer Biomet HoldingsJohnson & JohnsonStryker CorporationSmith & NephewMicroPort Scientific CorporationExactech, Inc.DJO Global, Inc.B. BraunOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBy Joint Interface MaterialMetal-on-MetalMetal-on-PolyethyleneCeramic-on-MetalCeramic-on-PolyethyleneCeramic-on-CeramicBy Fixed TypeBone Cement TypeNon-Bone Cement TypeOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingHospitalsOrthopedic ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersOthersAsk Query @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsGlobal Artificial Hip Joint Market Research Report 20171 Artificial Hip Joint Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Artificial Hip Joint1.2 Artificial Hip Joint Segment By Joint Interface Material1.2.1 Global Artificial Hip Joint Production and CAGR (%) Comparison By Joint Interface Material (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Artificial Hip Joint Production Market Share By Joint Interface Material (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Metal-on-Metal1.2.4 Metal-on-Polyethylene1.2.5 Ceramic-on-Metal1.2.6 Ceramic-on-Polyethylene1.2.7 Ceramic-on-Ceramic1.3 Artificial Hip Joint Segment By Fixed Type1.3.1 Bone Cement Type1.3.2 Non-Bone Cement Type1.4 Global Artificial Hip Joint Segment by Application1.4.1 Artificial Hip Joint Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.4.2 Hospitals1.4.3 Orthopedic Clinics1.4.4 Ambulatory Surgical Centers1.4.5 Others1.5 Global Artificial Hip Joint Market by Region (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Artificial Hip Joint Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.5.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.6 Global Market Size (Value) of Artificial Hip Joint (2012-2022)1.6.1 Global Artificial Hip Joint Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.6.2 Global Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022).7 Global Artificial Hip Joint Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Zimmer Biomet Holdings7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Artificial Hip Joint Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Zimmer Biomet Holdings Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Johnson & Johnson7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Artificial Hip Joint Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Johnson & Johnson Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Stryker Corporation7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Artificial Hip Joint Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Stryker Corporation Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Smith & Nephew7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Artificial Hip Joint Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Smith & Nephew Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 MicroPort Scientific Corporation7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Artificial Hip Joint Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 MicroPort Scientific Corporation Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Exactech, Inc.7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Artificial Hip Joint Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Exactech, Inc. Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 DJO Global, Inc.7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Artificial Hip Joint Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 DJO Global, Inc. Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 B. Braun7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Artificial Hip Joint Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 B. Braun Artificial Hip Joint Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinue.Buy 1-User PDF @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Passenger Stairs Market Growth, Size, Share, Status and Forecast 2025

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Passenger Stairs: Market IntroductionAccording to the United Nations, fifty percent of the global population lives in cities and the number is expected to reach up to seventy percent by the next 40 years. Eventually, people will need better transportation to commute from one city to another, which will drive the demand for aircrafts along with an increase in the demand for ground support equipment (i.e. passenger staircase). Passenger staircases are used by ground handling staff at airports to facilitate boarding and departure of passengers to and from an aircraft.Request Sample Copy of the Reports:Over the years, the passenger staircase has become an important equipment in handling passengers movement at airports. Some budget airlines use passenger stairs instead of airstairs or aerobridges to reduce the cost and turnaround time. Unlike traditional staircases, these staircases are ergonomically designed and reliable for long term ownership. Such staircases are safe, efficient, stable and efficient for the long run. Additionally, a variety of these passenger stairs are diesel powered due to strict emission norms in European countries.Owing with the increasing emission standards for the aviation industry, HKAI (Hongkong International Airport) uses solar powered passenger staircases and electric loaders by JATS (Jardine Air Terminal Services). Additionally, companies such as Darmec Technologies Srl are designing ground support equipment powered by diesel or electricity. Also, agencies regularly recommend and mandate conditions for ground support equipment. For instance, the California Environmental Protection Agency issued a new air regulation for ground support equipment, via the CARB (California Air Resources Board).Passenger Stairs Market: DynamicsBurgeoning number of airlines and airports are the primary factors expected to drive the passenger stairs market. Expansion of existing airports and advancement in technology are also projected to boost demand for the passenger stairs market. However, an increasing number of automated systems (aerobridge) are entering the market, which may hamper growth of the passenger stairs market.Passenger Stairs Market: SegmentationBroadly, the passenger stairs market can be segmented on the basis of type: self-propelled and towable.The global passenger stairs market can be segmented on the basis of whether they are manually towed or powered by a diesel/petrol engine or electricity. Wherein, the self-propelled segment is estimated to dominate the global passenger staircase market in terms of volume over the forecast period, owing to fast movement of aircraft services. Also, the increase in demand for aircrafts in countries such as India, Brazil and China is growing steadily, which will eventually propel the passenger staircase market.Additionally, the global passenger stairs market can be segmented by use as: military, airport and others (mining, construction). Application wise, the airport segment is estimated to grow at a high CAGR due to rising demand from airlines. The market for airports is large in Western Europe, Asia Pacific and North America, owing to the increase in expansions and rise in the number of airports.Over the forecast period, the region-wise global passenger stairs market is expected to grow at significant rate owing to the increase in demand for airports. Key economies in the Asia-Pacific region that are expected to contribute largely to the growth of the market are South Korea, China, India and Japan. Europe and North America are forecasted to remain dominant markets over the forecast period.Passenger Stairs: Market ParticipantsExamples of some market participants in the global passenger stairs market identified across the value chain include:Gate GSEDenge Airport EquipmentTLD GroupOmega Industrial ProductsSitnar CorporationMetal Solutions Design & Fabrication LLCNMC Wollard Inc.FMC TechnologiesExcel Group of CompaniesTEC Huenert GmbHAbsolute GSE IncRequest TOC of the Reports:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Paraffin Inhibitors Market Growth, Size, Share, Status and Forecast 2025

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Global Paraffin Inhibitors Market IntroductionParaffin inhibitors are polymers used to prevent the precipitation of paraffin from oil. Crude oil paraffin inhibitors alter the shape and size of wax crystals, thereby keeping them dispersed and preventing them from adhering to the surface. Deposition of paraffin, which happens naturally in crude oil, can pose serious challenges during production, transportation and storage. A number of factors affect the precipitation of paraffin, some of them include temperature, cooling rate of the storage tanks and pipelines, etc. Paraffin inhibitors are essentially the chemicals that prevent the deposition of paraffin in storage tanks and pipelines and prevent paraffin induced blockage. Paraffin inhibitors can be used for different varieties of crude oil. The particles remain dispersed and are flown back into the oil. The wastage, thus, is minimized and the additional waste disposal cost is also saved. Owing to such benefits associated with them, the market for paraffin inhibitors is anticipated to expand at a sustainable CAGR over the forecast period of 20172027.Request Sample Copy of the Reports:Global Paraffin Inhibitors Market DynamicsThere is an increasing need to improve the flow of crude oil flow preventing blockages and reducing the wastage of oil caused due to deposition of paraffin from oil and this is one of the prime factors driving the paraffin inhibitors market. Moreover, the downtime for the flow of oil can also be reduced with the help of these inhibitors. With increase in oil exploration and production activities worldwide, the global paraffin inhibitors market is foreseen to remain lucrative over the span of next ten years. The use of paraffin inhibitors has led to decrease in energy costs and has also managed to reduce the wear and tear of equipment. Moreover, paraffin inhibitors also prevent the deposition of sludge at the bottom of the tank. Thus, the use of paraffin inhibitors reduces operational issues and maximizes hydrocarbon production. All of these factors are expected to affect the market positively in years to come.The time of application of paraffin inhibitors plays a very crucial role. If paraffin inhibitors are added before the oil is cooled to a particular temperature, the paraffin inhibitors induce the formation of agglomerates as the stability of the colloidal solution is disturbed. Thus, proper management of technicalities and complexities associated with their application is needed to be taken care of for the effective use of paraffin inhibitors. The manufacturers have managed to develop such paraffin inhibitors that can work at low temperature conditions such as subsea umbilical and cold climates. Efforts are being made to produce such paraffin inhibitors that can prevent deposition under extreme environmental conditions.Global Paraffin Inhibitors Market SegmentationThe global market for paraffin inhibitors can be segmented on the basis of application and region.On the basis of application, the global paraffin inhibitors market can be segmented into:Exploration and drillingStorageTransportation (Pipelines)Global Paraffin Inhibitors Market Regional OutlookNorth America holds a significant share in the global paraffin inhibitors market and is anticipated to remain dominant over the forecast period, 2017-2027. This can be attributed to increasing technological advancements and development of unconventional methods for the production of oil which has shown rising demand for paraffin inhibitors. Western Europe also holds a significant share in the global paraffin inhibitors market. Asia Pacific and Japan are also anticipated to represent good signs of growth over the forecast period. Awareness about the product benefits is expected to play a crucial role in the market development in the region. Middle East and Africa is expected to expand at a significant CAGR owing to the large oil and petrochemical base industries in the region.Global Paraffin Inhibitors Market ParticipantsSome of the market participants identified across the value chain of the global paraffin inhibitors market are: BASF SE, NALCO, Halliburton, Evonik Industries AG, Croda International Plc, Schlumberger Limited, Baker Hughes Incorporated, GE Corporation, Clariant, AkzoNobel N.V, Zirax Limited, Refinery Specialties, Inc., Dorf ketal Chemicals, etc.Request TOC of the Reports:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Pneumatic Conveying System Market Research Report | Forecast up to 2025

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Global Pneumatic Conveying System Market: IntroductionWith increasing automation in the manufacturing sector, the material handling industry has significantly transformed over the past few years. Demand for robust and novel technologies in material handling has witnessed significant upsurge, to cope up with the rapidly developing manufacturing techniques such as robotics. Owing to these customized and advanced handling demands, the material handling industry is expected to witness robust growth over the forecast period. Conveying systems form an important part of material handling industry. Of the varied types of conveying systems available, pneumatic conveying system  a system that utilizes air flow and pressure differential to fulfill conveying operations in a closed environment, finds its application for conveying powder, granules, abrasive and other dry bulk materials in various end use industries such as food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, chemicals, metal & mining and pulp & paper.Request Sample Copy of the Reports:The pneumatic conveying system uses pressure difference and flow of air or other gases as the driving force for the conveying system. This is usually supplied by an air mover and kept under control for desired applications. The market for pneumatic conveying system is expected to witness healthy growth over the forecast period, owing to various advantages it offers over the existing conventional mechanical systems. Pneumatic conveying systems are more flexible than existing mechanical systems, occupy less space and provide enclosed space for transportation. Another major advantage of a pneumatic conveying system over a mechanical one is the relatively low maintenance cost, which is due to the fact that pneumatic conveying systems have less number of moving parts.Global Pneumatic Conveying System Market: Market DynamicsOwing to the stabilized growth of global economy and of end-use industries such as food & beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pulp & paper, steady growth in sales of pneumatic conveying systems is expected over the forecast period. Developing nations such as China, ASEAN, India and South Africa are expected to be the major contributors for the market growth.Benefits offered by pneumatic conveying systems, such as low maintenance costs, less space requirement for installation, durability and flexibility will be the key factors driving the focus of customers towards pneumatic conveying systems over other systems available in the market. Thereby, driving the growth of the global pneumatic conveying system market. Installation and MRO services are expected to hold significant shares of the total revenue generated in the global pneumatic conveying system market and drive the market growth.Factors that can hamper the growth of pneumatic conveying system market include large power requirements to drive the conveyor, continuous monitoring and change in air pressure and requirement of larger dust collection systems than other available systems in the market. Furthermore, sluggish growth in some of the end-use industries such as metal & mining industries pose challenge to the growth of global pneumatic conveying systems market.Global Pneumatic Conveying System Market: Market SegmentationThe global pneumatic conveying systems market can be segmented into following:By product type, pneumatic conveying systems market can be segmented intoDense-phase Pneumatic Conveying SystemDilute-phase Pneumatic Conveying SystemBy technology, pneumatic conveying systems market can be segmented intoVacuum Conveying SystemsPositive Pressure SystemsCombination Conveying SystemsBy end-use industry, pneumatic conveying systems market can be segmented intoPulp & PaperPharmaceuticalsFood & BeveragesChemicalsMetal MiningPlastics & PolymersPetrochemicalOthersGlobal Pneumatic Conveying System Market: Region-wise OutlookNorth America and Europe are expected to collectively account for over half of the revenue generated in the global pneumatic conveying system market. The U.S., U.K., Germany, France and Spain are expected to be the major contributors to the growth of the market.Asia Pacific is expected to hold significant market share in the global pneumatic conveying systems market over the forecast period. The market in the region is expected to witness high value CAGR over the forecast period. China, Japan, India and ASEAN are expected to witness significant growth opportunities owing to favorable macro-economic factors and rapid industrialization taking place in these countries.Middle East and Africa and Latin America are expected to hold nominal market share in the global pneumatic conveying system market. Turkey and South Africa are expected to emerge as key countries holding significant opportunities for the growth of pneumatic conveying systems market in the region. The markets in Middle East & Africa and Latin America are expected to witness moderate growth over forecast period.Global Pneumatic Conveying System Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global pneumatic conveying system market include:Nol-Tec Systems, Inc.VAC-U-MAXFlexicon CorporationSchenck Process Holding GmbH,Indpro Engineering Systems Pvt. Ltd.Whirl-Air-Flow CorporationFLSmidth Inc.Jenike & JohansonHAF Equipment, Inc.Industrial Accessories CompanyPace CompanyNilfisk GroupZeppelin Systems Singapore Pte LtdRequest TOC of the Reports:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Sodium Metal Market will Register a CAGR of 3.3% through 2024

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Global consumption of sodium metal will grow at a sluggish CAGR of 3.3% through 2024, according to Persistence Market Researchs report entitled, Sodium Metal Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016  2024. In 2016, over 98,400 MT sodium metal was consumed globally, and it is estimated to surpass 127,400 MT by 2024.The sluggish demand for sodium metal is attributed to hazardous effects of highly reactive sodium element. Challenges with handling and storage of sodium metal will continue to negatively impact the growth of the market. Further, limited availability of sodium metal on account of fewer players has resulted into introduction and use of alternatives, such as magnesium for use in industrial applications.Key players in this market are concentrating on expansion of their production capacities and making long-term contacts with end-use industries, especially in near proximity, to incur growth opportunities. Manufacturers are also focusing on introduction to new grades of application-specific sodium metal. Inner Mongolia Lantai Industrial Co. Ltd. held the highest volume market share in 2015. Other leading players in the global sodium metal market include Wanji Holdings Group Limited, Shandong Moris Tech Co. Ltd., and MSSA S.A.S.Request Sample Copy of the Report @In terms of volume, chemical synthesis application of sodium metal held 70.4% share of the market in 2016; by 2024, this is expected to reach nearly 72%. Sodium metal is also used in the production of dyes, and it is projected that this application segment will grow at 4.7% CAGR in terms of volume through 2024. The weakness in demand will be offset to a certain extent by applications in chemical synthesis and textile industry.APAC is projected to be the most lucrative region for the global sodium metal market followed by North America and Europe. Asia Pacific forms a hub for textile industries owing to the ever-growing population and demand for a wide range of textiles, resulting in steady demand for sodium metal. Over 53,690 MT of sodium metal was consumed in APAC in 2016. The North America sodium metal market was around US$ 60 Mn in 2016, and it is expected to reach around US$ 80 Mn by 2024. Consumption of sodium metal in Europe, pegged at over 19,700 MT in 2016, is expected to surpass 24,200 MT by 2024.Request for Report Methodology:Key Market Drivers and TrendsThe demand for denim clothing has witnessed a robust growth in the recent past resulting in higher demand for sodium metal for textiles and apparelsSodium metal forms a key constituent in the manufacturing of indigo dyesSteady growth in global biodiesel production is one of the primary driving factors as sodium methylate is widely used as a catalyst for large-scale biodiesel productionApplication of sodium metal as a reductant in metals manufacturing and refiningGlobal sodium market is characterized by competitive oligopoly, wherein few manufacturers hold major shares in the overall market supplyPersistence 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:
Bronchoscopes Market Market Research Report 2017 Analysis and Forecast To 2023

Global Bronchoscopes Market

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Acknowledging its growing popularity and the market growth, Market Research Future, recently published a study report  The Global Bronchoscopes Market. Which indicates that the Market is booming and estimated to gain further prominence over the forecast period. Further MRFR asserts that the Market will demonstrate a massive growth by 2023, phenomenally superseding its previous growth records in terms of value with a whooping CAGR during the anticipated period considering all these factors The World Bronchoscopes Market research report is growing continuously and expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% from 2017 to 2023GET SAMPLE REPORT @Market Research Future published new report, titled Bronchoscopes Market  Research Report: Global Forecast till 2023.Market Highlights of Global Bronchoscopes Market:Bronchoscopy is an endoscopic technique of visualizing the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Bronchoscope is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth, or occasionally through trachea which allows the practitioner to examine the abnormalities in patient airways for foreign bodies, tumors, bleeding, or inflammation. There are a variety of bronchoscopes, introduced for different diagnostic requirements, owing to the different advantages flexible bronchoscopeshave over rigid bronchoscopes. The major driving factors for the growth of the market are increasing prevalence of the different respiratory procedures, increase in preference for minimally invasive procedures, and rising geriatric population. At the University of Chicago Medicine, over 70% of major lung resection surgeries are performed using minimally invasive techniques. Moreover, increasing patient inflow, rising healthcare expenditure and increasing government support have provided push for the growth of the market. On the other hand, the average cost of the bronchoscopes is around USD 2500  USD 3500. Thus, high cost of the bronchoscopes may restrain the growth of the market.Some of the Major Key Players in this market are: Ambu Inc. (US), Boston Scientific Corporation (US), Cogentix Medical (US), Fujifilm Holdings Corporation (Japan), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Pentax Medicals (Japan), and KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Schindler Endoskopie Technologie Gmbh (Germany), Scholly Fiberoptic Gmbh (Germany), Vimex Sp. (Poland), Hangzhou EndoTop Medi-Tech Co., Ltd.(China), Guangzhou MeCan Medical Limited (China), and LocaMed (UK).Market Segments:The global bronchoscopes market is segmented on the basis of types, application, and end users.On the basis of types, the market is segmented into rigid bronchoscopes, and flexible bronchoscopes. Flexible bronchoscopes are further sub-segmented into fiber optic bronchoscopes, and video bronchoscopes.On the basis of application, the market is segmented into diagnosis, and surgical procedure. Diagnosis is further segmented into examination, patients airways, bleeding lungs, possibility of lung cancer, chronic cough, and obtain tissue specimen for biopsy. Surgical procedure is further segmented into removal of a foreign object in the airway, laser resection of tumors, lung abscess, stent insertion, percutaneous tracheostomy, and tracheal intubation.On the basis of end user, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, diagnostic centers and others.Regional Analysis:Considering the global scenario of the bronchoscopes market, there are four main regions: America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.America accounts for the largest market owing to the huge patient inflow due to increasing prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases, well-developed healthcare sector, increasing geriatric population, and high healthcare spending. America consists of two regions namely, North America and South America. North America is the major market share holder owing to increasing number of hospitals and healthcare organization and huge patient pool in this region. According to the American Hospital Association, in 2016, total number of all US Registered Hospitals was 5,564. Additionally, according to the American Lung Association, lung cancer affects more than 370,000 Americans each year.Europe commands the second largest market share in global bronchoscopes. Some major factors that attribute the growth of Europe bronchoscopes market are, huge patient population, well-developed healthcare facilities, and increasing government support. Germany, the UK and France are the major contributor in the Europe bronchoscopes market.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market. Improving healthcare sector, rapidly growing economies, presence of huge patient population, and presence of huge opportunities for the development of the market has driven the growth for this market in Asia Pacific. Whereas, the Middle East & Africa accounts for the lowest share in the global bronchoscopes market.GET FULL REPORT @Key Findings:Flexible bronchoscopes segment accounts for the largest market share in the global bronchoscopes market and is expected to be the fastest growing market with the CAGR of 8.0 % during the forecast period.Diagnosis commanded the largest market share in 2016 and was valued at USD 885.7 million in 2016 and is expected to reach at USD 1,484.2 million by 2023.On the basis of end users, Hospitals & clinics segment accounts for the largest market share of 49.1% in the global bronchoscopes market.The Americas bronchoscopes market is expected to reach USD 868.7 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 7.4 % during the forecast period.Major Table of Contents:Chapter 1 Report PrologueChapter 2 Market IntroductionChapter 3 Research MethodologyChapter 4 Market DynamicsChapter 5 Market Factor AnalysisChapter 6 Global Bronchoscopes Market by TypeChapter 7 Global Bronchoscopes Market by ApplicationChapter 8 Global Bronchoscopes Market by End UserChapter 9 Global Bronchoscopes Market, by RegionChapter 10 Company LandscapeChapter 11 Company ProfileChapter 12 ConclusionChapter 13 AppendixCONTINUEDGET DISCOUNT @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com
Doug Jones is a good person and a good candidate. He has sustained a record of doing public good that goes far beyond his impressive avoidance of getting banned from malls for being a known sexual predator, and he deserves Alabamas vote on his own merits. Yet weve spent weeks deadlocked in national debate about a man whose mere candidacy wouldin even the most moderately moral and reasonable of worldsfry the states voting infrastructure even before voting begins, when the U.S. citizens in charge of setting up the ballots puke with involuntary projectile patriotism on all the computers.

Alas.

Its too late to make a case for Doug Jones or Roy Moore, even from my highly influential seat as a writer at Paste Magazine who lives in Texas. The only people who can do that at this point are Alabamians like this man, a peanut farmer from Wicksburg who, if theres a god, would be as close to god as anyone who ever lived.

Regardless of the outcome, though, when the polls close this evening well have passed through a political portal second in its significance only to Trumps election: The President of the United States of America endorsed a child molester. (For the required modicum of journalistic integrity: Alleged child molester. Lets enter into a contract that whenever I say child molester, pedophile, unconscionable sexual criminal, etc., we assume alleged.)

Now I could be wrong, but I believe Trump is the first sitting U.S. president not only to endorse but campaign for a candidate for the U.S. Senate accused several times over of sexual assault up to and including pedophilia. And I believe Mr. Trump is also the first sitting President of the United States to be investigated by his own Department of Justice for involvement in a conspiracy with a foreign adversary to undermine the American democratic process. Improbable as that coincidence would seem just a few years ago, or maybe even a year ago, these things are happening at the same time.

Its not a coincidence, though, and as we amble flinching into the hellish political radiation 2018 is already emitting, we need to understand exactly why the President campaigned to get a virulently racist, virulently anti-LGBT child molester elected to national office. It explains a lot of what has already happened this year, and what will likely happen in the next few months as the president himself gets pinned down on four almost impressively different criminal fronts: Financial crimes; obstruction of justice; conspiracy against the United States; and sexual assault.

Donald Trump, with the help of about a third of America, is trying to make the presidency invincible.

Mr. Trump built his endorsement for Moore on two planks. The first was the abhorrent utilitarian argument that the GOP needs Moores vote to ensure that Mr. Trumps legislation and his judicial nominees pass through Congress unmolested.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, Id like to point out that even with Alabamas extant two Republican votes, Mr. Trump has failed to get any major legislation through Congress. Even the tax bill, a provisional version of which passed the Senate, faces an uncertain future after the GOPs Potemkin promises to their moderate colleagues have been predictably revealed for what they are. And yes, of course Jones would create a lot of problems for Senate Republicans; on the other hand, so, youd think, would a fiercely racist and misogynistic birther pedophile judge whom the State of Alabama threw off the bench for his efforts to thwart the U.S. Constitution. Twice.

Which brings us to Trumps other, debatably more noxious motive to get behind Moore: Hes not that bad.

(NARRATOR: He is that bad.)

The official position of the President of the United States of America is that you shouldnt believe the several women who have accused this psychopath of sexual predation. And its working, because a lot of people dont. Or at least they say they dont, but at the same time do believe Bill Clintons many accusers, and Senator Al Frankens, and Democrat patron Harvey Weinsteins, etc etc. This is, hopefully, the nadir of our cynicism: I can vote for a pedophile because f*ck liberals. You dont have to do intellectual gymnastics to imagine Alabama voters pressing Moores name with a laugh, with satisfaction, with enjoyment, with patriotic pride, with a perverted pride completely independent of patriotism.

This is what I call The Law of 2016: The worse the GOP candidate is, the harder right-wing voters own liberals if they elect him. This is a major driver, if not the fundamental premise, of the increasingly psychotic consolidation of support behind Mr. Trump in the face of an all-you-can-eat buffet of evidence that hes not only a piece of trash human being, but a stupid, lazy, vacuous, dishonest, bored, racist, amoral, incompetent, traitorous, senile and avaricious criminal working steadily against the best interests of his own base. (I have no interest anymore in reaching out to Trumps base.) But none of that stuff mattered in 2016, and none of it matters today. According to the Law of 2016, the well-done President has a more-than good chance of convincing most rare-meat-red Alabamians to suppress their cognitive dissonance long enough to press a button today.

Mr. Trumps instincts are savvy enough that he even encourages these people to enjoy their vote: Stickin it to the liberal media.

All Mr. Trump needs to do at this point is give voters an unfalsifiable and therefore unassailable excuse that will allow them to put a public face on what is really an act of unadulterated, childish contempt. So he broke out the reliable FAKE NEWS! and linked the women to the hated mainstream media. Roy Moore, the President said, is the victim of a coordinated left-wing smear campaign. This itself is part of the smear campaign on the mainstream media, and thanks to the dispiriting timing of an entirely unrelated CNN screw-up, the right wing has supercharged this argument to the point of invincibility.

Heres something: If its so easy for the mainstream media to smear someone with false accusations of pedophilia, why isnt the right-wing media machine out there smearing liberal candidates with competing false allegations? A conservative pedophile versus a liberal pedophile: The choice is yours, Alabama.

(I already know the GOPs answer: Theyre more decent than that.)

It should be clear by now that the right wing will ride this FAKE NEWS! thing until the bitter end. I mean, it kept a pedophile ahead in the polls in an off-year election, even as he came under fire from overwhelming cries of basic human decency from every corner of the country. Even if that pedo loses the race, its an incredible achievement in depravity. Its damn near unbeatable. And the bet is that it might save Mr. Trump.

If Trump can convince even 45% of voters in one state to vote a child molester into national office, hell figure he can rally enough unconditional support to stave off the consequences of his own comparatively less heinous crimes and stay in office. Loud and influential voices on the right have begun beating this drum. Together they can discredit Mueller. They can discredit the dozen-plus women accusing Trump of sexual assault. Hell, he or a tight and dedicated inner team might even be able to discredit stories that hes losing his mind, should irrefutable evidence escalate: A video is manipulated; there are many other angles of that video to consider; the deep state and the liberal media have targeted him in a seditious campaign of psychological abuse.

Because heres The Law of 2017: People will believe anything they choose to believe. You cant do anything about that.

But theres also a good chance that The Law of 2018 will be differentthat the Law of 2018 is simply the law.

Vote for Doug Jones, Alabama. And to all you Moore supporters, I hope that in the course of casting your vote you have to wade through the righteous and decent puke of patriots.
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.
2018 Event Schedule

May 26:

June 16:

June 30:

July 28-29:

August 25-26:

September TBD:

October 6:

2017 Pro Men champion Cory Sullivan, pinned on the Ashland Mountain Challenge course.Are you ready for another exciting season of enduro racing? The California Enduro Series (CES) is pleased to announce the 2018 race schedule, promising another extraordinary year of enduro racing. The sixth season offers seven races  six scheduled at popular venues throughout California and the series finale again taking place just over the border in Ashland, Oregon. 2018 series points will be based on the top five results of the seven races.The CES Golden Tour will once again be in full swing for 2018. This triple crown series within a series spotlights top talent and events, showcasing the most aggressive stops on the CES schedule  China Peak Enduro, Northstar Enduro, Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro  and boasts a $24,000 cash purse ($4,000 to top ten in both Pro Men and Pro Women categories).Stay tuned for details about these outstanding venues.Toro Enduro in Salinas, presented by CCCX (Registration opens 2/18/18 @ 8pm)Mammoth Bar Enduro in Auburn, presented by The Hub Roseville and Total Body Fitness (Registration opens 1/15/18 @ 8pm)**Golden Tour #1** China Peak Enduro in Lakeshore, presented by China Peak Mountain Resort (Registration opens 4/8/18 @ 8pm) NOTE: The China Peak Enduro will also be part of the 2018 National Enduro Series (NES).Crafts and Cranks Enduro in Big Bear Lake, presented by Team Big Bear (Registration opens 4/29/18 @ 8pm)**Golden Tour #2** Northstar Enduro in Truckee, presented by Northstar California Resort (Registration opens 6/3/18 @ 8pm)**Golden Tour #3**Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro in Mammoth Lakes, presented by Mammoth Mountain (Registration TBA)Ashland Mountain Challenge in Ashland, presented by Ashland Mountain Adventures (Registration opens 3/18/18 @ 8pm)NOTE: CES RiderID required to register for these races. Sign up here 2017 Pro Women champion Janea Perry sends it on the Toro Enduro course.2017 Golden Tour Pro Men champion Evan Geankoplis negotiates China Peak chunder with finesse.2017 Golden Tour Pro Women champion Amy Morrison makes a Northstar waterfall look easy.Marco Osborne  one of the sports most talented competitors  bust onto the enduro scene in 2013 at CES Round 2, the VP EnduroFest at the Dirt Club in Los Olivos. He took the event by storm, winning the Pro Men category on Mark Weirs old bike. Here, Osborne takes on Northstar gnar in fine form.Kathy Pruitt, another astoundingly talented rider, Kathy Pruitt slays the 2017 Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro course as spectators watch in awe.CES events showcase the amazing locations that make California one of the best places on earth to mountain bike. Here a Trail Head Racing rider stays focused on the scenic Mammoth Bar Enduro course.Chillin post-race at the Crafts and Cranks Enduro. Camaraderie is the hallmark of enduro.Matthew Koen and Evan Geankoplis have a bit of fun on a Northstar Enduro transfer.Ana Pimsler and Amber Streiff congratulate each other on their solid efforts on the 2017 Toro Enduro course. California Enduro Series is dedicated to offering especially well-run enduro events that everyone from amateur to pro can enjoy. Join us for the 2018 season  youre sure to have a great time!CES is made possible by the generous sponsorship of industry and community businesses. Sponsoring the series is an excellent way for a business to inspire loyalty, increase sales, and generate interest at local, national and international levels, while supporting the enduro community and mountain biking at large. Email megan@californiaenduro.com for the CES 2018 sponsorship kit.Learn more at californiaenduroseries.com . Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett Resigns

December 12, 2017 Jason Glatzer Editor

On Dec. 11, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval announced the resignation of Gaming Control Board (GCB) Chairman A.G. Burnett. His departure from the office will take place on Dec. 22 with a replacement to be announced at a future date.

Burnett was appointed to the position of Chairman of the Nevada State GCB by Governor Sandoval in January 2011 before he was renewed for a second four-year term in January 2015. Prior to becoming the state's top gaming watchdog, he was a member of the board and has almost two decades in public service in the gaming sector. He plans to head to the private sector and join the law firm McDonald Carano.

As Chairman, Burnett oversaw the GCB handle "unprecedented regulatory changes." Less than one year in office, Nevada legalized regulated online poker. The regulatory framework was new as the state was the first in the country to pass an iGaming bill after Black Friday took place on April 15, 2011.

"Following a nearly 20-year career in gaming regulation I have elected to retire from state service," Burnett said in a press release. "It has been an honor to serve as Chairman of the Gaming Control Board Chairman and I would like to thank Governor Sandoval for his constant support and faith in my ability, said A.G. Burnett. During my tenure, the Gaming Control Board has handled unprecedented regulatory challenges, effected numerous regulatory and statutory changes to accommodate shifts in technology, and addressed issues such as internet gaming, nightclub regulation and policy regarding cannabis in connection with gaming. I am proud of the work we have done, what we have accomplished and would like to express my gratitude to the Control Board staff for their tireless work on behalf of our state."

Governor Sandoval praised Burnett while also wishing him the best in the future.

"A.G. was a fair and thoughtful regulator who impressively balanced the roles of top gaming watchdog with ensuring that our states leading industry maintained flexibility to innovate and achieve forward progress," said Governor Sandoval. "He was respected by both his peers and the industry he served and I know that he will look back on his career in public service with pride. I would like to thank A.G. for his service to our state and wish him all the best as he begins a new chapter at McDonald Carano."

Photo c/o Travel Nevada
Holiday hangover: (n.) that weird post-December haze.

The holidays are quickly approaching and you might be running out of cool new Christmas music to jam to, but fear not: Popdust has got your back. Meet Sub-Radio: a DC based pop rock band that's here to help you dance your holiday haze away. While finishing another project, Sub-Radio just managed to drop an EP of three dope holiday songs.

Listen to Holiday Hangover here.

Their original song "Holiday Hangover" is the perfect song to start the new year out on. The optimistic beat and light vocals provide insight on a promising new year of being unapologetically and authentically yourself. A huge Ariana Grande fan, I was skeptical when I heard they were covering "Santa Tell Me", but their cover is not only inventive but also does the original song justice thanks to their stunning vocals. "Yule Shoot Your Eye Out" is intimate, sweet and undeniably punny. The gentlemen of Sub-Radio wanted to let their fans know what they want for Christmas, so we've got the DL for you right here at Popdust.

Adam Bradley: "A new Beyonce album."

Sub-Radio

"She redefines the sound *and* the industry every time she walks outside, and also I'm running out of energy to keep crying to "Sandcastles." Maybe we can get a Blue Ivy feature??"



Barry Siford: "My own personal dragon"

Sub-Radio

"A dragon that flies, breathes fire, but also knows how to cuddle up. Kinda like the dragon from Shrek, but less smooches y'know?"

John Fengya: "A trip back to Woodstock"

Sub-Radio

Matt Prodanovich: "A fender telecaster."



"For my completely realistic Christmas gift, I would take the group back to 1969 and attend Woodstock. Attending the most famous four days in music history would be unforgettable to say the least. That's totally possible right?"

Sub-Radio

"I love the single coil sound. I don't have a Fender and recently have been feeling drawn to them. I feel like every guitarist has to rock a strat or tele at some point!"



Mike Chinen: "A Super Bowl win for the Packers!"

"I'm a fourth-generation Packers fan and a shareholder. All I want is for us to make the playoffs and continue on to win the Super Bowl. Go Pack Go!"

Michael Pereira: "A time turner."

"If I could have anything for Christmas it would be a real-life time turner from Harry Potter. I have too many ideas, interests, etc., for my own good and I'm constantly putting projects on hold because I don't have enough time."

Follow Sub-Radio on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Anie Delgado is a contributor to Popdust and is an actress and musician based in NYC. Follow her on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter and check out her music on Spotify. Press inquiries here.
Despite J.J. Abrams successfully resuscitating the

Star Wars franchise with 2015s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many fans were still left yearning for something new. It was comforting to see old familiar faces from a galaxy far, far away, but casual fans were unlikely to tolerate another greatest hits collection from a franchise already plagued by compositional overlap (to put it kindly).

Thankfully, the latest entry in the series, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, has a refreshingly new story to tell. Writer-director Rian Johnson clearly intends to subvert our expectations at every turn. Yes, it takes entirely too long to get started and then it doesnt know when to end, but Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a rousing space adventure that spares the platitudes in favor of big emotional payoffs.

When last we saw Rey (Daisy Ridley), she was presenting a visibly haggard Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) with his iconic lightsaber as they posed for a dramatic aerial camera shot. Luke

very reluctantly takes the powerful young girl under his crusty wing, but not for the reasons you might imagine. Its the first of many surprises concocted by Johnson (Brick (2005), Looper (2012), and the mighty Ozymandias from Breaking Bad), who taunts our knowledge and familiarity with the franchise in delightfully twisted ways.

While its overly simplistic to call this the darkest chapter in the series (that honor still falls to the masterful

The Empire Strikes Back), its certainly fair to say Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the most cynical. Lukes selfish reasons for tutoring Rey, along with multiple Rashomon-like flashbacks revealing the betrayal of his former apprentice, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), reflect a modern-day cynicism that fans of the original Star Wars trilogy might find jarring (but not Jar Jarring, fortunately).

This is a world where Good and Evil fight one another not out of ideological necessity, but as a byproduct of inescapable human frailty and those who profit by enabling it. Both forces are helplessly trapped in a machine that will play out the same cycle over and over again. The only thing that truly matters  that which sustains us through the pointless monotony  is the emotional connection that binds us together. Its ironic that by injecting a shot of cynicism into this glorified soap opera, Johnson provides the most satisfying explanation yet for the significance of The Force.

Aside from Reys training and her inevitable dalliance with the Dark Side, Johnson must set up two other story threads that are, sadly, less interesting on their own. General Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher in her last role) scrambles her fighters, including the trigger-happy flyboy, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), to run interference for the Resistances crippled spaceship. The First Order (the bad guys in this new trilogy) can track the Resistance during light speed jumps, allowing Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) to simply follow the ship until it runs out of fuel. Apparently, none of their favorite television shows are on, so theyve got nothing better to do with their time.



John Boyega and Gwendoline Christie ( 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. IMDB)

In the third thread, Finn (John Boyega) and newcomer Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) must sneak aboard the First Order ship and disable the light speed tracking device. This quest takes them to a planet populated by wealthy weapons dealers and a stuttering Benicio Del Toro, who can supposedly break any code. Its always nice to see Del Toro, but his efforts to fill the lovable rogue gap left by the death of Han Solo are largely unsuccessful.

These latter two threads struggle mightily to take flight, inflicting a considerable drag on the engrossing storyline that follows Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren along their bizarre love/hate triangle. Its only at the midpoint of the film, when these three threads intersect, that things really click. From that point forward,

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is almost non-stop action; epic space battles interspersed with ruthlessly efficient character moments that swing the action into new and surprising directions.

Johnson flashes an impressive array of visual techniques. There are a startling number of sets and individual shots that should pry their way into the

Star Wars iconography. From Supreme Leader Snokes chamber, which looks like a discotheque designed by Devil worshiping Nazis, to a final lightsaber battle in front of a crumbling fortress, theres a feast of images that will have sci-fi fans drooling.

All of this spectacle might feel empty were it not for the unrelenting tension and countless dramatic twists. This, perhaps, explains Johnsons difficulty in sculpting an elegant finale. What feels like a satisfying ending is merely the prelude to something bigger and noisier. Just when it appears Johnson might have lost control, he pulls back to reveal an even

more satisfying conclusion. Its a precarious balance that works, primarily, because we have such affection for these characters.

Given the insistence upon juggling three storylines (a

Star Wars tradition that desperately needs to be broken), theres not much room for the actors to breathe. Isaac delivers most of the humor, though theres less to be found here than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Perhaps the character who continues to grow and surprise the most is Kylo Ren, which gives Adam Driver the most opportunity to shine. Carrie Fisher is much more prominent as Leia, however, giving fans one last chance to enjoy this beloved character.

For the first time in several decades, the

Star Wars saga is moving in new and exciting directions. If Star Wars: The Last Jedi isnt a complete deconstruction of the original trilogy, its at least an acknowledgement that these archetypical characters must evolve in order to survive. Discretion and disillusionment are now active components in a universe built upon naivete and reckless heroes. Perhaps, for some viewers, this will tarnish the escapist nature of Lucass original vision, but its a necessary turn if Star Wars wishes to remain relevant.
Hungary OTP buys another bank in Serbia

OTP Banka Srbija has acquired Vojvodjanska banka and NBG Leasing from the National Bank of Greece for EUR 125 mln, or nearly HUF 39 bln at current rates. The deal also includes the sale of a portfolio of Serbian corporate loans, OTP top management announced in Novi Sad after closing the transaction.

Management not yet sated

Left to right: Gabor Kolics, Laszlo Wolf, Sandor Csanyi, Predrag Mihajlovic

Serbian operation could use a boost

OTP's Serbian unit signed a contract for 100% of the share capital of Vojvodjanska banka and NBG Leasing, as well as other loan portfolios belonging to NBG in August. OTP announced last week that it had closed the deal, which will make it Serbia's seventh largest bank with a market share of more than 6%. It will be the third largest in the country based on its network of branches. Integration of the new acquisition is expected to finish in the second quarter of 2019, although the website of Vojvodjanska already displays the new logo.OTP entered Serbia in 2005 and has bought two more banks since then, OTP Group Chairman-CEO Sandor Csanyi said at the press conference. Growth in Serbia is still not finished, however, and OTP is ready to make further acquisitions should a suitable bank that fits OTP's strategy go on sale, he added. The bank is also looking to enter new markets next year as it has the cash available to shop around.The new acquisition, Vojvodjanska banka, is strong in the agriculture sector, with the leasing company having a 40% share of that market. OTP plans to accelerate the digital transition of its Serbian holdings and to increase its share of the retail and corporate markets.OTP has not yet decided what to name the bank, although Csanyi believes Vojvodjanska is a stronger brand in Serbia, so it may continue under that name,Speaking about future acquisitions, Csanyi said due diligence was ongoing at a potential target in Russia, and OTP could buy up to six banks next year. Answering a quastion from Portfolio, Csanyi acknowledged that Serbia's Komercijalna was also on the radar, among others, but the sale of that bank is yet to go ahead.As reported earlier, OTP Srbija is among the OTP acquisitions that do not contribute much to group-level profit in the best of years and takes massive losses in bad years. While the Serbian unit accounts for less than 1.5% of the OTP Group's total balance sheet or loan and deposit stock, and breaks even in good years, it registered losses of nearly HUF 41 bln between 2009 and 2013 and required the group to make several cpital injections in recent year. The Serbian OTP is hindered by a bad loan portfolio, with a default rate of more than 25% compared to the group's average of just 11.2%
Hungarian fintech secures EUR 6 mln in Czech funding

Portfolio Save article Share Hungarian

Financial technology and service provider Barion Payment Zrt. will receive an investment of nearly HUF 2 bln from the Czech-based Home Credit Group, Barion announced in a press release.

The investor will first acquire a 20% stake in Barion, which is active in online and mobile payments, for EUR 2 mln. The Hungarian fintech startup has thus far received HUF 150 mln in two stages from angel investors.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 36F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 36F. Winds light and variable.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 12:10:14

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Centamin plc--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Perth, Australia (FSCWire) - Centamin plc (TSX:CEE). has issued a press release with the following headline:Appointment of Corporate BrokerTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Centamin plc, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Centamin plcSource: Centamin plc (TSX: CEE, LSE: CEY)Date: December 12, 2017Time: 6:10 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Centamin plc and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Beautiful Bangkok by Magnolias @Ratchaprasong, Thailands first world-class high-rise 3D building mapping show.

Beautiful Bangkok by Magnolias @Ratchaprasong

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 15:41:53

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# 580 Words

65/90-91 BangkokDeputy Managing Director6626122253

Bangkok to count down to 2018 at its first high-rise 3D projection mapping show, screening on new landmark Magnolias Ratchadamri BoulevardMagnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard is announcing its arrival as a city landmark and a leader in the super-luxury mixed-use market by enriching Bangkoks festive season with Beautiful Bangkok by Magnolias @Ratchaprasong, Thailands first world-class high-rise 3D building mapping show.Magnolias aims for the 60-story display  running from 14 December until the New Years Eve countdown  to raise Bangkoks global profile and give Thais and international visitors a wonderful new experience.Mr Visit Malaisirirat, CEO of Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC), one of Thailands leading property developers, said: Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard (MRB) is a super-luxury mixed-use project in Ratchaprasong, an exclusive neighborhood at the heart of Bangkok. Its known as the citys business center and has enjoyed rapid growth through several commercial and residential projects. We developed MRB by prioritizing design and the selection of high-quality materials, which is apparent in the buildings iconic shape. It is innovatively constructed with sophisticated technology that delivers the very best for clients.In addition to offering opulent suites, we are allied with Hiltons 5-star hotel brand Waldorf Astoria, which will be the first of the brands hotels in Southeast Asia. To further guarantee the projects success, MRB received 3 prestigious awards from Thailand Property Awards 2014: Best Architectural Design, Best Interior Design, and Best Luxury Condo Development (Bangkok).Regarding the projects progress, Ms Peachpattha Pakakan, VP Marketing and Sales Projects for MRB, said, We have already sold 80% of the total 316 units. Our clients are about 50% Thai and 50% foreign, mainly from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. The driving factors for our sales growth are location at one of Thailands top destinations and the fact it is a mixed-use development, enabling us to meet our residents every need. In the coming year, the units we plan to sell are two-bedroom units, 72-106 sqm with a starting price of THB20 million/unit (THB280,000/sqm).To elevate the Ratchaprasong districts global appeal, MRB has joined Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association (RSTA) to plan development while promoting Ratchaprasong as a center of economic activity. Also a genuine landmark of retail, hospitality, luxury homes, and MICE in the heart of the capital.Mr. Visit Malaisirirat said: We are very pleased to be a member of the RSTA as the area is the countrys key business district. This year, we are collaborating with RSTA and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in organizing Beautiful Bangkok by Magnolias @Ratchaprasong, Thailands first 3D projection mapping performance on a 60-story skyscraper. Beautiful Bangkok by Magnolias @Ratchaprasong will use Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard as the canvas for high-technology 3D projection mapping through collaboration with the world-renowned Limelight group of artists. This show will raise the countrys profile and people will enjoy the event together during the festive season. The concept is to show a city of contrasts that creates a unique harmony: traditional yet modern, always vibrant and crowded but peaceful, a city where past and present will continue to coexist.To promote these activities, we are also holding a photo contest in which entrants can win THB 100,000 by depicting Beautiful Ratchaprasong or Beautiful Magnolias.Stay tuned for activities at FB:MagnoliasRatchadamriBoulevard and www.magnolias-ratchadamri.com Explore now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48kuCpqaB7U Showtime:14-31 December 2017Each night at 19:00, 19:15, 19:30, 19.45, and 20.00 and on 31 December also at 23.55, to count down to 2018 together
BioFridge, a top provider of portable medical refrigeration units, recently launched a new website to better educate online shoppers.

BioFridge Portable Medical Refrigerator

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 08:12:56

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BioFridge

625 Venture Street



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Jay Black

Owner

(760) 233-8847

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http://www.biofridge.com





# 296 Words

625 Venture StreetSuite AOwner(760) 233-8847

BioFridge is a leader in portable medical refrigeration and recently launched a new website at www.biofridge.com . The companys products were developed to address various issues with poor medical cold storage within labs, blood banks, medical facilities and more. These units allow for the safe storage of plasma and red blood cells.BioFridge has been around for over 20 years with their original unit still in service today. Their clients vary around the world from universities, diabetes clinics, medical labs, immunization clinics, and state and county health departments.The companies new modernized website offers useful information that helps guests make more educated decisions when shopping for a medical refrigeration solution. Visitors can compare different BioFridge units to better understand which device meets their departmental and/or facilities needs. Owners of a BIoFridge medical device can download their manual(s) online at http://www.biofridge.com/manuals/ or find additional fridge benefit information at http://www.biofridge.com/product-features/benefits/ The companies mission statement holds true with each and every unit manufactured and sold:to stay committed to manufacturing the most efficient and reliable biomedical cold storage devices for the medical and scientific community, incorporate the precise needs of the industry, and remain an integral part of providing essential healthcare. Its visions like these that demonstrate the companies true commitment and passion to the industry and medical community making them a true leader for portable cold storage. Visitors can view images of each model on the site along with accessories, maintenance schedules, features and more. There are several medical refrigeration manufacturers on the market but none bring the quality, reliability, safety and performance of a BioFridge device.For more information you can visit BioFridge online at www.biofridge.com or call them directly at (760) 233-8847.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 11:37:14

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for RTG Mining Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Subiaco, Western Australia (FSCWire) - RTG Mining Inc. (TSX:RTG). has issued a press release with the following headline:Bougainville Copper Limited Opposed Strongly by Landowners at Wardens HearingTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on RTG Mining Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/RTG Mining Inc.Source: RTG Mining Inc. (TSX: RTG, ISIN: VGG738971032)Date: December 12, 2017Time: 5:35 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of RTG Mining Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Carbon emission becomes the main factor of air temperatures increase in many different parts of the world, especially in urban areas where there are so many vehicles and factories. This is bad for those living near the river or near the sea. The facts show that there are several major cities in the world that are affected by global warming.

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-13 00:11:46

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According to Climate Central, average temperatures in different parts of the world will increase by about 3 degrees Celsius which will impact the rising sea level due to melting ice in the north and south poles. Perhaps, the sea level will rise up to 2 meters in a few years from now. The cities that get this threat are Shanghai, Alexandria, Rio, Osaka, and Miami.Most of the people must be ready to face this nightmare if there is no effort to reduce carbon emission that causes global warming. Governments need to find a solution to prevent it from happening. Some of the departments have been trying to cut the CO2 emission so that the air temperature will not rise up to 3 degrees Celsius or to get a safer path of between 1.5 c and 2C.However, there is no significant change at all and the air temperature will keep rising. Perhaps, today we do not get the bad impact directly, but our next generation will get the impact due to our mistake. In addition, most of the people who live near the ocean, beach, and river will get the consequences due to the melting ice in the North Pole.Now a study, carried out by researchers at Cornell University, warns that rising sea level could cause two billion people to become climate refugees by the end of this century. "Thus, those communities that would be affected should move inland to find a new place to live." We're going to have more people in less land and sooner than we thought ... The future rise in the average world sea level will probably not be gradual, "said Charles Geisler, one of the study's leading authors.So, what is the best solution for this matter? The only way if we want to save the world from global warming is to reduce the greenhouse gases. Transportation and animal agriculture are the biggest contributors to global warming that make our earth temperature increase. It must start from the government that has regulation to control the emission.Finally, global warming becomes a big issue that must be solved immediately because it is threating out world now. We have to unite to solve this issue so that our next generation will not get the bad impact due to our mistake.
Contact Lenses Market by Material (Soft, Silicone Hydrogel, Rigid Gas Permeable, Hybrid, and Polymethyl Methacrylate), by Application (Therapeutic, Cosmetic, and Others), by Design (Spherical, Bifocal, Orthokeratology, and Toric), and by Region - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (20162021)

We Think Through Different Layers, We Work Across Different Verticals

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 11:58:22

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According to the report Global Contact Lenses Market published by Market Data Forecast, the global market projected to reach USD 15.1 billion by 2021, at a CGSR of 7.60% from 2016 to 2021.View report at http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-contact-lenses-market-1697/ A contact lens is a thin and curved lens which is placed on the surface of the eye. They can be used for cosmetic and novelty purpose or for vision correction. Contact Lenses are medical devices, regulated by Food and Drug Administration (USA) hence requires the prescription. The various types of contact lenses are Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses, Soft contact lenses, and Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses, among others. Contact lenses come with particular wear schedules such as Extended Wear Contact Lenses and Disposable Contact Lenses. Extended Wear Contact Lenses can be worn overnight for a period ranging from 6 to 30 days, whereas Disposable Contact Lenses can be discarded after use. As contact lenses, do not contain water traces, it can withstand any deposits build up.Download free sample report: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-contact-lenses-market-1697/request-sample The growth of Contact Lenses market is majorly driven by factors such as rising public awareness, affordability, convenient to use, presence of umpteen numbers of brands, improving economy, growth in online sales, increase in disposable income, wider range of products, growth in eye disorder, and consumers preference for lenses over glasses. Additionally, consumer group, specifically youngsters are drawn towards cosmetic lenses to improve their appearance, thereby spurring up the demand for the product. The rise in aging population is also expected to increase the demand for the product. The advanced technology in contact lenses made it possible for people suffering from astigmatism and presbyopia to opt for contact lenses, thereby spiking the demand for the product. The key constraints of the market are increase in demand for corrective eye surgery (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis LASIK and Photorefractive Keratectomy PRK), cut-throat competition, economic slowdown, and serious hazards of contact lenses (infections, eye dryness, itchiness in the eye, conjunctivitis, and corneal ulcer, among others).Inquire before buying: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-contact-lenses-market-1697/inquire The products are segmented based on Material, Application, and Design and studied for a deep-level understanding of the Contact Lenses Market. Each sub segment is accompanied with Market Size Estimations and Y-o-Y Forecasts as well.Key Points from Table of Contents Overviewo Executive Summaryo Key Inferenceso New Developments Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Challenges Analysis (DROC) Industry Segmentationo Based on Materialo Based on Applicationo Based on Design Geographical Analysis Pipeline Product Analysis Strategic Analysis8.1 PESTLE analysis8.2 Porters five analysis Industry Leaders' Analysis Competitive LandscapeThe market has also been geographically segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle-East and Africa. North America is expected to command the major market share of 37% in 2016 followed by Europe. Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing region for the product with a CAGR of 8.16% during the forecast period 2016-2021.Geographical Segmentation: North America Contact Lenses Market Europe Contact Lenses Market Asia-pacific Contact Lenses Market Latin America Contact Lenses Market Middle East and Africa Contact Lenses MarketThe key players in Global Contact Lenses Market are Johnson & Johnson (USA), Bausch & Lomb (USA), Carl Zeiss AG (Germany), CooperVision (USA), Alcon Laboratories, Inc (USA), Hydrogel Vision Corp (USA), Abbott Medical Optics, Inc. (USA), CIBA Vision (USA), Essilor International (France), and Contamac (United Kingdom).Future trend of Contact Lenses is Smart Contact Lenses mains that a contact lens integrates a set of electronic components and forming a specific function. They may be used to monitor diabetes by measuring intraocular pressure, tear glucose, or for presbyopia and myopia control, low vision.The Contact Lenses Market study offers the following deliverables: Global, regional and country-level analysis and forecasts of the study market; providing Insights on the major countries/regions in which this industry is blooming and to also identify the regions that are still untapped Segment-level analysis in terms of Material, Application, and Design along with market size forecasts and estimations to detect key areas of industry growth in detail Identification of key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges (DROC) in the market and their impact on shifting market dynamics Study of the effect of exogenous and endogenous factors that affect the global market; which includes broadly demographic, economics, and political, among other macro-environmental factors presented in an extensive PESTLE Analysis Study the micro environment factors that determine the overall profitability of an Industry, using Porters five forces analysis for analysing the level of competition and business strategy development A comprehensive list of key market players along with their product portfolio, current strategic interests, key financial information, legal issues, SWOT analysis and analyst overview to study and sustain the market environment Competitive landscape analysis listing out the mergers, acquisitions, collaborations in the field along with new product launches, comparative financial studies and recent developments in the market by the major companies An executive summary, abridging the entire report in such a way that decision-making personnel can rapidly become acquainted with background information, concise analysis and main conclusions Expertly devised analyst overview along with Investment opportunities to provide both individuals and organizations a strong financial foothold in the marketAbout Market Data Forecast:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialities with competitive pricing options. For more info kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 15:00:22

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for ePower Metals Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - ePower Metals Inc. (TSX Venture:EPWR). has issued a press release with the following headline:ePower Metals Inc. Adds Dr. Gregg C. Bruce to Its Board of Directors and Grants Incentive Stock OptionsTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on ePower Metals Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/ePower Metals Inc.Source: ePower Metals Inc. (TSX Venture: EPWR, OTC Bulletin Board: ARGXF, FWB: O4V2)Date: December 12, 2017Time: 9:00 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of ePower Metals Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
According to the report, Europe Phosphatic Fertilizers Market was worth $10.94 billion in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 3.17%, to reach $12.79 billion by 2021.

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 11:29:27

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1-888-702-9626

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# 399 Words

Sales Manager (International Business Development)1-888-702-9626chaitanya inampudi+917680952236

According to the report, Europe Phosphatic Fertilizers Market was worth $10.94 billion in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 3.17%, to reach $12.79 billion by 2021. European countries are aiming on diverting their agricultural harvest for bio-diesel production. Hence, increasing the demand for fertilizers in the regionView Full Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-phosphatic-fertilizers-market-924/ Phosphatic Fertilizers market has progressed into a key agricultural contribution for recovering crop phosphate deficiencies. Phosphorus is a crucial macronutrient essential for finest crop production, with respect to the usage of fertilizer. It is attained from rock superphosphate, bone meal and fertilizer whereas rock phosphate is the raw material used to produce many of the commercial phosphate fertilizers in the market.Download Free Sample Report@ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-phosphatic-fertilizers-market-924/request-sample Buy now @ https://www.marketdataforecast.com/cart/buy-now/europe-phosphatic-fertilizers-market-924 With an upsurge in use of bio-fuel the goods prices also increases accordingly. This fosters the farmers to employ phosphate fertilizers for growing production. The European agricultural policy has constantly supported the extension in production by endorsing the use of fertilizers. Fast growth in population demands greater food production. This is inspiring farmers to consume finest quality fertilizers to gain higher yields. Conversely, production charges of these fertilizers are a probable restraint to the growth of this market.Market Segmentation By Type By ApplicationThe key players covered in this report are: CF Industries Holdings Inc. (U.S.) OCP (Morocco) Agrium Inc.(Canada)  Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (Canada) Mosaic (U.S.) Eurochem (Russia) ICL (Israel) Yara International ASA (Norway) Coromandel International Ltd. (India) Phosagro (Russia).Geographically the market of Europe region is segmented into Germany, U.K., Italy, Spain and France. European Phosphatic Fertilizers Market is dominated by Spain, followed by Germany and France. The demand for phosphate fertilizers is increased in the European region due to considerable rise in meat consumption.Avail Discount @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-phosphatic-fertilizers-market-924/request-discount The key players covered in this report are CF Industries Holdings Inc. (U.S.), OCP (Morocco), Agrium Inc., (Canada), Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (Canada), Mosaic (U.S.), Eurochem (Russia), ICL (Israel), Yara International ASA (Norway), Coromandel International Ltd. (India), and Phosagro (Russia).Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit MarketDataForecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
Europe Precision Agriculture Market was worth USD 0.95 billion in 2016 and is estimated to be growing at a rate of 13.7%, to reach USD 1.81 billion by 2021.

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 11:33:24

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Sales Manager (International Business Development)1-888-702-9626chaitanya inampudi+917680952236

Europe Precision Agriculture Market was worth USD 0.95 billion in 2016 and is estimated to be growing at a rate of 13.7%, to reach USD 1.81 billion by 2021. Precision agriculture is a modern agricultural practice which enables farmers to get better yields with less effort and resources. Precision farming allows farmer to know the weather forecast, humidity of soil and nutrients level in the soil which helps the farmer to decide when to provide water, nutrients and any other required resources without human efforts.Browse Full Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-precision-agriculture-market-3650/ Agricultural machines can be operated driverless or semi-automatic with the help of Global Positioning Systems with increased precision. By evaluating the variability of soil over a stretch of land, decision making becomes easier for crop management or rotation. Irrigation rates can be monitored and controlled so that accumulation of salts does not take place. All this information can be accessed and can manage resources from a smart phone which offers great mobility and ease of operation.Buy now @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/cart/buy-now/europe-precision-agriculture-market-3650/ Download Free Sample Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-precision-agriculture-market-3650/request-sample With the rising necessity to maximize production with available resources, increasing famines and weather patterns, advanced technologies are increasingly adopted to increase crop yield resulting in the rise in demand for precision farming. Increased food demand due to rapid growth in population and adoption of smartphones are also driving the precision farming market. Requirement of high investments and lack of government incentives are factors inhibiting the growth of the market.Market SegmentationOffering Hardware Sensing and Monitoring Devices Software ServicesTechnology Remote Sensing Guidance System Variable Rate TechnologyApplication Yield Monitoring Field MappingCrop Scouting Weather Tracking & Forecasting Irrigation Management Inventory Management Farm Labor Management Financial ManagementBased on region, the Europe precision farming market is segmented into UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. Developed countries of Europe region are quickly adopting the advanced agricultural practices increasing the demand for precision farming.Deere & Company (U.S.), Trimble, Inc. (U.S.), and Leica Geosystems (Switzerland), AJ Junction, Inc. (U.S.), Monsanto Company, AgSmarts Inc., CropMetrics LLC and Dickey-John Corporation are some of the major companies in the precision agriculture market.About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and skillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 12:05:57

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for FanLogic Interactive Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Calgary, AB (FSCWire) - FanLogic Interactive Inc. (TSX Venture:FLGC). has issued a press release with the following headline:FanLogic Adds Blockchain/Cryptocurrency Expert to Advisory BoardTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on FanLogic Interactive Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/FanLogic Interactive Inc.Source: FanLogic Interactive Inc. (TSX Venture: FLGC, OTCQB: FNNGF, FWB: 0BJN, WKN: A2DN52, ISIN: CA30712Q1081)Date: December 12, 2017Time: 6:00 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of FanLogic Interactive Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Friday Night Inc--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Friday Night Inc (CSE:TGIF). has issued a press release with the following headline:Friday Night Inc. Graduates to OTCQB in USA; New USA Symbol TGIFFTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Friday Night Inc, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Friday Night IncSource: Friday Night Inc (CSE: TGIF, OTCQB: TGIFF, FWB: 1QF, ISIN: CA74840V1004, WKN: A2ABE2)Date: December 12, 2017Time: 8:45 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Friday Night Inc and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Dental Syringes Market By Product (Non-disposable Syringes, Disposable Syringes, Safety Dental Syringes), By Material (Metallic, Plastic), By Shape (Linear, Gun-type), By Type (Aspirating, Non-Aspirating) And By Region - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, And Forecasts (20162021)

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The Global Dental Syringes Market was worth $98.5 million in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 5.2%, to reach $126.9 million by 2021.View report: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/dental-syringes-market-2911/ Dental syringes are used by dentists and consist of a hermetically sealed cartridge, which stores anaesthetic solution that has to be injected.It consists of a breech-loading syringe filled with a sealed cartridge containing anaesthetic. The ancillary tool used to supply water, compressed air or mist to the oral cavity for the purpose of irrigation. Irrigation is the process of cleaning away debris from the area the dentist is working on.The growth of Dental Syringes market is attributed to factors like increasing prevalence of oral problems, increasing incidence of dental diseases, growing geriatric population, favourable government legislations to avoid needle stick injuries. However, lack of skilled dental surgeons in various regions may hamper the growth of the market. Also, ongoing technological advancements in the field of dental syringes holds greater potential for the market.Download free sample report: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/dental-syringes-market-2911/request-sample The Global market for Dental Syringes is segmented based on Product, Material, Shape and Type. Based on Product  Non-disposable Syringes, Disposable Syringes, Safety Dental Syringes. Based on Material  Metallic Dental Syringes, Plastic Dental Syringes. Based on Shape  Linear and Gun-shaped. Based on Type  Aspirating Dental Syringes and Non-Aspirating Dental Syringes. Based on Geographical analysis the market is separated into regions of North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. North America is leading the market while Europe is at second place. Asia Pacific is expected to grow the fastest due to large patient population for target diseases, rapidly growing geriatric population, rising awareness regarding dental healthcare and government initiatives to develop healthcare infrastructure and making the products cost efficient. Metallic syringes are expected to grow the fastest due to their advantages over plastic ones like longer durability, reusability and non-reactive nature. Aspirating Dental Syringes dominate the market based on type due to the procedural benefits provided by them over conventional syringes. Non Disposable Syringes dominate the market due to increasing number of endodontic and periodontics procedures.Inquire before buying: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/dental-syringes-market-2911/inquire Market SegmentationBy Product: Introduction Non-Disposable Dental Syringes Disposable Dental Syringes Safety Dental Syringes Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, By Product Market Attractiveness Analysis, By Product Market Share Analysis, By ProductBy Material: Introduction Metallic Dental Syringes Plastic Dental Syringes Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, By Material Market Attractiveness Analysis, By Material Market Share Analysis, By MaterialBy Shape: Introduction Linear Dental Syringes Gun-shaped Dental Syringes Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, By Shape Market Attractiveness Analysis, By Shape Market Share Analysis, By ShapeBy Type: Introduction Aspirating Dental Syringes Non Aspirating Dental Syringes Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, By Type Market Attractiveness Analysis, By Type Market Share Analysis, By TypeThe scope of the report: Global, regional and country-level analysis and forecasts of the study market; providing Insights on the major countries/regions in which this industry is blooming and to also identify the regions that are still untapped Segment-level analysis in terms of technology, component, and type along with market size forecasts and estimations to detect key areas of industry growth in detail Identification of key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges (DROC) in the market and their impact on shifting market dynamics Study of the effect of exogenous and endogenous factors that affect the global market; which includes broadly demographic, economics, and political, among other macro-environmental factors presented in an extensive PESTLE Analysis Study the micro environment factors that determine the overall profitability of an Industry, using Porters five forces analysis for analysing the level of competition and business strategy development A comprehensive list of key market players along with their product portfolio, current strategic interests, key financial information, legal issues, SWOT analysis and analyst overview to study and sustain the market environment Competitive landscape analysis listing out the mergers, acquisitions, collaborations in the field along with new product launches, comparative financial studies and recent developments in the market by the major companies An executive summary, abridging the entire report in such a way that decision-making personnel can rapidly become acquainted with background information, concise analysis, and main conclusions Expertly devised analyst overview along with Investment opportunities to provide both individuals and organizations a strong financial foothold in the marketAbout Market Data Forecast:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialties with competitive pricing options. For more info kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com
Global Ovarian Cancer Treatment Market

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Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer, which affects ovaries it causes rapid and abnormal increase of cell growth in ovaries. The exact cause of cancer is still unknown. An epithelial tumour, germ cell tumour and primary peritoneal carcinoma are types of ovarian cancer. Common symptoms include pressure in pelvis or lower back, changes in bowel movements, tiredness or low energy and more frequent urination. In most of the ovarian cancer cases, cancer will not be diagnosed until it has progressed to an advanced stage. Ovarian cancer is one of most common cause of cancer deaths in woman. Thereby need for development of the more effective drugs in treatment of ovarian cancer.Increase in incidence of ovarian cancer worldwide is driving the ovarian cancer treatment market. According to WHO, an estimated 238,700 woman are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. The increase in older woman population, rising government funding and raising health care awareness able to grow ovarian cancer treatment market over the forecast period. According to ovarian cancer research fund alliance, the rate of prevalence of ovarian cancer is higher in woman between 55 to 66 years, many of the cancer foundations are funding to educate patients and healthcare professionals regarding symptoms and treatment options for ovarian cancer which may impact ovarian cancer market revenue growth positively over a forecast period. However, availability of generic drugs, lack of accurate diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and patient expiry of the key patented drugs like gemzar, taxol and paraplatin are expected to hamper the ovarian cancer treatment market.A sample of this report is available upon request @Ovarian cancer treatment market segmented on the basis of type of cancer, drug class, and stageBased on type of cancer, ovarian cancer treatment market is segmented into Epithelial Ovarian Tumor Ovarian Germ Cell Tumor Ovarian Stomatal Tumor Primary Peritoneal CarcinomaBased on drug class, ovarian cancer treatment market is segmented into Chemotherapeutic Agents Targeted Therapy Drugs Immune System Modulators HormonesBased on distribution channel, ovarian cancer treatment market is segmented into Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies OthersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Companies operating in ovarian cancer market investing in developing new drug therapies and finding newer molecular targets to treat ovarian cancer. For instance, Vintafolide an investigational targeted cancer therapeutic currently under development by Endocyte and Merck & Co. and faltetuzumab a monoclonal antibody being investigated for the treatment of ovarian cancer this was developed by Morphotek, Inc. The introduction of new drug therapies like gene therapy, radiation therapy and targeted drug therapy are projected to improve ovarian cancer market revenue growth over forecast period. Global ovarian cancer market currently dominated by generic drugs and development of more effective drugs is challenging for market players. Some of the new drugs like avastin, lynparza and yondelis are approved in recent years to treat cancer and these drugs are slowly capturing market share.Need more information about this report @Geographically ovarian cancer treatment market has been segmented into following regions viz. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the ovarian cancer treatment market due to rising number of ageing population. According to American cancer society, in U.S. about 22,440 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer and about 14,080 women will die from ovarian cancer in 2017. Europe is largest market as the incidence rates of ovarian cancer is increased in the region.Some of the players in ovarian cancer treatment market include Eli Lilly and Company (U.S.), Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. (U.S.), Novogen Limited (Australia) , Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (U.S)., GlaxoSmithKline plc (UK), Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Germany) and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland) to name a few.Get access to full summary @Email: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com
Global Plasma Fractionation Market

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Plasma fractionation refers to the process of separation, extraction, and purification of plasma. Human plasma contains the large variety of proteins, however, only a few of these proteins are help in producing therapeutic plasma products. Plasma is used in prevention and treatment of various life threatening diseases caused by trauma, immunologic disorders, and infections. Plasma fractionation process is majorly used in treating protein deficiency condition in healthcare applications. The proteins extracted from the plasma are majorly categorized into three main classes: immunoglobulins which are useful in treatment of autoimmune disorders and increasing the immune response of the body, clotting factors which are help in treatment of blood disorders such as haemophilia, and the albumins which are useful in conditions of decreased albumin levels or during fluid loss. Plasma fractionation process is carried by different criteria such as solubility of the products, and their physical and chemical conditions such as ionic strengths, pH levels, and temperature, etc. The removal or inactivation of viruses and prions is an important function of plasma fractionation, and it can be carried by various mechanical and physical treatments for virus inactivation such as nano filtration, detergent/solvent treatment, heat treatment, chromatography centrifugation, ultrafiltration, and sterile filtration in order to achieve homogeneity of plasma, and reduce the risks of viral transmissions.Plasma fractionation market expected to grow at significant rate over the forecast period due to rise in the incidence of immune and bleeding disorders, increase in the use of alpha-1 antitrypsin and immunoglobulin, rise in prevalence of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD), emphysema, and haemophilia. In addition, development in plasma techniques and plasma utilization are the key factors expected to boost the plasma fractionation market. However, high cost for the plasma products, adverse effects associated with the plasma fractionation products, lack of reimbursement policies, stringent regulatory policies, and increase in the recombinant coagulation factors might hinder the growth of plasma fractionation market over the forecast timeframe.A sample of this report is available upon request @Global plasma fractionation market segmented based on the product type, application, and end userBased on product type, global plasma fractionation market segmented into the following: Albumin Immunoglobulino Intravenous immunoglobulino Subcutaneous immunoglobulino Others Coagulation factor concentrateso Factor viiio Factor ixo Factor xiiio Prothrombin complex concentrateso Von Willebrand factor (VWF) Protease inhibitors Other plasma fractionation productsBased on application, global plasma fractionation market segmented into the following: Neurology Haematology Immunology Rheumatology Haemato-oncology Critical Care Pulmonology OthersBased on end-user, global plasma fractionation market segmented into the following: Hospitals Clinics Academic Institutes Clinical Research LaboratoriesTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Several international players are actively involved in the development of global plasma fractionation products. In 2015, immunoglobulins commanded for the largest share of the global plasma fractionation market due to rise in prevalence and incidence autoimmune disorders (according to International Journal of Celiac Disease, 2015 the world prevalence and incidence of Autoimmune Diseases are increasing, the global net percent increased per year prevalence and incidence of autoimmune disorders were 12.57.9 and 19.143.1 respectively). However, the protease inhibitors are expected to highest growth in the forecasting period, due to increasing use of proteases for respiratory diseases and growing application in various diseases. Partnerships, agreements, new products launch, collaborations, acquisitions and mergers, joint ventures, are being adopted by various key players in the global plasma fractionation market. For instance, in 2003, Probitas Pharma acquired Alpha Therapeutic from Mitsubishi Pharma, similarly, Octapharma acquired Mexican fractionator Probifasa S.A. de C.V. for developing the plasma products.Need more information about this report @Geographically, global plasma fractionation market has been segmented into following regions Viz. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global plasma fractionation market followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. The largest share of North-America in global plasma fractionation market is due to increasing use of immunoglobulins in neurological diseases and increasing use of prophylaxis treatments for chronic diseases in this region (According to Centres of Disease Control (CDC), in 2012, chronic diseases were one of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S., with an estimated 117 Mn adults suffering from some form of chronic disease). Europe is the second largest region for global plasma fractionation market due to the rise in aging population and increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to register significant growth rate over the forecast owing to the increasing aging population, growing using of albumin and immunoglobulin, and an increasing focus on better diagnosis, prophylactic treatments, medical research, and organ transplantations in Asia-Pacific regions.Some of the players in plasma fractionation market are Grifols S.A (Spain), CSL Ltd. (Australia), Shire (Ireland), Octapharma AG (Switzerland), Kedrion S.p.A (Italy), China Biologic Products, Inc. (China), Biotest AG (OGEL GmbH) (Germany), LFB S.A (France), and Sanquin (Netherlands) to name a few.Get access to full summary @Email: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Gungnir Resources Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Gungnir Resources Inc. (TSX Venture:GUG). has issued a press release with the following headline:Gungnir Resources Stakes New Gold-Silver-Copper Permits in SwedenTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Gungnir Resources Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Gungnir Resources Inc.Source: Gungnir Resources Inc. (TSX Venture: GUG, WKN: A116WL, ISIN: CA40281L1094, OTC Pink: ASWRF, FWB: AMO1)Date: December 12, 2017Time: 10:00 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Gungnir Resources Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Market

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Human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (HCG) is a hormone secreted by the placenta after implantation of a fertilized zygote in the uterus. The hormone also supports normal development of an egg and helps in the stimulation of egg release from the ovary. The HCG is mainly used to induce ovulation in the women under infertility treatment. It is also used among males mostly to increase the sperm count and in young boys, due to pituitary gland disorders and other diseases, due to which the testicles of the young males does not drop down naturally into the scrotum. The HCG is usually administered as an injection under the skin into a muscle. The HCG can also be administered at home under the advice of a gynecologist or a pharmacist. The HCG levels can be determined with the help of urine or blood test. Result of specific test helps in the determining accurate measurement of the levels. These tests are mostly used to identify and confirm pregnancy or as a screening test to determine birth defects.Rising incidence of infertility are expected to drive the growth of human gonadotropin market across the globeAccording to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2016, approximately 7.3 million women aged 15 - 44 have used infertility services. Moreover, 6.7% of the married women aged 15 - 44 were reported infertile. According to Azura Vascular Care, around 17% of the couples in the U.S. deal with infertility out of which 30% cases are a result of male infertility. These numbers suggests significant demand for infertility treatments, such as HCG in order for females to conceive a child. According to a statistical survey conducted by HealthGrove, pituitary gland disorders resulted into the death of around 205 people in 2015, out of which highest percentage belonged to white men. Pituitary disorders resulting into significant mortality rate are propelling the demand for human chorionic gonadotropin hormone. Additionally, various other factors such as endometriosis, hormonal imbalance, polycystic ovary syndrome, and others are expected to propel the growth of global HCG market. For instance, according to Frisco Institute of Reproductive Medicine, around 10% of women of reproductive age in the U.S. suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome. However, easy availability of alternatives to treat infertility could act as potential barriers for the market growth.Request For Sample Copy@Market Taxonomy:The global human chorionic gonadotropin by Coherent Market Insights is segmented on the basis of Technology, Therapeutic area, and end user.On the basis of technology, the global human chorionic gonadotropin is segmented as:Natural Source ExtractionRecombinant DNA TechnologyOn the basis of therapeutic area, the global human chorionic gonadotropin market is segmented as:Female infertility treatment,Oligospermic Treatment,Cryptorchidism Treatment,OthersOn the basis of end user, the global human chorionic gonadotropin market is segmented as:Fertility Centers,Research Institutes,OthersNorth America to dominate global human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) market, owing to rising frequency of infertility casesOn the basis of geography, the global human chorionic gonadotropin market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. North America is the highest regional contributor to the market and is expected to continue as a regional dominator over the forecast years. This primarily owes to the rising number of infertility cases as well as hormonal dysfunction among young males and females as a result of changing lifestyle. According to Mayo Clinic, around 25% of women fertility problems in the U.S. are a result of ovulation issues that are mostly caused due to dysfunction of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone. Thus, the rapidly increasing cases of infertility are expected to surge the North America global human chorionic gonadotropin market. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fasting growing geography, owing to economic developments facilitating technological advancements in healthcare sectors as well as emerging local players in the market.The key players operating the global human chorionic gonadotropin market include Merck & Co., Inc., EMD Sereno, Inc., Fresenius Kabi, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Ferring BV, and Kamia Biomedical Company. Acris Antibodies developed a human chorionic gonadotropin hormone by recombinant DNA technology that helps to prevent the disintegration of the corpus luteum of the ovary thereby, maintaining levels of progesterone production for healthy pregnancy in females.Get More Details On this Report:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Coherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email:sales@ coherentmarketinsights.com Visit our news Website: http://www.coherentnews.com
The Middle-East and Africa Sodium Reduction Ingredients market has been estimated at USD 58.00 Million in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 99.15 Million by 2021, at a CAGR of 11.32% during the forecast period from 2016 to 2021

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Sodium reduction ingredients are functional substitutes for salt which reduce or remove salt content from food. Consumption of reduced sodium products help reduce incidences of various health issues. Sodium reduction ingredients are gaining prominence in food flavors and preparations such as seasonings and sauces.The market for Sodium Reduction Ingredients in Middle-East and Africa is mainly driven due to growth in the demand for processed food, increasing consumer awareness and rising government promotion of intake of low sodium products. But, the market growth can be constrained due to lack of single standard approach to reduce sodium and high cost of ingredients as compared to salt.Request Free sample report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-sodium-reduction-ingredients-market-1543/request-sample Middle-East and Africa market for Sodium Reduction Ingredients is segmented based on type and application By type, the market is further sub-segmented into Amino Acids, Mineral Salts, Yeast Extracts, others (hydrolyzed vegetable protein, trehalose, nucleotides). By application, the market is further sub-segmented into Dairy, Bakery & Confectionary, Meat Products, Sauces, Seasonings & Snacks, others.The mineral salts segment accounts for the largest market share followed by the yeast extracts segment. Mineral salts and yeast extracts have been gaining significant growth for serving as an important component in food products due to the health benefits derived from them, without compromising on the flavor and taste. The demand for sodium reduction ingredients in the sauces, seasonings & snacks segment accounts for the largest share, while the bakery & confectionery segment is projected to be the fastest-growing.Geographically, Middle-East and Africa market for Sodium Reduction Ingredients is segmented into Middle-East region and Africa region. Globally companies have been developing customized offerings to suit the demands of manufacturers who require certain specific characteristics in flavor and texture. Leading brands have been involved in extending the market share in developing regions of Africa and the Middle East.Cargill, Incorporated, Kerry Group Plc, Royal DSM N.V., Angel Yeast Co. Ltd., E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Cambrian Solutions Inc., Associated British Foods plc, Givaudan SA, and Company, Innophos Holdings, Inc, Jungbunzlauer Suisse A.G., Sensient Technologies Corporation and Tate & Lyle PLC are the major players of Middle-East and Africa Sodium Reduction Ingredients market.About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and skillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.
According to the report Middle East and Africa Flavoured Water Market, published by Market Data Forecast the Market is worth USD 3.86billion in 2016 and estimated to grow at a CAGR of 21.8%, to reach USD10.34 billion by 2021

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PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-12 11:24:47

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Flavoured water is made of various combinations and substances like minerals herbs crude products etc. It uses many natural and artificial sweeteners.These added substances and cancer prevention agents give additional healthful esteems and advantages to functional water. Emerging health concerns has prompted the move from carbonated or simulated soda pops to other choices including flavoured and functional water.Browse market data tables and in-depth TOC of the Middle East and Africa Flavoured Water Industry to 2021 @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-flavored-water-market-3434/ Reduced switching costs and health benefits are primary reasons for the popularity of functional water. Increasing awareness & Growing prevalence of obesity and about healthy lifestyle among population is expected to remain the key force governing the growth of the global flavored and functional water market. Also there are many flavors and options available are driving the market. Though prices of these functional and flavoured water are more than others, increasing income are able to compensate for that. Campaign against plastic is causing a trouble to this industry.Free sample of the report is available @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-flavored-water-market-3434/request-sample The Middle East and Africa market for Flavored Water is segmented on the basis of type and region. Based on type, the market is segmented into Flavoured water and Functional water. Of these, functional water is expected to grow at a better pace as more people are inclining to healthier drinks instead of ordinary water/beverages.The market has been geographically segmented into Middle East and Africa. The market is anticipated to keep thriving in both created and creating districts. The development is additionally credited to the developing interest in flavoured and functional water. The CAGR IS 21.79% which is highest among all the countries and regions.Inquire before buying @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-flavored-water-market-3434/inquire Hint Water, Kraft Foods, Balance Water Company, Nestle Water, Herbal Water, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company and Groupe Danone, New York Spring Water and Sunny Delight Beverage Company are the leaders in the global Flavoured Water market.About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and skillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.
North America Cervical Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics Market by diagnostics test, by methods, by therapies, by end-users, and by Region - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (20162021)

North America Cervical Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics Market

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Market Data Forecast recently published a report on the North America Cervical Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics Market" which estimates the market which was worth $1168.2 million in 2016 and is expected to be growing at a CAGR of 3.90%, to reach $1414.47 million by 2021 during the forecast period from 2016 to 2021.Cervical cancer occurs when abnormal cells on the cervix grow out of control. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Cervical cancer can often be successfully treated when it's found early. It is usually found at a very early stage through a Pap test.Request sample: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-cervical-cancer-diagnostics-and-therapeutics-market-830/request-sample Most cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus, or HPV. You can get HPV by having sexual contact with someone who has it. There are many types of the HPV virus. Not all types of HPV cause cervical cancer. Some of them cause genital warts, but other types may not cause any symptoms.Most adults have been infected with HPV at some time. An infection may go away on its own. But sometimes it can cause genital warts or lead to cervical cancer. That's why it's important for women to have regular Pap tests. A Pap test can find changes in cervical cells before they turn into cancer. If you treat these cell changes, you may prevent cervical cancer.Customize report: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-cervical-cancer-diagnostics-and-therapeutics-market-830/customize-report The DROC Analysis contains some of the factors that have major effects on the market dynamics be it positive or negative. The North American market for Cervical Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics is mainly driven due to increasing prevalence of human papillomavirus infected patients and increasing awareness in people about cancer and cancer treatments. However, high costs of tests and uncertain reimbursement rates are constraining the market growth in this region.The market is segmented based on diagnostic tests, methods, therapies and end-users and is studied for a deep-level understanding of the Cervical Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics market. Each sub segment is accompanied with Market Size Estimations and Y-o-Y Forecasts as well.Inquire before buying: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-cervical-cancer-diagnostics-and-therapeutics-market-830/inquire By diagnostics test Pap smear test HPV testing Colposcopy Cervical cancer biopsyBy methods Molecular method Cytopathological method Physical methodBy therapies Surgery Radiation therapy Chemotherapy Other therapiesBy end-users Hospitals Laboratories Independent physicians Clinics Other end-usersRequest Discount: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-cervical-cancer-diagnostics-and-therapeutics-market-830/request-discount Geographically, North America market for Cervical Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics is segmented into U.S. and Canada. A number of factors such as rising prevalence of cervical cancer, growing awareness of cervical cancer screening programs, and government support are driving the growth of the HPV testing market in the North American region.Abbott Diagnostics, Alere, Beckman Coulter, Clinical Genomics, Companion Dx, EDP Biotech, Epigenomics AG, Exact Sciences, Fujirebio, Genomic Tree, Metabiomics, Oncocyte (Biotime), Quest Diagnostics, Randox Laboratories, Siemens Healthcare, Volition Rx, are the major players of North America Cervical Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics market.Buy now: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/cart/buy-now/north-america-cervical-cancer-diagnostics-and-therapeutics-market-830 Scope of the North America Cervical Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics Market: Regional and country-level analysis that provides an innate perspective of USA and Canada Market to that of the North American region To detect major focus areas of industrial growth Segment-level analysis on basis of type, therapeutics, end-user along with market size forecasts and y-o-y estimations are provided Detailed explanation of major drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges (DROC) that affect the market and impact the ever-shifting market dynamics PESTLE and Porters Five Forces Analyses that examine the macro& micro environmental factors such as political influence, technological prowess, industry rivalry to name a few. An extensive listing of major market players along with company overview, product portfolios, key financial information (subjected to availability), SWOT analysis and analyst overview to study and sustain the market environment mergers, acquisitions, collaborations in the field along with new product launches, comparative financial studies and recent developments in the market by the major companies all rolled out into Competitive landscape Expertly devised Market Outlook comprising the Investment opportunities to provide both individuals and organizations a strong financial foothold in the marketCheckout other related studies in the Therapeutics Segment:North America Prostate Cancer Market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-prostate-cancer-market-1617/ About Market Data Forecast:The publisher of this report is Market Data Forecast whose forte lies in Market research and Business Intelligence. Handling both individual and corporate clients across multiple business domains they offer syndicated/customized research to suit the clients research objective. Their research reports section offers a wide variety of market studies ranging from all-encompassing comprehensive market studies to product specific niche markets covering North America among other regions of the global market as well.For more info kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit Market Data Forecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Peekaboo Beans Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Peekaboo Beans Inc. (TSX Venture:BEAN). has issued a press release with the following headline:Peekaboo Beans Recruits Former Amway Executive as General Manager and Continues to see US Stylist Recruitment Out Pacing Canadian Recruitment.To view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Peekaboo Beans Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Peekaboo Beans Inc.Source: Peekaboo Beans Inc. (TSX Venture: BEAN, OTC Bulletin Board: PBBSF, FWB: 1Z1, WKN: A2ASS4, ISIN: CA70538A1012)Date: December 12, 2017Time: 9:29 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Peekaboo Beans Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
North America Food Colors Market by Type, by Application, by Form, by Solubility (Dyes and Lakes) and by Region - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (20162021)

North America Food Colors Market

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Market Data Forecast recently published a report on the North America Food Colors Market which estimates the market to grow from USD 717 million from 2016 to USD 1,034.6 million with a high CAGR of 7.61%.Natural or synthetic food colors can be used in several food industries. Primarily, synthetic colors lead the market, though natural colors were at a preliminary phase. Growth will remain strong in North America due to increasing consumer inclination for organic and clean label products.Presently , the market is rising progressively for natural colors, which brings about awareness about health safety. There are different regulations established by the government on the use of a particular set of synthetic food colors in their respective countries.Download Free Sample report: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-food-colors-market-1497/request-sample The food colors market is growing with the increasing food demand. The growth of the natural colors market segment depends on the consumers preference for natural and healthy food colors. This growth will be maintained in future with new sources of raw material, the launch of new products, and using advanced technology for color production. The dyes segment is likely to be the biggest and fastest growing segment during the forecast period.The DROC Analysis contains some of the factors that have major effects on the market dynamics be it positive or negative. Increasing government support for boosting the acceptance of food colors in various food and beverage applications and in turn is projected to enhanced growth of the food colors market in North America. Moreover, growth in development of color selections for the making of blue, green and red color that are used in several food and beverage products, are likely to drive demand for dyes such as spirulina and lycopene over the next few years. High cost of making colors is obstructing the market growth.Customized report URL: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-food-colors-market-1497/customize-report The products are segmented based on North America Food Colors Market type, application, form and soluibity are studied for a deep-level understanding of the Diagnostic Imaging market. Each sub segment is accompanied with Market Size Estimations and Y-o-Y Forecasts as well.By Type: Natural Colors Anthocyanin Carotenoids Caramel Synthetic Colors Red Yellow Blue Green Nature-IdenticalBy Application: Beverages Bakery and Confectionery Dairy MeatBy From: Liquid Liquid Gel Gel Paste PowderBy Solubility: Dyes LakesInquire Before Buying: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-food-colors-market-1497/inquire Geographically the market is segmented into USA and Canada. Demand for natural food colors in the U.S is estimated to rise during the latter years of the forecast period. This is largely credited to launch of new products with natural ingredients.Various companies are contributing for this market such as LycoRed, DD Williamson, Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.), Sethness Products, Fiorio Colori, Chr. Hansen S/A (Denmark), Roha Dyechem, Sensient Technology Corporation (U.S.), Koninklijke DSM N.V. (Netherlands), San-Ei Gen F.F.I. Inc., WILD, DSM, Naturex, Phytone, GNT Group. and FMC Corporation (U.S.).Inquire Before Buying: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-food-colors-market-1497/inquire Scope of the North America Food Colors Market: Regional and country-level analysis that provides an innate perspective of USA and Canada Market to that of the North American region To detect major focus areas of industrial growth Segment-level analysis on basis of type, application, end-user along with market size forecasts and y-o-y estimations are provided Detailed explanation of major drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges (DROC) that affect the market and impact the ever-shifting market dynamics PESTLE and Porters Five Forces Analyses that examine the macro & micro environmental factors such as political influence, technological prowess, industry rivalry to name a few. An extensive listing of major market players along with company overview, product portfolios, key financial information (subjected to availability), SWOT analysis and analyst overview to study and sustain the market environment mergers, acquisitions, collaborations in the field along with new product launches, comparative financial studies and recent developments in the market by the major companies all rolled out into Competitive landscape Expertly devised Market Outlook comprising the Investment opportunities to provide both individuals and organizations a strong financial foothold in the marketCheckout other related studies in the North America Additives Segment:North America Food Emulsifiers Market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-food-emulsifiers-market-562/ North America Water Enhancers Market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-water-enhancers-market-548/ North America Food Preservatives market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-food-preservatives-market-533/ About Market Data Forecast:The publisher of this report is Market Data Forecast whose forte lies in Market research and Business Intelligence. Handling both individual and corporate clients across multiple business domains they offer syndicated/customized research to suit the clients research objective. Their research reports section offers a wide variety of market studies ranging from all-encompassing comprehensive market studies to product specific niche markets covering North America among other regions of the global market as well.For more info kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit Market Data Forecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
The Nigerian government on Monday said it released N1.2 trillion to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government for implementation of capital projects contained in the 2017 budget.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, gave the figure during a meeting with a delegation of about 30 investors from France in Abuja.

Mrs. Adeosun told the delegation that government had previously released N450 billion for capital projects, adding that with additional N750 billion, a total of N1.2 trillion would have been invested in infrastructure in the country.

The 2017 budget, tagged Budget of Recovery and Growth, was presented to the National Assembly in December 2016, and passed in May 2017. The document was later signed into law by then Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, in June 2017.

The budget had a total expenditure of N7.44 trillion, out of which N2.99 trillion was for non-debt recurrent spending, while N2.36 trillion was budgeted for capital expenditure.

With the ministers disclosure Monday, the government would have provided about 50 percent funding for execution of the capital projections in the budget.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration had been heavily criticized for its poor implementation of the 2017 budget. The government, however, attributed the development to decline in revenue generated, adding that it would ensure 50 percent implementation pf the budget and roll over the remaining 50 percent to the 2018 budget. The 2018 proposal was presented to the National Assembly in November.

Speaking further, Mrs. Adeosun, as quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria, told the delegation, who expressed readiness to invest in key sectors of the Nigerian economy, that what the government is doing is to provide enabling infrastructure that will bring potential into reality.

Last year (2016), we released N1.3 trillion of capital and so far this year we have released N450 billion and this week, we will release another N750 billion and this will take the release to N1.2 trillion by the end of the year.

The Head of the French delegation, Philippe Labonne, said the investors had indicated interest in key sectors of the economy such as banking, infrastructure, renewable energy, agriculture and youth empowerment.

He said the decision of the companies to invest in Nigeria was taken following a directive by government of France for French companies to increase their investments in Nigeria.

He described the Nigerian economic environment as encouraging, following the recent stability in the countrys foreign exchange market.

To achieve their investment objective, Mr. Labonne said, most of the French companies would form strategic partnerships with their Nigerian counterparts.

We are here to assess the investment environment in Nigeria to enable us to take advantage of the opportunities.

We have about 30 companies in this delegation in sectors such as infrastructure, services, agriculture and banking and the purpose of this meeting is to identify key sectors where we can invest.

We are interested in many areas such as energy, agriculture, services, especially toward youths and we will identify other areas subsequently,he said.

Earlier, Yewande Sadiku, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, told the delegation that Nigeria remained a top destination of capital inflows in the African continent.

She expressed delight over the interest of the investors in Nigeria, noting that France was one of the many countries that Nigeria was targeting in its investment strategy.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) says it will repay the N198.03 billion Nigerian Treasury Bills fully at maturity in December 2017.

A statement from the office made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos indicated that the amount consisted of two bills.

Details provided by the DMO show that N131.415 billion and N66.617 billion of NTBs will mature on December 14 and December 21 respectively.

Before now, the practice was to rollover NTBs at maturity.

It will be recalled that the Federal Government had announced plans to refinance some maturing domestic debt with external borrowing, DMO said.

The refinancing plan strategy was part of governments overall debt management strategy of reducing Debt Service Costs.

Other objectives of this strategy are to free up space in the domestic market for other borrowers and achieve a sustainable debt portfolio mix of 60 per cent domestic and 40 per cent external.

In addition, the redemption over time will help reduce the refinancing risk associated with short-term borrowings through NTBs with tenors of 91, 182 and 365 days.

As at Sept. 30, NTBs accounted for 30.23 per cent of the FGNs domestic debt of N12.5 trillion compared to the DMOs target of a maximum of 25 per cent.

The DMO further stated that the NTBs would be redeemed primarily using proceeds of the USD500 million, raised through a Eurobond Issuance by Nigeria in November 2017.

Nigeria had issued a dual-tranche 3 billion dollars Eurobond in November 2017 out of which 2.5 billion dollars is to part-finance the deficit in 2017 Appropriation Act.

The balance of 500 million dollars is for the refinancing of domestic debt.

By redeeming the N198.032 billion NTBs, the Federal Government has been implementing its debt management strategy.

The DMO says it expects operators in the market to take advantage of this opportunity to develop other segments of the debt capital market such as corporate bonds.

It added that the strategy of enabling the private sector to access funds and at a lower cost, than was hitherto possible was consistent with the governments policy of a private-sector led growth. (NAN)
Nigeria joined 37 other members and non-members of Friends of Investment Facilitation for Development, FIFD, to adopt a joint ministerial declaration on economic cooperation on investment facilitation.

The joint statement with the European Free Trade Association, EFTA, was sealed on the sidelines of the World Trade Organisation, WTO 11th Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The EFTA-Nigeria declaration to be implemented by a joint Commission of both parties, is an instrument that allows both parties to develop a framework to facilitate increased trade and investment flows.

The areas of cooperation include trade in goods, customs and tariffs and trade facilitation, trade in services, investment, protection of intellectual property rights and enforcement, trade and sustainable development.

Others include digital economy and e-commerce, trade and investment related issues pertaining to small and medium-sized enterprises as well as any other areas of cooperation as mutually agreed by the parties involved.

Constance Ikokwu, spokesperson of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Invest, in a statement to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday said apart from representing Africa as Vice-chair the WTO Ministerial Conference, Nigeria was also a member of the EFTA.

The group also has Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland as members.

At the ceremony to adopt the statement, members called for the commencement of structured discussions with the aim of developing a multilateral framework on investment facilitation.

The FIFD statement reaffirmed its commitment to follow up on the Abuja Statement adopted earlier in November in Abuja during the High Level Forum on Trade and Investment Facilitation for Development co-hosted by Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

While calling for discussions that would identify and develop a framework for facilitating foreign direct investments; improved transparency; exchange of best practices; sharing of information; and speeding up administrative processes, the group pledged to continue its outreach to WTO members on trade and investment facilitation.

The adopted document explained that the discussion would, however, not address matters of market access, investment protection and investor-state dispute settlement.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, who represented Africa by virtue of his position as Vice Chair of the Ministerial Conference, said he was happy to work with other countries in a way and manner that is mutually beneficial.

Were delighted to see the commitment of several countries on the issue of trade and investment, Mr. Enelamah said.

It is clear that these two are complementary. This is consistent with the Nigerian governments Ease of Doing Business agenda and will help Nigeria create sorely needed jobs as well as improve productivity, he added.

Director General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations, Chiedu Osakwe, who is also Nigerias Chief Negotiator, said Nigeria has re-established itself on economic and trade policy leadership globally.

The envoy said Nigerias new global status followed its drive in Niamey, Niger last week, to bring the negotiations for the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area, CFTA agreement closer to reality.

The Nigerian delegation to the WTO included the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Yemi Dipeolu; President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA (Abuja Chapter), Kayode Adetokunbo and representatives of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, NIPC, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
Michael Asiwaju, the man who was accused by a University of Ilorin undergraduate student of blackmail, intimidation and rape, has accused the spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, Ajayi Okesanmi, of torturing him overnight and forcing him to make a confession statement he gave the police.

The matter between Messrs. Asiwaju, Okesanmi and the undergraduate (referred as Linda to avoid using her real name), came to light after Mr. Asiwaju accused the police spokesperson of extorting $2,000.00, N115,000.00 and a Samsung smartphone from him in July 2017, on Twitter.

He made the allegation as part of the online campaign for the scrapping of the polices Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, due to reports of the units brutality, rights abuses and extra-judicial killings.

Mr. Okesanmi, however, denied he extorted Mr. Asiwaju. Instead, he said, the accused was arrested for blackmailing and repeatedly raping Linda. He told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Asiwaju escaped while he was being led to search his hotel room. He said the police has been trying to arrest him since he allegedly escaped.

The Inspector General of Police has since ordered an investigation of the allegation of extortion against Mr. Okesanmi.

Allegation of Rape and Blackmail

Linda told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Asiwaju, who she met on Instagram, took her nude pictures and threatened to send the photographs to her father if she refuses to sleep with him. She alleged that after she succumbed to his blackmail, he, unknown to her, made a video of them making love and used the video to further blackmail her into sleeping with him repeatedly.

She claimed she got sick of his persistent blackmail and rape that she decided to tell her pastor. Her pastor then narrated her ordeal to Mr Okesanmi who asked her to lure Mr. Asiwaju from Lagos to Ilorin, where he was eventually nabbed by the police.

Contrary to Mr. Okesanmis claim that Mr. Asiwaju escaped from police custody, Linda said when she asked to find out how the case will proceed the day after Mr. Asiwaju was arrested in Ilorin, the police spokesperson told her not to worry that Mr. Asiwaju will no longer threaten her.

Asiwajus Denial

But in a long telephone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr. Asiwaju said he neither blackmailed nor raped Linda. He said he and Linda started as very good friends. They spent hours talking on the telephone and chatted via WhatsApp and Instagram. According to him, Linda constantly asked for financial assistance which he regularly obliged. Things went smoothly between them until they decided to meet in person in Lagos.

He said before they met, he asked her if he should book a room in a hotel and she said there was no problem as long as he gave her N15,000, which he promptly sent to her. But when she arrived, she refused to allow him make love to her. According to him, she pleaded that he should wait until the next day. He said he refused and demanded his money back. But she explained that she cannot do an online transfer and that he should wait until the next day before she could withdraw the money and give it back to him.

I said you are a very complicated human being. You told me to transfer money to you, I transferred money to you. Now I want to touch you and you want to spoil my name in this hotel. She later asked me to order for condoms but when I opened the door, she started shouting and screaming: Rape! Rape! he said.

He said some police officers from the Igando police station and the hotel management intervened. According to him, she apologised and asked that they should return to their hotel room but he had had enough and turned her down. He said he didnt want anything to do with her again. He just wanted her to return the money he transferred to her earlier.

Mr. Asiwaju said she left her phone with the hotel management and the next day she returned the money to hotel management and her phone was returned to her. He said he then asked the hotel employees to share the money among themselves as he did not want to drive back from Lagos Island, where he lives, to Igando for N15,000.

He said two days later, Linda called and apologised profusely for the way she acted at the hotel. He said he forgave her despite warning from his manager. He said they arranged to meet at another hotel at Igando and that he gave Linda N40,000 after having sex with her.

Mr. Asiwaju said after that, they had consensual sex more than seven times and each time he had given Linda money. He said Linda started demanding for the kind of money he could not afford. He said there was a time she demanded for N300,000 and when he told her he couldnt afford to give her that kind of money, she became mad and rained insult him and they subsequently stopped communicating.

But she called again apologising and then asked that I should send her N150,000.00 I told her I dont have N150,000.00 I told her does she think I pluck money from the sky?

He said contrary to Lindas and Mr. Okesanmis claim that he was lured to Ilorin from Lagos, he was actually in Ilorin to look for a showroom for his furniture and electronics business.

The Police Spokesperson Lied

Mr. Asiwaju said Mr. Okesanmi lied when he said he escaped on the morning after his arrest. He said he was not lodged at Boniva Hotel contrary to the claim of the police spokesperson, so there was no need to go and search his room as the police claimed they wanted to do before he escaped.

You can go to Bovina Hotel and request for their CCTV footage. I was not lodged there. We only met outside the hotel, he claimed.

He said after the police arrested him, he was handcuffed and suspended on a bar in-between two tables.

The PPRO told me he would frame me and say I was a cultist if I dont cooperate. He was slapping me and dictating what I should write in the statement. I had not felt such pain in my life. I had no choice but to comply. He collected the $2,000 and initially asked me to transfer N500,000 but I told him I dont have money but he saw my account balance and said I was lying but I explained that it was the money sent by my customer for me to supply them goods. I eventually transferred N115,000 to the account of the sergeant before he (the PPRO) left the office. He also warned me not to tell anyone what I was there for.

In the morning. I was tired and hungry. In fact, it was the sergeant who took me to a restaurant and bought me food of N700. They also said they were going to keep my phone, he said.

Mr. Asiwaju said he believed he was set up by Linda, who he alleged had an intimate relationship with Mr. Okesanmi due to the familiar manner they acted and spoke while he was being detained by the police.

He said the police released him and told him to return to Lagos and warned him not to return to Ilorin contrary to the claim that he escaped.

Mr. Asiwaju said he was not aware that he was wanted by the police as they had not invited him for questioning since releasing him.

When asked why Mr. Asiwaju had not been declared wanted if he indeed escaped from police custody, the police spokesperson said it was because they were more concerned with deleting the nude pictures and video from the suspects phone and Linda did not want them to push the case further because it could tarnish her image.

(Read the first part of the report where the rape victim narrated her ordeal here).
The Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says the federal government plans to build cinemas across Nigeria to further diversify the economy.

He said the new project to be undertaken through a public-private partnership will increase revenue to government from the creative industry.

Mr. Mohammed said this on Tuesday after appearing before the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism to defend the 2018 budget of his ministry.

The Minister said that the creative industry has witnessed a remarkable improvement due to the enabling environment created by the Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

The industry is on a tripod; the government, private sector and the practitioners. And what this government has done is to give the support that this industry needs.

For instance, sometimes this year, the federal government included the creative industry in list of industries that will enjoy what is called pioneer status. It means if you invest in this industry to a certain amount of money, then you are entitled to tax holiday for an initial ten years and another two years. In addition, dividends from your businesses will be exempted from taxation. This is one of the incentives this government has given to the creative industry.

We also met the Inspector General of Police to express our concerns on the rate of piracy and the IGP immediately set up an anti-piracy unit in each command of the federation after which we met with the CBN governor asking for an intervention fund to the tune of 100 million to enable people in the industry to invest in infrastructure.

He said the planned cinemas in every part of the country will be in partnership with foreign investors.

As I speak to you today, we are talking to some investors who are ready to bring in $20 million to enable the industry, especially the film industry, to have cinema houses all over the country. Everywhere in the world, it is always a partnership of the public and private sector.

Mr. Mohammed dismissed insinuations that the government is deliberately withholding funds which are supposed to go for public use.

Its not that the government is deliberately withholding releases, its that when you make a budget, we make a budget on certain assumptions. That Im going to sell a barrel of crude for $60 dollars for instance and Im going to produce one million barrels for instance. If the price of crude goes beyond $60 or due to some difficulties you are not able to produce one million barrels, it is going to affect your receipt.

So if you budget that Im going to collect 10 billion from customs duties and either because of the economic situation, not many people are bringing in goods from abroad, you are going to collect less. So, if we say that government have not released fund, its not as if they are deliberately starving us, its because the reality is that we dont have enough.

In the 2017 budget performance analysis, the ministry received N1, 000, 000, 000, 55% of the N1, 812, 551, 260 appropriated.

Of this fund, N3, 186, 310, 740 was expended on personnel allocation while N328, 877, 725, was utilised for overhead allocation.

In 2017, the culture sector of the ministry generated N500, 000 which has been remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund Account, CRF.
Individuals, convicted of terrorism charges, deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including death penalty, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.

On Monday, a man detonated a bomb inside a New York City subway passageway near the Port Authority Bus Terminal, injuring three people.

The perpetrator sustained wounds in the explosion.

Authorities said the explosion was a terrorism-related attack.

Those convicted of engaging in acts of terror deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases.

America should always stand firm against terrorism and extremism, ensuring that our great institutions can address all evil acts of terror, Trump said in a statement.

The New York Police Department identified the Port Authority attack suspect as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah.

The media reported that Ullah is a Bangladeshi immigrant who lived in New Yorks borough of Brooklyn and used to work as a taxi driver and as an electrical.

NBC News broadcaster reported, citing law enforcement officials, that the suspect said he had detonated the explosive device after spotting a holiday display.

Media have drawn connections between the New York attack and the 2016 terror act at a Berlin Christmas market, which resulted in 12 people dead and 56 others injured.

The individual reportedly told investigators he perpetrated the attack in the name of the Islamic State terror group to avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world.

The broadcaster also reported, citing police, that the bomb used by the suspect on Monday was made from a pipe, a nine-volt battery, matches, and Christmas tree lights.

The New York Times reported, citing law enforcement, that Ullah said he had committed the blast in retaliation for the U.S. airstrikes in Syria and other countries, targeting IS members.

Also, Ullah told investigators he had been radicalised online.

Trumps recent statement is not the first in which the US president has called for death penalty for terrorism offenders.

Trump made the similar statement concerning perpetrator of the Nov. 1, terror attack in New Yorks Lower Manhattan, where a man drove a truck into a bike path, killing eight people and injuring 11 others.(Sputnik/NAN)
The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN is yet to disclose details of its investigation into a case of alleged medical negligence involving the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, for over one year.

PREMIUM TIMES had in December 2016 reported how the FMC allegedly engaged in acts of medical negligence resulting in the deaths of some patients, including 29-year-old Sandra David, who underwent a gall bladder correctional surgery in June 2016, and three other children who died at birth.

A senior official at the FMC had in December, 2016 told PREMIUM TIMES then that the allegation of negligence in the case of Ms. David was already being investigated by the MDCN.

When PREMIUM TIMES approached the council for details of its findings six months after it first confirmed investigations into the matter, the acting registrar of the council, Tajudeen Sanusi, initially declined speaking on the matter, but later directed an official communication from the council regarding the issue.

In a letter dated June 2 and received shortly after the reporters visit to the MDCN then, the council told PREMIUM TIMES that the results of the investigation would be released in due course.

The letter was signed by the secretary to the councils investigation panel, Enejor Abdu.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the councils registrar, on Monday, however, Mr. Sanusi said the investigation was a private matter, which he could not speak to a journalist about.

Number one, you are a journalist. We dont discuss the issue of the investigative panel, because it is a private sitting. Nobody is in charge. All they do is to carry out investigation into an alleged professional misconduct of any registered practitioner. It is only when a prima facie (based on the first impression; accepted as correct until proved otherwise) case is established and the matter is transferred to a tribunal, then it becomes a public matter. I wont say whether investigation is still on, or not. But, when it is concluded, parties involved will be notified, Mr. Tajudeed said in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

To confirm whether the parties, namely the lawyer or the applicants have been informed or not of any development by the council, PREMIUM TIMES contacted late Miss Davids sister, Sophia Wehbi, who said nothing has been heard on the matter. Mrs. Sophia said she spoke with their lawyers on Monday, who informed her that nothing had been heard from the council.

No, our lawyer said they have not heard from them, she said.

Similarly, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court where a case was filed, regarding the death of Miss David has again adjourned its hearing till February.

The case, filed in September, 2016, by late Miss Davids mother, Portia Sambo, has witnessed repeated adjournments preventing it from passing the stage of mere mention over one year after it was instituted.

The applicant had approached the court with claims for damages, following the death of her daughter, who died months after she approached the FMC for the surgery.

Mrs. Sambo had asked the court to compel the defendants, namely: the Ministry of Health, the Federal Medical Centre Abuja, the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Chinwe Igwilo; two medical practitioners at the hospital, Obed Dades and Amadi Ikechukwu, and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, to pay a total of N510. 4 million as damages for the loss of their daughter.

The amount stated in the claim also included the cost of instituting the suit, as well as the cost of treating the deceased, while she battled with the ailment resulting from the alleged medical negligence. The applicant also listed other attached claims arising from the negligence by the centre.

Despite the fact that the applicants claim was filed in September, 2016, the case was not assigned for hearing until January 17, during which the matter could not be taken beyond mention because the plaintiffs counsel, Charles Abalaka, was yet to file the processes to all the defendants.

Later, the judge, Binta Nyako, adjourned the case to March 30 and June 1. Still, the matter could not be heard on both dates.

In June the matter was adjourned till July 4 when it was again postponed till October 18. On that day, the matter was again adjourned till December 11.

When PREMIUM TIMES arrived the court room presided by Mrs. Nyako on Monday, a lawyer, Richard Aneke, who appeared for the plaintiff said the case would further be adjourned till February 21 because, the judge was not sitting.

When asked why the court keeps shifting the matter for so long, Mr. Aneke explained that the court was at liberty to decide when it sits and why it must sit.

We cannot question the court on why it will or will not sit. Only the NJC (National Judicial Council) can do that, Mr. Aneke said.

Speaking on the development, Mrs. Wehbi said her family was not encouraged by it.

We are not happy about whats happening, but what do we do, when we have a lawyer who keeps telling us that this is normal. Its been over one year now and nothing has been heard from the court, Mrs. Wehbi said.
The anti-graft agency, EFCC, has described a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Lagos as a dangerous precedent.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the appeal court ruled on Monday that the EFCC lacked the powers to prosecute serving judges until they are dismissed by the National Judicial Council, NJC.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC vowed to appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is to appeal against the ruling of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, which today held that the agency lacked powers to investigate or prosecute serving judicial officials except where such officers have been dismissed by the National Judicial Council.

The Commission considers the ruling a dangerous precedent that has no basis in law and, is confident that the Supreme Court will upturn the judgment.

Criminal trial takes precedence over administrative procedures and it is strange that the Court of Appeal wants to put the cart before the horse. This is ridiculous! The appellate court simply wants to confer immunity on public officers from prosecution for corruption, it will not stand, Mr. Uwujaren said.

Details later
The professional rivalry in the Nigerian health sector is threatening to boil over as other unions in the sector have accused the ministry of showing blatant favouritism to medical doctors, and have passed a vote of no confidence on the minister, Isaac Adewole.

In a press statement on Monday, the Joint Health Sector Union and Assembly of Health Care Professionals, JOHESU/AHPA, demanded a restructuring of the ministry to accommodate allied health professionals in the political leadership of the sector.

The association comprises all health workers in the hospital aside medical doctors. They include pharmacists, laboratory technologists and nurses.

They accused Mr. Adewole, who is a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who is also a medical doctor, of unwillingness to address the grievances of other professionals in the Nigerian health system.

The unions asked the federal government to restructure appointments at the ministry to balance the interests of allied professionals.

According to JOHESU/AHPA, the plight of their members had been further worsened by the appointment of Amina Shamaki, who is also a medical doctor, as the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health.

They said this means that the Minister, the Minister of State, Osagie Ehanire; and the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health, as well as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr. Ngige who is meant to be a mediator on workers plights; are all medical doctors and have been biased to members of their profession.

Olusegun Sotiloye, Chairman, University College Hospital, UCH, JOHESU chapter, who is also the Deputy President South, Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals, told PREMIUM TIMES that the union was forced to pass a vote of no confidence on the leadership of Mr. Adewole because he had shown himself to be the minister of Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, and not that of the entire health sector.

As far as he (the minister) is concerned, it is only the medical practitioners that are in the Ministry of Health, so that is why we are passing a vote of no confidence on him, he said.

The last time we had a good Minister of Health was in the time of Eyitayo Lambo. Since Lambo, all the other ones are jokers. What is happening now in the health sector was what happened during the tenures of Chukwu Onyebuchi and Olikoye Ransome-Kuti.

Mr. Lambo, who was Minister of Health under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is a professor of Economics.

Decrying the alleged discrimination by the ministers, he said Mr. Adewole has refused to implement subsisting court judgements because they did not favour the interest of medical doctors.

We want Adewole to see Ministry of Health as a ministry that has so many professionals practicing and he should make it a level playing ground for all practitioners, treat every professional as a partner in the health care delivery system in the country.

Eyitayo called a Health Summit and everybody came to the roundtable. He heard everybody and proffered solution and was implementing it, that is why there was no strike in the health sector during his tenure. Apart from having listening ears, he was fair to everybody. But subsequent ones have been doing the opposite, Mr. Sotiloye alleged.

That is why we are advocating that if one of the minister is from NMA, the other should be from the allied health professionals so there will be balance. That is why we are saying the Ministry of Health should be overhauled, it needs restructuring the way we are clamouring for restructuring in the country.

There is a long-standing bitter rivalry among doctors and other health workers in the Nigerian secondary and tertiary hospitals, which has often degenerated to verbal and physical assaults.
At least four persons were killed in a suicide attack in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday.

Two soldiers were also killed when their vehicle stepped on a roadside bomb in a separate incident.

The first attack was carried out by two teenage girls wearing suicide vests.

The spokesperson of the Military Command and Control Centre in Maiduguri, Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES.

He said the attack occurred on Monday evening when two strange girls were spotted trying to infiltrate a crowded location of the rocky community.

Our vigilant troops were able to gun down one of them before she could make her way into the crowd. And in the process the explosive on her body went off killing only her.

Mr. Nwachukwu said the second girl managed to infiltrate the crowded residential area and detonated the bomb.

Two civilians were killed alongside the girl that wore the suicide vest, said Mr. Nwachukwu, a colonel and deputy director, army public relations.

He said the four bodies have been evacuated from the scene of the blasts by rescue workers; while the injured have been taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

Similarly, the military command in Maiduguri also confirmed the death of two soldiers who were killed in an explosion on Monday after their vehicles stepped on a roadside bomb planted by suspected Boko Haram insurgents along Maiduguri-Damboa highway.

Mr. Nwachukwu said the incident was not an ambush as reported by another media.

It was an IED explosion that occurred after the vehicle of our troops on patrol stepped on the buried landmine, he said. Two of our soldiers paid the supreme sacrifice in the blast.

The colonel called on members of the public to improve information sharing with the military, stressing that no insurgency can be won without a working civil-military cooperation.

Having condoled all the families of those who lost their lives, we want to seize this opportunity to further call on members of the public to please be very vigilant. We are all involved in this, the spokesman said.

Security is not the business of only the military and the police. We need the public to assist by providing useful information that could help us to nip this problem in the bud. Our troops have been intercepting so many of the insurgents but we want to achieve much more than that.

That is why we need the public to be more involved by ensuring that they have an eye on movements within and around their communities and quickly alert the security operatives should they spot or identify anything suspicious.

About 100,000 people have been killed since the Boko Haram insurgency started in 2009. Majority of the attacks have been carried out in three states: Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Tuesday sent Bukola Saraki back to the Code of Conduct Tribunal to face charges of false declaration of asset.

The Nigerian government had appealed the acquittal of the Senate President earlier this year by the CCT.

The tribunal had dismissed all 18-count allegations of false and anticipatory declaration of asset by Mr. Saraki.

At its sitting today, the Court of Appeal panel ruled that Mr. Saraki did not sufficiently answer three of the charges.

The three-man panel, led by Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson, dismissed the remaining 15 charges appealed by the Attorney-General Abubakar Malami.

A statement by Mr. Sarakis media office said the Senate President will appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court.
"TV Patrol" anchor Noli de Castro puts on a show



DZMM Radyo Patrol 630, Umagang Kay Ganda, (UKG) and TV Patrol (TVP) put on a show for overseas Filipinos in Ontario, Canada on Nov. 18 in celebration of DZMM TeleRadyo and UKGs 10th anniversary and 30 years of TVP.

Dubbed as Gabi ng Pasasalamat: A Thanksgiving Show, the event featured iconic DZMM and TVP anchor Noli Kabayan De Castro, UKG anchor Winnie Cordero, DZMM anchor Ahwel Paz, TFC Adobo Nation anchor Ginger Conejero, Queen of Soul Jaya, and Kapamilya actor Xian Lim.

It also showcased the wit, heart, and talent of Filipinos abroad with the contenders in UKGs Nanay Kong Kay Ganda and DZMMs Global Pinoy Singing Idol (GPSI) taking the stage. Nanay Kong Kay Ganda is UKGs search for outstanding Filipino mothers, which will also go to Hong Kong this month. GPSI, meanwhile, is DZMMs long-running talent show for overseas Filipinos that will have its grand finals in February 2018.

DZMM station manager Marah Capuyan shared that the show, which is a collaboration between ABS-CBN News and TFC, the Filipino Channel, received a very warm reception from Filipinos abroad, some of them even coming from outside Ontario.

We are very happy to be able to celebrate these major milestones with our Kapamilyas overseas. The fact that they took time  and for some traveled far  to be with us, warms our heart and inspires us even more to deliver to them news and public service through DZMM, UKG, TV Patrol, and other ABS-CBN News platforms, she said.

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The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has reacted to the decision of the Appeal Court sending him back to the Code of Conduct Tribunal to answer to three charges on false asset declarations.



Mr. Saraki said he is vindicated by the decision of the court to strike out 15 of the 18 charges levelled against him.



The Nigerian government had appealed the acquittal of the Senate President earlier this year by the CCT.



The tribunal had dismissed all 18-count allegations of false and anticipatory declaration of asset by Mr. Saraki.



At its sitting on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal ruled that Mr. Saraki did not sufficiently answer three of the charges.



In a statement by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Mr. Saraki said the decision of the court further proves his innocence.



We noted the verdict of the Court of Appeal Court today in which it agreed with the decision of the Code of Conduct Tribunal that Senate President, Bukola Saraki has no case to answer on 15 of the 18 charges filed against him by the Federal Government.



We believe that upholding the no case submission by Mr. Saraki with regards to 15 of the 18 counts charges vindicates the innocence of the Senate President. At least, todays judgement has confirmed the position of the Tribunal that the prosecutions case was entirely based on hearsay, not on any concrete evidence.



The verdict of the Court of Appeal, just like that of the Tribunal before it, aligned with our position that the preposterous claims made during trial by the prosecution concerning operation of foreign accounts, making anticipatory declarations, collecting double salaries, owning assets beyond his income and failure to declare assets owned by companies in which the Senate President owns interests, among others, have fallen like a pack of cards and lack any basis, Mr. Olaniyonu said.



The statement hinted that the Senate President would challenge the decision of the appellate court.



On the remaining three counts, which really touch on two issues, referred back to the Tribunal for the Senate Presidents defence, it should be noted that the Appellate Court only gave a summary of its decision today promising to provide the parties with certified true copies of the judgment soon. As soon as it makes the details of the judgement available, our lawyers will review the grounds of the decision and take appropriate action.



We remain convinced about the innocence of the Senate President on the three (or two) counts because we believe the decision of the Court of Appeal is not consistent with the submissions made by both parties at the Tribunal. Thus, it is our view that that aspect of the judgment will not stand.



The confidence and faith of Mr. Saraki in the nations judiciary and its ability to dispense justice to all manners of people remains unshaken.

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government. For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour. By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all. Donate TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999 Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on Monday sentenced a 35-year-old Nigerian to 10 years in prison for unlawfully dealing in 1.205 kilogrammes of substances which tested positive for methamphetamine.

Lotachukwu Umeme, who is based in Cote dIvoire, had pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of trafficking a prohibited drug after he was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, last March at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, during the clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight to Doha.

The convict, who was travelling with an Ivorian passport bearing the name Grou Bi Clauvis, also got an option of a N10 million fine.

According to the NDLEA, the convicts offences are contrary to and punishable under section 11(b) of the NDLEA Act. Cap. N30, laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.

At the resumed trial on Monday, the convict maintained his guilty plea.

Consequently, the judge, Mojisola Olatoregun, ordered the prosecutor to review the facts of the matter.

Abu Ibrahim, the NDLEA prosecutor, then proceeded to tell the court how the convict was arrested with an Ivory Coast international passport with the said substance and $400.

The prosecutor also tendered before the court the results of test analysis on the drugs, his confessional statements, and a sample of the drug, all which were admitted as exhibits. After reviewing the facts of the case and admitting the exhibits, the prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

But the convicts lawyer, Prosper Ojakovo, pleaded with the court to be lenient in sentencing his client as he is a first time offender, who had promised not to engage in such act if granted a second chance.

In sentencing the convict, the judge said: I have taken into consideration that the convict is a first time offender, and also a young man.

Im mindful of Section 11 of the NDLEA Act which is mandatory, but Im going to vary it. It is of public knowledge that the prison is full, and he is a young man.

The convict is hereby sentenced to 10 years jail term or option of N10 million.

The judge also ordered the NDLEA to forfeit the convicts Ivory Coast international passport to the government of Ivory Coast as well as the sum of $400 found in his possession to the Nigerian government.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Lugbe, Abuja, on Tuesday sentenced a 35-year-old man to four years in prison for committing incest.

Friday Elijah, an indigene of Cross River State, was found guilty on two counts of incest and inflicting physical injury on his 13-year old daughter.

The convict was arrested in July 2015 by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) after he had sex with his teenage daughter.

After the girl exposed him to his relatives, Mr. Elijah attacked her with a bottle, injuring the girl in the head.

The offences which are punishable under sections 2 (1) and 25 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 were committed in Ushafa, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.

On arraignment, Mr. Elijah pleaded not guilty to the two count charges. The case, therefore, went through full trial.

On November 8, the judge, Angela Otaluka, found the accused guilty of the counts in Charge No. CR/103/16 and deferred the sentence to December 12.

On resumption of proceedings on Tuesday, the judge sentenced him to four years imprisonment for incest and inflicting physical injury on his daughter.

After listening to the testimonies of the defendants wife and his cousin as to his character, and in accordance with the provisions of Section 310 and 311 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and the plea for leniency from the defence counsel, Mr. Elijah was sentenced to two years imprisonment without an option of fine for Count One (Inflicting Physical Injury on a Person) and four years imprisonment without an option of fine for Count Two (Incest).

Both sentences are to run concurrently.

Reacting to the judgment, the Director General, Dame Julie Okah-Donli said violence against persons was old fashioned and that those who still get involved in such an act must be dealt with in accordance with the law.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted a former Head of Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye, who is standing trial for a N2 billion pension fraud, the permission to travel to India for medicals and to return for continuation of his trial in January 2018.

Mr. Oronsaye is standing trial along with Osarenkhoe Afe, managing director, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, and both are alleged to be complicit in several contract awards during his tenure as HoS.

Ade Okeaya-Inneh, lead counsel for Mr. Oronsaye, on Tuesday moved the motion applying that he be granted permission to travel.

In granting the application, the trial judge ruled that: The DCI litigation of the Federal High Court, shall release the international passport of the defendant through his counsel, and he is permitted to travel to India from now till on or before January 31, 2018 and return his passport to the DCI pending the determination of the criminal charge.

Earlier in the course of proceeding, Justice Kolawole upheld the objection of Oluwole Aladedoye, counsel for Mr. Afe, challenging the admissibility of a document which the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, sought to tender at the last sitting of December 5, 2017.

The document, which included the audit report of the Office of the HoS, made by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, was in response to the request of the investigative team probing the pension fraud in the HoS office. The prosecution had sought to tender the document, which came with a cover letter dated June 25, 2016 and signed by the Auditor General of the Federation.

Mr. Aladedoye, in raising an objection to the admissibility of the evidence to be tendered, cited Section 83 of the Evidence Act, noting that while he did not object to the admissibility of the letter which was signed, he objected to the admissibility of the accompanying document as it has no author, and was no signed by anyone.

The trial judge admitted the cover letter as Exhibit 3, but marked the accompanying audit report as Rejected Exhibit A.

A set of evidence, which include bank documents from Zenith Bank, relating to the financial transactions linked to Innovative Solutions Limited, Kate Chinwe Obikwe, Ibrahim Abdulkareem, and Uptrack Communications, which were deemed complicit in the pension fraud, were also objected to.

The defence argued that the documents dated January 13, 2011 and June 13, 2016 did not meet the requirements of the Evidence Act, as it relates to bankers note.

Meanwhile, the judge adjourned the case to February 20, 21 and 22, 2018.
The Nigerian Law School on Tuesday said 29 out of the 4,294 candidates called to the Nigerian Bar bagged First Class after the August 2017 bar examinations.

The Director-General of the school, Olanrewaju Onadeku, disclosed this at the Call-to-Bar ceremony in Abuja.

Mr. Onadeku said that the students were those successful at the August 2017 bar final examinations and others from previous examinations as conducted by the school under the supervision of the Council of Legal Education.

He said that the 29 students were produced by the University of Lagos, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Uyo, Obafemi Awolowo University, Babcock University, University of Ibadan and Osun State University.

According to him, others are from University of Ilorin, Lagos State University, Ambrose Alli University, Afe Babalola University, Adekunle Ajasin University and Igbinedion University.

I particularly commend the 29 students; theirs is the highest number ever attained.

They have worked hard to merit their grades after a very thorough assessment and have done the Nigerian Law School and their families proud.

Mr. Onadeku disclosed that 72 per cent success was achieved after the August examination as 211 obtained the second class upper grade, 1,046 made second class lower division and 3, 000 got the pass grade.

He said that there had been a sustained level of focus and diligence among the students whom he noted had demonstrated a commendable sense of maturity and drive, adding that some were involved in various forms of examination malpractices.

The Director-General, while congratulating the new lawyers, also urged them to make the best of the legal profession.

Since it is your freewill to belong to the noble profession of law, you must ensure strict adherence to its norms and ethics.

As you are aware, globalisation has impacted on the legal profession with the challenge of benchmarking on minimum international best practices.

You must ensure you exceed the minimum in all that you do.

Mr. Onadeku also noted that the successful students had completed the vocational training at the school as prescribed by the Legal Education Act.

According to him, they have also met all other conditions set by the Council, while also exhibiting good manners and decorum during their training.

They have also been groomed in the best ethics and ethos of our noble profession.

The screening committee of your distinguished body has carefully perused the records of each of the aspirants and have found them worthy to be presented for Call to the Nigerian Bar.

I attest that they are fit and proper persons for Call and admissions to the Nigerian Bar, he said.

In his address, the Chairman of the Body of Benchers and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, charged the candidates to practice the profession with diligence and sense of responsibility.

He charged them to promote the course of justice and rule of law, adding that their level of proficiency was of immense significance to the efficiency of the justice system of the country.

I urge you to acquaint yourselves with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and all other relevant laws as far as administering justice is concerned.

You must not handle a matter without adequate preparation, neither should you handle a matter, which you know or ought to know that you not competent enough to handle.

It is advisable to consult your seniors or colleagues in areas you know you are not well groomed, he said.

Mr. Onnoghen said that the Body of Benchers, whose role also includes disciplinary committee, would not hesitate to bring to order any erring practitioner whose conduct might negate the standards of the profession.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Nigerian Law School has to date graduated 117, 385 lawyers including all the judges of the superior courts of the country and almost all the legal practitioners.

The event was attended by past and present Body of Benchers, Attorney-General of the Federation, past Directors-General of the school.

Others are members of the National Assembly, some ministers, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the Judiciary sector.

(NAN)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Tuesday said it remitted N7.8 billion to federal government coffers from 2016 University and Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME.

The boards registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, made this known when a delegation from National Officers Council of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU, paid a visit to the board in Bwari, FCT.

Mr. Oloyede said the board paid in N7.8 billion to Federal Government and not N5.2 billion.

The JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, had in July said the board remitted N5.2 billion.

He said the board would work to ensure that it met the needs of the sector and strive to sustain education standard in the country.

He called for cooperation from stakeholders in the education sector to further raise standard, saying let us work together and push government to do the needful so that education would be where it ought to be.

When we identify obstacles, we could push government to amend some areas to enhance the sector.

I do not see why we should have more than four credits before one can get into college of education, forgetting that it created an opportunity for people like us in the past.

I assure you that UTME score does not determine the quality of ones education; it is the environment that makes the difference obvious by segregating institutions.

Mr. Oloyede challenged the officers on the need to officially make a case for the National Council of Education, which he said was made up of commissioners of education, to review the number of credits to be attained by intending candidates of colleges of education.

He said the board would not hesitate to work with unions to set up a Task Force that would check irregularities that may cripple the sub-sector.

Earlier, the President of COEASU, Nuhu Ogirima, said that the challenge had been an obstacle to admission status of colleges nationwide.

He called for review of the current application process into colleges of education, saying a review is imperative, given the fact that the current application process predisposes candidates toward university education.

Notwithstanding the overwhelming preference for admission into university, the provision for college of education as third choice in JAMB sought to obscure the system from others.

After the selection of the very best from the first choice list, colleges of education are left with no choice in JAMB but the low performing candidates and this does not augur well for the teacher education system.

The union would, therefore, appreciate if JAMB, without prejudice to her establishment law, explore the possibility of collaborating with stakeholders in colleges of education.

The collaboration would provide enabling environment that could improve the admission status of the colleges nationwide.

He announced that the council would soon set up a committee that would come up with memorandum to tackle the issues before the necessary quarters.

The meeting was attended by directors of the board.

(NAN)
The Nigerian authorities must ensure justice, truth and reparation over the militarys unlawful killing of more than 350 Shia Muslims in the northern city of Zaria in December 2015, Amnesty International said on the two-year anniversary of the massacre.

No one has been held accountable for the killings, while the families of the missing are still awaiting news of their loved ones. Amnesty International has identified and visited the location of a possible mass grave near Mando, but it is yet to be exhumed.

The Nigerian authorities failure to hold anyone to account for the killing of hundreds of women, men and children by soldiers in Zaria, shows the acceptance of a culture of impunity for violations for human rights in the country, said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Our research indicates that the deaths in the clashes between members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, and the Nigerian military two years ago were the consequence of an excessive use of force that must be thoroughly investigated.

Between 12 and 14 December 2015, Nigerian security forces killed hundreds of civilians, some of them supporters of the IMN  including men, women and children  and arrested more than 200 following a Shia Muslim protest.

The exact number of those killed is not known, but it may be higher than the official figure of 347. Hundreds of IMN supporters reported missing since the killings remain unaccounted for, feared dead.

Satellite images of the Mando mass grave site taken on 2 November and 24 December 2015 show severe disruption of an area of approximately 1000 square metres, including the destruction of buildings and mosques.

A full independent forensic investigation into this crime under international law is long overdue. Many families still do not know the fate of their loved ones who have not been seen or heard of since December 12, 2015, said Osai Ojigho.

Nigerias Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation should order that the bodies in the mass graves are exhumed, and that those suspected to be responsible for their deaths are prosecuted in fair trials without recourse to death penalty.

The Nigerian government has failed to publicly condemn the unlawful killings that took place in Zaria.

Meanwhile, the IMNs leader, Sheik Ibraheem El Zakzaky and his wife have been unlawfully detained since the killings, despite an Abuja High Court order for their release a year ago.

The Nigerian government cannot continue to disregard this court order and as a matter of urgency respect the rule of law by releasing them immediately. said Osai Ojigho

In April 2016, a Kaduna state government official admitted that 347 IMN members were dumped in a mass grave near Mando.

This information should be an important lead for the government to investigate the killings and ensure all those suspected of criminal responsibility are held to account, said Osai Ojigho.

But until now, the shocking lack of accountability for these deaths has served only to bolster a climate of impunity.

Background

The IMN is a Shia religious and political organisation whose leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, has been a proponent of Shia Islam in Nigeria since the 1980s. In October 2016, Kaduna State government declared IMN an unlawful organisation.

According to Amnesty Internationals research, more than 350 IMN members were killed by security forces between 12 and 14 December 2015 in Zaria.

In July 2016, the Kaduna State Commission of Inquiry, set up to investigate the killings, presented its report to the state government indicting the Nigerian military for unlawful killings.

In December, the Kaduna State government published its white paper on the report, which rejected most of the Commissions recommendations.

Processions, demonstrations and other activities organised by the IMN, usually without obtaining the necessary permits and at times blocking public roads, have frequently resulted in confrontation with the Nigerian authorities and strained relations with other communities.
The National Hospital, Abuja, has been inducted into the FOI Hall of Shame, an initiative by the Lagos-based civic group, Media Rights Agenda, to publicly name and shame public officials and government agencies who repeatedly violate the Freedom of Information law.

The hospital was inducted for its multiple violations of the provisions of the FOI Act, including its poor record-keeping practices, the MRA said in a statement Monday.

It is disheartening that the management of the hospital does not appear motivated to redeem its bruised image despite the fact that the FOI Act not only provides the opportunity for it to do so, but actually makes it mandatory for public institutions like the National Hospital to put appropriate record-keeping in place, said Ridwan Sulaimon, MRAs Freedom of Information Programme Manager.

Mr. Sulaimon accused the hospital of violating Section 2(1) of the FOI Act, which provides that A public institution shall ensure that it records and keeps information about all its activities, operations and businesses as well as Section 2(2), which states that A public institution shall ensure the proper organization and maintenance of all information in its custody in a manner that facilitates public access to such information.

He cited a report published by the Daily Trust newspaper on June 26, 2010 titled: National Hospital or national headache, which indicted the hospital for poor record keeping such as losing patients files and misplacing test results, thereby leading to wrong prescription of drugs. The report also chided the hospital for being dogged by state-of-the-art problems, adding that the situation was compounded by a financial quagmire in the institution and lack of transparency in the hospitals dealings.

Mr. Sulaimon said: Clearly, the situation with the National Hospital, Abuja is an open sore in urgent need of healing. The practices in the hospital, in so far as they relate to its poor record-keeping and lack of transparency or accountability are not theoretical issues for debate but are critical to the health, well-being and safety of the millions of Nigerians and possibly other nationals that patronize the hospital, and are sufficiently so to warrant urgent intervention by the Federal Government.

According to him, under these circumstances, the enactment of the FOI Act in 2011 presented a great opportunity for the hospital to redeem its image by rigorously implementing the Act, improving its record-keeping systems and practices while also ensuring transparency and openness in its operation. Regrettably, it appears that the management of the hospital has chosen not to do so.

He noted that: rather than complying with the clear provisions of the FOI Act, for over six years since the law was enacted, the National Hospital has continued to flagrantly violate the binding provisions of Act.

Established in 1999 originally to cater for the needs of women and children in Nigeria and the West African region, the National Hospital has since May 2000 expanded its scope of operations to accommodate male patients and cater for a large number of Nigerians, especially given its capacity and sophisticated equipment which were rarely available elsewhere in the West African region.

Mr. Sulaimon said: This uncommon sophistication and capacity naturally justified the claim of the hospital as the flagship of medical institutions in Nigeria. Therefore, such institution ought to require no persuasion to improve its record keeping and transparency, especially given the volume in some of its financial dealings.

For instance, the hospital claimed that between 2005 and 2010, it spent cumulatively the sum of N93,509,264.00 as waivers/exemptions granted indigent patients to access treatment.

During the period 2005 to 2010, it reportedly waived between N10.25 million (in 2005) and N20.55 million (in 2008) annually as waivers or exemptions from fees for indigent persons. There are no data available for any period after 2010.

MRA accused the hospital of failing to fulfil its proactive disclosure obligations under Section 2(3), (4) and (5) of the FOI Act as it is not proactively disclosing the categories of information which the Act requires it to publish proactively. The organisation observed that most of the information which the hospital has provided voluntarily about itself is hopelessly out of date. It cited as one example of this, the annual performance report published by the hospital about its operations and noted that the latest of such reports available on the hospitals website is for the year 2010.

It noted that the hospital had not designated and publicised the title and address of an appropriate officer to whom requests for information should be sent by members of the public and had neglected to provide the requisite training for its officials on the publics right of access to information held by the hospital and for the effective implementation of the Act as required by Section 13.

MRA criticised the hospital for persistently failing to submit its annual report on its implementation of the Act to the Attorney-General of the Federation as required by Section 29 of the Act and the Attorney-Generals FOI Implementation Guidelines with the result that over the last six years, the hospital had not issued or submitted a single report.

The organisation called on the federal government to beam its searchlight on the activities of the hospital to ensure that it complies with its duties and obligations under the FOI Act and to ensure transparency and openness in the activities of such institutions of national significance.

The FOI Hall of Shame was established to draw attention to public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information Act through their actions, inactions, utterances and decisions.

The National Hospital is the 24th inductee into the Hall of Shame since MRA launched the initiative on July 3, 2017.
The late military dictator, Sanni Abacha, died a day before effecting his plans to shut down The Punch newspapers, a former chair of the paper, Ajibola Ogunshola, has said.

Mr. Ogunshola made this known in his introductory remarks at a public lecture delivered by a former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington.

The lecture, which also marked the launch of Defend the Defenseless, a book written by Arese Carrington, wife of the former diplomat, held in Lagos.

Mr. Ogunshola, who was the chairman on the occasion, regaled the audience with tales of the role played by the press during the struggles for democratic rule under Mr. Abacha.

He also explained how The Punch was shut down by the military when he was the companys chairman, adding that the first was shortly after Mr. Carrington was accredited on November 9, 1993.

During the years of military rule, he said, the press as a whole suffered. The National Concord and The PUNCH bore the brunt of the fate that befell newspapers and some magazines.

One of the journalists in detention then, Mr. Babafemi Ojudu, after his release, said that when under incarceration, he got information from some soldiers on June 7, 1998 that Abacha had concluded plans to close down The Punch again.

But the day after, that was on June 8, Abacha died, he narrated.

Mr. Ogunsola explained that Mr. Carrington, in what was against the norm, stood fearlessly against the military junta and joined in the struggle for democracy.

The former diplomat was U.S. ambassador to Nigeria between 1993 to 1997 and he is renown for his fearless stance on issues of human rights and democratic freedom.

The late Mr. Abacha ruled Nigeria as a dictator between 1993 and 1998, after taking over power from the interim government of Ernest Shonekan in a bloodless coup. He was notorious for his clampdown on pro-democracy activists and the press.
Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday granted bail to Senator Isah Misau on self-recognisance.

She however, ordered that the lawmaker should deposit his international passport with the Chief Registrar of the Court and can apply whenever he needs it.

Justice Chikere adjourned the matter until January 21 for hearing.

Mr. Misau, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District, was arraigned by the Nigerian government for accusing police Inspector General, Ibrahim Idris, of corruption and other misdeed.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecuting counsel, Saleh Hadi, from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation(AGF), informed the court of the amended charges filed.

Mr. Hadi said the amended charges had been filed and he had affixed seal as ordered by the court on the last adjourned date.

He further applied for the charges to be read to the defendant to enable him take his plea.

When the charges were read to Mr. Misau, he pleaded not guilty to the amended 10-count charge against him.

The defence counsel, Uchena Ogbunabo, who held brief for Paul Erokoro(SAN), immediately prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on liberal terms and in self-recognisance.

The request was not opposed by the prosecutor.

(NAN)
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says his pursuit for change made him to leave his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr. Amaechi said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos last Saturday.

He said he would have done otherwise by staying in PDP to fight for the change, instead, he said he crossed over to APC because of his belief in President Muhammadu Buhari.

I moved from PDP to APC because I was tired of what was happening in the party, I had the option to stay because of my position as the Chairman of the Governors then.

I could use my position to fight them (PDP) and get what I wanted because I believed Nigeria was not going in the right direction by then.

My attention and belief shifted to Buhari which was the viable alternative, I believed in the change mantra because it was the only way to improve on what is on ground.

He has not disappointed because the economy is now back on track and is growing. This is evident in the current prices of food items because its getting lower, he told NAN.

Mr. Amaechi said prices of food would further crash because of the efforts of the government at making the country self-sufficient in food production.

With the change going on, the price will further crash because before this government came in, the price were soaring because we were importing food items, things we can grow here.

Now the policy of government is working which banned the importation of rice, the price is now about N16,000, but before now, we are importing about N3 billion worth of rice.

Before now too, we were importing another N3 billion worth of poultry products, we are importing tomatoes but with the ban, we are now concentrating on our local production.

Many states in the northern part of the country are now growing rice in large quantities though by right, the South-South geo-political zone should be doing that because they are the ones in the swampy area, he said.

Mr. Amaechi said the wastage in the PDP era was alarming, adding that the depletion of the excess crude account was supposed not have been.

When Obasanjo was leaving, he left about 65 billion dollars in the Excess Crude Account, but this money was frittered away and we wonder where the money is.

As at then, the price of crude oil during the president Goodluck Jonathans administration hovered around 140 dollars with this, they did not leave anything for the incoming government.

With that kind of money, we should be thinking of connecting Nigeria through rail system. The rail between Ibadan to Kano would have been completed.

Also the rail gauge between Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and Lagos to Calabar, but all the excess crude money was frittered away, we need to ask questions, he said.

(NAN)
The Chairman of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee, ACJMC, Justice Ishaq Bello, says arrest of suspects before completion of investigation has become a culture among the nations law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Bello, who is the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, stated this at the inauguration of sub-committees of the ACJMC in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said, The Administration of Criminal Justice Act advocates that no arrest should be made until after completion of investigation.

But we have observed with pains that this has not been the case.

Hardly do you find a time when any of the prosecutory agencies will come to court on the day of arraignment and say their investigations are concluded.

He said although the same law provides for the arrest and detention of suspects on the order of the court, such provision was being abused by the law enforcement agencies.

According to him, the agencies ask the courts for extension of remand order without giving cogent reasons for their request.

This remand culture is prevalent and that is not the spirit of the law.

Remand order is necessary only in compelling situations where a suspect or the defendant is likely to move out of jurisdictions or the investigation is so complex that you are unlikely to finish in good time.

Mr. Bello also flayed the courts for making no efforts to interrogate the reasons for the agencies request for extension of remand orders.

While noting that the ACJMC was set up to address those abuses, he urged the sub-committees to hit the ground running and report back to the parent body.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that six subcommittees were inaugurated by the ACJMC chairman.

They are: sub-committees on Speedy Trial, Prisons Decongestion, Technical, Investigation and Prosecution, Monitoring and Media.

The Commissioner of Police in the FCT, David Igbodo, appealed for adequate financial and logistic provisions for law enforcement agencies to effectively implement the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

Mr. Igbodo, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, said the law provides for the creation and maintenance of a database of crimes suspects by relevant agencies.

He, however, said the police lacked adequate funding and facilities to comply with that provision.

(NAN)
The Adamawa State Government has said none of its commissioners has defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh, made this known Tuesday in a chat with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola.

The state government is run by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

There were reports alleging that some of the commissioners referred to as Atiku associates have defected or are planning to defect to join the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in PDP.

Mr. Sajoh said that following the media report, the affected commissioners had made it clear during the last State Executive Council meeting that they were still with the government.

The affected commissioners had during the last executive council meeting made it clear that they are still in APC government of Bindow, he said.

Also commenting on the development, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ahmadu Waziri, who was mentioned in the media report to have defected to APC, described the report as character assassination.

I have never been an Atiku associate, even indirectly and Bindow is my principal not Atiku, Mr. Waziri said.

Also speaking on alleged mass defection in Adamawa APC, the state chairman of the party, Ibrahim Bilal, said that there was no mass defection in the party in Adamawa.

All our party executives in the state are intact and for sure the defection of Atiku will not affect the partys fortunes in the state, Mr. Bilal said.

(NAN)
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has formally released the transfer documents of the Presidential Marina Lodge to the Lagos State Government, four months after the keys were released to the state.

Mr. Fashola, at the handover ceremony on Tuesday in Abuja said the release of the property to the state was in fulfilment of the promise made by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said that the journey to handover had taken over two decades in spite of the request by the Lagos State Government.

The minister said that the state government had taken possession of the property under the present federal government administration.

We are here to formally sign and exchange documents that will make the state government rights to the property unimpeachable.

I congratulate the government and people of Lagos State on this asset and hope that it will have many beneficial purposes to the state, he said.

He said that the release of the property was in line with the presidents promise to respond to things that were left undone by previous administrations.

On August 17 this year, the federal government took the first step in transferring the property to Lagos, when Jalal Arabi, the Permanent Secretary, State House, Abuja, handed over the keys to Tunji Bello, secretary to the Lagos State Government.

Mr. Arabi urged the state to judiciously use the edifice, maintain it and protect its structural and historic integrity.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2016 approved the handing over of the State House to Lagos.

Governor Ambode had made a formal request to the presidency to have the presidential lodge released to Lagos to enable the state transform the Marina-Onikan axis into a world-class arts and tourism hub.

The edifice built before independence in 1960 had housed several Presidents and Military Heads of State, before the relocation of the nations capital to Abuja.

Mr. Ambode at the signing of papers in Abuja commended the Federal Government for releasing the property, adding that it would bring positive change to the state.

We believe strongly that this singular gesture is part of what will improve the economy of Lagos.

Our intention is to turn that particular asset into a national monument where we can christen a national heritage centre for leadership.

The idea is to use it as a tourist centre to attract Nigerians and foreigners and by extension, improve the economy of Lagos State, he said.

(NAN)
The Olubadan of Ibadan land, Saliu Adetunji, has described the threat of 21 new Ibadan kings to recommend him for removal as an affront to the people of Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Ibadan Council of Obas on Monday issued a 21-day deposition notice to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, accusing him of acts unbecoming of his office as the paramount ruler of the ancient town.

But a statement issued on Tuesday in Ibadan by the monarchs spokesman, Adeola Oloko, quoted him as saying that the Oba-in-Council was unknown to the Oyo State Chieftaincy Laws.

Mr. Adetunji expressed surprise that a group of educated individuals such as the high chiefs could resort to illegality by commenting on a matter before the court.

The Olubadan argued that the Oba-in-Council, which comprises high chiefs and the Olubadan, remains an advisory council with no force of law, customs and traditions backing it.

He said that the baales whom the high chiefs have added to themselves to become 21 were also not members of the Olubadan-in-Council.

The traditional ruler said as the prescribed and appointing authority, he could promote or peg the promotion of an high chief as long as he wishes.

He, however, added that he did not contemplate any such decision as he does not see himself as an absolute monarch.

Mr. Adetunji also said that there was no time that the embattled high chiefs were barred from attending palace activities, adding that they were the ones who rejected palace invitation.

The monarch expressed delight that in spite of their absence from official palace activities, the Olubadan had been exercising his duties without let or hindrance.

By custom and tradition, no Olubadan has been recommended for removal from office by any high chief or group of high chiefs at any time and my own reign will not be an exception.

At least, we have received applications from families of about four of the embattled high chiefs asking for their immediate replacement.

But, like a prodigal son, we hope that they would sooner than later renounce the unrecognised crowns and return to the warm embrace of their father as the palace door is perpetually open.

The high chiefs are hereby advised to emulate high chiefs in other places who are not wearing crowns but still earn respect of their people for peace and progress to reign supreme in the land, Mr. Adetunji said.

(NAN)
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




American Humane's new animal rescue vehicle brought 3,000 pounds of free Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food to help approximately 160 lost dogs and cats at the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (SPARC), which is Ventura County's first and only "no-kill" animal shelter. These animals had been evacuated last week from the shelter to escape the smoke and flames, but were safely returned to the shelter after the fire was beaten back.

The donation is part of a national campaign by American Humane and Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food called "Fill-a-Bowl  Feed-a-Soul" that aims to deliver one million meals to shelter animals in the greatest need. The campaign has benefited the animal victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, as well as those caught in flood-devastated Louisiana.

Internationally renowned philanthropist Lois Pope underwrote the new American Humane Rescue vehicle, which is dedicated to helping animal victims of disasters and abuse throughout the state. Banfield Foundation is funding operational costs as part of its Disaster Relief Grant program, which is available to nonprofit animal organizations and local or state government agencies whose communities suffer the impact of disasters. Such grants continue to make a positive difference, most recently funding such efforts as veterinary care for pets impacted by wildfires and pet relocation following catastrophic flooding relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Leading animal health company Zoetis helped sponsor the rescue vehicle used to deliver the food.

"We are so grateful to American Humane, Chicken Soup for the Soul, the Banfield Foundation, and Lois Pope for this generous donation," said Nicky Gore-Jones, executive director of SPARC. "This food will help many of our area's best friends in their worst times."

"Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food is committed to supporting pets in need and provides over 1 million meals per year as part of our nationwide Fill a Bowl Feed a Soul program. We are pleased to be a part of this inaugural trip by American Humane's newest rescue vehicle by donating 3,000 pounds of our premium pet food to the Santa Paula Animal Rescue," said Chris Mitchell, Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food CEO. "We know that this donation will help so many pets that have been affected by the devastating wildfires in the Santa Paula Community."

"This campaign helps animals when they need help most," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. "On behalf of all the beloved pets across the country, a big thank-you to Chicken Soup for the Soul, the Banfield Foundation, Zoetis, and Lois Pope!"

About American Humane

American Humane is the country's first national humane organization. To learn more, please visit www.americanhumane.org.

About Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food

Chicken Soup for the Soul understands the unique relationship between people and pets. Health conscious consumers have been feeding their cats and dogs Chicken Soup for the Soul wholesome and balanced, super premium pet food for over a decade. Holistic in nature, the entire line of products is made from only the finest ingredients: real meats (chicken, turkey, duck and salmon), fruits, vegetables and herbs. With no added corn, wheat, soy, artificial coloring, flavoring or preservatives, Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food is inspired by your love for pets, and promotes overall health and well-being for dogs and cats. The products are proudly made in the USA, and feature rescued shelter pets on every bag. Core and grain-free formulas and a line of treats are available in independent pet specialty stores nationwide and online.

A portion of all proceeds from the sale of Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food goes to help shelters and pets in need through Chicken Soup for the Soul's Fill-a-Bowl  Feed-a-Soul program. The program which was launched in association with the American Humane aims to provide a million meals to shelter pets. www.chickensouppets.com.

About the Banfield Foundation

At the core of the Banfield Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the belief that all pets deserve access to veterinary care. In support of this belief, the foundation funds programs that enable veterinary care, elevate the power of the human-animal bond, provide disaster relief for pets, and advance the science of veterinary medicine through fostering innovation and education. It also leverages the expertise and passion of Banfield Pet Hospital associates to care for pets in need. At the Banfield Foundation, we are committed to making a better world for pets because they make a better world for us. For more information, follow us at Facebook.com/BanfieldFoundation.

About Zoetis

Zoetis is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products, genetic tests, biodevices and a range of services. Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals with sales of its products in more than 100 countries. In 2016, the company generated annual revenue of $4.9 billion with approximately 9,000 employees. For more information, visit www.zoetis.com.

About the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center

SPARC is a non-profit organization comprised of dedicated staff and volunteers that operate Ventura County, California's first and only "no-kill" animal shelter. In 2016, SPARC provided humane care and treatment for nearly 1,400 stray and abandoned cats and dogs in the greater Santa Paula area as well as spay-neuter, vaccination, pet licensing and other animal-welfare services. Visit us at www.santapaulaarc.org.

SOURCE American Humane

Related Links

http://www.americanhumane.org


WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Apparel & Footwear Association announced four industry leaders to be honored at the 2018 AAFA American Image Awards, taking place on April 16 at the historic 583 Park Avenue in New York City. Receiving the prestigious Person of the Year award will be Manny Chirico, Chairman and CEO of PVH Corp. Company of the Year will be the Camuto Group, and Fred Segal will receive Retailer of the Year. Joseph Altuzarra will be honored as Designer of the Year.

"The AAFA American Image Awards celebrate those that epitomize leadership and innovation in the apparel and footwear industry. This is an opportunity to honor the finest individuals and organizations throughout the entire supply chain, including designers, manufacturers, and trendsetters," said Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association.

Person of the Year is awarded to Manny Chirico, Chairman and CEO of PVH Corp. Manny has been with PVH for more than 20 years, serving as CEO since 2006 and Chairman since 2007. Under Manny's leadership, PVH has become one of the largest apparel companies in the world, including renowned brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and more.

Company of the Year is awarded to Camuto Group. Founded by Vince Camuto, Camuto Group is a global business with more than 5,400 distribution points in more than 70 countries. As a leader in the design, development, and distribution of women's fashion footwear, the company provides both wholesale and licensed products in the space. The award will be accepted by the company's CEO Alex Del Cielo.

Retailer of the Year is awarded to Fred Segal. The eponymous retailer was founded more than 50 years ago in West Hollywood to provide form-fitting, fashion-forward clothing. Catering to Hollywood's A-list celebrities, Fred Segal is known for opening the first jeans-only store. Today, the retailer manages stores in Japan and Los Angeles. The award will be accepted by Fred Segal CEO Allison Samek and President John Frierson.

Designer of the Year is awarded to Joseph Altuzarra. Born and raised in Paris, Joseph launched his namesake brand in 2008 to provide luxury women's ready-to-wear and accessories, creating a modern wardrobe for women to feel confident and sexy in their everyday lives.

For the second year, AAFA has partnered with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Foundation to serve as the gala's beneficiary. The CFDA Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds for charity and industry activities.

"We are honored to once again be the beneficiary of the American Image Awards," said Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA. "The money raised will help fund our business development and philanthropic programs. We are grateful to Paula Zusi, Rick Helfenbein and the entire team at the American Apparel & Footwear Association for the continued support."

The AAFA American Image Awards is owned and operated by AAFA. Starting in 1977, the awards honor those who have exemplified leadership, excellence, and outstanding achievements in all sectors of the apparel and footwear industry, including education, design, manufacturing, and retail.

More information on the AAFA American Image Awards is available here. Supporters can join the conversation using #AmericanImageAwards.

American Apparel & Footwear Association

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is the national trade association representing apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies, and their suppliers, which compete in the global market. Representing more than 1,000 world famous name brands, retailers, and manufacturers  AAFA is the trusted public policy and political voice of the apparel and footwear industry, its management and shareholders, its nearly four million U.S. workers, and its contribution of $384 billion in annual U.S. retail sales. AAFA provides exclusive expertise in supply chain management, trade policy, and brand protection, to help our members navigate the complex regulatory environment and lower costs. Members gain unparalleled access to information and exclusive insights on regulation and policy, and premier opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Media Contact:

NATALY BLUMBERG

[email protected]

212-696-1100

SOURCE AAFA

Related Links

https://www.aafaglobal.org


PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") (NYSE: JEQ), a closed-end equity fund, announced today Martin Gruber has retired as the Chair and as a Director of the Fund. Mr. Gruber served on the Fund as both a Director and member of the Audit Committee since 1992 and was appointed as Chair in 2013.

The Board would like to extend its sincere gratitude to Mr. Gruber and acknowledge the invaluable contribution he has made to the Fund during his tenure and wish him the best of success in all his future endeavors.

The Board have appointed Radhika Ajmera to serve as Chair of the Board, effective December 12, 2017, until the earlier of her retirement, resignation or removal. Ms. Ajmera has been an independent non-executive director of Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Investment Company since 2015 and of the Fund since 2014. She has over twenty years' experience in fund management, predominantly in emerging markets. She has also held a number of UK closed end fund non-executive directorships. Ms Ajmera is a graduate of the London School of Economics.

Important Information

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact: [email protected]

aberdeenjeq.com

SOURCE Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.
DALLAS, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Academic Partnerships (AP), a leading provider of online services for higher education, has announced the grantees of its Fall 2017 Faculty Research Grant Program. Research grants will be awarded to faculty members at five universities including University of North Carolina Wilmington, The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, University of Wisconsin-Parkside and the University of West Florida.

The AP Faculty Research Grant Program offers faculty members from partner institutions the opportunity to apply for grants to fund their research across an array of topics in online teaching, learning and innovation. Since the program's inception in 2012, AP has awarded more than $400,000 in grant funds to 100-plus faculty members at more than 20 universities.

"We continue to be impressed by the high-quality submissions we receive from our faculty partners," said Jennifer Scott, Senior Vice President of Academic Services and Products. "Their research helps us continually enhance the online student experience in the AP-supported online degree programs and advances our collective knowledge-base as research partners."

2017 research grants have been awarded to the following universities and faculty members:

University of North Carolina Wilmington: The Effect of Virtual Simulation on Critical Thinking and Student Satisfaction with Learning in Accelerated Online RN-to-BSN Students

Stephanie L. Turrise, Ph.D., RN, BC, APRN, CNE

Martha S. Hepler, MSN/Ed, RN, CHSE

Charlotte Elise Thompson, Ph.D., RN

The University of Texas at Arlington: Competency-Based Learning (CBL): Developing a Competency-Based Geometry Methods Course (Year 2, A Follow Up Project)

Joohi Lee, Ph.D.

Mohan D. Pant, Ph.D.

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin: Using "Practice" to Increase Leadership and Advocacy Skills in Online Graduate Students Studying Special Education

Lindsey Balderaz, Ph.D.

University of WisconsinParkside: Assessment of Student Learning in Competency-Based Online MBA Courses

Suresh Chalasani, Ph.D.

Michele Gee, Ph.D.

Parag Dhumal, Ph.D.

University of West Florida: Mentoring Through the Structured Doctoral Seminars: A Pathway to Increase Graduation Rates for an Online Ed.D. Program

Guofang Wan, Ph.D.

Francis Godwyll, Ed.D.

Wisdom Mansah, Ph.D.

Mark Malisa, Ph.D.

The grant process is administered through Faculty eCommons.com, a faculty-centric website created by Academic Partnerships to provide ongoing support, tools and resources for online instructors at AP partner institutions. Faculty eCommons.com offers industry research, best practices, guidance and professional development resources for online teaching, learning and innovation.

About Academic Partnerships

Academic Partnerships is a leading online service provider for higher education globally. The company assists universities in converting their on-campus degree programs into an online format, recruits qualified students for those programs, and supports enrolled students through graduation. Serving public and private not-for-profit universities in the United States and top international institutions, Academic Partnerships is guided by the principle that the opportunities presented through technology-aided learning make higher education more accessible and affordable. The company was founded by a group of social entrepreneurs who have spent nearly 20 years developing innovative learning solutions to improve education. For more information, please visit www.academicpartnerships.com.

Media Contact:

Molly Casey

214-210-4017

SOURCE Academic Partnerships

Related Links

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"Back on My Feet continues to make a difference for those experiencing homelessness in Dallas by offering a program that results in employment and independent living," said Eric Norrington, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at ACE. "We're passionate about our involvement with Back on My Feet, and are proud to serve the organization."

The Give A Little Campaign is an in-store fundraiser that supports charities across the nation chosen by ACE employees. Employees in the Dallas-area selected Back on My Feet because of its unique mission  to help individuals experiencing homelessness obtain employment and housing by first engaging them in running.

"We are extremely grateful for ACE Cash Express' commitment to Back on My Feet and our members," said Gina Parker, Executive Director of Back on My Feet Dallas-Fort Worth. "Their support enables Back on My Feet to serve more people experiencing homelessness in the Dallas-area and helps equip our members with the key fundamentals they need to reach their goals of financial stability and independence."

In addition to the funds raised and donated to Back on My Feet, ACE employees also teach financial literacy to members of the Back on My Feet program. These courses, Paycheck & Banking Basics and Budget & Credit Basics, teach participants money management fundamentals.

ACE's charitable giving program, The ACE Community Fund, is committed to empowering organizations that help children, provide education and promote financial literacy in the communities it serves. To date, the ACE Community Fund has donated more than $11 million to organizations across the nation.

About ACE Cash Express

ACE Cash Express, Inc. is a leading financial services provider serving consumers online and through a network of retail store locations. ACE provides a range of retail financial products and services including short-term consumer loans, check cashing, prepaid debit cards, money transfers, bill payments and money orders. ACE Cash Express, Inc. is one of the largest owners and operators of check cashing stores in the United States.

About Back on My Feet

Back on My Feet combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources. Operating in 12 major cities coast-to-coast, Back on My Feet recruits members at homeless and residential facilities and begins with a commitment to run three days a week. The second phase of the program, Next Steps, provides educational support, job training programs, employment partnership referrals and housing resources. Since 2007, Back on My Feet has served more than 6,000 individuals experiencing homelessness and engaged more than 100,000 volunteers and supporters. Our members have run a collective 500,000 miles and obtained more than 4,500 jobs and homes. Every $1 invested in Back on My Feet returns nearly $2.50 to the local community through increased economic output and cost savings. Through our innovative program, Back on My Feet proves that there is hope, that individuals can achieve things they never thought possible and that there are people who will support them along the way. For additional information, visit www.backonmyfeet.org or follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

SOURCE ACE Cash Express, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.acecashexpress.com


Fundraise is the largest pre-Series A financing round by a medtech startup in Southeast Asia

New funds will be used to submit CE-mark filing of av-Guardian  in preparation for global commercialisation and to complete ongoing international clinical trial

Accuron MedTech leads investment into Advent Access' dialysis-disrupting technology

SINGAPORE, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Advent Access (Advent), one of Singapore's most innovative medtech companies, today announced that it has closed a pre-Series A financing round, having raised S$2.6 million in investments and collaboration to advance the development and commercialisation of its patented av-Guardian technology for vascular access in dialysis patients. The financing was led by Accuron MedTech (Accuron), the largest medical device company in Southeast Asia.

The investment was made through the Med Tech Alliance, an accelerator appointed by Singapore's SPRING SEEDS Capital to facilitate the growth of start-ups in the local medtech industry.

Peh Ruey Feng, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Advent Access, said: "We are excited to have Temasek-backed Accuron MedTech onboard. Abel and the Accuron team bring deep experience in growing technologies from Asia, breadth in accessing international markets and financial depth in nurturing startups that will set us apart regionally and internationally. Advent Access is now well equipped to accelerate the development of av-Guardian and tackle some of the most pressing needs in end stage renal disease. Working closely with Accuron, we look forward to unlocking the future of independent dialysis."

Vascular access is essential for patients undergoing dialysis, providing a reliable site where the bloodstream can be easily accessed for each procedure. However, placing dialysis needles is often the most stressful part of the treatment. If the needles are not well placed, complications can arise and dialysis is inadequately performed. It is the most common cause of hospitalisation in patients suffering end stage renal disease, directly impacting the cost efficiency of the treatment and the quality of life of patients.

Advent Access has developed the av-Guardian, an award-winning device-guided needling platform that engineers a high-quality tissue track to enable reliable and less-painful vascular access to the arteriovenous fistula (AV fistula) commonly used by dialysis patients. The av-Guardian is the world's first medical device to pioneer the concept of a "guardian guide-door" to the AV fistula that is non-invasive to the vessel, significantly reducing wear and tear on the dialysis patient's vein and resulting in a reduction in hospitalisation and surgery. The funds raised will be used to advance av-Guardian towards a filing for CE mark registration within the next 18 months, a major milestone in making the device available to patients globally.

Advent is a spin-off from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The company has been working with ETPL, the commercialisation arm of A*STAR, in technology productisation and clinical validation.

Abel Ang, Group Chief Executive of Accuron MedTech, commented: "We are excited to lead the pre-Series A investment in Advent Access given the company's strong progress and potential to transform and optimise how care is provided to patients in the S$100 billion global dialysis market[i]. As Southeast Asia's largest medical device company, this investment reflects our continued belief in Asia's vibrancy as a hub for disruptive healthcare technologies to develop and thrive. Our investment in Advent Access is Accuron MedTech's tenth transaction in building a strong portfolio of the most promising innovations which can make a significant difference to healthcare outcomes in Asia and around the world."

Results from a recently completed clinical study of av-Guardian showed that the device is safe, achieves its clinical performance and can be considered a significant support for chronic dialysis patients. The study was conducted in Singapore with Singapore General Hospital, National University Hospital, and supported by National Kidney Foundation. Advent will publish the full study results in early 2018. A second clinical study has commenced and is recruiting patients internationally.

For more information, please contact:

Peh Ruey Feng / Ye HongYe Stephanie Tan / Emma Thompson / Clarinda Ng Advent Access Spurwing Communications +65 3163 6216 +65 6340 7287 [email protected] [email protected]

About Advent Access

Advent Access is a medical technology start-up in end stage renal disease management. Founded based on Stanford Biodesign principles and as a spin-off from A*STAR, Advent's mission is to pioneer innovations to significantly reduce dialysis cost and restore quality of life for kidney failure patients in Asia and across the world. Advent Access' first product is the av-Guardian - a device that improves vascular access reliability, reduces cannulation pain and, in the long run, preserves the health of an arteriovenous fistula. The av-Guardian forms a key component of Advent Access' dialysis-machine agnostic platform to empower patients to perform hemodialysis independently, safely and more affordably. For more information on Advent Access, please visit www.adventaccess.com

About Accuron MedTech

Accuron MedTech is the largest medical device company in Southeast Asia. It is a global medical technology leader with a core focus in urology devices and services. Headquartered in Singapore, with operations in US, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, China, Malaysia and Japan, the Company serves millions of patients and physicians in 100 countries worldwide. Accuron MedTech makes strategic investments in disruptive medical technology companies, strengthening its portfolio of healthcare solutions for customers around the world. Accuron MedTech is an independent division of Accuron Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings. For more information on Accuron MedTech, please visit http://www.accuron.com/accuron-medtech.

About the Med Tech Alliance

Established in 2014, the Med Tech Alliance is a Singapore accelerator investing in medtech start-ups. It comprises of Accuron MedTech and Mr Lu Yoh-Chie, Former Executive Chairman BioSensors. Their collective experience and insights provides the Med Tech Alliance the ability to shorten the learning curve for start-ups in the commercialization process.

SOURCE Advent Access

Related Links

http://www.adventaccess.com


MILBURN, N.J., Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC welcomed the announcement by Rutgers University that an openly anti-Semitic professor, Michael Chinkidas, will be disciplined by the school. The announcement, in a letter to faculty from Rutgers President Robert Barchi and Chancellor Deba Dutta, follows an investigation by the university into Chinkidas's social media postings.

"President Barchi and Chancellor Dutta have demonstrated that anti-Semitism is not welcome on campus and anti-Semites will be held accountable," said Rabbi David Levy, Director of AJC New Jersey. "Professor Michael Chikindas has been generating a cesspool of anti-Semitic, homophobic, and misogynistic hateful speech on his social media accounts."

The university's initial actions will remove Chikindas from teaching required courses, and his position as director of the Center for Digestive Health at the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health. No Rutgers student will be required to take a course that he teaches.

The action also requires Chikindas to participate in a cultural sensitivity training program, and he will be subject to ongoing monitoring if and when he returns to the classroom.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AliveCor, the leader in FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (EKG) technology, today announced issuance of a U.S. patent which covers the use of data collected from wearable devices as a means of assisting the diagnosis of heart arrhythmias, including those that may be asymptomatic.

U.S. Patent Number 9,839,363, entitled "Discordance Monitoring," describes the analysis of heart rate data and activity data from wearable devices in order to trigger notifications for users to take an EKG when there is a difference between these two biometrics. Disagreement between a user's heart rate and activity level could be suggestive of any number of heart problems, including asymptomatic Atrial Fibrillation.

"Medical capture of asymptomatic heart arrhythmias is an ongoing challenge. Holter monitors, implantable recorders, and patches, all present various levels of inconvenience and discomfort. Our technology suggests a future in which detection of heart arrhythmias can be non-invasive, ultra-convenient, and highly reliable," said AliveCor Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Albert.

AliveCor is presently in clinical trials to assess whether its SmartRhythm feature can be effective in the detection of a broad range of asymptomatic arrhythmias.

SmartRhythm, a component of AliveCor's app for Apple Watch and iPhone, uses artificial intelligence in concert with inputs from Apple Watch's heart rate and activity sensors to continuously evaluate the correlation between heart activity and physical activity. When SmartRhythm detects that heart rate and activity are out of sync, the device notifies users to capture an EKG with KardiaBand, or with KardiaMobile, AliveCor's popular, portable EKG reader. For more information, see www.alivecor.com/smartrhythm.

About AliveCor

AliveCor, Inc. is pioneering the creation of FDA-cleared machine learning techniques to enable proactive heart care and is recognized around the world for transforming cardiac care. The FDA-cleared KardiaMobile is the most clinically validated mobile EKG solution on the market. It is recommended by leading cardiologists and used by people worldwide for accurate EKG recordings. KardiaMobile, and KardiaBand, when paired with the Kardia app provide instant analysis for detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) and normal sinus rhythm in an EKG. Kardia is the first A.I. enabled platform to help clinicians manage patients for the early detection of atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia and one that leads to a five times greater risk of stroke. KardiaBand is the first FDA-cleared medical device accessory for Apple Watch. AliveCor was recognized by Fast Company as one of 2017's most innovative companies in health (#3). AliveCor is a privately-held company headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. For more information, please visit alivecor.com.

For more information on partnership inquiries, please contact the following:

US: [email protected]

International: [email protected]

SOURCE AliveCor

Related Links

http://www.alivecor.com


PITTSBURGH, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University alumnus Glen de Vries, co-founder and president of Medidata, has donated $10 million to endow the chair of the dean of CMU's Mellon College of Science (MCS).

The Glen de Vries Dean's Chair will first be awarded to MCS Dean Rebecca W. Doerge.

"Since graduating from MCS, Glen has built an extraordinary career at the intersection of science, business and medicine, and his work has revolutionized how we conduct medical research. His decision to give back to CMU at this time inspires all of us," said Interim President Farnam Jahanian.

The transformational gift by de Vries, a 1994 graduate of the MCS who helped create the leading cloud platform for life sciences research, will allow Doerge and her successors to invest in fundamental sciences, interdisciplinary initiatives, infrastructure, faculty and students at MCS  which includes the biological sciences, chemistry, mathematical sciences and physics departments.

"CMU had a profound effect on me, personally and professionally," de Vries said. "It is an incredible privilege to support the university, and to help perpetuate the dynamic learning environment in and around MCS."

"Glen's historic gift is a resounding endorsement of the Mellon College of Science's importance to both Carnegie Mellon and the broader research community, and will allow us to take to the next level our commitment to an interdisciplinary, hands-on culture that molds students into supremely educated, well-rounded 21st century scientists and fosters innovative research," said Doerge.

A New York native, de Vries received his undergraduate degree in molecular biology and genetics from CMU. He worked as a research scientist at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and studied computer science at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematics before starting Medidata in 1999.

Medidata is a life sciences technology provider that greatly enhances the way clinical research is designed, conducted and analyzed. Its integrated cloud-based platform is used by more than 950 organizations, and powers clinical trials for 18 of the world's top 25 global pharmaceutical companies and 18 of the top 25 medical device developers. In less than 20 years, it has grown from just two employees to about 2,000 employees in 14 locations and more than half a billion dollars in revenue annually. Medidata's software has supported more than 13,000 studies involving nearly four million patients.

SOURCE Carnegie Mellon University

Related Links

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HOUSTON, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation's second LNG export facility starts running in 2018, Appalachian operators will gather in Pittsburgh, PA for the Marcellus-Utica MIDSTREAM conference and exhibition January 30  February 1, 2018. Companies like Dominion Energy, Crestwood Equity Partners, Antero Resources and more will join 1,000+ industry professionals for the two-day event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

"Cove Point's LNG terminal opening will draw operators' attention to the Marcellus and Utica," said Chris Sheehan, Senior Financial Analyst for Oil and Gas Investor. "The keynote presentations at this year's Marcellus-Utica MIDSTREAM conference give insights to takeaway capacity and forward-looking strategies, offering valuable market intelligence to all who attend."

The two-day event will feature the latest production forecasts, plus updates on emerging Appalachian markets and the regions' expanding takeaway capacity. In the Wednesday morning keynote, Crestwood Equity Partners' CEO Robert (Bob) G. Phillips will compare and contrast supply dynamics and infrastructure across the regions' two plays. Phillips will share his company's predictions of pending opportunities opening up in 2018 and beyond.

During Thursday's Opening Keynote, Dominion Energy's Senior Vice President Donald R. Raikes will discuss the Cove Point LNG export facility poised to begin shipments in early 2018. Dominion's LNG terminal launch marks the debut of an east coast outlet for U.S. gas exports to markets across the Atlantic and beyond.

Raikes and Phillips will be joined by other executives who will lead keynote presentations, panels, company spotlights and more. Other featured speakers include:

Matthew Hite , Vice President of Government Affairs, GPA Midstream Association

, Vice President of Government Affairs, Chris Akers , President & Chief Operating Officer, Eureka Midstream

President & Chief Operating Officer, Kyle Mork , CEO, GreyRock Energy

, CEO, Dana Bryant , Senior Vice President, Midstream & Marketing, Eclipse Resources

Senior Vice President, Midstream & Marketing, Robert F. Powelson , Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

, Commissioner, Steven M. Woodward , Senior Vice President  Business Development, Antero Resources Corp./ Antero Midstream Partners LP

Senior Vice President  Business Development, Erin Petkovich , Director, Northeast Business Development, Enbridge

To see the complete agenda or register, please visit MarcellusMIDSTREAM.com.

About Hart Energy

For more than 40 years, Hart Energy editors and experts have delivered market-leading insights to investors and energy industry professionals. The Houston-based company produces award-winning magazines (such as Oil and Gas Investor, E&P and Midstream Business); online news and data services; in-depth industry conferences (like the DUG series); GIS data sets and mapping solutions; and a range of research and consulting services. For information, visit hartenergy.com.

Contact: Kate Clark

713.260.4657

SOURCE Hart Energy

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CINCINNATI and CAMBRIDGE, England, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, LLC ("Aprecia"), The 3DP Pharmaceutical Company, and Cycle Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. ("Cycle") today announced they have signed a partnership agreement to develop and commercialize orphan drugs using three-dimensionally printed ("3DP") technology. The planned products will deliver quality-of-life improvements versus existing, approved orphan drugs, and will achieve this by utilizing Aprecia's proprietary 3DP ZipDose Technology platform. ZipDose is the only three-dimensional printing technology used in a pharmaceutical drug product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Antonio Benedetti, CEO of Cycle commented: "Many rare disease patients do not have a treatment option at all. For those rare diseases where there is an approved pharmaceutical treatment, patients continue to be burdened by sub-optimal drug formulations. Aprecia's ZipDose 3DP technology can formulate fast-melt pharmaceutical products, incorporating significantly higher amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredient than any other fast-melt technology on the market. As such, this advanced technology can uniquely overcome both pill burden and dysphagia  swallowing difficulties  both of which are life-long, daily issues for so many rare disease patients."

"We are excited to work with the Cycle team, and we see important synergies in the companies' shared mission to address unmet needs in patient care," said Don Wetherhold, CEO of Aprecia. "Cycle specializes in orphan drugs - they have proven that they can deliver quality-of-life improvements to rare disease patients around the world. Aprecia is fully committed to applying its ZipDose 3DP printing technology to address real-world, daily issues faced by rare disease patients," he continued.

About Aprecia

Aprecia, The 3DP Pharmaceutical Company, expects to use its ZipDose Technology to transform the way people take medicine. Its first innovation, ZipDose Technology can be combined with a wide variety of active pharmaceutical ingredients to create rapidly disintegrating oral dosage forms that are easy to take and easy to administer. Aprecia is committed to enhancing the patient experience through novel approaches to drug delivery that address unmet treatment needs to eliminate patient suffering and caregiver burden. For further information, please visit www.aprecia.com.

About Cycle Pharmaceuticals

Cycle Pharmaceuticals is a Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company that optimizes and increases access to existing pharmaceuticals. Specifically, Cycle focuses on three areas of pharmaceutical development:

Improving orphan drugs, which treat the under-served rare disease patient community;

Reinstating drug products that have been previously marketed;

Working with our academic and other partners to extend pharmaceuticals to new medical areas where there is clear unmet need.

Cycle's first orphan drug product, NITYR (nitisinone) tablets, is approved in the U.S. and Canada for the treatment of hereditary tyrosinemia type-1.

For further information, please visit www.cyclepharma.com.

SOURCE Aprecia

Related Links

https://www.aprecia.com


SAN RAMON, Calif., Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Self-care is a much-discussed topic that's come to be known as a hallmark of the millennial generation. But what's so newsworthy about what could be described simply as a little "me time"? Some criticize young adults as too selfishly focused on themselves, but burnout is a real phenomenon that can occur from taking too little care of oneself emotionally and physically, not to mention other ailments and diseases that may be caused or exacerbated by stress. Whatever the current popular opinion is, self-care seems like it's here to stay, and the folks at the Financial Education Benefits Center don't think that's a bad thing. FEBC will be rolling out new benefits that help members of all ages and walks of life engage in some valuable self-care.

Self-care may be just a trend, or it could be a real social movement. Whichever the case, experts are recommending self-care as a necessary component of wellness, including psychological wellness. While eating right and exercising are important for physical health, maintaining emotional health can be just as integral to a healthy lifestyle. For example, psychologist Guy Winch is a proponent of "emotional first aid," or a regimen of actions every person can take to effectively tend to psychological wounds and help create long-term psychological well-being. FEBC will be offering a counseling benefit to members to help address this need. With the benefit, eligible FEBC members will be able to easily access licensed counselors by calling a number and receiving on-the-phone counseling. This service will be at no additional cost to eligible members.

"Self-care is definitely becoming a key part of any healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically, and we are excited about pitching in," said Jennifer Martinez, manager at FEBC. "FEBC is going to be offering these benefits that just make self-care simpler."

If you live a busy and full life, however, self-care may seem anything but simple. Between working and caring for a family, squeezing in a few moments to even acknowledge necessary psychological and physical health needs might prove difficult. However, it's especially important to do so during the holidays, which might be a flurry of presents and parties; not to mention the pressure to create that signature holiday "magic." So enlisting someone to help might be the best way for a person to even get a moment to practice self-care. FEBC aims to address this issue by offering an upcoming benefit concerned with work-life balance, offering resources and coordinating help for taking care of a household, children, elders and more.

"Self-care shouldn't be a luxury, but a fundamental part of life," said Martinez. "However, we realize that's not the case for everyone. We know that responsibilities can pile up and taking time for yourself may be hard. But these benefits that we are bringing to FEBC members are meant to take away some of the barriers to self-care."

About Financial Education Benefits Center

Financial Education Benefits Center is located in San Ramon, California. The membership company has already helped thousands of people save money and obtain the necessary education required to live a financially healthy life.

Financial Education Benefits Center has partnered with several name brand third-party companies to expand the financial and educational products and services available to its members and to provide a variety of wellness services as well.

Contact

To learn more about the Financial Education Benefits Center, please contact:

Financial Education Benefits Center

2010 Crow Canyon Place Ste. 100

San Ramon, CA 94583

1-800-953-1388

[email protected]

Related Links

FEBC homepage

SOURCE Financial Education Benefits Center

Related Links

http://febcp.com


PHOENIX, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is offering a new scholarship program specifically for veterans of the U.S. military.

The program will provide four full-ride scholarships for a juris doctor degree and bolster ASU Law's ongoing efforts to support and expand opportunities for veterans. The scholarship was made possible by a donation from Deborah Carstens, who shares that passion.

"We are especially proud of the students who have served our country, and we want to do everything possible to help prepare them for meaningful careers as they transition back to civilian life," said ASU Law Dean Douglas Sylvester. "We thank Deb for her generous donation and dedication to creating and enhancing student opportunities."

Looking for a few good students

Carstens attended the annual ASU Law Scholarship Luncheon in October when a specific segment of a law school video caught her eye. It was an ASU Law student discussing his volunteer work with the Arizona Legal Center. She was impressed. When she noticed the Marine Corps logo on his polo shirt, she was inspired.

Wanting to know more, she asked administrators if they had identified any more Marines trying to get into ASU Law.

"They said, 'Yes, we are targeting some Marines,'" Carstens said. "I asked, 'What's holding them back from attending law school?' They said, 'tuition.'"

Carstens decided to do something about it with a donation to fund four full-ride scholarships through the duration of law school. Two of the scholarships are reserved for individuals who have served in the Marine Corps, and two are reserved for veterans of the Special Forces, such as Army Rangers, Navy Seals or Green Berets or Marine MARSOC or RECON.

Carstens says it is Arizona State University's commitment to veterans that inspires her. "I've long been impressed with The Pat Tillman Center for undergrad military students and now it's great to learn the law school is providing a second layer of support."

"I congratulate ASU for paying particular attention to the military," she said. "America has been at war for 16 years, and too many of us don't show enough appreciation for the two percent of Americans who defend our country by voluntarily serving in the military."

Although the GI Bill helps veterans and active-duty military personnel pay for college, there are caps on the benefits, which are typically used for an undergraduate degree. The amount of assistance provided by the GI Bill depends on a number of factors, including the specific GI Bill program, the amount of education being pursued, and an individual's service time. Most veterans and military members would need to pay out of pocket or receive scholarships if they wanted to pursue a law degree.

Carstens says it's important for communities to support their local universities. And the law school has a special place in her heart because her late husband, Bill, was a lawyer who also served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

So she, and ASU Law, are now looking for a few good students.

"The personal qualities that Marines possess make them the kind of students who will succeed at the law school," Carstens said.

For more information on applying for one of the scholarships, contact Andrew Jaynes at [email protected].

About the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is one of the country's preeminent law schools. Ranked No. 25 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, ASU Law is a leading provider of comprehensive and personalized legal education. The law school ranks Top 20 in the nation for job placement and No. 1 in the state for student outcomes. Located in a new, state-of-the-art building in downtown Phoenix, ASU Law is steps away from the legal, political, and economic heart of Arizona. For more information, visit law.asu.edu.

SOURCE Sandra Day OConnor College of Law at Arizona State University

Related Links

https://law.asu.edu


SHANGHAI, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Better Life and Beyond"-themed Belt & Road Brand Expo 2017 came to a successful close at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on December 10, 2017.

As the first edition of the event, the 10,000-square-meter exhibition assembled under one roof over 160 companies from 26 countries and regions, among them the host country, China, as well as Australia, Croatia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey. Exhibitors from around the world showcased their best products, technologies and cultural artifacts in the food and beverage, cosmetics and skin care, handicrafts, home improvement, jewelry and gems, fashion and accessories, lifestyle, tourism and culture, as well as investment and trade sectors.

The upcoming China International Import Expo in 2018 was announced at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in May 2017, further evidencing China's determination to continue its efforts in opening up its market to the world. Recently rolled-out policies are providing companies with investment and trade support as well as creating a friendly legal business environment that assists them in expanding on their globalization efforts. All of these actions are aligned with the guidelines of the Chinese government's One Belt, One Road Initiative. At the same time, the high level of engagement among professional buyers as well as by general visitors at the event reflected the new momentum in China's liberalization of trade.

The Iran exhibition zone had on display hand-knitted Persian carpets, a handicraft dated back to as long as 260 years ago. In addition to carpets on display with lifelike images woven into the pattern reflecting the superior level of skill, Iranian companies also provided customized carpets, frames and cushions that meet the differing preferences of home owners, renters and decorators. Several Iranian exhibitors who attended a Chinese exhibition for the first time were deeply impressed by the huge market and high purchasing power of China's consumers. They quickly became cognizant of the vast potential behind the business opportunity and the enhanced access to the favorable business environment in China by participating in the event. High-end fine hand-knitted carpets that are well suited to enhance the decor of a Chinese home were on display, while affordable middle-end machine-made carpets attracted much attention from professional buyers. During the expo, the Iranian exhibitors showcased Persian culture as well as the country's centuries-old handicraft art with the aim of providing Chinese consumers with access to products embodying Iran's culture.

Attendees had an opportunity to enjoy the aroma of Ceylon black tea from Sri Lanka. The island country's exhibitors said the popularity of Ceylon tea among Chinese consumers has continued to increase over last few years. Show visitors were provided an opportunity to sample the many flavors of the black tea. The exhibitors observed a strong preference for the tea among Shanghai-based visitors and, as a result, plan to focus on expanding their presence in Shanghai. An exhibitor from the island nation who engages primarily in Sri Lankan cotton products noted that it was his first visit to Shanghai, however, the positive feedback the exhibitor received during the three-day exhibition made him feel that he had found an exciting new market for his products. Consequently, he plans to open an online store working with one of the cross-border e-commerce firms, targeting the local Shanghai market. Sri Lankan sapphires showcased at a booth, despite the booth's non-prominent location, still drew an immense crowd and attention.

Pakistan-based companies displayed their handicraft and jade creations that feature the country's national colors. An exhibitor from the South Asian country said their presence at the event allowed Shanghainese shoppers to gain direct access to Pakistani specialty products, while his hand-made rosewood furniture on display received many positive comments from buyers and visitors passing by the booth. He said that he believes the One Belt, One Road initiative is sure to create more business opportunities for companies in Pakistan.

Russian exhibitors said they made contacts with more than 30 trading partners during the expo. They showcased Russian ice cream, biscuits and puffed grains, all of which drew the attention of visitors. The Russian exhibitors explained that the event served as a networking platform that helps them expand into the Chinese market. They plan to build a showroom in Shanghai, where they will showcase Russia's specialty products as well as products that have a Russian cultural basis.

A cigar agent from the Dominican Republic said the event gave visitors an opportunity learn about Shanghai-based companies specializing in the promotion of the cigar culture. Leading Dominican cigar masters were invited to put on an on-site cigar rolling performance, drawing the attention of many visitors and helping promote the culture that has grown up around the cigar.

The event also proved successful for exhibitors from Kazakhstan as they were able to establish connections with leading Chinese e-commerce firms, including JD.com and Suning.cn. They said they plan to work with these Chinese firms to open online stores with the goal of introducing organic and green products from the Central Asian country into the Chinese market.

At the Poland exhibition zone, the exhibits that attracted the most attention were those displaying chrysophoron and beeswax, known in the Eastern European country as "living gems". In addition to being presented with a dizzying array of accessories, visitors were given an opportunity to get a close look at the country's signature products. The Polish exhibitors said they experienced better-than-expected outcomes and plan to attend future editions of the event, adding that they would come regardless of whether subsequent events are held in Shanghai or elsewhere in China.

Exhibitors from Mauritius provided visitors an opportunity to taste their specialty rums, a product that has been proving to be an online sensation. An executive from a participating Mauritius-based company said, even as he first entered the business at quite a young age, he had already become aware of the enthusiasm that Chinese shoppers has expressed about Mauritian rums and was confident about his expansion into China.

Exquisite thangkas were on display at the Nepal exhibition zone. Skilled painters delivered an on-site drawing performance with natural mineral pigments of different colors, leaving a deep impression on attendees. Additionally, the on-site wood carving performance and the showcase of Buddha sound bowls were events that drew large crowds. Attendees expressed their interest in the Kopi Luwak or civet coffee displayed at the Indonesia exhibition zone, while giving high praise to the preservative-free seven-layer honey cakes made primarily from honey and walnuts after tasting them in the area reserved for exhibitors from the Czech Republic. The exhibitors who had established online stores on Taobao.com, China's leading online marketplace for retailers, saw the traffic to their store skyrocket as a result of their presence at the expo. Roses from Ecuador, among other little-known products displayed at the exhibition, gave attendees a chance to get a real and authentic sense of the culture, customs and lifestyles that define each of the 26 countries participating in the event.

Chinese companies were the main exhibitors in the enterprise pavilions, with product displays from companies located in Ordos (Inner Mongolia), Huzhou (Zhejiang Province), Hong Kong and Taiwan being featured. Bright Food Group and its subsidiary Shanghai Tangjiu Group, Shanghai Yimin Commercial Group, Liangyou Group, Bright Dairy & Food and Shanghai Maling Aquarius each had exhibits. The Shanghai Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives teamed up with the city's time-honored brands to showcase their products. In the role of both traders and exhibitors, they sought opportunities in terms of networking, exchanges and partnerships with companies participating in the event.

During the expo, a comprehensive series of concurrent events were held, including 12 forums and promotional conferences, several of which were hosted by consul generals, commercial attaches and other official representatives of countries with a presence in Shanghai, with a focus on investment and trade, tourism and culture as well as education in the folkloric traditions of each of the participating countries. The planned events included nearly 50 business matching sessions, attended by leading supermarket brands, including Bailian Group, RT-Mart, Auchan, Metro, JD.com, Suning.cn and Yhd.com, as well as several other leading Chinese e-commerce companies. Some sessions featured exotic performances that delivered an education in the tea and incense ceremonies that prevailed during the Han Dynasty. A few specialized events focused on scenario-based and "hands-on" experiences with many of the products on display throughout the expo.

The three-day event brought together companies from across the world with the aim of leveraging the opportunities created by the One Belt, One Road Initiative as well as building an international platform for China and countries targeted by the Initiative where they could display their high-quality specialty products, engage in cultural exchanges with other participating countries at the event as well as generally promote trade exchanges and other forms of cooperation. Future editions of the event will be committed to showcasing branding products from a wider range of countries and providing visitors with an even more diverse set of exotic experiences. In addition to helping Chinese companies expand beyond the home market and introducing products from around the world, the event shares the vision of the One Belt, One Road initiative while responding to the expectation among Chinese consumers for an enhanced standard of living.

SOURCE Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.siec-ccpit.com


"This year's list was culled from 1000+ applications and looks even more impressive. These are companies using artificial intelligence in industries from drug discovery and cybersecurity to robotics and legal tech. I'm happy that CB Insights is able to shine a light on the founders and companies that will revolutionize these industries and look forward to seeing what they do in 2018 and beyond," said CB Insights CEO Anand Sanwal.

"Despite the potential to have massive impact on people and our planet, the application of AI has been lagging in agriculture relative to other industries," said Matthew Crisp, CEO and co-founder of Benson Hill Biosystems. "Our platform combines the power of AI and biological knowledge to tap the natural genetic diversity of plants and open a new era of innovation to modernize our food system. We're honored to receive this award recognizing the importance of AI technology to address a need as critical as sustainable food production."

The CB Insights research team selected the AI 100 companies based on criteria, examining company-submitted data and the company's Mosaic Score. The Mosaic Score, based on CB Insights' National Science Foundation-funded algorithm, measures the overall health and growth potential of private companies. Through this evidence-based, statistically-driven approach, the Mosaic Score can help predict a company's momentum, market health and financial viability.

Benson Hill joins companies such as Zoox, Shield AI, Zest Finance, Dynamic Yield, Appier, and CognitiveScale being recognized for their innovative technology in front of an audience of 400 senior innovation executives from around the world and news outlets including The Financial Times, CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg and the Washington Post.

Benson Hill's CropOS revolutionary crop design platform combines the most advanced data analytics and biological knowledge with cloud-based computing  an intersection of disciplines known as cloud biology  to empower organizations to develop food and ingredients with better flavor, nutrition and environmental sustainability. CropOS uses AI to improve with every data set, enhancing the platform's ability to predict biological outcomes and accelerate product development. Benson Hill has developed eleven partnerships with established and emerging companies across the food and agriculture value chain, spanning ten crops and four continents.

Quick facts on the AI 100:

These 100 emerging private companies have raised $6.6B across 99 deals in 2017.

across 99 deals in 2017. Applications of their technology include breakthroughs in fintech, digital health, auto tech, robotics, and much more.

More than 1,000 companies were nominated or applied and only 9% were selected.

Eleven AI 100 companies have reached a valuation of $1B or more.

or more. Thirty-three companies on the list were also on the list for 2017, with 67 new companies making it for 2018.

Nine countries are represented among the AI 100 companies.

The AI 100 Companies (in alphabetical order):

AEYE CrowdFlower Liulishuo SenseTime Affirm CrowdStrike MAANA Shape Security Afiniti Cybereason Merlon Intelligence Sher.pa AiCure Darktrace Mighty AI Shield AI Algolia DataRobot Mobalytics Shift Technology Amplero Deep Sentinel Mobvoi Socure Anki Descartes Labs MOOGsoft SoundHound Appier Drive.ai Mya Systems SparkCognition Applitools Dynamic Yield Mythic Sportlogiq Appthority Element AI Narrative Science Tamr Aquifi Endgame NAUTO Tempus Labs Arterys Face++ Neurala Text IQ babylon Flatiron Health Numerai Textio Benson Hill Biosystems FLYR Obsidian Security Tractable Brain Corporation Foghorn Systems Onfido Trifacta Bytedance Freenome Orbital Insight Twiggle C3 IoT Gong OrCam Technologies UBTECH Robotics Cambricon Graphcore Osmo Upstart Cape Analytics InsideSales.com PerimeterX Versive Captricity Insight Engines Petuum Vicarious Systems Casetext Insilico Medicine Preferred Networks Workey Cerebras Systems Invoca Primer WorkFusion CloudMinds Kindred Systems Prospera ZestFinance CognitiveScale KYNDI Recursion Pharmaceuticals Zoox Conversica LeapMind Reflektion Zymergen

About CB Insights

Our team builds technology that helps corporations guess less and win more. We aggregate and analyze terabytes of data and use machine learning, algorithms and data visualization to help corporations replace the three Gs (Google searches, gut instinct and guys with MBAs*) so they can answer massive strategic questions using probability not punditry.

*We have MBAs.

For more information about the AI 100, visit:

https://www.cbinsights.com/research-ai100

To learn more about A-ha!, go here: http://events.cbinsights.com/aha

About Benson Hill Biosystems:

Benson Hill empowers innovators with a revolutionary crop design platform to tap the natural genetic diversity of plants and develop healthier and more sustainable food choices. Our CropOS platform combines machine learning and big data with genome editing and plant biology to differentiate and accelerate the product development process. More information can be found online at www.bensonhillbio.com. Follow us on Twitter at @BensonHillBio.

SOURCE Benson Hill Biosystems

Related Links

http://www.bensonhillbio.com


President Putin declared victory over IS saying the mission of the Russian troops in Syria is now complete after a visit he paid to the Khmeimim airbase, western Syria.

I order the defense minister and the chief of general staff to start withdrawing the Russian group of troops to their permanent bases, Putin was quoted by Russias RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

Putin also confirmed that Russia would maintain a permanent air base and naval facility in Syria after withdrawing troops.

Russian support has been crucial in turning the tide of Syrias civil war in favor of government forces, led by president Bashar al-Assad.

President Bashar al-Assad was on the brink of defeat by IS when Russia entered the conflict in 2015. With sustained airstrikes on both moderate rebel groups and extremists, Moscow has helped Assad win back control of much of the country.
PHILADELPHIA, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

BizEquity, the world's leading online provider of business valuation big data, has partnered with Envestnet (NYSE: ENV), a leading provider of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness, to offer business valuation and prospecting tools to tens of thousands of financial advisors leveraging the Envestnet platform.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/594075/BizEquity_Logo.jpg )



Bill Schiffman, Co-Founder of Schiffman, Grow & Co. and winner of the 2017 Envestnet Essential Advisor Award added, "I was one of Envestnet's early adopters and have seen firsthand how they have made advisors' lives easier and more productive. There are many similarities between BizEquity today and Envestnet. Both companies understand the value of harnessing big data for the benefit of their clients. They create content and technology for smart advisors to differentiate themselves from their competition. This partnership gives advisors another powerful tool to be leaders in the marketplace."

"We've valued over 33 million private businesses through thousands of financial advisors," said Michael M. Carter, Founder & CEO of BizEquity. "We are excited to partner with Envestnet. Through their platform, we can equip even more advisors with tools that can help them deepen their relationships with existing clients as well as provide advisors with an additional value proposition to attract new small business owners."

Through the BizEquity platform, advisors with Envestnet will be able to leverage:

A Business Valuation Report that details key metrics on a client's business value and gives an in-depth view of their financial positon.

that details key metrics on a client's business value and gives an in-depth view of their financial positon. An Insurance Value Report that offers a snapshot of a client's potential insurance coverage based on real-time valuation metrics.

that offers a snapshot of a client's potential insurance coverage based on real-time valuation metrics. BizEquity' Big Data Business Owner Prospecting tool that enables advisors to locate millions of businesses using its geo-location prospecting and engagement technology.

"Clients today expect their advisors to deliver comprehensive insights about their financial health," said Blake Wood, Senior Vice President, Director of Product Strategy at Envestnet. "The reports and prospecting service that BizEquity offers enhance an advisor's financial planning capabilities and can enable them to more effectively help clients achieve their goals."

The BizEquity platform is currently available through single-sign-on from the Envestnet Advisor Portal. A more robust integration within the Logix financial planning module is slated in a future enhancements release.

Additionally, advisors who sign up for BizEquity through the Envestnet platform will receive a subscription to the WSJ Pro Advisor newsletter that offers exclusive content about current markets and trends. BizEquity will also deliver a full Business Valuation Report to each advisor for free.

More information can be found at: http://www.bizequity.com/Envestnetwelcome

About BizEquity

BizEquity is the world's leading provider of business valuation knowledge and big data. BizEquity has valued over 33 million private businesses and distributes its patented cloud-based service through thousands of financial advisors to help better inform small businesses of their lending; insurance; and wealth management needs and potential.

BizEquity is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania but has offices around the world in key markets such as London; Singapore; and Delhi.

Some noteworthy accomplishments for the company include BizEquity's CEO Michael M. Carter being named one of the top 100 leaders in Global Fintech; BizEquity being named one of the top 360 private companies by Entrepreneur Media; and BizEquity winning the FinTech growth and innovation award from Bank Director. BizEquity has estimated through its clients feedback that it has helped its advisor clients generate over $1billion in assets under management; insurance premium; and commercial lending products all while helping their business owner clients and prospects.

For more information, please visit: http://www.BizEquity.com

For further information, please contact:

Richard Morgan Evans/ Kathleen Edmondson/ Olivia Hodgkinson

Morgan Rossiter

+44(0)203-195-3240

[email protected]

SOURCE BizEquity
RENO, Nev., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackRidge Technology International, Inc. (OTCQB: BRTI), a leading provider of next generation cyber defense solutions, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with MAD Security, LLC., a premier provider of cyber security solutions. The partnership provides a fully managed solution that protects enterprise networks and cloud services from today's advanced cyber threats to federal agencies and commercial industries across the United States.

BlackRidge develops, markets and supports a family of products that provide next generation cyber security solutions for protecting enterprise and government networks, systems and cloud services. BlackRidge's patented First Packet Authentication technology was developed for the military to cloak and protect servers and segment networks. Network and server resources are better protected and less vulnerable to compromise with BlackRidge in place.

MAD Security serves as an official reseller and integrator of BlackRidge Technology's adaptive trust solution for cyber defense, providing both consulting and managed security services for BlackRidge products.

"We look forward to leveraging MAD Security's expertise and extensive experience serving the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and civilian agencies," said Scott Armstrong, Federal Director at BlackRidge Technology. "Our customers will benefit from having MAD Security integrate, deliver and manage a BlackRidge cyber defense solution."

"We are very excited to begin this partnership with BlackRidge Technology as we pride ourselves in delivering next generation cyber security solutions to address today's advanced cyber threats," said Joe Delaney, Director of Federal Sales at MAD Security. "This is a substantial step in MAD Security's aspiration to become an industry-leading cybersecurity integrator with strong products for the public sector. Reselling BlackRidge Technology's cyber defense solution further strengthens MAD Security's ability to serve customers in both the public sector and commercial markets."

About BlackRidge Technology

BlackRidge Technology provides an adaptive cyber defense solution that enables our customers to deliver more secure and resilient business services in today's rapidly evolving technology and cyber threat environments. The BlackRidge Adaptive Trust solution provides end-to-end security that proactively isolates cloud services, protects servers and segments networks. Our patented First Packet Authentication technology authenticates user and device identity and enforces security policy on the first packet of network sessions. This new level of real-time protection blocks or redirects unidentified and unauthorized traffic to stop attacks and unauthorized access. BlackRidge was founded in 2010 to commercialize its military grade and patented network security technology. For more information, visit www.blackridge.us.

About MAD Security

MAD Security is the premier provider of managed security services that combine technology, services, support, and training. MAD Security has enabled clients in a wide range of industries including public sector and commercial industries, to manage risk, meet compliance requirements, and reduce costs. MAD Security is committed to cyber security excellence and has a track record of delivering quality solutions that maximize security effectiveness and operational efficiency for over a decade. For more information, visit www.madsecurity.com.

BlackRidge Media Contact:

Sahl Communications

Kim Plyler

+1-484-554-5582

[email protected]

BlackRidge Investor Relations Contact:

MZ North America

Chris Tyson

+1-949-491-8235

[email protected]

MAD Security Media Contact:

Jennifer Irwin

+1-478-973-0775

[email protected]

SOURCE BlackRidge Technology International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.blackridge.us


MIAMI, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Who says art can't be consumed from a little plastic bottle? blk. made a splash last weekend during the biggest art event in the world, showing forward-thinking attendees how a new accessory can be fashionable and hydrating.

blk. partnered with Flaunt magazine to host exclusive events at Casa Faena during the 2017 Art Basel in Miami Beach. The events brought further awareness to the trendy liquids unique nutritional value while serving as a hydrating fashion accessory for many artists and fashion influencers throughout the festival. For information, visit www.getblk.com.

Art Basel in Miami Beach  a famous art festival showcasing leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa  attracts over 700,000 eager artists, enthusiasts, collectors, curators and critics each year. In addition to spotlighting the celebrated masterminds of modern and contemporary art, the event aims to shed new light on emerging stars. blk. was among those up-and-coming names turning heads this year.

Like many successful artists, the daring dark liquid prides itself on escaping the norm and defying expectations, quickly making a name for itself as the first dark water anyone will actually want to drink. But it isn't just water; it's a piece of art made from fulvic trace minerals deep from the earth's core.

blk. takes fresh alkaline water and infuses it with trace minerals, not only resulting in the naturally dark delight but making it a mineral, electrolyte, antioxidant and amino-acid packed powerhouse. The biggest surprise of all? The liquid actually tastes like water.

Style and art enthusiasts in Miami for the famous festival were invited to test the magic potion for themselves. blk. partnered with Flaunt magazine, becoming the exclusive water for all of its events.

The fearless, fashion-forward magazine rented out Casa Faena for the weekend, turning the historic boutique hotel into a home base for parties celebrating the art festival on Thursday and Friday nights. Hundreds of artists and fashion influencers gathered at the Spanish-style venue to mix, mingle, get a glimpse at exclusive artwork, and, of course, get their hands on some of blk.'s stylish H 2 0 for themselves. Friday night, DJ and fashion activist Sita Abellan was spinning beats, making the stylish soiree the visual and sensory overload Miami parties are known for.

Overnight guests staying at Casa Faena also received an exclusive supply of blk. water in their room, keeping them hydrated in between art shows, parties and outings at the beach.

While it was a weekend of discovery for many consumers new to blk., this year's Art Basel is not the first time the trendy water has made a public splash. With an impressive celebrity following and appearances in Emmy Awards gift bags, the innovative water brand proves there's always a thirst for artful innovation.

About blk.

blk. is the first functional beverage that enables the power of Mother Nature's secret weapon: fulvic trace minerals. Once these minerals are extracted and added to pure water, the water turns black naturally without the use of any artificial dyes or colorings while delivering powerful electrolytes, trace minerals and a high pH to consumers without any carbs, calories or sugar. To learn more and purchase blk., visit www.getblk.com.

PRESS CONTACT

Samantha Ratiner

1-818-961-7767

[email protected]

SOURCE blk.

Related Links

http://www.getblk.com


ZUG, Switzerland, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BLOCKv is showcasing its technology with an innovative contest leading up to a concert at Moscow's Olympic Stadium featuring Leningrad, one of the biggest bands in Russia. The contest, a digital treasure hunt for fans of the band, is sponsored by MegaFon, one of the largest telecom operators in Russia.

"MegaFon is using our technology to build excitement prior to a huge show with an augmented reality holiday themed treasure hunt around Moscow," explains BLOCKv CEO Reeve Collins. "It will provide a new, novel engaging experience not possible before BLOCKv".

In the contest, fans of the band will go on an augmented reality journey to collect digital objects found in real-world Moscow locations like St. Basil's Cathedral and The Bolshoi Theatre. Fifty tickets for the Dec. 16 concert will be awarded  and every participant will win a "surprise" prize too.

"BLOCKv is a technology platform and this is just one example of the types of experiences it can bring to life. All of the tools to build, run, view and interact with smart digital objects are provided," explains Collins. "In this use case, the Ethereum blockchain will be used to ensure that the sweepstakes is run with complete legitimacy. Our technology ensures a level of transparency and fairness that was not possible prior to blockchain."

BLOCKv lets developers create highly programmable digital objects, called vAtoms. The ownership of digital ticket vAtoms is confirmed via a record on blockchain, meaning that for the first time, people can own a virtual object that is unique, verifiable and tradable, and that can exist across different environments (AR, VR, mobile phones, TVs, tablets, etc.).

"We've built a contest where the digital and the real world cross paths. Fans will love the hunt and the great prizes, MegaFon gets to be at the forefront of an exciting new technology, and BLOCKv innovates a brand new way to use blockchain. It's thrilling all the way around," Collins says.

MegaFon is the second largest mobile phone operator and the third largest telecom operator in Russia (at the end of 2016, the total subscriber base had more than 77.4 million people  more than half the country's population). The company approached BLOCKv in the hopes of using new technologies to create exciting experiences for customers. Anton Elizarov, Internet Marketing Manager at MegaFon, says, "The goal of the project is to demonstrate the use of blockchain technology for a wide audience and provide a platform for a groundbreaking user experience and a truly honest competition."

Collins adds, "Working with MegaFon has been great and we look forward to attracting other big brands around the world. Knowing that companies like MegaFon are hearing about our technology and approaching us to use the developer platform proves we're headed in the right direction. This contest is just the beginning."

Contact:

supportblockv.io

SOURCE BLOCKv

Related Links

http://blockv.io


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital Group, home of American Funds, has been honored with Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Award, recognizing the Best Places to Work in 2018 among large U.S. companies. The recognition was driven from reviews submitted by current and former Capital Group employees who rated the organization on workplace attributes, including career opportunities, compensation, benefits, culture, values, senior management, work/life balance, and six-month business outlook.

"We are honored to be included among Glassdoor's Best Places to Work," said Phil de Toledo, president of Capital Group. "At Capital Group, our mission is to improve people's lives through successful investing. We are committed to build a special and distinct work environment that allows our associates to deliver on that mission."

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Capital Group employs more than 7,500 associates worldwide and manages over $1.6 trillion in equity and fixed income assets.

The Glassdoor recognition is the latest workplace honor Capital Group has received. Recently, The Human Rights Campaign Foundation recognized Capital Group as a Best Place to Work for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Capital Group also offers the following programs to attract and retain talent:

CAPtivate: Introduces young women to the investment industry and helps them develop the skills and confidence to pursue a career in the financial industry.

Introduces young women to the investment industry and helps them develop the skills and confidence to pursue a career in the financial industry. CLIMB: The Capital Leadership Immersion & Mentorship Building program offers skills workshops and networking opportunities to introduce undergraduates from diverse backgrounds to Capital and careers in financial services.

The Capital Leadership Immersion & Mentorship Building program offers skills workshops and networking opportunities to introduce undergraduates from diverse backgrounds to Capital and careers in financial services. Parental Leave: Capital offers six weeks of paid parental leave to all new parents, whether they are a mom or dad welcoming a child by birth, adoption, surrogacy or foster-care placement. Expecting mothers are also eligible for a paid pregnancy leave of eight weeks after their child is born. This, in addition to the six weeks of paid parental leave, provides a total of 14 weeks.

Capital offers six weeks of paid parental leave to all new parents, whether they are a mom or dad welcoming a child by birth, adoption, surrogacy or foster-care placement. Expecting mothers are also eligible for a paid pregnancy leave of eight weeks after their child is born. This, in addition to the six weeks of paid parental leave, provides a total of 14 weeks. Mom's rooms: Capital provides fully equipped mom's rooms in every office, including breast pumps and refrigerators, so that a breastfeeding mom has accessibility around the world. All the rooms can be easily reserved online from any office.

To learn more about Capital's company culture, visit Life at Capital.

The Glassdoor Best Places to Work are determined using company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between November 1, 2016 and October 22, 2017. To be considered for the large category, a company must have at least 1,000 or more employees and have received at least 75 ratings across eight workplace attributes from U.S.-based employees during the period of eligibility. The final list is compiled based on Glassdoor's proprietary algorithm, and takes into account quantity, quality and consistency of reviews.

About Capital Group

Since 1931, Capital Group, home of the American Funds, has been singularly focused on delivering superior results for long-term investors using high-conviction portfolios, rigorous research and individual accountability. Today, Capital Group manages more than $1.6 trillion in equity and fixed income assets for millions of individual and institutional investors around the world.*

*As of June 30, 2017

Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value.

Securities offered through American Funds Distributors, Inc.

 2017 The Capital Group Companies, Inc.

Media Contact:

Caroline Semerdjian

(213) 615-3185

[email protected]

SOURCE Capital Group

Related Links

https://www.capitalgroup.com


NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Captain D's, the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today it has expanded its leadership team, promoting company veterans Tim Ward and Andy Castle to chief operating officer and vice president of company operations, respectively. Additionally, the company promoted David Rentschler to director of operations for the Nashville-Knoxville-North SC district and Jen Daley to Knoxville area director.

Captain D's

"Captain D's is one of the strongest fast casual concepts in the industry today, and our success is driven by our talented people," said Phil Greifeld, president and chief executive officer of Captain D's. "We are delighted to recognize the significant contributions of these four longtime employees and announce their well-deserved promotions. As we head into a new year, we are certain that they each will continue to be integral to our brand's success, and look forward to watching them excel in their new roles."

The recent Captain D's promotions include:

Tim Ward , chief operating officer. Ward joined Captain D's seven years ago, and has continually grown throughout his time with the company, most recently serving as vice president of company operations. In his new role, Ward will oversee all company and franchise operations, as well as develop and implement strategies to further heighten system-wide operations, guest service and unit-level economics.

Ward joined Captain D's seven years ago, and has continually grown throughout his time with the company, most recently serving as vice president of company operations. In his new role, Ward will oversee all company and franchise operations, as well as develop and implement strategies to further heighten system-wide operations, guest service and unit-level economics. Andy Castle , vice president of company operations. Castle joined Captain D's in 2012 as area director in Middle Tennessee, and has more than a decade of extensive experience working in fast casual environments nationwide. As vice president of company operations, his primary responsibilities will include management staffing and development, accurate execution of marketing initiatives, ensuring proper food handling procedures and practices, and meeting and exceeding sales and profit targets.

Castle joined Captain D's in 2012 as area director in Middle Tennessee, and has more than a decade of extensive experience working in fast casual environments nationwide. As vice president of company operations, his primary responsibilities will include management staffing and development, accurate execution of marketing initiatives, ensuring proper food handling procedures and practices, and meeting and exceeding sales and profit targets. David Rentschler , director of operations for the NashvilleKnoxvilleNorth SC District. Rentschler's promotion comes on the heels of the outstanding success he has achieved as area director for the past three years, helping his region become number one in the system.

Rentschler's promotion comes on the heels of the outstanding success he has achieved as area director for the past three years, helping his region become number one in the system. Jen Daley , Knoxville area director. Daley has served as the General Manager of the Lenoir City Captain D's in Tennessee for the past seven years, which she helped achieve outstanding success and become an award-winning restaurant. She has consistently displayed quality leadership and a guest-centric focus, and was recognized with the company's General Manager of the Year Award in 2016.

These internal company promotions are coupled with the year-after-year compounding success Captain D's has achieved, with 2016 marking its sixth consecutive year of same store sales increases and fourth successive year of record high system-wide average unit volume (AUV). This compounding success has propelled Captain D's franchise expansion, with agreements signed this year to open new restaurants in states across the country including Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia.

Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D's credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand's ongoing strong performance. To date, nearly 70 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand's new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year. With these efforts, Captain D's has remained true to what it does best  serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price in a welcoming atmosphere.

With 530 restaurants in 21 states, Captain D's is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand's rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit http://www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-550-4877.

ABOUT CAPTAIN D'S

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D's has 530 restaurants in 21 states. Captain D's is the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D's has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for more than 48 years. Captain D's serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company's signature hand-battered fish, which is cooked to order. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, and surf and turf, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D's favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.

Contact:

Samantha Russo

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

SOURCE Captain D's

Related Links

http://www.captainds.com


NEW YORK, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

According to the latest market report published by Persistence Market Research, titled 'Cardiac Arrhythmia Monitoring Devices Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Forecast (2017-2025)', the global cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period 2017-2025.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161114/438683LOGO )



The market is segmented based on product type, application, end user and region. On the basis of product type, the market has been segmented into five segments such as implantable cardiac monitors, resting ECG devices, ECG stress test devices, mobile cardiac telemetry monitors and holter monitors. Implantable cardiac monitors segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment over the forecast period, registering the significant CAGR of 9.2% in terms of revenue, over the forecast period. Increasing demand for technologically advanced in cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices such as implantable cardiac monitors and mobile cardiac telemetry monitors worldwide over the forecast period is expected to boost the growth of the market.

Global Market Research Report Overview @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/cardiac-arrhythmia-monitoring-devices-market.asp

The implantable cardiac monitors segment is expected to reach a market value of US$ 1,608.5 Mn by 2025 end. The mobile cardiac telemetry monitors segment revenue is also expected expand at significant CAGR over the forecast period. On the basis of application, the market has been segmented into atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, conduction disorders, premature contraction, tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation and others.

On the basis of end user, the market has been segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostics centers, homecare settings, long term care centers and emergency medical services. On the basis of region, the market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).

The increasing demand for advanced cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices, such as such as implantable cardiac monitors and mobile cardiac telemetry monitors to monitor and detect the electrical activity of the heart is fuelling the global cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market. The increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases and disorders globally include atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, conduction disorders, premature contraction, tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation is anticipated to boost the demand for the cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices and drives the growth for the cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market over a forecast period. The increasing adoption rate of low cost ECG devices and services among lower income groups from the developing regions such as Asia Pacific, is anticipated to propel the demand of the cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices and drives the growth of the cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market over long run. Increasing government spending on healthcare infrastructure in developed economies and favourable reimbursement policies for treatment of is expected to bolster the growth of the global cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market.

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However, adverse events associated with the use of cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices and product recall due to safety concerns, may hamper the demand for devices and restrain the growth of the market over forecast period. The dearth of trained and skilled specialists and professionals to operate, monitor and interpret the activities and signals generated by the advanced cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices, may also hinder the growth of the global cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market. Unintended negative consequences of advanced ECG monitors in general care setting such as nuisance alarms, may create the alarm fatigue which is a widely recognized risk to patient health safety, are the few factors which may hinder the growth of the global cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market.

This report assesses trends are driving each market segment and offers analysis and insights into the cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market in specific regions. North America is estimated to dominate the cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market with a maximum value share of the overall market by the end of 2017. By 2025, North America and Europe markets are expected to account for over 58.0% share of the global cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market revenue. In terms of value, North America is estimated to be the dominant market, registering a CAGR of 6.6% over the forecast period.

Some key companies covered in this report include NUUBO Smart Solutions Technologies, SL, Koninklijke Philips N.V., GE Healthcare (General Electric Company), Welch Allyn - A Hill-Rom Inc. Company, Spacelabs Healthcare, Inc. (OSI Systems, Inc.), Nihon Kohden Corporation, Fukuda Denshi Co., Ltd., Biotelemetry, Inc., AliveCor, Inc., Biotronik, Inc., Medtronic Plc. and St. Jude Medical, LLC. (Abbott Laboratories).

These companies in the global cardiac arrhythmia monitoring devices market are striving to consolidate their position by means of acquiring small and large firms in the market. Companies are focusing towards increasing product development and up-gradation capacities to achieve economies of scale and to serve different markets to improve geographic footholds in the market.

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CHICAGO and ATLANTA, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As one of the largest human capital solutions companies in the world, CareerBuilder has continually invested in developing cutting-edge IT security. Today, the company is excited to announce that it has added a chief information officer and chief information security officer to its senior executive team, a new expanded role for CareerBuilder that focuses on both security and innovation. It is one of the first of its kind in the industry.

Joining CareerBuilder is Anthony Dupree, a top innovator in cybersecurity with a career spanning more than two decades. Known for taking a holistic approach and creating a security culture within organizations, Dupree has been the driving force behind global enterprise IT security, network infrastructure and risk and compliance strategies for Fortune 500 organizations.

As CIO and CISO for CareerBuilder, Dupree oversees infrastructure, development opportunities, cloud and security to ensure that CareerBuilder clients and users are protected in a safe ecosystem. He is responsible for directing CareerBuilder's global IT and information security vision, policies and programs to execute a state-of-the-art defense.

"Employers need to be hypervigiliant in today's environment where there is a large and growing number of cyber threats," said Irina Novoselsky, President and COO of CareerBuilder. "A key focus for CareerBuilder is providing the most comprehensive security in the industry, and having Anthony on board underscores our commitment to anticipating and proactively addressing future vulnerabilities. Anthony is an established thought leader with deep expertise in building watertight security and technology, and his unique role will set new standards for the industry."

"One of the reasons why I was drawn to CareerBuilder is that security is not just a priority for the organization, it is ingrained in the company culture," Dupree said. "At the core of CareerBuilder's structure is an indepth, multi-layered defense model that combines the power of people, technology and operations to ensure the company and its partners are protected. This model puts us in the best position to safeguard against outside threats, and I look forward to building upon it in exciting new ways."

Before joining CareerBuilder, Dupree served as the CIO and CISO of Novitex. He also held senior roles at McGraw-Hill Education, Elizabeth Arden and Toys R Us, managing global enterprise IT security, network infrastructure and risk and compliance programs. Dupree received his Bachelor of Art in Communications from New York Institute of Technology and a Masters of Technology from Stevens Institute of Technology. He holds certifications from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council).

Dupree is also a decorated Army Reserve Officer who served for 28 years before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He received numerous awards, including the Bronze Star for Operation Iraqi Freedom  the second highest award for any soldier to receive.

About CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder is a global, end-to-end human capital solutions company focused on helping employers find, hire and manage great talent. Combining advertising, software and services, CareerBuilder leads the industry in recruiting solutions, employment screening and human capital management. CareerBuilder is majority-owned by Apollo Global Management (NYSE: APO) and operates in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

Media Contact

Jennifer Grasz

773-527-1164

[email protected]

http://www.twitter.com/CareerBuilderPR

SOURCE CareerBuilder

Related Links

http://www.careerbuilder.com


"This year's list was culled from 1000+ applications and looks even more impressive. These are companies using artificial intelligence in industries from drug discovery and cybersecurity to robotics and legal tech. I'm happy that CB Insights is able to shine a light on the founders and companies that will revolutionize these industries and look forward to seeing what they do in 2018 and beyond." said CB Insights CEO Anand Sanwal.

The CB Insights research team selected the AI 100 companies based on criteria, examining company-submitted data and the company's Mosaic Score. The Mosaic Score, based on CB Insights' National Science Foundation-funded algorithm, measures the overall health and growth potential of private companies. Through this evidence-based, statistically-driven approach, the Mosaic Score can help predict a company's momentum, market health and financial viability.

"We are honored to be named to CB Insights AI 100 for the second year," said Amir Husain, Founder & CEO of SparkCognition. "As a company devoted to advancing the art and science of artificial intelligence, we're proud to be deploying leading AI solutions for our customers and partners. The past year has been marked by significant growth on all fronts, and we look forward to continuing the trend in 2018."

Companies such as Zoox, Shield AI, Zest Finance, Dynamic Yield, and Appier joined SparkCognition in being recognized for their innovative technology in front of an audience of 400 senior innovation executives from around the world and news outlets including The Financial Times, CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, and the Washington Post.

As a distinguished leader in artificial intelligence, SparkCognition builds AI solutions for applications in oil and gas, utilities, manufacturing, finance, aerospace, telecommunications, defense, and security. Through an oversubscribed initial series B round, SparkCognition received more VC funding in 2017 than any other company in Austin, was recently named the Fastest Growing Company in Central Texas by the Austin Business Journal, and ranked 20th on the 2017 CNBC Disruptor 50 list. The company has continued adding customers and partners to an already impressive list including Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Boeing, Flowserve, Dover Energy Automation, Honeywell, the US DOE, and DIUx, among others.

Quick facts on the AI 100:

These 100 emerging private companies have raised $6.6B across 99 deals in 2017.

across 99 deals in 2017. Applications of their technology include breakthroughs in fintech, digital health, auto tech, robotics, and much more.

More than 1,000 companies were nominated or applied and only 9% were selected.

Eleven AI 100 companies have reached a valuation of $1B or more.

or more. Thirty-three companies on the list were also on the list for 2017, with 67 new companies making it for 2018.

Nine countries are represented among the AI 100 companies.

The AI 100 Companies (in alphabetical order):

AEYE CrowdFlower Liulishuo SenseTime Affirm CrowdStrike MAANA Shape Security Afiniti Cybereason Merlon Intelligence Sher.pa AiCure Darktrace Mighty AI Shield AI Algolia DataRobot Mobalytics Shift Technology Amplero Deep Sentinel Mobvoi Socure Anki Descartes Labs MOOGsoft SoundHound Appier Drive.ai Mya Systems SparkCognition Applitools Dynamic Yield Mythic Sportlogiq Appthority Element AI Narrative Science Tamr Aquifi Endgame NAUTO Tempus Labs Arterys Face++ Neurala Text IQ babylon Flatiron Health Numerai Textio Benson Hill Biosystems FLYR Obsidian Security Tractable Brain Corporation Foghorn Systems Onfido Trifacta Bytedance Freenome Orbital Insight Twiggle C3 IoT Gong OrCam Technologies UBTECH Robotics Cambricon Graphcore Osmo Upstart Cape Analytics InsideSales.com PerimeterX Versive Captricity Insight Engines Petuum Vicarious Systems Casetext Insilico Medicine Preferred Networks Workey Cerebras Systems Invoca Primer WorkFusion CloudMinds Kindred Systems Prospera ZestFinance CognitiveScale KYNDI Recursion Pharmaceuticals Zoox Conversica LeapMind Reflektion Zymergen

About CB Insights

Our team builds technology that helps corporations guess less and win more. We aggregate and analyze terabytes of data and use machine learning, algorithms and data visualization to help corporations replace the three Gs (Google searches, gut instinct and guys with MBAs*) so they can answer massive strategic questions using probability not punditry.

*We have MBAs.

Contact:

Farrah Kim, Senior Public Relations & Communications Manager

[email protected]

212-292-3148

For more information about the AI 100, visit:

https://www.cbinsights.com/research-ai100

To learn more about A-ha!, go here: http://events.cbinsights.com/aha

About SparkCognition

SparkCognition is a global leader in cognitive computing analytics. A highly awarded company recognized for cutting-edge technology, SparkCognition develops AI-powered software for the safety, security, and reliability of IT, OT, and the IoT. The company has business-critical AI enterprise solutions in place for customers in energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, finance, aerospace, defense, telecommunications, and security. For more information on the company, its technology and team, please visit http://www.sparkcognition.com.

Press inquiries to:

John King

SparkCognition

512-956-5491

[email protected]

SOURCE SparkCognition

Related Links

http://www.sparkcognition.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies examines chain migration and the immigration background of the Port Authority bomber. Akayed Ullah, a lawful permanent resident, is a citizen of Bangladesh who came to the United States in February 2011 on an immigrant visa in one of the chain migration categories. Ullah qualified to enter at age 20 as the nephew of a naturalized U.S. citizen. The relative who sponsored Ullah and his family reportedly entered originally under the visa lottery and became a U.S. citizen.

Highlights on immigration to the U.S. from Bangladesh:

Approximately 90 percent of the immigrants from Bangladesh in the last decade have received green cards through sponsorship by a relative who immigrated earlier;

in the last decade have received green cards through sponsorship by a relative who immigrated earlier; The number of immigrant visas issued to Bangladeshis was about 6,000 in 2000, but today is about 12,000 in 2017, illustrating the multiplier effect of chain migration.

There are more than 175,000 citizens of Bangladesh on the immigrant visa waiting list, of whom just over 165,000 (94 percent) are waiting in the sibling/nephew/niece category;

on the immigrant visa waiting list, of whom just over 165,000 (94 percent) are waiting in the sibling/nephew/niece category; For many years citizens of Bangladesh were leading participants in the annual Visa Lottery. In 2007, 36% of the immigrant visas issued in Bangladesh were under the lottery. By 2012, Bangladesh was disqualified based on high annual numbers of green cards awarded.

were under the lottery. By 2012, was disqualified based on high annual numbers of green cards awarded. In 2017, 99% of the more than 12,000 immigrant visas awarded to Bangladeshis were family-based.

View CIS articles on chain migrant charged in NYC attack:

https://cis.org/Vaughan/Chain-Migration-Burdensome-and-Obsolete

https://cis.org/Arthur/Chain-Migrant-Charged-New-York-City-Attack

Jessica Vaughan, the Center's director of policy studies, writes, "Congress should modernize our immigration system by sharply trimming the obsolete chain migration categories, as recommended by the bipartisan U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform headed by late civil rights icon Barbara Jordan, and as required by several bills pending in Congress."

Andrew Arthur, the Center's resident fellow in law and policy, in addressing the multiple terrorist attacks in the U.S. writes, "These attacks demonstrate an illogical dysfunction at the heart of our immigration system. No connection whatsoever to the United States is necessary for a foreign national to apply for a visa through the visa lottery, and in fact that visa category exists primarily to benefit nationals of countries with low levels of immigration to America. And, respectfully, the nephew of a United States citizen (like Ullah) has only the most tangential of ties to this country before he arrives; even then that tie is only to the sponsoring aunt or uncle."

Extra vetting would not have prevented this attack, but eliminating chain migration would have. The RAISE Act, S. 354, presently under consideration in the Congress, would break chain migration and shift the U.S. towards a merit-based system. Arthur commends the legislation and emphasizes that "The most important choice that a free people can make is to decide whom it will allow to share in its blessings and future success."

Articles of Interest:

Immigration Multipliers: Trends in Chain Migration

Chain Migration Means Visa Lottery Brings in More People Than You Think

VIDEO Immigration Brief: Visa Lottery

Contact: Marguerite Telford

202-466-8185, [email protected]

SOURCE Center for Immigration Studies
The Moroccan Industrial Acceleration Plan, launched in April 2014, under the aegis of King Mohammed VI, and the accompanying measures adopted to implement the ambitious plan are yielding fruits, particularly in the car industry sector.

Actually, the sector has the winds in its sails and is attracting an increasing number of investors while the investors already operating in the North African country do not hesitate to pour more funds in their Morocco-located projects.

In this connection, 26 new investments in the car industry sector worth more than 1.2 billion were announced Monday at a ceremony in the Royal Palace in Casablanca, chaired by King Mohammed VI.

The Monarch oversaw, on this occasion, the signing ceremony of five documents related to these 26 investments.

The 26 new investment projects will introduce new specialties in the country, enhance local integration, and supply car parts and equipment that were so far imported by the automakers settled in Morocco.

The new investment projects, expected to create nearly 11,600 direct jobs, will actually be injected in sites specialized in aluminum wheels, dashboards, bumpers, seats and electromechanical boxes.

Six out of the 26 investment projects announced Monday are part of the efforts made by French car manufacturer Renault, which has two plants in Morocco, to develop a global supply platform from the Kingdom and implement its ecosystem.

Thanks to this large-scale ecosystem, the French group is currently supplying Morocco-made machined parts worth one billion euros per year and achieves a local integration rate of 55%.

Thirteen investment projects will be conducted within the framework of the PSA Peugeot Ecosystem, which requires a new development for the entire sector to help in the emergence of an industrial pole of excellence in the city of Kenitra, 40 Km to the North of Rabat. The Kenitra plant will start building cars in 2019.

Five other investments will boost activities of the Ecosystem dealing with wiring, launched in October 2014, and two investments will go to the automotive supplier Valeo.

These new major investments were unveiled just two days after the Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD signed agreements, in the presence of the Monarch, to build a factory in Morocco, specialized in making battery-powered passenger cars, buses and trucks.

The BYD factory will be set up in the new Mohammed VI Tangier Tech City, which is part of a landmark project between Morocco and China to create a North African Silicon Valley.

The blossoming automotive industry in Morocco is attributable to various reasons, including incentives and competitive factors to attract more and more investors and car parts-makers, Moroccos proximity to European markets, modern infrastructures, free trade zones, qualified cheap manpower, open economy and political stability.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Channel Factory, the leading marketing analytics solution for YouTube and social video advertising, is celebrating two recognitions this month, from Cynopsis Digital and the Los Angeles Business Journal. The company's IQ technology was awarded the Cynopsis Digital Model D award for Best Video Digital Ad Platform. Channel Factory was also featured in Los Angeles Business Journal's annual list of 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies.

Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards

Honored as the Best Video Digital Ad Platform, Channel Factory's unique ad-tech platform, IQ, provides a streamlined and integrated solution for video and influencer marketing. The award recognizes the top video ad management and measurement platform that offers advertisers the ability to reach and engage with consumers across platforms and devices. The 5th annual Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards recognize those in online video content and advertising who are at the forefront of this new industry, elevating it with their state-of-the-art contributions to branded content, technology, ad campaigns and original content.

Los Angeles Business Journal's Fastest Growing Private Companies List

Channel Factory was among the digital media firms that dominated Los Angeles Business Journal's annual list of fastest growing private companies this year as well, coming in at #56. The list recognizes 100 of the fastest growing private companies in the Los Angeles County based on three-year growth.

"We are extremely honored to receive both of these recognitions from Cynopsis Digital and the LA Business Journal," said Tony Chen, CEO and founder of Channel Factory. "This has been a pivotal year for Channel Factory as our platform has proven itself to be indispensable for both content creators and brand advertisers attempting to navigate the ongoing brand safety crisis on YouTube."

Channel Factory also ranked on this year's Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest growing private companies in America for the third consecutive year. Today, Channel Factory continues to disrupt the YouTube ecosystem by providing alignment to both advertisers and creators through transparency and data.

About Channel Factory

Channel Factory is the leading marketing analytics solution for YouTube and social video advertising. The company's unique database and software, IQ, sets the industry standard for insights and tools that matter to both advertisers and creators. Channel Factory provides a streamlined and transparent solution when it comes to unique creator insights, brand safety, content aligned targeting, and predictive analytics. In addition to a client list of over 300 Marquee Brands, Channel Factory is partnered with 85 agencies worldwide. Founded in 2010, Channel Factory is based in Los Angeles with offices in Chicago, New York, Kharkiv, and London. For more information, visit www.channelfactory.com.

PR contact:

Zella Panossian

Illume PR for Channel Factory

[email protected]

310.452.4446

SOURCE Channel Factory

Related Links

http://www.channelfactory.com


EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Chef'd is the high-quality ingredient meal kit delivery service that's noted as the easiest way to cook like a pro at home. Chef'd announced today they have a new VP at the helm. The widely-recognized do-it-yourself food company has hired Jemie Sae Koo as their new Vice President of Marketing.

Jemie Sae Koo

Sae Koo will be responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies that reinforce the value of Chef'd in the market. Tapping into her considerable experience with developing digital-first stories for Millennial and Gen Z audiences through influencers for Fortune 500 companies, Sae Koo will help bolster Chef'd as a premium brand. She will further position the company to empower customers to cook like their favorite chefs, eliminate food waste, and reduce grocery costs.

To that end, Chef'd meal kits have fresh, pre-portioned ingredients that cater to every lifestyle, including options for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free meals. With over 700+ recipes to choose from, Chef'd makes it easy to have a gourmet dinner delivered to your door.

The CEO of Chef'd, Kyle Ransford, said of Sae Koo's hiring, "We're thrilled to have Jemie come on board to help us make an impact on what is slated to become a multi-billion dollar industry within the next year. Chef'd is at the center of that trend. We understand the growing need for meal kits, created via recipes from world-renowned chefs and culinary influencers, that anyone can cook at their leisure. Jemie brings an entrepreneurial, business-first approach to marketing programs. At the heart of our business, we are driven to fully understand the needs of our customers and surpass their expectations."

With more than fifteen years of digital and marketing experience, Sae Koo is adept at digitally driven customer engagement, experience creation, driving demand, business development, sales strategies, partnerships, and influencer marketing. To date, she has led initiatives and successfully developed viral campaigns for some of the biggest global brands, including Amazon, Disney, H&M, Intel, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Salesforce, Toyota, Taco Bell, and YouTube.

Sae Koo currently serves on the Executive Board of the American Heart Association. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, International Studies, and minor in Business Management from the University of California, Irvine.

In August 2017, Chef'd raised $35.2 million with investments from Smithfield Foods, Campbell Soup, and Fresh Direct.

For more information visit http://www.chefd.com.

About Chef'd:

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Chef'd is an at-home, high-quality ingredient meal store that partners with celebrated chefs, media outlets and culinary influencers to create recipes that make it easy for anyone to cook like a pro at home. Launched in late April 2015, Chef'd was created to help consumers rethink the home-cooked meal by offering fresh, pre-portioned ingredients that aim to eliminate food waste and in turn cut consumer grocery costs, all without the hassle of subscription or membership fees. Chef'd branded recipes are currently available from noted chefs, health experts and renowned media publications. Follow on Facebook @getchefd, Twitter @get_chefd, and Instagram @chefd.

Website:

http://www.chefd.com

Social Media:

https://twitter.com/chefd

https://www.facebook.com/getchefd/

https://www.youtube.com/user/getchefd

https://www.instagram.com/getchefd/

Hashtag: #GetChefd

SOURCE Chefd

Related Links

http://www.chefd.com


Massachusetts was the least affordable state this year for center-based care for both infants and toddlers. Utah, Oregon, Minnesota, New York, Washington, and Hawaii round out the nation's most unaffordable states for infant and toddler child care.

New in this year's report are county-level costs for seven states (Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Hampshire) through our interactive map. We have also included expanded reporting on the average cost of summer child care for school-aged children. A more detailed supplement will be released in 2018.

Highlights of Child Care Aware of America 11th annual cost of care report include:

In every state, the average cost of center-based infant care is more than 27 percent of median income for single parents, an increase of three percentage points from 2016.

Even for families of three earning double the federal poverty threshold (or $40,320 ), child care is a significant burden. Center-based infant care ranges from almost 13 percent of income for a low-income family in Mississippi to nearly 50 percent in Massachusetts .

), child care is a significant burden. Center-based infant care ranges from almost 13 percent of income for a low-income family in to nearly 50 percent in . In our first analysis of a national average cost of child care, we found that couples across the country pay more than 10% of their household income, for a year of child care for one child -- that's nearly $9,000 a year, no matter how you calculate it.

"Making quality child care affordable and available to every family is vital to our economy," said Lynette Fraga, executive director of Child Care Aware of America. "Since 60 percent of children under age six have both parents in the workforce and working mothers make up 40% of the workforce, the lack of quality, affordable care hurts most children. Congress has a real opportunity, as it weighs tax reform, to provide relief to working families struggling with child care costs."

Child Care Aware of America works with state Child Care Resource and Referral organizations to track the cost of care for children by age and setting, then compares each state's costs to its median income, ranking the states by affordability for each category of care. Child Care Aware of America's interactive map shows the relationship between costs and median income by state. The organization has also partnered with the Economic Policy Institute to add this year's data to an online interactive calculator of child care expenses by area.

For 30 years, CCAoA has been the leading voice for quality, affordable child care in the United States. While CCAoA continues to pursue our vision of the future in which every family in the United States has access to a high quality and affordable child care system, the sharing of accurate and updated information remains critical.

More than 11 million children under the age of five are in some form of child care in the United States; roughly 35 percent of children in care under age five are in child care centers. As the nation's leading voice for child care, CCAoA is comprised of 125,000 online advocates from across the country and more than 32,000 members. More than 250 parents have shared their stories with lawmakers through their Family Advocacy Summit and Day on The Hill. For child care providers, they offer trainings on emergency preparedness as well as technical assistance that emphasize health, nutrition and obesity prevention and more.

Today at 2:30 p.m. ET CCAoA experts will join Sen. Patty Murray for a webinar to discuss national unaffordability of child care. Register for the webinar here.

To learn more about Child Care Aware of America's advocacy efforts visit childcareworks.org, and visit usa.childcareaware.org/costofcare to view the full Parents and the High Cost of Child Care report. And you can follow the movement for child care on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using @ChildCareWorks.

About Child Care Aware of America

Child Care Aware of America is our nation's leading voice for child care. CCAoA works with state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) and other community partners to ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable child care. CCAoA leads projects that increase the quality and availability of child care, offer comprehensive training to child care professionals, undertake research, and advocate for child care policies that improve the lives of children and families. To learn more, visit usa.childcareaware.org. Follow them on Twitter @USAChildCare and on Facebook at facebook.com/usachildcare.

SOURCE Child Care Aware of America

Related Links

http://usa.childcareaware.org/


LOS ANGELES, December 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

USA News Group - In the rush to advance the electric vehicle revolution, it appears China is taking an early lead in both adoption of EVs and securing the resources of lithium to power them.

Lithium producers and near term producers looking to immediately increase global lithium supplies include A.I.S. Resources Limited (TSX-V: AIS) (OTC: AISSF), Galaxy Resources (OTC: GALXF), Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM), and Lithium X Energy Corp. (TSX-V: LIX) (OTC: LIXXF).

Several major Chinese auto manufacturers are planning to increase their electric vehicle (EV) quotas dramatically in the next two years based on early success by EV makers there and the Chinese Government's demands to abandon petrol fuel engines.

Combined with greater use of lithium in power grid storage, the demand is creating kind of "arms" race style competition for global lithium. So far China is ahead.

A new lithium junior player that could benefit directly from the Chinese appetite for lithium is A.I.S. Resources Limited (TSX-V: AIS) (OTCQB: AISSF), which could answer the call to add new supplies from its South American lithium brine Guayatayoc project as early as 2019.

Other lithium companies that are poised to take-up the shortfall being fed by China's consumption include Galaxy Resources (OTC: GALXF), Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM), and Lithium X Energy Corp. (TSX-V: LIX.V) (OTCQX: LIXXF), all of which are in the process of expanding of their respective lithium resources to accommodate the major demand increase.

CHINA STEPPING ON THE PEDAL

China is already a leader in the adoption of electric vehicles, with more than 500,000 units being sold in the country in 2016.

Indeed, Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd is planning a US$1.97 billion IPO to drive its expansion and meet soaring demand for electric car batteries.

And BYD, the Chinese electric car and bus company part-owned by Warrant Buffett, has talked extensively with South American lithium producers to secure supplies of the key battery material.

China, the world's most active polluter has suffered for long due to toxic effluents and greenhouse emissions, hence is one of the countries at the forefront of adopting the Paris Agreement. But this process is lithium-intensive due to the millions of batteries required to power various processes particularly electric transportation.

China does not have substantial lithium mines within its own boundaries. Lithium resources tend to be located far away from the centers of industrial muscle in North America, Europe and Asia that utilize it in large quantities.

The main sources are brine pools in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, as well as rocks in Australia.

Chinese companies have been rushing to acquire concessions in these countries, aided by the diplomatic power and financial muscle of the Chinese government.

Companies such as Ganfeng Lithium and Tianqi Lithium have seen massive growth, with their turnovers more than doubling in 2016.

Ganfeng Lithium strengthened their position by purchasing 2 million equity shares from International Lithium, increasing its shareholding in the company to 18%.

MORE AND MORE LITHIUM NEEDED

Although there are enough verified lithium resources to sustain a fully EV dependent world for hundreds of years, slow establishment of mining operations has meant that actual supply has lagged behind demand.

And now that the Tesla-led EV revolution has hit full gear, pressure on existing resources has grown by a considerable factor.

Entities that control these resources have gold (even that maybe an understatement) on their hands as the price of lithium keeps surging. China has been moving to do exactly that through government-sanctioned acquisition of supplies across the world.

If, as lithium consultant Sam Jaffe of Cairn ERA predicts, lithium-ion battery demand rises from 80 GWh this year to 750 GWh in 2026, it's likely that the world is going to need every bit of lithium production that can be brought online.

In total, the projected increase would account for a massive 10-fold leap in demand within 10 years.

JUNIORS SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

Not to be left out of the competition, junior resource companies have grasped the seriousness of the demand for lithium and are moving to bring on supplies.

A.I.S. Resources Limited is one of these early movers with excellent prospects in South America's productive regions.

Argentina is a major global lithium producer with significant additional potential, and a respected mining-industry history. The country has become well known for its many mineralized salars or salt fields, which include the Hombre Muerto and Salar Olaroz properties each producing significant lithium.

This is where A.I.S. Resources has staked its three main lithium projects, all of which are strategically located in the Argentina's Puna Region.

In all, A.I.S. Resources has about 7,725 hectares and its flagship Guayatayoc property is well advanced with a mining permit in hand and drilling permits imminent.

Guayatayoc was sampled and returned Li ranging from 270-900 ppm in ponds that had aquifer flow, as well as 100-190ppm for brines sitting in the top layers. That's considered very high grade and suitable for li-ion battery production.

The Guayatayoc is on its way to becoming a near term producer. The project will be fast-tracked, as chemistry and process work is already complete. The company expects that it can be in production as early as 2019.

And that comes from a highly skilled team of lithium mining veterans who have completed other recent lithium projects into production.

THE GAUNTLET IS THROWN DOWN

The race for lithium resources could leave EV companies such as Tesla short of the commodity if China manages to monopolize available sources, in a similar way as they have achieved with cobalt.

Already, Chinese companies control nearly all of Lithium Hydroxide reserves, which Panasonic uses to make lithium batteries for Tesla.

In what could be spell a gloomy outlook for Tesla, there are undertones about Chinese companies looking to build multiple super factories to rival Tesla's recently opened Nevada gigafactory.

And while Tesla's gigafactory is expected to produce 35 gigawatt hours of battery power annually, global production should rise from a little over 100 million gigawatt-hours to more than 273 gigawatt-hours by 2021. As much as 65% of this growth could be produced in China.

However, Tesla is not resting on its laurels either, with plans to build up to 4 factories reportedly in the pipeline.

An arms race can scarcely suffice to describe the competition between China and outsiders like Tesla.

Regardless if China moves ahead, lithium prices don't appear to be abating any time soon so new lithium resources like A.I.S. Resources' Guayatayoc project in South America are likely to bring tremendous value and aid in the move to electrify the auto market.

POTENTIAL COMPARABLES

Galaxy Resources (OTC: GALXF)

Galaxy Resources Limited is a lithium-focused resources company, with assets spanning Australia, Canada and Argentina. Galaxy is currently advancing plans to develop the Sal de Vida Lithium and Potash Brine Project ("Sal de Vida") in Argentina, which is situated in the Lithium Triangle, a region where Chile, Argentina and Bolivia meet. Sal de Vida is a proven high quality resource has excellent promise as a future low cost production facility. Galaxy also owns the Mt Cattlin Spodumene Mine near Ravensthorpe in Western Australia and the James Bay Lithium Pegmatite Project in Quebec, Canada.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM)

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A., is a producer of potassium nitrate and iodine. The Company produces specialty plant nutrients, iodine derivatives, lithium and its derivatives, potassium chloride, potassium sulfate and certain industrial chemicals. Its segments include specialty plant nutrients, industrial chemicals, iodine and derivatives, lithium and derivatives, potassium, and other products and services Lithium and its derivatives are used in batteries, greases and frits for production of ceramics. Potassium chloride is a commodity fertilizer that is produced and sold by the Company across the world.

Lithium X Energy Corp. (TSX-V: LIX.V) (OTCQX: LIXXF)

Lithium X Energy Corp. is a lithium exploration and development company with a goal of becoming a low-cost supplier for the burgeoning lithium battery industry. On July 11th, the company announced that further to its news release of June 29th, 2017, the Company has closed the definitive agreement with Aberdeen International Inc. for the purchase of Aberdeen's remaining 50% interest in Potasio y Litio de Argentina S.A., which controls 100% of the Sal de los Angeles Project. The project consists of 8,154 hectares covering 95% of Salar de Diablillos, and has an NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate of 1.037 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent in the indicated category and 1.007 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent in the inferred category.

For a more in-depth look into AIS you can view the in-depth report at USA News Group: http://usanewsgroup.com/2017/06/14/lithium-juniors-seeing-massive-demand/

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USA News Group

http://usanewsgroup.com

[email protected]

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PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The next big thing in luxury furniture has just arrived on Worth Avenue. Furniture retailer, Bellagio Home  the exclusive U.S. distributor of hand-crafted creations by up-and-coming Italian designer, Alessandro Vinci  is opening its doors. And just in time for Christmas.

"It's very exciting that Palm Beach residents will have direct access to Alessandro Vinci furniture," says Patricia Fazio  a client of Bellagio Home and frequent visitor of Palm Beach.

Bellagio Home offers a range of beautifully handcrafted furniture designs from Italian furniture designer Alessandro Vinci. Bellagio Home offers contemporary traditional furniture designs from up and coming Italian designer, Alessandro Vinci.

Vinci has yet to become a household name for those who appreciate unique luxury furniture. But it appears that he's about to. Owner of Bellagio Home, Pieter Weyts, agrees. "Vinci is definitely on the rise," says Weyts. "If you're a lover of luxury furniture, Vinci is one of a kind."

"I would say that the one thing people love most about Alessandro Vinci's designs is how versatile they are," adds Weyts. "They truly compliment any home design, style, or decor."

Fazio agrees. "We have a few Vinci pieces in our home, and they go with everything  our modern furniture and our antiques. And they're not just beautiful, and I mean really gorgeous, but they're also practical and very comfortable."

Fazio isn't alone in her praise of Vinci. Typical comments from those who've purchased his furniture include  quality craftsmanship in every piece, beautiful use of natural elements, and the "Ferrari" of furniture.

About Alessandro Vinci: Alessandro Vinci harmoniously blends the legacy of Italian design passed down through generations of master artisans with the sophisticated touch of our modern era. Adhering to the most rigorous quality standards, only the best materials are selected to ensure superior quality. Vinci is uncompromising in creating the world's finest furniture, pursuing perfection in every piece.

About Bellagio Home: Bellagio Home is committed to delivering beautiful and quality hand-crafted designs to Palm Beach Residents. Their Alessandro Vinci furniture line, made exclusively in Italy, provides contemporary traditional designs that evoke timeless beauty. Nestled on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida, Bellagio Home invites you to experience the world's finest Alessandro Vinci furniture, created by the most original furniture-maker to come out of Europe in decades.

Pieter Weyts

Bellagio Home

(561) 345-2869

[email protected]

SOURCE Bellagio Home
This addition follows other recent hires of celebrated, innovative public sector practitioners at Socrata, including Justin Bruce, former Director of Innovation and Performance for Jackson, Mississippi; Alex Krughoff, former Deputy Director of Prince George's County's CountyStat program; and Matt Miszewski, former Chief Information Officer of the state of Wisconsin.

"We have followed Oliver's contribution to the civic innovation community for a number of years and have been extremely impressed by his team's approach to solving problems with data. The methodology he pioneered in New Orleans to deal with seemingly intractable problems like blight, is repeatable across the full array of government programs that need to shift to evidence-based and analytical approaches. We have the opportunity and the responsibility to give government innovators like Oliver, Justin, and Alex the space to scale what works into the mainstream," said Kevin Merritt, Socrata's Founder and CEO.

Wise began his career at the City of New Orleans in 2010, when the City faced a $100 million budget deficit while managing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. At the time, blight affected roughly 1 in 4 properties in New Orleans.

To help address the issue, Wise created the BlightSTAT program, designed to support the Mayor's goal of reducing the number of blighted properties by 10,000, or roughly 20 percent, within 3 years. Relying heavily on data and data analysis to determine efficient and effective strategies, Wise and team brought together stakeholders from across the City to tackle the problem. The City was not only able to meet their target, but do so ahead of schedule.

Wise will bring his considerable experience using data as a strategic asset to improve government program outcomes to hundreds of peers who are either starting, or trying to scale, similar data-enabled solutions in state and local government. That experience will accelerate the expansion of Socrata Blueprint - a methodology for developing connected, smart governments - to tackle problems like blight, housing, fighting the opioid epidemic, and, more broadly, community development. In addition, Wise will play a pivotal role in shaping the direction of Socrata's performance management products to create repeatable models for mapping performance KPIs to strategic goals, tracking progress, and acting on insights to optimize the delivery of any given government program.

Wise is also contributing to the Socrata Data Academy, a newly launched nationwide initiative to teach government decision-makers and analysts how to apply data analysis to solving problems. He has contributed as a subject matter expert on the currently available online curriculum and will personally lead executive-level courses, to be announced in the future. (Subscribe to the newsletter).

"Data intelligence in government is a moral cause. With data, our most abundant and underleveraged resource, our public institutions can work smarter to provide a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous world for us and our children," said Wise. "I am joining Socrata because I believe it has the strategy, leadership, and talent necessary to provide governments the tools they need to best lead with data."

Hear more from Wise, in this short question and answer video, about his career, his thoughts on data's role in government, and joining Socrata.

About Socrata

Socrata is the market leader in making existing government data discoverable, usable, and actionable for government workers and the people they serve. Socrata provides a data-as-a-service platform and cloud applications exclusively for city, county, state, and federal government organizations. Socrata delivers unprecedented, data-driven innovation and cost-savings by bringing together disparate systems and leveraging the cloud to dramatically enhance the effectiveness of government programs, to improve quality of life for residents, positively impact local economies, and achieve excellence in government operations. Socrata solutions are designed and developed to meet strict government standards and is the first company of its size to achieve Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Authority to Operate. The technology is optimized on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Public Sector cloud and delivered using the exclusive Socrata Blueprint Methodology.

Media Contact:

Elise Oras

[email protected]

206-340-8008

SOURCE Socrata

Related Links

www.socrata.com


PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CompactCath (www.compactcath.com), a medical device company committed to improving the quality of life for people with bladder conditions, today announced its flagship intermittent urinary catheter has received CE Mark approval as a Class III Medical Device.

Designed by a team of physicians, engineers, and catheter users that met at Stanford University using patient-centered design, CompactCath is a revolutionary compact intermittent urinary catheter for patients looking for a discreet, hygienic, and easy to use solution that fits seamlessly in their everyday life. It comes pre-lubricated with silicone oil, features fire-polished eyelets and non-touch insertion. It also includes a drainage control mechanism and opaque packaging -- giving catheter users more privacy, comfort, hygiene, and control.

"We've received overwhelming support and adoption since launching in the US a little over a year ago," said Naama Stauber Breckler, CEO. "Catheter users love how small and portable the catheter is, how much time they save, and most importantly, how it's been able to simplify their lives. We're thrilled to be able to expand our reach and finally bring CompactCath to users in Europe, who have been waiting a long time for this."

CompactCath is a unisex catheter available in a variety of sizes for use by both pediatrics and adults. Its coiled packaging makes it the only 16" catheter that fits in the pocket or the palm of the hand. Its small, lightweight design eliminates much of the inconvenience or embarrassment while introducing confidence and control to those who self-catheterize.

For further information please visit www.compactcath.com.

About CompactCath

CompactCath is commitment to improving the quality of life for those who suffer from bladder conditions and need to self-catheterize. CompactCath is composed of a multidisciplinary team of physicians, engineers, and MBAs who share a passion for healthcare, design, and comfort. Established in 2012 at Stanford University, CompactCath is driven by the goal to design medical devices that enable those with chronic conditions to lead active, thriving, independent lives.

CompactCath Media Contact:

Carlos Wilson / Tandem Marketing Communications

[email protected]

(845) 242-4440

SOURCE CompactCath

Related Links

http://www.compactcath.com


WAKE FOREST, N.C., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporate Chaplains of America (CCA) has announced that Brianna Bassie from Greenville, South Carolina has been awarded the organization's "10:27" Scholarship.

Brianna plans to graduate May 2019 from Clemson University with a major in Parks, Recreation Tourism, and Management. She is the daughter of Steven and Wendy Bassie. Her father has served as a chaplain with CCA since December, 2013.

Brianna Bassie Awarded CCA's "10:27" Scholarship

CCA's "10:27" Scholarship  a grant of $2,500  is awarded to a student who has shown dedicated commitment to the command to love God and others laid out in Luke 10:27. It is also intended to be a blessing to a CCA chaplain by helping provide for the cost of their children's higher education.

Jesus says in Luke 10:27, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

Brianna has a great passion for the Lord and for people. In her essay, she explains, "God has given me a heart to care for people and I want to talk to those who are struggling in their own lives. I know God will use me in a way that will utilize these gifts."

Larry Griffith, CCA's Chief Executive Officer, recognized Bassie for her academic achievements, volunteer work, and involvement in the church and community.

The "10:27" Scholarship is open for applications by dependent children of full-time CCA chaplains. Students must be US residents in their final year of high school or actively enrolled on a full-time basis and in good standing in an accredited community college or 4-year institution. Scholarships are one-time awards.

Corporate Chaplains of America is a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry and the nation's leading provider of full-time chaplain services for companies and their employees. CCA chaplains are available 24/7/365 to provide permission-based, confidential help in times of crisis.

CCA serves over 1,500 work locations in 42 different states. We have more full-time chaplains than any other organization in the country. What sets our chaplains apart is the long-term relationship that is built between employees and their chaplain over the years. Many employees describe their chaplain as a part of their family or a close friend.

For more information about Corporate Chaplains of America, visit our website at www.chaplain.org.

Contact:

Sarah Greene

919-570-0700

SOURCE Corporate Chaplains of America

Related Links

http://www.chaplain.org


FALLS CHURCH, Va., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kastle Systems International, the industry leader in innovative managed security solutions and services, today announced that KastlePresence  their intuitive Internet of Things (IoT) solution  is one of the premier amenities at Cushman & Wakefield's 1401 Eye Street property, a premier office building in Washington DC. Kastle's state-of-the-art mobile platform allows building staff and tenants to use the Bluetooth technology on their smartphones  instead of physical keys or cards  to easily access the building's perimeter, elevators, and individual suites, offering an experience that goes above and beyond what traditional access control solutions provide: hands-free access, mass notifications, and personal panic capability  right from the smartphone.

Kastle is an ideal security partner for Cushman, whose mission is to "transform the way people work, shop, and live." Their 45,000 employees in more than 70 countries help occupiers and investors optimize the value of their real estate by combining their global perspective and deep local knowledge with an impressive platform of real estate solutions  now including KastlePresence.

KastlePresence, which leverages a system of smartphones, access control readers and wireless beacons to be location-aware and is managed by Kastle's award-winning team, is integral to the Cushman's philosophy of a 'partner first' approach when it comes to the next generation of real estate technology and innovation. Since its initial launch in 2015, KastlePresence has been rolled out to hundreds of customers ranging from professional services firms to building owners across several major markets in the U.S., including New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Chicago.

"Our ability to differentiate our properties and provide unique amenities are what attract and retain tenants," said Angela McKinney, Property Manager for Cushman & Wakefield's 1401 Eye Street property. "The KastlePresence app provides not only a 'wow' factor, but also the peace-of-mind and security that we demand for our tenants."

KastlePresence redefines experiences in all types of properties, which is important during a time when avid technology-consuming millennials are becoming the largest segment of the population. "With the pace of change in the world today, we have to continually innovate to deliver increasing value to our customers," said Andrew Kovacs, Director of Strategic Accounts for Kastle. The features of the KastlePresence platform include:

Doors that open with a smartphone, hands-free, without unlocking or presenting the device.

A single, mobile credential that can be activated across multiple sites.

A personal safety button providing first responders with exact location within the building.

Messaging center enabling owners and managers to push notifications to users' smartphones.

App that is constantly connected, and low maintenance with battery-efficient performance.

Trending and real-time occupancy data for better space and energy optimization.

New mobile capabilities for building owners and property managers to call elevators, open doors for a remote location and easily authorize visitors.

"The KastlePresence app has enhanced our ability to be more responsive to the needs of our tenants," said Sarah Alt, Director for Cushman & Wakefield. "Being able to remotely lock/unlock doors for tenants across multiple properties, all from my phone, has been a game changer  particularly after business hours."

"With building technologies advancing at a faster pace than ever, we value our partnerships with leading companies like Cushman & Wakefield, who exemplify commitment to customer service and responsible implementation of technological innovation," said Kastle Systems' CEO & Co-Chairman Piyush Sodha.

Cloud computing and networks of data-gathering sensors are making everything in our lives mobile, virtual, automated, and connected  smart. Kastle Systems knows this is just the beginning. As the developer, owner, and operator of the KastlePresence platform, Kastle Systems has been building an Internet of Things operating system for the last several years. Kastle will continue to leverage its rich tradition of customer service and "voice of customer" product development to keep the platform relevant as technologies, expectations, and needs continue to evolve with the rise of the millennial generation. KastlePresence simplifies everyday experiences, while setting the expectation for the industry, IoT, and generations ahead.

For more information, contact Jennifer Graham, 703-247-0298, [email protected]. Follow Kastle Systems on LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/company/kastle-systems, visit www.kastle.com or call 1-855-527-8531 to learn more about all of Kastle Systems' security solutions.

About Kastle Systems

Kastle Systems has been leading the security industry for more than 45 years with new technologies and advanced security solutions. Named the 2015 Systems Integrator of the Year for outstanding innovation and customer experience by SDM, the industry's leading trade publication, Kastle operates and manages security systems for its clients remotely, around-the-clock. Kastle protects over 10,000 locations nationwide and internationally. Kastle's innovative outsourced security services significantly reduce costs and improve the critically important, 24/7 performance of security systems for building owners, developers, and tenants. Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, Kastle is the largest security company in DC, according to the Washington Business Journal. Kastle also has offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Sydney, Australia.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield is a leading global real estate services firm that helps clients transform the way people work, shop, and live. Our 45,000 employees in more than 70 countries help occupiers and investors optimize the value of their real estate by combining our global perspective and deep local knowledge with an impressive platform of real estate solutions. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest commercial real estate services firms with revenue of $6 billion across core services of agency leasing, asset services, capital markets, facility services (C&W Services), global occupier services, investment & asset management (DTZ Investors), project & development services, tenant representation, and valuation & advisory. 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Cushman & Wakefield brand. 100 years of taking our clients' ideas and putting them into action. To learn more, visit www.cushwakecentennial.com, www.cushmanwakefield.com or follow @CushWake on Twitter.

SOURCE Kastle Systems

Related Links

http://www.kastle.com


DALLAS, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Deoleo, the world leader in sales of bottled olive oil, has announced the appointment of Glenn Hartman as its new CEO. Glenn, based in Dallas, Texas, will be responsible for U.S. and Canadian operations with the mission to grow the current value leadership of Deoleo in the U.S. and Canada. Key initiatives include implementing the expected relaunch of the number one olive oil brand worldwide, Bertolli; growing Carapelli, the newly reintroduced premium Italian brand; developing the number one Spanish brand, Carbonell; and launching the innovation plans for the coming years in the above-mentioned markets. Glenn will report to Miguel de Jaime, Deoleo Chief Commercial Officer, based in Madrid headquarters.

Glenn's diverse sales and marketing career has included Procter & Gamble, two privately held companies and Starbucks. Most recently, Glenn was Senior Vice President, Channel Development, at Starbucks, where he was responsible for the U.S. and Canadian Food, Drug, Mass, Club and Emerging Channels businesses. Over the last five years under his leadership, the Starbucks CPG business grew more than 75 percent, achieving five straight years in the top 10 ranking of fastest-growing midsize companies, according to IRI Pacesetters. This past year, the Starbucks brand grew 18 times the rate of the category and double the rate of the nearest competing coffee company.

Prior to his experience at Starbucks, Glenn was Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing for CR Brands, a privately held laundry and household cleaning products company, where he led the revitalization of core brands through product, package, marketing and sales innovation. Prior to CR Brands, Glenn was Chief Customer Officer for Driveline Merchandising, where he was responsible for establishing strategies and priorities for growth, as well as managing customer acquisition and retention to develop a best-in-class in-store merchandising company.

Glenn worked for Procter & Gamble (P&G) for 25 years, where he held 14 different positions in leadership capacities including running sales organizations, market strategy and planning, customer service and logistics, retail merchandising and restructuring, as well as change management taskforces and integration teams. Glenn had direct sales responsibility of up to $1 billion dollars, and sales planning responsibility for $20 billion, with organizational responsibility of up to 3,000 people. Glenn received the President's award for leadership performance in running one of P&G's multifunctional customer teams.

Glenn graduated from Yale University.

Additionally, Deoleo has announced the appointment of Craig Grantham, based in Dallas, Texas, as its new Vice President of Sales with responsibilities over U.S. and Canadian operations and reporting to Glenn Hartman.

Craig was most recently Vice President of Sales at Fasttrak Foods, where he grew their snack business aggressively. He has had a successful CPG career in several consumer categories spanning more than 25 years. Craig started his career with 14 years at The Gillette Company (P&G), progressing through 10 different sales and internal positions of increasing responsibility, leading to corporate responsibility in sales, sales planning, trade marketing and sales operations. His experience and contributions in sales management, sales operations and sales finance at Mann Packing Co., Peet's Coffee and Del Monte Foods created significant growth across several categories in center store and fresh produce. It also led to improved P&L results for each brand. Craig's ability in driving iconic brands to continuous sales growth is fueled by his passion to win as well as his cross-functional and cross category business experience.

Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Kensington University.

"We are delighted to have Glenn and Craig on board," said Miguel de Jaime. "Once the restructuring period of the company is over, we will be back to the U.S. being our first and most important growth market. For the coming years, we have a plan to increase our investments in people, talent, capabilities and our assets to continue creating and delivering value that reinforces our leadership. I am sure both Glenn and Craig will contribute greatly to delighting American and Canadian consumers with high quality olive oils only our centennial global brands can offer, and working with our customers in joint value creation."

About Deoleo

Deoleo is the world leader in sales of bottled olive oil. A renowned multinational food group, Deoleo is present in more than 80 countries across all continents, with factories in Spain and Italy, and is listed in the Spanish stock exchange (OLE). Deoleo produces the widest portfolio of leading olive oil brands around the world, including Bertolli, the best-selling brand in the U.S.; the premium Carapelli brand; the heritage brand Sasso; and the leading Spanish brand Carbonell. Deoleo provides distinct olive oil brands that are unmatched when it comes to traditional flavor, exceptional quality and influential innovation. For more information, visit Deoleo.com.

SOURCE Deoleo

Related Links

http://Deoleo.com


Russian President signed Monday in Cairo with his host al-Sisi an agreement launching the construction of the multi-billion Dabaa nuclear station, sponsored by Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin arrived In Cairo from Syria where he ordered partial pullout of Russian forces that have helped maintain the Syrian regime in face of insurgency and terrorism.

The future plant to be located on the Mediterranean coast will cost $21 billion and totally sponsored and manned by Russia. Construction will be completed by 2029.

Both leaders according to official accounts also discussed the return of Russian tourists to Egypt following the 2015 bombing of a Russian passenger jet.

Moscow two years ago suspended all to and from air traffic between the two countries after a Russian jet carrying 224 people, mostly Russian tourists, came down in the Sinai few minutes after takeoff from the red sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The Islamic State group in the Sinai claimed the attack. Moscow conditioned the return of flights on the improvement of security at Egypts airports.

The suspension dealt a huge blow to Egypts tourism industry whose major clients where Russian holidaymakers.

Putins visit strengthens relations between the two countries that have established close military ties under President al-Sisi who has visited Russia three times since 2014 after assuming power and signed for Russian military hardware.

In late November, Russia indicated that the two countries signed a five-year draft military agreement allowing the war planes to use air fields and airstrips. The duration can be extended if requested.
MILWAUKEE, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Employers globally are reporting positive hiring intentions as those in 41 of 43 countries forecast an increase in staffing levels in Q1 2018, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.

The strongest Outlooks globally are reported in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan and India. Employers in Australia, Japan, Norway, Romania and the U.S. are reporting the healthiest hiring plans in five years or more.

Outlooks among employers in Eastern Europe, and Greece outpace those in Western Europe. Employers in Austria and Italy report the weakest Outlooks across Europe and the globe while job prospects remain upbeat in Romania, Hungary and Poland. In Spain and Portugal, employers report more optimistic Outlooks year-over-year while in the UK, Germany and Belgium they report weaker (yet still positive) hiring intentions. In the UK, concerns over Brexit may be impacting employer confidence as the overall forecast dips to its weakest level since 2012.

View complete Q1 2018 survey results: www.manpowergroup.com/meos

"The first quarter of 2018 is looking bright for jobseekers with employment Outlooks improving in many markets," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO. "Employers across the globe and especially in the U.S, Asia Pacific and parts of Europe are positive across a number of sectors, and people with in-demand skills will find themselves in high demand. Employers will need to work hard to attract and develop people with the skills they need to remain competitive. As globalization and digital transformation impact different countries and industries at different times, upskilling and reskilling tomorrow's workforce for available jobs will be critical for long-term employability. The future looks positive, providing we help people develop the skills they need to capture these opportunities."

Of the nearly 59,000 employers surveyed across 43 countries and territories confidence levels have strengthened year-on-year in 25 countries and territories.

Global Hiring Plans by Region

EMEA: Staffing levels are expected to grow in 23 of 25 countries surveyed with flat labor markets in the remaining two.

Staffing levels are expected to grow in 23 of 25 countries surveyed with flat labor markets in the remaining two. Employers in Romania and Slovenia report the strongest hiring plans in the EMEA region.

and report the strongest hiring plans in the EMEA region.

German employers report strong hiring intentions in Finance and Business Services with employers in Frankfurt and Munich reporting the most optimistic Outlooks.

and reporting the most optimistic Outlooks.

The Outlook in France remains modest, with employers in Finance and Construction reporting the biggest year-over-year headcount growth.

remains modest, with employers in Finance and Construction reporting the biggest year-over-year headcount growth. Asia Pacific : Employers expect staffing levels to increase in all eight countries and territories with hiring sentiment strongest in Taiwan . The most cautious Outlook in the region is reported in China .

Employers expect staffing levels to increase in all eight countries and territories with hiring sentiment strongest in . The most cautious Outlook in the region is reported in . Australia is forecasting the strongest labor market in more than six years with an Outlook of +14%.

is forecasting the strongest labor market in more than six years with an Outlook of +14%.

Hiring confidence in Japan remains solid with employers reporting the most optimistic forecast since 2007. Hiring activity is strongest in Transportation and Utilities, and Mining and Construction sectors.

remains solid with employers reporting the most optimistic forecast since 2007. Hiring activity is strongest in Transportation and Utilities, and Mining and Construction sectors.

Hiring intentions in India improve for the second consecutive quarter following the country's weakest historical Outlook from Q3 2017. Increased opportunities for job seekers are expected in all seven industry sectors and across each of the four regions.

improve for the second consecutive quarter following the country's weakest historical Outlook from Q3 2017. Increased opportunities for job seekers are expected in all seven industry sectors and across each of the four regions. Americas: Positive Outlooks are reported in all 10 countries surveyed. U.S. employers report the region's most upbeat forecast, with more than one in every five surveyed saying they intend to hire in the January-March time frame.

Positive Outlooks are reported in all 10 countries surveyed. U.S. employers report the region's most upbeat forecast, with more than one in every five surveyed saying they intend to hire in the January-March time frame. U.S. employers report the strongest Outlook in ten years, driven by optimism in Construction, Manufacturing and Transportation and Utilities sectors.



Canada's Outlook improves for the third consecutive quarter. Hiring intentions are the most optimistic reported since Quarter 4 2013.

Outlook improves for the third consecutive quarter. Hiring intentions are the most optimistic reported since Quarter 4 2013.

Hiring in Mexico remains favorable despite uncertainties associated with ongoing NAFTA negotiations. Forecasts are positive in all industry sectors and regions with the strongest Outlooks reported by employers in the Manufacturing and Transport & Communications sectors.

To view complete results for the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, visit www.manpowergroup.com/meos. The next survey will be released 13 March 2018 and will report hiring expectations for Q2 2018.

*The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for over 400,000 clients and connect 3+ million people to meaningful, sustainable work across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands  Manpower, Experis, Right Management and ManpowerGroup Solutions  creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across 80 countries and territories and has done so for nearly 70 years. In 2017, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the seventh consecutive year and one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies, confirming our position as the most trusted and admired brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup is powering the future of work: www.manpowergroup.com

SOURCE ManpowerGroup

Related Links

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AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, introduced the latest version of Epicor ERP, the global enterprise resource planning solution in use today by thousands of companies in 150 countries worldwide.

"Upgrading Epicor ERP is now easier than ever before, which allows us to go through the upgrade process with minimal business disruption. - Martine Kennedy, IT Project Manager, Windsor Mold Group

The latest release includes powerful new functionality to enable manufacturers to grow, innovate, and compete in today's ever-changing global landscape. Marquee capabilities include mobile Field Service Automation (FSA) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM), as well as new business intelligence and visual analytics capabilities delivered via Epicor Data Discovery. A completely redesigned home page, Active Home Page, Smart Inventory Planning and Optimization, and new country and industry-specific functionality are also key features of the new version.

"Businesses that adopt the latest technologies in cloud, analytics, and employee experience will be fit to grow and respond to the new digital challenges of tomorrow while achieving a competitive advantage right now," said Scott Hays, senior vice president, product marketing, Epicor. "In this, our third major release in the past 13 months, Epicor continues to deliver cloud-enabled, industry-specific functionality, globalization and localization, mobility, and action-oriented analytics, with continued improvements in customer experience, ease-of-use, and performance."

Role-based insights for better, faster execution

According to a recent Gartner report, "In 2018, data and analytics can't be ignored  analytics will drive major innovation and disrupt established business models in the coming years."1 Epicor ERP equips personnel with critical insights at a glance for better, faster analysis and execution. Active Home Page provides dashboard views of role-based analytics with quick access to role-based functionality. This is made possible through Epicor Data Discovery (EDD), which supports rich on-demand data exploration to surface real-time operational and business performance insights to guide decision making. EDD encapsulates complex data sets into easy-to-understand graphs and charts to allow users to quickly gauge performance, understand trends and opportunities, drill down into data sets, and test out "what if" scenarios.

New mobile FSA and CRM

New mobile FSA and CRM functionality empowers sales and service personnel in the field with the added convenience of mobile access. Available in a cloud or on-premises delivery model, Epicor FSA features integrated mapping to support optimized scheduling and dispatch, and robust workflows to automate processes for asset management, contract, warranty and Service Level Agreement (SLAs), and management of service inventory. Epicor FSA can be used with smartphones, tablets, and laptops for both online and offline communications with the back office for enhanced productivity and efficiency across all service workforce facets, for improved response, reduced costs, and improved customer satisfaction.

Epicor CRM supports digitally enabled sales engagements for improved efficiency and productivity in buyer/seller experiences and revenue acceleration. Mobile CRM syncs and updates with Epicor ERP data in real time, enabling sales teams to access vital information such as real-time stock status and customer credit availability quickly and easilywhether in the office or in the fieldvia any mobile device. Rich CRM and sales enablement functionality empowers sales teams to manage contacts, follow up with leads, manage sales pipelines, and develop quotes.

Smart inventory planning and optimization

Optimal inventory strategies are essential to drive profitability and growth. With Epicor Smart Inventory Planning and Optimizationan integrated set of cloud-based capabilities for demand planning, inventory optimization, and supply chain analyticsbusinesses can drive best-practice sales and inventory operations planning (SIOP) and monitor myriad factors to prescribe inventory policies and service levels that yield the lowest total cost.

The package offers a convergence of robust forecasting methodologies, optimization techniques, and consensus demand and inventory planning delivered via an easy-to-use interface accessible in any web browser. Reporting and analytics provide vital stats on inventory status to help uncover root causes of operational inefficiencies, stockouts, excess inventory, and late deliveries.

Capabilities to fit specific business needsaround the world and on the shop floor

New country- and industry-specific functionality provides support for the job at hand  whether it's tax processing in Penang or casting and coating in Kansas City. Functionality localized for specific geographic regions supports global business compliance and reporting, tax and payment processing, and international trade requirements, including legal numbering, and non-recoverable taxes.

Epicor Payment Exchange is now fully integrated with Epicor ERP so customers can enjoy predictable pricing and low rates, along with the peace-of-mind of working with one of the fastest-growing payment processors in the U.S. Epicor Payment Exchange handles all real-time authorization, next-day settlement, and comprehensive reporting for credit card transactions.

Epicor customers using the Epicor Mattec MES solution will also benefit from improvements in MES-ERP integration to more easily account for various parameters and dependencies related to jobs, scheduling, operators, and/or machines.

Upgrading with ease

Committed to providing positive experiences for its customers, Epicor has focused on "ease of everything" from deployment, education, through support, upgrades, and maintenance, resulting in greater profitability, productivity, and growth. New enhancements make it easier than ever for manufacturers to upgrade to the latest version of Epicor ERP to leverage new features and functionality to support growth and competitive advantage.

"Upgrading Epicor ERP is now easier than ever before, which allows us to go through the upgrade process with minimal business disruption," said Martine Kennedy, IT Project Manager with Windsor Mold Group. The company has leveraged Epicor ERP since 2010 to support operational excellence. Windsor's Ontario, Canada-based automotive components division was named a Supplier of the Year by General Motors in 2016.

The latest version of Epicor ERP is now generally available worldwide, however, some functionality such as FSA and Mobile CRM while available in the United States is not available in all regions and is expected to become generally available globally in 2018.

About Epicor ERP

An ideal fit for discrete and mixed mode manufacturing, and guided by the needs of today's users, Epicor ERP is a global enterprise resource planning solution that delivers the choice, flexibility, and agility to drive growth and opportunity throughout your business while easing complexity. A single, end-to-end software solution for business, Epicor ERP is available in the cloud, hosted, or on premises. Epicor ERP offers a modular approach with robust capabilities focused on reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving customer responsiveness across the enterpriseall top priorities for achieving continued growth and profitability. Visit the Epicor ERP solution hub to learn more.

About Epicor Software Corporation

Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed around the needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 40 years of experience with our customers' unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solutionin the cloud or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions manage complexity, increase efficiency, and free up resources so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the information in this news release constitutes forward looking information, including with respect to future product strategies and releases as well as the expected benefits of such functionality. While these forward-looking statements represent our current intentions and judgment, these statements are based on assumptions that are subject to a wide range of risks and our actual results could differ materially. Epicor undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements.

Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation.

Contact: Andre Lenartowicz

Public Relations Manager, Americas

Epicor Software Corporation

+1 512 278 5265

[email protected]

1 Source: Gartner, Inc., "2018 Planning Guide Overview: Thriving in an Era of Change," Sept. 29, 2017 by Paul DeBeasi and Kyle Hilgendorf

SOURCE Epicor Software Corporation

Related Links

http://www.epicor.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Expedia and ARC, a leader of air travel intelligence and commerce in the travel industry, released the findings of the fourth annual ARC Air Travel Outlook Report, a hallmark collaboration between two leaders in air travel. The report also features commentary from Egencia, the corporate travel company of Expedia, on the business travel aspect of the findings.

Expedia and ARC experts analyzed flight data, drawing on billions of data points for domestic and international air travel globally to identify patterns travelers can use to find airfare savings in 2018. The report (download in full here) reveals how travelers can gain real value for money by being strategic about not only when they book a flight, but when they start their journey. It also reveals trends savvy leisure and corporate travelers can use to pay less for seats in the "pointy end" of a plane.

Chuck Thackston, ARC's managing director of data science and research, stated: "It's well understood that consumers who possess relevant information in tune with their personal preferences before they shop, will be more confident and likely to make a final purchase. With our continued strong relationship with Expedia, including Egencia, ARC is able to provide these broad-based insights on travel around the world  both leisure and corporate  that supports the continued growth of air travel and the travel industry as a whole. The ability to see what is changing and provide actionable data and insights to ARC's customers and travelers worldwide is core to ARC's analytical capabilities."

While there are nuances by market, there are also some universal air travel pricing trends.

Busting the "last minute" myth:

Despite popular belief in the benefits of last-minute booking, in most parts of the world, economy fares tend to increase as departure date gets closer.

Best booking lead time for a bargain: Booking a flight more than 30 days ahead of departure is when travelers are most likely to find the lowest Average Ticket Prices (ATPs) for economy and premium cabin air travel.

"Expedia is constantly looking for ways to improve the experience of booking travel. Finding patterns in data is at the core of what we do. Our algorithms use data science to analyze approximately 19 quadrillion potential flight itineraries and filter them to display the most relevant options for each journey," said Greg Schulze, Senior Vice President, Expedia. "When it comes to saving on flights, booking early, and taking advantage of the other unique ways to save on Expedia, will help people go places for less."

Best day to book for a bargain:

For most international and domestic economy flights, cheapest fares are booked on a Sunday/most expensive are booked on a Friday.

For Premium fares, Saturdays and Sundays are the best bargain booking days.

Best day to start a journey?:

Expedia/ARC's tip for 2018: No matter where you're headed, start your journey on a Friday.

The cheapest days-of-week to start an international air journey in the economy cabin are Thursdays and Fridays.

For US domestic economy flights, travelers paid lowest ATPs when they started their journey on a Friday.

The cheapest days-of-week to start an international air journey in the premium cabin are Fridays and Saturdays.

"Business travel may typically take place during the week, but starting the trip on the weekend may help companies save on premium seats. This can turn a business trip to a "bleisure" (business/leisure) trip, improving traveler satisfaction and helping companies with their bottom line," said Tristan Smith, Vice President of Global Transport Supply, Egencia.

What months offer the best fares?

Expedia and ARC experts compared ATPs paid for flights during a calendar month of flight departures and found:

For US travelers:

travelers: December had highest economy international ATPs/February had lowest; June had highest economy domestic ATPs/September had lowest.



October had highest premium international ATPs/December had lowest. June had highest premium domestic ATPs/August had lowest.

For UK economy international travelers, December had highest ATPs/ May had lowest.

economy international travelers, December had highest ATPs/ May had lowest. In Asia , premium fares were highest mid-year (between April and September)

Traveling "on trend" - Where is the world traveling?

Busiest international gateways into the US are New York , Miami , Los Angeles and Orlando , with global demand coming from Canada , Europe , Asia and a range of Latin America origins.

, , and , with global demand coming from , , and a range of origins. Cancun remains a top international destination for US travelers.

remains a top international destination for US travelers. Travel from and within Asia Pacific is a trend: Shanghai, Taipei and Seoul in particular are fueling intra- Asia travel as well as inbound travel to key European airports/cities.

is a trend: Shanghai, and in particular are fueling intra- travel as well as inbound travel to key European airports/cities. Europe remains a substantial contributor to global air travel, with London and Paris key entry points to the region for international travelers.

remains a substantial contributor to global air travel, with and key entry points to the region for international travelers. The Middle East is an important hub for travel between Europe and Asia Pacific (APAC) travel.

Download the FULL REPORT HERE

Data and analysis notes:

ARC and Expedia flight and data experts analyzed ARC's air travel data, tracking Average Ticket Prices (ATPs) and other sources for flight booking, departure and arrival trend data the 12-month period between 1 Sept 2016-31 August 2017, encompassing a full year of global domestic and international flight data, along with airline segment data.

About ARC:

The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) is the premier driver of air travel intelligence and commerce in the travel industry with leading business solutions, travel agency accreditation services, process and financial management tools and high-quality data. In 2016, ARC settled $86 billion worth of carrier ticket transactions for nearly 7,000 travel agencies with more than 12,000 points of sale. Established in 1984, ARC is an ISO 27001 certified company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices in Louisville, Kentucky, Tampa, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit https://www2.arccorp.com/ and www.twitter.com/arctalk.

About Expedia, Inc.

Expedia, Inc. is the world's largest online travel company, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes leading online travel brands, such as:

For corporate and industry news and views, visit us at www.expediainc.com or follow us on Twitter @expediainc.

Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.  2017 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST: 2029030-50

About Egencia

Egencia makes business travel better by making it more connected and complete. Egencia puts travelers at the heart of business travel, continuously supporting them with solutions that are more engaging and effective. Driven by consumer insights and technology investments from parent company, the Expedia, group, Egencia connects everything travelers need  content, technology, service and reporting  in one place. Egencia provides services in more than 65 countries. To connect with Egencia, visit egencia.com or @Egencia. Follow along on our blog.

 2017 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Expedia and the Airplane logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners CST # 2029030-50.

SOURCE Expedia.com

Related Links

http://www.expediainc.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- US business investment projects accounted for $142 billion in capital investment in 2016, according to the EY 2017 US Investment Monitor (USIM), an annual report prepared by Ernst & Young LLP's Quantitative Economics and Statistics (QUEST) and Indirect Tax practices. Nearly 5,400 business investments were announced in 2016 and are expected to create or retain more than 358,000 jobs in the United States. Compared with last year, this is approximately the same number of project announcements but $23 billion lower in capital investments and 44,000 fewer jobs.

"These small, but numerous projects are important drivers of economic development in most states," said Andrew Phillips, Principal of Ernst & Young LLP. "Companies research and analyze the relative merits of different locations before deciding where to invest, and many factors, including the availability of state and local tax incentives, contribute to investment decisions. Mobile capital investments serve as indicators of a region's or state's long-term economic growth potential and competitiveness."

Data from the announced projects analyzed in the 2017 USIM points to longer-term trends shaping economic development both regionally and across industries. The USIM is a leading indicator showing where new investment spending and jobs can be expected over the next several years. The report focuses on US and foreign companies' mobile capital investments, which are not tied to specific markets or geographies. Mobile capital investments include headquarters facilities, data and call centers, manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, and research facilities, which have a wide range of location options. Companies continue to pursue locations with high supply chain potential, low input costs, strong business incentives, growing industry clusters, and advantageous state and local tax systems.

The 20 largest job-creating projects accounted for more than 34,000 jobs across a wide range of industries and facility types and make up 10% of the total jobs announced in 2016. As in previous years, chemical manufacturing projects rank highly. New wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food services and information investments were also significant drivers of new job announcements.

In 2016, 122 project announcements, or 2% of total projects, involved 500 or more jobs, of which only 34 projects  less than 1% of total projects -- supported 1,000 or more jobs. Sixty-eight percent of projects announced fewer than 50 jobs created or retained, which is up 66% from 2015.

The 10 states that attracted the most new or retained jobs in 2016 project announcements account for 56% of all jobs included in this year's USIM.

Ohio: 27,100

Texas: 23,700

Virginia: 21,900

Georgia: 21,000

Florida: 20,500

Illinois: 18,700

California: 17,800

North Carolina: 17,700

Tennessee: 16,600

Arizona: 16,300

The largest capital investment announcement in 2016 was a natural gas liquification facility. The next five largest project announcements were also related to petroleum manufacturing and liquefied natural gas. Automobile manufacturing, data centers, rubber, paper, chemicals, pharmaceutical and ethylene manufacturing investments were also among the largest announced in 2016.

States along the Gulf Coast continue to attract the greatest amounts of capital investment, with Texas and Louisiana claiming 40% of all announced investments.

Top 10 states by capital investment:

Louisiana: $31.2 billion

Texas: $25.4 billion

Pennsylvania: $10.2 billion

Michigan: $9.9 billion

Ohio: $6.1 billion

Tennessee: $5.7 billion

Virginia: $3.9 billion

Arizona: $3.6 billion

South Carolina: $3.3 billion

Georgia: $3.2 billion

Foreign investment spending announcements declined from 22% in 2015 to 8% in 2016. The downward trend is shared by countries worldwide, although the US remains the leading recipient of foreign direct investment. Foreign company investment contributed $12 billion to this year's USIM, which is the lowest level since the 2007-2009 recession and is $24 billion lower than in 2015. China was the top investing nation, followed by Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany.

A copy of the study is available here: http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-2017-US-investment-monitor/$FILE/EY-2017-US-investment-monitor.pdf

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member firm of EY serving clients in the US.

SOURCE EY

Related Links

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BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Florida Atlantic University President John Kelly, Max Planck Society President Martin Stratmann, and David Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), announced a new partnership between FAU and MPFI to establish an undergraduate honors program in neuroscience that will be the first of its kind across the globe. The FAU Max Planck Honors Program is a joint initiative between FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, FAU's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and MPFI. Commencing in fall 2018, the honors program will support several opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and will attract high-performing and talented students such as national merit scholars like those who are dual-enrolled at FAU High School and FAU .

Designed to recruit and serve the "best of the best," this latest honors program with the only Max Planck Institute in North America will focus specifically on neuroscience and be offered on FAU's John D. MacArthur Jupiter campus. It will include majors from the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Psychology and concentrations from the Wilkes Honors College.

"Neuroscience is a strategic focus area for our University and we are delighted to once again join forces with our partners from Max Planck to provide a truly unique honors program for undergraduate students, providing a level of unsurpassed excellence on our John D. MacArthur campus in Jupiter," said Kelly. "This program is like no other in the world for undergraduate research quality, and will propel our national and international visibility as well as enhance partnership opportunities for joint hires, faculty appointments and research grants with our outstanding colleagues at the Max Planck Florida Institute."

The FAU Max Planck Honors Program will serve a select number of elite students that will require a high GPA, where national merit scholars will have preferred admission into the program. The program will offer exclusive electives, specifically unique to the MPFI's faculty and research infrastructure. The honors in the major program will be offered across three degrees in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science: B.S. in biological sciences; B.S. in psychology; and B.S. in neuroscience and behavior; as well as a B.S. degree in liberal arts and science at the Wilkes Honors College.

"Both the Max Planck Florida Institute and the Florida Atlantic University will benefit greatly from this endeavor: Young talented students will be able to earn highly recognized degrees at this 'one-of-a-kind' Honors College, which will also enable them to apply for International Max Planck Research Schools in Germany, and provide international visibility to the Honors Programs at FAU. Most importantly, it will attract exceptional students from all over the world and proudly carries the banners of both FAU and the Max Planck Society." said Stratmann.

Prior partnerships between FAU and Max Planck have led to the creation of two successful graduate degree programs: the Ph.D. in integrative biology offering a concentration in neuroscience - integrative biology and neuroscience (IBNS), and an international Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Brain and Behavior.

The FAU Max Planck Honors Program will empower students to work with world-class faculty researchers through a summer research program, and will include the possibility of directed independent research and an honors thesis with program faculty. Cutting-edge neuroscience training courses will include technologies such as super resolution microscopy, electron microscopy, electrophysiology and opto-genetic technology.

The program also will provide a comprehensive introductory "topics in neuroscience" course; career development workshops for scientists; participation in ongoing Max Planck seminar series and a journal club run by postdoctoral fellows and faculty; access to international symposia with opportunities for students to present their research to Nobel laureates; and special cutting-edge research and techniques in neuroscience taught by teams of renowned local and international scientists and introducing students to a broad range of scientific and technical expertise.

Coordination of the FAU Max Planck Honors Program across both institutes will be administered through the FAU Jupiter Life Science Initiative (JLSI). The state-funded strategic initiative has been extremely successful with providing the framework and administration with the joint graduate FAU Max Planck IBNS and IMPRS Ph.D. programs for the past six years and will continue to serve in this role with the undergraduate FAU Max Planck Honors Program.

About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit fau.edu.

About Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience:

The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter, Fla., is the first American institute established by Germany's prestigious Max Planck Society. It brings together top research neuroscientists from around the world to collaborate on unlocking the mysteries of the brain--the most important and least understood organ in the body--by providing new insight into the functional organization of the nervous system, and its capacity to produce perception, thought, language, memory, emotion, and action. The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience meets this challenge by forging links between different levels of analysis--genetic, molecular, cellular, circuit, and behavioral--and developing new technologies that make cutting edge scientific discoveries possible. The results of the research will be shared publicly with scholars, universities and other institutions around the globe to advance life-saving and life-improving treatments and cures for brain disorders ranging from autism, to Parkinson's to Alzheimer's. For more information, visit http://www.maxplanckflorida.org.

About the Max Planck Society:

The Max Planck Society conducts basic research in the natural sciences, life sciences, and humanities. Since its foundation in 1948, eighteen Nobel laureates have emerged from its ranks. The Max Planck Society with its 84 Max Planck Institutes and facilities is the international flagship for German science: in addition to five foreign institutes, it operates another 17 Max Planck Centers with research institutions such as the Princeton University and the Harvard University in the USA, the Paris University Science Po in France, the University College London in UK, and the University of Tokyo in Japan. Equally funded by federal and state governments, the Max Planck Society had an annual budget of 1.6 billion Euros in 2016.

Media Contact: Gisele Galoustian

Media Relations Director, Research

[email protected]

Phone: 561-297-2676



This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE Florida Atlantic University

Related Links

http://www.fau.edu


KELOWNA, British Columbia, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Flair Airlines, the airline that is reinventing domestic air travel in Canada, announced it will no longer charge passengers for carry-on luggage. Effective December 1st 2017 for anyone booking their flights in December; Flair will remove the $30 carry-on baggage fee.

"We have listened very closely to the input from our passengers," said Chris Lapointe, Vice President Commercial Operations. "Removing the carry-on baggage fee is something that we are excited to do as an airline. We know how important this is to the travelling public in Canada."

Flair Airlines allows for one small personal item, and now one carry-on bag per person free of charge. Standard luggage sizes apply. Passengers will be required to pay for other checked bags. "We want our passengers to have a positive experience with us, and if that requires us removing this fee, then we are delighted to respond," stated Lapointe.

Flair Airlines has recently started distributing their content via Amadeus GDS  the largest travel and tourism industry technology provider in the world. Distribution of its content will offer opportunities to tens of thousands of travel companies (travel agencies) across the world to use Flair Airlines services. Reservations booked in Amadeus GDS can be issued via BSP-Canada and ARC- USA while in secondary markets around the world Flair Airlines tickets can be issued via Hahn Airlines (HR-169) interline.

About Flair Airlines

Flair Airlines Ltd is a Canadian Airline based in Kelowna, BC. Flair operates a fleet of 7 Boeing 737 aircrafts and recently received delivery of additional aircrafts. Airline announced new service between Toronto Pearson Intl Airport, Vancouver Intl Airport and Kelowna and Edmonton on December 15th 2017. Flair Airlines recently acquired assets of NewLeaf travel company, with intent to expand its scheduled service within Canada and United States. For more information, see www.flairairlines.com

SOURCE Flair Airlines

Related Links

http://www.flairairlines.com


ST. LOUIS, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Planning for the continued growth of its largest sector, FleishmanHillard (FH) has elevated Sophie Scott to the role of global managing director, technology. Scott was previously a senior partner and managing director of technology and strategy for the U.K. and EMEA. In this new role she will lead the agency's integrated approach to growing its technology sector on a global basis.

"Sophie's experiences guiding some of the most dynamic technology organizations across the globe make her an excellent choice for this critical role for our firm," said J.J. Carter, FleishmanHillard chief operating officer and president, Americas. "The velocity of disruption taking place today requires us to anticipate and respond with clear communications  often in an instant. Sophie's proven track record leading global teams to achieve this for our clients strengthens our ability to deliver the best work in the industry. We are thrilled she has taken on this next adventure and we expect our teams will thrive under her leadership."

In her new position, Scott will lead the continuous development of the firm's technology sector offering, which represents clients in a wide range of industries: from consumer electronics to cloud computing, e-commerce to security, and telecoms to wearables. She will also be responsible for attracting and developing top talent to support the agency's robust roster of global technology brands across B2B, B2C and B2G.

"This is a big moment in the industry, and I'm honored to be provided with this opportunity," Scott said. "We see huge potential in the traditional B2B tech space and have also seen significant growth and future opportunities when we combine forces with our other leading practices and sectors, such as healthcare, consumer products and services, financial and professional services, and, of course, social and innovation. The global team is best in class and I look forward to working closely with colleagues across FH in this next chapter for our sector."

FleishmanHillard is bringing fresh thinking to clients that are being impacted by technological shifts in their industries, and the growing need for businesses in every sector to position themselves as innovative and digitally driven to survive and thrive. From inspiring non-tech clients to tell their stories at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to helping brands boldly reposition their companies as software and innovation leaders, the agency's deep experience is helping spur ideas in tech and non-tech companies alike.

Scott also sees opportunities in booming tech markets like Asia, where the agency has deep experience and relationships with some of the world's biggest global, Asia-headquartered tech brands.

Scott has been with FleishmanHillard for nearly 15 years executing award winning work. The tech practice in the U.K. tripled under her leadership, and Scott helped launch BlueCurrent, a FleishmanHillard brand, in the U.K. Before joining FH, she worked for Lewis PR's London office.

About FleishmanHillard

FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard was named Agency of the Year at the 2017 North American Excellence Awards; 2017 ICCO Network of the Year for the Americas and EMEA; PRWeek's Best Places to Work 2017; PR News' Best Places to Work in PR 2016-2017; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality for 2018; PR Awards Asia 2017 Greater China Agency of the Year; and NAFE's "Top 50 Companies for Executive Women" for 2010-2017. The firm's award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has more than 80 offices in 30 countries, plus affiliates in 43 countries.

About Omnicom Public Relations Group

Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.

SOURCE FleishmanHillard

Related Links

http://www.fleishmanhillard.com


Themed "Openness & Innovation: Shaping the Global Economy," The Forum attracts world leaders, multinational CEOs and heads of China's most important companies, who gather to discuss the problems and future of the world economy.

Guangzhou is home to offices of 288 of the Fortune 500 companies, 120 of which have their global or Chinese headquarters in the southern city. The Forum is not only a platform for Guangzhou to demonstrate its latest achievements, but it also serves as a window for the world to look into the huge business opportunities and potential it possesses.

During the three-day event, guests of The Forum have been impressed by the original design, top quality, five-star safety level and excellent travel experience provided by GAC Motor's elite sedans, SUVs and multi-purpose vehicles. Guests noted the GAC Motor's vehicles have a very strong design and gorgeous lines on the exterior as well as exquisite workmanship in the interior. Multinational CEOs also visited GAC Motor's headquarters to see the car manufacturing process and praised GAC Motor's innovative spirit and the leading confidence in intelligent manufacturing in China.

"We are honored to be named the official service car provider at the Fortune Global Forum 2017. GAC Motor aims to redefine the high-end standards of the Chinese auto market. Our vehicles show the strength and advanced production capabilities of Chinese automobile manufacturing, as well as an open-minded and innovative approach to industrial restructuring and upgrading." said Yu Jun, president of GAC Motor. "GAC Motor has completed a high-end product lineup with revolutionary designs that will help create a green, low-carbon driving experience."

GAC Motor's elite GA8 sedan, luxury GS8 SUV and first-ever MPV GM8 which were serviced at The Forum have composed GAC Motor's high-end lineup. The company is now the first automaker to cover the mid- to high-end sedan, SUV and MPV market with a complete layout of luxury Class C vehicles.

As a leader of the Chinese automobile industry and a frontrunner of the Guangzhou Internet Architecture Board's (IAB) development strategy, GAC Motor has placed a keen focus on intelligent, internationalized and digitalized development. The company has achieved an 85 percent compound growth rate for six consecutive years, paving out an innovation-driven development path that targets high-end markets and puts quality first.

GAC Motor's strategic goal is to create a world-class Chinese brand that reaches the global market. As of 2017, GAC Motor has established a global sales and service network in 14 countries covering the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and North America; it has also built its first North America R&D Center in Silicon Valley and plans to enter the North American market by 2019.

"GAC Motor is celebrated as the 'Best Chinese Car Brand' in international markets, so it's imperative for us to further advance our global strategic roll-out, which will help the Chinese auto industry continue its transformation from the product manufacturer to one that produces reputable brands that will tell the stories of China." said Yu Jun.

About GAC Motor

Founded in 2008, Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor CO., LTD (GAC Motor) is a subsidiary of GAC Group that develops and manufactures premium quality vehicles, engines, components and auto accessories, achieving a year-to-year growth rate of 96 percent in 2016, the highest among all Chinese brands in the corresponding period. GAC Motor now ranks the highest among all Chinese brands for five consecutive years in J.D. Power Asia Pacific's 2017 China Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). The company aims to form a production capacity of 500,000 vehicles by 2017 and of 1,000,000 vehicles by 2020.

For more information, please visit:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GACMotor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gac_motor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gac_motor

Media Contact:

Contact:

Sukie Wong

+86-186-8058-2829

[email protected]

SOURCE GAC Motor
TOLLAND, Conn., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Gerber Technology, a world leader in integrated software and automation solutions for the apparel and industrial markets, is delighted to announce they will be sponsoring the 2018 Professional Clothing Award (PCA) Vision Best Design (University).

The contest requires students to share their vision of stylish, functional professional clothing (corporate wear, workwear and personal protective equipment [PPE]) that can be worn for a specific job role in a sector of their choice. The goal is for the students to deliver innovative designs that truly meet the needs of the worker (man or woman) to help them perform their job to the best of their ability in their standard job environment. The Best Design Award (University) will be awarded to the university or college which has the best overall design submissions meeting the PCA Vision contest criteria.

Yvonne Heinen-Foudeh, Marketing and Communications Director, EMEA for Gerber Technology, said: "We are very proud to be sponsoring the Vision part of the prestigious Professional Clothing Awards. We have nominated a pattern and market expert from Gerber Technology to join the judging panel to help select the additional Vision Award winner and she looks forward to seeing the applications. Having recently relaunched The Student Design Award, Gerber Technology is excited to engage with the contest and be part of an important initiative to identify and encourage the next generation. It is important that we welcome new talent into the Professional Clothing segment and we are very pleased to be part of this."

Gerber's mission is to make it easy for anyone in the world using textiles, leather, composites or other flexible materials to go from concept to market quickly and seamlessly. The provider of integrated automation solutions with UK premises in Manchester has been empowering educators and those who support them with technology to help prepare the next generation of fashion leaders for nearly 50 years.

Yvette Ashby, Managing Director of Professional Clothing director-e, Show and Awards, emphasized: "We are proud and honored to have Gerber Technology on board to support PCA Vision Best Design Award (University) and offer expertise on digital pattern making. Technology is an essential part of university education for the next generation of designers, as well as for the entire professional clothing industry."

"The success of the industry relies on students graduating with the knowledge of how technologies like PLM, CAD and smart machines are used in manufacturing and how they are all connected. This is essential to the workflow and the contest provides an opportunity for students to present their capabilities," added Yvonne Heinen-Foudeh. "The 2018 PCA Vision provides students with a stage to show off their extra-ordinary talents and help them create an impact before entering the professional world. Yvette Ashby and her team behind PCA Vision have created a powerful platform to make this happen, along with getting key apparel segments  corporate wear, work and image wear  as well as protective garments into the lime light they deserve."

The 2018 PCA Vision contest forms the basis for the support that the Professional Clothing Awards and the professional clothing industry gives to young, upcoming designers. PCA Vision is an international contest, open to students from across Europe and winners will be announced at the opulent awards ceremony held on Wednesday 20th June 2018 at the Park Plaza London Riverbank.

For more information please visit http://www.professionalclothingawards.com/vision.html.

About Gerber Technology

Gerber Technology delivers industry-leading software and automation solutions that help apparel and industrial customers improve their manufacturing and design processes and more effectively manage and connect the supply chain, from product development and production to retail and the end customer. Gerber serves 78,000 customers in 130 countries, including more than 500 companies in apparel & accessories, home and leisure, transportation, packaging and sign & graphics. The company develops and manufactures its products from various locations in the United States and Canada and has additional manufacturing capabilities in China.

Gerber Technology has developed partnerships with over 1,400 colleges, universities, technical and fashion schools across the world, providing them with solutions and expertise to help the teachers prepare students with the skills they require in today's competitive fashion workplace.

Based in Connecticut in the USA, Gerber Technology is owned by AIP, a New York based, global private equity firm specializing in the technology sector and has more than $3.0 billion assets under management.

gerbertechnology.com

About PCA Vision 2018

The 2018 PCA Vision Student Design Award contest is set up, organized, managed and promoted by Marston Consulting Ltd (UK Company No. 3326364), which trades as director-e at South House 3A Suite 4, Bond Estate, Bond Avenue, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK1 1SW.

For full details about the contest please visit http://www.professionalclothingawards.com/vision.html

About the Professional Clothing Awards (PCA)

The Professional Clothing Awards have been established to recognize the international uniform supply chain and reward exceptional workwear, corporate clothing and PPE from around the world. The annual UK Professional Clothing Awards celebrate achievements in the world of workwear and professional clothing and takes place in London in June. The awards cover all facets of the working garment industry from Business Manager Awards, PPE Innovation Awards, Supplier, Manufacturer and Distributor Awards to Industry Recognition Awards. There is also a special focus awards section for student designers looking to make their mark on the professional clothing industry.

Contact: Yvonne Heinen-Foudeh

Tel: + 49 (0)162 290 89 70

[email protected]

SOURCE Gerber Technology

Related Links

http://www.gerbertechnology.com


SAN FRANCISCO and LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles-based brokerage Gibson International and Pacific Union International, Inc., the eighth-largest real estate brokerage in the U.S. by 2016 sales volume, today announced the intent to unite brands in the first quarter of 2018.

Pacific Union International CEO Mark A. McLaughlin and Gibson International Co-founder and president Scott Gibson today announced the unification of their two real estate firms ranking Pacific Union International as the leader for sales volume of all independent residential real estate brokerages in Los Angeles and in the state of California.

Led by Co-founders and President, Scott Gibson, and Executive Vice President Pat Heller, independent boutique luxury brokerage Gibson International has 160 real estate professionals in four offices in Brentwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, and Marina del Rey. The brokerage is forecast to deliver 2017 sales volume of $1 billion.

Gibson International will continue to operate under its current name until early 2018, when it will assume the Pacific Union International brand. In the interim, the brokerage's real estate professionals will begin incorporating Pacific Union's innovative marketing and business-intelligence assets into its real estate practice. Gibson International recently was honored by Inman as an outstanding national leader for its innovative business practices, making the partnership with Pacific Union a strong fit, and the firm also has been ranked on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for the past three years.

"When Pat and I made the decision to look for an additional investment partner we knew we wanted to find a group that shares our same values," Gibson says. "We are a people-centric firm with a culture that provides great value to our real estate professionals. Pacific Union shares this same commitment to its team, and we're excited to build upon that shared value."

The two West Coast brokerages share history as well. Pacific Union has been an investor in Gibson International since 2015. "In truly an unprecedented way, the residential real estate landscape in Los Angeles will change starting Jan. 5, 2018, when Gibson International, John Aaroe Group, and Partners Trust -- along with Empire Realty Associates in Northern California -- will rebrand to Pacific Union," Pacific Union CEO Mark A. McLaughlin says. "Our real estate professionals and their clients will benefit from the unified brands."

"We have a strong belief in Scott's exceptional leadership and team," McLaughlin continues. "His brokerage's strong position on the Westside of Los Angeles makes it an ideal partner for Pacific Union as we realize our vision to become the ultimate California real estate company."

In addition to a robust array of innovative sales tools, a Chinese Concierge office in Beijing, the dedicated China website www.pacificunion.cn, and business-intelligence analyses from Chief Economist and Ph.D. Selma Hepp, Gibson International will benefit from Pacific Union's global digital marketing campaigns.

Pacific Union's international digital branding campaign directly markets our prominent listings to real estate investors in the leading international markets of China, India, Brazil, and the U.K. Since its launch in 2016, the campaign delivered more than 187 million global impressions and 621,000 international site visits to www.pacificunion.com. In November, the U.K.-based International Property Awards named Pacific Union International "Best California Real Estate Brokerage" for its innovative global marketing practices.

This is the fourth geographic expansion for Pacific Union in the California market in the last year following its mergers with Contra Costa County-based Empire Realty Associates in November, Beverly Hills-based Partners Trust in August 2017 and John Aaroe Group in December 2016.

In 2017, Pacific Union became the largest independent luxury real estate brokerage in California. The union with Gibson International expands the San Francisco-based brokerage to 51 offices in Northern and Southern California with more than 1,600 real estate professionals.

Gibson International

Presenting 321 South Bristol, an extraordinary Brentwood Park estate. $21,500,000

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RhROz6inqoaRy1nSS-CqwAHALtQiKSAe?usp=sharing

Photo Credit: The Salty Shutters

https://www.321sbristol.com/

Pacific Union International

Presenting Fieldhaven, the Bay Area's Most Exceptional Estate. $39,000,000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ral904w6qyz5byv/2S3A7095_FR.jpg?dl=0

Photo credit: Open Homes Photography

http://www.7countryoaklane.com/

About Pacific Union International

Founded in San Francisco in 1975, Pacific Union International, Inc. is the West Coast's premier luxury real estate brand with 2016 sales volume of $12.61 billion. In 2016, real estate industry leaders RISMedia and REAL Trends rank Pacific Union as the eighth-largest brokerage in the U.S.

Through its 2015 acquisition of The Mark Company, the nation's leading sales and marketing firm for new urban luxury developments, Pacific Union expanded its brand to development projects from San Diego to Seattle.

In 2016 Pacific Union merged with Los Angeles-based brokerage John Aaroe Group, followed in 2017 with a merger with Partners Trust also based in Los Angeles and Empire Realty Associates extending the Pacific Union brand to become the preeminent leader and ultimate California real estate company. The strategic alliance of these five powerhouses along with Gibson International supports more than 1,600 elite real estate professionals in 51 offices throughout the West Coast. Northern California markets include San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, and Sonoma counties, Silicon Valley, and the Lake Tahoe region. Greater Los Angeles markets include Beverly Hills, Malibu, Downtown, the Westside, and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.

To extend Pacific Union's international reach, in 2013 the brokerage established an award-winning, Beijing-based China Concierge program that fully supports its Chinese investors on the mainland. Additionally, Pacific Union offers a full range of personal and commercial real estate services, including buying, selling, and relocation in addition to operating joint-venture businesses that provide rental and commercial property management and insurance services. Locally owned, Pacific Union executes with a vision for the future, an entrepreneurial mindset, and an unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service and expertise. For more information, visit: www.pacificunion.com.

Gibson International

Driven by the principle that exceptional service begins with extraordinary people, Gibson International is a leading full-service luxury real estate company that is building Los Angeles' first invitation-only real estate brokerage. Founded in 2008, Gibson International has grown from one office, 30 agents and $142 million in sales during its first year of operation to over 160 agents spanning offices in Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Marina del Rey and Santa Monica who are forecasted to close $1 billion in sales during the company's ninth year. Gibson International specializes in marketing extraordinary homes and matching buyers with properties guided by a lifestyle-driven approach throughout Los Angeles' most exclusive neighborhoods. In addition, the firm offers dedicated relocation services and a full suite of services through its affiliated partners. Gibson International's high-quality real estate agents represent the very best that the region's broker community has to offer, each providing an unparalleled level of service with every transaction.

Gibson International is a proud affiliate of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, which further strengthens the firm's global reach and unrivaled marketing capabilities. Learn more at http://www.gibsonintl.com/ and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Pacific Union International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pacificunion.com


Moroccan MPs condemned Washingtons decision to move its embassy to occupied Al-Quds, saying it violates international law and undermines peace process between Palestinians and Israelis.

In a joint session held Monday by the two houses of the Parliament, in presence of Head of Govt Saad Eddine El Othmani and Palestinian ambassador to Morocco Jamal Choubki, the MPs denounced the judaization of the holy city and hailed the efforts made by King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, to counter American embassy move to Al Quds.

Before Trumps announcement, the Moroccan Sovereign sent messages to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and to the US President voicing his deep concern and that of Arab and Muslim countries over US dangerous move.

In this message to trump, the King stressed the importance of the city of Jerusalem, not only to the parties to the conflict, but also to the followers of the three revealed religions.

With its unique religious character, historical identity and special political symbolism, the city of Jerusalem should remain a land as well as a symbol of coexistence and tolerance among all people, said King Mohammed VI, adding that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem would have a negative impact on prospects for achieving a just, comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The Monarch had warned that the move, in a region already embroiled in several serious crises, could fuel the feelings of injustice and frustration that extremism and terrorism feed on.

Unfortunately, despite the international community warnings and persistent appeals for common sense, US president went ahead with his plans and declared Jerusalem the capital city of Israel, provoking anger of the Arab and Islamic world and ignited the Palestinian peoples fury.

According to Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi, the peace process is finished, while French president, Emmanuel Macron said US recognition of Jerusalem was a threat to peace.

Commenting US president move, several European writers, musicians and actors condemned in a letter Trumps announcement, saying his decision will help to further an Israeli agenda to erase Palestinians as a political and cultural presence from the life of their own city.

They accuse the Israeli government of subjecting the Palestinian people to municipal discrimination at every level and instigating a creeping process of ethnic cleansing.

We reject Trumps collusion with such racist manipulation and his disregard for international law, says the artists letter, deploring US Presidents readiness to crown the Israeli military conquest of East Jerusalem and his indifference to Palestinian rights.

As artists and as citizens, we challenge the ignorance and inhumanity of these policies, and celebrate the resilience of Palestinians living under occupation, adds the letter.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GNS Healthcare (GNS), a leading precision medicine company, together with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), have discovered a biomarker that identifies which multiple myeloma patients will benefit from stem cell transplantation. This discovery supports more effective treatment of patients, precisely answering a deeply important, personal, and recurring question in multiple myeloma care. The presentation, titled "Multiple Myeloma Drivers of High Risk and Response to Stem Cell Transplantation Identified by Causal Machine Learning: Out-of-Cohort and Experimental Validation", was given over the weekend at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting (ASH) held in Atlanta, Georgia.

REFS, the GNS causal learning and simulation platform, reverse engineered models of 645 multiple myeloma patients, connecting treatments to patient characteristics and outcomes. Without prior knowledge, the REFS platform identified a biomarker, CHEK1, that acts as a causal driver behind a patient's response to stem cell treatment. Patients with low levels of this gene receive a 22-month Progression Free Survival (PFS) benefit from stem cell transplantation; patients with high levels do not receive a significant benefit. The discovery of the link between a multiple myeloma patient's genetic profile and treatment response ahead of undergoing a costly, invasive treatment such as stem cell transplantation will bring precision to a difficult medical decision in a high-risk disease.

"The ability to better match multiple myeloma patients with stem cell therapy is a crucial finding in the fight against this terrible cancer," said Colin Hill, Chairman, CEO, and co-founder of GNS Healthcare. "Our platform, using the MMRF's patient data, reverse engineered models of the patient mechanisms and simulated stem cell treatment patient by patient. Our discovery revealed who will and who will not respond to stem cell transplantation."

The ASH presentation and study are part of an ongoing initiative of the MMRF and GNS to identify new multiple myeloma therapies and develop personalized care pathways. Despite a recent increase in the number of therapeutic options for the treatment of multiple myeloma, the cancer is still viewed as incurable. The data used in the model comes from the CoMMpass Study, a longitudinal study of newly diagnosed patients with active multiple myeloma, to map each of the patient's genomic profiles to clinical outcomes to develop a more complete understanding of patient responses to treatments.

"We believe this work can help answer the questions that are most important to multiple myeloma patients and their families and will drive towards more precision-based approaches for all patients," said Paul Giusti, President and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

About REFS

REFS (Reverse Engineering & Forward Simulation) is GNS Healthcare's patented causal learning and simulation platform. Unlike traditional artificial intelligence platforms, REFS analyzes data sets beyond correlation, instead inferring causal mechanisms between variables to answer questions such as: How will the patient respond to this treatment? What if we choose one intervention over another? REFS is the only commercially available platform that infers causal mechanisms from patient data at scale from traditional healthcare and emerging data sources to bring the promise of precision medicine within reach.

About GNS Healthcare

GNS Healthcare solves healthcare's matching problem for leading health plans, biopharma companies, and health systems. We transform massive and diverse data streams to precisely match therapeutics, procedures, and care management interventions to individuals, improving health outcomes and saving billions of dollars. Our causal learning and simulation platform, REFS, accelerates the discovery of what works for whom and why.

www.gnshealthcare.com

Media Contact:

Karen Sharma

MacDougall Biomedical Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE GNS Healthcare

Related Links

http://www.gnshealthcare.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Henley USA's appetite for multi-family properties continues with the off-market purchase of an additional residential property in New York.

The new Henley City Living-branded asset, Hayes Court, is located in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York, and consists of 56 residential units and six commercial suites spread over two five-story, mirrored buildings, comprising approximately 50,000 sq. ft.

The buildings provide a significant amount of development upside, which will be used to derive additional value from the property. Alongside reconfiguring the majority of apartments to enhance layouts and adding bedrooms to oversized units, Henley City Living will be undertaking a renovation of the building's common areas, including the creation of a rooftop balcony for the tenants' benefit. The company also plans to incorporate numerous technological amenities into the buildings, including new building and unit entry systems, creating a residential experience similar to that of full-service apartments. Finally, Henley City Living intends to replace the aging heating infrastructure with a new, more efficient natural gas boiler / hot water heater.

This acquisition follows the group's recent off-market purchases of more than 1,000 units in New York and Arizona.

Commenting on Henley's acquisition, Ian Rickwood, Chief Executive Officer of Henley Investments, said:

"This additional purchase by Henley USA in Jackson Heights, New York, demonstrates our ongoing, strong momentum and appetite in this market. Through both unit renovation and active asset management, multi-family assets in prime locations provide the opportunity for significant upside and rental returns. The local expertise of Henley USA leaves us well-placed to identify assets which meet our key criteria; we have a strong pipeline in place and look forward to announcing further acquisitions in the new year."

Garrett Solomon, President of Henley USA, commented:

"As demand for rental units in Manhattan continues to climb, Henley USA has recognized the Jackson Heights area as both an affordable and popular area for renters within the New York City Metro area. This acquisition provides us with an exceptional opportunity to purchase a high quality asset in a prime location with excellent access to Manhattan. At each Henley City Living property, we plan to make everyday life for our residents more convenient. Through planned renovations, active management as well as the installation and use of the latest in-home technology, we are confident that this asset will deliver exceptional returns."

This deal was sourced through Henley USA's network, with legal services provided by Choate out of Boston.

Notes to Editor:

Henley

Established in 2006, Henley is a leading UK private equity real estate investor focusing on development, investment and asset management in the commercial, residential, healthcare debt and alternative real estate market. Since inception, Henley has approximately doubled in size every year and is expected to do the same again in 2017. The company currently has around $1.5 billion in assets under management (as of mid-year 2017).

Henley is an entrepreneurial company that continues to back entrepreneurs. Its platform has multiple divisions, all headed by an experienced entrepreneurial partner. These include Henley Space, a prime London residential development; HCRE, an opportunistic commercial investment; Henley Healthcare Investments; Henley 360, a European light industrial vehicle; Henley Camland, a land infrastructure business; Henley Ark, in the student accommodation space and Henley USA, which looks at new ventures across all asset classes.

Launched by private equity real estate group Henley in April 2016, Henley USA has offices in Boston, California and Florida and is headed by ex-Rockpoint executive Garrett Solomon, who was also the founder of Corbelis, an award-winning residential master-plan and management company. Henley USA's business investment strategy focuses on replicating the same opportunistic entrepreneurial platform as its European counterpart, by investing in the best local operators across the US real estate market.

SOURCE Henley USA
BATESVILLE, Ind., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE: HI) will hold its investor day today in New York City, with presentations given by Joe Raver, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kristina Cerniglia, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and other senior executives. Management will present its growth strategy and provide an in-depth review of its Batesville and Process Equipment Group segments and the Hillenbrand Operating Model. In addition, the company is introducing fiscal 2020 financial targets and will reaffirm its 2018 guidance.

"We look forward to sharing more with the investor community about the progress we have made in transforming Hillenbrand to a global diversified industrial company," said Joe Raver. "We have expanded our portfolio and leveraged the Hillenbrand Operating Model to achieve sustainable margin expansion. Our journey continues as we focus on building platforms to develop scale and enhance leadership positions to drive profitable growth through the execution of our strategy."

Introduces 2020 Financial Targets

Hillenbrand is introducing fiscal 2020 financial targets, specifically:

Organic Revenue Growth: 2% to 4% CAGR

Process Equipment Group: Up 4% to 6% CAGR



Batesville : Down 1% to 3% CAGR

: Down 1% to 3% CAGR Process Equipment Group Adjusted EBITDA Margin: + 250 bps

Adjusted EPS: Double digit CAGR1

Reaffirms Fiscal 2018 Guidance

The Company is also reaffirming its 2018 guidance:

Organic Revenue Growth: 2% to 4%

Process Equipment Group: Up 5% to 7%



Batesville : Down 1% to 3%

: Down 1% to 3% GAAP EPS: $2.11 to $2.23

to Adjusted EPS: $2.16 to $2.28

"We believe we will achieve our vision of being a world-class global industrial company by investing in targeted areas close to our core businesses both organically and through strategic acquisitions," said Kristina Cerniglia. "As we continue to execute our strategy, we are confident in our ability to achieve our long-term profitable growth targets."

Event Webcast Details

The presentation will begin at 9:00 a.m. (ET) and is expected to conclude at approximately 12:15 p.m. The public may access the event through a live webcast available on the Investor Relations section of Hillenbrand's website. The conference is also available by dialing the following numbers:

Webcast link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/359/23760 (archived through Tuesday, February 27, 2018)

Conference Call Information (Audio only)

Date/Time: 9:00 a.m. ET, Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Dial-In for U.S. and Canada: 1-669-900-6833

Dial-In for International: +1-646-558-8656

Conference call ID number: 214 991 793

Throughout this release, we make a number of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. As the words imply, forward-looking statements are statements about the future, as contrasted with historical information. Our forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and current expectations of future events that we believe are reasonable, but by their very nature they are subject to a wide range of risks. If our assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks and uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from Hillenbrand's expectations and projections.

Words that could indicate that we are making forward-looking statements include the following:

intend believe plan expect may goal would become pursue estimate will forecast continue could targets encourage promise improve progress potential should

This is not an exhaustive list. Our intent is to provide examples of how readers might identify forward-looking statements. The absence of any of these words, however, does not mean that the statement is not forward-looking.

Here is the key point: Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results could differ materially from those set forth in any forward-looking statements. Any number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, could cause our performance to differ significantly from what is described in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Hillenbrand, or any companies we may acquire; risks that an acquisition disrupts current operations or poses potential difficulties in employee retention or otherwise affects financial or operating results; the ability to recognize the benefits of an acquisition, including potential synergies and cost savings or the failure of an acquired company to achieve its plans and objectives generally; global market and economic conditions, including those related to the credit markets; volatility of our investment portfolio; adverse foreign currency fluctuations; involvement in claims, lawsuits and governmental proceedings related to operations; labor disruptions; the dependence of our business units on relationships with several large providers; increased costs or unavailability of raw materials; continued fluctuations in mortality rates and increased cremations; competition from nontraditional sources in the death care industry; cyclical demand for industrial capital goods; certain tax-related matters; and changes to legislation, regulation, treaties or government policy resulting from the current political environment. For a more in-depth discussion of these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements, see the discussions under the heading "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A of Hillenbrand's Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2017. The company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information.

About Hillenbrand

Hillenbrand (www.hillenbrand.com) is a global diversified industrial company with multiple market-leading brands that serve a wide variety of industries across the globe. We pursue profitable growth and robust cash generation in order to drive increased value for our shareholders. Hillenbrand's portfolio is composed of two business segments: the Process Equipment Group and Batesville. The Process Equipment Group businesses design, develop, manufacture and service highly engineered industrial equipment around the world. Batesville is a recognized leader in the North American death care industry. Hillenbrand is publicly traded on the NYSE under "HI".

1 5-7% excluding acquisitions

SOURCE Hillenbrand, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hillenbrand.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Homer Logistics, a startup specializing in optimizing local, same-day delivery using advanced logistics technology, today announced it will expand its delivery services into Manhattan's Upper East and Upper West sides. To accommodate services in the new territories, the company purchased a new warehouse space to house supplies and support couriers. The company also launched an initiative to hire 500 additional couriers by the end of 2017.

"Homer is gaining rapid momentum as businesses increasingly realize the need for a sustainable and economical solution for same day and faster delivery," said Adam Price, CEO of Homer Logistics. "Our expansion into the Upper East and West sides signifies the high demand for logistics services that connect consumers with a wide range of products and services in a short amount of time. Homer's technology is mastering the complexities of urban environments to not only make these local deliveries happen, but more efficient."

Homer Logistics provides a delivery solution for businesses through the combination of logistics technology and a fully employed fleet of delivery couriers. To support this expansion and to meet existing demand, the company anticipates it will hire an additional 500 couriers in Manhattan. Homer uses an employee-first model. The average hourly pay for a courier at Homer is $19 per hour and benefits include stock options as well as medical, dental, and vision insurance.

The company's team of data scientists, operations research scientists, and engineers creates software that better predicts and understands delivery patterns. This enables Homer Logistics to both schedule employees in accordance with delivery demand and optimize real-time, automated dispatching, ultimately bringing economic efficiency to same-day deliveries without sacrificing delivery time or quality.

Homer Logistics has raised a total of $14.5 million in funding since 2015 to support its growing business platform, and partners with local merchants, online ordering platforms, and longer haul logistics companies. The company is headquartered and manages all delivery operations in Manhattan.

About Homer Logistics

Homer Logistics provides a local delivery fulfillment solution for businesses through the combination of logistics technology and a fully employed fleet of delivery couriers. Our delivery solution enables businesses to outsource delivery operations and specialize on their core competency. Homer specializes in creating software that better predicts and understands delivery patterns, enabling us to both schedule employees in accordance with delivery demand and optimize real-time, automated dispatching; ultimately, bringing economic efficiency to same-day deliveries while maintaining the highest levels of customer service. For more information, please visit homerlogistics.com.

Contact: Siobhan Nolan, 646-291-6037, [email protected]

SOURCE Homer Logistics

Related Links

http://www.homerlogistics.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Some things can be planned, others happen organically. It is refreshing in these chaotic times to hear a heartfelt story of family love for its traditional Sicilian food, a tenacious entrepreneurial spirit, faith, and, in this case, a Sicilian old world recipe being shared from grandfather to grandson.

I.S.S. Pizza Party Sicilian Village Marinated Green & Black Olives - 12oz pack

The family's marinated olives became the first product of their Sicilian Village brand. There have been many startup challenges, including Harvey, but the brand has beat the odds. Having grown so popular in Texas as an H-E-B "Primo Pick," the olives have now reached the astronaut grocery list aboard the International Space Station (I.S.S.).

David Quartaro, owner, recalls the moment that his grandfather looked at him, and squeezed his hand, his heart speaking more loudly than his words. "Grandpa's hopeful and fearless spirit filled me," David recalls, "Grandpa said that he wanted to see me succeed in the food business like he had with the Dutch Kettle restaurant. Authentic Sicilian foods are so hard to come by, he would always say." After his grandfather passed away in 2014, David's entrepreneur spirit ignited to make a leap of faith, honor his heritage, and start working full time in the specialty food business with his wife Stacey.

Marinating olives and building an authentic food brand became David and Stacey's life focus. David raised money from friends and investors to build a production facility in Dickinson, Texas, a Houston suburb. Little would he know that Hurricane Harvey would destroy many of the businesses in Dickinson a few years laterfortunately, miraculously, sparing his beloved olive business. In September 2017, H-E-B asked to become an exclusive partner to sell Sicilian Village products in Texas and northern Mexico for the next five years. Bed Bath & Beyond started selling Sicilian Village olives at select stores nationally. Sicilian Village olives have been an Amazon Prime item since 2009.

The Quartaros won't tell you the secret ingredients used in their marinade, but customers will swear that those spices are a winning formula. Bloomberg News picked up on the flavor of the olives and the convenient "snack pack" and bought 40,000 packs for a healthy snack event they hosted recently.

The biggest surprise came last autumn when David and Stacey heard a rumor that their olives had traveled to the International Space Stationmore than once. Whoever thinks about where the astronauts do their grocery shopping? Or how a food makes it onto their regular staples list?

Apparently, NASA shops at H-E-B in Houston, where they found the Sicilian Village marinated olive snack packs prominently displayed. "I know Grandpa Quartaro is very proud of us," David smiles, "When the I.S.S. pizza party aired on TV and online, showing our olive packs floating from one astronaut to another, and our olives on Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli's pizza, it was like we were dreaming." Even growing up near NASA, the couple never imagined seeing their products in space.

Sicilian Village is a limited partnership of specialty food products based in Dickinson, Texas. Marinated olives are their first product, produced in the USA. In 2018, Sicilian Village will introduce a hand-selected line of ancient grain pastas, extra virgin olive oil, specialty sauces, pestos and spreads imported from Sicilian producers they know by name, with love and pride.

Sicilian Village, L.P.

951 FM 646

Dickinson, TX 77539

www.sicilianvillage.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sicilian-Village-107767391331/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sicilian_village/

Media Contact:

David Quartaro

[email protected]

281-536-4554

SOURCE Sicilian Village

Related Links

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NEW YORK, LONDON and OSLO, Norway, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- iGR, a market strategy consultancy firm focused on the wireless and mobile communications industry, today announced it has selected and implemented Confirmit Horizons to strengthen its end-to-end data collection and reporting capabilities.

Established in 2000, iGR delivers actionable results and insight to some of the world's largest wireless organizations. iGR has implemented Confirmit Horizons to support its data collection, analysis and reporting activities in order to provide expert advice and analysis to their clients. Most notably, the power of Confirmit Reportal, a customizable reporting solution, enables iGR to share fully tailored reports that deliver deeper levels of detail and insight to clients.

"Our clients look to us to not only help strengthen their position in the marketplace, but also to define their future direction, while improving their bottom line," said Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR. "We needed a new technology partner to help drive us forward, and during our evaluation process, it became clear that Confirmit Horizons was the right choice. Our partnership with Confirmit enables us to capture consistent and accurate data and rapidly turn that data into insight that we can share with our clients."

The end-to-end integration of capabilities within Confirmit Horizons was key to the selection process. In addition to Confirmit's robust reporting and dashboard capabilities, iGR leverages its survey design solutions to create custom-branded surveys that can accommodate any level of necessary sophistication. Furthermore, Confirmit Horizons supports the deployment of surveys on multiple device types and operating systems  a critical aspect for iGR and its clients.

Gillott sums up: "Since implementing Confirmit Horizons, we've been able to significantly improve our processes and we are delivering results to clients faster than ever before, which is helping us to win more repeat business. Being able to keep data collection and analysis, including critical requirements such as weighting, on the same platform has made us much more efficient, as has the ability to rapidly deploy client-ready reports directly from the platform."

"We're delighted to partner with iGR as they continue to expand their business and provide unmatched advice and analysis to their clients," said Dave King, President, Americas at Confirmit. "Confirmit Horizons provides the ideal end-to-end solution to support iGR with this effort, particularly with its sophisticated reporting capabilities. We look forward to iGR's continued success and are excited for what's to come."

About Confirmit

Confirmit is the world's leading SaaS vendor for multi-channel Customer Experience, Employee Engagement, and Market Research solutions. The company has offices in Oslo (headquarters), Grimstad, London, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Vancouver, and Yaroslavl. Confirmit's software is also distributed through partner resellers in Madrid, Milan, Salvador, and Tokyo.

Confirmit powers Global 5000 companies and Market Research agencies worldwide with a wide range of software products for feedback / data collection, panel management, data processing, analysis, and reporting. Customers include Aurora, British Airways, British Standards Institution, Copart, Cross-Tab, Dow Chemical, GfK, GlaxoSmithKline, GMO Research, KeepFactor, Morehead Associates, Nielsen, Research Now, RS Components, QRS, SSI, Sony Mobile Communications, and Swisscom. Visit www.confirmit.com for more information.

About iGR

iGR is a market strategy consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile communications industry. Founded by Iain Gillott, one of the wireless industry's leading analysts, in late 2000 as iGillottResearch, iGR is now in its seventeenth year of operation. iGR continuously researches emerging and existent technologies, technology industries, and consumer markets. We use our detailed research to offer a range of services to help companies improve their position in the marketplace, clearly define their future direction, and ultimately improve their bottom line.

iGR researches a range of wireless and mobile products and technologies, including: smartphones; tablets; mobile wearable devices; connected cars; mobile applications; bandwidth demand and use; small cell and het-net architectures; mobile EPC and RAN virtualization; DAS; LTE; VoLTE; IMS; NFC; GSM/GPRS/UMTS/HSPA; CDMA 1x/EV-DO; iDEN; SIP; macro-, pico- and femtocells; mobile backhaul; WiFi and WiFi offload; and SIM and UICC. A more complete profile of the company can be found at www.igr-inc.com.

Media Contact

Sara Beth Fahey

Matter Communications

[email protected]

(401) 351-9507

SOURCE Confirmit

Related Links

http://www.confirmit.com


Event to feature leading-edge developer, teenage software phenom

LAKE MARY, Fla., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) is pleased to announce the initial lineup of world-class speakers for its 2018 International Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With the theme "Connecting the World Through Innovation," the event will emphasize innovation and tackle emerging technology issues and other relevant topics facing organizations and the internal audit profession worldwide.

The annual conference is considered the largest gathering of internal auditors in the world. It will take place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, part of the Dubai World Trade Centre complex, May 6-9, 2018, and feature more than 100 world-renowned speakers, over 70 sessions, and thousands of professionals from around the globe.

Attendees will have access to a number of educational sessions on current and emerging issues and trends, ranging from business sustainability, information security, and governance to risk, fraud, and corruption. It will also present industry best practices in addressing common challenges, as well as knowledge-sharing opportunities.

"The IIA is excited to partner with IIAUnited Arab Emirates, one of our most innovative institutes in one of the world's fastest-growing markets for internal audit and governance, risk and control professionals," said IIA President and CEO Richard Chambers, CIA, QIAL, CGAP, CCSA, CRMA. "The IIA's International Conference showcases the best and brightest in the profession and provides participants with insights, tips, and guidance from an array of thought leaders and industry experts from leading corporations, organizations, and government institutions."

The event will feature internationally known trailblazers, such as:

H.E. Mohamed Ali Rashed Alabbar, founder and chairman of Emaar Properties, one of the largest real estate development companies in the world, and a pioneer in positioning Dubai as a world-class city. He will speak on reaching new heights through innovation.

as a world-class city. He will speak on reaching new heights through innovation. Tanmay Bakshi , a 14-year-old software-development phenom from Canada who has been programming since the age of 5. Tanmay, a neural network architect and honorary IBM cloud advisor, will discuss open-source development related to information security and technology auditing.

, a 14-year-old software-development phenom from who has been programming since the age of 5. Tanmay, a neural network architect and honorary IBM cloud advisor, will discuss open-source development related to information security and technology auditing. H.E. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori , the UAE's Minister of Economy, who will examine global issues impacting business.

, the UAE's Minister of Economy, who will examine global issues impacting business. Abdullah Al-Rowais , Chief Audit Executive of Etihad Etisalat Co. (Mobily), who will speak on internal audit in action.

Additional speakers and session details will be announced over the next several weeks.

"We are honored to host such a prestigious and anticipated event," said IIA-UAE CEO Abdulqader Obaid Ali. "It will surely be a program that delves into timely issues impacting the profession, rich with insights for internal auditors at every level."

IIA Global Chairman J. Michael Peppers, CIA, QIAL, CRMA, calls International Conference "a unique platform for internal audit practitioners and leaders to connect, exchange and learn new ideas, and to address key issues on the minds of CEOs and corporate boards worldwide."

For more information about the IIA's 2018 International Conference, please visit https://ic.globaliia.org/program



To register for the event, go to https://ic.globaliia.org/Pages/register.aspx

About The Institute of Internal Auditors

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) is the internal audit profession's most widely recognized advocate, educator, and provider of standards, guidance, and certifications. Established in 1941, The IIA today serves more than 190,000 members from more than 170 countries and territories. The IIA's global headquarters are in Lake Mary, Fla. For more information, visit www.theiia.org.

SOURCE The Institute of Internal Auditors (The IIA)

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Damon served as Executive Producer for HGTV's hit reality series, House Hunters International, overseeing more than six hundred episodes and a staff of more than one hundred. Earlier, Damon executive produced numerous television episodes and pilots including House Hunters, Off the Grid, Restoring Glory & Genevieve's Renovation (HGTV), Restaurant Redemption & Restaurant Divided, (Food Network), Rocco's Dinner Party (Bravo), No Kitchen Required (BBC America), and Bigger in Texas (A&E).

Beginning his career under Academy Award winning documentarian Errol Morris, Damon later joined Universal Pictures' motion picture group where he worked on numerous feature films including Patch Adams, The Rundown, Mystery Men, Bride of Chucky, The Bone Collector, The Family Man, American Pie and 2 Fast, 2 Furious. As Director of Development for Jessica Lange's production company, Prairie Films, Damon oversaw numerous projects, including the award-winning feature film Titus and the television movie My Sister's Keeper. Rounding out his many accomplishments, Damon produced the award-winning PBS series Wired Science, Meet the Folks (NBC), The Family Feud (syndicated), KillerOutbreaks (Animal Planet), and the firstever Google branded documentary series, Hackworks.

"We are thrilled to have someone with Damon's extensive experience join our executive team," commented Matt Giegerich, CEO of Inception Companies. "Kampfire has always been known for its high-quality work and Damon's vision and leadership, combined with the immense talent of Kennedy and his team, will grow Kampfire into one of NYC's premier creative studios."

Damon added, "This is an exciting time to be joining Kampfire. I was attracted by the depth of talent on the team and the diversity of their work. I'm looking forward to bringing their unique blend of creativity, strategy, storytelling, and flawless production to new clients while expanding opportunities with existing clients. I am also thrilled to bring my broadcast experience to the table to move Kampfire beyond its current scope and spearhead the company's expansion into original content."

The Kampfire suite of services includes branded content, commercials, longform series/documentaries and music videos, and photography.

About Kampfire

Weaving creative storytelling into the visual fabric of the story, the Kampfire team creates memorable content to engage target audiences. Kampfire delivers a wide range of services across industry verticals including fashion, beauty/cosmetics, health & wellness, CPG, electronics and financial services. The company is located in NYC.

For more information, visit www.kampfire.tv

About Inception Companies

Inception is a leading provider of video production, interactive visual solutions, broadcast and webcast platforms for virtual meetings, and audio/visual support. Comprised of Inception Digital, Kampfire, and Inception Visual, the company delivers state-of-the-art TV-style technology to clients in the healthcare, financial services and technology sectors. Independently held, Inception Companies are headquartered in Fairfield NJ, with additional offices in New York NY, Blue Bell PA and San Francisco CA.

For more information, visit www.inceptioncompanies.com

Matt Giegerich

CEO Inception Companies

SculptaHealth/Ellynn Szoke

973-787-4634

[email protected]

This release was issued through WebWire(R). For more information, visit http://www.webwire.com.

SOURCE Inception Companies

Related Links

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PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrated Ventures, Inc., (OTCQB: INTV) is pleased to announce that as of 12/11/2017, the Company has successfully reached the following operational milestones:

The number of connected and revenue generation mining rigs has reached 104

Mining revenues up to date stand at $34 ,000

,000 Sales of mining equipment have reached $21,700.00

Installation of remaining mining units scheduled to be completed by 12/18/2017.

Steve Rubakh, CEO of Integrated Ventures, Inc., comments: "In less than three weeks, since the launch of our cryptocurrency operations on 11/22/2017, the Company has generated revenues in excess of $55,700 which equates to the annual revenues of $668,400. We have been following and executing our diversified mining strategy which has been validated by the market activity with BTC, ETH and LTC reaching all time high prices. We believe the Company is in a great position and on target to deliver significant returns to its shareholders and investors."

About Integrated Ventures, Inc: the Company is focused on acquiring, launching and operating companies in the cryptocurrency sector, mainly in digital currency mining, an equipment manufacturing, sales of branded mining rigs as well as blockchain software development.

For more details about please visit www.integratedventuresinc.com.

About BitcoLab: This majority owned subsidiary is pursuing opportunities in cryptocurrency sector with focus on bitcoin mining, hosting, pooling, manufacturing and distributing of own brand of mining equipment and the development of blockchain based applications for financial markets.

For more details about BitcoLab, Inc , please visit www.bitcolab.io.

Safe Harbor Statement: The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "explores," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, and various other factors beyond the Company's control.

SOURCE Integrated Ventures, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.integratedventuresinc.com


BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) (the "Company"), the storage and information management company, today announced a proposed offering by way of a private placement of a total of $825 million in aggregate principal amount of its senior unsecured notes due 2028 (the "Notes"). The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company's subsidiaries that guarantee each series of its existing notes. The exact terms of the Notes and timing of the offering will depend upon market conditions and other factors.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes, together with the net proceeds of its previously announced offering of its common stock (the "Equity Offering"), to finance the purchase price of the acquisition of IO Data Centers, LLC (the "Acquisition"), to pay related fees and expenses and, to the extent of any remaining net proceeds, for general corporate purposes (which may include financing the expansion of its adjacent and other businesses through acquisitions and repaying outstanding indebtedness). The completion of the offering is not conditioned upon the consummation of the Equity Offering or the Acquisition. If the Acquisition is not consummated, the Company would use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.

The Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or under any state securities law, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes are being offered only to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A and outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

This announcement shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Iron Mountain

Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) is the global leader for storage and information management services. Trusted by more than 230,000 organizations around the world, Iron Mountain boasts a real estate network of more than 85 million square feet across more than 1,400 facilities in 53 countries dedicated to protecting and preserving what matters most for its customers. Iron Mountain's solutions portfolio includes records management, data management, document management, data centers, art storage and logistics, and secure shredding to help organizations to lower storage costs, comply with regulations, recover from disaster, and better use their information. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain stores and protects billions of information assets, including critical business documents, electronic information, medical data and cultural and historical artifacts. Visit www.ironmountain.com for more information.

Investor Relations Contacts:



Melissa Marsden

Faten Freiha Senior Vice President, Investor Relations

Director, Investor Relations [email protected]

[email protected] (617) 535-8595

(617) 535-8404

SOURCE Iron Mountain Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.ironmountain.com


Morocco on Monday once more confirmed its position as a most attractive location for the car industry with the announcement of 26 new investments in the sector worth more than 1.2 billion.

The 26 new investment projects, which will introduce new knowledges in the country strengthen local integration, and supply car parts and equipment that were so far imported, were launched at a ceremony in Casablanca held under the chairmanship of King Mohammed VI, who had drawn few years ago a strategy for the development of the Kingdoms industrial sector.

Six out of the 26 investment projects announced Monday are part of the implementation of the Ecosystem of French car manufacturer Renault, which is developing a global supply platform from the Kingdom.

Thanks to this large-scale ecosystem, the French group is currently supplying Morocco-made machined parts worth one billion euros per year and achieves a local integration rate of 55%.

The French automaker Renault has two vehicle assembly plants in Morocco, one in Tangier and one in Casablanca. The Tangier plant produced, earlier this year, its millionth vehicle since opening in 2012.

Thirteen investment projects will be conducted within the framework of the PSA Peugeot Ecosystem, which requires a new development for the entire sector to help in the emergence of an industrial pole of excellence in the city of Kenitra, 40 Km to the North of Rabat. The Kenitra plant will start building cars in 2019.

Five other investments are part of the activities of the Ecosystem cabling and connectivity, launched in October 2014 and two investments will go to the Valeo Ecosystem.

These new investments in high added-value activities confirm the confidence of international investors in Morocco and attest to the change of the industrial dimension in the country, which is becoming a solid economic model, said Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, during the ceremony.

The development of the car industry in Morocco over the recent past years was made possible, notably thanks to the Industrial Acceleration Plan, launched in April 2014, under the aegis of King Mohammed VI, and to the accompanying measures, particularly in terms of training, for an optimal implementation of this ambitious plan, the Moroccan official recalled.

The Industrial Acceleration Plan and the ecosystem approach are real leverages for the industrial acceleration, he noted, adding that the 26 investments launched in the automotive industry are introducing new specialties in Morocco and reinforcing local integration.

These new investment projects will create 11,568 direct jobs, and will enable the production of aluminum wheels, dashboards, bumpers, seats and electromechanical boxes.

The automotive industry in Morocco is gaining momentum and growing at a rapid pace due to incentives and competitive factors attracting more and more investors and makers of car parts.

These factors include Moroccos proximity to European markets, modern infrastructures, free trade zones, qualified cheap manpower, open economy and stability.

The development of the automotive industry in the country is expected to create 90,000 jobs by 2020 in addition to the 100,000 already created.

The government also aspires to increase the proportion of locally produced components in exported cars from 40 pc to 65 pc by the end of the decade. So, the new projects announced Monday will help fulfil this target.
CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- JLL (NYSE: JLL) today was named one of America's Most JUST Companies and, for the second consecutive year, the industry leader in real estate. The recognition comes from Forbes and JUST Capital, a nonprofit that for two years has ranked the largest publicly traded US companies on the issues Americans care about most.

In addition to leading its industry, JLL is recognized in the top 25 of the JUST 100 for outperforming its peers on the criteria deemed to be most important. Those criteria include worker compensation and well-being, client treatment, service impacts, environmental footprint, community support, generating jobs and behaving responsibly in sourcing and supply chains, among other factors.

Greg O'Brien, CEO, Americas said of the award, "Our second straight year leading our industry in the JUST 100 reflects our ambition to support the needs of our employees, clients and communities. We're honored to be recognized again for our policies on topics that Americans hold in such high regard  topics such as pay equity, workforce investment and sustainability."

The JUST Capital rankings encompass the 1,000 largest publicly traded companies in the US and are based on one of the most comprehensive surveys ever conducted on public attitudes toward corporate behavior. The surveys involved 10,000 American respondents in 2017 and more than 72,000 over the past three years. For the complete 2017 JUST 100 list, please visit: www.forbes.com/just100.

"Business can and should be a unifying force for good in America today, but what it needs is a new North Star," said Martin Whittaker, CEO of JUST Capital. "That is what these rankings represent. By trusting in the American people to define what really matters when it comes to measuring business performance, we think we can help breathe life into the vision of a more just economy that better serves the broader best interests of society."

Clients and third-party organizations continue to recognize JLL globally for its ethics, corporate citizenship and commitment to being an employer of choice. JLL has collected the following US and global awards in the last year:

Dow Jones Sustainability Index, North America , second year in a row

, second year in a row One of World's Most Ethical Companies, Ethisphere Institute, 10th year in a row

LinkedIn Top Companies, second year in a row

Working Mother 100 Best Companies

100 Best Companies Perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, fourth year in a row

About JLL

JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. A Fortune 500 company, JLL helps real estate owners, occupiers and investors achieve their business ambitions. In 2016, JLL had revenue of $6.8 billion and fee revenue of $5.8 billion and, on behalf of clients, managed 4.4 billion square feet, or 409 million square meters, and completed sales acquisitions and finance transactions of approximately $145 billion. At the end of the third quarter of 2017, JLL had nearly 300 corporate offices, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of over 80,000. As of September 30, 2017, LaSalle Investment Management had $59.0 billion of real estate under asset management. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit ir.jll.com.

About JUST Capital

JUST Capital, an independent, nonprofit research organization, makes it easier for people, companies, and markets to do the right thing by tracking the business behaviors Americans care about most. Our research, rankings, and data-driven tools help people make more informed decisions about where to invest, work, and buy to direct capital towards companies advancing a more just future. Companies that believe in fair pay and equal treatment for all workers. Companies that create good jobs and understand the value of strong communities. Companies that are committed to a healthy planet. America's Most JUST Companies, including the groundbreaking JUST 100, is published annually in Forbes and on www.justcapital.com.

About Forbes Media

Forbes Media is a global media, branding and technology company, with a focus on news and information about business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and affluent lifestyles. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia magazines, as well as Forbes.com. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 117 million people worldwide with its business message each month through its magazines and 38 licensed local editions around the globe, Forbes.com, TV, conferences, research, social and mobile platforms. Forbes Media's brand extensions include conferences, education, financial services and brand licensing.

About the Methodology

JUST Capital's rankings are the culmination of over three years of market research (encompassing over 72,000 respondents mapped to the U.S. Census population) on what the American people prioritize regarding corporate behavior today. JUST Capital conducted its 2017 survey of the American public, which included 10,000 respondents, in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago. The survey results found that Americans, when asked to identify what is most important for companies to prioritize, ranked the following in order of importance: workers, customers, products, the environment, communities, jobs, and finally, management & shareholders. JUST Capital then tracked and evaluated the performance of companies against these priorities and created the ranking model that drives America's Most JUST Companies, including the JUST 100 absolute ranking and industry leader rankings. The selection of companies draws from the Russell 1000 Index, which represents over 90 percent of the U.S. stock market value.

Connect with us

https://www.linkedin.com/company/jll

https://www.facebook.com/jll

https://twitter.com/jll

https://plus.google.com/+joneslanglasalle

Contact: William Polk Phone: +1 312 228 3943 Email: [email protected]

SOURCE JLL

Related Links

http://www.joneslanglasalle.com


CLEVELAND, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael D. Johnson, Ph.D., has been elected by the John Carroll University Board of Directors as the institution's 25th president. The Board approved the decision on December 6, 2017. Dr. Johnson will join John Carroll on July 1, 2018, with an appointment that runs through 2023.

Dr. Johnson currently serves as Provost of Babson College, the top-ranked school for entrepreneurship in the United States, where he is also Professor of Marketing. Prior to his role at Babson, he served for ten years as Dean, E.M. Statler Professor and Professor of Marketing at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, a global leader in hospitality education. Dr. Johnson was a Professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan for 24 years, where he became the D. Maynard Phelps Professor, before joining Cornell University in 2006. He earned a doctorate in behavioral science and marketing and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a bachelor's degree in economics and psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Johnson was appointed following an extensive national search led by John Carroll alumnus and chair of the Board of Directors, Michael Merriman. Johnson will also join the faculty as a Professor in the department of Management, Marketing and Supply Chain in the Boler School of Business.

"Dr. Johnson was a transformative academic leader while Dean at Cornell, and will build upon John Carroll's distinctive programs and strengths," says Merriman. "Known for his transparent and collaborative leadership style, Dr. Johnson has excellent operational management, planning, and financial skills," he adds.

"The passion that the students, faculty, staff, and alumni have for John Carroll is inspiring, and I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this community," says Dr. Johnson. "As one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the country, John Carroll University is poised for growth with many distinctive programs and an exceptional faculty and staff."

For more information on Dr. Johnson and his welcoming video, visit https://presidentialsearch.jcu.edu.

www.jcu.edu

Contact: Tonya Strong-Charles

216.397.1958 | [email protected]

SOURCE John Carroll University

Related Links

http://www.jcu.edu


Candice Mack Candice Mack is the manager of systemwide Young Adult Services at the Los Angeles Public Library, where she helps coordinate teen programs and collections at the third largest library system in the United States. She was the president of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) in 2015-2016 and served as the chair of YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee (the fifth chair since the committee's inception and the first chair of Asian American descent) in 2010-2011. She has reviewed graphic novels and young adult literature for the American Library Association's Booklist journal since 2011. More recently, Candice has worked with San Diego Comic-Con and San Diego Public Library to help moderate, present at, and organize panels for the Comic Conference for Educators and Librarians.

Graeme McMillan

Graeme McMillan writes about comic books and pop culture for The Hollywood Reporter, Wired, and Playboy. His work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Time, io9, Comics Alliance, CBR.com, and Newsarama, among other outlets, and he's half of the comic book podcast Wait, What? After graduating from Grays School of Art in Aberdeen, Scotland, with an MA in art & design, he worked as a teacher, graphic designer, and call center manager before finding his niche in journalism.

Tate Ottati

In 1993, Tate Ottati opened his first comics store in Lauderhill, Florida, at the tender age of 17. Today Tate and his family operate an over 10,000-square-foot comic shop, a separate 2,000-square-foot tabletop gaming shop, an art gallery+boutique, and a second smaller comic shop 45 minutes north of the main location. Hosting multiple annual events every year and offering a hugely diverse selection of products has made his business something special to the community and brought him the 2009 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award.

Nhora Serrano

Nhora Lucia Serrano is a visiting assistant professor of Comparative Literature at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. Originally from Colombia, she has always been passionate about the interplay between image and word in newspaper strips, editorial cartoons, and the book arts in the Anglophone world and Latin America. Serrano is treasurer of the Comics Studies Society and serves on the MLA Executive Forum on Comics and Graphic Narratives. Serrano is also the recent recipient of a Special Collections fellowship at Hamilton, where she is studying the George Cruikshank collection as well as Gus Arriola's Gordo. An author of several visual studies articles and encyclopedia entries, Serrano's edited anthology Immigrants and Comics: Graphic Spaces of Remembrance, Transaction, and Mimesis (Routledge) will be published in 2018.

Alexander Simmons

Alex Simmons is an award-winning freelance writer, comic book creator, and playwright, as well as an international teaching artist, guest speaker, and educational consultant. He's written Batman, Scooby Doo, Archie, Tarzan, and more, as well as his own original series, Blackjack. For years Simmons has taught writing and arts education master classes and workshops to students, children, and educators in the US, Europe, West Indies, and Africa.

William F. Wilson

Bill Wilson's first Comic-Con was 1971. After being an attendee for many years, he became a member of the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization, which showed Japanese animation to enthralled audiences at the 1980 Comic-Con. He eventually became president of the Los Angeles chapter. In 1985 and 1986 Bill put together evening anime programs at the Con, and he worked with Japanese businesses to sell at Comic-Con and introduced American distributors to the imports. In 1985 he was chair of the second Comic Book Expo, Comic-Con's industry trade show. After that he worked in the Registration department for several years, and in 1991 he organized one of the first LGBT events held during Comic-Con. For the last few years he has been in charge of the Eisner Awards nominee display in the Art Show.

The judges will meet in San Diego in April to select the nominees that will be placed on the Eisner Awards ballot. The nominees will then be voted on by professionals in the comic book industry, and the results will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on Friday, July 20 at Comic-Con in San Diego.

Guidelines for submitting material for the judges will be announced on the Comic-Con website in early January. The deadline for submitting nominations is March 16.

The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.

More information about the Awards can be found at

http://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards-current-info

SOURCE Comic-Con International

Related Links

http://www.comic-con.org


MORRISTOWN, N.J., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BCN Telecom, a leading provider of technology solutions focused on simplifying complexity for multi-location businesses, has announced that Keith Mullins has joined the Company, further strengthening a commitment to expanding support for their nationwide network of sales partners. Located in Dallas, TX, Keith will support BCN's growth objectives in the Southwest region providing direct support to sales partners in that area. Mullins will report to Michael Ginsburg, Vice President of Sales for BCN Telecom.

Keith Mullins, BCN Agent Sales Director, commented, "BCN has a proven track record of growth and commitment to the channel and I am very excited to be joining their team. I look forward to bringing new relationships and opportunities to the organization and supporting the expansion and implementation of the Company's corporate initiatives and strategies."

BCN's team of Agent Sales Directors work closely with partners to design and deliver client solutions based on a robust service portfolio that includes a variety of data and networking services, a full complement of options for nationwide POTS and broadband aggregation, a full suite of managed equipment and monitoring services, and Software-Defined Networking (SD-WAN).

"We are extremely excited to have Keith join the BCN team. He brings market knowledge, experience, and strong relationships across the partner channel, particularly in the Southwest, an area in which BCN is targeting significant growth. BCN is 100% channel driven and deeply committed to the success of our partners. The addition of Keith to our team will have an immediate positive impact on our expansion and contribute to our revenue growth objectives," said Michael Ginsburg, BCN Vice President of Sales.

About BCN

BCN is a closely held and operated technology service provider with corporate headquarters in Morristown, NJ. The Company enables telecommunications agents to define and deliver advanced connectivity solutions that bring simplicity to inherently complex multi-location, multi-carrier customer opportunities. BCN specializes in multi-product aggregation based on a portfolio of over 75 unique wholesale network partners. In addition, BCN provides clients with one monthly invoice for all services and a state-of-the-art portal to manage their BCN business.

For over 24 years, BCN has delivered best-in-class solutions domestically and internationally. With a legacy of exceptional performance BCN is today the single-source provider for over 25,000 business clients. For more information call toll free 888-866-7266.

Follow BCN:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCNTelecom1

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bcn-telecom

SOURCE BCN Telecom

Related Links

http://bcntele.com


BEDFORD, N.H., Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kentico Software, a fast growing CMS vendor with offices in Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America, today announced Kentico 11. The company's flagship Enterprise Marketing Solution (EMS) has been engineered with global enterprises in mind and is by far the company's most enterprise-ready product release to date.1

"Kentico has long been known as a workhorse, recognized for its ease of use, for getting the job done, and for putting CMS technology within reach of companies of all sizes," stated Petr Palas, Founder and CEO. "But today, we are raising the bar quite dramatically. Kentico 11 is now fully featured and industrial strength, able to support the digital marketing and commerce initiatives of the world's largest and most demanding corporations."

Native Email and E-commerce Capabilities Dramatically Improved

Today's release features improvements at both the functional and strategic level. "In terms of in-house engineering, we have designed a brand-new Email Marketing engine featuring incredibly easy-to-use, drag-and-drop capability," explained Karol Jarkovsky, Vice President of Product. "We also re-wrote our e-commerce engine from the ground up so that we're delivering a very potent CMS and e-commerce solution for small businesses, midsize companies, and even some large corporations."

GDPR Capabilities Baked In

Jarkovsky continues, "But we didn't stop there. At the strategic level, we have created a number of capabilities that will help businesses comply with the EU's upcoming General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR." GDPR is a piece of legislation produced by the European Union that is going to impact digital marketers not only on the European continent, but all around the globe when it comes into effect in mid-2018. "This is one of Kentico's thought leadership areas, an area where we have invested a significant amount of time and expertise."

Salesforce, Marketo, and Dynamics CRM Connectors Enable Greater Connectivity

Kentico 11 also sets a new standard in terms of connectivity. Rolling out in the coming weeks are integrations to a variety of other platforms that make up the typical company's technology stack, including Salesforce.com, Marketo, and Dynamics CRM. Data will be able to flow seamlessly between Kentico 11 and these other widely-used technologies.

Upcoming Combination of Kentico 11 and Ucommerce Going to Be "Tough to Beat"

Even though Kentico's main target is midsize businesses, the company recognizes that a growing number of Fortune 500 and Global Fortune 500 companies are using its platform. So, one more major change was announced to sweeten the pot for these larger businesses: As part of the ongoing rollout of Kentico 11's extensions, Kentico has made the strategic decision to partner with Ucommerce, a widely recognized and highly-regarded vendor in the e-commerce space. "This combination of Kentico 11 and Ucommerce is going to be tough to beat," noted Jarkovsky. "We view it as a content-first, commerce-first solution capable of handling the digital marketing and commerce needs of the world's leading corporations."

Kentico 11 Features and Capabilities

ONLINE MARKETING

Extensive, built-in data privacy management support for the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Helps partners and clients streamline GDPR compliance



Personal dataflow documentation



Consents management



Right to Access: Access all the data processed about a specific data subject



Right to Data Portability: Export personal data in commonly used, structured, and machine-readable format



Right to be Forgotten (Right for Erasure): Ability to delete collected personal data

Email marketing

Designed from the ground up with the emphasis on ease of use



Drag-and-drop widgets to help non-technical users produce modern looking and responsive emails



Clean HTML output and CSS in-lining



Personalization



A/B Testing



Plaintext support



"View in Browser" support



Pre-header

Enhanced reporting

Email marketing and campaign insights



Contact touch points



Personas history

Salesforce CRM, Dynamics CRM, and Marketo Connectors (Soon to be released)

Integrate your digital marketing and sales efforts by connecting Kentico EMS to these often used technology stack solutions

E-COMMERCE

Kentico has rebuilt its native e-commerce engine from scratch, affording small, midsize, and larger businesses with a fully integrated CMS/e-commerce platform. Improvements include:

New modular architecture for flexible customizations and extensibility



New cart calculation, tax calculation, and discounting engine



Product catalog categories, styles, and brands



Gift cards and multiple coupons support



Scalability



Authorize and capture support



Google Analytics e-commerce tracking to correlate sales data with website usage data



Faceted Search

Plus, Kentico is introducing an integration to the widely used and highly popular Ucommerce platform that addresses solutions for the most difficult, multichannel situations; Kentico 11 plus Ucommerce will equal a world class, content-first, commerce-first solution

PLATFORM

Azure Search integration

A Content-first, Commerce-first Platform for the Global Enterprise

"We believe that with the introduction of Kentico 11our partnership with Ucommercethe backing of resourceful solution partners around the worldand Kentico Software's continued positioning in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management2 we're seeing an ever-increasing number of Global Fortune 500 companies taking a serious look at Kentico for their digital marketing and customer experience needs," commented Founder and CEO, Petr Palas. "We look forward to showing them how much easier Kentico can make their lives."

About Kentico



Kentico's products include Kentico EMS, the all-in-one CMS, E-commerce, and Online Marketing platform, and Kentico Cloud, the comprehensive cloud-first headless CMS and digital experience platform. Kentico EMS allows you to manage contacts and campaigns, track customer journeys, provide global e-commerce functionality, and measure and analyze the results to create and manage customer experiences easily in a dynamic business environment. Kentico Cloud is the cloud-first headless CMS and digital experience platform. Users can manage structured content for multi-channel delivery, use the API-first CMS to display that content on any website or device, and track visitor interactions to personalize the digital experience.

1Kentico 11 has been tested internally with over 100M contacts and 1B contact activities  a scale that can be stretched even further with a more powerful infrastructure. With such numbers, the cost for a named contact is literally negligible compared to other systems on the market that are not able to support marketing projects of such size or that substantially exceed the cost of Kentico 11. Kentico's goal remains to democratize enterprise experience management and this is an important step in that direction.

2Kentico Software was named a Challenger for two consecutive years in Gartner's "Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management," authored by Mick MacComascaigh and Jim Murphy and last published on 26 July 2017.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

All product and company names herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

www.kentico.com

Media Contact:

Jim Panagas

Director, PR & Analyst Relations

Kentico Software

Phone: 1-781-462-8461

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Kentico Software

Related Links

http://kentico.com


CINCINNATI, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. is teaming up with Chase Paythe digital engagement wallet from JPMorgan Chase & Co. to offer mobile payments starting with select retail markets and e-commerce programs in 2018.

Kroger's payment solutions are a part of the company's Restock Kroger Plan, the strategy to create shareholder value by redefining how America eats. One of the key strategic drivers is to expand partnerships to create customer value, which includes Kroger forming alliances to accelerate digital and e-commerce platforms.

"Technology is transforming our customers' experiences and greatly influencing how we are reimagining the store of the future," said Chris Hjelm, Kroger's Chief Information Officer. "Mobile wallets enable a more seamless shopping experience for our customers and at the same time, can help us drive cost out of our business."

"This is a significant win for our customers who now will be able to save time and money using Chase Pay at one of the top retailers in the country," said Jennifer Roberts, Head of Digital Products at Chase. "Kroger is one of the places our customers shop the most, and it's great to deliver more value to both a key partner and our customers."

Through the partnership, Chase's 65 million customers will have an opportunity to use Chase Pay at Kroger for online and in-lane purchases.

For more information about The Kroger Co., visit www.TheKrogerCo.com.

For more information about Chase Pay, visit www.ChasePay.com.

About Kroger

At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit. We are 453,000 associates who serve nearly nine million customers every day in 2,793 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Our Family of Companies operates an expanding ClickList offering  a personalized order online service  in addition to 2,258 pharmacies, 783 convenience stores, 307 fine jewelry stores, 222 retail health clinics, 1,472 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Our Company has been recognized as one of America's most generous companies for our support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. As a leader in supplier diversity, we are a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable.

About Chase

Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.6 trillion and operations worldwide. Chase serves nearly half of America's households with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: 5,300 branches, 16,000 ATMs, mobile, online and by phone. For more information, go to Chase.com.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.

Related Links

http://www.kroger.com


TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Kryon Systems, a global provider of intelligent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions, announced the integration of ABBYY's FlexiCapture solution into Kryon Systems' Leo RPA platform in order to provide a single platform for document automation.

This integration will offer businesses best-in-class RPA services that include the ability to parse unstructured data for invoice and purchase order processing.

Digital transformation is leading companies to turn to automation technologies in order to reduce errors, increase efficiency and boost profits across the enterprise. Kryon Systems' RPA solution provides a workforce of "digital employees" onto whom crucial yet repetitive and time-consuming processes can be offloaded, enabling employees to devote more attention to higher value tasks that more directly contribute to the core mission of the company. Traditionally, unstructured documents such as invoices and purchase orders, which lack standardized formats and are submitted as PDFs or scanned documents that cannot be edited, have posed an obstacle to automation efforts. By leveraging ABBYY, whose market-leading AI-powered document automation technology transforms unstructured documents into standardized files and alerts the relevant party when it is unable to do so, Kryon Systems is removing the hurdle which previously prevented the automation of these processes.

"The needs of enterprises are evolving all the time, and we are constantly expanding the capabilities of our RPA platform to ensure that we provide a one-stop-shop automation solution for companies, no matter what processes they are seeking to optimize," said Harel Tayeb, CEO of Kryon Systems. "Our new partnership with ABBYY allows us to help companies transcend the problem that unstructured invoices and purchase order forms cause by simply removing a substantial amount of time-consuming tasks from their employees' workloads so they can focus on higher value assignments."

"We are delighted to be able to complement Kryon RPA with our FlexiCapture platform and extend the automation capabilities of Kryon into document-based business processes. Together, we look forward to helping clients address a full range of business process automation projects, from simple data entry, to more complex case automation," said Bruce Orcutt, SVP for Product Marketing at ABBYY.

ABBYY's FlexiCapture platform is unique in being able to handle documents of any format, layout and structure thanks to its in-built, proprietary machine learning and natural language processing technology.

Invoices, which vary by supplier, are automatically read and processed, providing all necessary data to Kryon Systems' Leo platform to execute the remainder of the process  checking and approval procedures, and posting to ERP systems for payment. Used in combination, both platforms automate and streamline document processes, driving operational efficiencies, reducing unnecessary costs and freeing up staff to focus on value-adding financial activities.

About Kryon Systems

Kryon Systems delivers innovative, intelligent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions empowering companies to transcend the processes which consume their most valuable resource - time. While other RPA vendors provide tools that focus solely on automating repetitive process-oriented tasks, Kryon aims for a complete and lasting solution, ultimately removing these tasks entirely from the day-to-day workflow of enterprises. Using patented visual and deep learning technologies, Kryon's RPA enables companies to discover the innovators and creators amongst them by reducing the noise, complexity, errors and wasted time which go hand in hand with process execution. Kryon's intelligent RPA is changing the reality of today's process-focused business world by offloading the repetitive, soul-crushing processes to a digital workforce not only for the increased productivity, reduced error rates, and lower operating costs, but also so that companies can focus on what they want to be - creative, imaginative, revolutionary, and with greater revenue. Learn more about Kryon Systems and the numerous Fortune 500 organizations already benefiting from its products at www.kryonsystems.com.

About ABBYY

ABBYY is a global leader in intelligent capture driving innovation in the areas of meaningful insights, data, and relationships to improve business outcomes. ABBYY offers a complete range of AI-based technologies and solutions transforming business documents and content into business value. By providing digital transformation solutions to financial services, insurance, transportation, healthcare and other industries, the company helps organizations achieve the next wave of growth by understanding customers and delivering responsive real-time intelligent systems. The flexibility of ABBYY AI solutions enables customers to utilize a diverse range of advanced technologies, platforms and solutions for classification, text analytics, data and entity extraction, and data validation via any communication channel and in any format. ABBYY technologies are used and licensed by some of the largest international enterprises and government organizations, as well as SMBs and individuals. The company maintains offices in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, UAE, the UK, Ukraine, and the United States. For more information, please visit www.abbyy.com/company.

ABBYY and the ABBYY Logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of ABBYY Software Ltd. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby recognized.

Kryon Systems Contact:

Raanan Loew

+1-347-897-9276

[email protected]

SOURCE Kryon Systems

Related Links

http://www.kryonsystems.com/


Dar Al Arkan, the largest listed real estate developer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced today its plans to expand to global markets, selecting Dubai as the launchpad for its international business, with an AED 800 million development on the Dubai Water Canal in the Business Bay area.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618273/Dar_Al_Arkan_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618113/Dar_Al_Arkan.jpg )

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/618114/Roberto_Cavalli.jpg )

The company has partnered with luxury brand, Roberto Cavalli, to design the interiors of the lavish 34-storey waterfront skyscraper, located in one of the world's greatest urban transformations, in true Italian fashion. Rightly named "I Love Florence", the new luxury tower will offer its residents an immersive living experience that combines the sophistication of fascinating Florence with the famed luxury of dazzling Dubai.

A ceremony was organised in Dubai to launch Dar Al Arkan's (DAAR's) international expansion and its high profile partnership with Italy's topmost luxury fashion brand. The event was attended by Yousef Bin Abdullah Al Shelash, Chairman of Dar Al Arkan, Gian Giacomo Ferraris, CEO of Roberto Cavalli Group, who flew in especially for the occasion, in addition to a number of government officials, diplomats, dignitaries and investors.

Yousef Bin Abdullah Al Shelash declared at the ceremony: "Dar Al Arkan, since its establishment in 1994, has been offering Saudi investors unique investment opportunities that enhance and protect their wealth and preserve it for the next generation. Our solid track record in delivering 15,000 residential units and 500,000 metres of commercial space in Saudi Arabia for over 23 years will support our global expansion, which aims at presenting further diversification to our existing investors, as well as attracting international investors to our investment portfolio."

Towering over the 3.2 kilometres man-made waterway, the high-rise will combine stunning views of the canal's vibrant outdoor and night scenes, with the elegance of the Florence's Arno riverside, reflected in the interiors sketched by one of Italy's most famed design houses. This is the first time ever that the iconic "Roberto Cavalli" fashion brand lends its name to a real estate development, anywhere in the world, to present rich interiors that project bespoke living and are an embodiment of all the strength and glamour of the maison "Roberto Cavalli" lifestyle, delivering energy, prestige, emotion, success, and desire to experience.

Gian Giacomo Ferraris commented: "We are excited to be entering for the first time as a group to the real estate sector with the Roberto Cavalli brand, and we believe that the developer couldn't have chosen a more suitable location for this project in the Middle East, where Roberto Cavalli enjoys a strong following. Dubai has carved its position as the house of fashion and design in the region. I see a strong correlation between Florence and Dubai, with both cities projecting elegance, art and design in everything they do, each in its own way. The new tower will embody Roberto Cavalli's passion for beauty, design and his celebration of Italian craftsmanship. It will encapsulate the high-end luxury our fashion house has been famed for."

The "I Love Florence" Tower, which will have unique views of the Dubai Canal, will feature for the first time in Dubai New York style homes, with elevators opening directly into the apartments, providing utmost privacy. Units will be available in one, two, three and four bedroom penthouses.

Abdullah El Shelash concluded: "When we set out to draw our vision to become leaders in global real estate development, we decided to only settle for the best, hence our choice of Dubai Canal as a location, and the epitome of Italian luxury, Roberto Cavalli, to conceptualise and create truly outstanding living spaces, not only in the residential units, but across the tower's amenities, including the lobbies, gym, swimming pool, yoga area, outdoor training area, and hallways."

The tower architecture has been designed by VX Experts. DAAR has also appointed La Casa Engineering Consultants. Construction will start in January 2018.

About Dar Al Arkan (DAAR)

Based in Riyadh (KSA), DAAR is a public shareholding company listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul). With 10.8 billion SR in capital and 25 billion SR in assets, spanning 36.4 million square meters, we are one of the Middle East's leading real estate companies. While DAAR runs diverse operations, real estate is the heart of what we do. We take pride in redefining the possibilities of commercial, living and mixed-use spaces. Everything we develop is built and maintained according to the highest international standards - designed for a modern lifestyle and delivered on time. Our urban communities, shopping centers and iconic property assets form a legacy of success across Saudi Arabia, driving growth in the country's real estate sector and the larger economy.

daralarkan.com

About Roberto Cavalli

The Roberto Cavalli Group, based in Florence and controlled by Italian investment fund Clessidra SGR, is one of the most important Italian companies operating in the fashion, luxury accessory and lifestyle sectors. The wide portfolio of internationally established labels - Roberto Cavalli, Just Cavalli, Cavalli Class, Roberto Cavalli Home, Roberto Cavalli Junior, eyewear, fragrances and watches - is positioned in the different segments of the high-end offering.

Defined by a dynamic and contemporary aesthetic, Roberto Cavalli is rooted in the Italian and Mediterranean spirit, the artisanal craftsmanship and in the brand's Florentine heritage. Its womens and mens collections focus on a modern and versatile glamour, celebrating a luxurious, joyful lifestyle.

The Group currently manages a network of 49 direct operated stores and 25 franchisee stores in cities such as Milan, Rome, London, Paris, New York, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, Moscow, Sao Paolo, Dubai, Kuwait City, Beijing and Hong Kong, among others.

robertocavalli.com

SOURCE Dar Al Arkan
CARSON CITY, Nev., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dennis Hof, owner of the world famous Moonlite Bunny Ranch and seven other legal brothels throughout Nevada, announced that 2017 is the Bunny Ranch's most prosperous year to date. The bordello baron credits this unprecedented success to President Donald Trump and an overall confidence in the future of the American economy.

"The Prostitution business is booming under Trump," Hof said. "Consumer confidence has reached its highest levels in nearly 20 years, and that confidence has extended to the sex industry big time."

Hof reports that the brothel expects to exceed revenue projections in excess of 20% in 2017.

"It's not unusual for the Bunny Ranch to surpass revenue projections," Hof said. "After all, we offer a service that has been in high demand since the beginning of time, and the Bunny Ranch is one of the few places in America where people can participate in prostitution legally and safely."

"But, this year, people from all walks of life are spending their disposable income like I've never seen  and they're spending it on sex," Hof said.

Tiara Tae, one of Hof's top sex workers, doesn't support Trump but acknowledges the brothel's success.

"This year is my best ever, but I fear that this is validation of why my opposition to Trump is well-founded," Tae said. "Trump supporters were sold a promise that a trickle-down tax break would result in higher wages for employees and increased investment in their own businesses. Instead, it appears as though luxury providers like me, the Mercedes dealerships, and private jet companies may be the primary benefactors."

Hof, a Republican, is dismissive of his high-earning prostitute's economic analysis.

"I always ask 'What's in it for me?'" Hof said. "And what's in it for me is my best year ever  and record earnings for my working girls."

Resting on 43 acres near Nevada's state capital, the Moonlite Bunny Ranch is the world's largest legal house of prostitution. Subject of the HBO reality series 'Cathouse,' the bordello boasts several amenities including lush sex bungalows and multi-room vacation cottages. The brothel is open 365 days a year and its courtesans service men, women, and couples.

Contact Dennis Hof at [email protected] or 775.720.9090

SOURCE Bunny Ranch

Related Links

http://www.bunnyranch.com


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Through a highly selective process, honorees are ranked by their total gross revenue growth over a three-year period, between 2014 and 2016. Experiencing a 172.48 percent revenue growth-rate LMK solidified its position as an emerging leader in the clinical research space placed the company at number 4 on the list.

Together, the 50 companies selected as honorees employ four-thousand individuals and have revenues in excess of $500 million. In 2016, Charlotte and the Research Triangle area accounted for 70 percent of the North Carolina's new jobs. Charlotte continues to rank as one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.

"We are honored to be included among the incredible companies named to this year's impressive CBJ Fast 50 list," said Sholeh Ehdaivand, President and CEO at LMK Clinical Research Consulting. "This award is a testament to our team's dedication and reflects a steadfast commitment to our clients to provide quality services and solutions."

To learn more about LMK and our service offerings, join Sholeh and our Director of Clinical Operations, Jackie Morrill on January 17th at LMK's second annual Night of Too Much Fun at Planet Hollywood in Disney Springs. The event will be held following the conclusion of day one of the 7th annual Trial Master File Summit in Orlando, Florida. Register here: LMKs Night of Too Much Fun

Details about the Fast 50 award program and the ranking of this year's honorees are available at https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/12/08/rankings-revealed-charlotte-companies-stellar.html

About LMK Clinical Research Consulting

LMK Clinical Research Consulting, LLC (LMK), is a functional service provider of Trial Master File (TMF) consulting and services. LMK is a trusted leader for its dedication, quality solutions, and expert services in TMF. LMK is the only TMF specific company that is woman-owned business certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. For more information about LMK, visit www.lmkclinicalresearch.com.

CONTACT

LMK Clinical Research Consulting, LLC

Isaiah Howard, Director of Marketing

704-464-3291

www.lmkclinicalresearch.com

SOURCE LMK Clinical Research Consulting, LLC

Related Links

http://www.lmkclinicalresearch.com


MIAMI, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The house call is back! Started by a group of local entrepreneurs along with veterinarian, Dr. Michael Sanwald, FetchMyVet.com is now taking the hassle out of pet care by providing at home veterinary services for those in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.

www.FetchmyVet.com provides access to an array of basic pet care services such as examinations, evaluations, vaccinations and medications, all performed in the comfort of the client's own home. Each appointment, which typically lasts about 45 minutes, is attended by a veterinarian who is assisted by an experienced veterinary technician. This allows the doctor to spend quality time with the pet parent to offer health, nutritional and behavioral guidance. (PRNewsfoto/Fetch My Vet) The www.FetchmyVet.com website aims to take the hassle out of pet care by providing at home veterinary services allowing pets and their parents to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy, & Stay Home. Pet parents are able to visit the site to book services, check available times & locations, choose their preferred veterinarian, review pet health information and to purchase pet care products from the online store. (PRNewsfoto/Fetch My Vet)

Years ago, having a doctor visit the home was commonplace. In the mid-nineties, that concept was elevated into what is now known as "concierge medicine" - patients seeing their physicians whenever and wherever they choose. Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Sanwald realized there was the same demand for this type of medical care for pets.

"With Instacart, Uber Eats and Amazon, the need to leave home to take care of essential errands is becoming less necessary, so why should a trip to the vet be any different?" insists Dr. Sanwald.

It's debatable who dislikes going to the vet more  the pet or pet parent. With Fetch My Vet, pet parents can avoid traveling to the vet, only to spend the day in a waiting room with several other anxious clients, and pets can have all their medical needs taken care of in the home with a lot less stress.

The single biggest advantage of a Fetch My Vet house call is not convenience or less stress, however, its the one-on-one time spent with the veterinarian. In a traditional animal clinic, veterinarians often see more than 20 patients a day, allowing little time to engage in substantial dialogue with pet parents.

"A Fetch My Vet appointment typically lasts about 45 minutes," explains Dr. Sanwald. "And each veterinarian is assisted by an experienced veterinary technician. That allows the doctor to spend quality time with the pet parent to offer health, nutritional and behavioral guidance."

Fetch My Vet provides an array of basic services such as examinations and evaluations, vaccinations and medications. Fetch My Vet also writes travel certificates, provides microchipping, nail clipping, anal gland treatments and performs other non-invasive procedures all while offering pet parents peace of mind and the comfort of avoiding a visit to the clinic.

Though most patients are dogs and cats, Fetch My Vet's licensed veterinarians are aptly skilled in handling a wide variety of domestic animals including birds, reptiles, and other mammals such as rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs and hedgehogs. For clients who have several pets in the home, Fetch My Vet can treat them all in one visit.

Though no one likes to ponder the day when it is time to say goodbye, every pet parent must make many difficult decisions when a pet is terminally ill or in final decline. Fetch My Vet's compassionate end of life care ensures that each pet's final moments are spent in peace and comfort in the familiar surroundings of their own home with their loved ones.

Fetch my Vet allows pet parents to select an appointment day, time, service package and veterinarian  all online. Following treatment, pet parents can access their pet's medical report card, lab test results and important records through a secure web-based client portal.

Headquartered in South Florida, and with plans to expand nationally, Fetch My Vet has quickly made a name for itself through participation in pet-related charitable events throughout the community. For 2018, Fetch My Vet is proud to be the title sponsor for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's 'Yappy Hour with Katie Lee.' A portion of all money raised from that annual event is donated to animal welfare organizations.

More About FetchMyVet.com

Care is only a click away with Fetch My Vet, which aims to take the hassle out of pet care by providing at home veterinary services so pets and their parents can Stay Healthy, Stay Happy, & Stay Home. To book services or check availability in South Florida, call 855-5GETVET (855-543-8838) or visit www.FetchmyVet.com.

More About Fetch My Vet's Chief Veterinary Officer

Dr. Michael Sanwald received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Findlay, his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University and his MBA from St. George's University. He has been a veterinarian for 15 years, and his areas of expertise include dermatology, small animal medicine, avian and exotic pets and animal behavior. He and his family are the proud parents of Judge the cat.

Media Contact:

The Dana Agency;

Dana Rhoden/James Goll

[email protected]

305-758-1109

SOURCE Fetch My Vet

Related Links

http://www.FetchmyVet.com


VANCOUVER, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Lupaka Gold Corp. ("Lupaka Gold" or the "Company") (TSXV:LPK, FRA:LQP) is pleased to report on the following key operational advancements associated with the Invicta Gold Development Project ("Invicta", or "Invicta Project").

Road Construction Initiated

The Company has signed a contract with local operators to expand, enhance, and modify 27 kilometres of road commencing from the paved Huacho-Churin-Oyon highway, located at approximately 1,500 metres above sea level, up to the Invicta Project located at approximately 3,500 metres above sea level. This new road will provide access to Invicta for heavy machinery and trucks that can transport large loads of material, reduce travel time, significantly increase safety, and minimize the operational impact on certain local Lacsanga communities.

In addition, the existing road will be widened from 4 metres up to 6 metres, a safety berm will be created, and in three key areas the road will be diverted away from local Lacsanga communities. Crews and equipment were mobilized in early December, work is now underway on three separate fronts and is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2018. Members of the Lacsanga community are being employed by the contractors wherever possible to undertake and supervise road construction initiatives and the Company is proud to have such strong support from the community.

Pictures of the road construction program can be found on our website under the following link: http://www.lupakagold.com/s/photogallery.asp?ReportID=809914.

Will Ansley, President and CEO of Lupaka, stated: "My vision is to transform the well-funded Invicta Gold Project into a cash-flow generating asset in short order, with the strong support of our local team. Today's announcement demonstrates we're taking the right steps in that direction and we envision commencing potential production, with help from a third-party mining contractor, during the second half of 2018."

Mining Contractor Engaged

PLH S.A.C. ("PLH") has been selected as the mining contractor for the Invicta Project, a natural choice as PLH performed two bulk sample extraction programs for Lupaka Gold in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Final terms of the contract are currently being negotiated, and it is anticipated PLH will mobilize to site in the first quarter 2018. Initial development and rehabilitation of the existing infrastructure is expected to take approximately three months to complete.

Toll Milling & Offtake Agreement

Discussions are ongoing with several toll milling facilities and offtake traders for the concentrate, a decision is expected to be made in the first quarter of 2018.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this news release.

About Lupaka Gold

Lupaka is an active Canadian-based company focused on creating shareholder value through discoveries and strategic development of its assets in some of the most prolific mining regions of Peru.

Invicta Gold Development Project  100% owned, the Company's flagship project is an advanced stage gold-copper polymetallic underground deposit located approximately 120 kilometres north of Lima. Over $15 million in mine and related development has been by spent previous owners, and management expects to commence potential production in the second half of 2018 by using third-party mining contractors and utilizing the adit and existing workings. The project is fully permitted and community agreements are in place.

The potential underground operation will be focused on accessing Invicta's Measured and Indicated mineral resources, which was prepared by SRK Consulting (US) Inc. in 2012 estimated as:

Measured mineral resource - 131,000 tonnes grading 6.65 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold equivalent for 28,000 contained ounces ("ozs") of gold, from: 18,000 ozs Au grading at 4.29 g/t, 133,000 ozs Ag grading at 31.71 g/t, 2,119k lbs Cu grading at 0.73%, 1,110k lbs Pb grading at 0.39% and 1,105k lbs of Zn grading at 0.38%.

Indicated mineral resource - 8,513,000 tonnes grading 3.43 g/t gold equivalent for 939,000 contained ozs of gold, from: 573,000 ozs Au grading at 2.09 g/t, 4,285,000 ozs Ag grading at 15.65 g/t, 79,048k lbs Cu grading at 0.42%, 45,171k lbs Pb grading at 0.24% and 53,482k lbs of Zn grading at 0.21%.

An Inferred mineral resource estimate of 2,534,000 tonnes grading 2.90 g/t gold equivalent for 236,000 contained ozs of gold has also been established.

The 2012 mineral resources are stated at a 1.30 g/t gold equivalent cutoff. Metal prices assumed for the gold equivalent calculation are US$1,500/oz for gold, US$32.50/oz for silver, US$3.90/lb for copper, US$1.05/lb for lead and US$1.00/lb for zinc. The gold equivalent calculation assumes 100% metallurgical recovery, and does not account for any smelting, transportation or refining charges. See further disclosure regarding the calculated gold equivalent cut-off grade, as below.

Invicta's approved EIA allows for mine production of 1,000 tpd, although the current mining plan is limited to 350 tpd.

Cautionary Note Regarding the Invicta Production Decision

The decision to commence potential production at the Invicta Gold Project and the Company's plans for a mining operation as referenced herein (the "Production Decision and Plans") were based on economic models prepared by the Company in conjunction with management's knowledge of the property and the existing estimate of measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources on the property. The Production Decision and Plans were not based on a preliminary economic assessment, a pre-feasibility study or a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with the Production Decision and Plans, in particular the risk that mineral grades will be lower than expected, the risk that construction or ongoing mining operations are more difficult or more expensive than expected, the risk that the Company will not be able to transport or sell the mineralized rock it produces to local custom toll mills on the terms it expects, or at all; production and economic variables may vary considerably, due to the absence of a detailed economic and technical analysis according to and in accordance with NI 43-101.

Josnitoro Gold Project  the Company holds an option to earn a 65% interest on this project from Hochschild Mining PLC. The project is located approximately 800 kilometres by road southeast of Lima in the Department of Apurimac, southern Peru, within the Andahuaylas-Yaury Belt, in which the Las Bambas mine (MMG Limited) and the Constancia mine (HudBay Minerals) are located. Historical work on the disseminated gold zones includes over 170 shallow drill holes and extensive surface trenching, as well as artisanal mining.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this document has been reviewed and approved by Julio Castaneda Mondragon, MAIG, the President of Lupaka Gold Peru S.A.C., a Peruvian subsidiary of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Castaneda has verified the scientific and technical information, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information or opinions contained in this news release.

The Invicta Gold Project mineral resource estimates referred to in this news release are disclosed in the technical report dated April 16, 2012, titled "Technical Report on Resources, Invicta Gold Project, Huaura Province, Peru" (the "Invicta Technical Report"), and prepared by SRK Consulting (U.S.) Inc., which is available at www.sedar.com under Lupaka Gold Corp's profile. The metal prices used to calculate the gold equivalent cut-off grade in the Invicta Technical Report are based on prices at the time. Investors are cautioned that current metal prices are now lower and as a result, the above-referenced cut-off grade could be materially affected based on current prices. Investors are further cautioned that the prices of precious metals can fluctuate in wide ranges over short periods of time.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release relative to anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to improvements in the road to the Invicta Project and its anticipated benefits and the timing of completion of the improvements, the timing of the commencement of potential production from the Invicta Project and the generation of cash therefrom, the anticipated methods of production, the receipt of and anticipated use of proceeds of the PLI Financing, the Company's plans and intentions for Invicta, mineral resource estimates, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made that the Company believes are reasonable, including: that the repayment of the PLI Financing is consummated on the anticipated terms, that the supplies, equipment, personnel, permits, and local community approvals required to conduct the Company's planned pre-production and development activities will be available on reasonable terms, that the Company will be able to comply with the delivery and other obligations in the PLI Financing Agreement, that results of exploration activities will be consistent with management's expectations and that the Company will not experience any material accident, labour dispute, or failure of equipment and with respect to the planned mining operations at Invicta; that pre-production mine development can be completed in the time and for the cost projected; that the Company will be able to obtain funding for planned production expenses; that mineralization at Invicta will be of the grades and in the locations expected; that the Company will be able to extract and transport mineralized rock efficiently and sell the mineralized rock at the prices and in the manner and quantities expected; that permits will be received on the terms and timeline expected and that other regulatory or permitting issues will not arise; that mining methods can be employed in the manner and at the costs expected and that such methods yield the results the Company expects them to. However, forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: all of the risks described in this news release; failure of the PLI Financing to complete on the proposed terms or at all, including due to the Company's inability to complete the conditions precedent, the risk that actual results of exploration and development activities will be different than anticipated; that the Company will not be able to comply with the delivery or other obligations in the PLI Financing Agreement and the risk that PLI will enforce its security over the Company's assets, including its mineral properties; that cost of labour, equipment or materials will increase more than expected; that the future price of gold will decline; that the Canadian dollar will strengthen against the U.S. dollar; that mineral resources are not as estimated; unexpected variations in mineral resources, grade or recovery rates; risks related to shipping mineralized rock; the risk that local mills cannot or will not buy or process mineralized rock from the planned production for the prices expected or at all; risk of accidents, labour disputes and other risks generally associated with mineral exploration; unanticipated delays in obtaining or failure to obtain community, governmental or regulatory approvals or financing; and all of the risks generally associated with the development of mining facilities and the operation of a producing mine, as well as the risks described in the Company's annual information form, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Lupaka Gold does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Lupaka Gold Corp.
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC:MJNA), the first publicly traded cannabis company in the U.S., announced today that subsidiary HempMeds is exhibiting at The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) 25th Annual World Conference which will take place in Las Vegas, NV on December 14-16, 2017.

This conference is organized annually to discuss traditional medical education and the advancements of preventative and anti-aging medicine. It hosts 3,000 to 5,000 physicians and healthcare practitioners and over 600 exhibitors from across the globe every year.

At booth #2073, HempMeds representatives will be highlighting its groundbreaking Real Scientific Hemp Oil (RSHO) including its CBD hemp oil raw ingredient and zero-THC Real Scientific Hemp Oil-X (RSHO-X), the first-ever cannabis product to receive approval from the federal government of Mexico for importation. Additionally, they will be showcasing their Dixie Botanicals lifestyle supplement consumer-friendly products like stevia-sweetened hemp oil tinctures, vegan capsules, and a topical salve.

"We are proud to exhibit at this important event and speak with an international audience about our products and the benefits of CBD," said Medical Marijuana, Inc. CEO Dr. Stuart Titus. "CBD has many health and wellness benefits that are currently being researched throughout the world for potential therapeutic efficacy."

Those interested in learning more about HempMeds and its products are encouraged to visit https://hempmedspx.com.

About Medical Marijuana, Inc.

We are a company of firsts. Our mission is to be the premier cannabis and hemp industry innovators, leveraging our team of professionals to source, evaluate and purchase value-added companies and products, while allowing them to keep their integrity and entrepreneurial spirit. We strive to create awareness within our industry, develop environmentally-friendly, economically sustainable businesses, while increasing shareholder value. For details on Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s portfolio and investment companies, visit www.medicalmarijuanainc.com.

To see Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s corporate video, click here.

Shareholders are also encouraged to visit the Medical Marijuana, Inc. Shop for discounted products.

FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER AND DISCLOSURES. This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties. The statements in this press release have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. The Company does not sell or distribute any products that are in violation of the United States Controlled Substances Act. The Company does sell and distribute hemp-based products.

CONTACT:

Public Relations Contact:

Andrew Hard

Chief Executive Officer

CMW Media

P. 888-829- 0070

[email protected]

www.cmwmedia.com

SOURCE Medical Marijuana, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com


NASA Scientists believe Psyche, one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, may contain enough nickel, iron and precious metals to fill the entire state of Massachusetts completely. Its value is said to be worth over $10 quadrillion dollars and could supply the world production requirement for several million years. To put this figure into perspective, $10 quadrillion roughly translates into all of the money on the planet (from every country) that is currently in circulation, put together, and multiplied by 111.

A study at the Keck Institute for Space Studies at Caltech estimates that one full-cycle asteroid capture and return mission, moving an asteroid weighing 1.1 million pounds, would cost approximately $2.6 billion.

"Space is becoming smaller, closer and cheaper making room for new applications, new technologies and competitors," says Noah Poponak, aerospace and defense research analyst at Goldman Sachs.

Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the lead scientist on the mission and the director of Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, says: "The Psyche asteroid is a very compelling target, first of all because we get to see a metal world for the very first time."

"Extracting metals from the Psyche asteroid is not in NASA's plans," says Senior Fellow and Chief Futurist at metals.com John Crestani, "NASA's Discovery program is capped at only $450 million and they will merely demonstrate it's feasible with current technology."

About the venture fund: Metals.com is the leading name in precious metals and has announced a scientific fund for metal mining probes to near-Earth orbit. They are seeking to fund scientific teams to target M-Type (metallic) asteroids for their metals like iron, nickel, platinum and cobalt, which can be used to build structures in space with 3D printing.

Contact:

(877) 669-2621

metals.com

Contact:

Tiffany Terrell

(877) 669-2621

metals.com

Science Communications Director

SOURCE Metals.com

Related Links

http://www.metals.com


GREENWICH, Conn., Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The firm of Michael J. Smeriglio III, CPA, today announced they have hired Rafael Mandujano as a Staff Accountant. Mr. Mandujano joins the firm after graduating from Iona College with Bachelor and Master degrees in Accounting, as well as a Certificate in International Business.

Photo of Rafael Mandujano

In announcing Mandujano's hire, Michael J. Smeriglio III, founder of the firm, stated: "As our firm continues to grow, adding an additional Staff Accountant became very important to ensure we could meet our client's needs. After looking at numerous candidates, Rafael's experience, education and personality are exactly what our clients are looking for and he will serve them well. I am very pleased to announce his joining to our firm."

Before joining Michael J. Smeriglio III, CPA, Mr. Mandujano interned at PricewaterhouseCooper in New York City. He worked in the Wealth Management Tax Service department to ensure quality and timely delivery of over 200,000 tax forms for clients. He also worked on IRS Tax Return notices and reconciled IRS information with the firm's records.

Mr. Mandujano commented: "I am excited to be joining such a great firm. I had been looking for a firm where I could learn as much as possible, be able to work with the principals as well as the clients. Michael J. Smeriglio III, CPA has an outstanding reputation in the community and is exactly the type of firm I want to work for. Not only do they offer outstanding and forward-looking accounting services, but they pride themselves on customer service."

The Greenwich-based firm of Michael J. Smeriglio III, CPA was established in 1986 to provide tax compliance and tax planning to local businesses and individuals. Since then they have grown to support over 800 individuals and businesses. Clients range from small business owners with few or no employees to medium-sized businesses with dozens of employees. They support everyone from contractors to lawyers, from marketing to financial firms. Their client base is broad, however, each client whether it be a business or individual receives professional accounting services to meet their needs and outstanding customer service. For more information, please visit their website: www.MJSCPA.com.

Media Contact:

Peter Barhydt

203-252-4768

[email protected]

Related Images

image1.jpg

Rafael Mandujano Photo

image2.png

Michael J. Smeriglio III, CPA Logo

SOURCE Michael J. Smeriglio III, CPA
NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council praises the passage of the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017 (H.R. 1730) by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill, adopted by a vote of 402-2, would expand coverage of federal hate crimes laws protecting houses of worship to include religiously affiliated institutions, and would send a signal of no tolerance for hate crimes against people of faith.

"Crimes against religious institutions are intended to create an atmosphere of fear that deters community members from attending worship services and social involvement. These hate crimes pose a danger to the religious freedom and security of all Americans," said Stanley Bergman, Co-Chair of the Council.

Co-Chair Farooq Kathwari added, "We look forward to the Senate also adopting this bill on a bipartisan basis as now is the time to take action against hate crimes in this country."

Hate crimes are on the rise. The recent FBI Hate Crimes Statistics report shows an increase of 4.6 percent in hate crimes incidents in 2016 compared to 2015. Anti-Jewish incidents remain the majority of religious-based hate crimes, while anti-Muslim incidents rose nearly 20 percent over 2015. These attacks infringe on the free exercise of religion protected by our Constitution.

The bill amends P.L. 104-155, the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996, expanding it to include religiously-affiliated institutions, such as schools and community centers, in addition to houses of worship already under the scope of its protections. The bill also amends the statute to encompass threats against, as well as acts that result in damage or destruction to, religious real property. Further, it enhances the penalty for intentional damage to religious real property from the current one year (misdemeanor) to three years (unless there is bodily injury to a person, in which case the penalty is higher).

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council brings together 44 civil society, religious, and business leaders from across the United States to advocate for domestic policy issues of common concern to the American Jewish and American Muslim communities. Reversing the recent rise in hate crimes, and promoting the place of religious minorities in American society are the Council's top priorities. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) are its co-conveners.

SOURCE The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council
RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MyComputerCareer has teamed up with Military Makeover in a three-part series airing on Lifetime Television as Military Makeover's educational partner. MyComputerCareer is a nationally accredited school that offers Information Technology Programs for all experience levels.

The show, hosted by US Marine Corps Staff Sergeant R. Lee Ermey, aids and supports military veterans and their families who need improved life conditions including education and housing solutions, by enlisting the help of educational partners, decorators, designers, landscapers and other experts.

"Veterans have served our country with honor and we are proud to provide them with support and opportunities. Our Veteran students and employees make us a stronger organization because of the experiences they bring to our campuses and the service they have provided to our country," says Tony Galati, CEO of MyComputerCareer. "We feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to give back when and where we can."

MyComputerCareer also recently received their first Military Friendly designation. Military Friendly ratings have set the standard for companies and colleges that provide positive employment and education outcomes, as well as incorporating social and community supports for service members, veterans and their families.

Anyone interested in learning more about MyComputerCareer should visit www.mycomputercareer.edu or speak to a Career Advisor by calling 866-606-6922.

About MyComputerCareer.edu

MyComputerCareer provides technical training, certification preparation and job placement support for adult learners looking to enter the Information Technology industry, as well as professionals seeking career advancement. MyComputerCareer is a technical school with courses taught online and at its seven campuses in Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and Texas. Students who complete MyComputerCareer's Information Technology programs may earn valuable I.T. Certifications in areas ranging from Operating Systems to Computer Networks and Cyber Security.

About Military Makeover

Military Makeover puts on a special mini-series dedicated to giving back to members of our Military and their loved ones. Enlisting the help of decorators, designers, landscapers and other home renovation experts, providers help to transform the homes  and the lives  of military families across the country.

For more information or media assistance, please contact:

Jenny Nichols

MyComputerCareer.edu

765-714-7272

[email protected]

SOURCE MyComputerCareer

Related Links

https://www.mycomputercareer.edu


BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Navitas Capital, a venture capital fund focused on early-stage technology investments for the real estate and construction industries, closed its second fund with $60M in LP commitments.

Navitas' investment strategy is to provide a combination of growth capital, industry expertise, and market access to high growth technology companies in its primary focus areas: smart buildings, workflow solutions, artificial intelligence/machine learning, marketplaces, visualization, construction tech, and financial services. Investments in the firm's first fund included PlanGrid, a provider of construction management software, Matterport, the leading interactive 3D and VR technology for real estate, and View, an intelligent glass company. Early investments in Navitas' second fund include Truss, a listings and tenant rep marketplace for small commercial spaces, Aquicore, a provider of smart building and commercial energy management solutions, and Honest Buildings, a digital platform for managing capital improvements for commercial buildings.

"Navitas was the ideal partner to lead our Series A round. The partners' collective deep knowledge, experience and connections in our business gave us immediate strategic access to their industry network. Their track record and ability to align world class investor partners behind us was very attractive to our team as we begin to scale the business."  Andrew Bokor, Co-Founder, Truss

"Navitas is the leading VC in the smart building space and offers both unique access to square footage and guidance to help our company scale. As a first-time founder, it's great having a trusted investor at the table."  Logan Soya, CEO/Founder, Aquicore

As part of raising their second fund, Navitas welcomes new limited partner commitments from industry heavyweights including DivcoWest, JLL, Equity Residential, and Saint-Gobain, among others. Navitas works closely with its strategic LPs to help identify, underwrite, and co-invest in best-in-class technology start-ups impacting their businesses.

"As an early investor and adopter of real estate technology, DivcoWest has seen first-hand the opportunity to drive asset value and investment returns across our real estate funds. Partnering with Navitas is a core part of our strategy to increase capital allocation to real estate technology, broaden our access to world-class startups in the CRE tech space, and deploy the best digital solutions across our portfolio."  Stuart Shiff, CEO, DivcoWest

"The built world is in the early phases of a digital transformation, and JLL is committed to being a leading provider of digital service offerings. Having a venture capital partner with the experience and access of Navitas helps us uncover a broader set of innovation and build relationships with the most promising emerging companies in our sector."  Mihir Shah, Co-CEO, JLL Spark

Co-Founded by Travis Putnam and James Pettit, Navitas also welcomes Gary Dillabough as its third Managing Partner. Dillabough was previously at the Westly Group where he led the firm's smart buildings practice and co-invested with Navitas on a number of portfolio companies. Dillabough previously led investment in and currently sits on the board of Honest Buildings, Comfy, Lunera and View.

"Welcoming Gary to the team was the perfect next step given our track record of working together and complimentary skill sets. Gary brings a tremendous amount of operating experience across both high growth startups and real estate as well as a deep network in the space," adds Jim Pettit.

As the multi-trillion dollar real estate and construction industries accelerate their adoption of technology, the vision for Navitas is to be the partner of choice for best-in-class startups in the sector. With its new fund, the firm plans to make 8-10 core investments in the $3-5M range, along with a handful of smaller seed investments.

"The combination of a rapidly expanding universe of quality start-ups, increasing capital flows, and a massive industry actively seeking technology solutions is propelling the sector forward. Navitas has a front row seat to this dynamic  and that's extremely exciting," says Travis Putnam.

For more information about Navitas Capital, visit: www.navitascap.com

SOURCE Navitas Capital

Related Links

http://www.navitascap.com


NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Spectrum Pharmacy Products, a leading North American manufacturer and distributor of pharmaceutical compounding chemicals, equipment and supplies, announced a new agreement with the Federation of Pharmacy Networks (FPN), the largest U.S. cooperative of independent pharmacy group purchasing organizations. The agreement will offer FPN members great savings on Spectrum's leading portfolio of compounding products, services, education and training.

Carol Carlson, CEO, Federation of Pharmacy Networks, said, "With this agreement we are very pleased to provide our members nationwide with the benefits and value of Spectrum's well-known, high-quality compounding products at highly competitive prices. Our members will appreciate the quality and the savings."

Spectrum Pharmacy Products, a division of Spectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp., has been serving compounders for more than 40 years with the industry's largest portfolio of USP/NF grade products and DEA Controlled Substances (Schedules I  V).

Craig A. Recatto, Ph.D., President of Spectrum Pharmacy Products, said, "Spectrum understands the needs of compounders and appreciates the important role they play in personalized medicine. By partnering with FPN we can support the membership through the largest selection of chemicals and supplies as well as outstanding customer service at significant savings. In addition to our nationally recognized quality and service, FPN members can also take advantage of continuing education and training courses at the Spectrum Pharmacy Institute, centrally located in New Brunswick, New Jersey."

The agreement authorizes Spectrum Pharmacy Products to offer FPN members discounts on chemicals, supplies, equipment and education courses. Spectrum Pharmacy Institute offers accredited classroom, hands-on and online education programs for pharmacists and technicians to obtain continuing education units (CEUs).

Spectrum offers a comprehensive line of compounding ingredients, including more than 1,200 USP-NF-FCC chemicals, the broadest selection of monograph chemicals in the industry. Spectrum supplies more than 200,000 consumables and capital equipment.

The company has more than 45 in-house chemists, technicians and pharmacists to ensure safety, reliability, quality and leading customer service. Spectrum also offers formulation and technical support, in addition to education and training opportunities.

About the Federation of Pharmacy Networks (FPN)

The Federation of Pharmacy Networks is a cooperative of 20 independent pharmacy group purchasing organizations representing over 15,000 independent pharmacies. The organization was established for the purpose of providing a forum for its members to exchange ideas that promote, advance and ensure the future success of independent pharmacy. FPN is dedicated to independent pharmacies and the patients they serve nationwide. For more information, visit FPN.org.

About Spectrum Pharmacy Products

Spectrum Pharmacy Products, a division of Spectrum Chemical Manufacturing Corporation, manufactures and distributes high-quality compounding chemicals, equipment and supplies. Spectrum has been serving compounders for more than 40 years with the industry's largest portfolio of USP/NF grade products and DEA Controlled Substances (Schedules I  V). The company's bicoastal cGMP facilities in New Jersey and California are FDA registered and inspected, with additional certification to the ISO 9001:2015 standard. This year Spectrum Pharmacy Products launched the Spectrum Pharmacy Institute, a 42,000-square foot pharmacy distribution, manufacturing, and compounding education facility located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For more information, visit SpectrumRx.

Media Contact:

Sandra Oak, Nsight Public Relations, 321-591-1508, [email protected]

Company Contact:

Grant Gibson, Vice President, Marketing, Spectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp.,

1-310-516-8000, ext. 4601, [email protected]

SOURCE Spectrum Pharmacy Products
TORONTO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - NexJ Systems Inc . (TSX: NXJ), a provider of enterprise customer management solutions to the financial services industry, announced today that it has been included as a Representative Provider in two Gartner, Inc. reports about the wealth management industry and vendor solutions: Banker's Guide to Wealth Management Front-Office Systems and Banker's Guide to Wealth Management Mid- And Back-Office Systems.

The Banker's Guide to Wealth Management Front-Office Systems recommends that CIOs designing operations and architectures for digital wealth management should "create a holistic client view to enhance service and improve advisor productivity by focusing on front-office system vendors that include or support the integration of data from CRM, financial planning, portfolio management and proposal workflow applications."

With intelligent customer management solutions that enable firms to integrate enterprise data sources as well as streaming external data such as market news and social media, NexJ continues to be the choice of leading global wealth management firms.

"We are pleased to be included in these recent Gartner reports," says Paul DeVriendt, Senior Vice President of Products. "The wealth management industry has undergone a great deal of change in recent years. We continually work with clients and experts to ensure we deliver the solutions wealth management firms need to improve productivity, drive loyalty, and increase assets under management."

Gartner subscribers can access the reports on the Gartner portal by searching Banker's Guide to Wealth Management Front-Office System and Banker's Guide to Wealth Management Mid- Back-Office Systems.

For more information about NexJ's enterprise customer management solutions, please visit www.nexj.com.

Gartner, Inc., Banker's Guide to Wealth Management Front-Office Systems, Chuck Thomas, November 21, 2017.

Gartner, Inc., Banker's Guide to Wealth Management Mid- and Back-Office Systems, Chuck Thomas, November 21, 2017.

About NexJ Systems Inc.

NexJ Systems provides enterprise customer management solutions to the financial services industry. Our solutions include industry-specific customer relationship management (CRM) to enable collaboration across countries, regions and teams; customer process management (CPM) for client onboarding with KYC and AML for regulatory compliance; and customer data management (CDM) to support digital transformation and customer analytics across the enterprise. Our solutions integrate information from multiple systems into a unified view to help firms better understand and share information about their customers to increase loyalty, drive cross-sell and improve the customer experience.

Based in Toronto, NexJ has clients throughout North America, Asia Pacific and in Europe. For more information about NexJ visit www.nexj.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 416-222-5611. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like us on Facebook or hang out with us on Google+.

NexJ Forward-looking Statement

Certain statements in this press release may contain words considered forward-looking statements or information under applicable securities laws. These statements are based on NexJ's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the operating environment, economies and markets in which the company operates. These statements are subject to important assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and the actual outcome may be materially different. NexJ's assumptions, although considered reasonable by the company at the date of this press release, may prove to be inaccurate and consequently its actual results could differ materially from the expectations set out herein. For additional information with respect to risks and other factors which could occur, see NexJ's securities filings with the OSC and other securities regulators. NexJ securities filings are available on www.sedar.com. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, NexJ disclaims any intention or obligations to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE NexJ Systems Inc.

Related Links

www.nexj.com


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's top research priority for Lyme disease should be finding a more accurate and sensitive diagnostic test.

That's the conclusion of a broad-based collaboration of researchers, treating physicians, and Lyme disease patients in the United States, who took part in a comprehensive priority-setting process over the past two years.

We encourage others to help raise awareness by sharing this infographic on social media and in blogs.

Other priorities for Lyme research identified by the group include finding more effective treatments for both early and late stages of the disease, and determining why some patients develop a chronic form of the illness.

Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of a tick, can be difficult to diagnose and treat. Furthermore, many patients diagnosed with Lyme disease remain ill after treatment, while others improve.

LymeDisease.org, which advocates nationally for Lyme disease patients, recently released the results of the process, "The Top Ten Lyme Disease Research Questions."

According to CEO Lorraine Johnson, lab testing for Lyme disease is unreliable, making it difficult for patients to get appropriately diagnosed.

She also said there has been very little research into treatment options for those who remain ill after initial therapy.

"People with Lyme disease have the most at stake here. Yet they have traditionally had little or no say about where researchers choose to focus their efforts," said Johnson.

"We undertook this broad and inclusive process to include patients in setting the research priorities for Lyme disease."

Between 2015 and 2017, LymeDisease.org completed a three-step process based loosely on the one developed by the prestigious James Lind Alliance to define national research priorities.

The first round of priority setting took place at a 2015 conference held by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At that forum, 50 physicians, researchers, and patients developed a list of high priority questions for Lyme disease.

Then, LymeDisease.org invited participants of the MyLymeData patient registry to rank the priorities established at the AAAS conference, and to submit additional questions as well. This became the second list.

Next, the organization surveyed more than 5,000 members of the Lyme community at large. They were asked to rank the second list, and thus establish the final list of top ten research priorities.

Over 7,000 patients, researchers, physicians, and advocacy groups participated in the process, which will be used to influence research agendasparticularly for government-funded research.

According to LymeDisease.org President Phyllis Mervine, "The ultimate goal is to ensure that research that matters to patients is funded. Identifying key areas of focus for Lyme disease should help promote research that addresses patient needs and improves care."

Release of "The Top 10 Research Priorities" comes as the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently named a new federal advisory panel for tick-borne diseases. It's first meeting will be in Washington DC on December 11.

About MyLymeData: MyLymeData is the third largest national patient registry in the United States, with nearly 10,000 people either personally affected or parents of children with tick-borne diseases. It is a patient-driven big data project that tracks patients' progress over time. Additional information can be found on our website.

About LymeDisease.org: Since 1989, LymeDisease.org has advocated nationally for quality accessible healthcare for patients with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. LymeDisease.org is committed to shaping healthcare policy through science-based advocacy.

Media Contact:

Lorraine Johnson

LymeDisease.org, CEO

[email protected]

323-387-3848

Related Links

http://www.lymedisease.org

SOURCE LymeDisease.org

Related Links

http://www.lymedisease.org


Kelly Merrill joins OnDeck as the Senior Vice President for Finance, where she will help lead the company's short-term and long-term financial planning initiatives. Merrill brings over a decade of finance experience to OnDeck from GE Capital, where she played a leading role in developing and executing the disposition strategy for GE Capitals's $200 billion balance sheet. Previously, Merrill was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of GE Capital Real Estate, where she led a team of more than 50 employees. Merrill is based in New York City and will report to OnDeck CFO Howard Katzenberg.

Erich Wust has been appointed as the Senior Vice President for Portfolio Management at OnDeck. He will be responsible for managing portfolio credit strategies, balance sheet optimization and other components of the company's loan portfolio. Wust joins OnDeck after more than a decade in credit and risk leadership roles at SunTrust Bank. He most recently served as the bank's senior vice-president of Wholesale Modeling and Analytics. Wust will be based at OnDeck's offices in Arlington, Virginia and will report to the company's Chief Risk Officer, Nick Brown.

"We are delighted to welcome Kelly and Erich to OnDeck. Both are proven leaders with strong track records of success in the financial services industry," said Noah Breslow, Chief Executive Officer, OnDeck. "Kelly and Erich bring deep experience and expertise to their new roles, and their leadership will be invaluable to OnDeck as we continue our strong progress and evolution to profitability."

About OnDeck

OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK) is the leader in online small business lending. Since 2007, the company has powered Main Street's growth through advanced lending technology and a constant dedication to customer service. OnDeck's proprietary credit scoring system  the OnDeck Score  leverages advanced analytics, enabling OnDeck to make real-time lending decisions and deliver capital to small businesses in as little as 24 hours. OnDeck offers business owners a complete financing solution, including the online lending industry's widest range of term loans and lines of credit. To date, the company has deployed over $8 billion to more than 80,000 customers in 700 different industries across the United States, Canada and Australia. OnDeck also licenses its technology platform as a service, enabling banks and other small business service providers to offer fast and efficient online loans to their customers. OnDeck has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and operates the educational small business financing website BusinessLoans.com. For more information, please visit www.ondeck.com.

SOURCE On Deck Capital, Inc.
CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Brilliant, an award-winning search, staffing and management resources firm specializing in accounting, finance and information technology, promoted a key senior manager and hired a prominent leader to its Management Resources division.

Kathy Spearing was recently promoted from Practice Director, Management Resources and Technology Staffing, to Managing Director, Management Resources and Technology Staffing at Brilliant. To support Spearing's promotion, Brilliant President, Jeff Mariola, hired professional services veteran Mitch Ornstein to fill her role as Practice Director.

Ornstein is a former National Strategic Accounts Director for one of the largest, national professional services firms in the U.S. and has worked within the professional services industry for close to two decades. He also holds a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law.

Brilliant President, Jeff Mariola, explains, "The level of success we have experienced with Kathy at the helm of the Management Resources team has been stellar and she has been rewarded with a promotion for that work. In order to replace her at the Practice Director level, we needed someone with the same level of commitment and leadership." Mariola continues, "We hired Mitch because of his nearly 20 years of experience in the professionals services industry and we know his track record is exemplary  exactly what Brilliant needs to continue achieving success. Mitch will report to Kathy."

Spearing, adds, "I am thankful for my new role and the added-level of responsibility given to me as part of my promotion. This is an exciting time to be a senior leader for such a fast-growing company. I've been with Brilliant since 2009 and changes like this make me happy to be a part of the team." She continues, "I know that Mitch will take over leading the Management Resources team seamlessly, and I cannot wait to see what other successes he will bring."

Ornstein states, "I am extremely excited to join the Management Resources division and the Brilliant team in a leadership capacity. I believe that my background is aligned with the winning culture and spirit of this company." He continues, "I am thrilled to re-enter a role where helping clients on a regular basis is at the forefront of the firm's mission. I plan to lead my new team in a way that puts making people's lives better within the Chicago community, and beyond, our No. 1 goal."

Brilliant is comprised of four divisions: Brilliant Financial Search (direct-hire placement for accounting and finance roles), Brilliant Financial Staffing (temporary and temp-to-hire assignments for accounting and finance roles), Brilliant Management Resources (high-level consulting for accounting and finance roles) and Brilliant Technology Staffing (temporary placement for information technology roles).

To learn more about Brilliant, its management team or any of the divisions, visit the Brilliant website at http://www.brilliantfs.com.

About Brilliant | Connecting People and Opportunities

Brilliant is an award-winning search, staffing and management resources firm specializing in accounting, finance and information technology for the greater Chicago and south Florida labor markets. The firm represents high-quality accounting, finance and information technology talent and matches them with hiring companies throughout various industries including manufacturing, distribution, health care, professional services, retail, legal, technology, real estate, nonprofit organizations, software and hospitality, among others. Many of Brilliant's team members include former hiring managers, and accounting and finance professionals from the Big 4 accounting firms, as well as other leading professionals in the industry. Since its inception in 2009, Brilliant has been recognized on many prestigious lists including being ranked No. 6 on Forbes 2017 America's Best Professional Recruiting Firms and No. 25 on Forbes 2017 America's Best Executive Recruiting Firmsnot to mention Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50 for three straight years including No. 1 in 2015, Staffing Industry Analysts Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms in the U.S. for three straight years including No. 2 in 2015, Inavero's Best of Staffing Talent for North America two years in a row, Inc. 5000 for three straight years, Best Places to Work South Florida, 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For for four straight years, and others. To learn more about Brilliant, visit www.brilliantfs.com, call 312.582.1800 or follow @BrilliantFS on social media.

Media Contact: Laurie Vicente, CSMP, Brilliant, [email protected] or 312.582.1812

SOURCE Brilliant

Related Links

http://www.brilliantfs.com


"This important launch demonstrates the depth of our ability to successfully develop and manufacture complex products in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities," notes Chirag Patel, Co-CEO and co-Chairman for Amneal Pharmaceuticals.

"We are very pleased to launch the only generic injectable of triamcinolone, bringing this affordable medication to patients and healthcare providers," says Amneal Biosciences President Charles Lucarelli. "We will continue to focus on expanding our portfolio to provide quality generic injectables to our healthcare system."

Annual U.S. sales of Kenalog-40 injection were $146 million according to October 2017 IQVIA market data. Triamcinolone acetonide injectable suspension will be available direct and through wholesalers and distributors.

About Amneal

Amneal Biosciences LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC, is dedicated to the commercialization of high-barrier-to-entry generic and specialty pharmaceuticals such as injectables, oncologics, anti-infectives and support care for healthcare providers and patients of all ages. The company's expertise and focus on the unique needs and logistics of this market ensure the same level of quality and service for healthcare institutions and professionals that Amneal delivers to its retail customers.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC, a privately-held company headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, is one of the largest and fastest growing generic pharmaceutical manufacturers in the United States. Founded in 2002, Amneal now has more than 5,100 employees in its operations in North America, Asia, and Europe, working together to bring high-quality, affordable medicines to patients worldwide.

All trademarks listed in this release are property of their respective owners.

CONTACTS:

Sales:

John Niemi (sales)

Vice President, Sales

Amneal Biosciences

[email protected]

Business Development:

Apurva Saraf

Vice President, Global Strategy & Corporate Development

Amneal Pharmaceuticals

908.947.3740

[email protected]

Media :

Cheryl Lechok (media)

President, Cheryl Lechok Communications

Dir: 203.961.9280

[email protected]

SOURCE Amneal Biosciences
ORMOND BEACH, Fla., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OnSolve, a leading global provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) based critical communication solutions for enterprise, SMB, and government customers, today announced it will serve as a featured sponsor, speaker and exhibitor at Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ) Spring World 2018, which takes place March 25 - 28, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. For over 29 years the DRJ Conference has been the premier gathering for business continuity and disaster recovery professionals and thought leaders.

In addition to supporting the Conference as a Gold Level Sponsor, OnSolve will help lead a pair of speaking sessions to share key insights and best practices for emergency communications during a crisis and business continuity planning for global organizations:

Monday, March 26th

9:30 - 10:30 am

"Building Global Resilience for Your Organization"

OnSolve Chief Product Officer Daniel Graff-Radford and President, Commercial Ann Pickren will focus on the international evolution of business continuity planning, beginning with identifying and mitigating risks unique to global expansion. Any organization with current or planned locations outside of their headquarters country will benefit from the experiences shared in this interactive panel discussion.

Tuesday, March 27th

1:30 - 2:30 pm

"Great Expectations - The Myths and Realities of Communicating in Crisis"

OnSolve President, Commercial Ann Pickren and VP, Customer Success Mark Scully will discuss key concepts related to critical elements of a crisis communication strategy such as data efficacy, content control, initiation and approval.

"DRJ Conferences bring together the best minds and industry leaders to discuss and debate business continuity and disaster recovery developments that affect all sectors in the increasingly complex threat climate we face today," said Pickren. "OnSolve is thrilled to be a Gold Level Sponsor and speaker, and look forward to being a part of this tremendous event."

"We're excited to welcome OnSolve as a gold sponsor of DRJ Spring World 2018," said Bob Arnold, president, Disaster Recovery Journal. "Given their recently combined resources, we're looking forward to their perspectives and learnings on crisis communications and building global resilience."

You can learn more about OnSolve's EMNS offerings by visiting our booths 601 and 603.

About OnSolve

OnSolve is a leading global provider of SaaS-based critical communication solutions for enterprise, SMB, and government customers. The company's cloud-based software communications platform provides seamless and easy-to-deploy solutions for the exchange of critical information among organizations, their people, devices and external entities with use cases designed to save lives, enhance revenue and reduce costs. More information can be found on the company's website at www.onsolve.com.

SOURCE OnSolve
NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wireless Traveler, in partnership with Hudson Group's Tech on the Go, Hudson and Hudson News stores, launches a unique range of Orbit "Bluetooth trackers." Orbit trackers allow you to find any of your belongings wherever you are, from keys, phones and bags to wallets, remote controls and now even eye glasses. Orbits can also be used to take a remote Selfie.

Wireless Traveler

Featured in the launch is the world's smallest Bluetooth Glasses' Finder, the very first of its kind. This incredibly tiny tracker sticks onto the arm of your favorite glasses, so you will never lose them again! Also launching is the world's thinnest tracker Orbit Card, which is exactly the size of a credit card to fit right into your wallet, purse or bag. Orbit card has a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 90 days;

The waterproof Orbit Key/Phone finder comes in a choice of 12 vibrant colors and the replaceable battery lasts for up to 6 months. The popular Orbit Stick-on is ideal for finding remote controls, laptops, backpacks and not forgetting children's Teddy Bears.

Use the free-app on your phone to find your Orbit, and use the Orbit to locate your phone, even on silent; and one of the coolest features of the App is that you can set the separation alert so Orbit lets you know before you are leaving your phone, wallet or keys behind.

"Most travelers, both domestic and international, misplace items during their trip," says Michael Levy, Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer of Hudson Group. "Losing items like purses or wallets can be very costly and put a real damper on your business trip or vacation. Orbit finders help travelers find their belongings as soon as they go missing."

Orbit is distributed by Wireless Traveler a leading USA based travel communications company. "Who doesn't misplace things like phones or reading glasses when traveling?" says Ian Benson CEO of Wireless Traveler. Orbit is in a class of its own and 'Orbit Net Crowd' finding feature allows the Apps on the phones of thousands of other Orbit users to communicate with your app to help locate your items. We are delighted to partner with Hudson Group to make Orbit available at some of the busiest transportation locations in the world."

For two years in a row the Orbit trackers have made Oprah's Favorite Gift list; the Orbit key finders in 2016 and the Orbit Wallet Card Finder in 2017.

The Orbit range is also available online at Wirelesstraveler.com: https://www.wirelesstraveler.com/product-category/accessories

Company Information

Wireless Traveler (WT), based in NY is the travel services industry's preferred supplier of Travel Telecoms. WT specializes in consumer communication products and services for international leisure, corporate and educational travelers. WT's services include prepaid international sim cards, secure pocket Wi-Fi with low cost data and Wi-Fi calling Apps to help travelers avoid roaming charges and daily fee plans. The company prides itself in introducing innovative ways for international travelers to stay securely connected, now even to their belongings.

Wireless Traveler contact information:

Brenda Benson

EVP Marketing - Wireless Traveler

Tel: +1-631-421-1544

Toll Free: 1-866-700-3883 (USA and Canada)

Related Images

image1.jpg

Wireless Traveler Wallet Tracker

image2.jpg

image3.jpg

image4.jpg

SOURCE Wireless Traveler
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Adyen, the payments platform of choice for the world's leading companies, today released its global retail predictions for 2018. Based on Adyen data, market research and anecdotes from hundreds of merchants, the company found early cues as to what savvy shoppers and retailers should expect next year.

Adyens 2018 Global Retail Predictions

Last year, Adyen predicted that mobile shopping and personalized customer experiences would make 2017 the year of ultra-convenience. This year, different themes have emerged, with the most prominent being efficiency. Millennial and Gen Z shoppers in particular want a shopping experience that offers the best of both the online and brick-and-mortar worlds. They also don't want to waste their time in either place.

"As consumer confidence and spending in the U.S. continues to grow, shoppers are demanding more seamless ways to shop and pay, and retailers are catering to their needs," said Roelant Prins, chief commercial officer, Adyen. "Adyen's retail predictions indicate customer satisfaction is top of mind and that voice technology and AI will take center stage in 2018."

Adyen's top 10 retail predictions for 2018:

Unified commerce becomes the norm: Queue-busting and more ways to pay are key. Adyen found that shoppers of all ages would shop more often if they could avoid lines and do things like return items in a store that they bought online. Predicting customer preferences with big data: Retailers will use AI and machine learning to forecast product preferences, habits and the way clothing fits. Rise of the permanent pop-up: Pop-ups add exclusivity to an already exclusive experience. Fendi, Chanel and Louis Vuitton have already rolled out imaginative pop-ups, a trend that will continue as the pop-up becomes a bigger, more permanent part of marketing budgets. Chinese tourists  the new global power shoppers: Well-to-do Chinese millennials want iconic brands, and they have about $8,000 to spend on them, according to Adyen research. Chinese tourists will by far outspend American tourists next year, a trend that will continue until 2025, when Chinese tourists are projected to spend $255 billion . Ordering more than pizza on Messenger: As consumers get more comfortable spending money via Facebook Messenger and WeChat, they're plunking down larger amounts for high-end luxury goods and clothing. Real-world examples boost efforts to fight fraud: After the Equifax hack and other breaches, cybersecurity will be top of mind. Retailers will start syncing up data from all channels to know exactly what to block. Augmented shopping: Shopping using the technology behind Pokemon Go gained traction in 2017, but in 2018, you'll notice it everywhere from Amazon to Saks Fifth Avenue. Voice shopping goes mainstream: Voice shopping efforts are ramping up too, as Target, Walmart, and Alibaba recently got into the game. Physical stores become town squares: The fate of the brick-and-mortar store has been unclear for years. But a new vision has bubbled up after big announcements from Apple and others, describing stores as "town squares," places for experiences like eating, drinking and watching entertainment. The disappearing sales associate: The next generation of shoppers can do their own product research. Adyen found that only 7 percent of Gen Z'ers want sales associates readily available to make recommendations in-store. Combined with self-service and "just walk out" checkouts, the role of the sales associate will diminish or radically shift in 2018.

For more information please visit: www.adyen.com.

About Adyen

Adyen is the payments platform of choice for the world's leading companies. The only provider of a modern end-to-end infrastructure connecting directly to Visa, MasterCard, and consumers' globally preferred payment methods, Adyen delivers frictionless payments across online, mobile, and in-store. With offices all around the world, Adyen serves more than 4,500 businesses, including 8 of the 10 largest U.S. Internet companies. Customers include Facebook, Uber, Netflix, Spotify, Casper, Bonobos and L'Oreal.

Follow Adyen on Twitter

Media Contact:

Adyen

Dave Pedersen

[email protected]

SOURCE Adyen

Related Links

http://www.adyen.com


MILWAUKEE, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Stueve Siegel Hanson, LLP, and Heins Mills & Olson, P.L.C. announce that all persons and entities in the United States, and it territories and possessions, which purchased Aftermarket Automotive Sheet Metal Products ("AMSM") directly from Taiwan Kai Yih Industrial Co., Ltd., Tong Yang Industry Co., Ltd., TYG Products, L.P., Jui Li Enterprise Company, Ltd., Gordon Auto Body Parts Co. Ltd., Auto Parts Industrial, Ltd., or Cornerstone Auto Parts, LLC between January 1, 2003 and May 14, 2015 (the "Settlement Class" or "Class"), may be affected by a class action settlement with Jui Li Enterprise Company, Ltd.

Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs claim that Defendants violated the United States federal antitrust laws by agreeing to fix prices and limit supply for AMSM. AMSM includes hoods, doors, bumpers, fenders, bonnets, floor panels, trunk assemblies, trunk lids, tailgates, roof panels and reinforcement parts. Defendants have denied and continue to deny each and all of the claims and contentions alleged by Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs, as well as all charges of wrongdoing or liability. The Court has not decided in favor of either Party.

A proposed Settlement has been reached with Jui Li Enterprise Company, Ltd. for USD$3,350,000 in cash, which, after Taiwan taxes, will net USD$2,680,000 in a settlement fund ("Settlement Fund"). Prior settlements were reached with Tong Yang Industry Co., Ltd., Taiwan Kai Yih Industrial Co., Ltd., and TYG Products, L.P., and Gordon Auto Body Parts Co. Ltd. After deducting costs, fees and expenses, the balance of the Jui Li Settlement Fund will be distributed to the Class on a pro-rata basis depending on how much you spent on AMSM during the Class Period from all the Defendants. The lawsuit will continue against the Non-Settling DefendantsAuto Parts Industrial, Ltd. and Cornerstone Auto Parts, LLC.

You are included in the Court certified Settlement Class if you fit the following description: All persons and entities in the United States, and its territories and possessions, that purchased Aftermarket Automotive Sheet Metal Products directly from any of the Defendants between January 1, 2003 and May 14, 2015.

You are included in the Court certified Litigation Class if you fit the following description: All persons and entities in the United States, and its territories and possessions, that purchased AM Sheet Metal Parts directly from a Defendant between at least as early as January 1, 2003, and September 4, 2009.

If you are included in the Court certified Settlement Class and you submitted a valid Claim Form in 2015, you will automatically receive a payment from this Settlement if it is approved and becomes final. If you are included you may object to all or any part of the Settlement and give reasons why you think the Court should not approve it. Your written objection must be mailed to the Settlement and Litigation Administrator, Class Counsel, Counsel for Jui Li, and the Court and must be postmarked no later than January 11, 2018. You may also request to appear and speak at the Final Approval Hearing. You may have your own attorney attend, at your own expense, but are not required to. If you are included in the Court certified Settlement Class and Court certified Litigation Class you may ask to be excluded from the Settlement and Litigation. To do so, you must send a letter by mail to the Settlement and Litigation Administrator stating that you want to be excluded from Fond du Lac Bumper Exchange, Inc., et al. v. Jui Li Enterprise Co. Ltd., et al., 2:09-cv-00852 (E.D. Wis.) postmarked no later than January 11, 2018. More information regarding how to object to the Settlement, request to appear at the Final Approval Hearing, and request how to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class and Litigation Class can be found in the Long Form Notice available at www.AftermarketSheetMetalSettlement.com.

The Court will hold the Final Approval Hearing beginning at 11:30 a.m. February 16, 2018, at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. At this hearing, the Court will listen to any objections and consider whether to approve the Settlement as fair, reasonable, and adequate; a request by Class Counsel for attorneys' fees and expenses; and a service award of $5,000 to each of the Class Representatives (Fond du Lac Bumper Exchange Inc. and Roberts Wholesale Body Parts, Inc.). Class Counsel is requesting attorneys' fees in the amount of no more than 33% of the Net Settlement Fund (that is, the Settlement Fund amount after deduction of Taiwan taxes) and payment of litigation costs and expenses. These costs and expenses include each law firm's reported expenses and common costs to date. As the litigation continues, Class Counsel will incur more expenses and may ask the Court for an additional payment. Class Counsel's motion for attorneys' fees and costs and service awards will be available at www.AftermarketSheetMetalSettlement.com, on or about December 28, 2017.

For more information go to www.AftermarketSheetMetalSettlement.com, or call 1-866-413-5892.

SOURCE Stueve Siegel Hanson, LLP, and Heins Mills & Olson P.L.C.

Related Links

http://www.aftermarketsheetmetalsettlement.com


This new accountable care relationship enables PCCN to treat patients using an innovative value-based model focused on keeping people healthy. UnitedHealthcare shares data with PCCN to inform doctors of patients' underlying medical conditions, past treatments, gaps in care, medications prescribed and future care needs. This takes the burden off the child's family from having to connect information from each of their doctor's visits themselves, and reduces duplicative tests and improves care coordination across specialties and care settings.

Through this initiative, PCCN and UnitedHealthcare are able to identify clear, actionable information specific to individual patients' health needs. This collaboration also improves the ability to identify patients at high risk, and help them reduce emergency room visits and readmissions to the hospital, manage their chronic health conditions and take their needed medications.

"Our physician-led clinically integrated network of over 100 physicians combined with robust population health analytics and our comprehensive care management program gives participating PCCN practices the ability to increase quality and efficiency while reducing redundancy and health care costs," said Casey Osborne, Vice President, PCCN. "We are enhancing care coordination across care settings, and our new accountable care relationship with UnitedHealthcare enables PCCN to provide improved care to more patients in our community."

Nearly 50,000 people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare's Medicaid health plans are eligible to benefit from this collaboration.

"UnitedHealthcare and PCCN are committed to ensuring children have access to the quality care they need and deserve," said Joseph Gaudio, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona. "By collaborating with PCCN, we can create a more connected health care experience, help improve patient care and enhance people's ability to live healthier lives."

More than 15 million people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare plans across the country have access to accountable care programs, delivered in part through more than 800 accountable care arrangements nationwide as the organization engages in deeper, more collaborative relationships with physicians and hospitals.

Care providers nationwide are showing strong interest in a shift to value-based care. UnitedHealthcare's total payments to physicians and hospitals that are tied to value-based arrangements have tripled in the last three years to more than $54 billion. By the end of 2018, UnitedHealthcare expects that figure to reach $65 billion.

For more information about UnitedHealthcare's changing relationships with care providers and how value-based programs are helping to improve quality and people's health, visit www.UHC.com/valuebasedcare and download the Value-based Care Report.

About Phoenix Children's Care Network

Phoenix Children's Care Network is a physician-led, pediatric-focused, clinically integrated organization that represents a valuable alliance between and among community pediatricians and subspecialists, with the collective focus on improving quality of care while effectively managing associated costs. It was the first pediatric network in the U.S. to achieve Utilization Review Accreditation Committee (URAC) accreditation as a clinically-integrated network. With more than 1,000 providers, it is the largest pediatric clinically-integrated organization in Arizona. A total of 85 percent of specialists and 65 percent of primary care providers in the state participate in the care network. For access to the very best pediatric care, make sure PCCN physicians are in your health insurance network. For more information, visit www.pccn.org.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.

SOURCE Phoenix Childrens Care Network

Related Links

http://www.pccn.org


When I made my compliant online, Florida contacted me promptly, Seager wrote. During our phone conversation, they seemed genuinely concerned ... The legal effort sends an important message. During times when the health and safety of others is at serious risk, predatory pricing should be not only be morally repulsive but legally constrained.

Bondis office said it has 10 more open price gouging investigations, most involving gas stations and hotels and said she is "very proud of the hard work my office has done."

Ten cases. Is that all?
EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), today announced that S7 Airlines signed an agreement for a 12-year Pratt & Whitney EngineWise Fleet Management Program. The agreement will cover S7 Airlines' fleet of 30 Airbus A320neo and A321neo family of aircraft powered by the Pratt & Whitney PurePower Geared Turbofan (GTF) PW1100G-JM engines.

"This agreement will allow S7 Airlines to manage our fleet more efficiently through Pratt & Whitney's EngineWise services portfolio, including the use of real-time data analytics," said Vladimir Obyedkov, CEO, S7 Airlines. "This further strengthens our relationship with Pratt & Whitney after taking delivery of GTF-powered A320neo aircraft this past July."

"We would like to thank S7 for their confidence in Pratt & Whitney to maintain their new fleet of GTF-powered aircraft, which continues to revolutionize the aviation industry," said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president, Sales, Marketing & Customer Support at Pratt & Whitney. "EngineWise represents our long-term commitment to customers to improve the predictability, reliability and health of their fleets. We look forward to offering this service to S7 Airlines moving forward."

About Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Pratt & Whitney

+1 (860) 565-9600

[email protected]

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney

Related Links

http://www.utc.com


"Film editors can now browse and discover new music for their projects from wherever they are conveniently via these new apps and are no longer tied to their desktop. Having this capability at their fingertips will expand discovery and curating opportunities immensely," said Sylvain Grande, GM Motion at Shutterstock. "We're proud to provide a full-fledged tool that is integrated in users' daily workflow, making it easier and quicker to find new tracks and provide new discovery tools."

Music demand created by cultural phenomenons such as 'Stranger Things' and 'Blade Runner' drives strong demand for new sound tracks that replicate these retro sci-fi scores including new genres like Sci-Fi Synth and Nordic Noir. The PremiumBeat team is constantly sourcing the newest sounds to meet the dynamic needs of its audience. Users of iOS and Android can discover, listen to and add tracks to their playlists, all from their mobile device.

The new mobile experience is vastly improving the way video editors search and browse music for film, video and media projects. Mobile access has become a must-have for creative professionals. With the new PremiumBeat application, users can now browse through handpicked production music from the world's leading composers by genres, moods or most popular search categories, syncing playlists and adding favorites on-the-go that will save to their PremiumBeat account for easy downloading later.

PremiumBeat has also introduced a design overhaul and new discovery functionality to its site, www.premiumbeat.com, which also launches this week.

Download the PremiumBeat app for iOS in the app store here, and for Android in the Google Play store here.

About Shutterstock, Inc.

Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK ), directly and through its group subsidiaries, is a leading global provider of high-quality licensed photographs, vectors, illustrations, videos and music to businesses, marketing agencies and media organizations around the world. Working with its growing community of over 300,000 contributors, Shutterstock adds hundreds of thousands of images each week, and currently has more than 150 million images and more than 8 million video clips available.

Headquartered in New York City, Shutterstock has offices around the world and customers in more than 150 countries. The company also owns Bigstock, a value-oriented stock media agency; Shutterstock Custom, a custom content creation platform; Offset, a high-end image collection; PremiumBeat a curated royalty-free music library; Rex Features, a premier source of editorial images for the world's media; and Webdam, a cloud-based digital asset management service for businesses.

For more information, please visit www.shutterstock.com and follow Shutterstock on Twitter and on Facebook.

SOURCE Shutterstock, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.shutterstock.com


"We are very excited to have been chosen by General Dynamics Electric Boat to design this critical piece of equipment to support the Virginia Class submarine program. QNA has years of experience designing and producing control equipment for the Navy. This effort aligns with QNA's strategic goals of providing similar technologies and products to help modernize our submarine fleet," stated Andrew Courier, Vice President of Maritime Systems at QNA.

Design, development, and testing of the cradle lock EPCC will take place at QNA's Waltham, MA facility.

About QinetiQ North America

QinetiQ North America (QNA) is a subsidiary of QinetiQ Group plc, the FTSE250 company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:QQ.L). QNA delivers world-class technology and revolutionary products to the defense, security, and commercial markets. Customers rely on QNA products to increase situational awareness, aid in personal safety, enhance security and streamline operations. QNA products include unmanned systems, military protection and power sensors and control systems. QNA is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts and operates as the US arm of QinetiQ Group's Global Products division. For more information, visit www.qinetiq-na.com.

SOURCE QinetiQ North America

Related Links

http://www.qinetiq-na.com


NORWALK, Conn., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Radeberger Gruppe USA, an importer of brands of its parent company Radeberger Gruppe in Germany, the leading German brewing group, today announced its latest innovation in beer  Schofferhofer Pomegranate  the world's first Hefeweizen pomegranate beer.

Schofferhofer Pomegranate is the latest product in the successful Schofferhofer family

A deliciously refreshing beverage option, Schofferhofer Pomegranate is the latest line extension from Schofferhofer, made of 50% authentic unfiltered German Hefeweizen and 50% pomegranate juice, and an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 2.5% for a crisp taste that's easy to drink. Schofferhofer Pomegranate follows the widely successful Schofferhofer Grapefruit product to market, which has enjoyed tremendous growth since its debut in 2014, and is now available nationwide at grocery, c-stores and off-premise retail locations, as well as on-draught at restaurants and bars.

Schofferhofer Pomegranate will be exclusively offered in 6-pack bottles to off-trade locations in the Pacific Northwest region, including Oregon, Washington and Utah beginning in January, 2018. This is the first time this beer is available in bottles; it is currently being served on-draught at Walt Disney World's Epcot World Showcase, in the country of Germany, where park-goers have been enjoying the beer since earlier this year.

"We set out to meet the increasing consumer demand for more delicious, low alcohol options as evidenced by Schofferhofer Grapefruit, and we're excited about our latest innovation - Schofferhofer Pomegranate," said Armin Buehler, head of marketing of Radeberger Gruppe USA. "The Pacific Northwest region is known for its adventurous culinary and lifestyle scene, and we're excited to introduce this product to this area as a test market before rolling it out nationwide."

About Radeberger Gruppe USA

Radeberger Gruppe USA is an importer of brands of its parent company, Radeberger Gruppe, Germany's largest brewery group belonging to the family business Dr. August Oetker KG in Bielefeld. With a clear commitment to the regionality and the high emotional boosting of its brands, Radeberger Gruppe is cultivating German beer and beverage diversity and is actively developing the German beer and drink market with an innovative company model. Radeberger Gruppe USA's distribution includes Radeberger Pilsner, Schofferhofer Grapefruit, Clausthaler, DAB and BraufactM.

Contact: Craig Alperowitz

Bolide Communications

973-975-3037

[email protected]

SOURCE Radeberger Gruppe USA
CLEVELAND, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Redwood Living, Inc. has contracted with Wag, a service that provides a network of reliable and certified dog walkers and sitters, to allow its residents a convenient pet care option as an added benefit of living in a Redwood neighborhood.

By combining both companies love and passion for dogs, this partnership will enhance the lives of residents and pets all the same. Redwood is one of the only apartment neighborhoods that allows up to 3 pets with no additional fees. There are future plans to include miniature dog parks onsite for residents as well. Wag allows dog owners to book a dog walk on-demand, scheduled, or on a recurring basis. Customers are able to see their dogs being walked with live GPS tracking and monitor any activity occurring during the visit.

Redwood's Vice President of Operations, Jessica VanGelder, states, "Redwood continuously strives to add services and partnerships that enhance our residents' experience and lifestyle and most importantly provide convenience. Wag does exactly that."

Redwood residents will be able to sign up and enjoy the convenience of Wag's services for a fixed discounted price as a result of the partnership. Wag is the only on-demand dog care service company with fixed pricing and is determined by market. On average, a 30-minute dog walk is $20.

For more information about Redwood Living, Inc. and its commitment to residents and pets, please email [email protected] or visit www.byredwood.com

To learn more about the Wag program, visit https://wagwalking.com/.

About Redwood Living, Inc.

Redwood Living, Inc. (Redwood) is a fully integrated development and management company with communities in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Today, Redwood is proud to have delivered 7,000 of its reinvented apartments with just as many currently under development. The company focuses specifically on the single-story, open-floor plan, attached garage design and believes that the growth of the "renter-by-choice" population demands the response that Redwood provides. The success of this approach continues to be validated in new markets.

Redwood is a company that believes in its mission, product & amazing people. They create a simplified, relaxed lifestyle for residents, and offer a challenging and rewarding atmosphere for its employees. For more information, visit www.byredwood.com.

SOURCE Redwood Living, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.byredwood.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Disclosing personal history of sexual assault and other forms of abuse to a primary care physician can have a profound impact on the patient's experience in the doctor's office as well as the quality of care, according to a review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

The authors analyzed more than 50 studies, including topics like post-traumatic stress and reduced access to medical care in sexual assault victims. The collective analysis provides primary care physicians an understanding of the physiological and psychological reactions to trauma, as well as concrete guidelines for patient care.

The authors hope that recent high-profile sexual assault and harassment allegations encourage more survivors to share their experiences with their primary care physicians.

"This really amounts to practicing trauma-informed patient care," says co-author Jane Balbo, DO, assistant professor of family medicine at The Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. "Giving the patient an option to disclose a trauma within the context of his or her medical history, and without having to immediately discuss it, will help survivors get the best possible care from their physician."

Getting patients to open up

Dr. Balbo, an osteopathic family physician, recommends adding specific questions to the patient intake form, such as the following questions they use on their form at OhioHealth Campus Care Ohio University:

Have you ever been sexually abused or raped?

Have you ever felt afraid of your partner?

Has anyone ever hit, injured, threatened, or tried to control you?

Do you wish to discuss issues related to rape, incest, sexual abuse, or coercion?

She also suggests physicians directly ask patients about recent or past negative experiences, and to offer examples like bullying, unhealthy relationships and violent behavior. This conversation opens a dialogue that may uncover sexual abuse and traumas not covered by typical intake screening questions.

Knowing what to say

Responding appropriately to a patient with a history of sexual trauma is difficult for many physicians, according to Dr. Balbo, whose literature review offers some guidance.

If a patient struggles to recall details about the assault, provide assurance that lapses in memory are common after trauma.

It is not the physician's job to investigate the assault. Asking forceful questions can make a patient feel like they are not believed or are to blame for the assault.

If a patient is uncomfortable discussing the assault or reporting it to law enforcement, provide the option to talk with a confidential counselor.

Provide phone numbers for counseling and mental health services in the community and offer to have office staff facilitate scheduling the first appointment.

Informed consent and checking in

Navigating physical contact is also a delicate process for physicians treating sexual assault survivors, especially for DOs who often use osteopathic manipulative treatment to diagnose and treat myriad conditions. Dr. Balbo says explaining the nature and purpose of applying any form of hands-on care, as well as what the patient might experience during the examination, is important.

"The physician's goal should be to validate the patient's experience, advocate for their needs and support their autonomy," says Dr. Balbo. "Particularly for sexual assault survivors, we need to consider the mental and emotional impacts of their experience because it affects how they respond to being examined and, ultimately, it affects their overall health."

About The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association

The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA) is the official scientific publication of the American Osteopathic Association. Edited by Robert Orenstein, DO, it is the premier scholarly peer-reviewed publication of the osteopathic medical profession. The JAOA's mission is to advance medicine through the publication of peer-reviewed osteopathic research.

SOURCE American Osteopathic Association
SUNNYVALE, Calif. and ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RiskSense, Inc., the pioneer and market leader in cyber risk management, today announced that it will present a webinar on Dec. 14 that uses research findings on Apache Struts vulnerabilities over a 10 year period to illustrate the shortcomings in traditional approaches to vulnerability detection and assessment. The presenters will also outline best practices for identifying and remediating the most high risk threats to prevent attacks.

WHO: Anand Paturi, Vice President of Research and Development



Barry Cogan, Senior Security Analyst







WHAT: The recent Apache Struts vulnerability was responsible for several high profile data breaches. In this webinar, two leading RiskSense researchers will present findings based on the analysis of Apache Struts-related vulnerability weaponization patterns over the past decade, including the fact that scanners are still unable to detect nearly 15 documented Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs).







The webinar will include a live demonstration of Apache Struts exploits, and present best practices for using intelligence about attack patterns to identify and prioritize the highest risk threats so they can be remediated first to prevent attacks and security breaches.





WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 at 2:30 PM EST







WHERE: Webinar, delivered to your digital device.







HOW: To schedule a conversation with RiskSense, contact Marc Gendron at [email protected] or +1 781.237.0341. For more information, visit: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/15653/292863?utm_source=RiskSense&utm_medium=brighttalk&utm_campaign=292863



Resources

RiskSense Platform Overview: http://bit.ly/2yIJ1YE

White Paper on Operationalizing Cyber Risk: http://bit.ly/2gaurSX

Webinar on Cyber Risk Management: What's Holding Us Back? http://bit.ly/2xTE2ba

About RiskSense

RiskSense, Inc. is the pioneer and market leader in pro-active cyber risk management. The company provides enterprises and governments with clear visibility into their entire attack surface, including attack susceptibility and validation, as well as quantification of risks based on operational data.

The RiskSense Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform unifies and contextualizes internal security intelligence, external threat data and business criticality to transform cyber risk management into a more pro-active, collaborative, and real-time discipline. It embodies hands-on expertise gained from defending critical government and commercial networks from the world's most dangerous cyber adversaries.

By leveraging RiskSense cyber risk management solutions, organizations can significantly shorten time-to-remediation, increase operational efficiency, strengthen their security programs, heighten response readiness, reduce costs, and ultimately minimize cyber risks. For more information, please visit www.risksense.com or follow us on Twitter at @RiskSense.

Media Contacts

Marc Gendron

Marc Gendron Public Relations

+1 781.237.0341

[email protected]

or

[email protected]

SOURCE RiskSense, Inc.

Related Links

http://risksense.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rocketrip, the leading behavioral change platform for reducing corporate travel costs, today announced that Dan Figenshu has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Figenshu joins Rocketrip with a depth of experience building and scaling financial functions within growing organizations. He will lead Rocketrip's financial strategy as the company accelerates its growth.

Dan Figenshu

Prior to joining Rocketrip, Figenshu served as Senior Vice President of Finance at Mic Network Inc. where he built and grew their finance and accounting functions from the ground up, as well as oversaw the people team. He instituted financial controls, established processes across finance, accounting, legal, and HR, and led a successful Series C, raising $28.4M in capital.

Before Mic, Figenshu was Vice President of Finance at TheBlaze and was first introduced to Rocketrip during his time there. Having seen tremendous success with the program, he became a firm believer in Rocketrip's behavioral change program, contributed as an advisor to the company, and later implemented the program at Mic.

"When looking to bring in a finance leader, I immediately reached out to Dan. His extensive experience and ability to build financial strategies that set organizations up for exponential growth perfectly matched our profile for this role," said Dan Ruch, CEO at Rocketrip. "We're looking forward to seeing Dan apply his passion and unique perspective as a former Rocketrip client (twice over!) to his role as CFO."

"I've been a client of Rocketrip for many years and have seen it be a successful tool in reducing spend and improving traveler morale and corporate culture," said Figenshu. "I'm excited to be part of the Rocketrip team and contribute to the future success of the company."

Figenshu earned his B.S. in Finance from Boston College and resides in New Jersey with his wife and children. To learn more about Dan Figenshu, connect with him on LinkedIn.

About Rocketrip

Rocketrip reduces business travel costs by aligning employee and employer interests. The platform produces custom trip budgets for employees and motivates them to spend less by letting them keep half of what they save. As the global leader in Incentivized Behavioral Change, Rocketrip inspires thoughtful spending by giving employees a stake in their company's bottom line. It's a win-win approach trusted by clients including Pandora, TriNet, and Twitter.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in New York City, Rocketrip's investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, Genacast Ventures, and Y Combinator. For more information, visit http://www.rocketrip.com.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Rocketrip

Related Links

http://www.rocketrip.com


QUEBEC CITY, Quebec, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading outsourced sales and marketing firm Samcom Concept, headquartered in Quebec, announced that their recent achievements on behalf of a major telecommunications client during the third quarter of this year have earned the firm national sales recognition.

The team at Samcom Concept surpasses other competitive offices working on the same program to win the quarterly Campaign Cup, given to the top-performing firm based on leading statistics and quality metrics.

President Samy Khlafa praised the hard work and dedication of his team, saying, "I am proud of my team's ability to provide consistently outstanding customer service to the client, and pleased to accept this award on their behalf."

Samcom Concept works to grow the client's customer base, putting proven customer acquisition and retention strategies to work on behalf of the client. The firm continues to consistently exceed client expectations, achieving notable results with high quality. At Samcom Concept, promoting leaders from within and offering outstanding training programs are paramount to the company's success. The firm also values teamwork, along with community outreach and service.

Like Samcom Concept on Facebook.

About Samcom Concept

Quebec-based sales and marketing company Samcom Concept offers marketing strategies to leading clients seeking to effectively acquire and retain customers. Working with confidence and integrity, the sales professionals at Samcom Concept offer personalized sales solutions to help the client grow their market share and brand awareness. For more information, call 418-928-7262 or go to http://samcomconcept.com/.

Contact: Samy Khlafa

418-928-7262

SOURCE Samcom Concept

Related Links

http://www.samcomconcept.com


KADOYA is a development and commercial real estate company with properties primarily in Osaka. They are the master franchisee of Greenberry Coffee in Japan and also run the BBQ concept, Shinra. Mr. Ryohei Iwatani, President & CEO of K&B Brothers, a KADOYA subsidiary, said "We have tremendous confidence in the Sbarro Management Team and are excited to join them in impacting Japanese food culture. Pizza is very popular in Japan, but people know it for either delivery pizza with less quality or high-end restaurant pizza as part of an Italian full course dinner. Now, with Pizza Cucinova, we add another option for pizza lovers in a fast-casual environment. Our customers will enjoy authentic, customizable pizza at a reasonable price."

Desarrolladora Gastronomica, S.A., is a leading restaurant developer and operator of several concepts in Argentina from fine dining steak houses to casual dining and local pizzerias. Rafael Pereira-Aragon noted "I am honored to join the Sbarro Global family. We are very impressed with the company, and the focus and dedication of their management team. Our company is committed to develop Sbarro in Argentina, combining their strong brand attributes with our local restaurant operations experience and tradition. We are confident that the Sbarro brand will fit the consumer habits here very well."

"We are very grateful for Ryohei and his team for their trust and confidence in our Pizza Cucinova brand as well as Rafael and his team for bringing Sbarro to Argentina," said David Karam, Sbarro CEO. "We are very excited to enter these countries with such proven restaurant operators and real estate developers, and look forward to the opening of their first locations."

About Sbarro and Pizza Cucinova

Since opening its doors as an Italian Salumeria in 1956, Sbarro today serves New York style pizza and other Italian favorites to guests at more than 630 restaurants across 28 countries. An award-winning franchise organization, Sbarro is best known for selling their original XL New York style pizza by the slice featuring dough made in-house daily, freshly chopped vegetables and 100% whole milk mozzarella cheese. Pizza Cucinova began in 2013 with locations primarily in Columbus, Ohio but is expanding worldwide. Pizza Cucinova serves artisan pizza, pasta and salad inspired by the time-honored traditions and recipes of Naples, Italy. Sbarro is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

For more information on Pizza Cucinova, visit our Web Page.

For more information on Sbarro, visit our Web Page.

For Franchise interest visit our Franchising Web Page.

Or visit us on social media at Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram.

Sbarro Contact

Rohan Shearer

Chief Administrative Officer

(614) 769-9929

SOURCE Sbarro

Related Links

http://sbarro.com


@NewsbySmiley

Last year, long before he became a congressional candidate running in a Democratic primary, Ken Russell attended a Miami fundraiser for Ted Cruzs presidential campaign.

But he says he didnt give the conservative Republican a dime.

At the time a newly elected city commissioner, Russell was among a small crowd that gathered at a South Miami Avenue home for a luncheon held to support Cruz, whose wife, Heidi Cruz, was the featured guest at the March 10 event. Attendees, who were asked to give a suggested $1,000-a-plate donation, grazed on a buffet outside on Lourdes and Leoncio de la Penas backyard terrace and listened to Heidi Cruz speak.

He asked to come to my house. He wanted to meet Heidi, said Lourdes Castillo de la Pena. He told me how impressed he was with her when she spoke.

Though Russell was a registered Democrat, no one thought twice about at a non-partisan city commissioner attending a Cruz fundraiser held in his district. But now that Russell is in the thick of a packed Democratic primary to replace Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as the U.S. Representative for Floridas left-leaning 27th Congressional District, his low-key presence at a fundraiser for a far-right conservative Senator from Texas could be something of a liability.

In an interview, Russell  who later that summer participated in the Democratic National Convention as a delegate confirmed his attendance at the Cruz fundraiser. But he said he was merely interested in listening to the opinions of someone with whom he vehemently disagrees.

Click here to read more.
SODERTALJE, Sweden, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Scania has filed an appeal against the Commission's decision regarding EU antitrust rules with the General Court of the European Union. In the appeal, Scania contests the findings and allegations made in the Commission's decision.

Scania has not entered into any pan-European agreement with other manufacturers with regard to pricing. Also, the company has not delayed the introduction of new engines compliant with EU-legislation for exhaust emissions.

Scania has been co-operating fully with the European Commission by providing it with requested information and explanations throughout the entire investigationperiod.

On 27 September 2017, the European Commission adopted a decision holding Scania liable to pay a fine of more than 880 MEUR for allegedly having participated in inappropriate exchanges of information and collusion with other European truck manufacturers with regard to pricing and the introduction of emissions technologies during the period of 1997-2011.

For further information, please contact Hans-Ake Danielsson, Press Manager, phone +46 8 553 856 62, e-mail [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/scania/r/scania-files-appeal-against-decision-of-the-european-commission-regarding-eu-antitrust-rules,c2412120

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/209/2412120/765781.pdf Scania files appeal against decision of the European Commission regarding EU antitrust rules

SOURCE Scania
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SEAF has announced that Southeast Europe Equity Fund II (SEEF II) has completed a full exit of its investment in Propak, a producer of flexible packaging products based in Turkey. SEEF II, a US$320 million private equity fund organized in 2006 to make investments in Southeast Europe, acquired an 80% controlling stake in the company in 2011. Propak was sold to Polinas Plastik Sanayii ve Ticareti A.S. ("Polinas"), Turkey's largest BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) producer and a key supplier to the flexible packaging industry. Polinas is owned by Ulker Group, one of the largest producers of confectionary and biscuits in Europe. Transaction terms were not disclosed. SEEF II is managed by SEAF, a global private equity manager.

About Propak

Propak was founded in 1977 as the flexible packaging arm of a diversified packaging group to cater the packaging needs of the Turkish food industry. Propak was acquired in 2006 by its CEO, Serdar Cetin, through a management buy-out until the 80% acquisition by SEEF II in 2011. Propak is one of the leading flexible packaging producers in Turkey, and is the only producer with wide-ranging capabilities in both flexible printing technologies, flexo and rotogravure. Annual production volume reached twelve thousand tons by 2017.

About SEAF

SEAF is a global impact private equity manager achieving meaningful and measurable developmental impact results and positive financial returns by providing entrepreneurs in emerging markets with the capital, knowledge, and networks they need to grow their businesses. Since 1989, SEAF has invested in more than 380 companies in 27 countries. For more about SEAF, see www.seaf.com.

For more information on SEAF, please contact Robert Vodicka at +1 202-567-2499 or [email protected]

SOURCE SEAF

Related Links

http://www.seaf.com


IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Secure Channels Inc., provider of innovative security solutions designed to complement existing security investments, announces a partnership with Access Smart, a provider of authentication and access security controls.

The two companies engaged in the partnership to help reduce the hacking epidemic by approaching cybersecurity in a more holistic manner. They are taking a customer-centric approach, by designing solutions that fit the clients' needs, budgets, and particular environments. The products created through the Secure Channels and Access Smart partnership provide customers of both firms with a bundled and integrated solution that offers fast and simple deployment. It's purpose-built to fit onto existing security infrastructure, allowing client companies to retain the value of their earlier technology investments.

"Our technology partners are a cornerstone of our success, and we're thrilled to join with Secure Channels to enter a true collaboration where we develop products with an expanded feature set," said Dovell Bonnett, Founder & CEO, at Access Smart. "Together we're helping agencies, companies and institutions safeguard their data with Access Smart's cyber identity management features, such as Multi-Factor Authentication and enterprise password management. Secure Channels' advanced encryption technologies further ensure the protection for the confidentiality of information and that only authorized users can access their data, while offering fast, hassle-free deployment for our customers."

The partnership involves Access Smart integrating Secure Channels ParaDoxBox into its Power LogOn multi-factor access control solution. Access Smart was drawn to the ParaDoxBox solution because it's up to date with the latest FIPS security specifications and operating systems, and the solution is easily installed within multiple platforms. Secure Channels selected Power LogOn because the company needed a proven authentication tool that was flexible and could act as the first line of defense from security intrusions.

"This partnership with Access Smart enables us to present a combined solution that is unparalleled in the marketplace," said Richard Blech, Chief Executive Officer of Secure Channels Inc. "We're providing the data safe or vault for the information, and they provide the authorization and access controls for physical environments or devices in a package that does not forfeit security for convenience. Their solutions are powerful and flexible, and we simply used their API to merge together a solution that can greatly reduce the impacts of the cybersecurity problem."

ParaDoxBox allows users to encrypt storage network spaces, protect data saved in public file share services, and safeguard endpoints by developing encrypted virtual containers or entire drives. It offers clients a range of encryption algorithms and standards, and also supports superencipherment and the layering and combining multiple encryption algorithms.

For more information, visit: www.access-smart.com. To learn more about Secure Channels' ParaDoxBox solution visit: www.securechannels.com.

About Access Smart:

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Ladera Ranch, California, Access Smart, LLC (a certified CA Small Business) is dedicated to empowering businesses, agencies and institutions to regain control over their computers and networks at the point of entry. Authentication, authorization and non-repudiation do not have to be cumbersome to be effective. For more information, visit http://www.access-smart.com/.

About Secure Channels Inc.:

Secure Channels Inc. offers innovative, agile security solutions designed to seamlessly integrate with organizations' existing solutions. Agnostic by nature, solutions customize to user environments without compromising protection. Our mission is to help organizations make the most of their active security tools used for authentication and data protection, while providing a cost and performance effective solution to address the ever-increasing security challenges organizations face today. For more information, visit www.securechannels.com.

Media Contact:

Laura Waldron

[email protected]

949-777-2485

SOURCE Secure Channels Inc.

Related Links

http://www.securechannels.com


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Signature Estate and Investment Advisors, LLC (SEIA), a full-service wealth management firm headquartered in Southern California, announced today that the following charities were selected for the firm's "Signature Fund for Giving" in 2017: A Place Called Home, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Toberman Neighborhood Center, and Second Story. The Signature Fund for Giving, SEIA's donor-advised fund, donated a total of $60K this year.

"Philanthropy is a cornerstone of SEIA's culture. We consider serving families to be our highest calling so, in that spirit, we've partnered with four organizations committed to helping children in need," said SEIA President and CEO Brian Holmes. "Each of these charities has demonstrated both a passion for bettering the lives of young people, and the requisite to effect meaningful change. We're proud to provide financial support to these nonprofits as a means of helping them advance their respective missions, and making a profound difference in the communities they serve."

The four charities honored by the fund this year vary in terms of cause, but are each oriented around serving children:

A Place Called Home: A community center in South Central Los Angeles, offering educational programs, counseling, mentorship, and after-school activities to underprivileged children and young adults in the surrounding area.





Children's Hospital of Orange County : A leading regional pediatric healthcare network, encompassing many primary and specialty care clinics, more than 100 additional programs and services, a pediatric residency program, and four institutes for children's heart, neuroscience, orthopedic and cancer research.





: A leading regional pediatric healthcare network, encompassing many primary and specialty care clinics, more than 100 additional programs and services, a pediatric residency program, and four institutes for children's heart, neuroscience, orthopedic and cancer research. Second Story: A Vienna, Va. -based community organization for at-risk children of all ages, providing assistance and shelter to homeless youth, teens in crisis, young mothers, and more.





-based community organization for at-risk children of all ages, providing assistance and shelter to homeless youth, teens in crisis, young mothers, and more. Toberman Neighborhood Center: A San Pedro, Calif. .-based community organization, offering Harbor Area individuals and families services such as academic support for children, case management, crisis intervention, outpatient counseling, and counsel for homeless prevention and tenant rights.

"Of all the corporate partners we work with, SEIA's commitment to our community and their enthusiasm for the work we do makes them truly stand out," said A Place Called Home Executive Director Jonathan Zeichner. "Not only does the firm support us financially, but their leaders also serve on our Leadership Council and actively participate in our events. In fact, with SEIA's help, 81 young people will attend college this year, many of whom are the first in their family to do so. Like A Place Called Home, SEIA sees the tremendous potential in these children to make positive changes in their lives, in the community, and in the world."

The Signature Fund for Giving accomplishes its mission of empowering SEIA's communities by utilizing the combined efforts of fundraising, employee volunteer participation, and generating in-kind donations. The fund's vetting progress is rigorous, ensuring that assets are only allocated in accordance with strict regulatory standards. To date, the fund has donated over $450,000 in monetary donations along with box experience tickets to various Staples Center events.

About SEIA

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors, LLC (SEIA) is a Registered Investment Advisory Firm offering Investment Management and Financial Planning Services tailored to meet the unique needs of the affluent investors and corporations. SEIA's mission is to provide clients with a partnership that complements and exceeds

their long-term goals and objectives. SEIA maintains offices in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Redondo Beach and Newport Beach, California and Tysons Corner, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.seia.com. Registered Representative/Securities Offered through Signator Investors, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, 2121 Ave of the Stars, Suite 1600, Los Angeles, CA 90067, (310) 712-2323. SEIA, LLC and its investment advisory services are offered independent of Signator Investors, Inc. and any subsidiaries or affiliates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

FiComm Partners

Will Friedman

[email protected]

917-636-4805

SOURCE Signature Estate & Investment Advisors, LLC
LONDON, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 6th 2017, the Minister of Mines, on behalf of the National Minerals Agency tabled SL Mining Ltd's Mining Licence Agreement ("MLA") for ratification by the National Parliament of Sierra Leone. The MLA was unanimously approved by Parliament.

The unanimous ratification by parliament represents a major step forward for the Marampa project and for SL Mining Ltd. Marampa is a crucial project for the people of Sierra Leone and in particular for the local community. The unanimous vote of confidence by Parliament in SL Mining emphasises the strong support for the Marampa project locally, reflecting its significant importance to the national economy.

Earlier in the week, SL Mining representatives completed the negotiation of the draft MLA with representatives of the Sierra Leone Government. The Negotiating Committee comprised of members from the National Minerals Agency, National Revenue Authority, and representatives of the Finance, Mining and Justice Ministries. Key components of the MLA include royalty payments to the Government, and a specific royalty earmarked for the benefit of the local community of Lunsar and the Port Loko district.

SL Mining now holds all the Marampa project land leases which have been granted by the local land owners, and the mining licence pursuant to a public application process for over 1 billion tons of iron ore equivalent to a greater than 40 year life of mine. The newly ratified MLA offers the stability and incentives required to initiate investment into the restart of production. The project is targeting restart in mid-2018 with initial production of 2 million tonnes per annum of high grade iron ore (65% Fe +) to capture the high grade premium market before subsequently ramping up to over 6 million tonnes per annum.

SL Mining, a 100% subsidiary of the Gerald Group, looks forward to bringing the Marampa project back into production and building a long-term relationship with the Government and People of Sierra Leone for the benefit of all.

About Gerald Group

The Gerald Group is one of the world's leading commodity trading companies, with global operations totalling more than USD 2 billion in assets and approx USD 10 billion in turnover.

SOURCE Gerald Group
PLEASANTON, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SlashNext, a provider of fourth-generation Internet security solutions, today announced its commitment to 100% channel fulfillment through 11 channel sales partners, including SHI International Corp., one of North America's top 10 largest IT solutions providers.

The new partnership agreement will allow SHI customers better access to the SlashNext Internet Access Protection System. The SlashNext system goes beyond previous generations, including network-based, signature-based and sandbox-based technologies by deploying human-like intelligence and cognitive thinking to stop Internet attacks that target unsuspecting employees as their entry points.

"We are very selective about the Internet security solutions we put in front of our customers. We look for offerings that can augment existing architectures with powerful new capabilities without disrupting what is working or adding more work for the IT administrator," said Ed McNamara, Senior Director of Communications and Marketing, SHI International. "We are thrilled to partner with SlashNext and take their unique solution to market."

"In this age of evolving threats, no company can defend itself alone. American Showa works with SHI as strategic partner because they can bring security providers that work as hard to prevent security issues as those wishing to commit one," said Sean Henry, Senior MIS Manager at American Showa. "We are deploying SlashNext as an additional layer of protection against cross-platform social engineering and phishing, malware, exploits and callback attacks. They represent the outside-of-the-box and next-level thinking that SHI consistently highlights that we need in an ever-morphing threat landscape."

SlashNext has chosen a focused channel sales strategy to jumpstart rapid growth based on its low friction sales cycle, with add-on services that partners can deliver, including penetration testing, security gap analysis, analysis and decision support, and remediation. In addition, the company offers a full set of threat intelligence services that can be resold by channel partners, along with funds for joint marketing and field activities.

"We are honored to partner with SHI. Their customers are among the most security-conscious and will quickly understand why SlashNext is different. Preventing accidental workforce behaviors that open the door to cyberattacks is not something you can train employees about  and if there is a technology that can act like an employee but think like a hacker, why not get it to work for you?" said Seamus Meagher, Vice President of Business Development/Channels at SlashNext.

The SlashNext solution can be fully deployed within just 20 minutes, and it serves as an ideal complement to existing sandbox, next-gen firewall and anti-virus solutions.

The SlashNext channel program is being launched nationwide in December. For more information, visit: https://www.slashnext.com/business-partners/.

About SlashNext:

SlashNext has reinvented Internet threat prevention systems with a new approach to protecting users and systems every time they connect to the Internet. The SlashNext Internet Access Protection System, is a cloud powered solution that leverages cognitive computing, a process that mimics how the human brain senses, reasons and responds to stimulus, to process and detect complex and interlinked Internet access attacks including social engineering and phishing, malware, exploits and callbacks.

SlashNext CEO Atif Mushtaq founded the company after serving nine years as a senior scientist for FireEye, where he was a leading architect of the company's core malware detection system based on signatures and sandbox based technologies. Atif has been at the forefront in the fight against cybercrimes and has worked with law enforcement and other global organizations to take down some of the world's biggest cybercrime networks. In 2012, his efforts took down one of the largest email spam networks operating out of Russia, causing the worldwide spam level to drop by 50% in a single day.

To learn more about SlashNext and to keep up on the latest news, visit: www.SlashNext.com and follow @slashnextinc on Twitter.

About SHI:

Founded in 1989, SHI International Corp. is a $7.5 billion+ global provider of technology products and services. Driven by the industry's most experienced and stable sales force and backed by software volume licensing experts, hardware procurement specialists, and certified IT services professionals, SHI delivers custom IT solutions to Corporate, Enterprise, Public Sector, and Academic customers. With over 3,500 employees worldwide, SHI is the largest Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) in the U.S. and is ranked 9th among CRN's Solution Provider 500 list of North American IT solution providers. For more information, visit https://www.SHI.com.

Media Contact:

Lumina Communications

[email protected]

800-930-8643

SOURCE SlashNext

Related Links

http://www.SlashNext.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SpringCM, the leading document and contract lifecycle management platform in the cloud, has announced their donation of $10,000 to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco.

The donation follows a campaign that SpringCM ran leading up to the recent Dreamforce 2017 conference in San Francisco. The campaign focused on helping James Serra, SpringCM Digital Media Guru, meet Marc Benioff, Salesforce CEO, at Dreamforce. SpringCM spread awareness for the campaign across social media using a series of videos, with the promise of donating one dollar to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco with each share of the hashtag #BenioffMeetJames. When Serra and Benioff actually met at Dreamforce, the donation amount doubled. In addition, SpringCM increased the donation based on attendee engagement at its sponsorship booth in the Dreamforce expo.

"It is through the generosity of partners like Spring CM that we are able to provide high-quality patient care, lead innovative research efforts, educate the next generation of pediatricians, and address health needs in our community and beyond," said Anthony Candito Director, Corporate Partnerships at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

"Giving back to the community is an important part of our SpringCM culture," said Will Wiegler, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at SpringCM. "UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco is one of the top children's hospitals in the US and is a leader in healthcare, known for innovation, technology and compassionate care. We have been inspired by Marc Benioff and Salesforce to adopt a corporate culture of giving back and we selected UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco as the benefactor of our Dreamforce campaigns to support the great work they do."

SpringCM participates in the Salesforce Pledge 1% program by committing resources through philanthropy and volunteering. SpringCM employees donate up to four days per a year to a charitable 501c3 organization of their choice. The company spotlights a different organization each quarter by hosting two days of volunteer activities for employees and partners to participate in.

For more information about SpringCM's culture of giving, please visit https://www.springcm.com/company.

About SpringCM

SpringCM helps work flow by delivering an innovative document management and workflow platform, that powers the leading contract lifecycle management (CLM) application. SpringCM empowers companies to become more productive by reducing the time spent managing critical business documents. Intelligent, automated workflows enable document collaboration across an organization from any desktop or mobile device. Delivered through a secure, scalable cloud platform, SpringCM document and contract management solutions seamlessly integrate with Salesforce, or work as a standalone solution.

Every day, more than 600 companies use SpringCM to improve customer experience and get more done, faster. For more information about SpringCM, visit www.springcm.com.

CONTACT: Bridget Devine, 312-561-2492, [email protected]

SOURCE SpringCM

Related Links

http://www.springcm.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sumitomo Corporation of Americas ("SCOA") and Rivian jointly announce that SCOA has made a strategic investment in Rivian.

Rivian is developing an integrated portfolio of electric vehicles, technologies and services to reimagine the customer experience. Rivian's premium vehicle platform enables new customer models and integrates with the company's cloud-based digital architecture, self-driving platform and advanced battery system. Rivian plans to introduce its first electric adventure vehicle, a five-passenger truck, in 2020, followed by a seven-passenger SUV. These vehicles will combine performance with highly refined functionality, and will be built on the same flexible all-wheel drive platform at the company's modern manufacturing facility in Normal, IL.

Commenting on the investment, Sam Kato, Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Auto & Aerospace Group at SCOA said, "Sumitomo Corporation has extensive experience in the global automotive sector and is excited to be a part of Rivian at this important industry inflection point, as autonomy and new customer models begin to reshape the future of personal transportation. RJ has assembled an incredible team that has made significant progress towards advancing Rivian's exciting vision. Rivian's technology and products are well-positioned to advance these future shifts in personal transportation, and we look forward to backing their success."

RJ Scaringe, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rivian, stated, "We are honored and excited to have Sumitomo as a strategic investor. Their global reach, expertise, and network in the automotive sector will help us in executing our vision. This investment reflects the result of our team's hard work in developing our technology and products."

The financial terms of this investment were not disclosed.

About Sumitomo Corporation of Americas

Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York City, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA) has 9 offices in major U.S. cities. SCOA is the largest subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, one of the world's leading traders of goods and services. As an integrated business enterprise, the firm has emerged as a major organizer of multinational projects, an expediter of ideas, an important international investor and financier, and a powerful force for distribution of products and global communications through a network of offices worldwide. Its business units include Tubular Products, Environment and Infrastructure, Steel and Non-Ferrous Metals, Transportation and Construction Systems, Chemicals and Electronics, Media and IOT Applications, Real Estate, Mineral Resources and Energy, and Food. SCOA is an experienced leader in promoting advances in automobile manufacturing, and has provided technical innovations to aid U.S. enterprises like Ford, GM and Navistar. Its Transportation Unit provides total project management for its clients, including sourcing, logistics and installation of product equipment for leading manufacturers. For more information about Sumitomo Corporation of Americas and its investments, visit www.sumitomocorp.com.

About Rivian

With the introduction of its first vehicle in 2020, Rivian is advancing the shift to electric, autonomous and shared mobility. Rivian vehicles will incorporate the company's cloud-based digital architecture, self-driving platform and advanced battery system. It has vehicle design and engineering operations in Michigan, technology and engineering in California and manufacturing facilities in Illinois. For more information visit www.rivian.com.

SOURCE Sumitomo Corporation of Americas; Rivian

Related Links

http://www.sumitomocorp.com


RIVERSIDE, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The tax reform bills currently before Congress would be struck down by the courts as unconstitutional on multiple grounds if either, or a compromise, version is passed claims tax expert Nancy Robey.

Nancy Darlene Robey B.A. and Marvin Lee Robey are experts on Constitutional law, especially regarding tax law. They have spent 43 years and thousands of hours in law libraries analyzing how the tax laws work within the U. S. Constitution, relying on U. S. Supreme Court decisions.

Marvin Lee Robey has not paid income tax in 20 years, with the complete cooperation of the IRS. Marvin Lee Robey has decided to give his intimate knowledge of what the income tax is, and how it actually works. They have written the book "Axe The Taxes" to show that most Americans do not owe the income tax.

Taxing gifts has never been allowed under the U. S. Constitution. Therefore, both the House and Senate tax plans violate the U. S. Constitution by attempting to tax gifts. What parts of the tax reform bills are therefore likely to be struck down by the U. S. Supreme Court?

1. Endowment tax. The endowment itself cannot be taxed because it is a gift. See Doyle vs. Mitchell Brothers , 247 U. S. 330. Profits from the endowment being invested in stocks and bonds are taxable under Eisner vs. Macomber , 252 U. S. 189.

2. College employee dependent benefits. Traditionally, colleges give the spouses and children of college employees reduced or free tuition. Tuition benefits are gifts, and were never taxable income to begin with. This makes this part of the plan unconstitutional, and likely to be ruled against under Doyle vs. Mitchell Brothers , 247 U. S. 330.

3. Graduate student tuition. Graduate students are often given reduced or free tuition when they work for the college. Tuition reduction is a gift, and is not taxable income to anyone. Again, this is likely to be ruled against under Doyle vs. Mitchell Brothers , 247 U. S. 330.

4. Employer provided education assistance. But employers' providing education assistance is a gift, and is not taxable income. There is no provision in the U. S. Constitution to tax gifts, therefore this portion of the tax plan is unconstitutional. This is likely to be ruled against under Doyle vs. Mitchell Brothers , 247 U. S. 330.

It is commonly believed that the 16th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution gives Congress and the IRS unlimited taxing power:

But the U. S. Supreme Court has ruled that the 16th Amendment changed nothing:

"The 16th Amendment conferred no new power of taxation but simply prohibited the income tax from being taken out of the category of indirect taxation to which it inherently belonged." Stanton vs. Baltic Mining Co. , 240 U. S. 103.

"The 16th Amendment does not extend the power of taxation to new or excepted subjects" Peck v Lowe , 247 U.S. 165.

Here is what the U. S. Supreme Court has to say about Congress' overstepping their boundaries: "We must rejectthe broad contention submitted in behalf of the Government that all receipts, everything that comes in  are income within the proper definition of the term 'gross income" Doyle vs. Mitchell Brothers , 247 U. S. 330 (1918). This decision was five years after the 16th Amendment was passed.

So what is taxable income as defined by the U. S. Supreme Court?

Income is profit from capital investment, the money from the sale of stocks and bonds that is above what was paid for those stocks and bonds. Eisner vs. Macomber , 252 U. S. 189.

See http://www.axethetaxes.net

Media Contact:

Nancy Darlene Robey

[email protected]

1(951)772-0555

www.axethetaxes.net

SOURCE Nancy Robey

Related Links

http://www.axethetaxes.net


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union applauds the passage of a commuter shuttle policy by the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) that will enhance safety and transportation planning. The policy will benefit transit and shuttle passengers, as well as thousands of Teamster drivers who operate tech commuter shuttles in the county.

The policy passed unanimously by VTA includes a permitting program for high tech company shuttle buses that use public bus stops. Under this program, shuttle bus companies for high tech companies like Google and Cisco will need to integrate with VTA transit planning to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and mitigate congestion. The companies will also be required to submit service disruption plans in the event of labor disputes.

Teamsters Joint Council 7 supported a similar commuter shuttle permit program which was passed by San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency in 2015.

"We can't do our jobs effectively without clear guidelines. Right now, there's confusion between the buses the VTA operates and the tech shuttle buses that we drive. This policy will help me as a driver to know the rules, like where I'm supposed to stop my bus and for how long. I'm pleased that we are now going to have clarity," said Rosie Silva, a member of Teamsters Local 853.

"The service disruption plan is important for VTA bus drivers and passengers as we will be in contract negotiations with three shuttle bus providers serving most of the major high tech companies in 2018," said Rome Aloise, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7. "Some companies like Google continue to contract with nonunion companies. Google's problems shouldn't become VTA's problems."

Santa Clara is the fastest growing county in California, with a projected 2 million residents by 2030. Google announced plans this year to build a new campus in San Jose that will employ more than 15,000 workers.

More than 1,000 tech commuter shuttle drivers have joined the Teamsters since 2015 at Facebook, Apple, Yahoo and more than a dozen other tech companies. The union has negotiated industry-leading contracts for organized tech industry workers.

The Teamsters Union is part of a growing movement of labor, faith and community-based organizations and workers challenging income inequality in Silicon Valley through an innovative partnership called Silicon Valley Rising. For more information, visit: http://siliconvalleyrising.org.

For more information on tech worker organizing with the Teamsters, visit: http://teamster.org/tech-drivers-deserve-union

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Doug Bloch, (510) 333-1179

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Joint Council 7

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts Page
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TERiX Computer Service has added cities where its best of breed data center support capabilities will be available in South America. TERiX currently delivers support in North America, Europe and Asia, and adding more cities for delivery in Mexico, Brazil, and Chile will guarantee flexibility and options for existing TERiX customers and partners who require coverage in these locations.

"Our channel partners have customers who operate globally, and adding new coverage cities in South America to our supported geographies will provide them the ability to improve support and simplify their support infrastructure," stated Pat Homon, TERiX VP of Sales.

TERiX is known for its world-wide data center hardware support services, providing expert server-storage-network support in the US & 48 countries. In support of this competency, TERiX was named as a "Pure Play" Third Party Support Maintainer in Gartner Group recent August 2017 report by Christine Tenneson as a Market Guide for Data Center Maintenance. https://www.gartner.com/doc/3778884?ref=SiteSearch&sthkw=tenneson&fnl=search&srcId=1

TERiX currently supports customer data centers in Sao Paulo, Barueri and Rio De Janeiro Brazil, Arroyito and Buenos Aires, Argentina, Colima, Vallejo, Juarez, and Mexico City, Mexico, Santiago and Puerto Montt, Chile, Lima, Peru, and Caracas, Venezuela. This announcement by TERiX signals increased investment and bandwidth in delivery in these areas too.

As enterprise level customers and their partners look for expert professional service delivery capabilities at the push of a button, TERiX is positioned to help them succeed. TERiX offers traditional data center service globally, but in the recent annual period has also added several large name deployment projects to its customer successes.

Find out more call TERiX or a TERiX Partner representative at 888-848-3749.

About TERiX Computer Service

TUSA, Inc., dba TERiX Computer Service, is a global independent hardware support company providing flexible multivendor service on 30 OEM brands of server, storage and network products. These include platforms from IBM, Cisco, HP, Dell, Oracle, HDS, EMC, and NetApp among others. TERiX customers include 50 of the global Fortune 500, 30+ major telecommunication companies, 20+ major finance/banking firms, more than a dozen healthcare and pharmaceutical giants, and 20+ Federal Agencies. TERiX provides a customer-focused support experience with strong service metric attainment, and as a hardware-agnostic service provider, acts as a trusted advisor to clients and partners worldwide. For more information, visit us on the web at: www.terix.com or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/terix-computer-service. Follow us on twitter: @TellTERiX.

Contact: TERiX Marketing 888-848-3749 or Email to [email protected]

SOURCE TERiX Computer Service

Related Links

http://www.terix.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Terracon, a leading provider of environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services, announces it will "adopt a family" this holiday season. The project is a thank you to the Houston community for supporting Terracon this year. See its special message of thanks: http://www.terracon.com/greatpeople/

Employee-owners in Terracon's Houston office are celebrating the great people they serve as clients by coordinating with local school districts to assist families in need. For the third consecutive year, they are purchasing gifts and household items to provide families with a happier holiday season.

Houston employees enjoy providing holiday cheer for the families. A Christmas tree is placed in the office lobby with ornaments specifying the families' gift requests. Employees select an ornament and purchase a gift, and then sort, wrap, and deliver the gifts. This year the Houston office team is "adopting" a family with seven children.

"We get to hand deliver the gifts to the families and see the gratitude and happiness on the parents' and children's faces when they open the presents," said Teresa Zuehlke, event coordinator in Terracon's Houston office.

Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 4,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 140 offices with services available in all 50 states. Terracon currently ranks 30th on Engineering News-Record's list of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, visit www.terracon.com.

SOURCE Terracon

Related Links

http://terracon.com


NEW YORK, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The discovery of the human body's endocannabinoid system in the early 1990s led to a surge of new drug development activity to address multiple maladies and identify new ways to treat serious diseases. The pharma industry's predominant focus has been on the most recognized and easiest-to-isolate plant-sourced cannabinoids THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). Despite their potential therapeutic efficacy, plant-sourced cannabinoid therapies have complex development limitations that impede effective use. Beyond economic constraints on production, inherent problems exist in ensuring the quality, purity and consistency requisite for serious pharmaceutical drug development. But InMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CSE: IN) (OTC: IMLFF) (IMLFF Profile) has initiated a scientific paradigm shift in discovering potential breakthrough cannabinoid-based therapies that advances far beyond basic cannabinoid production and the over-the-counter sales of oils and elixirs. The company's proprietary biosynthesis process sets it apart from the operations of companies like Isodiol International, Inc. (CSE: ISOL) (OTC: ISOLF) (FSE: LB6A.F), as well as from other biotechs and growers in the cannabis industry who rely on the supply of leading cultivators like Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX: WEED) (OTC: TWMJF), Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (TSX: ACB) (OTC: ACBFF) and Aphria, Inc. (TSX: APH) (OTC: APHQF).



The human endocannabinoid system is one of the most important physiologic systems involved in general well-being. The human body naturally produces endocannabinoids, which bind to cannabinoid receptors present in the body where they act as chemical messengers between cells, tissues and organs. This innate biological system has been found to interact with the 90+ cannabinoids identified in the cannabis plant, leading to a wide range of pharmacological effects related to pain, inflammation, neurotransmission, stress, metabolism, appetite and several other body functions.



InMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CSE: IN) (OTCQB: IMLFF) has a robust, proprietary biosynthesis process to manufacture pharmaceutical-grade (greater than 95% purity) cannabinoids using a cost-effective, laboratory-based process.



Biosynthesis is the preparation of biological molecules using catalysts derived from natural substances, which are then converted into other compounds. As an example, millions of diabetics use insulin produced via biosynthesis. InMed's proprietary biosynthetic process produces cannabinoids that are identical to naturally occurring compounds and is transformative in ensuring the pharmaceutical standards for therapeutic cannabinoids. This novel breakthrough gives InMed the ability to bio-identically manufacture every cannabinoid compound found in nature and the ability to consistently, reliably and accurately test the compounds' therapeutic efficacy and safety.



InMed employs a proprietary bioinformatics drug and disease-targeting tool in conjunction with its biosynthesis process. Bioinformatics is a high-efficiency, computer-assisted approach to predicting the therapeutic potential and medicinal properties of individual cannabinoids against particular medical conditions. InMed's approach applies comprehensive algorithms to combine data from various bioinformatics databases with its proprietary cannabinoid database.



These systems give the company significant competitive advantage. To protect this invaluable asset, InMed has filed a provisional patent for the biosynthesis of cannabinoids (http://nnw.fm/RPTj0), using the process as a base to expand its pipeline of drug candidates. InMed's current pipeline includes INM-750 to treat epidermolysis bullosa, a rare disease characterized by extremely fragile skin, with potential global market revenues estimated around US$1 billion per year; INM-085, in development to treat glaucoma, with global market potential of more than US$5 billion; and INM-405, which targets the US$36 billion-plus global market for pain therapy.



Study results published earlier this year by InMed in the European Journal of Pain (http://nnw.fm/8RbQF) highlighted the topical application of certain cannabinoids to successfully treat peripheral pain. Study results (http://nnw.fm/4nCmZ) suggest InMed's approach may prove valuable in the treatment of severe craniofacial muscle pain disorders and there's reason to believe similar benefits for treating osteoarthritis may been seen.



In the latest market report published by Credence Research, Inc. (http://nnw.fm/pDKs0), the osteoarthritis treatment market was valued at US$5 billion in 2015. Despite medical advances, there remain significant unmet medical needs in treating osteoarthritis due to the absence of effective therapies for the chronic disease. Currently available treatment options don't provide adequate pain relief, especially in the late stages of osteoarthritis, which has led to increased opioid abuse. As such, there is a real need to find non-addictive alternatives with limited side effects to treat chronic and severe pain, and InMed's comprehensive pharmaceutical approach to cannabinoid drug development may prove to be the solution.



Many other companies are pursuing medicinal cannabinoids, mostly CBD, through horticultural cultivation. The process of planting, growing, harvesting, extracting and purifying the product is costly, inexact, inconsistent and unreliable. A recent study published in JAMA (http://nnw.fm/f9FAa) revealed that nearly 70% of CBD extracts from marijuana sold online are mislabeled, some had extra CBD, some less, and some contained hidden cannabinoids. Blind testing found that only about 31 percent of the extracts tested contained the amount of CBD listed on the label (within a 10% allowed variance).



InMed's ability to consistently manufacture pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids may prove to be a significant advantage over traditional cannabis growers.



Companies developing medicinal cannabinoids through traditional horticultural methods include Canopy Growth (TSX: WEED) (OTC: TWMJF), a diversified Canadian cannabis company offering distinct brands and curated cannabis varieties in dried, oil and capsule forms. Through its 665,000 square feet of licensed production, over 500,000 square feet of which is good manufacturing practice (GMP) certified. Canopy Growth and its affiliates plan to develop a production platform that would represent 3.2 million square feet of indoor and greenhouse production capacity, all operated with leading edge production, quality assurance procedures, value-added post processing, research and testing. Canopy Growth has established partnerships with recognized sector names in Canada and abroad, with interests and operations spanning seven countries and four continents. The company is dedicated to educating healthcare practitioners, providing consistent access to high-quality cannabis products, conducting robust clinical research, and furthering the public's understanding of cannabis.



Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Aurora Cannabis Enterprises Inc., Aurora Cannabis (TSX: ACB) (OTCQB: ACBFF) is a Canadian licensed producer of horticulturally grown medical cannabis. The company operates a 55,200-square-foot production facility in Alberta and a second 40,000-square-foot production facility in Quebec. The company is constructing an 800,000-square-foot production facility at the Edmonton International Airport, as well as a fourth facility in Lachute, Quebec, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Aurora Larssen Projects Ltd. Aurora holds about 19 percent of the issued shares in an extraction technology company, Radient Technologies Inc., and is in the process of completing an investment for up to 50.1 percent of Hempco Food and Fiber. Aurora also holds a 22.9 percent stake in Cann Group Limited, the first Australian company licensed to cultivate and research medical cannabis. Aurora owns Pedanios, a wholesale importer, exporter and distributor of medical cannabis in the EU.



One of Canada's lowest-cost horticultural producers, Aphria (TSX: APH) (OTC: APHQF), cultivates, supplies and sells medical cannabis. Located in Leamington, Ontario, Aphria is powered by sunlight, allowing for some of the most natural growing conditions available. Aphria is committed to providing pharma-grade medical cannabis for superior patient care while balancing patient economics and returns to shareholders. Aphria's medicinal cannabis is 100 percent greenhouse grown in natural sunlight and offers a patient care team to assist customers purchasing its THC and CBD products.



Isodiol International (CSE: ISOL) (OTC: ISOLF) (FSE: LB6A.F) is a market leader in pharmaceutical- and nutraceutical-grade phytochemical (plant-based) compounds, specializing in the manufacturing and development of phytoceutical consumer products. Isodiol is one of the world's largest sources for phytocannabinoids and offers high-quality, bioactive products from seed to finished product. Isodiol is a pioneer in the cannabis industry for the commercialization of 99 percent-plus pure, bioactive pharmaceutical grade cannabinoids, micro-encapsulations and nanotechnology for high-quality consumable and topical skin care products. Isodiol's growth strategy includes the development of over-the-counter and pharmaceutical drugs, expanding its phytoceutical portfolio and aggressively continuing its international expansion into Latin America, Asia, and Europe.



The discovery of the human endocannabinoid system and its interaction with cannabinoids to produce pharmacological modulation for pain, inflammation and other ailments may provide the long sought-after solutions to effectively treat pain inherent with osteoarthritis and other chronic and severe illnesses. There's immense promise that pharmacological cannabinoids may soon provide relief for suffering patients and there's an economic bonanza waiting for companies like InMed that aim to bring these blockbuster cannabis-based drugs to market.



For more information on InMed Pharmaceuticals, please visit: InMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CSE: IN) (OTCQB: IMLFF)



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SAN FRANCISCO, December 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The global tissue expanders market is anticipated to reach USD 1.5 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. This growth can be attributed to increase in the number of reconstruction surgeries.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160524/371361LOGO )



Growing concern among people regarding their physical appearance has led to a rapid growth of the tissue expanders market. In the U.S., over 102,200 breast reconstruction procedures were performed in 2014, which showcase a 7% rise from the previous year, as estimated by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In addition, cleft lip surgeries that are prevalent among the pediatric population also require tissue expanders. Thus, rise in the number of these surgeries has led to a huge growth of this market.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the percentage of women undergoing mastectomy procedures has increased by 36% from 2005 to 2013. Thus, growing number of mastectomies is anticipated to drive the demand for tissue expanders. In addition, burns and road accidents result in severe scars or deformities, which most often require surgical treatment. Hence, there is a steep rise in the number of reconstructive surgeries that make use of tissue expanders for such severe scars or deformities, which aids in market growth.

Browse full research report with TOC on "Tissue Expander Market Analysis By Application (Breast Reconstruction, Forehead Skin & Scalp Reconstruction, Face & Neck Reconstruction), By Shape, By End-use, And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/tissue-expander-market

Further Key Findings From the Report Suggest:

In 2016, breast reconstruction held the largest market share owing to large number of breast reconstruction surgeries performed

Forehead skin and scalp reconstruction is anticipated to witness lucrative growth over the forecast period due to increase in number of cicatricial alopecia cases

Anatomical-shaped tissue expanders dominated the market in 2016 due to their natural-looking appearance

Round-shaped expanders are expected to display fastest growth over the forecast period due to lower risk of expander ripples through the skin

Hospitals held the largest revenue share in 2016 due to large number of reconstruction surgeries being performed in hospitals

Cosmetology clinics are anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period due to the huge demand for specialty clinics for reconstructive procedures

North America dominated the market in 2016 due to increase in the number of reconstruction surgical procedures being conducted in this region

dominated the market in 2016 due to increase in the number of reconstruction surgical procedures being conducted in this region Asia Pacific is projected to exhibit fastest CAGR over the forecast period due to increase in road accidents and trauma cases in this region and developing healthcare infrastructure

is projected to exhibit fastest CAGR over the forecast period due to increase in road accidents and trauma cases in this region and developing healthcare infrastructure Some of the major companies in the market are Mentor Worldwide LLC; Sientra, Inc.; Allergan; GROUPE SEBBIN SAS; Eurosilicone; and KOKEN CO., LTD.

Browse related reports by Grand View Research:

Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Devices Market -https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/gastrointestinal-endoscopic-devices-market

Kidney Fibrosis Treatment Market - https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/kidney-fibrosis-treatment-market

Aesthetic Lasers and Energy Devices Market - https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/aesthetic-lasers-and-energy-devices-market

Contrast Agent Market - https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/contrast-agent-market

Grand View Research has segmented the tissue expanders market on the basis of application, shape, end use, and region:

Tissue Expanders Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Breast Reconstruction Two-stage Breast Reconstruction Single-stage Breast Reconstruction Forehead Skin & Scalp Reconstruction Face & Neck Reconstruction Others

Tissue Expanders Shape Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Anatomical Round Rectangular Crescent Others

Tissue Expanders End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Hospitals Cosmetology Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Tissue Expanders Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Asia Pacific Japan China India Latin America Brazil Mexico MEA South Africa Saudi Arabia



Read Our Blog By Grand View Research: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/blogs/healthcare

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc

Phone: +1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]



Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
Absolunet analyzed over 60 eCommerce initiatives from brands and retailers to predict the 10 trends that will have the greatest impact in 2018.



MONTREAL, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Absolunet reveals the top 10 trends that will impact North American retailers in 2018. The impact will be felt across the entire supply chain: by manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers alike.

Of the over 60 digital and eCommerce projects analyzed, examples come from major brands and retailers, including Absolunet clients Kanuk, Primeau Velo, and Stokes.

The top 10 eCommerce Trends for 2018 are:

THE REBIRTH OF BRICK AND MORTAR

A new breed of retail stores and in-person experiences will begin to replace outgoing retailers. THE CONSUMERIZATION OF B2B

The perfect storm is about to hit the nearly 1 trillion $ B2B eCommerce sector. AR IN YOUR HOUSE

Augmented Reality will go from "novelty" to a sales driver. "ROPO": THE NEW MEASURE OF A RETAILER'S DIGITAL SUCCESS

Retailers will be able to know which clicks led to in-store sales. MOBILE CHECKOUT OVERTAKES DESKTOP CHECKOUT

Mobile commerce's biggest challenge - checkout - will become its greatest asset. A.I. WILL CREATE THE PERFECT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Shopping will be customized and optimized for every consumer. AMAZON & THE YEAR OF MARKETPLACE MATURITY

Amazon will be a ubiquitous element in every eCommerce Business Plan in 2018. VOICE WILL CHANGE GOOGLE/SEO/ECOMMERCE FOREVER

In 2018, consumers will speak to their devices and use voice to make purchases like never before. PHOTO SHOPPING

Image-based product searches will be big in 2018, essentially altering the very nature of "search". REACHING PEAK BROWSER

The browser will no longer be the de facto means by which we purchase products or services digitally.

"The technologies themselves already exist, we expect the adoption and proliferation of these technologies to grow substantially this year, changing the very nature of how companies do business." says Charles Desjardins, Absolunet Senior Vice President. "We hope that the top ten eCommerce Trends for 2018 report helps retailers, manufacturers and distributors gain valuable insight and helps them choose the right strategies and partners to bridge the ecommerce gap."

To understand the 10 trends, their potential impacts and to find out which companies have successfully implemented which digital solutions, visit www.10eCommerceTrends.com.

About Absolunet (http://www.absolunet.com)

Absolunet is an eCommerce agency and integrator with 180 people obsessed with delivering results, creating ROI-producing (and award-winning) eCommerce experiences since 1999.

Absolunet is a certified Magento Enterprise Partner, a Sitecore "Gold" partner, an InSite Platinum partner and an inRiver Platinum partner. Absolunet has delivered high-grossing solutions for clients in multiple sectors, including sporting goods, food & beverage, HVAC, jewelry, furniture, fashion, apparel, housewares, photography, utilities, QSR, television networks, state lotteries, lingerie and more from its Montreal, Kansas City and Boisbriand offices.

SOURCE Absolunet inc.

Related Links

www.absolunet.com


MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a massive defense bill that authorizes everything from troop pay raises to military end strength in fiscal 2018.

According to Military.com reporter Amy Bushatz, the Fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes about $700 billion for the Defense Department, including $634 billion for the base budget and $66 billion for the war budget. The figures are targets, and Congress still faces a year-end deadline to pass an accompanying spending bill to keep the government running.

Even so, the authorization bill approved by Congress includes numerous policy-related provisions, many of which are in line with what the president requested, though it authorized additional funding for higher pay raises, more weapons, and more troops.

"Troops and family members tell Military.com that they welcome the good things in this bill  like the highest military pay raise since 2010  but are still outraged by the continued increases to health care costs," commented Bushatz.

Here's a rundown of the top changes:

2.4% TROOP PAY RAISE

Troops will see a 2.4 percent pay raise in January. That's the largest year-over-year increase service members have received since 2010.

20K MORE TROOPS

The military will grow by some 20,000 troops. The Army will increase by 7,500 soldiers, the Navy by 4,000 sailors, the Marine Corps by 1,000 Marines, and the Air Force by about 4,100 airmen. Reserve forces will grow by about 3,400 reservists.

HIGHER TRICARE CO-PAYS

Previously, many retirees and military dependents paid nothing for many prescriptions. That's about to change, as co-pays will increase under the Tricare pharmacy program. The increases won't apply to disabled retirees, their dependents, and dependents of service members who died on active duty.

KILLS 'WIDOW'S TAX'

The bill does away with the so-called widow's tax by making permanent the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance, or SSIA, which pays $310 a month to military widows and widowers whose Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments were offset as a result of receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).

LICENSE REBATES FOR SPOUSES

Military spouses who get a new professional license or certification after a permanent change of station move will be able to apply for a $500 rebate from the Defense Department.

EASES PCS MOVES

The bill authorizes a program to allow some families of troops who are changing duty stations to move before or after the service member for job, school or other reasons. The initiative also allows the service member to utilize government housing, if available.

RESERVIST HEALTH CARE

The legislation mandates for all mobilized Reserve Component members to receive pre-mobilization and transitional health care.

CRIMINALIZES REVENGE PORN

The bill allows for court-martial punishment for troops who engage in so-called revenge porn, or the unauthorized sharing or distribution of "an intimate visual image of a private area of another person."

CREATES TRAINING DATABASE

The legislation authorizes the creation of a new database to record all training completed by military members. This information will be made available to employers and states to help veterans get certifications or licenses, or claim their military experience when applying for a civilian job.

RETIREES AS RECRUITERS

The bill calls for the creation of a pilot program to use retired senior enlisted Army National Guard members as recruiters.

1911S FOR COMMERCIAL SALE

The bill would allow recently confirmed Army Secretary Mark Esper to transfer 8,000 or more of the Army's iconic .45-caliber M1911/M1911A1 pistols, spare parts and related accessories to the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety as part of a two-year pilot program.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at [email protected].

About Military.com

Military.com is the nation's largest military and veteran online news and membership organization serving active duty personnel, reservists, guard members, retirees, veterans, family members, defense workers and those considering military careers. Military.com enables Americans with military affinity to access their benefits, advance their careers, enjoy military discounts, and stay connected for life. Military.com is a business unit of Monster Worldwide Inc. More information is available at www.military.com.

Links:

Military.com Facebook

Military.com Twitter

Military.com Press Center

SOURCE Military.com

Related Links

http://www.military.com


PHOENIX, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As the latest move in the accelerating disruption of the traditional mattress industry, Tuft & Needle's litigation counsel, Charles "Chip" Babcock of Jackson Walker LLP, sought dismissal yesterday of a federal lawsuit filed by Mattress Firm against Tuft & Needle in Houston, Texas. Tuft & Needle asks the court to decide whether Mattress Firm's lawsuit is a thinly-veiled, strategic attempt by Mattress Firm to weaken its competition, the industry innovator and "bed-in-a-box" pioneer Tuft & Needle. Tuft & Needle believes it may have significant counter-claims against Mattress Firm and, potentially, its South Africa-based parent company, Steinhoff International Holdings NV, for anti-competitive misconduct, and has instructed Babcock to investigate. In 2016, global furniture giant Steinhoff paid $2.4 billion to acquire Mattress Firm, the United States' biggest mattress chain, which now operates over 3,500 stores in 49 states, including former Sleepy's and Sleep Train outlets. Last week, Steinhoff became engulfed in a financial scandalits CEO, Markus Jooste, resigned amid fraud allegations, and he and other senior executives are under investigation for misconduct.

In a classic David vs. Goliath scenario, in October 2017 Steinhoff's subsidiary Mattress Firm filed a lawsuit against Tuft & Needle, attacking the start-up's modern, tongue-in-cheek advertising campaignsincluding a notorious run of Phoenix, AZ billboards calling mattress stores "greedy" all of which, Babcock argues, is protected under the laws and the United States Constitution. Tuft & Needle was founded in 2012 by two Silicon Valley engineers with a personal investment of $6,000, with a goal of disrupting the traditional mattress industry. The company has grown to generate over $100 million in annual sales, and has taken position as the #1 top-rated mattress on Amazon.com and catalyzed the "bed-in-a-box" category. With Tuft & Needle and the "bed-in-a-box" category thrivingnow believed to have close to ten-percent market share in the U.S. mattress marketSteinhoff has been attempting to breathe new life into its acquisition of Mattress Firm, including the development of its own tag-along "bed-in-a-box" product, called "Tulo."

Tuft & Needle's founders met with Mattress Firm executives in late Summer 2017. Discussions began with a cordial, informal exploration of a potential partnership. Tuft & Needle subsequently rebuffed Mattress Firm's proposal to acquire control of Tuft & Needle through a minority investment. By mid-October, Mattress Firm dragged the industry innovator into an expensive legal battle, demanding Tuft & Needle's profits to date in "damages." Tuft & Needle believes Mattress Firm's claims are unfounded, and that it is attempting to eliminate an up-and-coming American innovator through the expense of this lawsuit, rather than a business transaction.

Tuft & Needle's submission to the court argues that Mattress Firm's lawsuit should be dismissed. As Babcock contends: "As is characteristic of many anti-competitive lawsuits, this one fails to state claim. It seeks to sanction Defendant's opinions and apparently resents a tiny competition's "playful" efforts at satire and parody, all of which is protected under the laws it relies upon and under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."

The court document is available as of Monday, December 11, 2017.

About Tuft & Needle

Tuft & Needle is a Phoenix-based company that pioneered the disruption of the mattress industry. Founded in 2012 by JT Marino and Daehee Park, Tuft & Needle is leading the revolution against unfair mattress markups, commission-based sales models, and information asymmetry by creating an exceptional, honestly-priced product. Having bypassed the option to raise outside capital, Tuft & Needle has nurtured the co-founders' personal investment of $6,000 into month-over-month profitability, outstanding customer satisfaction reviews, and remarkable growth of over $100 million in sales in 2016. The company was ranked #1 for "Top Company Cultures" in the U.S. by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2017.

Media Contacts:

Megan Breinig | [email protected] | 928.300.4431

Andrea Kalmanovitz | [email protected] | 602.980.2040

Press Site: tn.com/press

SOURCE Tuft & Needle

Related Links

https://www.tuftandneedle.com


"We are thrilled that CB Insights selected UnaliWear to participate in its inaugural Demo Day," says Jean Anne Booth, CEO of UnaliWear. "It is a recognition of the importance of our mission to provide independence with dignity for millions of vulnerable people."

Presenting companies were selected based on two rounds of interviews and questions posed by CB Insights researchers about the company's market traction, product availability, originality, founder expertise, revenue, and funding.

UnaliWear has developed the Kanega watch (and service), featuring a go-everywhere unobtrusive wearable that provides discreet support for falls, medication reminders, and a guard against wandering with "guide-me-home" assistance. Thanks to the patent-pending quick-swap battery system in the band, wearers don't need to take off the watch to charge it. The classically-styled waterproof Kanega watch includes on-board cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth Low Energy (for hearing aids and telemedicine devices), a 9-axis accelerometer for automatic fall detection, and an easy speech interface, combined with artificial intelligence in the cloud that learns the wearer's lifestyle to provide predictive, pre-emptive support for independent but vulnerable populations. UnaliWear recently completed a 150-person, 8 month user experience test all across the US with wearers ranging in age from 23 to 97, including seniors, people with MS, ALS, Parkinson's, Epilepsy, Downs Syndrome, blind people, and disabled veterans.

About UnaliWear, Inc.

UnaliWear's Kanega watch and service provides discreet support for falls, medication reminders, and a guard against wandering in a classically-styled watch that features an easy-to-use speech interface rather than buttons. Unlike traditional medical alert products, the Kanega watch works where you are, 24x7  and doesn't require a smart phone. The Kanega watch combines cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS, BLE (for hearing aids and telemedicine devices), an accelerometer for automatic fall detection, and continuous speech to provide an active medical alert that works anywhere, along with data-driven artificial intelligence that learns the wearer's lifestyle to provide predictive, pre-emptive support. Our patent-pending quick swap battery system in the band means wearers never have to remove their watch to charge.

Additional information is available at http://www.UnaliWear.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @UnaliWear, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UnaliWear.

About CB Insights

Our team builds technology that helps corporations guess less and win more. We aggregate and analyze terabytes of data and use machine learning, algorithms and data visualization to help corporations replace the three Gs (Google searches, gut instinct and guys with MBAs*) so they can answer massive strategic questions using probability not punditry.

*We have MBAs.

To learn more about A-ha!, visit: http://events.cbinsights.com/aha

SOURCE UnaliWear, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.unaliwear.com


ATLANTA, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.-based automobile dealers are optimistic about the first quarter of 2018 and believe inventory issues of earlier this year have mostly subsided, according to insights found in the fourth-quarter Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index (CADSI) released today.

Despite a healthy sales environment during the survey period, both franchise and independent dealers continue to feel pressure to lower prices, experience high costs of running their business, and report weak customer traffic.

"Although price pressures and costs are working against them, we continue to be encouraged by the fact that dealers are optimistic about market prospects," said Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke. "U.S. auto dealers are expecting a strong market in the first quarter of 2018."

The quarterly Cox Automotive survey indicates that current dealer sentiment remained similar to the view of the market three months ago. The Current Market Index moved up a single point to 46 from the third-quarter reading of 45. Responses in the survey are used to calculate an index, by which any number over 50 indicates that more dealers view conditions as strong rather than weak.

"On the surface, it would appear that not much has changed for dealers over the last 90 days," added Smoke. "But when you consider that last quarter's survey occurred in early August before the market saw back-to-back months of the best new-vehicle sales of the year, it makes sense that the biggest changes in dealer attitudes came from franchise dealers and their views of new-vehicle sales and new-vehicle inventory."

The view of the current market skews more positive for franchises dealers, with an index score of 54. Independent dealers were more negative about current conditions, scoring 43.

Optimism for the Future

U.S. automobile dealers overall  both franchises and independents  were more positive about the next three months.

The index for the first-quarter of 2018 was 53, indicating more dealers expected conditions to be strong in the future compared to those who think conditions will be weak. Franchises were most positive, scoring 57, compared to independents who scored 52.

Franchise dealers in the South are the most optimistic about the next quarter, while franchises in the West and Northeast saw declines in optimism. The drivers behind the regional variation causing the South to stand out so positively are unclear. Possible factors include weather, the uptick in sales following the hurricanes in Texas and Florida, and even the regional impacts expected from the proposed GOP tax policy.

"Dealer optimism is a leading indicator of likely continued strength in sales, so pay attention to new vehicle sales in the South as we start the new year," Smoke commented.

Price Pressures Remain

According to the Q4 2017 CADSI, total price pressure on dealers grew, driven by independents with an index score of 67, up from 62 in Q3 2017. Franchise dealers were flat at 67.

"Independents are having to deal with the scarcity of 5- to 8-year-old vehicles by shifting to what's most available: less than 4-year-old vehicles," said Smoke. "By shifting to newer vehicles, they are paying higher prices yet they are also continuing to serve a value-seeking consumer who is more likely to have credit challenges. That translates into relentless pressure on price."

Views on Inventory Change

In line with the improving new-vehicle sales index, the new-vehicle inventory index declined significantly since Q3 2017 (67 to 62 index). Having "too much retail inventory" also significantly declined as a factor holding back their business among franchise dealers from Q3 2017 to Q4 2017.

The used-vehicle inventory index remained stable relative to the previous quarter, and fewer independents reported "limited inventory" as a factor holding back their business relative to the previous quarter.

"Inventory can be a positive or a negative factor for market conditions, but dealers seem to be successfully navigating shifts in new- and used-vehicle supply," Smoke explained.

Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index Methodology

Data for the Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index is gathered via online surveys. The Q4 2017 results were based on 919 dealer respondents across the country from October 25 to November 2, 2017. Dealer responses were weighted by dealership type and volume of sales to be representative of the national dealer population.

You can download a copy of the Q4 2017 Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index here: https://www.coxautoinc.com/news/cox-automotive-dealer-sentiment-index-fourth-quarter-2017

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, financial, retail and wholesale solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, vAuto, Xtime and a host of other brands. The global company has 32,000-plus team members in more than 200 locations and is a partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

SOURCE Cox Automotive

Related Links

https://www.coxautoinc.com


CLEVELAND, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- US analytical instrument demand is forecast to total $50.2 billion in 2021, according to Analytical Instruments: United States, a report recently released by Freedonia Focus Reports. Increased research and development (R&D) funding will drive gains over the forecast period.

More information about the report is available at

https://www.freedoniafocusreports.com/Analytical-Instruments-United-States-FF80013/

Demand for laboratory instruments is projected to grow the fastest of any discrete segment and remain the largest through 2021. Gains will be driven by increasing R&D funding, particularly for the purpose of developing new pharmaceuticals as older patents expire. Shipments of analytical instruments from facilities in the US are also projected to grow through 2021, driven by rising domestic investment and R&D expenditures in developing countries.

These and other key insights are featured in Analytical Instruments: United States. This report forecasts US analytical instrument demand and shipments in US dollars at the manufacturer level to 2021. Total demand and shipments are segmented by product in terms of:

laboratory instruments

process control instruments

electrical measuring equipment

other instruments such as those for materials testing, meteorological observation, and surveying

To illustrate historical trends, total demand, total shipments, the various segments, and trade are provided in annual series from 2006 to 2016.

About Freedonia Focus Reports

Each month, The Freedonia Group  a division of MarketResearch.com  publishes over 20 new or updated Freedonia Focus Reports, providing fresh, unbiased analysis on a wide variety of markets and industries. Published in 20-30 pages, Focus Report coverage ranges from raw materials to finished manufactured goods and related services such as freight and construction. Additional Healthcare & Biotechnology reports can be purchased at Freedonia Focus Reports or MarketResearch.com.

Analysis is intended to guide the busy reader through pertinent topics in rapid succession, including:

total historical market size and industry output

segmentation by products and markets

identification of market drivers, constraints, and key indicators

segment-by-segment outlook in five-year forecasts

a survey of the supply base

suggested resources for further study

Press Contact:

Corinne Gangloff

+1 440.684.9600

[email protected]

SOURCE The Freedonia Group
VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanguard, in close collaboration with the Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) and technology provider Symbiont, is leading an effort to simplify the index data sharing process through innovative blockchain technology. This partnership between the three organizations will enable index data to move instantly between index providers and market participants over one decentralized database.

"Using this platform, investment managers will be able to instantly distribute, receive, and process index data, resulting in better benchmark tracking and significant cost savings that potentially results in better returns for our clients," said Warren Pennington, a principal in Vanguard's Investment Management Group.

Over the last several months, CRSP has distributed daily index data to Vanguard in a testing environment through Symbiont's blockchain platform. Delivering the data via a blockchain and automating workflows with smart contracts has served to expedite data delivery, eliminate the need for manual updates, and reduce risks.

"Secure, timely, and reliable controlled distribution of highly sensitive and time-critical information is essential to the continued evolution of the investment and financial services environment. CRSP is dedicated to facilitating the healthy evolution of this marketplace through our data and projects like this," said David Barclay, COO of CRSP.

Currently, index data transmission, which is essential to many operations within the financial services industry, including portfolio construction and strategy execution, relies on multiple parties and distribution channels to reach investment professionals.

"Through this collaboration we were able to show how Symbiont's blockchain technology and smart contracts can enhance market data distribution among disparate parties," said Mark Smith, CEO and co-founder of Symbiont. "We're pleased both Vanguard and CRSP were open to exploring new ways to use our platform to make capital markets cheaper, faster, and more accurate for investors."

The success of this initial pilot will enable automation of CRSP index data delivery and intra-day updates over the private blockchain network in early 2018. Vanguard, Symbiont, and CRSP will also use the results of this initiative to influence future blockchain efforts.

About Vanguard

Vanguard is one of the world's largest investment management companies. As of October 31, 2017, Vanguard managed $4.8 trillion in global assets. The firm, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, offers more than 376 funds to its more than 20 million investors worldwide. For more information, visit vanguard.com.

About CRSP

The Center for Research in Security Prices, at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, has been an integral part of the academic and commercial world of financial and economic research since 1960. CRSP's portfolio of historical databases for common stocks, mutual funds, US Treasuries, REITs, and research indexes is relied on by almost 600 leading academic and commercial institutions in 35 countries. CRSP's investable capitalization-based, industry sector, and value/growth style indexes are a logical extension of these core products. These indexes blend advancements in academic research with industry practice in a fundamentally sound manner under the premise that an index must reflect the way that money managers actually invest. For more information, please visit www.crsp.com.

About Symbiont

Symbiont is the market-leading smart contracts platform for institutional applications of blockchain technology. Disclosed users of its platform include nineteen financial institutions for Smart Loans, arranged by Credit Suisse and executed via Synaps, its syndicated loans joint venture with Ipreo; the State of Delaware for Smart Records; a major European insurance company for Smart Swaps in the catastrophe insurance market; Orebits, a provider of asset digitization services; PrivateMarket.io, an alternative assets platform; and Medici Ventures, a blockchain-focused venture firm. For more information, visit symbiont.io .

Notes:

All Vanguard data as of October 31, 2017 , unless otherwise noted.

2017 The Vanguard Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

SOURCE Vanguard

Related Links

http://www.vanguard.com


SANTA ROSA, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vintage Wine Estates today announced an agreement to acquire three wine brands from Jayson Woodbridge: Layer Cake, Cherry Pie and If You See Kay. The deal is scheduled to close on January 2, 2018.

"These brands are an extraordinary addition to the Wine Estates portfolio," commented Pat Roney, President and CEO of Vintage Wine Estates. "They have struck a powerful chord with consumers who are drawn to the whimsical and provocative branding and stay for the remarkable quality."

Noted winemaker Jayson Woodbridge's concept for Layer Cake was to craft exquisite wines that are very approachable for everyday enjoyment. Since its inception in 2004, Layer Cake's mission was to shock people about how good wine could be at the $15 price point. The range includes nine different varietals from key regions around the globe, all in the $10-$15 price point: a Malbec from Argentina; an Italian Primitivo; an Australian Shiraz and Chardonnay; and a Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose and Cabernet Sauvignon from California. The brand has received positive reception from consumers and been recognized by the critics with 90-point scores and gold medals.

Created in 2008, Cherry Pie is a critically acclaimed Pinot Noir-centric brand, featuring single and multi-vineyard wines from top California Pinot Noir locations. The brand has garnered numerous awards and accolades.

Layer Cake, Cherry Pie and If You See Kay represent a portfolio of 450,000+ cases.

Jayson Woodbridge will remain in a consultant role for both winemaking and public relations for both Layer Cake and Cherry Pie.

Woodbridge commented: "As the founder and Winemaker, I am pleased and certain that my voice and vision will remain, well stewarded by VWE's solid and committed winemaking team. It is gratifying to know that the wines will continue to express our unique quality and style going forward."

Long-standing Vintage Wine Estates partner Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits will handle sales and marketing for Layer Cake. Vintage Wine Estates' internal fine wine sales and marketing team will handle Cherry Pie and If You See Kay.

"We are very excited to soon be leading the sales and marketing of Layer Cake," said Peter Deutsch, CEO of Deutsch Family. "It is a great brand with excellent quality wines that compete in a price tier where we and our distributors know well how to win. In partnership with Pat Roney and his team, we will drive existing and new items as part of our mission to grow the brand."

Deutsch Family has had a long relationship with Vintage Wine Estates. In 2011 Deutsch Family assumed the sales and marketing duties for their Napa Valley luxury brand Girard.

Demeter Group, the San Francisco-based investment bank for premium Wine & Spirits companies, acted as exclusive financial advisor to One True Vine on its sale to Vintage Wine Estates.

About Vintage Wine Estates

Vintage Wine Estates is a privately held wine company owned by a group of vintner families with deep roots in the wine business. The families own a collection of winery estates and brands including Clos Pegase Winery, Cosentino Winery, Girard Winery, B.R. Cohn Winery, Swanson Vineyards, Viansa Sonoma, Windsor Vineyards, Cameron Hughes, Firesteed, Cartlidge & Browne, Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Middle Sister, Tall Dark Stranger, Pro-mis-Q-ous, Monogamy, Girl & Dragon, Purple Cowboy and a number of exclusive wine brands. Vintage Wine Estates is a majority partner in Splinter Group Spirits, producing craft Kentucky Bourbon whiskey (Straight Edge), American whiskey (Slaughter House) and Partner Vermouth and markets Clayhouse and Buried Cane wines. An industry leader across all sales channels and dedicated to providing wine consumers with a range of wines from $10 to $100+ dollars, Vintage Wine Estates produces outstanding wines from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and other premium California winegrowing regions and respects the way people buy their wine across all sales channels: at wineries, retail, telephone, television and Internet.

About Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits

Initially called W.J. Deutsch & Sons Ltd., the company was founded in 1981 by Chairman Bill Deutsch to market quality wines produced by prestigious families from major wine regions of the world. In 2009, it announced the expansion of the award-winning company to include a Spirits Portfolio. Today the company is renowned for its brand-building prowess and its ability to meet the needs of the modern consumer. Bill's son Peter Deutsch is CEO; thus two generations of the Deutsch family work side by side in their continuous quest to build strong brands and relationships throughout the wine and spirits industry.

The portfolio includes award-winning wines from Australia: [ yellow tail ], [ yellow tail ] Bubbles, Peter Lehmann, Peter Lehmann Clancy's; California: Eppa SupraFruta Sangria, Girard Winery, Joseph Carr, Josh Cellars, Josh Cellars Reserve, Kunde Family Estate, The Calling; France: Andre Lurton, Cave de Lugny, Fleurs de Prairie, Hob Nob Vineyards, Sauvion et Fils; Washington: Skyfall; Italy: Barone Fini, Villa Pozzi; New Zealand: The Crossings; Portugal: Quinta Do Vale Meao; Spain: Mar De Frades, Cruz de Alba, Ramon Bilbao; Argentina: Clos de los Siete; Ruta 22; and award-winning spirits: Redemption Whiskey, Bib & Tucker Bourbon, Masterson's Rye, Luksusowa Vodka and Licor 43. www.deutschfamily.com

Contacts:

Mary Ann Vangrin  VWE

707.738.0338

[email protected]

Karen Brennan Deutsch Family

917.628.1974

[email protected]

SOURCE Vintage Wine Estates

Related Links

http://www.vintagewineestates.com


WATERLOO, Ontario, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies are continually looking for ways to speed up assembly and Virtek's new Iris 3D with the Vision Positioning System (VPS) helps its customers achieve this. Debuting to the Americas at CAMX 2017 in Orlando, Virtek will be demonstrating the Visioning Positioning System at booth #L51.

Through Iris 3D with VPS, Virtek continues to innovate and exceed the boundaries of traditional laser projection while improving the tech firm's already-innovative product lineup. Iris 3D with VPS is easy to use and continues to improve workplace productivity, eliminating costly delays  a hallmark of Virtek's product offering.

"Laser projection paired with vision technology has proven to dramatically improve process efficiency in the composite and aerospace markets," said Sean Francoz, senior product manager at Virtek. "These innovations are already in production drastically improving manufacturing processes across North America and Europe."

With a smaller, faster scanning system, improved portability, and FlashAlign  a new feature eliminating manual target alignment  Iris 3D with VPS reaffirms Virtek's position as the global leader in laser templating and spatial positioning systems.

Beyond the VPS system, Virtek introduces a new Laser Projector (LPS-10), an upgrade to the incredibly successful LPS-7. This new laser projection system offers both short- and long-range capabilities.

These advancements in software and hardware demonstrate Virtek's commitment to innovation and tailoring products to the needs of every customer.

"With constant change in our customers' markets and processes, they need flexible solutions that are able to move between applications," stated Todd Rhodes, Virtek's vice president and general manager. "Our customers rely on accuracy and precision because it translates to quality, which is paramount to their end products. Virtek offers them more than 30 years of innovation, service and support to help them deliver reliable solutions that solve their production challenges."

About Virtek

Virtek is the global leader in laser templating and quality inspection systems, providing exceptional expertise and engineering for manufacturers around the world. The Virtek name has become synonymous with precision, reliability, and innovation.

Founded in 1986, and today a part of Gerber Technology, Virtek is based in Waterloo, ON, Canada and has local sales and service coverage in the USA, across Europe and in Asia. From the aerospace to the construction industry, and from sheet metal fabrication to wind energy, our tailored technology solutions, featuring Iris, LaserEdge, LaserQC, and TrussLine, give customers the competitive edge needed to succeed in their fields. For more information, please visit www.virtek.ca.

About Gerber Technology

Gerber Technology delivers industry-leading software and automation solutions that help apparel and industrial customers improve their manufacturing and design processes and more effectively manage and connect the supply chain, from product development and production to retail and the end customer. Gerber serves 78,000 customers in 130 countries, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies in apparel & accessories, home and leisure, transportation, packaging and sign & graphics. The company develops and manufactures its products from various locations in the United States and Canada and has additional manufacturing capabilities in China.

Based in Connecticut in the USA, Gerber Technology is owned by AIP, a New York based, global private equity firm specializing in the technology sector and has more than $3.0 billion assets under management. Visit www.gerbertechnology.com for more information.

Contact:

Andrea Andrade

Tel: +1 519.746.7190

[email protected]

SOURCE Virtek

Related Links

http://www.virtek.ca


WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students from nine school districts in Port Orchard, Washington, will speak with a NASA astronaut living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 12:10 p.m. EST today. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Students will travel to Gig Harbor, Washington, for the call to Expedition 54 astronaut Mark Vande Hei. They'll have the opportunity to ask questions about life aboard the space station, NASA's deep space exploration plans, and doing research in space.

Vande Hei arrived at the space station on Sept. 12 on his first space mission, and is scheduled to return to Earth in February 2018.

All nine school districts are in the West Sound STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Network, which was selected through a competitive process to host a downlink with the station. West Sound STEM Network is a dynamic collaboration of educators, business leaders and representative from local government and the military, working to introduce and link students, teachers, and the community to the vast array of STEM resources in their region.

Students across the participating districts prepared for the event by studying the space station, astronaut biographies, and the current research and activities being conducted aboard the space station. More than 1,200 attendees are expected to be on-site at Gig Harbor during the downlink.

Media interested in attending the event should contact Kareen Borders via email at [email protected] or phone at 360-874-7059. Galaxy Theatres in Gig Harbor will host the event at 4649 Point Fosdick Drive NW.

Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in STEM. This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of NASA's Year of Education on Station which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators.

Follow the astronauts on social media:

https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts/

See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


TOKYO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Public Relations Office of Web Japan is pleased to announce that the website for spreading information on things Japanese has newly started posting articles in multiple languages.

Web Japan was launched in 2004 with the aim of helping people around the world get to know more about Japan. It has been using photos, texts and videos to promote the various charms of Japan such as its culture, trends, society, and science and technology. It has become one of Japan's leading websites for information on the country, recording more than 17 million page views per year now.

Its content had been provided primarily in English until the website started posting articles in other languages. It now accommodates other languages as follows:

Chinese: http://web-japan.org/index_cn.html

Arabic: http://web-japan.org/index_ar.html

French: http://web-japan.org/index_fr.html

Spanish: http://web-japan.org/index_es.html

The main subcategories of Web Japan are:

Trends in Japan

Introduces up-to-date information on things Japanese (fashion, science and technology, pop culture, food and travel, etc.)

Introduces up-to-date information on things Japanese (fashion, science and technology, pop culture, food and travel, etc.) Kids Web Japan

Provides familiar and fun content that helps children learn about Japan . This site is widely used in elementary and middle school classrooms around the world.

Provides familiar and fun content that helps children learn about . This site is widely used in elementary and middle school classrooms around the world. Japan Video Topics

Short videos 3-4 minutes long. They are also broadcast on more than 100 television stations in the world every year.

The office cordially invites you to try and view Web Japan by all means.

SOURCE Web Japan Public Relations Office
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- What happens when you put patients with amazing stories in front of medical students, industry executives and health care leaders at one of the most forward-thinking medical schools in the country? You get the second annual What's the Fix? conference  an event determined to "kick the hell out of health care" by challenging the industry to learn and gain inspiration from people changing care for the better.

This year, the Design Institute for Health joins the company that founded the event, HealthSparq, to co-present What's the Fix? on May 17. The conference will be held at the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin (hook 'em horns!). During the inaugural What's the Fix? conference held last June in Seattle, normal people  not industry insiders  shared their incredible stories of struggle and triumph. This year, a new group of people will describe how they overcame challenges in ways that could improve health and health care for everyone.

The conference will once again be broadcast live online, free of charge, to the health care industry and anyone passionate about health care. Dell Medical School is also encouraging the Austin and Central Texas community to attend in person (also free!).

"In rethinking health, we invite and elevate the patient voice and role in their care  and ultimately in their health," explains Dell Medical School Dean, Clay Johnston. "That's why this conference that spotlights stories of real people is so aligned with our approach."

The first What's the Fix? conference featured 13 patients, innovators, parents, journalists and pioneers sharing raw and inspiring stories of perseverance, navigating health care challenges through an ineffective system. Beto Lopez, the co-founder of the Design Institute for Health , was one of those speakers . His thoughtful contributions to the conference helped build the partnership between HealthSparq and the conference's new host.

"This is the first time a health care conference has solely spotlighted amazing patients and real people creatively battling health care  and these are exactly the stories, voices and perspectives we embrace to move health care forward," explains Lopez. "The livecast of the conference online opens it up to everyone, anywhere, which is also key to its down-to-earth change-making."

More than 650 people participated online and in-person earlier this year. They generated 5,700 tweets, making the event's hashtag, #WTFix, trend nationally.

"We started What's the Fix? because we felt like it was time for the industry to stop talking about people and patients and to start learning from them," says HealthSparq's Chief Marketing Officer Burt Rosen. "We are thrilled to partner in year two with the Design Institute and Dell Med to build on the movement we created last year to inspire patients, leaders, health care insiders and now med students, to think and behave differently. We share a passion for giving people power over their care and designing a system with the patient at the center. We are going to do big things together."

The 2017 What's the Fix? conference is available in its entirety at whatsthefix.info. If you'd like to follow the ongoing conversation, search Twitter for #WTFix or sign up for email updates. Speakers for the 2018 conference will be announced over the next several months.

About HealthSparq

At HealthSparq, we help people make smarter health care choices by partnering with health plans to provide members with cost and quality information about doctors, hospitals and medical services, based on their individual benefits. We put people at the core of everything we do by conducting continuous usability testing, eliciting consumer feedback to enhance product development, hosting industry panels featuring everyday people and bringing human stories to the forefront through our #WTFix campaign. Using these insights, we create solutions to help people understand and navigate the health care system better than ever before.

Growing since our founding in 2008 from our home in Portland, Oregon, we now serve more than 70 health plans and their 74 million members nationwide. Interested in helping us kick the hell out of health care? Contact us at HealthSparq.com or tweet us @HealthSparq.

The Design Institute for Health, a collaboration between Dell Medical School and the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, leads profound change in health systems through design. An embedded team of health care design specialists, the Design Institute works within the new Dell Medical School to infuse design into every aspect of Dell Med from the beginning. The Design Institute focuses on designing health systems to provide care that is self-enabled, human-centered, integrated and broadened to health. Tweet us @DesignInHealth.

Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin is revolutionizing the way people get and stay healthy. Dell Med is the first medical school in decades to be built from the ground up at a Tier 1 research university. Created in unprecedented partnership with local taxpayers, who in 2012 voted to support the vision of improving health and making Austin a model healthy city, the school is focused on harnessing the power of innovation, technology and partnerships to modernize academic medicine, create new clinical care delivery models and foster a thriving research environment. Contact us at dellmed.utexas.edu or tweet us @DellMedSchool.

Tatiana Skomski

[email protected]

503-228-4118

SOURCE HealthSparq

Related Links

http://www.healthsparq.com


BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of its Whirlpool Cloud Internet of Things Infrastructure Platform Project, Whirlpool Corporation has been named a winner of the 2018 Digital Edge 50 Award from IDG Enterprise and CIO Magazine. The Whirlpool Cloud Project, launched in 2016, will allow Whirlpool Corporation to deploy connected products around the globe, delivering advanced appliance features more quickly by reducing digital capability development cycle times.

"We are honored to be recognized for bringing consumer-focused innovation to our products, simplifying the lives of our customers," said Mike Heim, Corporate Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer at Whirlpool Corporation. "With a quickly expanding portfolio of connected products, we saw the need for a secure technology platform solution that could keep pace with innovating for what really matters in day-to-day life, allowing consumers to personalize their in-home experience in a way that helps them care for their families. We are proud of this project and the team behind it."

The Digital Edge 50 Awards, distributed by IDG Enterprise and CIO Magazine, honor companies that have leveraged digital technologies to achieve innovation for their business. Selected by a panel of industry experts and business and technology executives, winners demonstrate greater customer engagement, higher sales conversions and new products, as well as revenue and profit growth.

As the number one major appliance manufacturer in the world, Whirlpool Corporation is focused on innovating to provide better care through smart and connected appliances and services. From leveraging over the air automatic updates to microwave ovens that cook based on information provided via the barcode on a packaged food item, the Internet of Things has introduced a new digital dimension to the company's traditional home care products.

Whirlpool Corporation will be formally honored as a recipient of this award at IDG's AGENDA18 Conference, taking place March 19-21, 2018 in Miami.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is the number one major appliance manufacturer in the world, with approximately $21 billion in annual sales, 93,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centers in 2016. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air, Indesit and other major brand names in nearly every country throughout the world. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com, or find us on Twitter at @WhirlpoolCorp.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation

Related Links

http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com


SAGINAW, Mich., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wineman Technology, Inc., an international test systems provider, today announced the company has partnered with OrangeWire Systems to offer switch, load, and signal conditioning modules for the NI SLSC platform. This product line works seamlessly with the National Instruments platform to provide flexible, COTS-based HIL systems for automotive, aerospace, medical devices, and other industries where real-time HIL simulation is critical for timely system development.

In order to keep up with the challenges of testing increasingly complex devices, HIL systems benefit from having flexible, modular components like the new SLSC modules that are reusable, reprogrammable, and scalable to future test system demands.

"Many times, an ECU or other devices under test (DUTs) can't be connected directly to data acquisition I/O without additional loading or switching circuitry, so test engineers have to build a custom, one-off circuit from scratch every time, " said Bill Uhl, President of OrangeWire Systems. "Now, OrangeWire and Wineman Technology are releasing a line of ready-made SLSC modules that smoothly integrates with NI technology and runs under the same software, allowing customers to save on design costs and get to market faster."

Rapid Deployment and Flexibility for COTS-Based HIL Systems

With decades of experience developing advanced test solutions, Wineman Technology uses comprehensive hardware and software platforms from National Instruments when building custom HIL test stands because the platforms offer open, high-performance solutions that can be quickly adapted to new technologies. By teaming up with OrangeWire Systems  a provider of innovative hardware and software tools focused on HIL simulation and other complex test applications  Wineman Technology is now uniquely positioned to offer an extensive offering of mix-and-match SLSC cards for signal conditioning, load simulation, and fault insertion.

"As a longtime NI Gold Alliance Partner and now NI HIL Specialty Alliance Partner, we at Wineman Technology wanted the ability to outfit clients with entirely COTS-based HIL solutions that have highly customizable hardware and software, facilitate rapid deployment, and include reliable product support. By partnering with OrangeWire Systems, we can provide clients with off-the-shelf signal conditioning products on a unified NI platform. Ultimately, these solutions will expedite the development process of complex HIL systems," said Todd VanGilder, Vice President of Sales at Wineman Technology.

Users Benefit from Easy Expandability and Specialized Technology

Current users of the OrangeWire SLSC platform, such as Inalfa Roof Systems in the automotive industry, chose the modular product line because of its easy expandability for future signal conditioning needs and top-notch customer support.

Ford Motor Company also selected cards, such as the OW-902-8 wheel speed simulator, for their pioneering technology that addresses market-specific requirements. Other popular solutions include the digital I/O scaling and fault insertion unit (FIU) modules to safely interface with DUTs without damaging the data acquisition and test equipment.

To learn more about the SLSC product family, visit winemantech.com. To discuss the design of a custom HIL system or a custom SLSC board, talk to an experienced engineer at Wineman Technology today.

About Wineman Technology

Established in 1991, Wineman Technology, Inc. specializes in test systems and test cell applications with a focus on dynamometer and hydraulic test systems, real-time control and data acquisition, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation, and custom test machines. Unlike other companies where test plays a partial role, Wineman Technology's singular focus is the design and development of test equipment for advanced research and development, functional test labs, and manufacturing production across a wide range of industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy. Wineman Technology's engineers meet test challenges with the experience of hundreds of successful deployed test solutions.

Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

A National Instruments Alliance Partner is a business entity independent from National Instruments and has no agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship with National Instruments.

Contact: Todd VanGilder, [email protected], 989-771-3000

SOURCE Wineman Technology, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.winemantech.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dialpad today announced that Xero, a global small business platform, has completed the deployment of Dialpad's pure-cloud business communications solution across its global offices and is now 100 percent desk phone free. Xero selected Dialpad to modernize the company's telephony infrastructure and support its rapid growth and international expansion efforts, as one of the largest and fastest growing companies in Australasia.

Dialpad replaces outdated desk phones and on-premises PBX equipment with a modern software-only solution that enables fast growth companies like Xero to instantly spin up offices and connect international teams across any device with Voice, Messaging, Video, and Meetings. With its seamless integration with Google's G Suite and Salesforce, Dialpad has also enabled Xero to modernize its IT Stack to ensure collaboration and productivity for employees no matter where they live or work.

Xero offers cloud-based accounting software for small businesses around the world, connecting accountants and bookkeepers with the numbers they need. Named by Forbes as the "Number 1

World's Most Innovative Growth Company" in 2014 and 2015 and today has more than 1,800 employees in 20 offices around the world.

"As a company built in the cloud, using a single easy-to-use communications solution that connects mission critical tools is really the future of work," said Andrew Jessett, General Manager of Internal IT at Xero. "It doesn't make sense for companies to keep using legacy PBX systems that cost a fortune to install, maintain, and are massively underutilized by employees. Completely ripping out all of our systems and desk phones across 10 offices and deploying Dialpad has saved us nearly half a million dollars in costs already. This shows just how much smart IT decisions can impact a business' bottom line today."

Like most fast-growing, geographically dispersed companies, Xero inherited a real mix of underutilized on-premise PBX systems. They were struggling to control costs and manage multiple local vendors as it opened new offices. The company recognized that a software-first communications strategy was key to supporting its dispersed and mobile workforce, while cutting costs. After reviewing several options, Xero selected Dialpad as the solution that:

Could be deployed in seconds and provisioned from any location, eliminating months of waiting while new offices came online

Combined Voice, Messaging, Video, and Meetings, making communications easier and more seamless

Was integrated with G Suite and Salesforce, two other mission-critical tools that empower the company's workers

Made administration simple, scalable, and secure for IT

"The benefits of Dialpad have also been obvious and striking beyond the hard infrastructure numbers," added Jessett. "Dialpad has built an outstanding customer support organization that partnered with Xero's IT team to implement our shared vision of bringing a seamless pure-cloud communications solution to every employee in 20 separate worldwide office locations."

"Xero is a poster child for how agile, fast-growing companies can leverage a modern Anywhere IT Stack to empower its workers with the communication tools they need  anywhere, anytime, using any device  while dramatically cutting cost and simplifying administration," said Vincent Paquet, Chief Product Officer at Dialpad. "It's clearly time for all companies - both large and small - to cut the cord on legacy technology like Xero did and embrace the cloud."

About Xero

Xero is beautiful, easy-to-use global online platform for small businesses and their advisors. The company has 1.2 million subscribers in more than 180 countries. Xero seamlessly integrates with more than 600 apps. It was ranked No. 1 by Forbes as the World's Most Innovative Growth Company for two years running, won Product of the Year at the British Accountancy Awards 2017 in the UK, and was rated by Canstar Blue as Australia's best accounting software three consecutive years from 2015-2017.

About Dialpad

Dialpad is communications simplified for every business. Available on any device, anywhere, Dialpad includes voice, video, messaging and meetings; and is integrated with Microsoft Office 365 and Google's G Suite. Dialpad is also the only business communications system built on the Google Cloud Platform. Today, over 50,000 customers and more than 65 percent of the Fortune 500 have joined Dialpad's mission to kill the desk phone, including Uber, Motorola Solutions, Vivint Solar, Xero, Financial Times, Betterment, PagerDuty, Stripe, Quora, and others. Dialpad is funded by some of the world's best-recognized investors including Amasia, Andreessen Horowitz, Felicis Ventures, GV (formerly Google Ventures), Section 32, Softbank and Work-Bench. To learn more about our mission to kill the desk phone, visit dialpad.com and follow @DialpadHQ on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

Contact:

Shelby Valdez

415-805-2049

[email protected]

SOURCE Dialpad

Related Links

http://www.dialpad.com


The former prime minister Julia Gillard has joined the board of Liberman family-backed CVS Lane.

It is a Melbourne-based property finance and investment company established in 2011.

Since inception it has raised over $600 million across 75 transactions with an end value of over $4 billion.

Earlier this year former Prime Minister Paul Keating took a similar board role with MaxCap, a rival property finance house, also based in Melbourne.

Both finance companies are looking for growth beyond being backed by a local wealthy investors in the expanding opportunity of residential development debt which has emerged as the banks curb their exposure under pressure from the regulators.

"I'm intrigued by the work that it does, property financing," the Adelaide-based Ms Gillard told the AFR.

"That is a microcosm of understanding what's happening with the Australian economy and what's happening with global trends.

"I thought I could value-add, not by being a property finance expert  I'm never going to match it with these guys on that depth of knowledge  but by bringing to the table that broader perspective and broader expertise."

Gillard has been on the board for five months having already completed an Asia roadshow.

The former prime minister is the first independent director on the board alongside its founders including Joshua Liberman.

Gillard is also on the board of a New York based educational software group and an adviser to a US venture capital outfit, alongside her philanthropic activity including chair of mental health charity beyondblue.

"I'm leading this portfolio life now, which is quite different to my old life of the one big job," she said.

The Collins Street, Melbourne-based investment house manages a range of investments, including a property partnership with Don O'Rorke's Consolidated Properties Group.

Last week CVS Lane Capital Partners and Consolidated Properties Group confirmed settlement of the sale of Casuarina Village Shopping Centre to the Sydney based investor, Whistle Funds Management for $27.4 million which represented a yield of 5.90%.

CVS has provided a first mortgage facility to assist in the acquisition of the Coburg Quarter property.

It also provided a first mortgage facility for Pamada on the Oslo Apartments site, located 5km northeast of the Brisbane CBD, which will comprise 160 apartments and a retail premises upon completion.

Lee Centra is its managing director with Jason Henry, the chief financial officer. Andrew Vasarelli is the head of credit and asset management.

Its directors include Michael Goldman, Nick Pettigrew and Ari Bergman.
Lendlease has quoted at $70 million over budget, according to the AFR's Street Talk column.

AMP Capital remains in ongoing discussions with Lendlease and Multiplex over the tender for construction of its Quay Quarter Tower.

AMP Capital still has an aim of getting construction underway next year, it added.

Tenants in the existing building are due out this Friday.

The 49-storey office building at 50 Bridge Street will be rebuilt as Quay Quarter Tower.

The $1 billion tower, designed by Danish firm 3XN, is due to open in 2020.

The chief operating officer of real estate at AMP Capital, Louise Mason, has previously said revitalising the precinct was paramount to Sydneys future as a global city.

Quay Quarter Sydney provides an opportunity to reimagine the urban landscape of Circular Quay, she said.

The Quay Quarter Sydney precinct will span two inner city blocks over a site area of around 11,000 square metres and incorporates a mix of commercial, retail and luxury residential.

50 Bridge Street is jointly owned by investors in the AMP Capital Diversified Property Fund (ADPF) and the AMP Capital Wholesale Office Fund (AWOF).

Street Talk noted super fund giant REST was the frontrunner to take out the stake in the redevelopment of 50 Bridge Street.
Australian shopping center company Westfield Corp on Tuesday has entered a trading halt for its shares on the Australian Securities Exchange this morning ahead of an announcement on a potential transaction.

The company said it was in discussions with unnamed parties for a potentially significant corporate transaction, without divulging further information.

Westfield said it expects to make a related announcement on Thursday.

The early speculation is that the $17 billion company, whose major shareholders include the Lowy family, may be selling some of its non flagship centres.

Or undertaking a tilt at US mall owner GGP or looking to demerge its North American assets, or thinking of a merger of its real estate interests in France.

By early afternoon there was speculation Westfield was set to be taken over by a European shopping centre giant in a takeover deal said to be worth $32.7 billion.

Unibail-Rodamco will take over the ASX-listed company to create a global property giant with 104 malls in 27 retail markets around the world.

Unibail-Rodamco is the largest listed commercial real estate company in Europe and the second-largest globally by value.
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As the Southern California Thomas wildfire rages through Ventura County into Santa Barbara County, filling the air with smoke and ash, some indie booksellers in the area are working hard to keep their doors open, while others have been forced to close temporarily.

The fires are burning in an area larger than New York City and Boston combined and, for local booksellers affected by the blaze, the timing is particularly painful. Usually, booksellers are worried about keeping up with demand in this pre-holiday period, not the safety of their stores and patrons.

Deborah Ruddy, co-owner of Ventura's Bank of Books said her store, which is in the heart of the downtown retail area, was closed for three days, due to smoke and power outages. Ruddy's other store in Ventura, Abednego Book Shoppe, has fared better, remaining open and clear of danger.

Were taking it one day at a time, said Ruddy, who has one employees who lost her home. While she acknowledged that sales are down, she said a group of fire fighters came into Abednego Books on Sunday, telling staff that it was their day off and they wanted to relax with some reading.

Ojai, north of Ventura and just south of the Los Padres National Forest, was almost completely encircled by flames from the Thomas fire (which is the most intense of the blazes) on Monday. Barts Books, which is primarily an outdoor bookstore in downtown Ojai, closed on December 5.

The store's manager, Matt Henriksen, told PW the high amount of ash in the air forced the closure. The air quality is so bad," he said, adding that insurance adjusters will need to inspect the property before the store can reopen to make sure "everything is clean and safe. Although the store lost much of its inventory because of the fire, there was a small silver lining. Henriksen said that, thanks to a helpful neighbor who accepted a large shipment of books last week, the store will be well-stocked when it reopens.

Bookends, another Ojai store, also shut its doors last week. It is expected to re-open on December 16. Peoples' focus is on getting back to normal, co-owner Celeste Matesevac said, adding she is focused on helping other because her store is "not in any danger.

Both Henriksen and Matesevac said they have concerns that the economic impact of the Thomas fire will linger for months, if not years, in Ojai, a resort town that is heavily dependent on affluent tourists.

Adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, in Santa Barbara, Chaucers Books and the Book Den both reported that poor air quality had driven away customers who otherwise would be out shopping for holiday gifts. Book Dens owner, Eric Kelley, said he has kept the store open even though downtown is empty.

Greg Feitt, Chaucers Books' manager, said that a few of his staffers have had to evacuate their homes. Nonetheless, the store has stayed open. He plans to keep the lights on, he added, "as long as it doesnt compromise the health and safety of staff and customers."

At the Book Loft in Solvang and Mrs. Figs Bookworm in Camarillo, booksellers reported that foot traffic was way down because of the poor air quality in both towns. And, with customers staying away, sales were also down.

Despite the situation, both said they are hopeful that school closings--and worse conditions in surrounding areas--might drive people to the towns. If people go out, this is definitely one of the places they are going to go to, said Book Loft's Tom Gerald.

Further south, in Los Angeles Brentwood area, Diesel Books co-owner John Evans said his store has, for the most part, managed to maintain regular hours. And sales, according to Evans, seemed to be at the same level as last year. He felt the difference came from local patrons, explaining that while he probably didn't get traffic from customers who live further away, those who live close by spent more time than usual at the store.

[A bookstore] is a refuge," he said. "If you are kicked out of your house, where can you go? A coffee shop or a bookstore. At a bookstore, people can obtain information and can calmly have a civil conversation about whats going on.
For Release Tuesday

December 12, 2017

A new study from the RAND Corporation projects that the UK economy is likely to suffer under the most probable post-Brexit trade scenarios.

Leaving the EU with no deal and operating under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules would lead to the greatest economic loss for the UK, reducing GDP by nearly 5 per cent, or $140 billion, 10 years after Brexit, compared with EU membership.

Researchers at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND and its European affiliate RAND Europe built an economic model to measure the percentage and monetary changes in GDP growth, GDP per capita, trade and foreign direct investment for the UK, EU and US across the eight trade scenarios. A new calculator on the RAND website allows anyone to explore likely post-Brexit impacts under their own assumptions.

The WTO outcome would likely move the UK further from EU standards and over time significantly increase non-tariff barriers, harming the ability of UK businesses to sell goods and services to EU countries. The services sector, which includes financial and banking, is particularly important as it dominates the UK economy, contributing to around 80 per cent of GDP.

The EU would also lose out under the WTO scenario, but the effect is relatively minora 0.7 per cent drop in GDP 10 years after Brexit.

Of the scenarios analysed, the most beneficial to the UK economy would be a trilateral UK-EU-US agreement, a TTIP-like agreement under which UK GDP would be 2.2 per cent higheror 7.1 percentage points better than under the WTO rules scenario. This is even slightly better than continued EU membership. The EU and US are also forecast to make significant economic gains under this trade scenario. However, a TTIP-like arrangement is seen as very unlikely in the current political environment on both sides of the Atlantic.

Other trade scenarios could be better for the UK than WTO rules but still lead to economic losses compared with EU membership. These include 'hard Brexit' scenarios, such as a UK-EU free trade agreement (net UK GDP decline of 1.9 per cent 10 years after Brexit), UK-US free trade agreement (2.5 per cent decline) or UK-EU transitional zero-tariff agreement (2.1 per cent decline), and 'soft Brexit' scenarios, such as the Norway option (1.7 per cent decline), Switzerland option (2.4 per cent decline) or remaining part of the Customs Union (1.8 per cent decline).

The analysis clearly shows that the UK will be economically worse-off outside of the EU under most trade scenarios. The key question for the UK is how much worse-off, said Charles Ries, Vice President, International at RAND and lead author of the report. It is in the best interests of the UK, and to a lesser extent the EU, to achieve some sort of open trading and investment relationship post-Brexit.

The study used game theory insights to create a better understanding of how a wide variety of factors might affect the outcome of the Brexit negotiations between the UK and EU. Based on these insights, the report recommends that the UK seek to move away from a 'zero-sum game' and towards a 'positive sum game' as negotiations proceed, to ensure the best possible deal for all parties. A UK strategy of trying to pick apart European unity would be unlikely to work since it is in the best interests of all EU member states to work together.

The EU is likely to engage with the UK during Brexit negotiations, but may see benefit in adopting a 'zero sum game' approach. Europe's top political priority is to discourage other member states from withdrawing.

Ries explains: Based on our insights, it is in the best interests of the UK to cooperate with its EU partners to find a new relationship with Europe. This would preserve economic benefits for both sides, but also give the UK the freedom from EU rules which it seeks. However, the EU is likely to want to ensure that it does not give too much away to the UK during negotiations, and may seek to adopt a 'zero sum game' approach to preserve the union.

The study determined that after Brexit the political and security effects are likely to be more important to the US than the economic impact. The potential economic gains and losses for the US after Brexit are relatively small, apart from the TTIP-like arrangement which would result in substantial economic gains for the US.

Ries explains: The US will greatly miss the influence and global perspective that the UK brings to EU decision-making, particularly around security and defence. In fact, the UK's EU membership often ensured that EU measures did not undermine NATO and the strong transatlantic partnership. The economic impact from Brexit is very much a secondary concern for the US.

Funding for this reportAfter Brexit: Alternate forms of Brexit and their implications for the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United Stateswas provided by donors and by the independent research and development provisions of RAND's contracts for the operation of its U.S. Department of Defense federally funded research and development centers. In addition, a grant from the Arconic Foundation supported the exploration of game theory in relation to the Brexit process, as well as outreach and dissemination of the research.

The other authors on the report are Marco Hafner and Martin Stepanek from RAND Europe, Troy D. Smith, Daniel Egel, Eugeniu Han and Howard J. Shatz from the RAND Corporation, and Frances G. Burwell from the Atlantic Council.

- ENDS -

Notes for Editors:

To request a copy of the report or to arrange an interview with the researchers please contact Jack Melling on jmelling@rand.org or +44 (0)7711209048 or Jeffrey Hiday on jhiday@rand.org or +1-202-415-9087.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.

RAND Europe is a not-for-profit research organization whose mission is to help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis.
Egyptian production house TVision Media is to make a localised version of the USA Networks legal drama series Suits, after acquiring the rights from NBCUniversal International.





The show, about a college dropout who works as an associate attorney for a top legal firm in New York despite never having attended law school, will be relocated to Cairo for the Arabic adaptation.TVision Media CEO Tarek Ganainy told Variety that the show is set to start shooting in June, with Mohamed Hefzy (writer of dramas Tito and Warda) as lead writer.Ganainy said the remake of Suits must feel that its an Arabic show. Although the US version of the show is carried by regional pay-TV operator OSN , he added that most viewers across the Middle East and North Africa will never have seen the original  which stars Megan Merkel, recently engaged to the UKs Prince Harry.A broadcaster has yet to be secured although the project is generating regional interest, Ganainy said.TVision Media already produces the Arabic version of Saturday Night Live , which airs on OSN. The regional version of the long-running American comedy sketch show is filmed in front of a live studio audience at Masr Theatre in Cairo.
With fleeting news coverage, President Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China last month concluded official visits to Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, three diplomatic allies of Taiwan in the South Pacific. No surprises occurred during her South Pacific trip, which was based on Tsai's 'steadfast diplomacy' programs  although there was an intriguing announcement during a transit stop in Hawaii.

Taiwan's aid has made an impressive contribution to the development of the three Pacific nations. Despite not having the status to participate in the UN or in most regional intergovernmental mechanisms, Taiwan has shown a willingness to serve a responsible role in the region. The launch of 'viable diplomacy' during Ma Ying-jeou's presidency, guided by Taiwan's White Paper on Foreign Aid Policy released in 2009, rebuffed views of Taiwan as a 'cheque-book diplomacy' player. Little has changed with the aid approach of the Tsai administration.

Taiwan has forged a special bond with these countries over some 20 or 30 years of friendship. This was demonstrated in 2009 after Typhoon Morakot killed more than 700 people in Taiwan and Tuvalu made a donation to the recovery of US$210,000  then around 1% of Tuvalu's GDP. In another moving gesture at the time, a village in Solomon Islands raised a sum equivalent to approximately US$126 and made a 24-hour journey to deliver the donation directly to Taiwan's agricultural mission in Honiara.

Yet despite this evident good will, surveys show the Taiwanese public has reservations. Most believe aid to Pacific nations and Taiwan's allies is a waste. In Taiwan, unfortunately, the South Pacific allies have often been portrayed as 'poor, small, and black' countries coveting Taiwan's money.

It is undeniable that part of Taiwan's effort in this region has been focusing on winning official recognition while under pressure from Beijing. Each of the countries Tsai visited spoke in support of Taiwan's desire for meaningful participation in the UN.

But it seems that one Taiwan ally is wary of Tsai. Palau has sought closer relations with Beijing after a breakdown of the tacit 'diplomatic truce' between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in spring 2016. A high-ranking official of Taiwan admitted that one of Taiwan's allies in the South Pacific was 'a little impish' in bargaining with Taiwan for more financial aid, which appears to be a reference to Palau. In late November, another high-ranking official of Taiwan confirmed the speculation, stating that Palau has been 'a case of some delicacy'.

The Beijing authorities did not oppose Tsai's visit to the south Pacific; mainland China has not openly attempted to intervene in Taiwan's engagement with its 20 allies. But Beijing did see 'little tricks' at play when Tsai made transit visits to Hawaii on her way to the region and to Guam on her way back to Taiwan. The US described the transit as 'private and unofficial' but the authorities in Beijing lodged complaints with Washington about Tsai's transits. As in most cases, the US has remained independent in accepting or denying Taiwan's request for transit, regardless of mainland China's opposition and protest.

What baffled many in Taiwan was Tsai's decision to make a transit stop in Hawaii, a US island that is not on the way from Taiwan to the South Pacific. This made Beijing doubt Tsai's real purpose. In Hawaii, she announced a boost to Taiwan's annual defence budget of at least 2%, and 3% if the arms acquisition requires  an announcement that appeared to be made with the hope of getting into the good graces of the Trump administration. As a token of appreciation, presumably, the US agreed to Tsai's request to transit in Hawaii.

Tsai's positive gesture in Hawaii towards a US arms sale to Taiwan was possibly also intended to act as a firewall against the small chance that Xi Jinping pushed Trump to reach a consensus that would be unfavourable to Taiwan.

For their part, Taiwans South Pacific allies care little for where Tsai makes transit stops and what she says en route, instead prioritising the continuation of Taiwans aid programs. But the appeal to engage with Chinas Belt and Road Initiative for developing nations in the South Pacific demonstrates how Beijing can complicate Taiwans attempts to maintain substantive, semi-official relations in the region.
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.
One of the largest ranches in Montana, the 119,500-acre Diamond Cross Ranch, sold to Heal Holdings LLC on Dec. 1. The asking price was $64.8 million.

Heal Holdings is listed as a limited liability company with the Florida secretary of states office. According to an internet search, Heal Holdings shares an address with 14 other Naples, Florida, businesses, as well as Florida Prime Realty.

Assembled by now-deceased Mars candy heir Forrest Mars Jr., the ranch surrounds the Tongue River below Tongue River reservoir, extending about 16 miles east to west and north to south. The northern border abuts the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.

Mr. Mars

Mars died on July 26, 2016, at age 84. At the time of his death he was ranked the 25th richest person in the world, with a net worth of more than $25 billion.

His conservation interests included the American Prairie Reserve, a nonprofit organization to which he contributed a series of financial gifts which helped the nonprofit group acquire a great deal of new land, Sean Gerrity, CEO of American Prairie Reserve, wrote in a tribute to Mars.

He liked backing big things that have the potential to benefit a lot of people, Gerrity added. I think he believed that Mars Corp and American Prairie Reserve had that attribute in common.

Coal country

Because of the location and size of the ranch, as well as Mars conservation connections and financial clout, he became a player in the proposed development of coal tracts southeast of Ashland, an area known as Otter Creek.

The coal tracts were part of a 1996 federal deal with Crown Butte Mines to abandon its gold-mining intentions near Cooke City, not far from Yellowstone National Parks Northeast Entrance. When development of the coal tracts was proposed by Arch Coal in 2012, environmental groups, tribal representatives and local residents united to fight the proposal.

Initially, Mars joined the fight to protect his nearby land. In 2008 he lost a court fight to prevent a company from drilling for natural gas on his property. Then in 2011 he invested in the Tongue River Railroad to ensure the proposed line didnt pass from the coal fields through his ranch and on to Wyoming. After that, he wrote the Northern Plains Resource Council telling the group they were on their own in the fight to halt the railroad and coal mine.

Following the decline in the coal economy, in 2016 Arch Coal declared bankruptcy.

Sheridan sale

Century 21 BJH Realty in Sheridan, Wyoming, listed the Diamond Cross Ranchs 119,540 acres  93,280 deeded, 6,440 state lease and 19,820 BLM lease  in March. Realtor Bruce Garber said a confidentiality agreement prevented him from saying anything about the buyers, although he admitted the sale was reasonably quick given that the ranch is so large.

Sometimes it can take two to three years to sell a parcel that big, he said. You never know.

According to the website Montana Land Source, the new owners appear to be an investment collaboration focused on sustainable and regenerative projects.

The expansive ranch, assembled by purchasing adjoining lands over the course of 15 years, includes three main operation centers, according to BJHs website listing. The main lodge had five bedrooms and two full bathrooms spread across 5,556 square feet.

Spread out

Each operation center has one or more residences, barns, workshops and corrals.  Numerous cow camps and cabins are in the hills away from the river country for additional seasonal activities and full-time employee residences.

In Hanging Women valley, another important area in the northeast part of the ranch, resides the fourth main set of buildings to serve that area of the ranch. This portion of the ranch again is complete with one or more residences, barns, workshops and corrals.

The deeded acreage consists of about 1,700 acres of irrigated and dry cropland with the majority, more than 91,500 acres, consisting of dry rangeland. Thats where Mars ranch hands rotatively grazed about 2,000 head of cattle.

The other attractive part of the ranch is the fishing and waterfowl hunting along about 20 miles of the Tongue River, as well as hunting for trophy whitetail and mule deer, antelope and elk. Upland game birds are also found on the ranch including pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and turkey.

Its just a beautiful, beautiful ranch with a river running through it, Garber said.
NATO says a U.S. soldiers has died as a result of injuries sustained during a "vehicle incident" in eastern Afghanistan.

Two other U.S. service members were injured in the December 11 incident in Nangarhar Province, the NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan said.

It added that the incident was "not the result of enemy action."

The Western-backed government in Kabul has struggled fend off the Taliban and other militants since the withdrawal of most NATO troops in 2014.

Under its new strategy for Afghanistan, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has committed 3,000 additional troops to the country, on top of the 11,000 already there, to train and assist Afghan security forces in their battle against the militants.
Reports of seemingly arbitrary shootings by security personnel of unarmed, law-abiding young men who are subsequently branded Islamic militants on the basis of what critics claim is fabricated evidence have become commonplace in the North Caucasus over the past 10 to 15 years.

Despite repeated statements of concern by organizations like Amnesty International and the International Crisis Group (ICG), most such cases never come to court, even if a formal investigation is undertaken.

But the killing in August 2016 of two teenage brothers by security personnel, who claimed they were armed insurgents who resisted arrest, may prove an exception.

Fifteen months after the event, Daghestani investigators have finally opened a criminal case into their deaths. Whether the investigation is in response to a formal appeal lodged two days earlier by the young mens father with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) or part of the broader probe by acting Republic of Daghestan head Vladimir Vasilyev of suspected abuses by law enforcement organs to which predecessor Ramazan Abdulatipov apparently turned a blind eye is not yet clear.

As pieced together from statements by local residents, the circumstances of the death of Gasanguseyn Gasanguseynov, who was 19 at the time he died, and his brother Nabi, who was two years younger, were as follows:

The two young men lived with their parents in the small mountain village of Goor-Khindakh, some 120 kilometers southwest of Makhachkala. They eked out a living from watching over fellow villagers sheep. There was no record of insurgent activity in the village.

Late on August 23, 2016, they phoned their mother to tell her the flock had been penned for the night and they were on their way home for supper, but they never arrived. Their bodies were found the following morning by a fellow herdsman. Both had been shot several times. They were wearing winter anoraks that relatives said did not belong to them and had automatic rifles slung around their necks, but the weapons had not been fired in the previous 24 hours.

According to their father, Murtazali Gasanguseynov, a police expert who examined the bodies pointed out that the holes in the fabric of the anoraks did not correspond to the location of the bullet wounds. That expert concluded that the men had been shot by military personnel.

Daghestani security forces, however, insisted that the brothers were Islamic militants who had refused to produce identification when asked and then opened fire on law enforcement personnel. Possibly for that reason, the police initially refused to hand over the bodies to the family for burial and relented only after irate villagers temporarily blocked two local highways. The villagers assert unanimously that the young Gasanguseynovs were not Islamic radicals but professed the strain of Sufi Islam endorsed by Daghestans official clergy.

The identity of the two brothers' killer or killers remains unclear. The news portal Caucasian Knot initially quoted an unnamed local police officer as saying that even though no formal counterterror operation had been announced, security personnel from elsewhere in Daghestan had been combing the district on the night the brothers died.

In February, however, the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta published an official Daghestani Interior Ministry document, according to which the Daghestani Interior Ministrys Counterextremism Center conducted a special operation on August 23 in the vicinity of Goor-Khindakh jointly with the Federal Security Service (FSB). The paper further quoted the deputy head of the FSB Directorate for Daghestan as denying that any such operation took place.

Villagers suspect the perpetrators were local police officers who had been seen in the village on the evening prior to the killings and spent the night in the local mosque.The killings triggered a wave of outrage across Daghestan. Within days, the residents of Goor-Khindakh addressed an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russias Prosecutor-General's Office and Investigative Committee stressing that there was no evidence to support the official claim that the young men were Islamic militants and demanding that those who killed them be held criminally responsible. Republic of Daghestan head Abdulatipov responded with a brief statement stressing that the republican prosecutor had launched an investigation and advocating patience until the findings became known. Meanwhile Maksim Shevchenko, a member of Putins Human Rights Council who had been refused registration to run in the State Duma elections as a candidate for Daghestan, traveled to Goor-Khindakh to meet with the brothers parents and publicly endorsed the villagers version of what had happened.

As of mid-November, the criminal investigation into the alleged attack by the young men on law enforcement personnel had been transferred from the local investigators office to that of Eduard Kaburneyev, the federal investigator for Daghestan. Members of a support group established to help the Gasanguseynov familys lawyer establish the brothers innocence were reportedly being subjected to constant pressure.

In late February, the Gasanguseynovs appealed for help to the Moscow-based human rights watchdog Memorial, but Bagrat Safaraliyev, the investigator responsible, refused to grant the lawyers tasked by Memorial to represent the Gasanguseynov family access to the case materials, the independent weekly Chernovik reported on March 17.

At that juncture, Murtazali Gasanguseynov filed a formal complaint against the republican investigators perceived failure to make any effort to clarify the circumstances of his sons deaths. A Makhachkala district court found that complaint justified and demanded action by the prosecutors office, according to Chernovik on March 23. The court also upheld the legal right of Gasanguseynov and his lawyers to the case materials, according to Caucasian Knot on April 3.

Although Daghestans Supreme Court upheld that ruling, Gasanguseynov never received formal notification that a criminal case had been launched, and in early November 2017 he addressed a formal complaint to that effect to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Days later, the original investigation into the alleged attack by the brothers on law enforcement personnel was closed and a new case opened into the killing of the two young men by unknown individuals, Murad Magomedov, a lawyer for Memorial, announced on November 27.

Speaking on November 29 at a press conference in Makhachkala convened by Magomedov, Murtazali Gasanguseynov again expressed his conviction that his sons were killed deliberately in retaliation for the shooting of a local judge several weeks earlier and that the organizer was the acting local police chief, who was subsequently confirmed in that post. Caucasian Knot quoted Gasanguseynov as saying he will continue the fight to clear his sons good name but doubts their killers will be brought to trial.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL.
SHAKHTINSK, Kazakhstan -- A strike by coal miners in north-central Kazakhstan has spread to more mines as hundreds of workers are refusing to return to the surface, demanding higher salaries and better benefits.

Kazakh Labor Minister Tamara Duisenova told reporters on December 12 that 684 miners at eight different mines have spent two nights underground in coal mines in the town of Shakhtinsk, in the Qaraghandy region.

Regional officials had said earlier that a much lower number of miners, up to 200, had stayed underground at four coal mines in Shakhtinsk.



Duisenova said the miners, who work for ArcelorMittal Temirtau, are demanding that their wages be doubled and that they be allowed to retire at the age of 50.

They are also calling for improved health-care coverage, upgraded equipment and safety measures, as well as improvements to the infrastructure of Shakhtinsk.

Duisenova said some 32 worker representatives are negotiating with mine officials to resolve the issue.

Spouses Lend Support

Miners who are above ground are supporting those who refuse to leave the mine, supplying them with food and water. Many spouses and other relatives are also at the mines bringing clothes and other items to the striking miners.

"We want to support our men...they say they are determined to [strike] until the end, until they come to a compromise," said Svetlana Yerzhumanova.

Miner Sergei Galister told RFE/RL that "people set a goal and they want to achieve it. The guys in the mine said they will not leave until there is a resolution."

"The demands of our colleagues and all who are present at the mine, we support completely," Vladimir Khaniev, an employee of the striking Lenin mine, told RFE/RL.

ArcelorMittal Temirtau officials told RFE/RL that new contracts are being drafted to reflect the miners main demand -- a 100 percent increase in their salaries.

Duisenova said the salary for a mine worker above ground is about 208,000 tenge per month ($621) and about 326,000 tenge ($973) for a miner who extracts the coal.

The company -- a branch of global metals giant ArcelorMittal, which is owned by Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal -- said in September that it was negotiating a new collective agreement with steelworker and miner unions and planned to sign it before the end of the year.

ArcelorMittal Temirtau operates eight coal mines and four iron-ore mines in resource-rich Kazakhstan and operates a metallurgical plant in Temirtau. It produced about 4 million tons of steel in Kazakhstan in 2016.

Last month, copper miners near the Kazakh city of Zhezqazghan in the same region also refused to come out of their mine, demanding salary increases and better benefits.

They only ended their strike after their employer, KazakhMys, agreed to some of their demands.

With reporting by Current Time TV and Reuters


BRUSSELS -- The UN Special Representative for the naming dispute between Greece and Macedonia, Matthew Nimetz, said on December 12 that the issue "can and should be resolved" next year after the parties met for the first time in three years in Brussels.

Greece objects to Skopje's use of the name Macedonia, saying it implies irredentist and territorial ambitions on the part of Skopje.

Greece's objections have complicated Skopje's aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.

Nimetz, a U.S. diplomat who is the personal envoy of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said after a meeting with Greek and Macedonian envoys Adamantios Vassilakis and Vasko Naumovski that "the atmosphere is a much better one and from both Skopje, and Athens there is an indication that we should make an intensive effort to resolve this issue that has been outstanding for so many years."

Under the new government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Macedonia has been seeking to speed up the Balkan nation's efforts to join the EU and NATO by improving strained relations with neighbors Greece and Bulgaria, and has been pushing for new talks with Athens over the long-standing name dispute.

Nimetz voiced hope that a breakthrough would be possible soon, saying, "The general mood is that the next months, certainly the next year, is a year in which these issues can and should be resolved."

"My own thinking as the UN representative on these tasks is to make a real push to see in the next months whether we can get to some resolution," he added.

Nimetz refused to speculate about what new name could replace Macedonia's current official name -- the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

With reporting by RFE/RL Correspondent Rikard Jozwiak


Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has said that there will be an international investigation into a deadly 2015 shoot-out that has strained ties with neighboring Kosovo.

Zaev made the comment on December 12 during the first-ever visit by a Macedonian prime minister to Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Twenty-two people were killed, including eight members of the security forces and 14 gunmen, in a two-day confrontation in May 2015 in the ethnically mixed northern Macedonian town of Kumanovo near the border with Kosovo. Forty police officers were injured.

The clash occurred during a police raid that followed an attack by armed men on a border post.

It was the worst unrest in Macedonia since an ethnic Albanian insurgency in 2001 ended with a deal providing greater rights for the minority group.

"Such an issue is in the interest of our cooperation and that should not remain an obstacle to our ties," Zaev said in Pristina at a news conference with his Kosovar counterpart, Ramush Haradinaj.

"During today's visit, we have been able to help our relations between Kosovo and Macedonia advance, Haradinaj said.

On November 2, a Macedonian court sentenced 33 men to lengthy prison terms for involvement in the violence in Kumanovo, triggering protests in Kosovo.

All the defendants, who were ethnic Albanians from Kosovo and Macedonia, denied the charges against them.

Ethnic Albanians make up about one-quarter of Macedonias population of about 2.1 million.


ISLAMABAD -- Five-year-old Mohammad Ashar Aziz will never be able to walk without orthopedic leg braces.

The youngest of three brothers from a village near Islamabad, he is one of just 17 children in the world -- all of them in Pakistan or Afghanistan -- who developed paralysis during 2017 from a wild polio-virus infection.

His father, 41-year-old day laborer Hamid Aziz, is disconsolate because he repeatedly had the chance to immunize Mohammad Ashar for free during the past five years.

Instead, Hamid Aziz says he listened to the advice of a cleric in his village, who announced over loudspeakers of the madrasah, a local Islamic religious school, that the vaccine was not good for childrens health, and prevented it from being administered to any of his sons.

Whenever teams of government and international aid workers came to his village as part of a massive polio-eradication campaign, Aziz and his illiterate wife, Huma, hid Mohammad Ashar and his siblings and told the vaccination teams there were no children in their home.

Why didnt I give the vaccine to my son? says Aziz, who quit school at the age of 14 and knew nothing about the polio vaccine.

We believed what our cleric told us, but now I realize that weve not done the right thing for our son, Aziz tells RFE/RL. We realize how important it was and that we should have let him get the vaccine.

Perceptions And Misinformation

Public health studies in Pakistan have shown that maternal illiteracy and low parental knowledge about vaccines -- together with poverty and rural residency -- are factors that most commonly influence whether children are vaccinated against the polio virus.

Nooran Afridi, a pediatrician at a private clinic in Pakistans Khyber tribal region, says one of the biggest obstacles to eradicating polio in Pakistan has been refusals stemming from antipolio propaganda spread by conservative Islamic clerics in backward areas.

One common fallacy in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan with low literacy rates is that the vaccine sterilizes young boys.

Antipolio propaganda also has been fueled by distrust in Western governments who fund vaccine programs -- particularly after the CIA staged a fake hepatitis vaccination campaign in 2011 to confirm the location of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Since then, some clerics have even issued fatwas saying that children who become paralyzed or die from polio are martyrs because they refused to be tricked by a Western conspiracy.

Taliban militants in both Afghanistan and Pakistan also have propagandized that Western-made vaccines contain pig fat or alcohol, which are both forbidden in Islam.

Pakistans Tehrik-i Taliban has used that false claim to justify its killing of more than 80 polio vaccination team workers in Pakistan since a massive polio-eradication effort was launched in 2012.

Massive Eradication Effort

Pakistani health workers, together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international aid organizations, have immunized millions of children across the country since 2012 with more than 100 rounds of the vaccination drive.

More than 38 million children under the age of 5, the most susceptible age group for contracting the contagious disease, were vaccinated in Pakistan during 2017 alone.

The effort has brought Pakistans paralytic polio rate to its lowest level since the early 1990s.

Six of the worlds 17 paralytic cases in 2017 were reported in Pakistan, compared to 20 in 2016 and a peak of 198 cases in 2011.

In Afghanistan, there were 11 paralytic polio cases in 2017, down slightly from 13 the year before.

The WHO, which treats Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single epidemiological block, has warned that the risk of the spread of polio remains high along the countries' 1,500-kilometer shared border -- particularly among nomadic tribes that travel within both countries and across the frontier.

But the WHO also has been encouraged by Pakistans eradication efforts in its tribal regions along the border, where no new paralytic cases were reported during 2017.

Completely eradicating polio from Pakistan will depend on reaching all children who have not been vaccinated, it said in a late November report.

Both countries demonstrated strong progress, with independent technical advisory groups underscoring the feasibility of rapidly interrupting transmission of the remaining polio virus strains, according to the WHO, which also praised closely coordinated Afghan-Pakistani initiatives to identify children missed by vaccination programs and to understand why they were missed.

Almost Gone

Pakistan had hoped to be removed from the list of polio-endemic countries by the end of 2017 by achieving its goal of no new paralytic cases for a year -- a result achieved by Nigeria in October.

Rana Safdar, coordinator for Pakistans national Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, announced in April that Pakistan was about to defeat polio because of a continued political commitment from Islamabad and support from international and Pakistani partners in the eradication programs.

The next round of mass vaccinations in Pakistan is scheduled for the end of December.

WATCH: Pakistan Launches New Polio Vaccination Drive (from July 2017)

Mezhar Nisar, a member of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasis polio eradication task force, says he is confident the disease is on the way to being rooted out from Pakistan.

We have addressed all the refusal issues in our overall social-mobilization strategy, Nisar told RFE/RL. We have involved religious scholars from the Ulema councils and community-based women health workers. This has brought the number of vaccination refusals to the minimal level. The program is fully on track.

The Independent Monitoring Board of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) on December 8 praised the prime ministers hands-on approach with Pakistani provincial leaders.

Meanwhile, in Cairo, the Islamic Advisory Group for Polio Eradication has issued a new training manual for madrasah students that supports polio eradication efforts with practical guidance about engaging with local communities in support of vaccination.

Endpolio Pakistan, which brings nongovernmental and government experts in Pakistan together with international health organizations, says declarations by Muslim scholars in Ulema councils were critical to eliminating new paralytic polio cases during 2017 from Pakistans tribal areas along the Afghan border.

In the town of Akora Khattak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party chief Maulana Samiul Haq declared a fatwa in late 2013 at the Darul Uloom Haqqania religious seminary, stating that there is nothing forbidden in the polio vaccine.

Haq, who had close ties with the late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, said it is the responsibility of the religious scholars in the Ulema councils "to remove misconceptions about the use of vaccines to protect children from the crippling disease.

He also publicly declared that Islamic Shari'a law has made it clear that there is no harm in it. Rather, the treatment is an obligation.

Other clerics have issued appeals for ordinary citizens, religious scholars, and tribal elders to fully support the polio vaccination initiative across Pakistan so that every child is vaccinated -- insisting that the vaccine's ingredients are, beyond any doubt, permissible under traditional Islamic law.

Hamid Aziz says he wishes he would have had that kind of Islamic instruction when his son was born in 2012.

Instead, Aziz is now struggling on his intermittent wages of about $7 per day to come up with the funds needed to buy the leg braces that his youngest son will need to use for the rest of his life in order to walk.

Now I am asking other parents to allow the medical workers to administer the polio vaccine to their children, Aziz told RFE/RL. It is good for your children.

Written and reported by Ron Synovitz in Prague with additional reporting by RFE/RL Radio Mashaal correspondent Ahmad Ullah in Islamabad
Pakistan's military says two of its soldiers, including an officer, were killed when militants opened fire on an army vehicle on patrol in a northwestern tribal district.

A statement said that the attack took place on December 12 in North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan.

The dead soldiers included a second lieutenant. Both men were aged 21.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Violence in Pakistan has declined in recent years following a series of military offensives against militants along the country's northwestern border, but militant groups have continued to carry out deadly attacks.

On December 5, at least six people were killed in a roadside-bomb blast in North Waziristan. The dead reportedly included both army recruits and bystanders.
Russia's Roskomnadzor media regulatory agency has begun blocking access to websites of organizations deemed "undesirable" by the Justice Ministry under a 2015 law aimed at restricting the activity of organizations the Kremlin accuses of fomenting political dissent.

The regulator's website on December 12 posted a notice that it had received a demand from the Prosecutor-General's Office to restrict access to Internet sites that "distribute information from organizations deemed undesirable in Russia."

It does not mention any organizations by name, but there are currently 11 organizations on the list.

On December 11, the authorities blocked access to several websites of Open Russia, a democracy and civil-society NGO founded by former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Open Russia reported that its main website, OpenRussia.org, and five others had been blacklisted by Roskomnadnzor for "calling for disorder."

The organization stressed that its Russia-based branch had not been included on the list of undesirable organizations.

On December 12, the popular social-media site Odnoklassniki began blocking Open Russia's group on its site.

Khodorkovsky the same day denounced the blocking of the websites as "an abuse of official power to benefit the rule of a criminal group."

Amnesty International also denounced the move, saying in a December 12 statement that Russian authorities "are clearly targeting Open Russia in a bid to suffocate dissent and pluralism in the Russian media and expunge Khodorkovskys presence in Russian politics and society."

Once Russia's wealthiest tycoon, Khodorkovsky was arrested in 2003 and served 10 years in prison after being convicted of tax evasion and other financial crimes in two trials widely seen as politically motivated.

Khodorkovsky now lives in Western Europe after leaving Russia when he was pardoned by Putin and released from prison in 2013.

Blocking the websites is the latest in a series of moves by the Kremlin against Open Russia and Khodorkovsky-connected organizations.

In April, the Russian Justice Ministry listed three organizations associated with Khodorkovsky as "undesirable."

The ministry listed two branches of Open Russia registered in the United Kingdom, as well as the U.S.-based Institute of Modern Russia.

The Open Russia NGO registered in Russia, which operates the Openrussia.org website, was not listed. The Russian NGO also does not appear on the separate Justice Ministry list of Russian NGOs considered to be "foreign agents."

Police have searched the homes of the organization's employees in recent months, and two employees have been fined, according to rights groups.

The organization's deputy director, Ilya Novikov, fled the country in June, after what he said were "constant attempts by police to conduct searches" at his workplace.

Amnesty International said in its December 12 statement that following the move against the Britain-registered branches, "the Prosecutors Office gave assurances that the ban wouldn't affect the activities of the Russian-based movement of the same name."

"Todays events now show that promise to be nothing more than a brazen lie. The authorities have shown their true intent to target and harass Open Russia out of existence, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty Internationals Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia said.

The moves against Open Russia come as the country heads toward a presidential election in March 2018.

President Vladimir Putin, who has ruled Russia either as prime minister or president since 2000, announced earlier this month that he will seek a fourth term. Because of the country's tightly controlled political environment and managed elections, analysts believe he is almost certain to be declared the winner.

Charismatic opposition leader and anticorruption activist Aleksei Navalny has been barred by the authorities from participating in the election because of a felony fraud conviction that he dismisses as politically motivated.

Other declared candidates include Communist Gennady Zyuganov, nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, liberal Grigory Yavlinsky, business ombudsman Boris Titov, and television personality and journalist Ksenia Sobchak.